《My Wife is a Hacker》 Chapter 1 Chapter 1 On a rainy day in September, drizzle moisturized a mountain town and washed clean the stone streets with a refreshing earthy smell in the air. An eighteen-year-old girl was on her way to the principal¡¯s office at the only high school in the town center. She dressed austerely, but it did not hide the fact that she was beautiful. However, her emotionless eyes made her look sullen and unapproachable. ¡°Mr. Barrett, herees Nicole.¡± ss teacher, Ms. Mills, led the way for Nicole. N?velDrama.Org content rights. Nicole Wace looked at her with some surprise, wondering why Ms. Mills was suddenly so nice to her. Ms. Mills was someone who ced great importance on family background in the selection of ss committee members. ¡°Let her in.¡± The principal was equally excited; even his voice was a little trembling. Nicole slowly chuckled as soon as she stepped into the principal¡¯s office. It turned out to be because of him. On the VIP sofa in the principal¡¯s office sat a tall man, dressed in an expensive suit, looking like a social elite, but his facial features were like hers. Nicole was studying the man just as the man was studying her. He initially nned to go to the hospital with her for a DNA test, but now it seemed unnecessary. She was a dead ringer for her mother with the same fine facial features and fair and delicate skin. Her beauty was hard to conceal, even if she dressed casually. Yet the most striking thing was her eyes. She was only seventeen or eighteen, but there was a hint of unfathomable iciness in her eyes. Seeing him staring at herself, Nicole frowned and asked, ¡°Who are you?¡± She had always known that she was not her grandmother¡¯s biological granddaughter, and she had thought that one day her birth family woulde looking for her. She thought her biological parents woulde. This man was way too young. A hint of frustration shed in the man¡¯s deep-set eyes, and he said, ¡°I am your elder brother.¡± ¡°Nicole, why have you never mentioned to us that your brother is the general manager of the Riddle Corporation in San Joto?¡± Mr. Barrett could not help but say. Nicole rolled her eyes secretly; she had just learned that, for god¡¯s sake. Three years ago, her parents had died in a car ident, and only then her grandmother told her the truth ¡ª she was adopted by them when she was a child. No wonder her adoptive parents had been so cold to her and left her in the countryside. After the death of her adoptive parents, her grandma registered her at the welfare office, waiting for her biological family toe to reunite with her. Nicole did not expect that this day woulde, much less her brother was the general manager of Riddle Corporation, a famous name in San Joto. ¡°Are you really my brother?¡± Nicole had a hard time believing such a plot twist. ¡°Yeah, you have four brothers besides me,¡± the man named Sean Riddle spoke gently. ¡°Four?¡± Nicole frowned. It turned out that things were far from what she had imagined all this time. She could hardly imagine what it would be like to have four elder brothers. It would probably be noisy. Seeing that Nicole was deep in thought, Mrs. Wace Sr. said to Sean politely, ¡°Nicole is more introverted. She needs time to adapt. Hope you don¡¯t mind.¡± ¡°Mrs. Wace, I won¡¯t mind.¡± Sean got up with a polite smile and then took out a gift box from his backpack. ¡°Nicole, this is the first time we met. This is for you.¡± Mr. Barrett quickly stood up and tried to butter Nicole up. ¡°It is so nice of your brother, Nicole. You should ept the gift. I can see that you and your brother are really close. Please remember your ssmates and us after the school transfer.¡± Hearing Mr. Barrett¡¯s words, Sean¡¯s face turned stony, and he nced back at Mr. Barrett and said indifferently. ¡°Mr. Barrett, Great Oak High School has nurtured my sister for so many years, and we will return the favor by donating money to build the campus.¡± The Riddle family would owe no one debt of gratitude. Mr. Barrett¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°That is great! Thank you, Mr. Riddle.¡± His brother¡¯s generosity impressed Nicole, who atst epted the gift out of politeness. Mr. Barrett gave some more ttery talks before he and his headteacher saw them out. There was a Rolls-Royce parked up in front of the school, surrounded by other luxury cars, which had long attracted attention. Regina Wynn was stopped by her buddy as soon as she got out of a car. ¡°Regina, here you are!¡± She rolled her eyes at her buddy, yet her attention was on the Rolls-Royce. ¡°Whose car is that?¡± As the daughter of a member of the school¡¯s board of directors, she got all the attention all the time until today, when this Rolls-Royce came along. ¡°I heard that the general manager of Riddle Corporation came to our school.¡± ¡°Riddle Corporation?¡± Regina thought, ¡®It is San Joto¡¯s biggest corporation. Even my dad couldn¡¯t find a way to work with them. What is the guy from Riddle Corporation doing here? Invest in this poor school?¡¯ ¡°No, I heard he came to pick up his sister.¡± ¡°Pick up his sister?¡± Regina was stunned. ¡°Are you sure about that? Why would someone from the Riddle family want to study at this goddamn school?¡± While the two people were talking, behind them, the principal and a group of headteachers were apanying a tall man and Nicole to walk out of the school. ¡°Regina, the tall man is the general manager of Riddle Corporation,¡± her buddy said with a trembling voice. Regina was astounded as she turned around. If that man was the general manager of Riddle Corporation, then the girl next to him should be his sister. But that girl turned out to be Nicole, the bumpkin she hated and despised the most. Regina¡¯s face changed drastically. She could not believe that Nicole was actually from the Riddle family. Chapter 2 Chapter 2 Regina was not in the same league as Nicole, both in looks and studies. She even did not expect that her family background, which she had always been proud of, waspletely eclipsed by Nicole¡¯s, and this made her feel jealous to the extreme. ¡°Get in the car, Nicole.¡± In full view of everyone, Sean helped Nicole open the car door like a gentleman as he looked at her with gentle eyes. ¡°He is so charming. If only I could have such a charming and rich brother.¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m really envious of her.¡± Regina listened to the discussion with the jealousy and hatred in her surging like a stormy sea. So, she deliberately shouted, ¡°What is there to be proud of? She is just a bumpkin. She thinks she can be a social elite overnight?¡± Nicole was about to get into the car and paused when she heard that. Now, even Sean¡¯s eyes had darkened. N?velDrama.Org content rights. ¡°What the hell are you talking about, Regina?¡± Ms. Mills looked displeased. Mr. Barrett recognized this daughter of a board member, but he still could not afford to offend the Riddles. He immediately rebuked Ms. Mills. ¡°Is this the student council president you have appointed?¡± ¡°I¡­¡± Nicole promptly fanned the me. ¡°Ms. Mills, the behavior of student cadres affects the school¡¯s image. The next time you select someone, select someone with a brain, not just someone who could pay you.¡± Ms. Mills did not expect Nicole to mention that she received mary benefit by appointing the student council president. Right now, she felt a burning sensation on her face because of the humiliation. When she removed Nicole and appointed Regina to be the student council president, she had gotten a green light from Mr. Barrett. Seeing Nicole displeased, Sean nced at Mr. Barrett and said in an icy voice, ¡°You know what to do, Mr. Barrett.¡± Thinking back to how she had helped Regina look for trouble with Nicole all these days, Ms. Mills¡¯ face turned pale immediately. Mr. Barrett immediately scolded her, ¡°Shame on you, Ms. Mills!¡± He then turned to Sea. ¡°I will fire her immediately, Mr. Riddle.¡± Ms. Mills was dumbfounded. So did Regina, realizing that her position as the chairman that she bought with money had ended. ¡°Let¡¯s go, Nicole.¡± Sean pulled back his gaze, and his frosty expression instantly dissipated as he smiled at Nicole. At first, Nicole just wanted to stir the pot a little to scare them, not expecting Sean to stand up for her. She now felt a little fonder of this strange brother. It felt good to have a brother. ¡°Okay.¡± Nicole got in the car, and Sean drove her and Mrs. Wace Sr. away, leaving behind everyone looking in surprise and envy. The Rolls-Royce soon arrived at Nicole¡¯s little house, where she and her grandmother lived together. Sean followed Nicole to pick up her luggage. There were only a few things that Nicole had with her: a notebook, a school bag, and a few pieces of clothing. ¡°Less is more. When we get to San Joto, we will buy you new ones.¡± Sean said thoughtfully, not wanting Nicole to overthink. ¡°I don¡¯t like too many things,¡± Nicole said while holding her grandma. She had always been averse to trouble, so she liked it simple. When the driver heard this, he was so shocked that his eyeballs almost fell out of their sockets. As the general manager of Riddle Corporation, people were scrambling to please Sean. Yet, this girl rejected him when he offered to buy her things for the first time. Thinking of the fate of those who had offended Sean previously, the driver did not dare to make a sound but stood by the side of the car, trying to reduce his sense of presence. But to his surprise, Sean just let out a nonchnt smile, doting on Nicole like no tomorrow. ¡°No problem.¡± The driver could not be more surprised. Sean seemed to be very gentle with his lost-and-found sister. The treatment he gave to this sister was something not even the existing sister could enjoy. Before getting into the car, Nicole repeatedly told her grandmother not to see them out. Her usual emotionless eyes turned gentle as she said, ¡°Grandma, I wille back to see you.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Mrs. Wace Sr. nodded with tears in her eyes and then reluctantly let go of Nicole¡¯s hand and watched her get into the car. As the car drove on, Nicole retracted her gaze only when Mrs. Wace Sr. grew smaller and smaller before disappearing in the rearview mirror. ¡°If you want, you can take her to San Joto and live with her. I will arrange a ce for her to settle down,¡± Sean said with concern when he saw the pain in her eyes. ¡°It is okay. Everyone knows each other in the small town. She will not get used to it when she goes to San Joto.¡± Otherwise, she would have asked her grandmother to go with her a long time ago. Not expecting that Nicole was so thoughtful, Sean started to feel sorry and like her even more. He said nothing further and gave her some space. Nicole looked out the window as the town she had been living in was getting farther and farther away behind her. After leaving her grandmother, she would no longer have to conceal herself. The car drove on for hours before they finally reached San Joto. ¡°Here we are. Dad and Mom are waiting for you.¡± Sean pointed toward the Riddle family house. She did not know who the Riddle family was, but judging by the manor and the massive house that no ordinary people could afford, she could tell that they must be super-rich. But Nicole was not as excited and surprised as girls from other ordinary families would react. She just nodded gently. After the rest of them got out of the car, she followed Sean into the house. As she walked past the oil painting gallery by the door, the family butler gave her a tour and exined the famous paintings, all of which were of great value. Nicole looked at them and thought to herself quietly, not revealing anything on her face. Two of these famous paintings were fake, but the quality of the imitation was not half bad. No one except her and two other experts in the world could tell that these two paintings were fake. After a while, they came to a hall where Nicole saw three people. A couple, neatly dressed, was sitting on the sofa and a young girl about her age was on the side. ¡°Grandpa, Mom, Dad. I have brought my sister back.¡± As soon as Sean¡¯s voice trailed off, Gloria Holder and Daniel Riddle saw a tall girl walk in behind Sean. The girl was slim, her skin delicate like gtin. Although she dressed simply, she was graceful with beautiful eyes. People simply could not take their eyes off her when they saw her. The moment Gloria saw Nicole, her eyes welled up instantly. ¡°It is her; it is my daughter!¡± Chapter 3 Chapter 3 Bloodline was something amazing. Even though Gloria had not seen Nicole for many years, she could recognize the girl in front of her to be Nicole, her biological daughter, at first nce. Nicole also had this special feeling. So, when Gloria rushed over and hugged her, she did not resist. This belongs to N?velDrama.Org: ?. ¡°Oh, Nicole, I have finally found you.¡± Gloria choked up. ¡°It was my fault for not protecting you well enough. I was to me for your abduction.¡± So, her abduction was real. Nicole used to wonder why her family abandoned her. Was it because she was a daughter? Now knowing that her loved ones cared about her, Nicole¡¯s heart softened, and the look on her face was not as stony as when they first met. ¡°Mom, let sis sit down first. We havee all the way home, and she should be tired by now.¡± Sean reminded Gloria thoughtfully. ¡°Right, right. I am just too happy.¡± Gloria agreed but did not let go of her grip. She sat Nicole down. Seeing the entire family surrounding Nicole, a hint of jealousy shed in the eyes of the girl next to them. But the girl quickly put on a smile. ¡°Nicole must be thirsty. Let me pour you a ss of water.¡± Only then everyone remembered the girl, Norah Riddle. Seeing Norah so thoughtful, Gloria could not help but feel warmhearted. ¡°Norah is so thoughtful.¡± Norah looked a little bashful as she said, ¡°My sister has just returned from the countryside. I should take care of her more.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Nicole shot her a nce as she took the ss from Norah. Sean noticed Nicole¡¯s gaze and made the introduction. ¡°Nicole, this is Norah, whom I have mentioned on the way.¡± ¡°Ahh,¡± Nicole responded. Sean mentioned that Gloria and Daniel had not continued to look for Nicole because they had found a child with a birthmark behind her ear in the third year of Nicole¡¯s abduction. So, they mistook Norah as their daughter and did not continue the search. It was not until recently that the police suddenly informed them that the DNA data uploaded years ago had a match. The Riddle family knew they had identified the wrong person. But Norah had been in the Riddle family for so many years, and Gloria and Daniel could not bear to send her away summarily. So, they let Norah stay, promising to help her find her familyter. In other words, they would need to spend some time under the same roof. ¡°Nice to meet you, Nicole.¡± Norah held out her hand with a friendly smile. Nicole had a cold temperament and did not like physical contact with people. She was not too warmed up to seeing her parents again, let alone facing strangers. So, she ignored Norah¡¯s hand and just nodded at her. ¡°Nice to meet you.¡± Norah¡¯s hand stayed in the air, and she looked at Gloria and Daniel with a hint of hurt feeling in her eyes. It was like Nicole had bullied her. Sean frowned. ¡°Nicole is introverted. Please don¡¯t mind.¡± Norah bit her lip with a stoic but thoughtful look. ¡°I understand. I have lived using her identity for so many years. She has a reason to hate me. I am fine, Sean.¡± Norah¡¯s words instantly had everyone¡¯s attention on her. ¡°No, Norah, don¡¯t overthink.¡± Gloria looked at Norah, feeling sorry for her. Even though Norah was not her biological daughter, she had raised her and still loved her. Nicole smirked, hating to see Norah making a fuss while saying hello. This person was really interesting. ¡°You look hurt and assume that I hate you while saying hello. If it weren¡¯t for the presence of my parents and brothers, they might have thought I bullied you.¡± The other three people stayed silent upon hearing what Nicole said. At first, Sean furrowed his brow when he heard what Norah had said. But now, his frown had eased up, and he looked with appreciation at his newfound sister in front of him. Daniel also realized something, and he nced at Norah and said, ¡°Well, Nicole has just returned. Don¡¯t get too sensitive.¡± Norah bit her lip and nced at Nicole. At first, she thought that since Nicole was from the countryside, she must be a typical country bumpkin. But Nicole turned out to be extremely beautiful and a tough opponent. Norah collected herself and immediately apologized. ¡°It was my fault. I am sorry that I was being too sensitive. You are right, Nicole. I shouldn¡¯t assume too much.¡± Seeing Norah¡¯s tactful response, Nicole did not pursue the matter further. She looked back at the elders and asked, ¡°Where is my room? I would like to unpack my stuff.¡± Gloria got up with a smile. ¡°On the second floor. Let me show you.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Nicole nodded and went upstairs with Gloria and Daniel. The happy smile of the family of three stung Norah¡¯s eyes. Before Nicole returned, all the favors of her parents were hers. But now, when they knew she was not their biological daughter, they gave all their love to Nicole. ¡°Norah,¡± Sean suddenly spoke. Norah immediately fought back the emotion in her eyes and smiled. ¡°What¡¯s up, Sean?¡± Sean took a hard look at Norah, hoping that the dismal look he had just seen in her eyes was not true. ¡°Nicole has just returned. Your second brother and I are busy at work, and your third and fourth brothers are in school. I need you to take care of Nicole for a few days before she gets to her new school.¡± It was Nicole again. Norah was upset but still put on a smile. ¡°Sure, Sean. You can count on me.¡± Sean was relieved. ¡°I have also passed your DNA data to the police, and I believe there will be results soon. Don¡¯t worry.¡± ¡°All right.¡± Norah¡¯s voice was unnatural as hatred grew inside her. Were they so desperate to kick her out of the family so that they could be reunited as a family? Chapter 4 Chapter 4 Norah gritted her teeth quietly as her resentment of Nicole grew even more. Sean was really busy. He headed back to his office right afterward. Gloria dragged Nicole into a room that faced east on the second floor. The corner of Nicole¡¯s mouth twitched when she saw everything inside the room was rose pink, very girly. ¡°We don¡¯t know what you like, but thinking that you are also a girl, we asked Norah for advice, and she chose many things here for you.¡± Gloria¡¯s eyes were filled with tenderness when talking about Norah. ¡°Ahem.¡± Daniel was afraid that Nicole would think too much and quickly signaled to Gloria. Gloria came to her senses and became cautious when she spoke. ¡°Do you like it?¡± Nicole had never been picky about these things. Just that things were a little over the top for her, but she still epted their kindness. ¡°Thank you.¡± Gloria was relieved that her daughter still liked it, so she followed up and continued. ¡°Those gifts on the table are from your other brothers. They have all gone to work and school today, usually noting back often. So, they have left the gifts here in advance.¡± It was so heartwarming to know that her brothers still had her at heart, Nicole thought. Gloria was afraid that Nicole did not know how to use the facilities in the room, so she showed her how to. After that, she sat Nicole down on the bed with an avuncr look on her face. ¡°This is your home, so please feel at ease. If you need anything, just tell me, okay?¡± With her mother holding her hand, Nicole once again felt the closeness of this mother-daughter rtionship. It felt a little ufortable, but it was also heartwarming. She could not help but nod her head awkwardly. ¡°Thank you, Mom. Thank you, Dad.¡± Daniel had said nothing, but he immediately broke out in a smile when Nicole called him Dad. The two chatted for a while, and then they left Nicole alone so that she could rest up. Nicole now felt extra rxed lying in the bathtub. She had always wanted to install a bathtub at her grandmother¡¯s house but was afraid that her grandmother would be worried, thinking that her money came from an unknown source. So, she really had not gotten the chance to do it even though she had the money. She could not take care of her grandmother anymore aftering to San Joto, but at least, she did not have to hide her identity anymore. After taking a bath, it was not yet dinner time. Nicole nned to take a stroll outside to familiarize herself with the environment and make her work easier in the future. But before she could leave, a maid approached and invited her to the living room. As soon as she came downstairs, she saw an old man sitting on the sofa. Daniel saw Nicole and immediately beckoned her over to sit down. ¡°Nicole, this is your grandpa.¡± Nicole had been living in a small town, but she hade into contact with many people, especially those from the upper social ss. The old man looked over seventy, but was still in good health. He had that authoritative persona typical of a patriarch of a family elder in him. Nicole bowed her head slightly as she greeted Mr. Riddle Sr. with respect. ¡°Hello, Grandpa.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. responded, then studied Nicole carefully before retracting his gaze. ¡°She really looks like Sean and other brothers. I asked you to do a DNA test previously, but you didn¡¯t listen.¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. did not mention who, but there was no difference from saying Norah¡¯s name aloud. Yet he did not care but continued, ¡°Since the real one is back now, when are you going to send the fake one away?¡± Nicole was startled slightly. It looked like Mr. Riddle Sr. did not like Norah. ¡°Dad, what you said will hurt Norah dearly.¡± Gloria could not bear to hear that. Mr. Riddle Sr. did not look at her. ¡°If it were not for her, my granddaughter would not have lived out there for so many years. Our family has raised her for so many years, and we have never asked her to pay back. How can it hurt?¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. knew what he was talking about, and that made Nicole respect him. Daniel saw Norah¡¯s awkward expression and said, ¡°Norah, why don¡¯t you return to your room first?¡± ¡°Okay.¡± As reluctant as Norah was, she did not want to stay here and get humiliated, so she hurried back to her room. ¡°Dad, Sean is in the midst of searching for Norah¡¯s parents. She will be sent back to her parents once we find them.¡± Daniel tried to reassure Mr. Riddle Sr. Mr. Riddle Sr. frowned. ¡°Are you still keeping her at home if you can¡¯t find her parents?¡± Gloria was stunned for a moment, looking in a pickle. ¡°Dad, I know that you are kind to us, but Norah has lived with us for so many years. I don¡¯t want her to leave without a home.¡± Nicole looked at Gloria, whose sincere expression told her that Gloria was a kind and soft-hearted person. Mr. Riddle Sr. hesitated for a moment but still said resolutely, ¡°Three months, at most three months, she must be sent away. I don¡¯t want people tough at the Riddle family that we have raised children for others.¡± Daniel understood Mr. Riddle Sr. ¡®s concern and nodded. ¡°Dad, don¡¯t worry. I will find Norah¡¯s parents soonest.¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. nodded. Meanwhile, no one noticed Norah was hiding in the corner upstairs, staring at Nicole angrily. N?velDrama.Org content. Mr. Riddle Sr. had never liked her from the beginning. Now that Nicole was back, she became a complete joke. She would definitely make Mr. Riddle Sr. realize that she was a thousand times better than that country girl. Mr. Riddle Sr. looked back at Nicole. The longer he looked, the more he liked her. After all, she was his biological granddaughter. When the other old guys talked about their granddaughters next time, he could finally join them and talk about his precious granddaughter. ¡°I heard you went to high school at Great Oak. How was your academic performance?¡± ¡°Dad, the quality of education in small towns is no way as good as ours here, so don¡¯t put pressure on her.¡± Knowing Mr. Riddle Sr. was a straight talker, Gloria came to Nicole¡¯s defense, afraid that the question was too hard for Nicole to handle. Chapter 5 Chapter 5 After all, there was a vast difference between the quality of education in small towns and San Joto. Mr. Riddle Sr. frowned upon hearing that. Gloria had a point. What good teachers could a school in a small town have? Mr. Riddle Sr. took a deep breath, put down his teacup, and looked at Daniel with a serious face. ¡°Arrange a school for Nicole as soon as possible. The children of the Riddle family should not be left behind.¡± Nicole raised an eyebrow slightly as she could tell that Mr. Riddle Sr. was bold in his decision and quick in action, which was a trait she liked. It was just that things like grades were¡­ Just then, Daniel had already made a guarantee. ¡°I know, Dad. I will arrange it.¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. nodded and looked at Nicole again. ¡°I know the quality of education in small towns is not ideal, but all my grandchildren are in the top five of the grades in every exam. You can¡¯t let me down, you know?¡± Seeing that Mr. Riddle Sr. cared so much about results, Nicole had no choice. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Grandpa.¡± She would not want to lose face herself, even if it was not for him. ¡°Good girl.¡± Seeing Nicole¡¯s confidence and decorum, Mr. Riddle Sr. was very happy. He ordered the family butler, ¡°I will go back today, and in a few days, you are to take Nicole back to my house so everyone will have a meal together.¡± Daniel and Gloria¡¯s faces changed. ¡°Dad¡­ Is that necessary?¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. had four sons. The eldest son was a business wizard, the second a business magnate, the third a banking giant. Only Daniel, because of poor health, had not been involved in the business of Riddle Corporation, but moved out early to have his own life. So was the reason his rtionship with his three brothers was less close, and they rarely interacted with each other. They would only head over to Mr. Riddle Sr.¡¯s house during his birthday and festive seasons. Even then, every time they got together, Gloria and Daniel would inevitably be taunted by the other three couples. Gloria had had enough. Nicole¡¯s return was a good thing, but the thought of her daughter having to face these people with her made her feel bad. ¡°Dad is right. Nicole has just returned, and all family members need to get to know each other,¡± Daniel said indifferently. ¡°Besides, I n to send Nicole to Royal Creek Institute, and I need eldest brother¡¯s help.¡± This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. The Royal Creek Institute, divided into a university and a high school, was the most outstanding educational institution in San Joto, and the quality of education was guaranteed. Just that entry criteria were also high. Daniel wanted nothing less for his daughter, and so he was adamant about getting her into Royal Creek Institute. ¡°Is Royal Creek Institute good?¡± Nicole squinted slightly, not having much knowledge about this school. But she knew someone there, at least. ¡°Of course. It is the best school in San Joto. Your brothers are all attending that school. If you have also entered the high school of Royal Creek Institute, they can take care of you,¡± Daniel said affectionately. ¡°Royal Creek Institute is good, indeed. But¡­ When Dad asked Damien to help Samuel get a ce in the schoolst time, his wife was very reluctant. This time she would be even more reluctant, I guess,¡± Gloria said with concern. ¡°Why don¡¯t we think of another way?¡± The Holder family also had some connections. Gloria had to give it a shot for the sake of her daughter. ¡°It is alright. Damien and his wife are trouble averse, but they are not bad people. They will just grouse about it. All I need is for Nicole to get a ce in Royal Creek Institute.¡± Daniel whispered. He would do everything he could. ¡°Daniel¡­¡± Gloria was grateful, but it also pained her to see him having to do that. Seeing her parents were willing to do anything for her, Nicole blinked, unsure if she should tell them she knew someone in Royal Creek Institute. Just then, Mr. Riddle Sr. spoke. ¡°Daniel is right. Damien will help. Even if they were reluctant to do it, Nicole still has my support. Fear not.¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. spoke emphatically, his eyespletely filled with the look of a doting grandfather. He would be thankful if his sons did not drive him to his early grave. Now that he had finally found his biological granddaughter, it was natural that he doted on her like a little princess. Words choked in Nicole¡¯s throat. For the first time in her life, she felt warmth from her family¡¯s protection. So, she had decided that she would figure it out for herself and would not want them to worry about her too much. Mr. Riddle Sr. talked for a few moments about Nicole before reluctantly leaving without staying for dinner. After Mr. Riddle Sr. left, Daniel and Gloria went upstairs to rest. Nicole then took out her phone,posed a text message, and sent it out. Just when she was about to go upstairs, someone stood in her way. ¡°Did I hear it correctly when I was about toe downstairs that Dad and Mom were going to send you to the high school of Royal Creek Institute?¡± Nicole silently stepped up a flight of steps to the left, on the same level as Norah, but pulled away some distance from her. She then nodded and said, ¡°Is there a problem?¡± ¡°There isn¡¯t a problem, just that you will only drag the feet of others in Royal Creek Institute if you are not good enough. It would not look good if you can¡¯t keep up and overstretch yourself.¡± Looking at Norah pretending to be concerned about her, Nicole smirked and said, ¡°Oh, so what is your opinion?¡± Nicole¡¯s sudden outpouring of rowdiness threw Norah off-guard. Norah calmed herself down before saying, ¡°Dad and Mom are going to great lengths to send you to the high school of Royal Creek Institute, but your poor grades will ruin it all. It would be better for you to propose to go to another school.¡± Chapter 6 Chapter 6 If Nicole sessfully entered the high school of Royal Creek Institute, she would be a sophomore just like her. What if they were in the same ss? The thought of these made Norah sick. ¡°Don¡¯t worry; I won¡¯t let Dad and Mom worry about it. I can get into Royal Creek Institute by myself,¡± Nicole responded indifferently. ¡°What?¡± Norah was stunned. ¡°How do you get in by yourself?¡± She was just a high school student from the countryside, and she said she could enter Royal Creek Institute? Was it not that she was just bragging? ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about that.¡± It was tiring tomunicate with such a person. Nicole¡¯s smile faded from her face, and she went straight upstairs. Norah looked at Nicole¡¯s back, her eyes full of indignation. ¡°I would want to see how you, a country girl, could get into Royal Creek Institute.¡± The next day was the weekend. Nicole got up early to go for a morning run. This was her habit for many years. After the morning run, she found a quiet ce and started practicing her skills. She needed constant practice to keep her skills in a tip-top state. It was almost seven when she returned. As soon as she entered the door, Norah saw that Gloria and Daniel were already waiting for her, and Norah was also standing beside them. ¡°Where have you been? Dad and Mom were worried about you when they saw you were not here.¡± Norah saw Nicole approaching and spoke out to me her preemptively. Nicole frowned iprehensibly. ¡°I just went out for a morning run. Is there anything urgent?¡± Gloria was relieved. ¡°No wonder. Exercise is indeed a good habit.¡± But Norah would not easily take that for an answer. ¡°No matter what I did before, I would tell Dad and Mom in advance so that they would not worry about me. You need to take care of Mom¡¯s feelings, you know?¡± Norah effortlessly brought the topic back. ¡°You all had not gotten up when I went out for morning exercise. Besides, I told the family butler.¡± Nicole looked nonchntly at Norah, wanting to see what other charges Norah could dish out at her. ¡°But¡ª¡± ¡°It is just a small matter. There is no need to make a fuss about it. Let¡¯s all sit down and have breakfast.¡± Danial suddenly interrupted before Norah could continue. Norah¡¯s face changed dramatically. In the past, she used to joke like this, grumbling about her brothers for making their parents worry about them, and her father had never reproved her like this. But everything changed after Nicole returned. Feeling hurt, Norah suddenly said, ¡°Does Dad think I am nosy? But I have been doing this all this while. Did I do it wrong?¡± Norah was born with an adorable face and looked pitiful as soon as her eyes welled up. Daniel could not help but wonder if he had said things too harshly. But Nicole, who was standing on the sidelines, had lost patience with Norah¡¯s acting. ¡°You did the right thing, but I am not a replica of you.¡± What Nicole said caused Daniel and Gloria to remember that they must ept the difference between Nicole and Norah. ¡°Nicole is right. Mom will not treat you like a replica of anyone, as long as you are happy to be yourself.¡± Gloria reached out to help Nicole sort her sideburns. She only wanted her daughter to be happy, and nothing else mattered. But all this looked different in Norah¡¯s eyes. Before this, she would try to do her best, trying to please Gloria and Daniel in whatever she did, as she was afraid that such a good life would just be a dream. When the dream ended, she would return to the previous hard days. Now, her fears hade true. Their biological daughter was back, and they indulged Nicole, no matter what she did. But what about her? Had all her previous efforts been in vain? Norah felt miserable and no longer cared to keep her image as a good elder sister. She turned around and said, ¡°Mom, Dad, please enjoy your meal, but I will have to go upstairs first.¡± ¡°Norah¡­¡± Gloria tried to stop her, but Daniel stopped her, motioning for her to take care of Nicole¡¯s feelings. Afraid that Nicole would feel left out in the cold, Gloria stayed and looked at Nicole. ¡°Look at you, you are drenched in sweat. Go get changed, and thene down for breakfast.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Nicole did not want to make her parents¡¯ life any harder, either, so she turned and went upstairs. Seeing that both daughters were gone, Daniel said, ¡°Do you now know why Dad asked you to send Norah away earlier?¡± Nobody is a saint. Facing their own daughter, who they had lost for many years, and the adopted daughter, who had stayed with them and enjoyed a good life for many years, inevitably, there will be favoritism and imbnce. What Mr. Riddle Sr. was trying to do was to protect both sides. He did not want to see the rtionship between the Riddle family and Norah of so many years end up breaking. ¡°Now I know.¡± Sadness filled Gloria¡¯s eyes. The longer Norah stayed, the sadder everyone would be. After lunch, Gloria brought Nicole to go shopping at the mall. Because Nicole had so few belongings. Gloria was afraid that Nicole was being too considerate and stubborn, not wanting to request for anything. She did not want Nicole to feel unfairly treated. Norah was also apanying them. As soon as they entered the mall, Norah gleefully picked up clothes and bags as if she had forgotten entirely about what happened in the morning. ¡°Mom, do you think I look good in this dress?¡± N?velDrama.Org content. ¡°Absolutely. Nicole, why don¡¯t you pick some for yourself?¡± Gloria was still mindful of what happened in the morning, afraid of neglecting Norah while snubbing Nicole. She had to keep a delicate bnce. Knowing that Gloria was caught between a rock and a hard ce, Nicole asked her to apany Norah while she browsed the clothes in the store by herself. She always liked things simple yet decent, but this boutique that Norah hade to was selling shy clothes. So, Nicole just browsed for a short while and said, ¡°Mom, I want to go somewhere else.¡± Chapter 7 Chapter 7 ¡°You found nothing you like? I think this one is not bad.¡± Gloria immediately came over to show her a piece of dress. Norah was jealous that her mom went away as soon as Nicole called her. So, when she saw the clothes in their hands, she went over to them with a n. ¡°Mom, this dress looks wonderful, but it is too expensive. Besides, not everyone will look good in it.¡± So, was Norah insinuating that she did not look good enough to wear that dress? Nicole cocked an eyebrow and said, ¡°I am not so fond of a dress like this, but since you have said so, I have got to try it.¡± ¡°Okay, try it.¡± Gloria¡¯s eyes lit up as she instinctively knew that this dress suited Nicole, and so she hurriedly urged her. Norah did not expect Nicole to say that, and she felt upset at the moment. This hillbilly really dared to try. Nicole took the dress and disappeared into the fitting room. It was not long before she drew open the door curtain and appeared in this gorgeous dress. N?velDrama.Org content. She was used to wearing just pants that were convenient for her to move around. By wearing a dress suddenly, she felt naked. Nicole usually dressed more casually, but thanks to her curvy body lines, she still looked great, even smart, in T-shirts and pants. Changing into this white dress would not look weird, but make her look skin gtinous and beautiful. After letting her long hair down, Nicole and Gloria looked even more alike, so too their temperament. ¡°Youngdy, you look beautiful in this dress.¡± ¡°Many people have tried this dress, but none of them look as good as you in it.¡± The boutique manager sounded ttery, but it was true. Gloria¡¯s eyes were also filled with tion. ¡°This dress it is. It couldn¡¯t look any better on you.¡± Norah looked jealous, as much as surprised. ¡°Mom, I like this too. Can I try it?¡± She was the one who was raised in a wealthy family, so she did not believe that she would lose to a hillbilly. The boutique manager was caught in the middle. ¡°I am sorry, the clothes in our boutique are all handmade, and this dress is a limited edition of the season, so there is only one piece.¡± Gloria was also in a predicament. But seeing that Nicole looked so gorgeous in that dress, she could only say, ¡°Norah, the other clothes in this store are also beautiful. Let¡¯s look at the other pieces.¡± She then asked the boutique manager to issue the bill and walked toward the cashier counter. Norah almost stomped her feet in displeasure, but she could not lose herposure. Her mouth twitched as she squeezed a smile. Nicole sneered. She had never caused trouble, but she would not run away if someone came looking for trouble. Whoever wanted to affront her, she would surely return the favor. Nicole was not in a hurry to change back into her clothes. Instead, she walked around the store in front of Norah in this dress and then turned to look at other clothes. Sensing that Nicole would glow in any dress she wore, just like her, Gloria started to put anything beautiful on her. Norah saw Gloria buy Nicole several outfits and followed suits, getting herself five to six sets. But Gloria, citing the fact that she already had a lot of clothes, only bought two sets for her. Norah¡¯s face was looking more and more cast down this afternoon. Seeing that Gloria had been holding Nicole¡¯s hand all day and refusing to let go, the fire of jealousy was about to burst out of her eyes. ¡°Mom, Norah? What are you all doing here?¡± A voice suddenly spoke. Gloria turned her head and saw that it was her son, Steve. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± ¡°We are here shopping. Steve, do you miss me today?¡± Seeing Steve, Norah rushed over and held Steve¡¯s hand, looking like they were very close. Steve pulled Norah¡¯s hand off his, as he felt awkward when other people were around. ¡°Ourpany ns to invest in this mall, so I came to check out the situation with the person in charge here.¡± Nicole heard from Daniel that her second brother, Steve, was a financial wizard. ¡°Hi, Steve,¡± she said hello politely. Just like Sean, Steve inherited the genes of his parents, born handsome. He looked extraordinary with a pair of gold-rimmed sses. Seeing Nicole, Steve¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°I just wondered how there was a beautiful girl around my mother. It turns out to be my little sister.¡± Nicole smirked, not expecting that this gentle-looking brother of hers was a sweet talker. Norah pouted, feeling not too happy. ¡°You have neverplimented me that way, Steve.¡± In more than a decade, they had never been close. Steve could not help but freeze in ce. But he quickly responded, saying, ¡°You don¡¯t need me to state the obvious, Norah. You are equally beautiful.¡± This obviously sounded insincere. After all, Norah looked much ordinary, and there was actually a slight difference between her and the Riddles. ¡°Nicole, I am quite busy these days and have no time to go home to see you. But I will bring you out to dinner when I am back in a few days.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Nicole nodded in agreement. After saying hello, Steve got busy with his work. Gloria looked on with a smile as Steve and then looked back at Nicole with a doting expression. ¡°Steve¡¯s biggest hobby is to make money, and he is pretty stingy. Judging by his willingness to bring you out to dinner, I guess he values you a lot.¡± These words stirred Norah¡¯s jealousy even more. Indeed, Steve had not invited her to dinner in so many years. But he was so generous to Nicole when Nicole returned. Was this the difference between biological and non-biological sisters? Why? She was the sister who had lived with him under the same roof for over ten years, for god¡¯s sake. Chapter 8 Chapter 8 Norah was really upset, her teeth almost sinking into her lip. But she had to put up a fake gentle smile as she followed behind the two. When they arrived home, the three of them noticed a luxury car that they had never seen before parked up in front of the door. Feeling curious, Gloria entered the house with her two daughters and saw a well-dressed man sitting across Daniel. Even if the man was not facing them directly, his extraordinary charm made it impossible for people to take their eyes off him. Norah had never seen such a good-looking man before. She rushed up to Gloria and said, ¡°Mom, who is that person?¡± Gloria shook her head and walked in. ¡°Hey, Daniel.¡± When Daniel saw Gloria and his daughters, he quickly got up and introduced them. ¡°Jared, this is my wife, and this is my younger daughter.¡± As Daniel introduced Nicole to Jared Johnston, the affection on his face was in to see. Norah was waiting for Daniel to introduce her, but Daniel did not even spare her a nce. Jared¡¯s cial eyes swept over the three of them, and then he stood up and nodded to Nicole. ¡°Hello, I am Jared.¡± Jared¡¯s words startled Gloria and Norah. The friendship between the Johnston and Riddle families spanned across generations. Mr. Johnston Sr. and Mr. Riddle Sr. had made a marriage arrangement for their grandchildren in the early years, and Jared was the fianc¨¦ whom Norah had been hearing about but had never met. Jared had been studying abroad before. She did not expect that when Jared finally returned to the country, she was no longer the daughter of the Riddle family. Noticing that Jared was staring at Nicole, jealousy turned into thorns pricking Norah in the heart. She felt hurt even when breathing. It was all Nicole¡¯s fault for noting back at the right time. Otherwise, she would be the only person Jared saw now. ¡°Nicole.¡± The man in front of him was truly charming, but Nicole simply responded with her name and said nothing else. Gloria felt awkward but guessed that Nicole had just returned, not knowing who Jared was. So, she quickly exined, ¡°Nicole¡¯s is simple and forthright. Hope you don¡¯t mind.¡± Jared could not help but take a second look at Nicole. ¡°It is alright. I like such a forthright personality.¡± What he said ted Daniel and Gloria. Jared was the most outstanding grandchild of the Johnston family. It would be great if Nicole could get his likes. Nicole looked at Jared¡¯s dark eyes and felt that there was more to this man than met the eye. She was good at reading people, but this man had an unfathomable look in the eyes. The three of them sat down together. Gloria deliberately let Nicole and Jared sit next to each other, and Norah could only sit down by herself. Nicole felt it weird, wondering why she was seated next to a stranger. Just then, Jared held up the coffee cup and continued. ¡°My grandfather has not been feeling well recently and wants to meet my fianc¨¦e. I know it is odd, but so I am here today.¡± Nicole waspletely dumbfounded. ¡°Fianc¨¦e?¡± What the hell was going on? When Daniel coughed nervously, Gloria got the hint and hurriedly said, ¡°Nicole, you just came back, and we hadn¡¯t told you that your grandfather and Mr. Johnston Sr. made a marriage arrangement for you. Jared is your fianc¨¦.¡± N?velDrama.Org content. ¡°What?¡± ¡®What the hell?¡¯ She had only been back to the Riddle family for two days and had not even met all the family members. Yet here she met her fianc¨¦? As cool as she was, she could no longer stay calm. ¡°Arranged marriage, seriously, Mom? Don¡¯t you think this is too outrageous?¡± Who would still get married by arranged marriages nowadays? ¡°I know it is hard for you to ept, but that was the practice during your grandfather¡¯s time,¡± Daniel said helplessly. He and Gloria had also worried about this before, but when they saw Jared was such an excellent man, they hoped Nicole would find a good husband like him. Nicole¡¯s face turned pale, but Norah thought Nicole took things for granted. ¡°Nicole, I was supposed to marry Jared, but now since you have returned, I should return what is rightfully yours. You must not let down Grandpa.¡± Norah finally caught everyone¡¯s attention, and even Jared was now looking at her. Norah saw Jared looking at her, her heart instantly pounding, her face blushed. She let out a smile like a finedy. Jared sized her up and said, ¡°So she is the adopted daughter of the Riddle family?¡± Jared emphasized the word ¡°adopted¡± when he spoke. It made Norah feel like a basin of icy water pouring on her head. This was the biggest thorn in her heart. Norah did not expect Jared to say it so directly. For a moment, the smile froze on her face. She did not want to admit it, but she could not deny it either. All she could do now was to bite her lip with a hurt feeling, her eyes reddening, looking as if she deserved pity. Norah had known since she was a child that she was not as outstanding as her parents and brothers in terms of looks, but being the sole daughter of the family was her advantage. Usually, she just needed to use the victim card, and everyone would soften and not hurt her again. It was a trick that had always been working. But Jared did not seem to buy this. He said indifferently, ¡°I appreciate what our grandpas have done for us, but the times are different now. If you do not agree to this marriage, you may also take this opportunity to cancel the arrangement with my grandpa.¡± It sounded matter of course to Jared, as if it was just a weather chat. But itpletely stunned Daniel and Gloria. ¡°Cancel the marriage arrangement?¡± Chapter 9 Chapter 9 Nicole keenly caught a glimpse of the determination in the man¡¯s eyes and suddenly realized that he was seizing the opportunity of her return and came to sound her out, and encouraged her to withdraw the marriage arrangement. It seemed that he did not want this marriage either. Just that Mr. Johnston Sr. refused, and so he came to dissuade her from agreeing to this marriage. Nicole frowned slightly. She did not like to be manipted, and hated being used even more. ¡°The Johnston family is prominent in San Joto, and Mr. Johnston, you are older than me. It is inappropriate for a little girl like me to cancel the marriage arrangement, and it is going to make the Johnston family look bad.¡± Nicole called herself a little girl, but herposure did not look like an eighteen-year-old at all. Jared looked sideways at Nicole but only met with her unfathomable eyes, his heart trembling inexplicably as if he had been seen through by this precocious little girl. That was interesting. As Daniel and Gloria came out of their shock, Daniel said in a deep voice, ¡°Nicole is right. It was Mr. Johnston Sr. who proposed the marriage arrangement. If Nicole were to back off from this engagement, it would upset Mr. Johnston Sr.¡± Besides, the impact of canceling the engagement would affect Nicole dearly, and they needed more time to think about it. Even if Nicole really wanted to back off from the engagement, it should not be Nicole who brought this up. It would jeopardize the friendship between the two families if things were not handled properly. But the marriage engagement between the two families had long been spread far and wide in San Joto. If the Johnston family was to cancel the engagement, it was going to affect Nicole, too. Seeing that the Riddle family was in a predicament, Jared thought for a moment and said, ¡°Since it is a matter of two families, whichever side proposes it will hurt the friendship of the two families. So it is better for Nicole and I to go back to the Johnston family together and exin it to my grandfather.¡± ¡°Nicole, what do you think?¡± Daniel and Gloria were very optimistic about this marriage, but if Nicole was not into it, they were not going to force it. So what if it would affect her reputation? If their daughter chose not to get married, they were willing to support her for a lifetime. ¡°Sure. Set a time.¡± Nicole had no objection. As much as she disliked this pretentious guy, she was more opposed to losing her freedom, especially when she had just returned home. She had more important things to do. ¡°Then wait until my grandpa gets better and I wille and pick up.¡± Jared smiled politely at Nicole. Nicole nodded and said, ¡°Okay.¡± Norah watched and quietly cursed as Nicole rejected such a good marriage with just a few words. Not willing to let go, she nced at Jared and thought of a n. After some pleasantries, Jared got up and left, refusing to let Daniel and Gloria see him out. But Norah insisted, and Daniel let her be. That was the least they could do. Seeing Jared leave, Daniel looked at Nicole with concern. ¡°Are you really going to back off from the engagement?¡± Norah was looking forward to this marriage before this. But when Nicole returned and Jared came to discuss the withdrawal of the engagement, Nicole agreed to it, to their surprise. They did not want to interfere with it, but they still felt that they were missing such an excellent man like Jared as their son-inw. Nicole might regret it in the future. ¡°I am still young and studies are my priority.¡± Nicole made an excuse that was often seen on TV. ¡°Nicole is right. She is still young and will have more choices in the future.¡± Gloria was relieved, and Daniel did not insist anymore. Outside the door, Norah was seeing Jared out. Jared now felt unfriendly,pletely opposite the gentleness and humility when he was talking inside. But in order to achieve her goal, Norah still plucked up enough courage and said, ¡°Jared, my sister does not know any better. Please don¡¯t mind what she said for wanting to cancel the engagement.¡± Jared nced sideways at Norah. ¡°I don¡¯t mind.¡± Norah was not sure if it was an illusion; Jared seemed to be even more unapproachable. But there was only one chance, and Norah selectively ignored it, pretending to be shy as she continued. ¡°Actually, before my sister came back, I was your fianc¨¦e. Unfortunately, it has all changed.¡± This belongs to N?velDrama.Org: ?. After hinting it so obviously, Norah bowed her head shyly, waiting for Jared to respond. Yet, Jared¡¯s eyes suddenly darkened and his voice icy when he said, ¡°Fish eyes can never be passed off as pearls. All things should return to their rightful ces.¡± Norah¡¯s face turned pale. Raising her head and looking at Jared again, she saw his frosty expression. His icy gaze was so in- your-face, piercing into her heart and making her tremble. Just then, the Johnston family driver had pulled the car up. Jared got into the car and instructed the driver to drive him off. Norah slowly came out of her daze as she watched the car leave. Was Jared ridiculing her as just a fish eye and Nicole was the pearl? Why¡­ Why did these people discard her like garbage when Nicole returned? ¡°It is all Nicole¡¯s fault!¡± Had Nicole not returned, she would have always been the princess of the Riddle family, enjoying the wealth of her parents, the favor of her brothers, and Jared would have been hers. Norah stared back at the door of the living hall with an extremely sinister look in her eyes. She did not want to be sent away. She was not going to leave this family. Everything here should rightly belong to her. Chapter 10 Chapter 10 Upstairs, Nicole had taken a shower and gotten changed, finally getting a moment of peace. With nothing to do, she turned on herputer. After fiddling with the normal Windows interface for a while, a mysterious window popped up, revealing a list of The Hunter jobs inside. Looking at the list of jobs, a head portrait shed in the private chat window. She clicked open it and saw the teammate codenamed Specter talking to her. [Lucifer, you have been offline for many days. Where have you been?] [Just living a few days of normal life,] Nicole calmly replied. [You have been on the wanted list online. I can¡¯t believe that you can still enjoy a normal life.] Specter showed her a few screenshots. While she was away for the past few days, someone had pinned an order at the top, and she was the target. [Isn¡¯t thatmon?] Nicole smirked, not taking it seriously. In the dark web called The Hunters, whether it was The Hunters Union or a lone Hunter, it was common to offend someone because of taking on certain jobs. Most of the jobs she had epted this year were big cases, and it was normal that she was now wanted. [Common? Didn¡¯t you see the bounty? It is $10 million!] Specter attached an emoji that showed as if he was about to crawl out of the screen. [Oh, yeah?] Nicole clicked an icon, and sure enough, she saw the reward of the job, which was the highest reward of this year. It seemed that she had stepped on someone¡¯s toes, and that person was offering a $10 million bounty toe after her. That was interesting. If she was not the one being wanted, she would have taken on the job. ¡°Oh, yeah? You should lie low from now on and don¡¯t expose yourself.¡± Nicole looked at the screen and replied sarcastically, [Worry about yourself. The entire world knows that you and I have worked together.] She was confident of staying undetected as no one had found her for so many years. Specter was her partner, but she was not sure how well Specter could hide. [Damn it! You just reminded me; I almost forgot. I had better stay offline from now on. Take care.] Specter went dark right after. Nicole shook her head at Specter¡¯s nervousness. It was she who was wanted, not Specter. Nicole let out a sigh and continued to browse through the list. Risking her safety, she picked a job that offered an attractive reward, and then shut down theputer and went to sleep. Unbeknownst to her, her actions were provocative to someone else. A tall man was looking at the web page with sullen eyes in a dark room somewhere. He had finally settled things about his fianc¨¦e today. What really caused him a headache was this hacker. The phone rang, and he picked it up. ¡°Mr. Johnston, Lucifer appeared again and even epted a job,¡± Max, Jared¡¯s assistant, said in disbelief. Jared¡¯s eyes darkened and said coldly, ¡°I saw it.¡± Lucifer, the most powerful hacker in The Hunters, had caused him to lose a lot of money three months ago. He had been looking for this hacker, but she had not appeared. So he had to put a bounty on her. When she suddenly went online today, Jared immediately sent someone to trace her location. He had failed to defeat Lucifer¡¯s firewall, and Lucifer had sessfully gone online and epted a job before going dark again. This was nothing short of a provocation to him. This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. ¡°What do we do?¡± Max did not know what to do. ¡°She was online for quite a while, yet our people could not trace her down.¡± Jared¡¯s eyes darkened as he loosened his bow tie and said coldly, ¡°Since we can¡¯t catch her, then let¡¯s bait her.¡± ¡°You have an idea?¡± Max was relieved. Jared squinted and said again in a bitter voice, ¡°No matter what job she has epted today, find the client and take over.¡± He could catch her as long as he became the client. ¡°Yes! Understood.¡± Max nodded and hung up. Jared put down his phone and stared at Lucifer¡¯s avatar, and scoffed. ¡°I lost a hundred million dors because of you. I am going to catch you.¡± Three days had passed in the blink of an eye. Nicole had officially returned to the Riddle family, and almost everything except her school was in ce. Daniel and Gloria were eager to seek help from Damien, Daniel¡¯s eldest brother. So Daniel nned to take Nicole back to see Damien, and Sean wasing back to pick them up. Inside the car, Daniel could not help telling Gloria. ¡°No matter what Damien and his wife say today, stay calm for the sake of our child.¡± ¡°Got it,¡± Gloria replied with a martyred look. Sean could see Nicole¡¯s perplexity and whispered, ¡°Our two aunts may be a little mean when they talk. Don¡¯t take it to heart.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± Nicole nodded. Seeing Gloria¡¯s nervous look, she knew that the two aunts must be nasty. Nicole thought for a moment, and then took out her phone and sent a text message. Sean started the car. Norah smiled and waved at the four of them. ¡°Be safe, Mom, Dad, Sean.¡± ¡°I will.¡± Sean did not look at her but fired up the engine immediately. Even Daniel and Gloria did not talk to her. Watching the car drive away, Norah¡¯s eyes were filled with a look of indignation. They all would take her along when they went to her grandpa¡¯s ce before this. But now, they just took Nicole alone. She was not qualified to go with them after their biological daughter had returned. ¡°Nicole, I¡¯d like to see how a hillbilly like you gets into Royal Creek Institute!¡± She knew the two aunts very well. When she first wanted to enter Royal Creek Institute, they all found a thousand and one ways to stop her. Now it would be even more impossible for a country girl like Nicole to get their help. She would like to know how else Nicole couldpete with her. Chapter 11 Chapter 11 Half an hourter, Sean drove them and arrived at grandpa¡¯s ce. Mr. Riddle Sr. and his three sons- and daughters-inw had already arrived. When they saw them entering, the second daughter-inw, Karen, could not help but smile triumphantly. ¡°Daniel, Gloria, have you two been very busytely? You are making us wait.¡± ¡°I am sorry, Karen. The traffic was a little bad today.¡± Gloria squeezed a smile. She would endure it all for Nicole¡¯s sake. Nicole studied Karen with a frosty face and did not greet her. When Karen¡¯s eyes met hers, Karen felt a chill run up her spine. Nicole was just a brat. What was she afraid of? N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights. Thinking of this, she scoffed and said, ¡°So this is your child that had gone missing for years? She indeed looks a bit like her brothers. But have you done the DNA test? Don¡¯t mix up again this time.¡± Hearing Karen open the old wounds of his parents, Sean frowned and said, ¡°Aunt, what you said is a bit too much.¡± Leaving Nicole wandering outside all these years was Gloria¡¯s deepest pain. So what Karen did was tantamount to adding salt to injury. ¡°Sean.¡± Daniel shook his head at him, motioning him not to speak. Gloria put up with Karen¡¯s jabs and let out a gentle smile. ¡°Thank you for the reminder, Karen. But this time the police havepared the DNAs, and Nicole is our family member.¡± Gloria was timid, but her hand holding Nicole¡¯s hand was powerful and made Nicole feel warm. ¡°It had better be. Don¡¯t raise someone else¡¯s child for ten years only to find out that it is a fake again.¡± Karen continued to taunt, and Gloria¡¯s face looked pale this time. ¡°Karen, stop digging up the past, would you?¡± Nicole¡¯s third uncle could not bear to hear it and coldly interrupted Karen. Karen only then relented after Nicole¡¯s third uncle spoke. ¡°The meal is almost ready. Please take your seat.¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. did not want to hear the quarrel and motioned for everyone to sit down. While the maids were serving food, Nicole¡¯s third aunt looked at Nicole with tender eyes. ¡°Nicole just turned eighteen this year, right? Are you in high school?¡± Nicole nodded. ¡°Yeah, eleventh grade.¡± ¡°Eleventh grade? Well, if you can transfer to Royal Creek Institute, you will be a schoolmate of E, my daughter.¡± Her third aunt seemed genuine and looked sincere. ¡°Royal Creek Institute?¡± Karen frowned when she heard that. ¡°You two are too na?ve. Not any Tom, Dick, and Harry can enter Royal Creek Institute. Even if it is just the high school, there is a minimum requirement.¡± ¡°How can you talk like this, Karen?¡± Nicole¡¯s third aunt felt what Karen said was unbing. ¡°I am just telling the truth,¡± Karen said as he nced toward Damien, Nicole¡¯s eldest uncle. ¡°Damien and his wife should know it better. Even if Dad and Mr. Ellison are old acquaintances, Mr. Ellison still set a high bar for our children. Nicole grew up in the countryside; the chances for her entering Royal Creek Institute are slim. Don¡¯t waste Damien¡¯s time.¡± Nicole¡¯s eyes darkened a little as Karen was so mean that her words were hurtful. Daniel and Gloria did not expect that Karen blocked what they were going to say before they could even say it. The couple was so sad and could not find a word to respond. They felt indebted to Nicole and wanted to give her the best, but they could not help her at all. Mr. Riddle Sr. looked at Nicole in silence and felt sorry for his granddaughter. He turned his head and frowned at his eldest son. ¡°Damien, what do you think about this?¡± Damien knew Mr. Riddle Sr. best. Knowing that for the sake of the Riddle family¡¯s reputation, Mr. Riddle Sr. would want him to put Nicole in Royal Creek Institute. But his wife suddenly said, ¡°Dad, Karen has a point. Nicole came from the countryside where the education standard was average. Even if Mr. Ellison lets her in, her grades are not going to make it. It will only make the Riddle family look bad.¡± Damien¡¯s wife did not speak earlier, but she shared the same thinking as Karen. After all, her daughter was going to be a star in the future. If people found out that her daughter had a country sister at school, she would be very ashamed of it. Seeing that his wife objected to it, Damien fell into silence. Mr. Riddle Sr. could not help but nce at Nicole. He knew that Nicole¡¯s grades might be unsatisfactory, but she was his granddaughter. Besides, she and Jared from the Johnston family had an engagement. How could he let her alone? The more he thought about it, the angrier he got. ¡°Well, since you don¡¯t want to help, leave it to an old man like me. I will ask Mr. Ellison for help.¡± ¡°Dad! How could you?¡± Mr. Riddle Sr.¡¯s second and third sons spoke in unison. The faces of Nicole¡¯s second and third aunts changed subtly. They did not expect that Mr. Riddle Sr. would want to seek Mr. Ellison¡¯s help personally, which was a treatment that none of the children in the family had ever received. Damien had no choice. ¡°Dad, leave it to me. I will take care of this matter.¡± Daniel and Gloria were pleasantly surprised, not expecting that Damien would agree. Just that the faces of Nicole¡¯s second and third aunts looked anything but good. Nicole quietly sighed upon seeing that her family was doing so much for her. She did not need anyone¡¯s help. Seeing through the face of the first and second aunts, she disdained the help of her first uncle even more. She looked at her watch impatiently, wondering why the old man, Ellison, had not called. Just when she thought so, Sean¡¯s phone rang. A smile crept up Nicole¡¯s lips. Ellison was still punctual. Sean heard his phone ring and quickly got up, thinking that it was a call from hispany. ¡°Excuse me, I have got to take the call.¡± Chapter 12 Chapter 12 Just after turning on the screen of the mobile phone and saying a few words, his voice suddenly rose a few octaves. ¡°Mr. Ellison?¡± ¡°Mr. Ellison?¡± Everyone was surprised to hear the name. Only Mr. Riddle Sr. and Damien had ess to Mr. Ellison usually. Surprisingly, Mr. Ellison was calling Sean now. But no one dared to ask, only trying to listen in to what he was saying. Sean stopped in his tracks and looked back at everyone, finally his gazending on Nicole. ¡°Really? Thank you so much, Mr. Ellison.¡± Everyone then looked over at Nicole in curiosity. Nicole took a sip of water and did not look surprised. As soon as Sean hung up the phone, Gloria was the first to ask, ¡°Sean, how did you get Mr. Ellison¡¯s phone number?¡± Sean regained hisposure and sat back down at the table. ¡°I don¡¯t know Mr. Ellison¡¯s phone number. It was he who called me.¡± ¡°What did Mr. Ellison say?¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. asked in a deep voice. Sean looked at Mr. Riddle Sr. respectfully. ¡°He asked Nicole to report to the high school of Royal Creek Institute tomorrow and said that he was d to have Nicoleing to Royal Creek Institute.¡± Sean was looking at Nicole with a hint of disbelief in his eyes when he said thest sentence. While everyone was scratching their heads and in a heated debate about how to get Nicole into Royal Creek Institute, the unthinkable happened with Mr. Ellison calling and saying that he was happy that Nicole was going to Royal Creek Institute. N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights. Karen could not be more surprised. ¡°Sean, did you hear it correctly? Mr. Ellison invited Nicole to the high school of Royal Creek Institute?¡± She had just denigrated and satirized Nicole because she did not want Nicole to enter Royal Creek Institute. Yet, she did not expect that Mr. Ellison¡¯s call would be a p in the face. But Nicole was just a country girl. What made Mr. Ellison extend his invitation to her? Ignoring Karen¡¯s expression, Gloria turned to look at Nicole. ¡°You know Mr. Ellison?¡± She did not even believe her own question. But Mr. Ellison had said that he was d to have Nicole studying at Royal Creek Institute. So he and Nicole must know each other. Nicole did not hide the truth, saying, ¡°We met once in Great Oak.¡± It was only a brief encounter, but if not for Nicole¡¯s help, Mr. Ellison would have died from a car explosion. ¡°Just met once?¡± Just met once, and Mr. Ellison remembered her and invited her to Royal Creek Institute? Things got even more unbelievable. Sean seemed to have epted this reality, but was still a little doubtful. ¡°Even if you know Mr. Ellison, how did Ellison know you were going to enroll?¡± Nicole looked sideways at Sean, her expression telling him it was a matter of course. ¡°I called him when Dad and Mom said three days ago that they were going to send me to Royal Creek Institute.¡± Nicole¡¯s icy look exuded a bit of arrogance. It gave the impression that Mr. Ellison was at her beck and call. ¡°Mr. Ellison sent me an email invitation that day, but I still asked him to call today to inform my family, saving you all from worrying too much about me.¡± Nicole¡¯s eyes swept over Karen and Damien. Karen felt embarrassed and could not say a word. Damien was shamefaced, too, as Nicole could enter Royal Creek Institute all by herself, yet he had just acted so reluctantly, which made him aplete joke. Sean looked at the faces of his first uncle and wife, and his second aunt with a touch of triumph in his eyes. He then pretended to be puzzled and asked, ¡°You are really naughty, Nicole; you actually have Mr. Ellison¡¯s phone number. Why didn¡¯t you say it earlier? Second Aunt and First Uncle were beating their brains out trying to help you just now.¡± Sean¡¯s words once again poked at the self-esteem of the two, making their faces turn red and pale. Nicole looked at Sean and yed along. ¡°I didn¡¯t think Royal Creek Institute was a good choice, so I didn¡¯t tell. But since First Uncle had to work so hard to help me get a ce there, I thought I had better do it myself.¡± Nicole stirred the milk tea in front of her, her attitude getting on Damien¡¯s nerves. Every child of the Riddle family used to rely on his help to get them into Royal Creek Institute, not expecting that a brat would get him a p in the face. ¡°Hahaha, well, you¡¯re truly my granddaughter, so calm. You all elders are not as good as this child.¡± Mr. Riddle Sr.ughed and satirized all the elders. Everyone at the table dared not say a word. Mr. Riddle Sr. could not describe how delighted he was. He took the lead and started eating. ¡°Okay, since Nicole has settled her school matter, let us all eat now.¡± Finding this the moment of saving face, everyone quickly dug in. For the first time, Gloria could not describe how happy she was because for the first time, she could feel so proud in front of everyone. ¡°Cheers, Nicole.¡± She toasted her daughter. She and Daniel had been living under the shadow of the other brothers for years. It was the first time they felt so vindicated and proud. Daniel could finally hold his head high, as his daughter was making them proud today. Since then, no one dared to disrespect Gloria and Daniel, and Karen had also relented a lot. After dinner, Mr. Riddle Sr. went upstairs. Feeling too embarrassed to stay, Damien followed Mr. Riddle Sr. upstairs and was back to his study room. Dillon and Karen also got up. But before leaving, Dillon said to Daniel in embarrassment, ¡°You know Karen has never minced her words. Please don¡¯t mind.¡± Chapter 13 Chapter 13 Daniel had never seen Dillon graveling to him for all these years, so he pretended to be jovial. ¡°It is okay. We are all family.¡± But Karen red at them indignantly. ¡°Since Nicole has entered the high school of Royal Creek Institute, she had better not disgrace the Riddle family with lousy results.¡± So what if Nicole had entered Royal Creek Institute? She would still be a disgrace for the Riddle family if she could not show results. Gloria¡¯s expression subtly changed, but she plucked up the courage and said, ¡°We will make sure Nicole delivers. Besides, Mr. Ellison is going to take care of her. Don¡¯t you worry, Karen.¡± Karen¡¯s expression darkened immediately, as she did not expect that Gloria would dare to shoot back. Seeing the situation, Dillon quickly stepped forward and dragged Karen away, saying, ¡°It is gettingte now. Hurry up. We have got to go.¡± Daniel and Gloria looked at each other and could not help but feel proud of their daughter. When they were back at home, Daniel praised Nicole, saying, ¡°You really made us proud today.¡± Daniel had been looked down upon in the family for so many years, and it was the first time he felt so proud. It was extremely satisfying whenever he thought of Karen¡¯s red face. Karen had been bullying Gloria all this while, and this time, it was her turn to get a taste of her own medicine. Norah just went downstairs and sensed something was wrong when she heard this. ¡°Dad, what made you so happy?¡± They should havee back in frustration when Nicole could not get into Royal Creek Institute. Why did they praise Nicole instead? Seeing that his father was happy, Sean briefly told Norah what had happened and did not forget to look at Nicole. ¡°Nicole is the lucky star of our family.¡± Norah was wide-eyed. ¡°Mr. Ellison invited her?¡± What was going on here? Why did Mr. Ellison invite Nicole to the school if they had only met once? ¡°We didn¡¯t expect that either, but Mr. Ellison had sent Nicole an invitation by email, asking her to report to the school tomorrow.¡± At first, Norah wanted to see Nicole get taunted. But Nicole did not suffer any embarrassment. Instead, she had made herself stand out. Norah immediately bit her lower lip and looked at Nicole with indignation. It really surprised her that this hillbilly was so capable. She had really underestimated her. ¡°Congrattions.¡± Deep down inside, Norah was really upset, but she still pretended to be congrattory. Nicole ignored her and said politely to her parents, ¡°Dad, Mom, I am tired. I will go upstairs now.¡± ¡°Go rest up.¡± Gloria said dotingly. Nicole bowed her head and left, not noticing that Sean was looking at her with his deep-set eyes. There seemed to be more to this sister of his from the countryside than met the eye, he thought. It was a sunny morning the next day. Nicole got up early to go for a walk. When she returned from martial arts practice, she saw two more people in the living room. The two were dressed differently, but their faces were made from the same mold. ¡°This is our sister?¡± Seeing Nicole, the teenager in a tracksuit stood up and came up to study Nicole, as if she was some kind of strange creature. Nicole was also studying the teenager, who looked about her age, athletic and sunny. ¡°Nicole, this is Samuel, your fifth elder brother.¡± Sean saw that Samuel¡¯s behavior was a little rude and pressed a hand on his shoulder to tell him to behave. ¡°My fifth elder brother?¡± Nicole looked at the teenager, who had a baby face and looked like an adolescent boy. Yet she had to call him her elder brother. ¡°Your voice sounds so sweet. Let¡¯s say it again.¡± Samuel was naughty and yful. ¡°Sean, Samuel needs some good spanking. Do it.¡± At this time, another teenager sitting on the sofa spoke. ¡°Don¡¯t do it, Sean. I didn¡¯t do anything!¡± Samuel hurriedly begged for forgiveness. Sean patted him on the shoulder. ¡°I have no time for this. I have got to go to work now. You take care of your sister and send her to school. Got it?¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± Samuel got up and gave Sean a salute. A smile crept to her lips as Nicole found that this fifth elder brother of hers was hrious. This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. Nicole recognized the boy who sat on the sofa and looked almost exactly the same as Samuel. ¡°This must be my fourth elder brother, right?¡± Gloria had told her that her fourth and fifth brothers were twins. Since Samuel was the fifth, this must be the fourth. ¡°Smart.¡± Her fourth elder brother let out a smile. His name was Spencer, who also had a sunshine smile but with an added artistry persona, which waspletely different from Samuel. ¡°We both are in twelfth grade at Royal Creek Institute. Dad and Mom said you were unfamiliar with the school and asked us to take you to report to the school.¡± ¡°Okay, then. I will go upstairs and get changed.¡± Nicole nodded and went upstairs. ¡°Nicole seems to be unfriendly. Norah is better.¡± Samuel scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. Sean red at him and said, ¡°But Norah is not your biological sister.¡± He then left. Samuel blinked and looked at Spencer. ¡°Is Sean angry?¡± ¡°What do you think?¡± Spencer rolled his eyes at him because Samuel was asking the obvious. When Nicole came downstairs again, breakfast had already begun. Daniel, Gloria, and Norah were also present. ¡°Spencer, Samuel, you two have not been back for many days. I miss you guys so much.¡± Norah deliberately coddled them in front of Nicole. Samuel could not help but smile. ¡°It is still Norah who has me at heart.¡± ¡°Ahem!¡± Spencer saw Nicoleing down and quickly signaled his dumb brother. Chapter 14 Chapter 14 Samuel was stunned at first, but when he saw Nicole only then he realized he had said the wrong thing again. He looked embarrassed and changed the subject bluntly. ¡°Nicole is beautiful. I can see how popr you will be in school.¡± What Samuel said aroused jealousy in Norah. She looked at Nicole but could not deny that Nicole was blessed with beauty and a good figure, while she herself looked a lot more ordinary. Daniel noticed Norah¡¯s mncholy and pondered for a moment before saying to Samuel with a frown, ¡°You should keep your mouth shut if you don¡¯t know what to say.¡± Getting reprimanded, Samuel quickly lowered his head and continued his breakfast. Daniel then turned to Norah. ¡°Since you are not blood-rted to your brothers, keep your distance from them, and you can no longer be so willful likest time.¡± Norah¡¯s face turned pale after getting reprimanded. Feeling hurt, she bowed her head. ¡°Understood. I will not be willful next time.¡± But it hurt Samuel to see that. ¡°Dad, even if Norah is not our biological sister, we have lived together for so long. To me, as long as Norah treats me as her brother, I will always be his brother.¡± Samuel spoke with principle, startling both Daniel and Gloria. Spencer could not help but face-palm when Samuel said something stupid again. ¡°Samuel¡­¡± Norah looked at him, feeling touched. He was probably the only one who still cared about her. Just when Daniel was about to speak, Gloria shook her head at him, then looked at Samuel. ¡°You are right. Norah has lived with us for so long. Even though she is not blood-rted to us, she is still your sister.¡± ¡°Mom¡­¡± Norah¡¯s eyes were welling up. Even Spencer¡¯s heart had somewhat softened. After all, what did Norah do wrong? Not that she deliberately impersonated Nicole. It was the birthmark behind her ear that was too simr to that of Nicole. ¡°Dad, Mom, I am full.¡± Nicole was not interested in things about Norah. After taking a few bites, she nned to leave. ¡°Spencer, Samuel, I will wait for you in the living room. Call me when you guys finish your breakfast.¡± With that, she turned and left. Samuel could not help but look back at Spencer and gave him a look that said, ¡°I can¡¯t believe she is so calm.¡± Spencer also felt that Nicole was too calm to be an eighteen-year-old. She did not show any emotion facing Norah. Soon, the breakfast was over. With the support of Samuel and Gloria, Norah warmed up again with her two brothers again. She chatted andughed with them as they walked to the door with school bags on their shoulders. She usually went to school alone. Since Samuel and Spencer were back today, she, of course, would want to go with them. As soon as the car arrived, she took the lead to jump into the backseat and sat with Spencer and Samuel. She was expecting to see Nicole get jealous of her, but Nicole did not even look at her and care about her being close to her brothers when she got into the car. ¡°Why don¡¯t you talk, Nicole? Are you feeling that you are being neglected?¡± Norah deliberately asked. N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights. She looked hurt, as if Nicole was wrong not to speak. ¡°I have nothing to say.¡± Norah was so self-righteous. Nicole was not interested in all her stuff. Spencer also thought Nicole was upset and tried to smooth things out. ¡°Nicole, please don¡¯t mind because Samuel and Norah have been close since small. They didn¡¯t mean to neglect you.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Samuel quickly nodded, also feeling that he had done something wrong. ¡°But I will be good to you from now on. I heard Dad and Mom say that you had gone through a lot while staying outside.¡± Norah at first wanted to make Nicole jealous, not expecting that Samuel would shift his attention to Nicole. A hint of indignation shed in her eyes. Nicole did not look back, but her hands had clenched together, and she pretended to be calm. ¡°Got it.¡± No one had ever cared too much about her, so she did not know how to respond to Samuel. But deep down inside, she felt a touch of closeness to this innocent brother of hers. Spencer was relieved after Samuel had exined himself. ¡°Look, Nicole is not a petty person, so you and Norah shouldn¡¯t assume too much.¡± Norah felt depressed after being used of assuming too much. Looking back at the quiet Nicole, Norah could only feel that what she had just done was a joke¡ªNicole was not jealous of her, yet she was jealous of Nicole to the bone. There was a moment of silence, and then Samuel suddenly said, ¡°Nicole, I heard Mom say that you have already met Sean and Steve, but not Stanley.¡± Nicole nodded without thinking, ¡°Yeah.¡± Knowing that Nicole really had not met Stanley, Samuel became enthusiastic. ¡°Stanley is the president of the student union of the university and a top student. He is a badass.¡± Samuel chattered about Stanley along the way, and Nicole listened to it and became curious about these three brothers. Chapter 15 Chapter 15 Finally, twenty minutester, they arrived at Royal Creek Institute. Royal Creek Institute was a century-old school with a solid background, its campus architecture majestic with a stone-carved gate of Hustuaburg¡¯s characteristics. It looked ssical and showed signs of age. As the car was parked in the parking lot, the three of them got out of the car. As soon as Nicole arrived, she felt that there were many girls secretly looking in her direction. ¡°Please don¡¯t mind. Those are all fans of the school basketball team who came to catch a glimpse of Samuel.¡± Spencer rolled his eyes at Samuel with disgust. ¡°Who said that? Some of them are fans of your music society.¡± Samuel stared back unapologetically. Nicole did not expect that these noisy twins were so popr in the school. ¡°I have seen Norah, but who is that girl?¡± ¡°Could she be Samuel¡¯s girlfriend?¡± ¡°Huh? I envy her walking with them.¡± Many girls chattered among themselves. Norah¡¯s face darkened. The person who had been envied before this was her Norah, but now, Nicole got all the limelight. Nicole did not expect these two brothers to be so popr. She turned her head and said, ¡°Spencer, Samuel, thank you for sending me to school. I will report to the school registrar now.¡± Since her identity was unique, she had better keep a low profile, reducing her exposure. ¡°Oh, well.¡± Samuel said, pointing the way for Nicole. With Samuel¡¯s guidance, Nicole quickly walked away from the two of them. ¡°Sigh, Nicole went away because of your fans.¡± Spencer scoffed. ¡°It was you,¡± Samuel retorted, not wanting to be outdone. Pretending to be gentle and demure, Norah looked at the two of them and said, ¡°It is almost time. I will go to ss now.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± The two responded and also turned to leave. Norah breathed a sigh of relief and went to her ss. She was curious, not knowing which ss Nicole would go to. But judging by that hillbilly¡¯s results, she was sure that Nicole would be assigned to ss F. By this time, Nicole had arrived at the headteacher¡¯s office to report herself. She introduced herself upon entering the office. ¡°My name is Nicole. I was told by Mr. Ellison to report to the school today.¡± ¡°You are Nicole?¡± The headteacher, Ms. Farrell, immediately broke out in a smile. ¡°Mr. Ellison has instructed me to assign you to the best ss. The two teachers of ss A and B will be hereter. You may choose your teacher.¡± Nicole was a bit surprised, not expecting that Mr. Ellison would be so thoughtful, giving her the freedom to choose her teacher. She was really ttered. Ms. Farrell studied her and was quietly surprised. ording to records, Nicole was from the Riddle family. Mr. Ellison used to be unenthusiastic about the first few children of the Riddle family. There must be more to this little girl than met the eye. It was not long before two teachers knocked on the door and walked in. The oneing in first was wearing a white shirt and a red skirt. She rushed up to Ms. Farrell at the desk without noticing Nicole. ¡°You did not finish talking on the phone, Ms. Farrell. Did you say you were going to ce a transfer student from the countryside in my ss?¡± ¡°Ms. Emerson, that student is right here.¡± Ms. Farrell winked at her. Ms. Emerson looked back and was startled when she saw Nicole. The girl looked younger than most of the students in her ss. But she was beautiful with a pair of bright, energetic, deep-set eyes. She was not inferior in any way to any girls from wealthy families. This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. ¡°This¡ªis this the student you are transferring to my ss?¡± If it was not because she had asked Ms. Farrell before where Nicole came from, she could not really tell Nicole was from the countryside. ¡°That¡¯s right, this is Nicole. Nicole, these two are Ms. Emerson and Mr. Kennedy.¡± The man wearing sses and came inter, also looked surprised when he saw Nicole. But he was moreposed than Ms. Emerson. ¡°Hello, I am the ss teacher of ss A of eleventh grade. You can call me Mr. Kennedy.¡± ¡°Hello, nice to meet you two.¡± Nicole nodded her head lightly and gracefully. Ms. Emerson liked Nicole because of her appearance, but thinking of the fact that Nicole came from the countryside, she was worried about her grades. ss B lost to ss A in the first semester in terms of overall grades, and there would be an excellent teacher award in the second half of the semester. She could not afford to let anyone drag down the overall grade of her ss. Since what she had said was already pretty offensive, Ms. Emerson might as well be frank. ¡°Ms. Farrell, now I have met the student. We have five more students in ss B than ss A, and I really do not have the energy to take care of so many students. Let Mr. Kennedy take her in.¡± Mr. Kennedy pushed his sses up his nose and smiled at Ms. Emerson. ¡°What are you talking about? You are young and capable, and that is the reason the school assigns more students to you. I am older and have no experience in dealing with transfer students. You are the right person to take her in.¡± ¡°You¡­ Mr. Kennedy, you can¡¯t always say such irresponsible things because you are older, can you?¡± ¡°I am not. I said that out of good intention. I heard that she had scored top grades in the countryside. You don¡¯t have to worry about dragging the overall results of your ss.¡± Mr. Kennedy unceremoniously exposed Ms. Emerson¡¯s hypocrisy when he was used of being irresponsible. ¡°You¡ª¡± Ms. Emerson looked flushed and could not find a word to respond. ¡°Well, I didn¡¯t call you two here asking for your opinion.¡± Ms. Farrell then looked at Nicole with a smile. ¡°Nicole, Mr. Ellison has said it¡ªchoose whichever teacher and ss you like.¡± ¡°What?¡± Ms. Emerson and Mr. Kennedy were wide-eyed. Chapter 16 Chapter 16 Royal Creek Institute was a top education institution that had received all kinds of talented students. The teachers were the ones assigning a student to a ss. There had never been a situation where students chose teachers and sses. Who was this student from the countryside? ¡°ss B,¡± Nicole said casually. Ms. Emerson was wide-eyed instantly again. Compared to the hypocritical Mr. Kennedy, Nicole preferred the forthright Ms. Emerson. ¡°Okay, then ss B.¡± Ms. Farrell nodded in agreement with a hint of ttering look in her eyes, which surprised the two teachers. They wondered who Nicole was that she could make the headteacher grovel. ¡°Ms. Farrell, how can you let students choose sses?¡± This was unheard of. ss A and B were the best sses in the eleventh grade. ¡°It has been decided, Ms. Emerson. Take Nicole to ss.¡± Ms. Farrell looked a little displeased now and gave the order. ¡°Ms. Farrell¡­¡± Ms. Emerson¡¯s face turned pale. She did not expect that there was no room for negotiation. Mr. Kennedy smiled triumphantly and said, ¡°I will go now, Ms. Farrell.¡± Ms. Farrell nodded and sat down as if she did not want to waste time talking any further. This belongs to N?velDrama.Org: ?. Ms. Emerson bit her lip in frustration and turned to look at Nicole. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Nicole followed her out of the office. Ms. Emerson walked quickly to the ssroom in her high heels, as if she was eager to shake her off. Upon arriving at the door of the ssroom, Ms. Emerson suddenly stopped. ¡°I don¡¯t care who you are. Since you have chosen my ss, don¡¯t drag my ss down with you. I want you to catch up with the rest of the ssmates within a month.¡± With that, Ms. Emerson turned around and entered the ssroom. Nicole could not help but raise an eyebrow. Why did this teacher think she would drag the ss down? Just because she was from the countryside? She was slightly unhappy but still followed Ms. Emerson into the ssroom. ¡°Be quiet, ss! We have a new ssmate here. Please wee Nicole.¡± As reluctant as Ms. Emerson was, she still introduced Nicole to the ss. Everyone looked up and saw an attractive young girl with exquisite facial features walk in. For a moment, the ss fell into silence before Bradley Robertson, amittee member of the sports club, stood up and pped his hands. ¡°Wee to the new student.¡± Then the boys in the ss pped their hands together. They were delighted to wee such a beautiful ssmate. ¡°Hey, Gary, look, there is a beautiful girl in the ss!¡± Wayne Atkinson elbowed Gary Finley sitting in thest row. ¡°Forget Gary. He is only interested in the hottest girl in the school.¡± ¡°But this little chick seems to be even hotter,¡± said Jack Pearson, who was frivolously looking at Nicole with satisfaction. Gary frowned when he heard Jack¡¯sment. His inky eyes then meet Nicole¡¯s crystal-clear eyes. A ray of sunlight scattered over the beautiful girl. Her well-proportioned body stood straight with a trace of arrogance and aloofness in her, which made her beauty look even unapproachable. ¡°She is indeed pretty, but¡­ howe she resembles Snow?¡± Wayne was curious. Jack rolled his eyes at him and said, ¡°All girls are like Snow in your eyes.¡± While the two were picking at each other, Nicole started introducing herself. ¡°I am Nicole, a transfer student. Nice to meet you all.¡± Ms. Emerson had expected Nicole to say a few more words, but Nicole did not. So, she said, ¡°There is an empty seat in the third row from thest. You may sit there.¡± ¡°Tsk, tsk. An eleventh-grade transfer student. I thought she had some solid background to brag about. It turns out she can only sit in the third-tost row.¡± Jack bemoaned. In ss B, thest three rows were usually reserved for those with the worst grades. It seemed that the grades of this new ssmate were not too good. Nicole seemed to have not noticed their stares. She leisurely sat at the empty seat. Only then did Ms. Emerson start the lecture. Gary took a few more nces at Nicole and started to think Nicole looked somewhat like Raine Riddle and Snow Riddle, and Nicole¡¯sst name was also Riddle. When the lesson ended, Ms. Emerson handed everyone a few assignments and stood on the podium. ¡°These assignments are today¡¯s homework. You are required toplete them in the evening self- study time.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Everyone wailed. Ms. Emerson shot a cold nce at everyone. ¡°Stop whining. If anyone drags the overall results of the ss down in this month¡¯s exam, the person will have to stand in the corridor to listen to my lecture.¡± Ms. Emerson then looked at Nicole. Nicole was not surprised. There was amusement in her eyes. It was Ms. Emerson who was stared down by Nicole. ¡°ss is dismissed!¡± After Ms. Emerson left, everyone started to talk about her, saying that she was scarier than ghosts. Some students utilized the time after ss to do the assignment. Nicole just flipped through a few pages and set them aside. ¡°You don¡¯t know how to do that, do you?¡± The boy at the front seat before Nicole grinned at her, revealing his canine teeth and dimples on his cheeks. He looked cute. Nicole remembered him; he was the boy who pped his hands earlier. ¡°I am Bradley Robertson, the sports clubmittee member. You can ask me anything you need help with.¡± Bradley volunteered himself. Wayne in thest rowughed sarcastically. ¡°Bradley, you are sitting in the fourth row, and your grades barely make it. Who else do you want to coach?¡± ¡°That¡¯s better than you, who isst in every exam.¡± Bradley shot back. Students in the fourth row all got a pass. Students who got a pass in the high school of Royal Creek Institute were considered top-notch in other schools. ¡°You¡ª¡± Wayne wanted to retort. ¡°That¡¯s enough!¡± Gary snapped impatiently. Chapter 17 Chapter 17 Wayne quickly shut up, while Bradley was dumbfounded. They seemed not to want to mess with Gary. Gary always scored thest in every exam, yet because of the powerful influence of the Finley family, no one in school ever dared to mess with him and his elder brother, Ryder, a junior. ncing at Nicole, Gary said coldly, ¡°What is your rtionship with Raine and Snow?¡± Nicole raised an eyebrow and glinted at Gary. ¡°I don¡¯t know them.¡± She sounded indifferent. ¡°See? I have just said they are not rted.¡± Jack rolled his eyes at Wayne. ¡°That is a shame. Gary would protect you if you were a rtive of Raine and Snow.¡± Wayne grinned. Nicole had already retracted her gaze. ¡°I don¡¯t need the protection of anyone.¡± Rejected by Nicole, Gary felt he was getting a p in the face. ¡°Hey you, girl, do you know who you are talking to?¡± Jack got up in displeasure as he could not bear to see her attitude toward Gary. Everyone around them was frightened at seeing this, and they did not dare to say a word. ¡°Cut it out.¡± As much as Gary felt losing face, he had no interest in bullying girls. ¡°Since she doesn¡¯t need our protection, no one is allowed to intervene in her affairs next time.¡± Gary looked at Nicole coldly, but she did not even look up at him. ¡°Got it.¡± Jack and Wayne nodded. Gary had taken the entire eleventh grade into his umbre of protection. Since this chic was unappreciative, she should not me them for anything that happened in the future. Everyone else breathed a sigh of relief after the three of them walked away slowly. Bradley grinned and became even more interested in Nicole. ¡°You have got guts, so daring to brush the Finleys off.¡± Bradley had long been having issues with Gary, but no one in San Joto wanted to offend the Finleys. ¡°The Finleys? Are they famous?¡± Nicole took out a book without looking up at him. Bradley nced at the book. It was in a foreignnguage that he could not read. ¡°You don¡¯t even know about the Finley family? They are the number one family in San Joto.¡± Bradley rattled on, but Nicole did not seem to be listening. ¡°As much as I admire your courage, it is not a good thing to be without their protection. Not only is there a quarrel among different sses, but there is also strife between the Royal Creek Institute, be it the high school or the university, and several schools in the vicinity.¡± Nicole was not interested in the school feuds. Noticing that her phone vibrated, she went out to answer the call. Bradley saw her acting secretive and could only turn his attention back to his assignment to finish it. It was a voicemail. Presumably, she had got the job. ¡°So quick?¡± Nicole felt a little surprised. It usually took at least three days to know if she had got the job as there were manypetitors, as with this job. But she was informed today that she had sessfully gotten the job. Feeling doubtful, she pressed a few keys, checking to make sure that she had really won the job. After that, she turned off the phone. Unbeknownst to Nicole, aputer in a ce far away had shown her coordinates for a second. ¡°It is right there, Mr. Johnston.¡± Max managed to trace Nicole¡¯s location, although it had just shown for a second. ¡°Royal Creek Institute in San Joto?¡± Jared¡¯s gaze deepened with a surprised look on his face. The person he was looking for turned out to be in San Joto. What was even weirder was that person was hiding in a school. ¡°That is weird. But we have hacked into The Hunters¡¯ dark web reply system. Her signal to reply to the system message is indeed sent out from there.¡± Max also wondered how it was possible in a school. ¡°It seems that Ellison has the person we are looking for.¡± Jared sneered with a meaningful look in his eyes. ¡°But that is Ellison¡¯s territory. Our men can¡¯t go in there just like this.¡± Ellison would not believe that if they told him there was a hacker from The Hunters in the school. ¡°That is for sure.¡± Jared¡¯s gaze darkened. ¡°So, how are we going to find Lucifer?¡± Max ran out of ideas. After a moment of silence, Jared fiddled with his coffee cup and said, ¡°Open a caf¨¦ opposite the school.¡± ¡°Open a caf¨¦?¡± Max was baffled. He could not figure out what was in his boss¡¯s mind. ¡°Ellison doesn¡¯t like others peeking around in his territory, but he still wees businesses.¡± Max¡¯s eyes lit up immediately. ¡°I got it.¡± After Max left, Jared looked out the window. ¡®I will catch you, Lucifer.¡¯ ¡­ It was noon, and Nicole went to the cafeteria with Bradley and a cute girl showing her the way. ¡°This is Lulu Barrera, amittee member of the Studies Society.¡± Bradley introduced the girl to Nicole. ¡°Nice to meet you.¡± Nicole eased up slightly at seeing the innocent-looking girl. Lulu let out a bright smile. ¡°Nice to meet you, too. If you don¡¯t mind, join us at the cafeteria.¡± ¡°Yeah, why not?¡± Nicole nodded her agreement. She had a good impression of Lulu. So, the three of them walked toward the cafeteria of Royal Creek Institute with Bradley chattered nonstop. When they got there, he enthusiastically taught her how to order meals and which set meals were the most value-for-money. ¡°Nicole!¡± a passionate voice suddenly came. Nicole looked back and saw Samuel. She then shot a frosty look at Samuel, startling him. Spencer immediately got the hint and pulled Samuel away. ¡°You had better keep a low profile and don¡¯t let your fans bother your sister anymore.¡± The crisis was defused, and Nicole looked better now. ¡°Nicole, you know Samuel, don¡¯t you?¡± Lulu looked envious, seeing that Samuel had just called Nicole. ¡°Not so.¡± He was just her brother, whom she had known for barely a day. Hence, technically, she barely knew him. ¡°Oh, yeah?¡± Lulu doubted, ¡®Are they really not close? Just now, Samuel seemed very enthusiastic.¡¯ Nicole had ordered her meal and sat down with Lulu and Bradley. ¡°Is that girl a neer? She is pretty.¡± ¡°I guess so. ss B has posted on the forum today, saying that the title of the hottest girl in the school belongs to someone else now.¡± ¡°She indeed looks much better than the twins.¡± ¡°Shhh, the twins are here.¡± This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. Everyone looked up and saw two girls walk into the cafeteria. One was Raine, who was in the twelfth grade, and the other was Snow, a college freshman. Chapter 18 Chapter 18 Raine and Snow were not twins, but they looked like two peas in a pot, graceful, gentle, and lovely. They were the goddesses in the eyes of the boys, recognized as the most popr girls in high school and college, respectively. As soon as the two appeared, they attracted the attention of many people. Raine and Snow greeted a few ssmates before sitting down. ¡°We have been waiting.¡± Their friends winked at them as soon as they sat down. ¡°See that neer of ss B of the eleventh grade over there? The forum is filled with her photos, saying that she is now the most popr girl in the school.¡± The two sisters looked back and saw Nicole, a hint of nonchnce shing in their eyes. Raine smiled, pretending not to care. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. It is not easy to be the most popr girl in Royal Creek Institute.¡± ¡°Exactly. Being the most popr girl requires not only good looks but also good grades.¡± ¡°Absolutely. Raine and Snow have always scored first on every exam.¡± The two sisters from the Riddle family could firmly cling to the title of the most popr girls in the school, not just because they were pretty but also because of their outstanding academic performance, in a different league than those girls with only beauty. ¡°Let¡¯s eat. Most popr or not is up to others to decide. There is no need to care too much.¡± Snow calmly ordered her meal, as if she did not care about the poprity title. ¡°Yeah, Snow doesn¡¯t care about this vanity title.¡± Snow¡¯s friend smiled and rolled her eyes toward Nicole. Seeing that Nicole did not respond, Bradley rolled his eyes back at them. ¡°Pretentious.¡± Lulu scoffed. ¡°Agree. Those two sisters are incredibly showy.¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. Don¡¯t let those random people affect your appetite.¡± Nicole¡¯s beauty was unparalleled even when she smirked. Lulu and Bradley quickly nodded in agreement. ¡°You are right. Don¡¯t let those random people affect our appetite.¡± The three of them looked at each other with a smile and then heartily continued their meals. N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights. Bradley was cheerful, while Lulu was innocent and cute. Nicole could not help but start to chat with them. It was her first time making friends at school, and it felt good. In the midst ofughter, the three of them finished their lunch. Just as they were about to get up to leave, several people stood in their way. ¡°You are now the most popr girl in the school?¡± There were three of them. The leading guy let out a sinisterugh. When everyone saw him, they gasped. That guy was Austin Woods, the notorious school bully of the twelfth grade. The Woods family was San Joto¡¯s famous upstart, very wealthy. Austin was a school neur and never scared of anyone except the two Finley brothers. Nicole looked at the rowdy guy and felt disgusted, her eyes turning frosty. ¡°I am not. Get out of the way.¡± All the students in the cafeteria held their breath when Nicole said that. Except for Gary, no one in the school had ever dared to speak to Austin like that. ¡°Huh? You have got an attitude. I like it.¡± Austin smiled and reached to touch Nicole¡¯s face. Not far away, Samuel subconsciously wanted to get up and help but was held down by Spencer. ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°What am I doing? Someone is bullying my sister. I need to fix him up.¡± Nicole might have been snubbing Samuel all this while. He still had this sister at heart. While speaking, Samuel was ready to rush up. Just then, Austin had suddenly let out a cry. ¡°Ouch! It hurts!¡± Samuel and Spencer were stunned. They saw clearly that Nicole was twisting Austin¡¯s wrist. With a quick force, she folded his hand to his back. Austin was in pain and could only bend down and lean forward. ¡°Let¡ªlet me go!¡± He roared. ¡°Let you go? You are asking for it.¡± Nicole scoffed and gave Austin a good kicking in the butt. ¡°Ouch!¡± Austin screamed and fell facedown to the floor. ¡°Austin!¡± His twopanions pulled him up quickly. One of them looked up and scolded Nicole, ¡°You brat! How dare you hit him!¡± Nicole red at him. ¡°Do you want to try, too?¡± At this point, both of Austin¡¯spanions were too frightened to speak. She was obviously only an eleventh-grade student and looked younger than the others. But she possessed a powerful persona. ¡°She-She can fight?¡± Samuel looked back at Spencer in surprise. Spencer also looked at Nicole, his jaw dropping to the ground upon seeing her move. ¡°I am afraid she can.¡± Seeing Nicole¡¯s swift move, the two brothers did not dare to go up to help. They were afraid that they would make things worse. ¡°You, brat! How dare you hit me! Do you know who my father is?¡± Everyone knew that Austin¡¯s father was the trustee of the school. Offending his son risked being expelled from the school. ¡°This neer is in big trouble.¡± Raine shook her head and said with a look of regret. Snow silently continued to watch how things unfolded. ¡°You should have asked your mom, not me, who your dad is.¡± Nicole snapped as she haughtily dusted her hands. Someone in the cafeteriaughed out loud. And then everyone else did the same. Austin had never been treated like this. He immediately roared, ¡°You brat! You have a death wish!¡± While speaking, he raised his hand to hit Nicole. But the next second, he suddenly felt someone grab his hand. The next thing he felt was the world spinning around him before he was thrown to the ground. ¡°Aah!¡± Following a painful scream, Austin passed outpletely. Theughter in the cafeteria instantly stopped because everyone saw the perfect over-the-shoulder move Nicole had just pulled off. Chapter 19 Chapter 19 ¡°So badass!¡± Bradley was startled for a moment before muttering in amazement. Lulu could not help but nod in agreement. ¡°Badass indeed.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Nicole red disdainfully at Austin and then smiled evilly as she left. It was a mocking smile, but it was also beautiful. Everyone in the cafeteria watched in a daze as she left. Spencer patted Samuel, who had note out of his awe, and said, ¡°It looks like our sister doesn¡¯t need us to worry about her.¡± In the afternoon, the school¡¯s forum went ape, saying that the new student performed an over-the- shoulder move and threw the school bully to the ground the first day in the cafeteria. Some people who hated Austinmented and praised her anonymously. Some people think she was in trouble, thinking she would be expelled tomorrow. But Nicole could not care less and continued to copy the assignment from others. ¡°Throwing Austin with an over-the-shoulder move? No wonder she said she didn¡¯t need Gary¡¯s protection.¡± Wayne looked at her from behind, almost wanting to whistle at her. ¡°She must know martial arts, but she seems to be mediocre in terms of studies.¡± Jack shook his head and felt sorry. Only a few of them in the ss copied the works of others, not expecting that Nicole was also doing so, copying Lulu¡¯s assignment. This showed how bad she was in her studies. Gary did not even look up but continued to fiddle with his phone. At the end of the ss, Bradley suddenly got up and came up to Nicole, looking worried. ¡°It is not good, Nicole. Austin has woken up and uploaded a post threatening to get the school to expel you.¡± Nicole looked up coldly. ¡°Does he really think he owns the school?¡± This belongs to N?velDrama.Org: ?. ¡°He doesn¡¯t own the school, but his father is one of the trustees.¡± Lulu and Bradley were worried about her. ¡°Then let him try.¡± Nicole sneered. After copying the work, Nicole returned the assignment to Lulu and thanked her. She then handed the papers that she was going to submit over to Lulu, grabbed her bag, and left. ¡°Nicole! Where are you going?¡± Lulu was baffled. ¡°I am not attending the self-study ss since I have finished the assignment.¡± Nicole turned and left. ¡°She said she is not attending the self-study ss?¡± Lulu was wide-eyed. The self-study sses at the beginning of the school year were notpulsory. But Ms. Emerson cared a lot about this month¡¯s exams. No one in the ss dared to leave, yet Nicole had gone. ¡°Yeah, when Ms. Emerson finds out, she will go ape.¡± The two of them looked at each other and could only pray silently for Nicole in their hearts. Stepping out of the ssroom, Nicole walked out of the school in the sunset along the boulevard. The shadows of the trees were dancing on the ground as trees rustled in the wind and the afterglow of dusk sprinkled on the young girl. Someone took a beautiful photo of her and posted it on the school forum. Twenty minutester, Nicole returned to the Riddle family house. She saw Daniel and Gloria as soon as she stepped through the door. ¡°How was your day at school today, Nicole?¡± ¡°Can you keep up?¡± Nicole was not ustomed to such a passionate concern from the two, but she still smiled gently. ¡°It is alright.¡± ¡°d to hear that. What do you want for dinner?¡± Gloria asked with concern. ¡°Mom, I am not a picky eater. You can cook whatever you want.¡± Nicole let out a faint smile. She and Gloria had be acquainted with each other for the past few days, and they had finally broken the ice. ¡°You are my good child.¡± Gloria patted Nicole¡¯s head with a look of relief, only to feel that they were much closer to each other now. Although Nicole still felt a little ufortable, She did not pull her hand back. While the three of them were talking, someone suddenly entered the door. Norah did not attend the self-study ss today. She had brought two people back with her. ¡°Mom, Dad, my cousins are here.¡± Norah enthusiastically ushered the two people through the door. Gloria and Daniel were surprised. ¡°Snow, Raine? I didn¡¯t expect you two here.¡± Snow and Raine were the children of Dillon and Karen, and like Karen, her two children were also arrogant, rarely interacting with them. They wondered why they hade back with Norah today. ¡°Dad, Mom, they are here to bring a gift to Nicole.¡± Norah sounded gleeful, but she was full of jealousy deep down inside. Snow and Raine had never wanted to talk to her. But when Nicole returned, they immediately bought her a gift and even delivered them personally; this made Norah furious. Snow and Raine stepped forward and said, ¡°Uncle, Aunt, my father said he was in a hurry yesterday and did not manage to prepare a gift for Nicole. So, he asked us to send it over today.¡± Raine was polite on the surface but was unhappy inside. She could not get over the fact that she had toe delivering a gift for a country girl. Daniel and Gloria nced at each other, guessing that Dillon must have felt bad for Nicole yesterday, so he asked Snow to send something over topensate. Just as he was about to refuse, Snow already looked at Nicole on the sofa and pretended to be friendly. ¡°You must be Nicole.¡± Snow was stunned when the two of them had eye to eye. ¡°It is you!¡± After beingpared with a girl on the school forum by ssmates the whole day, Snow and Raine apparently did not expect this person to be their cousin. ¡°You guys know each other?¡± Gloria blinked in bafflement. ¡°Not really.¡± Nicole spoke calmly and told the truth. She had seen her during the day, and the boy had asked her if she knew Snow in the morning, but she did not know that they were rted. Sensing the awkward atmosphere, Norah quickly said, ¡°Nicole, this is Snow, and this is Raine. They are the daughters of your second uncle and the most popr girls in our high school and university.¡± Norah knew what was happening on the forum today and deliberately spoke about it, causing Snow and Raine¡¯s faces to change. Nicole frowned and nced at Norah. Was Norah trying to cause hatred toward her? The next second, Raine spoke sarcastically. ¡°You might now know us, but today, the video of you getting into a fight has gone viral on the school online forum. Almost everyone in the school knows you.¡± ¡°A fight?¡± Gloria¡¯s expression froze. She immediately looked at Nicole. ¡°You got into a fight?¡± Chapter 20 Chapter 20 Nicole nced at Raine and said unhurriedly, ¡°No, I just taught an unruly ssmate a lesson.¡± If she had really wanted to fight, Austin would have been in the hospital now. ¡°Unruly?¡± Daniel¡¯s face turned a little graver. ¡°Were they bullying you? If true, they should be taught a lesson.¡± Norah did not expect her parents to spoil Nicole so much. She was jealous and acted as if she was worried. ¡°Dad, that being said, fighting is wrong. Besides, the kid she taught a lesson to today is from the Woods family.¡± Raine also agreed. ¡°Yeah, she has offended the Woods family. I am afraid that it will not be just her but the entire Riddle family that has to bear the consequences.¡± ¡°The Woods family?¡± Daniel and Gloria¡¯s faces turned a little pale upon hearing the name. The Woods family was San Joto¡¯s most prominent new rich, very wealthy, and they were all rogues. No one in San Joto wanted to mess with them, yet Nicole had offended one of them on her first day of school. ¡°Nicole, is what they say true?¡± Daniel sensed the tricky situation. Intending to protect her daughter, he had to figure out the actual situation and think of a way to protect Nicole. Nicole looked at Norah and Raine; they were all annoying squawkers. But she did not want to lie when she saw her parents¡¯ concerned look. ¡°It is true.¡± Those three words caused Daniel¡¯s and Gloria¡¯s expressions to change. ¡°What should we do about this, Daniel? Should we tell Dad?¡± The Woods family had always been nasty. The Riddle family had better be prepared in case the Woods came after them. This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Well, I am not sure.¡± Daniel felt it was better not to rm his father, but the Woods family was difficult to deal with. Norah saw the situation and took the opportunity to speak. ¡°Dad, Mom, it will not rm Grandpa.¡± Turning their eyes to Norah, Daniel and Gloria seemed to have found their key to the problem. ¡°Why do you say that?¡± Norah hurriedly said, ¡°It was Nicole¡¯s first day in school today, and Austin does not seem to know that Nicole is from the Riddle family. That is why the school forum post only says that Nicole will be expelled and does not mention the Riddle family at all.¡± Her expression seemed anxious, but deep down inside, she was gloating over it. This brat was about to be expelled on the first day at school. How she wished Austin would kick her out of school now. ¡°Expel?¡± Gloria¡¯s expression looked even paler upon hearing the word ¡°expel.¡± They had beaten their brain out to get Nicole into Royal Creek Institute High School, and today she is about to be expelled. Nicole could not sit still at seeing Norah and Snow use the issue to smash her down. She said, ¡°Dad, Mom, don¡¯t worry. I will not be expelled.¡± Seeing that Nicole was still so conceited, Raine said sarcastically, ¡°It is not up to you. Everyone knows that Mr. Woods is the trustee of the Royal Creek Institute. Expulsion is the best thing you could hope for when you offend the grandson of the Woods family.¡± ¡°Raine, don¡¯t say that.¡± Snow reproached Raine and took a step closer to Nicole. ¡°Raine has always been straight-talking. Please don¡¯t mind. But she is telling the truth. It is best not to get the Riddle family involved. You shouldn¡¯t get upset if you are expelled.¡± Raine sounded like she wasforting her, but Nicole could sense Raine¡¯s pretentious concern. ¡°Don¡¯t worry; I will not get upset because I will not be expelled.¡± Nicole still had a determined look on her face, which upset Snow and Raine. It got to Norah, too. Yet, she continued pretending to be concerned. ¡°I know you and Mr. Ellison have met once. But the Woods family is powerful; Mr. Ellison probably will not want to get himself involved. Your chances of staying are slim.¡± Nicole stared at Norah. ¡°Do you really hope that I will be expelled?¡± Daniel and Gloria looked at Norah upon hearing what Nicole said. ¡°No-No. Why would I?¡± Norah quickly shook her head. ¡°I am worried about you.¡± Nicole just looked at her nonchntly. ¡°Since you are not of help, keep your worries to yourself.¡± After Norah got trashed, her eyes welled up as she pretended to be innocent. Raine could not take it anymore. They had never given a d*mn about interacting with their fourth uncle¡¯s family, but Norah was polite to them every time she met them. Just Nicole was arrogant. ¡°Norah cares about you. Don¡¯t be so ungrateful.¡± Raine frowned and stood up for Norah. Snow frowned as she felt Raine had been used. ¡°Well, Raine, we are not in a position to speak about it. After all, it is Nicole¡¯s own business,¡± Snow said at the right time. ¡°Aunt, we have delivered the gift. So, we have got to leave. We wille to see you another day.¡± ¡°Absolutely.¡± Gloria sent the two away with disconstion. Without support now, Norah looked at Daniel and Gloria with her eyes reddened. ¡°Mom, since Nicole doesn¡¯t like me to talk about this, I will go upstairs now.¡± ¡°Norah.¡± Gloria looked at her sad look and felt bad. Daniel had calmed down. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about Norah. Think about how to solve Nicole¡¯s problem.¡± Gloria snapped back and then looked back at Nicole. Feeling sorry for Nicole, Gloria took a deep breath and tried tofort Nicole. ¡°It is okay. Even if you leave Royal Creek Institute, Mom and Dad will get you into an equally good school. Don¡¯t worry.¡± It was heartwarming for Nicole. Compared with those outsiders who kicked her when she was down, her parents¡¯ genuine feelings for her had allowed her to find a sense of belonging. ¡°Thank you, Mom.¡± She really did not need her mother to worry about her, but she was still grateful for their concern. ¡°It is all right. Don¡¯t take this matter to heart.¡± Gloria and Daniel stopped asking further because they did not want to pressure her. But it seemed that they still hoped that Nicole could stay at Royal Creek Institute. So, after dinner, they brought Nicole to grandpa¡¯s house. This time, Norah also tagged along on the pretext of concern about Nicole. Surprisingly , Dillon and his wife, Karen, were also there when they arrived. When Mr. Riddle Sr. saw Daniel and Gloria, he could not help but wonder. ¡°Didn¡¯t you two juste yesterday? What are you two doing here?¡± Seeing that, Karen said directly, ¡°I heard Nicole had gotten into trouble at school today, and I had just wanted to tell you. I didn¡¯t expect that Daniel and Gloria woulde today.¡± She had opposed this country girl studying at Royal Creek Institute yesterday. Now that Nicole had gotten into trouble at school and brought trouble to the Riddle family, she, of course, had all the incentives to bring the matter up. Gloria hated and was upset by Karen¡¯s tattling behavior. ¡°Nicole didn¡¯t cause trouble. It was the kid from the Woods family trying to grab her.¡± ¡°The Woods family?¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. frowned. ¡°Nicole shed with the boy from the Woods family today?¡± Chapter 21 Chapter 21 The Woods family was a group of individuals whom the people in San Joto would stay away from, as messing with them was inviting trouble. Norah saw this and said boldly, ¡°Grandpa¡­ I didn¡¯t mean it. She had just arrived at school and did not know who Austin was.¡± It sounded like she was defending Nicole, but it actually was to say that Nicole was the one who first used violence. Nicole was not too happy. Just when she was about to rebut, Daniel spoke. ¡°Dad, Nicole is not to me. I have looked into the ins and outs of the matter. Austin openly tried to grab Nicole. Do we still have to put up with that?¡± Seeing the righteous indignation of Daniel and Nicole, Karen said sarcastically, ¡°Daniel, Austin is Mr. Woods Sr.¡¯s grandson. We are in trouble by offending him. I heard Snow say that Austin threatened to get Nicole expelled from the school.¡± Karen threw a bombshell. ¡°Expulsion?¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. frowned immediately. It was onlyst night that Mr. Ellison invited Nicole into the school, and he would expel her because she had offended Austin? ¡°What do you think? Austin¡¯s dad was a school trustee, and the students who offended Austin before did not seem to have a good ending.¡± Karen was kicking Nicole when she was down, as if Nicole¡¯s expulsion was a foregone conclusion. Norah immediately looked at Nicole expectantly. ¡°If that is the case, no one can help you, Nicole.¡± ¡°I am not asking anyone for help.¡± Nicole frowned. Karen thought Nicole was unrepentant and immediately said, ¡°Dad, see this girl? She still doesn¡¯t admit her fault.¡± ¡°What wrong have I done?¡± Nicole frowned. ¡°Do you mean I should let him grab me just because the Woods family is powerful? Will it not look bad on the Riddle family?¡± Nicole¡¯s voice was sonorous and powerful. For a moment, there was silence in the living room.Mr. Riddle Sr¡¯s eyes brightened up. ¡°Absolutely. As nasty as the Woods family is, we, the Riddles, aren¡¯t someone who can be easily bullied. Nicole did the right thing.¡± Norah was exasperated, not expecting Mr. Riddle Sr. to be so supportive of Nicole. Karen became anxious and said, ¡°Dad, you should know how to distinguish between right and wrong. What good is it for us to mess with the Woods family?¡± Seeing his wife so fiery, Dillon coughed gently to remind her. ¡°The situation is not that bad, Karen. The expulsion is no big deal. Austin doesn¡¯t know that Nicole is our family, and the Woods family will not bother us.¡± Daniel could not take it anymore at seeing the husband and wife echoing each other¡¯s words.¡± I wonder why you two are so opinionated. Is it because you are afraid that Nicole¡¯s matter will implicate you two?¡± The faces of both Dillon and Karen turned red, and Dillon snarled, ¡°Why say so? We don¡¯t just worry about ourselves, but the Riddle family. The Woods family is such a scoundrel that people try to keep away from them. What good is it for us to mess with them?¡± ¡°Do you mean that for the Riddle family staying out of trouble, we should do nothing when our children are bullied, even if they are Snow and Raine?¡± Nicole shot a frosty nce at Karen and Dillon. Mr. Riddle Sr. became even more clearheaded this time. ¡°You guys just want to stay away from this problem and care about yourselves. If Snow is the one who gets bullied, will you still shift the me like now?¡± ¡°I¡­¡± Karen tried to say something but was discouraged by Mr. Riddle Sr.¡¯s reprimand. Seeing that no one could counter Nicole, Norah stared at her with indignation. She realized she had seriously underestimated Nicole. This belongs to N?velDrama.Org: ?. It did not take long for Mr. Riddle Sr. to express his final thoughts. ¡±Nicole did the right thing. If she is expelled, I will find her a better school tomorrow. It is no big deal. I can even send Nicole to study abroad. No matter what, I want to give her the best education.¡± The kid from the Johnston family was so outstanding. He was not going to let his granddaughter fall behind. Knowing that Mr. Riddle Sr. genuinely cared about her, Nicole looked at him with a relieved smile. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, Grandpa. I will not be expelled.¡± Her voice was calm and determined, inexplicably persuasive. ¡°Mr. Ellison has contacted you?¡± Seeing that her granddaughter was so assured of herself, Mr. Riddle Sr. thought she might have gotten some news. ¡°Not yet, but he will call me back as soon as he is free.¡± Nicole sounded as if it was a matter of course. It was as though Mr. Ellison was her subordinate. This strange feeling made everyone look doubtful. Norah¡¯s eyes were almost on fire. Did Nicole really think Mr. Ellison was subservient to her? While she was thinking so, the family butler suddenly came up and whispered to Mr. Riddle Sr. ¡°Mr. Ellison calls.¡± ¡°Mr. Ellison?¡± Not expecting that Mr. Ellison would call him, he took the call immediately. Everyone looked in Mr. Riddle Sr.¡¯s direction. As Mr. Riddle Sr. had poor hearing, he put the call on the phone speaker. ¡°Mr. Ellison, I didn¡¯t expect you to call.¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. answered politely. On the other end of the phone, Mr. Ellison was letting out a kind smile. ¡°Mr. Riddle Sr., today I heard that the kid from the Woods family offended your granddaughter, Nicole. Is she all right?¡± Everyone heard that and was all wide-eyed. In terms of importance, it should be Nicole who offended Austin, but Mr. Ellison said that it was Austin who offended Nicole. How high was Nicole¡¯s importance in the eye of Mr. Ellison? Chapter 22 Chapter 22 Nicole subtly shook her head to signal Mr. Riddle Sr. He then shook his head and said, ¡°She is fine. She didn¡¯t take it to heart.¡± ¡°d to hear. I will tell that kid from the Woods family to behave. No one will bully Nicole at school from now on. I assured you that.¡± ¡°Thank you so much.¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. was ted and immediately thanked Mr. Ellison. ¡°No problem. Let us have a cup of tea together if you have time next time,¡± Mr. Ellison said politely. ¡°Any time, Mr. Ellison. Call me when you have time.¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. was ttered. Not anyone could meet Mr. Ellison, and it was unimaginable that Mr. Ellison would ask to meet him. So, he agreed immediately. ¡°Sure.¡± After that, Mr. Ellison hung up. The air felt standstill as everyone who heard the conversation looked at Nicole in disbelief. Norah was most surprised. She had not believed it at all that Mr. Ellison would still be protective of Nicole when such a thing happened, but his phone call had confirmed everything. Mr. Riddle Sr. slowly lowered his phone and calmed himself down. ¡°Nicole, are you and Mr. Ellison close?¡± Last time Nicole only said she and Mr. Ellison had met just once. But he now felt that their rtionship was more than acquaintances. Seeing her grandpa¡¯s doubts, Nicole thought for a moment and said, ¡°Sort of.¡± They had only met once, but it was she who had been apanying him when he was in the hospital, and so they kind of knew each other well. Karen was not too happy with Nicole¡¯s answer. ¡°What do you mean by ¡®sort of? How did you two meet?¡± She was resentful that a country girl like Nicole could get into Royal Creek Institute High School. Not only that, when Nicole confronted an opponent like the Woods family, Mr. Ellison still harbored Nicole. What was going on? She had to figure out their rtionship. Neither Daniel nor Gloria spoke. Apparently, they were also eager to know what their rtionship was. Seeing that her parents were so curious, Nicole decided to tell a little more. ¡°If I must say so, I saved Mr. Ellison¡¯s life.¡± Nicole said calmly, but her words stunned everyone. ¡°You saved his life?¡± Karen stared wide-eyed at Dillon, unable to believe that an eighteen-year -old girl imed to have said Mr. Ellison¡¯s life. ¡°Nicole, is what you say true? Don¡¯t bluff just because Mr. Ellison has called.¡± A student from the countryside imed to have saved Mr. Ellison¡¯s life. How was that possible? Was it not a pipe dream? ¡°Ask Mr. Ellison if you don¡¯t believe me.¡± Nicole had little patience with Norah. Norah¡¯s face turned pale as she knew she was qualified to see Mr. Ellison. Obviously, Nicole had concluded that she could not verify it. Daniel looked back and came to a sudden realization. ¡°No wonder Nicole was so sure that she would not be expelled when she was at home.¡± Gloria was finally relieved. ¡°Yeah, so it seems that Nicole will not be expelled.¡± Daniel and Gloria were happy, but it was a p in the face for Dillon and Karen. At first, they thought abouting back today to tattle to Mr. Riddle Sr. about Nicole being kicked out of school, not expecting Nicole to turn things around. Instead of making Nicole look bad, the two of them had be theughingstocks. Looking guiltily at Mr. Riddle Sr., Karen could no longer sit still. ¡°Now that the matter is settled, we will go now.¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. had no n of letting her go just yet. N?velDrama.Org content rights. ¡°In the future, stay out of the school issues of children and do not bring issues that shouldn¡¯t be brought home.¡± Karen felt humiliated in front of Daniel and Gloria after being reprimanded by Mr. Riddle Sr. But this time, it was indeed her fault. She could only grit her teeth and say, ¡°I got it, Dad.¡± She then left with Dillon, with their tails between their legs. Mr. Riddle Sr. looked at Nicole with an avuncr smile. ¡°You are truly my granddaughter. Tell me how you taught the kid Austin a lesson today.¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. had long been despising the Woods family. His granddaughter was just like him, sharp, incisive, and fearless. Finding it hard to exin in words, Nicole showed a video to Mr. Riddle Sr. and her parents. The three of them watched nervously. ¡°You know how to fight, Nicole?¡± Gloria was wide-eyed. ¡°I used to learn some martial arts in the countryside. My grandmother said it was for self defense.¡± She dodged Gloria¡¯s gaze and randomly made up a story. ¡°Not bad. Girls should learn some self-defense techniques. You are the only one who is like me in the family.¡± The more Mr. Riddle Sr. watched, the more ted he became. He kept watching the video clip several times. Norah waspletely neglected, her eyes fixated on Nicole. She could not believe that she had even used Snow and Raine to make Nicole look bad, yet she still failed. Instead, Nicole had stood out even more, and this was making Norah mad. Norah clenched her hands in resentment, her fingernails almost sinking into the flesh of her palms. An hourter, Daniel and Gloria were back at home with Nicole and Norah. Nicole texted Mr. Ellison to say thank you once she was in her room. Mr. Ellison had no habit of texting, so Nicole went to the shower. Not long after leaving the bathroom, there was a sudden knock on the door. She opened the door and saw Norah. ¡°What is it?¡± Nicole asked indifferently, her eyescking emotion. ¡°Nicole, this is the cosmetics I brought back from my previous trip to Floeze. I would like you to have it.¡± Norah let out an innocent smile, but Nicole did not like that smile very much. Thinking of how Norah kicked her when she was down today, Nicole took a step back. ¡°I am good. I never use these things.¡± She really hated cosmetics and did not bother to get them. ¡°You have never used them?¡± Norah was slightly surprised. Nicole had never used cosmetics, yet her skin was so beautiful. It made her jealous. Chapter 23 Chapter 23 ¡°Anything else?¡± Nicole sounded cold, clearly wanting to drive her away. Norah felt embarrassed and could only quickly get down to business. ¡°I know that you and Austin have a conflict. I was just worried that our family would get involved, so I said something that might have offended you. Please don¡¯t mind. You may hit me if you are angry.¡± Norah said with an innocent look, as if Nicole would bully her. Nicole sneered as she despised someone who liked to y the victim like Norah. ¡°Since you know you shouldn¡¯t have said something that shouldn¡¯t be said, you should have corrected yourself instead ofing to me to pretend to apologize.¡± With that, Nicole mmed the door shut. Norah felt insulted, as if she had been pped, her face feeling a burning sensation. D*mn it.. How dare Nicole disparage her? Did Nicole really think she had the right to reprimand her because she came to apologize? ¡°Let¡¯s wait and see, Nicole.¡± She stomped her feet angrily before taking her things and went away. Nicole had locked the door and now turned on theputer. After entering the dark web, she decided to start taking a job today. A client wanted her to hack into aworkpany¡¯s system and find loopholes in their ounts. This was the mostmon and simplest type of hacking job she had always been doing. She had done such hacking jobs for years, from essing enterprise data centers to exploiting the Federal Intelligence Agency¡¯s system. But she had her principles and would do nothing illegal. Three hours flew by. At midnight, she found a vulnerability and imnted a monitoring code into the target system to monitor the target¡¯s ounts. She then turned off theputer to prepare for sleep She suddenly received an anonymous text message on her phone. [Carl is alive.] Nicole¡¯s heart skipped a beat at seeing the name. She calmed herself down and replied, [where is he?] The anonymous sender replied, [Beetle Town, Lanningbourg.] [Great! I will go see him.] After thest mission, she thought her partner was dead, not expecting that he was still alive. This made Nicole, who had always been calm, almost lost control of her emotions. [Not now. Someone is watching. We will take care of him. Don¡¯t go abroad so your whereabouts won¡¯t get exposed.] Nicole suppressed her emotions after getting the reply. She would have to wait for a long while before she could meet Carl. But she was still too excited and could not sleep all night after knowing the news. She felt a little tired, but this wasmon to her. So, she still went for a morning run like usual. After breakfast, she came to Royal Creek Institute in the Riddle family car. Her frosty look could not hide her beauty. It attracted a lot of attention. A boy could not help but take out his mobile phone and take a few candid photos of her. Nicole looked back at the boy coldly, as if she had eyes on her back. The boy was intimidated by her gaze and deleted the photos. Now the rest of the people became more behaved, and Nicole hurried to ss B. Bradley had arrived. His grades were mediocre, but he was very hardworking, sitting on the side reading a book. When he saw Nicole, he asked her to sit down. ¡°Yesterday, Ms. Emerson came spot-checking the evening self-study ss, and only you were not in the ss. She will definitely get mad at you today. You have got to be careful.¡± Nicole couldn¡¯t care less about that. She did not have to waste her time on that boring evening self- study. Nicole nodded, signaling Bradley that she got it. Lulu also came, running into the ssroom and up to Nicole and Bradley, winking at them. Seeing that both of them looked at her in puzzlement, she caught her breath and said, ¡°Nicole, Austin here. You had better hide now.¡± Nicole did not expect Austin to still have the audacity toe after being taught a lesson so badly. However, she did not go anywhere. Instead, she just silently took out a foreignnguage book and read. Lulu looked at Nicole¡¯s nonchnt look and became anxious. Austin was notorious for being a petty guy. Nicole had pissed him off yesterday, and he would surely take revenge on her. ¡°Austin must be here to get revenge on you. Go to the teacher¡¯s office, and wait until the ss starts beforeing back. Just don¡¯t let him find you.¡± It was heartwarming to see Lulu was so concerned about her. Just when Nicole was about to say something, Jack¡¯s vivacious voice came from behind.N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights. ¡°She is supposed to be the one who should be worried, Lulu. Since Nicole doesn¡¯t want to listen to you, why do you care?¡± Jack remembered Nicole had rejected Gary¡¯s offer yesterday. Knowing that Austin wasing after her now, he could not help but gloat over it. ¡°Let¡¯s see how arrogant you could still be when Austin arrives.¡± Nicole looked at him coldly, and Jack looked at her dark eyes, somehow feeling a chill running up his spine . Just then, Austin had stormed into ss B with a few guys, his eyes searching around the rapie ssroom before spotting Nicole. He paused for a second before striding toward Nicole, who was sitting in the back of the ssroom. The few guys behind Austin rubbed their hands eagerly and stared at Nicole maliciously. All eyes were on Nicole. Jack and Wayne were sitting in the back, waiting to see how Austin would fix Nicole. Even Gary, who was indifferent to such things, looked over. Austin walked up to Nicole and suddenly bowed and said aloud, ¡°I am sorry for yesterday, Nicole.¡± For a moment, everyone¡¯s jaw dropped to the ground. Austin had always been the school bully and no one, except the Finley brothers, dared to mess with him. Now he was apologizing to a girl who had hit him. Chapter 24 Chapter 24 Everyone looked at Nicole in admiration. But the more unbelievable things were yet toe. Austin¡¯s followers looked at Austin with confusion, and one of them asked, ¡°But boss, yesterday, this ungrateful brat rejected your¡ª¡±. Before the guy could finish speaking, Austin gave him a punch with a backhand. ¡°Stop talking like that to Nicole! From now onward, Nicole is my boss. I will not spare those who dare to bully her.¡± The poor guy nced angrily at Nicole. Seeing that Austin was serious, the rest bowed their heads and submitted to Nicole. After that, Austin looked at Nicole tteringly, hoping to get herpliment. This belongs to N?velDrama.Org: ?. Everyone was in a daze for a moment, as they could not believe that all this was true. Jack and Wayne behind them were speechless. Gary watched on with great interest, his eyes falling on Nicole and studying her. But Nicole was nonchnt, giving no reaction to Austin¡¯s actions. She then calmly checked her watch and said to Austin, ¡°I am not your boss. My ss is about to start. Don¡¯t bother me anymore.¡± Austin panicked when he saw Nicole opening a book, as if she was going to study. But his father had repeatedly told him to build a good rtionship with Nicole and that he must not piss Nicole off. ¡°I know it was my fault, Nicole. Please forgive me.¡± Austin humbled himself. But Nicole ignored him, holding the book she had not finished reading. She did not seem to care about this farce that was happening right now. Austin¡¯s face flushed when Nicole ignored him. No one in Royal Creek Institute had ever humiliated him like this. He had been unwilling to call Nicole his boss from the beginning. How could he still be the school bully if Nicole rejected him? ¡°You have got to be the boss, no matter what.¡± Austin left angrily after saying that. Nicole had no idea that she had rejected something that many people considered great and irresistible. Many were envious of her. Gary saw her nonchnce and knew that Nicole did not take Austin seriously. He could not help but take a greater interest in her. Who was she that even the Woods family was bowing to her? Raine came looking for Gary when she saw Gary staring with interest at Nicole. Angry, she clenched the bag in her hand and took in Gary¡¯s line of sight. ¡°Gary, there is a new caf¨¦ in front of the school. How about we go for a cup of coffee after school?¡± Gary was displeased when someone blocked his view. When he looked up and saw that it was Raine, he reluctantly agreed. Raine left the ssroom feeling pleased. After she left, Bradley leaned over and whispered to Nicole, ¡°I heard Raine had been courting Gary for a long time before Gary epted Raine. Now it seems that the rumor is true.¡± Nicole could not help but smirk upon hearing that. Thinking back to how arrogant the twin sisters, Snow and Raine, were when she was back at homest night, it would be interesting to see their family¡¯s reaction when they found out that their daughters were kissing the feet of the Finley brothers. Bradley looked at Nicole and scratched his head. ¡°Stop worrying about others. Maybe you should worry about yourself. Is it really okay for you to reject Austin like this?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry; it will be alright.¡± Nicole couldn¡¯t care less. She was not thinking about Austin at all but focusing her attention and immersed in the Esperiannguage book in front of her. Carl somehow came to mind. He was cynical and annoying, but his eyes were always so charming and wicked. Now she wondered how well he had recovered. But she felt less guilty toward him as long as he lived. Thinking of this, she breathed a sigh of relief. The ss bell rang, and Nicole slowly pulled her drifting thoughts back. Ms. Emerson walked in her high heels into the ss with a stack of test papers in her hands. Ms. Emerson asked Lulu to distribute the test paper while she stood on the podium with her arms folded, her eyes sweeping over thest few rows with a sneer. ¡°Some students in our ss couldn¡¯t even giarize correctly, making the exact low-level stupid mistakes. Why didn¡¯t you all copy the name, too?¡± Jack whispered sarcastically, ¡°It must be that Nicole who made the stupid mistake while giarizing. We have been doing that for so long, and nothing has happened. Why did Ms. Emerson say someone was giarizing as soon as Nicole arrived?¡± Wayne nodded in agreement with disdain for Nicole in his eyes. Ms. Emerson continued. ¡°Jack, Wayne, Gary, you three are at the same level. What is the point of giarizing each other¡¯s answers? You will get more correct answers by throwing the papers to the ground and stepping on them than answering them yourself. giarism is so obvious; were you afraid that I couldn¡¯t find out?¡± Jack was not too happy when Ms. Emerson only singled out the three of them. ¡°Nicole has done the same thing, too. I saw it with my own eyes. Why don¡¯t you reprimand her?¡± Ms. Emerson got furious when Jack was trying to implicate Nicole. ¡°giarism is one thing, and ndering your ssmate is another. Nicole has got a perfect score. Only she has a perfect score in the ss. Even Lulu has answered two questions wrongly. So, tell me, who was giarizing whose answers?¡± Chapter 25 Chapter 25 Ms. Emerson turned her head to look at Nicole with a gentle smile. ¡°Keep up the good work, Nicole. Don¡¯t getcent just because you have scored a full mark this time. The monthly exam is around the corner; it is still crucial to do revision at night.¡± Yesterday, she thought that Nicole¡¯s grades were mediocre. Nicole was even absent from the self-study ssst night. It was only after the test did she find Nicole¡¯s exam results were anything but mediocre. She was now much more at ease. It shocked Bradley to see how easily Ms. Emerson glossed over Nicole¡¯s absence from the self study ss. Jack was even more dumbfounded, not expecting Nicole to be the only person who got a perfect score. He and Wayne looked at Nicole sitting in the third row from thest, as if she was some kind of monster. While passing the test papers to Nicole, there was aplicated look in Lulu¡¯s eyes as she noticed that Nicole had corrected the two questions that she had done wrong. Those two questions were tough problems, very challenging. She had thought about it for a long time and was still confused by them and gave the wrong answers. Yet Nicole could see through the problems at a nce and came up with smart, concise, and correct answers. She looked at Nicole¡¯s steps of solution; her thinking was unique and unconventional yet effective. She admitted she was way behind Nicole. Could it be that this transfer student from the countryside was a real genius? Ms. Emerson also featured Nicole¡¯s problem-solving approach in her lectures. Shepared it with the standard textbook answers and praised Nicole¡¯s creative approach. After the ss, Lulu came up to Nicole and asked, ¡°Did youe up with the solution to those two problems yourself?¡± Nicole nodded. Compiling hacking codes was a thousand times more difficult than these test papers. These test papers werepletely unnecessary for her. If it was not for the sake of submitting assignments, she would not even write it, as it would be a waste of time. That was why she just copied and pasted the answers. ¡°Nicole, you are awesome. Do you have time to teach me?¡± Seeing Lulu looking at her with adoration, Nicole could not refuse her. She agreed with a smile. ¡°Sure.¡± After Lulu left, Nicole felt stares from behind her while shezily put her things into her bag. However, she paid no heed. Instead, she just packed and left the ssroom. It was not until Nicole disappeared from the line of sight that Gary pulled back his gaze thoughtfully. Nicole was standing in front of the Royal Creek Institute campus as the driver called and apologized to her, saying that the traffic was too congested and told her to wait a little longer. Nicole saw that there was a caf¨¦ in front of the school. Since it was still early, and she had nowhere to go, she thought she might as well go in and sit down in the caf¨¦. Once stepping into the caf¨¦, she found that the interior decoration was of a Nordic style she liked very much. The color tone was subtle with a tad of luxury feel, which showed the caf¨¦ owner had good taste. Nicole walked over to the bar, ordered a ss of Iced Americano, and then went to the corner of the caf¨¦ and sat down. It wasid back and free. Nicole sat in a chair and read the foreignnguage book. Unfortunately, it did not take long before a few people came in and sat down at an adjacent table. Hearing the familiar voices, Nicole looked up and saw Norah, Snow, and Raine. ¡°Nicole, I didn¡¯t expect to see you here.¡± Norah saw Nicole and immediately let out a friendly smile. ¡°Do you want to join us?¡± Nicole was not interested in Norah. Besides, she was disgusted to see Snow and Raine surrounded by those who tried sucking up to them. ¡°It is alright. My driver will be here soon.¡± If not for she had nowhere to go, she would have wanted to leave by now. ¡°I will go shopping with my cousins and will be homete.¡± Norah had a triumphant smile on his face, as if she was showing off that she could mingle with Snow and Raine. Nicole gave a stic smile. ¡°Suit yourself.¡± Her look of giving a d*mn upset Norah. She had invested so much time and effort to cozy up to Snow and Raine. What gave Nicole the right to ignore what her family thought? Biting her lip and seeing that Nicole had bowed her head to read her book, Norah could only turn around and return to her table. Celia Rowe, Norah¡¯s buddy, saw Nicole ignoring Norah and asked in puzzlement, ¡°So arrogant. Who is she?¡± Celia seldom checked the forum and thus did not know who Nicole was. When asked, Norah immediately lowered her head and pretended to be embarrassed. ¡°My sister from the countryside. She doesn¡¯t know much about manners. Hope you all don¡¯t mind.¡± But her words caused the girls to frown. ¡°A country girl is so arrogant?¡± ¡°Uncivilized.¡± Celia shot a sideways nce at Nicole and sneered. N?velDrama.Org content rights. ¡°I wonder if a hillbilly knows how to appreciate coffee. She should have gone back to the countryside and do farming instead.¡± Seeing Nicole being ridiculed, Snow and Raine sat by and gloated over it. With so many people sucking up to her, Celia was carried away. She stirred the coffee in her hand and then took a deep breath of the aroma of coffee. ¡°I could tell with just a sip that this coffee was made from the beans grown in Ha. I wonder if a hillbilly knows how to appreciate.¡± Chapter 26 Chapter 26 Snow was cooperative. ¡°Indeed, I can also tell that this should be Hablese coffee beans, and was probably producedst year. That¡¯s why it is so fragrant and has a very strong coffee aroma.¡± Raine quickly nodded. ¡°The roasting of this coffee bean goes through tenplex processes.¡± Everyone listened to them and nodded their heads in praise of their erudition. Seeing that they had gotten all the attention they wanted, Snow and Raine yed humble, pretending that they were not seekingpliments, yet the smile on their faces had never stopped. Norah felt triumphant, too, after Nicole was ridiculed. Just as they were at it, suddenughter came. Snow and Raine turned around abruptly, not realizing that Nicole was leaning back in her chair and looking at them with unbridled sarcasm. Raine was the first to lose her cool. ¡°What are youughing at?¡± ¡°Iugh at you all, smart aleck.¡± Nicole did not want to intervene at first, but these people had jabbed at her. She was not going to take the insult lying down. ¡°Smart aleck? How dare you call us that, hillbilly!¡± Raine was pissed as no one at school dared to talk to them like this. She thought Nicole was too arrogant. Norah remained silent, eager to see how the twins were going to fix Nicole. But Nicole just swirled her coffee cup and took a sip gracefully. ¡°This isn¡¯t Hablese coffee bean at all, but a new variety cultivated by a certain private estate in Floeze. It is a specialty, which is basically not sold to the public.¡± This belongs to N?velDrama.Org: ?. ¡°Stop pretending already. We can even tell the roasting process.¡± Celia was diffident after hearing what Nicole had said. Nicole looked at the time and walked over to their table. She pressed her hands on the table and continued with a faint smile. ¡°What roasting process are you talking about?¡± Nicole looked at them with disdain and scorn in her eyes, her powerful persona irrefutable. ¡°This coffee bean is roasted using the internationally famous Floeze Roast extremely deep roasting method so that the roasted coffee beans have a strong aroma, smooth taste but not sour. It brews a unique caf¨¦ auit. I don¡¯t know if you have heard of the principle that less is more. Often, the simpler the roasting method, the better the coffee, and coffee beans that have gone through over a dozen processes are probably just a pile of charcoal.¡± ¡°Charcoal?¡± Everyone was stunned. Looking at the three girls who spoke just now, they thought about it carefully. It seemed that what Nicole had said made sense. The colors on Snow and Raine¡¯s faces changed. They knew nothing about coffee and what they said just now was mere hearsay. Raine felt humiliated, but she was not going to admit it. ¡°Stop lying. This is clearly Hablese coffee. Don¡¯t be a smart alec.¡± ¡°Yeah. When you say it is Floezen coffee beans, and it is Floezen? I might as well say it is Esperian!¡± Celia came to her senses. Just then, Norah got up, pretending to worry about Nicole. ¡°Stop talking if you know nothing, Nicole. They often drink coffee.¡± Norah was convinced that Nicole was lying. Those who knew nothing would think that what Norah said was more believable. After all, how many times did a country girl drink coffee? Right then, a maic voice came. ¡°Miss Riddle is spot on. My coffee beans are indeed from Floezen Manor, and the roasting method used is indeed deep roasting. I really did not expect that Miss Riddle was so knowledgeable.¡± The voice was elegant and sonorous, so everyone could not help but look at the person. It was a man looking dignified in a silver-gray suit. He came up to Nicole. ¡°What a coincidence, Miss Riddle.¡± Nicole raised an eyebrow, not expecting to see Jared here. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Seeing that Nicole was so curious, Max quickly stepped forward. ¡°I guess you haven¡¯t known ¨C this new caf¨¦ belongs to Mr. Johnston.¡± ¡°This is his caf¨¦?¡± While Nicole furrowed his brows, those people sitting behind her were stunned. Even Snow and Raine froze to see such a charming guy. Snow knew this name well. ¡°Jared? Aren¡¯t you the junior owner of Johnston Group?¡± She had heard about ittely that Mr. Johnston Sr.¡¯s grandson had returned from studying abroad. Could it be him? ¡°I can¡¯t believe it! He is Nicole¡¯s fianc¨¦?¡± Raine¡¯s eyes were full of envy. She had spent much time and effort to court Gary, but a hillbilly like Nicole could easily have such an outstanding fianc¨¦. The jealousy in Norah¡¯s eyes almost overflowed when Norah heard the word ¡®fianc¨¦.¡¯ These envied eyes should have been on her. ¡°Nicole, you should quickly introduce him to us.¡± Snow looked eagerly at Jared. Nicole nced at her and could not believe that Snow had changed her attitude so quickly. Snow had just given her the cold shoulder a while ago and now pretended to be close to her and wanted her to introduce Jared to her ¡°Didn¡¯t you just know his identity?¡± Why bother her with such an introduction? Chapter 27 Chapter 27 Snow was embarrassed but could only hold out her hand to Jared. ¡°Hello Mr. Johnston, I am Snow, Nicole¡¯s cousin. Nice to meet you.¡± She smiled and fiddled with her hair, trying to impress Jared. No boy at school could resist her suggestive teasing, and she thought Jared was no exception. But Jared just nodded casually. ¡°Nice to meet you.¡± Snow and Raine tried their entire bag of tricks to impress Jared but hit a wall when Jared snubbed them. Norah immediately snapped back and wanted to smash down Nicole. ¡°We are sorry for the blunder. We were just discussing the coffee beans, and Nicole was just spitballing. Hope you don¡¯t mind if she is wrong.¡± Norah looked graceful. The way she pretended to speak for Nicole could not be b*tchier. Nicole¡¯s stomach churned, and she almost threw up. Just then, Jared suddenly said, ¡°Miss Riddle is right, this coffee bean is indeed a product of my Floezen manor, and she is spot on about the roasting method.¡± Everyone gasped in surprise. The owner of this caf¨¦ was here, and he could not be lying. They never expected that what Nicole said was correct. Everyone looked at Snow and Raine with disgust, as it turned out that the two girls were just smart alecs. Jared¡¯s confirmation was a p in the face for both Snow and Raine. They blushed in humiliation and wished the ground would swallow them up. At this point, Jared did not want to entertain the others anymore. ¡°Excuse me. I would like to talk to Miss Riddle in private.¡± The invitation from such a charming man immediately aroused everyone¡¯s envy. But it surprised Nicole because Jared was cold to her when they metst time. So why did he suddenly want to talk to her alone? It was at this time that she realized she had a problem. The reason she knew this coffee bean so well was that someone gifted the coffee beans to her foster father, who, in turn, gave it to her because she liked coffee. So, could it be that Jared knew about her foster father? Her heart skipped a beat. Did this mean that she was likely to expose her identity? Before she knew it, Jared had brought her into a private lounge as everyone looked on with envy. After taking a seat, Jared stared at her with a thoughtful look and asked in curiosity. ¡°Strange to say, I have never sold the coffee beans produced in my estate in the market, and I have only given it to some rtives and friends. I wonder how you know so much about it?¡± He had not carefully checked Nicole¡¯s backgroundst time because she was only brought from the countryside, and he thought her background could not be simpler. He had given the coffee beans and red wine from his estat¨¦ to some bigwigs. How could she, a little girl from the countryside, know about it? Nicole¡¯s mind was racing, and she finally said, ¡°Do you know Mr. Ellison?¡± Jared did not know why she was asking this. After thinking for a while, he nodded. ¡°Mr. Ellison and my grandfather are old acquaintances, and we have known each other for many years.¡± Nicole was relieved and became bold when she heard this. ¡°Mr. Ellison and I are also kind of acquaintances, and I once had the privilege of drinking coffee brewed from the coffee beans produced in your estate.¡± Nicole thought she had been very low-key.N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights. After all, her rtionship with Mr. Ellison was not a secret. Jared¡¯s gaze deepened as he asked, ¡°Are you and Mr. Ellison close?¡± If it were not for the genuine look in her eyes that told him she was not lying, he would have doubted and thought that this little girl was bluffing. Who is Mr. Ellison? He was a previous-generation giant figure of San Joto¡¯s social circle. Although Ellison had retired and was now working in the education industry, hiswork and stature were still unmatched by many. He could be said to be a giant in the San Joto businessmunity. Those who could rub shoulders with him were all people of importance in San Joto. Jared¡¯s grandfather and Mr. Ellison were lifelong friends, and it was Jared¡¯s grandfather who introduced Mr. Riddle Sr. to Mr. Ellison. But this little girl imed she was close to Mr. Ellison. ¡°Sort of. It was Mr. Ellison who helped me with the school enrollment and my problem with the Woods family,¡± Nicole did not bat an eye, sounding as if it was something normal. This shocked Jared even more, and the doubt in his eyes turned into inquisition. Who was this girl, really? How could Nicole make Mr. Ellison so concerned about her and help her settle the conflict between her and the Woods family? But the friendship between Mr. Ellison and Mr. Riddle Sr. was not as deep as to warrant Ellison to care so much about Nicole. So, could what Nicole said to be true? Nicole took another sip of coffee when suddenly her phone rang. She answered it. Her driver informed her that he had arrived. She got up immediately and did not forget to take out a hundred-dor bill and put it next to the coffee cup. ¡°My driver has arrived. I have got to go now. Thank you for your hospitality.¡± Jared saw this and pushed the banknote back to her. ¡°As long as our engagement is still intact, you are still my fianc¨¦e, and the coffee here is always free for you.¡± Nicole was slightly stunned, not expecting to receive such privileged treatment. The production of coffee beans in his estate was limited every year, yet she could drink as much as she wanted for free? Chapter 28 Chapter 28 In that case, it was not too bad to be his fianc¨¦e. Wait a minute; what the hell was she thinking? How could shepromise just for the coffee? She coughed with embarrassment but still kept her modesty. ¡°Thank you, Mr. Johnston. I wille again when I have time.¡± She loved coffee, so why not since it was free? ¡°Okay.¡± He stared at her pretentious look and could not help but smile. This girl seemed to like his coffee beans. ¡°I will go now. See you around.¡± Nicole waved goodbye. She smirked when she turned around. She woulde for the coffee often. Max came into the private lounge after Nicole left. Jared immediately instructed Max, ¡°Check Nicole¡¯s background and don¡¯t rm the Riddle family.¡± He wanted to figure out the rtionship between this girl and Mr. Ellison, and how she knew the existence of his estate. Max bowed his head, turned around, and left to find out Nicole¡¯s background. Turning his gaze to the floor-to-ceiling window, Jared looked at Nicole¡¯s slender body from behind and smirked unconsciously. This girl had aroused his interest. Nicole got into the car, looked back at Jared, sitting by the window, and could not help but breathe a sigh of relief. Thankfully, she was smart enough to use Mr. Ellison as a straw man. When she thought about it again, she felt obliged to visit Mr. Ellison, as he was really her benefactor Back at home, Nicole did not expect to see the twin brothers there, either. Sitting across from them was a tall guy in a school uniform with a refined persona. His school uniform was like that of the high school, but the color of the cor was darker, looking like that of the college. ¡°Stanley, Nicole is back.¡± Spencer immediately introduced when his keen eyes spotted Nicole. Stanley looked over at Nicole, his eyes twinkling with surprise. At first, he thought her sister from the countryside would have that rustic look. But Nicole did not have that at all. Instead, she was incredibly beautiful and shared the same facial features as her brothers. ¡°Hello, Stanley,¡± Nicole spoke first, her face breaking out in a gentle smile. Stanley looked a little shy and nodded unnaturally. ¡°Hello, Nicole.¡± Spencer quickly said to Nicole. ¡°Stanley is a nerd and not good at talking to beautiful girls. His face is blushed again.¡± ¡°Shut up.¡± Stanley nced at Spencer, his pale face even redder than before. Nicole did not expect that the top student whom Spencer and Samuel mentioned had such a shy personality. ¡°Stop messing around. Come over for dinner.¡± Gloria saw the three brothers pick at each other when she came out of the kitchen with a bowl of tomato soup. But when she saw Nicole, a smile spread across her face. ¡°You are back, Nicole. I have made grilled salmon, your favorite dish. You have got to try it.¡± Nicole had started to warm up to Gloria for the past few days. She let out a gentle smile and sat down beside Gloria. ¡°Thank you, Mom.¡± N?velDrama.Org content rights. She never mentioned her favorite dishes, but Gloria had been paying attention to her preferences. Knowing that Nicole loved salmon, she had been cooking salmon for the past two days. Samuel quickly sat down, looked at a tableful of delicious food, and smiled happily. ¡°I love these dishes. I havee back at the right time today.¡± ¡°All you know is eat.¡± Spencer groused as he sat down. Daniel did note back today as he had got something on. Gloria was sitting in the main seat, and Nicole was left to sit beside Stanley. As soon as Nicole sat down, she felt it funny when Stanley tensed up. How did he be the student union president when he was so shy? ¡°Stanley, toast to you,¡± Nicole said, raising a ss of water. Everyone looked at Stanley in silence. ¡°Nicole¡­¡± Samuel wanted to speak Stanley had a shy personality and was most afraid of girls taking the initiative. Norah once poured him a bowl of soup, and he did not drink it at all. After that, Norah felt a sense of alienation toward him. But this time, Nicole was toasting to him. Samuel and Spencer felt something was not right, afraid that Stanley might lose his temper. The air was still for a few seconds. Nicole had no idea what was going on and why the twin brothers looked at her nervously. Suddenly, Stanley held up his ss and clinked sses with Nicole. ¡°Huh?¡± Samuel and Spencer were stunned. Even Gloria was wide-eyed. ¡°Stanley, are you okay?¡± Stanley shook his head. ¡°I am alright.¡± He felt strange, too, as he usually was afraid of interacting with the opposite sex, and even when Norah approached him, he felt ufortable. But he was not resenting Nicole at all. Gloria could not help but wonder if this was the beauty of blood rtions. While everyone was stunned, someone called out at the door. ¡°Mom, everyone, I am back.¡± Norah¡¯s voice sounded sullen. She hade in and saw Nicole toasting to Stanley before she called out. Just that no one had not noticed her, she felt terrible because of jealousy. Stanley had always resented her, and no matter how good she was to him for the past years, he still resented her. But he changed into another person as soon as Nicole returned. Chapter 29 Chapter 29 Chapter 29 Why? She had been in this family for over ten years. Was everything she had done in vain? Why was everyone so nice to Nicole as soon as she returned? The hatred inside her surged like the billowing sea, but she could only try to keep a smile on her face. ¡°Why did youe back sote, Norah?¡± Samuel asked with concern. It made Norah feel better, as she knew that Samuel genuinely cared for her. Thinking of this, she raised her chin and said, ¡°I went shopping and had a drink with Snow and Raine after school. That¡¯s why I amte. Had I known that you guys would be back today, I would havee back earlier.¡± Nicole scoffed. Norah did not look like she wanted to return home when she ingratiated herself with Snow and Raine. ¡°Come have dinner together.¡± Gloria smiled and beckoned Norah to sit down. But what Gloria said made Norah feel as if she was just a guest. She nced at the long table again. There were two people on the left and two on the right, and she was superfluous. Biting her lip, she sat down next to Samuel. As everyone began to dig in, Samuel brought up what happened at school. ¡°Stanley, have you looked at the high school forum? Nicole is now the most popr girl at school.¡± ¡°Seriously?¡± Gloria¡¯s eyes were filled with tion. ¡°Nicole has just enrolled, and she is already so famous?¡± Spencer nodded. ¡°It is true. There is something that you don¡¯t know; Austin was so embarrassed and furious because he got rejected when confessing to Nicole.¡± Gloria did not know that until now. ¡°No wonder. Austin deserves it then.¡± How dare he disturb her daughter? He really needed some good spanking. Norah immediately had something to say at the mention of this. ¡°Mom, it was indeed Austin¡¯s fault, but Nicole should not have overreacted. Even with Mr. Ellison¡¯s help, they would inevitably see each other at school, and there were bound to be unpleasant encounters.¡± Norah seemed to care about her, but she was ming Nicole verbally. Nicole could not help but put down her cutlery and looked at Norah. ¡°It won¡¯t happen again. Austin came to our ss today and apologized to me.¡± ¡°Apologized?¡± Gloria was surprised. ¡°That arrogant kid of the Woods family apologized to you?¡± The news caught everyone by surprise. After all, no one was in the same ss as Nicole, and naturally, no one knew about it. ¡°Yeah, he apologized and even asked me to be his boss. I didn¡¯t agree,¡± Nicole said nonchntly as if she was talking about someone else. ¡°What did you say?¡± ¡°Austin asked you to be his boss?¡± Both Samuel and Norah were wide-eyed. Austin was a school bully who stirred up trouble with a few underlings every day. It was unimaginable that such a person would ask Nicole to be his boss. What was going on? Norah was in ss A and had no idea that Nicole had made such a huge ssh at ss B today. She bit her lip. Even after exposing what happened at school, not only did she fail to keep Nicole in check, she had also caused Nicole to earn the admiration of her brothers. Samuel was the first to express hispliment. ¡°No wonder Austin asked you to be his boss. Your over-the-shoulder move yesterday was so badass.¡± ¡°Yeah, have you studied martial arts before, Nicole?¡± Spencer also asked out of curiosity. Gloria had never known that Nicole was skilled in martial arts. She could not help but look at Nicole. ¡°Did you learn martial arts before?¡± Since everyone was so curious, Nicole decided to tell the truth. ¡°Well, I won a martial arts championship during my ninth grade in junior high school.¡± ¡°Martial arts champion?¡± The twin brothers were even more surprised. They could not help but nce at each other. The two of them were still ying games when they were in their tenth grade. In contrast, their sister had won the martial arts championship. Norah was filled with jealousy. ¡°The bar must be low for the martial arts championship in the countryside.¡± Nicole scoffed and cocked an eyebrow. This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. ¡°It was a national martial arts championship.¡± ¡°Oh my God!¡± Samuel¡¯s serious admiration instantly turned to adoration. ¡°Nicole, you are seriously badass! Can you teach me when you have time?¡± Samuel¡¯s eyes were filled with Nicole. Now thest person who ever paid attention to Norah was gone. Because of this, Norah looked sullenly at Nicole. Damn the hillbilly. Was Nicole showing off in front of her? Nicole noticed the look in Norah¡¯s eyes and deliberately agreed to Samuel¡¯s request. ¡°Yeah, why not? If you are willing, feel free to find me.¡± Norah clenched her hands, her nails almost sinking into the flesh when she saw Nicole¡¯s triumphant look. But no one was paying attention to her. Samuel and Spencer were curious to know the process of Nicole learning martial arts, while Gloria looked concerned when she heard about her injuries during the practice. Meanwhile, Stanley listened on, asionally refilling her ss with water. Everyone at the table had excluded her. Norah lost her appetite. After taking a few bites, she said, ¡°I am going upstairs.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Samuel said without looking at her, much to her surprise. Norah was even more furious this time. She stomped her feet and went upstairs at once. While everyone was chattering at the table, Stanley noticed Nora¡¯s unhappiness. Something told him something was wrong with Norah¡¯s expression when she left. Chapter 30 Chapter 30 Chapter 30 Nicole returned to her room after a lively dinner. Samuel¡¯s enthusiasm was overwhelming for her. Fortunately, the few of them rarely came home. Gloria wanted to know how they were doing these days, as she was preparing what they would need to take to schoolter. This belongs to N?velDrama.Org: ?. After taking a shower, Nicole locked the door and turned on her notebook to check the job¡¯s progress. The monitoring code was working properly. Just as she was about to close the notebook lid, she suddenly noticed a program, which she did not code, running in the lower-left corner of the screen. The little program was emitting a faint glow. Nicole¡¯s keen eye immediately recognized what it was: a location-tracking malware. ¡°Trying to track me down? Not so easy!¡± Nicole scoffed, her fingers flying over the keyboard, quickly closing all channels, and shutting down this specially built notebookputer. She had many enemies. It would be too dangerous if her location was exposed. But what she did not know was that as quick as her action was, the tracking malware had still lit up on the map for a split second. Max immediately located her coordinates and quickly reported to Jared. ¡°Mr. Johnston, Lucifer¡¯s action was fast. Our location-tracking program was removed.¡± Jared¡¯s expression darkened. ¡°It was removed so easily?¡± It was a top deciphering program he had bought with top dor. He had even manually modified it to make it even more stealthy, but Lucifer¡¯s hacking skills had cracked it before he knew it. ¡°Yes, but the program has still disyed its coordinates for 0.1 seconds.¡± Max was almost cheering with joy, as days of monitoring finally came to fruition. ¡°Really?¡± Jared¡¯s eyes lit up. He also had amazing hacking skills, and 0.1 seconds was all he needed. ¡°I have got the precise coordinates, but it is bizarre.¡± Max zoomed in the map, and found the signal coordinates were set at San Joto. ¡°Where?¡± Jared frowned. ¡°The Riddle family house.¡± Max still felt surprised, even though he had checked and confirmed it repeatedly. ¡°In the Riddle family house?¡± Jared was in disbelief. ¡°How is this possible?¡± Lucifer, the famous hacker, had been hiding in the Riddle family home not far away from him? How was this possible? Hispany abroad had nothing to do with Johnston Group, nor did it have any dealings with the Riddle Corporation. The Riddle family had no reason to sabotage his business. He lost $100 million when hispany¡¯s system was paralyzed thest time. $100 million might be a drop of the ocean for him, but it was a great humiliation. So, he wanted to track down Lucifer at all costs. Nevertheless, never had he expected this person, who he had thought was somewhere far away, to be this close to him; it was in the Riddle family home. ¡°Could it be that the tracking system has malfunctioned?¡± Jared was a little incredulous. ¡°Mr. Johnston, your skills are also one of the best in the world. It is impossible that the tracking program you have modified will malfunction.¡± Max was telling the truth. He sighed quietly, knowing that even Jared, who had always been confident, had started to doubt himself. This just showed how huge the impact it was on him. Seeing Jared¡¯s silence, Max could only continue. ¡°Mr. Johnston, I will check out the Riddle family first, no matter what.¡± Jared snapped back and looked at Max with sullen eyes. ¡°Okay, at least find out if someone from Riddle Corporation is behind this.¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. had a deep friendship with his grandfather, and over the years, Riddle Corporation had made a lot of money with its rtionship with Johnson Group. He was not going to spare them if it was Riddle Corporation that backstabbed him. Nicoley on the bed, feeling uneasy when she thought about the tracking malware. It was sophisticated malware. She had just discovered that there were a few lines of code that were very different and could trace her coordinates to 0.01-second uracy. In other words, even if she sent out 0.01 seconds of coordinate information, the other side could still receive it. The more she thought about it, the more she felt something was wrong with the job itself. It was too easy to get the job, not to mention its high reward and easy task. She had not met such a generous client in so many years. Thinking about it, she started to realize that someone must have deliberately set a trap to fish her IP address. If this was the case, she could no longer live in the Riddle family home. Otherwise, it would bring danger to her family. She had to leave the Riddle family home and go to a crowded ce. The next day, Nicole got up and went for a run, her mind preupied with the problem. When she came back and after a shower, she found Daniel, Gloria, and her brothers already sitting at the table. Sean got up early and went to work every day, so it was rare to see him during breakfast. Surprisingly, Steve, who had his own house outside, had returned. He was reading a financial newspaper when she came downstairs. He looked up and said good morning to her gently, ¡°Hey, Nicole. Long time no see.¡± He let out an exaggerated smile. ¡°Good morning, Steve,¡± Nicole responded with a smile but secretly sneered. Apparently, they had just met two days ago. Coming to the table, she still sat down next to Stanley, as usual. Stanley was not in his school uniform but a white blouse, looking gentle as sheep and approachable. Sitting across from him was Norah, who saw that Nicole and Stanley were getting along well. As the food was served, Nicole held up a ss of milk and smiled inadvertently at Stanley. ¡± Stanley, are you staying in the school hostel just like Spencer and Samuel?¡± Stanley nodded, not knowing why she asked. ¡°Yeah, it is busier during the third year in college. So, I stay on campus.¡± ¡°Are you bragging or what, Stanley? Third year in college is no way near as busy as in twelfth grade.¡± Spencer could not help butin. Samuel echoed. ¡°Absolutely. We are forced to stay on campus while you are there by choice.¡± Stanley looked helpless. ¡°I can¡¯t help it. The school has a library. It is more convenient for me.¡± Everyone in the family knew that Stanley enjoyed studying in the library, where he often spent an entire day there. ¡°Since you all are all living on campus, could I apply for boarding as well?¡± Nicole took Chapter 31 Chapter 31 Chapter 31 Samuel was stunned. ¡°Isn¡¯t our home cozy? I would¡¯ve gone home if it hadn¡¯t been because we stayed up toote revising.¡± ¡°Exactly. There is no way our dorm is better than our home.¡± Spencer objected right away. ¡°But my exam is just around the corner. If I stay there, I can concentrate on my studies like Stanley.¡± Nicole used her exam as an excuse just to stay on campus. Upon hearing Nicole¡¯s words, Norah scoffed in her mind. ¡®No wonder this country bumpkin wants to stay on campus; she¡¯s worried about her academic performance.¡¯ Gloria knew that Nicole was ambitious and hardworking, but she was reluctant to let Nicole go. ¡°Nicole, you¡¯re only in your junior year. You can stay on campus when you are in your senior year. Don¡¯t be too hard on yourself.¡± Nicole had to give Gloria a reassuring smile when she noticed Gloria¡¯s worried expression. ¡°I know, Mom. But my teacher attaches great importance to this exam. I¡¯m afraid that my results will be subpar, so I n to stay there to revise with my ssmates.¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± Gloria frowned when she heard Nicole¡¯s exnation. ¡± If you¡¯re worried about your grades, you can still stay at home. I can get Stanley toe home and tutor you. There¡¯s no need for you to stay on campus.¡± Nicole, her daughter, had just returned. They had not even really bonded with each other. Gloria would miss Nicole if Nicole lived in a dorm. Daniel could tell Gloria was feeling hard to let her go, so he nodded. ¡°Your mom is right, Nicole. If you stay on campus, what should your mother and I do when we miss you?¡± Nicole started to feel bad as she realized how sincere her parents were. Her family treated her well, so she could not reject their kindness so decisively. She still had to consider their feelings when she made her decisions. Looking at his family rejecting the idea, Steve smiled, intrigued. He held his coffee mug and said, ¡°Dad, Mom, shouldn¡¯t you support Nicole for being hardworking? Stanley is a shy guy; how could he tutor Nicole?¡± Stanley blushed at Steve¡¯s remark. ¡°I will tutor her!¡± ¡°Do you even know how to tutor? Are you not afraid of girls anymore?¡± Steve looked at Stanley in a yfully teasing manner. Stanley, who was teased, was not having it. ¡°I¡¯m not afraid of Nicole.¡± He was telling the truth. Although he disliked being around girls, he did not mind Nicole getting close to him. ¡°Oh? Now that¡¯s weird.¡± Steve did not expect Nicole to be so special to Stanley. ¡®Come to think of it, everyone in this house has changed ever since Nicole¡¯s return,¡¯ thought Steve. He sent Nicole a teasing gaze and said defeatedly, ¡°Sorry, Sis. I run out of ideas to help you.¡± Nicole could not help but sigh silently as it seemed impossible for her to live on campus now. A voice came from the door when she was just about to give in. ¡°Nicole wants to stay on campus because of her studies. Isn¡¯t that a good thing? Being hardworking and ambitious are the attributes someone in the Riddle family should have.¡± Daniel and the rest of the family stood up in shock when they saw Mr. Riddle Sr. ¡°Dad, it¡¯s still early, and you are here¡­¡± Daniel added in his mind, ¡®¡­unannounced.¡¯ Mr. Riddle Sr. waved and said, ¡°Mr. Ellison asked me to meet him today, so I nned to send Nicole to school on my way there. I didn¡¯t expect to hear all of you discussing whether she should stay on campus as soon as I got in.¡± ¡°You want to send Nicole to school?¡± Daniel looked at Gloria in shock. Mr. Riddle Sr. wanted to send Nicole to school personally. It was a treatment he had given to none of his grandchildren. At that moment, the brothers exchanged looks, eyes filled with admiration. On the other hand, Norah was about to explode with jealousy. ¡®The whole family treating me as invisible just now is one thing, but grandpa having eyes for Nicole when he came is quite another! He even wants to send her off to school personally!¡¯ When Norah thought about how Mr. Riddle Sr. insisted on sending her away while being so protective of Nicole, Norah¡¯s eyes started to burn with hatred. Then, Mr. Riddle Sr. took a seat at the other end of the long table and expressed his thoughts,¡± I think it¡¯s a good idea for Nicole to stay on campus. Don¡¯t interfere with her decisions. Get the servants to pack her stuff. I¡¯ll talk to Mr. Ellisonter. He will be very happy when he hears about Nicole staying on campus!¡± Gloria was still reluctant to let her daughter stay on campus, but Daniel had been shooting her looks endlessly, signaling her to not go against Mr. Riddle Sr. So, Gloria could only make herself feel better by thinking, ¡®My sons excel in their academic performance, so Nicole should not be left behind.¡¯ Seeing that Nicole would stay on campus, Samuel and Spencer looked at each other as they spoke in unison. ¡°Dad, Mom, don¡¯t worry. We¡¯ll take care of Nicole.¡± ¡°Dad, Mom, I will often check up on Nicole.¡± Stanley volunteered himself too, which was rare. For these reasons, Gloria was finally at ease. She felt less worried since Nicole would be staying on campus in thepany of her three brothers. ¡°Deal. You have to take care of Nicole in school. If I ever hear about Nicole being bullied, just watch how I¡¯ll deal with youds when you are home,¡± said Daniel. Stanley smiled. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Dad. No one could get close to Nicole now that the three of us are there.¡± Samuel and Spencer nodded with an affirmative look. Mr. Riddle Sr. nodded with satisfaction while watching them reassure their parents. Since the issue was almost settled, he looked at Nicole. ¡°Have you had your breakfast, Nicole? Do you want to leave with me?¡± Nicole found Mr. Riddle Sr. pleasant today. ¡°I had my breakfast already.¡± She did not even want to take her breakfast anymore. ¡°You¡¯ve only had a ss of milk, Nicole. Bring something else to eat.¡± Gloria gave in to Nicole as she knew Nicole was happy. ¡°Sure.¡± Nicole took a sandwich from the servant gleefully and was about to leave with Mr. Riddle Sr. Norah watched her and said with frustration, ¡°Wait for me, Grandpa. I want to go to school too.¡± However, Mr. Riddle Sr. nced over the te of food in front of her and said, ¡°You haven¡¯t finished your breakfast, so you should follow your brother to school when you¡¯re done eating. Needless to say, Mr. Riddle Sr. only wanted to bring Nicole alone. Norah¡¯s expression immediately changed. Being rejected in front of her parents and brothers was just as painful as getting pped on her face.N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights. Chapter 32 Chapter 32 After he was done speaking, Mr. Riddle Sr. did not bother about Norah anymore and left with Nicole instantly When Nicole turned around, she swept her cold gaze across Norah, mocking her for not knowing her ce. Norah was so angry that her eyes turned red that even Samuel thought she was going to cry with disappointment. ¡°Norah¡­ We will leave with you in a while. Don¡¯t cry¡­¡± Samuel tried to console her as he sensed that she was upset. Norah immediately bawled in response, ¡°It¡¯s okay¡­ You already have Nicole. Everyone can just pay attention to her. I¡¯ll be fine; I can go to school by myself.¡± She then took her bag and left with tears of disappointment in her eyes. ¡°Norah¡­¡± Gloria saw that Norah had not even taken her breakfast, so she wanted to run after Norah. But Daniel pulled her back. ¡°Just let her be. She has to ept reality sooner orter.¡± Though Daniel, too, could not bear to do so, it was only a matter of time. Norah would not feel as bad if she acknowledged the truth sooner. ¡°I¡¯ve neglected Norah.¡± Gloria was a little guilty. Samuel looked regretful as well. ¡°Let¡¯s treat Norah better from now on¡­ After all, she has to leave soon, right?¡± His remark had shaken everyone at the table. All of them had lost their appetite, except for Steve, who looked unbothered as he said rationally, ¡°We know she has to leave. That¡¯s exactly why we shouldn¡¯t give her so much to reminisce about. After all, the Riddle family doesn¡¯t owe her anything.¡± Throughout the years, the Riddle family had provided her with the best life imaginable, so she was not mistreated in the slightest. Steve¡¯s words made everyone fall into their deep thoughts. ¡®His words do make sense.¡¯ With Mr. Riddle Sr.¡¯s support, Nicole was finally getting to stay on campus the next day, just as she wished. She got up early to pack her luggage. In fact, it was only a medium-sized duffel bag. She filled it with her clothes and daily necessities. Once she had packed everything carefully, she zipped up her bag and brought it downstairs. The Riddle family¡¯s car was already waiting for her outside the house. When Nicole opened the door, she realized that Stanley was already in the car. He greeted her with a smile as soon as he saw her. ¡°I¡¯ll bring you to school today since Spencer and Samuel stayed on campus yesterday.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Nicole nodded. It was best to be dropped off at school by one person as she did not want to create a scene. At that moment, Nicole¡¯s bag attracted Stanley¡¯s eyes. They had all stayed on campus before, but no matter how minimal they packed, they always needed a few pieces of luggage. As the heiress of the Riddle family, Nicole just brought a piece of small luggage and a backpack with her, which caused Stanley to frown. ¡°Is that all you¡¯re bringing over, Sis?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a hassle if I bring too many things.¡± After speaking, Nicole threw her backpack on the car seat and sat down before taking a rest. Stanley saw that she did not talk much, so he swallowed his question. He just secretly took note that his sister was different from the other girls. She did not like having too many decorations and girly things. This type of little sister was a little cool, for whatever reason. The car drove steadily into Royal Creek Institute. When it reached the office building, Nicole alighted from the car and bid Stanley goodbye before heading to Ms. Emerson¡¯s office for some procedures. She strolled to Ms. Emerson¡¯s office. The moment she was about to knock on the door with her hand lifted, she heard someone talking in a sarcastic and unpleasant tone. ¡°Ms. Emerson, I didn¡¯t expect someone your age to be this sly. You¡¯ve been giving the director gifts, huh? I saw everything just now. That box of tea leaves is far from cheap. It¡¯s probably half of your monthly wage. Even if you want the title of ¡®good¡¯ teacher, you shouldn¡¯t have made it so obvious.¡± Nicole could tell that the voice belonged to Mr. Kennedy. Ms. Emerson pursed her lips in the office, feeling embarrassed. Mr. Kennedy had a backer; he was the school chairman¡¯s rtive. With a backer and his seniority, he would always bully the new teachers. Mr. Ellison was strict about gifting in school, but Mr. Kennedy ignored it and sent the director plenty of expensive gifts to keep Ms. Emerson down, making the director displeased with her. Ms. Emerson was so resigned that she had to give the director gifts, but she did not expect to be seen by Mr. Kennedy. While listening to Mr. Kennedy¡¯s insults, Ms. Emerson parted her lips. But in the end, she said nothing, and her eyes started to tear up. Nicole pushed the door open right that instant. Ms. Emerson saw her and immediately lowered her head to fight back her tears as she said in a hurry, ¡°Nicole, you¡¯re here toplete the procedure, right? I¡¯ve already printed out the form; you just have to sign a few pages, that¡¯s all.This belongs to N?velDrama.Org: ?. Upon speaking, Ms. Emerson stood up and passed Nicole the documents. Nicole arched her brows as she heard Ms. Emerson¡¯s slightly hoarse voice. However, she remained silent and signed the papers. Ms. Emerson forced out a smile to Nicole and said, ¡°There, put your things in your dormitory today. Mr. Ellison said that you can choose any dormitory you like.¡± Nicole nodded indifferently and turned to the door. At that moment, Mr. Kennedy had made himself some tea as he walked out with a mug filled with hot water. The doorway was narrow, and Mr. Kennedy expected Nicole to make way for him. Unexpectedly, Nicole did not see him and barged out the door. Mr. Kennedy¡¯s hot tea spilled onto his body within seconds, including his bare arms and face. ¡°Argh!!¡± His cry echoed in the office! Chapter 33 Chapter 33 Nicole watched as Mr. Kennedy shrieked like a butchered animal and said coldly, ¡°Sorry, I didn¡¯t see you walking here.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t see me? Where are your eyes?¡± Mr. Kennedy yelled out of embarrassment, looking like he wanted to eat her alive. Nicole smiled instantly. Though it was just a faint smile, it was radiant. ¡°What else could it be? Do I have to give you presents, Mr. Kennedy?¡± ¡°What?¡± Mr. Kennedy was stunned as he had no idea what Nicole was talking about. ¡°Mr. Kennedy, you were so angry just now. Shouldn¡¯t I give you presents as a token of apology?¡± Nicole¡¯s words made the people around them think of Ms. Emerson, whom Mr. Kennedy had just scolded. Everyone knew how the Director of the Department always had Ms. Emerson¡¯s back against the wall, so she probably had no choice but to give the director presents. Then, all of them started to look at Ms. Emerson with sympathy. Mr. Kennedy sensed what Nicole had implied and got livid. But he could not do anything to Nicole, so he just turned around and yelled at Ms. Emerson, ¡°Look at the attitude of the student you teach!¡± At that moment, Mr. Kennedy was not in the mood to mock Ms. Emerson anymore. He was so in pain that he had to look for some ointments back in the office. It was Ms. Emerson¡¯s first time seeing Mr. Kennedy getting so enraged by a student. She let out a laugh as she watched his disheveled self running away with tea leaves all over him. The sadness and grievance she got from his yelling had disappeared without a trace. It seemed like Nicole had helped her just now. Ms. Emerson felt a little guilty as she thought about how she did not like Nicole and was reluctant to have Nicole in her ssst time. However, Nicole had already turned around and left the office, ignoring everyone¡¯s reaction. Ms. Emerson watched Nicole leave as she felt warm inside. After the morning ss ended, Nicole got up and walked to the cafeteria as it was now lunchtime. She did not wait for Bradley and Lulu today. Though she was early, she could not help but knit her brows at the sight of the crowded cafeteria. Unbeknownst to her, a frown on her delicate face made her extra charming, awing many boys around her. Norah was sitting with her ssmates as Celia shot her a look. ¡°Your sister from the countryside is here.¡± Norah turned around and saw how much of an eyesore Nicole was. She could not help but feel a little jealous. In order to draw the attention to herself, she fought back the upset feeling she had yesterday and waved to Nicole with a smile on her face. ¡°Here, Sis!¡± The word ¡°sis¡± stunned numerous people in an instant. ¡°Is Norah calling Nicole sis?¡± ¡°No way; I heard that transfer student is from the countryside, no?¡± ¡°Is she from the Riddle family as well?¡±. When Norah heard the discussions about Nicole, she could not help but put her nose in the air while looking at Nicole arrogantly. No matter how beautiful Nicole was, everyone would remember that she was from the countryside as long as theypared her to Norah. Subsequently, when everyone thought they knew the rtionship between Norah and Nicole, Nicole looked away as if she did not see Norah. She then sat on an empty seat. Norah froze. ¡®Did this country bumpkin just ignore me?!¡¯ The people around them immediately said, ¡°Nicole doesn¡¯t seem to know Norah¡­¡± ¡°True. Nicole is so pretty, while Norah just looks average. How could they be sisters?¡± These remarks drifted into Nicole¡¯s ears, and her face started to burn with embarrassment. ¡®I¡¯m indeed not as pretty as Nicole. But how can they just ignore the fact that Nicole is a country bumpkin just because she¡¯s pretty?¡¯ Celia could not stand it anymore as well. ¡°Don¡¯t waste your energy calling her here. She¡¯s just a country bumpkin. What right does she have to sit with us?¡± This belongs to N?velDrama.Org: ?. That was when Norah started to feel better. She said pretentiously, ¡°I¡¯m just worried about her. Nobody wants to approach her after knowing she¡¯s from the countryside.¡± While Norah spoke, the cafeteria door opened, and someone yelled, ¡°Austin Woods is here!¡± Everyone threw their graze in Nicole¡¯s direction as soon as they heard Austin was here. They all knew how Nicole had embarrassed Austin in the cafeteriast time, so they thought he wanted to make her pay today. Hence, they started to walk away, keeping a distance from Nicole. The boys wanting to hit on her were also terrified. Like the crowd, they ran away from her when they heard Austin¡¯s name. It did not take long before the space around Nicole was emptied, which made her stand out even more in the cafeteria. Norah was delighted when she saw that and thought, ¡®This is how a country bumpkin should be treated! ¡®Everyone should just treat her like a virus! ¡®Nicole even bluffed about Austin asking her to be his boss back then. I would like to see if she was telling the truth!¡¯ Austin strutted into the cafeteria with his followers under hundreds of eyes. His gaze swept across the cafeteria sharply as if he was looking for someone. Suddenly, he caught sight of Nicole, and his eyes sparkled. He then strode toward her. The people all thought that Austin was going to show Nicole who was the boss, so they got their popcorn ready. Norah was also waiting for Austin to p Nicole¡¯s face brutally. However, Austin stopped next to Nicole and greeted her; ¡°Hey, Boss!¡± Everyone was stunned as they thought he had misheard him! Eventually, Austin¡¯s followers greeted her as well, ¡°Hey Boss! We heard you were in the cafeteria, so we¡¯re here to make way for you!¡± At that moment, everyone was in shock. All they could do was stare at Nicole in a daze. ¡®Did we hear it wrong? Did Austin address Nicole as his boss?!¡¯ Chapter 34 Chapter 34 Celia was also stunned as she looked at Norah, dumbfounded. ¡°Hey, what¡¯s going on here? Why did Austin address that country bumpkin as his boss?¡± ¡°I-I have no idea too.¡± Nicole thought, ¡®Nicole was telling the truth! Everything she said was real?!¡¯ The Woods family was a powerful and rich family in Northon, so Austin had been at the top of the pyramid in school for the past few years. He did not even back down when fighting the Finley brothers. But now he bowed to a country bumpkin?! Norah could not help to be suspicious of Nicole¡¯s real identity. Everyone was in shock as well, but Nicole remained expressionless. She casually nced at Austin and returned her gaze to the long queue at the window. Austin beamed the moment he saw her looking at him. ¡°You must be hungry, Boss! i¡¯ll get someone to bring you food!¡± Austin volunteered himself. That was when Nicole finally looked at him directly. ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± She sounded indifferent. But Austin was already calling over his subordinate to get the best ribs in the cafeteria. He then happily went over and lined up to get Nicole some soup. Nicole did not reject him as she saw how determined he was. She then turned to find herself a seat and sat down. After all, she really did not like queueing up. Everyone looked as if they had seen a ghost when Nicole sat down, walking away with their tes hurriedly. ¡®Oh man, even Austin is calling her boss. How powerful is she?!¡¯ They dared not to offend her. When Nicole saw Austin lining up without bullying anyone, her gaze was not as cold anymore. Austin was a tyrant in school. When had he ever lined up for food? At that moment, Austin was squeezing between the crowd for Nicole. It was so hot he was sweating like a pig When he turned back and saw Nicole¡¯s gaze turn slightly warm, he was ted. He did not bother how sweaty he was and continued to line up to get Nicole some food. This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. Everyone saw this bizarre scene. They were stupefied upon seeing Austin working himself to the bones to impress Nicole. Coincidentally, Gary and Raine went to the cafeteria for lunch as well. When they walked into the cafeteria and saw how Austin was treating Nicole, they were dumbfounded too. After Nicole rejected Austin, Raine thought Austin would harm Nicole out of anger and embarrassment. Raine did not expect Austin would ignore her, the beauty queen in school, and beg to be Nicole¡¯s follower instead. He had even made a big scene. How embarrassing! Jealousy shed in Raine¡¯s eyes as she said sarcastically, ¡°Nicole is from your ss, right? She has only been here for a few days, and she¡¯s already acting like she¡¯s all that. Who knows what she¡¯d be in the future?!¡± Little did she know that Nicole had rejected Gary¡¯s offer to protect Nicole. Otherwise, she would be infuriated. Raine¡¯s remark did not get a response, so she wondered why and turned around. She noticed Gary staring at Nicole, who was not far from them. His eyes were intrigued. Gary felt that things had be more interesting since Nicole transferred to Royal Creek Institute. He initially thought that Nicole was a country girl who did not know her ce, but he gradually realized that she was nothing like how he had pictured her. Nicole was incredibly skilled that she had even made Austin submit to her. Even her background was mysterious as there waspletely no trace of her information on the inte. Excluding the fact that Gary did not perform very well in his academics as he rarely paid attention in ss, he was, in fact, a well-knownputer genius. He had personally searched for Nicole¡¯s information, but his efforts were vain. Gary could tell that Nicole was someone not ordinary. Standing next to him was Raine, who watched him staring at Nicole with desire in his eyes. She started to feel anxious. She had pursued Gary for a long time, but he had always been indifferent toward her. It was her first time seeing Gary looking at someone with such a gaze. ¡®Is Gary interested in Nicole?¡¯ Raine thought, ¡®Impossible! It took me a great deal of effort just to stand by Gary¡¯s side. I will never let anyone take my ce away!¡¯ Nicole finished eating in a short while. Austin wanted to follow her when he saw her standing up. But Nicole stopped him with a slight frown. ¡°Don¡¯t cross the line.¡± Austin knew that he could not step over the boundary, so he left after bidding her goodbye. Celia was frustrated as she saw Nicole showing off like that. ¡°She¡¯s just a country girl, yet she has the audacity to enjoy the limelight. Is she trying to humiliate ssydies like us?¡± Norah saw that Celia was angry, so she chimed in, ¡°Yeah, she¡¯s just a girl. How could she be the boss of the school alpha? She¡¯s too full of herself.¡± Celia got even angrier with Norah¡¯s remark. ¡°People like her deserve to be punished!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be impulsive¡­ What if Austin backs her?¡± Celia scoffed. ¡°The Rowe family isn¡¯t someone to mess with! Just you wait!¡± At that moment, Nicole was done with her food and was about to leave the cafeteria. However, a figure popped out with malicious intent the second she stood up and barged into her! Nicole¡¯s eyes were cold as she quickly swerved and avoided that person. Her movements were so fast that the people did not catch them. ¡°Ouch!¡± A voice cried, and everyone looked in that direction. There Celia was, lying t on the ground! When Celia saw how much attention Nicole was getting, Celia nned to bring along her leftover food on her te and knock Nicole over to humiliate her in front of everybody! But Celia had never expected Nicole to be that agile to dodge her, causing her to be the one that was lying t on the floor! Celia¡¯s palms were pressing onto her leftover food scattered around the ground. She looked utterly disheveled! Chapter 35 Chapter 35 Nicole had already seen through Celia¡¯s evil schemes, so she was looking at Celia¡¯s embarrassing state coldly from the side. Celia had fallen hard. She was struggling on the floor for a while before somebody helped her up. However, she red at Nicole as soon as she got up. ¡°How could you be so cruel?! You actually tripped me!¡± When the people who did not catch what really happened heard what Celia said, they looked at Nicole with disdain as they condemned her in their hearts. ¡®She sure is acting differently now that she has Austin at her back. It did not take long for her to bully people, huh?¡¯ Nicole was not bothered by their gaze and scoffed, ¡°You don¡¯t have to point fingers at me here. There¡¯s a surveince camera right in front of us. We¡¯ll know what exactly happened when we watch the footageter.¡± Celia was brainless for trying to set Nicole up when there was a surveince camera in front of them. She had even tried to twist the story because her n failed. Nicole started to wonder if Celia was retarded. ¡°What?¡± Celia was stunned as she obviously did not expect a surveince camera to be there. She only realized that Nicole was telling the truth when she looked up. Celia¡¯s eyes immediately fell on Norah, who was in the crowd. Norah¡¯s blood was boiling as she did not expect Celia to be so stupid as well. But she still acted like she was protective of Celia as she went up to help her. ¡°How are you? Are you okay?¡± ¡°Of course I¡¯m not okay? My knees are killing me.¡± Celia had lost her momentum, but she still refused to let Nicole go. Norah noticed it. She looked at Nicole. ¡°Nicole, no matter how you put it, Celia fell because of you. You should apologize to her.¡± ¡°Apologize?¡± Nicole smirked coldly. Her smile was evilly enchanting, so evil that it sent others shivers. ¡°Does she deserve it?¡± Nicole did not have the habit of apologizing to people, let alone apologizing to someone as petty and despicable as Celia. ¡°What did you say?¡± Celia was so angered that she almost charged at Nicole. This belongs to N?velDrama.Org: ?. ¡°We¡¯ll know who should apologize after we check the surveince camera. Go to the central control room with me if you have the guts.¡± Nicole looked at Celia and Norah with disdain, her eyes filled with disgust. The people saw how firm Nicole was, so they started to look at Celia with doubt. Celia was growing more diffident under the eyes of the crowd. How would she even go to the central control room? She obviously had ulterior motives, so the surveince camera would definitely catch her act in high definition. She had no choice but to yell nervously, ¡°Why should I listen to whatever you say? I don¡¯t have time to y around with you! You¡¯re just an ill-bred country bumpkin. Do you think I care about your apology? We¡¯ll wait and see!¡± Celia was so exasperated that she was shouting at Nicole. But Nicole¡¯s eyes turned icy cold all of a sudden. ¡°Who are you calling ill-bred?¡± Nicole had a void of regret within her after being separated from her biological parents for such a long time. She could tolerate anything other than being called ill-bred. No one could call her that! ¡°Of course it¡¯s¡­¡± Celia did not get to say the word ¡°you.¡± But she had already fallen silent just from being stared down by Nicole. In a split second, she actually felt that Nicole would kill her if she continued the whole sentence. That was a frightening gaze. Norah could not help but gulp as she had also seen Nicole¡¯s eyes. She then mustered her courage to ease the tension. ¡°Nicole, Celia lost control of her words because she was too angry. Don¡¯t mind her. I¡¯ll leave with her now.¡± Norah only wanted to get away from this matter at that moment, so she did not bring up the central control room. Chapter 36 Chapter 36 The crowd watched their reactions, so how could they not know what was happening? The tables have turned, and everyone found Celia, who went for wool and came home shorn, utterly shameless. Celia saw them looking at her with their mocking eyes and wanted to say something. But she was really scared of Nicole¡¯s gaze, so she could only leave dispiritedly. Nicole only stopped looking when the both of them left solemnly. She would have pped Celia in the face if it weren¡¯t for her principle of not hitting women. However, Nicole still had a long way to go. So she might get her back for this in the future! At that moment, Lulu and Bradley appeared out of nowhere and spoke to Nicole, ¡°Nicole, you¡¯re so cool!¡± Celia was the most overbearing girl in ss A, and Nicole had actually shaken her just by looking at her. ¡°Though you¡¯re cool, Celia is a very vindictive person.¡± Lulu looked at Nicole worriedly. Even though the Rowe family was not on the same level as the Riddle family or the Woods family, they were still the top family in the city. Nicole had just humiliated Celia, so Celia might get revenge on her. Nicole saw through Lulu. While clearing her food tray, she said, ¡°She can¡¯t do anything to me, don¡¯t worry.¡± N?velDrama.Org content rights. Lulu was relieved when she heard that and gave Nicold a sweet smile. ¡°Okay, you¡¯re the best, Nicole!¡± After they were done eating, the three of them went back to ss. It was Ms. Emerson¡¯s ss in the afternoon. Nicole did not do her night revisionst night, so she was expecting Ms. Emerson to lecture her. However, Ms. Emerson only smiled at her without saying anything else. Nicole thought about what happened this morning and understood that Ms. Emerson was thankful for her. However, she did it just because she could not stand watching Mr. Kennedy bullying people. She did not expect to get Ms. Emerson¡¯s liking, but the feeling was not bad either. Nicole listened in ss in peace, unaware that the video where Austin addressed her as her boss was uploaded to the school forum. That post had gotten thousands of engagements andments; most of them questioned the authenticity of the video. After all, Austin was known for not submitting to anyone. How could he possibly address Nicole, who had beaten him up before, his boss? But as there were many eyewitnesses in the cafeteria during that incident, the doubtfulments were immediately taken over by people discussing Nicole¡¯s family background. After all, there were not many people who could make Austin yield in San Joto. However, Nicole¡¯s online identity was protected so well that none of them managed to dig out anything about her. The school¡¯sputer geniuses suspected that Nicole came from a powerful background. At that moment, Nicole was clueless about the dramas on the Inte. She packed her stuff after the ss ended and was about to head to Royal Creek Institute¡¯s dormitory to have a look. Coincidentally, Bradley also lived on campus. So, the both of them agreed to walk back together, and Bradley would take Nicole to her dormitory. The senior students were all living at Mirstone, and every dorm had three rooms. Since the students who studied at Royal Creek Institute were all from notable families in San Joto, the school would not snub them as well, so the facilities in the dorm were all of the top quality. Nicole walked slowly with her bag as she listened to Bradley introduce the dormitory areas to her. Suddenly, Nicole frowned as they walked to a secluded area. Her sharp senses were telling her that something was not right about that ce. But when Nicole saw Bradley walking forward mindlessly, she hurried and walked by his side. If there was any danger, Nicole would bear the brunt. As expected, a gang of people surrounded Nicole when they walked past a corner. ¡°Are you Nicole?¡± The pack leader looked fierce as his gaze traveled from Nicole¡¯s head to her toes. ¡°That¡¯s me.¡± Nicole immediately admitted fearlessly. ¡°Nicole¡­¡± Bradley felt a headache as he thought, ¡®Does thisdy know when to be afraid?¡¯ ¡°Hold her down!¡± The leader seemed to know about Nicole¡¯s skills as he immediately got two of hisckeys to pin Nicole down. As for him, he had a wooden rod in his hand and was about to use it to hit Nicole! Chapter 37 Chapter 37 Seeing that Nicole was in danger, Bradley pushed her subconsciously, ¡°Run!¡± Then, he gritted his teeth and rushed forward to defend Nicole. He had the urge to snatch away that man¡¯s wooden stick. However, his thin and small body did not help at all. Instead, he was sent flying with just one kick from the other party. ¡°Where did this nerde from? Get out! Don¡¯t get in the way of my business!¡± Jack, Wayne, and Gary happened to witness everything from afar. Jack eximed, ¡°Isn¡¯t that Cain Fletcher from Northon Institute next door? Didn¡¯t he get a beating from Gary and beg for mercy? How dare he appear at our school?¡± ¡°Gary, look! The person surrounded by Cain¡¯s men, isn¡¯t that Nicole?¡± Gary saw it too. He looked at Cain with eyes full of annoyance. The Royal Creek Institute¡¯s high school department was Gary¡¯s territory. It was as if Cain did not receive enough beating previously that he dared to mess with Gary¡¯s territory. Wayne, on the other hand, although he never liked Nicole, had never approved of bullying girls. Seeing Cain bullying her, Wayne rolled up his sleeves, wanting to confront them. ¡°Gary, Nicole is still a girl no matter the circumstances. These b*stards are acting so ruthlessly that they dare to bully ady. Let¡¯s go and show them what¡¯s right or wrong.¡± But before Gary said anything, he noticed Nicole staring coldly at Cain. A glint of coldness shed in Nicole¡¯s eyes as she saw Bradley being kicked. She performed a roundhouse kick and knocked off the man trying to catch her from behind. Then, she ran to Bradley and helped him up. ¡°Are you okay?¡± asked Nicole softly. Bradley¡¯s lips parted. He wanted to say that he was fine and that she had nothing to worry about. But the excruciating pain from his belly changed his expression. When Nicole saw his expression, she knew that he had suffered a major wound. She turned and shot Cain an icy re. Those who knew her would know that it was a sign of her raging anger. Nicole stared at Cain. ¡°Who are you? Why are you causing a scene here?¡± Her tone was frosty. Surprisingly, Cain was somewhat intimidated by Nicole¡¯s current expression. He had never felt so when facing anyone except Gary. ¡®This girl is alone while I have so many men with me. Why should I be scared?¡¯ This belongs to N?velDrama.Org: ?. He looked at Nicole and gave her a wicked smile. ¡°You bullied the precious daughter of the Rowe family, and yet you dare to ask why we¡¯re here? Do you know who Celia¡¯s protectors are?? It turned out that Celia had deployed these hooligans to seek revenge on her behalf. Nicole sneered. ¡°Oh? I was wondering where she had the guts to be loud this afternoon. So, I see she has a gangster backing her. I only know that the Royal Creek Institute¡¯s high school department is under Gary¡¯s territory. What ce do you have here?¡± ¡°You¡­¡± Cain had always hated it when peoplepared him to Gary. His history of being put on his knees while confronting Gary was the biggest shame of his life. He looked at Nicole and spewed a few words through his gritted teeth, ¡°Everyone! Charge! Give her a good beating!¡± Gary, who was nearby, felt that Nicole was not someone ordinary. He raised his eyebrows and stood still to observe the situation. Upon seeing Nicole in danger, Wayne wanted to rush forward and help her, but Jack stopped him. ¡°Hey, why are you in such a rush. Didn¡¯t you see that Gary hasn¡¯t made any move?¡± Jack signaled with his lips. There was nothing Wayne could do. As long as Gary did not take the first step, he would not dare to act rashly. Therefore, he could only watch Nicole worriedly. Looking at the men swinging their batons, Nicole did not twitch at all. She ordered Bradley,¡° Run! Quickly!¡± She did not even bother to turn her head. Bradley saw the bunch of thugs approaching them with stares, feeling frightened. He bore the pain and pulled Nicole as he ran while shouting, ¡°Nicole, are you stupid? There are so many of them. Are you waiting to get beaten up by staying there? No matter how powerful you are, you can¡¯t fight all of them alone!¡± Nicole saw that Bradley was limping in pain, yet he did not forget to drag her along to escape. Her eyes became deep with emotion. The men behind them sped up their steps when they realized that both of them were fleeing. Bradley felt that he was slowing Nicole down. Just as he wanted to let go of her hand and ask her to leave him behind, Nicole let go of his hand and turned back. Bradley looked back dumbfoundedly. After throwing the luggage onto the ground, Nicole rushed to the thugs. She tilted her head slightly and signaled them toe at her. Like lightning, she dashed past through the middle of the gang. The thugs quickly raised their batons, wanting to attack Nicole. Yet, before they could act, each of them was sent flying by Nicole with a kick. They were all lying on the ground while clutching their stomachs, especially Cain. He had been elbowed and punched before Nicole sent him a final flying kick. An unrefined hooligan like Cain was no match to Nicole¡¯s skill and speed. As a result, Cain, who had been sent flying to the ground, fainted from all the pain. Nicole withdrew her legs and stood there quietly. All she saw were weak opponents lying all over the ground. The wind blew and lifted her locks. Her face was beaming with beauty and a heroic charm. Bradley was stunned by that sight. It took him a while to realize that Nicole was taking revenge for him. Not only Bradley, Gary and the two boys who witnessed it were also stunned. They had always known that Nicole was skillful but did not know she was at this level. She could actually fight more than ten men all alone! Chapter 38 Chapter 38 Wayne could not help but exim, ¡°Nicole is so OP! Is she even a human?¡± There were also mixed feelings in Jack¡¯s eyes. He casually asked, ¡°Gary, even you could not defeat Nicole, right? No wonder she said she didn¡¯t need your protection. She¡¯s actually this tough!¡± They did not receive any response from Gary, so they turned to look at him. Gary, who was usually insouciant, was frozen with his gaze fixated on Nicole. It was as if he was stunned by her. Jack was startled for a moment. Then, he teased Gary. ¡°Gary, are you fascinated by her?¡± It was only then Gary came to his senses. Although he heard what Jack said, he did not bother to refute him. It seemed like Nicole did not need his help at all. At the thought of this, Gary¡¯s eyes tainted with ambivalence. He turned around and spoke to the two of them, ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Nicole did not notice the three of them leaving. She was looking down at those thugs with furrowed brows. ¡®These boys are so ipetent. They are far inferior to the robot soldiers I trained, yet they have the balls to bully others?¡¯ Nicole stopped thinking about these. She walked to the side to pick up her bag and then carried Bradley, who was still in shock. She was going to send him to the hospital. After that day¡¯s chaos, Nicole was not in the mood to go for dorm viewing. She nned to head back to the Riddle family¡¯s residence instead. She whipped out her phone and called the Riddle family¡¯s driver to send them to the hospital. Nicole was still supporting Bradley. It was only when they had arrived at the school¡¯s entrance that he managed to take a breather. He spoke with difficulty, ¡°Nicole, thank you for avenging me. But you¡¯re really good! None of them could defeat you!¡± Bradley sounded excited as he spoke. Nicole smiled indifferently. Bradley suffered because of her, so she would not let his suffering be in vain. As the two were chatting, the driver arrived. He was surprised to see Nicole looking shabby, But he did notment or ask about it. Instead, he sent them to the best hospital in San Joto. This belongs to N?velDrama.Org: ?. During the consultation, Bradley was very reserved as he had never been to such a top-tier hospital. On the other hand, Nicole was expressionless. All she wanted was for Bradley to recover as soon as possible. He was such a bookworm. She hoped his injuries would not affect his revision for the uing test. Bradley saw that Nicole did not blink while she was paying the whopping medical bills. Then, he looked at the Riddle family¡¯s driver who was running up and down. It was at that point that he realized Nicole¡¯s family background was not simple. After the doctor left, Bradley pulled Nicole¡¯s sleeve and said sorrily, ¡°Nicole, I¡¯ll definitely pay you back.¡± Nicole knew that although Bradley came from the well-to-do Robertson family, he was the second son that was not loved. The pocket money his parents gave him was not much. Hence, he could not possibly have money to repay her. Furthermore, the thugs were here for Nicole. Bradley was only dragged into this mess because of her. Nicole gave him a reassuring smile. ¡°I don¡¯t need you to repay me. Just make sure that your exam grades for this month are still at the top ranking.¡± Seeing that she was serious about it, Bradley nodded vigorously. ¡°I will definitely work hard for it!¡± The driver¡¯s eyes also widened in astonishment upon seeing Nicole pay for the expensive bills without hesitation. He could clearly see that the card Nicole used to make payment was not the gold card given by the Riddle family. Instead, it was a in ck card. As a driver for the Riddle family, he had witnessed all sorts of situations. With just a nce, he could tell it was a supreme ck card. There were only ten supreme ck cards in the world. It had no spending limit and was also a status symbol. Those who managed to get their hands on it are of the world¡¯s top elites. Anyone in prestigious events would recognize the uniqueness of this ck card. The hospital was the best in San Joto. And the doctor¡¯s respectful attitude proved that he was right about Nicole. The driver wiped off the sweat from his forehead and looked at Nicole with more respect. After sending Bradley back to school, Nicole ordered the driver to drive her back to the Riddle¡¯s Residence. As soon as she stepped into the house, Gloria weed her with a hug. She examined her, from head to toe. ¡°I heard from Joe that you went to the hospital. Did you get hurt? Let me have a look.¡± Daniel also stared at her nervously. A man like him was not capable of caring words, but the expression on his face said it all. Looking at how caring everyone was to her, Nicole felt warm inside her. She answered in a soft voice, ¡°I¡¯m fine. My ssmate was hurt, so I brought him to the hospital. You guys have nothing to worry about.¡± Realizing their dubious expression, she could not help but briefly exin the whole situation to them. It was only then that Gloria let loose. She turned around and looked at her sons standing in a row against the wall. It was obvious that Stanley rushed over. His cor was untidied. Spencer and Samuel seemed like they had just received a scolding. Their heads were lowered as they dared not to speak. Samuel noticed that Nicole was back; he gave her a slight wink. Nicole thought it was funny. She spotted Gloria, who was about to get angry again, so she UTOPIEI JU pulled her arms. ¡°I¡¯m hungry.¡± As soon as Gloria heard that her daughter was hungry, she did not bother to scold her sons. Instead, she quickly ordered the kitchen to prepare a meal. Samuel smiled at Nicole, full of gratitude. He had been listening to Gloria¡¯s nag the whole day; he could not bear another one. But seeing his expressionless sister, he felt a sense of guilt again. They failed to protect their own younger sister from bullies again. At the thought of this, he held Nicole¡¯s hands. ¡°Nicole, it was my fault that I didn¡¯t take care of you. When I have the chance, I¡¯ll make sure to head to Northon Institute and avenge you,¡± said Samuel Chapter 39 Chapter 39 Spencer and Stanley nodded with serious looks on their faces. The thought of Cain causing a ruckus in Royal Creek Institute angered them. Luckily, Nicole was skillful enough to escape from them. Nicole¡¯s exnation was brief, so they eventually thought that Nicole and Bradley had to go through many hurdles to escape. Looking at them, Nicole could not help but let outa smile. She was touched by them. At that moment, the meal was served. Gloria looked at Nicole. ¡°You must¡¯ve used up all your energy already. Didn¡¯t you say you were hungry? Hurry, eat up,¡± she said gently. Nicole nodded and picked up her spoon to help herself with the steamed fish in front of her. Upon seeing this, Gloriaughed and spoke to Daniel, ¡°Nicole is just like you. She likes fish too.¡± Daniel looked at her and smiled. Just like that, everyone was happily sitting around the table for a meal as one big family. The past two days, Norah had been hanging out with Celia and the rest with the excuse of being angry. She had not been having dinner at home. Although Gloria was worried, she could not bear to say much on the phone. So, she could only remind her to get home earlier. Yet, it turned out that Norah¡¯s absence brought the family together harmoniously. Since Nicole was going to stay in school from the next day onwards, Gloria had prepared a delicious feast. Samuel loved Gloria¡¯s steak the most. That day, a piece of ck pepper steak was ced right in front of him. He devoured it happily, and his face was filled with sauce stain. Spencer, who was sitting next to Samuel, watched him eating messily. He said in disgust,¡° Look at you, eating like a wolf. Don¡¯t ever tell others that you¡¯re my brother.¡± Samuel stared at him in disapproval. But the steak filled up his mouth that he could not refute Spencer properly. He could only mumble a reply, ¡°Mmm¡­don¡¯t want you mmmph be my mmmphther eitmer!¡±. He was trying to say, ¡°I don¡¯t want you to be my brother either!¡± Everyone was amused by his reply and startedughing. The Riddle family had a good time at dinner. N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights. After dinner, Nicole returned to her room and took out theptop from her bag. She had installed and run the cleaning program for one day and one night. It should be enough to remove all the tracking codes. Nicole switched on theptop and continued her mission. She ran her own monitoring program, and it was a sess. She could see thepany¡¯s ounts. As expected, there are many issues with thispany¡¯s ounts. Most were deficits caused by corruption. Looking at those numbers in red, Nicole quicklypleted her mission and waited for the other party to transfer her the money. As soon as she submitted her task, she received a notification on her phone in the next few seconds. Nicole raised her brows, wondering if they were monitoring her progress because they could respond in such a short time. Thinking of this, Nicole felt the shivers. Her fingers quickly ran through her keyboard. She wanted to investigate the background of thepany that gave her the task Nicole was staring at the shing pages on herputer. As expected, it was just a dummy corporation. There was no actual information to be found. Nicole¡¯s face turned grave. She was very sure that the other party was trying to trap her by making her take on this task just to get her IP address. All of a sudden, she remembered a ten-million-dor warrant on The Hunters. They might have used a lot of methods but failed to track her down. So, they resorted to such a method to trap her. A glint of cold light shed past Nicole¡¯s eyes. Since they could set a trap to trick her, she could do the same. It was too early to determine who the hunter was. She quickly logged out of that ount and created a new one to log into The Hunters again. Looking at the warrant pinned on top of the page, she immediately took on the task without hesitation Once someone took on the task, the other party would definitely make an appearance to inform them about the target and requirements of the task. As long as Nicole got a chance to be in contact with them, she could find a w and track them down. After a minute, Nicole received a message from them. She clicked on the conversation. It showed that the target of the task was a top hacker going by the name ¡°Lucifer.¡± The requirements were simple: investigate the hacker¡¯s personal information in real life. Nicole stared at those cold words nkly. She frowned a little, typed a few words, and pressed send. ¡°Do you have more leads? It¡¯s difficult for me to proceed with such little information.¡± The other party replied instantly, ¡°Sorry, I don¡¯t have the information you need.¡± Nicole looked at this sentence and thought for a moment, ¡°Then what is the deadline?¡± The same reply came with the same speed. Scanned with CamScanner At that point, Nicole immediately understood that it was a system reply. She was not speaking to an actual human. This totally wiped off any possibility for her to find out the IP address of the other party. Facing such a cunning and cautious opponent, Nicole frowned. She had quite many enemies, but only a few could reach this level. She ran through a few possible names in her head but ruled them out. ¡®Who could it be?¡¯ Carrying these questions in her head, she slept off. The next day, Nicole seemed distracted during her morning running and martial arts training. Even Samuel, who invited her to the run, was left behind. Nicole only realized that upon reaching home. But since she had finished the route, Nicole did some simple stretching before heading downstairs for breakfast. No one knew when Norah hade home the night before. That morning, she was seated with Spencer at one side while waiting for Nicole to have breakfast together. After a while, Samuel came home out of breath. He quickly rushed to the table and drank a few sips of water. Then, heined to Nicole, ¡°Nicole, you ran too fast. I feel like running with you is so much more tiring than training with my coach for a day.¡± It seemed like he had made a reckless decision that morning. He did not expect his sister, with martial art talent, to be an athlete. Spencer thought he was exaggerating, so he mocked him, ¡°Even a girl can run faster than you. Shouldn¡¯t you admit that you¡¯re too weak for a guy?¡± When Samuel heard him, his eyes widened, showing dissatisfaction. ¡°If you have the guts, you should try running with Nicole for once. I bet you can¡¯t even finish onep!¡± Chapter 40 Chapter 40 That morning was the day when Samuel understood Nicole¡¯s ability. Even a basketball yer who had been going for daily morning runs like him could not catch up with her. He eximed at the level of her running speed. Spencer continued to sneer, ¡°I don¡¯t mind trying. I¡¯m definitely better than you!¡± Seeing that the two brothers are about to get into a fight, Stanley said, ¡°Enough! Nicole is still waiting for us to begin the meal. Aren¡¯t we sending her off to school today? We¡¯ll have to leave earlier.¡± As soon as Samuel and Spencer heard this, they stopped arguing and sat down to eat. Norah felt jealous that Nicole received so much attention for just staying in school. In Norah¡¯s eyes, Nicole did not pester to go to school for her grades but to spend more time with the brothers and take away all the love and attention from Norah. The more she thought about it, the angrier she got. Norah could not help but say, ¡°Mom, all of them are staying on campus. I¡¯m left alone at home. I want to stay on campus too.¡± At this, everyone was stunned. Samuel asked naively, ¡°Norah, didn¡¯t you say that the environment in school wasn¡¯t great, so you didn¡¯t want to go with us?¡± They had asked her before while they were staying in school. That time, Norah was strongly against it. He wondered what had happened to her. Norah sobbed. ¡°Last time, I was scared of my ssmates bullying me. But now I¡¯ve already gotten to know them, and I want to get closer to all of you. Furthermore¡­ If I stay at school, I can take care of Nicole. After all, I¡¯ve been at the Royal Creek Institute longer, so I¡¯m more familiar with the ce.¡± Hearing this, Daniel agreed. ¡°I think you¡¯re right.¡± Then, he looked at Gloria immediately, ¡°Why not let Norah stay in school too?¡± Gloria hesitated for a moment. She felt that Daniel had a hidden agenda, but she nodded, ¡± Alright, I¡¯ll ask the family butler to pack her things.¡± As she was speaking, Gloria walked up the stairs. Norah was a little stunned by what had just happened, ¡®What¡¯s going on?¡¯ Previously, when Nicole wanted to stay in school, the Riddles were reluctant. Now that it was her turn, they did not give it a second thought. It was as if they were waiting for this day toe! At that moment, Norah slightly regretted her request to stay on campus. ¡®Could it be that I will never have the chance to move back in after leaving?¡¯ But word was already out. Norah could only take a bet. At least now, Samuel still treated her sincerely. Her parents did not love her the same as before, so she should at least retain her brother¡¯s love and attention. As these thoughts were going through her head, she had a firmer look in her eyes. She went upstairs to pack her things after taking a few bites. When Nicole and the rest finished breakfast, they saw Norah bring down a few pieces of luggage. Spencer was shocked upon seeing her luggage. ¡°Norah, why are you bringing so many bags? Are you nning to have a vacation at school?¡± he asked. The moment Stanley looked at Norah¡¯s belongings as high as a mountain, he could not help butugh. Compared to Nicole, who had only brought one duffle bag, Norah¡¯s luggage was way too much. Norah felt awkward by their reactions and blushed. ¡°I¡¯m not. It¡¯s just that I saw Nicole bringing so little things. I¡¯m worried she might need some stuff, so I packed many things!¡± Deep down, she knew that all of it was her favorite clothing. There were quite a lot more which she had not put in yet! After she said that, everyone looked at her in shock. It was unexpected that Norah could be this thoughtful. Nicole noticed that Norah was using her as an excuse. She looked at Norah with a smile.¡± Norah, thank you for being so thoughtful. But I¡¯m not used to using other people¡¯s belongings. You can put it back.¡± This reply stunned Norah. She could feel her face raging in mes. But everyone was staring at her. She could only reply awkwardly, ¡°Alright then¡­ Alfred, bring these two bags back upstairs.¡± She could only leave her two bags behind reluctantly. ¡°We¡¯re almost runningte. Let¡¯s go. I don¡¯t want to bete to school for such a trivial matter.¡± Nicole nced at Norah and turned around. ¡°Nicole, wait for me!¡± Spencer followed her while Stanley quietly put on his school uniform and left with them. Samuel was the only one who stayed and helped Norah with her luggage. Gloria walked them out. Nicole took the passenger¡¯s seat while the three boys took the back seat. Norah was awkwardly left behind. ¡°Spencer, Samuel, where should I sit?¡± Gloria saw this and quickly said, ¡°Norah, you have a lot of bags. I¡¯ll let Joe drive another car and send you to the dormitory instead.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Norah almost broke down. But Samuel and Spencer did not notice that. ¡°Norah, we¡¯re leaving now!¡± ¡°Sam¡ª¡±Norah tried to speak, but the car had already driven off. She could only sit in that unmorous and old car alone to school. ¡°Norah, if anything happens in school, don¡¯t forget to call me,¡± said Gloria with a warm smile. ¡°Alright.¡± Norah forced a smile. But deep down, her hatred against Nicole deeper. ¡°Just wait and see. I will take back the love and attention from my brothers.¡¯ Soon, Nicole and the boy¡¯s car arrived at school first. Because of what happened the day before, Samuel and Spencer were worried that someone would bully Nicole again. Throughout the journey, they had been asking Nicole to let them apany her to school. The boys did not leave until she had chosen her room and settled in. Nicole only went to the ssroom when it was almost time for ss. In ss, Bradley was excitedly describing Nicole¡¯s heroic act to Lulu. When he reached the part where Nicole could defeat more than ten men alone, he was practically dancing. He even stood up and mimicked all her moves which made his story interesting. Lulu was very entertained by his story too. As Nicole walked in, she saw Bradley standing on the bench and acting in front of Lulu. So, he must have recovered already. Bradley and Lulu quickly rushed to her side the moment they saw her. Lulu broke the silence,¡± Nicole, I¡¯ve heard about what happened yesterday from Bradley. How did you do it? I¡¯ve only seen one fighting dozens of people in movies!¡± Bradley added, ¡°I wasn¡¯t lying! Nicole really did defeat all of them alone! Especially Cain, he got beaten so hard that he could not even stand. Don¡¯t even mention the embarrassment!¡±N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights. Chapter 41 Chapter 41 ¡°Could she be a heroine from a hidden world like in those action movies?¡± ¡°Nicole is so much more skillful than those heroines.¡± Once the conversation was heated, their voice became louder and louder that others in the ss were looking at them. Nicole frowned a little. ¡°Fighting isn¡¯t something to be proud of. Let¡¯s keep it low.¡± Bradley and Lulu realized that they were a little too loud. Just as Nicole said, fighting was not a thing to be proud of. If a teacher overheard it, they would be in trouble. The both of them nodded and pretended to zip their mouths, signaling that they would not talk about it anymore. When Nicole saw that the two were so sensible, her expression rxed a little. Just as she was about to speak, a loud voice came from outside. Then, Austin suddenly stormed into the ss. The whole ss was terrified of his ferocious look. Once Austin saw Nicole, he walked over while yelling. ¡°Boss! I heard that the hooligans from next door, Cain disturbed you yesterday after school. Why didn¡¯t you tell us? We could¡¯ve settled him for you!¡± All the students surrounding them heard Austin wanted to beat up Cain for Nicole. Their eyes widened as they stared at both of them in disbelief. They did not expect Austin to be serious about recognizing Nicole as his boss. Someone had disturbed Nicole, and he actually wanted to do something about it. Everyone thought Nicole would agree since no one would deny Austin¡¯s request. Unexpectedly, Nicole replied coldly, ¡°It¡¯s fine. I can settle this on my own.¡± She rejected Austin once again! All eyes were on Austin. Nicole had rejected Austin twice. Would he walk away likest time or retaliate to maintain his reputation? Gary was also looking at them. In the end, Austin acted as if nothing had happened and continued pressing on, ¡°No way, You¡¯re my boss, yet Cain had the guts to disturb you. He has disrespected me! 1, Austin, would never let my boss be bullied. I¡¯ll bring my men and teach him a lesson now!¡± The whole ss was stunned. They established a newer idea of Nicole¡¯s ce in Austin¡¯s mind. Seeing how Austin was talking to himself, Nicole did not bother to pay attention to him. Austin had already turned to his boys and summoned them, ¡°Someone bullied our boss. We should show them who¡¯s the real boss!¡± Hisckeys behind him echoed him loudly, ¡°Yeah! Show them who¡¯s the real boss!¡± Austin nodded in satisfaction and led hisckeys out of the ss aggressively. The others let out a sigh of relief as soon as Austin left. However, Nicole did not bother to care about Austin. Her head was looking down while reading the book she had not finished the day before. She did not notice Gary was staring at her the whole time. The bell rang, and Ms. Emerson entered the ss. She looked through the whole ss to see if anyone was absent. Then, she nodded happily and started the ss.Ten minutes before recess, she nced at her watch and tapped the podium.. N?velDrama.Org content rights. ¡°There¡¯s going to be a Maths Olympiad soon. This time around, the district highly regards this competition. The principal made it an obligation for each ss to send two representatives. Gary is one of them. There¡¯s one slot left. Any takers?¡± Gary leaned back on his chairzily. Although he hated studying, he was famous for being a maths genius. He had been winning competitions both nationally and internationally since he was young Chapter 42 Chapter 42 Therefore, no one was surprised when Ms. Emerson mentioned Gary¡¯s name. The monthly test was just around the corner, and suddenly there was a Maths Olympiad. The students all stared at each other, worrying that it would affect their test revisions, and they did not want to participate. Compared to a Maths Olympiad, which they could not win, they would rather ce their time and effort in their revisions. Ms. Emerson¡¯s face did not look good when she saw that no one had raised their hands. She had already said that the district was taking thispetition seriously. She did not expect the students to be this indolent. She scanned through the ss. Everyone in the ss was looking down, except for Nicole, who was still looking at her calmly. Ms. Emerson¡¯s eyes lit up. She recalled that in Nicole¡¯s profile, it was written that she had participated in a Maths Olympiad before. She could not help but ask, ¡°Nicole, you¡¯ve participated in a Maths Olympiad in your previous school, right?¡± Nicole did not expect Ms. Emerson to call her name, but she nodded anyway. Ms. Emerson saw her nodding and took the liberty of putting her name in. ¡°Then, you and Gary would represent our ss this time around. Don¡¯t forget to attend training every Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday afternoon at the lecture hall. There will be a teacher guiding both of you.¡± Horina this Nindidacte. D IS, I is, Nicole did not seem to care much as it was not much different from all these sses. Ms. Emerson took her silence as an agreement and let out a sigh of relief. She was very worried that Nicole would disagree. It was unexpected for the conversation to be this smooth. N?velDrama.Org exclusive content. Thinking about this, Ms. Emerson favored Nicole a little more. As soon as recessmenced, Bradley, who looked worried, came running and asked, ¡°Nicole, did you agree to join thepetition? I heard that this round would be a hard one. Didn¡¯t you see that no one wants to join?¡± Nicole replied calmly, ¡°It¡¯d be nice to kill time.¡± Bradley then remembered she could answer all the questions correctlyst time. He pped hisp and said, ¡°Right, normal papers are too easy for you. It¡¯s much more interesting and challenging to joinpetitions.¡± Nicole did not refute him. She was toozy to reply that even thepetition questions were just the same as normal test papers to her. It was lunchtime. Nicole packed all the books on her table and was about to have lunch with Bradley and the rest. Unexpectedly, she heard someone calling out to her as soon as she stood up. ¡°Nicole!¡± Nicole looked over and saw Snow standing at the door. When she noticed Nicole looking back at her, she smiled and waved her hand to signal her to go over. Nicole stood still. She was not that close to Snow, so she did not know what Snow¡¯s hidden agenda was. As Snow realized that Nicole was ignoring her while everyone else was staring at her, sheughed and walked over to Nicole. Standing next to Nicole, Snow put on her signature gentle look and asked, ¡°Nicole, shall we have lunch together?¡± Now that the famous campus queen was in their ss, everyone irresistibly stared at them. Snow was famous for her gentleness and generosity. She did not care about everyone¡¯s gaze but continued to present her best side. Many of the boys were discussing among themselves, ¡°Look, that¡¯s the campus queen in our school. She really lives up to her name, her skin as fair as snow!¡± There were also many who praised her beauty. Snow was extremely happy upon hearing it. Jack heard them and sneered, ¡°If you have bad eyesight, it¡¯s better to donate it to those in need. No matter from which angle, Nicole looks so much prettier than Snow. The title of campus queen will be up for another round of voting again. It¡¯s hard to say if Snow can retain this title this year!¡± When Snow heard his words, her face turned pale, and she almost lost her posture. Chapter 43 Chapter 43 Previously, it was viral on the inte that the new transfer student, Nicole, was prettier than the current campus queen, Snow, by a hundred-fold. Snow did not show it on her face, but she secretly tore apart a book in her hands. It was already a shame for her to be ced next to Raine for campus queen. Now that Nicole has stepped into the picture, her title of campus queen was in danger! Snow nced at Jack and noticed that the boys were from Gary¡¯s clique. She dared not to mess with the Finleys. So, she could only put up with everything in silence. Unless¡­ While Snow thought of something, her eyes gleamed with a satisfactory smile. If that person was present, these people¡¯s mockery would just be a minute thing. Nicole did not bother about others¡¯ comments. She looked at Snow and asked, ¡°Why are you suddenly inviting me for lunch?¡± She had witnessed Snow and Raine¡¯s loudmouth. Snow did not seem like one who would simply invite others for a meal. Snow smiled and replied, ¡°It¡¯s your first day, of course I had toe to see you.¡± Nicole frowned, ¡°Is that all?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± smiled Snow. Nicole was a lot more curious about Snow¡¯s hidden agenda. She simply replied, ¡°Let¡¯s go then.¡± She wanted to see what Snow was up to. All the way to the canteen, Snow had been checking in on Nicole with questions. She wondered if Nicole felt ufortable with the ce. Nicole gave her short replies. If a stranger saw them, the person might think that Snow treated Nicole really well. But Nicole was not grateful for it. After all, gossip was Karen and Snow¡¯s favorite thing to do, Nicole did not want to give her any chance to badmouth her. N?velDrama.Org exclusive content. But the colder she treated Snow, the graver Snow¡¯s expression became. Other people thought Nicole was bullying the campus queen. Many of them took a picture of it angrily and posted it to the campus blog. These pictures were skillfully framed at the best angle. It made Snow seem to be extremely wronged. ¡°Wow! This Nicole is really shameless. Our campus queen was being kind to a country bumpkin like her. It¡¯s fine if she did not appreciate it, but she actually bullied her and made her cry?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. No matter how beautiful she is, it¡¯s the personality that matters. How could she bepared to Snow¡¯s gentleness?¡± ¡°Sorry to interrupt but it¡¯s going to be the annual campus king and queenpetition again. Who will you guys vote for?¡± ¡°It¡¯ll definitely be for Snow!¡± ¡°Same here!¡± Nicole did not know that she had be a hot topic on the school¡¯s blog in just a few days. And about eighty percent of it was bashing her. But even if she knew about it, she could not be bothered by it. The both of them walked to the canteen and sat down. Everyone was secretly staring at them. Nicole did not like such atmospheres, but she tolerated it, took her meal, and sat down. On the other hand, Snow was enjoying the attention. She kept that usual smile on her face, thinking that she was being elegant. She sat down in front of Nicole. Then, as she secretly nced at her phone to realize that everyone on the inte was bashing Nicole, her smile became wider. The person he hired for the photos definitely did a great job. Now she did not have to worry about losing her title as campus queen. Looking at Nicole, who knew nothing about what was going on, Snow was secretly happy that Nicole was in so much trouble during her first few days in school. She felt a huge relief from the previous boys¡¯ments in ss. Before Nicole picked up her spoon, she heard Snow¡¯s gentle yet annoying voice. ¡°Nicole, did you get onto the bad side of Celia¡¯s boyfriend? Yesterday, Celia mentioned she would ask his boyfriend to give you a good beating. You didn¡¯t get into trouble, right?¡± Nicole immediately understood her meaning. So, Cain was actually Celia¡¯s boyfriend. No wonder Snow looked for her. She must be here to gossip about her being bullied. Nicole smirked and nced at Snow. She replied coldly, ¡°You should ask Celia¡¯s boyfriend instead. Isn¡¯t she your best friend?¡± Celia was close to Snow and Raine, and she actually asked such questions. It was very pretentious of her. After all, it seemed like Cain was the one in trouble after what had happenedst night. Nicole¡¯s gaze made Snow feel a little nervous. It was as if Nicole saw through Snow¡¯s intentions. But when she heard Nicole asking her to go back and ask Celia¡¯s boyfriend about it, she felt mocked. ¡®What could she do to Cain that she dare speak so daringly?¡¯ But to maintain her image, Snow pressed down her judgment and pretended to advise Nicole,¡° It¡¯s best for you not to offend Celia again. The Rowe family is not that great to mess with. Moreover, his boyfriend is rumored to be ferocious in the Northon Institute. They¡¯ve taught many people a lesson, and none of their victims could fight back¡­¡± Before she could finish speaking, a group of people was chatting loudly behind her. ¡°Hey, didn¡¯t you say Celia was absent today?¡± asked a girl. The friend replied, ¡°I heard her boyfriend was sent to the hospital after being beaten up in a fight. The results came out, and he fractured his right leg. I don¡¯t know who did it¡­¡± Another friend mocked, ¡°Didn¡¯t she act proudly in school only because of her boyfriend, who is a bully? Let¡¯s see what else she can be proud of now.¡± Hearing that conversation, Snow was stunned. Thinking of what Nicole said, she suddenly connected the dots and figured it out. ¡®Could it be that Nicole was the one who had beaten Cain up?¡¯ Chapter 44 Chapter 44 ¡®Impossible! Though Snow believed that it was impossible, she still looked at Nicole with worry-filled eyes after some time. ¡°Then, is Cain really in the hospital now?¡± Even though Snow did not ask Nicole aloud, ¡°Did you beat him?¡± That question was already written on her face. Nicole looked at Snow¡¯s odd expression coldly. Nieole had already finished her food when Snow was in a daze, so she did not want to stay and continue being pretentious with Snow.¡± Didn¡¯t I say you should ask him instead? I¡¯m done eating, so I¡¯ll be leaving now.¡± Nicole then stood up and walked away as Snow watched her leave. Snow¡¯s eyes widened all of a sudden. ¡®Who on earth is Nicole? How did she defeat that evil Cain?!¡¯ Nicole left the cafeteria and thought about what Ms. Emerson had said in the morning. She asked Nicole to attend the Maths Olympiad training sses every Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday afternoon. It was Tuesday today, so Nicole turned and walked toward the lecture hall. Gary, who had also walked out of the cafeteria after finishing his meal, looked at Nicole¡¯s carefree figure and squinted slightly. He had already seen the whole incident where Nicole sat together with Snow. In other words, he had also seen Snow¡¯s mouth agape after Nicole left. It made him even more curious about the conversation between the two girls. Gary could not help but smile when he saw Nicole looking like nothing had happened. He walked slowly behind her at her pace, constantly leaving a short distance between them. When he saw the lecture hall in front of them, he hurried his steps as he walked into the ss with Nicole. Raine was sitting in the ss when she saw Gary walking in, and a surprise grew on her face. But her expression had immediately turned sour as she saw Nicole walking in with Gary not long after. She asked Nicole while keeping her jealousy in control. ¡°Why are you here, Nicole? This ss is exclusively for students joining the Maths Olympiadpetition!¡± Nicole looked at her indifferently, not uttering a word. Gary replied Raine instead, ¡°We are joining thepetition on behalf of our ss, so our teacher told us toe together.¡± Raine looked at them doubtfully as she sharply sensed that Gary was being protective by listening to what he had said, so her gaze toward Nicole turned more hostile. Nicole nced over at Gary indifferently after listening to his reply. She was already aware of Gary following her from behind, but she did not bother to do anything about it as he had kept to himself. Now that he mentioned that Ms. Emerson asked them to attend the ss together, there was no need for Nicole to expose him too. Nicole started walking and headed toward thest row of seats. Raine saw Nicole walking further, so she started a conversation with Gary. But Raine noticed Gary¡¯s eyes following Nicole closely. He completely ignored what she was saying. She got so angry she started to raise her voice, saying, ¡°Gary, I¡¯m talking to you! Why did youe together with her?¡± Gary furrowed his eyebrows as he wondered why he did not notice how annoying and unreasonable Raine was before. If he had known how irritating she was, he would not allow her to follow him around so much anymore. He then walked toward thest row of seats. But when he was halfway there, Raine suddenly rushed over and dragged him to the first row. Coincidentally, the school bell rang, so Gary did not push her away. Subsequently, a bald man ran into the lecture hall in small steps and stood on the stage as he introduced himself. ¡°Hello students, I¡¯m Mr. Louis, your teacher for this Maths Olympiad training ss. To be able ing, I believe you are all elite students from your sses. I¡¯ll save the unnecessary talk and hand out last year¡¯s example questions. We¡¯ll discuss the solutions for the first half of the ss. For the second half, we¡¯ll have a test to see what level you¡¯re at.¡± Upon speaking, he took out a pile of example questions and a stack of answer sheets as he passed them down. Nicole looked at it and arched her brows, keeping the example questions in her bag. She filled in all the sections of the answer sheets beautifully and ced them at the corner of her table. She then took out a book and started to read it. Mr. Louis was teaching passionately on stage. He seemed like he did not mind what Nicole was doing. Nicole was so engrossed in the book that ss ended before she realized it. She was really interested in the hacking strategies in the book, so she had never raised her head throughout the whole ss. Raine, who was leaving the lecture hall with Gary, mocked Nicole when she walked past her, ¡°It¡¯s fine if youe from the countryside, but you actually don¡¯t want to pay attention in ss. Could it be that you don¡¯t understand a single thing being taught?¡± Nicole finally started to find Raine¡¯s loudmouth annoying, so she kept her book away and looked at Raine coldly. Nicole then submitted her answer sheet and left right after. Raine continued behind her back, ¡°Know your ce and stop humiliating yourself here! ¡°She even answered her answer sheets fully. How pretentious! Isn¡¯t that right, Gary?¡± Gary watched Nicole leave as a sudden urge grew in his heart. He did not even bother toThis content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. respond to Raine and walked out of the lecture hall with Nicole. And Raine was left behind, angrily calling Gary from behind. Nicole walked a distance before she sensed that she was being followed again, so she turned to look at Gary, frustrated. Gary secretly cheered when he saw her turning back, but he still acted apathetically and asked, ¡°Mr. Louis was quite fast back there. Could you really get what he taught? We¡¯re from the same ss anyway, so feel free to ask me for help if you¡¯re having trouble with something.¡± Nicole was not touched by it as she looked at Gary and said tly, ¡°The only reason I didn¡¯t listen is that it was too easy. There¡¯s no need for me to waste my time.¡± Gary was stunned upon hearing Nicole¡¯s response. Chapter 45 Chapter 45 Gary was unaware that, for the usualpetitions, Nicole would only need to scan through the questions before she answered them at top speed. She really did not need to listen to the long and complicated solutions Mr. Louis was teaching. Nicole did not wait for the frozen Gary. She had simply chosen a dorm room that morning, so she did not get a good look at it. Besides, she had yet to meet her roommates, so she sped up her pace. Though some people were talking about her on her way back to the dormitory, she could vaguely hear keywords like ¡°evil¡± and ¡°the campus queen.¡± However, Nicole did not mind that and went to her dormitory straight away. When she got to the dormitory, the other two roommates had already returned to the room. Lulu widened her eyes as she watched Nicole walking in as if she did not expect Nicole to be her roommate. Nicole also knew the other roommate. She was June, their English ss representative. Since June was a hardworking student, she did not really mingle around with her ssmates. She seemed really prideful and cold, so everyone gave her a secret nickname, ¡°Nerd.¡± Both Nicole and Lulu were not close with June, so June had just nced at Nicole when Nicole walked in. June did not even greet her as she lowered her head, busy with something. Lulu walked toward Nicole happily. ¡°So, you are the new girl. This is fantastic, Nicole. We¡¯re going to stay together from today onwards!¡± Nicole nodded to Lulu indifferently. Her bed was already done by the servants of the Riddle family. She sat on her bed and started to open her duffel bag, which was her luggage. After taking out and putting her daily necessities in ce, she stored herptop in the cab above her headboard and locked it. When Lulu saw Nicole reading a book after tidying up her ce, she walked over and asked hesitantly, ¡°Nicole, I heard the Maths Olympiad training ss you attend teaches a different sybus than ours. Could you tell me about the Olympiad math questions you learned?¡± Nicole nodded and passed Lulu the pile of example questions from Mr. Louis that afternoon. Lulu¡¯s eyes sparkled. ¡°Are these for me?¡± She had wanted the Maths Olympiad questions for a long time, but she just could not participate in thepetition as she was not on par. ¡°Thank you, Nicole! I¡¯ll do them now. Can I ask for your help if I have questions?¡± After getting Nicole¡¯s reassurance, Lulu happily ran back to her spot to answer the questions. But it only took a few minutes before she returned to Nicole gloomily. ¡°Nicole, I don¡¯t even understand a single question. Could you exin it to me?¡± Before Nicole could respond, June, who was busy memorizing individual words, said frustratedly, ¡°Are you done, Lulu Barrera? Do you know that some of us are trying to study r you chirping even with my headphones on!¡± June was already annoyed that Lulu was amittee member of the study club despite being an average grader. However, June could only be the English ss representative despite sitting in the third row in ss. After being yelled at by June, Lulu felt so wronged that she did not dare to speak anymore. Nicole looked at Lulu¡¯s scrunched-up face and said, ¡°I¡¯m hungry, so I¡¯m heading to the cafeteria. Are youing?¡± Lulu immediately nodded, and they left the dorm, one behind the other. On their way to the cafeteria, Lulu said she could not understand how her soft voice disturbed June. Nicole and Lulu got their food and started to dig in as Lulu asked Nicole for the solutions to the Maths Olympiad questions she saw just now. N?velDrama.Org content rights. Nicole chose a few simple questions that suited Lulu¡¯s level and exined them to her. Nicole¡¯s solution was very simple as well, so Lulu understood her immediately. Lulu then praised Nicole, ¡°You¡¯re so good at this, Nicole! I didn¡¯t understand this back when Ms. Emerson taught us a simr question. I feel like I understood everything after you exined it to me!¡± The both of them went back to the dorm after they were done eating. Lulu was reminded of June¡¯s attitude and said once more, ¡°June is way too cold. You definitely don¡¯t know this, Nicole, but when you weren¡¯t herest time, the both of us had never said a single word to each other in the dorm. She never goes to ss with me and would never respond to me every time I greeted her¡­¡± Nicole was not really interested in the drama between little girls, so her mind started to wander off as she listened. Suddenly, she saw Jared¡¯s coffee shop. Nicole thought about the time when Jared said she could drink his coffee anytime she wanted and started to miss the unique taste of Jared¡¯s shop¡¯s coffee beans. She could not help but interrupt Lulu and point to the coffee shop at the school¡¯s entrance.¡± Do you want to go there? I¡¯ve been there once, and their coffee tastes nice.¡± Not only was it nice, but it was Nicole¡¯s favorite! Lulu shook her head and said, ¡°I¡¯ll pass. The exam is coming up, so I have to go back and do my revision. My mom will be really angry if I get bad results.¡± Nicole did not make her stay after listening to her response, so the both of them split up in front of the cafeteria. Nicole watched as Lulu returned to the dormitory before walking toward the school¡¯s entrance. Just when Nicole reached the entrance, she saw Jared talking to the manager about something, nodding from time to time. ¡®Is Mr. Johnston that free? Why is he always hanging around at his shop?¡¯ Nicole wondered. Nicole did not know Jared well, so she did not care about them. She just walked to the coffee shop steadily and realized that the menu included many other desserts other than coffee now. One of them had an extraordinary name too, so she ordered a few iterns, fascinated. Before walking to a corner and taking a seat, she ordered a cup of mocha. Next to her seat was a floor-to-ceiling window, so Nicole enjoyed the beautiful sunset view for a while before she pulled out the book she had read in the afternoon and continued where she left off. Jared had already seen Nicole the minute she walked in. Normally, any girl who saw him would walk over to him and greet him, but his fianc¨¦ paid no heed to him. From the minute she entered, she did not even spare Jared a nce before finding a ce to make her order. ¡®She seems like she¡¯s really here for free coffee! ¡®Am I not as attractive as the coffee?!¡¯ Chapter 46 Chapter 46 Jared started to frown with frustration as he wondered. He called his assistant, Max, over and whispered something into his ear. Max nodded gently After some time, Nicole¡¯s order arrived, and she noticed that there were two coffee mugs. She looked up at Max, who brought her order, and signaled him to exin himself wiith her eyes. Somehow, Max, who was under Nicole¡¯s stare, felt as if he was facing his boss. He wiped the sweat on the edge of his forehead and said politely, ¡°Miss Riddle, this is the caf¨¦¡¯s new product. Since you have a deep understanding of our coffee, the caf¨¦ owner specially ordered me to send you a cup for you to have a taste.¡± ¡®The caf¨¦ owner?¡¯ Nicole turned around and saw Jared casually ying with his coffee mug. When he saw her looking over at him, he smiled yfully and gestured for her to drink the coffee. Nicole felt like he seemed to want her to try the new product. She thought about it and raised her mug to have a sip indifferently. The new coffee was rich in vor and was packed with a dense taste. It was not the usual taste of coffee, and she had fewments in her mind. Jared watched her as she was drinking the coffee. Nicole took some time before shemented, ¡°If I¡¯m not mistaken, this is probably the coffee beans harvested from Mr. Johnston¡¯s private estate in France. The bitterness of the beans was turned pleasant, and thetest freeze-drying technique was applied as the processing method. The low temperature will keep the original taste of the coffee beans and allow them to be heavily frothy. The coffee filled with a rich aroma will leave only a pleasant taste in the mouth with no sourness. Before Max could speak, Jared was already walking toward Nicole as he pped. ¡°Not bad at all. You¡¯ve got a good taste, Miss Riddle! You¡¯ve got everything right.¡± Jared had waited for her for a few days, and she, as expected, did not let him down. Not only did this girl know about the coffee beans from his estate, but she had also tried the newest product before. ¡°Miss Riddle, my coffee beans are the newest batch. There isn¡¯t enough time for us to send some to Mr. Ellison, so where have you tasted it?¡± At that moment, Nicole¡¯s expression changed. It turns out that Jared still had not gotten over it. Was he setting traps for her? Nicole could tell that he did not believe her lies at all! Jared just took a seat across from her when he saw her slightly panicking. He then stared at her teasingly as he waited for her response. ¡°Besides, why are you so familiar with the coffee beans from my private estate? You even know about the processing methods so well.¡± Jared would only introduce a few roasting techniques to the people visiting his privatend. But the few friends he had were all high-ranking bigshots. No matter how Nicole got her hands on his coffee, the person who sent her the coffee beans they had gotten from Jared must have highly regarded Nicole. Jared got more intrigued about Nicole¡¯s past as he thought about this. This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. Nicole saw that she could not hide the truth anymore, so she did not bother looking for excuses. She looked him dead in the eye and smiled. ¡°Obviously, the reason I know about it is that I drank the coffee from the owner of that estate. Besides, I¡¯ve had it for years.¡± Jared was even more surprised as his coffee would only be sent to the most powerful people in the world. Besides, the supply was very limited. And Nicole actually said that she had drunk his coffee for years? His fianc¨¦ was incredibly mysterious. ¡°Last time, you said Mr. Ellison let you drink it, Miss Riddle. It was obviously a lie, so would you be so kind as to disclose the identity of the friend who gave you the coffee beans?¡± ¡°No.¡± Nicole smiled. Her smile was graceful and not rude, but it had kept his mouth shut. It was the first time Jared was rejected by someone, so his eyes squinted slightly. But he could not force Nicole as her identity was still a mystery. ¡°Alright, seems like I could only do my own research.¡± Jared smiled as his enticing eyes met hers mid- air. Max could not help but gulp as he watched them. Both were equally matched, staring at each other like they were in a battle. ¡°It¡¯s up to you.¡± Though Nicole was a little bothered about the power of the Johnston family, her identity could not be dug out so easily, so there was not much for her to be afraid of. Jared was even more impressed with her when he saw her acting so calmly. To be able to withstand his presence, Nicole was definitely not a country girl, let alone a normal student ¡®Interesting, how interesting! Nicole took another sip of coffee and said slowly, ¡°Is Mr. Johnston Sr. fully recovered? Do you think he can meet visitors now?¡± Jared concentrated on Nicole as his smile grew deeper. He did not expect Nicole to bring up such a thing ¡°No,¡± Jared responded coldly. He returned Nicole¡¯s word to her. Nicole arched her brows slightly as she thought, ¡®This rascal, Jared. sure holds grudges.¡¯ ¡°It¡¯s alright. I¡¯ll head over when he is avable. After all, I¡¯m still young. Don¡¯t dy your own marriage, Mr. Johnston.¡± Nicole smiled brightly before she buried her head in her book again. Jared¡¯s expression froze in a split second. ¡®This youngdy sure knows how to provoke people!¡¯ Chapter 47 Chapter 47 Jared saw that Nicole had no intentions of talking to him, so he said, ¡°Sure, we¡¯ll meet him someday then. I¡¯ve got something to do, so I¡¯ll be leaving now.¡± Jared then fixed his tie and got up before turning and leaving dashingly. Max was the only one who knew that his boss was a little upset. After Jared left, Nicole only looked up to see the back of his figure. For whatever reason, she suddenly found his sulking expression interesting. She stopped smiling and shook her head, and continued reading while drinking her coffee. The sky turned dark in the blink of an eye, and Nicole finally decided to go back to her dorm to rest. She kept her book away and got up after leaving a banknote on the table. Before leaving the caf¨¦, she saw Raine bringing Gary into the premise. Nicole could not help but smirk as she did not expect Raine to show up at the caf¨¦ after being humiliated here. Gary also saw Nicole and got a little angry as he thought about her rejecting him earlier in the afternoon. So, he did not start a conversation with her, though his eyes were still following her around. Raine¡¯s expression turned hideous as soon as she saw Nicole. Gary had been treating Raine exceptionally cold these days. She knew that Gary was very interested in this caf¨¦, so she tried her best to bit the embarrassment bullet she got from the pst time. She managed to get Gary toe with her, but who would have known that Nicole would appear everywhere?! When Raine watched Nicole walking past her and the cashier, leaving without paying, she could not help but mock Nicole, ¡°How could you leave without paying, Nicole? You country folks are really uneducated. You¡¯re trying to avoid paying even when you¡¯re in full view!¡± Nicole just rolled her eyes at Raine. She paid no heeds to her and pushed the door open. Raine saw Nicole shaking her head, so she thought Nicole was trying to leave without paying She immediately rushed over to the man at the cashier and said, ¡°Hey! Do something about her. She¡¯s trying to leave without paying! You¡¯re lucky I saw it!¡± Nicole had insulted Rainest time, so Raine wanted to embarrass Nicole to the point where she could not bring herself to get her coffee from this caf¨¦ anymore! Unexpectedly, the cashier only gave her a polite smile. ¡°Thatdy is Miss Riddle and she¡¯s our caf¨¦¡¯s VIP. She doesn¡¯t have to pay for anything here. As for you, missus, you¡¯ve already been cklisted by our caf¨¦. The caf¨¦ owner doesn¡¯t wee you. Please leave.¡± ¡°What?¡± Raine was trembling with anger after hearing his words. She did not expect Nicole to be able to dine in here for free so easily, but she was chased out even when she wanted to spend her money here! ¡°How do you run your business? Do you know who I am? How dare you cklist me?! Do you want your business to close down?!¡± The cashier who was polite to her immediately changed his attitude upon her remarks. ¡°I don¡¯t care who you are, but the rules of our caf¨¦ remain! Don¡¯t act so atrociously here, or you will pay for it!¡± Two big-built bodyguards appeared behind the cashier after he was done speaking, staring down at Raine. Raine wanted to continue speaking, but Gary could not stand being in such a humiliating situation anymore, so he just turned and left. He had never been rejected by anyone ever since he was young. Raine was really embarrassing him! Raine panicked when she saw Gary leaving, so she immediately ran after Gary after shooting the cashier a re. ¡°Gary, wait up¡­¡± Max walked down the stairs after Raine and Gary left and praised the cashier, ¡°You¡¯ve done well.¡± Raine was yelling at the fiance of his boss and was even threatening people in Johnston¡¯s territory. She was obviously asking for trouble! Max then walked to Nicole. ¡°We¡¯re sorry for startling you, Miss Riddle.¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright.¡± Nicole smiled, not feeling upset. Instead, she was really relieved at the fact that Jared had cklisted Raine. ¡°Please thank Mr. Johnston for me. I¡¯ll visit here often.¡± Nicole waved and left after speaking. Max was a little surprised as he thought, ¡®Miss Riddle seemed happy.¡¯ At that moment, the cashier walked over to Max. ¡°Mr. Graham, thatdy just now left some money on the table¡­¡± Max took the banknote and smiled. ¡°Thisdy sure is interesting.¡± He thought, ¡®Mr. Johnston already said that Nicole did not have to pay for anything in here, but she refused to owe him anything. ¡®People like her are rare these days.¡¯ The sky was dark, and the streetlights on campus were all lit up. Nicole walked slowly to her dormitory with her bag in her hands, and it did not take long for her to reach her dorm. Just when she was about to go up the stairs, she sensed that something was about to fall from upstairs. Her reaction was quick, so she dodged it immediately. Suddenly, a rocknded on the ground, and a loud noise was heard. ¡°A rock?!¡± She thought, ¡®Who was pulling such a sick prank? If I hadn¡¯t evaded that rock, it would have cracked open my skull.¡¯ She sensed that the rock was thrown from the dormitory next to hers just now. The dormitory was for boys, so she had no idea who bore so much grudge at her that he had to hit her with a rock. The culprit was still looking at her from the tenth-something floor and was upset that the rock did not hit her. The person scoffed and tucked his head back in. Nicole did not see his face, but she wondered, ¡®I have just moved into the dormitory today, so I shouldn¡¯t have offended anyone here?¡¯ Although she was in puzzlement, she just walked to her dormitory calmly without saying anything After she got in, she took a hot shower. N?velDrama.Org content rights. When she got out of the shower, she heard Lulu exim from the bed next to hers, ¡°Nicole, look at the school forum now. Everyone is buzzing there. They said you bullied snow, so you don¡¯t deserve to be the campus queen!¡± Chapter 48 Chapter 48 Lulu knew that Nicole did not log on to the school forum very often, which meant that she did not know about these things. Nicole heard her and pulled out her phone to check the school forum. She immediately saw the post with a picture of herself with a cold expression and Snow, who was wiping her tears from the corner of her eyes. The picture was taken from a very good angle, showcasing Snow biting her lips, eyes reddened. How pretty. Thements were basically insults against Nicole, saying that she had gotten too full of herself after being the beauty queen and started to bully Snow. Additionally, some people were so extreme that they were sending death threats, saying that they will kill Nicole to avenge Snow, which obviously showed that they were Snow¡¯s fans. Nicole thought about the incident and realized that this picture was taken when Snow was telling her that she would not cause trouble again. So, in the picture was Snow¡¯s worried expression. Back then, Nicole had already felt like Snow was too much. She did not think that someone would take a picture of that scene. Was not everything too coincidental? Nicole continued to scroll down and actually found Snow¡¯s response toward this matter.¡± Don¡¯t talk about Nicole like this, guys. She¡¯s pretty, so it¡¯s natural for her to be arrogant. I¡¯m really fine. Thanks for all your concerns.¡± Snow would die before she admitted that Nicole was prettier than her. She was even gritting her teeth in anger when she thought of Nicole¡¯s face as she typed thatment. However, her reply indicated that Nicole had really bullied her. So her fans were all heartbroken for her, saying that they would definitely make Nicole pay. Even the people who did not know what happened were criticizing Nicole. Nicole arched her brows when she saw this. ¡®Snow really knows how to y the victim card,¡¯ Nicole thought. However, this could exin where the rock that was aimed at her came from. Nicole figured that the boy was Snow¡¯s fan, so he was just avenging Snow. Nicole refreshed the school forum and noticed that some people were still fishing for her background and her personal details. But their skills were too weak, so they could not even break the first firewall she set up. N?velDrama.Org content rights. Since the top students in school could not search anything about Nicole¡¯s background, they were all saying that Nicole had no history at all, so she did not deserve to be crowned the beauty queen! Nicole read those words half-heartedly as she rubbed her damp hair in her towel. Her fair arm was exposed under her bathrobe, so she looked even more ethereal with the contrast of her soot-ck hair. She looked at the posts expressionlessly as if the discussions were not about her. Lulu could not help but ask from the upper bunk, ¡°Nicole, everyone is going crazy on the school forum saying that you¡¯re not on the same level as Snow and that you don¡¯t deserve to be the beauty queen. What are you going to do?¡± Nicole respondedzily, ¡°Nothing much.¡± She then cleaned up her bed after speaking and threw her phone aside like none of these were affecting her. Even June took some time out from studying to look at Nicole, which was rare. June thought Nicole would act like other girls, getting angry and frustrated. She did not expect Nicole to act as if nothing had happened. June looked at the time and saw that it was already half-past ten at night. So, she just switched off the lights without considering the fact that Nicole was still cleaning up. Nicole paused for a while, but her night vision was fairly good, so she just continued to clean up her bed nonchntly. Lulu popped her head out from the upper bunk and said, ¡°Don¡¯t be angry, Nicole. June has always acted like this. She won¡¯t care about what you¡¯re doing because she has to sleep at ten thirty at night when we¡¯re only asked to switch off the lights at eleven o¡¯clock at night!¡± Nicole just responded with an ¡°Mmm,¡± indicating that she got it. Lulu popped her head back in. She had already gotten used to June switching off the lights at her own will, so she had already washed herself up and was ready to sleep. Nicole was going to sleep when she saw both of her roommates sleeping. At that moment, her ringtone went off. Nicole took her phone and looked at the phone number, which was an encrypted number. Her indifferent gaze immediately changed when she saw that number. She looked at her roommates, who were asleep, and sneaked out from her bed to leave the room, not making any noise. She paused for a while and answered the call. The response she got from the other end of the phone was just the whistling wind. No one spoke. Nicole listened to the silence and asked, ¡°Carl?¡± Both Carl and Nicole made a promise to pause for ten seconds when they called each other to confirm their identity. A faintugh echoed from the other end. ¡°I knew you¡¯d recognize me.¡± Nicole knew that he was alright after listening to his cheeky voice, so she was finally relieved. Nicole sighed. ¡°You¡¯re still alive, Carl. This is great.¡± Carl did not respond after hearing Nicole¡¯s words, and Nicole could only hear the sound of his breaths. ¡°Nicole, you know, when I was close to dying, I only wanted to see you.¡± His words melted Nicole¡¯s heart for a while. Before Nicole had her family, the person who was the closest to her was Carl. To her, Carl was just like her real brother. So, she could really understand what he was feeling. ¡°I¡¯ve always wanted to see you too¡­¡± Her voice trembled, which had never happened before. Chapter 49 Chapter 49 Carl knew that Nicole must¡¯ve been lonely these days. She must¡¯ve missed him a lot. N?velDrama.Org content rights. ¡°I know¡­ That¡¯s why I fought to stay alive. The thing I¡¯m most afraid of is you being sad.¡± His voice was filled with adoration and longing. After the near-death experience this time, Carl finally understood how important Nicole was to him. Nicole¡¯s nose started to burn, and she took some time to calm herself time. ¡°Now that you¡¯re fine, I don¡¯t have to worry anymore. Zane will arrange for us to meet when we are safe. There are people after me now, so I can¡¯t really contact you all the time.¡± Carl sulked for a second as Nicole did not respond to him, but he knew that Nicole was naive. She did not know that his feelings were different from before. He thought about this and lifted his spirits as he said, ¡°I know I shouldn¡¯t call you now as I will endanger you. But I¡­¡± He really missed her; he missed her so bad it hurts. So did Nicole. She had been longing to hear Carl¡¯s voice. ¡°It¡¯s alright. I¡¯ll meet you the first thing when everything is stable.¡± Nicole¡¯s voice made Carl fall silent. He knew that Nicole would not simply make promises. Once she did, she would always keep her words. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll wait for you.¡± The both of them knew that their call could not be too long, so they just reminded each other to take care before hanging up. Nicole felt extremely relieved when sheid back on her bed. She was always worried about the oue of this issue, so she could finally have a night of good sleep now. The next morning, Nicole came back from her morning exercises and went to ss with Lulu. When they walked back to ss, she realized that the hardworking students were all whispering among themselves. ¡°Did you hear? Harvey, the hottest boy in school, finallypleted the two-weeks long international Physics Olympiad Competition. He¡¯sing back after a few days!¡± ¡°Are you for real?! No wonder I haven¡¯t seen him these days. It¡¯s just because he joined that famous Physics Olympiad Competition.¡± ¡°Harvey ising back. My dry school life ising to an end!¡± These students were all discussing excitedly, but when they saw Nicoleing in, they strangely went silent. Nicole just ignored them and walked past them before sitting down at her table, and that was when the noises started to rise again. ¡°Harvey ising back. If he sees Nicole bullying Snow like this, he will definitely make her pay!¡± ¡°Yeah! Everyone knows that Harvey takes care of Nicole, and she still dares to bully Snow. She¡¯s just asking for it at this point.¡± Everyone looked at Nicole excitedly, like they were gloating over Nicole getting in trouble. Nicole had been acting so arrogant these days, enjoying the limelight as much as she can. It was about time she learned her lesson! Who was Harvey? He was Mr. Ellison¡¯s grandson, the notable heir of the Ellison family. He was the real wealthy prince! The Finley family is the only family in school that was somewhat in the same league as the Ellison family, the rest of them would never mess with the Ellison family. Nicole did not even bother to listen to what they were saying, but she just felt that Harvey was a very familiar name. It sounded like the name of the grandson that Mr. Ellison mentioned. Mr. Ellison even wanted to introduce Harvey to Nicole, but she rejected him straight. However, Harvey was on the same side as Snow. Bradley heard what they were talking about in the front row, and he could not help but turn back to look at Nicole worriedly. Everyone in Royal Creek Institute knew that Harvey and Snow were a couple. Though the both of them did not go public with their rtionship, Harvey only allowed Snow to be next to him, and it was the best proof of their rtionship. ¡°Nicole, everyone is spreading that you¡¯re bullying Snow on the school forum. When Harveyes back and knows about this, he will never tolerate it. Why don¡¯t you take a break from school and hide for a while? You cane back when the school forum is less heated,¡± Nicole knew that Bradley was genuinely worried about her, but it was unnecessary. Harvey did not deserve her taking a break from school. Nicole shot Bradley a calm gaze and pulled out an Esperian book to read. Sitting behind Nicole was Jack. He noticed Nicole was reading a different book than the books she used to read, so he turned around and said to Gary, ¡°Gary, Nicole is being pretentious again. How could a country bumpkin understand Esperian?¡± Gary was initially leaning his back against the chairzily, staring at Nicole, who was the topic of everyone¡¯s conversation. He furrowed his brows when he heard Jack¡¯s remark, but he did not say anything. His vision was good, so he could immediately see the anatomy chart that was marked with Esperian words on the cover page. It was a medical book. People should know that medical books in a foreignnguage were basically gibberish. Even Gary needed to use a lot of effort to read it, so he naturally assumed that it was impossible for Nicole to understand that book However, he thought about how Nicole said that the Maths Olympiad questions were too easy with a straight face, and he changed his mind. Could Nicole really understand that book? At that moment, a loud cheer exploded outside the door. It did not take long before a girl with a seductive face walked in, followed by five or six girls, who were all fairly pretty. But their outrageous pura overpowered their appearance, making them look despicable. The first seductive girl swept her eyes across the ss and knocked on the podium, asking,¡± Which one of you is Nicole?¡± The whole ss immediately looked at Nicole. Chapter 50 Chapter 50 Even after such a bigmotion, Nicole just continued to read her book without looking up. The seductive girl grew jealous when she saw Nicole, whose beauty was still apparent even when she was sitting down quietly. She walked to Nicole and asked loudly, ¡°Are you acting deaf? Are you Nicole?¡± Nicole finally looked up and nced at her calmly without any expression. Her eyes were cold and distant, and the seductive girl felt a chill running down her spine when Nicole stared at her like that. ¡°D-Don¡¯t be so arrogant, you! We have all seen you bullying Snow, so you have to apologize to her in public! Don¡¯t think you can bully people however you want just because you¡¯re pretty!¡± A cute girl chimed in behind her, ¡°That¡¯s right. Snow is such a gentle person. You¡¯re too evil for even wanting to bully her! I heard you¡¯re from the countryside with no history whatsoever. As expected, country folks are all uncivilized. Do you think you deserve to be the beauty queen? She red furiously at Nicole when she said that. After listening to what they were saying, the whole ss started to look at Nicole with despise in their eyes. They had seen Snow looking for Nicole in this ss yesterday. Nicole was extremely cold and even acted like she could not hear Snow calling her. Country bumpkins were indeed utterly uneducated. Besides, she was not good at her studies. So they couldn¡¯t let someone like Nicole be the beauty queen. The girls were delighted when they saw the expression on everyone¡¯s faces. The seductive girl then grabbed Nicole. ¡°Come with us and apologize to Snow!¡± Nicole frowned with frustration and immediately raised her arm to push the girl¡¯s hand away. ¡°Ah!¡± The girl almost lost her bnce and looked up angrily. ¡°How dare you push me?!¡± ¡°So what if I did?¡± Nicole stood up arrogantly. ¡°Just because of those blurry pictures? You¡¯re all here to mess around and make me apologize just because of those pictures?¡± Nicole nced at them from their heads to their toes mockingly. ¡°It¡¯s fine if your eyesight is bad. But you people are missing quite a number of brain cells too, huh?¡± The seductive girl¡¯s blood boiled when she heard Nicole¡¯s insult. She was the heiress of the Holmes family and had always been Snow¡¯s follower. So who dared to insult her, saying that she missed some brain cells? She shrieked, ¡°Are you insulting me, you little country b*tch?! Girls, rip her lips off!¡± The girls behind her were all clenching their fists, but Nicole¡¯s patience was wearing thin. She then looked at the seductive girl coldly and said, ¡°I¡¯m giving you onest chance to piss off yourselves. Or else, I won¡¯t go easy on you.¡± Nicole never hit girls, but if these people continued to make a mess, Nicole would not let them go easily. How could the seductive girl give in? She had already been upset with Nicole. Nicole was just a transfer student from the countryside, but she had been enjoying too much limelight after Austin acknowledged her as his boss. Now, Nicole was even after Snow¡¯s beauty queen title. Her good luck was making everyone angry! She will never let Nicole go! She thought about this and attacked first, extending her long nails to w at Nicole¡¯s face. She believed that Nicole would be nothing after she ruined Nicole¡¯s face! The seductive girl was busy scheming in her head, and the girls behind her were all charging toward Nicole¡¯s hair, eyes, and chest with their fists. The seductive girl smiled maliciously and lunged at Nicole as if she could already envision Nicole¡¯s face after being wed by her. When the students in ss saw what was happening, they all expected Nicole to run away frightened. After all, Ashley Holmes was a senior. They had all seen Ashley and her friends bullying people, targeting the girls¡¯ weakest areas. The girls who were bullied by them were all utterly pitiful, so they thought Nicole was doomed as well! However, when the seductive girl¡¯s hands almost touched Nicole, Nicole quickly outstretched her arm. Before the students saw her movements, she had already grabbed the seductive girl¡¯s neck and pinned her against the wall via inertia. The remaining girls had never seen such a fight, so they got frightened and were going to stop fighting But Nicole did not spare them any chances. She evaded her hand and extended her other arm.¡± Smack, smack, smack,¡± each of them got a p on the face. Those people then fell t on the desks one after another! ¡°Wh ¨C What¡¯s happening?¡± The fallen girls felt a burning sensation on their faces. They had no idea how they would be thrown here just by one p. This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Since you are all girls, I¡¯m just using one of my hands. If this happens again, don¡¯t me me for going all out on you.¡± Nicole¡¯s eyes emitted a murderous aura before she took out a tissue paper and wiped her hands as if she found them dirty. Everyone¡¯s eyes widened when they saw her movements. ¡°My God¡­ She¡¯s really cool¡­¡± Did Nicole really take care of the seniors just by using one hand? Scanned with CamScanner ¡°Exactly¡­¡± Many of their gazes turned from despising to admiration. But, most of them were so startled that they did not dare to speak¡­ As for Ashley and her friends, they werepletely dumbfounded as they looked at Nicole frightenedly. They had always bullied people in a gang, so none of the girls they bullied could fight back. But Nicole was strong, beating them up until they could see stars. Even their cheeks were swollen. Furthermore, Nicole had only used one hand! If Nicole used two hands, weren¡¯t they going to be lying t on the ground? Chapter 51 Chapter 51 Ashley¡¯s expression was in vain. Just by Nicole¡¯s push, she already felt that her spine was smashed into pieces. But the terrifying thing for her was Nicole¡¯s eyes when she stared at her. It was like Nicole would kill her if she tried to continue fighting! ¡°P*ss off!¡± Nicole wiped her hands and threw the tissue paper into the trashcan. The girls who got beaten up did not dare to go against Nicole, so they immediately ran over to help Ashley up. ¡°We¡¯ll¡­ leave now.¡± The girls looked at Nicole with fear and horror. They were always the bully, so they had never thought that there would be a day when they would show someone such a fearful expression. The girls helped Ashley up and stuck their backs against the wall as they shifted out of ss B. Before they left, Ashley worked up her courage and said something harsh, ¡°Nicole¡­ This isn¡¯t over yet! When Harveyes back and hears about what you did to Snow, he won¡¯t ever let you slide. Just wait and see!¡± After she was done speaking, she immediately ran away with her friends. Nicole did not care about their threats at all. She just dusted off the dirt on her table and took out the medical book. She then sat down and continued reading. The students all returned to their seats with frightened hearts. They did not even dare to breathe loudly. Even the ferocious Ashley lost to Nicole. ¡®We have been talking smack about Nicole for the past few days¡­ Would we be beaten up as well?¡¯ The students in the ss were all worried for themselves, so the ss got as silent as the grave. Jack saw their stunned expression and scoffed lightly. They had never seen how heroic Nicole looked when she beat up over ten people, and they were already frightened of her now. Nicole only used one hand to tackle those girls; it was nothing! However, they had all asked for it. Jack suddenly froze when he thought about this. What has gotten into him? Why was he defending Nicole? He then looked in Nicole¡¯s direction with aplicated heart. He had always looked down on the people from the countryside, but Nicole was really different from them. Though she was cold, she did not seem like a difficult person to be around with. He even saw how nice she was to Lulu and Bradley, and she was extremely skilled. Even Gary was not really her opponent, and her studies were not as bad as he thought it was. Besides, Jack looked at Nicole, who was resting her chin on her hand as she read. She was in a simple white T-shirt, and her ck hair was making her radiant, fair face stand out even more. Her slightly upturned fox eyes were slightly squinted. The sunlight shone on her through the window, melting away the cold aura around her, making her look extremelyid back as if she was a painting. He could not help but be wowed once more as Nicole was really beautiful. Though her features were simr to Snow and Raine, her features were a lot sharper than theirs. Her face was smaller, her eyshes were perkier, and her nose was sharper. She looked pretty from every angle, and her figure was out of the world. If he had to rate her on a scale of 1 to 10, she would definitely be a solid 10. A person like her waspletely different from a person from the countryside. Jack stared at Nicole, and Gary suddenly kicked his chair from behind. Gary did not hold back his strength, so Jack almost fell from that kick He turned back to look at Gary, who looked back at him expressionlessly. Jack immediately backed down. ¡°What¡¯s up, Gary?¡± Gary responded nonchntly, ¡°Nothing much. My leg just got itchy.¡± Wayneughed out loud next to them. Jack knew that Gary was upset with him, but he knew that he did not do anything that would make Gary upset these days, so why did Gary act up all of a sudden? Wayne gloated next to them andN?velDrama.Org exclusive content. said, ¡°From the way I see it, it¡¯s probably because you didn¡¯t let Gary beat Cain upst time. Nicole was the one who took the spotlight in the end, so Gary is still holding a grudge against you.¡± Chapter 52 Chapter 52 Seeing Gary stare over, Wayne stopped talking. Jack looked at the two people in puzzlement. Just then, the school bell rang, and Ms. Emerson walked in to get ready for ss. Jack scratched his head and opened the textbook, but his eyes involuntarily drifted toward Nicole. ¡®She has a wasp waist.¡¯ BANG! ¡°What are you doing, Gary?¡± The entire ss looked back and saw that Jack had fallen to the ground along with his chair. He was rubbing his butt indecently, looking confusedly at Gary. Gary, on the other hand, slowly pulled back his leg and looked at Ms. Emerson with a rectitude. Hearing Jack¡¯s question, he said faintly, ¡°Oh, my foot slipped this time.¡± Ms. Emerson looked suspiciously at the two from the podium. She then asked Jack to put the chair back up before continuing the lesson. This time, Jack had learned his lesson; he stopped looking at Nicole but stared at the hem of Ms. Emerson¡¯s skirt and did not get kicked again. After ss, Wayneughed at him for gawking at Ms. Emerson. Jack looked at him austerely.¡° You know nothing.¡± He must not stare at Nicole; otherwise, he would be kicked. So he thought he might just as well focus on Ms. Emerson. The longer he stared at her, the more peaceful he felt. After school, Nicole slowly packed up her stuff. Lulu thought Nicole was going back to her dorm and wanted to go with her, but Nicole was going to the caf¨¦. There were too many eyes in the dormitory. She had better sit at the caf¨¦ and work on her mission from there. Since that was the case, Lulu said nothing further. Nicole was walking alone on the street and noticed that there were always some annoying, contemptuous stares from others. Nicole raised an eyebrow, knowing that it was because of Snow. So she did not bother to respond to them. Arriving at the caf¨¦, Nicole said hello to the staff and sat down at her usual spot. It was her professional habit to find the safest spot wherever she went. The corner was well lit but not directly facing the window. There was also a thick partition separating her table from the adjacent ones, but this did not affect her line of sight to observe her surroundings. Besides, not far behind her, there was an escape route through which she could get away in case anything went wrong. Nicole sat down and took out herputer, which she had put in the bag this morning. People from all walks of life were going online, doing their stuff at the caf¨¦. So it was an ideal ce for hackers to perform their online activities. Nicole first logged in to her ount. Specter was not online, so she left him a message, telling him she was safe before going offline. She then logged in to her new ount, ready to check the progress of the $10-million mission that she had epted. All hackers on The Hunters had heard about Lucifer. This was a nasty job, which she believed she was the only person who was willing to take. If the other party wanted to dig further, he or she would definitely pay attention to her backup &ount. N?velDrama.Org exclusive content. But five minutester, Nicole was still staring at an empty chat box. She frowned. The person on the other side seemed more cunning and cautious than she thought. Nicole could not help but wonder if she had made a mistake somewhere and spooked them. Max was in a meeting at Johnson Group when he heard a notification on his mobile phone. The system automatically disyed an IP address, which was the location of Lucifer, who was daring enough to use a proxy ount to ept jobs. Chapter 53 Chapter 53 Max motioned for the meeting to be adjourned and took out his phone and nced at it. Confirming that the message was what Jared needed exactly, he immediately walked out of the conference room and made a phone call. ¡°Mr. Johnston, it is me. Lucifer¡¯s proxy ount is online again.¡± Jared¡¯s hands clenched the steering wheel as he mmed on the brake. His car came to a stop as the tires screeched loudly in protest. He narrowed his eyes and asked, ¡°Where is the location?¡± Max was stunned when he opened the detailed coordinates. ¡°How-how is that possible?¡± Jared frowned. ¡°What is wrong?¡± ¡°It is in front of the Royal Creek Institute, in your caf¨¦!¡± ¡°What?¡± Jared was shocked. He never expected that the person he had been trying to track down was now in his caf¨¦. He searched high and low, only to find the target was in a ce where he least expected. A smile crept up his face with a Hunter-like look in his eyes. He performed a sharp U-turn and drove toward the Royal Creek Institute while issuing amand. ¡°Max, ask the staff to keep an eye on everyone and don¡¯t let anyone leave until I arrive.¡± Max knew how long his boss had been looking for this target. He immediately did what was told. Jared looked grave. He drove at the fastest speed possible and arrived in front of the Royal Creek Institute, then he threw the car key to the jockey and strode into his caf¨¦. Seeing Jareding in, his staff quickly said, ¡°Max has instructed us. We are organizing a special event, and no one is leaving.¡± Jared nodded. He looked at the people in the caf¨¦, and suddenly his eyes fell on the spot where Nicole usually sat. There was still a cup of coffee on the table. ¡°Did Miss Riddlee before?¡± A staff member followed his gaze and nodded with a smile. ¡°Yes, but she left before Max called. Are you looking for her?¡± Jared¡¯s gaze deepened at hearing that. But since the time did not match, he did not suspect Nicole. He gazed at the people in the caf¨¦, trying to find out who was suspicious as soon as possible. The caf¨¦ was in a strategic location, and it was during peak hours with a dozen people going online on their laptops. The program he wrote could pinpoint the coordinates, but because there were too many connections to the caf¨¦¡¯s Wi-Fiwork, there was no way to tell whichputer it was. Jared let out a frosty smile at the thought that Lucifer might be among these people. He would definitely catch him. ¡°Find out what was on theirputers in ten minutes.¡± N?velDrama.Org exclusive content. If it was Lucifer, he surely had hacking software on hisputer. The staff in his caf¨¦ were actually IT elites who disguised themselves as waitstaff. Soputer hacking was a piece of cake for them. A waiter at the counter immediately swung into action, his fingers typed on the keyboard rapidly as he started searching and screening. After a moment, the waiter said with a grave look on his face. ¡°Mr. Johnston, they are only ordinary students. I found nothing suspicious in theirputers.¡± ¡°How can that be?¡± Max had already sent him the coordinates. It was impossible to make a mistake. Chapter 54 Chapter 54 Jared thought for a moment and then turned theputer around toward him. But after checking everyone¡¯sputer, he found nothing suspicious. ¡®Lucifer is really not among these people. So, where will she be? The coordinates can¡¯t possibly be wrong.¡¯ ¡°Check the surveince camera and find out those who havee to the caf¨¦ and used aputer today.¡± Jared clenched his fists, hating himself foring toote. He was only one step from catching the elusive Lucifer. ¡°You got it, Mr. Johnston.¡± The waiter quickly used his in-ear device to radio others, and everyone got busy. At this time, Nicole was already on her way back to the dormitory. Since she did not get any reply, the other side must have suspected her. So she quickly deleted the proxy ount and left the caf¨¦ at once. Since she left the Riddle family, she had been suspecting that the other side was going to pull the same trick to find her coordinates. This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. So she added a new program to the second firewall of herputer to slow down the other party from tracing her coordinates. That meant, even if the other party had found her coordinates, by the time they arrived, she would have been long gone. It was virtually impossible to catch her by just tracing her coordinates. Soon Nicole was back in the dorm. Lulu was working on the exam paper Nicole had given her yesterday. June was not there. When Nicole came back, Lulu said to her frustratedly, ¡°Good to see you back, Nicole. Can you teach me how to solve this equation? Every time I felt like I was about to solve it, it came out not quite right. I was about to go crazy.¡± Seeing her frustration, Nicole raised an eyebrow and took over the test paper. This equation was tricky. Lulu could not solve it because she did not understand the question. Nicole pointed out the problem to her concisely. Lulu had a lightbulb moment and quickly took out a paper and started calcting. She got the answer in just a few minutes. She looked at Nicole adoringly. ¡°Nicole, you are awesome.¡± Nicole said nothing but just gave her a low-key look. Lulu copsed on the bed,ughing. After spending time with Nicole, Lulu found Nicole was really a wonderful person. She might look distant but was much better than many two-faced people. She looked up at Nicole and said, ¡°I am sure you would never bully Snow. Someone must have made a mistake.¡± Nicole looked at Lulu with surprise. After all, all the voices online were denouncing her. She did not expect Lulu to be willing to believe her, and that was heart-warming. ¡°Thank you,¡± she said with a faint smile. Although she did not care about people smearing her, she would not refuse Lulu¡¯s kindness. Lulu felt moved somehow when Nicole thanked her. She clenched her fist and said, ¡°Don¡¯t mention it. We are all friends, and friends trust each other. With your defensive skills, Snow should have been lying in the hospital should you have bullied her. In short, I will find a way to prove your innocence.¡± With that, she turned on theputer, logged in to the forum, and prepared to tear apart the lies smearing Nicole. Nicole could not help butugh at seeing her scrappy look. Just as she was just about to decline Lulu¡¯s kindness, the phone in her pocket suddenly vibrated. Her expression turned somber. She took out her mobile phone and looked at it, it was an anonymous message. How can you take a call from Carl? I can¡¯t believe you are just as senseless as him. I now suspect that you have been tracked down. I will take Carl to a safe ce. We should keep our contact to the minimum for the time being. Chapter 55 Chapter 55 Nicole could imagine the angry face of Zane Spears on the other side of the monitor screen. She felt sorry. She was too anxious and should not have answered the phone. But she really just wanted to make sure Carl was safe and did not think much about it that time. Thinking of this, Nicole sighed softly, with a rare sense of helplessness on her face. The phone in her hand rang again. This time, the screen showed it was a call from Samuel. Nicole did not expect Samuel to call. She pressed the answer button, put the phone to her ear, and Samuel¡¯s energetic voice on the other end of the phone came to ear. ¡°Do you have time, Nicole? Spencer and I wille to pick you up and go out to dinner together.¡± Nicole did not have sses in the afternoon, and she did not n to go to the evening self study ss either. So, after thinking about it, she replied, ¡°I am free afterward. Wait for me at the school gate. I will go out to meet you guys now.¡± Spencer and Samuel had many fans. It would be troublesome for them to pick her up from her dormitory. After hanging up, Nicole got changed, gave Lulu a heads-up, and left. Lulu was still busy online and just waved her hand to acknowledge Nicole when she heard Nicole¡¯s voice. Nicole nced at theputer in front of her and saw dense, ring red fonts on the screen.¡° Wrap it up and get some rest. I will bring you food when I am back.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Lulu did not even look up. Nicole went downstairs. There was nothing much she could do. In fact, she could not care less about what people said about her online. Otherwise, she would have hacked into the school¡¯s online forum and erased everything on it. It was just that she did not bother to do that. At the school gate, Nicole could see from afar Samuel waving at her. Judging by the shape of his mouth, he must be calling her to go over quickly. Meanwhile, Spencer was standing some distance from Samuel, looking at him with disgust. Nicole smiled. It was only after she got closer that she found Norah also came along, looking at her with displeasure. Norah had moved to the campus for two days and had little time with her brothers. That was the reason she asked Samuel and Spencer out. She did not expect them to call Nicole. She was exasperated at seeing her two brothers grin ear-to-ear when Nicole came out. Nicole could not help but snicker when she saw the look on Norah¡¯s face. She as well came beside Samuel and made a cordial smile at him deliberately. ¡°Where are we going, Samuel?¡± Her smile was so sweet that it stunned Samuel. ¡°Where-where are we going?¡± Samuel looked nkly at Spencer, his mind seemingly out of whack. ¡°Didn¡¯t you just say you were going to ask Nicole where she wanted to go? Why look at me?¡± Spencer had a bewildered look on his face. Now, Norah became even more jealous ¡°Samuel, Spencer, I want to eat pasta,¡± ¡°I want to eat grilled fish. I wonder if there is any restaurant selling grilled fish nearby.¡± Nicole interrupted before Norah could finish her sentence. ¡°There is none near the school, but I know there is one that sells delicious grilled fish somewhere else. Let¡¯s take a taxi there,¡± Samuel immediately said. Samuel had always been very good to her. Norah did not expect that he would ignore her.She could only pretend to be aggrieved. ¡°Nicole has juste to the school. She should be given priority.¡± ¡°Yeah, Norah is so sensible.¡± Samuel simpered. Norah¡¯s smile froze. She wanted Samuel and Spencer¡¯s attention and for them to change her mind. These stupid brothers of hers were echoing what she said. Spencer knew Norah was upset, and he said, ¡°We will have pasta next time.¡± ¡°Okay, then.¡± Norah bit her lip and could only bear with it. They took a taxi. It would be too crowded if all of them got into the backseat. So Norah wanted to sit in the front passenger seat. She went ahead wanting to take the seat, but Samuel was even quicker than she was and had opened the front passenger car door. ¡°Nicole, you first.¡± Norah stood in ce, unsure of what to do. She had never imagined that thest person in the family who was good to her had now only Nicole in the eyes. He no longer had her at heart. ¡°Thank you, Samuel.¡± Nicole had noticed Norah¡¯s expression but could not care less. She got into the front passenger seat at once. Only then the two brothers then got into the back seat. N?velDrama.Org exclusive content. Norah looked at the little space left in the back seat, her face looking indignant. ¡°What is wrong, Norah? Get in the car. I am starving,¡± Samuel urged anxiously. At this point, Norah¡¯sst bit of affection for Samuel was gone. Samuel was good to her, but his brain was of no use to her. She bit her lip and could only squeeze herself into the back seat. It was so cramped at the back that she almost could not close the car door. After barely closing the car door, they set off for San Joto¡¯s most famous grilled fish restaurant. The restaurant was packed with customers. They could not enter without a reservation. Spencer took out his phone and made a call, and then they were ushered into a VIP elevator to go upstairs. They were seated at the VIP table, with Nicole sitting by the window and looking out at half of San Joto¡¯s cityscape. She had just wanted to eat a simple grilled fish, not expecting Spencer and Samuel to bring her to such a luxurious restaurant. Norah was equally surprised, not expecting Spencer and Samuel to bring Nicole to such an expensive ce. The two guys had limited pocket money every month, so when Samuel invited her to dinnerst time, they mostly dined in the not-so-expensive ce. Norah was really jealous this time because they were sshing out on Nicole. After sitting down, Norah could not help but say, ¡°Samuel, Spencer, are you two having a lot of pocket money this month? Nicole just wants to eat grilled fish. Is it really okay to come to such an expensive restaurant?¡± Chapter 56 Chapter 56 Spencer quickly shot a look at Norah and whispered, ¡°Since Nicole likes grilled fish, we just thought of taking her to the best ce to eat.¡± Nicole could also hear it, although his voice was not loud. She did not expect these two brothers to treat her so well. Their action was so heart-warming. She was slow to warm up, but she had gradually epted their kindness. ¡°Thank you, Samuel, Spencer. This meal will be on me.¡± She was the one who wanted to eat grilled fish, after all. ¡°No.¡± Samuel immediately straightened his back. ¡°How can we ask our younger sister to pay for it? Your job today is to eat. It is on me.¡± This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Since this is the case, thank you so much.¡± Nicole could not help but chuckle. She could not bring herself to refuse the kindness of her two brothers, no matter what. ¡°It is very expensive here. I guess you could not afford it, Nicole.¡± Norah taunted. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Norah. I have my brothers here.¡± Nicole smiled. Not bothering to talk to Norah more, she hit her where it hurt the most. Norah¡¯s expression changed. It was her brother¡¯s attention that she cared most about. But now Nicole had taken all that away. Norah could not describe how miserable she felt. She looked at Nicole, and her gaze turned darker and darker. While waiting for the food to be served, Samuel smiled at Nicole. ¡°Spencer and I heard you were going to take the Olympiad exams. So we decided to invite you to a good meal as encouragement.¡± When Norah heard Nicole was taking part in the Maths Olympiad, she could not help but ask, ¡± You want to take part in the Maths Olympiad? It is a toughpetition. Are your results up to par?¡± Their ss ¨C ss A ¨C had a few selected top students take part in the exam. Even Norah herself did not get a chance. Yet a country girl like Nicole was taking part? Did she even know what the Maths Olympiad was when she signed up for it? It was unbelievable. Samuel did not get Norah¡¯s sarcasm. He proudly held his head high and said, ¡°Why not? Don¡¯t forget that my sister is the daughter of the Riddle family, good enough to take part in the Maths Olympiad exam.¡± While they talked, the waitstaff served food to the table. While Samuel talked, Spencer thoughtfully fetched a slice of the grilled fish to Nicole. ¡°Try it. This part tastes great.¡± ¡°Thank you, Spencer.¡± Nicole had never been treated so attentively. She took the te and felt touched. Norah saw that the treatment she had used to receive was now given to Nicole. The two brothers looked at her but did not give her the same treatment, as if they were mindful of their rtionship. The jealousy exploded inside Norah. She wished she could just smash her cutlery on the table and leave. But then she saw someone walk in. ¡®Is she not from the Holmes family?¡¯ Norah did not go to ss B, but she had heard about what happened in the morning. She did not expect to see Snow¡¯s buddy while having a meal here. It looked like God was on her side. With this thought in mind, she called out to Nicole. ¡°This dish also tastes good. Try it.¡± Sure enough, her voice sessfully caught the attention of Ashley, who looked startled. She breathed a sigh of relief only after she saw Nicole was not looking at her. Her parents saw she in a bad mood and brought her out to dinner. She did not expect to see Nicole here. ¡®What a small world!Just when she wished she could leave, the sight of Samuel and Spencer surprised her. She wondered why a country girl like Nicole could afford to dine at such a ce. Not only that, Nicole was surrounded by two famous twin handsome men. Watching the two of them attend to Nicole, treating her like a princess, struck her dumb. A sense of jealousy and indignation shed in Ashley¡¯s eyes. This whore had not only sessfully seduced Austin but also the two handsome guys from the music ss and basketball team. Watching Samuel smile at Nicole, Ashley was convinced that Nicole was seducing the two guys. ¡®A transfer student takes advantage of her beauty to behave so appropriately. She is absolutely shameless!¡¯ Ashley felt depressed when the thought of what Nicole had done to her in the morning came to mind. While waiting for her parents to park the car, she took out her mobile phone and found an angle to take a photo of Spencer and Samuel cozying up to Nicole and then posted it to the school forum. Keenly sensing that someone was watching her, Nicole looked back and, sure enough, she saw Ashley Ashley looked as if she had done something wrong and quickly put away the phone, pretending not to see Nicole and hurrying away. But Nicole kept staring at her. Her years of experience told her that Ashley must have just photographed something. ¡°Samuel, Spencer. Please excuse me. I am going to thedies¡¯ room for a while.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Samuel agreed without even thinking about it. Nicole stood up and walked in the direction where Ashley had disappeared. Leaving the VIP area with floor-to-ceiling windows, Nicole walked past a ss corridor and came to the ordinary dining area. Seeing that Ashley had sat down with her parents, Nicole walked over with a cold look in her eyes. Unaware that Nicole wasing, Ashley was looking down at her phone, reading the Ashley felt triumphant reading thosements, proud of her photography skills. She took the photo in such a way that no matter who one looked at it, they would surely feel that Nicole was seducing men. Feeling a chill on the back of her neck, she subconsciously looked up and found that Nicole hade in front of her without her knowing and was looking at her gravely. Chapter 57 Chapter 57 ¡°Hand it over.¡± Nicole¡¯s eyes were frosty and frightening. She could tolerate others targeting her, but she would never forgive them for implicating her family. Ashley was quaking in her boots but still yelled back, ¡°I don¡¯t know what you are talking about!¡± There was a look of impatience in Nicole¡¯s eyes when she heard Ashley¡¯s response. ¡°You know what I am talking about. Hand the phone over.¡± Ashley might be afraid of Nicole, but when the thought of the contents of the mobile phone came to mind, she gritted her teeth. ¡°The mobile phone is my personal belongings. What right do you have to demand that I hand over my phone?¡± Nicole did not bother to continue talking to her. She pressed her hand on Ashley¡¯s shoulder, forcing Ashley to loosen the hand behind her. Taking this opportunity, Nicole snatched the phone from her hand. The screen was still disying the post she had uploaded. Thements section was full of nasty replies saying that Nicole was shameless. Nicole calmly exited the forum and opened the photo album. The first image she saw was a picture of her standing with her brothers. She swiped back, and what appeared in front of her was the picture of her ¡®bullying¡¯ Snow. Further back were some saved screenshots of chats with Snow, telling Ashley about her requirement for the photos. Snow asked them to find a photo that could put Nicole in trouble. There was also a nude photo of Ashley with a middle-aged man. Ashley¡¯s face turned pale when Nicole saw her nude photo. Just then, a middle-aged man¡¯s voice was hearding from one side. ¡°Snow, is this your friend?¡± ¡°Dad¡­¡± Ashley was even more dumbfounded when she saw her adoptive father. ¡°Dad?¡± Nicole smiled. Ashley¡¯s father hade just when she saw Ashley¡¯s nude photo. She was not going to miss this opportunity, Ashley had been hanky-panky herself, yet she dared to take a candid photo of her. Since that was the case, Nicole was going to give Ashley a taste of her own medicine. Nicole sneered, picked up the mobile phone, and said to the man and the middle-aged woman who apanied him. N?velDrama.Org content rights. ¡°You two must be Mr. and Mrs. Holmes. Take a look at what your daughter has done.¡± As she spoke, she held up the phone. ¡°No!¡± Ashley panicked and went to grab the phone. But Mrs. Holmes had already spotted the naked photo. The two were seen lying on the bed in the photo. Anyone who looked at it could instantly tell what was happening. The smile of Mr. and Mrs. Holmes faded instantly, their faces sinking. Mrs. Holmes looked surprised. Jess was her daughter, but only a stepdaughter. Ricky Holmes was her biological father. She could not care less about her image and questioned Ricky. ¡°What is going on?¡± Because she could not conceive, she tolerated Ricky taking his daughter home, hoping that in the future, when the two of them were old, they would still have children and grandchildren to depend on. She did not expect Ashley to be so humiliating. She was an embarrassment. ¡°Look at your good daughter! She is doing such a humiliating thing at such a young age!¡± Her voice was so loud that it immediately attracted attention. People in the restaurant looked over. Ashley felt like dying, extremely humiliating. She wished the ground would swallow her up. Mrs. Holmes could not hide her hatred and gritted her teeth as she looked at her adopted daughter, whom she had been carefully nurturing all this while. ¡°That is what you did to me? Don¡¯t you feel sorry? Your dad and I have worked so hard to raise you, yet you are sleeping around with men! How could you do such a humiliating thing?¡± Ashley had foreseen that the cat could get out of the bag someday. But she never expected that it would be in front of so many people. She wished she could kill herself right now. Looking sideways, she saw Nicole was watching what happened with schadenfreude. ¡°It is all because of you!¡± Ashley wished she could kill Nicole right now. But with Mrs. Holmes here, she could only hide behind Ricky. To Ashley¡¯s surprise, Ricky pushed her away and threw herself at the feet of Mrs. Holmes and pleaded, ¡°It was my fault. I didn¡¯t expect Jess to do such a thing outside. But please forgive her this time.¡± Looking at Ricky, who was still defending his daughter, Mrs. Holmes could not hide her disappointment and pain, and finally let out an icy smile and gracefully took a ss of water from the table and sshed it on Ricky¡¯s face. She then told him sternly, ¡°If you still want her to stay in this family, then my lawyer will see you tomorrow-we will divorce.¡± What she gave him all these years, she would take it all back without fail. No way Ricky would dare to let her divorce him. Everything he now had was because he had married a wife with a wealthy background. If she divorced him, he would lose everything. It did not matter if everything was taken away from him. But if her family knew about it, they would surely kill him. Thinking of this, he hugged Mrs. Holmes¡¯s leg and wailed. ¡°Please don¡¯t divorce me.¡± He turned back and pointed at his daughter ruthlessly. ¡°I promise you that I will send her away tomorrow. Please give me another chance.¡± With everything that happened in front of her eyes, Nicole had to turn on her phone and record what was going on. Ashley could no longer stand it when she heard her father was abandoning her. Her grievances of these years exploded instantly as she angrily scolded Ricky. ¡°You forsake your daughter for a woman ¨C what a father you are?¡± Chapter 58 Chapter 58 When she finished, she cried and pounced on Ricky. A murderous look shed in Ricky¡¯s eyes. He freed out a hand to grab her hair and threw her head against the wall. Ashley screamed and fainted. ¡°Bastard! How could you bite the hand that feeds you?¡± Ricky brushed off the dust on his sleeve, his eyes full of disgust. Mrs. Holmes was frightened by what she saw and wanted to leave. Seeing that she wanted to leave, Ricky¡¯s eyes shed with a murderous look again. He grabbed Mrs. Holmes¡¯s dress and reached out to strangle her. No matter how tough Mrs. Holmes was, she was still a woman. She was no match for Ricky. The man grabbed her neck with his rough hand and threatened her. ¡°I will kill you now if you want to divorce me! Tell me-are you still going to divorce me?¡± His killer-look eyes were bloodshot, and he looked as if he were crazy. Seeing that she did not speak, Ricky grinned and tightened his grip. The guests in the restaurant were so frightened that they gasped in trepidation. Someone had quietly called the police. Strangled, Mrs. Holmes¡¯s eyes rolled back in her head. Just then, a bitter voice shouted, ¡°Is this how a man should be?¡± Ricky was stunned for a second, almost forgetting about Nicole¡¯s presence. The moment he turned his head, Nicole performed a roundhouse kick, hitting the hand that he used to strangle Mrs. Holmes. She then grabbed his hands and twisted them behind his back. Following two crisp cracking sounds, both of Ricky¡¯s arm joints were dislocated. AAAAAH! Ricky screamed in pain and tried to resist. Nicole followed with a knife hand strike on the back of his neck, and he dropped to the ground with a thud, motionless, Mrs. Holmes fell to the ground in horror. She only came out of her shock after Ricky was neutralized. ¡°Thank you. Thank you.¡± It was this girl who showed her the photo. And it was also this girl who came to her rescue. Mrs. Holmes felt she owed her a big favor. ¡°It was the least I could do.¡± Such a scumbag was condemnable by all. Watching Ricky lie motionless, Mrs. Holmes slowly stood up. ¡°Now, what should I do?¡± Everything happened today so suddenly that she did not know what to do. Seeing that someone was making a phone call, Nicole exined to her concisely. ¡°He has an intention of killing, and you have evidence of his cheating. Divorce him and leave him with nothing, and then send him to prison for the rest of his life.¡± As for Ashley, she would be kicked out of the family, which was what she deserved. ¡°Thank you. You just saved my life. If there is anything I could do for you, I will do everything I can for you.¡± Nicole saw Mrs. Holmes¡¯s sincere look on her face and knew that she should be a nice person. She said with a smile, ¡°It is alright. Hope we will meet again.¡± With that, Nicole turned and was about to leave. Mrs. Holmes thought for a moment. She then quickly took out a small pendant and put it in the palm of Nicole¡¯s hand with a smile. ¡°Take this; you may find it useful someday. If you need help in the future, take this pendant to see me in Summerworth Residence. Remember, myst name is Bond.¡± Without waiting for Nicole to decline, Mrs. Holmes quickly turned and looked for the security guards. Nicole frowned slightly as she looked at the pendant in her hand. Not bothering to follow Mrs. Holmes, she put the pendant into her pocket and returned to her table. Seeing her gone for so long, Samuel and Spencer could not help but ask, ¡°Where have you been for so long?¡± ¡°I just bumped into an acquaintance, and I went to take care of a few things.¡± Norah frowned upon hearing that. ¡°Who was it? Your schoolmate?¡± Sensing that Norah might know something, Nicole narrowed her eyes. ¡°Yeah. it was Ashley.¡± Sure enough, Norah¡¯s expression froze, and she asked awkwardly, ¡°Oh, it was her¡­ Isn¡¯t she a good friend of Snow¡¯s?¡±. ¡°You know her well?¡± Nicole raised an eyebrow, seemingly waiting for her answer. Norah sensed something was wrong and quickly disassociated herself from Ashley. ¡°Nah, I just met her a few times when I was with Snow and Raine.¡± ¡°Oh, do you and Snow know Ashley is a courtesan?¡± Nicole stirred the juice for a moment, as if she was just mentioning it casually. ¡°What?¡± Norah was stunned. Spencer frowned. ¡°Really? I can¡¯t believe she lives such a profligate life.¡± ¡°Absolutely. It is disgusting.¡± Samuel gave Norah a stern look. ¡°You had better stay away from Snow and Raine from now on. They mingled with Ashley. You can tell their characters by looking at their friends.¡± They and the other brothers had never liked the family of their second uncle Nicole added fuel to the fire. ¡°That being said, I think you are a good buddy of Snow and Raine. You have recently been mingling with them after school. Am I right, Norah?¡± At the mention of this, Norah wished she could cut off Nicole¡¯s tongue. The reason she got close to Raine and Snow was all because of Nicole. If her parents found out that she tantly targeted Nicole, she would be done for. So she was trying to use Snow and Raine to do the dirty job for her. But Nicole wanted to sabotage her now. No way she would allow that to happen. With that in mind, Norah smiled. ¡°The reason I mingle with Snow and Raine is that we care about you. Don¡¯t let us down on this monthly exam. Otherwise, Uncle Dillon and others will gloat,¡± Norah cleverly kicked the ball back to Nicole¡¯s court. N?velDrama.Org content rights. ¡°Since you know that, why do you still get so close to them?¡± Nicole asked. Chapter 59 Chapter 59 Norah¡¯s expression stiffened as she realized he had dug a hole for herself. Spencer had also sensed something, his face stern. ¡°Whatever the reason, Norah, you are to keep your distance from them from now on.¡± ¡°Absolutely.¡± Samuel also agreed. There was nothing Norah could do, and she could only reply reluctantly, ¡°I got.¡± ¡®D*mn Nicole! You shall see. Even if I stay away from them, I have a way to get Snow and Raine to target you!¡¯ Nicole quietly sneered as she saw Norah¡¯s indignation. Snow, Raine, and their cohorts were targeting her for no reason ¨C she knew there must be someone behind this. Norah was supposed to hate Uncle Dillon¡¯s family, yet she got so close to them. It did not take a rocket scientist to figure out what Norah was Half an hourter, they had finished their meals, and Spencer and Samuel went to make payment at the cashier. Nicole and Norah went out first to get some fresh air. Norah had been sulking and was in a terrible mood to see Nicole. At this point, a drunken man came out behind her and mmed into Norah. ¡°Yikes!¡± Norah nearly fell from the bump. The drunken man looked up. Seeing Norah wearing a red dress, he leched after her. ¡°Wow, your moan is so alluring. Why not have fun together, eh?¡± The man let out an evil smile as he walked toward Norah. Three to five guys, who looked like rich kids and were also drunk, came out after the first drunken man. Ordinary folks were too afraid to mess with them. So passersby were keeping their heads low, pretending not to see it. ¡°You-you all don¡¯te near me!¡± Norah was terrified and hid behind Nicole without having time to think. The men saw Nicole-she was more beautiful than Norah-and their eyes lit up in an instant. ¡°She is pretty! Hey beauty, are you waiting for someone? Do you want me to apany you?¡± Nicole looked extremely disgusted, wondering why she kept encountering such disgusting men today. She nced back at Norah behind her with the corner of her eyes, feeling like pushing her back out and letting her deal with the problem by herself. But at this time, that man had already leaned over and leered at Nicole. This wasp¡¯s waist and legs-Oh my God, you are absolutely stunning! Beauty, shall we go?¡± With that, he reached out and touched Nicole¡¯s face. Nicole tilted her head to avoid his hand. Just as she was about to make her move, Samuel¡¯s angry voice came from behind. ¡°What are you going to do to my sister?¡± ¡°Samuel!¡± Norah spun around and ran up to Samuel for help andfort. But Samuel and Spencer did not have time for Norah. They dashed over and shielded Nicole behind them. Norah at first wanted their protection, but now she ended up being outside their protective circle instead. It hurt her to see this. Once upon a time, she was her brother¡¯s favorite. But now that they were in danger, her brothers had only Nicole in their eyes. Even those lewd men had long forgotten her existence and leered at Nicole with their eyes wide open. It was as if even the hooligans dismissed her. ¡°Boss¡­ Let¡¯s go.¡± Seeing two guys shielding Nicole, a buddy of the first man said with his head bowed, ¡°We all have one too many. We won¡¯t get any advantage.¡± The first man muttered in frustration and could only let his buddies help him away. The man who had just spoken quickly apologized. ¡°It is all a misunderstanding. We just saw that our sister was so good-looking and wanted to talk to her.¡± Spencer and Samuel were exasperated and snapped in unison, ¡°Did you just say your sister?¡± The man was startled and quickly muttered, ¡°Alright, alright. It is your sister. Okay?¡± After those men left, Samuel breathed a sigh of relief. He then looked back at Nicole. ¡°Are you alright?¡± Nicole looked at them. It was heart-warming to know that they were sincere in protecting her. She shook her head and said, ¡°I am alright. They couldn¡¯t do anything to me.¡± Only then Samuel and Spencer remembered Nicole was practicing self-defense techniques. The two of them could not help but scratch their heads in embarrassment. ¡°I got so anxious when I saw the guys surrounding you, forgetting that you have learned self-defense techniques.¡± The two looked guileless and cute. The three of them could not help but look at each other, almost oblivious to Norah¡¯s existence. Norah now knew that Nicole had stolen Samuel from him. ¡®Damn Nicole, let¡¯s see I will surely kick you out of the family!¡¯ This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. The Riddle siblings waved down a taxi and left the restaurant. Unbeknownst to them, a pair of piercing eyes had been watching them in a car from a distance. He was here to meet a customer, not expecting to see Nicole and a few kids dining together. He was upset, seemingly for no reason, when he saw their heartyughter. Watching Nicole and others disappear into the distance, he said to Max, ¡°Find out who the twins are.¡± ¡®Is it because she already has someone she liked and wanted to cancel the engagement?¡¯ He did not know why his heart fluttered whenever he thought of this. Max did not have to ask to know that Jared was referring to Nicole. But he wondered why Jared looked so upset as if he had been made a cuckold when he saw Nicole and the two boys together. His boss seemed to be a little too concerned about Nicole. Thinking of this, Max narrowed his eyes thoughtfully. Chapter 60 Chapter 60 Nicole returned to her dorm room, handed her the meal she had brought for Lulu, and sat down to watch Lulu battle those keyboard warriors. Lulu saw Nicole was back and smiled at her. ¡°Hey, you are back!¡± Nicole nodded. ¡°Here you go. Eat it now, or it will get cold.¡± Lulu looked over her shoulder, and her eyes lit up when she saw the takeaway packaging. ¡° Nicole, how do you know that I have always wanted to try The Grove¡¯s food? I tried many times but could not get a reservation. I didn¡¯t expect it to be delivered today.¡± The corner of Nicole¡¯s lips upturned as she said, ¡°Try it quickly if you like it.¡± Lulu happily picked up a fork and tucked in while praising the chef, The Grove, for his cooking skills. N?velDrama.Org content rights. Halfway through the meal, she slowed down and asked Nicole cautiously, ¡°I know that Samuel and Spencer are your brothers, but rumor has it that they also have some connection with Snow and Raine. So you, Snow, and Raine are¡­¡± Lulu already had almost guessed it. It was just that she wanted to confirm it. Nicole said in a nonchnt tone of voice. ¡°They are my second uncle¡¯s daughters.¡± Lulu¡¯s eyes widened in astonishment. ¡°You guys are cousins?¡± Nicole folded her arms, her eyes drifting into the distance. ¡°Well, we are rtives, but we don¡¯t know each other very well.¡± Lulu looked at Nicole and was stunned. No wonder Nicole looked a little like Snow and Raine. But Nicole was still much better looking than them. With Spencer and Samuel as her celebrity brothers and Snow and Raine ¨C who were popr in school ¡ª as her cousins, Nicole had been low-key for so long. She never mentioned her family lineage Those gurus on the campus had found no useful information. Yet they boldly imed that Nicole was a nobody. Lulu started to admire Nicole. But something came to mind, and she asked doubtfully, ¡°Since Samuel is your brother, why don¡¯t you tell everyone? Someone has posted a photo of you guys on the school forum. People say that you are dating two guys at the same time-¡°Lulu stopped abruptly. After all, she did not want Nicole to hear those nastyments. Nicole thought for a moment and threw the phone to Lulu. ¡°There is a video that you may find useful.¡± At first, she had no intention of releasing the video clip. But now, she felt that kicking Ashley was too light of a punishment. Since it had implicated her brothers, she was not going to pursue the matter to the end. ¡°What is it about?¡± Lulu turned on the phone and was stunned to see the video of Ashley being angrily reprimanded by her stepmother. ¡°Oh my God! I didn¡¯t expect that the bullying girl would do such a disgusting thing. Once this message goes out, no one will read my post.¡± With that, Nicole started to take off her coat. ¡°Why didn¡¯t I think of that? Nicole, you are so smart!¡± She had been arguing with people for hours but to no avail. She did not expect Nicole to solve the crisis after going out for just a while. ¡°But don¡¯t you really want to exin your rtionship with Samuel and Spencer?¡± Lulu still hoped that she would tell the truth sooner so that her ssmates would not look down on her. Nicolezily leaned back in her chair, picked up a strand of her hair, and gently fiddled with it. ¡°If they know I am from the Riddle family, they would definitely ask me to pass their love letters to my brothers. That is too much trouble. I can¡¯t control what they say. They can say whatever they want as long as it doesn¡¯t affect my life.¡± She would surely take action if it affected her life. Lulu understood. The Riddle brothers were just as popr as Harvey and Gary at the Royal Creek Institute. With Nicole¡¯s trouble-aversion personality, she surely did not want to be a tool for passing love letters. ¡°Then I will upload this video now, squeezing out your posts,¡± Lulu said with excitement. She held the phone in her hand like a righteous warrior holding the sword of victory, ready to keep on fighting It moved Nicole to see Lulu help her to clear her name. Just then, June hade back and pushed the door in. When she saw Nicole, her face was filled with mixed feelings a she asked, ¡°What is your rtionship with Samuel?¡± Nicole ignored her and went straight into the bathroom, ready to take a shower and then go to bed. June did not pursue her question. She did not study at the desk like she usually did buty on the bed and covered her head with a quilt. When Nicole came out of the shower, June simply turned off the lights. While drying her hair, Nicole was surprised to see June had gone to bed so early. But she still said nothing. She leanedzily against the headboard and took out her phone to reply to her brothers¡¯ messages. She had just asked them to send her up to the school gate. They were sending her a message, asking if she had safely arrived. Nicole nced at June and replied to Samuel. (Do you know June in our ss?) He replied almost instantaneously, (No.) Nicole looked thoughtfully at June, who nestled in the quilt. She did not reply to the message again. June left the bedroom alone the next morning. Nicole had noticed her red and swollen eyes, as if she had been crying. Lulu had also noticed that June was avoiding her eyes. So she asked Nicole in puzzlement,¡°What is wrong with June? Her eyes are so red.¡± Nicole looked on and said nothing as June left. Lulu did not ask again. She quickly went to follow up on yesterday¡¯s post. ¡°Oh my God¡­ Nicole! You have seeded. As soon as the video clip of Ashley went online, the forum went crazy. No one is interested in your photo now.¡± Chapter 61 Chapter 61 Nicole had already guessed that this would be the result. While looking at Lulu¡¯s smiling face, she suddenly stopped on her way. ¡°Wait for me here.¡± Lulu inexplicably watched as Nicole jumped over the wall and out of the school. Five minutester, Nicole jumped back into the school premise with a cup of hot coffee in her hand. Nicole handed Lulu the milk tea in her hand and patted Lulu on the head. ¡°You did me a favor, and I bought you a coffee.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Lulu did not expect Nicole to go out of the campus to buy her coffee. Her eyes welled up involuntarily. ¡°I can¡¯t believe that you would buy me coffee. I am so touched.¡± Nicole did not expect a cup of coffee would make Lulu so happy. She thought to herself that she would treat her better from now on. ¡°Drink it now. Don¡¯t let Ms. Emerson find it out.¡± Lulu nodded quickly. The two of them walked slowly toward the ssroom building. Lulu finished drinking all the coffee before entering the ssroom. Everyone was in the ssroom. They all had mocking expressions on their faces when they saw Nicolee in. The post about Ashley was the most viral topic right now. But whenever Nicole showed up, the image of Nicole together with Samuel and Spencer would stille to mind of those in ss B. In their eyes, Nicole was disgraceful and an embarrassment for them. ¡®Not only did she bully Snow, but she also hooked up with the handsome Riddle brothers.¡¯ The ss monitor, Vivian Collins, who was sitting in the first row, shot Nicole an icy re.¡± Even if you don¡¯t bother about your reputation, you should not embarrass ss B. You flirting with two boys at the same time brings shame to our ss. People have been talking nasty things about our ss because of your frivolous conduct. Yet, you don¡¯t seem to feel shame. We are not as thick-skinned as you are.¡± Everyone nodded in agreement as Vivian had spoken their minds. Nicole did not even look at Vivian as she walked straight to her seat. It was Lulu who felt a little angry and wanted to speak out. But she thought better of it when she saw Nicole ignore Vivian. Gary was sitting in thest row. His eyes were glinting while looking at Nicole, who was not bothered. When he saw that intimate photo of Nicole with Samuel and Spencer on the forum, somehow a fit of indescribable anger had arisen within him. He was so furious that he had thrown a cup in his hand away. Even now, he still had a hard time suppressing that anger. What Vivian had said might sound unpleasant, but Gary agreed with Vivian¡¯s remarks that Nicole should be mindful of her conduct to prevent others from questioning her virtue. When Gary saw Nicolee over, he said coldly, ¡°You should be mindful of your action and behave yourself decently to avoid bing a gossip subject. The most important thing for a girl is reputation; no boy likes a girl with a notorious reputation.¡± Nicole did not expect Gary to talk to her, let alone about this topic. She gave him a smirk before putting on a stern expression. ¡°You think you know me very well? I have the freedom to do whatever I want. Mind your own business.¡± Her tone was as cold as a piercing sword. Her words startled Gary. It was true that he could find nothing about her background, and his knowledge of her came from inte rumors. However, he thought, ¡®Aren¡¯t those photos real? She was caught on camera treating Snow badly and acting intimate with many boys. Those photos are in evidence. Yet, she does not feel any remorse but felt nothing wrong with herconduct.¡¯Gary¡¯s face sank when he thought of this. He said indifferently, ¡°It is up to you since you don¡¯t listen to advice.¡± Nicole paid no heed to his words. She pulled out her chair and sat down without saying another word to him. Gary looked at her from behind and clenched her fists. After finishing her lunch with Lulu at noon, Nicole went alone to the Maths Olympiad training ss. There were only a few people in the lecture hall. Nicole walked to thest row andid her head on the tablezily to take some shut-eye. After a while, a loud noise came. ¡°You see, Gary and Raine are attending the training ss together again. The two of them are indeed a couple!¡± a girl eximed. ¡°I am so envious of Raine. Gary has always been known as unapproachable, yet he is now together with Raine. It seems that the rumors are true,¡± herpanion echoed what the girl had said. Nicole was not interested in that gossip. When she kneaded her forehead, her long eyshes gently caressed his beautiful face like a butterfly¡¯s wings, making her look stunning. Nearby, a boy stared at her with mouth agape. He jabbed at his buddy and said, ¡°I know Nicole is no match for Snow in other aspects, but with her face alone, I will give my vote to her for being the prettiest girl in the school.¡± His buddy also looked at Nicole and nodded involuntarily. But he then shook his head anxiously. ¡°I am a fan of Snow. I am no traitor!¡± He turned his head as he spoke, moving his attention away from Nicole. As if he was trying to brainwash himself, he mumbled, ¡°I will vote for Snow. I will vote for Snow¡­¡± N?velDrama.Org content rights. Gary and Raine sat in the third row from thest, which Gary had asked for. Raine did not dare to refuse. Her face contorted from anger when she heard what the boys said at the back ¡®I¡¯m also a beauty queen in this school. Not enjoying the same fame as Snow is one thing. Losing to Nicole is quite another!¡¯ Raine whined silently. Chapter 62 Chapter 62 Raine gritted her teeth in anger at the thought of Nicole¡¯s face. She looked at Gary next to her and saw that he was tilting his head, looking in Nicole¡¯s direction. This made Raine even angrier. Gary had been treating her coldly ever since the embarrassment at the caf¨¦. Although he had finally allowed her to follow him today, he kept staring at Nicole. A grim look shed in Raine¡¯s eyes. But thinking that she was still the one with Gary right now, she took a deep breath and returned to her usual lovely self. With her sweet voice, she called out to Gary, ¡°Gary, I don¡¯t understand this math problem taught in thest lesson. Could you exin it to me?¡± Gary looked at her with an impatient frown, thinking, ¡®Didn¡¯t Mr. Louis exin it to you in thest lesson? Or you did not listen to him?¡¯ Gary was then reminded of Nicole¡¯s immediate rejection when he volunteered himself to exin the math problems the other day. Hence, with other intentions in his mind, he picked up a pen and exined the math problem to Raine. Raine did not expect Gary to exin the math problem to her willingly. She looked at Gary, whose expression remained indifferent, and felt proud the moment she heard the envious voice of the other girls. Raine then gave Nicole a provocative nce. Gary, on the other hand, quietly looked at Nicole from the corner of his eyes while exining the math problem, anticipating her reaction. Unfortunately, Raine and Gary were both doomed to be disappointed. Nicole had been looking outside the window while fiddling with a pen between her fingers. She seemed to be deep in thought. Gary pulled back his gaze with disappointment, and Raine noticed his absent-mindedness. Although she maintained the smile on her face, she clenched her hands, her fingernails sinking into her skin. ¡®It is all because of Nicole!¡¯ Just then, the school bell rang, and Mr. Louis hurried in with dozens of answer sheets. Raine smiled when she saw that. ¡®I never score lower than 85 marks on tests. No matter how proud Nicole is, she is ipetent in academics. Let¡¯s see whether Gary will still be interested in you when the test results are announced!¡¯ Raine looked confidently in Mr. Louis¡¯ direction, her nose in the air. Mr. Louis wiped the sweat on his forehead. ¡°The test results are out. Most of you have done well, especially Gary. He has the potential to get the gold medal. At the same time, some did not do well. But don¡¯t be discouraged. Work harder next time. The next Maths Olympiadpetition beckons to you. But this time, just treat it as extracurricr knowledge. I¡¯m giving you back your answer sheets.¡± Raine chuckled. ¡°The one who did not get good grades must be that country bumpkin.¡¯ Mr. Louis said nothing further as he started to return the answer sheets, the first of which was Gary¡¯s. ¡°Gary Finley, 94 marks. Well done! You are just two marks away from the perfect score. You have no problem winning the award. Try to aim for the top spot.¡± Gary stepped out to take his answer sheet and said no words. However, his eyes were looking at Nicole pridefully. ¡°Raine Riddle, 91 marks.¡± Raine could not help but feel ecstatic when hearing that she had scored above 90 marks. Her test result was just right behind Gary¡¯s. She almost trotted up to get her answer sheet back and could not hide the pride on her face. Her eyes looking at Nicole were filled with disdain. The other ssmates looked at the two with admiration. ¡°Wow, they scored first and second, respectively. They are known as a perfect couple for a reason!¡± The moment Raine heard those words, she raised her head even higher and sat closer to Gary. ¡°Noah Elliott, 90 marks.¡± ¡°Lilly McCarthy, 82 marks.¡± The individual test results were announced one after another. But Mr. Louis had yet to mention Nicole¡¯s name. ¡®Nicole had answered every question before submitting her answer sheet, but her name is not mentioned yet even though it¡¯s approaching the passing mark. In other words, she has likely failed.¡¯ A smile could not help but creep up Raine¡¯s face when she thought of this. ¡®It must be the case. Those from small towns are just notpetitive enough.¡¯ ¡°David Doyle, 60 marks.¡± A boy got up and happily took his test paper back. He had just barely passed, saving himself from embarrassment. Mr. Louis paused. There was only one answer sheet left in his hand. With only Nicole not receiving her test paper, it was easy to tell who was that answer sheet¡¯s owner. Suddenly, all eyes were on Nicole. There were stares of curiosity, contempt, and even schadenfreude. None showed empathy or sympathy. Nicole was reading a book with her chin resting on her hand. She did not seem to be bothered by those stares. Gary frowned, remembering that Nicole had told himselfst time that the questions were too simple. Little did he expect she would fail the test. ¡®What a liar she is.¡¯ Raine also looked at Nicole with a sneer. ¡°I¡¯m surprised that she can still pretend to be calm despite failing the test.¡± Mr. Louis reached out and wiped the sweat from his forehead. He then took thest answer sheet and announced, ¡°Nicole Wace, zero mark.¡± There was an instant uproar in the ssroom. Laughter and loud chatter rose around Nicole. ¡°When I saw she didn¡¯t pay attention during ssst time, I thought she was full of confidence. Little did I expect her to get zero marks.¡± N?velDrama.Org content rights. ¡°Exactly. What a funny joke! I wonder what Ms. Emerson was thinking when she let Nicole and Gary join thepetition. Is she trying to make the challenge faced by Gary harder?¡± ¡°Only people as smart as Raine deserve to be Gary¡¯s partner. I can¡¯t wrap my brain around why letting Gary pair with such a poor candidate.¡± Chapter 63 Chapter 63 As he spoke, everyone went fromughing at Nicole to speaking out for Gary. Raine felt vindicated to hear these words. The indignation and jealousy she had harbored for the past few days because of Nicole had finally found a venting outlet. This made her feel much better. Listening to others praising her and Gary, Raine turned to Gary and boldly asked, ¡°They all say we are a good match. What do you think?¡± However, Gary was still looking in Nicole¡¯s direction. When he heard that Nicole had scored a zero mark, the first thought that came to mind was, ¡®I knew it.¡¯ But then he was in mixed feelings, worrying that Nicole¡¯s feelings would get affected. ¡®Since when have I be so concerned about what Nicole thought? Apparently, I have always been right about her. Not only did I offer to help her with tuition, but I also admonished her. I had never treated others like this.¡¯ Gary did not mind when Nicole rejected his kindness. But what upset him was that she gave him the cold shoulder. Raine, who was bending her blushing face, thought Gary was angry when he ignored her. So she nced up and tried to exin nervously, ¡°Gary, I mean nothing else.¡± Halfway through, she noticed Gary was not even looking at her but in Nicole¡¯s direction, as if he had not heard her words. Anger instantly rose within Raine. She stared at Nicole coldly. How she wished she could slice Nicole up and chop her into pieces. This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. Nicole got up and took her answer sheet back nonchntly. Mr. Louis looked at her unflustered face and said softly, ¡°Don¡¯t give up. Your ideas are good. Just that you didn¡¯tplete each answer. I believe you will win the gold medal in the next Maths Olympiad competition if you work harder.¡± Nicole looked at Mr. Louis with surprise upon hearing that. He was smiling at her without the slightest hint of impatience. Instead, his eyes spoke of encouragement. So she bowed her head and said, ¡°I know. Thank you, Mr. Louis.¡± Whispers did not stop even until Nicole returned to her seat and sat down. So Mr. Louis smacked the lectern and shouted, ¡°Be quiet! Let¡¯s start by reviewing questions.¡± The lesson passed Just like this. Nicole packed her things and was about to leave when Gary shook off Raine¡¯s hand and chased after Nicole. Nicole walked slowly and soon saw him standing in front of her. Gary frowned and felt angry when Nicole had no expression on her face when facing him.¡± Your Improper conduct is one thing, but lying is another. Didn¡¯t you say the Maths Olympiad was easy? So why did you get a zero mark on this test?¡± Nicole shot him a cold nce, wanting to leave without saying a word to him Gary continued to speak from behind her back, ¡°Everyone says you are going to bog me down. Nicole, please prove that they are wrong, and don¡¯t let us be so humiliated. I¡¯ll ignore the lie you toldst time and tutor you in maths. But you must promise me not to have any more contact with those boys.¡± Nicole turned back. She casually tugged at the cuffs andzily carried the bag behind her. After looking at Gary with a strange expression for two seconds, she suddenly smiled. At that moment, her beauty was indescribable. She was as beautiful as spring sunshine. Gary was stunned a little. He closed his mouth even though he had not done speaking. Nicole had never smiled at him before; this was the first time. He had seen countless pretty girls since he was still a child, and this was the first time he was so amazed that he was at a loss for words. Nicole¡¯s smile soon faded from her face. Instead, a look of indifference appeared in her eyes as she looked at Gary, who was frozen in ce like a statue. She stood there with an expression as cold as winter, but her face was as beautiful as summer. ¡°Gary, I will say it again: mind your own business,¡± said Nicole faintly before leaving, giving Gary no time to react. Gary was rooted to the spot. It was the second time he had been rejected. Nicole¡¯s attitude toward Austin was even better than toward him. ¡®What I was trying to do was for your good,¡¯ thought Gary as he looked at Nicole from behind and clenched his fists as she left. Nicole did not care what Gary was thinking. She went to the caf¨¦ as usual and sat there for a while before returning to the dormitory. In her dormitory, she sat down at the desk and prepared to read a book for some time. Lulu had just finished answering the Maths Olympiad questions. After thinking for a while, she turned on herputer and logged in to the school¡¯s online forum. The heated discussion was still taking ce on the forum ¨C Ashley had been kicked out of the Holmes family and expelled from the school; it was a disastrous ending for Ashley. Today¡¯s second hottest post actually had something to do with Nicole. Someone had posted news of Nicole scoring a zero mark for the Maths Olympiad online, and many people were mocking her. ¡°I told you so. Nicole is from the countryside, and her grades are terrible. She is notparable to Snow and Raine.¡± ¡°I agree. But I heard that she and Gary are in the same ss. How can there be such a huge gap between them? We are talking about 94 versus zero. I don¡¯t know how she still has the nerve to stay in the Maths Olympiad training ss. She is embarrassing Gary.¡± ¡°Absolutely. I saw Gary catch up with Nicole after school and talk to her, offering to give her tuition. But Nicole just spun around and left, not giving a second nce at Gary.¡± ¡°That is too much. Nicole should not have offended Gary, even with Austin¡¯s protection.¡± Chapter 64 Chapter 64 Lulu froze when she was looking at the zero-score answer sheet. Nicole had taught her the solutions for simr math problems. And Nicole¡¯s approach was much clearer and simpler than the standard answers. She wondered how Nicole got zero marks. Lulu turned to look at Nicole, who was reading a book. ¡°Is this Maths Olympiad test paper with a zero score really yours?¡± Nicole looked at theputer screen; it had been indeed uploaded to the school forum. ¡°Yeah, it is mine. Why?¡± Lulu was even more surprised when Nicole admitted it. ¡°But you could answer all these questions. You have even taught me. How was it possible for you to score a zero mark?¡± ¡°I forgot how to answer.¡± In fact, Nicole just did not bother to write all the steps. She had gotten the answers in her mind after writing only a few steps. So she skipped most steps and stated the answer directly. With Mr. Louis¡¯s level, he must not have understood Nicole¡¯s train of thought, so he gave a zero mark for her. Lulu stared at Nicole suspiciously, doubting Nicole¡¯s words. When Lulu got stuck during her revision earlier, Nicole had taught her how to approach the math problems after casually taking a nce. ¡®Nicole can memorize everything she read. How could she forget about the solutions? When Lulu was trying to ask for rification, June suddenly said, ¡°Lulu, just stop already.¡± Lulu had always been a little afraid of June, whose tone made her think she had disturbed her. She felt a little discontent but did not continue to speak. Nicole nced at June. She knew June stopped Lulu from asking further because June knew she did not want to exin. Interesting Nicole looked thoughtfully at June, whose back was to her. June seemed to have sensed Nicole¡¯s stare and was on pins and needles. She nced back at Nicole and then immediately buried herself in the exercise. Nicole raised an eyebrow but said nothing. There was a sudden, loud noise outside the door. Lulu patted her thigh and shouted, ¡°By the way, I forgot to tell you two that some seniors areing to spot -check the room today. Let¡¯s clean up the room now!¡± After saying that, she realized that she was talking too loud and hurriedly covered her mouth. As soon as her voice trailed off, the door was rudely pushed open. ¡°Spot check. Everyone, out!¡± N?velDrama.Org content rights. Lulu was startled. Nicole calmly walked out while June followed her. As they came outside, a few girls stood there with stern looks on their faces, looking at them with unfriendly eyes. The leading figure was a fat girl. When she saw Nicole¡¯s beauty, anger and jealousy almost burst out of her eyes. ¡°Foring out too slowly, you all are indolent. I¡¯ll deduct ten points.¡± The dorm score in each dormitory was ten percent of the total score at the end of the semester, and there would be extra points for the excellent dormitory. So each dormitory attached great importance to the spot check. Other students poked their heads out to rubberneck They gloated and snickered when they heard that the fat girl in the corridor outside Nicole¡¯s room had started deducting points. Nicole¡¯s expression turned frosty when points were deducted for no good reason. ¡®This fat girl seemed to single out our room.¡¯ Chapter 65 Chapter 65 Lulu was thest toe out and quickly apologized. ¡°I am sorry. I was in bed just now. I won¡¯t be that slow next time. Could you please not deduct these ten points?¡± N?velDrama.Org content rights. The full score for a room was a hundred points. Those dormitories with 90 points and above were excellent. If ten points were deducted, their dormitory room would fall out of the excellent category. Lulu looked at the fat girl with a pleading face. . The fat girl sneered at her. ¡°Next time is next time; this time is this time. How am I going to know your performance for next time? I¡¯ll deduct ten points this time.¡± She wrote on the scorecard and deducted ten credit points as she spoke. Following that, two girls swaggered into Nicole¡¯s dormitory. They randomly picked up a few girls¡¯ belongings, threw them aside, opened the wardrobe, and pulled the drawers to look for prohibited items. Atst, they found amemorative pen at June¡¯s desk. The fat girl was overjoyed. ¡°This is a prohibited item! I¡¯ll deduct another twenty points!¡± June stepped forward and exined, ¡°It is just a pen, which is allowed in the dormitory. It is not a prohibited item!¡± But the fat girl shoved June away. She looked at June and sneered, ¡°I say that it is a prohibited item. If you argue against me, I will deduct thirty points!¡± June stopped talking when seeing the fat girl¡¯s truculence. Satisfied, the fat girl turned and continued to rummage through the room. She imed that the floor and windows were dirty, so she deducted ten and twenty points, respectively. After a while, the fat girl bent down as if she were looking at something. She then beckoned her twopanions toe and see. ¡°Can you tell if this is an ant hole?¡± The two girls got the hint and nodded their heads, saying that it was an ant hole. The fat girl looked back at the three and said triumphantly, ¡°This dormitory is too unhygienic. There is even an ant hole. I¡¯ll deduct another forty points.¡± The fat girl wrote a zero on the scorecard with a big stroke of her pen. When it was done, and just as the fat girl was about to leave with twopanions, she suddenly laughed when seeing an Esperian Language book on Nicole¡¯s desk. ¡°Zero-scorer is reading an Esperian book? I¡¯ll confiscate it.¡± Lulu looked at Nicole worriedly, knowing that Nicole had always treated her books as her precious treasure. This fat girl had crossed her redline. Nicole stood in the doorway with her arms folded as if she had no intention of stopping the fat girl. She had even made a ¡®please¡¯ gesture. The fat girl was even more arrogant and took the other books from Nicole¡¯s desk when she saw Nicole was so cooperative. She heard Nicole was nasty, so she was here today to give Nicole a bloody nose. She just did not expect it to go so smoothly and that Nicole looked like just a softie. Apparently, those juniors of hers were afraid to confront this girl. Thinking of this, she looked at Nicole with a hint of disdain in her eyes. The fat girl was about to walk out of Nicole¡¯s dorm with her head held high. Lulu clenched her fists in anger, and June gritted her teeth. They got zero scores for no reason. The fat girl was too much. Just then, Nicole by the door raised her leg and kicked the fat girl out of the door. Before the fat girl could react, she crashed into the wall opposite Nicole¡¯s dorm room. Her flesh trembled a few times in pain, and the book and scorecard in her hand fell to the ground. Nicole bent down and picked up the books, ignoring the scorecard with a big zero on it. The fat girl¡¯s face contorted from pain. ¡°Nicole, what are you doing? How dare you hit me!¡± Chapter 66 Chapter 66 Nicole walked over and gently smacked the fat girl¡¯s face. ¡°So you know who I am.¡± The fat girl shivered in fear like a pig waiting to be ughtered as Nicole stared at her with frosty eyes. Atst, she understood why people called Nicole all sorts of names, but none dared to confront her. It was because Nicole was too terribly aggressive. There was an instant silence in the corridor. The fat girl chickened out. She must not let Nicole know she was there looking for trouble with her. ¡°I¨CI don¡¯t know you. Your name is on the scorecard.¡± Nicole looked at her with a smirk, her eyes cold as frost. Even a fool could tell that this fat girl deliberately targeted Nicole and Lulu¡¯s dormitory. The fat girl had even called out Nicole¡¯s name, which showed that the fat girl aimed at her. ¡°You had better exin yourself. Don¡¯t force my hand.¡± Cold sweat popped up on the fat girl¡¯s skin, and she closed her eyes and gave up resisting. ¡°It is all because you seduce Samuel and fool around many boys. Samuel has been deceived because he is too naive. I must avenge him!¡± The fat girl kept her eyes closed, expecting Nicole to hit her. When nothing happened after a long while, she slowly opened her eyes again. The fat girl saw Lulu looking at her with pity. As for Nicole, she had already carried her books and returned to the room. Lulu looked relieved. Thinking that the fat girl wasing to Nicole for this, she said sarcastically, ¡°Who are you to Samuel that you want to do Nicole in to avenge him? You should be worried that Samuel will avenge Nicole when he finds this out.¡± Lulu knew Nicole was the favorite daughter of the Riddle family. Samuel would surely help his sister get justice when he found out about this incident. The fat girl looked in surprise at Lulu with her mouth agape. She failed to understand why Lulu had said that. When her twopanions saw Nicole was gone, they hurriedly helped the fat girl up and fled without bothering to check the remaining dorm rooms. Unbeknownst to everyone, a pair of eyes lurking in the dark had been observing what happened here. The person really did not expect those seniors to be so useless. She had spared no effort in badmouthing Nicole before them, thinking they would definitely teach Nicole a lesson. Yet they were intimidated by Nicole and fled with their tails behind their legs. The person watching in the dark was Norah. Gritting her teeth in anger, she could only turn around and return to her room in frustration. She would try to find other ways to fix Nicole. Peace returned to the room again. But Nicole felt something did not add up. ¡®Even if these people are Samuel¡¯s fans, how did they manage to find my dorm room to look for trouble? Someone other than Snow and Raine in the school must have started targetting me recently.¡¯ Nicole keenly knew that there must be a mastermind behind all this. Lulu looked at the ransacked dormitory, picked up the dirtied doll from the floor, and dusted it, feeling like crying. ¡°They were too much. Just because your brother treated you well, she targeted our dormitory and deducted our score. If I were Samuel, I would never have liked her. Seeing her pitiful look, Nicole could not help but get up to help her remove the doll. ¡°It is going to be okay. Don¡¯t worry.¡± Even if all points were deducted, Mr. Ellison would not expel her. For some reason, Lulu felt more assured after hearing what Nicole said. If Nicole said it would be all right, it would be all right. Lulu had no idea why she trusted Nicole so much. Somehow, she found Nicole¡¯s words convincing. By the time they had cleaned up their dorm room, it was almost 10.00 pm. So they quickly went to bed. Early the next morning, Nicole and Lulu came to the ssroom together. Bradley was doing revision. When he saw theming, he beckoned them toe and sit down. Nicole walked slowly over, and just when Bradley was about to say something to her, a noise came from outside the door. ¡°Austin is here again. Is he here looking for you again?¡± said Bradley in surprise. Nicole said nothing. Everyone in the ssroom watched as Austin rushed in, shouting, ¡°Boss!¡± N?velDrama.Org content rights. Nicole felt helpless as she did not expect Austin to be so persistent in making her his boss. Austin came in front of her with his underlings and signaled for them to speak. The few of them looked at each other and said, ¡°Boss!¡± The entire ss watched with their mouth agape. No matter how many times they watched, the scene of Austin trying to please Nicole was still impactful. ¡°What are you doing here again?¡± Nicole frowned. There was a hint of aggrievement on Austin¡¯s fearsome face. ¡°Boss, there is something that I have not done well. I ask for your forgiveness.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Nicole asked. Austin was ttered when he saw Nicole was so patient with him. ¡°Boss, we at first wanted to go to the Northon Institute to find Cain to avenge you, but we waited for several days, and he was still nowhere to be seen. We caught one of his underlings, and only then did we learn you had beaten him, and he was in the hospital.¡± Austin looked up at Nicole and then continued to say cautiously, ¡°Boss, I am sorry. I had thought of avenging you, not knowing that you were so badass. Please don¡¯t be angry with me. The entire ss B heard what Austin said and looked at Nicole as if they had seen a ghost. Who was Cain? The famous bully of San Joto and Celia¡¯s boyfriend. Celia had revealed that her boyfriend had been beaten by Nicole, and he was now in the hospital. She had even uploaded a picture. But because the post about Ashley was the hot topic, no one paid attention to her post. Besides, no one would think it was true even if people saw it. They looked at Nicole with horror in their eyes. ¡®A transfer student from the countryside, not to mention she was a girl, beat Austin, the school bully, and knocked out Cain, the bully in the school next door. Is Nicole not a little too badass?¡¯ Chapter 67 Chapter 67 But Nicole did not care about what they were thinking and spoke to Austin, ¡°You¡¯ve seen it too. I could handle this whole thing myself, so I don¡¯t have to be your boss. Don¡¯te to me anymore.¡± Everyone in the ss gasped sharply as the only person who dared to talk to Austin like that was Nicole. They thought Austin would be upset after listening to such harsh words, but Austin just smiled and scratched his head as he responded, ¡°How could you say this, Boss? Once my boss, forever my boss. You are my boss no matter what!¡± His followers nodded one after another, expressing that they wished Nicole could be their boss. Initially, Austin pestered Nicole just because she was pretty. Then, he asked her to be his boss because his father asked him to. But now, Austin really admired Nicole from the bottom of his heart. ording to Cain¡¯s underling, who had just got discharged from the hospital, Nicole had fought over ten people singlehandedly that day. Her strength is terrifying! Austin had nothing to lose for having Nicole as his boss. Nicole saw that Austin spoke genuinely, so she gave in to his persistence and thought about it before she slowly said, ¡°Austin, I can be your boss, but on one condition. I¡¯m not sure if you can ept it.¡± ¡®Austin asked Nicole to be his boss, but not only did she not feel thankful to Heavens and ept him with gratitude, but she wanted toy out her terms and conditions!¡¯ Everyone was looking at Nicole weirdly. Austin was ted when he heard her giving in and smacked his chest as he guaranteed, ¡°of course, I can! No matter your condition, I¡¯ll ept it as long as you¡¯re okay with being my boss!¡± Nicole looked into his sincere eyes and spoke without hesitation. ¡°I want you people to get top 20 for this month¡¯s exam!¡± Suddenly, the whole world went quiet, No one dared tough at Austin at his face, so they were all fighting back theirughter as they waited for Nicole to make a fool of herself. Austin scoring top 20 was purely outrageous! Vivian rolled her eyes as she had always been one of the top 10 students. The thing she looked down on the most were delinquents who were bad in their studies. ¡®Making these delinquents top 20 is nothing but an insult to the current top 20 students!¡¯ Gary, behind Nicole, did not expect her to make such a request either. ¡®Getting Austin and his followers into the top 20? Impossible! Everyone thought Austin would turn and leave as he would never agree to such an absurd condition. But Austin¡¯s expression changed as he asked Nicole in a low voice, ¡°Boss, could you change the condition? We always get thest ces for exams, so it¡¯s really hard for all of us to get into the top 20 for the uing exam.¡± Austin¡¯s followers were all showing sour expressions. ¡®We have always been bullies that go around beating people up, so there¡¯s no way we can sit still to study.¡¯ However, Nicole¡¯s expression remained the same as she said tly, ¡°I only have one condition, and it will never change. Let¡¯s forget this whole thing if you can¡¯t ept it.¡± Austin saw that Nicole was serious, so he immediately pulled a long face and said, ¡°Alright, alright! I promise you, Boss. If we be the top 20 scorers for the uing exam, you¡¯ll be our boss then, deal?¡± Nicole looked at him. She raised her eyes gently as she said, ¡°Deal.¡± The coldness in her eyes melted. Many male students were stunned as they stared at her beauty. It was the first time Austin felt how gentle Nicole was to him. He was so taken aback that he froze on the spot. Standing behind them was Gary, whose blood started to boil when he witnessed the scene. ¡®Am I not better than Austin? Why does Nicole treat him nicely but give me the cold shoulder?! Nicole slightly frowned when she saw Austin frozen before her. And that was when Austin pulled himself back from a daze. He quickly replied ¡°deal¡± twice and ran off with his followers. N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights. ¡®I have to study hard to make Nicole my boss. That way, she will treat me as gently as she did today!¡¯ Austin had a n in his mind. He would get his inferiors to study hard as soon as he got back and hit those who did not listen to him. The delinquents facing Austin¡¯s threats were miserable, so the only thing they could do was to pick up their textbooks and study from the very first chapter. Suddenly, the whole ss was filled with the sound of flipping pages. Austin nodded with satisfaction when he saw them studying. He then pulled out and started studying the subject he hated most ¨C Mathematics. He heard that Nicole was a candidate for the Math Olympiadpetition. So, as Nicole¡¯s inferior, his Mathematics could not be too bad as well. Austin and his followers were all studying passionately while the students in ss B exchanged looks. They did not expect Austin to agree with Nicole¡¯s request. Everyone in school knew how bad Austin¡¯s academic performance was. He was even considered fortunate to get the second last ce. No one would have expected that he would ept Nicole¡¯s terms just to make her his boss! The news of Austin wanting to get into the top 20 for the uing exam spread like wildfire in school. Countless students were waiting for Nicole and Austin to make a fool of themselves. After all, they only had about two weeks until the exam started. Even if they sat on a rocket, they could not make their test scores higher in such a short period of time. Gary¡¯s expression darkened as he thought, ¡®Nicole really knows how to fool around. She already scored a zero for her Math Olympiad assessment, yet she wants others to study well? ¡®How ridiculous! Chapter 68 Chapter 68 Gary looked at Nicole coldly as his eyes burned with disgust and confusion. If one looked closely, one could see a hint of disappointment in Gary¡¯s eyes as well. Nicole did not bother about the way everyone looked at her. She just rested her chin on her handzily as she yed with her pen. The ss started, and Ms. Emerson walked in with a sour expression. She did not look at Nicole throughout the entire ss. When the ss ended, she called Nicole and Gary over to the office. Firstly, she told Gary to work hard and prepare himself for thepetition to bring an award back to school. Then, she turned to Nicole and sighed before speaking. This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Nicole, I asked you to join thepetition because I trusted your ability. But Mr. Louis told me that you actually scored a zero on a mock assessment. Can you exin yourself?¡± Nicole figured that Ms. Emerson looked for both her and Gary because she wanted to talk to them about this issue. Nicole looked up at Ms. Emerson, but a peculiar voice rang behind her when she was just about to speak. ¡°Oh, Ms. Emerson. Isn¡¯t this the genius who scored a zero for the Math Olympiad assessment from your ss? What¡¯s wrong? Are you trying to talk to her?¡± It was Mr. Kennedy. He was walking toward them with his thermos cup as he gloated. ¡°Is there no one else in ss B? One of your candidates is the third-lowest scoring student in the ss. The other one is even worse; she actually scored a zero. This has really enlightened me! Why aren¡¯t you pulling your students out from thepetition when their levels are this low?¡± The two candidates from Mr. Kennedy¡¯s ss were top students in the school: one was the first ce and the other second. Mr. Kennedy thought, ¡®The Math Olympiadpetition award will go to my students!¡¯ He looked at Ms. Emerson even more disdainfully upon having this thought. Ms. Emerson was really angered by him. ¡°I¡¯ve seen how good Nicole and Gary are in Mathematics. Don¡¯t look down on people based on their grades!¡± Me. Kennedy could not help but scoff when he saw Ms. Emerson, who used to always swallow her anger, talking back to him. ¡°You¡¯ve got to be clear about this, Ms. Emerson. If you send both of these students to participate in thepetition and they get bad results, they will bring down the name of our school. So it isn¡¯t your personal matter!¡± Ms. Emerson did not want to give in and wanted to p back. But when Nicole heard what Mr. Kennedy said, she turned to tell Ms. Emerson, ¡°Ms. Emerson, I want to drop out of thepetition.¡± Mr. Kennedy heard Nicole and smiled until his small eyes behind his sses were squinted.¡± Look at how wise Nicole is. She knows her ce. She did not want to trouble the school, so she asked to be pulled out of thepetition!¡± Ms. Emerson felt an indescribable sense of grievance when she heard Nicole¡¯s fast decision to drop out of thepetition. However, when she thought about Nicole getting a zero for the assessment, she perceived that Nicole might not be able to catch up, so she did not want to force Nicole. Ms. Emerson calmed herself down and said, ¡°Nicole, if it¡¯s too challenging, it¡¯s okay to withdraw yourself from thepetition.¡± Nicole looked at her and smiled faintly, ¡°No, Ms. Emerson. I want to withdraw from thepetition because the questions are just too simple. I want to challenge something harder.¡± After she said that, not only Ms. Emerson and Mr. Kennedy were shocked, but Gary was also stunned. Subsequently, an unexinable fit of anger rose within Gary. ¡®Nicole is bluffing again! She said the assessment was too easyst time, yet she got a zero in the end!¡¯ Mr. Kennedy sneered, ¡°Don¡¯t make meugh. Are you really saying that the questions are simple? with your standards?¡± Ms. Emerson looked at Nicole too. She also felt that Nicole was too much when she said the questions were easy. But after listening to Mr. Kennedy¡¯s words, Ms. Emerson said, ¡°I believe Nicole could do it!¡± Nicole arched her brows as she did not expect Ms. Emerson to have so much trust in her. She then turned to Mr. Kennedy and said tly, ¡°Mr. Kennedy, do you want a bet?¡± Mr. Kennedy looked at her with disdain. ¡°What are we betting on?¡± Nicole tapped on the desk lightly with her finger. ¡°We¡¯ll bet that Ms. Emerson¡¯s ss will get the first ce in thispetition instead of your ss, Mr. Kennedy!¡± Mr. Kennedy almostughed out loud. He looked at the uppity Nicole and agreed immediately. ¡°Sure, let¡¯s bet on this. What are the stakes?¡± Nicole said coldly, ¡°If I lose, I won¡¯t join the Math Olympiadpetition ever again. If you lose, Mr. Kennedy, you¡¯ll have to admit in front of the whole school that Ms. Emerson is the best teacher for the junior year in Royal Creek Institute during our break time!¡± Although Mr. Kennedy was a little upset by Nicole¡¯s words, he was certain that Nicole had no chance of winning the bet after some consideration. So, he simply agreed to her suggestion. ¡°Alright, Nicole. I admire your courage!¡± Then, Mr. Kennedy howled as he left, looking like he had secured his victory. After Mr. Kennedy left, Ms. Emerson looked at Nicole worriedly as if she wanted to say something But Nicole acted like nothing had happened and said, ¡°Ms. Emerson, why did you call me here just now?¡± Ms. Emerson remembered that she wanted to ask why Nicole got zero for the assessment, but it was no longer important. Ms. Emerson asked hurriedly, ¡°Nicole, are you confident about thispetition?¡± Scanned with CamScanner Ms. Emerson did not know why she imagined things. Nicole had already gotten zero for the assessment, let alone the actualpetition? How could she get the first ce? ¡°Forget it, don¡¯t tell me. Go back to ss, the two of you. Study some Maths Olympiad questions together when you have some free time.¡± Nicole knew what Ms. Emerson was thinking just by looking at her expression, but there was no need for her to exin herself. Both Nicole and Gary left the office, and Gary immediately exploded. He looked at Nicole coldly and asked, ¡°You¡¯re such a liar. Why did you say that the questions are easy? If they were, why did you get a zero? Besides, why did you make that bet with Mr. Kennedy? Do you know you¡¯vepletely ruined my n? Great, now I have no choice but to get the first ce!¡± Chapter 69 Chapter 69 Chapter 69 Nicole walked indifferently, not bothering to respond to him. Gary followed behind her. He was questioning her initially, but he was tired of it afterward, so he just left Nicole his words, ¡°You¡¯re on your own,¡± and left. After he left, Nicole turned and walked to Mr. Louis¡¯s office. When Gary walked back to ss, he had a long face. Jack and Wayne saw his expression and thought that something big had happened. So they immediately went to Gary and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Gary? Who made you angry?¡± Gary clenched the pen in his hand tightly and responded chillingly, ¡°Nicole ced a bet with Mr. Kennedy, betting that we¡¯ll get the first ce in the Math Olympiadpetition. She sure has the guts to say that, though I¡¯m the one who¡¯s going to clean up her mess!¡± Jack and Wayne looked at each other, and Jack recalled the time when Gary was rejected by Nicole when he offered to tutor her. So he got angry and said, ¡°Nicole doesn¡¯t know what she¡¯s missing!¡± Wayne nodded in response. Gary did not want to talk any further and went back to his usualzy self as he furrowed his brows and started looking at the questions. At that moment, in Ms. Emerson¡¯s office. Mr. Louis was surprised as he looked at Nicole, who was standing before her. After Mr. Louis recollected himself, he smiled and said, ¡°How can I help you, Nicole?¡± This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. Nicole looked at his kind expression as she gradually said, ¡°Mr. Louis, I¡¯m here to inform you that I will be attending other pieces of training, so I can¡¯t attend your Math Olympiad training ss anymore.¡± Mr. Louis was stunned, but he agreed without saying anything. After Nicole left, the staff in the office asked him, ¡°Mr. Louis, isn¡¯t that the student who scored a zero? Why are you so nice to her? You¡¯re allowing her to skip sses just because she said she couldn¡¯t attend?¡± Mr. Louis shook his head. He had looked at Nicole¡¯s assessment paper multiple times. Although her math workings were messy and slightly different than the workings in the model answers, he found it extremely special Mr. Louis felt like he could not catch up with Nicole¡¯s approach. A genius was called a genius because of their distinctive thought process, which was always ahead of the average joe. Perhaps, Nicole was the true genius in their school. Nicole did not care how others perceived her. She went over to the caf¨¦teria to grab a meal and gave Mr. Ellison a phone call after she was done. Mr. Ellison was ted upon receiving Nicole¡¯s call. ¡°What brought you here, Nicole? Did something happen in school? Just let me know if anything happens. I¡¯ll resolve it for you.¡± Nicole did not beat around the bush and immediately told him about the three girls finding trouble with her. Mr. Ellison listened and responded in an instant, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll penalize three of these students. Your dormitory won¡¯t score a zero either. I¡¯ll definitely give you an exnation.¡± Nicole said, ¡°It isn¡¯t that serious. I just don¡¯t want my roommates to suffer because of me.¡± Mr. Ellison let out a sigh of relief as he was worried that Nicole was upset with his school and did not want to study there anymore. After a short pause, Mr. Ellison said carefully, ¡°Nicole, Harvey ising back to school next Monday. I¡¯m thinking of getting the both of you to meet up. Please¡­¡± Nicole thought about Harvey¡¯s rtionship with Snow and had no interest in Mr. Ellison¡¯s grandson. She immediately interrupted him tly, ¡°Mr. Ellison, I¡¯m participating in the Math Olympiadpetition soon. I¡¯m afraid I don¡¯t have much time.¡± Mr. Ellison sighed softly from the other end of the phone. He knew that Nicole always had her own stance and that she would not change her mind easily. ¡°Alright. Get ready for thepetition. You don¡¯t have to worry about anything else.¡± Nicole responded with an ¡°okay,¡± and Mr. Ellison reminded her to take care of herself before their call ended. Nicole¡¯s expression remained the same as she kept her phone away and walked out. After Mr. Ellison ended his call with Nicole, he smiled at the VIP sitting across from him. ¡°Hello, Mr. Johnston. Sorry for not giving you a better wee.¡± Mr. Ellison still remembered thest time Jared had called him suddenly with the intention to start a caf¨¦ in front of Royal Creek Institute. Usually, Mr. Ellison would not have allowed those non-essential businesses to be opened near the school premise. But since Jared had made the request in person, there was no reason for him to reject Jared. Mr. Ellison just did not know why Jared wanted to see him again. Jared came in a littlete, so he could only hear thest few words Mr. Ellison said before hanging up the phone. But he felt that Mr. Ellison sounded exceptionally kind when he spoke to that person, so he arched his brows and asked suspiciously, ¡°I wonder who the person you were speaking to was. You sounded so concerned, Mr. Ellison.¡± Mr. Ellison waved when he heard what Jared said, ¡°It¡¯s someone important to me. You probably don¡¯t know that person, Mr. Johnston.¡± Somehow, Jared thought of Nicole. She had also mentioned that she was rather close with Mr. Ellison. At that moment, Mr. Ellison went back to the main topic. ¡°How may I help you, Mr. Johnston?¡± Jared could tell that Mr. Ellison did not want to talk too long, so he did not bother asking irrelevant things and cut to the chase, expressing the aim of his visit. ¡°There are many skilled students in your school, so do you have anyputer geniuses in mind?¡± Jared tracked the information of that online ount in his caf¨¦, so he was even more certain that the person behind that ount was a student from the Royal Creek Institute. A hacker like Lucifer was definitely a somebody in Royal Creek Institute. That was why Jared went to see Mr. Ellison, to dig out more information about the hacker. To a normal person, Jared¡¯s question was nothing out of the ordinary. But Mr. Ellison¡¯s face changed for a second before he put on his kind expression as he smiled and said, ¡°Royal Creek Institute is just an educational institute. If you¡¯re looking for a skilled person, you should get Mr. Graham to hire a professional. Why did youe to me?¡± Jared saw that Mr. Ellison was not only trying to avoid his question but also trying to fish something out from him, so Jared could not help but smile intriguingly. ¡°No reason. There are too manyplicated people in society, so I just n to personally train talent from Royal Creek Institute. You don¡¯t have to be so nervous, Mr. Ellison.¡± Mr. Ellison seemed to notice that the way he acted was slightly overboard just now. Jared was extremely sharp, so Mr. Ellison was worried that Jared had noticed something¡­ Chapter 70 Chapter 70 Though Mr. Ellison had only met Jared a few times, Jared¡¯s presence was nowhere weaker than his every time they met. ¡®This young man, Jared, definitely has a bright future.¡¯ Jared stood up gracefully when he saw that Mr. Ellison did not continue the conversation. Jared walked slowly toward the end of Mr. Ellison¡¯s long office desk, which had a massive floor -to-ceiling window next to it. At that moment, the sun was bright, illuminating Jared to the point where he looked like he was glowing. Mr. Ellison¡¯s office was on the top floor, so they could clearly see Royal Creek Institute¡¯s entire campus. Jared stood in front of the window and chuckled strangely. ¡°Mr. Ellison, I want to invest in your school.¡± Mr. Ellison did not know why Jared had such a thought, but he was immediately alert when he thought about how Jared wanted to get someone from him. ¡°Why are you saying this all of a sudden, Mr. Johnston?¡± Jared turned to look at Mr. Ellison. Half of his charming face was basking under the sun while the other half was in the shadows. He smiled with his eyes and looked painfully handsome. ¡°It¡¯s obviously because Royal Creek Institute has a lot of potentials.¡± Jared thought, ¡®You even have a genius like Lucifer.¡¯ He squinted his eyes slightly when he thought about the hundred million dors Lucifer made him lose, which was an ident that he had never made. The area of search for Lucifer is gradually getting smaller. If I keep my eyes on Royal Creek Institute, I will definitely catch Lucifer.¡¯ Mr. Ellison hesitated further when he heard Jared¡¯s response. But he did not want to offend Jared too much, so he slowly said, ¡°Mr. Johnston, this is something long-term. Give me some time to consider.¡± The Johnston Group was a bigpany, and even its divisions were strong. Mr. Ellison had to ponder about this further. Jared was clear of Mr. Ellison¡¯s worries, so he did not want to pressure him. Jared immediately agreed, saying, ¡°Sure, I hope you can give me a satisfactory response, Mr. Ellison.¡± Mr. Ellison walked Jared out of his office. His worries doubled as he looked at Jared¡¯s cynical figure from the back. N?velDrama.Org exclusive content. Jareding back as the unofficial heir of the Johnston family this time was a talk in San Joto. Moreover, Mr. Ellison had not risen to prominence in Hustuaburg yet, so he was rather fearful of Jared. Mr. Ellison thought about Jared¡¯s words as he frowned slightly. Meanwhile, Nicole, unaware of any of this, was walking toward her dorm. She did not have to attend the Math Olympiad training ss this afternoon. But she had yet to decide where to study the example math problems. After all, she had already made a boastful promise in front of everyone. If she did not put more effort into studying like how a normal person did for maths, she might get another zero again. Nicole was frustrated, unaware that Gary was already sitting in the lecture hall waiting for her. ¡°The ss is about to start, so why hasn¡¯t Nicolee yet?¡¯ ¡®Nicole sure is stubborn. She already made a bet with Mr. Kennedy this afternoon, saying she would get first ce. But she¡¯s not even attending ss now. With her standard that got her a zero, does she really want to win by self-studying?¡¯ Gary wondered. Gary also thought about how she did not respond to him when he questioned her. He could not help but ask himself whether he was too harsh. ¡°How fragile. I¡¯ve only questioned Nicole a little, and she doesn¡¯t want toe to ss now.¡± After he said that, he paid attention to ss gloomily. Raine was sitting next to Gary when she heard his remarks. She turned and saw that Nicole really did not show up to ss. She then connected it to what Gary had said. She was certain that Gary was waiting for Nicole just now! Raine¡¯s eyes were filled with jealousy and frustration when she thought about this. ¡®What¡¯s so good about Nicole? Why is she always in Gary¡¯s mind?¡¯ Raine could not help but think of Nicole¡¯s words. Nicole was a vixen. She wouldn¡¯t have seduced him because she was in the same ss as Gary, right? After their ss ended, Raine forced a smile while she said to Gary, ¡°Gary, the caf¨¦ we went to that day did not appreciate us. To make it up to you, let¡¯s go somewhere better for coffeeter. She grinned brightly as she looked around the campus as she was sure that Gary would ept her offer. Raine had splurged for this date. She had spent every cent of her monthly allowance to book a seat in that caf¨¦. Raine looked at Gary, full of confidence. She was already prepared to listen to him saying yes to her asking him out. However, Gary did not even spare her a nce and said coldly, ¡°I have things to do these days. I¡¯m afraid I don¡¯t have the time to go with you.¡± Nicole had pushed him over the brink when she made such a bet with Mr. Kennedy, so he had to study and get the first ce like his life depended on it. When Raine saw how he did not bother to sugarcoat things, she immediately thought of the things he said before their ss started. How could Raine not know that his excuse had something to do with Nicole? Raine¡¯s blood boiled instantly as she watched Gary leaving without turning back She pulled out her phone and sent a text message before she smiled coldly. ¡®Nicole, if you have the guts to seduce Gary, you¡¯ll have to pay!¡¯ she thought. Norah¡¯s phone rang after some time. After she saw Raine¡¯s message, she let out augh. ¡®What did Nicole do to make Raine angry that Raine wants to mess with Nicole again?¡¯ Celia and Ashley were all friends Norah had introduced to Raine and Snow. But now that they could not offer help anymore,. Norah had no one in mind except the few seniors yesterday¡­ She did not know whether they would still help her out. She thought about it and decided to use Raine¡¯s name to send them a message, asking them to meddle with Nicole. After some time, they replied to her text. Norah unlocked her phone, and her smile immediately froze. ¡®What?! The seniors rejected her request! ¡®Are these people terrified of Nicole after yesterday¡¯s incident that they don¡¯t dare to mess with Nicole again?¡¯ Chapter 71 Chapter 71 After some time, they sent another text message over to Norah, saying, ¡°Someone is helping Nicole. We¡¯ve all gotten punished for what we did yesterday. Let¡¯s stop contacting each other from today onwards.¡± Norah clenched her phone tightly in her hand as her veins popped out of her slender fingers, which looked exceptionally ugly. ¡°These three idiots could not even finish such a simple task. It is too bad I gave them so much information about Samuel!¡¯ After fretting for some time, Norah was still thinking of ways to take care of Nicole when Celia¡¯s profile picture popped out from her phone screen. Norah¡¯s eyes sparkled as she immediately told Celia Nicole¡¯s whereabouts¡­ After two hours, Nicole walked out of the library after she was done studying. The sun was setting, and it was close to dinner time. Nicole decided to have dinner before going back to study again. But when she reached the entrance to the caf¨¦, she bumped into someone unexpectedly. She looked up and realized that it was a very familiar face. She smiled, intrigued. Celia red at Nicole angrily as she stood before her. Behind her was a group of muscr men. With only one nce, Nicole could tell that they were well trained. Even Cain had lost to Nicole and was still staying in the hospital. Celia had been taking care of him for so many days, but he did not seem to recover still, which had made Celia heartbroken and angry. But she could kind of sense that Nicole was no angel, so normal thugs might not be able to handle Nicole. For this reason, Celia spent arge sum of money to hire these professional thugs to teach Nicole a lesson. This could help both her and Cain to let off steam and let Nicole know that she, Celia Rowe, was not someone Nicole could mess with! When she saw Nicoleing out, Celia waved to the men behind her. ¡°This is the girl. She knows a few martial arts, so you don¡¯t have to go easy on her. Go teach her a lesson!¡± The men behind her listened to their boss¡¯ order, so it was only unreasonable for them to not follow through. They warmed themselves up before they surrounded Nicole. This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. Nicole¡¯s expression remained the same when she looked at them rubbing their fists and palms. She immediately knew that they were professionals in this field of work, so they must know some martial arts. Nicole looked at Celia with what seemed like a smile. Celia grew smarter this time as she knew how to get better fighters to mess with Nicole. Nicole was about to put down her bag in her hand, but she suddenly heard azy voice saying, ¡°What are you doing? What party is this?¡± Turns out, Jared was going to get his car after leaving the principal¡¯s office. He just passed by and saw a group of big men surrounding a girl. He only noticed that the girl was Nicole after he got closer. ¡°Those men sure have the guts to hit someone in broad daylight.¡¯ The darkness grew in Jared¡¯s usual expressionless eyes as he walked closer to them. Though he had azy stance, he was emitting a strong presence, forcing the thugs to retreat instinctively, making way for him. When Nicole saw that it was Jared, she was surprised for a while, but she immediately put on her indifferent expression again. Jared walked to Nicole and asked, ¡°Are you alright?¡± Nicole paused and looked at him. Without words, she was telling him that obviously, those men had not even touched her clothes. Jared understood her look and smiled unconsciously. Everyone in San Joto longed for his attention, but Nicole did not even bother to give him a response. On the other hand, Celia saw what happened and stared at Jared, gaping. Since the Rowe family was one of the powerful families in San Joto, she had met plenty of bigwigs with her parents. So, she immediately knew that the man before her was the notable helmsman of the Johnston family. Additionally, he was also the unofficial heir to the top consortium in San Joto, the Johnston Group. She had only seen him once during a charity banquet. Other than being awestruck by his charming appearance, she was also stunned by the way the people treated him. Her parents could only smile in thepany of the managers of the Finley Group and the Ellison Group, who were both extremely courteous and hospitable toward Jared. Celia¡¯s parents were not even in the ce to greet Jared, so they could only stare at him from afar. Just like a peasant, she was asking her parents who Jared was. She would never forget the look in her father¡¯s eyes at that moment. They were filled with fear and aspiration as her father said, ¡°He is someone we can never mess with!¡± But now, Jared, who was cold toward all of the women in the banquet, was concerned about Nicole. Not only did he not mind Nicole ignoring him, but he even smiled at Nicole. ¡®Didn¡¯t the school forum say that Nicole had no background? If so, what is going on right now? If Nicole has any connections with Jared¡­¡¯ Celia did not even dare to think any further as she cursed silently. ¡®Those online experts made a fool out of me!¡¯ She immediately ordered the men to go back to her as she asked loudly, ¡°Why are you people surrounding Nicole?¡± She was busy throwing nces at them while she spoke. However, those men were not the sharpest tools in the shed, so theypletely did not catch her signals. ¡°Miss, didn¡¯t you hire us to beat her up? We¡¯re just doing what we are paid for, so why are you questioning us?¡± Celia was so pissed to the point that she felt a little lightheaded. All she could do was hope that Jared did not hear what they had said. Celia turned around awkwardly and looked at Jared with a worried look as she said carefully,¡± M-Mr. Johnston, what brings you here?¡± Jared did not spare her a nce as he was still staring at Nicole. ¡°Nicole, what¡¯s going on?¡± Nicole looked at Celia¡¯s panicked expression and could not help but study Jared again.¡± Nothing much. She can¡¯t do much to me.¡± Jared saw that she did not want to let him know, so he did not bother asking further. Then, he finally lowered his standards to nce at Celia. ¡°Since she doesn¡¯t want to tell me, you can. Speak only the truths.¡± Celia was going numb just by being stared down by Jared. A chill ran down her spine as she thought about the things she had done to Nicole. How could she even tell the truth?! Chapter 72 Chapter 72 Celia worked up the nerve to look at Nicole. When she saw Nicole looking indifferent toward her, she thought of how Nicole did not mention that she had bullied her. So, Celia mustered her courage and said, ¡°Nothing much. There¡¯s just a little misunderstanding between Nicole and me.¡± Before she could finish, Jared scoffed coldly, ¡°Just a little misunderstanding, and you¡¯ve hired so many thugs to barricade her?¡± Jared thought, ¡®Do I look that gullible?¡¯ Celia was immediately startled when Jared said that, unable to speak Nicole could not stand Celia¡¯s cowardly look and told Jared tly, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Even without Jared, Nicole could not be harmed by Celia, not even if there were ten of them. It was just that Nicole did not want to waste her energy on Celia. Jared heard Nicole and shot Celia a nce with a half-smile. ¡°Don¡¯t let me see you ever again.¡± After all, Nicole was still his fianc¨¦e. No one should touch her without his permission! After that, Nicole and Jared left, one behind the other. From far, their leisure footsteps seemed in line with each other. Celia was left frozen on the spot as if Jared¡¯sst nce had bewitched her to stay at the same spot. She did not move an inch for a period of time. Celia¡¯s eyes were filled with extreme fear as Jared¡¯s words had pulled her to hell. She knew that Jared was definitely not joking. Though Nicole knew that Jared was the heir of the Johnston family, she did not know how powerful Jared really was. However, when she saw Celia¡¯s expression just now, she could tell that Jared surely had a high status. ¡®I wonder what brings someone as prestigious as him to Royal Creek Institute?¡¯ While she was pondering, she asked Jared suspiciously, ¡°Why are you at Royal Creek Institute? ¡°Me? I¡¯m obviously here to reminisce with Mr. Ellison.¡± Nicole fell silent. Speaking of Mr. Ellison, Nicole suddenly felt guilty as she thought, ¡°This Jared wouldn¡¯t have asked questions that are not meant to be asked, right?¡± ¡°Did Mr. Ellison give you a call today?¡± Jared asked curiously as he thought about Mr. Ellison¡¯s phone call when he walked into his office. ¡°Yeah.¡± Nicole nodded instinctively, but she quickly frowned. ¡°What does Mr. Ellison calling me has got to do with you?¡± Jaredughed. ¡°I¡¯m just curious. Mr. Ellison¡­ seemed to treat you better than his own grandchild.¡± Nicole rolled her eyes at him. ¡°It¡¯s none of your business.¡± Jared¡¯s eyes darkened as he watched her walking forward. ¡®Who on earth is Nicole?¡¯ She had tasted the coffee beans from his private estate, and Mr. Ellison had a special affinity with her. But after so many days, Jared still could not find out Nicole¡¯s true information. He found it incredibly odd. When he saw Nicole almost entering the caf¨¦teria, she immediately blinked at Nicole. ¡°Do you want to head on over to my caf¨¦? There¡¯s western food now, and everything is free if you visit the shop.¡± Nicole stopped instantly as she was very fond of the coffee from his caf¨¦. If she could order some western food, it would be even better. ¡°Sure, but it doesn¡¯t have to be free.¡± It did not cost much to her, so she could still afford it.N?velDrama.Org content rights. ¡°Oh?¡± Jared could not help but arch his brows. His caf¨¦ only had high spenders. Even some wealthy kids were reluctant to pay. But Nicole did not even bat an eye¡­ For whatever reason, Jason felt that Nicole was filthy rich. The both of them arrived at the caf¨¦ in a short time. Max was not around, so the cashier saw them. He was stunned for a while before he went up to wee them warmly. ¡°Mr. Johnston, Miss Riddle.¡± Nicole nodded and was about to go make an order when Jared suddenly extended his arm to stop her. When he saw Nicole looking at him with confusion, he smiled provokingly. ¡°Do you want to see what I can do?¡± Nicole looked at him and nodded nonchntly before she turned and walked toward her usual seat to sit down. The cashier gaped bewilderedly as he looked at Jared. Jared was a top international barista. The presidents of other countries paid him a handsome amount of money for him to make them coffee, but he had rejected them mercilessly. Now, Jared was personally making coffee for a mere student! The way the cashier looked at Nicole instantly became full of admiration as he finally understood how important Miss Riddle was to Jared. Nicole was oblivious to these as she pulled out two high-level Math Olympiad practice questions from her bag. Though she was spinning her pencil in her hand, she did not write anything down. All Nicole did was look at the questions. She then flipped to the next page after some time. This was her unique way of studying. She would do the calctions in her head after she looked at the question. Not only did this approach save time, but it also saved her the energy from writing down the forms. If her schoolmates saw the way she looked now, they would probably start looking down on her again. They might think that she was pretending since she was not writing anything down, nor did she do any calctions. They would doubt whether she was actually studying and deem her ¡± pretense¡± ridiculous. When Jared walked out with two cups of coffee, he saw Nicole resting her oval chin on her palm as she looked at the practice questions with expressionless eyes. She had a set of faint navy blue eyes, and her slightly pursed lips were bright red. Her sleeves rolled down her arm, and she had a red string as her bracelet around her fair, slim wrist, which further entuated her porcin white skin. Her other hand was busy fidgeting with her pen as she performed pen spinning tricks from time to time. Though she had a t expression on her face, Jared could somehow tell that she was happy. It was like she could getfort when she studied at the caf¨¦. Jared smiled lightly when he saw this as he walked toward her and ced the cup of coffee on her table. ¡°What are you looking at? You look so serious.¡± Nicole did not even look at him when she answered him tly, ¡°Math Olympiad questions.¡± After she spoke, she picked up the coffee in front of her and took a sip. Jared did not seem to expect that answer, so he could not help but chuckle nonchntly, ¡°I didn¡¯t think you would sit here and do Math Olympiad questions. How surprising.¡± Nicole red at him. ¡°There¡¯s plenty more things for you to be surprised about.¡± She put back the coffee at the table, and Jared spoke after some time, ¡°This is a new product that was personally made by me. It isn¡¯t too much for me to ask for your opinion on this, right?¡± Nicole¡¯s eyes stayed at the practice question as she responded half-heartedly, ¡°This is the best coffee I¡¯ve had. Give me a minute.¡± Then¡­. Nicole just tantly ignored him and started doing her Math Olympiad questions seriously! Chapter 73 Chapter 73 Five minutes had passed in the blink of an eye, and the look on Jared¡¯s face got worse. When she came to the caf¨¦st time, she had also ignored him. Now, she was actually ignoring him for some math questions? This was a feeling that Jared was experiencing for the first time in his life. At that moment, the food he ordered for Nicole was served, and that was when Nicole finally put down her book as she got ready to eat. Then she noticed Jared was not looking too good. ¡°What¡¯s up with you?¡± Nicole wondered why Jared who looked fine back then became so upset now. ¡°I¡¯m still waiting for your opinion,¡± said Jared. In his mind, he muttered, ¡®I don¡¯t mind that you ignored me, but did you actually forget what I¡¯m waiting for?¡¯ ¡°Haven¡¯t I told you already? It was the best coffee I¡¯ve had.¡± She looked serious. Jared frowned. ¡°That¡¯s all?¡± Last time, she would guess the type of coffee or the way the coffee was processed after she tasted the coffee. But now she did not even bother to borate herment when it came to him. ¡°What else?¡± She had an innocent look on her face. Jared was immediately at a loss for words. ¡°Okay, nice.¡± He waspletely defeated at that moment, so he just lowered his head and got ready to eat with her as he picked up his fork. However, Nicole suddenly furrowed her brows. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Jared paused whatever he was doing. ¡°Eat.¡± He thought, ¡®Do I have to inform you about this too?¡¯ ¡°Why are you eating with me?¡± Nicole¡¯s brows knitted further. Jared and Nicole had only met a few times, so they were not close at all. She wondered why did he have to have meal with her. Jared was so exasperated that he almost burst outughing when Nicole rejected him with her distant expression. Countless women in local and abroad were heartlessly rejected by him when they asked him out for dinner. But now that he took the initiative to dine in with Nicole, yet she gave her a disdainful look. ¡°I was the one who ordered these for you, yet I couldn¡¯t eat them?¡± Jared fought back his anger to keep himself rational. But Nicole responded, ¡°Though you¡¯re the one who ordered it, I¡¯m the one who¡¯s going to pay, and I am not nning to treat anyone.¡± She had never dined in a stranger before. ¡°You¡­¡± Jared waspletely baffled, and he could not help but p his hands. ¡°Okay¡­ Very well, Miss Riddle. You are a very interesting person. I¡¯ll get the bill this time, alright?¡± But Nicole arched her brows. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I don¡¯t want to be indebted to you, so let¡¯s have own meals.¡± She then looked down and started eating, not forgetting to pull her sd bowl closer to her. It was obvious that she wanted to draw a clear line between the both of them. It was the first time Jared was embarrassed like that, and some people were starting to look over at them. He had no choice but to say through gritted teeth, ¡°Is this how you treat your fianc¨¦?¡± N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights. ¡°Ptui!¡± Nicole had almost spat out her coffee as she immediately took some tissue paper to wipe her mouth. She then shot him a re. ¡°Stop joking around, okay? We¡¯ve already settled on breaking off the engagement.¡± The moment when Jared saw her disdainful expression, he started to regret¡­ ¡°Do you want to break it off so badly?¡± He wondered, ¡®Do you really not miss me, your charming fianc¨¦, the heir to the Johnston Group, one bit?¡¯ ¡°Yeah. Isn¡¯t it the same for you?¡± After all, he was the one who had personally visited her house for it. Her question immediately made Jared choke. Chapter 74 Chapter 74 Jared did not respond and called the server in angrily, ¡°Get me a steak.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± The server turned and left. Nicole stared at him as if she wanted to ask him what was wrong. Jared frowned. ¡°I¡¯ll pay for it myself, okay?¡± Nicole finally gave in to eating with him at the same table, so she continued eating. Jared looked at her. It was his first time feeling defeated and resigned. This fianc¨¦e of his was so unique that she was driving him nuts¡­ After Nicole bid Jared farewell, the sky was already dark when she left the caf¨¦. Gloria gave Nicole a call to tell her that their driver was already at the school¡¯s entrance to pick her up. It turned out that everyone was going home this weekend as Mr. Riddle Sr. had arranged for a family dinner. Nicole was a little reluctant, but Mr. Riddle Sr. was rather nice to her. She had not seen her parents for a few days either, so she agreed to go home. When she walked out of school, the driver, who was sent by her family, was standing upright next to the car. When he saw Nicole walking out, he immediately opened the car door for her. ¡°Miss Nicole, the misters have already gone home, and they ordered me to wait for you before they left.¡± Nicole nodded as a response. She had seen the driver before, but he did not really talk much to her. However, he was really attentive toward Snow and Raine. After all, Dillion had a higher status in the Riddle Corporation. At that moment, Nicole could not help but look at him twice as he was suddenly behaving extra hospitable toward her. The driver shed Nicole a toady smile when he saw her walking over. It seemed like he did not dare to snub her after seeing Mr. Riddle Sr. sending her to school personally, After twenty minutes, their car arrived back home. The driver hurried over to open Nicole¡¯s car door when she was getting down of the car. Nicole arched her brows when she saw him sweating profusely, but she remained silent. Nicole got down the car and suddenly realized an extremely cool motorcycle parked right next to the entrance to their house! N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights. She loved these, so she could immediately tell that it was thetest model of Lightning. Be it the specs, the speed, thefort, or safety, this motorcycle was of top quality. Needless to say, it was extremely expensive. Nicole squinted to look at its specifications and noticed that everything was the highest spec. This motorcycle definitely cost at least nine million dors! Nicole¡¯s eyes dwelled on the motorcycle as she wondered who was its owner. After a few minutes, Nicole opened the front door to her house and saw everyone sitting in the living hall as soon as she entered. Her second and third uncles were all here, and her second uncle even brought his children over. When she went in, everyone looked at her, and a hint of displeasure shed in Karen¡¯s eyes. Daniel and his wife arrived rather early, so Nicole was the only one who waste. She was from the younger generation, yet she made her elderlies wait for her to begin their meal. How unmannered. Karen said in sarcastic tone, ¡°Nicole, though it¡¯s normal for you to be unmannered since you are from the countryside, you already belong to the Riddle family in San Joto now. Don¡¯t you think you should learn some manners? How could you let all of us sit here and wait for you?¡± Last time, Nicole¡¯s family was the ones who made them wait. Now, it was Nicole alone, and she made them wait for a very long time. The worst thing was Mr. Riddle Sr. insisted on waiting for Nicole before they started eating. Karen really did not know what was so special about Nicole. Gloria was embarrassed and was about to defend Nicole, but Daniel shook his head as he did not want her to go against Karen. As for Norah, she was gloating next to them. So what if Nicole got all the spotlight in school? She was nothing but a country bumpkin in her family¡¯s eyes! Every one of them looked down on her! They all thought Nicole would apologize to Karen, but Nicole did not respond and looked at her watch instead. It had just hit 6:00 p.m., and the Riddle family had always eaten their dinner around 6:15 p.m. She passed her bag to the servant and said tly, ¡°I didn¡¯t make you wait; the kitchen is the one that¡¯s making you wait.¡± Indeed, the kitchen only started to serve their food now. The dishes weren¡¯t fully served yet, so how were they waiting for her? After Nicole said that, Karen could not find anything to refute. She got so angry she smacked the table and stood up as she pointed at Nicole. ¡°Is this the way you talk to your elder?¡± Chapter 75 Chapter 75 Mr. Riddle Sr., who was sitting in the head seat, frowned when he saw Karen¡¯s behavior. He said coldly, ¡°Karen, sit down.¡± Dillion knew Mr. Riddle Sr. hated people arguing during mealtime the most, so he quickly pulled the unwilling Karen to sit down. Nicole sat down next to Norah, and both Samuel and Spencer looked past Norah to greet Nicole. When Norah saw her brothers being so affectionate to Nicole, she intentionally said in a low voice to Nicole, ¡°Honestly, you are a littlete. Didn¡¯t we finish ss hours ago?¡± Though her voice was not loud, it was not soft either. So everyone at the table could hear her condemning Nicole. Nicole arched her eyebrows as she was already used to Norah setting her up. She then smiled menacingly, ¡°I bumped into Jared after school, and he treated me to a meal.¡± Though she had paid for her food, Jared did not ept a cent from her as if he was waiting for her to show a guilty depression. But she did not see anything wrong with how she had rejected eating with him, so she just epted his treat and left. She thought back about Jared¡¯s expression and found him rather interesting. Nicole smiled yfully, unaware that everyone was already stunned after listening to what she had said. ¡°What? Jared¡­treated you to a meal?¡± Karen was extremely surprised. Though they were all aware that Mr. Riddle Sr. told Nicole about the engagement with Jared, they did not expect Jared to be interested in a country bumpkin like her! Snow, who was sitting across from her, said bitterly, ¡°Nicole, no one is ming you for beingte. You don¡¯t have to say such a far-fetched excuse.¡± Snow seemed soft and gentle, but she was actually insulting Nicole, saying that she was lying. Nicole smiled and took a sip of her juice. ¡°You can ask Jared if you don¡¯t believe me.¡± At that moment, everyone¡¯s face went pale. Where could they get the courage to ask Jared? It was said that Mr. Johnston Sr.¡¯s dear grandson was making high demands as soon as he returned from overseas. Everyone in the Johnston Group followed his orders, and his position in San Joto was untouchable. Although Mr. Johnston Sr. and Mr. Riddle Sr. were friends, the Riddle family was not close to Jared. How could they have the right to ask him about his personal matters? Mr. Riddle Sr. was ecstatic at that moment. He already knew that Nicole was a truthful person, so he smiled warmly at her. ¡°It seems like Jared is really into you. You¡¯ve got to get along well with him, okay?¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. still had no idea about Nicole wanting to break off the engagement, but Nicole did not want to mention it either. When Nicole saw theplicated expressions on their faces, as well as the proud expression on her parents¡¯ and her brothers¡¯ faces, she smiled yfully and kept quiet. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s start eating. Though you¡¯ve already eaten, Nicole, please stay back and eat some food with us,¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. weed Nicole happily. ¡°Sure.¡± Nicole nodded. Norah¡¯s eyes were filled with loath when she saw that Nicole was getting the spotlight once again. She had gotten even more jealous when she thought of Jared treating Nicole to a meal¡­ Ever since the day she knew that the caf¨¦ belonged to Jared, she had been an avid customer in hopes of bumping into Jared. However, she had not even seen him once! Today was the day Norah did not visit the shop, and Jared treated Nicole to a meal on this same day! Nicole was heartbroken whenever she thought of the possible changes to the cancetion of their engagement. The engagement with Jared should have belonged to her! She would not let Nicole take it away from her! Everyone started to eat happily, and her third uncle and his wife were sitting across from Nicole. They would have small talk with Nicole from time to time, so Nicole had quite a good impression of them. When Karen saw them and Nicole¡¯s parents treating Nicole so well, she was filled with resentment. Back then, everyone would praise her son and daughters whenever the whole family gathered together. Now, everyone¡¯s attention was on Nicole. When they were almost done with their meal, Karen purposely turned to ask, ¡°I heard Nicole went to stay on campus to pay attention to her studies. How is she performing in school?¡± When Nicole¡¯s academic performance was brought up, Mr. Riddle Sr. was slightly curious as well, so he did not interrupt her. Snow saw the chance and grabbed it as she smiled and nced at Nicole. ¡°Norah is in ss B, junior year. She should know Nicole¡¯s performance better than anyone else.¡± Norah was taken aback as she did not expect Snow to throw the question back to her. She could feel her parents and her brothers were all looking at her. Norah bit her lips as she knew she could not talk ill about Nicole in front of them, so she could only sneak a few nces at Raine. Then, she put up a wronged expression and said, ¡°Nicole¡­ I don¡¯t know what to say.¡± Raine sneered when she looked at Norah, who did not dare to speak. ¡°If you¡¯re afraid to say it, I¡¯ll say it. Nicole got famous as soon as she got into school and was always a hot topic on the school forum. They were saying that she was in a rtionship with multiple guys and had even beaten a boy to the point where he got admitted into the hospital!¡± Her voice was sonorous, as if she was desperate to expose Nicole in front of everybody! When Mr. Riddle Sr. heard her, his eyes immediately turned cold as he looked at Nicole.¡± Nicole, is Raine telling the truth?¡± N?velDrama.Org content rights. But Nicole¡¯s face remained still as she fearlessly stared right back at him. ¡°Grandpa, all of these came from nowhere. The people in school have nothing to do, so they¡¯ll just fabricate stories to spread rumors.¡± Raine saw Nicole looking at herself, and Nicole¡¯s eyes showed that she had already seen through Raine. But how could Raine admit that Nicole had startled her with her eyes? She then yelled, ¡°Are you still defending yourself? Everyone in the school forum is saying that you¡¯re bullying my sister after you¡¯re crowned the beauty queen. Not only this, you¡¯re even bullying people because you have Austin¡¯s help. Celia¡¯s boyfriend is in the hospital because he was beaten up by you! You even hit the seniors who were inspecting your dorm! Grandpa, Nicole¡¯s name is tarnished in school. She haspletely humiliated the Riddle family!¡± Raine was getting excited as she spoke, desperate to list out every bad thing that Nicole did! Norah was ted when she heard Raine shouting! Who asked Nicole to be so cocky? Great, now every single thing she did was exposed! Let¡¯s see how Nicole could still stand in the Riddle family! Chapter 76 Chapter 76 Samuel could not take it anymore. ¡°Raine, stop the nonsense! The small forum is full of gossip, and Spencer and I would never visit it. How can you believe in these things?¡± Raine sneered. ¡°Just because you guys didn¡¯t visit that you didn¡¯t know. Your good sister thought so highly of herself and took part in the Math Olympiadpetition. She got a zero score on the first test.¡± ¡°Zero?¡± The entire family was stunned. Since the founding of the Royal Creek Institute, all its students were elites, and no one had ever scored zero. Was Nicole so dumb that she got a zero score? Damien and his wife looked gravely at Nicole at the thought of her embarrassing the Riddle family. They then looked at Gloria and Daniel, feeling not too happy. They had long disagreed about sending Nicole to the Royal Creek Institute high school. It turned out that they were right: Nicole had not only made trouble but also scored zero on tests. Raine was right about Nicole embarrassing the Riddle family. Dillon also looked at Nicole with disappointment. She was not only ill-mannered at home but also behaving terribly at school. She needed to be taught a lesson lest she would get from bad to worse next time. After a long silence, Damien said icily to Nicole, ¡°I know Raine very well. She will never lie and nder others. Nicole, you, as part of the Riddle family, not taking care of your words and actions, have brought shame to the family. How can you be so willful?¡± Miley Rogers nodded in agreement as she sat by. Her daughter had already embarked on the road to stardom and could not afford to let news leak out that she had such a sister. ¡°Exactly. Snow has always been gentle and easy to get along with. What was wrong with you? Why did you bully her?¡± Dillon said. ¡°Actually, Nicole didn¡¯t bully me. It was I who had talked too much, but I was out of concern for her. She must have felt annoyed because of that,¡± Snow said softly. The more Snow said, the angrier Dillon became. He red at Nicole and said, ¡°You must give us an exnation today.¡± Seeing that her husband had spoken out, Karen immediately jumped onto the bandwagon.¡± Exactly. How could Nicole bully Snow? Daniel, you must give us an exnation.¡± Nicole looked at Snow with a smirk after hearing what karen had said. Snow appeared to be wanting to stop Raine and her parents, but in reality, she was fanning the mes. Her family was up to no good. Samuel was desperate, but he could not talk back to the elders. But Nicole did not panic even the slightest when facing all of them. She just yed with the quilt and chuckled. ¡°Did you just say I bullied Snow? Where is the evidence?¡± Dillon quickly looked at Raine, who immediately showed him the photo on the forum. He looked furious and pointed at Nicole. ¡°Can you see what this is? How dare you deny you didn¡¯t bully Snow? So why did she cry?¡± N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights. Nicole smirked. ¡°Ask her about it. But, ording to Raine, I have beaten Celia¡¯s boyfriend so severely that he is now lying in the hospital. So had I wanted to bully Snow, she would have had no chance to cry.¡± Nicole¡¯s frosty eyes swept over Raine and Snow, sending a chill up their spines. Samuel snapped back and tried to defend Nicole. ¡°Absolutely. How can you prove Nicole has bullied Snow? Nicole is a national martial arts champion. If she wants to bully Snow, she can make Snow cry with just her fingers.¡± ¡°Samuel.¡± Seeing Samuel getting emotional, Spencer quickly stopped him. Their two elder brothers were not there. So even if they wanted to defend Nicole, their words carried little weight in front of the elders. Samuel got what Spencer meant and could only suppress his anger and sit down. But what Samuel said made Mr. Riddle Sr. think. After a moment, he asked, ¡°Nicole, you are a national martial arts champion?¡± No wonder she beat all the boys and sent them lying in the hospital. There surely was more to this granddaughter of his than met the eye. Nicole did not intend to hide it either. She nodded and said, ¡°My grandma was afraid that I would be bullied when I was a child, so she sent me to learn some self- defense techniques.¡± Mr. Riddle Sr.¡¯s face turned solemn. He immediately turned to Snow. ¡°Tell me what the hell is going on.¡± Snow was confused for a moment. But she quickly came out of it and responded. ¡°Grandpa, I never said that Nicole bullied me. Someone deliberately took this photo and uploaded it to the Inte. I guess Raine must have seen this photo and thought that Nicole bullied me.¡± With that, she pinched Raine hard under the table. Raine¡¯s heart skipped a beat, and she looked bbergasted at Snow. It was Snow who uploaded the photo to the Inte. Why did she deny it now? But when she noticed Mr. Riddle Sr.¡¯s grave expression, her heart skipped a beat again. ¡°I don¡¯t know. That is what people say on the school forum.¡± Just when Dillon wanted to say something, Karen quickly pinched him, stopping him from talking. She had now figured out what was going on when noticing her daughter¡¯s reaction. ¡°Snow was right beside you, yet you came back toin about it before finding out what was actually going on?¡± Mr. Riddle Sr hissed, ¡°I¡ª¡± Raine bit her lip and quibbled. ¡°I might not have found out what was going on. But what about the other things?¡± This was not the only wrong thing that Nicole had done. At this point, Spencer took out his phone, opened the post on the school forum, and showed it to Mr. Riddle Sr. ¡°Grandpa, the allegation that Nicole was dating two guys at the same time is also false. It was a picture taken when we took Nicole out to dinner. Just that Nicole is more low -key. She did not tell her rtionship with us at school.¡± After hearing this, Mr. Riddle Sr. no longer believed all other allegations. He looked frostily at Raine. ¡°It is all bullshit! How can you trust things on the Inte? I can¡¯t believe that you took that as truth and used that to smear your cousin.¡± Chapter 77 Chapter 77 Raine flinched when reprimanded. She never expected these two matters would take a sudden turnabout. Norah was upset and desperate because Raine and Snow could not even win the argument with Nicole; they were useless in her eyes. She gritted her teeth and said, ¡°Absolutely. We shouldn¡¯t take things on the school forum too seriously. Other than Nicole¡¯s zero scores on the Math Olympiad test, the other things are simply hearsay.¡± Norah¡¯s words might have overturned everything else, but it reminded Raine. ¡°Absolutely. Everything else can be fake, but the results can¡¯t be fake. She really scored zero. The post is at the top of the school forum.¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. became serious when he looked at Nicole. ¡°Is this true?¡± The atmosphere tensed up this time. Daniel and Gloria looked at their daughter, hoping Nicole would exin that it was fake, as she had just done. Samuel and Spencer were so busy in the school societies every day and were unaware of it. So they did not know how to defend her. It did not matter, though, because Nicole had admitted it. ¡°Yes, I scored zero.¡± Raine could not help butugh upon hearing this. She could not believe that Nicole was bold enough to admit it in this situation. ¡°You finally admit it.¡± She smiled triumphantly, waiting to see how things would end. But Nicole gave no further exnation. Damien was upset. N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights. He looked at Nicole with his brows knitted together. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to exin what is going on?¡± Norah could not describe how ted she was when Nicole was finally being put on the spot. But she still pretended tofort her. ¡°We all know that the Math Olympiadpetition is tough. Even Raine has only scored ny-one marks. If you can¡¯t keep up, tell the teacher that you will withdraw from thepetition. Don¡¯t be so thick-skinned to stay on only to embarrass the Riddle family.¡± Raine also added fuel to the fire. ¡°Yeah, Nicole, withdrawal is a better option when you are not up to par. Don¡¯t embarrass yourself.¡± Mr. Riddle Sr.¡¯s face was grave as he saw Nicole appear to be nonchnt. ¡°Nicole, since you can¡¯t keep up, tell your teacher that you will withdraw from thepetition and concentrate on preparing for the monthly exam.¡± ¡°I am not going to quit.¡± Nicole looked at Mr. Riddle Sr. with a determined look on her face. Mr. Riddle Sr. looked at her and felt a strange pressure from her gaze. But she was only a teenager. Ignoring her gaze, he said with irritation. ¡°I will talk to your teacher. You just concentrate on preparing for the exam and forget about the Math Olympiadpetition. Don¡¯t forget that you have scored zero.¡± Damien and Dillon also nodded. They did not want Nicole to continue embarrassing them. Nicole looked at them, who were all using the Riddle family as an excuse. She smiled meaningfully at each of them, her expression gradually turning cold. She then said faintly,¡± Don¡¯t worry, Uncles. No one knows about my rtionship with the Riddle family. You all don¡¯t have to worry about me embarrassing you all.¡± Everyone was stunned when they heard what she said. They then realized that Nicole had never announced at school that she was from the Riddle family. Since that was the case, the saying that Nicole was embarrassing them at the school did not hold anymore, and that also made them look cowardly. Both Damien and Dillon quickly shut their mouth in embarrassment. Nicole then turned to Mr. Riddle Sr. with a determined look. ¡°Grandpa, I promised my ss teacher that I would take part in thispetition and that I would win the top spot. I always make sure I will achieve what I have promised.¡± Her eyes looked resolute. Her voice was sonorous and powerful, making Mr. Riddle Sr. feel her resolve. ¡°From zero to hero. Do you think you can do it?¡± This was a tough thing for ordinary people, not to mention a person like her who had no foundation. Nicole smiled. ¡°Grandpa, even ordinary people could strike a few correct answers when being blindfolded. Do you really think I have really scored zero?¡± This suddenly reminded and stunned Mr. Riddle Sr. She was right. There were a few multiple choice questions in the Math Olympiadpetition. No way one would score zero. It immediately aroused the curiosity of the entire family, including Samuel and Spencer. Only then did Nicole take out her answer sheet from her pocket and hand it to the family butler, who then passed it to Mr. Riddle Sr. Mr. Riddle Sr. looked at the neat answer sheet, startled. There were many questions that he did not know the answer to, but there were a few questions that were obviously answered correctly. The only unusual thing was that there were no calction steps provided but only answers. After taking a nce, Mr. Riddle Sr. handed the paper to Damien. ¡°You should be able to understand these answers.¡± Damien frowned, not knowing what Mr. Riddle Sr. meant. He took the exam paper and was surprised. His wife also came closer to take a look at the answers, and they both looked at each other, their gazes deepening. ¡°What is wrong? Why do the expressions of you two look so strange?¡± Karen sensed something was not quite right and asked curiously. Everyone looked over at them expectantly. Damien came out of his shock atst. ¡°The answers on the test paper are all correct.¡± ¡°What?¡± Everyone in the house was stunned. Chapter 78 Chapter 78 Norah and Raine were even more stunned. All they knew was that Nicole had scored zero, and they had no idea what was going on with her test paper. At this time, Daniel could no longer sit still. ¡°Nicole, what the hell is going on? Your Uncle Damien said that you have answered all questions correctly. So why did you still get zero?¡± Nicole smirked with a teasing look in her eyes. ¡°4 talked to Mr. Louis today, and he said that although my answers were all correct, he could not give me a single mark because I was toozy to write the calction steps.¡± ¡°What does that mean?¡± Snow was startled for a while before she got what Nicole meant. ¡°You are saying that you didn¡¯t need to go through the calction steps to figure out the answers?¡± Raine stood up with indignation. ¡°You must have copied someone else¡¯s answers. Otherwise, how could you not provide the calction steps?¡± Nicole could not help butugh at Raine, who desperately tried to use her of wrongdoing.¡± In the entire Math Olympiad ss, only Gary and you scored the highest. But did you two get full scores? My answers are all correct, though.¡± Raine¡¯s face turned pale, although she still thought Nicole had copied someone else¡¯s answers. The pertinent question was: would someone who scores 100 marks copy the answers from someone who has only scored 90 marks? At this point, Raine waspletely stupefied, sitting in a chair like a defeated rooster. Everyone was as quiet as a church mouse. No one dared to use Nicole or question her ability again. Even Mr. Riddle Sr. was struck dumb by Nicole¡¯s prowess. He always thought that Nicole had a poor academic performance. Not expecting that she could achieve a perfect score on the Math Olympiad. This granddaughter of his had surprised him repeatedly, which he was thrilled about. ¡°Hahaha¡­ I didn¡¯t expect that we, the Riddle family, would have a Math Olympiad genius. Is there still anyone opposing her participation in the Math Olympiadpetition?¡± Mr. Riddle Sr.¡¯s eyes swept over everyone. Neither Damien nor Dillon dared to say anything. Even Raine and Norah werepletely silenced. Norah clenched her hand, not expecting that Nicole¡¯s zero scores were just the result of theck of calction steps. This had instead made Raine, and her look like fools. Since everyone was silent, Mr. Riddle Sr. waved his hand. ¡°Then do as Nicole said. Whoever dares to talk nonsense will not have toe to my house again.¡± There was always a noisy disagreement at the dining table. He was really tired of it. Seeing that no one dared to say anything anymore, Daniel and Gloria looked at their daughter with relief. They really did not expect that their daughter could have such an impressive achievement and make them proud in front of their families. No one would probably dare to look down on them anymore. After dinner, Mr. Riddle Sr. felt tired. He got up and went upstairs with the help of a servant. The first and third uncles secretly looked at each other, and then they left with their wives. There were only Dillon and Karen at the dining table now. This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. They could not care that Daniel had not left and started picking on Raine. ¡°Why did you say something like that before figuring out the ins and outs of the matter? You have pissed off your grandpa now, and we all are now implicated.¡± 2 Getting picked on, Raine red at Nicole in chagrin. It was all because of Nicole that she was now getting berated by her parents. She felt so indignant not only because Nicole was not kicked out of the Math Olympiad ss but also because she was getting an earful. Daniel and Gloria were not interested in listening to Dillon and Karen scolding their daughter. They took their daughter and son out of the house. Nicole and Gloria walked side by side in front, followed by their two sons and two daughters. 1 While leaving, Gloria had been keeping her head low and saying not a word. Nicole frowned. She looked at Gloria, and sure enough, her eyes had welled up. She quickly asked worriedly,¡± Mom, why are you crying?¡± Gloria was sad. At first, she thought she finally had her daughter back, and Nicole could finally live a happy life. But it seemed that all she brought to her daughter was misery. Every time she came home, her daughter would be targeted along with them. Thinking that when Karen and Raine said nasty things about Nicole while she could not protect her, Gloria could not help but hug her. ¡°I am sorry for bringing you all this, Nicole.¡± Daniel, following behind, heard what Gloria said and sighed. ¡°Nicole. It was all because of me you are being ndered. I am a useless father.¡± He and Gloria could do nothing to counter the disparagement in front of their elder brothers and their wives. It was Nicole who rebutted the criticism and made them proud. ¡°It is alright. It is over. Isn¡¯t it good?¡± Nicole smiled. She was strong enough and not afraid of criticism. Instead, she felt happy that she could protect her parents. Samuel also stepped up tofort his parents. ¡°Absolutely. Whatever happened today, Nicole has got it all handled. Not only that, she has even given Raine and Second Aunt a p in the face.¡± The thought of the contorted faces of his uncles and aunts made Samuel proud. They could not help butugh upon hearing what Samuel said. Meanwhile, Norah was staring at Nicole from behind. Just before dinner, she had received the news that Celia had failed her mission. Norah did not expect Nicole to be so lucky. She had made her move on Nicole twice today, yet Nicole had escaped. If she wanted to bring Nicole down, she would have to use some more ruthless tricks. Chapter 79 Chapter 79 It was the weekend the next day. Nicole got up early for a morning run, only to see Samuel and Spencer waiting for him. Seeing hering, both of them simpered. Samuel said, ¡°Spencer quippedst time that I could not outrun you. So I will prove him wrong today.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Nicole smiled. ¡°Then you two had better keep up.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I will.¡± Spencer smiled triumphantly. He might not be a sports student, but he had been working out several times a week. His physical strength could still keep up. But Spencer¡¯s self-confidence was defeated by Nicole within minutes. As Nicole ran ahead into the distance, Spencer looked at Samuel in surprise. ¡°Oh, my God! How did Nicole run so fast?¡± ¡®Is she sure this is just a morning workout? It looks more like a race.¡¯ ¡°You now know I was not lying. It is Nicole who is too badass.¡± Samuel said, with a trace of admiration in his eyes. Spencer looked ahead in amazement. Gritting his teeth, he tried to keep up again. By the time the three of them had finished running and returned home, it was half an hourter. Spencer and Samuel were dog-tired, but Nicole was not breaking a sweat. They both felt that she was too terrific. After stretching in the courtyard for a while, the three entered the living hall. Norah wasing downstairs, ready to go out, when she saw Nicole had brought her brothers for a run. A look of mockery shed in her eyes, but a gentle smile quickly returned to her face. ¡°Nicole, you, Samuel, and Spencer were going to morning exercise again? Can you even keep up?¡± Spencer and Samuel were physically fit. She used to try going for a run with them in the morning, but she had to give up because she could not keep up. ¡°Ask them.¡± Nicole rolled her eyes at her and walked past her. Usually, Spencer was friendly toward Norah. But when thinking about yesterday, when Norah defended Raine at his grandfather¡¯s house, he felt upset and ignored her, walking past with a sour face and his head held high. N?velDrama.Org exclusive content. Even Samuel, who had always been affable toward her, only replied faintly, ¡°We couldn¡¯t keep up with Nicole.¡± ¡°How is that possible? Aren¡¯t you a basketball yer, Samuel?¡± Norah could not help but be surprised that a hillbilly could outpace her brothers. ¡°We can¡¯t help it. Nicole is simply too OP, not only in the Math Olympiad but also in sports.¡± Samuel pretended to be proud. He then went to the refrigerator to get a bottle of mineral water. His look was telling Norah that he did not want to talk to her, and he was impressed by Nicole. No one had ever given Norah the cold shoulder like this before. She was so angry that she wanted to throw her handbag in her hand, but then when she saw the maids were looking at her, she quickly put on a gentle and magnanimous look, smiling at the three of them as if she did not mind at all. ¡°Yeah, Nicole is indeed very badass.¡± She still could not believe that Nicole could turn the situation of her zero scores aroundst night The more Norah thought about it, the angrier she became. Having nowhere to express her indignation and losing the mood to go out, she turned back to her room. Why was everyone paying attention to Nicole when she was just a hillbilly? Now even Samuel and Spencer were ignoring her. They became like two attendants, following Nicole wherever she went. What a fool they were. She had tried many times to sabotage Nicole, but she always escaped and stole the limelight. Norah was getting angrier. She lost control of her temper and started to smash things up in the room angrily. Fortunately, her room was covered with a thick carpet, and there was not much noise heard from the outside. Otherwise, someone would havee in to see what was going on. Chapter 80 Chapter 80 Norah copsed on the bed, feeling resentful and indignant. ¡°Raine is too stupid. I should start with Snow.¡± At least Snow had a brain and would not implicate her. She took out her phone and sent a text message to Snow with a sneer. Meanwhile, in the Riddle mansion, Snow got a notification ding on her phone. She opened the message that contained only a few words, yet it made her ecstatic. (Harvey will arrive in San Joto tomorrow.) Snow replied to the message from Norah with a thank you and lay back on the bed happily. Thinking that Harvey Ellison would be back tomorrow, Snow could no longer sleep. She hurriedly took out her outfits from the closet to see in which she looked the best. Karen was walking by and overheard a noise inside. Wearing a silk nightie, she poked her head through the gap in the door and said in a not-too-happy voice, ¡°What makes you so restless on the weekend night? Where are you going by dressing up like that?¡± Snow paused and turned her head to look at her mother with a smile. N?velDrama.Org content rights. ¡°Mom, Harvey will be back in San Joto tomorrow.¡± She bowed her head shyly. She knew Karen liked to hear the news of her and Harvey getting closer. Her mother would be thrilled. Sure enough, when Karen heard Harvey¡¯s name, she looked delighted. ¡°Harvey ising back? Then you should dress up. Tell me what youck, okay? You are my most outstanding daughter. Remember, make sure you find a way to make Harvey your man.¡± After saying that, Karen hurried back to her room. When she came back out, there was a beautiful diamond ne in her hand. ¡°Take this. Wear this one when you see Harvey. It is worth twenty million dors. Don¡¯t lose it.¡± Snow took the ne in her hand with a dim light shing in her eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mom. I am going to wear it and will not lose it,¡± she whispered. Karen happily nodded. Snow was the child she worried about the least since Snow was small. Snow was trained to be an aristocrat in her behavior and appearance and proficient in arts. Even so, when Snow told her that Harvey was interested in her, she could still not believe it. The Ellison family was an influential force in San Joto, not someone the Riddle family could beparable with. If Harvey was into Snow, then Dillon would benefit from it as his status in Riddle Corporation would be elevated. As time passed, Karen started to believe that Harvey had feelings for her daughter. After confirming this, she was ecstatic, asking Snow not to let go. She even gave Snow her most precious jewelry. The diamond ne worth $20 million was a case in point. It was the dowry from her maiden family, the most expensive of all her jewelry, the one, and only piece. She looked at Snow and said dotingly, ¡°Take care of your image in school. Make sure you have a firm grasp on Harvey.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Snow agreed and continued to try on clothes. Karen joined in, helping Snow match her clothes and handbags. Nicole could no longer stand it after just staying at home for a Saturday. Because of the many servants in the house, it was noisy and affected the speed and quality of her study. Because of this, Nicole told Gloria and Daniel that she would go back to the campus. The two felt sad to see Nicole leave, but they had to agree for the sake of Nicole¡¯s study. She was finally back at school. Many students were staying on the campus of the Royal Creek Institute, so it was crowded. Just then, at the entrance of the school, a bright blue motorcycle was parked up on the side of the road, looking shy and cool. Not far away, there were groups of girls looking at the car with envy and mumbling from time to time, ¡°What luck are we having now? Harvey wille back soon. Even Preston Riddle hase to the school. It is so merry!¡± ¡®Preston Riddle? The name sounds familiar.¡¯ Chapter 81 Chapter 81 If she remembered correctly, the brothers of Snow and Raine, like her third brother Stanley, were in their junior year, so they had long lived on campus and rarely came home. Looking at the expensive scooter, Nicole gently raised an eyebrow. She was different from the girls in ss A; scooters were her favorite. So she appreciated this kind of thing. But the Riddle family did not like scooters, and Mr. Riddle Sr. strictly prohibited anyone from riding scooters to and from school. So it seemed that Preston was daring. He was not there now. Nicole continued to walk on. A guy suddenly came out of the campus supermarket with a bottle of sports drink in his hand. He took off his helmet, held back his head, and poured the drink down his neck, his sexy throat knot rolling up and down. He thenbed his sweaty, short hair back with his fingers, revealing an attractive face full of vitality, causing girls around him to scream in admiration. 1 The guy was Preston, who heard the cry and frowned with an annoyed look. Arge part of the reason he did not want toe to school was that he hated these brainless idiots gathering around and looking at him as if he was an animal in the zoo, which was really silly enough. Thinking of this, he put on his helmet again and walked toward his scooter. Wearing a helmet limited his viewing angle, so he bumped into Nicole. Nicole frowned, looked up, and saw a guy wearing a ck helmet. ¡°Didn¡¯t you keep your eyes on the road while walking?¡± Getting scolded, Preston¡¯s face darkened, but when he saw her beauty, half of his anger disappeared. He then remembered the recent rumor on the school forum. She looked like the girl who allegedly bullied Snow, so he became brazen. ¡°Was it me who didn¡¯t pay attention, or was it you who mixed with the school bully deliberately looking for trouble?¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Nicole frowned. This guy bumped into someone and did not apologize. How rude!¡¯ ¡°What do I mean?¡± Preston smiled and pressed a button on the helmet to open the voyeuristic ck mirror, revealing his handsome face. ¡°I know that I have a lot of fans at school. I don¡¯t mind if you are my fan. But you deliberately bumped into me to create a chance encounter. Such a tactic is old-fashioned.¡± Nicole almostughed at the man¡¯s imagination. ¡°I am your fan? Are you some kind of celebrity? Stop ttering yourself.¡± Completely losing her patience, Nicole pushed Preston away with force. Preston did not expect her to have such strength. He was pushed straight into the ss window of the supermarket! For the first time in his life, he was so rudely pushed away. Preston was angry. ¡°Damn you! How dare you push me!¡± Not bothering him at all, Nicole left without even looking back. Many people saw what happened; it was the first time they saw Preston looking so embarrassed. A few female students said indignantly, ¡°Nicole is too cocky.¡± ¡°She even dared to push Preston.¡± ¡°That is too much.¡± Preston heard that and made a note of her name in his mind. ¡°Nicole? I will remember you.¡± Annoyed, he turned back to the motorcycle, straddled it, and started the engine. The nine million-dor machine screamed to life and roared away, scaring away the girls gathering around him. Nicole had forgotten what had just happened and went straight back to the dormitory. But when she arrived, she was surprised to find that the door was open. It was only half-past seven. Lulu had clearly told hers that she must sleepte on weekends and would not get up before 10.00 am. So how could the door have been opened? But June always got up early. Maybe she went out to the library and forgot to close the door. So Nicole entered her dorm room. To her surprise, they were all there. Lulu was sleeping, while June was a little flustered, looking for something. Nicole raised an eyebrow and walked to her table. Just as she was sitting down, she keenly found that someone seemed to have touched her bedside table. She always carried herptop with her, so she did not lock the bedside table when she left. Looking at the table again, she noticed that the position of several books had also shifted. Nicole had an excellent memory, and she would remember where everything was when she left. It seemed that someone had searched her belongings but did not find what they wanted, so things had shifted positions, but nothing was missing. Someone must havee in at night while the other two were sleeping, and these people probably rarely did this kind of thing, so they did not cover their tracks well. With this in mind, a frosty look appeared in Nicole¡¯s eyes. June had just noticed Nicole and greeted her enthusiastically. ¡°Hey, Nicole, you are back.¡± Nicole nodded gently. She noticed something wrong with June¡¯s expression, as if she was desperate. When she thought of her things being searched, Nicole had almost guessed why June looked the way she looked. ¡°Is something missing, June?¡± June looked at her in amazement, as if asking her how she knew. Something was indeed missing. It was something most precious to her. Nicole looked at her knowingly. ¡°The door was open when I came back, but you seemed to be busy and might not have noticed it.¡± June then looked at the door, and sure enough, it was open. Nicole thought they deliberately left it open, so she did not close it when she came back June became anxious, thinking that she might not have misced her things, but likely someone had stolen them. Not knowing what to do, she subconsciously wanted to ask Nicole for help. ¡°Nicole, I have got a bracelet missing. Can you help me get it back?¡± * At this time, Lulu sat up in bed, looking groggily at them while rubbing her eyes. Seeing that Lulu had woken up, Nicole did not answer June but looked at Lulu. ¡°June¡¯s bracelet is missing. This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. Please check if you have anything missing, too.¡± Lulu¡¯s vision normalized again. Hearing that there might have been a thief, she quickly got up to check her belongings. She cried and mourned after a while. ¡°My ne is missing, and my crystal hairpin is not in the box. The thief is too much, taking two of my most expensive stuff at once.¡± May nes resting more Chapter 82 Chapter 82 Nicole nodded. Since Lulu said that they were expensive, at least worth $5,000, and that was an amount high enough for filing a case with the police. She then turned to June. ¡°The Security Department will not agree to let us see the surveince recordings. I have two ways: first, call the police, but it will be very slow; second, I will use my own ways to help you get things back.¡± June barely thought about it and chose the second option. Nicole seemed to have known that June would choose this option. She took out herptop and turned it on without hesitation. Both June and Lulu looked at her, unsure of what Nicole was going to do with such a heavy and clumsy- lookingptop. ¡°Nicole, what are you doing with theputer?¡± Lulu asked in a soft voice. June also could not help but look at Nicole in puzzlement. She had chosen to let Nicole help her, but it did not mean that she fully believed Nicole. It was just that the bracelet was important to her, and she wanted to get it back quickly. Nicole did not answer, her eyes focusing on theputer screen. The Royal Creek Institute¡¯s security system wasprehensive, but to Nicole, it made no difference. Quickly, Nicole had hacked into the surveince system of the Security Department. She rapidly typed on the keyboard andpiled a line of codes, and started searching. It did not take long before she called upst night¡¯s surveince footage of the corridor. The entire processsted only five minutes. She copied the surveince footage to local storage and then withdrew, erasing every history of her visit seamlessly without leaving a trace. Lulu and June watched on with their mouths agape. They could not understand a thing about the numbers and alphabets that rapidly popped out on the screen, but they could see the school surveince footage clearly. They marveled at Nicole¡¯s ability to hack the school¡¯s surveince system by just using an oldputer. The two of them could not say a word. They just waited quietly on one side. Nicole opened the video file saved on theputer and beckoned to the two girls, who were looking at her adoringly. ¡°Let¡¯s watch it together.¡± June could not wait but rushed over, followed by Lulu. All three of whom had their eyes on the surveince video that Nicole had already begun to y. As the time passed by, minute by minute, a few sneaky figures appeared in the video. They were wearing pajamas, sneaking up in front of Nicole¡¯s room. The leading girl took a key to Nicole¡¯s bedroom from her pocket, opened the door, peered in first, and then waved her hand, and the three of them entered tandem. Ten minutester, they were seening out in a hurry, almost running as soon as they left the room, leaving the door open. Nicole continued to y the surveince video until she confirmed which dorm the girls lived in. They nced at each other as they recognized these three girls. The trio were the third-year students who hade to check on the dormitory earlier. Nicole¡¯s face looked frosty. She did not expect that Mr. Ellison¡¯s warnings did not deter the three girls. Instead, they had broken into her dorm room. The school¡¯s surveince was cleared every day and a half, after which it would be difficult for Nicole to find the perpetrators again. Seeing this, Lulu said indignantly, ¡°No wonder they could enter our dormitory. The third-year students live in Building B next door, which is corinected to Building A, where we live by a staircase. It is too easy for anyone toe in. N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights. Besides, they have the key, as they are responsible for checking the dormitory. This created a wonderful opportunity for them.¡± June also nodded gently in agreement. Seeing that it was the third-year students and knowing they were nasty to mess with, she looked at Nicole with some concern. ¡°What should we do next? They have stolen from us, but they are third-year students. Should we just give up and not offend them?¡± Nicole looked at June, whose brows were knitted together. She could tell that the bracelet was indeed important to June, but June did not want Nicole to get into trouble because of her. ¡°Yeah, Nicole. I have a lot of nes and hairpins. Sh-Should we just let it be?¡± Lulu screwed up her face when speaking about it. But the things that were stolen were her most favorite ne and hairpin. She would be lying if she said she was not emotionally distressed. Nicole looked at the two of them and let out a strange smile. She then picked up the phone on the table. ¡°Come with me.¡± Lulu and June nced at each other, knowing that Nicole was going to help them retrieve the lost property. Looking at each other again, the two gritted their teeth and quickly followed. Since Nicole was not afraid to offend the third-year students for their sake, they had no reason to back away. Nicole did not say a word along the way. Lulu and June, on the other hand, acted as if they were warriors going to war. Their expressions were grave. They were nervous, like they were going to do something big. Arriving at those girls¡¯ dormitory, Nicole raised an eyebrow when she listened to the annoyingughter coming from inside. Just as Lulu was cautiously trying to knock on the door, Nicole raised her leg, kicked open the door with force, and strode in. Lulu and June were stunned for a second before quickly following Nicole to get in. A death-like silence fell in the room as the talking and frolicking voices just suddenly stopped. Those girls looked at Nicole as if they had seen a ghost. The fat girl who was the leader tried to gather herself. ¡°Why are you all so ill-mannered?¡± Nicole was not in the mood to listen to her nonsense. She nced at the fat girl with knifelike eyes, and silence fell in the room instantly again. Chapter 83 Chapter 83 Nicole looked down and fiddled with her mobile phone, saying, ¡°Hand things over and apologize.¡± She was born with a good look. Now she looked fearsome, with a pair of upturned eyes, her icy beauty making her look even more dignified. Those girls were intimidated by Nicole¡¯s gaze and all quaking in their boots. They did not expect Nicole to find them so quickly. They were stunned for a while, with the other two girls kept ncing at the fat girl, who was sweating profusely from nervousness. The fat girl quibbled, ¡°I don¡¯t understand what you say. But you broke into our dormitory and affected our sleep, we will tell the teacher. Now, you all are not wee in our dormitory. Get the hell out of here.¡± Apparently, it was the fat girl who had broken into their dormitory and stolen things from them, yet she threatened them. Lulu and June could no longer hold back their anger and red at the fat girl, who red back at them without the slightest sense of remorse. Just by the three of them, it was impossible to get the surveince record from the Security Department in such a short time. Without this thinking in mind, the fat girl straightened her body. She did not know how Nicole found them out, but there was no way they could find evidence so quickly. Besides, they did not steal many things, and even if Nicole reported it to the police, the surveince record would have long been erased by the time the police arrived. So it was pointless for Nicole to behave so aggressively because, in the end, Nicole could do nothing about her. Thinking of how Nicole kicked herst time, she kept a safe distance so that Nicole could not hit her, no matter what. The fat girl¡¯s confidence seemed to have assured the other two girls, who appeared less worried and stood with their arms crossed, looking defiantly at Nicole and others. Nicole sneered when she saw them like this. ¡°Do you all really think that Ie to you with no evidence?¡± The fat girl looked at Nicole andughed from a distance. ¡°We are innocent. Don¡¯t try to use me without providing any evidence! Who do you think you are, that you will scare us by saying things like that? Open your eyes. We are your seniors in the third year. We have seen enough brats like you. Crawl back to your dormitory and bear with it!¡± The fat girl and others no longer dared to mess with Nicole after thest incident. Butst night, they got a call from Raine, who offered something that they could not resist. They at first thought of making a big fuss in Nicole¡¯s dormitory again. But wary of Nicole¡¯s badass self-defense skills, they came up with the idea of stealing valuables from her dormitory, leaving Nicole having no choice but to bear with it. Just that she did not expect Nicole to be so dead broke; the only valuable things she possessed seemed to be those foreignnguage books. But since they did not read books and stealing the books could easily expose them, they decided to take the expensive-looking jewelry from Lulu and June¡¯s cupboards. They did not expect that while they were happilyughing at Nicole and her two roommates for being as stupid as a donkey, never imagining that they had taken the things away, and discussing how to divide the loot, Nicole would kick in the door and storm in, as if she really knew that they had stolen the things. Right now, the fat girl and others were sheepish as hell. But at this point, Nicole had no proof. They were going to deny it till kingdom came, and there was nothing Nicole could do about them. Those girlsughed triumphantly with this thinking in mind. Seeing that they did not admit it, Nicole said nothing more. She turned on the screen of her mobile phone and waved it in front of those girls. ¡°Open your freaking eyes and see carefully what is this?¡± At first, the fat girl could not care less. But when she saw the video ying on the phone, she looked in disbelief. The two girls did not see the surveince video. N?velDrama.Org exclusive content. But looking at the fat girl¡¯s terribly rmed expression, they realized that something was wrong and quickly took a look at what happened. They almost fainted at the sight of the surveince video. The video clearly showed the faces of the people. Anyone who knew them would recognize them at once. Nicole had chosen the exact footage where they came to Nicole¡¯s dormitory building until they left and returned to their dormitory after stealing things with all of their faces clearly shown. The police would know what was happening when they saw it. Seeing the few of them were too frightened to speak,pletely without the brazen cockiness they had just had, Nicole tapped her fingers gently on the tabletop. ¡°Return the things to us. Otherwise, the police wille to tell you whether I will bear with it.¡± When the fat girl heard Nicole was going to call the police, she was scared out of her wits and quickly instructed the two girls to take the things out. The two girls, quaking in their boots, went quickly to fish out the items that belonged to June and Lulu from under the fat girl¡¯s bed and handed them to Nicole. Nicole did not look at them but turned to Lulu and June. ¡°Come and see if these are what you have lost.¡± The two girls hurriedly handed the things to June and Lulu, apologizing repeatedly. June recognized the bracelet at once and hurriedly took it back, then looked at Nicole with gratitude. She did not expect Nicole to solve the things she found particrly difficult so easily Lulu had also gotten back the two things she had lost. She shot a nce at the two girls, saying, ¡°You all should live up to the reputation as the Royal Creek Institute students instead of bing thieves.¡± Nicole could not help but give a second nce at Lulu, impressed by her upright thinking. When the two of them had gotten back their belongings, Nicolezily walked over to the fat girl, bent down, and took back the phone, then gently waved it in front of her. ¡°I have a bad temper, and I will not tolerate repeated provocations. I advise you not to do anything stupid again. Or else, I will post this video online. You know exactly what will happen to you if that happens, don¡¯t you? After all, you are more experienced than we are, right?¡± The fat girl was so frightened to see Nicole¡¯s frosty eyes. She would not dare to mess with Nicole from now on. ¡®What kind of monster is Nicole? She not only is terribly good in martial arts but also has reported them to Mr. Ellison. And now, she has even gotten the school¡¯s surveince video in such a short time. This is simply beyondprehension. Didn¡¯t they all say that Nicole had no background? Howe she is so difficult to deal with?¡¯ Chapter 84 Chapter 84 By now, even a fool knew Nicole was someone who must be messed with. The fat girl cursed Raine in her mind. It was Raine who instigated her to target Nicole. She quickly said to Nicole, ¡°I am really sorry for I lost my mind. I promise I will never do that again.¡± Together with the other two girls, she apologized to Nicole and others, promising that they would never look for trouble with Nicole again. Nicole nced at them. Her purpose this time was to get back the stolen things of June and Lulu, and deter these jackanapeses from messing with her again, which was very annoying. Seeing that those girls had resigned themselves to her demand, Nicole looked back at June and Lulu and asked with her eyes if they were happy with it. Lulu and June both nodded. Not only did they get their things back, but they also got concessions and assurance from their third-year seniors, which hadpletely exceeded their expectations. They nodded, and Nicole put away her phone. Leaving the three third-year seniors alone, she said to June and Lulu, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± On the way back, Nicole started to think these people were probably taking instruction from someone to target her. She did not need to be a rocket scientist to figure out who the mastermind was; it must be Snow or Raine. After all, these two sisters were the only ones who had singled her out for the past few days. Nicole scoffed impatiently at the thought of this. ¡°How annoying!¡± she mumbled. She just wanted to go to school in peace. But Raine and Snow had been a pain in the ass. She just could not understand why the two of them had to target her. While Nicole was deep in thought, Lulu praised Nicole enthusiastically for her heroic act while walking behind her. June was listening carefully to her for the first time, even nodding her head from time to time. When Lulu recalled the image of Nicole sittingposedly in front of theputer, totally focused on her work, Lulu felt Nicole was a real techie. The other so-called techies in the school were not in the same league as Nicole. June, simrly, started to admire Nicole when recalling how cool and calm Nicole was at the time. June used to be very fond ofputers, but unfortunately, she was not talented and gave up learning Both of them looked at Nicole in puzzlement. ¡°What annoying, Nicole?¡± Nicole looked at them and did not want to cause trouble for them. ¡°Nothing,¡± she replied. Lulu looked at Nicole with questions in her mind. June could tell that Nicole did not want to talk about it, so she quickly came up to her, holding the corners of her clothes nervously, looking at Nicole¡¯s beautiful face, and whispered, ¡°You helped me with this. To show my appreciation, I would like to invite you to a meal.¡± Nicole raised an eyebrow. Apart from not being very approachable, June was not a bad person. Knowing that June was showing her goodwill, she agreed at once. ¡°Okay, where are we going?¡± June felt relieved because Nicole did not refuse. When Nicole asked where they were going, she squeezed the corner of her clothes tightly and hesitated for a long while before making up her mind. ¡°Do you have any good suggestions?¡± She knew Nicole¡¯s habit of consumption: not being wasteful but with high expectations for the quality of food and clothing. Even other things she used were expensive stuff. Meanwhile, June could enter the Royal Creek Institute as a special student because of her good grades. Her family was not wealthy. Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. She usually wore clothing that cost only a couple of tens of dors apiece, feeling very out of ce in the Royal Creek Institute, which was full of rich people. So she only buried her head in her study and never talked to others. She was like a little hedgehog, erecting her spines all over the body to protect herself. Nicole saw her uneasiness and just casually said, ¡°Let¡¯s go to the caf¨¦teria at the Royal Creek Institute. I think the food there is pretty good.¡± Chapter 85 Chapter 85 After saying that, Nicole took the lead and walked in the caf¨¦teria¡¯s direction. N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights. June looked at Nicole from behind in surprise. She thought Nicole would go to ces like The Grove, and she had been prepared to tighten her belt for the rest of the month to treat Nicole to dinner. Even then, she was worried that the money she had would not be enough. So it struck her dumb when Nicole said she preferred going to the caf¨¦teria. Though always looking cold, Nicole never showed the slightest impatience when she taught Lulu something. She actually had a good heart. A smile spread across her face when June thought of this. The closer she got to Nicole, the more she found Nicole was different from what she thought. June quickly caught up and walked beside Nicole. Lulu had sensed the change in June. She looked at the two from behind and called out, ¡°Nicole, June, I am going back to take some shut-eye. So I am going to join you guys. But remember to bring me food.¡± Nicole waved her hand in acknowledgment. The caf¨¦teria was pretty crowded despite today being the weekend. After they found a table, June volunteered to order food and asked Nicole to sit here waiting for her. Nicole nodded. With her looking after the table was far safer than June sitting here. Because of Austin, no one dared to get close to within a foot of her. While she was looking at June from behind, someone suddenly came standing in front of her. She looked up and saw Raine looking at her and saying with sarcasm, ¡°Why did youe to eat in a ce where only inferior people would dine?¡± ¡°So why are you here, too?¡± Nicole looked at her nonchntly. Raine had been appearing in front of her and digging at her from time to time as if she had a few loose screws in her head. Since this was the case, she was not going to act nice. ¡°I am only here looking for you. Not that I want to eat here.¡± Raine red at her with indignation Raine apparently was a regr at the caf¨¦teria, showing off her newly bought clothes and shoes to her friends. But for the sake of Daniel and Gloria, Nicole did not want to say anything more. But Raine leaned against the seat that Nicole had reserved for June and tossed June¡¯s bag aside. ¡°I am here to warn you. Don¡¯t get carried away simply because you are good at Math Olympiad. Stop shamelessly seducing Gary; don¡¯t say I didn¡¯t warn you. Even if your Math Olympiad is good, the Riddle family will not scrape the bottom of the barrel, epting someone like you who has scoredst ce in every test.¡± Raine thought she had already figured it out, ¡®Although Nicole got a perfect score in Math Olympiad, she¡¯s just as good as Gary; Math Olympiad must be her only proficient subject. She must be lousy at other subjects of study. People will know her truepetence when the monthly exam is over. I still have a way to kick her out of the Riddle family.¡± Nicole finally got angry as she watched Raine throw June¡¯s bag to the ground. ¡°Pick it up!¡± Raine had said a lot of harsh words. She was stunned when Nicole suddenly scolded her back. Was Nicole¡¯s brain broken? She had warned Nicole so many times, yet she did not listen. Now she wanted her to pick up a freaking $50 bag? Why should she listen to her? Chapter 86 Chapter 86 Raine sneered, ¡°What did you say?¡± Seeing her reckless look, Nicole did not have the urge to repeat herself again, ¡°I asked you to pick it up. Do you understand English?¡± Raine looked at her cold eyes and felt a sudden sense of inferiority toward Nicole. However, it quickly turned into anger after hearing Nicole¡¯s response, ¡°How dare you ask if I understand your English! As expected, vige people are uncivilized!¡± As Raine was speaking out of rage, she did not control her volume. All the surrounding people started to look at them. Nicole noticed June was walking back toward them with her food. She irresistibly frowned. Even though she did not know Raine personally, she was not pleased with her rude attitude toward Nicole. ¡°If I¡¯m uncivilized just by saying that, then what about you? You threw away other people¡¯s food and mocked those who dine at the canteen as lower ss. Is that how a civilized person is? Nicole¡¯s words were strong, and everyone else heard them clearly. Such derogating words bothered everyone else, and they all stared at Raine angrily. ¡°Isn¡¯t that Raine? Those words actually came out of her mouth? Who does she take us for? I¡¯m embarrassed to say that I used to admire her!¡± ¡°Yeah, she threw people¡¯s bags to the floor and took up the seat not for sitting. It¡¯s clear who¡¯s the uncivilized one here!¡± ¡°I¡¯ve always hated Nicole, but this time around, it really is Raine¡¯s fault. I saw her throwing the bag with my own eyes. How can such a person be the campus queen for the senior department? Was it just because her sister was the campus queen of the tertiary department? It really is such a bummer.¡± Raine heard everyone¡¯s comments and panicked. She did not expect things to turn into such a mess. She just wanted to warn Nicole when she saw her sitting there. It really was not her n for things to turn out this way! ¡°You! Nicole! You better be careful!¡± Everyone around always looked at her with admiration and envy. She never had to experience such situations where her whole body was flushing. She did not even dare to lift her face. It was all Nicole¡¯s fault! Raine spat out such harsh words and left in a hurry. But Nicole pulled one of her sleeves to stop her. Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. Raine was a lot shorter than Nicole by half a head. So, it was easy for Nicole to stop her. ¡°You threw people¡¯s things to the ground and have no intention to pick them up before leaving? Is that how the Riddles taught you? I guess I¡¯ll have to go back and ask grandpa about this.¡± Raine was extremely frightened by those words. Grandpa really hated it when the family members did not behave in public and tarnished the family¡¯s name. If Nicole really told him, Raine would not have the easy way out. Raine gritted her teeth, bent down, and picked up June¡¯s bag with two fingers. Then she threw it back on the seat. Immediately after, she shook her hands as if she had touched something dirty. She seemed disgusted about the bag as if one touch would cost her life. Then, she looked at Nicole and asked through those gritted teeth, ¡°I can leave now, right?¡± Nicole noticed that June¡¯s bag was swung open, and everything scattered to the ground. Her under-eye twitched a little. At this moment, June was already back. She was shocked upon seeing the state of her backpack Once Nicole noticed, she grabbed Raine and turned her around to face June. She said in a cold voice, ¡°Apologize to her.¡± Raine was a little dizzy from the turning. After she looked closely and saw that it was the girl who came in with Nicole, her face was filled with disdain, ¡°So that rubbish bad belongs to a bumpkin like you. Why should I apologize to a bumpkin?¡± Upon hearing this, June¡¯s grip tightened as she was holding her te. Then, she ced her te steadily on the table. As she was buying a meal for Nicole, she had chosen the best dishes avable in the canteen. She did not want to spill any of it. After that, she looked down and picked up everything that was on the ground. The whole process was filled with silence. Seeing this, Nicole let go of Raine¡¯s hands and turned around to look at June in silence. As soon as Raine¡¯s hands were free, she wanted to run away. But June had already picked up her belongings. She called her out, ¡°Raine.¡± Raine wanted to pretend that she did not hear it, but all eyes were on her. So, she could only stand still June did not care if she was only looking at her backside. She continued, ¡°I know you¡¯ve always looked down on people like me who have no money or power. But frankly speaking, I also look down on people like you who have money and power but no morals. It¡¯s fine if you don¡¯t apologize; I don¡¯t need your apology. But remember this: I am June, the one who rejected your apology.¡± Hearing this, Raine turned around and stared at June in disbelief. But all she received from June was a calm reply, ¡°You may leave now.¡± Raine wanted to talk back, but all the gazes shooting at her were not kind. It was as if everyone were despising her. Therefore, she held back that her facial expression was getting uglier. It was at this moment that she regained a sense of consciousness. She was already very embarrassed that day; she could not afford to say anything else that would harm her reputation. ¡®This Nicole, even her poor and dirty friends, are so annoying!¡¯ Chapter 87 Chapter 87 Chapter 87 Raine red at Nicole fiercely and left in a hurry. She got into trouble for mocking Nicole. It really was a bad day! After Raine left, Nicole and June continued eating as if nothing had happened. The both of them did not talk much. Nicole had a better impression of June after witnessing what she did. She had always admired those who stood up for themselves. It seems like June was not one to submit to oppression. June sat opposite Nicole and ate quietly. After a long while, she suddenly said, ¡°Nicole, that bracelet was from my grandmother. It was the only thing she left for me after she died. I¡¯m really grateful that you got it back for me.¡± Nicole looked at her. She was not very surprised, but she was reminded of her own grandma in Great Oak Before she left, Mrs. Wace Sr. gave her a lot of things. Even when Nicole went back to the Riddle¡¯s Residence and Gloria had changed everything new for her, she insisted on keeping everything that Mrs. Wace Sr. gave. She brought it to her hostel instead. The panic in June¡¯s eyes was not a joke. That bracelet must be very important for her. So, Nicole decided to hack into the security system and help her. She only looked at June quietly and lent her a listening ear. June continued, ¡°Nicole, all these while I¡¯ve actually been acting cool. I¡¯m worried that people will realize my family background, so I chose to act that way. But now I understand that no matter how I act, the real rich people can see through me. There will still be people who will look down on me. So, I¡¯ve decided to just be myself. I don¡¯t have to care about what others think. I am indeed poor, but this 50-dor backpack isn¡¯t that shameful. It is those who have no money but insist on using million-dor branded bags that¡¯s really shameful.¡± Nicole looked at her with deep eyes as if she had been listening carefully. June smiled at her,¡± Speaking of which, it was you, Nicole, who gave me the courage to do so. You were being gossiped and bashed on the school¡¯s forum, and yet you didn¡¯t care about it but just be yourself. To be honest, your response made someone else seem like a clown. One that is fighting over something you don¡¯t care about.¡± Nicole did not expect her to understand these things. She thought that June was not one to use social media, ¡°I¡¯m just toozy to give them any attention.¡± June stared at Nicole while feeling a sense of admiration for her. Nicole was never the kind to run away from problems. She would remain calm and unafraid of any challenges. June secretly decided to take Nicole as a model and learn how to ignore those annoying sounds. N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights. At this, June smiled brightly. It was as if she finally decided what she really wanted. She quietly said, ¡°Thank you, Nicole.¡± Nicole looked at her without saying anything. She took out a small note and wrote something briefly. Then, she passed it to June. June took over and realized that it was a series of numbers on the paper. She looked back at Nicole puzzledly. Nicole said calmly, ¡°It¡¯s Samuel¡¯s number¡± June blushed immediately. She did not know if she should ept it or not, but she froze. How did Nicole know about her deepest secret? Nicole nced at her affectionately and said, ¡°Sometimes, chasing after what you want isn¡¯t shameful. There¡¯s nothing wrong with catching feelings too.¡± Before this, Nicole had never thought of doing this. But after seeing how brave June was, she began to admire her. So, she thought it would be a good chance for June to make friends with Samuel June looked at Nicole while thinking. Then, she looked at the number on her hand and nodded, ¡°Understood.¡± At this moment, Nicole¡¯s phone rang. She opened it, and it turned out to be a text message. She did not give Jared her number, right? But Jared immediately identified himself and invited her over to try new coffee. No one could say no to coffee, especially when it was from Jared¡¯s orchard. Nicole thought for a moment. She looked at her watch and said, ¡°Thank you for the meal, June. You should takeaway one for Lulu as I¡¯m heading somewhere else.¡± June was still staring at the number on her palms. Hearing this, she nodded, ¡°Okay, you can go first.¡± Nicole returned her meal tray and walked toward the caf¨¦ near the school¡¯s entrance. After a while, Nicole reached the caf¨¦. The monthly test was just around the corner, so the caf¨¦ was filled with people. They were all students who were there to study. Nicole noticed that Jared was sitting next to the window. Max was speaking to him at the side as if they were busy in a discussion. Little did she know that Max was reporting to Jared about Nicole¡¯s rtionship with Samuel and Spencer. ¡°Mr. Johnston, about the other day at The Grove, those around Ms. Riddle were her family members. That pair of twins are Samuel and Spencer. They¡¯re Ms. Riddle¡¯s biological brothers. Jared¡¯s brows rxed as soon as he heard this. At the same time, Nicole opened the door and walked in. She first looked at the counter, but she soon spotted Jared and Max¡¯s table. Thedy¡¯s eyes were looking good, but her face was as cold as ice. Jared realized that Nicole had spotted him, so he automatically approached her with a smile. Max looked at Jared from head to toe, wondering if he saw the wrong person. Was this the cold Jared he knew of who never showed interest in any woman? Chapter 88 Chapter 88 Seeing Jared¡¯s beaming smile, Max could not help but look at him questionably. N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights. Jared did not even bother to look at Max and walked straight toward Nicole. He said, ¡°You¡¯re here.¡± Nicole nodded and asked directly, ¡°The new coffee, where¡¯s it?¡± Jared was not taken aback by her straightforwardness at all. He stood up and pulled his sleeves, ¡°I was waiting for you toe so I could make a fresh batch for you.¡± Max saw him walking to the coffee bar unbelievably. He pushed his spectacles up his nose. Then, he turned toward Nicole while trying to act cool,¡± Ms. Riddle, is¡­ Mr. Johnston going to make you a cup of coffee with his own hands?¡± His reaction was a little weird. Nicole nced at him and replied, ¡°Yeah, it isn¡¯t the first time. Why?¡± Max turned to look at Jared indifferently and thought, ¡®It isn¡¯t the first time. ¡®Oh, man.¡¯ When Jared walked out to serve the coffee, he noticed Max standing beside Nicole and staring at him mindlessly. He frowned, ¡°Max, what are you still doing here? Have you finished your work?¡± Max came back to his-senses and stopped staring at both of them. He bid them goodbye and left. Nicole was not bothered by the weird interactions between them. She only stared at the coffee from Jared. All her focus was on it. As soon as Jared noticed the way Nicole was staring at that cup of coffee, he could not help butugh. Sure enough, she is still a child at heart. As long as it involved something she likes, she would be easily attracted. While smirking, he took the coffee out of the tray and ced it in front of Nicole, ¡°Here, try some.¡± Nicole immediately took a sip after hearing it. Then, her face was shining with a satisfied look. Looking at his bright eyes, Nicole thought he was waiting for her feedback. She slowly opened her mouth, ¡°This caramel mhiato is pretty good. Especially the barista, that¡¯s some good coffee-making skills.¡± After hearing suchments, Jared¡¯s eyes gleamed with joy. He did not realize when he had started to care about this little brat¡¯sments. Seeing that Jared was still staring at her, Nicole raised her brows, ¡°That¡¯s all for my feedback Do you have anything else to say?¡± Hearing this, Jared¡¯s smile dropped. What did she mean? Chasing him away after drinking the coffee he made? Jared frowned and started to question if his charm was not working on her anymore. Why is it that this girl was never moved by him? Last time, she did not want to eat with him. This time around, she wanted to chase him away after drinking the coffee. Could it be¡­that she really was here for the coffee only? Does that mean that in her heart, Jared was not as important as a cup of coffee? His arrogance and self-esteem did not stop him from trying. He only snapped his fingers and asked for a cup of coffee, ¡°I¡¯m also having one cup. I¡¯ll head back to work after this.¡± Nicole nodded. So, that was the n. The whole ce was indeed crowded and full, so she could only ept to share a table with him reluctantly. Seeing that she did not have anything else to do, Nicole put down her cup and took out a Mathematics exercise book from her bag. Well, since she was already there, she could use the time to revise a few questions. Jared¡¯s face turned even darker after seeing this. Do not even mind the coffee. Jared was the kind of person where girls were screaming over him everywhere he went. But at this moment, in her eyes, he was not evenparable to a book of Mathematics questions? The sadness he felt was indescribable. Jared only gave a death stare to Nicole. However, Nicole could not sense anything. She was focused on the questions, spinning her pen without writing a word. No matter how long she sat there, Jared would be sitting in front of her for the same amount of time. Nicole kept her books as the sky turned dark. She only realized that the man sitting opposite her had not left yet after she had finished packing her bags. She was stunned, ¡°Why are you still here?¡± Her reaction carried a sense of annoyance, and it hurt Jared once more. Jared could not withstand it and replied, ¡°No matter what, I¡¯m still your fianc¨¦e by name, Don¡¯t you think you¡¯re acting a little too distant to me?¡± Nicole was taken aback by what he said. She raised her brows and said, ¡°As you¡¯ve said, it¡¯s just by name. We were never close.¡± Jared was very speechless. ¡°I¡¯m leaving now.¡± Nicole took her bag and turned around to leave. Her expression was so cold that it really seemed like she did not have any feelings for Jared. Squinting slightly, Jared said, ¡°You and Norah are sisters, yet your personality is so different.¡± Nicole¡¯s eyes widened. She did not know why he would suddenly mention Norah. Jared looked at her yfully, ¡°I¡¯m not sure how that sister of yours got my number. But she¡¯s been texting me every day. As her sister, aren¡¯t you worried about it?¡± Jared stared into her eyes. It was as if he was trying to sense the slightest hint of jealousy in her eyes or any change in emotions. But¡­ there was none. Nicole¡¯s eyes were as clear as day. She tilted her head slightly and asked, ¡°Why should I be worried?¡± She asked innocently as if she really did not know what was there for him to be worried about. However, this added more salt to Jared¡¯s existing wound! As his fianc¨¦e by name, she was not worried about other girls hitting on him. ¡°Norah is Norah. I am Nicole. Whatever she likes doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯ll like it as well.¡± Nicole said coldly and looked at him from head to toe. Then, she turned around to leave. Jared, who was left alone, mockingly said, ¡°This brat¡­ how dare she say that she doesn¡¯t like me?¡± Her eyes were filled with disdain just now. No one dared to look at him with those eyes. That girl was really touching all the wrong spots that angered him! He must really do a background check on her! He needs to know what kind of person Nicole was so that she could be this daring. Since she does not like him, what kind of guy would she like then? Chapter 89 Chapter 89 He looked at Nicole from behind and made a phone call. ¡°Ask someone to follow Nicole and find out who she really is.¡± Thinking that Lucifer was also on this campus, Jared unconsciously rubbed the index finger of his right hand. It could not be so coincidental. Thest time Ellison¡¯s attitude towardputer talent had absolutely exined something. The Ellison familycked no people. So who was he protecting? Just that he still had no clue who this person really was. When Nicole returned to the dormitory, Lulu was the only one there. Instead of asking where June had gone, she took out the set of exercises she was doing in the afternoon, drew something on it, and then threw it to Lulu. ¡°Look, I have marked the questions that I think are interesting and written the answers.¡± Lulu was stunned, feeling grateful. ¡°Thank you, Nicole!¡± Lulu had long heard that it was Den Hancock who came up with the math questions in this monthly exam, and as a judge of the Olympiad group, his questions were notoriously difficult. This was also why it was only a monthly exam, but the students in the ss were so hardworking With Nicole helping exin the questions, Lulu felt she could alreadyy out many calction steps for the general Math Olympiad questions. She could gradually dabble in the more advanced Math Olympiad questions. At first, she was about to give up on this monthly exam, and it was Nicole who let her see the light. She took the workbook that Nicole had given her and studied it. Seeing Lulu work so hard, Nicole could not help but smile and take out her book to read. The next morning, Nicole went out for morning exercise as usual. As soon as she went out, she heard noises as everyone was excitedly discussing something. She frowned, put on her headphones, and went for a morning run. There was an unassuming ck vehicle driving up in front of the school gate. The emblem of the car was very special, but only those in the know could recognize it. Each of these cars was custom-made, priceless, and had always been provided for the bigwigs in both business and politics, not for an average joe. Many students of The Royal Creek Institute gathered around the school gate, but no one gave the vehicle a second look until they saw a white Maserati slowly pulling up behind this vehicle, and everyone went ape. Max, in the front passenger seat of the ck vehicle, looked back in puzzlement and then said to Jared, ¡°I remember it now. Didn¡¯t Ellison say that his grandson came back today? He must be in the car behind us.¡± Jared was expressionless, as he had never been interested in these people. He just rested his elbow on the windowsill and looked out at the campus scenery of the Royal Creek Institute. His handsome silhouette loomed in the shadow, and the students of the Royal Creek Institute only had time to glimpse a beautifully curved jaw, and the ck vehicle was gone. Those students were stunned for a few seconds before they snapped back and continued to cheer Harvey. They were stunned for a reason: no one had ever seen such a so They could not help but imagine in their minds how good-looking the man was. Harvey in the white Maserati was deep in thought; he had also seen the vehicle in front. The driver saw Harvey was zoning out, looking at the car in front. He thought Harvey was not happy that the other car had gone in front of him. ¡°Mr. Riddle, the driver in that car, thinks he owns the ce. He drives so slowly and hogs the mainne. Doesn¡¯t he know the Ellison family car is behind him?¡±. Harvey shot a nce at the driver, but no one knew what he was thinking. If he had not seen it wrongly, that vehicle should belong to Preston Riddle. But was he not supposed to be abroad? Why did hee to the Royal Creek Institute? Seeing that more and more people outside had recognized Harvey¡¯s car and wanted toe over to take a glimpse of his face, the entire stretch of road became congested. No matter how hard the driver honked the horn, it was useless. He could not help but wipe the sweat from his forehead and carefully looked at Harvey behind him. ¡°Mr. Ellison¡­¡± Harvey nced out the window with a spring-like smile. ¡°Just drop me here. I will walk over.¡± He opened the car door. Before he got out, he turned back his head to look at the driver as if he had thought of something. ¡°Drive the car back to my garage, and then you can get your sry from the family butler. You are fired.¡± The driver not only talked too much but also did not do his job. He was supposed to solve problems for his master, not the other way round. There was no point in keeping him. N?velDrama.Org exclusive content. The way Harvey said it was gentle as if he was asking the driver to get his lunch. But his words caused the driver to freeze. Looking at Harvey¡¯s smiling face, the driver did not even dare to protest but nodded in acknowledgment. When Harvey got out of the car, everyone instantly gathered, chattering and talking around him. ¡°Wow, he is really handsome. I have no more regrets in this life!¡± ¡°You look like a celebrity. May I have your autograph?¡± ¡°Stopparing Harvey with those brainless celebrities. Harvey is a famous mathematical genius!¡± Listening to these people arguing and talking about his private life, the smile on Harvey¡¯s face broadened. He raised a finger to his lips, gesturing them to keep their voices down, but that had instead caused a group of girls to scream madly. Harvey¡¯s eyes darkened as he looked at those girls screaming with their hands covering their faces. Soon, everyone quietened down, and only then Harvey spoke. ¡°I am d to meet you all, but I still need to prepare something. I wonder if you guys can give way so I can go?¡± When everyone saw his personable, smiling face like the purest snow in the world, they could not help but be eager about what he was going to prepare and consciously make way for him. After all, who could say no to an elegant and attractive man? Chapter 90 Chapter 90 Harvey walked through unhurriedly. All eyes were on him, but he was unaware of it, always having a smile on his face. The sun seemed gentle when it shone on his face, treating such a perfect person as if even the light was favoring him. When he finally walked away into the distance, people behind him eximed, ¡°Truly in Harvey¡¯s fashion- no one coulde close when ites to his magnanimity.¡± ¡°He is the son of the Ellison family, not a son of the nouveau riche like others in the school, but a real noble. He is in a different league altogether.¡± ¡°When I had not met him in person, I was still wondering if he could be worthy of Snow. Now I feel like Snow isn¡¯t necessarily worthy of him.¡± No one refuted that statement. Even Snow¡¯s fans, who were usually her staunch defenders, were quiet as a church mouse. There was not a word from them. The truth was too apparent. Comparing Snow¡¯s disposition with Harvey¡¯s was akin toparing peanuts with pearls. She was too pretentious, a stark contrast to Harvey¡¯s genuineness. But many people were still very supportive of the twoing together.N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights. After all, there were few good-looking girls in the Royal Creek Institute previously. The Royal Creek Institute covered arge area. There was a hill behind the school. The hill offered breathtaking scenery, lush greenery, and fresh air. No one in the Royal Creek Institute knew the hill was Mr. Riddle Sr.¡¯s little gift to Harvey. It was a privately-owned hill. Harvey would usually take a detour every time he went to his grandfather¡¯s office. After all, few people traversed this road, and he could find some quiet moments here. He walked at a leisurely pace but not slow. It did not take long before he came to the path down the hill. It was an open space where Harvey asionally came here for a run when he was still living on campus, so he had a wooden chair installed here. He would sit here for a while when you had nothing to do. It could be said that this was his exclusive seat. But this time, he was surprised. He found on his exclusive chair a bunch of strange items. There were some things like weapons with unique looks as if they were things that would only be used in practicing martial arts. Harvey rarely showed emotions on his face. But at this time, he clearly looked surprised. ¡®Who would y such a thing in school? Could it be that some martial art wizard hade while I was away?¡¯ He looked up ahead, and sure enough, he saw a person. Harvey took a few steps forward to take a closer look. He was astonished to find that the person practicing martial arts was a girl. Harvey could not see her face clearly, only that she had a fairplexion and was holding a whip-like weapon in her hand. Every time she withdrew her hand, the whip would oscite around her like a snake. Sometimes as she struck down, the tail of the ld hit the ground, producing an extremely crisp and sharp pping sound, as if a thunderbolt exploded next to the ears. Whips were one of the most difficult weapons to master in modern martial arts. But this girl could handle it with ease. How could he not know that there was such a martial art genius in the Royal Creek Institute? She was agile but losing no strength. Harvey looked at her, fascinated. He wanted to get further closer to see who she really was. Nicole was now ready to wrap up by pulling up the whip with the sway of her hand. As she turned around, she was surprised to see a clueless guy, who appeared out of nowhere, standing so close to her. Nicole could not change the whip¡¯s direction by now, her face grave. She spun herself around and wrapped the whip around her waist in the nick of time to avoid hurting someone. But even so, the whip¡¯s tail carrying a chilly air still swished past in front of Harvey¡¯s eyes. The girl¡¯s characteristic coolish fragrance fleeted past the tip of his nose, causing his heart to race. ¡°Why did you suddenlye so close? Don¡¯t you know it is very dangerous?¡± Nicole shot him an irritated re, wondering why he was so reckless. If she had not reacted quickly enough, he would have surely been wounded or something. Harvey only then snapped back and saw Nicole¡¯s face. ¡®She¡¯s so stunning! She¡¯s like the spring blossom, cold as the moon in the night sky, dignified yet irresistibly alluring.¡¯ As if she did not want her hair to affect her movements, her long hair was braided into several strands, bent around the side of her neck, and cascaded down smoothly on her chest. The inky ck hair and icy eyes made her look aloof and out of this world. Harvey looked at her quietly. He then recognized her as the person, Nicole, who had been discussed on the school forumtely. He came out of his daze and let out a gentle smile. ¡°Hello, Nicole,¡± he said, his tone of voice proud yet reserved. Nicole frowned, not impressed with this guy who came disturbing her martial arts practice. He was nearly wounded yet still greeted her and did not have any remorse. She did not know how he knew her, and she was not interested in having any conversation with him. She said in an icy voice, ¡°If you still want to live, don¡¯t watch someone practice martial arts at such a close-range next time.¡± With that, she walked over to the wooden chair, packed up her things, and left. Harvey was left looking sheepish as she went. She is arrogant!¡¯ he thought to himself. He was the most outstanding son of the Ellisons and the only heir to the Ellison Group. Everyone who met him would treat him with respect, and some even tried to brown-nose him. But Nicole was distant and did not give a damn who he was. ¡®Damn it! I can¡¯t believe I am not angry at all. Instead, 1-I feel like being in love! H-Have I fallen in love with her at first sight?¡¯ Chapter 91 Chapter 91 Harvey gently pressed his hand to his somewhat unsettled heart and frowned in bafflement. ¡®Impossible! How can there be such a thing?¡¯ he said in his mind. ¡®I am Harvey Riddle, Mr. Riddle Sr.¡¯s only grandson. I can have any woman I want. No way I would be into such an ill mannered woman.¡¯ 2 Harvey seemed to have convinced himself. He did not stay longer and went to his grandfather¡¯s office to meet his grandfather before going to ss. On Monday, unlike usual, the Royal Creek Institute would have a g-raising ceremony that high school and university students would attend. After breakfast, everyone gathered at the sports ground. The g-raising ceremony was about to begin when Harvey arrived. Everyone was talking, watching Harveye over. Many girls screamed, and some boys could not help but look over. Harvey smiled and walked forward with calm steps. He found the line of his ss and stood in the front. While everyone was looking at him, a girl trotted up to him. Harvey subtly frowned, somewhat unnerved to be disturbed in public. When he looked down, it turned out to be Snow. Snow looked at him with a shy smile. ¡°Harvey, I will see you during lunch break.¡± After not seeing her in two weeks, Harvey did not reject her but nodded slowly. But at this moment, there were cheers from those behind him. ¡°I have said it all long: Harvey and Snow are a perfect couple.¡± ¡°Absolutely! This is the first time I have seen Harvey smile so gently at a girl.¡± ¡°I have to say that these two gentle people look great to be together.¡± Snow listened to these words and could not hide the joy in her eyes. She deliberately did not go out to wee Harvey this morning. Had she done it, no one would have noticed how special she was to Harvey. She had to let everyone know Harvey was paying special attention to her. Apparently, she seeded. Snow pursed her lips and let out a restrained, modest smile. She thought he would feel distant after being away for two weeks. N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights. But now, Harvey¡¯s attitude toward her had not changed much, which made Snow feel a little relieved. She was determined to have Harvey for herself. She tried her best to keep the title of the most beautiful girl in school just to make herself worthy of him. As long as she had Harvey, no one at school could challenge her position. Nicole was standing not far away and had seen what had happened. She could not help but squint, recognizing Harvey as the man who interrupted her martial arts practice in the morning. ¡®No wonder he is so rude; He likes Snow. Birds of a feather flock together, so he is unlikely to be a good person. His handsome face will be a waste if that¡¯s the case. All he got is his good looks.¡¯ Seeing Nicole also looking at Harvey, Lulu rushed over. ¡°Do you also think Harvey is charming?¡± It was the first time she had seen Nicole staring at a boy. ¡°Good looks are all he got, and having good looks doesn¡¯t mean he is capable.¡± Nicole did not bother to look at them again. Harvey seemed to have sensed Nicole¡¯s gaze. As soon as she looked away, he nced in a direction and spotted Nicole. While he was the center of attention and other people were talking about him, Nicole paid him no mind. There was an unexined frustration inside him. This was the first time he experienced the taste of being slighted, and it really upset him. But Harvey quickly collected himself and pulled back his gaze. The g-raising ceremony was proceeding in an orderly manner. Unbeknownst to everyone, someone standing by the floor-to-ceiling window in the parlor of the principal¡¯s office was watching the g-raising ceremony outside. The man dug his hands into his pockets and watched the g-raising ceremony downstairs with great interest. He kept watching when he found the person whom he wanted to see. It did not take long for Mr. Ellison to return to the parlor. ¡°I am sorry for keeping you waiting, Mr. Johnston. I met my grandson just now.¡± ¡°It is okay.¡± Jared pulled back his gaze. ¡°Have you thought about the proposal?¡± Mr. Ellison knew Jared was talking about investment, and he smiled heartily. ¡°Yeah, but I think you do not know the Royal Creek Institute very well. So I might as well take you on tour today and see if the Royal Creek Institute is a worthwhile investment.¡± Although Mr. Ellison said it euphemistically, he made it clear: the Royal Creek Institute did not need capital injection right now. But Jared may take a look at it, and Mr. Ellison would not refuse if Jared still wanted to do it. ¡°Okay, but can I choose someone else to show me around?¡± Jared raised an eyebrow and went straight to the floor-to-ceiling window. Mr. Ellison was puzzled and did not know what was there for Jared to see with the g-raising ceremony going on, and the sports ground was full of people. But hearing what Jared had said, Mr. Ellison had put two and two together and figured there was someone among the crowd that Jared wanted to see. Mr. Ellison let out a benignant smile. ¡°I was nning to show you around myself. Am I not a good enough tour guide for you, Mr. Johnston?¡± Since Mr. Ellison had said so, Jared raised an eyebrow and said, ¡°It is my pleasure.¡± Sure enough, Ellison wanted to hide and protect someone in the school. Seeing that he agreed, Mr. Ellison stood up with no hesitation. ¡°Please, this way.¡± Jared nodded gently and followed Mr. Ellison. The two went downstairs, and Mr. Ellison graciously and gently introduced Jared to the architecture of and teaching in the Royal Creek Institute. Max was following from behind, taking notes with a pen from time to time. Further at the back were the teaching directors and grade directors, who followed with trepidation. They looked nervously at Mr. Ellison and Jared from behind, afraid that a mistake would upset Jared. As they finished touring the school buildings, Mr. Ellison walked with Jared to the sports ground. The g-raising ceremony was nearing the end, and everyone was about to disperse and return to the teaching buildings. It was at this moment that amotion rose from the back of the crowd. ¡°Wow! Who is this man? He is so charming!¡± ¡°Yeah, he looks more charming than Harvey. Is he from our school?¡± ¡°Idiot! When you see Mr. Ellison is so respectful toward him, you know he is not an ordinary figure.¡± ¡°Absolutely. Even the teachers behind them look so nervous. This guy must be some bigwig.¡± As more and more people shifted their attention to Jared, Harvey also looked back toward the rear of the sports ground. His pupils suddenly contracted. ¡®It is him!¡¯ Chapter 92 Chapter 92 Jared was walking with Mr. Ellison, face expressionless. A hazy fog seemed to cloud his upturned eyes, making it impossible for people to guess what he was thinking. Unlike Harvey¡¯s bright personality, Jared was like the spring snow of March, ultimately cold and forbiddingly charming. The surrounding students looked at him and became quiet involuntarily as if any extra would be sphemy. Mr. Ellison also noticed the changes in the students and nced at Jared, who seemed to dislike being watched like a monkey, and whose faint smile had disappeared from his face. Mr. Ellison frowned and said, ¡°Let us go to Zone B.¡± Jared narrowed his eyes as he noticed that there was no one on the sports ground anymore. There was no point in staying here to listen to these annoying noises. His ck eyshes flicked. When he looked up again, he let out a faint smile. ¡°I think that is all for today. Max will follow up with you.¡± Mr. Ellison still wanted to say something, but when he saw Jared¡¯s face, he had no choice but to nod his head. ¡°Okay, let me see you out, Mr. Johnston.¡± Jared nodded gently. His gaze fell on Harvey, and the two of them looked at each other silently for a few seconds before Jared turned around and left. Harvey clenched his fists as he watched Jared leaving. Jared¡¯s eyes looked frosty and elitist just now. This guy knew him, but he disregarded him. When thinking of this, a dark and displeased look shed in his eyes. Edwin Bradford, Harvey¡¯s buddy, saw that he was not happy, came to his side, and whispered, ¡°That guy was looking at you when he left. Do you know him?¡± Harvey nced back at Edwin, his tone as gentle as ever as he said, ¡°Yeah, he is the heir to the Johnston Group. You had better not mess with him.¡± Edwin looked at him in puzzlement. ¡°Johnston Group?¡± Harvey looked at him and smiled without saying a word. Edwin¡¯s face changed. Just as he wanted to say something aloud, he came to his senses and lowered his voice. ¡°The all-powerful Johnston Group?¡± The Johnston family owned the Johnston Group. They were involved in the military, political, and business circles and could be said to be the most connected family in San Joto. If it was he who had returned, there would be a major storming to San Joto. Harvey said not a word but just nodded gently. Edwin was stunned. ¡°Hasn¡¯t he been abroad all the time? Why is he back?¡± Everyone knew that San Joto¡¯s top magnate, the Johnston family, had a rebellious heir five years ago. He gave up the helm at the Johnson Group that his grandfather left for him, went abroad to carve his own path, and even eventually established his own business empire. Hispany, JJ Johnston Group, was now one of thergest in the world, no smaller than Johnston Group of San Joto. Edwin could not think of why Jared wanted to return when he was doing so well abroad. He would not be as free working in Johnston Group as he was abroad. ¡°I don¡¯t understand either.¡± Harvey¡¯s eyes darkened. Edwin scratched his head. He would have to ask his father back home then. Just as Edwin froze in ce in a daze, Harvey had already left. When he snapped back from his thoughts, he called out, ¡°Hey, wait for me. I have something more to say!¡± But Harvey had gone far. Edwin did not need to be a rocket scientist to know that Harvey was going to look for Snow. He smirked when Snow came to mind. He had always felt that Snow did not deserve Harvey. Right now, everyone was staring at the freshman ss A doorway, surprised to see that Harvey had come looking for Snow. Snow was ttered to see Harvey, a bright smile spreading across her face. She saw the stares from the corner of her eye, and the smile on her face became even broader. She looked at Harvey with surprise. ¡°Didn¡¯t I say I would go to see you?¡± Snow thought, ¡®He came over right after the g-raising ceremony was over. Does that mean he missed me very much?¡¯ Harvey looked at her with an unfathomable expression in his eyes. He said in a soft voice, ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. So why do you want to see me?¡± In fact, he did not like Snow to visit his ss to look for him because he did not like to be the talk of his ssmates. No one knew what he was thinking, though. When they heard Harvey talking to Snow so gently, they all looked at Snow with envy. Harvey was approachable, gentle, and courteous, but it did not mean he could mingle with everyone. There were many people in the sses next door poking their heads out to take a glimpse of the most charming boy and girl in the school. Snow¡¯s fans admired the two of them, saying that the two were a match made in heaven. At this moment, a clear voice came. ¡°No doubt that Snow is pretty. Butpared with Nicole, she is still nowhere close. If it weren¡¯t for Nicole¡¯s notorious character, s¡­¡± Harvey fell into thought when he heard Nicole¡¯s name. The cold nce of the girl in the morning had been firmly imprinted on his mind. Now that he heard someone mention her name, he shed back to the brief moment he had met with Nicole and the look in Nicole¡¯s eyes the moment the g was raised. The girl¡¯s beautiful face appeared in his mind¡¯s eye. He had seen enough pretty girls since he was a child, but he had to admit that Nicole was indeed the best looking of all the girls he had ever seen. Snow could no longer maintain her gentle face when she heard what people said and saw Harvey¡¯s silence. ¡®Nicole is certainly up to no good. N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights. She has seduced Gary. And now people are even associating her with Harvey,¡¯ Snow muttered in her mind. Snow took a deep breath, her voice sharp when she said, ¡°Harvey, what are you thinking?¡± Harvey frowned. ¡°Nothing, just tell me whatever you want to say. It is almost time for ss.¡± Harvey¡¯s impatience surprised Snow. He had always been very polite to her. But how could this change all of a sudden? Chapter 93 Chapter 93 Feeling aggrieved, Snow immediately lowered her head and whispered, ¡°I just want to tell you that Nicole bullied Raine in the caf¨¦teria yesterday. ording to Raine, Gary seemed to be protective of Nicole recently, as if Nicole had fascinated him. I think that is unbing of Nicole to do that.¡± Raine increasingly hated Nicole and wished that Harvey would help her teach Nicole a lesson. Harvey looked into Snow¡¯s eyes and had figured out everything. ¡°So you want me to step up and help you and Raine teach Nicole a lesson.¡± His voice sounded nonchnt, making it impossible for people to tell his emotions. Snow looked up at Harvey with anticipation. She knew Harvey understood what she meant. In fact, she was confident that Harvey would agree to it. After all, he had never refused all her requestsst time. But this time, Harvey said nothing, just looking faintly at Snow, who was standing there. Feeling a little nervous, Snow quickly continued. ¡°Nicole bullied me before. You should have seen that photo on the school forum. She is ill-mannered and nasty in words and actions. She has even hit my friend for no reason.¡± Harvey looked at her quietly, thinking of Nicole¡¯s face. ¡®Is she really the kind of person Snow has said she is? But Snow doesn¡¯t have to lie, and Nicole is indeed infamous on the forum.¡¯ There was still silence as Harvey did not speak. Just as Snow panicked, fearing that he would reject her, Harvey said, ¡°Okay, I will help you.¡± Snow breathed a sigh of relief and looked at Harvey with a sweet smile on her face. She knew Harvey would agree. Harvey also returned a smile but with a hint of austerity in his eyes. He might have agreed, but he would first investigate what had actually happened. He did not want to be reckless. In high school, Nicole was reading a book, waiting for ss. Not long after, Lulu also returned and said excitedly to her, ¡°Guess who I just met, Nicole?¡± Nicole heard her excitement and looked up. ¡°Who?¡± Lulu furtively leaned close to Nicole¡¯s ear and whispered, ¡°After the g-raising ceremony, Mr. Ellison inspected the school with a man who looked more handsome than Harvey, allegedly wanting to invest in the school. I heard Vivian say that the guy was the boss of JJ Johnston Group. Seriously, he is rich, single, and avable!¡± At first, Nicole thought Lulu had some important things to tell her, not expecting to hear her spewing gossip. N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights. She had no words for it. But after a moment, she frowned as something came to mind. ¡°Whatpany did you just say?¡± Lulu did not know why Nicole asked, but she still repeated it honestly. ¡°IJ Johnston Group.¡± Nicole was spinning the pen in between her fingers, deep in thought. Lulu saw Nicole¡¯s reaction and asked, ¡°What is wrong, Nicole? You know the owner of JJ Johnston Group?¡± Nicole shook her head. Jared was the only Johnston she knew. But Jared was the heir to the Johnston Group, so she did not know the CEO of JJ Johnston Group. The reason she found JJ Johnston Group familiar was because of a previous job. But when she was partnering with Specter on that job, he screwed up and got the database of the JJ Johnston Group implicated. She had tried her best to make up for it. But it was said that JJ Johnston Group¡¯s software was on its first day on the market, and it was supposed to be a hit. But a major bug cost them at least $100 million in losses. Nicole had always felt a little guilty about that because that was the only mistake she had made when working with someone else. Ever since then, she had also been implicated and could not ept jobs as frequently as before. Clients were shunning her, probably for fear of earning the wrath of JJ Johnston Group and affecting their business cooperation. ¡°Where is the CEO of JJ Johnston Group now?¡± Lulu overheard Ellison say that he was seeing the guy out before she came. ¡°He is leaving now. Ellison sees him out.¡± Nicole nodded in acknowledgment. She then grabbed her bag and headed out of the room. Something came to mind all of a sudden, and she looked back at Lulu with a serious face.¡± Don¡¯t tell anyone about my rtionship with the Riddle family just yet.¡± Lulu nodded and replied, ¡°Got it.¡± Nicole nodded and then dashed toward the school gate. She moved fast and arrived at the gate in no time, just in time to see a ck vehicle, the brand of which no one recognized, slowly drive out of the school. Nicole frowned as she saw the side profile of the somewhat familiar face in the rolled-down window. The man had no expression on his face, unlike his usual look. He was cold and serious, even intimidating. ¡®Could it be that Jared is not only the heir of Johnson Group but also the CEO of JJ Johnston Group? Damn it! How did I not think of that earlier? If so, then this fianc¨¦ of mine is also my biggest¡¯ creditor.¡¯ Just how naive I was to drink drinking coffee with him all day long like nothing had happened. So Jared must be the person who put a bounty on me on The Hunters dark web! I¡¯ll be done for if I am busted.¡¯ Chapter 94 Chapter 94 Nicole had never been afraid of anyone, but now she was as nervous as hell. She could barely hear what the teachers were teaching in ss today as her mind was filled with Jared. After that day, Nicole no longer dared to go to the caf¨¦ again. Before she could figure out how to solve the problem, she had better lie low. For five days, Jared did not see Nicole. Thinking back to thest time, he did not remember he had ever said anything wrong to her. So why did this little girl ignore him? She even ignored his messages, informing her of the new coffee arrival. Could it be that coffee did not work for her either? Jared sat depressed in the caf¨¦, looking at his phone. Nicole really did not reply to his messages. Max was seeing Jared like this for the first time. Since the day before yesterday, Jared had been in a bad mood. Every day, he came to the caf¨¦, sat there, apparently waiting for someone. But Nicole never appeared again, seemingly disappearing from this world. Seeing that it was already dark outside, Jared suddenly heard someone entering the door. He thought it was Nicole, but it turned out to be Norah. Jared¡¯s expression turned icy again. Norah had been sending him a text message every two days, and he ignored them all. Now she came looking for him at the caf¨¦. ¡°Mr. Johnston? I didn¡¯t expect to see you here. What a coincidence.¡± Norah cheekily pretended to meet him by chance. In reality, ever since she knew Jared owned this caf¨¦, she had beening here very often. But every time she finished her homework and came, Jared had left. But today, Jared was still here. It looked like her persistence had paid off. ¡°Coincidence? A staff member at the counter desk said that youe every two days, don¡¯t you?¡± Jared questioned her bluntly. He was not interested in Norah. Norah was embarrassed but quickly calmed down. ¡°I can¡¯t help it. The coffee here is so good. I like the coffee here, just like Nicole does.¡± Jared¡¯s expression eased up at the mention of Nicole. ¡°Nicole said she liked the coffee here?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Norah let out a smile. ¡°Can I sit down and talk, Mr. Johnston?¡± Jared frowned, but in the end, he did not refuse. ¡°Sit down, please.¡± ¡°Thank you, Mr. Johnston.¡± Norah was almost ecstatic, unconsciously fiddling with her hair and staring at Jared as she sat down. But Jared was unimpressed and ordered Max to serve Norah a cup of coffee. He then asked,¡± What is Nicole doing these days?¡± He was really curious why Nicole did note to the caf¨¦. But he did not realize that his questions had sent Norah a blow. At first, Norah thought Jared was interested in her when he let her sit down, not expecting that he was actually asking questions about Nicole. Suppressing her disappointment, Norah forced a smile. ¡°She scored zero in the Math Olympiad test the other day and is desperately trying to make up for it. After all, the monthly exam is just around the corner. She may fail if she does not work hard.¡± Norah sounded like she was concerned about Nicole, but all she said was about Nicole¡¯s shorings. But Jared could not care about Nicole¡¯s academic performance. ¡°That makes sense now.¡± It was because Nicole was busy studying that she ignored him, and he felt better now. ¡°Is there anything you need her help with? I can help you too.¡± Norah did not want to miss any chance to offer herself. Jared¡¯s expression turned icy. ¡°It is alright. She is irreceable.¡± Those few words once again sent Norah¡¯s heart to the bottom. Questions had been asked, and the coffee was served. Jared no longer wanted to linger on.¡± This cup of coffee is on me. I will make a move first.¡± ¡°Mr. Johnston¡­¡± Norah¡¯s eyes widened. She had been dressed up for so many days just to meet Jared once, not expecting that he would get up and leave after just asking a few questions about Nicole. Jared did not look back as he pushed the door open and left with Max. Norah looked at him from behind with anger in her eyes. ¡®Damn it, Nicole! What the hell is so good about you that Jared cares so much about you?¡¯ Many guys at school tried to chat her up, but she ignored them all just so that she could win Jared¡¯s heart and beat down Snow and Raine. But she did not expect Jared to brush her off just like that. It seemed that only when Nicole¡¯s reputation was ruined that Jared would change his mind. ¡®Just wait and see, Nicole. I will certainly give as good as I get.¡¯ On a sunny day, Nicole and Lulu had a morning ss and then went to have lunch at the caf¨¦teria. While on their way there, they just happened to overhear people discussing something. Lulu looked curiously in the direction they were pointing and saw a group of hooligans sitting in the cafeteria reading books and doing revisions, seemingly hard at work. Many people around their mobile phones like they saw some rare wonders. Some of them uploaded photos to the school forum, and it went viral instantly. [Isn¡¯t that Justin? Did he hit his head somewhere or something?) [This is the agreement between Nicole and Austin. If Austin can get to the top twenty in this monthly exam, Nicole will agree to be his boss.) (I have got to say that Nicole is simply ying him.) [Absolutely. Fat chance of Austin getting into the top twenty. Everyone knows his grades are so bad that he has always been maintaining at the bottom ten ces forever.) Almost all thements were mocking and questioning Austin. Only a fewments said that the learning atmosphere in the school atmosphere had changed for the better, but unfortunately, no one cared. Lulu entered the caf¨¦teria and saw Austin, the leader, biting his pen and pondering anguage paper. Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. She knew that Austin and Nicole had an agreement, but she did not expect Austin to take that so seriously. ¡°Nicole, you see, Austin and his underlings are studying really seriously. Nicole looked ahead and saw Austin vexed by questions. Seeing that, she walked straight toward Austin. Lulu was stunned and quickly followed. Nicole came beside Austin and tapped lightly on his desk. Austin was irritable because of a tough question. When someone came up and tapped on his desk, he got pissed and vowed to teach the person a lesson. He looked up with a mean look on his face. His expression froze when he saw Nicole. ¡°Boss? What are you doing here?¡± Chapter 95 Chapter 95 Nicole looked at his empty paper. He had gotten the only multiple-choice question he had answered wrong. She could not help but frown. Austin saw her looking at her paper and hurriedly reached to cover it, his face turning red. ¡°Boss, don¡¯t look at it. I started this from scratch and had learned nothing before.¡± ¡°Come to the caf¨¦ after school and ask me anything that you don¡¯t know.¡± Studying in the ss was prone to drawing unwanted attention, not as convenient as studying outside. Nicole did not look at Austin¡¯s expression but left with Lulu. His underlings behind him also saw this and looked at each other for a moment, and then a bold one poked at Austin and asked, ¡°Austin, what is our boss doing here? What did she tell you that makes you look so stupid?¡± Austin raised his fist the moment he heard the boy calling him stupid, wanting to beat him. The boy immediately raised his hands begging for forgiveness and asked brazenly, ¡°Austin, please tell us what she has said. After all, we are only here reading these stupid books for your sake.¡± Those behind them also looked at Austin and nodded. ¡°Exactly, Austin. We are all working hard for the boss; you can¡¯t be so selfish. Tell us what the boss says.¡± Austin looked at them. ¡°Don¡¯t be frightened if I tell you all.¡± They all said they would not be scared. So Austin swallowed and then said, ¡°The boss said that she would help us with tuition.¡± ¡®What?¡¯ Nicole was notorious for her poor grades at the Royal Creek Institute, having scored a zero on the Math Olympiad test and being the first student in the history of the Royal Creek Institute to score zero. Yet she wanted to give them tuition? ¡®Is she kidding us?¡¯ Austin looked at their shocked faces and finally realized how silly he had just looked. Someone muttered in a low voice, ¡°If we let Nicole give us tuition, we might as well find Raine¡¯s help. She is the first in the grade.¡± But quickly, they shut their mouths up when they saw Austin¡¯s expression. Austin heard the objection from his underlings and waved his hand at them with dignity and honor. ¡°Follow me to the caf¨¦ after school. Let the boss give us tuition.¡± In fact, he knew Nicole¡¯s academic level; it would be an impressive achievement if she could help them get to the bottom twenty of the grade. But Nicole was his boss, so he trusted her unconditionally. There was a great deal of mourning among his underlings, but Austin red at them. ¡°Step forward if any of you are not happy with it!¡± No one dared to defy Austin¡¯smand or said a word, even though they all were reluctant. Austin nodded with delight and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go. N?velDrama.Org exclusive content. It is almost ss. We have to return to the ssroom.¡± They walked away as if they were on the warpath. The other students in the caf¨¦teria stared with their mouths agape. ¡®Did we hear that right? Nicole will give Austin tuition?! A zero scorer is giving students at the bottom of the heap tuition?! It¡¯s like the blind leading the blind.¡¯ Gary was also in the caf¨¦teria and watched Nicole walk past him. He felt terrible when she did not spare a nce at him but walked straight toward Austin. As if that was not enough, Nicole said she would give Austin tuition. Hearing that made Gary frown like a thunder cloud. Nicole¡¯s habit of talking big had not changed a bit. Sitting across from him, Raine and Norah were also shocked by Nicole¡¯s decision to give Austin tuition. They could not believe that Nicole had the nerve to give others tuition with her grades. Chapter 96 Chapter 96 Except for her achievement in the Math Olympiad, Nicole had nothing to show in other areas. But Austin had no qualms about epting Nicole¡¯s offer, and that made Raine angry. Austin was in the same grade as her, who was sitting in front of them and the top student in 12th grade. Austin had snubbed her by doing that. She sneered when thinking of this. ¡°I admire Nicole¡¯s courage. She herself was at the bottom of the barrel yet wanted to give Austin tuition. N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights. She should have more self-awareness.¡± Raine echoed. ¡°Yeah, she is really audacious enough to do that. Let¡¯s wait and see how she embarrasses herself.¡± Gary had no appetite and felt depressed when the thought of the bet between Nicole and Mr. Kennedy came to mind. The Math Olympiad would be held one day before the monthly exam, so his time was tight. With this thought in mind, Gary stood up, ignored Raine, who was still talking to herself and left the caf¨¦teria with his bag. Raine looked mncholily at Gary and stomped her feet in hatred as he went. ¡°It is all Nicole¡¯s fault! It affects Gary¡¯s appetite again!¡± As she spoke, she nced at Nicole and Lulu, who were queuing in line. The longer she looked, the more upset she became. Having spotted an opportunity, Norah said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we don¡¯t need to do anything now because she is going to make an exhibition of herself soon.¡± ¡®Both the Math Olympiadpetition and the monthly exam were just around the corner. Everyone would see Nicole¡¯s true colors. When the timees, I will add fuel to the fire and make her reputation stink By then, Jared will ditch her.¡¯Norah smiled triumphantly at the thought that she would soon beat Raine and Snow and gain Jared¡¯s favor. What Norah said quickly calmed Raine down, and a sneer crept across Raine¡¯s face. She would like to take a good look at how long Nicole could remain smug. After the lunch break, the news that Nicole was going to give Austin tuition spread. Many people were gloating andughed at Nicole for biting off more than she could chew. Nicole was sitting in her seat. Bradley, sitting next to her, looked over and whispered at Nicole after seeing the school forum. ¡°Nicole, are you really going to give Austin tuition?¡± Nicole flipped through the book in her hand. ¡°I just asked him to ask me questions he didn¡¯t know.¡± Bradley was just about to say something, but Jack in the back could no longer sit still. At first, Jack had changed his mind about Nicole. But she had not only refused Gary¡¯s help but also promised something that she could not deliver. Now Gary was studying desperately every day, worried that he would embarrass himself for not getting first ce. What about Nicole? She brazenly said that she was going to give Austin tuition in this tense moment. So Jack disliked Nicole now. She had scored zero on the test. What made her think she could teach others? If she had the time, she should run errands for Gary instead. Jack could not help but sneer. ¡°Be more self-aware, Nicole. Why would others seek your advice when you have scored zero? Even if Austin is not as great as others, he is still in the top ten.¡± Speaking of this, Jack paused for a few seconds before he continued. ¡°You care so much about Austin, but why don¡¯t you see how much Gary has done for you? Gary is studying hard to make up for your big talk, yet you show no gratitude for him at all. Don¡¯t you think you are going too far?¡± His speech was so impassioned that he even felt righteous. But Nicole did not even look at him butzily rested her head on her hand and flipped through the book Jack banged the table with anger. ¡°This is enough, Nicole! At first, I thought you were just reserved and not a bad person. But I was wrong. You are really the same as what was written on the school forum: cold-blooded and violent.¡± Chapter 97 Chapter 97 Chapter 97 Nicole heard him say this and slowly looked back at him. N?velDrama.Org exclusive content. There was no emotion in her upturned eyes as if she just wanted to see who he really was. Bradley, who was next to them, stood up. ¡°Who do you say is cold blooded? Thest time Nicole and I were attacked by Cain, I saw a few of you nearby. Did you guyse over to help us? If it weren¡¯t for Nicole, I might still be lying in the hospital. What has she done to you that makes you want to use her of being cold blooded and violent?¡± Jack looked speechlessly at Bradley. It was really their faultst time. Nicole might have first said that she did not need their protection, but they should not have sat by and done nothing while watching their ssmates being beaten up. Seeing that everyone in the ss was all looking at her, the ss monitor frowned, stood up, and maintained orders. ¡°Bradley, just shut up, would you? Jack, you sit down, too.¡± After Jack sat down, Bradley was indignant. Apparently, it was Jack who provoked Nicole first. ¡°Obviously, it was Jack who provoked Nicole first. Shouldn¡¯t you scold him?¡± Vivian, the ss monitor, looked at Bradley impatiently. She was frustrated when she saw Nicole¡¯s face from the corner of her eye. She was irate to see Nicole stirring up trouble just because she was pretty. There was nothing wrong with what Jack said. ¡°Bradley, I know you and Nicole are friends, and you are on her side. But Nicole¡¯s behavior has brought a negative impact on our ss. I think what Jack said about her has merit. You shouldn¡¯t defend her again.¡± Nicole heard this andzily looked up at Vivian. Nicole¡¯s stare caused Vivian to feel diffident. But she continued to condemn Nicole. ¡°I think Nicole should apologize to Gary. After all, it is because of her irresponsible words that caused trouble to Gary.¡± Most of the ssmates agreed with Vivian. They all looked at Nicole as if urging her to apologize. Seeing this, Nicole closed the book with a snap. Just as Bradley wanted to say something, she turned to look at him, motioning him to sit down first. Nicole then stood up and walked toward Gary in the back row without looking at Vivian at all. She looked cold yet exuded an indescribable beauty. Gary watched as Nicole strode over and looked condescendingly at him. With both her hands on the table, she leaned slightly toward him with intimidation. Nicole looked at Gary in front of him with a rare hint of anger on her face. ¡°Gary, when did I say I needed you to win the bet?¡± No one expected Nicole to talk to Gary like this. All eyes were on her with surprise. Gary looked sheepishly at Nicole, whose face was so close to him that he could smell the refreshing scent of her body. But her question sounded so merciless. He was just trying to help her win the bet. Yet she turned around to question him. Vivian saw Nicole questioning Gary and got even more worked up. She frowned and said, ¡± Nicole, don¡¯t you think you have gone too far? Everyone knows your level. Who do you think you are that can get back first ce in the Math Olympiadpetition? In case you don¡¯t know, the mayor is paying great attention to this year¡¯s Math Olympiadpetition, and he will be one of the guests presenting the award. It is okay if you don¡¯t appreciate Gary¡¯s help, but you shouldn¡¯t question him. You are really hopeless.¡± Nicole did not look at Vivian. She stared at Gary and said coldly, ¡°Gary, you must take note that you should not just care about what you think. Instead, please see if others need your help What she meant was obvious: she did not need his help at all. Chapter 98 Chapter 98 With that said and disregarding whether Gary had understood what she said, Nicole pulled back her hands from the table and walked slowly back to her ce. The entire ss was silent. Gary looked at Nicole¡¯s back. Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. Even if she leaned backzily, her back was still straight, unlike the pretentious pride of Raine and Snow. Nicole¡¯s pride was not showy but subtle and in her bones. But her pride could be felt in her behavior, look, and action. Maybe he was indeed wrong this time. But when thinking of Nicole¡¯s zero-score test paper, a determined look appeared in Gary¡¯s eyes again. Mr. Louis had once said that Nicole was talented, and he would not want Nicole to be barred from taking part in the Math Olympiadpetition from now on. He must help her win the bet. Thinking of this, Gary nced at Nicole and then said coldly to Jack, ¡°Youe with me.¡± Jack looked at Gary in bafflement, wondering if he had offended him. After Gary and Jack left, the ss fell into a dead silence. Instead of dealing with Nicole, Gary chose to call Jack, who was the source of the problem, out. Everyone, especially the girls, looked at Nicole with jealousy in their eyes. Vivian looked at Nicole frostily as if she was to poke a hole in Nicole¡¯s body with her gaze. But Nicole did not look at her. In her eyes, Gary was the crux of all the problems. Fixing Gary and the others would automatically fall in line. The school bell rang, and everyone pulled back their attention from Nicole, acting as if nothing had happened. Ms. Emerson walked in and saw Gary and Jack not being in their seats. She frowned but said nothing After ss, Ms. Emerson called Nicole out alone, handed her two exercises, looked at her, and said, ¡°I have pondered about it and think that you are not someone who would say something irresponsibly. These are the original math papers authored by Mr. Hancock from previous Math Olympiadpetitions. Take them back and study them.¡± Nicole looked at her and felt a little surprised. It seemed that Ms. Emerson really thought so when she saw Ms. Emerson¡¯s sincere look on her face. So Nicole did not decline but took the two exercises. ¡°Thank you, Ms. Emerson.¡± ¡°Go now.¡± Ms. Emerson smiled at her. Nicole walked away, but Ms. Emerson stood there, looking at Nicole, and whispered, ¡°All the best, Nicole.¡± She had been thinking about it all these days. Nicole was just trying to prove herself. She should not have suspected Nicole. As a teacher, she should have encouraged her students. Back at the office, Ms. Emerson had just sat down when Mr. Kennedy came over with a thermos cup in his hand. ¡°I heard that your student, Nicole, who couldn¡¯t even help herself, wanted to give the second-tost Austin tuition. I just want to remind you that Austin is in twelfth grade and his poor academic performance is not something that Nicole can help. You have got to look after this ¡®Math Olympiad genius¡¯ of yours. Don¡¯t forget, we still have a bet.¡± Chapter 99 Chapter 99 Mr. Kennedy was triumphant as if he had seen Nicole lose her bet. Mr. Kennedy swagged out of the office, thinking that Ms. Emerson would let him taunt her and say nothing, just like she would previously. But he was wrong this time. Ms. Emerson said faintly from behind him, ¡°Mr. Kennedy, you don¡¯t have to worry about how my students are doing. Nicole has the freedom to choose, and I will not interfere. However, there is one thing I am curious about you, Mr. Kennedy. Can¡¯t you even afford a cup of coffee? Otherwise, why would you alwayse to my office for coffee?¡± Getting taunted by Ms. Emerson, Mr. Kennedy looked back and pointed at her angrily. ¡°How dare you satirize me! You had better believe I will tell the director¡ª¡± Ms. Emerson was sitting at her desk, looking at him frostily, her face nonchnt when she heard him mention the director. She had thought it through. Instead of grinning and bearing it every day, she might as well send the helve after the hatchet and resign. Mr. Kennedy was stunned by what she said. He had always been bullying neers and had never been treated like this. So he did not know how to deal with it for a while but could only say some harsh words. ¡°Great, Ms. Emerson. You don¡¯t even give a damn to the director now. Remember what you have said.¡± Ms.Emerson watched on and felt vindicated as he turned away, disconcerted. But Mr. Kennedy said Nicole was going to give tuition to Austin? What was he talking about? Nicole was in Mathematics school, while Austin was innguage school and a twelfth-grader. How did an eleventh-grader give tuition to Austin? But as she herself said, Ms. Emerson was not going to interfere with Nicole¡¯s decisions and actions. Nicole had her own ideas, and she knew what she was doing. Ms. Emerson took a sip of hot coffee. She did not bother much about what Nicole did. It was dinnertime. N?velDrama.Org exclusive content. Nicole and Lulu headed straight to the caf¨¦teria after school. While on the way there, Lulu was chattering about how cool Nicole was at noon. Nicole listened on with not much reaction on her face. She just did what she felt she should do, not as cool as Lulu said. The two arrived at the caf¨¦teria, ordered their food, then found a ce and sat down. Just. then, there was a suddenmotion in the caf¨¦teria, and Lulu looked over curiously. ¡°Wow! It is Harvey and Snow! Are they here to have dinner together?¡± The girls had gone ape. After all, Harvey was a twelfth-grader. Just like Stanley, the president of the student council, he could rarely be seen at school. So it was a surprise that Harvey had been appearing in school for the past two days. What a broad stroke of luck. Harvey and Snow were walking side by side, both of them having very gentle smiles on their faces. Harvey wore a white casual suit, looking warm and gentle. His handsome face did not show any displeasure despite themotion. Instead, he was courteous and gentle to everyone. Snow, who walked beside him, was a little outssed. She was beautiful, gentle, and generous, no doubt. But she did not look as eye-catching as she should be in front of Harvey. ¡°People say Snow is imitating Harvey¡¯s fashion, and it looks like it is the case,¡± someone whispered. Many people nodded their heads in agreement. After all, the traces of imitation were too obvious. Nicole did not look at the two people who were celebrated by all, while Lulu eximed in surprise, ¡°It is really Harvey! I couldn¡¯t see his face clearly during the g-raising ceremony because of the distance. But seeing him in close-range, he looks even more charming.¡± Nicole was busy having her meal and ignored Lulu¡¯s cries of excitement. The hoo-ha stopped all of a sudden. So did Lulu. Nicole then heard Lulu ask in a strange tone of voice, ¡°Do you know Harvey?¡± ¡°No,¡± Nicole replied without looking up. Lulu continued. ¡°Really? But he has been staring at you, and now he ising toward you.¡± Nicole paused what she was doing and looked up. Sure enough, Harvey, who was still surrounded by the crowd, was slowly walking step over toward her table. Snow was following Harvey, eyes staring at Nicole with ill will. Nicole immediately grabbed her bag and said to Lulu, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Lulu was a little confused, but she still did what Nicole said, carrying her te and preparing to leave. Seeing Nicole standing up as if to leave, the smile in Harvey¡¯s eyes stopped. He had never seen someone like her who avoided him like the gue. Before Nicole could go far, she heard an extremely gentle voice calling out. ¡°Nicole, wait a second.¡± His voice was the same as yesterday, full of a hint of lofty gentleness. She walked ahead, ignoring him and the stares from others. Everyone in the caf¨¦teria was looking at them. They all were surprised to hear Harvey call out Nicole¡¯s name. For someone as popr as Harvey, there were less than a handful of people in the entire Royal Creek Institute who could actually talk to him. After all, considering Harvey¡¯s family background, not everyone, especiallymoners, could talk to him. People even felt inadequate to get a gentle nce from him. Harvey might look friendly, but deep down inside, he was full of himself. He was nice to everyone, but he only remembered the names of a few of them. But just now, he had called out Nicole¡¯s name with no difficulty. Many girls looked jealous in their eyes the moment he called out Nicole¡¯s name. They had liked Harvey for so long a time, yet Harvey did not even remember their faces. Never mind Snow, who had been following Harvey all this while. But who did Nicole think she was to deserve Harvey¡¯s attention? Just because she had a pretty face, or was it because she could stir up trouble? Chapter 100 Chapter 100 Everyone thought Nicole would stop when Harvey called out her name. It turned out that Nicole not only did not stop but also walked even faster. Nicole frowned, and she saw the staircase up ahead packed with people wanting to get a glimpse of Harvey. ¡°Please give way. Thank you.¡± These people just looked at her in astonishment, and they gave no response after hearing her words. It was as if her disregard for Harvey had stunned them. While Nicole looked impatiently at these people blocking her way, Harvey hade up from behind, while Snow could barely keep up. It was clear that Snow had lost pace in catching up with Harvey. She was almost being left behind by Harvey in front of everyone¡¯s eyes, and this was an even greater shame than screwing up her deportment. Snow looked at Nicole with bitter eyes. Harvey also looked at Nicole, his eyes filled with unspeakable emotion. It had been a long time since hest lost himself in pursuing someone. He now did not even get a response from her, even though he called her name. She really had many surprises for him. Nicole turned to look at the two of them. She had no words. Since she could not walk away, she ced her and Lulu¡¯s tes into the te collection position before turning around and looking at Harvey and Snow with her arms folded. Harvey did not look like he was angry. Instead, a smile spread across his face as he saw Nicole¡¯s apathy. ¡°You heard I was calling you, didn¡¯t you? Why didn¡¯t you wait?¡± It was better for him not to call her because she made a run for it when he did. Nicole really did not respect him at all. Nicole looked at him indifferently. Neither did she answer his question. Lulu looked at Nicole, then at Harvey, and whispered, ¡°Harvey, Nicole said she doesn¡¯t know you. She rarely interacts with people she doesn¡¯t know.¡± Everyone was even more stunned at this moment. Who in school did not know Harvey? He was mr. Ellison¡¯s grandson. Yet Nicole said she did not know him? Nine out of ten did not believe it. But to say that she knew Harvey and ignored him made her look even more arrogant. Harvey¡¯s face changed subtly upon hearing this. Yesterday he had said hello to her, yet she now said that she did not know him? He felt ineffably upset but still looked gentle on his face. He looked at Lulu and said, ¡°Thank you for telling me that.¡± Lulu blushed as Harvey looked at her. Nicole stepped forward and kept Lulu behind her. ¡°If I am not mistaken, you are up to something here.¡± He extended an olive branch to Lulu because he could do nothing with her. No way she was going to be fooled. Her alertness surprised Harvey. N?velDrama.Org exclusive content. Nicole looked at him, knowing that this guy was up to no good. There was a smile on her face, but deep down inside, she was indifferent. Harvey snapped back from his thought, looking at Nicole, and said softly, ¡°Hi, Nicole, 1 arn Harvey. This is my friend Snow. Now we know each other, don¡¯t we?¡± Nicole said nothing, nor there were emotions on her face. It was as if this was just not-so clever acting Harvey was not angry either. ¡°Now that we know each other, let¡¯s talk about you bullying Snow and Raine.¡± There was an uproar as soon as his voice trailed off. Sure enough, Harvey was here to stand up for Snow. All eyes were on Nicole at this moment. Everyone watched with a look of great schadenfreude. Nicole watched the farce, her expression turning icy as she looked Harvey in the eyes. ¡°What do you really want to say?¡± Harvey looked at the uncooperative girl, the smile on his face fading gradually. Instead, a glint of coldness shed in his eyes. ¡°If you apologize to the two of them in public and promise not to bother them again, I will let the matter rest. How about that?¡± Snow was triumphant, ready to hear Harvey give Nicole some severe punishments. After all, his grandfather, mr. Ellison, was the principal of the Royal Creek Institute. Meting out punishment for Nicole could not be easier. To her surprise, Harvey had just asked Nicole to apologize? Her eyes were filled with indignation, and Snow whined, ¡°Harvey¡­¡± Snow was taking great pains to maintain her magnanimous image. Instead of telling Harvey that she was not happy with the oue, she used her puppy dog eyes on him. It would not only show her closeness to Harvey but also let Harvey understand her hint. But all this fell through, for Harveypletely ignored her. He looked solemnly at Nicole across from him, waiting for her to buckle. Before he returned from abroad, he had seen the photos on the school forum and was thinking of giving Nicole a severe punishment. But after he dug deeper, he found some people thought Nicole was not as bad as the rumors. So Harvey just wanted Nicole to apologize when he confronted her. He thought Nicole would agree to such a simple request. After all, this punishment was really light. But Nicole just looked at him with a smirk and said indifferently, ¡°Why should I apologize?¡± Apparently, it was the two of them who made things up. So why should she apologize to the two of them? Harvey looked at her frosty and proud expression, which looked as if she saw him as a nobody. Between the two of them, he clearly had a higher stature, yet she was still proud. Her upturned eyes had a light in them as if it was an indestructible sword. Her contempt made Harvey¡¯s gaze turn cold. No one had ever dared to defy his words in front of him. ¡°I give you onest chance. Apologize to Snow, and I will let the matter rest.¡± Nicole did not even look at Snow. Instead, she looked Harvey in the eyes, not feeling intimidated. ¡°Same answer: Why should I?¡± Harvey looked at her and had a headache all of a sudden. She was just a girl. So why did she not obey his words? Why was she not under his control? Why did she look at him with such indifferent eyes? Everyone, including Lulu, was standing behind Harvey, unable to see his almost out-of control expression. Nicole looked at him and let out a smile atst. She approached him but quickly walked past him, just like when they first met, leaving behind only a faint, refreshing fragrance. Only this time, she had spoken to him. 2 ¡°Harvey, first ask your grandfather if you are qualified to teach me a lesson.¡± 6 Chapter 101 Chapter 101 After saying her piece, she ignored the stunned Harvey Ellison and furious Snow Riddle as she took Lulu with her. This time, no one dared to stop her. After all, Harvey Ellison in a stupor. If he could not do anything to Nicole, then who else can deal with her? As they watched Nicole leaving just like that, everyone had aplicated look in their eyes. ¡®What did Nicole said to Harvey, so much so that he was stunned silly?¡® They wondered. Even Snow was totally puzzled, and as she watched Harvey stood there looking at Nicole taking Lulu away, her temper red as she roared, ¡°Harvey, are you just letting them go like that?¡± Harvey was lost in thought at Nicole¡®s words. She actually dared bring grandpa up. What rtionship does she have with him? ¡°Harvey! I¡¯m talking to you here!¡± Seeing that he was still in a stupor, Snow got agitated. Harvey lost his patience and swept a chilly gaze at her. With that gaze alone, it made her feel like she had fallen into an ice cavern. Was he still that gentle Harvey Ellison? Why was he so terrifying there? Harvey, seemingly noticed her fear, the roiling in his eyes disappeared instantly as he said to her gently,¡± It seems like Nicole isn¡¯t receptive to my mediation. What should I do now?¡± Seeing that he returned to normal, Snow cautiously tugged his sleeve and asked, ¡°Harvey, what were you thinking? What did she say to you?¡± Harvey gave her a cryptic nce, and as if he had subconsciously lifted his hand, he pulled his sleeve away from her without leaving a trace. He then smiled and said to her, ¡°What can happen to me?¡± Seeing how he reacted, Snow then boldly asked, ¡°Did she say something very unpleasant?¡± Harvey stretched his hand out as he fiddled with the cufflink on his right hand, as he casually said, ¡°No matter¡­ however, we need to take a good measure of this Nicole Wace.¡± At the very least, he needed to figure out who she really was. When Snow heard that, she thought that Harvey was going to teach Nicole a lesson. She could not help but be excited, yet she said without her expression betraying her thought,¡± But Harvey, we are all ssmates. Making such a big move isn¡®t nice, right?¡± Harvey nced at her joyful face. Her every move would have made him feel goodst time, yet when he looked at Snow being all submissive towards him now, he felt bored. He then said impassively, ¡°Since she refused the gentle treatment, then she has no grounds to fault us.¡± Snow gave him a surprised nce and nodded, ¡°Yes, Nicole¡®s the one who don¡®t know her ce. Teaching her a lesson is part of the course.¡± Harvey did not respond as he just looked at her quietly, seemingly looking at someone else through her. After a while, he lifted his hand, as if wanting to smoothen her slightly messy hair, but eventually his hand landed somewhere else a distance away from her. He looked on at Snow as he said softly, ¡°Snow, your hair is a little messy. Go to the washroom and tidy it up. You don¡¯t have to follow me.¡± Snow knew that he did not want to see her looking disheveled, and so quickly nodded and headed to the washroom. When she got into the washroom, she looked at her perfect, immacte self in the mirror, and was slowly relieved. To be honest, although she had been with Harvey for two years now, she had no idea what was in his mind at all. He was always patient as he corrected her manners, and would also patiently help her in her studies, allowing her to stay by his side. They would even go on a date asionally, and he would look at her until he was lost in thought, yet he had never allowed her to touch him. Before him, she could not keep her cool andposure. Snow patted her cheeks with cold water, and only then did she let out a gentle smile as she slowly walked out of the washroom. Harvey had already left. She walked off with a casual pace as everyone gave her a strange look, with a lingering trace of pride around her. Shortly after Nicole left the cafeteria, a message suddenly popped up on her phone. ¡°Nicole,e to the principal¡®s office for a bit. I have something to talk to you.¡± If anyone else were to see it, they would have been shocked. The message was from mr. Ellison, and in terms of seniority, Mr. Ellison could have given her a directmand, but this message reeked of the desire to discuss and plead. Nicole frowned and responded, ¡°What¡®s the matter?¡± The reply came quickly. ¡°I heard that Harvey caused you some trouble, I¡®ll get him to apologize to you.¡± Nicole looked at the message and recalled how Harvey Ellison acted in the cafeteria earlier. She did not like that sort of person, but it did not mean that she would cause him trouble because of this small matter. ¡°I¡®m fine. There¡®s no need for him to apologize to me. I still have a sster, so I¡¯ll pass.¡±. When Mr. Ellison saw the message on his phone, he let out a deep sigh. How could he not know Nicole¡¯s temper? This meant that she could not be bothered with his grandson at all. At this moment, a series of courteous knocks came from the principal¡®s office door. Mr. Ellison calmed himself down as he said, ¡°Come in.¡± Harvey Ellison then pushed the door and entered the room. His face still bore the gentle smile, but when his eyes met Mr. Ellison¡®s some inexplicable emotions appeared. He walked up respectfully to Mr. Ellison and asked, ¡°Grandpa, you wanted to see me?¡± Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. He too had something to ask his grandpa, but he did not expect his grandpa to call him over first. Mr. Ellison looked on impassively at his grandson. In all respects, Harvey Ellison was perfect, even when he stood before him with his head lowered at this moment, he still looked very stout, like a strong oak. Mr. Ellison gave a satisfied nod, and said somewhat seriously, ¡°I heard that you listened to Snow, and went to look for trouble with Nicole?¡° Chapter 102 Chapter 102 When he heard mr. Ellison asked him that, a chilly intent appeared in Harvey¡®s eyes. He really did not expect his grandfather to bring her up before he even asked him about her. But he quickly snapped back as he shook his head and said gently, ¡°Why would I? It¡®s just that there¡¯s some misunderstanding between Nicole and Snow. Since the girls were unable to resolve it themselves, I got called over to mediate things.¡± mr. Ellison listened and then nodded, ¡°That¡¯s good. You¡¯ve met Nicole today. What do you think of her?¡± Thinking of Nicole, Harvey looked at Mr. Ellison and smiled, ¡°I¡®ve met her. But she didn¡¯t speak much, so I didn¡¯t get to know her.¡± mr. Ellison hesitated for a moment, but he also knew that Harvey was telling the truth. Nicole was indeed rather distant in normal times, ¡°Yes, although she may be indifferent, but once you get to know her, you¡®ll find out that she¡®s a very kind girl.¡± Of course, she was skilled in martial arts too. mr. Ellison however did not know that Harvey had already witnessed Nicole¡®s martial abilities, so he did not say thest part of the sentence. ¡°Seems like you have quite a good impression of her, grandpa.¡± Harvey was now even more curious about Nicole¡®s rtionship with his grandfather. ¡°Of course. Let me warn you, you must get along with her. Don¡®t make enemies out of her because of Snow and Raine.¡± ¡°Grandpa...¡± Before he could ask anything, his grandpa already tossed a warning his way. Could it be that Nicole was someone he could not afford to cross? ¡°Alright. Let¡®s not talk about that anymore, just remember what I¡®ve said and get along with her, okay?¡± Seeing his grandpa¡®s serious face, Harvey could only nod his head, ¡°Okay.¡± Seeing that his grandson agreeing to that, Mr. Ellison was very satisfied. His tone then turned as he said to Harvey, ¡°You¡®ve been managing the operations department of the company quite well. I¡®m preparing to hand over the marketing department to you as well, so get ready.¡± Although he was only in his internship, Harvey had performed excellently, and it was time to let him handle more things. Harvey raised his head up suddenly as he looked at his grandfather in some disbelief. The marketing department was the heart of the Ellison Group. Back then, no matter how obedient he was Mr. Ellison had never agreed to that, but now that he only needed to agree to get along with Nicole and the old man was so pleased that he handed the entire department over to him? N?velDrama.Org owns ? this. A look of shock shed past Harvey¡®s eyes, but his expression remained calm as he smiled and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, grandpa, I will double the HQ¡®s sales in the next half.¡± Mr. Ellison looked on as a smile appeared on his stern face. ¡°Grandpa believes in you.¡± Harvey got out of the principal¡®s office and the smile on his face faded away as a thought came to his mind. To think that this Nicole was so capable that the usually keen¨Ceyed Mr. Ellison was so appreciative of her talents. It seems like he needed to rethink his ns now. As Harvey thought of that, he turned around and left. During revision at night, Nicole twirled her pen around as she looked at the set of exercises given by Ms. Emerson. Chapter 103 Chapter 103 The people around her snuck a nce at her from time to time, as if trying to discern something from her. Bradley Robertson whispered, ¡°Nicole, did you not give Harvey any face at all?¡± Nicole did not even look up and said softly, ¡°He asked me to apologize to Snow and Raine Riddle. I did not agree to that.¡± Bradley did not know such a thing happened, and suddenly realized it as he heard Nicole say that ¡°I should¡¯ve known that. Nicole you are usually very reasonable, and you won¡¯t push someone into a corner. The problem is with Harvey Ellison!¡± Bradley did not even bother calling Harvey names anymore and referred him directly by his name. This was something he had never done before. Nicole raised her eyebrows and looked at him, only for her to see Bradley hissing in anger,¡± It¡¯s obvious that Snow and Raine Riddle were looking for trouble with you. For her to cause such a havoc with just a photo, and here I thought she was a gentle person. It¡®s all fake!¡± Looking at him trying to defend her, Nicole felt a whiff of warmth inside her. N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights. ¡°You¡¯re not worried that I might¡®ve actually bullied them?¡± Hearing her question, Bradley looked at her as if she was a fool, ¡°With your personality, you¡®d act instead of talk. Why would you bully two helpless girls?¡± Right, that sounded about right. Nicole rubbed her nose. She did not expect Bradley to know her that well. Bradley felt that when Harvey stood up for Snow, thetter¡®s image waspletely ruined for him, and he could not help but to mumble, ¡°Man, was I blind when I thought him the same as Lloyd Holder! Lloyd is both handsome and kind, Harvey is nowhere close!¡± Lulu, sitting in front, heard their discussion and ignored the teacher who was still teaching as she turned around and said, ¡°Bradley, you¡®re a man and you like Lloyd?¡± Bradley¡®s face flushed a little. ¡°A true handsome guy attracts both men and women! I admire Lloyd instead of straight up liking him, and you don¡®t understand this? Seems like you don¡®t like Lloyd as much as I do.¡± Lulu gave him a disgusted look, ¡°I¡®ve liked Lloyd for six years now, ever since his debut. You¡®re no match for me!¡± As both were rather excited, their voices were rather loud. The teacher noticed their little exchange at that moment and snorted, ¡°Lulu, Bradley, what are you two talking about? Want to share it with the ss?¡± Lulu spat her tongue out while Bradley quickly lowered his head. The two of them did not notice that when Nicole heard what they said, her pen¨Ctwirling hand paused for a bit. Lloyd Holder, who the two of them liked, was indeed the ck horse in the entertainment industry ofte. He debuted at sixteen and was already a Golden Horse award recipient at eighteen with his movie ¡°Breaking Blue¡±. Now he was extremely popr, and had won countless of awards, be it domestically or internationally, a veritable superstar. He made only be twenty-two years old, but everyone in the industry respects him. It was not because of his acting and abilities, but also because of his character and EQ. Everyone who came in touch with him were full of praise of Lloyd¡®s charm, and many directors were effusive with praises after working with him, hoping that they would be able to work with him again. He was a person with impable manners and decorum, and it was also because of that immacteness that he had no gossip about him since his debut. After enduring until ss was over, Bradley packed up his bag and said, ¡°Nicole, let¡®s head out together? Lulu said she wanted to go out of school to get some exercise books and left first.¡± Nicole nodded as she casually packed her stuff. Suddenly, she heard a voice behind her. ¡°Nicole, I¡®m sorry, I shouldn¡®t have said what I had said to you that day.¡± Chapter 104 Chapter 104 Nicole turned around and noticed Jack Pearson was looking at her somewhat anxiously, with Gary Finley standing impassively behind thetter. Gary had fixed Jack up properly today and ordered thetter to apologize to Nicole. Jack was naturally reluctant, but he was worried that Nicole would straight up ignore him, so he quickly mouthed his apology while Nicole was packing up. Although Gary looked impassive, his clenched fist betrayed the turmoil inside. Looking at the girl¡¯s nce, Gary would be lying if he said he was not nervous. Nicole looked at the two, and her gaze finally fell on Jack¡®s face as she let out a mischievous smile. ¡°No need for that.¡± With those words said, she picked up her bag and left with Bradley Robertson. Leaving Jack Pearson standing there scratching his head. He dared not ask Gary directly, so he kicked Wayne in the shin and asked, ¡°Say, did Nicole forgive me there or not?¡± Wayne was already slightly pissed when Jack called Nicole coldblooded earlier, and immediately threw thetter a re when he heard that, ¡°Why are you asking me? Go ask Nicole!¡± Gary too frowned. He knew that Nicole would not forgive him so easily. He picked up his books and said coldly, ¡°Let¡®s go. We need to revise.¡± The Math Olympiad was close, and he must not lose. He will tell Nicole his thoughts after clinching first ce. Just as he entertained the thought, his handphone suddenly vibrated. Gary pulled out his phone and ced it by his hear. When he heard what was spoken his expression changed a little. ¡°Alright, I¡®ll be right there.¡± Immediately after, he walked out of the ssroom in big strides, leaving Jack and Wayne to look at each other. Nicole and Bradley were walking leisurely towards the dorm and Bradley was talking about Lloyd nonstop while Nicole listened on, with nary any reactions on her face. Bradley was so colorful it was clear that he really liked Lloyd Holder. At this moment, a rather blurry silhouette appeared beneath the streemp, as if it was a person who was closely hugging the wall. Nicole immediately noticed that and consciously led Bradley as they suddenly took a corner. It was an open space, and seeing that he was without cover, the person gritted his teeth as he pretended to be unperturbed as he followed the two of them, acting like he was looking at the scenery N?velDrama.Org owns ? this. A cold glint shed past Nicole¡®s face as she suddenly turned around and gave Bradley a shock ¡°Nicole, the heck¡­ Bloody hell!¡± Nicole darted out like a thunderbolt and instantly disappeared before Bradley¡®s eyes, The person tailing them was clearly a professional. He sensed something was not right the moment Nicole turned her head and immediately fled. And it seemed like he was well versed with theyout of the Royal Creek Institute. With a couple of turns he disappeared into the darkness. Looking at the fork before her and thinking that the person disappeared after he turned into this corner, she felt a little irritable. Failure was a rare thing for her, and she was too careless this time. She never thought that someone would dare to tail her so brazenly inside the Royal Creek Institute. As she thought of this, her expression turned a little glum. As she turned around to retrace her path, she took out her phone and sent a message. ¡°Someone is tailing me. You guys be careful.¡± Bradley had not responded yet, so Nicole put away her phone and saw the former standing there looking at her in a stupor. Even when he had seen Nicole strike more than one, he was still amazed every time he witnessed it. He had never seen someone be so fast before! Nicole walked over and patted him on the shoulder, ¡°It¡®s nothing, let¡®s go.¡± The road here was rather quiet, and aside from Bradley, no one else saw that happened. He swallowed his saliva and then asked, ¡°Nicole, who were you chasing after just now?¡± Nicole shook her head. ¡°Nothing, it was my mistake.¡± Bradley gave her a curious look, but seeing that she was not inclined to speak, he did not press the issue. After sending Bradley to the dormitory entrance, Nicole turned around to leave. Bradley was a little surprised as he asked, ¡°Nicole, not going back to the dorm?¡± She shook her head. ¡°I¡®m going to the cafe.¡± Bradley suddenly realized that Nicole was probably worried about this safety and that was the reason why she escorted him back. He could not help but to feel thankful for that. For a girl to escort him back, it was just too embarrassing. As the two parted, Nicole walked towards the school gate as she wondered who would be so bold as to make a move right inside Royal Creek Institute. As she walked, she soon arrived at the cafe. She was sure now that, the most dangerous ce on Earth was also the safest. If shees here, Jared Johnston will have even less cause to suspect her. However, she had not much time to think, she wanted to find a proper ce to study and to help Austin and the others revise. Since she would have to face a torrent of gossips in school, might as welle here instead. She had note for a few days now, and when she stepped in, she noticed the usual waiter was not here today. But for some reason Jared Johnston was in the house. Nicole¡¯s expression darkened. She had asionally suspected, was Jared Johnston actually waiting for her here? Otherwise, why would she keep running into him every time here? At this moment, Jared was resting on a seat not too far away from the door. The moment he saw her enter; his eyes lit up as he immediately waved at her. For some reason, it felt like he had been waiting for her for a long while now. Nicole pushed the door open and asked, ¡°Why are you here again?¡± Her slightly revolted look and tone made Jared feel like he just had a bucket of iced water poured on him. He had waited for her for so many days now, and she was revolted when she saw him? Chapter 105 Chapter 105 Suppressing the gloom in his chest, he smiled coldly. ¡°This is my establishment, of course I¡®lle when I¡®m free.¡± His eyes were already attractive to begin with, and with it slightly curving now, it looked even more so. Nicole could not help but be dumbfounded as she looked at him. But as she heard what he said, she frowned slightly. ¡°Why do I feel like a CEO like you have too much time in your hands?¡± Jared looked at Nicole¡¯s cold, glistening eyes, and did not say anything. He had sent someone to follow her earlier and she very quickly noticed the person¡¯s movements. If he was a tad bit slower, he would have been caught by her. Not only that, but us also said that Nicole¡®s senses against being followed was very keen, and she was definitely not just any student. Jared was very aware how skilled his men were, and to think that us almost fell victim to Nicole. A meaning look appeared in his eyes as he looked at Nicole before him. The more he got in touch with her, the more he found her interesting. ¡°Forget about that, order what you want.¡± Jared deftly ced the menu before her as a couple of stray hairs fell before his eyes, hiding the emotions in them. Nicole did not hold back either. ¡°A cup of cappino, thank you.¡± Jared looked into her eyes and could not help but chuckle. Although she had drank many of his coffees, the one she liked seemed to only be cappino. Jared immediately took the order, his poise elegant, and his every moment graceful. It was a noble aura that was preternatural. As Nicole looked at him, she felt that she was really blind. ¡®Why did she get tangled up with this guy in the first ce?¡® Letting out a sigh, she stopped bothering him as she walked towards her usual seat and pulled out her exercise books to work on them. Jared knew that she did not like him approaching her so he could only look at her from a distance, with a tinge of discouragement in his heart. She was the only woman who did not proactively approach him, but instead she was revolted at the idea of him approaching her. N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights. At this moment, there was somemotion outside as a few students in the originally quiet cafe started whispering to one another. ¡°Isn¡®t that Austin Woods? Why is he here?¡± ¡°Seeing that Nicole is here too, I guess he¡®s here for ¡°tuition¡°!¡± In an instant, many curious gazes came from across the cafe. Nicole looked up slothfully and the few Royal Creek Institute students quickly shut up under her rather emotionless gaze. They finally understood why so many were afraid of Nicole. A nce alone was enough to make someone dare not take a breath. If she was standing before them, they probably would have already turned around and flee Nicole could not be bothered with what was in their mind. At this moment, Austin had brought with him his group of buddies and the cafe was instantly overcrowded. When he saw Nicole, Austin¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°Boss!¡± Nicole gave him a nce. ¡°What¡®s going on?¡± Why were there so many people here? Austin knew what she wanted to ask and immediately said, ¡°Boss, these bunch here wants to listen to your lecture, so they came here themselves!¡± Everyone looked at him as he thered about, not daring to speak up. They were clearly here because Austin wanted to make a grand scene for his boss, so that¡®s why all of them had toe, and not a single one was exempted! They too had no idea if she was really going to teach them, going by Nicole¡®s standards, would their total grades collectively fall by another twenty ranks? Austin did not care. He was atst ce already anyway, so he might as well let Nicole do as she ce, but the rest of them still had a standard to uphold! When Nicole looked at the reluctant faces of these people, she said softly, ¡°Those who wants to say can stay, and I¡¯ll help to the best of my ability. Those who want to leave, can leave.¡± She did not have that much energy to help so many, and the only reason she decided to help Austin was she took pity on him. When they heard Nicole say that a number who were originally reluctant toe turned their gaze to Austin. He then looked at her and whispered, ¡°Boss, do you really want to do this?¡± Nicole nodded. If the others did not want to believe her, then she had no need to do her best for them. Seeing that she was serious, Austin raised his hand. ¡°Leave now if you want to leave! If you don¡¯t want to listen to boss¡® lecture, then you lot don¡®t have to be under me anymore!¡± Austin thought that everyone would stay, but who knew, the moment he said that amotion immediately erupted. Many had long been dissatisfied that Austin being all out of sorts as the school bully just for Nicole, and now he even got stark raving mad that he wanted to get into the top twenty? Isn¡®t that a straight up daydream? They had been busy studying for the past few days, and that had gravely vited the original intention of them joining Austin¡®s camp. However, as Austin pressured them, they dare not verbalize theirins. At this moment, Austin himself actually said that they could leave if they did not want to listen to him. Many looked at one another and turned around to leave. Bullshit. They did not want a boss like Nicole who was a nobody. Her grades were poor, so who wants to listen to her. Austin too, was a fool, for him to really obey this woman. The two of them can go crazy for all they care, and they want no part of it! In an instant, only five to six people who had been following Austin all these while remained from the originally massive group. Austin did not expect those people who had been calling each other bros to be so callous about their friendship. And to think that he had been helping them a lot, either matters big or small. Yet when he really wanted to do something, these bunch repaid him in such a way. Among those who left were buddies that Austin usually y ball with. They gave Austin a wandering nce, and saw thetter¡®s disbelieving look, his eyes full of vengefulness. Auston had always been stepping on them all this while, how could they not be gleeful when they see him lose face like this? A school bully that would call a girl ¡°boss¡°? It was high time for a change now! As they thought of this, the few of them left gleefully, and did not forget to throw Austin a provocative middle finger while they were at it. Austin looked on, his chest heaving in anger. He smashed his fist against the wall, and his eyes felt misty. ¡®Austin Woods, how could you be so blind?!¡® Chapter 106 Chapter 106 Nicole looked on as the group dispersed. The few that remained were familiar faces, and they were those who had followed Austin around every day, and she had some measure of them. It seems like only these few were sincere towards Austin and were not taking advantage of his status for something. The remaining few looked at Austin, who was fuming and sad at the same time, and then looked at Nicole who sat there calmly, seemingly having predicted this to happen, and asked,¡± Boss, Austin, what should we do now?¡± Austin did not speak, instead, Nicole did. ¡°Go upstairs. There are private rooms there. Find one and get in. I¡¯ll be there in a moment.¡± When Austin heard that, he looked at Nicole in astonishment. He did not expect that even with so few left, Nicole would still abide by their agreement. After all, he had always thought that the reason Nicole was willing to be his boss was because he had considerable influence in school. Yet even after this farce, she was totally unperturbed and was still read to help him with his studies. What Nicole saw was not his power, but him as a person! Thinking of this, Austin was really d that he insisted on taking Nicole as his boss and had never given up on that. Otherwise, he would not have been able to see everything as they were now. N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights. Austin clenched his fist, and he turned to look at the remaining few as he said with a rumbling voice. ¡°Thank you all for staying. From today onwards, I will only take you guys as my bros. The others can go screw themselves!¡± The few looked at him, a look of determination appeared in their eyes. All of them followed Austin since the beginning, so naturally they were unlike those people. ¡°Austin, don¡®t worry, man. We are with you!¡± Austin gave them a grateful look and then turned towards Nicole. ¡°Boss, thank you for letting me see clearly who my true friends are.¡± He gave Nicole a deep bow and as she looked at him, she said softly, ¡°You can do without that baggage, they¡®ll just hold you back, leaving you deep in the quagmire. Austin, congrattions on escaping that swamp of misery.¡± Austin was taken aback What Nicole said was true. Before those people got around him, he was not so arrogant. It was them who were instigating him, saying that a school bully should act like a tyrant, a school bully shouldn¡®t study hard. Only the school beauty was a match for him. That was why he was causing trouble all over, all to prove that he was powerful. As he thought of that, a contemtive look appeared in Austin¡®s eyes. Wasn¡®t what Nicole was doing now helping him to get rid of those stinkers around him? Seeing that he was deep in thought, Nicole did not rush him. She lowered her head and packed her stuff up as she prepared to go to the second floor with them. As she turned around, she saw Jared Johnston standing not too far away, his eyes locked onto her. Jared noticed that she was looking at him, and a look of displeasure appeared in his eyes. He had thought that she despised all men like she did with him. ¡®What was so good about that punk from the Woods family? Why is she so nice to them?¡¯ The more he thought about it, the more pissed off he got. ¡®What happened to himtely? Why was Nicole affecting his mood so?¡® Seeing his rather miffed look, she frowned a little. ¡®What is wrong with that guy? Why is he looking at her like that?¡® But she still did not ask anything, and instead just ced another order. ¡°Add a cup of coffee for each of my friends there. Bill it to my tab.¡± After that, she turned around, carried her bag, and headed upstairs. When Jared saw her going upstairs just like that, he was even more pissed off! ¡®Did she just take him for a servant? And to add an order of coffee for each of them?¡® Thinking back that she would not even treat him to a meal, why was she so generous with these bunch of hooligans? He was the CEO of the Johnston Group, and he was no match for a few louts? Jared¡¯s expression got colder and colder, so much so that Max did not even dare to take a deep breath. ¡°Mr. Johnston¡­ I¡¯ll go get the coffee.¡± Jared red at him, hissing. ¡°No! Let them die of thirst!¡± As Nicole went upstairs, One of Austin¡®s buddies waved at her from the second room to the right. ¡°Boss, over here!¡± She increased her pace and entered the room. When she saw Austin¡¯s expression had returned to normal, she knew that he had listened to what she said and was somewhat satisfied. She walked to the front and looked on at the books spread out on the table. The books were so clean like they were new, and she frowned slightly. After Austin digested Nicole¡®s words, the anger within his not only disappeared, but he instead felt somewhat fortunate. If not for the boss¡®s words sshing cold water over him, he probably would not have realized what he had just freed himself from. When he saw Nicole frowning while looking at his book, he thought that she too had questions she did not understand. Austin immediately pulled out a chair to let her sit, and then he let out a teasing smile. ¡°Boss, look, all of us have pretty crappy foundation, how about you lower your standards a little, and let us at least get into the top twenty from bottom instead.¡± Nicole threw him a nce when she heard that. Although her nce was faint, Austin immediately understood what she meant and said bitterly, ¡°Alright, forget I said that.¡± Only then did Nicole retracted her gaze. She took their textbooks over and quickly flipped through them. The entire process took about ten minutes before she picked up her pen and circled a good number of points on the book as she said sinctly, ¡°Memorize them.¡± She then pulled out a few sheets of paper and wrote something on it. No one dared to disobey her and hurriedly took their textbooks to memorize the points. After an hour, she handed the sheets of paper she had written on to them. The group had only just memorized the points and had their books taken away. A sheet of paper was now before them as they looked up at looked at Nicole in dismay. She returned the gaze and raised her eyebrows slightly as she looked at them. ¡°What are you looking at me for? Answer the question.¡± The few lowered their head and found that on the paper was a simplified test Nicole had made. The questions on the paper were all rted to the points she got them to memorize earlier. These people did not usually study much and could rarely see a question they could do. So, their eyes immediately lit up as they started answering the question. As they wrote they were amazed. Boss¡®s handwriting was really pretty. Nicole¡®s handwriting was different from them, they looked extremely calm and very stylish, which were veryfortable to look at. Nicole watched on as they answered the question, and about half an hourter, she took the papers to mark them. The few of them looked at her with confidence and were quite assured with their results. Nicole looked up at them and said, ¡°Do you guys think you¡®ve done well?¡± Chapter 107 Chapter 107 Chapter 107 Her voice was calm, but for some inexplicable reason gave them a feeling that a storm wasing. The few looked at each other and someone mustered his guts as he said, ¡°Boss, I think I did.¡± Pretty well. Under Nicole¡¯s gaze, he quietly swallowed thetter part of the sentence back. Nicole let out a half smile. ¡°Austin did the best amongst all of you. He got half the question right.¡± When she said that, everyone looked at Nicole in astonishment. All of them thought they could get full marks! Austin on the other hand was rather ttered. He did not expect to be doing the best among all of them, and after snapping back he looked on gleefully at the rest. Although everyone¡¯s results were pretty crap, but Austin was the worst of the lot. Yet, now Nicole said he did the best, and not only that built up Austin¡¯s confidence, but it also sparked the fighting spirit in the rest. Seeing that everyone was looking at her with a buming gaze, a glint appeared in Nicole¡¯s eyes. She handed the question sheets back and exined to everyone where they went wrong. She pointed out the traps in the question, and how to read the question to have a higher chance in getting it right. After listened to Nicole¡¯s exnation, all of them realized what went wrong as they hissed at the silly mistakes they made. They were just tad bit away from actually scoring points. Everyone was now inspired. Nicole¡¯s clear methods aside, her thought process was very different too, and she will give examples, making a veryplicated matter simple enough so much so that total knuckleheads like them could understand the question. They could not help but to start doubting the news they saw in the school forum. Whoever said Nicole was bad at studies? What they saw now was nothing like that. After digesting this part of the content, Nicole started to circling points on the textbooks again, repeating the process of asking them to memorize the topic. In the process, everyone had a new understanding of the boring knowledge in the book. They even felt that there interesting connections between different contents in the book, and these were inseparable from the order of points Nicole made them go through. Nicole went through the textbooks and realized that the reason Austin and co could not understand it because the contents in the textbook varied in difficulty, and the sequence was even more chaotic. Some parts were pretty basic, but they were ced after much more difficult contents. This inevitably increased the student¡¯s learning difficulty and tore away the graduality and smoothness between knowledge bits. The topics that Nicole got them to look at were slightly more difficult than the last, but they were logical connections between the two topics. That made the learning process particrly easy, and it was easier to get them into the groove. Plus, the questions she put forward for each topic, alongside a detailed exnation made it deeply attractive to everyone. Soon, they were getting more and more parts right, and as the sense of aplishment swelled, they were even moremitted to learning. Nicole was so enthusiastic that she did not notice that from the opposite side of their room, someone was looking through the ss at them. Jared was drinking his coffee as he looked at Nicole surrounded by the guys, a look of envy appeared in his eyes. Although those lot were afraid of Nicole, they were still respectful to her and kept a polite distance from her. Yet, when he looked at the men beside her, he felt extremely displeased. He wanted to leave this ce, but he could not avert his eyes off them. He just kept staring at them, seemingly afraid they would d o something that will cross the line! ¡°Mr. Johnston, it¡¯ste already ¡°Normally at this hour, Jared would have long gone back to rest. ¡°I¡¯ll have my dinner here.¡± He said menacingly without even looking at Max Graham. ¡°Eh?¡± Max was shocked. ¡°Is there a problem?¡± ¡°No¡­ no.¡± Max did not dare to say more and hurried downstairs to prepare the western food. Inside Nicole¡¯s room, the revision still went on in a lively atmosphere. All of them were in the mood to study, so much so they forgot that their coffee was still not served. Nicole led them as they proceeded with the fifth round of revisions. N?velDrama.Org exclusive content. They had pretty muchpleted a textbook, and looking at her watch, it was about enough for today, and they will not be able to process any more. So, she closed the book and said faintly,¡± We¡¯ll stop here today. Do you guys have anything you don¡¯t understand?¡± The lot looked at the questions with enthusiasm, clearly not expecting this to be over. They each shook their head, saying, ¡°No. Boss, you¡¯re really amazing! We actually understood everything you taught us!¡± Their boss here was a true talent, and they really did not understand why she scored zero thest time. ¡°Yeah, I think boss is a much better teacher than Ms. Thompson. Her teaching is shit aside, she even looked down at us poor performers. She does nothing aside from criticizing us all day!¡± ¡°Boss, you seem to have some kind of magic, it¡¯s literally the same thing, but why is it more fun learning from you, and we actually understood it better and quicker too! ¡°You dumbass, what else is there? Boss is a straight up goddess!¡± They had originally epted her as the boss because of Austin, and they were in fact giving face to Austin, being his followers. But now, each of them looked at Nicole with bright, gleaming eyes. Austin was right. It was their luck that Nicole was their boss! If this goes on, they might actually be able to make it into the top twenty! Chapter 108 Chapter 108 Chapter 108 Looking at these lot, their eyes brimming with enthusiastic light, a smile gradually appeared on Nicole¡¯s face ¡®It seems like they were not totally hopeless.¡¯ It was almost nine o¡¯clock before Jared saw Nicole being escorted out by the bunch of louts. Every single one of those punks that were friendly with Nicole could not help but to show their admiration and respect for her. He crossed his arms over his chest as he watched on, wishing that he could chase all of them out this instant. The group went downstairs and as Nicole paid the bill, someone suddenly said, ¡°I want to get into the top twenty, I want Nicole to be our boss for all time!¡± Austin looked at that buddy of his. That guy had always opposed him taking Nicole as his boss and had grumbled who knows how many times to him in private. He went forward and gave that buddy a punch. ¡°Now you know how wise I am, huh!¡± The rest of them nodded silently as they heard that. At this moment, glints of light appeared in all of their eyes, All of them recognized Nicole as their boss! Having reached an ord with the blokes, Nicole took her card back and was about to turn away and leave, but she instead saw Jared Johnston there. He was actually still here! And he was staring weirdly at her! She found it difficult to understand his behavior, so she gave him a re before leaving without even saying anything. Jared looked on as she left with the group, and one could only wonder how miffed he was. As he gnashed his teeth, Jared asked Max, ¡°Is my standing in her heart lower than a bunch of gangsters?¡± Max was stunned. So that was why Jared¡¯s face as been dark and gloomy for the past two to three hours¡­ ¡®Is¡­ Mr. Johnston feeling jealous? ¡®But¡­ wasn¡¯t he the one that said he wanted to break off the engagement?¡¯ ¡®I have no idea what he is thinking.¡¯Max dared not say anything at all. After saying goodbye to Austin and the others, Nicole left for the dormitory. Along the way, she kept wandering. Insofar she had not gotten any information yet, supposing the person tailing her was someone very skilled A thought appeared in her mind as she had a feeling that the person did not harbor any malice, otherwise she would not be so merciful. So, she was in no hurry to find out who the person was. Since the person wants to y a game of cat and mouse, she would of course oblige. As she got to the ground floor of the dormitory, Nicole ran into someone totally unexpected there. There was a very tall cherry blossom tree at the ground floor of Royal Creek Institute¡¯s dormitory. At this moment, it was not the flowering season, the green leaves created a shade and Harvey Ellison was standing right under the tree. His entire person was covered by the shade, his expression indiscernible. When Nicole saw him, she could not help but frown as she stopped walking. Harvey too noticed her as he looked up. Nicole then saw his bright-as-day smile, and a hint of irritation appeared in her heart. Harvey was already walking towards her. His pace was measured, and it was only when he got before her that he said softly,¡± Nicole, I was waiting for you.¡± Nicole looked at his figure and the smile on his face as she faintly said, ¡°Stop smiling.¡± Just looking at him pissed her off. Harvey did not expect her first sentence would be that and could not help but to be taken aback for a moment. A slight gloom appeared in his eyes. This belongs to N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Why does it always seem like you hate me?¡± Many gazes, both overt and covert, looked over as many took out their phones and started taking shots of them. It must be said that both Nicole and Harvey looked very good together. One was cold, while another warm, and they seemed to be in some kind of inexplicable harmony. Many were gossiping about them in whispers and all of the girls were looking at Nicole with seething hatred and envy. ¡®Why was Nicole getting the attention of so many of the cool guys in the campus?!¡¯ If it was Snow and Raine Riddle, so be it, but the person speaking so gently to her was Harvey Ellison! They already had enough of Snow alone, and now a Nicole pops up! She was nothing, so what right does she have to win Harvey¡¯s blue eyes. Just because of her pretty face? Nicole noticed the menacing gazes as she coldly looked at Harvey before her. ¡°Can you tell if I hate you or not? What do you want?¡± She could clearly feel that he was pestering her not because of the matter with Snow and Raine Riddle, but there was something else that she had yet to realize. After seeing Nicole showing some emotions to him, and no longer acting like she could not even see him, Harvey looked at her bright eyes as he felt an extreme surge of excitement within him, so much so that his heartbeat went wild. He then looked at Nicole and let out a rare, genuine smile. Seeing him not speaking, Nicole frowned and said, ¡°If you want me to apologize to Snow and Raine, you can forget about it.¡± After all, Harvey was the grandson of Mr. Ellison, so she did not believe that with Harvey¡¯s insight and intelligence that he could not tell what was going on. Some matters he could just find out after some cursory investigation. When Harvey heard what she said, he was a little shocked. He then responded in a friendly tone, ¡°I¡¯ve only agreed to speak up for Snow in the afternoon. I have to be a man of my words, don¡¯t I? The reason I¡¯m looking for you now is to talk of some personal matters.¡± His tone was cocksure as if the incident this afternoon was just himpleting a task with nary any personal feelings attached. Nicole looked at him deeply in the eyes. Is that even possible? Everyone would have a sense of selfishness in what they do, no? ¡°What personal matter?¡± Harvey looked at her being all vignt and a hint of delight appeared in his eyes. That¡¯s it, she should be showing him more emotions. He smiled gently, his eyes like the azure sea, luring people like a siren¡¯s song to drown within it. ¡°It¡¯s a very simple personal matter.¡± Harvey looked firmly at Nicole in the eyes as he slowly bent over and elegantly extended a hand to her. ¡°Nicole, would you be my girlfriend?¡± Chapter 109 Chapter 109 Chapter 109 His voice was low, yet it sounded like a thunderp. He did not actually lower his voice, and so everyone heard it loud and clear. And instantly, amotion erupted. ¡°Did I hear that right? I heard Harvey wants Nicole as his girlfriend?!¡± ¡°I also heard that. What¡¯s going on? What about Snow Riddle then?¡± ¡°If I¡¯m not wrong, Harvey never actually acknowledged Snow Riddle as his girlfriend, right?¡± ¡°Then it¡¯s Snow who took herself as Harvey¡¯s girlfriend. Now that¡¯s spicy, getting pped right in the face there!¡± ¡°Is no one gonna scold Nicole here? She¡¯s the one seducing Harvey!¡± Nicole ignored those voices as she looked at Harvey Ellison standing before her. ¡°If I¡¯m not wrong, this is our third meeting, yes?¡± Harvey seemingly knew that she was about to say, and his extended hand stayed there as he smiled and said gently, ¡°We can always slowly cultivate our rtionship.¡± That was to say, even if he had no feelings for her, he could still ask her to be his girlfriend just because of something. He was the type that would do anything to achieve his goals, Nicole¡¯s gaze towards Harvey turned colder and colder as ayer of frost slowly appeared in her eyes. She really did not expect a good man like Mr. Ellison would have such a promiscuous grandson! ¡°Get lost!¡± If he did not leave now, she was going to punch him. When Harvey heard her words, the elegant smile on his face froze. He looked at Nicole in disbelief, seemingly not understanding what she had said as he asked with a puzzled tone, ¡°What did you say?¡± Seeing that he still did not leave, Nicole could not be bothered to exchange words with him as she swung a fist at him. Her martial skills were no joke and Harvey had witnessed her practice before, so he knew how strong the punch was. He immediately dodged backwards, his body bending backwards as he barely dodged the punch. He looked at her in consternation. ¡°Nicole, what¡¯s the meaning of this?¡± Everyone was stunned silly by this unexpected scene. They never expected Nicole to reject Harvey. Rejecting him aside, she seemed like she wanted to beat him up too! If it wasn¡¯t for the fact that Harvey had learned Taekwondo before, the punch would havended square on him. Seeing him dodge, Nicole did not press the attack as she red coldly at him and spat a warning. ¡°Never show yourself before me ever again!¡± As she said that she tumed towards the staircase of the dormitory. Everyone looked at her back in shock, and no one dared to say a word. She was cold and powerful. No one could stop her. Harvey too was looking at her in a stupor, his thoughts now in a flux. Her gaze earlier had pierced him straight in the heart, causing him to feel a numbness akin to an electric shock. He covered his face and actually started sniggering. Interesting. No one had ever made him act like this before. This Nicole¡­ she was really driving him insane¡­ And everyone who looked at him was even more stupefied. Harvey Ellison almost ate a punch, yet not only he was not angry; he wasughing instead. They could clearly sense that thisughter was not the same as the shallow smile he usually lets out. It had a thick sense of tion, as if he had encountered something that made him really happy. Harvey looked at the crowd and the tion in his voice did not fade away as he gently said, ¡°So sorry for the embarrassing scene earlier.¡± After that, he slowly smoothened the wrinkles on his shirt as he left with a swift pace. Many just stood there as they had never seen Harvey Ellison acting like that before. Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. He had always been gentle and polite; he was always measured and would notugh out loud like this. Very soon, someone posted the footage onto the school¡¯s forum, and the entirement section immediately bent out of shape. ¡°What the hell? What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°So, Harvey confessed to Nicole? This¡­¡± ¡°Seems like she yed a game of dare and lost. Didn¡¯t you see how flustered Nicole was that she wanted to hit Harvey?¡± ¡°This Nicole Wace sure is a bitch. Harvey and Snow are a thing, right? What is she doing there, seducing Harvey?¡± When Norah saw this bizarre post, she was extremely jealous. Jared Johnston being still infatuated with Nicole aside; Harvey too had only just got back today, and he went to confess to her that very night? As she saw Nicole taking the spotlight again, she was furious. She looked away and immediately forwarded the post to Snow. ¡°Nicole, you are looking for trouble again, so just you wait, you¡¯ll soon be dealt with!¡± She will hang back and await the spoils. Once Snow Riddle was done with Nicole, she will be able to get Jared Johnston for herself! Snow was happily applying a mask at home. When she thought of how Harvey stood up for her today, she was particrly ted. Her phone suddenly rang, and she hummed as she clicked on the link. After entering the school¡¯s forum, Snow thought today¡¯s trending topic would be her Harvey. What she did not expect to see was a video of Harvey and Nicole on the homepage of the forum. When she opened the link in surprise, she actually heard Harvey asking Nicole if she wanted to be his girlfriend! ¡°Damn you, Nicole Wace! You dare seduce my man?!¡± With a roar, she smashed her new phone onto the ground. She had worked so hard to stand beside Harvey, all for the fact that he could provide her prestige. Yet he had never acknowledged her at all. She always persuaded herself that Harvey just hasn¡¯t gotten around to say anything. But he, after all, had her, and that was more than enough. Yet that videopletely crushed Snow Riddle¡¯s self-deception. It was not that Harvey did not know; he just did not want her to be his girlfriend! Him standing up to Nicole Wace today, was probably to get close to her! And for him to confesster that night, where does she stand now, then? Chapter 110 Chapter 110 Snow was so apoplectic she lost her mind. Her biggest backer in school and at home was Harvey. Karen had been pestering her every day about her progress with Harvey, saying that she must capture Harvey¡¯s heart, and that Dillon¡¯s promotion relied on her. Although she did not directly say no problem, but it was already almost at that stage. Karen had already told everyone around her that, and all eyes were on her. Plus, she had long let out news in school, hinting that both Harvey and her were an item, leaving no one in doubt. But now, Harvey was the one that ruined everything! She sat on her princess bed, and when she thought of how things would end after Harvey leaves her, she was so nervous that she gnawed her intricately manicured nails into pieces. It was all because of Nicole Wace! Be it the brothers of the Riddle family, or Austin Woods or Gary Finley, all of them seemingly lost their minds when they see Nicole, and now Harvey too, after seeing her just a couple of times, was acting strange. Everything was Nicole¡¯s fault! Nicole Wace, that wench, not only did she seduce Gary Finley, but she alsoid her filthy hands on Harvey. Despicable! When she thought of this, a brutal glint appeared in her eyes. She cannot just stand by and watch as Harvey leaves her! It waste at night and at this moment Gary was sitting inside the school¡¯s Security Department, watching the codes jumping out o n the screen before him. After school, the manager of the Security Department gave him a call, saying that there was something seemed strange with the monitoring system of the girl¡¯s dormitory, yet they could not find out what it was. Knowing that the Finley family was in charge of the school¡¯s security, so the manager gave him a call and asked to have a look. After all, Gary was aputer expert. N?velDrama.Org exclusive content. Gary¡¯s fingers tapped quickly on the keyboard. He could sense that something was wrong, yet all of the surveince footage just appeared there quietly before him. The program he deployed did not detect any issues, only at the end of the surveince footage a day ago that he found a split-second nk airtime, about 0.01 seconds. When he saw this nk airtime, the look in his eyes gradually changed from contemtive to disbelief. When he clicked on the veryst moment of the footage and processed it using the highest efficiency parser and slowing it down t o 250 times, the thing on the footage finally appeared before him. Gary looked at the distorted letters from the excessive parsing, and a shocking gleam appeared in his eyes. When the manager saw his expression, he could not help but to poke his head over in curiosity. Yet on the snow-white screen was a small line of Esperian in the lower right corner, as if a letter writer leaving his signature on it. ¡°Just sing a song.¡± The manager looked weirdly at the sentence and said rather speechlessly, ¡°The hell is that? Gary, did you managed to find out what it is?¡± Gary looked at the sentence and suddenly remembering something as he was indescribably agitated! A professional had infiltrated the school¡¯s system! But no one would understand if he thered about it so he could only nce at the manager and closed the interface, saying, ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯ve added anotheryer of protection in the security system. If someone tries to break in, I¡¯ll be able to monitor it on my end. Don¡¯t worry.¡± The manager nodded in confusion and then reacting as he looked at Gary¡¯s departing silhouette and shouted, ¡°Hey, punk! You haven¡¯t told me if you found anything or not!¡± Gary did not even look back but waved his hand at the manager from a distance. Seeing him like this, the manager knew that there was no problem, and he let out a curse. ¡°That punk!¡± Gary sat uneasy all the way back home and the driver asked in confusion. ¡°Master Gary, what¡¯s the matter?¡± Could there be nails on the seat? Gary was very excited after getting hold of a secret and when he heard that he felt that the driver was trying to pry into his secrets, so he gave thetter a re. ¡°Just focus on the road.¡± The driver gave him a quizzical look and noticed that the traffic light had turned green, so he turned his head around and drove. After reaching the Finley family¡¯s manor, Gary immediately rushed upstairs. Ryder Finley was holding a video conference and when he saw Gary in such a hurry, he quickly asked, ¡°Gary, what¡¯s the matter?¡± Gary¡¯s voice then came from the second floor. ¡°I¡¯ve finally got my idol¡¯s signature!¡± Ridley shook his head helplessly as he asked his assistant to continue. Inside his room, Gary tumed on hisptop again as he looked at the tiny words over and over again. In the world of hackers, even the most novice of script kiddies knew that the Esperian word in ck on white background is the signature of the legend in the hacking world, Lucifer! Gary excitedly looked at the page before him, and twenty secondster, the page flickered as it was automatically destroyed A top-level hacker has his own pride. He would boldly dere that he had done this, but he would never leave such an obvious clue to any computer that wanted to trace his details. Gary looked at the gradually disappearing page but the smile on his lips grew wider. He could almost be sure that Lucifer was a Royal Creek Institute student, and the person must have used theputer in the institute to do this. This alone will allow him to trace Lucifer back. It was just that there were over ten thousand people in the Royal Creek Institute, students and staff included. Trying to find a person¡¯s information without their personal characteristics is just too difficult. Plus, why did Lucifer wanted to pull up the surveince footage of Royal Creek Institute¡¯s girls¡¯ dormitory? Gary could not figure out why was he doing this as hey on his bed and pondered the matter. Chapter 111 Chapter 111 At this moment, in the girl¡®s dormitory, Nicole was already sitting on her bed after washing up. She was staring at her handphone and there was no news until now, so she felt a little uneasy. Lulu, who was on the bunk above, sensed her anxiety and popped her head out tofort her, ¡°Nicole, don¡®t be angry. Harvey must¡®ve lost a game of dare and had to confess to you. This... I actually got a few guys asking for my numberst time, and when I thought my spring of love is finally here, it turned out they came looking for me after losing a game of dare.¡± The discussion on the forums were very lively, many did not believe it and said that the reason Harvey confessed to Nicole was because he lost a game of dare, otherwise no one could understand why he wasughing so happily even when Nicole wanted to beat him up. Nicole knew that Lulu had misunderstood things, but she had no intention to exin anything, so she just said, ¡°You¡®re thinking too much.¡± June noticed Nicole¡®s emotions and turned to give Lulu a warning nce. Lulu was already afraid of her a t the best of times, so she immediately shrank back. Nicole looked at June, and thetter gave her a smile and mouthed a soundless. ¡°Good luck.¡± The look in Nicole¡®s eyes then softened somewhat. Not too longter, Lulu eximed from above once again. ¡°Nicole, they said that Austin has lost power, and now Bobby Burton wants to be the new school bully!¡± Bobby Burton was Austin¡®s best buddy and was also the first to turncoat. Seeing Nicole did not react, Lulu popped her head out again to ask. ¡°Nicole, they said that Austin ended u p like this because of you. They say that why can¡®t he just be a proper school bully and instead of studying. That¡®s why no one wanted to obey him!¡± Nicole did not even look up as she sneered, ¡°Let them talk. Since talking online is all they can do.¡± She still looked at her silent phone, and just as she was about to put it away, the phone suddenly vibrated. She immediately tapped on the screen: The words ¡°We are fine. We have no information about the person tailing you. Be careful.¡± appeared. Looking at the sentence, Nicole frowned. For that person to be someone even Zane Spears could not locate, he must have belonged to an extremely powerful organization. It was just that this organization did not seem to harbor any ill intentions towards her, and them following her was more like a gentle probe. There were no intentions to harm her, or else she would not have detected it sote. After reading that, Nicole put her phone back into her bag and could finally sleep in peace. A good night¡®s sleepter, the next morning. After Nicole was done with her morning exercise she nned to go back to the dormitory. Because of the incident with Harvey Ellisonst night, she attracted even more attention. Whenever she walked past someone, she would hear gossips from time to time. She ignored all of them, but when she got to the ground floor of the dormitory, someone threw something at her. She quickly dodged and found an egg smashed against the ground, letting out a rather horrid stench. Nicole¡®s stopped with an icy look on her face as she looked at the girl who tossed the egg. Although the What? Was she supposed to take a beating standing there? Nicole then turned around and looked at the gazes surrounding her somewhat irritably. When the crowd saw her looking over, they cursed her even louder, ¡°You shameless wench! You still dare to show your face at Royal Creek Institute? Two¨Ctiming aside, you actually dare to seduce Harvey to dump Snow Riddle? You bitch!¡± Nicole looked at the gossiping few and a look of confusion appeared in her eyes. ¡°When the heck did you see me seduce Harvey?¡± The gossiping girl, noticing that she was looking over, instantly felt a chill down their backs, but she still gritted her teeth and said, ¡°Who doesn¡®t know that Snow and Harvey are an item? Yet Harvey suddenly confessed to you. It must have been your doing!¡± Hearing her self¨Crighteous words, Nicole almost wanted tough. ¡°Isn¡®t this Harvey Ellison¡®s problem? He already has a girlfriend and still he came to disturb me, and now you¡®re ming that on me?¡± The group clearly did not expect her to say that and was stunned for a moment. Everyone too felt a little strange after hearing Nicole¡®s words. Because Harvey had always been polite in their eyes, and they really did not expect the problem to be on his side. However, the girls quickly recovered and looked at Nicole with hatred in their eyes. ¡°Don¡®t you go smearing Harvey¡®s good name. The problem is obviously you!¡± Everyone too had snapped back and nodded in unison. Yes, it¡®s all Nicole¡®s fault no matter how you cut it! As Nicole looked on at them, her eyes grew colder and colder. She then squinted as she looked at the girl before her, saying, ¡°Don¡®t think everyone is the same as you. Harvey Ellison is nothing in my eyes!¡± ¡°You can believe how you want. Just don¡®te and bother me, or you¡®ll be solely responsible for whatever consequences.¡± After saying that, Nicole was no longer in the mood to waste her time with them and left. The girls were obviously stunned by her domineering aura and could not find their voice even after she left. N?velDrama.Org owns ? this. Thinking of what Nicole had just said, there was a bitter look in their eyes. ¡®Harvey Ellison is nothing? What is Nicole Wace then?! Everyone else also looked at Nicole, with fear and disgust in their eyes. Austin Woods is no longer the school¡®s bully, and Nicole¡®s greatest support is gone now. So, on what basis is she so prideful for?! Nicole walked in a casual pace and could not care less about the voices behind her. After changing up, she went straight to the ssroom. She slept a littlete yesterday, and instead of taking her book out to study, she insteady down on the table to catch a nap. At this moment, amotion came from outside the door as a shrill female voice soon rang out, as if trying to rip everyone¡®s ears apart. ¡°Nicole, show yourself! You dare to seduce Harvey, you wench! I will teach you a lesson! Chapter 112 Chapter 112 Following a furious roar, a hideous¨Clooking girl walked into the ssroom as she charged towards Nicole seats like a banshee, screaming as she tried to grab Nicole¡®s neck. Nicole, being woken up from her nap, rubbed her eyes irritably. She quickly got up and dodged the person¡®s attack. Yet the momentum of the person¡®s charge was so great that she mmed into Nicole¡®s table, toppling all of her books onto the ground. The girl sat there in a mess, with a few wrinkled pages still in her hand. Nicole looked at her books scattered all over the ce, and a chill appeared in her eyes. ¡°Who are you?¡± She did not know this woman, so why did she came looking for trouble for no reason? The girl did not manage to hurt Nicole but instead got hurt herself. She was so angry she was shaking as she looked at Nicole with hatred. ¡°Nicole Wace, you not only seduced the boys from the basketball club and the music club, you even lay your hands on Harvey! You shameless bitch!¡± At this moment, someone in the ssroom recognized who she was. ¡°Isn¡®t she Harvey¡®s number one fan, Jessy Zinn?¡± ¡°Yes... I heard that even after Harvey got together with Snow, she still often gave him presents...¡± Listening to the actions of her user, she could not help but to sneer, ¡°And here you are still sending gifts to someone already taken, I think the shameless bitch is you, no?¡± ¡°What did you just say?¡± Jessy did not expect Nicole to not only seduce Harvey, but to also be sarcastic with her as she got up angrily. The Zinn family was one of the school¡®s shareholders and even Gary and Harvey needed to show some deference to her, and this Nicole dare to scold her like this? ¡°So, you are not only ugly, but you also have hearing difficulties too?¡± Nicole gave her a sarcastic look. Jessy¡®s face immediately turned red in anger. Her being not good¨Clooking was her only w. It was for this reason she lost to Snow and could only have a one¨Csided love in secret! Yet, her idol was now being seduced by a literal hillbilly, and the thought of that alone had her gnashing her teeth! ¡°Nicole Wace, don¡®t you dare be so arrogant!¡± ¡°I should be the one telling you that,¡± Nicole gave her a cold nce, her icy demeanor immediately sent chills down one¡®s soul. ¡°My books are on the floor. Pick them up.¡± Upon seeing her expression, Jessy shuddered by reflex. She was driven by her anger that she forgot how terrifying Nicole was! Recalling that Nicole could throw Austin Woods with a shoulder toss, Jessy was fearful, yet she still refused to yield. ¡°Dream on!¡± Nicole looked at her, her gaze was faint. ¡°You knocked them over, if you aren¡®t the one picking them up, then are you waiting for someone to do it for you? Is the Zinn family¡®s upbringing that poor?¡± Under Nicole¡¯s icy gaze, Jessy could not help but to tremble. But she could not yield. She represented the honor and dignity of the Zinn family. How can she lose to Nicole? As she thought of that, Jessy mustered courage from who knows where as she pounced at Nicole again.¡± You dare to say my upbringing is poor? I¡®ll rip your subus face apart!¡± As she said that, she stretched out her long nails as she scratched at Nicole¡®s face Looking at the unrepentant woman, Nicole frowned Seeing that Nicole had not moved, Bradley cried out anxiously, ¡°Nicole, watch out!¡± Nicole did not even dodge, but instead stretched her right hand out and grabbed Jessy¡®s arm. With a twist, she caused thetter¡®s wrist to let out a cracking sound. ¡°It hurts!¡± The daughter of the Zinn family let out a painful scream, yet she was unable to pull her hand back. At this moment, everyone was looking at Nicole in disbelief. In such a close distance, with Jessy pouncing so suddenly, what sort of reflex would it take to grab the latter¡®s hand?! Nicole looked at Jessy impassively, her dark pupils was almost dark under the daylight, making her look chillingly cold. When Jessy saw that, she was almost paralyzed on the ground. She pleaded without any hesitation, ¡°Let... let me go¡­ It hurts!¡± If Nicole were to grasp her arm like this any longer, her wrist might really break! ¡°Let you go? Sure.¡± Nicole sneered as she suddenly let go and instead grabbed Jessy¡®s neck. With a tug, Nicole lifted thetter up and dragged her towards the door. With her throat being grabbed, the daughter of the Zinn family was so terrified she forgot to beg for mercy! Her arms sped onto Nicole¡®s hand, the feeling of cking out felt so familiar it was horrifying! Everyone dared not say a word as they looked on at such a spine¨Cchilling Nicole. Nicole eventually dragged and threw Jessy out of the door of ss B as she looked at thetter coughing frantically while grabbing her neck, a trace of indifference appeared in her eyes. Nicole looked at her calmly as she said, ¡°If you want to spare yourself a walloping, get lost, and don¡®t ever let me see you again.¡± When Nicole was threatening someone, her entire face was expressionless, yet the aura around her was a s terrifying as a cier, causing everyone to feel the pressure around them dropping sharply. At this moment, everyone looked at Nicole, and no one dared to say a thing. Jessy was so humiliated she could only get up from the ground and run away. Nicole ignored her and went back straight to her seat. ?eeing hering back, Lulu and Bradley immediately got up to help Nicole pick her books up. Both of them were very quiet, and seeing their swift movements, the chill on Nicole¡®s face faded somewhat. ¡°Thank you.¡± Lulu and Bradley shook their eyes. They knew very well that Nicole was always very protective of her books, with almost every single one looked like they were brand new. Now that they were stained, and with so many ugly wrinkles, she would definitely hate it. As the few were done tidying up, another unhappy voice came from the ssroom door. ¡°Nicole, Jessy said you hit her. Is it true?¡± Nicole looked over and saw Mr. Kennedy standing at the door, with Jessy crying pitifully beside him. She sure did not learn her lesson, and she went toin so soon? Nicole sneered, saying, ¡°It seems like you did not remember what I said earlier.¡± Jessy was so fearful of her icy gaze she immediately hid behind Mr. Kennedy. N?velDrama.Org owns ? this. ¡°Mr. Kennedy... Look...¡± This Nicole Wace, her eyes are just too scary! She had no way to fight back! Chapter 113 Chapter 113 Mr. Kennedy saw that Nicole ignored him and was so angry he raised his voice, ¡°Nicole, I¡®ll ask you again. Did you hit Jessy? How can you be such a troublemaker! Sure enough, a hillbilly like you have no proper upbringing!¡± Nicole crossed her arms as she coldly looked at what was unfolding. Mr. Kennedy may seem like he was asking her a question, but in fact, he had already judged her guilty. She did not look at Mr. Kennedy, but instead tossed an icy nce at Jessy. ¡°What did I say just now?¡± Jessy immediately shrank behind Mr. Kennedy after Nicole looked at her and did not dare to even look at Nicole anymore. In fact, this time around she did not want to see trouble with Nicole. After being so brutally dealt with earlier, she no longer had the guts! It was Mr. Kennedy who saw her crying and asked her what happened. So, she just vaguely said that Nicole not only bullied her, but she also beat her up. Who knew Norah actually took the opportunity to say that Nicole had always bullied her schoolmates if they have any disagreements, and even her sister was bullied in the past. 1 That was why Mr. Kennedy brought her to ss B to speak her side of the story to Nicole. 1 Yet she dared not exin anything to Nicole as she was too chagrined and dare not speak. When Mr. Kennedy saw that Nicole was ignoring him and Jessy hiding behind him not daring to say anything, that mean that she was really bullied by Nicole. He was already convinced that Nicole was the problematic one. He sneered, ¡°Nicole, stop intimidating Jessy! I¡®m ordering you to apologize to my student here, or else I¡®ll bring this matter to the director so she can properly educate a punk like you!¡± 1 The quality of students between ss A and ss B was notparable. Adding to this unstable factor i in Nicole, if he pushes this case onto the director¡®s table, the excellent teacher award is surely his! Nicole raised her eyebrows and did not react to his words. It was Jessy, who was standing behind Mr. Kennedy was being secretly gleeful. Although she did not want toe earlier, but she knew that if this case were to go to the director, then Nicole will definitely eat a serious penalty! If she were to exaggerate her injuries, she might even get Nicole expelled! As she schemed about, Jessy still did not dare to pop her head out. Nicole ignored the two of them and did not even deign to look at Mr. Kennedy. Lulu could no longer just stand and look as she got up and said, ¡°It was Jessy who can looking for trouble. She wanted to hit Nicole but failed. She crashed onto the floor and could not even get up like a lame dog. Mr. Kennedy, please look after your students, and don¡®t push every problem into our ss!¡± Bradley also nodded and said, ¡°Yeah! Nicole did not hit her, she only ¡®sent¡® her out just now.¡± When Nicole looked at them speaking up for her, she felt a stream of warmth in her heart. With the two speaking up one after another, it pissed Mr. Kennedy so much his face turned blue. He pointed at the few of them. ¡°You lot, ss B sure is exceptional. I will inform the director this once, just all of you wait!¡± As he said that, he left with seething fury. Jessy was left alone standing on the ss podium, and Nicole¡®s eyes was affixed on her, cold yet mocking. ¡°Get lost.¡± It was just two words, but it scared Jessy silly. Looking at Jessy¡®s dumbstruck look, Lulu spat, ¡°What are you doing standing there, do you still want Nicole to ¡®send¡® you out?¡± Hearing this, Jessy shuddered and immediately ran out, as if she would be eaten alive a secondter. Lulu and the others looked at each other before turning to Nicole. Seeing their faces, Nicole let out a slight smile, her voice was very gentle. ¡°Good job.¡± This smile stunned the entire ss. Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. Gary looked intently at Nicole; his writing hand subconsciously stopped writing. She was so very cold towards Jessy, yet she was so gentle and warm towards Lulu. She had a natural allure, and even when she was not smiling, the corners of her eyes were enough to outshine many. Even when she was icy cold it would not stop the group from being attracted to her gaze. At this moment, when she smiled and looked at Lulu and Bradley, it was like a sun peering out among the clouds, a white and pure flower blooming out of an iceberg. It was a beauty most stunning. Who would not want her to look at them like that? Jack and Wayne also looked at Nicole¡®s smile with their eyes wide open. Wayne prodded Jack and asked, ¡°Who would you choose as the school beauty?¡± Jack Pearson did not even look to the side. ¡°Nonsense, of course it¡®s Nicole.¡± Wayne nodded as if it was only natural and then looked at Gary. Seeing that Gary was still with his impassive look, he scratched his head and asked, ¡°Gary, who¡®s your choice?¡± Gary gave Wayne a nce and said nothing. Yet his writing hand clenched his pen tightly as he looked at the Math Olympiad question as he was slightly out of sorts. It was all because Nicole was working so hard, but if he could get her to look at him like this, it would be worthwhile. Vivian, who was sitting in the front row, saw Gary¡®s somewhat out of sorts look. She bit her lips a little as a look of deep jealousy shed past her eyes. How many people did Nicole charmed with that face of hers alone?! She looked at Nicole¡®s beautiful face and there she was reading again. She really could pretend like this every day. However, she had clearly checked Nicole¡®s results when she came from Great Oak and even in the Royal Creek Institute her grades were rock bottom! Chapter 114 Chapter 114 She gave Nicole a fierce re and then turned her head around. The monthly examination was about to be held, and no matter how much of an act Nicole puts up, she will not be able to perform. Vivian raised her head slightly with confidence as a smile appeared on her face. At this moment, the ss bell had already rung but Ms. Emerson did not walk in on time as usual, but she only slowly entered the ssroom after 15 minutes. She then opened up her teaching n as she said,¡± I¡®m sorry, students, now let¡®s turn to page...¡± Nicole frowned as she heard Ms. Emerson¡®s voice. She noticed earlier that Ms. Emerson¡®s eyes were a little red and wondered if she had cried earlier. The look in her eyes gradually darkened. After ss, Nicole did not go to dinner with Lulu directly, but instead followed Ms. Emerson back to the teacher¡®s office. She stood outside the door and gave a polite knock on the door. After getting the acknowledgement to come in, she went into the room. Seeing that it was her, Ms. Emerson was quite surprised. ¡°Nicole, why are you here?¡± Nicole responded softly, ¡°I¡®vepleted the two exercises, and wanted to ask if you still have anymore, M s. Emerson.¡± Ms. Emerson was quite taken aback. Any questions in these two exercises were enough to stump everyone and Nicole was telling her that she hadpleted them? Although she had no idea how Nicole did it, but Ms. Emerson did not ask too much. She instead took out another exercise from her drawer and said to Nicole. ¡°There are only three sets of Mr. Hancock¡®s questions. Thest set is the most difficult. I originally wanted to save it for you until the final sprint, but since you¡®ve alreadypleted those, then I¡®ll give this to you now. So, prepare well for the exam.¡± Nicole looked at her and suddenly asked, ¡°Ms. Emerson, when is the excellent teacher evaluation?¡± Ms. Emerson did not understand why she was asking that, but she still responded, ¡°It should be some time after the monthly examination results are released. What¡®s the matter?¡± Nicole looked at her thoughtfully but did not say much as she went, ¡°Nothing. I¡®ll take my leave first then, Ms. Emerson.¡± N?velDrama.Org owns ? this. Ms. Emerson nodded before saying, ¡°Nicole, do your best. If you have any questions, you can ask Gary, his Math Olympiad level is very high, or if you know Norah, who is the top of the grade, you can ask her as well. Although she is not participating in the Math Olympiad this time, but her level is not bad too, and should have more time to teach you.¡± 1 Nicole raised her eyebrows when she heard that, but she did not say anything else as she left with the exercise questions. Ms. Emerson, who was in the office, looked at Nicole¡®s tall and slender frame. She then recalled the threat by Mr. Kennedy this morning. He said that Nicole not only got zero in the Math Olympiad, but she also even bullied his student, and that she is a troublemaker and has no respect for her elders. He also said that the director is on leave today and he will inform her of everything once shees back tomorrow. In the end he looked at her mockingly as he said, ¡°You have nothing, so what are you doing here in Royal Creek Institute? Do you think you can get by just teaching well? Even when I¡®m no match for you, I still get to lead the best ss, the best students, and take the most awards. What right do you have to fight me?¡± When she thought of Mr. Kennedy¡®s words, Ms. Emerson closed her eyes. She believed that Nicole would not have struck without reason, and now that it was almost exam time, she should not let this affect her. At the very most she¡®ll just get criticized by the director and be made to swallow that bitter pill. It was not like Mr. Kennedy had not been pulling these sorts of stunts since she joined. There¡®s nothing to be upset of,¡® she thought. When Ms. Emerson thought of this, her eyes became more and more determined. ¡®She¡®s not that scary.¡® As Nicole did not have ss in the afternoon, she just went to the cafeteria for lunch, and as expected she encountered another torrent of curses and personal attacks. Nicole paused and started to serious ponder if she should deal with Snow this time around. Although she did not care what others were saying about her, but all these thering were affecting her daily life, and was getting a little annoying. As she pondered about it, Nicole had just collected her food and found a seat, and someone immediately sat opposite her. Nicole looked up, and this person with a sorrowful face, but with a forgiving look was none other than Snow! Snow and Nicole sat together and that piqued the interest of everyone around them. ¡°Look, Snow is finally confronting that third wheel!¡± ¡°Serve that subus right, someone should¡®ve dealt with her a long time ago!¡± ¡°I know right, just look how thin Snow has gotten. Nicole must¡®ve pissed her off so much she lost her appetite!¡± When Norah saw this from afar, she wasughing in secret. She was the one who gave Snow all these ideas, so that everyone¡¯s sympathy will be moved onto Snow and turn the public against Nicole! When she thought of that, Norah rather looked forward for the two to quickly exchange blows. At this moment, Snow, who was sitting with Nicole, was taking in all the gossips around them. What Norah said was indeed effective. If she could garner sympathy, then everyone around her will attack Nicole! She quickly suppressed the smile on her face as she looked at Nicole who was staring coldly at her with arms crossed and said, ¡°Nicole, don¡®t you owe me an exnation? I¡¯ve taken you as a good friend and you do this to me? Don¡®t you feel sorry for me?¡± Chapter 115 Chapter 115 Nicole looked at her, and was totally unaffected by her acting, but everyone around her was touched by her usations as they started talking, ¡°Yeah, poor Snow, when she came looking for Nicolest time she also got bullied, and now Nicole even stole her boyfriend away! It¡¯s just too much!¡± ¡°I totally understand the feeling of being backstabbed by your best friend! It¡¯s the worst!¡± ¡°Yeah! Snow is so gentle; you can tell by looking she won¡¯t be able to fight against Nicole!¡± What everyone said were heard by the two, the only difference was Snow was secretly gleeful and Nicole being put in the spotlight. ¡°Snow, is this what you came for?¡± When Snow heard that her eyes dimmed, however she still kept a gentle demeanor as she pretended to not understand.¡± What are you saying, Nicole? I don¡¯t understand.¡± Nicole looked at her and smiled coldly, ¡°Thest time you invited me for dinner, gossips of me bullying you immediately started in the school forum. So, just out with it, what sort of gossip you¡¯re looking for this time?¡± Snow looked at her in astonishment, seemingly did not expect Nicole to say something like this. Her eyes could not help but redden as she said with a low voice, ¡°I¡¯m not nning anything like that, Nicole. You are trying to take Harvey from me, so I want to talk to you about it. You cannot misunderstand me like this.¡± Nicole looked at her and said irritably, ¡°Whether I. misunderstand you or not, you know best yourself. Also, please don¡¯t involve me with whatever Harvey is doing.¡± As Nicole said that she picked up her tray and left. She really did not expect to run into so much trouble just for a meal. Snow stood up behind her and raised her voice, ¡°Nicole, Harvey is a good man, and I don¡¯t me you if you are attracted to him, but don¡¯t you owe me an apology?¡± With this, everyone looked at Nicole with disgust and disdain. How could someone be like this? For her to be so unrepentant after stealing her friend¡¯s boyfriend, with nary an apology! Snow sure is pitiful to run into someone like this! When Nicole heard that, and the gossiping voices around her, she turned to look at Snow. Her gaze was as sharp as an arrow as she trained it on thetter. ¡°Snow, I¡¯m warning you, do not press your luck.¡± After that she looked around, her cold voice echoed in everyone¡¯s ears, ¡°Listen up, I, Snow Wace, have no interest in Snow Riddle¡¯s Harvey. I have nothing to do with what¡¯s happening with them, so don¡¯te and trouble me on this, or face the consequences!¡± 31 The originally noisy cafeteria immediately fell silent. Nicole ignored Snow as she walked ahead, the surrounding folks subconsciously giving her way as she went. |It was only after she left that everyone let out a deep breath. When Nicole¡¯s presence surged, it was really suffocating. Thinking of her deration of ¡®I have no interest in Harvey¡¯, many had a weird look on their faces. Could it be that Harvey had really gone to Nicole to confess and got rejected ? This was so unreal that no one believed it. How could someone who can reject Harvey even exist?! Snow stood there, her fingers biting into her palm. She had originally wanted to humiliate Nicole, and drive everyone against her, but she did not expect Nicole to straight up clear away whatever rumors of rtionship! And she managed to stand out in public! Making it look like it : was Harvey who was after her, and she, Snow Riddle, was nothing but a dog! The more she thought of it the more humiliated Snow felt, and her expression became more and more bitter. Seeing this, Norah took the opportunity tofort her, saying, ¡°Snow, don¡¯t stoop to Nicole¡¯s level. She¡¯s such a selfish person and is just too much!¡± Snow hit her lips as she continued to put up an act andin , ¡°I came to reconcile with her, and did not expect her to say such a thing. It hurts.¡± The people around here were once again outraged. ¡°Don¡¯t be sad, Snow, you and Harvey are a recognized pair, we don¡¯t believe that Harvey will fall for Nicole so blindly just like that!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, she dares to say that she¡¯s not interested in Harvey, yet she seduced him. She¡¯s the bitch and yet she wants to act righteous, how can Harvey like her?¡±. When Snow heard that her expression changed as she said gently, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, everyone. Everything is fine with me and Harvey. It¡¯s just that Nicole is still young and a little selfish, so let¡¯s not talk about her like this.¡± This statement was equivalent to her reaffirming her rtionship with Harvey, and while also painting Nicole in a bad light and at the same time, make her look very benevolent. When everyone heard that, they felt that they understood everything now as they cast a gaze of pity towards Snow. Snow is just too kind, and she still spoke for Nicole even after this had happened! Someone had already intentionally posted the recording of what happened earlier onto the web, and Nicole instantly became public enemy number one, and was attacked all over. ¡°¡®This Nicole sure is a bitch, Snow took her for a friend and that¡¯s how she repays her?¡± ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t know where Nicole got her courage from, and she dare to say that she is not interested in Harvey before Virgin Mary! Even a fool knows that is impossible!¡± ¡°I had some good feelings about Nicole recently, but I absolutely hate third wheels! All third wheels should die!¡± With the online bashing in full swing, a few voices that tried to defend Nicole were immediately swarmed and soon disappeared. At this moment, Harvey¡¯s best friend, Edwin was holding his phone as he looked at the school forum with interest. When he saw that Nicole said that she was not interested in Harvey, he could not help but to raise his eyebrows. He then looked at Harvey, who was reading, and whispered,¡± Harvey, did you actually confess to Nicole?¡± Harvey¡¯s fingers stopped as he asked with a half-smile, ¡°Why. are you asking that?¡± Seeing that he was not angry, Edwin finally spoke his mind,¡± Oh, I always felt like you actually don¡¯t like Nicole, and she too doesn¡¯t like you. Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. How could you go and confess to her? It must be fake news!¡± Harvey instead looked only calmly as he impassively said, ¡°It¡¯s true, I went to Nicole¡¯s dorm and confessed to her.¡± He then looked at Edwin with a frown, saying, ¡°What did you mean by that?¡± Edwin was still shocked by the admission that Harvey had confessed to Nicole, and asked dumbfoundedly as he heard that, ¡°Which part? The part on how could you go and confess to her?¡± Harvey shook his head. ¡°The previous sentence.¡± Edwin pondered for a bit before saying, ¡°You actually don¡¯t like Nicole?¡± Harvey¡¯s expression did not change, but there was a dark undercurrent flowing under his eyes. ¡°No, the next sentence.¡± Edwin looked at Harvey¡¯s expression and cautiously said,¡± Nicole too doesn¡¯t like vou?!! Chapter 116 Chapter 116 Chapter 116 It was this sentence. Harvey looked at Edwin and asked quizzically, ¡°How do you know that she doesn¡¯t like me?¡± ¡¤ The way he asked as if he still wanted her to like him. Edwin rolled his eyes and handed him the phone. ¡°3 minutes and 42 seconds in the video, watch it.¡± Harvey did not refuse and skipped to the 3 minute and 42 seconds mark, it was the part where Nicole was speaking to Snow and the others. He quietly listened to Nicole saying that she was not interested in him, and a dark gloom soon shrouded his eyes. Edwin watched him reying the video again and again like he was possessed, and could not help but whisper, ¡°Harvey, you alright?¡± Harvey did not look up, but his tone was as usual as he smiled. ¡°Why am I not alright?¡± Edwin did not say to speak out, but his heart roared. ¡®Bro, you have been rejected, bro! You don¡¯t look like you¡¯re alright at all Both of them were quiet as Nicole¡¯s cold, determined voice echoed in the room. As Harvey listened on, the smile on his lips gradually faded away. The only reason he asked her to be his girlfriend was because he simply felt that grandpa valued her, and perhaps she would be useful to him, and not out of any sincere intentions. But yet, why does he feel some slight pangs of difort inside him when he heard her say something like this. It was almost driving to run before Nicole and yell at her, asking her why. But he cannot In the shadows, Harvey¡¯s smile appeared once again. A momentter, seeing that Harvey had somewhat calmed down, Edwin spoke again, ¡°Harvey, do you really like Nicole?¡± Harvey did not speak, and Edwin thought that that was a tacit acknowledgement, so he said excitedly, ¡°Woah, I can¡¯t believe that your tastes have finally levelled up. I¡¯ve long been sick of that fake wench Snow. Nicole is way better. Not only she is pretty, but she also has a personality and she is seemingly skilled in martial arts. She even gave Austin a shoulder throw the first day she came to school, as if Austin¡¯s six feet stature was like nothing. When I saw his expression in the video, he was so bewildered¡­¡± Harvey listened on quietly as Edwin praised Nicole and did not interrupt him. Yet just as Edwin stopped to take a drink, he asked, ¡°You seem to know Nicole well?¡± Edwin immediately paused and shook his head. How could he? They haven¡¯t even met before. ¡°Then why are you speaking up for her like that?¡± Edwin was taken aback. He after all could not say that he had a favor to ask of her, so he could only sheepishly say, ¡°I always felt that she is a pretty nice person. At the very least the light in her eyes is real.¡± When Harvey heard that he was stunned. Indeed, there was a bright light in Nicole¡¯s eyes no matter when she looked at someone in the eyes. It was the light of her soul, her attitude towards life. Harvey looked at Edwin, and thetter too was looking at him, seemingly with some musings in his eyes. ¡°Harvey, I seem to understand why Nicole doesn¡¯t like you now.¡± Harvey did not respond but instead silently put on his coat as he got up to go out. N?velDrama.Org owns ? this. Edwin did not stop him. As he looked at Harvey¡¯s back, he whispered, ¡°Harvey, Snow is spreading news about the two of you being a couple. Are you really not going to stop her?¡± Harvey turned around, his face hidden in the shadows, making his expression hard to discern. ¡°Why should I stop her?¡± When Edwin heard Harvey¡¯s voice, it was still that gentle and polite tone. ¡°But she¡¯ll use your name to hurt Nicole, no?¡± He looked at Harvey, believing that thetter could read between the lines. Harvey did understand as he turned his head around, and his tone turned chilly. ¡°Do not interfere, Edwin Bradford.¡± As he said that, he closed the door and left. Edwin looked at the closed door somewhat speechlessly. Oh, how he wished his friend there could do better. ¡®What was so great about Snow anyway? She¡¯s not as pretty as Nicole, and she¡¯s also a schemer to boot,¡¯ He thought. Harvey could do nothing but pick up his back and got ready to head out. Nicole had no idea that there was someone in the Royal Creek Institute that could still through Snow¡¯s true face. At this moment, she was on her way to the cafe. It seemed like her earlier warning somewhat worked as not many dared to look at her directly along the way, and naturally there were much less whispers as well. Nicole was carefreely ying her phone, and while she may look like she was taking a stroll, she very quickly reached the door of the cafe. Jared was leaningzily against the window, and seeing that she came here alone today, his mood was good. His low-lying eyebrows raised slightly as he gave her a wicked smile. He looked like a trace of spring snow upon a distant mountain, and when he smiled it was extremely beautiful, a kind of stunning beauty that was eluded words. A few girls behind Nicole instantly screamed. ¡°Ahhhh! He¡¯s looking at me, and he¡¯s smiling at me too!¡± ¡°Screw you! He was smiling at me!¡± The few of them walked over with flushed face as if they were drunk. Even when a distance away Nicole could still hear them discussing, saying things like if only the man was from their school, then Harvey will be dirt. Nicole almost wanted to snigger, and after that, her mood was somehow much better. Jared saw her push the door open, and her mood seemed better than earlier, so he could not help but to raise his eyebrow. ¡°You¡¯re unhappy today?¡± Nicole shook her head. ¡°No.¡± She ced her bag down and sat across Jared. Many recognized Nicole and seeing the two seating together, many whispers soon started around them. Many girls took a nce at Jared and one girl who could no longer bear it suddenly stood up and said to Jared, ¡°Hey, handsome, don¡¯t be fooled by Nicole, she¡¯s not a good person!¡± Chapter 117 Chapter 117 She saw that Jared was good-looking and wanted to chat him up, so she deliberately skipped ss to try to get close to him in the morning. Yet this man was really indifferent, as if no one was above his notice. She had wanted to approach him a few times but was frightened by his coldness. It was not until Nicole came into the cafe that he revealed his first smile today, and she was stunned by it. That made her fall for him, and jealous of Nicole! Thinking of the discussions in the school forum about Nicole, with nary anything positive, how could the girl watch on as he gets deceived by Nicole. So that was why she stood up out of a sense of justice. She had thought that Jared would listen to her, or at the very least should be curious as to why she said that. Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. Yet, Jared did not even bother to look at her as he focused on Nicole and said inly, ¡°Want me to throw her out?¡± Nicole had been surrounded with nothing but gossip today, and Jared¡¯s words was a refreshing breeze, She looked and him with an eyebrow raised as she casually said, ¡°No need, she¡¯ll leave by herself.¡± Sure enough, how could the girl endure such a girl attitude from Jared as her temper red, ¡°What the web said is true, Nicole is really a vixen!¡± Nicole did not even react, but Jared¡¯s eyes immediately turned chilly. He looked at the girl, and said coldly, ¡°Apologize.¡± Jared¡¯s aura was not something any ordinary person could withstand, much less a normal schoolgirl. When he looked ¡¤ over, the girl was so scared she burst into tears as she cried loudly, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Nicole!¡± And then she immediately ran out of the cafe as if she had suffered a great humiliation. Jared frowned but Nicole stretched her hand out to stop him.¡± Don¡¯t mind it.¡± A good four-fifth of a girl could never stand being forced to apologize to a girl by a man they liked. Jared looked at her impassive face as ayer of frost slowly appeared in his eyes. ¡°Is the general quality of the students in the Royal Creek Institute like that?¡± Nicole gave him a strange look. How could she not catch that he was asking whether she was bullied or not in a roundabout way, so when she heard that, she smiled and said, ¡°No, it¡¯s just that some have poor upbringing to begin with and has nothing to do with the Royal Creek Institute.¡± It was only then did Jared¡¯s eyes soften. He looked at Nicole, who was looking at the sky outside, and wanted to say something but could not find the words. She has yet to withdraw her hand on his, and as he looked over, he was slightly taken aback. There were no essories on her fair left hand, but there was a ck medium sized Esperian character tattooed on her index finger, exuding a strange beauty Nicole seemingly noticed his gaze and simply just pulled her hand back. It was only then did Jared look away as he turned towards her and smiled. ¡°The tattoo fits you well.¡± Nicole waved him off. ¡°It¡¯s something I¡¯ve gotten while I was still a naive girl, and I¡¯m just toozy to get rid of it now. So, I just kept it there.¡± Jared¡¯s lips twitched a little but did not ask further as he wanted to enjoy his time with her. ¡°Want to order something?¡± Hearing that, Nicole looked over at him, and after some thought, she slowly said, ¡°I feel like having mocha today.¡± Jared perked up and looked at her as soon as he heard that. Her taste had always been more towards in and bitter, but she actually ordered mocha this time around. But he did not ask too much and only nodded as he asked the waiter to serve it up. Soon, the coffee was served. He ced the coffee before Nicole and pretended to ask, ¡°Nicole, why are there callouses on your left hand?¡± Most people are right-handed, but Nicole¡¯s right hand was very smooth, almost perfectly smooth, yet when she turned her left hand around there was some almost indiscernible callouses on it. And the location was very special, the outer side of the purlicue. Jared¡¯s gaze slowly deepened. This position, it can only be ¡°It was a mark left after my shooting practice.¡± Firearm callouses. The voice in his heart and Nicole¡¯s voice said the same thing at the same time. Jared then looked up, his gaze towards Nicole deepened somewhat. He did not expect that his fianc¨¦ here to know how to shoot. Nicole was holding her coffee cup and taking small sips, and seemed like she was extremely calm, as if what she had just said was nothing big. Could it be just simple practice target in the range? Is that why she is so skilled? That made him extremely curious. When she looked at Jared taking a measure of her, she felt a tinge of caution within her. ¡®This guy, he isn¡¯t suspecting me, right?¡¯ She wondered. Taking a nce at her watch, and seeing the time, it was almost time for Austin and the others toe over for their revision. She needed to make a move. And speaking of the devil, just when Nicole thought of Austin, a bright voice came from the door of the cafe. ¡°Boss.¡± Nicole¡¯s eyes were impassive as she took her bag and got ready to go upstairs. Before she left; she said to Jared, ¡°Give them an Americano each. Studying is hard, so they could use the perk up.¡± ¡°Put them on my tab as usual.¡± And for some reason, coffee was not servedst time, so Nicole purposefully reminded him, ¡°No forgetting them this time.¡± Jared looked at her silhouette , the jealousy lit up in his eyes was almost unconceble. He did not respond to her, but instead walked slowly to the counter and said, ¡°Six Americanos.¡± Chapter 118 Chapter 118 ¡°Oh.¡± Although he could see noticed that his boss was quite reluctant, the barista still started making coffee, he then asked, ¡°How should we bill them?¡± These few cups were for the guys with Nicole. Since the boss dislikes them, might as well charge them a fortune. Yet, Jared just said inly, ¡°No need.¡± The barista gave Jared a surprised nce. Although his hands did not stop moving, he really felt sorry for his boss. The coffee beans their cafe used were very expensive, and they were imported by air, making them even more expensive. Normally they could only bnce the sheet or even suffer a loss. ¡®Giving Ms. Nicole a cup or two from time to time was fine, but what right did this bunch have to enjoy such good coffee?¡¯ He thought. But he could only obey his boss¡¯ orders, so he simply just worked. Austin, Nicole, and the guys were already at the second floor, and she simply picked a room to sit and got them to take out all of the stuff they had studied earlier. She quickly checked through their homework and noticed there was almost none of the earlier mistakes as a hint of satisfaction appeared in her eyes It seemed like they actuallyprehended and digested the stuff she taught them. They were teachable. Nicole then quickly went through the parts where they made more mistakes. She was very confident with her lecture, and the content was well paced, causing the group to be engrossed in it. The revisionsted all the way to nine o¡¯clock, and when it ended the few were still in the mood for it. They had never felt that studying was such a joyful thing to do before! The group joked andughed as they escorted Nicole out of the room. Now all of them called Nicole ¡°boss¡± without any hesitation. ¡°Boss, you are awesome! I love listening to your lectures! It¡¯s not only interesting to me, but I can also understand what¡¯s going on!¡± ¡°Yeah! But why is the school forum iming that you suck at your studies?¡± Nicole did not answer, but in her ce, Austin rolled his eyes as he spat, ¡°That¡¯s because they are as blind as a bat.¡± Nicole gave him a curious look, and Sammey immediately understood her as he guffawed, ¡°Austin, I never thought you¡¯d know how to use idioms!¡± Austin was ted. ¡°That¡¯s because I¡¯m boss¡¯ favorite disciple, of course I¡¯ve learnt more!¡± Everyone burst intoughter as soon as they heard that. Nicole too wore a faint smile on her face, and as the group was about to go downstairs. the door of the private room beside Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. them opened as Snow and Harvey walked out with a group in tow. The two of them were standing in the front as they chatted about something. And Harvey, who was in the middle of speaking, saw Nicole who was walking towards him and was immediately stunned. The girl was pretty and tall, her long legs slender, and at this moment the corners of her lips were slightly raised as her delicate features looked even more alluring under the slightly dim room. Nicole had never smiled like that when she was facing him. Natural yet beautiful, like a snow lotus waiting to bloom. She was so perfect that it was tempting. Harvey¡¯s gaze attracted Snow¡¯s attention and as she turned around, she saw Nicole with a bunch of hooligans, a sharp look appeared in her gentle eyes. This Nicole Wace, why was she such a constant pain in the rear! When she saw that Harvey¡¯s gaze was locked onto Nicole, she gritted her teeth as she walked over and greeted Nicole.¡± Nicole, you¡¯re here too?¡± When Nicole saw them, her smile instantly disappeared. Harvey looked on at her bright eyes, but what was looking back at him was nothing but a cold glint. She did not answer Snow, but instead just walked past her. Harvey¡¯s face twitched a little, and seeing that Nicole was leaving just like that, he subconsciously stretched his hand out to grab her. Nicole deftly dodged his arm, and then looked at Harvey.¡± What are you doing?¡± Austin and the others had already recognized Harvey and Snow and knowing that the two of them were unfriendly to Nicole, they immediately stood before her. ¡°What do you two think you¡¯re doing?¡± Harvey watched as Nicole dodged and paused his hand movement before naturally pulling his hand back. He looked at Austin standing before him as he frowned and asked,¡± Nothing. It¡¯s alreadyte, Austin, what are you guys doing here?¡± Both Harvey and Austin were rich scions, so they naturally knew one another. However, Harvey¡¯s status did not allow him mingle with a school bully, so he very rarely spoke to Austin. Austin looked at his pretentious air and sneered, ¡°What does what we¡¯re doing here have anything to do with you, Mr. Harvey?¡± Just as Harvey was about to say something, Nicole had already spoken, ¡°Austin, let¡¯s go.¡± Austin acknowledged and immediately headed downstairs, yet a girl behind Harvey and Snow sneered, ¡°It¡¯s already sote, and Nicole, you a girl with so many guys inside a private room. Who knows what sort of hanky-panky things you lot are up to! And now you¡¯re leaving when Harvey is asking you something? Why? Feeling guilty huh?¡± Harvey too looked at Nicole. Their private room was by the stairwell, and at this moment his group was standing there and had no intentions to make way. When Snow heard what the girl said, she looked at Nicole with a tinge of surprise and disbelief, but soon she calmed down,¡± Yvana, don¡¯t spout nonsense , Nicole is not that sort of girl.¡± Yvana followed up with another sneer, ¡°Snow, don¡¯t be silly. You are still protecting her? Who knows how many men Nicole had since hooked up with, and now she¡¯s the third wheel between you and Harvey. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if she did anything right now!¡± When Austin heard that, how could he bare the situations as he roared at Yvana, ¡°Yvana Wyance, don¡¯t you overstep your bounds. Don¡¯t make me break my rule of not hitting a woman! Chapter 119 Chapter 119 Seeing that Austin only knew how to settle things by force, Yvana could not help but to twitch her lips, ¡°You fool! You brute! You are like a stone age barbarian! You only know how to tail behind a woman!¡± Back then, Austin was after her affection and did everything to impress her. It could be said that he sincerely handed his heart over to her, yet she relentlessly mocked his intelligence; saying that he was only good at swinging his fists and was totally unlike Harvey. Austin was so heartbroken that he swore to find someone many times better than Yvana. Now when she heard her scolding him so harshly, Austin recalled his sad past and his entire person was stunned silly. Seeing Austin, a burly bloke, was almost reduced to tears by this girl, Nicole frowned as she said icily, ¡°Apologize.¡± Yvana looked at him with disdain as she stood behind Snow and Harvey, feeling like she was the incarnation of justice itself. ¡°Who are you to ask me to apologize?¡± When Harvey heard what Yvana said, his eyes dimmed a little, but he did not say anything. Nicole¡¯s eyes gradually grew chilly. She did not deign to even look at Yvana as she said coldly to Harvey, ¡°What are you implying?¡± Even when others could not tell, she immediately caught on to it. This entire topic was instigated by Harvey, and Yvana simply just followed the flow. Simply put, she was made to be Harvey¡¯s gunman. Harvey looked at his reflection in her beautiful eyes, and he was slightly engrossed in the feeling of having her attention focused on him. He smiled and said gently, ¡°I wasn¡¯t implying anything. I just wanted to know what you were doing.¡± So, just because he wanted to know what she was doing, he could put up a bait and lead the people around him on to insult her without any scruples? Harvey understood what she meant, and the smile on his face froze. He had no other way. Nicole hated him, and she will not answer him if he asked her directly. He had no choice but to do this. Harvey clenched his fist and felt he had done nothing wrong. He can only be reassured if he used everything he can use, and master everything in his hands. Nicole could see through him and no longer exchanged anymore words with him. She instead walked past him towards Yvana, her eyes were so cold it was bereft of any emotions. ¡°Apologize to Austin, now.¡± Yvana shrank under her gaze, her earlier bravado was nowhere to be found. She looked at Harvey for help only to find thetter smirking a little as he looked at Nicole with her aura unleashed; the light in his eye was totally indiscernible. i Yvana felt that Harvey was different from the usual him at this very moment. He looked more like a leopard that had encountered its favorite prey, and the assured look in his eyes was absolutely creepy. N?velDrama.Org exclusive content. Yvana then looked at Snow and found that she was looking at Harvey. After sensing her pleas for help she turned to look at Nicole, a tinge of ferocity appeared in her eyes. Yvana was taken aback, was this person still the gentle and harmless Snow? But fortunately, Snow spoke in the end, ¡°Nicole, we are all ssmates, you don¡¯t have to be so belligerent.¡± Nicole did not even look at her as her eyes were as cold as ice,¡± Oh, so when you insulted Austin and ndered me, the thought of not being so belligerent escaped you?¡± Snow did not expect Nicole to not give her any face. Yvana came here with her and Harvey and she paid no heed to that at all. She had no idea if thetter simply had no tact or was just straight up stupid. When she looked at Harvey still staring unblinkingly at Nicole, Snow¡¯s eyes dimmed. ¡°Nicole, enough is enough, let it go! After all, it¡¯s your problematic attitude that cause you to be ridiculed. If you have no problems, why would anyone talk bad about you?¡± It was only then did Nicole turn around and looked at her with a half-smile. ¡°Oh, and you don¡¯t know whether I have problems or not?¡± Others may not know her rtionship with Samuel or Spencer, but Snow? She had always spread rumors in school, and even incited the crowd. When trouble urs, she will never help her to exin, but instead she would try to fan the mes and discredit her, and now Snow actually got the cheek to try to tell her off? When Harvey heard Nicole¡¯s words, a thoughtful look appeared in his eyes. He recalled Snow showing her posts about Nicole on the school forum before he even got back to school. One of the pictures was her with a group of guys, looking very intimate with one another. Thinking of that picture, his eyes grew dimmer. But it seemed like there was something behind all these. When Nicole posed the question to Snow, she suddenly felt very guilty. She was no longer in the mood to care about Yvana, and now Harvey was so different with Nicole. ¡®If he realized Nicole had no attitude issues, wouldn¡¯t he be attracted to her even more?¡¯ She thought. When that thought crossed Snow¡¯s mind, she became extremely flustered and afraid. She then turned to Yvana and said, ¡°Yvana, just apologize to Austin. It¡¯s not like he had done anything!¡± When she heard Snow asking her to apologize, Yvana straight up refused as she red at Nicole. ¡°Which part I said was wrong? Who knows what you are up to with a bunch of guys! Why should I apologize to you mongrels?¡± Upon hearing Yvana still ndering him and Nicole , Austin was so furious his chest was heaving. ¡°Yvana Wyance, know your limits! Boss is just tutoring us because of our poor results. How can your mind be so dirty?¡± When Harvey heard that he was slightly taken aback. He did not expect things to be like this. Since he got the answer he wanted, he did not intend to continue to push against Nicole. So, he smiled and prepared to say something. At that very moment, a slothful voice came from the stairwell. ¡°Nicole, it¡¯s closing time. I¡¯ll send you back.¡± When Nicole heard this, the chill in her eyes eased a little, but before she could speak, one of her underlings behind her shouted, ¡°Bro, boss is being bullied!¡± Chapter 120 Chapter 120 That underling always saw Nicole and Jared together whenever he came here, and the two were a perfect match for one another, so he naturally thought that they were a couple. That led him to call out to Jared the moment he saw thetter. Little did he know, after calling out to Jared, he noticed everyone around him had a stunned look on their faces. Even Nicole¡¯s somewhat emotionless eyes turned towards him. ¡®Eh, was I wrong?¡¯ Austin¡¯s underling scratched his head and was a little perplexed. Jared fell silent. Following the sound of his footsteps, he went up the stairs. At this moment, Austin was staring at Nicole with a confused look. ¡°Boss, you already have a boyfriend?¡± After taking a quick nce at Nicole¡¯s face, he smacked his underling and said, ¡°You and your nonsense!¡± At this moment, Jared had alreadye upstairs and when he saw Harvey, Snow, and the others, he spoke slowly, ¡°Why are things to lively here?¡± Seeing that Jared really came upstairs, Nicole rolled her eyes at him and said, ¡°Nothing, I can deal with this myself.¡± Jared looked at her and let out a faint smile. Every girl present was stunned, and there was only one word in their mind. Stunning.¡¯ At this moment, everyone¡¯s attention was on Jared, and no one noticed Harvey¡¯s expression. Ever since Harvey ascertained who was the person who came upstairs, the smile on his face gradually faded away. His emotional control seemed to be out of sorts as his eyes looking at Nicole became pitch-ck, as if it was deste wastnd where everything had withered. Nicole did not look at him, and naturally did not know his expression at this very moment. Jared, however, noticed and thinking of what Austin¡¯s underling had said, he looked at Harvey with an impassive gaze as he asked, ¡°Were you bullying her?¡± Yvana had now identified that this person was the cafe¡¯s boss. Thinking that he was only the boss of the cafe, no matter how handsome he was, he had no right to speak to Harvey like that, so she immediately yelled at him, ¡°Harvey said nothing. We just happen to see Nicole with so many guys thiste at night and thought that she was being improper!¡± In the face of Jared¡¯s looks and aura, she could not help but to be much more elegant and implicit with her choice of words. Jared raised the corner of his lips as he walked towards Nicole without even looking at Yvana. He then cast a half-smile towards Harvey. ¡°Is that so? But I was observing Nicole and can assure you that she was providing tuition to these few here. However, for this¡­ mr. Ellison, for him to be out sote with so many girls, isn¡¯t that much more suspicious?¡± When Austin and the rest heard this, they immediately looked over. Sure enough, aside from Harvey, his entire entourage were girls! Nicole noticed the pause when Jared mentioned Harvey¡¯s name and could not help but to nce at him. ¡®Does this guy not remember what Harvey¡¯s name is?¡¯ She wondered. When Jared saw her looking at him, he winked back at her. Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. Yvana immediately interjected, ¡°Don¡¯t you go using us without proof! Harvey brought us here because of the school¡¯s physics team discussion. This is approved by the school!¡± Yet Jared just inly said, ¡°You say I¡¯ve no proof, and if I still insist on saying that you were doing immoral things, and make a big deal of it on the inte , what can you do then?¡± As he said that, his gaze fell upon Snow, and when thetter immediately shuddered at the nce. The others may not know who he was, but she knew him very well. Jared was the heir to the Johnston Group, and he was also Nicole¡¯s fianc¨¦! Although she knew who he was, but she never thought that his aura would be so terrifying; his nce alone could kill. She quickly calmed down and wanted to exin things to smooth things out, but at this moment Harvey held his hand out to stop her. Chapter 121 Chapter 121 Chapter 121 ¡°mr. Johnston, you are quite eloquent,¡± said Harvey courteously. Although Jared had only said a few words, it was enough to show he took Nicole¡¯s side firmly. Harvey let out a lowugh. Jared, on the other hand, raised his eyebrows without saying anything. He was not surprised that Harvey knew him. The rest of Snow¡¯s friends were stunned. They were too shocked to react when they heard the way Harvey had addressed Jared. After all, there were very few families in Northon that would deserve Harvey¡¯s politeness. Seeing that even Harvey had to act politely toward Jared, Snow pursed her lips and said, ¡°Nicole, we¡¯ll let go of this this since mr. Johnston is here. I¡¯m not sure how you became friends with these people, but I hope you return on the right path and stop fooling around like this.¡± Nicole looked at Snow with indifferent eyes, as if Snow¡¯s words sounded nothing to her. ¡°I don¡¯t need your opinion about my friends. Remember to ask your friend to apologize to Austin.¡± There was a smile in Jared¡¯s eyes when he heard Nicole¡¯s words. Yvana did not expect Nicole would still refuse to let her off the hook. ¡°Nicole, don¡¯t go too far. Do you really think a mere caf¨¦ owner can back vou? There¡¯s no way I will say sorry to a fool like Austin,¡± she snarled. ¡°Harvey, say something, quick! I don¡¯t want to apologize to that brainless Austin!¡± Harvey¡¯s gaze remained somewhere between Nicole and Jared. ¡°Yvana, don¡¯t be stubborn,¡± said Harvey without looking at Yvana. He was asking Yvana to apologize to Austin. Yvana¡¯s eyes widened. She did not see thising from Harvey¡¯s mouth. Tears quickly welled up in her eyes as she shot Nicole a re. ¡°Austin, I¡¯m sorry!¡± she shouted. Nicole frowned as she sensed no sincerity in Yvana¡¯s apology. However, Austin was very satisfied with the oue. He nced at Yvana deeply. His eyes had a glimmer at first, but it faded and eventually went out. ¡°Boss, it¡¯s gettingte. Let¡¯s go,¡± said Austin. His tone was soft. Nicole looked at him and said no more. She responded, ¡°Okay.¡± Jared no longer pursued the matter. The moment he passed by Harvey, he retracted his gaze, deadpan. Harvey¡¯s eyes darkened as he watched the Nicole and her friends go downstairs. Jared went out of the caf¨¦ with them. N?velDrama.Org exclusive content. After leaving the premise, every one, except for Nicole who had to returned to school since she was staying on campus, parted ways. Before Nicole left, she stopped Austin with a low voice. ¡°You deserve someone better.¡± Austin looked at her with light shed in his eyes. ¡°Thank you, Boss.¡± . After they all left, Nicole saw that Jared was still by her side. She looked at him, puzzled. ¡°Why haven¡¯t you left?¡± ¡¤ Jared furrowed his brows. ¡®Thisdy¡­ She throws me a despised look once Austin and his gang left.¡¯ But seeing that it was getting dark, he couldn¡¯t let her go back alone. ¡°I¡¯ll send you to your ce.¡± Nicole cast a nce at Jared, looking resigned. ¡°No, it¡¯s only a ten-minute walk from here to the dormitory.¡± Jared didn¡¯t argue any further. Instead, he said tly, ¡°Let¡¯s go. Nicole frowned at Jared¡¯s back. She remained motionless for two seconds before she followed him. ¡®Never mind. He can send me back as he wished since¡­ I don¡¯t really hate him,¡¯ Nicole muttered in her mind. Chapter 122 Chapter 122 The two strolled one behind the other. When Harvey and Snow came out, all they saw were Jared and Nicole¡¯s distant back. Under the illumination of the street lights, two slender shadows gradually ovepped in one ce and stretched out endlessly in the night. Harvey¡¯s smile slowly dwindled as he locked his gaze on them. His eyes, which were usually gentle, became icy. It was not until the girls behind him said their goodbyes that he turned around with a smile and told them to be careful on the way home. After seeing those girls being picked up by cars one after the other, Harvey took off his suit jacket and put it on his arm. He spoke to Snow on the side, ¡°Snow, go back.¡± He was telling her to stop following him. The smile on Snow¡¯s face froze. She had noticed Harvey¡¯s grim expression when he was looking at Nicole¡¯s back. Snow pursed her lips and murmured, ¡°Harvey, you¡¯ve been acting strangetely. What¡¯s wrong with you?¡± Snow¡¯s words had startled Harvey. ¡®Even Snow is aware of my unusual behavior. How could I not notice? It¡¯s all because of Nicole. There were subtle, mixed feelings in Harvey¡¯s eyes. Could it be¡­ love at first sight? Or Is it because Grandpa thinks so highly of her that I am so concerned about her?¡¯ Gradually, Harvey couldn¡¯t tell what was on his mind at that moment. Little did he know that Snow, who was behind him, had already put all the mes on Nicole. Snow cursed silently, ¡®It¡¯s all because of her! (Ever since Nicole enrolled in the Royal Creek Institute, everyone¡¯s attention has been drawn to her unknowingly. ¡°When Raine kept telling me that Nicole had stolen Gary from her, I wasn¡¯t bothered because I thought Harvey would be different. Who would have expected him to directly ask Nicole to be his girlfriend?¡¯ Snow bought into the rumor that Harvey had done it for a game. However, she noticed that his behavior had be more unusual recently. Apart from that, she was also well aware of Harvey¡¯s increasing attention on Nicole. She could tell by the look in Harvey¡¯s eyes. Nheless, Snow knew it was not her ce to question Harvey because he had never agreed to let her be his girlfriend. All this while, it was just her alone who had longed to be his girl. Now that Ie to think of it, I¡¯m just Harvey¡¯s sidekick, a position that merely satisfied a part of my vanity. But the fact is, I¡¯ve gotten nothing from it! When Snow thought of this, the gentleness in her eyes were reced by resentment. She could not help but asked, ¡°Harvey, do you really want to choose Nicole? Can¡¯t it be me instead?¡± She thought, ¡®Nicole has only met Harvey for a few times. Why can she easily get what I¡¯ve been chasing after? And because of her, I was abandoned like a pawn! . Snow had given Harvey implicit and explicit hints about her feelings. But this was the first time she had spoken so bluntly. Harvey gave her a nce. ¡°Snow, know your ce. Stop being delusional.¡± His tone was indifferent. Snow, who was staring at Harvey¡¯s seemingly gentle smile, was startled by Harvey¡¯s cold words. ¡®I am so close to him but why do I feel so far away from him?¡¯ she thought. Before she could react, Harvey turned and walked in the direction where Jared and Nicole had gone. Snow watched him leave. But the hesitation in her eyes disappeared instantly. ¡®I will never let go of Harvey! No matter how distant he is, I will find a way to enter his heart and be someone special to him! ¡®As for Nicole, she already has Jared as her fianc¨¦! There¡¯s no way I will let her steal Harvey from me!¡¯ Snow gritted his teeth at the thought of this and followed. Harvey¡¯s current mind was full of thoughts about Nicole to the point that he was unaware that Snow was behind him. ¡®Is Jared Johnston really her boyfriend?¡¯ Harvey was thinking that he should back out immediately if Jared liked Nicole. However, the thought that Jared and Nicole would be a couple made Harvey clenched his right fist tightly under his suit. N?velDrama.Org exclusive content. Harvey had always been a calm and rational strategist, otherwise mr. Ellison would not have chosen him to be the heir among the young generation of the Ellison family. But now, he was in struggle between his feelings and rational thinking. He did not want to give up his endeavor, nor did he want to stop pursuing Nicole. Meanwhile, Nicole and Jared said goodbye downstairs in the dormitory. It was almost ten o¡¯clock, the time her roommate June would go to bed. Nicole saved the pleasantries. She thanked him and went upstairs directly. Jared was standing under the streetmp. With his eyshes drooping, his gaze was fixated at Nicole, who walked away with no slightest hesitation. At that time, no one knew what was going through his head. A chuckling voice suddenly came from behind. ¡°Hi mr. Johnston, we meet again.¡± Jared didn¡¯t bother to look back. He knew it was Harvey.¡± Have you got anything to say?¡± Jared sounded nonchnt. Harvey¡¯s eyes gradually became frosty upon seeing Jared¡¯s reaction. ¡°I heard that the Rogers family will hold a birthday party soon. I wonder if you would attend it?¡± Only then did Jared turn around and looked at Harvey with a half-smile. ¡°Whether I attend it or not ¡ª what does it have to do with you?¡± His voice was cold. Harvey smiled. He did not seem to be bothered by Jared¡¯s discourteous response. ¡°Because if you are not attending the party, the daughter of the Rogers family will probably look for you at the Johnston residence.¡± , Jared looked at Harvey. Although his eyes remained indifferent, there was an irrepressible disdain in them. ¡°It is not your ce to ask me questions about my private life.¡± Chapter 123 Chapter 123 When Jared¡¯s ride had arrived, he retracted his eyes from Harvey¡¯s face. His expression remained indifferent as he opened the car door, got in, and left the scene. Harvey, who was still on the spot, covered his face whileughing. ¡®Ithought I could at least provoke him and make him say something nasty. But sure enough, Jared Johnston is someone who will never allow himself to be manipted.¡± The next day, Nicole got up early for her morning routine. After a morning jog, she carried several weapons and went to the back mountain for training as usual. However, someone was already sitting there in the ce she frequented. It was Harvey. Propping his head up on his elbow, he was taking a nap before an open book. Nicole didn¡¯t startle Harvey. Instead, she turned and left without a second thought. When she was leaving, Harvey¡¯s closed eyes suddenly opened. He looked at Nicole¡¯s back, and the glimmer in his eyes flickered. ¡®Another terrible morning for me,¡¯ thought Harvey who let out a gentle smile. After putting her stuffs in the dormitory, Nicole went to her ssroom directly. she was thinking about changing her training ce.N?velDrama.Org exclusive content. Her fingers were tapping on her desk lightly while she was thinking about changing her training ce. Nicole gently propped her head, looking out the window with her absentminded eyes. Gary, who was sitting behind her, frowned as he saw her idled away time despite the fact that the Math Olympiadpetition was approaching. When he looked at the exercises in front of him, he felt a slight irritability in his heart. Nicole remained nonchnt even though there were only two weeks left. It was uneptable to him. Although he had convinced himself to help her win the bet, he could not help to feel disappointed at her attitude. Jack noticed the look in Gary¡¯s eyes. He followed Gary¡¯s gaze and found that Gary was looking at Nicole again. He frowned, ¡®It feels like he has been paying too much attention to Nicoletely.¡¯ But ever since Gary taught him a lessonst time, he did not dare to pry into Gary¡¯s mind. Jack rubbed his nose and decided to let them be. When he stopped thinking about it, hey on the table, wanting to take a nap for a while. ¡°Gary, wake me up when the teacher arrives,¡± said Jack. They had always watch out for each other. But Gary had been focused on his studies recently, so Jack had nothing to do for a while. Unexpectedly, Gary did not respond as usual. He looked at Nicole, who was idled away, then retracted his eyes to Jack. ¡°No nap for you. Get up and study!¡± Gary snarled. Jack looked at him dumbfounded. He did not expect Gary to say that. But Gary did not seem like joking, so he asked cautiously, ¡°Gary, are you serious?¡± The moment Gary shot him a re, Jack quickly sat up straight, took out a book, and started to read it. ¡®Gary¡¯s temper has been a little strange recently.¡¯ Jack peeked at Gary and saw that Gary still immersed himself in solving the math problems. Jack poked Wayne and asked, ¡°Don¡¯t you think Gary has been acting weirdtely?¡± Wayne, who was ying game, was caught off guard by Jack¡¯s words. He put away the game console and said, ¡°You noticed it too?¡± When he saw Jack nodding, his expression turned serious as he said, ¡°Actually, I have long suspected that Gary is in his menopause!¡± He thought, ¡®Otherwise, there is no way to exin his moodiness during this time.¡¯, ¡°Pfft.¡± Bradley sitting in the front row could not helpughing. Nicole also nced at Wayne with an inscrutable look in her eyes. Wayne forgot what he had wanted to say, staring nkly ahead. After all, it was rare to see Nicole held no hostility towards him in her gaze. Jack, on the other hand, looked at the stupefied Wayne in puzzlement. Just when Jack was about to say something, the clicking sound of high heels came from the door. The owner of the heels was either furious or she was of great weight. Several students could tell that it was certainly not Ms. Emerson. Sure enough, a middle-aged woman dressed in ck like a nun came in view the next second after the door of ss B was pushed open vigorously. She was of medium build, with a pair of ck-rimmed sses, and looked very stern. Behind the woman was Jessy, who looked docile. After taking a nce around the ssroom, the woman asked in a cold voice, ¡°Whose name is Nicole in this ss?¡± As soon as everyone heard her, their eyes focused on Nicole, Many of them filled with glee for none other reason than that woman was their high school department head ¨C Ms. Thompson, the old witch! ¡®All student shees for won¡¯t be spared. Nicole has been so arrogant since no one in the school can do anything to her. Someone should teach her a lesson!¡¯ everyone thought. Ms. Thompson followed their eyes and saw a good-looking girl staring at her with her arms folded. There was no trace of panic in her eyes. Ms. Thompson gave her a cold stare for a while and said, ¡°You are Nicole?¡± Nicole looked at Ms. Thompson and remained silent. Ms. Thompson took Nicole¡¯s silence as ¡°yes.¡± She sneered at Nicole, ¡°I heard you had refused to apologize after beating Jessy from ss A, and you ignored mr. Kennedy who came to mediate between you two. Did that happen?¡± ¡°As expected,¡¯ Nicole thought with a poker face. These people just won¡¯t let me have a peaceful day in ss.¡¯ On the other hand, Lulu retorted, ¡°Jessy was the one who came to provoke Nicole first, so Nicole just taught her a lesson. Yesterday, mr. Kennedy indiscriminately med Nicole, asking her to apologize. Since Nicole did nothing wrong, of course she would not apologize to Jessy!¡± Ms. Thompson looked at Lulu coldly and suddenly shouted, ¡°Shut up! You don¡¯t have the right to speak here! Nicole, your behavior is unruly, and you assaulted Jessy willfully. I think it¡¯s necessary to report your behavior to the school so you will be handed a heavy penalty, otherwise you will continue to be insolent and be a scourge in society!¡± Chapter 124 Chapter 124 Chapter 124 As the Royal Creek Institute¡¯s high school department head, Ms. Thompson hated students who misbehaved and did poor in study. ¡®This Nicole has already given me a bad impression because she¡¯s a transfer student from the countryside. Not to mention now she is a troublemaker!¡¯ Ms. Thompson snarled silently. Seeing Ms. Thompson¡¯s manner, Nicole knew that Ms. Thompson was deliberately targeting her. She spoke to Ms. Thompson nonchntly, ¡°Do whatever you want.¡± Ms. Thompson was furious at Nicole, but on second thought, she realized that Nicole did not even refute her. ¡®Did she not care about the penalty she will face at all? It seems that giving her penalty is still too light,¡¯ she thought. ¡°Nicole, is this how you behave when talking to teachers? It seems that you are unfit to be a student in an outstanding school like Royal Creek Institute student where teachers are respected. I will file for your expulsion through the principal instead!¡± The whole ss was in an uproar. Nicole had only been transferred to Royal Creek Institute for less than three weeks. If she really got expelled, she would be the transfer student whosted for the shortest time in the school¡¯s history. It was something big enough to talk about the whole school year! When Nicole saw Ms. Thompson¡¯s spitefulness, her expression became even colder. She fished out her phone and tapped the screen casually with her finger. ¡°Hello, Ms. Thompson from high school department said she was going to expel me,¡± she talked on the phone. Her voice sounded very soft even though she was voicing herints assertively. Ms. ¡®Thompson looked at Nicole coldly, thinking that Nicole was acting like she had a backer.¡± Wake up. Do you really think you have a connection that can overrule the Royal Creek Institute¡¯s decision? Our principal is mr. Ellison!¡± Ms. Thompson sneered. Nicole ignored Ms. Thompson. She answered a few questions asked by the person on the other side of sinctly. When she told the person that Jessy had messed with her because of Harvey, she could notice Ms. Thompson¡¯s expression had changed. Ms. Thompson stared at Nicole in disbelief. Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. ¡®She even dares toin about Harvey Ellison?! Who is the person on the other end of her phone?¡¯ Nule¡¯s nonchnxe made Ms. Thompson feel uneasy. When Mr Kennedy met Ms. Thompson, his narrative revolved around the bullying actions the students of his ss had suffered and how unruly Nicole was. On top of that, mr. Kennedy often gave MS. Thompson a lot of benefits, and she thought Nicole was just a student transfer from a rural area. Therefore, shie did not give a second thought before standing up for mr. Kenny At this moment, Ms. Thompson got a little nervous, thinking that she might have messed with someone she should not have offended. ¡®But I¡¯ve read her profile. It is clearly stated that she¡¯s a girl living with her grandmother since the death of her parents. I have no idea how she got in the Royal Creek Institute, though. Perhaps, she has used some dirty tricks.¡¯ At the thought of this, Ms. Thompson looked at Nicole¡¯s pretty face with a sh of disgust. ¡®Pretty girls nowadays would do anything to achieve something!¡¯ When this thought appeared in Ms. Thompson¡¯s mind, a group of people suddenly came behind her. After taking a closer look, she recognized they were the hooligans in her ss. ¡°Austin, Sammey, why didn¡¯t you attend your ss? What are you doing here?¡± she sounded displeased. Austin was not afraid of Ms. Thompson. When he heard that his homeroom teacher came to ss B of the eleventh grade to find Nicole, he had rushed over immediately. Upon arrival, he heard Ms. Thompson wanted to expel Nicole. $0 he got nervous as he said, ¡°Ms. Thompson, Nicole would not have done it for no reason. You should at least get the facts right before making a decision!¡± The henchmen behind him also nodded. Ms. Thompson could see the anxiety and concern in their eyes. Instead of getting pissed off, Ms. Thompson smirked at Austin. ¡°Oh, I didn¡¯t expect Nicole to exploit such means at such a young age. She can even make you guys speak for her. Looks like she has a rather promiscuous rtion!¡± Ms. Thompson had remained single despite being a middle-aged woman, and she had no suitors. Hence, she disliked seeing many boys being protective over a pretty girl. She would assume the girl must have seduced those boys. Austin and his gang became furious upon her words. ¡°Ms. Thompson, you¡¯ve gone too far! Nicole has been tutoring us in our study, so we are feeling grateful to her!¡± If they told Ms. Thompson that Nicole was their boss, they afraid it would bring Nicole more troubles. So they had only mentioned about the tutoring. Unexpectedly, the whole ss B burst intoughter when they heard those words. ¡®I can¡¯t. believe that Austin has the nerve to im that Nicole is tutoring him. Nicole is a country bumpkin who has even gotten zero marks recently. Austin¡¯s grade, simrly, has always been at the bottom. I don¡¯t know if they are stupid or what to brazenly make such im!¡¯ they thought Ms. Thompson mocked Austin, ¡°Austin, can¡¯t you look for a better excuse? Everyone in the school knows Nicole¡¯s grades are far from yours, yet you imed that she had been tutoring you? Could you even fool yourself with that excise?¡± When Austin¡¯s henchmen saw that Ms. Thompson did not believe them, they all clenched their fists and hurriedly said, ¡± Ms. Thompson, we¡¯re telling the truth. Nicole is good at exining topics.¡± Ms. Thompson looked at Sammey. She had treated him well since his grades were not bad.¡± Sammey, speak. You won¡¯t lie to me, right?¡± Sammey was a quiet student. But now he looked at Ms. Thompson and said, ¡°Ms. Thompson, it¡¯s true. Nicole has been tutoring us, and we¡¯ve learned a lot.¡± Ms. Thompson contemted for a second, seemingly trying to figure whether Sammey was lying. At this time Sammey¡¯s sister ¨C Vivian ¨C who was sitting in the first row of ss B refuted his words. ¡°Sammey, you should not have spoken for Nicole because of personal feelings. Everyone knows about Nicole¡¯s poor grades. She has even scored zero marks for the Math Olympiad mock test! With thatpetency level, there¡¯s no way she can tutor other students.¡± Sammey turned to look at Vivian in disbelief the moment he heard her. Vivian did not look away. She believed that she was right about it. ¡®It¡¯s absurd to say that Nicole has been tutoring Austin. It is just a lie to cover the fact that she has been fooling around with boys!¡¯ Sure enough, Ms. Thompson¡¯s expression became grim as soon as she heard Vivian¡¯s words. Vivian was one of the top five eleventh graders, and she was Sammey¡¯s younger sister. To Ms. Thompson, her words sounded more convincing. Hence, Ms. Thompson waved her hand at Austin and his gang as if brushing off a fly and said, ¡°You don¡¯t need to say more. Like what Vivian has mentioned, even an excellent teacher like me can¡¯t save your grades. So, how can someone as poor as Nicole in study tutor you?¡±| While listening to Ms. Thompson boasting about herse?F, Sammey scoffed and muttered,¡± Nicole tutored us better than you!¡± Chapter 125 Chapter 125 Chapter 125 Nevertheless, who would expect Ms. Thompson, who often found faults in students, to have good hearing. When she heard Sammey¡¯s words, she shouted, ¡°Sammey, what did you say?!¡± Sammey did not bother to hide it since he was caught. He raised his head and said, ¡°I said Nicole tutored us better than you! Unlike you who would insult after teaching us a while, Nicole respects us. And I canprehend everything she exins! An ¡®excellent teacher¡¯ like you are ipetent!¡± As soon as those words came out from Sammey¡¯s mouth, Ms. Thompson raised her hand angrily. She was on the verge of pping him. Just when she was about to p him, a fair and slender hand suddenly grabbed her wrist. There was a bracelet of red woven yarn on the wrist of the hand. It was neither thick nor thin. The hand had a strong grip. No matter how hard Ms. Thompson struggled, she could not even shake the bracelet. It was as if the hand had infinite strength, making her unable to move. Sammey, who was ready to take a p, saw nothing happen after waiting for a long while. When he looked up, he called out in surprise, ¡°Boss!¡± However, Nicole did not look at him. Instead, she waved her phone indolently at Ms. Thompson, ¡°He asked for you,¡± she said indifferently. Then, ignoring Ms. Thompson¡¯s resentful face, she shoved the phone into Ms. Thompson¡¯s hand in the air. Although Ms. Thompson had no intention to speak on Nicole¡¯s phone the slightest, Nicole had already pressed it to her ear. Ms. Thompson could not move her hand, but that did not stop her from mocking Nicole, ¡°Do you really think you can sway the school¡¯s decision with a phone call? Nicole, you are too ignorant, our school is¡­¡± mr. Ellison frowned upon hearing her voice reached mr. Ellison from the other side of the phone. Never did he expect Ms. Thompson, who always looked serious, to say such a thing. He called out coldly, ¡°Ms. Thompson.¡± Ms. Thompson¡¯s mouth that was still talking suddenly widened, her lips trembling. She quivered as she answered, ¡°mr. Ellison?¡± She had never expected Nicole could make a phone call to the school principal! mr. Ellison was someone not even Ms. Thompson herself could reach. Yet, Nicole could contact him directly. It was a shocking discovery! Reminded of her words, Ms. Thompson felt so regretful to the point that she had wanted to cut her tongue off. The entire ss B also became silent when they heard Ms. Thompson addressed the person on the other side as ¡°mr. Ellison.¡± They exchanged look repeatedly then broke out in a cold sweat. Vivian in the first row had her nails embedded in her palms. She had never expected that Nicole could contact mr. Ellison directly! ¡®What is her rtionship with the Ellison family?¡¯ Almost everyone looked at Nicole in horror. ¡®We all have badmouthed Nicole to some point. We will face doom if Nicole, who is backed by mr. Ellison, wants to pay back¡¯ Nicole would probably sneer if she heard their thoughts. After all, she did not need mr. Ellison if she really wanted a payback. Ms. Thompson listened to mr. Ellison on the other end of the phone, her face getting paler. mr. Ellison did not sound harsh but his voice imposing. ¡°Ms. N?velDrama.Org exclusive content. Thompson, is this a proper way to treat students? Giving penalty indiscriminately and asking the school to expel students based on subjective assumptions? Tell me who gave you the authority?¡± Ms. Thompson did not dare to admit such wrongdoings. ¡°mr. Ellison, it was Nicole who started the fight¡­¡± mr. Ellison said tly, ¡°I¡¯ve already asked Nicole about that. It was Jessy who came to ss B to provoke her first. If you still insist to me Nicole, we can fetch the surveince footage to verify the facts.¡± Ms. Thompson looked at Jessy, who had been trying to reduce her presence by remaining silent. At this time, she kept her head lowered her head with a guilty conscience, wishing to bury herself in the soil. She had been frightened by Nicole yesterday, but she had toe here unwillingly because mr. Kennedy insisted her toe with Ms. Thompson. When Ms. Thompson saw Jessy¡¯s behavior, she understood what was going on. She became even more nervous.¡± mr. Ellison, I¡¯m sorry. I was too reckless. I didn¡¯t check the facts thoroughly before making a judgment. But Jessy didn¡¯t make it clear, and Nicole didn¡¯t exin it well¡­¡± mr. Ellison¡¯s voice became grave as he listened to silver-tongued Ms. Thompson. ¡°Ms. Thompson, it¡¯s not me you should apologize to It¡¯s Nicole. I¡¯m sure you know what to do.¡± Ms. Thompson heard what mr. Ellison implied. She was so frightened that she said sorry to Nicole four or five times. ¡°Nicole, I¡¯m the one at fault this time. Please forgive me!¡± Nicole looked at her frightened look and said, ¡°Apologize to her.¡± There was no change on her facial expression. Ms. Thompson followed Nicole¡¯s eyes and saw Lulu, whom she had just scolded because Lulu was speaking for Nicole: Without dy, she gritted her teeth and said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Not only did I refuse to listen to you when you were telling the truth, but I also even reprimanded you. I¡¯m so sorry!¡± Lulu was a little ttered by Ms. Thompson¡¯s apology. After all, most teachers would just drop the matter after wrongly scolding students. How many students would expect apology from a teacher? Lulu had no experience dealing with it, so she looked at Nicole hurriedly. After seeing Lulu looking at her, Nicole whispered, ¡°Is that okay?¡± Lulu responded with a nod. Only then did Nicole look at Ms. Thompson with icy cold eyes. ¡°Ms. Thompson, I don¡¯t mind about what you have said to me. But if you continue to insult my friends, I don¡¯t think you deserve to be a homeroom teacher. ¡°It¡¯s true that a student¡¯s academic performande is important, but you can¡¯t judge their personality based on their academic performance. When students go astray, what you should do is to guide them instead of insulting them and undermining their confidence. I think Austin and his friends are smart. But the way you described them sounded like their grades were beyond saving. You¡¯re their teacher. What should they do when even you think so?¡± Austin and his gang looked at her when they heard this, feeling moved. ¡°Boss¡­¡± Everyone would see them as the scum of the society. No one had ever said such a thing about them. A hint of disdain shed in Ms. Thompson¡¯s eyes. ¡®Nicole doesn¡¯t do well in her study, yet she lectures me about virtue. I have taught Harvey the top twelve-grader. Austin and his friends have performed poorly even though they are only in the twelve grade now. They are beyond saving that even I don¡¯t bother about them.¡¯ TIT Nicole saw Ms. Thompson¡¯s face and knew what she was thinking. She said calmly, ¡°If this is the case, we can have a bet. I reckon that Austin and his friends will make it into the list of top 20 students in this monthly exam even if they don¡¯t listen to your lessons!¡± Ms. Thompson had long been eager to get rid of those students whose grades were at the bottom. Ms. Thompson looked at Nicole, thinking that she was ignorant, and sneered, ¡°You the one who decide this. No one is forcing you. $o not even mr. Ellison can interfere.¡± Nicole knew what Ms. Thompson was afraid of So when she heard those words, she said with a half-smile, ¡°Of course. If I lose, I will leave the Royal Creek Institute by myself. But if you lose, you must apologize to Austin and his friends with everyone in the school present over the three-year mistreatment you gave them!¡± Chapter 126 Chapter 126 Chapter 126 mr. Ellison was silent for a moment when he heard Nicole¡¯s words on the other end of the phone. He did not doubt Nicole¡¯s words. However, Austin and his gang were notorious for their stubbornness and unruly behavior. Moreover , Nicole had finally enrolled in the Royal Creek Institute as mr. Ellison wished, so he did not want Nicole to take any risk of leaving the school. But Nicole had already said those words. So there was nothing he could do about it. Upon the sight of how Nicole was defending Austin and the gang, Gary¡¯s grip to his pen tightened. ¡®Why can¡¯t Nicole get rid of her habit of talking big!¡¯ Gary refused to admit the jealousy that was rising instantly within him. ¡®Why is Nicole willing to go this far for these b*stards and yet she does not even bother to look at me?¡¯ Vivian also looked at Nicole in disbelief. ¡®I did not expect Nicole to be so stupid. This monthly exam is rumored to be very difficult. Even I feel that I have not study hard enough for it. Yet she still has the mood to tutor others? Others are fine, but Austin, Twelve Grade courses are hard to say. He is the first-tost master of the grade every time. If you want him to be in the top 20, it is better to jump into theke directly. ¡®Others might be fine but not Austin. To begin with, twelve grade topics are very tough. And Austin has been getting thest ce among students of the same grade. It¡¯s easier for him to jump into ake than making it into the top 20. Vivian nced at Gary quietly and found that he was looking at Nicole gloomily. She could not help but be jealous. ¡®What the hell did Nicole do to enchant Gary! How did she attract his attention?¡¯ Ms. Thompson could not wait tough. ¡°Sure, Nicole. Let¡¯s have a bet! But since Austin and his friends won¡¯t listen to my lessons, they can¡¯t be in my ss anymore, and their grades-won¡¯t be counted as ours!¡± Nicole looked at Ms. Thompson with no changes in her facial expression and replied, ¡°Of course.¡± mr. Ellison¡¯s voice came. ¡°Nicole, have you really made up your mind?¡± Nicole gave him a positive response tly. mr. Ellison seemingly sighed, ¡°Well, I¡¯ll put Austin and his friends at mr. Louis¡¯ ss first.¡± mr. Louis was the teacher of the Math Olympiad training ss. As soon as Nicole beard that ¡­ the teacher was him, she quickly agreed to it. Then Nicole hung up the call and looked at Ms. Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. Thompson. ¡°You heard that?¡± Ms. Thompson and mr. Louis had a different teaching philosophy, so they were not in good terms. When she heard that mr. Ellison would put Austin and his friends in mr. Louis¡¯s ss, she was secretly happy. ¡°Alright. It¡¯s a deal!¡± Although Nicole had almost made Ms. Thompson lost her job, Ms. Thompson was overjoyed to get rid of those students who had performed poorly. It had even diminished the shame that she had felt when she apologized to Nicole. Austin and his gang, who were looking at Nicole, made up their minds. ¡°Our boss is willing to defend us this way. We should not let her down!¡¯ Ms. Thompson returned to her office happily. When she saw mr. Louis who was studying the Math Olympiad problems, she said in a sarcastic tone, ¡°I¡¯m afraid you are not informed that those twelve graders at the bottom have all left my ss!¡± mr. Louis ignored her. He was sitting there and taking a sip of his tea. ¡°I see. They should have their teacher reced since she is ipetent to teach.¡± Ms. Thompson got furious in her seat. She pped the table and said, ¡°Your students¡¯ grades have been worse. They are often a few points lesser than my students¡¯. Now that all those useless brats are joining your ss. Let¡¯s wait and see how long you can remain proud!¡± After speaking angrily, Ms. Thompson calmed herself down and took out her phone to make a call. ¡®Nicole actually said that Austin she would willingly leave the school if Austin didn¡¯t make it into the top 20?¡¯ Norah was overjoyed as she listened to the vivid descriptions made by the people around her. ¡®Nicole overestimates herself.¡¯ But Norah had been puzzled about the reason mr. Ellison being so nice to Nicole. She thought that Snow and Harvey might know something about their rtionship, so she reached out and dialed Snow¡¯s number. Snow¡¯s gentle voice soon came over the phone.¡± Norah, what¡¯s the matter?¡± After telling Snow everything she had just heard, Norah asked, ¡°Snow, aren¡¯t you and Harvey a couple. Could you ask Harvey about the rtionship between Nicole and mr. Ellison?¡± Snow fell silent when she thought about how Harvey chased her awayst night even after she had followed him all this while. She then replied Norah with her gentle voice, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll ask him when I have a chance.¡± Snow had always been curious about it too. Norah hung up the phone, feeling satisfied. Snow, on the other hand, was not unease. She held her phone and pondered for a long time before dialing the familiar number. The line was connected after three rings, and Harvey¡¯s gentle voice came. ¡°Snow, what¡¯s the matter?¡± Snow bit her own lip nervously and told Harvey what she had just heard from Norah. Then only did she and finally dare to ask him cautiously, ¡°Harvey, do you know what the rtionship between Nicole and mr. Ellison is?¡± ¡°How would I know? Grandpa didn¡¯t say it.¡± Harvey could not help but ponder when Snow mentioned it. Harvey only knew that his grandfather highly regarded Nicole but did not reveal anything about her identity. Harvey had always been obedient to his grandfather, so he did not ask more questions. ¡°I see¡­¡± Snow hung up the phone in disappointment. Edwin saw Harvey, who fell into deep thought after hanging up the phone. He asked in puzzlement, ¡°Harvey, what did Snow say to you?¡± When his thought was interrupted, annoyance appeared in Harvey¡¯s eyes, but he did not show it. He said tly, ¡°She asked me something about Nicole.¡± Edwin showed grimace. ¡®Harvey is not even someone close to Nicole. Why would Snow ask him about this?¡¯ Edwin thought. He then said, ¡°Save the perfunctory if you do not want to answer me. You have only met Nicole a few times. Snow would have asked Austin instead.¡± When Edwin brought up Austin¡¯s name, Harvey thought of how Nicole had defended Austinst night and this morning. He was even reminded about the time when Nicole had turned around and walked away without finishing her training routine when she bumped into him. At the thought of this, Harvey, who was usually calm, had almost lost control of his emotions. He propped himself up against the table with vague facial expression and said, ¡°Don¡¯t mention Austin in front of me.¡± Chapter 127 Chapter 127 Edwin quickly shut his mouthBut after a while, he could not contain his curiosity. While typing his keyboard he said, ¡°But Nicole is really mysterious. Many Inte search experts on the campus looked her up but found nothing.¡± ¡°Not even you?¡± Harvey raised his eyebrows slightly. Edwin was a cyber expert proficient in some hacking techniques. Despite being a twelve grader, he had partnered with Preston to set up a hacking servicepany outside the campus. Thepany was said to have made plenty deals. ¡°That¡¯s right. I¡¯ve found some private ounts Nicole is using for her daily life.¡± ¡°But be it messenger or social media, all her ounts are newly created. Her personal information is well hidden, and her past records seem to have been deliberately deleted.¡± ¡°She¡¯s that mysterious?¡± Harvey stared at Edwin¡¯s screen. As what Edwin had said, there was nothing in her file. This is strange. What is Nicole¡¯s identity, that even grandpa is so concerned about her?¡¯ ¡°Yes. In fact, I have been looked her up for many days. The digital footprints she left on the Inte are all baits. In other words, I found nothing. I think there were some bigshots covering for her. Otherwise no one can eliminate their digital footprints on the Inte that clean.¡± Harvey was fully intrigued. He frowned and said, ¡°You can¡¯t find anything about her. What about the person behind her?¡± Edwin sighed, sounded resentful. ¡°I can¡¯t find it either. The means the party used are much smarter than mine. Judging from the methods the person used, the person should be some bigshot in the world of hackers. The person should be on par with a top hacker like Lucifer.¡± Lucifer was a legend in the world of hackers. There were countless hackers trying to imitate Lucifer. Hence, Edwin assumed that the person behind Nicole was also someone imitating Lucifer¡¯s approach. Seeing that Edwin failed to dig out information about Nicole, Harvey¡¯s eyes became solemn. He wanted a chance to confront Nicole. Edwin muttered, ¡°Mypany has recently taken a big job offer, but Preston and I can¡¯t handle it¡­ If we can find the expert behind Nicole, we will be able to find a way to help client solve the big problem they¡¯re facing.¡± Harvey said nothing. Suddenly, he put on his jacket and went out. Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. Edwin looked at his back and followed him curiously. Sure enough, Harvey came to ss B without saying a word. He smiled at a girl at the door,¡± Hi, I¡¯m looking for Nicole from your ss.¡± The girl was ttered to hear his gentle voice. She immediately turned around and shouted,¡± Nicole, someone is looking for you!¡± Nicole was propping her head up her jawzily. As soon as she heard the girl, she looked at the door. However, she frowned the moment she saw it was Harvey and did not move. Although the ssmates around did not dare to say anything when se¨¨ing Nicole treating Harvey this way, there was displeasure in their eyes looking at Nicole. Harvey had also seen Nicole. He could no longer smile upon the sight of her attitude toward him. He turned around and gave Edwin, who was sticking out his head looking around, a push. ¡°Say you¡¯re looking for her.¡± Edwin was a little confused, ¡°Why?¡± A hint of coldness appeared in Harvey¡¯s voice, which was rare. ¡°Didn¡¯t you see that. She ignored me when I called for her.¡± Edwin looked into Harvey¡¯s very dark eyes. For a moment he felt that he could not see through the mind of his long-time friend. Edwin looked at Harvey deeply. Harvey appeared to be harmless gentleman. ¡°Edwin, please,¡± said Harvey with a sincere smile. Edwin looked at Harvey. When he thought he had to look for Nicole himself for something, he smiled, ¡°Alright.¡± Then, he walked into Nicole¡¯s ss, headed to Nicole¡¯s seat, and whispered, ¡°Nicole, could we have a little talk?¡± Nicole raised her eyes and looked at Edwin. She was certain that she did not know him. ¡°Who are you?¡± Edwin curled his lips into a smile, that he thought it was imposing, and whispered to Nicole,¡± Edwin Bradford.¡± Although his name was not as famous as Harvey¡¯s, it was still a little well-known that only a few students in the Royal Creek Institute would not recognize him. As expected, the ss B students¡¯ murmurs had not stopped since he walked in. ¡°Wow, it¡¯s really Edwin! The eldest son of the Bradford family!¡± ¡°I think he¡¯s more handsome than how he looked in the photos on the school forum, but unfortunately Edwin has been keeping his profile low. He always follows Harvey around, making himself stand out less.¡± ¡°You are right. His is quite good looking. I didn¡¯t notice him when he was walking along with Harvey.¡± Edwin¡¯s face darkened when he heard them. ¡®No wonder I have no girls after me in the campus despite being handsome. It is all because of Harvey!¡¯ At the thought of he was still running errands for Harvey, Edwin got angry. ¡°Nicole, Harvey wanted me to ask you to see him, but I¡¯m feeling angry now. I wonder if we can have a talk about something else alone?¡± After seeing Nicole directly ignored Harvey, Edwin thought that she would turn him down. Little did he expect Nicole would say, ¡°Yes.¡¯ Then he saw Nicole speaking to Lulu, ¡°Help me out when teacher is taking attendance.¡± Lulu looked at them nkly and nodded. Even after Nicole had stood up, Edwin was still staring at her in a trance. Nicole frowned, ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± When he heard her, Edwin came to his senses. He rubbed his messy hair while speaking softly, ¡°I just didn¡¯t expect you to be affable.¡± He thought, ¡®If I knew it earlier, I would have approached her earlier!¡¯ Chapter 128 Chapter 128 Chapter 128 When Edwin realized that Nicole would go out and talk with him for real, he suddenly became excited ¡°Hahaha, Harvey, your charm is not as good as mine! What campus hunk are you! ¡°Nicole, I have known you for a long time. I think you¡¯re very beautiful. I will definitely choose you as the new campus queen! ¡°I don¡¯t think you have anything to do with the bad rumors mentioned on the Inte. Anyone with brains won¡¯t easily fall for information circted on the Inte. ¡°After all, famous people tend to attract rumors. What do you think? Am I right?¡± Everyone in ss B looked at Edwin. ¡®Edwin seems to behave differently than we have seen. How did he be so talkative all of a sudden?¡± What they did not know was, Edwin might have been indifferent when facing people he disliked, but he was a fan of Nicole¡¯s beauty. Thus, when he saw Nicole, he was acting like fans seeing their idols. It was hard for him to contain his excitement. Nicole walked out with him, feeling a little regret. She did not expect Edwin to be this talkative. She had thought that he was a polite gentleman. Moreover, she found it hard to reject harmless people. The two walked to the door. Edwin was so excited that he could even tell Nicole about his height and weight. Nicole seemed to be listening attentively and gave him a brief response from time to time. Edwin got even more talkative upon seeing that. . Harvey frowned at the scene in front of him. A fit of anger rose within him. He was not in the mood to continue talking to the girls flirting with him so he hurriedly sent them off and quickly walked in the direction where Nicole and Edwin were heading. Edwin had no intention of letting Nicole talk to Harvey. ¡®Anyway, Harvey already has Snow with him. He must havee for Nicole with some motives. So why not I walk with Nicole?¡¯ As Edwin thought of this, he did not stop and walked even faster. As Harvey looked at them from behind, there was coldness in his eyes. He sped up his pace and blocked their way. ¡°What you think you are doing?¡± said Harvey with cold expression while looking at Edwin. Edwin shrugged. ¡°I saw there were plenty pretty girls talking to you there. So I immediately took Nicole away without disturbing you.¡± Harvey said nothing further. But his facial expression became inscrutable as he was staring at Edwin. Even Edwin wants to go against me?¡¯ Harvey turned his eyes to Nicole¡¯s poker face and said tly, ¡°Do you want to follow him?¡± Nicole looked at him with indifference. ¡°It¡¯s my freedom to do what I want.¡± Harvey¡¯s expression did not change. He looked at the girl as fair as snow in front of him and let out a gentle smile. ¡°Okay, I won¡¯t interfere your business. But could you tell me what is your rtionship with Jared?¡± He could not stop thinking about their rtionship since he hade back yesterday. Although Austin¡¯s gang was calling Jared Nicole¡¯s boyfriend, Nicole was acting cold to Jared. So he thought perhaps they were not couple. Nicole¡¯s eyes moved slightly, looking straight into his eyes. Instead of replying his question, she said, ¡°Guess what I hate most about you.¡± Harvey was stunned for a moment. This belongs to N?velDrama.Org. He did not expect see thising. Edwin was also stunned. He never expected that there was a girl who could categorically say that she hated Harvey. Nicole paid no heed to his dumbstruck expression. Instead, she continued to look at Harvey¡¯s seemingly gentle eyes. But the words she said the next moment prated directly through his body and soul, ¡°I hate you the most. You just love to try my limits.¡± Harvey looked at her eyes. He felt as if they could see through him. They sent him trembles again. He could not say a word for a moment. But his eyes were attracted by Nicole. It was as though his gaze was a ma stuck firmly to the opposite maic pole, and he move it away from Nicole. Nicole stopped looking at him. She turned to Edwin and said, ¡°Don¡¯t you have something to say? Let¡¯s go.¡± Edwin looked at Harvey¡¯s expression while rubbing his chin. ¡®Didn¡¯t Harvey say that he didn¡¯t like Nicole? Why does it feel like he has lost his mind when he saw Nicole?¡¯ But Edwin did not have time to think about it and hurriedly followed Nicole and left. The two quickly walked away, leaving only Harvey standing there, his eyes full of anger. His fiery anger had almost burned his whole body. Harvey¡¯s eyes reddened. He took ast look at the direction where Nicole left, then left the ssroom building. As soon as he stepped out from the premise, the smile on his face gradually disappeared, leaving only nk eyes and frosty face. Nicole did not notice Harvey¡¯s strange behavior. She walked outside the ssroom building and asked tly, ¡°Tell me your purpose to see me.¡± Edwin looked at her, not feeling surprised that she could see through his thoughts. ¡°I have a problem, maybe you can help me.¡± Seeing no response from Nicole, Edwin looked at her, feeling distressed. It seemed like he had not thought it thoroughly whether he shoulde clean. ¡°If you have nothing to say, I have to go. My ss is about to start.¡± Nicole raised her eyebrows upon seeing Edwin contemting. She turned around and wanted to leave. Edwin was taken aback by her straightforwardness. He hurriedly stopped her and said, ¡°Wait, Nicole, I just wanted to ask you, is there a very skillful hacker behind you?¡± When Nicole heard this, continued to walk back without sparing him a nce. ¡°No.¡± Edwin followed behind her. He was hesitant. It seemed like he had something to say but he could not do so.¡±Nicole, I can¡¯t tell you further. I can only let you know that I really need the help of the person behind you. You can give a price. I just need your help to contact that person for me.¡± Nicole paused slightly, there was no emotion in her voice, ¡°Who told you there was someone behind me?¡± Chapter 129 Chapter 129 Edwin shook his head at the thought of the advanced hacker¡¯s request, ¡°I can¡¯t tell you.¡± Nicole also looked back at him, her expression calm. However, it felt as if there were waves surging in her deeper parts. ¡°Edwin, since we can¡¯t trust each other, don¡¯t look for me again.¡± Edwin stared nkly at her back and did not catch up. ¡®Yes, Nicole is right, how can we make a deal if we can¡¯t trust each other? I was too reckless.¡¯ Edwin took out his phone and called Preston. Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. ¡°My path to the solution is blocked. You need to find another expert.¡±. He looked at Nicole who was walking away without hesitation and sighed. Nicole returned to the ss with all eyes on her. She went back to her seat, her expression unchanged. She did not care about them at all. Bradley in front turned to her curiously. ¡°Nicole, why did Edwin and Harvey look for you?¡± LL Nicole was pulling out the new exercise that Ms. Emerson gave her from the desk drawer, and said lightly, ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Edwin needs some help from me.¡± Her voice was very soft, but many heard her. Many students¡¯ eyes were filled with disdain. ¡®Doesn¡¯t she know about Edwin¡¯s status? Does he even need her help?¡¯ O ¡®Even if Nicole can please mr. Ellison, Edwin and Harvey are friends. Wouldn¡¯t it be more convenient for Edwin to find mr. Ellison¡¯s grandson for help instead?¡¯ ¡®This Nicole is really ignorant. She just happens to know mr. Ellison, yet she dares to talk this big.¡¯ Vivian looked at Nicole. A hint of disgust shed in her eyes. ¡®I really have enough of Nicole. She dares to boast about anything just to show off.¡¯ Vivian ¡± snapped¡± the pen on the table, startling her deskmate. The deskmate asked her cautiously,¡± Vivian, are you alright?¡± Vivian ignored her and stood up. She walked to Nicole¡¯s side and said coldly, ¡°Nicole, I warned youst time not to drag ss B along with you. Now that the Math Olympiadpetition ising, I, as the monitor, have the right to check the progress of your preparation.¡± After she finished speaking, she picked up the workbook in front of Nicole, flipped through it roughly, and sneered when she saw nothing on it, She threw the workbook to the ground hard. The students on cleaning duty at noon had just wiped wiped the floor. So there was water on it, and the workbook was stained with wet and dirty marks. The ink of most page became blurred, and the original words were hardly visible. Nkole watched this scene with a grim eyes. ¡°Nicole, is this your learning attitude? You are fooling around with different boys every day instead of studying hard for revision and exam preparation. You said you would get the first ce in Math Olympiad. Could you exin about these math problems? You did not even write down a single word? Tell me the truth, do you even know how to do a single question?¡± Nicole looked at Vivian, who was finding fault with her on the pretext of acting justly, her eyes piercing yet they were beautiful. ¡°Pick it up.¡± Her tone was indifferent. Vivian was taken aback. It was as if she did not understanding what Nicole was talking about. Nicole¡¯s eyes was filled with impatience when she saw Vivian who was surprised. ¡°Don¡¯t make me say it a second time.¡± Seeing Nicole¡¯s cold eyes, Vivian got cold feet. But now the whole ss was looking there. And Gary¡¯s eyes was on Nicole. Vivian gritted her teeth and raised her head. ¡°Nicole, you didn¡¯t even bother to write a word on your workbook. So why can¡¯t I throw it? I¡¯m the ss monitor. I can say that you are a disobedient, trouble ¨C making student whocks discipline!¡± Nicole looked at her, her eyes reflected a clear light like ice crystals. Under her gaze, Vivian somehow felt as if she had been completely seen through. She could not avoid Nicole¡¯s gaze. Ayer of cold sweat broke out at the back of her neck. ¡®Nicole is just a country bumpkin. Why she is this intimidating!¡¯ Nicole looked at her with a poker face. ¡°That¡¯s it.¡± Vivian thought that she had managed to persuade Nicole. After all, Vivian thought herself to be a fair and righteous person. She felt that she had handled it well and nodded, ¡°Nicole, when you make mistakes, you will make everyone feel embarrassed. You always take things for granted. As the ss monitor, of course I have toe forward for everyone¡¯s sake¡­ Nicole, what are you doing?!¡± When Vivian said it, Nicole had already walked toward the front row. She thought Nicole was just disobedient, but she did not expect her to walk to her desk, open her books one by one, and throw them on the ground when she saw the new ones. Vivian¡¯s deskmate watched the scene with wide eyes, as if not expecting the situation to develop like this, The expression on Nicole¡¯s face was very calm when she did this, as if she was doing something ordinary Vivian shivered with anger as she saw her new books all fall to the ground covered in dirt.¡± Nicole, are you sick? Why are you throwing my new books on the ground!¡± As she said that, she rushed over, reached out, and shoved Nicole, trying to push Nicole away. As if Nicole had eyes behind her, she dodged Vivian. Vivian could not stop in time, so she stumbled and fell. Her skirt contacted with the dirty water on the ground, and the disgusting gray and ck stains quickly spread on it. Vivian watched her favorite uniform was dirty. Her eyes reddened as she red at Nicole viciously. ¡°Nicole, what do you think you are doing? You did it on purpose, right? You are so evil!¡± Nicole looked back at her. She leanedzily against the table and said tly, ¡°Isn¡¯t this what you taught me, ss monitor. I just applied what I had learned.¡± Hearing Nicole say this, Vivian was a little stunned. ¡°Did I teach you to throw my books on the ground? Nicole, you are so mean!¡± Nicole looked at her with a calm expression. ¡°You didn¡¯t write a word on those books. Why can¡¯t I throw it since that was what you said?¡± When Nicole said that, she slightly leaned toward Vivian. Her indifferent eyes stunned Vivian directly. ¡°As the monitor, you must lead by example. Since you have said it, of course I have to satisfy your request.¡± Chapter 130 Chapter 130 Chapter 130 After she said those words, Nicole stood up and shot Vivian onest re. Her eyes were frosty, sending Vivian shivers. Instead of touching Vivian¡¯s desk again, she took a wet towel from Lulu and slowly wiped her hands clean before returning to her seat. The workbook had been picked up and ced on the desk. It could be seen that the stain had been wiped away with a tissue. Although it looked a bit different from its original state, it was obviously much better than just now. When Nicole looked at Bradley in front of her, the expression on her face softened. ¡°Thank you.¡± Bradley rubbed his head. ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± Nicole looked at him, but her eyes were obviously softened a little. She looked at the vague handwriting on the exercise, frowned slightly, and then picked up the pen and added a few strokes on it. Many people around her sneered in a low voice, ¡°Nicole is really ignorant. I just took a look. It¡¯s a workbook of all the original questions designed by Den Hancock, which is not avable in the market. Not sure how she got it. But she does not cherish it. It¡¯s really a waste on her.¡± ¡°True. I just saw her scribbling on those parts there were stained with a pen. Does she really think that she can restore mr. Hancock¡¯s math problems? What a joke!¡± Nicole ignored those voices. She looked at the math problems in front of her. The dirtied area was a bitrge, and the water stain had almost prated the entire workbook. It would take a lot of time to fix everything, but she was out of time. Thinking of this, Nicole stepped out of the ssroom. Seeing that ss was about to start, Vivian was getting up and trying to clear the stains from her uniform. When she looked Nicole¡¯s back, there was strong hatred in her eyes. ¡°Nicole, where are you going? ss is about to start. Are you going to y truant?¡± Nicole walked out without looking back. Vivian was embarrassed. After giving a second thought, she asked for a leave of absence to go home and change her uniform. Nicole came to the door of Ms. Emerson¡¯s office and knocked politely, but there was response from inside. ¡®It¡¯s almost time for ss. Where did Ms. Emerson go?¡¯ Nicole walked slowly. When she reached a corner of the tea room, she heard a familiar middle aged woman¡¯s voice. ¡°Ms. Emerson, your ss B has never excelled better than ss A. And now you have that disobedient Nicole as your student. You, as the homeroom teacher, should pay some attention¡± After the woman finished speaking, Nicole heard Ms. Emerson¡¯s reply in low voice.¡± Ms. Thompson, I¡¯ll pay attention.¡± There was another male voice that spoke with sarcastic tone. ¡°It¡¯s not enough to just pay attention. You have to show results. Otherwise, how a school can run smoothy with staff who just know how to talk?¡± Seeing that mr. Kennedy echoed her, Ms. Thompson nodded with satisfaction. ¡°That¡¯s right. Ms. Emerson, when we talked about students, we looked at their grades. There are many students who performed poorly in your ss. Let¡¯s see how the average score of this monthly exam is. The selection of excellent teachers is based on the results of this monthly exam. Among the two sses taught by you and mr. Kennedy, the one with higher average marks in the ss will be win the excellent teacher award.¡± 1 mr. Kennedy was overjoyed when he heard this. Although his own teaching level was not very good, his students in the ss did well in their study, especially Norah, who was well-behaved and sensible in his eyes. Norah had always got top ce in her results. She was his assurance. Ms. Emerson¡¯s ss is different. Almost all poorly ¨C performed students were in her ss. If the selection was based on individual grades, there might be a chance. But Ms. Thompson said it was based on the average score. Hence, it was almost impossible for Ms. Emerson to win the excellent teacher award. ¡°Ms. Emerson, you did not say any word. Does that mean you agree that Ms. Thompson¡¯s proposal is a good one? Then let¡¯s make it that way.¡± Ms. Emerson knew the duo were trying to put her in difficult position. But she could only grit her teeth and endured it since she was alone. ¡®I can only me my own luck. Why didn¡¯t I have a school director as my rtive? Finally, Ms. Emerson said softly, ¡°Ms. Thompson, Nicole is a good girl, could you not trouble her?¡± Ms. Thompson looked at Ms. Emerson in surprise. She did not expect Ms. Emerson, who could not even defend herself, to say something like this. ¡®She even thinks Nicole is actually a good student. Has she not seen an actual good student for too long¡¯ When Ms. Thompson thought of this, Ms. Thompson looked at Ms. Emerson sarcastically, neither agreeing nor rejecting to her request. ¡°What potential Nicole¡¯ has? She¡¯s a troublemaker at such young age. She has been attracting boys in the school and, but she relies on mr. Elli.¡± ¡°Ms. Emerson ¡°Ms. Emerson Nicole walked over slowly. She ignored Ms. Thompson¡¯s darkened expression and greeted Ms. Emerson. Shepletely ignored mr. Kennedy. mr. Kennedy became furious. He sneered, ¡°Nicole, you are bold. Ms. Thompson and I are both here, yet you are so rude. I think you will be some useless piece of trash one day when you enter the society, like a scum!¡± mr. Kennedy still did not know what had happened to Ms. Thompson in the morning, otherwise he probably would have kept those words to himself. Before Nicole said anything, Ms. Thompson was already staring at mr. Kennedy with a sweaty face. ¡®How could I not have noticed that mr. Kennedy is this annoying!¡¯ Thinking of mr. Ellison¡¯s phone call in the morning, Ms. N?velDrama.Org exclusive content. Thompson forced a smile on her face. ¡°Nicole, why are you looking for Ms. Emerson?¡± 31 Nicole nodded lightly, looking at the two of them with a coolness in her eyes. It was just a brief nce, but both mr. Kennedy and Ms. Thompson felt intimidated. mr. Kennedy looked at Nicole with a stern look. ¡°Is this your attitude toward a teacher? Nicole, I warn you, this is Ms. Thompson, the head of high school dep?rtment. Are you looking for penalty?¡± ¨C ¨C Chapter 131 Chapter 131 ms. Thompson wanted to stop mr. Kennedy, but it was toote, so she could only try to smoothen things out as she said, ¡°It¡¯s okay. Nicole, you continue your chat with ms. Emerson, We¡¯ll leave first!¡± As she said that, she dragged mr. Kennedy away. mr. Kennedy did not understand what was going on and wanted to speak. He was immediately told to shut up by ms. Thompson. He was stunned. When he noticed ms. Thompson¡¯s expression, he recalled the matter with Jessy that he had sought ms. Thompson¡¯s aid. He quickly said, ¡°ms. Thompson, Jessy was injured by Nicole, and now Nicole is acting like this. Is it because she is nursing a grudge over the penalty you gave her?¡± mr. Kennedy yed a scene out in his head, and the more he thought about it, the more possible it sounded. Although ms. Thompson did not tell him what had happened this morning, her non-response was the best response. ¡®ms. Thompson must¡¯ve settled the matter already. Since it was just a small matter, maybe she thinks there¡¯s no need to update me,¡¯ he thought. ¡®Otherwise, why would she suddenly call me this afternoon to stop ms. Emerson?¡¯ ms. Thompson looked at his greasy, stupid face as she took a deep breath. ¡®If it weren¡¯t for you being mr. Anderson¡¯s rtive, why would I even bother with you!¡¯ When she recalled what she went through because of Nicole, a glint of cold light appeared in her eyes. ¡°Mike, can you contact your uncle and ask what rtionship Nicole has with mr. Ellison?¡± If mr. Ellison were to keep helping Nicole, and if Nicole were to stand by ms. Emerson like today, then it would be difficult for them to do anything. After all, the teaching funds approved by the school every year were controlled by her. She was always stingy toward her subordinates. It was only because mr. Kennedy was her right-hand man and had helped her a lot, plus he was also a rtive of the school director, that she rmended him every year for the outstanding teacher award. When he got the award, she would get a substantial amount in kickbacks too. But now, seeing that Nicole was only cheering ms. Emerson on, ms. Thompson felt a tinge of uneasiness in her heart, mr. Kennedy did not understand why ms. Thompson was so fearful of mr. Ellison¡¯s rtionship with Nicole. However, when he recalled mr. Ellison deliberately allowed Nicole to pick between him and ms. Emerson when she started school here, it did shock him! ¡°I¡¯ll ask my uncle in a bit. But he¡¯s a busy man, and I have no idea if I can get him on the line,¡± said mr. Kennedy with an astonished tone as he wiped the sweat from his forehead. ms. Thompson nodded. She knew that it was not easy for mr. Kennedy to get in touch with mr. Anderson, but this was something she needed to make sure for her to be able to rest assured. She secretly prayed that Nicole had nothing to do with mr. Ellison, or else her life in this school would not be as rosy as it was now. As she thought of that, ms. Thompson gave mr. Kennedy a nce. ¡°You better pray that Nicole is not rted to mr. Ellison, or our lives in this school will be hell!¡± After saying her piece, ms. Thompson left, leaving only mr. Kennedy alone. He immediately took his phone out and quickly called a number, It rang a dozen times before an impatient voice came from the other side. ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you not to call for no reason? mr. Anderson is busy!¡± mr. Kennedy smiled as he said, ¡°Yes, yes, mr. Wyatt, I understand. I just want to ask my uncle something. It won¡¯t take too long.¡± A rather dissatisfied response came from the other side. ¡°I¡¯ll help you pass on the call, but whether mr. Anderson answers or not is not my call.¡± mr. Kennedy thanked mr. Wyatt, and a momentter, the phone was passed onto someone else, and a much more cordial voice came from the other side of the line. ¡°Ah, Mike, what¡¯s the matter?¡± When mr. Kennedy heard the voice, he was excited beyond words. ¡°Uncle, you answered!¡± But he dared not waste too much time and immediately queried the matter ms. Thompson had asked. When he heard that Mike Kennedy called him for some inane questions, the cordialness in mr. Anderson¡¯s voice disappeared as he said somewhat coldly, ¡°Who is this Nicole Riddle? I¡¯ve never heard of her. Why would mr. Ellison get involved with such a nobody?¡± , mr. Kennedy immediately said, ¡°Don¡¯t be angry, uncle. It was just that Nicole imed that she had quite a rtionship with mr. Ellison. Since that is the case, I won¡¯t bother you any longer. Thank you, Uncle!¡± When mr. Anderson heard that, he directly hung up the call. mr. Kennedy did not dare to voice anyints. On the contrary, he could finally be at ease. ¡°This Nicole is nothing but a country bumpkin with no background. She must have used some underhanded means to get mr. Ellison¡¯s contact details then.¡¯ When he thought of this, he happily told ms. Thompson about it. ms. Thompson was in the office of the junior high school and was handing over the personal details of Austin and the others to mr. Louis. When she heard the news, she was overjoyed. This belongs to N?velDrama.Org. ¡®It seems like Nicole has nothing but bluster and hot air, and she only has a normal rtionship with mr. Ellison. I have no need to worry about her at all.¡¯ ms. Thompson then whispered a few words to mr. Kennedy again and then hung up the phone. Her gaze at mr. Louis was full of disdain. ¡°mr. Louis, I¡¯ll leave these ¡®good students¡¯ to you. I hope you can use that set of questions of yours and get them into the top twenty, from the bottom!¡± Chapter 132 Chapter 132 Chapter 132 After ms. Thompson said that, without waiting for mr. Louis to even respond, she left with her heels cking against the floor. The sound was rather annoying. mr. Louis popped his head out from the sea of questions. He smiled as he looked at her back. Even after she had walked away, his expression remained the same; he smiled as he lowered his head. Meanwhile, mr. Anderson was attending a banquet. The Anderson family could only be regarded as a bottom-ranking family in San Joto. They could only get into a banquet of such level using the name of the director of the Royal Creek Institute. Even so, aftering in, no one would pay them much attention. So, mr. Anderson was in a very embarrassing situation and took the call to prop himself up. He pretended to put down the phone solemnly and then immediately regretted it. He had nothing to do anyway, and chatting with mr. Kennedy would have made him look a little busier. To his surprise, as soon as he put his phone done, a thick, attractive voice rang from behind him. ¡°Did you mention ¡®Nicole Riddle¡¯ in the call just now?¡± 1 mr. Anderson turned around and saw an elegant, handsome middle-aged man standing behind him. There was a reserved demeanor about that man. He curled his lips slightly at mr. Anderson, somehow giving out an imposing au?a. mr. Anderson knew that all guests in this banquet were no ordinary people and were not someone that a minor family like his could afford to offend. Even if he did not know who they were, he still needed to treat them carefully. ¡°Did you say ¡®Nicole Riddle,¡¯ sir?¡± The middle-aged man nodded at him. His voice was extremely crisp, his volume moderate. It was enough to be audible yet not too loud. ¡°Yes, Nicole Riddle. You seemed to have mentioned her?¡± mr. Anderson nodded, ¡°Yes, it seems like she¡¯s a student at the Royal Creek Institute. However, I don¡¯t know her. It was my distant rtive who asked some private matter about her.¡± A student at the Royal Creek Institute? The middle-aged man¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡®She hase to San Joto?¡¯ As the middle-aged man thought of it, he was no longer in the mood to stay in the banquet anymore. He gave mr. Anderson a respectful nod and then walked away quickly mr. Anderson looked at the man¡¯s back in a daze. Soon, four to five people appeared around him to clear the way. Those people must have been hidden in the crowd. Seeing this, mr. Anderson was surprised, and then someone gently patted him on the shoulder. When mr. Anderson turned around, he realized they were those dignitaries who had disdainfully ignored him earlier. All of them brought their wine sses before him with smiles on their faces. mr. Anderson was somewhat ttered. He had never experienced such treatment before. Earlier on, he had been literally sidelined, and these people had not even deigned to spare him a nce. After exchanging some titudes, one of the dignitaries pretended to be casually interested as he asked, ¡°mr. Anderson, how did you get to know mr. Wyance?¡± ¡®mr. Wyance?¡¯ mr. Anderson looked at the person before him and was stunned. When the few saw his reaction, they reminded him. ¡°mr. Wyance was the person who spoke to you earlier and then left in a hurry.¡± mr. Anderson recalled the middle-aged man earlier. This belongs to N?velDrama.Org. No wonder he felt that the man looked a little familiar. The man turned out to be the rtive of Sebastian Wyance, who was the province governor! Although San Joto was now promoted to direct governance, there was no mayor. Instead, everything fell under the jurisdiction of the governor, and that meant that that man had a rtionship with the chief executive of San Joto! When mr. Anderson thought of that person suddenly speaking to him, he was a little confused. And when he recalled that the man asked him about Nicole, mr. Anderson gulped. ¡®Could it be that mr. Wyance holds this Nicole Riddle in high esteem that he came over to ask him about her?¡¯ 1 mr. Anderson then felt that it was impossible, thinking that someone with high status like mr. Wyance would not be interested in a student. Looking at the great figures who could squash him with a flick of a finger now being so respectful toward him, mr. Anderson felt a little smug. He then simply replied, ¡°By some chance.¡± He did not make things clear, so those people dared not look down on him. As a result, mr. Anderson participated in one of the happiest and mostfortable banquets of his life. At this moment, Nicole was still speaking to ms. Emerson. She did not ask ms. Emerson why ms. Thompson and mr. Kennedy were looking for ms. Emerson. Instead, she asked, ¡°ms. Emerson, do you still have another copy of the workbook you gave me for the final push? I identally dirtied it.¡± ms. Emerson herself had expended much effort to get that book and shook her head as she heard that. ¡°I don¡¯t have any more with me, but I think mr. Louis might still have one. You can ask him for it.¡± Seeing Nicole was about to leave, ms. Emerson smiled. ¡°What are you doing? It¡¯s almost ss already. Just go after ss!¡± Nicole did not stop. Instead, she walked in a different direction, heading to her ss. After ss, Nicole ran straight toward mr. Louis¡¯s office. When she arrived, mr. Louis, who had also just finished his ss, was stunned when he saw her. He quickly recovered as he smiled at her. ¡°Ah, Nicole, is there anything I can help with?¡± Nicole told him her purpose in meeting him. Without any hesitation, he pulled out a set of exercises from a drawer. ¡°Take it. But be careful not to dirty it. I don¡¯t have another new set with me.¡± Nicole nodded. She would be more careful this time. As she took the set of exercises and was about to leave, Nicole suddenly recalled something as she asked mr. Louis. ¡°mr. Louis, are Austin and the others under you?¡± Chapter 133 Chapter 133 mr. Louis nodded and waved his hand. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it too much. My ss is not after grades. As long as the students are happy, that¡¯s fine by me. I¡¯ve interacted with Austin and the boys before. They are not bad boys, just slightly led astray because ofck of supervision. I have no issues with them under me.¡± When Nicole heard this, a thoughtful look shed across her eyes. She had been a little worried that mr. Louis would discriminate against Austin and the others and did not expect mr. Louis to say that at all. ¡°Then let me thank you on behalf of Austin.¡± mr. Louis smiled as he looked at Nicole. This proud and cold girl was well-behaved and polite. Coupled with that paper he had studied for several days now, mr. Louis looked at Nicole with a sense of admiration that was difficult to put into words. ¡°Work hard, Nicole. I will always look after you.¡± Nicole did not say anything else as she closed the office door on her way out. She looked at the set of exercises in her hand, the glint in her eyes indiscernible. ncing over at her watch, Nicole realized it was already past four in the afternoon. She carried her light schoolbag, nning to go to the caf¨¦ to brush up. Inside the caf¨¦, Jared and Max were seated in the guest room on the second floor. It was at the end of all the private rooms, on the second floor, which was very secretive and had excellent sound instion. Max served the two sitting opposite Jared tea. mr. Bond wiped the sweat off his head and did not dare to take the drink. He instead stood up and spoke to Jared, ¡°mr. Johnston, the billion dors from this transaction have been transferred and received, and not a penny short. Please have a look.¡± Max took the phone and confirmed the ount details before nodding toward Jared. Jared leaned against the rattan chair as he slothfully said, ¡°What, you didn¡¯t take a cut?¡± mr. Bond had always been cunning in his cooperation with the Johnston Group. However, this time around, after Jared had returned to Hustuaburg, he did something that made mr. Bond behave, Hearing that, mr. Bond said with a serious look, ¡°How would I dare? From now on, mr. Johnston, I will personally check through every transaction between us. N?velDrama.Org exclusive content. Since there¡¯s no problem, we¡¯ll take our leave then,¡± Jared did not stop him while Max looked on as mr. Bond scampered away like a mouse seeing a cat. After contirming that those people had left the cafe, Max returned to Jared as he asked, ¡°mr. Johnston, we¡¯ve subdued the Bonds who should we target next?¡± Althoughrut had returned home as the heir to the Johnston Group, the variouspanies under the group were all over the ce now. Part of it was still with his second uncle. Some others had been gobbled up by other family members. If he wanted to take them back, he needed to take them down one by one. Janxi¡¯s head ched a little as he thonght of it. As he massaged his temple, he said, ¡°Set this matter aside first. Have you managed to investigate the matter with Lucifer?¡± Max¡¯s expression became serious. ¡°No¡­ butst time, you got us to follow Miss Nicole, and a few dayster, it seemed like someone from Squadron was investigating us.¡± ¡°The Squadron¡± Jared¡¯s gaze dimmed a little The world¡¯s most powerful mercenary organization, the Squadron. They were both righteous and evil, delving into both sides of the scale. Anything that a normal organization could notplete, they would be the ones sought after. Plus, this group did not even have a base and was hidden among the popce. They were just simply too mysterious. ¡®But I never have any involvement with Squadron before. Why are they investigating me? Could it be.¡¯ Ash of light appeared in Jared¡¯s eyes, yet he was not totally convinced. Jared looked at the Royal Creek Institute outside the window as a thin mist gradually appeared in his eves. It was extremely cold vet also extremely elusive. A momentter, lis gaze seemingly caught something, and the chill in his eyes immediately faded away as an almost imperceptible warm smile appeared in its ce. Max did not miss the change in his expression and looked on quizzically as he saw nothing at Jared gave him a cold re. ¡°Tidy up the ce.¡± He then went downstairs. The moment Nicole stepped into the caf¨¦, she saw Jared walking down. His posture was refined and elegant, his hands tucked casually into his pockets. Even just by walking down the stairs, he looked like he was walking down the catwalk. So much so that Nicole stopped and admired the sight for a while, When Jared saw her holding her arms. As she looked intently at him, he felt like he was wrapped inside that scorching gaze and became a little heated, Seeing that he wanted to walk over, Nicole deftly walked to her seat, and Jared followed suit behind her There were many who were discussing Jared in secret. Words about the handsome face of the cafe had already spread across the school forum, and many had come to catch a glimpse of his face. Yet, Jared rarely appeared before them. Even when they ran into him asionally, he would be seated by the entrance waiting for someone. If they chose to get close to him at this time, his face would turn ice cold and scare away whoever wanted to strike up a conversation with him. It seemed like he only treated Nicole special ¡°We have a new product today. Want to give it a try?¡± He asked like usual. Nicole nodded without any hesitation. She really liked the coffee in his caf¨¦, so she did not hold back Soon, us brought the coffee over. When Nicole saw that the insides of the cup were white, she frowned. ¡°Is this new product ¡­ not coffee?¡± She raised her eyes and nced at him. Her cold, pretty face wore no expression on it, yet he could see her disappointment. He found more and more, that Nicole had cute moments at times. Her mind was so simple that food could affect her mood. When he thought of this, the smile at the corner of his lips deepened. He motioned to us for him to ce the dessert before Nicole. ¡°Bon Appetit.¡± Nicole rarely had desserts. However, it was rare to see a dessert made so exquisite, so she did not refuse. Instead, she slowly cut it, selected a corner of the square, and then put it into her mouth to carefully taste it. The moment the dessert entered her mouth, Nicole¡¯s eyes lit up. This is the most traditional and ssic Opera cake! ¡°This Opera cake hasyers as thin as paper, and the coffee taste is much more neutral. It is the bestbination.¡± It had to be said, the things made by Jared¡¯s caf¨¦ were delicious. She did not say anything else as she took a few more bites. When Jared saw her revealing an tion that matched her age, the smile in his eyes was as gentle as starlight. ¡°You like it?¡±. Nicole looked at him without hesitation. ¡°Of course.¡± She would not hide her preference when ites to food and drinks. Jared looked at her shining eyes, and the tion in his heart surged. He then smiled as he said, ¡°As long as you like it.¡± Chapter 134 Chapter 134 Chapter 134 Looking at the watch, he got up and spoke to Nicole, ¡°I have something to attend to, so I¡¯ll leave first. If you need anything, just call us.¡¯ He pointed to the little brother at the counter, and only then did Nicole know that he was called us. She nodded. ¡°Okay.¡± She then took out the exercise mr. Louis gave her and started to twirl her pen as she worked on it. Seeing that she was already into her groove, Jared did not linger and immediately left with Max. VU Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. Max drove the car and took a nce at Jared, who was resting in the backseat with his eyes closed. The man¡¯s face was half-hidden under the dim light, faintly revealing a cold and sharp outline. 0 The expression on his face became colder and colder, and the whole person looked like a lifeless ice sculpture. Every time when he was about to meet those familiar high houses, Jared would always be like this. As Max thought about it, he could only sigh softly. He only hoped that those people stop provoking Jared, or else they would pay a horrible price for it. As the ck car sped across the wide roads of San Joto, the body line of the car became extremely smooth, as if it was a charging angry lion. This location was already close to the city center, and many noticed the car as an incredulous look appeared in their eyes. ¡®Isn¡¯t this the car of that person? He¡¯s already back in San Joto?¡¯ they wondered. Thinking of what he had done before, all of them shuddered. It seemed like an upheaval was about to take ce in San Joto. The Rogers family mansion. ¡°Have the invitations been sent out on time!¡± A sixty-odd-year-old old man was standing in the middle of the manor as he asked a middle aged man coldly ¡°Yes, all of them have been sent out. Even mr. Johnston, who had just only returned to San Joto, is not left out. Don¡¯t worry, Father.¡± When he mentioned Jared, a look of disdain appeared in the middle-aged man¡¯s eyes. That did not escape mr. Rogers Sr.¡¯s notice as his somewhat muddled eyes lit up as he took up his walking stick and mmed it against the middle-aged man¡¯s leg. With that hit, Jallen grunted as his legs felt weak, and knelt on the ground. He dared not fight back against the punishment his father had meted out but instead only looked at the latter in confusion as he secretly clenched his fist. ¡°Father, why are you punishing me? He had done everything the old man had asked him to. ¡°This old coot is damn difficult to please,¡¯ he thought. A gloom then swept across Jallen¡¯s eyes. Chapter 135 Chapter 135 mr. Rogers Sr. looked at his seemingly well-behaved son and said coldly, ¡°How many times have I told you, never underestimate anyone! If you dare to show that sort of look at mr. Johnston again before me, you can forget about those legs of yours!¡± Jallen bowed his head and said respectfully, ¡°Yes, Father.¡± It was only then that mr. Rogers Sr. nodded with satisfaction. He still needed his son of his to preside over the banquetter, and that was why he held back. ¡°Get up. By the way, have you managed to contact the famous doctor that I asked you to? Have you sent him an invitation yet?¡± When Jallen heard that, he frowned. ¡°Father, I¡¯ye asked our technicians to investigate that famous doctor you mentioned. There¡¯s no such person across Hustuaburg. Were there any mistakes with the information you had?¡± When mr. Rogers Sr. heard that, he exploded into anger. ¡°You¡¯re useless! How dare you question me? Do you think that now I¡¯ve delegated some authority to you, you can afford to not listen to me? You probably didn¡¯t even conduct a proper search! I don¡¯t believe the hackers you hired are all that useless! Let me tell you this: since I gave you the authority, I can also take it back at any time. Don¡¯t you dare rest on yoururels!¡± When Jallen heard that, he was so terrified that his soul temporarily fled his body. He immediately fell to his knees. ¡°Father, I¡¯ve really tried my best to search for him! But that person¡¯s information seemingly just vanished into thin air, as if he had never appeared in Hustuaburg before. None of my men could find any tracks at all, and all those top-level hackers say that there¡¯s no such person!¡± When mr. Rogers Sr. heard that, his expression not only did not improve, but he became even more gloomy. He touched his ring finger as his voice trembled a little. ¡°No more dys. No matter where he is, you must find him for me! Or else I¡¯ll get Christopher¡¯s help instead. You hear me?¡± Jallen immediately responded, ¡°Yes, Father! I¡¯ll get them to search day and night. I¡¯ll give you an answer within a week¡¯s time!¡± mr. Rogers Sr. This belongs to N?velDrama.Org. waved his hand. ¡°Go then. Go and check how our guests are doing.¡± Jallen nodded quickly as he got up and went to the front hall to entertain the guests. Seeing Jallen leaving, mr. Rogers Sr. stood there as his frail and pale body trembled uncontrobly as if he was a piece of withered leaf in the wind. All the servants looked at one another, not knowing if they should step forward or not. Suddenly, a person came out from the crowd and steadied mr. Rogers Sr. as he patted thetter on the back. ¡°Father, what¡¯s wrong?¡± mr. Rogers Sr. grabbed his hand. After some difficulties, he managed to steady his breathing.¡± Shawn, I¡¯m fine¡± The anxious expression on Shawn¡¯s face did not seem to be fake as he held onto mr. Rogers Sr. His tone became a little heavier. ¡°Father, you¡¯re this sick, and you¡¯re telling me you¡¯re fine? What did our doctor say? I know a very famous doctor; I¡¯ll get him to check up on you tomorrow¡­¡± Before Shawn could evenplete his words, mr. Rogers Sr. interrupted him. ¡°Shawn, the banquet is about to start. Help me over.¡± Shawn looked somewhat disapprovingly at him, ¡°Father, your body is already like that. There¡¯s no need for you to personally appear in this banquet!¡± mr. Roger Sr. looked at his youngest son, whom he doted on the most, and then said slowly.¡± All of the leading families are here. This is the best opportunity for me to introduce you to them. Shawn, let¡¯s not dy.¡± It only then did Shawn reluctantly help mr. Rogers Sr. to the front hall. In a corner that thetter could not see, a hidden smile appeared on the corner of Shawn¡¯s lips. Shawn was mr. Rogers Sr.¡¯s illegitimate son, who was only eighteen years old this year. He was only recently recognized and returned to the family. Yet he had two elder brothers and one sister above him, and they were not shy about making their opinions known to him. Fortunately for him, mr. Rogers Sr. ced great importance on him. Thetter knew his time was running out, so he was doing his best to pave the way for Shawn. Although he could never be the master of the Rogers family, what mr. Rogers Sr. prepared for him was enough for him to live without any worries for the rest of his life. But he had been suffering from his mother for ten odd years now, and when he finally came to the Rogers household , he could only get a small portion of their massive wealth. How could Shawn take that standing? He had secretly instigated his father against his two elder brothers. His sister was already married and so was already separated from her father long ago. Now in the Rogers family, mr. Rogers Sr. only trusted him alone. As he held mr. Rogers Sr. by his side, he took thetter¡¯s hand as mr. Rogers Sr. delivered the speech, thanking everyone for attending the banquet. He then heard thetter introduce him to the guests, and as the dignitaries raised a ss for him with a respectful look, Shawn felt good ¡®He should be the center of everyone¡¯s attention, being looked at in envy and awe!¡¯ ¡®These were what the Rogers family owed him!¡¯ Chapter 136 Chapter 136 The two arrived at the front hall, and the people around them walked over to toast them. Barely a few came in mr. Rogers Sr. was already a little tipsy. Shawn looked on coldly at his trembling hand, yet he did not say anything, nor did he stop him. mr. Rogers Sr., however, noticed that and quickly brought Shawn over to Jared as he said, ¡°mr. Johnston, this is my youngest son, Shawn. Shawn, say hi to mr. Johnston!¡± Shawn had noticed this man a long time ago. Since the beginning, there were more people on that person¡¯s side than those around the birthday star, mr. Roger Sr., and he did not know who that person was. 2 When he heard mr. Rogers Sr. introduced the man like this, Shawn immediately responded,¡± Hello, mr. Johnston. Thank you for taking the time to attend our humble banquet. It is an honor!¡± Jared looked at that well-rehearsed yet still distant titudes with not many emotions in his eyes. ¡°mr. Rogers Sr., It¡¯s about time now. If there¡¯s nothing else, I¡¯ll take my leave first.¡¯ The Johnstons were sitting opposite him, and Murphy was eyeing Jared all this while. Seeing how popr thetter was, Murphy was close to crushing the ss in his hand. He then pretended to act like he had just seen Jared as he got up. ¡°Jared, long time no see. I never thought that you¡¯re still as uncouth as usual.¡±. They were both members of the Johnston family, and he was the elder cousin, yet he was nowhere as popr as Jared was, and that was a tough pill to swallow. Max frowned as he looked at Murphy. He then turned toward Jared, and sure enough, ayer of frost seemed to have formed on Jared¡¯s face. This belongs to N?velDrama.Org. The chill emanating from him was terrifying. His pair of crystal -clear eyes had a totally indifferent look in them. As he looked at Murphy before him, his eyes were like the endless night, his thoughts indiscernible. ¡°Murphy, I really did not expect you to show your face in front of me.¡± As he said that, Jared¡¯s lips suddenly raised as his entire expression changed, with a faint tinge of puzzlement in it. ¡°Does your right hand not hurt anymore?¡±. When Murphy heard that, his eyes shrank by reflex as his hand holding the wine ss convulsed, causing it to shatter against the ground. Each piece of the ss fragments reflected the horror in his eyes, ¡®It was him!¡¯ Murphy trembled as he pointed at Jared. ¡°It¡­ it was you!¡± Jared stood up gracefully, ayer of frost seemingly formed in his eyes. He had the most handsome of faces, yet he was nothing but a demon in Murphy¡¯s eyes, causing the latter to stagger backward and wish that he could just flee. ¡°Jared, just you wait! My brother ising back to San Joto soon, and he¡¯ll teach you a lesson then!¡± As if not even hearing the threats, Jared picked up his coat as he did not even deign to cast a nce at Murphy. He then turned to mr. Rogers Sr. and nodded slightly. ¡°I wish you a long and prosperous life. I¡¯ll take my leave now.¡± When Shawn saw that Jared did not seem to even look at him, he clenched his fist as a dark current formed in his eyes. mr. Rogers Sr. looked at Jared. He wanted to say something but stopped. Suddenly a familiar voice came from behind. ¡°mr. Johnston, you are sure in a hurry.¡± Shawn looked over and was taken aback. The person who appeared was extremely handsome and gentle, and who could it be but Harvey. Beside him was mr. Wyance, and at this moment, he was nodding and greeting people who recognized him. mr. Rogers Sr. let out a smile. ¡°Master Harvey, mr. Wyance. Both of you havee.¡± Chapter 137 Chapter 137 Harvey gave mr. Roger Sr. a respectful handshake, and like performing a magic trick, he pulled out an intricate-looking box. ¡°mr. Roger Sr., the elders in my family, are busy, so they¡¯ve gotten me to pass on this small gift to you. If you would.¡± mr. Rogers Sr. was not feeling well, and as he heard that, he nodded, asking Shawn to receive the gift in his stead. After Harvey greeted mr. Rogers Sr., he turned his gaze toward Jared, his smile was like a spring breeze, and one could not sense any hostility in it. ¡°mr. Johnston, today¡¯s mr. Johnston¡¯s jubilee. Leaving just like this isn¡¯t good optics.¡± Jared had initially just ignored him. Seeing that Harvey spoke, he stopped as he gave thetter a nce. ¡°These are words that should be said by the Rogers. What do you mean by that?¡± Noticing that the two young men were at each other¡¯s throats, mr. Rogers Sr. felt like even his soul got a violent jolt. Upon hearing what Jared said, he immediately interceded. ¡°mr. Johnston, please treat this ce like your home. You cane and go as you please. You don¡¯t have to worry too much.¡± When Shawn heard him say that, the look in his eyes changed as he looked at Jared. mr. Rogers Sr. was a difficult person to talk with, even with him around. After all, the Rogers family was one of the top wealthy families in San Joto, and mr. Rogers Sr. was also the actual steward of the Rogers family. Everyone had always paid reverence to him, and Shawn had never seen thetter treat someone with such caution before. As he looked at both Harvey and Jared, he silently swallowed his saliva. ¡®Who are these two exactly? And what sort of background they have?¡¯ Just as mr. Rogers Sr. was about to speak, another crisp and beautiful voice suddenly came from upstairs. ¡°Grandpa, mr. Johnston had only just arrived. How can you chase him away?¡± Everyone¡¯s eyes fell upon the girl who walked down from the second floor. She was wearing a yellow dress, and one could tell that she was dolled up for the asion. Although she was beautiful, the makeup was heavy and did not look all that natural. Even Murphy, who was about to slink away, also stopped as he could not help to be enchanted. mr. Rogers Sr. looked at the girl upstairs, and the look in his eyes mellowed. ¡°Lyana,ssie. I¡¯m not chasing mr. Johnston away. How can you say that?¡± mr. Wyance was speaking with mr. Rogers Sr. at that moment. When he noticed thetter¡¯s gaze shifted toward the girl who had spoken earlier with a proud look in his eyes, he could not help but let out a dry cough. ¡°mr. Rogers Sr, this is?¡± 1 Jallen immediately reacted and called Lyana over. ¡°mr. Wyance, this is my daughter, Lyana. Lyana,e and greet.¡± Lyana walked over and gently nodded at mr. Wyance. ¡°Hello, mr. Wyance.¡± Immediately after, she exchanged a few words with Jallen and walked toward Jared¡¯s direction. As they watched, the Rogers family tried to appease Jared, Damien, and Miley, who hade to attend the banquet and had a bitter look on their face. Although they could throw their weight around within the Riddle household, they were nothing before outsiders. They were not evenparable to a junior like Jared. When they recalled that he was also Nicole¡¯s fianc¨¦, they felt extremely displeased. But there was no other way as Miley was only a daughter of a Rogers branch family, and the branch family was not on good terms with mr. Rogers Sr. It took a lot of effort for them to get an invitation from the Rogers family, yet they could not even exchange more than a few words with Christopher. Damien could not hold on any longer as he walked toward Jared and handed thetter his name card. ¡°Hello, mr. Johnston. Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. I¡¯m Damien Riddle of the Riddle family. You must¡¯ve heard of my name before.¡± Chapter 138 Chapter 138 Upon seeing a Riddle, there was a tinge of color in Jared¡¯s eyes, but he still did not show much enthusiasm After all, he had heard from Nicole that her uncles had quite a turbulent rtionship with her family Damien had been in this circle for so long now and knew very well what thetter¡¯s indifference meant. Since Jared had already received his name card, he had no need to keep bothering him. Although the Riddle family was an established family in Northon, as time passed, it seemed like it was very difficult for them to get into such top societal circles and gatherings. They could not afford to coil around Jared so shamelessly anymore. N?velDrama.Org owns ? this. But Miley was a little anxious. When she found out that Jared was engaged to Nicole, she was extremely shocked. Now that she had seen Jared, with his money and status, even the Rogers family had to pay respect to him. ¡®If my daughter can supnt Nicole¡¯s ce and marry Jared. Who will dare to look down on me ever again?¡¯ It was a pity that her daughter was still busy with her drafts. She had no idea whether thetter had the time or not. But after some thought, she still secretly sent a message to Chloe, hoping that she could come. At this moment, standing by Jared¡¯s side, Lyana looked like she was apanying her grandfather, but only Jared was in her eyes. Mr. Rogers Sr. smiled as he looked at his most beloved granddaughter as he said gently,¡± Lyana, this is Harvey Ellison, the young master of the Ellison family. He is also the heir appointed by Ole¡¯ Ellison. As for this man.¡± He turned around and looked at Jared, ¡°I suppose you already know him, am I right?¡± A look of slight embarrassment appeared on Lyana¡¯s face as more emotions appeared in her eyes as she went, ¡°Grandpa, what are you talking about?¡± When the people at the table saw this scene, they all tacitlyughed. It was said that the youngdy of the Rogers family returned to Hustuaburg for this young man of the Johnston family. It seemed like the rumors were true. Everyone was specting hard, yet Jared¡¯s still had an impassive look on his face. It was as if Lyana did not exist in his eyes as he looked at his watch with some disinterest. There was no one here that piqued his interest. Boring Harvey noticed Jared¡¯s rather impatient look. The smile in Harvey¡¯s eyes deepened. ¡°Mr. Johnston, since Ms. Rogers is already here, shouldn¡¯t you apany her for a while? Even if you have something on, it shouldn¡¯t be that much of a hurry.¡± ¡®No matter how close Jared and Nicole were, their backgrounds were totally different, and Lyana was the best choice for him¡­! ¡®And if he gets together with Lyana, then Nicole is as good as mine!¡¯ He thought. Harvey¡¯s words made everyone look at Jared, and the eyes of many men were full of envy. One needed to know that if a person obtained the favor of the youngdy of the Rogers family, then that meant that the person got the backing of the entire Rogers family. This Mr. Johnston sure was blessed. Murphy, who originally wanted to slip away, too looked at Jared. The look of reluctance and disgust in his eyes was almost overwhelming. He had liked Lyana for a long time now, but she had never even deigned to look at him since she was a child! When he looked at Jared, who was totally nonchnt about it, a surge of hatred rose in his heart. ¡®Why did Grandpa like this mongrel more than me? Why does my goddess like him more than me!¡¯ He seethed. Murphy was both fearful and angry at the same time, yet the pressure Jared cast on him overshadowed his resentment of the woman he liked being taken away from him. So, he just sat there and dared not create trouble. Max was also keeping an eye on Murphy on the opposite side and only looked away after seeing that the latter did not do anything funny. Harvey waited for Jared to respond, yet thetter did not even react at all. The only reason he did not leave was because of him giving face to Mr. Rogers Sr., and it had nothing to do with Lyana at all. Lyana, on the other hand, was already used to his indifference. She sat down beside him and looked gently at Jared as she said, ¡°Mr. Johnston, do you still remember me? We¡¯ve met once at Mecrounia before, and you had just be the representative of Mecrounia¡¯s conglomerate to give a speech at my school. I¡¯ve even asked you three questions.¡± Jared frowned a little. He only remembered that the speech at Loch Penn University in Mecrounia was only held because a professor friend had insisted his going, and there was someone there who asked three extremely stupid questions there. When he recalled that, he raised his eyes slightly to look at Lyana. ¡°Ah, so it was you.¡± Max also remembered the scene at that time. After all, he did not expect anyone to ask something so basic and foolish in such an event. However, they just thought that the girl was just stupid, but they did not expect her to be premeditatedly stupid. When he thought of this, Max could not help but look at Lyana with a trace of disdain. Lyana mistakenly took that for Jared having some impression of herself and was extremely happy. ¡°I knew that you must¡¯ve remembered me!¡± Mr. Rogers Sr. also said happily,¡± I never thought that the two of you have already met. If that¡¯s the case, the two of you can have a chat. I¡¯ll go see to other guests.¡± Just as he was about to turn around , Jared slothfully said, ¡°No need, I don¡¯t really know Ms. Lyana here.¡± He gave Harvey a faint look, a very shallow nce, but Harvey could feel the danger hidden within that gaze. Mr. Roger Sr was taken aback for a bit, and just as he was about to say something, his phone softly rang. This was a notification for certain special people. He took out the squarish ck phone, and his expression changed immediately when he saw the content. ¡°Enjoy yourselves, everyone. I¡¯ll head out for a bit.¡± Seeing the expression on the old man¡¯s face, Shawn knew that Mr. Roger Sr. was in a hurry, so he quickly said, ¡°Father, let me help you.¡± Seeing that Mr. Rogers Sr. leaving in such a hurry, everyone left behind had a thoughtful look on their faces. ¡®Who could that person be for Mr. Rogers Sr. to show such an expression?¡¯ Outside the Rogers manor, Nicole stood outside with an impassive look on her face. Next to her were two bodyguards who were stopping her from entering. She had received ate-minute message on her phone, asking her to take something to the Rogers manor to extend well wishes to Mr. Rogers Sr. on his birthday. They were not in San Joto, and while they had received the invitation, they were unable to immediately deliver it to Nicole. Seeing that she was unable to produce the invitation, the two bodyguards looked contemptuously at her dress. It was neither branded nor did she look like a daughter of any high houses. So, they were sure that she was here to try to garner favors. A bodyguard said disdainfully, ¡°Look over there. Those people are here to curry favor. How about you form a group with them?¡± The other bodyguard added, ¡°Better not. Those are also figures in San Joto, but they are not worthy enough to receive an invitation from the Rogers family, so they can only gather outside to listen. She is just a person hoping totch herself onto the rich, and she¡¯s not even aware where she stands.¡± Chapter 139 Chapter 139 The two looked on at Nicole as they startedughing sarcastically. Nicole had an indifferent look as she looked on impassively at the two bodyguards. In her eyes, the two of them were nothing but clowns. Seeing her reaction, the two bodyguards looked at each other, and the one on the rightughed first, ¡°Girl, seeing that you are quite pretty, how about you follow me. I cannot guarantee you much, but I can at least guarantee you a position at the gate of the Rogers¡¯ manor. How about that?¡± Hearing that, Nicole looked at him, a cold glint shing past her eyes. Yet, the bodyguard felt a chill down his spine and thought it was just an illusion. He did not want to admit that he was scared by a little girl, and so his embarrassment turned into fury. ¡°Know your ce, girl! Don¡¯t you know who the master of this ce is? If you dare cross me, I¡¯ll make you crawl for the rest of your life!¡± It only then did Nicole take a proper measure of him. Her face was still frosty cold, her tone soft. ¡°You?¡± Seeing that a girl looked down on him, the bodyguard was so furious he held his hand out to hit Nicole. ¡°You asked for this!¡± A cold look appeared in Nicole¡¯s eyes as she stretched her left hand out and easily swept the bodyguard¡¯s fist aside, and a crisp crackter, the bodyguard¡¯s face suddenly turned pale. Nicole had straight-up dislocated his right hand! At this moment, Mr. Rogers Sr., who had gotten the message, came over, and he saw Nicole had already broken his bodyguard¡¯s arm and was stunned! ¡®Are those people on that side all like this?¡¯ he wondered. ¡®Are they all young, beautiful girls?¡¯ Seeing Mr. Rogers Sr. walking over, the bodyguard was overjoyed as he shouted at the former, ¡°Mr. Rogers Sr., you are here. This girl tried to force her way in without an invitation, and when I tried to stop her, she dislocated my arm¡±. As he said that, he looked on triumphantly at Nicole as if he could already see the scene of Mr. Rogers Sr. admonishing her. Yet, Mr. Rogers Sr. stepped forward and gave that bodyguard a brutal p on the face! ¡°You imbecile! Who asked you to stop her?¡± He then looked at Nicole with a very gentle smile, as if he was a very gentle senior. ¡°Miss¡­ Come on in. The banquet has already started.¡± When the two bodyguards saw this scene, both were terrified out of their wits. This Nicole girl was a person that Mr. Rogers Sr had to wee in person! Shawn, who was by Mr. Rogers Sr.¡¯s side, looked at Nicole in surprise, seemingly did not expect her to be so important in his father¡¯s eyes. ¡®But by her looks, she was clearly just an ordinary person!¡¯ he thought. Nicole frowned a little. She was here just to deliver the item and did not intend to join the banquet. But as she looked at Mr. Rogers Sr.¡¯s face, her gaze sharpened a little. ¡°Have youe into contact with any special nts recently?¡± ? Mr. Rogers Sr.¡¯s hand paused for a moment, seemingly confused as to why she would ask such a question. However, he still answered, ¡°No, I¡¯ve been ill ofte, and I¡¯ve not left the house for a long time now.¡± Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. When Shawn heard Nicole asking that, a look of astonishment shed across his eyes. Nicole nodded as she followed Mr. Rogers Sr. inside. Her eyes were locked onto his face and the back of his ears. And seemingly as if she noticed something, her gaze deepened somewhat. She also noticed Shawn was looking at her from time to time, and that brought some thoughts to mind. Mr. Rogers Sr. brought Nicole to the front hall with a genial attitude, like a senior performing his expected responsibilities, and just as they were about to enter the door, he asked Nicole,¡± Miss, what is your name?¡± Nicole looked at him and saw the querying intent in his eyes. ¡°Nicole Riddle.¡± She did not have anything to hide. After seeing her face, with these people¡¯s movements, they will find out who she was soon enough. Mr. Rogers Sr. tried to recall if there was such a family in Northon and could not think of any. Only then did he smile somewhat regretfully. ¡°A good name indeed.¡± Shawn pushed the door open, and the eyes of everyone inside the room looked over. When Nicole was just about to step in, she had already caught several gazes. She paused for a moment but still walked in very calmly. ¡®Since I¡¯m already here, I cannot falter.¡¯ She thought to herself. Inside the hall, Harvey was the first to notice Nicole and was quite surprised. ¡®Nicole actually came to attend Mr. Roger Sr.¡¯s banquet?¡¯ He wondered to himself. ¡®What was going on? This is a banquet that ordinary celebrities cannot even attend.¡¯ ¡®Yet, Nicole is just some girl. Not only did shee alone, Mr. Rogers Sr. even went to personally receive her?¡¯ He looked on at Nicole¡¯s impassive face in astonishment as the smile in his eyes slowly disappeared. ¡®This Nicole, she sure knows how to surprise me.¡¯ He could never figure out where will she suddenly appear. This made him quite irritable, as he was someone who had always been able to control and master the situation. Damien¡¯s eyes widened as he could not believe the sight of Nicole standing behind Mr. Rogers Sr. He almost wanted to yell. ¡°Miley, look! Isn¡¯t that Nicole?¡± Miley looked up and immediately saw Nicole. At this moment, Nicole was led by Mr. Rogers Sr. toward the center of the circle of prominent people. Everyone looked at her in shock, but Nicole herself was calm, as if this was something ordinary When she saw this, Miley was so shocked her phone fell to the ground. ¡®Why is Nicole behind Mr. Rogers Sr.?¡¯ Both Damien and Miley had to kneel and beg to finally receive an invitation to the Rogers banquet. ¡®For them to expand so much effort to be invited to this banquet, only for them to see that Nicole walked in just like that. She was not onlyte, but she even got Mr. Rogers Sr. to personally receive her!¡¯ ¡®What the hell is going on?¡¯ Chapter 140 Chapter 140 Both Damien and Miley looked at Nicole as they watched her sit down at the table filled with prominent people. However, their status meant that they could not go there at all. Otherwise, they would have gone over to question Nicole! ¡®Why did she not tell us that she knew Christo Rogers?¡¯ Yet the two of them never thought that they were the ones who looked at her with disdain when she first returned. Now that even the master of the Rogers master was treating Nicole so respectfully. What was going on? Could it be that everyone already knew that she was Jared¡¯s fianc¨¦? ¡®Must be that!¡¯ Otherwise, they cannot figure out how a person like Nicole could get involved with such an elite circle. Nicole did not know that Damien was here. After all, the two were seated very far back. Seeing that Mr. Rogers Sr. got her to sit at this ce, and then seeing a few familiar faces before her, she impassively chose a position away from them and stood for a while, showing no intention to sit. ol Jared was watching Nicole the moment she came in, and the light in his eyes was indiscernible. One could not tell what he was thinking, and when he saw her pretending to not know him, his eyes dimmed as he said, ¡°Come here.¡± Yet, another voice called out to her at the same time. ¡°Nicole, over here.¡± It was Harvey. Jared did not even look at him, but his gaze was frighteningly chilly. : Everyone saw that the two spoke at the same time, and the person they were speaking to be the girl Mr. Rogers Sr. had brought in. All of them then cast an astonished look at her. ¡®Who the hell is this girl?¡¯ They wondered. Lyana, too noticed the strangeness in Jared. After Mr. Rogers Sr. left, Jared had not spoken a word with her at all. Neither did he give her a nce. This was the first time she felt that she had fallen into an ice cavern. When she looked at the beautiful girl her grandfather brought in, a look of jealousy slowly spread across her eyes. She had never seen Jared treat ady in such a domineering manner. For Jared, she must be a very special person. Nicole did not respond. The thing she wanted to confirm on the way was almost confirmed, so she took out a gift box from her pocket and handed it to Mr. Rogers Sr. ¡°This is the gift I was entrusted to give you. Please ept it.¡± Everyone here were all celebrities and dignitaries, and all their presents were asrge as they could be. Looking at the simple gift box, all of them cast a disdainful look. Mr. Rogers Sr., on the other hand, took in with surprise. ¡°Thank you!¡± ¡°Mr. Rogers Sr. actually thanked a girl like that so solemnly?¡¯ Everyone else was stunned as they looked at Nicole withplicated looks in their eyes. They felt that they needed to investigate who this girl was. Nicole ignored all of that as she casually fixed her hair and said as she looked at Mr. Rogers Sr. ¡°Since I¡¯ve delivered the item, I¡¯ll take my leave.¡± Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. ¡°Oh¡­ oh¡­ Alright¡­¡± He would stop any other person who tried to leave, but for the girl before him, he dared not say anything else. ¡°Oh right.¡± Nicole seemed to have thought of something as she pulled out a ck sealed packet from her pocket, seemingly looking like some medicinal powder. After that, she gently patted him on the shoulder. ¡°I¡¯ll give you this. It should help you with your recovery. I wish you a long, happy life.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Mr. Rogers Sr. had a look of surprise. He never expected this seemingly teenage girl to give him a packet of medicine! And¡­ the packaging method¡­ was seemingly simr to that famous doctor he was looking for! Ignoring Mr. Rogers Sr.¡¯s shock, she handed the package to him and said casually, ¡°Just give it a try, and you¡¯ll find out. Remember to take in more sunlight.¡± Aplicated look appeared in his eyes as he looked at Nicole, and once again, he solemnly thanked her. ¡°Thank you.¡± Everyone fell silent, and even Damien and Miley in the distance were dumbstruck. ¡°The patriarch of the Rogers family has always been high and mighty, and here he allowed Nicole to pat him on his shoulder and even thanked her?!¡¯ ¡®Even if it was due to her being Jared¡¯s fianc¨¦¡­ That was a little too outrageous!¡¯ Nicole smiled. ¡°You¡¯re wee. I¡¯ll go back and work on my exercise questions. Goodbye.¡± In fact, she just could not be bothered to participate in the dispute between Harvey and Jared. She did not want to draw attention in public and wanted to go back early to rest. Seeing that she was really leaving, a smile appeared in his eyes, ¡°Let¡¯s go together.¡± He had already nned to leave, and she came just in time. Lyana looked at Jared beside her and said, ¡°Mr. Johnston¡­¡± Jared pretended like he did not hear her. He had been giving face to Mr. Rogers Sr. when he did not straight up ask her to get lost. Seeing this scene, Mr. Rogers Sr. understood what was up and gave a warning look to his granddaughter. Everyone looked in shock as Jared wanted to leave with this girl, and they were even more curious about her identity. But they could only watch as the two just walked out of the main door like that. Nicole had ignored Harvey since the beginning, and that caused a deep frustration within thetter. As he stared at their departing silhouette, the warm smile on his face slowly disappeared as he said. ¡°Mr. Wyance, Mr. Rogers Sr., I¡¯ll take my leave first.¡± Looking at Harvey, Mr. Rogers Sr. asked softly, ¡°You know that Ms. Riddle too, Master Harvey? Chapter 141 Chapter 141 Harvey paused as he looked at the leaving duo with a half-smile as he simply said, ¡°Yes, she¡¯s a junior in school.¡± Mr. Rogers Sr. continued to ask, ¡°Ah, I forgot to task, Mr. Harvey, that youngdy that came with you earlier¡­¡± When Harvey attended banquets like this, he would bring Snow with him from time to time, but now he had no mood for banal exchanges, so he said softly, ¡°Mr. Rogers Sr., that¡¯s my own private matter.¡± Guessing that Jared and Nicole were already long gone by this time and sensing the impatience in Harvey, Mr. Rogers Sr. smiled. ¡°You are right, Master Harvey.¡± At this moment, Mr. Wyance seemed to have keenly noticed something. As he looked at the grinning Mr. Rogers Sr., he asked, ¡°Mr. Rogers Sr., did you say the girl was named Riddle?¡± Ever since Nicole arrived, Mr. Rogers Sr. felt that his chest was much relieved. He was no longer that temperamental as he said slowly, ¡°Yes. She¡¯s a Riddle, a very beautiful youngdy, and I could not believe that she actually is¡­¡± As he said that, Mr. Rogers Sr. seemed to realize something as he stopped talking. Yet, Mr. Wyance had already managed to guess Nicole¡¯s identity! ¡®She is the one I was looking for!¡¯ He said to himself. ¡®She was right here, right there before him, and he did not know!¡¯ Realizing that he had missed the chance to speak with Nicole, he lost all his appetite. He respectfully got up and wanted to see if he could catch up to Nicole. Mr. Rogers Sr. was startled for a second, and a deep thought appeared in his eyes. ¡®Who was Nicole? She had only just stayed for a minute, and how did she take all these people away with her?¡¯ he wondered. Mr. Rogers Sr. called out to Shawn. ¡°Shawn, go and call your brothers here!¡± Shawn acknowledged as he ran over to call Jallen and Christopher over. Jallen was entertaining guests at that time and walked over with a confused look ¡°Father, what¡¯s the matter?¡± Mr. Rogers Sr. was pissed off when he saw thetter¡¯s foolish look. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Hold this fort!¡± Seeing the Rogerses in a mess, Damien and Miley originally wanted to chase after Nicole to question her, but after struggling for a few seconds, the two of them decided to stay in the banquet. After all, all the dignitaries of the imperial capital are gathered here. If they can get on with one or two, they will already be worth the trip. As for Nicole, they will have plenty of time to question her once she goes back to the Riddle family home Nicole and Jared walked out of the manor, and Max had already driven the car out. Jared then looked at her expressionless eye as he gently raised his eyebrow.¡±Getting in?¡± Nicole recalled thest time he used such a tone to ask her to get into the car, and a strange look appeared in her eyes, seemingly wondering where he was going to take her. Seeing her expression, Jared could immediately tell what she was thinking as he sniggered,¡± I¡¯ll take you back to school, don¡¯t worry.¡± Nicole gave him a nce before getting into the car. The car was very fast, and its bodyline was beautiful. Even Nicole, a motorcycle enthusiast, had to admit that it was a good car. Jared noticed that she was looking outside, leaving only half of her beautiful face for him to look at. He then said inly, ¡°Don¡¯t you think you owe me an exnation?¡± Nicole turned to look at him and said seriously, ¡°Someone asked me to go to Mr. Rogers Sr.¡¯s banquet. I didn¡¯t know you¡¯d be there.¡± This belongs to N?velDrama.Org. He looked at her bright eyes for a few seconds as if trying to gauge the credibility of her words. Chapter 142 Chapter 142 Nicole did not look away as her pair of eyes looking at him was not that frigid. Instead, it was like a calm lake, beautiful and enchanting. Jared looked away and said, ¡°If there¡¯s something like this in the future, I¡¯ll take you along.¡± When he heard that, Max, who was driving, gave Jared a surprised nce. ¡®His boss had never attended a banquet with a femalepanion before!¡¯ However, when he recalled his boss¡¯ not-so-closeness toward thedies seemed useless against Nicole, he was relieved. Jared then casually continued, ¡°The girl sitting beside me today is Mr. Rogers Sr.¡¯s granddaughter. Today is, after all, his birthday banquet. I was giving him face, so I did not chase her away.¡± Nicole nodded when she heard that as she looked at him. Max could see from the rear mirror the confusion in Nicole¡¯s eyes, seemingly not understanding why Jared was telling her that. Seeing this, Jared swept a cold nce over, and Max immediately looked away. Jared looked at Nicole¡¯s emotionless eyes. The warmth in his heart slowly cooled as a chill appeared in his eyes as he looked on at this seemingly heartless woman as he hissed, ¡°Fine, Nicole, you win.¡± After dropping Nicole off at her school, the ck car drove away directly. Nicole looked at the car and fell into a rare deep thought. In fact, when she entered the banquet hall and saw a beautiful girl by Jared¡¯s side, she actually felt a little ufortable. Yet she could not grasp what this feeling was. Looking at her watch, it was almost nine o¡¯clock in the evening. She did not dwell on it as she turned toward her school and walked off. It was already dark, and there were not many people in school right now. So, she just casually strolled as she took out her phone and sent a message. ¡°Missionplete.¡± The other side quickly replied with an ¡°OK¡± and nothing else. When Nicole saw Mr. Rogers Sr. today, he was very pale, and his cardiopulmonary functions were poor too. Going by the older generations, it was as if something was sapping his vitality. She had casually pressed against his shoulder and was actually looking for a nerve point. Aside from helping with his cirction, she could also tell what the problem roughly was. Recalling Shawn¡¯s strange expression back then, her eyes narrowed slightly as he seemed to know something about the old man¡¯s condition. However, this was the Rogers family¡¯s affair. She had no right to interfere. 11 was now up to whether Christo Rogers could unravel her present and listen to himself. Thinking of this, Nicole arrived at the entrance of the dormitory. She was just about to go in when a hand grabbed her shoulder. She frowned a little as she turned around and grabbed it, wanting to pull off a back toss. Yet the person behind her was very familiar with this move, and when Nicole used her strength, he stood still as if he was ready for it and used the momentum to pull Nicole into his arm. Nicole¡¯s eyes turned chilly as she applied force to her feet and tried to spin away to pull a distance as sheshed a kick out. Her attack was fast and powerful as she did not hold back. This belongs to N?velDrama.Org. Judging from the person¡¯s skill, he was very likely not a student but someone trained in martial arts. A pro! Chapter 143 Chapter 143 Her opponent seemed to know Nicole¡¯s strength well, and to avoid the kick, he immediately let her hands go as he darted backward, causing the kick to miss. In that brief exchange, Nicole had achieved what she wanted. As she looked over coldly, a look of shock shed across her eyes. The person was looking downwards, seemingly entranced at her hand. He finally caught her, even though it was only for a few seconds. A deep look gradually appeared in his eyes. Even though it was just a few seconds, it could be a few minutes, a few hours in the future. ¡®Does that not mean that he could hold on to her forever and ever?¡¯ He then looked up, his expression was wholly creepy. Nicole started at him and frowned. She did not expect this at all. Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. It was actually Harvey! Thinking of his earlier behavior, a cold glint Mashed past Nicole¡¯s face. ¡°Harvey Ellison, did you do that on purpose?¡± Harvey saw her looking at him. Her eyes were bright, like a snow in under a bright sun. It was everything most immacte, and all that was reflected alongside him in her eyes He could not help but snigger. ¡°Yes, I did this on purpose.¡± He looked up at her, a scorching light raging in his eyes. ¡°Nicole, can you tell me, what do I need to do for you to willingly allow yourself to fall into my grasp?¡± Nicole looked at him now and saw that he had seemingly shed his warm outer skin as he was radiating a danger that was beyond words, Thinking of his question, she looked impassively at Harvey. ¡°The thought of me falling into your grasp is itself delusional!¡± ¡®I ain¡¯t belong to anyone, and it is impossible for me to fall into anyone¡¯s grasp!¡¯ When Harvey heard this, it was as if he had heard the greatest joke ever. How many people had wanted his favor only for him to refuse them, yet Nicole seemed to be born to spurn him. That made him unable to control the gaze he ced on her, yet he had no way to obtain her. The light in his eyes flickered as he finally let out a smile before saying softly. ¡°Understood.¡± ole looked at his departing silhouette, her eyes somewhat impassive. She suddenly thought of what Jared said earlier, After slowly chewing through the words, she seemed to taste something different. Early next morning, Nicole went for her morning training as usual and noticed that Harvey did not hinder her. She instead ran into him on the track. He was wearing a white tracksuit with a hairband tying his hair up. He looked unlike his usual style, but it was particrly handsome. Many girls were taking photos as they whispered among themselves with admiration in their eyes. Seeing Nicoleing over, he smiled as he waved at her. ¡°Nicole, over here.¡± Nicole looked at him with an impassive face as she turned around and left. Harvey seemed to have expected this and continued running without much reaction as the smile on his face remained. A few girls were cursing Nicole for not knowing her ce, and Harvey stopped as he looked at her coldly. ¡°Don¡¯t let me hear that ever again.¡± Those girls had never seen him being so cold before and were so scared they burst into tears, nodding as they promised to never repeat that again. Only then did Harvey look away as he turned toward the direction Nicole had left, a thoughtful look appearing in his eyes. A benevolent hunter would capture his prey using the method the prey liked. And so, he would. After coming back from her training, Nicole felt particrly irritated. ¡®Do I need to train like this every morning if Harvey shows up?¡¯ The reason she refused to make contact with Harvey was that she felt that it was troublesome, but now, it seemed like not making contact was equally troublesome. She looked at the sun as she inexplicably recalled what Jared said yesterday. ¡®What did he mean by you win?¡¯ When Nicole was on the way to the ssroom, she was still thinking about it. When she arrived, Bradley was already there and was reading intently. Lulu was not around, probably being called by the teacher to get the study materials. June was seated there memorizing Esperian vocabry, and when she saw Nicole, she smiled at her. When Nicole saw her, a smile too appeared in her eyes. She then went to her seat, and just as she was about to pull out her exercise questions, a voice came from behind her. ¡°Nicole, what¡¯s your rtionship with Christo Rogers?¡± ¡®Christo Rogers?¡¯ Nicole thought for a bit and only remembered that he was the same Mr. Rogers Sr. who was the host of yesterday¡¯s birthday banquet. The person asking her that was Gary. Nicole did not turn around and said, ¡°Nothing.¡± Gary looked firmly at her back. His brother told him yesterday that he saw Nicole at the banquet. He did not believe it at first, but he then heard Mr. Rogers Sr. himself lead her into the banquet. When Gary thought of it, he frowned. Mr. Rogers Sr.¡¯s attitude toward Nicole yesterday did not look like there was ¡°nothing¡± between them. Yet, when he used all sorts of hacking techniques, he could not get anything about Nicole at all, and Gary felt a little miffed. He dared not say how good hisputer skills were, but he was definitely at the level of a pro hacker. Finding out someone¡¯s identity was a simple matter, and it was impossible for Nicole to hide her identity under his tracking! Chapter 144 Chapter 144 But since Nicole refused to say anything, Gary could do nothing. N?velDrama.Org owns ? this. However, his gaze toward Nicole now bore a little more meaning to it. Vivian saw the interaction between Gary and Nicole, and she bit her lips. Gary was asking Nicole about her rtionship with Mr. Rogers Sr. Her parents had gone to the banquet yesterday and said that Mr. Rogers Sr. personally received a very beautiful girl. But due to the distance, they could not hear who it was. Since Gary was asking Nicole, it was very likely that the girl they spoke of yesterday was Nicole! ¡®So, the reason she could run rampant in school was because of her rtionship with the Rogers family?¡¯ Vivian looked at Nicole with a touch of disdain in her eyes. ¡®Who knows what kind of rtionship Nicole has with those old coots!¡¯ She nced at Nicole again onest time. Her brother, Sammey, had also warned her not to provoke Nicole. Not only did her brother not side with her, but instead, he defended Nicole in every single way. How could she live that down? Vivian noticed that Gary¡¯s eyes were affixed to Nicole, and he did not even notice Ms. Emerson had walked into ss. That made her even angrier. After ss, Nicole headed to the cafeteria to eat with Lulu. There were many people still in the cafeteria, and after getting their order and finally finding an empty spot, they were pushed away by a group of girls as they sat on the seats, Nicole frowned a little, and seeing the group with their gangster girl look, Lulu tugged at her, motioning for her to walk away and not confront them. That caused Nicole and Lulu to wait for a good while for an empty table. Nicole frowned, and she did not want to give up. Just as she was about to step forward, ane opened in the crowd. Harvey nodded in acknowledgment to the people around him as he walked over. Seeing the situation at Nicole¡¯s table, he frowned a little as he walked over and asked, ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± He did not look at Nicole but instead asked Lulu, who was standing beside her. Being looked at by Harvey like that, Lulu could not hold it in and told him everything that had happened earlier. Hearing this, the light in Harvey¡¯s eyes dimmed as he walked to the few gangster girls and knocked on the table as he said, ¡°Girls, seating in the cafeteria is firste, first serve. If you did note first, then please don¡¯t take the seats.¡± When the girls saw him, they blushed as they fidgeted while looking at Harvey, saying,¡± Harvey, we did this because we saw Nicole not respecting you!¡± When he heard that, the cold glint in his eyes disappeared, but he said even more gently,¡± Nicole did not disrespect me. You¡¯ve misunderstood. I don¡¯t need you girls to speak out for me but thank you regardless.¡± ¡°So, can you girls get up and give the seats to them?¡± The few girls nodded, but one of them reluctantly said, ¡°Harvey, why are you so nice to Nicole? She¡¯s a bad person, and she isn¡¯t worth your attention!¡± Harvey turned and looked at Nicole as he smiled and said, ¡°Don¡¯t you all know the reason already?¡± ¡®Don¡¯t they all know?¡¯ ¡®What do you mean?¡¯ The girls looked at each other and recalled the video of Harvey confessing to Nicole. ¡®Was that real?¡¯ The few of them turned pale. They had never expected Harvey to say something like that. Nicole, too did not see thating as she bit her lips and looked dimly at Harvey. ¡°Lulu, let¡¯s go.¡± Lulu was a little confused. Harvey had already helped her and Nicole get the table, so why should they go? However, seeing Nicole¡¯s expression, Lulu did not say much. Harvey saw Nicole was really leaving, and his expression froze a little. He had only wanted to test her, but he did not expect her reaction to be so big. 3 Chapter 145 Chapter 145 Harvey once again regretted his rashness as he looked at Nicole and said, ¡°Sorry, Nicole¡­ I couldn¡¯t help it¡­¡± Everyone in the cafeteria looked at this scene in shock. ¡®Harvey has always been so perfect, so high and mighty, and now he is apologizing to Nicole, a total nobody!¡¯ Everyone gawked as they looked at the scene, and those few gangster girls turned their eyes on Nicole, brimming with jealousy and resentment. ¡®What right does Nicole have to be treated like this by Harvey?¡¯ Everyone thought that Nicole would forgive him. After all, no one could reject an apology so sincere from Harvey. N?velDrama.Org owns ? this. Yet however, Nicole¡¯s face became even colder as she gave Harvey a cold nce. His apology was simply just to push her into the cusp of his grasp again. She did not even look back as she turned and left the cafeteria. Harvey¡¯s face was as pale as a ghost as he looked at Nicole¡¯s departing figure, a cold glint shing past his eyes. So close, it was so close for him to be able to naturally sit down with Nicole and have a meal with her. 1 However, it did not matter. Harvey smiled at everyone in the cafeteria and casually left the ce. Lulu followed behind Nicole as she whispered, ¡°Nicole, what¡¯s the deal with you and Harvey?¡± It seemed like Harvey really cared about Nicole. Nicole frowned. Even Lulu felt that away. There were probably plenty in school who were blinded by what Harvey did. Others may not know, but she knew Harvey¡¯s freakish desire for control very well. To him, she was probably an extremely unstable factor that was beyond his control. That was why he was trying so hard to get her to listen to him. Just like Snow When she thought of this, Nicole sneered. being that Lulu also missed her lunch because of her, Nicole patted thetter¡¯s fluffy face as Che said, ¡°I¡¯ll treat you to a meal outside, okay?¡± I Tulus oyes lit up ¡°I¡¯ve long wanted to eat out Today¡¯s a blessing in disguise, I GUDI There¡¯s no need for you to treat me, Nicole I¡¯ll pay today! Nirale looked at her with a smile as the two walked out of the school. Unexpectedly, just as Nicole and Lulu walked out of the school, they were stopped by a tall guy with many people behind him They were Cain and his goons! Lulu was so terrified her face turned pale After all, Cain was well-known in this area, and no one dared to mess with him. It was just that he got beaten up by someone in the past few day3 and was hospitalized Now that he was out of the hospital, he probably came straight to ber to find trouble with Nicole It was noon, and there were quite a few people near the cafeteria All of them saw Cain stopping Nicole, and they immediately started whispering to one another as they stood there to watch the show The daughter of the Rowe family had been absent for a few days now, and it must¡¯ve been Nicole¡¯s work Look, isn¡¯t her boyfriend here to seek revenge?¡± ¡°Cain is a beast you do not want to poke He is afraid of no one other than Gary, and even Austin is nothing to him Nicole¡¯s gonna pay today! Chapter 146 Chapter 146 ¡°She deserves it! Let her do the same to Harvey!¡± When Snow and Raine heard Harvey wasing to the cafeteria, they nned to wait nearby to try their luck to see if they could see him, not expecting that they would run into this scene. Raine gloated and shouted in a loud voice, ¡°Nicole, you now got your karma for bullying Celia! Beg me, and I may put in some good words for you. You know, Celia is a good friend of mine and my sister¡¯s. Her boyfriend might spare you for the sake of us.¡± ¡°Cain, you shouldn¡¯t hold grudges against Nicole simply because she bullied Celia a few times. After all, Nicole doesn¡¯t know any better, but you all are different.¡± Everyone agreed with what the two said. Snow was so good-hearted that she evil with good despite what Nicole had done to her. What Raine said might be nasty, but i wid make sense. It was Nicole who started all this. Nicole was nonchnt, not even sparing a nce at the people around her. Instead, she looked with icy eyes at Cain, who had been sort of her old acquaintance. Cain, who was tall with a fleshy face, stood there and looked up to no good. He had been beaten so badly that he had to be carried to the hospital before this. How dare he stand in her way now? As Nicole looked at Cain with frosty eyes, Cain seemed to see Nicole¡¯s hostility and frantically waved his hand to tell her he was not here to fight. He hesitantly took a few steps forward and then took out a ck box from behind him. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Nicole. My girlfriend and I apologize for offending you. Please ept this as a token of apology and let the matter rest here¡±Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. Everyone, including Snow and Raine, was stunned to see what unfolded before their eyes How could this be? Should Cain not teach Nicole a lesson? Unbeknownst to them was that Cain had secretly ¡°taught¡± Nicole a lesson and ended up in the hospital that day. Celia wanted to avenge him, and before she could do anything, she met Jared and had been afraid to go to school for almost a week. She told her boyfriend about it, and neither of them dared to offend Jared. The best way forward was to make peace with Nicole What they did not know was that the seemingly indifferent Nicole was actually friendlier than Jared was. Cain was still suffering from the mental trauma of what had happened to him that day. When he looked at Nicole in front of him, he could still feel pain in his lower abdomen and fractured right leg Everyone watched in surprise. Nicole did not speak while the big guy, Cain, looked timid in front of Nicole as he handed out the ck box with trembling hands Nicole looked at Cain and still said nothing, while the surprised Lulu walked past him and left. Cain had no clue if Nicole had forgiven him. He could only follow her quietly while his followers were at least ten meters away, as they all did not want to get too close to Nicole. They could still vividly remember how painful it was to be beaten by Nicole. Nicole was no slouch in fighting. Her every punch and kick were precise and hit them in the most vulnerable spots. She became a nightmare for them, so much so that they were even afraid to get close to her. Raine was stunned to see Cain cowering before Nicole. It made what she had said just now feel like a p in her face. She stomped her feet in anger, spun away, and left, as she no longer wanted to waste time waiting for Harvey with Snow. It was so humiliating. The stares of others made her feel ashamed of herself. She was suffering from humiliation as much as her arrogance. Snow did not care if her sister had left. She just stood there looking at Nicole from behind, deep in thought. Chapter 147 Chapter 147 Snow could not have been clearer about Nicole¡¯s background. The Riddle family might have a long history, but it had long past its glory and could no longer be a deterrence for Cain. Something else must have made Cain feel so afraid. She furrowed her brows in thought, not even noticing that Harvey had walked past her. A thought came to mind when Harvey saw Snow. He suddenly changed direction and walked toward her. ¡°What has just happened, and why are you standing here, Snow?¡± A twinkle of surprise shed across her eyes when Snow saw Harvey. But she felt a little curious at Harvey¡¯s question. Could Harvey not know what had just happened earlier had something to do with Nicole, and so he had to ask her? But she quickly dismissed this idea and told Harvey what she had just seen. Hearing what she said, Harvey still had a smile on his face, as if nothing had happened. He then walked toward the school gate. Just as she wanted to catch up with him, Harvey shot a look back at her. That kind of icy look was something she had never seen before in his eyes. She stopped in her tracks. Snow had been like a staunch believer who had been running toward the sun, but now the sun was no longer shining hot for her. She was at a loss and could not ept it. Hatred in her eyes gradually crept up. Harvey seemed indifferent to everything about her when he returned this time. But she gritted her teeth at the thought of Karen¡¯s advice. Soon it would be the weekend, the time when Karen woulde and question her about how she and Harvey were going. But she did not know how to tell Karen that in just a week, Harvey had be indifferent to her. Snow had let go of her ego and apanied Raine to meet Harvey today. She was thinking of having a pleasant conversation with him, not expecting that Harvey had asked only a few questions about Nicole and then left just like that. Blue veins popped up on her hand, tugging at the corner of her clothes as she slowly walked away with her head lowered to avoid others from seeing her expression. Nicole was walking in front, followed by arge group of people. She wished they could leave her alone so that she could enjoy her meal with Lulu quietly. She nced back at Cain and saw him looking at her with ttering eyes. Nicole narrowed her eyes and said, ¡°Get out of my sight. I don¡¯t want to see you again.¡± Her stern re scared the daylights out of Cain. As desperate as he wanted to flee, he did not forget to pass the box to Lulu with a smile and said, ¡°Please help me pass it to Nicole.¡± He was too scared to hand the thing to Nicole directly, but he would not feel at ease and could not answer her girlfriend if he did not hand the gift to Nicole. So, he made apromise and passed the thing to Lulu. Cain then beckoned with his hand to bring his followers to leave. N?velDrama.Org owns ? this. Nicole looked around. Cain had almost followed the two of them to the school gate, and almost the entire school had seen Cain¡¯s ttering face. She felt a slight headache at the thought of this. Chapter 148 Chapter 148 Nicole did not like too much attention to herself, but somehow, she always got it. Lulu took the box, hesitating whether to return it. But when she saw Nicole¡¯s calm face, she calmly shoved the things into Nicole¡¯s arms. ¡°Here you go. It is from him.¡± Nicole did not even look at it, and she shoved it back into Lulu¡¯s school bag. ¡°Since he gave it to you, it is yours, then.¡± There was no more grudge between them since she had epted the thing. That was why she did not drive Cain away when he handed the thing over. Nicole gently patted Lulu on the head and said, ¡°Let¡¯s get something to eat.¡± The school gate was near the caf¨¦. Just when passing by the caf¨¦, Nicole casually glimpsed inside, not expecting to see anything. Yet she saw Jaredzily leaning against the window. Sitting across from him was a beautiful woman with red lips and wavy hair. The two seemed to be chatting about something, and then the woman stood up, seemingly agitated, and wanted to walk over to Jared. Nicole stopped looking at this point and continued to walk forward as she was not interested in peeking into the private affair of others. N?velDrama.Org owns ? this. Lulu, walking next to Nicole, shivered all of a sudden. She then looked up at the sky in puzzlement. It was early fall, and the weather was not too cold. Yet Lulu was shivering as if in the winter, the air temperature continuing to plummet. ¡°The weather is bing unpredictable. I have to wear an extrayer of coat when I get home. By the way, do you feel cold, Nicole?¡± Nicole slowed down and looked up at the sky, then said with a straight face, ¡°Not at all.¡± Lulu looked at her in bafflement. She keenly sensed that something was wrong with Nicole¡¯s mood but could not tell why because nothing special had happened just now. 1 With this understanding in mind, Lulu said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. The monthly exam is still over a week away, and I believe you will perform well.¡± Nicole did not refute what Lulu said but continued to listen. Only that she kept her head low to conceal the look in her eyes. She wondered what that feeling was. It upset her so much. Harvey made a phone call when he reached the school gate. ¡°I¡¯ve arrived. Where are you?¡± soon, a man got out of a red Lamborghini parked outside the school gate, waving at Harvey with a somewhat gloomy expression on his face. The man was Shawn, who had been by Mr Rogers Sr.¡¯s side yesterday. A faint smile crept across Harvey¡¯s face as he gracefully walked toward Shawn. The two then quickly got into the car and headed out of the city. T ¡°Christopher has stopped so lowtely that my father would soon find out. Harvey, what do you say we should do next?¡± Shawn asked anxiously in the car. He was the opposite of Christopher. He wanted Mr. Rogers Sr. to live a long life, not only to protect him but also to get some actual power from the Rogers family when he got older. Harvey was patient. He looked out the window at the leaves that were gradually turning yellow on the branches. It was destined to be an eventful fall. ¡°Hold your horses,¡± he said softly. ¡°We will live longer than those people. Don¡¯t lose your patience. Just wait.¡± Shawn seemed to have thought of something and was not as anxious as before after hearing what Harvey had said. 1 Chapter 149 Chapter 149 ¡°Do you know the girl that the old man brought in yesterday?¡± Shawn askeAd as he drove. Harvey turned his eyes back to Shawn. ¡°Why?¡± Shawn shook his head. ¡°Nothing. Just that there is more to her than meets the eyes. Your father didn¡¯t even let me see the gift that she gave to him yesterday.¡± Shawn gripped the steering wheel tighter. ¡°And she seemed to know the problem with my father and hinted something to him, a bit earlier than the time you asked me to speak. Would it affect anything?¡± Harvey started to make sense of something and chuckled. ¡°Nicole, you always have surprises for me.¡± He then looked up and whispered to Shawn, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about her.¡± again, knowing that Harvey did not want to tell him more. The car drove around and reached Great Oak atst. Harvey and Shawn got out of the car and headed for the only sanatorium in town. The doctors and nurses were already ustomed to their visit and only required a routine registration from them before letting them in. The small sanatorium had only three floors and no elevator. The two slowly climbed to the top floor and pushed open a door in Room 312. Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. There was a doddering middle-aged man inside. He looked skinny, his h?ir thin and gray, looking as if he was very old. Wearing an oversized hospital gown and sitting on the bed, he looked out the window, sometimesughing at himself, looking neurotic. Harvey and Shawn walked in tandem and then stood by his bedside and looked at the man with knife- like eyes as if they could prate the man¡¯s head. ¡°Will you still not tell me, will you?¡± Harvey said as he pulled over a chair and sat down next to the man. The light in his eyes hadpletely faded, and they now looked as dark as the abyss. When the man saw Harvey, he was so frightened that he tried to hide under the bed, but Shawn grabbed him and lifted his bony body back to the bed. ¡°I¡¯m running out of patience, my dear teacher.¡± Harvey¡¯s smile looked unusually gentle. Nicole and Lulu found a fondue restaurant and had a mealfortably. By the time they came out of the restaurant, Lulu happily rubbed her little belly and said to Nicole, ¡°I feel as if we have just been out of jail. How about wee again next time, Nicole? Bring June and Bradley along.¡± Nicole looked at her with a smile in her eyes. ¡°Why not?¡± Lulu looked at Nicole, feeling curious. ¡°Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s not as cold as before?¡± Nicole did not reply. Lulu was used to talking to herself, so she did not mind. ¡°This year is indeed going to be colder than usual. Keep yourself warm, Nicole.¡± Lulu looked at Nicole with concern. Nicole always wore simply a T-shirt with a coat and a pair of Nicole was tall but not thin, her slightly curly hair cascading down her shoulders, making her look deadlyzy Lulu had just wanted to see how much Nicole was wearing, but she waspletely immersed in it. As a girl, she also thought Nicole was great-looking. No WE wonder Harvey was irresistibly attracted to Nicole. Chapter 150 Chapter 150 Nicole looked at her and raised an eyebrow. ¡°I will.¡± It took Lulu a while to realize what Nicole meant: she would keep herself warm. Lulu could not help but cackle. IT ¡°What a reflex arc, Nicole.¡± Nicole said nothing but gave her an elegant, haughty look. The two cackled as they walked to the school gate. Lulu nned to go back to the dormitory to study. Nicole thought for a moment and decided to go to the caf¨¦. She had agreed to give Austin and When Nicole came in front of the caf¨¦, she somehow hesitated. She wondered why she suddenly had such an awkward feeling, which had never urred to her before. us inside the caf¨¦ had already spotted Nicole and came out to greet her with a smile. But Nicole seemed to have spaced out as if she did not see him. ¡®What a surprise.¡¯ us scratched his chin, not expecting to see Nicole woolgathering. Jared was not on the ground floor. us looked at Nicole and took out his phone to call Jared. ¡°Boss, Nicole is here, but she is noting in. I think something is wrong.¡± Jared also saw Nicoleing at the window on the first floor. He was in the room watching Nicole because theirst encounter did not go well yesterday. He was motionless just as long as she remained rooted to the spot. Max stood beside him, not actually knowing what his boss was doing. After hanging up the phone, and a few more minutes had passed, Nicole was still standing where she was as if pondering something. But Jared had lost his patience. He murmured angrily about something and then got downstairs. He had been expecting Nicole. A cier seemed to have formed in Jared¡¯s amorous eyes, his expression so cold as if it could freeze time. When he came downstairs, he had eye to eye with Nicole, who happened to look up through the ss door. Nicole looked at the man on the opposite side of the door. He was wearing a ck silk shirt, his artistic arched ck eyebrows making his skin look fairer than he was. He remained standing on the bottom few steps of the staircase at that moment, leaning obliquely on the railing, but it made him look even more charming, with a bit of extreme elegance. Nicole looked at him as if suddenly understanding why so many people came to the caf¨¦ every day to chat with him. Now, with no hesitation, she pushed open the door and walked up to us. ¡°Give me a ss of iced Americano.¡± She needed to sober up. Nicole then walked slowly toward the stairs and gently said to Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. Jared, who was staring at her. ¡°Excuse me.¡± Max, who was following Jared hurrying downstairs, happened to hear this, and his heart skipped a beat. ¡°Sorry.¡± Jared had no expression on his face. With that, he walked out the door without looking back. Nicole kept walking up the stairs and came to the room where she usually gave Austin andpany tuition. She waited there, looking as if being deep in thought When Austin and his buddies came and saw Nicole sitting by herself, Sammey said, ¡°Boss, why didn¡¯t Jared apany you today?¡± ¡®Apany me? In their eyes, has it always been Jared who apanies me?¡¯ she asked in her mind. Sammey saw something was wrong with Nicole and became concerned ¡°Are you alright, Boss?¡± Chapter 151 Chapter 151 Nicole shook her head gently and said, ¡°Take everything out and let me check your homework.¡± They looked at her and breathed a sigh of relief as she seemed to have returned to normal. Taking out their homework and textbooks, they waited for Nicole to start the lesson. Honestly, what they were most looking forward to every day was this period of learning time with their boss, as they could learn a lot of new things every day. Now that they had done a revision on the textbook, Nicole started to prepare them for They stared expectantly at Nicole as they began ss, but Nicole was looking at their homework and seemed to have spaced out again. Austin and others exchanged nces. They were all sure that their boss was not quite right today. Nicole had been very focused on normal days, but today she was strange. What Jared said to her in the car that day and the scene of him seeing the woman with wavy hair kept appearing in her mind. She felt chest pain, especially recalling the scene of him leaving just now as if something was pressing against her. us knocked on the door. He was puzzled because something was amiss today, there was no sound of their discussioning from the box; it was strangely quiet. ¡°Come in.¡± Nicole¡¯s calm voice sounded from the inside. us pushed the door in and found that everyone was sitting in their seats, while Nicole also sat in hers, not going to the front. He raised an eyebrow with interest. ¡°Your iced Americano.¡± Nicole nodded to him. ¡°Thank you.¡± After us left, Nicole stood up. It took her twice as long to check their homework today. Before starting the lesson, she gently picked up the cup of coffee and took a sip. She found the coffee tasted a bit odd, but it did not show on her face. Nicole almost forgot that it had always been Jared who made her coffee. Thanks to this sip of coffee, Nicole hade out of her dazepletely. She cleared her throat and started to give Austin their lessons. It was dinner time by the time they finished. Nicole was slowly packing up her things, as there was nothing important to do now. She could empty her thoughts and not think too much. Austin and others looked at Nicole, all with a worried look. ¡°Boss, are you really alright?¡± Nicole nced at them, and just as she was about to say something, the phone in her pocket rang. She gave Austin an I-will-go-first gesture and then walked out of the caf¨¦ to the open space outsideThis belongs to N?velDrama.Org. before answering the phone. A very kind voice sounded at the other end of the phone. ¡°Nicole? Do you have time to pay a visit to the principal¡¯s office?¡± Mr. Ellison had called instead of messaging her this time. Nicole heard his gentle voice and found it hard to say no. Since she had nothing to do now, she agreed. Mr. Ellison said with delight, ¡°Okay, I will wait for you. Haven¡¯t you had dinner yet, have you? I will ask someone to prepare, and we will have dinner together.¡± He then hung up at once as if afraid that Nicole would say no. Nicole looked at the phone helplessly. Since she had agreed, she was not going to walk back on her words. She quickened her pace and soon came in front of the principal¡¯s office. As she knocked on the door, a gentle voice invited her to enter. Nicole stepped inside and saw that three sets of tableware had been laid out on the table, and Mr. Ellison was sitting there, beckoning her toe over with a smile. Chapter 152 Chapter 152 Nicole sat down opposite Mr. Ellison. She did not pick up the cutlery but looked at him and asked, ¡°What can I do for you?¡± She sounded very casual as if she were just talking to an ordinary person. If outsiders were to see Nicole¡¯s attitude toward Ellison, they would have been shocked with their mouths agape. Most people in San Joto knew Mr. Ellison¡¯s influence in politics and academia, in which he was almost a figurehead personality. Everyone respected him. But Ellison did not show displeasure despite Nicole¡¯s attitude. He smiled and said, ¡°I just want to invite you for a meal. Harvey will be a bitte, as he was still outside.¡± Mr. Ellison, whose full name was Thomas Ellison, was not such a nonsense person. Nicole frowned and was a bit impatient. ¡°Tell me what it is about, or I will leave.¡± N?velDrama.Org owns ? this. Mr. Ellison heard she was leaving and hurriedly said, ¡°I saw the video of Harvey and you on the Inte. I can tell that he is fond of you, and he has asked you to be his girlfriend. Is that true?¡± Nicole had already guessed what Mr. Ellison was going to say when she saw the three sets of tableware on the table. After her suspicion was confirmed, she was calm. Looking at a table full of her favorite food, she knew Mr. Ellison had always been treating her well. She looked down as if thinking about something before saying slowly, ¡°It is true, but Harvey didn¡¯t say that because he liked me, did he?¡± Not because Harvey liked her, but because Mr. Ellison wanted him to like her. When Nicole looked up again, her upturned eyes appeared clear and stern, and she exuded an extremely assertive persona. ¡°You know what kind of person I am. I don¡¯t want this kind of transactional rtionship.¡± Mr. Ellison looked at Nicole in front of him and sighed softly. Not that he did not know Nicole. But his selfish desire wanted him to set up his most good- looking grandson and Nicole romantically. Harvey was his grandson. He could tell what Harvey was thinking. If Harvey was not into Nicole, no amount of coercion could make Harvey say such a thing. Mr. Ellison had only briefly exined on behalf of Harvey, only to get Nicole¡¯s somewhat puzzled look. ¡°So what?¡± What could he do even though he did like her a bit? Something had gone wrong with the initial approach, and she was not his only choice. ¡°I don¡¯t like Harvey.¡± Mr. Ellison looked into her lustrous eyes and suddenly lost his words. The person¡¯s hand froze in mid-air just as he was about to knock on the door outside as if he was afraid that he would not be able to hear it clearly if he made a sound. He looked at the wrinkled corner of his clothes, lowered his hand, and tried to smoothen the wrinkled fabric. He did it with so much force that it seemed he was about to tear it. Meanwhile, Nicole continued, ¡°Harvey probably doesn¡¯t have any feelings for me either, so don¡¯t waste your time.¡± She then stood up and said, ¡°I don¡¯t think I can have dinner with you this time. I still need to see someone and have to take care of a few things.¡± Nicole said goodbye to Mr. Ellison and walked toward the door. The moment she pulled open the door, Harvey panickily took his hand off the corner of his shirt. He did not look up, and his eyshes trembled. Nicole was not surprised to see him, and she just went straight outside. Only then did Harvey look up at her as she left. She was walking with her back straight as if it were a sword that would never bend. Harvey suddenly reached out to grab her, but Nicole had learned her lesson and dodged in a sh as if her back had grown a pair of eyes. She looked back at Harvey with displeasure Chapter 153 Chapter 153 Mr. Ellison was inside the office, so she did not want to make a scene here with him. Harvey looked at Nicole, who looked at him with a fiery gaze. She gently pressed her lips together with slightly upturned lips. It looked as if she was crying andughing at the same time. Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. ¡°No,¡± he said as if muttering to himself. ¡°It¡¯s not like that.¡± Nicole looked on as he suddenly looked up at her. There were no emotions in her eyes as she gazed at the person who looked wless from the inside out in front of her. But no one was truly perfect. Harvey looked her in the eyes. ¡°It¡¯s not true that I don¡¯t have feelings for you.¡± He seemed to have taken a lot of effort to say that. The first time he saw her, he felt his heart beating out of rhythm, but he mistakenly thought it was a sign of disgust. So, he hypnotized himself and refused to feel his inner thoughts. Nicole looked at him as if not expecting him to say this. She watched Harvey¡¯s face gradually calm down, and then he looked at her and broke out in a gentle smile. ¡°I will just pretend that I have never heard what you just said. Okay?¡± Nicole frowned as she looked at Harvey¡¯s smiling face and said, ¡°Stop that smile.¡± He wanted to fool himself, but she had no interest in ying along. She turned around and went downstairs without looking back. There was no hesitation. Harvey knew she was on guard, and no way he could get hold of her. When he thought about thest words Nicole had said to him, his smile faded gradually, and he now looked like an expressionless puppet. Just then, Mr. Ellison¡¯s voice came from inside the office. ¡°Harvey, are you back?¡± Harvey did not adjust his expression as he strode into the principal¡¯s office. Mr. Ellison frowned when he saw Harvey¡¯s face. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you? Why do you look like a mess?¡± Harvey had only a slight wrinkle at the corner of his clothes, yet it became synonymous with a mess in his grandfather¡¯s eyes. Harvey closed his eyes self-deprecatingly. When Mr. Ellison saw his expression, he knew Harvey must have been badly upset. So, he softened his voice and asked, ¡°Harvey, you heard it all?¡± Harvey nodded, silently looking at the untouched meal on the table, his fingers unconsciously smoothening the cuff on his right hand. Seeing Harvey¡¯s dejected look, Mr. Ellison could not bear to agitate him. He sighed and said,¡± Nicole is a good girl, but she doesn¡¯t like you. I¡¯m not going to force it. Do you like Snow? Ask her toe over so I can take a look.¡± Harvey looked at Mr. Ellison, not expecting him to give up so easily. It was Mr. Ellison who wanted him to approach Nicole, but when he was stuck in the mud and could no longer extricate himself, Mr. Ellison nonchntly told him he would not force him anymore. Harvey did not refute it but looked at his grandfather with a gentle smile. ¡°Okay.¡± Seeing Harvey so amiable, Mr. Ellison nodded with satisfaction. ¡°Take a seat. The dishes are getting cold.¡± The two of them sat down to eat, but the meal seemed to be tasteless now. Chapter 154 Chapter 154 Nicole left the principal¡¯s office and headed straight toward the caf¨¦. The sky had turned dark, and it started to drizzle. People were going off the streets in a hurry, and Nicole was the only person who seemed not to care. They all cast a strange look at Nicole, thinking that she must be out of her mind still by still rambling on the street when the sky was about to open up. Nicole ignored the gaze of these people and took her time. She just liked the cool breeze because it made her more awake. She only favored Jared¡¯s coffee and would only allow Jared toe near and apany her. What was this? As the cold wind grew more intense, the smile on Nicole¡¯s lips got broader. She picked up her pace and finally ran as forks of lightning lit up the sky with thunder rumbling in the background. By the time she reached the caf¨¦, us was seen standing in a daze behind the coffee bar. As he admired the wind outside bringing down a willow, he suddenly saw a girl dash toward the caf¨¦ from afar. It was pouring outside, but she seemed to run faster than the rain. When the girl got close, us finally saw who she was and was a bit startled. He narrowed his eyes. ¡°Nicole? No way.This belongs to N?velDrama.Org. It is really Nicole!¡± Jared would skin him alive if Jared knew he was letting Nicole run in the rain. By the time us grabbed an umbre and was about to rush out, Nicole hade outside the caf¨¦. us hurriedly pulled open the door. She stood wet in the doorway; her face was a little pale, but her beauty still made everything around her look pale inparison. us looked at her and was a little stunned. Nicole casually removed her soaked coat. Afraid of wetting the floor of the caf¨¦, she did not walk in but asked, ¡°us, where is your boss?¡± us was delighted that Nicole had remembered his name. It took him a while before he reacted to Nicole¡¯s question. Unfortunately, Jared did note back after going out in the afternoon. No one knew where he went. Just when he felt mncholy, wanting to shake his head, Max¡¯s voice came from behind him ¡°The boss has gone to Nottingbrook State and wille back the day after tomorrow.¡± Nicole looked slightly disappointed, but she quickly recovered and said, ¡°Alright, thank you.¡± She then opened the door and ran out despite it still raining heavily outside. Max looked surprised and hurriedly took a few steps forward, trying to stop Nicole. But he did not dare to touch her but said casually, ¡°Why don¡¯t you wait after the rain stops?¡± Nicole shook her head. The rain was not a deterrence for her at all, as it would only make her more awake. She looked back at Max and said in a gentle but firm voice, ¡°Ask him toe to see me when he is back.¡± Max looked at her and nodded gently. Nicole said nothing more She walked out into the rain toward the dormitory building Max took out his phone and called Jared after Nicole had gone out of sigh. ¡°Boss, Nicole would like to see you.¡± Jared was talking to the blond man across from him. When he picked up the phone and heard what Max said, he was startled for a second before giving a hand gesture to the person in front of him, telling him to wait, and he walked aside. ¡°What else did she say?¡±. Chapter 155 Chapter 155 Max shook his head, then realized that Jared could not see him. So, he said, ¡°Nicole said nothing else. She just left in the rain.¡± It was sunny in Nottingbrook State, and it was early in the morning, but Jared¡¯s mind seemed to be gloomy, his voice cold. ¡°You let her go just like that?¡± Max did not respond. He knew how important Nicole was to Jared, but it probably was not Jared¡¯s greatest concern. But in the next moment, Jared¡¯s stern voice came. ¡°You two, go outside and stand until the rain stops.¡± Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. Max gave us a look. The two of them had no objections and immediately went outside to stand in the rain. As cold rain slid down his expressionless face, only then did Max think of something-running so fast in such a cold and heavy rain, Nicole was indeed like his boss, an invincible wonder. In the Riddle family home¨C Damien was standing in front of Mr. Riddle Sr. with his head lowered as he was debriefed. Mr. Riddle Sr. asked him about something from time to time, and Damien answered every question. After finishing talking about business, their conversation shifted to the fight for a piece ofnd between Riddle Corporation and the rapidly rising McCarthy Corporation in San Joto, Damien looked a little worried at the mention of thisnd. ¡°I saw the McCarthys and Mr. Wyance seeing eye to eye at the birthday party of the Rogers family. I am worried -¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. shot a nce at his eldest son, and Damien immediately shut up. Damien was excellent in every way except that he was too much of an rmist and indecisive. But it did not mean that they would let down their guard. If Mr. Wyance really favored McCarthy Corporation, they might likely lose the bid for thend. The Riddle Corporation was betting big and had spent a lot of money and effort on this piece of land that would be earmarked for development. ¡°What else have you heard and seen at the birthday party of the Rogers family?¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. asked inquisitively. It was an invitation he had literally begged for and gotten because of Miley¡¯s rtionship with the Rogers family. Dillon could not be more envious of them. There was a trace of hesitation in Damien¡¯s eyes when he heard Mr. Riddle Sr.¡¯s question. He wondered if the girl he saw yesterday was Nicole. After all, she had no background, and her rtionship with the Riddle family was not made public. How could she get such a courteous reception from Mr. Rogers Sr.? But Damien still said, ¡°Dad, I saw Nicole at the Rogers family¡¯s birthday party yesterday.¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. was stunned. ¡°Nicole? How could she have gone there?¡± Damien was also confused. ¡°Dad, she didn¡¯t just go, but it was Mr. Rogers Sr. who invited her personally. She sat with the top families, but she didn¡¯t seize the opportunity. She just stayed for one minute and left.¡± There was a look of sour grapes in Damien¡¯s eyes. He did not expect Nicole to be able to sit with those big shots. Mr. Riddle Sr. looked surprised upon hearing what Damien said. This granddaughter of his, whom he had just reunited with, knew not only Thomas Ellison but also the Rogerses. This was really something unexpected. But when Nicole¡¯s score of zero points came to mind, his face became a little disappointed. ¡®Instead of studying hard, Nicole¡¯s been buttering up the bigwigs. Bute to think of it, if even Mr. Rogers Sr. has orded Nicole such courteous treatment. Could it be that I had been thinking too badly of Nicole?¡¯ Chapter 156 Chapter 156 mr. Riddle Sr. sighed and decided to give Nicole some more time when he thought of how hard Nicole had been trying to learntely. He took a deep breath, his tiredness apparent. ¡°Ask Nicole if she returns to the old house this weekend.¡± Damien nodded respectfully. As mr. Riddle Sr. wearily waved his hand, Damien left the room and gently closed the door. ¡°What¡¯s going on, Damien? What did Dad say to you?¡± Dillon asked. He was standing outside the door when Damien came out. His father used to talk to Damien alone, but it had never been this long. Dillon was ipetent and greedy, and Damien had always been looking down on him.¡± Nothing, but the Riddle Corporation seems in need of change.¡± Damienmented and had to admit that he had misjudged. He, at first, thought Sean was the only capable childing out of his father¡¯s fourth wife, not expecting that Nicole, who had just returned, had also gotten a foothold in the family. When Dillon heard that, he was delighted, thinking that his father was finally going to get thepany¡¯s CEO reced. Dillon looked at Damien from behind with contempt, but he did not dare to go in and disturb his father. So, he went back to his room and said to Karen, ¡°Our daughter, Snow, has been doing well. Damien has just told me that there will be a change of CEO in Riddle Corporation. I guess Father will probably rmend me for the position. After all, if we got that piece ofnd, it would be because of Nicole¡¯s rtionship with Jared.¡± 1 ¡°Have we gotten thatnd?¡± Karen was overjoyed. Dillon shook his head. ¡°Not yet, but we will know in about a week. Ask Snow to work harder. I have got to get credit for this. After I be thepany¡¯s CEO, I will immediately buy you that sapphire ne that you have been eyeing for a long time.¡± Karen was jumping for joy. She grabbed her mobile phone and called Snow, exhorting her not to cken off but work harder on Jared. 1 Snow felt puzzled on the other end of the phone, wondering if Harvey had put in a good word for her family. But thest time she was in the principal¡¯s office , Harvey clearly did not give a damn. N?velDrama.Org owns ? this. Maybe Harvey felt sorry for her and had talked with mr. Ellison after he got the news. After all, mr. Ellison and mr. Wyance knew each other. After hanging up, Snow could not hold back her excitement. She wanted to see Harvey but was a little hesitant. Atst, she gritted her teeth and called Yvana, using a pearl bracelet to buy Yvana¡¯s favor to help sound out mr. Wyance. Yvana quickly replied that mr. Wyance was indeed more biased toward the Riddle Corporation. Snow could almost be certain that it was definitely Harvey who secretly helped them. After all, who else but he could have such a significant influence? Snow would never know that mr. Wyance was just angry with the McCarthy family because they caused the dy for him in seeing Nicole. She sat on her bed and started fantasizing that Harvey must have been too tiredtely, and that was why he was cold to her. She figured she had to show him more concern. To show her thoughtfulness, she nned to cook something and bring it to Harvey for lunch tomorrow. Snow had not been so rxed for a long time. She smiled and called Karen back to reassure her, saying confidently that mr. Wyance was fonder of the Riddle family. Karen was ted, turned around, and told Dillon, ¡°It was really Harvey who helped us. I have also heard that mr. Wyance favors the Riddle family more. That piece ofnd will be ours.¡± Chapter 157 Chapter 157 Dillon was euphoric. ¡°Is what you say true? Snow has really done it; she has won over Harvey to lielp us!¡± He knew it-Damien had been behaving so strangely because he was jealous. ¡°Harvey isn¡¯t an ordinary guy, but Mr. Ellison¡¯s designated heir. If Snow can really win him over, we will find favor with Mr. Ellison.¡± Karen was excited. Dillon jumped for joy when he heard the news as if he had seen a bright future at Riddle Corporation beckoning to him. He was indescribably excited. ¡°Karen, you have given birth to a wonderful daughter! You have got to treat Snow better from now on.¡± Karen rolled her eyes and said, ¡°I don¡¯t need you to remind me. I have given her a diamond ne just so Harvey will take a liking to Snow, and she could marry into the Ell¡¯ison family.¡± Dillon gave Karen a peck on her cheek. ¡°It is so thoughtful of you.¡± Karen blushed. ¡°What are you doing, old man? Let me go to get a shower first.¡± Watching Karen enter the bathroom, Dillony down on the comfortablerge bed as if he saw Mr. Riddle Sr.¡¯s expression of approval and the envious look of Damien and Sean. He wanted to get to that top position as soon as possible and feel what it was like to give orders. Dillon could not help but guffaw at the thought of it. Hisck ofpetence caused him to be suppressed for the first half of his life, and now he could finally be emancipated. He could not wait any longer. Because of the big mouths of Dillon and Karen, soon the entire Riddle family knew that it was Snow who got Harvey¡¯s help to win the tender. Mr. Riddle Sr. raised his eyebrows in doubt as he listened to his servant recounting what Dillon had said. They sounded so confident and convincing , making Mr. Riddle Sr. wonder if it was really Snow who helped the Riddle family. But thinking that Snow grew up and excelled in both academics and conduct, and her rtionship between Snow and Harvey at school, Mr. Riddle Sr. felt pleased. It would be wonderful if it were indeed because of Snow, as it meant that Snow and Harvey had a steady rtionship, from which the Riddle family had everything to gain. N?velDrama.Org owns ? this. With this in mind, Mr. Riddle Sr. closed his eyes. His servants left him, and the entire house became quiet. As soon as Shawn returned to the Rogers family, he was summoned by Mr. Rogers Sr. ¡°Where have you been?¡± ¡°I was hanging out with old friends,¡± Shawn replied with his head low. As Shawn grew up in a run-down small town, Mr. Rogers Sr. did not like Shawn to keep in contact with his old friends. Besides, he did not know any of Shawn¡¯s old friends. So, he just briefly reproached Shawn. ¡°Don¡¯t mingle with those people next time. Didn¡¯t I already introduce you to many VIPs yesterday? Why don¡¯t you go out with them?¡± Shawn looked a little dejected. ¡°They don¡¯t really like hanging out with me.¡± Mr. Rogers Sr.¡¯s expression softened at hearing what Shawn had said. He patted Shawn on the hand and said softly, ¡°I don¡¯t me you. It is okay to go out with your old friends, but you always have to remember that you are my son and absolutely must not do those things that are disreputable, understand?¡± Chapter 158 Chapter 158 When Shawn nodded obediently, only did Mr. Roger Sr. smile as he said, ¡°That¡¯s my son.¡± Shawn lowered his head, but there was a hint of disdain in his eyes. ¡°This old man had no idea I. existed until I was fifteen. When my ailing mother finally brought me to him, he insulted her. He only reluctantly acknowledged me as his son after receiving the DNA results. ¡®At the beginning, when he was still healthy, he had treated me offhandedly, as if I was nobody to him. ¡®Only when his health has deteriorated, and my elder brothers have gotten more and more out of his hand did I manage to earn a spot by ying the role of an obedient and well-behaved son and be his most trusted person among the Rogerses,¡¯ Shawn thought as he lowered his eyes, the eyes that shed with a stern look. ¡®The power of the Rogers family is my only goal. With it, I will have the right to discard others in the future, and no one will be able to do so to me!¡¯ With that in mind, Shawn helped Mr. Roger Sr. walk and said gently, ¡°Father, are you feeling better today?¡± Usually, with Mr. Roger Sr.¡¯s stamina, he would not stay up past eight o¡¯clock at night waiting for Shawn¡¯s return. Instead, he would go to bed early and fall asleep while gasping for breath. Nevertheless, although his health was on the verge of copse, it had yet to reach the critical point. In other words, Mr. Roger Sr. might be able to live longer if his condition improved. And if he had only found out about his health a monthter, he would only have had six months to live at most. Apparently, Mr. Roger Sr. felt more energetic than usual today. ¡°I took Ms. Riddle¡¯s advice. After basking in the sun outside our manor in the afternoon, I feel much better,¡± he eximed joyfully. However, when he thought of how hard Shawn had persuaded him to take more naps by telling him its benefits, he squinted his eyes slightly as he looked at Shawn with suspicions. N?velDrama.Org owns ? this. Shawn raised his head immediately, his eyes full of admiration and warmth. ¡°That¡¯s great. I¡¯ll apany Father to bask in the sun every day from now on!¡± The sight of his youthful face had lightened up Mr. Roger Sr. mentally and physically. ¡®How could my youngest son, who has longed for fatherly love, possibly harm me? Perhaps he really thought that taking more breaks and naps would do good for me,¡¯ Mr. Roger Sr. convinced himself. He smiled at Shawn. ¡°Don¡¯t you have to hang out with your friends?¡± Shawn looked at him with his slightly curved eyes. ¡°They aren¡¯t as important as you, Father.¡± Mr. Roger Sr.¡¯s gaze remained at Shawn as his satisfaction toward him grew greater. With Shawn¡¯s help, he stood up and said with a generous tone, ¡°I won¡¯t stop you from having fun with those friends in the future. But remember toe home early. Don¡¯t make me wait till Shawn could sense some displeasure in Mr. Roger Sr.¡¯s words. He quickly nodded and said yes. Mr. Roger Sr. let Shawn help him to the door of his room and then said, ¡°Okay. It¡¯s gettingte. You should return to your room early to rest.¡± After speaking, he quickly opened the door and went in. The wooden door was then heavily shut in front of Shawn, sending up ayer of fine dust. Shawn¡¯s face was hidden in the shadows. No one could tell what he was thinking. Before he turned away, he let out a smirk. In his bedroom, Mr. Roger Sr. opened the ck packet from Nicole and carefully took out something from it. After looking at it thoughtfully for a while, he picked the pill and swallowed it. Actually, the sunlight was not effective enough to make him energetic. The main contributor was that small packet of medicine from Nicole. He had reason to suspect that Nicole had some connection with the famous doctor he was looking for. There was only a simple serial number instead of a special anti-counterfeiting tag found on the pills. In other words, it was not a product manufactured by any pharmaceuticalpanies at present. Chapter 159 Chapter 159 Mr, Roger Sr. happened to have seen the pills made by that famous doctor. The characteristics of these pills were very simr to the ones made by that doctor. However,pared with the slightly rough finished products before, these pills were much finer, and they seemed to be made by the same person in different periods. Hence, Mr. Roger Sr. suspected that that famous doctor must be in Hustuaburg, and the person was making rapid progress. At the thought of Jallen iming he could not find that doctor yesterday, Mr. Roger Sr. smashed the ss angrily. ¡®B*stard! Forget about the perfunctory response he gave me. Is he nning to kill me now?¡¯ The more Mr. Roger Sr. thought about it, the angrier he became. A hint of brutal look appeared in his cloudy eyes as he dialed his phone with trembling fingers. ¡®He has the audacity to try to harm me. Even though he¡¯s my son, I won¡¯t let this go.¡¯ With that in mind, he spoke to hiswyer on the phone, ¡°Hi, Dean. It¡¯s me, Christo Rogers. I want to change my will.¡± A nonchnt and indifferent voice came from the other end of the phone. ¡°Mr. Rogers Sr., your eldest son and second son requested to get notified whenever you file a bid to change your will. But of course, it¡¯s up to you. Do you want me to inform them?¡± Mr. Roger Sr. was so furious upon hearing that. He said ¡°no need¡± coldly before he told thewyer about his request. Meanwhile, Lulu and June were startled by the sight of Nicole¡¯s state when she returned to the dormitory. She was drenched from head to toe; every part of her was soaking wet. Without dy, Lulu and June wiped her with a towel. Nicole¡¯s face was expressionless. She took the towel and put it aside before heading to the bathroom. June and Lulu exchanged looks. They seemed to have sensed that something was wrong with Nicole¡¯s mood. Nicole took a hot shower. When she came out, her cheeks were pinkish from the steam. Shended her gaze on June and Lulu, who were looking at her worriedly, and said softly, ¡°I¡¯m fine. Don¡¯t worry.¡± ¡®It was just rain.¡¯ Only then did the two reluctantly retract their eyes. Nicole sat on her bed. She took out the exercises instead of herptop and nned to take a look again. Suddenly, her phone lit up. It was an anonymous message. (What did you give Christo Rogers?) After receiving a few words from Nicole, the sender understood it and texted again. (He transferred a million dors to us and asked for specific information on that medicine.] Nicole paused for a second, thinking she should have known that those wielding power in the prominent families in Northon were perceptive. She replied, (Reject the request and refund the money.) The person texting her agreed without hesitation. Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. After a brief pondering, Nicole asked, [Are there any assignments recently?] The person seemed a little surprised. (There are always jobsing in with most of them specifically asking for you. But I¡¯ve turned them down since you want to take a break.¡± After a few seconds of silence, she typed a few words. (When can I see Carl?] The person took a while to reply to her. (I couldn¡¯t find out the one tracking you. Please wait for a little longer. I don¡¯t want to take risks by letting you meet.) Nicole knew that it was his decision. She would not risk Carl and her safety no matter what, so she gave an affirmative reply without hesitation. There was no more iing text, so Nicole put away her phone and continued to go through the exercises. However, the coldness in her eyes became even frosty. Chapter 160 Chapter 160 The next morning, Nicole got up early for her morning training routine and found that Harvey was not there. His absence did not bother her. She had made it clear to him yesterday, so it was normal for him to stop approaching her. Nicole went to ss nonchntly. Due to some reasons, everyone in ss B today looked at her with weird looks. Nicole ignored their gazes. Wayne whispered, ¡°Nicole, how did you make Cain yield to you like that?¡± ¡®Forget about Austin. Even the notorious Cain from the Northon Institute treats Nicole that way?!¡¯ Not only did Cain have a decent family background, but he was also Celia Rowe¡¯s boyfriend. Most people feared him for his notoriety. He did not bother to give face almost to anyone except Gary. Nobody had seen Cain grovel like that. | Nicole nced at Wayne. She did not feel hostile toward him. ¡°Perhaps he¡¯s afraid of getting beaten again,¡± said Nicole tly. Only then did Wayne recall how Nicole had defeated a dozen thugs on her own. He flinched at the thought of that and stopped talking. Gary, at the row behind, squeezed the pen in his hand, frowning at Nicole¡¯s back. He had beaten Cain countless times, but it was never enough to stop Cain, who had no shame. Therefore, Gary was not convinced when Nicole had imed that all it took was giving Cain a beating to make him submissive. He felt that there must be some other reason. Nicole leaned against her chair¡¯s back, spinning her pen. No one knew what was on her mind. Seeing that Gary¡¯s attention was on Nicole again, Vivian broke the ruler in her hand. Her eyes were glum, and her pretty face was a little contorted with anger when she looked at Nicole. As if she had finally made up her mind on something, she suddenly threw the ruler in her hand away and left the ssroom. Vivian went directly to Ms. Emerson¡¯s office. As the ss monitor, she was very familiar with that ce. She stood in front of Ms. Emerson¡¯s desk and said calmly, ¡°Ms. Emerson, I personally think we should not allow Nicole to stay in ss B. She¡¯s a troublemaker, and her presence has affected our learning. Everyone has been talking about her instead of focusing on their monthly exam. It will affect the mentality of good students like us.¡± Herst sentence sounded like a threat as she looked at Ms. Emerson with a sense of pride. Vivian Collins was one of the top students in ss B, so to Ms. Emerson, her words carried some weight. She was even appointed as the ss monitor. Vivian was confident that once she voiced her opinion, not to mention Nicole¡¯s poor grades, Ms. Emerson would feel worried that Nicole could affect the overall ss¡¯s performance in the monthly test. ¡°Therefore, it¡¯s very likely that my words can get Nicole expelled from ss B!¡¯ Vivian thought with a hidden smile on her face. Upon hearing Vivian¡¯s words, Ms. Emerson, who was reviewing today¡¯s assignments, looked at Vivian, the student she had always been proud of. Vivian lowered her eyes, and Ms. Emerson could not tell what she was thinking. However, that did not stop Ms. Emerson from voicing her thought. She put down the assignment she was reviewing and said, ¡°Vivian, I¡¯ve always been lenient to students who perform well academically like you, but I can¡¯t tolerate you ndering your ssmates. ¡°You mentioned that Nicole has affected others in their study. But I think she has a very good learning attitude. She even asked for new exercises a few days ago. Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. ¡°You should calm down. Stop minding about what others have said. If you get swayed that easily, you should be responsible for your own exam results.¡± Although Ms. Emerson¡¯s tone was gentle, her words were imposing. Chapter 161 Chapter 161 When Vivian heard about the matter regarding the exercise book, she thought of the instance she tossed the book onto the floor and could not help but to clench the sides of her skirt. She had no idea if Nicole hade toin or not. Seeing that she remained silent, Ms. Emerson continued, ¡°Your neighbor, Oliver is usually calm and collected. He was worried about it, so he came to tell me that you were in a bad mood and hoped that I could counsel you, but you came here looking for me before I did.¡± When Vivian heard this, her eyes widened. ¡®My neighbor, that meek Oliver, actually came to Ms. Emerson to talk about me?¡¯ she thought. Seeing her shocked look, Ms. Emerson looked up and sighed, ¡°Vivian, I have high hopes for you too, don¡¯t let me down, okay?¡± Vivian nodded as if she was in a trance as she left the office. Yet, the entirety of her attention was affixed to that ¡°too¡± word. ¡®Who else does Ms. Emerson has high hopes for?¡¯ ¡®Nicole?!¡¯ As she thought of this, her chest felt like it was about to explode. ¡®What right does Nicole have to be on equal footing with me in Ms. Emerson¡¯s eyes?¡¯ She hissed to herself. ¡®Nicole has both a lousy attitude and grades, so what does she have topare with me?¡¯ When Vivian got back to ss, she immediately questioned Oliver with her eyes red. ¡°Oliver, why did you snitch on me to Ms. Emerson? Don¡¯t you know that¡¯s shameless of you!¡± The moment Vivian heard about Ms. Emerson specifically mentioning Nicole¡¯s exercise book, she thought that it was Oliver who told Ms. Emerson that she was the one who did that, causing Ms. Emerson¡¯s attitude toward her to change. Vivian¡¯s neighbor looked at her at a loss. He was only worried about her and was too embarrassed to tell her directly, so he just briefly told Ms. Emerson that Vivian was in a poor mood and not much else. Seeing Vivian was about to cry, Oliver got even more anxious. He wanted to help her wipe her tears off, but she instead coldly took a step back as she red at him. ¡°You shameless cretin! Stay away from me!¡± Oliver¡¯s hand froze in midair as a bitter smile appeared on his face. ¡®It was always like this,¡¯ He thought. Her special fondness for Gary notwithstanding, she was always cold as frost toward him. He lowered his hand as he said somewhat softly, ¡°Vivian, I¡¯m sorry, I was just worried about you¡­¡± Vivian sneered as she heard that, ¡°Worried about me? You¡¯re so worried that you snitched on me to Ms. Emerson? Who needs your disgusting concern?¡± As she said that, she walked toward Nicole, her eyes ame. ¡®It was because of this bitch,¡¯ she thought. ¡®If it weren¡¯t for her, Gary would not be acting like he had been bewitched, and I wouldn¡¯t be scolded by Ms. Emerson, who had always doted on me. All of this was because of Nicole!¡¯ Seeing that Vivian had no intention to deescte things and instead walked toward her, Nicole¡¯s eyes grew colder. Oliver stood behind Vivian as he looked at her turning away without as much as looking at him. As if sensing the gaze of everyone around him, he lightly clenched his fist. Vivian walked over to Nicole without saying anything as she immediately raised her hand to p the latter. ¡°You b*tch!¡± She had already stretched her arm out, and if this pnded on Nicole¡¯s face, it would definitely be a hard p. ¡®Best if I can just ruin her pretty face!¡¯ she viciously thought to herself.Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. Chapter 162 Chapter 162 Everyone watched with bated breath at the scene. Vivian was their ss rep and was very popr in ss. Nicole must have done something to make her so angry. Almost everyone sided with Vivian. ¡®This is going to be a good p as Nicole had indeed caused much trouble for ss B. She was also so good at seducing men that she deserved this p,¡¯ A chill appeared in Nicole¡¯s eyes. She originally could not be bothered with Vivian, but thetter kept pushing her, challenging her limits. Seeing that her p was about tond on Nicole¡¯s face, a sh of glee appeared in Vivian¡¯s eyes. Nicole not only did not dodge, but she simply just raised her left hand extremely quickly and grabbed Vivian¡¯s iing right hand. Following a slothful raise on her eyebrow was a terrifying sharp glint in her eyes. ¡°You want to learn how to p? Let me teach you.¡± Immediately after, Nicole casually raised her right hand as she struck Vivian¡¯s face like a bolt of lightning ¨C Vivian wanted to block, but it was toote as she could only watch as the p connected against her face with wide-opened eyes. Nicole did not look like she used any strength, and her hit did not look like it hurt much at all, yet Vivian¡¯s face swelled at speed visible to the naked eye, making her look like an inted balloon, turning her originally pretty face hideous. Vivian still did not realize what had happened as she looked on disdainfully at Nicole. ¡°And , here I thought you were skilled. You are actually nothing!¡± Just as she wanted to say something else, she found herself unable to open her mouth at all. A sudden pain then surged across her face. Although there was no damage on the skin, the inside had suffered serious damage, N?velDrama.Org owns ? this. Vivian touched her face in disbelief, she wanted to scream, yet she could not find her voice. When she saw everyone lookdng at her strangely, especially Gary, who was seated at the back, also giving her a frown, Vivian covered her face with her hand in panic as she could no longer be bothered with Nicole and rushed out of the ssroom. Upon seeing Vivian fleeing the ssroom in panic, everyone looked at Nicole in tear. They never thought that she was that terrifying Vivian had wanted to p Nicole but got a perfect demonstration on herself instead. Nicole looked at Vivian¡¯s fleeing silhouette without many expressions, the chill in her eyes still lingering She had controlled her strength well. This wound may look serious, but it only needed three days to heal. Vivian would most likely stop messing with her for a while after losing face before the entire ss. That was a hard and memorable lesson Nicole had taught Vivian! After ss, Nicole walked in the direction of the caf¨¦. Her pace was not too fast, yet barely anyone could catch up to her. Her face was calm as if nothing could affect her. Just as she walked into an alley, her eyebrows frowned a little. Her surrounding was quiet, yet Nicole hissed coldly. ¡°Show yourself.¡± The other part did not seem to believe that Nicole had discovered him as he hid somewhere and did not move. A cold glint shed past her eyes as she quickly turned around and kicked toward a corner not too far ahead of her. The wall shook violently, and the person hiding inside was so terrified he ran out. Nicole¡¯s speed was, however, faster than him as she quickly grabbed his arm and tugged it as her other hand moved forward and locked onto the person¡¯s throat. The man was shocked by her sldlls as he tried to use his hand to pry her hand away from his throat as if wanting to say something. Chapter 163 Chapter 163 Nicole noticed that this person¡¯s movement was quite random, and he did not seem like a person who knew martial arts at all. ¡®Who would send someone like this to kill her?¡¯ she wondered. As she thought of that, she loosened her grip slightly, just enough to lock the person but still allowed the person to speak . ¡°Speak. Who sent you?¡± Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. The other party took a few deep breaths. Nicole¡¯s hand may be slender, but he could not free himself no matter how he tried. He had thought that Nicole was just a dour tech nerd and did not expect her to be so strong! Seeing that he did not speak, she faintly signaled that she was increasing the strength of her grip. He immediately blurted out. ¡°Lucifer! Stop! It¡¯s me, Specter!¡± ¡®Specter?¡¯ Nicole was stunned for a moment, but she still did not loosen her grip. ¡°What¡¯s your proof?¡± Specter coughed a few times. Fearing that she might continue to hold him in this chokehold, he frantically said, ¡°We have previously done a chain tracking of white from Mecrounia. Three years ago, you tried to fix the technical loopholes of Hustuaburg¡¯s space agency. And most recently, you tried to act against the Johnstons and almostpromised the JJ Johnston Group¡¯s data vault, affecting their productunch, costing them a hundred million bucks!¡± When Nicole heard all that, the suspicion in her heart slowly faded away. Indeed, only Specter would know that she did all these. Seeing that Nicole was lowering her guard, Specter cheekily quipped, ¡°Lucifer, I made so much effort to run away from home to see you, and this is your meeting gift for me?¡± When Nicole heard this, she speechlessly twitched the corners of her mouth as she let him go. # was only when Specter stood up straight and looked resentfully at her that Nicole realized that he looked younger than him, with a childlike babyface Recalling what she had done with him thus far, Nicole felt a little conflicted. ¡®Is this person an adult?¡± she wondered. Seemingly understanding her gaze, Specter said irritably, ¡°What are you looking at? I¡¯m already eighteen! Don¡¯t think I don¡¯t know you were already in the business when you were fifteen!¡± Nicole raised her eyebrows and motioned for him to continue speaking. Seeing her expression, Specter realized what he had exposed, and his voice became softer and softer. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to look into your background, but someone had been tracking me down recently, and you were not online. I had no other way to contact you, so I thought of finding your real-world address¡­¡± Nicole knew that he would not lie to her. Looking at his babyface and thinking of her seemingly mature partner on the inte, there was a disconcerting sense in her heart that she could not put to words. ¡°But¡­¡± Specter looked at Nicole as he said seriously, ¡°Lucifer, did you cross someone powerful or something? When they could not track you down, they started to track me instead. I¡¯m not as skilled as you and almost got tracked down a few times!¡± Thinking of her few nemeses, Nicole squinted a little, but she did not dwell on the topic as she said faintly, ¡°Have you eaten yet?¡± Specter immediately shook his head. He had sneaked out from home and ran all the way to Royal Creek Institute to squat with her. He had no time to eat at all. Nicole rolled her eyes at him as she slothfully said, ¡°I¡¯ll take you out for a meal. We¡¯ll talk as we eat.¡± The two walked on the path inside the Royal Creek Institute as Nicole recalled the Grove that she was taken to previously. The ce was both quiet and had good sound instion. So, she decided to take Specter there for a meal. Specter had a very cute baby face, and when he kept quiet, there was a look of innocent deception. The taxi driver looked at the two a couple of times. At first, he was worried that Nicole was going to do something bad to Specter, but when he saw Nicole¡¯s face, he was dumbfounded, ¡®Ah, forget it. The girl is prettier than the boy. I don¡¯t have to worry.¡¯ He thought. Chapter 164 Chapter 164 Along the way, Nicole observed Specter, feeling that he was not interested in anything, nor was he looking at the bustling sights of San Joto. She then had some thoughts inside her. want After arriving at the ce, Nicole took Specter in. There were few people there at the time, so the two went to a private room on the second floor and ordered a few dishes before Nicole asked. ¡°Come on, out with it. How did you find me?¡± Specter looked at Nicole¡¯s somewhat close face as he then turned away and said somewhat squeamishly, ¡°You¡¯re too close.¡± Nicole paused for a moment before impassively shifting a little bit to the side before asking,¡± Better?¡± Specter¡¯s ears were flushed red as he nced at Nicole and said, ¡°It¡¯s a hotel you once stayed at Nottingbrook State that probably required real- name registration. I found you using that name.¡± Nottingbrook State? Nicole¡¯s expression changed a little. She did not expect the problem to ur there. She had always been cautious, but she had a high-difficulty mission back then, and she did not have the time to delete her personal information from the hotel¡¯s database after the mission was done. Thankfully it was just a name. If Specter was not her partner and had given him a second-level key to allow him some decryption ability against her IP, he would never have been able to follow her trail to the hotel and get her name. But even so, she still had to go to Nottingbrook State. Specter was no stranger to Nicole¡¯s caution, and the moment he saw her expression, he said, ¡± You¡¯re going to Nottingbrook State, right? Take me with you!¡± Nicole nced at him. She had always worked alone. Plus, bringing a kid along is nothing but trouble. She then said impassively, ¡°Not bringing a kid along. Too much trouble.¡± Specter was so pissed he stopped eating, ¡°Youre the same age as me, just a tew months older! I don¡¯t care. If you don¡¯t take me along, I¡¯ll sell your information to H! He is looking for you across the whole world! As he said that, he was no longer nervous as he crossed his leg and stared at Nicole with a look of ¡®What can you do to me, huh?¡¯. Nicole looked back at him and said with a half-smile. ¡°That beating earlier was not enough?¡± Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. ¡®He dares to threaten me?¡¯ she thought. Specter was immediately spooked. He forgot that Nicole was not the tech nerd he imagined but a very skilled femme fatale! ¡®It was all your fault.¡¯ He hissed as he thought, ¡®Why did you register all your gender details as male. Even the hotel only has your name. It was only natural that I took you for a guy.¡¯ As he looked at Nicole¡¯s beautiful, contemtive face, Specter was a little stunned. Although his parents, who would beat him as soon as they saw him, were not kind to him, they still taught him what they needed to. Hence, he had seen plenty of pretty girls before. Nevertheless, he still could not help but get lost watching Nicole¡¯s face. Her beautiful eyes had a natural brilliance to them. The light in her eyes was clear yet sharp, as if it could pierce through a person¡¯s heart, causing everyone under her gaze to feel a little numb. It hurt, but still, he could not help but look at them. Specter lowered his head, a faint tinge of confusion floating in his eyes. ¡®With Nicole being this skilled, will I be a burden if I follow her?¡¯ He pursed his lips at the thought of this. The fork in his hand stopped moving. Although he was very hungry, he had lost his appetite, Seeing that he was not eating, Nicole frowned a little. ¡°Eat up.¡± After that, she took her phone and walked out as she made a phone call. Chapter 165 Chapter 165 ¡°Book two tickets to the nearest airport to Nottingbrook State, and then get a car to pick me up.¡± It was Friday today, and after some thoughts, she sent a message to Ms. Emerson to ask for leave for the afternoon session. After that, she returned to the room and looked at Specter¡¯s still entranced face as she said,¡± Eat up. Come with me once we¡¯re done eating.¡± Specter was surprised when he heard that as he turned to Nicole. When she saw the smile on his small face, the coldness in her eyes slowly faded away. She patted his head and picked up her cutlery as she started eating as well. ¡°The dishes here are not bad.¡± Knowing that he could go with Nicole, Specter looked up and once again had the desire to talk with her. ¡°Not as good as the cook at my ce.¡± As he said that, he looked at Nicole with eyes full of expectation that she would continue to ask more questions. Nicole did not follow his wish but instead wiped the corner of her mouth. ¡°If you¡¯re done, let¡¯s Specter responded with some dejection. He thought that Nicole would be curious about him during their first meeting, but she was not as excited as he was. To him, Lucifer was both his master and his friend. She was a legend among hackers and was the most difficult peak for him to climb. Now that he had finally met her, he was naturally very excitable. Nicole took him downstairs as he said, somewhat begrudgingly, behind her. ¡°Nicole, why aren¡¯t you interested in me at all?¡± When Nicole heard what he said, she did not turn back but instead said. ¡°I thought you were hoping that I wouldn¡¯t ask.¡± After all, when the two were on missions, they had never divulged any of their personal information. It was like a tacit understanding without words. Not asking each other¡¯s true details was the rule that both Lucifer and Specter would abide by beyond the screen, Thinking that since Lucifer hade to look for her, Nicole turned around and looked at him as she said, ¡°However, I¡¯ve already got your information earlier on.¡± It was not only just his information. If Nicole really wanted, she could dig out details of his ancestors as well. However, out of respect for his privacy, Nicole did not look at much of it but instead just simply took a nce at his real name. Looking at the tongue-tied Specter, there was a rare tinge ofughter in her voice. ¡°Hello, Zeke Guzman.¡± Zeke looked at Nicole in a daze, seemingly unable to react. It was only when Nicole had drawn a distance from him that he quickly followed, ¡°Eh, Nicole, wait for me!¡± It was the weekend, and after school, Snow and Raine were picked up by the car sent from the Riddle family Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. Snow was still carrying a thermos container with her with a grim expression on her face. She had originally nned to give this to Harvey, but after waiting until everyone was gone at the bottom of his unit, someone told her that Harvey had taken leave for today due to some emergency and did note to school. When she remembered that Harvey¡¯s phone was turned off when she called him, her grip upon the container tightened as she smiled at the person and thanked him for telling her that before leaving embarrassedly. Harvey would never tell her what he was up to. Fortunately, he still spoke up for her before Mr. Wyance. That meant he cared about her, and that was enough. Snow tried to calm herself that it did not matter, but the moment she got into her room, she smashed the thermos container into the ground, shattering it into pieces. The hot soup sshed out, staining the majestic carpet with blotches of stain. ¡ª ez Raine was shocked by Snow¡¯s sudden tantrum and immediately asked, ¡°Snow, what¡¯s the matter?¡± Chapter 166 Chapter 166 Snow nced at Raine. She had no reason to vent at her sister, so she said softly, ¡°I¡¯m fine. How are things between you and Gary?¡± The Finley family was also one of the elite families of San Joto, and Raine had always been proud of the fact she was close to Gary. But recently, Gary had been using the excuse of being busy with his revisions and rejected her countless invitations. Thinking of this, even Raine wore a grim look as she hissed, ¡°Gary is particrly cold to me ofte. It¡¯s all Nicole¡¯s fault! What should I do, Snow?¡± She had no idea that Harvey¡¯s attitude toward Snow already had Snow at her wit¡¯s end. She thought that her sister¡¯s rtionship with Harvey was still good, so she wanted her to give her some ideas. However, Snow, too, was having a headache. She kept telling herself that Harvey still cared for her, yet there was inexplicable anxiety in her heart. Harvey did not acknowledge her at all. He had warned her against being delusional. Thinking of this, a grim glint appeared in her eyes, but she stillforted Raine as she said, ¡°. Gary might really be distracted by his studies. After all, Nicole had made such a promation and ced all the pressure on him. Even if he says nothing, you must show understanding, okay?¡± When Raine heard that, she felt it made sense, and so she nodded, ¡°Yes, Snow.¡± Snow then continued, ¡°Ignore Nicole. What Grandpa is focused on is our results. You must maintain first ce in the exams this month, and don¡¯t let it slip. We¡¯ll then have a way to chase Nicole out!¡± ¡®Once Nicole no longer has the backing of the Riddle family, she will be nothing!¡¯ ¡®Let¡¯s see how she seduces someone then!¡¯ Raine nodded. ¡®Nicole is a nobody and only has the Riddle family as her backing. If we can get Grandpa to disown her, then it will be impossible for her to have a ce in San Joto.¡¯ Soon, a servant asked both of them to go downstairs for dinner. Both Snow and Raine looked at each other and clearly saw the intent in each other¡¯s eyes. ¡®Nicole must not be allowed to remain in the Riddle family! It will be the weekend tomorrow, and as usual, the four sons of the Riddle family will bring their children back for dinner. Yet, when Mr. Riddle Sr. came downstairs, he did not see Nicole or Chloe. Everyone was already at the dinner table, and he could not help but let out a dissatisfied frown. He looked toward the room, and Damien and Miley immediately said respectfully, ¡°Father, Chloe had recently gotten an invitation from a director, and she is still filming in Nottingbrook State. She¡¯ll only be back around next week.¡± When Mr. Riddle Sr. heard that, only did his expression soften. He looked at his quiet grandson, Everett, sitting by Damien¡¯s side as he said. ¡°Everett, what is it like in thepany? Everett bowed with head low, hiding his expression away from Mr. Riddle Sr.¡¯s sight, yet thetter could hear his respectful voice. ¡°Grandfather, I¡¯ve learned many things from Father, Uncle Dillon, and Uncle Dexter. But there are still many things I don¡¯t know yet, and I¡¯ll work hard.¡± Seeing him having such a positive attitude, Mr. Riddle Sr. nodded with satisfaction. ¡°Keep this attitude up.¡±N?velDrama.Org owns ? this. After that, he looked dimly at Daniel, his voice rumbling. ¡°Daniel, where is Nicole? Why isn¡¯t she back? Why hasn¡¯t she beening back to the Riddle family house?¡± He also wanted to ask why Nicole was at the Rogers family mansion and why was she not back this weekend. Daniel immediately responded. ¡°Father, Nicole had been studying at school for the exam, and she is probablyte today. I¡¯ll give her a call. Please calm down.¡± As they said that, Daniel and Gloria quickly called Nicole, but her phone was unexpectedly turned off, 4 Chapter 167 Chapter 167 As she was a movie star, Chloe¡¯s situation was understandable. Nicole, on the other hand, had not even secured her ce within the family, and she did not even deign toe back. Even if the old man were to stand up for her all this while, he would still be unhappy about it. This belongs to N?velDrama.Org. The two looked at each other, and sweat started toe down from their foreheads. Both Samuel and Spencer too anxiously gave Nicole a call. They had not seen their little sister much this week and thought that they could have a nice chat with her today, but it turned out that she did not return home at all. Even the usually steady Sean had a worried look in his eyes. ¡®Nicole¡¯s behavior, be it intentional or not, it¡¯s tantamount to an affront to grandpa. We hear nothing about her during our family dinner, which is held once a week, and she is absent without notice. This must be an affront to his authority in grandpa¡¯s eyes.¡¯ At this moment, Mr. Riddle Sr.¡¯s face was so grim one could wring the bitterness out of it. Seeing this scene, Norah was gleeful. Although she did not know why Nicole did note back, when she saw the old man being dissatisfied with Nicole, she was happy. At this moment, Raine took the opportunity and said, ¡°Grandpa, Nicole straight up refused to speak to Snow and me at school, as if she can¡¯t be bothered with the Riddle family. She even got along with the bully from the neighboring school and did not focus on her studies. She isn¡¯t studying hard like what Uncle Daniel said.¡± Snow waited until Raine was done before she spoke, ¡°Raine, don¡¯t say that. Perhaps Nicole was held back by something¡­¡± Before Snow was done speaking , Karen sneered, ¡°Snow, you don¡¯t have to speak for Nicole. The fact she did note back today proved everything. It does seem like we are nothing to her.¡± Dillon, too frowned. ¡°Did Nicole really think herself a big shot or something? She isn¡¯t even assured a ce in the family, so what¡¯s with the posturing?¡± Preston had his headphones on and could not be bothered to participate in this crusade against Nicole. However, his character on the phone had already died five times in a row, and he tossed his phone aside somewhat irritably. Just as he was about to say something, Damien suddenly spoke. ¡°Enough, stop it.¡± Miley looked at her husband, too, not understanding why he suddenly spoke up for Nicole. Even Dexter looked at hie aldau huatl Dillon was just angry about that.¡± .. Emma looked at Dexter too. She had always kept her tongue and only said a sentence. ¡°Listen to Damien and stop it.¡± Dillon looked at his elder brother with some dissatisfaction, not understanding why thetter suddenly became neutral. Everett, on the other hand, gave his father a thoughtful look. Daniel gave Damien a grateful look and wanted to give Nicole another call. ¡°Father, Nicole might be on her way. Let¡¯s wait a¨C¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. said with a gloomy face. ¡°No need. Since she isn¡¯t willing toe back here to eat, there¡¯s no need to wait for her.¡± It seemed like he had spoiled Nicole a little too much, so much so that she became so defiant. He angrily knocked his walking stick onto the ground as he hissed coldly. ¡°Ignore here. Tell the cook to serve the food!¡± As soon as the words left his mouth, some were ted; some were worried. Aside from Preston, everyone from Dillon¡¯s household wore a look of surprise on their face. They had long disliked Nicole, especially Snow and Raine. They thought, ¡®Now that Nicole has totally fallen out of favor with the old man, without the backing of our family, she won¡¯t amount to much now.¡¯ Chapter 168 Chapter 168 Norah was pleased, but Daniel, Gloria, and Sean were all anxious. They wanted to say something to Mr. Riddle Sr., but he simply just waved them off. ¡°No need to say anything else. This is Nicole¡¯s own choice.¡± After he had heard from the servants that Snow spoke with Harvey and helped the Riddle family, he was slightly more biased toward Snow. Recently, because of Nicole, he had been paying less attention to them, and it was probably time to take good notice of Snow now. Hearing what Mr. Riddle Sr. had said, Damien frowned a little as he nced silently at thette. He felt that the old man was still more partial toward Nicole and that what the old man said was just out of anger. At this moment, Miley¡¯s phone suddenly vibrated as Chloe replied. Miley immediately took out her phone. Chloe was her most valued daughter, and she had been pouring everything she had into Chloe. Chloe, too had never disappointed her before, as she was so brilliant it was blinding. Chloe was not only impably beautiful, but her temperament, speech, and capabilities were also first- rate. She was proficient in everything from piano, chess, and the likes. Moreover, she was picked by a director at a very young age and embarked on the path to stardom she hadid out for her. Chloe¡¯s message was probably pinned, and when Miley picked up her phone and saw the message in it, she said tedly, ¡°Chloe said she has a chance to get the ambassadorship for JJ Johnston Group!¡± As soon she said that, everyone looked at Damien¡¯s household in surprise as a look of envy appeared on Dillon¡¯s face. Karen then said in disbelief, ¡°Miley, what are you on about? Chloe is at most a second-line star. That is the JJ Johnston Group, you know. How did she get to be their brand ambassador?¡± The JJ Johnston Group was the true leader of the business world. They had onlye in from abroad three months ago and had already monopolized more than seventy percent of the domestic market resources. The group was so powerful that domestic businesses simply could not go against them The leaders of this group were very mysterious, and their circle would nevere into contact with them at all. With no dues present, they had no way to even try to tter those people, Yet, Chloe did the unthinkable and got her hands on the ambassadorship for ] Johnston Group! Miley proudly lifted her chin without even giving Karen a nce. Her daughter was capable, and it could not be helped if Karen got jealous. Mr. Riddle Sr.¡¯s expression brightened somewhat as he looked at Miley in surprise. ¡°Is it true?¡± Miley nodded. ¡°Father, you should know that Chloe will never say something she does not have confidence in. If she said there¡¯s hope, that means it¡¯s almost certain.¡± The thought of Chloe actually giving her such a raise in prestige this time, Miley was extremely proud. Damien had snapped back now. As he looked at his wife, the worries in his heart disappeared. If Chloe could get the ambassadorship from JJ Johnston Group, then he had no need to be afraid of the influence of Snow and Harvey. After all, Chloe was no pushover either. ¡°Father, once Chloees back, we¡¯ll get her to tell us all about the matter with JJ Johnston Group!¡± Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. Mr. Riddle Sr. also nodded. He did not expect Chloe to be so capable. With both the daughters from his eldest and second son being so outstanding, Mr. Riddle Sr. turned his gaze toward Daniel This son of his was weak since he was a child. His frailty aside, he too was unambitious, so Mr. Riddle Sr. did not pin any hope on him. Although Nicole knows Mr. Ellison, it was simply not enough As he thought of this, Mr. Riddle Sr.¡¯s expression turned a little gloomy. ¡°Daniel, you should probably look after Nicole. Your brother¡¯s children are developing well, and Nicole should also have something to show¡­¡± However, before he could finish, the door was suddenly opened hurriedly by a servant. With him being interrupted mid-speech, Mr. Riddle Sr. looked at the servant at the door with a displeased look. ¡°What are you doing in such a panic?¡± The servant could not be bothered with his anger as he quickly added, ¡°Sir, people from the Rogers family are here!¡± Chapter 169 Chapter 169 Chapter 169 ¡®WHAT?¡¯ For a moment, Mr. Riddle Sr. thought he was hearing things, and so was the rest as they were stunned silly by that family name. Dillon, too asked somewhat quizzically. ¡°Which Rogers family?¡± ¡®Why would a top elite family like the Rogers personallye to visit our family?¡¯ The servant wiped off the sweat from his forehead as he said. ¡°There¡¯s no other Rogers family in San Joto! Stop asking, sir. Please go out to receive them!¡± As soon as they heard that, everyone was stunned, but Mr. Riddle Sr. reacted the fastest as he stood up with the help of his servant and hastened out with his walking stick in hand. The others looked at each other for a few good seconds before Mr. Riddle Sr. yelled angrily.¡± What are you lot waiting for? Get out, now!¡± With the Rogers family growing rapidly nowadays, they were not a family that an old-time family without any power like the Riddle family could afford to offend. Five to six low-profile luxury cars were parked quietly outside the Riddle family manor. When Mr. Riddle Sr. saw the special license tes, he was sure that these were cars sent by the Rogers family. Mr. Rogers Sr. was being helped out of the car by Shawn, and when Mr. Riddle Sr. saw that, he almost fainted Even Damien, who rushed over, was stunned. Dillon and Dexter behind him did not actually know Mr. Rogers Sr. ¨C Christo Rogers ¨C and did not understand why their father and eldest brother was reacting like that, but through their expressions, they could guess the identity of the people standing before them. Mr. Riddle St. quickdy took a few steps forward as he said politely, ¡°We didn¡¯t know that you were coming, Christo, and we didn¡¯t make any preparations¡­¡± As he said that, he made an inviting gesture as he tried to lead Mr. Rogers Sr. into the manor, Damien also quickly added. Mr. Rogers Sr., pleasee in.¡± Mr. Rogers Sr. looked up and saw Mr. Riddle Sr, as he slowly smiled, ¡°Benjamin, you sure know how to hide. How did I not know that your family is so capable?¡± Benjamin was Mr. Riddle Sr.¡¯s first name. He narrowed his slightly muddied eyes a little as he looked on inquisitively at Mr. Riddle Sr. Mr. Riddle Sr. was stunned when he heard that. He looked at Mr. Rogers Sr. with a puzzled expression. Even his hand stopped moving. ¡°Christo, what do you mean?¡± Mr. Rogers Sr. had never spoken to him before and would not even deign to be bothered with him back then. For the former to speak with him with such an intimate tone, Mr. Riddle Sr. was, of course, a little ttered. Shawn nced at Mr. Riddle Sr. and noticed that the confusion on thetter¡¯s face was not faked. He then lowered his head. It seemed like it was the same as what Harvey had asked him to investigate. The Riddle family did not know anything about Nicole at all. Otherwise, why would the Riddle family hide their rtionship with Nicole? Harvey had already deduced something from the conversation between Snow and Raine in the caf¨¦ the other day and got him to investigate the link between Nicole and the Riddle family. Sure enough, heThis belongs to N?velDrama.Org. found some trails. When Mr. Rogers Sr. asked him about Nicole, he told him about the entire thing without hesitation However, Shawn totally did not expect that Nicole would have spent a long time in Great Oak. He lowered his eyes a little, blocking the look in his eyes. Seeing Mr. Riddle Sr.¡¯s confused look, Mr. Rogers Sr, was unhappy thetter was ying coy as his expression tumed cold, ¡°Benjamin, this is too much. You can hide her back then, but not now. Call her out, now.¡± Chapter 170 Chapter 170 Coming out of the car was the biggest respect that Mr. Rogers Sr. gave the Riddle family, and it was only because of Nicole that he continued to be so gentle. Otherwise, the Riddles would have never been qualified to speak with him. He did not move and did not intend to enter the manor at all, as he only wanted toe and take Nicole away. Mr. Riddle Sr. got even more confused as Dillon behind him interjected. ¡°Mr. Rogers Sr., are you looking for Chloe? She is not here today¡­¡± Everyone suddenly showed a look of understanding, and they were basically sure that Mr. Rogers Sr. was looking for Chloe. It was because, in terms of possibility, only Chloe had any trace of connection with the Rogers family. Although Miley was a daughter of the Rogers branch family, she was not outstanding, but her daughter was indeed much more valued by the branch family and was called over to stay with them often. So, they thought perhaps Mr. Rogers Sr. had met her then. That was the most definitive answer in the hearts of most of the Riddle family. Miley, too thought of this, and she immediately looked at Mr. Rogers Sr., her eyes full of tension and anticipation. If the main family really took a liking to the brilliant Chloe, then the lifelong dream of her parents would be completed. The reason the branch family was abandoned by the main family was that they had crossed the Johnston family more than ten years ago. Back then, they were the third household of the Rogers family and had now fallen to the rear end of the great families of San Joto. So, their biggest wish was to please the Johnston family and return to the Rogers family once again to live the high life. If Chloe could aplish this in advance, then it would be no different than striking the jackpot for Miley and the rest! But the reality was fated to disappoint Miley as Mr. Rogers Sr. got even more confused when he heard the name ¡°Chloe.¡± ¡°Who is Chloe? Immediately after , a trace of impatience appeared on his old, weathered face. ¡°Stop wasting time. Hand her over, now!¡± Seeing that Mr. Rogers Sr.¡¯s expression had turned grim, the Riddle family was so scared they dared not move. They did not expect the person he was looking for was not Chloe! Mr. Riddle. Sr gritted his teeth as he said, ¡°Christo, we have no idea who are you looking for. Please do tell.¡± When Mr. Rogers Sr. heard that, he was about to lose his temper. He did not believe the driveling out of Mr. Riddle. Sr¡¯s mouth and thought they just did not want to tell him where Nicole was, and his expression was somewhat menacing in an instant. ¡®Anyone who dares to prevent me from living longer will pay the price! After learning about Nicole¡¯s connection to the Riddle family from Shawn, Mr. Rogers Sr. could not wait a moment longer. It was out of his status that he waited until night toe to the Riddle family manor, hoping that the Riddle family would give him a satisfactory response. Yet, the Riddle family dared to make a fool out of him! Mr. Rogers Sr. looked on at Mr. Riddle Sr., a cold glint appearing in his eyes, and just as he was about to say something¡­ Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. The Riddle family was ready to weather a storm of fury, and who knew that Shawn whispered a couple of things to the furious Mr. Rogers Sr., and he strangely calmed down. Mr. Rogers Sr. looked at everyone in the Riddle family and calmly said, ¡°Benjamin, is everyone in the Riddle family here today?¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. nodded without fullyprehending. Aside from Chloe, everyone else was here. Mr. Rogers Sr. finally gave Mr. Riddle Sr. a look with a half-smile before bursting out inughter as he went back to the car. The high-performance cars immediately drove off, leaving the Riddle family a face full of exhaust fumes, Everyone in the Riddle family looked on, stunned at this scene, not understanding what Mr. Rogers Sr. was up to. ¡®He came lookdng for someone, and he left because our family was not able to hand that person over?¡¯ Dillon then spat angrily. The Rogers family think they are big shots, aren¡¯t they? What is this? Did they call us out just to humiliate us?¡± Karen, too looked on angrily at the direction the Rogers family cars had left, a Chapter 171 Chapter 171 Mr. Riddle Sr. knocked his crutch furiously after hearing what Dillon said. ¡°Shut up, you rascal! The Rogers family had not gone far yet; it would not be nice if they overheard what he said. Damien shot a disdainful nce at his dumb second brother. The Rogers family was one of the three major families. They could not make anyint even if the Rogers family asked them to kneel and crawl on the ground. But thinking about what Mr. Rogers Sr. had done, Damien looked at Mr. Riddle Sr. with some concern in his eyes. Mr. Riddle Sr. sighed as he looked in the direction where Mr. Rogers Sr. left. In fact, he had still not figured out who Mr. Rogers Sr. was looking for. He thought of Mr. Rogers Sr.¡¯s laughter and his question: ¡°Are all the members of the Riddle family here?¡± With the help of his servants, Mr. Riddle Sr. walked slowly back in. It was at this time that something suddenly dawned on him. He almost forgot what his eldest son had said to him before. Damien had told him that at the Rogers family¡¯s birthday party, he saw Mr. Rogers Sr.e out to invite Nicole personally. 1 ¡®Only Chloe and Nicole are absent at our family dinner today. Since Christo does not know Chloe, then he must be looking for Nicole.¡¯ Mr. Riddle Sr.¡¯s steps wobbled at the thought. Dillon was still swearing behind him when that happened. Raine and Snow were standing behind with their eyes lowered as if thinking of something. A servant suddenly asked worriedly, ¡°Are you okay, Mr. Riddle?¡± This belongs to N?velDrama.Org. Everyone looked ahead and saw Mr. Riddle Sr. pressing his hand to his chest, seemingly in pain. ¡°Nicole¡­ Nicole¡­¡± Those were thest words he uttered before he gasped for air and could no longer speak. He then fell backward. Damien and Dillon stood where they were, watching Mr. Riddle Sr. fall backward and do nothing. There was a strange look in both Damien¡¯s and Dillon¡¯s eyes. Dexter was behind them. When he saw them not doing anything, he at first thought of lunging forward, but he did not. He hesitated. Now that Damien, Dillon, and Sean all had gained a foothold in Riddle Corporation, his position was a little awkward. He oversaw finances but did not have any actual power. He had been in this position for a long time. Just when the three of them were doing nothing, someone suddenly lunged up. Daniel moved in a sh and caught Mr. Riddle Sr. He then called out anxiously, ¡°Why are you all standing here? Call the doctor!¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. had paralyzed in ce, but he could still see what was happening in front of his eyes and felt a pang of disappointment. It was at this crucial moment that the son whom he least favored was the one who wanted to save him. Dillon still did nothing. Damien¡¯s heart skipped a beat, and he quickly went aside to call the doctor. The female members of the family looked on and did not know what to do. The juniors behind them saw clearly what was happening and came up and were concerned about Mr. Riddle Sr.¡¯s condition. Sean and Steve ran up first. When they saw Mr. Riddle Sr.¡¯s condition, they stopped Spencer, Samuel, and Stanley froming over and told them with a serious face. ¡°Don¡¯t go near. Grandpa has a heart attack.¡± when they de condition,ped spencer, Chapter 172 Chapter 172 They must not move or disturb him or panic when he had a heart attack. Preston and others were all stunned for a moment and did note up upon hearing that. But Snow and Raine could not care less. They hurried over to mr. Riddle Sr., crying out loud,¡± Grandpa, are you alright? Wake up, Grandpa!¡± Sean frowned, thinking their reactions were genuine and did not stop them. It was Steve who knew better and went up to pull Snow and Raine away so that they did not obstruct Daniel from helping mr. Riddle Sr. Sweat was trickling down the tip of Daniel¡¯s nose as he was not in a good state of health and found it difficult to support a person¡¯s weight. Seeing the situation, Samuel and Spencer rushed up from behind and gave their father a hand. Stanley hurried the female family members to go upstairs. Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. When he came back down again, the family doctor had arrived and was auscultating mr. Riddle Sr. After that, the doctor said,¡± He probably has a myocardial infarction caused by excessive anger. mr. Riddle Sr. is old, and dyed treatment could lead to chronic heart failure.¡± Everyone had a different expression on their faces. Dillon looked thoughtfully at mr. Riddle Sr. lying on a stretcher with a strange look on his face. But Damien seemed anxious. ¡°What should we do, doctor?¡± The doctor sighed and said, ¡°Send it to a hospital and prepare for an operation. But as I have said just now, at mr. Riddle Sr.¡¯s age, the operation is risky. So, you all have to be mentally prepared.¡± Daniel¡¯s eyes reddened upon hearing that. He said nothing but just asked the house butler to get the car ready, and then they all hurried to the hospital. Dexter followed behind Daniel and studied his brother¡¯s expression. There was a look of trepidation in his eyes when he saw mr. Riddle Sr. lie there. They went to the best hospital in San Joto. Soon after arriving, mr. Riddle Sr. was transferred to the VIP ward. After the doctor examined him, he took off his mask and told Daniel and others, saying, ¡°His situation is not ideal. I¡¯d suggest other treatment methods first. If his condition deteriorates, he must undergo surgery. But the risk of surgery is high. You should not hold out too much hope.¡± Daniel took a deep breath. Damien said slowly, ¡°Okay, we understood.¡± Damien told everyone to leave the room while he stayed to apany mr. In Riddle Sr. He dutched his father¡¯s already somewhat dry palm and said in a very sad voice, ¡°Father, don¡¯t worry. We will get the best doctor to heal you.¡± mr. Riddle Sr. had still not lost all his consciousness and felt happy to hear what his eldest son said. Maybe Damien¡¯s hesitation earlier was just because he was too shocked to react in time. He struggled to mime with his mouth. Damien read his lips andforted him. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Father. I will ask Nicole toe back.¡± Mr Riddle Sk. gently closed his eyes and did not notice the strange expression in Damien¡¯s eyes. He was now sure that Nicole had something to do with the Rogers family. Just that those fools did not know about it. Daniel and Dexter were listening to the doctor¡¯s advice outside the ward, their faces tense. After the doctor finished, they all left. The doctor looked at them from behind and gently shook his head. If only that top doctor was in San Joto, she could surely save mr. Riddle Sr. Chapter 173 Chapter 173 It was just that not everyone had the honor of being treated by her. The doctor looked at the test report in his hand and sighed. This belongs to N?velDrama.Org. Nicole did not know that so much had been going on in her absence. She had flown for six hours and finallynded at Nottingbrook State. She carried her luggage and put on a ck baseball cap with the brim lowered. Nicole then walked out of the airport with Zeke. She had turned off her mobile phone before getting on the ne and had no intention of turning it on now. Zeke was amazed by how familiar Nicole was with the ce. Surrounded by foreigners with profound facial features, Nicole shot them a re when some of them came up trying to chat her up. They all shook their heads helplessly and left, probably thinking that this girl was too unapproachable, never mind her beauty Nicole walked ahead, took out a ck cell phone she would never use in her home country, and made a call. In less than ten minutes, a car pulled up in front of the two of them, and two men in ck got out and opened the rear door for Nicole and Zeke with respect. People in the surroundings watched in amazement and fear as the two of them got into a silver -gray Bentley. The family crest in the shape of an ouroboros on the car was obviously terrifying. They thanked God for stopping them, giving them a second chance to live when they tried to chat the girl up just now. It was morning at Nottingbrook State, and the sun shining through the car window made the silhouette of Nicole¡¯s stony face stand out. Zeke stole a nce at Nicole and was awestricken. There was endless silence in the car. Zeke could almost not stand the oppressive silence. But lucky enough, th hey soon arrived at their destination. The two men in ck opened the door and respectfully ushered Nicole and Zeke out of the car. 1.Vnnh T Nicole pressed the brim of her cap lower and nodded at the two men in front of her. The two men in ck wanted to raise their hands to do something, but they held back because there were too many people around. They bowed to Nicole and quickly returned to the car. They then took out some sophisticatedponents from the trunk and quickly assembled them. Zeke watched the two men doing that with his mouth agape. Their actions were mechanically swift and incredibly neat. He put his hand to his neck and inexplicably thought of the feeling when Nicole had strangled himst time. The two men in ck finished assembling the thing in just a few minutes and ced it in front of Nicole. They then bowed to Nicole, got back into the car, and started the engine. The silver-gray car that looked like a cold-blooded cheetah quickly disappeared into the distance, Zeke looked at the thing in front of him and Nicole. It was a silver-gray motorcycle that glinted in the light with an extremely aerodynamic body. Its engine and transmission seemed to have a special silencer and cooling system. The body was not wide, and a subtle, ck tailed snake pattern was engraved on the metal above the wheels, which looked exquisite as a whole, Zeke could not help but feel it up with his hand. He thought no boy would not like this machine. He was eager to try it out. ¡°Is this car motorcycle, Nicole? Can I borrow it for a while? Chapter 174 Chapter 174 Zeke was stunned when Nicole nced at him half-heartedly with a kind of ethereal look in her eyes. She stepped forward, gently pressing her finger on the digital gauge of the motorcycle. Blue ripples lit up on the position where her finger pressed, and the engine immediately growled to life. Zeke was rooted to the spot, looking at the motorcycle that had been fired up as the front of the machine rose, the handlebars popped out, the saddle emerged, and the wheels split intopound wheels. The machine seemed toe alive, as a white streamers-like glow enveloped the body as if an angry lion woke up in the sunlight. It felt violent and cool but also difficult to control. ¡°This bike can reach a top speed of two hundred miles per hour. Do you really want to try it?¡± Nicole asked as she looked at Zeke¡¯s stunned expression. Zeke looked at her, gulped, and shook his head vigorously. ¡®What kind of person is this partner of mine? Where did Nicole get such a fast, modified bike?¡¯ he asked in his mind. Nicole saw his expression and said nothing, just raising an eyebrow as she took out a helmet from somewhere and put it on his head. ¡°Wear tight. We will go now.¡± Zeke put his helmet on with excitement. Nicole straddled the bike and said wantonly, ¡°Hold me tight if you¡¯re scared.¡± She revved the bike, and her icy eyes finally lit up with a fire of passion. Nicole did not like Nottingbrook State, but she had to admit that thisnd always lit her on fire. The motorcycle picked up in a roar, kicking up a cloud of dust and smoke. In the endless passion for speed and floating passion, a trace of enjoyment emerged in Nicole¡¯s beautiful upturned eyes in the endless passion of speed.Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. They reached their destination, and Zeke felt both legs shaking, his face pale as he got down from the bike. He looked back at Nicole with trepidation. The girl¡¯s face was still expressionless, but he keenly noticed a trace of unsatisfied yearning in her eyes. Zeke looked at Nicole, not knowing how to describe his feelings. She had a hint of fervor that was not seen in her home country on her face as if something powerful and terrifying was slowly waking up inside her. Nicole parked up the bike, took out her baseball cap from her bag, and put it on again. Only did she walk slowly toward Zeke, Zeke turned his head to look at the magnificent manor in front of him, unable to believe that it was actually a hotel, At first, he thought that he had seen enough of this world. But following Nicole around made him realize he was still living under a rock Nicole squinted and looked at the Assoria Castle up ahead. It was the most exclusive hotel in Nottingbrook State and the site of her first mission three years ago. She slowly took two cards out of her pocket, handed one to Zeke, and whispered, ¡°Follow me, and don¡¯t talk too much.¡±.. Zeke nodded. Nicole led him into the manor-like hotel, which was a massive castle with a medieval fence and carved gate. There were two guards, dressed in smart knight¡¯s uniforms with two sharp swords around their waists, standing at the gate. ¡°It¡¯s just a fake. Why such an exaggeration?¡± Zeke whispered. 2. Chapter 175 Chapter 175 Fences and gates aside, no one would really wear costumes of hundreds of years old on their bodies. Nicole responded casually and said nothing further. She could tell that it was all genuine when she first came. Nicole handed the card over at the gate, and a guard scanned it with something before giving Nicole a salute. ¡°Beautiful youngdy, I¡¯ve been expecting you.¡± Nicole nodded gently, signaling Zeke to hurry up as well. Zeke handed the card over as she did. The guard checked his card and smirked when he saw the boy was only at his chest height. ¡°Poor dwarf, go and protect your distinguished princess.¡± Zeke glowered at him, but when the guard looked back at him with the muscr chest muscles under the knight¡¯s suit, he cringed. He followed Nicole into the castle in frustration. When Zeke entered the hall, he carelessly and identally bumped into something. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± he lifelessly apologized and continued to follow Nicole to move forward. Before he could make a couple of steps, someone shouted from behind him. ¡°Stop!¡± It was spoken in hisnguage. Zeke looked back with surprise and saw a woman in a red evening dress standing there, looking at him with undisguised disgust. It was the man beside the woman who shouted at Zeke. The man¡¯s fingers cocked in a gesture, with the middle finger pressing against the thumb, and he had small eyes painted with thick eyeliner, also looking at Zeke with undisguised disdain. When the clueless Zeke looked over, the man scoffed at him, turned to look at the woman in red, and said, ¡°I hate stalkers the most. But I didn¡¯t expect that he could break into the Assoria Castle. So horrible!¡± The woman nodded. She was beautiful, her long, wavy, dyed hair adding more charm to her beauty. But the way she looked at Zeke was icy as if she wanted to pierce through him. ¡°It¡¯s annoying indeed.¡± Following the woman¡¯s response, the man became even more hostile toward Zeke. ¡°Hey, kid. Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. What have you taken from us? Stop pretending; we¡¯ve encountered this kind of thing many times. Pretending to touch it and then stealing Chloe¡¯s belongings is disgusting.¡± This charming man was Luka Antolovic the agent of Chloe. He habitually turned facts on their heads in the entertainment industry and smeared other actresses who compete with Chloe for resources. Many female artists had been bad-mouthed on and offline. They had been forced to quit because of that. Luka had apanied Chloe to countless events, big and small. Chloe might not be a big name, but she had backings and resources, and Luka was conceited and had never been named and shamed. Just like now, when he saw how Zeke dressed and was childish, he immediately formed a preconceived notion that Zeke was a stalker who just wanted to take advantage of Chloe and get some benefits for himself. As for how Zeke got into this hotel that required aristocratic real ¨C name authentication, it was not on his radar. Zeke was a little overwhelmed , but he quickly calmed down. ¡°You may be mistaken. I didn¡¯t steal anything but just identally bumped into this youngdy.¡± Luka rolled his eyes and looked at Zeke with disdain. ¡°No thief would admit to stealing. If you don¡¯t hand over the stolen goods, I will call the police to conduct a body search on you.¡± Chapter 176 Chapter 176 Zeke¡¯s expression became frigid. He did not expect that his carelessness would develop into this. ¡°I didn¡¯t steal anything. Since you don¡¯t believe me but want to call the police, bring it on, then.¡± Luka saw Zeke was still provocative and angrily pointed at him with the same finger gesture.¡± You¡¯d better believe I will call the police!¡± He took out his mobile phone and wanted to call the police when an appealing yet cold voice came to his ears. ¡°That won¡¯t be necessary.¡± It turned out to be Nicole. When she noticed Zeke had not kept up, she turned around and walked back. She had heard the ins and outs of the matter. Looking at Zeke¡¯s obviously puerile yet stubborn face, Nicole knew without any doubt that it was the other guy who was looking for trouble. She looked at Luka and said in a toneless voice, ¡°If you want to know the truth, just check back the surveince record.¡± Luka was looking at Nicole and falling into a reverie. When he heard what she said, he sneered and said, ¡°You want to stand up for this stalker and thief? Don¡¯t you know that the surveince record of the Assoria Castle is never open to the public?¡± Nicole ignored his mockery, just turned around, and said to Zeke, ¡°Wait a minute.¡± The Assoria Castle had five floors, with the second floor onward as the guest rooms. Because of privacy concerns, the surveince record was not open for public inspection. There was only the front hall, and it was easy to gain ess to the surveince record. Nicole summoned a waitstaff to call the manager over. Luka sneered at Nicole¡¯s methodical appearance. ¡°I advise you not to waste your time. We have been staying here for half a month and have never seen the manager¡¯s face here. How do you expect people to look at the surveince record for the sake of a redneck? You must be kidding me.¡± Something crossed her mind as Chloe stared at Nicole with cold eyes. For some reason, she felt Nicole looked familiar to her as if she had met Nicole before. Meanwhile, Luka was still rattling on. ¡°Where did you get the courage to think that the manager woulde out to see you? Besides, the castle has a rule that the surveince record must not be open for public inspection. N?velDrama.Org owns ? this. You two are probably parvenus with some money, gaining ess to the castle after buying a key card, right? Quickly hand the things over. We are hurrying to shoot with mr. Holder and have no time for you. The manager will note at all. Before his voice trailed off, a mundane voice came from behind him. ¡°Is this youngdy who wants to see the surveince record?¡± Luka was stunned, eyes wide open in disbelief. The manager was no ordinary figure. There was a powerful force behind the Assoria Castle, where even the waitstaff was someone whom he and Chloe could not offend. After so many days of staying here, they had not even seen the manager¡¯s face once. What was happening was beyond them. They could not believe that the manager hade out because of Nicole. Luka looked back at the manager, who wore a well-cut ck tuxedo with a distant expression on his face. By the looks of him, the manager was no ordinary character. He wore a gold -framed monocle, a silk white pocket square on the left chest, with his right hand in front of his chest. It was the most standard butler attire. Luka was stunned and asked, ¡°May I know who you are?¡± Even Chloe looked in disbelief. Chapter 177 Chapter 177 Chapter 177 Dino Johnston, the manager, frowned. He did not look at Luka and Chloe on the side but whispered to Nicole, ¡°You want to see the surveince record?¡± Nicole nodded, her gaze lingering on the butler costume for two seconds. It was the clothing of the Bourbon II era. Thinking of the knight¡¯s uniform of the William I period at the gate, Nicole¡¯s eyebrows were raised involuntarily as she thought the owner of this castle was low-key enough to show off his wealth. Dino bowed slightly as he made a ¡°please¡± gesture, after which he gave Luka and Chloe a look. ¡°ording to the needs of the guests and the rules of the hotel, you may look at the surveince record of the ground floor. I will take you all to the surveince room.¡± He led the way, walking to the right in front of Nicole and Zeke. Zeke had been shocked enough while following Nicole earlier and now seemed nonchnt. Instead, he looked back at Luka and said with a half-smile. ¡°Follow closely. It¡¯s not like you can see the manager and surveince record every day.¡± Luka and Chloe quickly caught up with them, but Luka¡¯s attitude toward Zeke was still haughty; he did not believe that people around a stalker-like Zeke were any special. The manager had only said that the surveince record in the lobby on the ground floor was open to inspection, and it had nothing to do with Nicole¡¯s background. Chloe thought the same, but there was still a faint look of surprise in her eyes. They never thought about why Nicole knew theyout and system of the castle so well, including the fact that they could ess the surveince record of the ground floor. They followed Dino into a small, inconspicuous door at the other end of the lobby. Dino then nodded politely at Nicole, pulled the door open, and invited them in. Unlike the outside, the instrument inside this room was more advanced, with a strong sense of high-tech feel. Five massive screens hung in the air, four of which were turned off, and only one was on, showing the surveince footage of the entire ground floor of the castle. Dino stepped forward and retrieved the surveince footage, during which Chloe and Zeke bumped into each other. It revealed that Zeke¡¯s hands never touched Chloe but only identally bumped into her with his shoulder. The footage spoke for itself. Luka¡¯s face changed, and he could not find a word to respond, while Chloe snorted and left without apologizing. Nicole and Zeke were like ants in her eyes. Even if she was mistaken, there was no need to apologize to such people Chloe Riddle thought to herself that it was a waste of time here. This belongs to N?velDrama.Org. After all, she was bing an A-list celebrity soon, and her every minute and every second was precious. Thinking that she was going to a shoot for mr. Holder¡¯s movie in the afternoon, Chloe said to Luka, ¡°Let¡¯s go. We must not bete for mr. Holder¡¯s movie shoot.¡± Meanwhile, Dino looked on with a thoughtful look. Nicole looked at Chloe with no expression in her eyes, yet Chloe felt a chill run up her spine, and she halted her steps for a second and looked back at Nicole in puzzlement. For some reason, Nicole was giving her a sense of familiarity. She did not know who Nicole was, but she had instinctively be hostile to Nicole. Nicole stood casually in the doorway, looking back at Chloe and Luka, who were walking toward her, and said with a half-smile, ¡°Apologize to him.¡±. Chapter 178 Chapter 178 Not only Chloe and Luka, but even Zeke, who was standing on the side, was stunned. Chloe looked at Nicole, wide-eyed. When she snapped back from her shock, she reached out her hand to push Nicole, who was leaning against the door. ¡°Who do you think you are? How dare you talk to me like this?¡± Nicole looked up with piercing eyes, which she had never shown while at the Royal Creek Institute. She looked intimidating, with her eyes upturned. The impatient and forbidding looks in the corners of her eyes made her look like a ck iris that bloomed wantonly with a charming and deadly smell. ¡°Who do you think you are that you won¡¯t even apologize for?¡± She raised her hand and grabbed Chloe¡¯s wrist, then slowly tightened her grip. Chloe could not bear the pain and cried out. She looked in fear at Nicole¡¯s face. Chloe had been well received in both the Riddle and the Rogers families and doing well in the entertainment industry. She was best at bing all things to all people. When she realized she could not get away, she quickly pleaded with Nicole. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I was wrong.¡± Nicole looked at her with cold eyes. Still gripping at her wrist, she spun Nicole around to face Zeke and said with azy look, ¡°Say it to him.¡± 1 Chloe bit her lip, looked up with pitiful eyes, and said, ¡°Hey, kid, please tell your buddy not to be too hard on me, would you?¡± She thought she would captivate Zeke, and he would not pursue the matter further, not expecting that Zeke was immune to her beauty after following Nicole all the way. ¡°I am not a kid, and I know who is right and who is wrong. Don¡¯t pull this on me,¡± Zeke said. Chloe cursed in her mind but did not dare to show it on her face. She had no choice but to humble herself. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. We misunderstood you.¡± Behind them, Luka was rooted to the spot, intimidated by Nicole. When he saw Chloe had apologized and Nicole shot a look at him, he came to his senses and quickly said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m sorry. Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. It was my mistake and I who caused this misunderstanding. Please forgive us.¡± Nicole ignored their groveling and fawning and looked at Zeke. ¡°Do you still mind?¡± Knowing that Nicole was helping him, Zeke smiled and said, ¡°It¡¯s alright. Let them go.¡± Nicole then let go of Chloe¡¯s hand and snapped, ¡°Get the hell out of my sight!¡± Chloe Riddle and Luka hurried away. Chloe was so angry that she was in no mood to go for dinner before the shoot and mmed the handbag in her hand on Luka¡¯s face. ¡°Stupid! If you hadn¡¯t said he was a stalker, we wouldn¡¯t havee to this.¡± Her eyes were filled with hatred at the thought of being forced to apologize to the stinky brat. She grew up pampered, with no one daring to antagonize her. Chloe rubbed her wrist, thinking of the person who gripped her wrist earlier and swore she would give as good as she got. Luka kept apologizing to her, but deep down inside, he was indignant. ¡®Didn¡¯t she agree with and she halted her steps for a second and looked back at Nicole in puzzlement. For some reason, Nicole was giving her a sense of familiarity. She did not know who Nicole was, but she had instinctively be hostile to Nicole. Nicole stood casually in the doorway, looking back at Chloe and Luka, who were walking toward her, and said with a half-smile, ¡°Apologize to him.¡±. Chapter 179 Chapter 179 ¡°Be sure you make a clean job of it,¡± Chloe said impatiently,¡± Luka knew she had agreed and went to carry out the n. Chloe rubbed her hands, feeling a little uneasy. As mr. Holder¡¯s movie was about to start shooting and JJ Johnston Group had still not made any move, she could not help but feel nervous. Besides, she was wondering who that woman was and why she looked so familiar. Nicole watched as Chloe and Luka left, and she looked back at Dino, gently nodding at him.¡± Thank you for today.¡± She then handed Zeke the room card she had just received and said, ¡°You go upstairs first. I will followter.¡± Zeke looked down, seemingly not hearing what Nicole had said. When he saw the room card with 402 printed on it, he nodded like a sleepwalker. Seeing Zeke wander out, Nicole looked back at Dino, who still had a straight face on, and said,¡± Is there any session soon?¡± Dino was slightly stunned to hear her question but soon regained hisposure. The VIP cards issued by the hotel could only differentiate clients by rank, but not their individual identities. This was to protect the hotel¡¯s clients. The two Gold Cards Nicole held were the most premium. It was also for this reason that this matter, which could have been resolved by the waitstaff, was handled by Dino personally. After reying the surveince footage, he would havee forward to prevent Chloe from leaving and asked her to apologize to Nicole and Zeke if Nicole had not directly intervened. So, Dino was surprised if Nicole knew something more secretive. He looked at Nicole with a faint smile. ¡°You havee at the right time. There will be a Gold Session soon. Do you want to enter?¡± Nicole did not expect a Gold Session in Nottingbrook State. Her visit was unscheduled, and she was just looking for a Bronze or Iron Session. Nicole had no reason not to join since there was a Gold Session. ¡°Two entrance tickets, please.¡± Dino gently nodded. Nicole was a Gold Card client and eligible for Gold Session entrance tickets. ¡°Someone will deliver the tickets to your room in fifteen minutes,¡± he said. Nicole nodded and said no more. She walked out at once without giving a damn to Dino¡¯s inquiring eyes. Ostensibly Assoria Castle was thergest hotel in the Nottingbrook State, but it was also a reception medium for the Moon House. This belongs to N?velDrama.Org. People needed to go through an identity check by the hotel to have a chance to enter the Moon House. Dino did not take it upon himself to look up Nicole¡¯s identity but simply picked up the walkie talkie and whispered, ¡°Two VIP tickets for the Golden Session, delivered to Room 401 and 402. Someone on the other side quickly replied, ¡°Will you let the guest in the first room on the fourth floor sit in the hall?¡± Chapter 180 Chapter 180 The other party seemed to be silent and said nothing again. Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. Going back to the room, Nicole thought for a moment and decided to knock on the door of Room 402, which was Zeke¡¯s room. The rooms in the castle were less of a continental but modern minimalist style, which Nicole still admired. Cold,nguid, with a bit of impersonal indifference. It was a bit like the caf¨¦ style of Jared. Nicole admired the interior design of the castle while waiting for Zeke to open the door. A white spiral staircase was in the air, topped by a frosty ceiling chandelier hanging from the castle¡¯s dome, where the fifth floor was located. It was massive and through which light seemed to prate. It did not take long before Zeke opened the door and invited her in. The next second after Nicole entered, a door on the fifth floor suddenly opened. Jared stepped out of it, and behind him, a blond man followed and said something to him. 1 The entire fifth floor had only one room, which upied most of the floor area, and the rest of the area was all built with massive floor-to-ceiling windows facing the inner side of the manor, the rotating roof of the castle letting in all the light, so dazzling that it was difficult to open one¡¯s eyes. Jared, shrouded in shadows, draped in a dark silk robe, stepped on a soft white carpet. He sauntered down the stairs, looking like a medieval emperor. The man behind him did not dare to get too close but just bowed his head respectfully and said, ¡°Boss, the guests of Room 401 have just arrived. They have booked two tickets to the Gold Session, and now the only VIP box left is the one next to your room.¡± Jared¡¯s charming eyescked expressions, his mind seemingly elsewhere. When he heard what the man said, he replied absent-mindedly, ¡°I¡¯m fine with whatever you decide.¡± The man nodded respectfully and said, ¡°I will arrange for someone to deliver them the tickets. ¡°He casually pressed a few numbers on the phone. Jared said nothing more and continued to walk down the stairs. His broad shoulders, long legs, and fair skin ented the vintage velvet robe extremely well, making him look as if the vampire prince straight out of an oil painting, high-and-mighty yet having a touch of elegance. There was a hint of austere impatience in his eyes. The slightly curled bangs swayed gently in front of his forehead and cast faint shadows on this charming face as he walked. He looked dangerous yet mysterious. Dino was walking up the stairs toward the two of them and put his right hand to his chest as a sign of salute when he saw Jared. ¡°Mr. Johnston,¡± he greeted. Jared looked at him with a condescending look. ¡°Have you seen everything about the Gold Session this time?¡± Dino nodded gently. Jared continued to walk down. As he passed Dino, he said casually, ¡°Get ready. I am going back to Hustuaburg as soon as this is finished.¡± There was a look of surprise in Dino¡¯s eyes, but he quickly nodded in acknowledgment. ¡®Mr. Johnston has never been so eager to return to Hustuaburg In fact, he hates going back to Hustuaburg Thest time he was back in Hustuaburg, he stayed for quite a long time there. What exactly does Hustuaburg attract him to? What¡¯s going on here?¡¯ Dino wondered. ¡®Looks like I will have to ask Max¡¯ Dino continued to walk upwards with a faint look of bafflement, which was evident on his expressionless face Chapter 181 Chapter 181 Dino came in front of Room 401 and gave it a couple of gentle knocks. Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. When no one responded, he walked over to Room 402 and knocked on the door again, and then said politely, ¡°Hello, I have brought what you want.¡± Nicole closed the lid of theptop, got up to open the door with a straight face, and saw Dino¡¯s equally nonchnt, almost cavalier face outside. Dino handed her two gilded red papers and bowed respectfully. ¡°You two have a nice day.¡± Nicole nodded and gently closed the door back. She did not ask why Dino delivered the tickets in person. Nicole was not a new guest and did not need the pickup service of the hotel. So, he stood up straight again and quickly left. ¡°Who was it?¡± Zeke asked in puzzlement when Nicole turned back inside. Nicole did not answer but looked at the time on the red paper, which stated that the session started at 9.00 pm. It was only 4.00 pm now. So, she threw a ticket to Zeke and said casually, ¡°Do you want to have a duel with me in the Imperial Pce?¡± Zeke¡¯s eyes lit up, and he nodded quickly. The Imperial Pce was aputer game that he and Nicole often yed to kill time. The characters in the game were challenging to y, and the two oftenpeted online during free time. Zeke had never beaten Nicole before, but it did not affect his enthusiasm at the mention of this game. They turned on theirputers, and as usual, they registered two new characters and started afresh. Nicole had always chosen assassin-type characters, which had extremely high damage rates but low health rates. It was almost difficult to win with this kind of character when encountering apetent swordsman yer, making assassin-type characters a very challenging to y. Zeke thought Nicole would choose ghost hand-type assassins as before, not expecting that she had chosen a shooter emperor who glowed in faint gold this time. Zeke looked at his swordsman, who he had selected on the screen, and cried out, ¡°You¡¯re cheating, Nicole!¡± He could not even beat her assassin character, let alone a shooter. ¡°I¡¯m just training a new hero,¡± Nicole said expressionlessly. Zeke looked at her suspiciously. Seeing the genuine look on her face, he reluctantly agreed to y one round with her. He was ready to be beaten by Nicole, but it turned out that Nicole was a total amateur in ying the shooter. She performed skills indiscriminately and even lunged up at his swordsman and got killed five times. Zeke was grinning ear to ear as his character wielded a massive saber, frantically pursuing the small shooter. As he swiftly hit the attack button a few times, the health bar over the head of Nicole¡¯s shooter quickly dropped, and soon the shooter dropped dead to the ground. Nicole calmly took a sip of water as she looked at the screen that had turned ck for the sixth time. ¡°One more round,¡± Nicole said. ¡®One more round? Zeke would not refuse He looked at Nicole She did not look like she was angry So, he was happy for another round. This time, he called up an assassin character that he had never been good at As soon as his character showed up, he put his character in cloak mode, directed it to move up in front of Nicole¡¯s shooter, and made anothet k¨¹ll. Looking at the flimsy shooter dropping dead on the ground. Zeke¡¯sughter filled the room¡± Hahaha, serve you nghit, Nicole There was no change in Nicole¡¯s cuprespon, and she started tapping the keyboard gently It was a sign of het immutability Chapter 182 Chapter 182 Zeke had no clue what that meant and invited her for another round. Continued. Nicole looked nonchntly at him, but Zeke still did not understand what she meant. He started another round. ¡°This time, I will choose to y a nanny. This belongs to N?velDrama.Org. Oh, Lucifer, I didn¡¯t know that you were such a noob ying the shooter. I am getting my revenge this time.¡± Nicole was stubbornly confident. She looked at her shooter and browsed through the character¡¯s skills once again, making sure that there was nothing wrong with what she saw, and then clicked the ¡°confirm¡± button. The game started again. Zeke directed the cute little assistant and slowly walked toward the frontline. The nanny¡¯s basic movement speed was not too fast, and her spell damage rate was low. This was an auxiliary character with a healthy level not much different from that of Nicole¡¯s shooter. Zeke might be ridiculing Nicole, but because of the character¡¯s original attributes, he did not take his opponent lightly. He carefully directed the nanny to approach the opponent near the river, performing a skill tentatively. Zeke was relieved when seeing no response from Nicole¡¯s shooter. He swaggered out and assaulted Nicole¡¯s shooter while adding health to his nanny from time to time so that her health kept staying at a safe level. The shooter did not possess self-healing ability and was finally killed by Zeke¡¯s character. Ironically, when the shooter¡¯s health bar was about to be depletedpletely, the nanny performed a burst attack and killed the poor shooter, who was already emitting a faint dying glow instantly. Zeke could not help himself and burst intoughter this time. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect that I could beat you with a nanny. Lucifer, you are toome. If the people on The Hunters know about it, they willugh their heads off. I have got to record the screen to prove that I have beaten Lucifer.¡± Nicole looked at Zeke, whose baby face flushed from excitement, and said nonchntly, ¡°I dare you.¡± Zeke looked at her expression, hisughter stopping, turning into awful, hollowughter instead, as he knew he really did not dare. Nicole only felt better when she saw Zeke¡¯s face. She shoved herptop into her bag and walked over to Zeke. ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± she uttered with her eyebrow raised. Zeke immediately got up and obligingly followed her out of the room. While going, he secretly typed on his mobile phone (I can¡¯t believe I have beaten Lucifer in The Imperial Pce.) and posted it on The Hunters. He had a habit of recording these trivial things. Since he found no privacy at home, he recorded things on this hackers¡¯ exclusive website. On the other side of the ocean, the tech guy who tracked Lucifer and Specter¡¯s whereabouts 24/ 7 had almost fallen asleep. Specter and Lucifer had not surfaced for almost half a month, so he scanned Specter¡¯s messages every day, hoping to find a clue. Just when he was about to give up, something popped up, and the monitor screens in front of them were bursting with activities. The tech guy woke up instantly. Looking at the lines of code that popped up on theputer screen, he hit the keyboard with a swift motion, and his eyes lit up. He tilted his head to clip his mobile phone to his neck to make a phone call. ¡°Max, we are going to parse the code and identity of Specter. The program is already running, and we will have the result in ten minutes.¡± Max was excited and sneezed. us looked at him helplessly and said, ¡°You shouldn¡¯te to work if you have flu.¡± 3 Chapter 183 Chapter 183 us was tough enough to expose to the rain the entire night without getting sick. But not Max, who was just a civilian. He might go to the gym asionally, but he was not resistant enough when getting wet in chilly rain in the middle of the night. So, he caught a cold, unfortunately. Max ignored us, got up, and said quickly into the phone. ¡°Track it down and notify me as soon as you have the results. I¡¯m going to the office now.¡± He put on his coat and was about to head out. us quickly followed, took out the car key, and said to Max, ¡°You are sick and must not drive. I will drive you there.¡± He then went to collect his car. Max looked at us from behind. Instead of stopping Max, he called to alert Jared about the finding Jared, who looked bored on the other end of the phone, heard the news and was excited. He had never given up trying to catch Lucifer, who was the only person who caused him massive losses. ¡°Keep an eye on it. Once things in Nottingbrook State are done, I will rush back immediately.¡± Suppressing his cough, Max whispered his acknowledgment and hung up the phone. us had driven the car over. Max got in, and the two of them hurried to the JJ Johnston Group office in Hustuaburg. This belongs to N?velDrama.Org. While on the way, Max did not make a sound, just frowning and thinking about something.¡¯ Specter and Lucifer have always been very cautious and never appeared at all until now. What are they up to when they suddenly pop up on the radar?¡¯ Meanwhile, Zeke followed Nicole out of the manor. He did not even give a damn about the sarcasm of the guard at the gate but gleefully hopped onto the handsome motorcycle. Nicole gently cocked an eyebrow at seeing Zeke¡¯s triumphant smile. She then got onto her bike and fired up the engine. It was nightfall. As she revved the engine to the redline, the bike roared andunched forward like a bolt, leaving only Zeke¡¯s terrified screams behind. Right after Nicole and Zeke left, a familiar woman¡¯s voice spoke. ¡°Jared, will you take me with you? I¡¯d especially like to see what is at the Gold Session of the Moon House.¡± The person who spoke was none other than Chloe. Jared was walking in front with an expressionless face, but he had a forbidding look in his eyes, making him look unapproachable. He suddenly looked in a direction where he saw a silver -white light zoom past and quickly disappear. Dino behind him caught up with him and said, ¡°That thing seems to be a Dodge Tomahawk.¡± ¡°What tomahawk?¡± Chloe asked in puzzlement. She only heard about tomahawk steak, wondering what the guy beside Jared said. Jared squinted his eyes and was toozy to answer her question. He did not get proper sleep for the past few days and felt grumpy. Dodge Tomahawk was the most extreme motorcycle produced by the Truman family in Mecrounia. The vehicle could reach a maximum speed of over 600 km/h, which was considered the limit for all motorcycles andnd-based vehicles. Chapter 184 Chapter 184 No one knew how the Dodge Tomahawk was made. N?velDrama.Org owns ? this. Even the Tuman family had only built two, one of which was kept in Mecrounia for research, and no one knew where the other one was. Dino looked in a direction and could not even see the dust and smoke that was left behind by the Dodge. He could not believe that he would see this rare thing here. The best thing about the Dodge Tomahawk was not its speed, but unfortunately, few people in the world knew about it. He opened the door for Jared, and Jared got in the vehicle at once. The vehicle was a low-key, ck off-roader with the emblem of a blooming flower. The vehicle¡¯s body exuded a sense of ssiness. Chloe seemed to want to say something and followed him, but Dino had closed the car door, blocking her view of the inside. Chloe shot a re at Dino, feeling upset because not even Jared had ever treated her like this, yet his staff was so rude to her. Dino did not give a damn and looked at Chloe with a straight face, his intention clear, which was to ask her to leave. While they were in a confrontation, the rear window rolled down, revealing Jared¡¯s charmingly sharp face. ¡°Dino, get in the car,¡± he said coldly. Chloe tried to talk to him. But Jared just nced at her unsmilingly and then said to Dino with a half-smile. ¡°Let her tag along if she wishes to follow.¡± That being said, his action seemed otherwise. Dino got the hint and climbed into the front passenger seat. The car started up and drove in the same direction where the silver-white motorcycle had gone, at speed no slower than the motorcycle, and quickly disappeared from Chloe¡¯s sight. Chloe gritted her teeth and turned back to get into the red BMW supercar that Luka was driving. She shouted at Luka, ¡°Whye so slow, you stupid! Keep up with them!¡± ¡®Didn¡¯t you tell me not toe so quickly so that you could get a ride in Jared¡¯s car?¡¯ Luka thought to himself. But looking at Chloe¡¯s angry face, he could say nothing, just keeping his frustration to himself. He stepped hard on the elerator to follow the car in front of him. People could only see one ck and one white vehicle zooming past at high speed while a supercar was trying hard to keep up behind them, The desert in Nottingbrook State was vast. After the Dodge Tomahawk left the city, it sped through the endless yellow sand with a hot wind blowing on Nicole¡¯s face. Her long hair fluttered in the wind, making her look indescribably stunning. The sh of cold and hot was destined to end up melting together. They finally reached their destination. Excitement had left Zeke¡¯s face and been reced by a look of numbness. How could he have forgotten that Nicole was such a speedster? Nicole patted him in the face and said in a rare gentle voice, ¡°Get up, go in and take a rest.¡± Zeke gave her aplicated look and asked, ¡°Have you ever had a pillion rider?¡± Nicole nodded and then shook her head. ¡°There was one once. But he vomited his guts out after that.¡± Chapter 185 Chapter 185 As il remembering what happened back then, it smile cropt across Nicole¡¯s face. She helped Zeke get down from the bike and then led him forward Zeke looked at the desert in front of him, not knowing why Nicole had brought him here Nicole saw his doubts and exined, ¡°We can only go on foot from here onward.¡± She brought Zeke and walked for about live minutes, and a massive white architecture appeared in front of them. The style of the building was superficially simr to that of the castle, but it looked cooler overall, and the shape of it resembled the king of the chess pieces, looking quite imaginative. There were two guards at the gate. When the guards saw them, they held out their hands to stop them from going forward. Nicole took out the red piece of paper and handed it to them with a straight face, then shot Zeke a look, reminding him to do the same. Zeke came to his senses and took the red gilded paper out of his pocket. As soon as the guards saw the paper, they became more respectful instantly. ¡°Pleasee in. The Gold Session wees you.¡± Zeke looked at what happened with puzzlement. But he quickly came out of his daze and followed Nicole when Nicole walked in calmly. One of the guards took the two of them inside, the ground floor of which was massive with low ¨C key but luxurious decoration. Zeke thought the guard would take them to go upstairs. After all, the building looked tall on the outside. But he was wrong. The guard led them to an elevator, and then they took the elevator all the way down. The moment the elevator door opened, the heat had gone, and cool gentle wind greeted them on their faces. ¡°This should be deep underground,¡¯ Zeke thought. When the elevator door was fully open, Zeke looked at the scene in front of him with his mouth agape; it was a massive auction house. At this time, the auction hall was packed. People were wearing a very special masks on their faces, and no one turned their heads to look at them when the elevator door opened. Coming down from the elevator were all noble guests of the auction house. Those who stayed on the first and second floors were not qualified to look back at these people. Nicole took a baseball cap out of nowhere and put it on Zeke¡¯s head. Like herself, the brim was lowered The guard led them through a special passage directly to the second floor of the auction house, all the way to the end of the passage before they stopped. The guard looked back at Nicole and ushered them to enter respectfully. ¡°Please.¡± Zeke followed Nicole inside. This belongs to N?velDrama.Org. There was a massive electronic screen, two tightly pulled red curtains next to it, and some different metal barcodes in front of the electronic screen, with different numbers written on them, and many gold and silver buttons around. Seeing the doubts on Zeke¡¯s face, the guard exined, ¡°The box has a real-time broadcast of the auction. You can see the item being auctioned in real-time. Of course, if you are not convinced enough, you can always draw open the curtain to see with your own eyes. Your position is almost next to the auction table, so you can see things clearly. I hope you have a great time.¡± Nicole nodded gently. The guard apparently knew who was in charge here and knew what Nicole thought. So, he quickly left. Zeke was excited and wanted to ask questions, but Nicole gave him a quiet gesture. She took herptop out of the bag, quickly connected it to an ethe port in the box, and said, ¡°I¡¯m going to intercept the signal of this box in a moment. Feel free to do whatever you want, but don¡¯t disturb me.¡± She then quickly got into a working mode, hitting the keyboard gently and then quietly waiting for when the signal of the auction house was connected. Chapter 186 Chapter 186 Zeke quickly understood what she was going to do; she wanted to dispose of her data. So, he did not bother her, just curiously walked to the side of the electronic screen and carefully lifted a corner of the curtain. Outside, things were bing lively as a hot blonde beauty stepped onto the stage, and the audience quietened down. As the auctioneer made his opening remark with a smile, Nicole¡¯s eyes intercepted the signal between the electronic screen of this box and the auction house. She reced it with her ownputer terminal and disguised it as that of the auction house. ¡°Thank you foring to our Gold Session at the Moon House, where there are only things you can¡¯t think of and where there is nothing we can¡¯t auction. I wish everyone good luck and happy bidding.¡± There was warm apuse from the audience, and all eyes were on stage, waiting for the auction to begin. Zeke was also sitting on the soft couch in the box, looking at the stage. The box next door seemed to have been upied, as he could faintly hear a familiar woman¡¯s voice. He listened carefully and could not believe that it was Chloe. Looking in that direction with surprise, he saw the box was the closest box to the stage, and it was also thergest of all the boxes. He looked back at Nicole, who had apparently heard it too. Nicole had a frosty look in her eyes. She had already realized that Chloe was the daughter of Miley, the wife of Damien from the Riddle family. Chloe was an actress, the woman whom she saw sitting across from Jared in the caf¨¦ that day. Nicole had mixed feelings when she thought of Jared. She heard from Max that Jared was also in Nottingbrook State. Just that she did not know where exactly he was, and they might have little chance to meet. Nicole lowered her eyes to hide her mncholy. She gathered herself and continued to focus on the screen in front of her. N?velDrama.Org is the owner. Time wore on. The Moon House¡¯s security system was hard to hack into. But looking at the progress bar on the screen, a smile crept across Nicole¡¯s face. Soon, she broke into the Moon House¡¯s intr and searched quickly for information rted to her actual name. Because of the massive amount of data, it needed time. Nicole let theputer do its job while she got up and looked at Zeke. Zeke wished he could poke his head out of the curtain. When he saw Nicolee out, he quickly said, ¡°It is a pity that you didn¡¯t see what I saw. You missed a lot. If it weren¡¯t for the old man¡¯s strict control of my finances, I would have bid for a few pieces of goods.¡± At this point, Zeke screwed up his face in regret. Nicole raised an eyebrow with interest and then looked slightly stunned at the scene outside of the curtain. The auction this time had so much to offer. Her attention was drawn to the stage outside the curtain. After the blonde beauty sent down an auction item, she shouted passionately, ¡°The following items are crystals produced in the Gulf of New Guinia. Their purity is, of course, guaranteed. The feature item of this batch of crystals is our main lot in this auction, a ten -carat pink diamond with an IF purity level ¡ªit is wless.¡± Speaking of which, several tall-built crews came up with trays on their hands. The trays contained brilliant white crystals, which seemed to be crystal deposits, and thest tray was covered by a red cloth. As soon as the blonde¡¯s voice trailed off, a crew came up, unveiled the tray, and took a spotlight to shine on the contents of the tray. Another crew raised a whiteboard behind the tray. When light shone on the tray, and the reflection appeared on the whiteboard, everyone eximed in amazement. Chapter 187 Chapter 187 The diamond got so much attention for no other reason than its extreme beauty. The crystal-clear diamond, internally wless, reflected a pale pink light. Anyone in the know would instantly recognize it at a nce. The blonde looked at the covetous faces of the audience with delight. She raised the auction hammer in the air and proimed loudly, ¡°The Moon House has set this pink diamond reserved price at fifty-million dors.¡± There was an instant uproar. But those who came here are not ordinary people. Most of them were nonchnt at hearing the reserved price. Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. After all, it was a ten-carat, wless pink diamond, and it had not been named yet. The reserved price could be said to be very fair. Soon someone held up a sign and said, ¡°Fifty-one million.¡± Zeke looked at the beautiful diamond and struggled internally. He was contemting bidding for it first and asked the old man for moneyter! Nicole read his expression and asked, ¡°You want it?¡± Zeke looked at her and hesitated to tell her he wanted to give it to her. But still, nodded atst. Just as the two were talking, the price had been raised to sixty-five million dors. Nicole squinted at the pink diamond, and before she could hit the button, someone next door had raised the bid. Every private box had a wide-screen disy showing the bidding prices, and people could ce their bids from the private box. Every time the price was raised, a bell would ring. At this moment, the bell rang, sounding like a thunderbolt. Zeke covered his ears dreadfully.¡± It scared the hell out of me!¡± The blonde looked at the box that had ced the bid with a strange look in her eyes. But she quickly announced enthusiastically, ¡°Seventy million from Box One. Is there any higher?¡± Nicole was not interested in the diamond, but she saw Zeke seemed to like it and thought it was not bad. When another bid came again, she frowned as she fought back her desire to win. But she still entered a figure and hit the golden button. As the bell rang again, the blonde turned and saw the figure on the digital disy. ¡°Eighty million from Box Two.¡± All the smaller bidders looked frustrated, knowing that the price was already out of their reach as soon as they heard the figure. They looked jealously and grudgingly at the ten private boxes above. Whenever people inside the private box ced their bids, the smaller bidders basically knew they had lost the bid for the item. Fortunately, so far, the bidders in the private boxes had only intervened a few times. Hearing the eighty-million-dor price tag, Chloe, who unabashedly followed Jared into the Box One, gritted her teeth. Her entire worth was almost only eighty million dors. If the bid increments only a couple of millions, she might still have hope. But the other bidders raised the bid by ten million dors each time. She really could not afford it. Chloe looked with pleading eyes at Jared, who was sitting listlessly in the box. He squinted, looking not too happy as he gazed at the auction floor. Chapter 188 Chapter 188 Jared had delegated the task of selecting auction items to Dino entirely, not expecting Dino toe up with only such an unexciting collection. Dino was standing respectfully to the side. He bowed his head and moved a step backward toward the gold marble behind him as soon as Jared swept his gaze over. N?velDrama.Org owns ? this. Dino had a straight face, but the tip of his nose was trickling with sweat. Jared looked at him with a half-smile, and Dino finally could not help but say, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, mr. Johnston, the quality of this batch of goods is indeed not up to much. But with the diamond, at least the auction will generate at least one hundred million dors in revenue. That¡¯s why I have positioned this auction as a Gold Session. If it doesn¡¯t reach one hundred million, I¡¯m willing to be punished for it.¡± There was a hollow, indifferent look in Jared¡¯s eyes when he heard that. His eyes upturned, and he did not look at Dino again but shifted his attention to Box Two. This private box was too close to his position, and he was worried about his own safety, so it had never been upied. But this time, a distinguished guest was inside and had raised the bid to eighty million dors. Jared started to find things more interesting. When the blonde saw no one was continuing to bid, she called out, ¡°At eighty million once! At eighty million twice!¡± Dino¡¯s heart sank. The penalty was inevitable, it seemed. Everyone who was presentpletely ignored Chloe. Chloe saw Jared had no intention of helping and could only grit her teeth and endure the pain, hoping that the other party would stop bidding After all, she could onlye with Jared to such events once and did not want to let go of such a wonder item. But she could not afford such a high price. Just when the auctioneer was about to knock down, a bell suddenly rang from Box Three. The blonde announced with excitement in her eyes, ¡°Eighty-five million! Eight-five million from Box Three!¡± y Chloe almost fainted when she heard the price. She really liked the diamond. The first time she saw the diamond on the screen, she told herself that this diamond would be hers! Wearing this diamond could enhance her value, whether it was in an advertisement or a movie. As long as she had this valuable diamond, she would outss every artist and wealthydy. With this in mind, Chloe gritted her teeth, stood up from the corner, and carefully walked toward Jared. She then put up what she thought was the most beautiful smile and said, ¡°Jared, this diamond is really beautiful, but I have limited funds.¡± Since she had cheekily followed Jared toe here, she might as well cheekily ask him for some money. Unfortunately, Jared did not even spare a nce at her but just looked at the screen in front of him, tapping gently with his fingers, looking as if azy snow leopard had not awakened. Nothing interested him. Dino looked at Chloe and whispered in Jared¡¯s ear, ¡°Do you want me to kick her out?¡± Jared casually nced at Chloe and said to Dino, ¡±Just ignore her.¡± Jared then looked at Chloe and said emotionlessly, ¡°You have a goodst name.¡± Chloe was stunned, not knowing what he meant. The Riddle family and Jared did not really speak the samenguage, so why would hepliment her for having a goodst name? Just when Chloe felt puzzled, the bell of Box Two rang. Chapter 189 Chapter 189 The blonde saw the figure on the monitor and announced excitedly, ¡°At ny million. Ny million from Box Two.¡± Zeke looked at the figure on the screen and gently frowned. ¡°Lucifer, I¡¯m not going to bid if it goes beyond one hundred million.¡± His highest valuation of this diamond was one hundred million dors, which he could still get from the old man in his family. Paying anything more than that would not be worth it, and the old man would probably skin him alive. Nicole understood what Zeke meant and could not help but nce at him. She really wanted to look up who his ancestors were, as unlike what she thought, he seemed to be wealthy. Zeke seemed well protected and might be inexperienced in many things, but his keen eye was not something that can be trained in an ordinary family. This diamond was worth one hundred million dors at most. Nicole nodded at seeing him looking at her nervously. She had wanted to bid for Zeke, and since he had also said so, she happily obliged. HSL PO Box Three was silent for a second, but before long, there was another bell ranging. The blonde looked at the figure on the screen of Box Three with relief. She announced, ¡°One hundred million from Box Three.¡± The task given to her by the auction house was to make sure that the diamond was to be sold for one hundred million dors. Otherwise, today¡¯s auction could not be called a Gold Session. This belongs to N?velDrama.Org. Zeke heard the price and quickly shook his head at Nicole. Nicole got the hint and did not ring the bell. She stood with her arms folded, casually looking at the blonde knockdown. The blonde now had a genuine smile on her face. ¡°Congrattions to the guests of Box Three for winning the bid.¡± Dino in Box One breathed a sigh of relief. He gently wiped the sweat from his face with a handkerchief before turning to look at Jared. Jared ignored him and stared at Box Two, impressed by them, who were smart enough to let up at the right time. Dino knew that he had escaped punishment this time. Chloe watched as the crew outside sent the tray to Box Three for inspection, her hand clenching so tightly that her sharp nails were about to rip apart her handbag. ¡°That is my diamond!¡¯ she cried in hier mind. But Chloe had been in the entertainment industry for many years and could read faces. She knew that Jared¡¯s patience had reached its lim¨ªt, and she was in no position to yammer in front of him. Chloe lowered her eyes, and no one knew exactly what she was thinking. Jared took his eyes off her and fiddled with a dagger in his hand with an expressionless face as if he were ying with a kid¡¯s toy. Only he knew what he was thinking. His phone rang suddenly, interrupting Jared¡¯s train of thought. He frowned at seeing the caller ID. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± he answered. Max¡¯s excited voice sounded on the other end. ¡°Boss, we have found out the identity of Specter. His name is Zeke Guzman, a first-year student of the Northon Institute. That¡¯s all we have found right now, but this is a good enough lead for us to dig further.¡± ¡®Zeke Guzman?¡¯ Jared¡¯s hand paused, and he had thought of something. No one knew that the first name of the armymander of Hustuaburg was Guzman. Chapter 190 Chapter 190 He smiled gently and said to Max, ¡°That won¡¯t be necessary. I will ask Karlo.¡± Jared mentioned the name of the army chief of Hustuaburg so casually that Jared seemed to have not the slightest sense of reverence toward him. Max, on the other end of the phone, was silent for a moment and put down his phone as if he had also just thought of this. He then looked back at us, who had a helpless look on his vacant face. ¡®Who is Lucifer? Even his partner isn¡¯t ordinary.¡¯ Max found it incredible. The more he dug, the more shocked he was. N?velDrama.Org is the owner. Jared had hung up. He looked at the auction floor but his mind was elsewhere. Pink Diamond had been delivered into Box Three. The blonde¡¯s job was done, and she felt at ease. ¡°Next is a bonus session. The auction house will randomly select items we can¡¯t evaluate for auction. Everyone can bid for it and may likely get it at a low price.¡± . ¨C Speaking of this, she motioned with her hand, and the crew behind her came up with a tray that looked different from the one holding the pink diamond. It was simple and unpretentious, not covered with red cloth, and the contents inside were visible. Nicole was thinking of checking the progress bar on herputer. She could not take her eyes off the tray when she saw what was on the tray. It was a palm-sized silver-white shard with a cold luster that looked no different from a piece of scrap iron. Zeke, who had seen Nicole¡¯s motorcycle, recognized it at once. The material of the fragment seemed to be exactly the same as that of Nicole¡¯s motorcycle. He turned to look at Nicole.¡± Lucifer, this is¡­¡± There was an unusual look in Nicole¡¯s eyes. She looked at the fragment while the blonde on the stage was still babbling, saying, ¡°This piece of material is very special. We tried various ways to change its form after the auction house got it, but whether it was cutting, burning, or processing it with modern technology, we could not make a dent in it. This piece of material is a rare treasure. Because the auction house has difficulty estimating its value, we have set the reserved price at one million dors.¡± The audience looked at each other, not knowing why this scrap iron was worth one hundred million dors. This amount was nothing to them, but there was no need to waste it on a piece of scrap metal. No one raised a sign, and neither the blonde felt it strange. After all, this thing really looked like just a piece of scrap metal. As tough as it was in resisting fire, it was only the size of a palm. What use could it have? Jared looked at the fragment with a grave expression. He then shot a frosty look at Dino. ¡°You know what to do when you go back.¡± He then stood up and walked toward the auction table in the box. Dino did not know what was wrong with Jared. He had checked and verified this piece of material and found nothing special about it except that it was tough. Yet Jared was angry with himself for this, wanting to punish him. Just now, Jared did not even bat an eyelid when the pink diamond nearly fell short of the one-hundred- million-dor hammer price. But now, he seemed to want to bid for the item. In fact, that was exactly what Jared thought. He wanted to raise the price to ensure that no one else would get it. But before he could do it, the box next door suddenly rang a bell. The audience was stunned, and the blonde looked at the figure on the screen and was shocked for a moment. Not that she had not seen so much money. She just did not expect that someone would spend so much money to bid for something with unknown uses. Jared was a step toote, and he squinted at the figure. 12) Chapter 191 Chapter 191 Jared decided to go and meet the people in Box Two for a while. Dino, who was behind Jared, was stupefied. He rarely doubted his own eyes, but this time, he did. N?velDrama.Org is the owner. ¡°mr. Johnston?¡± Everyone in the auction hall rubbed their eyes and looked at the numbers disyed on the massive overhead screen with their mouth agape ¡®Is this person a fool?¡¯ The blonde had also calmed down. Performing an auctioneer¡¯s duty, she gently tapped the auction hammer in her hand. ¡°The bidder of Box Two has ced a one-hundred-million dor bid for this difficult-to-evaluate item,¡± said the blonde calmly. ¡°One hundred million once. One hundred million twice. One hundred million three times. Sold. At the moment when the blonde shouted out ¡°sold,¡± Nicole¡¯s bulkyputer screen had alsopleted a scan for all databases, showing a line of Nicole¡¯s personal information. Nicole hit ¡°Enter¡± calmly to delete her personal information before closing theptop. She lowered her hat as she was prepared to pay and leave immediately after the item was sent in. Jared in the Box One looked back at Dino almost at the moment Nicole won the bid. ¡°Bring me the info of the bidders in Box Two immediately.¡± Dino looked at his face and hurriedly took out his phone and said something in a foreignnguage. The auction house staff were walking toward Box Two with a tray. The moment they entered, Jared caught a glimpse of a figure wearing a baseball cap, but he looked away after that. He wondered if Nicole woulde here. In Box Two, Nicole was sitting in a dead camera zone, calmly checking the authenticity of the item on the tray. The auction house staff saw she was so young and had an impatient look on their faces, as they did not believe that she coulde up with a hundred million dors. ¡°Don¡¯t kid with the Moon House. Please pay now,¡± one staff member said. But a senior staff member immediately stopped the first staff member.¡¯ The inspection was an inevitable process of auctions. It was still not toote, even if an hour had passed. With this in mind, there was a hint of disdain on the first staff member¡¯s face.¡¯ Given the young age of this girl, she might have used some dirty trick to get into the VIP box,¡¯ the staff member thought. Nicole ignored their urging and examined the item carefully. After confirming that it was authentic, she took out a ck card and handed it to the staff. The staff members were shocked the moment they saw it. Even the senior staff member looked at Nicole in disbelief. Having worked at the Moon House for a long time, he could tell at a nce what kind of people were qualified for this card. There was now a look of respect and fear in his eyes. ¡°Just a moment, please,¡± he said. The staff members went out. When the new staff members saw their faces and no one was talking, they were puzzled. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you guys? Is that girl so scary?¡± Chapter 192 Chapter 192 Nicole¡¯s face was not clearly visible because she was wearing a hat. However, she was apparently young, so that staff member was rude to her. The other staff members heard what he said and red at him. ¡®This kid has almost gotten us into trouble!¡¯ The senior staff member¡¯s face was even graver. He looked at that rude staff member and said in an icy voice, ¡°Take a look at this ck card. You are fired. You can just pack your things and leave.¡± That rude staff member was surprised the moment he heard that. He looked at the ck card on the tray, and his face turned pale as if he had thought of something. Beforeing to the Moon House, someone had clearly taught them that there were only ten people in the world who could hold ck cards. All of them were the top clients of the Moon House, and no one could afford to offend them. Unfortunately, he did not take that information seriously, thinking it would be very unlikely to meet such VIPs, not expecting that he would be so ¡°lucky¡± to see one here. Some people had not even bumped into one in their entire lifetime. The staff member¡¯s face was decadent, and he did not go further. The rest of the staff members did not wait for him but walked to the trading desk It did not take long before several staff members returned to the box, handed the card back to her, and said respectfully, ¡°Our distinguished guest, the transaction ispleted. Do you need the Moon House to send you two back?¡± ¡°No.¡± Nicole shook her head. She then casually threw the fragment into her backpack. On the other hand, Zeke was looking at the staff members, whose attitude toward them had taken a one- eighty turn. Nicole raised an eyebrow at him and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Only then did Zeke get the hint and lower the brim of his baseball cap, just as Nicole did, to hide his face in the shadows. The two hurriedly walked out of Box Two and came down to the ground floor. Jared was waiting in the box for Dino¡¯s reply. He seemed to be looking in a direction, but his mind was elsewhere. He was a little absent-minded. Dino had noticed something was wrong with his employer and stepped forward to ask respectfully, ¡°Boss, are you not happy with something?¡± Jared gently rubbed the index finger of his right hand and asked faintly, ¡°When you can¡¯t stop thinking about someone, but she has no feelings for you, what would you do?¡± Dino looked at him, pondered for a second, and replied with a subtle smile in his eyes. ¡°I swear to you, she couldn¡¯t be without feelings. No one can resist your charm.¡± In his eyes, his boss was the most perfect person in the world, and no woman could refuse him. Jared looked at him with amusement. He should not have asked this loyal subordinate of his. At this moment, Dino¡¯s mobile phone rang. He browsed through the information and said in a loud voice, ¡°Boss, we got it. This person¡¯s name is¡­¡± his voice suddenly went low for a moment, and then it got loud again with a hint of doubt, ¡°Doggie Anderson.¡± Jared raised an eyebrow when he heard the name ¡°Let me see.¡± Dino hurriedly asked the staff to hand over a high-tech tablet. Jared looked at the name disyed on the screen, his eyes narrowing slightly. There was a possibility that someone among the guests might really have such a name. But it was more likely that someone had created a virtual identity to get a gold card, infiltrated into the hotel, and ultimately made his way into the Moon House. The person then had not only helped him raise the price of the pink diamond to ninty million dors but spent a hundred million dors to buy the most valuable item at the auction house. N?velDrama.Org is the owner. Jared thought of the person wearing baseball cap. But that person was a buyer who had paid a fair price for this transaction. There was no reason for the Moon House to take action against him. ¡®What if that person¡¯s name is really Doggie Anderson?¡¯ However, even he was dead sure that it was impossible. Chapter 193 Chapter 193 He had appointed his most elite hackers to supervise thework security here, so no one could infiltrate thework. Unless it was that person. Jared¡¯s expression turned grave, and then he suddenlyughed sarcastically. ¡®The world is so big; how could that persone to my turf, sneak around under my nose, and bid away my treasure?¡± Jared said in his mind. The probability of this was almost negligible. He took a deep breath, stood up, and said casually, ¡°Let¡¯s go. We should go back, too.¡± Dino nodded and followed him. Ignoring Chloe, who looked at Jared from behind, the two left the box. They did not shy away from Chloe when they talked. But it was not out of trust but out of total disregard. Chloe did not deserve any attention from them. This was also the first time that Chloe, who always had high self-regard, felt worthless. She gazed at Jared from behind with a hint of gloominess in her eyes. She was determined to capture an aloof man like Jared. Meanwhile, Nicole had walked out with Zeke. She seemed to be walking slowly, but Zeke was panting, trying to keep up with her. As the two then got on the back of the motorcycle and before Nicole fired up the engine, Zeke asked, ¡°Why do we have to walk through that section of the road just now?¡± He wondered why they could not use the bike. Nicole did not look back. She grabbed the handlebars and drew her hair behind her ear.¡± Because there¡¯s quicksand ahead.¡± Zeke had not seen quicksand in person, but he was well aware of its danger. His face turned pale in fright. ¡°Who would want to build on quicksand?¡± Nicole nced back at him and said with a half-smile, ¡°Didn¡¯t you just see it?¡± Those people had even built the most important section under the quicksand. Zeke broke out in a cold sweat, thinking about the hazard he had gone through yet was lucky enough to leave the goddamn ce alive. Seeing that Zeke was no longer talking, Nicole fired up the engine and sped all the way back to the hotel. They returned to their rooms respectively and took a hot bath. It was only after that Zeke felt that hungry. Knowing that Nicole was familiar with this ce, he came to Room 401 looking for Nicole, asking her to take him to the best local restaurant, Nicole shot him a nce and said, ¡°The best I¡¯ve ever eaten is the buffet at this hotel. Would you like to try?¡± ¡°I want to see the night view here.¡± Zeke insisted. He had not been to Nottingbrook State, so he did not know where to find the best local food and visit the best ces. Nicole thought since they had finished their job and would be going back to Hustuaburg the day after tomorrow, maybe she should show Zeke around. ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± she said and stood up.¡± Zeke was jumping for joy and prattling as he followed Nicole. But as soon as they stepped out of the door, Nicole saw someone who should not have been there. Harvey was standing outside Room 403 with a key card in his hand, seemingly going to open the door. N?velDrama.Org is the owner. He was slightly stunned, too, when he saw Nicole and Zeke. Chapter 194 Chapter 194 : Harvey looked at Zeke inquisitively with a rare, unsmiling face. His smile returned when he shifted his attention to Nicole. ¡°What a coincidence, Nicole. I didn¡¯t expect to see you here.¡± Nicole nced at Harvey. It was the first time she had seen him since that night. He had changed little, but she had an unexined feeling that something was different about him. She nodded at him, said not a word, then took Zeke downstairs. Harvey felt depressed when he saw Nicole¡¯s distant attitude and how merciless she was toward him and his grandfather the other day. Instead of reaching out to grab Nicole, he looked at them from behind with gloomy eyes. He wondered why Nicole was in this hotel. N?velDrama.Org is the owner. It was not long before Edwin returned and gleefully asked Harvey, ¡°Guess who I saw!¡± Harvey nced at him with a faint smile. Edwin did not mind but pulled open the door with one hand with a mysterious expression.¡± You¡¯ll never think of it. I¡¯ll tell you, it was-¡± ¡°It was Nicole,¡± Harvey said softly, without waiting for Edwin to finish. He stood and looked back at Edwin with a smile. ¡°I saw her. She¡¯s staying in the room next door.¡± Edwin was bursting with excitement. ¡°The room next door? Room 405?¡± Room 402 was opposite Room 403, which adjoined Room 401 and 405. Edwin certainly would not have thought that Nicole could afford to stay in the most expensive Room 401. After all, even he and Harvey could only stay in Room 403 and Room 404. Harvey shook his head and looked downstairs thoughtfully. Edwin was stunned. ¡°So, her room is Room 401?¡± Harvey did not look at him or reply, so Edwin knew Harvey¡¯s silence meant yes. His shocked expression slowly faded. He then entered Room 404, sat on the couch with his mind full of doubts. Edwin met Nicole on the first floor, thinking that the rooms on the second floor were the most she could afford, not expecting that she was staying in Room 401. That room was of ss even higher than his and Harvey¡¯s. ¡®Just who is this Nicole?¡¯ he wondered. After Nicole and Zeke left the hotel, they sauntered down the street. Zeke¡¯s eyes darted around the bustling street scenes excitedly. However, he was puzzled at the thought of the two guys they met in the hotel just now. ¡°Tell me honestly, Nicole. Who are those two guys? What is your rtionship with them?¡± Zeke asked. He was keenly aware that something was amiss with the identities of the two guys. Nicole gave Zeke a casual nce and did not mind his tone of voice. ¡°They¡¯re students in my school, but we aren¡¯t close.¡± Zeke looked at her fixedly for a few seconds and admitted to himself with frustration that he could not tell if Nicole was lying. So, he did not harp on the matter but rushed to the food stall up ahead. He found that street food was the best no matter which country he was in. Had he not had gastroenteritis as a child and his dad would not allow him to take even a bite, he would have tasted every street food in San Joto he could find. Just as Zeke rushed ahead with excitement, Nicole grabbed him by the back of his neck and squinted at him. Chapter 195 Chapter 195 Chapter 195 ¡°You¡¯re only allowed to take a few bites.¡± She knew Zeke had a bad stomach. Because of that, their missions were often disrupted, and he was hospitalized a few times. Zeke¡¯s excitement died down instantly the moment he heard that. But he quicklyforted himself, ¡°Better than nothing,¡± and continued to dart toward the food stalls. Nicole did not stop him again but slowly followed him. The two of them sat down in front of a stall. The stall owner who thought they did not speak the localnguage asked them in poor Esperian what they would like to eat. Nicole looked at the many types of food in front of her eyes. ¡°What do you like?¡± she asked Zeke softly. Zeke pointed to a few sticks of grilled chili peppers. ¡°I want this!¡± Nicole looked at him expressionlessly. ¡°No.¡± Zeke looked disappointed and then cautiously pointed to the grilled fish marinated with ayer of red, spicy oil. ¡°How about this?¡± ¡°No.¡± Nicole still gave the same answer. Atst, Zeke could only order a bowl of ramen with extreme disgruntlement. The ramen tasted nd to his taste bud as he looked indignantly at Nicole, in front of whom were chili peppers and grilled fish. When Nicole slowly savored the food in front of her with a straight face, Zeke could not believe his eyes. He wondered if the food was as spicy as he had imagined. Even the stall owner was puzzled, doubting if the chili peppers he used had expired. But that was impossible. He apparently had only taken the chili pepper outst night. No way it would lose its spiciness so quickly. When Nicole ordered food just now,, she had spoken localnguage. That impressed the stall owner, who started to be curious about Nicole, He could not help but ask, ¡°Isn¡¯t it spicy?¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± Nicole replied nonchntly. Zeke had no idea what the two were saying, but he could guess something through the stall owner¡¯s expression. He secretly grabbed a dried chili pepper in front of Nicole and put some in his mouth while Nicole was talking to the stall owner. He immediately felt a spicy tasteing from his lips, and his lower lip was swollen with a burning sensation. He quickly spat out the pepper and drank several mouthfuls of water. Zeke then mumbled,¡± Nicole, are you still a human?¡± It was so spicy, yet she remained so nonchnt. Nicole looked at Zeke with a half-smile. She had already noticed his action earlier but did not expose him. She wanted him to know his limit through mistakes. The stall owner looked at the two of them with a smile on his tanned face. This belongs to N?velDrama.Org. Just then, Nicole felt a gust of wind from behind. Her expression became grave in an instant as she tilted her head slightly to the side. Immediately, a wooden nk hit the grilled fish and smashed it in front of her. Zeke looked at the grilled fish with a trace of anger slowly creeping across his face. He jerked his head back, looking at the person behind him with fiery eyes. It turned out that the attacker was a local guy with profound facial features. A group of guys in messy and dirty punk attires was wielding wooden sticks and crowbars in their hands. All of them had their hair dyed in different colors. However, as if they had not washed it for many days, the supposedly bright color had turned dull. The leading guy, a blue-haired man, looked at Nicole with amazement. ¡°This chick is stunning!¡± Chapter 196 Chapter 196 Zeke could almost see a huge piercing on that talking guy¡¯s tongue. He was wearing a spiked shoulder vest that revealed his bare chest, which made him look disgusting. Nicole apparently felt the same way. She looked at the dozen guys with a forbidding look in her eyes. ¡°Who sent you?¡±; As Bluehead looked at Nicole, he swung the wooden stick in his hand as if that would make him look cool. ¡°Baby, you don¡¯t have to know that. You¡¯re so pretty. Why don¡¯t you be my woman and I¡¯ll consider letting you go? What do you think?¡± Before Nicole could speak, Zeke saw the lewd look in Bluehead¡¯s eyes and scoffed at him. ¡°Get yourself a mirror.¡± SIL A faint smile crept across Nicole¡¯s face as she looked at Bluehead with frosty eyes. Bluehead seemed to be angered by Zeke¡¯s disdain. He sneered. ¡°Do you know who I am? You¡¯re looking for trouble!¡± The stall owner behind him looked nervously at the group of guys. He was a local, so he knew this gang of notorious hooligans was rted to the local criminal forces. Every time they got arrested by police, they would walk out free eventually. With this in mind, the stall owner spoke to Nicole in desperate tone, ¡°¡®It¡¯s best to avoid shing with them. You should calm down. You don¡¯t want to mess with them.¡± He kept winking at Nicole, not only worried about her safety but also afraid that these thugs might destroy his stall. Nicole was well aware of his concerns. She grabbed her bag, stood up with no expression on her face, and spoke to Zeke, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Zeke nodded with no hesitation. He quickly finished thest bite of ramen before getting up to leave. Nicole took out cash to pay the stall owner. The two of them seemed to disregard the group of guyspletely. It angered Bluehead. He ordered the red-haired and yellow-haired guys,¡± Beat the hell out of them!¡± After Nicole and Zeke left the stall, Zeke could no longer keep his cool and looked back at the gang behind him. N?velDrama.Org is the owner. He then took Nicole¡¯s hand, wanting to run. But Nicole did not follow him. Instead, she shoved her bag in his arms and said, ¡°Go. I wille in a minute.¡± Zeke looked at her with doubt. Nicole might know how to fight, but he would not leave a girl to fight so many guys alone. He looked at Nicole, who was standing there. He gritted his teeth and also stood still. Nicole frowned but said nothing. She was confident in protecting him. The group of hooligans had rushed up and surrounded them. The leading guy, Bluehead, saw that Nicole was standing in ce and snickered. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you run?¡± Nicole did not respond. She pushed Zeke out of the encirclement and then stood there with a nonchnt look in her eyes. When Bluehead saw Nicole was not afraid of him at all, his dirty thoughts left him. He was consumed by anger at being looked down upon. A dozen guys behind him also looked at Nicole maliciously. They had seen enough mad people like her. They were going to fix her and then do whatever they wanted with her. ,, Chapter 197 Chapter 197 Bluehead had obviously thought of this. Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. The anger in his eyes gradually went away, reced by a hint of contempt and triumph. ¡°Beat the daylights out of her, mates!¡± A dozen guys giggled as they approached Nicole, the steel weapons in their hands glinting under the streetlights. The stall owner behind them looked worriedly at what had happened. He was expecting those hooligans to besmirch Nicole¡¯s dignity. When he thought of her leaving with no hesitation, not wanting to implicate his stall when danger loomed, he took out his mobile phone to call the police with trembling hands. He knew very well what might happen after he called the police. The hooligans might likely take revenge. But for now, he could not care less. Just as he got through to the police, things unfolding in front of his eyes stunned him beyond words. The police on the other end of the phone did not hear anyone speak and hung up impatiently. Nicole had beaten down all the hooligans. They were severely injured and could not even get up. Especially Bluehead, whoy like a starfish in front of the stall, as if he had been kicked and sent flying backward for quite a distance before crashing to the ground. There was a look of disbelief and pain on his contorted face. Zeke, who stood close to Nicole, was just as stunned as the stall owner, his mouth agape. But he did not see clearly what had just happened. It seemed that Nicole had instantly knocked the gang down when they surrounded her. She stood in the center, her right leg still in an uplifted posture. When she saw everyone lying on the ground, she slowly eased up and stood in ce with a strange facial expression. Zeke felt it was absolutely a disgusted expression, if he was not mistaken. His mouth twitched, and he had no words. There was a look of vicissitudes on his baby face. He felt as if he had suddenly grown older after just spending two days with Nicole. ¡± Nicole gave her wrists a little stretch. She had not really fought with her full strength. These people were apparently too weak. Those people on the ground saw her move her wrists and quickly crawled backward in horror despite the pain in their bodies. It was a strange scene. Bluehead hade to his senses. Suffering the most severe injuries, he looked in horror, and he shuddered involuntarily as Nicole walked toward him calmly. ¡®Who the hell is this woman? Howe she can be so frightening?¡¯ he wondered. As if unaware of his fear, Nicole walked up to him and looked at him condescendingly. ¡°Who sent you?¡± It scared the hell out of Bluehead, ¡°I-I don¡¯t know the person who hired me. He was wearing a mask. I couldn¡¯t see his face clearly. He¡¯s a sissy. And that¡¯s all I know, We were just doing our job. Please spare us.¡± The gopher was a bossy guy all this while. But now, he was begging for his life in front of Nicole. When the stall owner behind Nicole and Zeke saw this, his mouth twitched, and he had no words. He had reasons to believe that if this man could move, he would definitely get up, : ; kneel to Nicole, and beg for forgiveness But the stall owner could fully understand his feelings. He put down his mobile phone, which he had hung up, and looked at Nicole with a mixed expression. Nicole had almost guessed it after hearing what Bluehead said. She stood up and left the hooligans alone. ¡°Let¡¯s go now,¡± said Nicole as she motioned to Zeke. Chapter 198 Chapter 198 Zeke looked at the hooligans copsing in the throes of agony on the ground, muttered his acknowledgment expressionlessly, and followed Nicole back toward the hotel. ¡®It seems like Lucifer is really gentle with me,¡¯ Zeke thought. ¡®Had she treated me like how she treated these hooligans, I would¡¯ve¡­¡¯ He shivered involuntarily at the thought. Nicole looked at him and frowned. ¡°You¡¯re cold?¡± Zeke shook his head vigorously. ¡°I just suddenly feel you are really nice to me.¡± Nicole looked at him. She had no words. She reflected on how she had given him this illusion. Zeke did not care what was on her mind. Instead, he looked at her longingly, his voice adoring her. ¡°Lucifer, could you teach me a few tricks?¡± Nicole studied him for a while and said, ¡°It¡¯s kinda hard, as your foundation is too shallow.¡± Zeke refused to give up. ¡°You can train me. I saw that on TV; they all do that ¨C ¡± Seeing Nicole¡¯s contemptuous gaze, he could not continue his sentence but lowered his head, feeling dejected. ¡°My father didn¡¯t like me because I was physically weak. He didn¡¯t care much about me or ce his hope on me. But I also wanted to be strong.¡± Nicole looked at him with no emotion in her eyes and said calmly, ¡°As far as I know, you¡¯re the only child in the family. I know your tricks left and right. It isn¡¯t going to work on me.¡± Zeke choked. He could no longer shuck and jive. ¡®How could I forget that she knew me better than my parents did?¡¯ So, Zeke said nothing more and dragged his feet to step back. Zeke did not lie or even exaggerate when he said that just now. He was born into such a family. He had a little problem with his health when he was small, so he could not learn martial arts. The only thing he could do was studyputer science every day, and because of that, he had unwittingly carved a path for himself. But being a boy, he still liked martial arts. While Zeke was deep in thought; Nicole¡¯s voice suddenly came from behind. ¡°Wait for me at the entrance of the Royal Creek Institute at four-thirty every morning.¡± Zeke¡¯s eyes lit up. Knowing that Nicole had agreed, Zeke looked back excitedly at Nicole, bright -eyed and bushy-tailed. ¡°Lucifer, you are so nice!¡± He nned to give that most beautiful diamond to Nicole when he returned home. Meanwhile, Bluehead was lying on the ground, and a few of his underlings had finally gotten to their feet. They endured the pain in their bodies and helped Bluehead up. Never did they expect Bluehead to scream in pain when they touched him. It was as if he had fallen apart at the seams A yellow-haired underling carrying his feet saw Bluehead was in pain and suggested, ¡°Boss, I think we should call an ambnce.¡± N?velDrama.Org is the owner. Bluehead fought back the pain and gave this underling of him a kick in the face. ¡°Are you stupid or something? If the ambncees, it¡¯ll make me aughingstock in front of many people!¡± Yellowhead had also suffered injuries, so he could not stand the kick from Bluehead . He was knocked down on the ground, bringing Bluehead down along with him. Bluehead groaned in pain and snarled, ¡°You son of a b*tch! Are you trying to kill me?¡± Yellowhead quickly apologized. ¡°Boss, what should we do next?¡± he said. Bluehead¡¯s eyes shed in a cold light. He would not let this woman go unpunished after she had made him so miserable. Suddenly, he thought of something and broke into a sinister smile. He waved at Redhead and Yellowhead and said a few words in their ears. There was a triumphant smile on their faces. It seemed that they had heard some brilliant ideas. ¡°You¡¯re smart, Boss,¡± Yellowhead praised. Chapter 199 Chapter 199 Bluehead was triumphant, wanting to say something, but his excited movement caused more pain in his injured abdomen, and he cried out in pain. He looked bitterly in the direction Nicole had left and cursed in his mind, ¡®You wench! I¡¯m going to make you pay!¡¯ Nicole and Zeke returned to the hotel. After a long day and because of the jetg, Zeke had been yawning big time. Nicole watched him enter Room 402 before she swiped the key card to open the door of her room. Just as she was about to enter, the door of Room 403 next to her opened. She quickly closed the door back behind her, but arge hand reached in the gap of the door in the nick of time, holding the door and resisting her strength. If Nicole had insisted on closing the door, the hand would have been absolutely crushed. Nicole looked at that hand expressionlessly, pondered for half a second, and decided to let off. Harvey¡¯s face looked somewhat pale under the light in the hallway. He stared at Nicole with eyes that appeared like abysses and took two steps forward into Room 401 with no smile on his face. ¡°Where did you go with that guy? Why did youe back sote?¡± Harvey asked. Nicole looked at him with the same frosty face. She threw the bag at her feet and replied with an equally indifferent voice, ¡°What does it have to do with you? Get out.¡± To Nicole¡¯s surprise, Harvey squinted and reached out a hand to sp Nicole¡¯s jaw. ¡°Tell me!¡± His voice had never been colder. Nicole sneered and raised a kick to strike at the side of Harvey¡¯s waist. If this strike hit its target, it could damage the person¡¯s kidney, not to mention snap his lumbar spine. Harvey knew Nicole would not show him any mercy. He let off his hand that sped Nicole¡¯s jaw, spun around, and came out of Room 401. His eyes looked foggy and revealed nothing of his emotion. ¡°Nicole, you¡¯ve let me down.¡± Harvey took a hard look at Nicole, his gaze deep and unfathomable as the ocean. Atst, he let out a soft smile and said in an upset voice, ¡°Why do you always not listen?¡± He was upset that Nicole had never listened to him or had him in her heart. At the same time, he wondered why he could not give up on a girl like her. Nicole looked at him, and a sneer gradually appeared on her face. ¡°I thought I had made it clear to you that day.¡± Harvey lowered his eyes at the thought of her hard-hearted rejection of him the other day, ¡®I already wanted to avoid you, yet you came to me every time. Since this is the case, how can you ask me to let you go?¡¯ he said in his mind. Nicole looked at Harvey¡¯s expression with forbidding eyes as she knew what he was thinking.¡± Harvey, you¡¯re just being influenced by your obsessive desire to control. You¡¯ll know how stupid your recent actions have been when you calm down.¡± She paid no heed to Harvey¡¯s expression and closed the door, leaving Harvey standing outside the door of Nicole¡¯s room. His eyes were zing over as he was in deep thought. He had heard that the Moon House had a Gold Session, so he had booked a flight that night and flew over, wanting to stay away from Nicole for lear that her deadly altraction would make him do something irreparable. But now, he was standing outside ter room like a dejected madman pain and snarled, ¡°You son of a b*tch! Are you trying to kill me?¡± Yellowhead quickly apologized. ¡°Boss, what should we do next?¡± he said.. Bluehead¡¯s eyes shed in a cold light. He would not let this woman go unpunished after she had made him so miserable. Suddenly, he thought of something and broke into a sinister smile. He waved at Redhead and Yellowhead and said a few words in their ears. There was a triumphant smile on their faces. It seemed that they had heard some brilliant ideas. ¡°You¡¯re smart, Boss,¡± Yellowhead praised. Chapter 199 Bluehead was triumphant, wanting to say something, but his excited movement caused more pain in his injured abdomen, and he cried out in pain. He looked bitterly in the direction Nicole had left and cursed in his mind, ¡®You wench! I¡¯m going to make you pay!¡¯ Nicole and Zeke returned to the hotel. After a long day and because of the jetg, Zeke had been yawning big time. Nicole watched him enter Room 402 before she swiped the key card to open the door of her room. Just as she was about to enter, the door of Room 403 next to her opened. She quickly closed the door back behind her, but arge hand reached in the gap of the door in the nick of time, holding the door and resisting her strength. If Nicole had insisted on closing the door, the hand would have been absolutely crushed. Nicole looked at that hand expressionlessly, pondered for half a second, and decided to let off. Harvey¡¯s face looked somewhat pale under the light in the hallway. He stared at Nicole with eyes that appeared like abysses and took two steps forward into Room 401 with no smile on his face. ¡°Where did you go with that guy? Why did youe back sote?¡± Harvey asked. Nicole looked at him with the same frosty face. She threw the bag at her feet and replied with an equally indifferent voice, ¡°What does it have to do with you? Get out.¡± To Nicole¡¯s surprise, Harvey squinted and reached out a hand to sp Nicole¡¯s jaw. ¡°Tell me!¡± His voice had never been colder. Nicole sneered and raised a kick to strike at the side of Harvey¡¯s waist. If this strike hit its target, it could damage the person¡¯s kidney, not to mention snap his lumbar spine. Harvey knew Nicole would not show him any mercy. He let off his hand that sped Nicole¡¯s jaw, spun around, and came out of Room 401. His eyes looked foggy and revealed nothing of his emotion. ¡°Nicole, you¡¯ve let me down.¡± Harvey took a hard look at Nicole, his gaze deep and unfathomable as the ocean. Atst, he let out a soft smile and said in an upset voice, ¡°Why do you always not listen?¡± He was upset that Nicole had never listened to him or had him in her heart. At the same time, he wondered why he could not give up on a girl like her. Nicole looked at him, and a sneer gradually appeared on her face. ¡°I thought I had made it clear to you that day.¡± Harvey lowered his eyes at the thought of her hard-hearted rejection of him the other day, ¡®I already wanted to avoid you, yet you came to me every time. Since this is the case, how can you ask me to let you go?¡¯ he said in his mind, This belongs to N?velDrama.Org. Nicole looked at Harvey¡¯s expression with forbidding eyes as she knew what he was thinking.¡± Harvey, you¡¯re just being influenced by your obsessive desire to control. You¡¯ll know how stupid your recent actions have been when you calm down.¡± She paid no heed to Harvey¡¯s expression and closed the door, leaving Harvey standing outside the door of Nicole¡¯s room. His eyes were zing over as he was in deep thought. He had heard that the Moon House had a Gold Session, so he had booked a flight that night and flew over, wanting to stay away from Nicole for fear that her deadly attraction would make him do something Irreparable. But now, he was standing outside her room like a dejected madman. Nicole could always see through him easily. Gradually, he did not even bother to put on his facade in front of her. He became irritable and difficult to talk to. Or rather, the Harvey acting out of his usual character in front of Nicole was the real Harvey. Chapter 200 Chapter 200 Harvey had reverted to the self he hated the most because of Nicole. He nced at the tightly shutdoor in front of him for thest time with gloomy eyes, as if the darkness inside would drown him. Early the next morning, Nicole packed up her luggage and was ready to leave for Hustuaburg. But somehow, she had an uneasy feeling, as if she had something that she had forgotten. Nicole knocked on the door of Room 402. She raised an eyebrow when she saw Zeke, who answered the door, looking like he had not woken up. ¡°It¡¯s already six o¡¯clock in the morning. Are you still sleeping?¡± Zeke seemed to be alert instantly, with his eyes wide open. ¡°Come in and have a seat. I¡¯ll be ready in five,¡± he quickly said. Nicole walked in nomittally, sat on the couch, and took out herptop to do her stuff. When Zeke came out from the washroom, he saw that Nicole was surfing the dark site ¡ª the Hunters ¡ª for jobs. Her name on the wanted list did not seem to bother her a bit. After erasing her information, she became undaunted and surfed the Hunters. Nicole was really a daredevil. Zeke sat looking at what she did in horror, but Nicole just nced at him nonchntly and asked, ¡°Are you ready?¡± Zeke nodded. She immediately put away herptop and grabbed her travel bag. ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± she said. Just when the two of them stood up, there was a knock on the door, followed by a polite voice outside. Nicole narrowed her eyes, walked to the door, and squinted through the peephole. It was Dino. So, she opened the door. The door to Room 404 opened at the same time she did. Edwin was standing in the doorway with aptop in his hand. He thought of going to Room 403. This belongs to N?velDrama.Org. But when he saw Nicole at the door of Room 402, he stopped and smiled at her. ¡°Good morning, Nicole.¡± Nicole nodded in acknowledgment and then looked at Dino. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡±, Dino nced at her with a gleam of light in his eye behind the monocle. ¡°The police are downstairs looking for someone. ording to their description of the suspect, it seems to be you. I hope you can go check it out and not make a scene. If necessary, you may ask for help from the hotel,¡± he whispered , looking up at the beautiful Nicole with mixed feelings in his eyes, Nicole was leaningzily against the wall as if she could not care less. ¡°I know,¡± she said and then walked down the stairs, Zeke followed Nicole downstairs and said worriedly, ¡°Howe the police are looking for us?¡± Nicole looked up at him and said, ¡°They aren¡¯ting for us, but me.¡± Zeke was used to the way she talked, so, he continued. ¡°Do you think it¡¯s because we didn¡¯t follow the traffic rules when we came?¡± After all, the way Nicole rode almost caused him to vomit his guts out. Nicole shot him a somewhatplicated look and walked down the stairs quickly, seemingly not wanting to talk to him again. Zeke followed her, still babbling on ¡°Shut up,¡± Nicole said impatiently. Getting scolded, Zeke blinked his eyes and shut up at once. 16 Chapter 201 Chapter 201 Nicole did not turn back, but her voice eased somewhat. ¡°When we reach the ground floor, keep your mouth shut like now.¡± Zeke nodded sullenly. He had this issue where he would talk nonstop when excited or nervous. The two went downstairs. Little did they know that Edwin, who walked out of his room earlier, had listened to the conversation just as they left and came to Harvey¡¯s room. ¡°Harvey, guess what I just heard the hotel manager say to Nicole.¡± Harvey¡¯s face remained the same as he said, ¡°What did they say?¡± Edwin looked at Harvey. Thetter was as calm as he was, as if nothing could ever affect him.¡± It seems like Nicole is wanted by the police,¡± said Edwin. Hearing this, Harvey, who was wiping his hair, paused as he let out a calm smile at Edwin. ¡°Edwin, wait for me outside.¡± He then turned around to change as if he had not heard anything. Looking at Harvey¡¯s rather impassive eyes, Edwin smiled. ¡°Harvey, you don¡¯t seem to be in a hurry after hearing this.¡± Harvey gently raised his gaze as he looked at the bright sky outside the window. ¡°The one that shouldn¡¯t be panicking is me.¡± He thought, ¡®It¡¯s still too early to show up now. I need to wait until the most opportune time. Only the moment she¡¯s cornered will my action have the most effect.¡¯ Ever since he was a child, patience was his virtue. Edwin looked at Harvey and did not say much else. He simply just nodded. ¡°I might not be able to wait for you, Harvey.¡± He straightened his tie as he waved at thetter. ¡°I¡¯m quite anxious.¡± One can imagine how helpless a girl like Nicole, who was called by the police while being in a foreign land, would be. Since they were schoolmates, Edwin felt he should help if he could. Edwin quickly walked out. When Harvey heard the door closing, he slowly clenched his fingers. His face soon turned expressionless as he almost crushed the remote control in his hand. ¡®I cannot let Edwin be one step ahead of me,¡¯ he thought. Tossing the towel aside, he put on his suit, took his car keys, and left the room. Nicole had alreadye downstairs, and she looked at the group of officers and a few other familiar faces before her, her ice-cold face impassive. When Yellowhead saw Nicole walking out, a menacing smile appeared on his face as he said to the officers, ¡°it¡¯s her, good sir. This wench beat the five of us up. Arrest her, quick!¡± The police officer looked at Nicole with surprise, yet as Yellowhead yelled, he coughed and said to Nicole, ¡°Miss, you are alleged of battery, Pleasee with us.¡± Zeka then said to the officer. ¡°Sir, this person provoked us first. They were the ones who struck first. How can you arrest her just like that?¡± The officers could not be bothered by that. Yellowhead¡¯s backer was the biggest crime lord in the area that their chief dared not dare to offend, so he immediately dispatched them to arrest Nicole With that in mind, the officer said to Zeke, ¡°This is just your side of the story. You sound like her aplice, soe with us now. Or you¡¯ll face the consequences.¡± Zeke wanted to say something else, but Nicole held her hand out to stop him as she said to the officer. ¡°Lead the way.¡± She raised her chin slightly. The disdain in her eyes was almost overflowing as she looked at the officer. This belongs to N?velDrama.Org. The officer had wanted to say something else, but upon hearing Nicole cooperating just like that, he was surprised. ¡®What was going on? This person is just too cooperative. I¡¯ve not even started to seriously intimidate her yet.¡¯ Chapter 202 Chapter 202 Thinking of this, he took another nce at Nicole. Seeing her impassive eyes, he secretly sneered. ¡®She sure knows how to pretend. Just wait until you wet your undies at the station.¡¯ When Zeke saw Nicole just followed on like that, he stomped his feet and quickly followed behind. Contrary, a smile appeared in Nicole¡¯s eyes as she saw his righteous expression. Seeing the two were still so calm, Yellowhead sneered. ¡°Kneel and apologize to my bros, and then service us well. Perhaps I could consider letting you go, otherwise ¡­¡± He did not finish what he said but instead made a threatening slit over his neck. Nevertheless, Nicole did not even look at him as she followed the police officers. Yellowhead was even angrier upon the sight. ¡®You don¡¯t take my words seriously. You¡¯re just a foreigner. You¡¯ll never get out of the police station even if you¡¯re skilled!¡¯ He hissed. ¡®And still, you are that arrogant. You¡¯ve just signed your death warrant!¡¯ He then exchanged nces with Redhead behind him, a brutal glint appearing in his eyes. When Luka, who was hiding behind the crowd, noticed themotion and saw Nicole being taken away by the police, a gleeful look appeared in his eyes. He took his phone out and gave Chloe a call. This belongs to N?velDrama.Org. It rang just once before she answered. ¡°How¡¯s it?¡± Luka smiled. ¡°That girl has been taken away by the police, and they aren¡¯t kind to her. They don¡¯t look like they are on her side, and I¡¯m pretty sure she¡¯ll have hell to pay.¡± When Chloe heard that, she was delighted. ¡°Serve her right. Forget about her. Whether she lives or dies has nothing to do with us.¡± . ¡°Yeah.¡± Luka nodded as he left. Chloe put down the phone while she was on her way to the studio. She was now at the set. To show her status, Chloe came a bitter than scheduled. Seeing the entire production crew was waiting for her, she felt good, yet she put on an anxious face as she said, ¡°I¡¯m really sorry. There was quite a bad jam on the way. I¡¯ll treat everyone to a drinkter.¡± When everyone heard that, they could only let it slide without expressing their dissatisfaction. Chloe gently pulled her hair back, and just as a smile was about to form on her lips, she heard an icy voice. ¡°Miss Riddle, one time is fine, but please do not bete again next time. It won¡¯t do to dy everyone¡¯s time here.¡± Chloe looked over, and her smile immediately froze. The person speaking was no one other than Lloyd Holder, who was making a cameo appearance in this drama! When everyone heard this, they all nodded secretly in their hearts. Lloyd had made plenty of preparations bying to the set some time back just for these few scenes. Plus, he had already memorized all the lines in the scene. He came here in advance just to get used to the set and get into character. In contrast, Chloe was a little too much. As the main female lead, she was not only over an hourte, but she was also reading the script onset and had dyed the production by several hours inside and out. Chapter 203 Chapter 203 This was not something that could be resolved over a meal. It was just that the staff and crew were generally unwilling to have conflicts with the actors, especially with this Miss Riddle, who seemed to have quite the background. The movie director, Nachelle Holder, was unhappy too when looking at Chloe. To begin with, Chloe was not the director¡¯s choice. It was just that she rmended herself, and with the rmendation from the Rogers branch family, so the movie director reluctantly decided to give her a chance. When Chloe saw the director¡¯s rather sullen expression, she quickly turned around, bowed to thetter, and said sincerely to all the staff. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. This won¡¯t happen again.¡± Yet, she still secretly begrudged Lloyd for that. You are just a bit popr, and so what?¡¯ She thought. ¡°Once I surpass you, let¡¯s see how you show off!¡¯ Meanwhile, Nicole entered the police station and saw Bluehead standing outside the interrogation room. He was whispering something to an officer. When he saw Nicole, his eyes were full of glee and disdain. However, there was also a hint of fear in it. After all, he had personally tasted the skills of this woman. Nicole walked on casually toward the interrogation table under the police¡¯s guide. Her aura was so imposing that many outsiders could not tell who the police were and who was the prisoner. Nicole sat before the table, her back was straight, and she was fearless. When Bluehead saw that, he was pissed off. He was being ushered over, and when he was still some distance away from her, he got the two officers to stop. While keeping that safe distance, he hissed at her while keeping that safe distance. ¡°You b*tch, weren¡¯t you acting haughty yesterday? If you know fear,e and kneel and apologize to me, beg me, so I¡¯ll let you go!¡± Nicole looked at him with nary an expression on her face. She thennded her gaze on his legs. Bluebead immediately recoiled by reflex as he let out a squeal, not unlike a butchered pig. The sweep Nicole smashed his knees with was why he could not stand up until now. Zeke looked at Bluehead and sneered. ¡°And you want her to kneel and beg you? You dare?¡± Bluehead was so terrified his legs went limp, yet he still ran his mouth as he sneered at Nicole. ¡°Pine! Then you two mongrels can stay here until the end of time!¡± After that, he turned around to tell an officer something. The officer gave Nicole a hesitant look, but the chief had ordered him to follow the man¡¯s orders, so he walked over and said coldly, ¡°Put your hands out! When Nicole heard that, she slightly raised her eyebrow as she looked on coldly at the officer, her voice ten times colder than his, ¡°What is my crime? Is the trial process of Nottingbrook State just like that The officer was suddenly cowed by Nicole¡¯s aura. Me did not know what to say. It was the officer that brought Nicole here that smirked as he said, ¡°You don¡¯t know your crime? If you aren¡¯t sure, let¡¯s bring the thirteen people you assaultedst night over then!¡± The officer nced at Bluehead and caught a hint of satisfaction in thetter¡¯s eyes as he looked on even more menacingly and disdainfully at Nicole. ¡®No matter what she does, there is no ce in this station for her to speak!¡¯ Thinking of this, he felt much more emboldened. Soon, the rest of the dozen appeared around Nicole, including Yellowhead and Redhead. They were not as badly wounded as Bluehead was. Although they had bruises all over their face, they could walk normally already. All of them stared at Nicole with ill intentions in their eyes. Nicole nced at them with a half-smile, and a surge of fear appeared in their eyes. After all, they were really traumatized byst night¡¯s fight. None of them could do anything to Nicole even when all of them attacked at the same time. They were all beaten up so badly it was the biggest shame of their life. This was not something that could be resolved over a meal. It was just that the staff and crew were generally unwilling to have conflicts with the actors, especially with this Miss Riddle, who seemed to have quite the background. The movie director, Nachelle Holder, was unhappy too when looking at Chloe. To begin with, Chloe was not the director¡¯s choice. It was just that she rmended herself, and with the rmendation from the Rogers branch family, so the movie director reluctantly decided to give her a chance. Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org. When Chloe saw the director¡¯s rather sullen expression, she quickly turned around, bowed to thetter, and said sincerely to all the staff. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. This won¡¯t happen again.¡± Yet, she still secretly begrudged Lloyd for that. ¡®You are just a bit popr, and so what?¡¯ She thought. ¡°Once I surpass you, let¡¯s see how you show off!¡¯ Meanwhile, Nicole entered the police station and saw Bluehead standing outside the interrogation room. He was whispering something to an officer. When he saw Nicole, his eyes were full of glee and disdain. However, there was also a hint of fear in it. After all, he had personally tasted the skills of this woman. Nicole walked on casually toward the interrogation table under the police¡¯s guide. Her aura was so imposing that many outsiders could not tell who the police were and who was the prisoner. Nicole sat before the table, her back was straight, and she was fearless. When Bluehead saw that, he was pissed off. He was being ushered over, and when he was still some distance away from her, he got the two officers to stop. While keeping that safe distance, he hissed at her while keeping that safe distance. ¡°You b*tch, weren¡¯t you acting haughty yesterday? If you know fear,e and kneel and apologize to me, beg me, so I¡¯ll let you go!¡± Nicole looked at him with nary an expression on her face. She thennded her gaze on his legs. Bluehead immediately recoiled by reflex as he let out a squeal, not unlike a butchered pig. The sweep Nicole smashed his knees with was why he could not stand up until now. Zeke looked at Bluehead and sneered. ¡°And you want her to kneel and beg you? You dare?¡± Bluehead was so terrified his legs went limp, yet he still ran his mouth as he sneered at Nicole. Pine! Then you two mongrels can stay here until the end of time!¡± After that, he turned around to tell an officer something. The officer gave Nicole a hesitant look, but the chief had ordered him to follow the man¡¯s orders, so he walked over and said coldly, ¡°Put your hands out! When Nicole heard that, she slightly raised her eyebrow as she looked on coldly at the officer, her voice ten times colder than his, ¡°What is my crime? is the trial process of Nottingbrook State just like that? The officer was suddenly cowed by Nicole¡¯s aura He did not know what to say. It was the officer that brougha Nicole here that smirked as he said, ¡°You don¡¯t know your crime? If you aren¡¯t sure, let¡¯s bring the thirteen people you assaultedst night over then!¡± The officer nced at Bluehead and caught a hint of satisfaction in thetter¡¯s eyes as he looked on even more menacingly and disdainfully at Nicole. ¡®No matter what she does, there is no ce in this station for her to speak!¡¯ Thinking of this, he felt much more emboldened. Soon, the rest of the dozen appeared around Nicole, including Yellowhead and Redhead. They were not as badly wounded as Bluehead was. Although they had bruises all over their face, they could walk normally already. All of them stared at Nicole with ill intentions in their eyes. Nicole nced at them with a half-smile, and a surge of fear appeared in their eyes. After all, they were really traumatized byst night¡¯s fight. None of them could do anything to Nicole even when all of them attacked at the same time. They were all beaten up so badly it was the biggest shame of their life. Chapter 204 Chapter 204 Thinking of the times they could just run rampant across the district, yet they had suffered that ignominy in the hands of that girl, the hooligans needed to find a way to get his face back. As they thought of this, a menacing look appeared in their eyes. The officer then said, ¡°She doesn¡¯t know what her crime is. Why don¡¯t youds tell her properly.¡± Yellowhead and the others started to make usations against Nicole, saying that they were merely out drinking and walking at night and were eating by one of the roadside stalls. ording to them, they ran into Nicole, who not only overturned the stall but also even beat all of them up. So now, all of them were hurt, and some were even hospitalized. Bluehead nodded as he lied about it. ¡°Yeah, officer. That happened. You need to stand up for us! ¡± he spoke to the officer angrily in a threatening tone. The officer nodded as he heard that. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, there¡¯s no escaping when youmit a crime in my area!¡± He then shot Nicole a cold re. ¡°We have witnesses here. Are you still not admitting your crime?¡± Nicole looked at him impassively. ¡°Even if what they said is true, are you not interested in my motivation?¡± ¡°That.¡± The officer immediately looked at Bluehead, and even thetter was stunned, not knowing what to say for a moment. At this very moment, a bright voice suddenly came from outside. He had heard Nicole¡¯s question and sneered, ¡°That¡¯s the question we should be asking you! What is your motive?¡± As soon as the officer heard that, it was as if he had found his backbone. ¡°Chief James, why are you here in person?¡± The person called ¡°chief¡± was a short man with a mustache, and beneath his moussed dark blonde hair was a pair of ferocious brown-yellow eyes. At a nce, it was clear he was no goody two-shoes, Chief James snorted coldly as he heard the officer ask him that. ¡°If I didn¡¯te here myself, what can you bunch of fools do?¡± The officer wiped the sweat off his forehead and said tteringly, ¡°You¡¯re right, sir, with you personally interrogating her, things will be easier!¡± He hurriedly made way for the chief as his entire person shrank away. The officer was actually taller than Chief James, yet the way he acted made him look so much shorter. When Nicole saw this, she squinted her eyes a little. As soon Chief Jarnes sat down, he mmed his hands against the table, pointing at the hoodlums as he said to Nicole, *Don¡¯t you know that they are good citizens of Nottingbrook Chief James clearly understood what he meant and motioned for him to calm down. After all, it was just a premeditated assault, and they only suffered flesh wounds. Locking her up for ten months was to ensure that she stayed here. Whatever happens inside the prison could, after all, be attributed to an ident. Ever since Chief James took office in the Amhurst District, he had not kept his hands clean from things like this and had gotten plenty of benefits out of it. This time around, it was just a Hustuaburgian girl, plus she was so young. So, he assumed that she would have no way to resist him pinning all sorts of charges on her. Moreover, he could gain the trust of Thor¡¯s underlings and befriend thergest local underworld force. Plus, he could get over 200,000 bucks. Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org. Who would say no to that? Chief James could already see the whole thing pan out. He thought that this deal was pure profit and no loss! Chapter 205 Chapter 205 As he thought of that, Chief James¡¯ eyes exploded with greed as he looked at Nicole as if he was looking at amb to be ughtered. His eyes filled with greed for power and money. Nicole looked at him as a sneer gently appeared on the corner of her lips. She gently tapped the table as she said faintly, ¡°The truth is that my users were the ones that struck at us first. I fought back only in self-defense, and I have measured my strength and did not cause damage beyond self-defense. ¡°The stallholder can testify for us. Moreover, I think it¡¯s best if we can pull up the local surveince footage and check the surrounding before I struck. ¡°I believe that the entire thing was recorded. As the local police chief, shouldn¡¯t you gather the footage and witnesses before making a judgment?¡± As soon as she said that, Chief James¡¯ expression changed. Yet, Nicole continued casually, ¡°Aside from that, I need to say that, even if I¡¯m responsible for the entire fracas, the degree of injury on these people isn¡¯t sufficient for you to detain and imprison me. ¡°The state securityws of Nottingbrook State have a clear code in dealing with matters like this. I don¡¯t know whatw statute you¡¯re referring to in detaining me.¡± Nicole was extremely calm, with nary a trace of panic on her face. When Chief James was questioned like that, his expression turned from surprised to stunned. He did not expect Nicole to have such an understanding of the localws, and she did not seem to be perturbed by his intimidation at all. She was totally at peace. ¡°Is it me or you who is in charge here?! If I want to lock you up for ten months, it¡¯ll be ten months and not a day short!¡± Nicole¡¯s eyes became colder, and Chief James did not seem to take her words seriously. He did not care about the fact of the matter, and he still insisted on arresting her even after she pulled out thew against him. ¡®How brazen of you!¡¯ Just as Nicole was about to say something, a sneer came from behind her. ¡°Chief James, you look all high and mighty there, huh!¡± Both Nicole and Zeke turned over and saw Edwin swaggering in with a silly smile on his face, Seeing Nicole looking at him, Edwin gave her aforting smile. ¡°Nicole, don¡¯t worry, They cannot do anything to you.¡± As she heard that, the chill in her eyes melted away slightly. She did not expect Edwin toe over to speak up for her. She pondered for a bit, and it was not hard to guess that it was probably Harvey who sent him here. Chlef James seemed to recognize who Edwin was as a trace of fear appeared in his eyes. The Bradford family had a lot of businesses in Nottingbrook State, and they were quite powerful. However, just Edwin alone was not enough to strike fear in him. When he thought of this, Chief James gave Edwin a nce as he said, ¡°Mr. Bradford, why aren¡¯t you in Hustuaburg, and what are you doing here instead? Edwin was not angry as he guffawed and said, ¡°I¡¯m here to join Gold Session of the Moon House.¡± As he heard the Moon House being mentioned, Chief James¡¯ face twitched a little. Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. He looked at Nicole and said, ¡°You¡¯re here to participate in the Gold Session of the Moon House too.¡± Nicole looked at him and said impassively, ¡°That question seems to have nothing to do with the case at hand.¡± Chief James took this as denial and let out a long sigh of relief. ¡®If she isn¡¯t the guest of the Moon House, there¡¯s no one in this area that I cannot cross!¡¯ As he thought that, he said contemptuously, ¡°Mr. Bradford, she¡¯s already convicted for her crimes. Even God will not be able to save her!¡± Chapter 206 Chapter 206 ¡®This isn¡¯t Hustuaburg but my turf. What the Bradford family can do to do me?¡¯ Chief James sat down as he thought of that. When Bluehead saw his expression, he knew things were settled, and the look in his eyes at Nicole became even more taunting. Edwin did not expect Chief James to not give him any face at all, and his expression immediately changed. ¡°You!¡± Contrary, Nicole¡¯s expression remained the same as she sat still. Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org. Seeing her like this, the two officers behind her walked over, wanting to handcuff her with a pair of bright silver cuffs glinting with cold light. When Zeke saw that, he immediately wanted to stop the two. But the two officers were tall andrge, and his small stature could not get in their way. When Nicole was about to be cuffed and taken away, two voices suddenly came from outside. ¡°Hod there!¡± ¡°Stop!¡± Harvey walked over hurriedly, and when he saw the two officers stretching their hands out to grab Nicole, a dark glint appeared in his eyes. He quickly walked to her side. There was nary a wrinkle on his suit, and his hair wasbed neatly. He was still elegant as ever, without any ws. Edwin looked at Harvey, and a thought shed past his eyes. Nicole ignored Harvey as she looked at Chief James with a look of yague disappointment on her face. ¡°I gave you a chance, James.¡± Chief James snorted. ¡°You¡¯re about to be put into jail soon. Do I even need you to give me a chance? ¡°James Reid, do tell me, who are you going to put into jail again?¡± The owner of the second voice walked in before Chief James could finish. Chief James looked on at Nicole with disdain, and he wanted to see what she was pulling. But after getting a good look at that person¡¯s face, the mockery on Chief James¡¯ face immediately faded away as an incredible paleness took its ce, ¡°Mr. William!¡¯ Wilham was a prosecutor. He then looked at Nicole again. Her calm expression showed that she was not surprised by William¡¯s appearance A terrifying conjecture then appeared in James¡¯ mind. ¡°Did Mr. Wilbarne here for Nicole William¡¯s stem expression also bore the same disappointment as Nicole did. He looked at Chief James and said with a deep voice. ¡°James, I promoted you to the chief of Amhurst District because I trusted you. Yet, in just three years, you¡¯ve turned into a pig-headed and corrupt b*stard!¡± ¡°I¡¯ve heard the entire interrogation process outside. What kind of coercion did you just pull on thisdy here? You¡¯ve tampered with the national securityws and convicted her just to satisfy your own lust? Is this the conduct of proper police chief?¡± Sweat was already streaming down Chief James¡¯ head. Mr. William, the prosecutor, was a confidant of the governor. He was an extremely upright person and viewed thew as a t of his life. He had always hated all those dirty and corrupt exchanges, and since Mr. William was the one who raised Chief James to his current station, thetter could also dislodge him at any moment. ¡°Mr. William , th-this is just a misunderstanding ¡­ I was just joking with thisdy just now. It¡¯s just a new interrogation technique¡­¡± Chapter 207 Chapter 207 Seeing that Chief James was backtracking, Bluehead immediately snapped. ¡°You shithead! What are you saying! You promised me to do this broad in! Now you¡¯re going back on your words, give me those two hundred thousand bucks back, and just wait for the Thor family to get back at you!¡± Chief James secretly cursed that idiot, but with Bluehead blurting everything out, William looked at James icily. ¡°James Reid, how dare you break thew knowing thew? Come with me this once and take your aplice along with you!¡± Just as he said that, a few gendarmes rushed from behind him and arrested James and the dozen other gangsters as they escorted them out. William stayed in the room as he looked at Nicole and did not care about the presence of the other two. He only nodded slightly as he said, ¡°Thank you for reporting this selflessly. Please do not take James¡¯ shameless usations to heart. The governor got me to apologize on his behalf for Nottingbrook State¡¯s transgressions.¡± He had lowered his voice much, and the others could not hear him at all. Yet, at the same time, they were surprised at Mr. William¡¯s attitude toward her. Nicole waved her hand at him, indicating that she did not mind that. When he saw her just wave him off like that, William got even more nervous as he pulled down his military beret off his head, without care for his surroundings as he bowed toward Nicole. ¡°My deepest apologies. When Harvey saw the scene, a great look of surprise appeared in his eyes. ¡®This person, the prosecutor who handles the governor of Nottingbrook State¡¯s security, is so respectful toward Nicole. What¡¯s going on?¡¯ A look of helplessness appeared in Nicole¡¯s eyes as she pulled his arm, motioning for him to get up. She then looked at him seriously in the eye and said, ¡°I ain¡¯t hurt or anything. Pay it no heed, sir.¡± William looked at her expression and nodded a little before finally asking cautiously, ¡°You will Visit Nottingbrook State again, right?¡± Nicole¡¯s lips curled a little as she gave him a reassuring response. ¡°Of course.¡± Mr. William¡¯s azure eyes curled a little as he let out a gentle smile. ¡°Very well. Where are you staying? I¡¯ll send you back.¡± Nicole shook her head, she did not like toe under the attention of so many, let alone be surrounded by the gendarmerie, ¡°Don¡¯t mind me I can go back myself.¡± William wanted to say something else, but judging from her expression, he held back He then put on his beret back as he whispered to her. ¡°Please feel free to contact me if anything happens. It was then did he walked away and left. Sering bim leave, Nicole picked up her cap on the table as she said to Zeke, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± She stood up and ignored the frozen Harvey beside her as she walked toward Edwin, who was watching the entire thing in a daze. She then let out a soft thank you and left with Zeke in tow. Zeker was, in fact, very shocked, but he had been so shocked for the past two days. This belongs to N?velDrama.Org. Hence, Nicole doing something that did not shock him would be an unusual thing. He looked at the two, and a touch of sympathy appeared in his eyes. After that, he and Nicole left Nottingbrook State¡¯s Amhurst District police station. It was only then did Edwin snap back into reality. He stood by Harvey and whispered. ¡°Harvey, did you call Mr. William over?¡± He knew the answer in his heart, but he was still hoping against hope. After all, Nicole did not look like such a powerful person, and among them, Harvey was the most influential and powerful one. Yet, Harvey immediately shattered Edwin¡¯s hopes. He shook his head, as a distant, lost look appeared in his usually calm eyes. ¡°The prosecutor¡¯s attitude said it all just now. He came specifically for Nicole.¡± Chapter 208 Chapter 208 Although Harvey¡¯s influence in Nottingbrook State was enough to get the police district chief to be in awe of him, he was still not a local, and his influence was only a fraction of what it usually was. However, now with the local ruling organ of Nottingbrook State showing up, everything changed. Looking at how William dealt with James, it was something a foreigner cannot hope to achieve. When Harvey thought of that, the emotions in his eyes ran deep. ¡®How did Nicole manage to get Mr. William over? She¡¯s just a Hustuaburgian. How does she have such an ability? Even I don¡¯t have the ability to call upon a lieutenant governor-level figure¡­¡± He then recalled his grandpa kept trying to set him up with her. ¡®Nicole, who are you?¡¯ As he thought of this, his eyes became even more gloomy. 1. As he left the police station, he gave Shawn a call. ¡°Investigate about Nicole thoroughly, especially from her time at Great Oak. I want you to scour every nook and cranny! Also, there¡¯s a boy beside her. I want you to find out who he is as well.¡± Edwin followed behind, and when he heard Harvey¡¯s usually unhurried voice being so eager yet cold, he knew very well how the mes of anger were lit inside Harvey. She was supposed to be a prey that Harvey could just squish in his hands. Yet, she turns out to be the apex predator of the food chain, and she¡¯s probably more powerful than Harvey. Of course Harvey is mad.¡¯ Edwin, on the other hand, was not angry. Nicole always surprised him, and he was now sure that the force behind her could resolve the problems hispany was now facing. ¡®Just how am I supposed to get her to help me.¡± A look of deep thought appeared in Edwin¡¯s eyes. At this moment, Harvey had already hung up the call, and his expression returned to his usual gentleness. Yet he did not even give Edwin a nce as he looked at the two departing figures in the distance and followed. Nicole and Zeke were waiting for a taxi by the roadside. Looking at her expression, Zeke started to ask the questions he had wanted to ask. *Nicole, were you the one who summoned Mr. William over?¡± Nicole was looking at the road and just let out a nomittal ¡°Mhmm.¡± Zeke then tried to push for more answers, ¡°What¡¯s the deal with you and him? Why is he so respectful to you?¡± It was then did Nicole look at him. She had not been in contact with William much, but instead, she had more contact with another person who was his colleague, the secretary to the governor of Nottingbrook State, If there was ever a rtionship, then after some thought, Nicole said, ¡°We are in a cooperative rtionship, I suppose.¡± ¡®A cooperative rtionship?¡¯ Zeke looked at Nicole, and when he recalled Mr. William¡¯s extremely respectful expression, he motioned that he was not buying it. Nicole did not say much as she hailed a taxi. Just as she was about to get in, Harvey, who came from behind, grabbed her wrist. 1 Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. There was no smile on his face as he looked firmly at Nicole, with an almost imperceptible restlessness in his voice. ¡°How did you know Mr. William?¡± Zeke had already sat inside the taxi, and when he saw this, he jumped out. ¡°What sort of schoolmate are you? Why can¡¯t you just talk normally instead of resorting to force?¡± When Harvey heard his voice, he felt a surge of blood rushing up his head. His emotions, already on the brink, were even harder to control now. He turned to look at Zeke, his eyes cold and ck, as if a beast was locked within it. Chapter 209 Chapter 209 Nicole¡¯s face instantly turned chilly, and she did not look like she was in the mood to say anything else. Zeke, too, did not show fear in the face of Harvey. ¡°Don¡¯t you see Nicole doesn¡¯t want you to hold her? Let her go!¡± Harvey¡¯s voice seeped through the gaps between his teeth and lips. ¡°Shut up!¡± When Nicole heard that, she sneered and lifted the left hand Harvey had held in a vise grip as her right hand grabbed onto his wrist with a gentle force. Harvey¡¯s hand suddenly felt weak and simply just let go. Nicole turned around and looked at him, her voice chillingly cold. ¡°Shut up is something I should be telling you instead.¡± As she said that, she ignored Harvey as she got into the taxi with Zeke. The taxi quickly drove away, leaving Harvey alone, holding his right hand. A storm was brewing in his eyes. He had no idea what was wrong with him, yet he could not suppress the urge to hold Nicole in the palm of his hand. Nicole and Zeke quickly returned to the hotel. She had initially nned to check out in the morning. Now that both had their belongings with them, they did not need to go upstairs. Hence, they straightaway went to check out and leave. Dino was waiting by the door, and when he saw Nicole and Zekeing back, he asked concernedly. ¡°Are you two alright?¡± If his expression was not that cold, Zeke was sure that he was sincerely concerned about them. Nicole gave Dino a faint nce and said casually. ¡°We¡¯re fine.¡± Dino looked at Nicole. There was a hint of something in his eyes. Before Nicole went out, he even reminded her that she could ask the hotel for help, yet he did not expect that she would have the capability to resolve any issues she encountered in Nottingbrook State. Thinking of this, he bowed slightly. ¡°It seems like I overthought.¡± Nicole did not say much and headed straight for the front desk. Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org. She could feel that the hotel manager seemed to be harboring a contemptuous hostility toward her. However, it did not bother Nicole. Both she and Zekepleted the check-out process without hassle. Just as they were about to leave, a rather harsh female voice suddenly rang from behind them. ¡°Why are you here?¡± Chloe had just returned to the hotel and thought that Nicole must have already been detained at the police station. She did not expect to run into her unscathed at the hotel lobby, with the high and mighty manager bowing to her. For Chloe to blurt out such a stupid sentence was because she was simply too surprised. When Nicole heard that, she raised her eyebrows as she nced at Chloe. ¡°Then where you think I should be at then?¡±. She had not dealt with Chloe yet, and well, here she was serving herself up on a silver tter. Nicole gave Chloe a chilly look, and thetter was immediately a little flustered. She quickly calmed herself down and smiled a little, pushing her wavy curly hair to the back of her ear as she said softly. ¡°No need to be so hostile. I just did not expect to see you here in the lobby.¡± When she deflected Nicole¡¯s words, it was as if Nicole had something against her. In this way, it looked as if Nicole was the aggressor. But Zeke did not buy that as he sneered. ¡°Is that so? Bluehead told us that the person who instructed him to cause Nicole trouble is a sissy of a man. Who else could it be but your manager?¡± ¡°That means you¡¯re an aplice, and you won¡¯t be able to escape!¡± Zeke said that in Esperian. Everyone passing through could understand everything they heard. Their eyes looking at Chloe changed immediately. Chloe¡¯s expression changed as she cursed at Luka, ¡®Didn¡¯t he say that we won¡¯t be implicated, then why are they pinning it on me?¡¯ Chapter 210 Chapter 210 However, she had been in this circle for quite some time now. So she had learned how to twist a story perfectly. She immediately retorted, ¡°Don¡¯t you go ndering me! Everyone saw it this morning. The officers came to take you, and this¡­¡± Having said that, she suddenly paused, as if she felt the name ¡°Nicole¡± was quite familiar. ¡°You are Nicole?!¡± Nicole looked at Chole impassively, neither acknowledging nor denying it. It was a cold stare. A specter of fear soon appeared slowly in Chloe¡¯s heart. Although she had not returned home, she had heard her parents say that Uncle Daniel had found his daughter. ¡®However, didn¡¯t they say that Nicole came from the countryside? Why is she in Nottingbrook State¡¯s best hotel? Even I can only get to stay by following the crew using the connections to Nachelle Holder. Even so, I¡¯ve only gotten a room on the second floor.¡¯ Chloe did not even see Nicole on the second floor. Seeing how the manager was treating Nicole, Chloe could not help but wonder, ¡®Does that mean she was staying on the third floor?¡¯ As for the fourth floor, Chloe did not dare to even think of it. Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org. She squinted her eyes as a thought appeared in her charming eyes, yet she still said condescendingly toward Nicole, ¡°Do you know who I am?¡± Nicole looked at her with a half-smile and did not answer her. Just the fact she ndered Zeke the first time they met, her character was obviously poor, and Nicole could not be bothered to talk to her. At this moment, Harvey, too, had rushed back from the police station, and he immediately saw Nicole standing in the crowd as he slowed down and walked toward her. He wore a warm smile as he walked toward Nicole¡¯s side and ignored both Chloe and Zeke as he said gently to her, ¡°Nicole, I was too abrupt just now. I¡¯m sorry.¡± Nicole did not look at Harvey, and it was Chloe whose eyes widened in astonishment, ¡°Harvey Ellison!¡± Of course she knew Harvey Ellison. He was the alpha jock of the Royal Creek Institute. Although she had not been attending school much due to filming, she still knew who Harvey Was Even when she relied on her connection with the Rogers branch family, it was difficult for her to even talk to him. He was a person who could stay on the fourth floor of the Assoria Castle! However, Harvey was actually apologizing to Nicole at this moment, Chloe¡¯s eyes were full of bewilderment. She did not know what was going on with this country cousin of hers. However, she quickly turned around and let out a charming smile. ¡°Harvey, you may not know, but this Nicole is my cousin. You can just tell me if there¡¯s anything. But in any case, Nicole, Harvey has lowered himself to apologize to you. So, don¡¯t you dare not appreciate his kindness.¡± She looked at Nicole. A threatening gaze lined the tip of her charming eyes. She acted as if she would not let her go if Nicole did not ept Harvey¡¯s apology. Harvey heard what Chloe said and then raised his eyes to look at her for a second. As if he thought of something, he did not say anything else, seemingly wanting to see if Nicole would listen to Chloe or not and whether she would ept his apology or not. Nicole gave the two an impassive nce as she said to Chloe. ¡°I have nothing to say to you. The police, on the other hand, should have plenty to ask you. So just save your breath.¡± As she said that, she did not even look at Harvey as she waved at Zeke. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Zeke quickly followed behind, and when Chloe saw Nicole straight up ignoring her, she was so angry she could no longer maintain her smile. She pushed Zeke away and said to Nicole,¡± Nicole, do you not know shame? Let me tell you, this is Harvey Ellison. Don¡¯t you drag the entire Riddle family down because of your selfishness!¡± Chapter 211 Chapter 211 Chloe had been away from home and had no idea that Nicole and Mr. Ellison knew each other. She thought that Nicole dared to snub Harvey only because of her rtionship with the Riddle family. This country bumpkin hasn¡¯t even figured out the situation in Northon!¡¯ she secretly sneered. ¡®She offends everyone she meets. She is a fool, only good at looking for trouble.¡¯ Chloe crossed her arms and stood in Nicole¡¯s way. Nicole¡¯s eyes turned stern when she saw Chloe push Zeke away. Zeke was her partner on the Inte for years. She treated him like her brother, and she would allow no one to bully him. She helped Zeke up and then looked Chloe in the eyes with icy eyes and said in an icy voice,¡± It¡¯s your business to tter Harvey, but it doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m afraid of Harvey. Apologize to Zeke immediately.¡± Her stare frightened Chloe, who involuntarily stepped back behind Harvey. Nicole still stared at Chloe with an icy indifference in her eyes, as if her stare could freeze the blood. After being exposed, Chloe was ashamed and infuriated. She looked up at Harvey, but he instead was staring at Nicole, not sparing her a nce.N?velDrama.Org is the owner. A tinge of bitter look shed in her eyes. Chloe thought Harvey would help her when she had spoken up for him. But the turn of events disappointed Chloe. When she had just stepped back behind Harvey, expecting his help, Harvey took a step forward and walked up to Nicole instead. He took out a in ck box from his pocket, gently opened it, and said softly to Nicole, ¡°Don¡¯t be angry, okay? Here¡¯s an apology gift for you.¡± As soon as the box was opened, the glittering light from the box dazzled Chloe¡¯s eyes. It was that ten-carat pink diamond. It turned out that Harvey was the buyer of the pink diamond worth a hundred million dors, and now he was giving it to Nicole. Chloe clenched her teeth in anger. Indignation and jealousy almost overwhelmed her sanity as she looked at the pink diamond. Nicole was looking at the pink diamond, but no one knew what she was thinking. Harvey gazed at her expression, the look in his eyes osciting between anticipation and disappointment. ¡®Will she ept it? Do I want her to ept it?¡¯ Nicole looked up at Harvey with an impassive look after two seconds. ¡°I¡¯m thinking about what you¡¯re trying to pull here, Harvey. This isn¡¯t going to work on me.¡± Her voice was lukewarm. ¡°This isn¡¯t going to work on me.¡± Nicole avoided Harvey¡¯s hand and looked straight at Chloe. ¡°Apologize to Zeke.¡± There was a sh of cold light in Nicole¡¯s eyes when she looked at Chloe, but to Harvey, it appeared even more brilliant than the diamond in his hand. He still maintained the gesture of handing out the diamond, but with a broader smile on his face. Harvey realized Nicole was not someone whom he could bribe with expensive things. Nicole did not notice Harvey¡¯s expression, as she was still looking at Chloe. ¡°If you, as a public figure, don¡¯t want to embarrass yourself, apologize to Zeke immediately.¡± Nicole¡¯s words struck Chloe¡¯s soft spot. Chloe looked at the diamond in Harvey¡¯s hand and then at Nicole¡¯s spotless, beautiful face. Chloe¡¯s face contorted involuntarily. A strange thought came to her mind for a moment. She looked at Harvey¡¯s attitude and wondered if he and Nicole had some kind of indescribable rtionship ¡®But doesn¡¯t Harvey have a thing with Snow? What the hell is happening during my absence?¡¯ Chapter 212 Chapter 212 When Chloe looked at Nicole, there was a hint of surprise and jealousy in her eyes. She worked so hard in the showbiz because she wanted to find a stepping stone that could make her an instant sess. She wanted to be the woman who stood on the top beside those top celebrities. But Harvey and Snow seemed to be hooked on each other at the time. So, Chloe could only change her target at that time. However, little did she expect Nicole, who came from the countryside, to steal Harvey from Snow and make him her patron. No wonder Chloe hated Nicole. Chloe quickly gathered herself together. Her target now was Jared, and she would humble herself in front of Nicole for the sake of Harvey. But after she got Jared, she would want Nicole to kneel on the ground to apologize and pay back the humiliation she suffered. She quickly put up a sincere face and smiled softly at Zeke. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for pushing you down. I was too desperate just now.¡± Zeke was used to hearing Nicole¡¯s cial voice, so when he heard Chloe¡¯s soft and cloying voice, he had goosebumps all over his body and felt disgusted. He was thinking of finding a bigger and better diamond for Nicole when he saw the pink diamond in Harvey¡¯s hand. Looking at Chloe¡¯s face now, he waved his hand and did not want to make a big deal out of it. Nicole saw Zeke did not mind and cocked an eyebrow. ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± she said to Zeke. As they left, Harvey looked at Nicole from behind and said, ¡°Let me send you.¡± He looked at the pink diamond in his hand with an obscure expression in his eyes. At first, he bought the pink diamond to please Nicole, but now it was of no use, and he did not need it. There was a look of contempt in his eyes, but because there were many people around, he first put away the diamond. Chloe looked at the diamond, the covetousness in her eyes unmistakable. She wondered what made Nicole so special that Harvey was treating Nicole so well. She looked back at Nicole. Unable to hold back her jealousy, she said bitterly to Harvey, ¡°I¡¯m surprised that you would want a woman who has been arrested by the police before.¡± Chloe¡¯s words seemed to have reminded him of something. Harvey suddenly hesitated. But Nicole did not look back because she did not care what the two were saying, After all, Chloe would soon know who would be arrested, She ignored Chloe¡¯s provocation and walked ahead without looking back. Just then, a familiar voice came from behind her. ¡°Who does Harvey think he is to deserve Nicole?¡± A hint of snickers apanied thezy voice. It came from a distance and was heard by everyone present. Nicole looked back, her eyes lighting up with surprise as she saw Jared walk toward her, Jared looked at Nicole, his extremely charming upturned eyes filled with smiles, looking indescribably clear as if spring ice was melting in the distant mountains. He was wearing a retro Esperian attire of red and ck, which obviously were the most difficult-to-match colors, but it looked so harmonious on him. N?velDrama.Org is the owner. The slight raise of his eyebrow was bewitching. Chapter 213 Chapter 213 Nicole looked at Jared; she had not seen him for only a few days, but it seemed like a century had passed. She did not even realize that a smile had crept across her face. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Jared also looked at her, the surprise in his eyes hard to ignore. ¡°I have some business to take care of here,¡± he said in an uplifted voice, despite his conscious effort to suppress it. Dino, who was following Jared, looked at him in amazement. He was ustomed to his listless and indifferent gaze at everything; he had never seen him so enthusiastic about someone. There was a crack and a look of disbelief on his cial face when Dino found out that the person to whom Jared was showing affection was Nicole. He did not know that Nicole actually knew his boss. Harvey looked at Nicole, who was now having a genuine and beautiful smile on her face and was stupefied and a little lost in thought. Jared thought, ¡®I must be missing this girl after not seeing her for just a few days.¡¯ Looking at Jared¡¯s attitude toward Nicole, Chole¡¯s face contorted, and she forced herself to calm down before stepping forward andining to Nicole, saying, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me you knew Jared?¡± She could clearly sense that their rtionship was not so ordinary. So how about Harvey?¡¯ she asked in her mind. As Chloe suddenly came toward her, as if they were close buddies, and the thought of seeing Chloe sitting across from Jared in the caf¨¦ the other day came to mind, something started to dawn on Nicole. She looked at Chloe with a smirk and said, ¡°Why should I tell you?¡± At this time, Luka had alsoe in. He thought Jared was with Chloe, and when he saw Nicole standing there, he quickly said, ¡°Mr. Johnston, it was this woman who looked for trouble with Chloe and me the other day. You have got to do something about her.¡± Chloe was looking at Jared with anticipation, as she had always felt that she was special to Jared. Even if she had seen what happened just now, she was still not willing to admit that she was deceiving herself. Jared looked at Luka nonchntly. ¡°Really?¡± he said. Seeing Jared¡¯s attitude, Luka thought Jared was going to stand up for Chloe and quickly said tteringly, ¡°She intimidated and forced us to apologize to her underling because of a misunderstanding,¡± Chloe, who was standing at the side, frowned because she felt that what Luka said was an understatement. ¡°Jared, she thinks because of her rtionship with Harvey, she could do whatever she likes, openly threatening me and saying that the police wille after me. Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org. I think you should stay away from such a person.¡± Nicole looked at Chloe and almost wanted tough, saying in her mind, ¡®She is lower than a snake¡¯s belly!¡¯ At this moment, Dino came over to Jared and whispered something to him. Jared frowned, his eyes turning frosty as he looked at Chloe. Zeke could not bear to see Chloe smear Nicole, and he stood up. ¡°It was obvious you guys who provoked us first. You lied when you said that I stole from you, and now you¡¯re trying to stand the truth on its head. What an evil wench you are!¡± There was a stern look in Chloe¡¯s eyes upon hearing that. She shot a look at Luka, who got the hint and quickly raised a hand, wanting to p Zeke. ¡°I¡¯ll teach you a lesson, brat!¡± Luka might be sissy, but he was still a man, had strength, and was using all of it. He red at Zeke triumphantly. He had long been disliking this guy, who looked better than he was. How could he not seize the opportunity to p him now? There was a fleeting sense of malice shed across Luka¡¯s face. Chloe looked on triumphantly at seeing Luka about to p Zeke. With Jared there, she was not afraid at all, even if Nicole had Harvey¡¯s backing. At the moment when both of them felt they had seeded , Luka¡¯s hand was intercepted by another hand in mid-air, twisted ny degrees with a crisp cracking sound. Luka screamed in pain, with cold sweat popping up on his forehead. Chapter 214 Chapter 214 Luka took two steps back, the eyeliners on his small eyes covered with sweat. As Nicole had broken his hand, he looked at her with hatred and a hint of uncontroble fear in his eyes. Chloe looked at Nicole with a fleeting hint of jealousy in her eyes. But she quickly thought of something again, and a mysterious smile appeared on her face. She quickly looked at Jared and said desperately, ¡°Look at how defiant she is! You have got to teach her a lesson.¡± Jared¡¯s eyes turned grave when he saw what unfolded in front of him. He walked briskly toward Nicole, grabbed her left hand that she used to stop Luka, and asked in a deep voice,¡± Are you hurt?¡± Nicole shook her head. Chloe looked on at what had happened in disbelief. It was not at all what she had imagined. She thought Jared would be furious with Nicole. But she was wrong. Instead of teaching Nicole a lesson, Jared was siding with Nicole. Her face turned pale as Chloe looked at Jared and then at Harvey, who was watching her coldly, doing nothing. She felt an unspeakable fear inside her. Jared did not even spare her a nce. He looked at Dino behind him with anger brewing in his eyes. Dino immediately fell to his knees. ¡°It is my fault,¡± he quickly said. It was he who did not take Nicole seriously, and what happened between her and Chloe was just a minor episode, so he had ignored it and did not report it to Jared. ¡°Tomorrow, I will go to the ordination hall to receive my punishment.¡± Jared did not look at him again but shifted his attention to Nicole. ¡°What do you want to do with her?¡± His voice was soft, his eyes gentle. He then gazed over at Chloe. Nicole had not much response. She just repliedzily, ¡°Let her be punished ording to thews of Nottingbrook State.¡± Zeke nced at Nicole as Nicole sounded like William, the public prosecutor. Nicole looked at Zeke and raised her chin slightly as if saying, ¡°Any problem with that?¡± Apparently, she had read his mind, Zeke had no words. ¡®No problem at all, of course. You¡¯re the boss and can do anything you like, he said in his mind. Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. Jared watched the interaction between the two of them. He was paying attention to Nicole and did not notice Zeke just now. Now that he saw his face, he hesitated for a while. Seeing Zeke so young, handsome, with so much tacit understanding with Nicole, Jared¡¯s face turned bitter.¡¯ How should I deal with this guy?¡¯ he asked himself in his mind. Chloe looked with indignation and hatred at Nicole, who did not seem to take her seriously. At first, Chloe was not too concerned when Harvey sided with Nicole. But now, even Jared was siding with Nicole. They might not have exined their rtionship, but they seemed to be very close to each other. Her fingernails had dug into the flesh of her palm, but she still maintained a smile. ¡°Nicole, I may have misunderstood you, but you don¡¯t need to call the police because of it.¡± After all, they were all from the Riddle family. Nicole should not be so unforgiving. But to her surprise, Nicole said nothing further. She just nced at her, turned around, and left. ¡°Follow me, Zeke,¡± she said. Jared raised an eyebrow and looked at Nicole from behind. ¡°Going back to Hustuaburg ?¡± he¡¯ asked faintly. Nicole nodded with her back to him. A smile crept across Jared¡¯s face. He stepped forward to hold Nicole¡¯s hand, looked into her puzzled eyes, and whispered, ¡°Why don¡¯t we go together?¡± 2 Chapter 215 Chapter 215 Since she was so unfeeling, he might as well take the initiative. Dino looked at how his boss treated Nicole with a thoughtful look, wondering if his poker faced boss finally was in estrous. Jared and Nicole did not walk out of the hotel but went back into the lobby. ¡°I will leave things to you here, Dino,¡± Jared said with an obvious hint of blissfulness in his voice. Dino sighed and stood up in acknowledgment. His heart skipped a beat when he saw Chloe about to chase after Jared. He quickly stood in Chloe¡¯s way and stopped Luka, who was trying to escape. Chloe angrily looked at Dino, who always stood between her and Jared. ¡°Get the hell out of my sight!¡± she barked with a little shrill voice. She must not let Nicole take Jared away. Dino was cool and looked at Chloe with nonchnt eyes. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I¡¯m afraid you will have to stay here until the police arrive.¡± There was a subtle coldness in his voice. Chloe angrily reached out, trying to shove him away. ¡°You really believe Nicole¡¯s nonsense?¡± Dino did not trust Nicole, but he trusted Jared unconditionally. So, he was not swayed by Chloe. ¡°That¡¯s Mr. Johnston¡¯s instruction.¡± Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org. Seeing that Dino did not let her go, Chloe was infuriated and struck at Dino¡¯s eyes with her long fingernails. Dino reacted by dodging to one side at once and then struck Chloe¡¯s waist, immediately paralyzing her on the ground. There was a hint of fear in her eyes. She had forgotten that all of Jared¡¯s men knew how to fight. Thinking of her recklessness in attacking Dino, cold sweat started to trickle down her forehead. Now that she could no longer move or speak, she could only endure the stares of surprise and ridicule from passers-by with anger inside her. Dino stood behind her with a straight face as he waited. He had just used half of his strength, but it could inflict enough pain on Chloe. This woman definitely deserved double the punishment. Thinking of this, Dino somewhat regretted that he had pulled his punches. He looked ahead and saw Harvey standing there, watching as Nicole and Jared left. His gut feeling told him that there was something amiss with Harvey. Harvey¡¯s mind kept ying the scene where Jared reached out to hold Nicole¡¯s hand, and she did not refuse. The thought of it made his eyes redden with jealousy. ¡®Why? Because Jared is better than me?¡¯ he wondered. He thought about what Jared had said earlier, ¡°Who do you think you are to deserve Nicole?¡± and felt miserable as if his chest was going to explode. He said he would send Nicole, but Nicole just went away like a wind. But when Jared asked to go with Nicole, she was not resenting Jared at all. Harvey tittered. He ignored Chloe, who was still lying on the ground, turned around, and walked upstairs. There was no point in staying here. The light had left Harvey¡¯s eyes. He came in front of Room 403 and saw the door of Room 401 wide open. It had only been a moment, but new guests already checked into the room. He did not bother about it but closed the door behind him and started to pack his things. A group of police officers had surrounded Chloe and Luka downstairs. Chloe refused to be taken away, while Dino looked on with an indifferent expression. Chapter 216 Chapter 216 The police shoved her and Luka into a patrol car and took them away while Nicole followed Jared to the manor. Zeke looked thoughtfully at Nicole¡¯s face, then at Jared¡¯s. Jared did not mind Zeke¡¯s scrutiny. He brought Nicole to walk out of the castle, behind which was a well-groomedwn covering a sizable area, and in the middle of which was parked a private jet that was on standby. Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org. Nicole was not surprised. She had realized something when Jared invited her to leave together. Only Zeke behind her was wide-eyed. ¡®My god, who is Jared, really? He even has a private jet that was much more advanced than that of his father.¡¯ Zeke wondered. The aircraft was extremely safe. Nothing could cause damage to it unless there was a missile attack. ¡®Wait a minute, Jared.¡¯ It was the Jared whom he had imagined. Zeke silently looked Jared up and down and had no words because he was great looking. For his face alone, Zeke could not have any ill feelings toward him. Jared looked at Nicole¡¯s impassive face with bright eyes and then said a few words to the tall foreign captain before bringing Nicole toward the ne. Nicole looked at the silver fusge of the ne and raised an eyebrow. The ne had been modified, and it cost a bomb. As the three of them got on the ne, Zeke was stunned. The inside of the aircraft was spacious, made into a separate living room, with LED disys embedded in the walls of the fusge and two soft chairs that seemedfortable. Another space was installed with sophisticated electronic equipment, where most high-endputer operations run onnd could be performed here. It was worth mentioning that there was even a small wine cab in the lounge. Nicole looked at the wine cab and raised an eyebrow. Jared was keeping an eye on her expression, and when he saw her interest, he exined,¡± Sometimes I will drink a little when I cannot sleep.¡± It was the first time Nicole heard him talking about himself. She looked up with her upturned eyes and waited for him to continue. Jared looked at her expression and felt she was adorable. Even the things that he thought to be too embarrassed to tell previously were no longer so. He looked at Nicole with a pair of ssy eyes and whispered, ¡°My parents died when I was still small, leaving me to grow up under my grandfather¡¯s care.¡± Jared paused, his pupils gradually gushing with an indescribable emptiness, his voice i seemingly floating in the air with no ce to settle down. ¡°I have an awful rtionship with the rest of the family. They hated me, saying that I was a jinx who would get everyone around me killed.¡± A faint smile, indescribably cold, crept across his face. Nicole looked at him and knew he had reached a certain point of limit. So, she gently held Jared¡¯s hand and said, ¡°Enough, Jared.¡± Jared looked at her and blinked as if a beautiful and hazy dream was enough. Nicole nodded, and her voice was filled with an unmistakable affirmation. As if thinking of something again, she looked at Jared with a beautiful smile. 8 Chapter 217 Chapter 217 ¡°Thank you for telling me so much.¡± Jared seemed to wake up from a dream after hearing what Nicole said, his smile on his face saying that he felt appreciated, and his expression looked much warmer now. The light in the cold ice had finally been lit up. He looked at Nicole¡¯s beautiful face, and his fingers felt like wanting to touch her involuntarily. He did, and he gently stroked her cheek with his fingers with a dream-like expression on his face. ¡°Thank you, Nicole,¡± he said. Nicole did not refuse his touch. She calmly raised her hand to take his somewhat cold hand in hers. ¡°In reciprocal, I will tell you something about me,¡± she said. ¡°Before returning to the Riddle family, my adoptive parents cared little about me. I grew up in thepany of my grandma. We were poor, and she sold junk scavenged from the garbage to make a living and pay for my tuition fees. Because the clothes I wore always did not fit me, I wasughed at and looked down upon, and because I was skinny, I was always bullied by those who were younger than me.¡± Nicole looked at Jared. She was talking about her unpleasant memories, but the look on her face was nonchnt as if it did not affect her at all. She continued. ¡°But I still grew up well. Those people are now far away from my life, and my childhood may follow me all my life, but I will never cocoon myself and live in those painful memories because of those people and things that are not worth it.¡± There was a hint of sadness shed in her eyes, as if she had thought of something. Jared looked at her with some kind of unspeakable emotion in his eyes. Herposure and calmness in her soul were the things that attracted him. He let out a gentle smile with spirit in his eyes as if they were stars that would never fall. ¡°I feel you,¡± he said, looking at her beautiful face and feeling as if something had lit him up inside. Just then, Zeke, who was checking the electronic instruments earlier, hade back with enthusiasm. ¡°Lu¡ª Nicole, guess what I just saw!¡± Nicole forbade him from calling her Lucifer in front of others. But he was too excited and almost made that slip of the tongue. Nicole and Jared looked at Zeke. They did not look embarrassed. Just that there was a not-too happy look in Jared¡¯s eyes. He wondered if Zeke had deliberately picked this time toe back Zeke looked at Jared, whose hand was on Nicole¡¯s face, and then at Nicole, whose hand was holding to Jared¡¯s. He was kind of struck dumb for a second. ¡°You guys¡­¡± Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. Nicole pulled back her hand and walked toward Zeke with a straight face. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Zeke¡¯s excitement had subsided, but he still said as it was, ¡°I saw a ]W3000.¡± The JW 3000 was the model number of the world¡¯s most advancedputer. Only thirty units had been made, and almost all of them were used by weapons researchboratories in various countries. He did not expect to see one on Jared¡¯s ne, Nicole could not help but be surprised at hearing that. There was an imperceptible excitement in her eyes, but she pretended to be calm. ¡°Show me where it is.¡± Chapter 218 Chapter 218 Zeke looked hesitantly at the expression of Jared, who was leaning against the wine cab, looking at him with stern eyes and a smirk, behind Nicole. After seeing what Jared was ying with in his hands, Zeke immediately said, ¡°No, no. It¡¯s okay. I can handle it.¡± Nicole was stupefied, not knowing what was wrong with Zeke, but she did not insist. ¡°If you have a problem, find me.¡± Before the two worked together, Specter had been mentoring him personally. Fiddling with aputer should not be a problem for him. 2 Zeke nodded and headed back next door absent-mindedly. Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. He shuddered involuntarily when he thought about the look in Jared¡¯s eyes. He also thought about the toy-like, sharp dagger that glinted in Jared¡¯s hand. The light reflected off the de was hurting his eyes. He wondered who Nicole was messing with now. Zeke turned on the JW3000. It was a littlerger and thicker than those portableptops. Probably because of its high-end processor, its chassis looked a little bulky. For some reason, he felt this machine, which was the most powerfulputer in the world, looked somewhat familiar. It looked as if his father had shown him the picture before. Shaking the thought from his mind, he started to run a series of testing programs on the machine. A flight attendant looked at Zeke¡¯s somewhat baby face with a look of disdain. ¡®Mr. Johnston is the only person who can handle this machine. ¡®It¡¯s remotely connected to a local machine in the headquarters of JJ Johnston Group in Mecrounia. He often handles transactions directly using it. ¡®Now, this half-grown brat is tantly fiddling it. What¡¯s even more ridiculous is that this brat is just an underling of the girl whom Mr. Johnston has brought with him,¡¯ the flight attendant thought as she rolled her eyes impatiently. She then went out to rant to her colleagues about Nicole After all, this was the first time Jared had brought a girl onto his private ne Zeke did not know he had been despised, along with Nicole. He was looking at theputer in front of him with his brows gently knitted together. He was not sure if it was his delusion; it seemed that thisputer was slower than he thought. Zeke hadined about how slow hisputer was, and it could not keep with the movements of his fingers, So Nicole had asked for his address and sent him a new one a year ago. And that was the only time they had a bit of interaction other than this time. The address he gave was the convenience store at the entrance of the Northon Institute When the parcel from Nicole arrived that day, it was a ck bag with his address and code name hanging on it without the sender¡¯s name and address. Zekeined of it upon receiving the parcel. But after taking the packaging apart, he was speechless. Theputer¡¯s beautiful silver streamline chassis had conquered his heart, and its speed was so fast that his fingers could barely keep up. That made him fall in love with the machine. But thatputer that Nicole gave him a year ago was obviously still much faster than the JW3000, which imed to be the fastest in the world. Zeke looked thoughtfully at the running scores shown on the screen. Nicole looked on as Zeke went. She looked back at Jared helplessly. Jared was looking at her with a straight face. As Nicole came over, he let out a gentle, charming smile with two shallow dimples on his cheeks. If Browning and Dino were here, their eyes would have widened in shock. Never Jared had ever smiled at anyone like that. Chapter 219 Chapter 219 It was like spring water brought a warm current to melt the ice at the river that had been frozen through the years. His smile melted Nicole¡¯s helplessness, and she came to sit down on the soft chair beside him, and so he did. Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. The ne had taken off. The flight was smooth, with no turbulence. There was a faint scent of wood inside the ne, the freshness of dry amber and the spice of vetiver, with a hazy sense offort. Nicole looked through the window at the sky outside the ne and sighed softly. Jared heard her sigh and turned his head to look at her silently as if asking her what was wrong. Nicole¡¯s gaze was shallow. She stared at Jared but said nothing. Nicole did not know how to tell him that she just suddenly realized one thing: she felt reallyfortable by his side. Jared seemed to have figured out something. There was a tender smile in his eyes. Instead of asking questions, he stood up, went to the wine cab, and took a bottle of red wine out.. After aerating the wine, he poured each of them a ss. Nicole looked at the bottle in his hand and raised an eyebrow at the neenth-century P¨¦trus. She felt Jared was generous. Jared seemed to have read her expression and said nonchntly, ¡°It¡¯s only proper to treat our gold guests with the highest level of courtesy. Isn¡¯t it, Miss Doggie Anderson?¡± Nicole nced at him and saw the teasing look in his eyes. She said nothing but just picked up the winess and took a gentle sip. She then looked at Jared again with a faint smile in her eyes, raising her ss to make a toast to him, ¡°I like the taste of this wine,¡± she said softly, but her interest was apparent. After all, it was twenty-thousand-Esperian-dor red wine. It tasted slightly astringent at first but quickly turned sweet in the mouth. The extremely full-bodied taste made Nicole squint slightly Jared looked at her, feeling a powerful attraction toward her. ¡®She is so adorable,¡¯ he said in his mind. He also raised his ss and made a toast to Nicole with an apparently amorous look in his eyes. His eyes upturned carried a hint ofnguid charm. ¡°d that you like it.¡± The bottle was quickly emptied, and a flight attendant came in to clean the table. Both Jared and Nicole were still sober, So Jared looked at Nicole and challenged her for another round.¡± How about another bottle of whiskey?¡±. No way Nicole would concede She looked up at Jared in front of her as if returning to the time when the two first met and nodded unequivocally The co pilot was standing outside the door, just about to knock on the door. When he heard what seemed to be a drinking challenge inside, his mouth twitched, and he had no words. He was exasperated because this woman was a bad influence on his employer, who had been leading a clean and healthy life all this while. With this in mind, he walked in with a sour face but said respectfully to Jared, ¡°Mr. Johnston, Dino would like to talk to you.¡± Jared looked at him with a smile still in his eyes. ¡°Bring the things in. I¡¯ll deal with it here,¡± he said in a gentle voice. The co-pilot looked at Jared¡¯s expression, feeling surprised to see the other side of his boss. Hearing Jared¡¯s gentle voice, the co-pilot was ttered and quickly went out. He then came back with amunication instrument and an extremely thin tablet and handed them to Jared with both hands. Chapter 220 Chapter 220 Nicole understood Jared had to work, so she did not want to bother him. She turned her head to look out of the window at the twilight outside. The person sitting next to her gave her a sense of security. The half-bottle of red wine gradually fermented and precipitated in her body, making her feel warm. Nicole unconsciously closed her eyes. Jared was making a video call. He seemed to have felt something and took off his headset, then looked over at Nicole. The ray of sunset fell on her face, making a beautiful picture of her in his eyes. On the other end of the video call, Dino saw the side profile of his boss¡¯s face and was wide eyed. His boss looked so gentle as if a boat drifting at sea had finally found a harbor to dock. It was also as if a drowning man had seen a lighthouse in the vast sea. His boss hadnded on an ind that belonged to him alone. Jared took a thin nket from beside him and gently covered it over Nicole¡¯s body. He then turned his face around expressionlessly and cut off the video call with Dino. Dino stared at the ck screen, still wide-eyed. Suddenly, a window popped up along with a concise line of text. (She has fallen asleep. Send the message now.) Dino looked incredulously at the message, realizing that the rtionship between Nicole and his boss was indeed unusual. Still, he told Jared about the unfinished business. Mecrounia had held an election recently, and the new president seemed to have a lot of opinions about the Hustuaburgian; business in the Mecrounian market was tough, with many projects facing problems. He asked Jared what he should do and whether he needed to adjust their strategy. Jared looked at Dino¡¯s messages expressionlessly. He then casually replied, (Wait a little longer. Dino raised an eyebrow. He was in the middle of a mountain range, and when he received this message, he immediately understood Jared¡¯s meaning and replied with a confirmation. (Onderstood.) Jared put his things aside and sat there, quietly looking at Nicole¡¯s face while she slept. There was a look of hesitation in his eyes as il a traveler stumbled upon a treasure, Wait a little longer it was said not only to Dino but also to himsell He did not want to put some kind of an irresistible burden on Nicole. N?velDrama.Org is the owner. He was happy as long as the two of them feltfortable with each other, and she would smile at him without having to guard herself against him constantly. Jared stared at Nicole for a long time, unaware of the time, the setting of the sun, and the rising of the moon outside. He was as if a carving, also as if an unknown guardian spreading his white wings and half-wrapping the girl in front of him in his arms. Nicole only slowly woke up when the nended. She looked at the closed porthole, heard the beeping sound of the nending in her ear, and let her eyes adjust to the dim light in the cabin before she stood up straight. The busy work these two days had exhausted her. But her long-term habits allowed her to go on unaffected. Nicole did not expect to be able to get such a long, good sleep. Upon waking up, Nicole looked around. Her vision at night was good. The dim light hardly affected her. Soon, seeing Jared sitting with his eyes closed beside her, she took the thin nket that covered her, wanting to put it on him. Just then, Jared opened his eyes and looked at her with very awake eyes, as if he did not sleep at all just now. ¡°You¡¯re awake,¡± he said. His gentle voice sounded as if a mountain spring flowed through her heart, bringing with it a kind of icy reverberation. . Chapter 221 Chapter 221 Nicole pulled her hand back, not batting an eye. She watched as Jared turned on a switch in the cabin, and soon a warm, cozy light filled the cabin. Jared looked at her with a fleeting, pained expression on his face. ¡°Are you tired these days?¡± he asked in a soft voice. Nicole was puzzled why he asked such a question. But thinking about how long she had slept, he might be thinking that she had not had enough rest before this. ¡°I¡¯m alright. Where is Zeke?¡± There was a fleeting troubled look in his eyes when Jared heard the name. Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org. ¡°You mean the boy with you?¡± he asked faintly. Nicole realized she had not introduced the two of them to each other, but there did not seem to be any need for that. She nodded her head gently, looking at Jared¡¯s eyes as if she could see right through inside. ¡°He should be next door. I¡¯m not so sure.¡± Jared smiled, hiding the troubling thought in his eyes. Nicole suspected nothing. She just nodded and waited quietly for the ne tond. Jared smiled again when he saw her reaction. He was not evasive when he took out a specialmunication device and said to the other person at the other end, ¡°Come to San Joto Airport to pick up your son.¡± The person at the other end seemed to have said something back, and then Jared put down the device and sat saying nothing. Nicole looked over at him and found that he was looking at her with a thoughtful look ¡°Are you and Zeke close to each other?¡± he finally asked. Nicole shook her head, She and Zeke had been working together online for several years, but they did not know each other very well in person. Jared said nothing further. As the nended, he stood up and smiled at Nicole. ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± he said Nicole nodded and stood up. Zeke next door hade over and was about to call out her code name, which was Lucifer. But when he also saw Jared there, he immediately corrected himself, ¡°Nicole, I have a huge discovery!¡± He then tried to say something with great interest, but then he saw Jared¡¯s half smile and shut up immediately as he decided to tell Nicole about his discovery in private. He did not want the man who threatened him to hear it. He would just y with his so-called top-of-the-lineputer, With this in mind, Zeke snorted at Jared and disembarked. Nicole saw this and cocked an eyebrow, then looked back at Jared. Jared got the hint and made an innocent face. ¡°I did nothing to him. You saw it,¡± he said, almost in a whisper. Nicole looked away, and the two walked side by side, following Zeke from behind. As they walked toward the cabin exit, all the flight attendants bowed respectfully to Jared. The Mecrounian captain and co-pilot, who were much taller and standing on either side of the exit, made Zeke, who was walking in front, look considerably shorter. They bowed with respect when they saw Jarede over, but the fleeting contemptuous look in their eyes toward her did not escape Nicole¡¯s keen eye. Nicole nced at them nonchntly. Zeke was dashing out of the cabin with excitement, as he was too eager to retum to his homnd. But to his surprise, he was litted off the ground as soon as he left the ne. Zeke saw two muscr men, one on his left and the other on his right, carrying him he cried out to Nicole, ¡°Help me!¡± Chapter 222 Chapter 222 Seeing that Zeke was apprehended, Nicole¡¯s eyes shed with a frosty look. She threw a flying kick at the arm of one of the men restraining Zeke, her movement as quick as a whirlwind. Jared did not stop Nicole but shot a warning look at the two men. He at first wanted to lose on purpose after receiving Jared¡¯s warning, but his expression changed abruptly when Nicole did not hold any punches. Seeing that Nicole¡¯s kick had arrived, he almost immediately gave up the idea of shing head-on with her. He let go of Zeke and retreated with a serious look on his face. Nicole quickly changed her tactic. With the flip of her body in mid-air, she struck her right hand at the second man who apprehended Zeke. The second man, who was taunting hispanion at first for retreating so quickly when the girl attacked, dodged even quicker than the first man when Nicole came after him with a punch. His intuition from years of martial arts training told him that if he did not dodge this punch, he could end up bing disabled. The two men looked at Nicole without the slightest contempt in their eyes now. They both were wary about her. She was not an opponent whom they could take lightly. If they were not careful, they could be beaten to a pulp. Jared looked on with a hint of surprise in his eyes, as it was the first time he saw Nicole in a fight. Anyone who knew a thing or two about martial arts could tell that every move that Nicole made was neat and to the point. She was not some inexperienced amateur. Her hands and legs were steady. Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org. Apparently, she had undergone professional training. But her movement was strange, not constrained by the moves of traditional martial arts but ever changing with measured attacks and defense. She knew what she was doing. Nicole pulled Zeke behind her and looked at the two men with cold eyes. ¡°Who are you two?¡± She could see that they did not intend to hurt her. The two men hesitated for a second, and then they both looked back at the unassuming ck Volkswagen Phaeton behind them. It seemed that someone important was in that car. Nicole squinted at the Volkswagen Phaeton. She knew that those who drove this kind of car in San Joto were definitely not as low key as it seemed on the surface. The person stepped out of the car as if he had seen what had happened. Zeke hid further behind Nicole, ¡°Help me, Nicole,¡± Nicole looked at the man; he was about forty, looking upright, well-built at about six feet two. He looked like someone holding a prominent position for a long time with a natural air of authority. While Nicole was staring at the man, the man was also staring at Nicole. He had a keen eye and could tell at a nce that Nicole was no ordinary girl, judging just by the two moves she performed. He shot an icy look at the two men whom he sent to snatch Zeke. As his two henchmen, he was embarrassed by their performance, in which they had retreated without a fight, simply because they were intimidated by a little girl. But what made him even angrier was Zeke. He looked at Zeke hiding behind Nicole and said in an icy voice, ¡°Move your ass out, Zeke!¡± ¡®ve Nicole looked at the man and frowned. ¡°Let¡¯s talk like a gentleman, sir.¡± The man looked at Nicole with a meaningful look. ¡°Are you insisting on protecting this brat?¡± Nicole looked at the man with no fear in her eyes. ¡°If you insist on being this rude, then yes.¡± Zeke had been following her for two days, and she could not let someone take Zeke away without knowing what had happened. Chapter 223 Chapter 223 The man scratched his chin with interest, knowing that Nicole might have figured out something. ¡°It¡¯s not impossible for me to be gentle with him, but you¡¯ve got to fight with me. ¡®What?¡¯ Zeke eximed in his mind in disbelief. Even Jared frowned. ¡°This is unnecessary,¡± he said faintly. The man seemed to have heard a hint of threats in Jared¡¯s voice and scratched his neck in fear, but out of his belligerence, he did not intend to let Nicole go. He did not dare to look at Jared, but when facing Nicole, his voice was forceful, sounding confident. ¡°How about that?¡± Nicole saw his belligerence but knew he had no ill intention. Since the man asked for it, she happily obliged. ¡°Yeah, why not?¡± The man¡¯s eyes lit up, while Jared had a strange splendor in his eyes. Nicole saw the man¡¯s stance and knew at once that he was a hand striker. The man motioned to her and said, ¡°Come on, little girl. I¡¯ll allow you a three-round handicap.¡± ¡°That won¡¯t be necessary,¡± Nicole just said faintly and then took a few steps forward and looked at the man, ¡°Make your move.¡± ¡®That¡¯s arrogant!¡¯ The earlier two men looked at Nicole with resentment in their eyes, exasperated by her insensible, patronizing attitude in snubbing themander. They looked at Nicole with displeasure. A stern look shed in Karlo¡¯s eyes. As someone who practiced martial arts, he was not going to hold back since his opponent did not bother to ept the handicap. He looked at Nicole with a hint of regret in his eyes, as he was expecting the girl¡¯s refusal to ept his offer of handicap would only cause her to lose in embarrassment. It was impossible for him to hurt her, anyway, since Jared was standing there watching. Thinking of Jared, Karlo shuddered involuntarily. But soon, he quickly shifted his attention back to Nicole. He let out a friendly smile before making a quick, fearsome move, his fist striking as powerful as thunder and lightning. Karlo shouted a warning, ¡°Watch this!¡± He struck straight at Nicole¡¯s face, Nicole subtly turned her body sideways. Karlo missed, but his other hand was already striking at Nicole¡¯s left ribcage in full force. Nicole was nonchnt as if she had expected his next move. She turned sideways again and defused the opponent¡¯s menacing attack. She was so cool, calm, and collected, not breaking a sweat. Karlo looked slightly stunned, and he quickly changed from using punches to kicks, striking his right leg horizontally so forcefully that it created a loud swoosh in the air as if it moved Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org. with a force of a thousand pounds. Yet Nicole leaned back casually so that her body was in a perfect ny-degree bent, dodging Karlo¡¯s powerful strike. Karlo immediately turned around and hooked his left leg to kick at Nicole¡¯s waist. He was not pulling any punches now. This was obviously a desperate move. If it hit Nicole, it was going to hurt her badly. Both the earlier two men thought Nicole could not dodge Karlo¡¯s move this time. After all, she had justpleted a lean-back move, and it was impossible for her to bounce back and fight another attack in such a short time. Chapter 224 Chapter 224 But Nicole did not n to fight back. N?velDrama.Org is the owner. Instead, she flipped backward, her legs running into Karlo¡¯s left kick. Leveraging on the force of the collision, Nicole bounced almost ten feet back and away. The earlier two men watched in amazement. Nicole did not only dodge beautifully but also forced Karlo three steps back. Karlo had a wary look in his eyes. Nicole¡¯s feet had just lightly touched his, yet her muscle reflex could produce such a high level of force. He could not imagine the consequence if she really wanted to harm him. Karlo stopped attacking momentarily. He was not a miscreant who would take a mile when others gave an inch. Nicole never actively attacked him; she was defensive. Besides, he knew very well that all his earlier moves had failed. He had used all his strength, but he had not even touched the corner of Nicole¡¯s clothes. This clearly told him something. Karlo looked at Nicole with deep appreciation in his eyes. ¡°Are you interested in joining my special forces?¡± Everyone looked at Karlo with disbelief in their eyes as soon as Karlo gave his powerful invitation. Jared was the only one who was unperturbed. He squinted thoughtfully, as just now, he had seen something from Nicole¡¯s moves, which were simple and seemingly used to hide her strength. Yet her attacks and defense were neat. Jared felt she was hiding something. Meanwhile, Karlo looked at Nicole with an expectant look in his eyes. ¡®Special forces?¡¯ Nicole¡¯s gaze was devoid of emotion, and she looked at Karlo and said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡®She rejected themander¡¯s invitation!¡¯ The earlier two men looked at Nicole, not believing that someone would reject theirmander. One of them was exasperated. ¡°Hey, girl, you should be grateful for the offer. He is the chiefmander of our First Army of Hustuaburg.¡± The other chimed in and said, ¡°Exactly. Do you know what his invitation means?¡± It meant that a bright future was awaiting her in the military. Nicole understood the two men¡¯s overtones. But she would not change her decision but just looked at Karlo and said, ¡°Be nice to Zeke.¡± She then gave way and returned to Jared¡¯s side, Jared smiled at her and asked, ¡°How is it?¡± Nicole looked at him and nodded slightly. ¡°Not bad.¡± The captain was taking all that in and was surprised by Nicole¡¯s ability. He at first thought that Nicole was just another woman with good looks, not expecting that she was so badass. He would have been even more surprised if he knew that Nicole¡¯s evaluation of Karlo was ¡°not bad.¡± Karlo stepped forward with a smile, patted Zeke on the shoulder, and said to him with a pleasant face, ¡°Come with me. Your mother misses you.¡± Zeke pulled a face. ¡°Aren¡¯t you two already divorced? How do you know my mom misses me?¡± There was a fleeting sense of awkwardness on Karlo¡¯s face, but thinking of Nicole¡¯s request, he resisted the urge to wallop his son and acted as kindly as possible. ¡°That was just said during a time of anger. We aren¡¯t divorced. Why would we want a divorce?¡± Pleased, Zeke climbed into the car and looked at Karlo, who was trying hard not to whack Zeke and said triumphantly, ¡°I already knew that you wouldn¡¯t divorce my mother. If you dare, grandpa will break your leg.¡± Chapter 225 Chapter 225 Blue veins popped up on Karlo¡¯s forehead. He then nced back to acknowledge Jared. ¡°See you, Mr. Palmer.¡± Karlo then looked at Nicole with a look of regret for missing such a talent. ¡°Please tell me if you change your mind,¡± he said. Nicole looked at him but did not respond. But the look in her eyes showed she had started to like thismander. Karlo was a good fighter. She could take on him so confidently because she had been trained to fight against the close ¨C quarters combat techniques of the military. He might be holding the post of amander, but he did not coerce her to do anything, nor did he get angry after he lost. In a sense, he was a real fighter. Karlo was not angry when he did not get a response from Nicole. Instead, he waved his hand at her before getting into the car. The low-key Volkswagen Phaeton quickly drove out of the airport parking lot toward the city center of San Joto. In the car, Karlo looked at Zeke with a devilish smile. ¡°You talked tough just now, eh?¡± he said. ¡°What are you going to do? You promised Nicole.¡± Zeke looked at him warily. ¡°She isn¡¯t here now. Answer my questions, or I¡¯ll let you know that running away from home isn¡¯t as fun as you think,¡± Karlo said with a sneer. Zeke had no choice but to grin and bear it, nodding involuntarily when he saw his father¡¯s grim face. Karlo then eased up his clenched fist and looked at Zeke. ¡°Thatdy just now is Nicole?¡± Zeke nodded. He could not help but talk back again. ¡°Didn¡¯t I just call her name several times? Are you so old that you¡¯ve be deaf?¡± Seeing the anger in Karlo¡¯s eyes, Zeke subtly moved back a couple of inches and swallowed hard. ¡°You said you would only ask questions and not hit me.¡± Karlo took a deep breath, still looking at Zeke as he continued asking. ¡°How did you know her? Zeke thought for a second and said with a straight face, ¡°We got to know each other online.¡± Karlo looked at Zeke suspiciously. And Zeke looked back at him fearlessly. He was not lying, as he and Nicole indeed met online. As Zeke seemed to be telling the truth, Karlo then moved his suspicious eyes away from him. His son was pretty good atputers and had high regard for himself ¨C so much so that he even looked down upon the professors of the Academy of Sciences. He was surprised that Zeke met such a high-caliber person on the Inte. Thinking of this, Karlo scratched his stubbled jaw and smiled at Zeke. ¡°Son, I won¡¯t stop you from ying withputers,¡± If Zeke could work harder and find a few more people of Nicole¡¯s caliber for his use, the special forces would be stronger, Zeke looked at his father with disdain and said unceremoniously, ¡°Save it! Do you know who Nicole is? Even the prosecutor of Nottingbrook State has great respect for her. Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. She isn¡¯t going to be interested in your offer.¡± ¡®What?¡¯ Karlo¡¯s eyes darkened upon hearing what Zeke said, Karlo did not rise to his current position for nothing. It was only because he had an extraordinary ability and judgment. So he quickly smelled something extraordinary. Chapter 226 Chapter 226 Karlo looked at the road ahead and stopped asking Zeke questions. Zeke looked at his father¡¯s seemingly shocked face and sat quietly, waiting for the car to drive them back to the Guzman Mansion instead of gibing at him. As Nicole watched Zeke and Karlo leave, Jared spoke with a hint of displeasure beside her.¡± They have left. Stop staring already. Let me send you back to the Riddle Mansion.¡± Nicole nodded and whispered a thank-you to Jared. Jared cocked an eyebrow at Nicole, as she was always so courteous to him. But he said nothing, just taking out his mobile phone to make a call. Soon, a metallic blue sports car pulled up in, front of them, with us sticking his head out and looking at Nicole in surprise. ¡°I didn¡¯t know you¡¯re here, too, Nicole.¡± Jared looked at the car in front of him with a frown. us noticed the disgust on Jared¡¯s face and said helplessly, ¡°Max thought you would have gone for a few days, so he sent your car to Eperon for maintenance. It will only be brought back in a week. Today, I will be your driver.¡± Nicole looked at thetest Aston Martin sports car in front and then nced at Jared. She then got into the car, saying nothing. Jared then followed suit and sat beside Nicole. The inner roof of the cabin was low, which made the two of them sit closer to each other. Nicole could clearly smell the faint sandalwood scent on Jared¡¯s body. It smelled ascetic and cold, like a forest after a rain, emitting a clean and pure cedar aroma. She turned to face the other side, not wanting to admit that she was fascinated by the scent. Jared noticed her facial expression, and a smile gradually appeared on his face. His face looked seductively handsome in the dim light, his body seemingly floating quietly on the surface of the water with a deadly charm. Max used to say that their boss was the most perfect man in the world. us nced in the rearview mirror and then immediately looked away expressionlessly. Max was right; when Jared really wanted to capture someone, no one could escape. Unfortunately, Nicole was facing out the window and could not see his boss¡¯s face. us grumbled in his mind, but his voice sounded gentle when he asked, ¡°How did you twoe bark together?¡± Nicole did not look at him but said saintly, ¡°We bumped into each other in Nottingbrook State, and we both wereing back at the same time.¡± us was a little surprised. ¡°No wonder. By the way, what were you doing in Nottingbrook State?¡± Only then did Nicole look at him, ¡°To take care of some business. There was no emotion in her voice, but there was an unexined hint of arrogance. ¡®Good lord, it¡¯s as good as saying nothing,¡¯ us said in his mind. ¡°Shut your mouth up and drive.¡± Jared¡¯s brows were knitted together. He could see that Nicole did not want to talk, so he did not ask. It looked like us was getting boldertely. us shut his mouth and said not a word again. He only asked because his boss had asked him to trail Nicole before this. His boss not only did not appreciate it but was also cavalier. Nicole threw the ck mobile phone into the bag and took out the mobile phone she usually used. Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org. She did not turn on her phone for the past two days and one night. Since she was back in the country now, she powered on the phone and put it in her pocket. Chapter 227 Chapter 227 Nicole did not expect that her phone would vibrate in her pocket. Nicole took it out. There were nearly two hundred missed calls, eighty percent of which were from Daniel, Gloria, and her brothers, and a few messages from Austin and others, asking her when the tuition would continue. ¡®What¡¯s going on?¡¯ she wondered. Just as Nicole was about to call home, the phone in her hand vibrated again. It was Daniel. She picked up the call. Daniel was used to hearing the unreachable tone when he called Nicole. He could not react for a moment when he first got through to Nicole until she answered in a t voice. ¡°Nicole, you finally answered the phone,¡± he said, sounding stupefied. Gloria, who was beside Daniel, heard what he said and abruptly looked up at her husband, her eyes full of eagerness. Nicole heard the exhaustion and anxiety in her father¡¯s voice, and she could not help but frown. ¡°Is something happening at home?¡± Daniel had been in the hospital for days, feeling distressed when the doctors told him about Mr. Riddle Sr.¡¯s increasingly deteriorating condition. Now that he heard his young daughter¡¯s calm voice, he inexplicably felt more assured and could think more clearly. ¡°Nicole,e to San Joto Central Hospital. Your grandfather has fallen sick.¡± Nicole frowned and could not believe that Mr. Riddle Sr., who had always been tough, was ill. It sounded as if his condition was serious. Mr. Riddle Sr. treated her well when she first came home, did not judge her based on rumors, and supported her in her study. He always had high expectations for her. N?velDrama.Org is the owner. Thinking of Mr. Riddle Sr., Nicole had decided and said to us, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m not going to the Riddle Mansion. Please send me to San Joto Central Hospital.¡± Jared nodded and asked us to turn the car around. He then asked Nicole with a serious face, ¡°Is someone in your family sick?¡± ¡°It¡¯s my grandpa.¡± She nodded. Jared looked at her and said somberly to us, ¡°Hurry up.¡± us gripped the steering wheel, and he stepped on the elerator. The high-performance sports car made a low roaring sound as it drove them straight toward San Joto Central Hospital, It took only five minutes for them to reach the hospital. Nicole got out of the car with Jared behind,forting her. ¡°He¡¯s going to be okay.¡± Nicole said nothing, Mr. Riddle Sr. was on the tenth floor. The two of them hastened to the elevator, where a woman, surrounded by bodyguards, was waiting. Seeing the two of them approaching, a bodyguard raised an eyebrow and said coldly, ¡°The elevator is reserved only for ourdy¡¯s use today.¡± Nicole did not bother to argue with the bodyguard. She shoved him aside to clear a path for hersell. The rest of the bodyguards saw her ruthlessness and flinched. They stood aside, leaving a path in the middle, revealing the woman¡¯s face. The woman was aggravated, looking in Nicole¡¯s direction. ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you all not to let otherse near?¡± There was a surprised look in her eyes when she saw the person behind Nicole. ¡°Jared?¡± Lyana was here for a medical checkup, not expecting to see Jared here. She looked a little ecstatic and quickly walked toward Jared. Chapter 228 Chapter 228 ¡°What are you doing here? Are you looking for me?¡± Lyana asked. Jared ignored Lyana and walked past her to apany Nicole, quietly waiting for the elevator. Nicole did not have time for Lyana. She nced at Jared gravely, as she still remembered he had exined to her about Lyana. Lyana looked with jealousy in her eyes at the two standing together. She recognized Nicole as the girl who had taken Jared away from the birthday party the other day. Jared ignored her every time she saw him. ¡®What makes this girl so special that she can find favor with Jared?¡¯ she asked in her mind. Lyana was proud of her body and appearance, but she lost that sense of superiority with Nicole¡¯s presence. So she looked bitterly at Nicole¡¯s beautiful face. The bodyguard whom Nicole shoved aside earlier came up with a sneer when he saw two random people standing in front of Lyana. ¡°Do you know who we are? How dare you shove ourdy out of the way!¡± He did not know that Lyana had given up her spot in front of the elevator to get close to Jared. Neither Jared nor Nicole spared the bodyguard a nce. Meanwhile, us had parked the car and came. He raised an eyebrow and looked at the jealous-looking Lyana with a frosty look. ¡°Look after your dog, Lyana. Don¡¯t let it bark indiscriminately.¡± Lyana looked back and shuddered when she saw us. The Junkerman family was notorious in San Joto. They were as ferocious as jackals and would bite once they found a target. The Junkerman family was not a member of the high society, but it specialized in training and delivering fresh blood to the wealthy family. Each of their generations produced the most cold -blooded and ruthless killer who would be assigned to stay beside the junior member, whom they considered had the most potential, of a wealthy family. And in this generation, us was that person. This was no secret in San Joto¡¯s high society, so Lyana looked at us with a hint of fear in her eyes. Thinking that us was just a good-looking pretty boy, the bodyguard was infuriated when he heard us insult him. ¡°Miss Rogers, this pretty boy is so rude to you. I¡¯ll teach him a lesson for you.¡± With that, he rolled up his sleeves and lunged out at us. us was nonchnt, As the elevator almost arrived, he did not want to waste time with the bodyguard, He stepped out and punched the bodyguard in the abdomen, sending him to the floor. The bodyguard still wanted to say something, but surprise filled his eyes, and his face contorted as he groaned in pain. N?velDrama.Org is the owner. Lyana looked on with fear in her eyes. She quickly rushed up to that bodyguard and pped him in the face before us hit him again. ¡°Are you blind? How dare you behave so rudely toward Mr. Johnston and Mr. Junkerman!¡± She knew that the bodyguard¡¯s disrespect for Jared caused this scuffle. If she wanted to patch things up, she would have to show her determination to Jared first. After making herself clear, Lyana looked at Jared and us with a smile. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Jared. My men are too ruthless and have caused you trouble.¡± Chapter 229 Chapter 229 Lynanapletely ignored Nicole, as if she did not exist. Jared nced at Lyana apathetically. Blood instantly drained from Lyana¡¯s face, and she looked in an unspeakable fear. Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org. She knew very well who us was-he was just following and serving Jared. He was basically a knife in Jared¡¯s hand. She was afraid no matter how much Mr. Rogers Sr. pampered her, if she angered Jared, Mr. Rogers would turn against her. Lyana still thought of saying something, but the elevator had arrived. Nicole and Jared walked in. us nced at Lyana with a smirk and followed Jared into the elevator. The bodyguard finally got his due. He was struck dumb after getting pped by Lyana. He had been acting like a bully all this while with Lyana¡¯s connivance. Lyana wiped her hands with a handkerchief handed over by the others and said coldly to the bodyguard on the floor. ¡°Get the hell out of here. I don¡¯t want to see you again.¡± The bodyguard looked sorry and dumbfounded, not knowing why Lyana¡¯s attitude had changed all of a sudden. He was just doing the same thing as he usually did. But he knew he could not afford to offend Lyana. So he had to endure the pain and crawl away. Lyana looked at the closed elevator door with resentment. She med Nicole for all the disdain Jared had shown her today. She tore the handkerchief in her hand into pieces. Mr. Rogers Sr.¡¯s warning gradually faded from her mind, and only the sound in the air came from the gritting of her teeth. ¡°Nicole!¡± Lyana was not in the mood for the medical checkup now, so she turned around and left with her men. Nicole did not know what Lyana was thinking. She came to the tenth floor, where the VIP wards were. Daniel was sitting in front of a ward door, looking depressed and thinner than before. Gloria was leaning on his shoulder, and her rosy cheeks now appeared a little pale. They were whispering something to each other when the elevator door opened, and Nicole appeared. Their eyes brightened up, and they immediately stood up and walked toward Nicole. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you answer the phone? You almost scared me to death.¡± Gloria looked at Nicole with reddened eyes. Nicole opened her mouth, wanting to exin herself. But she ended up just saying, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Daniel did not want to say anything reproachful but just whispered, ¡°It¡¯s okay as long as you¡¯re back.¡± Nicole looked at the two of them, who had a rare worried look on their faces, and asked softly, ¡°How is his condition?¡± Daniel turned his head, seemingly to calm himself down, before saying, ¡°The doctor said that surgery is needed, but the risk ofplications is high, and he may not survive.¡± Nicole understood and looked grave. It was even more serious than she thought. At this time, Samuel and Spencer had alsoe. They ran toward Nicole in front of the elevator as soon as they saw her. ¡°You¡¯re back atst, Nicole!¡± Steve and Stanley followed from behind them with surprised looks in their eyes when they saw Nicole. As so many people showed their concerns for Nicole, Norah could not help but ask, ¡°Where have you been, Nicole? Why didn¡¯t you attend the family banquet the other day? Grandpa was angry because of this.¡± Chapter 230 Chapter 230 No wonder she had been feeling like missing something. It turned out that she had forgotten to go to the family dinner every Friday night. Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org. But Nicole did not give Norah a damn, knowing that Norah was deliberately looking for trouble. Just then, Steve hade to Nicole¡¯s rescue. ¡°No point talking about it now. Grandpa has fallen sick. We are all family, so there is no need to fuss about it.¡± He looked at Nicole understandably, and Nicole gave him a grateful nod. ¡°Steve, I understand. Dad, Mom, I¡¯ll go see grandpa first,¡± she said and then walked into the ward calmly as if nothing could affect her. Norah looked jealous as Nicole went. She then set her eyes on Jared, who hade with Nicole. She thought Nicole had been fooling around with some random men for the past two days, not expecting Nicole to see Nicoleing back with Jared. After not seeing Jared for so many days, Norah immediately went up to say hello. ¡°Jared, I didn¡¯t expect you toe. Are you with Nicole?¡± She was really eager to know where Nicole and Jared had been for the past two days. When everyone heard that Jared and Nicole had probably been together for the past two days, they felt it too awkward to ask. Nicole had juste of age, and Jared was an adult; they tried not to interfere if they were in a normal rtionship. But what puzzled Daniel was that Jared had agreed to cancel his engagement with Nicole. They had not mentioned this matter recently. Steve saw his parents remain silent. He pushed his gold-framed sses up his nose and gave Jared a friendly smile. ¡°Hello, Jared. I didn¡¯t expect that you would know ande,¡± he said apologetically. ¡°Mr. Riddle Sr.¡¯s condition is serious?¡± Jared nodded gently. Daniel had talked about Mr. Riddle Sr.¡¯s condition just now. Jared was just puzzled why Mr. Riddle Sr. suddenly fell ill. Steve saw Jared¡¯s doubts and said frankly, ¡°It is a sudden heart attack. Conventional medication and treatment didn¡¯t work. He requires surgery, so we are looking for the best doctor.¡± Nodding his acknowledgment, Jared looked thoughtfully into the ward, but no one knew what he was thinking. He then turned around and walked toward the elevator calmly. us caught up with him and asked, ¡°Are you leaving?¡± Nicole was still here, yet he was leaving ¡°I¡¯m looking for Michael,¡± Jared said, us immediately got what Jared meant. He then followed Jared and took the elevator up to the top floor, not noticing the shocked expression of Steve and Stanley behind him. Michael Richman was the CEO of San Joto Central Hospital. They had never met the hospital CEO, and no one knew who this elusive CEO was, only knowing that he had some government background. 3 Chapter 231 Chapter 231 That was not much of a surprise. After all, Michael could not have built such a hospital in San Joto had hee with no background. Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org. Steve¡¯s face looked a little grave while he was thinking of this. He knew it; there was more to Jared than met the eye. Meanwhile, Nicole was in the ward, looking on as a doctor was instructing two nurses to do a routine check on Mr. Riddle Sr., who was hooked up with tubes to some medical instrument. Nicole leaned casually against the wall as the nurses were doing their job. She waited for them to finish before asking calmly, ¡°How is his condition?¡± Hearing the crisp, bitter voice, the doctor looked at the beautiful girl in front of him and replied involuntarily, ¡°He needs surgery as soon as possible because we have observed signs of heart failure. The coronary instability has caused que rupture, affecting the blood supply to the heart. More dy may affect the normal function of certain parts of the body. ording to our observation, it is likely to be the brain.¡± Nicole nodded and asked, ¡°Where¡¯s the location?¡± The doctor hesitated as if he did not understand why Nicole wanted to know in such detail. But he still said, ¡°It¡¯s in the worst probable location. The lusion of the left anterior descending branch has caused anterior wall myocardial infarction. If he does not undergo an operation in time, it will cause extensive anterior wall myocardial infarction, which is the most serious and dangerous situation. The right surgeon has to be found within three days to perform the surgery. Only then the patient has a chance of recovery.¡± He was afraid that Nicole would not understand the medical jargon, so he specifically told her how dangerous the condition was. Nicole nodded gently and thanked the doctor. She then picked up the stethoscope from the doctor¡¯s instrument tray, put on the medical gloves, put the stethoscope directly on Mr. Riddle Sr.¡¯s chest, and calmly adjusted the position of the venttor. The doctor saw her seemingly chaotic yet professional and skillful technique and became baffled, wondering if she was not a family member of the patient but a medical student. A nurse thought Nicole was pretending to be a doctor and could not tolerate it. She looked on with a sneer and then reached out to snatch the stethoscope from Nicole. But Nicole¡¯s reaction was ten times faster than the nurse¡¯s hand. She grabbed the nurse¡¯s arm and blurted out, ¡°Don¡¯t.¡± The nurse burst into tears as the force of Nicole¡¯s hand was too much for her. She quickly nodded at Nicole to signal that she would do nothing. Only then did Nicole let go of her hand and listen intently to the heartbeat of Mr. Riddle Sr. After determining his heart rate and strength, she put down the stethoscope and left the ward without saying a word. The nurse looked at Nicole from behind and said indignantly, ¡°What is she? She shouldn¡¯t have yed with the medical gear. She doesn¡¯t respect the doctor at all.¡± The doctor pulled back his eyes and stared back at the nurse. ¡°First, you¡¯re not a doctor, and she didn¡¯t disrespect me. Second, if I remember it correctly, it pengtas 23 was you who put the venttor on the patient. Had she not corrected the tube in time, the oxygen might have flowed in a reverse direction: You know what would have happened, right? ¡°the doctor said in a stern voice. The nurse¡¯s face instantly turned pale. ¡°I-I didn¡¯t mean it.¡± The doctor did not look at the nurse again. He conveniently rated an F on her appraisal report. ¡°Had you not been my sister-inw, I would have sent you back to school to study another four years,¡± he said. The nurse looked at the F with indignation. She did not dare to show that on her face but kept saying, ¡°Thank you. Thank you.¡± The doctor shook his head helplessly and then left the ward without looking at her face. After the doctor left, the nurse looked up and clenched her right hand with the slightest look of remorse on her face. She had only made a minor mistake, but the doctor reprimanded her so harshly. She could not understand why he also gave the good-for-nothing girl so high regard. Chapter 232 Chapter 232 The nurse looked at the appraisal report marked with an F with an icy glint in her eyes. She took off her gloves and threw them on the ground, and then tore the appraisal report to pieces before leaving with her chest held high. Nicole came out the door with Daniel and Gloria looking at her outside. ¡°You¡¯ve been with Jared for two days?¡± they asked softly. They could only ask Nicole since they could not ask Jared. ¡°Sort of,¡± Nicole said as she kneaded her forehead, but she could not say anything about her going abroad. Gloria hinted at Daniel not to ask again, thinking Nicole was shy. Steve, too, had the same thinking and gently interrupted Daniel. ¡°Nicole, we n to arrange grandpa for the operation in three days, but we haven¡¯t found a suitable doctor. I think Jared is seeing the hospital CEO now,¡± he said. Nicole was a little surprised and felt touched, as Jared had not left but found someone to help her. Gloria saw Nicole was absent-minded, so she asked questions she was most concerned about.¡± It¡¯s okay to go out with Jared, but you should¡¯ve told us. We have not been able to contact you.¡± Nicole felt a little guilty. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Mom. I turned off my phone and didn¡¯t receive calls.¡± Her profession was destined to worry Gloria, so she had better not tell her. Daniel and Gloria nced at each other. Since Nicole had admitted her mistake, they should not harp on it anymore. Daniel coughed to clear his throat and said, ¡°Nicole, I¡¯m not against you getting into a rtionship, but you must let us know. Otherwise, we would be worried when you disappear all of a sudden.¡± ¡°You¡¯re in love?¡± Samuel was wide-eyed. He had been at school and did not know about Nicole¡¯s personal life. Spencer pinched Samuel¡¯s arm from behind and looked at Nicole, saying nothing. Nicole was not as embarrassed as they thought. She just nodded gently and said, ¡°I will. Don¡¯t worry.¡± Nicole was apparently their youngest child. Gloria and Daniel had no hesitation in believing what Nicole had said. The two said nothing more, just smiling and nodding. Norah felt indignant when Nicole was not reprimanded, even after spending two days with a man outside. She stepped up and said, ¡°Mom, Dad, you¡¯re still so indulgent toward Nicole. It will only spoil her. N?velDrama.Org is the owner. If she hadn¡¯t been away from home this time, how could grandpa have gotten sick? It¡¯s all because of her.¡± Norah¡¯s five brothers immediately looked at her. She had always been a good girl in their eyes. They did not expect that she would say such a thing. ¡°How can you say such a thing, Norah? Grandpa fell ill because of the Rogers family. What does it have to do with Nicole?¡± Samuel thought Norah had gone overboard. ¡°Exactly. How can you simply use Nicole?¡± Spencer also thought Norah had gone too far. Seeing that her brothers were all siding with Nicole and no one was supporting her, Norah pushed Samuel away. ¡°You all are biased toward Nicole! Is it just because she is your biological sister? I have been living with you all in this home for so many years, yet I¡¯m nothing to you all!¡± Norah had been keeping these words in her heart for a long time, and now she could no longer stand it and said them out loud. But what awaited her was not an answer but silence from all of them. Norah had finally understood it all. She looked into the eyes of her parents and five brothers and could not help butugh sarcastically. ¡°You all acquiesced to it, didn¡¯t you? It seems that no one in this family is treating me as one of you. I¡¯m not going toe back again!¡± Chapter 233 Chapter 233 Norah could no longer stand it. She gritted her teeth and turned to leave. Only then did Gloriae to her senses and call out to Norah, wanting to chase after her. But Daniel stopped her. ¡°If you chase after her now, it would only give her a false hope and hurt her even more.¡± Gloria suddenly hesitated, not knowing what to do. Sean, who had not spoken all this while, stepped forward andforted his mother. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mom. We¡¯ve found who Norah¡¯s biological parents are, and we will be able to locate them in a few days.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Gloria looked at Sean in surprise. It was hard to tell whether she was sad or delighted ¡°Tell us immediately when you have located them. We have to make the best arrangement for Norah,¡± Daniel said with a sigh. After all, Norah had been living in the Riddle family for so many years. He wanted her to live a good life. ¡°I will.¡± Sean nodded solemnly. Nicole looked at her parents. Daniel had not been feeling well and had lost a lot of weight since a few days ago. He looked a bit too skinny. Gloria used to have rosy cheeks, but now she looked pale. Perhaps she had been spending time in the hospital with Daniel because she could not bring herself to see Daniel stay alone here. But Norah did not understand them. She instead made a big fuss out of everything. Perhaps her leaving was a good thing for everyone. She came out of her thoughts and looked back at Steve and Stanley. ¡°I need to leave now because I¡¯ve got something to take care of. N?velDrama.Org is the owner. You two take care of dad, mom, and grandpa.¡± Steve did not know what she was going to do, but he still nodded his head. ¡°Go, bute back as soon as you can. If grandpa wakes up, he will be keen to see you.¡± Speaking of Mr. Riddle Sr., they all had worried looks on their faces. Mr. Riddle Sr. had been in a semia since yesterday. The doctor said Mr. Riddle Sr. could hear people talking, but he could not respond to it. Nicole had examined Mr. Riddle Sr. She could not know his condition better. ¡°Okay,¡± Nicole said. She then walked out to the hallway, tapping the fingers of her right hand on her pants with a forbidding look on her face. Nicole went out and stood opposite the hospital, looking at the bustling crowds passing. She then took out her phone and sent a message. Soon, Nicole received a video call from someone who was desperate. Nicole hung up expressionlessly. Three secondster, she received a message on her phone. [I¡¯ll arrange.) She put away her mobile phone and looked back at the busy traffic in front of the hospital with a faint expression. On the top floor of the hospital ¡ª Jared sat in the sunny office of the hospital CEO, studying what could be called avish decoration with an obscure expression. ¡®What is going on with Michael? How dare he ask me to wait for him for so long! He must have been sitting in this position for too long and lost his sense of direction,¡¯ Jared thought to himself. Just then, hurried footsteps came from the outside, and then the door was pushed open. A person walked in with sweat on his forehead. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Mr. Johnston. I¡¯mte.¡± Chapter 234 Chapter 234 Jared said not a word. He got up and walked to the balcony, leaning against it to look downstairs with his fingers gently rubbing on the white-marble windowsill. ¡°Long time no see, Michael. You seem to be putting on airs now,¡± Jared said. Michael wiped the sweat from his forehead and apologized repeatedly. ¡°I was on an inspection round downstairs. When I heard you wereing, I immediately came back.¡± Constantly staying under Jared¡¯s shadow, Michael became resentful of him. But he dared not show it in front of Jared. Instead, he smiled and said, ¡°But an emergent patient was suddenly brought in. I had to attend to it. Otherwise, I¡¯d never dare to make you wait, Mr. Johnston.¡±¡­ Jared looked at his chubby body and said coldly, ¡°You¡¯d better be.¡± He then let out a faint smile. ¡°Let¡¯s talk business now.¡± He turned to look at Michael with an obscure expression in his eyes. Michael was intimidated and almost immediately lowered his head. Despite that, he was ttering. ¡°At your service, Mr. Johnston Jared looked at him with an icy look on his smiling face. ¡°You must have known Benjamin¡¯s condition,¡± he said. Mr. Riddle Sr. was the titr figure of the Riddle family. Michael was startled for two seconds before replying, ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve examined him as soon as he was brought in. His condition isn¡¯t looking good. The surgery is risky with many uncontroble variables.¡± ¡°Get your best doctor. How are the chances?¡± Jared asked, with no emotion in his eyes. The best doctor under hismand was now studying in the Yamenia, and it tookst a day of travel back. Besides, he would have to interrupt his study. As reluctant as Michael was, he had no choice but to call the doctor back. ¡°There is a sixty percent chance,¡± he said. Jared frowned thoughtfully, as the sixty-percent chance was too low. ¡°So much for the best doctor in your hospital. You are keeping a bunch of useless people in the hospital. How about you retire early?¡± Michael¡¯s expression changed abruptly. He knew Jared meant what he said, and he quickly said, ¡°I¡¯ll call Martinter and see what he says, maybe over sixty percent.¡± Jared could tell that Michael was pretending. He sauntered up to Michael with a frosty face and looked condescendingly at him. ¡°That¡¯s what San Joto Central Hospital is capable of? Not even one-hundred percent?¡± N?velDrama.Org is the owner. Michael was frightened, with cold sweat all over his body. He quickly exined, saying,¡± Please don¡¯t be angry, Mr. Johnston. Benjamin is old, and the location of his myocardial infarction adds more difficulty to the operation. It is difficult to tell whatplications would arise during the surgery. We have taken all these factors into ount to give a more conservative sixty percent chance. If you aren¡¯t satisfied with it, we really can¡¯t do anything about it.¡± He looked at Jared with fear in his eyes. Jared did not get angry with Michael for saying such a thing. Instead, he let out a faint smile.¡± h it VENTE to Really?¡± he asked. He looked at Michael, said nothing further, and walked straight out of the CEO¡¯s office. ¡°You¡¯d better shape up, Michael,¡± Jared suddenly said as he left. us caught up with Jared. Looking at Jared¡¯s expressionless face, he asked softly, ¡°Do you want to¡­¡± Jared did not look back at him but rubbed against the index finger of his right hand and said with a languid, indifferent voice as usual, ¡°I have no time for him. Contact Lloyd and ask him toe over to Hustuaburg.¡± us whispered a yes. He then stepped aside, quickly dialed a number, and whispered something in Esperian. But quickly, he raised his voice in surprise. Chapter 235 Chapter 235 ¡°What did you say?¡±He then realized his gaffe and quickly and clearly rified something. After hanging up, he looked at Jared with a hint of confusion in his eyes. ¡°Boss, Lloyd said someone woulde and perform the surgery on Nicole¡¯s grandfather. The doctor is of high caliber and has surpassed Lloyd two years earlier. He asked us not to worry,¡± us said. ¡°But how did he know about this?¡± With the Riddle family¡¯s stature, they should not have been able to contact Lloyd at all. There was a glimmer in Jared¡¯s eyes. He pressed the elevator button, hurried in, and soon reached the ground floor. us was following behind him, looking at his back in puzzlement, not knowing what his boss was thinking. But when the elevator doors opened, and he saw Nicole¡¯s beautiful and indifferent face, he seemed to have figured out something. It turned out that Nicole was downstairs. No wonder Jared was staring out the window when he was in the hospital CEO¡¯s office. Thinking of this, he looked at the two of them and smiled ambiguously, then walked outside with a key in his hand. ¡°I¡¯ll go get the car. You two talk,¡± us said. Jared looked at Nicole in front of him, her face as calm andposed as ever, looking as if nothing could affect her judgment. Even if there was andslide in front of her, she would still not bat an eyelid. There was a knowing look in his eyes when what us had just said came to mind. His eyes sparkled in the light as if lights were refracted through his pupils. Nicole looked at him, but there was no emotion in her eyes. ¡°Did you see your grandfather?¡± Jared asked, his smile gentle and his voice soft. Nicole nodded and stepped into the elevator. ¡°You go back first. Thank you for sending me here today.¡± Jared said nothing more, just watching as the elevator doors closed and Nicole disappeared from his sight. He stood where he was and gently clenched his fingers. He thought that after what they had been through together abroad, she would change her mind about him. But he was wrong; she was still so distant. He even felt a bit of frustration. 1 Nicole was back on the tenth floor. When Steve saw her back, he let out a gentle smile. ¡°That¡¯s fast.¡± Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. Nicole acknowledged him as she went into the ward first to take a look at Mr. Riddle Sr. After confirming that nothing had changed, she came out and said to Daniel and Gloria, ¡°The equipment and medical service here are not up to snuff. I n to transfer grandpa to another hospital.¡± ¡°Transfer grandpa to another hospital?¡¯ Daniel and Gloria nced at each other with a baffled look in their eyes. They thought this was the best hospital in San Joto. If Nicole did not even think it was good enough, they did not know where else to go. Nicole looked at their faces and let out a gentle smile. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Leave it all to me,¡± she said. Chapter 236 Chapter 236 Gloria and Daniel looked at the smile on Nicole¡¯s face and nodded involuntarily. Daniel then stood up. ¡°Then I¡¯ll go through the discharge procedures.¡± ¡°Stay here, Dad. Let me do it,¡± Stanley said and then gave a meaningful look at Nicole before walking toward the hospital¡¯s service counter. Nicole felt it heartwarming to see the way her family trusted her unconditionally. As they were waiting for Stanley to return, a somewhat icy voice came from behind them.¡± Daniel, how dare you make a decision without consulting me! Why do you want to discharge your father from the hospital? Are you trying to kill him?¡± Nicole did not look back but could already tell whose voice it was. It was Dillon, her second uncle. She knew the doctor would notify these people once she asked the hospital to discharge his grandfather. So she was not surprised at all that Dexter had alsoe. The problem with Dillon was his tone of voice. Nicole looked at Dillon with a frosty look in her eyes. ¡°It¡¯s my idea to discharge. Come after me if you have a problem with that,¡± she said in an icy voice. When Dillon saw her return, he sneered. ¡°It turned out to be you, Nicole. You started to create trouble as soon as you returned. You might as well note back. How can you be so evil at such a young age? Your grandfather is dying. Why can¡¯t you let him get treatment?¡± Nicole frowned, knowing that her behavior was abnormal in his eyes, so she exined to him. ¡°I¡¯m here to get him better treatment.¡± Before Dillon could say anything, someone suddenly sneered and said, ¡°I¡¯m surprised you have the audacity to say that, Nicole.¡± Nicole looked back and saw Damien staring at her with icy eyes. He had apparently just arrived and heard her conversation with Dillon. She ignored him, just sat, and waited for Stanley to return. Dillon was infuriated by Nicole¡¯s behavior. He looked back at Daniel and scoffed, saying, ¡°Look what a wonderful daughter you have here. She is a jinx. As if hurting isn¡¯t enough, she now wants to get Dad killed. Why don¡¯t you condemn her?¡± After Mr. Riddle Sr. fell ill, Daniel saw his brothers¡¯ attitude and resented them. Now hearing Dillon¡¯s questioning voice, he silently turned to look at Nicole. Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. After getting an assuring look from Nicole, he became less worried. He would not censure his daughter simply because of his second brother, At first, Gloria was worried that Daniel would side with his brothers. But seeing his response, she was no longer worried. She had always been a gentle person, but now she looked icily at Dillon. ¡°Stop using Nicole of this and that. She at least rushed over to see her grandfather as soon as she got off the ne. In contrast, you have onlye once for the two days, but have you ever cared to take a look at Dad? Now that we¡¯re transferring Dad to another hospital, you stop us. I wonder what you¡¯re up to.¡± Of course, Dillon was afraid of Gloria. He sneered and questioned her. ¡°Stop finding fauit with me; I was just tied up with my job. But you, I wonder if you know what you¡¯re talking about. Don¡¯t you know that this is the best hospital in San Joto? You¡¯re blinded by the lies of your daughter. I wonder if she even knows which one is the best hospital in San Joto. It is ridiculous of you all to believe what she says.¡± Nicole looked at Dillon. ¡°So you know a lot, don¡¯t you? Have you found a doctor who has a hundred percent confidence in curing grandpa?¡± she tly asked. Dillon was choked by what she said. He still could not find any good doctor, and he had not even met the hospital CEO. But Nicole, as a junior, should not disrespect him, he thought. He looked at Nicole and was exasperated. ¡°Can a stink brat like you find a better doctor when even I couldn¡¯t find one?¡± Dexter looked at Nicole. ¡°You don¡¯t even have Riddle as yourst name. Will you be able to find a better hospital and doctor?¡± Chapter 237 Chapter 237 Nicole looked at her uncles with a wry smile. ¡°What if I can find it?¡± Dillon burst intoughter, almost shocked by her unashamed remarks. ¡°If you can find it, I will kneel to you.¡± Dexter looked at Nicole¡¯s calm face and quietly frowned. He would never say something so reckless without thinking as Dillon did. Nicole looked at Dillon with a calm look on her face, a stark contrast to Dillon¡¯s hooting ofughter. ¡°Challenge epted.¡± ¡°Uncle Damien, you heard it, too,¡± Nicole said as he looked at Damien. Damien did not approve of the transfer, but Dillon¡¯s reaction had aroused Nicole¡¯s suspicions. So he had aplicated feeling when he looked at Nicole. After thinking about it for a while, he asked, ¡°Are you sure your grandfather will get well after he is transferred to another hospital?¡± Nicole looked at him but said nothing. She then sat back down with her parents. ¡°What is that attitude of yours?¡± Dillon shouted. Dexter frowned at Nicole¡¯s disrespect for Damien. Damien knew that there was more to Nicole than met the eye. Instead of getting angry at Nicole like Dillon did, he smiled softly and said, ¡°Since you insist on doing so, then do you as say. Get the transfer done.¡± ¡°Damien!¡± ¡°Are you out of your mind, Damien?¡± Two voices rose in unison as Dillon and Karen looked at Damien with disbelief in their eyes. They thought Damien must have been bewitched. If not, he would not have supported Nicole. But Damien ignored the two of them and still looked at Nicole. ¡°Is the doctor you can find rted to the Rogers family in some way?¡±| Nicole nced at him faintly. There were many people at the Rogers family¡¯s birthday party the other day. She did not know that Damien was also there and where he got the fake news that she had something to do with the Rogers family Dillon felt strange, too. He remembered Mr. Rogers Sr. hade to the Riddle family, asking them to hand over a girl. Only Nicole and Chloe were not present that day. Since Mr. Rogers Sr. was not looking for Chloe, then¡­ he looked at Nicole and could not ept this conclusion. Nicole could not give a damn about what was going on in the minds of these people. She looked back at Damien with an obscure expression. Even people like Damien, who had gone through ups and down the business world, felt intimidated. ¡°I don¡¯t know any of the Rogers family members,¡± she said. Her expression was genuine, and it did not look like she was faking it. Indeed, Nicole did not know any of the Rogers family members. She had just met them once at the birthday party that day. Damien looked at her, not very convinced. N?velDrama.Org is the owner. But Dillon believed what Nicole said. Dillon did not go to the Rogers family¡¯s birthday party and did not know what Damien had seen. So he quickly dispelled the idea that the person Mr. Rogers Sr. was looking for was Nicole because it seemed almost impossible. Chapter 238 Chapter 238 Dillon looked at Damien and then at Nicole again. He had not forgotten that Nicole had justughed at him for not being able to find a good doctor to treat his father. He sneered and said, ¡°Who is the Rogers family? Why did you ask like this, Damien?¡± ¡°Of course, I believe you, Nicole, that you don¡¯t know the Rogers family. Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org. But I¡¯m curious now who the doctor you¡¯re looking for is,¡± Dillon said. Nicole looked at Dillon with a smirk. ¡°You don¡¯t have to know. You just need to remember what you¡¯ve agreed to.¡± Her voice was soft but with a hint of contempt. Dillon had just said that he would kneel to Nicole if she could find a doctor who could cure Mr. Riddle Sr. Everyone had heard it, and Dillon did not deny it. Even San Joto¡¯s best hospital had only a 50% chance of curing Mr. Riddle Sr. He did not believe that Nicole could do anything to guarantee Mr. Riddle Sr.¡¯s treatment to be sessful. No matter who she was looking for, the chances of this operation would still be below 50%. That was less than half the chance. Dillon was not afraid at all as he thought about this. ¡°Of course, if you can cure your grandfather, and he suffers no subsequent seque, I will not hesitate to kneel to you. But if you can¡¯t,¡± there was a sinister look in his eyes, ¡°you will be the sinner of the Riddle family.¡± Nicole was not intimidated. She nodded in agreement. ¡°If the doctor I find can¡¯t cure my grandfather, I¡¯ll leave the family.¡± At first, Daniel and Gloria were observing, but when they heard Nicole say this, they became anxious. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have said that, Nicole.¡± Nicole was burning her bridges. They wondered what kind of doctor Nicole was looking for, but Nicole was so confident. Steve and Spencer frowned. As they were about to say something , Nicole motioned them to calm down. She then looked at Dillon with a cial expression. Damien looked at Nicole and could hardly recognize she was the Nicole he used to know. He was almost certain that Nicole had something to do with the Rogers family and that it was possible that it would be the Rogers family that helped her find the doctor, who was likely better than the current hospital could offer. Otherwise, with less than a fifty-percent chance, Mr. Riddle Sr.could probably not survive the operation. His eyes glinted behind the sses as he thought that was not bad either. He then nced up at Nicole with a meaningful look in his eyes. Stanley returned. He looked at Nicole and said softly, ¡°They said that a surgeon named Dr. McCarthy was ready toe back to operate on grandpa. They asked if we wanted to transfer grandpa to another hospital.¡± Nicole¡¯s expression remained unchanged after hearing what Stanley said. ¡°How confident she is of the operation?¡± Stanley hesitated, ¡°They said that what they told us at the beginning was the doctor¡¯s ability, which was about fifty-fifty,¡± ¡°Get grandpa discharged immediately,¡± Nicole said without blinking an eye. ¡°Okay.¡± Stanley looked at her and smiled gently. He turned around and strode toward the service counter. The doctor there was waiting for him toe back and apologize, saying that they would wait for the doctor to return and operate on Mr. Riddle Sr., But Stanley just squinted at her. ¡°We want the patient to be discharged immediately.¡± Chapter 239 Chapter 239 The doctor was wide-eyed. ¡°Are you sure? of all the doctors in San Joto, only those from this hospital can achieve this sess rate. If you recklessly transfer the patient to another hospital, he likely won¡¯t be able to open his eyes again.¡± Stanley, who always had a gentle expression, looked frigid now, as he felt Nicole could not be more right, the quality of medical care here was outrageously awful. He smiled politely and insisted on getting his grandfather discharged. The doctor looked at him with mouth agape. ¡°Be rational. What makes you so unhappy about the hospital that you want to transfer the patient to another hospital? Don¡¯t forget that this is the best hospital in San Joto.¡± The doctor¡¯s voice contained a sense of superiority. So instead of dissuading Stanley, it pissed him off. ¡®Maybe this is the best hospital to treat bruises,¡¯ Stanley thought expressionlessly. Seeing that Stanley insisted, the doctor reluctantly refunded arge amount of paid money. She nced at these people, whom she saw as knowing nothing, and then went aside to make a phone call. Mr. Riddle Sr. was finally going to be transferred to another hospital. Daniel and Gloria were nervous. Nicole looked calm. She went to a corner to make a video call. A gentle ¨C and elegant-looking Esperian man appeared on the screen. He was about fifty and looked very gentlemanly in a white coat. Seeing that Nicole finally called him, the man broke into a bright smile. ¡°You are finally willing to call me.¡± Nicole did not have time to reminisce with him. ¡°I want to take the patient to yourb in San Joto in ten minutes,¡± she said rapidly. Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. The man¡¯s face turned serious. As he nodded and before ending the call, he did not forget to mime an okay with his hand to Nicole. Dillon watched with cold eyes as Nicole came back. ¡°If something happens to your grandfather because of the hospital transfer, you will have to take full responsibility for it,¡± he said with a sneer. But Nicole ignored him and went straight into the ward to check on Mr. Riddle Sr.¡¯s condition to make sure that the move would not cause any harm to him. Only then did shee out and give Daniel and others a reassuring look. She then sat down and checked her watch nonchntly. One minute had passed. And then two. As the minute hand pointed at six, she heard some kind of extremely noisy sound. She broke into a faint smile and said, ¡°Here it Samuel looked at Nicole in confusion, not knowing what she was talking about. Meanwhile, Dillon looked at Nicole with disdain, thinking that she was trying to gaslight them. Damien was looking at the other end of the hallway curiously, while Daniel and Gloria also looked in the same direction. As they heard wheels rolling, they could vaguely see the faces of the people who came. Everyone, including Dillon, who taunted Nicole earlier , was wide-eyed as a group of people dressed in special forces uniforms strode over. They were pushing a special stretcher and hurried toward them. Following behind them was a doctor dressed in a white robe. Everyone looked on with their mouths agape. They thought the Riddle family did not have any military or political background. So how could it mobilize such elite special forces? Nicole squinted and recognized at once that the special forces had the First Army insignia on their nks. Chapter 240 Chapter 240 The doctor led the special forces toe in front of the ward. He had a very handsome, mixed race face, his expression brightening up at the moment he saw Nicole. He held up a hand and then lowered it consciously halfway as he walked toward Nicole. ¡°We are ready. May I ask where the patient is?¡± Nicole looked back at the ward. ¡°He is in there.¡± The doctor nodded solemnly. ¡°Got it.¡± His Hustuaburgian ent was a little odd as if he seldom spoke thenguage. ¡°Go ahead.¡± Nicole nodded. The special forces soldiers saw how respectful the doctor was toward Nicole, and they all had a solemn look on their faces. The leading man gestured with a hand, and they all went into the ward. Half a minuteter, they were carrying Mr. Riddle Sr, who was lyingatose, out of the ward without making a sound. Nicole was pleased to see that Mr. Riddle Sr. was undisturbed. The stretcher was fully unfolded, and all the vital signs-sustaining instruments were readily avable. The scene had drawn a lot of attention. Almost everyone in the building poked their heads out to rubberneck. When they saw those frosty-faced special forces, many people were frightened and quickly pulled their heads back in. The entire floor fell into an eerie silence when people saw how respectful the special forces soldiers were toward Nicole. Even those from the Riddle fanily looked surprised, not expecting Nicole to get help from the special forces. Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org. A few special forces soldiers from The First Army of Hustuaburg were equivalent to thebat strength of a regiment. Even Daniel looked at Nicole in disbelief. ¡°Who are they, Nicole?¡± he asked. When Nicole saw the frightened look in their eyes, she realized that the special forces soldiers might have scared them. She hesitated for a couple of seconds and then said, ¡°They are actors I hire.¡± Probably only Gloria and Dillon would believe what she said. Steve nudged his sses up the nose. ¡°Stop fooling us anymore,¡± he said with a you-got-to-be-kidding-me kind of look. They could tell if the stripes on the soldiers¡¯ uniforms were military-issued or not, Nicole looked at Steve, who seemed to have seen through everything, and said, ¡°That doctor is my friend. But I don¡¯t really know who the others are.¡± ¡°Your friend?¡± Everyone was still amazed. Nicole did not know Mr. Ellison only but also had a friend like this. Damien had be silent. Other people were struck dumb and could only pull back their shocked gazes Meanwhile, Dillon believed those people were the actors whom Nicole hired. So he could not help but taunt her. ¡°I can¡¯t believe a girl as young as you are ying this charade, which is a shame for the Riddle family.¡± As soon as he finished speaking, he received strange nces from everyone, which made him a little confused. He wondered if he had said something wrong. Damien looked at Dillon and sighed. Only Dillon would believe Nicole¡¯s narrative. Certainly, there was more to Nicole than met the eye. Thinking of what he had said to Nicole previously, Damien felt a strange sense of remorse. He was thinking of taunting Nicole earlier, not expecting that she was capable of mobilizing such elite forces. He nced at Nicole with a hint of imperative look in his eyes. Chapter 241 Chapter 241 When the old man regains consciousness and finds out about all of this, he¡¯s going to be impressed with Nicole once more. I need to find a way to make Nicole work for me!¡¯ Damien thought. ¡°Damien, why aren¡¯t you saying anything?¡± Dillon asked begrudgingly when he noticed Damien¡¯s silence. He could not help but roll his eyes at Dillon. The warning look in his eyes instantly made Dillon shut his mouth. Dillon did not dare to speak. However, he still did not know what was wrong. Nicole stopped paying them any mind. She turned to her parents and brothers and said, ¡°Go home and get some rest. I¡¯ll definitely find a way to help grandpa get better.¡± Everyone nodded. After witnessing how Nicole called over a doctor from the special forces, they believed that Nicole would definitely find a way to cure the old man and was not lying to them. Nicole then turned around to enter the elevator. N?velDrama.Org is the owner. She and special forces personnel went to the highest floor. Everyone stared at the elevator as it gradually went up. None of them had a clue about what Nicole was trying to do. Steve was the only person who had a look of understanding sh across his eyes. Nicole stepped out of the elevator on the highest floor. She was met with Michael, who was standing there and looking at them, astonished. He came out to take a look simply because he heard some noises. He did not expect to see such a scene. The four special forces personnel from before tightly strapped the four corners of the stretcher to a special type of rope. They then activated some type of machinery, slowly lifting the stretcher upwards. Michael looked out the window and saw a military attack helicopter parked outside. The stretcher¡¯s wheels had been retracted; it was being moved inside steadily. It could not be seen anymore. Seeing what was happening in front of him, he could not help but ask, ¡°All of you, who are all of you?¡± The mixed-race doctor was talking to Nicole. He turned to him when he heard him speak and said with a half-smile, ¡°We¡¯re here to fetch a patient and will be leaving at once.¡± Michael did not know that fetching a patient could be this extravagant. He turned to Nicole and eximed, ¡°It¡¯s you!¡± He had seen her in Benjamin¡¯s room before. Now that she was standing here, did this not mean that the patient being fetched was¡­ This was when Michael finally regained hisposure. Knowing that these people definitely had unusual identities, his gaze turned ingratiating, ¡°Have a safe trip.¡± The mixed-race doctor did not chit-chat but immediately stuck his foot out of the window, His strong figure climbed up the ropedder before entering the helicopter. Seeing him climb up before her, the few special forces personnel revealed slightly worried expressions. One of them asked bluntly, ¡°Doctor, why did youe up first? What about the girl?¡± The rest of them also looked at him worriedly. The special forces personnel who asked the question, in particr, revealed an obscure look of disdain. Unexpectedly, Rowan Leigh scoffed after hearing what he said. He gazed at the four of them mockingly. Just as he was about to speak, Nicole leaped into the helicopter cabin. Her strong and agile movements shocked everyone. ¡°This girl might be even better than us!¡¯ they thought. Nicole turned a blind eye to their astonishment. With a solemn expression, she turned to Rowan and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Rowan nodded and kept whatever he intended to say to himself. He then gave an indifferent nce to the few special forces personnel before saying lightly, ¡°To the branch.¡± No one dared to ck off; everyone immediately returned to their respective positions. The San Joto branchboratory was not far from where they were; it took them about five minutes to reach their destination via helicopter. The entire process took exactly 10 minutes, nothing more, nothing less. Rowan clicked his timer to express his satisfaction. ¡®I¡¯m probably the most punctual person in the world!¡¯ he thought. Chapter 242 Chapter 242 Nicole got off the helicopter, and as she looked at this somewhat destend, a look of deep nostalgia appeared in her eyes. She looked on when the men brought Mr. Riddle Sr. out as she turned to Rowan Rowan immediately understood her intent and nodded at her with a smile. Nicole turned around and ignored the look of disbelief in the eyes of the several special forces there as she walked toward the dpidated thatched house. Nothing happened at all along the way as she reached the house safe and sound. The special forces looked at each other as their eyes were then cast upon Rowan. ¡°Doctor, this¡­ The satellite security system that even Rowan would trigger did not react to Nicole at all. What the hell is going on? Rowan gave all of them a faint look, he knew they had understood what was going on, but they just simply refused to believe it was happening. ¡°What are you standing there for? Bring the patient in.¡± Rowan walked ahead, and along the way, he did not encounter any danger at all. Knowing that Nicole had disabled the defense mechanism of the thatched house, he turned around and waved. ¡°Come on, there¡¯s no training today!¡± A surge of luckiness rose in the hearts of the special forces. They had always needed to resort to all sorts of methods to dodge the pursuit of thesers, not to mention they also needed to dodge those mechanical arms that would pop out and spray bullets at ther. Rowan did not upgrade their clearance level, allowing them to take in all of the attacks, euphemistically calling it ¡°training.¡± Even Rowan himself had to dodge the hiddensers step by step to reach that house. But that Nicole¡­ They shook their heads as they picked up the stretcher and followed behind Rowan. Only when they arrived at the dpidated house did they heave a sigh of relief. This was all thanks to Nicole! Thinking of this, all of them gave her a look of gratitude Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org. Nicole ignored them. Seeing that they were all here, she leaped onto the roof of the house and pulled a hidden trigger gently. Soon, ayer of steel wall appeared inside the house, wrapping everyone present inside. A silver square then floated in the center of the room, and on it was a bright red handle with a micro camera to its side. Nicole walked over impassively without any mdaptation to this high science technology She pulled the handle, and the small steel room seemingly let out an excited shriek as it said, ¡°Thank you for riding the Cuckoo!¡± The special forces gave Nicole a suspicious look. They had seen Rowan pull this handle before, yet they had never heard the room make such noise before. However, this time, they did not ask Rowan why out loud. After all, she was a person with higher clearance than Rowan, so pulling something like this was no surprise, no? Their disbelief of Nicole had faded away somewhat, and one of the special forces even looked on quizzically at Nicole as he cautiously asked, ¡°How did you know that the trigger of this ce is on the roof?¡± Nicole gave him a nce and said forthrightly. ¡°Guesswork.¡± The special force twitched his mouth somewhat speechlessly, yet he found Nicole was not as difficult to talk with as he had imagined. So, they rxed somewhat and started asking Nicole questions they usually dared not ask Rowan. ¡°How should we address you?¡± Chapter 243 Chapter 243 Chapter 243 Nicole did not even turn her head back. ¡°Nicole.¡± ¡°Oh, oh, Nicole, you came to this ce before?¡± Nicole was simply just too calm, so calm that she did not look like this was the first time she had encountered things like this. Moreover, the security system did not react to her, so they were sure that she hade here before. Who knew, Nicole simply just said. ¡°Nope.¡± ¡®She never been here before?¡¯ Massive question marks appeared on everyone¡¯s heads as they gave Rowan a jittery nce before asking, ¡°Then are you Sir Leigh¡¯s superior?¡± Rowan gave the soldier an impassive look, and thetter, standing at 1.9 meters tall, could not help but shrink away. Nicole turned around as she looked at Rowan somewhat yfully. ¡°I¡¯m not his superior either. ¡®What?¡¯ N?velDrama.Org is the owner. Everyone was stunned. They wanted to ask more, but the ¡°Cuckoo¡± that was transporting them suddenly came to screech and then let out a very cute voice. ¡°Dear guests, although the Cuckoo is sad to see you go, it¡¯s time to say goodbye!¡± Nicole raised her eyebrow as she touched the wall of the steel box and said, ¡°Rowan, when did hee up with this thing?¡± Rowan touched his eyebrows as he looked resentfully at Nicole. ¡°Probably since the day someone said that riding the elevator is boring. After youined to him, he made this.¡± In fact, the Cuckoo was just a part of the elevator, but its safety and secrecy were many hundred times better than a normal elevator, and its voicemand could only be activated when Nicole herself was on it. When Nicole heard that, her expression did not change much as she walked inside, as if she did not hear anything at all. As she walked, she went through the disinfection array of the security gate and finally entered the interior of theboratory. She then gently raised her eyebrows. What she saw was a circr hollow area the size of a basketball court. It was surrounded by extremely sophisticated instruments. The electronic instrument hanging in the air let out a faint blue light as high-powered lights in the central command area illuminated the entire underground fortress. Countless books and reports circled around a long experiment table as Nicole took a deep breath. Countless researchers there all stopped everything they were doing as they looked at Nicole in surprise. They had never seen her before, but seeing Rowan following behind her, could this prettydy be a new hire by the boss? Nicole stood on the second floor of the floating hollow circle in the center. After walking through the sterilized area, there were two neat rows of the operating room on both sides. Nicole no longer looked at the first floor as she casually pulled out a pair of white gloves from the operating room and said, ¡°Rowan.¡± Rowan¡¯s smiling voice rang out behind her. ¡°I¡¯m here.¡± Nicole turned and looked at him. The brilliance in her eyes was blinding in that instant. ¡°Prepare for surgery.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Rowan raised his lips. It seemed like Nicole was going to personally conduct the operation¡­ Daniel and Gloria had returned to the Riddle family home to rest. It was Damien who personally asked the driver to send them home. The two of them had no idea what happened that their eldest brother had such a drastic change in attitude. Steve, on the other hand, was getting ready to return to the office to help Sean with his work, while Stanley, Spencer, and Samuel also went back to school. Along the way, Samuel was looking on emotionally at the special forces Nicole had brought with her. His biggest wish was to join the special forces and be a member of that glorious unit. For him to see a living, breathing special force today, how could he not be excited? Chapter 244 Chapter 244 The other two did not focus on the special forces as Spencer patted Samuel on the head and said with some pity. ¡°Sam, with that brain of yours, I guess you¡¯ll never be able to be a special force.¡± Samuel looked at Spencer, somewhat miffed. ¡°Why not?¡± Stanley, too sighed. ¡°Lil Sis can already call upon the special forces to save grandpa. You, you are just too far behind.¡± When Samuel heard that, his footsteps slowed. ¡®Indeed, how is she so awesome? So much so that those special forces with medals lining their chest lowered their heads to her just like that. She is really my idol!¡¯ ¡®But Nicole is only eighteen this year, and she grew up in Great Oak all these while. How did she get to know this group of elite folks?¡¯ Seeing that he started thinking about this question that had bothered them the whole way, both Stanley and Spencer let out a smile of relief. ¡®Come on, it¡¯s only right that no one figures this out.¡¯ Seeing Samuel¡¯s rather happy-go-lucky life, if they did not give him some sense of crisis, he would probably just say that way and never improve. The few returned to Royal Creek Institute together and wondered if the doctor Nicole had contacted could cure grandpa or not. As they thought of this, a look of worry appeared in both Stanley and Spencer¡¯s eyes. Steve was talking with Sean about what happened today at the office. He went straight to the point and said, ¡°Sean, how do you think Nicole got to know those people?¡± When Sean heard what Steve said, his eyes did not move and instead focused his gaze on the documents before him as he said somewhat casually. ¡°I don¡¯t need to know how she knew those people.¡± Sean gently used his ballpoint to sign the revised document as he said, ¡°All I need to know is that she¡¯s my little sister, and that¡¯s enough.¡± Steve looked at Sean with a thoughtful gaze as he slowly broke into a smile. ¡°Yeah, she is our little sister. We don¡¯t need to dig into this too much.¡± ¡°It¡¯s just me worrying unnecessarily.¡± Sean nodded as a faint worry appeared on his face. ¡°I wonder where Nicole took grandpa too. I hope we can get some good news soon.¡± Steve pushed his golden spectacle frame. ¡°We cannot intervene in this. Sean, how¡¯s the bidding n? It¡¯ll be the second round in a few days¡¯ time.¡± In the previous round, they went toe-to-toe with the McCarthy family, and after half a month of deliberation, Mr. Wyance must already have a candidate in mind. Sean looked at Steve, and even his usually stoic voice showed a tinge of exhaustion. ¡°I hope we can make it.¡± He had prepared this proposal very carefully and hoped that this time, it could win Mr. Wyance¡¯s favor. Dillon stood outside the hospital, feeling irritable. Recalling how Damien warned him to not taunt Nicole anymore and for the usually cold him to get someone to send Daniel and his wife back, a faint uneasiness appeared in Dillon¡¯s heart. Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org. He was the most mediocre of the Riddle family¡¯s sons. He was nowhere as talented as his Damien nor as educated as Dexter. Even the unremarkable Daniel was always first in ss while in school and was many times better than him. Chapter 245 Chapter 245 When Dillon thought of this, a glint of hatred appeared in his eyes. When he thought of Nicole¡¯s vow that she could find a good doctor, he felt extremely pissed off. Fortunately, he had a good, useful daughter. As long as Snow hooked up with Harvey, then he can only rise upwards. As he thought of this, he gave Snow a call and told her what had happened in the hospital. He then indicated that he did not trust Nicole and asked Snow if she could get Harvey to look for a better doctor so that he could shove what Nicole said to him back at her. When Snow heard that Nicole could call forth the special forces, she was stunned. ¡°Dad, you aren¡¯t pulling my leg, right?¡± Dillon¡¯s voice suddenly turned into a growl. ¡°Why would I pull your leg? Nicole indeed called several special forces soldiers over, and I suspect she must¡¯ve gotten grandpa to the military hospital. Those hospitals are much better than the ones outside! Go and ask Harvey for me. Isn¡¯t the Ellison family somewhat linked to the Third Army? Get him to find out where grandpa is and help me to get a good doctor to treat him!¡± ¡°That way, when the old man wakes up, he will thank me!¡¯ When Snow heard that, she frowned a little. What did Dillon take Harvey for? A servant at his beck and call? ¡®He¡¯s taking Harvey way too lightly.¡± Thinking of this, her voice was a little cold. ¡°I¡¯ll do my best, but Harvey might not agree.¡± When Dillon heard that, he was a little annoyed. ¡°Why will he not agree? Isn¡¯t he your boyfriend? It¡¯s just a small matter. Why won¡¯t he agree? Snow, are you trying to hoodwink me? Let me tell you, if there¡¯s no me, there won¡¯t be vou today. Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. You he Snow listened impassively as she grasped her phone hard. A momentter, she softly said, ¡°. Got it.¡± Dillon then lectured his daughter for a while before hanging up as he walked to the garage with satisfaction. After the call was hung up, Snow held on to the posture of taking a call for a bit before putting her hand down. After some hesitation, she sent Harvey a text message. ¡°Harvey, where are you? I want to see you.¡± Sure enough, the message was the same as the previous ones, destined to be ignored. Snow scowled as she angrily threw her phone onto the floor, her chest heaving in a fury. The expensive phonended on the floor and bounced twice on the carpet. The ckened screen suddenly lit up as a tone of a new iing message rang out. Snow paused for a bit as she excitedly knelt on the ground and picked up her phone as if she was holding a treasure. She carefully tapped on the screen and checked the message Harvey had sent back ¡°I¡¯m at the principal¡¯s office. Wait for me outside.¡± Snow was so happy she almost jumped. This was the first message Harvey had replied to her in days. She quickly stood up and ran over to her dressing table to put on the most perfect makeup on her face. She then smiled to herself in the mirror, and after making sure nothing was wrong, she left and asked her driver to send her to school. The trip was only twenty minutes long, yet it felt like a few years for Snow. She tried to maintain her dignified demeanor and elegance, yet she could not help but urge, ¡°Hurry up, I have something important at school.¡± Chapter 246 Chapter 246 The moment she got off the car, Snow sped off to the principal¡¯s office as if she was afraid Harvey would run away. Her frantic pace aside, even her usual gentle smile was somewhat diminished. Her schoolmates along the way looked at her, yet Snow had no time to bother with her usual image. She frantically pressed the elevator button as if she would be doomed if she was a second toote. After reaching the top floor, Snow took a deep breath and sorted her somewhat messy hair before walking toward the principal¡¯s office. Yet, before a few steps in, she saw two persons standing guard by the staircase and another standing by the principal¡¯s office door, upright as a pine tree. Snow looked at them in a daze and stopped. She then said to the sturdy ¨C looking bodyguard with a smile and said, ¡°Hello, can I enter the principal¡¯s office?¡±. The bodyguard responded matter-of-factly, ¡°Miss, please state your identity.¡± Snow immediately said, ¡°It¡¯s Harvey who called me here. I¡¯m¡­¡± ¡°Please state your identity.¡± Snow gritted her teeth and said, ¡°I¡¯m Snow Riddle, of the Riddle family.¡± The bodyguard frowned as he turned around and whispered to the others. The rest of them shook their heads, and he turned back to Snow. Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, you are not authorized to enter.¡± Snow¡¯s expression turned dark as she heard that. ¡°What¡¯s the meaning of this?¡± A particrly stern voice then came from behind her. ¡°That means that your authorization is not high enough, and you cannot trespass.¡± Snow was taken aback and then spat back angrily, ¡°Why aren¡¯t you letting me in? Didn¡¯t I tell you that Harvey called me over, don¡¯t you understand?¡± Those bodyguards just looked on impassively at Snow and said nothing. Inside, Mr. Wyance was talking with Mr. Ellison while Harvey was by the side, fiddling with his cufflink, his entire person seemingly sinking into an abyssal shadow. Mr. Wyance noticed Harvey and asked curiously. ¡°Harvey, I heard that you went to Nottingbrook two days ago?¡± Harvey did not deny it as he smiled and said, ¡°I can¡¯t hide anything from you, Mr. Wyance.¡± Mr. Wyance guffawed as he looked at Harvey. ¡°Is it because of the Moon House¡¯s Gold Session? Harvey nodded and did not say much else. Mr. Wyance had always been curious about those treasures. It was a pity he did not have time, and this sudden visit was probably to ask about the matter. Sure enough, Mr. Wyance smiled and asked, ¡°What did you manage to find this time?¡± As he was busy, he had few opportunities to personally attend the Moon House¡¯s Gold Session, yet every time he wanted to know what good stuff the Moon House was auctioning. Harvey smiled gently and said, ¡°Nothing special this time. I managed to win the bid for the most valuable piece, the pink diamond.¡± Hearing that it was just a diamond, Mr. Wyance let out a faint look of disappointment. It was said that while diamonds are priceless, he was more into seeking out precious jadeites. He was not interested in diamonds at all. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then I think I shouldn¡¯t impose on you any longer.¡± He had already talked to Mr. Ellison for a bit, and he should be taking his leave now. ¡°Harvey, please send Mr. Wyance off.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Harvey nodded and rose from his seat. Chapter 247 Chapter 247 After Mr. Wyance bade farewell to Mr. Ellison, he then followed Harvey out of the principal¡¯s office. Outside, Snow¡¯s eyes lit up the moment she saw Harveying out. ¡°Harvey!¡± Mr. Wyance immediately recognized Snow at a nce. When he saw her walking quickly over here, a trace of rejection appeared in his eyes. The two bodyguards saw this too and were about to stop her when Mr. Wyance made a motion for them to stand down, and they did not touch her. Snow noticed Mr. Wyance standing by Harvey¡¯s side. Little wonder there were bodyguards by the door. Only the Wyance family would be so high-profile. She adjusted her expression and maintained her smile as she came to Harvey. Her entire person was graceful, and she looked like she was ady of a noble house. Knowing that Snow was here for Harvey, Mr. Wyance smiled at him and said, ¡°You youngsters can talk. I¡¯ll head off first.¡± Harvey did not insist on him staying as he nodded. ¡°Goodbye, Mr. Wyance.¡± When Snow saw Mr. Wyance and Director Monroe walking away as she approached, she asked Harvey with some doubts, ¡°Harvey, is that Mr. Wyance?¡± She thought that Harvey would at least introduce her to him and did not expect thetter to let Mr. Wyance leave just like that. After Mr. Wyance left, Harvey turned to look at her. His usually warm eyes were like an endless abyss as he trained his eyes on her. With his vision, how could he not understand what Snow was getting at? He looked on at Snow, yet an annoyed glint slowly appeared in his eyes. Snow had no idea what he was thinking, but seeing his rather disgruntled expression, she carefully said, ¡°Harvey, have you been busytely?¡± ¡®Harvey had not been at school these days. Where did he go while on leave?¡¯ Snow¡¯s expression was impassive, but deep down, she hoped she could see through Harvey with rity. Harvey looked at her seemingly gentle-looking face and said without much emotion, ¡°I went on a trip to Nottingbrook.¡± Snow thought it was some business for the Ellison Group and knew that he would not tell her about his work. She dared not ask too much. Seeing that Harvey¡¯s attitude toward her seemed good today, her courage gradually formed as she said, ¡°Harvey, I¡¯m looking for you today because my grandfather has fallen ill, and it is a heart problem. I wonder if you can help me find a heart and brain expert to treat my grandfather.¡± Harvey looked at her as he squinted. ¡°Where¡¯s your grandfather at now?¡± Snow was taken aback. Not wanting to mention Nicole, she could only speak vaguely. ¡°It seems like he has already been transferred to a military hospital.¡± ¡°A military hospital?¡± A thoughtful look appeared in Harvey¡¯s eyes. ¡®The Riddle family has no military background, so how did Benjamin Riddle get sent to a military hospital?¡¯ Could it be that Jared intervened?¡¯ Thinking of this, Harvey suddenlyughed. ¡°You¡¯ve looked for the wrong person, Snow.¡± Snow looked on a little puzzled as she raised her head. As she looked at his handsome and wless face, she was totally dumbfounded. Harvey smiled as he looked in the direction Mr. Wyance was leaving as a cold glint appeared in his eyes. ¡°You should be looking for Mr. Wyance¡¯s help for this.¡± Snow was even more confused. ¡®Mr. Wyance was no doctor. What can he do if I looked for him?¡± N?velDrama.Org is the owner. However, she dared not show it, nor did she dare to question Harvey. So, she could only look on awkwardly in Mr. Wyance¡¯s direction. ¡°I wonder if it is still not toote if I rush over. Harvey, could you introduce me to Mr. Wyance¡­¡± Harvey looked at her. He curled his lips into an inexplicably cold smile, In the end, she was nothing but a defective product that could never see the light of day. Chapter 248 Chapter 248 An elusive look appeared in his eyes as he said gently to Snow, ¡°Snow.¡± Snow turned toward Harvey and, for some reason, felt a hint of an oing storm from his gentle eyes. Looking at Harvey like that, she could not muster up a single word. Harvey¡¯s expression onlysted a second before he lowered his head and handed a box that appeared out of nowhere to Snow. His tone was very gentle. ¡°This is the present I got for you in Nottingbrook.¡± He smiled as he looked at Snow, yet his words seemed to be bereft of power and were flighty. ¡°You¡¯ve got to take good care of it.¡± Snow received the gift ecstatically. Harvey had given her many presents in the past, and every one of them was valuable. It would not be an exception this time either. After all, with Harvey¡¯s worth, he would not even blink when buying things that Snow considered precious. Even when she knew that the gift would be extraordinary , Snow was still stunned when she opened the box. She let out a shocked gasp as she looked at the beautiful crystal -clear diamond. She felt her mind was being sucked away by it and could not spare any attention to the things around her. The pink diamond radiated a colorful light under the sun. So, it was crystal clear that one could see the fine fluff of the nnel below. The ten-carat diamond can be called the king of diamonds. Snow carefully held it up and put it in the palm of her hand, so much so that she did not pay any attention to Harvey¡¯s expression at all. Harvey looked on quietly at Snow, taking in all the avarice, desire, and fanaticism on her face into his eyes as he subconsciously rubbed the cufflinks on his right hand. A mocking smile then appeared on his handsome face. With the ten-carat jewel in her hands, Snow could no longer see him. ¡°Only that person did not care for things like this.¡¯ Harvey did not say much but instead turned around and walked out, an indiscernible smile appearing on his face, An auctioned item that was refused is that not another form of a defective product?¡¯ ¡°Sure enough, defective products make the best match to one another.¡¯ Snow did not realize what Harvey was thinking as she happily stared at the diamond for a good while and only btedly noticed that Harvey had left She carefully put the diamond into her bag and trotted after his departing figure ¡°Harvey, Wait for me Harvey left without even looking back, ignoring Snow, who was calling out to him from behind. He walked all the way to the garage and took his car As he got on, all emotions on his face faded away as he became extremely expressionless He ignored Snow, who was anxiously knocking on the car window and drove off straight away. The car sped past Snow mercilessly, leaving her standing there shocked. Harvey had just only given her something so precious a moment ago, so why did he leave her behind like this, she wondered. There was an uneasiness that Snow could not put to words. Harvey¡¯s temperament had always been unstable, yet he had never been this merciless before. Looking on in a daze as the white car sped away,Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org. she clutched her bag tightly and totally snapped out from the euphoria of getting the diamond. She suddenly realized that Harvey did not call her like how he did in the past, calling her Snowie. Chapter 249 Chapter 249 He called her Snow. An inexplicable fear suddenly surged within her. ¡®Does that not mean that I¡¯m like any other person in Harvey¡¯s eyes?¡¯ That I can no longer im any special rtionship with him?¡¯ When she thought of this, Snow¡¯s face turned pale as she quickly took out the diamond and took a good look at it. Sheforted herself, ¡°It¡¯s okay. Harvey¡¯s just probably in a bad mood. He even gave me such a precious diamond; how can he give up on me¡­¡± After that, she forced out a smile on her face. Harvey could not be bothered with what Snow was thinking as he drove all the way out of the city. He kept elerating and elerating, and very quickly, he was already at San Joto¡¯s speed limit. Yet, he did not care about it. A traffic police officer tried to stop him but was, in turn, stopped by someone beside him. Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org. The older policeman sighed, and he said, ¡°Should¡¯ve asked you to train your eyesight. Luxury cars in San Joto are probably nothing, but that car just now¡­¡± The younger police tried to recall, and as if realizing something, his entire person froze. ¡°That¡­car¡­¡± Seeing that he understood, the old police patted his shoulder. Nottingbrook Chloe paid a steep price to finally get out of the police station, and that had pretty much cost her entire fortune. She looked resentfully at Luka as she pped him on the face. ¡°You idiot! Didn¡¯t you say we¡¯ll not get implicated? What is this then?¡± Luka clutched his aching face as he, too, had a look of disbelief in his eyes. Back then, he deliberately looked for the most powerful local gangsters, and they were linked to the police. The police had already arrested Nicole, yet not only did shee out fine, but both he and Chloe were skinned instead. Both of them fought tooth and nail to finally end up with the crime of instigating a fight. They could get out after paying a fine, but Bluehead had it worst, and after changing his tune, he was fated to be locked in for a good while. Luka looked at Chloe and could not be bothered with his swollen cheek as he said, ¡°Chloe, don¡¯t be angry, okay? I just found an opportunity to give Nicole¡¯s name to Bluehead. He says that if Nicole dares toe here again, he¡¯ll make her pay!¡± Chloe red coldly at him, ¡°He¡¯s useless! If he could do something to Nicole, the one ending up in this sorry state wouldn¡¯t have been us!¡± Luka shook his head in disagreement and let out a hiss as the wound on his cheek bit. ¡°Chloe, you might not know. Bluehead may be nothing, but I¡¯ve heard that the organization he belongs to is the real mastermind. For some reason, however, they did not interfere to get him out¡­¡± How could Luka know that the one throwing Bluehead into the mmer was Mr. William, the Prosecutor , and certainly the forces behind him would not dare to risk life and limb to save him. When Chloe heard that, the anger in her eyes somewhat receded. ¡°I wonder if Nicole wille to Nottingbrook again or not¡­¡± Luka made a sign as he squinted and smiled. ¡°Aren¡¯t you her cousin? There¡¯s nothing wrong in bringing your cousin to Nottingbrook for a trip, right?¡± He was still scheming, and when Chloe heard that, she let out a satisfied smile. The reason she kept Luka around was that he could indeed give her a lot of ¡°good ideas.¡± Chapter 250 ?Chapter 250 Thinking that she would settle her score with Nicole sooner orter, Chloe felt much better. The two got back to the hotel, and just as they were about to rest, the concierge told them that their room card had been frozen, and their items were soon taken out of the room and arranged neatly in the lobby. Chloe''s face was blue with anger as she yelled. ''Is it because of your manager? Let me tell you, I know Mr. Jared..."Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org. Before she could finish, she was mercilessly interrupted by the concierge staff by the side as he politely responded. "It is not that hotel is discriminating against you, ma''am. It''s just that Nachelle Holder had already checked out from all of the reserved rooms and left. Thankfully you returned today. Otherwise, your items will be tossed away if they remain unimed for more than 24 hours." Chloe was both shocked and angry when she heard that. "Nonsense! We are still filming here! How can Nachelle Holder check out from all of the rooms? It must be your doing! Seeing her still trying to throw her weight around, the staff''s smile slowly became colder. Ma''am, that is the truth. If you insist on making a scene here, we will have a reason to call the police." When Chloe heard the word "police," she shrieked like a startled crow. "You bastard! I''m staying here legally; you have no right to call the police on me!" She then wanted to push the staff aside and rush up the second floor. Just as the staff was about to call the guards, Luka''s incredulous voice suddenly rang out. "Chloe, enough. Look at Nachelle''s Twitter post!" Chloe was stunned when she heard Luka and walked over to ask, "What do you mean?" Luka immediately took his phone and showed it to her. On it were the words indicating that Nachelle was kicking her out from the crew. Chloe looked at the tweet in disbelief a few times, her chest heaving in rage. She was like a fish out of the water as her eyes opened wide. Her heated head slowly cooled down as she looked at Luka nkly. "What does Nachelle mean?" Luka found it hard to put things into words. "Maybe, maybe she thought that you have a case record..." Chloe was not in the mood to hear that now as she smashed the phone onto the ground and grabbed Luka. "Was it you? Was it you who told Nachelle? In other to maintain her profile, Luka had always been the one in touch with the production crew on Chloe''s behalf, so she had no idea about the twist and tums in the industry at all. Now that she saw herself getting kicked out of the crew, and aside from Luka, no one else knew she was arrested by the police, so her first reaction was to assume Luka had done something. Luka immediately said, "It isn''t me? We''re on the same boat, no? Why would I do something that stupid?" It only then did Chloe calm down. As she let Luka go, the scene of her being arrested by the police that day reyed in her mind. Thinking that it could be something Jared had done in the back, she could not help but shudder. ''But why would he do that? Could it be that... he is in it together with Nicole?'' Recalling the gentle gaze Jared gave Nicole, Chloe''s head was about to explode. Seeing the two standing there like a log, the concierge staff finally said with some impatience, ''Sir, Ma''am, are you leaving now?" Chloe''s eyes were cold. As she recalled Jared''s merciless silhouette, she knew that the ambassadorship for JJ Johnston Group was as good as gone. Now that Nachelle kicked her out of the production, and here she was hoping to use this drama, "Lukewarm" to get into the A-List, and now, even that was gone. Thinking of the culprit of all of these, Chloe gritted her teeth as she hissed. "Nicole, just you wait! She could not stand the indignity of being chased away, so she turned and walked out of the hotel, leaving Luka with a stack of luggage and a swollen cheek. Chapter 251 Chapter 251 Luka went to pick up the luggage dejectedly as a trace of resentment appeared on his face. ¡®If it weren¡¯t for Chloe, I would not have ended up like this.¡¯ However, none of these mattered anymore. Both of them were on the same boat now, and their interests tightly bound together. It was far toote to leave now. Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org. A sliver of resentment toward Nicole then appeared in his eyes. ¡®It¡¯s all that damned Nicole¡¯s fault that I end up like this. If I ever run into you in this country again, just see how I do you in! Chloe walked out of the hotel door and hailed a taxi as she headed straight to the airport. Sitting at the boarding gate, she angrily gave Miley a call. Upon receiving the call, Miley was surprised as she asked, ¡°Chloe, aren¡¯t you filming now? Why do you have time to call mommy? Chloe¡¯s voice was chilly. ¡°Mom, where¡¯s Uncle Daniel¡¯s daughter, Nicole, now?¡± Miley asked her quizzically, ¡°Nicole? Why are you asking for her? She isn¡¯t even a member of the Riddle family. You are a million times better than her, being cast for Nachelle Holder¡¯s show at just twenty. You can surely inherit your mother¡¯s mantle and be the most excellent actress¡­¡± Chloe always loved to listen to Miley blowing her trumpet, but now every single word of hers was pricking her right in the heart, causing bursts of embarrassing pain. Chloe could not help but interrupt her, ¡°Mom, stop. Just tell me where Nicole is.¡± Miley was surprised by her daughter¡¯s attitude but thinking that she might be too tired from the filming, sheforted thetter. ¡°Chloe, don¡¯t be like that. You¡¯ll look very rude. If you¡¯re tired from filming, you can just tell mommy¡­¡± Chloe could not stand it any longer and hung up. After a moment¡¯s hesitation, she gave a call to Damien instead. As soon as the call connected, Damien¡¯s cold voice came from the other side. ¡°Chloe, what are you looking for me for?¡± Chloe gritted her teeth and told him the matter of her losing her ce in Nachelle Holder¡¯s production and also the ambassadorship of JJ Johnston Group. She also added on to the story of Nicole sending her to the police station without even mentioning that she was the instigating party Stie thought Damien would be extremely angry hearing that and help her deal with Nicole. After all, her father was really after her ambassadorship for Jl Johnston Group and had always asked her about the progress through Miley. Now that the ambassadorship was good as gone, lie must be furious She was hoping for her father to stand up for her, yet what came from the other side was wiexpreled short silence As Damien listened to his daughterining, he heard her hatred toward Nicole in her voice. He held his aching head as his eyes glinting as he ran scenarios in his head Based on what Chloe said, she might never be able to have anything to do with ] Johnston Group any longer, but Nicole had a firm rtionship with the Rogers family. Moreover, until now, he did not know how Nicole got to know Mr. Ellison or those special forces and felt that her identity was unusually mysterious. If he could not get to the bottom of this, he would not act rashly against Nicole. In contrast, it would be better if he could put Nicole to good use instead. About a dozen secondster, he thought through everything and said to Chloe on the other side of the phone, ¡°Chloe, as the elder cousin, you need to get along with her. Since Nicole is still immature, just be more tolerant to her.¡± ¡®Once I¡¯ve climbed my way to a high enough position, my daughter will no longer need to be so aggrieved anymore.¡¯ He thought. Chloe totally did not expect her father to give her such a reply. She was so apoplectic she shuddered, and her voice turned shrill. ¡°Dad, what is this? I¡¯m the one being bullied by Nicole! Chapter 252 Chapter 252 When Damien heard Chloe, he frowned. His daughter waspetitive by nature, and no matter what she did, she would strive for the best. It was because of this she got the recognition of the Rogers branch family, but it was since then that she began to lose patience and refuse to bow her head in everything. ¡®How can she achieve grander things like this?¡¯ Damien shook his head, and his voice bore a tinge of resoluteness. ¡°It¡¯s decided. Open your eyes, don¡¯t be fooled by the illusions before you.¡± ¡®Wasn¡¯t she always clear on what she wanted?¡¯ ¡®For those things, she needs to ignore the rest.¡¯ When Chloe heard Damien¡¯s words, she slowly calmed down as she carefully pondered her father¡¯s words. A momentter, seemingly realizing something, she responded softly.¡± Alright.¡± Seeing that Chloe knew what he meant, he told her a few more things with great satisfaction before hanging up. He looked at his watch and was about to leave the office. He then saw Everett standing by the door with his head down, thinking. Seeing Damien walking over, Everett raised his head, with obedience radiating from his handsome face. ¡°Dad, is it a call from Chloe?¡± Damien looked at Everett and nodded. ¡°Why are you here?¡± Everett looked at Damien and smiled. ¡°Isn¡¯t it lunchtime now? I just want to have lunch with you, Dad.¡± Damien frowned a little. This son of his was not bad in business, but he was just average. Here he was not putting his back into his work and instead had the time to ask him out for lunch? Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org. He said somewhat happily. ¡°I have something to attend to, so I¡¯ll pass on that. Also, how many times do I need to tell you what should you call me in the office?¡± Everett¡¯s eyes dimmed. ¡°Mr. Riddle,¡± he addressed Damien respectfully. Damien then nodded with a trace of satisfaction in his eyes. Although this son was useless, he still had one good point. And that he was obedient. He did not waste any time with thetter anymore but hurriedly went downstairs as he picked up his car and left Riddle Corporation, Everett lowered his head after his father left, feeling extremely dejected. In this family of his, his parents only valued his sister, while he was treated like nothing¡­ No one knew how many hours had passed, but Mr. Riddle Sr.¡¯s operation was finally over. The operation was very sessful, and Nicole handed the suture over to Rowan. She then walked out of the operating room and took out her mask and gloves, her eyes red from exhaustion. She washed her face with cold water and pulled out her phone to inform Ms. Emerson she was taking two days off. After some thought, she clearly wrote down the reason as well. ¡°To look after a sick rtive.¡¯ Normally, seven days after surgery would be a high-risk period, but inside Rowan¡¯sb, this time can be shortened to just two days. She then sent Austin and the rest, asking them to hand over the homework she gave them online for her to check, not allowing them to miss a day. She was almost done going through the textbook with them. What remained was for them to consolidate what they had learned and revise. Nicole sat on the chair as she fiddled with her phone. Soon, Rowan pushed Mr. Riddle Sr., who had been stitched up, out of the operation room. Nicole stood up and went downstairs. She ignored the gaze of others as she started matching something on the desk in B Section on the left side of the first floor. She then brought a small packet of medicine and stuffed it into Rowan¡¯s hands. Chapter 253 Chapter 253 ¡°B0-2, Three times a day.¡± Rowan pulled the medicine into his chest pocket, and just as he was about to ask something, Nicole had already turned around and walked to Mr. Riddle Sr.¡¯s ward. Rowan was taken aback and asked, ¡°The operation isplete. Why don¡¯t you take a break?¡± Nicole waved him off. She wanted to check and ensure nothing was wrong. Rowan knew her nature, and when she was responsible for something, she would be terrifyingly serious. Now that Mr. Riddle Sr. was her responsibility, how could she take a break just like that? He shook his head and said somewhat oddly. ¡°I¡¯ll go make the medicine then.¡± Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org. Nicole did not look back at him as a smile appeared on her lips. By the time Rowan was done mixing the infusion and returned to the ward, he noticed a medium-sized book in front of Nicole. He deftly did the infusion and hung the drip bag, and walked over to her side to see what she was up to. When he saw what was before her, Rowan¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Eh, Nicole, what¡¯s with these Math Olympiad questions?¡± ¡®Didn¡¯t Nicole already get the Woods Award long ago? Why is she looking at the stuff that should be child¡¯s y for her?¡¯ Nicole looked faintly at him. She had not slept at allst night, yet she did not feel anything at all. She crossed her arms as she sat there, ignoring Rowan¡¯s question, and simply asked, ¡°Do you have a pen?¡± Nicole just was not used to answering questions without a pen to twirl. Rowan rolled his eyes somewhat speechlessly. ¡°Answer me first.¡± ¡°I made a bet with someone,¡± Nicole responded without any emotions. Rowan shrugged and reluctantly epted that excuse. He then mumbled as he went out,¡± What age is it now? Still using pen, you¡¯re as old-fashioned as ever¡­¡± Everyone in the medicalboratory was already usingser pens that directly connected with the optical cortex. Not only that would achieve perfect uracy, but it also ensured the safety and confidentiality of the records, Rowan searched all over the entireb to only find a gel pen from an intern. His eyes lit up and rushed toward that person like a hungry wolf. The intern was so shocked he took a step back, ¡°Boss, I know there was a small mistake in my test data, but I¡¯ve fixed that already. Also, I promise I¡¯ll be loyal to theb. If you order it, I¡¯ll do anything¡­ Wait, what are you doing?¡± Rowan did not pay any attention to what the intern was mumbling as he rushed over and grabbed at the latter¡¯s chest. The poor intern thought he was going to encounter unspoken workce rules and closed his eyes with a herote expression, Rowan took away the pen sitting in his coat pocket with a look of contempt on his face before turning around and going back to the second floor. Seeing that Rowan had left, the intern patted himself on the chest, heaving a sigh of relief as he looked at Rowan¡¯s back. He thought he was a goner just now. Very quickly, Rowan handed the pen to Nicole, and that sat beside her as he watched her answer the questions with interest. Nicole noticed him getting close and frowned. ¡°Get out.¡± Rowan felt a little wronged as he said, ¡°You clearly have no need to look at those questions, We haven¡¯t seen each other for so long, and not only you wouldn¡¯t catch up with me, you want to chase me out?¡± If theb workers heard that demon of a mixed-blooded doctor would say something so soft, their jaws would have fallen off in shock. Nicole only turned to look at him. There was a glint in her eyes, carrying with it a subconscious coldness and pride. ¡®Any problems with that? Chapter 254 Chapter 254 Rowan immediately shrank back as heughed. ¡°Let¡¯s talk like civilized people. I¡¯ll leave myself.¡± He remembered the one time he interrupted Nicole¡¯s experiment, and she gave him the same kind of gaze. The next second, she tossed him out of theb. Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org. He was not exaggerating. She really did toss him out. Rowan fell outside the door, his entire person in a daze. He pinched his muscles in disbelief, and when he looked at Nicole¡¯s slender arm, he started to doubt himself. However, he had the awareness to never challenge Nicole¡¯s patience. A long separation somewhat dulled that pain as Rowan walked out of the ward with an impassive look on his face. He had not slept for a whole day and night. He was not a monster like Nicole. He still needed his sleep. Nicole ignored Rowan as she slowly twirled her pen and quickly went through the exercise. She did not have much time left and needed to learn the cumbersome algorithms used by themon folk to calcte these things. After all, the International Math¡¯s Olympiad questions were different from the ones in Hustuaburg. Nicole flipped through this upgraded exercise book with a faint look of interest in her eyes. Two hourster, she was almost done with the exercise. She stretched back and rxed her brain, yet she did not feel tired at all. She only wanted coffee. She looked at Mr. Riddle Sr. before her. His heart rate had gradually stabilized, calm and powerful as if it had returned to normal. But Nicole knew very well that even with specialized medicines, it would take until at least tomorrow to ensure nothing was wrong. She put her legs on the table before her as her thoughts floated far away. A person would die of age or sickness sooner orter, and doctors were just trying to lengthen the whole process before that time arrived. ¡®If this kind of incident could happen to grandpa, whose life is well ¨C provided for, then what about Grandma, who is not much different from him in age?¡¯ Thinking that she had not seen Mrs. Wace Sr. for almost a month now, she let out a soft sigh. ¡®Let¡¯s find one day to go back to Great Oak¡¯ Rowan had taken his nap and stretched as he walked out. Upon seeing Nicole¡¯s expressionless face, he was surprised. ¡°It can¡¯t be right. You¡¯re not on a mission, so why aren¡¯t you resting?¡± He walked over to inspect Mr. Riddle Sr.¡¯s condition and patted Nicole on the shoulder. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, the operation was very sessful, and the medicine is also working now. You don¡¯t have to stay here. I¡¯ll take over, go and get some rest.¡± Before his words even trailed off, he saw Nicole looking at him, her voice rather soft. ¡°Do you have coffee here?¡± Rowan raised his eyebrow. ¡°Of course, Americano with no sugar, right?¡± Nicole nodded as she looked at Rowan with an inexplicable gaze. Rowan saw the contempt in her nce as he roared at her. ¡°Was? Ich f¨¹ge gerne Zucker und Milch mit meinen Schwarzkaffee, gibt es eien problem?¡± (What? I like to add sugar and milk to my ck coffee, is there a problem?) He was so anxious that he spurted out a sentence directly in Almagnian. Nicole raised her eyebrow, and as she looked at Rowan¡¯s face, she did not respond to his temper but instead replied in Almagnian too, ¡°Wei? dein Vater Du bist hier?¡± (Does your father know you are here?) Rowan shook his head irritably as he heard that. The braid on his head too shook as well. He pushed his hand into the pocket of his coat, and a look of rejection of broaching this topic appeared on his face. Chapter 255 Chapter 255 ¡°Do not mention him. He is not my father.¡± Nicole knew that the rtionship between this father and son pair was tense, but she did not expect it to be like this. She did not say much but instead patted him on the shoulder. ¡°Go, remember my coffee.¡± Rowan nodded as he walked out of the room. A faint look of bewilderment appeared in his eyes as he muttered to himself. ¡°He is not my father. I don¡¯t have a father like him!¡± The hands inside his coat pocket silently clenched as well. Rowan calmed himself down, and when he recalled that person¡¯s cold pair of eyes on him, his entire person shuddered. Someone walked past him, and seeing him standing there unmoving, the person hurriedly greeted him, ¡°Boss, why are you here?¡± Rowan snapped back and simply replied that he was okay. He then looked at the person.¡± Aren¡¯t you supposed to extract copper thiol ATP enzyme at Sector D for me? Why are you here asking me what I¡¯m doing here?¡± The person choked at the words. He did not expect that his boss would know which section he belonged to and what he was studying from the one-two hundred people in thisb, so he could onlyugh it off and say, ¡°Everyone is curious about that beauty that came in yesterday, I¡¯m representing everyone from Section D to have a gander at her.¡± Everyone was surprised when Nicole nced down for a moment yesterday and could not get a proper look at what she looked like. Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org. One had to understand that working day and night in the undergroundb, the guys had not seen even a female mosquito for a good while now. And, as the lucky winner of the scissors, paper, stone game of the nine people left in Team D, he was sent up by everyone enviously on a glorious mission to see the beauty. Yet, none of them expected things to go badly, and not only did he not see the beauty, but he also ran into the demon-like Rowan instead. Rowan sneered as soon as he heard that, ¡°She isn¡¯t someone the likes of you can see. Get back now!¡± Rowan did it out of kindness. After all, Nicole hated the most being watched by others. If she were to be watched by these bunch of fools like a monkey, he was afraid that she might beat them senseless. When that timees, who will be doing the work? What he did not know was that after her time at the Royal Creek Institute, Nicole was almost immune to all sorts of stares, After all, she already knew how weak these people were and could snap their bones with just a touch. The man would have been normally scared to death if Rowan were to bark at him like that, but to see the beauty today, he appeared somewhat more courageous as he said, ¡°Boss, the beauty is for everyone to see. How can you keep her for yourself.¡± Seeing how brazen he was, Rowan squinted andughed instead, an arc forming in his deeply contoured face. The man had never seen such a brilliant smile from Rowan before and immediately had goosebumps. ¡°You want to see? Fine, she¡¯s in the third room from the back. Go and have a look then.¡± ¡®You really can¡¯t stop someone who has a death wish.¡¯ That thought appeared in his mind as Rowan stirred the coffee in his hand. He originally thought that by the time he got back to the ward, he would see Nicole beat the crap out of his subordinate. Yet, when he got there, Nicole was just sitting there while his subordinate was asking her questions with a feverish expression. After getting her answer, he immediately used the pen Rowan had taken from him to jot down something. When Rowan saw this, his hand that was about to knock on the door paused. It was Nicole who caught a whiff of the faint coffee aroma. She looked at Rowan. The coldness in her eyes was abated, seemingly questioning him why he had not brought the coffee in yet. Rowan shuddered, and when he walked in, he looked at the light in his subordinate¡¯s eyes with a puzzled look. ¡°This is the look of seeing a pretty woman, a look of taking in all of the beauty!¡± Chapter 256 Chapter 256 Seeing Rowaning in, the subordinate respectfully returned the pen to Nicole as he held his ckened hand like it was a treasure while his eyes looked like he had found treasure as he looked at Nicole. ¡°This lysozyme transmission method is really wonderful! Ma¡¯am, can I get your name? Also, if I have any questions in the future, can Ie to you?¡± Nicole nodded indifferently as she said, ¡°the Peptide bond of acetyl-CoA transacse is very difficult to analyze. If you are not sure, you better use this method to conduct two more experiments.¡± The subordinate nodded as he heard that. His eyes were filled with admiration as he looked at Nicole. He had originally only wanted toe in to see Nicole¡¯s beauty, yet Nicole could instead instantly tell that he was someone from Section D and had a very clear understanding of the research progress of his team. Her casual replies had allowed him to benefit a lot. He had thought that she was merely a vase his boss had brought over and did not expect her to be that strong! ¡®For Rowan to recruit such a person, he is just too awesome!¡¯ The subordinate looked a little oddly at Rowan, and seeing that expression, he smiled coldly.¡± Don¡¯t look at me. She is just here to borrow a room for an operation.¡± No wonder there was an old man lying in the ward. Normally, aside from the heads of states of various countries, no one else coulde into this ce. ¡®However, this should be a privilege for a genius like her.¡¯ He then bade farewell to Nicole. As he walked out, his footsteps were fluttering. Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. He will soon be able to solve a problem that has been guing him for half a month now. How can he not be excited? When the others saw hime out, his face red like he was drunk, they gathered around him as they asked one after another. ¡°How is it? Is she very beautiful?¡± ¡°I only saw the side of her face yesterday, and that totally stunned me already. I¡¯ve never seen such a beautiful woman in my life!¡± ¡°You said that she and boss became in together and they look quite close. Could it be¡­¡± Seeing the topic was gradually straying away, the subordinate who had met Nicole frowned as his voice turned a little cold. ¡°Hush you, Thatdy could resolve the problem of the research topic my team is working on! You guys have no idea how far away we are whenpared to her! Theboratory is arrayed from A to Z, and Team D¡¯s research tople was regarded by far the most difficult subject. For her to so easily resolve the problem, everyone present looked at each other and had nothing else to say, They originally did not bear much respect for Nicole After all, from their point of view, she was just a woman with a pretty face. They had thought she was here on a sightseeing internship using her rtionship. A momentter, someone asked, ¡°So, she¡¯s really a new hire here. Which team is she assigned to?¡± ¡°No, Boss said she¡¯s just here to borrow the operating room.¡± Everyone looked at each other. Only the most elite of people can have surgery performed in this best medicalboratory in San Joto, and that is to Rowan¡¯s begrudging approval as he felt like his time was being wasted. Yet, he would actually allow this woman to borrow a spot for an operation. Moreover, Rowan himself followed her in, so he must have performed the operation himself, right? ¡®Who could deserve such an honor?¡¯ ¡°What operation is that? Until our boss needs to get involved?¡± Everyone hurriedly looked at Victor Hasseldorf, the only person with the information, with a curious look in their eyes. Chapter 257 Chapter 257 He recalled what he saw in the ward and slowly uttered a response. ¡°Judging from the equipment in the ward, I suppose it¡¯s cardiac surgery. However, our boss said¡­¡± He paused and looked at everyone present before dropping a bomb. Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Our boss won¡¯t be the one performing the surgery; he¡¯s merely acting as thedy¡¯s assistant.¡± ¡®What?!¡¯ they thought. Everyone was stunned. They were the bestboratory in San Joto; none of themercial hospitals couldpare to them. Having Rowan as a part of their higherups meant that they were indestructible. Even so, someone like him still had to be an assistant to thatdy! ¡®Who is thisdy?¡¯ they could not help but wonder. A number of them voiced their doubts, ¡°You¡¯re bluffing! Cardiac surgeries are Level B operations. Whether or not thedy can perform this surgery is a different story. How dare you say that our boss is an assistant to thatdy for such a surgery?¡± Many of them turned to look at Team B after hearing his words. Since they were practically the best team at theirboratory, it goes without saying that they were remarkably talented. While their team only consisted of four members, all of them were exceptionally skilled at cardiology. ¡®Here at ourboratory, only the people in Team A and our boss can boss us around!¡¯ they thought. The four of them had condescending looks as they stared at the crowd, ¡°Just because she can solve a problem from Team D doesn¡¯t mean that she can perform a Level B surgery!¡± The subordinate stared at them as he pictured Nicole¡¯s calm and collected face. Suddenly, he felt confident to stand his ground, ¡°It¡¯s undeniable that Level B surgeries are of great difficulty. However, I¡¯m certain that she can do it!¡± ¡®She¡¯s good; everything she says is unimaginably insightful. She even exined the perplexing questions in my research sinctly and thoroughly. Someone like her can¡¯t possibly be unable to perform a Level B surgery,¡¯ he thought. On top of that, the way Rowan treated her made him almost certain that she was a world-ss talent in the medical field. The members of Team B gazed at his confident expression and sneered. They then said mockingly, ¡°In that case, she must be a renowned talent in San Joto, or maybe even internationally. Why don¡¯t you tell us her name so that we can revere this person?¡± ¡°This¡­¡¯ he thought. The subordinate¡¯s mind went nk. He recalled asking for her name, but she dodged his question. Cold beads of sweat started forming on his head. Many gave him sardonic gazes. Everyone knew what his expression meant. They shook their heads and dispersed; no one wanted to listen to his nonsense. However, the members of Team B stayed. They were looking at him disdainfully, ¡°Well? Did this skilled person not dare to reveal their name? Talk about being in Team D. Why don¡¯t you go home and clean that brain of yours? Otherwise, how are you going to continue doing research.¡± They said before returning to their team¡¯s designated location arrogantly. Nicole was upstairs, so she did not hear their conversation. She was currently having a cup of joe that Rowan made. Suddenly, she froze. Rowan¡¯s coffee brewing skills have deteriorated,¡¯ she thought. She remembered clearly that he made great coffee back when they were at Elendora. What Nicole was not aware of was that Rowan¡¯s coffee brewing skills did not deteriorate , but her standards in coffee had been unknowingly raised by a certain someone. Chapter 258 Chapter 258 Rowan looked at her disapprovingly as she set her coffee aside. Just as he was about to speak, the phone in his pocket rang. Rowan nced at the caller ID and signaled at Nicole to hold for a moment. Nicole raised her eyebrows as she watched Rowan¡¯s retreating figure. Nevertheless, no emotions could be seen in her eyes. Rowan ended his call very quickly and returned. He had a slight frown; it was as if he was thinking about something. ¡°Nicole, I¡¯ve got some errands to run. I don¡¯t think I can make it back to bid you goodbye. I¡¯ll get someone to watch over your patientter.¡± ; Nicole did not have any objections, so she nodded understandingly. Rowan stared at Nicole; a hint of unusual emotion could be seen in his eyes. He sighed, ¡°Who knows when I¡¯ll be seeing you again?¡± Nicole met his somewhat gloomy eyes when she heard him speak. Her voice was calm, ¡°I¡¯m currently in San Joto. If you wish to see me, you can hit me up any time.¡± Rowan widened his eyes, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you say so! Bye!¡± Without any hesitation, he walked out the door. He strode toward the Cuckoo and gave Nicole a backhanded wave. Nicole smiled as she watched his back. Shawn was currently busy investigating something. He looked at the information in front of him with confusion. As per Harvey¡¯s request, he was investigating Nicole¡¯s records from when she was in Great Oak. He gazed deeply at the ordinary-looking records. The more ordinary something looks, the darker the secrets they hide. He skimmed through the information. Initially, he truly believed that Nicole was not someone out of the ordinary. However, now that he was presented with such information, he felt like something was amiss. From the way Christo treated Nicole to the way Harvey unbridledly made such a request, all of these incidents befuddled Shawn. He grabbed his phone and gave Harvey a call. When the line connected, a cold voice sounded from the other end. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Shawn frowned. He immediately sensed that Harvey was not in a good mood. Regardless, he still had to inform him of the findings from his investigation. ¡°I¡¯ve seen all of Nicole¡¯s records in Great Oak. I didn¡¯t miss anything, but¡­¡± Harvey squinted slightly. He was sitting in the middle of a worn-out ward. He stared at the pale yellow wallpaper; it used to look cozy but was now tattered and had light mildew stains. Across Harvey was a frail middle-aged man with lifeless eyes. The man was curled at the end of his bed and did not look at Harvey, who was sitting beside him. He was but looking at the sky outside his window. Harvey stared at him and asked softly, ¡°But what?¡± Shawn gritted his teeth before continuing, ¡°It seems a little too ordinary; I¡¯ve got a hunch that it isn¡¯t authentic.¡± ¡®Someone must have modified Nicole¡¯s records,¡¯ he thought. Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org. Harvey lifted his eyes to meet Shawn¡¯s as if he were aware of it. He chuckled, ¡°Is that so? Who do you think did it?¡± ¡®Since Shawn is bringing this up in front of me, he must have some suspicions.¡¯ he thought. As expected, Shawn paused for a moment after hearing his question. He then said with some struggle, ¡°Harvey, all of these clues are pointing to¡ª¡±. ¡°The Ellison family.¡± Chapter 259 Chapter 259 This piece of information shocked Harvey. His body turned stiff though it was unnoticeable. It took Harvey a whole minute to somewhat stop his racing thoughts. He shut his eyes for a moment. When he opened them once more, they were tinged with a hint of indescribable emotions. ¡°Shawn, stop investigating for now.¡± Harvey stared at the middle-aged man in front of him; the man¡¯s tranquil expression seemed as though he wereughing at his outburst. Harvey¡¯s grip on his cellphone tightened. However, he continued speaking with a gentle tone. ¡°All you have to do is keep watch on the Rogers, family. Put the rest of the matters on hold.¡± Shawn understood the meaning behind his words. He was silent for a moment. ¡°But Harvey, I also want to know¡­¡± This was one of the rare asions where he refuted Harvey. ¡°That¡¯s enough!¡± Harvey could not suppress the bloodthirstiness that appeared in his eyes. It was as if there were an uncontroble beast locked in his body, and that beast was starting to get agitated by something it had heard. ¡°Shawn Rogers, do not test my patience.¡± He helped him return to the Rogers family and gain Christo Rogers¡¯ trust. Naturally, he could also turn him back into a lowly illegitimate child and make him live in shame for the rest of his life! For a while, Shawn was silent on the other end of the line. His fingers had turned white from gripping the phone. No one knew the kind of emotional conflict he was going through. He looked at thevish andfortable room and the many servants. In the end, he answered with difficulty as if he had made up his mind. ¡°I¡¯ll go with what you said, Harvey.¡± Once again, he was bowing to the devil. Cold beeping sounds sounded from the other end, indicating the end of the call. Shawn set down the phone in his hand and looked at the pieces of paperid in front of him. He then swept the papers into the trashcan emotionlessly. However, his fists had be tightly clenched. Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org. Harvey hung up the phone. There was a cold glint in his eyes as he stared at the middle-aged man in front of him. He stood up with a smirk. Then, he slowly walked toward the man while unconsciously rubbing the cufflink on his right sleeve. His face looked like an icy piece of jade, skillfully carved yetpletely absent of life. The fear in the middle-aged man¡¯s eyes grew as he got closer. He kept backing away, but he had a clean, white wall behind him. He had nowhere to hide. Harvey walked up to him and stared at him condescendingly. He had a formal ¨C looking smile ying on his lips; it looked terrifying to the man. He opened his mouth, revealing what little teeth he had left, and let out sharp whimpers. It was as if he was telling Harvey to stay away. Harvey gazed at him. The smile on his face deepened. ¡°Sir, you¡¯re probably unaware of this, but Shawn will be uncovering some information soon.¡± ¡°However, I don¡¯t want to let him in on the information.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you tell me about it? Just me, alright?¡± The middle-aged man¡¯s sharp whimpers had stopped some time ago. He looked at Harvey, who was sitting in front of him. Suddenly, a devious glint shed in his eyes. He widened his mouth at Harvey as if he wanted to speak. His drool started trickling down uncontrobly while he moved; he looked silly and disgusting. Regardless, Harvey did not look disgusted at all. He bent down slightly and inched himself closer. He had a bewitching smile ying on his face, ¡°Tell me, sir. Tell me, and I¡¯ll set you free.¡± Chapter 260 Chapter 260 dimly glistened eyes. The man coughed hard at his stiff vocal cords. He seemed to have not spoken in a long time. He looked directly at Harvey; this was something that rarely happened. He then stuck out his hand and motioned him toe closer. Three fingernails were missing from the fingers of his outstretched right hand. The blood on his fingers had dried up, which looked eerie and terrifying. Harvey was unmoved. He gazed at the man, who seemed like he had finallye to his senses. He slowly moved closer to the man in front of him. A devious glint grew in the man¡¯s eyes as he watched Harvey¡¯s face inch closer. He widened his mouth and bit down hard at his handsome face. On the other hand, Harvey seemed as if he He looked at the man in front of him. What he just did seemed to have exhausted all of his strength. The man fell onto the bed and was now panting heavily. He gazed at Harvey as if he wanted to rip his entire being to shreds. Harvey no longer had a smile on his face. He looked at the man in front of him with a stoic expression. Suddenly, he stuck out his right hand and grabbed the man¡¯s neck, lifting him up entirely. ¡°I dared toe close because I¡¯m certain that you don¡¯t pose me any threat.¡± ¡°Sir, how many times has this happened? Why are you so forgetful?¡± Harvey¡¯s tone sounded regretful and seemed like he truly cared about the man. In spite of that, his gaze was as dark as night. He watched as the man in front of him suffered from suffocation. There was an indescribable pleasure in his eyes, ¡°Won¡¯t you tell me? Are you not tired of days like these? Don¡¯t you want to be set free?¡± The man widened his eyes and red at Harvey fiercely. He wanted to yell at him, but he could not speak. He merely managed to make aspirated sounds as he continuously pried Harvey¡¯s hand with his two disfigured arms. Meanwhile, not a single vein bulged on Harvey¡¯s hand; it remained smooth despite exerting such strong force. A hint of despair could be seen in the man¡¯s eyes. ¡®I don¡¯t want to die. Even though things have gotten to such a point, I don¡¯t want the freedom he speaks of. Over the years, I¡¯vee to understand Harvey¡¯s character all too well. If he finds out that ¡­ I need to find a safe way.¡¯ he thought. He started to taste blood. Just as his eyes were about to roll back, the hand that was gripping him loosened. His body felt right onto the bed. He was far too light; the metal bed frame did not even creak. The man coughed loudly. His lungs were constricting from the sudden intake of fresh air. He was coughing so violently that it was as if he were about to cough up his internal organs. In Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org. the end, his coughs turned into heart-wrenchingughs. At first, Harvey was indifferent. After seeing how the man acted, his eyes gradually grew cold. He stuck out two fingers and held the man¡¯s trembling jaw. He spoke with a voice that sounded like it came from the depths of hell. ¡°Tell me if you don¡¯t want to die.¡± The man looked at Harvey maliciously. His long-unused vocal cords produced piercing sounds of friction. Soon after, he made a hoarse and unpleasant sound. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you.¡± His gaze toward Harvey instantly sharpened. Then, he coughed and hacked before adding, ¡°I won¡¯t tell you; I don¡¯t trust you.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll tell you nothing.¡± His constantly -moving eyes were filled with glee. He gazed at Harvey with what appeared to be a provocation. 1 Chapter 261 Chapter 261 1 All of a sudden, Harvey¡¯s eyes glinted with hatred. It was the hatred of being unable to kill him. He flung the man back onto the metal bed. His face was hidden in the shadows, so the constant changes in his expressions could not be seen clearly. He started chuckling; it sounded refined and pleasant. However, when it fell into the ears of the man, it sounded like the whisper of a devil. He covered his ears in fear. It was as though their exchange just now had used up his lifetime¡¯s worth of courage. Harvey turned around. Under the sunlight, his face seemed gentle and handsome. He was like the graceful son from a noble family, which seemed a little out of tune with this filthy ce. Harvey turned around and left the ward. As he left, the door was secured with a heavy lock. He said gently, ¡°I¡¯ll visit you again.¡± Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. The man behind the door trembled in fear upon hearing his words. A look of panic appeared on his face. He then curled up into a ball. His eyes were filled with pain. In the end, he fell to the side of the bed in pain while holding his blood-stained hands. He seemed like he was crying but alsoughing; it looked incredibly eerie. Rowan sent the subordinate that Nicole had met previously to care for the patient. Victor jumped with glee when he received the order. Just as he was about to head upstairs, he remembered Rowan¡¯s instructions. And so he went to Area B to retrieve some drugs. The members of Group B frowned at the sight of him touching the things in their experimental area, ¡°What are you doing?¡± Victor answered without lifting his head, ¡°Our boss asked me to prescribe thedy some drugs. The members of Group B had looks of doubt, ¡°Do you know how precious the drugs here at Area B are? There aren¡¯t many specific drugs that can promote heart -healing globally. That little bag in your hand costs more than that brain of yours! Put it down at once!¡± Victor ignored them. After getting a hold of the drug, he ran upstairs at the speed of light. The members of Group B watched his retreating figure with infuriation. Since they heard that it was Rowan¡¯s orders, they did not say anything despite being unhappy about it. They could only sigh and go about their businesses. At the same time, they were secretly shocked at how this woman valued someone from Group D. It was depressing. ¡°The drugs from Group B aren¡¯t something they can make at their current level, so they¡¯re obviously precious. How could he take so much of it! Next time, no one¡¯s allowed to take them as they please!¡¯ they thought. After getting ahold of the drugs, Victor went up to the second floor happily. He then granted the drug before heading to Nicole¡¯s ward. Nicole was beside Mr. Riddle Sr., testing equipment. Mr. Riddle Sr. was recovering well; hisplexion looked much better. He was probably going to wake up tonight. Nicole put away the stethoscope in her hands. She had an indifferent expression as she looked at the subordinate that had entered, ¡°Half the dosage is enough.¡± ¡®Too much of this drug will make the old man depend on it when he recovers. Since he could recover to such a degree, using the drug as a supplement will be sufficient,¡¯ she thought. Victor responded. He halved its amount while asking carefully, ¡°Miss, did you operate on this patient yourself.¡± Chapter 262 Chapter 262 He had only spected that from Rowan¡¯s words yesterday, and now he wanted to get a clear answer from Nicole. Nicole responded with a faint ¡°Mhmm.¡± There was no need for her to hide anything from these people. A look of ¡®I knew it¡¯appeared on Victor¡¯s face as he looked at her, the reverence in his eye was unmissable. Her excellence caused a little doubt to appear in him. ¡®Is this person a medical researcher from the HQ? Otherwise, how is she so talented, so much so that even Rowan respects her a lot.¡¯ However, he dared not probe too much. After the injection, he softly asked, ¡°By some chance, you know the production methods of B0-2?¡± The folks from Team B have gotten a newly developed special drug from HQ and had started various studies, yet there were no results insofar. Nicole nced at him and said with a very t tone, ¡°I do. If you want to learn, I can teach you. Victor¡¯s eyes widened as a touch of joy appeared on his face. He then felt a little remorseful for trying to test Nicole. No matter who she was, for her to be willing to tell him such a precious form was unimaginable. That meant she was his greatest mentor in his path of studying medicine. Victor looked at Nicole, a girl who was at least a few years younger than him, with respect, and a look of determination appeared in his eyes. ¡°I will not disappoint you.¡± Nicole herself did not bear many expressions as she took a piece of paper and wrote a few forms on it before handing it over to Victor. ¡°Have a look yourself. You can ask me if you don¡¯t understand something.¡± She had a good impression of Victor, and if she could teach him such simple things, then she would. It would be good if it could help him. Victor treated the piece of paper as if it was a treasure. What he saw was not only the most primitive of B0-2 production methods, she even gave him two upgraded variants on top of the basic form, and that could improve the drug¡¯s efficacy in different directions. Victor¡¯s eyes lit up as he ced the paper in his arms and gave Nicole a deep bow. ¡°Thank you.¡± Perhaps this was just a small matter for Nicole, but it may very well change his life in a certain way. Nicole¡¯s expression was impassive as she stood up and helped him up. She then encouraged him with a calm voice. ¡°Do your best.¡± Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org. Victor understood what she meant and nodded. He then went about doing the calctions in the ward until afternoon, forgetting to even have lunch. Nicole looked at thepleted IV drip packet and deftly pulled the needle out, and stopped the bleeding. Seeing her movements, Victor quickly said, ¡°Ah, how can I let you do this yourself?¡± He wanted to take over, but Nicole said, ¡°Doctors and patients are alike. There¡¯s no hierarchy between us. You don¡¯t have to treat me like that.¡± After hearing this, Victor stood there in a daze. It took a good while before he snapped back, and a look of deep introspection appeared in his eyes. Nicole was really one to wake someone up with her sinct words. He gave Nicole a deep look. His attitude became much more natural as he said. ¡°I¡¯ll clean up the patient. Please stand aside.¡± Nicole nodded as she got up and walked to the side. At the same time, she contacted Rowan to send someone to pick her up. Soon, she got a response. Nicole walked to the locker room and changed out of her white clothes. She then slowly walked out of the room. The special forces were waiting for her at the Cuckoo, with a few at the back standing around Mr. Riddle Sr. guarding him. Every single one of them was full of respect for Nicole. When Victor saw this, he knew he had nothing to worry about, so he stood to the side and bade Nicole farewell. Nicole nodded at him and then said to Owen. ¡°Let¡¯s go back to the Riddle family manor.¡± Back in school, Norah has been waiting for the Riddle family to contact her. Chapter 263 Chapter 263 However, since the day she left the hospital, neither her parents nor her brothers contacted her at all. ¡°They really forgot about me after getting to know their real sister!! The more she thought about it, the more bitter she got. Norah really wished she could make Nicole disappear! However, Nicole had not come to school for the past two days. Even when she wanted to find someone to deal with Nicole, she could not. So, she could only talk behind Nicole¡¯s back with Snow and Raine. At this moment, the three of them were in the cafeteria having a meal together, and Norah was chattering about Nicole. Snow finally could not bear it. ¡°Can you shut up for a bit?¡± She had had enough, and she really did not want to hear Nicole¡¯s name. Norah was taken aback. ¡®Didn¡¯t Snow and Raine hate Nicole the most? What¡¯s happening?¡¯ However, seeing Snow¡¯s rather odd mood, she quickly pretended. ¡°What¡¯s the matter, Snow? this weekend, and I¡¯ve heard Harvey had gone there as well¡­ Say, could they be¡­¡± Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. Norah sneered within. She had already done her investigation, but she did not know whether Snow knew about it or not. ¡°Where did you say she went to? Nottingbrook?¡± Snow was slightly taken aback. She knew that Harvey had gone to Nottingbrook, but not Nicole! When she thought that the two of them could be together, Snow was extremely dejected. Yet, when she remembered the pink diamond Harvey gave her, she felt a little better. ¡®Even when the two of them are together, it must¡¯ve been Nicole who seduced Harvey! I still have a ce in Harvey¡¯s heart, Otherwise, why would he give me the pink diamond?¡¯ She had already had it evaluated. That pink diamond was worth a hundred million! It was far, far more expensive than the presents her parents had given her! So much so she was happy for a good few days. ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t know what she went there for. Ever since Harvey returned, she had been pestering him all day¡­ Snow, you can¡¯t just sit and wait any longer.¡± . ¡®It¡¯s time to teach Nicole a lesson.¡¯ Norah sneered. She did not have many connections, so it was best to leave this to Snow. After all, she was much smarter than Raine. ¡°Nicole, that bitch. Her getting Gary¡¯s attention aside, she even seduced Harvey too! What a b* tch! Snow, we cannot let her do as she please any longer!¡± Snow looked at Raine and was much agitated by her words as she looked at Norah. ¡°You seem to hate Nicole too.¡± Norah was taken aback by the question and could only nod. ¡°Yes, she¡¯s so skittish. Who would like her?¡± Snow then narrowed her eyes slightly as she said, ¡°How about you do it this time. The two of you live under the same roof. No one will suspect you.¡± Snow was, however, not a pushover. She had already noticed Raine being used by Norah several times before. Norah could not help but grit her teeth. She did not expect Snow to not be fooled. But since things had already reached this state, she could only agree. ¡°I¡¯m not as capable as you, nor am I well-connected as you, Snow. If I could be of help, I too want to teach that brat a lesson!¡± After all, as long as Snow sent someone, she could say that it was ordered by Snow in the end! The two sisters were not as smart as her, after all. ¡°Then it¡¯s decided¡­ Once she¡¯s back, we¡¯ll make her pay!¡± ¡®Best still if we can get her expelled from the Royal Creek Institute!¡¯ Chapter 264 Chapter 264 As the three Riddle family girls were discussing how to deal with Nicole, Chloe, who had returned to the country, was racking her brain trying to find a way to contact Nachelle and get her character back. After all of her ideas ran into a wall, she could only give her grandmother a call. After all, the branch family of the Rogers family was still capable. The call quickly connected as Chloe said, ¡°Grandma, it¡¯s me, Chloe.¡± ¡°You must have heard about that matter, and Nachelle Holder seemed to have some misunderstanding. Can you find an opportunity so that I can have a meal with her?¡± When her grandmother heard that, she immediately agreed. Chloe¡¯s expression immediately turned brighter as her face became bright and beautiful as she said, ¡°I know you love me the most, Grandma. I¡¯lle over to visit you in two days!¡± Finally, something went her way, and Chloe finally found the courage to go on Twitter to have a look. She originally thought that what happened at Nottingbrook would be exposed, yet no one seemed to know about it. Yet after seeing that one Nachelle announced that she was no longer working with Chloe, manyizens spoke up for her, thinking that it was inappropriate for Nachelle to change people without a proper reason. They even suggested that Chloe was being very agreeable and that the director shoulde out and state her reason as well as apologize to Chloe and that she cannot just do things on her whim. The post itself was vaguely threatening. When Chloe said this, she was a little joyous, yet she quickly took a deep breath as thements suddenly disappeared. A look of fear gradually appeared in her eyes. She realized that if things went on like this, Nachelle would be angered, and by then, she would definitely spill what she did in Nottingbrook out. When that happens, she will be the one that suffers. For now, Nachelle still might not want to cut ties with her. Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org. So, Chloe quickly sent out a tweet, its content very ambiguous. It did not touch upon whether she was at fault or not, nor did it fault Nachelle. She only thanked her fans and the crew of Lukewarm in a business ¨C like matter, saying that she was very happy during the half-month preparation work and hoped that they would have a chance to work together again. That way, she looked like she was very magnanimous. Many thought that her attitude wasmendable and voiced support for her, saying that she would only climb higher with that mentality. Many of her fans even thought that she had suffered a huge grievance but refused to put it into words, so they left messages offort in reply. Seeing things progressing in this direction, Chloe let out a satisfied grin. That way, she had room to advance and retreat and might have another opportunity to work with Nachelle after meeting her. If there was none, a cold glint appeared in Chloe¡¯s eyes. Nicole and the special forces walked out of the dpidated thatched cottage and finally moved away from the artificial incandescent light into the real sunlight. A look of satisfaction appeared on her face. This was probably the reason why she could never stay long at Yamenia. She really could not stand not seeing the sunny days on end. With Nicole around, the few quickly crossed the defensive belt and arrived at the awaiting helicopter. After Mr. Riddle Sr. was uplifted into it, Nicole deftly leaped onto the chopper as well. The special forces, too, got on the chopper as they looked at Nicole with a faint inquiring look. Nicole ignored their gaze and just casually leaned against the side of the fusge. She looked very calm as if she was entranced watching the sun outside. Ten minutester, the helicopter slowlynded at the gate of the Riddle family manor. Someone inside the house heard themotion outside and came out. When he saw Nicole and her entourage, their eyes widened. The leading special force boomed, ¡°We are the second squad of Strike Team Blizzard of the First Army, here to send Miss Riddle back.¡± Chapter 265 Chapter 265 The person was terrified by his imposing presence and could only manage a ¡°Wait.¡± before running back into the manor to inform Damien and the others. A few minutester, Damien and Dexter appeared at the gate of the Riddle family manor, and when they saw the scene at the gate, they too were bbergasted. They have never seen such a high-level military unit before! Damien still managed to calmly ask Nicole. Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org. ¡°These people are¡­¡± He, too, wanted to use this opportunity to get to know some people from the military. Nicole ignored him, her expression cold. ¡°You want to let grandpa catch a cold outside?¡± As she said that, she ignored Damiens expression as she motioned to the few special forces behind her, and very quickly, Mr.Riddle Sr. was escorted into the house. No one dared to stop her. From behind, Nicole and the special force¡¯s pace and demeanor were almost alike. Seeing him being ignored, Damien was so angry his chest heaved, but he quickly rposed himself as he took a deep breath and followed her in. When everyone in the manor saw the soldiers behind Nicole, each and every one of them were like a terrified quail. When they saw Damien following behind and trying to show the way, their eyeballs were about to fall off., When Daniel and Gloria came out, they instantly ran into that scene. The two of them were a little surprised as well as they did not think that their eldest brother, who was very blunt toward them, was following behind Nicole like a sidekick! Following his gaze, Daniel saw the few special forces behind Nicole. They had met the few in the hospital earlier, so they went toward Nicole. ¡°Nicole, you¡¯re back.¡± Nicole looked at them and nodded gently. Seeing Gloria was about to ask her something, she spoke first. ¡°Let¡¯s get grandpa settled down first.¡± Daniel also saw Mr. Riddle Sr., who was breathing smoothly with a ruddy face. He understood what happened, and a look of joy appeared in his eyes as he looked inquiringly at Nicole. Nicole then nodded gently back at him. Daniel understood what she meant as he held his wife¡¯s hand and said, ¡°Make way, make way for Nicole!¡± He knew that his daughter was no big boaster. ¡®When she said she could cure father, that meant there was no problem! When he thought of this, a look of pride welled in his eyes. Gloria also felt the same. She looked at Nicole¡¯s back and excitedly took out her phone to call her few sons home. ¡®Nicole has cured grandpa!¡¯ When they got the message, they immediately rushed from different directions. Damien also seemed to be reminded of something as he quickly gave his daughters a call. Yesterday, Chloe told him on the phone that she would return to the country today and might make it when Mr. Riddle Sr. woke up. Chloe was browsing social media in her own apartment and was a little annoyed when she heard that. Yet, she still packed up and rushed back to the manor. When Karen heard themotion from upstairs, she came out to see what was going on and her expression instantly turned gloomy. Dillon had already told her everything, that the best doctors of San Joto had only a fifty percent probability for Mr. Riddle Sr.¡¯s operation. The two were waiting for Nicole to fail to cure him and be the viin of the Riddle family. Yet, she somehow managed to heal him back to health! Chapter 266 Chapter 266 Karen wanted to say something, but seeing the powerful ¨C looking soldiers behind Nicole, she said nothing as she hid in her room in a panic and called Dillon. ¡°That Nicole seemed to have really cured the old man! Damn it all!¡± Dillon was lying on the executive chair in the office doing nothing and almost jumped up in shock as he heard that. ¡°What did you say?¡± Karen immediately told Dillon what she saw, and after hearing that, Dillon¡¯s heart was beating wildly as he grabbed his coat and rushed home. ¡®How could that be?¡¯ ¡®That Nicole actually managed to cure the old man even when the best surgeons in San Joto only have a fifty percent assurance. Who did she call?¡¯ Along the way, countless thoughts appeared in Dillon¡¯s head. He suddenly remembered the people who took Mr. Riddle Sr. away. That mixed-blooded doctor did not look like some pushover, but Nicole said that they were actors she hired. ¡°Could it be that Nicole was lying to me?¡¯ After realizing it, Dillon was flushed red as he quickly gave Snow a call. ¡°Snow, have you done what Dad asked you to?¡± Snow was taking the pink diamond Harvey gave her to the best jewelry store in San Joto, thinking of putting the diamond on a matching right so that she could wear it and show it off to everyone. At this moment, when she got the call from an angry Dillon, she was a little stunned. To be honest, after looking at the diamond, she had totally forgotten what Dillon had asked her to do. A look of guilt shed across Snow¡¯s face, but she quickly rposed herself as she said,¡± I¡¯ve told Harvey already. What happened, Dad?¡± Dillon then spat in a frenzy, ¡°Nicole seemed to have cured your grandpa! Quick, come back with Raine quickly!¡± When Snow heard this, she was taken aback. ¡°Didn¡¯t the best doctors in San Joto say there¡¯s only a fifty percent chance to cure him? Nicole actually managed to do that?¡± Dillon, too, did not want to believe that, and he hissed coldly. ¡°Told you to act faster. See what happens now. The limelight is all on Nicole now!¡± As he said that, he hung up the phone angrily as he continued to grumble about Snow. Snow had never been yelled at like this before. She looked at her darkened phone screen as her expression turned sullen. She then said to the driver in front. ¡°Turn around, pick up Raine and go back to the Riddle family manor!¡± The driver acknowledged and drove the car toward the Royal Creek Institute. Raine had only just finished her ss, and before she could go to ask Gary out for a date, she saw her elder sister waiting for her at the gate. Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. Realizing something, she could only say goodbye to Gary and hurriedly walked out. Gary was not too concerned about Raine. His mind had been focused on that signature for the past few days now. He had applied to join the Hunters but had not heard back yet. Nicole had been absent sincest Friday. Gary put away his phone into his pocket, and a slight look of irritation appeared on his face. He currently had no way to reach the apex circle of hackers, and using his channels to seek out Lucifer netted him nothing. He put his hands into his trouser pockets as a look of conflict appeared on his face. A few secondster, as if he had made up his mind, he walked toward the school gate. Back at the Riddle family manor, Nicole helped Mr. Riddle Sr. to settle down and then ran another check to him to ensure that the journey did not cause any damage to his body. It was only then she was relieved. She turned around and looked at the others. The chill in her eyes slowly faded away, her voice gentle. ¡°Thank you.¡± The few special forces looked at each other. As Nicole looked at them, they were at a loss for words. Chapter 267 Chapter 267 The leading special force soldier could only ask respectfully. ¡°Miss Riddle, is there anything else that you need?¡± Nicole shook her head. Seeing that, the soldiers immediately snapped into a salute as he spoke into the walkie-talkie, ¡°Second squad missionplete. Withdraw!¡± The soldiers left the room in huge strides when they saw Damien standing outside the room. The few of them stopped and looked at him for a few seconds before letting out a solemn smile. ¡°Mr. Riddle, please take good care of Miss Riddle. If we find out that anyone dares to bully her. We will definitely pay San Joto a visit.¡± At this moment, Damien¡¯s expression got even more serious. He had originally thought that they were just acquaintances. He did not expect those people to be so protective of her. He really started to wonder who this Nicole was who came back from the countryside. At the same moment, the few special forces saluted Daniel and Gloria before leaving. Seeing that Daniel and his wife were being treated better than he was, Damien fumed as a somewhat complicated look finally appeared on his face. He had tried everything to get into a rtionship with others, and perhaps he looked like a veritable clown in their eyes. Thinking of the difference in treatment and attitude Daniel and his wife received whenpared to him, a touch of jealousy never before seen appeared on Damien¡¯s face. ¡®Daniel is a literal nobody. What right does he have to be treated like that?¡¯ The more Damien thought about it, the gloomier he got. Daniel did not look at him as he rushed into the room to see Mr. Riddle Sr. When he saw thetter breathing steadily, he gently heaved a sigh of relief.. Heavens knew that his biggest fear was seeing his own rtives falling sick. After all, he was all too familiar with that feeling of helplessness and powerlessness. He then looked at Nicole, his eyes bright. ¡°Nicole, when will grandpa wake up?¡± Gloria nudged him a little, hinting him to ask a few questions less. She looked at Nicole and said worriedly, ¡°You haven¡¯t had a good rest, right? Go and take a nap. We¡¯ll be here.¡± Nicole shook her head as she stood by the window, her face pale as snow, yet her expression indifferent. ¡°Grandpa should wake up before long. I¡¯ll go after he wakes up.¡± As the few spoke, Damien came in as well and heard what Nicole said. A suspicious look appeared on his face as he said, ¡°Really? Dad will wake up soon? You aren¡¯t pulling my leg, right?¡± This was heart surgery. Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org. It being sessful was already a good thing. Could it be possible for someone to wake up two days after the operation? Nicole could not be bothered by his performance. Daniel, on the other hand, answered very patiently. ¡°Nicole will not lie to us. Damien, let¡¯s just wait.¡± Damien frowned a little. He did not believe Nicole, but he was concerned about what the special force soldier had said, so he said nothing. He could only sit by Mr. Riddle Sr.¡¯s bed and did not give anyone else a look. Gloria went to the kitchen to make some remedies. She was really distressed seeing Nicole¡¯splexion as she could tell Nicole had not been sleeping well. Just as Gloria was about to leave, Nicole suddenly noticed Mr. Riddle Sr.¡¯s fingers moving slightly. She quickly walked over, and seeing that his eyes were starting to move, she waspletely relieved now. Nicole gave Daniel a look, motioning him to stay here as she turned around and left the room. Damien did not understand Nicole¡¯s action, but just as he was about to say something, she had already disappeared. Daniel, on the other hand, remembered Nicole saying that she would stay until Mr. Riddle Sr. woke up. ¡®If she left, does that mean¡­¡¯ Just as he entertained that thought, Mr. Riddle Sr. suddenly let out a slight cough as if expelling the turbid air long umted within him. Daniel¡¯s eyes immediately lit up, but Damien called out even faster than he could. ¡°Dad, you¡¯re finally awake!¡± Chapter 268 Chapter 268 Mr. Riddle Sr., who had been lying on the bed, slowly opened his eyes and saw the anxious Damien by his side. He stretched his hand out and patted thetter¡¯s hand tofort him. Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org. After that, his gaze trailed away, seemingly looking for something. He then saw Daniel standing behind Mr. Riddle. Sr, with the venttion tubes on his face, let out a faint smile. He waved at Daniel as if trying to beckon this silent son over. Daniel was taken aback and walked over with some hesitation. Mr. Riddle Sr. had never liked him much. He thought that his father would have preferred to see Damien first, so he did not rush forward. When Damien saw Mr. Riddle Sr. grasping Daniel¡¯s hand with a look of relief in his eyes, an imperceptible cold glint appeared in his eyes. ¡®This was a mistake in the choice I made. Otherwise, Daniel would not have gotten this advantage!¡¯ As he thought of this, Damien seemingly stared daggers at Daniel. Mr. Riddle Sr. looked at Daniel, the son he had somewhat neglected all this while. He wanted to say something to only btedly realize that the venttion tubes were inserted into both his mouth and nose, making him unable to utter a single word. He was unhappy having those tubes stuck into him and wanted to pull them off. Nicole returned at this very moment as she held a small white pill in her hand. She ced the cup of water and pill by the side as she said under the curious gaze of the three present. ¡°This is the medicine prescribed by the doctor.¡± After that, she deftly took off the oxygen mask and tubing from Mr. Riddle Sr and handed him the medicine. ¡°Eat it.¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. looked at Nicole. He wanted to refuse, yet for some reason, a part of him trusted Nicole, causing him to open his mouth and eat the medicine. He had no idea that it was a special intuition a person has toward their savior. Although Mr. Riddle Sr. was still in a daze and was not fully conscious. Yet he still had a perception of what was happening in the world outside. While his brain had not reacted, his body had already helped him make this most primitive judgment. ¡°He can be fed with a liquid diet half an hourter.¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. swallowed the medicine and watched as Nicole took care of the medical devices on his body in an orderly fashion before leaving. There was a sense of familiarity welling with him, causing him to feel close to her. Under the bright operating theater lights, the assistants going back and forth, and the cold voice over his head, ¡°Open the wound.¡± . ¡°Coronary angiography.¡± ¡°Angioscope.¡± ¡°Stent.¡± ¡°Hemostat.¡± ¡°Alright. Apply the suture.¡± Gradually, the voice seemed to merge together with Nicole¡¯s voice by his side. Mr. Riddle Sr. looked at Nicole¡¯s back in a daze that he did not even listen to what Damien was saying to him. He looked on for a few seconds and wanted to get out of bed. Damien watched on as Mr. Riddle Sr., who was watching Nicole leaving. He felt that something was gradually slipping out of his control. He clenched his fist and looked at the empty door with an unpredictable glint in his eyes. Daniel heard what Nicole said and quickly stopped Mr. Riddle Sr. from trying to get out of the bed as he shook his head at him. ¡°Dad, you cannot get out of bed yet.¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. realized that he was really weak, so he nodded weakly andy down again. Chapter 269 Chapter 269 The main door downstairs suddenly opened as Dillon rushed in worriedly. His eyes wandered around the hall, and what he imagined did not happen. It only then did his expression ease. He knew that Nicole had no way to cure Mr. Riddle Sr! As he thought of it, he went upstairs and found that Mr. Riddle Sr.¡¯s room door was opened, ¡°It couldn¡¯t be¡­ right¡­¡± Dillon thought, ¡®Did that old man really recover?¡¯ He walked toward Mr. Riddle Sr.¡¯s room in surprise as he pushed the door open undecidedly. Mr. Riddle Sr.had already seen his silhouette and squinted his eyes as he watched his movements. Seeing that him pushing the door open to ascertain something, without any intention ofing in to see him, a cold glint shed across Mr. Riddle Sr¡¯s eyes as he let out a heavy grunt. Dillon heard the grunt and was trembling in fear, almost falling down in the process. He stood back up in embarrassment and looked in the direction of the voice. He saw the old man leaning against the head of the bed, looking at him with a pair of vigorous eyes. He cursed in his heart as he ran over to Mr. Riddle Sr¡¯s side. As he smiled tteringly. ¡°Dad! You¡¯re finally well! I was worried about you!¡± After saying that, he wanted to push Daniel, who had not much presence, aside. Who knew that Mr.Riddle Sr. grabbed onto Daniel¡¯s hand and ignored Dillon altogether as he closed his eyes and turned his head away. He was not blind. ¡®Dillon clearly did not look like he was worried about him just now.¡¯ ¡®He was just here to see whether he was dead or not! He thought. Dillon was stunned when he saw that. He looked on disbelievingly at Mr. Riddle Sr¡¯s attitude, and his heart immediately sank. Damien nced at him, a glint appearing beneath his sses. At this moment, Steve and Sean hade home. They rushed up immediately upon arriving, and upon seeing Mr. Riddle Sr. breathing normally on the bed, they let out a sigh of relief. Stanley, Spencer, and Samuel, too, rushed in at this moment. Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org. Seeing his grandsons, the old man slowly opened his eyes. Samuel immediately eximed in surprise. ¡°Grandpa! You¡¯re cured!¡± ¡®Nicole really cured grandpa!¡¯ He wanted to rush over, but Spencer immediately pulled him by the cor. ¡°Don¡¯t rush. Grandpa has not fully recovered yet.¡± It was rare that Samuel did not talk back. He could see that Mr. Riddle Sr.was weak and obediently stopped. Seeing the few calm and well-behaved grandchildren before him, a look offort appeared in Mr.Riddle Sr.¡¯s eyes. His voice was a little hoarse from his sickness, but it was still very powerful. ¡°Since you¡¯ve alle back, stay for the night. I¡¯ll get the housekeeper to prepare dinner for all of you.¡± After surviving this ordeal, Mr.Riddle Sr.would cherish these grandchildren of his a little bit more. ¡°Nice! We¡¯ll stay back and apany you tonight, Grandpa!¡± Spencer nodded in agreement. This was the first time that Mr. Riddle Sr. realized that Daniel¡¯s children were particrly adorable. Upon seeing that Daniel¡¯s sons were all present and seeing the former bringing his sons over to tter the old man as soon as he came back, Dillon wanted to get angry. Yet before he could open his mouth, Mr. Riddle Sr.¡¯s cold nce swept over as if to tell him that he had no right to speak here. Dillon opened his mouth and said nothing in the end. He was a little annoyed with his father¡¯s attitude, yet he could not understand what caused the current situation he was in. Downstairs, Nicole was alone for some peace and quiet. Chapter 270 Chapter 270 Gloria had just walked out of the kitchen, and Nicole was holding a bowl of hot soup she had prepared for her. She drank it without any expression and said, ¡°Thanks, Mom.¡± ¡®The base is all fine and dandy, but the chef is just nowhere as good as Gloria¡¯s cooking.¡¯ ¡°Really. You look really haggard over these past two days. You must¡¯ve gone through a lot.¡± Thinking Nicole taking care of Mr. Riddle Sr. for the past few days, Gloria could not help but feel distressed. ¡°It¡¯s fine. It¡¯s my duty. Only when grandpa gets better that you two will be at ease.¡± If it were not for her parents, she would not have activated the branch for the sake of the old man. However, seeing that both Gloria and Daniel were at peace now, she felt everything was worth it. ¡°Silly girl. You need to take good care of yourself for mom not to worry.¡± Her dark circles were so pronounced it was clear that she had not been resting well for the past few days. ¡°Alright, once we get home, I¡¯ll take a good rest.¡± With Mr. Riddle Sr. now hale again, she could indeed rx. ¡°Good.¡± Gloria nodded, feeling relieved. As the two spoke, Dexter and Emma came back with Er and Emery in tow. Even Miley brought Everett over to visit. Karen rushed over with Preston, and Snow and Raine arrived atst for fear of missing the opportunity. Yet when they arrived, they were stillst no matter how they rushed! But they had no other way but to just bite the bullet and head in to see the old man now. Mr. Riddle Sr¡¯s awakening was a big matter, and everyone in the Riddle family rushed home, almost filling his room to the brim. Mr. Riddle Sr. leaned against the bed as he looked at everyone. Although his face was pale, he still had a presence and vigor about him. The only difference was that normally he would be nked by Damien and Dillon. N?velDrama.Org is the owner. Yet this time around, Daniel took Dillon¡¯s ce. He nced at everyone calmly, yet the gaze still bore an air of authority. ¡°Take a seat.¡± Mr. Riddle Sr.¡¯s room wasrge, so everyone found a spot to sit down. After Dillon sat down, he looked at his original spot, now taken by Daniel, and a look of resentment appeared in his eyes. Nicole sat to the left of her elder brother while Samuel sat to her right. Snow brought Raine over to express concern. ¡°Grandpa, you¡¯re finally well! You really scared ¡°Yeah, Grandpa! You scared us by falling so ill so suddenly!¡± As Mr. Riddle Sr. looked at their eyes, his anger toward Dillon subsided a little. His eyes gradually became calmer as he said, ¡°Good girls, at least you still know how to worry about grandpa. Grandpa didn¡¯t love you guys for nothing.¡± Snow and Raine both nodded and wanted to sit by grandpa¡¯s side as usual. Yet they found that the person sitting beside grandpa was not their father but that inconspicuous Uncle Daniel. While their father, Dillon, was seated right next to the door! Snow and Raine had normally sat by grandpa¡¯s side because of Dillon, but at this moment, the person sitting on their spot was Nicole. A look of jealousy gushed in their eyes as their fingernails bit deep into their palm. Raine did not hide her disgust as she said, ¡°Uncle Daniel, why are you sitting at my father¡¯s spot? Don¡¯t you know where you should be seated?¡± Nicole ignored her, but Samuel retorted, ¡°Who stipted that this spot is yours?¡± . Raine sneered in return. ¡°Who doesn¡¯t know that Uncle Daniel can¡¯t do anything in thepany at all. What right does he have to sit by grandpa¡¯s side?¡± Chapter 271 Chapter 271 When Snow heard that, she frowned a little as she silently pinched her sister. Although this was something ofmon knowledge in everyone¡¯s heart, no one had said it out loud. Daniel was still their elder, and they still needed to keep up the appearance. Although she felt that Raine had overstepped, she too thought that Daniel had no right to be seated there. This was themon consensus, so she did not stop Raine from finishing what she said. In any case, even Mr. Riddle Sr. usually acquiesced to this. Raine then said, ¡°Hey, Nicole. Why don¡¯t you get up and make way?¡± Nicole did not even look at her as she slowly drank the bowl of hot soup in her hand. Her delicate face bore no expression at all. Gloria had said that she needed to drink it while it was still hot. Seeing that Nicole was ignoring her, Raine was so angry she walked over to pull Nicole away. A cold glint appeared in Nicole¡¯s eyes, but at this moment, Mr. Riddle Sr¡¯s extremely chilly voice rang out. ¡°Raine, who taught you to speak of your Uncle Daniel like that?¡± Raine had already stretched her hand over, and when she heard Mr.Riddle Sr.asking her this, a look of consternation appeared on her face. ¡®Hadn¡¯t grandpa always turned a blind eye to the fact that everyone looked down on Uncle Daniel¡¯s family?¡¯ When Mr. Riddle Sr. said that, his eyes turned toward Dillon and Karen. The look on his face was self-evident. In his eyes, Snow and Raine were still young, and all of the problems were from this son of his! When Karen saw Mr. Riddle Sr. asking that, she was already dissatisfied that both she and Dillon had been left out, so she muttered, ¡°Isn¡¯t that the truth?¡± Mr. Riddle Sr.¡¯s hearing was very good and immediately caught Karen¡¯s disgruntled voice. His voice instantly grew several degrees colder as he said. ¡°Oh, the fact is that you guys are fighting for free seating spots. This is how you lot usually treat Daniel.¡± Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. His mind and energy had always been on the Riddle Corporation, so he naturally had more contact with the sons who were working there. It was inevitable that he somewhat neglected his youngest son, but he had never thought that his youngest son was useless, much less allow a young generation to speak to his son like that. When Karen heard this, she brusquely responded, ¡°Dillon is working hard to feed this freeloader, and we are supposed to deal with his whims?¡± Dillon sat by the side; a look of self-contentment appeared on his face. ¡®As long as I¡¯m in thepany, my position is always higher than Daniel¡¯s.¡¯ He thought. When Preston heard this, he snorted out loud. He knew that his father was doing nothing at all in thepany. Forget working. It was already a blessing if he did not cause trouble. Steve¡¯s expression, too, turned chilly. After all, the one who really kept thepany¡¯s operations running was Sean. What does that have to do with Dillon? Thetter would push things around when things get tough, and he did not want a position-in -name only! ¨C Mr. Riddle Sr. was clearly aware of this as he looked at Dillon, and a look of disappointment that was difficult to hide gradually appeared. His voice was cold and impassive. ¡°I¡¯ve already retired, and by your words, shouldn¡¯t I give my position up as well and let Dillon take over instead? When he said that, even Damien¡¯s expression changed in an instant. Dillon turned pale in fear. He did not expect Mr. Riddle Sr. to say such a serious thing as he pulled Karen up to apologize. Karen did not think she was wrong as she tried to push Dillon away as he pulled her up. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Chapter 272 Chapter 272 Dillon was so pissed off at this woman that he almost wanted to scream in anger. ¡°Apologize to Dad, now!¡± Even though Mr. Riddle Sr. was not in thepany, he was the true chairman of Riddle Corporation¡¯s board. If he said something like this, the old man might already have some thoughts about him. Although Dillon was not the sharpest tool in the shed, he still had a keen eye for people¡¯s moods. When Karen was yelled at by him, she looked at Dillon in disbelief. She could not believe that he dared to treat her like this. ¡®She had married down to the Riddle family, and Dillon had always been treating her like she was on a pedestal. He had never spoken to her with such a tone before! She thought. She looked at Dillon as she roared. ¡°Dillon Riddle, fine! Just you wait!¡± As she said that, she left the room fuming and mmed the door shut with a loud bang. Dillon¡¯s expression grew even more sullen as he said respectfully to Mr. Riddle Sr., ¡°Dad, Karen is being immature there. Please don¡¯t take this to heart!¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. looked at him with clear dissatisfaction. ¡°You¡¯re this old now, and you still look down at Daniel. You not only fail to teach your children manners; you can¡¯t even control your wife?¡± Cold sweat was flowing down Dillon¡¯s face as he quickly said, ¡°Dad, it¡¯s all my fault. I will change!¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. snorted as he looked away from Dillon and said coldly, ¡°Enough. I¡¯m tired. Since everyone has seen it already, let¡¯s go downstairs to eat.¡± He originally wanted to say something to his grandchildren, but now he felt that his strength was spent, and he wanted to get a good rest. Nicole suddenly felt that Mr. Riddle Sr. was quite pitiful. He was so ill, yet so few people cared about him. Even when he came home, he still needed to preside over the overall situation, to look after the younger generation. The Riddle family surecks the human touch. Dillon, being ignored, simply just stood that awkwardly. He had lost all face, and when he looked at Daniel, a trace of hatred shed across his eyes. It was because Daniel was in the limelight this time that the old man cared so much about him. ¡®You want to step on me? No chance!¡¯ It was only then did Snow, and Raine realize that grandpa¡¯s attitude toward Uncle Daniel had changed. Everyone went downstairs, and they hurriedly went to their father to ask, ¡°Dad, what¡¯s going on?¡± Dillon red angrily at Snow as he spat, ¡°It¡¯s because you are useless and allowed Nicole to grab the limelight. Now Daniel¡¯s entire family has gotten the old man¡¯s favor. We can only stand on the sidelines now!¡± Snow was distressed being chewed out by Dillon like that, but she dared not say anything. She begrudgingly gave Nicole a re. Thetter, seemingly sensing it looked back at Dillon¡¯s family as she sat down and let out an impassive look on her face. Just as Dillon was about to take his seat, Nicole suddenly spoke. Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org. ¡°Uncle Dillon, let¡¯s not rush to sit down first.¡± She casually leaned back, her voice impassive as if she was just stating a fact. ¡°Since everyone is here, it¡¯s time to fulfill your promise, Uncle Dillon. You still remember what you said to me outside the ward that time?¡± Damien was seated on the main seat as a glint appeared beneath his sses. He seemed to recall something and gave Nicole a strange look. He never thought that she would remember this. Remembering aside, she really wanted to pursue the matter! Samuel, too, seemed to be reminded of something as he suddenly said, ¡°Yeah, Uncle Dillon said¡­¡± Before Samuel could finish speaking, Dillon¡¯s face had be extremely sullen. Chapter 273 Chapter 273 How could he not remember that thing he uttered like a curse. He thought that since Mr. Riddle Sr. was cured, he could get away with it. He totally did not expect Nicole to bring the matter up at this moment! Nicole was calm as she looked at Dillon¡¯s look of revtion as she said, ¡°Uncle Dillon, let¡¯s get it done.¡± Dillon gritted his teeth as he looked at Nicole with a gaze of extreme hatred. When she saw this, Snow could not help but ask, ¡°Nicole, what are you talking about?¡± She was not there and did not know what Dillon had promised. Yet when she saw her father¡¯s look of wishing he could kill Nicole, she could faintly sense something was not right. Nicole did not speak as Steve gently wiped the corner of his mouth with a napkin and said matter-of- factly as he recounted what Dillon said the other day. ¡°If you can cure the old man, I will kneel down to you.¡± Snow¡¯s expression changed instantly. She had not expected her father to make such a ridiculous bet. Damien looked at Dillon before him and just let out a deep sigh in the end. Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. Seeing that his elder brother was not going to speak up for him, Dillon¡¯s heart turned cold. Everyone heard what he said the other day, so he could not deny it even if he wanted to. He gritted his teeth as he hissed at Nicole. ¡°Nicole, how dare you. Is this how you treat your elders? You dare to get me to kneel before you. Are you not afraid of karma biting you back?¡± Nicole was unaffected as she said coldly, ¡°Since you dare to make a bet, Uncle Dillon, why would I not dare to bear the consequences?¡± As she said that, she stood up as looked icily at Dillon. ¡°When grandpa suddenly fell sick, when grandpa needed treatment the most when I said I needed to transfer grandpa to a different hospital for treatment, what did you do then, Uncle Dillon? You dare to say I don¡¯t know how to treat my elders? Don¡¯t you find yourself ridiculous now?¡± When everyone heard what Nicole said, their eyes gradually became icy. When everyone heard that, they thought he was worried about the old man, but now they thought about it, he was just waiting for Mr. Riddle Sr. to die! Being exposed, Dillon¡¯s veins popped up as he red at Nicole. ¡°I am your elder!¡± Nicole did not avoid his gaze as she looked back at him with clear eyes, without any trace of fear ¡°So what?¡± Dillon looked at Damien for help, only to find that Damien had no intention to speak up for him while Miley, too, was just looking at him as if she was watching a show. His only wife had already left, and no one would help to speak up for him. A surge of uncontroble rage appeared in Dillon¡¯s heart. No one before him stood on his side, and he felt like he was being abandoned by the whole world. He looked menacingly at Nicole, his voice extremely chilly but very low as he said, ¡°I will make you pay for this.¡± Nicole was not perturbed by his threat but instead looked on impassively at him, seeningly not taking him seriously at all. Dillon clenched his fist as he finally slowly bent his knees. Snow covered her mouth as she looked at this. She could not believe that Nicole dared to have Dillon kneel down before her. Raine, too looked at Nicole. If the hatred in her eyes could be materialized, she would have sliced Nicole into pieces long ago. Yet Nicole only looked on indifferently at Dillon. His knees were already sinking downwards as his body leaned forward, and his hands down as if he had given up the struggle. Seeing that his knees were about to hit the grown, Dillon¡¯s lowered eyes were filled with resentment. ¡®I will repay this humiliation today many times over!¡¯ Chapter 274 Chapter 274 Seeing this, Preston frowned slightly as he looked at Nicole with a trace of disapproval in his eyes. Yet, just as Dillon¡¯s knees were about to hit the ground, Nicole suddenly stretched her leg out and kicked his kneecap. She had a good measure of her strength, ensuring that he would stand up straight and the kick would not hurt his knee. He raised his head and looked at Nicole in shock, but she had already walked back to her seat. She had only wanted to teach Dillon a lesson and did not n to let him really kneel before her. She would only feel more disgusted if he really did that. On the side, both Daniel and Gloria heaved a sigh of relief, and a trace of dness appeared in their eyes. As expected of our daughter. She is both decisive yet measured.¡¯ Not letting Dillon fully kneel down could be regarded as preserving his face. Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org. Sean, Steve, and the others, too, let out a gentle sigh of relief. Although they did not agree with Uncle Dillon¡¯s behavior, he was still their elder, and it did not feel right for them to watch him kneel down like that. Nicole did not care what the others were thinking as she picked her fork and knife up normally and gave Damien an inquiring look. Damien was temporarily taking over Mr. Riddle Sr.¡¯s ce as he lowered his head and said,¡± Let¡¯s eat.¡± Damien, who had always been happy to be the presiding host, did not even mention what happened earlier at this moment. Dillon stood there as he gave Nicole aplicated look. There was hatred, confusion, and doubt, but there was not a single shred of gratitude. He slowly went back to his seat and said nothing as his knuckles turned white from exerting his strength. Snow and Raine sat by his side. After seeing that scene, none of them have any appetite to eat. Yet, without knowing what Mr. Riddle Sr. was thinking, they dared not leave just like that. Nicole ate very quickly. She was a small eater and put down her utensils not too longter. She did not n to leave the dining table so soon. Seeing that everyone was still eating, she quietly took out her phone, put on her earpiece, and did something. Samuel, too was eating, but he could sense that she had stopped eating. He originally looked over out of concern for his little sister, yet when he saw what he saw, he almost spat the food in his mouth out. ¡°Oh, Nicole, you y Thrones too?¡± ¡®And she¡¯s ying like a noob!¡¯ Looking at the death counter on the top of the character user interface, Samuel could not believe his eyes The game had only just started for five minutes, and Nicole had already died eight times in the solone ¡®Is this the same very capable little sister of mine?¡¯ Nicole did not say anything as she calmly controlled her sharpshooter alongside the bushes, seemingly wanting to ambush the opposing swordsman. Yet the latter simply just rushed into the bush and sent her packing with two strikes. Seeing the death counter going from eight to nine, Nicole paused for a moment as if wanting to put her phone away. She had been losing so horribly on PC, and out of disbelief, she wanted to give the mobile version a try. Yet, the results were the same. After dinner, the children were all sent home first. The only ones that remained were the elders and Nicole as they gathered before Mr. Riddle Sr.¡¯ s bed. ¡°Dad, is there something important you¡¯d like to say calling all of us here?¡± Miley asked a little irritably. Mr. Riddle Sr. nced at her and said, ¡°Indeed, I have.¡± Chapter 275 Chapter 275 His eyes then looked at Nicole. ¡°Falling sick this time made me clearly decide that Nicole¡¯s identity can no longer be so ambiguous. She is indeed a member of the Riddle family, and this will not be erased by any other unrted reasons. I shall announce her identity to the outside world.¡± Both Damien and Miley instantly frowned. ¡°Dad, this is a little too sudden, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s wait until you recover, okay?¡± Miley, too, disagreed in her response. Nicole was just a country bumpkin they had found outside. If they were to announce her identity, wouldn¡¯t that make his sons and daughters a laughingstock? Mr. Riddle Sr. could not even be bothered with them. ¡°I¡¯ve already made up my mind on this matter. The two of you don¡¯t have to say anything else.¡± With that, everyone was stunned. Both Damien, Dillon, and their wives looked at the old man in disbelief. Both Daniel and Gloria were secretly excited as the day Mr. Riddle Sr. finally recognized Nicole had come! Yet, Nicole¡¯s expression did not change much as she looked at her watch and said faintly,¡± Grandpa, you should be resting now.¡± When everyone was eating in the dining room, he too was fed a liquid diet, which meant that he had not rested until now, and she could not let him exert himself any longer. Miley gave Nicole a disagreeing look. ¡°Nicole, you are just a child. How can you use such an imperative tone toward your grandfather?¡± She was trying to provoke Mr. Riddle Sr.¡¯s dissatisfaction with Nicole and waiting to see her being scolded by the old man. Yet, Mr. Riddle Sr. instead listened to Nicole. He was not only not angry, but he also nodded in agreement as well as he slowlyid down. Nicole¡¯s timing was impable. He had indeed felt a little tired and wanted to have a good rest. Seeing him lying down, Daniel quickly covered him with a quilt. ¡°Dad, have a good rest. We¡¯ll head back first.¡± Seeing that, Damien, Miley, and the rest could only leave together. As the door closed, Damien looked at Daniel and his wife hogging the limelight today and felt a little irritable. Chloe did not rush back to see Mr. Riddle Sr. wake up. If she had been around, the limelight would not have been Nicole¡¯s alone. Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. As he thought of this, he gave Miley a re. This was the good daughter she raised! The daughter was only busy with work all day and not unlike a country girl who knew when to tter someone. Everyone went downstairs. Nicole nned to go straight back to school and did not intend to stay the night at the Riddle family manor. Seeing her in such a hurry, Daniel felt a little distress. ¡°You really need to get a good rest once you get back tonight.¡± Nicole looked at her father¡¯s worried expression and replied softly. ¡°I¡¯m not tired. I still need to catch up on sses when I go back to school.¡± Gloria, too gave her a pained look. ¡°You¡¯re going back just to study?¡± Nicole said somewhat helplessly. ¡°The monthly exam is soon.¡± Although Mr. Riddle Sr. had agreed to dere her identity, that meant that she would be a member of the Riddle family, and she could not afford to neglect her exams. ¡°Then I¡¯ll send a driver to send you back.¡± Seeing how serious she was, Daniel could only agree. Nicole nodded. Seeing Gloria¡¯s reluctant look, she pondered a little before saying. ¡°I¡¯lle back often to watch Grandpa take his medicine.¡± When Gloria heard her say that, she was a little more relieved. Yet, she was bound to feel a little sad seeing her daughter leaving. ¡°Take care then.¡± Soon, the chauffeurs drove the cars over. Nicole got onto one while Daniel and his wife got into another as they left. Damien stood in Mr. Riddle Sr.¡¯s room as he watched them leave. He then turned his eyes toward Mr. Riddle Sr., who had already fallen into a slight sleep, and his gaze became deep. Chapter 276 Chapter 276 He felt that the change in Mr. Riddle Sr.¡¯s attitude toward Nicole was just too great. It was not only because of the Rogers family but there was something else that he did not know hidden within. Who was the doctor that Nicole found? So much so that the doctor could save Mr. Riddle Sr., who had a literal death sentence on his head. It was really a miracle. He had witnessed how Mr. Riddle Sr. treated Daniel and Dillon today. ¡®If it were not for my quick thinking, I probably would have ended up the same as Dillon.¡¯ Thinking of this, a grim look appeared on Damien¡¯s face. It seemed like he could no longer underestimate Daniel¡¯s family. Johnston Group Office. As he had met Nicole at Nottingbrook, the irritability within him had slowly subsided over the past two days as he let out a gentle smile. Max was reporting to him the quarterly summary report of the current quarter, and seeing Jared in a good mood, he heaved a sigh of relief. He did not need to think to know that only Nicole could control his boss¡¯ emotions like that. Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org. When Nicole was not around his boss, even a smile was a luxury. Yet, ever since meeting her, he had been smiling so brightly it was weird. ¡®It seems like I¡¯ve underestimated Miss Nicole¡¯s ce in the boss¡¯ heart.¡¯ Jared did not care about him being distracted as his phone suddenly lit up as a message came in. He did not say much as he picked up his coat and walked out. Max looked at him for a few seconds before finally reacting and chasing after Jared. Jared walked straight to the car, and before Max could even open the door for him, Jared had left him behind as he started the car and sped in a familiar direction. Max¡¯s hand paused in midair as he looked at the puff of smoke left behind by the speeding car. He shook his head helplessly. ¡°Really¡­¡± ¡®Once he got a woman, he straightaway forgets about his assistant.¡¯ Jared did not have the time to care about Max¡¯s feelings. Everything in his mind was cast aside for one single purpose. To see her. He could not be bothered why Zeke was beside her, nor did he care about how she could cure Mr. Riddle Sr. Now that she is back, then he will go see her. Nothing more. A few stray strands of hair fell before his eyes, yet they were very quickly blown aside by the strong wind pouring in through the open window, revealing his deep and beautiful eyes. It was so beautiful it was unreal. Nicole had thought that the school gate should be deserted when she returned to school at this hour. Yet when she got off the car, she found out that a group of girls was standing at the entrance. Nicole did not know what they were doing. She simply just walked ahead and wanted to walk around them. Just as she was about to step onto the school grounds, she saw an extremely cool pink sports car, and someone very familiar was standing in front of the car. When the other party saw her, he immediately walked over. As shadows gave way to light, Nicole could see the person¡¯s magnificent face clearly. When she saw him, her tiredness dissipated. Ignoring the gaze of others, she walked toward him as a light smile appeared on her face. When Jared saw her smile, his expression softened. ¡°Your grandpa¡¯s matter is settled?¡± Nicole looked at his handsome face and nodded. ¡°Why are you here?¡± Jared looked at her without replying. The pleading in his eyes seemed to be overflowing. Nicole looked at his attractive eyes, and the glow in his eyes was brighter than the starlight. She then understood something. Nicole then smiled. A smile as pure as snow, with a tinge of understanding. : Chapter 277 Chapter 277 Chapter 277 ¡°It¡¯s still early. Make me a cup of coffee.¡± Jared did not speak as he blinked at Nicole as he walked toward the cafe. Nicole¡¯s voice rang out behind him. ¡°What? Don¡¯t want your car?¡± A gentle smile appeared at the corners of Jared¡¯s lips. ¡®She¡¯s already here. What¡¯s the need for the car?¡¯ The two walked side by side. Under the streetmp, a beautiful silhouette was formed. Inside the coffee shop, us was back to being the counter staff. As he was wiping the cup out of boredom as he leaned against the bar, he was shocked when he saw Jared walk in. The moment he caught sight of the smile on thetter¡¯s face, he instantly whispered ¡®Good god¡¯ inwardly. ¡®Why is boss, who had been grumpy the whole day long,ing in now with a smile¡­¡¯ ¡®Wait.¡¯ Sure enough, when he saw Nicole behind Jared, he quietly put down the cup in his hand as he minimized his sense of existence. Nicole walked to the ce she and Jared usually sat and suddenly realized that he had indeed changed many of her habits. She actually did not feel any difort sitting before such a bright yet fragile window. Jared leaned onto the table as he looked at her. Under the gentle light, one could feel the allure and warmth in his eyes. ¡°Order something?¡± Nicole looked at him as she leaned slightly backward. Her long, slightly curled hair flowed down, looking almost picturesque. She then looked at Jared¡¯s handsome face as she opened her lips slightly ¡°Bourbon Santos.¡± ¡®What?¡¯ When us, who had been ying dead by the side, heard the name of that coffee, his eyes widened as he looked at Nicole and then at Jared. When Jared heard the coffee¡¯s name, a glint appeared in his eyes. Yet his expression did not change as he said with some regret. ¡°Brazilian coffee single blend quality is not too great. You¡¯ll have to wait, is it okay?¡± Nicole looked at him, yet there was no disappointment in her eyes. She looked at his face as a beautiful smile appeared on hers. Her eyes seemed to be filled with some kind of faint emotions. ¡®A wait is indeed required.¡¯ The two looked at each other with tacit understanding as if some sort of affection was flowing in the air. N?velDrama.Org is the owner. Just at this moment, a low cry of pain rang out from behind them. When Nicole heard the sound, she immediately turned over. It was a young student clutching his chest in pain as he fell from his chain and fainted as hey on the ground. Seeing him like this, hispanions immediately leaped to the side in fear. The circle of students around him also hurriedly dodged to the side. Seeing the person like this, they were worried about getting into trouble and did not dare to go over. When Jared saw this, he frowned a little. Just as he was about to do something, he saw Nicole standing up and walking toward the student. She quickly came to his side and furrowed her brows as she looked at his pale face. Nicole looked at his ssmate to the side and raised her jaw a little. ¡°Help me raise his neck.¡± The boy hesitated and did not dare to get close. Just as Nicole was about to say something else, Jared¡¯s clear voice rang out. ¡°Let me.¡± Seeing that he stretched his hand out without hesitation and held the boy¡¯s neck in his hand, pushing him slightly higher than his heart, a look of appreciation appeared in Nicole¡¯s eyes. He could always understand what she was thinking in an instant. She did not dy and instead pulled out a leather pouch from her bag and pulled out a thin silver needle. The girls around her saw this and covered their mouths in fear. ¡®Oh my god, what is this woman up to?¡¯ ¡®Does she want to kill someone?¡¯ Chapter 278 Chapter 278 Nicole ignored their whispers as her fingers grabbed onto the row of cold silver needles, her expression entirely focused. Everyone could not help but train their eyes on her finger movements. Her fair white hand was slowly moving along a ck leather. Under the silver glint, it had an alluring beauty to it. The hand slowly stopped at the front of a one-millimeter ¨C thick needle. With a slight force from her index and middle fingers, she pulled that needle out between her fingertips. The glint reflected on Nicole¡¯s face as she carefully held the needle between her fingers and, with a flick of her hand, gently pierced onto the center of Jimmy¡¯s brow. Her movement was smooth, without any sign of rust or shaking. Everyone watched with bated breath at this beautiful yet dangerous scene, and no one dared to exhale. Even so, a rather shrill female voice suddenly came from the back. ¡°Aren¡¯t you thatst cing Nicole? What are you doing here pretending that you know the needle technique? Do you want to kill him?¡± There were already questioning voices within the crowd, but they were all fascinated by Nicole¡¯s elegant movements and forgot about it. Now that the female voice mentioned it, they started to look at Nicole with a trace of doubt in their eyes. For her to stick such a thick needle into him, she isn¡¯t saving him but killing him! Plus, most of the people there were students, and some of them recognized Nicole. And soon, confrontational voices started to appear among the crowd as they looked warily at Nicole with a faint look of fear in their eyes. ¡°Let¡¯s call an ambnce and get professional medics to save him!¡± ¡°Yeah! This Nicole is a loser who doesn¡¯t know anything. What should we do if he dies?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s call an ambnce. We cannot trust Nicole!¡± The first girl who spoke gleefully watched the look in the eyes of the crowd, slowly turning from admiration to disgust as she continued to pour fuel into the fire. ¡°Hurry up and pull him aside. If Nicole kills him, all of you here will be aplices!¡± Those people looked at each other as they gritted their teeth upon hearing that. They had to do it. They cannot allow themselves to be tagged as an aplice to murder. They walked over and scrambled to try to move the fainted boy away. A cold glint appeared in Nicole¡¯s eyes as she looked at the girl. The chill in her eyes was enough to freeze thetter¡¯s blood. She recognized her. This was the girl who was chased out after trying to strike up a conversation with Jaredst time. She still had the cheek to show up here. The girl trembled as she caught Nicole¡¯s gaze, yet she still held on to look back at Nicole. There was no trace of guilt in her eyes, only jealousy, and glee. N?velDrama.Org is the owner. Nicole was outnumbered, and with the crowd now Nicole¡¯s enemy, she wanted to see what she could do to her. ¡®Who asked her to seduce the man I liked!¡¯ Nicole looked at the foolish crowd rushing at her, and just as she was about to say something, a faint voice rang out. ¡°Don¡¯t move, all of you.¡± Jared, who was opposite Nicole,zily raised his eyebrows as his presence was in full force. His tone was extremely in, yet it inexplicably caused everyone rushing forward to all subconsciously stop moving. Chapter 279 Chapter 279 They felt that if they were to rush over, something terrifying would have happened. The surroundings finally became quiet as Jared looked at Nicole with a look offort and trust in his eyes. ¡°Go on.¡± A faint glimmer shed in Nicole¡¯s eyes as she wasted no time. Her moves were steady and urate as she plunged the needles into the various nerve points. She was quick, her strength measured but not heavy. She slowly twisted and turned the needle with no trace of blood flowing out of the ce she pierced. Seeing that she had already started, even though everyone there was both disdainful and disgusted, they were so terrified they closed their eyes, not wishing to witness this cruel scene. Nicole¡¯s expression did not change as she pulled out another two needles. This time, the needles were half as stick like the one before and were extremely sharp. She quickly pierced the needles into the boy¡¯s shoulder, and this time, she did not let up on her strength and pierced it into his body. Soon, a faint color of blood could be seen. The nerve led to the brain. She then moved her finger to the back and pulled out thest silver needle. That silver needle was so thin it was almost invisible. Yet it was almost twenty centimeters long. She gently held it between her fingertips. This time, she slowly inserted the needle into the boy¡¯s chest cavity. Straight down and unblocking his heart. With four needles in, ten seconds in, the boy took a deep breath as if his throat was stuck by the backflow of air. Nicole quickly pulled out the needles and gave the boy a powerful p on his back. He instantly spat out a mouthful of ck blood. Hisplexion, however, visibly improved with only the ck and blue beneath his eyes and the dark yellowish tint between his eyes, revealing his physical weakness. His chest quickly recovered to its normal tempo as he slowly opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was Nicole. Jimmy looked at the beautiful snow-white face before him in a daze as he mumbled. ¡°Is this heaven?¡± ¡®Otherwise, how can I meet an angel?¡¯ Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org. Nicole said faintly. ¡°No.You are still in the Royal Creek Institute, and it¡¯s almost time for the exam.¡± She looked at his stunned face, her voice extremely t. ¡°Don¡¯t overdo everything. The same goes for your revision. Get up early and exercise. You still have a long life to live, so take good care of your heart.¡± After saying that, she ced the exercise book in her hand onto his face, covering his somewhat confused face. She looked at Jared, and he immediately let go. Suddenly bereft of support, the boy¡¯s head knocked against the ground with a ¡®Thud.¡¯ That knock seemed to have woke him up as he held his exercise book and seemingly realized something Seeing that he was fine, everyone could not help butugh. After that, all of them realized something like the look in their eyes toward Nicole changed. All of them had seen that Jimmy had a cardiac arrest, and the reason they did not dare toe forward was afraid that he would die. They knew very well that even if they called the ambnce, it would be toote, even if it only took the ambnce ten minutes to arrive. Fortunately, Nicole was around to save his life. Recalling that they were almost instigated by someone to stop Nicole, the group clenched their fist as they wanted to catch that instigating girl. However, she had already fled long ago. Nicole and Jared stood up and looked at each other. Jared smiled slightly, and Nicole¡¯s expression too softened somewhat. How could she not be touched by Jared¡¯s unconditional trust in her? Chapter 280 Chapter 280 Jimmyy on the ground and finally figured out what had just happened. He sprung up and felt his heart that was beating once more. He looked d to have survived. ¡®I really thought I was as good as dead when I had a cardiac arrest just now. Thankfully, she saved me!¡¯ he thought. He watched Nicole¡¯s slender and tall figure with a perplexed expression. Jimmy was a huge fan of Snow Riddle. When the news of Snow Riddle being bullied by Nicole surfaced on the forum, he was outraged and indignant. Not only did he continuously smear her reputation online, but he also flung a heavy stone at Nicole¡¯s house one night. He was even a little displeased when Nicole flexibly dodged it. ¡®I was so close; how did she get so lucky?¡¯ he thought at the time. However, now that he was feeling his alive and beating heart, cold sweat poured down his forehead. SSC ¡®Nicole isn¡¯t the lucky one. I am! I almost killed my savior!¡¯he thought. Jimmy paled further at the thought of this. He felt his heart constricting once more and almost fainted again. Nicole noticed his difort. With a solemn expression, she retrieved a small white tablet from her pocket. Then, she broke it in half, walked up to Jimmy, and stuffed half of it into his mouth. After that, she shouted at the people who came with Jimmy. ¡°Water!¡± They quickly turned around and handed Nicole the water in front of Jimmy. Nicole had a nk expression. After taking the bottle, she grabbed Jimmy by his jaw and poured water into his mouth. After Jimmy had swallowed the drug, it took effect very quickly. He took a deep breath before turning to look at Nicole with a troubled look in his eyes. However, he realized that at the end of the day, what she did for him was far greater than his ego. He lowered his head and bowed deeply at Nicole. ¡°Thank you for saving me, Nicole.¡± Jimmy thanked her but did not get up. He gritted his teeth and continued speaking. ¡°One more thing, I was the one who threw that stone previously.¡± ¡°I¡¯m so sorry!¡± ¡®I must have been blind. How could Nicole, someone who saved a person she did not know, bully the gentle-looking Snow Riddle? Plus, there was only one photo. I didn¡¯t even get to see what happened before and after. Why was I stupid enough to be manipted by these people?¡¯ Jimmy revealed a pained expression at the thought of this. After his near-death experience, he felt as though he had flipped on a switch. Everything that confused him was as clear as day to him now. Nicole looked at his genuinely regretful expression. She, on the other hand, was not bothered, ¡®I was about to forget the incident from that day if he didn¡¯t bring it up,¡¯ she thought. She merely patted his shoulder after hearing his words. Considering how he had a near-death experience, her tone actually sounded a little gentle. ¡°It¡¯s alright. I forgive you.¡± Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. Jimmy initially thought that Nicole was a difficult person and that a storm would be awaiting him. He never expected to be forgiven this easily. Her forgiveness made him want to cry. ¡®This is what true gentleness looks like,¡¯ he thought. He started to choke up a little and sounded like he was traumatized. ¡°I almost killed you, I¡­¡± ¡®I¡¯m a sinner,¡¯ he thought. Nicole sighed helplessly as she watched him. Her voice sounded far away but close at the same time, ¡°I told you, it¡¯s alright.¡± She did not care about what happened. After all, he did not have what it took to actually harm her. ¡®Since he has apologized, it¡¯s fine.¡¯ she thought. Chapter 281 Chapter 281 ¡°You¡¯ve gotten my forgiveness, so stop ming yourself.¡± 1 Jimmy looked and the fairplexion of Nicole¡¯s face. He understood what she was implying and clenched his fists while nodding furiously. When Nicole saw that he had gotten over the incident, a faint smile crept into her eyes. Just as Nicole rxed her nerves, she suddenly felt her vision grow a little blurry. She lightly shook her head as if she wanted to regain the rity in her vision. However, it was to no avail. Her vision gradually darkened. Thest thing that she saw was Jared¡¯s handsome yet anxious face. He seemed to have caught her. Nicole gently shut her eyes. When Nicole woke up, she saw unfamiliar decorations in front of her. For a moment, she was stunned. She turned over and got off the bed. Suddenly, she looked as if she had realized something. She looked into the mirror and saw a girl in furry bear pajamas. She somewhat understood the situation. When Jared walked in, his eyes coincidentally met with hers in the mirror. Heughed for a second but quickly straightened his expression and walked toward Nicole. He did not let her speak and forcefully sat her on the bed. Nicole looked at him. She did not understand why he had such a serious expression. ¡°Are you alright?¡± Jared did not expect her first sentence to be about him. He was stunned for a full second. ¡®She had fainted, yet she is still worried about me,¡¯ he thought. His expression grew even more serious. When he looked at Nicole once more, his expression turned extremely cold. Then, with a tense expression, he stared into Nicole¡¯s eyes. ¡®Does she have any idea how I felt when I watched her faint?¡¯ he thought. Nicole watched the man in front of her calmly. She even had the mood to smile at him, ¡°I¡¯m fine. I just haven¡¯t slept in a few days. I can¡¯t control myself when I rx.¡± This was an aftereffect of not sleeping for seven days. It was probably something like a self defense mechanism for her body. When Jared saw how she discussed the matter lightly, he was so furious he could not help but start smiling. His almond-shaped eyes narrowed. Suddenly, Nicole felt a hint of unexinable nervousness even though his gaze seemed the same as usual. This feeling was unfamiliar to Nicole. She gazed back at Jared with her clear eyes. Jared sighed softly and stuck his hand out to Nicole. His fingers had beautiful bone structure. Nicole watched his expression and held his hand in consideration of his feelings. Jared stared at her right hand in a trance. Her slender and fair wrist that was touching him made him feel extra tender. Nicole noticed the look in his eyes and did not avoid him. After a moment, Jared said softly, ¡°You¡¯ve been unconscious for less than an hour.¡± He looked at Nicole with eyes that looked like they were covered by a dark shadow. *The doctor said you were overtired and had too little to eat for the past few days. On top of that, you did not get enough rest.¡± He said as he caressed her wrist with a hint of sadness. ¡°Nicole, don¡¯t make me worry.¡± Nicole stared at his dark eyes and did not look away. Instead, she held his hand backhanded. She had light-colored eyes. They looked focused and beautiful as she gazed at Jared. She ced her hand in her palm and said in a charming tone, ¡°Jared, I¡¯m hungry.¡± Jared was instantly speechless. But he could not resist this woman¡¯s coquettish actions. Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org. After all¡­ This was the first time she was revealing this side of herself to him. ¡°I¡¯ve sent someone to prepare a meal. It¡¯ll be ready soon.¡± Jared said while holding her. ¡°Alright. Now, tell me, who changed my clothes? Chapter 282 Chapter 282 ¡°I had a female nurse from back home change your clothes.¡± Nicole breathed a sigh of relief when she heard this. Jaredughed in response, ¡°Go get changed. You can eat after you change.¡± ¡°Sure,¡± Nicole responded. After Jared left, Nicole stood up. She saw her bag on the coat hanger. She walked over and emptied the bag¡¯s contents before checking them. Thest item that fell out was the piece of silver-white metal that she won at the Moon House. She gently pressed at a random part of it. The piece of metal did not budge. Nicole frowned lightly. Nicole flipped the piece of metal over and saw the light circr carving behind. She gently rubbed it with her fingers. The silver-white piece of metal quickly shed with blue-colored light. For some reason, the light onlysted for less than half a second before it becamepletely exhausted. Nicole observed the piece of metal in front of her with a thoughtful expression. She quickly kept the item in her hand. At the very next moment, she heard someone knocking on the door. Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org. ¡°Nicole,e out and eat.¡± Jared¡¯s pleasant voice sounded after the steady knocks on the door. Nicole responded coolly and ced her bag back in its initial position. Then, she opened the door and went downstairs with him. The servants were cing the dishes on the table. Nicole looked at the dishes of the day and looked at Jared confusedly. ¡®Why are there so many kinds of soup?¡¯ she wondered. Jared kept a straight face and continued walking. He then said slowly, ¡°Soups are very nourishing.¡± us watched Jared from the side and was surprised. ¡°The boss hates soup. The fact that he made Nicole this many kinds of soups shows how much she means to him!¡¯ he thought. Nicole was genuinely feeling a little hungry now; she barely ate while she was over at the Riddle family¡¯s ce. Since she had not had a proper meal in days, soft and soupy foods would certainly aid her body¡¯s recovery. Jared frowned a little when she saw her fork reaching for the sd. He removed the lids of the four soup bowls beside Nicole and pushed them toward her, ¡°Eat these.¡± Nicole looked at Jared a little helplessly; there was faint rejection in her eyes. Meanwhile, Jared acted as if he was not aware of it. He had a faint smile ying on his lips as he gazed at Nicole with glinting eyes. Seeing how he was watching her, Nicole scooped up a piece of chicken from the bowl of milky white- colored soup. She chewed it very slowly but eventually swallowed it. Jared looked at her with faintly smiling eyes. us watched the two lovebirds and felt envious. The two of them were too good at making him feel lonely. He could not bear looking at his boss¡¯s expression. The two of them had their meal quietly. Nicole felt the warm liquid flowing into her stomach. She came to the realization that these were not ordinary soups; there were definitely many nourishing ingredients in there. She noticed that Jared barely touched any of the soups. She understood Jared¡¯s intentions. Nicole looked at Jared¡¯s doting expression and smiled slightly with her eyes. After their meal, us left the mansion without being told, leaving only Nicole and Jared behind. Nicole looked at him and raised an eyebrow, ¡°I should get going too.¡± Jared did not look like he had any intentions to walk her out. He cleared the tes absentmindedly and said firmly, ¡°Don¡¯t go back today. Just stay here and rest.¡± Nicole saw that he was not joking around. She pulled up her sleeves and went up to help clear the table. When Jared saw her stand up, he frowned slightly, ¡°Don¡¯t do anything.¡± ¡®All she needs to do is rest.¡¯ he thought. Nicole knew that her fainting all of a sudden today had caused him some emotional trauma. Therefore, she did not insist but stood back and watched him. He was only doing the dishes, but his movements still looked incredibly elegant. Chapter 283 Chapter 283 Jared ced the clean dishes into the cab. He then heard Nicole¡¯s confused voice, ¡°Why don¡¯t you use the dishwasher?¡± She noticed the dishwasher in the kitchen thest time she came, but Jared did not seem to like using it. 1 Jared¡¯s fingers froze for a moment before putting thest te away as if nothing had happened. Then only did he turn around to dry his hands while saying indifferently, ¡°I always feel like doing things by hand makes me feel more at home.¡± Nicole was startled. She did not expect such an answer. This answer seemed a little strangeing from a man like Jared Johnston. However, it was oddly fitting at the same time. For instance, the id apron tied to his waist. The red and ck Scottish style was not intended for him, yet it looked elegant on him. When Jared noticed Nicole¡¯s silence, he turned around and walked toward her with slight worry in his eyes. ¡°Not feeling well?¡± Nicole chuckled. She was just thinking about something and spaced out, ¡°I¡¯m not that weak.¡± She was not lying; her physique was definitely top tier. ¡®I¡¯m all better now after being unconscious for only a while. I¡¯m fine.¡¯ she thought. Jared frowned disapprovingly. He wanted to say something, but Nicole had turned around and was headed upstairs, ¡°Good night, Jared.¡± ¡®Since he¡¯s worried about me, I¡¯ll sleep earlier.¡¯ she thought. Jared watched her retreating figure and smiled. It looked warm under the glow of the dim yellow wallmp. He suddenly had the illusion that she belonged here. He thought of what he had just said and gently held the fingers on his right hand. Just as he stood unmoving, the woman upstairs suddenly stopped moving. She had an indifferent expression, yet her gaze toward Jared was incredibly gentle. ¡°You should sleep early too. By the way, you look good in this apron.¡± She said before walking to her room, leaving Jared looking at his apron resignedly. ¡°I¡¯ll wear it more since she likes it.¡¯ he thought. The following morning, Nicole woke up early. She did not want Jared¡¯s mansion¡¯s strategic location to go to waste, so she did her morning exercise to her heart¡¯s content. After she got ready, she finished the breakfast Jared prepared for her under his watch. The two of them got into the car and drove to Royal Creek Institute. Nicole got off at the entrance of Royal Creek Institute. Suddenly, a hand behind her reached out to grab her arm. Nicole turned around and saw Jared¡¯s handsome face bathing under the sunlight. He looked fixedly and her and spoke in a tender tone. ¡°Let¡¯s have coffee again after school. The one I owe you.¡± Nicole thought of the incident fromst night. She knew he was referring to the coffee she wanted, so she nodded gently. Right after, she saw Jared reveal a bright smile. He continued gripping her wrist with his fingers while looking at her with a twinkle in his eyes. ¡°I don¡¯t want to let go.¡± Owned by N?velDrama.Org. Nicole felt the grip on her wrist gradually loosen. She turned her arm to sp his hand and said casually ¡°We still have a lot of time.¡± After that, she let go of his hand. She got out of the car and walked toward the teaching and learning building nearby. The view of her back looked suave. Jared felt her remaining warmth between his fingers and slowly revealed a yearnful gaze. ¡®I¡¯ve thought about restraining myself. I¡¯ve also considered getting to the bottom of things. But I couldn¡¯t control my raging feelings.¡¯ he thought. He lifted his gaze; there was a twinkle in his dazzling eyes. ¡®Nicole is right. We still have a lot of time.¡¯ he thought. Chapter 284 Chapter 284 Nicole trudged toward the learning and teaching building. It was still early, so she was not in a rush. When she arrived, she saw someone who was not supposed to be there. ¡°What¡¯re you doing here?¡± Zeke had been waiting for her downstairs for a long time. His eyes were filled with resentment when he saw her approaching him. ¡°Didn¡¯t you tell me to wait for you at Royal Creek Institute every day at 4am once you get back? His words reminded Nicole of her promise to Zeke previously. She had promised to help him improve his physique, but it slipped her mind because Mr. Riddle Sr. had been sick for the past few days. Nicole had an apologetic look in her eyes when she thought of this. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Something came up recently.¡± Zeke knew she was not the type to stand someone up for no reason, so he did not pursue the matter after hearing her response. He stared at Nicole¡¯s sincere expression and pouted, ¡°I figured something must¡¯ve come up for you. Whatever. I forgive you.¡± Nicole watched as Zeke pretended to act mature with his baby face. She thought he looked funny, but she did not say it aloud. She then said indifferently, ¡°We still have time today. Let¡¯s Owned by N?velDrama.Org. go.¡± Zeke¡¯s eyes lit up. He knew what she was implying. ¡°Where to?¡± Nicole had already walked away without even sparing him a single nce. She answered tly, ¡°The sports field.¡± ¡®What?¡¯ he thought. Zeke hurriedly caught up with her. He followed behind Nicole and kept on asking questions like an inquisitive child, ¡°Why are we going to the sports field? Aren¡¯t you going to teach me martial arts? Don¡¯t they say in novels that martial arts must be taught in some sort of hidden realm? How could we go to the sports field where peoplee and go?¡± Nicole nced at Zeke and thought to herself. ¡®Like Lulu, he¡¯s probably watched too many martial arts movies.¡¯ Zeke noticed Nicole ignoring him but did not mind. He continued talking Nicole¡¯s ear off while they walked to the sports field. When they arrived at their destination, Zeke finally realized that something was off. ¡®Nicole is being so patient with me today. She didn¡¯t ask me to shut up!¡¯ he thought. Nicole seemed to have noticed his terrified expression. She reached out to pat Zeke on the shoulder and spoke in her usual tone, ¡°You see this track over here?¡± Zeke followed Nicole¡¯s gaze. She chose the outermost track, which was almost 10 meters longerpared to the innermost track. His brows immediately furrowed downwards, ¡°Nicole, you aren¡¯t¡­¡± Nicole nodded happily. She then looked at Zeke and smiled slightly. Zeke instantly paled at the sight of Nicole¡¯s smile. He was on the brink of tears, ¡°Aren¡¯t we learning martial arts? Why do I have to run?¡± Nicole¡¯s expression remained unchanged. Zeke kept on backing away, so she kicked him on his butt, thrusting him right onto the running tracks. ¡°Today¡¯s your first day, so you¡¯ll only be running tenps.¡± ¡®Tenps! ONLY run tenps?¡¯ he thought. Zeke feltpletely helpless. He turned to look at Nicole, silently questioning her if it was toote for him to quit. However, Nicole looked at him with a smile that did not reach her eyes. That look¡­ With a dejected expression, Zeke turned around and started running again. ¡®That is the look of her telling me to dream on!¡¯ he thought. Nicole stood at Zeke¡¯s starting point with an unreadable expression. She only started frowning when she saw Zeke panting on the second half of hisp. Chapter 285 Chapter 285 ¡®I figured he¡¯d have poor foundations, but this is worse than I thought. Yet he still wants to learn martial arts?¡¯ she thought. Zeke ran past Nicole for the third time and instantly fell right onto the ground. He refused to get up for the life of him. ¡®I can¡¯t run anymore. If I continue running, I¡¯ll depart from this beautiful world!¡¯ he thought. Nicole looked at him; a faint spark glinted in her eyes. She did not help Zeke up but watched him coldly. Zeke was used to being babied by others; he had never experienced being given the cold shoulder when he was dying from exhaustion. He looked at Nicole with a slightly dissatisfied expression. However, his gaze was met by her sparkling eyes. She spoke, ¡°Get up and continue running.¡± Zeke¡¯s eyes welled up. He grew up pampered, so he could not handle such hardships. He wanted to learn martial arts simply because he thought Nicole looked cool. The truth was, he was not willing to go the distance. He gazed at Nicole¡¯s face and used the three-step procedure that often made his fatherpromise- crying, throwing a tantrum, and running away from home. ¡°I can¡¯t run anymore! I simply cannot! I don¡¯t want to run. Why won¡¯t you just teach me martial arts!¡± Nicole¡¯s expression turned cold. She narrowed her eyes and looked at Zeke indifferently. Zeke watched Nicole¡¯s expression as his voice gradually grew quieter. In the end, he waspletely silent. He could barely lift his head under her sharp gaze. Nicole only started speaking when she saw him quiet down. ¡°This is how you handle the decisions that you¡¯ve made. You give up when you¡¯re tired, lie down when you¡¯re upset, and throw a tantrum when you want others topromise. Zeke, I would never have asked you to be my partner if I had known that this was your character.¡± Zeke felt his face burning from embarrassment after he heard Nicole¡¯s words. He could not help but retort softly, ¡°I did not¡­¡± Nicole¡¯s expression remained unchanged. She continued, ¡°You don¡¯t get to decide if you did such a thing or not. What I see decides it. Zeke, you¡¯ve let me down.¡± Owned by N?velDrama.Org. ¡®The road to bing strong is not for everyone,¡¯ she thought. After Zeke heard what Nicole said, the redness on Zeke¡¯s face gradually faded. His face was now drained from color. He tightly clenched his fist as he watched Nicole turn around and prepare to leave. He was reminded of the time Karlo sent him to a military camp. However, he had not even been there for over an hour before he started crying to go home because he was too tired. At the time, his father merely shook his head before kneeling down and patting his head. ¡°I won¡¯t force you.¡± Back then, he was not aware of what he was truly losing. His father stopped sending him to military camps. He also stopped having demands rted to his physique. It was as if he had forgotten to nurture him and allowed him to do as he pleased. However, Zeke knew Karlo really wanted him to be strong. He wanted him to be strong enough to inherit everything that he had. ¡®Perhaps it was because Iined about being tired and in pain. I didn¡¯t want to force myself, so father gave up on me as well,¡¯ he thought. He stared at Nicole as she turned her back on him. The emotions that he was feeling seemed to gradually ovep with the look Karlo gave him back then. Her words of disappointment echoed in his mind. Something in Zeke¡¯s eyes slowly lit up. He gritted his teeth and shouted, ¡°Nicole, wait!¡± He got up and stood at the starting line once more. He watched as Nicole stopped and turned to look at him. He slowly revealed a smile. ¡°I¡¯ll persevere.¡± ¡®So don¡¯t give up on me. Don¡¯t regret choosing me,¡¯ he thought. Chapter 286 Chapter 286 Nicole watched Zeke¡¯s back as he started to run once more. She returned to her previous position and stood still. Her slender figure and straightened back made her seem as if she were a ruler or a monument. Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org. ¡®Fourthp. Fifthp. Sixthp.¡¯ He thought. Zeke¡¯s pace was getting slower. He knew that he was truly nearing his limit now; the threeps he ran just now were a piece of cake. ¡®Seventhp. Eighthp.¡¯ he thought. At this point, for someone who did not have the habit of exercising, it was a matter of having a will that was strong enough. His legs had gone numb and were swinging mechanically. There was a voice in his head constantly shouting and instigating him, ¡®Stop running, just stop running! You¡¯re too tired and need rest. This is enough for today!¡¯ Zeke shook his head. The sweat on his face dripped onto the running track, silencing the voice in his head for a moment. He looked at Nicole, who was standing in the distance. Though his vision was a little blurry, he could sense that she was watching him closely. Zeke¡¯s legs felt as heavy as lead, but he tried his best and continued moving his legs. He was fighting the toughest battle with himself. ¡®We live to be better versions of ourselves. Lucifer is looking at me. I can¡¯t let someone who cares about me down again,¡¯ he thought. ¡®Ninthp. Tenthp,¡¯ he thought again. Zeke looked at Nicole, who was within arm¡¯s reach, and revealed a child-like smile. He firmly stopped his incredibly sore knees. He did not allow himself to fall onto the ground as he did previously. He then lifted his head to look at Nicole. His parted lips seemed as if they were conveying something. ¡®Nicole, I did it,¡¯ he thought. Nicole looked at Zeke; he looked as if he had just gone for a swim. He was panting quickly with his body slightly hunched over. It was not a beautiful sight, but it was the best he had ever looked in her eyes. ¡®Nothing is tougher than surpassing yourself,¡¯ she thought. Nicole looked at Zeke with a slight smile in her eyes. They looked incredibly beautiful under the reflection of the sun. ¡°Good job, Zeke.¡± Zeke¡¯s eyes instantly lit up. He looked at Nicole and moved his lips before finally saying,¡± Thank you, Nicole.¡± Nicole did not respond but helped him up. They slowly walked on the sports field for a bit before stopping ¡°You should be thanking yourself, not me,¡± she said softly. Zeke looked at Nicole and revealed a smile, ¡°But still, thank you. Nicole, if it weren¡¯t for your harshness, I would never have learned to man up and fight for myself.¡± She didn¡¯t teach him how to run; she taught him how to grow up. Nicole patted his head and did not answer. She turned around and prepared to leave. ¡°Go back to ss. You¡¯ll get used to it soon.¡± Meanwhile, Zeke thought to himself, ¡®Tenps is still a long way to go.¡¯ Zeke watched as Nicole turned around and left without hesitation. He felt disgruntled and said frustratedly, ¡°Hey! At least let me walk me to your school entrance!¡± Nicole did not spare him a single nce. ¡®Northon Institute is practically right across Royal Creek Institute. If I were to walk him to the entrance, I might as well carry him upstairs too,¡¯ she thought. ¡°I need to return to ss.¡± Chapter 287 Chapter 287 ¡®He ran slower than I thought. If I don¡¯t go back now, I won¡¯t be able to make it,¡¯ she thought. Zeke could tell that Nicole was being serious. He felt a little resigned. ¡®Who would believe that a top-tier hacker like her was actually aw-abiding student?¡¯ he thought. Just as he was about to jog over to her, he was stopped by the numbing paining from his legs. Zeke shouted anxiously when he saw Nicole leaving, ¡°Wait up, Nicole!¡± When Zeke saw Nicole stop and turn to him with a confused expression, he quickly dragged his handicapped leg and walked over to her. He dug through his pocket for a while before retrieving an ordinary-looking ck box. ¡°Here, this is for you.¡± Nicole did not ept it. She narrowed her eyes at Zeke and said coldly, ¡°Where did you get this?¡± Zeke reached out and grabbed Nicole¡¯s hand before cing the item into her palm. He was all smiles and said, ¡°My father consented to it. Consider it my tuition fee.¡± Zeke shuddered when he thought of Karlo¡¯s furious expression when he saw him rummaging through the boxes and cabs back home. However, Karlo¡¯s anger instantly subsided when he found out that it was about sending Nicole a gift. He even proceeded to search for a gift with Zeke while reminding him to gift the item properly and to bring up his name in front of Nicole. Zeke was not afraid of his father¡¯s threats, but he was still a little scared of his fists. Nicole stared at the ck box in her hand and stopped refusing the gift. ¡®Since this was a gift from Commander Guzman, refusing it would seem a little rude,¡¯ she thought. She lightly nodded at Zeke before walking toward the ssroom and saying, ¡°Remember to do some stretches when you get home. Otherwise, you won¡¯t be able to finish the fifteenps tomorrow.¡± Zeke looked dumbfounded. His face gradually shifted from one that was expressionless to fury. ¡°Nicole, you idiot! Return that thing to me!¡± Nicole walked to the ssroom. She ignored the nces around her and sat down at her desk. Behind her, Gary had been watching her ever since she entered the ssroom. He had an unreadable look in his eyes. He had spent the past few days studying and looking up information about Lucifer. However, none of his search queries came back with results. He stared at the nk webpage and suddenly thought of Nicole¡¯s username on the school website. Both Nicole and Lucifer were unknown to him. It was clear that Nicole and his most admired Lucifer should not be rted in any way, and yet he felt like the two shared inexplicable simrities. Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org. Gary grew irritated at the thought of this He spun the pen in his hand and stared at Nicole with great intensity Wayne, who was sitting beside Gary, noticed his dark eye circles. He followed his gaze and saw Nicole He scratched his head confusedly ¡°Gary¡¯s being really weirdtely,¡¯ he thought After ss, Nicole packed her things and prepared to leave. Suddenly, a voice came from the ssroom door ¡°Nicole somebody¡¯s looking for you!¡± Vivian looked at Nicole impatiently with a faint gloating look in her eyes. She recognized the person who was looking for Nicole. The person was a die-hard fan of Snow Riddle Since they were here to look for Nicole out of the blue, what good coulde out of this Vivian revealed a delighted look at the thought of Nicole embarrassing herself. ¡®How dare Nicole How dare she note to school and yet get all of Gary¡¯s attention,¡¯ she thought Chapter 288 Chapter 288 ¡®I can¡¯t stand her,¡¯ Vivian thought. She noticed Gary¡¯s gaze on Nicole just now and was resenting her. ¡®Even God can¡¯t bear the sight of her and sent someone to teach her a lesson!¡¯ she thought. Many of the people obviously had the same thought as Vivian. They all knew that Jimmy was head over heels for Snow Riddle. ¡®Since the incident between Nicole and Snow Riddle has spread across the campus, he must be here to stir up trouble for Nicole!¡¯ they thought. They all gazed at Nicole mockingly. Nicole¡¯s expression remained unchanged. He looked at Jimmy and lightly raised her brows,¡± How are you feeling?¡± Everyone had a weird expression when they heard her question. Could this be a new way of mocking someone?¡¯ they wondered. Jimmy looked at Nicole with a slightly agitated expression. He then walked up to Nicole and looked at her while saying a little worriedly, ¡°I¡¯m feeling fine. But you yourself¡­¡± He was there when Nicole fainted yesterday. He was so worried that he came to see her right after ss ended. Everyone in ss B looked at them with even weirder gazes. ¡®Why are the two of them concerned about each other?¡¯ they wondered. Vivian¡¯s expression darkened a little. She was certain that Jimmy would give Nicole a hard time. She did not expect things to unfold this way. ¡®Jimmy is being a little too nice to Nicole,¡¯ she thought. Their previous exchange was nothingpared to what Jimmy said next. It made everyone¡¯s jaws drop ¡°Nicole, thank you for saving me. If you ever need anything in the future, do not hesitate to let me know firsthand. I¡¯ll do whatever I can!¡± He said and bowed solemnly at Nicole. He did not care about those around them who had their jaws dropped to the ground. ¡®How could this be!¡¯ they thought. Vivian looked livid. She never expected Jimmy to say such a thing. ¡®What? Does Nicole practice medicine? What did he mean by her saving his life?¡¯ everyone wondered. They were here for the drama, but Jimmy appeared to be treating Nicole with a lot of respect. Nicole did not really mind. She responded indifferently, ¡°It¡¯s fine. I don¡¯t need your help with anything.¡± Jimmy gazed at Nicole with immense gratitude. ¡®She saved my life but is not asking for anything in return. On the other hand, Snow Riddle demands so much of me,¡¯ he thought. When hepared the two, it was hard for him to not feel biased. He was a little hesitant initially, but now, he was certain that he was on Nicole¡¯s side. Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org. He looked at Nicole and smiled slightly, ¡°I know what to do now.¡± He said and bowed at Nicole. Then, he turned to look at the people of ss B and said, ¡°Nicole is my savior. If anyone bullies Nicole in the future, I won¡¯t let them off the hook!¡± Jimmy did not have a very strong physique. However, he was the person who ran and maintained the school forum, so nobody dared to cross him. ¡®If he pins several posts that dug up dirt on me, I¡¯ll embarrass myself in front of the high school department and university department of Royal Creek Institute,¡¯ they thought. The expressions of the people of ss B changed when they heard his words. 4 Chapter 289 Chapter 289 Nicole looked at their expressions and raised an eyebrow with interest.She ignored the ruckus behind her and nodded at Jimmy before walking toward the cafeteria. Jimmy wanted to run over to Nicole when he saw her leave.However, he was swarmed by the curious crowd the moment he moved. Jack was the first to ask him a question, "Jimmy, what¡¯s the matter? Why are you suddenly on Nicole¡¯s side?" Everyone else looked at him with confusion; none of them knew why he was acting so differently. Jimmy¡¯s expression remained unchanged.He unlocked his phone and showed them a video. "See for yourself." The video was not exactly in high definition and was a little shaky; it was obviously recorded by a non- professional. However, it was evident that the person in the video lying on the ground unconscious was Jimmy. Everyone had formed a circle around him, but no one dared to go closer. Soon after, Nicole ran over.She asked Jimmy¡¯s friends to do something, but the people crowding around them stepped back in fear. In the end, she was helped by the handsome man who came with her. After that, a lot of noise could be heard. It sounded as if someone was scolding Nicole. The crowd was affected by this. Owned by N?velDrama.Org. Even the person who was recording muttered indistinctive scolding. None of the things they were saying in the video could be heard. There were too many people. Nicole¡¯s expression remained unchanged. The man guarded Nicole as she quickly stabbed a needle into Jimmy¡¯s body. It only took a while before Jimmy regained consciousness and vomited dark-colored blood. At this point, everyone in the video had gone silent. Jack, Wayne, and the entirety of ss B also fell silent as they watched the video. Gary¡¯s gaze darkened when he saw Nicole and Jared make eye contact after Jimmy regained consciousness. He clenched his fists silently. Everyone watching the video was dumbfounded; it was evident that Jimmy had narrowly escaped death. If it were not for Nicole, they probably would not be looking at Jimmy right now. On top of that, she carried out the procedure so smoothly. Everyone revealed looks of astonishment. The country girl they always made fun of was actually way more skilled than they were. She was very cold, but she was also very gentle. Jimmy looked at their expressions and knew that they hade to understand something. He pocketed his phone and said, "When everyone was afraid of getting in trouble because of me, Nicole saved me regardless of our past." ¡®I can differentiate between kindness and grudges.I will never be able to repay Nicole¡¯s kindness" Jimmy thought. Everyone understood how Jimmy felt. He fell unconscious, yet none of his friends dared to save him out of fear and chose to watch him lie unconscious instead. Meanwhile, the crowd around him knew that the ambnce would not make it in time, yet they threw insults at Nicole when she still had the chance to save Jimmy. They were just worried that they would be an aplice to murder if Nicole could not save Jimmy. Many of them lowered their heads in shame. If this were to happen to them, none of them could imagine what they would do. The crowd was totally silent. Suddenly, someone spoke quietly, "Were we wrong about Nicole?" She was brave and really skilled. Many of them revealed confused looks. Vivian saw this and said calmly, "Everyone, don¡¯t be fooled by this video.If you practiced medicine, you would¡¯vee forward too.This doesn¡¯t prove anything!" She then turned around to look at Jimmy, "Perhaps you changed your attitude toward her because she saved your life.However, I don¡¯t think Nicole is a good person for doing so.She simply did what she was supposed to do." Chapter 290 Chapter 290 After that, Vivian walked back to her own desk as she coldly sorted out her things. The remaining people were affected by her attitude as they silently went back to their seats. Yet, a few were still clear-headed and did not agree with what Vivian had said. Everyone saw what happened to Jimmy. In that situation, the person who stood out not only needed to be equipped with medical skills but also unparalleled courage and a sense of responsibility for life. If anything were to happen to Jimmy under their watch, it was not something that anyone would dare to shoulder. They shook their heads as they returned to their seats. Jimmy did not refute Vivian but instead gave her a pitiful look as he then uploaded the video to the campus forum before putting his phone away. ¡®A person who is so engrossed in their own little world, not being able to see ck or white clearly, sure is pitiful" Jimmy was very thankful to Nicole at this moment for allowing him to see things clearly, and not end up dying like a poor, confused bastard. He turned around and looked at Lulu, who was also looking at him as he smiled and said,"Come, I¡¯ll treat you to a meal." Lulu was still immersed in the shocking news that Nicole was the one who had saved her brother and could not snap out of it. Hearing that, she only nodded in a daze as she stood up and followed Jimmy. The reason she did not speak to her elder brother was that he was standing on Snow¡¯s side while she believed that Nicole would never bully Snow. The two barely spoke at all, so much so that this pair of siblings were as good as strangers. Jimmy looked at his little sister with a look of unbridled guilt in his eyes. "Lulu, I¡¯m sorry.I¡¯ve been led astray.I¡¯m so sorry." He still remembered those horrible words he said to Nicole, and now each and every one of them came pping him back in the face. When Lulu heard that, she snapped back to her wits as she smiled and said, "It¡¯s okay.You don¡¯t wrong me, but Nicole¡­" Jimmy immediately said, "I¡¯ve already posted that video up.I¡¯ll definitely help rehabilitate Nicole¡¯s reputation!" When he recalled Snowing to his ss today, yet did not even deign to look at him, but because he could help her create waves, so she lowered herself to asionally speak to him, a pained look appeared in Jimmy¡¯s eyes. What was wrong with him back then, when he thought Snow was a gentle person who deserved the title of the school beauty. Thinking of the uing school beauty evaluation, a determined look appeared in his eyes. ¡®The content Snow asked him to post were all posts ridiculing Nicole¡¯s birth and character, implying that she was not fit to be the school beauty.Even if she was of low birth, Nicole¡¯s character was not something Snow can discredit as she pleased!¡¯ He thought. So, he hadpletely deleted all those posts yesterday. Looking at her brother¡¯s finally cleared eyes, a gradual look of relief appeared in Lulu¡¯s eyes. Owned by N?velDrama.Org. She was really afraid that she would never be on good terms with her elder brother ever again. As she thought of this, she hugged her brother¡¯s arm and smiled sweetly. "Jimmy, you need to interact with Nicole more, and you¡¯ll find that she¡¯s really a nice person.She had helped me plenty back then, so don¡¯t you believe the rumor of her bullying Snow.If Nicole really wanted to bully Snow, Snow would be long dead¡­" As the two walked into the distance, a burst ofughter could be heard from time to time. After Jimmy left, Jack and Wayne exchanged looks and saw the surprise in each other¡¯s eyes. Not only was Nicole skilled in martial arts, she even knew ancient Hustuaburgian needle techniques? Chapter 291 Chapter 291 Both of them turned toward Gary behind them with a look of disbelief on their faces. "Hey, Gary, why is Nicole so talented?" Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org. Gary¡¯s face bore no expression as he turned and left the ssroom, ignoring both Jack and Wayne. Wayne looked at his back as he looked on quizzically at Jack. "What¡¯s the matter with Gary?" A thoughtful look appeared on Jack¡¯s face as he nced at Wayne. The expression on his face was unclear. Even he felt that Nicole had thoroughly surprised him, much less the extremely proud Gary. Gary was heading outside when someone suddenly came up beside him. It turned out that Raine came over to ask Gary out for a meal together. Gary was walking very quickly, and Raine had to break into a jog to catch up with him as she spoke continuously. "Gary, where are you going? Let¡¯s look for a five-star restaurant to dine in? There are a few new restaurants opening in San Joto recently¡­" Gary did not even turn back, and the indifference in his voice was palpable. "No need." He was not in the mood to eat. Seeing him like this, Raine remembered what Snow said to herself. ¡®Gary is acting like this because of the stress from studies.I should be more considerate of him" When Raine thought of this, she put out a smile that she thought was empathetic as she looked even more gently at Gary. Her voice became even sweeter as she whispered. "Gary, is Nicole not studying hard causing you a lot of stress?" Gary¡¯s originally impatient expression froze for a moment as he suddenly turned toward Raine, his eyes unabashedly chilly. "Do you know what¡¯s the rtionship between the guy in that caf¨¦ with Nicole?" Raine was dumbfounded and did not know who he was talking about. Ever since she was chased out by the server thest time she went there with Gary, she had never returned to the caf¨¦. Seeing that she did not even know who Jared Johnston was, ayer of frost seemed to appear on Gary¡¯s face as he straight up ignored Raine and walked outside. He immediately got into the car that came to pick him up as he ignored Raine¡¯s calls behind him and left the Royal Creek Institute. The chauffeur seemed to notice that Gary was in a bad mood and asked worriedly, "Master Gary, what¡¯s the matter?" Gary ignored him as he took out his phone and reyed the video Jimmy had uploaded to the web on repeat. When he saw Nicole and Jared together, he squeezed his phone as if he wanted to crush it into pieces. When the chauffeur saw it from the rear-view mirror, he clenched the steering wheel nervously. The young master had been difficult to get along with since young, and now when he was about to get angry, he looked even more terrifying. He hurriedly stepped on the elerator as he muttered to himself that he must get back as soon as possible. Only Master Ryder could control him when Master Gary is on a temper tantrum. After entering the Finley family manor, he ignored the chauffeur who had scurried away as Gary headed straight toward Ryder, who was sitting on the sofa looking at something before him in a daze. He did not care about his brother¡¯s odd behavior as he handed the footage on the phone in his hand over. "Do you know this person?" He then asked coldly. Chapter 292 Chapter 292 Ryder saw that familiar figure on the screen and raised his eyebrows in surprise.He put away the thing in his hand as he looked at Gary, his voice a little unnerved. "Why would you ask about him?" Seeing his expression, Gary knew that Ryder must know about this man.He was not in the mood to beat around the bush and said bluntly, "You don¡¯t have to bother about that.Just tell me who he is." Ryder looked at his younger brother and frowned a little. "He is that young master that is the most favored by Mr.Johnston Sr, and also the boss of JJ Johnston Group." ¡®WHAT! Gary thought that Jared was just a scion of a lowly family and was just fooling around with that pretty face of his. He totally did not expect Jared to have such a background! ¡®How did Nicole get to know such people!¡¯ Thinking of this, Gary¡¯s expression turned solemn, yet Ryder did not notice it. He looked at the girl beside Jared in the footage as a thoughtful look appeared on his face. Owned by N?velDrama.Org. ¡®Why does this girl look so familiar?¡¯ After thinking for a good while, he pped his thighs as he said, "Wasn¡¯t she the girl that Christo Rogers invited in personally?" Gary looked at his elder brother. His entire expression had changed. Christo Rogers was Mr.Rogers Sr.that he knew. ¡®However, isn¡¯t Nicole a vige girl? Why is Mr.Rogers Sr.giving her such treatment?¡¯ Gary thought he would be better off not asking his brother because he was even more confused after doing so. He looked at Ryder and whispered, "Ryder, you¡¯re sure you didn¡¯t mistake her for someone else?" Ryder gave Gary a miffed look. "I still don¡¯t need reading sses yet; I won¡¯t mistake one person for another at the very least!" After that, he looked at his little brother as he said with surprise. "What¡¯s the matter with you? Why is your face so grim?" Gary shook his head to indicate that he was fine. Ryder did not pay much attention to that as his eyes remained affixed to the footage on Gary¡¯s phone as he muttered to himself, "I did not expect her to still be at Mr.Jared¡¯s side, is he for real?" "That youngdy from the Rogers family will not be easy to deal with" He thought. Gary took his phone back from Ryder as he looked at thetter with a trace of determination in his eyes. "Ryder, I need you to do me a favor." Ryder was taken aback. He had rarely seen his baby brother ask a favor from him like that. Gary had always been independent and had a mind of his own. This was the first time he wanted to use the help of the family. "Gary, what is it?" Gary looked at Ryder as he simply flicked his finger across the screen and closed the video as he said, "I want all of the information about the girl you saw just now." "Can you do that?" With his current ability, achieving that was rather difficult, but his brother might be able to do Ryder was stunned for a moment as he totally did not expect his baby brother to make such a request. As he heard the question, his face brightened as he said. "What¡¯s so difficult about that? I¡¯ll go get someone to investigate.I¡¯ll let you know as soon as I get something." When Gary saw him agree, he heaved a sigh of relief.He then turned around and walked upstairs with an inexplicable air of despondency about him. Chapter 293 Chapter 293 Ryder looked at his baby brother with a strange look in his eyes.He called the chauffeur over as he squinted his eyes and asked, "Tell me everything that had happened to Gary in schooltely." Just as Nicole was just about to sit down in the cafeteria and order her meal, a vibration came from her phone.She looked on with some puzzlement and found it turned out to be a message from Stanley. He said that Gloria had prepared her a meal, and he was already waiting for her downstairs at her dormitory and wanted her to quicklye and take it. Nicole looked at her seat, which was barely even warm, as she sighed and walked out. Along the way, she encountered a lot of strange stares.She ignored them as she walked toward the dormitory block. Even when she was a distance away, she could see Stanley standing beneath the cherry blossom tree. He was wearing a white shirt; his entire temperament was immacte. Around him were many girls pretending to be passing by but actually taking a peek at him, hoping that he would look back at them. Stanley was not only handsome; he was also the president of the student council of the Royal Creek Institute and was the sweetheart in the dreams of many a girl in school. Yet, Stanley did not notice these girls secreting watching him, and when he saw Nicole walkingzily toward him, only then did a smile appear. He did not wait for Nicole to walk toward him but instead quickly went over in her direction. When the girls in that direction saw Stanley smiling and walking in their direction, they were on fire as they looked shyly at Stanley. The affection in their eyes was palpable. Yet it was like throwing a wink to the blind. Stanley ignored them as he walked to his little sister. He handed the thermos container to her as he smiled. "Mom said that she saw yourplexion pale yesterday, so she prepared this soul for you.You must finish it." Nicole looked at the thermos container, and although she bore no expression, Stanley could inexplicably sense a rejection from her.He could not help but let out a smile as he patted her on the head.He said softly to her, "Be good, Nicole, Listen to us.Your health is the most important." Taste and what else are all secondary. Nicole looked at his caring eyes and took the thermos container somewhat helplessly. She had soupst night, this morning, and now in the afternoon too? However, it was the Mom and Stanley¡¯s kindness, so Nicole had no reason to refuse as he said softly to Stanley. "Thank you." Stanley looked at him, and a trace of warmth appeared on his face as he said, "What are you thanking me for? We are family." He then thought for a while before saying, "Mom asked us to bring you back tonight.What are your ns?"Owned by N?velDrama.Org. Nicole pondered for a bit and said, "I might have something to do at night.Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll go back myself." Stanley knew that she always had secrets, so he did not ask. After a few more reminders to take care of herself and to drink the soup, he then bade her goodbye. Many saw the intimate behavior between the two, and many girls were so jealous they turned green with envy. ¡®What was going on? Is this woman not content to seduce Harvey? She is even after the president?¡¯ ¡®How many men does she wants around her before she stops?!¡¯ Many girls angrily took pictures of this scene and uploaded them to the school forum. Casting aspersions against Nicole aside, they even questioned if Jimmy had uploaded a fake video. ¡®¡®Nicole clearly has a problem¨¤tic character!¡¯¡¯ Many had originally changed their view about Nicole after watching Jimmy¡¯s video, yet when they saw this set of photos, they immediately lit up like a powder keg. Chapter 294 Chapter 294 Seeing Stanley patting Nicole on the heart, with the doting look in his eyes, many of the girls that were obsessed with him gritted their teeth with hatred. And once again, the school forum exploded. When Snow saw the rumors going around the web, her lips curled a little as a gleeful look appeared in her eyes. ¡®¡®Even that useless Jimmy ng longer wants to help her, Nicole is destined to never turn things around" she thought. Nicole had no idea that her rtionship with Stanley had been misunderstood once again. She carried the ratherrge thermos container toward her dorm room, and just as she got to the third floor and was about to take a turn, a hand suddenly stretched out and pushed toward her. A glint appeared in Nicole¡¯s eyes as she leaned slightly sideways to dodge the push. She then stretched her empty hand out as she grabbed the other party¡¯s ill-intentioned hand and pulled it using thetter¡¯s momentum. Owned by N?velDrama.Org. "AHH!" The girl did not expect Nicole to react so quickly, and she was not prepared at all as she was dragged onto her knees in the middle of the stairs, tearsing out at the sudden pain. Nicole looked coldly at her, her gaze impassive. She grabbed onto the thermos container and continued her way up, ignoring these troublemakers.She assumed that kneeling would cause the girl to wake up. Yet, what came behind her was the girl¡¯s extremely resentful voice. "Nicole, are you only content after seducing every single man in school?!" Nicole looked at the girl. She was quite good-looking, with very decent features, yet before Nicole¡¯s delicate and immacte features, she seemed very inadequate. The girl, too, had realized this. Comparing her appearance that she was proud of against Nicole was like rubbing her face against mud, her self-esteem totally shattered. She looked at Nicole with even more hatred. Nicole was totally impassive as she asked somewhat quizzically, "I wonder which eye of yours saw me seducing a man." When the girl saw her like this, she was sure that Nicole was deliberately provoking her. She was so pissed off that she lost all control as she yelled, "Don¡¯t you gloat at me here! You¡¯re only just a pretty face! I¡¯ll ruin that face of yours sooner orter, and I¡¯ll make you experience what it is hell on earth!" If her push were tond, the shattered thermos container and the hot soup would have definitely ruined Nicole¡¯s face. Yet Nicole was so skilled and straight-up dodged the attack! Thinking of this, the girls¡¯ eyes radiated resentment. Nicole¡¯s gaze slowly turned chilly as she did not give the girl another look as she turned away and continued to walk upstairs. She had no time to waste with this kind of unreasonable person. Moreover, Stanley had told her to drink the soup while it was still hot. Nicole went back to her dormitory without much of an expression on her face. When she got in, she heard Lulu smashing the keyboard as she typed. When thetter heard the sound and turned around to find Nicole, her eyes lit up. "Nicole, you¡¯re back! I bought for you some super delicious dishes!" Nicole looked at Lulu and nodded as the chill in her eyes slowly faded away. ¡®Now, this is a cute girl" she thought. She ced the thermos container on the table and looked at Lulu¡¯sbative mood somewhat quizzically as she asked, "What are you doing?" Seeing her walk over, Lulu angrily showed Nicole the pictures and those unsightlyments on her computer as she said. "They are running their mouths like that, not knowing that you are a member of the Riddle family! This pisses me off!" When Nicole saw Lulu struggle to speak up for her, she smiled as she opened the thermos container. The rich aroma immediately wasted out, drawing Lulu¡¯s entire attention.She could not help but look over. Although her eyes were still on theputer, her soul had already floated into the thermos container. Chapter 295 Chapter 295 "Woah, what Stanley gave you, Nicole? This is just way too fragrant!" Nicole looked at the chicken soup inside the thermos container, and then at Lulu¡¯s eager eyes, she chuckled. "Haven¡¯t you eaten already?" It¡¯s water at most. Who said I cannot drink soup after having my meal? "Nicole felt that she had a point, so she raised her eyebrow and hooked her fingers at Lulu."Come, let¡¯s drink it together." Luluughed happily as she immediately pounced at Nicole and eximed, "Nicole, you¡¯re the best!" Nicole looked at the roastedmb rack Lulu brought back on the table; a surge of warmth flowed across her heart. The two were eating slowly as Lulu suddenly said to Nicole, "Nicole.Thank you." Nicole looked at her as Lulu gently stirred the soup in her bowl and finished it in one gulp before looking up. Nicole, however, saw the faint tears in her eyes, ¡®What was going on?¡¯ Seeing that Nicole was worried, Lulu smiled at her as she whispered. "If it weren¡¯t for you, I would no longer have a brother." ¡®Is Lulu¡¯s brother Jimmy?¡¯ She did not expect Jimmy to be Lulu¡¯s brother. What a coincidence. Lulu immediately wiped off the tears in her eyes as she looked a little embarrassed. "I don¡¯t know how to thank you.How about my brother and I treat you to a meal?" But when Lulu recalled that Nicole was a member of the Riddle family, she had no need for Lulu to treat her to a meal. Seeing Lulu being a little down, Nicole gently patted her on the shoulder. "I should be the one treating you for a meal with how you¡¯re fighting for me online." Lulu looked at Nicole in surprise. She did not seem to expect Nicole to say something like this, but when she looked at thetter in the eyes, when she saw the gentleness that was different from her cold exterior, she slowly rxed. Lulu then whispered, "Okay." After the two were done eating, she did not forget that Jared had asked her to go to the caf¨¦, so she immediately left for the cal¨¦, It was also a good opportunity to check up on Austin and the rest¡¯s homework as well. She sent Austin a message, and seemingly recalling something, she pulled out that ck phone that had not been used for a long while as she calmly sent something over. There was no response, and Nicole was not in a hurry, so she walked on slowly. When she got close to the caf¨¦, she saw Austin and the others waving excitedly at her, causing many girls beside him to cast a contemptuous gaze over her. Yet, due to Austin¡¯s presence, none of them dared to say anything. Nicole got into the caf¨¦, and Austin immediately bellowed, "Boss, where have you been these past few days? We missed you!" Sammey, too was excited as he nodded alongside Austin. Looking at the few of them, a smile appeared as Nicole said, "I went on a trip." Seeing the expression of the few at a loss for words, the smile in Nicole¡¯s eyes grew deeper. "Come, let¡¯s go.Let me see how is your study progress while I was not around." Austin and the others did not panic at all. Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org. They had been diligently revising for the past few days and had thoroughly digested what Nicole had taught them. The group then went upstairs, and the atmosphere was joyous. Chapter 296 Chapter 296 At this moment, Edwin was casually scrolling through his phone, and his originally bored look suddenly changed when he saw something.He looked at Harvey, who was working on some documents, and made a clicking sound for thetter to look at the thing in his hand. Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. Harvey originally gave Edwin an impatient look, yet when he saw the content on the mobile phone, his expression immediately changed. "What is this?" Edwin shrugged. Someone had posted an ambiguous photo of Nicole and Stanley together on the school forum. And someone also put up the photo of Harvey confessing to Nicole back then as well. This set off a tsunami as many left very unpleasantments about Nicole, saying that she was not only seducing Harvey but also being intimate with the Riddle brothers and that she As Harvey looked at the unsightlyments, he felt his blood rushing into his head, his face looking so grim as if he was about to murder someone. ¡®¡®Nicole is my prey.Only I have the final say on whether she was good or bad.The others have no right to do so!¡¯¡¯ As he thought of that, he grabbed his car keys and headed out.His entire person radiating an icy chill. Seeing his demeanor, Edwin raised his eyebrow. "Where are you going?" Harvey did not answer him but instead ran out of thepany as he started his car and raced toward the Royal Creek Institute.He sped all the way there and parked the car directly beneath the student council building.He straight up ignored the staff on duty as he rushed toward the top floor. Stanley was in a meeting with other cadres of the student council. Seeing Harveying in angrily, he raised his hand to stop the meeting as Stanley got up and walked out. Harvey was the grandson of the school principal and was also a member of the Royal Creek Institute student council. However, he rarely showed up for meetings. Harveying here aside, his expression was so sullen one had to wonder what was going on. The two stood in the hallway, and Harvey suddenly grabbed Stanley¡¯s cor, his voice almost a hiss. "I thought you lot loved Nicole so much it was but an act, but I did not expect it to be fake!" Stanley was stunned. Harvey had always been calm and measured, so why was he so agitated today? "I don¡¯t understand what you¡¯re on about." Even a gentleman would get angry having his cor grabbed like that as Stanley unceremoniously pushed Harvey¡¯s hand aside, and his normally calm voice had a tinge of anger to it. "Master Harvey, I¡¯m afraid we are not that close.Also, my little sister has nothing to do with you, so please mind your own business." ¡®¡®Since when did Harvey have the right to interfere in the matters of the Riddle family?¡¯¡¯ When Harvey saw Stanley being so indifferent, he was even more furious. After letting out a sneer, he struck a punch out toward Stanley without any restraint. If the blow was tond, it would cause some serious injury. Stanley took a backstep and intercepted his fist as his voice turned icy. "Harvey Ellison, have you gone mad?" Harvey was unaffected as heshed a kick out of nowhere. Stanley could not dodge in time and almost fell onto the ground. Stanley was clearly infuriated by Harvey as a cold glint appeared in his eyes, and he struck at Harvey like a thunderp. Many people who were passing by were so shocked they gasped. The usually warm and gentle Stanley was fighting. And his opponent was the gentle Harvey! Harvey was angry within, feeling that these lots were just pretending to care, but in fact, they did not care about Nicole at all, allowing her to be bullied online. Stanley, on the other hand, was assaulted out of the blue and had no reason not to fight back. Chapter 297 Chapter 297 The two kept exchanging blows, and soon, both were bruised all over. With Stanley being attacked, someone soon called Spencer and Samuel over. When the two arrived and saw Stanley fighting with Harvey, they were shocked, but Spencer reacted faster as he kicked Samuel in the butt and spat, "What are you staring there for? Pull them away!" Only then did Samuel react as they rushed over and each pulling one back, taking several blows in the process.It was only when the four werepletely separated that they were panting for air. Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org. Spencer held on to Stanley, and he had taken two kicks from Harvey in the waist. It hurt so bad that he could not maintain a dignified look. As he seethed in pain, he asked, "Stanley, what the hell are you two doing? Why are you guys fighting?" Stanley had never fought anymore after fourth grade in elementary school. Although Stanley¡¯s face had no bruises, he was punched several times in the ribs by Harvey. It took him all his might to maintain his demeanor, and when he heard Spencer, even his usually temperate self was on the verge of exploding. "Ask him then!" ¡®If thetter had not acted like a maniac, how would he end up in such a sorry state?¡¯ Samuel then panted as he asked, "Master Harvey, what¡¯s wrong with the two of you? Why were you guys fighting all of a sudden?" Harvey was originally sneering as he looked at the two. When he heard that, he turned around and back. Just as he was about to say something, he seemed to realize something as he looked toward Samuel and asked somewhat worriedly, "What¡¯s wrong with YOU?" Both Stanley and Spencer also looked over, and when they saw Samuel¡¯s face, they were shocked. Samuel was standing there with two bruises around the eyes of his handsome face, looking no different than a badger. He was a little giddy yet did not seem to have realized what was going on as he looked at the three of them nkly. The moment he was stunned, a stream of blood slowly flowed down from his nose. Samuel wiped his nose by reflex, and his pupils shrank upon seeing blood. "Blood, Spencer, Stanley! I¡¯m bleeding!" With him that agitated, his nose twitched out of control, and blood flowed down his nose like a breached dam, Both Stanley and Spencer could no longer be bothered with Harvey as they ran over and dragged Samuel straight to the school infirmary, After some chaos, Samuel¡¯s bleeding finally stopped as he speechlessly pointed at the two bruises on his face and said, "Can the two of you now tell me why the heck were you fighting?" Stanley, too cast a puzzled look at Harvey. He was not in the same year as Harvey, so they rarelymunicated. He supposed Harvey could finally tell him now why he suddenly came to fight him. Harvey was wiping his bruised face with alcohol-soaked cotton, and when he heard the voices, he sneered as he flicked his phone to reflect a page and tossed it to them. "Just look at this yourself!" Both Stanley and Spencer quickly grabbed the phone, and as they looked on, anger reced their originally confused expression. Samuel was leaning back so he could not see what it was, but as a twin, he could sense what Spencer felt as he subconsciously let out a curse. "Those fucking sons of the b*tch!" Chapter 298 Chapter 298 Stanley oddly did not reprimand him for swearing this time as he stood up with a gloomy face as he looked at Harvey with a tinge of guilt and gratitude in his eyes. "I shouldn¡¯t have retaliated." He said sincerely. Harvey looked at him and rubbed his face somewhat helplessly.He then touched a wound, causing him to hiss in pain. "I was too impulsive too.However, don¡¯t you guys ever visit the forums? Back then, when Samuel and Spencer ate with Nicole, she was being cursed for so long.Are you going to let them talk about her like that?" Stanley looked at him. He usually paid his full attention to his studies and rarely went online. Thus, he did not expect Nicole to be subjected to cyberbullying in school.He then turned toward Spencer and Samuel; both too wore an innocent look. They were busy every day and very rarely visited the school forum. After seeing the words insulting Nicole on the forums, Samuel was so pissed off he almost jumped, but Spencer firmly held him in ce. "You¡¯ll bleed even more!" Samuel growled in reply. "What¡¯s me bleeding a littlepared to how Nicole is being insulted?" Spencer thought of it and agreed as he let Samuel go. Thetter immediately jumped to Stanley and Harvey as he shook his fist, his voice seething with anger. "Master Harvey, you are well connected.Can you check who is the one behind this? I want to let them have a good taste of my fist." For those people to make such a scandal out of them eating with their little sister, what are they even thinking? Spencer, too, nodded. Although he was not agreeable to Samuel using violence to settle this, what happened was something that was really hard to end without direct action. Stanley¡¯s eyes were alight with fire. He had only just sent a meal, and people spun the entire thing into a scandal like this! Harvey looked at the two brothers before him with a puzzled look. "You guys don¡¯t know about this at all?" When the three heard this, they red at him and roared in unison, "Bullshit!" ¡®If we had known, we wouldn¡¯t have our little sister to face these insults?¡¯ Harvey shrugged. He now believed that the few of them really did not know, so he dropped the saber-rattling with them as he said, "So, what do you guys want to do about this?" Although he could find out who was the one responsible, he was still the principal¡¯s grandson, and everything he did would be constrained by his identity. Stanley looked at Spencer and Samuel. A glint appeared in his eyes as his voice still had a tinge of iciness in it. "All of you,e with me." The few looked at one another. Stanley was, after all, the president of the student council; his authority was far greater than the rest of them. The four of them looked at each other and left. Samuel took out the ball of cotton from his nose as Harvey, too, threw the gauze aside as all of them hurriedly left the school infirmary. Under Stanley¡¯s lead, they went straight to the office building and took the elevator to the level below the principal¡¯s office. Samuel was wondering why Stanley was bringing him here, but a look of understanding appeared in the eyes of Spencer and Harvey. Stanley did not stop as he went directly to the room in the far corner and opened it. Everyone inside the room looked at him in shock. Stanley¡¯s expression did not change as he took out his identification card.His voice was calm but authoritative. "I need this room for something." Owned by N?velDrama.Org. The few people looked at each other, and the leader walked over and had a good look at the ID. His expression changed from rejection to faint respect. "Ah, the student council president.Please go ahead." Chapter 299 Chapter 299 As he said that, he waved his hand and led the five to six people inside out. Not forgetting to close the door on his way out. Samuel¡¯s eyes widened as he looked at the scene before him and muttered in amazement,"This is¡­" Spencer did not react. He was a music student, so he was familiar with the equipment in front of him. He found a chair to sit down as he crossed his leg and quipped with some amusement,"Stanley, nice." Stanley¡¯s expression was impassive as he walked into the broadcasting room and calmly adjusted the equipment. The few students from the broadcasting club were wondering why Stanley suddenly wanted to use the broadcasting room. A girl then cautiously asked, "Say, why did the student council presidente here? Is there something that he needed to use the broadcasting equipment?" The boy by the side responded, "He probably has something important to announce." As they said that, everyone started to gossip as a girl who was scrolling through her phone while chewing a piece of gum quipped, "Could it be something to do with Nicole?" All of them had seen the posts about Stanley and Harvey and were extremely disdainful of Nicole. As she said that, everyone fell silent, and soon a boy said, "How is that possible? Stanley is known to be very just.If someone tells you he¡¯d take over the broadcasting room for a woman, will you believe it?" Everyone felt that what the boy said made sense. After all, Stanley had a good reputation, and all of thements were calling Nicole shameless. ¡®Why would Stanley use the broadcasting room just to help rehabilitate a woman?¡¯ "Oh right, don¡¯t you ever tie Stanley to that bitch, Nicole¡­" Before they could even finish, Stanley¡¯s gentle voice rang out across the loudspeakers in the school, with a slight electrical static.He then first briefly introduced himself. "Hello everyone, this is Stanley Riddle." Immediately after, two other voices came through the microphone. "I am Samuel Riddle." "I¡¯m Spencer Riddle" When everyone heard Stanley¡¯s voice, all of them could not help but stop and listen. They did not expect the Riddle twins to show up as well. They were all famous figures in school! Everyone, be it the high school or the university departments, perked their ears up to listen to the broadcast. Soon, Stanley¡¯s voice came from the loudspeakers again. His tone was calm, yet there was a tinge of iciness to it. "The reason we are here today is to deliver a message to all students at the Royal Creek Institute." He paused for a bit as if trying to suppress something. Everyone was even more curious because of the pause. ¡®What was it that required the student council president to broadcast in person?¡¯ They wondered. "We¡¯ve noticed that you people have been mercilessly ndering Nicole on the school forums.She is, in fact, our dear little sister, so please stop the malicious nders." Stanley¡¯s words were exceptionally clear, his every word carefully chosen. Everyone heard that clearly as a look of shock appeared on everyone¡¯s faces. Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org. Many even thought they heard things. ¡®Nicole was actually Stanley¡¯s little sister! ¡®Is this for real? Why haven¡¯t they heard of it?¡¯ ¡®If she is really a member of the Riddle family¡­¡¯ ¡­then Stanley, Samuel, and Spencer are all her elder brothers" Chapter 300 Chapter 300 ¡®¡®Then why didn¡¯t she see so?¡¯¡¯ The few that were trying to draw a line between Nicole and Stanley, too, had their mouths shut as their expression froze in shock. They had heard Stanley proim that Nicole was his little sister. One of the girls who had been keeping quiet looked mockingly at the few before her as a half smile appeared on her face.. ¡®¡¯Say¡­ do you guys even have brains? Isn¡¯t Nicole¡¯s family name Riddle too?" Many in the group were Stanley¡¯s fans and found it difficult to ept the truth. Yet, they could only look at her in a daze and could not find the words to refute her. ¡®¡®If Nicole really is Stanley¡¯s little sister, then the things they¡¯ve said on the forums about her¡­¡¯¡¯ ¡® ¡®It was more than enough for Stanley to hate them to the core of his being!¡¯ Inside the broadcasting room, Stanley did not stop. His voice was slow and steady, yet what he said was inexplicably chill-inducing. "Nicole may not mind it, but that doesn¡¯t we, as her elder brothers don¡¯t.To anyone who had insulted or verbally attacked my little sister, I¡¯ll give you 24 hours to delete all those posts and personally apologize to Nicole.Otherwise, I¡¯ll be filing awsuit against each and every one of you for libel, so do what you must." As he said that, he gently raised his eyebrow, and Samuel, no longer able to hold back, rushed forward as he added a few words, "Stanley may be merciful to you lot, but I¡¯m not.If anyone of you does not follow what he asked you to do, believe me when I say that I¡¯ll personally drag you over to apologize to my little sister!" Before he could finish, Stanley turned off the broadcasting equipment. Samuel does not have a good grasp of what not to say when he speaks. It would be bad if ill intentions were to use his words against him. Samuel was scratching his head somewhat frustratedly as he said, "Stanley, what are you doing? I¡¯m not done talking yet!" Stanley did not say anything else as he just got up and walked out. Spencer then dragged Samuel to follow on before Harvey finally followed them out. The four walked past the students by the broadcasting room, ignoring their shocked expressions as they went. It was Samuel who titled his head a little as he looked at Stanley¡¯s fans as a cold yet yful light gleamed in his eyes. Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. The fans shuddered as he looked at them, and they thought he had heard what they were saying outside. They were so scared that they almost cried. After the four of them left, the president of the broadcasting club looked away with aplicated look as he waved his hand. "Let¡¯s go.Revise the draft, quickly¡­ and those who need to apologize, do so." None of them were in the mood after this fracas. They only wanted to apologize to Nicole for fear of getting into trouble with the Riddle brothers. As they thought of this, almost all of them were witless as fear filled their hearts. The school¡¯s broadcast system was shared by both the high school and the university department. So, both Snow and Raine heard the broadcast, and their pretty faces gradually froze. When Snow heard the sons of Uncle Daniel protecting Nicole like that, a look of deep jealousy appeared in her eyes. She had never thought that Nicole, who had only returned not too long ago, would get the brothers to look after her so wholeheartedly. Even Stanley, that bookworm who had good grades and character, also knew how to defend her. Raine was so pissed off. She, who had little control over her tongue, could not help but curse out loud, "Weren¡¯t Uncle Daniel¡¯s punks doting Norah all this while? Why are they speaking up for that bitch now?" Snow immediately covered her mouth. This was at school, not at home. If Raine¡¯s words were heard by someone else, this would be really bad for their image. Chapter 301 Chapter 301 Raine too, seemed to have realized it as she looked at Snow and indicated that she understood her meaning with her eyes. Snow then put her hand down as Raine whispered, "Snow, if the misunderstanding between Stanley and Nicole has been resolved, doesn¡¯t that mean¡­" ¡®¡¯All of their ns were all for nothing?¡¯¡¯ "What¡¯s that damn Norah doing? Why can¡¯t she control her brothers?" Norah was badmouthing about Nicole to them the whole day long back then, and they thought Nicole had no standing in the family. And now everything was clear, with Stanley and the others stating their position, both Snow and Raine can no longer do as they please anymore. After all, trying to act against Nicole meant making enemies out of the five Riddle brothers. All of them were popr figures in both the high school and university departments. If Snow and Raine were not careful, they might get harassed by their fans until they might not be able toe to school out of shame. Snow then sighed. "Let¡¯s just set out ns aside for a moment and wait for this storm to pass first." Raine could only nod. Just as the two were getting up to leave, the people around them recognized the sisters as they crowded over.They asked with both curiosity and disbelief,"Snow, is Nicole really your sister?" The smile on Snow¡¯s face froze. When she thought of Nicole, that country bumpkin, being mentioned in the same sentence as her, she felt ufortable. Yet she still withstood that as she answered. "She¡¯s just a cousin." Implicitly, that meant that she and Nicole were not close. Raine nodded as well, yet those people still continued to question them. "Since you are family, then why is there news about Nicole bullying you? Why is she bullying you? We really want to know." Snow found it difficult to maintain her facade, and upon seeing that, Raine quickly interjected, "Shouldn¡¯t you guys be asking Nicole why is she bullying my sister? Nicole¡¯s from the countryside and is totally uncouth! Why aren¡¯t you lot looking for her instead of troubling us here?" The group felt that she had a point and stopped asking. Snow took the opportunity to say to the group surrounding her and Raine, "Everyone, we still have something to attend to and will take our leave first." Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. After that, she ignored the crowd as she pulled Raine away and left. With her back facing the crowd, Snow¡¯s expression was livid. ¡®That Nicole was nothing but a mutt from the countryside!¡¯ ¡®How can she bepared to me!¡¯ Thinking of how Harvey had treated her, Snow was so angry she squeezed Raine¡¯s hand hard. Raine felt pain as Snow¡¯s grip got tighter. She immediately said, "Snow, my hand hurts!" Only then did Snow realize it as she turned around gently. She ced Raine¡¯s hand on her palm and massaged it. She then said, "I got lost in my thoughts just now, sorry.How¡¯re things going between you and Gary?" Raine shook her wrist, and when she heard Snow mentioning Gary, her dissatisfaction in her was about to overflow. "I¡¯m not sure what he is busy with every day.He has not been taking my call, and that day when I went to his ss to look for him, he only asked me a question about Nicole before leaving.I couldn¡¯t even stop him for a second!" As she said that, a look of hatred shed past Raine¡¯s eyes. ¡®It was all because of Nicole!¡¯ Snow could tell from Raine¡¯s expression that her little sister¡¯s rtionship was not going well with Gary. Shefortingly patted Raine¡¯s hand as they got into the car sent from the Riddle family, and soon they were heading out of school. Just at this moment, Raine noticed a familiar-looking luxury car. However, they had sped past it. After she rubbed her eyes, the car was already out of her sight. ¡®Am I seeing things?¡¯ The logo on the car belonged to the same car that Mr.Rogers Sr.had sat when he came to the Riddle family manor to look for someone! Chapter 302 Chapter 302 ¡®¡®What was the Rogers family car doing in the Royal Creek Institute?¡¯¡¯ Raine turned around, and just as she was about to tell Snow about her discovery, she suddenly saw the thing her sister was fiddling with. Her eyes were immediately drawn to it! It was an extremely brilliant pink diamond, nearly three centimeters in diameter! Raine had already forgotten about the car logo as she leaned close to Snow and wanted to get a better look at the diamond. Snow, however, frowned as she put the diamond away. Raine watched enviously as the diamond was put into an ordinary ck box by her elder sister. She looked up at Snow as she said in a pleading tone, "What is that, Snow? Can you let me have another look?" Snow, however, ignored her request as she said tly, "It¡¯s a gift from Harvey." ¡®Sure enough!¡¯ The Riddle family would not give Snow such a good diamond, and even the ne Karen had given Snow only had point eight of a diamond. It was totally iparable to the diamond just now! ¡®How can a grain of ricepete with the sun and moon?¡¯ ¡®¡®And also, Snow¡¯s boyfriend was, after all, Harvey Ellison" Thinking of this, Raine was even more envious. Gary, too can produce such a gift, but he had never given her anything, and she knew he did not recognize her at all. Raine looked on admiringly at Snow, "Snow, can you teach me once we get back how did you get Harvey to treat you so well?" Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org. ¡®I, too, want Gary to treat me like that!¡¯ Snow nced at her little sister and did not tell her that Harvey was being very ambiguous toward her as well. She simply just smiled proudly and nodded. "Just look, with this diamond alone, Raine thinks that Harvey is treating me very well" ¡®How can he abandon me?¡¯ Snow managed to persuade herself. After arriving at the Riddle family manor, she immediately went to her room and took out the diamond to store it properly as she prepared to take it to a jewelry store to process it when she had time. Back in school, in ss A of the eleventh grade, Norah was about to go crazy. She had not returned home for the past two days and did not know that Mr.Riddle Sr. had already permitted everyone at home to proim Nicole¡¯s identity. She then heard her elder brothers suddenly announcing their rtionship with Nicole, and they were all protecting her! Where does that put her, the original little sister, now? Sure enough, after ss and during break time, someone came over to ask Norah. "Norah¡­ Stanley and Samuel said that Nicole was their little sister.How about you then? Is Nicole your little sister too?" Everyone did not expect another daughter to appear in the Riddle family, so the only thing they could think of was Nicole was most likely Norah¡¯s little sister¡­" "Ugh¡­ yes.She was kidnapped and sold when she was young, and we only recently found her in the countryside and brought her back." Norah said, omitting the fact that she was the fake daughter instead. "Is that so? From the countryside, huh? No wonder she is so uncouth." A disdainful look immediately appeared on the faces of the surrounding students when they heard that. Norah immediately pretended to exin. "Sorry, I didn¡¯t make it clear to you all because I didn¡¯t want to get implicated alongside her.After all, you¡¯ve seen it for yourselves.The moment she came here, she caused a lot of havoc¡­" When they heard this, everyone stood on Norah¡¯s side. "We understand." "If I¡¯d to be ashamed if I had a little sister like that." "Yeah¡­ she¡¯s just so¡­ uncouth." Someone said angrily, but before the person could finish the sentence, another voice interjected. "Lower your voice! Now that the Riddle brothers have already put out a statement, you want to go and apologize to Nicole?" Now, no one dared to talk ill about Nicole, so they simply just returned to their seats. When Norah saw the people that would bitch about Nicole with her, not daring to say anything more about Nicole, she was furious! ¡®Nicole, if you think you can turn things around just like that¡­¡¯ Chapter 303 Chapter 303 Chapter 303: Dream on! ¡®As long as I¡¯m a daughter of the Riddle family!¡¯ No one knew what Norah was thinking. After school, Nicole went to the caf¨¦, as usual, to provide tutoring to Austin and the others. Upon going through their homework, she gave them a somewhat satisfied nod. ¡°Your revision is going great. It looks like you guys weren¡¯t stupid, just that you weren¡¯t studying.¡± After tutoring them for the past dozen days, Nicole found out that they were all smart students but were simply just too yful. After receiving a rarepliment, a clear look of joy appeared on the faces of Austin and the others. Austin patted his chest as he guffawed. ¡°Well, because of who my boss is!¡±. Everyone, too, joined in theughter. A smile too appeared in Nicole¡¯s eyes as she looked at her watch and said, ¡°I should be going.¡± It was time to go back to look after Mr. Riddle Sr. taking his medicine, so it was better for her to head home to supervise that. Austin and the others nodded as they packed their things up. The few people said their goodbyes outside the caf¨¦ as Nicole then slowly walked toward the school gate. Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. She had something in her mind, but it was not reflected on her face at all.She had already sent out a message, yet there was still no news about the silver fragment. Nicole had reached the school gate by then and ignored the weird ncesing her way. ¡®It seems like everyone looking at me is acting somewhat strangely today.¡¯ Nicole pondered about this with a nk expression. She did not know that Stanley and the others had kicked up a storm in school. Yet, just as she got to the school gate, she saw two bodyguards in ck suits and sunsses standing there. Nicole then frowned. At that moment, the muscr man in a ck suit spoke. ¡°Miss Nicole Riddle, right? Our master wishes to see you, soe with us!¡± Nicole then took a peek at the car behind them and immediately understood what was going on. ¡®The Rogers family, huh.¡¯ She gently frowned as a tinge of irritability colored her voice. ¡°Not going.¡± They have never met such an uncooperative before. They had gotten orders from Christo Rogers and drove to the Royal Creek institute with his personal vehicle to pick Nicole up. They thought that she would have gotten into the car with trepidation, but who knew she would straight up refuse! Remembering Mr. Rogers Sr.¡¯s orders, they gritted their teeth. ¡°Sorry about this!¡± ¡°They actually want to get physical?¡¯ Nicole raised her eyebrows, and a chilly glint appeared in her eyes as she quietly watched the two before her without moving. At this moment, a faint voice came behind her. ¡°I¡¯ll send you back.¡± Nicole turned around and saw Jared walking toward her with a smile on his face as he straight up ignored the two men there. A smile, too, appeared in Nicole¡¯s eyes. The two bodyguards walked over with a solemn look on their faces. As members of the Rogers family, how could they not know Jared? ¡®But why was he here?¡¯ Recalling Mr. Rogers Sr.¡¯s orders, one of the men gritted his teeth and walked forward as he bowed respectfully at Jared. ¡°Mr. Jared, Mr. Rogers Sr. has a need for her. Please do not make this difficult for us¡­¡± Chapter 304 Chapter 304 Jared did not even deign to look at the two as his eyes were affixed to Nicole. Nicole, too, looked at him as she ignored the two men behind her and walked toward him. When Jared saw her movements, the smile on his face deepened. How could the two men just watch as Nicole leave like that? They stepped forward and wanted to grab Nicole by her hand, yet Nicole seemed to have eyes at the back of her head as she deftly avoided that with a shake of her shoulder. As he watched the two men¡¯s movement, a cold glint appeared in Jared¡¯s eyes. Seeing that they were stilling forward, he tossed the car key in his hand at the two, hitting the first under the ribs before rebounding to the second, hitting the person in his waist. Although he may look like he did not use much strength, the two fell to the ground in pain. Nicole watched his movements, and a look of appreciation appeared in her eyes. ¡®Using your opponent¡¯s strength against himself. That¡¯s the greatest attainment in martial arts.¡¯ Jared walked to the two of them as he bent over gently to pick up the car key, his voice t. ¡°My hands slipped.¡± The two were squirming in pain and froze the moment they heard Jared¡¯s words. Immediately after, they rolled even more in a frenzy. Yet, what could they do when their livers were already so painful from the anger? Jared ignored them as he walked toward Nicole. His entire person looked extremely carefree. Nicole, too heard what Jared said as her eyes squinted a little, revealing a misty glint within them. He did not say much as he blinked at Nicole. ¡°Get in the car.¡± Immediately after, he got into the driver¡¯s seat as Nicole got into opened the door of the co-driver seat and got in. Jared looked at her smooth movements as he smiled. He quickly started the car as Nicole¡¯s somewhat cold yet alluring voice came from the side. ¡°Thank you. Nice throw there.¡± The two paid no attention to the screams of the two bodyguards behind them. Jared gave Nicole a nce, and there was an almost imperceptible gentleness in his voice. ¡°Sit tight.¡± He slowly stepped on the elerator, yet the carunched like an arrow and very quickly left the Rogers family car behind. Looking at the speed from a single step of the elerator, one could tell that this ck car was many times better than those sports cars worth tens of millions. The bodyguards looked at the ck car and clutched their ribs as they quickly got back into their car and drove back to the Rogers family manor. With Shawn¡¯s help, Mr. Rogers Sr. slowly sat down. He got a little anxious waiting, and his temper turned grumpy, so much so that his attitude toward Shawn was nothing but impatience. Owned by N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Enough, you don¡¯t have to apany me anymore. See if they have brought her here or not. Shawn could see his anxiety and did not say much as he let go and said, ¡°Dad, calm down. They should be back soon understand how Dad is feeling now, right?¡± Chapter 305 Chapter 305 Shawn nodded as he looked down. Mr. Rogers Sr. did not notice the faint mockery in his eyes and thought that he did not mind his roughnguage earlier. Thus he liked this son even more in his heart. He got Shawn to sit on the sofa beside him as he looked on anxiously in the direction of the main door. Just as Mr. Rogers Sr. wanted to get up to go to the door, the main door of the manor was opened as the two men he sent hurriedly walked in. Mr. Rogers Sr. looked over with some agitation, yet when he saw no one behind them, his entire expression turned icy. ¡°Give me a good reason. Why didn¡¯t you two bring Nicole back?¡± The two bodyguards looked at his terrifying expression, and even the muscr-looking man¡¯s voice trembled as he spoke. ¡°We wanted to bring Miss Riddle over, but we ran into Mr. Johnston.¡± ¡®¡®Mr. Johnston?¡¯ ¡®Which Mr. Johnston?¡¯ The bodyguard said cautiously, ¡°The very person you told us that we cannot afford to offend.¡± Mr. Rogers Sr.¡¯s expression immediately changed. He recalled Jared had left with Nicole during his birthday banquet. He had already started being suspicious about their rtionship since then. He did not expect Jared was still being ambiguous with Nicole. In fact, after the Johnston family drew a distance away from the Riddle family, the Riddle family had never announced to the outside world that they had arranged a marriage between two babies. Even Mr. Riddle Sr. dared not mention this, so that was why when Nicole wanted out of the arrangement, Jared simply just went along. After all, the two families were too far apart now. Owned by N?velDrama.Org. Therefore, very few people in the outside world knew that the two had a marriage arrangement. Mr. Rogers Sr. squinted his pair of darkened eyes. He slowly made his way to the two bodyguards with a strange look on his face. The two were so afraid they dared not move and could only let Mr. Rogers Sr. look at them as if he was picking goods. After circling around them twice, he stood before them as he suddenly let out a faint smile. Just as the two breathed a sigh of relief, each of them was met with a p across the face. Shawn stood aside with lowered gaze as he watched Mr. Rogers Sr. venting his temper as he took up his walking stick and hit the two hard at the bend of their knees. The solid pear wood walking stick was no joke. With just the two hits, the legs of both of them went weak as they almost fell onto the ground. Mr. Rogers Sr. panted in exhaustion as he cursed at them. ¡°Useless! The two of you, useless!¡± When Shawn saw them still standing there, he frowned a little as he hissed. ¡°Why are the two of you still standing there?¡± When they heard Shawn¡¯s voice, it was as if they were receiving some sort of salvation. They could not care less about their swollen faces or their weak legs as they quickly scurried out. Shawn quickly walked to Mr. Rogers Sr.¡¯s side as he gently patted thetter on the back, helping him to calm down. Mr. Rogers Sr. grabbed Shawn¡¯s hand as he let out a long sigh. His voice was finally filled with the powerlessness and vicissitudes of an old man. ¡°Shawn, tell me, why is it so difficult for a person to want to live?¡± A glint appeared in Shawn¡¯s eyes as he let out a faint smile and said somewhat impassively,¡± Dad, you¡¯ll definitely live a long life.¡± This was both ambiguous yet sincere at the same time. Mr. Rogers Sr. ignored Shawn¡¯s avoidance of his question. He knew his body very well. He had already finished the medicine Nicole had given him, and he actually felt that he was getting weaker by the day as if something was slicing at his heart. He had already seen many doctors, at home and abroad, and Nicole may very well be hisst hope. Nicole may very likely hold clues to that mysterious overseas doctor with her. The reason he was so obsessed with her was that he wanted to get those clues from her. Yet now, as he looked at his two hands, Mr. Rogers Sr. felt an unprecedented sense of frustration. Chapter 306 Chapter 306 Mr. Rogers Sr. walked someone tiredly toward his room. Shawn wanted to follow but was stopped by Mr. Rogers Sr. ¡°I want some quiet time by myself.¡± When he heard this, Shawn immediately stopped. As he looked at Mr. Rogers Sr.¡¯s figure gradually disappearing into the dim corridor, Shane turned to look at the dusk outside the manor as a cold smile appeared on his face. The time is nigh. The old man could be really old, and he is extremely fearful. He had done everything in his power to extend his life. So much so that he could not even see through Christopher¡¯s tricks. But that Nicole¡­ Shawn had never seen such a person who didn¡¯t give the Rogers family any face. However, she was still someone of high birth, so she might have some level of conceit to her. When Shawn thought of this, he snorted as he took the skin-colored gloves off his hand and tossed them into the dustbin with disgust. The old man¡¯s will has already been changed. He only needed to entertain him with this faux filial piety for a while longer than he could see him off. Jared sent Nicole back to the Riddle family manner, and before getting off, he gently grabbed her wrist. ¡°Are you heading back after this?¡± Owned by N?velDrama.Org. Nicole had no idea that the person who almost tracked down her IP, the person that she had been so on guard against, was before her. She paused for a moment and then nodded. She had no ns to stay the night at the Riddle manor. Oddly enough, when a person grabbed her wrist, she would smack the person silly by conditioned reflex, yet when Jared grabbed her wrist, she showed no signs of struggle at all. Even Nicole herself felt a little incredulous. Jared¡¯s lips curled upwards as he heard that. His face, while basking in the twilight, had an irresistible charm to it. ¡°I¡¯ll pick you upter then?¡± Nicole paused for a moment as she turned and looked at Jared with puzzlement on her face. ¡± Aren¡¯t you busy?¡± Jared¡¯s smile paused as he slowly let her go and started to doubt himself. ¡®Am I not handsome enough?¡¯ ¡®Why is Nicole always so resistant to me.¡¯ Nicole looked at his expression with a smile in her eyes. She grabbed Jared¡¯s hand and His eyes immediately lit up as he looked firmly at her. As if he saw through the shallow facade in her eyes, a half-smile gradually appeared on his face. ¡°You did that on purpose?¡± Nicole looked at him, his eyes gleaming bright like clearke water in autumn. It may look cold, but her lips subconsciously formed a shallow arc. That was exclusive only for him. Jared looked back at her in the eyes, and as he saw himself in her clear, bright eyes, his mood inexplicably became much better. ¡°Go in then. I¡¯ll wait for you.¡± Nicole nodded, and just as she opened the door, she found out that three big mushrooms had sprouted by the Riddle manor¡¯s main gate. Both Samuel and Spencer were looking at Nicole somewhat begrudgingly while Stanley massaged his chin. His eyes were deep as he looked at Jared. He had already walked close earlier, and if she still did note down, he was prepared to knock on the car window. Jared¡¯s car was so heavily tinted that they could not see what was going on inside the car at all! Stanley¡¯s gaze toward Jared was somewhat unfriendly, yet when he turned to Nicole, it became very mellow. ¡°Nicole, what took you so long?¡± They had nned toe back home to pay Mr. Riddle Sr. a visit after school, yet no one expected Nicole to be sote. Chapter 307 Chapter 307 Nicole looked at her brothers expressionlessly and closed the car door, blocking their view of Jared, then walked ahead into the mansion. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for beingte.I bumped into someone on my way here.¡± Questions filled Samuel¡¯s head, and he could not help asking, ¡°Was Jared the one who sent you back?¡± N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. Nicole nodded. She nced casually at Samuel and froze, then strode toward him. ¡°Who did this?¡± she said with an unconceble, bitter voice. Samuel¡¯s ck eyes were conspicuous, and it was apparent that he had been punched. When Nicole got angry, she looked intimidating. Samuel was transfixed for a second before he realized she was asking about his face. Samuel looked at his two brothers bitterly before courageously pointing at them. ¡°It was them.Nicole followed his finger with a strange look on her face. ¡°It was they who hit you?¡± Samuel was pointing at none other than Stanley and Spencer, nodding his head vigorously. He knew what Nicole was capable of; she was the martial art champion in the country, more than capable of fixing Harvey. ¡°Yes, it was for Stanley that I was hit.Avenge me, Nicole.¡± ¡°For Stanley?¡± Nicole looked at Stanley suspiciously. ¡°What the hell was going on?¡± Stanley sighed and told her exactly what had happened. Nicole listened and was surprised because Harvey had an argument with her brothers because of her. She looked at her three brothers, who were beaten ck and blue, and felt sorry for them.Her brothers did not know what she was doing, which was entirely normal.So she thought Harvey should not be so nosy. But after knowing that her brothers had finally gone to the radio station to rify the matter, her voice became soft. ¡°In fact, I don¡¯t really care what they say, but I really thank you all.¡±. For the first time in her life, there were so many people standing up for her. No wonder when she returned to school and so many eyes looking at her, but none of them were hostile like before. Looking gratefully at her brothers, Nicole stepped forward and gave each of them a gentle hug. ¡°Thank you for everything,¡± she said. Samuel was thest person whom Nicole held.He was transfixed, not even knowing where to put his hands. His sister felt like a soft, warm cloud gently fell into his arms.He did not dare to touch her for fear that his uncouthness would break his sister. If Nicole had known about what Samuel thought, she would have burst intoughter. She was the one who tried to be as gentle as possible, afraid that she would break him and the others. Spencer looked at Samuel¡¯s reaction and mocked him, saying, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you? You look almost like a cripple.So much for a sports talent.¡± As Nicole let go of Samuel, he then said angrily to the others, ¡°I was just afraid to break my little sister.¡± Indeed. He was fearful of her breaking her because he thought she was fragile. Everyone could not help butugh as they all shared the same thought. Seeing themughing at him, Samuel became anxious. ¡°What are you allughing at? Aren¡¯t you all also siscons?¡± Chapter 308 Chapter 308 Smiles faded from their faces as they all were embarrassed upon hearing what Samuel said. There was no denying that after Nicole returned to the family, they all became siscons, through and through. They had never treated Norah like this before. They could not help it. Owned by N?velDrama.Org. A biological sister was a biological sister-it was different. Spencer hesitated for a moment and said, ¡°We have gotten back our long-lost sister; of course, we will pamper her.¡± He looked up at Nicole with light in his eyes and continued. ¡°I¡¯m proud to be a siscon.¡± Samuel shared his emotions and quickly nodded. ¡°Me too!¡± Unlike others, Stanley¡¯s reaction was nothing over the top, but he still fully understood this feeling.He walked over and put his arm around Stanley and Spencer¡¯s shoulders. ¡°Okay, we¡¯re all the same.¡± They were not the only ones; he found that Sean and Steve¡¯s attitude had also changed to bing much gentler with Nicole. Feeling the love of her brothers, there was an indescribable emotion in her eyes. Nicole could feel their love and concern for her. It was a warm feeling that she had never experienced before. She looked at Samuel and others with affection. ¡°Thank you so much.It¡¯s good to have you all.¡° They may not fight as well as she did, but they were genuine and willing to do whatever for her. It felt so good to have a family. They all finally calmed down and walked into the house together. Nicole first went straight to Mr. Riddle Sr.¡¯s room. As she opened the door, she saw Daniel by the bed. Daniel did not leavest night. He and Gloria had been staying at the mansion the entire night. Meanwhile, Damien was probably still at work and had not returned. There was a look of surprise in Daniel¡¯s eyes when he saw Nicole. ¡°You¡¯re here.¡± Nicole nodded. She asked Daniel to help Mr. Riddle Sr. to sit up and then fed the other half of the pill to Mr. Riddle Sr. and picked up a ss of water on the bedside table so he could swallow the pill with water. Daniel watched on. When he saw his daughter doing all this like she had been doing it for the thousandth time, he asked curiously, ¡°Did you study medicine before?¡± Nicole continued what she was doing while saying in a calm voice, ¡°I was interested in medicine.So I taught myself.¡± Daniel nodded knowingly, with a sense of relief in his eyes. Mr. Riddle Sr., who had said nothing so far, looked at Nicole with some surprise but was soon relieved. Daniel used to like medicine. If not because of his health, he would have probably be a doctor in San Joto.Mr. Riddle Sr.regretted the thought of this. For good measure, Nicole used a small needle and injected a drug into the vein on the inside of Mr. Riddle Sr.¡¯s elbow before gentlyying him t on the bed. As she turned around to leave, Daniel called out anxiously, ¡°You¡¯re leaving just like this?¡± At first.Mr. Riddle Sr. could not let his ego down to look at Nicole. But when he heard Nicole was leaving, there was no time for him to think. He spun his head around to look at her as if he could not bear to see her go. Nicole was unruffled and waved at Daniel. ¡°I¡¯m going to see my mother.¡± Thinking of the soup that Gloria sent to her at noon today, Daniel just looked a little not too happy, but her mother was so anxious. She had never enjoyed such meticulous care from her adoptive motherst time. Daniel nodded in acknowledgment. As Nicole turned around to leave, Mr. Riddle Sr. became desperate. He said to Daniel, ¡°You leave the room first.I have something to talk to Nicole about in private.¡± Chapter 309 Chapter 309 Daniel was surprised by Mr. Riddle Sr.¡¯s request, but he quickly nodded in agreement and called out, ¡°Wait a minute, Nicole.Your grandpa wants to have a few words with you.¡± Nicole was stopped in her tracks upon hearing that. Daniel left the room, leaving plenty of room for the two of them. Mr. Riddle Sr. looked at Nicole from behind and sighed softly. ¡°Come over, Nicole,¡± he said with no hesitation. Nicole turned her head and looked at Mr. Riddle Sr. with clear, cold eyes.She knew that Mr. Riddle Sr. was semi-conscious during the operation. So he probably knew that she was the one who had operated on him. ¡°Grandpa, you should take a good rest.¡± She was not a person who likes to take credit for everything, so she did not want Mr. Riddle Sr.¡¯s thanking her. ¡°Am I embarrassing you now?¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. pretended to be angry. Nicole had no choice but to go up to him. ¡°I¡¯ve never felt that way, Grandpa.Even though you still don¡¯t know me well, we are always a family.¡± This was the reason she saved Mr. Riddle Sr. Knowing that she was so sensible, Mr. Riddle Sr.suddenly felt ashamed of himself. He nodded his head gently and said, ¡°You¡¯re truly Daniel¡¯s lovely daughter and my precious granddaughter.¡± Earlier, when he saw Nicole was self-motivated, he started to change his mind about her and supported her in taking part in thepetition. Now it seemed that he was right. Gettingplimented by Mr. Riddle Sr., Nicole¡¯s expression softened. ¡°It is my honor for Grandpa to admit that I¡¯m your granddaughter.¡± Beforeing back, she was not expecting Mr. Riddle Sr. to have epted her so quickly. Mr. Riddle Sr looked at Nicole. Instead of asking if she was the one who cured him, he looked her in the eyes and said slowly and clearly, ¡°Please convey my gratitude to the surgeon who operated on me.I, Benjamin, will never forget that.¡± Nicole looked at Mr. Riddle Sr. and knew that he was helping her hide her identity. She appeared nonchnt, but the light in her eyes was extremely bright. She looked back and nodded at Mr. Riddle Sr., whose usually stony countenance had gradually softened. ¡°I will,¡± she said. Mr. Riddle Sr.looked thankful and emotional when he heard Nicole¡¯s reply. Nicole quickly tried to calm him down. ¡°You need a good rest now, Grandpa.Don¡¯t get overly excited.¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. looked at her and let out a gentle smile. He patted Nicole¡¯s hand and said softly, ¡± I won¡¯t question what you do from now on, as long as you work hard and don¡¯t fall behind, understand?¡± Nicole nodded in acknowledgment. She knew that as part of the Riddle family, grades were only the most basic requirement. Mr. Riddle Sr.leaned over with a mysterious look and whispered to her, ¡°If your grades improve on this monthly exam, I will buy you a gift.¡± He thought Nicole would be thrilled. After all, the gift he gave out had always been expensive. Yet Nicole was nonchnt. She tucked the quilt over his body and said, ¡°I don¡¯t need any gifts.All you need to do is take care of yourself.¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. looked at Nicole in front of him and was delighted that this granddaughter of his was really a girl of character.Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. Chapter 310 Chapter 310 After Nicole had settled with Mr. Riddle Sr., she was going to see Gloria downstairs. Steve and Sean had alsoe to the mansion, sitting in the living room talking with each other, frowning as if they were discussing something tricky. When they saw Nicolee downstairs, they both tacitly stopped their discussion. ¡°You¡¯re here, too, Nicole!¡± Nicole nodded in response, her eyes staying thoughtfully on her two brothers. Sean and Steve had quickly changed their topic of conversation, but Nicole could hear them talking about how Sebastian Wyance changed his attitude all of a sudden. But Nicole did not know who that person was, nor did she give it a second thought. Sean did not want Nicole to get involved in these things, and Steve obviously thought the same thing. He smiled gently at Nicole and asked, ¡°Where are you going?¡± Nicole said nothing but looked over at the kitchen at the other end. Sean and Steve followed her gaze, and their expression turned gentle when they saw Gloria was busy in the kitchen. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Nicole looked at Sean and Steve impassively and asked casually, ¡°Has something happened in the company?¡± Sean and Steve were both slightly stunned by her question. But it was Sean who first reacted, looking at Nicole with a solemn face. ¡°Nothing. You don¡¯t have to worry about it.¡± Her voice was imperceptibly gentle. They just wanted their sister to live her life happily. Nicole could hear the undertone of what Sean said and looked at them with growing, gentle eyes. Sean had a cold personality, but he still cared about Nicole very much. ¡°Yeah, don¡¯t worry about that. Let¡¯s have dinner,¡± he said with a smile. ¡°Yeah, don¡¯t worry about it. Let¡¯s have dinner,¡± Steve also said, smiling. Knowing that they were trying to keep her out of worries, Nicole walked toward the kitchen, saying nothing more. When Gloria saw Nicole, she fetched Nicole a bowl of soup. Steve and Sean saw that, and Steve sighed softly. ¡°I hope this remains the same every day.¡± Sean said nothing, but his expression, which was warmer than usual, said it all. They stood quietly for a while before walking toward Mr. Riddle Sr.¡¯s room. Owned by N?velDrama.Org. They did not know exactly what had changed Sebastian Wyance¡¯s attitude, but they had to tell Mr. Riddle Sr. about it, which was the purpose of them here tonight. After they turned around and left, Nicole gently raised her eyes and looked thoughtfully in the direction they had gone. Gloria looked on affectionately as her beloved daughter drank the soup. ¡°Slow down. The soup is hot,¡± she said gently. Nicole looked at Gloria. ¡°It¡¯s okay. It¡¯s not hot.¡± As she drank a spoonful, Gloria quickly took out a napkin and gently wiped the corners of Nicole¡¯s mouth. ¡°What have Sean and Stave been busy withtely?¡± Nicole asked expressionlessly. Gloria¡¯s face changed. She and Daniel were not involved in any matter of Riddle Corporation, but the tender was very crucial, and Mr. Riddle Sr. had still divulged some details to them. Knowing that Riddle Corporation had invested almost half of its fund into the tender, Gloria stopped what she was doing and nervously sped the napkin in her hand. Nicole watched her expression and seemed to have understood something. ¡°Are things not looking up now?¡± she asked softly. Gloria looked at Nicole with surprise. ¡°Who told you this?¡± Nicole looked nonchnt, and she bluntly said, ¡°Just now, I heard Sean and Steve discussing it. ¡°It¡¯s about the tender. They have been well prepared for it, but there is news that McCarthy Corporation has moved into high gear these few days.¡± Gloria sighed softly and worriedly. Chapter 311 Chapter 311 That probably meant that Riddle Corporation could lose the tender. Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. ¡°What will happen if we lose?¡± Gloria did not want to hide things from her daughter, so she said in a whisper, ¡°If we lose, we will lose everything that we have invested in thatnd.¡± Of course, that was not all. Money spent on greasing the wheels, which were not small amounts, would also go down the drain. So losing the tender meant hollowing out the cash flow and increasing the debts of Riddle Corporation. Gloria was afraid of putting too much pressure on her daughter, so what she told her was an understatement. But Nicole could easily hear the worry and nervousness she implied in her words. After all, this was the biggest investment that Riddle Corporation had bet on in years. Nicole did not go on asking but looked knowingly at Gloria¡¯s somewhat tired face. ¡°You have a good rest, Mom. I will go first.¡± ¡°You¡¯re leaving so quick?¡± Gloria asked eagerly. ¡°I have to study for my monthly exam, which ising soon.¡± Nicole said with a nod. Gloria could not argue with that and reluctantly saw Nicole out. As Nicole waved goodbye at her, Gloria suddenly said, ¡°Why don¡¯t you wait a second? I will ask your brother to send you home.¡± Nicole shook her head and looked at the ck car in front of her with a faint smile on her face. ¡°It¡¯s okay, Mom. Go back inside,¡± she said. Gloria watched in surprise as Nicole walked toward the ck car that she could not tell what model it was. Nicole opened the car door, turned to look at Gloria, who was still standing in the doorway, and frowned. She walked back again and brought Gloria into the house before she turned around and left. Nicole was worried that her mother would catch a cold as Gloria was wearing too little. When Nicole came back to the car again, Jared tapped the leather seat with the index finger of his right hand. She looked nonchnt, opened the rear passenger door, and got it when she saw it was now Max who was behind the wheel. As Nicole got in the car, Jared¡¯s expression turned gentle. ¡°How¡¯s your grandfather¡¯s condition?¡± he asked: ¡°He is still strong, recovering fast,¡± she said faintly. Jared nodded gently, but he raised an eyebrow when he saw her expression. ¡°What happened?¡± Nicole nced at him as if she did not expect that he could read her mind. ¡°Nothing,¡± she just said faintly in reply. She was ustomed to solving all problems on her own and never depended on others. Jared looked at her with dejection in his eyes. He wondered if it was because they were not close enough that she did not want to tell him about her problems. But he did not show his emotion on his face, but just with a hint of a frosty look in his eyes. He casually curled the corner of his lips and looked at Nicole with a little sense of emptiness and coldness in his eyes. ¡°If you need help, just let me know,¡± he said. The light dimmed, and Nicole had not noticed his change of expression. But she still felt his concern for her and nodded. ¡°I will.¡±¡± Chapter 312 Chapter 312 When Max overheard the conversation between his boss and Nicole, he pretended to look back inadvertently. He was shocked when he saw Jared looking down and fiddling with something in his hands. Nicole also saw the thing in Jared¡¯s hand-it was a glinting dagger. She immediately recognized it as the dagger he had held in Nottingbrook State, only that this time he did not sheathe it. The narrow-ded dagger spun in Jared¡¯s shapely hand. It looked cool, but Nicole could not help but frown. She gently put her hand to Jared¡¯s hand, which was fiddling with the dagger, and looked him in the eyes. ¡°Stop,¡± she said. Jared also looked her in the eyes, and his eyes lit up when he saw her concerns in her eyes. He smiled and said in a low but gentle voice, ¡°Okay.¡± Max, who was behind the wheel, saw what had happened and was in fright. Jared would y with something in his hand when he was in a ck mood, and he would fiddle with the dagger when his mood was extremely terrible. So no one dared to talk to him at the moment like this. With this thought in mind, Max looked at Nicole with surprise. As she could calm the angry lion, this really opened his eyes. Nicole watched with relief as Jared lowered the dagger in his hand. After dropping Nicole back at school, Jared rolled down the car window and looked out at the scenery outside. The early fall wind gushed into the cabin, and it felt unusually chilly, but Jared was unruffled. He rested his chin on his hand and looked out of the window into the infinity. Max looked at Jared and frowned disapprovingly. When Nicole was with Jared, he seemed to be afraid that she would feel cold and would almost never open the window. But now that Nicole had left, the only person who could restrain him was no longer there. Max sighed silently at the thought of this. ¡°Continue where we left off.¡± Jared suddenly spoke with a steep, frosty voice. N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. Recalling his discussion with Jared before Nicole came into the car, Max continued the topic with no hesitation, talking about what Michael had done over the years, one worse than the other, and it seemed that after half a year in office, the incidence rate at San Joto Central Hospital had more than doubled. Michael had been conscientious and worked hard for the first half of the year, but when he found what benefits his position could bring him, he gradually lowered his code of ethics and revealed his actual desires. It seemed that what was presented before was only a show. Max tightened his grip on the steering wheel as he talked about Michael¡¯s evil deeds since taking office. Michael was such an unscrupulous man. He put money over everything else. He would ask the worst doctors in the hospital to treat those patients who were less wealthy, probably thinking that the patients could not do much about it even if something wrong were to happen. LIFT He had never gone on duty, and his favorite pastime was eating, drinking, gambling, and womanizing. Not only that, he often targeted the beautiful female doctors and nurses in the hospital who had no background. If they did notply, he would threaten to fire them and stop them from finding jobs in all hospitals in San Joto hospital. He had be a monster. Jared had a stern look in his eyes upon hearing this. No wonder Michael dared to disobey himst time. There was no reason to keep such a person any longer. Chapter 313 Chapter 313 Max did not hear what Jared said and looked back. ¡°We have heard nothing about Michael for so long. Could it be¡­¡± Jared was abroad for the most part of the year, but he knew what was happening in Hustuaburg. It was the Johnston family that appointed Michael to the position, but there was not a peep out of them when Michael had done such a terrible job. Someone must have put sand in the wheels. Jared had apparently thought of this long ago, and he already had a candidate in mind. Just that when he thought of that person, his expression would be cial. Hezily leaned back in the seat, looking at the lights and heavy traffic flying past the window outside with an assured look in his eyes. ¡°There is no rush,¡± he said. His voice was smug, and Max could tell there was a hint of indifference in it. ¡°They will show themselves.¡± Max was confused, but he would not question Jared¡¯s decision. He nodded his head and then said hesitantly, ¡°There is news from my father: Mr. Rogers Sr. has changed his will.¡± ¡°He has reduced the shares that his eldest son could get in hispany family to a minimum of 2.8 percent, and his second son¡¯s shares have also been reduced than before, probably only about 5 percent, and the rest¡­¡± Jared looked at the scenery outside the window with a sneer,¡± would be all given to Shawn,¡± he said. Shawn, the person whom he saw at the Rogers family birthday party, was always with Mr. Rogers Sr. Max was surprised how Jared knew that but thinking of his boss¡¯s ability, his expression calmed down again. ¡°Yes, and as far as I know, Mr. Rogers Sr. seems to have been looking for someone.¡± Jared looked unperturbed. Mr. Rogers Sr. used to be the mover and shaker in the business world, but he was making stupid mistakes when he got old. He even wanted to pass the throne to a real jackal. ¡°He is not looking for someone.¡± Jared looked calm as he tapped the index finger of his right hand with a thoughtful look on his handsome face. This is property ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°What he is looking for is a wonder drug.¡± Infection to an external injury can cause poliomyelitis. Patients with this condition will be tormented by endless systemic pain, nervous convulsions, intermittent memory loss, delirium, and even the final mental illness and death, and people who are exposed to this special disease usually end upmitting suicide. But the chance of being infected by this disease is low, and the mostmon cases are seen in children or adolescents with stunted growth. Jared narrowed his eyes at the thought of Mr. Rogers Sr.¡¯s ashen face. Mr. Rogers Sr. must have been invaded by some mutated strain by chance to be able to get infected with this disease at his age. But there were few genuine coincidences in this world. Someone must have been behind this, and the chance for Mr. Rogers Sr. to find a wonder drug was slim. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Jared pulled back his eyes and told Max. He could not care less about what happened in the Rogers family. Mr. Rogers Sr. had better pray hard, as no one could help him. Chapter 314 Chapter 314 Chapter 314 Nicole was getting a lot of stares on her way back to the dormitory. June and Lulu were there and exultant, and when they saw Nicole enter. Lulu pointed to theputer and said, ¡°Come and take a look, Nicole. After your brothers said you were from the Riddle family, those people on the Inte are frantically deleting their posts.¡± June was looking at her phone and then said to Nicole with a cheerful face, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to be so badass; you even saved Lulu¡¯s brother. Did you know Jimmy is the main operator of the campus forum? He has blocked all those posts that smear you and even banned those haters.¡± June and Lulu nced at each other, both feeling extremely vindicated. But Nicole was insouciant. She did not really care what stories about her those people were making up every day, but seeing the two of them so excited, she could not help but smile. Lulu looked at Nicole and clenched her little fists. ¡°You may not know how bad their mouths are if you don¡¯t surf the Inte. Now serenity has finally returned to the world.¡± When the voices of the Riddle brothers came on the school radio broadcast in the afternoon, Lulu was on campus. She could not be happier to see the awed expression on those people¡¯s faces around her as Nicole¡¯s identity was finally revealed. Just that Nicole had told her not to reveal her identity to anyone, but judging by the Riddle brothers¡¯ attitude, it did not look like they were against it. So she spoke what was on her mind. ¡°Why did you tell me not to reveal your identity before, Nicole?¡± : June looked at Nicole in bafflement, as she did not know Nicole had told Lulu this. Nicole looked at the two of them and said calmly, ¡°I didn¡¯t want to cause so much trouble at the time, but now it doesn¡¯t matter anymore.¡± Before this, she did not want to get too close to the Riddle brothers for fear of offending their fans. But now, she did not mind because her brothers revealed the truth only because they wanted to protect her. As Nicole was downying the matter, June and Lulu did not ask further as they knew Nicole did not take these things to heart. Nicole looked at the worried face of Lulu and patted her on the head, then looked at June and said in a gentle voice, ¡°Let¡¯s go out for a good meal after this.¡± Lulu and June both nodded. The monthly exam was imminent, and they all were not in the mood to hang out now. The hour hand of the clock was pointing at ten. This is property ? N?velDrama.Org. Nicole had cleaned herself up and was now lying on the bed, ready to rest. She stared at the ck mobile phone, waiting for the message that seemed to nevere, and frowned in deep thought. The other party did not reply to her message, most likely because something had happened over there, and they did not want to tell her. As it gotter into the night, Nicole closed her eyes, allowing himself to fall into the deepest dream slowly. In the darkness, she was bound by her hands and eyes, struggling as she was carried away, ahead of her, an endless abyss. She was just an insignificant person, and she had heard their discussion that it would be prudent to make an example of her first. She thought calmly upon hearing that. She knew it; whether she stood up or not, the oue would be the same. The question was why. It was just a dream that she could barely remember. Not the emotions involved were impactful. When Nicole woke up the next day, her eyes were still a little red, and that showed how emotionally affected she had been. Nicole washed his face with cold water and then looked in the mirror at her frosty yet beautiful face. She stood up and walked out with a wooden face. It was a new day, and the sun would always rise. Even if the past had turned into nightmares, it could still not stop her. The weather was good. Edwin was sitting in his swivel chair. In front of him, a powerfulputer blinked with red lights. Chapter 315 Chapter 315 He did not look at the stone-faced doctor standing across from him. ¡°How much longer will itst?¡± The brte, mixed-raced doctor asked. ¡°They seem to have hired highly capable hackers to steal our data. The security wall we put up can hold them off for five more days at most,¡± Edwin sighed. Rowan¡¯s eyes filled with anger as he heard this. ¡°We¡¯re business partners. How do you expect me to go back to the big guy after such a huge mistake that you made?¡± Edwin felt resigned. He rubbed his face and thought to himself, ¡®I really messed this up, huh? This is the kind of business we run, but now, our reputation is at stake.¡¯ His gaze became firmer as he turned to look at Rowan and said softly, ¡°There¡¯s still some time. I¡¯ll handle it.¡± Rowan¡¯s anger slowly subsided as he looked at him. ¡°Who else can you ask for help? Even the best people you have were useless during the data breach, no?¡± He asked sarcastically. Because this was their first partnership, the information that Rowan wanted them to pass out was not of a high level. However, the amount of it wasrge. He did not expect that someone as reputable in this field as Edwin would mess up. Though, Edwin was not angry at the mockery. He gently stroked the mouse in his hand as he thought of what the advanced hacker had said to him. He then thought of Preston¡¯s reaction when he heard about Nicole, and his eyes welled up. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll think of something in five days.¡± Despite Rowan¡¯s bad temper, he could not help but give a slight nod at Edwin¡¯s sincerity. ¡°I¡¯ll try my best to find someone who can help you.¡± Although there were tons of skillful people in the medical field, none specialized in this matter. Edwin nodded as he heard those words. He picked up his car keys, turned to look at Rowan, and slightly tilted his head. ¡°Where to? I¡¯ll drive you.¡± Rowan waved his hand impatiently. His eyes were stone cold as he looked at Edwin. ¡®I didn¡¯t even get to send Nicole off due to this mess,¡¯ he thought. He pulled out his phone to make a call and walked out without saying another word. Edwin shrugged and went down to get his car. The moment he drove out of the building, he noticed something strange. ¡®Is that¡­ a helicopter?¡¯ Edwin had always known that Rowan came from a prominent background, but he had certainly underestimated the power this mixed-race doctor held. His eyes then darkened as he thought about the hacker who breached their system. ¡®Who is this person that is going against Rowan and his people?¡¯ He suddenly realized he was in theThis is property ? N?velDrama.Org. middle of a battle between great forces. ¡®I am bound to suffer an unimaginable blow if I don¡¯t solve this crisis.¡¯ It was not what Edwin wanted. But he was indeed in a crossfire. His face turned pale as he thought about it. Not only was he in a difficult position, but his self-esteem was also badly affected. Chapter 316 Chapter 316 Nicole was holding a stopwatch, looking expressionlessly at Zeke, running at a snail¡¯s pace. He was in hisstp, running at speed almost slower than walking. He was slow, but it was better than not moving. Nicole watched on as Zeke neared the finish line, and she stopped the stopwatch as soon as he . crossed the finish line. ¡°Your pace is only ten,¡± she said. Nicole did not hold Zeke but motioned for him to continue walking for twops. ¡°We can only start the next phase of training when you reach three.¡± Her voice came from behind him in the distance. Zeke could not say a word as he felt his eyes turning dark, and his knees were not his own. Getting the pace up to three was no different from flying. He had a long way to go. After Zeke had finished training, Nicole walked toward the teaching building and stepped into the ssroom on the dot. There were exactly five minutes before the ss started. Gary looked at Nicole with a grave face. He had asked Ryder to find out about Nicole¡¯s background, but many days had passed, and he still did not hear from Ryder. He wondered what was going on and if she was really clean with nothing to hide. Even it was Jack and Wayne who told him about the fact that Nicole was the Riddle family member after Stanley and others said it on the radio broadcast. He looked at Nicole with an inquisitive look in his eyes. If he could not even find out anything with all the power and influence of the Finley family, he was almost certain that Nicole had absolutely some unusual background. Thinking of how close Nicole and Jared were, something suddenly dawned on him. He could probably be right all this while. While Nicole was waiting for ss, Bradley, in front of her, turned his head, nced at Nicole mysteriously, and then asked in a low voice, ¡°Are you really from the Riddle family?¡± The Riddle family might be declining in influence, but it was still well-known among all the giants of San Joto. Nicole raised an eyebrow at his question, thanks to her brother¡¯s high-profile announcement. She casually muttered an uh-huh in response. Bradley¡¯s eyes lit up at once. Just as he was just about to say something, he heard two timid knocks at the door of the ssroom. He looked up and saw a somewhat cowardly boy with ck-rimmed sses. ¡°Is Nicole in this ss?¡± the timid boy asked. ¡®He is looking for Nicole? Is he looking for trouble or something?¡¯ Bradley thought to himself. He then turned to look at Nicole, saw that her expression was unchanged, and breathed a sigh of relief. ¡®Nicole has been through so many things, and she is good at martial arts. Certainly, she could handle this.¡¯ Bradley nodded reassuringly at the thought of this. Vivian, who was sitting in the first row, had a gloomy look in her eyes when she heard someone looking for Nicole. This is property ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Why are you looking for her? Did Nicole get into trouble again?¡± she asked in a condescending tone of voice. Chapter 317 Chapter 317 She had gone home yesterday afternoon, so she was unaware of the school radio broadcast. Seeing someoneing to look for Nicole, her first reaction was to think that the person was up to no good. To her surprise, the boy blushed, raising the thing in his hand in the air high and gritting his teeth. ¡°I¡¯m here to apologize to Nicole.¡± ¡®What?¡¯ Vivian was wide-eyed, the pen in her hand dropping to the floor. ¡®He is here to apologize to Nicole?¡¯ ¡°You¡¯re not joking, are you? Why are you apologizing to Nicole?¡± She said in a voice filled with sarcasm as she looked at the boy. ¡®Nicole should be the person to apologize,¡¯ she thought in her mind. ¡°I didn¡¯t know that Nicole was the Riddle family member and had misunderstood her and said some bad things about her on the Inte. I¡¯m here to apologize to her.¡± ¡®Nicole is from the Riddle family? How is this possible? I thought she was a nobody?¡¯ Vivian wondered, rooted to the spot. The Riddle family might have passed its glory days, but it was still a force to be reckoned with, not someone whom her family could match. Almost losing control of herself, she roared, ¡°What nonsense are you talking about? How could Nicole be from the Riddle family? She is clearly just a yokel!¡± Owned by N?velDrama.Org. Vivian nced sideways at the other ssmates, who usually would echo whatever she said, but today, they bowed their heads in silence. She looked in disbelief at Nicole, who stood with her back straight, whose expression was nonchnt, even emotionless, and wondered if Nicole had never taken her seriously. The boy with the ck-rimmed sses saw Nicole¡¯s expression and seemed to realize something. He took pity on Vivian and said, ¡°You better believe it. Yesterday, the student union president and the Riddle brothers said it clearly on the radio broadcast, asking those who insulted Nicole on the Inte to apologize to her quickly, or else they would be sued for defamation. Jimmy has alsoe up with a list of people who have insulted Nicole online, They can only get their name off the list after apologizing to Nicole.¡± Without wasting any more time talking to Vivian, the boy hurried up to Nicole and said in a sincere voice, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Nicole. I misunderstood you.¡± He then handed out the gift in his hand with an extremely sincere look on his face. Nicole could feel his sincerity and epted his apology. But she declined the gift and pushed it back to him. ¡°I ept your apology.¡± She never took such a minor thing to heart, The boy probably did not expect Nicole to ept his apology so quickly and looked at a loss with the gift in his hand. It cost him a lot of money to buy the gift for Nicole, afraid that Nicole would not like it and forgive him. Never did he expect Nicole to be such a nice person, He could still vividly remember the cold shoulder and disdain he had received when he bought Snow and Raine gifts; at that time, Snow was smiling, but her eyes were full of disgust for him. It was not until he realized the problem and raised the value of the gift to seven figures that Snow finally epted the gift and gave him a chance. At that time, he had never thought that if Snow really respected herself and was willing to remain abstinent for Harvey, she would not have epted the expensive gift that he had bought. Seeing the nonchnce look in Nicole¡¯s eyes, he felt bad for himself and could not help but bow to Nicole. ¡°Thank you! Thank you for epting my apology! I¡¯m not going to do stupid things again!¡± With that, he strode out of the ssroom, no longer having the courage to look at Nicole¡¯s expression again. Many ssmates saw what happened and felt surprised by how easily Nicole epted the boy¡¯s apology. Not only that, Nicole had even refused the gift. They did not know that Nicole was such a nice person. Chapter 318 Chapter 318 And just like that, a group of people came forward and apologized to Nicole. Among them were boys and girls with guilt stered all over their faces. With one look at their guilty faces, Nicole decided to forgive them. None of them expected that Nicole would forgive them so quickly. All of them rushed toward Jimmy¡¯s ss like a swarm of bees. N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. Many students from ss B saw this, and some even started to step forward as they had also cyberbullied Nicole before. They were bound to bump into Nicole at some point, so they decided that it was best to apologize. As embarrassing as it was, they were d that Nicole did not take the situation to heart. Students were crowding the doorway as the school bell rang. Soon, Ms. Emerson walked in and was shocked at the scene in front of her eyes. ¡°What is the meaning of this?¡± Students started to leave at the sight of a teacher All of them were thinking the same thing, ¡®I won¡¯t do that to Nicole anymore. What if she decides not to forgive me next time?¡¯ Nicole¡¯s facial expression was the same throughout this scenario. As the crowd dispersed, she took out a book from her drawer and picked up where she left off. A few of the students were already exining the ins and outs of the matter to Ms. Emerson. A faint smile appeared on her face as she thought, ¡®Well, they did owe Nicole an apology.¡¯ She then decided to let it go as the students did not do it during ss. The students started to quiet down as she cleared her throat and began the ss. Upon noticing Ms. Emerson¡¯s manner, Vivian clumped her hands together under her desk with a distorted expression on her face. ¡®Who does Nicole think she is?!¡¯ At the same time, Nicole was flipping through the book in her hands with a face full of indifference. Vivian did not want to see Nicole being surrounded by the crowd during recess. Then, asif a light bulb went off in her head, she walked in the direction where the twelve graders were at. She was thinking and rehearsing what to say in case she bumped into someone on the way there. As she reached Ms. Thompson¡¯s office, she met Harvey, who was there to get the result papers. He knocked on the door three times. When he heard a voice say, e in,¡± he walked in slowly. Vivian blushed as he held the door open for her. She held onto her skirt bashfully as she whispered, ¡°Thank you.¡± Harvey nodded slightly and went into the office. Ms. Thompson¡¯s face lit up as soon as she saw Harveye in. She waved her hands and said, ¡± Harvey, you¡¯re here. Take this and distribute it to your ssmates.¡± After saying that, she deliberately increased her volume and said, ¡°Harvey, you scored the highest on this math test!¡± Harvey nodded politely as he reached out to take the stack of papers on the table. He then counted the number of papers out of habit. As he was on the side counting the papers, Vivian slowly walked toward Ms. Thompson. There was a hint of hesitation in her eyes, but she straightened her face and said, ¡°Ms. Nicole is causing trouble again.¡± Ms. Thompson was startled at her words. She was not in school often when she had no sses. Thus, she did not hear about what had happened. Intrigued by the situation, she tilted her head upwards to push Vivian for more details. Chapter 319 Chapter 319 Harvey¡¯s fingers slowed down at the sound of Nicole¡¯s name. Vivian bit her lips and began to tell Ms. Thompson everything. She even told her that the crowd Nicole caused was affecting her studies. Ms. Thompson¡¯s face sank immediately. ¡°How dare she not focus on school andmit such heinous acts!¡± ¡®What in the world is going on? Who does Nicole Riddle think she is to have a crowd of students apologize to her?¡¯ ¡®I¡¯ve gotten Mike to ask Mr. Anderson about Nicole; she and Mr. Ellison are not rted in any way,¡¯ she thought. Thus, Ms. Thompson was no longer afraid of her! Harvey paused his motion and looked at Ms. Thompson, who was raging with anger. It seemed as if she was ready to get up and go with Vivian, and he was standing in the middle of them. He then decided to voice out softly, ¡°Ms. Thompson, you mentioned that you have a short meeting coming up, right? That¡¯s why you asked me toe to grab these papers? You go ahead. I¡¯ll go with this junior to get to the bottom of this. I¡¯ll report back to youter.¡± Ms. Thompson was hesitant, but she remembered about the meeting and her position in the school. If she was absent from the meeting, it would not look good. But she had a chip on her shoulder when it came to Nicole. Harvey saw the hesitation on her face. ¡°Don¡¯t you trust me, Ms. Thompson?¡± He said with a faint smile Upon hearing that, Ms. Thompson came to a decision almost immediately. She turned to look at Vivian and said, ¡°You know him, right? Since I have matters to attend to, he¡¯ll follow you to find out what Nicole Riddle is up to. If it¡¯s really something that¡¯ll affect our school¡¯s performance, he¡¯ll surely report it back to me.¡± Vivian did not dare to look up at Harvey¡¯s handsomeness. Instead, she replied with a faint¡± okay,¡± which was not the same tone she used when she was talking about Nicole. Harvey looked at the seemingly well-behaved girl in front of him with a cold face. However, there was a hint of softness in his voice. ¡°Let¡¯s go. Uhm-¡± As the two of them walked out of Ms. Thompson¡¯s office, Vivian realized something. ¡°Oh, my name is Vivian Collins,¡± she said softly. Before this, it was as if she did not know her own name. Harvey nodded and smiled. He noticed a gleam in her eyes that was hard to grasp. Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. ¡°What did you say Nicole did again?¡± Vivian¡¯s eyes filled with hatred as soon as she heard him ask about Nicole. ¡°I don¡¯t know how she became a Riddle, but she¡¯s bullying everyone. She even wanted them to apologize to her. Don¡¯t you think she¡¯s out of line, Harvey?¡± Harvey nodded, seemingly in agreement. His eyes were full of approval, and his tone was encouraging ¡°Anything else?¡± Chapter 320 Chapter 320 Vivian saw how supportive Harvey was, so she did not let him down. She told him about everything Nicole had done during that time. A thoughtful expression appeared on Harvey¡¯s face as she mentioned that Nicole had been absent from school for several days and that she clearly did not want to learn at all. ¡®No wonder I haven¡¯t seen her in school these past few days,¡¯ he thought. He looked at her with apelling stare as if he was deeply interested in what she had to say.¡± Well, do you know what she was up to during that time?¡± He asked. Vivian put on her thinking cap and remembered seeing a fake absent slip with the words¡± patient care¡± written on it when she was in Ms. Emerson¡¯s office. ¡°It seems that someone in her family was sick, so she went to take care of them.¡± Upon hearing that, Harvey thought about the time Snow asked him to help find a doctor for Mr. Riddle Sr. During that time, he was sure that the reason why Snow was being so vague was that Nicole had transferred Mr. Riddle Sr. away. ¡°I¡¯ve checked all the military hospitals, but there was no record of Benjamining in.¡¯ ¡®Where did Nicole send him to?¡¯ ¡®If there¡¯s no record of him in any of the hospitals, then he must have¡­¡¯ Harvey¡¯s eyes gradually darkened at that thought. He looked over at Vivian and smiled ever so sweetly. He tucked one of her loose hairs behind her ears as he emitted a warm radiance. He then looked into her eyes and said softly, ¡°Thank you for telling me all that.¡± Vivian felt her face getting hot. ¡®Why am I feeling such attraction to Harvey when the one I like is Gary?!¡¯ She had always admired Harvey from a distance but had never been this attracted to him before. She did not understand that he and she were not the same. One was good at manipting people, while the other treated everyone the same. It was as if he was emitting some kind of radiation. From afar, the radiation she felt was faint. The closer she got to him, the higher the radiation level became, especially since he wanted something from her. She could not get words out of her mouth as she looked at the alluring face in front of her. A hint of ridicule shed in Harvey¡¯s eyes the moment Vivian started to blush. However, he quickly concealed his feelings and said in a low voice, ¡°Vivian, to ensure the quality of your studies, I have a small request.¡± He smiled slightly as he looked into her eyes filled with a solemn gaze. ¡°You must tell me about every move Nicole makes in the future.¡± ¡°She¡¯s bound to affect everyone¡¯s studies again, right? I¡¯ll help you stop her.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll stop this pretentious devil who keeps luring men into liking her together,¡± Harvey said with a hint of hatred in his eyes. N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. A sense of empathy appeared on Vivian¡¯s face as she listened to him. She hated Nicole because she stepped into the limelight as soon as she came into ss B. ¡®Everyone was attracted by her appearance, her personality, and even the mysteries behind her, including Gary.¡¯ Vivian¡¯s eyes burst with jealousy as she thought about it. Chapter 321 Chapter 321 She looked at the charming man in front of her and nodded her head gently. ¡°Okay.¡± Harvey¡¯s smile grew at her agreement. He stood up, and the seductive tone he used was gone.¡± Let¡¯s go,¡± he said in slight indifference. It was time to meet the powerful and alluring ¡°devil¡± who did not give Harvey the time of day. His footsteps were urgent on their way to ss B, and Vivian was having a hard time catching up. ¡°Harvey, slow down. I¡­ I can¡¯t keep up,¡± she said in a soft voice.. His eyes shed in impatience as he heard that. He did not slow down, nor did he look back at her. ¡°I have sster, Vivian. Can you please hurry up?¡± She did as she was told. She started jogging behind Harvey just to keep up. Her mind was inplete chaos. Shepletely forgot that Ms. Thompson had mentioned to Harvey that ss was canceled today. Students were still crowding around Nicole during recess, waiting to apologize. Nicole frowned in slight frustration and said to Bradley, ¡°I¡¯m taking a walk.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± he nodded. He then got up to leave with Nicole. As soon as they walked out of the ssroom, they heard a familiar voice. ¡°Stop right there, Nicole!¡± Many students gathered around as they heard this. Nicole turned to look at Snow, who was rushing toward her with a raging fire. At that point, Snow did not care about her usual image. She gnashed her teeth and said, ¡°Give me back my diamond, you b*tch!¡± Nicole looked at her with a puzzled look. It seemed like she was being serious. Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. ¡°What diamond?¡± Nicole asked. Snow became angrier at the sound of that question. She raised her hands with the desire to p Nicole right across her face. Raine, who tagged along with her sister, was also furious at Nicole. There was a glimmer of light in her eyes when she saw her sister raise her hands. ¡®It¡¯s best for my sister to do it herself. After all, Gary is sitting right over there. I don¡¯t want to leave a bad impression,¡¯ she thought. Nicole looked at Snow in indifference and grabbed her hand, ¡°What in the world has gotten into you?!¡± she said. The crowd was baffled by Snow¡¯s behavior. ¡®She has always been gentle, generous, and dignified. Now she¡¯s stooping as low as to hit someone? What has gotten into her? She¡¯s insane.¡¯ Everyone thought as theypared her with Nicole, who was calm and collected at that time. The pink diamond she lost was not only the best thing she owned but also a testament to Harvey¡¯s affection for her. How can she stay calm in this situation? Chapter 322 Chapter 322 Snow was struggling to break free from Nicole¡¯s grasp as she said with a sneer, ¡°Alright, Nicole. So you want to y dumb? I¡¯ll tell you what you took away from me!¡± ¡°You never know when to give up, huh?¡± Raine added. Nicole looked at them in impatience and pushed Snow¡¯s hand aside. ¡°If you have something to say, just say it. You don¡¯t have to go around circles,¡± she said coldly. Snow red at her with hatred. ¡°You stole the ten-karat pink diamond that Harvey gave to me! N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. ¡°What?!¡± An uproar began when the crowd heard what she had said. A ten-karat pure pink diamond is worth hundreds of millions. None of them expected Snow to own such a diamond. But as they heard that it was given to her by Harvey, the crowd quieted down. No amount of money was too much for the Ellison family. Everyone started to look at Nicole in suspicion. ¡°To own a diamond like that is indeed a very tempting idea to ordinary girls. Plus, Nicole and Snow are rted. It¡¯s possible that Nicole really stole Snow¡¯s pink diamond,¡¯ they thought. The students started to look at Nicole differently. However, there was still some sympathy for her in the crowd. They no longer questioned Snow¡¯s drastic change in attitude as such a valuable thing was stolen. As Raine heard the karat count of the diamond, she lowered her gaze. ¡®That¡¯s why the pink diamond was so huge! It¡¯s ten karats! Harvey¡¯s so generous,¡¯ she thought. Nicole felt a sense of familiarity as she heard about the diamond. Almost immediately, she remembered the diamond that Harvey was going to give her when they were in Nottingbrook State. ¡®He gave it to Snow?¡¯ She looked at her acting like a madman, and said, ¡°I do know the diamond you¡¯re talking about, but I didn¡¯t know that it was in your hands. How could I steal it if I didn¡¯t know where it was?¡± At the same time, Harvey arrived at the door of ss B. His eyes darkened as he heard what Nicole had said. ¡°This lunatic actually suspected that Nicole was stealing from her?¡¯ ¡®If she really wanted that diamond, she would liave epted it when I gave it to her! ¡®Why would she want to steal from her?¡¯ Nicole thought that she had cleared things up, but Raine looked at her with malicious eyes. ¡°What are you talking about, Nicole? My sister and I went back to see our grandfather at the family home last night. She left her purse in the hallway. When we went back downstairs, the diamond was gone! I asked around, but no one had seen it. You and Stanley were the other people there that night. You even left early because you¡¯re guilty!¡± Raine walked toward Nicole and said, ¡°I¡¯ve asked every single person working in that house, Someone saw you wander around the hallway with Aunt Gloria. What do you have to say for yourself?!¡± Nicole frowned upon hearing this. ¡®Could this be when I was escorting Mom back to the living room? But I didn¡¯t see Snow and Raine there¡­ She said they were visiting grandfather¡­ But wouldn¡¯t we have met? Maybe they didn¡¯t stay in his room for long. After all, Uncle Damien and Aunt Miley live there too.¡± Chapter 323 Chapter 323 Dillon and his family would always butter up Damien and Miley. Although they imed they were there to visit Mr. Riddle Sr., they had only spent a brief time with him. Nicole suspected that it was just a show to frame her for theft. The bystanders were skeptical at the beginning. But when they heard what Raine and Snow had said, they became suspicious. After all, knowing Nicole came from the countryside, they assumed that she must have never seen those expensive jewelry pieces. Among them, those who deemed themselves from wealthy backgrounds looked at Nicole, who denied the allegations, with disdainful eyes. ¡®Just how stupid she is for leaving so much evidence behind when shemitted theft?!¡¯ Nicole¡¯s eyes were calm when they swept over Raine. There was no trace of anxiety in them. ¡°The sole reason I went home was to visit Grandpa. My mom was with me. There was no way the maid would see me alone at the entryway. Or did you imply that my mom and I had stolen your diamond?¡± Nicole had never given a sh*t about that diamond. Snow got furious and yelled, ¡°Enough, Nicole. You refuse to hand it over, huh?¡± She grabbed Nicole¡¯s wrist, her eyes filled with madness. But the moment she thought of Nicole¡¯s combat skills, she slightly flinched. However, a satisfying smirk crept on her face as she thought of something else. ¡°I want to see it myself whether you had stolen my diamond!¡± Snow dashed into the ssroom and flipped Nicole¡¯s desk. All Nicole¡¯s belongings fell off. Among the books, there was a in ck box. It fell andnded on the corner. Snow¡¯s emotion finally became stable when she saw that familiar box. When she turned her gaze at Nicole, her eyes filled with pity and disdain. ¡°Nicole, If you like my diamond, I can let you take a look or even touch it. But dreaming of owning it or stealing it is thest thing you should do!¡± Nicole remained indifferent to what Snow had said. Instead, she stared at her belongings scattered on the floor, and her face gradually turned cold. ¡°Pick them up!¡± Her tone was frosty. However, Snow acted as if she had not heard Nicole. Instead, she ran her hand through her own hair before walking slowly toward the ck box. While she was approaching it, she did not stop talking. ¡°My diamond is beautiful, right? But too bad that you will never have the things that aren¡¯t meant to be yours!¡± ¡°Beg me, and I¡¯ll consider not filing a police report since we¡¯re from the same family. Or else, you¡¯ll have a hard time in the future when you have a criminal record.¡± Snow swore in her mind, ¡®How dare you steal my stuff. I won¡¯t let this slide!¡¯ This is property ? N?velDrama.Org. When she said that, the ck box was already in her hand. She directed her gaze to Nicole, looking composed, and showed it to Nicole. ¡°So, what do you think Apologize to me and admit you¡¯re the diamond thief in front of every student in our school, and I¡¯ll let this slide. Or else, I¡¯ll go to the police, and you¡¯ll face a criminal penalty ¡°What are you going to do?¡± Gary was staring at Nicole, who said nothing. There were mixed feelings in him as he clenched his fist tightly. ¡®Just what¡¯s wrong with her? She¡¯s one of the Riddles, but she stole her cousin¡¯s diamond?! Even if it¡¯s expensive, she shouldn¡¯t have done it. Just how shameless is she?! Chapter 324 Chapter 324 Chapter 324 Gary¡¯s eyes filled with disappointment as he looked at Nicole. But never did the thought about who was he to judge Nicole cross his mind. Raine also looked at Nicole. When she noticed Gary¡¯s disappointed eyes, she was ted. She echoed her sister with a sarcastic tone, ¡°What are you going to do? You should just apologize to my sister sincerely. After all, having a criminal record is far worse than losing your face!¡± When the bystanders saw the box and the confidence on Snow and Raine¡¯s faces, almost all of them believed that Snow¡¯s diamond was inside that ck box. Hence, there was a drastic change in the look of their eyes when their gazended on Nicole. Those who had initiallye to look for Nicole to apologize to her despised her now and nned to leave the scene. In their opinion, Nicole was despicable, so they did not consider what they had done as defamation, and the one who was going to face legal action was her instead of them. Vivian, who was not in the crowd, gloated as she said, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect Nicole to steal from others. She¡¯s no doubt a country bumpkin who has no shame!¡± She thought Harvey would agree with her. However, he did not say a word but gave her an impassive look. No one knew that Harvey Ellison used to be the so-called ¡°country b?mpkins.¡± He grew up in the countryside too. When Harvey saw that ck box, there was a pensive look in his eyes. However, he did not n to choose a side. Nicole did not spare those people in front of her a nce. Her face was unsmiling, as cold as winter¡¯s storm, her coldness shrouding Snow entirely. With her re directed at Snow, she said, ¡°I repeat. Pick them up.¡± Her voice was icy cold. Gary could no longer stand Nicole¡¯s persistent ¡°denial¡± to admit the allegation. He swiftly approached her and spoke to her in a deep and cold voice, ¡°Enough, Nicole! Snow is kind enough. N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. Apologize to her, quick!¡± Gary felt that trying to persuade Nicole to apologize was all he could do for her sake. After all, being brought to the police station was a consequence far direr than losing face. Raine dug her nails into her palm when she saw that. She went to Gary, wanting to pull him away as she said angrily, ¡°Gary, she¡¯s despicable. You should just stay away from her!¡± She thought, ¡®I¡¯m the one who is supposed to be Gary¡¯s girlfriend in the public eye!¡± Snow was taken aback in the face of Nicole¡¯s furious re. But she immediately recollected herself. Her face gave off a hint of fluster. Despite Gary¡¯s interference, she sneered as she said,¡± Fine, Nicole. You¡¯re about to be in great trouble now, yet you¡¯re acting stubborn. Or do you want me to make everything in in sight? Well, you ask for it!¡± After she said that, Snow opened the ck box. A hint of smug satisfaction crept into her expression as she did that. ¡°Look closely. I have enough evidence to prove you guilty of stealing my diamond. Follow me to the police station now!¡± Fully immersed in her joy, she was oblivious to the expressions of the surrounding people that had be rather strange. It was as though someone had pushed the pause button, everything froze. No one was moving at all. Instead, everyone was dumbstruck upon staring at the item in the box. Even Raine was wide-eyed when she saw the item in her sister¡¯s hand. She rubbed her eyes, wondering if she saw things because she had been too tired recently. Chapter 325 Chapter 325 Chapter 325 After a few seconds of silence, Snow then realized she did not hear any response echoing her remarks from the surrounding people. She felt odd and wanted to say something further, but Raine gently pulled her sleeve. Snow was startled. The moment she looked down at the item in her hand, her face turned grave. There was no pink diamond in that box. It was a crystal-clear purple diamond more than double the size of Snow¡¯s diamond! ¡®What on earth is happening?!¡¯ Everyone finally came to their senses. Murmurs could be heard from the crowd: ¡°Didn¡¯t she say it was a ten-carat pink diamond? But that¡¯s obviously a twenty-five-carat purple diamond.¡± ¡°Exactly. It¡¯s different from what Snow imed. Could it be the color of the diamond has changed?¡± When they were puzzled, a derisive voice came from behind. ¡°What are you, stupid or something? That¡¯s the default packaging method for this kind of unique and exquisite diamonds when they are sent across the borders to our country. Look at the serial number below that purple diamond, and you¡¯ll know it¡¯s a high-rated one. So, there¡¯s no way its color would change! ¡°Fine. Let¡¯s assume, even though it¡¯s unlikely, the color changed due to some methods. It¡¯s impossible that its purity would change, let alone its size, which became more than double overnight! To everyone¡¯s surprise, the one speaking was Jack Pearson! It was known that the Pearson family had gained wealth in the jewelry industry, so his words were highly credible. After listening to his words, there was a strange look in everybody¡¯s eyes, including Jack, when they looked at Nicole. ¡®In other words, Nicole has a purple diamond, which is far more valuable than the pink diamond Snow imed to be hers? ¡®Who would have gone after a smaller diamond if they had a topmost diamond in size more than double the smaller one?¡¯ When they thought of that, they turned to look at Snow, wondering why Snow would use someone like Nicole, who already had a purple diamond with a quality far higher than hers. Snow stared at the magnificent purple diamond before her in disbelief. ¡°Impossible!¡± Snow directed her gaze at Nicole, her eyes bloodshot. She no longer looked like the decent girl with the poise that everyone had thought her to be. She asked, ¡°Where did you get this diamond?¡± She snarled in her mind, There¡¯s no way Nicole can own a high-grade diamond. Even I could only get it from Harvey!¡¯ A cold glint filled Nicole¡¯s eyes when she was looking at Snow, who did not show any remorse. She radiated an intimidating beauty. She bypassed the stupefied Gary, who was blocking her way. Gary was looking at that purple diamond. He could barely conceal his shock. However, what followed next was a pensive torpor. ¡®I should¡¯ve known it.N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. Nicole and Jared Johnston are in a rtionship, and that kind of guy can buy Nicole any top-grade diamonds anytime!¡¯ He parted his lips. But eventually, nothing came out of his mouth. At that moment, Snow was the only one Nicole red at. Standing gracefully tall in front of Snow, Nicole looked down at this cousin who had been messing with her since her return to the Riddle family. Snow shuddered in response to Nicole¡¯s icy stare. The ck box fell off her trembling hand and hit the ground. The magnificent diamond came off and rolled, radiating a blinding dazzle. Chapter 326 Chapter 326 Chapter 326 Unlike many who could not bear to see the purple diamond bouncing on the ground, Nicole did not give a sh*t about it. She gently grabbed Snow¡¯s chin with her two fair fingers, lifting thetter¡¯s face. One could barely sense her emotions through her eyes, but an unsettling smirk was visible on her face. ¡°You enjoyed messing with me, huh?¡± Fear gradually enveloped Snow in ce of jealousy as she looked at Nicole¡¯s beautiful face close to hers. She tried hard to suppress her anxiety while maintaining her gaze, but there was a faint trembling in her voice when she said, ¡°I have no idea of what you¡¯re saying. The only thing they told me was you took my diamond¡­¡± ; ¡®They? Who else is part of this?¡¯ Nicole¡¯s eyes remained on Snow, who looked miserable. In a pleasing-to-ear but icy cold voice, she said, ¡°Snow, I warn you. Stop messing with me!¡± Apparently, Nicole had had enough of Snow this time. She could not guarantee what she might do to Snow if Snow messed with her again. Suppressing her fury, Nicole gently patted Snow¡¯s face before loosening her grip. Owned by N?velDrama.Org. She pointed at the floor and said, ¡°Tidy up the ce now.¡± Her emotionless voice was full of authority. Nicole then walked out of the ssroom. She paid no heed to all eyes on her. Nobody dared to stand in her way, so the crowd parted, clearing a path for her. Only then did she see Harvey. He seemed to have wanted to say something when Nicole walked past him, but she did not even spare him a nce. A cold breeze swept past him. All she left him was the sight of her back ¨C the same sight when they met for the first time ¨C and the chilly, fragrant scent lingering. ¡®What an annoying day.¡¯ There was a stern look on Nicole¡¯s face. Faint irritation rose within her. Not far from a distance, someone was watching her leaving with malicious eyes. It was Norah. She gritted her teeth in rage while holding a ck box. ¡®Snow and Raine are useless!¡¯ Norah cursed silently. Norah had returned home yesterday, wanting to mend her rtionship with the Riddle brothers. She only found out about Mr. Riddle Sr.¡¯s health condition when she was at home. So she tagged along when everyone in the family went to visit him. As soon as she entered Mr. Riddle Sr.¡¯s residence, she saw Snow putting away a big diamond. So, she came up with a n. Norah waited until Nicole got into the house before she sneaked in again and stole the diamond. Snow and Raine had always looked down on Nicole, so Norah bet that they would see Nicole as the first suspect. On top of that, Nicole was the first who left the residence. That would make them even more suspicious of her. Nevertheless, Norah did not expect that Snow and Raine could not handle Nicole in spite of her efforts! Her failed attempts to chase Nicole out from the Riddle family and Royal Creek Institute had driven her to the verge of madness. ¡°Nicole, just you wait and see. I¡¯ll make your life a living hell!¡± She swore inwardly, ¡®At worst, I¡¯ll do it myself! Meanwhile, in the ssroom Bradley and Lulu took the initiative to watch Snow and Raine tidy up the ce. June handed her wet tissues to Snow and Raine and said calmly, ¡°Nicole hates when someone dirties her books the most. Make sure to wipe it clean.¡± Snow clenched her fist when facing the three of them. When she saw Harvey, she seemed to be caught off guard for a second. Once she rposed herself, she immediately tossed June¡¯s wet tissues away and ran to Harvey. ¡°Harvey, what brings you here?¡±¡± Raine was looking at Gary. But he seemed to be contemting something with his head low, his handsome face cold. Chapter 327 Chapter 327 Chapter 327 Raine pulled Gary¡¯s sleeve gingerly and whispered, ¡°I don¡¯t want to tidy up the ce. Could you take me away? Please, Gary.¡± She thought, ¡®No one will dare to say anything if Gary takes me with him.¡¯ However, Garypletely ignored her. He loosened her grip on his sleeve, one finger after another. Owned by N?velDrama.Org. After taking his bag from his seat, he left the ssroom without looking back. ¡®Once again, I¡¯ve made a fool of myself for acting smart!¡¯ Gary thought to himself. Raine felt so humiliated as she watched Gary leaving. This was the first time Gary made her look bad in the public eye. She stood up angrily and wanted to follow Gary. But two voices came. ¡°Stop right there!¡± said Bradley and Jack simultaneously. Bradley looked at Jack next to him in surprise. He did not expect Jack would be on the same side as him. Raine shot Jack a resentful look, feeling annoyed. ¡°Get out of my way, Jack! I want to follow Gary! If he knows what you¡¯re doing, he¡¯ll make you pay!¡± Jack did not budge. His eyebrows arched. ¡°I¡¯m afraid Gary will feel indebted to me for what I¡¯m doing.¡± ¡°What are you trying to say?¡± Raine¡¯s face turned grave. As one of the school tyrants in the Royal Creek Institute, Jack was unafraid of Raine. She was nothing to him. Gary, who was trying to be gentle to her initially, said with a stern face, ¡°What am I trying to say? Raine, do you really think things are still the same as before? Don¡¯t make me do this the hard way!¡± Raine looked at Jack, who was facing her. She felt that his countenance was different from what it had been before and that he had no regard for their ¡°friendship¡± in the past. If Jack knew what she was thinking, he wouldugh aloud. When Raine had been on good terms with Gary, she took advantage of it, bossing Jack and Wayne around. Hence, if she tried to talk him out of it by using ¡°friendship¡± as an excuse, it would be a big joke. The two boys watched Raine like guards on duty. Bradley did not treat her friendly either. As a sports clubmittee member of ss B, he had the strength to lift her with a hand. Raine lowered her eyes in resentment. She had no choice but to start cleaning the mess. Snow, on the other hand, was still staring at Harvey with a pitiful look on her face. But he ignored her. As his deep gaze remained on Nicole from a distance, he gave off the vibe as if a storm was ¡®Who gave her that diamond? No wonder she refused to ept mine. She already received one that is of higher grade,¡¯Harvey thought. Harvey¡¯s indifference made Snow¡¯s face turn grave. ¡°Harvey, Nicole bullied me. Don¡¯t you have anything to say?¡± When a simr event happened back then, Harvey would stand by Snow unconditionally. Harvey directed his gaze at Snow, his eyes gentle as usual. But there was coldness within them. He noticed Snow¡¯s hair and skirt were disheveled, and her eyes reddened. Usually, he could not stand seeing Snow in such a state. However, he no longer felt bothered about them. As Harvey thought of that, he chuckled. Instead of touching Snow¡¯s hair like he used to, he took a step back away from her. It was as though Snow had some contagious germs on her. ¡°Stay away from me, Snow.¡± ¡®What?!¡¯ Snow seemed to have heard him. But she stared at Harvey, stupefied as if she did not hear it clearly ¡®Did he just ask me to stay away from him? How did this happen?!¡¯ Chapter 328 Chapter 328 Chapter 328 Snow looked at the guy before her in disbelief. Her face went pale in a second. She asked cautiously, ¡°Harvey, wh-what did you just say?¡± Harvey did not reply to her. Instead, he looked at her fair chin attentively. A faint regret rose within his eyes. But it did not seem tost long and disappeared without a single trace. Snow was full of anticipation when, upon seeing Harvey¡¯s attentive gaze. Nevertheless, his response was different from what she had wished. Harvey did not spare her a nce. Before he made a graceful exit, he gave Vivian, who was next to him, a courteous smile. Snow wanted to follow him, but Wayne and Lulu stood in her way without mercy. Instead of struggling further, she shot Vivian a re with her reddened eyes, ¡°Why did Harvey treat you that way?! How could my Harvey possibly treat you that way?! When Vivian saw Snow¡¯s reaction, she was secretly pleased with the thought of the way Harvey treated her differently. She sounded indifferent and haughty as she replied, ¡°Well, I have no say in what Harvey does. You should ask him instead.¡± After saying that, she turned and left the scene. Many who witnessed the scene were secretly shocked Snow let out a hysterical scream, which ruined her image entirely. Everyone present felt unbelievable. ¡®How did someone as gentle, beautiful, and decent as Snow be hysterical?!¡±. Many hade looking for Nicole to apologize to her but ended up watching a show instead. They felt their time was not wasted. The crowd slowly dispersed. June picked up the purple diamond that had rolled to the ground without a slight change in her expression. She wiped it clean and put it into the ck box it belonged to. After a few seconds of hesitation, she put it back on Nicole¡¯s desk. The news about Nicole having that diamond would soon spread like wildfire. It would do Nicole¡¯s favor because, from now on, no one would have the audacity to steal it even if it was ced in in sight on her desk. After that, June turned around and gave Snow and Raine a cold look. She did not budge upon seeing their resentfu ces ¡°I¡¯ll watch you wipe every single book clean till the end.¡±. June¡¯s eyes were calm. Although she did not show discontent in her voice, it sounded so distant.¡± You should learn how to respect people, right?¡± Nicole, who had left, took a stroll. Before she knew it, she was already at Jared¡¯s caf¨¦. When she pushed the door to enter, the exquisite iron wind chime in front of the door jingled as it shook gently. us looked up, feeling a little surprised to see her. ¡°Miss Riddle?¡± He thought, ¡®Isn¡¯t it a ss hour? Why is she here?¡¯ Nicole greeted him with a nod. After taking her usual seat at theer, she propped up her chin, pondering about something.. us noticed that her expression was a little different than usual. As he brought her a cup of coffee, he asked, ¡°Miss Riddle, what¡¯s wrong? Did something happen at school?¡± Nicole looked at him with an indifferent face and said, ¡°Nothing happened. Where¡¯s Jared?¡± us was a little surprised to hear her call Jared by his first name. ¡°He¡¯s away to take care of something. You can let me know if you have something urgent.¡± Nicole shook her head. Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. It was not a big deal. It was just that she was slightly irritated. ¡°He still owes me a cup of coffee.¡± us smiled the moment he heard her. He volunteered and said, ¡°How about I make you coffee?¡± Chapter 329 Chapter 329 Chapter 329 Nicole gave us a silent stare. Her reaction told him that the answer was obviously a ¡°No.¡± She just wanted to have the coffee Jared made for her. At this moment, the wind chime of the caf¨¦ suddenly jingled again. Someone opened the caf¨¦ door with brute force. The person who entered the premise walked toward Nicole¡¯s table in big strides. It was Gary. His face was full of anger. He acted as though he was someone¡¯s husband who was here to catch his cheating wife. Nicole frowned at his behavior. ¡°What now?¡± What Gary did in the ssroom just now was utterly stupid. She did not ce any on him, nor did she feel anger toward him Gary looked at Nicole in front of him. Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. When he entered the premise, he saw her sitting there, having a good time talking to another guy. She looked stunning. However, she would smile at anyone except for him. She would only give him the cold shoulder. A fit of anger rose within Gary. He gritted his teeth as he asked, ¡°Nicole, just how many guys you¡¯ve been fooling around?¡± Nicole was staring at him, wondering why he was furious. However, that question was rude. It was an insult. Her attitude turned icy cold. ¡°It has nothing to do with you.¡± Before she turned her head away from him, she rolled her eyes. us went back to the bar counter when he witnessed the scene and hurriedly took out his phone to send Max a message. Gary¡¯s face turned grave when Nicole ignored him. He said in a mocking manner, ¡°Jared might be able to buy you diamonds, but can he sit exams for you? Give me your word. As long as you don¡¯t fool around with other guys in the future, I can teach you all the math problem solutions I know! You can even get first ce in the monthly exams and the Math Olympiad!¡± There were only a few days left before the Math Olympiad. Gary thought he was the only one who could help her win the bet she made against Mr. Kennedy. Deep down, although Gary imed he would teach Nicole everything he knew, he looked down on her. ¡®I thought she was confident because she had put effort into it. But now that I see it, Jared Johnston must¡¯ve given her some assurance!¡¯ When Gary thought of that, he could not help but show a trace of disdain in his eyes. There was even a hint of joy in them. ¡®If you really want to be a gold digger, why not you consider me?¡¯ Gary was the second young master in the Finley family, a family that did notck power and money. Although his family could not rival the Johnston family, he could guarantee he would hold Nicole dearly. He strongly believed that Jared Johnston, whom he thought to be eye candy, would not be able to do that. Gary clenched his fist gently at the thought of this. To his surprise, Nicole did not feel grateful. Contrary, his remarks had made her mood even worse than before. Her eyes were filled with deep annoyance. ¡°Get lost!¡± Gary was wide-eyed upon hearing Nicole¡¯s answer. He looked at her in disbelief. ¡°What did you say?!¡± He snarled inwardly, ¡®I¡¯m the only one you can rely on in the Math Olympiad. I¡¯m even willing to forgive your indecent conduct. But you give me the cold shoulder?! ¡®Nicole, you¡¯re beyond saving!¡¯ Chapter 330 Chapter 330 Gary¡¯s chest heaved in anger. He stretched out a hand, trying to grab Nicole¡¯s wrist, but Nicole pinned him to the table with his hand at the back. She stood up, and she looked at him, who was in shock. Gary knew that Nicole was good at self-defense skills. Nevertheless, he had not believed that she was more skillful than him. After all, he had never fought her. But now, the subtle pain in his hand told him to admit that Nicole¡¯s self-defense skill was better than his. Nicole, on the other hand, showed no changes on her face. As her gaze remained on Gary, she pondered. She found the odd things he had spoken to her on multiple asions annoying. ¡°If this is all you want to say, from now on, leave me alone.¡± After giving Gary a piece of mind, Nicole shook his hand off. She took her seat, wanting to stay focused on solving math problems. Gary was in disbelief. There was a hint of embarrassment and anger on his face. ¡®She¡¯s really ungrateful!¡¯ he snarled inwardly. But Nicole had made it clear, so he did not have the face to stay there. ¡°Nicole, your audacity is unbelievable. I was a fool to even-Fine, you¡¯re on your own now.N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. I¡¯ll wait and see how much you can score in this Math Olympiad!¡± The hostility Nicole gave Gary had made him want to leave the caf¨¦. Before leaving, he shot a re at us and said in a mocking tone, ¡°Did Jared Johnston know you¡¯re with this guy?¡± What he meant was, ¡®Will he still want you if he finds out you¡¯re messing around with someone behind his back?¡¯ us was baffled. He frowned at Gary and put on a false smile as he said, ¡°Kid, what Mr. Johnston has in mind, is none of your business. You can save your tracks.¡± He could not help but think, ¡®Are kids nowadays this annoying?!¡± Gary¡¯s gaze on us was indifferent. He thought us was a server who could only talk glib. ¡®Why does Nicole hang out with this guy?¡¯ Before Gary turned to leave the premise, he gave Nicole a deep look. Outside the caf¨¦, Gary was angrily walking toward the car that was waiting for him. Suddenly, a ck sedan glided into the campus. He was startled for a few seconds before he realized that it was Jared Johnston¡¯s car. As he saw that sedan on its way to that caf¨¦, Gary could not help but think, ¡®Is Jared Johnston here to catch Nicole flirting with other guys?¡¯ He then shook his head. ¡®Nicole has treated me with nothing but insolence. So, anything that happens to her has nothing to do with me!¡¯ Hence, instead of returning to the caf¨¦ to find out what had happened, Gary turned and got in the car. Meanwhile, Jared walked into the caf¨¦. When he saw Nicole, who was sitting in the corner, there was a subtle spark in his eyes, and he strode toward Nicole. Although he took a fast pace, he did not make a sound. As usual, he walked forefoot, so there was less friction against the ground surface. Like a cat, he was ready to elerate his speed anytime. Nicole was in a deep daze. She did not even notice Jared¡¯s presence. It was until a familiar scent of cedarwood came to her did she look up at Jared in surprise. When Nicole thought of how she had almostpletely let her guard down, she slightly raised her head, her eyes deep. ¡°Didn¡¯t us say you had something to take care of?¡± Jared sat next to her. His lips curled into a breezy smile when he heard her question. ¡°He said you were harassed.¡± ¡°What?!¡± Nicole looked at us, who was at the counter, in disbelief. us, on the other hand, waved at her in a friendly manner and even mouthed a ¡°you¡¯re we Chapter 331 Chapter 331 Chapter 331 ¡®What nonsense is that?!¡¯ Nicole turned to Jared with an impassive face. ¡°No such thing. Don¡¯t listen to him. Jared slightly raised his eyebrows at her beautiful face. ¡°I¡¯de even if he hadn¡¯t told me that. What brings you here at this hour?¡± Still, Jared wanted her to tell him what had happened. Nicole¡¯s expression softened gradually, an icy glint fading from her eyes. Apparently, she knew Jared was worried about her. ¡°Nothing major.¡± Although that was what Nicole had said, Jared was not as gullible as us. He squinted his cier eyes and exuded a dangerous vibe. ¡°Let me know, or I¡¯ll go meet your brothers at your home and have them ask you instead.¡± Nicole locked her gaze on his unearthly handsome face. She could not help but chuckle at how he said it because he made it sound like a threat. ¡®He¡¯s acting like a kiddo who wants toin to my family about this. This is property ? N?velDrama.Org. Do I look like a kid?¡¯ Nicole¡¯s eyes got even softer. ¡°Really, there¡¯s nothing major. I got annoyed when the ssroom was crowded just now, so I dropped by to calm my mind. ¡°Or I¡¯m not weed here?¡± Jared¡¯s gaze did not move away from Nicole. He could sense that her mood was getting better, so he decided not to get to the bottom of it. His smiling eyes made hime off as appealing. ¡°Of course not.¡± His eyes remained on her. There was nothing out of ordinary in his voice. ¡°You can call this ce your safe harbor.¡± Nicole understood what he meant, her eyes smiling. ¡°Can I have a cup of coffee at this safe harbor? Jared blinked. There was a faint gleam in his eyes. ¡°My pleasure.¡± us did not hear their conversation since he was a distance away. But when he saw Jared walking over to him, he knew his boss was going to make Nicole coffee. us stood beside Jared and whispered to him, ¡°Mr. Johnston, that kid is the youngest son of the Finley family. He obviously has a thing for Miss Riddle. A reckless 19-year-old brat¡­¡± Jared did not stop what he was doing. He paid no heed to what us had said further. Instead, he asked us indifferently, ¡°How did Nicole treat that kid?¡± ¡°Uhm¡­¡± us rubbed his chin and mentioned a phrase that described Nicole¡¯s attitude perfectly,¡± As cold as ice.¡± Jared gave us a half-smile. That¡¯s all that matters.¡¯ After he whipped thette to make it foamy, he brought it to Nicole. us, on the other hand, stood there in a daze for a few seconds before he recovered his senses. He looked at Jared, trying to hint at something. ¡°That kid mentioned something about a diamond!¡± The moment Jared turned to look at him, us put away his flippant smile and sighed inwardly. ¡°Mr. Johnston, did you give Miss Riddle a diamond?¡± Jared¡¯s face suddenly became clouded, and his eyes darkened. The only diamond he was aware of was the pink diamond he had seen at the Gold Session auction recently. ¡®Could it be Harvey bought it for Nicole? That brat still has the balls to make a move on my girl. ¡®Interesting. I guess I¡¯ll have a good conversation with him when we meet again.¡¯ Chapter 332 Chapter 332 Chapter 332 The Rogers residence¨C It was a sunny day. Lyana was in her bedroom staring at the messages she had sent to Jared. Apparently, there was no reply. She got up angrily, wanting to scream to vent her frustration. But before she did that, her phone screen suddenly lit up. Lyana was surprised. She took her phone. But when she read the message, her face gradually turned grave with vague light in her eyes. She got up and left her room. On her way out, her servant approached her in a servile manner, wanting to say something to her. But Lyana did not spare the servant a nce and left the mansion building. The Rogers family¡¯s driver waiting on the car porch was surprised to see Lyana. But it did not take him long to recover to his senses and open the car door for her. Lyana was in a hurry that she did not even bring along the bodyguards who used to follow her everywhere she went. She got in the car and instructed the driver, ¡°Take me to the Riddle residence!¡± The driver was surprised again. But he did not dare to go against the youngdy¡¯s order, so he immediately started the engine. On their way to the Riddle residence, her face looked as ck as thunder. What did Nicole do to grandpa that he purposely sent someone to invite her over? The Riddles have got to exin to me when I reach there,¡¯ Lyana thought. The car traveled at high speed and reached the gate of the Riddle residence in no time. Most of the Riddles were sighted waiting at the gate too. Apparently, they had returned after hearing the news. Dillon was standing beside Damien, looking desperate. His status in the Riddle family had been seriously diminished. To regain Mr. Riddle Sr.¡¯s favor again, he wanted to do his best to please Lyana Rogers, the youngdy of the Rogers family. The Rogers family¡¯s car stopped at the gate of the Riddle residence. The moment Dillon saw a slender leg swing out, he immediately knew that person was that youngdy. He strode to the car and pushed the driver to the side, and even offered Lyana his hand to take. His servility startled Lyana a bit. However, she did not reject it. She casually ced her hand on his, acting sophisticated. Dillon was overjoyed. He helped her up and said in a servile tone, ¡°Ms. Rogers, we¡¯ve prepared a feast. Allow me to escort you.¡± Lyana was feeling better upon seeing his obsequious attitude. Damien, on the other hand, adjusted his sses while looking at Dillon¡¯s action impassively.¡¯ Dillon is not good in everything except for bootlicking. No one can beat him in that aspect!¡¯ When he thought of that, he followed Lyana to the house building and said with a gentle voice, ¡°Hi, Ms. Rogers. I wonder what brings you here.¡± Lyana¡¯s face darkened the moment she was reminded of her purpose. Instead of walking further, she folded her arms and sneered. With an icy voice, she said, ¡°Just look at yourselves. Trying hard to butter me up. Nicole Riddle must have used a simr approach to gain my grandpa¡¯s favor! Tell me. What¡¯s with that Nicole? What kind of tricks she has used on my grandpa?¡± When she said that, even Dexter, who had been following them quietly, was wide-eyed. ¡®Nicole has ties with Mr. Rogers Sr.?! ¡®She can¡¯t be serious!¡¯ Damien did not expect he would step on Lyana¡¯s toes with a simple question. However, he was quick-witted. He said with a smile, ¡°Nicole was not brought up in our family, so we don¡¯t really know her well. Ms. Rogers, as someone as prestigious as you, no need to bother yourself with her!¡± Simrly, Dillon, whom Lyana had mocked just now, gave away his self-respect and chimed in smoothly, ¡°Ms. Rogers, we treat you respectfully because you¡¯re the prestigious youngdy from the Rogers family. If it was someone from other families, I wouldn¡¯t even spare them a nce! A country bumpkin like Nicole is nothingpared to you. She might have piqued Mr. Rogers Sr.¡¯s interest for now, but it won¡¯tst long!¡± Dillon made it sound as though there was something dirty going on between Nicole and Mr. Rogers Sr. His words made Lyana¡¯s mood much better. Only then did she continue to walk to the house building. Although her voice remained icy cold, her expression was not as stem as before. Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. Chapter 333 Chapter 333 Chapter 333 ¡°Call the head of your family over. I want to talk to him about Nicole!¡± To Lyana, the Riddle family was nothingpared to her family. Her family could crush them like a bug. This is property ? N?velDrama.Org. She thought so highly about herself that she felt she deserved to be treated with the utmost respect. The Riddles were startled for a second. They were puzzled about her intention to meet Mr. Riddle Sr. However, Dillon reacted immediately. He gave her a servile smile as he said, ¡°Ms. Rogers, please take a seat. I¡¯ll let my father know.¡± Lyana looked at the chairs and tables before her disdainfully. ¡®All chairs at my home are made of luxurious wood. These furniture pieces made of low-grade rosewood are just tasteless. ¡®But since I¡¯m here¡­¡¯Lyana gave Damien a look. However, he did not show any response. He was not as quick-witted as Dillon when it came to this. Lyana felt unhappy.. ¡°Wipe the chair clean for me!¡± she said. Damien lowered his gaze. His eyes glinted under the sses. But heplied with Lyana¡¯s demand with a smile, epting the way she treated him ¨C like a servant. Damien took the handkerchief from the servant beside him and gently wiped the chair. There was a mixed feeling in Dexter¡¯s eyes at the sight of Lyana¡¯s attitude. He knew she was that prestigious youngdy from the Rogers family, but her arrogance was a bit too much. The haughty look she gave him and his brothers, as well as their family servants, made him feel ufortable. It was as though every single person and thing from the Riddle family was garbage. Dexter could not bring himself to act like his brothers, who threw away their pride just to please that youngdy. He still held onto his dignity. Hence, he did not greet Lyana and stood behind his brothers quietly. Lyana let out a cold smirk. But before she could speak, the house door was opened. It was Snow and Raine, both in a miserable state. They had lost their usual elegance and poise. One could even see some dust on them. Damien scowled at them and said coldly, ¡°What happened to you two?¡± Lyana already looked down on the Riddle family. Yet, Snow and Raine came back in a miserable state. Damien was deeply frustrated, but he could only vent his emotions at Snow and Raine instead of Lyana. Snow and Raine were startled by their uncle¡¯s sudden burst of rage. Raine pursed her lips with a sad face and said resentfully, ¡°It was all because of Nicole!¡± Snow echoed, ¡°Nicole is too despicable!¡± She was almost certain that Nicole was the one who had stolen her diamond. But never did she expect Nicole to own a purple diamond more than double the size of hers. As she thought of this, she gritted her teeth. Chapter 333 On top of that, Gary and Harvey¡¯s reactions were sharp thoms in Snow and Raine¡¯s hearts. They med it all on Nicole. Their eyes were filled with deep hatred at the thought of her. Damien frowned upon hearing them. ¡®Nicole might have gone too far. But this is something we should settle behind closed doors. Not to mention we have a guest here!¡¯ Chapter 334 Chapter 334 Chapter 334 When Damien was about to reprimand Raine and Snow, Lyana suddenly changed her haughty and disdainful attitude. ¡°What did you just say?¡± Lyana thought, ¡®These two girls seem to hate Nicole!¡¯ Only then did Snow and Raine take a close look at the beautiful yet arrogant youngdy before them. But none of them spoke. It was a woman¡¯s instinctive wariness of another woman. Lyana rolled her eyes inwardly at the sight of it. She put away her look of despise and gave Snow and Raine a perfunctory smile. ¡°Come, tell me more about it. How did Nicole bully you?¡± Snow and Raine were startled. Snow looked at Damien and got the hint to ept the invitation because Lyana was not someone they could offend. Hence, she walked over to Lyana and badmouthed Nicole Raine, who was next to Snow, exaggerated some details. Damien could vaguely hear their conversation. Although he wanted to please Lyana, he was. reluctant to let an outsider know about the incidents Snow and Raine had described. ¡®No matter what Nicole has done, she is still one of the Riddles. When an outsider knows any of these, it¡¯ll certainly affect the Riddle family¡¯s image, not to mention my name!¡¯ At the thought of this, Damien was unhappy. Lyana, on the other hand, was in deep thought while listening to Snow and Raine¡¯s doctored stories. Suddenly, she thought of something and asked them with a superior tone. ¡°So you were saying Nicole liked to steal other¡¯s boyfriends, right?¡± Snow and Raine nodded after exchanging their looks, their eyes filled with malice. They med Nicole for the treatment they gained from Harvey and Gary. Lyana looked at the two of them. There was a hint of despise appeared in her eyes. ¡®Nicole is at most a vixen! She could steal men from you simply because you¡¯re ipetent!¡¯ Although Lyana had this thought, the expression on her face remained gentle as she wanted to find out more about Nicole from them. While they were having a conversation, Dillon went upstairs to get his father. When Mr. Riddle Sr. was told that the youngdy of the Rogers family was there, he looked at Daniel next to him and said tly, ¡°Daniel, help me downstairs.¡± Daniel said yes. Dillon did not have the chance to bootlick his father. He could only follow and resent them. He watched Daniel from behind with an urge to crush this brother of his into pieces. Mr. Riddle Sr. went downstairs and saw Lyana sitting with a half-smile at the ce he used to sit. While his granddaughters, Snow and Raine, were busy telling her something. Damien furrowed his brows while Dexter, who was standing at the corner, was pondering about something with his head low. Mr. Riddle Sr. felt a little offended without showing it. ¡®She has overstepped her role as a guest.¡¯ No matter how inferior the status of the Riddle family to the Rogers family, Lyana was just a guest, and she was not an elder. So, Mr. Riddle Sr. found her behavior uneptable. Nevertheless, he did not show it on his face. Instead, he greeted Lyana with a gentle smile. Although he had just recovered from a serious illness, his voice was full of energy. ¡°Ms. Owned by N?velDrama.Org. Rogers, what a great honor to have you here.¡± Chapter 335 Chapter 335 Chapter 335 Although Mr. Riddle Sr. was there, Lyana had no intention to give away the seat. She gave him a nod but showed no respect toward him. She stopped Snow and Raine from talking further and said coldly, ¡°I¡¯m here because I want to know how exactly you handle your grandchild. Nicole Riddle has made my grandfather lose his mind. I didn¡¯t expect she would also ruin your family. Is this how the head of a family does their job?¡± Ever since Mr. Riddle Sr. went through a life-and-death situation, his mentality had changed a lot. In the face of Lyana¡¯s questions, he said indifferently, ¡°I do not know how Ms. Rogers arrived at this conclusion. From what I see, Nicole is just in her rebellious phase. What she did was not something as serious as you think.¡± Lyana smirked. ¡°I bet she got it from her elders. Is this how the Riddle family does things?¡± She got up and mmed the table. Dillon did not heed Mr. Riddle Sr.¡¯s expression when he saw her angry. He quickly approached her, trying tofort her¡­ ¡°Ms. Rogers, don¡¯t be angry. Nicole does deserve some lessons for what she did. Perhaps you can wait a little longer. When she returns, I¡¯ll send her to your ce to apologize to you! There¡¯s no need for someone like you to be bothered with that ignorant brat!¡±. Lyana¡¯s mood lightened up a lot after listening to Dillon¡¯s words. She let out a snort before looking at Mr. Riddle Sr. She was satisfied with Dillon¡¯s solution. Now what matters was how Mr. Riddle Sr. thought about it. However, Mr. Riddle Sr. did not look at her. He shot Dillon a cold stare. Daniel heard the way Lyana. Her insinuations were putting Nicole in a tight spot. He frowned at Lyana and said, ¡°Ms. Rogers, is there any misunderstanding between you and Nicole? She¡¯s nothing like you¡¯ve said¡± Lyana looked at the man before her with a hint of disdain in her eyes. ¡°Who are you? How dare you question me! You have the nerve to speak up for Nicole. Are you one of her love interests too?¡± Daniel¡¯s face darkened the moment he heard her. ¡°For god¡¯s sake, I¡¯m Nicole¡¯s father! How dare you make such remarks, Is this the manner taught in the Rogers family?¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. looked like he was offended as well. ¡®Never mind her rudeness. But what she said was uneptable!¡± However, Mr. Riddle Sr. did not say a word. He continued watching Lyana indifferently. Lyana could not stand criticism from any bunch of these people. Owned by N?velDrama.Org. When she heard Daniel¡¯s words, she became furious as she sneered. ¡°How dare you talk to me like that? Do you think I won¡¯t tell my grandfather to deal with your family when I get back?¡± Dillon¡¯s expression changed up when he heard her. He believed that Lyana would do that. During thest encounter with someone from the Rogers family, he got reprimanded by his father for his remarks. After the incident, he tried to find out more details about the Rogers family. As a result, he was shocked by the findings. Never did he expect the Rogers family to be a prominent family in San Joto. They were the third most influential family after the Johnstons and the Ellisons, ¡®Although our family has deep roots, we are nothingpared to the Rogers family. They can crush us anytime!¡¯ With this in his mind, Dillon became extremely nervous upon hearing Lyana¡¯s words. ¡°Ms. Rogers, there¡¯s no need to make this a conflict between two families just because of Nicole. We always think that the Rogers family is admirable!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll hand Nicole over to you when she returns! Lyana felt better after she heard Dillon. ¡°This sounds more pleasing to the ear! Why do they act like somebody when they¡¯re nothingpared to my family?!¡± Chapter 336 Chapter 336 Chapter 336 Daniel looked at Dillon and frowned. ¡°We don¡¯t have to be at their beck and call.¡± There was clearly a gap between the Riddle family and the Rogers family. However, in Daniel¡¯s point of view, there was no reason to lose their dignity over some intimidation. Not when the person that was going to be handed over was his daughter. He wiped the warm smile off his face and looked over to Dillon, who had a cold gaze. Damien and Dexter remained quiet in the background as they watched everything unfold. Although both of them wanted to get on the good side of the Rogers family, they never thought of doing it in such an undignified way. Hence, to some extent, they were not yet considered hopeless. On the other hand, Dillon was not ready to bow down at Daniel¡¯s request. ¡°Don¡¯t you stir up trouble, Daniel. Ms. Rogers hase to find us, and you dare say that Nicole has done nothing wrong? I don¡¯t believe you!¡± It was clear that he was defending Lyana. After saying all that, Dillon turned to look at her in hopes of getting some gratitude and praise. His eyes filled with greed. Lyana¡¯s impression of him was good. He was well acquainted, and it would not be a big deal to acknowledge him ¡°Help me take care of Nicole, and I¡¯ll speak kindly of you to my grandfather when I return to my family home.¡± Dillon¡¯s eyes lit up as he heard this. He was overjoyed. ¡°Thank you, mydy! Thank you! There was news going around that mydy is a kind-hearted person. I¡¯ve witnessed it today!¡± Damien felt ufortable after hearing what Lyana had said. ¡®If Dillon got a stamp of approval from Mr. Rogers. Sr., his status in the Riddle family would be greatly affected. He¡¯ll even secure a higher ce in the whole of San Joto! Isn¡¯t this what I¡¯ve been working so hard for?¡¯ Dexter looked at his brother with a set ofplex emotions. ¡®How dare he?¡¯ Dillon was grinning ear to ear. He looked at his brothers with a face full of pride while Daniel looked at him in disappointment. ¡°How could you..¡± Lyana fixed her gaze toward Mr. Riddle. Sr. and said, ¡°I¡¯ll give you onest chance. Tell me how you¡¯ll hold her ountable.¡± During that time, Nicole had already bid farewell to Jared and decided to go to the Riddle family home. The Math Olympiad was that afternoon, so she did not have to go to ss. Thus, she chose to visit Mr. Roger Sr. before going to school. Not long after she walked out of the caf¨¦, a familiar ck streamlined car stopped in front of her. The window rolled down to reveal a handsome face. Jared smiled and said, ¡°Get in.¡± Nicole raised an eyebrow. ¡®He didn¡¯t say a word when we said goodbye just now. But now he wants me to get in his car?¡¯ She thought. Though, she did not reject his kind offer. She opened the door on the other side of the car and got in. us focused on driving when Jared said, ¡°us told me someone followed you around today. Who was he?¡± ¡°He¡¯s my ssmate,¡± Nicole said with nothing to hide. ¡®Oh?¡¯ Jared turned to look at her in silence. ¡°I think he likes you,¡± Jared yfully said after quite some time. ¡®If us was right, this kid might be ill-willed,¡¯ he thought. ¡®Gary? Liking me?¡¯ Nicole looked at Jared as if she was looking at an idiot. This is property ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡®There¡¯s no chance Gary¡¯s attracted to me with how he treats me.¡¯ ¡°That¡¯s impossible.¡± Chapter 337 Chapter 337 Chapter 337 A faint smile appeared on Jared¡¯s face when he saw Nicole¡¯s unwavering attitude. He knew that Nicole would not fall for someone from the Finley family. But the thing he cared about was the diamond. ¡°That ssmate of yours mentioned a diamond? What was that about?¡± Nicole shot a cold gaze at us when she heard this. ¡°What a loyal big mouth. I can¡¯t believe he told Jared everything.¡¯ Besides being dissatisfied with us, Nicole did not react to the incident. She was calm and collected while she looked out the car window with one hand on her chin. Her lips quirked into a half-smile as she nced at Jared and said, ¡°Zeke gave it to me. Commander Guzman yed a part in this too. Why are you asking?¡± Jared frowned slightly and thought, ¡®So that¡¯s what happened? The Guzmans gave it to her? It wasn¡¯t Harvey?¡¯ This made Jared feel a little better. us was stunned when he heard this. He could not help but peek at Nicole from the rearview mirror. ¡®Nicole and Zeke? How could this be?¡¯ ¡®Wait, Max had told me that Specter¡¯s real name was ¡°Zeke¡±. So it¡¯s very likely that Nicole is¡­! us was deep in thought and lost control of the steering wheel. The car swerved, and they almost hit a tree. Fortunately for them, us reacted quickly, and they returned to the road without any harm. Nicole was expressionless, but Jared shed a stern look toward him. ¡®I need to do something about him. He¡¯s been easily distractedtely us knew he messed up. He stayed quiet for the whole ride. When they arrived, he nced at Jared as if to confirm something. Jared noddedzily. ¡®No way¡­ Nicole is Lucifer?!¡¯ us did not expect it. ¡®I thought she was just a skillful college student.¡¯ ¡®But why did Commander Guzman gift her a diamond?¡¯ He could not figure it out. He looked at Jared again, but Jared did not give him another look. Instead, he got out of the car and followed Nicole. us was puzzled at this newfound information. ¡®How does Nicole know Karlo?¡¯ The Finley family worked with a lot of people. Thus, us and Karlo were familiar with each other. He knew that this old man was upright and took rules and regtions very seriously. ¡®This man is a difficult person to deal with.This is property ? N?velDrama.Org. How did Nicole conquer his heart?¡¯ He thought as he followed them out of the car. Jared looked at Nicole and gently stroked the hair on the side of her face. ¡®I¡¯ll wait for you here,¡¯he said softly There was also a hint of softness in Nicole¡¯s eyes. She nodded and turned to open the door of the Riddle family home. However, when she was about to push the door open, she sensed something and backed up. The next moment, the door mmed open to reveal Lyana¡¯s arrogant face Chapter 338 Chapter 338 Chapter 338 Behind Lyana were the sycophantic Dillon and the expressionless Damien Benjamin and Daniel did not see her off. She was in a rage. Not only did that old man not want to deal with Nicole, but he even kicked me out of his house! And now someone is blocking my path?!¡¯ ¡°Hey! Are you bli Before she finished her words, she saw the person in front of her. Her eyes sparkled with surprise, There was also a hint of shyness behind her eyes. ¡°J-Jared? Why are you here?¡± ¡®Did hee to see me? Nicole raised her eyebrows upon this encounter. She nced at Jared and then at the three brothers behind Lyana. Something was on her mind. Jared looked at Lyana with indifference. He then sensed a hint of yfulness in Nicole¡¯s eyes. His eyes slightly curved upwards as he stretched out his hand to pull Nicole to his side. ¡°Are youughing at me?¡± Nicole showed no emotions, ¡°No?¡± Jared grinned widely at the sight of Nicole not pulling away from him. He was beaming from the inside out. However, he knew that Nicole had matters to attend to. Hence, he decided to let her go. Before that, he put his lips close to her ear and whispered loud enough for everyone to hear, ¡°Go on. Don¡¯t make me wait too long.¡± Nicole nodded. She ignored the group of people who stared at her with aplicated gaze, including Lyana. She was there to give Mr. Riddle Sr. his medicine, not to give them a show. Though, Nicole¡¯s dismissiveness toward the matter did not mean Lyana would dismiss her. Lyana¡¯s heart sank when she saw the two share an intimate moment. She found it hard to breathe. The jealousy she felt prepared her to kill ¡®I¡¯ve been in love with Jared for three years. I dropped out of school just to go to Hustuaburg and follow in his footsteps. It doesn¡¯t matter how harshly he treats me. He has treated other women the same,¡¯ Lyana told herself. ¡®He just doesn¡¯t know how to express himself. He just hasn¡¯t known me that well. He just hasn¡¯t had the time¡­¡± All the lies she told herself were brought to the light when she saw how he treated Nicole. N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. Her nails dug into her palms as she thought about it. At first, Lyana only wanted Nicole to stop dreaming so big. She wanted her to know that even if she got to know her grandfather, she still could not climb to the top. But now? She wants to crush her. ¡°Stop right there.¡± Lyana¡¯s gaze changed. She did not dare look at Jared. Instead, she looked at Nicole, who did not bat her an eye. She felt a rush of blood to the head. She took a few steps forward and rushed to Nicole¡¯s side. ¡°I told you to stop!¡± she grabbed her wrist and spoke. Nicole looked back at her with no emotions in her eyes. ¡°Is something wrong?¡± she asked coldly. Lyana gritted her teeth and looked at Nicole¡¯s delicate features with a hint of jealousy. ¡°You seduced Jared! How could you be so shameless?!¡± Damien and Dexter fixed their gaze upon Jared. They did not dare provoke him. So they bowed their heads in silence. Jared¡¯s face turned cold when he heard those words. He stepped forward and said, ¡°What did you say?¡± Lyana¡¯s whole body froze as soon as she heard his voice sound behind her ears. Chapter 339 Chapter 339 Lyana turned around stiffly with a gentle smile on her face. However, it did not match what she had just said. ¡°Jared, you and I are a match. We¡¯re of the same social ranks. I know you have some good friends outside, but there is no reason to get angry over her.¡± In Lyana¡¯s eyes, Nicole is just Jared¡¯s ything. That is why she dared call her out in front of him. Nicole found Lyana funny. ¡®A match? Same social ranks?¡¯ Jared smiled at the sound of that. For a moment, it seemed like thousands of flowers were blooming in front of Lyana¡¯s eyes. However, his pupils darkened the next second. His voice was cold and sharp,¡± Lyana, if you¡¯re toofortable in your position, I don¡¯t mind letting you step down and take a rest.¡± Lyana stared at him as he said that. His words cut through her like a de. Although his tone was not harsh, she knew that he was serious. She could not help but shudder at the thought of what the third household of the Rogers family had gone through after offending the Johnston family. Jared noticed Nicole¡¯s eyes upon him. He turned to look at her, and the coldness from his face dissipated. ¡°GO,¡± he said softly. Nicole nodded, turned away, and continued walking into the family home. She was relieved that she did not have to deal with Lyana¡¯s nonsense. Lyana¡¯s eyes redden with anger when she saw how protective Jared was of Nicole. She red at her back angrily. It was as if she wanted to burn a hole in her back with her re. Though, when Jared turned to face her, she slowly lowered her head in fear. His eyes were dull, but there was something unmistakable in his gaze. Owned by N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Do some self-reflection when you go home. Don¡¯t let me hear those words again.¡± ¡°Otherwise, you know the consequences.¡± He walked towards his car after he said that. us stood there and looked at Lyana¡¯s pale face with a mocking yet pitiful gaze. ¡®Master Jared is a devil to everyone other than Miss Riddle. How idiotic of Lyana to speak of her like that.¡¯ At the same time, us¡¯ eyes darkened at the thought of Lyana¡¯s words. ¡®Master Jared couldn¡¯t bear hearing someone speak ill of Miss Riddle. But what Lyana had said to him had a clear meaning. Only someone of the same social rank as him can be his wife.¡¯ us was reminded that no matter how exceptional Nicole was, her family background would not allow her to be married to Jared. He sighed as he thought of his master¡¯s attitude. ¡®Life¡¯s hard for someone who must worry about everything his master does!¡¯ Lyana stood there embarrassed. It was as if she was naked in front of everyone. She was humiliated by someone she loved in front of people that she treated like ants. She made a mental note to get back at Nicole for all this. ¡®That b*tch! First, she stole Jared away. Now, she¡¯s instigated him to treat me this way?!¡¯ ¡®It¡¯s just a phase. When Jared gets tired of this woman, he¡¯ll definitely stay by my side!¡¯ Chapter 340 Chapter 340 Lyana felt much better after she thought of that. Dillon saw that she had calmed down. Thus, he cautiously leaned forward ad said, ¡°Mydy, don¡¯t be mad. It¡¯s not good for your body. It¡¯s all Nicole¡¯s fault.¡± ¡®Did he just mention Nicole?!¡¯ Lyana wanted to rip his mouth out. ¡®No matter how much he tries to tter me, he is still trash. And he has the cheek to talk to me like this?¡¯ ¡°How dare you say that?¡± she asked coldly. That angered Dillon. He was shocked at how quickly her mood changed. However, he thought of how she will praise him in front of Mr. Rogers Sr. and hastily said, ¡°Please calm down, Miss Rogers. I¡¯m trying my best to help you. Do you still mean what you said earlier?¡± Lyana was thoroughly annoyed at him. Her eyes were full of ridicule and disdain. ¡°You want me to help you? You must first deserve it!¡± she said. Following that, she strode out. Her footsteps slowed down as she walked past Jared¡¯s car. She nced at the car with a hint of nostalgia in her eyes and continued her way out. Jared¡¯s words were harsh. She did not dare to make a scene further. us was surprised when he saw Lyana walk away. He was sure that she would have caused some trouble. He stood near the car and watched as her figure vanished. The Riddle family knew Jared, but no one dared approach the ck car. Could it be that he and Nicole are actually getting married? Didn¡¯t they say they¡¯ll cancel the wedding when Mr. Johnston Sr. gets better? After all, the Johnston family is not what it used to be, and the Riddle family could no longer climb the social rankings. But Daniel and the Johnston family have not mentioned anything about calling off the marriage. ¡°Jared and Nicole are getting closer. Could it be¡­! Damien and Dillon¡¯s expressions changed when they thought about it. ¡®If Nicole gets in with the Johnston family, there is no chance for us to hold off the fourth household. Not even if Snow and Harvey get together.¡¯ They went back into the hall of the Riddle family home in embarrassment. They felt dejected when they saw Nicole delivering water to Mr. Riddle Sr. There was no need for him to lie in bed all the time anymore since his spirits were up. The two sisters, Raine and Snow, were not far from Nicole. Their faces filled with glee when they learned that Nicole had offended the great and well-known Lyana. ¡®Even grandfather can¡¯t save her now! She¡¯ll be miserable! Nicole noticed their gaze, but she did not care. She looked at Mr. Riddle Sr. as if nothing had happened. She then turned to look at Daniel standing by his side. His face softened when he met her eyes. ¡°What¡¯s the matter, Nicole?¡±. Since they did not want to talk about it, Nicole did not push for more answers. The way they did not join the others in seeing Lyana off exined everything.N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. Chapter 341 Chapter 341 Nicole had no doubt that Daniel would stand by her side. She however did not expect Mr. Riddle Sr., who had not favored her all this while, too was so indifferent to Lyana¡¯s departure. From their attitude, Nicole was sure that Lyana came here this time for her. She pondered for a moment, trying to think in what way she had offended Lyana. She quickly reminded of the time when the Rogers family had sent men over to ¡®pick¡¯ her up and had a rough idea what was going on. She looked at Daniel and did not mention the matter. Instead, she spoke inly about Mr. Riddle Sr.¡¯s condition. ¡°Grandpa is recovering well, but he must not exert himself.¡± When Daniel heard that, he gently heaved a sigh of relief. His father¡¯s health was far more important than that youngdy from the Rogers family. Nicole¡¯s words too were another shot of encouragement for him. Mr. Riddle Sr. too appeared very calm. He clearly knew his own condition and how he was faring. Thus, there was a look of genuine gratitude towards Nicole in his eyes. This child was erratic, not unlike a whirlwind, yet she had always been back and forth for him, so how could Mr. Riddle Sr. not see it? Thinking of how loathsome the words Lyana had spat upon Nicole, a look of disgust appeared in Mr. Riddle Sr.¡¯s eyes. At this moment, Dillon rushed in first as he went straight after Nicole. He almost wanted to grab her by the cor as his voice got a little distorted. ¡°What¡¯s the matter with you? You¡¯ve offended the youngdy of the Rogers family. If you want to die, don¡¯t drag us along with you!¡± ¡®She had the support of Jared Johnston, but what about them?¡¯ ¡®All of them will suffer because of this!¡¯ He was just this close to get on with Mr. Rogers Sr. and that was totally ruined because of Nicole! Behind him, Damien and Dexter walked as well as the former gave Nicole a veryplicated look. ¡°Nicole, tell Uncle Damien honestly. What¡­ is your rtionship with Jared now?¡± Dexter too looked at Nicole with an inquisitive look in his eyes. Nicole looked on impassively at the few of them. She, however, did not answer the question. It was Daniel¡¯s interest which got piqued instead. ¡°Nicole, is Mr. Jared waiting for you outside? Looking at Daniel¡¯s perplexed expression, Nicole said somewhat helplessly to him, ¡°Yes. I was having coffee with him, and he sent me back.¡± When they heard this answer, the Riddle brothers could not believe it, not even Dillon. She went out for a coffee with Jared?¡¯ Daniel pondered for bit and said, ¡°Nicole¡­ Be honest, do you no longer wish to cancel the marriage arrangement?¡± As he said that, Mr. Riddle Sr. could not help but to be taken aback. ¡°Canceling the marriage arrangement? What are you on about?¡± The marriage between Nicole and the Johnston family was painstakingly arranged by Mr. Riddle Sr., so who was canceling it again? Seeing that he could no longer hide it, Daniel said, ¡°Dad, Mr. Jared hade to look for Nicole at my home, and between the lines he hinted at hoping that Nicole would pro-actively bring up the cancetion of marriage. I had asked Nicole for her opinion, and she agreed to it.¡± Not wanting his daughter to be med by the old man, Daniel put all of the responsibility on Jared. However, when he spoke to thetter the other day, he could tell that Jared wanted to cancel the arrangement but felt it was better if it was Nicole to bring it up. After so many days, he had nevere to the Riddle family manor again to take Nicole to tell Mr. Riddle Sr. the matter. He originally thought that Mr. Riddle Sr. was still unwell, but now it looked like¡­ Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org. Both Nicole and Jared have other ns now. ¡°Nonsense! Although that marriage was arranged in haste back then, Mr. Johnston Sr. is a man of his word. How can you youngsters do as you please? I won¡¯t agree to any cancetion!¡± Chapter 342 Chapter 342 Mr. Riddle Sr. was a little angry. Back then, when the Riddle and the Johnston families were equal established families, however, the Johnston family¡¯s business focus was overseas, so their reputation within the country was not even as acimed as the Riddle family was. So, when they talked about this marriage, Mr. Riddle Sr. did not pay much attention to the Johnston family, so he promised the child from his fourth son to the Johnston family. However, today, the Johnston family had turned the focus of all of their overseas industries back into the country, and they had be the wealthiest family in San Joto in a blink of an eye. For Nicole to have such wealthy inws was indeed her fortune. How can he agree to the cancetion? ¡°Dad, don¡¯t get mad. Jared had such intentions back then, but now¡­ I suppose the two of them have other ns now?¡± Daniel looked helplessly at Nicole as he awaited her answer. Nicole suddenly felt shy as she did not know how to respond and could only nod shyly. This was the first time Daniel saw his daughter being so bashful and did not say anything else. It was then that Mr. Riddle Sr. finally calmed down as he said with relief, ¡°Since that¡¯s the case, I won¡¯t me you any further. That boy from the Johnston family is brilliant, so you must get along nicely with him, okay?¡±. When they heard this, Damien and the rest were stunned. ¡®Is Nicole really in a rtionship with Jared?¡¯ This is property ? N?velDrama.Org. When Dillon recalled Lyana¡¯s attitude towards Jared, he could not help but sneer. ¡°Nicole, stop lying. Ms. Rogers had said that she was the one mostpatible with Jared. With her around, you think Mr. Johnston will take a liking to you? Do you take us for fools?¡± Since Jared had come asking her to cancel the wedding arrangement, he would definitely not change his mind! As soon as he said that, Nicole¡¯s eyes immediately turned icy. She looked at Dillon, his face had nothing but mockery on it, and he did not look like a good person at all. ¡°Uncle Dillon, please watch your words.¡± She did not want to argue with him, but he was just disgusting ¡®I, Nicole Riddle, is not such a sorry wretch that I¡¯d be the bottom pick!¡¯ As Nicole¡¯s icy gazended on him, Dillon could not help but shudder. Yet, how could he admit defeat before a little girl? As the thought crossed his mind, he straightened his back even more as he looked at Nicole as if he was right. ¡°What do you mean by watch my words? You should be the one watching your words! Ms. Rogers had already made things very clear, and no matter how I see it, you¡¯re the one being the third wheel. So, if you know what¡¯s good for you, you should be canceling that engagement!¡± When Mr. Rogers Sr. heard that, he could not help but frown. ¡°Did Lyana actually say that?¡± ; ¡®No wonder she woulde to cause a ruckus here today. Aside from Mr. Roger Sr.¡¯s matter, there¡¯s probably also this.¡¯ Dillon immediately cast his gaze toward Damien and Dexter. ¡°Damien, Dexter, I¡¯m not bullshitting. The two of you have heard that too, right?¡± Damien hesitated for a moment but still nodded. Dexter, on the other hand, did not react as he looked somewhat disapprovingly at Dillon. Although no one knew the rtionship between Jared and Lyana, his defense of Nicole before Lyana was clear as day. Nicole looked at Dillon as she smirked, yet her voice was icy. ¡°So, Uncle Dillon, you¡¯re believing her just because she¡¯s from the Rogers family?¡± When Mr. Riddle Sr. heard that, a glint shed across his eyes. He had seen his second son¡¯s actions clearly; thetter was targeting Nicole just so he could please Lyanater on! Thinking of this, Mr. Riddle Sr.¡¯s gaze at Dillon grew extremely cold. ¡®For him to be able to sell out his own family, I wonder how I ended up with a son like this.¡¯ Dillon looked at Nicole and wanted to avoid her piercing gaze. The boldness in his voice was gone and was reced with a trace of guilt. ¡°Why would I? It¡¯s just because I¡¯m your uncle and I¡¯ll need to be responsible for you! Should Jared Johnston dump youter in the future and turn to be with Ms. Rogers, the one losing face is not just you, but the entire Riddle family!¡± These words pierced straight into Damien¡¯s heart! He then turned toward Nicole with a look of doubt in his eyes. Chapter 343 Chapter 343 ¡®Nicole was much more beautiful than the youngdy of the Rogers family, but in terms of familial background¡­¡¯ ¡®Will Jared really choose her?¡¯ Nicole was unfazed as her voice remained very calm. ¡°Uncle Dillon, let¡¯s stop it right there.¡± If he were to continue to mess around like that, she could not guarantee she would remain so polite! When she said that, Dillon¡¯s momentum was immediately cut by half. He knew Nicole¡¯s character! However, Snow and Raine could no longer hold back as they rushed over and yelled at Nicole. ¡°Stop trying to act all high and mighty! You¡¯ve made a habit of seducing men! Ms. Rogers had also mentioned it, she got to know Jared Johnston first!¡± Thinking of Harvey and Gary¡¯s attitude towards them, the two sisters got even more resentful. As they looked at Nicole, how they wished they could rip her apart. Nicole looked coldly at the two. They still not done after causing that farce in school today, and now they dare to provoke her here? She looked at Snow and Raine, her voice was but a whisper, yet it heralded theing of a storm. ¡°The two of you are just too much.¡± Everyone could see that Nicole was on the verge of exploding. Yet, Raine went off like gunpowder keg. Using her father as a crutch, she pointed at Nicole on the nose as she yelled. ¡°You are that vixen going around seducing everyone! If it weren¡¯t for you, Gary wouldn¡¯t be so cold to me! I guess you must¡¯ve used the same trick to steal away Lyana¡¯s boyfriend!¡± ¡°They had only known each other for a short while and Raine had already called her Lyana?¡¯ ¡®But why did she bring Gary up?¡¯ ¡®What does this have to do with Gary?¡¯ Nicole¡¯s face turned even more icy as she clenched her fist tightly. She was afraid that she could not hold it in and beat up the two in front of Mr. Riddle Sr. However, Mr. Riddle Sr. could ill-afford any stress now, so she held everything in. In any case, she had already watched Mr. Riddle Sr. taking his medicine, so there was no need for her to stay here. Thinking of this, she turned around and left. Owned by N?velDrama.Org. Just as Snow and Raine wanted to say something else, Mr. Riddle Sr. hissed coldly. ¡°Silence, both of you!¡± All three of them were his granddaughters, and no matter how wantonly the two insulted her, Nicole did not want to be calctive. So, Mr. Riddle Sr. had a grasp of things in his heart. As he looked at Nicole¡¯s back, he knew very well that she was definitely not how Dillon and his family portrayed her. As he watched Nicole walked out of the door, Mr. Riddle Sr. did not stop her. He had more important things to attend to now. He turned around and no longer watched Nicole leave as he knocked his walking stick against the floor as he looked at the grime on Snow and Raine¡¯s face, his voice icy. ¡°The two of you,e with me!¡± Before he left, he did not forget to re at Dillon. ¡®It was all because of this son of his, that his originally good granddaughters had be like this! Jealous, hypocritical, vain, and not knowing their limits! Chapter 344 Chapter 344 Chapter 344 ¡®Is Lyana something Raine should be calling her?¡¯ Thinking of this, Mr. Riddle Sr.¡¯s gaze towards Dillon got even colder. He slowly walked back to his room as Daniel carefully helped him. Snow and Raine looked at each other and was somewhat at a loss. Ever since Mr. Riddle Sr. got sick, they felt that he had inexplicably distanced himself from the both of them, and instead got closer to Daniel and Nicole. When they thought of it, the two were resentful. However, no one dared to disobey Mr. Riddle Sr as they reluctantly followed him into his room. Daniel thoughtfully exited the room and closed the door for them. Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org. Yet, Raine rolled her eyes in secret. She had always looked down on Uncle Daniel, and he was just being contrived with that act! Mr. Riddle Sr. saw her expression, but his face betrayed no emotions. ¡°Raine, you¡¯re looking down on your Uncle Daniel, no?¡± When Raine heard that she was shocked. Recalling the attitude Mr. Riddle Sr. towards her family and dared not say yes, so she immediately lowered her head and said, ¡°No.¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. then turned towards Snow. ¡°How about you, Snow?¡± The smile had since long left Snow¡¯s face as she stood there with her face down and said no. Mr. Riddle Sr. looked at his two granddaughters as he gently closed his eyes. When he opened it again, his old eyes were radiating with brilliance. Outside the Riddle manor, Jared saw Nicoleing out so quickly. A perplexed look appeared on his face as a cold glint appeared in his eyes. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? You look horrible. Were you bullied?¡± Nicole looked at him. There was no change in her expression, but she let out a sigh. ¡°I¡¯m just a little tired.¡± Some people will only forever see what they wanted to see, hear what they wanted to hear, instead of opening their eyes and see what the truth is like. Jared looked thoughtfully at Nicole, and then turned to us as he said. ¡°Get down.¡± us did not dare to ask any questions as he got out of the car. ¡®No choice, he¡¯s the boss.¡¯ Jared then sat directly onto the driver¡¯s seat. Nicole was a little surprised at Jared¡¯s behavior, but she did not say anything as she opened the car door and got into the co-driver seat. Jared looked very gently at her as he leaned over and help her put on the seatbelt. His fingers were long and slender, when Nicole looked at his movements, she was a little entranced. TOSS When he lifted his body, Nicole did not dodge as her lips gently brushed across his cheeks, bringing her a numbness that was beyond words. Jared¡¯s long brows trembled a little as he sat back onto his seat normally as he cast a smile at Nicole. ¡°Sit tight.¡± Nicole was a little startled, but seeing him so calm, she was relieved. She then let out a gentle ¡°Okay.¡± Jared¡¯s driving was steady, and she felt what he said waspletely unnecessary. However, a secondter, the sudden jolt of speed made her look at him in surprise. There was not much expression on his face, but his hands on the steering were squeezing it tightly. He continued to step on the elerator and as Jared listened to the wind outside, he finally felt that the restlessness in his heart had merged with the roar of the engine, making it not obvious to anyone around him. He felt an itch. It was not only the spot where Nicole had identally pecked him, it was an uncontroble itch that roiled within him, causing a tsunami of emotions to kick off inside him. Chapter 345 Chapter 345 He drove faster and faster. Thankfully the Riddle family manor was some distance away from the city center, and there were few users on the road. Plus, there were no speed limits on the road here. It was probably prepared just for today. Nicole noticed that there were no speed limits, so she did not say anything. Jared, on the other hand, could not spare the thought for those. If it weren¡¯t for the fact that Nicole was seated beside him, he would have driven three times faster. There was no difort on Nicole¡¯s face. On the contrary, she leaned with some enjoyment as she felt the performance of this top-of-the-line car. She had to say, it was veryfortable. Jared did not drive towards the city center, but instead, he headed in a direction even further away from the city. He drove straight to the foot of a mountain. Nicole looked at the mountain before her and raised her eyebrows in surprise. The moment he turned off the engine, she opened the door and jumped out. She turned to look at him and wanted to ask him to get down from the car, but she was suddenly startled. She looked straight into the eyes seemingly with something surging inside it. Jared could sense her astonishment and recovered as a gentle light appeared faintly in his eyes as he looked gently at her. As if that deep gaze earlier was just her seeing things. Nicole was not mesmerized by him. She walked to him with a slightly puzzled look on her ice cold face. ¡°What were you thinking just now?¡± Jared looked at her clear, bright eyes. The sky was getting dark, but he could see the reflection of a thousand lights in her eyes, and it was enchantingly beautiful. He then stroked her face gently. When she suddenly got out of the car just now, it left him suddenly feeling empty, and he hated that feeling. He pondered a little and then said. ¡°I don¡¯t like the feeling of my partner leaving me.¡± Nicole quickly understood what he meant as a moonlight veil soon appeared over her eyes, looking at Jared. Immediately after, she ced a hand on Jared¡¯s cheek and another around his neck. She raised her head as she looked at herself in his eyes and kissed him on his chin. After that, a smile appeared on her face as she said, ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about those unnecessary things.¡± Since she had already admitted their rtionship to Mr. Riddle Sr., then she must act the part. Jared stared back at her in a daze, his heart suddenly beating wildly. All of his doubts, worries, and disbelief were now all answered. Looking at the person before him, Jared lowered his head a little, and Nicole could feel his shallow breathing by the side of her ears. His handsome eyes opened up before him as all frost had faded away, and the passage was open. He looked at Nicole with a gentle smile. ¡°Do that again? Hm?¡± ¡°Hm?¡± Nicole looked at his face and did not refuse him as she pulled him closer, and a beautiful smile appeared on her face. N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. ¡°The rest, is after getting that cup of coffee from you.¡± Jared was taken aback as a genuine smile appeared in his eyes. He was so enamored by Nicole that he could faint. He never expected her yful side to be so sultry. He looked at her extremely gorgeous face as he whispered into her eyes. ¡°Alright.¡± Nicole raised her eyebrows as she took a step back and pulled her hands away without much expression. Yet, she could not even move her hands. She looked suspiciously at Jared, seemingly telling him to let go. He then let her hands go obediently before grabbing her into his arms and kissing her at the center of her forehead. Chapter 346 Chapter 346 Everything happened in a blink of an eye. Nicole could not react at all to what was happening when Jared pulled away his hand, his voice sounding like a dream. ¡°This is payback.¡± Nicole nced at him as if some strings in her heart was being plucked. The person standing before her slightly raised his lips, and he looked like the prettiest scene ever. Nicole then covered her chest with a nk look. ¡®Who could have withstood that?! She turned her head around first as she walked to the other side. Her back was straight and if one were to look closely, it was an imperceptible stiffness to it. Jared looked at her back, the smile on his lips deepened. Hezily followed behind her, but his pace was only half-a-step behind. Looking from behind, their shadows merged together, and that man¡¯s back looked like a protector, eternally guarding the girl¡¯s peace. Ii Jared then led Nicole ahead. Soon, she saw a group of people at the foot of the hill, seemingly holding some kind of event there. Nicole curiously went into the crowd to have a look, and she saw the sign hanging not too far away, with arge ¡°Mount Daytonna Race¡± printed on it. I ! Nicole¡¯s eyes lit up as she said to Jared, ¡°Interesting, can I participate?¡± Jared raised his eyebrow. ¡°You know how to race?¡± Il He had brought her here just to allow her to rx and did not expect her to take the initiative to participate. ¡°Of course.¡± Nicole smiled. She had always loved racing, however, when she was with Mrs. Wace Sr., she did not reveal it for fear of worrying thetter. Now that she had nothing that she feared before Jared, she really wanted to give it a try. ¡°Go then.¡± Jared was not surprised. Nicole was such a person that nothing would surprise him anymore. Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org. She nodded and walked over to the registration booth in the front. At this moment, azy young man was seated there in a daze as he bit onto a leaf. Seeing Nicole walk over, he did not even blink as there was a tinge of impatience in his voice. ¡°Shoo, what¡¯s a youngdy doing here?¡± This was the most dangerous race in the entirety of San Joto. This girl, with how pretty and weak she was, it was obvious that she was some girl a rich scion had brought over to spectate. One need to know that those who woulde, and race were generally from very wealthy backgrounds After all, one may need to change cars and essories every few months, and that was not something an average family could afford. Those guys who had registered all looked over and a pretty girl like Nicole was rare in San Joto as many began to whistle at her. Nicole looked at the person at the registration booth with a cold and yful look, looking wild and free ¡°I want to run the whole course.¡± Seeing that the girl was not joking, his entire expression turned sullen. Racing here was equivalent to gambling on a race, and the odds were even higher than normal. If she were to join the race, everyone with half a brain will bet on her losing, and by then he, as the banker, will lose everything! He waved her off impatiently, looking at Nicole as if she was a money-losing prospect. Nicole¡¯s expression did not change as she pointed at the rule sheet before the young man, and her eyes squinted a little. ¡°But it¡¯s written there that any person who loves racing can participate, with no restrictions on age, gender or identity. So why can¡¯t I participate?¡± Chapter 347 Chapter 347 Just as the man opened his mouth and was about to say something, he saw a familiar figure by the corner of his eyes. Thetter had walked over to Nicole¡¯s side and had stood somewhat affectionately beside her. The young man immediately gawked. ¡°M-Mr. J-Johnston?¡± Jared casually twirled Nicole¡¯s hair with his fingertips and did not even deign to give the young man a look as he said, ¡°Take my car out and let her use it.¡± ¡®WHAT?¡¯ The young man had seen generous people before but had never seen someone so generous before. Giving such an amateur an intermediate level car was already equivalent to giving her the best. The young man had not expected Jared Johnston to let her drive his personal ride. ¡°Mr. Johnston, but that¡¯s¡­¡± A Koenigsegg, the most top-of-the-line sports car in the world. Owned by N?velDrama.Org. It only needed 2.58 seconds to go from zero to a hundred kilometers per hour. It was build using the most high-end of carbon fiber and was the lightest of them all. It could reach a top speed of 900 and was considered the pinnacle of sport cars, being regarded as the soul of all sport cars. Yet, for him to let this girl drive such a car, the young man¡¯s face was trembling. It was deplorable. Yet, this was Jared¡¯s request, and he had no right to refuse, much less saying no. The top-of-the-line supercars by the side were already in their positions with only a few standing outside, seemingly waiting for the race to start. A few of them impatiently shouted at the registration booth. ¡°Eh, Mack, what¡¯s the matter over there? Why aren¡¯t we starting yet?¡± The young man quickly wiped the sweat off his forehead as he yelled back at the jeering crowd. ¡°Shut up! What¡¯s the hurry? You want to meet your maker that badly?¡± Almost all of these people were from prestigious families of San Joto and had formed this car club for fun. There was no such thing as courtesy between these people. After all, their status was all about the same, it would be abnormal if they were too polite to one another. The person being called Mack turned around and look at Jared and his voice became much more respectful. He then reconfirmed with Jared, ¡°Mr. Johnston, you mean to take your car out and have this, uh,dy, drive it?¡± Jared gave a faint ¡°Yeah.¡± He had finally deigned to shift his gaze from Nicole onto Mack as he asked, ¡°How many people today?¡± ¡°Fifteen, so far.¡± Mack replied. Fifteen? The corners of Jared¡¯s lips raised. ¡°That¡¯s enough. Start the round. I¡¯ll be the dealer.¡± ¡®WHAT?¡¯ This time, Mack was really bbergasted. Normally they would wait until at least about twenty -five before starting the round. It was only then they would be sure to make a profit. ¡°But with Jared being the dealer¡­¡¯ ¡®Alright!¡¯ Mack gritted his teeth. In any case, with this woman around they would lose money for sure, so if there¡¯s someone else to take over, he was all for it. ¡°Well, you¡¯re the boss!¡± As they spoke, the Koenigsegg was brought out from the garage, the purple- gray car was low key yet exquisite at the same time, carrying with it the roar of cold steel. The car was ced on the sixteenth startingne, thest spot. Trying to get first ce was almost impossible but it also had the least of risks. This was the safest method Mack had chosen out of consideration of Nicole¡¯s safety. He was very sure that Jared¡¯s attitude towards this girl was unusual, and he cannot let anything happen to her here. Nicole¡¯s expression was impassive as ever. She looked at this beautiful car and asked, ¡°Is this yours?¡± Chapter 348 Chapter 348 Chapter 348 Jared nodded. ¡°The one I have stored here.¡± Nicole raised her eyes a little as she gave Jared a somewhat satisfied look. ¡°Good taste.¡± Jared looked at her gracefully making her way to the car as a smile too appeared on his face. Immediately after, he turned to Mack and tapped his right index finger lightly, his voice t. ¡°Half a million starting bet, no upper limit, no skulduggery.¡± Mack hurriedly ented as he went to the other side to give orders. Nicole walked on the track, and many looked at her with an eye for drama. The car attendant next to her handed her the helmet and protective gear. She then casually put it on. When the attendant saw there was no nervousness or excitement on her face, she pursed her lips. ¡®What are you pretending for? You¡¯re just a woman who happens to be a partner of a rich man. Why are you trying to show off your ¡°driving skills¡± here?¡¯ She reluctantly told Nicole the various precautions of the race, and towards the end of it, she casually told her this. ¡°A racer should change into a specialized racing gear, otherwise the protective equipment will not perform their best. If anything were to happen the danger will be exponentially greater.¡± She had wanted to intimidate Nicole. Now that the race was about to start, even if Nicole wanted to change into one now, it was definitely toote. Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org. Yet Nicole did not turn pale as she had hoped. She instead looked at the road conditions and the direction instructions before her. It was a twop race, from the bottom of the mountain to the top, and then from the top to the bottom, without stopping. Seeing that Nicole just straight up ignored her, the car attendant stopped her feet angrily. ¡°Good luck!¡± The way she said that did not sound sincere at all. Everyone by the side were also looking at this woman who got onto the trackst before the round started. All of them were sure that she had a backer, otherwise why would they let her upy the safest position on the track? ¡°This woman does not know her ce. She¡¯s just a pretty thing, so why is she here participating in a race that is potentially life-threatening?¡¯ Someone whispered in private. ¡°Eh, Joe, who are you betting on?¡± ¡°What else? All in on No.16 losing, of course!¡± There was no guarantee who would win, but the odds of betting someone losing was better than betting on someone winning. ¡®Moreover, that woman does not look like a professional racer at a nce! Ugler 348 Almost a good four-fifth of the crowd were of the same mind as Joe as they looked at Nicole with disapproval and contempt. Nicole¡¯s eyes were impassive. She was using thest few minutes to memorize the map of the track by the entrance and was very calm. When all of the racers beside her saw this, they startedughing. ¡°Ah, what a waste of a good car.¡± They were all looking at this Koenigsegg with covetous eyes. The man beside the person who said that rolled his eyes at the guy. This man was the most famous dandy of San Joto. He was taking a puff and when Nicole came his eyes immediately lit up and took a measure of her many times over. ¡®I¡¯ve not seen such a pretty one in a while! Her face was fair and tender, her waist so thin you could grab it with the full of your hand, plus that long and slender legs¡­ Chapter 349 Chapter 349 He had no interest in the cold and icy sports car. Prettydies, on the other hand, were up his alley. Thinking of this, the man put off his cigarette as he walked over and knocked on Nicole¡¯s window. Owned by N?velDrama.Org. Seeing that Nicole¡¯s icy-looking eyes looking at him impassively, a look of uncontroble astonishment appeared in the man¡¯s eyes. ¡®She¡¯s definitely gorgeous!¡¯ Nicole looked at his lustful eyes and frowned coldly. The man could tell that she was irritable, so he quickly put on a polite facade as he looked at her. Yet, his words were still repulsive. ¡°Miss, how many days have you been with your man for him to let you drive this? Come with me and I, Solomon Freeman, will pay you double, alright?¡± Nicole looked at his impassively, the emotions in her eyes were so faint as if she could not be bothered looking at a scum like him. She turned away and quietly waited for the race to start. Seeing that he was just outright ignored, Solomon growled in anger. ¡°Bitch, you¡¯ll pay for this insult!¡± As he said that, he adjusted his clothes as he cockily walked towards his own race car. He oftene here to pick up girls and he had been generous enough that he had never been refused before. He finally ran into someone that well suited his tastes, but she had rejected him so mercilessly! He then saw a few of the racers in their cars sniggering at him. Thinking of this, a hint of cruelty appeared in Solomon¡¯s eyes. He was on position 14, not too far away from Nicole¡¯s car. He was very familiar with the roads here. Even if he was not as skilled at driving, taking care of a woman was still more than enough. ¡°This is the price of that insult!¡¯ When Solomon thought of this, a smirk appeared on his lips. When the people by the side saw Nicole snubbed Solomon, all of them were surprised. Most of the women who came here were generally after sugar daddies, even when someone was to risk their lives to challenge the course, it was also usually done to attract the attention of the rich, to inte their worth. Yet, Nicole had straight up snubbed him! ¡®Was she not attracted to Solomon¡¯s superficial looks?¡¯ Thinking of this, a look of contempt appeared on their faces. ¡®This woman, she actually knows how to reel in the big fishes!¡¯ Nicole did not bother with what the crowd was thinking. She had memorized the course map within the few minutes and her expression was very faint. A few seconds before the start of the race, the betting was about to close. On the screen showing the bets ced, almost everyone was betting on Nicole to lose. Yet, within just a few seconds, the side of the turntable betting on Nicole winning suddenly appeared, making it a 50-50 bet! Someone had used the power of a single person to bet against those who had betted on Nicole losing in a perfect confrontation! The bet was 50-50, that mean the money the person betting on Nicole winning was the total amount of everyone who had betted on Nicole losing. The car betting here started at half a million, and almost eight hundred of the thousand odd people here had betted on Nicole losing, with many more adding on to the bets. One could imagine what a massive number that was. In an instant, the bet on Nicole winning hadpletely surpassed the bet on car No.3 winning. Some of the audience had not experienced this before and waspletely stunned by the show of force. Many were just gloating, and equally as many were stunned by the money involved. Many were also thinking that the person betting on Nicole winning had a screw loose in the head. Who would spend so much money betting on someone who clearly looked like someone who did not know how to race at a nce? On the other side of the screen, the countdown ate towards the end. At thest three seconds, all cars were at their positions, including those towards the tail end of the track. Chapter 350 Chapter 350 Chapter 350 Gary, who was seated in car No.3 was focusing on the track. His eyebrows were a little furrowed, seemingly in a bad mood. Both of his hands were on the steering wheel as he waited for the call to run wild. When it came to racing, Gary had absolute confidence in himself. He had started racing since he was fourteen, and ever since his second race, he had not lost a single one! That was why even though many people betted on Nicole losing, many also betted on car No.3 winning They were all veteran spectators and knew very well how to maximize their earnings. Four-tenth on Gary winning, and three-fifth on Nicole losing, that way they will earn no matter what! They were all doing their calctions in their minds, with each of them impressed by their own wisdom. Mack looked at the screen where Jared had maxed out the bet on Nicole winning and wiped the sweat from his forehead. ¡®Mr. Johnston is as ruthless as ever.¡± Unexpectedly, it was the man who had been single all these whiles being the scariest when he finally gets a partner! ¡®For him to do something as crazy as this without even blinking, he is indeed the model of my generation, and he is to be admired.¡¯ Just as the countdown ended, Mack quickly closed the bet and once again wiped off the sweat off his face. He looked at Jared and found thetter had a nk look on his face. It was as if the lump of money he had just tossed in was nothing but a pile of garbage. Mack sighed and felt that he could never reach this level. As the signal gun rang, all of the cars sped off the starting point like an arrow being loosed. Nicole¡¯s car was at thest position, so she did not m the elerator. Yet, with the car¡¯s excellent performance alone she easily overtook three to four cars. After that, it was all dependent on the driver¡¯s own capabilities. Nicole quickly made a turn. She had already memorized the entire trackyout and did not oversteer or taking the wrong path. Even so, the two cars behind her quickly caught up and overtook her. Just like that, Nicole was second ce from behind. N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. The entire race was broadcast on the big screen, and as Nicole had the biggest bets on her, she was given priority for the shots. When the crowd saw that she was being overtaken even when driving such a good car, everyone could not help but to boo her. Sure enough, betting on her losing was the right choice. Recalling that someone had wagered arge sum on No.16 winning, many were actually filled with doubts. Now everyone could see that it was probably her sugar daddy betting on her! And the thought of a stupid idiot of a sugar daddy appeared in the minds of many. This sort of person was known widely as a rich dumbass. Seeing Nicole was driving so casually, the operator could no longer bear to see it and swapped the live feed over to car No.3. No.3 was a Pagani 760RS, and its capabilities could be said to be one of the best. Chapter 351 Chapter 351 That Pagani started from the third spot and since the very beginning, overtook the first and second spot cars and imed pole. Aside from the car¡¯s superior performance, it was also a clear indicator the driver¡¯s excellent skill. He had a 200-meter lead over the second ce, and that lead would grow with every eleration and corner as the gap with the others slowly increased. Owned by N?velDrama.Org. That meant that if nothing went wrong, this car will definitely be the winner. When many neers saw that, they looked enviously at those who had bet on the veteran No.3 winning. The main screen followed No.3 for a good while and one could clearly see how skillful each bend was taken with nary any mistakes. Five minutester, No.3 had pulled a distance of 500-600 meters away from the second cing car. As the mountain road wound and wend, the second cing car could no longer see his shadow. It was because of that, No.2 seemed to have lost the confidence to fight as he no longer wanted to overtake No.3, but instead keep a steady pace and ensure that he does not slow down and be overtaken. Aside from No.3 having amanding lead, all other cars were closely tailing one another. It was difficult for anyone to even pull a hundred meters away from another. Even a fifty-meter gap itself was considered very good already. The screen shifted to the rows of cars in the middle. As the camera moved to the back, Nicole, as expected, was atst ce. Yet surprisingly she was still within fifty members from the car in front of her. And there were no signs of her falling far behind! Everyone thought that since the race time was short, and Nicole¡¯s car was one of the best on the track, or perhaps even the strongest, that allowed her to maintain her position at the end of the line. ¡°A few minutester No.16 will no longer be able to see the car in front of her, probably can¡¯t even find the way back!¡± Many wereughing as they mocked the car. It was such a shame to have such a driver. The camera then moved away from Nicole. It needed exhrating scenes to excite the viewers and cannot let them feel like they have wasted their timeing here. Moreover, they thought that Nicole could not make any waves. Twenty minutester, No.3 sped all the way to the top of the mountain. He then drifted beautifully as he swiped along the return route down the mountain. The route up and down the mountain was practically the same and Gary thought that he could get first ce even if he drove with his eyes closed. Ten minutes more minutes had passed, and Nicole was still about a quarter of the distance away from the peak. Her dynamic vision was good and saw the first car was already on the return leg Nicole¡¯s eyes squinted as she unhurriedly stepped on the elerator, and the car, known for its speed, finally began to bare its fangs. She overtook three cars in a row, and just as she was about to overtake the fourth, the car suddenly changednes maliciously, as it kept on moving into thene Nicole was trying to overtake. It was literally shameless. There were no changes on her expression, and finally, when she changed into the outerne for the fifth time, the car suddenly moved into the innerne, showing no intention to stop her from overtaking. Nicole was suspicious but she was not afraid of any ploys by the other party as she was already prepared. The Koenigsegg darted straight ahead like a thunderbolt. However, No.14 saw the timing of the next turning as it swept its rear pushing her car into a very narrow space and even blocked off vision of her blind spot. Just went Nicole could not see the other side, the returning No.3 car was speeding downwards, and its speed was at least 700 kmph, even the slightest collision was enough to spark an inferno! Chapter 352 Chapter 352 Nicole had already expected this to happen, and she did not panic as she turned the steering wheel to the left with both hands. She then shifted gears as she mmed on the elerator. Without even hitting the brake paddle, she swerved beautifully and cut into the innerne up ahead. From an outsider¡¯s perspective, the Koenigsegg seemingly passed through the gap between the two cars almost sideways, like a thin razor. On both sides of the car, even the dust and the thin mountain air were sliced in half. The purple body line gentlynded and without losing speed sped ahead. It was as if it was driven by an extremely reckless gambler who refused to slow down for even a second. Gary looked at the scene unfolding before him in shock and nearly slowed down. In that almost 45-degree curve, the opposite side of the road was his blind spot. He only saw the front of No.14 but due to the distance between the inner and outerne, he did not see No. 16 for a brief period of time. Yet, when he saw the car, it was already toote. His car was already roaring as it charged down the slope. mming the brakes while at a corner of a mountain road was tantamount to signing your death warrant, and he could already see an inferno about to happen. However, before he could even react, No. 16 had already reacted and performed a maneuver that he had failed at least eighty percent of the time whenever he tried it. The car was already lifted on its side and moving on two wheels! This was a technique that only a true expert could pull off, and that caused some consternation within Gary. He did not take a good look when car No.16 entered the track as he was engrossed in his own world. He only knew that this was a person that did not know much about racing, The reason for that was he heard the jeering and ridicule from all over and they went straight into his ears. But was reality really like what they proimed? Gary suddenly wanted to meet the racer, but he could no longer see the car through his rearview mirror. He slowly heaved a sigh of relief, only to feel lost. The No.2 car behind him was catching up just as he was distracted. Gary¡¯s eyes turned solemn as he focused intently on the road ahead. It was just a blink of an eye, yet the purple-gray Koenigsegg¡¯s stunt-like movement was forever engraved in his heart. Solomon, in car No.14 was even more shocked that Gary was, because he knew who was on the driver¡¯s seat of car No.16! He had originally wanted to use Gary¡¯s return route to push the car off the mountain. Yet she not only matched his speed and was just five meters behind him. ¡®Oh my god, my heart almost burst through my ribcage there.¡¯ Owned by N?velDrama.Org. At this distance, if the two cars were to collide, he would not be able to escape at all! He was so scared that his soul almost left his body. He had almost closed his eyes while driving at high speed. Fortunately, he managed to hold on and did not just give up, yet he saw that wild scene earlier. ¡®Is that something that could pulled off by an amateur racer?¡¯ Seeing the purple-gray car whizzing past him, cold sweat covered Solomon¡¯s face. He finally realized something. ¡®Did he just pissed off someone he shouldn¡¯t have? At that moment, the screen switched from car No.3 to car No.2, and everyone only managed to see a purple front whizzing past car No.3 and then car No.2 had already reached the stage of the returnp Yet they could not care less about car No.2 as they asked the control to quickly changed back to the scene earlier. However, in less than two seconds, everything was over. Chapter 353 Chapter 353 Chapter 353 Many looked at each other in astonishment. If they were not seeing things, there were three cars passing through that very narrow bend just now, and one of them was facing car No.3. Normally, it would have been a tragedy, but now¡­ When they looked at the screen, the car did not even scratch car No.3, and when they thought of the strange thing that had flown over, everyone fell into deep silence. There was only one car with a purple front, and that was the No.16 Koenigsegg. It was the soul of sports car they had so mercilessly mocked earlier. Thinking of this, sullen expressions befell many. Nicole did not slow down as she went and quickly overtook another five to six cars as she rushed to the top of the mountain in just tens of seconds. She quickly swept her car around and the Koenigsegg let out an excited roar, as if it had been waiting for this very moment. The corners of Nicole¡¯s lips curled as she looked at the road she hade from, the embers of excitement were finally lit within her eyes. ¡°Good boy! Let¡¯s go!¡± She said softly in Esperian and then mmed the elerator as a powerful, violent roar erupted. Nicole looked at the ever-increasing numbers on the dashboard before her as a look of surprised appeared in her eyes. The limits of this car had far exceeded the international standard specifications, it could reach 1,200 brake horsepower! It was almostparable to her own Dodge Tomahawk.N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. This car must have been modified by an expert. Nicole could feel the thrill the extreme speed brought. She leaned back onto her seat as a scene beyond the ability of human cognition appeared before her. Too much speed was a double-edged sword. On one hand, it would allow a person to break the limits and win the race, yet extreme speed also meant that it was extremely difficult to control. The scene outside was a blur, far beyond the ability of human vision to perceive. The lightness of the car gave it a risk of spinning out of control. Moreover, taking corners at high speed were susceptible to uncontroble factors, and these were all disadvantages caused by too much speed. Yet, Nicole could handle it with ease. Her speed crushed all other cars, and after six corners, Nicole was already biting at car No.2¡¯s tail. Car No.2¡¯s driver was a veteran racer; his eyesight was naturally better than most people. Yet even his dynamic vision only saw a blur of purple, and before he saw any details clearly, he was already overtaken. Four cornerster, the Koenigsegg was closing in on the Pagani, and Nicole could see that thetter had just turned the next corner. Everyone looking at car No.3 on the screen were d that car No.3 was already closing in on the finishing line. They at least had a forty percent chance of not losing money, and as for that sixty percent¡­ They did not think that the driver of car No.16 could pull off such a precise and difficult move, yet it was impossible for everyone to be seeing things. All of the old timers nervously looked at car No.3 as they prayed in secret. ¡®Rush to the finish line!¡¯ They saw car No.3 had already turned thest corner. It seemed to have conserved its power as it dashed towards the finishing line! Chapter 354 Chapter 354 Gary was seated in his car and mmed the elerator as he rushed towards the finishing line. When he saw the line was getting cl loser and closer, he finally breathed a sigh of relief. No matter how skilled his opponent was, falling behind midway was no joke. And he would be the eventual champion! 100 meters, 80 meters, 50 meters¡­ Close, so close! A smile appeared on Gary¡¯s face. He was still the champion after all! Yet, before his smile could fully unfold, it froze in ce. Beside him, a purple shadow darted past him at almost twice the speed towards the finishing line, shattering all of his dreams. The very thing he had worried about just now had turned out to be reality. The Pagani¡¯s iron-gray body seemed to have dulled in color as Gary won second ce in the end. When everyone saw what happened, all of them fell into an awkward silence. They had looked down on this car No.16 and had been mocking it for so long. Almost eighty percent of the people here betted on her losing, and they even made fun of the driver being unable to make use of such a good car. Now¡­ the most foolish of the lot, was them! Everyone looked on with wide-opened eyes and the moment Nicole crossed the line, the big screen immediately showed car No.16¡¯s cing ¡ª Champion! That mean she was the only winner today! Oh, no, there was another winner at the back. Jared did not change the live feed onto another cars, so he naturally watched the entirety of Nicole¡¯s performance. Mack had at first whined about Nicole¡¯s turtle pace, and secretly mocked her for wasting Jared¡¯s car. Yet, when he witnessed Nicole passing one supercar after another, he was watching the entire thing with his mouth gawking wide. The moment Nicole got the car running sideways on two wheels, he was so shocked he almost jumped. Later on, Nicole¡¯s inhuman speed made him dizzy and was close to making him puke. ¡®He is one of the first-ss racers in the country! That really put his face to shame! Mack then turned towards Jared, wanting to get somefort from thetter. Yet he only found Jared staring unblinkingly at the screen, a faint look of satisfaction appearing in his eyes. Mack looked away without any expression as his dry retching had turned into a look of agony! This is property ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°There¡¯s no need for another monster! How could I forget? I have to address Jared Johnston subserviently because I was trounced by him back then!¡¯ Mack was so miserable as he closed his eyes to wait until Nicole pass through the finishing line before stopping the feed. He did not want to experience this sort of motion sickness ever again! Mack was already somewhat numb to Nicole¡¯s win as he indifferently turned on the betting interface and saw the amount Jared had won. He only felt that his eyes were about to explode. Jared not only was the banker, he also ced a bet, a bet on the unpopr car No.16 winning. Jared had literally just won three times the amount of money he had put in. Mack could no longer shut his mouth as he started to stammer as he pointed at the number. Chapter 355 Chapter 355 ¡±This¡­ this¡­.¡± Jared was however not interested in the number. He was looking at car No.16, and the person inside the car was about to open the door and get out. It was only then a genuine smile appeared in his eyes. He stood up, picked his coat up casually as he walked out. Everyone looked on silently at car No.16, yet the main screen still did not give Nicole much screen time. They had no idea how she rushed towards the finish line. Some were even questioning that since Nicole was driving so slowly initially and was trailing behind, could it be that the race club was cheating? Thinking of this, the crowd started to mor, saying that the club must have done something, and they deserved an answer! The club was not about to let itself being pushed over as they reced the footage of when Nicole was still a quarter of the way to the peak. When they saw how agilely the purple-gray car darting between the cars, and even pulled off a highly difficult two-wheel ski at the most critical juncture, everyone¡¯s expression instantly changed. ¡®It was really that Koenigsegg!¡¯ However, that was nothing. It was until car No.16 reaching the top of the mountain when the real fun began. When that top-of-the-line car let out its excited roar, it sted off like aunched crossbow bolt, and not unlike a roaring beast, it rushed towards the bottom of the mountain. This speed was literally beyond the limits of normal human beings. Everyone looked on dumbstruck at the scene before them. They seemed to be seeing the car flying at every corner taken, yet it still rushed over unscathed and continued to speed forward without even losing speed. ¡®What sort of control and reaction ability is this?!¡¯ Until the very end, when the purple-gray soul of sports car finally overtook to the Pagani, a burst of cheers broke out inside the hearts of everyone. Now that the proof was in the pudding, she was deserving of being the champion. Many of those who had questions all shut their mouths, leaving only a few unheard whispered about. N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. ¡°Why did she drive so slowly at the start if she is this good? Is she just toying with us?!¡± The person was furious from embarrassment. He had mocked Nicole earlier out of bias against girls racing and did not believe that Nicole could really win. Many people nced at him. ¡®You were the one saying that she did not know how to race, and now you¡¯re saying that she¡¯s just toying with us?¡¯ ¡®Wow, you sure have a say in everything.¡¯ However, there were still a few that were influenced by him as they whispered among themselves, suspecting that the dealer was fixing the race. But soon, someone ripped their dirty fantasies apart as a knowledgeable person spoke up. ¡°Keep your mouth shut if you¡¯re ignorant. This is the rules for professional drivers from Mecrounia. Understanding the track and getting a grip on the map for the first part of the leg, and then going full speed on the second. This is how you get the best results. Didn¡¯t you guys notice that No.16 was so close to the rest all this while? I guess the elerator was not even halfway down.¡± When they heard this, everyone looked at this extremely beautiful car in a daze. After seeing that reversal earlier, all of them could believe that the driver was not even using half of the horsepower at the start! The Pagani behind too hade to a stop. Gary slowly lowered the window as he looked at the car with aplicated gaze. He had thought that he was one of the best racers in Hustuaburg, yet he was somehow taught a lesson in humility today. Car performance aside, the speed of his Pagani was already at the limit of a normal person. 700 brake horsepower was already the limits of his dynamic vision. Even if he had that Koenigsegg, he could not make use of the maximum horsepower avable to the car. There was always someone better and Gary admitted that his skill was not as good as that driver. However, why he had not heard of such a person in San Joto before? Chapter 356 Chapter 356 With that suspicion in mind, he looked at the person in the car before him. It happened that the driver door¡¯s slowly rose as the long legs of the person inside stepped out and pulled off the helmet with her left hand before gently shaking her long hair free. Under the twilight sun, her posture was graceful, and brought with it a bit of mysterious allure. ¡®It¡¯s a woman! ¡®Wait¡­ this back¡­¡¯ Gary¡¯s eyes widened. He looked at the familiar slender figure before him as the scene of Nicole defeating Cain and over a dozen other people appeared in his mind. She was like a goddess of war, heroic yet beautiful at the same time. Gary found it difficult to believe his own eyes. So, the person whose racing technique that was beyond him, and the owner of car No.16, was actually Nicole? He did not have time to think as he immediately hit the door lever and got out from the car. Gary tossed the helmet into the car as he walked straight toward the woman. He wanted to see for himself whether the person was Nicole or not! However, before he could get there, another man was standing by her side. Jared looked at Nicole, abative look still lingered in her eyes as if a proud charm was emanating from her body. He gently bent over and pushed her stray hair strands to the back of her ear, caressing her gently as he smiled and asked. ¡°Was it fun?¡± Nicole¡¯s originally irritable mood was long gone in that race just now. She looked at the man before her and let out a faint smile. ¡°Yeah.¡± Her eyes glimmered and seemed to be in a good mood. The smile in Jared¡¯s eyes deepened as he got up and raised his eyebrows at her. ¡°Let¡¯s go?¡± Nicole nodded and took a step forward as the two-left side by side. Gary, who was a step behind, watched the two seemingly intimate figures before him and clenched his fists tightly. . Jared Johnston was standing right before him, and how can he not recognize the former? Yet, even when Jared saw him, he did not even look over. It was not done out of contempt, rather, Jared did not even deign to look at him. Gary lowered his gaze as he stopped moving. He looked on as the two walked into the distance, yet he could not even utter a single word. It seemed like he had underestimated Nicole a little too much. When Jared got up, he seemingly remembered something as hezily put his coat on his shoulder and whispered to Mack, who was behind him. ¡°Give me all of the details of car No.14.¡± ¡®How dare you touch my woman?¡¯ ¡®You have death wish.¡¯ How could Mack not see that what happened earlier was no ident, but car No.14 had deliberately wanted to do harm Nicole. Upon hearing that, he nodded and said, ¡°Mr. Jared, I¡¯ll be investigating even if you did not give the word. I¡¯ll definitely put this guy¡¯s name on to the racing clubs¡¯ cklist. His racing days are as good as over.¡± Yet Jared was not moved by his words at all. His eyes narrowed a little, and no one could clearly see the emotions in his eyes. ¡±That¡¯s no where near enough.¡± Owned by N?velDrama.Org. ¡°WHAT?! Mack did not immediately react to what that meant, but someone in the club quickly sent the information of the owner of car No.14 over. Chapter 357 Chapter 357 Mack did not have the time to think about it as he respectfully handed the information to Jared. Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org. ¡°Have a look, Mr. Jared.¡± Jared casually took the pad and have a look. As his gaze felt onto the screen, he let out a light smirk. ¡®He¡¯s just a person who¡¯s relying on rtions and he dares to act like he owns San Joto?¡¯ He did not linger as he turned and walked out, and chilliness beyond words appearing on his back. As Mack looked on, he shuddered hard after a good while. He finally understood what Jared meant when he said it was nowhere near enough. That Solomon Freeman almost killed Mr. Jared¡¯s girl. How can he be done with him by just putting the former in a cklist, losing a career that was totally dispensable? Now that he had crossed Jared, that Solomon Freeman was as good as dead. He shook his head. There was no pity in his eyes as he felt that this sort of miscreants deserved whatever pain that came their way. Mack raised his hand and deleted Solomon¡¯s personal details from the database. He then returned to the registration booth as he sat down chewing on a leaf. When he looked at Jared and Nicole walking out of the site, the smile on his face became much more sincere, as he looked at Nicole and said, ¡°Ma¡¯am, your driving skills are top notch! I was really blind then!¡± When Nicole heard him calling her that, the corner of her eyes raised a little with a look of confusion. Mack was a very perceptive person and he immediately caught what she was thinking and exined, ¡°It¡¯s like that, when I was younger, I challenged Mr. Jared here, that I¡¯d be his underling if I lose¡­ So¡­ you know what happened next. So, calling him boss doesn¡¯t sound right, so I called him Mr. Jared. Going by the rtionship between the two of you, calling you Ma¡¯am is right! Ahahaha¡­¡± Nicole was somewhat speechless when she heard that. She looked at Jared and he simply just nodded. Nicole then turned toward Mack and said with a very calm voice. ¡°Just call me Nicole.¡± Mack nodded in a daze and then said. ¡°Yes, Ma¡¯am.¡± Nicole could not be bothered to correct him anymore, so she asked. ¡°I saw that someone was betting on me winning?¡± When Mack heard about that, he silently nced at Jared and then scratched his head and said, ¡°Ugh, Ma¡¯am, it¡¯s because there¡¯s still people with good eye among us. Some of them were awed by your presence when you stepped forward, so¡­¡± He did not even believe that himself. Nicole noticed the interaction between him and Jared as she nced at Jared with a smile, with no dissatisfaction in her voice. ¡°How much did you win?¡± Hers was an upset victory, so the odds were maxed out. Jared looked at her sharp eyes as he raised the corner of his lips and said, ¡°Not much, just three hundred million.¡± He had put in a 100 million dor bet earlier, alongside the earnings from being the dealer, and the doubled odds, his earnings tripled. Mack thought that Nicole would be surprised when she heard that. After all, three hundred million was still a big number even for a pro racer. Yet, Nicole simply just nodded, with a tinge of vexation in her eyes. ¡®It¡¯s not much, indeed. When Nicole looked at the two, the corners of his mouth twitched. He was the famous Mack Orwell, and even he would tremble at three hundred million. The two of them, however, were unfazed at all. ¡®If it was Mr. Jared, so be it, the amount of money he earns a day was many times this number, but isn¡¯t Nicole being a bit pretentious here?¡¯ Another thought soon followed, and Mack understood why. ¡®She¡¯s after all Mr. Jared¡¯s woman,¡¯ Little wonder, little wonder. Chapter 358 Chapter 358 Jared and Nicole could not be bothered about the thoughts swirling in his mind as they slowly walked out of the ce. Seeing that they were not even looking back, Mack immediately said. ¡°Bye, Mr. Jared, Ma¡¯am!¡± ¡®Let¡¯s get him to be the dealer again next time and earn another haul!¡¯ However, the starting pot itself was already well worth it this time, and Mack totally felt that it was well worth it! ¡®Mr. Jared is really my Plutus!¡¯ The two ignored him as Nicole turned to the man in front of her and asked, ¡°You came here often?¡± It seemed like he was very familiar with Mack Yet, Jared simply just shook his head. His beautiful eyes squinted a little, as if he was recalling some distant memories. ¡°I¡¯ve came here a few times when I was thirteen. After I came back, I dide to have a look a few times, but have never raced again.¡± ¡®Thirteen years old?¡¯ Nicole looked at him thoughtfully. ¡®Isn¡¯t that almost ten years ago?¡¯ ¡®What sort of kid would be called Mister at thirteen years old?¡¯ Jared seemingly saw through a confusion as a cold smile appeared on the corners of his lips. Unlike Gary¡¯s style, it was a whole different ballgame. What Jared signed up for, was a race between life or death. He was a daredevil racer here, the kind where they earned money using their lives. When he recalled that scene again, his eyes turned red, and he felt slightly suffocated. Fortunately, he was very talented, so he survived. When Nicole looked at his eyes, the empty look in his iris was slowly filled with darkness, and they were terrifying She did not think much as she immediately tugged his hand. ¡°Let¡¯s note here again.¡± Nicole could roughly tell what had happened. After all, from what Jared had disclosed thus far, his childhood was probably not a happy one. Jared snapped back from his memories and when he heard Nicole¡¯s cold voice ringing by his earside, a little more warmth appeared in his hands. He smiled and grabbed Nicole¡¯s hand, a tinge more genuine emotions appearing in his eyes. ¡°Alright.¡± In fact, for him, hismentable past no longer mattered. Yet, when he saw her looking at him with such a concerned look on her face, and he could not say that he did not care about it. If he really did not mind it, he would not have driven all the way here, right? Just as the two were looking at each other, a few voices rang out from behind them. ¡®Miss, can¡­ can you do us a favor?¡± ¡°Hm?¡± Nicole and Jared turned around and looked at the few. Nicole¡¯s memory was good and immediately recognized the few familiar faces she had seen earlier. It was those audiences, and a few racers as well! Nicole did not speak and assuming that she was unwilling, the few immediately added, ¡°We have no other meaning, we just wanted an autograph!¡± She did not her trip here this time would garner her fans. Looking at the nervous few, she smiled and did not refuse them as she said, ¡°Where should I sign?¡± The few were true racing fans and were very excited as they said. ¡°You can just sign on my shirt!¡± N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. After all, they had only managed to get a marker pen from the organizer, and not a single piece of paper. Nicole nodded as she deftly signed her autograph on their clothes as Jared raised an eyebrow. Chapter 359 Chapter 359 At the end of her name, Nicole would habitually carve her signature, as if she was writing an S. Alongside Nicole¡¯s rigid handwriting, it was strangely beautiful. Gary, who had just walked out, too saw that scene. When he saw the left behind at each signature, a look of surprise appeared in his eyes. Afterpleting the signing, Nicole returned to Jared¡¯s side. Seeing the two were about to leave, one of the fans asked with a whisper. ¡°Will you being back here to race again?¡± Nicole did not turn back, her voice was faint, and quickly faded with the wind. ¡°No.¡± Gary heard the answer from afar, and inexplicably felt lost for a moment. ¡®She won¡¯t being back?¡¯ Without stepping forward, Gary simply just watched as Nicole left with Jared, feeling as if something had been hollowed out in his heart. The two got into the car and Jared was still smiling. He started the car as his fingers tapped gently on the steering wheel, looking very slothful. Nicole noticed that he seemed to be very happy, and a smile appeared in her eyes. She felt the cool early autumn wind slowly blowing in her face as she took in the familiar scent of cedar and subconsciously closed her eyes. When she woke up again, it was already dark as she nonchntly took off the coat on her. After falling asleep beside Jared for a few times, it did not seem all too awkward for Nicole now. Her expression was impassive, but she still felt chagrined deep down. Her usual caution and alertness were seemingly gone beside him. Nicole then looked up as she met the man¡¯s deep, ck eyes. When Jared saw her wake up, the light in his eyes slowly gleamed like a star in the night, bright yet warm. ¡°You¡¯re awake.¡± Nicole nodded as she handed him his coat, her voice still hoarse from waking up. ¡°What¡¯s the time now?¡± Jared casually looked at the watch and said faintly. N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. ¡°It¡¯s still early, not past closing time yet.¡± ¡®It¡¯s already ten o¡¯clock?¡¯ Nicole did not think she would be able to sleep for so long as a rare hint of surprise appeared in her eyes. When Jared looked at her like that, the smile in his eyes radiated even more. As he looked at her beautiful eyes, his voice subconsciously became so much gentler. ¡°I was just pulling your leg. It¡¯s only eight o¡¯clock.¡± Nicole looked at him. There was no anger in her eyes, but instead there was a hint of helplessness. She was worried that he was waiting here for too long. Jared seemingly could tell what she was thinking and sighed a little, as he looked at Nicole very seriously in the eyes. ¡°You don¡¯t have to be so considerate.¡± Nicole looked at him with some confusion and the look in his eyes could not help but to be gentler. ¡°I do not wish to be a burden to you.¡± She should be carefree before him and did not need to think about other people and things, rather than be so concerned about his feelings all the time. Nicole did not agree with that point of view as she gently grabbed his hand and shook it a little. ¡°Do you think our feelings aren¡¯t the same? You need to think both ways.¡± What she meant was that she was unable to not think about his feelings. Understanding what she meant, Jared looked at her left hand holding onto his right as he silently held her hand tightly. Chapter 360 Chapter 360 Chapter 360 A long silence fell inside the carriage. In the end, it was Nicole who broke the silence. She looked at the cherry blossom tree in front of the car as she let go and got down from the car. ¡°I should be going.¡± If she were to wait anything, it will be toote to get back. Jared too got down as he looked at the girl¡¯s dormitory with a tinge of regret. If possible, he wanted to escort her upstairs. Nicole seemingly saw through his thoughts as she nced at him and smiled, waving her hands at him as she headed upstairs. Jared looked on as she disappeared from his sight. It was only then did he took out his phone and gave Max a call. The earlier gentleness in his voice toward Nicole was nowhere to be found, and instead, a frost had taken over it. ¡°Take care of someone for me.¡± Max was at JJ Johnston Group dealing with some documents. The indifferent look on his face disappeared as soon as he put down the phone as a tinge of brutality appeared between his eyes. ¡®Anyone who dares to cross Jared is done for in this lifetime!¡¯ Nicole returned to her dormitory and found June and Lulu were doing their revisions. The monthly exams were drawing close with only three days left, and they were still somewhat nervous. When they saw Nicole came back, they gave her the best courtesy treatment they had as they greeted Nicole enthusiastically. And just as quickly, they returned to their revision. Seeing how hardworking they are, Nicole raised her eyebrows as she took out a book a sat beside them. Lulu, who was in the midst of her revision, was a little curious. Would Nicole actually revise things properly like them? She stretched her head over and took a careful nce. ¡®Damn¡­. I didn¡¯t understand at word at all.¡¯ Lulu then silently pulled her little head away. When June saw her reaction, she too was a little curious as she nced at Nicole and asked, ¡°. Nicole, what are you looking at?¡± Nicole waved the book in her hand, her voice somewhat impassive. ¡°The Hippocratic Papers.¡± ¡®The what?¡¯ Seeing that Lulu and June were staring nkly at her, Nicole exined inly. ¡°The first medical journal in history, the many simple yet primitive theories inside it are actually quite interesting.¡± Lulu looked at the doodle-like Graecian alphabets and she had no idea how Nicole could say this with such a straight face. June nodded thoughtfully. Modern medicine was obsessed with all sorts ofplicated and high-end medical techniques, yet at times it was not as profound as the straightforward understanding of medicine by the ancient people. Seeing both of them were interested, Nicole raised her eyebrows as she asked, ¡°Want to hear more about it?¡± Owned by N?velDrama.Org. Both Lulu and June immediately turned back as they wordlessly indicated that they were not free at the moment. Seeing this, a smile appeared in Nicole¡¯s eyes. The three of them sat there quietly doing their own things. When It was about half past ten, June paused and softly said. ¡°Lights off.¡± Both Nicole and Lulu packed up their books as the three was done washing up, June turned off the lights. In the darkness, only their shallow breathing could be heard. A minuteter, June¡¯s soft voice rang out. ¡°Nicole, what¡¯s the deal with that diamond today?¡± Lulu too was wondering about it, and when she heard June asking the same thing, her ears immediately perked up. Chapter 361 Chapter 361 Nicole¡¯s voice sounded from the other end of the line, ¡°It¡¯s the tuition fee one of my friends gave me for teaching them martial arts.¡± ¡®So that¡¯s why,¡¯ they thought. The two nodded now that their doubts had been cleared. Both of them agreed that Nicole had impressive martial arts skills; while receiving a diamond sounded excessive, it was normal for her to be admired by people. Lulu then added, ¡°Snow and Raine have gotten it restored. Nicole, don¡¯t be bothered by their actions. They¡¯re not worth your mental health.¡± Nicole lifted the corner of her lips in the dark. ¡°Alright, I won¡¯t.¡± Nicole heard their shallow breathing beside her. The two seemed to have let go of their worries and had fallen fast asleep. She did not feel sleepy. After some thought, she switched on the ck-colored phone. The moment she switched on the phone, a message popped up on the screen. Nicole opened the notification. It was a message asking her when she had the time to meet and chat. The person had signed off the text with the initial C. N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. Carl is back in Mecrounia?¡¯ she wondered. Nicole¡¯s expression changed slightly before reverting to a calm one. ¡®Mecrounia is basically Carl¡¯s home country; staying there would guarantee his life and safety to the greatest extent,¡¯ she thought. She quickly typed up a response on the phone. The person on the other end promptly replied with an OK emoji. Nicole didn¡¯t respond to the message and quickly switched off the phone. She quietlyy on the bed. She was feeling a mixture of emotions. Perhaps it was because she had lifted a load off her chest; this time, Nicole fell asleep quickly and had a dream. Her dream reeked of blood. She had been kidnapped to an unknown ce on a mountain and was showing signs of dehydration. She could actually feel her parched throat. She heard a familiar voiceing from a faraway distance. The voice had lost whatever gentleness it had in the past and seemed extraordinarily high-pitched. ¡°Rich people are too stubborn. I guess we¡¯ll have to do something!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t me me, Nicki! They¡¯re the ones who are heartless. You must go seek revenge from them if you feel any resentment!¡± Nicole felt a hard object pressed against the back of her head as he spoke. The Nicole back then was a naive little girl, but the Nicole today was most familiar with this feeling ¡®It¡¯s the feeling of a gun pressed up against you,¡¯ she thought. The man sneered when he saw her not put up a fight. He slowly utched the safety lever on his gun while watching the weak little prey in front of him. The sinister smile on his lips gradually grew wider. ¡®She¡¯s a mere child; I alone am more than enough to finish her off,¡¯ he thought. She could clearly hear the sound of the man reloading the pistol. The man¡¯sughter slowly faded away. It was at that moment that Nicole shut her eyes. She knew, things were about to go down. ¡®What happened to Nicole? Why did she suddenly increase myps to twenty-five? Can a human run this manyps?!¡¯he thought. Zeke looked at Nicole, who was holding a stopwatch in the distance. At first, he would make silly faces at her. In the end, he was so tired he could barely lift an arm. Regardless, humans indeed have unlimited potential; Zeke managed to finish running twenty fiveps. He wiped away the sweat on his forehead with the towel on his neck. At the same time, he looked at Nicole and asked exasperatedly between pants, ¡°Nicole, what¡¯s up with you today? Why did I have to run ten extraps?¡± Chapter 362 Chapter 362 Nicole gave him an indifferent look before turning away. Zeke was confused when he did not hear any response from her. When he lifted his head, he saw that she had already walked quite some distance away. He quickly chased after her. ¡°Hey, Nicole! Don¡¯t be so heartless!¡± Nicole ignored him. Her eyes glinted as she nced at the sky that was now bright. She did not speak. ¡®That¡¯s because there isn¡¯t much time left,¡¯ she thought. ¡®I need to help Zeke get stronger as soon as possible,¡¯ she thought again. In the end, Zeke did not get any answers. He dragged his feet back to his campus. He did not have many friends. Most people did not bother sparing him a nce. Zeke lowered his eyes-coldly. He did not want to be around thesemoners either. To him, only Nicole was his partner and good friend. ¡®Nicole previously said we would take things step-by-step, but she¡¯s suddenly sped up our training process. Something is definitely going to happen,¡¯ he thought. ¡®But I don¡¯t know anything about it,¡¯ he thought again. Zeke took out hisputer and sat in the corner. That corner was the camera¡¯s blind spot, so no one could see what he had on hisputer screen. He opened The Hunters. To his surprise, the post that offered a 10-million-dor reward in exchange for the identity Lucifer had disappeared. Zeke frowned in confusion but quickly figured out what was wrong. The person must have realized how futile it was. He was not bothered. While he skimmed through the recent posts, one of the pinned missions caught his attention. It had a skeleton icon, indicating that it was a mission posted by a senior hacker. The person seemed to be asking the elites to set up a defensework to prevent data leaks. ¡®Interesting,¡¯ he thought. Zeke sent the mission details to Nicole. Nicole did not respond. However, Zeke did not get annoyed and looked at the screenshots instead. His expression started to change. N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. He seemed to have seen this icon back at home before. During a mission one time, Karlo injured his right leg badly. When they brought him back, his leg was already infected and rotting. Karlo yelled at the military doctor when he said that amputation was the only. He then made a phone call while holding onto the pain. Soon after, a helicopternded. Several special force personnel that he had never seen before Nicole felt a hard object pressed against the back of her head as he spoke. The Nicole back then was a naive little girl, but the Nicole today was most familiar with this feeling ¡®It¡¯s the feeling of a gun pressed up against you,¡¯ she thought. The man sneered when he saw her not put up a fight. He slowly utched the safety lever on his gun while watching the weak little prey in front of him. The sinister smile on his lips gradually grew wider. ¡®She¡¯s a mere child; I alone am more than enough to finish her off,¡¯ he thought. She could clearly hear the sound of the man reloading the pistol. The man¡¯s ¡®What happened to Nicole? Why did she suddenly increase myps to twenty-five? Can a human run this manyps?!¡¯ he thought. Zeke looked at Nicole, who was holding a stopwatch in the distance. At first, he would make silly faces at her. In the end, he was so tired he could barely lift an arm. Regardless, humans indeed have unlimited potential; Zeke managed to finish running twenty fiveps. He wiped away the sweat on his forehead with the towel on his neck. At the same time, he looked at Nicole and asked exasperatedly between pants, ¡°Nicole, what¡¯s up with you today? Why did I have to run ten extraps?¡± Soon after, a helicopternded. Several special force personnel that he had never seen before ran out. They were holding medical kits with the letter F on them. Karlo was taken away after he was given drugs and injections. When he returned, he was once again the strong father that he knew. That ¡°F¡± he saw had a simr minimalistic and cold feeling to this icon. Zeke stared at the ¡°G¡±. His gaze started to turn cloudy. He epted the mission and quickly got a response from the other end. ¡°How confident are you? Hold on, Specter?¡± Zeke did not choose to stay anonymous. He revealed his hacker name to increase his chances of getting the mission. ¡°How bad is it?¡± The person on the other end paused. It seemed as if the person found it hard to tell him what they had achieved with their ability. It took them a few seconds to type up a single message. Zeke stared at his response with a solemn expression. ¡°It might crash any time. The backup defense system willst at most three days.¡± Zeke¡¯s hands were busy. He quickly realized that the task required him to be onsite. He had to be there to operate the system unit. He gritted his teeth. ¡°Send me the address.¡± Nicole was now back in ss. She noticed that everyone was looking at her strangely. Unlike the previous times, few were giving her scornful gazes. Chapter 363 Chapter 363 Nicole did not care about what they thought. She went to her seat and quickly took out a question bank book. Many things have happened, but Nicole continued to work hard on the math question bank book. She speedily worked on the math problems. After all, the Math Olympiad was soon She gently twirled her pen. Her thoughts were as fast as lightning; she instantly thought of a method to solve the problem. Nicole was on thest page of the book. She lifted her head before closing the book. There was a sea of people surrounding her. They were all looking at her with eager eyes. Nicole asked resignedly, ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± They all looked at each other and started forming a line to apologize. Nicole sighed. She looked at the sea of people in front of her and frowned. ¡®It¡¯s good that my brothers have helped me clear my name, but having these people apologize to me is so troublesome.¡¯ she thought. Thankfully, she was saved by the bell. Nicole breathed a sigh of relief as the people left reluctantly. Gary was sitting in thest row. He had been wanting to speak to Nicole. However, he could only make out Nicole¡¯s figure due to the crowd. ¡®How could I let go of my reputation and squeeze through the crowd simply to speak to Nicole? ¡®he thought. In the end, Gary still gave up. He quietly returned to his seat. However, there was an indistinguishable glint in his eyes. Vivian was sitting in the front row. Her eyes glinted darkly when she noticed his actions. ¡®Nicole truly seizes every opportunity to make herself stand out!¡¯ she thought. She took out her phone and sent out a text under her desk. Only then did she feel like she had control of the situation again, Everyone in the ss was looking at Nicole a little differently from before. Those who mocked Nicole quieted down when they thought of the 25-carat purple diamond that fell from her drawer. ¡°That piece of diamond is worth more than all of my parents¡¯ fortunebined. Yet, Nicole does not care,¡¯ they thought. At the thought of this, many of them decided to join the Nicole apology queue after ss. ¡®Ego means nothing,¡¯ they thought, Ms. Emerson walked into the ss on time. Nicole did not care about what others thought and carefully opened thest page of the question bank book. She was preparing to learn the final bit of knowledge. After all, once she finishes this book, there won¡¯t be any left. ¡®The other participants would probably die of shock if they knew how Nicole was preparing for thepetition. She¡¯s reluctant to solve a difficult problem and had saved it for thest!¡¯ Ms. Emerson thought. Owned by N?velDrama.Org. She had a smile in her eyes when she noticed what Nicole was doing. ¡®Nicole is such an interesting person,¡¯ she thought again. After ss, Ms. Emerson called Gary and Nicole over to the lecture podium. She spoke to them in a low voice. The Math Olympiad was happening soon, so she wanted to know how their preparations were going Gary had seen Nicole¡¯s nk question bank book at the caf¨¦ yesterday. He could not help but think, ¡®Even though Nicole is good at racing, she still has trouble solving a Math Olympiad problem.¡¯ ¡®Anyway, why did Ms. Emerson ask such a question when the two of us are present? Isn¡¯t she worried about Nicole feeling awkward?¡¯ he wondered. He replied casually, ¡°It¡¯s going okay.¡± Ms. Emerson understood that this meant he felt confident. She then looked at Nicole expectantly. Chapter 364 Chapter 364 ¡°Nicole, how¡¯s your preparation going?¡± Nicole looked at Ms. Emerson calmly. ¡°I¡¯ve solved all of them.¡± Nicole had never participated in a Math Olympiad back in San Joto, so she did not know if she was well-prepared. However, the smile on Ms. Emerson¡¯s face indicated that she was doing fine. Ms. Emerson handed Nicole three more exercise books. They were all past-year Math Olympiad questions that could not be found on the market. The third book, in particr, was Den Hancock¡¯s best work. In their school, only she and Mr. Louis ¡ª the two teachers in charge of the Math Olympiad training ¨C got their hands on two copies of the book. She did not expect Nicole toplete all three sets of the questions without any guidance. ¡®I underestimated Nicole,¡¯ she thought. Ms. Emerson nodded satisfactorily and asked Gary to leave. She wanted to speak to Nicole privately. Gary frowned. He had seen Nicole¡¯s book, and it waspletely nk. He could not understand how Nicole dared to spout nonsense like how she had solved all of the math problems to Ms. Emerson. The charming image that he had of her from yesterday¡¯s race club meetup was gone; she was once again the annoying liar! Gary did not say anything but snorted. He headed back to his seat without sparing Nicole a nce. When Vivian witnessed the scene unfold, she had a look of glee in her eyes. Her eyes unconsciously followed Gary in hopes to have some form of interaction with him. Unfortunately, Gary did not look her way. His eyes were filled with rage toward Nicole. He simply walked past her without sparing her a nce.cz Vivian tightly gripped the hem of her dress under her desk. She looked at Nicole who had gained Ms. Emerson¡¯s favor. She was furious. Ms. Emerson then told Nicole about the things she needed to watch out for during the Math Olympiad. After all, Gary had been through thepetition many times. On the other hand, Nicole seemed tock the experience. She naturally had to tell her the rules of the competition. In the end, Ms. Emerson repeated the part where participants had to write their answers with a ck pen. Nicole looked at her with a serious expression and said softly, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Ms. Emerson. I¡¯ll ace it.¡± She knew Ms. Emerson was doing this for her own good. Ms. Emerson was treating her as if she were a child; she found it amusing and heartwarming at the same time. Ms. Emerson also knew that she was going overboard. She looked embarrassed and stopped talking about thepetition. She then looked at Nicole with a smile and said, ¡°By the way, the monthly test is in two days. All the best with your test!¡± Nicole nodded. She answered with a quiet yet oddly calming voice, ¡°I will.¡± Ms. Emerson looked at her and felt gratified. Just as she was about to leave, she suddenly pped her forehead as if she had just remembered something. She turned to Nicole with a smile and said, ¡°I¡¯m so forgetful. Your grandma¡¯s here to see you, Nicole. I told your family to wait outside. I ended up forgetting after speaking to you.¡± ¡®Grandma¡¯s here?¡¯ she thought. Nicole¡¯s cold eyes lit up a little. She quickly thanked Ms. Emerson and headed out of the ssroom. ¡®Now that I think about it, I haven¡¯t seen grandma for almost a month!¡¯ she thought. This is property ? N?velDrama.Org. Nicole stepped out of the ssroom and saw two people standing by the window. One of them was an old woman; she had graying hair and was donned in green-colored garments. That person was Mrs. Wace Sr.! Chapter 365 Chapter 365 When Mrs. Wace Sr. saw Nicole walk out of the ssroom, her cloudy eyes lit up. She quickly walked over to Nicole. Nicole watched as Mrs. Wace Sr. gradually got closer. Her cold gaze started to turn to one that was soft. She held Mrs. Wace Sr.¡¯s boney hands and said in a low voice, ¡°What¡¯re you doing here, grandma?¡± Mrs. Wace Sr. looked at the granddaughter she raised single handedly and smiled. She then patted her arm and said, ¡°I missed you. Coincidentally, your ss teacher wanted to see you as well, so he brought me along.¡± Only then did Nicole notice the middle-aged man standing beside her. The man did not have a chance to join the conversation. He was her previous ss teacher, Mr. Mills. She did not expect him to be able to continue working at their school. Nicole gave him a once over when she saw his tightly sped hands. He was sweating buckets and seemed as though he had trouble speaking his mind. Nicole instantly knew what he was doing here. Before her brothers left Great Oak, they mentioned that they would donate a sum of money to expand the campus. ¡®Mr. Mills must have been sent by the headmaster to ask for investments. It hasn¡¯t even been a month. They really are a bunch of opportunists.,¡¯ she thought. Mr. Mills had always been scared of Nicole. Ever since Nicole crossed the headmaster, the two of them had been ignoring her. There were even times when he tried to kick her out of school. He managed to stay by using the excuses that he had taught Nicole for many years and that he would wait for their family¡¯s investment. However, Nicole¡¯s family had not contacted the school since she left. As a result, he could only look for Mrs. Wace Sr. and bring her along with him to look for Nicole in San Joto. In reality, he did not like Nicole at all. Even though he was her ss teacher, they were now nothing more than strangers. He was worried that Nicole would ignore him. For that reason, he did not know what to say now that he was looking at Nicole. He had no idea how to bring up the matter of investment. Nicole was not affected by Mr. Mill¡¯s ttery. She did not want to waste her time on him. She said bluntly, ¡°Mr. Mills, tell the headmaster that the money will be transferred to his bank ount really soon.¡± The weight on Mr. Mill¡¯s chest was instantly lifted. His expression kept on shifting; he did not know if he was supposed to feel grateful or express his gratitude. In the end, Mr. Mills could only say, ¡°We¡¯re much obliged, Nicole.¡± ¡°Mhm.¡± Nicole epted his gratitude and did not continue exchanging pleasantries with him. Mr. Mills was stunned. ¡®Nicole is still so cold even after moving to San Joto. If she manages to do well in San Joto in the future, even pigs can fly!¡¯ he thought angrily. Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org. ¡®I intended to show her around Royal Creek Institute. I¡¯ve never seen such a breathtaking campus. Moreover, this ce is huge. It took me forever to find the teaching and learning,plex,¡¯ he thought again. Nicole did not pay Mr. Mills any mind. She applied for leave and prepared to take her grandmother out for a meal. After that, she would return to the Riddle family¡¯s house. Mrs. Wace Sr. was confused about why Nicole was so cold to Mr. Mills. She looked at her granddaughter and fell into thought. Then, she turned to Mr. Mills and said, ¡°Mr. Mills, is there a reason you¡¯re still here?¡± He told her that he wanted to see Nicole. Now that he had seen her, he could tell her whatever he wanted to say. Chapter 366 Chapter 366 Of course, Mr. Mills was here for something. He flushed and could say nothing, but thinking to himself that Nicole and her grandma were birds of a feather, as they both talked in such a way that it often mortified him. ¡°I¡¯m fine. Please get on with your things. I will just look around the Royal Creek Institute¡¯s campus alone,¡± he said in a low voice. Nicole was standing beside Mrs. Wace Sr. and nced at Mr. Mills with a smirk, then said coldly, ¡°Then I¡¯ll go with Grandma now. You have a good time, Mr. Mills.¡± After saying so and without looking back, Nicole helped her grandmother to her ssroom to get her school bag. This time, not even Mrs. Wace Sr. looked back at Mr. Mills. Mr. Mills stood on the spot, only to feel that Nicole had changed when she came to San Joto, and had be so difficult to reason with, and that she had started to disrespect him just because she was a member of the Riddle family. He looked at Nicole with resentment before turning around and walking out. Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org. Nicole was back in the ssroom, packing her things into the school bag. Many of her ssmates gawked at Mrs. Wace Sr. who was outside the ssroom. They had never seen someone in such ragged clothes before, as their parents were all well-dressed. One of the boys chuckled. He was sitting to Nicole¡¯s diagonal front and saw Mrs. Wace Sr. even had a patch on her clothes. He whispered his discovery to those around him, and soon it spread like wildfire, and everyone in the ssroom started to gape at Mrs. Wace Sr. with a hint of mockery in their eyes. ¡°Nicole, who is this homeless person? Why did you bring someone like her to school?¡± Nicole¡¯s hand, carrying the school bag, froze in motion. She turned back to look at the boy, who was sitting in the third row, studying well, but prone to judge people by their appearance. Hearing his words, Nicole¡¯s face instantly turned frosty. She put down her school bag and walked toward him, giving the boy a bone-chilling stare, as if there were countless ice spikes piercing into his blood. She stood in front of the boy with an indifferent look in her eyes. ¡°Apologize to my grandma,¡± she said. They did not know that the olddy was Nicole¡¯s grandmother. They all had a deploring look on their faces, wondering why the olddy was dressed this way and did not look having anything to do with the Riddle family. In their eyes, such a person was no different from a beggar. But Nicole said this olddy was her grandmother. They wondered if Nicole was not afraid of being mocked, too. Standing at the side, June held her hand tightly. She could understand the feeling too well, as she looked at Mrs. Wace Sr. helpless look and seemingly saw the helpless and wronged expression on her mother¡¯s face when her mother sent her to school and got ostracized by the rich parents. June stood up in defiance of the disgusted nces of those people and walked toward Mrs. Wace Sr. with a gentle smile. ¡°Are you here to see Nicole? We always hear Nicole talk about you, and today we finally see you in person.¡± Mrs. Wace Sr. looked at the gentle girl. Feeling a little at ease, she returned a smile. Just then, a voice saying malicious words came. It was a boy in the back row, muttering in a low voice, ¡°Trying to ce nice? You all are just the same.¡± Right after he said that, someone punched him in the left cheek. The boy was punched so hard that he fell right next to the desk with bruises on his left face. ¡°Who the hell hit me? I¡¯ll¡ª¡± grind your treacherous bones to dust. He did not say thest sentence because he saw Jack, who had a half-smile across from him. Chapter 367 Chapter 367 He put a hand to his face and looked at Jack with consternation. ¡°Why did you hit me, Jack?¡± Jack¡¯s family was a self-made millionaire, so he did not feel that there was anything wrong with hard work and simplicity, and he hated to see people bullying those who had no money. This is property ? N?velDrama.Org. He was offended when the boy even had the nerve to ask him why. He looked at the boy with a smirk and said in an icy voice, ¡°You think you¡¯re above others and could look down on others just because you have money?¡± Everyone was equal. Those who thought one was less worthy than the other knew nothing better. The boy dared not say anything, as he knew he had rubbed Jack the wrong way and quickly apologized. Jack did not ce nice but kicked the boy in the leg, and then he said in an icy voice, ¡°What¡¯s the use of apologizing to me when you used that stinky mouth of yours to denigrate others? shouldn¡¯t you apologize to the other person to show your sincerity?¡± The boy heard this and spun around and apologized to June and Mrs. Wace Sr. ¡°I¡¯m really sorry, I knew nothing better and talked nonsense. Mrs. Wace, June, I¡¯m sorry.¡± Whether or not he was forced to do this, his attitude was satisfying Jack looked at Mrs. Wace Sr. with inquiring eyes. Mrs. Wace Sr. had seen nothing like this. But she did not want to embarrass Nicole, so she said gently, ¡°I don¡¯t me you, kid, It¡¯s okay to pass comments about me, but you shouldn¡¯t do that to your ssmate.¡± She then looked at June with a gentle smile. June could feel Mrs. Wace Sr.¡¯s kindness. She did not care what those people said, as she had heard enough At this moment, the boy in the third row almost fell off the stool as Nicole approached. ¡°Don¡¯te near! Otherwise, I¡¯ll have your guts for garters!¡± Many people heard what the boy said and looked curious. He should have quickly begged Nicole for mercy instead. Everyone had seen how badass Nicole was. The boy could spare himself a lot of suffering if he apologized now. But to everyone¡¯s surprise, the boy looked at Nicole¡¯s expression and brazened it out, shouting, ¡°Isn¡¯t she a beggar when she¡¯s wearing patched clothes? Who are you to tell me to apologize?¡± Seeing that he was so bullheaded, Nicole said faintly with no expression on her face, ¡°It¡¯s sad enough to define someone else just by a patch on the clothes.¡± The boy heard what Nicole said and was stunned for half a second, then wanted to hit Nicole. ¡± How dare you say this about me!¡± He came from a family with some background. These people were afraid of the Riddle family, but not him Nicole did not want to get into a tighi in front of Mrs Wace Sr. So she frowned at the sight of what the boy did. Just when she was slightly hesitant, someone suddenly reached out a hand and caught the boy¡¯s hand. The boy¡¯s face reddened as he could not move a bit but gasped like a cow. Nicole looked in surprise when she saw the person standing in front of her was none other than Gary Gary looked at the boy, who taunted the olddy simply based on how she dressed, and telt sickened by his character Chapter 368 Chapter 368 At first, the boy was still swearing and cursing, but when he looked up and saw that it was Gary. words choked in his throat. This is property ? N?velDrama.Org. "G-Gary!" Vivian was sitting not far away. When she looked back and saw what happened, her face instantly turned grave¡ªGary had never been so tantly biased toward anyone. She was so angry that she wanted to stand up, but she resisted and took out her mobile phone and angrily sent a message to Harvey. Nicole looked at Gary in puzzlement. She thought Gary did not like her all along, yet he was now helping her. Gary did not look at Nicole. Instead, he turned his attention to Mrs. Wace Sr. who was not far away, and then said to the boy, "Apologize to the olddy!" His voice was so frosty, and he looked so angry that the boy trembled in fear. As much as the boy was not afraid of the Riddle family, he did not dare to offend Gary. Nicole raised an eyebrow as she watched on. Her expression did not change, but her eyes looked icy. Being started at by Gary and Nicole, the boy could say nothing again. He had no choice but to look back at Mrs W Sr ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± he said in whisper Gary looked impatient, as he was not too happy with how soft the apology was. He let go of the boy¡¯s hand, and while the boy thought he had regained his free dom , he kicked the boy in the back, sending him staggering forward and falling face down on the ground in front of Mrs Wace Sr When the boy was terrified and tried to get up, he heard Gary¡¯s extremely cold voiceing from behind ¡°I¡¯m going to give you another chance to apologize properly¡± The warning undertone was untistabble The boy could notin .Without changing his posture, he looked at the boy in front of her, and then at NIcole, and Nivole gave her a look that said, ¡±It¡¯s your call?¡± Mrs Wallike Sr then walked over and helped the boyup, then bent down to dust the dirt on his knees and said with an avuncr face,¡± I don¡¯t me you, but I hope you don¡¯t do this again¡± In Mrs. Wace Sr¡¯s eyes, these kids were still young, and it was oluy to make some harmless mistakes, as long as they did not go astray Most of the wealthy families had a strict mindset of social -ss distinction, and the boy had never received such treatment as the elders had given him in his own family. He was so stunned that he froze with a look of helplessness and confusion in his eyes. The boy was surprised by what happened. He was expecting to receive humiliation or severe reprimand, yet such a shabby-dressed olddy gave him the warmest feeling in his 18 years of life. Nicole walked over, held Mrs. Wace Sr., and looked gratefully at June. She then picked up her school bag on the desk, turned around, and left with Mrs. Wace Sr. It was only as she walked past Jack and Gary that she whispered a thank you to them. Her voice was not loud, but it was just the two of them could hear it. They had not been nice to her all this time, but Nicole did not mind. Atst, they had helped her grandmother, and she thanked them sincerely. When the two of them heard Nicole say thank you in a clear and charming voice, they were both shocked. Gary, in particr, looked on with a faint emotion gradually surging into tidal waves in his eyes as Nicole went. Chapter 369 Chapter 369 He did not know that it was so easy to earn her gratitude. A smile gradually spread across his face. This is property ? N?velDrama.Org. Jack scratched his chin and felt a little strange, as this was the first time that Nicole was so gent to him, and it felt good. Wayne, who had just gone out to the toilet, had now returned and was confused by the strange atmosphere in the ssroom. He wondered why Gary stood there and smiled like an idiot. Of course, he did not dare say that. Wayne looked at Jack, who looked no less silly, and gently nudged him with his arm. ¡°What just happened?¡± He wondered why the two of them became motionless, like sculptures. Jack hissed as his ribs were sensitive. Wayne¡¯s nudge almost undid what he had done. Looking at the culprit in front of him, he said tardily, ¡°Nothing. Our icy queen has just thanked me.¡± Wayne had no words when he heard Jack describe what happened. But he quickly reacted to who he was talking about, and his eyes widened in disbelief. ¡°What did you say?¡± He eximed so loud that everyone in the ss looked at him. Wayne felt embarrassed and lowered his volume. ¡°Why would Nicole want to thank you?¡± Jack looked at the dumpy guy with an evil face. ¡°Not only me. Nicole has also thanked Gary.¡± ¡°What? I thought Gary and Nicole didn¡¯t see eye to eye? Why did Nicole thank him? What the hell happened? I was just going to the toilet for a while; and now it seems that I¡¯ve missed a lot.¡¯ Wayne turned to Gary, wanting to ask him. But Gary had walked back to his ce to pack up his things, with a hint of delight on his face. ¡°Gary, what did you do to Nicole that she thanked you?¡± Wayne asked cautiously. Gary looked at him and raised an eyebrow nonchntly. ¡°I¡¯ve just spoken up for her grandmother.¡± He did not expect it to have such a huge effect. Wayne was even more puzzled when he learned that Nicole¡¯s grandmother hade to his school. But when he saw the impatient look on Gary¡¯s face, he stopped asking. Gary was brisk in his action as he casually flung the school bag onto his shoulder. The bag looked empty, as if it contained only a piece of clothing. He then strode out of the ssroom. Seeing Gary leave, the boy who had first discovered the patch on the clothes of Nicole¡¯s grandmother rushed to the boy, whom Gary had fixed, andforted him. ¡°Are you okay?¡± The two of them seemed to be best friends, but in fact, the first boy did not regard the second one as his good friend at all, but just a pawn. When he hinted at the second boy of his disdain for Nicole¡¯s grandmother just now, the second boy had quickly echoed his viewpoint. The two of them were the best partners. The second boy heard him asking with concern and shook his head gently, signaling that he was all right Seeing that hispanion had returned to fortial, he breathed a sigh of relief. He was really worried that this obedient follower of his would leave him just now, but seeing that he was okay just likest time, he was relieved He put his hand around the second boy¡¯s shoulders as a show of affinity ¡°That olddy is a beggar through and through. I wonder of Gary has smoked some weed or something; he even spoke up for a broke, lowly person¡± Chapter 370 Chapter 370 He thought he could hear the boy echo what he said, not expecting that the boy smacked off his hand, and then red at him ¡°Don¡¯t let me hear you say bad things about Nicole¡¯s grandma again''¡± After saying that, the boy sat back in his seat and ignored him. Owned by N?velDrama.Org. Jack was in the back, looking at what happened and raising his eyebrow with amusement. But he quickly turned his gaze to fune, who was talking to Bradley about something There was a hint of interest in his eyes He found that June¡¯s thought was unexpectedly matching with his He walked casually up to June and Bradley, and gently tapped the table in front of thein ¡°Hey. do you want to have lunch together after ss?¡± He was knocking on Bradley¡¯s table, but his eyes were on June. Wayne looked at Jack and was stunned He had not seen fack invite a girl to lunch before this June looked at Jack in front of her and smiled politely, ¡°Thank you, but no.¡± Wayne was wide-eyed, as he could not believe that she rejected rack But Jack was not angry, and he had no expectations but just thought the girl was not bad, and he wanted to befriend her since she had rejected his invitation, he was not going to pursue any further He looked back at Wayne, inviting him to lunch together. Wayne obliged, andck went back to his seat. As he walked past June, he could not help and take a few nces at her June let him be, and she ever returned a friendly smile. Wayne scratched the back of his head as he began to like the girl. Ever since she stopped putting on airs, she had be a lot lovelier Bradley was a little surprised to see what happened, but he said nothing when he saw June did not mind. The monthly exam was just around the corner, so most likely, June did not want to be distracted. He nodded and gave June a thumbs up in his mind. Meanwhile, Lulu looked at June¡¯s expression thoughtfully June was having this attitude probably becauseck was not the type of guy she liked. Life was brilliant at night in the city Solomon was spending his days in a membership clubhouse, holding a ss of whiskey in his left hand and a pretty girl in his right, but he still felt empty inside He looked at the young face in front of him, but the woman with the cold and pretty face of yesterday kept shing in his mind¡¯s eye, in which he saw her look at him with beautiful and Sassy eyes, as if there was ice and brilliant lights in them. It made the woman in his arms suddenly feel uninteresting This was probably the difference between mortal and heavenly women Had she not been ur cooperative, he would not have thought of ruining her. ¡®How good it would be for her to be my woman, as I would treat her very well,¡¯ he thought. The thought of how fast she drove, so fast that she left him in the dust, and that he could not even take a glimpse of her beautiful face, a look of regret filled his face. Chapter 371 Chapter 371 But aller such a long time, no one wasing after him. Perhaps that woman was not someone powerful Even the Mount Daytonna race club, which definitely had a video of him wanting to hurt someone, remained quiet. It seemed that they had made a calcted decision and knew which side they could not offend. N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. Solomon leaned back triumphantly and was itching to have fun again. So he hade to this club, which he frequently patronized. After all, she was such a beauty, he could not control his desire for her. He thought it would be nice to find out who she was. He sighed Hearing the sigh of the man who was holding hers in his arms for the hundredth time, an emotion shed in her eyes She coquettishly blinked at Solomon, and her fingers slowly drew circles on his chest. ¡°What are you sighing about? Why don¡¯t you tell me?¡± she asked. Solomon nced at her. This woman had found favor with him, and so he always looked for her whenever he came. He quickly grabbed her soft hand that she used to tease him on his chest. He held it in his hand and said sincerely, ¡°How can I not be happy with you by my side?¡± She instantly knew that he did not want to talk about it. The woman was smart not to ask any more questions She looked at Solomon with a smile and persuaded him to keep drinking. Hearing her soft, teasing voice, Solomon¡¯s heart almost melted. He had finished two bottles of whiskey, his face red, eyes unfocused, and his hands started to grope around tantly. He looked at the woman in front of him, but she seemed to have changed into the beauty who smiled at him yesterday Solomon was drooling for her. Staring at the beauty whom he had been dreaming all night, he lost control of himself, opening his mouth that smelled of alcohol as he could not wait to kiss her. His face, which looked somewhat prim usually, became extremely smutty. ¡°Beauty,e here. Let me loss you,¡± he said. The woman looked at the delirious man and smiled even more broadly. She started to y hard to get, blocking his groping hand while muttering something seductive. ¡°We have a new arrival. Do you want to try it?¡± the woman said. ¡®Huh, new arrival? The drunk Solomon looked at the ¡°beauty¡± in front of him and let out a couple of obsceneughs, ¡°Then you and I. okay?¡± The woman did not say yes or no, but plenty stretched outlier hand to fan herself and whispered, ¡°Why is it so hot here?¡± She then tore the thin clothes on her shoulders will no hesitation, exposing her smooth, fair skin. No way Solomon could resist this temptation. He pounced on her, but the woman was quick to react, bouncing a step back, just in time to avoid his prab She thenughed softly ¡°Don¡¯t you want to try it, SolomonSolomon¡¯s mind waspletely controlled by alcohol and his desire He looked at the sexily dressed ¡°beauty¡± in front of him and swallowed hard ¡°Give it to me! Give it to me?¡± he said The woman slowly approached him, took a pink little bottle from between her fingers, and poured all the liquid into Solomon¡¯s winess She swirled it and looked at the man in front of her with a beautiful smile ¡°Drink it.¡± Solomon eagerly knocked back, not noticing that the smile on the woman¡¯s face had vanished. She looked icy, with a hint of hatred and relief shing across her face She then took his hand and walked him toward the door of the private lounge Solomon now had fallen into a psychedelic trance Chapter 372 Chapter 372 Solomon looked at the icy face in front of him, more certain that she was the beauty of yesterday. He had lost his sanitypletely. He leaned staggeringly against the woman and felt as if something was wrong as he was led outside. But he soon indulged himself by leaning on her soft body with an intoxicated smile on his face. The woman led him to the door, opened the door of the private lounge, and as she continued to walk outside with Solomon, she seemed to trip and fell to the ground with Solomon on top of her The woman cried out loud, trying desperately to push the man, who was heavy as an elephant away, but to no avail. He weighed too much for her, and almost crushed her to the point of suffocation The surveince camera in the hallway perfectly recorded her struggles and cries, as well as Solomon¡¯s indecent behavior.she bellowed a ¡°help me when she was suffocating Just then, someone rushed out and grabbed the delirious Solomon This night, Solomon was destined to be theughing stock of everyone, and the Freeman family would fall in San Joto N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. Meanwhile, Nicole was taking her grandmother to have a meal in the cafeteria Mrs. Wace Sr. ¡®s most favoredd was Nicole, whom she raised from small. Her son and her daughter-inw did not like her, and so did nol agree for Nicole to take their family name. So she named Nicole and let Nicole adopt her family name, which allowed Nkole to go to school She took care of Nicole, rain or shine, and this was her greatest expectation for her lod. Nicole grew up healthy with her, living afortable life ording to her own wishes, not getting bullied until Nicole grew up to the point where she could close her eyes to meet her maker Mrs. Wace Sr. looked lovingly at Nicole and picked out all the meat from her te and put it on Nicole¡¯s te. ¡°You disliked eating meat since you were small, but now is the best time to grow your body, so you must eat more¡± Nicole listened to the familiar nagging, but she did not look impatient, but just put half of the meat back on Mrs. Wace St ¡®s te. ¡°You should eat more, too.¡± Mrs. Wace Sr. looked at her slender body and felt sorry for her. When her granddaughter was in Great Oak, she always had activities in and was seldom at home But once Nicole came hotte, she would prepare good food for her. And now that Nicole¡¯s living condition in San foto had improved, yet she seemed to have be thinner Thinking of the ridicule she had just gotten in the ssroom, she could imagine what kind of life Nicole had spent here Mrs Wace Sr felt terrible, but the thought of the kids who had just stepped up for her made her feel a little better Nicole was adaptable and surely 1.d some pembe friends She kuiper what Mrs Walle Sr Will thinking when she saw her expression Nicole slowly and methodically bit the chicken on the te and whispered, ¡°Grandma, I still have a lot of friends You don¡¯t have to worry too much about me.¡± Not only friends but also brothers, who were very protective of her Mrs Wace Sr thought her granddaughter was just a little introverted, but had no problem making friends She guessed she was too much of an rmist Nicole was the child of the Riddle family, and even if they were unfriendly to Nicole, they would still have to give face to the Riddle family With this in mind, Mrs Wace Sr breathed a sigh or relief She came just to see Nicole, not expecting that she would be an added burden for Nicole Chapter 373 Chapter 373 As she was thinking about it, Nicole held her hand that she was clenching subconsciously, Nicole looked at Mrs Wace Sr. with tenderness and a little helplessness in her eyes. Her grandmother was thoughtful and caring, but because she was used to living a hard bile, she was particrly sentimental ¡°You will always be my grandma. If you feel like seeing me,e visit me, and don¡¯t think too much.¡± Mrs. Wace Sr. was stupefied. Looking her granddaughter into her sincere and beautiful eyes, she appeared surprised, but soon was overwhelmed by emotion She held out her frail hand, turned her face away to wipe the tears from theers of her eyes before turning back and smiling at Nicole ¡°I know, I know.¡± The fact that Nicole was a member of the Riddle family had always been a mental obstacle to her. After all, the Riddle family was a world of difference from her family She wondered if Nicole would also dislike her and refuse to acknowledge someone embarrassing like her as her grandmother But Nicole¡¯s attitude had reassured her She should know Nicole¡¯s mettle better than anyone, as she was the person who raised her.She knew Nicole was not someone who was ungrateful Mrs. Wace Sr. patted Nicole¡¯s hand with tears in her eyes, but her voice was much calmer. ¡°Nicole, will you take me on a tour of your school?¡± She really wanted to know more about Nicole¡¯s living environment, and to know that Nicole was doing well so that she could feel at Nicole saw that Mrs Wace Sr¡¯s emotion was recovering, so she nodded. Looking at the te in front of her, she said, ¡°Then finish your meal, and then I will take you to tour the campus.¡± Mrs. Wace Sc. smiled and nodded, knowing that her granddaughter always granted her every wish Snow, who was sitting not far away, watched on with mockery in her eyes ¡°No matter how much grandpa treasures Nicole, she¡¯s still a country bumpkin. She even brought a frumpy olddy to dine here. It¡¯s so embarrassing When the thought of what her grandfather had said to her and her sister the other day, Snow could not hide the mockery on her face Yvana, who was beside her, quickly sensed something was wrong with Snow¡¯s emotions, as Snow was sping the fork so hard that her nails began to crack yet she was unaware of it ¡°Snow, are you okay?¡± Yvana asked in a whisper Yvand was apanying Snow to wait for Harvey in the cafeteria, but Harvey never showed Instead, they saw Nicole bring an olddy to dine here. Snow¡¯s lips curled up with disdain. Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org. The heat had died down on the campus forum, and everyone was just taking a wait-and-see attitude, not knowing what was going on. Some Snow¡¯s fans, who had also seen the confrontation between the two the other day, said that they could not ept a lunatic like Snow. Even if Snow was trying hard to save his image now, nothing would help. Yvana¡¯s focus was not on Snow at all. When she saw Snow shake her head, she knew Snow was fine. She then mysteriously leaned closer to Snow¡¯s face and asked softly, ¡°Your pink diamond hasn¡¯t been found yet. Have you found out who stole it?¡± Chapter 374 Chapter 374 Yvana was convinced that Snow did have a diamond like that, as she knew very well that every time Harvey went on a trip, he would bring back something, such as bracelets and nes, for Snow. Each one of them made her envious of Snow. So it was possible that Harvey had given Snow a ten-carat diamond this time. Snow had always treasured the gifts that Harvey gave hers. So the disappearance of the diamond was no ident; someone must have stolen it. When Snow heard Yvana ask about this, it stirred her emotions again. Snow clenched the fork in her hands in anger, as if she could not feel the sharp pain from her nails. She had already gone back to the old mansion looking for it, but she had still not found a clue. She thought about it and was sure that it must be Nicole who stole her pink diamond. No one except for Nicole in the family would be jealous of her. Otherwise, Nicole would not have stayed just for a little while and left; she must have felt guilty. With this in mind, Snow looked at Nicole with resentment. She did not know where Nicole got the purple diamond from, but she was sure that it was definitely not the Riddle family who gave it to her. Owned by N?velDrama.Org. She cherished that pink diamond because it was a keepsake of love from Harvey. So she wanted to find a way to get it back. Atst, Snow could not hold herself back. She walked over to Nicole, gritting her teeth as she looked at Nicole with vicious eyes. ¡°Thief! I swear I will expose you.¡± She then turned to look up and down at Mrs. Wace Sr. with contempt on her face. Wace Sr. ¡°So you¡¯re Nicole¡¯s grandmother? There is no wonder. Birds of a feather flock together. You¡¯d better keep an eye on your granddaughter.¡± There was an imperceptible sense of disgust in her voice. With that, Snow turned and wanted to leave. But the sight of two people walking toward her stopped her in her tracks. One of those two was none other than Harvey, whom she had been waiting for a long time. He casually greeted the other ssmates around him as he kept walking toward Nicole. Mrs. Wace Sr. heard what Snow had said and looked at Nicole with confusion, wanting to ask what was going on. In her eyes, Nicole was not a kid who would steal. Seeing that Snow wasing over again, Nicole¡¯s face turned frosty. She smiled gently at Mrs. Wace Sr. and then said coldly, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about her. She feels ufortable without looking for trouble every day.¡± Surprisingly, those people around her who had heard it actually felt that there was some truth in what Nicole said. Snow had searched Nicole and said what she wanted to say, but she never gave an apology. Not only that, she kepting looking for trouble, and that had started to cause resentment Snow did not know what everyone was thinking. She just quickly sorted out her dress and then stood quietly with a gentle smile on her face. Watching Harvey approach, she wanted to talk to him, but Harvey skimmed straight past her, not even giving her a smile. Edwin, who followed Harvey and at first disliked Snow because of her hypocrisy, saw Harvey¡¯s attitude and inexplicably sympathized with Snow. But his sympathy for Snow juststed for a second. He also ignored Snow and walked past her. Snow¡¯s expression crashed in an instant. She turned to look at Harvey from behind, as if she had seen Yvana¡¯s mocking gaze not far away. ¡®It was all Nicole¡¯s fault,¡¯ she said in her mind. Harvey and Edwin stopped in front of Nicole. Harvey smiled at her, then turned to Mrs. Wace Sr. ¡°Hello, Mrs. Wace,¡± he said gently. Chapter 375 Chapter 375 As two fine young men came over to say hello, Mrs. Wace Sr. looked at Nicole in puzzlement, as if waiting for her to introduce them, only to see Nicole¡¯s brows knitted together. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Nicole asked. Harvey did not mind her attitude. Instead, he sat down next to her. Edwin asked for Mrs. Wace Sr.¡¯s permission before he, too, sat down by her side. ¡°I heard your grandma wasing, so I thought I shoulde to meet her,¡± Harvey said, sounding as if he was someone close to Nicole or something. Now, even Mrs. Wace Sr. felt a little unease, but she was worried that he was Nicole¡¯s good friend, so she asked tentatively, ¡°You are?¡± Harvey smiled with no hesitation. ¡°Nicole and my grandfather know each other, and it was he who rmended Nicole to study in this school. Knowing that you came to see Nicole, I thought I have to come to meet you, too.¡± Harvey was not lying. When he got the news of Nicole¡¯s grandmothering, he immediately came over. Owned by N?velDrama.Org. Nicole could not stand him. She stood up abruptly and red at him. ¡°What do you want?¡± Harvey felt insulted by her question. He was exasperated that she thought he was here to see her grandma with some ulterior motive. Harvey¡¯s face sank, but his eyes were still gentle, just that there was an added unfathomableness in them. Even if he had a motive, it was definitely his hope that by pleasing her grandmother, Nicole would not be so resentful of him. Thinking of this, Harvey looked up at Nicole thoughtfully. ¡°I heard you and your grandma used to live in Great Oak?¡± he asked. If Shawn¡¯s information was urate, he might get the answer he wanted from Nicole. But Nicole ignored the strange questions. She stood up with Mrs. Wace Sr., wanting to leave. But Mrs. Wace Sr. looked at Harvey and said all of a sudden, ¡°Young man, what do you want to know?¡± This person did not look like an ordinary kid; there seemed to be something terrible surging and struggling in his eyes. Harvey looked at Mrs. Wace Sr. in puzzlement. ¡°What do I want to know?¡± He did not know, either. Thinking of this, he smiled softly. ¡°I just want to say that maybe we should at least be friends. What do you say, Nicole?¡± Nicole was not in the mood to listen to his nonsense. She picked up her food tray and just as she reached for her grandma¡¯s, Edwin, who sat next to Mrs. Wace Sr., had picked up the tray without looking the slightest disgusted. ¡°Let¡¯s go. I will help Grandma do it,¡± he said to Nicole in a matter-of-course tone of voice. Harvey watched on and narrowed his eyes. He wondered what Edwin was up to. Mrs. Wace Sr. looked at Edwin and thought that he looked cute, at least not as crafty as the young man just now. As the three of them left together, Harvey¡¯s face turned to be a little frightening. But it was only for a moment before he quickly regained his demeanor and put a nonchnt smile back on his face. Snow looked at him from a distance away. Seeing that he was alone now and thinking that she finally had a chance, she came up to him. ¡°Harvey,¡± she greeted him. Harvey nced at her without emotion and then let out a half-smile. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Chapter 376 Chapter 376 Snow saw that Harvey had talked to her and became bolder. She walked over to Harvey cautiously and said, ¡°What is there to talk about with the olddy from the countryside¡± Before she could finish speaking, Harvey shot her an icy look and then let out a cruel smile at the self- righteous girl in front of him. ¡°We¡¯re going to have a lot ofmon topics,¡± he said. But he would have nothing to say to Snow. Thinking of that farce the other day, Harvey looked at Snow with pity. The fact that she could even lose the gift that suited her best made him less likely want to talk to her. ¡°Snow.¡± Harvey¡¯s voice was indifferent, but with a hint of extreme malice to it. ¡°Come back and talk to me when you get that diamond back.¡± He then got up and left, leaving Snow to watch him leave with her eyes wide open. Snow was rooted to the spot for a long while before a hint of ruthlessness surfacing in her eyes. She knew it; Harvey would only be angry with her because she had lost the diamond. ¡®I¡¯m going to get the diamond back-whatever it takes!¡¯ she said in her mind. Edwin apanied Nicole and Mrs. Wace Sr. on a campus tour. Nicole had not been to many areas of the campus. She spent her time at the sportsground, ssroom, cafeteria, dormitory, and, of course, the caf¨¦, every day. She had never been to other entertainment facilities. Edwin was a junior in college, and so he knew the campus much better than Nicole did. Mrs. Wace Sr. was following Edwin from behind and looked at him with interest. Even the look in Nicole¡¯s eyes had also be gentle. Just then, Edwin¡¯s mobile phone rang. He picked the phone and answered it, his face grave. Nicole saw his expression and knew that it must be about something unusual. Sure enough, after hanging up the phone, Edwin apologetically told Nicole and Mrs. Wace Sr. that he had to leave to take care of something. Mrs. Wace Sr. waved her hand, saying that he had no obligation to show her around, and that she was happy to hear such an interesting exnation from him. Nicole also nodded appreciatively at Edwin. She then looked on and narrowed her eyes as Edwin went in a hurry. The thought of Edwin¡¯s request for her to grant him a favor came to mind. This is property ? N?velDrama.Org. Had she not been tracked, she would have wanted to help him. As she thought of Zeke, she recalled what Zeke told her this morning; he had epted a job that seemed not easy, and that he would contact her at any time Nicole looked at the empty mailbox and then thought of Edwin¡¯s expression just now. As if thinking of something, a light shed in her eyes. Mrs. Wace Sr. did not notice all this. She felt a little tired after walking for so long, so Nicole took her to the school gate. Mrs. Wace Sr. asked casually, ¡°Who¡¯s that guy? He seems like a good guy.¡± Nicole did not give it a second thought but said casually, ¡°He is my senior.¡± Mrs. Wace Sr., looked at her granddaughter thoughtfully and said in a soft voice, ¡°The boy in the cafeteria earlier..¡± ¡®You have to stay away from him.¡¯ She didn¡¯t say thisst part. Nicole saw the hesitation in Mrs. Wace Sr. ¡°He and I will not have a chance.¡± Hearing this, Mrs. Wace Sr. nodded in relief. Chapter 377 Chapter 377 The cicadas were still restless, and the afternoon sun was brutal in the early fall. Nicole was young and strong, so she did not feel anything. But she was worried that her grandmother could not stand the heat. So she and her grandmother walked in the shades of the trees all the way, and she gently fanned her grandmother with her hand. Nicole was preupied with Mrs. Wace Sr. all the way and had not noticed the familiar ck vehicle with the unknown logo trailing her. The car drove slowly and followed the two of them, not honking so as not to disturb them. It was Mrs. Wace Sr. who first discovered the vehicle. She looked back at it with some trepidation before she said to Nicole, ¡°Do you see that there¡¯s a car trailing us?¡± Nicole looked back cautiously. Immediately, a look of pleasant surprise filled her face when she saw the car. Mrs. Wace Sr. knew her granddaughter well and looked at her thoughtfully. She had never seen Nicole having such an expression before. The vehicle pulled up in front of them, and the window dropped, revealing Jared¡¯s face inside. He nodded gently at Mrs. Wace Sr. and then looked at Nicole. ¡°Do you want to get in the car? This is property ? N?velDrama.Org. Nicole looked at him with a smile on her face subconsciously. Seeing her nod, Jared stepped out of the car and opened the rear passenger door for Mrs. Wace Sr. After she got in, he went around to the other side and revealed a graceful smile when he saw Nicole¡¯s expression easing up. ¡°May I, Nicole?¡± he said with a gesture. Nicole did not decline. She looked at Jared with a half-smile before getting in the car. If anyone saw this, they would open their mouths in shock. People would wonder what it took for someone to make Jared Johnston of San Joto their chauffeur, and in this case, an olddy and a little girl. Even the president of Hustuaburg would probably not get this privileged treatment. But Jared was not ashamed of it at all. Instead, he had a smile on his face, as if doing these things made him feel happy. He finally got into the front passenger seat and looked at Nicole in the rearview mirror.¡± Going back to the Riddle Mansion?¡± Nicole nodded, and Jared started the car. In order to take care of the elderly, he drove slowly with soft music ying in the background. The seat felt cool andfortable even in the scorching sun, with a faint scent of fragrance. Jared, who was sitting in the front, said to Mrs. Wace Sr., ¡°Hello, I¡¯m a friend of Nicole¡¯s, Jared.¡± ¡°Hello.¡± Mrs. Wace Sr. immediately broke into a smile, as she had a good impression of Jared. She then looked at Nicole with a knowing look in her eyes. Nicole felt embarrassed; she knew she could not tell her grandma that Jared was her fianc¨¦. ¡±He is the owner of a caf¨¦ opposite our campus.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t know that.¡± If he could open a caf¨¦ in a ce like San Joto, he must be pretty ¡°okay¡±, Mrs. Wace Sr. thought. It would be even better if he was not someone with too high of a social status and did not find Nicole embarrassing him. Now, Mrs. Wace Sr. felt a lot more at ease. ¡°This must be your first time in San Joto. I will show you around,¡± Jared said. ¡°It¡¯s so nice of you, but I don¡¯t want you to trouble you.¡± Mrs. Wace Sr. was hesitant because she did not want to trouble anyone. ¡°Not at all.¡± Jared smiled and motioned for Max to drive the car out of school. Along the way, Jared asionally struck up a conversation to make Mrs. Wace Sr. feel at ease. Seeing that Grandma and Jared were chatting happily, Nicole looked out the window. The dazzling sunlight was perfectly blocked by the window of the car, but she could still feel the warm and pleasant afternoon feeling. Chapter 378 Chapter 378 A gentle smile crept across her face. During the chat, Jared and Mrs. Wace Sr. had talked about Nicole¡¯s childhood. Mrs. Wace Sr. looked into the distance when she recalled the past. ¡°Nicole didn¡¯tugh much since she was a kid, but I never have to worry about her.! Mrs. Wace Sr. had a faint sense of nostalgia in her eyes as she recollected the memories. Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org. Jared looked at the two of them in the rearview mirror and saw a rare, strong emotion on Nicole¡¯s beautiful face, but he said nothing, just leaving space for them. For the first time, he saw Nicole looked so soft, without the slightest caution or mental guard. Her grandmother must be important to her. After driving around San Joto for a round, the car dropped them off at the Riddle Mansion. Because Mr. Riddle Sr. was sick, and Daniel and his wife almost stayed in the mansion most of the time, so Nicole brought his grandmother here. As the car came to a halt, Mrs. Wace Sr. and Nicole got out of the car. Nicole looked at Jared. Jared smiled at Nicole and then said, ¡°Mrs. Wace, Nicole, I¡¯ll see you around.¡± See Mrs. Wace Sr. nodding, Jared then rolled up the window. The ck vehicle drove off like an off-string arrow, speeding away on the road. Mrs. Wace Sr. looked in the direction where Jared had left and muttered to herself, ¡°This kid is really good-looking.¡± In Mrs. In Wace Sr.¡¯s eyes, none of the people she had ever seen today could measure up to Jared. That was probably why Nicole liked him. Nicole had a sharp ear and had heard what Mrs. Wace Sr. muttered. For a moment, she did not know whether to cry orugh. Mrs. Wace Sr. ignored her expression. As Nicole helped her go inside, she casually asked Nicole without looking at her, ¡°What is your rtionship with the young man who sent us back?¡± Nicole looked at Mrs. Wace Sr., who narrowed her eyes, and said with a straight face,¡± Friends.¡± ¡®Friend? The boy, who eagerly took us touring the campus, is just a senior of hers, while this guy is a friend-he probably has a special position in Nicole¡¯s heart.¡¯ Mrs. Wace Sr. was delighted, and already had a n in mind. Nicole was her precious granddaughter, and if she had to pick one guy among Nicole¡¯s suitors, Mrs. Wace Sr. would not hesitate to choose Jared. Mrs. Wace Sr. knew nothing about cars or fragrance, but just judging by the way Jared spoke, and his attitude toward Nicole, she knew he was a trustworthy one. With this in mind, she nodded with satisfaction. She did not expect to get such a surprise on this trip. Looking at the door of the Riddle mansion, Mrs. Wace Sr. suddenly felt a sense of relief. Meanwhile, as Jared was on his way back from the Riddle mansion, he received a call from Max. ¡°Everything went smoothly.¡± Max looked at Solomon, who was tied in front of him. Solomon had obviously not yet awakened from the effects of the drug, and from time to time, he made a pig-like hum. Chapter 379 Chapter 379 Jared heard the voice over there and frowned in disgust, then whispered to Max, ¡°Follow the protocol and deal with it, but don¡¯t get your hands dirty.¡± Max said ¡°yes¡± , and then with a gentle wave of his hand, two men came up from behind him, carried Solomon like garbage, and threw him into the cold detention room. He then turned his head and looked at the person behind him, his frosty face looking inexplicably intimidating. ¡°He behaved indecently in public, abused psychedelic drugs, and even assaulted a bar girl. Inspector Pearce, how would you handle this case?¡± Inspector Pearce quickly wiped the sweat from his forehead. He looked at the imposing young man and knew that the young man was someone whom he could not afford to mess with. Looking at Solomon, who was constantly writhing like a bug in the detention room, Inspector Pearce¡¯s face appeared grave. ¡®How dare this Solomon do whatever he pleases in his territory!¡¯ he said in his mind. He would not have cared had Solomon kept things in the private lounge, but he took the woman outside and the surveince had captured his act of pursuing excitement and even assault in its entirety. Misuse of psychedelics was a serious offense in San Joto. No way Solomon was not aware of it. Thinking of this, Inspector Pearce¡¯s face sank Instead of beating around the bush, he spoke directly to Max. ¡°Investigation is being carried out in full swing, and we will certainly give you all an answer. Solomon¡¯s blood test is already underway, and we will soon know what he has done to himself. Another thing, we want to find how you found what happened and made the report.¡± Max nodded. He passed a nce over, and a woman came out. There were bruises on her face and body. It looked like she had been badly abused, with her beautiful facepletely unrecognizable now. Inspector Pearce had handled many cases, but he still could not help but gasp in shock at seeing the woman¡¯s condition. ¡®Solomon is really a scumbag!¡¯ he said in his mind. Max saw the surprised expression on Inspector Pearce¡¯s face and said, ¡°We were in the private lounge next door when we heard a woman calling for help. So we opened the door to see what was going on, and the rest was history.¡± Owned by N?velDrama.Org. Inspector Pearce nodded in acknowledgment. Although not in the way he had imagined, their affidavit was noticeably more idental and truer, and his apprehension about this case lessened. He now found Solomon really disgusting. A medic hurried over and nodded to Inspector Pearce with a serious face. No wonder Solomon got so high for so long; he had taken none other than the mostmon aphrodisiac sold in the ck market. Commonly known as philter, it was added to whiskey to increase its efficacy and could make people delirious. Inspector Pearce¡¯s eyes turned cold as he looked at Solomon in the detention room. ¡°Wake him up!¡± The detestation in his voice was apparent. Max walked out of the cold detention center, followed by several people and a docile-looking woman. As the intense sunlight beat down on his body, he looked back at her in appreciation. ¡°You¡¯re doing a good job.¡± The woman smiled and had a kind of abused beauty in her with those bruises on her face. Max did not miss a hint of exhaustion hidden in her eyes. He waved his hand, and soon someone behind him handed a few thin pieces of paper into the woman¡¯s hand. She took it, and soon her eyes widened. It turned out to be her termination letter with the clubhouse. She was just an ordinary waitress in that clubhouse at first, butter, because of her good looks, she was tricked into the trade by the manager, and signed a contract with astronomical liquidated damages for breach of contract. If she worked for less than ten years, she could never pay off that money. At first, she had agreed to the deal because she hated Solomon, not expecting that they would do her such a big favor. Chapter 380 Chapter 380 The woman raised her head, her young face written with vicissitudes of life. She looked at Max with a complicated look in her eyes. ¡°Thank you,¡± she said in a soft voice. Max waved his hand, signaled that she did not have to thank him. ¡°You know what to say when you give your statement to the police, don¡¯t you?¡± He still looked expressionless. Of course, the woman knew what he meant. Max had done her such a huge favor, and Solomon was a scum; thinking of this, she nodded her head with no hesitation. These people were the one who pulled her out of the mire. Max said no more. He turned and left with his men. When they metst night, he had already made it clear to this woman. Jared had never made any mistakes with the person he chose to deal with. Thinking of this, Max had a faint look of admiration in his eyes. His boss had almost predicted what was going to happen; Solomon would go to the clubhouse today, look for this woman, and get drunk So he instructed them to negotiate with this girl in advance, teaching her step by step how to lure the scum into the trap, and then he would be done for. Moreover, it was Inspector Pearce who was chosen. He was well-known for his effort in rescuing women in trouble.Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org. It was said that Inspector Pearce had once rescued abducted women in Yomming State. During the operation, many of his teammates were injured, and the women trafficker killed his only daughter in retaliation. It was not hard to imagine what would be the fate if Solomon fell into his hands. Max still remembered his boss¡¯s grim face, which looked so cold and unfathomable. He casually made a telephone call and smiled when he heard the guy at the other end whine. ¡°I saw people I shouldn¡¯t have seen in Club Studio.¡± us wasining that he did not take him on a mission. And when he heard that, he couldn¡¯t care less about anything but said a few words to us. ¡°I¡¯ll go over,¡± us said. He jumped into his sports car and sped toward the clubhouse where Solomon was. When he arrived, he walked to the reception counter and took out a card expressionlessly. ¡°I want to know all the customer information here in two hours.¡± The reception guy looked at the card in his hand, and nodded respectfully, then turned on theputer with trembling hands. The hands of those who were working in this line would never shiver unless they really could not help it. us looked at the reception guy and was pleased. He enjoyed the pleasure of having someone serving him. After he casually looked around for a while, the reception guy walked over with a tablet. ¡°M-Mr. Graham, the customer details are in here. Take your time and call me if you need anything again.¡± There was a hint of fear in his voice. us took the tablet, ignoring the reception guy, and slowly and leisurely browsed through the list. He cocked an eyebrow when he saw those familiar names, but things had nothing to do with him, so he did not want to be nosy. He kept scrolling down the list with his callous finger and finally stopped at 14:20 pm. Michael¡¯s name appeared a few minutes before Solomon¡¯s record. us raised his eyebrows with interest. He returned the tablet to the reception guy and thanked him politely. The reception guy shivered and then forced a smile that looked uglier than crying. ¡°It¡¯s my job,¡± he said. us ignored him, returned to his car, and replied to Max¡¯s message. Chapter 381 Chapter 381 ¡°You read it right.¡± He had checked out an hour earlier, probably having gotten wind of something, feeling unsafe, and quickly left. ¡®How dare Michael not heed Jared¡¯s warning, tantly doing things he knew very well that they were against thew?¡¯ us looked up with a gentle smile, but his eyes had an inorganic coldness. He called and told Jared what he found and some of his own interpretation, as if he had witnessed what happened with his own eyes. ¡®He¡¯s good for nothing but tattling, emboldening Michael, even.¡¯ A long silence was on Jared¡¯s side before Jared was heard saying, ¡°One at a time.¡± us then hung up and was thrilled. ¡®One at a time; everyone gets their turn. Boss has his own reasons for doing things, and I¡¯m not in a hurry.¡¯ Meanwhile, Nicole had walked Mrs. Wace Sr. into the Riddle Mansion to meet her parents. It was her eldest brother who picked her up thest time. Daniel and Gloria had never met Mrs. Wace Sr. yet, so she had to take Mrs. Wace Sr. to meet them. When Nicole brought Mrs. Wace Sr. into the living room, they happened to see Daniel and Gloriae downstairs. Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org. Gloria looked at Nicole and Mrs. Wace Sr. in surprise. She quickly went up to them and whispered to Nicole, ¡°This is¡­¡± Seeing Nicole nod, Gloria and Daniel¡¯s eyes lit up. They walked excitedly to Mrs. Wace Sr., took her hand, and said softly to her, ¡°You must be Nicole¡¯s grandmother. We have long heard Nicole talk about you and thought of visiting you in Great Oak to thank you in person. We did not expect you toe first.¡± Daniel also grinned as he looked at Mrs. Wace Sr., and from time to time, nodded in agreement with what Gloria had said. Mrs. Wace Sr. did not expect Nicole¡¯s parents to be so friendly. She felt touched and waved her hand ¡°I just miss Nicole, wanting to see if she is doing well. Now I am relieved to see you all so friendly.¡± Gloria quickly reached out and held Mrs. Wace Sr.¡¯s hand while winking at Nicole, ¡°Your grandpa is waiting for you to apany him to take his medication.¡± Nicole knew they wanted to chat with Mrs. Wace Sr., so she nodded gently and said to Mrs. Wace Sr., ¡°I¡¯ll be right back.¡± Mrs. Wace Sr. did not stop her from going but looked at her with an avuncr expression. ¡± Good girl. Go.¡± She and Gloria sat down and chatted on the couch. Nicole only went upstairs when she saw they were getting along well. Mrs. Wace Sr. told Gloria some funny stories about Nicole¡¯s childhood. The three of them sat in the living room. With Nicole as themon topic, the conversation did not feel awkward at all. After learning about Nicole¡¯s habits, favorite food, and things that would offend her, Gloria finally asked cautiously, ¡°Will Nicole me me for abandoning her for so many years?¡± Mrs. Wace Sr. seemed to have expected this question. She nced at Gloria and sighed secretly. ¡°You have to ask Nicole about this. She knew a lot of things and kept everything to herself since she was a child.¡± Seeing Gloria¡¯s face sunk, Mrs. Wace Sr. added, saying, ¡°Nicole must love you two very much. Otherwise, she wouldn¡¯t have stayed in the Riddle family, judging by her personality.¡± Hearing this, Daniel and his wife¡¯s eyes lit up. They looked at Mrs. Wace Sr. with a tinge of gratitude on their faces.They were too blinded by their emotions, and it was Mrs. Wace Sr. who made them realize the actual situation. Chapter 382 Chapter 382 Mrs. Wace Sr. looked at Gloria and asked her a question, ¡°You found a daughter before Nicole, didn¡¯t you?¡± Gloria and Daniel looked at each other, and both bowed their heads in shame. Norah was angry and did note home for a few days, so Gloria was worried about her. Two nights ago, she heard a servant say Norah hade home but just took a look and left afterward. No one knew why she did not enter the house, but Gloria was thinking of visiting her in school if Norah still did note home in two days. Daniel also sighed when Norah came to mind. It was all because they did not conduct a DNA test that they mixed Norah up with Nicole, which was equally hurtful to both Nicole and Norah. Mrs. Wace Sr. saw that they were genuinely sorry for Nicole. It had been a great dereliction of duty as parents for them to find Nicole back only after so long. Mrs. Wace Sr. was thinking of reproaching them. But seeing their guilty faces, she, atst, said nothing. No parent did not want to have their children growing up beside them. Daniel and Gloria must have been very painful to lose Nicole by negligence at that time. The disappointment that came after realizing that they had mistaken someone else for their daughter did not help, either. The time and effort they had spent and the amount of distress must be huge So there was no need for her to harp on the issue again. Mrs. Wace Sr. sighed again. She looked at Daniel and Gloria and said solemnly, ¡°You may give Nicole freedom, but you must also hold her hand and lead her to the way home. You only need to be good to her, and she will reward you endlessly. So you must treat her well.¡± Daniel and Gloria nodded assuredly. Mrs. Wace Sr. smiled with relief and still wanted to say something. Just then, the door suddenly opened, and a surly voice came from the outside. ¡°How can you allow any Tom, Dick, and Harry to enter the Riddle Mansion?¡± It was Dillon. He walked in, circled around, and sneered at the quaintly dressed Mrs. Wace Sr., who was sitting at the table. Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org. Only then did he sit down on the sofa on the opposite side, cross his legs, and say to Daniel, ¡± Aren¡¯t you afraid of making yourself aughingstock by inviting a garbage collector into our house?¡± Dillon appeared triumphant. Daniel looked at him with unconcealed anger on his face. ¡°You can mock me, but please don¡¯t get Nicole¡¯s grandma involved.¡± ¡®What? This olddy was the person who raised the brat?¡¯ The malice look in Dillon¡¯s eyes was all too obvious. He almostughed out loud. ¡°Why can¡¯t I talk about her? She dressed so badly; isn¡¯t she a garbage collector?¡± Gloria could not bear his insults and stood up. ¡°Dillon, I respect you as my brother-inw, but please respect others and don¡¯t spew your insults.¡± Gloria¡¯s words hit him where they hurt the most. Dillon went from humiliated to angry, jumping up, wanting to p Gloria. ¡°You b*tch! How dare you say this to me?¡± Karen, who had returned to visit Mr. Riddle Sr., had just gone downstairs and could not help but frown when she heard the noise in the living hall. She had not spoken to Dillontely because Dillon had humiliated her in front of everyonest time. But then, she also felt she could not bear to watch her husband being bullied and do nothing. So she rushed down the stairs. ¡°Are you crazy, Gloria? How dare you insult my husband! Believe me,I¡¯m going to tear your mouth off!¡± Amid the chaos, amanding voice suddenly came from upstairs. ¡°Cut it out!¡± Dillon¡¯s hand was being grabbed by Daniel, and Karen was frozen in her posture of rushing toward Gloria. Chapter 383 Chapter 383 All of them turned around stiffly. ¡°Dad?¡± Everyone was looking up at the stairs. They could not believe their eyes when they saw Mr. Riddle Sr. on his feet. Nicole helped him walk downstairs. Her brows furrowed when she saw her grandmother standing there being bullied. However, it was heartwarming for Nicole to see Gloria standing in front of her grandmother protecting her. ¡± Dillion and his wife tried to look normal as they did not want to act rashly in front of their dad. A hint of disappointment shed upon Mr. Riddle Sr.¡¯s eyes as he looked at Dillion. Mr. Riddle Sr. was furious with Dillion, his hands trembling. Dillion was quite loud just now. So, Mr. Riddle Sr. heard everything as he walked down the hall. ¡®Dillion was way out of line. How could he say such awful words to Mrs.Dillion did not look as proud as before when he noticed his father¡¯s face was contorted with anger. He quickly sat upright and forced a smile as he looked at his father. ¡°How are you, Dad? Are you feeling better? Why did youe down?¡± Karen was disgusted by her husband¡¯s reaction. ¡®How can Dillion still be so afraid of his dad?!¡¯ Even though Karen was not happy with her husband¡¯s reaction, she flinched the moment she noticed her dad was furious. She quickly withdrew her hand and stood behind her husband. Mr. Riddle Sr.grunted as he looked at the both of them. ¡°Why did you ask? Were you hoping that I wouldn¡¯t be on my feet ever again?!¡± Dillion kept quiet as he knew whatever he was going to say would only upset his father further. However, he was disgusted by the way Mrs. Wace Sr. dressed. He twitched his mouth in a grimace and voiced his displeasure. ¡°Dad, Don¡¯t be mad at me. Look at what Daniel did. How can he bring someone dressing like a beggar into our house?¡± Nicole¡¯s face darkened when Dillion called Mrs. Wace Sr. a beggar. Mr. Riddle Sr. noticed her emotion rather quickly and patted her hand tofort her. He then turned around and glowered at Dillion. ¡°You were so rude to Mrs. Wace Sr.! Apologize to her now!¡± said Mr. Riddle Sr. ¡®What?!¡¯ ¡®Did dad just ask me to apologize to a beggar?!¡¯ Dillion stood still. Mr. Riddle Sr. squinted. ¡®This brat doesn¡¯t even listen to me now. Does he not respect me anymore?!¡¯ Nicole helped Mr. Riddle Sr. walk toward Dillon and the rest. Although Dillion heard his father loud and clear, he still refused to apologize to a beggar. He believed that his father would not embarrass him in front of outsiders no matter what he did. N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. ¡®It was probably just for the show!¡¯ While Dillion felt pretty confident about his own thought, a sudden gust of wind whooshed from behind him! He then felt a sharp pain in his knees while he was still processing what was happening. ¡°Ahhh!¡± screamed Dillion. A powerful blow dropped him to his knees, making him look wretched and embarrassing. ¡°How dare you kick me, Nicole?!¡± Chapter 384 Chapter 384 Dillion instinctively assumed Nicole must be the one who kicked him because she had almost made him kneel back then. The fact that he did not have to kneel in the end did not lessen his shame, however. ¡®It must be Nicole trying to put me in embarrassment again!¡¯ ¡°You still have the nerve to call Nicole? You deserve being kicked!¡± said Mr. Riddle Sr. Dillon¡¯s face turned pale as he was harshly reprimanded by his father. ¡®Dad actually let Nicole kick me?! He doesn¡¯t even bother that I¡¯m an elder family member and put me in a tight spot!¡¯ Karen could not help to speak, ¡°Dad! No matter what. Dillon is still an elder member of the family.¡± As she said that, she ran to Dillon, wanting to help him up. But Mr. Riddle Sr. said in an icy cold voice, ¡°Don¡¯t any of you dare to help him up!¡± His words had startled Karen. She immediately drew back her hands. Mr. Riddle Sr. looked at Dillon¡¯s eyes; they were full of shock. He said indifferently, without a trace of pity in his voice, ¡°I repeat, apologize to Mrs. Wace Sr. now!¡± Dillon did not expect Mr. Riddle Sr. to want him to apologize to Mrs. Wace Sr. He looked at Mr. Riddle Sr. and then at Nicole, who was staring him down. He could barely hide his resentment. However, he knew that there would be no end to this if he did not apologize to her. So he could only keep his head low while enduring his anger and said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I shouldn¡¯t have said that.¡± ¡®D*mn Nicole! It¡¯s all because of her that I have to humble myself to apologize to a filthy beggar!¡¯ thought Dillon, who was ring at Nicole with hateful eyes as though he had wanted to skin her alive. But Mr. Riddle Sr. thrashed the ground with his walking stick and frowned. ¡°What face are you showing her!¡± Mr. Riddle Sr.¡¯s action sent Dillon shivers. He immediately lowered his head, trying to hide his facial expression. On the other hand, Nicole did not miss the resentful look on Dillon¡¯s face while watching the scene. ¡®Uncle Dillon must be holding a grudge against grandma and me. Grandpa is here now, so Uncle Dillon has no balls to harm us. But what if when grandpa is not around?¡¯ There was a ruthless glint in Nicole¡¯s eyes. Only when she retracted her gaze to Mrs. Wace Sr. and saw her grandmother¡¯sforting smile did the frost in her eyes thaw. Mr. Riddle Sr. thought Dillon had sincerely apologized, so he no longer stopped Karen from helping Dillon up. He walked to Mrs. Wace Sr. with a smile on his stern face. ¡°So you¡¯re Nicole¡¯s grandmother?¡± Mrs. Wace Sr. nodded. She could tell that the man before her was the head of the Riddles. She had thought him to be a strict person. But now she noticed that he seemed to highly regard Nicole. At the thought of this, Mrs. Wace Sr. no longer felt worried about Nicole. Owned by N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Yes. And you must be her grandfather,¡± said Mrs. Wace Sr. with a gentle smile. Mr. Riddle Sr. nodded. ¡°You¡¯re right. Thank you for taking care of Nicole all these years. It¡¯s a pleasure to have you in San Joto. Please stay with us for dinner.¡± Once he said that he asked the kitchen to prepare meals. After that, he said to Daniel, ¡°Call everybody. Tell them to get here to wee Mrs. Wace Sr.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need for that. Mr. Riddle Sr¡­¡± Mrs. Wace Sr, kindly declined the treatment. She felt that someone like her did not deserve such an effusive wee from the Riddle family. However, Mr. Riddle Sr. held a different opinion. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have felt this way. Nicole¡¯s family is my family. It¡¯s a rare chance to finally have you in San Joto. Why not you stay here for some time? We can show you around.¡± Dillon¡¯s facial expression distorted when he heard Mr. Riddle Sr. ¡®No way I¡¯m gonna stay with this old beggar under one roof! This is the Riddle residence. Even Karen and I only get to stay here for a few days every month. Who is this old hag to get special treatment?¡± Karen held the same thought. But when she was about to speak her mind, Mr. Riddle Sr.¡¯s words came to her mind. In the end, she could only swallow her words back down her throat. Chapter 385 Chapter 385 Now that Mr. Riddle Sr. was pissed, and they did not want to defy him, they had no choice but to leave Nicole alone for a few more days. Mrs. Wace Sr. was here just to check out the Riddle family¡¯s attitude toward Nicole. Mr. Riddle Sr.¡¯s attitude was clear, so she had nothing to worry about. She was not used to staying in such a ridiculously large family, and it did not help that Mr. Riddle Sr. asked her to stay longer. Mrs. Wace Sr. wanted to decline but was worried that her refusal might affect the Riddle family¡¯s opinion of Nicole. Just as Mrs. Wace St. was in a dilemma, Nicole said deprecatingly, ¡°It¡¯s alright, Grandpa. My grandma isn¡¯t familiar with this ce, and I¡¯m going to sit for exam soon. I¡¯m afraid I will not have time to apany her. Maybe when Grandmaes next time, she can stay here longer. Upon hearing what Nicole said, Mrs. Wace Sr. let out a long sigh of relief. She turned to Mr. Riddle Sr. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s so courteous of you to invite me to have a meal here. I don¡¯t want to trouble you again. Anyway, thank you very much,¡± Mrs. Wace Sr. said with a nod of thanks. Mr. Riddle Sr. did not insist. He smiled and nodded back. ¡°It¡¯s alright. How about we start dinner now?¡± He felt Mrs. Wace St. kind and congenial when he saw her. ¡°Okay.¡± Mrs. Wace Sr. nodded obligingly. Everyone agreed, and Daniel and his wife had a smile on their faces. Dillon was also relieved simply because he did not have to live with this olddy. ¡®I didn¡¯t expect Nicole¡¯s grandmother to be so unappreciative of dad¡¯s kindness, just like Nicole. She befits the person who raised Nicole; the two are equal fools.¡¯ Unlike Dillon and his wife having an ax to grind each, Nicole stood by her grandmother¡¯s side and talked to her. Mrs. Wace Sr. whispered to Nicole, ¡°Thank goodness you spoke for me. Otherwise, I couldn¡¯t have refused it.¡± Nicole looked at her cute grandmother with a faint smile in her eyes. ¡°No sweat. I know you don¡¯t like staying in other people¡¯s ces.¡± Having lived with Mrs. Wace Sr. for so many years, no way Nicole did not know that Mrs. Wace Sr. disliked life in big cities. Besides, she did not even live in the Riddle family now. Mrs. Wace Sr. would feel ufortable staying alone in her grandfather¡¯s mansion or her parents¡¯ house. Coupled with the fact that her aunts and uncles were not that friendly, she was worried that her grandmother would be bullied. This is property ? N?velDrama.Org. Given Mrs. Wace Sr.¡¯s character, she would definitely grin and bear it even if she was wronged. With this thought in mind, Nicole¡¯s eyes became gentler. After saying a few words with her parents, she and Mrs. Wace Sr. sat down on her grandfather¡¯s left. Mr. Riddle Sr. had a casual chat with Mrs. Wace Sr. Soon, the clock hands in the hall were pointing at 6:00 p.m., but his grandsons had not arrived. He frowned, upset that they were getting more and more unruly. Just as he started to get angry, the door opened, and Nicole¡¯s five brothers all hurried in. Sean had met Mrs. Wace Sr. before. Seeing her at the dining table, he quickly brought his brothers over and greeted her. ¡°It¡¯s my pleasure to see you here, Mrs. Wace Sr.¡± ¡°You¡¯re Nicole¡¯s grandma? You look so young.¡± ¡°Nice to meet you, Mrs. Wace.¡± ¡°Nice to meet you.¡± Steve, Stanley, and others greeted Mrs. Wace Sr. in tandem. Samuel was thest to speak. He scratched his head and said awkwardly,¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯mte.¡± Chapter 386 Chapter 386 Steve and Sean also nodded. They had just arrived from the office and happened to meet their three brothersing back from school. This is property ? N?velDrama.Org. Mrs. Wace Sr. looked at the youngds, seeing them stand at Sean¡¯s side, and guessed that they should be Nicole¡¯s brother. Looking at faces, which had reddened from running, she did not want to say anything but waved her hand to show that she did not mind and motioned them to take their seats. Nicole saw her brothers sitting down next to her and knew that they had set store by her and thus epted Mrs. Wace Sr. and that they wanted to let Mrs. Wace Sr. know that she had not been mistreated in the Riddle family. That was why they took time out of their busy schedule toe back Thinking of this, Nicole felt her emotion surging. Samuel sat next to Nicole and winked at Nicole, who looked at him with a smile in her eyes. At 6:10 p.m., the door was opened again, with Prestoning back from outside. Karen quickly motioned him to sit down beside her to have dinner. But Preston ignored her. Instead, he pulled out an empty chair on one side and sat by Mr. Riddle Sr.¡¯s side. Mr. Riddle Sr. said nothing when he saw this. Instead, he instructed the dinner to be served, as he would not wait for his other two sons. It was not until the start of the dinner that Damien and Dexter arrived, followed by Er and Emery, but none of Damien¡¯s kids were following him. Just as Damien wanted to take a seat, his face sank all of a sudden when he saw Preston sitting in his seat. ¡°Preston, why are you sitting here?¡± asked Damien, as he was the only person qualified to take that seat all along. Preston did not look at him but took out his mobile phone and yed games with the headphones on, blocking himself from hearing Damien¡¯s voice. Damien was infuriated, but he was not a fool like Dillon. He quickly got his emotions under control and turned to look at Mr. Riddle Sr. ¡°Dad, are you letting him be just like this?¡± he asked with a questioning tone. He remembered Mr. Riddle Sr. had always indulged his children. But Mr. Riddle Sr. seemed to be not too unhappy with him today because he waste. He ignored Damien¡¯s question and casually knocked on the table. ¡°You¡¯rete. What is the problem with the child sitting here with me? Don¡¯t be so calcting,¡± he said with little emotion and then picked up the cutlery, obviously unwilling to hear Damien say more. Damien¡¯s hands clenched into fists, his expression a little grave. He then looked at the olddy and Nicole sitting across from Mr. Riddle Sr. He somehow noticed that his position in the family had begun to wane. He went from being the one to whom everyone looked up to being lesser than the kids-probably even more insignificant than an olddy in rags. Damien was furious, but he gritted his teeth and sat down next to Dillon. Dillon did not mind that, as Preston, who was sitting beside Mr. Riddle Sr., was his son. ¡®What is there toin about?¡¯ he thought. Karen also had no intention of calling his son back. After all, Preston seemed to have be close to Mr. Riddle Sr., which was not a bad thing for her and her husband. Thinking of this, Karen smiled with her lips pursed. She looked at Damien with a hint of mockery on her face. Chapter 387 Chapter 387 ¡°Why don¡¯t you take it as a break from having to serve dad?¡± Karen asked. Damien did not want to argue with a woman. He was deep in thought, with his face darkening. Miley, on the side, did not hear the undertone of what Karen said. Clueless about what happened, she looked at Karen and then at her husband, trying to persuade him. ¡°Exactly, Damien. Dad is still sick, and it could be contagious. Having a change of seat isn¡¯t a bad idea after all.¡± Damien¡¯s face sank even further upon hearing what Miley said. He took a deep breath and then turned to look at Miley, who knew nothing about what happened in the family and only wanted her daughter to be a star all day long. She simply sounded iprehensible to him when she said such stupid things. ¡®What do you mean by changing sitting position is not a bad thing? Don¡¯t you know what that seat means? I¡¯m afraid that after this meal, my position in the family will be reduced to inconsequentiality. I used to be the person whom Dad trusted the most. I always sat on his right-hand side, where it was more convenient to talk to Dad and report things to and get opinions from him. But now, my position in his heart seems to have been shaken. Even a junior is entitled to take my seat. I can¡¯t stand this anymore!¡¯ Thinking of this, Damien shot a frosty nce at Miley, his sanity stopping him from hitting back at Miley now, but the icy look in his eyes was all too apparent. When he first married this woman from the Rogers family, he thought it would help him in his career. But now, it seemed that she was not of much help. Miley was frightened by his nce, but she did not understand why. ¡®What exactly is Damien mad at me for? I said this out of concern, just wanting him to take a good rest.¡¯ Thinking of this, Miley looked a little aggrieved. Karen almost wanted tough out loud at Miley¡¯s stupidity. She turned to whisper something to Dillon, and Dillon snickered. Feeling not too happy with Karen¡¯s triumphant attitude, Miley shot a re at her. ¡®No matter how proud Karen is, there is one thing that she can never beat me-my daughter is miles better than Karen¡¯s!¡¯ This is property ? N?velDrama.Org. Karen said that Harvey of the Ellison family and Snow were a couple, but that is no sign of anything happening yet. In contrast, Chloe has already gotten a role in Nachelle¡¯s movie. But unbeknownst to Miley, Chloe had not dared to tell her that Nachelle had dropped her from the role. So when Miley thought of her precious daughter, she felt much better. She snorted at Karen and then turned to whisper to Damien. ¡°Don¡¯t get angry. Chloe said she¡¯d be invited to dinner with Nachelle in a few days. Do you think we should also go along?¡± Damien turned his head around and squinted at his cautious-looking wife upon hearing her mention Nachelle. ¡°How did Chloe get Nachelle¡¯s invitation?¡± he asked. Miley thought for a moment and said, ¡°It seems to have something to do with my mother. She spent a lot of money to get an invitation to the banquet at Nachelle¡¯s house and nned to send Chloe over to build rapport with Nachelle.¡± Only then did Damien look straight at Miley with a light shing in his eyes behind the gold framed eyesses. ¡°How many invitations have you got there?¡± he asked. Chapter 388 Chapter 388 Nicole introduced all her brothers to Mrs. Wace Sr. over dinner. Mrs. Wace Sr. looked at the twin siblings of Spencer and Samuel and smiled. ¡°You two seem to have the best rtionship with Nicole, right?¡± Both Spencer and Samuel had been fetching Nicole food during dinner as if afraid that she could not eat enough. She knew very well that the adults sitting here were mere of formality. Those kids who were willing to come back and meet an olddy like her were the ones really having a good rtionship with Nicole. Samuel nodded in response. He was extra gentle in front of Mrs. Wace Sr. ¡°That¡¯s for sure. Nicole and I are buddies.¡± Spencer smirked. Just as he was about to say something, Nicole suddenly said solemnly, ¡°Yes, Samuel is the most cheerful and the one closest to me. He is impulsive, but he is a good guy.¡± Again, Spencer ti?tered upon hearing that, not giving Samuel a face. Samuel¡¯s face darkened instantly. While he tried to make a good impression on Mrs. Wace Sr., Spencer, even Nicole, were rocking the boat. He looked up with some displeasure. ¡°Hey, Nicole, you¡¯re too much. Nicole did not let him finish. She looked at Mrs. Wace Sr. with a serious face. ¡°He¡¯s a good brother, though.¡± M¨¬s. Wace Sr. could not help but smile and nod. She could see that Nicole was really close to her brothers, and they seemed to be getting along well. Mr. Riddle Sr. could not help but smile upon hearing what Nicole said. As if he suddenly thought of something, he quickly put up a serious face again. ¡°I don¡¯t care what you all do on normal days, but you all must not let your grades slip. Do you all understand?¡± Mrs. Wace Sr. looked at Nicole with some surprise as if trying to say something. But Nicole just nodded nonchntly. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I will,¡± she said solemnly. Only then did Mr. Riddle Sr.¡¯s face brighten up. After he had finished eating, he instructed the servants to prepare a room for Mrs. Wace Sr., but Mrs. Wace Sr. declined. ¡°I really appreciate your hospitality, but I¡¯m going back to Great Oak. Thank you, anyway.¡± Nicole looked at Mrs. Wace Sr., but there was nothing she could do. She knew her grandmother did not like to bother others and was adamant about leaving. Mr. Riddle Sr. was nonplussed for a second and then sighed. ¡°Since this is the case, I will ask the chauffeur to send you back when you leave.¡± Mrs. Wace Sr. nodded in thanks, and Nicole had no objection. Sean suddenly said, ¡°I¡¯ll send Mrs. Wace Sr. home.¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. nodded. ¡°Okay, but make sure you take care of the guest.¡± Sean nodded, promising toplete the task. Mr. Riddle Sr. then went upstairs, leaving the others to dine with Mrs. Wace Sr. In their father¡¯s absence, Dillon and his wife could not bother to entertain those whom they saw as inferior. They also went upstairs to retire for the day. Damien and Miley did not look too patient, either. They quickly finished their meal and went to see Mr. Riddle Sr. Now, only Daniel and his wife remained to entertain Mrs. Wace Sr. An hourter, Mrs. Wace Sr. saw that the time was almost up and got to her feet. ¡°It¡¯s gettingte now. I have got to go. Please take good care of Nicole, Mr. and Mrs. Riddle,¡± she said to Damien and Gloria. N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. It was her only wish. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. We will.¡± Gloria nodded to assure her. Nicole was touched. Apparently, her grandmother was afraid that she could not get used to living here and came to see if she was okay. Chapter 389 Chapter 389 She knew it; it was still Mrs.Wace Sr.who cared for her the most. Daniel, his wife, and their children saw Nicole and Mrs.Wace Sr. out. As they came out of the door, Sean drove over a low-key but luxurious Mercedes- Benz. This Mercedes-Benz''s sport-sedan was well known for itsfort. Sean chose the car with Mrs.Wace Sr.in mind. Nicole raised an eyebrow as she watched Sean get out of the car and open the door for Mrs.Wace Sr., then waited until her grandmother had gotten in before he returned to the driver''s seat. Nicole was touched by his heartwarming gesture. Sean might be taciturn, but he was very thoughtful. Not wanting to dy further, Nicole also got into the car and sat next to her grandmother. Great Oak was about a two-and-a-half-hour to three- hour drive from here. Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org. Time passed quickly as the three of them chatted all the way. Arriving at the destination and before getting out of the car, Mrs.Wace Sr. looked at Nicole and felt reluctant to leave. Sean saw this and gave them a little more time, motioning for Nicole to send her grandmother upstairs while he waited downstairs. As Nicole and her grandmother entered the house, Mrs.Wace Sr.took Nicole''s hand and asked anxiously, "Tell me the truth¡ªwhy did Mr.Riddle Sr.say your grades had slipped? Was it because you were distracted sinceing to San Joto?"Nicole smiled, not expecting Mrs.Wace Sr.to be still mindful of it.No, there is no exam yet.He doesn''t know what my grades are; he''s just worried." Mrs.Wace Sr.was relieved. She exhorted Nicole and patted her hand as if thinking of something. "Before this, I was worried that the Riddle family would not b e able to ept you, but after I saw your parents and brothers, and they''re all good to you, I''m at ease." "You don''t have to worry about me again.Just take good care of yourself." She did not tell her grandmother that she had again transferred some money to her grandmother''s bank ount while they were on the way back. "I know," Mrs.Wace Sr.said with a smile. She suddenly thought of Jared and said, "You are not small any longer.If you meet someone you like, open your eyes wide.I think the guy who sent us home in the afternoon is not half bad at all." Mrs.Wace Sr.did not wish Nicole to find someone wealthy, but she really liked Jared. Nicole was slightly startled and blushing.She could not help but ask back, "You like him?" ¡®What exactly did Jared do to my grandmother that she likes him so much?'' Nicole asked in her mind. Mrs.Wace Sr.thought for a moment and then said calmly, "He is very polite, speaks pleasantly, and I can see that he is gentle with you and in his manners." Nicole raised an eyebrow. "Edwin is also a gentleman, right?" She still felt that her grandmother was biased toward Jared. Mrs.Wace Sr.waved her hand impatiently. "Are you making fun of me?" Seeing that she was busted, Nicole stopped asking.She got up and waved at Mrs.Wace Sr. "You must be tired.Rest early.When I''m done with the monthly exam, I''lle back to see you when I have time." Having seen her grandmother today and knowing that she was still healthy, Nicole felt much at ease. "Okay." Mrs.Wace Sr.smiled gently. Nicole returned a smile and then left. Downstairs, Sean was still standing by the car. When he saw Nicolee back out, he opened the door and signaled for her to hurry up. Nicole wasted no time in getting into the back seat, and Sean jumped back into the driver''s seat, held the steering wheel with one hand, and loosened the tie with the other. Nicole could not help but feel grateful when she saw that. "Thank you for waiting, Sean." Chapter 390 Chapter 390 "No, it''s just that the sun is bigger and hotter now." Sean smiled. "How''s your grandma? Did she ask you to stay?" Nicole looked into the big eyes in the rearview mirror and nodded affirmatively. "No, she asked me to get along with you." "It seems that your grandma is very happy with us." Sean breathed a sigh of relief.He started the car and drove back toward San Joto. Nicole was bored and nced at her phone. Suddenly, she received a text message from Edwin. [Please, help me find that master.If he doesn''t show u p, I''ll be done for.] Nicole raised an eyebrow. In fact, she and Edwin did not know each other well, but this morning he took her grandmother on a tour of the school, and he was indeed considerate.So she considered she owed him a favor. She just did not know why he was looking for Lucifer. Looking up at Sean, she mused for a moment and then asked Sean, "Do you know Edwin?" "Edwin?" Sean wondered for a second. "Is it the guy from the Bradford family¡ªthe one who started a hackingpany with Preston?" Nicole knew that aside from having a business rtionship with Harvey, Edwin also seemed to be close to Preston at school. But she did not know that the two of them actually had a hackingpany. "There should have only one Edwin in the school," Nicole said in a whisper. "That''s him." Sean''s eyes darkened suddenly. "I''m not very familiar with Preston and the Bradford guy, but recently I got the wind that they had got a tricky job, which I heard they epted without knowing the client''s background.If they fail, their company will copse and maybe implicate the Riddle family as well." Recently, Riddle Corporation had been fighting with the McCarthy family fornd, and Sean had not looked into it carefully. "Oh? Will things really implicate the Riddle family?" That was a surprise to Nicole. She did not mean to help Edwin, but if it affected the Riddle family, it would be another story. After all, she also knew that things were not looking u p for the Riddle family recently. "Yeah, I haven''t had time to do much diggingtely.Howe you and Edwin know each other so well?" Sean nced inquisitively at her. "I don''t know him well," Nicole said without hesitation.N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. She wanted nothing to do with the people around Harvey. "Okay," Sean asked nothing more and drove silently. Meanwhile, Nicole secretly contacted Zeke on her phone. After all, since thest time he had given her a job, things seemed to have something to do with it. She was stunned to see that F logo after some digging. ''No way! Is Rowan the one who is behind this mission?'' Now, Nicole had no reason not to help. Sean drove Nicole back to San Joto, expecting her to g o back to the campus since her monthly exams were just around the corner. But Nicole wanted to go back to the mansion first. So Sean sent her home before he drove back to the office. As soon as Nicole stepped into the house, she saw Preston sitting in the dining room typing on his laptop. They had not talked much to each other, but he was also her cousin. When her second uncle''s family singled out her and her parents several times previously, Preston had remained silent, which showed that he was still a decent person. Nicole went around Preston''s back without making a sound. Preston was fixing some tricky code. The backup system was breaking apart little by little, and if something went wrong, he had to fix it right away, or the destruction would speed up. Chapter 391 Chapter 391 But now he felt powerless. He had loved the IT industry since he was a child and spent a lot of time learning. His ability was second to none in the country, but this job was too frustrating for him. If this kept on, his and Edwin''spany would copse. The more he thought about it, the paler his face became.His concentration difficulty was causing mistakes with the code he had entered. Preston stood up and threw his headphones aside in frustration. "Damn!" He was mad at himself for making such a low-level mistake. But the moment he turned around, someone sat down in his ce. Then he heard the crackling of the keyboard. Preston looked back and was wide-eyed to see Nicole sitting in front of hisptop. "Hey! What are you doing?" he yelled. That was the terminal of his system, and typing in any piece of code incorrectly would cause huge problems for the entire system. And Nicole, whom he thought knew nothing, was messing with it. Nicole stared at the screen and hissed. "Shut up if you don''t want your system to crash now." Her cocky reply struck Preston dumb. This is property ? N?velDrama.Org. He looked at theputer screen and saw Nicole skillfully enter a string of high-level code that he had never seen before. Watching the code that shepiled take effect and fix the bug that he had failed to patch, Preston was utterly astonished. He never expected that his cousin, who came from the countryside, was actually a hacker master. Moreover, her skill was above his. After pressing thest key, Nicole let out a smile as she had fixed yet another hidden vulnerability that Preston had not found. "Done! You can''t even fix such a simple thing; I guess this is just a meh system." Nicole sighed and started to look for problems with the system. Preston slowly came out of his shock. Being belittled, he, of course, looked not too happy. But after witnessing what Nicole had done, he could only let go of his ego and take a closer look at the screen. "You''re also a hacker?" he asked in a low voice. "Haven''t you seen it with your own eyes?" she said without looking up. Preston choked, all the haughty attitude that he had toward Nicole vanishing. "Who did you learn from? That''s badass!" He had spent a lot of money learning this, yet Nicole from the countryside did it better than he did. "Talent." She did not look at him, and her reply upset Preston. ¡®She is really arrogant.No wonder the other two sisters hate her so much" He thought to himself. But at this time, he found Nicole quite pleasing to the eyes. After all, her skill was of master-level. After reading the entire system that Preston and Edwin had written, Nicole closed the lid of theptop, got to her feet, and looked solemnly at Preston. "What''s wrong?" Preston was confused, not knowing why she looked at him like this. "Take me to yourpany." Preston could not react for a moment. "What do you mean?" Nicole then showed him the text message that Edwin had sent her. "He asked me for help, and I refusedst time.For the sake of the Riddle family, I will help you this time." Preston was stunned. ''Could Nicole be the expert whom Edwin said had refused to help themst time?! Preston almost choked on his saliva and coughed violently. "Wait-wait a second.Let me confirm it with Edwin." Chapter 392 Chapter 392 Preston went to the balcony to call Edwin. Nicole could not hear what he was saying, but she could see him looking back at her from time to time with a more and more stunning look on her face. After hanging up the phone, Preston calmed himself down. "I didn''t know that you knew things about ourpany." Nicole nodded calmly. Edwin had looked for her before, but she did not trust him, and so she did not help him at the time. But Zeke had already sent her the details of this job.She had just skimmed through but did not want to get involved. But looking at the state of the system, Edwin would not be able to survive until tomorrow if she did not help him. Looking at Preston''s hesitant look, Nicole said with a half-smile. "You don''t want to take me there?" "No." Preston shook his head quickly. This job had left him in a mess for so many days, and he had already had enough. "But Edwin said that he texted you about the expert whom you know.I will be grateful if you can introduce us to him." Nicole looked at him nonchntly. "You want to meet the expert? Let''s go." Preston was stunned, wondering what Nicole meant. Nicole was already in the doorway. "What are you still waiting for? Let''s go." Preston was a little confused, but he still followed Nicole away. Preston drove his car and came in front of hispany, then watched Nicole go in and still could not wrap his brain around what she meant. ¡®Aren''t we seeing the hacking master? Why is she going in there? Is she trying to skirt around? But seriously, the skill that she disyed just now was really badass.I wonder how badass the master is behind her" Preston collected his thoughts and quickly parked the car, then followed Nicole into thepany. Deep down inside, he still believed in Nicole. Preston did not know why Nicole did this, but he did not question her behavior. Instead, he overtook her and led the way for her. The ce looked more like a precision studio than apany. As soon as she entered, Nicole saw the high-tech interior decoration, which had a strong futuristic vibe. Preston was doing the exnation while secretly looking proudly at Nicole. He felt a little disappointed when he saw her nonchnt expression. This is property ? N?velDrama.Org. Nicole knew what he was thinking and felt a little helpless. Preston did not talk much at home, and she did not expect him to have such a temperament. When it came to issues that he knew, he had a lot to talk about. The two walked along, with Preston taking the lead in the elevator. Nicole raised an eyebrow and followed suit. It was a fully transparent sightseeing elevator, which offered a superb view of the outside, and people outside could see things on the inside. On each floor, many people looked at the slowly ascending elevator. They were curious about who the girl following the boss was. Chapter 393 Chapter 393 Thinking of Edwin, who hurried over today at noon, and the little boy whom ck Shark brought this morning, everyone had a curious look on their faces. But they quickly retracted their gazes and looked at theputer in front of them solemnly. After all, thepany had a big problem, and each of them had been working overtime for almost half a month, day and night in shifts, to keep an eye on the defense in their hands because once a position went wrong, the entire team would fall. This immense pressure overwhelmed many people. They were irascible, talking about how to solve the problem. Nicole looked at these thin young men and said, "They all must have had a long day." Preston nodded. He knew best what kind of life these people had had during this time. Preston looked at Nicole and said helplessly, "Yeah, s o we really need you to call someone to help quickly.You said you wanted toe to mypany, and now I have already brought you here.Can you call the master over?" Preston did not know what she wanted to confirm about bying in person. Nicole nced at him and did not say a word. The elevator stopped at the top floor, where Nicole could see at a nce that it was spacious with ssy decoration in shades of gray, a rtivelyrge mainframe in the center, where a group of people surrounded Zeke and Edwin, who had a serious look on their faces. A skinny and pale man looked at Zeke and said impatiently, "You said you would find someone to fix it.Why hasn''t the person arrived yet?" Zeke nced at ck Shark. Nicole had sent him a message when she returned, and now she should be on her way. "Be patient.The rescue will be here right away." Edwin looked at the firewall that was blinking its red warning light and looked at Zeke with doubt. "Specter, this firewall seems to disintegrate internally.Is this what you''ve done?" Zeke looked at him calmly and nodded. ck Shark blew up instantly. "Why did you do this?" ¡®He dismantled this firewall from within.When it copses, the time and efforts many of us have spent i n the past few days will alle to nothing.What the hell is he thinking?¡¯ thought ck Shark. But Zeke just nced at him nonchntly and said calmly, "I want to test your emergency response mechanism." ¡®Test our emergency response mechanism? Why?'' Everyone looked at Zeke doubtfully. Zeke sighed, looked at the self-deleting firewall program, and said faintly, "Destroy the emergency firewall mechanism." ¡®What? This is thest line of defense against incessant attacks.Instead of helping us defend against the attack, Zeke wants to destroy the firewall.How could he do this?! Everyone looked at Zeke angrily. A female hacker code -named Warbler stepped forward and angrily scolded ck Shark, saying, "Look what kind of people you''ve invited! He is not here to help but to sabotage us all." She was the most powerful female hacker in the organization and was indispensable for holding up the defensive front. Seeing Zeke wanting to destroy the things that she had spent much effort to build, Warbler was almost going crazy. But she did not get mad at Zeke when she saw his baby face. Instead, she vented all her anger on ck Shark, who brought Zeke over. ck Shark was upset. He did not know that this so- called top hacker on The Hunters was not up to scratch. He would not grant Zeke any privilege simply because he was also a male. So he frowned and grilled Zeke. "What do you want, Zeke?" Zeke did not look at him but stared at the Jwogoo, which was slightly inferior to the JW3000. The screen clearly showed that the self-destruction procedure was about to be ready. He quickly pressed the start button, and soon, angry roars rose in thepany. "Who the hell took down the firewall that I had worked so hard to guard for half a month?"N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. Chapter 394 Chapter 394 "Aaaah, I will kill him!" "Take me along.I want to see what floor that bastard is on!" "It crumbled straight away; the floors must be high.Oh, wait a second! Howe it''s the top floor''s IP?" ¡®The mainframe has crashed?'' Everyone looked at what happened, consternation recing anger on their faces. ¡®Those two bosses are mad?! ck Shark and Warbler watched with reddening eyes as the mischievous child-like Zeke caused their server to crash. "Specter, I will kill you!" Zeke ignored the roar and typed rapidly on the keyboard. Before this, he had seen Nicole upload a program that she always used. So it did not matter now, even though the system''s firewall had copsed. Zeke had called up all the code information quickly and watched the thing automatically doing its cracking. ¡®Raster! It must be faster than the other guy!'' The other guy''s encroachment was like an endless ck hole as if the infinite reproduction of the cracked code far exceeded the parsing speed of ordinary people''s brains. Facing such an opponent, fine beads of sweat started to pop up on Zeke''s forehead. ¡®Damn it! If Nicole is still noting, I won''t be able t o hold on any longer! ck Shark and Warbler watched him desperately crack their defense system and decided to stop a madman like Zeke. But Edwin, who had been silent all this while, suddenly stopped them from doing so. "Hold your horses! He must have his way!" The two looked at him in disbelief. "Boss, why do you believe in him so much?" ¡®What''s going on? Why protect this brat when he''s here creating a mess, Boss?'' Edwin said nothing but just looked on with mixed feelings. Zeke had also be a little anxious now. It was a second before the defense system waspletely breached. If Nicole could not make it here on time, he would have to sh head-on with the guy at the other end. Thinking of the strength of his opponent, even Zeke had a hint of fear in his eyes. "No way I could beat him" Zeke rarely conceded defeat in his area of expertise, but this wormhole -like reproduction and erosion of endless code, as far as he knew, could only be written by one person. The progress bar showed 99 percent, and because information transmission had microseconds of the inspection period, Zeke was now barely faster than the other side. He did not notice the atmosphere around him, which had be silent. ck Shark and Warbler looked at the almost blood-red screen and closed their eyes silently. It''s over! It''s all over!'' ck Shark was now extremely regretful. His defense system was supposed to hold up for another three days or so, but now it was ruined by a brat. He looked at the progress bar, which read 99.9 percent, and felt like wanting to kill Zeke. Looking at the blood-red screen, Warbler was supposed to feel the saddest because she was the master designer of this firewall. But when she took a careful look at the interface, she somehow felt that something was wrong. This code seemed to be inconsistent with her original design, and it was even a thousand times more advanced than what she had designed. This is property ? N?velDrama.Org. Her mind went nk for a moment at seeing this code. ¡®What''s going on here?'' Most top hackers were conceited, and so were ck Sharks and Warbler. Chapter 395 Chapter 395 No way she would admit that she was not good enough to understand that code. Zeke did not have time to think about what was going on in their minds. His fingers had started to tremble, but instead of taking a step back, he stood strong in front of the terrifying opponent. ¡®Lucifer¡ªonly Lucifer could beat that man, and all I have to do is buy her time" Thinking of this, Zeke''s eyes started to look determined, as if he recalled when Lucifer grew up with him step by step many years ago, and he no longer let fear destroy him but slowly calmed down. As Lucifer had said, "the hardest thing for a person was to surpass oneself, but few could ovee their own fears." Looking at the screen that had turned crimson, Zeke''s shaking finally stopped, and Edwin''s voice came from behind him. "It''s okay.We will just give up if you''re scared." Edwin could tell long ago that the boy was indeed helping him. Warbler looked at her boss with puzzlement as if she did not understand what he meant. Zeke gritted his teeth upon hearing what Edwin said. "I''m not afraid of him," he said determinedly. Edwin looked at him and gently shook his head. Even he could tell that the other guy had not reallyunched an attack, but even in the process of cracking the code, Zeke had almost lost. He seemed to be scared of the hacker on the other side. Looking at ck Shark''s attitude toward Zeke at the beginning, it was not hard for Edwin to imagine that Zeke should be much better than ck Shark, even the top hacker in Hustuaburg. But he looked so clumsy and appeared powerless when facing the opponent on the other side. Edwin''s brow furrowed tightly as he wondered what kind of opponent Zeke was facing this time. ck Shark and Warbler had lost their hope. They stood and watched coldly as their boss tried tofort the teenager. Just then, Warbler''s keen ear heard the crisp bell of the elevator arriving behind them. ¡®Maybe the people downstairse up to demand an exnation when they see the firewall crumple," she said in her mind. She could not care less, as she was entirely attracted t o the seemingly magical code, and she could not take her eyes off it. Several people around were also staring at theputer screen in front of Zeke, and no one cared to look at the elevator. This is property ? N?velDrama.Org. Zeke clenched his fingers nervously, watching as the progress bar was about to hit 100% while thinking that Lucifer might have been tied up with something else and could not make it here on time. Zeke shook his head to shake the thought from his mind. He then stared again at the Jwogoo and whispered something to himself. If those people around him got closer, they would have heard him repeating a sentence. "People live to surpass themselves." Thest mile of the progress bar was often ridiculously slow. Zeke was so nervous that he could hear his increasingly agitated heartbeat. He tried to fight back the urge to run away and quietly waited for this battle to arrive. Just then, he heard a t voicee from behind him. "Get out of the way." Such an indifferent voice was raising some eyebrows. They all wondered which fool hade to the top floor and said something so cocky. Zeke was also stunned upon hearing the voice, and then he could not hide the intense surprise in his eyes. He turned his head excitedly and looked at Nicole''s cold and beautiful face as if he had seen a savior, with two streams of tears flowing down his face. "Nicole, you''re finally here!" Chapter 396 Chapter 396 He jumped for joy and immediately gave up the control panel. Nicole gently tugged at the cuffs, casually tied her long hair behind her head, and then stepped forward. Looking at the screen, which had turned fully red, Nicole let out a faint smile. She then casually hit a few keys with her right hand to type out a string of extremely concise code. ¡°Well done,¡± she said without looking up. She just gave Zeke a code with Preston¡¯sputer, and he was able to hold on until she arrived, which was not half bad. Zeke heard herpliment and was cock-a-hoop. Watching the opponent¡¯s waves of attack defused by Nicole, his eyes burst with admiration. That was Lucifer. No opponent couldst longer than five minutes in front of her. Preston, who followed Nicole from behind, had to admit that Nicole was too fast. He had tried his best but still could not catch up. When the people around saw that it was Preston, they all gave way to him and looked at Nicole with doubt and jealousy in their eyes. Since it was the second boss who brought her, they thought she must also be a master. But when Preston saw Nicole standing in front of the control panel, his eyes widened in shock ¡°Nicole, what are you doing up there? Come down!¡± She was good, but in Preston¡¯s view, challenging the boss of the other side was akin to throwing straws against the wind. What he said stunned everyone. They all wondered if she was yet another troublemaker. ck Shark¡¯s vision went dark, and he almost puked blood, his face miserably pale. Warbler, on the other hand, looked at Nicole¡¯s pretty face with a deep sense of jealousy in her This is property ? N?velDrama.Org. eyes. She stepped forward and tried to drag Nicole down. ¡°Do you know what we¡¯re doing here? This is not a ce for a little girl like you who knows nothing to mess with theputer. Get down now!¡± Preston was not too happy when he heard this. He smacked Warbler¡¯s hand away and said with a smirk, ¡°Who are you to tell my sister what to do?¡± Nicole was better than anyone here, and no one was qualified to lecture her. Warbler was stunned and then reluctantly let go of her hand. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect her to be a nepotist,¡¯ she mumbled. As Preston ignored her, Warbler red at Nicole with intractable jealousy in her eyes. Meanwhile, Edwin nced at Warbler with a weird look in his eyes. ck Shark was jeering at Nicole. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect the boss to bring such a brat here. When even Specter can¡¯t solve the problem, what can she do? She probably can¡¯t even find a way to download games.¡± The conceited hackers around him agreed with what he said. They gave up the position to Zeke just out of respect for the top hackers, but Zeke did not seem to be what they imagined. Nevertheless, he was the second on the Hustuaburg hacker list and sixth on the world list, despite his young age, and he was not so legit. They could still tolerate his troublemaking. But this girl, who came out of nowhere, seemed to be a rtive of the boss, so everyone would not ept her. ¡°Boss, Warbler is right. This is not an Inte caf¨¦. What are you thinking by letting such a little girl mess with things?¡± ¡°Yeah, Boss, you can¡¯t let her do whatever she wants.¡± Chapter 397 Chapter 397 ¡°I will definitely quit!¡± ¡°Me too!¡± The scene was chaotic at one point. Preston actually wanted to stop Nicole. As much as he knew Nicole was good, this was a highly professional hacking duel. He honestly believed that Nicole could handle it. But when he got closer and saw the screen in front of Nicole, he was confounded. Edwin also turned his head. He was surprised to see the red on the screen fading rapidly. It was unlikely the strategy of the other side. It seemed more like the opponent had encountered a formidable enemy and was forced to flee with his tail between his legs. If the attacker¡¯s code was an endless Trojan virus, Nicole¡¯s countermeasure was the fastest and most effective antivirus software, directly suppressing the attacker with no room for escape. No matter how deep the ck hole was, it could not swallow the sword that could cut it in half. Loading to one hundred percent meant that the firewall had beenpletely breached, and the door was wide open. The maggot-like code would flock in and cannibalize the system here. Seemingly nothing could stop this from happening. But as soon as the code got in, it found a perpetual motion machine-like cutter on its head, cutting it into pieces so fast that even the self-replicating code could not keep up. The cutter turned around and attacked theputer on the other side,pletely bringing the attacker¡¯s system down. Nicole¡¯s action was extremely fast. She did not care about the surrounding noise but continued to type strings of extremely concise code that inexplicably had a natural suppressing ability on the seemingly powerful program. The moreplicated the attacker¡¯s program was, the more vulnerable it was to this kind of extremely simple code. The noisy crowd watched what she did. They then looked at the screen in front of her that had been cleaned up. Their doubting voices had stopped, reced by soft exmations of awe. ¡°This is a god-level kind of skill!¡± The invincible foe in their eyes had been defeated by Nicole within five minutes and forced to enter defensive mode. This is property ? N?velDrama.Org. Warbler looked in amazement at what had happened. In Warbler¡¯s perception, no female hacker in Hustuaburg could ever surpass her. But now, after seeing what Nicole did, she was sure that Nicole was multiple times better than she was. ¡®Who is she, really?¡¯ Preston was also stunned to see his sister¡¯s badass skill. Like Zeke, he was close by and witnessed everything that Nicole had done. He noticed that for each small code of the attacker, Nicole used different variants to deal with it, ensuring that the attacker was not given the opportunity to survive and continue to replicate, suppressing the attacker¡¯s powerful replication ability, and perfectly approaching the source of all the codes, which was the host machine of the attacker. ¡®What a speed and responsiveness! Could it be that there is no master behind Nicole, and the real master is Nicole herself?¡¯ Preston looked at his sister with his mouth agape. But soon, he closed his mouth back, and his expression returned to normal. ¡®What¡¯s there to be surprised about?¡¯ Preston thought. ¡®She is my sister! If she says she could move the earth, I would immediately find her a lever.¡¯ Chapter 398 Chapter 398 She is just a hacker, nothing to shout about.¡¯ Zeke watched calmly as Nicole took care of everything. He looked at the people who were rooted to the spot and felt a sense of superiority. He had already seen Nicole perform her skill multiple times and had long been used to it, so much so that he could now apud with a straight face, Zeke casually nced at their expressions, curling his mouth with disdain. ¡®Dumbo! Edwin looked at Nicole; he had never intended to stop her when she arrived. He and Nicole had known each other for a long time. When he first saw her, his gut feeling told him that this person had got something in her. That was why he was so reckless, asking for her help for the first time. He just did not expect that there was not another master behind her. Instead, she was the master Edwin raised an eyebrow with interest with a deep appreciation in his eyes, But the next second he looked at the screen in front of Nicole, his mouth twitching, and he was speechless. He could not believe that this girl had hacked into the enemy¡¯sputer, manipting the enemy¡¯s system, deleting everything-including the desktop icons-on it. She did not even leave the Minesweeper for the other guy. The group of hackers watched Nicole¡¯s every move and was all quiet for a second. ck Shark wiped the sweat from his forehead and said with embarrassment, ¡°She-she is the boss?¡± Zeke scratched his chin and smiled darkly as he looked at the few letters that Nicole subconsciously typed with her left hand. On the other side, White looked angrily at the white screen on hisputer, which had only a few small ck Esperian letters blinking frantically in the lower right corner. (JUSTSINGASONG.) It looked like ridicule, and the tiny letters were spinning and jumping in their ce. White cursed in Mecrounia¡¯s most vulgar ng and then smashed the screen to the floor. ¡®It¡¯s Lucifer again! This bastard has ruined it all!¡¯ Someone outside the house entered in a hurry as if hearing the noise here. The person looked at White¡¯s angry face and frowned. ¡°What happened?¡± White paced back and forth in the room irritably, rapidly muttering a long string of Esperians. The person who stormed in quickly summed it up in two words: missio It had been 20 seconds since he came in. The signature on the screen that was exclusive to Lucifer had gone, so he did not know what had happened. ¡®But since the mission has failed, White will have to face Mr. Holder¡¯s wrath.¡¯ N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. Thinking of this, the person bowed respectfully and said, ¡°Mr. Holder wants to see you.¡± Meanwhile, on the Preston side, everything was over in just three and a half minutes. Nicole slowly pulled back her hand and stepped down from the control panel, only to find everyone looking at her as if they saw a ghost. She looked at them in puzzlement. She had disguised her signature, and they could only see white on the screen; no way they could see the ck text at the bottom. Chapter 399 Chapter 399 So why did this group of people look at her with strange eyes?¡¯ Zeke came silently behind Nicole and whispered, ¡°I-I epted the job with my code name, Specter, thinking that it was just another firewall job. I didn¡¯t know the opponent would turn out to be White.¡± He was Specter and yet treated Nicole in this way, so the other people need not be rocket scientists to figure out who Nicole was After Zeke and Nicole had exchanged intel, ck Shark cautiously stepped forward and asked Nicole, ¡°Do you know Lucifer?¡± They could not find a second person who could perform such a drastic and sophisticated skill in Hustuaburg ¡°No. I don¡¯t know.¡± Nicole said with a straight face. She ignored the hesitant eyes of those people and casually beckoned Zeke to leave. Just then, a surly voice came from behind her. ¡°She couldn¡¯t have been Lucifer. I¡¯m now wondering if this boy is Specter.¡± Warbler walked over slowly. Ignoring ck Shark¡¯s disapproving look, she said contemptuously, ¡°They must have been sent by the other side. Otherwise, why destroy our firewall, and why do they know so well the attack methods of the other side? As far as I know, the attacker is skillful and brutal; it is impossible to defeat him so easily. I guess they must be the spies sent by the attacker, who is desperate to steal our information. So they were sent to distract us.¡± Nicole had only taken three and a half minutes to defeat the attack, which had been stumping her for over half a month. So Warbler was jealous of Nicole. Many of those who had heard what Warbler said started to look at Nicole suspiciously. ¡®Yeah, everything seemed to have gone so smoothly-so much so that it feels unreal.¡¯ With so many people agreeing with what she said, Warbler looked at Nicole provocatively. ¡®I¡¯m the best female hacker in Hustuaburg; no way this woman is better than me.¡¯ Nicole stood there nonchntly, looking at her with no emotion in her eyes. Zeke frowned too, and he looked at Warbler with doubt, seriously suspicious that she had not even figured out what Nicole was doing in thest minute and a half. The entire operating system of White¡¯sputer had been deleted by Nicole, and she had even erected a new firewall. So it would take at least half a year before White could try to break through the firewall again. And the deal would have long been over within half a year. The conspiracy that she was a spy sent by the enemy was pure rubbish. This is property ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°You¡¯re a staff member here?¡± he asked casually. Warbler exploded in an instant. She angrily pointed at Zeke and said coldly, ¡°What do you think? Of course, I am! I¡¯ll tell you what, I¡¯m the chief engineer of thepany¡¯s security program. You have destroyed my security project, and I¡¯m going to make you pay¡ª¡± Before her voice trailed off, Edwin suddenly spoke with a faint voice from behind her. ¡°That¡¯s enough.¡± The real security program had long since crumbled, and the emergency system was bound to be defeated today. The attacker was cunning enough to design an illusion that its own firewall still existed. The attacker enjoyed the feeling of ying with the opponent as if he were an omnipotent god, setting up a huge fraud scheme for everyone to walk into it. But in reality, the real emergency security program had been breached. The attacker had created an illusion that everything would only copse after three days to distract them from the attack targets. If they continued to fall for the attacker¡¯s ¡°firewall,¡± they would discover the database had been emptied only when they were preparing to fight back. That would be three dayster, the time the attacker would take down the ¡°firewall.¡± Chapter 400 Chapter 400 In three days, the attacker could have stolen everything Edwin and his bunch had devoted so much effort to safeguard. When they finally lost all the valuable data to the attacker, those who were mentally weak would definitely suffer a mental breakdown the moment they discovered the truth: the¡± firewall¡± they had worked so hard to protect for days on end was actually a trap ¨C identical to the original firewall ¡ª and they themselves might have even executed part of that ¡°firewall¡± program. In other words, Nicole had done them justice by wiping all data on the attacker¡¯s hard drive. Edwin could imagine how wretched the attacker must have felt for having to watch his data being wiped away. The emotional damage could be even worse than what Eric and his bunch would experience if they were to fall for the trap. The reason Edwin and the bunch had not noticed the trap was simply that the attacker¡¯s strategy was beyond their level. After Edwin exined the situation briefly, he looked at Warbler, who showed mixed emotions on her face and let out a sigh. There was a long pause of silence after everyone had learned the truth. Never had they expected that Zeke was not the one who had taken down their firewall. In fact, the attacker had long breached it and even built a fake clone. While the employees stopped talking, Edwin walked to Nicole and Zeke and bowed to them.¡± Thank you!¡± he said sincerely. Nicole¡¯s tranquil gaze was calmer than ever as she looked at Edwin. She gave him a nod and prepared to leave without saying a word. Zeke followed Nicole, nning to tag along. In fact, the two were not bothered whether Edwin and the bunch were feeling in debt. After all, they were paid to do the job. When Preston had finally recovered to his senses, he grabbed his car keys and pped his hands. ¡°Everybody, the crisis has been resolved. I¡¯m giving you three paid days off. Go home and rest well.¡± Only then was the rest of them roused from the daze. They were all feeling ashamed for doubting Nicole after listening to Edwin¡¯s exnation. ¡°We¡¯re so sorry. We doubted you after listening to Warbler. We weren¡¯t in our right mind¡­¡± Before he could finish his words, another person behind him poked him and said with a gloating mockery, ¡°If I¡¯m not mistaken, weren¡¯t you the first who said you would resign?¡± The man blushed to tears. He waved his hand, trying to exin. But he was an introverted hacker who seldom socialized. In the end, he could not squeeze a word after a long while. When he was frustrated to the roof, Nicole¡¯s tranquil voice came. ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± It was a reply to his apology. That man was startled. His eyes looking at Nicole were full of gratitude. The reply also stunned the rest of them for a moment as they did not expect Nicole to be easy to talk with. ¡®We assumed that she must be hard to get along with because of her indifferent countenance. But now it seems that not only is she pretty, she is way more affable than any of us could imagine.¡¯ At the thought of this, everyone looked at Nicole with an earnest gaze. Well, everyone except for Warbler thought that. She was ring at Nicole¡¯s back. Edwin¡¯s exnation was like a p in Warbler¡¯s face. As the chief firewall engineer, not only had she failed to notice the system she oversaw had been reced with a clone, but she had also tried to fix and restructure that fake firewall system with all her might. She felt herself utterly stupid. ¡®Everyone, including the attacker, must be thinking I¡¯m the most foolish and useless of all,¡¯ thought Warbler while gritting her teeth in resentment. She had never suffered such a defeat and made such a grave mistake in her profession! Although Edwin did not me her, she could faintly notice a faint disappointment in his eyes. Warbler dug her nails into her palm without noticing. ¡®If this b*tch hadn¡¯t seen through the attacker¡¯s tricks, I would¡¯ve remained the mostpetent female hacker in thispany, and Edwin wouldn¡¯t have treated me this way. And most importantly, this pretentious b*tch wouldn¡¯t have be the center of attention!¡¯ ¡®Even if we had failed our mission, I would¡¯ve had the means to whitewash everything. But this b*tch has put me in a tight spot!¡¯ She stared resentfully at Nicole with naked venom in her eyes.Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org. Chapter 401 Chapter 401 Nicole did not notice whatever thoughts might have gone through her head as she was surrounded by a crowd. Many could see that she was not actually very difficult to get along with, so they started talking to her. ¡°Nicole, what¡¯s your rtionship with our boss? Both of you are Riddles, are you rted by blood?¡± ¡°Nicole, how did you get to know Specter? He¡¯s already so skilled. How are you even more skilled than him?¡± Nicole nced at Zeke suspiciously, as if she was questioning him with her gaze. ¡®Since when did you be that good?¡¯ Zeke rolled his eyes helplessly. ¡°Come on, I¡¯ve been following after you for so long now, and I¡¯m now Hustuaburg¡¯s number two hacker!¡± Even if Nicole did not think he was skilled, he was already the top man in Hustuaburg. Nicole did not pay much attention to those ranking bells and whistles. After some thought, she felt that what Zeke said made sense, so she did not ask any more questions. Everyone behind them was very curious about their exchange. ¡®What did Specter just say? He has been following this girl for a long time?!¡¯ ¡®What¡¯s going on?¡¯ Many of them looked at one another before falling into an awkward silence for two seconds. In the end, a weak voice rang out, breaking the silence. ¡°Miss Nicole, are you really not Lucifer?¡± Although Lucifer¡¯s personality was very simr to Nicole¡¯s style, many of them still had doubts. One of the most difficult things for them to reconcile was Lucifer had stated in Hunter¡¯s information database that he was a male. Nicole gave the person asking the question a slothful look before breaking into a smile. She let out a very amorphous aura and said, ¡°Take a guess.¡± N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. They were even more surprised, but Nicole had already turned around and left. After entering the elevator, Preston looked at his employees. They did not show any joy when they were told they were getting paid leave, yet when Nicole asked them to ¡°take a guess,¡¯ everyone was ted and surprised, as if figured out the answer. As the elevator went down, Preston looked at his cousin somewhat helplessly. ¡°Come on, tell me, what¡¯s going on?¡± asked Preston. He thought, ¡®How did she inexplicably be the top hacker in Hustuaburg all of a sudden? ¡°The name Lucifer was equivalent to a god in the world of hackers! ¡®Nicole is actually Lucifer? ¡®No wonder that technique she disyed at home earlier was so skilled. ¡®I¡¯m such a fool for failing to see that Nicole is Lucifer¡­¡¯ However, who would have thought that Lucifer was just a high school girl? Zeke turned around at looked at Preston as he whispered to Nicole. ¡°Is he your brother too?¡¯ asked Zeke. He thought, ¡®This fe doesn¡¯t look that smart, though.¡± Nicole nodded. ¡°He¡¯s my cousin.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Zeke immediately realized. No wonder there was such a gap between him and Nicole. Sensing the two¡¯s disdainful gaze, Preston suddenly felt depressed, yet he could not say anything Chapter 402 Chapter 402 The three got out of the elevator, and Nicole immediately tossed Zeke into the backseat of the waiting Mercedes-Benz before getting in herself. After all this trouble, it was almost ten o¡¯clock already. She then said coldly, ¡°A good boy should be sleeping early.¡± Zeke puffed up his baby face as he red at her. ¡°We¡¯re the same age, okay?¡± ¡®Why is she always calling me a kid?¡¯ ¡®I¡¯m already a man, d*mn it!¡¯ Zeke cursed inwardly. When Nicole heard that, she gave him a slothful raise of an eyebrow. Her expression was cold yet dignified. ¡°I¡¯m three months older than you.¡± ¡®Tch, only three months, what are you so gleeful for?¡¯ Zeke was massaging his rather sore legs from the twenty-fiveps he ran this morning as he mumbled to himself angrily. Preston was not mad that he did not get a response from Nicole as he casually sat in the driver¡¯s seat and prepared to start the car. Edwin, who had followed them, knocked on Nicole¡¯s window. As the window winded down, Nicole¡¯s beautiful face was revealed. She looked at Edwin impassively as she asked, ¡°Anything?¡± Edwin only smiled as he made a victory gesture at her, his handsome face looking somewhat silly. ¡°Good luck with the exam!¡± Nicole paused for a moment as a smile appeared in her eyes. ¡°I will.¡± Preston looked at the two with some surprise before asking, ¡°Nicole, what examination are you participating in?¡± When Edwin heard Preston¡¯s question, he looked at thetter as if he was looking at a fool before saying, ¡°Preston, your cousin is about to join the Math Olympiad, and you don¡¯t know about it?¡± Immediately after, he looked at Preston¡¯s stupefied look as he said impassively, ¡°The questions of the Math Olympiad this time around are designed by Den Hancock. Even the provincial authorities are taking it very seriously. The governor himself will be personally presenting the prize to the champion!¡± ¡®WHAT?¡¯ ¡®That big of a deal?¡¯ Preston looked at Nicole in disbelief. ¡®She can actually participate in the Math Olympiad?! Are Nicole¡¯s grades really that bad like what the old man back at home said?¡¯ He looked at Nicole somewhat angrily. It was a ¡®two buddies who agreed to be dregs of the ss, and now you betray me by using cheats?¡¯ type of anger. Nicole could immediately tell what was on his mind. She shrugged and said, ¡°I was called up to make up the quota. I¡¯m not that good.¡± Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org. When Edwin heard this, he gave a half-smile, yet Preston seemed to buy it. ¡®If Nicole¡¯s result was that good, why would the people of Royal Creek Institute make fun of her results and say that she was unworthy of being the school beauty? ¡®Otherwise, why would grandpa tell her to study hard every single day? ¡®It¡¯s impossible that Nicole has good grades!¡¯ Preston chose not to consider the possibility that Nicole excelled in academics. After all, Nicole was a highly skilled hacker. The fact that Nicole was academically gifted as well would affect his self-esteem further. In one corner, Zeke looked at him with a look of deep sympathy in his eyes. ¡®Others may not know Nicole¡¯s strength, but I do, and Preston is just really naive.¡¯ Thinking of this, Zeke shook his head and sighed as his eyes looking outside grew sullener. Zeke did not know that his pose now was a straight-up silly weeb pose. Edwin had already led the employees who were hesitant to get close as much as they wanted to, and Preston had finally calmed himself down as he asked. ¡°Where are you heading?¡± He asked Zeke for his address as he nned to drop the boy off. Just like what Nicole said, a kid should sleep early. Nicole noticed that Zeke did not want to answer and go back. She pondered seriously for a moment before giving a reply. ¡°The Military District Compound.¡± Chapter 403 Chapter 403 ¡®What?!¡¯ Preston, who was just about to step on the elerator, was once again shocked. As he looked at her affirmative gaze, he almost wanted to puke blood. ¡®This punk lives in the Military District Compound?!¡¯ The military district in San Joto was not a ce any person could enter. Every single person that could live there was all people of influential backgrounds. Thinking back that how he treated Zeke earlier was decent enough, Preston wiped the sweat off his forehead and nned to start driving. At that very instant, he had broken into a cold sweat. ¡®What sort of people has Nicole been hanging out with?¡¯ Zeke¡¯s rather dissatisfied voice then came from behind, sounding somewhat begrudging as well. ¡°We are not going to the military district. I¡¯ll head back to Northon Institute¡¯s dormitory.¡± Seemingly being reminded of something, Zeke turned around and looked at Nicole as he gritted his teeth. ¡°Otherwise, I need to wake up at four in the morning! It¡¯s too early. I can¡¯t wake up!¡± In order to receive Nicole¡¯s tough training, Zeke, who had never lived in a dormitory before, finally had the honor to experience the famous old dorm of Northon Institute. The school was famous for training its students to be hardworking, spartan, and industrious, but in fact, it was just short on funds! Nicole gave him a casual look and could see that he was frowning and throwing atantrum. A smile appeared across her eyes as she looked at Preston and tly said. ¡°Alright. I need to go back to the Royal Creek Institute¡¯s dormitory. It¡¯s along the way.¡± Preston had a somewhat conflicted look in his eyes as he nodded and said nothing as he prepared to send the two back. He had been through a lot today. He had to say that he was a little worn out and needed tough it out. Seeing Preston¡¯s somewhat dour looks, Nicole said tly, ¡°Preston, please keep the matter of me being Lucifer a secret.¡± She had a lot of enemies, and if they were to find out who she was, they would definitely look for her. ¡°Alright.¡± Preston nodded. He would continue to keep this a secret for her. Nicole smiled as a glint appeared in her eyes. White had appeared before her too many times now. It was high time that she investigated who this person was. Zeke looked at Nicole strangely as he felt that she was hatching some ns. He was a little worried but could only walk with her step by step. Soon, Preston stopped the car at the gate of Royal Creek Institute. Nicole and Zeke got down together. As Nicole closed the door, she said to Preston, ¡°Yourpany¡¯s crisis has been solved. Don¡¯t run around. You should go back home.¡± Preston nodded and was somewhat speechless that she would say something like this. But he soon thought of something as a mischievous smile appeared on his face. ¡°When you have timeter, please teach me that technique you pulled off today.¡± Nicole was slightly taken aback. ¡°This Preston is actually trying to take advantage.¡¯ Zeke looked at Preston with great interest. Nicole would not even agree to teach him no matter how he begged, so Preston¡¯s request was merely wishful thinking! Sure enough, Nicole responded coldly. ¡°I¡¯ve no time. I have exams.¡± N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. This answer was enough to make him puke blood! ¡®A top hacker like her is frustrated by exams?!¡¯ Yet, Preston could not find anything to retort. After all, she was indeed a student, and her studies came first¡­ ¡°Fine..¡± Preston then let out a sigh as he drove off. Chapter 404 Chapter 404 Nicole did not notice Preston¡¯s expression. Instead, she turned to look at Zeke as she suddenly remembered what he said in the car. ¡°Seems like you are very dissatisfied with the training schedule I¡¯ve set for you.¡± Zeke did not expect her to remember. He immediately exined, ¡°It isn¡¯t that, Nicole. Just think about it. I need to be at the track by four-thirty. Doesn¡¯t that mean I need to wake at four since I can only head there after washing up? I¡¯ll be too tired for this¡­¡± Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org. Zeke was stillining. When he realized that Nicole had left, only did he want to chase after her. Nicole¡¯s voice soon came over along with the breeze, ¡°If you have any further objections,e at three- thirty tomorrow. Now, go back and sleep.¡± Zeke pouted as he was somewhat unhappy. He dared not challenge Nicole¡¯s authority, so he could only turn around and sheepishly walk to his own school. ¡°Sigh, four o¡¯clock is not too bad, I guess. If I sleep now, I at least can get five hours of sleep¡­¡± After Preston got back to the Riddle family manor, he looked at the clock in the hall and found that it was already 11:00 p.m. He then walked toward his room, yet he saw Dillon and Karen¡¯s room light was still on, and there seemed to be some discussion going on inside. Preston did not mind it as he walked past the room. However, when he reached the door on his way, it opened, and Karen¡¯s dissatisfied voice came from inside. ¡°Why are you back thiste?¡± Preston stopped. He said impassively. ¡°I dropped Nicole off at school beforeing back.¡± He never told his parents that he and Edwin had set up apany. Even when such a serious problem had urred in thepany, Preston had never thought of telling them. Karen looked at her favorite son as a rare sullen look appeared on her face. ¡°Nicole? Since when you got so close to her?¡± ¡®No wonder Preston did not speak up when we shed with Daniel¡¯s family back then. It was because of Nicole?!¡¯ Preston frowned. He had always felt that his parents were a little too much for targeting a youngdy for no reason. And now, when Karen reacted so agitatedly just because he had sent her back as her cousin, he felt that she was really being unreasonable. ¡°Mom, Nicole is my cousin. It¡¯s inevitable for us to meet when we are at grandpa¡¯s house. Can you stop targeting her?¡± Today was the first time he got to know Nicole. From what he saw, she was not a bad person. He felt that his parents had seriously misunderstood her. Seeing that Preston was speaking up for Nicole, Karen¡¯s expression grew even more bitter.¡± Preston, I¡¯m warning you, don¡¯t get too close to Nicole. You heard me? Just look at how she treats us? She must have approached you with some motives. You¡¯re such a naive person, don¡¯t be fooled by her!¡± When Preston saw that Karen was still running her mouth on Nicole, he could not be bothered to entertain her anymore. He gave his mother a nce with a look of irritability in his eyes. ¡°Did you look for me just to say all these? Fine, I¡¯m going to bed now.¡± ¡®Since I cannot get through to her, why should I bother?¡¯ As he thought about that, he turned to leave. Karen panicked a little as she saw Preston¡¯s reaction and quickly reached out to pull him. For some reason, she had always doted on Preston since he was a boy, giving him anything and everything, yet Preston was never as close to herpared to Snow and Raine. ¡°Mom, I¡¯m tired. Can you let me go to bed?¡± It was not just today. He had been tired for the past few days, and he could finally catch a good night¡¯s sleep tonight. He wanted to rest. Chapter 405 Chapter 405 When Karen felt Preston treating her so coldly, a bitter look appeared on her face. ¡®It must have been that b*tch saying something to him!¡¯ Thinking of this, Karen anxiously looked at Preston as she said, ¡°Tell mom now, why weren¡¯t you back home for the past few days? Was it because Nicole told you something? Tell me everything that b*tch said to you!¡± Karen guessed that Nicole must have been talking bad about her to her son behind her back. Otherwise, her son would not be so cold to her! Preston hated it the most when his mother was like that. He casually pulled his hand away when he heard that. Karen did not expect her son to take his hand away so forcefully and was stunned for a moment. Looking at her surprised look, Preston had a tinge of mockery in his eyes. ¡°Nicole did not say much to me at all. It¡¯s you instead.¡± Preston pulled his sleeves up, revealing the spot where Karen had grabbed him just now. The skin was already visibly turning blue-ck, just like the bruise produced after being grabbed and pinched. ¡°You¡¯re always like that. You assume that you¡¯re doing me a favor, but you actually only want to satisfy your own wants and needs. Otherwise, why would you use so much strength just to grab on to me?¡± Karen looked at the bruise on Preston¡¯s hand, and a look of panic soon appeared on her face. As she heard what he said, her voice became shrill from the rising anger. ¡°You¡¯re talking nonsense! I love you the most out of my three children. How can you speak of me like that?¡± Preston looked at her impassively as he softly said, ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡®Is that really so?¡¯ As Karen¡¯s firstborn, Preston was required to be the best young master of the Riddle family. He was forced to learn this and that day in and out, so much so that he did not have time to touch his favoriteputer. Later on, he suffered many beatings for doing the things he liked. Preston did not look at Karen. He was now a grown-up and no longer that weak little boy. He skipped about at a pace that pissed Karen off, humming the punk rock songs she had derided as ¡°garbage¡± many times as he walked into his room and mmed the door with a loud bang Immediately after, he could hear Karen¡¯s furious tiradeing from outside the door. A cheeky smile of a kid who had managed to cause trouble soon appeared on Preston¡¯s face. He casually threw his coat onto the bed and went into the shower. Karen¡¯s outburst soon rmed Dillon. He was thinking of something by the bedside, and when he heard his wife¡¯s out-of-control voice, he immediately walked over and hissed as if somewhat displeased. ¡°What are you doing? This is the family manor. Know your ce!¡± They had been taking advantage of staying in the Riddle family manor because of Mr. Riddle Sr. being sick. Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org. Yet, Karen was causing such a ruckus here. Does she want to wake Mr. Riddle Sr. up and suffer another round of scolding again? Karen was taken aback by that reprimand, and her temper red even more. She looked at the man with an irritable look on his face as a sense of being wronged appeared among the mes of anger in her heart. ¡°Even you are treating me like this. I can¡¯t stand in this home anymore! I¡¯ll pack up tomorrow and go back to the Marquez family!¡± She had always been saying this over and over, and Dillon was already used to it, so he only shrugged when she said that. Yet, he seemed to remember something as he grabbed her shoulder and said, ¡°Enough, didn¡¯t you say you want to let Preston get the old man¡¯s attention and get him to favor us again? Why are you scolding him now?¡± Chapter 406 Chapter 406 He managed to draw Karen¡¯s attention away as thetter bore a deep hatred for Nicole in her eyes. ¡°It¡¯s all because of Nicole. She must¡¯ve told our son something. Otherwise, no matter how rebellious Preston was, he never dared to talk back to me!¡± When Dillon heard Nicole¡¯s name, he also frowned a little in anger. He let go of Karen¡¯s hand as he hissed. ¡°You¡¯re right. When I was almost forced to kneel back then, Preston did not react at all. Nicole must¡¯ve done something to him!¡± The husband and wife discussed about Nicole for a good while before Dillon finally remembered something important and looked on worriedly at Karen as he said, ¡°If Preston is really close to Nicole, that means he will not help us and might get in our way too. What do you think we should do?¡± Karen also had thought of this as she squinted, and a cold glint appeared in her eyes. ¡°Then we¡¯ll do it ourselves.¡± Dillon looked at her with surprise. A momentter, he lowered his voice as he said, ¡°But Nicole is so on guard against us¡­¡± Karen nced at him and sneered, ¡°I don¡¯t believe she doesn¡¯t have any weaknesses!¡± Early next morning, Zeke appeared on time on the track field with tworge dark eye circles on his face. Nicole was already standing there as she calmly looked at her watch to confirm that he was notte before casually saying. ¡°Your mission today is to run thirtyps. This is the number of kilometers you will need to normally run every single day. Once you are used to these thirtyps, I¡¯ll add on other training.¡± Zeke could not be bothered to say anything else as he started his new day of running. Nicole looked at his face as a trace of emotion appeared in her eyes. ¡®He is still, so, so far away from being able to start learning martial arts.¡¯ By the time Zeke was done running, the sky was already bright, and as the orange-colored dawn light shone upon Nicole, Zeke¡¯s heart inexplicably jumped wildly. ¡®What¡¯s going on? Did I run too much that I¡¯m getting heart arrhythmia?¡± He slowly stopped down to stop his wildly beating heart. His legs were so sore he could barely stand and needed to rest a good while before he could find his feet again. Seeing that he was done running, Nicole did not say much as she turned around and headed to the ssroom. It was already Friday and was the day of the Riddle family banquet, and she also had the Math Olympiad tomorrow. She did not have much time left, with the monthly examing on next Monday. ¡®So troublesome.¡¯ Nicole sighed. She had never seriously tried to be a student before, and now she realized that trying to be one was harder than being a top-level hacker. Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org. She then glumly walked toward the ssroom building. From afar, she saw Spencer and Samuel. Assuming that they were waiting for her, Nicole walked toward them. When she got closer, she then noticed there was a thin figure standing beside them. It was the angry Norah who had not gone home for several days now. Samuel was seemingly trying to advise her. ¡°Norah, you¡¯ve been mad for a few days now. Mom was asking me, why did you note in when you came to grandpa¡¯s home the other day?¡± Nicole frowned a little. ¡®Norah went back to the Riddle family manor?¡¯ Why did she not know about this? Norah¡¯s back was facing Nicole, so she naturally did not see her as she lowered her head and pretended to be innocent as she said. ¡°I heard that grandpa was sick, so I wanted to go back and visit him¡­ but now everyone only thinks of Nicole, and not me anymore¡­ I¡¯m no longer a Riddle. I¡¯m ashamed to see grandpa.¡± ¡®Ah, so the day she went back was the day Snow lost her pink diamond.¡¯ Nicole¡¯s eyes narrowed as she managed to connect something together. She then walked up, and she said coldly, ¡°Is it because you¡¯re ashamed to see grandpa or because you¡¯ve taken something away at the door?¡± Chapter 407 Chapter 407 What Nicole said made Norah¡¯s body stiffen. She then turned around as her eyes widened. ¡®Nicole?¡¯ ¡®Why is she here?¡¯ She had waited here for Samuel and Spencer on purpose and finally found the chance to get them to persuade her to go home. Unexpectedly, she ran straight into Nicole here. ¡®Isn¡¯t she supposed to be in ss right now?¡¯ Norah wondered. ¡°Why are you looking at me so surprised? Feeling guilty now?¡± Nicole raised her eyebrow. She had felt that it was odd that Snow suddenly lost her pink diamond, yet only she and her brothers returned home that night. Snow and Raine would not be so stupid to be stealing their own things. Nicole could not help but think, ¡®Then the only suspect here was¡­.¡¯ Norah immediately panicked. ¡°What nonsense are you spouting? Why would I feel guilty?¡± She quickly yed innocent. ¡°I know you don¡¯t want me to go back home, so I won¡¯t, but don¡¯t you try to frame me.¡± Nicole raised her eyebrow. ¡°I haven¡¯t even said what you¡¯re feeling guilty for, so how did you tell I¡¯m trying to frame you? Unless¡­ you knew what Snow had lost?¡± When she said that, Samuel and Spencer looked at each other. ¡°What are you trying to say, Nicole?¡± ¡®Did Snow lose something? Howe we didn¡¯t know?¡¯ the Riddle brothers wondered. Nicole looked at the two and said coldly, ¡°Snow lost her pink diamond the day we went back to visit grandpa.¡± Norah¡¯s face immediately turned red. ¡°What does losing her pink diamond have anything to do with me? What could I get out of it?¡± Nicole frowned a little. ¡°It might not do any good for you, but the first person her suspicion fell upon was me when she lost her diamond. Perhaps, it is to, you know, ¡®frame¡¯ me.¡± Norah¡¯s heart skipped a beat. She did not expect Nicole to have guessed it. Yet she cannot admit to it no matter what! ¡°I did not do that! Don¡¯t you use me without proof!¡± ¡°use you without proof?¡± Nicoleughed. ¡°Then why were you standing at the door and did not go in?¡± ¡°¡­ I said it already. It¡¯s because I was ashamed.¡±. ¡°Really?¡± Nicole¡¯s gaze became sharper, ¡°Since you don¡¯t want to admit it, then how about we search your dorm room then?¡± This time, Norah was truly stunned. She had not gone back home for the past few days, so the pink diamond could only be stored in her dorm room. She thought that no one would suspect her, so she kept it there. After all, that pink diamond looked very valuable from the outset. Yet, Norah did not expect Nicole wanted to search her dorm room. She immediately panicked a little. ¡°So, out with it. Did you steal the pink diamond, or not?¡± Nicole did not want to push Norah to the brink and wanted to give her a chance to admit it herself. With Norah¡¯s back to the wall, her brothers were no longer asking her to go back home as they seemingly believed what Nicole said and were looking at her suspiciously. Norah could not bear it any longer, so she could only cry. ¡°Nicole, I know you don¡¯t like me, but you cannot nder me like this! Back then, mommy and daddy and my brothers all dote on me, and they had not given me anything. Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org. ¡°I don¡¯t care about that pink diamond! Now, mommy, daddy, and my brothers all dote on you¡­ Everything is yours now. I¡¯m already not going back home, so what more do you want? Is chasing me out of the house, not enough? Are you only satisfied when I¡¯m finally sitting in jail?¡± Norah bawled as if Nicole was the one that was bullying her. Samuel and Spencer looked at each other and did not know what to say. Samuel was the naive one and could not help but believe this little sister he had been living with for so many years. ¡°Nicole, let¡¯s top suspecting Norah. Snow and Raine had been lying through their teeth. It might be them who are trying to frame you!¡± Chapter 408 Chapter 408 Nicole¡¯s brows furrowed. She did not expect Samuel to be such a naive simpleton. ¡®With Snow so concerned about Harvey, if he were to find out about her losing the diamond, wouldn¡¯t she be afraid that he¡¯d be angry? ¡®No, she¡¯d not tell such a lie.¡¯ When Norah saw Nicole keeping silent, she thought that the latter had admitted defeat and continued. ¡°I know, you¡¯re afraid that I¡¯ll fight with you for their affection¡­ but w-we¡¯re still family¡­ Do you really believe Snow and Raine but not me?¡± What Norah said made Spencer feel a little conflicted. ¡°Nicole, you should¡¯ve told me earlier about what Snow and Raine were doing. I¡¯ll try to investigate this matter. Before we have any conclusions, let¡¯s believe Norah for now.¡± Norah had not been home for a few days now, and it was pitiful for her to be alone at school. Nicole, upon seeing how gullible the two brothers were could not help but sigh. ¡®However, as for evidence. if I want to investigate the matter, it¡¯ll be far, far easier than anyone else,¡¯ thought Nicole as her lips curled. She gave a confident smile. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s wait until I¡¯ve collected the evidence then. I¡¯ll go back to ss first.¡± It was almost time for ss, and she did not want to waste any more time with Norah. ¡°Nicole¡­¡± Both Spencer and Samuel watched Nicole leave coldly and thought she was angry. Norah took the opportunity to quip. ¡°Samuel, Spencer, you¡¯ve seen it yourself. With Nicole hating me so much¡­ It¡¯s better¡­ if I don¡¯t go home.¡± Samuel sighed. ¡°No, you haven¡¯te home for so many days now. Mom is worried.¡± Although he felt that Nicole would never lie too, he was still unable to bring himself to suspect Norah. ¡°Enough. It has been many days now. Stop this nonsense. You should go home and appreciate the time you have with mom and dad,¡± Spencer reminded Norah. Norah, sensing something was not right, immediately asked, ¡°Why are you saying this, Spencer?¡± Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org. Spencer did not hide the matter from her. ¡°I identally heard Sean tell mom and dad that he had found clues about your biological parents.¡± ¡°How could that be?¡± Norah was stunned, and her eyes widened. Both Spencer and Samuel were taken aback. ¡®Why was Norah¡¯s reaction so bizarre¡­¡¯ Norah immediately realized that she had overreacted and quickly exined. ¡°I¡­ I just did not expect Sean to have found them so soon.¡± Charter 408 Yet, a trace of panic shed in her heart. ¡®How could that be. ¡®That family had always hidden their tracks. They shouldn¡¯t be found in the first ce¡­¡¯ she thought. ¡°Yeah, we did not expect it to be so fast either, so¡­ go home. After all, you don¡¯t have much time left together.¡± Spencer¡¯s tone was not as close as before and sounded more like a friendly reminder. ¡°I understand¡­¡± Norah dared not y coy anymore and could only nod in agreement. ¡°We¡¯ll be leaving first then.¡± Seeing that she finally agreed, the twins were relieved and said goodbye to her. While Norah watched the two leaving, her expression turned cold and sullen. ¨C She did not expect Sean to manage to find the trails of her biological parents. ¡°They want to get rid of me just like that?¡¯ ¡°No way in hell¡­ I will never allow you lot to get rid of me!¡± Chapter 409 Chapter 409 Norah snarled inwardly, ¡®There is only¡­ One daughter of the Riddle family, and that is me!¡¯ Inside the ssroom, Gary was looking at the questions in his hand as he frowned irritably. He was not concerned about his monthly exam results, but due to the bet Nicole had with Mr. Kennedy on this Math Olympiad, he was under a massive amount of pressure. As he looked up and saw Nicole coming back and sitting down casually, she did or said nothing, yet she gave him an inexplicable sense of calmness. Recalling her clear and moving thank you yesterday, his irritation at trying to solve the math problems dropped by a lot. Jack, who was beside Gary, noticed his gaze, and a thought crossed his mind. ¡®Gary seemed to be really treating Nicole differently.¡¯ Seemingly thinking of something, he turned to look at June, who was quietly doing her revision, as a thoughtful look appeared on his face. Vivian also saw how Gary looked at Nicole, and as she remembered what he said to her yesterday, a cold smile appeared on her face as she took out her phone and sent a message out. (Gary took another nce at Nicole.] Harvey, who got the message, turned off the screen before looking at Ms. Thompson before him. His smile was warm as ever. ¡°Ms. Thompson, I¡¯ve understood what happened the other day and have met Nicole as well.¡± Ms. Thompson gave Harvey a satisfied look. This grandson of Mr. Ellison had won her and the ss countless des, so when she spoke to him, her tone would subconsciously soften. ¡°Oh? Tell me, what was going on actually? Did Nicole greatly affect the overall grade of the ss, or did she affect the grades of the top students in ss?¡± When Ms. Thompson recalled Nicole¡¯s beautiful face, a look of faint disgust appeared in her eyes. ¡®I could tell she isn¡¯t a good student from a nce!¡¯ Thinking of when Nicole had made a fool out of her back then, Ms. Thompson¡¯s expression turned sullen as she hoped that Harvey could report Nicole in. Yet, when Harvey heard what Ms. Thompson said, he still maintained his smile as he said tly, ¡°Ms. Thompson, Nicole does indeed have a bad influence on the ss.¡± ¡°As expected!¡± Ms. Thompson¡¯s eyes lit up as if she had caught onto Nicole¡¯s weakness. However, Harvey suddenly paused as he pivoted. ¡°She seems to always have trouble arising around her. Probably because of her beauty, many would go to her ss to see her, causing the high school division students to lose interest in their studies.¡± As he said that, Harvey looked up at Ms. Thompson. ¡°After all, the exam is on next Monday, so shouldn¡¯t you do something about the atmosphere in the high school division, Ms. Thompson?¡± Ms. Thompson¡¯s expression suddenly turned glum. What Harvey had insinuated was that Nicole was innocent. He implied that it was all the other students who ran over to see Nicole¡­ and it was because of her beauty! Ms. Thompson almost wanted to puke. ¡®But Harvey will not lie to me, so there must be a problem with the students at the high school division!¡¯ As she thought of this, Ms. Thompson stood up and prepared to go to the high school division building. Before she left, she suddenly recalled something as she asked Harvey with some trepidation. ¡± Harvey, Nicole has no special rtionship with your grandfather, right?¡± . How could she forget that scene when Nicole directly called Mr. Ellison. She did not want to kick a brick wall a second time. Hearing this, Harvey had a glint in his eyes as he looked at her with some confusion on his face. ¡°My grandfather? Why would Nicole have anything to do with him?¡± He purposely answered with a question, looking like he did not know anything at all. Only did Ms. Thompson feel relief as she walked out. She whispered to herself. This is property ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Just like what I said. There¡¯s no way Nicole knows Mr. Ellison. She must¡¯ve got his number by ident!¡± Chapter 410 Chapter 410 ¡®¡®Mr.Ellison is a just and upright man; it was reasonable for him to put his manners aside when he heard Nicole say such unpleasant things. ¡®Nicole may very well have nothing to do with his anger toward her" thought Ms.Thompson with a sneer on her face. As if victory was at hand, she hurriedly said to Harvey, "Harvey, go back to your ss first.I have something to attend to." As she said that, she turned and left the office.She noticed the strange look in Harvey''s eyes, but she still lugged her barrel-like waist as she stomped out on her stiletto high heels. Soon, Ms.Thompson arrived at the corridor of the eleventh grade, and although it was almost time for ss, ss B''s doorway was still crowded and very noisy. There was a look of puzzlement on Ms.Thompson''s face as she could not understand what was going on. Many of the students did not look like they were from the high school division. There were even some from the university division, and she could not help but wonder. "Did everyone in schoole over here? What are they doing here?'' As she came to the crowd, she grabbed one of the students and asked, "What are you lot gathering here for?" It was so noisy it did not look like they were about to have their exams! When a boy saw that it was her, his originally irritable gaze immediately changed as he cautiously said, "Ms.Thompson, we are here to apologize." ¡®Apologize? Apologize for what?'' Ms.Thompson wanted to ask more, but that boy, who seemed to be from the twelfth grade, knew very well the grievances between Nicole and Ms. Thompson, so he raised his hand and called out. "Ms.Thompson is here! Let''s leave!" When everyone saw that Ms.Thompson was really here, they reacted quickly as they took their stuff and fled. Barely a momentter, there was no one at the door of the eleventh grade. Ms.Thompson had no outlet to vent the questions she had, so she was pissed and hated Nicole even more. Ms.Thompson could not hold her irritation as she stepped into ss B. The students inside the ss had already heard that yell, so everyone was already sitting properly in their seats. The ss looked very peaceful and quiet. Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org. Ms.Thompson ignored them and snorted coldly. The boy on the first row looked at Ms.Thompson and sheepishly asked, ''Ms.Thompson, what are you doing here?" Ms.Thompson looked up and sneered as she said, "What am I doing here? If I had note here, you brats would have turned this ce upside down!" When she said that, her eyes were affixed to Nicole as if she was talking to thetter. Nicole''s expression remained impassive as she leaned backzily on the car.She pulled out a book, not deigning to even look at Ms.Thompson, who was here to look for trouble. Ms.Thompson could never stand Nicole''s indifference, so she walked over and mmed on Nicole''s desk. "Nicole, how can you be so oblivious? You can''t tell I''m talking about you?" Everyone had witnessed Ms.Thompson being made a fool before Nicole and knew clearly what her words meant. ¡®Ms.Thompson is here for payback!¡¯ Everyone knew, yet they could only lower their hands and not speak.Nicole looked up impassively, and as she looked at Ms.Thompson, her voice had an obvious chill to it. "What''s the matter? Did I do something?" Everyone looked at Ms.Thompson too. ''Yeah, what did Nicole do?" Chapter 411 Chapter 411 In the face of her attitude, Ms.Thompson''s temper red.She stared icily at Nicole as she raised her voice. "You have the cheek to ask what did you do? You are causing trouble here and affecting the studies of others.Do you not know that the exam is next Monday! I want to see what sort of grades you''ll get.If you dare to get zero like in the mock test, then just Wait to get expelled!" Nicole looked at Ms.Thompson''s stereotypically serious face.If it was just her face alone, no one would expect this meticulous teacher to be corrupt. Not to mention that this teacher was also someone who misused her authority to exact personal vengeance. When Nicole thought of this, she felt a little ridiculous.She raised her eyebrow a little and tossed aside all pretense of politeness. "Just wait for the results then." All the talk about her affecting the results was just an excuse for Ms.Thompson toe and pick a fight with her. This is property ? N?velDrama.Org. When Ms.Thompson heard what Nicole said, she was caught off guard at first before hissing irritably, "Who doesn''t know that ss B is no match for ss A.No matter how you try, you cannot surpass them.I know this very well.No one is hoping you to add to the grades.Instead, it''ll be more than enough if you lot don''t hold everyone else back!" She thought that when Nicole talked about the results, it was for her to see if ss B''s performance had regressed or not. ¡®ss B''s performance is many times worse than ss A.Nicole is just shirking of responsibility.I don''t want to listen to her at all. ¡®She sure is cunning! She actually wanted to use the ss average to hide her personal shorings! '' Ms.Thompson thought that she had seen through Nicole''s tricks and was awed by her own intelligence a s she looked at Nicole with even more contempt. ¡®No matter how smart Nicole is, she cannot escape the palm of my hands" Thinking of this, Ms.Thompson frowned and wanted to say something else, yet before she could open her mouth, Nicole''s calm voice rang out instead. "It isn''t based on ss B''s results." Nicole looked at the conceited Ms.Thompson and rather patiently borated. "It''s my own results." Ms.Thompson looked at Nicole''s calm face in astonishment as she then asked a question in a daze. "What did you say? Your individual results?" She thenughed uncontrobly. ¡®This brat sure is funny.She gets cocky at the thought that her results in Great Oak were decent.Any bottom feeder in Royal Creek Institute can score better than her! She''s too conceited!'' This was the reason why everyone was making fun of her when Nicole said she wanted to give tuition to Austin and the others. They all thought that if Austin was the first ce from the bottom, Nicole''s Esperian grades at Great Oak might be very well the same as Austin''s. Not to mention that the quality difference in teaching and scoring was so different. None of these proud students thought that Nicole, who was from a rural ce, couldpete with all of them who had undergone many rounds of selection. This was also the reason why most in the Royal Creek Institute refused to ept Nicole. To them, Nicole was a person who had got in through some connections. They felt that she was not fit to sit and study together with them. Moreover, their campus queen needed to be the epitome of beauty, intellect, and grace, with no shorings in either category. No matter how beautiful and skilled she was, they perceived she was intellectually behind them. In their eyes, a person with bad results was straight away marked as useless garbage. Everyone looked at her. ''I never expect a brainless bimbo like Nicole would say that the bet would be based on her result" Many had stopped badmouthing Nicole without reason, but when they heard her saying such a hrious thing, they could not help butugh at her with a low voice. "The ignorant are always fearless." ¡®Doesn''t she know that Royal Creek Institute is filled with geniuses? Any single one of us could be the ace i n other schools" When they thought of this, they looked at Nicole with some pride in their eyes. Chapter 412 Chapter 412 Nicole did not look at the people around her as she calmly stared at Ms.Thompson, who was still laughing.She then closed the book in front of her. ''Better not let her saliva stain my book'' When Ms.Thompson saw Nicole''s action, she suddenly stopped laughing. ¡®Nicole sure has thick skin.She is so unperturbed after being humiliated like this.It is as if she had quite the confidence" Yet, Ms.Thompson pondered, ''Nah.How could it be possible? Previously, Nicole''s mock test result was there for all to see.Noone would deliberately score zero to fail their test" She looked coldly at Nicole, disdain seeping out of her eyes. This is property ? N?velDrama.Org. "Nicole, since you dare to say that, I''ll wait and see." Ms.Thompson paused for a moment. As she looked at the girl who did not even look back at her, a tinge of schadenfreude appeared in her voice. "Remember what I said.If you still score zero, you can forget abouting to this school ever again! "You hear me?!" Nicole was not at all perturbed by her intimidation. Vivian, who was seated at the front, turned around to look at Nicole with a trace of malice in her eyes. "Ms.Thompson, Nicole has purposefully disturbed us to drag our grades down so it will not be obvious even if she scores poorly!" ¡®Oh? Is that so?'' thought Ms.Thompson when she heard what Vivian said.She felt that it made sense. She then squinted her eyes as she looked at Nicole, not expecting thetter to be such a scheme. ¡®Indeed, if everyone else does poorly, she won''t look out of ce even if she scored poorly herself" "Nicole, I never thought you to be such a scheming person!" Many were carried away by Vivian''s words and took it for real. After all, Nicole had so many things happening around here that they were distracted trying to keep up with everything! ¡®No wonder she is not afraid to let Ms.Thompson look at her result.It turned out she is plotting this!'' Everyone then gave Nicole a slightly resentful look. '' What a b*tch you are, Nicole!'' ¡®We thought you were not a bad person, but now it seems like there is indeed something wrong with your character" Gary, who was seated at the back, too looked at Nicole with his brows furrowed, a trace of doubt appearing i n his eyes. ¡®All this while, Nicole has not been paying attention t o ss, nor has she attended the Math Olympiad sses, yet she is boasting here, '' thought Gary as his expression changed a little. ¡®Could it be that she is trying to drag everyone''s grades down like what Vivian said?'' Vivian looked at Gary''s gradual solemn expression and felt good inside. ''I finally got Gary to see Nicole''s true personality!'' Vivian then gave Nicole a righteous look, yet a deep sense of schadenfreude was inside her eyes. ''Let''s see how youe out of this unscathed!" Nicole nced at Vivian and gave Ms.Thompson a totally impassive look as she said, matter-of-factly, "I''ve never nned to affect the grades of others." She gently tapped the desk with her index finger. When she recalled how Mr.Riddle Sr.hoped that she would do well in this exam, she looked at the people who were mocking her so wantonly and let out a proud and condescending smile. "I''m not at the least bothered if all of them give their best.So why would I even bother affecting their grades?" ¡®WHAT?! Everyone looked at Nicole, with only Lulu, June, and Bradley sitting calmly where they were, not even blinking. Chapter 413 Chapter 413 Jack and Wayne, who did not understand what was going on, gawked as they looked at Nicole. Being looked down upon like this, even they, the bottom ranking students, are angered, much less those uppity high-achievers! Sure enough, after listening to what Nicole had said, everyone looked at her angrily. If it were not for Ms.Thompson still standing there, they would probably have rushed over to teach her a lesson. Even Ms.Thompson was rendered speechless by that. By the time she realized what Nicole was on about, her face was fuming red. "Nicole, you are..." Ms.Thompson wondered, ''Is she hopelessly stupid, or is she just way over-confident?'' Immediately after, Ms. Thompson curled her lips as she looked at Nicole and turned to leave. "Fine, since you are that conceited, let''s just see how things go then." She thought, ¡®Nicole is stupid enough to offend the entire ss.I have no need to bother about her.I can just leave her there to fend for herself!'' Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org. Just as Ms.Thompson was about to walk out of ss B, Nicole''s t voice came from behind. "Ms.Thompson, don''t forget about our bet." Ms.Thompson was taken aback for a moment before recalling the bet she made with Nicole for that fool, Austin. If Austin were to get into the top twenty in this exam, Ms.Thompson would need to apologize to him before everyone in school. If Austin failed to do so, then Nicole would need to leave the Royal Creek Institute! ¡®Well, it seems like that bet did not matter at all. After all, if Nicole does not do well this time around, I will expel her from the school! ¡®As for Austin and those bunch of useless garbage, no doubt that them getting into the top twenty from the bottom is already a tall order!'' thought Ms.Thompson as she sneered while staring at Nicole. She then said loudly. "I''m a woman of my words, but I''ll advise you to worry more about yourself! If Austin cannot get into the top twenty, you''ll be expelled!" As she said that, she strode out as if she had just won a battle. After Ms.Thompson left, many wanted to ask Nicole what she meant! But after seeing her cold, indifferent eyes, many quickly calmed down. No one dared to provoke her, but their gaze was full of disgust and disdain. ¡®Nicole''s words were simply just too conceited.To say that she could not be bothered even if we were to give ours all].She probably knew that she could not beat anybody, so she went crazy!'' ¡®We have no time to be bothered with a lunatic like her!'' When Vivian heard Nicole, she too thought the same. ¡®Nicole must be out of her mind for her to say such a thing!'' A silent smile appeared in her eyes as she looked at Nicole with an eye full of ill-intent. ¡®Nicole, Nicole, you''ve offended everyone in ss B.It isn''t that I don''t want to help you, but I''m powerless myself" As she thought of this, Vivian said, "Nicole, everyone heard what you said.As the ss rep, I will make sure you see through what you said!" There was a hint of schadenfreude in her tone as if she wanted to get rid of Nicole as soon as possible. "If you only know how to talk big and not pull off what you said, you''ll have to bear the consequences.Don''t go back on your words when the timees!" Vivian thought, ¡®Ms.Thompson said If Nicole''s grades are poor again this time, she''ll be forced to drop out of school! The day has finallye! Once she is expelled, the school will return to normal" On the other hand, Nicole''s expression did not change at all. As she looked on impassively at Vivian, her voice had a tinge of iciness that could directly pierce one''s heart. "Isn''t this what you want?" Chapter 414 Chapter 414 Vivian was stunned, and she could not maintain her expression.She had always been the upright ss rep who cared about everyone.She got so carried away that what she said sounded rather biased. Oliver looked at Vivian with a stunned expression, a trace of disappointment appearing in his eyes. "Nicole, what do you mean by that? What did you take our ss''s collective effort for? For you to so sarcastically proim that all our efforts are notparable to yours, a person who doesn''t even pay attention in ss at all?" Nicole nced up at her with a trace of inexplicable iciness in her voice. "You imed that I have ulterior motives, and they chose to believe your foolish ims.So, I have no choice but to prove it, right?" She leaned back against the chair. Her face was clearly expressionless, yet it had a sharp edge to it that made i t impossible for anyone to look away. Gary stared at Nicole in a daze as he felt that figure on the racetrack inexplicably appearing before his eyes. And when everyone heard what Nicole said, all of them were stunned. "Yeah, we have always been subjectively judging Nicole''s thoughts and actions.We''ve always chosen t o believe anything that was against Nicole. Could it be because of that Nicole had no choice but to choose such a merciless way to prove her innocence? ¡®To cut off all connections with us, she said something that had no room to turn back so that she could let everyone hear her voice clearly. "But Nicole did not even deign to be bothered about u s, So there was no need to hide anything. ¡®Even so, she did not need to say something like this when she had no intentions of affecting our studies" Everyone looked at Nicole and, for a time, was at a loss on how to react. Nicole was not at all concerned about what they were thinking as she just sat there and waited for the school bell to ring. Mr.Kennedy was seated in Ms.Emerson''s office for a drink.He looked at her packing up her teaching materials before him with a sarcastic look on his face. "Ms.Emerson, the Math Olympiad is about to take ce soon.I wonder, how''s your ss''s preparation?" The students they had picked were all fully prepared a s this time they were aiming for the prizes! Thinking of the zero-score Nicole in Ms. Emerson''s ss, Mr.Kennedy chuckled softly, his tone extremely sarcastic. Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org. "Once the Math Olympiad is over, we''ll have the honor to witness the first Royal Creek Institute student come back with a zero!" "And it''ll be that Nicole from your ss!" Ms.Emerson looked at Mr.Kennedy indifferently, who was boasting, and she said nothing. It was Mr.Louis who came in to discuss some maths questions with Ms.Emerson, who shook his head in disagreement. "Mr.Kennedy, don''t jump to conclusions that soon." In his heart, Nicole had always been an unpredictable one. Yet, Mr.Kennedy only gave Mr.Louis a cold look. '' He''s just a maths teacher and has little prestige in school.He can''t even be a head teacher, so he can''t do anything at all" Thinking of this, Mr.Kennedy gave Mr.Louis a nce as he said, "Mr.Louis, you''re already in this sorry state, so don''t bother trying to lecture me, yeah?" Mr.Louis knew this was the typical Mr.Kennedy, so he shook his head and said nothing else.He then got up as he chuckled, and said goodbye to Ms. Emerson. "Ms.Emerson, you should go to your ss.Let''s not dy." As he said that, he walked out, not giving Mr.Kennedy a look at all. Chapter 415 Chapter 415 Seeing that Mr.Kennedy did not even take him seriously, Mr.Louis felt there was no need for him to tell the former why Nicole had scored zero previously. ¡®Let''s just wait for Nicole to p him on the face" Mr.Louis could not help but to want to see Mr.Kennedy''s face when the time came. Ms.Emerson had walked behind him and out of her office as she casually locked the door behind her. Mr.Kennedy found it difficult to keep hisposure when the two were ignoring him. Seeing that Ms.Emerson was about to lock him inside her office, he gave a dissatisfied yell. "Ms.Emerson, what''s wrong with you? Can''t you see there''s someone in here? Why are you locking the door?" When Ms.Emerson heard his voice, she turned around and gave him a surprised look. "Mr.Kennedy, whose office is this again?" Mr.Kennedy did not catch the drift and thought this woman had lost her mind, so much so that she did not recognize her own office, so he disdainfully said, "Ms.Emerson, what are you saying? This is, of course, your office." Ms.Emerson stood outside with her teaching materials in hand as she said with a half-smile. "Since it''s my office, why can''t I lock it when I''m out?" When Mr.Kennedy heard that, he was at a loss for words and could only stare at her for a good while before finding his tongue. "There''s still someone inside! Can''t you wait for me t o leave before locking?" As he said that, he increased his pace as he walked to the door. Ms.Emerson looked at him impassively as she stood by the door. Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org. Mr.Kennedy thought she was scared into submission by him. ''She has always been meek before me.She has never said anything back.It must be the same now too!'' Yet, just as he was about to step out the door triumphantly, Ms.Emerson''s soft voice rang out. "I was about to lock the door because there was no one inside." Mr.Kennedy thought, ''What did she mean?" It took him a good while to realize that Ms.Emerson was implying that he was no one! He was so angry that the cup in his hand shook, sshing hot water all over himself as he screamed. "Ms.Emerson, just you wait! Once the exam results are out, let''s see if you can pull that look at me again! Ms.Thompson had already promised me that once the exam results are out, the best teacher award is mine! Just you wait!" Ms.Emerson did not even look back as she swept her hair aside, and her face was no longer fearful. ¡®In any case, since the two of them areplicit, I will suffer no matter what I do, so why should I continue to be aggrieved?'' After ss, Ms.Emerson called Nicole over to her side and went through the time and date of the Math Olympiad. Nicole looked at her face as she seriously noted them down.Her expression still remained impassive. Vivian looked at Nicole, her gaze icy. Many, too, were dissatisfied when they saw Ms.Emerson was so close to Nicole. ''Ms.Emerson is actually hoping for Nicole to score?¡¯ They could forgive what she said earlier, but they did not believe Nicole, whom they assumed to be academically inept and trouble-causing, could get good results! Thinking of what Nicole said earlier, many were still disdainful of her. Yet, Nicole was not bothered by what they were thinking. After she was done talking to Ms.Emerson, she slothfully packed her stuff up as if she was totally unconcerned about everything here. Chapter 416 Chapter 416 The sses for the day ended in a blink of an eye, and Nicole picked up her bag as she walked out. Gary looked at her back as he got up and wanted to chase after her. Just as he was about to zip up his bag, he was suddenly patted on the back. Gary looked back irritably, thinking that it was Jack and Wayne pulling some kind of prank. Yet, what entered his gaze was Vivian''s slightly shy face. Gary''s impression of this girl remained at the level of being the ss rep, and her studies were decent.He did not know her at all, let alone be familiar with her. When he turned back and saw her, Gary was faintly surprised. "What are you looking for me for?" He did not think that Vivian would be stopping him here for no reason. Vivian looked at Gary standing before her.She had already taken notice of him since the first day of school. To her, he was not only the youngest child of the Finley family, but he was also cold yet handsome, like a character out of fiction. When she helped him register for school, his cold eyebrows seemingly came alive, as if his gaze toward her was hers alone.He said he was Gary Finley. Vivian inexplicably felt that his name was not on the register, but instead, he was personally told that he was Gary Finley.Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org. That was when the illusion began, ambiguous and hazy. It was then that Vivian fell into a cage she had set for herself. Just like now, as Vivian looked at Gary, who seemed to be very pleasant, a genuine smile appeared on her face. ¡®Look, I knew it.Gary treats me differently" Yet, as she dithered and did not speak, she failed to notice Gary''s ¡ª who wanted to chase after Nicole ¡ª impatient eyes. Vivian rposed herself as she put forth her best ss rep poses as she asked Gary. "Gary, the Math Olympiad is tomorrow.How''s your preparation?" She was worried about her personal exam results back then and did not participate in the Math Olympiad with Gary. Now she was so regretful her insides turned. After Gary heard Vivian''s question, his expression did not change much. He assumed that she was just worried about the ss'' overall grades and asked about it. "No need to worry about it.Just that I''m not sure if I can get first ce." He was definitely in contention for prizes, but whether he could clinch first ce or not, Gary could not say that he had a hundred percent confidence. Vivian looked at the boy standing before her. Her heart tightened a little when she saw him frown. "It''s okay, Gary! You''re already awesome enough.In the end, it''s all because of Nicole making that meaningless bet! She isn''t good at all, yet she''s still acting tough.For some reason, Ms.Emerson trusts her a lot now, that even I''m no match for her..." As she went on, Vivian started toin non-stop. Gary''s expression became more and more irritable. His upbringing did not allow him to interrupt her directly, and as he listened to Vivian''s increasingly outrageous aspersions against Nicole, his eyes gradually turned cold. "Enough." Vivian looked at Gary, whose eyes had a fit of anger in them, in shock, not realizing where she had provoked him. Gary could not be bothered with her as he zipped up his bag and slung it over his back before walking out, without even turning his head back. Vivian looked at his cold back and clenched her fist angrily. Apletely different twist took hold in her eyes. Everything she said just now was targeted at Nicole. She had thought that Gary had seen through Nicole''s real person and would definitely be in agreement with her. Yet, she did not expect him to react like this! Thinking of this, Vivian''s expression became extremely sullen. If she was not wrong, there were no books in Gary''s half-opened bag just now. There was only a shirt inside it! Chapter 417 Chapter 417 ''My eyesight is good.I saw the handwriting on the shirt...It was Nicole''s signature I have seen countless times on her homework! ''For Gary to have Nicole''s signature in his bag only means one thing: he has betrayed me!'' Vivian looked at Gary''s departing silhouette as she bizarrely calmed down. ¡®I cannot me him.It''s all that subus, Nicole''s fault. ¡®Harvey was right, that Nicole is totally a demon!'' Thinking of this, Vivian walked to Nicole''s already empty desk and toppled it onto the ground. Thetter''s books then scattered all over the floor, yet Vivian did not hold back and instead viciously stomped on it a few times. There were a few ssmates who had not yet left and were looking at her in shock. Vivian then let out a gentle smile. "I''m fine.It''s just that the stress for the exam is a bit high." As she said that, she walked back to her seat, packed up, and left. Nicole first went to the cafe and drank a cup of coffee made by Jared himself as she went through her workbook.She then looked at her phone and urged Austin toe over to study. Thetter then replied with an emoji of him rushing over. A smile appeared in Nicole''s eyes before quickly disappearing.She gently tapped her finger on the wooden table.Her expression was impassive. Nicole sat where Jared often sat, and it was by a tall window. The golden sunlight shone through the white curtain onto her face, making her look inexplicably serene. us happened to catch a passing nce and was stunned for a moment. It took him a while before he snapped back as he took his phone out and wanted to take a photo of the beautiful girl. Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org. Her slightly disheveled hair floating next to her snow-white face looked extremely immacte and beautiful. Just as she was inside his shutter frame, the girl''s figure suddenly disappeared, and in her ce was the back of a tall man. Although this back was wide-shouldered and narrow- waisted, with a cold pride to it, it was the back of the man that us was most familiar with. us looked at his boss, giving him a warning nce as he put down his phone. ¡®It''s just a photo of Miss Nicole.You sure are stingy, Mr.Johnston!'' us resentfully returned to stirring the syrup in the mixer as he started working again without daring to utter a word. ''It''s hard enough to get a job at this day and age, might as well cherish it" Nicole did not notice the undercurrent between the two as she looked at Jared, who was walking toward her, and the chill in her eyes melted away. "Not busy today?" When Jared heard her question, he raised his eyebrow. There was a tinge of reservation on his face that was inconsistent with his temperament. "As long as you''re around, I''m not busy." When us heard that, he had goosebumps all over. ¡®You''re not busy, sure, but I sure am!'' Nicole understood what he meant between the lines a s she looked at him yfully before she stopped talking and instead cast her gaze outside. "What are you looking at?" Chapter 418 Chapter 418 She heard Jared asking softly. Nicole did not answer, but a tinge of emotion appeared in her eyes as she looked at the brilliant sky outside before sighing softly inwardly. ¡®What nice weather, yet it is not long enough" Nicole looked back, and Jared was sitting opposite her, leaning backzily on the chair. Yet his aura was still imposing.His eyes had deep contours, and with it was an indescribable distant and cold air about him.He was like the icy moon hanging in the sky that will nevere close to the mortal realm. Seeing Nicole looking over, his beautiful eyes curved a little. "What''s the matter?" It was a gaze so brilliant that it enthralled everyone. There were many women after his affection. There was Chloe trying to get close to him at Nottingbrook, and there was Lyana falling head over heels for him. His identity was extraordinary, and this sort of annoyance was inevitable. Nicole felt that there was a reason why Mrs.Wace Sr.liked him the most. She felt inexplicably conflicted as she gently leaned forward and looked him in the eye, with a tinge of iciness in her voice. "What will you do if I need to leave for a period of time?" When Jared heard the question, he instantly blurted out. "Where are you going? Let''s go together." The moment he said that, both of them were dumbstruck. Jared was now contemting seriously. After all, he had never had to worry about the question of separation, and now with Nicole raising the question, he spoke his heart''s desire without even thinking. It was as if it was natural. Nicole totally did not expect this answer. She seriously considered the feasibility of this n fora few seconds before answering. "No." She wanted to look for Carl after her exams, but the journey will be perilous, and she had no way to guarantee his safety. Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org. When Jared heard her answer, something shed across his eyes, but he did not insist and instead softly said. "Then I''ll wait for you." Nicole looked at him as a smile soon appeared in her eyes. Her voice was calm yetforting. "Alright." Just as the two were talking, Austin and the gang rushed over like a hurricane, and Nicole could hear him from afar. "Boss! I''m here!" Sammey was behind him with a disdainful look on his face, yet when he saw Nicole, his eyes lit up. "Boss! The Math Olympiad is tomorrow.How are your preparations?" Nicole looked at him and softly said, "Decent enough.Austin knew that his boss was humble, but after some pondering, he realized that the Math Olympiad was known to be difficult, so he was wondering if he should not be putting more pressure on her. "Boss, decent enough is good enough.Just do as much as you can.It doesn''t matter if you don''t ace it." Nicole looked at him and said nothing. Instead, she just got up and prepared to go upstairs. "Let''s go.The final revision." Jared sat there, and as he looked at Nicole''s back, a thought appeared in his mind. Chapter 419 Chapter 419 After Nicole was done giving tuition to Austin and the others, she returned home. She first gave Mr.Riddle Sr.aprehensive examination. Once she was sure that he had fully recovered, she nodded with satisfaction. "Grandpa can eat as usual now, and it''s no longer necessary for him to stay in bed.Suitable meals and exercises will help with his recovery." Daniel, who was seated by the side, nodded. Mr.Riddle Sr.was ted. He had enough of being bedridden and immediately got down to walk a few circles. By the time he returned to his bed, Mr.Riddle Sr.had looked at Nicole before him. As if he was reminded of something, and he asked with a serious tone. "Is it the Math Olympiad tomorrow?" Seeing Nicole nodding, Mr.Riddle Sr.sighed deeply as he said, seemingly having given up, "Just treat it like a game.I''m not asking you to score well in the Olympiad, but just don''te back with zero again." He sounded as if the Olympiad would end up as a tragedy for Nicole. Dillon had just walked in and heard his father''spromise with Nicole and was a little unhappy. "Dad, what''s the matter? Don''t you know that Mr.Wyance will be personally attending the awards ceremony of that Math Olympiad? If he sees a child of the Riddle family being so poor in her academics, we can probably forget about thatnd!" Daniel, however, looked at Nicole with confidence in his eyes. "Nicole will never be like what you''ve said!" In his heart, his daughter was definitely not such a pushover. ¡®Back then, it must''ve been the first time Nicole encountered San Joto''s Math Olympiad questions, and that was why she scored zero. ¡®As long as she puts in her normal effort, even if she does not win any prizes, she will not hold anyone back either!'' thought Daniel. Nicole looked at Daniel as she heard that. His face was full of expectations of her, and her expression softened. She turned around and looked at Mr.Riddle Sr, her voice firm. "I will definitely take the first ce!" "WHAT?! Take first ce?" Not only Dillon, even Damien, who had been silent thus far,ughed. ¡®No matter how good Nicole was at Great Oak, she is now in San Joto, a ce brimming with talent. Trying to get first ce is extremely difficult!'' Dillon could barely hide his mocking tone as he said loudly, "Nicole, you are sure good at pulling someone''s leg! Even I''m impressed by your ability to be so fearlessly boastful!" Damien, too adjusted his sses as he looked at Nicole with deep disagreement. "Nicole, you''re being way too conceited.It''s fine being confident while you''re young, but overconfidence is folly!" Nicole ignored the two of them, with a look of cold indifference in her eyes. Even Mr.Riddle Sr.looked at her somewhat worriedly, concerned that she was under too much pressure. Thinking of this, Mr.Riddle Sr.coughed a little. "It''s almost time now.Let''s go downstairs to start the banquet." He tapped his walking stick onto the ground as he looked at Dillon and Damien and snorted coldly. "Shouldn''t Snow, Raine, and Chloe being home to visit?" Dillon nodded to indicate that there was no problem on his side. On the other hand, Damien recalled that Chloe did not evene to visit when Mr.Riddle Sr.had recovered the other day and frowned deeply. ¡®Chloe sure is too much ofte" Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org. When the three names were mentioned together, something urred in Nicole''s mind.She impassively turned and went downstairs, yet she had some thoughts in her mind. Looking at Nicole''s departing silhouette, Dillon chuckled inside. ¡®Just two more days, and Nicole''s fate will be sealed!'' Everyone had gone downstairs, and Preston, upon seeing Nicole sitting not too far away, went over to sit by her side. Nicole ignored him and simply just held her elbow as she thought about things. Samuel and the others had also rushed back, and their gazes all fell upon Nicole. Stanley looked at his little sister and asked gently. "Nicole, the Olympiad is tomorrow.Do we need to send you to the venue?" Chapter 420 Chapter 420 When Spencer and Samuel heard this, they gave Stanley a big thumbs up. They had talked about this in the car, yet when they sat beside Nicole, they almost forgot about it. Nicole nodded at Stanley and thanked him. Hearing this, Stanley let out a warm smile, yet Preston by the side twitched his lips. If they did not say anything, he would have the opportunity to drop her off. Thinking of this, he prodded Nicole. Seeing that the table was still yet to be filled, he whispered. "Do you know the hackers that attacked our website?" Nicole returned an imperceptible nod. Preston was not annoyed by her cold demeanor as he continued to ask, "Who are they? Why couldn''t we find anything about him after so long?" Nicole took a sip before looking at him and said inly. "Yourpany''s international server is connected to a different frequency port than his.He is an ''assassination''-type hacker, so he is very protective about his data security, and that''s why you could not find anything." She knew the opposing party''s codename, and she initially did not want to dig deeper into the matter. But this time, the party was clearly aiming after the things produced by Rowan and his team, so Nicole could not just sit idly by. The personal logo on that batch of data was something even Zeke could recognize, so how could Nicole not? Thinking of this, Nicole looked at Preston and said somewhat tly. "Do you know the people behind yourpany?" Nicole thought, ¡®Someone must have been secretly funding Rowan''sb. Without the help of this person, they would not have been able to bear even a year of the research cost. ¡®Yet this time, the person did not do anything even when Rowan''sb was in such a big data breach crisis.This was not normal at all. ¡®Unless...¡®They already knew that someone would strike" For that hacker to so easily send out a message for help, and also that self-congrattory message on top that disappeared without a trace, it was as if the person was deliberately getting Zeke to find this task. ¡®The opponent knew I was connected to Zeke and had contacted him in real life! ¡®That means.." Nicole''s eyes narrowed as she quickly thought of something before a strange look appeared on her face. ¡®Is it really what I think it is? Preston did not miss the change in her expression, and just as he was about to ask Nicole something, a voice came from behind. "Preston, you might want to talk to Nicole less." When Preston heard the voice, he frowned a little. It was Snow''s voice, yet it was not gentle or magnanimous like before, but it sounded inexplicably strange. Raine chimed in. "Yes, Preston, Mom is already very unhappy seeing you together with Nicole.Can you not make things difficult for us?" Preston frowned deeply as he nced at his two younger sisters, with almost uncontroble irritation in his heart. ¡®Can''t these two just talk properly?! Thinking of this, he spoke icily toward Snow and Raine. "Mom is Mom, and me is me.So, I''m supposed to not do anything that displeases her? Nicole is also a Riddle, and I cannot even sit with her? Snow, Raine, I seriously don''t know where your hostility toward Nicole came from!" When Snow and Raine heard his unfettered words, their expression changed. Snow quickly sneered as her eyes could literally light on fire as she looked at Nicole. Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org. "You are asking me why? My dear brother, it''s because the Nicole that you like so much is the thief that stole my precious diamond!" Chapter 421 Chapter 421 In Snow and Raine''s eyes, Nicole did not only steal their diamonds. ¡®She stole our boyfriends! Before she appeared in our lives, we were the only girls allowed to be around Harvey and Gary" Although they had never confessed their feelings, they believed the boys would ept them as partners someday. ¡®Now, everything''s ruined!'' They looked at Nicole as if they wanted to bite her head off, but there was no trace of emotions on her face. At the same time, Nicole was getting impatient with Snow''s endless provocation. This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org. "What is it that you want?" she said in a neutral tone, which made everyone settle down. A few of her brothers heard what Snow and Raine had said. Samuel was furious when he watched the two paint his sister as a thief.He stood up, pointed at Snow, and said, "How dare you call my sister a thief.Do you have any proof?!" "Yeah, where''s the proof? You won''t get away with framing our sister if there''s no proof," added Spencer. Stanley, Steve, and Sean stood behind Nicole while they stared at Snow and Raine with judgmental eyes. They were much older than the two, so they decided it was best to stay silent. Preston frowned, his eyes filled with distrust, "There''s no way Nicole would steal from you." ¡®Nicole is not a thief.She''s a god in the hacker world.She could buy all the diamonds in the world if she wanted" Although Snow and Raine were slightly intimidated, they quickly regained theirposure. They were not going to back down. "It was Nic¡ª " Before Snow could finish, the door behind her swung open to reveal the gorgeous Chloe. Behind her was Everett, who, in contrast with Chloe, was ordinary and inconspicuous. Chloe''s eyes swept over toward the two sisters with a hint of arrogance. "What is everyone talking about? Seems like a fun conversation." When Miley saw her precious daughter''s return, she could not contain her smile. She immediately offered the seat beside her, "Chloe,e sit." Chloe did not look at her mother. Instead, her gaze stopped at Nicole. "So you''re Nicole?" She asked, pretending that they had never met. At that moment, Mr.Riddle Sr.came down the stairs. Damien''s expression rxed when he noticed Chloe''s return. ¡®At least this girl has a sense of propriety" When Mr.Riddle Sr.heard Chloe''s words, he turned to Nicole and said, "Nicole, you haven''t met Chloe before, right? She''s my daughter, a pretty famous actress." There was a sense of satisfaction in his voice. Chloe was also a Royal Creek student. Since there was lesser schoolwork as a twelve grader, she started her career in the film industry. Chapter 422 Chapter 422 Chloe had been an exceptional child at an early age.She had gained glory for the Riddle family, and the Rogers family highly favored her.She was a junior who walked with the Rogers family. "We heard that Chloe had gotten a part in Nachelle Holder''s drama show.She had also said she had the opportunity to be endorsed by the JJ Johnston Group.Her future is bright and limitless." Due to this, Mr.Riddle Sr.was quite condoning toward her. Miley and Damien''s faces lit up with pride when they heard his introduction of Chloe. On the other hand, Everett''s eyes darkened as he clenched his fists. Nicole''s facial expression did not change.She looked a t Chloe with a half-smile and said, "There''s no need for introductions.We''ve already met.Last I heard, you weren''t supposed toe back, no?" Chloe should have been locked up for at least three months in Nottingbrook State. But now she was back. Nicole looked over toward Snow and Raine, who seemed to be relying on Chloe. At that moment, she knew that the "they" Snow was referring to the other day was Raine and Chloe. Nicole was not surprised at the possibility of them teaming up against her. Chloe''s face turned pale when she heard Nicole''s words.She worried that Nicole would tell the world about her jail time.So she acted as if she did not know her. But Nicole was willing to reveal her secrets.Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org. ¡®What kind of power does she hold for the Nottingbrook State police force to reinvestigate and arrest me? ¡®Is she really someone with no prominent background? ¡®She even knows Jared" Chloe stared at Nicole in jealousy when she thought o f the time Jared and her left together.She wanted to make her look bad. However, everyone was looking at her suspiciously because of what Nicole said. "I was fortunate to meet Nicole while filming in Nottingbrook State.Maybe she thought my trip was not over yet, so she''s wondering how I''m back," she said with a reluctant smile. She then covered her mouth and gave out a smallugh. "Nachelle Holder has high standards for the show.We only went to Nottingbrook State to shoot a scene.Everyone has been back in Hustuaburg sincest week." While everyone nodded to the statement, Nicole gazed at Chloe with a calm look.Her lips curled, but she was toozy to expose her lies. "Chloe, didn''t Nachelle Holder announce that you were out from the cast of ''Lukewarm''?" Everett said i n surprise. ¡®What?!¡¯ Everyone was shocked. Despite being stunned by the bombshell, Miley managed her emotions and turned to her son with a cold face. "Stop with the nonsense, Everett.Your sister clearly has a good rtionship with Nachelle Holder.He even gave your father and me tickets to his family banquet.How could he kick her out of the cast? Chapter 423 Chapter 423 Everett blinked his eyes innocently. There was a sense of panic in his voice after being reprimanded by his mother. "Oh, I must have misunderstood Nachelle Holder''s statement," he said. Damien and Miley''s expressions softened. Everyone else looked at Damien''s family thoughtfully. They did not expect them to be invited to Nachelle Holder''s family banquet because the Holder family was one of the noble families in San Joto. Simr to the Johnston family, the Holder family was the oldest member of the high society in Hustuaburg. Mr.Riddle Sr.ignored whether Chloe was kicked out o f the cast or not. Instead, he squinted his eyes at his eldest son, who did not stop his wife from saying what seemed like an exnation but was an attempt a t showing off. "Everyone shut up and eat," he said coldly. All of them quieted down in an instant. Snow and Raine returned to their seats unwillingly when they met their grandfather''s gaze. The atmosphere became strange. There was only the sound of tableware and dishes colliding because everyone was in their own thoughts as they ate. Chloe then sent a message to Snow and Raine, "Has she handed over that diamond?" "No, not only did she not admit she took it, she even brought her brothers to intimidate us.Even Preston''s on her side," Snow replied. "What do you think we should do, Chloe?" Raine asked. Chloe looked up from her phone and nced at Nicole with an unpredictable cold gaze. "Don''t listen to their nonsense.Maybe her brothers are her aplices! "Since Preston doesn''t care about you two, you two shouldn''t care about him either.Just act like he''s no longer your brother." After sending that message, Chloe nced suspiciously at Everett, who was eating his meal. ¡®What did he mean just now? Why did he want to embarrass me? If we didn''t get the invitation to Nachelle Holder''s family banquet, I would have to face everyone''s judgment! At that moment, Everett seemed to have noticed Chloe''s gaze. He looked up and shot a shy smile at her. "What''s wrong, Chloe?" She looked at his innocent smile and thought, ''Maybe he just blurted out what he knew" She knew that her brother was a little dense, so she let go of her suspicions. ''He is not a threat. "Nothing.Just eat your meal," she said in disdain. Everett did not notice her harsh tone. Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org. He nodded and asked considerately, "Aren''t you gonna eat, Chloe?" She continued to send messages to Snow and Raine. "Do you think I''m you? I can''t just eat the whole day away! I want to be an A-list celebrity.I have to watch my diet," she said in a holier-than-thou tone. Chapter 424 Chapter 424 Chloe and Everett did not seem like siblings since they were young. Chloe was bright and gorgeous.She had good grades and was strong in every aspect.She was always known to be the star of the show. On the other hand, whenever anyone talked about Everett, it was not just "Everett," it was "Chloe''s younger brother."He was used to his sister speaking rudely to him.So he continued eating with no change in his facial expression. However, from the way he ate his food, it was clear that he was mad. Chloe did not care about her younger brother.She looked around the table and noticed that almost everyone had finished eating. Thus, she did not wait any longer.She stood up, turned around, and walked toward the door. "Mom, Dad, Grandpa, I''m going to go home and get some beauty sleep.I have to get up early tomorrow." Nobody stopped her from leaving. When she was about to leave the house, she saw an unexpected figure at the door. "Mr.Anderson? Why are you here?" This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org. The chubby man who got out of the sports car was the notorious rogue director of Royal Creek Institute ¡ª Eric Anderson. ¡®What is he doing here?" Chloe immediately put on a fake smile after she thought about how wealthy the Anderson family was. "What brings you to my humble abode, Mr.Anderson? " she asked. Eric looked at the beauty in front of him and stretched out his hand lecherously, wanting to touch Chloe''s hand.He then used his other hand to wipe off the sticky sweat dripping from his forehead. "I came to look for someone in the Riddle family," he said. ¡®Oh? He''s looking for someone?'' Chloe tucked her hands away and looked at Eric with anticipation. "Who are you looking for, Mr.Anderson?" Eric did not get mad when he did not get to touch her hand. Instead, he wiggled his body around and asked rather mysteriously, ''''Is there someone named Nicole in your family?" When she looked at his piggish figure, Chloe''s smile faded for a moment. She did not answer him directly but asked, "May I know why you''re looking for Nicole?" Eric did not shy away from her. He rubbed his hands while looking at the gorgeous face in front of him and said, "I''m looking for her because I want her to meet... "The people there," he said with his stubby finger pointed upward. Chloe did not understand what he meant, but as soon as she thought about his family''s wealth, she wanted t o help him. "We do have a Nicole here.She has good looks, by the way.I can bring you to meet her." She was jealous at the thought of Nicole having good looks, but she quickly concealed her true feelings. "But I''m not sure if she''ll do what you want." Eric''s eyes lit up when he heard that there was someone named Nicole in the Riddle family. "That''s okay.Just let me see her!" Chloe turned her back and smiled. Her face was full of ridicule. "Come on then," she said. ¡®¡®I didn''t think Nicole''s good looks could capture the hearts of those with power:" Chapter 425 Chapter 425 Eric kept asking Chloe questions as she walked before him.He did not see the twisted look on her attractive face. "You will know when you see her," she replied uncharacteristically. ¡®That''s true" Eric thought. He ignored Chloe''s attitude and followed her around happily. Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org. ¡®''I just need t o bring Nicole to Mr.Wyance.Beautiful women have short tempers.As long as she brings me to Nicole, I don''t care" He then wiped the sweat off his face and hurriedly followed Chloe into the hall of the Riddle family home. The people in the hall were surprised when they saw Chloe and Eric walking in together. "Who is this, Chloe?" Mr.Riddle Sr.asked. Chloe looked back at Eric with a smile and said, "This i s our school''s director, Mr.Anderson.He''s here to meet Nicole." ¡®¡®He''s looking for Nicole?¡¯'' Mr.Riddle Sr. nced at Eric and immediately disliked him. However, he exchanged a few words with him out of courtesy. "Have you had dinner, Mr.Anderson?" Eric had no time to waste on small talk. "I''m looking for Nicole, a student from our school.There''s something I need to discuss with her," he said while looking across the room, trying to find his target. He then saw the stunning girl not far from Mr.Riddle Sr. The cold light in her eyes was shining like stars in the sky. She was as beautiful as a zing sunset. "Wow" Eric could not believe his eyes. He had seen countless beauties in his lifetime, but this was the first time he had seen such indescribable beauty. Whenpared to Nicole, Chloe''s beauty was nothing. Nicole nced at the strange man looking at her with greed and lust. "What''s the matter?" ¡®¡®No wonder Mr.Wyance asked for her name.Her looks are making me flutter.He really has a good eye for these things.But I can''t possibly take her away from him.Even if I really wanted her, I would need to wait till he''s no longer interested.It would not be ideal for someone from the Anderson family to be against a dignitary in San Joto" Eric thought. He looked at Nicole as if he was looking at a piece of delicious meat and said, "Do you want toe with m e and meet Mr.Wyance?" ¡®¡®Everything will change if I could win him over with Nicole" Chapter 426 Chapter 426 Everyone was stunned when they heard what he said. Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org. ¡®¡®Did I hear him right? Fatty wants to take Nicole to meet Mr.Wyance?¡¯'' they thought. Dillon was the first to start yelling, "What are you going on about? Who is Nicole to meet Mr.Wyance?" ¡®¡®We''ve been so busy vying with McCarthy Corporation for that piece ofnd that even I''ve had a hard time meeting with Mr.Wyance.Nicole is a nobody; why does she get to meet Mr.Wyance?'' Dillon thought to himself. Damien also frowned. He looked at Eric doubtfully and said, "Mr.Anderson, you must be joking? Nicole i s nothing more than a student to you.Who is she to meet Mr.Wyance!" Mr.Riddle Sr.did not question him like the rest. Instead, he asked politely, "Mr.Anderson, are you confident regarding this matter?" The Riddle family was currently looking for an opportunity to get to know Sebastian Wyance. However, they had not found the chance to do so. Now that the tender proposal was due tomence, Mr.Riddle Sr.was starting to feel anxious. Mr.Riddle Sr.knew that Eric was not the most reliable person. Regardless, his appearance gave him some hope. Damien looked at Eric nervously.He, too, was hoping that he was being serious. After all, Nicole was still a part of the Riddle family. As long as Eric had decided o n the matter, Nicole would have to meet Sebastian even if she was reluctant. Eric stared at Benjamin and said with an air of dignity, "I have my ways." ¡®Nicole''s Math Olympiadpetition is tomorrow, and the awards ceremony is on the day after tomorrow. Since Mr.Wyance and I will be attending the awards ceremony, I''ll find a way to bring her to him even if she doesn''t win a position in thepetition. ¡®If she is the person Mr.Wyance is looking for, I''ll benefit from this; and if she isn''t, at least he''ll know who I am" Eric plotted away in his head. Everyone believed him after hearing his seemingly confident statement. All of a sudden, everyone turned to look at Nicole. Damien had a stern look while Dillon was looking at her threateningly. Dexter had an unusually firm look in his eyes; even Mr.Riddle Sr.was looking at her pleadingly. Meanwhile, Sean frowned. ¡®Grandpa has been in the management and executive board for too long.He must''ve forgotten about the way we handle things here. ¡®Why is Eric trying so hard to take Nicole to his meeting with Mr.Wyance? He''ll definitely reap plenty of benefits from doing so, but what exactly does he want Nicole to do?'' Sean wondered. Sean''s gaze toward Eric grew cold at the thought of this. "Why are you taking Nicole with you?" Eric was looking at the dim-witted Riddle family with a smile.He was dumbfounded when he heard the question.He turned to look at the cold young man. The young man had features that resembled Nicole''s. ¡®They must be closely rted" Eric thought. Heughed and said, ''''That''s because Nicole is an outstanding alumna.I n on taking her to meet with Mr.Wyance because she''ll reflect thepetence of Royal Creek Institute students." Sean was not fooled by his words. He continued looking at Eric coldly and said in a chilly tone, "Nicole is outstanding? But she hasn''t even sat for a single test? Why did you choose her of all people?" ¡®If he wanted outstanding students, wouldn''t Raine and Snow¡ªthe long-time top students¡ªbe the ones he seeks?'' Sean wondered. Mr.Riddle Sr.quickly realized what Sean meant. Daniel''s gaze toward Eric turned unfriendly as if he had also realized something. Chapter 427 Chapter 427 They instinctively thought that Eric wanted Nicole to do something wicked. They were unaware that Eric wanted to use Nicole to curry favor from Sebastian. Both Snow and Raine looked at Nicole with intense jealousy. ¡®Meeting Mr.Wyance is an honorable matter, yet Uncle Daniel and his entire family are acting so reluctant.They really don''t know what''s good for them!'' they thought. Just as the two were about to say something, Chloe sneered. "Why are you asking such questions, Sean? You''re not willing to ept a good opportunity now that you''re faced with it?" Chloe knew what was happening. She had entered society earlier than Snow and Raine, so she was used t o seeing situations like this. To Chloe, it seemed like Eric found Nicole pretty and wanted to use her to be acquainted with Sebastian Wyance. Chloe was happy. ¡®How could I not support such a "good opportunity"? If Nicole actually ends up with Mr.Wyance, she won''t have the cheek to go close to Jared! Since Nicole enjoys being under the limelight, I''ll help her get under the limelight!'' Chloe thought with a look of glee. Snow and Raine did not understand why Chloe was helping Nicole with such a good opportunity. Raine was even rooting for Sean just now. ¡®Nicole is no outstanding alumna.Snow and I are the prettiest and the top student of our years; we are the ones who have the right to meet Mr.Wyance!'' Raine thought. She red at Chloe, "Chloe!" Chloe shot her a side-eye that told her to shut up. Snow discretely tugged on Raine''s hand with a look of resentment. ¡®What''s wrong with Chloe? Why is she siding with Nicole?!'' everyone wondered. Everyone turned to Nicole; they wanted to hear Nicole''s answer. Many had pressing looks that wanted her to agree to the proposal. On the other hand, some had looks filled with jealousy. Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org. Eric had a lecherous smile on his face.He was feeling confident. ¡®Nicole can''t possibly reject me!'' he thought. He asked again for mere formality, "Nicole, we need t oe to a conclusion.Are you willing to go meet Mr.Wyance with me?" Damien and Dillon looked like they wanted to grip Nicole''s head and nod her head for her. Dexter also had a look of anticipation. Dillon watched as Nicole remained silent.He yelled impatiently, "Nicole, hurry up and say yes!" Meanwhile, Daniel and Mr.Riddle Sr.had solemn expressions. They knew that this opportunity would benefit the Riddle family. However, they did not know if this opportunity would be disadvantageous to Nicole. Mr.Riddle Sr.was instantly annoyed upon hearing Dillon''s words. He knocked on his cane and said coldly, ''''Be quiet.How Nicole decides is entirely up to her!" Sean was also looking at Nicole. ¡®¡®The decision is in her own hands, but I have no idea what she thinks" he thought. Nicole stared at Eric.He looked so confident that she would go with him.His arrogant expression made him look extra unsightly. She was not fazed by everyone''s gazes.She set down her cutlery and said, "I won''t go." Chapter 428 Chapter 428 ¡®¡®What?! She won''t go? Nicole actually said that she wouldn''t be going!¡¯'' they thought. Everyone present looked at Nicole with astonishment. Damien and Dillon were furious. Then, Dillon mmed the table and stood up. He pointed at Nicole and started screaming, "You think too highly of yourself.Whether you''re going or not is not up for you to decide! Today, I''ll be the decision-maker.You''ll be meeting with Mr.Wyance!" Damien was also looking at Nicole.He did not refute his brother. They all knew that Sebastian Wyance could reverse the Riddle family''s situation with a single comment. The McCarthy family had been working with the officials in their province recently. When this was coupled with the arrogant and disdainful attitude they were giving the Riddle family, Damien and Dillon were almost certain that Mr.Wyance favored the McCarthy family. Of course they felt worried! Eric was about to say something out of anger. However, he kept quiet when he saw Damien and Dillon''s expressions.He calmly wiped away the sweat on his forehead and waited for Mr.Riddle Sr.to pressure Nicole. Damien also said, "Nicole, you are a part of the Riddle family.Why aren''t you willing to contribute to the family? What''s more, meeting Mr.Wyance is such a simple thing.Isn''t letting the Riddle family reach greater heights beneficial for all of us?!" The implication of Damien''s words was simr to Dillon''s; Nicole had to go even if she was reluctant. Once they get their hands on that piece ofnd, countless development projects could be done. Damien had thought out various ns to reap benefits from it. Just as he thought that this was about to turn into a missed opportunity, the opportunity presented itself. ¡®How could Nicole refuse an opportunity that is knocking at the door!'' Damien thought. Nicolezily cast her gaze at them. She said softly, "I''ll be returning to campus if there''s nothing else.One more thing, if I recall correctly, grandpa gave Seanplete authority over the tender proposal.All of you are so keen on me meeting with Sebastian Wyance because..." Then, she looked at Damien and Dillion with a sarcastic and chilly gaze. "What''s the matter? Are the two of you trying to take credit?" This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org. Damien and Dillon looked ufortable after they heard Nicole''s words. They did intend to take credit. Sean was very secretive about the proposal. While Damien managed to get news about his progress, Dillon had no clue at all. How could the two of them not feel worried when the opportunity was in someone else''s hands? ¡®Sean isn''t willing to let Nicole meet with Mr.Wyance.However, Mr.Anderson looks like he''s confident about the matter.If we manage to force Nicole to go, and her appearance changes Mr.Wyance''s mind, wouldn''t that make the two of us great contributors?! the two schemed in their heads. Mr.Riddle Sr"s eyes glinted angrily upon hearing Nicole''s words. ¡®Back when Mr.Wyance still favored our family, Dillon kept crediting Snow.Right now, Mr.Wyance clearly favors the McCarthy family more.Dillon must be messing with me!'' Mr.Riddle Sr.thought to himself.At the thought of this, his expression instantly turned purple with rage.Daniel noticed the change in his father''s expression.He quickly asked, "Dad, are you alright?" Mr.Riddle Sr.shook his head. He looked at Daniel''s worried eyes and slowly sighed. Chapter 429 Chapter 429 "Since Nicole has made her decision, none of you are allowed to make any remarks."Mr.Riddle Srs voice was not loud but was authoritative. His eyes scanned the crowd in front of him beforending on Nicole.He then gazed at her beautiful features and said inaforting tone, "Nicole, do as you please.You don''t have to feel restricted." Daniel added, "Damien, Dillon, stop interfering with Nicki''s judgment." He believed that Nicole had her own reasons as to why she was not going. At the end of the day, Daniel did not want his daughter to conform to this so-called Mr.Anderson and meet Mr.Wyance. Who knew what wicked thoughts Mr.Anderson had? Nicole''s gaze gradually grew warmer as she looked at the two of them. She nodded at them before turning around to leave. Preston quickly prepared to stand up. However, Stanley had already walked to Nicole''s side. "Let''s go, Nicole.I''ll drive you back." Nicole nodded in agreement. Samuel and Spencer followed them out of the door. None of them spared Eric a single nce. Eric was stunned; he did not expect Nicole to be such a tough nut to crack. The entire Riddle family were tough nuts! He watched Nicole and her brothers walk toward the door. Eric yelled anxiously, "Aren''t you going to reconsider, Nicole? Do you know what it means for the Riddle family if you get to meet and speak with Mr.Wyance? "I know you all have spent a fortune on that piece ofnd.It''s clear what will happen if your family loses the bid!" Eric said in an almost threatening tone. "If you continue acting this way, Mr.Wyance will surely hear about this during our meeting!" Damien and Dillon panicked upon hearing his words. Dexter also quickly averted his gaze to Eric.He sounded confident. Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org. It was as though Eric was genuinely acquainted with Sebastian Wyance; he even knew how much the Riddle family had spent for the bid. They had never heard of the Anderson family. However, San Joto had been through a lot in the past few years; it was not surprising to see families with new money. Damien and Dillon red at Nicole furiously. Meanwhile, Mr.Riddle Sr"s typically calm expression looked a little worried. None of them knew about Eric Anderson''s true identity. If he really smeared the Riddle family''s name in front of Sebastian Wyance, it would no doubt add fuel to the fire. Nicole calmly walked out of the Riddle family manor amid everyone''s panic. Her voice echoed clearly within the house, "You''re not my only option if I want to meet Sebastian Wyance." Everyone was stunned by her words; no one went up t o stop Nicole from leaving. She walked out of the house and prepared to leave with her brothers. Eric was the first to regain hisposure. He looked a t the Riddle family with a doubtful gaze. ¡®¡®What does she mean? Did I really underestimate the Riddle family?¡¯¡¯ he could not help but wonder. Chapter 430 Chapter 430 However, Eric quickly changed his mind when he saw the Riddle family''s reaction. ¡®¡¯They all look more stunned than me.It''s probably because none of them expected Nicole to say such a shameless thing" he thought. As expected, Dillon roared withughter.He was about to tear up fromughing too hard.He pped the table while saying, "Nicole is so full of herself.She must think that she''s a big shot, huh? Is Mr.Wyance someone she can meet just because she wants to? I''ve booked so many appointments to meet him, yet all of them got rejected.Who is Nicole to meet Mr.Wyance?" ¡®Moreover, how dare she call Mr.Wyance by his name? ¡®he thought. Damien gazed at Daniel''s clueless face with suspicion.He thought of Mr.Rogers Sr"s attitude and Lyana Rogers''s contempt toward Nicole. ¡®There must be something going on between Nicole and Mr.Rogers Sr.; she''s using him to meet Mr.Wyance" he thought with a disdainful look. ¡®Nicole is so stubborn.Is it that hard agreeing to meet Mr.Wyance? Why does she need to do so much for the sake of her ego? Who knows if she and Mr.Rogers Sr.have some kind of unspeakable rtionship?'' he thought again. Damien pushed his gold-framed sses.He looked at Daniel and smiled sarcastically. Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org. ¡®Daniel and his daughter are so sly.They are smart enough to get close to the most influential people in a , family" he thought to himself once more. Meanwhile, Miley looked unbothered.She remained in her seat and wiped her mouth. However, a hint of disdain shed across her downcast eyes. It was not that she looked down on Nicole; she merely felt like Nicole was being too boastful. Mr.Wyance was practically the most influential person in San Joto; he was on the same level as aristocrats. After all, he was the rtive of San Joto''s chief executive. This, to a certain extent, gave him the power to wipe out certain families. For instance, if the Riddle family loses the bidding this time around, they would end up with no sessors. It would be difficult for them to withdraw resources that they had put forward. Their status would naturally decline along with their shrinking capital. In the end, even their long-standing family name would perish! How could Mr.Wyance, someone who could decide on their family''s fate, know a nobody like Nicole? Even Mr.Riddle Sr.shook his head. He looked a little tired, so Daniel helped him to his room to get some rest. Eric trembled in anger when he saw his n failing.He ignored Chloe''s feigned attempt at consoling him. Instead, he dashed out the door with all his might. "Don''t be ungrateful when I''m giving you an opportunity.Let''s go!" Nicole did not budge and looked at him coldly. Not a hint of emotion could be seen on her face. Samuel pped Eric''s hand away before Nicole could d o anything. He said to him angrily, ''''What''re you doing?" ¡®¡®This guy has grubby hands.Touching him makes me feel sick; after this, I''ll have to wash my hands repeatedly to feel clean again.I can''t believe he actually tried to grab Nicole with his nasty hands just now!'' Samuel thought while looking at Eric with disgust. Spencer understood how he felt.He walked over and stood beside Samuel, blocking Nicole from Eric. Spencer watched as Eric panted after running a short distance.He sneered at him and said, "Mr.Anderson, you seem like you need some physical training.Otherwise, how will you run up to Mr.Wyance and nder the Riddle family''s name?" He also heard Eric''s threats just now.However, he did not take him seriously at all. Chapter 431 Chapter 431 Spencer missed what Nicole said earlier. ¡®Someone like Eric, who''s so boastful, can get to meet Mr.Wyance.Why can''t Nicole?'' Spencer thought. Although Samuel and Stanley did not speak up, they probably had the same thought. They were not going t o be bothered by Eric''s fake threat. Even if they were unaware of his background, they were not afraid of him ¡®Compared to him, my sister''s so amazing.She knows tons of people.It''s not surprising that she got to meet with Mr.Wyance" If Damien and Dillion knew that their nephews thought that way, they would be furious. Eric was mad.He was pampered and lived a rich life.His fat hand was pped so hard by Samuel that it was swollen. Eric winced as he said, "Nicole, y-you''re so ungrateful, you''re in big trouble!" A hint of ruthlessness shed upon Eric''s eyes as he looked at the redness on the back of his hand.He then looked at Nicole and her brothers, who were looking furious too. A chilly voice came from behind suddenly. "Who''s in big trouble, you said?" Samuel looked back. He was surprised and shouted, "Sean!" Sean showed up unexpectedly. Not only that, but Steve came also. There was a cold glint shed past his eyes under his gold frame sses as he looked at Eric. When Sean and Steve saw Eric chased after Nicole, they knew he would trouble her. They were worried that he would take advantage of Nicole.So, they followed Eric to check it out. They heard Eric speak harshly to Nicole just when they reached. Sean squinted as he looked at the fat man, Eric, who was sweating. "My sister rejected you, Mr.Anderson." Steve smiled coldly as he looked at Eric. "You don''t have the right to force Nicole to do something that she doesn''t want to do.Do you understand?" he added. Eric looked at the two men in front of him. ''Those two brats just now were rude to me.But the two men right now are even worse" he thought. Sean and Steve were way younger than Eric. However, he could not help but feel intimidated as he looked at them.He walked a few steps back sheepishly.He then clenched his teeth frustratedly and said, "You shouldn''t see it that way.Maybe Nicole was confused at that moment.That was why she didn''t ept my request.Maybe when she''s finally clear-headed, she will follow me to meet with Mr.Wyance!" ¡®No one from the Riddle family has the chance to meet with Mr.Wyance now.But I can make it happen for them!'' he thought. Just when Eric was thinking about that, Stanley drove his car here.Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org. Nicole still did not raise her eyes.She asked Samuel and Spencer to get into the car with her. Samuel red at Eric as he got into the car. Spencer looked at Eric coldly as he said goodbye to him before he got into the car. Eric shouted as he saw Nicole was getting into the car too, "Nicole, you rejected me now.Don''t regret it in the future!" Chapter 432 Chapter 432 Nicole heard Eric and looked back with an impassive face.Her eyes were filled with disdain as she sneered a t Eric, "Let''s wait and see." Nicole then said goodbye to Sean and Steve. Stanley started his car. The ck Maybach sped away, leaving the gloomy Eric and the two cold-looking Sean and Steve behind. Sean looked at Eric and left without saying a single word. Steve saw that Eric looked dissatisfied and furious.He shook his head and left with Sean. "The Riddle family doesn''t wee you, Mr.Anderson.Please leave." Eric clenched his fist.He came here with pride.But he was standing here with disgrace.He did not get what h e wanted. ¡®This isn''t the way I do things" Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org. ¡®It''s all because of Nicole! She''s so stubborn that the carrot and stick approach doesn''t even work" Eric was furious with what the Riddle family said.He stood in front of their house.He looked at the door coldly as it closed.He clenched his teeth as he said, "Alright, way to go, you guys!" ''The Riddle family doesn''t wee me? I don''t even want to be here!'' Eric was mad as he got back into his car. ''I''m going to tell Mr.Wyance about how rude the Riddle family was to me when I meet him the day after tomorrow.It''s too much!'' ¡®They''re going to beg me to say good things for them as they cry!'' Eric felt much better after he thought about all these. He then drove toward Club Studio.He was going to let off steam after what happened to him today. The next day. It was a sunny day. Nicole arrived at the examination venue in thepany of her brothers. The ce was overcrowded. The number of teachers and guardians was more than the number of examinees. Nicole asked her brothers to leave when she saw that the ce was so happening.She did not want to be the center of attention again. Gary and Raine arrived too. Although Raine was in the twelfth grade, she was in ss A. Her team was led by Mike. Raine ignored her team and stuck with Gary.She was going to ask him about something. But Gary did not bother her. He turned around and walked away while looking annoyed. Raine chased after Gary andint, "It''s so hot here.Gary, let''s go back to the ce just now, okay?" The reason why Gary walked toward the sunniest area was to get away from Raine. But Raine did not realize this. Gary turned around and looked at her coldly. "Go back there on your own.Stop following me," Gary said aversively. Raine was stunned as she looked at Gary.She was furious. Gary did not realize that she was angry with him. "Students from ss A are all over there.Here are the teams from ss B.What are you doing here?" Chapter 433 Chapter 433 Mr.Ellison ordered every ss to send representatives who were not participating in the Mathematical Olympiad to support the participants. Gary walked toward ss B, which was led by Ms.Emerson. Raine and Noah were led by Mr.Kennedy. Raine was too busy following Mr.Kennedy and was unaware of her surroundings. When she raised her eyes, everyone from ss B gave her a strange look. Jack and Wayne were standing next to Gary. They both were holding their arms as they looked at Nicole calmly. Tolerance for her can no longer be seen through their eyes. A sudden hint of nervousness shed upon Raine''s eyes. Rained remembered how Jack and Wayne asked her harshly to have Nicole pack her stuff the other day.She was still afraid of the scowl on their faces from that day. However, Gary was still right there. Raine clenched her teeth and wanted to continue walking behind him. However, Vivian, who was standing beside Raine, saw what she wanted to do.She quickly walked toward Gary, one step ahead of Raine.She then looked at Raine as she said sternly, "You''re entering the hall soon.You should go back to your ss and get ready.Stop following the student from our ss." Raine looked at Vivian unconvincingly and wanted to say something. At the same time, Gary saw Nicole walking leisurely behind him. His brows frowned slightly. He quickly walked toward her and asked, "Why did youe sote?" Nicole looked at Gary, who was standing in front of her looking serious. ''Exam''s today.I''m going to ignore his interrogative tone" She coldly said, "There''s no point reaching early." Gary was furious with Nicole for giving him the cold shoulder. "You have boasted in front of others.Don''t score zero in the exam again!" Nicole ignored what Gary said and walked past him.Her face was expressionless. Gary was pissed when Nicole left him behind. The reason Jack and Wayne came was to support Gary. When they saw him look furious, they walked toward him. "What''s wrong, Gary? Are you not well prepared? " they asked. Jack noticed that Gary was still furious. He poked Wayne as he said, "Gary, don''t be angry because of Nicole.Her grade is bad, and the exam is starting soon.She probably isn''t in a good mood right now.Whether or not she can even get a single digit in the exam is questionable." Gary nced at Jack as he heard what he said. He then walked toward his team. He was angry at Nicole not because of her grade but her attitude. ¡®Nicole shamelessly said she was well prepared for the exam when she didn''t even put in any effort.And she camete even though her grade was terrible.On the other hand, I reached here an hour earlier.I thought I could help her to bone up the exam if I met her" ¡®Not only she isn''t good at math, but her attitude toward learning is also terrible.She definitely can''t get first ce in the exam!'' Gary was surrounded by all the students when Nicole was talking to Ms.Emerson. It was like Gary was their only hope. "Gary, all the best for your exam! We''re counting on you!" "Yeah, Nicole''s grade is so terrible.We know that you''re under a lot of stress.But we believe that you will win an award effortlessly." Gary''s face remained expressionless as he thought. ¡®I can''t just win any award.Nicole''s bet was to get first ce in the exam!¡¯ The thought of Nicole scoring zero in the past Mathematical Olympiad exam and the bet between Nicole and Mr.Kennedy frustrated Gary. He stared at Nicole coldly as he walked toward the exam hall. Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org. Most of the students around Nicole looked at her with total contempt. ¡®Nicole''s grade''s so terrible, and she still dared to reach here sote!'' Chapter 434 Chapter 434 Raine felt not too happy when Mr.Kennedy called her back to his side. After all, Ms.Thompson had assigned her to lead the focus sses, which were ss A of the eleventh and twelfth grades. Noah was the ss monitor of ss A of the eleventh grade, while Raine was the top student of the twelfth grade, so he was akin to having two trump cards in his hand and was confident of winning. After Ms.Emerson enjoined precautions on Nicole, she finally let Nicole into the exam hall with confidence. Vivian looked at Nicole with cold eyes and mockery on her face. Mr.Kennedy came out of nowhere and let out a sarcastic smirk when he saw Nicole walk inside. "Nicole, I''m curious how many points you can score: winning a first ce or simply scoring zero." Hearing his voice, Nicole tilted her head and looked at Mr.Kennedy with a glint shing in her eyes. "Don''t forget what you promised." Mr.Kennedy''s bet with Nicole was that if he lost, he was going to apologize to Ms.Emerson and admit that he was not a s good as her in public. Mr.Kennedy choked, not expecting Nicole to remember that, but a look of disdain quickly shed across his face when he remembered that Nicole''s grades were poor and that Raine had said Nicole had never done revisions. "Don''t bluff.If you can get the first ce, you will apologize to her however you want." Nicole looked at his ugly face and thought hard for a few seconds. "Deal." Seeing Mr.Kennedy was infuriated because of her, Nicole turned and entered the examination hall with a straight face. Mr.Kennedy was furious and had nowhere to vent his anger. When he looked back, he saw Ms.Emerson was looking nervously at Nicole''s back. He narrowed his eyes and walked over to Ms.Emerson with a sneer. "Your student, Nicole, is so full of herself.I''m looking forward to seeing her results." Ms.Emerson nced at Mr.Kennedy but said nothing. Meanwhile, Lulu and Bradley, next to her, looked at Mr.Kennedy from behind and quietly uttered a "bah." Noah also followed her into the exam hall. Seeing Nicolee in poised, he secretly asked Raine, "Didn''t you say she was your sister? Do you know how good she is? Was her zero-scorest time just a joke?" Raine watched as Gary kept a close eye on Nicole.She clutched the pen in her hand and raised her head proudly when she heard Noah''s question. "She is as good as just that zero-score.I just didn''t expect that she would have the courage to walk into this examination hall." Her voice was full of contempt. Noah felt a sense of relief at hearing what she said.He ignored Nicole and concentrated on memorizing the forms he had just learned.His hands and feet felt numb as he thought of the uing exam. Gary never eased up his furrowed brows as he looked at Nicole''snguid manner from behind. He pressed his lips together tightly at the thought of the impending exam. Atst, a teacher whom he had never met before hurried into the exam hall with a stack of test paper, scanned his eyes around and instructed everyone to put away the things in their hands as the exam was about to start. Seeing the students do what he said, he nodded, clearly pleased by their response, then distributed the test paper. The exam time was two and a half hours, and students may submit their papers half an hour in advance. Nicole casually scanned through the questions. Because she rarely wrote by hand, she was not used to it and was a little slow at first. After familiarizing herself with it, she slowly picked up the speed and wrote like a pro. Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org. Two hourster, Nicole calmly got up and put the test paper on the desk of the teacher in the front row. Raine, who was sitting behind, looked at Nicole and bit her lip bitterly. The questions, many of which she had never seen before, were difficult beyond her imagination. She had only finished less than half of them and was not sure how many she could answer correctly. Seeing Nicole submit her test paper so quickly, she was filled with hatred, thinking that Nicole left so quickly because she could answer none of the questions. Chapter 435 Chapter 435 Raine felt better at the thought of this. But she wasted too much time staring at and cursing Nicole; by the time she shifted her attention back to the test paper, there were only fifteen minutes left. Raine checked her watch, and her face turned pale. But the more nervous she was, the more she could not answer the questions. She skimmed through the rest of the questions and found that she could answer none of them. She suddenly sweated profusely, clutching the pen in her hand, and med it all on Nicole. ¡®It''s all Nicole''s fault!'' Gary also looked up at Nicole, who was very focused when answering the questions. He did not know if Nicole had answered all of them or just submitted a nk test paper, but he was sure that it should be thetter. ¡®How could Nicole possibly have answered the difficult Math Olympiad questions that even I find extremely difficult? She must be sitting there too bored and wanting to get out" Five minutester, Gary got up and handed in his papers, his face unchanged, and no one could tell if he answered well or badly. Noah, on the other hand, looked at those around him, handing in papers one by one, and was sweating profusely. His hand holding the pen was wet with sweat. Looking at his test paper, sweat seemed to trickle down endlessly, as if he could not wipe it off entirely. Finally, the bell rang. Everyone was eagerly waiting for their ssmate to emerge from the exam hall. Those from the Royal Creek Institute thought that it would be Gary or Raine who woulde out first. They were at the rear and could not see what was happening in front, so when they heard people whisper that the first girl who came out was beautiful, they subconsciously thought i t was Raine. Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org. The ss-A students started to p their hands and congratte each other excitedly. The earlier one came out, the quicker one had submitted the paper, and the more confident one was. But it was also possible that one did not want to waste time sitting in the exam hall because they could answer any of the questions. They thought Raine definitely belonged to the former. The ss-B students looked at the ss-A students with envy if only Raine was from their ss. As pretty as Nicole was, she sucked academically. Many of them clenched their fists, thinking of how Nicole looked down upon them yesterday. But soon, the excited cries of ss A stopped. The ss-B students were puzzled and looked up ahead. What they saw surprised them. The first girl who came out from the exam hall had a face as bright as the moon and snowy; she was none other than Nicole. Nicole did not care what the ss-B students were thinking but sauntered up to Ms. Emerson. "How is it?" Ms.Emerson asked softly. "It''s alright.Not too difficult." Nicole said with anod. Students from other schools walked past with their heads down behind her. They all looked up at Nicole upon hearing what she said. ¡®That''s so arrogant of her." The ss-B students thought they knew Nicole and did not take her seriously. The thought Nicole must have even failed to understand the exam questions and was bored sitting in the exam hall, and that was why she was the first person who came out. ¡®How could she bepared to Raine?¡¯ Chapter 436 Chapter 436 Vivian sneered upon hearing what Nicole said. "Stop embarrassing yourself here.Everyone knows you scored zero on the Math Olympiad paper before.What''s the point of pretending here? By the time the exam results are out, we''ll know if you''re genuine or fake." Ms.Emerson gently frowned at the cynical Vivian. As she turned to look at Nicole, she saw Nicole give her a n it-is-okay look, so she pulled back her gaze.She wondered what was wrong with the ss monitortely. It seemed that she deliberately targeted Nicole. Nicole did not care. Meanwhile, Lulu handed her a ss of water, and Nicole tooka sip, smiled faintly at Lulu, and said, "Thank you." Lulu shook her head and winked at Nicole, then imitated Vivian''s disdainful expression and made a grimace. Both Bradley and Nicole were amused. Vivian saw what Lulu was doing and stood up abruptly. "What the hell are you doing, Lulu?" Lulu quickly did away with her expression and looked back at Vivian with a nk look on her face. "What''s wrong with me?" Vivian was so angry that she could not find a word to respond. She pointed at Lulu, wanting to scold her when out of the corner of her eyes, she saw Garye toward them from afar.She quickly lowered her hand and red at Lulu and Nicole. "I''ll deal with you allter." Jack and Wayne also saw Gary and rushed up to meet him. Looking at Gary''s expression, they carefully asked, "How was the exam?" Gary looked calm. This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org. He nced at Nicole, who was talking with Lulu not far away and said, "It''s alright.But this year''s exam is difficult.I can''t guarantee that I will get first ce." He hade prepared, but the test questions were too difficult. Even though he had done his best, he was still not too confident in himself. There was a major question at the end of the test, in which he felt something was wrong with his calction steps as if he did note to the right answer. He also did not know how others were doing. Wayne saw this andforted him. "You don''t have t o worry, Gary.When Nicole thought it was simple and you even more so." Gary frowned. "Did you say Nicole thinks the questions are simple?" "Nicole didn''t say it was simple; she just thought it wasn''t difficult." Jack chimed in to exin. Gary frowned even more upon hearing what Jack said. ¡®I swear that this is the hardest of all thepetitions I have taken part in at home and abroad.Yet Nicole thought it wasn''t difficult? Is she ignorant, or did she really think that thispetition is simple?'' He quickly dismissed thetter and looked coldly at Nicole from behind with disappointment in his eyes. ¡®Things havee to such a pass, yet Nicole can still keep up appearances.I''m curious how she will soft - pedal the thing when the results are out.She really dares to say anything for the sake of her ego" Many of those behind Gary, hearing his evaluation of the exam, looked at Nicole with a strong sense of disdain in their eyes. ¡®It''s game over for Nicole, yet she still wants to pretend.¡± ''How many questions could she answer when even Gary found them difficult? She probably couldn''t answer even one" Chapter 437 Chapter 437 Vivian came close to Gary, feeling triumphant, and asked him about thepetition when she heard people badmouthed Nicole. Gary looked coldly at the girl and just responded perfunctorily before leaving. Nicole talked to Lulu and others for a while and then told Ms.Emerson that she was leaving. Since all the candidates from her ss hade out o f the exam hall, Ms.Emerson agreed with a smile and told everyone to disperse and go back to rest. Seeing that Nicole and Gary from ss B hade back while his two candidates were still nowhere to be seen, Mr.Kennedy''s face turned grave.He clenched his fists and looked at the crowd in front of him, waiting with some anxiety. It was not until almost all the candidates had left that Raine and Noah came out. Both of them looked pale. Mr.Kennedy did not need t o ask them to know that they must have done terribly, but he still] hoped for the best. "How''s the test?" he asked. Raine nced at Mr.Kennedy.She had tried her best, but there were still many questions that she could not solve. But thinking that almost everyone had the same problem as her, Raine gritted her teeth and said, "Not too good.But I noticed that no one could answer all the questions.Even Gary couldn''t finish thest question." Noah looked down spiritlessly at the back. This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org. He had not observed as carefully as Raine did, but he could sense that everyone was not doing well. Mr.Kennedy looked at the two students whom he held in high regard with disappointment in his eyes. But he said nothing when he heard what Raine said. He suddenly frowned when the thought of what he saw just now came to mind. "Nicole was the first toe out of the exam hall.Do you know how she is doing?" Raine exchanged a look with Noah, with her eyes glinting. "She submitted the paper half an hour in advance.I guess she couldn''t even read the questions clearly!" Mr.Kennedy''s face looked much better upon hearing what Raine said. Since most ss-B students had left, he motioned everyone to disperse. He then thought for a moment and walked over to a male student from ss-B, who was still there, and asked, ''''How is Nicole doing in the exam?" The boy was the one whoughed at Mrs.Wace Sr¡¯s attire earlier.He was startled when he heard a voice asking him a question from behind.He looked back. When he saw it was Mr.Kennedy, he responded with respect. "Are you talking about Nicole?" As Mr.Kennedy nodded, the boy smirked and said in a disdainful voice, What Nicole said was wishful make- believe. Gary has said that the questions are difficult, and he has no confidence, yet Nicole said it was simple. ¡°Do you believe her?" He found Nicole''s words amusing, not expecting Nicole to be so loudmouthed. The thought of Nicole saying that she could score first convinced Mr.Kennedy even more that Nicole was bluffing. ¡®Can anyone believe the words of a person full of lies?'' Mr.Kennedy felt a sense of relief. He looked at the boy and nodded proudly at him before he left. The boy looked puzzled, wondering why Mr.Kennedy asked about Nicole. But he quickly figured that presumably, Mr.Kennedy was afraid that Nicole would win. He was also a student of ss B, looking forward to Ms.Emerson beating Mr.Kennedy. But Nicole had gone overboard with her brag, and no one would believe that she could get a good result, so it seemed that they could only count on Gary. Chapter 438 Chapter 438 While Nicole was sitting for the exam, Preston was eager to go take a look. But he was tied up with work at the office, and so he could only go to Edwin. He swiped the ess card to go to the top floor, where Edwin and Rowan were right in front of the server. Looking at the restored interface, the mixed-race doctor looked pleased. "Not half bad at all.This is much earlier than you have told me." What they had told him before were five days.He did not expect that they could stop the intrusion in three. Not only that, they had evenunched a counterattack. Edwin looked calm and did not dare to say that he was stupid, not even seeing the hidden attack methods of the attacker. Had they only been able to stop the attack five dayster, probably nothing would be left i n the database by now? Warbler secretly gritted her teeth as she also heard what Rowan said.She could not stop thinking about what that girl said that day, which sounded so ambiguous. But she kept a straight face, just like on normal days. ''Is that girl really Lucifer?¡¯ Rowan looked at the data transmission progress on the screen. There had been a minor miscalction during the process, but the other side had shown its professional problem-solving ability, perfectly resolving the bugs that almost caused the transaction to abort. A faint hint of suspicion appeared on the handsome face of the mixed-race doctor as he thought of the other guy looking helpless against the hacker the other day, but now things had been solved entirely. He said politely to Edwin, "I have already transferred the money to your ount.Check your ount in a moment.Please excuse me if you find this intrusive.Could you tell me who has such a badass ability to help you solve this problem?" Edwin hesitated and said nothing. Preston hade over and had just heard Rowan''s question. Nicole''s advice that day came to mind, andh e said, "Noment." Rowan frowned as he looked at Preston. Rowan had a bad temper, but since this was not hisboratory and Preston did not want to tell, he was not going to force him but just nodded his head with a stony face. Edwin was well aware of how generous Rowan was. He gave Preston a look, telling him not to offend this big client and that he should be more polite even if he did not want to tell. Thinking of this, Edwin smiled at Rowan and said in a gentle voice, "That guy is not from ourpany, but someone kind to help us.We don''t know her true identity." At this point, Preston raised an eyebrow and looked at Edwin, then echoed what he said. "Yeah, we don''t know her." Edwin could tell the ridicule in his voice, but his expression remained unchanged.He looked at Rowan with a sincere face as if what he said was true.Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org. Rowan looked at him suspiciously. He was quite proficient in Hustuaburgian, and so he could tell the unnatural tone of Preston''s voice, but he did not give i t a second thought.He nodded, grudgingly believing what Edwin said. Then he took out his phone and whispered something into it, then left without looking back. Preston gave Edwin a look, asking why he was not sending his big client back. Edwin shrugged at him and pointed his finger upwards. Not that he did not want to send the client back, but the client had a helicopter picking him up, and he was not needed. Preston looked at Rowan with surprise. Rowan also looked at him with a strange look in his eyes. As he finished talking on the phone, he looked up and down at Preston, and asked curiously, "You''re a foreigner, too?" He did not look like one, but judging by how quiet he was and the strangeness of his tone of voice, he seemed like when he first came to Hustuaburg. Edwin nced at Preston, and his expression froze for a moment. He then smiled and said, "He''s not a foreigner; he just likes to be funny." Chapter 439 Chapter 439 Rowan squinted at Preston twice before turning and walking toward the rooftop. "He doesn''t talk much and just lets others exin for him; isn''t he a foreigner? Could he be a Mecrounian spy? Why does he look familiar to me?" He muttered t o himself as he went. When Owen met Rowan, he was wearing a ck coat, and his handsome face looked as if he was deep in thought. Seeing Owene over, Rowan looked at him scrutinizingly and then asked coldly, "Why do all Hustuaburgians look alike?" Owen thought for two seconds and then looked at Rowan with a sincere face and said, "To be honest, all Eperonians also look alike to us." Rowan looked at him for two seconds to make sure he was not lying to him and then slowly boarded the helicopter. Hearing the noisy chopping noise above his head finally fade into the distance, Edwin took out his phone and quickly checked his ount, looking at the bnce, and smiled with relief. He then transferred half of the money to Zeke.He remarked the transfer was a one-off mission reward. Preston felt bored and looked out at the scenery outside, quietly observed everyone''s expressions through the ss, then said to Edwin, "Let''s get something to eat." Edwin followed him out without looking up. Warbler watched the back of the two of them walking into the elevator and then lowered her eyes, expressionless. She walked over to the server, reached out her fingers tentatively, and quietly typed a few letters. As if she had triggered some kind of violent reaction, the screen started to turn strangely blue and run rife with activities as lines of code were constantly replicated. Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org. On the other end, because the code had vanished, White looked surprised and then ecstatic at the data that was being transmitted to his terminal. He quickly restored hisputer with the help of the other party. But halfway through the recovery process, the person at the other end seemed to have encountered some problem and was forced to stop. Warbler looked at the sick but vital code that was out o f her control and suddenly scrambled to unplug all the power cables of the server as if the letters on the screen electrified him. ¡®What is going on?'' She looked at her hands with a hint of internal struggle in her eyes. ''Do I really want t o expose all this to the enemy?¡¯ Just then, the voices of Preston and Edwin were heard from behind her as they had finished their meals and were now returning to work on the top floor as usual. Seeing Warbler rooted to the stop with a nervous look that she had not managed to hide on her face, Preston raised an eyebrow and asked, "What are you doing here?" Warbler looked at them, not panicking as she quickly adjusted her expression. She drew the loose hair to the back of her ear and appeared embarrassed. "I just want to see how the firewall that the guy has set up before is working,"she said with her head lowered and a glint of jealousy in her eyes. Chapter 440 Chapter 440 Nicole''s firewall was so advanced that she was struggling to understand it, let alone get started with daily maintenance. ¡®Did she mean to trip me up?'' Warbler asked in her mind. Preston watched her expression with interest and then exchanged a nce with Edwin with a smile. "Don''t work too hard," he said, stepping forward and looking at Warbler''s fairly pretty face with a shallow look of concern. "You must have not gotten enough resttely.Go home and get some rest.Wrinkles and dark circles are starting to pop up on our faces now." Preston patted her on the shoulder meaningfully and then sighed and said, "I''m really touched to see my staff work so hard." Edwin coughed softly as he looked at Warbler''s angry face. "Go home and take a rest, Warbler.The crisis has been diffused.You don''t have to watch here day and night." Warbler did not really want to leave, but she thought about what Preston had just said and subconsciously wanted to find a mirror to look at her face.She was only twenty-four and did not want to look older than her age. With this thought in mind, she could not care less about what she had not done.She nodded at Edwin and walked out, quickly leaving the top floor. Preston looked at her from behind, and the smile in his eyes faded, reced by a faint sense of detachment. Edwin stepped forward, saw the disconnected power cables on the server, and sighed softly. "I didn''t expect Warbler to be the person I was most worried about.She used to be dependable." Preston looked back at the rebooted Jogoo and then stepped forward and typed lightly on the keyboard. Soon, he saw signs that some kind of protective mechanism had been activated.He smirked and restored the intercepted signal in a way as if he had done this for the hundredth time. "Who knows?" The sun was shining brightly outside. Snow was at home doing revision, but she had been feeling not welltely and had lost ten pounds of weight.She had been on a slimming program all this while, forcing herself to go hungry. Now, after losing ten pounds, she looked like a skeleton. It looked as if she would snap at the blow of the wind. Maybe someone would say that her body was perfect. Snow held a pen in her hand, her eyes looking at the questions, but her mind was elsewhere. Ever since she lost the diamond, she could not sleep, especially after Harvey said that she could only talk to him again when she got the diamond back. Now, she had only one thing in her mind, which was to get the diamond back from Nicole. ¡®That brat got arge diamond from some man, yet she still stole mine!'' Snow clutched the pen angrily, kneading her fingers constantly as if she had fallen into a state of anxiety. She could barely feel at ease only when the thought of what she had said to Karen and the assurances Karen had given her came to mind. As tight-lipped as Nicole was, she had ten thousand ways to make her talk. While she was thinking about this, the mobile phone in her bag suddenly rang. She took it out with irritation, impatiently wanting to hang up. Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org. But when she saw the caller ID, she almost jumped for joy. ¡®I can''t believe that Harvey calls me!'' She answered the phone in disbelief, her eyes starting to well up at hearing the gentle voice that she had not heard for a long time. Chapter 441 Chapter 441 "Snow?" Snow fought back her emotions and quickly answered, "I''m here." Harvey''s steady voice came from the other side as if h e was not the one who had said those callous things previously. "Would you like to go to a party with me?" Snow nodded frantically at the other end of the phone, so excited that words choked in her throat. Harvey seemed to have guessed her reaction by hearing the sound wave in the air on the other side; h e knew Snow was nodding her head. There was no smile on his face, but his voice sounded as if he was smiling. "I''ll pick you up then." Atst, Snow uttered a word. "Okay." She still wanted to say something, but he had already hung up the phone. There was no hint of anger on Snow''s face. Instead, she stood up by the table in ecstasy, ran to the closet, and took out all her beautiful clothes. She wanted to dress up and make everyone think that she and Harvey had a good rtionship, unlike what people said on the forum that they were not talking to each other, that they had broken off, that Harvey had dumped her, and all that. The noises on the campus forum were too loud that Snow did not dare to visit now. She simply could not ept the gossip on the campus forum. She did not think for a second how strong Nicole mentally was when she manipted everyone in the school to smear Nicole. Harvey hung up and gently yed with his phone as h e looked at the two invitation cards in front of him indifferently.He motioned for the meeting to carry on with a faint sense of absentmindedness on his face. This was the advantage of holding the highest position in thepany. Those people have been sitting there doing nothing for so long, yet no one dared to utter a word of displeasure. Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org. He sat in the highest position, looking down at the different expressions of the people in front of him with a smile on his face. Listening to the reports from his subordinates, he found that all the reports were talking about the declining market trend and that Johnston Group had n o ability to grab market share because of the lack ofpetitiveness. "Should we adjust our marketing strategy or focus our strategic vision on the southern coast? After all, Johnston Group has a solid foundation there." A manager cautiously proposed. Harvey shifted his attention to San Joto as soon as he took office. But this business strategy and his means were not consistent, and it was too difficult to get good results. Harvey looked at the manager and nodded approvingly. "What you said makes sense." The manager was overjoyed. Just as he was about to thank Harvey for his approval, he heard Harvey say, "Why don''t you leave the headquarters and go to the southern coast?" There was still a smile on Harvey''s face, and he looked extremely gentle. Yet his words sound like a sharp knife, silently hanging above everyone''s heads, and it could fall at any moment. The manager immediately shut up and went aside in fright. Harvey tapped the report on the table and looked around before speaking. "Focus on the mechanical production line.Don''t be greedy to venture into the field that we are not good at." Chapter 442 Chapter 442 He looked at the other products in front of him that sold rtively well. Even the mechanical production line that Johnston Group was most proud of had been dragged down. Harvey''s expression remained unchanged. Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org. Since he had the courage to turn back the focus of the Johnston Group, he was not worried about the obstacles he was about to face. Students had dispersed when they returned to the highschool of the Royal Creek Institute. Nicole was walking slowly toward the door while Lulu was jumping up and down and talking to her, and Bradley asionally bickered with her. Coming to the gate of the Royal Creek Institute, Nicole checked her watch and then turned to walk toward the caf¨¦. "Are you two going with me?" Lulu shook her head. The monthly exam was the day after tomorrow, and she had not done her revision yet. Bradley scratched his head when seeing that Lulu was not going. "I''m going back to the dormitory.So both of us are together." Nicole nced at the two of them and said nothing but just nodded her head gently.She walked toward the caf¨¦ with a thoughtful look on her face. The phone in her pocket vibrated. Nicole took it out; it was a message from Preston, which said that he had identified a key target and also asked her how she was doing in the exam. Nicole quickly replied to the message, asking him to keep an eye on the target, as she expected there would be another attack soon. They did not have to interrupt it because she would be on the trail to find the target''s location. About the exam, Nicole replied, [It''s okay.] She then put her phone in her bag and stepped into the caf¨¦. us was making coffee inside. When he saw Nicolee in, he quickly stopped what he was doing and greeted her. Nicole ignored him and went straight to sit down at a table. us quickly came over and asked her in a curious tone of voice, "How is your exam?" "It''s alright." Nicole nced at him casually, with no expression on his face. ''Why did everyonee and ask her this question?" She subconsciously looked past us but did not see anyone else.She hesitated for a second before pulling back her gaze. us''s keen eye quickly captured her reaction and knew who she was looking for. He thoughtfully said, "Jared is on the phone upstairs and wille down quickly." After saying that, he flirtingly touched Nicole''s hair and said equivocally, "Don''t worry." Nicole shot us a nce and had no words. After getting acquainted with her, us was getting bolder and bolder.She wondered what made him think she was worried.She ignored us, looked down at the textbook in her hand, and casually flipped through it, looking rxed. ¡®She really doesn''t seem to be worried" us touched his nose and felt that he had made a blunder. Just as he was about to say something, Jared''s voice came from behind him. "You''re here!" Seeing Nicole''s eyes lit up instantly, us shook his head helplessly and got back to his work.He felt like h e was just embarrassing himself. Nicole looked at Jared, who was walking toward her with a faint smile on his handsome face. Her expression softened down without her knowing a s Jared sat down across from her. He looked at the opened book in front of her and raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Are you doing revision here?" Nicole put the book away expressionlessly and then gazed at his good-looking face with a meaningful look on her face. Jared also looked at her, but she said nothing.So he walked over to the bar counter. "What drink would you like?" "Is Rowan working for you?" Chapter 443 Chapter 443 The two asked in unison. Jared did not look back as he walked toward the bar counter. There was no change in his facial expression, even when he heard her ask the question.He knew Nicole was too smart to hide it from her. Nicole watched as Jared turned around, his eyes brighter than the starlight but deeper than the darkness of night. He nodded his head in confirmation and then asked calmly, "Now it''s time for you to answer my question. Jared looked at Nicole, raised an eyebrow, and asked with a smile, "What would you like to drink?" Nicole looked at his face, and her suspicion went away. Since he was so honest, she figured she did not have to pursue the question further, as Zeke''s presence must have exposed her identity. Nicole sat there, tapped the table lightly with her hand, and then replied faintly, "Caramel mhiato." She felt cheated. ''I thought he was just the owner of JJ Johnston Group? Now it seems he has a finger in Rowan''sb" Jared looked at her expression and was amused, as he knew what she was thinking. He quickly poured the caramel into the coffee, brought it to Nicole, and looked at her. "That''s just an investment for JJ Johnston." He funded their research, and they handed over the results of their experiments to him. Nicole nced at him, took a sip of the coffee, and gave apliment. "It''s delicious." She sipped the coffee slowly. As if thinking of something, she nced at Jared again. "Rowan is not the kind of person who will work for money. How on earth did you persuade him?" Jared sat across from her and looked at her calm face with a yful smile but said nothing. So Nicole did not pursue the question further. Jared looked at her. It was hard to see any kind of mncholic expression on her face but more of indifference. ¡®She is beautiful" "How''s your grandmother doing? I was in a hurry to g o back the other day and didn''t manage to spend more time with her." He did not expect Nicole to stare at him for a long time after hearing what he said, as if he was some rare creature.He could see the suspicion in her eyes. Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org. She asked sincerely and bluntly, "My grandma likes you a lot.How did you do that?" Nicole remembered that since she was a child, her grandmother had been smiling at everyone, but that did not mean that she liked them. So Mrs.Wace Sr¡¯s high opinion of Jared had surprised Nicole. Jared looked at her with his eyes upturned as if he was very proud of it. "It''s a secret," he said. Nicole''s hand holding the coffee cup froze for a second. She looked at the man expressionlessly, who seemed to be very happy. Seeing his eyes squint after he had teased her sessfully, a faint smile spread across her face.She could not help it but would have to bear with it. After all, her grandmother had taken a liking to him. "I haven''t seen Max for a while.Where is he?" Nicole asked in a low voice. Jared looked at her and smiled. ''''He''s been busytely. "Oh." Nicole did not ask further, and she did not know that Max was helping her tie up any loose ends. Chapter 444 Chapter 444 At this moment, Max was looking at the somewhat dark room in front of him and frowned in displeasure. He hated such a dirty environment and those inferior t o the most inferior bugs.He nced with disgust at Solomon and then quickly walked outside, asking Officer Freeman as he went, "Will he be convicted?" Officer Freeman was just as disgusted as Max was. He handed Max the arrest warrant issued by the court and said, "He will be convicted, but he seems to have people with some background behind him.I''m afraid that he will find a goodwyer to help him get away with it." Max heard this and sneered, but he said nothing. The two walked together to the door of the police station when they heard noises of someone shouting outside. "My son is not guilty! You better hurry up and release him.Don''t say I didn''t warn you.Mr.Wyance is my brother-inw! Let Solomon go, and I will give you a clean death!" Max heard the voice and frowned.He turned to look a t Officer Freeman and asked in a whisper what was going on. Officer Freeman spread his hands helplessly. "Like I said, Solomon''s mother is a rtive of Mr.Wyance, who had a close rtionship with the powers that be.She has been making a scene here every day, and we can do nothing about her."Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org. Max nodded thoughtfully upon hearing what the officer said. As he continued to walk forward, he saw a beautiful woman in the front hall. She looked full of pride and got more and more brazen-faced as no one wanted to be seen bullying a woman. Marie froze when she got a call from the police this morning. Just yesterday, she was still praising his son in front of Sebastian, talking about how promising her son was and how eager his son wanted to be a person like Mr.Wyance. The call that she received this morning was a bombshell.She rushed over before she could talk to Mr.Wyance. All she could think of was to get her son out lest he would suffer in the police cell. Her brother-inw had always liked Solomon, so she thought he would not abandon Solomon. Thinking of this, Marie got even more confident. She looked at the officers with a limited-edition Louis Vuitton handbag she had just bought in her hand. "I''m going to go in and take my son out now.Stop me if you dare!" she said. She walked inside with her head held high. Instead of her sonmitting a crime, it looked more like she was here to collect rent from her tenant.She swaggered in with her nose pointing skyward. Marie knew very well that as long as she dropped Mr.Wyance''s name, almost no one in San Joto could defy her.She had done this countless times, and it worked every time.So she thought this time was no exception. "Solomon! Solomon! Where are you? I''ming to get you out!" she shouted while striding in with great pride, Many people were angry at her behavior but dared not say a word. No one knew if what she said was true. They did not want to take the risk of offending her only to find that she was really a family member of Mr.Wyance. Solomon was in a cell not far away. He was sitting on the floor, holding his head with both hands, banging his head against the wall, his clothes tattered from his own doing. When he heard his mother''s call, he quickly got to his feet, anxiously grabbing the cell bars that locked him in, and called out toward his mother''s voice, "Mom! I''m here! Help me!" Marie heard her son''s hoarse voice and cried out in pain. "Stop calling, Solomon.I wille to you right away." She red at the few police officers guarding the cells.You all are abusing innocent people.I''m going t o sue you all!" With that, she ran toward where her son''s voice came from without hesitation. "Solomon, I''m here!" Solomon mmed the iron railing desperately, his body stained with blood, scratches, and bite marks. Marie saw that and was distressed. Chapter 445 Chapter 445 ¡®Suing them would be too merciful to them.I''m going to grind their bones to dust to make them get a taste o f what they have done to my son!'' Actually, Marie did not know that no one had abused Solomon.He hurt his own voice chord, and the bruises and cuts on his body were his own doing. Officer Freeman might hate him, but he gave Solomon three meals a day. Otherwise, her son would not have found the strength to bang his head against the wall. But she did not care about all that; she just felt sorry t o see her son''s condition and red at the police officers who came after her. "I will call Mr.Wyance now and ask him to find the bestwyer in San Joto for my son.All of you aren''t going to get away from this," she said sinisterly. Solomon''s expression turned heinous upon hearing what his mother said.He stared at the police officers, thinking he had found help. "How many times have I told you not to touch me, but you all wouldn''t listen? You all will soon find out who you are messing with!" By this time, Max had lost his patience and called Jared. Nicole watched Jared get up, take another call, and a yful smile creep across his face. "I''ll talk to Sebastian personally and ask him to check out this good boy for himself." Nicole took a sip of coffee with a straight face.She could ept sweeter beverages recently. Noticing Nicole''s gaze, Jared said, "There are too many rotten apples in his house.He will thank me for helping him clean up." Then he hung up the phone. As Nicole put down her coffee cup and got up as if she was leaving, he cocked a n eyebrow. "Are you leaving?" Nicole nodded. She had agreed with Gloria that she would go back to the Riddle Mansion today and stay there for a day. As Mr.Riddle Sr.had not fully recovered, she needed to observe him for a while. Jared grabbed the car key from the table and looked at Nicole with his head tilted.He said nothing. us watched yfully and bitterly as the two sat in the ck vehicle. Nicole was in the front passenger seat and fastening her seat belt. As she looked back and saw Jared extend his hand, she shot hima sideways nce. "What are you doing?" Jared did not expect her to do that so quickly. But he was not embarrassed, just smiled at her. "It was a step too slow," he said. Nicole looked into his eyes and smiled. Jared saw Nicole''s response, and his eyes became gentle. The ck vehicle started to move, and it felt indescribably stable at high speed as if a roaring beast properly protected its beloved beauty. Soon they arrived at the Riddle Mansion. Nicole stepped out of the vehicle, looked back at Jared, and thanked him before closing the door. Her face looked obviously stony, but Jared could feel a hint of gentleness in her. He rolled down the window and looked at Nicole with a smile. N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. "Nicole, all the best with your exam." Nicole did not expect him to remember that she was going to take an exam.She looked at him with surprise and then nodded. "Thank you." Chapter 446 Chapter 446 Questions properly by leaving the exam hall so early this time?" Nicole tried hard not tough as she continued to go toward the stairs. "You''re really worrying too much," she said tly. As she reached the stairwell and looked down the hall at Snow and Raine, she said with a distant tone of voice, "Did you ask Vivian how I replied to her after hearing what she said?" She casually and slowly walked up the stairs and suddenly gave Raine a half-smile with an extremely bitter look in her upturned eyes. "I couldn''t care less even if you give it your all.This was what I told Raine, and now I''m saying the same to you." Nicole did not bother to look at Raine and Snow''s expressions. Instead, she continued walking upstairs with her head held high. Raine''s face flushed as she watched Nicole go and could not find a word to respond. Meanwhile, Snow sneered at Nicole with a look of disdain in her eyes. "No matter what you do, it''s useless.You know, Not wanting to talk to them, Nicole ignored them and headed upstairs.Raine became angry because of Nicole''s attitude. She shouted, "Hey! Don''t you see us waiting for you here? ¡®I really didn''t know that" Nicole only nced back at Raine upon hearing that. Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org. "What''s up?" she asked nonchntly. Raine was infuriated. She red at Nicole, pointing at her and shouting, "Let me ask you, did you deliberately leave the exam hall early in today''s Math Olympiadpetition?" ¡®What the hell?! Nicole looked at Raine with a frosty face. "I don''t know what you''re talking about." Raine got even angrier. Don''t think I don''t know what you think. Vivian from your ss has said it; you made yourself in the spotlight so that everyone else was distracted from their study to make your result look less ugly. Are you also trying to cause me to lose my concentration so I will fail to answer the questions properly by leaving the exam hall so early this time?" Nicole tried hard not tough as she continued to go toward the stairs. "You''re really worrying too much," she said tly.As she reached the stairwell and looked down the hall at Snow and Raine, she said with a distant tone of voice, "Did you ask Vivian how I replied to her after hearing what she said?" She casually and slowly walked up the stairs and suddenly gave Raine a half- smile with an extremely bitter look in her upturned eyes. "I couldn''t care less even if you give it your all.This was what I told Raine, and now I''m saying the same t o you." Nicole did not bother to look at Raine and Snow''s expressions. Instead, she continued walking upstairs with her head held high. Raine''s face flushed as she watched Nicole go and could not find a word to respond. Meanwhile, Snow sneered at Nicole with a look of disdain in her eyes. "No matter what you do, it''s useless.You know, Harvey has invited me to the Holder family''s party," she said in a not-so-low volume. "What about you? Are you invited?" She did not get a response from Nicole and could only watch her disappear. But Snow was not upset this time. She picked up the mirror beside her and took out the lipstick to touch up her makeup, then mumbled to herself, ¡°Of course, you won''t be invited because you don''t deserve it." Raine looked at her beautiful elder sister with a ruthless smile on her face. "I will punish you, you vile, shameless thief who steals the most precious things of others!" Snow did not look at Raine''s expression.She swaggered up the first floor, her slender, boney figure exuding an inexplicably ugly vibe. Chapter 447 Chapter 447 Raine shivered at the thought of Snow''s somber tone of voice. Snow went back to her room, took out the diamond ne that her mother had given her, and looked at it for a while. This ne was not as dazzling as the other diamond, but it was enough for her to show off at the uing party. Snow put it around her neck for a moment to see if it looked good on her before she put it back in the box while humming a song in her mouth.She looked at herself in the mirror and smiled with satisfaction, then took out her phone and dialed a number. Nicole should have arrived in her grandfather''s room.She needed to contact the other guys to finish the business. Nicole had good fighting skills, so she could not guarantee how long those guys could hold out.But she only needed a little while, just a little while longer. A cruel smile spread across Snow''s face as she thought of Nicole''s attitude toward her.She took out a bright purple tulip from the vase next t o the dresser and crushed it in her palm. It was like crushing a human heart. Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org. Nicole immediately sensed something was wrong as soon as she came in front of Mr.Riddle Sr"s room. Everything was a bit too quiet. Her gut feeling quickly made the fastest judgment for her¡ªshe had to go inside and have a look.Her footsteps were so light that those guys inside the room could not urately judge her position. Theyy in wait inside the room, only to find that they could hear nothing at all. In the midst of silence, there was a sudden sound of something falling outside the door. The leader of the group could no longer wait for Nicole, and he opened the door and lunged out at once. "You stop running!" He shouted but found that no one was outside, only a cufflink lying quietly on the floor outside. The sound that he heard outside must be the sound of the cufflink falling. The man did not expect himself to be tricked this way, and he shouted angrily, "Stop hiding! Show yourself, or I will kill your grandfather! " The four or five burly men who came out behind him were all armed with knives. They also shouted when they heard the guy in front of them shout. "Reveal yourself, and we may spare your grandfather, who has just recovered from a serious illness.Otherwise, all you can see of him will be his dead body!" "We won''t show you any mercy!" "Boss, where has that stinky woman gone? I just clearly heard movement at the stairwell." The man known as the boss was a little anxious. He took off his mask and scolded with anger. "Has she run away?" He had a fierce-looking face with a scar on the right side of his face that directly crossed from between the eyebrows to the side of his face.His eyes looked so heinous that he looked incredibly ruthless.He did not look like an ordinary hooligan but a criminal who had blood on his hands and had served his time. With a wave of his hand, he put the mask back on with a ruthless look in his eyes. "Find her, or else I will kill you all!" Chapter 448 Chapter 448 Hearing him say this, those guys behind him were so frightened that they all shrank their necks and rushed to the hallway. Amid the chaos, an extremely pleasant voice suddenly came from behind them. "Are you all looking for me?" Everyone was stunned at hearing the voice. This was exactly the voice of Nicole, whom they were looking for. ¡®''Howe she appears behind us?" Even the leader of the group was stupefied.He was the first to rush out, and he did not know when someone had sneaked into Mr.Riddle Sr"s room. But there was no one in the hallway just now. When he looked back, he saw someone leaning against the wall in the room, which was still empty just now. Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org. Nicole looked at the group with a frosty smile shing across her face. "I''m asking you a question." She looked at the scar- faced man. When he first took off his mask earlier, she had already seen his face clearly. ¡®¡®This guy seems to have something in him; maybe he has received some training somewhere" With this thought in mind, she swept her eyes over these dumb abductors and asked again, "Are you all looking for me?" The scar-faced guy came to his senses and looked at Nicole evilly, then raised the knife in his hand. "Get her!" he shouted to his men. ¡®So that''s an admission" Nicole did not expect to see such a thing happen in the Riddle Mansion.She noticed that there was no servant downstairs. When she had just gotten these guys distracted earlier, she came to this room through the window of the hallway and found the room was empty. ¡®So where is Mr.Riddle Sr.? And Daniel, who has been apanying him all this while? Gloria said she was going to make a delicious meal for me, but I just noticed that there was no one in the kitchen downstairs. Thinking of what the gang had just shouted, Nicole''s face turned grim. A few guys were lunging over and wielding their knives at Nicole. They had just learned that Nicole could fight, so they did not dare to underestimate this pretty girl. They came with their fiercest attack. Nicole had no fear when she saw those sharp desing at her. She dodged all the attacks and thenunched her counterattack non-hurriedly. Soon, those guys were beaten to the floor and crying i n pain, leaving only Scarface, who had not made his move. The guy looked at Nicole and swallowed hard, then slowly raised the knife in his hand. "D-Don''te over!" Looking at him with a stony face, Nicole casually pulled out the long knife in the hand of a guy who was rolling on the ground in pain and pointed it at Scarface. "Tell me where the man in the room is, and I will let you go." ¡®¡¯Since the guy is afraid of me, it means that I can extract information from him" The man learned all his bluffing tricks in prison, and he was actually a disfigured coward. So when Nicole pointed the knife at him, he flinched and was ready to tell her everything. Nicole looked at him with her eyes slightly upturned, her pretty face looking intimidating. Chapter 449 Chapter 449 "Talk" Seeing the approaching tip of the knife, Scarface was so frightened that he almost cried. He took a few steps back and looked cautiously at Nicole. Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org. ¡®'' I_It''s¡ª" Before he could even start talking, orderly footsteps came from behind him. Scarface was ecstatic, throwing himself backward to the ground and rolling toward the door. Nicole frowned as she watched his action.She looked indifferently at those people walking in with familiar attire. ¡®The Rogers family is here; trouble awaits! '' The leading man smiled gently at Nicole. He seemed t o be polite, but there was a bit of unconceble pride i n his expression. "Pleasee with us." Nicole raised an eyebrow as he looked at Shawn and the group of guys with ropes and handcuffs in their hands. "What are you going to do?" Shawn looked at Nicole expressionlessly, just like when Nicole saw himst time.He was polite like a soulless puppet.He gave a look at his men behind him, motioning them to hand over the things in their hands. Shawn smiled. "Knowing how badass you can fight, and we have seen how you beat these guys single- handedly, so I''m not going to waste time on this.How about you put down your weapon and then tie yourself up and follow us?" Nicole looked meaningfully at him, who had a fake smile on his face. "What if I refuse?" Shawn smiled even brighter as if he was waiting for her to reply.He pped his hands, and then someone took an extremely thin tablet up. Shawn casually clicked on an interface, and then Nicole saw on the screen Daniel and Gloria, with Mr.Riddle Sr.and Mr.Rogers Sr.across from them. They all seemed to be talking peacefully. Even Dexter and Damien were there, except for Dillon. "As you can see, Nicole." Shawn smiled and threw the tablet back to the man, then looked at Nicole and said matter-of-factly, "Those servants behind them are n o ordinary fighters, and the drink they consume is not necessarily clean all the time." "What do you say, Nicole?" Shawn looked at the frosty girl in front of him, her long hair tied haphazardly behind her head when she fought those guys earlier. But this perfectly revealed her beautiful face. Apparently, the situation was not looking up, but she showed not a trace of panic in her eyes. Shawn studied her for a moment, thinking that he had given her enough time to think and also enough psychological pressure on her. "Pleasee with us." His words had no effect on Nicole, who just took out her mobile phone and spent a few seconds on it to make sure that the footage she saw was the same as what Shawn had just shown her. Then she slowly raised her head. She looked at the guy who seemed to be the same age as herself. "Can you guarantee that if I go with you, my family will be fine?" she asked in an extremely cold voice. Chapter 450 Chapter 450 Shawn looked at the girl in front of him, almost apuding her calmness and sanity as he seemed to see in her the soul he had been looking for. He tried his best to ignore some strange emotion inside him. His eyes were filled with a faint sense of wariness when he looked at Nicole, his voice no longer calm and natural but reeked of apparent anxiety. "None of us can guarantee it," he said. There was no smile on his face as he gave Nicole a meaningful look. "Just by dying for a second, your loved ones will be in more danger.Are you sure you want to gamble with me?" Shawn could preempt any action she took. Nicole knew very well that she would have no choice but topromise in this negotiation. She took off her coat, leaving only a tight vest and cargo pants, and then put the only things ¡ª two mobile phones ¡ª she was carrying on the floor. Then she quickly took the rope, skillfully tied up her legs and feet, and finally, put her hands into the handcuffs handed over by a guy, gently knocked them on the floor, and the handcuffs click-locked in an instant.She stood there with hands and feet tied, but she looked nonchnt. "Now what?" Shawn beckoned the guys behind him, and immediately a man came up and examined Nicole. The man was none other than the scar-faced guy who had to crawl out of the room in fright just now. He looked at Nicole with resentment, trying to seek his revenge while examining Nicole.He pulled on the rope that Nicole had tied professionally, and seeing that there was no room for further tightening, he let go of the rope with indignation and punched Nicole in her abdomen. Nicole did not look at him. Instead, she looked at Shawn with her pair of upturned eyes. "Is this how you all are doing things?" Shawn looked at her and was bemused.He did not notice what Scarface did until Nicole spoke. As he snapped back from his thoughts, a fit of indescribable anger surged inside him. Scarface looked triumphant and was hitting Nicole, unaware of what wasing from behind him. Before he knew it, he was kicked in the back by Shawn. "Ouch!" This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org. He screamed and fell to the floor, pain awakening his ferocity.He stared back to find the person who kicked him but was surprised to see Shawn and those burly guys'' frosty eyes. "I''ll chop off your hand if you dare to touch her again.Shawn nced at Nicole with mixed feelings. He ordered someone to pick up her mobile phones, checked and put them in his pocket, then beckoned, blindfolded Nicole, and followed up with a handkerchief full of ether. He had to be sure, just in case, as Nicole was too powerful. Shawn watched Nicole''s reaction nervously. Fortunately, the sedative started to do its thing, and Nicole softened into his arms without resistance. She felt unexpectedly lightweight. Shawn thought for a moment and carried Nicole in his arms to the vehicle that had been parked up outside the Riddle Mansion. Several cars roared away from the Riddle Mansion and sped toward an unknown location. Snow looked at the scene below from the first floor of the mansion, covering her mouth with surprise, and thenughed gloatingly. She did not know that Lyana was so capable and could mobilize so many people to abduct Nicole. She called Karen and frowned at hearing the noise at the other end, but her voice remained gentle and gracious. "Everything has gone ording to n, Mom." Chapter 451 Chapter 451 Zeke was on a killing spree ying Imperial Pce on an international server when he suddenly heard a very harsh siren ring on hisputer.He almost jumped up in fright but quickly calmed down, looking at the blood-red notification of the system. It looked like theputer connected to his was attacked, but the attack seemed toe from Nicole. ¡®It''s Nicole''s old and brokenputer that is connected to mine.So how could it be possible that the attackes from her?! Zeke''s head was full of a hundred different things, and then, as if something dawned on him, his pupils contracted.He immediately called Nicole on the phone, and sure enough, her phone was off. ¡®Nicole triggered the emergency rm system, probably asking for help.But what could I do to help her?! Zeke ran around like a headless chicken and finally rushed out to the living room as if he had thought of something. "Come on, Dad, Nicole is in danger!" Raine was confused.She went upstairs and was confounded to see the entire process of a group of men dressed in cke and go.She walked to the room where her sister had stayed for the past few days and heard her calling her mother. When the two finished talking on the phone, Raine looked at Snow with puzzlement. "What did you and Mom talk about?" Raine asked. This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org. Snow nced at her confused look and smiled. "Nothing.I have just found someone who hates Nicole as much as we do and asks her to help us fix Nicole," she said as if pacifying a child. "But I didn''t ask her to kill Nicole.After all, Nicole is still our family member by name." Speaking of which, a cold light shed in Snow''s eyes. ¡®Torture her until she goes insane so that she will ben o longer as glib as she used to be; break her hands and feet, so she can no longer sneak around; mutte her face so that she can''t continue to seduce men. All these should not be excessive, I guess.'' Seeing Raine''s hesitation, a cold light shed in Snow''s eyes. "Think about it, Raine; what does Nicole''s existence bring you?" she said patiently. Raine thought about Gary''s indifferent attitude since Nicole returned, her loss of her title as the most popr girl in school, her ban from the caf¨¦ because o f Nicole, and finally, her terrible performance in the Math Olympiadpetition today. She gritted her teeth and said in a hateful voice, "There was nothing going well since she came." Snow looked at Raine and patted her on the head gently. "Think again; what did Grandpa say to the two of us the other day?" Thinking of this, Snow''s face gradually turned livid, her hand holding Raine''s hair tightening so much that it hurt Raine. Snow smiled subconsciously and maintained a gentle and gracious tone of voice, but her words reeked of apparent resentment. "He wanted to drive the two of us out of school because of Nicole! How can I live without Harvey? Neither can you live without Gary, right?" Chapter 452 Chapter 452 It hurt so much that Raine was almost tearful. She quickly grabbed her sister''s hand and echoed it, saying, "Yes, I can''t live without Gary, either.I can''t live without him." Only then did Snow realize she had grabbed Raine''s hair too hard and quickly let go. "I''m sorry, Raine.I was too emotional.Are you hurt?" she said softly. Raine dared not tell her she was in pain.She looked at Snow and started to find her strange, even though they grew up together and were very close.She had fear in her eyes when she looked at Snow. "So, what have you done to Nicole?" Raine asked. This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org. Snow gently covered her mouth and snickered as if thinking of something happy. "What have I done to her? What can I do to her? At best, she will feel a bit of pain and learn a lesson." Snow became impatient at this point, but she did not forget to tell her sister onest thing. "We know nothing about what happened after Nicole went upstairs.Did we hear me? When Grandpa and Uncle Daniele home and ask about Nicole, remember not to say anything." Raine nodded hurriedly. She held her sister''s emaciated fingers and said with determination, "Don''t you believe me? I hate Nicole as much as you do.How could I possibly slip up?" Snow was pleased and smiled. She then patted Raine''s hand and said with a meaningful tone of voice, "Yeah, you and I are in the same boat.You won''t slip up, right?" Raine nodded, looked at her sister, and swore. "Don''t worry.I won''t do anything stupid." The ck vehicle with the unknown emblem was speeding down the road, heading toward San Joto city center. Jared''s face turned unusually cold as he looked at the increasingly familiar scenery outside. In front of a beautiful building with carved beams and an antique gate stood two doormen dressed in blue ssical costumes. When they saw Jared''s car arrive, they hurriedly came out to receive him respectfully. Jared did not follow them. Instead, after he got out of the car and walked into the house, he went along a windy hallway toward the innermost room. Servants who saw him along the way all greeted him with respect. Jared ignored them. When he came in front of the room and without him knocking on the door, a voice came from inside. "Come in." He pushed open the door and continued to walk in. The room was brightly lit with sunlight shining on a tall man who was in his senior age. The man slowly turned around and looked at the handsome man who had just entered and had his own mind. "I thought you wouldn''te home at all," the man said with an extremely frosty tone of voice. Jared looked at the man, whose sideburns had turned gray, but his falcon-like eyes stillmanded respect. He gently pulled up a gentle smile. "I haven''t seen you in a long time, Grandpa.You look as strong as ever." Maximillian Johnston knew Jared had seen through his intention to intimidate him, but because of ego, he still snorted coldly and knocked the crutch in his hand. "Stop the crap.Tell me; what did you really think when you returned without telling me, and upon returning, you didn''te home? Do you still treat m e as your grandpa?" Chapter 453 Chapter 453 It had been over a month since he received the news that Jared had returned to San Joto, yet this unfilial grandson had not evene to see him. Jared knew very well what his grandfather was angry about. He casually took a few steps forward to come in front of his grandfather, looked at the crutch in his hand, and raised an eyebrow. ¡°I didn¡¯t know that you had started using crutches.¡± Mr. Johnston Sr. used to be a soldier and had always been tough. Jared had never gotten word that his grandfather¡¯s health had declined, even to the point of having to walk on crutches. Hearing Jared¡¯s evasive reply, Mr. Johnston Sr.¡¯s face turned grave. He wielded the crutch in his hand, wanting to spank Jared. When Jared did not dodge, he reduced the force of his hand and shifted the direction of his crutch to avoid hitting his waist. So Jared was unharmed. Jared seemed to have expected what would happen. He looked at Mr. Johnston Sr. as usual and answered hisst question. ¡°It was boring abroad. I came back to help you.¡± He looked at Mr. Johnston Sr.¡¯s startled expression and then continued. ¡°You will allow me, will you?¡± Mr. Johnston Sr. did not expect Jared to say such a thing. ¡°You help me?¡± He repeated Jared¡¯s words with a look of surprise on his face. As Jared nodded, Mr. Johnston Sr.¡¯s expression immediately eased up. He coughed softly and studied Jared. ¡°Just tell me; you have a favor to ask from me, don¡¯t you? Whatever I can give you, I will give you.¡± He knew Jared would not havee back to help him had he not had something to ask from him. Jared shook his head and nced at his grandfather, then walked aside to pick up the still steaming cup of tea and took a sip. His grandfather did not say it out but was still very happy to hear the news that he hade to see him. Otherwise, his grandfather would not have prepared two teacups filled with freshly brewed tea. A smile spread across Jared¡¯s face, and he looked back at his grandfather. ¡°I don¡¯t need any help from you; you just need to enjoy your tea and take a good rest,¡± he said faintly, which meant he would handle and clean up all threats for his grandfather. Mr. Johnston Sr. looked at him and felt pleased. But he still could not help asking, ¡°Is there really nothing you need help with?¡± The more Jared said he did not need his grandfather¡¯s help, the more his grandfather felt he needed to compensate his grandson for something. Mr. Johnston Sr. really thought he owed it to Jared, who had given up his freedom and future Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org. abroad and returned to this old mansion of his for an old man like him. He could not help but pity this grandson of his. Jared seemed to have seen through Mr. Johnston Sr. He rubbed the cup made of porcin in his hand with part of his face in the sunlight, making his skin look even fairer. ¡°I just hope that you can ept someone,¡± he said faintly. Just as Mr. Johnston Sr. wanted to ask something, Jared¡¯s phone suddenly rang. Jared stood up and made an apologetic gesture to Mr. Johnston Sr., then walked aside to answer the call. Mr. Johnston Sr. looked at Jared with a startled expression and started to recall what Jared had just said. He seemed to have overheard the voice on the other side of the phone. Could it be Before Mr. Johnston Sr. could figure things out, Jared had hung up the phone and walked over to him, and looked at his grandfather with a frosty face. And there was no longer a hint of ridicule in his voice but a swift wind and rain. ¡°Now, I really need your help with something.¡± His voice no longer sounded nonchnt but urgent. Chapter 454 Chapter 454 Shawn took off the ck blindfold on Nicole and watched her eyshes tremble gently. She had not woken up because of the effect of the drug. Her snow-like face made her an indescribably fragile beauty. He could not control himself, wanting to touch her eyshes gently. But just a second before his hand reached her eyshes, Nicole suddenly opened her eyes, which stared at him emotionlessly. Shawn took several steps back as if he had been startled. There was no expression on her face. Nicole eased her wrists tied behind her. Feeling her blood cirction blocked, she looked down at herself and found herself tied to a chair, across from which many pairs of eyes of men in ck were staring at her. Those ck outfits were exclusive to the Rogers family¡¯s bodyguards. There was a hint of disgust on Nicole¡¯s face at the thought of this. This ce seemed to be a secret factory in which a small number of white particles were suspended in the air. The ce was not too terrible, and the lighting was good. Nicole deftly looked around at her surroundings before shifting her attention back to Shawn. She said nothing, just sat there quietly, as if she were not abducted. Shawn was speechless as he was being looked at by Nicole¡¯s pair of clear, lustrous, upturned eyes. He somehow felt that he had seen her before. He remembered her file, which clearly stated that her hometown was Great Oak, so he wondered if he had seen her there. The two had faced each other silently for a long while before Shawn snapped back, and the polite smile returned on his face. ¡°I¡¯m going to cut to the chase; I think you should know why my father gives you so much attention. He has a viral infection of polio, and the pain from the cerebral cortex keeps him in extreme rage and may even threaten his life.¡± Shawn paused for a while as if he was observing her expression. ¡°The disease has been tormenting for nearly a year. He is almost desperate when, after a year of searching, he still could not find a doctor who could cure him. But it was you, on his sixtieth birthday, who brought him a glimmer of hope.¡± This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org. He frowned as he looked at Nicole¡¯s unchanged face and continued. ¡°You have to know how terrible a man who was fighting for his life could do. For my father, it is likely that the lives of all of you in the Riddle family aren¡¯t as good as the white pills you gave him. So I warn you to think clearly about what to say and how to do it.¡± Nicole looked at Shawn, her gaze shallow, almost ssy, which sparkled and looked beautiful in the light. But she said nothing. Shawn looked at her nonreaction, and an irrepressible impatience rose within him. ¡°I know very well that the medicine cannot be your own. Tell me honestly who gave it to you, whether it was from someone in your organization, and I will let you go.¡± He said he would let Nicole go, but he did not mention what would happen to the other members of the Riddle family. There was a faint look of a sneer in Nicole¡¯s eyes as she scorned his inducing confession method. Chapter 455 Chapter 455 While she was already an expert ying with this trick, Shawn was probably still a rookie. She was still looking at Shawn without saying a word, seemingly hesitating. Shawn looked at her expression, thinking she had started to give in, and hastened to continue. ¡°My dad didn¡¯t tell me what kind of organization you¡¯re working for, but I knew very well the organization must be a behemoth. If you tell me which one of them is the doctor who gave you the medicine, I promise not to harm you. How about that?¡± Nicole looked at Shawn with a faint look of internal struggle in her eyes. Shawn was overjoyed, but he did not show it on his face. He continued to ask, ¡°Well, as long as you tell me, all the punishments that my father asked me to prepare will not fall on you, and I can guarantee that you will go unharmed.¡± Nicole didn¡¯t expect that just taking a few A-grade pills from the medicine box freshly out of the research wouldnd her in a fine mess with the Rogers guy. She had no expensive things with her at that time, and if she sent some random things over, it would only embarrass Zane. Just that she did not expect such a casual decision would cause her such big trouble and even put her family in danger. Thinking of this, a tinge of frosty look appeared in Nicole¡¯s eyes. But her face still looked as if she had been persuaded by Shawn, hesitating to say something. Shawn saw he had achieved his purpose and was in no rush to force her to speak. He sat down in thefort of the chair and quietly waited for her to end her internal struggle. He thought he was at the pinnacle of his interrogation skills, and now Mr. Rogers Sr. had almost entrusted this kind of job to him. Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org. Not only that, Nicole had just inhaled a high dose of psychedelic drugs, and for a moment, she would still be groggy. He thought if he wanted to extract any information from her now, it would be a piece of cake. ¡®I really didn¡¯t want things to get to this point, but things had dragged on long enough. Even if I could get the information of the doctor¡¯s whereabouts and get my hands on the wonder drug now, Grandpa would not necessarily survive.¡¯ The corners of his lips curled up in a subtle smile at the thought of this. Nicole looked at Shawn¡¯s expression. The acting that he thought was perfect was full of loopholes was not the slightest possibility that he was believable. ¡®I know Mr. Rogers Sr.¡¯s condition very well, and I have given him the drug. As long as he takes it on time and in the right amount, it would at least make a big difference. But now, judging by how desperate he is, he must be worried that I would harm him and so have halved the dosage of the drug and not finished it within a week, as prescribed until now. It is he who forces himself into a dead end. Now he has the nerve to send Shawn to abduct and force me to divulge the source of the drug. He is unbelievably stupid.¡¯ Nicole gently closed her eyes and silently counted the time in her mind. Five minutes had passed, and Shawn frowned. He looked at Nicole, who was keeping her head down, and remained silent and controlled himself. But he instructed his men to take a step forward, quietly picking up the torture devices. He did not like to see blood, and his favorite thing was to create psychological pressure. Ten minutes had passed, and Nicole still said nothing but sat in the chair in the same posture. Her long hair was slightly disheveled, and she stayed motionless. Chapter 456 Chapter 456 Shawn¡¯s patience had run out. He stood up to look at Nicole, who had been keeping silent all along, with a slight impatience on his face. He was just about to open his mouth when the door behind him mmed open, and Nicole soon heard the shrill of a woman. ¡°What makes you so long?¡± Lyana strode in. Those bodyguards in front looked back at her in unison, startling her for a moment. Shawn squinted when he saw her. She quickly calmed down and recognized that those people were from the Rogers family. Lyana nced at them and then swaggered up to Shawn and looked at this brother-inw of hers with disdain. ¡°Do you need to bring so many men just to deal with one girl?¡± she asked coldly. Not sparing a second nce at Shawn, she picked up a bradawl the thickness of an index finger and sneered at Nicole, who was keeping her head low. ¡°Has she told you where the diamond is?¡± A look of disdain shed in Shawn¡¯s eyes, but he still replied, ¡°Not yet.¡± Lyana looked at him disapprovingly. ¡°What the hell are you doing here? I sent you to interrogate her, and you were sitting here waiting? Torture her and wake her up if she remains tight- lipped.¡± She walked toward Nicole with the bradawl, the smile on her face changing from graceful to sinister. ¡°I¡¯ll see how stubborn you can still get when I cut your face and smash your hands so that you won¡¯t be able to seduce my man and steal things again.¡± Then she walked around Nicole and was about to wield the bradawl at Nicole¡¯s hand, which was tied behind the chair. Shawn watched Lyana¡¯s action but did not stop her. Just a second before Lyana could hurt Nicole, a loud noise suddenly came behind her. As if something had blown up, the powerful explosion almost shattered the eardrums of the ck d bodyguards at the scene. They all covered their ears in pain. Lyana was so frightened that her hand trembled while Shawn frowned and looked back. Nicole, who had been sitting quietly, saw the opportunity. She took action while they were distracted. Nicole broke free from the handcuffs, gently threw her hair away, and picked up the sharp de that had fallen out with one hand. The de, made of an unknown material, was glinting with silverish shes. With just a flick of her hand, the de cut the rope that was made of a special material in half, and they dropped to the floor at once. Now that Nicole had broken free, she turned around and grabbed Lyana¡¯s wrist. Lyana, who grew up like a spoiled child, was no match for Nicole¡¯s strength. She screamed in pain, and the bradawl dropped from her hand. Nicole caught the bradawl mid-air and pointed it at Lyana¡¯s temple. She looked coldly at the men from the Rogers family and said, ¡°Don¡¯t you all move.¡± The table had been turned. Shawn looked at what had happened and was exasperated. He knew that nothing good would happen when Lyana came. He motioned for everyone behind him to put their weapons down. Nicole cocked an eyebrow, and Shawn shot a re at her, slowly pulled out a pistol from his waist, andid it on the floor while his eyes were on Nicole. Nicole looked at Shawn and did not believe him. So she still stood where she was, motionless. Her hand was steady, and the bradawl poking at Lyana¡¯s temple did not move an inch. Lyana was frightened that she pleaded incessantly, saying that she would repay her kindness, hoping that Nicole would let her go. N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. Shawn looked grave, as he knew the explosion was not an ident. Their location had most likely been exposed. Thinking of this, he suddenly made up his mind and beckoned his men behind him to fall back Chapter 457 Chapter 457 ¡°Let go of Lyana.¡± Shawn looked at Nicole and said coldly, ¡°I lost this round. You let her go, I promise not to harm you, and you can just leave.¡± Nicole looked at the eagerness in his eyes, in contrast to the pretense ofposure on his face, and sneered. ¡°Oh, really?¡± She looked at the man who wasing from the other side with his back to the light. He was quick, almostpletely losing the usual calmposure, but also seemed to bepletely wee in her eyes. ¡°But you¡¯re toote.¡± Meanwhile, Mr. Riddle Sr. looked at Mr. Rogers Sr. They were ttered at first when they were invited to the Rogers Mansion, but when he excused himself for the third time and was refused, everyone realized that something was wrong. ¡°Are we invited to be guests here? This is obviously a trap!¡¯ Mr. Riddle Sr.¡¯s face changed subtly, and he said again, ¡°I think we have been bothering you for long enough and need to make a move, Christo.¡± He got up and wanted to leave, but Mr. Rogers Sr. did not look at him but took a sip of tea. ¡°Sit back down, Benjamin,¡± Mr. Rogers Sr. said tly. Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org. Mr. Riddle Sr. looked at him with a somewhat grave face. ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± Daniel and Gloria looked to Mr. Rogers Sr.; they might not know what was going on, but it was clear that something was not quite normal. Damien and Miley were sitting alongside. Miley was unaware of what was happening. Instead, she was delighted to be invited to the Rogers Mansion again and echoed Mr. Rogers Sr.¡¯s words. ¡°Yeah, Dad. Why don¡¯t you stay a little longer?¡± Damien shot a re at his wife. He felt unease at seeing Mr. Rogers Sr.¡¯s half-smile. At first, he was still thinking of getting in good with Mr. Rogers Sr., but now that thought had vanished. He was now sitting there fidgeting with fear in his eyes. ¡®What¡¯s happening exactly? Did we offend Mr. Rogers Sr. or something? Why does he want us to be subject to this torment in silence?¡¯ Dexter looked on and took a deep breath, then looked at Emma, who sat quietly beside him. Emma returned a reassuring look. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Fortunately, the kids are still at school, and nothing has happened,¡± she said. Dexter sighed softly upon hearing what Emma said. ¡®Yeah, that¡¯s the only thing to be thankful for.¡¯ Mr. Riddle Sr. looked at Mr. Rogers Sr., got up, and walked toward the door, not heeding Mr. Rogers Sr.¡¯s warning. But soon, he found himself surrounded by bodyguards. Mr. Rogers Sr. then blew away the floating tea leaves in the teacup and slowly said, ¡°Sit down, Benjamin. I¡¯m not going to say it for the third time.¡± God knows how many times he was more anxious than Mr. Riddle Sr. He still heard no news from his youngest son and the progress they were making. Chapter 458 Chapter 458 But the Riddle family basically had Mr. Riddle Sr. As capable as Nicole was, he would never escape his grasp Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org. Thinking of this, Mr. Rogers Sr. breathed a sigh of relief, leaned back haughtily in his chair, and sneered at Mr. Riddle Sr, who was still standing there. ¡°Aren¡¯t you conceding?¡± he asked. Daniel and Gloria had also stood up and walked up to Mr. Riddle Sr.¡¯s side to stand with him. Meanwhile, the look in Damien¡¯s and Dexter¡¯s eyes showed they were struggling internally. Mr. Rogers Sr. looked pleased with seeing the dilemmatic look of those people in front of him. ¡°What are you all going to do? Standing here in protest?¡± No way he would let them out of the manor before he had achieved his goal. Miley also seemed to have been aware of some sort of anomaly. She looked at Mr. Rogers Sr. with a hint of fear in her eyes. ¡°Uncle Rogers, what do you mean by not allowing us to leave?¡± Mr. Rogers Sr. guffawed and turned to look at Miley with contempt. ¡°You don¡¯t deserve to call me your uncle,¡± he said. Miley¡¯s face turned pale instantly, her lips trembling. She could not ept that her self esteem was trampled upon. Damien saw her expression and stood up angrily. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Dexter walked slowly to Mr. Riddle Sr. with his wife to stand together with the others and looked at Mr. Rogers Sr., who had turned from a gentleman to a nasty, bossy man. Mr. Rogers Sr. kept a straight face as he methodically took a sip of tea and then forced the cup down on the table. ¡°What do I mean? You all are to stay and die if necessary. That¡¯s what I mean. It¡¯s your honor to die for me.¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. looked at Mr. Rogers Sr., who was now showing his true colors. There was some emotion trembling in his eyes, which were filled with disbelief. ¡°H-How can you do this?¡± he asked. Mr. Rogers Sr. looked at him with a sneer. ¡°You¡¯d bettere back and sit down so we can still pretend to be friends and brothers. Don¡¯t say that I didn¡¯t warn you.¡± As he finished speaking, his bodyguards immediately drew their weapons and looked menacingly at the Riddles. Mr. Riddle Sr. looked at the vicious-looking Mr. Rogers Sr. and spelled out his words. ¡°What goes around comes around. Aren¡¯t you afraid of karma?¡± Mr. Rogers Sr. burst intoughter as if he had heard some ridiculous joke. ¡°I¡¯m curious to know who in San Joto can hand down karma on me. Oh, Benjamin, you¡¯re still as na?ve as ever. No wonder the Riddle family has slumped so much now. It¡¯s all because of your stupidity.¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. looked nonchnt despite the insult. He looked silently at the triumphant Mr. Rogers Sr. and shook his head slowly. Mr. Rogers Sr. thought that Mr. Riddle Sr. was afraid, and he said arrogantly, ¡°Even God can¡¯t save you all today. Benjamin, just admit your fate.¡± With that, he sneered and ordered all of them to be locked up. ¡°Really?¡± Chapter 459 Chapter 459 As the bell-like voice sounded, the door to the Rogers Mansion vestibule mmed open. Everyone was drawn to the sound, and all of them looked out in unison. Mr. Rogers Sr. also looked out the door with anger, wanting to know who was so daring to defy his order and storm into the house. His face changed abruptly upon seeing who the person was. ¡°Maximillian?¡± ¡®Isn¡¯t the old man in a gray-blue business suit with a thick eyebrow Maximillian, the patriarch of the Johnston family? What is he doing here?¡¯ Mr. Rogers Sr. looked abruptly over at Mr. Riddle Sr in disbelief. He nced up and down at Mr. Riddle Sr. several times before he could barely withdraw his gaze. ¡®Is heing for the Riddles? Impossible. The Johnstons have always thought they are above everyone else. Even if Maximilian and Benjamin had a close rtionship with each other before, the Johnston family isn¡¯t what it used to be; it is impossible for them toe here for the sake of the family. He must be here for something else.¡¯ He forced himself to calm down. Just when he was to say hello, Mr. Johnston Sr. preempted Mr. Rogers Sr.¡¯s response by looking at him with an expression as if he were looking at a greedy hyena. ¡°What did you just say? Even God can¡¯t save the Riddle family from you?¡± Mr. Johnston Sr. gently gestured to Karlo, who was beside him, and Karlo whistled aloud. Soon, two rows of well-built men entered the vestibule, each looking ferocious. The bodyguards of the Rogers family almost went weak at the knees to see this. Mr. Johnston Sr. put his hands behind his back and looked coldly at Mr. Rogers Sr.This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Since God won¡¯t do, what about me? Am I qualified enough to take the Riddles away?¡± Mr. Rogers Sr. was flustered, as he did not expect Mr. Johnston Sr. woulde for the Riddles. Looking at the team of men that surrounded his house, he knew that this was not an empty threat, as Mr. Johnston Sr. never did things by verbal threats but with his fists. The Riddle family did not expect things would take such a dramatic shift. He looked at Mr. Johnston Sr. with his mouth agape. ¡®I can¡¯t believe that it¡¯s the Johnston family!¡¯ He had thought he would be done for here today, not expecting there was still a way out, and Mr. Johnston Sr. woulde here and even say that he would take him away. Damien and Dexter exchanged a nce. Both of whom had heard about Mr. Johnston Sr. They knew that the Johnston and the Riddle families once had some connection, but after the Johnston family rose to be the top dog in San Joto, the interaction between the Riddle and the Johnston families had basically stopped. So they had never seen Mr. Johnston Sr. in person. But since Mr. Rogers Sr. had just called out his name, everyone surely knew who was here to save them. Just that the Johnstons had be the most powerful family and had nothing to do with the Riddle family except for the engagement contract that could never be materialized. ¡®So why would Mr. Johnston Sr. want toe to help us?¡¯ Everyone looked at Mr. Johnston Sr. with a mixture of gratitude and a faint sense of puzzlement. Mr. Rogers Sr. was sweating profusely and was so frightened that he was out of his senses. He even nearly stumbled upon hearing that Mr. Johnston Sr. hade to the Riddle family¡¯s rescue He could not believe that the Riddle family still had such a good rtionship with Mr. Johnston Sr. that he wanted toe for them. He suddenly pped a bodyguard beside him with the back of his hand. ¡°What¡¯s the matter with you? Ask your men to step aside now!¡± Chapter 460 Chapter 460 The poor bodyguard did not know why he was hit, but he quickly reacted and ordered those men in ck surrounding the Riddle family to step aside. Mr.Rogers Sr.looked tteringly at Mr.Johnston Sr.and asked in a pleading voice, "Would you calm down now? Of course, you can take them away, and I won''t stop them from going." The Rogers family had always survived by attaching themselves to the Johnston family. But after his ignorant third brother offended one of the Johnston family members, his father expelled him from the family. Now, it seemed that he was going to follow in the footsteps of his third brother.Mr.Johnston Sr.looked at Mr.Rogers Sr., hissed and ignored him, then went straight to Mr.Riddle Sr. "Are you all hurt?" He had a kind look on his face as if afraid that he would scare them. Mr.Riddle Sr.was ttered and shook his head hastily. Mr.Johnston Sr.walked up to him with a gentle face.d to know you''re all okay.Let''s go.I''ll send you back and leave someone to protect you." The Riddle family, even Mr.Rogers Sr., was shocked upon hearing that. ¡®What is the rtionship between the Riddle and the Johnston families that Mr.Johnston Sr.would say such a thing? It isn''t what I''ve heard.I thought they only had casual ties between them? But it seems not t o be the case by the looks of things.He will even leave behind his men to protect them; isn''t that mean cing them in his own sphere of influence? Not even the Rogers family can get this privilege" Mr.Rogers Sr.opened his mouth with a resentful look in his eyes, but he said nothing atst. He watched with animosity as Mr.Johnston Sr.and Mr.Riddle Sr.walked out with a smile on their faces. "Is Maximillian thinking of ruining my chances of surviving?" Just as he was cursing Mr.Johnston Sr.viciously in his mind, an extremely tall figure overshadowed him.He looked up and saw Karlo''s frosty face. "Mr.Johnston Sr.has mercy on you and simply asks m e to teach you a lesson." N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. Karlo made his move, punching every single bodyguard of Mr.Rogers Sr.to the ground, and then came in front of Mr.Rogers Sr.with his hand extended. "Choose how you want to be taught," he said. Meanwhile, Sebastian was in a meeting when his phone rang. Seeing the caller ID on the phone screen, he frowned, hung up the phone silently, and put it back in his bag. But the phone kept ringing five to six times. Sebastian thought it must be something urgent and finally picked it up.He heard a woman cry over the phone, so loud that it nearly broke his eardrum. "Pleasee and take a look, Sebastian! These guys are bullying Solomon! Don''t you care about Solomon the most? You have to help him.Those people are ruthless!" Chapter 461 Chapter 461 Soon, there was a very noisy sounding from behind. Sebastian frowned, thinking for almost half a day before he could recall who Solomon was, but he had always been reluctant to put his deceased wife''s most beloved sister on the spot. He kneaded his forehead, then signaled the meeting to adjourn and went out. "Tell me clearly what''s going on." Marie, ecstatic to hear him on the other side of the phone, quickly repeated the abuse her son had suffered, saying that Solomon was not only innocent but also a good man and that those corrupt cops had brutally detained and even abused him. Sebastian had a doubtful look on his face upon hearing her words. As far as he knew, Marie was a harmless woman. He could not help but start to wonder if Solomon was innocent after hearing Marie''s hysterical scream.He was worried about whether the police had made a mistake. Sebastian''s voice sounded serious as he asked, "Where are you now?" Marie hurriedly told him her location as she wept. After hanging up the phone, there was no hint of sadness on her face. She looked at those who hurt her son in front of her and said triumphantly, "My brother-inw wille right away, and all of you will get your dues." She pulled out her mobile phone and contacted thewyer whom she had contacted before. He was awyer well-known for handling criminal cases in San Joto, and he never lost.She dialed the phone, full of confidence. The phone rang for a long time, but no one answered. Marie was puzzled but only pouted. ¡®Since this damnwyer doesn''t want to pick up the phone, I''m not going to call him a second time.Just wait for Mr.Wyance toe and fix them" With this thought in mind, Marie sat in the police cell with her son in her arms, deliberately making herself and Solomon look miserable as they quietly waited for Sebastian to arrive. Because of how serious the situation Marie had described over the phone, Sebastian arrived in no time. As he entered the door, he saw a group of men standing by, and a beast-like cry came to his ears. ¡®What the hell is going on?'' Inspector Pearce was standing there. Seeing Sebastianing, he quickly led him inside, saying as they went, "I''m Kolt Pearce, in charge of Solomon''s case.Ms.Freeman, who ims to know you, has met her son.We havee here to wait for you at her request and take you inside to see the two of them." Sebastian nced at his assistant, who nodded at Inspector Pearce. "Thank you for your trouble." He knew very well what kind of woman Marie really was, and in Sebastian''s absence, she even turned her nose up at her own kind, let alone outsiders. She was simply arrogant, unting her powerful connections. This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org. Mervin was not at all surprised that she could send the police officer to lead the way. Sebastian did not look too happy as he heard the howling.He could almost hear it clearly as Inspector Pearce walked deeper inside. ¡®I think I''ve heard this voice before" Inspector Pearce led the two men inside and soon reached where Solomon was.He motioned for the two to look inside and then stood aside. The surrounding guards saw Mr.Wyance and Monroeing, and they all greeted them. But Sebastian and his assistant did not bother to acknowledge them but looked at what was happening before them. In front of them, Solomon''s eyes appeared scarlet, his face strangely bruised. He was constantly banging his head against the wall, and the beast-like roar came exactly from him. Chapter 462 Chapter 462 He seemed to be in a lot of pain as his hands constantly created new wounds on his body. Marie, beside him, could not stop it. Even her face was scratched by Solomon in many ces. When she saw Sebastian, her first reaction was to block Solomon from his view. "You''ve finallye.Quick, help me get Solomon out.He bes like this because he suffocates here.It must be like this!" Judging by what Marie said over the phone about the wrongful conviction of Solomon, and Solomon''s hysterical state, he immediately knew what was going on. He looked at and scrutinized Inspector Pearce, who was looking at Solomon coldly. "What the hell is going on?" he asked. As far as he knew, Solomon might not be a wonderful child in the traditional sense, but he had made no major mistakes. So he could not understand why Solomon had ended up like this. Anyone who had a keen eye could tell that this was a manifestation of drug addiction. When Inspector Pearce heard Sebastian''s question, he respectfully told of what had happened in its entirety, and provided the surveince video of Club Studio and the testimony of the woman who was abused that day. It was almost beyond reasonable doubt that Solomon hadmitted the crime out of his own free will, as there was no evidence supporting the notion that he was forced into this. Hearing what Inspector Pearce said, Sebastian looked at Solomon with a growing bitter look in his eyes, especially when he learned Solomon was dropping his name in prison. His anger almost reached a tipping point. Thinking of his phone conversation with Jared yesterday, where Jared was urging him to let go and not to harbor a scum. At that time, he was still clueless about what he was talking about. But now, it turned out that Jared had gotten the news and warned him beforehand. Seeing Sebastian''s frosty face, Marie trembled uncontrobly and cried. "You know Solomon.He has always been well-behaved and never fools around.Someone must have framed him." Sebastian looked at her puffy, pale, and unrepentant face, and for the first time, an utter disgust shed across his face. "All evidence points to his culpability.Look at your beast -like son; how can you still have the nerve to say that someone else has framed him?" Inspector Pearce continued to show him a stack of photographs that clearly documented Solomon''s violent abuse of the woman he had been victimizing for a year, his record of hitting and injuring someone in a drunk-driving ident, and finally, his vicious behavior toward Car 16 while racing at Mount Daytonna. "This disc clearly records the entire process.You can take it back and watch it.Had the driver of the car behind him not been skillful enough, he would have been killed because of Solomon.And Solomon''s reason for doing that was because of lust." At this point, Sebastian looked at Solomon, his eyes turning piercing cold. "He has got a nasty streak in his character; he tried to kill but failed, and then came to the clubhouse to numb himself with drugs." Sebastian calmly summed up what Inspector Pearce had just said, with no expression on his face. He looked at Solomon, who was addicted to drugs as if he were looking at a dead man. This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org. "It''s impossible to be Solomon.My son did not kill.Isn''t that guy still alive and kicking? Why condemned my son? Solomon is, at best, a little more yful.Believe me one more time, please." Marie was still quibbling about it and ring at Inspector Pearce. "It''s all because of this guy; he framed my son!" "Shut up!" Sebastian snapped with a frown. Chapter 463 Chapter 463 Sebastian turned to look at Inspector Pearce and nodded gently. "Don''t worry about me. You may deal with it however you like." He handed the photos and CDs to Merwin, then continued. "We''ll go back and review them. It was my fault that he mentioned my name." Inspector Pearce looked at Sebastian, not expecting that not only did he not defend Solomon but even wanted to punish himself. So he quickly waved his hand at Sebastian. "It is not your fault." As soon as they saw Marie''s conduct, they knew exactly what was going on. Mothers are the best teachers, and if mothers misbehave, it would be a miracle that their children can grow healthy personalities. As Sebastian said nothing but just waved his hand expressionlessly, Merwin knew it was a sign that he was already extremely angry. Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org. He looked at Marie and Solomon with disdain and had no hint of sympathy on his face. ¡®Karma will get you,'' the assistant thought to himself. ¡®No one can do something bad forever without receiving punishment.'' Marie watched as Sebastian walked outside with no hesitation and had no intention of helping her and her son. She could not care less about Solomon, who was hitting his head against the wall and rushed out after Sebastian. She kneeled in front of Sebastian and cried loudly. "My sister asked you to take good care of me. You can''t just leave my son like this and me. So- Solomon has just made an insignificant mistake, nothing big deal. Please bring him back, and I will educate him well, making sure he won''t make the same mistake again." Sebastian looked at Marie as if he did not know her. She did not reveal her true nature to him for the past ten years, but now she was showing the cloven hoof,ying bare everything for everyone to see. ¡®She got close to me because she was after my power and influence. I wonder how many times she has dropped my name to get her way.'' Thinking of how well he had taken care of Marie and Solomon, whom he seldom saw, he closed his eyes. When he opened them again, there was no emotion on his face. He had only tolerated Marie again and again for the sake of his deceased wife, but now it was clear that she took all this for granted. Sebastian looked at Marie and said coldly, "I have never allowed you to drop my name, Marie. I didn''t punish you because of Mollie. But now, don''t let me see you again." Marie immediately looked up at Sebastian in disbelief. "No..." But Sebastian had already turned and walked outside, not sparing Marie another nce. Merwin, Sebastian''s assistant, politely chatted with Inspector Pearce for a while, talking about some details and telling him he would not interfere in their work, so they could handle the case as usual. By the time he came out, Solomon had stopped his madness, looking at Merwin in a daze, and then asked with delight, "Has my unclee to my rescue?" Chapter 464 Chapter 464 Merwin ignored him, and Solomon saw that the former shook hands with Inspector Pearce. When he saw Marie being all lost in a corner, Solomon''s face instantly turned pale. It was simply because favoritism gained from one''s all -epassing love will neverst long. Martin opened the door and saw Mr.Wyance was on the phone with someone, with something ying on the television beside him. It was a footage. A car race footage. Martin did not interrupt Mr.Wyance as thetter spoke. He went over to have a look and saw the purple -grey car constantly overtaking one car after another on the screen. The skills on disy were extremely beautiful, and Martin could not help but let out a whistle. It was because of that Solomon that Martin did not like racing. ¡®I never thought that San Joto had such a skilled racer! '' Soon, it was the scene of that car against car No.14.Throughout the entire process, one could see that car No.14 was pulling all sorts of illegal maneuvers.Not only did he changenes maliciously, he even deliberately blocked the view of the other, as if to cause car No.3 to collide with car No.16! When he saw this, Martin''s expression gradually darkened.From a top-down perspective, he could see that car N 0.3 was rushing over from that corner.However, car N 0.16''s vision of him waspletely blocked.He could almost see the tragedy that was about to unfold. Martin looked at ill-intentioned car No.14. It did not seem to think that car No.16 could catch up, so much s o that the former even skidded. At this distance, even car No.14 could not escape the crash. Martin was cursing at that car No.14, and he also did not understand why his father had gotten his hands on this ident footage. However, just as he was about to get up and not watch the tragedy that was about to unfold, the corner of his eyes caught something. "This is..." The purple-grey car suddenly went on two wheels as i t sliced through the air in a perfect curve as drove straight through between the two other cars. Martin stood there stunned and could not help but rey it. By the time Mr.Wyance got out, he had seen his son sitting on his luggage as he looked on at car No.16 on ¡¯I the screen as it approached the finishing line and f shouted. "Go! Go! Go! Overtake No.3!!" When Mr.Wyance saw his son reacting like this, he wanted to open his mouth to scold thetter, yet he could not find the words. Martin saw car No.16 rush past the finishing line and let out a cheer. The footage then stopped abruptly there. When he was about to turn around to look for the remote control to rey the footage, he found his father standing behind him with aplicated look i n his eyes. Martin looked at him as he frowned and put down the remote control in his hand as he immediately walked toward his room. Suddenly, Mr.Wyance''s voice came from behind. "Did you see what car No.14 did?" Martin turned around and gave his father a faint nce, not expecting thetter to take the initiative t o talk to him. He nodded. "It was clear he was going against the rules that even an outsider like me could tell.What''s the matter?" Mr.Wyance looked at his son and sighed as he said, "That''s Solomon''s car." He originally thought that he would see a look of surprise on his son''s face, yet he found thetter epting it without any doubts. Now, it was Mr.Wyance''s turn to be surprised. "Don''t you have anything to say about it?" Martin looked at him and said somewhat expressionlessly, "I''m not surprised if it''s him.When I was ten, you bought a toy for me, and when Marie, o rno, Aunt Marie brought him to y at our ce, he took a liking to the toy and wanted it from me.I didn''t give it to him." Speaking of this, he looked at Mr.Wyance, thetter seemingly having no recollection of this incident at all. Martin let out a self-deprecating smile as he continued. Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org. "He then pushed me into the pool.He thought that he could drown me, but unfortunately for me, I learned how to swim.But when I got out of the pool, he had already taken the toy away." He looked at Mr.Wyance in the eyes and said impassively. "When I told you he pushed me into the pool, you thought that I was just trying to hide the fact I lost the toy and asked me to sit in my room to reflect on my mistakes." "For him to be able to do that at ten years old, I could tell that car No.14 was him.Now that the truth is laid bare before you, would you believe the ten-year-old me now, Mr.Wyance?" Mr.Wyance looked at his son with deep regret.His throat struggled hard before finally forcing out a sentence. Chapter 465 Chapter 465 "Martin, I did not know the truth was that back then." This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org. This was the limit of his apology.Martin looked at him, his gaze calm. "I know.I don''t me you." He smiled at Mr.Wyance and then asked. ¡®What about Marie, oh no, Aunt Marie?" Mr.Wyance frowned. He looked at his son, whom he did not knows how much thetter had suffered, and deeply felt that he had wronged the child. "You don''t have to call her Aunt Marie anymore.I have ordered her forever out of our doors." Immediately after, Mr.Wyance told Martin what he had experienced, and the expression on Martin''s face slowly changed. That stupid cousin of his, too, knew very well that there was a bottom line that he could not cross. ¡®Someone must''ve done him in" When Martin thought of this, he was so d that he said nothing. ¡®No matter who this person is" Martin thought. ¡®I really need to thank you" As he thought of this, he looked at that clearly unusual car No.16.Soon, a thought appeared in his mind. "Dad." He interrupted Mr.Wyance and asked. "Can you help me investigate who the owner of car N 0.16 is?" Although the Riddle family had been taken away, Shawn found himself a literal nemesis standing before him. Looking at Jared as he slowly closed in, his steps may look slow, but he very quickly arrived before Shawn.He did not even look at the former and instead walked toward Nicole. "Are you alright?" Just that back then at the Rogers family banquet, these people had never paid him any heed at all. Shawn''s face froze somewhat. Lyana saw that Jared was walking toward her, and she ignored the de on her throat as she eagerly called out to him. "Jared, I''m here!" She looked at him with anticipation, as if she was sure that Jared was here to save her and take her away. Yet Jared straight up ignored her as he walked forward and stretched his hand out light, smacking directly against Lyana''s neck, instantly knocking her out. Nicole then let go, and Lyana copsed onto the ground. Jared gave her a disgusted look before turning his eyes toward Nicole with a gleam in his eyes. "Are you hurt anywhere?" Nicole shook her head as she tossed the de in her hand away and put the small silver knife away. She then stepped across Lyana''s body.She titled her head slightly as she looked at Jared with a curious look. "Not leaving?" Chapter 466 Chapter 466 A smile appeared in Jared''s eyes as he looked at Nicole and stretched his hand out to hold hers tight before letting out a gentle "Yeah." Shawn was looking down at the handgun to his side, and when Nicole walked past him, she said. "I''d advise you to not move." Shawn immediately looked up at her. When he saw the two holding hands together, he clenched his fist yet the intent to fight back still lingered in his eyes. N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. When Nicole saw that expression, she knew that he did not understand her warning.She calmly looked at Jared before saying. "This whole ce is under watch now." Her eyes were cold, yet her words were spoken out of kindness. "Just look at your body.There''s an infra-redser already aiming at you.If you make a move, you''ll die." It only then did Shawn look at his body, and sure enough, there was a not-so-obvious red dot on the left side of his chest.He gave Nicole aplicated look before putting down his raised hand slightly. "Thank you." Nicole did not say anything. It was as if she had just said something very ordinary and did not care about the other party''s gratitude. She then took her two mobile phones from Shawn''s pocket and then walked away without even looking at him. Shawn looked at her and suddenly asked. "Nicole, did you go to Mount Morose when you were seven?" Nicole ignored him as she continued walking. The men in ck did not dare to move after hearing what she said, and no one dared to stop the two. Yet a blizzard formed between Jared''s eyes as he looked on with a half-smile at Shawn, seemingly unhappy with thetter''s snooping. Nicole''s attention was however on the factory door that was blown open.She nced helplessly at the man beside her and said faintly. "Use a smaller explosive next time." If it were not for the factory being decently built and renovated, such an explosion might have very well brought the entire building down. When he heard her saying that, Jared immediately looked at her, with both warmth and a smile in his eyes. He then blinked at Nicole but did not say anything else.He of course knew that he knew he should be using a smaller explosive, but he was in such a rush just now that he could not be bothered to change and just used the one that he was most familiar with. But all these, he will never tell Nicole. The two walked out together, and Nicole, after observing the location of this factory, realized that it was in the suburbs and was not too far away from San Joto. "How did you find me?" Jared pointed to Zeke, who was waiting at them. He was hiding behind a rock, and seeing the two were safe, he rushed to them.He had used Jared''s GPS system to look for Nicole. It was fast and took just mere minutes. Having said that, Zeke looked at the unscathed Nicole, his eyes were flushed with worry. "Nicole, you really scared the hell out of me.How did you get kidnapped when you are that skilled in fighting?" Nicole looked at him and smiled. She did not say much but instead looked at Jared. When he nodded back at her, she was finally relieved. ¡®It seems like they are safe now" Nicole then looked at the man''s handsome eyes as she sincerely said. "Thank you." Chapter 467 Chapter 467 Jared did not say much as he looked at Nicole and took out his walkie-talkie and growled. "Take them all out." us received the order. As he looked at the surrounded factory, his eyes turned icy as he made a gesture to charge. ¡®These people dare toy their hands on Nicole. Let''s see what Boss has to say about that!¡¯ ¡®It''s time to teach this uppity Rogers family another lesson. Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org. They would need to properly teach these groups of people how to behave!¡¯ Soon, a series of wails and cries rang out from behind. Jared smiled deeply and as he looked at the youngdy before him, he made an inviting gesture to her. "Come, I''ll send you back." "At the same time, Mr.Riddle Sr.sat on Mr.Johnston Sr"s car as they returned to the Riddle family manor.He wanted to invite Mr.Johnston Sr.into the house but was politely refused by thetter. "There will be other opportunities."Mr.Johnston Sr.said, with deep meaning. Mr.Riddle Sr.was a little confused as he gritted his teeth and asked the question that had been guing him for a while. "Maximilian, we''ve not been in touch for the past two years.What happened that you woulde over to rescue us from this predicament?" ¡®Could the Riddle family have something that would have Mr.Johnston Sr.take it so seriously?! This really surprised him. Mr.Riddle Sr did not panic. With the gulf between the Riddle and the Johnston family, if they could garner the favor of the Johnston family, it would be a leg up for them. Mr.Johnston. Sr.looked at Mr.Riddle Sr.as a smile slowly appeared on his previously stern-looking face.He did not say much, and only left a sentence before driving off. "Benjamin, you have a good granddaughter."Mr.Riddle Sr.was instantly stunned. ''Could it be that Mr.Johnston Sr.is here because of Nicole and Jared''s betrothal?'' But for the matter of this betrothal, although he had always supposed Nicole, Mr.Johnston Sr.had made n o indication of it, and in the past few days, he had heard that Jared hade to the manor to get Nicole t o break it off. ¡®So why did Mr.Johnston Sr.save us at this very critical moment?'' ¡®What is going on?'' Recalling that Nicole and Jared were indeed close. '' Could it be.." Mr.Riddle Sr.was more and more puzzled. He was helped by Daniel and Damien, yet he was still pondering on the matter as they entered the door. Seeing his father like this, Damien asked, "Dad, what did Mr.Johnston Sr.tell you just now? You look so puzzled." Mr.Riddle Sr.only gave him a nce and did not say anything.He walked to his seat in the hall and looked at his sons and daughters-inw as he sighed. "We can consider ourselves fortunate for someone from the Johnston family to save us.Otherwise, Christo Rogers will not have let us go so easily." Everyone looked at each other and nodded in agreement. Looking at the many guard posts in the manor that had popped up, Mr.Riddle Sr was much more at ease. Gradually, he calmed down from the shock he had gone through earlier as a thought immediately urred in his mind.He swept his gaze across everyone present and asked. "Where did Dillon go? Why is he not here?" A glint appeared in Damien''s eyes. He had already noticed Dillon''s absence since the beginning. At the thought of this, he squinted a little as he asked. "Dad, who asked you to go to the Rogers family manor?" Chapter 468 Chapter 468 Mr.Riddle Sr.pondered for a bit before saying, "If I recall, it was the youngdy of the Rogers family who asked us to go over, and there was no mention of Christo Rogers back then." Dexter too, frowned as he added. "Yes, it was Dillon.Dillon told me that you went to the Rogers family manor and asked me to head there too." Daniel nodded as well. "Yes, it was the same for me as well." At that time, he too was perplexed as to why Dillon, who had always looked down upon him, was smiling and talking to him. By the looks of things, it was a conspiracy! Damien looked at Mr.Riddle Sr, and a cold glint appeared in his eyes. "I was also called over by Dillon.It seems like he was nning this all along!" Just as everyone was in the hall, Snow and Raine, who were upstairs, walked down holding hands in surprise. When they did not see Nicole among the crowd, Snow let out a satisfied smile. ¡®It seems like Lyana is quite reliable" Raine''s expression was a little unnatural.She looked a t her uncles and her grandfather, feeling that her hands and legs felt unsteady. Seeing the twoing down, Mr.Riddle Sr.immediately questioned them. "Snow, Raine, where are your parents?" Snow''s expression did not change much as she let out a soft yawn before saying, "Grandpa, I heard that my mum said she wanted to go shopping before I arrived.Judging by the time, they should be back soon." Raine looked nervously at Mr.Riddle Sr.as she asked softly, "Grandpa, where did all of you go? Why didn''t we see any of you here when we arrived?" Mr.Riddle Sr.looked at Raine.His face no longer had his usual gentleness but instead rather stern. "We were held hostage by Christo Rogers at his manor and almost had dangered our lives." "WHAT?! Both Snow and Raine looked at each other, and they were extremely shocked. ¡®My deal with Lyana was for her to hold the Riddle family at bay and to allow the people from the Rogers to get their hands on the elusive Nicole! '' ¡®But now, Grandpa said that his life was almost in danger.." ¡®What was going on?!'' Damien looked at the sisters and let out a cold sneer. He then slowly said, "No need to doubt, we were almost done for at the Rogers family manor.So, we want to know what the role two of you, who were their messengers, yed in all this!" Both Snow and Raine were taken aback and could not find the words to speak. At this very moment, the Riddle family''s manor was opened as the sound of Karen humming came through.She was in a good mood as she talked andughed with Dillon, as if something good had happened. Both Karen and Dillon were very happy to be able to get rid of Nicole, and their ns could be called perfect. Since Preston would not help them to lure Nicole somewhere, they could use Lyana''s influence to forcibly deal with Nicole and also gain her favor. It was killing two birds with one stone! The two of them were impressed by their intelligence that they happily went shopping and did not bother t o cover their tracks at all. ¡®With everyone else brought to the Rogers family manor, and only the two of them were missing, did that not tell him something?! Mr.Riddle Sr.looked at the two of them, with frost forming in his eyes as he coldly asked. "Where did the two of you go?" Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org. It only then did Karen and Dillon realize what was going on.They looked at each other and could clearly hear the chill in Mr.Riddle Sr"s voice. Chapter 469 Chapter 469 Dillon replied cautiously, "We went shopping and just only got home.What''s the matter, Dad?" ¡®Why was everyone looking at him with such bitter resentment?! ''Lyana should have only just invited them over for a meal" Damien let out a sneer as he looked at Dillon. Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org. "Shopping? You were in the mood to shop? Did you know you almost got all of us killed just now?!" Karen''s eyes widened in irritation as she heard that, she turned to Damien as said, "Don''t you dare use me, Damien.We were only passing on what Lyana was asking.You can''t be trying to me her, right?" When Dexter heard that, he could not hold back any longer. "Lyana? What Lyana? We were dealing with Christo Rogers, Mr.Rogers Sr.there! He even surrounded us with his bodyguards and when we tried to leave, they were about to draw their weapons!" When Karen heard that, she pursed her lips in disbelief. "Stop jesting.Why would Mr.Riddle Sr.do that to you? And if he really wanted to do that, how are all of you back here?" Seeing that she was still being stubborn, Mr.Riddle Sr.said coldly, "It was the Johnston family who bailed u s out.The two of you bettere clean on this.Was this your doing?!" Both Karen and Dillon''s eyes widened as they heard the Johnston family being mentioned and could not say anything for a time. Snow was still trying to argue, "Grandpa, we were just messengers and did not know anything else.If you want to know the truth of the matter, you should be asking that Lyana Rogers." She was sure that the Riddle family would not dare to look for trouble with the Rogers family, so she pushed everything onto Lyana. This was their strategy from the very beginning. When Dillon and Karen heard what their daughter said, they immediately nodded as they added. "Yes, Dad, we only heard that Lyana wanted to look for you, so that''s why we asked you to go to the Rogers family manor.We don''t know anything else!" When Mr.Riddle Sr.heard their words, he was a little unsure in his mind. After all, this was his son, and he did not believe that Dillon would really throw the entire family into the fire pit. But at this instant, a cold yet beautiful voice came from the door. "Is that so?" When Dillon and his family heard the voice, they were all stunned. There was no other reason than it was the voice of Nicole, whom they thought had been dealt with. ¡®Why is she back here?'' Nicole slowly walked in front of everyone, and when she looked at the shocked faces of Dillon and the others, she slowly let out a chilling smile. "Uncle Dillon, Snow, you lot seemed quite surprised to see me." Dillon had no other expression other than shock, yet when Snow saw Nicole, who was totally unscathed, she shrieked. "Why are you unscathed! Lyana had taken you away!" When she said that, everyone''s expression changed. Nicole, too let out a cold sneer as she faintly said, "It seems like you''re very disappointed that I''m unscathed." Snow looked at Nicole before her and btedly closed her mouth.She had even warned Raine not to let things slip, and here she was slipping up the moment she saw Nicole. Daniel and Gloria quickly grasped what Snow had meant. ''This girl had sent my daughter to Lyana, who had long disliked and wanted to finish off Nicole!" Chapter 470 Chapter 470 Daniel no longer kept up any appearance as he asked coldly, "Snow, what did you do to Nicole? Did all of you conspire with the Rogers family to purposefully do us harm?" Both Damien and Dexter looked at Dillon. Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org. The two of them, too, had experienced that horrific experience earlier. How can they show any goodwill to the culprit? Dillon red at Snow, and just as he wanted to say something to remedy the situation, he found himself tongue-tied. ¡®What''s the reason that the Rogers family wouldy their hands on the Riddle family?" His father and brothers had no reason to lie to him, so Dillon could not figure out what went wrong and how things had turned out like this. ''They even got the Johnston family involved, on the Riddle family''s side even!'' Mr.Riddle Sr.quickly realized what Dillon and his family were nning and immediately cast a nce a t them with a look of disappointment in his eyes. Although this son of his was not really useful, he had never given up on him. He even gave the letter a rather cozy position in thepany. ''Yet this is how he repays me? This is how he repays the Riddle family?" Nicole looked at her parents. She did not want to let them know about her kidnapping, but even when she did not say it, a voice rang out behind her, with a somewhat indifferent coldness to it. "Compared to you lot, Nicole was straight-up kidnapped by the Rogers and encountered an even greater danger." Snow and Raine looked over in surprise as a very handsome man appeared before them.His face was so beautiful it was as if he was spring incarnate. Handsome and gorgeous. Nicole turned to look at him and was a little surprised. "Why did youe in here?" Jared had sent her back to the Riddle family manor many times, yet this was the first time he had stepped into the ce. Snow and Raine looked at Jared standing opposite them, and they very quickly recognized that he was Nicole''s extremely influential fianc¨¦! Raine looked at the two and sneered at them. "Mr.Johnston, this is the Riddle family''s private matter.Please do not run your mouth if you don''t know anything? What danger did Nicole encounter? She did not even say it herself, so who are you trying to fool here?" When Nicole heard her insult Jared like that, a hard-to -coveal chill appeared in her eyes. Yet Damien and Dillon had already recognized that he was the same man that even Lyana dared not be presumptuous too.Just as the atmosphere was very tense, a particrly excited voice came from the door. "Mr.Johnston, are you here to see me?" It was a rare visit back to the Riddle family manor, and Chloe did not expect to see Jared again after so long. She immediately walked over and gave Jared a bashful yet dignified smile before saying, "Mr.Johnston, it has been a while since Nottingbrook." When everyone heard Chloe call him like that, everyone was taken aback. "Did Chloe know Jared?" ¡®And they have met in Nottingbrook before?'' Everyone was still looking at Jared in shock.They did not understand why Mr.Johnston Sr.had saved them, but seeing that Jared was now here as well, it looked like his rtionship with Nicole was not that simple, and did he also know Chloe as well? Jared did not look at Chloe before him as he stood by Nicole''s side and gently grasped her hand. He then looked up with an indescribable authority within his deep eyes. Chapter 471 Chapter 471 Nicole then heard him calmly speaking to Mr.Riddle Sr. "The reason I''m here today is to make it clear to the Riddle family." "If you lot cannot protect Nicole, I won''t hesitate to take her away." His eyes were impassive, yet just by standing there, it was as if an invisible pressure piling upon everyone''s head, causing them to inexplicably feel like they were suffocating. When Chloe saw this, a strange look appeared in her eyes. Jared looked faintly at Dillon and his family. His voice was calm, yet when a chill came upon them when they heard his words. "Mr.Riddle.Sr.if there is someone that you find difficult to teach a lesson to, allow me then." How could Mr.Riddle Sr.not grasp the hidden meaning behind Jared''s words? As he looked at Nicole, whose face bore little expression, he realized that he had been too soft all this while, that he allowed Dillon and his family to take advantage and overstepped their boundaries. Seeing the two standing before him, he finally understood what Mr.Johnston Sr.had meant. Here he was still foolishly trying to groom Nicole to b e worthy of Jared, yet by the looks of things, the two of them had already secretly had feelings for one another. Seeing how protective Jared was toward Nicole, it would be difficult for things to resolve unless he provided a response. After all, they were saved by Mr.Johnston Sr., and all of that was because of Nicole.He could not continue defending Dillon anymore with good conscience. As he thought of that, Mr.Riddle Sr.walked toward Dillon and smacked thetter with his walking stick. Dillon immediately fell to the ground. His face twisting and contorting because of the severe pain, with a perplexed look still on his face. "Dad, what are you doing?!" This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org. Mr.Riddle Sr.did not say anything as the walking stick in his handnded on Dillon again and again, each blownding with full strength. "Dad, stop, please! Ahhh!" Dillon begged for mercy, but Mr.Riddle Sr"s beating got even more brutal. Dillon rolled on the floor in pain, and soon bruises appeared all over his body as he screamed. Karen was very distressed when she saw Dillon suffer like that. She immediately looked at Damien and Dexter as she yelled. "Damien, Dexter, stop Dad! He''s going to kill Dillon!" Both Damien and Dexter looked at Dillon before them, but neither of them moved. They were lucky this time. If they were to allow Dillon to bring harm to them again, they dare not imagine what would happen next time. Seeing that they were keen to simply just stand and watch, Karen gritted her teeth in anger, but there was nothing she could do. Snow and Raine were so frightened they were hugging each other, refusing to look at that cruel scene. Yet, the thud of the walking stick beating on Dillon and his wailing still reached their ears. They gave Nicole a resentful look, but they caught Jared''s impassive gaze, and they immediately looked away in fear. Mr.Riddle Sr.had only just recovered, and he had used all of his strength to beat Dillon dozens of times. Soon he was panting, but yet he gritted his teeth as he continued to beat thetter with undiminished strength. When Nicole saw him struggling, she frowned and said coldly, "Enough." Mr.Riddle Sr.looked at Jared, and upon seeing thetter''s expression was still impassive, he lifted his stick to continue the beating. Nicole gave Jared a helpless look.It was not that she was sympathetic to Dillon, but Mr.Riddle Sr.had, after all, treated her well, and she did not wish to watch him struggle like that. Chapter 472 Chapter 472 Jared understood her intent as he grabbed her hand and slowly said. "Enough." Mr.Riddle Sr.continued to beat Dillon a couple more times before putting down his stick. Seeing that the former was a little winded, Daniel immediately stepped forward to help him. After learning that the Rogers family had kidnapped Nicole, Daniel felt no guilt about Dillon receiving that beating. "How can I allow you lot to bully my daughter that I finally found after so long!'' Mr.Riddle Sr.looked at Jared. Since he had already done what he did, Jared should know very well where he stood on this matter. Indeed, Jared did not make things difficult for the old man as he nced at Snow and Raine before walking out with Nicole without saying a word to anyone else. When Chloe saw the two walking past her like that, and Jared not even giving her a nce, she bit her lips in humiliation and wanted to stop Jared. "Mr.Johnston, you..." Before she could even finish, Jared had already stepped out of the Riddle family manor''s door.He did not leave straight away but instead brought Nicole to look at the security outposts the Johnston family had setup up across the manor. This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org. Jared did not say much, and once they were done inspecting and returned to the main gate, Nicole looked at him. When she saw that he was still looking at her using a side nce, she felt tickled as she said. "Don''t worry, there won''t be the next time." It then did Jared turn to look at her. The storm between his eyes had yet to fade away, and his expression was cold and serious when he looked at her. "Don''t allow yourself to fall into such danger.You''re lucky I was in time this time; things might be very different the next time." Nicole knew that he was just worried about her, so she nodded.She had rarely allowed herself to be on the back foot, but this time, she had indeed been negligent. Jared gave her one final nce before finally leaving the Riddle family manor. When Nicole slowly walked back, she noticed that everyone was looking at her with a rather strange look.Her expression did not change.She ignored the furious gaze of Dillon and his family as she went straight to Mr.Riddle Sr.and Daniel. "Grandpa, Mom, Dad, are you alright?" Mr.Riddle Sr.looked at Nicole as he sighed and said softly. "Good girl, Grandpa''s fine." Daniel and Gloria, too, indicated that they were fine. Gloria directly hugged Nicole to check on her and was only relieved after discovering thetter did not suffer any injuries. Nicole allowed her mother to check on her, and when she noticed her father''s hesitating look, she helplessly said. "Dad, just ask what you want to ask." Seeing that his daughter had seen through his intention, Daniel asked somewhat embarrassedly. "Nicole...what''s your rtionship with Mr.Johnston...? He had thought that his girl would be slightly bashful, but instead, Nicole replied almost nonchntly. "We are just...friends." She paused for a bit and felt that friends best suited their current rtionship. After all...neither of them had deliberately made clear the rtionship between them, and she did not want to be too presumptuous. Hearing her say, Chloe gave her a dismissive snort. "If he is just a friend, why would he move mountains and rivers just for you?" Chapter 473 Chapter 473 Nicole gave her a chilly nce, her voice impassive. "Up to you to believe it or not." When Chloe heard her seemingly provocative words, she was so pissed off that she immediately stood up and pointed at Nicole. "Don''t be so full of yourself so soon! Even if the two of you have something on, it''s impossible for Mr.Johnston to be serious toward you.Just you wait for the day of you being dumped toe!" Nicole could not be bothered to respond, but Mr.Riddle Sr.violently mmed his walking stick as he yelled. "Chloe, shut your mouth!" It only then did Chloe reluctantly shut her mouth, but her gaze toward Nicole stil] had resentment in it. After seeing Jared''s unusual treatment of Nicole, Chloe''s mental state was out of sorts. Both Damien and Dexter looked at Nicole and did not expect her to really gain the favor of the Johnston family. By the looks of things, they are close enough that Jared woulde to the Riddle family manor to support Nicole. ¡®How could we dare to displease her in the future?'' Mr.Riddle Sr.pondered for a moment before finally asking Nicole a rather strange question. This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org. "Nicole, your Uncle Dillon seemed to have looked for Lyana to hold us back.How did it be Christo in the end? Without the intervention of the Johnston family, we might not have walked out of that ce." Nicole looked at Mr.Riddle Sr..Her eyes were calm as she answered. "Christo Rogers wanted to get a special medicine from me.He probably got word of Lyana and Dillon''s ns, so he got Shawn to hijack the n.On the one hand, he told Lyana that he would help her detain you guys, but in reality, he wanted to use your safety as leverage against me." ¡®So that''s the reason" Both Damien and Dexter wanted to say something, but thinking that Nicole had inexplicably cured Mr.Riddle Sr.and had also allowed him to recover too easily, she might really have some special medicine on her. ¡®This Nicole has too many secrets on her" Snow and Raine stood back to a corner, together with Karen, helped the whipped Dillon up. After what Jared had said, their family hadpletely lost their ce i n the Riddle family and could, at the moment, only stand in the distance and not even sit. Mr.Riddle Sr.looked at them as his voice was seething with an icy chill. "Snow, get ready to go overseas once the exam is over!" This was an exile in disguise. Snow''s expression immediately changed as she looked at Mr.Riddle Sr.and pleaded. "Grandpa, I don''t want to go overseas.Please allow m e to stay and tend to you!" Mr.Riddle Sr"s expression did not change as he said, "I''ve already given you a chance, yet you dared toy your hands on your own family members.So, separation is probably for the best." Snow could sense the faint loving intent in Mr.Riddle Sr"s words. Thinking of Harvey, she gritted her teeth and said, "Grandpa, I still need to go to a banquet with Harvey.You can''t send me away just like that.I promise, there won''t be the next time!" Raine, too, chimed in, "Yes, Grandpa, Snow was just led astray.Mr.Johnston has already warned us, so please give us one more chance!" Mr.Riddle Sr.looked at Nicole.He was indeed hesitating, and Nicole could tell that he found it hard t o find the words. She gave Snow and Raine a casual nce and said nothing. It only then did Mr.Riddle Sr.finally say, "This is your final chance, Snow.If there is a next time, I''ll send you away, no matter what." Snow immediately nodded as she assisted Karen in helping Dillon up. Raine followed behind the three of them as they returned to their floor. When she got up to the second floor, Snow''s expression immediately changed. She pretended to be looking at Nicole, and when she saw the indignity her family had suffered, a raging hatred roiled within her. Chapter 474 Chapter 474 Although the Riddle family was turned upside yesterday, the exam was on the next day. Nicole and her brothers, and everyone else hade t o school earlier. The moment Nicole walked into the ssroom, she saw her trashed desk in the midst of the clean and tidy ssroom. An icy gleam shed across her eyes as she coldly swept her gaze upon the people around her as she picked her desk back up. As she looked at her books on the floor, her eyes turned even colder. Even though her voice was not loud at all, it sent a chill down everyone''s spine. "Who did that?" No one answered. Vivian then irritably spat, "Can you keep quiet? Can''t you see everyone is revising?" Vivian looked at the mess before her with some glee. Lulu then whispered, "Vivian started it first, then a few others came to step on your books. We could not stop them in time." Nicole nodded as she walked toward Vivian with an impassive face before tossing thetter''s books into the ground and pulling her up by grabbing her hair. Vivian did not expect Nicole to dare toy her hands o n her. The pain on her scalp almost forced her tears out. She tried to pull away Nicole''s hand as she screamed. "Nicole, are you insane? What are you doing?!" Nicole''s face remained expressionless. She looked impassively at Vivian''s face as she kicked her desk over. A phone then fell out of it, the screen shattering as it lit up. "What am I doing?" Vivian stared at Nicole; thetter''s eyes were so cold that they could seemingly freeze her over. That made Vivian shrank in fear. Nicole looked at Vivian as she dragged thetter toward the ss window and pressed her directly against the opened window. As she looked at Vivian''s struggling face, she domineeringly said. "Look at the scenery down there." Vivian fearfully looked at Nicole. This was the fifth floor, and Nicole had pressed half her body out of the window. With a slight turn of her head, she could see the hard cement floor and the green belt down below. All of her upper body weight was held by Nicole''s hand grabbing onto her hair. ¡®What scenery? This Nicole is straight-up insane!'' Vivian dared not struggle any longer. Her strength against Nicole was like an ant trying to shake a tree. She was more worried that Nicole would let go and she would just die there and then. Sensing the emptiness behind her back and the pain from her hair being pulled, Vivian started crying.She really regretted listening to Harvey and provoking Nicole like this. Vivian''s eyes were red from crying as she screamed with a frightened voice, "It''s my fault, Nicole.I''m sorry! Please let me go!" When everyone saw this scene, they fell silent for a moment. Gary looked at Nicole and frowned disapprovingly. Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org. Nicole heard Vivian''s pleas, and she tilted her head a little. The chill on her face was still there, and her delicate face looked extremely indifferent under the sunlight. Vivian could feel Nicole''s fingers slowly letting go of her hair. Her voice was already hoarse from her screaming, yet Nicole remained unmoved. She finally let go of her hand, grabbing onto Vivian''s hair, and just as thetter truly fell into despair, Nicole grabbed her cor and pulled her back at the veryst minute. Out of danger, Vivian immediately squatted down as she trembled and breathed heavily, unable to even cry. ¡®I''m...I''m still alive!'' Nicole simply just stood there as she looked at Vivian before her. Her eyes were emotionless as she whispered a question. Chapter 475 Chapter 475 "Was the view nice?" Vivian simply just nodded as she curled up and dared not look Nicole in the eyes. Nicole looked at everyone in ss B before casting her gaze back onto Vivian. "Next time, every time you provoke me, I''ll take you for a scenic ride like today." Her words were spoken slowly, yet there was an unbridled coldness to them. "You hear me?" Vivian knew she was not joking and immediately nodded.She was like a frightened rabbit that had finally realized the difference between her and the raptor above and dared not make any provocations. Nicole did not say much else as she turned around and walked to her seat. No one else dared to say a word.It was almost an exam already. They knew nothing about this. Vivian gritted her teeth, and she quickly got up and ran out of the ssroom, telling Ms. Emerson that she was going to take her papers to ss A. N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. Ms.Emerson was a little surprised, but she did not ask much. After all, the papers were the same, and each ss had its invigtor, so it was the same no matter where they took their papers. Vivian nodded. When she recalled that terrifying scene again, she closed her eyes. She still dared not go back to ss for now, and she dared not face Nicole. Everyone in ss B was trying to memorize the forms in the book when they still had time. No one went to ask where Vivian went to, as if that scene had never happened. Lulu and June were quickly going through their books, while Bradley took some time to look at Nicole and found her actually having a book out as she flipped through. Bradley looked somewhat surprised. "Nicole, you''ve done your revision?" ¡®And here I thought she will definitely not revise!'' Nicole gave him a nce and said, "Yeah, just did." Bradley gave her a surprised look as he then whispered, "Nicole, the questions this time is done by Mr.Hancock from the next door Northon Institute, that same Mr.Hancock who did the Math Olympiad questions! You know how difficult his questions were, right? It''s literally inhumane!" Nicole recalled the Math Olympiad questions she did back then, and the corners of her lips raised a little. "That sounds quite interesting then." Jack''s snort soon came from beside her. "Nicole, continue to boast then.The results will be out soon, and I''m interested to see what your grade is like." Jack''s voice was quite loud, and a few people looked over. Upon seeing Nicole''s expressionless face, however, they quickly looked away. It was almost time for the exam. They had no need to waste their time on Nicole. Thinking of what she said, where she could not be bothered with them putting in all their efforts, a surge of dissatisfaction appeared in their eyes. At the same time, a tinge of fear appeared as well. It was finally time, and the teacher had distributed the test papers. Everyone put away all of the reference materials in their hands as they started to confidently answer the question. Yet, when they got to the end, their expression gradually became one of consternation. By the time everyone got out of the exam hall, most o f them were in a daze. ¡®What is this? Why is it so different from what we have revised?!'' Chapter 476 Chapter 476 Vivian walked outside.Her eyes were still slightly red, but her emotions had calmed down a lot. When she saw Nicole''s empty seat, Vivian frowned a little. ''Where did Nicole go to?¡¯ ¡®The exam was so difficult. Could she have handled it early like she did during the Math Olympiad?'' But she had to say, perhaps because of the stimuli earlier, she did well in this exam. If nothing went wrong, she should be able to get top three in the entire grade. Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org. Thinking of this, her mood was finally better. However, when she walked to the side of her seat as she looked at Oliver, who was sitting there, and asked coldly. "Where is Nicole?" Oliver looked at her reddened eyes. This was the first time Vivian had spoken to him after he snitched on her to Ms. Emerson, and he said somewhat excitedly. "Vivian, I''ve put your table back. Were you frightened just now? I saw you ran out just like that and could not console you..." Vivian had no patience to listen to all that as she nced coldly at Oliver and impatiently asked him once again. "I''m asking you, where is Nicole?!" Oliver was cut off midway, and he paused for a moment before saying, "After the exam, Ms.Emerson took Gary and Nicole to the hall to participate in the Math Olympiad''s awards ceremony. ¡®The awards ceremony?" ¡®What''s the point of Nicole going there?'' ''What? Could she even win a prize?'' Thinking of what happened this morning, a look of hatred appeared in Vivian''s eyes. Many ssmates came over to console Vivian. They dared not stand up for Vivian when Nicole was dealing with her, but now as if they had amon enemy with Vivian, they whispered to her. "That Nicole was gone overboard.What do we do if something really happened just now?" "Yeah, and she''s attending the Math Olympiad awards ceremony? What''s she''s hoping to get, the prize forst ce?" "Let''s go and have a look.I heard that the province''s big shots, Mr.Wyance, will be here too.I''ve not seen him in person before." "I only heard my parents mention him before.If I knew he was the one giving out the prize, I would''ve joined the Math Olympiad even if it cost me revision time." Many were extremely envious of Nicole''s luck, and seeing how green with envy they were, Vivian suggested. "How about we go have a look at the awards ceremony?" Many of their ssmates immediately agreed as Vivian led the group toward the hall. They were quite excited, and their pace was faster than usual. When they stepped into the hall, Mr.Wyance was in the midst of delivering his speech. His face was gentle with a trace of genial elegance and also the authority and prestige of holding a high position for a long time. The front row had been filled, so everyone looked for empty seats at the back of the hall. When they looked a t Mr.Wyance, there was a look of deep yearning in their eyes. Mr.Wyance spoke unhurriedly. Beside him were a few school directors of the Royal Creek Institute. Mr.Ellison and Mr.Anderson were naturally among them. The reason the awards ceremony was held in the Royal Creek Institute was also because of Mr.Ellison. Chapter 477 Chapter 477 Many of the students from the neighboring Northon Institute and other schools across San Joto, too, were looking at Mr.Wyance. Mr.Anderson sat proudly not too far away from Mr.Wyance, feeling that his status had increased by leaps and bounds. He did not see Nicole, who was said to have f participated in this Math Olympiad, and he was literally very disdainful of her. In his heart, Nicole probably did not even make the passing grade. Thinking of this, he let out a cold sneer. Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org. He was now sitting so obviously on the stage. If Nicole was here, she would definitely see him and be very regretful. Mr.Wyance had finished his speech and motioned for the awards ceremony tomence. Mr.Ellison led the apud, and the atmosphere on top and below the stage was very enthusiastic. Raine turned to speak to Gary sitting beside her, "This is the first time I''ve seen Mr.Wyance.I never thought that he looked like this." Mr.Wyance had a lot of connections in the province, and it was said that he was already running to be the next governor, so no one in San Joto dared to look down on him and were even trying to form rtionships with him long before he took office. Gary did not say anything. He was taken to meet Mr.Wyance a few times by his elder brother, but he had never had a chance to speak with thetter. Raine looked at Nicole on the other side with a look of disgust in her eyes. ¡®Nicole is actually acting so calm.Back then, Mr.Anderson up there said that he wanted to take her to see Mr.Wyance, and she refused him.She really doesn''t know her ce" Thinking of this, she gave Nicole a cold nce before turning away. On where ss A was seated, Norah was still staring a t Nicole. She had not gone home for so many days. ¡®If Nicole fails in both her exam and Math Olympiads, then Mom and Dad will realize that only she is worthy of being their daughter.If Nicole were to humiliate herself like that, even if Mom and Dad were unwilling, Uncle Damien and the others will probably still chase her out!'' Thinking of this, Norah was excited and wished that the results had been announced sooner. As she looked up, Mr.Wyance had returned to his seat, and the ceremony officially began. The Math Olympiad awards ceremony always started with the excellence award, and there were ten winners. After that, it was the third-ss award with six winners, second -ss awards with three people, and the first- ss award, and first ce in the Math Olympiad with one person. The host called out the names of the winners of the excellence award. Vivian was listening intently as she thought no matter how good Nicole was, she could only appear on the excellence award list. When thest of the names were announced, and Nicole''s name was not there, Norah let out a sigh of relief as a mocking smile appeared on her face. Like her, the students of ss B were equally disdainful. They knew Nicole was just spouting nonsense when she said that the questions were not difficult. They had never thought that Nicole could even get the excellence award. Nicole was seated in front with Ms. Emerson and Gary, and beside them were Mr.Kennedy, Raine, and Noah. All of them were thinking the same as the rest, and when Nicole''s name was not once on the excellence award list, Raine let out a sigh of relief. It really scared her when Nicole handed in the paper s o early. She was really worried that Nicole would get good results. But now, it looked like Nicole was just talking big again! ''If she can''t get the excellence awards, then the higher awards must be beyond her reach" Thinking of this, she looked at Nicole, who still wore a n impassive look. She then used a tone that only a few could hear as she said. "You''re not on the excellence award list, Nicole.Weren''t you saying that the questions were simple? It seems like you''ve no luck in winning anything in this Math Olympiad!" Gary, sitting by her side, looked at Nicole. He, too, though that no matter how good Nicole did, she was a t the level of the back end of the excellence award. Now that she was not on the award list, a look of deep disappointment appeared in his eyes. Chapter 478 Chapter 478 Gary had originally thought that Nicole would surprise him and win the excellence award. But now, perhaps Nicole was like what he saw and barely did a few questions. ''And she dared to say that Mr.Hancock''s questions were not difficult?'' ''I''m just speechless" Gary was extremely disappointed in Nicole and no longer wanted to look at her as he focused on the awards ceremony before him. When Raine saw Gary, she finally felt better. ¡®Only an excellentdy like me is fit for Gary!'' At this moment, Mr.Kennedy smiled at Ms.Emerson beside him. "Ms.Emerson, why did you even bring Nicole to attend this awards ceremony? You''re just humiliating yourself!" Ms.Emerson did not even look at him as she focused her eyes on the stage, but a faint trace of concern appeared in her heart. Just as everyone was speaking, the students who won the excellence prize had already received their awards. Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org. Noah was among them, and he happily returned to Mr.Kennedy''s side as he was very satisfied with this award. Many noticed that the awards thus far were given out by the various school directors, but not Mr.Wyance. Many of the students from ss B stretched out to look at the award ceremony and were a little puzzled when Mr.Wyance had not handed out any awards yet. Norah was sitting by the side. Her eyes were calm, and as she looked at these ignorant folks, a look of disdain shed across her eyes. However, she still dutifully said. "Mr.Wyance will only present the award to the first ce." ¡®That is to say, only the first ce had the chance to meet Mr.Wyance!'' Everyone then realized it. Coming to think of it, with Mr.Wyance''s status and position, it stood to reason that only the best would be able to gain Mr.Wyance''s favor. However, they did not know who was the lucky one just yet. The host quickly called out the two dozen or so winners of the third-ss awards. Raine clenched her hands hard.She had seriously overestimated herself and could, at best, win a third- ss award. However, that was enough. After all, Nicole affected her so much that she, who was originally aiming for the second-ss award that she, ended up at this point. ¡®No matter what, I''m still better than that, Nicole!'' Sure enough, Raine''s name appeared on the second last of the third-ss awards. ''Since everyone all got the certificate for the third ss, and there were no specific results disyed, the third-ss award was more than enough" As she thought of that, Raine let out a satisfied smile a s she stood up and walked toward the stage. Mr.Kennedy let out a dissatisfied frown on the side. He looked at Raine and did not expect his favorite protege could only win a third-ss award. However, when he saw Nicole sitting on the side, he felt much better. ¡®Heh, no matter what, two of my students won an award and have done the school proud.But this Nicole and Gary...Gary, it is hard to say...His Math Olympiad results seem to be not bad, but Nicole is a straight-up grifter, and she dared to make a bet with me! Winning now doesn''t mean anything, really!'' ¡®Nicole at most can no longer participate in the Math Olympiad if she loses.That''s way too easy on her.I should''ve asked her to drop out of school directly!'' As he thought of this, Mr.Kennedy nced at Nicole with a sneering look, as if victory was already his. Chapter 479 Chapter 479 He turned around and looked at Ms.Emerson as he let out a soft snort. His voice was quite loud. "Sigh, Raine sure disappointed me.She was one to aim for a second -ss award, but it must be her mental state.Well, she''s now only with a third-ss award." Ms.Emerson did not look at him. A teacher from the Northon Institute nced at him but did not say anything. However, another teacher to the sideplimented him with envy upon hearing that. "I never thought you were that brilliant, sir.I''m already so happy that my student got the excellence award.Yours here got the third-ss award.It''s incredible!" It was rare that Mr.Kennedy had someone tter him, so he nced at the young male teacher and somewhat bizarrely said, "No, no.I''m not as incredible as this Ms.Emerson here.Her students are aiming for something way beyond third ss.They are aiming straight for first ss.Youngsters these days are so impulsive, and they even betted with me if she did not win first ce, she would not participate in the Math Olympiad ever again.Tsk tsk, how interesting!" That teacher gave Ms. Emerson an odd look, with a tinge of disbelief on his face. ¡®The first-ss award? Isn''t that first ce?! ¡®That''s an award that Mr.Hancock''s students would take back every single time!'' ¡®This Ms.Emerson looks pretty young.It''s a bit too early to aim for first ce, no?'' That male teacher chatted casually with Mr.Kennedy for a while, ttering thetter all the way. After all, thetter was still a teacher at San Joto''s high school. He did not lose out on anything if he ttered one anyway. Ms.Emerson and the teacher from Northon Institute could not be bothered to entertain the two. Both of them were looking seriously at the award ceremony. The third -ss award had all been awarded, and what was next was the three-winner second-ss award! Raine returned to her seat, and as she looked at Nicole, she let out a cold snort. The host was preparing to announce the award list for the second-ss award, and Gary gradually became nervous. He hoped that his name would appear on the list of the second-ss award, but at the same time, h e hoped that his name does not appear on the list as well. He had the ambition to take first ce and also thought that he had the ability to do so! Many from ss B were looking at the screen as the name list of the winners announced by the host would be disyed to allow the students seated behind to see if they were on the award''s list. Both Jack and Wayne too nervously looked at the big screen. N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. They were well aware of the effort Gary had put into this and knew that he was aiming for first ce. Both of them silently prayed. Unfortunately for them, the first name the host announced for the second-ss award was Gary''s. The Math Olympiad did not announce the results, but instead, one would know who scored higher based on the order of them being called. The first person called for the second-ss award has the highest score, which also meant he was in second ce in this year''s Math Olympiad. Immediately after, he did not recognize the two names that were announced, and he thought they must be students from other schools, and they were the third and fourth ce in thispetition. Gary saw his name appearing on the screen, anda tinge of disappointment appeared in his eyes, followed by a strong sense of curiosity. He thought that he had lost no points aside from thest question, so he wondered how the first ce had performed since he was only in second ce. ¡®¡®If I did not make it.Then the first ce must be the students of Northon University''s Mr.Hancock" Chapter 480 Chapter 480 Gary stood up and took the stage to receive his award. Seeing that the second ce was a student from the Royal Creek Institute, Mr.Ellison stood up with great satisfaction as he personally presented the award to Gary and patted him on the shoulder in praise. "You did well." Gary thanked Mr.Ellison. When he looked at the person beside him, he was a little surprised to recognize the person as Mr.Hancock''s student, Clement Atlee! He had lost to thetter by just one point in thest Math Olympiad, so he had a deep impression of Clement, yet he did not expect thetter to be ranking behind him this time! Seeing that Gary was looking at him, Clement scratched his head somewhat embarrassedly as he said to the former, "I didn''t go around thest question and step straight on the trap.I got zilch for that one." His teacher was so furious that he got that question wrong and did not speak to him for a good while. Gary nodded to signal that he understood. Then did, h e slowly walk down the stage in a daze. ''If the first ce is not Clement Atlee, who is it then?" He sat back in his seat, and seeing his strange expression, Ms.Emerson whispered a few words of comfort and praise as well. ¡®For him to get second ce in the Math Olympiad, where the geniuses of the nationpeted against one another, it was already very good!'' Raine stared admiringly at Gary while Noah too, cast a n envious gaze at him.He, too, wanted to get second ce, but it seemed like Gary was still not satisfied after doing so well! Amidst everyone''s admiring gaze, Gary subconsciously looked at Nicole beside him. She was sitting on the other side of Ms.Emerson and was totally out of ce with the atmosphere here. The icy beauty always attracted wild thoughts, and Gary hesitated for a moment before walking toward Nicole. The young male teacher who chatted with Mr.Kennedy earlier noticed the conservation between Ms.Emerson and Gary, and his eyes widened in surprise. ¡®Could it be that what Mr.Kennedy was for real?! N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. '' This Ms.Emerson is actually a better teacher than him?'' He then thought Mr.Kennedy said that she had a student that was aiming for first ce. ''Gary is already at second ce, then does that not mean that the extremely beautiful female student next to Ms.Emerson is...Mr.Kennedy looked at Gary, who won second ce, with deep jealousy in his eyes.He did not expect Gary to be able to get second ce a tall. ¡®However, she only had Gary alone" Mr.Kennedy thought. ''Second ce is already Ms.Emerson''s limit, and there''s the freeloading Nicole who won nothing a tall. As Mr.Kennedy thought of this, he reluctantly epted this as he red at Noah and said coldly. "Enough, Ms.Emerson.Our students have all collected their prizes.We can leave now!" When Norah saw this, she could not help but feel gleeful. Ms.Emerson took a nce at Nicole and was worried that she would be hurt by Mr.Kennedy''s piercing sarcasm. Nicole, however, just calmly looked at the stage. Her expression was peaceful. Ms.Emerson, too was seemingly affected by her as she calmed down. She then nced at Mr.Kennedy as she said, "It''s not over, so I won''t be leaving yet.Go ahead first, Mr.Kennedy!" Chapter 481 Chapter 481 Mr.Kennedy snorted coldly at Ms.Emerson.He looked at Nicole with clear contempt. "Ms.Emerson, you seriously can''t be thinking that Nicole could win first ce and win her bet with me? Her grades are just that.It''s fine if she doesn''t participate in the Math Olympiad anymore.Let''s not waste our time here..." Nicole sat there quietly as if she had not heard him say anything.She then gave the bbering Mr.Kennedy an impassive nce. "Why, Mr.Kennedy? Are you afraid?" "Me? Afraid?" N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. Mr.Kennedy let out augh before sneering, "You sure are stubborn.Fine, we''ll wait with you!" He sat back confidently as he sneeringly looked at the big screen on the stage.He was somewhat impressed with Nicole''s psychological fortitude. ''She refuses to give up first ce that even Gary could not get!'' Mr.Kennedy looked at the stage impatiently, already thinking about how he would humiliate Nicole and Ms.Emerson when they went backter. ¡®I need to tell this to Ms.Thomson and get a reward!'' The host on the stage had taken a new card, and he handed it over to Sebastian Wyance, who had been waiting for a good while now as he smiled at the crowd below the stage. "Now it''s the time for the first -ss award! How about we get Mr.Wyance to announce the winner himself? Let me tell you a secret.The winner of the first-ss award this time is the only person who had gotten full marks in the history of the Hustuaburg Math Olympiad!" The crowd erupted in an uproar. ¡®Full marks with such difficult questions?" ¡®Is this person a robot?! The students of ss B were squeezing their way to where Gary was seated with Vivian in the lead.She wanted to be the first person from ss B to praise Gary; Jack and Wayne followed closely behind. Gary had brought glory to ss B, and they could not just leave him alone like that! Behind them were a few other students. All of them sincerely felt that Gary was just too awesome and did not expect him to win the second- ss award closest to first ce. The host then continued, ''''Then, let''s invite our beloved Mr.Wyance to announce the winner of the first- ss award!" Sebastian took the microphone from the host''s hand.He smilingly looked at the anticipating students below as he said, "The winner of first ce in this Math Olympiad is..." As he said that, Sebastian looked down at the card, and when he saw the name on the card, his pupils suddenly shuddered as he paused for a few seconds without speaking. When Mr.Ellison saw his reaction, the former quickly realized what was going on and let out a helpless sigh. ¡®So, this old coot saw the name, huh? ...in such a bombastic way, too." ¡®It''s just straight up unfair" A look of disbelief soon appeared in Sebastian''s eyes, but he quickly understood what was going on. When Merwin Monroe on the first row saw the look of surprise on the governor''s usually impassive face, he was also taken aback. ¡®It can''t be a coincidence, right?" Eric Anderson also noticed Sebastian''s bizarre reaction.He was seated close by, and his curiosity was literally wing at him.He thought that it was a difficult name that had stumped Sebastian, and he was wondering if he could provide Sebastian a good impression if he stood up to help. After a moment of hesitation, he finally stood up and got close to take a look at the name on the card. As soon as he saw the name, Eric felt a bolt of lightning striking him on the head. Chapter 482 Chapter 482 ¡®That was no difficult name to pronounce" He could clearly see that name out of twomon words. ¡®So, the reason Mr.Wyance paused is that.." As he thought of this, Eric was sweating profusely, and no matter how he wiped them, they did not seem to dry off. They were not only the ones shocked, and everyone in the Royal Creek Institute too noticed something was strange, but very soon, everyone finally saw Sebastian''s mouth move as he slowly read the name out. "Nicole Riddle." ¡®Huh? Nicole got first ce?¡¯ Everyone in ss B was stunned. ¡®WHAT?! ''What did Mr.Wyance just say?'' ¡®First ce? The first ce that we had imed could only belong to a robot is won by Nicole, the girl whom we had always looked down upon?!'' Mr.Kennedy''s sneering face froze as he opened his mouth in shock as he looked at the name that appeared on screen,pletely stunned. ¡®What''s going on? Am I hearing this? The first-ce winner is actually Nicole?!'' ¡®This got to be a joke!¡¯ Norah was alsopletely bbergasted.N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. She had been waiting to clown on Nicole, and now thetter got first ce?! Gary, who was walking toward Nicole, too stopped. The moment Sebastian announced her name, his expression instantly changed. ¡®Nicole Riddle, is this the Nicole I know?'' ¡®The first ce, the person who got the perfect score, the person who surpassed me, is Nicole, the person I thought to be talking big?!'' Recalling all that he had said to Nicole earlier as he thought that Nicole could not win this Math Olympiad bet without him, the ridicule he gave her when he saw her doing the questions, what was all that for? As he thought of that, Gary wanted to hide inside a hole. Sebastian had regained hisposure as his smiling voice soon echoed throughout the hall. "Miss Nicole Riddle, pleasee onto the stage to receive your award." Ms.Emerson had already recovered from her shock as she looked at Nicole and smiled gently. "Go and collect your award.Don''t waste time." Nicole nodded as she slowly got up and walked toward the stage.She did not do anything of note, yet there was an inexplicable edge to her person. Everyone looked at the person that had always been ridiculing and could not look away. Sebastian, too looked at Nicole, who was making his way to him, as a proud look appeared in his eyes. This precious diamond he found will eventually prove her worth in time. Nicole walked to the stage and did not even look at Eric as she gently nodded at Sebastian. Sebastian, too looked at Nicole standing before him. His voice was gentle and had a tinge of joy and care that was different from his distant official tone. "Nicole, long time no see." When he said that, he did not move the microphone away, and his voice was instantly broadcast to all of the audience present. Everyone looked at the two in shock. They did not expect Sebastian Wyance to personally know Nicole, and he was catching up with her in full view of everyone. ¡®What kind of rtionship do they have?'' Chapter 483 Chapter 483 Eric Anderson was totally dumbstruck, and Mr.Kennedy had frozen into a statue. ¡®Nicole actually knew Sebastian Wyance!'' Even Ms.Emerson was surprised at this scene.She did not know her student had such a background. Both Norah and Raine were even more shocked as their mouths were open agape. When they saw Sebastian treating Nicole so affectionately, they were very dumbfounded. ''Who is this person that we usually look down upon?¡¯ Gary''s hand clenched silently, and he was never clearer as to how foolish he was than now. He quietly walked back to his seat as he silently looked at Nicole, who was not too far away from him, with aplicated look in his eyes. Nicole gave Sebastian a helpless look. She clearly saw that he was speaking to her with the microphone close at hand, which meant that he deliberately wanted everyone to hear this.It made her speechless. "Long time no see, Mr.Wyance." Even the host was stunned by this scene as he did not know how to proceed next. This was originally a very official awards ceremony, and now it had be arge-scale family reunion of sorts. Moreover, Sebastian was the one who started that. ¡®How am I supposed to interrupt him?'' Fortunately, the youngdy was sensible enough as she pointed at the trophy in Sebastian''s hand and softly said, "I''m here for that." Sebastian finally realized he was here to hand out the award after the reminder. He cleared his throat and handed the trophy to Nicole. "This is the award given by the Olympiadmittee.I will give you my own awardter." As he said that, Sebastian blinked at Nicole. Her face was, however, bereft of any expression.She thanked him after receiving the award and turned around to leave. N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. ¡®I cannot ept the reward from him"she thought. Everyone saw that Nicole was not giving Sebastian Wyance any face, and the host too frowned. Although Sebastian Wyance did not follow the protocols of the awards ceremony, his status was stil] up there. ''Isn''t i t too much for Nicole to not give him face like that?¡¯ Thinking of this, the host stepped forward to stop Nicole. He whispered, "Stop, do not piss Mr.Wyance off!" Just as he was about to pull Nicole, she dodged to the side and simply just walked off the stage. Immediately after, Sebastian''s icy voice came from behind the host. "You are the one pissing me off." This time around, he was not speaking to the microphone, so only the host heard what he said. He looked at Sebastian in surprise, but thetter ignored him as he nodded to Mr.Ellison and then nced at Merwin as they left the stage. Nicole returned to her seat and handed her trophy to Ms.Emerson.She then gave the stunned Mr.Kennedy an impassive look as she said. "Mr.Kennedy, I''ll be waiting for you in ss tomorrow." After that, Nicole ignored Mr.Kennedy''s bitter look a s she walked toward the hall''s exit. Ms.Emerson stood there holding the trophy, and before she could react to what had happened, there were many congrattory voices from the high school teachers around her. For her to raise a national Math Olympiad champion a t such a young age, Ms. Emerson was about to get famous! How could those teachers let go of such a future great educator? Mr.Kennedy was shivering in anger as he watched Ms.Emerson being surrounded. The young male teacher beside him, however, gave him a respectful look. "Mr.Kennedy, I thought you were pulling my leg just now, but it turned out to be real! That Ms.Emerson sure is incredible, for her to produce the first and second ce winners of the Math Olympiad.She is sure a role model! Excuse me, but I''ll be heading over to have a look!" Chapter 484 Chapter 484 The teacher walked away and disappeared into the crowd. Mr.Kennedy seethed with anger while staring at his retreating figure. This was the first time he felt like he hated his own mouth. ¡®Why does it feel like I''ve jinxed myself? Everything that I''ve said hase true!'' he thought. His thoughts suddenly took a sharp turn. ¡®Nicole knows Mr.Wyance; they seem pretty well- acquainted" he thought with panic. Mr.Kennedy turned to look at his uncle, that was on the stage.He quickly ran up to him. "What''s going on? How does Nicole know Mr.Wyance?" Mr.Kennedy asked. Eric turned to the dim-witted distant rtive of his.He was annoyed about how Nicole treated him and had nowhere to vent. "You''re asking me how she knows Mr.Wyance?" he sneered. ¡®If this dimwit didn''t bring Nicole up during their phone call, none of this would''ve happened!'' Eric thought. He red at Mr.Kennedy before turning around to chase after Sebastian. Eric was a portly man. Even though he ran with all his might, he still ran very slowly. Just as he ran out, he saw Sebastian''s car leave. No matter how Eric shouted after them, they did not stop the vehicle. Sebastian ignored Eric''s attempt at chasing after their car.He met the eyes of his driver and said indifferently, "Stop at the school gate for a while." Merwin nced at Sebastian and said in a low voice, "We haven''t got time to stop over.We must rush over t o the bidding for that piece ofnd in Eastville." He knew that Sebastian had wanted to meet the child for a while now. However, they had more important things to do at hand. Sebastian looked at Merwin and gently massaged the area between his brows. "We still got time for a meal," he responded indifferently. Merwin was silent.He made a call and booked the best private lounge at The Grove. They were at the school gate now. Sebastian winded down the window and watched the students bustle about. Some students recognized him and looked at him with respect and admiration.He politely greeted them one by one. Then, he continued watching them quietly in his seat. Finally, Nicole appeared at the school gate. She sauntered out with her hands in her pockets.She stood out from the crowd. Sebastian had a slight smile on his face as he waved at Nicole. "Nicole! Over here!" Merwin called out. This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org. Nicole looked at the car in front of her with a nk expression. Everyone stared in disbelief as Nicole walked indifferently toward the ck Volkswagen Phaeton. The people around them could not hide their shock. ¡®Who would''ve thought that Nicole¡ªthe constant subject of ridicule¡ªknew Mr.Wyance.They seem to b e close, too!'' they thought.However, Nicole did not care about what they thought.She watched Merwin get out of the car and open the door for her. Then, she thanked him resignedly. Everyone stared at Nicole as she got into the car. The car then sped out of Royal Creek Institute and disappeared from their sight. For a while, everyone was stunned. ¡®I mistreated Nicole and said nasty things to her.If she knows Mr.Wyance as well, what''s going to be of me?'' they wondered. Chapter 485 Chapter 485 Eric finally caught up.He managed to catch a glimpse of someone leaving in Sebastian''s car.He then quickly grabbed a random guy who was standing beside him. "Who left with Mr.Wyance just now?" he asked in a panicked tone. The guy looked frightened.He gawked at Eric for a moment before speaking. "Nicole.He left with Nicole!" he said loudly. ¡®Nicole.It really was Nicole" Eric thought. He thought of what he said at the Riddle family''s house and felt disheartened. ¡®Nicole actually knows Mr.Wyance, so she wasn''t talking big" he thought again. At this thought, Eric unconsciously let go of the guy''s cor.He paced around anxiously for a while. Then, h e pped his hands as if he had made up his mind and left. Gary and Ms.Emerson were surrounded by the crowd; the two of them did not manage to catch up with Nicole.He looked in the direction Nicole left and frowned. ¡®What''s going on? Nicole surpassed me in the Math Olympiad; she got a perfect score and won first ce.But she never even did any practice questions.What''s more, she knows Sebastian Wyance!'' Gary thought. He had many questions. However, he was still stuck in the crowd. Every single congrattory He was the second ce. N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. However, he still thought that Nicole¡ªin first ce¡ªwas a fraud.He was well aware that his current score was his limit.He did not know how to solve the problem, and he still would not be able to do so if given a second chance. ¡®Nicole surpassed me without breaking a sweat" he thought. Gary was feeling a mix of emotions. On countless asions, he had a gut feeling that Nicole was not what she seemed. However, he foolishly chose to trust his judgment every single time. Gary thought of the lonely silhouette from the day of thepetition.He stared at the empty hall] entrance and felt immense regret. Meanwhile, Raine was also looking in the direction where Nicole had left. ¡®I never imagined Nicole to win first ce.What''s more, she knows Mr.Wyance, the man everyone in the Riddle family has been trying so hard to meet!¡¯ she thought. ¡®Did Nicole do this intentionally? She hid this from everyone and did not help our family on purpose.She purposefully wanted me to make a fool out of myself!'' she thought again. She was outraged. Norah was standing with the students from ss A.She had turned purple from rage. Noah went beside her and whispered, "Norah, since Nicole is from the Riddle family, do you also know Sebastian Wyance?" ¡®Norah and Nicole are sisters, after all.Compared to the rest of us, she should have a better understanding of Nicole''s academic standards, right? What''s more, Nicole must''ve met Sebastian Wyance through the Riddle family" Noah thought. Norah turned to re at Noah. ¡®Noah must be adding salt to my wound on purpose, '' she thought. "I have no idea how she got such a score.I also don''t know how she knows Mr.Wyance.All I know is that she''s merely a country bumpkin from Great Oak and has a decent-looking..." Noah stared at her with his mouth wide open when she said the second sentence.He seemed to understand what she said. ¡®Does Nicole and Mr.Wyance have that kind of rtionship?¡¯ he wondered. Vivian arrived just in time to hear Norah''s words.She narrowed her eyes. ¡®If what Norah said is true, then all of this would make sense!'' she thought. She turned to look at Ms.Emerson and Gary with a jealous and unresigned expression. Chapter 486 Chapter 486 ¡®Nicolended in the huge limelight this time.Even Gary was looking at her affectionately just now" Vivian thought. She was so jealous that she had lost all rationale.She had forgotten the lesson Nicole taught her earlier this morning; she turned around and started walking toward Ms.Emerson. "Don''t get too ahead of yourself, Ms.Emerson," Vivian said in a rather loud voice. Everyone present could hear her clearly. They all stopped talking and looked at her in shock.Ms.Emerson turned to her and slightly frowned. "What do you mean?" Vivian sneered. "Ms.Emerson, did you ever consider the fact that all o f us are aware of Nicole''s academic level? She''s a country bumpkin, so how could she possibly understand national-level Math Olympiad questions? What''s more, it''s been years since someone got a perfect score.How could Nicole get a perfect score with her level? Someone must''ve leaked the questions to her!" she said in a confident tone. Everyone looked at her in shock the moment they heard her words. None of them seemed to have thought of this. ¡®What does she mean? Is she saying that Mr.Wyance leaked the questions to Nicole?'' they wondered. Vivian noticed that many people were frowning.She continued speaking confidently. "All of us saw how Mr.Wyance was treating Nicole.No matter how you look at them, they look close.Additionally, Nicole''s looks are top tier even among actors.Do none of you realize the type of rtionship the two of them share?" At this point, many people had changed their expressions. They started to determine if there were truth to Vivian''s words.Ms.Emerson looked disappointed as she watched Vivian make baseless usations at Nicole. "Vivian Collins, do you know that you''re responsible for everything you''ve just said? Don''t go around ndering others if you do not have the evidence!" she said in a serious tone. Vivian''s gaze wavered after hearing Ms.Emerson''s words.However, she peered at Raine and quickly straightened her back. "Isn''t Raine a part of the Riddle family? She said that she doesn''t know Mr.Wyance, so how does Nicole know him?" she said loudly. She was implying that Nicole used her looks to bewitch Sebastian Wyance. Vivian felt more and more confident as she went on. Raine nodded in agreement and said confidently, "I''m sure the Riddle family isn''t acquainted with Mr.Wyance, so we don''t know how Nicole knows Mr.Wyance." Everyone believed them even more after hearing Raine''s words. Norah could not help but feel smug. This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org. ¡®An intentional remark was enough to make Vivian and Raine speak up.Even God is on my side!" she thought. Many of the people looked at Ms.Emerson scornfully. ¡®I thought she was a genuine educator.Who would''ve thought that her student used such tactics to get the first ce? How good of a teacher could she be if her student is so immoral?" they thought. One of the teachers from San Joto stepped forward and looked scornfully at Ms.Emerson. "Ms.Emerson, you better tell us what''s happening.How did she get first ce? Does she have some unspeakable rtionship with Mr.Wyance? We won''t acknowledge it if this is how she got the first ce!" she said coldly. Gary also heard what Vivian and Raine said.He was already dubious about Nicole winning the first ce, so he did not defend her.He stood aside and looked at Ms. Emerson indifferently. None of Ms.Emerson''s students defended her nor Nicole.She was never good at handling such situations; she felt so anxious that she wanted to cry. ¡®Nicole isn''t like that; I know that very well.But these people don''t" she thought. Chapter 487 Chapter 487 Raine revealed an unnoticeable look of glee when she saw the scene unfold. ¡®See, I knew it.Nicole can never start anew.She''s a country bumpkin.Who is she to get first ce in the Math Olympiad? Who is she to gain Mr.Wyance''s favor? She''s meant to be trampled like a speck of dust, ¡®she thought. Just as everyone was fixated on Ms.Emerson, a solemn voice came from the podium. "What''re you all talking about? I''d like to hear it too." Meanwhile, Nicole and Sebastian were heading to The Grove; neither of them had a clue about what was happening in the hall. On the way to the restaurant, Sebastian asked Nicole what she had been up to.He then reminded her to take care of herself and to be attentive to her health despite her young age. On the other hand, Nicole responded to all of his questions and reminders.She felt as if he was close to talking her ear off by the time they reached the lounge. Sebastian seemed to have realized that he was talking too much.He quickly waved a waiter over to start ordering. This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org. Merwin was sensible enough to exit the room, leaving the two of them alone. It did not take long for the food to arrive. Sebastian stopped speaking and smiled while telling Nicole to eat up. However, he did not touch any of the food; he sat there and watched Nicole eat. Nicole did not urge him to eat but slowly chewed her food. Soon after, she was done eating.She wiped her mouth and asked casually, "What did you get? Show me; I''ll take a look." Sebastian seemed happy when he heard her question.He immediately handed her the rough stone he had been toying with recently.He had a look of nervousness. "How''s its luster?" Nicole grabbed the inconspicuous-looking stone.The stone seemed as if it was often held; it practically had smooth edges.It looked oddly shiny and had deep- green swirls. Besides that, it had a wless and smooth texture.She ced the stone on the table. The sunlight pouring in from the window made her eye color seem light and indescribably beautiful. "It''s okay.The core is genuine; it''s from Greyridge." The nervousness on his face diminished when he heard her words.He revealed a look of excitement and satisfaction. Then, he shed a smile at Nicole. "My judgment now is better than before, right?" he asked in a seemingly casual tone. Nicole nced at him and agreed. ¡®His judgment before was certainly significantly worse than now" she thought. Years ago, Sebastian had wanted to search for a piece o f ocean gem. The texture of the ocean gem was likeyers of fish scales and seemed as grandiose as the ocean; that was how the gemstone got its name. Back then, someone had spread the rumor that Great Oak had ocean gems. He quickly traveled to Great Oak to search for the gemstone. Even though he did not manage to find the gemstone, he found Nicole. Chapter 488 Chapter 488 Back then, Nicole was already exceptionally beautiful even though she was only fifteen. At the time, Sebastian was waiting for someone to crack open the geode.He had spent an exorbitant amount in hopes of bringing home an ocean gem. However, he did not find any despite spending an entire afternoon there. Nicole passed by coincidentally and saw him standing there like an easy mark.She then called him aside and handed him an average-looking geode. "Crack this open." Sebastian looked at Nicole, slightly shocked. He did not expect a little girl to have such a calm demeanor.For some reason, he believed the little girl.He handed the geode to the person in charge of cracking them open.He initially thought he was pouring money down the drain for fun. However, they saw a violet gemstone within when the geode was cracked open! Sebastian looked at Nicole in astonishment. On the other hand, Nicole''s expression remained unchanged; she seemed to have expected such an oue. The person who cracked the geode open wanted to keep the gem for himself, so he asked his cronies to surround Nicole and Sebastian. Since Sebastian''s outing was impromptu, he did not bring anyone with him.He stood in front of Nicole even though he knew he did not have what it took to win them. ¡®I''m so foolish" he thought to himself. This incident was also the reason Sebastian started bringing several bodyguards everywhere he went. Sebastian did not expect the geode marketce to be s o dangerous. They were robbing him after cracking open his geode. While he was a man of reason, these people seemed to speak with their fists. However, asking him to give away such a precious piece of gemstone would be equivalent to giving away a piece of himself. Nevertheless, he remembered that he was not in this alone. He had to take the extraordinary little girl into consideration as well. In the end, Sebastian watched the men inch closer and prepared to say that he would give them the gemstone. ¡®Quality gemstones can be bought again, but a life cannot.These people seem to be desperadoes; they even had bloodthirsty looks when they charged toward us" he thought. Just as he was about to give in, Nicole suddenly moved.She was moving so quickly he could barely see her movements. Everything happened within a few moments. To Sebastian''s surprise, the burly men were suddenly on the ground howling in pain. Then, Nicole walked back to his side. "Excuse me, sir.Please call the police," she said calmly. ¡®After all, calling the police as a minor is rather troublesome" she thought. Sebastian had never seen such a calm child. He looked at her surprised and asked, "Why aren''t you afraid?" Nicole nced at him and seemed a little speechless.She handed Sebastian the geode and spoke with the voice of a songbird. "They''re so puny.Why would I be afraid?" Sebastian felt even more surprised now.He also felt curious about the family who raised such a child.He turned around and wanted to send Nicole home. However, Nicole rejected him.She said she was worried that they would disrupt her grandmother''s peace. N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. Before she left, she told Sebastian that the stone was not locally produced. "There aren''t any ocean gems here in Great Oak.These desperadoes created the rumor to scam the money of those who go to their geode marketce.They charge thirty thousand dors per geode.What''s more, they take your life if you don''t pay up.I came here today to teach them a lesson," she said casually. Sebastian felt his world turn upside down when he heard such words from a little girl. When he noticed her turning around to leave, he quickly asked, "Miss, what''s your name?" He watched as the young girl turned to him; there was not a trace of emotion on her face.She looked at him quietly before speaking. "Nicole Wace." Chapter 489 Chapter 489 Sebastian nced at Nicole on the opposite side, who was still expressionless. ¡®¡®This girl is incredibly indifferent and reliable" he thought. He then smiled and said, "Nicole, consider this piece o f gem a reward for winning first ce in the Math Olympiad." Nicole picked up the gemstone and handed it back to Sebastian. "Mr.Wyance, do keep this piece of gem for yourself.I appreciate the offer, but you''ve given me a lot ina year.I don''t think there''s enough space in my room anymore." Nicole knew that the gem meant something to Sebastian. He took it with him wherever he went. Thus, she did not want to take it away from him. This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org. The coldness in her eyes melted away at the thought o f how he had been silently taking care of her and her grandmother over the past few years. Nicole did not expect to meet him under such circumstances since h e was a busy man. Moreover, she was not always in Great Oak. Despite the two of them having contact for the past three years, they had only met a handful of times. Sebastian shook his head and looked at Nicole with a gentle smile on his face. "Take it, I insist." Nicole acknowledged his sincerity and took the gemstone in her hands.She held onto it while feeling its smooth texture. A faint smile appeared on Sebastian''s face. However, there was a hint of doubt in his eyes. "What brings you to San Joto?" He asked. ¡®She had always rejected my invitation toe to San Joto, yet now she''s here at the Royal Creek Institute?'' He nced at Nicole for an answer. Nicole was toying with the gemstone in her hands. "When I was a child, I got lost.The Riddle family found me, so now I''m back," she said with a light and casual tone. ¡®I see.That''s why the ce card had "Nicole Riddle" instead of "Nicole Wace" ¡° he thought. He looked at Nicole and realized she shared simrities with the Riddle family. The tender proposal came to mind when he thought o f the Riddle family. "Since you''re here, is there anything you need? You can always ask me for help." ¡®Ask him for help?'' Nicole nced at Sebastian and immediately understood what he was referring to.She knew that he would choose the Riddle family if she asked. ¡®But Sean and Steve''s effort would be in vain" She did not want her family to win like this. ''We wouldn''t be any different than the McCarthy family" Nicole then looked at Sebastian with a calm expression. "I only ask for you to be just, Mr.Wyance.¡± Chapter 490 Chapter 490 Nicole had faith in Sean.She knew that there was no need for her to worry if he was doing the bidding.She only asked for Sebastian to be just. His eyes turned gentle when he heard her request. "Oh, Nicole," he said with a smile. His face was solomon when he noticed Nicole''s clear and lingering eyes. "Rest assured, this bidding will be fair." A faint smile appeared on Nicole''s face. She looked at Sebastian and said, ''''I believe you, Mr.Wyance." ¡®I would have done anything for her if she asked.But the Nicole that I know would never ask for more" he thought as he looked at Nicole in admiration. He then stood up when he heard Merwin knock on the door. "Come on, it''s time for me to fulfill your request," he said with a smile. Nicole stood up and tagged along. Sebastian dropped her off at the school and went to the provincial office. N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. Merwin nced curiously at Sebastian and asked, "Is that the kid you were looking for? She seems to be cold and distant." Sebastianughed at the sound of this. "Oh, Merwin, this is the first time your judgment has failed you." ¡®Nicole may seem cold, but she is ten times better than those who use ttery to get their way.She could have ignored me at that time, but she decided t o help someone she didn''t know" ¡®How can someone say that she''s cold? s, those bewitched by appearances will find it hard to see the truest form of beauty" ¡®She could have asked me for anything, but she just asked me to fulfill my duty as a decision-maker" Although she did not ask for it, Sebastian was already biased toward the Riddle family. Sebastian''s face was full of resignation.He knew that his morals were not in the right ce, but as long as the Riddle family did well, he would definitely choose them.He made up his mind when he thought of the satisfactory tender proposal Damien submitted. At that time, the confrontation in Royal Creek Institute''s hall was still ongoing. The critics of Ms.Emerson turned their heads in surprise when they heard a sound. They were even more surprised to see Mr.Ellison getting down from the stage and walking toward them slowly and steadily. Chapter 491 Chapter 491 Many people recognized that he was the head of the Ellison family ¡ªThomas Ellison. They all stared nkly with their mouths open wide. They did not understand why he woulde over in person just to listen to what they were talking about. But that did not stop them from doubting Nicole. Mr.Kennedy had heard what the other teachers had t o say. As he saw Mr.Ellisoning over, he thought h e was interested in the discussion, so he tried to tter him and said, "Mr.Ellison, you''re here.We were discussing the rtionship between Nicole and Mr.Wyance.All of us are highly suspicious that this has something to do with why she got first ce in the Math Olympiad.We suspect that she knew the question beforehand.Otherwise, how could she have gotten full marks with her level in math?" After he said this, he looked at Mr.Ellison confidently and waited for him to agree. Many teachers were also looking at Mr.Ellison. They knew that the head of Royal Creek Institute was upright and honest. ''He would hate Nicole after hearing about this" they thought. Ms.Emerson knew that she could not let Mr.Kennedy smear Nicole''s name in front of the head of the school. "It''s not like that, Mr.Ellison.Nicole would never" Before she could finish her words, she was interrupted by Vivian. ''''Ms.Emerson, I''m afraid you don''t know the real Nicole.That goody two shoes made a personal attack on me this morning and even threatened to kill me.I''m not surprised that she would cheat.After all, she did make a bet with Mr.Kennedy." After she finished speaking, she turned to look at Gary.She was thrilled that her statement had got him thinking. ¡®Now that I have exposed Nicole''s true identity, Gary will definitely not pay any more attention to Nicole!'' Vivian proudly lifted her head and looked toward Mr.Ellison at the side. She thought her words would make him feel bad about Nicole, but he was looking at her with a cold gaze.He did not know who she was. Mr.Kennedy also noticed Mr.Ellison''s expression and quickly said, "Mr.Ellison, this is Nicole''s ss monitor.She knows everything that goes on in the ss very well.Hence, she should know about Nicole''s character.I think it is certain that Nicole cheated in the Math Olympiad." Mr.Kennedy was trying to seek approval from Mr.Ellison with those words.However, he only heard one thing from his mouth N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. "Enough!". He looked at Mr.Ellison in shock.He had never heard such a furious roar from him before.He was always gentle and soft-spoken. Gary was also surprised at his reaction.He did not expect the head of the school to get mad at Mr.Kennedy. Mr.Ellison nced at Mr.Kennedy and Vivian with an angered expression. Even the teachers from other schools who were bad-mouthing Royal Creek Institute started to quiet down. Everything fell silent. Mr.Ellison closed his eyes to suppress his anger. "You all enjoy running your mouths, huh? Mr.Kennedy, do you always go around and indiscriminate your students? What right do you have to say that Nicole cheated?" After that, he turned to look at the students from ss B. The disappointment in his eyes was overflowing when he saw Vivian. "You, I don''t understand why you hate your own ssmate so much.Your words could ruin someone''s life, do you know that? If this is how you have been treating Nicole, I''d say you deserve everything she has done to you!" Chapter 492 Chapter 492 Vivian''s eyes widened when Mr.Ellison defended Nicole.Her eyes and cheeks were getting red at how merciless his words were. Mr.Ellison''s eyes filled with disgust when he saw that she was about to cry.He was not impressed.He had met a lot of girls like her. ''They always regard the other party as their enemy without any particr reason and ruin their lives with their big mouths" he thought. He looked around the room coldly and said, "Nicole''s results have been reviewed by the Olympiad committee.She indeed got full marks.As for her rtionship with Sebastian Wyance, they know each other because she had helped him before.I am here to let you know that it is not what you all think. "It is not hard to admit that you are not as good as other people.You are upset because of Nicole''s excellence.Let go of your prejudices and open your eyes.You will see that Nicole is actually an admirable person." He gave Gary a meaningful look and continued slowly, "Nicole''s paper was personally verified by me and Den Hancock, who is from Northon institute.The problem-solving steps she took to get the answers were ingenious.There is no doubt that she is first in ce.If you don''t believe me, ask Mr.Hancock for yourselves." After he said this, he nced at Ms. Emerson with admiration. "You are a good teacher, and I thank you on behalf of Nicole," he said. Then, Mr.Ellison looked over to Mr.Kennedy, who was trembling in fear. ''Mr.Kennedy,e with me." Mr.Kennedy felt as if he had been struck by lightning. He looked at Mr.Ellison with a horrified expression.He suddenly remembered that when school started, Ms. Farrell had brought Nicole to Royal Creek Institute and asked her to choose between him and Ms.Emerson. ¡®How can someone from Great Oak have the power to choose a teacher she preferred? Now that I think about it, It may be because of Mr.Ellison!'' Vivian''s face turned pale as she saw the two walk out. She did not think that Mr.Ellison and Den Hancock would verify the results of Nicole''s paper. Now, no matter how much she tried to nder Nicole, it would be no use. ¡®How could this be? How could she get first ce in the Math Olympiad? She was just some random person that was taken in by the Riddle family.How could she possess so much power?¡¯ She thought. Ms.Emerson shook her head in disappointment as she looked at Vivian, who stood beside her. "You weren''t like this before, Vivian," she said with a hint of hatred in her voice. ¡®She is no longer the motivated, intelligent, and just Vivian.She is no longer suitable to be the ss monitor" Ms.Emerson shook her head again. She ignored the teachers who wereing up to her and walked out o f the hall. Many of the girls from ss B looked at Vivian in disgust after hearing Mr.Ellison''s words. They had heard Vivian nder Nicole countless times. But now, they were questioning if their opinions were based on facts or Vivian''s assumptions. Not long after, they decide to distance themselves from Vivian. None of them wanted to be associated with someone who would tarnish the name of their own ssmate. N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. Vivian watched as everyone pushed her away.She then looked at Raine in anger. Chapter 493 Chapter 493 "It''s all your fault! I was obviously just stating what you said to me! Why is no one talking about you!" Vivian shouted at Raine. N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. Norah knew that something big would happen, so she left quietly. Fortunately for her, Vivian did not recognize her. Hence, she did not remember that it was Norah who told her about Nicole. Raine, who was taking the me for Norah, hid behind Gary.She was about to say something, but when she saw Mr.Ellison, she decided to stay silent.She remembered that Mr.Ellison was the one who personally handled Nicole''s admission into Royal Creek Institute. Thus, she was not ready to get caught in the crosshairs. After all, it was Vivian''s fault for not knowing her ce" Vivian nced at Raine hiding behind Gary with mockery in her eyes. She angrily rushed toward Raine and stretched out her hands to scratch her. "You b* tch! How dare you hide behind Gary?!" Raine was not going to let Vivian hurt her. She ducked to the other side, but it was toote for Vivian to stop. Vivian screamed as she saw that she was about to hurt Gary. On the other hand, Gary was not paying attention to the fight between the two girls. He was still thinking about what Mr.Ellison had said. ¡®Is it true I can''t ept that Nicole is better than me?'' As he was deep in thought, he heard a shout. "Gary! Look out!" ¡®What?'' Gary was brought back to earth by that shout.He saw a handing toward him and quickly grabbed it. However, Vivian still left a mark on his face. Gary was in pain. He did not expect that a girl could hurt him.He looked at Vivian in front of him and threw her hand aside coldly. "What are you doing?!" he said in anger. Vivian did not think that her actions would hurt Gary.She stood there at a loss and stretched out her hand t o touch his face. "Gary...I...I didn''t mean it...I just wanted to deal with her..." Suddenly, she turned to look at Raine and shouted, " You did this on purpose!" There was a hint of innocence on Raine''s face. She did not anticipate that Gary would get hurt if she ducked. '' This is not what I want" "What nonsense are you spouting? How could I do it on purpose?!" Vivian''s eyes were red when she noticed Gary looking at her in disgust. "It was you! You deliberately made Gary hate me so that you can have him for yourself!" she shouted. Gary''s patience was running thin when he heard this. He grabbed Vivian''s outstretched hand and said, " Stop it! I''ve had enough of your nonsense!" After that, he turned around to leave the hall. Jack and Wayne on the side quickly ran up to him and gave him a teasing look. Chapter 494 Chapter 494 "I didn''t expect to see you still look as good as ever, Gary." The two girls were jealous of her, not sure which one o f them Gary favored most.He had a frosty face as he looked at Jack with no emotion and asked him to go away. As Jack rubbed his chin and ran after Gary to apologize, Wayne nced at Jack and thought to himself that Jack was dumb. Seeing the two zealous girls, he felt just as annoyed as Gary. This was thest kind of girl he wanted. "Gary, Mr.Ellison has said it; Nicole is first.How did she do that?" he asked slowly. ''Even Gary has only gotten second ce.Nicole is simply nature-defying" "Did Nicole really not cheat? No way she is this smart, " Jack said suspiciously. Gary looked back at the two of them for the first time i n all seriousness. "Don''t taunt anyone like this next time.Nicole achieved it by her own merit.I''ve got to admit that she is better than me."With that, he strode away from the Royal Creek Institute without looking back, leaving Wayne and Jack standing in ce, looking at each other. They both felt strange thinking about what Gary had said. Nicole had indeed made ss B proud. N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. Both of them were a bit confused. Jack saw a caf¨¦ from the corner of his eye and patted Wayne on the shoulder. "Let''s grab a cup of coffee and calm down inside." Gary had spoken, and it seemed that they would really have to change their minds about Nicole. The two men muttered as they walked into the caf¨¦. us was sitting idly inside at the time. When he saw the two customers walk in, he casually greeted them. "What would you like, sir?" Jack looked at us and had an explicable feeling that he had seen him before. But he did not give it a second thought.He randomly ordered something and sat down with Wayne on the other side. us looked at the two men with interest. While making the coffee, he overheard the conversation between Jack and Wayne mentioning Nicole. ¡®Are these two guys Nicole''s ssmates?" us secretly reced the middle cup size toorge and brought them to Jack and Wayne. Again, he heard them talk about Nicole winning the Math Olympiadpetition. ¡®Good lord, it seems that Nicole''s pen spinning trick really works" us had a faint look of pride on his face. As he put down the coffee, Jack and Wayneined he had given them the wrong cup sizes.But he ignored them, walked back to the counter, and called his boss, telling him that Nicole had won first ce. Jared''s reaction was nonchnt.He just muttered an acknowledgment, seemingly not surprised at all. The phone went dead from Jared''s side. us smirked at hearing Jared''s response, which seemed to act cool. Nevertheless, he had to admit that his boss really knew Nicole well. When everyone was doubting Nicole, Jared had stood firmly by her side. During the live auction of the Wyance Group''snd Chapter 495 Chapter 495 Luke McCarthy, the representative from the McCarthy family, was looking triumphantly at Sean and Steve across from him. He already had a chin- wag with many people at the tender venue and was acquainted with Taylor Wyatt and George Allen; both were government officials. They now held all the cards and were expected to win the tender. He looked at the stone-faced Sean with disdain. ¡®No matter how good an offer is, rtionships are thest word.I will certainly be able to win the bid and then build a hospital on thatnd, making a ton of money out of those fools. Just like Michael, the CEO of San Joto Central Hospital, I will soon be able to multiply my worth by dozens of times. Luke had a greedy look on his face, excited when he thought of the money he was going to get.He swaggered up to Sean, rolled up his tender documents, and knocked it on the table. "Don''t you know better, brat, that you should at least say hello?" He wanted to intimidate the young man. If the young man took the hint, he should quickly get up and butter him up. Then he would not let him lose s o badly. But he was destined to be disappointed, as Sean did not even spare a look at Luke but just smacked the rolled-up tender documents aside and then ignored this arrogantpetitor. N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. Steve nudged the gold-framed sses up his nose and looked at Luke with a frosty look in his eyes. "The bidding will start soon, Mr.McCarthy.Why don''t you take a little look-see at your tender presentation instead of wasting time looking for trouble with us?" Luke had been treated so unceremoniously by a youngster.He looked furiously at Sean and Steve, but soon, as if something dawned on him, he sneered, looking at those VIPs with whom he had spent a lot of money to rub shoulders. "Guys, you won''t believe how naive these kids are; they think they can win the tender by just preparing the presentation well." ¡®¡®What do they have topete with me?! Many people also looked at Sean and Steve with mockery.Steve frowned with anger and disgust at Luke. "Can you win with your tricks without real skills?" Luke could not stand it when he heard this. But before he could say anything, Taylor, who had received a lot of benefits from Luke, chimed in with displeasure. "You know nothing, do you? What nonsense! We who are all here know how capable Mr.McCarthy is.How dare a brat like you be boastful here?" George also shook his head, looking at the Riddle family with a hint of derision in his eyes. ¡®They really think that they can win the tender with just their youthful spirit? These two guys really know nothing, do they? Mr.Wyance will surely take the opinions of the surrounding people into consideration.Can they still win if everyone has a negative view of the Riddle family?'' But there were also many people who sympathized with Steve and Sean, knowing that the two had made a lot of preparations, but just judging by what Luke could do, they all felt sorry and looked away. In the minds of these people, the Riddle family was most likely going to lose. Steve frowned and wanted to say something upon hearing what Taylor had said. But Sean grabbed his hand and gently shook his head at him as if telling him to be patient. Luke looked at everyone''s expressions and then snorted at Sean and said aloud, "I''vee prepared.If not for the formality, I wouldn''t havee, and you all might not have even got to see my face." Chapter 496 Chapter 496 "I know that the Riddle family is in decline now the moment I see you.Do you really think that you can get thisnd by hard work alone like before? I tell you what ¡ªyou don''t get a chance." Luke had just finished speaking triumphantly when the door of the conference room suddenly opened, with Sebastian and Merwin slowly walking in. Seeing Sebastian, Luke hurriedly greeted him, his eyes smiling servilely into slits. Sebastian felt like frowning at the extremely ingratiating Luke. But he did not show his emotion, just perfunctorily acknowledging him. In Luke''s eyes, it was an endorsement. N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. Luke''s face glowed, and he almost walked on air, looking at Sean and Steve with contempt in his eyes. ¡®These two idiots are waiting to lose!'' Sean and Steve also nodded at Sebastian with just the right amount of humbleness, which scored them a lot of points in Sebastian''s eyes. ¡®Looking closely, these two young men seem to look a little like Nicole.Especially those slightly upturned eyes that looked a little frosty and haughty.How could I not have found out earlier?¡¯ Sebastian''s gaze was considered by many people around him as a sign of his unhappiness toward the Riddles. They all looked at the two with disdain. ¡®Look, even the gentle Mr.Wyance does not like them" Sebastian and Merwin sat in the first row in the middle, and Sebastian nced faintly at the two families on both sides and said casually, "Let''s get started." Luke preemptively started his performance, praising Sebastian for ten minutes in his tender documents, and finally mentioned a few words about his nning for thend. Not only Sebastian but even Merwin frowned. ¡®What is going on with the McCarthy family? They seemed to have shown some good ideas in the first round, but during the second round when Luke, who was the person in charge of the McCarthy family, took over.His performance was not as good as the assistant" Taylor, who was next to Sebastian, said, "Mr.McCarthy is very dedicated, and his presentation is awesome." Sebastian nced at Taylor and said nothing.Taylor was here just as an observer who had no right t o speak. ¡®I didn''t expect to see Taylor put in a good word for Luke here.It looks like the McCarthy family has spent a lot of money on him" Merwin looked at Taylor with a smirk. "Oh, really? It looks like you have a sharp eye." Taylor chortled, but he could not tell if Sebastian was happy. Sebastian had always shown little feeling, so no one knew what he was thinking. But since Sebastian did not refute what he said, Taylor thought Sebastian was quite satisfied. Chapter 497 Chapter 497 Taylor felt smug as Luke upied the stage for another few more minutes, repeating his determination for thend, and then took a defiant look at Sean before he finally got off the stage. Sean was not bothered by Luke.He picked up his presentation document and gave Sebastian and everyone else a copy. Then he and Steve stood in the center of the stage with confidence. "Here''s the content of Riddle Corporation''s tender document." Subsequently, Sean went all out to present his n for thend and analyzed the project. Looking at the Riddle brothers on stage, Sebastian finally understood why Nicole asked him to be fair. Because the Riddle brothers were slightly better from a purely fair point of view.He supported the Riddle family, not just because of Nicole. An hour had passed, and the dust had settled. Coming out of the conference room dumbfounded, Luke could not believe that he had lost. He looked at Taylor and then caught up with him, asking, "What was going on? Didn''t you say that you would help me? How could the brats win?" Taylor had a dilemmatic look on his face. Mervin had just been warned; he could have lost his job if Sebastian had told the higher-ups in the government about his rtionship with the McCarthy family. He risked that for Luke, yet Luke was ming him.He looked not too happy. "How can you still have the nerve to say this? What the hell have you presented? You''ve only spent a few seconds on the tender yetin that I haven''t helped you.This is ridiculous! I have been warned by Mervin for helping you.I''m not going to help you again, and we shall have nothing to do with each other from now on," he said indignantly. With that, he left at once, not sparing a look at Luke again. Not expecting Taylor to turn his back on him so quickly, Luke rolled his eyes. ¡®You''re not the only person I could find.I can get a thousand people to help me.He is all sizzle and no steak" Luke turned and walked over to those people in the offices he had rubbed shoulders with earlier. But as soon as they saw him, they dispersed at once, as if afraid of being associated with him. This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org. Not giving up, he tried to approach a few more, but they all reacted just like those people earlier¡ªall avoided him like the gue. ¡®I can''t believe it!'' Luke stood where he was, looking with resentment at Sean and Steve, who were talking t o Sebastian. ''Why did things turn out to be not what I expected?¡¯ Not daring to show his anger at Sebastian, he had no choice but to re at Sean and Steve. ¡®It must be the Riddle family''s fault.They must have struck a deal with Sebastian secretly.Otherwise, I wouldn''t have lost with my perfect preparation" Luke took out his mobile phone and made a call, shouting angrily into the phone, "What the hell is going on? Didn''t you say you made a deal with Mr.Wyance? Why did we still lose?" Meanwhile, in a beauty center, Joyce McCarthy, Luke''s daughter, sat up and asked the beautician to step aside with the wave of a hand, then said in disbelief, "I have talked to Martin several times; he promised me that and no way we would have lost." Joyce and Martin were colleagues and sort of the best partners in the hospital. She had inadvertently mentioned the familynd with him before, and Martin had said that he would talk to his father. ¡°Could it be that Martin lied to me? Or did you actually forget about it, and he did not talk to his father at all?" Chapter 498 Chapter 498 Joyce hung up after having a few words with Luke.She took off the mask on her face and angrily called Martin to question him. "What the hell is going on with you, Martin? Haven''t you promised me we would let our family win?" She was pissed with a take-for-granted attitude,pletely having no self-awareness that she was asking Martin for a favor. Martin was tired as he had just finished performing surgery in the hospital.So he had no patience for this and scolded her angrily. N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. "What''s the matter with you? You''d better not call me again if this is why you called! Joyce had never been yelled at by him like this.She was stunned in belief for a moment and then sobbed. "Martin, how could you yell at me? You yelled at me! Have you forgotten you promised me in the first ce?" Martin kneaded his temples as Joyce''s shrill gave him a headache. "I remember I''ve talked to my dad.Let me check with him." Then he hung up, wanting to call his father. Just then, his mobile phone rang, and the caller ID on the screen showed it was a race club.He answered the call impatiently, but what the other side told him pleasantly surprised him. "You''ve found the owner of Car Number Six? Who is i t?" As the person at the other end read out the name i n the register, Martin was surprised again. "Nicole Riddle?" Not only the person''s family name was Riddle, but it also was a woman. Something suddenly dawned on him, and he quickly called his father. Sebastian had just finished discussing with Sean and Steve and was happy with the idea of these two young people. Had he known the ideas of these two people in the first round, he would not have dismissed Damien and Dillon. Looking at the vibrating phone in his hand, he patted the two on the shoulders and gently excused himself. Martin heard his father''s voice and could not control his emotion. "Dad, I remember mentioning to you that the daughter of the McCarthy family is my colleague.Why did you let the Riddle family win the tender? But this aside, I wonder if you know a person called Nicole Riddle? I think I''ve heard you mention her before." Sebastian heard the name and frowned. "I told you before; she is the top gemologist from Hustuaburg who has helped me before.Have you forgotten?" "I can''t believe that it''s her.I even didn''t expect that she was into racing.She was the owner of Car Number Six that we watched together the other day." Martin was surprised when he heard this.He had a feeling that she was the person who had helped him fix Marie and Solomon.He did not wait for Sebastian to continue. "Since you know her, do you know if she isi nl any way rted to the Riddle family?" Sebastian looked at Sean and Steve and smiled. "You''re right; she is indeed from the Riddle family." Martin froze, and after a long moment, he muttered with chagrin, "Damn it, Joyce." Then he continued in a feeble voice. "Dad, you are right.Let those who deserve to win.Forget about what I said earlier." The line went dead, and Sebastian frowned gently with the phone still in his hand. He turned to look at the two handsome young men across from him and smiled. "Shall we move on to the handover procedure?" he asked. Chapter 499 Chapter 499 Nicole returned to the Royal Creek Institute, and as she was just about to turn around and walk toward the caf¨¦, she heard an extraordinarily emotional voiceing from behind her. "Boss!" She looked back and saw Austin running quickly toward her with a few people. People who thought ofing up to Nicole to ask something quickly ducked aside when they saw Austin. They wondered why Austin always appeared around Nicole. They were even curious about the rtionship between Nicole and Sebastian, wanting toe over and ask Nicole about it. But because of Austin''s presence, they did not get a chance to do so. Austin did not care what was going on in the minds of those people.He came up to Nicole excitedly. "Boss, how was your exam?" Nicole raised an eyebrow, not knowing which exam h e was talking about, but it did not make a difference t o her. "It was ok." Austin knew his boss had always been low-key. Even i f she was the first in the entire school, she would not get carried away, so he did not ask her much about it. "Boss, I could answer all the questions in the monthly exam I took today," he said excitedly. Sammey and others behind him were beaming, looking at Nicole with gratitude in their eyes. Had it not been for Nicole giving them high-intensity, special training for over half a month, they would not have performed so well on the exam. They never imagined the exams that they had always struggled with could one day be a ce where they were in their element. Many of the people around, who had not gone far, heard what Austin said and also stumbled. ¡®Is that a joke, or are we hallucinating? Austin said he did well in the test?! They cast a questioning and mocking eye over Nicole, but she ignored them. She looked at the boys in front of her and smiled gently. "Well done," she said. Her smile was as beautiful as the first sunbeam glistening on the dew. Everyone was awestruck. Austin looked at his boss, scratching his head with a simper. ''By the time I reach the top twenty, Nicole would be my boss, '' he thought to himself. The weather grew colder in October. They chuckled, wanting to find a ce to eat. Nicole thought for a moment and thought of asking June, Lulu, and Bradley out. ''The more the people, the merrier" she thought. Besides, she had promised to treat them to dinner. Since the monthly exam was over, Lulu and others quickly came out. Among them was Jimmy, whom Nicole had not seen for a long time. He let out ashy smile when he saw Nicole. Nicole gave him a friendly nod. As they all walked out happily, Lulu suggested going t o the fondue restaurant where Nicole had brought them tost time. Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org. Everyone agreed. It was the best weather for steaming fondue. Everyone enjoyed it, and many of them even proposed to drink. Nicole did not want to kill their buzz, so she agreed. After all, the youngest one here was also an adult; drinking waspletely legal. Lulu took a sip of the beer as Jimmy looked on. Her face flushed, and she stood up wobbly and said slowly, ''Do you know it will be our school''s centennial celebration soon? I heard that every college is going to give a performance.The student union has put up a notice; that the Royal Creek Institute''s major performance is actually a drama.It is said that auditions will be held throughout the school, and it is open for all, regardless of grades." Chapter 500 Chapter 500 Nicole was not interested in such a thing.She pressed down Lulu''s hand, which was holding a drink to her mouth. "That''s enough for today." Lulu grinned and put down the winess in her hand when she saw it was Nicole. Jimmy looked at his sister in amazement, not expecting her to listen to Nicole even though she had drunk so much. June covered her mouth and smiled as if she also thought Lulu was cute. "Do you know why they want to have stage ys?" Lulu might have put down her winess, but she never stopped talking.She looked around mysteriously for a while before finally speaking. "Because Lukewarm crew is already preparing to restart filming.They are nning to search for a female lead in colleges and universities.It is said that Lloyd wille to the Royal Creek Institute''s anniversary and watch the stage y." ¡°What?" Bradley was the first to stand up. He had drunk a lot.He looked at Lulu with glowing eyes and asked in some disbelief, "Did you just say Lloyd woulde?" Lulu nodded.She had heard it from the student union and thought it must be true. Probably the news would spread throughout the Royal Creek Institute the day after tomorrow. Austin was dizzy, as he also had one too many. "Who i s Lloyd? Wait a minute, did you say Lloyd Holder?" he said in a confused manner. He had not only seen Lloyd on the screen but, more importantly, had heard his father mention him. ''He is more than just a movie star" Everyone looked at Austin, not sure why he was so excited to hear Lloyd''s name. They wondered if Austin was also Lloyd''s fan, not expecting that from a stout guy like Austin.So they all laughed at him. ¡®Lloyd''s charisma is indeed unstoppable" Austin heard the ridicule and flushed with anger. He immediately banged on the table and stood up, shouting angrily, ''What the hell are you all talking about? My dad asked me to leave Lloyd alone, just as h e had asked me toe over and apologize to the boss!" The Woods family might be like a fearless scoundrel i n Northon, but the fact that they could survive till this day meant that they most probably had ess to the most reliable intel. That was why everyone looked at each other and was dumbfounded upon hearing what Austin had said. ¡®Is Lloyd really someone with a background?! Bradley was the first to give a reaction. He looked at Austin and dismissed it by waving his hand casually. "I don''t care what background Lloyd has; I just like him as a person." Lulu was also attracted to Lloyd''s personality and charm and did not care who he really was. So she nodded and said, "To be honest, we probably never get a chance to get up close and personal with Lloyd." Austin scratched his head and sat back down with embarrassment. ''''Yeah, I agreed." He had lost control of himself for a moment when they allughed at him for being a fan of Lloyd just now. "Lloyd is still a distance from us.I wonder who he will select during the school anniversary this time," June said softly, turning her head to look at Nicole and smiling. "I think Nicole stands a good chance." What she said drew attention, and people were looking at Nicole, who was sitting casually on the side. ¡®Exactly.Nicole is the prettiest girl at the Royal Creek Institute; the role of the heroine suits her" Sammey could not help but whisper to Nicole, "Boss, will you go to the audition for this y?" Seeing all eyes on her, Nicole looked at Sammey. "I''m not going." Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org. Everyone sighed, and a few of them, who did not know Nicole well, did not find her reply surprising though regrettable. Chapter 501 Chapter 501 It was only normal for Nicole not to go. Soon the little episode was over, and the fat chewing continued until it was evening. N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. Many of them proposed to hang out outside. Just then, Nicole''s mobile phone rang.She nced at the phone screen, and a faint smile shed across her face. As she turned to go out, everyone looked at her from behind with a thoughtful look in their eyes. Austin nudged Sammey and asked in a low voice, "Have you ever seen our boss have such an expression o n her face?" As Sammey did not answer, Bill Allen looked at Austin with disdain and said casually, "What''s so surprising about it? Boss always has that expression on her face whenever she looks at her man." Sammey let out a gentle cough. As Austin seemed to have realized something, they all tacitly shut their mouths. Lulu and others looked at them, clueless about what they were talking about. ¡®What man? What do they mean by she has always been like that? These guys are so strange" Nicole walked outside to a quieter ce to answer the phone. A male voice soon sounded on the other end of the phone, his voice gentle, as if he was smiling, and also as if the crisp clinking of the sses. "Congrattions on winning first ce." Nicole smiled, and her voice became much softer. "How did you know?" Jared looked at the ck coffee beans and ground them with one hand absent-mindedly.He chuckled upon hearing her question. "us told me.By the way, are you free now? I need your favor for something." Nicole was surprised; she had never heard him ask anyone for a favor before. "I''m having a meal with friends at the fondue restaurant near the school.How may I help you?" Jared stopped what he was doing and took off the thin rubber gloves on his hand, and then held the phone, which was mped between his ear and his shoulder, with his hand. "Nothing serious.Give me a minute.I will go to you." The line went dead. As Nicole returned to the private dining room, she found that the atmosphere inside became eerily silent.She could not help but frown to see everyone look at her. "What''s wrong?" June and Lulu exchanged a nce, and Lulu took the lead in speaking. "I thought we were best friends, Nicole; why didn''t you tell us you have a boyfriend?" June also looked at Nicole with quizzical eyes. "Yeah, Nicole.I thought we were best friends." ¡®Boyfriend? What boyfriend?'' Nicole looked at the two of them and was confused. She held her forehead as if she had a headache and then looked over at Bill. "What did you tell them?" Bill waved his hand innocently, saying that he had done nothing; the girls had guessed it by themselves, and she should not me him. But Lulu would not back down until she got the answer.She sat down next to Nicole and stared at her threateningly. "It''s time to talk, Nicole.Tell us the truth." Chapter 502 Chapter 502 "Just a friend who said he needed me to do hima favor," Nicole said helplessly. Lulu looked suspiciously at Nicole. After all, Nicole''s attitude told her they were more than just friends. June stopped her from asking any more questions by casually fetching bread for her. "Don''t you like bread? You should eat more." Lulu was forgetful. When she saw the bread, she forgot what she was about to say. Jimmy looked at Nicole as if thinking of something, but he was not surprised. Just then, the door of the private dining room next door suddenly opened, and theughter of girls was heard inside. Yvana looked at Snow, who was surrounded in the middle, with subtle jealousy in her eyes. "Snow, are you really going to leave so early? We aren''t having enough fun yet." Snow nced back at her with a faint disdain in her eyes. "Enjoy the meal.It''s on me." She just wanted to protect her circle and would not have time for them otherwise. Thinking that she would have to attend a dinner party with Harvey in a while, Snow became anxious, wanting to hurry back to clean herself up and put up fancy makeup to make sure that everyone could see that she deserved to stand next to Harvey. Yvana looked at her and was jealous. This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org. "Are you in a hurry to go back and prepare for the dinner party with Harvey?" Many girls around her also looked at Snow with resentment. Snow had already shown off to them earlier, and they deliberately took her to this fondue restaurant to dy her, but Snow did not take the bait. It was a matter of course. They would also not have wasted their time here had they been the ones invited by Harvey. Snow looked a little proud as she gave a sideways nce at Yvana. Thinking of the jewelry that was worth tens of thousands of dors that Yvana had worn earlier, she was still not too happy. Just Harvey was cold to her, and she had lost her status in his eyes, so she did not want to fall out with Yvana earlier. But now, things were different.She looked at Yvana and said casually, "Yeah, I have to go back and clean up.After all, the smell in this fondue restaurant is pretty strong; I don''t want to be looked down upon." Yvana and the other girls looked not too happy. The fondue restaurant was clean and smelled good.She knew that Snow just wanted to humiliate them and make them appear to be of a lower ss. But since Snow was going out with Harvey, they did not dare to say anything more but saw her out with a smile. Jared and us wereing upstairs when Snow came out. Jared saw her and frowned. Snow nervously sped the hem of her clothes and wanted to say something, but Jared ignored her, walking straight past her, leaving only a faint sandalwood scent lingering in Snow''s nostrils. Those girls around Snow were stunned; they did not know that Snow and Jared knew each other, and they were all whispering among themselves. "This man is also too good-looking.I wonder if he is a student at our school." "I think I''ve seen him before.Ahh, he is the owner of the caf¨¦ near our school." ''He is just the owner of a caf¨¦?! Many girls pulled back their gazes with disappointment.But one particr girl with a good memory pondered for a long while and then said unassuredly, "Not only that, it seems that there was another time when he and Mr.Ellison had appeared together, and Mr.Ellison was very respectful toward him." Chapter 503 Chapter 503 This reminded everyone about what happened during the g-raising ceremony the other day. But even so, they still did not know who this man was. Snow was standing aside, her gaze lingering on Jared with a faint hint of fear in her eyes.She did not know about others, but she knew exactly who Jared, who had just walked past, was. It was he who made her grandfather p Dillon and almost send her abroad, causing her parents to lose favor in the Riddle family. Her fingernails sank into the flesh of her palms at the thought of how protective Jared was toward Nicole and the indifference he had just shown toward her. But thinking of the evening party she was about to attend, Snow took a few deep breaths, barely calmed her anger, and walked out without looking at the others behind her. The girls behind her looked at each other, wondering why Snow got angry again. Yvana scoffed at Snow''s pretentious attitude. ¡®''She really thinks she is superior just because she is from the Riddle family, which is now in decline.I''m eager t o see how long she can keep on this way" Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org. As she turned and walked back, she saw the man, who had just walked past, was standing outside the door of a private lounge and knocking on the door gently. Yvana did not follow the other girls but stood there looking at Jared with a serious sense of surprise on her face. She might not know who he was, but judging by how respectful Mr.Ellison was toward him, she could safely presume that he was somebody.She gently sorted her hair and then walked toward Jared. Keenly sensing that someone was approaching from behind, us looked back and saw a shy-faced Yvanae in their direction.He cocked an eyebrow and stopped Yvana. "Excuse me,dy.May I help you?" us asked. Jared was waiting at the door, and Yvana did not want to waste time on his henchman.So she tried to shove us away, eagerly wanting to approach Jared behind him. us did not budge a bit and looked at the shocked Yvana with a cold, faint smile. "Is this how you are brought up to be,dy?" Yvana looked at the man, who was smiling with no emotion in his eyes. She flinched. When she saw Jared did not even spare a nce at her, she gritted her teeth and said to Jared, "Hello, I just want to get to know you.It''s unbing of your man to treat ady this way." us raised an eyebrow, and just as he was about to say something, the door in front of Jared opened. Nicole came out and leaned against the door with a group of people behind her.She looked at Yvana with surprise and then casually asked Jared, "What''s going on?" Jared did not even look at Yvana. The impatience in his eyes went away, and he smiled upon hearing what Nicole said. "I don''t know.She just said she wanted to get to know me," he said. Chapter 504 Chapter 504 Yvana saw Nicole and thought of the man taking Nicole away at the caf¨¦, and Harvey could do nothing about itst time. What surprised her the most was that they were now together. Yvana was not afraid of Nicole.She gritted her teeth and said, "Can''t I befriend him, Nicole? Don''t you think you''re too possessive?" Jared frowned upon hearing this, and he finally nced at Yvana with a frosty look in his eyes.He opened his mouth and was about to say something. Yvana saw the look in his eyes, and an unspeakable fear rose within her. ''Has this man be angry just because I''ve rebuked Nicole?'' Nicole took a couple of steps forward. With Jared behind her now, she looked at Yvana with a smile. Jared then heard Nicole''s somewhat mischievous voice. "Yeah, I''m just that possessive." Nicole walked up to Yvana and raised her upturned eyes.She stood tall and looked down at Yvana condescendingly. "Are you still not leaving?" Yvana looked at the bossy Nicole, so angry that she could not find a word to respond. She turned around and ran away. "I''lle back again, just you wait!" Meanwhile, us snorted in the back. ''Who cares? Nicole has the backing of my boss; he won''t let Yvana bully her.But what did Nicole mean by saying she was possessive and chasing the woman away?! Thinking the first thing that his boss did when he returned was to grind the coffee, us''s eyes narrowed as if something had dawned on him. ''Could It be that the Brassalian coffee tree has grown?! Jared looked at Nicole, the frosty look in his eyes vanishing. He smiled upon hearing what Nicole said, his eyes lighting up like the stars in the night sky. Nicole looked back and found her gaze colliding with his. Instead of overreacting, she asked calmly, "Are you looking for me?" Jared looked at her, the smile on his face getting even bigger.He reached out and brushed a strand of hair from Nicole''s forehead to behind her ear, his voice gentle and warm as he said, "Yeah, but nothing big deal." Jared''s expression eased up as he thought of what I Nicole had just said. "There''s a party, and I want you to go with me.That''s all." Nicole nodded and thought for a moment. N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. "Give me a moment; let me talk to my friends." She turned and went back in, looking at the people who were looking at her, astounded. "I''ll go first as I have something on.We will have fun together another time," she said. Everyone had seen what happened outside the door, and they all nodded, not intending to stop Nicole from leaving. It was not until Nicole was gone that Lulu came back t o her senses.. Chapter 505 Chapter 505 "Nicole still denies that he is her boyfriend." Jimmy looked calmly at the creamy fondue; he had no ; doubt about it now. ¡®When Nicole came to my rescue long before this, I knew that the rtionship between Nicole and that man was unusual.That man''s trust and support for Nicole is probably unmatched by anyone else" Thinking of this, he patted Lulu on the head. "It''s not that she doesn''t want to tell you.Maybe you have instead reminded her of something." Now everyone understood Nicole was probably not good at things like rtionships. Nicole first went downstairs to check out, only to be told that someone had already paid for it.She looked back at Jared, who blinked gently at her with his charming eyes. "Don''t do this again next time," Nicole said. ''It has been agreed that I would pick up the tab.He shouldn''t have paid for it" Then she walked slowly toward the door with no enthusiasm. She did not enjoy going to parties and socializing with a bunch of people who put up a smile i n front of others, but deep down inside, each of them had an ax to grind and would turn around to stab others in the back.It was annoying just to think about it. Jared looked at hernguid demeanor from behind and was amused.He caught up with her and took her hand, then brought her to the car that had been parked up outside. Behind them, us smirked and secretly scoffed at his boss for his obsession with Nicole while ignoring him. He got behind the wheel and looked at Nicole and Jared, who was sitting in the backseat. "Boss, where are we going now?" This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org. Since Jared hade out so early, and it was not the time yet, us was sure that Jared was not going to the Holder Mansion now. "Go to The Beauty Spot." Jared''s voice came from behind.He seemed to be in a good mood, his voice soft, not as cold as on normal days. us uttered his acknowledgment and stepped on the gas pedal. As the car drove out, he realized that something was wrong. ncing back at Nicole, who was looking at the scenery outside the window, and then at his boss, who looked calm and at ease, he suddenly had a knowing look on his face. The aerodynamic ck vehicle sped along the road. It just took ten minutes before they reached The Beauty Spot. Jared got out of the car, and Nicole followed suit.She looked at the building in front of her, nced at Jared, and then walked in first. Jared smiled when he saw howposed Nicole was. The Beauty Spot, as the name suggested, was San Joto''s most low-key and luxurious fashion and beauty shop for wealthy women. Nicole walked in, and Jared followed her. While going, he winked at the receptionist. The first floor was full of big-name, seasonal, limited models. After Nicole took a casual nce, someone took them upstairs, where the VIPs were received. As Nicole followed the person to the first floor and saw what was in front of her, she fell into momentary silence. It was an extremely beautiful ck evening dress, made entirely of soft and luxurious velvet, the skirt sloping downwards with slight folds at the shoulders and waistline. The edges of the sleeves and the hem were outlined with pale gold iid, and the most brilliant thing was the sporadic diamonds on the skirt, which glittered brilliantly in the light. Nicole could tell at a nce that this was probably a precious antique from thest century.She looked back at the man behind her with a question mark in her eyes. ¡®Does he really want me to put on such a priceless dress?'' Jared just looked at her and gently nudged her forward. He looked at her with his deep-set, focused eyes and said in a charming voice, "Try it out.¡± Chapter 506 Chapter 506 Nicole nced back at Jared helplessly as she was pushed in front of the dress. Then she was ushered into the dressing room. N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. The dress was hung inside, quietly waiting for its owner. In the dressing room-- Nicole looked at the foreign makeup artist, who did not know where to begin but just marveled at her beauty.She sighed and took the things from the makeup artist. "I''ll do it myself," she said politely. She had been trained in transfiguration and disguise. No one knew her face better than she did, and no one knew better than her what kind of makeup to match the expensive dress. By the time Nicole had finished thest stroke, everyone was speechless. Nicole raised an eyebrow and casually picked up the dress with one hand while grabbing the matching shoes and jewelry with the other. Then she looked back at the makeup artist and others. "Could you all please wait for me outside?" The makeup artist was the first toe to his senses. He was a little skeptical of Nicole''s makeup skill at first, but now he was utterly impressed by her superb skill and extreme aesthetic.He beckoned and walked out with everyone else. Before leaving, he nced at Nicole for thest time i n admiration. "You''re really beautiful," the makeup artist said. He had let Nicole do it by herself. Not that hecked the professional skills.He was just afraid that he would ruin her already beautiful face. Nicole nodded at him and said nothing. Outside, Jared raised an eyebrow as he saw the team o f stylists and makeup artistse out from the dressing room. us also frowned as he muttered, "What''s going on? Does she want to do it all by herself?" Jared looked at him with a smirk and said nothing. The makeup artist looked at us with surprise and said with a meaningful look, "You will know when shees out." The stylist was not too happy because Nicole did not use her service.She had just seen Nicole put on the makeup, which was pretty well done, but she doubted Nicole could do well in styling. In her eyes, Nicole was too stubborn.She had a disdainful look in her eyes when she thought of this. As San Joto''s top stylist, no one had ever dared to treat her like this, and Nicole was also the first one. So she was curious to see what Nicole would look like when she came out. Nicole pulled up the zipper on her waist and made sure she could see nothing in the mirror before slowly walking out. Everyone fell into a deep silence the moment she emerged. She was wearing a gorgeous, retro Esperian costume. The high-necked ck dress exuded an ascetic beauty, the perfectly outlined slender waist, the gentle lines of the shoulders, all the way to the ankle, making Nicole incredibly stunning. The fishtail dress behind her made her look overall graceful yet solemn. The slightly folded cuffs revealed a pair of her long and lustrous arms, and the red rope on her right wrist was like a gorgeous bloody line, making her look exotic and dazzlingly pretty. Her light makeup highlighted her natural beauty, the outer corner eyeliners curving up only slightly, the light gold and dark red eyeshadow gently blending together, making a subtly seductive look. Her lips were light metallic red, which contrasted well with the ck dress. Everyone watched as this beautiful girl slowly walked over. She looked a little cold, as if a blooming fire lotus, yet with the coldness of ice and snow. Jared walked up to her and gently lifted her long hair while putting something on top of her head with his right hand. Chapter 507 Chapter 507 Nicole could not see it. So as she turned slightly to look at Jared, the crystal earrings swung with her movements and glittered in the light. us looked on with his mouth agape at Victoria VII''s crown that Jared put on Nicole''s head and cursed in his mind. Nicole saw Jared wearing a ck velvet suit, the hem 0 f which was pulled open. Underneath the suit was a seemingly casual, dark red shirt.He looked extremely good in this attire. Those eyes that seemed to contain thousands of rays of brilliance were shining at her. Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org. When he saw her look at him, he bent forward gracefully.She watched on and felt his action so casual yet elegant as if it were a demeanor gifted from heaven. "Pleasee with me, my princess," Jared said. ¡®My princess?'' Nicole put her hand on his and smiled. '' Let''s go, my king" At this time, us could not help but look back in the car.He knew Nicole was beautiful, but today, he could no longer take his eyes off her. Unbeknownst to the two of them, everyone was staring at them with awe when the two of them emerged. Their gracefulness and appearance were absolutely stunning. When us looked back for the 108th time, he was startled as someone kicked him from behind. Annoyed, he looked back.He cowered when he saw Jared look at him with a smirk. "Boss, it''s dangerous for you to do this while I''m driving." He then became silent again. Jared looked at him and dragged his voice, "Oh, really? He looked at us with frosty eyes. "Isn''t it dangerous to look back while driving?" us was startled as he had not seen this expression of Jared for a long time, almost forgetting how ferocious his boss was.He suddenly realized he had just put his life on the line when he stared at Nicole like that. So he immediately turned his head back, leaving only a beautifully shaped back of his head for the two of them behind him. "Boss, I''ll concentrate on driving," he said. Nicole nced at the two with surprise. She rarely saw us''s so well-behaved expression, and she could not help taking a few more nces at him in the rearview mirror. us had cold sweat on his forehead.He secretly prayed that Nicole would quickly look away, lest his life would be in danger. ''I was wrong; I shouldn''t have questioned her behind her back.I really regret it" Jared had noticed Nicole''s eyes looking at us.He frowned and turned Nicole''s face toward him with a hand. "What''s so nice about him you want to stare at him? Look at me." Chapter 508 Chapter 508 usined in his mind about his boss''s pettiness, sitting there precariously, not daring to look back. Nicole looked at Jared, whose face had a tinge of deep affection, which made her feel at a loss for the first time. Breaking free from him was obviously easy, but she just could not do it somewhat. ''How could he look so good? Taking a closer look, his face is spotless and breathtakingly handsome" Jared saw her awkwardness and smiled meaningfully. "The coffee has been ground.When are youing to drink it?" Nicole nced back at him, surprised by how quick his action was.She quickly let out a smile. "It won''t be long." ¡®I will surely go over and taste the Bourbon Santos he had nted with his own hands" Jared looked at Nicole and still had a smile on his face. He lowered his hand and said, "I''m looking forward to it." us stopped the car and rubbed both of his arms. Good lord, I have goosebumps all over my body at hearing their touchy-feely, lovey-dovey conversation. The two people behind him had already walked toward the Holder Mansion. us quickly got up and followed. After getting out of the car, his expression changed as he looked at the Holder Mansion and sighed, wondering what his boss was here for today. Meanwhile, Harvey was already waiting in front of the Riddle Mansion, looking gently down at his watch. When he looked up, there was an obvious impatience on his face.He had been waiting here for almost twenty minutes, and Snow still had note out. Just as he took out his mobile phone to call Snow, the door opened. Harvey saw Snow in an off-white dress, hands holding the hem, wearing a pair of high heels that looked almost four inches high, staggering out o f the mansion. A thick diamond ne hung from her slender neck looked a little out of ce. Harvey frowned at seeing this. Snow had done her best to maintain her manners, showing her most beautiful side in front of Harvey. But she was not too used to high heels, and she looked odd no matter how hard she tried.She walked over to Harvey and waited for Harvey to open the car door for her. Harvey had been doing this for her previously.He had never held her hand but had always been gentlemanly. So Snow was looking at him expectantly. Harvey just looked at her silently, turned to walk to the other side, and got in the driver''s seat, then looked at the somewhat stunned Snow. "You''rete, way past the agreed time.Do you still want me to wait for you?" This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org. That hurt Snow''s feelings, but she still got in the car and dared not say a word when she saw Harvey''s expression. "When you get to the Holder Mansion, don''t say anything; just follow me." Speaking of which, he nced at Snow gently. "Haven''t you recovered the diamond yet?" Snow bowed her head in shame.She remembered what Harvey had said earlier that he would only talk t o her after she found the diamond. So she was embarrassed about herself. Chapter 509 Chapter 509 But soon, her embarrassment turned into anger. "It was all Nicole''s fault.She must have taken my diamond and deliberately made me quarrel with you.Harvey, you must help me teach her a lesson," she said indignantly. Snow clenched her fists at the thought of Lyana failing to fix Nicole. ¡®''That b*tch sowed discord between Harvey and me.I''m not going to let her get away with it" Harvey nced at Snow meaningfully. He was just using Snow as a shield to protect the girl he loved.He would not havee out with such a girl with no ss had he not wanted Lloyd to find Nicole.His face sank at the thought of Lloyd. He ignored Snow''s usations against Nicole. "It''s not important.Don''t hurt the harmony of the family because of it." At this point, he again nced at Snow with a meaningful look. Shawn had already told him about the deal between Snow and Lyana. Christo would not want to miss such a wonderful opportunity, and he would fake it and make Nicole hand over the drug, no matter what. And he had been prepared to rescue Nicole and her family when she was in despair. This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org. Unfortunately, Jared had ruined his n. He still remembered Jared''s expression when he looked in his hiding ce and threw the explosives.He chose a more powerful explosive, the aftermath of the impact of which was enough to force his men to retreat. ¡®What an *sshole!'' Harvey mmed his hand on the steering wheel, terrifying Snow. She did not expect that her casual words would make Harvey so angry. Harvey seemed to have sensed her emotions and looked back with a smirk, his eyes frosty.He mmed on the gas pedal and drove the car at high speed. Soon, the two arrived at the Holder Mansion. Harvey got out of the car, went to the other side, and opened the door for Snow. "Here we''re.Let''s go." Snow nodded.She then looked at the gorgeous porch of the Holder Mansion with surprise. The Holder Mansion was not what she had imagined; it was as big as, if not bigger than, the Ellison Mansion. She had never expected that she would be able toe here for a party one day.So she told herself that she must find a way to be epted into the Holder family, changing Mr.Riddle Sr"s view of her and her parents. Thinking of this, Snow was so excited that she subconsciously wanted to hold Harvey''s hand, but he avoided her. Harvey smiled at the brash Snow and said softly, "Sober up, and don''t embarrass me." Snow nodded embarrassedly. She walked beside Harvey and never touched him.But she was content. Snow exhaled softly as she followed Harvey into the mansion. They came into the hall. The host had note out yet, and guests were chatting with each other. Snow followed behind and deeply admired Harvey as she watched him rub shoulders with the rich and the powerful. Because of Harvey''s sake, everyone treated Snow with respect. They raised their sses to Snow, and Snow nodded reticently at them. She really felt that she had fully integrated into the upper ss. Those who nodded at her were all bigshots whom she had met before and who ignored her. Now they all had to rub shoulders with her. Chapter 510 Chapter 510 This satisfied Snow''s vanity. She looked at Harvey; he looked like an inborn leader in his demeanor, which was unbridled yet natural. ¡®How could I let go of him? I can''t live without Harvey.'' Thinking of this, a strong emotion rose in her eyes. Gary followed Ryder to the Holder family''s party. When he saw one less seat at the table, he asked in puzzlement, "Why is there one less seat here?" Usually, the foremost table was almost reserved for prominent families. The Holder family could not have made such a low-level mistake by arranging one less seat at this table. Ryder had also noticed that and squinted in bafflement. ¡®¡®The Johnston and the Holder families must be at odds with each other now.But even so, they have never shown their discord publicly.Whenever the Holder family holds a banquet, they would surely reserve a ce for the Johnston family, even if the Johnston family is noting.What happens now could only mean that the Holder family thinks some other family doesn''t deserve to sit at this table, and so they reduce the number of seats.But what is more interesting is that the second table has an extra seat.What''s going on here?¡¯'' At this time, outside the banquet hall, Chloe was being ushered into the hall by a waitstaff.She was holding her invitation card with her chin pointing skyward, but deep down inside, she was pretty nervous. Damien and Miley also walked in prim and proper. The three of them got their invitation cards with the help of a branch of the Rogers family, so they were seated further back, simr to the Rogers family branch. Chloe''s eyes lit up when she spotted someone in the crowd. She left her parents and walked toward Alberto, calling out affectionately, "Grandpa!" Alberto broke into a smile when he saw his favorite granddaughter. He gently patted Chloe''s hand and said gently, "I brought you to the Holder Mansion this time so you can find a way to make Nachelle change his mind about you." Chloe nodded obligingly. N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. As Miley and Damien arrivedte, they did not hear the conversation between Chloe and Alberto. Miley stayed behind her husband cowardly when she saw Alberto. Since she retired from showbiz because of her declining acting skills. Since losing her value, Alberto''s attitude toward her was getting worse and worse.Now he was even colder to her and had to pick on her every time he saw her. Miley could do nothing else except acting. When she was still a celebrity, she was of great help to her family. But now, she was nobody, and Alberto was irritated at seeing her. Seeing his daughter hide behind his son-inw, Alberto snapped, "Get out from behind Damien!" Damien furrowed his brows at seeing Miley shaking with fright. "Dad, Miley is timid.Don''t scare her.Just tell us if you have something to say." Alberto looked up and down at Damien, not expecting that his son-inw was still protective of his useless daughter. Just as he wanted to say something, Chloe looked at his grandfather and said softly, "Grandpa, there are so many people here.Can you introduce them to me?" As she spoke and raised her hand to stroke her hair, a brilliant light shed on her finger. Alberto quickly shifted his attention from his daughter and son-inw and smiled at his granddaughter, who had not disappointed him so far, and nodded at her. "It''s time to take you to meet people.Come with me." Not sparing a look at her parents, Chloe followed Alberto in delight to meet the other guests. Miley looked at Chloe from behind and was pleased that her daughter had found favor with even her stone -faced father.But Damien looked at Chloe with a faint coldness in his eyes. Chapter 511 Chapter 511 ¡®¡®Chloe must have thought she is good enough and pays scant regard to me" N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. Looking at the self-satisfied Miley, Daniel had a faint sense of helplessness and disgust in his eyes behind the gold-framed sses. Chloe followed behind Alberto. Alberto felt at ease handling the guests at the first few tables.But the further he went, the more difficult it was for Alberto to cope. When he came to the fourth table, no one was willing to talk to him. Chloe held the winess in her hand with resentment. This was the first time she had ever been given the cold shoulder.She raised her head in hatred, wanting to take a look at these people. Inadvertently, she seemed to see someone she knew. ¡®Isn''t that Snow?'' Chloe turned and wanted to leave. She almost immediately wanted to pull the ring off her finger, but the more anxious she was, the more difficult it was to take the ring off. Snow was following Harvey, who was having a chat with the VIPs at the third table.Her eyes widened in surprise when she saw Chloe. "Chloe?" ''Who?'' Harvey looked back, raising an eyebrow when he saw Chloe. He once met this woman in Nottingbrook State, not expecting that she was also from the Riddle family.He turned to nce at Snow and tilted his head slightly. ¡°Do you want to go over and say hello?" Snow, who seemed to have seen Chloe struggle at the fourth table, was sitting at the third table, enjoying thepliments of the people around her. She could not help but think of showing off.So when she heard what Harvey said, she nodded almost immediately. "Why not?" The two of them got up and walked toward the fourth table. Seeing Snow approach, Chloe almost wanted to turn around and leave. At this moment, a hoarse and maic female voice suddenly came from behind her. The voice was special, obviously a smoky voice, much like the voice of a sessful person. "Thank you all foring to the Holder Mansion for the party held for Lloyd, who has just returned." Harvey did not look back. When he heard this familiar voice, he had a disdainful look in his eyes. The reason the Holder family had be so sessful so quickly was inseparable from the Ellison family. Snow was puzzled and wanted to look back, but she dared not, as Harvey did not move. Chloe heard clearly the name that Nachelle had mentioned and stopped dead in her tracks, then looked back in disbelief. The man who stood on the stage was none other than Lloyd, whom she had tauntedst time.He was unsmiling, with extraordinary grace and poise. Lloyd disregarded those gazes around him, his eyes scanning over the crowd, and he spotted someone he knew. Chapter 512 Chapter 512 Lloyd looked at the girl from behind and frowned, then ignored Nachelle, who was speaking, and walked off the stage toward the third and fourth tables. Everyone looked at Lloyd with surprise, as they did not expect that he would be so rude to Nachelle in public. But Nachelle did not mind.He was looking at his son dotingly and continued speaking, as if she had not been interrupted. "My son is back, and I hope everyone can see clearly that he is my future sessor." Seeing Lloyd run toward hers, Chloe raised her head and was filled with excitement. ''I didn''t expect that Lloyd would stille to me despite how I treated himst time.I knew he was genuine when he looked a t me in Nottingbrook State; his affectionate gaze almost drowned me.That look in his eyes could not possibly be fake" Thinking of this, Chloe waited confidently for Lloyd, standing calmly in ce, with pride in her eyes. ''I didn''t expect that Lloyd was from the Holder family.So even if there is still a gap between the Holder and the Johnston families, the Holder family i s still in the same league as the Ellison family, which means they canpete with the Johnston family.I will have everything to gain and nothing to lose to be together with Lloyd" Alberto looked curiously at his granddaughter and then at Lloyd, who was approaching in a hurry. "What''s going on, Chloe? You and Lloyd know each other?" Chloe slowly and reticently nced at Lloyd and nodded. ''That''s right, Lloyd ising for me, obviously.There is nothing wrong for me to admit in advance" Alberto''s face changed instantly.He looked at his granddaughter with pride in her eyes. The guests at the fourth table had also heard the conversation between Alberto and Chloe. When they saw Chloe''s sworn expression, they were a little confused. ''Could she actually know the guy from the Holder family? Did we miss something here?'' N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. Seeing that Lloyd was getting closer, many people became a little restless. They looked at Chloe from time to time, almost wanting to say something ttering to Chloe. But Lloyd stopped before he reached the fourth table. "Turn around." Everyone heard his voice, which was soft.He was anxious and did not feel the joy of finding her. "This back of hers..." Snow wanted to look back, but when she saw Harvey''s face, she froze. "Can you please turn around?" Lloyd spoke again, his voice gentle and pleasant yet had a faint hint of anxiety. Harvey did not know what Lloyd''s intention was, but he turned around with a smile, looked at Lloyd, and said meaningfully, "Snow, didn''t you hear Lloyd call you? Turn around." Only then, Snow turned around cautiously.She looked slightly stunned when she saw the face of the man across from her. The man had a prominent nose, deep -set eyes, and a sharp face as if he had undergone the most ingenious carving of the gods. ¡®Isn''t he the movie star on the silver screen?!¡± Chapter 513 Chapter 513 Snow did not expect him to be from the Holder family. Snow instantly blushed at seeing that he was looking at her.She did not dare to look him in the eyes, just feeling that Lloyd and Harvey looked simr to some extent. Before she could even feel puzzled, Lloyd spoke with a frosty voice, "You''re not her." His tone of voice seemed a little disappointed. ''Of course, she is abroad all this while.NO way she will appear here" Then, instead of turning around, he walked straight back to Nachelle without looking back. Chloe looked awkward, her expression freezing, and she clenched her hands. ''Why would Lloyd ask Snow t o turn around, but he didn''t bother to look at me?! She could almost hear the mockingughter around her. Chloe finally could not bear it. She reached out her hand to try to grab Lloyd, who was walking forward, the huge diamond on her finger glittering in under the chandelier. Chloe was not conscious of this. She had lost her deportment entirely as she just wanted to grab the man in front of her. Alberto did not manage to stop her but watched her make such a disrespectful move. While Snow was staring at Lloyd from behind, she seemed to feel a familiar sh of light in front of her eyes, but she just could not take her eyes off Lloyd. She looked at Lloyd with emotions, as if she felt he had a very unusual feeling for her. ¡®What kind of girl could cause such a man to search and wait for her tirelessly?! The thought of the girl causing such a wonderful man to be infatuated with her made Snow jealous. While all eyes were on the farce here, the door behind them suddenly opened, and soon a brisk and schadenfreude voice came. "It''s been a while since west met, Mr.Holder." Everyone was stunned at hearing the voice. Nachelle lowered her arm almost immediately and quickly adjusted her expression to reveal a solemn and gentle smile. Everyone looked back. Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org. As they were facing the light, they could not see who was at the door. But when they saw us''s attitude, almost everyone realized who it was¡ªit was Jared from the Johnston family. ¡®Wait a second! He didn''te alone" Many people looked at the shadow next to the man, their eyes widening as they tried to take a closer look a t her, wondering which woman had such an honor of apanying Jared. Everyone knew Jared was notorious for his sexual abstinence.They could not believe that Jared would bring a femalepanion. Jared and the woman walked in slowly, and their faces finally appeared in front of everyone. People were full of surprise. Jared was undeniably the best-looking man in San Joto, and he always attracted attention wherever he went. But this time, people''s attention was subconsciously distracted by the girl standing next to him. As handsome as Jared was, he did not steal the slightest limelight from the girl next to him.She was beautiful. Her eyes were slightly upturned, her demeanor cold, and she looked like a beautiful hibiscus with the coldness of a purple iris. The ck Victorian dress did not look out of ce on her. She seemed to be a princess from that era, with innate dignity, who came to this world. Chapter 514 Chapter 514 Everyone found themselves tongue-tied for a good while. They could only look at the two and listen to the surprise welling up in their throats. Both Snow and Chloe''s attention were instantly attracted by two. As they looked at the girl beside Jared, the raging mes of jealousy rose in their eyes. ''Why can''t this Nicole just go away!'' Nachelle Holder smiled graciously at Jared, and when she turned her eyes to his side, she was stunned. ¡®This is.." Stunned alongside her was Harvey.He looked on at the youngdy beside Jared. Deep yet difficult -to- put -to-words emotions welled within his eyes. ¡®Such a beautiful woman should be mine" He had never felt that Jared was so unsightly, so unsightly that he could not bear it any longer. Harvey immediately walked over and Snow, who was staring at his back, yelled angrily at him. "Harvey, where are you going?" Harvey ignored her, his eyes seemingly being shrouded by ayer of ck fog, and his entire person became extremely morose. ¡®She is mine, and I''m going to take her back to my side" Yet, the moment he moved, there was someone who moved much faster than he did. Lloyd''s pupils contracted violently the moment he saw the persone in. He had been tracing her face on many of his sleepless nights. He would never fail to recognize that face! This was his sin and his love, his salvation when he was in a dire situation. Everyone saw that the man, who was so inhumanly indifferent, was walking anxiously toward Jared''s side. He looked at the girl with a look of serious reverence, his voice mixed with a sigh-like tone. "I finally found you." "Doctor." Harvey was about ten meters behind the person, and when he saw Lloyd kneeling down before Nicole, he was stunned. ¡°What, what is going on here?" Lloyd, at this very moment, made a very passionate invitation to Nicole. "You''ve finally deigned to appear.Pleasee back to my side, my partner." Everyone was shocked by this sudden turn of events.They had never expected the heir to the Holder family would say such a thing to a girl on such an asion. This was almost akin to a grand deration of love. Chloe looked at this scene before her and felt that her action in pulling Lloyd made her look like a clown earlier.It was both hrious and ironic. To think that she had told Alberto earlier that Lloyd was here for her was now a total joke. She slowly put her hand down, and her nails bit deep into her palm, yet she was unaware of the pain. It''s that Nicole again! Harvey instantly stopped as the look in his eyes could not suppress the swirling emotions in it. Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org. Was he supposed to be d, or was he supposed to be surprised? He knew that Lloyd was looking for someone, but he did not know that the person Lloyd was looking for was Nicole! us looked at Lloyd and raised his eyebrows in surprise. ¡®Wow, this Holder kid actually dared to do this before my boss.This is way overboard" Looking at these deep affectionate eyes and the scorching hot words, if he was Nicole, he would have been moved. Chapter 515 Chapter 515 us subconsciously turned around to look at Jared''s expression. If there was a need, he would straight away kill this man, who had clearly crossed the line under his boss'' instruction. Yet, he only saw that Jared was slowly pulling Nicole''s hand''s up.His handsome face wasyered with frost. The moment he turned to Nicole, however, it disappeared.He smiled as he turned Nicole toward him and asked gently. "Are you going with him?" Nicole looked at Jared''s extremely immacte face in a daze. The stray hairs on his forehead werebed back, revealing his full forehead. His eyes were rolling with imperceptible emotions as if something was raging inside, much akin to the coming of a storm. The ce was so quiet that one could hear the sound of a falling pin. ¡®What is this?¡¯ ''The young masters of both the Johnston and the Holder family arepeting for a woman?¡¯ ''And the young master of the Ellison family wants to interfere as well?'' Many women looked enviously at Nicole, wishing that they could be in her ce instead.Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org. Many interest groups looked at the scene, thinking about how to extract a bigger benefit out of this. Nicole ignored them as she held Jared''s hand holding her face, and then she turned toward Lloyd, who was down on one knee before her. Everyone heard her calm voice, and it was so clear even in this hall that it had gone from being silent to cacophonous. "I was never yours, Lloyd." "So, where did this talk of meing back to youe from?" After hearing Nicole''s rather direct words, everyone''s eyes widened in surprise. The young master of the Holder family was rejected just like that! Many of thedies were cursing Nicole''s ignorance, but even some men muttered secretly to themselves. "Regardless of anything else, no matter how powerful the Johnston family is, Jared''s position as heir of the family is still not assured, while Lloyd had just been personally named as heir by Nachelle Holder earlier, and his position was secured, so normally one would choose Lloyd instead, right?¡¯ Thinking of this, they looked at Nicole in contempt. ¡®This woman is really not smart enough.'' Harvey looked at the scene before him, and he watched as Lloyd slowly got up without any change to his expression. An inexplicable glint appeared in his eyes.He wanted to know how Lloyd would react in this situation. Lloyd''s eyes never left Nicole for even a single moment. He seemingly did not mind being rejected as he just gently let out a smile. In an instant, a veil of light seemingly fell upon hima s if the clouds had roiled and parted, revealing a bright radiance. "It''s alright." He said gently, "I will wait, I will wait for you to return to me, and before that..." Lloyd''s eyes finally moved away from Nicole as he looked at Jared, whose mood was nigh indistinguishable, as the smile on his face slowly faded away. "So, you must promise me that you will not be at his side." When Jared heard him call Nicole that, there was a fluctuation in his emotions.He looked on thoughtfully at Lloyd. Thetter was very calm, seemingly very proud because he shared a secret with Nicole. The smile on his face widened, so attractive it was difficult to avert one''s gaze. ¡®No wonder this woman chose Mr.Johnston" Everyone looked at this beautiful man and could not help but hold their breaths. Jared''s face was really a killer. Jared did not seem to care what the others were thinking.He looked at Lloyd before him; his voice suddenly turned icy, like a de ripping into thetter''s flesh, causing a storm of blood to form. "Speaking of which, it seems like you don''t know her name at all." Chapter 516 Chapter 516 Lloyd''s expression instantly stiffened.He had known Nicole for so many years now, yet he did not know her real name. At this moment, his expression instantly solidified into hoarfrost as he looked at Jared with a look of indifference. "A name, or a codename, is just a symbol, a symbol to call her and to define her." He looked at Jared, the killing intent in his eyes palpable. N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. "I don''t need to know." us almost wanted tough as he looked at Lloyd, gritting his head and thought to himself. "Bro, if you don''t need to know, why are you so mad then?! Jared looked at Lloyd.Thetter''s words caused his rage to dissipate almost instantly, leaving only a little bemusement.He gently squeezed Nicole''s hand and slightly raised his eyebrow. "It''s good if you have that conviction in you." He then walked away from Nicole, and as he walked before Lloyd, he did not stop and kept walking. The moment he passed thetter by, he left a sentence in Lloyd''s ears. "She is mine." Lloyd let out an imperceptible frown as he held his hand out, wanting to catch Nicole, who was passing him by. Nicole did not look at him and simply just shifted sideways to dodge his grasp.Her gaze was indifferent, with scant emotions in her eyes.She gently nodded at Lloyd and did not look at him again. When Harvey saw this, a smile finally appeared in his eyes. ¡®¡®Just look, no one can catch Nicole" ¡®¡®Even if that damned immacte Lloyd is the same" Lloyd pulled his hand back as he looked in the direction of the girl. No one knew what he thought as he quickly followed after her. Nachelle had seen what her son did.She frowned a little but soon noticed that her son was walking toward her. A look of joy shed across her eyes. Although the girl had not agreed to her son''s request, her existence, after all, made this banquet far more meaningful. She had promised Lloyd to look for her, and now that he had found her, then Lloyd will need toe back to inherit the family business. The reason she became a director was because of her son, but this nonsense shoulde to an end.He should now return to the business and help take her career to another level. After all, the Johnston family was secretly getting stronger and stronger, while her family was still staying stagnant. Recalling White, who had failed, a cold glint appeared in Nachelle''s eyes as she looked extremely icily at Jared for an instant. ¡®''Why did he attend this banquet then?¡¯¡¯ Jared did not look back, but us nced thoughtfully at Nachelle with a slightly puzzled look in his eyes. "What''s the manner, Madam? You don''t seem very happy to see Mr.Johnston here." "Weren''t you the one who sent us the invitation, and now that we''re here, you''re feeling displeased?" Nicole gave Nachelle a faint look of indifference as a thought crossed her mind. The direction of Warbler''s code was indeed toward the Holder family, but she had no idea what sort of entanglement they had with Jared, so much so that even White was deployed to attack these G-grade drugs. Chapter 517 Chapter 517 When Nachelle heard us'' words, the expression on her face immediately turned genial as she gently looked at Jared and smiled at him. "Of course not.Mr.Johnston''s attendance is an honor to the Holder family." As she said that, she lifted the ss in her hand and slightly raised it toward Jared, her movement extremely gentle. "Mr.Johnston, please have a seat." Jared gave her an impassive look before looking at Lloyd, who was now standing by her side, as some kind of emotion shed across his face.He casually grabbed a ss of wine from the waiter beside him and gave Nachelle a distant cheer. He then swirled the ss, and, like Nachelle, he did not even drink the liquid. They had been so used to maintaining this superficial peace. It would note apart so suddenly. When Harvey saw what was going on, a warm smile appeared on his face, yet the emotions in his eyes were indiscernible. He watched as Jared took Nicole to sit at the first table at the center, and he went back to his own table. Instantly, the tables were filled, leaving only the two master seats empty. There were, however, no signs of the Rogers family members at the first table.Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org. Alberto obviously noticed this as he was a little surprised to see that after Nachelle and Lloyd took their seats, the table was filled, yet his second brother was not among them. He then slowly realized that something was wrong. No matter how useless he was, everyone would still offer him a smile on the grace of the Rogers family''s name. There was nothing like today where he was outright ignored, making it difficult for him to make any moves. What was even weirder was that his two nephews were not here either, or even that Shawn, the favorite son of Christo was nowhere to be found. ¡®What was going on?'' At this very moment, Chloe was clenching her fists tightly as she looked at Nicole sitting between Jared and Lloyd. The look in her eyes was as if she wanted to y Nicole alive. ¡®Those two men should''ve been MINE!'' She walked toward Nicole almost uncontrobly. Alberto frowned as he was pondering what was going on and did not notice her movements. By the time he realized it, Chloe had already made her way to Jared and Lloyd''s side as she stretched her hand out to pull Nicole. It was already toote for Alberto to stop her as he could only look at the granddaughter he had always been proud of, scaring him witless. Nicole had already noticed Chloe''s movements long ago. She calmly turned around and dodged Chloe''s outstretched hand. Her eyes immediately turned icy as she grabbed thetter''s arm. Snow followed Harvey over to sit there.She was looking both angrily and enviously at Nicole and, seeing Chloe''s outstretched hand and secretly cheered for thetter. ¡®Let''s have Chloe deal with Nicole!'' When Lloyd saw what Chloe did, a tinge of anger appeared on his warm face. Just as he wanted to say something, Nicole had already spoken, her tone rather icy. "Chloe, do not piss me off again." Snow could not hold it in any longer as she looked at the dignitaries at the table and spat, "Nicole, you''re saying Chloe is pissing you off? You are the one with an attitude issue.Not only you are out there being a vixen, you even steal! Someone should''ve dealt with you long ago!" As she said that, she thought that everyone would have a bad impression of Nicole as she waited triumphantly. To her dismay, however, she found that no one believed her at all. Every single one of them was looking at Nicole, as all of them ignored both Snow and Chloe. Snow felt extremely embarrassed, and as she wanted to say something else in a fit of anger, Lloyd''s impassive gave swept over. As he looked at Snow spouting all that, he frowned. ¡®Why would S do such a thing?! ''This woman is clearly bullshitting!" Chapter 518 Chapter 518 He spoke calmly, his eyes tranquil, yet there was a deep icy chill to it. "Miss, please do not nder someone like that, or else I will have to ask you to leave." Nachelle did not say anything.She had never refuted Lloyd''s words. Snow''s eyes widened as she looked at Lloyd in disbelief, her eyes filled with the look of being wronged. "How can you say that about me? Nicole is a thief that stole my things.Look at how she made you guys fall head over heels for her.Isn''t she promiscuous?" Not too far away, Gary, who hade with the Finley family, was looking at Nicole with a very complicated look.She was exceptionally beautiful today; it was impossible to avert his eyes. But upon seeing Lloyd''s actions, he was not sure what was his rtionship with Nicole! Ryder, sitting by his side, noticed his little brother''s dour mood.He gently prodded thetter and whispered. "Isn''t that the girl whose details I could not find no matter what I did? Didn''t you say her signature matches your idol? Go and ask her then." Gary shook his head as he clenched his fist tightly. Thinking of how he had treated Nicole earlier, he dared not ask the question. ¡®If she really is my idol, I really have no idea how to look at her in the eyes" At this moment, Nicole looked at the defiant Snow, her expression impassive, yet her voice was cold. "Snow, have a good look.What''s this thing on Chloe''s finger!" Chloe listened to what Snow said triumphantly, and at the same time, she was furious at Lloyd for speaking up for Nicole. Upon hearing what Nicole said, she was stunned. ¡®Yeah, I was so angry just now I forgot I was still wearing this!'' She had not had the time to take the ring off her finger! Thinking of this, Chloe immediately wanted to take the ring off her finger. However, Nicole''s hand, while slender, was extremely powerful, and even with her face flushed in strain, she could not pull her hands out of Nicole''s grasp! When Snow heard what Nicole said, she nced suspiciously at Chloe''s hand. She immediately saw the ring on thetter''s finger, and there was a huge diamond iid on the ring. It was the diamond she could not be more familiar with! Snow looked at Chloe in disbelief, and Chloe, having known that she had been discovered, gave up struggling as she looked icily at Snow and spoke first. "What? What''s wrong with my hand?" Snow''s eyes widened.She did not expect Chloe to be able to say something so shameless.She immediately stood up straight as she hissed with furious anger, "You have the cheek to say that? The diamond on your ring is mine!" N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. "Chloe! Why did you steal my diamond!" Chloe sneered as she subconsciously tried to pull her hand away, yet she still found her hand unmoving, and the expression on her face stiffened.The eyes of everyone around fell on her. Nachelle looked at that familiar-looking pink diamond, and she raised her eyebrows gently as she looked at Harvey, whose expression remained unchanged. Jared, who was looking at the scene, could not help but squint a little. Thinking of how Chloe had coveted the diamond back in Nottingbrook, and what had happened now, he could have guessed it without even thinking. He then looked at Chloe with a faint look of contempt. Chapter 519 Chapter 519 At this very moment, Nachelle''s expression had changed. ¡®Is Chloe really a thief?" Thankfully she listened to Lloyd and kicked this woman out of the production crew early. Otherwise, if she was to use such a stained actress as part of her final film "Lukewarm," it may very well crash and burn by word of mouth alone. As a person who had been extremely demanding of herself, how could Nachelle allow such a problem to ur? As Nachelle thought of this, her eyes looking at Chloe were so icy that frost could have formed. Chloe did not sense Nachelle''s disgust toward her. She had already been so agitated by the scene earlier that her brain was overheating, forgetting that the reason she was here was to get Nachelle to change her opinion of her. Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org. Chloe sneered as she looked at Snow. She hissed mockingly, "I was the one who saw the diamond first.It should''ve been mine!" Chloe was the one who saw it first during the auction of the pink diamond, so she thought that it should be hers. However, after returning home, she did some investigation and found that Harvey had given the diamond to Snow. After learning that the pink diamond was lost, she quickly searched all around for it. Two days ago, she discovered someone had secretly put it up for sale online, and she bought it back at a very high price! So, it was impossible for her to give it back to Snow! "Moreover, you''ve lost the diamond, and I purchased it from someone else.It has nothing to do with you anymore!" "Wh-What sort of logic is this?" Snow did not expect Chloe to say that she had bought it.She immediately turned toward Harvey. Yet, thetter did not even cast a nce her way and instead focused his eyes on the hand Nicole was grabbing. Seeing that he refused to help her, she stomped her feet and yelled at Chloe. "Chloe, I never thought that you were such a person! And here I was listening to you! You piss me off!" She thought, ''This woman purchased my stolen diamond and imed it as hers. She''s totally shameless! Chloe''s expression remained unchanged as she looked on sneeringly at Nicole. Since she had already been found out, there was no need to hide anymore. "I''ve noticed this diamond back in Nottingbrook! You should never have been its master.Look at your gaudy dress and that unstable gait as you walk with those high heels.How are you worthy of such a precious, beautiful diamond?" When Snow was told off by Chloe like that, she was totally stunned. She did not expect the getup that she was so proud of was so mercilessly ripped apart by Chloe. Seemingly sensing the people around her looking at her in contempt, her eyes reddened in exasperation. "Yet, before she could say anything else, Chloe mercilessly interrupted her.She looked on pitifully at Snow. "Silly girl, look how Mr.Harvey can''t even be bothered to help you, and you actually have the cheek to sit her? Shameless!" Just as when she gleefully insulted Snow until thetter had no way to fight back, an extremely icy voice suddenly rang out behind her. "When ites to being shameless, you are no better." Nicole sped Chloe''s hand with one hand, and with another, she pulled the diamond ring off Chloe''s fingers and casually tossed it to Snow before letting the former go. ¡®What''s going on? Nicole is helping me?!'' Snow looked at the scene unfolding before her in a daze and could not react to it at all for a good while. Chapter 520 Chapter 520 Yet, the shiny diamond in her hand told her that she had just been helped by the person she hated the most. Nicole''s speed was very fast, and by the time Chloe had reacted, the diamond ring had already flown into Snow''s hand. Chloe immediately screamed as she pounced at Nicole. "B*tch, give me back my diamond!" Everyone was watching the morous female star going berserk, and all had a look of shock in their eyes while Alberto almost fainted. ¡®What the hell is wrong with Chloe today? Why is she doing all these stupid things?" Damien and Miley standing at the back, saw their enraged daughter with a look of abject horror in their eyes. In their hearts, their daughter was always delicate and noble. She would never go berserk like this! Nicole looked at Chloe, who was like a possessed lunatic, and a look of irritability shed across her eyes. Yet, before she could even strike back, two arms stretched beside her, stopping Chloe in her tracks. Lloyd looked at Jared, who had also stretched his hands out, but he did not look at him. But instead, he cast his gaze onto Nicole. His eyes were like a storm of ice and fire. Chloe looked at Jared''s eyes and finally calmed down. She fearfully looked at everyone around her and saw almost everyone was looking at her with disgust. Nachelle, sitting on the side, issued an ultimatum without any hesitation. "This youngdy here is my guest." Nachelle looked at Nicole as she slowly spoke. Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org. "And since you actually intend to do her harm, please leave this ce on your own ord." ¡®Since my son like this girl, I, of course, need to back her up" When Chloe heard that, she almost wanted to copse in despair. She shook her head as she pleaded. "No, you cannot do this to me! It was Nicole, she took the diamond away first! It''s her fault! She''s a shameless thief! You''re being fooled by her! How can you take a country bumpkin as your guest?!" Before Nachelle could say anything, Lloyd smirked softly as he slowly let go of Chloe''s hand and dropped a bombshell. "A thief? Chloe, I don''t know what gave you the courage to use Interpol Agent S, a thief?!" ¡®WHAT?!¡¯ The eyes of everyone looking at Nicole changed, with a thickyer of fear in them. ¡®The world-famous Interpol Agent S is actually this woman?¡¯ us looked at Nicole. A huge look of surprise was etched upon his face. Back then, the boss had casually mentioned this person to him, yet he totally did not expect her to be right beside him. This was almost like a fantasy. Chloe''s expression turned pale as she looked at Nicole and then back at Lloyd as she sneered.You got to be kidding.How can Nicole be S?" There was no change in Lloyd''s eyes as he very calmly took out that photo from his pocket. Chloe had just casually nced at it, but when she clearly saw what was in the photo, her expression froze. It was actually quite a dated document, and Nicole in the photo was still very young, yet she had that indescribable coldness to her. She was in casual clothes, with the only identification information on it was a simple codename - S. Gary looked at S, and his expression instantly became veryplicated, as if something was struggling inside him. Yet Nicole''s expression did not change at all. She looked at that identification paper in Lloyd''s hand, and a nostalgic look appeared in her eyes. "I never thought that you actually kept this thing for me." Nicole said softly. She then looked at Lloyd, her eyes deep yet cold at the same time. "Unfortunately, I''m no longer S." Chapter 521 Chapter 521 There was an instantaneous change in Lloyd''s eyes as Nicole''s figure was reflected in his pair of charming yet distant eyes. There was only her in his eyes. "No, you will always be S." His voice had a certain gentleness to it as if he was simply stating a fact, yet it was also a silent rebuke to Nicole''s words. "The organization had never removed your name from our operator list.You are still my most resilient and loyal partner, my doctor." Her right hand had treated countless people and had also destroyed countless of darkness. That was why it was called the Hand of God. No one knew why she decided to quit at her prime, but the organization never removed her name, and everyone was hoping that she would one day return. Nicole looked at Lloyd before her. A trace of warmth finally appeared on her face as if something was burning in her eyes. "I have no need for that, Lloyd."She said coldly. "I''m not the person you seek, and I will never be that person you seek ever again." "So, please give up, and stop asserting things." Lloyd looked up slightly as he looked at Nicole before him with a look of puzzlement. "S, why?" They had been working so closely and seamlessly. There was No reason at all, but she chose to announce her departure when he was on a mission.He could not understand it, nor could he ept it. Nicole stood up. She could not be bothered to pay any attention to the gazes of everyone looking at her as she looked at Lloyd with a look of slight indifference. "There''s no why." The color in Lloyd''s eyes slowly disappeared.He looked at the girl before him as a shroud gathered around his eyes. Nicole finally nced indifferently at Chloe and Snow, who were in disbelief. Even Harvey''s expression changed somewhat as her cold voice rang out, with a tinge of sullenness to it. "Our paths simply diverged." Immediately after, she turned and walked out. Lloyd subconsciously wanted to grab her as there was a rare confusion between his eyes as he looked at Nicole''s back with a tinge of obstinacy. ¡®I cannot let her go again" Just as he was about to move, another hand stretched out to grab onto his. The fingers of that hand were slender and immacte, almost like silverware. Lloyd was stopped by that hand, and he raised his eyes to look at Jared, who stood up slothfully beside him, his eyes deep. Jared did not budge as his cold, indifferent voice slowly rang out in everyone''s ears. "Do not force her to do anything against her will." Immediately after, his gaze shifted from Lloyd to Nachelle as a beautiful smile slowly appeared from the corners of his lips. "I''m here just to tell you something." Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org. He casually followed behind Nicole, and as he left, he whispered. "The trouble you''ve caused me, I shall repay that bit by bit when I have the time." There was no need to feel lucky, nor there was any need to feel suspicious. Nachelle looked at his sharp face and could not say anything for a good while. Chapter 522 Chapter 522 She knew very well the reason why the Rogers family was kicked out of the circle of elite families. It was all because they had offended this Mr.Johnston. Although the Rogers family relied heavily on the Johnston family, it has to be said that it was still a juggernaut itself. Yet, the family was overthrown just like that, with nary any ability to fight back at all. She shuddered inwardly, yet she dared not lose the smile on her face. "Surely you jest, Mr.Johnston.I wouldn''t dare to cause you trouble." Jared gave her a half-smile and did not say anything else as he soon caught up to Nicole''s side as they walked out of the Holder family manor''s door together. They hade and gone in a hurry, yet they left plenty of room for the guests today to think. The world-famous Interpol Agent S was a woman aside. The two persons after her affection were Jared and Lloyd. They had to say, this was indeed shocking news. Nicole had heard what he said to Lloyd. She turned toward Jared, the look in her eyes somewhat indiscernible. Jared walked forward as he looked at Nicole and his eyes curved a little. "You look beautiful tonight." Aglint appeared in Nicole''s eyes. "We leaving? Wanna go back for coffee?" He said. Asmile appeared on Nicole''s face as she heard that.She looked at Jared and nodded softly. Lloyd looked at Jared''s back. As if all of his rages had been spent today, he did not chase after thetter, but instead, she turned toward Nachelle, his eyes bearing a clear indifference. ¡®What have you done?" Nachelle''s expression did not change as she softly sighed. Looking at the mess before her, she slowly said. "Let''s call it a day for now." When Damien and Miley walked out, they were still in a daze.She slowly turned toward Chloe behind her with a look of disbelief in her eyes. "What''s going on? Is what your brother said true? Were you really kicked out of the crew by Ms.Nachelle?" They had already witnessed Nachelle''s attitude earlier, and she met Chloe, who was trying to tter her and said without reservation.Her expression was almost hostile even. "Miss Chloe, we have nothing to do with each other anymore.Please take note of yourself in the future.The Holder family will never invite a thief like you to attend our banquet."? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org. "Consider this your first and yourst." Chloe looked like a pale ghost.Her grandfather was ignoring her now and had even viciously scolded her earlier, asking her to reflect on what she had that. His words were so sharp that as if he did not have such a granddaughter. ¡®¡®Thank goodness Grandma isn''t here today" Chloe thought with some relief. Her grandmother, who doted on her the most, was not here, which meant she had room to turn things around. As she thought of this, her eyes became extremely sullen. Chapter 523 Chapter 523 ¡®¡®It''s all because of Nicole!¡¯ ¡®Otherwise, I would not have ended up like this!'' Seemingly recalling the scene earlier, Chloe''s expression became twisted.She quickly walked ahead, ignoring her parents, and naturally paid no heed to what Miley had asked her.Her expression had changed so much that it was terrifyingly sullen. Luka was sitting in the car looking bored. Suddenly, there was a loud bang of the car door opening and closing.He was so shocked that he trembled, and when he turned around, he saw Chloe''s extremely bitter expression.He cautiously asked. "What''s the matter? Did something go wrong today?" Immediately after, he keenly noticed that Chloe''s beloved ring was missing. He quickly realized something as he asked, "Where''s your ring?" A sh of resentment appeared in Chloe''s eyes as she hissed. "It was snatched away by that bitch, Nicole! She gave it back to Snow!" She did not feel there was anything wrong with what she did. In her eyes, that diamond was purchased by her and was hers. Yet, Nicole dared to snatch her stuff away ring before her eyes! That was way overboard. Luka shuddered in fright when he heard her tone as he gingerly asked another question. "What do you n to do now?" ¡®What do I n to do?" Chloe sneered. When she recalled how Jared and Lloyd ignored her in favor of Nicole and even stared daggers at her, her envy was almost palpable. ¡®I will make Nicole pay!'' Chloe thought to herself. She then told Luka roughly what had happened today. A thoughtful look soon appeared on his face, and a look of disbelief soon took its ce on his face. ¡®That Nicole is the famous S? The cases she had solved aside, she is also the only medical genius in Interpol.Her ability is so outstanding that few countries had not heard of her name" He knew that S was quite young, but he did not at all expect her to be a woman! He especially did not expect that S would be Nicole! ''No wonder the Nottingbrook police changed their attitude so quickly.If Nicole is S, then all of this could be exined"As Luka thought of this, he took a deep breath as he looked at Chloe and said, "By the looks of this, we should not fight her head on." ¡®¡®S is not someone we can take on!'' Chloe told him all these were for him to give her ideas. Yet, Luka instead said something like this.Her expression immediately changed as she hissed. "We shouldn''t fight her head on? Fine, consider yourself fired then.Get loss!" When Luka heard the first half of the sentence, he was surprised, yet when he heard thetter half, he fell silent for a moment.He slowly turned to look at Chloe and realized that she was serious, so he immediately tried to tter her. "Don''t Chloe, Chloe.Please calm down.I''ll definitely figure out a way.Just give me a minute, give me a minute..." When Luka was thinking hard, Chloe watched the scenery outside. Snow and Harvey had both walked out. Both of them had sullen expressions on their face. Snow was holding that beautiful diamond ring in her hand, clutching it tightly.She was chasing after Harvey, seemingly trying to say something. However, Harvey ignored her as he was pondering something. Very quickly, he straight up left Snow, who was chasing after him, behind as he turned around and entered the Holder family manor once again. Without Harvey, Snow was stopped outside.She had a look of bitterness and resentment in her eyes and subconsciously wanted to throw the thing in her hand onto the ground.She then quickly realized what she was holding as she retracted her hand and clutched the diamond in her palm.N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. Chapter 524 Chapter 524 Her actions were somewhat clownish, and many passers wore a mocking look as they looked at her. Chloe looked at Snow being humiliated and felt a trace of glee.She then continued to urge Luka. "Think faster." As she said that, she continued to gleefully look at Snow being in an awkward situation. Seemingly recalling something, she got out of the car and walked to Snow''s side as she said mockingly with her arms crossed before her. "Didn''t your Harvey just leave you behind? What''s the use of keeping that diamond? You might as well give it to me!" Snow red at Chloe.She was so furious her expression turned menacing as she hissed in rage. "What''s happening between Harvey and me is none of your business! The diamond is mine, and you can forget about stealing it back! You, on the other hand, Mr.Johnston feels nothing about you at all.I could see his gaze had never left Nicole for even a single second!" When Chloe heard that, her expression also turned sullen as she hissed coldly. "Don''t be too happy.Even I could see what Harvey was thinking about Nicole.I don''t believe you haven''t noticed it at all." Snow clenched her fist tightly as a look of resentment instantly appeared in her eyes. ¡®Yes, Nicole had helped me get my diamond back, but what''s the use? Harvey''s not even giving me a single nce! '' She hated herself for finding the diamond. With it lost, she could at least lie to herself that Harvey was angry at her because she had lost it. Thinking of this, her fists clenched even harder. Just as the two were about to face off, Luka suddenly came running happily as he excitedly said to Chloe. "Chloe, I''ve thought of a way to deal with Nicole!" "Speak! Ww w Speak! " The two spoke at the same time. Both Chloe and Snow looked at each other and saw the hatred in each other''s eyes. Chloe did not expect that Snow to still hate Nicole even when thetter had helped her. Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org. However, no one would prefer an additional enemy, so she quickly changed her tact and said to Luka, after giving Snow a nce. "Out with it." Luka looked at Chloe and then at Snow as he whispered a few words. Both Chloe and Snow looked at each other before following him into the car. Harvey had returned to the main hall as he walked inside with familiarity. Soon he saw Nachelle and Lloyd seemingly talking about something. The mother and son stood some distance away from one another, seemingly a habitual action. Lloyd subconsciously took a step back when Nachelle took a step forward to touch him. When Nachelle saw him react like this, a look of sadness appeared in her eyes. Harvey looked at the scene with interest. The smile on his face was warm as ever. When one of the servants of the Holder family saw him return, he asked him with some puzzlement. "Mr.Harvey, is there anything?" Hearing this, both Lloyd and Nachelle turned around as thetter gave Harvey a rather hostile stare.She had the aura of someone of great authority, and that caused great stress with she looked at someone like this. There was no change in Harvey''s expression as he smiled and turned toward Lloyd and asked softly. "Can we talk?" Nachelle frowned and wanted to refuse him, yet Lloyd looked at Harvey with an impassive face and asked. "What do you want to talk about, Mr.Harvey?" Chapter 525 Chapter 525 The two walked to the garden of the Holder family manor. They stood facing one another. Lloyd looked on quietly at Harvey, his eyes deep. No one could tell what he was thinking. And Harvey hated this the most.He maintained his smile, but his voice turned icy. "Come with me.The teacher wants to see you." Hearing this, Lloyd''s expression did not change as he faintly looked at the man before him, his voice t. "So, you''ve him under your control." Harvey looked at Lloyd as thetter smiled.His aura was gentle, yet his words were bone-chilling. "Yes, but it''s pointless.He still insists on telling you alone, just like when he wanted to kill youst back then." As he said that, an undercurrent flowed within Harvey''s eyes as he let out an inexplicable smile. "I wonder what he sees in you." When Lloyd heard what Harvey said, he let out a faint sigh. "Are we leaving now?" At this moment, both Nicole and Jared arrived at the caf¨¦. As usined about having barely eaten, he quickly pivoted to S herself. "Miss Nicole, are you really S? What''s the deal with that dismemberment case in Calloway? How did you find the culprit?" Nicole did not avoid the question as she nced at us and casually said. "The victim was someone rted to thepany.He was living the high life in thepany, and his colleagues hated him so much that they killed him.It was easy to solve the case once the victim''s social rtionship was studied." us did not think it was that easy.He was stunned for a few seconds before ignoring Jared''s warning nce as he asked another question. "Then what''s with the secret room murder at Mecrounia?" Nicole then responded. "He was killed much earlier by his wife and stored inside a freezer.She even used active charcoal to preserve the corpse.After that, she spent two days creating an illusion of a secret room murder, but when you see the victim''s nails and organs, things are very clear." The body may be preserved, but the nails and organs will not hide the true time of death. us'' eyes widened in astonishment as he continued to ask. Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org. "That easy? Then that serial killer in Nottingbrook..." ¡®The serial killer had killed over a hundred odd people in Nottingbrook, causing the entire popce to fear for their lives.Even the Kg team was not able to track the murder down, so how did S, no, Nicole find the killer?" Nicole''s expression did not change as she looked at us.She had not expected him to know quite a number of the cases she had handled, so she went straight to the point. "The killer was a veterinarian specializing in husbandry animals.The K9 units had already located his ce, but they dared not enter the premise.I just made a cross-section of the location the Kg units had searched and found the killer soon enough." us asked a few more cases, and seeing Nicole could answer all of them so smoothly, he now believed her. Given how she knew the details of the case, Nicole was, without a doubt, S.Jared did not look at us but instead cast a gentle gaze at Nicole with a smile on his face. Nicole looked into his eyes and realized something as she asked a little helplessly. "Could it be that you''ve already guessed it?" Jared did not say anything as he just blinked at her. Nicole instantly understood what he meant.She was indeed curious, given how he had managed to guess her identity time and time again. "How did you know?" Chapter 526 Chapter 526 Jared did not hide anything as he simply just said. "I could tell that you''re someone from Interpol with that skill of yours, but I never thought that you were S." When Nicole heard what he said, she smiled a little.This was the first time she met someone with such observation skills. "You should join the Interpol as well." She said seriously. "If it''s you, you might very well be someone more powerful than I am." Jared did not say anything but us, at the front, raised his eyebrows and said, "Boss, where should we do that? He is..." The remainder of his words were snuffed out by Jared''s gaze. Nicole looked thoughtfully at Jared.She did not pursue the matter as she gently leaned against the car window and closed her eyes slightly. From Jared''s angle, she was like a serene beauty in a portrait.Her beautiful eyes closed and her face serene, as if she was a sleeping princess that walked straight out of the Victorian era. He motioned for us to keep quiet with his eyes as the high- performance car sped along the highway.It was going extremely fast, yet there was no noise at all. Soon, they arrived at the Royal Creek Institute. Nicole opened her eyes, waking up as if she was not sleepy at all. She looked at Jared to her side, and sensing her gaze, he looked over, his eyes gleaming. "You''re awake." Nicole nodded as she slowly got down from the car.As she looked at the caf¨¦ before her, she felt somewhat rxed.It was like a safe harbor that could give her peace of mind. The brightly lit caf¨¦ had a radiant warmth to it. Nicole sat by the side of the bar counter as she watched Jared''s gentle movements while he was making coffee. The coldness around her seemingly thawed away as she gently held her chin with her hand, tapping the fingers of her left hand on the marble countertop. With the piano music ying slowly in the hall, the world seemingly allocated this moment just for her and the handsome man before her. When Jared turned around, he saw Nicole staring at him in a daze, as if she was a person who was in a deep dream and did not want to wake up. Jared ced the Bourbon Santos by her side as he looked at her eyes and said, "Give it a taste." Only then did Nicole wake up as she looked at Jared and smiled. "Alright." As she sipped the coffee, the bitterness turned into sweetness, as if she was savoring something.It was rare that Nicole did notment on the taste.She just drank the coffee silently as a thin fog gathered around her eyes. When Jared saw her like this, he whispered. "Is it good?" Nicole looked at the man before her through the stern of the coffee and nodded. "Yes, it is, and so are you." Jared''s eyes immediately lit up. As he watched Nicole put down the coffee cup, something in her eyes seemingly thawed amidst the warmth, revealing a clear affection. She looked up and gave him a gentle kiss on the lips. N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. He smelled good. Jared''s eyes dimmed as he sped the back of the girl''s head and instinctively deepened the kiss. The meeting of the lips was the finality of their tacit understanding. By the time the kiss ended, Nicole''s eyes were somewhat moist, and when Jared looked at the beautiful girl before him, he wanted to kiss her again after a short pause. Chapter 527 Chapter 527 Yet, Nicole gently ced her index finger between their lips as she looked at the man before her and smiled. "Know your limits." Jared raised his eyebrows a little as he slowly moved closer to her.His eyes had a seductive charm to in, as if he was silently trying to bewitch the girl before her, to give her a second kiss. Nicole epted his temptation and did not reject him. But at this moment "What are the two of you doing, Nicole?¡± When Nicole heard the voice, a look of disbelief appeared in her eyes.She immediately looked back, and when she saw the blond man standing at the door, her eyes widened in surprise. "Carl!¡± ¡®He actually found this ce?!'' Carl looked at Nicole not too far ahead of him as something shed in his eyes. He raised his eyebrow as he opened up his arms as usual. "Oh honey, I missed you! Come give me a hug!" Nicole looked at him, and the smile on her face faded somewhat.She stood up and took a step back, quickly taking an offensive stance.She squinted as she looked at Carl rushing toward her like a chicken and narrowed her eyes a little. "Stop that, Carl, or I''ll make sure this will be an eventful bout." When Carl heard that and looked at her stance, he put down his arms, and he continued to walk toward her as he frowned and said, "Oh, baby.I never thought you would treat me like this after seeing each other again after that disaster.I''m heartbroken." N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. As he said that, he still walked over, wanting to give Nicole a hug, but someone unhurriedly stopped him in his tracks. "Even if you are her friend, please know your limits." When Carl heard that, he squinted a little as he looked at the handsome man.He was being extremely intimate with Nicole earlier and had totally crossed the line just now. When he heard that authoritative words, a hostile look appeared in Carl''s eyes. Jared stood before Nicole; his height was almost the same as Carl''s. The two faced off with one another, and for a moment, they looked like they were evenly matched. Being blocked like that and recalling how the two were kissing earlier, Carl immediatelyshed a fist out at Jared. "Don''t stop me from seeing Nicole!" Carl had a clear grasp of his strength.He had thought that this seemingly weak- looking man would be sent tumbling by his fist. It was enough to not hurt the person yet humiliate him at the same time, to let Nicole see what kind of a weakling she had chosen. Yet, Jared did not dodge as he grabbed the fist. His expression did not change either, as he said impassively. "How ill-mannered, hmm?" Carl used all of his strength and found himself unable to pull his hand out of the man''s grasp.He looked at the man in shock.He totally did not expect thetter to have such strength.He even had a thought of admiration in his mind. A Hustuaburgian was inherently weaker, yet this man could suppress him so easily! It was as if he was not human. ¡®As expected of Nicole''s partner, he is not a normal person either" Chapter 528 Chapter 528 Seeing thetter''s smile, Carl regretted his bullheadedness as a confused look appeared in his turquoise eyes. ¡®Who can tell me what I should do after I failed in a provocation.Need a reply, ASAP." When Nicole saw the scene before her, a smile appeared on her face.She gently patted Jared on the shoulder and whispered. "It''s okay." Jared could tell that she wanted to help Carl out of this predicament, so he nodded toward thetter and calmly said. "Good strength.Do work on it more." He then casually let go of Carl''s fist and even handed him a coffee. "Enjoy." Nicole looked at Carl''s befuddled face, a rare silly look appearing on his handsome and charming face.She smiled as she sat beside Carl and asked. "Why did youe looking for me? Don''t we still have a few days before the rendezvous date?" Only then did Carl look at Nicole.His pupils shrank as he finally eased up after taking a sip.He seemingly thought of something as his eyes looking at Nicole suddenly became serious. So much so that his entire temperament changed a little. "Nicole, I''m here to pick you up." His tone was solemn, and Nicole''s eyes immediately took a sharper glint. "It has started again?" Carl nodded. His usually passionate face had lost its usual yfulness and had be extremely cold. "We need you.Now." Seeing him like this, Nicole gently tapped her finger on the table as she slowly said. "Give me a bit more time.It won''t take too long." Carl looked at her and nodded slightly, guilt and hesitation seeping through his eyes. "I actually did not want to involve you in this.Nicole, your life should be like this, calm and peaceful, without any disturbance by me..." He did not continue on as Nicole was looking at him with determination in her eyes. "Don''t say that.We are in this together, no?" "You are my best partner, ever." Carl looked at her calm and rxed eyes as he softly let out a breath. A smile finally appeared on his face again. "I know you will help me because you are Nicole." Only Heavens knew how anxious and despairing he was when he faced that mess. Nicole was younger than him, yet no matter what, he would feel at ease whenever she was around. Just as if he knew thate what may, Nicole would stand by his side and help him take care of everything. Thinking of this, Carl stretched his fist out, his turquoise eyes staring unblinkingly at Nicole. Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org. Thetter raised her eyebrows and gently bumped his fist. The two then looked at each other as they chuckled. Great Oak-- Harvey looked at the already dark sky as the smile on his face disappeared, leaving only a faint coldness in its ce. Chapter 529 Chapter 529 The run-down sanatorium in front was a wreck. The whole building was dark due to curtailment.It was very creepy. However, Lloyd did not hesitate.He asked softly without turning his head, "Which room?" "Top floor.Room 312," Harvey said apathetically.His voice was unspeakably cold. They walked up the stairs slowly. Lloyd stood in front of an old paint-peeling-off door.He frowned his brows slightly as he said, "How could you let him live in such a ce?" Harvey sneered as he turned back to look at Lloyd.His eyes were glowing with malevolence. "He wanted me dead.It was merciful of me not killing him." ¡®I don''t like Lloyd''spassionate behavior.It''s next -level arrogant.Others might not notice it, but I can see it.He''s being so unreasonable and acting like he''s above all," Harvey thought. ¡®But I''m still not sure how he got to know Nicole.He even knows about her S identity?¡¯ Lloyd sighed softly. He knew Harvey was telling the truth.He did not have any excuse to justify the person inside the room. "Open the door," he said gently. A hint of mockery shed past Harvey''s eyes.He was ying around with the key that was in his hand.He did not open the door right away. N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. Instead, he turned around casually to look at Lloyd. "How did you meet Nicole?" Harvey asked casually. Lloyd did not turn his head.He moved his fingers slightly as he said calmly, ''She treated me." A hint of nostalgia shed upon his eyes as he thought about his dark days. ¡®Nicole was the brightest light in my dark days'' Harvey stared at the man standing next to him. ''When I was young, Lloyd was the person that I aspired to be.I didn''t expect that the only thing we have inmon now is that both of us like Nicole." "Why are you waiting for her constantly?" A hint of disappointment shed upon Lloyd''s eyes.He heard what Harvey asked. ''Nicole''s gorgeous.But she didn''t make a promise for me when she was standing next to Jared quietly" he sighed softly. "I don''t need to report to you." His voice was elegant but cold.He looked at Harvey calmly as he smiled coldly.He then opened the door in front of him casually. ¡°Let''s go in." He had nothing else to talk about with Harvey. Lloyd stared at the dense darkness in front of him as he walked in. Harvey went in after him. A pop sound was heard. The incandescentmp above them lit up. The light was harsh and spooky. Lloyd gazed at the skinny man on the bed who almost had no human form.He then turned around and looked at Harvey disagreeably. "How did he be like this?" The man who did not react when themp was lit up moved when he heard Lloyd''s voice.He raised his head.He coughed a few times without restraint because of his drastic movement. "Hank? " Harvey tilted his head. A curtain of fog can be seen on his face.He casually allowed Lloyd to look at the man himself. Lloyd stared at the man in front of him, who was suffering hair loss. ¡®''If I''m not mistaken, this man should be around 50 years old this year.He was once a strong middle- aged man.He''s been locked up in here for over 10 years.He looks like he''s almost lifeless." The man in front of Lloyd stared wide-eyed at him. ¡®The young man standing in front of me is rather introverted. His eyebrows are soft.He has an aura of calm, unlike Harvey.It''s like he''ll never lose control. "while Harvey is so temperamental.The two of them are worlds apart" After he recognized Lloyd, the light in his muddy eyes glowed for a moment. There was blood under the skin of his eyelids.He did not want to keep Lloyd long. He gazed at him as he licked his gums and said, "Come to me, Hank." Chapter 530 Chapter 530 ¡®¡®Hank and Harvey were only ten years old when they were following me. I can''t believe they''re all grown men now" the man thought. ¡®Hope he can be dealt with easily, just like when he was a kid" Lloyd looked at the man in front of him as he walked slowly toward him unexpectedly. Harvey stood behind Lloyd.He did not move a muscle. A suggestion of a cold smile can be seen in his eyes. ¡®Lloyd didn''t understand suffering.It''s time for him to taste pain a little" Lloyd approached Cyrus Federick.He stared at the man who traumatized and shamed him countlessly. A cold glint shed past his eyes. "Yes?! Cyrus was stunned for a moment.''I can''t believe he actually came forward to me" Cyrus was pleasantly surprised. Can''t believe he''s still so gullible.Just like when he was a kid! He extended his fingers without fingernails as he thought about that.His hand was trembling as he extended his hand toward Llyod''s inscrutable face. It was almost like Cyrus wanted to feel and confirm something. Lloyd avoided that gently. He did not allow Cyrus to touch him with his fingers.He frowned his eyebrows as he asked, "What happened to you? Why did you be like this?" Cyrus kept his arm raised for a moment.He moved his eyeballs slightly as he whipped up some tears. "Isn''t it obvious? Harvey hates me so much to the point where he never stopped abusing me all these years..." Cyrus expected Lloyd to give him a pitying look. However, Lloyd did not show any sign of sympathy at all. A hint of mockery shed up his eyes as he stared at Cyrus coldly. Cyrus was stunned.He stopped all his movements.He rubbed his eyes as he thought, ¡®Did I see wrongly?" ¡®Why didn''t Hank show any facial expression of sympathy?" He stared a Lloyd for a few more seconds.He realized that Lloyd''s expression did not change. N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. ''¡¯I must''ve seen wrongly" He then continued to say as he cried, "I knew I made a terrible mistake.I owed the loan shark too much money.I had no choice but to kidnap the two of you." ¡®If I didn''t think of a way to squeeze some cash out of the Ellison family, the loan shark would''ve killed me! ¡®Those who worked for the loan shark were ouws.They were murderous.I couldn''t fight them.I can only do as they said" At this point, his pent-up feelings that were caused by Harvey were released. He burst into tears and kept whining.He looked at Lloyd as he sobbed. Cyrus felt wronged. "But your life was just fine throughout those years when the two of you were following me, wasn''t it? I treated you as if you were my son." For Cyrus''s convenience, he named Lloyd Hank to pretend that Lloyd and Harvey were brothers. Lloyd''s facial expression remained unchanged as he recalled those memories.He gently nodded his head cooperatively. It seemed like he was paying attention to Cyrus. Cyrus felt that he made the right decision when he saw how Lloyd reacted. ¡®After all these years, any deep-seated grudge would''ve probably been released. Besides, Hank''s too gullible. With him here, even if Harvey wanted to kill me, Hank would protect me. ¡®¡®I don''t want to die even after living on borrowed time for all these years" Chapter 531 Chapter 531 While Cyrus was thinking to himself, Lloyd, who was still standing next to him, spoke suddenly. The color of his eyes was dark. Indescribable terror could be felt as he looked down. But at the same time, there was a delusion of him looking at Cyrus wholeheartedly. Lloyd stared at the man in front of him.He asked Cyrus the question he was most interested in. "Why did you want me to visit you? What do you want to tell me?" he asked in a clean tone. Cyrus knew he could not make an omelet without breaking eggs.He stared at Lloyd, who seemed like he was evaluating his worth.He then gritted his teeth heartlessly as he looked at Harvey, whose face could not be seen clearly in the dark room. "y-You can''t listen to what I''m about to tell Hank.He will decide whether he wants to tell you." Harvey raised his head and gazed at Cyrus, who seemed particrly presumptuous in front of Lloyd.He smiled instead of being angry. "Sure." Harvey left the room without dragging his feet.He even closed the old door. ? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org. Cyrus was stunned by Harvey''s reaction. ¡®All these years, what Harvey wanted to know was what I''m about to tell Hank.I was prepared for him to say no.I can''t believe this went smoothly!'' ''God''s n!" Cyrus waved at Lloyd gently after making sure Harvey could not hear him.He smiled as he said, ''''Hank, I can''t believe you''re all grown up now." Lloyd, who was also known as Hank, noticed that Cyrus was trying to be friendly.He then nodded his head as he lowered his eyes. "Stop wasting my time, Cyrus." Cyrus thought Lloyd was warning him that Harvey mighte back anytime.He quickly said what Lloyd cared about most. "Hank, you must promise me to bring me out of here if I tell you the secret.Save me from that torturous monster!" Lloyd nced at Cyrus ambiguously.He then nodded his head effortlessly. "I promise." Cyrus did not doubt Lloyd.He breathed a sigh of relief. ¡®Hank Ellison is an honorable man, just like his name.He never lied.'' Cyrus opened his filthy mouth after thinking that to himself.He slowly said out the secret that had been on his mind all these years. "I didn''t kill the girl." It seemed like Cyrus remembered something.His eyes glowed with a faint of terror. It appeared that whatever happened at that time still terrified him. "I was being hunted down back then.I didn''t fire the gun.Yes, I did hold the gun to her head.I wanted to kill her to scare you and Harvey.But when I was about to fire the gun, a bullet hit my right hand from nowhere.I didn''t fire the gun.Look at my hand if you don''t believe me!" He held out his hand as he said that.He showed Lloyd his bony right palm. There was a deep bullet wound scar on it indeed.It seemed like an old scar. The scar looked abnormally hideous, probably because it was not treated professionally. Lloyd remained silent.His eyes twinkled with amusement as he looked at Cyrus attentively. ¡®The girl who nearly saved us is still alive!'' ''I guess most probably Harvey didn''t expect this too. The girl who I thought went all out to save us didn''t die.She''s still living somewhere in this world" Cyrus was not sure if Lloyd believed him. "After I was shot, my gun fell to the ground.My vision was blurry.I could only see a dark figure take the girl away.Not long after they left, I was tracked down by the men who were hunting me down.A gold- ted jade ne was left at the scene!" Chapter 532 Chapter 532 "What happened to the ne?" Lloyd did not want to miss out on any clue regarding the girl. The truth is, Lloyd remembered clearly what happened after that.He thought the girl was murdered by Cyrus on that day. Not long after that, Lloyd and Harvey heard about the intense gunfight that happened on the hill. Cyrus did not return after the gunfight. There were only a few gangsters who were guarding the ce when the police officers arrived. Abducted kids were separated into a few rooms. All of them were blindfolded, and their mouths were covered. The kids were emaciated. Numbness can be seen on their faces. Harvey and Llyod remembered Cyrus''s voice clearly even though he escaped without them. There was no way they misidentified Cyrus. Harvey captured Cyrus and imprisoned him here in the sanatorium for revenge.But most importantly, he wanted to know the girl''s whereabouts from Cyrus. However, Cyrus knew he could not tell Harvey what happened on the hill.Harvey was vengeful.He would have killed him if he knew the truth. Moreover, he did not know where the girl went. Cyrus raised his head.He grabbed Lloyd''s shirt tightly as he stared at him. Lloyd was calm. Cyrus''s bloodshot eyes were filled with pleas. "The police took the ne away.I honestly have no idea the girl''s whereabouts.Hank, I''ve told you everything.Please get me out of here.I don''t want to die yet.I want to live well!" Cyrus would only be spared after Lloyd knew what actually happened.That was the reason why he must tell Lloyd. Lloyd stared at Cyrus coldly. ''He was so strong in his eyes back then.Bute to think of it now, he''s just a weak man.He''s a hypocritical, selfish, and cowardly loser" He gave Cyrus a gentle smile. "Do you know her name?" For a moment, Cyrus almost thought Lloyd agreed.He quickly said out the name that had been waiting to be spitted out from his mouth. "Nicole Wace.I wouldn''t forget.She was a gorgeous little girl.There was only an olddy that took care of her.The little girl''s name''s Nicole Wace!" he said excitedly. He was filled with joy when he said that. That was hisst stand.He then stared at Lloyd, eagerly waiting for him to save him from this dark prison. Lloyd stood still. A squeaking sound could be heard as Harvey opened the door.It was hard to tell if he was happy or angry. But in Cyrus''s eyes, Harvey looked as scary as a demon. ''I didn''t know whe the kid that went all out to save us was" Harvey thought. ¡®But when Cyrus said the kid''s name''s Nicole, I finally understood why I was so possessive when I first met her" ¡®That was all because she was the girl that Lloyd and I were searching for all these years!¡¯ ''We agreed that whoever found her first will marry her and treat her well!¡¯ ¡®But I missed her because Cyrus refused to tell me what he knew" Harvey raised his eyes to look at Cyrus.His eyes were filled with spooky dim light. "Leave us." Lloyd did not speak.He merely nced at Harvey.He then left the room without the slightest thought of saying good words for Cyrus. Cyrus was stunned when he saw what had happened.His eyes were filled with disbelief instantly. "Hank, you promised me! You promised me! How could you leave me with this monster?!" Lloyd turned around to look at Harvey as he heard what Cyrus said. Just when Cyrus thought Lloyd wanted to intercede for him, Lloyd said, ¡°Not here.Take him out." He turned back and gazed at Cyrus as he said coldly, ''''I promised him." Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org. ''Yes.I promised to get him out of here.But I didn''t agree to his second request!¡¯ Chapter 533 Chapter 533 Cyrus slumped into his bed.His body exudes some dying person''s odor.It was like he understood something.He stared dead in Lloyd''s direction.He did not look away even for a second. ''Why is he doing this to me?!'' Harvey walked toward Cyrus slowly as he saw Lloyd leave the room. He smiled gently as he said, "Whether you tell him or me, it''s the same." Cyrus heard his low voice.It appeared to be a different kind of cold. "Don''t forget that Lloyd and I were like brothers before we followed you.What makes you think that we''re different?" Harvey said. Harvey and Lloyd already made things clear before they met with Cyrus. Their n was for Lloyd to get Cyrus''s trust first.Then made him spill out the secret. As for what was going to happen next... Harvey''s face was expressionless.He stared at Cyrus, who was sent into panic as he walked closer. There was a strange cold on his face.No one knew what was going to happen to Cyrus. Harvey walked downstairs slowly. Lloyd was giving a young nurse his signature at the front desk just when Harvey reached downstairs. Lloyd was standing upright, looking like a pine that would never bend. Harvey walked past him. There was a smile on his face.He looked exceptionally handsome. "Let''s go," Harvey said. She stared at Harvey and Lloyd as they walked away slowly with an intrigued look on her face.She came back to herself after a long pause. "They''re so handsome." The indicator light in front of the door flicked a few times just when they reached the front of the sanatorium.The silence between them finally came to an end. "What did he tell you?" Harvey asked slowly in the dark. Lloyd repeated what Cyrus told him with an unchanged expression. Harvey had a general idea when Cyrus was telling him about it.But his pupil shrank drastically when he heard the final name mentioned by Lloyd.It was dark at that time. No one knew if Lloyd noticed Harvey''s change. Harvey got back to his normal state quickly. There was still a smile on his face.He looked superficially gentle. What he was going to say next was chilling. "I''ll deal with him." Lloyd nodded his head as he stared at Harvey. The vibe between them was creepy. ? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org. As if there were a rapport and intention to kill existed side by side in the air. "We shall never meet again." He turned around and walked toward the ck Maybach that was parked quietly at the side.His slender figure sat in the car quickly.He then started his car and sped away without looking back. Lloyd was not obsessed with Nicole, unlike Harvey.He only wanted to know her whereabouts to make himself feel better, that was all. Harvey stood still.He covered his face with his hand gently as he looked at the ck car driving away.He had a theory back when Shawn was investigating Nicole''s file. ¡®Nicole''s file had the Ellison family''s handwriting.This meant that she must have been involved in the abduction back then.I guess Nicole didn''t recognize that the two boys who nearly got her killed were us" A softugh came out from his lips slowly.It sounded strangely sad. ¡®Nicole and I weren''t meant to be together.After all, she has Jared" ¡®Lloyd doesn''t deserve to be close to Nicole too" ''He still doesn''t know that S is Nicole.Even if he knows about it in the future, he can do nothing... ''I met Nicole toote after all" Harvey smiled bitterly as he thought about that. He turned around and got into his white Maserati.He left this hopeless ce immediately. Chapter 534 Chapter 534 It was peaceful and quiet in the caf¨¦. Nicole chatted with Carl for a while before she noticed him rubbing his forehead tiredly. ''He must''vee to look for me right after he got off the ne.He''s so tired because he''s still jet- lagged from the time difference, '' Nicole thought. She quickly stood up before turning to Carl. "Where do you stay?" she asked. Carl raised an eyebrow and smiled slightly. "Why? Will you be sending me back?" he askedzily. Nicole nodded without hesitation. Then, she stood up and walked out. When us saw them leaving, he walked up and shed Nicole a smile. He twirled the car keys and said yfully, "Mr...Friend of Ms.Riddle.The chairman has instructed us to send you wherever you wish you go." Carl looked at the man in shock, "And your chairman is?" Nicole nced at Jared in silence.He was leaning against the bar counter and did not seem to notice them. However, the moment she cast her gaze at him, he lifted his head slightly to meet her eyes. Carl followed Nicole''s gaze. When he saw Jared, he paused before asking incredulously, "That''s him?" us nodded innocently.It did not take long before us started feeling ufortable.He twitched the corner of his lips before saying in a decisive tone, "It''s fine." Meanwhile, Jared stood up and sauntered up to them. "You don''te to Hustuaburg often.Since you''re Nicole''s friend, we must do what we can to make you feel at home," he said with a smile. Jared then walked up to Nicole and gently grabbed her hand.He was now standing right in front of Carl. Carl watched as Nicole did not struggle out of his grip.He sighed deeply. "It''s fine." Then, he turned around and walked toward the door. Nicole frowned slightly at his turned back and said, "But you''re leaving soon.Why don''t you stay over at my ce for a day?" Carl froze instantly. Then, a smile slowly formed on his lips. ''I knew it.I knew Nicole couldn''t possibly ignore me when I traveled thousands of miles to find her" he thought. At the thought of this, Carl turned around and titled his head. "Let''s go." A smile appeared in Nicole''s eyes as she gently tucked her hair behind her ear. us stared at her distractedly. Meanwhile, Jared threw him an indifferent nce. us quickly turned away and said loudly, "I''ll go get the car!" Nicole did not respond; she walked out with a calm expression. Carl saw her walking in his direction. N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. Just as he was about to sh her a smile, he noticed Jared beside her. ''His gaze doesn''t seem friendly" us thought. Carl had a slight look of reluctance.He then frowned at Jared. "Why are you tagging along?" he asked coldly. Jared did not look at him and continued trailing behind Nicole mindlessly. Their footsteps looked surprisingly in sync from behind. "To send Nicole home." Carl was speechless. ¡°I haven''t thought of this.Am I really going to let this man who embarrassed me on our first meeting send me home?¡¯ he wondered. Just as Carl was about to say something, Nicole spoke. "My car isn''t in Hustuaburg; you know where it is.What''s more, you don''t have a Hustuaburg driver''s license, so this is the best solution," she said indifferently. Chapter 535 Chapter 535 After Nicole finished her sentence, she turned to Jared with a slight smile. "Am I right?" she asked. Jared stared at her dotingly, "Yes, you are." Carl looked at them; he was speechless. ¡®Regardless, Nicole has a point.Not only is this the fastest solution, but it''s also the safest one" he thought. At this thought, he sped up his walking pace and nodded at Nicole reluctantly. Then, the four set off toward the Riddle family''s house. Carl sat in the front passenger seat with a wronged look for most of the ride. When he finally turned around to look at Nicole, he was stunned. ''I was too caught up in my emotions just now; I didn''t even notice how pretty Nicole looks today!¡¯ Carl thought. The Nicole that he usually saw was bare-faced and dressed casually. On the other hand, the Nicole he was currently looking at looked like an angel. Nicole turned to him as if she had noticed his gaze.Her beautiful eyes looked at him confusedly; it was as if she was questioning his gaze on her. All of a sudden, Carl''s face was flushed.He was no longer the smooth-talker arounddies; he had even forgotten what he was about to say. All he could think about was her beautiful face. Jared stared at Carl''s focused gaze and narrowed his eyes.He then winded down his windowzily. All of a sudden, a gust of cold air entered the car. Carl shivered and instantly regained hisposure. After that, he turned to re at Jared; this was his way of condemning Jared''s shameless behavior. Jared lightly raised his eyebrows.His gaze toward Carl was cold; it was as if he was silently challenging him. ¡®What''re you going to do about it?'' Jared thought. Nicole turned to nce at Jared.She rarely saw him make such expressions; she could not help but smile slightly. Nicole ignored the two of them; she looked at us, who was driving silently. "Where are the clothes that I was wearing before this?" Since she had left the house in a rush, she did not manage to get changed. us did not dare to answer. Meanwhile, Jared looked over and spoke. "I''ve gotten someone to send them back to your house," he repliedzily. Nicole nced at him and was quiet.She then nodded and quickly turned her gaze back out the window. us drove quickly, so it did not take long before they reached the Riddle family''s house. Nicole and Carl got off the car quickly. Carl watched as Nicole bade Jared goodbye. After that, she led him to the manor. Carl quickly ran up to her andined, "Nicole, what''s the matter with you? Why are you with such a terrible man?!" Nicole did not respond.She looked at the Riddle family manor with slight surprise in her eyes. N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. Mr.Riddle Sr.was standing in front of the hall.He appeared to have sent off a guest; the smile on his face was apparent. Damien and Dexter stood beside Mr.Riddle Sr.with proud expressions. When the two caught sight of Nicole walking toward them, they quickly rposed themselves and revealed slightly awkward expressions. Nicole ignored them. Instead, she walked straight up to Sean and Steve and stared at their calm expressions. "What''s the matter?" she whispered. Carl trailed behind her and slightly raised his eyebrows at the people in front of him. ¡®Are they Nicole''s family members?'' he wondered. At this thought, he trudged up to them. Sean was about to speak when he saw the tall and handsome foreigner behind Nicole.He could not help but frown slightly. "Who''s this, Nicole?" he asked. Chapter 536 Chapter 536 Nicole nced at Carl and said casually, "This is my friend; he''ll be staying over for a day." Carl shed a genuine smile at them. When they all saw how his emerald eyes seemingly sparkled with charm, they could not help but suspect him of having impure intentions toward Nicole. All of a sudden, all of them were looking at him cautiously. On the other hand, Nicole seemed to have understood the look in her brothers'' and grandfather''s eyes; she did not know whether tough or cry. "We''re just good friends.He came all the way from Mecrounia to meet me.I can''t possibly ask him to find a ce outside, right?" Both Sean and Steve calmly observed Carl. Meanwhile, Mr.Riddle Sr.coughed lightly and said in a kind voice, "A friend of Nicole is a guest of the Riddle family.Daniel, bring our guest to his room." Daniel nodded.He then smiled at Car] and introduced himself. When Carl learned that he was Nicole''s father, his gaze was instantly filled with respect. The two of them then walked into the house while chatting away. After Nicole was sure that the two had left, then only did she turn around to look at them.She lifted a brow and asked, "What exactly happened?" Sean and Steve looked at each other before saying slowly, "The bidding for thend was this afternoon; we won." Sean had a meaningful look in his eyes when he noticed Nicole''s calm demeanor.He thought of the phone call Sebastian had with his son. ¡®He mentioned something about someone from the Riddle family being Hustuaburg''s top gemstone appraiser.This person surely yed a big part in their win today" Sean thought. Steve was also catching on to something.He proceeded to look at Nicole with slight surprise. "Sean, is Nicole that person?" Sean did not respond.He merely turned to Nicole with a seemingly questioning gaze. "Nicole, you know Mr.Wyance, don''t you?" Damien abruptly lifted his head when he heard their questions. ¡®Sean and Steve stole the show today.I lost a foothold in this family a long time ago; I didn''t get any recognition even though I was the person-in-charge of the first round of bidding.But why did Sean ask such a question? Did they not win by themselves, but through some kind of special rtionship? But who''s Nicole? How could she possibly know Mr.Wyance?'' Damien wondered. He stared at Nicole with a hint of confusion.He had attended the Holder family''s cocktail party today; he managed to catch a glimpse of the ruckus happening. N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. ¡®Since Nicole is acquainted with both the Johnston family and Holder family, it wouldn''t be odd if she also knows Mr.Wyance" Damien thought. Just as he was in deep thought, someone behind him said tauntingly, "Sean, how stupid are you to think that Nicole would know Mr.Wyance?" ''It''s Dillon''s voice!'' he thought. Dillon had been quiet for a few days after Mr.Riddle Sr.publicly reprimanded him. Who would have guessed that he would show up again? Mr.Riddle Sr.frowned deeply at the sound of his voice. "You disgrace! How dare you show your face here?!" When Dillon walked into the manor, he looked at Mr.Riddle Sr.with a mixture of hatred and fear. However, he quickly regained his boldness as if a thought had urred to him. "If Mr.Wyance knew someone from the Riddle family, it would most definitely be Snow!" he said proudly. ''Snow even got invited by Harvey Ellison to his family''s banquet for the upper-ss" Dillon thought smugly while looking at Nicole. "Why would a thief like her know Mr.Wyance? She''s not worthy of knowing him!" he said fiercely. Chapter 537 Chapter 537 Nicole looked at Dillon. He had an arrogant expression and looked like a viin. She then smiled mysteriously. Dillon stared at her smile and "Why are you dressed like that? Were you also nning to attend the Holder family''s banquet yet were not invited?" he asked disdainfully. After everyone heard Dillon''s question, they were stunned for a moment. They turned to look at Nicole''s outfit.He''s right.This is an evening dress one would wear to a banquet. Anyway, it looks pretty expensive, '' they thought. Everyone looked at Nicole with puzzled gazes. However, Nicole did not exin herself but turned to Mr.Riddle Sr.instead. "Grandpa, I think I saw some guests just now?" she asked casually, Mr.Riddle Sr.was also staring at Nicole''s outfit with narrowed eyes; he seemed to have figured something out. However, he instantly forgot what he was thinking about as his train of thought was interrupted by Nicole''s question. Mr.Riddle Sr.turned to look at his granddaughter.He had a strange expression instead of his usually serious one. "That''s right.They''re all old acquaintances that haven''t been in contact with our family since our downfall.I don''t know what happened, but all of them came over and wanted to cotton up to me.Isn''t it odd?" Dillon spoke before Nicole could. "Dad, it must be because of Snow.You probably don''t know about this yet, but Snow attended the banquet with Harvey today.It''s likely that they changed their attitude after seeing the rtionship between the Riddle and Ellison family!" He then turned to look at everyone else smugly. ¡®Why worry about the future when we have Harvey?¡¯ he thought. Mr.Riddle Sr.ignored him and turned to Nicole.She looked exceptionally gorgeous today. "Is that so?"he drawled. Sean and Steve were also looking at Nicole. They had a feeling that the matter had something to do with their remarkable sister. Even though Nicole never brought it up, the Johnston family''s attitude toward them was telling. Damien and Dexter stood across them. Damien clearly believed Dillon''s words more but remained silent. Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org. However, he thought of how he did not see anyone from the Rogers family at today''s banquet. ¡®What on earth is happening?¡¯ Damien wondered. Suddenly, the gate behind them was opened, and a BMW sports car drove in. Chloe and Snow got out and walked toward them. The two instantly spotted Nicole; they looked at her with faint hatred in their eyes. On the other hand, Nicole gazed at Snow''s expression icily. When Snow saw Nicole''s gaze, she felt a little guilty. Regardless, her guilt was quickly washed away by her jealousy. ¡®Even though Nicole helped me find the diamond, it doesn''t change the fact that she snatched Harvey away from me!'' she thought. Chloe continued staring at Nicole coldly; it was as if she wanted to tear her to shreds. Damien saw the look on Chloe''s face and was visibly disappointed.He did not look at her with the pleased gaze he usually had. The banquet today changed his view on his daughter. Chapter 538 Chapter 538 Dillon did not notice the weird atmosphere.He examined Snow head-to-toe excitedly; he quickly saw the ring on her finger. ''She clearly wasn''t wearing a ring when she left.." At the thought of this, he asked delightedly, "Snow, did Harvey propose to you?" For a moment, Snow was startled by her father''s words.She regained herposure and slowly shook her head. "Nope." Snow caressed the ring while looking at Nicole with mixed emotions.She intended to let everyone get a clear view of the ring. It was as if the ring was Harvey''s promise to her. ¡®The ring is back in my hands, but it didn''t give me the effect I wanted" she thought. At this thought, a look of resentment appeared in Snow''s eyes. It''s all because of Nicole! She stole Harvey away from me! Otherwise, why would Harvey treat me so coldly?'' she thought again. However, she quickly regained herposure. Snow shed her father and soft smile and said, "But it''ll happen soon." ¡®If Luka''s n works, it''ll be equivalent to making Harvey fall for me again.When the timees, I''m certain Harvey and I will walk down the aisle!'' Snow thought with a wild glint in her eyes. Meanwhile, Dillon had just experienced a rollercoaster of emotions.He initially thought Harvey was about to be his son -inw and was ted beyond speech. Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org. However, Snow told him that it was not true. But then, she told him he was about to happen. "Snow, are you serious?" he asked anxiously. Upon seeing Snow nod, everyone reacted differently. Dillon was practically ecstatic; he scanned the crowd with an arrogant expression. Then, he said to everyone ¡ª including Mr.Riddle Sr.¡ª conceitedly, "I told you! What did I tell you? I told you, all these families are paying us visits because of Snow!" Mr.Riddle Sr"s expression remained unchanged.He turned to Snow and asked ambiguously, "Snow, is it really true? Snow kept quiet and lowered her head shyly.Everyone took her silence as a sign of her admitting it.Sean and Steve nced at each other silently.On the other hand, Damien gave Snow a meaningful nce and said with a smile, We shall await the good news then, Snow." Snow met his eyes and said with what appeared to be embarrassment, "Please don''t make fun of me, Uncle Damien." Damien merely smiled in response.Snow and Harvey stopped at the third table; naturally, neither saw him standing behind nor knew he was present. Even though he was standing quite the distance away, he still managed to get a good view of what happened. ¡®Harvey does not intend to propose to her; I''m sure of it.Moreover, Chloe was standing right beside her.She had a clearer view than me, but she still didn''t say a thing.At this point, I can''t even tell if my daughter is smart or stupid anymore.On the contrary, the person who appears to have gotten proposed by Harvey ¡ª Nicole ¡ª did not say a word.." Damien thought. He narrowed his eyes and did not say a word; all of his emotions were hidden behind his eyesses. Mr.Riddle Sr.ignored Snow and the ecstatic Dillon. He then turned to Sean and Steve¡ªwho had been silent the entire time¡ªand looked at them pleased and approvingly. Chapter 539 Chapter 539 "Sean and Steve have helped us ovee the most challenging task.The sess of today''s bidding has resolved the crisis our family has faced these recent years.Let''s have a dinner party tomorrow night to celebrate!" As soon as those words came out of Mr.Riddle Sr"s mouth, Snow and Chloe turned to look at the two from the fourth household in surprise. ''They won? Even dad''s tender was rejected, but you''re telling me they won?'' At this moment, Carl and Daniel, who seemed deep in conversation, walked down the stairs. Nicole raised her eyebrows.She nced at Snow and Dillon casually while she ignored their provocation.She then looked at Carl walking toward her and said, "Why are you not taking a rest?" Carl greeted his elders politely before turning to Nicole. "As soon as we met, uncle and I hit it off.So we decided to go out for dinner to discuss the origins of human beings." The corners of Sean and Steve''s mouths began to twitch when they saw their dad, who was impressed by Carl. ¡®I can''t believe someone has the same interest as dad" It was said that Daniel studied medicine to understand the characteristics of humans better. ''Has he found out about their origins?" Nicole''s face lit up with interest.She quickly walked upstairs and said, "Wait for me.I''ll go get changed." ''What? Is she interested in the origins of mankind? Like father like daughter, I guess." Sean was expressionless. Steve wanted to stop Nicole from going, but he decided not to in the end. Dillon, on the other hand, startedughing and pping his hands. ? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org. "Oh, Daniel.Your family is hopeless.Discuss the origins of mankind? Hah." Daniel was ustomed to Dillon''s ridicule. Thus, he just frowned in difort while he waited for his daughter. However, coldness shed across Carl''s eyes as he looked at the man in front of him. ''Of course, there''ll always be trash wherever you go" he thought. Dillon did not feel uneasy.He continued to look at Daniel and Carl with disdain. "Ugh, what''s up with the foreigner? Nicole''s weird, but the people she knows are even weirder." Carl''s emerald eyes gradually turned into a straight line, like a cold -blooded animal looking at its prey. The look on his handsome face was chilling as he gently cracked his fingers and said, "What did you say?" After hearing that, Dillon was stunned for a moment.Snow and Chloe, who stood behind him, watched in surprise as Carl walked closer.Jealousy then arose in those two. ''What in the world is going on? Why does Nicole have so many outstanding men surrounding her?" Carl looked at Dillon with indifference.He was approximately 6''3" tall, enough to make Dillon go out of breath. Chapter 540 Chapter 540 Dillon noticed the chilling look in the emerald-like eyes staring at him. "You can say whatever you want about me," Carl said coldly. "But don''t you dare talk about Nicole like that." Chloe and Snow were annoyed when they heard this. ¡®She must have put a spell on them or something.There''s no way everyone''s so loyal to her!'' they thought.Dillon felt the pressure Carl was putting on him.He was scared. Sweat dripped down his face, and his legs trembled as he backed up. "Wh...What do you want from me? I''m warning you.This is the Riddle family home!" Carl did not back down. Instead, he sneered with a face full of ruthlessness and disdain, "Oh, yeah? What about it?" Everyone was shocked at his response. Even Mr.Riddle Sr"s face turned solemn. Damien and Dexter looked at Carl with some doubts. ¡®How could someone say that? Does he not take the Riddle family seriously? Even though our family status declined over the years, our family is still up in the ranks" Snow could not help but interject, "You are so arrogant.Do you not take us seriously? I''ll have you know that my family is one of the top ten families in Hustuaburg!" Carl looked at Snow with a stern look on his face.He did not know who she was, but judging by her behavior, he knew she was an enemy of Nicole''s. The corners of his lips twitch slightly after hearing what she said. "Oh, you with a limited outlook Do you know that Mecrounia is¡ª" "Carl." Someone interrupted his words. He turned around to look at Nicole who was standing on the stairs. Her expression was indifferent, but there were no emotions behind her eyes.Her eyes zed over Dillon as she said to Carl, "I''m ready.Let''s go." Carl looked at the people standing in front of him and frowned slightly. However, he did not get mad at Nicole for interrupting. Instead, he nodded, gave Dillon a warning look, and followed Nicole outside. Halfway out the door, he noticed that Daniel was not following them. He then turned to him with a pair of beautiful eyes and said, "Uncle, let''s go." As if he had woken up from a dream, Daniel replied, "oh," and followed the two outside. After the three of them left, Dillon let out a huge breath and almost fell to the ground. ''Well, that was terrifying.Where did Nicole find this guy? He had such a murderous vibe" he thought.? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org. Dillon then wiped the sweat out of his face and realized the words in his thoughts. ''Murderous vibe" ¡®Did that foreigner think that he could kill me?!'' Anger rose in his entire being as he stood up and started to use Nicole, "Dad, look at the type of people Nicole brings to this house.Who knows what he would have done if she did not interrupt him in time!" Dillon was his son. ''How could he not have said something?¡¯ Chapter 541 Chapter 541 Something shed in Mr.Riddle Sr"s eyes as he looked at the closed door and thought of what Carl had just said.He then turned to look at his son, who was shouting. There was no trace of sympathy on his face. "As he should," he said coldly. ¡®Would he be threatened by Nicole''s friend if he shut his mouth from the start?" ¡®That friend of hers is not an ordinary person.It was expected that Dillon would be afraid of him" ¡®But how did she meet such a person?¡¯ Mr.Riddle Sr.could not figure it out for the life of him. He then ignored Dillon, who was stillining, and walked upstairs. "Sean, Steve,e with me." As soon as Snow saw the three of them walk away, she hurriedly went to her father''s side.She did not dare speak up for his father at that time. After all, her position in the Riddle family was at stake. Dillon was displeased when he grabbed Snow''s hand for support.He was angry and embarrassed that he was scared of a foreigner.He then cursed and slowly walked up the stairs. Not long after, Dexter also turned to walk away. There was only Chloe and Damien left downstairs. Chloe looked at her father, who was deep in thought, and gave him a strange look "Dad, what are you thinking about?" Damien raised his head and nced at his daughter coldly. "I''m thinking about what that guy said just now." ''Is he really that high up in the ranks? If that''s the case, our family might be nothing in his eyes" he thought. Damien then looked at his daughter, who was full of curiosity. However, he did not want to disclose his thoughts to her. "You should go apologize to your mother, Chloe.You''ve disappointed her." After saying that, Damien turned around and walked up the stairs. Chloe stood there in shock.Her nails dug deep into her palms. This was the first time she heard someone say the word "disappointed" to her.She could not allow it. The following day, Nicole woke up in her room.It was still dark when she opened her eyes. ? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org. She then quickly washed up and went to school. Time was of the essence. Zeke was happily standing at the school field.He thought that this would be the first time Nicole was late.However, he soon saw Nicole''s figure emerging from the early morning mist. Although it was still a little dark out, he could clearly recognize that cold face anywhere.Nicole did not care about Zeke''s thoughts.She put her bag on the ground and looked at him with an unexinable emotion in her eyes. "I''m with you today," she said. Chapter 542 Chapter 542 Zeke looked at the girl warming up beside him, ready to start. He then quickly went on the track. ¡®What''s going on? Nicole is running with me?" He confidently ran behind Nicole because he had a few training days before this.However, it did not take long for Nicole to surpass him by twops.Like a gust of wind, she ran past Zeke with ease. When he finally finished the thirtyps, he found Nicole practicing martial arts without any equipment. Her hands and feet were moving around elegantly.Zeke stood aside and watched. ''This is what I want to learn!'' Nicole was fast. While Zeke was still struggling, she was already at the end. "Zeke," she said softly. "Keep doing the task I gave you, and when I get back, I will teach you actual martial arts." Zeke nodded, but he soon realized something was wrong. "Wait, what do you mean? Where are you going, Nicole?" By then, Nicole had already picked up her bag and walked away dignifiedly. "I will call you." Zeke was stunned as he looked at her figure, walking away. "Okay," he said gently with a faint smile. Nicole then walked into the school building and sat in her usual seat. She started to pack up her things as if she was going to leave.She frowned slightly when she noticed that everyone was staring at her. Bradley, sitting in the front row, turned to look at her and asked, "Nicole, did you really win the gold medal in the Math Olympiad?" ¡®Oh, so it''s because of this" Nicole thought. She nodded her head casually with no change in expression, packed her bags, and started to walk out of the ssroom. As she walked out, Vivian stood up and stopped her. N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. She could hardly hold back her resentment when she looked at Nicole''s beautiful looks. "Idon''t know how you charmed your way into getting Mr.Wyance and Mr.Ellison to back you up, and I don''t know how you got first ce, but the results of our monthly exam will be out today.Are you leaving because you feel guilty?" Nicole stared at Vivian, who dared find fault in front of her. "Step aside," she said. Vivian was shocked by the cold look in Nicole''s eyes, but she did not stop. "No, you''re waiting here till the results are out! I want you to tell us how exactly you cheated in the Math Olympiad!" Voices began to sound in the ss after everyone heard Vivian''s words. "Yeah.I saw Mr.Wyance''s attitude change when he was with Nicole.What kind of rtionship do they have?" "Didn''t Nicole get a zero during the previous Math Olympiad? How did she win first ce this time?" "That''s right.She knew that the results for the monthly exam woulde out today, but she was trying to run away. She must be guilty." Chapter 543 Chapter 543 Vivian was satisfied when she heard people questioning Nicole''s credibility. However, she still did not dare look her in the eyes. Vivian stared at the lower half of Nicole''s face and said, "Just wait for the monthly exam results toe out, Nicole." Just when she was acting so arrogantly, a sneer came from behind. "No matter what, Nicole has won an honor for our ss.Before this, Northon Institute always won first ce in the Math Olympiad.Now that Nicole has beat them, not only are you all not proud of her, but you''re alsoing up with conspiracy theories and saying that she cheated?" Jack said as hezily leaned back. The ss turned red when they heard those words. "Yeah.Do all of you not know how smart Nicole is? She can solve those low-level math questions at a nce.That''s why she got zero on the previous Math Olympiad.She was toozy to write down the steps!" Lulu added. "Those who are blinded by their ego do not deserve to see beauty in this world," June said. Bradley then stood up and walked to Lulu''s side. "They''re right!" As amittee member, he was not very good at talking. However, he used his loud voice to defend Nicole. Warmth spread in Nicole''s eyes when she looked at the people in front of her. Suddenly, a somewhat embarrassed voice sounded, "I''m...I''m sorry, Nicole." The students nced around and were shocked when they found out that the voice belonged to the boy who first spoke rudely to Mrs.Wace Sr.The boy stood up and walked to Nicole''s side. He then pushed Vivian''s hand that was blocking Nicole and said, "I''m sorry, Nicole.I shouldn''t have ridiculed you and your grandma." His face was as red as a tomato when he bowed his head and said loudly, "I''m really sorry!" Nicole knew the type of person he was, so she did not forgive him directly. "I''ll pass this on to grandma," she said. The boy''s eyes shed with gratitude at the sound of that.He nodded his head repeatedly as he whispered, "thank you," before returning to his seat. His entire being lit up.He was no longer gloomy. N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. After watching that scene unfold, many people looked at each other in dismay. They knew that the whole school had apologized to Nicole. Only a few students from ss B were reluctant to apologize to Nicole. Many did not want to bow their heads, while a few were embarrassed by how they had previously mistreated Nicole. However, the boy''s action had set a precedent. Vivian looked at her ssmates and was mad.She looked up at Nicole and said, "You b*tch! What kind of sorcery¡ª" "Enough!" "Enough!" Two voices sounded and interrupted Vivian''s words. One sounded cold while the other was disappointed. Vivian did not believe her eyes when she watched Oliver and Gary speak up for Nicole. Oliver looked at Vivian, who was on the verge of tears. His heart reached out for her, but his feelings for her were quickly suppressed after he thought of what she had done. Chapter 544 Chapter 544 "Vivian, stop talking about Nicole.What exactly are you doing every day other than framing, spying, and finding a way to alienate Nicole? How did you be like this?" Vivian looked at Oliver and sneered. "Did I frame and spy on her? Do you have proof? Oliver, stop shooting your mouth off here.Don''t you forget, Nicole has despised all of you who couldn''t beat her on the exam.Yet you still trust her and think I''m wrong about her." Oliver frowned. ''The students of the Royal Creek Institute have always been proud of ourselves.As much as I felt not too happy at hearing what Nicole said, she earned that on her own merit.After all, she won the gold medal in the Math Olympiadpetition" Vivian seemed to have read his mind andughed sarcastically.She looked at Oliver calmly. "Didn''t you go to the award and see how intimate Mr.Wyance treated Nicole that day? Who would believe there is no hanky-panky going on between them? Even Mr.Ellison, who was always impartial, defended Nicole." This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. Thinking that she was now holding all the cards, Vivian looked back at Nicole with a sinister pride. The thought of Gary scolding her because of Nicole upset her. This was something that he did not even do when she scratched him the other day. ¡®I won''t allow her to act with impunity again.I''m just doing something good, a favor for our schoolmates" Vivian snickered at the thought of this. "Can you prove that the prize you received is real, Nicole?" Everyone looked at Nicole suspiciously upon hearing what Vivian had said. As Vivian sounded as if her usation was justified, all eyes were on Nicole, as people could not tell what actually was going on. Nicole looked up nonchntly, her gaze sharp as if a glinting de. "You''re really asking for trouble here.Aren''t you afraid that I will throw you off the building?" As she looked at the window on the side, Vivian followed her eyes and shivered in fright.She would never forget the horror of the other day. But now the situation did not allow her to flinch. Vivian gritted her teeth and said brazenly, "Nicole, don''t be too arrogant just because you can fight.You''re at school.Besides, all I''m asking is a factual guess.I dare you to say that you''ve never cheated." Just then, the school bell rang.Ms.Emerson walked in with a stack of test papers.She was stupefied for a second at seeing Nicole and all others stand there. "What are you all doing standing here? Return to your seat.We''re going to review the test papers of the monthly exam." Vivian looked at Nicole with indignation. Instead of returning to her seat, she looked at Ms. Emerson and asked matter-of-factly, "'' Aren''t the results out today? Why do we still need to review the exam papers?" Ms.Emerson looked at Vivian, her eyescking the fondness that she usually had. "There is some controversy about who gets first ce this time.Mr.Kennedy is looking into it and will probablye over in a moment." ¡®What? Isn''t Norah from ss A who always holds first ce? What controversy is there?¡¯ Even Vivian froze for a second before continuing to ask, "What do you mean, Ms.Emerson? Did someone cheat?" She gave a sideways look at Gary as she waited for Ms.Emerson to give an affirmative answer. Chapter 545 Chapter 545 ''I knew Nicole cheated on the exam, and no way Gary would like such a person" She did not think Nicole could even do well on the monthly exam. After all, Nicole did not know the test proctor, and Ms.Thompson and Mr.Kennedy must have kept an eye on her; she could not have had the opportunity to cheat. "The first ce this time is in our ss, so Mr.Kennedy has gone to take a look at it." Vivian and even everyone else were stunned upon hearing Ms.Emerson''s exnation. ¡®How can it be? Norah has always been first in the grade for many years.The person who gets first ce is from ss B this year? Who has snatched first ce from Norah?" Gary''s eyes glinted as he looked at Ms.Emerson and Nicole, who stood next to Ms.Emerson, motionless.He had been not too motivated and always been at the bottom of the barrel in exams.But Norah waspetitive; she always wanted to get first ce. But this time, it was not her. There were whispers around, seemingly discussing the issue. Especially the top few students in the ss; they all sat up straight with excitement, expecting to see their names at the top of the result chart. Hoping that their efforts would pay off. Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org. Thinking of this, people looked at Nicole with scornful eyes. Thinking of what she said and her haughtiness, they felt retribution exacted finally. ¡®It''s ridiculous.A brazen person from the countryside couldn''t have possibly gotten first ce" Only a few people thought of the Math Olympiad gold medal that Nicole had just won, and looked worriedly at Nicole. Nicole was expressionless.She checked her watch and figured that she still had enough time. At first, she wanted to check her exam result at Ms.Emerson''s office, but since she had to wait a while, she returned to her seat.Ms.Emerson saw Nicole''s good manners and was gentle toward her. She then looked sternly at Vivian and said, "What''s wrong with you? Don''t you know the ss has started? What are you waiting for?" Vivian felt wronged and looked at Ms.Emerson with reddening eyes. This time, even Oliver, who had always cared for her, did not look at her orfort her.She sat back down in her seat, cursing Nicole incessantly in her mind. Even Mr.Kennedy, who had dyed the issuance of the results, became a target of her hatred. ¡®Had he not been such a busybody, Nicole''s results would have been clear and everyone would have known that Nicole cheated on the Math Olympiad, and that she had a character problem" Vivian told herself not to worry, as Nicole''s true face would be exposed in a while. It was recess time, and Mr.Kennedy had still note over. Ms.Emerson checked her watch and frowned.She wondered what Mr.Kennedy was doing. Nicole had a contemptuous look in her eyes, and after ss, she got up to go outside. Just at this moment, the door of ss B suddenly opened with Mr.Kennedy emerging from the inside. Chapter 546 Chapter 546 He looked not too happy, even annoyed and angry as if someone owed him money.He pped the result and test papers in his hand on the lectern, and nced around, and soon, his eyesnded on Nicole. "You! Step out here!" he shouted. At first, Nicole was stepping out, but stopped in her tracks upon seeing Mr.Kennedy''s attitude.She turned back and sat back down in her seatnguidly, as if taking no notice of him. "Mr.Kennedy, if you have something to say, just say it, and don''t shout at my students." Ms.Emerson was not too happy with Mr.Kennedy''s approach.She frowned and stood unrelenting in front of him. Mr.Kennedy was exasperated, looking at Nicole, and threw the test paper in his hand to the ground. "I would like to know how his student of yours scored full marks in the Math Olympiadpetition and the monthly exam.What the hell has she done?" ¡°What?" Everyone knew it was Nicole who won first ce in the Math Olympiadpetition by having a perfect score. Now she even got a full score on the monthly exam. Everyone else wasining about how difficult the exam was at the time, not expecting Nicole to get a full score. ¡®How did she do that?" Almost everyone thought Nicole must have cheated. After all, under normal circumstances, no one could get such a result. They all looked at Nicole with not only a strong sense of jealousy but also disdain in their eyes. "Nicole is first this time." Mr.Kennedy said sarcastically as he looked at the expressions on those people''s faces.His heart skipped a beat when his gaze collided with Nicole''s indifferent eyes.He would not forget that Nicole and Sebastian knew each other.He was on a collision course with her because he had just seen the results and was worried about losing the bet. While Mr.Kennedy was rooted to the spot, someone stormed in from the outside angrily. "Step out, Nicole!" The person seemed to say the same thing as Mr.Kennedy did earlier.Ms.Thompson was stepping in on her high heels. N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. Seemingly out of anger, her steps were rapid, and the click-ck of the heels was loud and harsh.She looked at Nicole and yelled, What the hell did you do to Austin and others? All of them have made it to the top ten of the grades! " What?" There was an instant uproar. Austin had been notorious for his poor grades.He had gotten into the top twenty with the help of Nicole, and now he went one step further and got into the top ten. ¡®How exactly did Nicole do that?'' Nicole was nonchnt, looking at Mr.Kennedy and Ms.Thompson.One of them had a guilty look on the face while the other one looked furious.A yful smile spread across her face. ''Very well, they havee to me, and I didn''t have to look for them one by one" Chapter 547 Chapter 547 When everyone saw Nicole smile, they were captivated, looking at her in a daze.Her smile was obviously cold, but it was also indescribably beautiful. Nicole tapped the table with her fingers, her gaze insouciant. When she looked at Mr.Kennedy and Ms.Thompson, her eyes were so cold, as if they could freeze their souls. This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. "Now the results are out, Mr.Kennedy, Ms.Thompson." She looked up at the two. "I hope you two will keep your word." Ms.Thompson''s and Mr.Kennedy''s faces copsed. Ms.Thompson was so upset at the thought of those backward students getting into the top ten, and even Sammey was second of the grade. It was she who gave them up to Mr.Louis at first.Now everyone was praising Mr.Louis, saying that he was kind-hearted, capable, and that he taught the students well. Thinking about what she had said in front of Mr.Louis, Ms.Thompson was depressed.Harvey in her ss was the only student who still upied the first position, and the rest had slipped. This time, Mr.Louis''s ss had the highest overall score, so everyone congratted him and ignored Ms.Thompson. Not only had the performance of her ss slipped, she had also done Mr.Louis a favor with no benefits to herself.And she med it all on Nicole.Ms.Thompson looked at Nicole with extreme hatred. At first, she thought she would not lose the bet, but the truth was that she had lost. Now she wanted to find out what Nicole had done that enabled Austin and others to raise their scores. ¡®Did Nicole steal the exam paper before the exam?" Ms.Thompson narrowed her eyes and did not bother to look at the useless Mr.Kennedy or care about what he was doing here.She just looked at Nicole coldly. "I will not ept the results.Nicole, you tell me how exactly you got the answer in advance.Did Austin help you? I may cut you some ck if you tell the truth." Mr.Kennedy saw how uncivil Ms.Thompson was toward Nicole and gently tugged at her sleeve. "Ms.Thompson, Nicole and Mr.Wyance know each other." "She and Mr.Wyance know each other? Yeah, right, my family and Mr.Wyance are rtives.A girl with such a low character like her won''t even qualify to be his lover.Fret now! Teach her a lesson!" Ms.Thompson sneered. Everyone looked curiously at Nicole upon hearing what Ms.Thompson said. ''Is Nicole really having an affair with Mr.Wyance?" Emboldened by Ms.Thompson, Mr.Kennedy straightened his back and looked at Nicole with brazen eyes. "That''s right, Nicole.Please exin how you get your results." Vivian looked on with her mouth agape for a while.She then calmed down with a look of schadenfreude on her face.Not just Vivian, but everyone else was looking at Nicole, waiting for her to exin herself.With a stony face, Nicole raised her eyes and looked at Ms.Thompson and Mr.Kenned with a half-smile. "I have nothing to exin," she said in a frosty voice. ''I have nothing to hide.What makes these people think they could frame her and demand an exnation from her? They have no right to do so" Upon hearing Nicole''s reply, Mr.Kennedy and Ms.Thompson thought Nicole was acquiescing to it.They both had a sense of delight and self-satisfaction on their faces. ¡®Look, I know it; Nicole and Austin have cheated to get such incredible results! Chapter 548 Chapter 548 Ms. Thompson sneered. "Nicole, since you think you have nothing to say, then I will make the decision.I will void your monthly exam results for stealing the test paper.From today onwards, you are no longer a student of this school, but I allow you to stay on probation.If I think you are not doing well, I will send you home straight away." Mr.Kennedy nodded, while Vivian smiled, feeling that the result could not be fairer. Not only Gary was frowning, but even Jack and Wayne found it very hard to stomach. Lulu and June both red angrily at the teacher. Bradley wanted to stand up, but was pulled back down into his seat by Nicole. "Don''t move,"Nicole said.She did not want her friends to offend Ms. ? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org. Thompson because of her. After all, she did not have to stay at the Royal Creek Institute, but these people had worked so hard to get in here; she did not want them to be targeted by this petty person. Ms.Emerson looked at the two in cahoots and retorted, "How can you conclude that Nicole and Austin are giarists? How did you know they didn''t achieve the results by their own merit? What right do you have to judge?" Ms.Thompson nced at Ms.Emerson with disdain. "We gave her a chance, and she acquiesced to cheating.What does that have to do with us?" she said in a sinister tone of voice. Mr.Kennedy also nodded his head and said in a threatening voice to Ms.Emerson, "If you still defend Nicole, you can forget about teaching in his school." Nicole narrowed her sharp eyes at seeing Ms.Emerson being bullied. Just at this moment, a mocking voice suddenly came from outside the door. "I didn''t expect this to be the quality of the teaching staff at the Royal Creek Institute.What an eye opener." Ms.Thompson and Mr.Kennedy didn''t expect to hear someone challenge them.So they immediately looked back at the person walking in. The man was skinny, looking in his sixties, not tall, but energetic, looking very shrewd and valiant. He was wearing an old-fashioned ck suit, with a pair of cloth shoes, which had seen better days but were overall clean, and his eyes spoke of wisdom. He was walking in a slow pace and then picked up the test paper that Mr.Kennedy had thrown to the ground. At first, it was just an inadvertent action, but the content of the test paper quickly drew his attention. Ms.Thompson looked with disdain at this unassuming old man, who looked with interest at the dirty test paper. "Someone with a beggar looks like you are surely not from the Royal Creek Institute.Do you know about the quality of teachers? You''d better get out of here before I call the security," she said coldly. "Oh, really?" The old man gave a faint reply, but he did not bother to look at her, as he was still obsessed with the test paper. "Didn''t you say that the Royal Creek Institute wees outsiders toe in and be observers? Now it seems that the school just says one thing and does another." Mr.Kennedy sneered. ''''I didn''t expect you to be so familiar with the Royal Creek Institute''s rules, but those are man-made rules, and I will set a rule today.The Royal Creek Institute is not open to old beggars like you.How dare you mock the teachers here? You''d better leave before I teach you a lesson." Chapter 549 Chapter 549 He had always been a bastard. When he saw it was just an old man, he became bold.The old man seemed to have finally finished reading the exam paper.He nced at the name on it, ignored Mr.Kennedy, and looked at Ms.Emerson. "Is Nicole a student of yours?" Ms.Emerson nodded. Looking at the old man, she felt she seemed to know him but could not recall who he was.But she still replied with respect, "Yes, mister. Nicole is my student.She is outstanding. Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org. "The old man nodded and looked around with a smile before his eyes stopped on Ms.Thompson and Mr.Kennedy for two seconds." Hey, my friend, I''m asking you to bring me to meet Nicole. ¡°Why don''t youe in?" Mr.Kennedy looked at the old man and sneered. "I knew you were with Nicole.What a pretentious old man! I wonder who you can ask for help now.You''d better leave, or I will kick you out of here myself." As he spoke, he walked down the stage. ''This old man taunted me as soon as he walked in.He is on Nicole''s side and pretending to be somebody.But I won''t be intimidated! But as soon as his voice trailed off, he stopped in his tracks, his eyes widening in surprise when he saw the person who walked in.As Mr.Kennedy stopped, Ms.Thompson became impatient and looked back. "Why stop? Deal with Nicole immediately; kick her out of here¡ª M-Mr.Ellison?" The man who walked in slowly and stood next to the old man was none other than Mr.Ellison.The always gentle Mr.Ellison had seen what was happening, and his face turned grave. Had he not been here, Mr.Kennedy and Ms.Thompson would have sessfully framed and kicked Nicole out of the Royal Creek Institute. Their attitude toward Den clearly showed they were bullies. They treated Den as a beggar simply because he was old and wanted to kick him out of the ssroom when Den questioned the quality of the teaching staff here. But little did they know Den was the leading figure of the mathematics faculty at the Northon Institute. Many mathematical geniuses used to be his students. Besides, he was invited to write questions for the Math Olympiadpetition this year and author of this year''s freshman exam. Den said he wanted to know about the quality of the Royal Creek Institute''s students and teachers and study if it could lead to some elite academic and talent exchanges. But such a veteran figure was treated as an old beggar by these two people. Ms.Thompson and Mr.Kennedy exchanged a look, and then she nced at the grave-faced Mr.Ellison. "I didn''t know that you hade, Mr.Ellison." "Does Mr.Did Ellison really know this old man?" Mr.Ellison looked at Ms.Thompson. "Do you know who he is? He is Professor Den Hancock of the Northon Institute.What the hell are you two thinking, treating him as a beggar?" ¡®What? This old man is Professor Den Hancock?" Everyone looked at the skinny old man with their mouth agape.The eyes of many of them were filled with deep admiration. After all, Professor Hancock was a top mathematician in Hustuaburg, and as mathematics students, their life goal was to gain Professor Hancock''s approval and aspire to be like him. Chapter 550 Chapter 550 One student could not help but ask, "Are you really Professor Hancock?" Seeing the expectant look in the students¡¯ eyes, Den smiled and nodded to them, looking friendly. They were all surprised by how approachable Den was.He looked like a very ordinary old man. No wonder that Mr.Kennedy and Ms.Thompson spewed vitriol at him. Ms.Thompson''s and Mr.Kennedy''s faces changed, as they did not expect that this old man who seemingly came out of nowhere turned out to be the famous Professor Hancock. Ms.Thompson asked cautiously, "B-But what are you doing here in our school, Professor Hancock?" Mr.Ellison turned to nce at Nicole and then said coldly to the two of them, "To meet Nicole, who has gotten a full score on the Math Olympiad questions that Professor Hancock hase up with." ''That exins it now!¡¯ Mr.Ellison looked at the two, who had suddenly be silent, with an icy look on his face. "What did you just say? I''ve obstructed you from dealing with Nicole, haven''t I?" Ms.Thompson and Mr.Kennedy choked.They looked at the seemingly angry Mr.Ellison and put on a smile. "We just think that, judging by Nicole''s past performance, she couldn''t have gotten a full score in Professor Hancock''s papers, not to mention Austin and a few others who have entered the top five.Don''t forget that their results used to be outrageously poor.Isn''t it strange that they can do so well in the exam after just half a month?" Seeing that they were so stubbornly ndering Nicole, a frosty light shed across Mr.Ellison''s eyes. "You have failed to perform as a good teacher, yet couldn''t ept it when Austin and others have improved, thinking that they have cheated, unaware how much effort they had put in.People like you don''t deserve to be a teacher." Den nodded in agreement.He did not want to get involved in the internal affair of the Royal Creek Institute. The way Ms.Thompson and Mr.Kennedy spoke to Den when he came in was enough for Mr.Ellison to see their true faces. N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. Ms.Thompson and Mr.Kennedy were so frightened that they were almost tearful. They knew what Mr.Ellison meant¡ªhe was going to fire them. In desperation, Ms.Thompson turned to Ms.Emerson for help. "Please put in a good word for me.You know how much I take care of students; I have just made a minor mistake and don''t deserve to be fired." Ms.Emerson looked at the two of them and thought of how many times they had exploited and bullied her. "You have no authority to make the school rules or to have people at your mercy.Have you forgotten the time when you stole the excellent teacher award from me? What exactly did my students and I do wrong that you wanted to target us this way? Nicole, she has just gotten good grades and made the school proud, and you two keep smearing her.What about the other people who are in your way? Now it''s toote to say you''ve just made a minor mistake." Mr.Kennedy looked at Ms.Emerson''s face, so angry that he could not talk coherently. "Nonsense! When did I steal your excellent teacher award? This year''s excellent teacher award hasn''t yet been announced." Ms.Emerson retorted, saying, "Really? Ms.Thompson has gotten the documents ready on the desk and is ready for submission.You must be thrilled with the result that you bribed her to get." Ms.Thompson''s and Mr.Kennedy''s faces turned pale instantly. They almost did not dare to turn their heads to look at Mr.Ellison''s expression behind them.Mr.Kennedy yelled at Ms.Emerson. "Don''t frame me for this! What you''ve said is all nonsense! Do you have proof to show that I''ve bribed Ms.Thompson?" Ms.Emerson sneered. "Shortly after the start of school, you entered her room with a handful of women''s luxury goods.She is now wearing the high heels that you have given her." Everyone was stunned upon hearing that. Mr.Kennedy and Ms.Thompson hardly dared to say anything to refute the usation. Ms.Thompson''s monthly sry as a head of teaching staff was not particrly high, at least not to the point of affording luxury goods. But what she wore every day now had indeed exceeded her ie level.It was only possible if she received bribes from her subordinates. Chapter 551 Chapter 551 Mr.Ellison looked at Ms.Thompson and Mr.Kennedy with a cold look of disappointment. "What else do you have to say?" he asked. Ms.Thompson could not find her voice for a moment. Finally, she quibbled and said, "Trust me, we are close friends in private.That was why he gave me the things." Mr.Ellison did not want to listen to her chicanery, so he looked away from them and at Nicole in the back row. "What do you think should be done?" Ms.Thompson and Mr.Kennedy looked at Nicole with expectant and ttering eyes, hoping she would put in a good word for them.But when Nicole spoke, shepletely tore apart theirst fantasies. "After the bet is over, they should be fired," Nicole said. Mr.Ellison had heard about it clearly over the phone when Ms.Thompson and Nicole made the bet.So he nodded. "Okay." Ms.Thompson and Mr.Kennedy''s faces turned pale in an instant. When they first came in anger, they had never expected things woulde to such an end. They were still the ones who were deciding the fate of Nicole a while ago, but in the blink of an eye, things took a one-eighty and became such an ending. Ms.Thompson shouted indignantly, "Nicole was apparently cheating! Why are you harboring her, Mr.Ellison? Are you all colluding to frame us?" N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. Mr.Kennedy heard her hysterical response and quickly kept a distance away from her in fright. ¡®¡®Only fools will dare to offend Mr.Ellison.As much as I hate Nicole, Mr.Ellison is not just the head of the Royal Creek Institute but also the de facto person-in-charge of the Ellison family" His face copsed at the thought of this. Instead of getting angry, Mr.Ellison smiled and turned to look at Den. "Professor Hancock hase to see Nicole in person, yet you two use her of cheating?" ¡®While a person of his caliber goes so far as to put down his ego toe meet a student at the Royal Creek Institute, the two teachers use the student of cheating and even want to kick her out of the Royal Creek Institute.How ridiculous!'' There was no change in Den''s expression. He walked slowly up to Nicole and said with appreciation, "You are Nicole?" Nicole looked at him and nodded with the adoration as shown by others for Den. Instead, she was unenthused. Then someone was not too happy and said, "Nicole, how could you be so rude to Professor Hancock?" Chapter 552 Chapter 552 Den held up a hand to stop the person who had just spoken.He then looked at Nicole and smiled. What he was not sure about just now had be certain when he saw the monthly exam paper Nicole had answered. ''This girl must be a genius" "Nicole, I''ve read your papers and think you''re talented.Would you rather be my student and let''s do mathematical research together? ¡° ¡®What?! ¡° Everyone thought they were hallucinating.They could not believe that Den had not onlye but also asked Nicole to be his student. Anyone who became a student of Den meant they would soon be a top expert in mathematics in Hustuaburg. While people werepeting against each other trying to get Den''s approval, but to no avail, Nicole got it so effortlessly.They all looked at what had happened in front of their eyes. Ms.Thompson and Mr.Kennedy were also surprised, their eyes widening as they could not ept it. ¡®We''ve used Nicole, whom Professor Hancock approves of, of cheating.No wonder Mr.Ellison said what he had said just now" Thinking of this, the faces of the two turned pale. ''Couldn''t Professor Hancock tell if Nicole cheated?" Mr.Kennedy froze in ce, as if struck by lightning, at the thought of what Mr.Ellison had said and the test paper that he and Den had verified.Meanwhile, everyone was silently hoping Nicole would agree to Den''s offer. "I''m sorry." Nicole looked at the kind old man. "I probably don''t have that much time to spend on academic research.Thank you for that, anyway." ''She refused the offer!¡¯ Students from ss B looked on in shock as no one expected Nicole to reject Den.Mr.Ellison stood aside and sighed softly in his mind.He was well aware of Nicole''s personality; had Nicole not returned to San Joto, Den would not havee to the Royal Creek Institute.He had told Den not to hold out too much hope, but he did not give up and still wanted to try his luck. Den froze for two seconds, but because Mr.Ellison had given him the heads-up earlier, he did not feel too disappointed. "It''s fine.Let''s be friends, and we can talk about things next time," he said with a sigh. He was talking about discussion, not telling Nicole to ask him, which meant he was treating Nicole as an equal. Gary was keenly aware of this.He looked at Nicole with light shing in his eyes. ? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org. ''She is no longer in the same league as us" Everyone around looked at Nicole in amazement as Nicole nodded casually and stood up, picking up what she had already packed up in her hand, and walked out. Suddenly, an angry voice came from outside the door. "Nicole, what have you done to get first ce? You''re shameless!" Everyone looked toward the voice and saw Norah, who was from ss A.Her eyes reddened as she red at Nicole with resentment.She was left with nothing and could not go home. All she wanted was to get her parents'' attention by achieving good grades. Chapter 553 Chapter 553 Norah could not believe that she had even lost to Nicole in the monthly exam. ¡®Will Nicole only be happy after taking everything from me?" Thinking of this, she lunged over angrily, wanting to hit Nicole. Nicole grabbed her outstretched hand, then flung her aside and said without emotion, "Norah, you''d better wake up." Norah did not know what Nicole was saying at first, but when she saw the people behind Nicole, she froze. "Mr.Ellison, Professor Hancock!" Norah had met Den before.She did not register for the Math Olympiadpetition because she wanted to concentrate on the monthly exam, but she had seen Den from a distance when she represented the Royal Creek Institute in many academic exchanges. In fact, her goal was to be a student of Den and learn from him.She did not expect to meet Den here. Thinking that Den had seen what she had just done, Norah suddenly did not know what to do. "Professor Hancock, it was not what you saw.I''ve always been first in the grade.But this time, it was stolen from me, and that was why I was so angry." Den looked at her with a serious face. For him, a person''s character is always more important than grades, and Norah had put the cart before the horse.He did not want to talk to her, nor did he want to hear her exnation. Den looked at Nicole, walked over, and put a note in Nicole''s hand. "I''ll go first.This is my contact number.Contact me." He was pleased and smiled when Nicole nodded.He looked a little cute like that at his age.Then, without looking at Norah, he waved goodbye at Mr.Ellison and left. Den had always been a sort of lone wolf. Norah was well aware of Den''s entric temper, but she just could understand why he gave his contact information to Nicole. Norah looked at Nicole in disbelief, her expression freezing in an instant. Mr.Ellison walked over to Nicole and gave Norah a warning look, then said to Nicole, "You deal with it first, and thene to my office.¡± "Come to my office after you''ve dealt with this." Subsequently, Mr.Ellison also walked out. Before he left, he looked bitterly at Ms.Thompson and Mr.Kennedy. "You two have twenty minutes to pack up and leave the Royal Creek Institute." Norah was wide-eyed, looking at her teacher with a pale face.She suspected it must be Nicole who was behind all this. "Mr.Ellison, please don''t listen to Nicole; she lies.She is a mischief-maker." Mr.Ellison looked at her, unperturbed. "If I remember correctly, you and Nicole are family.So how could you do this to your own family? Norah, you better reflect on yourself." Then he nodded at Nicole and left the teaching building. Filled with hatred, Norah looked at Nicole, wondering what Nicole had done to Mr.Ellison and Den, who were so adamant to defend Nicole.She gritted her teeth and said, ''''How did you get first ce, Nicole? Did you cheat?" ''l even gave up on the Math Olympiadpetition, but I still lost to Nicole!'' Norah went crazy at the thought of this. At this time, a familiar voice came from behind her. "Norah, Nicole achieved the results on her own merit.Even Professor Hancock came to ask her to be his student.So you don''t have to question it." Norah looked back in disbelief, not expecting it would be Mr.Kennedy, her ss teacher, who was speaking.He was looking down, but what he said could be heard clearly. ? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org. Norah may not believe what others say, but there was little room for Norah to question what her teacher said.She again looked at Nicole in disbelief. ¡®''She? Why did she deserve to be Mr.Hancock''s student? She''s just a piece of crap from the countryside!" Chapter 554 Chapter 554 She was not the only one who thought so; in fact, many others also thought the same. The facts wereid bare before their eyes, and they had no choice but to admit it ¡ªNicole had gotten first ce in the Math Olympiadpetition and monthly exam. Nicole looked at Norah expressionlessly, and then the corner of her lips curled up in a mocking smile. "Norah, what are you if I''m a piece of crap when you couldn''t even beat me on the exam?" This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. With that, she ignored Norah and turned to look at Ms. Thompson and Mr.Kennedy behind her. "Shall we?" she said, raising an eyebrow. ¡®It''s time to make good on your promise, isn''t it?" Ms.Thompson suddenly exploded, ring at Nicole, and shouted, "I know someone in my family; Mr.Wyance will help me.Dream on if you want me to apologize to trash like them and kick me out of the Royal Creek Institute.You shall see who will get thestugh!" She pulled out her phone and made a call triumphantly. "Hello, Marie, can you ask Mr.Wyance to do me a favor?" But the next second, her face copsed as Marie told her that Sebastian had kicked her out of the house. ''When did this happen? Howe I didn''t know about it?" This was herst resort, and she did not expect that herst hope would be shattered. Ms.Thompson held the phone to her ear and said something desperate, but all she heard was a beast- like shrill from the other end of the phone.She hung up the phone with a trepidation. When she looked up again, her eyes were filled with fear.She now knew very well that she could no longer do anything about it. At first, Mr.Kennedy was looking hopefully at her, but when he saw her expression, he fell into despair.He knew very well that Sebastian would not give him a damn. Otherwise, he would not have bribed Ms.Thompson in the first ce.So the two could only follow Nicole out. After all, things were obvious, and they had no choice but to concede. Mr.Kennedy stood in the broadcast studio, whispering into the microphone, admitting that he was not as good as Ms.Emerson was.His head was, and so no one could see his expression. Nicole could not care less.She then brought Ms. Thompson in front of Austin and watched her apologize before letting the two go. Austin and others were surprised by Ms.Thompson''s apology.But they all let out a knowing smile when they saw Ms. Thompson and Mr.Kennedy followed Nicole with their heads bowed. Compared to Ms.Thompson''s apology, they felt even happier that they had made it to the top twenty and that Nicole would be their boss. The smile on their faces got even broader at the thought of this. Nicole looked at them with a smile, and she said slowly, "Since I''ve be your boss, I will be responsible for you all.I will be away for a while.When I get back, I want to see you all and Zeke waiting for me at four thirty in the morning every day on the sports field." Austin and all others nodded.They said nothing, even though none of them knew who Zeke was. "Boss, where are you going? When will you be back?" Sammey asked. The smile on Nicole''s face faded, and she looked at them with a sigh. "Mecrounia. I wille back after settling the matter there." She was not too sure exactly how long it would take this time, so she had to take care of these things in advance. Nicole looked at Austin and squinted. Chapter 555 Chapter 555 "Don''t you dare to return to your old trade when I''m not around.Study hard.If Ie back and find out you''re doing something else, I will not spare you." Austin quickly nodded, scratched his head, and said in a voice as if he had been wronged. "Boss, since following you, I have no time to do anything other than study." Nicole''s expression eased up.She knew Austin was inherently a good person, and that was why she had made the test-like request. Hearing his response, Nicole patted him on the shoulder. "Take care.I will go now," she said. Austin looked at Nicole from behind and could not bear to see her go. But Nicole had her own things to do, and they were still too weak to be of help. Their hearts lit up with fire at the thought of this. They told themselves to work hard so that they could be of help to their boss next time. But Nicole did not know that she had be an inspiration for them.She arrived at the office building and took the elevator to the principal''s office. Thest time she came here, things did not end well. When she thought of how Mr.Ellison unabashedly defended her today, she lowered her eyes and gently knocked on the door. "Come in," a voice said from the inside. Nicole walked in slowly. Besides Mr.Ellison, who was standing in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, there were two other people there. Nicole appeared apathetic. She looked at Lloyd and Harvey and lowered her head to knead her forehead gently, then looked at Mr.Ellison. "I would like to apply for a study break," she said. Lloyd and Harvey frowned almost at the same time. They looked at Nicole; because of Mr.Ellison''s presence, they said nothing atst. Mr.Ellison looked at Nicole with gentle eyes. ? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org. "Is something wrong? ¡° All eyes were on Nicole, who noddedposedly and said, "Maybe it will take some time to solve." Mr.Ellison agreed almost immediately.He took out a form and handed it to Nicole. "Just sign this.Everything will go on as usual; you don''t need to attend sses, but you will have to come back for exams." Nicole looked at him helplessly and then put down her signature.She knew that Mr.Ellison was afraid that she would nevere back after she left, and so he set a deadline for her. Lloyd frowned when he saw Nicole sign the form with no hesitation.He turned abruptly to look at Harvey with a deep disgust in his eyes. ¡®He deliberately didn''t tell me that S was Nicole!'' Harvey just maintained his perfect manners, standing behind Mr.Ellison, as if the most prolific pacesetter who tried to get the approval of his superior.Mr.Ellison was indeed more satisfied with Harvey, and he nced at Lloyd silently and sighed in his mind. ''He used to be the kid whom I had high hopes for.But he has chosen a road of no return" Nicole had finished filling up the form. Sensing the stares behind her, she ignored them and handed the form to Mr.Ellison. "Can I go now?" she asked. Mr.Ellison was reluctant to let her go.But atst, he nced at her and waved his hand. "Go now." As if she could no longer wait, Nicole turned around and walked out with no hesitation. While Harvey stood still and looked on, Lloyd had already walked out. Mr.Ellison looked at Lloyd from behind and still said nothing. There was something flickering in Harvey''s eyes.He smiled as she looked at his grandfather, who was locking at the grandson whom he used to favor the most. "Grandpa, Lloyd doesn''t seem interested in our conversation." Chapter 556 Chapter 556 Mr.Ellison snapped back from his thoughts when he heard Harvey''s voice.He looked a little sad, but his expression quickly returned to being as solemn as usual. "It doesn''t matter." At this point, he turned to look at Harvey. "I sure will let you lead the entire Ellison family in the future.You will be the one who decides the course of cooperation with the Holder family." Harvey was startled, not expecting his grandpa to make such a promise to him.He felt he could finally breathe a sigh of relief. Lloyd followed Nicole to walk out of the building. He seemed to have something to say, but was hesitating to say.He just followed her quietly. Nicole''s feelings for Lloyd were aplicated one. In her eyes, Lloyd was just one of her patients. They had once been on a mission together, during which Lloyd was seriously injured. Apart from physical injuries, the most terrible thing was that he also suffered from psychological trauma.He had fear of the dark, as if a physiological reflex, almost to the point of extremes. Nicole cured him using an extreme method of therapy, but that also left behind a side effect that she thought as insignificant. She left, hoping that Lloyd would be better off.She looked back at the person behind her. "Can I help you?" she asked. Lloyd looked at Nicole with surprise on his handsome face, as he did not expect her to talk to him.It took him a lot of time and effort to find her, and he was not going to let her get out of his sight again. ¡®It turns out that she is Nicole, who has saved me twice" "Where are you going?" he asked. Nicole frowned at his question.She did not think their rtionship had reached the point where he could ask about her itinerary. "It''s none of your business," she said coldly. Lloyd was confused by her reply.He reached out to grab Nicole''s hand, but as she had done at the banquet the other day, she easily avoided his hand. "Nicole, I just want to know more about you," he said. His voice was pleasant, and because of the gentle tone, it was hard to detect the hint of pleading undertone.But Nicole was acutely aware of it.She looked at Lloyd with a dilemmatic look in her eyes. "Why on earth do you care so much about me? Just because I saved you?" Lloyd looked with emotions at her beautiful face.He gently closed his tender eyes, and when he opened them again, they were as calm as the sea with no emotion in them. "You don''t know how important you are to me," he said. ''Had she known about it, she wouldn''t have left me so quietly" But Nicole could not understand what he was saying, just looking him in the eyes helplessly. "Vitas, don''t be stubborn.We just went on a mission together; we didn''t know each other much at all," she said. Lloyd frowned instantly before he let out a smile with the look of a stranger and a little stubbornness in his eyes. "Hello, Nicole, since we don''t know each other well, let''s reacquaint ourselves.My Hustuaburgian name is Lloyd." Nicole was speechless and did not know what to say anymore. In the CEO''s office of the JJ Johnston Group, Jared was enjoying coffee when his mobile phone rang.He nced at it and his face turned serious when he saw it was a strange number. But he picked it up, anyway. Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org. As soon as he answered, an urgent voice came from the other end of the phone. Chapter 557 Chapter 557 "Boss, things have gone wrong," Janus, his right-hand man abroad, whispered over the phone. "We are unlikely to supply the next batch of goods." With that, Janus, who was on the other end of the phone, turned the camera around so that Jared could see what was going on at the scene. Jared''s face darkened as he saw the deep explosion crater. "Fortunately, none of our men were injured.They all evacuated in time, but the entire mine copsed.Our months of hard work have gone down the drain," Janus said. Jared looked at the scene on the screen, squinting, his eyes icy as a cier. ''Once I find out which bastard did this, I will not spare him! Looking at the smoke and dust shown on the screen, Jared said in an icy voice, "Who did it?" Janus frowned and repeated the name of the suspect. "I suspect that they have been nning this for a long time.They onlyunched the attack after being sure that you are indeed no longer in Mecrounia.It was done covertly; I could find no evidence. Jared sneered. "They''ve indeed nned for this a long time ago.Come back to see me right away." He pressed a button to end the call. Max looked at Jared''s grave expression, thought of what he had said just now, and frowned. "Boss, do you want us to go with you?" Jared shook his head, his fingers gently tapping on the table as he said slowly, "Castor ising back; you stay here and keep an eye on him; ask us to monitor Michael, and report to me immediately if something happens." Max nodded, knowing that Castor Johnston, Jared''s elder brother, was not a nice sort; Jared really needed to be prepared in advance. Just as he still wanted to say something, Jared stood up and walked out. Max then heard him say in a frosty voice, "Get ready the car.Go back to the Johnston Mansion." Along the way, Jared''s expression was not looking good as he seemed to have a lot of things going on in his head.He had put the Rogers family in its ce, but Shawn and Christo were too quiettely. They were no longer a threat to him, but they could still pose a threat to the Riddle family.So he figured he needed to think of a way to keep Nicole safe when he was away. Max did not disturb Jared. This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. The ck vehicle sped down the highway and before long, they arrived at the Johnston Mansion from the headquarters of the JJ Johnston Group. ncing at the facade of the mansion''s front gate, Max opened the car door for Jared and said respectfully, ''"We''ve arrived, boss." Jared got out of the car and walked through the gate of the Johnston Mansion. Unbeknownst to Jared, Gary was sitting in his caf¨¦, seemingly in a daze. This time, he had brought aptop with him, constantly analyzing the slightest signal he had intercepted in the school''s security room.He watched hisputer keep changing from blue to white screens with an anxious look in his eyes. us was bored and ying with a cup at the bar counter. When he saw Gary''s expression, he approached him with curiosity. ''Why is hisptop screen shing so weirdly? Could it be broken?! us thought to himself and nced at Gary. "If yourptop is broken, you can ask Nicole to fix it for you, but I''m not sure if she is willing to help." Gary had been very impatient with us, hating this waiter whom he deemed to be talking too much. But upon hearing the second half of his sentence, Gary''s hand holding the mouse froze. "What did you say?" he asked. Chapter 558 Chapter 558 us looked at Gary, who was a little surprised, and the look on his face was even more surprised than Gary''s. "Don''t you like Nicole? Don''t you even know how badass Nicole''s skills are?" He learned from Jared that Nicole had helped Rowan and others solve a problem that an entire bunch of top hackers could not solve, and Gary did not know about it.He looked at Gary and studied him with a meaningful smile. "It seems like you don''t like Nicole enough." Gary clenched his fists and looked at us with frosty eyes. "I don''t like Nicole." He picked up what he had in his hand and was about to get up and walk outside. us looked at the shirt on the seat signed with Nicole''s name and spread his hands helplessly. "You don''t like Nicole? So what''s the matter with Nicole''s autograph here? Kid, don''t lie to yourself.Girls won''t like you." As if he was ying the role of a teacher, us sat down in front of Gary and started to exin the facts of life to him. Atst, after admiring enough of Gary''s fed-up face, he added by saying, "So, you won''t be able to get hold of a girl like Nicole who is beautiful, powerful, and smart." Just as us got up and wanted to leave, Gary mumbled behind him, saying, "So, is Nicole Lucifer?"N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. Nicole''s seemingly untraceable background, the school''s tampered surveince footage, the obvious autograph, and the S that Nicole subconsciously wrote, and us''s mockery¡ªas if everything was pointing to the ultimate fact. us turned to wink at Gary. "Take a guess." Then he slowly returned to the bar counter and continued ying with coffee cups. Gary was left sitting there thinking to himself. A momentter, he got up and walked outside, not forgetting to take the shirt with him. us looked on and wiped the cold sweat from his face as Gary went. ''I almost identally divulged Nicole''s identity.Boss will kill me if he finds out" On the other side, Nicole did not know what to do as Lloyd kept following her.He followed her all the way and said nothing, as if he just wanted to look at her. "What exactly do you want?" Nicole asked. As Lloyd followed her so openly with everyone recognizing him as the movie star, it became an annoyance for her. Lloyd could tell the distantness in her voice, and he looked at Nicole with a faint sense of innocence in his eyes. "I didn''t do anything." Then, his eyes lit up with a gentle look of cunningness. "But if you will, tell me where you''re going, will you?" There seemed to be nopulsion. Nicole looked at him with a hint of inquiry in her eyes. Somehow, she felt Lloyd was very simr to Harvey in some ways.He had the same paranoia, endless desire to control, but in some aspects, he was much gentler, like a boiled frog in warm water, silent and suffocating. Lloyd knew the limit. Nicole looked at him. Chapter 559 Chapter 559 "I''m going to Mecrounia, and not sure when I will be back." Lloyd quickly sensed Nicole''s impatience with him.He smiled gently and asked nothing more, well-disposed, and gentlemanly, just like on the silver screen. "Okay, Nicole," he replied, his voice pleasant, with a very peaceful yet alienated tone. He was standing at a safe distance, causing no difort to Nicole. "I wish you the best of luck." Nicole looked at him and nodded, knowing that what she had just felt was not an illusion. "Thank you." Lloyd looked on with a thoughtful look on his face as Nicole went without looking back.He did not follow her again, but just stood where he was, quietly watching her leave.He gave out a vibe that felt difficult to guess and unfathomable. Many girls around him recognized him, but they did not dare to approach him because of his icy expression. But there was one girl plucking up enough courage to step out and look at Lloyd with admiration. "Are you Lloyd?" the girl asked. Lloyd nodded. His frosty expression vanished from his face as he looked at the girl with a gentle smile. "I am.Is there anything that I can help you with?" When the girl saw he was so friendly, she quickly took out a booklet from her bag and handed it to Lloyd. "Can I get your autograph?" Nicole had been staying in the Riddle Mansion recently to take care of Mr.Riddle Sr. As she arrived back at the mansion, she saw luxury cars parked up in front of the house.She stopped in her tracks. But when she remembered that Mr.Riddle Sr.had mentioned about the party yesterday, she let out a sigh. ''I hate parties" But Carl was still inside.Nicole had no choice but to walk in.She saw that Mr.Riddle Sr.was chatting with someone. Without expression on her face, Nicole turned in a direction. As she was about to go upstairs, an insidious voice came from behind her. "Since you''re back, why don''t you help entertain the guests, Nicole?" Nicole stopped and looked down the stairs. When she saw it was Chloe, who was dressed to the nines, a look of mockery appeared in her eyes. ¡®Chloe is nowhere to be seen on normal days, but will surelye home as long as there is a party with celebrities as invited guests at home" Thinking of this, Nicole did not bother to respond. Just then, she heard Mr.Riddle Sr"s jubnt voice. "You''re back, Nicole.Come and meet Mr.Wynn." Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org. Nicole turned around expressionlessly.She walked back into the living hall, looked at the thin man sitting across from Mr.Riddle Sr., and said hello. "Nice to meet you, Mr.Wynn.I''m Nicole," she said. At first, she just wanted to show her face and leave, not expecting that everyone was looking at her with surprise and jealousy in their eyes upon hearing her name. ¡®That''s this woman!'' Mr.Wynn was also startled, looking at Nicole and said stutteringly, "H-Hello, Nicole.I-I''ve heard your name a long time ago.What a pleasure to meet you in person." Chloe saw Mr.Wynn''s attitude and was exasperated.He did not show such enthusiasm when she greeted him earlier. Taylor looked at Nicole with disdain. ''These politicians are often reluctant to rub shoulders with businessmen.But this time, things are special; it''s said that Sebastian, who is expected to be the governor, has also epted the invitation and would attend this party." Chapter 560 Chapter 560 ¡®How could they note? Besides, they were humiliated in front of Sebastian recently and would certainly find a way to take revenge.¡¯ Taylor proudly stepped aside, waiting for the people of the Riddle family to greet him. But after a long wait, and people were swarming around Nicole to talk to her, no one bothered toe talking to him. This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. ¡®They¡¯re all blind.¡¯ Since Sebastian had note, Taylor walked out angrily. Daniel was receiving guests when he saw Taylor walk out angrily. He asked Taylor in a whisper, ¡°Where are you going? The party venue is in the opposite direction. Taylor was pissed and pushed Daniel away. ¡°The party has no ss, and the host has a poor attitude; why should I stay any longer?¡± Hearing Taylor¡¯s unsparing criticism, Daniel was startled and could not immediately find a word to respond. Taylor thought Daniel was rendered speechless by what he said. He sneered, looking at him with disdain in his eyes. ¡°Look at you; probably you haven¡¯t met people like us before. Go home and learn for a few more years. Don¡¯t embarrass yourself here.¡± As good-tempered as Daniel was, he felt offended and pissed by Taylor¡¯s tantly humiliating words. Just as he was about to speak, a gentle voice came from behind him. ¡°Sorry, I¡¯mte.¡± Daniel saw Taylor¡¯s eyes widen in an instant; his arrogance vanished, and he now had a ttering look on his face. ¡°We have been waiting for you, Mr. Wyance,¡± Taylor said. ¡®What?¡¯ Sebastian hase?¡¯ Daniel looked back and saw a personable man walking slowly toward him. The smile on the man¡¯s face was like a spring breeze,manding yet friendly. Ignoring Taylor¡¯s ttery, Sebastian walked over to Daniel and held out his hand with a smile. ¡°You must be Nicole¡¯s father. Nice to meet you.¡± Daniel shook hands with Sebastian and felt ttered. ¡°Yes, I am. You know Nicole?¡± Sebastian nodded gently. Taylor on the side was so surprised that his face turned pale. He never expected that Sebastian would be so nice to the Riddle. Thinking of what Sebastian had just said and looking at the back of the two of them who had such a friendly conversation, Taylor had cold sweat trickling down his forehead. ¡®How can this be? Didn¡¯t I just shoot myself in the foot with my attitude toward Daniel just now?¡¯ Instead of leaving, he hurriedly turned back and tried to catch up with Sebastian, wanting to exin himself. Just then, he spotted someone he knew in the crowd. ¡®Isn¡¯t that chubby guy beside Nicole Eric? Hasn¡¯t he spoken to Sebastian alone before? Yet he is with Nicole now. What has happened that I haven¡¯t yet known?¡¯ Taylor stood where he was, feeling that he had missed a lot. Suddenly, a hand tapped on his shoulder from behind. He turned his head around and found that it was Luke, whom he had not seen all this while. ¡®Didn¡¯t he lose the tender? I¡¯m surprised he still has the mood toe to the Riddle family¡¯s party.¡¯ Luke looked at the lively party with a deep sense of jealousy in his eyes, which only vanished until he saw Taylor. ¡°Mr. Wyatt, do you know exactly why Mr. Wyance has selected the Riddle family?¡± Taylor thought about Luke¡¯s performance in the conference room earlier. Chapter 561 Chapter 561 ¡®What else if not because of your lousy presentation?¡¯ But he did not say it out loud, and Luke ignored him. As Sebastian walked toward Nicole, he looked on, and his suspicion was finally confirmed. ¡®I did not expect that the na?ve-looking Riddle family could secretly build such a rtionship with Sebastian to the point where even Sebastian¡¯s own son could do nothing about it.¡¯ Taylor was also stupefied as he saw Sebastian and Nicole standing together and talking so happily with each other. He did not know that Nicole knew Sebastian earlier. Mr. Riddle Sr. stood to the side, looking at the attitude of the people around him toward Nicole, and clearly felt something strange. ¡®Why are these people looking for Nicole when they are supposed toe to meet me? Could it be that those people who came yesterday were actually because of Nicole?¡¯ Seeing Nicole chatting with a group of businessmen, Mr. Riddle Sr. had aplicated look in his eyes. Even Damien and Dexter looked at Nicole in amazement and disbelief. They had invited Sebastian multiple times, but this was the first time Sebastian hade to the Riddle Mansion. And when Sebastian came in, he was friendly to them. Damien and Dexter had never enjoyed such treatment from him. They looked at Sebastian, stupefied, as Sebastian greeted them with a smile. Seeing their nonreaction, Mr. Riddle Sr. red at them and chided them. ¡°What are you doing? ¡°Don¡¯t be so rude! Damien and Dexter came to their senses at once, looked at Sebastian, and greeted him back. Just that they still felt surreal. Chloe also saw Sebastian. She held her skirt and quickly came over, as she could not wait to talk to Sebastian. Sebastian looked at Nicole, who was by Mr. Riddle Sr.¡¯s side, with a smile, and then came up to her. ¡°How was your monthly exam?¡± he asked. Nicole looked at him and replied casually, ¡°Not bad.¡±Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org. Everyone watched with their mouths agape as Nicole chatted with Sebastian. ¡®I can¡¯t believe that Nicole can talk so naturally to Mr. Wyance, and Mr. Wyance cares so much about her grades. It¡¯s incredible.¡¯ Sean and Steve had noticed what was going on, and that seemed to confirm their suspicion. They did not expect that the person in the Riddle family who knew Sebastian would turn out to be their sister. Daniel might have known that Sebastian knew his daughter, but he did not expect them to be so close. Chloe watched what happened with surprise and jealousy; she also did not expect Nicole and Sebastian knew each other. The thought of Lloyd and Jared¡¯s attitude toward Nicole yesterday came to mind. ¡®She is obviously just a yokel; how the hell did she get to know these people?¡¯ Her face contorted with envy at the thought of this. Snow, who stood beside Chloe, said in a whisper, ¡°Is that guy who is talking to Nicole someone important? It seems that people¡¯s attitude toward him is unusual.¡± Chapter 562 Chapter 562 Chloe could not care less about this cousin of hers, who did not even know who Sebastian was. She looked coldly in Nicole¡¯s direction and stood in ce. Since Nicole was getting all the attention now, she would not go over and make herself miserable. But when she casually looked around, she spotted someone she never expected to see here. Mr. Riddle Sr. was clinking sses with the guests. Since he had just recovered from his illness, he could only drink tea in ce of wine, but this did not affect his enjoyment. Now, he was no longer worried her granddaughter would be bullied as she could now stand on her own feet. While he was talking to someone from one of the major families in San Joto, he heard an insidious voice that he recognizeding from behind him. ¡°Hello, Benjamin. Congrattions on your good fortune.¡± Damien and Dexter also heard the voice and recognized it at once. They frowned when they saw Christo walk on crutches toward them. Christo seemed to have aged ten years overnight, looking like a dying man. His eyes were grim and unnerving to look at. Mr. Riddle Sr. looked surprised at Christo, but he quickly regained hisposure. ¡°What are you doing here? We didn¡¯t invite you; please leave.¡± Christo looked at Mr. Riddle Sr. and snickered with resentment. ¡°Can¡¯t Ie to see my old friend?¡± Meanwhile, there was a trace of displeasure in her eyes as Nicole looked at Shawn standing behind Christo silently. Everyone saw what happened in front of their eyes and silence suddenly fell on the noisy party. Even though the Rogers family had fallen out of being the first-ss family, they were still influential to some extent. Nicole looked cool, calm, and collected. Everyone looked at her as they all knew how the Rogers family copsed so quickly. It was said that the Rogers family had done something unfavorable to Nicole, and that infuriated Jared, who immediately imposed a brutal sanction against them. N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. No one knew better than Christo what was going on in between. When he saw that Mr. Riddle Sr. remained silent, he turned to look at Nicole with a sneer. ¡°I didn¡¯t even know that Nicole possessed such marvelous abilities. So I would like to ask-since you didn¡¯t want to help me, why did you give me the life- saving drug in the first ce?¡± Nicole looked at him with no change in her expression. ¡°The drug I gave you was good enough to make you feel better, and you only needed ordinary dialysis treatment to extend your life,¡± Nicole said calmly, her eyes frosty, and she did not w 2-504 seem to take offense at his hostile attitude. ¡°It was you who were suspicious of me, refusing to take the prescribed dosage. Not only that, you wanted to catch me and even threatened me with my family.¡± At this point, a frosty look appeared in Nicole¡¯s eyes. ¡°Now tell me, should I save someone like you?¡± Christo¡¯s face instantly turned pale upon hearing what Nicole had said. But he quickly calmed down and sneered. ¡°How do I know if you are lying to me? I¡¯m here today for a final showdown with you; if you refuse to give me the drug, I will make you regret it.¡± Nicole nced at the hand gesture of the men from the Johnston family in the shadows and then looked at Christo with mockery in her eyes. She said not a word, as if waiting to see how Christo could not make her regret it. Thinking that Nicole had been intimidated, Christo looked at her triumphantly. ¡®I knew Nicole had lied; she couldn¡¯t have been so kind to give me the drug.¡¯ Chapter 563 Chapter 563 Chapter 563 After years of burgeoning, Christo thought he could still put the Riddle family in its ce even if he was not as powerful as before. Sebastian watched in silence and understood what was really going on. He looked at Christo, who still did not see him but talked to himself, as if he had been immersed in his own world. Sebastian frowned. Just as he was about to say something to Christo, the door of the Riddle Mansion suddenly opened and a cold and forceful voice came. ¡°Christo, you¡¯ve never changed, have you?¡± Christo shivered subconsciously upon hearing the voice. He immediately turned around and almost fainted when he saw Maximillian walk toward him. Everyone else looked at the old man with surprise. They did not expect to see someone from the Johnston family at the Riddle family¡¯s party. Many of them were not worried because they had made no mistake. ¡®We¡¯ve made the right decision toe here, especially with the presence of the patriarch of the Johnston family in the Riddle family¡¯s party.¡¯ Maximillian looked at Christo with a grim face. N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. But Christo¡¯s face looked even grimmer, and he was under pressure when he saw Maximillian. ¡°W-What are you doing here?¡± Mr. Johnston Sr. sneered, handed the invitation card to a server, and then looked at Christo coldly. ¡°What am I doing here? I¡¯m invited here, unlike someone who hase unsolicited.¡± He did not spare another nce at Christo and went up to talk to Mr. Riddle Sr., as if they were close to each other. Many people looked at what happened and suddenly remembered what they had heard many years ago; it was rumored that the Riddle and the Johnston families had a close rtionship. Now it seemed to be true. People¡¯s attitude toward the Riddle family changed all of a sudden. Everyone was thankful that they had made the right choice toe. Many families did note to the party because they did not want to be seen lowering themselves to mingle with the Riddle family. Many of them who came wondered how those who had chosen not toe would feel when they learned that Sebastian and Mr. Johnston Sr. were also here. While Mr. Johnston Sr. was talking to Mr. Riddle Sr., his eyes lit up with surprise when he saw Nicole was there. ¡°Are you Nicole?¡± he asked. Nicole looked at the old man and could feel his friendliness. So she nodded and said hello. Maximillian finally met Nicole in person. He looked at her with interest. Just then, a familiar voice came from the side. ¡°Mr. Johnston Sr., it¡¯s been a long time since west met.¡± Maximillian turned his head and was surprised to see Sebastian in casual wear standing next to Nicole. He was too focused on Nicole and had not noticed Sebastian. Sebastian is also here?¡¯ Mr. Johnston Sr. was startled for a second. He then looked at Sebastian and let out a meaningful smile. ¡°It seems that my grandson¡¯s worries are unfounded.¡± With Sebastian here, and even if he did note, the Rogers family could still not bully the Riddle family easily. Sebastian let out a smile. Mr. Riddle Sr. thought for a second and immediately knew what was on the Johnston family¡¯s mind. Chapter 564 Chapter 564 ¡®Mr. Johnston Sr. had stayed a low profile all this while. I¡¯m afraid he hase to the party to help the Riddle family and we have such an honor, all because of Nicole.¡¯ Mr. Riddle Sr. looked proud at the thought of this. They sat together and enjoyed talking with each other. Mr. Johnston Sr. was curious about Nicole and asked many questions, and Nicole answered all of them. She maintained a straight face, sitting with her back straight, looking extremely graceful in the face of such a powerful person. On the other hand, Damien found no opportunity to interject. Everyone else looked at Nicole, who was surrounded in the middle, with aplicated look in their eyes. At first, he looked down upon Nicole, but now her achievement was even higher than his. He figured he probably would not be able to do this if he were Nicole. Daniel and Gloria stood to the side, watching their daughter be the center of attention in front of those bigwigs and felt proud of her. ? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org. Nicole looked at Sean and Steve and then said to Mr. Riddle Sr., ¡°Grandpa, it¡¯s my brothers¡¯ party today, so I won¡¯t stay much longer. I will go upstairs first.¡± Maximillian looked at Nicole with even more appreciation in her eyes upon hearing what she said. She knew her ce, even though she was now in the spotlight. Sebastian seemed to have expected that Nicole would say this. He looked at her and nodded. Mr. Riddle Sr. looked at Nicole with surprise, but he quickly realized something and smiled.¡± Go ahead.¡± Chloe and Snow watched with jealousy as all three of them loved Nicole. ¡®Nicole really knows how to use the one-step-backward-and-two-steps-forward technique!¡¯ The two of them came over, hoping to be noticed by Sebastian and Mr. Johnston Sr. But when Maximillian turned his head, he was actually nodding at Sean and Steve, and then squinted at Christo. ¡°Aren¡¯t you leaving yet?¡± ncing at Christo, who looked at Nicole with an indignant look in the eyes, he walked over, grabbed Christo¡¯s cor, and dragged him out of the door. He did not forget the things that his grandson had entrusted him with. Christo was frail and dragged along by the strong Maximillian, as if a mother cat carried her baby. As he tried to resist desperately, Shawn looked on anxiously, but was doing nothing. Not that he did not want to. It was just that no one dared to defy Maximillian. No one had the desire to intervene. Everyone just looked on, dumbfounded, as Maximillian hauled Christo out of the party venue. ¡®It seems that the Rogers family is really copsing.¡¯ Chloe and Snow were stunned at seeing what happened before their eyes. Especially Chloe, who was still thinking of marrying into the Rogers family, never expected them to be so inept in front of Maximillian. She was extremely jealous at the thought of how nicely Maximillian treated Nicole just now. ¡®What is so good about Nicole that Jared likes her so much and even asks his grandfather to protect her? Why can¡¯t she if Nicole can?¡¯ She gathered herself and put up a smile at Maximillian, who was walking past her. ¡°Hello, Mr. Johnston Sr., I¡¯m-¡± Maximillian shot an impatient nce at the woman who was blocking his way. Chapter 565 Chapter 565 ¡°Get out of the way. Didn¡¯t you see that I¡¯m in a hurry?¡± This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. ¡®This little girl really doesn¡¯t know any better.¡¯ Chloe was embarrassed and quickly stepped aside after being reprimanded harshly. Behind her, Snow watched her being reprimanded and breathed a soft sigh of relief. ¡®Fortunately, Chloe is ahead of me. Otherwise, I would have been the one facing this embarrassing situation. She patted herself on the chest, d that she was not the one being reprimanded. But the thought of Mr. Johnston Sr.¡¯s attitude toward Nicole and Mr. Ellison¡¯s disregard for her frustrated her. ¡®There will always be a chance to fix Nicole,¡¯ she said in her mind. Thinking of this, she just remembered that, although Mr. Johnston Sr. was gone, Sebastian was still here. She hurried over to say hello to Sebastian. Her grandfather had ordered her father not toe out and enjoined her to build rapport with Sebastian. Snow walked toward Sebastian when she heard Sebastian say to Mr. Riddle Sr., ¡°This time the Riddle family has done really well.¡± Sebastian looked at the two young men in front of him and turned to look approvingly at Mr. Riddle Sr. ¡°With the help of such young men, the Riddle family will only get stronger and stronger.¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. nodded gratefully. ¡°Thank you for yourpliment, Mr. Wyance.¡± Sebastian said a few more words of encouragement to Sean and Steve, nodded to Damien and Dexter, and then slowly walked out. Snow had waited for a long time without even having a chance to talk to Sebastian even until he left. People followed Sebastian and greeted him as he went. He was different from Maximillian; he had always been gentler and approachable, and people were seeing him out, while when Maximillian left, no one except Chloe dared to stand in his way. Snow looked at Sebastian, who was surrounded by people, and stomped her feet, feeling frustrated as she did not even get a chance to get close to Sebastian. No one spared a nce at Snow, who was left upset by herself, as people swarmed around Sebastian to see him out. Taylor was witnessing the entire episode. Not wanting to be left behind, he gritted his teeth and followed. Sebastian walked out slowly, appearing steady when looking from behind him. It was not hard to imagine that he lived a life like this every day. Snow and Chloe almost fainted in anger as they missed yet another opportunity. After today¡¯s party, everyone would know Nicole from the Riddle family for her rtionship with not only Sebastian but also Maximillian. ¡®And I get nothing!¡¯ Snow and Chloe thought to themselves each. After Sebastian left, Damien looked a little stupefied to see people start toe up to him andpliment him. They were the very same people who did not bother to look at him previously. But thanks to Nicole, they all were now smiling fawningly at him. Mr. Riddle Sr. looked at Sean and Steve and was pleased with them. Gaining Sebastian¡¯s approval meant more and more people would recognize their abilities. ¡®Maybe it¡¯s really time to delegate more responsibilities to the young people.¡¯ Thinking of this, Mr. Riddle Sr. quietly made a decision. Chapter 566 Chapter 566 Nicole returned to the room, put her bag down, turned around, and knocked on the door of the guest room next door. ¡°Carl?¡± There was no answer; probably he was not there. Nicole thought of Carl¡¯s restless personality and shook her head helplessly. The party downstairs did not seem to have ended. Probably some more guests had arrived as there was another uproar again. Nicole returned to her room, took out the silver-white shard again, and carefully studied it in the palm of her hand. N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. At this level of damage, she could almost be sure that it had been hit by an extreme impact force. Ordinary weapons could not have shattered it; it had to be some heavy weapon, and to do this, the person needed to understand the weaknesses of this alloy. As the hardest metal in the world, it was impossible to break so easily. Nicole clutched the chrome-nickel alloy in her hand and squinted her eyes. She saw this rampant act as a direct challenge to her redline. Suddenly, there were light footsteps coming from behind her. Nicole looked back and was surprised to see Carl and Preston, both dressed in formal suits, talking to each other while walking upstairs. Nicole looked at the two with surprise. As far as she knew, they were the typical type of guys who disliked wearing suits. Preston and Carl now saw Nicole. Preston quickened his steps up the stairs and came up to Nicole with a sly smile. ¡°Your friend is interesting.¡± Nicole looked at him and cocked an eyebrow. ¡°Won¡¯t you go downstairs?¡± The party should not be over yet, and he could fit in perfectly with the asion in this attire. But Preston waved his dismissing hand at hearing about the party. He loosened his tie and solemnly said, ¡°Only thetest motorcycle exhibition and visiting your grand is worth my suit. Nicole looked at his prudish look and smiled. Carl had also walked up behind Preston, looked at Nicole, and blinked. ¡°Your house seems to be vivacious today.¡± Nicole nodded and looked at Preston, who quickly realized something and gestured at Carl before going downstairs. Nicole then looked at Carl with a serious face. ¡°Pack up. We¡¯ll leave tonight,¡± she said in a somewhat impersonal voice. The yful look faded from Carl¡¯s eyes. He quickly stepped aside and pulled out his mobile phone to make a call. His ck phone was exactly the same as Nicole¡¯s. antagon Nicole watched him walk into the room and take out his things. The habits of the two were almost indistinguishable, both lightly armed, and each person carried only a simple travel bag. He threw the bag over his shoulder and turned to leave with Nicole. ¡°Wait a minute,¡± Nicole suddenly said. Carl looked at Nicole with puzzlement, not knowing why she called a halt. ¡°We will go to another ce first,¡± she said, walking out with her bag on her back. The two of them quietly left through the back door. An hourter, in Great Oak¨C Mrs. Wace Sr. opened the door and was surprised to see Nicole standing outside. ¡°Nicole? It¡¯ste at night now; what are you doing here?¡± Nicole looked at her grandmother and whispered, ¡°The boy who treated you rudely in the ssroomst time asked me to convey his apology to you.¡± Chapter 567 Chapter 567 Mrs.Wace Sr.nodded, not minding it.Instead, she looked at her granddaughter with puzzlement. "Where are you going?" Nicole knew she could never hide things from her grandmother, nor did she intend to. "I am traveling with my parents, worried that you would miss me, so I first came to see you." Mrs.Wace Sr.nodded. "Don''t worry about me.I''m all right.Be careful when you''re out there." Nicole listened patiently to her grandmother''s nagging admonition without interrupting her. After a moment, she nced at her watch. "Grandma, I have to go." Mrs.Wace Sr.nodded downheartedly and sighed softly as she watched her granddaughter turn away. Nicole had always been sensible. Especially after she was lost and found, she became as steady and dependable as now; every time before going out, she would let her grandmother know lest her grandmother would be worried. Mrs.Wace Sr.knew that her granddaughter had secrets, and that she probably was not going on a vacation.But since Nicole did not tell her, she would not ask. Returning to her room silently, Mrs.Wace Sr.sat down at her desk, secretly praying for Nicole''s safe return. What had to be done had been done; Nicole and Carl headed straight for the airport. On the ne, Nicole silently looked at the clouds outside the window, her mind drifting away.She thought of where she was about to return and sighed. Carl noticed her emotions and turned to look at her with a slight concern in his affectionate blue eyes. "What''s wrong?" he asked. Nicole said not a word.She shook her head gently and closed her eyes. Carl looked at her for a moment and then pulled a nket over her body. He did not want Nicole to continue to get involved in those things, but she was the only person who could control those things and solve the crisis.The ne seemed to be flying in an arc across the sky. When itnded, the sun was shining brightly, and the air was warm. Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org. In San Joto-- When Sebastian returned home, he kneaded his forehead as he felt a little exhausted after going out for the entire day. A sound came from the kitchen. At first, Sebastian thought Marie was back in his house and cooking without him asking. But before he could say anything, Martin poked his head out of the kitchen. "Dad? You''re back?" Sebastian nodded, looking at Martin with surprise and a faint sense of puzzlement. ''What are you doing in the kitchen?" Martin shrugged. "I''m hungry, and thinking that you must haven''t eaten, so I have also made you something." He then brought three dishes straight out.Sebastian looked at them and was surprised. ¡®These things look good" He looked at his son and asked, "When did you learn to cook?" Martin replied impatiently while setting the table. "When I was still a child, you were always not at home.So I learned a little by myself, and then when I went abroad, I was not used to the food there and learned to cook." Sebastian felt a faint pang of guilt upon hearing what Martin said. Martin seemed to have read his mind and cocked an eyebrow. "Don''t get sentimental now; it''s toote." Then he sat down at the table and dug in. "Where have you been this evening?" he suddenly asked casually. Sebastian took off his coat, and after washing his hands, he sat down and said, "The Riddle family had a dinner party.I was invited. ''The Riddle family? Isn''t the family that Nicole is from?'' Martin''s eyes widened, and he looked not too happy. "Why didn''t you tell me earlier so I could go with you?" Chapter 568 Chapter 568 He had long wanted to see what Nicole looked like, and yet he missed such a wonderful opportunity. Sebastian looked at his son with an innocent look "I thought you disliked going to such parties, saying that the food was terrible, everyone there had an ax to grind, and it was boring.I did ask you to go with me a few times, but you turned it down.I thought¡ª" Martin listened to what he said and scratched his head with chagrin. ''It seems to be true" He was in no mood to eat. As soon as he put down the cutlery in his hand, he received a phone call.Sebastian nced at it and showed that it was Michael.He quietly withdrew his gaze.He never interfered in his son''s career. Martin was a sessful doctor, whose medical skills were well-known through San Joto. Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org. This was what Sebastian was most proud of. The corner of his mouth curled up in a subtle smile at the thought of this.He saw Martin''s face turn serious, and he did not want to disturb him from answering the phone. "Who?" As the person on the other end of the phone said something, Martin got an impatient look on his face. "You know I will never ept patients like him.Go find Joyce; she''ll certainly be happy to ept him." Martin then hung up at once.Sebastian looked at his son''s angry expression and sighed silently. "Who makes you angry again?" Martin scratched his head irritably and said with annoyance, "They asked me to be Mr.Rogers Sr"s surgeon.But I don''t want to have anything to do with those wealthy people; they are full of themselves, expect too much, and don''t follow doctors'' instructions.Worse still, they me doctors for not curing them when problems arise because of their attitude.It is annoying." Sebastian looked at his son and nodded in agreement. "I totally agree." Martin did not expect that his father would approve of him instead of scolding him forck of a sense of responsibility or anything like that. "Dad, are you alright?" Sebastian looked at his son''s face and smiled instead of getting angry. "Since thest time you told me what Solomon did to you, I made up my mind; I will be more circumspect and will not arbitrarily criticize you." Sebastian felt terrible at the thought of him hurting his son''s feelings previously. Martin looked into his father''s sincere eyes and felt a little embarrassed.He touched the back of his head and muttered softly, "At least you know." Then he got up and walked toward his room.He said nothing, but his steps were apparently brisk. Sebastian looked at him from behind, his expression gradually turning gentle. At an airport in Mecrounia-- Nicole calmly put on a baseball cap as she and Car] got off the ne. Carl did the same.Their movement was quick, unlike someone who had just gotten off a seven- or eight-hour flight. The airport was packed, but Nicole could sense someone staring at them.She then quickly spotted from the corner of her eye a few fearsome men in the crowd behind her. "Are your whereabouts exposed?" Nicole asked Carl with a frown. Carl was talking on the radio with a miniature headset in his ear when Nicole asked.He was stunned and blurted, "That''s impossible." Even his parents did not know about where he was going.His job was only to bring Nicole from Hustuaburg, and in order to make the trip discreet, he had taken an ordinary ne.No way his whereabouts could be exposed. Chapter 569 Chapter 569 Nicole saw the confident look in his eyes and nodded. "We''ve gotpany.Three and five o''clock.Split," she quickly said, and then dashed in the other direction. Carl reacted just as fast. The two of them had been working together for many years and had a tacit understanding. Before those people trailing them could react, Nicole and Carl had vanished into the crowd within seconds. The leader of those people was infuriated and gave a p to one of his men behind him. "What are you all waiting for? They have noticed us.Give chase!" Nicole and Carl moved so quickly that by the time a dozen men split into two groups and went looking for them, Nicole and Carl were already nowhere to be seen. This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. The group leader had now calmed down, took out his radio, and whispered to the person on the other end, "Boss, they were quick and got away; we didn''t manage to catch them." The person on the other end of the radio seemed to have said something, and the man''s face turned pale.He answered respectfully and then beckoned his men behind him. "Call it off!" Nicole and Carl got into a low-key ck SUV waiting at Gate C almost simultaneously. Carl whistled softly and said, "Nicole, you are quicker thanst time." Nicole cocked an eyebrow at him and said, "So are you." Carl could not reach this speedst time.It seemed that the previous mission not only almost put him in trouble but also honed his strength. Carl looked at Nicole with eagerness in her eyes. "Shall we have a friendly match again next time?" Nicole shot him a nce and nodded. She was also curious about how much Carl had grown. But thinking about the look of those people just now, Nicole frowned, turned to look at Carl, and asked in a bitter voice, "Is that them?" Carl hesitated with a confused look in his blue eyes. There was no marking or sign on those people''s clothes, so he could not tell if they were sent by that family.He honestly shook his head at Nicole and said, "I don''t know." Nicole knew he would not lie to her.The fact that they were ambushed as soon as they got off the ne meant that something had gone seriously wrong. She narrowed her eyes and said coldly, "You''ve definitely been exposed." Needless to say, Carl was well aware of the problem. His expression remained unchanged, but his voice gradually became grave. "I''ll find out." Nicole nodded, not wanting to dwell on this issue for too long. She leaned back in the seat and looked at the unique scenery of Mecrounia, thinking about something in her mind.It was a long drive. By the time the vehicle stopped, it waste afternoon. Nicole nced at the massive manor and the familiar ck goat''s skull statue at the entrance, then slowly stepped out of the vehicle. Carl followed suit. The servant at the door saw the two of them and was visibly shocked.He looked at Carl and asked in disbelief, ¡°When did you go out, Carl?" Chapter 570 Chapter 570 Carl ignored him and walked inside with Nicole. The servant looked suspiciously at Nicole, whom he had never seen before. But since she came with Carl, he did not dare to say anything and let her in. Nicole looked at the magnificent building as usual, the darker paint only adding to its majestic vibe and did not overshadow its beauty. When the sunset fell on this manor, people would be amazed by the sense of history that came with time. This was a heritage that only ancient buildings possessed. Carl and Nicole walked side by side. The news that Carl had brought a girl home immediately spread throughout the manor.It was still not nightfall yet, but the hall was already brightly lit. People were neatly sitting on both sides of a long dining table, and in the head seat sat a senior man. He was draped in a ck nightgown and seemingly could not keep his eyes open. Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org. A woman next to the senior manined, saying, "Why hasn''t Keynese back? Doesn''t he know the family is facing some problemstely? It''s so hard to gather everyone for a meal together nowadays." Another man next to her chided the woman. "Shut up, Merry.Keynes is the only child of our eldest brother, the heir of our family." This man looked serious, and he spoke what was on his mind and meant his words.He thought Merry was not qualified to say that about Keynes. Behind him, yet another man with an uely face slowly said, "Merry has a point.Is Keynes going out to y again during such a bad time? He has always been so willful.Eber, stop defending him just because he is the heir." ''The heir is receable, isn''t it?¡¯ They upied the top three seats besides the head seat, and the rest of the people dared not say anything upon hearing what they said.These three people were the direct line of descendants of the Turmann family, and the rest, who were just indirect descendants, had no say at the dining table.When the senior man sitting in the head seat heard what Simon, his younger brother, said, a light shed in his eyes, and he squinted.He looked at the uely man next to him and said disapprovingly, Simon, you have crossed the line." Simon shot an indifferent look at him, but when his eyes collided with the eyes of the man sitting in the head seat, he gasped. "Just shut up, would you?" Elijah Turmann saidnguidly, looking at his younger siblings, especially Simon, who was looking defiantly at Eber. "Elijah..." Simon did not seem to back down.But strangely, Elijah did not actually scold him but he still felt a chill traveling up his spine. Merry had long since stopped talking. At this time, she looked at Elijah and quickly lowered her head. "Elijah, you said you''d solve our problems," she said eagerly, but did not dare to raise her head to look Elijah in the eyes. The rest of the people also looked at Elijah eagerly. Chapter 571 Chapter 571 The Turmann family was powerful because of the mastery of the most powerful robotic technology, almost to the point of making Mecrounia the most powerful nation on earth. This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. Their influence spread over the world, just because they possessed a top-notch core technology in robotic weapons manufacturing. Technology had developed to a level that robots had gradually be the most powerfulbat weapon. No country could fight a robotic weapon-equipped force. But because of the difficulty of manufacturing and the rarity of the material, robots were rare. But one robot had thebat strength of a thousand troops. That was why the Turmann family could almost do whatever they wanted in Mecrounia. Some time ago, however, when Mecrounia requisitioned the Turmann family''s robots, she suffered an almost fatal defeat on the battlefield. The enemy had used the same robotic weapons, even twice as many, and almost instantaneously shattered and destroyed the Turmann family''s robots. Mecrounia lost badly in that battle. After that, the government of Mecrounia demanded an exnation from the Turmann family. People from the Turmann family were among the best robotic talents. From the footage they retrieved from the battlefield, they were almost sure that the enemy had used the same robotic weapon as the one they made. There was only one exnation: the enemy had stolen their robotic design drawings, mass-produced the robotic weapon, and used it against them. Everyone''s face looked grave at the thought of this. Faced with the leak of the family''s core secrets and the im ofpensation from the Mecrounian government, the entire Turmann family was facing an unprecedented crisis. The biggest problem was that they did not know who had stolen their trade secrets. Each robot produced by the Turmann family bore the family crest with a conspicuous ouroboros logo, while the enemy''s robots had none of these on them. Simon was the first to speak.He looked emotionally at Elijah across from him. "Now that things havee to such a pass, are you still not willing to reveal the Dodge Tomahawk in its physical form?" There were only two Dodge Tomahawks in the world and both were made by the Turmann family.It was much more powerful than people could imagine. But no one else except Elijah had seen the Dodge Tomahawks¡ªnot even Simon and two other brothers. The Dodge Tomahawk was said to be equipped with the most advanced robotic system in the world, and unlike the robotic weapons that the Turmann family usually produced, the Dodge Tomahawk represented the most advancedbat strength. Unlike outsiders, they knew very well that the Dodge Tomahawk was not just a motorcycle but also what it really meant. But as much as they knew, it was still useless, as these people from the Turmann family had never seen it once.So upon hearing Simon''s question, not only Eber and Merry, but even those indirect descendants were eager to see it. Elijah''s expression remained unchanged.He squinted at them without saying anything. Simon was not expecting anything. He quickly looked at Elijah and said covetingly, "If we can''t see the Dodge Tomahawk, can you give us a drawing of it so we can study it?" Then, he seemed to realize that he had revealed too much of his intention and tried to cover it up. "Half of it.Err...maybe not.How about a quarter of it?" he said. Elijah raised his eyes, nced at Simon insouciantly, and said in a tone of voice that revealed none of his emotion. "It''s not time yet." It was not just Simon, but even Merry was looking at Elijah with bafflement.She also became impatient. "When will it be time? The faster we got a hand on the drawing to study it, the earlier we could gain an advantage in the conflict." Chapter 572 Chapter 572 Elijah looked at his sister, still expressionless.He then looked at the others, who had different expressions. "You can''t.Not only you, but we all can''t do it." ¡®What?! This time, even Eber was a little surprised. ¡®Merry is a well-known robotic expert in the family.Yet Elijah said not even she was qualified to study the drawing.What is he thinking, or who is he waiting for? Since the start of the crisis, Elijah has been under tremendous pressure, but he still seems to be confident"Thinking of this, there was a thoughtful look in his eyes. ''I''m stodgy, but not stupid.None of us in the Turmann family is stupid.If I can think of it, anyone who can sit at this table can." Hearing her eldest brother''s dismissal of her ability, Merry was surprisingly calm and looked at Elijah with a faint disdain in her eyes. "Don''t wait for your hopeless son anymore, Elijah.If even I can''t understand the drawing, then no one else would.Just take out the drawings, would you?" At this point, a shallow sense of self-satisfaction appeared in her eyes. To her surprise, though, Elijah smiled, shooting a puzzling nce at her, and asked, "Who told you I was waiting for someone in the family?" This time, Merry could not find a word to respond. Everyone looked at Elijah in shock, suspecting that this leader of theirs was not Elijah himself. The Turmann family was a well-known robotic specialist.If the family members could not understand the drawing of the Dodge Tomahawk, then absolutely no outsiders could. This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. Merry almost cried out, "Absolutely not! Elijah, stop kidding us!" She stood up and looked almost angrily at Elijah across from her, feeling humiliated. Both Eber and Simon also frowned; they both agreed with what Merry said. If outsiders could understand the drawings and they could not, this would be the biggest shame of the Turmann family. Just when they opened their mouths and wanted to say something, the door suddenly opened. Everyone looked back.So did Merry, who was annoyed and knew without thinking that it must be her errant nephew.She was only twenty-five, the youngest among her siblings. Supposedly, she should be able to get along well with her nephew. But the opposite was true; the two of them were like oil and water.She had, on multiple times, thought of getting rid of her annoying nephew. But as Merry was thinking about this, she keenly saw Elijah, who was sitting in the head seat, finally open his half-closed eyes, and a light almost burst out of his dark green pupils. She then heard him whisper, "It''s finally here." ¡®Who? Who can make my stone- faced elder brother show such an expression?! Merry turned her head backpletely with this question in mind.Then she saw a slender figure walking alongside Carl. ¡®It''s a very young girl!¡¯ Merry looked at the young and pretty Nicole.At first, she was wide- eyed, but quickly, a look of mixed feelings came up on her face. Eber and Simon also looked back. When they saw Nicole''s face, there was a look of pleasant surprise in their eyes. Chapter 573 Chapter 573 This girl who was slowly approaching had a cold rosemary-like mysterious feeling in her and looked even prettier than Merry. The people sitting at the end of the table were closer to Nicole and received a greater visual impact. They all looked at Nicole and were lost for words. Nicole looked nonchnt despite all the stares.She felt that she had learned nothing else at the Royal Creek Institute, but her endurance against the stares from others had at least doubled. Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org. Carl had a hint of surprise in his eyes when he saw Nicole''s insouciant face. The two ignored everyone around them and walked straight toward Elijah. Everyone was surprised to see that their leader, who had seemed to be uninterested in anything, had stood up and made a gesture of embrace.He watched as Nicole came over and gave her a gentle hug. "Thank you foring, Nicole." Nicole did not resist. The courteous hug was just a social etiquette, and they had said goodbye in this way before. This was hardly surprising for Carl, but everyone was looking at what happened with their mouths agape. ¡®We didn''t know that our leader was so gentle" Even Eber and Simon had not snapped back from their surprise. ¡®What the hell is going on here? Who is this girl who received the highest level of treatment from our Elijah?" Nicole ignored the others¡¯ nces.She and Carl sat down on either side of Elijah naturally. Elijah looked at Nicole with a smile and then instructed a servant, who was also in shock, to serve food. But at least, this servant of the Turmann family, who was highly professional, quickly snapped back and went into the kitchen right away. Soon, everyone was served a sizzling sirloin steak. Nicole looked at the steak and smiled gently ¡ªafter all these years, Elijah had still not forgotten her favorite medium -well steak served with ck pepper sauce. Elijah looked at Nicole''s expression and was happy to know that she was pleased.He gently lifted the ss full of red wine, swirled it a little, and became the first person to clink sses with Nicole.He then took a sip, looked at the rest of the people at the table, and slowly opened his mouth. "From today onward, Nicole will take full control of the investigation and handling of this incident.All of you need to cooperate and listen to her.So you all hear me clearly?" ¡®Listen to this little girl?" Everyone looked at Elijah, dumbfounded and incredulous, but still nodded because of his authority. Merry was the only person who looked defiantly at Nicole ''l asked Elijah for this right many times, and he refused every time.When this brat came along, he immediately delegated his power to her.This is not good and proper" The steak was not to her taste, and she had no appetite for the meal anymore. Merry bitterly put cutlery in her hand on the te in front of her, making a crisp nk, which was a subtle expression of her dissatisfaction. "I''m full.I will excuse myself first," she said. Although not a direct rejection of Elijah''s decision, the move had silently challenged Elijah''s authority. Chapter 574 Chapter 574 But Elijah could not care less about her.He nodded, then turned his head back as if he enjoyed talking to Nicole. Merry looked at Elijah''s indifferent attitude toward her and trembled with anger.She med it all on Nicole for not being self- aware.She shot a re at Nicole before going back to her room ina hoff. Simon looked thoughtfully at Nicole with cold eyes and then also put down his cutlery, wiped the corners of his mouth, and stood up to leave.He did not even excuse himself, and it was already a provocation. But Elijah was sitting, unperturbed. Instead, it was Carl who gazed the back of Simon with a cold look in his eyes. Thinking of what Simon had done, Carl moved his hands, wanting to say something. Elijah suddenly pressed his hand down and shook his head at him, then continued to look at Nicole and smiled. ''''What do you think, Nicole?" Nicole cut the steak slowly and methodically, brought the sauced steak to her mouth, and chewed it slowly. Steaks were one of the few types of meat she liked.She took her time to chew and then swallowed the food in her mouth thoroughly before slowly saying, "It''s not that difficult." Elijah heard her reply, and the smile on his face grew broader.He gently patted Carl on his hand before letting go of him and starting eating. With Nicole''s assurance, he basically did not have to worry much. After the meal, someone took Nicole to the room that Elijah had prepared for her. Instead of asking Elijah how he got to know she wasing, Nicole gave Carl a meaningful look. Carl noticed the look in her eyes and winked at her apologetically. Nicole looked at him and shook her head helplessly before entering the room.She quickly took a shower. Just as she was drying her hair, someone knocked on the door and called out in Hustuaburgian that sounded unnatural, "Nicole, I''ve brought what you want." Nicole recognized the voice.It was the stodgy man she had seen earlier. Her eyes lit up, and she quickly opened the door. To her surprise, she saw a huge chunk of things outside.But she was quick to say thank you. Then she walked over to the chunk of steel and effortlessly put her hand in. A few secondster, she pulled out a tiny chip with two fingers. Eber watched what Nicole was doing and quickly understood what she was thinking. Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org. So he reminded her, saying, "It''s useless, Nicole.we''ve already checked; the enemy has destroyed their robots abandoned on the battlefield, and we couldn''t extract anything from them." Nicole looked at the man with a serious face and smiled. "It''s okay.I will try." Then she turned and went back to her room, deliberately leaving the door open. Eber looked at Nicole from behind and knew that she was letting him watch from the sidelines. It just so happened that he was also eager to find out what kind of ability this young girl, whom his Elijah favored, possessed and if she was worthy of him listening to her.He politely took a few steps inside, kept a very polite distance, and watched what Nicole was doing. Chapter 575 Chapter 575 Nicole''s expression remained unchanged. Eber saw her take out her batteredputer and found that he had seen it somewhere before. Nicole did not give him much time to reminisce as she had connected the broken chip to theputer as if she was going to do something. Eber could not help but say again, "It''s not going to work.We have asked the world''s top hackers to do the repair, but the damage is too severe; even they could not find a solution." The undertone was that when even the world''s top hackers could not fix it, Nicole was even less likely.But Nicole said nothing.She just looked at the reading progress bar on theputer screen and gently tapped on the desk rhythmically with her fingers. Eber frowned in disgust at her stubbornness of not listening to the advice of others. ¡®What''s going on with her? I''ve told her that there is no way she can fix it.Does she think she is better than those top hackers in Mecrounia?'' Thinking of this, he turned around and wanted to leave, not wanting to look at the result that he had seen countless times. All the previous attempts had failed. In his eyes, Nicole was a fool who had too high of an opinion of herself. But as Eber turned around, he heard an incredibly rapid keyboard tapping sound. A look of consternation shed in his eyes, and then he spun back and took a look. ''This is by no means the speed ayman could do at!'' In the few seconds, while he was turning around, Nicole had activated her own restoration program, her fingers flowing over the keyboard so quick that Eber could barely see where she was typing. ? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org. But the reading progress bar that had paused because of the broken chip had started to move rapidly.He could not help bute closer and take a careful look at theputer screen with incredulity in his eyes. ¡®This girl did it!'' Until the reading progress bar reached 100 percent, Nicole''s hands still typed rapidly on the keyboard.She looked extremely focused and convincing to him.At least at this moment, even Eber had a ridiculous thought in his mind. ''Maybe this girl can really help my family solve the crisis!" The progress bar moved quickly, but Nicole''s fingers moved even quicker until the reading reached 100 percent.Yet she was still not stopping but quickly following up with a stability maintenance program.Only then did she hit the enter key with a straight face. The robot''s chip was the carrier of all its information and programs, and the identity of the enemy must also be stored inside. So the enemy had chosen to fry the chips when it was toote to clean up the battlefield strewn with the massive number of the wreckage of robots. Frying the chips was almost equivalent to destroying the robots'' central nervous system and also cutting off the possibility of the Turmann family tracing it to them andunching retaliation. The enemy had really been meticulously trying to cover their tracks.But it was a pity that they met Nicole. Eber was rooted to the spot as he looked at theyers of information that appeared in front of his eyes. This thing had bothered them for a long time, and in just one minute, Nicole had solved it for them. He now realized that he should have known better when Elijah had such high regard for this girl; she was more than met the eyes. Chapter 576 Chapter 576 Nicole looked at the information and frowned. "It''s the Thorne family; Do you guys have any vendetta against each other?" This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. Eber frowned as he looked at the ck umbre-shaped family emblem on the screen. "I can''t believe that it''s them." The Turmann and the Thorne families were once the closest partners. The Turmann family was powerful, but they still looked after the Thorne family, entrusting them with projects. Even now, the Thorne family still maintained close contact with the Turmann family. Yet they stole Turmann''s most sophisticated design drawings and became the most treacherous traitor in the Turmann family''s eyes. Eber looked grave; being betrayed by the vassal family was nothing less than the greatest humiliation for the proud Turmann family. Just as he wanted to turn around and go tell it to his other family members to retaliate against the Thorne family, Nicole said, "Hold your horse." She looked at the screen and narrowed her eyes.Eber looked back at Nicole in surprise, and he could not hold back his anger. ''As much as she is now his manager, she has no right to bypass his elder brother and make decisions by herself" "You have no reason to stop me," Eber said as he looked at Nicole warily. He had to say this out of his loyalty to the family. "I''m not trying to stop you." There was no emotion in Nicole''s eyes.She tapped her finger gently and posed a question that struck Eber dumb. "Don''t you want to know how the other party knows these secrets?" She looked up gently, her eyes bright like the still surface of ake with the reflection of endless snowy mountains inside, looking extremely cold. Eber was rooted to the spot, almost instantly understanding the undertone of her voice. The next second, he heard Nicole''s meaningful voice saying, "Let sleeping dogs lie for now." When Eber walked out the door, his eyes were filled with indescribable emotions.He nodded softly at Nicole, whom he had despised at first, with a faint hint of respect. "It must have been a long day.Take a rest early." Watching as the man hurried away, Nicole closed the door. Since Elijah had chosen Eber to send these things to her, it meant he trusted Eber.So there was no need for her to hide anything from him. Nicole gently touched the tiny chip in her hand, and she again rapidly typed on the keyboard, trying to find out more secrets. She soon noticed that arge part of the core creative technology seemed to be missing from the robots made by the Thorne family. Probably because of the immaturity of the core technology, the other party had blindly boosted the weapon''s power at the expense of the robots'' overall stability. The changed solution had reduced the requirements for raw materials, besides reducing the weight of the robots. This was why they could create and mass-produce robots suitable for short-termbat. Chapter 577 Chapter 577 After omitting the cooling system and stability maintenance mechanisms, the robots'' mobility had been improved, but they had also be a walking bomb that may explode at any time. Its high lethality was not only against the enemy but also at itself. It could be seen from the images recorded in this chip that the entire robot looked highly self- destructive because of theck of the most critical part of the core technology. This could be seen in the fact that although they could fight and defeat the Turmann family''s robots quickly because of their superiority in number, their robots self-destructed. This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. Nicole thoughtfully looked at the battle data on the enemy''s scrapped robot, the outstanding attack and almost failed defense values, and something came to mind. She pulled out a nk piece of paper and wrote on it casually. If the Turmann family members were here, they would be surprised to find that the things that Nicole sketched out on the paper were actually the Turmann family''s core secret: the robot''s design drawings. There were only four people in the Trumann family possessing this drawing, but each of them had only a quarter of it. But Nicole could easily sketch theplete picture. She looked at the probably two-man-tall model of the robot and slowly drew arge X on its top left. ¡®That''s the part" While Nicole was looking at the drawings in her hand, someone knocked on the door.She quickly put the paper in her hand face down, and then responded by saying, "Come in." It was Carl. Nicole looked at him, who had covered himself from head to toe, and she cocked an eyebrow in surprise. "What are you doing?" she asked. Carl looked at Nicole and took off his mask, then said with a serious face, "Uncle Eber told me you have found out who the other party is." Nicole did not intend to hide it from him.She stood up and held her hand out to Carl. "It''s the Thorne family." Carl took out another mask from his pocket and handed it to Nicole, then motioned at her to go. Nicole nodded.She slipped something into her pocket and walked out the door first.She nced casually at the room at the far end of the corridor on the left, then left with Carl in tandem. Soon, the two of them, who were dressed in ck, disappeared into the night. "Who lives in the far-left room?" Carl heard her question and looked back at her with puzzlement, and then said with no hesitation, "Uncle Simon." Simon disliked sunlight, so he always lived in the corner. Nicole nodded. The room Elijah had prepared for her was in the middle on the third floor, where several direct descendants of the Turmann family lived, and this room faced the staircase, which gave a clear view of the entire hallway.So there was no hiding in front of her. She snickered at the thought of the sneaky figure on the left just now. Carl nced at her with bafflement.He then quickly led Nicole toward the back door of the Turmann manor while trying to throw her a ck watch in his hand. "I''ve keyed the location into this spare gear of mine.Use this, since you are not equipped," he said. Nicole looked at Carl. She had excellent night vision and had almost seen the silvery glow in the distance.She tilted her head. Instead of taking what Carl wanted to hand her, she turned sideways and walked ahead. "Who told you I wasn''t equipped?" Chapter 578 Chapter 578 Carl looked at Nicole with surprise. ''She''s fast" he thought, watching her walk to the back door, followed by hearing a roar that he was familiar with. ''That''s the sound of the Dodge Tomahawk starting!¡¯ In the silent night, such a roar could almost wake up the entire manor. Many windows lit up. Nicole looked up in a direction with a cold look shing in his eyes. Carl took a few quick steps and soon saw Nicole standing next to a motorcycle, which was big enough to sit three or four people, with a silvery white helmet in her hand. She threw it to him when she saw himing. "Put it on." Nicole hopped onto the handsome motorcycle and gently tapped her right hand on the floating dashboard a few times. One of thepartments opened, and something slowly emerged.It was a thin silvery white bracelet, looking inorganic.Ity quietly on its back, already separated from the middle, as if waiting for something. Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org. Nicole put her left hand on it, and soon the bracelet was activated with a stream of light shed across the surface of it. The otherwise inconspicuous metal surface started to glitter, as if it had finally broken through some kind of seal, and snapped back in the palm of Nicole''s hand, bing aplete circle. It made an electronic sound that was no different from that of the Dodge Tomahawk, seemingly having an indescribable sense of joy. "Wee back." A smile came on Nicole''s face. "Switch to dark mode." "As you wish." Subsequently, the bracelet started to change color, from dazzling silver to dull ck gold that would not cause any inconvenience at night. As Nicole flicked her hand gently, the bracelet adjusted its size automatically and snapped snugly on Nicole''s wrist. It became so inconspicuous that it was almost impossible to see she was wearing something. Carl put on the helmet and watched with a smile as Nicole adjusted the gear. Seeing Nicole turn her head to look at him, he smirked helplessly. "Nothing can escape my father''s eyes," he said. Elijah must have guessed in advance what the two were going to do, so he had thoughtfully got the Dodge Tomahawk ready here. Nicole looked at Carl''s expression and smiled. She cocked an eyebrow and said, "Do you remember when we went to the Calloway auction house together? The ce was hundreds of miles away, and Elijah supported us in the sarne way." Carl seemed to remember what had happened back then andughed. "We were too young back then." Nicole looked at Carl and smiled again. "Let''s go.It''s time." Carl nodded, and he found he could see Nicole''s face clearly despite the darkness. They had grown up together and known each other until now. Everything was as usual and had not changed. ''How nice.The silvery white motorcycle faded into a stream of cold light, speeding toward a direction in the darkness of the night. There was an uproar in the manor behind them. Nicole and Carl had left before they knew it, but many people still recognized what the light just now was. Simon pushed open Elijah''s door, shouting with anger. "What the hell are you doing? Who took the Dodge Tomahawk?" ¡®Only Elijah had the authority to start the Dodge Tomahawk, and it was definitely he who brought it out to someone" Chapter 579 Chapter 579 It was too dark for him to see clearly just now, but as he looked at Eber and Merry who were chasing after him, he turned to look at his eldest brother. ¡®Does he know about the distinctive features of the Dodge Tomahawk?'' Eber and Merry behind them saw the two confronting each other and did not speak. Yet their eyes were also looking at Elijah, as they desperately wanted him to give them an answer.Elijah looked at this third brother and paid no attention to the silent two behind him. He lifted his hand.His eyes still had the slothful squint, looking extremely nonchnt. "You''re questioning me?" When Simon was asked that question, beads of sweat slowly emerged from the tip of his nose.He slowly lowered his head and cursed inwardly for being made a tool. For him to question Elijah like that, with his authority as the head of the Turmann family, he did not even need to move his fingers for someone below to do him in. "No." Elijah did not make things difficult for his little brother as he motioned for everyone to leave, yet Merry, standing on the side, asked coldly. "Did you give the Dodge Tomahawk to Carlisle?" The moment the Dodge Tomahawk was mentioned, everyone''s gaze focused once again on Elijah. Although they could not challenge his authority, they at least had the right to know who the Dodge Tomahawk belonged to now. Elijah looked at the group, and many outstanding members of the branch families had also gathered around as all of them stared intently at him. If Elijah had handed the Dodge Tomahawk to Carlisle, that meant thetter was basically the next head of the family, while everyone else would have lost the said opportunity. A tinge of iciness appeared in Merry and Simon''s eyes. The previous head of the Turmann family, their father, had two wives. ? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org. Unlike Elijah, the three of them were from the second wife. Aside from Merry, who inherited the same blond hair and blue eyes, both Simon and Eber''s eyes color were not the Turmann family''s iconic blue but the far more normal brown. Merry''s beautiful eyes were sharp and cold as she looked at her elder brother.It was as if once he said yes, something would be very different. Elijah let out a mysterious smile, with a faint trace of mockery on his face. "Did you guys really take the Dodge Tomahawk as the property of the Turmann family?" He snorted coldly as he turned to Simon. "Are you not the person supervising the Mobile Armor''s production line? Have you not realized that the Turmann family had just been copying that all this while and had not created a new, different model after so many years?" Upon hearing that, Simon and the rest were stunned. It was not like they had not considered this issue in the past few years. Although the Turmann family was a family of mechanical experts, they did not have the production and design capability for top-end Mobile Armors. Even the ones they created were only generic and were not capable of being deployed onto the battlefield. However, when their father gave them a Mobile Armor design blueprint five years ago, everything changed. Aside from Elijah, no one knew where the blueprint that brought the rise of the Turmann family came from. After their father passed away, the blueprint was divided into four.It was his way of showing absolute fairness to his four children. However, that resulted in the Turmann''s Mobile Armor stagnating and remaining at the same level as a few years ago. All simply because they did not trust one another and were not willing to share the blueprint. Elijah looked at the group of speechless folks before him. His eyes were cold, with a tinge of disappointment in them. Merry quickly reacted as she frowned at her brother and said, "But that is not an excuse for you to activate the Dodge Tomahawk as you please!" Chapter 580 Chapter 580 As the most talented person in the Turmann family, and the only person who could fabricate a Mobile Armor using one-fourth of the blueprint she had, that was the basis of her confidence in confronting Elijah. In the end, Merry believed that Carlisle, who had not lived with the Turmann family since young and was only taken back to the family at fifteen by Elijah, was not equipped with the ability to own the Dodge Tomahawk. She should be the true master of the Dodge Tomahawk! Elijah looked at his little sister, and he did not need to think much to know what she was thinking. He then smiled. "I did not activate the Dodge Tomahawk as I please." He slowly said, "I simply returned it to its true master." Everyone was stunned hearing this as they looked at Elijah in disbelief, seemingly not understanding what he was saying. ''He didn''t give it to Carlisle, but to its true master?" ''What is the meaning of this?" Merry looked at her eldest brother and wanted to ask something, yet Elijah was not in the mood to say anything more.He turned to walk back to the sofa in his room, his back facing the group of people, exuding an aura for everyone to see themselves off. Simon gave the bitter Merry a look.He gently tugged her hand and slowly shook his head. Eber had already left the room; his pace was quick.He soon arrived at the room at the center of the third floor and gave it a few gentle knocks. Sure enough, there was no response... Deep in the night, a private nended. Jared slowly got out of the ne. Janus, on the other hand, had been waiting for him for a long time. After arriving at the office at the base, Jared gave him a deep look before saying. "Have you found out who did it?" Janus opened the tablet in his hand and pulled the data out as he handed it over to Jared. "Boss, I think it''s the rising Thorne family who had gotten the permission from the Mecrounian government, who did it.They seemed to be relying on the strongest family in Mecrounia, the Turmann family, to grow rapidly." "Based on our investigations, the Thorne family had betrayed their master and created a great crisis for them, but the Turmann family doesn''t seem to know it for now." "Boss, should we let them know this fact?" As the saying goes, ''''The enemy of my enemy is my friend." Moreover, the Turmann family was also very powerful. More so after both of them were screwed over by the Mecrounian government and the Thorne family. Jared looked at the information Janus had pulled out, and the snake -tailed crest of the Turmann family looked particrly conspicuous.His eyes then lit up. ¡®Did I not see the same pattern on the Dodge Tomahawk back in Nottingbrook?" ¡®But why was that Dodge Tomahawk there?¡¯ Jared smiled mysteriously as he handed the pad back to Janus and raised his eyebrows slightly. "Of course we should tell them.Why shouldn''t we make ourselves of such a powerful ally?" Janus looked at Jared''s seemingly confident look as a look of doubt appeared in his eyes. ''How is Boss so sure that the Turmann will believe us or even treat us as an ally?" ¡®Wouldn''t it be bad if they turn around and bite us instead?¡¯ However, it was not his ce to question his boss''s decision as he soon pulled out amunicator from his pocket and spoke to the other side.? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org. Chapter 581 Chapter 581 "Send the information to the Turmann family, now." An affirmative response quickly came, and as Janus looked at Jared''s already distant figure, he chased after Jared. ''Now that my boss is here, we can finally take care of those bastards!¡± Thinking of this, a heartfelt smile appeared on Janus'' face.Janus happily followed behind Jared. The ne hadnded directly on the private manor grounds, and the two very quickly ended the manor. The servants were already waiting for their master''s return, and Jared casually dismissed them as he then turned around to ask, "What is Joseph up to recently?" He wondered why Joseph had not contacted him for a while.When Janus heard of Joseph, a look of worry slowly appeared on his face. "A very dangerous mission had appeared over on his side.After all, the top one-two of that organization had left, so he needs to hold the team together." Jared had sent Joseph to a very perilous ce. Thinking of this, Janus shuddered a little, thinking that he got it good mining stuff here. Jared did not ask too much.He only gently tapped the tabletop before turning around and walking out. "Take me to see the scene of the incident." ¡®''These people sure are bold.They actually dared to mess around on my home turf" Thinking of this, Jared squinted a little a cold glint shed past his eyes. ''I will teach them a proper lesson" N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. Just as he was about to leave, someone knocked on the door as a pleasant bell rang. Jared looked at the footage sent over from the main door; a young red-haired man stood opposite the camera. The red-haired boy looked at the extraordinarily handsome Hustuaburgian face and was stunned by it, so much so that it took him a while before he spoke, "Are you the master of the JJ Johnston Group?" Jared looked at his hair color, and a hint of mockery appeared in his eyes. The information Janus had given him earlier had clearly shown the crest of the Thorne family is a ck umbre and their trademark red hair. "I''ve just only arrived, and this group of people immediately got word that I''m in Mecrounia.They sure are fast." As he thought of this, Jared said indifferently, "I am." The red-haired man looked at him, seemingly did not expect him to be such a man.He nced at him again with undisguised covetousness before remembering what he was here for and said, "I''m a member of the Thorne family." He immediately announced who he was, waiting for someone proudly for Jared''s response. Yet, the man standing opposite him was totally indifferent as he stared back at him. "And so?" said Jared. Rhein was stunned. The Thorne name was so famous that everyone in Mecrounia would greet them with a smile. He had not encountered such an attitude in a while now.He did not realize that the other party was being so dismissive of him and the smile on Rhein''s face slowly froze, seemingly thinking that thetter had found out what his family had done to him. However, he quickly realized who he was facing and then put up another smile as he said servilely, "It''s nothing too big.It''s just that my family wants to hold a dinner and upon knowing your arrival in Mecrounia, they sent me to invite you to attend.Please do consider it." Jared looked at the young man''s confident look and caught the anxiety in thetter''s eyes. Chapter 582 Chapter 582 A thoughtful look appeared in Jared''s eyes before his lips rose a little, revealing an extremely beautiful smile.It instantly dazzled Rhein, causing thetter to miss the chill in Jared''s eyes. "Sure," Jared answered tly.He had a tinge of mocking disdain in his eyes, but it was hidden so well the other party could not detect it at all. After hearing Jared agreeing to attend, he excitedly looked up and said, "Thank you.It''ll be nine tonight.We await your presence." Rhein thought, ''I knew it! If he knew it was us who did that, how could he agree toe? After all, one could tell this was a literal...Red Wedding!'' Jared did not answer Rhein as he disconnected the video call. That assured Rhein even more that Jared was just a pretty face, and it was impossible for him to find out what went wrong.He did not mind how brusque Jared was earlier and instead walked out happily. Janus, standing by the side, looked at his boss and asked with some puzzlement. "Boss, why did you agree to that invitation?" He wondered, ''You already know that they are the culprit, so why are you walking into the trap?¡¯ A glint streaked across Jared''s eyes as he yed with the dagger in his hand, a faint killing intent swirling across his body. "I want to see what they are actually up to for myself." At this moment, Nicole had arrived at her destination under cover of night.She looked at the navigation system that had been inputted earlier and raised her eyebrow. Elijah really understood their nature and had even chosen their destination point already. The Dodge Tomahawk sped through the streets, and fifteen minutester, the two had arrived at a ce not too far away from a huge vi. With the Thorne family''s current status, they were still not worthy of owning an estate. The two looked at each other, and as they looked at the brightly lit vi, a look of surprise appeared in both their eyes. ''It''s alreadyte.What are they doing with the lights still on?! Nicole looked at the time.It was fifty minutes past midnight.She had timed things just right to slip into the house at the point when everyone was in their most tired state, to search them. She had something in her mind that she needed to confirm. Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org. Yet, the brightly lit vi quickly turned that n on its head. Nicole looked at her watch and decided not to dy things any further. She gave Carl several secret hand signals, motioning that he was to deal with the two bodyguards at the front gate while she would sneak in from the back.She would then search the ce and rendezvous with him outside after ten minutes. Carl signed to indicate understanding, but at this moment, the corner of Nicole''s eyes suddenly caught a lighting from the top of the vi. Her gaze sharpened as she looked at the vi on the other side, and sure enough, there was a fleeting glinting from the rooftop of the vi as well. Nicole quickly pointed at her bracelet and made a motion for Carl to go alone and contact her at any time. Chapter 583 Chapter 583 She then ignored Carl''s surprise as she used the cover of the night to rush toward the vi on the other side.She was so fast that she reached the limits of a human being. Carl shrugged helplessly and epted his teammate''s unconventional n.He stood up and leaned against the wall as he approached the two burly bodyguards by the door. Just as one of them was not looking, he choked out the bodyguard closest to him and then mmed a karate chop on the other bodyguard before thetter could even shout. The two slumped onto the floor, and Carl was pleased with his handiwork before darting into the Thorne family vi.He darted around the shrubs in the garden to approach the main hall and quickly climbed onto a windowsill by the side.He then used it as aunchpad to jump onto the second floor before hooking his leg onto the wall and hanging himself upside down. This posture would hide him from sight from anyone on the first or second floor. Plus, he had also chosen a blind spot between patrols, and it could be said that he was extremely experienced. ? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org. Carl was a little puzzled.He did not know what the asion was today that the Thorne would deploy so many guards as if some kind of war was about to break out. Their deployment looked more like they were trying to stop the people inside froming out rather than people froming in. With this suspicion in mind, Carl ced a small squarish instrument onto the wall as the miniature headset in his eyes automatically connected to it, allowing him to listen clearly to what was being said inside the vi. The first ten minutes were nothing but a cacophony of voices, but Carl waited patiently as he waited there quietly, not unlike a still statue.It was until half past one when the crowd was slowly trying to disperse but was instead being held inside the vi. Many then let out angry voices. "Hey, asshat, what are you doing trying to keep us here?" "Rhein Thorne, what are you thinking? You''re actually the Intercontinental Party''spdog?" Stop! Amidst the uproar, Rhein''s red hair looked particrly conspicuous. He gently dug his ear as he irritably pulled something out and pulled the trigger. A loud bang soon rang out, and Carl immediately frowned. This was a sound he was most familiar with. A gunshot! He disregarded the risk of being found as he quickly flipped over and descended without a sound. After positioning himself at an angle where he could see what was going on inside, he then stopped moving. The moment Rhein took out the gun, everyone went silent as an awkward silence cast a pall upon the vi.He thenughed out loud, seemingly thinking that the entire fracas was interesting, before hissing brutally. "This banquet is a setup so I can get rid of all of you!" Looking at their fearful faces, Rhein was very satisfied.It was only until when he saw Jared, who was still sitting there fiddling around with a dagger with an iid dark ruby in it. Thetter was calm and gently tapped the de against the tabletop, his eyes locked onto the gleeful Rhein. As if he had no fear at all. A look of disbelief soon appeared on his face, and seemingly thinking of something, he took a cold and menacing look as he looked at Jared and sneered. "Of course, even if I want to get rid of you lot in the name of my faith, there is still a sequence." Immediately after, he looked at the bodyguard-like figure who had been silent since the start of the banquet and whispered a question to him. The man nodded after hearing that as he took off his cap, his cold icy gaze then stared sharply at Jared, his tone stereotypically business - like. "Greetings, I''m of the Interpol." Chapter 584 Chapter 584 In the dark, Carl saw the man as a look of surprise shed through his eyes before aplicated look too over. ''The Mecrounian government actually mobilized this man.It seems like they are taking this banquet very seriously" Carl had the fortune to meet the heads of that organization.It was during an auction in Calloway. Nicole''s skill and technique caught Sliver''s eyes, and he semi-forcefully inducted her into the team.He had never had a good impression of this fake good Samaritan. Upon hearing the man introducing himself, Jared did not say anything. Janus, on the other hand, stepped forward and said impassively. "What business do have you with us?" Sliver squinted a little before saying slowly. ''''For the peace and fairness between nations, I''m representing the Mecrounian government.I hope that you can hand over seventy percent of the mining assets and resources you have for the nation''s use.In our view, only this way could we best optimize the usage of the Mecrounian resources." When everyone heard Sliver''s words, their eyes widened. Many of the people here were more or less rted to the resource industry, but in terms of their weight, they were far, far behind JJ Johnston Group. That group not only did business, it also operated half of the Mecrounian industries! When Janus heard Sliver''s words, his originally fearful eyes turned disdainful. ''Handing over seventy percent of their assets to the insatiable Mecrounian government?¡¯ ''This might as well be daylight robbery!¡¯ Under the private ownership system, why should they hand over the things they had rightfully earned for no reason? Just because the other party demanded it, they could take whatever they wanted? Moreover, Rhein had a gun in hand, and it was the same for all of his underlings. The bulges around their waists showed they were clearly equipped with guns as well. ¡®All these were not an attitude a negotiator should have!'' Thinking of this, he wanted to say something else. Just as Janus was about to move, a hand with clearly-defined joints suddenly stretched out as Jared got up.He stopped Janus with his hand as he looked on indifferently at Sliver and Rhein before him and said softly. "So this is your goal?" Sliver looked at the man before him. Thetter''s face was very fair as he looked indifferently back at him, an indescribable coldness surging in his eyes. Carl also immediately caught sight of Jared.He was stunned for a few seconds before clicking on the watch on his wrist. After pressing a few buttons, a holographic screen soon floated up.He then pointed his watch at the scene before him as he silently transmitted the footage onto Nicole''s terminal. Sliver frowned a little.He was a little pissed off at Jared''s uncooperative attitude.He quickly rposed himself as he looked at Jared and said slowly. "This is what you should be doing." Janus'' eyes were already ame with anger.Yet, Jared only afforded the people on the opposite a cold smile. "What if I don''t?" He did not wait for a response but instead looked around on his own, and when he saw the very familiar faces, a look of irony appeared in his eyes. Sliver did not expect to be asked such a rhetorical question, but he quickly recovered.His eyes had a very business-like look and were shockingly indifferent. N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. "Then, I''m afraid no one will be walking out of this ce today." When everyone heard that, their expressions changed. ¡®What is the meaning of this? Are they nning to kill us?" Chapter 585 Chapter 585 Sliver listened to their angry mutterings.A few stood up as they looked displeased and shouted. "You Intercontinentalpdogs! You would sell your soul for power? You''re despicable!" Sliver''s eyes were impassive.He did not care what they were saying as long as he could get what he wanted. However, that did not mean he liked hearing such words. Thinking of this, he heard Jared and asked coldly, "Have you thought it through?" The crowd on the side was still yelling and shouting. Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org. Rhein, standing behind Sliver, frowned a little before shooting at the feet of the man shouting. The entire venue fell silent, and no one dared to make a sound. Jared let out an inexplicable smile as he looked straight at Sliver and said slowly, "I thought you''d be a bit more reserved in doing something so shameless.I never thought that you''d be so brazen." "Should I be praising you guys for being straightforward, or should I be calling you a lot shameless?" Sliver looked at Jared once again and felt thetter a little difficult to handle. Rhein did not care too much, however, as he looked menacingly at Jared and said coldly. "So, you don''t agree then?" Janus snorted. ''Isn''t that obvious?" ¡®Only a fool would have agreed to this daylight robbery, and going by the Intercontinental Party''s nature, they will not just want the seventy percent.When the timees, heavens know whether there will be anything left for us" Thinking of this, he looked at Rhein and hissed. "You will never get what you want! You better let us go this instant! Everyone else also nodded as they had the same thought.Almost no one could ept being squeezed by the Intercontinental Party as they were relentless and would not stop until they squeezed thest drop of blood from the business folks. When Rhein heard such blunt words, a wicked glint appeared in his eyes as he looked at Jared while slowly putting the gun in his hand away. "The thing is my hand is just for show, to scare you lot." When everyone heard him say that, many heaved a sigh of relief as they rushed outside. Yet, what Rhein said the next moment made their hearts sink. "However, we have our guys all around this ce.If you dare to step out, you''ll be Swiss cheese!" He looked at the fearful crowd and raised his head triumphantly like a child who had managed to pull off a prank.He let out maniacalughter before stopping and looking menacingly at Jared as he said word by word, "How''s that? Now think.Agree to our demands and live, isn''t that a good deal?" When Janus heard that lunatic''s words, he immediately frowned.He turned slightly toward Jared, and seeing that thetter was still impassive as ever, he slowly calmed down. Since Jared dared to stand there, that meant that there was no possibility for any miscalctions. Chapter 586 Chapter 586 Jared looked at Rhein with a faint puzzlement in his eyes. "You seem to have some great animosity against me." Rhein looked at Jared again. Even though this was no longer the first time he saw thetter''s face, it still managed to amaze him.He said indifferently. "Why would I?" Jared yet gave him a thoughtful look as he held the extremely thin dagger in his hand and casually twirled it, looking very threatening. "Is that so?" He stood there indifferently; his aura was enough to cause everyone to suffocate. Seeing that everyone was just standing there unmoving, a look of anger appeared in Rhein''s eyes. "Since you won''t agree, don''t me me then! Men, take Mr.Johnston down first!" Although Sliver gave him a displeased look, he did not say anything. The target of his mission today was just Jared. ¡®Getting him to agree is the ultimate goal" Thinking of this, he gently made a hand signal. Two people beside him got the signal and slowly made their way toward Jared. Carl looked at the two approaching Jared. A slight look of worry appeared in his eyes.He was now wondering if he should reveal himself to help them. After all, Jared was Nicole''s boyfriend. Jared looked at Sliver. Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. An icy chill quickly appeared in his eyes. ¡®This guy, he is after me." Janus became a little more cautious.He was skilled in fighting, but his observation skills were much worse than Dino''s.He now really regretted did not take his martial arts practice seriously and could better protect his boss. Jared did not mind it as he looked at the two walking over. A smile appeared on his face as he casually slipped to the side and perfectly avoided their violent tackle. The two were stunned. That move they used was only a fraction of a second, and no one had been able to dodge it. ''Is it a coincidence?'' They looked at Jared''s back with a faint look of fear in their eyes. This time, they struck without hesitation and were twice as fast as their previous strike. Yet, Jared seemed to have eyes at the back of his head. He simply just turned sideways slightly and dodged their attacks. At this very moment, the two of them knew that their foe was much more skilled than them! At the same time, everyone in the hall saw the scene and tried to save themselves. There were two selfish folks who yelled. "Since he''s your biggest partner, keep him here and let us go!" "Yeah! His life for everyone''s else safety! Isn''t that a good deal?!" Everyone was encouraged by the words, and their gaze toward Jared changed.He knew exactly what they thought as he smiled and slowly said. "You''re so naive.Do you think that he''ll let you walk out alive after killing me?" A number of smarter folks immediately shut up, but there were still a few who had a menacing glint in their eyes. ''If we can use the life of a strongerpetitor to exchange ours, how profitable will it be?¡¯ Looking at their scheming expressions, Jared''s expression remained impassive as he was not surprised by their stubbornness at all. Chapter 587 Chapter 587 Rhein looked gleefully at Jared. The menace in his eyes faded away, looking extremely normal now, with a tinge of faked sorrow. Yet, the smile in his eyes did not fade away. No one could have such a handsome face and not be destroyed. ''If there''s anyone to be med for being so good-looking, it''s Jared himself" Thinking of this, he let out a weirdugh. "Oh, how the mighty falls.Mr.Johnston, people sure do hate you." Sliver looked at Jared, and a cold glint shed across his eyes. "Enough.Stop the nonsense.Deal with the others and get them to sign the agreement.As for Jared Johnston...I''ll deal with him." As Sliver said that, he motioned with a look. A group of ck-d bodyguards immediately appeared from a dark corner and closed in on Jared. Rhein''s two bodyguards immediately fell back. Since they could not get close to Jared anyway, they would be better off retreating. Janus tried to protect his boss. Although he felt things were going to be tough, he had no fear. As if he did not even consider these people his equal. Car! looked at the scene and frowned a little.He was now sure that the Thorne family and the Intercontinental Party must have some secrets. It was possible that the Mecrounian government had promised the Thome family something for Rhein to be so reckless.It must have been a hefty price. Looking at Sliver, Carl narrowed his eyes. ''For them to summon Sliver to deal with him, his existence must''ve threatened someone" Carl could not help but be amazed. ''The man Nicole chose sure isn''t ordinary at all" Just as he was wondering if he should show himself, a rustle came from themunicator as Nicole''s voice suddenly rang out.She looked at the scene that was on disy before her and said calmly. Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. "Stay still.Carl, amplify themunicator''s volume by ten times." Carl was puzzled, but he still did it. Although he had no idea what Nicole was up to, he knew very well that she had cleared all threats her way. A number of peopley all over the ce as blood dripped from the silver shard she held.She then casually shook it before looking coldly at the sniper she had tied up. He was already taken a walloping, but she had not yet killed him. It was for this moment. She then ced themunicator before the sniper, her silver shard pressing close against his throat. "Speak to your boss." The sniper fearfully swallowed his saliva.He shrank his neck, not wanting to speak, but that shard was just too sharp, and just pressing lightly against his skin alone was enough for him to feel that it could pierce his skin. Seeing him demurring, she pressed the shard closer as she said emotionlessly. "Not speaking?" The man immediately perked up as his crying voice rang across the entire Thorne vi. "Rhein, we''ve been surrounded! All four sentry points have been taken out!" ¡®What?! Rhein''s expression changed in an instant; his shocked face turned pale. Everyone held their breaths, but they did not believe the thing said from the weird device was true. After all, they were under threat at gunpoint. Yet, Sliver knew his men would not lie. A look of disbelief appeared in his gray eyes as he looked resentfully at Jared, a tinge of panic that things had gone wrong appearing in his eyes.He immediately wanted to contact the sniper, but he could not make contact at all.His eyes turned icy as he looked at Jared and hissed. The sniper''s voice interrupted him as it continued. "We...we''ve been surrounded! Do not make a move against Jared Johnston, or we are all dead!" Chapter 588 Chapter 588 Upon hearing this, the first person Sliver suspected was Jared! ¡®No wonder this guy was so calm.He came prepared!'' ¡®I''ve grossly underestimated him!¡¯ "Jared Johnston, you!" ? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org. He had deployed so many men, yet Jared was still unscathed. This was an absolute p to his face! Jared stood before him, his aura imposing, like a king standing before the masses. Behind him, Janus stood respectfully. Yet, at this moment, a young man walked out of the darkness and came to their side. When Rhein saw that man, his eyes shrank as he said in disbelief. "Carlisle?" ¡°Why is he here?" Carl looked at the surprised Rhein, and while his face was still hidden in the darkness, the chill on it was palpable. "No need to be surprised, Rhein." He said slowly, his voice low yet attractive, with an inexplicable tinge of bewitching. "We should be settling the score between us sooner orter, right? ¡° ¡®What did he mean?'' Rhein looked at Carlisle''s blue eyes and felt anxious. ¡®Has he found out what we did to the Turmann family?" Rhein''s expression immediately turned grim.He turned to look for Sliver''s help, only to find that the latter was looking thoughtfully at Carlisle. ''If this man is here, then S.." Recalling what the sniper had just said, something shed past Sliver''s eyes. ''If it''s S who had gotten involved, then no one could stop her" ¡®I never thought that Jared could mobilize S!'' ''I''ve really underestimated him!'' Rhein looked at Sliver, hoping thetter would say something. After all, he knew that he was subconsciously weaker when facing Carlisle.Yet, Sliver did not make any move at all. His icy gaze fell upon Jared as if he was thinking of something. Jared ignored him but was instead surprised that Carl was here. However, he could already guess Carl''s identity, so he did not say much. He then said to Rhein and Sliver, "Since you can''t keep me here, I''ll be leaving then." He was not aware of what was going on, but with Carl here, he knew that girl was probably here as well. ''No wonder she said she had to leave a few days ago, it turns out that..." As he thought of this, he could not wait anymore as he turned and left the Thorne family vi. "Are you just going to watch him leave like that?" Rhein got a little panicky. Yet, Sliver dared not make a single move. Because he was afraid of that pair of eyes in the dark. After they left the vi, Carl frowned as he said to Jared. "Go ahead first.I still have things to attend to." Before Jared could even respond, he left in a hurry. Chapter 589 Chapter 589 Jared''s expression turned sullen, but he knew better than to stop Carl, leaving Nicole without any support. Janus looked at Carl''s back and whispered. "Boss, do you need me to investigate who was the one who intervened tonight?" After all, his boss had not arranged for anyone to surround this ce. Jared shook his head as he looked in the opposite direction Carl was walking toward, and a smile appeared. "Call everyone back.There''s no need to keep an eye on this ce any longer.Call back the satellite surveince as well." Janus wanted to say something, yet Jared had already left.He looked at his boss, slowly letting out a smirk, and muttered to himself. ¡®We''ve just survived an ambush, and even if you came prepared, you don''t need to be in such a good mood, Boss" After all, strategizing alone took time. Thinking of this, Janus held his headset and gave some orders before turning around to follow Jared and leave the ce. ? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org. Rhein stood behind Sliver with a livid face.He cautiously observed thetter''s expression and dared not speak casually. ''If we cannot take out that man with such an opportunity, it''ll be much more difficult in the future" ''I wonder who helped Jared.Otherwise, he wouldn''t have escaped!'' Just as Rhein was entertaining that thought, Sliver turned around.He quickly came to the few other vis nearby and looked at his subordinates all on the ground groaning in pain. A few snipers there were tied into a wedged shape, and the snipers aiming at Jared were cleanly dismantled into four pieces. Although it did not stop them from reassembling it, it could at least ensure that they would not have the time to pursue Jared. A look of approval appeared in Sliver''s eyes. ¡®Even after so many years, S'' way of doing things is still so agile and clever.What she did is ever so clean and with ease, yet it also retained her principles and bottom line" If her foe did not hurt her, she would never really hurt them either. Rhein followed behind and was a little angry as he looked at the mess.He then hissed vehemently, "Sir, don''t you worry, I will definitely find out who is the person who had ruined our ns!"He originally thought that Sliver would be satisfied with what he said, yet he did not expect this man, who was a stickler of rules to coldly nce at him and say, "No need." ''WHAT?'' This time, Rhein was stunned. He did not think that Sliver would be so tolerant of the person standing on Jared''s side. Sliver sighed as he slowly closed his eye as he recalled that terrifying scar. When he reopened his eyes, there were no longer any lingering emotions. "I owe her this." Rhein heard the tone in his voice and was surprised. However, looking at Sliver''s icy face, he knew better than to press the question. He then slowly opened his mouth and asked the question that concerned him the most. "I''ve led the Thorne family to betray the Turmann family, and now I''ve crossed the biggest businessman in Mecrounia.Our days will get very difficult, Sir.You''ve seen all that." Sliver turned around and looked at the person that was no different than a gnat and slowly said. "What do you want? Out with it." A look of greed appeared in Rhein''s eyes. The reason he was willing to be a de of the Intercontinental Party was that he had been coveting something for too long, and the bits and pieces he had gotten so far no longer satisfied him. So he grinned softly and said, "I''m not asking for much, Sir." "I need a copy of that Mobile Armor blueprint that the Turmann family has.That''ll be enough." Sliver nced at Rhein with a warning look in his eyes, seemingly displeased with thetter''s insatiable greed. But in the end, he nodded slowly. "As long as you can get your hands on it." Rhein''s eyes immediately lit up as he looked at Sliver and said, "Just wait for it." Chapter 590 Chapter 590 Nicole and Carl returned to the Turmann manor as she parked the Dodge Tomahawk at the back.She then bid Carl goodbye before walking to her room. By the time she returned to her room, the silver-white glint had unsurprisingly disappeared as it must have been stored away by Elijah.She looked away, and when she saw the item on her table, she paused a little. Although theputer was on, its screen was in sleep mode. Yet, the paper in front of theputer caused her eyes to twitch a little. Although the other party had tried to restore it, Nicole had mastered a certain pattern when she put it down, so she could tell at a nce that someone had touched the piece of paper. There was someone who came into her room and saw the chip she had inserted into theputer. Nicole quickly checked through and confirmed that no one had touched herputer. The person seemed to be confident that Nicole would not be able to find anything even with the chip in hand. Therefore, the other party only touched on that simplified blueprint. Thinking of this, Nicole''s eyes twitched a little as she turned on theputer again and casually hacked the surveince camera on the third floor. As she looked at the people that came and went while she was out, she seemed to have locked onto something and immediately sent out a message. Barely two minutester, the other party sent the stuff she wanted over. She looked at the name, but there was no surprise in her eyes. The next morning, Carl knocked on Nicole''s door, and when he saw her opening it, he titled his head a little at let out a rather silly smile. "Dad called us downstairs.He said that he has a guesting." Nicole nodded softly as she put the thing in her hand down and got up to leave with Carl. Along the way, Carl was talking to her, and when they got to the second floor, a burst of chatter rang out behind them as a group of girls from the Turmann branch families walked over together. The leading girl was sweet - looking, not unlike a very delicate doll. Everyone surrounded her and was seemingly saying something to her, yet she looked a little gloomy.It was until when she saw Carlisle did her eyes lit up. Seemingly knowing what she was thinking, the other girls also teased her as they apanied her toward Carl. Vera shyly looked at the man before her as a blush appeared on her face.She looked extremely lovely as she said somewhat bashfully. "Hello, Carlisle." Carl gave her a puzzled look. In fact, he had no recollection of this girl at all, but out of courtesy, he still nodded at her. Immediately after, he looked away and continued to talk to Nicole as if he did not want to give that girl any attention at all. Vera''s looked at this dazzling scene before her as her bashful eyes froze. Only then did she notice Nicole and start to get a measure of thetter.She was not home yesterday, but she had heard the girls telling her that Carlisle had brought a Hustuaburgian girl back. He seemed to take good care of the girl, and even the master of the family treated her very differently, even handing over some authority to her. Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org. All these were previously handled by Aunt Merry. She was originally dismissive of such rumors but by the looks of things, how Carlisle was treating the lady really shocked her! Chapter 591 Chapter 591 After all, although this heir to the Turmann family was handsome, he was exceedingly indifferent to the ladies. He could never remember their names, and only because she was closest to Aunt Merry that she could barely consider herself acquainted with him. When Vera thought of this, she could not maintain her smile any longer. She looked at the two people walking away, and Carlisle turned sideways to speak to that woman, and the smile on his face was extremely gentle! ¡®Carlisle have never treated a woman like this before!'' Vera stared fiercely at Nicole''s back, and many girls too noticed the mood was off as they looked at Vera with some fear.She was the most talented among them, and the one Merry doted on the most.She may look very sweet and naive, but she was very difficult to get along with. It was only with Carlisle that she was gentle and considerate. How could Vera just watch as Carlisle walked away like that? As she looked at his back, her fingers had already balled into a fist, yet her voice was still sweet as ever. "Carlisle, wait a moment.I have something to speak with you!" She lifted her long skirt and trotted over. Looking at the somewhat puzzled Carlisle and the beautiful Nicole behind him, a look of jealously shed across her eyes. ¡®How can a woman have such a vixen-like appearance? She must have seduced Carlisle by some unscrupulous means!'' She did not say anything but instead gave Nicole a hostile look as if trying to silently voice her displeasure. Nicole looked at her unfriendly face and gently raised her eyebrow as she said. "Carl, go ahead and talk.I''ll head down first." Carl tried to stop Nicole as he looked irritably at Vera, who had stopped him but yet did not speak.His voice was somewhat icy. "Well, out with it then." Vera gave Carlisle an incredulous look. She did not expect Carlisle, who had always attached much importance to family affairs, to have such an attitude. Even though she would always resort to this excuse, no matter how busy he was, he would talk to her patiently. ''He would have never been like this, being so indifferent just after a few words!'' ¡®It must be that woman! She purposefully said that to Carlisle to make him impatient with her!'' ¡®Also, what right does she have to call Carlisle, Carl? That''s something only a very close person could call him, and even I dare not call him that!" Thinking of this, Vera''s eyes reddened a little, but looking at Carlisle''s face, she dared not say much else but instead quickly asked. "Carlisle, will you be attending the Mobile Armor Tournament this time?" The Mobile Armor Tournament was a yearlypetition held by the Turmann family to select a prodigy of mechanical engineering. As Carlisle was twenty this year, and as a male of the Turmann family, he could very well be the next master of the house. This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. So, by right, he should be attending this tournament not only to showcase his talents but to also win fame and glory for the family. After all, the Turmann family had been severely hobbled in secret, and many other families were eyeing them as if waiting for the great tree to fall. Carlisle obviously knew this.He looked at the anticipant Vera and nodded as he said. "I will be participating as well." Vera''s eyes visibly lit up as she looked at Carlisle and said excitedly. "Really? I''m eighteen this year, so I can finally join the Mobile Armor Tournament as well.It seems like I can team up with you this time, Carlisle!" Chapter 592 Chapter 592 As she said that, she let out a bashful looking, looking very alluring. Carlisle, however, wore no expression. Seeing that she had no other matter to talk about, he turned to leave with Nicole and then asked Nicole in an intimate matter. "Are you nning to join the Turmann Mobile Armor Tournament?" After saying that, he shook his head. "Nah, forget it.Better not." Nicole nced at him as she turned and headed downstairs, not being bothered to respond. Carl, however, said excitedly as he followed behind her, "Even if you don''t participate, can youe to see my match? I''ve put a lot of effort into this!" Vera chased after the two. When she saw Carlisle being so warm to Nicole, yet she was being so cold to him, asurge of jealousy raged within her, yet she still maintained a gentle facade as she said. "Yes, how about youe and spectate the tournament? You cannot participate in it and experience the sense of achievement of designing and piloting your own Mobile Armor, but for an outsider like you, just witnessing it alone is very beneficial!" In between the lines spoken, she was looking down on Nicole. When Nicole heard this, she gave Vera a nce.Her gaze was faint, yet it was enough to cause the latter to shrink back a little when she looked at her. ''This woman, why does it feel like she can see through me!'' Even so, Vera still had a haughty air about her as she looked at Nicole with faint disdain in her eyes. It was only her that thought that she had hid her disdain well enough that no one could detect it. Carl gave Vera a nce as he frowned a little, seemingly wanting to say something. Yet, Nicole calmly responded. "I will attend the tournament." She also wanted to know if Carl''s family had managed to produce a new generation of talent over the past few years. Carl was immediately drawn by her words.He excitedly pulled Nicole ahead as he kept asking. "Are you really attending, Nicole? That''s the way.You know, I''ve made ample preparations for this. Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org. Although I have no idea if I can win the championship, I should have no problem getting into the top three!"As he said that, he raised his chest proudly. Seeing that he seemed to be satisfied if he could get into the top three, a helpless smile appeared in Nicole''s eyes. Carl was still the same as he was back then. When the two of them were in a team, he always felt that good enough was enough. If it were not for her dragging him to train, he would have just rxed his day away and done nothing. And he was still the same now. When Carl saw her looking at him like that, he seemingly recalled something as his eyes gleamed. He knew how powerful Nicole was, and for him to show off like this before her, wasn''t it a little ridiculous? Just as he wanted to say something, Nicole patted him on the shoulder and said gently. "You are a talented man, Carl.Don''t waste it." As she said that, she walked down and did not see Carl''s rather stunning look.He clenched his fist as he looked at Nicole''s back, his eyes determined. "I will definitely take the championship." Vera chased after the two, and when she saw Carl standing there, she sheepishly walked over as she said gently to Carl. "Carlisle, let''s not talk to that girl anymore.I don''t think she knows anything about Mobile Armors.Being with her just pulls down your status." Chapter 593 Chapter 593 The way she put it was most affectionate.She was the most talented of her generation and by right deserved to stand beside Carlisle. This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. ¡®And what woman is nothing!" ''So what if she got the favor of the master of the house? She cannot help Carlisle in terms of his career or other matters.For him to get her to resolve the crisis the Turmann family is facing, the master must be crazy!'' Thinking of this, Vera raised her head proudly as she waited for Carl''s affirmation. Yet, Carl straight up ignored her as he only gave her a cold, mocking nce before chasing after Nicole and walking out with thetter. Vera could only watch as Carl left just like that.She grasped the arm of one of the girls firmly, causing thetter to scream out in pain. Vera then nced at her and gave an insincere apology. "Sorry." She may be saying that, but as she looked at the two departing figures, a veil of menace appeared over her sweet - looking face. ''This woman.She dares to seduce my Carlisle! I''ll make her pay for that!'' Nicole did not know what Vera was thinking as she slowly made her way downstairs.Many people were already gathered in the hall, each of them sitting upright as if they were waiting for something. Elijah was still squintingzily as usual. Yet, Nicole could sense that he was also a little nervous about what was about to happen. His entire person was unprecedentedly tensed. Seeing this, Nicole frowned a little. ''Who exactly is making Elijah so tensed?" The two walked over to the dining table, and Elijah looked up to see his son and Nicole walking over, a smile appearing on his face. "You''re here." Nicole nodded. She then naturally sat beside Elijah amidst everyone''s gaze, herposure calm as ever. Elijah looked at her and was very satisfied.He secretly gave his useless son a number of winks. Unfortunately, perhaps because he was squinting, or Carl could not be bothered to pay any attention to him, he got no response. Elijah then withdrew his gaze with some disappointment.His son had liked Nicole for a good while now. Yet the boy did not say anything to her and was getting along with Nicole just like a friend. ¡®There was a saying that the early bird gets the worm, yet why didn''t it work with Nicole?! Elijah sighed for a while, and as he thought of the person he was about to face, a grim look appeared in his eyes. To shift his attention away, he turned and started chatting with Nicole, only for Carl to hear him ask, "Nicole, what sort of man do you like? What do you think of Carl?" Carl immediately froze as he did not even have the courage to look at Nicole. His gaze simply wandered between the food on the table.He felt like strangling his father, yet he was anticipating within as well. Elijah''s voice was not soft, and everyone heard his question as they looked over in surprise. ''What does the master mean? Does he mean to make this girl the future matriarch of the Turmann family?" ¡®Carl was very likely the next head of the Turmann family.With Elijah''s attitude, is he giving up the various aristocraticdies waiting for Carlisle''s hand in Mecrounia and letting him marry this nobody of a Hustuaburgian woman?" Chapter 594 Chapter 594 Everyone''s faces changed when they thought of it. Merry looked at her eldest brother in surprise. However, the shock on her face quickly disappeared.She was soon gloating. ¡®Without the help of a powerful wife, Carlisle would not be able to hold his position even if he became the head of the family" There was a glimmer of light in her eyes as she and Simon looked at each other. Eber frowned and looked at his eldest brother in disapproval.He had a lot of respect for Nicole after she disyed her abilities yesterday, but she was still not qualified to be a wife in the Turmann family. Vera, who was next to Merry, took a deep breath when she heard Elijah''s words.Her eyes filled with undisguised hatred.She tried to control her emotions, but she failed. Before Nicole could speak, Vera stood up, looked at Elijah in disbelief, and said, "My leader, you''ve said that you wouldn''t interfere with Carlisle''s choice!" Elijah frowned when he heard what Vera had said.He then nced at the charming girl and turned to Merry, "Merry, control your people." Merry was taken aback by Vera''s actions.She quickly held her down and said, "I''m sorry, brother, I will discipline her." Merry scowled at Vera, and Vera realized what she had done¡ªshe had provoked the leader in public.Her face turned pale. "I''m sorry, my leader, for I have overstepped," she said with her right hand on her chest and bowed. Elijah did not care about Vera.She did not know that he knew his son well. ¡®He''ll never have a wife if I let him try to win over Nicole by himself" he thought. Elijah then turned around to Nicole, waiting for her answer. People from Mecrounia have always been open and unrestrained, especially when it came to asking questions regarding one''s rtionships. Usually, girls would have blushed at the thought of answering those questions, but Nicole did not. Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. Instead, she looked at Elijah with a straight face and said, ''''The person that I like¡ª" At this moment, a few servants rushed into the room and said something to Elijah.His eyes became sharp.He did not have time to wait for Nicole to finish her words.He then stood up and looked at everyone. "The other party has arrived.Come with me to greet them," he said. After that, he turned to Nicole and shot her an apologetic look. Nicole shook her head lightly to indicate that it was fine. ¡®I wasn''t interested in the topic anyways" she thought. Though, there was a hint of disappointment in Carl''s eyes. He was not happy that Nicole''s opinion of him was interrupted.He red at his father, but he knew very well how important the guests who had just arrived were.He also knew what his father did was right, so he stood up and followed Elijah out. Nicole watched them walk away. Then, as if she had thought of something, she got up and followed them. Chapter 595 Chapter 595 Merry was in disdain when she saw Nicole from the corner of her eyes. "Who is this who thinks she''s worthy of walking along my side?" she said. Vera noticed that it was Nicole.She smiled sweetly at Merry and said, "Don''t be mad, Aunt Merry.Maybe this girl has yet to experience the world, so she wants to go have a look with you." Upon hearing that, Merry had a proud look on her face.She snorted as if she agreed with Vera''s staternent.She then walked out of the room without acknowledging Nicole. ? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org. Vera followed closely behind Merry and stood there obediently. The two were about the same age and looked like sisters. However, Nicole did not pay much attention to those two. Instead, she slowly walked behind them. Not long after, even the coteral descendants of the Turmann family surpassed her and gave her a scornful look along the way. In their opinion, this woman wanted to get in on the throne.She was favored by the head of the house and the young master. The Turmann family had always admired those who disyed ability and strength. To them, Merry and Vera were goddesses. Nicole had nothing but beauty.So, they did not have respect for her. But Nicole did not care about their opinions of her. Her eyes narrowed when she looked at the car parked in front of the Turmann Manor. ¡®That car logo...Why does it look so familiar?'' she thought. Elijah, who was leading the group, looked at the car with a hint of fear and seriousness. Carl also had a solemn expression when he saw the car. Eber and Simon were nervous, while Merry fiddled with her watch as if it was a waste of time. However, she did not dare show it. Everyone in Mecrounia had heard of the JJ Johnston Group. The head of the group was said to havee from a great background.No one knew his origins, and no one took him seriously. But when the JJ Johnston Group was founded, the old family of Mecrounia found that they could not resist the unfathomable young man. He quickly gathered resources from almost the whole country per the constitution of Mecrounia and actively promoted the country''s economy. With such a vast empire, everyone was scared. People were also jealous of what he had¡ªfor example, the Intercontinental Party. Elijah had received news that the government had a fallout with the JJ Johnston Group. The Intercontinental Party then sent out to deal with the head of the JJ Johnston Group. But the young man left calmly and unscathed. Elijah was a little surprised and uneasy at the same time when the influential figure suddenly showed interest in his family. The two forces had an ordinary partnership at best. The other party has never shown interest in friendship. Hence, Elijah did not try to initiate it either. ¡®But they sent us the evidence the Thorne family has against us" This made Elijah doubt their intentions. After all, he was the head of the family. It was customary for him to overthink. This was also why Merry did not dare pull a long face in front of the leader of the JJ Johnston Group despite her prideful manner.She did not dare to go against someone with such great power. Chapter 596 Chapter 596 Merry stared at the car window, her eyes filled with nervousness and curiosity. The founder of JJ Johnston Group was well-known in Mecrounia.He was a low-key and mysterious person, but few had met him. No one in the Turmann family had met him except Merry''ste father. Vera noticed the look in Merry''s eyes and whispered, "Everyone has heard of him, but no one has met him before.Do you think he''s ugly?" Just as Vera finished talking, the side door opened slowly, and Janus walked out.He ignored the people in front of him and respectfully walked to the other side of the car.He pulled the door handle open and stood aside with his head down while he waited for the person to step out. Merry stared straight at the car in front of her without a word.She watched a pair of long slender legs step out of the car, and her eyes slowly moved upward. The face she saw was a face that she would repeatedly describe for decades toe. When the pair of striking eyes looked at her, she felt like she was floating on air. Merry stared nkly at the man in front of her as her heart was pounding.Elijah also looked at him in surprise. ''I knew he was young, but I didn''t know that he was that young!'' he thought. Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. After a wave of emotions, Elijah calmed down and said with a smile, "You''re the founder of JJ Johnston Group?" Jared looked at the middle-aged man in front of him, who had dark green eyes.He nodded lightly.His lips curled slightly when he saw Carl, who was agape. "So we meet again," he said. Carl could not believe his eyes. ¡®This guy is the founder of JJ Johnston Group? The guy that dad told me not to provoke?" Carl took a deep breath as he thought of the time when he had made a move on Jared.He tried to force a smile, but he could not. Hence, he spoke in a stiff tone: "What are you doing here?" Elijah gave Carl a dissatisfied look when he heard his tone of voice. "Do you two know each other?" he asked. Jared looked at Carl with a half-smile and said, "Friendship grows in exchange for blows." Elijah looked at Jared and then turned to Carl upon hearing this. '' What on earth is the meaning of this?'' he thought. Janus, who was behind Jared, recognized that Carl was the one who helped themst night.He looked at Carl calmly and thought, ''So Jared actually knows the Turmann family.No wonder he sent them the information to help them" Elijah also sensed that the other party did not seem to be hostile to his family. "By the looks of this young man, if Carl really offended them, he wouldn''t be standing here" "I guess this is fate, right? Let''s go in and have a drink," Elijah said with augh. Carl frowned, but he did not say anything.Eber was concerned but would not refute his elder brother''s decision. On the other hand, a ray of light shed in Simon''s eyes. Chapter 597 Chapter 597 ¡®''The founder of JJ Johnston Group.." There was a hint of viciousness on Simon''s face when he thought of this, but it was fleeting. Just as he wanted to say hello to the young man, he heard a strange voice behind him. Merry gently held onto her chest as she recovered from having a rapid heartbeat.She quickly showed her enthusiasm after her brother''s invitation, fearing the other party would reject it. "Yes,e in,e in.We''re friendly people.Don''t worry." Eber and Simon had never seen Merry so excited before. ''She had always been cold and arrogant.She''s rude to everyone, but now she''s showing interest to a stranger?! Both of them thought and nced at Merry with a strange look. But Merry did not care what they were thinking.Her eyes were fixed on Jared. Jared turned a blind eye to her warm wee. His eyes slowly moved back as if he was subconsciously looking for something. Janus noticed that his master was slow to respond. However, he did not know what Jared was thinking.So he quietly guarded by his side. Inversely, Carl knew precisely what the man was thinking about and felt an inexplicable difort in his heart. Merry walked to Jared''s side regardless of Vera''s blockage. "Hi, my name is Merry Turmann.Would you like me to make you a cup of coffee?" she asked with a confident smile. At the same time, she was admiring the handsome face in front of her. ¡®I''ve never seen such a perfect human being.The closer I get to him, the more wless he bes" she thought with desire in her eyes. This was the first time she had ever had a crush on someone. ''I must have him" Many coteral descendants were jealous of Jared. Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org. ¡®Merry is an ice queen.But now she''s warming up to this guy?" they thought. However, Jared still did not respond to Merry''s pursuit.He did not even spare her a nce. Instead, he pursed his lips with indifference stered all over his face. No one had ignored Merry like this before.She was standing right before him, but he was not looking at her.She saw his eyes darken, but she held on to her smile. As she was about to speak, she noticed his eyes lit up.She turned her head and saw Nicole strolling toward them with a hand over her head.Her skin was as white as snow, and her beauty was immacte. Everyone saw how Jared''s lips curled upward. There seemed to be hearts in his eyes. Jared watched as Nicole squinted her eyes and looked in his direction. "Let''s go," he said. Chapter 598 Chapter 598 A thoughtful expression appeared on Elijah¡¯s face as he noticed Jared''s smile. Nicole looked over toward them and saw Jared. Though, she was not surprised.She walked over to him casually, stood beside him, and said calmly, "You''rete." The smile in Jared''s eyes deepened.He watched as Nicole took his hand and pulled him toward Elijah. "Here is the answer to your question," she said. Her voice was low, but there was a hint of certainty. Nicole nced at Jared and said, "This is the man 1 like." At that moment, a set ofplex emotions appeared behind Elijah''s eyes.He subconsciously looked at Carl and saw the sadness in his eyes.He then turned to Nicole and sighed. ¡®She''s a clever girl" he thought. Elijah did not want to humiliate himself, so he smiled and nodded. "You have good taste," he said to Nicole. As if nothing had happened, the group invited Jared in. Though, everyone looked at Nicole in shock. "No wonder the leader valued her so much.She has a connection with the founder of the JJ Johnston Group!''¡¯ Vera noticed that Merry was standing still, looking at the backs of Nicole and Jared walking together. Her stare was like a sharp sword that pierced through Nicole''s back. A sinister look appeared in Merry''s emerald eyes. The scene of Jared and Nicole being together broke her heart. ¡®How could this be? How could this be?!'' Vera nced at Carl, who looked a little lost. She stepped forward tofort him, but he walked past her without any facial expression. "Aunt Merry, did you see that?" Vera whispered. Merry did not answer.Instead, she lowered her gaze and walked into the manor as if nothing had happened. Initially, many coteral descendants wanted to initiate a conversation, but they noticed Merry''s cold aura and decided to stay silent.However, Vera, who was closest to her, heard her say, "I''ll make her pay." Jared sat across from Elijah in the manor while Nicole sat beside him.She looked at Elijah, who had a solemn expression, and asked calmly, "This is the distinguished guest you were talking about?" Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. Elijah nodded. At the same time, Carl, who sat beside him, lowered his head, which made people wonder what was going on in his mind. Jared looked at Nicole and put her hands over her shoulders while he yed with her hair. A smile appeared in his eyes as he felt the smooth and silky hair in between his fingers. Janus, who stood at the side, was stunned when he looked at the scene in front of him. ''I''ve never seen him so rxed...So...Happy" he thought. His master had always been elegant and unpredictable. Jared had never been sofortable in front of people. ¡®Who in the world is this girl?!'' Chapter 599 Chapter 599 At this thought, Janus lowered his head and did not dare to continue looking. Meanwhile, the Turmann family sat across the two and gaped at the two. For some reason, they felt like they were intruding. "Why are they acting like we''re not here?'' they wondered. Nicole nced at Jared. "Did you already know about the Thorne family and the Intercontinental Party joining forces to bring down the Turmann family?" she asked resignedly. Many from the Turmann family were stunned to hear Nicole''s words.They widened their eyes and stared at her incredulously. ¡®How could the Thorne family and the government possibly bring harm to us? What is Nicole talking about?!'' they wondered. Simon''s eyes shed with slight panic; he seemed like he did not expect Nicole to say such a thing. While Elijah did not doubt Nicole''s words, Eber asked hesitantly, "How''s that possible? The Intercontinental Party is also a victim in this incident..." This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. Eber''s pupils constricted in shock as he spoke. ''We''re getting med for being unable to provide the Intercontinental Party equipment.They think we''re providing weapons to the enemies, so they''re attempting to use us of treason.They refuse to back down no matter what we say, which is precisely why we''re scrambling to find a way to replicate the Mobile Armor.Nicole warned me not to tell anyone beforehand about her finding the Thorne family, so why is she suddenly saying such a thing now? ¡® Eber wondered. Merry also looked at Nicole.She sneered and said in evident disdain, "You''re full of nonsense and making things up.What proof do you have?" Nicole ignored her and turned to Simon with an icy look. "The Intercontinental Party never suffered from any real damage, and that''s because they never even released the Mobile Armors during the war.Instead, they traveled south and bombed a developing chrome ore while they were at it!" ¡®The Intercontinental Party is in cahoots with the Thorne family.This way, not only would Simon get rid of the Turmann family for refusing to hand over their family''s Mobile Armor blueprint, but he''d also get a hold of the JJ Johnston Group resources he desperately wanted.He''s killing two birds with one stone!'' she thought. Jared stared at Nicole.He did not look confused as to how she knew about the incident.He merely smiled and said cooperatively, "That''s right, that''s why I''m here.The next batch of goods will be dyed." ¡®Jared isn''t the type who would joke about hispany''s reputation.Since he''s indirectly acknowledged the bombing of chrome ore, then what Nicole has said is very likely true!'' At this thought, an icy look appeared on Elijah''s usually calm demeanor. ¡®If it weren''t for Nicole''s return, the sanctimonious Intercontinental Party would''ve fooled me and falsely used me!'' he thought. Meanwhile, Merry''s expression changed slightly.She stared at Jared, who was standing beside Nicole. He was unbelievably focused on her; his gaze never left her ever since she appeared. ¡®Did Nicole cast a spell on Jared to make him fall so madly in love with her?!¡± she thought. Merry clenched her first at the thought of how Nicole effortlessly resolved the things she said. At this point, she was no longer thinking about her family''s survival but about how to deal with Nicole. Nicole gazed at Elijah and said calmly, "I saw yesterday.The Intercontinental Party must''ve sent him to handle the matter, so we need to prepare ourselves beforehand." Elijah nodded; he fully trusted Nicole. "In your opinion, what should we do?" he asked without missing a beat. Carl lifted his head and met both Nicole and Jared''s gaze. "Work with me." "Work with him." Chapter 600 Chapter 600 Eber widened his mouth in disbelief after hearing their suggestion.Then, he nced at Elijah doubtfully. ¡®The JJ Johnston Group should be able to ovee this challenge, so why do they want to coborate with us? What''s in it for them? Nobody would do something that doesn''t bring them benefit" Eber thought as he stared at Nicole. Meanwhile, Elijah stared at Nicole.He understood why the JJ Johnston Group was helping him; he was silent for a few moments before nodding in agreement. "Sure, let''s do it.What do we need to do?" Nicole turned to Jared; she seemed to be silently questioning him as well.However, Jared looked back at her and chuckled. "Will you be leaving this ce?" he asked. Nicole immediately shook her head without hesitation. Jared was not surprised at Nicole''s response.He turned to Elijah with a smile before knocking on the table gently; it sounded unusually loud and clear. "I''ll think of a way to gather the needed materials within a week.There are only two things that you need to do: number one, do your best and upgrade the Mobile Armor.Use the least amount of time to develop a Mobile Armor that can be used on the battlefield, has double thebat power, and can be mass produced.Number two." He turned to look at Nicole with a gleam in his eyes. "I want to stay in the room next to hers." Everyone stared at them speechlessly. The first request sounded incredibly difficult. However, it seemed somewhat normal after they had heard Jared''s second request. ¡®Mobile Armors with double thebat power that can also be mass produced? Dream on.If sess could be achieved so easily, we wouldn''t be stagnant for this many years" they thought. Among all of the people present, only Merry had what it took to possibly fulfill Jared''s request. However, Merry frowned slightly. ¡®Optimizing the Mobile Armor isn''t an issue.The real issue is: how will I get my brothers to collect all of the blueprints? And how will I upgrade the basic data?¡¯ she wondered. Regardless, she did not want to be looked down on by Jared. Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org. Merry gritted her teeth and turned to the crowd. Everyone was looking at her with anticipation. "I''ll do my best," she said slowly. Merry subconsciously knew that Elijah would let her take on the responsibility, so she answered to get him to agree to the coboration. Meanwhile, Elijah did not question them at all. While Jared''s first request was a little challenging for them, he sighed in relief once he saw Nicole''s calm expression. ¡®I don''t have to worry much when Nicole''s here.The second request is simple.There''s an empty room next to Nicole''s; we''ll have to tidy up the room and let him move in.But Carlisle...I can''t force Nicole if she isn''t interested in him" At this thought, he looked at Jared and said without hesitation, "No problem." Eber and Simon looked at their brother in shock. ¡®Elijah and Merry have the guts to take on such an unattainable task! Is this a joke?'' they wondered. Chapter 601 Chapter 601 Soon after, Simon revealed a look of ridicule while Eber looked genuinely anxious. Nicole sat across them and watched their expressions. Then, she smiled icily. Just as Eber was about to speak, Elijah met his gaze.He gently shook his head as a sign for Eber to not worry. Eber froze before forcefully suppressing his anxiousness. Meanwhile, Simon pretended to look nervous. However, he did not have intentions of saying a thing. Seeing that neither of them had any intentions of objecting to his requests, Jared chuckled before taking the item from Janus''s hands.It was a paper document. Then, both parties signed the agreement simultaneously. Janus stared at the second use that stated that Jared would stay next to Nicole''s room; he felt like he was about to go blind. Regardless, he handed the agreement to Elijah with a straight face. Jared propped his elbows up as he watched him sign the papers. Then, he got up and followed Nicole upstairs.Jared barely sleptst night, so Nicole dragged him by the arm upstairs. Janus only managed to catch a glimpse of Jared''s wide smile before the couple disappeared by the staircase. Janus smiled slightly. Then, he turned to Elijah and said coolly, "Send someone to clean up the room.Also, please get someone to show me the Mobile Armor.I need to make a detailed report of the data." Elijah nodded and shot Carl a look. When he saw Carl staring at the staircase in a daze, he coughed lightly. "Carl, lead our guest to the Mobile Armor cabin." Only then did Carl regain hisposure.He looked at Janus with a nk expression. "After you." Elijah watched as the two departed. However, he did not let those present leave.He scanned the crowd and said calmly, "Everyone heard what the man said just now?" Everyone in the Turmann family¡ªincluding the distant rtives¡ª nodded gently. Elijah gently rubbed the corner of his forehead. Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. Even though his voice was not loud, it was inexplicably authoritative. "I want all of you to work hard toward that goal for thetest Mobile Armorpetition.I will consider changing the heir if any of you can meet the requirements.Other than that, I will also consider taking coteral descendants into the main family." Everyone was stunned to hear his words. ¡®What does he mean?¡¯ they wondered. Elijah watched as the crowd before him revealed looks of greed and desire. Simon, in particr, had a look of immense greed; he looked as if he wanted to swallow Elijah whole. Elijah smiled meaningfully and continued speaking. "Everyone will bepeting fairly, so no cheating is allowed." ¡®They won''t strive to move forward if I don''t give them a push" Elijah thought. He slowly got up and went upstairs with a fierce look. ¡®It''s time to get rid of the bad apples in the family, '' Elijah thought again. Meanwhile, Nicole had brought Jared to her room because his room was not ready.She shut the door on her way in and said casually, "Stay here and rest." Jared watched Nicole turn around to leave.Then, he raised an eyebrow and asked yfully, "Aren''t you going to give me an exnation?" ¡®Why did shee here? And why is she a respectable guest of the Turmann family?" Jared thought. ¡®Grandfather said that Nicole and Sebastian know each other" Jared thought again with narrowed eyes.He looked at her tenderly yet threateningly. Nicole looked at him and sighed. "Back then, I got hurt and stayed over at Carl''s house for a while.I found this ce interesting at the time, so I drew them a few blueprints." Chapter 602 Chapter 602 She did not expect them to actually create what she drew on the blueprints with the best materials. They told her that it was a return gift for her generosity. Nicole was fond of the initial head of the family, Carl''s grandfather. ''The Turmann family had suffered many disasters due to the jealousy of others.Carl and I were always the ones solving these issues, so I got used to it eventually.I suppose I''m an old friend of the Turmann family" At this thought, Nicole lifted her head to meet Jared''s gaze. Then, she raised her eyebrows slightly.She had given him an exnation. Jared stared at Nicole before smiling slowly. Then, he turned around and pushed her onto a chair before opening the door to leave. "Where are you going?" Nicole asked with slight confusion. ¡®He''s not familiar with this ce, so can he do?'' she wondered. Jared turned around to look at Nicole.His eyes were beautiful; they looked like there were stars within.He blinked and said with a smile, "It''s a secret." Right after, Jared pulled the door open and walked out. A smile appeared in Nicole''s eyes as she watched his retreating figure. Then, she turned to herputer and the sketches beside her. A look slowly settled in her eyes.She tied up her hair and proceeded to work on the drawings. Nowadays, most people useputers topose drawings. While they may be faster and more convenient, Nicole enjoyed the feeling of the pencil tip creating friction against the paper. This feeling fueled her inspiration. Nicole gradually got in the zone. Meanwhile, Jared stood behind her and watched her focused expression. Then, he set down the object in his hand. Nicole lifted her head at the sudden movement. To her surprise, a cup of her favorite iced americano was set in front of her. ''The actual social customs of Mecrounia is probably drinking americanos" Nicole thought. Nicole picked up the coffee and gently took a sip before narrowing her eyes in enjoyment. ¡®His coffee is so good" she thought again. Then, she looked at Jared in confusion. ''Where did he get this?¡¯ she wondered. Jared stared at Nicole''s expression before gently pressing his hand to her head. "I''ve prepared plenty of it at my manor in Mecrounia.However, you said that you wouldn''t be leaving this ce," he said ina wronged tone. Nicole stared back at him; she could not help butugh. This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. Then, she pecked the corner of his lips and said coolly, "Thank you, I like it very much." Jared gazed at her beautiful eyes with a slightly restrained expression.He had some kind of emotion raging in his eyes. Finally, Jared slowly lifted his hand and caressed where she had kissed him.Then, he spoke in a slightly hoarse voice. Chapter 603 Chapter 603 ''I simply wanted to reward her for being honest, yet she''s always making my heart race,'' Jared thought. "I like your gift too." Meanwhile, Car] led Janus out of the manor. Janus trailed behind him with slight confusion. ¡®Aren''t we going to see the Mobile Armor? Are they not in the Turmann family''s house?'' he wondered. Carl seemed to have noticed his confusion. "The Mobile Armor''s cabin is within the manor, but it''s entrance isn''t here," he said casually. He stood before the manor''s main entrance and pulled on his watch. Soon after, Janus saw a magnificent mechanical door appear behind the main entrance. The door was made of some kind of metal; its surface was cold, shiny, and abnormally sturdy. Carl walked toward the mechanical door expressionlessly. The door seemed to have sensed his presence and started flickering. "Pupil recognition,plete.Please state the password," a cold robotic voice sounded. Carl stated his name and birthday without missing a beat. The door made soft sounds of gears moving before speaking sweetly in a robotic voice. "Wee, Mr.Turmann" Janus watched as the door opened. Suddenly, something spread out from within the door and covered the ground in metal. This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. Within moments, they were in a mechanical-looking world where the sky could not be seen. Everything seemed dualistic. The steady mechanical sounds sounded like the rhythm of a beating human heart. Janus stared at the thing that unfurled in front of him; it looked like a space cabin.He thought of the Mobile Armor cabin that Elijah mentioned previously and made a guess. Janus trailed after Carl as he walked forward steadily. Then, Carl pushed the door on a Mobile Armor near him. Suddenly, the Mobile Armor turned on.It stood upright and opened its sides. Something slowly appeared in the white fog. Even though Janus was formidably well informed, he still could not help but widen his eyes in shock. Seeing a silver Mobile Armor that was three persons tall was simply shocking to him. Contrary to popr belief, the Mobile Armor was not just a single unit but made up of several parts. Firstly, there was the Mobile Armor''s lower body. Next, there was themand room, which was also its heart. This is followed by its head, which also acts as a sensor. Finally, there were its four limbs that allowed the Mobile Armor to attack and defend. Even the Mobile Armor that Turmann family made, which Eber sent to Nicole, was merely amand room. Janus stared at the Mobile Armor with slight amazement.He did not know who created something so beautiful yet so powerful. This Mobile Armor had yet to be fully awakened, so its eyes remained tightly shut. Regardless, it was still considered to be threatening to humans. Carl looked at the Mobile Armor before him and said, "There are only threeplete Mobile Armors in the Turmann family, and this is one of them.My great grandfather named it "Champion" because it won all three of the battles that it went for." He caressed the Mobile Armor and chuckled. "This used to be my father''s Mobile Armor, but he''s passed it to me now." After that, Carl gently ced his forehead on Champion''s chest. "Champion, '' he muttered. Janis watched as the Mobile Armor came to life almost instantly. The energy supply linked to its back was automatically cut off. The Mobile Armor squatted dawn with outstretched arms. Then, it opened its chest cavity before scooping Carl in with the palm of its hands. Themand room closed as Champion''s eyes flickered in red. When it stood up, a bright light traveled across its metallic body; it looked as if it kad been baptized by a mysterious energy. Finally, Champion opened its eyes. Right after, Carl heard a deep and firm voice say, "Champion." Janus could tell that it was Carl. While the Mobile Armor had distorted Carl''s voice, it made him sound more solemn. Chapter 604 Chapter 604 "My father got this on my 18th birthday.Champions are different from the first- generation Mobile Armor.They''re the truebat Mobile Armors.They were with the Turmann family for countless years.Those Mobile Armors created after Champions were just some soulless broken pieces.They were tall.But they can only be controlled remotely.Humans can''t enter those Mobile Armors.Thus, synesthesia systems don''t exist for those Mobile Armors.They''re just a bunch of meaningless machines." Carl sighed as he said that. "There are always people that give up Mobile Armor''s essences for self-interest.My grandfather divided the blueprint into four pieces.He did that because he did not want us to continue to manufacture those meaningless Mobile Armors.He hoped that we could truly understand what Mobile Armor means to a person.And then create these life-forms that are more practical than humans.After all, human life is only decades-long.But machines are immortal." It seemed like Carl was thinking about the time when he was conducting research with Nicole, his father, and his grandfather on the first-generation Mobile Armor. ¡®At that time, the Turmann family was mainly focusing on heavy weapons.Nicole said that she wanted to create a new type of weapon.A weapon with limitless power that could top every other weapon at that time.My grandfather agreed to do it almost instantly.''No one expected that the Turmann family has come all the way to this point with these three Mobile Armors.We''re even leading this industry for many years in Mecrounia.We might still be living our old life if not because of that incident. ¡®Nicole left us afterward.After all, she was just staying with us temporarily.My grandfather has passed away too" Carl felt sad faintly as he thought about that. ¡®Simon and Merry thought that the production of the first- generation Mobile Armor was difficult and time-consuming.They wanted a simpler Mobile Armor that could be created in a shorter time frame.Hence, the second-generation Mobile Armor was created. They were useless on the battlefield. ''The body and the length of those Mobile Armors were simplified. Humans couldn''t operate them hands-on, creating a remote sensing battle. They looked so short among other Mobile Armors. They''re just a bunch of damaged products. ¡®It wouldn''t be a pity even if they were destroyed" His eyes glittered slightly as he thought about that. "I''ll activate every ability of Champion.You monitor the data in real-time," he said to Janus. Janus nodded.He stepped aside and took out his thin tablet.He then started to record the data slowly. Little did they know, Simon was wandering in his room anxiously while they were doing that.He finally could not hold back and made a phone call.He was nervously waiting for the person to answer the call. The phone rang for less than 2 seconds.A restless voice could be heard from the other end of the phone call. "When exactly can you bring me theplete blueprint?!" Simon heard Rhein''s cranky voice. ''I''m always the one who calls him when necessary.I''m used to hisint" This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. "I''m working on it.And I think I saw theplete blueprint from a girl''s hand.Most probably, my brother gave it to her.He''s my father''s favorite.So, it''s no surprise that my father gave him aplete blueprint additionally...But unexpectedly, the blueprint looked like it was hand-drawn.It was shabby.I was not sure if it was real." Rhein remained silent.It seemed like he was giving it a thought too.He replied slowly after a while, "Get me a copy of it.Let me study it carefully." Simon did not reply instantly.He kept quiet for a few seconds. A hint of deviousness shed past his eyes. "But first, I need to know what''s going on with you.I heard that you''re working with the Federal Intelligence Agency to mess with me.Is it true?" Rheinughed loudly and sarcastically as he heard that.He sounded extremely rampant. Chapter 605 Chapter 605 "You''re a fool, Simon." "No wonder you''re not your father''s favorite.I wouldn''t want you to lead the family too if I were your father." Rhein said with a voice full of sarcasm. At this point, he said coldly, "I''m the only one who can help you to be the master of your family.After I get the blueprint, I''ll produce a new generation of Mobile Armors and pass them to you.Believe it or not, that''s my n." He ended the call right after that.He did not give Simon a chance to respond. Rhein frowned as he saw what Simon did.He showed him the finger on lips gesture.He counted quietly.His screen lit up as he counted to five.He grinned as he looked at his screen. Simon called him again. "I can give it to you," Simon said with hesitation. He then looked at the print in front of him.It was the copy of the paper from Nicole''s room.He said slowly, "But I need your word.I need to meet up with you once more." Rhein''s voice became slow and heavy as he heard what he wanted to hear. "Sure.Let me know the time and location," he said patiently. Simon ended the call without replying to him. A hint of coldness shed past his eyes. ''I''m not an idiot.The blueprint in my hand now is my greatest asset.I''ll take advantage of it to get what I want" He turned around and walked out as he thought about that. At this same moment, Merry was staring at the iplete blueprint in her hand.She was the youngest prodigy in the Turmann family. Naturally, She was involved in the production of the first - generation Mobile Armor. But ever since she had told my father about her desire to simplify the mass production of Mobile Armor, he no longer allowed her to participate in the production. ? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org. But she knew a little better than the others, just like she knew the reason why Dodge Tomahawk was so strong. This was because it was hidden in the first-generation Mobile Armor. ¡®Everyone else thought that it was merely a motorbike.A by- product that was created by the Turmann family when they were making the Mobile Armor.But only I knew this wasn''t the case. ¡®There''s only one Dodge Tomahawk in the world.I wasn''t lucky enough to be involved in its invention.But I created the next one. ¡®Although it was a replica of Dodge Tomahawk, it was good enough to be incorporated into the first- generation Mobile Armor.It became a strong existence,'' thought Merry while clenching her fist. Jared''s request inspired Merry to bepetitive.She was ready to recall the trivia of the production she was involved in. Merry tried to figure out the missing pieces from the edge of the upleted blueprint. But she failed at the core of the form just like every other time. The hardest part of making the Mobile Armor was the design and the operation of its control room. Not only did she not know anything about the control room''s core program, but she was not even sure what the size of the control room should be. That was the reason why she abandoned the core cabin when she created the second-generation Mobile Armor.She did not understand how to operate it at all. Chapter 606 Chapter 606 But Merry never admitted her weakness in that area.She could not figure out the pattern of the Mobile Armor''s internal parts. Despite that, she still wanted to prove that her designs now were better thanst time, better than the first-generation Mobile Armor.But reality pped her face hard. The capability of the second- generation Mobile Armor was less than half of the first - generation.It was like the Mobile Armor was halved. Merry''s heart stung whenever she thought about that. ''So frustrating! Jared''s words today motivated me to restore this blueprint.It''d be best if I had the blueprint of Dodge Tomahawk... ¡®It''s not that I don''t want to carry out my own machine development and its design.But my years of experience tell me clearly that I can''t do it.It''s not that I don''t want to do it.It''s that I can''t do it" Merry held the iplete blueprint in her hand tightly.Her eyes were red. ''I''ll be the winner of thispetition! Jared will be mine too! I''ll do whatever it takes!'' Someone knocked on her door just when she thought about that. She quickly put away the iplete blueprint.She coldly shouted e in" after that. The door was opened right away.Vera''s eyes were filled with nervousness as she looked at Merry timidly. "Aunt Merry, the Mobile Armor model for thepetition is ready.Do you want to have a look at it? Maybe you can give me some feedback as well?" A hint of impatience shed past Merry''s eyes.But she quickly realized that Vera was one of hers in the eyes of everyone. ''If the result is bad, I''d look bad too"She nodded her head and agreed to her request. Vera''s eyes were filled with joy.She quickly passed herptop to Merry.She looked at Merry''s expression nervously as she stood aside. ''Aunt Merry''s usually very picky.I''m not sure how badly she''d criticize this work of mine" Surprisingly, Merry did not criticize Vera like usual when she looked at her work.She praised her instead. Vera was very surprised.She thanked Merry repeatedly. However, Merry did not let up on her design.She stared at Vera as she said with ambiguity, "The design is good.But it''s not practical.Although I think this blueprint is not bad, I don''t rmend you to use it for thepetition." Vera stared wide-eyed at Merry.It seemed like she could not ept what Merry said. ? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org. "Why? You said this work isn''t bad, right?" Merry forced a gentle smile as she looked at Vera. "Vera, I got you out from the coteral family.If you don''t do well in thispetition, you will need to go back to them.Do you want this to happen?" she said with coercion. Vera''s shoulders trembled as she heard that.She looked extremely helpless. "Okay, Aunt Merry.I''ll listen to you." Merry patted Vera''s head satisfyingly as she stared at her. "Good.It''s for your own good.It''s difficult for you to control this type of Mobile Armor with your current skill.After a few more years, when the time''s right, it''s still not toote for you topete with this blueprint." Vera nodded her head sensibly. Merry scrunched up the blueprint and threw it into the bin. Tears shed past Vera''s eyes as she saw her hard work being crumpled up and thrown away. But she quickly held back her tears. She nodded her head as she said, "Okay, I''ll listen to you." Merry smiled gently at Vera as she said coldly, ''''Get going.You don''t have much time left.Prepare a new blueprint quickly." Vera agreed.She turned around and left the room. The smile on her face was gone after the door was closed.Her face was filled with coldness.She nced at the door ruthlessly and left with red eyes. Merry took out the blueprint after she made sure that Vera had left.She stared at the blueprint for a long time. Atst, she looked ina certain direction slowly. It seemed like she was determined to do something. Chapter 607 Chapter 607 In the room-- Nicole stared at Jared as he fell asleep. After that, she walked slowly toward the next door.Her steps were light.It seemed like she was afraid that she would disturb the man on the bed. Nicole noticed Elijah came to her room just when she reached the front door. Nicole raised her hand and did the finger on lips gesture. They walked some distance away from the room. "So how, Nicole? Are you confident?" Elijah asked slowly. Nicole nodded her head gently.She told Elijah her idea casually. A hint of surprise shed upon their eyes.But surprise turned into agreement and admiration rather quickly. "As expected from you.Only you dare to attempt this kind of idea." At this point, his tone changed.He said gravely, "Nicole, I hope you can go and watch the Mobile Armor competition.You don''t need to participate in thepetition.But you must give us some advice." Indisputably, the Turmann family was not as creative as before. Nicole nodded her head.She was nning to watch thepetition anyway. A cold smile shed upon Elijah''s eyes as he saw Nicole nod her head. "I''ll show you the capability of the Turmann family," he said derisively. Nicole''s eyes were filled with a smile too.She raised her eyebrows as she said slowly, "Sure." Their conversation went on for a while. Elijah''s expression changed slightly.He said gravely, "Someone came looking for you just now.He said he was your ex-senior.I didn''t say anything to him.I came to see if you want to meet him." Nicole squinted slightly.She knew Elijah intentionally left this matter at the end of their conversation.She sighed gently as she said slowly, "I''ll go check it out." This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. Nicole turned around and walked downstairs.Elijah wanted to follow her.But Nicole made a "no" Gesture.She then walked toward the door.She looked slim and exceptionally upright from behind. Nicole opened the front door.She was not surprised to see the man in front of her. A hint of cold glint shed past her eyes. As he stared at Nicole, his silver- gray pupils looked strangely cold under the refraction of light. They seemed like a cold machine operating quietly. "It''s been a while." Nicole was expressionless.She said calmly, "Do you need something?" Sliver was not mad with Nicole''s tone.He stared at her coldly. "You''ve not changed at all," he said with a feeling of nostalgia. Nicole frowned her eyebrows slightly as she thought, ¡®You didn''te to me just to say this kind of meaningless words" She said, "Get to the point." A faint smile could be seen on ''s cold face.It seemed like he admired her sharpness.But soon, his face returned to a business- like expression. "I came to tell you that I didn''t kill youst time because I wanted to repay your kindness.I''ll not go easy on you next time." Chapter 608 Chapter 608 Nicole smiled coldly as she stared at the man in front of her. "You haven''t changed a bit," she said in a toneless voice. "You don''t need to go easy on me." This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. She turned around and walked toward the manor after that.Sliver looked at her back as he warned her, "Don''t be the antithesis of mine, S." Nicole continued walking forward without turning her head back. A hint of shallow sigh shed past Sliver''s backlit face as he stared at Nicole''s back. ¡®She was my most satisfactory subordinate.Hope I don''t meet her face-to-face in battle" He turned around and was nning to leave as he thought about that. Suddenly, someone stood behind him from nowhere. Janus''s face was grave as he stared.His facial expression was exceptionally cold as he looked.His eyes were particrly sharp. "Don''t mess with me, and I won''t mess with you, officer.Behave yourself." Janus then stared at Sliver walking out of there.He went back to his ce slowly after that.He was hiding in the manor. Rhein stood on a busy street.He frowned his eyebrows impatiently as he stared at the crowds opposite him. ¡®What''s going on with Simon? It''s about time to meet.Why is he still not here yet?" He stood there and waited for two hours with utmost patience. The street went from a lively street to an empty street. Rhein clenched his fist.It was in the early hours. Just a second before he was about to go mad, a sneaky figure appeared on the off-street suddenly. Rhein squinted as he looked over there.It was Simon''s ugly face. Rhein sneered.He spat as he saw Simon''s movement.He then waved at him as he watched Simon approach him slowly. The street was dark Simon walked hastily toward Rhein. It looked like he was protecting something cautiously that was in his arms. Rhein scolded mercilessly as Simon approached him, "Dummy, it''s so obvious.Do you want everyone to know that you''re carrying something valuable?" Simon did not expect Rhein to be harsh.Simon''s eyes were gloomy as he said coldly, "I purposely camete because I was afraid that people would see.I''m going to make this deal with someone else if you speak to me rudely.You all were just our dogs! Why should I bother to trade with you?!" Rhein betrayed him countless times.He has little faith in him. Rhein noticed Simon was furious.He then calmed his expression as he said warmly, "Master Simon, I was wrong.I just wanted to make sure the blueprint was safe.After all, it''s too important, right?" Simon controlled his anger as he said coldly, "You better think so." After that, he took out the blueprint reluctantly and put it before Rhein as he looked at him. "This is it.Build the Mobile Armor ording to this blueprint.I''ll go and oversee the work anytime." The paper drew Rhein''s attention. ''I was the Turmann''s affiliated family.I was there when the Turmann family created their first - generation Mobile Armor.I was there when Elijah carried Carl and put him inside Champion" Rhein''s feeling of wanting something so badly burst suddenly. Rhein''s dream was to own the strongest Mobile Armor. This was the reason he had always wanted the Turmann family''s blueprint. He worked with the Federal Government for mutual interest. Chapter 609 Chapter 609 Rhein looked at what was in his hand, his eyeballs almost popping out of their sockets.He did not bother with Simon, who was making all kinds of demands, but suddenly guffawed. "I will fulfill ourmon aspiration, Simon.But there is no need for you to supervise the work." He looked at Simon, who was in shock, and said maliciously, "I will take care of all this; you don¡¯t have to worry about it." Then he turned and walked outside. Simon stood in the same ce, only figuring out what Rhein meant after a long while. He chased after him and asked angrily, "What do you mean by that? Is it all fake to work with me?" Rhein stopped, looking at the inept and self-satisfied man with pity.He hissed and said tly, "Of course, it''s a cooperation.Haven''t I already promised to give you a unit once it''s sessful?" Simon clenched his fists. "I don''t just want a unit; I want to take part in the process." Otherwise, how could he create such a powerful robot once he was in charge of the family? Rhein looked at Simon and cocked an eyebrow, then an icy look appeared in his eyes, with a hint of mockery and contempt. "Be reasonable, Simon," he said slowly, his voice unbelievably cold. "If you yell at me again, I''ll tell the Turmann family everything you''ve done." "Listen to me; you will take the helm of your family and have your own generation of robots.But if you don''t listen to me, you will get nothing." Simon looked at Rhein.His eyes widened, and he said nothing more as if he did not know him anymore. Rhein was threatening him, but he could not help it; he had no other option.He gritted his teeth and nodded. "I listen to you." Rhein seemed to be happy with his submission.He agreed to let Simon look at it after he made it and promised to speed things up and send over the finished product within a week. At first, Rhein was just Simon''s yes-man, but now Rhein had be such a scheming person. Suddenly, Simon was incredibly regretful in his choice to believe in this ingrate, but all he could do was pretend to be calm and then threaten him. "Don''t get smart with me, Rhein." Rhein looked at the ugly man and sneered. ? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org. "Don''t worry.I always mean what I say," he said calmly. In the darkness of the night, Nicole returned to her room. Jared had woken up and was leaning casually against the table, seemingly looking at something.He raised an eyebrow upon seeing Nicole. "You''re back,"he said. Nicole was not surprised at all that he had woken up.She walked over and sat down beside him, then gently kneaded her forehead. "When did you wake up?" "Jared looked at Nicole with a smile and said in a faint tone of voice, "As soon as you left." ¡®How can I sleep soundly without you in the room?" Thinking of this, he got up and walked over to Nicole. "Who did you go to meet? it 1 Nicole looked at him calmly. "When I was sorting the snipers out the other day, Sliver must have recognized my tactics and came specifically to warn me." Chapter 610 Chapter 610 Nicole frowned at this point. Jared looked at her, and his eyes¡¯ expression turned colder. ¡°Did he bully you?¡± Nicole shook her head and looked at Jared. ¡°I saved him before. He¡¯s not going to think of any way to target me at the moment, but I can¡¯t say about you. Be careful; Sliver is a tough person to deal with.¡± Jared smiled at her as he could tell that she was worried about him. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I will be fine.His eyes glinted, and he gently touched Nicole¡¯s cheek, asking, ¡°What happened that you fell out with him?¡± Nicole looked at the handsome man and did not avoid his question. She sighed helplessly and said, ¡°He¡¯s a guy who values profit very much. I went on a mission to fulfill my duty, but he was trying to make a profit as ackey for others. While I was still in Hutton, we had a big fight over whether we should help the poor, and then I realized our ideas were different, and there was no way for us to go on.¡± Nicole had decisively left the organization, and Sliver did not even ask her to say, nor did he announce she had quit. So the name ¡®S¡¯ still enjoyed fame all over the world. Nicole was not thankful for him, but it would be a good thing if her former epithet could curb the breeding of evil. Jared looked at Nicole, his fingers gliding gently over her cheek, and he said slowly, ¡°You did the right thing.¡± ¡®Leave the rest to me.¡¯ Nicole looked at Jared with a faint smile on her face. Jared smiled his tone light, with a hint of reassurance. ¡°I¡¯m going out for a while, as I have something to do. Stay at the Turmann Mansion and help me keep an eye on things.¡± This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. Jared looked extremely gentle when he saw Nicole nod. He bent down slightly, gave Nicole a peck on the lips, and then hurried out. Nicole looked at his back also with an extremely gentle look in her eyes. She turned her head to look thoughtfully at her own casually sketched drawing on the table and then sat down at the table, picked up the pen, and continued to draw undistracted. Those who had a discerning eye would be surprised by what she drew-it was the drawing of the Dodge Tomahawk Something seemed to have inspired her, she was making some changes in the drawing. After a long while, she looked at the drawing with a satisfied smile creeping across her face. ¡°It¡¯s done¡± Just then, someone knocked on the door gently, and Nicole said, ¡°Come in.¡± Carl appeared outside the door. He looked at Nicole across from him with his lip pursed, saying nothing for a moment. Nicole looked at his expression and asked with bafflement. ¡°You have something to say to me? Carl frowned at Nicole as if he had been wronged. ¡°You and that JJ Johnston Group guy are serious?¡± he said with a not-too-happy voice. Chapter 611 Chapter 611 Nicole looked at him and frowned gently. ¡°His name is Jared.¡± Carl looked at her; the difference in her attitude was so pronounced that he was almost in despair. ¡°Why can¡¯t it be me?¡± His face was a little pale with a sense of fragility. ¡°We¡¯ve been partners for so many years, and you should be well aware of my feelings for you. I would like to know why it can¡¯t be me.¡± Nicole looked at Carl calmly, as if not surprised by what he said. ¡°Carl, you know me.¡± Her upturned eyes were beautiful yet cold, with a look of calmness. ¡°I like someone, or I don¡¯t. I will not hide or back down and don¡¯t want to affect you. If you think my personal rtionship has affected our partnership, I¡¯ll leave after I¡¯ve settled the thing, and we won¡¯t be in touch again.¡± With that, she looked at Carl, who was in disbelief. She was quietly waiting for his response. Carl forced a smile, not expecting Nicole to say such a thing to him. ¡®That¡¯s not what I mean.¡¯ ¡°Nicole, we¡¯ve known each other for over ten years. Are you going to leave me over this?¡± He asked, feeling upset. ¡°Don¡¯t you really think of me as a brother?¡± 1 Nicole looked at him calmly. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have said something like that had I not treated you as a true brother.¡± She knew that keeping it ambiguous would hurt Carl even more, eventually. Carl looked stunned and seemed to have figured out what Nicole meant. He remained silent for a long moment while Nicole waited patiently. Noticing Nicole look him in the eyes, a bright smile returned to his face. ¡°I got it, Nicole. The camaraderie between us is something that matters to me, and I don¡¯t want to give it up. I¡¯m happy to keep our rtionship as it is.¡± Nicole nodded, looking at Carl, who had quickly thought it through, with a faint smile in her eyes. ¡°Good.¡± ¡®Carl is still excellent; there is no need for him to head into a blind alley with her.¡¯ There was a fleeting look of dejection in Carl¡¯s eyes as he could tell what was on Nicole¡¯s mind. But he quickly raised his eyes and handed the thing in his hand to Nicole. This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. ¡°This is my drawing. Could you take a look at it?¡± he said excitedly. Nicole looked at his design drawing and raised her eyebrows in appreciation. ¡°This design is very innovative.¡± She casually pulled a piece of paper and did some number crunching, then changed a few incorrect numbers on the drawings, and then handed it back to Carl. ¡°You can now design and build your baby.¡± Carl felt a little excited upon hearing her affirmative reply. Nicole¡¯s approval was a boost of confidence to him. He clenched his fists and looked Nicole in the eyes as if he was making a promise. ¡°I will get first ce.¡± I looking at him, she always knew that this partner of hers was extraordinarily capable. So she nodded her head and said, ¡°I believe in you.¡± Carl¡¯s frustration of being rejected vanished, and he happily emerged from Nicole¡¯s room and walked toward his, not noticing that Vera was looking at him from the stairwell. Chapter 612 Chapter 612 Vera wasing up for Carl and was excited to stop him. But when she saw himing out of Nicole¡¯s room, her face changed instantly. ¡®Nicole is seducing Carl again!¡¯ she thought, clenching her fingers, barely holding up a smile.¡± Carl!¡± she called out in a sweet voice. Carl heard someone calling him and looked back toward the staircase. When he saw Vera stop at the landing on the second floor, an impatient look shed in his eyes. ¡°What?¡± Vera was happy that Carl finally looked at her. She reservedly walked up to Carl and said shyly, ¡°Carl, how is your preparation for the roboticpetition?¡± Carl instinctively felt ufortable when Vera called him by his affectionate name. He looked coldly at Vera and said, ¡°Everything goes as nned. One more thing, call me Carlisle.¡± He was not used to being called that name by someone not too close. Vera¡¯s face turned pale upon hearing his harsh reply. She looked at Carl and said stutteringly,¡± I-I¡¯m sorry, Carlisle. I-I heard that girl call you Carl yesterday, that¡¯s why I¡­.¡± She wanted to test if she could close the distance between the two of them, but Carl had heartlessly rejected her. Vera looked down in embarrassment, with a hint of jealousy in her eyes. She then looked up again at Carl with a pitiful expression. ¡°Please don¡¯t you get mad at me, Carlisle.¡± Carl looked at her coldly and did not know her intentions at all. ¡°My rtionship with Nicole isn¡¯t something you canpare with.¡± Then he looked impatiently at the poser-like Vera and said indifferently, ¡°I will go first if nothing else.¡± Looking at his indifferent attitude and hearing his insults, Vera could no longer maintain her smile. Her desperation overpowered her shame, and she immediately stood in his way when Carl turned away to leave. ¡°Carlisle, Aunt Merry has rejected my design, and there are only three days left before the robotic competition. Can you help me?¡± Carl looked at Vera; he did not remember that their rtionship was close enough for him to help her. So he cocked an eyebrow and said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but this is your own business, and I have my own things to be busy with. Good luck.¡± Without giving Vera another chance, he turned around and went straight into his room. Vera¡¯s face contorted as Carl shut the door mercilessly. She clenched her fists and took a deep breath, barely maintaining her expression without crashing. She then slowly turned and went downstairs with a proud expression on her face. Those young girls who were not qualified to go up to the second floor were waiting anxiously on the first floor Seeing Vera slowly walking down, they all gathered around her and asked what was going on. N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. Vera let out a sweet and reserved smile with a hint of pride on her face. Chapter 613 Chapter 613 ¡°Aunt Merry is happy with me, and Carlisle has given me a lot of encouragement,¡± Vera said. N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. Everyone around her looked at her with envy. They also wanted to get close to the direct descendants of the family, but those people were out-of- reach. They realized that they had no chance, and only Vera could stand out with her extraordinary talent. The rest of them could simply forget about it. But they still loved to listen to Vera¡¯s stories. At this time, a brown-haired girl asked Vera cautiously, ¡°Do you know what Nicole is doing? The chief agrees with everything she says, and the CEO of the JJ Johnston Group seems to treat her very nicely. Who is she, really?¡± Vera¡¯s expression froze upon hearing Nicole¡¯s name. She looked back at the girl. ¡°Whates from selling one¡¯s body won¡¯tst long. What more can she do when she doesn¡¯t even understand a thing about robots? Even if the chief and Carlisle liked her, she is nothing but just eye candy.¡± There was a fleeting look of disdain on Vera¡¯s face. Those girls around her felt that she had a point, and they all verbally attacked Nicole, thinking that Nicole had stolen Vera¡¯s position and had even seduced Carlisle. A look of disgust shed on Vera¡¯s face as she listened to those words of condemnation against Nicole. She honestly thought she was the only one who deserved Carl, and she woulde down on anyone who snatched Carl from her and stood in her way like a ton of bricks. Surrounded by the girls, Vera slowly returned to her room, where she started to re-study her own drawing creation. Two dayster, Elijah stood at the entrance of the manor, stunned to see the chromium raw material being continuously transported in, almost piled up into a hill. He looked at Jared with surprise, and then his expression turned solemn as he sincerely thanked Jared. Faced with raw material shortages, Elijah had been refused help from the Intercontinental Party, who was unwilling to take out their inventory to help the family they were trying to suppress. But Jared did it without batting an eyelid. Jared looked at the man with the gray sideburns and said nothing. Janus, who was beside Jared, looked at Elijah and took a gentle step forward. ¡°You don¡¯t need to thank us; we just did what we had to do. After all, this is also a deal between us. JJ Johnston Group delivered the goods a little slow because of the explosion earlier.¡± With that, he returned to stand silently behind Jared Jared smiled at Elijah, looked at his grateful look, and saidnguidly, ¡°Is this enough?¡± With such arge quantity of precious metal flowing into his manor, Elijah looked at Jared and nodded slowly. ¡®It¡¯s more than enough.¡¯ He then called everyone out and let them choose the material themselves. With no interest in taking part, Jared turned to leave. Suddenly, a woman called out from behind him. ¡°Wait a second, Mr. Johnston.¡± Jared did not look back upon hearing the voice. ¡°May I help you?¡± Merry saw Jared¡¯s haughty attitude and was a little upset. But the pleasure of talking to men still got the better of her. She quickly walked over to Jared and looked greedily at his stunning face. ¡°I will definitely meet your requirements and produce the best robots.¡± Chapter 614 Chapter 614 Merry spoke with extra confidence but had no idea that she waspletely talking to herself. Jared looked at the conceited woman with impatience shing in his eyes. He then said with a faint, distant look, ¡°You stopped me just to say this?¡± Merry was startled upon hearing what Jared said, thinking that Jared¡¯s request for the robot was aimed at hers. After all, she was the best mechanical engineer in the Turmann family. So she told herself that maybe the man gave her this attitude because he wanted to motivate her. So she looked at Jared with a determined look in her eyes. ¡°I just want to tell you that I¡¯ll try to achieve what you want.¡± Merry had thought that Jared would be very touched to hear what she said and that he would spare her a nce. But Jared just looked upnguidly with indifference in his mesmerizing eyes before he hurried outside. Then she heard his grim voice saying, ¡°You don¡¯t have to.¡± Merry¡¯s eyes widened, and she looked upset as Jared left. But she quickly closed her turquoise eyes to calm herself down. ¡®I can¡¯t me him,¡¯ she murmured in her mind. ¡®It is the girl named Nicole who has seduced him. That¡¯s why he treats me like this. It must be Nicole who taught him to be indifferent to me. There was a vicious look shing in her eyes, and her hands slowly clenched into fists.¡¯ When the robotpetition is over, and I have time to deal with that girl, she will regret seducing the man I like.! 1. Merry¡¯s icy look just stayed for a fleeting second before she quickly walked toward the pile of raw material. Other people quickly gave way, leaving thisdy of the Turmann family to pick her choice first. The chromium element that Jared had sent over was extremely pure and had almost no defects. Merry looked at the things with satisfaction and asked the servants to carry the pile of materials she had selected to the workshop and start making her own robots. The rest waited until she had gone far before they picked their choices. Carl finally arrived. He was fascinated watching Nicole modify the data for a while earlier. Now he saw the material and had only taken a part of it to the workshop. He never put on airs like Merry did. The others followed him and had also chosen what they wanted. Elijah watched and felt pleased as everyone was hurrying to their workshops. Vera hurriedly followed Carl, but Carl ignored her. The workshop that he had chosen soon closed automatically behind him, shutting Vera outside the door. She stomped her feet in anger, chose the workshop next door to Carl¡¯s, and walked in. Elijah watched the crowd dismiss before he heard footstepsing from upstairs. He looked up and saw Nicole slowly walk downstairs. ¡°He delivered this?¡± Nicole asked. Elijah nodded, Nicole had always been thest to pick her material, and he was used to it. Elijah looked a little worried at the remaining chromium element. ¡°Isn¡¯t this hard enough?¡± he asked Nicole looked at the chromium metal, picked up a piece, and gently flicked it with her fingers. When she heard the raw metal sound, she raised an eyebrow with interest. ¡°It¡¯s alright.¡±This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. Chapter 615 Chapter 615 Nicoleckadaisically took therge piece of chromium metal toward the underground forging room instead of the workshop. Elijah looked at her back, shaking his head, andughed. Thinking of the process of making the Dodge Tomahawk, Nicole did not choose the purest chromium but its alloy, which created the most powerful miracle; She was probably doing the same thing now. He turned and was just about to walk upstairs when he saw from the corner of his eye the door open, and Simon¡¯s ugly face appeared. Simon stood in the doorway, seemingly infuriated. He calmed himself down and then saw the material in front of him, much to his chagrin, as if he secretly hated himself for returning toote that all the good materials that had been taken. But soon, as if thinking of something, he had a disdainful look on his face. He figured when he had a new-generation robot, he would not have to face these manufacturing processes he had no talent for Elijah watched his expression change and asked, ¡°Where have you been? Why did youe back so late?¡± Simon was startled by his voice. He nced up and saw his eldest brother standing there, staring at him. Simon smiled stiffly and felt awkward. ¡°Nothing. I just went out for a walk.¡± In fact, he had just gone to hasten Rhein. Elijah did not pursue the question but signaled with his eyes that he could choose the material he liked. Simon acknowledged, symbolically walked to the pile of material, casually selected some, then asked the servants to carry it. Elijah saw his insouciance, and a cold look shed in his eyes. ¡°I¡¯m expecting a good result from you, Simon.¡± Simon did not expect his eldest brother to say such a thing. He was stunned for a moment, but he quickly snapped back and smiled. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Elijah. I will do my best.¡± ¡°Good to hear that.¡± Elijah gave him a meaningful look. Then he turned and went upstairs, leaving Simon alone with a nervous look on his face. Could it be that my deal with Rhein has been exposed? Impossible. If so, Elijah would have killed me instead of encouraging me to thepetition.¡¯ Simon was confused, but he was really into the roboticpetition-in fact, he was disdainful of it. ¡®I don¡¯t need to listen to the brat and make a second-generation robot because I¡¯m about to get the most powerful robot ever.¡¯ There was pride in his eyes at the thought of this. Instead of entering the workshop, he sat outside quietly, waiting for the good news from Rhein, But after a long while, he still did not get a reply from Rhein. So he walked into the workshop, only to see another person walk unhurriedly toward the workshop. This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. Simon looked at the person with curiosity, wanting to know who was so gutsy, only to start production now. ¡®I can wait sote because I know what I¡¯m doing. But that person starting production sote could only rely on the forging ability. Could that person be my fourth sister? In Simon¡¯s mind, only his fourth sister may barely possess this ability. When he poked his head out to take a look, he found it was Nicole instead. Chapter 616 Chapter 616 Simon looked with intense disdain at Nicole, who was walking toward the workshop unhurriedly. ¡°This girl knows nothing about robotics. Letting her use the material is the biggest waste of resources.¡¯ Simon did not hold back but snorted at Nicole and bellowed, ¡°If you don¡¯t know robotics, stop pretending that you know. You should go home instead. If you can make a robot, I will eat this material.¡± Simon mocked Nicole for a while, but he did not get a single response. Upset, he slowly approached Nicole, who was walking ahead slowly. Then he nced at Nicole, who was keeping a straight face and then walked toward his workshop. Nicole looked at Simon and frowned before heading toward her workshop. Nicole looked expressionlessly at the workshop hatch in front of her and gently put her finger to it. Simon looked at the workshop in front of Nicole, his face turning extremely contemptuous.¡± That workshop is not something you may touch. My father forbids anyone from entering the workshop. Do you know the consequences of trespassing?¡± A faint sense of schadenfreude quickly appeared in Simon¡¯s eyes as he thought about his previous experience of trying to go inside and almost being shot by infrared light. ¡®This stupid girl has extended her finger. I want to see what will happen to her before leaving.¡¯ Simon stood where he was, folding his arm and looking at Nicole with expectation in his eyes.¡¯ Quick! I will be most pleased to see the girl, to whom Elijah has given her the right, get killed.¡¯ But what happened next utterly surprised Simon; the workshop hatch slowly opened after sensing Nicole¡¯s fingerprint. Simon looked on with his mouth agape, doubting his eyes for a moment. ¡®How did she open the sealed workshop hatch?¡¯ Nicole nced with a half-smile at Simon, whose face had almost copsed. The hatch closed behind her after she walked in, leaving Simon standing there with a blue face to deal with this hard-to-ept oue. ¡®Who the hell is this woman?¡¯ Simon frowned, but there was no time to waste; he also entered his workshop. But he had difficulty concentrating, resulting in the waste of a lot of materials. Time passed quickly, and soon it was the day of the roboticpetition. Everyone left the workshop early. Some of them looked excited as if they had won the game, and some of them looked dejected, seemingly giving up thispetition. Vera¡¯s expression did not look too good either; her changed n did not work to her satisfaction, but it was the best she coulde up with now. Meanwhile, Merry looked extremely confident. She proudly scanned her eyes over everyone at the scene N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. Carl had also emerged. He looked around with disappointment in his eyes when he did not see Nicole. Elijah sat there nonchntly, looking at the young generation of the family. As Nicole came out of the workshop, his eyes lit up, and he finally opened his mouth. ¡°Go to the venue.¡± Chapter 617 Chapter 617 There are about fifty indirect descendants of the Turmann family, and only those in the top ten list of roboticpetitions could sit and dine with the direct descendants. So the roboticpetition became the only chance for the indirect descendants to be somebody. Many people stood nervously under the stage. Because of therge number of participants, they would be divided into groups by ballot andpete for one-on-one. Since the total number was even, each groupprised two people. Nicole sat on the judges'' bench, nked by Eber and Elijah, both of whom were sitting precariously looking down at rings with a very serious look on their faces. There were five rings; one main ring and four sub-rings. Each had a mechanical barrier around to prevent people from being identally harmed outside the ring. There was arge screen that broadcasted the roboticbat live and disyed the data analysis. Everyone waited with great excitement for Elijah to announce the start of the draw. Merry''s expression remained unchanged; she kept looking at the entrance of the venue as if waiting for someone to arrive. Atst, she saw the door slowly open as Jared and Janus walked in. The moment she saw Jared, her face glowed.She straightened her back reservedly, making her stand out from the crowd. But Jared did not even spare a nce at her but looked straight at Nicole with a smile. Janus was standing aside with tablets that had records of the data of the first and second generations ofbat, ready to record all the data that would appear and surpass thebat data of the previous two generations. Merry looked at Jared with an almost unstoppable sh of resentment in her eyes.She then looked at Nicole, who was sitting on the bench, and said coldly to Elijah, ''I wonder what makes her qualify to be a judge." Elijah frowned at Merry, who was filled with resentment. "Nicole is capable of it." Merry sneered and looked around. "Who here can prove that she can be our judge?" Elijah''s face sank. But Merry was not afraid of him.She craned her neck to look at Nicole beside Jared, the jealousy in her eyes so apparent as if she was to cut Nicole into pieces. Nicole''s expression remained unchanged. Just as Elijah wanted to say something, she stopped him and looked at the people who did not think she was qualified to be a judge. "How do you want me to prove it?" Merry saw her take the bait and was secretly delighted. She maintained a bitter tone of voice as she said, "Youe topete with us, take part in the draw; thepetition is absolutely fair.We can all see if you are qualified to be a judge and an agent for the Turmann family." Jared looked at Merry, his eyes sharp as if a sword pierced through the foolhardy woman across from him. But Nicole gently squeezed the palm of his hand, signaling him to stay calm. "Why not?" N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. Nicole said, letting out a half-smile, not pretending but still looking as pure as the frost and snow. "I''llpete with you all in the ring." Elijah''s eyes sparkled upon hearing this. Nicole left the bench at once without giving Elijah time to think. Carl clenched his fists as he looked at Nicole. There was nothing more exciting than watching otherspeting on the same stage with Nicole. Nicole looked at this group of people and walked casually into it, then quietly looked at Elijah on the other side. Seeing that she had indeed made up her mind, Elijah smiled and announced that the draw had begun. Chapter 618 Chapter 618 Merry looked at Nicole from behind with a sinister expression in her eyes. ¡®Nicole is either overconfident or too dumb to ept her challenge so easily.She probably doesn¡¯t even know what robots are, let alone win thepetition" With this in mind, a look of disdain appeared in her eyes. Merry looked bigoted at Jared, who was sittingnguidly on the stage.She told herself she would prove to him that only she¡ªnot an eye candy like Nicole¡ªdeserved a powerful man like him. The nervous faces in the surroundings eased up when they saw the fate awaiting Nicole. They knew there would always be someone performing worse than them. Thinking of this, all of them had a delightful look on their faces. But in the process of drawing lots, many people had already expected their results, such a shy boy whose draw was making him pit against Merry.He froze as he looked at the number 7, which Merry also had in his hand. Merry did not spare a nce at her opponent, though. Instead, she held her head high and looked straight at the judges'' bench with a prideful face. Carl''s opponent was a girl whose robotic talent was not outstanding but must not be underestimated. Vera stomped her feet indignantly, but she quickly calmed down and looked at her opponent with disdain in her eyes. As much as she would love to be in a group with Carlisle, she did not want to be eliminated so early in thepetition. So now she would make do with this opponent. Thinking of this, a smile slowly crept across his face. The boy saw her cute expression and started to stutter. Both of them were number one, which meant that they would be the first topete. He had wanted to cotton up to the top yer of the younger generation, like Vera, but she had no intention of talking to him, although she was polite. Instead, she kept ncing at Carlisle affectionately, almost cringely. The boy soon came to his senses and stopped being a wuss.He started practicing the form and remote sensing method of controlling the robot. Because of Nicole''s participation, the even number of participants had be an odd number. One person would get to skip the first round and go straight into the final of the second round. Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. Everyone wished they would be this lucky person. But Nicole turned out to be the lucky one¡ªthe ce belonged to her. Everyone looked at the nk ballot paper in Nicole''s hand, speechless and filled with envy. After all, being able to advance to the final so easily, luck was also a part of strength. Merry looked with a grave face at Nicole, who had a calm expression. But she was not in a hurry because she expected that those who reached the final would all be the elite of the Turmann family. Nicole was expected to lose badly to them, no matter which of them she faced. But she very much hoped that she couldpete against Nicole in the final so she could fix her in person. Chapter 619 Chapter 619 There was a fleeting cold light in Merry''s eyes. The draw was over, and thepetition officially began. Vera and the boy were the first topete. The boy controlled his remote- sensing robot; hisbat data was quickly evaluated and disyed on the screen. When Vera saw the data, a look of mockery appeared on her usually sweet face.She soon maneuvered her robot. When it appeared, everyone eximed in awe, looking at her eyes with deep admiration.She deserved the name of being the best person of the younger generation.She adopted the cab mode of the first- generation robot, which crushed its opponent in terms of tonnage. Vera proudly epted the adoring gaze of everyone.She started her robot named Leah. This robot, with a feminine appearance, bent down and took Vera into her body. Cold sweat trickled down the boy''s face. ¡®Everyone knows that second- generation robots can''t fight with first-generation ones.But how did Vera get the cab programming and maniption? How did she get theprehensive drawings of the first- generation robot?! But even so, he still gritted his teeth and chose to fight. Merry looked at the robot that Vera had brought out with a hint of mockery in her eyes as she quickly realized something after the initial surprise. No one expected to see the first-generation robot in the first round, and there were all second- generation robots in the other rings, which was disappointing to watch. So almost everyone was focusing on Vera''s battle. At first, they had great expectations, hoping to see a devastating victory. To their surprise, after thebat began, Vera''s robot was indeed much more powerful than the opponent''s, but it was in no way near crushingly strong. Most people had never seen thebat of the first-generation robots, thinking that this was the limit of the first-generation robots and that the all-powerful first - generation robots that they admired were just a myth. They screamed excitedly, thinking that Vera''s first-generation robot was badass enough. The boy who fought Vera also felt that he was strong. The fact that he could hold out for such a long time while facing Vera convinced him of this, especially when he was against a first-generation robot. Nicole narrowed her eyes as she looked at the data about Vera. ''Her robot''s performance isn''t as explosive as it should be.Its energy is unstable, power consumption is too high, and itcks the most important core control of the first-generation robots, not to mention there is no multi- form transformation.Vera''s robot is just a second-generation robot with the skin of a first- generation one.But even so, it is still not something that second-generation robots can handle" This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. The battlested about ten minutes and ended in Vera''s victory. Then came Merry''s turn. She looked at the shy boy across from her and said coldly, "Bring out your robot first." The boy''s robot was also a second- generation model, but it was muchrger than that of an ordinary second-generation robot, which meant it had an advantage. The fact that he could produce this proved that he had an exceptional talent for mechanics. It was a pity that he was pitted against Merry. Merry sneered, and then a massive humanoid robot appeared from behind her; its date was almost the same as that of Vera''s robot. When the boy saw this, he was almost in despair.He tried his best to fight on, but neither his strength and speed nor control could match his opponent''s robot. So he lost in the end. Nicole looked at the boy across from Merry with a light shing in her eyes. There were still second - generation robots in the battle of the third, fourth, and right up to the eighth group. Janus looked at the data on his tablet and frowned. Chapter 620 Chapter 620 Up to now, there had been only six people who had surpassed the ordinary second- generation robots, but none of the data could surpass the value of the first-generation robots. Nicole looked at the group of people in front of her, exchanged a look with Elijah, and gently shook her head. Elijah''s face turned grave, but he said nothing, just giving her a nod of acknowledgment. Finally, it was time for the ninth group. Nicole saw Carl walking toward the main ring.His opponent was a girl with round, ck- rimmed sses that covered most of her face. Nicole smiled and mimed an all-the-best with her mouth when Carl looked in her direction. Vera was sitting offstage after her round, just in time to see the interaction between Nicole and Carl.She was exasperated. The girl whom she grabbed by the arm cried out in pain. When Vera came to her senses, she smiled andforted the girl. "I''m sorry.I was distracted.I didn''t mean it." The girl was quickly appeased and did not make a fuss about it. Vera then turned to look at Carl on the stage and was shocked to see a round thing behind him. ¡®What''s that?¡¯ Carl''s expression remained unchanged as he saw those dumbstruck faces. Using all five fingers of his hand, he pressed on the round robot, and soon the hatch opened, taking him in. Nicole looked at the ck-and-yellow ball-shaped robot, a smile shing in her eyes. The girl, who was Carl''s opponent, was stunned for a long while before she snapped back andughed uncontrobly. "Carlisle, what the hell are you doing? Are you sure this is forbat?" As soon as her voice trailed off, her robot appeared.It was a robot in the shape of a handsome male. Nicole saw herbat data and was slightly surprised. It had broken through the threshold of the second-generation robots, having a slightly higherbat strength than that of Vera. Carl''s voice came out of the round thing, and it sounded a little cute. "Of course, it''s forbat.Try me if you dare." Olivia could not resist the dare.She was quiet on the outside, but deep down inside, she was a warlike person. Olivia looked at Carl and controlled the robot remotely. It was just a second-generation robot, but this girl had made it achieve such a parameter. Meanwhile, Janus was writing something down on his tablet. Carl just watched on, doing nothing but just standing in his ce as his opponent charged at him.His behavior startled Olivia fora second. Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. But she had made her move, and there was no way to recall it. So she could only watch her robot sh at her opponent. "What the hell are you doing, Carlisle? You make me look as if I''m taking advantage of you!" In her mind, it was low-ss of her to attack if her opponent had not made its move. Nicole raised an eyebrow and thought this girl was cute when she overheard Olivia''s words. But Vera, who was watching on the sidelines, obviously did not think so.She looked at Olivia with vicious eyes, as if she not only hated that Olivia could fight Carl but was also afraid of the capability of the robot Oliva had built. Olivia had a quirky temperament, and the small team she led did not ept her.She did not expect Olivia had such powerfulbat strength. Elijah and Eber nced at each other, surprised by how capable the quiet girl was. Chapter 621 Chapter 621 Olivia saw she had hit the target, and she hurriedly maneuvered the robot back, exposing Carl''s robot in the smoke.She shouted nervously, "Are you okay?" As no one answered, she clenched her fingers anxiously. But soon, she saw that her Golden Warrior had damaged the entire stand, leaving behind a pit, but the spherical robot of Carl at the bottom of the pit was unscathed. Everyone looked in shock at what had happened. They all saw clearly the attack parameters of Olivia''s robot, which were the best of all her strengths. But even such a powerful attack could not leave a scratch on Carl''s robot. ''H-How could this be?'' Olivia was surprised, her mouth agape. She knew the attack strength of her robot; ordinary robots could not withstand its sh.But this robot was obviously different; it seemed that it had a very high defense capability. Carl''s voice resonated inside the robot.He rolled randomly as if he wanted to dust off his body. Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. "Have you finished your attack? If so, now it''s my turn," he said excitedly. Everyone looked on as the spherical robot rolled like a Yo-Yo.It was so quick that it almost hit the limit withyers of afterimages behind him. Olivia looked at what had happened with her mouth agape. ¡®What the hell is this?" There was a faint smile on Nicole''s face as she watched the robot shoot at Olivia like a thunderbolt, its attack strength soaring in an instant, even higher than that of Olivia''s robot. Janus looked at the data scrolling in front of his eyes and squinted.He subconsciously looked at Jared and slowly wrote what he saw when Jared gently nodded his head. After all, Carl and Nicole''s rtionship was unusual.He needed to get Jared''s permission. The battle had reached a white -hot intensity. Carl''s robot was not only ridiculously powerful in attack, but its defenses were the most terrifying.He was able to turn a blind eye to almost all of Olivia''s attacks, which could not even leave a scratch on Carl''s robot. Olivia''s Golden Warrior had been partially damaged by Carl''s robot. The left arm of the handsome male robot had been broken by the constant rolling impact, now hanging freely on its chest. It hurt Olivia to see the damage that her robot suffered. "Stop! Step! I concede!" she cried out. Carl stopped the robot from rolling and canceled his next round of attacks immediately. Olivia walked over to her robot in a fit of rage, touching the mutted left arm before quickly leaving the ring. Seeing Carl win, a hint of delight appeared on Nicole''s face. Carl stepped out of the cockpit, his handsome face in stark contrast to the cute robot behind him. Everyone looked at what had happened with mixed feelings. Chapter 622 Chapter 622 Carl could not care less.He gently sorted his messy blond hair and then immediately searched for Nicole in the crowd. A light shed in his eyes when he saw the smile on Nicole''s face. Seeing all that Carl had in his eyes was Nicole, Vera clenched her fists in anger. ¡®What has this girl done that Carlisle likes her so much?" Nicole ignored Vera''s resentful gaze. The first round of thepetition wasing to an end. Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g! Simon, who was assigned to thest group, had easily defeated his opponent using the second- generation robot he and Merry had designed. Looking at the yer who was younger than himself on the other side, a trace of malice shed in his eyes as he looked at the participant who was younger than him.He and Merry were the children of the second wife of their father, much younger than Eber and Elijah. So they took part in this year''s roboticpetition, but these people could not arouse his interest in fighting. But looking at his opponent''s handsome and young face, Simon had an envious look on his ugly face.He stared at the man in front of him,manding his robot to destroy the opponent''s robot even though he had won the battle.He looked triumphant when he saw his opponent''s pale face. ''So what if he is young and good-looking? He is still being trampled under my feet!¡¯ Elijah watched Simon''s actions and frowned subtly. When Eber saw Simon not stop attacking, he shouted at him, "You''ve already won! Stop it!" Only then Simon stopped, looking at the boy in front of him, and said coldly, ''People like you aren''t qualified to fight me." He said in a voice that only the boy could hear. But in front of everyone else, Simon gently helped the boy, who almost had a mental breakdown, up and said gently, "You can do better next time." Nicole could read Simon''s lips; an icy glint shed across her eyes. '' Simon wants to ruin the kid" She looked at the triumphant Simon, and her eyes turned frosty as if there was some kind of intense emotion surging in them. They looked a little depressed and solemn. ''Does this kind of person deserve to live in this world?" Soon Elijah announced themencement of the second round of the draw. Everyone stared nervously at the numbers on the big screen, afraid that they would be assigned to the same group with a powerful opponent and that they could not enter the top ten. Vera looked wide-eyed at the numbers on the screen. She was not sure if it was good news¡ªher next opponent was none other than Nicole, who came to this round without having to fight in thest round. Nicole looked at the two No.4 on the screen and raised an eyebrow, but she said nothing. Seeing the excitement and confidence on Vera''s face, everyone looked at her with envy. In their eyes, Nicole was the best low- hanging fruit. Whoever faced her in this round of battle could easily defeat her and advance to the top ten. Nicole looked calm. When she heard the whistle, she quickly jumped into the ring and raised her chin at Vera. "Come on." Chapter 623 Chapter 623 Those people under the stage looked at Nicole and rose in an uproar. ¡®Nicole is just as ridiculous as she is arrogant!¡¯ Everyone looked at Nicole with disdain. Vera was even more so; she looked at Nicole and mocked her. "Are you really sure you want me to strike first?" Nicole nodded with a straight face. She then saw Vera let out a sweet smile and then unceremoniously enter the body of her robot. "There you go!" There was a hint of coldness in Vera''s sweet voice. Nicole watched the massive female robot lunge toward her, but she was cool, calm, and collected. As the attack approached, she bellowed, "Dodge!" Then everyone saw a motorcycle appear behind her. Clearly, no one was riding it, but it seemed to have its own mind and came in front of Nicole quickly. Nicole pressed her fingers on the Dodge Tomahawk and uttered, "Transform." Her voice was soft, but it seemed to ring in everyone''s ears. Everyone watched the silvery white motorcycle, which had received Nicole''s instructions, stood erect, its two wheels tucked away, the angr bodynding on the ground with its front wheel unfolding. The door above the wheel rapidly transformed to form the upper body of a robot. The front of the motorcycle spun around, the handlebars vertically folding into the sides of the front, forming the head of the robot. The seat in the middle was wrapped up inyers of steel, soon forming a closed metal enclosure. The robot then kneeled on one knee, the azure screen on the extremely proportioned head shing as it looked at Nicole and effortlessly blocked Vera''s attack. The data on the big screen was garbled for a moment, then stuck at zero. People from the Turmann family were stunned to see the transformation. Many of them had only heard of Dodge Tomahawk as the Turmann family''s killer weapon. This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. But it was also the most mysterious weapon that few people had actually seen.It was said to be the top first-generation robot that had unfathomably highbat strength. But no one knew how a motorcycle could fight in a battle. They were all in shock upon seeing what had happened. It turned out that the Dodge Tomahawk was called by that name because of its unique way of existence. Everyone looked at this cold silvery white robot, which was unusually beautiful, looking breathtakingly tough. At the end of its mechanical right arm was a unit of the most advanced heavy weapon, looking really like a thorny tomahawk, with a strong murderous vibe. People looked at the Dodge Tomahawk in awe and with covetousness. ''This is the real top-notch robot! Its glinting silvery white body makes it look out-of-this-world" Simon looked at the Dodge Tomahawk with his mouth agape. This was what he had been looking for all his life.He thought Elijah had given it to Carlisle, but he said he had given the Dodge Tomahawk to someone else at the time. And the person who was praised by Elijah turned out to be Nicole. Chapter 624 Chapter 624 ¡®¡®How could such a robot be handed over to an outsider?! Everyone watched in shock and disbelief as the Dodge Tomahawk slowly stood up and beside Nicole. It was the first time they had seen the robot in person. Merry also looked in disbelief.She had seen the Dodge Tomahawk before, but because she was not its owner, she was not qualified to see it transform, nor did she see its intuitive submission. The Dodge Tomahawk was a top-notch robot because it recognized its master. Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g! The reason Simon was so angry when he heard Elijah take out the Dodge Tomahawk and even give it to others was that he knew in his heart that the Dodge Tomahawk was no ordinary robot, and there was a good chance he had lost the possibility of owning it forever as it would only have one master. Merry''s face contorted, and she looked indescribably icy at the thought of this.Her eyes were filled with extreme resentment as she looked at Nicole in the ring.She was the most powerful mechanical engineer in the Turmann family, and she was supposedly the one who deserved to own this robot. But now, all her hopes had been dashed. No one could feel the shock of seeing the robot''s transformation more intuitively than Vera. The robot was forced several steps back after its attack was blocked by the Dodge Tomahawk, but Vera still stood where she was, not realizing her current situation. ¡®What the hell is going on?! She looked at the Dodge Tomahawk and trembled. ''This is the robot I have dreamed of, the most perfect pinnacle of existence.Now it has fallen into the hands of Nicole" "How did you summon the Dodge Tomahawk? What makes you deserve it? Hand over the Dodge Tomahawk now!" Vera shouted, her voice resonating inside the robot, sounding like a harsh hum.She was unaware of the Dodge Tomahawk''s characteristics, and when she said such a thing, it was simply out of extreme jealousy. Nicole nced at Vera faintly, not bothering to speak to her, but just stood there quietly. Beside her was the god-like silvery white robot, its azure screen flickering as if it had some kind of special intelligence. Upon hearing Vera''s question, it looked icily at Vera''s robot with a sense of hostility in its eyes.It had keenly captured Vera''s attitude toward Nicole. Nicole gently raised her hand to stroke the robot.She ignored Vera''s provocation, her expression calm. "This isn''t the Dodge Tomahawk you think." Everyone was stunned upon hearing what she said. ''What did she mean?¡¯ Something seemed to sh in Elijah''s eyes as he squinted at the robot with surprise.Ever had juste out from the shock of seeing Nicole summoning the Dodge Tomahawk.He looked back at Elijah in disbelief as if trying to read something out of his expression. "What the hell is going on? How did the Dodge Tomahawk end up in her hands?" Elijah squinted at Eber. Chapter 625 Chapter 625 "She has said it; it''s not what you think it is." Eber subconsciously rubbed his eyes and took a look at it again in disbelief. But no matter how he looked, it was still the first- generation Dodge Tomahawk robot that the Turmann family kept in the robotic cabin.He was still confused, but Elijah just let out a faint smile as if he had no intention of exining. Janus had seen the Dodge Tomahawk transform and was deeply amazed. "Dino said at that time that you all have seen this motorcycle in Nottingbrook State, and you know all along this Dodge Tomahawk is not just a motorcycle, right?" Jared did not respond to him. He gazed at Nicole with admiration and a thoughtful look, impressed that Nicole always had surprises for him.He indeed knew early on that the Dodge Tomahawk was more than just a motorcycle. When he saw it at Nottingbrook State, he wondered who its owner was.It turned out that it was Nicole. A faint smile crept across his face at the thought of this.He looked at Janus and said lightly, "Follow up the progress over there with Rhein." Janus acknowledged that and looked down at the tablet in his hand.He suddenly found that the data of Nicole''s robot was almost readable, seemingly beyond the readable parameter, or itsbat effectiveness was unknown. At first, Janus still looked calm, but now he seemed in shock.He had thought that the big screen in the ring had malfunctioned, showing that Nicole''sbat data was zero. Now it seemed that, like him, it was impossible to read the data at all. ''No wonder the girl said the Dodge Tomahawk wasn''t what they thought.Could it be that she modified and built it herself, and it couldn''t fight at all? '' This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. Many people in the audience came out of their: shock and looked at the lifeless figures on the big screen.Combined with what Nicole had just said, they seemed to have figured out what it was about.They had been blinded by Nicole, mistaken for the one they had just seen as the actual Dodge Tomahawk.They all furrowed their brows with this realization. Merry carefully looked at the robot next to Nicole again and finally found that it differed from the Dodge Tomahawk she had seen. ¡®Nicole''s robot seems to be darker under its ribs, looking like two thin ck patterns, and the overall fusge has a special texture and mysterious vibe.But the Dodge Tomahawk I remember has no such pattern on it" Merry sneered at the thought of this. ''Nicole really put a lot of effort into faking it. If it weren''t because these two crack-like patterns gave her away, I might have truly believed that this is the actual Dodge Tomahawk '' She casually flicked her long hair and said in a voice that everyone could hear, "This is indeed a fake.I did not expect it to lock so much like the real thing." Everyone knew Merry had indeed seen the Dodge Tomahawk before.If she said that this Dodge Tomahawk was fake, it must be fake. Judging by Nicole''s words and also her not entering the robot''s cockpit all this time, people, who were at first awed by this Dodge Tomahawk, became suspicious of it.Vera had heard what Merry said, too, and looked askance at Nicole''s robot. Chapter 626 Chapter 626 ¡®Since Aunt Merry had said that, Nicole''s robot must be a fake" Fear turned into disdain in her eyes. Vera looked viciously, and then she directed her robot to charge at Nicole. Nicole looked at Vera and cocked an eyebrow.She stood and did not dodge. The disy screen on the silvery white robot''s head shed with blue light, and there seemed to be a faint rustling sound of data calctions deep in its eyes. The robot slowly raised its hand, and an electronic hum came with a sense of warning. "Iing." Vera named her robot Biello, which was best at fighting.It was still formidable in close- quartersbat, using brute force without the help of heavy firepower. ''Its gravity system is very average, strength is so so, but it''s lightweight and mechanical strength are the best advantages.As long as I can get close to Nicole, I''m confident of defeating Nicole using no weapon." Thinking of this, an icy smile that was out of character with her charming appearance crept across her face, as if she could already see her defeat Nicole. ''Her robot is just a second-generation counterfeit that doesn''t even have a cab.I can smash it to pieces with just a punch" Nicole looked at the approaching Biello with a straight face. "Dodge, level fivebat readiness." Her voice was so soft that almost no one could hear her. N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. Subsequently, Vera was surprised to see some hidden changes to the silvery white robot. Its body was glowing, but it seemed to only strengthen one of its arms. Vera had no idea what her opponent was doing. She directed her robot, as she had just done before, to strike at her opponent''s legs, and after mping her opponent, she would ride on her opponent''s back to attack its head.She had defeated many opponents with this move, and it almost worked all the time. But just as she smiled and felt that she was about to win and beat the damn stupid woman who seduced Carlisle, the silvery white robot suddenly moved. There were only less than ten feet between them. Vera''s smile froze. Before she knew what had happened, a bolt of lightning shed in front of her eyes, and then she felt the world spinning around her, and the ear- shattering of her screams came through the robot''s amplifier. None of the people in the audience bothered to watch the battles in the other rings. They looked at what happened in front of them with their mouths agape, as the silvery white robot, which did not move just now, had just struck Vera''s robot with a punch. Its move looked so effortless yet lightning quick. Vera''s robot was sent spinning and flying out of the ring and disappeared into the distance.It took a few seconds before the sound of steel impacting the ground was heard. Everyone looked at what happened with their jaws dropping to the ground. They all wondered what kind of speed and strength could hit a robot weighing over 6,600 pounds and send it flying. Nicole looked on and frowned as Vera disappeared into the horizon as if she did not expect such a result. ''Did I set the strength level too high?'' she asked herself in her mind. Chapter 627 Chapter 627 She also did not expect her opponent to be so weak. ording to the opponent''s battle data, she had chosen a conservative strength level, and yet it was still so lethal. ¡®I should have chosen the strength level of six or seven" She did not regret it, though.She nced at Elijah, who still appearednguid as usual, and looked at her with satisfaction and appreciation in his eyes. "Nicole won." ''It was Nicole, the girl whom we have always thought didn''t even know what robots are, who has won" Everyone looked grave. Even Eber was a little surprised.He had seen Nicole''s abilities since the day she first came, but he did not expect that she had such a talent in robotics. Right now, as Eber looked at Nicole, there was a hint of mixed feelings in his eyes.He realized he had still underestimated this girl. Merry and Simon in the audience were also amazed, their faces turning from triumphant to pale. Merry, in particr, almost gritted her teeth as she looked at Nicole. ¡®What the hell is going on with this girl who possesses such a powerful robot?'' She still believed that the robot in the ring could not be the Dodge Tomahawk. But the fact that it could attain such a strength level showed it was an excellent robot, almost approaching the mediumbat strength of first-generation robots. Merry looked at Nicole, her eyes cold, with a sly smile on her face. '' That''s more like it.The opponent needs to have a certain level of strength to be worth my time" The next round was Merry''s turn. She quickly eliminated her opponent, while Carl had also eliminated his, leaving only five contestants in the rings, ncing at each other with a faint hostility in their eyes. Simon was also among them. Luck was on his side today, as his opponents were his juniors in both rounds of battle. Since theycked experience in roboticbat and manufacturing, Simon won it quickly and effortlessly. Nicole watched as Vera and her robot were being carried back. Biello was clearly scrapped. Its iron-gray metal body had broken to pieces, somewhat tattered. Vera, who was protected in the cab, was unharmed, but the rolling and spinning motions made her sick; she was dizzy and throwing up the big time until the family doctor of the Turmann family gave her a shot of downer. N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. She was basically unhurt, but she lost the chance of getting into the top ten. Many people looked at Vera with schadenfreude.Vera seemed to have a good temper, but it was only in front of the direct descendants and people of higher rank than her.She could not care less about them on normal days as she was arrogant and always thought that she would get into the top three in this competition. But now, she had not even gotten into the final.Vera felt the gazes around her, her fingers clenching together.She could no longer control her expression, and she looked at Nicole with vicious eyes, almost like she was going to rip Nicole into pieces. Nicole ignored Vera and stood with Carl, who seemed to be happy talking to her about how badass the Dodge Tomahawk was. Merry overheard their conversation and could not help but sneer. Chapter 628 Chapter 628 "Carlisle, you''re just as dumb as Nicole.How could that robot be the Dodge Tomahawk? It''s nowhere as good as the Dodge Tomahawk.Didn''t you see the data disyed on the big screen when she launched attacks just now? It wasn''t even half of that of the Dodge Tomahawk," Merry said. At this point, she could not hide the disdain on her face. Carl nced at her, his blue eyescking emotion as if he were looking at a strange living thing. ¡®What did she know about the Dodge Tomahawk¡ªso much so that she wants to make a big fuss about it here?" Nicole looked at Carl''s expression and gently shook her head at him, then shot a nce at the defiant Merry.She did not want to put Carl on the spot, as Merry was still Carl''s aunt. In the VIP seat, Jared was taking it all in.His eyes shed with cold light as his gazended on Merry''s malicious face. At this moment, a look of surprise appeared on Janus''s face.He whispered a few words to the messenger through the satellite headset and then bent down and whispered in Jared''s ear. Jared''s face darkened in an instant. Nicole just happened to turn her head to look at him, and Jared smiled back at her as normal. There was a gentle look shed in Nicole''s eyes. As she turned her head back, the draw results were being shown on the big screen.She found her opponent was a neer, while Carl''s opponent was Simon. Simon looked at Carl with a natural smile. "I didn''t want to fight you, Uncle Simon." Simon''s face looked grave. "Stop pretending.The things that you''ve learned in Hustuaburg aren''t going to work on me." Carl looked at the ugly man. Instead of getting angry, he smiled.He wanted to be courteous now before beating him upter. Nicole ended the battle in no time. As she had just done, she did not get into the cab. But this time, she had dealt with her opponent gentler, only causing some slight damage to the robot and forcing it out of the ring. Almost everyone was sure that this imitation Dodge Tomahawk was a brilliant second-generation robot. Since Nicole''s robot could defeat the other two robots so easily, it could almost prove that the quality of her robot was equal, if not higher, than that of the top second-generation robots and may even be close to the first-generation models. Janus looked at the fluctuating battle values and was surprised to see that Nicole''s battle values only varied at the moment sheunched her attack, and the values shown in the two battles were very different.It was as if she set the strength level of her robot to suit her opponents. Jared looked at Nicole, who had a deadpan face with a faint smile in his eyes.He paid no attention to Janus''s question and tapped on the table with the fingers of his right hand.This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. Janus looked at his boss''s face and whispered, "I''ve sent someone to deal with it, and there should be results soon." Jared nodded gently, knowing that his opponent had be restless. The fact that Elijah did not invite the Turmann family''s vassals but him it was self-evident. ¡®But our opponents are no fools" Jared thought of Rhein''s grim, hostile countenance with a self- absorbed look on his face. Chapter 629 Chapter 629 Just then, there was a loud noiseing from the ring, followed by an awful scream. "Carlisle, you b*stard! Just wait and see!" Simon watched as his robot was rammed around and damaged by Carlisle''s robot, called Pando.He tried to call it back, but Carl ignored him or rather deliberately did not let go upon noticing Simon''s predicament.He was rolling toward Simon, who was so frightened that he quickly directed his tattered robot to block Carl in front of him. The two collided, and Simon''s robot was instantly knocked off the ring. Carl controlled Pando, staying precisely on the edge of the ring.Then he slowly stepped out of the cockpit and looked condescendingly at Simon, who could not even get up. As Carl was against the light, Simon could not see his expression clearly, but he could hear his mocking voice. "Uncle Simon, I''m not pretending this time, am I? I really enjoyed beating you up; the feeling was so real." Simon was so furious that he pointed at Carl''s head with a trembling finger but could not find a word to respond. Elijah watched what Carlisle had done and then looked at Simon''s face. He cocked an eyebrow and said in a perfunctory voice, "How could you hit your uncle so hard, Carl? You knew the quality of your uncle''s robot, didn''t you? Hurry up and apologize to him." Nicole looked at the father and son with a smirk. ''They sang the same tune and hit Simon where it hurt, sessfully taking revenge for the young guy whom Simon humiliated just now" With no hesitation, Carl apologized to Simon, saying that he had a strong desire to win, that he would be merciless, even to his rtives, to achieve victory, and that he felt bad for beating up Simon. In short, he made it sound as if Simon would be a petty man if he still harped on the issue. After all, this was apetition; losing was losing, and the loser needed to get over it. This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. Simon stood up, blue in the face.He looked at Carl with a somber face and then nced at Elijah and Eber sitting on the stand with cold eyes. The hatred look in his eyes was apparent. Nicole looked at his expression and raised her eyebrow. Simon said nothing, as he did not want to embarrass himself more. ¡®When I get my hands on the first-generation robot, I will make them pay for what they¡¯ve done to me today"He felt much better at the thought of this.He walked straight outside, not even looking back. Elijah looked at Simon from behind with deep emotion in his eyes. After all, Simon was his half-brother, and he still thought about giving him another chance. ¡®What if he thinks it throughter?" Nicole knew what Elijah thought, looking at him silently and gently pursing her lips. Jared looked at Nicole''s expression and also knew what she was thinking.He slouched in his chair and looked at Elijah without uttering a word. Janus saw his boss''s expression and stood by without saying a word, too. Soon, only Nicole, Merry, Carl, and three indirect descendants were left at thepetition venue. Two of the three robots of the indirect descendants had surpassed the standard of second- generation robots, and the other one was slightly weaker but still one of the best of its rank. Chapter 630 Chapter 630 Vera looked at those people in the ring and bit her lip in hatred. ''If it weren''t for Nicole, I would have been one of them in the ring now, not a crap inferior to me like her!'' She stared dead at Nicole. Suddenly, she saw Olivia, whom Carl had defeated. She stared at the rig with relish and suddenly became upset.She came up to Olivia and said coldly, "You lost to Carlisle.How could you still have the nerve to stay here?" Knowing Vera''s modus operandi, Olivia blinked and shrugged. "Even you, who lost to an outsider, have the nerve to stay, so why can''t I be here?" Vera did not expect that Olivia would dare to talk back.She was infuriated but could not find a word to respond. People around were looking at Vera with contempt and seemed to mock her for being defeated mercilessly, despite being imed to be the most powerful person.She looked so frustrated. Olivia looked at Vera, who had always known best how to manipte those indirect descendants because they were not as good as she was. Some of them who defied her had almost been marginalized by the small team she led. Fortunately, with Olivia''s current strength, she was very confident in confronting Vera''s provocation. At first, Vera wanted to vent her frustration with Olivia. But when she saw Olivia dared to be rude to her, she got even angrier. At this time, the draw results were out. Vera looked up and was surprised to see that the first pair were Carlisle and Merry. Nicole''s opponent was one of the most powerful indirect descendants in terms of general strength.He looked at Nicole and blushed. Nicole was cool, standing there silently, and out of respect for the boy, she set the Dodge Tamahawk''s battle mode back to level five With little time to react, the boy''s robot was knocked down at once. Nicole saw the surprised look on the boy''s face.He reached his hand to scratch his head as if feeling embarrassed for losing just like that. "I thought I could hold on a little longer," he said. Nicole gently raised an eyebrow, looking with appreciation as the boy conceded defeat and stepped out of the ring gracefully. Probably her gaze had stopped on the boy for a few seconds too long; alow voice came from above her head, saying, "Stop looking already." Nicole looked up in surprise to see that Jared was sitting there, fiddling with the dagger that always told of the state of his mood.She nced at him helplessly and then looked away resolutely. Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g! "Well, okay," she said. When Jared heard Nicol''s response, the icy look in his eyes eased up.He hated to see Nicole look at other guys. Even if he knew she meant nothing else, he just could not stand it. Janus, on the side, felt the change of mood of his boss. But after seeing Nicole yield to his boss''s demand, he felt a sense of relief with a little surprised lock in his eyes. ¡®Boss has never revealed his emotions like this.Whenever he expresses some kind of strong desire, he surely wants to achieve a certain goal.He never revealed his cards so that others could not tell what his intentions were.But when facing Nicole, my boss''s mind seems like an open book" Janus did not dare to look into Jared''s eyes.He could only take a few nces at Nicole in a predicament. As he was doing that, he heard a bitter voice mixed with a faint sense of smirk. "You enjoy looking at her?" Janus nodded subconsciously.But he quickly realized his mistake, his face instantly turning pale.He shook his head. Chapter 631 Chapter 631 Jared looked at Janus calmly, raising an eyebrow gently as he said in an unemotional voice, "So what do you think? Is she pretty?" Janus was too afraid to say anything as topics rting to Nicole were deadly in front of his boss.He kneeled on one knee and said respectfully, "I''m sorry." Jared did not look at him. Instead, his eyes were on Nicole, who was still in the ring. After a long while, he looked back and sighed, gently stroking the back of the dagger in his hand. The glinting de and his shapely fingers looked like a strange yet enchantingbo. Janus did not dare to look up when he heard the calm voice of his boss. N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. "Get up.Don''t let me catch you doing it again." Janus still kept his head low, knowing that his boss was aware of his mistrust toward him and Nicole, and his dissatisfaction with Nicole for influencing his boss''s mood. Atst, he opened his mouth and said firmly, "I won¡¯t do that again." Jared stopped looking at him and turned his gaze back to Nicole with not much expression on his face. Still keeping his head low, Janus let out a soft sigh of relief. Then, a voice came through the headset. Janus frowned and stood up slowly. When Jared saw this, he seemed to have guessed something and smiled. "Looks like he''s not so stupid." ¡®It looks like he is fleeing quickly because he feels humiliated, but in fact he is up to something else; he is taking two steps forward and one step back" Janus looked at Jared''s nonchnt face and asked in a whisper, "What should we do, boss?" Jared had still not taken his eyes off Nicole. He smiled and said, "Nicole has given them a ¡®gift¡¯; it''s time for us to do the same, or else we will be seen as being rude." ¡®what goes aroundes around; we will do unto them what they''ve done to us" There was an icy light shing in Jared''s eyes at the thought of this. "Tell Bruce to take action." Janus bowed respectfully.He then turned and walked a dozen feet to the side, gently clicked the headset, and calmly carried out the task. The battle between Merry and Carlisle had started. Surprisingly, Merry''s robot seemed to have gained a sudden boost of strength, which had increased two folds.She dodged all Carl''s attacks at extreme speed. The movement of her robot was strange; it moved on all fours, looking strangely contorted. Merry was visibly agitated, her robot roaring incessantly, attacking with the robotic arms wildly, as if she wanted to tear Carl to pieces. Nicole looked at what had happened and frowned. The sudden doubling of strength was amazing, but she had a bad feeling when she looked at the battle scene. Elijah also opened his eyes and stared at Merry and Carlisle in the ring. Pando gradually lost ground under the ferocious attack of the opponent''s sharp ws, and its rolling speed gradually decreased. Pando had a rtively small mass; it looked much weaker after losing its kic momentum. Chapter 632 Chapter 632 Because of Pando''s powerful defense system, Merry''s attack achieved little despite being ferocious. Even if it hurt every time, the progress was slow.As time passed, patience ran out. Merry''s robot started to sh in a sinister red light.She halted her movements, her limbs swelling, bing a little stouter. The already powerful arms had rebar- like veins popping up, its mouth wide open, looking as if it was charging up something. Nicole realized something was wrong. With no time to react, she called out to Carl at once. "Carl, concede defeat!" Just the next second, after her voice trailed off, Carl''s maic voice came from inside the chubby Pando.He disarmed the robot and slowly stepped out from the ring. "I concede defeat," he said with no hesitation. Nicole was relieved to see that he was unharmed. Merry''s face turned grave because she had not hurt Carl.She looked at Nicole, and the disy of her robot turned chaotic. "It''s you again! I will kill you," Merry''s hoarse voice was heard saying.She sounded sinisterly violent, as if she really wanted to kill Nicole right away. Nicole squinted at her and said in a clear and icy voice, "Do you still remember the first principle of creating a robot, Merry?" Merry had no intention of standing up. Instead, she maintained her current posture with her head slowly rising to its original position, as if she were transforming again.It looked like a four- legged monster. "Heck! I don''t care about the principle." She seemed to be struggling, but was also unusually excited. The evil look in her eyes mixed with the robot, making this otherwise pleasant-looking robot look a little scary.Its red-light eyes dimmed and flickering; its data seemed to have been infected with viruses.It looked as if some kind of program was out of control, like a violent vortex. "What is the principle for? As it stands, I can never be the heir to the Turmann family, even though I''m the most gifted one.ording to the principle, I can only have a quarter of the blueprints for the rest of my life, and I can''t build a robot that is more powerful than the second- generation models.If that''s the case, how would Jared spare a nce at me?" When she had finished, she looked back at Jared shyly, as if expecting some kind of response from him.But Jared''s reaction was an utter disappointment to her. He just nced at her coldly and disgustedly, his charming face cial, but the icy look melted away when he turned to look at Nicole. This was something abnormal. Nicole looked at what happened in predicament. "Why on earth did you want to do this?" Seeing Jared''s reaction, Merry was flustered and exasperated.She stared at Nicole with haughty eyes but still seemed to be level headed, just that she was roaring in anger. "Die! Go to hell! All go to hell!" There was a frosty look in Nicole''s eyes as she saw Merry go mad.She jumped into the ring at once. Carl was still standing where he was, and Nicole did not look at him, but Merry. N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. "Go now.She''s beastifying," she said in a whisper to Car. At first, Car] still looked calm, but when he heard what Nicole said, he was shocked. The bright silver body of the hideous robot in front of him turned dull almostpletely. Chapter 633 Chapter 633 He turned and jumped straight down, leaving plenty of space for Nicole. The two had been partners for a long time; he had absolute confidence in Nicole that she could perfectly solve the problems she was facing, provided that he did not be a burden as a hostage. After all, Pando had now been proven to be no match for Merry. Carl left the ring and did not choose to turn back. Instead, he went up to the judges¡¯ bench and looked down at the ring with piercing eyes. "Father, do you know that Aunt Merry is capable of beastifying?" Robots'' mimesis would only choose anthropomorphism, which was the principle that this weapon should not vite. After all, once an intelligent creature chose the beast''s mode of thinking, the entire program would be chaotic, bloodthirsty, and irascible over time. Elijah looked at what had happened and slowly shook his head with an unconceble grave look in his eyes. Carl found the answer when he saw his father''s expression. "So she studied it herself and added the genes of some creature to the core chip of her robot, right?" Elijah nced at his son and still said nothing.It was Eber who finished the second half of Carl''s sentence with a frown. "If it were really Merry who has conducted this kind of experiment that is strictly forbidden by the family, and has created this violent and uncontroble robot, she deserves the severest punishment even if she is our sister." Carl said not a word, and together with Eber, they looked straight at Elijah. Gently rubbing his forehead, Elijah sighed and said, "You don''t have to tell me that.I know very well if she is wrong, and would never shield her." There was a look of satisfaction on Carl''s face. Then he looked down at the ring with an imperceptible nervousness and worry in his eyes. Bestial robots had explosive strength. They may be several times to dozens of times more powerful than robots of the same ss but with different characteristics depending on the beast''s traits chosen. They were just not sure what beast Merry had chosen. Vera had stopped quarreling with Olivia under the stage.She looked up at the ring with consternation in her eyes. "Spider Queen?" Olivia looked back at her abruptly upon hearing that. "What are you talking about?" Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g! Vera had all kinds of feeling on her face; there was resentment, disbelief, and a hint of irrepressible jealousy. There was no reason other than the state of Merry''s robot, which looked the same as the design she had given to Merryst time, every detail restored to her design ideas that Merry had killed previously. ¡®What the hell is going on here? Is it true that those help, offers, and kind words were really just the illusions created to steal my drawings?" Ignoring Olivia''s question, Vera stared at the ring, eyes fixated on Merry''s robot, appearing somewhat abnormal. Chapter 634 Chapter 634 Olivia had noticed Vera''s ssy expression. As much as she disliked Vera, she did not want anything to happen to her. As Vera suddenly lunged toward the ring, she quickly reached out and grabbed her. Vera struggled to break free, as if she had something to demand for an answer in the ring. When Olivia could not stop her, she hit Vera in the back of her neck with a backhand, knocking her out.She put her down and looked back at the ring with a graver-than-ever expression. Merry''s robot was so powerful that it had destroyed her Golden Warrior and the seemingly imprable Pando. But now, its strength was growing further, so much so that its body had almost doubled in size. Nicole looked at the robot that was about to go on a rampage and said coldly, ''''Stop now, Merry, before it goes out of control." Merry ignored Nicole''s advice and broke into a sinisterughter that sounded as if it could pierce through a person''s eardrums. "Shut up! A slutty girl like you doesn''t deserve to talk to me like that.I will beat you and let everyone see I am the best robotic engineer of the Turmann family, who is most worthy to stand next to that man!" She then charged at Nicole, the movement of the robot causing the entire venue to shake. A frosty look shed in Nicole''s eyes, and then a meteor-like silver-white robot appeared in the ring standing in front of Nicole. "''Level-fourbat readiness." The Dodge Tomahawk quickly neutralized the opponent''s furious attack. Both its arms lit up, looking as if there were shes of light with a halo shrouding the robot.It looked gorgeous and powerful. Inparison, Merry''s robot looked ugly. The two sides finally shed. Nicole was not worried about the Dodge Tomahawk''s intelligence as she had imnted a core chip that made it be capable in long- and short-rangebat, and the best in concentrated firepower. The Dodge Tomahawk''sbat system was unparalleled. Everyone could see its legs shing and moving, causing confusion to the opponent, who started to attack haphazardly, and because of the increase in strength, almost all the attacks and defenses were done by the arms. Jared stared at the icy cold figure and could faintly see Nicole''s shadow in the robot''sbat techniques. Merry''s robot might have broken through the limits of second- generation robots and achieved the standard of first-generation robots, but because of theck of cores in the cockpit, it could not be regarded as a first-generation robot. Its movement was not as agile but a little stiff. As beast- morphism had an innatebat advantage over the anthropomorphic state, and integrating attack and defense, it could hold on to the fight against the Dodge Tomahawk for a minute despite its punches missed its target countless times. But thebat qualities would apparently determine the oue of this battle. Nicole stood there, looking at Merry across from her calmly. If this was what she had got, she wouldn''t survive another minute. Merry was apparently aware of this. She just did not expect that despite her strength had grown so much, and she had sacrificed so much, even vited the principles of the Turmann family, she still could not defeat the fake Dodge Tomahawk that Nicole created. The anger vanished from her eyes. She jerked the robotic limbs backwards with its head shuddering, and then it puked out a disgusting green slime. Nicole looked on and furrowed her brows. N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. The Dodge Tomahawk immediately turned to take Nicole with it, bounced away, and then gently lowered Nicole to the ground before returning to the ring. Chapter 635 Chapter 635 Nicole looked at the robot across from her and frowned. "Are you really not going to turn back, Merry?" Everyone followed her eyes and was shocked to find that the robot had begun to balloon again, as if something was rampaging inside, and Merry''s voice sounded extremely miserable and painful with an ear-piercing malice. "I''m going to kill you! 1''ll kill you!" ''I''m willing to pay whatever price to kill Nicole.Even if my central nervous system is paralyzed, and I may no longer be able to operate the robot, I will not back down!'' she said in her mind.The ck robot had once again doubled in size, looking even more terrifying, almost losing its original human form. There were cysts rising under its ribs, and then something broke out of them with Merry roaring in pain. Everyone fixed their eyes on them, which turned out to be a new pair of steel robotic arms. But they could no longer be called arms, as the ring joints and sharp heels clearly were not that of humans.They should be called chte limbs¡ªthe chte limbs of spiders. The blood-redpound eyes opened, and the consciousness of the human in the robot had been possessed, bing cruel and chaotic. The price of increased strength was that reason was constantly eroded, eventually to the point where it was difficult to turn back. Spider Queen''s speed was extremely fast in movement, which no human could achieve. It was now impossible to tell what exactly controlled the robot inside. Elijah looked at what happened with emotions in his eyes, and then turned to Carl and said, "Go, go, activate Champion, Thunderbolt, and Zapper." Carl was also aware that the situation was out of control. At first, Elijah did nothing because the beast''s genes were so sticky that the robot''s owner had to detach herself to preserve her sanity. He had thought that after Nicole defeated it, Merry would get out on her own, not expecting that Merry was so stubborn and putting herself at risk. So Elijah had to summon the first-generation robots that had been collecting dust in the warehouse and use them to back up Nicole, and if necessary, help her. Elijah turned to look at Eber and blurted, "Evacuate everyone and keep them as safe as possible." Eber nodded, quickly got up and left the bench. Elijah then turned to look at Jared again, as if worried about him.But Janus spoke ahead of him. "Don''t worry, Mr.Turmann.We know what we''re doing." Jared watched as the ck, spider-like steel monster charged at Nicole. As it was getting closer, it raised a vicious limb to stab at the top of Nicole''s head. Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g! As this happened, Jared''s pupils contracted, mist rising, as if there was some kind of breathtaking light shing in his eyes. He slowly got to his feet, as if he were going to lunge out in the next second. Chapter 636 Chapter 636 At this moment, Janus came in front of him and stood in his way. N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. "Boss, Nicole will have a way.Now is not the time for you to take action," he said in a whisper. In the ring, Nicole looked at what had happened and frowned.She did not take his opponent lightly but said in an icy voice, "Dodge, level-2bat readiness." Spider Queen had raised its ws. But as soon as Nicole''s voice trailed off, the Dodge Tomahawk had teleported back beside Nicole and quickly transformed back into a motorcycle. As Nicole jumped into the cab at once, transformation started, wrapping Nicole in a shield of light and metal. The opponent''s ws hit the robot''s left chest, emitting a harsh steel grating sound. The Dodge Tomahawk grabbed the w and snapped it with the use of just a paltry force. Spider Queen screamed and pulled back at once, its four split fearsome scarlet eyes staring at the silver-white robot warily. That was a bestial instinct. But soon, a woman''s voice came from inside Spider Queen intermittently.She seemed in pain, but was also extremely excited. "Power! I could make a second-generation robot more powerful than a first-generation robot.Jared! Jared, look at me! I''ve sessfully fulfilled your expectations.You have to reward me!" She guffawed and coughed, then shouted agonizingly, "Spider Queen, get rid of the girl and her fake robot.They stand in our way to collect our prizes!" Her will seemed to have passed on to the steel monster sessfully; the monster looked restlessly at the silver-white robot with red light flickered in its eyes. Soon, the manic bestiality overwhelmed its intuitive sense of dangerous and sanity. Spider Queen charged at the Dodge Tomahawk like a tiger out of the cage. Nicole sat in the cab, looking at the live footage transmitted back by the Dodge Tomahawk. She sneered and linked the instrument to her head. The instrument looked like a cute and delicate hat, but it could perfectly create a seamless connection between the nerves of the human brain and the core drive of the robot. This was also the root cause of the invincibility of first-generation robots. Indestructible steel could be defeated, but if steel was given a human consciousness, it would be a terrifying existence. The moment the connection went live, a mysterious feeling passed through Nicole''s brain, knocking on her subconscious, as if she were watching the Spider Queen in front of her. At that moment, Nicole could deeply sense her close connection to the robot, as if the robot''s body was hers, any judgment she made could be perfectly carried out. Nicole closed her eyes, and a smile crept across her face. "Dodge, let''s get started." Before the evacuation could bepleted, everyone was rooted to the spot, looking at things unfolding in front of their eyes. The silver-white Dodge Tomahawk looked a little petite in front of Spider Queen, but the difference in size did not seem to matter to the Dodge Tomahawk It lifted Spider Queen and mmed her onto the ring. Even if steel did not feel pain, the impact had caused cracks in the Spider Queen''s body. Many small parts fell off its body, and Merry, who was shielded inside, was violently shaken. She roared as she jumped up and charged at the Dodge Tomahawk again. If anyone could see it, they would have seen her eyes turning bloodshot, as if she was under extreme pain and pressure. Chapter 637 Chapter 637 The bestial impulses and the human intellect were shing, and the Dodge Tomahawk was fully operational. ''I''m almost to the limit! Is that how I''m going to lose? No, I''m not going to lose.I''m the strongest robotic engineer, willing to dedicate my brain to the robot to get more powerfulbat strength!'' As if the robot had sensed her will, Spider Queen quickly roared into the air and continued to swell, screaming in a heart-rending voice.Nicole heard Merry''s hysterical cry. "You make me so miserable and force me into this! Nicole, I''m going to kill you!" Nicole''s expression remained unchanged.She looked at the mutating Spider Queen and asked slowly, "Are you sure you''re going to do this?" Fusing the spider''s genome into the robot''s and her nerves meant she was likely to face brain failure and limb abnormalities. Merry turned a deaf ear to Nicole''s warnings.She sneered as she looked at her incredibly swollen body andughed frenziedly. "Now, let''s see how you''re going to beat me!" Spider Queen emerged from the ck smoke slowly. It hade to its ultimate form, no longer had any trace of human form, but with eightpound eyes that looked viciously at Nicole and the Dodge Tomahawk. The four pairs of ws under its huge and bloated body struggled, and the broken leg that the Dodge Tomahawk tore off just now had regrown. It looked so evil and strange, but itsbat strength had reached the peak of that of first-generation robots. This was the benefit of the bestial state, which maximized thebat value of a robot. The price to pay was, however, very high, almost costing the robotic engineer''s life. Everyone looked at the mountain -like Spider Queen, the body of which hadpletely gotten rid of the original human form and be a terrifying giant spider. Nicole and the Dodge Tomahawk werepletely shrouded in its shadow. The big screen that dutifully disyed the battle data has been torn apart in the fierce battle. Everyone looked at Spider Queen''s horrific attack strength and froze in ce out of fear. ''W-What kind of monster is this?'' Carl had rushed back at this time. Sitting in Champion''smand room, he shouted loudly, "Father, Uncle Eber! Get on the robots!" Eber could no longer care about those weak-footed indirect descendants and ran back. Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. He looked at the purple robot behind Carl and shouted angrily, "Zapper!" The purple robot quickly squatted down and ced Eber, who was running toward it, in the palm of its hand. Eber entered the cab and the robot quickly walked toward the ring. ''If this is not handled well, the Turmann Family may end here" Elijah casually gave Jared a heads-up and then flew toward a golden robot. "Thunderbolt!" Seeing that both of them had gotten on the robot, Carl led the way to the ring. The three of them, each standing in a corner, stared at the huge steel monster, ready to deliver blows to it. Chapter 638 Chapter 638 Nicole looked at Spider Queen, narrowing her eyes as she called out, "Merry?" There was no response. Spider Queen''s eyes were scarlet, and it looked at Nicole as if she were a fool. N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. No one could control this robot better than the spider''s consciousness. Nicole looked at it, her expression slowly turning grave. It seemed that the bestial genes hadpletely suppressed Merry''s consciousness. The spider was fierce and cunning, particrly familiar with the robot based on its own body form. The robot under Spider Queen''s control was many times stronger than when it was under Merry''s. Nicole turned her head to look at the other three and whispered, "Standby." ¡®Robots will not be equipped with a firepower system before they go to the battlefield.Only the three first-generation robots here have ever fought on the battlefield.With them here, even if the situation is slightly out of control, and I can''t handle this spider, the advancedser guided cannon can most likely blow it into pieces.The thing is, the side effects and damage range of hot weapons are toorge.Plus, this spider seems to be the king of spiders; it has an imperious gene and can boost thebat strength multiple folds.Maybe hot weapons will not have much advantage over it" A cold look shed in Nicole''s eyes at the thought of this. The ck smoke had slowly dispersed, and the spider was looking at Nicole and chomping at the bit, seemingly with the cruel smile of a beast. ¡®Tear apart this vile and small human being in front of you!'' The spider''s consciousness may also have been affected by Merry''s. It ignored the other three robots and charged straight at Nicole.It was as massive as a hill, but it moved surprisingly fast, almost to the point of absurdity. Nicole''s expression remained unchanged. The spider was apparentlying from her left, but her fighting instinct was going haywire with warning. Almost instantly, Nicole decided to lean abruptly toward the spider, looking as if she were sacrificing herself. Everyone watched with bated breath as Nicole''s robot had given them so many surprises before that it now seemed that their previous inferences were all wrong. Nicole''s robot is clearly a top first-generation model, looking much more badasspared to the other three.It was as if an illusion; they felt that Carl''s Champion and Nicole''s robot were somewhat simr. Nicole did not know what was going on in their minds. The moment she dodged to the left, a white silk was shot out on the right. The silk was so thin but hard enough that it would have prated the nerve and pierced through Nicole''s brain had Nicole been staying where she was just now. Meanwhile, the Dodge Tomahawk stretched out its arms and blocked the crushing blow from the spider''s body. There was always a way to defuse the physical attack, but the sharp silk that was shot out silently would no doubt prate Nicole and take her life. Chapter 639 Chapter 639 Nicole had blocked a chte-leg attack from Spider Queen. It seemed extremely cunning; after seeing that Nicole had thwarted its attack, Spider Queen quickly raised another chte leg, lifting its massive body with a look of contempt in its eyes. As Spider Queen swung its legs and charged at her, Nicole squinted but did not dodge. Standing by with her hands covering her chest, she reached out to grasp the leg that Spider Queen used to attack her and forcefully snapped it at once. The spider screamed in pain in an instant.It red at the Dodge Tomahawk, its eight enraged compound eyes shing with red light.It shrilled, and then its mouth moved, as if something was going to spurt out of it. Nicole saw the anomaly and quickly bounced backward. The next second, the position where she had just stood a second ago, was hit by the white slime-like substance that shot out of the spider''s mouth. The ground was corroded and turned ck in an instant. Nicole frowned at seeing what happened. As if Spider Queen had gathered strength, it continued to spit out a stream of corrosive mucus. Nicole looked at the web- like jets that sshed across the sky, and she cried out,"Champion, Ion Pulse!" Nicole and Carl worked together seamlessly. As she moved left and right to avoid Spider Queen''s cobwebs, an earth- shattering noise came behind her. The rain of cobwebs stopped, and Nicole had not broken a sweat.She stopped dodging and slowly turned to look at Spider Queen''s situation. Zapper and Thunderbolt wanted to step forward, but were stopped by Nicole. "Wait a second!" Spider Queen was so quiet.But the quieter it was, the more uneasy Nicole felt. The Dodge Tomahawk walked slowly towards where Spider Queen was, its footsteps light. But as it came with a certain distance from the spider, it tried to bounce backward but found that it could not. The other three robots wanted toe to Nicole''s rescue, but she stopped them by shouting,"Don''t come near!" Right under her feet were thousands of transparent silks, each as sharp as the one that Spider Queen used to attack her just now. These silks would cut almost anything. They were extremely sticky; once caught in them, it would be difficult to get away from it. The spider set up a cobweb and quietly waited for its prey to run into it, and for this purpose, the spider did not mind sacrificing half of its body. It had such a gic ability that its body could quickly repair and regrow severed limbs, and within minutes, it would be free to move again. It waited there silently, its ugly body seemingly having a massive hole with some kind of ck substance filling it constantly.It looked indescribably disgusting. Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g! Spider Queen looked at Nicole with an extremely malicious eye. If it had a human physiology, it would have probably burst intoughter at this time. It stared at Nicole, seemingly convinced that she, like a struggling moth, would have no way of breaking free of the cage she had prepared for her. The cobweb had a strong acidic fluid on it. Anything ¡ª including robots ¡ª that stayed on it for more than a few seconds would be turned into a lump of pus. Spider Queen triumphantly danced with her eight legs, seemingly happy with her achievement. There wereyers of cobwebs in front of her, so no robots coulde close. If any dared enough to try breaking through it, it would not mind seeing them turn into pus. Chapter 640 Chapter 640 The spider''s habits made it start to stay there quietly, waiting for the prey to struggle until it became exhausted, and then it would only grab the prey. This made it happy and feel confident. Seeing that her body had mostly recovered, Spider Queen moved out, intending to take down the prey from the spider web.It looked at Nicole, who was trapped there motionless, with a mocking light in its eyes. ¡®No matter how badass this girl is, she has still fallen prey to me and ended up dead" A hint of a triumphant look appeared on the Spider Queen''s face at the thought of this.It looked at Nicole, who appeared helpless standing there silently and trapped by its shiny spider silk. Everyone thought Nicole had been done for. The three robots over there did not move because they listened to what Nicole said. Spider Queen looked even more triumphant.It moved with difficulty and slowly toward Nicole. Carl looked on and could not wait to lunge out, but was pulled back by Eber and Elijah. "Don''t move.." Elijah whispered in his ear. Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g! "This beast is smart.I''m afraid that we will agitate it and put Nicole further in danger if we move.." Carl paused.He did not want to obey, but his father and uncle did not give him the slightest chance. Jared looked at Nicole below with a calm expression and was about to jump onto the ring. Janus was surprised by his action. But he also thought that his boss should intervene if Nicole could not handle the situation. ¡®Nicole is trapped, unable to move, unless the Dodge Tomahawk grows a pair of wings and flies out" Just as Janus was thinking about this, he saw his boss suddenly stop moving. Not only that, he had a surprised look in his eyes, seemingly in disbelief and also feeling it was a matter of course. Janus turned his head to take a look and was shocked to see what unfolded in front of his eyes. ''God, it was just my casual thought, not expecting to see something like this!'' The silver- white Dodge Tomahawk silently watched the massive monster approaching, a pair of azure disys showing a series of steady, waveless data. Almost everyone thought it could do nothing and had given up. After all, even gods could not possibly get away from so many spider silks. Thinking that Nicole must have lost, they all sighed. An inexplicable panic engulfed everyone present, making them quieter than ever. Perhaps death was falling upon her, Merry''s consciousness had been suppressed, and no one knew how bloodthirsty this monster really was. But in this desperate moment, everyone heard a voice that could not be calmer. "Dodge, level-onebat readiness." Chapter 641 Chapter 641 Everyone saw that the Dodge Tomahawk''s posture was slowly changing.It stood where it was, leaning slightly, but it had never taken its eyes off Spider Queen, as if it were ready to attack. And just behind the handsome silver-white robot, a pair of massive, beautiful angel-like robotic wings that were made of an unknown material slowly unfolded. As they expanded, all the surrounding spider silks were ruthlessly severed, and an ice-blue light flowed on the wings, looking extremely beautiful. It was the only robot capable of taking off into battle, and they were wings that Nicole made from the materials she had just got and added to the Dodge Tomahawk''s body. The hardness of this material could withstand any impact in the world, and it was the best attack and defense weapon. The Dodge Tomahawk slowly took off, looking Spider Queen in the eyes, and then without saying a word, it gave the monster a punch. In order to lure Nicole to the bait, Spider Queen deliberately let Carl wound it. But it had not fully recovered, and itsbat strength had been significantly reduced. But it was not stupid; knowing that moving in its own spider web not only was faster but could also buy her more time until its woundpletely healed. It was a wless idea, but Nicole had seen through it at once.She looked at Spider Queen, which coiled in its own cobweb, and smirked. The nature of spiders makes them invincible to some extent. With the dense spider webs protecting itself, Spider Queen stayed there, cool, calm, and collected, as if she was sure that Nicole could do nothing about it. When Nicole saw that Spider Queen said nothing, she smirked and gently issued an order. "Set fire.." Dodge Tomahawk held up a hand so its palm faced outward, and then with the flip of its hand, it clenched into a fist and formed into a pitch-ck cannon barrel. Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g! Nicole aimed at the cobwebs below and smiled at Spider Queen. "See you in the next life.." The next second, roaring mes shot out toward Spider Queen, who was still clueless about what was going on. It stood there, watching its spider silk quickly vanish in this unusual, slightly blue glowing fire, and its huge steel body peel offyer byyer. Spider Queen looked at Nicole; the wound on her abdomen made it difficult to move, so there was nothing she could do but to take Nicole''s attack. While it was scheming against Nicole, Nicole was also preparing to annihte it in one fell swoop. Special mes seemed to have unimaginably terrifying power. The reason Nicole did nothing before this was because Spider Queen was moving too fast. She might cause devastating coteral damage while using the mes, and besides, she was worried that there was not enough mmable material to ignite the steel spider. And now, since Spider Queen was staying unmoved, she had a clear target and the dense cobwebs as the best catalyst to feed the fire, she could burn it right into its soul. Spider Queen looked at Nicole with resentment, its swollen limbs disappearing little by little, its strength visibly weakening.It could not believe that it would still lose at the hands of this person when it thought it was winning. The roar of despair and the powerless struggle were itsst consciousness in this battle. Nicole looked at Spider Queen, whose original human form gradually returned in the mes. Compared to her spider form, she looked pitifully weak. But this was what a robot should look like. Nicole watched as the colors of the robot gradually returned to normal, and then she slowly put away her hand. "Get her out,¡± she said. Chapter 642 Chapter 642 Elijah and the others rushed over upon hearing what Nicole said. They dragged Merry, whose fate was still unknown, out of the robot, and looked at Nicole with a deep gratitude in their eyes. Nicole had ten thousand ways to destroy Spider Queen, but she chose the most difficult, but the most effective way to keep Merry safe. Everyone looked at Nicole with predicament and also with a deep admiration in their eyes. She and her modified robot were too good for them to match. As the mess had been cleaned up, Nicole tucked away her robot and stood aside, watching Merry being carried back to the manor on a stretcher. Many people gathered around to ask her about robot - rted questions. They thought she would be annoyed, not expecting that she patiently answered them one by one. Everyone became extremely enthusiastic. They looked at Nicole''s face with admiration in their eyes. Nicole stood there, seemingly nothing out of the ordinary. Jared quickly appeared and helped her keep the crowd away from her. "Nicole needs a rest.." Such simple words meant a lot to Nicole.She looked at Jared from behind with a smile on her face. Soon, Jared brought Nicole back to the room.He pulled a quilt over her and told her to rest, then turned and headed outside. Nicole took his hand and looked at him with a frown. "Where are you going?" Jared looked at her with a gentle look in his eyes.He stroked Nicole''s hair gently and whispered,"The Thorne family.I need to talk to them.." Nicole nodded, looked at Jared, and whispered,"Be careful.." Jared acknowledged her, and then gently nted a kiss on her forehead. Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. "Wait for me toe back.." No sooner had he left than there was a knock on the door. Nicole hesitated for a second before she said in a faint voice,"Come in.." Carl''s face soon appeared at the door.He looked at Nicole and asked with concern,"Are you okay?" Nicole shook her head and gently kneaded her forehead. "I''m just a little tired mentally, nothing big deal.What''s up?" Carl looked at the calm-looking Nicole and sighed. "This is how you''ve always been.Others may not see it, but you have your vulnerable moment.So why didn''t you say it?" Nicole looked at Carl.She did not want to answer this ambiguous question, but just looked away. "Did Elijah send you?" Carl nodded. As Nicole did not answer his question, his face darkened for a second before he gradually calmed down. "He told you to give talk to those people about robotics.They had a poor understanding of it.One more thing.." ¡®What?! Seeing Nicole looking up at him, Carl paused for a second and continued.¡± Chapter 643 Chapter 643 "Can you give us a copy of the blueprints of the modified Dodge Tomahawk?" The purpose of this roboticpetition was to achieve Jared''s target, and of all the robots, only Nicole''s had reached the pinnacle of performance, which was something first-generation robots could not achieve. The thought that it could be considered a third- generation robot. Nicole nodded in agreement.She pondered for a second and said,"The Dodge Tomahawk is not designed for mass production.I will give you a copy of the improved blueprint after an appropriate simplification.Besides, because the materials and craftsmanship of wing making are rtively special, it is difficult for you to master, so I will remove the design of the wings.." When she finished, she looked up at Carl with not much expression on her face. Carl nodded. "It is originally your design, and it is already very kind of you to give it to us.I believe you must have considered the changes to the blueprint from my standpoint.." Nicole looked at him and smiled. Carl did not want to disturb her further, so he left. As he came outside the room, he saw Eber walk over and knock on Nicole''s door.So he stopped him and said,"Uncle Eber, Nicole needs to rest. Eber hesitated. He just wanted to apologize to Nicole for not trusting her at first, and since she needed to rest, he thought it was not appropriate to disturb her. Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. Eber turned and walked outside, and Carl went downstairs with him. Neither of them talked. There was a suddenmotion downstairs. Both Carl and Eber frowned and sped up when they heard a woman''s sharp cries. Vera and Merry had both woken up. Vera looked at the pale Merry and lunged up toward her. "Merry, why did you do this? Do you know it was my idea, my blood and sweat? Do you have no shame?" Merry had just woken up and felt a sharp pain in her brain.So she was not in the mood to talk to Vera and just wanted to kick her aside. Vera was upset to see her annoyed look.She scanned around, and in an instant, she caught Carlisle walking toward her.She rushed to him and asked,"Carlisle, do you remember when I asked you to help me take a look at my blueprint when Merry rejected my drawings? She rejected my designs, yet used it.Isn''t that cheating?" Carl turned to look at Merry with icy eyes.He had the same blond hair and blue eyes as Merry, but he did not show the slightest favoritism or pity for her. "Aunt Merry, is what Vera said true?" Merry was now like a grumpy lioness.If it were not for her physical weakness, she would have pounced on and bit the two of them, and would not have listened to Carl''s questions, let alone answered them. Just then, a voice came from upstairs. "The bestial gene affected her too much, and she wouldn¡¯t be able tomunicate with us normally for the time being.Even if she has covered, there are likely to be a lot of seque.." Bloodthirsty, irritable, and violent, all very likely. Vera looked at Merry with her mouth agape.She missed thest duel because she had fainted, and only heard that Merry''s robot had gone into a bestial state.But she remembered she did not design it that way. Worried that Elijah might hold her ountable for what happened to Merry because of the blueprint that she designed, Vera quickly kept her mouth shut and silently nced at Merry, whose face was pale and hideous. Suddenly, Merry looked up at her with hatred in her eyes. "It was her.." Merry pointed at Vera. "She designed the robot.I admit I borrowed from her ideas, but I definitely didn''t think it would cause such a consequence." Chapter 644 Chapter 644 Vera looked innocently at Merry.She did not at all expect Merry to wake up at this moment or for the latter to ce the me squarely on her. Instead of anger, she sneered coldly. "The reason my design was called the Spider Queen was that the excellent flexibility of the armor design and was to also showcase the beauty of the armor''s augmentation.I never said you could add the nervous core of a spider.." Merry looked at Vera before her with an aching head as she snorted. "Stop pretending already.It was you who misled me!" Elijah looked at the two before him, an icy chill shing across his eyes. "Enough!" It was rare for the master of the house to let out such an angry voice. The two immediately froze up and shut their mouths. Merry looked at her brother with some disbelief as she raised her voice and asked. "Brother, what''s wrong with you? Why don''t you believe me?" Elijah gave her a cold nce.It was because of their blood rtion he did not just put a bullet in her, and now she was questioning him as if she was in the right. ''What gave her that confidence?"N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. Catching Vera twitching her mouth, and the two were about to quarrel again, Elijah said somewhat impassively. "Merry, go back to your room and stay there until I give the word!" Merry remained defiant and took advantage of the time everyone was leaving.She asked Elijah why he sided with an outsider, yet when she saw Elijah''s cold side face, her tone subconsciously softened. "Brother, why did you only punish me? What did I do wrong?!" Elijah nced coldly at her as he looked at the little sister he was always proud of and said,"Since you''re awake, you should now what you''ve done.You''ve run foul the strictest of rules of the Turmann family.Were it not for the possibility of your mind being infected, I wouldn''t have allowed them to bring you back!" ¡®What?!'' Merry immediately panicked. She knew that her beast form state vited the Turmann''s family bottom line. ''Yet, with my excellence, they shouldn''t be so harsh on me!'' Looking at the unrepentant Merry, Elijah could see the fear of being exiled from the family in her eyes. Yet, she showed no signs of guilt at what she had done.Letting out a deep sigh, he looked at Merry as he slowly said. "You should know what''s good for yourself.." Merry looked at Elijah''s back as she called out to thetter in disbelief. "Brother, what do you mean?" Elijah did not turn back as he slowly walked out, yet his voice was cold and biting in Merry''s ears. "When your wounds heal, apologize to Nicole, and then you can leave the Turmann family.." Merry''s eyes widened as she wanted to get up to chase after Elijah, but her strength failed her as she simply just sat there. A momentter, she looked up with her eyes reddened. Chapter 645 Chapter 645 "Nicole.." ¡®It''s that woman!'' ''It''s because of her that I ended up like this!'' ''I will not let her go just like that!'' On the other side, Simon rushed over after receiving a call from Rhein.Looking at the mess before him, he turned to Rhein in surprise, only to find thetter''s red hair was all gone as if he had been blown up by something. Looking at the shocked Simon, Rhein no longer had the high and mighty look to him.After a string of expletives, he walked over and grabbed Simon by the cor as he yelled. "You bastard! You dare fool me with a fake blueprint?!" Being grabbed, Simon''s face turned green as he suffocated a little.He then looked at Rhein''s twisted face as he shouted with extreme difficulty. "What''s wrong with you? Let me go!" Rhein looked at the ugly face and sneered. "I never thought that you would have the balls to deceive me.Are you not afraid that I''ll expose what you''ve done?" Simon was scared witless by Rhein''s menacing look as he looked at thetter and said fearfully, No, I did not!" Rhein snorted and tossed Simon aside as he hissed. "You better.." Rhein''s expression was like a hissing viper, and Simon shuddered at the sight of it.He then noticed Rhein''s sorry state and started to realize that something had gone wrong, and his expression froze. "What did you say just now?" Rhein tidied up his shirt as he looked impassively at Simon.His tone, however, was icy. "Come in with me then.If you dare.." As he said that, he got up and walked to the vi''s back garden. Simon gritted his teeth. Thinking of his own Mobile Armor, he still followed Rhein. Yet, just as they entered the vi, they heard violent explosions and screaming.It was almost blood- curdling. Rhein''s eyes dimmed as he heard the sound and immediately rushed towards the source of the explosion. Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g! Simon followed closely behind but was stunned by the scene before him. All of Rhein''s bodyguards were in the back garden as they waited in formation. Upon hearing the bestial roar before him, Simon looked up and saw the massive metal monster.He was so scared he lost his ability to think for a moment. ''What is that?!" The monster was at least three-stories high, and it was covered with metal.It was seemingly enraged by the ongoing gunfire as it grabbed a group of bodyguards up and smashed them onto the ground. Instantly, a series of cries and wails rang out. The remaining guards at the door trembled at the sight. Seeing that those at the front were almost all dead, Rhein waved his hand to order them forward. The group looked at each other, and all tossed their weapons aside as they frantically fled outside for their lives. Rhein cursed at them as he picked up one of the tossed-aside MP5 submachine guns and sprayed at the monster from a distance. Looking at the carnage before him, Simon was so scared he wanted to flee. Yet Rhein dragged him over and said exasperatedly. "You want to run? This is the thing we build with your blueprint, and now that it had killed almost all of my men, you now know fear and want to run? The Thorne family is done for anyway, so you better go out there and blow it to bits.I refuse to believe I cannot deal with this monster!" When Simon heard that this monstrosity was the thing created from the blueprint he had, he stood there in stunned silence.It was only when an old-style grenade was stuffed into his hand did he snap back to reality.He immediately tossed it like a hot potato and yelled. Chapter 646 Chapter 646 "Bullshit! There''s no problem with my blueprint! It''s you not letting me supervise the work that caused this! Remember all those Mobile Armors you made earlier? Each of them was garbage! Do you think I''m happy with you? If you want to die, go die alone!" Rhein looked at Simon before him as he sneered.His left hand held the rather heavy submachine gun, and his right pulled out another handgun from who knows where.He then quickly pressed it onto Simon''s forehead as he hissed. "Are you going or not?" Simon''s neck stiffened.He wanted to say no, but with Rhein''s handgun pressed against his head, he immediately relented as he went. "I''ll go! I''ll go, okay!" It only then did Rhein nod with satisfaction. "Yes, he who makes the mess cleans up the mess.Now go.Toss that grenade where it can blow it up.If youe back alive, I''ll be sure to find a way to make you the master of the Turmann family!" At this point, Simon had never regretted his cooperation with Rhein more than now. Yet there was no way back. The gun barrel on his forehead was ice cold and terrifying as if something was blowing chilly wind into his heart. So, he could only go all in.Simon gritted his teeth and said, You''ve said it. If I can deal with this monster, you''ll make me the master of the Turmann family without any strings attached!" Rhein was impatient with his repeated attempts at confirmation and immediately kicked Simon towards thebat zone. Simon turned around and only saw the ck end of the gun barrel pointing towards him as Rhein tilted his head and hissed. "Now!" Simon had no other way as he slowly made his way forward. Nearly a hundred odd bodyguards had been ripped apart by the monster, with only five or six left lying on the ground panting.They could only watch as the menacing monster made its way toward them step by step, its eyes gleaming with bloodlust. "No! uw Simon watched as that bodyguard with a broken leg was stomped to death by the monster.It even crushed the body underfoot for good measure with its metal legs.Feeling that these inert toys were no longer fun, the monster turned around and looked at the trembling Simon with deep interest. Seeing that the monster was already walking towards him, Simon''s legs gave way as he fell to the ground limply, clutching his head as he trembled. Rhein yelled impatiently for Simon to pull the safety pin, but thetter simply buried his head in his arms like an ostrich, as if not seeing the monster would make him less afraid. Rhein cursed out loud. Seeing that the monster was about to grab Simon, he immediately pulled out his gun and sprayed at it. The stream of bullets managed to draw the monster''s attention. It, after all, preferred a livelier prey, so it immediately tossed the stunned Simon aside and rushed towards Rhein instead. Rhein had never left the position he had set up since just now and did not know how quick the monster could be.He gritted his teeth as he cursed Simon a hundred times over in his heart. ¡®This useless piece of shit.If it weren''t for his blueprint, I would not have created this monstrosity!'' ''If it had not been for him missing the best opportunity to blow the monster up, I would not have bothered to save him" ''I should have just let him die" N?velDrama.Org ? 2024. A cruel glint shed across Rhein''s eyes as he let the monster around the vast back garden in circles.As he was sprinting all the way, his strength was soon sapped. At that very moment, he saw Simon still kneeling there, and a glint appeared in his eyes.He immediately darted over as he shouted, "Simon, get out of the way!" Simon subconsciously looked up and saw the Rhein running towards him with the monster in tow.He let out an uncontroble yell as he scampered and tried to get up to run. Chapter 647 Chapter 647 Seeing that the monster was clearly drawn away by Simon''s scream, a gleeful look appeared in his eyes. Rhein immediately tried to draw a distance between him and Simon, and the monster should go back to pursue the easier prey. Sure enough, the monster once again changed its target and rushed towards Simon. Simon was indolent and very slow.He was panting and wheezing as he ran for his life, yet the monster was closing in on him evermore.He could hear it behind him as he tumbled onto the ground and quietly waited for his doom. However, at that very moment, a violent burst of gunfire suddenly rang out, hitting the ground behind Simon and stopping the monster in its tracks. Rhein looked at the man at the door as an excited gleam appeared in his eyes. "Sliver, you''re finally here!" Simon also looked over. To his surprise, he found that it was troops in regr military uniform standing before him. There were quite a number of them, a regiment at least, and they came prepared. Hearing Rhein''s words, he looked back in disbelief and quickly realized that all these people were summoned by him.N?velDrama.Org ? 2024. ¡®How did Rhein manage to call on the Federals?¡¯ Simon''s expression turned grim as he looked at Rhein and hissed, "You bastard! You lied to me! You are in league with the Intercontinental Party!" There was nary a trace of guilt on Rhein''s face as he looked at the soldiers starting to intercept and take down the monster in an orderly manner.He then got up and casually made his way to Sliver, not forgetting to throw shade at Simon as he went. "A few honeyed words, you fell hook, line, and sinker.Who''s to me again?" Rhein walked to Sliver''s side and spat disdainfully at Simon. "The Federal''s terms are much better than yours.Look at what a mess you''ve created for me, and you have the cheek to begrudge me?!" "This is something I should be saying to you." Rhein looked at the man beside him in astonishment. Sliver''s expression was extremely cold, mixed with a tinge of fury. His silver eyes looked like they were suppressing some kind of raging emotions, his irritability and disdain overflowing. "Just look at what the hell you''ve created for me? You said you''ve gotten your hands onto the blueprint, and you told me that you can get all of the Mobile Armors of the Turmann family.By the looks of things, you are a fool even worse than he is!" Rhein''s face stiffened as the smile on it disappeared. His expression became impassive as he said, "I thought I had done my best." When Sliver heard that, he snorted. "A turd, no matter how polished, is still a turd." Rhein did not say much as he angrily mmed his fist against the wall and turned to look at the battle before him. Chapter 648 Chapter 648 Sliver saw how impervious the monster was to damage too. Even a torrent of lead could only rattle its armor and seemingly did no damage to it. On the contrary, every time the monster grasped or stomped, arge group would fall without any means to fight back. Sliver''s expression turned more and more sullen. ''If this goes on, forget a regiment.Even an army may not be able to deal with this monster!" Looking at the Federals were almost wiped out, a look of fear appeared in Simon''s eyes.He, who had thought he was saved, sank into even deeper despair, and he turned to flee outside. This time, Rhein did not stop him.His expression, too, had turned grim, and a tinge of fear appeared in his eyes, wanting to flee. Sliver looked at the metal monster that seemingly knew no fatigue and frowned hard. However, he was much calmer than the two as he turned towards Simon and coldly asked. "You are a Turmann.You should know what its weakness is, right?" Sliver''s train of thought was that he needed to find and attack its weakness, or else humans could never defeat a machine in a rotating battle. Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g! However, Simon shook his head. "I''ve only worked on the second- generation Mobile Armor.I''ve no idea what''s the operating principle of this unit at all..." Hearing this, Sliver was a little furious. ''No wonder Simon''s position in the Turmann family is so low.He doesn''t know anything, nor does he think of anything.Hell would freeze over before he could improve upon his machine!¡¯ As he thought of that, he red at Simon before taking out his walkie-talkie. He said to the men before him, "Everyone who can still move, fall back!" He then looked at Rhein and Simon before him as a thought shed across his mind. When he got the SOS message from Rhein, he had no idea the monster was that strong, and now at this stage, he had no other choice. ''If I''m to pull my men back, I still needed someone to stall the monster.." Thinking of this, he grabbed the two men beside him up, and his powerful arms exploded with shocking strength.He looked at the two and then tossed them over to the monster. Simon did not scream, but Rhein, on the other hand, exploded into a tirade. They were tossed to the monster''s side, and when the remaining soldiers saw what happened, they cautiously retreated upon getting word from theirmander. Both Simon and Rhein once again became the monster''s primary target. Both of them had a grim look on their faces as they resentfully looked at Sliver, who tossed them over. Yet, thetter seemed to be totally impassive as he gave the two useless waste of space onest look and took the remaining half of his men, and left. Despair flooded Simon''s eyes as the massive, bloodied palm was already stretching out towards him. Rhein kicked him away as he yelled. "What are you standing there for?! Run, damn you!" As he said that, he scampered up and ran towards the door in the distance. Simon, who was perked up after the kick, got up. Seeing its attack miss, the monster rushed towards them in anger. Rhein grabbed the doorknob and yelled. "Over here! Hurry!" Simon ran desperately, and just as he was about to reach the door, he saw Rhein''s expression change.He shook the doorknob in his hand in disbelief as his eyes widened and then ckened. "The door, it''s locked?!" Chapter 649 Chapter 649 The two of them were exhausted, and their only escape was locked, with the monster closing in behind them. As expected of Sliver, he did not intend to let them live. After all, he was representing the Federation, and the Intercontinental Party''s interest was the most paramount. Simon and Rhein not only did not help him deal with the Turmann family and the JJ Johnston Group, but instead, they caused him to lose so many men, not to mention this monstrosity. It was trouble upon trouble, each of them massive ones of course Sliver would want them dead. The two heard the sound of the monster trudging behind them and saw that it was barely a few meters away from them, so they closed their eyes. They were done for. Rhein''s eyes were bloodshot as he patted Simon on the shoulder. There was no longer that weird tone in his voice as ament took its ce. "I never thought that I would die together with you." He took a deep breath and continued, "When I was young, I thought that I must overthrow the Turmann family and be the new head.Now it looks like being the new head is rather pointless.It''s far more interesting to live..." Simon looked at Rhein in exhaustion as he sneered. There''s nothing to feel sorry for a bastard like you dying." Rhein shrugged andughed, his red hair stained by blood, yet due to the simrity in color, one could not tell the difference from afar. "Perhaps, but you''re no better." Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g! The machine monster had already rushed before them, its screen in chaos as it held its hand out to grab the two gnats before it crushed them. Simon fearfully looked at its massive mechanical hands that were still bloody and immediately closed his eyes as he waited for death to take him. At this moment, a crisp sound of the door unlocking appeared beside them. The two men at the door immediately perked up and rolled aside. Immediately after, the door was kicked open as a man no one had expected to see appeared. "J-Jared Johnston?!" Rhein''s eyes widened as he looked at the ck-d and slothful man before him. Thetter had not much expression on his face as he squinted and looked at the monster who had stopped due to the sudden turn of events. The group of people behind him too slowly walked over as Janus, and another man with special blue eyes stood at the forefront. When they saw what was behind the group, both Rhein and Simon were stunned. The one held by Jared''s men was no other than Sliver, who had used them as bait to run away and even locked the door! All of his soldiers seemed to have surrendered their weapons as they dejectedly followed behind the group. A humiliated look appeared in Sliver''s eyes as he red at the slothful ck-d man, mes seemingly spewing out of his eyes. "Jared Johnston!" Thest time Rhein failed to take him out, and Sliver had tried to assassinate this man several more times, yet he dodged all attempts. Chapter 650 Chapter 650 The men under Jared''smand had struck him in a way he could not see and disarmed him without a sound, and then used his own gun against him. When Sliver recalled what happened earlier, his eyes shrank as he wanted to rip Jared apart. "I will kill you.Mark my words." He had brought so many men over, and yet he could do nothing to Jared at all. Aside from thest time when he was just that close to killing this powerful man, to make him pay for the power he wielded, Janus could see what he was thinking and gave Sliver a kick in the back as he hissed coldly. "How many years have you been scheming and plotting against the JJ Johnston Group? Have you ever seeded? Sliver looked at Janus as a look of mockery shed across his cold eyes. "Stop joking.Without S, you''d all be dead." Rhein also thought the same as he looked at Jared with a look of jealousy and resentment. Janus frowned a little as he was impatient with the crowd.He twirled his hair as he said, "You sure don''t know when to stop.I''ve already deployed satellite surveince that day, and we have men in every spot you think you''ve upied.Also, we''ve long emptied the chambers of your snipers.Even if they could fire, our airborne defensive web would intercept the shots regardless.Also, our choppers to deal with the snipers were standing by a kilometer away, and not only that, but the surrounding vis were also upied by our people, and we rigged them with explosives.If activated, we could''ve blown you lot to kingdome..."N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. "With all that, do you think you can do anything to our boss?" Both Rhein and Sliver''s expressions changed. They looked at the man who had casually walked to the monster and confronted it silently with a look of fear that could not be hidden. Even Simon was stunned.He did not know such a thing had happened, but hearing Janus'' description alone was enough to give him goosebumps all over. ¡®This man, he is so strong it''s terrifying" Both Sliver and Rhein had more contact with him, and they knew what Jared was like that day. ''Jared had made such preparations, yet he still stayed his hand, waiting for us to gleefully divulge their motive and to provoke us by ignoring our threats.It was all to see what sort of surprises "we had arranged for him and if any would exceed his expectation.." Thinking of this, they were stunned. ¡®What deep nning and deployment are this?'' They have prepared a they thought was wless to capture him. Yet Jared was like a vast ocean that and it was futile no matter how they tried to capture him, and he could not even be bothered to set off a wave to sink that tiny little boat they were proud of. "Oh right, I forgot to tell you." Chapter 651 Chapter 651 Janus looked at their faces and added. Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. "What''s scariest about Boss is his martial ability." Rhein and Sliver watched on as Jared gently moved his wrist. His long fingers seemingly possessed powers unimaginable as he twirled a dagger in them. The dagger looked extremely thin and was just a tad bit longer than a normal one.He raised his hand a little and the dazzling dark purple crystal iid on the hilt radiated a cold yet alluring glint.He then sank it straight into the monster''s body. Rhein had just wanted tough that this was pointless and could not affect the monster at all. Yet, reality soon turned to p him in the face as he saw a deep gnash at the back of the knee where Jared had stabbed it, and it was unsteady like a person with a wounded leg! ¡®How could that be?! Sliver also had a look of shock in his eyes. He had seen that his men''s weaponry could do nothing to the monster at all, and yet, Jared managed to wound the monster with just a dagger. The monster seemingly sensed something as it let out an angry roar. Immediately after, it stretched its hand out to grab Jared. Thetter pulled the dagger out and did not dodge the oing attack. Many thought that Jared could not react in time and would soon be squashed by the raging monster. Yet, Janus only stood there with an impassive face and did not move. Simon spat. "This is your idea of loyalty? To watch your boss die?" Janus straight up ignored him as he only gave him a faint nce before turning to look at Jared. "He''s gonna die anyway.What''s with the act?" Simon let out an audible tch. Many of Sliver''s men thought that Jared was dead meat as they mockingly waited for the moment Jared was squashed. If that was the case, they could use the moment when their enemy is leaderless to seize their weapons back. Yet, Sliver could only frown as he looked at what was unfolding, seemingly still caught up in Janus'' words.He watched Jared''s almost unfathomable speed as he slowly said. "With what you''ve said, he is so strong, but why did he allow himself to be targeted by us?" Before their supposedly good ending woulde, they saw the proud man had rushed forward and just deftly dodged the oing giant hand that was almost impossible to dodge with a back step.He then sank the de onto the top of the hand and used its momentum to propel himself onto the machine as he darted towards its neck along the line of the monster''s arm.His speed was simply just too fast that the monster was stunned for a good three seconds. It was only then did it react in fury as it tried to frantically shake its head, trying to draw the bug on its back off. Unfortunately for it, the man was not thrown off, and instead, one of its fingers was shorn off by the dagger Jared had plunged into its hand. The monster let out a roar, and the damaged leg could no longer support its movements as its mechanical body copsed half-kneeling onto the ground. It then tried to use its mutted fingers to try to grab Jared, who was still on its shoulders. Chapter 652 Chapter 652 Jared grabbed the monster''s neck tightly with one hand and let out a smile after sensing its struggle. "So it''s here." He put some strength into his leg and immediately leaped up. Jarednded straight onto the monster''s back. The dagger in his hand gleamed in cold light as it fell and "decapitated" the monster. Unlike humans, who will bleed, the monster''s neck was full of dense nervous cables. The fragile cables were hidden beneath its thick steel armor. As its head armor and body armor were almost connected together, it was as if the designer had chosen this design to ensure the weakness was exposedst. Everyone looked on in a daze as the massive monster used its mutted fingers to grab the back of its neck as its mountain-like body shuddered and copsed onto the ground. As it had lost one of its legs, its rickety appearance was particrly terrifying. Everyone else fled backward for fear of being crushed by it. Amidst the sizzling sound of the electric current, the ck-d man stood steadily on the shoulder of the monster.He gently wiped the dagger in his hand, the dark purple gemstone letting out a bright gleam. Yet, when in his hand, it paledpared to his radiance.It was as if shattered crystal fragments refracting all their brilliance onto a single point, causing it to be extremely awe- inspiring. Powerful and fearless. Everyone looked at Jared in a daze.He had put away the dagger and slid down the monster''s arm, and the speed he came down with kicked up a not-so-gentle gust.His ck shirt was blown up, yet his eyes werepletely indifferent.He deftlynded on the ground as the monster copsed behind him.It was dusk, and the man''s face was bathed in crimson. The moment he looked up, even the twilight did not seem all that eye- catching. Jared casually walked to Janus'' side, and as he looked at Sliver before him, he let out an icy smile. "The Intercontinental Party should look properly on which side should they stand with." For the interest of the party, it was either to fight him and the Turmann family until the end or to govern soberly and allow him to run his business empire. Sliver was sufficiently agitated by this.His usually indifferent silver eyes were full of disbelief.He then quickly realized something and nodded solemnly. This was the best way to resolve it without resorting to violence" However, as he turned to look at the simrly shocked Rhein and Simon on the other side, a decisive look had already appeared in his eyes. Jared looked at thetter''s expression and saw that he hadpletely given in. A look of faint disgust soon appeared in his eyes. Yet, Sliver did not notice it.He had always been doing things ording to his principles. Since the man before him made him feel that he was the worthier choice, so he held his hand out and wanted to shake Jared''s hand. It was as if the conflict earlier was just an illusion. Rhein, seemingly sensing something, looked at the scene before him in anger. Sliver looked at Jared as he said as if nothing had happened. "As the representative of the Intercontinental Party, although the results are quite bted, I hope we have a pleasant working rtionship." Jared only gave him a slothful look. Since the problem was dealt with, he straight away walked out. Janus and his men immediately followed after, leaving Sliver where he stood. Seeing how unceremoniously he was ignored, the expression on his face stiffened, and a cold glint appeared in his eyes.He quickly walked before Jared and coldly questioned him.N?velDrama.Org ? 2024. Chapter 653 Chapter 653 "What is the meaning of this?" Jared looked at Sliver and seemingly recalled something as he smiled, but just as quickly, he retracted the smile and coldly walked past thetter. "My wife told me not to get involved with you." He was quite the obedient one. Sliver did not expect such an answer.He had subconsciously thought that Jared was just being perfunctory.He wanted to get up to chase after thetter, but two mp-like hands grabbed him tightly, causing him to not be able to take a step further. A menacing look appeared in Sliver''s eyes as he looked at Janus.The anger in his eyes was palpable. Janus was, however, unfazed.He gave him a polite smile, yet his hands did not stop moving as he dragged Sliver out of the way.He then patted his hands together as if he had touched something dirty.Then, as if he recalled something, he looked at Sliver and said slowly. "You want to work with Mr.Jared now? That now depends on whether we want to or not." Janus gave Sliver a thoughtful look. After saying that, he then signaled his men to follow Jared out. On his way out, he dragged the terrified Simon, who was kicking and screaming, out, leaving only Sliver and Rhein sitting in the garden. Rhein looked at Sliver, who had always looked down on him, just sitting there on the grass, his head down, and did not speak for a good while. No one could see his expression clearly. When Jared got back, Nicole was exining the blueprint to the members of the Turmann family, with many admiring boys and girls surrounding her. Jared looked at the scene and raised his eyebrows slightly. N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. Nicole immediately sensed it and looked towards the door. Their eyes met one another, and when Nicole saw him standing there looking cool, a smile appeared in her eyes.She gently motioned to pause the lecture before walking toward Jared. Many of the branch family members looked enviously at the two; the boys were envious of Jared and the girl, Nicole. From a certain level, the two of them were really a match for each other. Nicole looked at Jared, her eyes gentle as she asked. "How did it go?" She knew that he must have gone to resolve the issue with the Thorne family and the Federals.She knew very well that after Simon stole her blueprint if they were to rush production day and night, this was about the time they would be able to produce a batch of defective Mobile Armor. Jared looked at Nicole, his eyes filled with tenderness. "Everything went as nned." Nicole nodded. The two of them had already gone through all countermeasures, and everything had gone as they had imagined. Janus looked at Nicole in surprise. His eyes were filled with curiosity, and he was a person who could not hold his tongue, so he immediately asked, "You''re the person who designed that monstrosity?" Chapter 654 Chapter 654 When Jared heard Janus¡¯ question, he immediately frowned and turned around to give thetter an icy gaze, so much so that Janus felt a chill down his spine. Thetter then whispered. "What''s wrong?" It was because he would always trigger his boss for no reason, and thetter would always look at him like this. Seeing that gaze, he immediately understood he was about to go back to a god-forsaken mining zone to be a hardworking staffer again.He desperately wanted to remedy that. ''If I cannot stay by Boss'' side, then staying by thedy boss'' side is fine too!'' Even with that caution, he still had questions in his heart.When Nicole heard the question, she frowned a little and then turned to Jared. "What''s that about?" Jared looked at her cold eyes and helplessly stroked her cheek as Janus said, "Something probably had gone wrong during production.It was extremely violent and had literally torn the Thorne family apart.If it weren''t for Boss, that monster probably would''ve leveled the whole of Laurendale." Immediately after, he ignored Jared''s icy gaze as he told her everything he saw. When he got to the rather gory part, he self- censored in consideration of Nicole being ady. When Nicole heard what he said, she was slightly surprised.She had only left a series of false information on the most critical sections in the blueprint, and that would, at most, cause the Mobile Armor to fail to start. There was no possibility of someone creating a berserk monster out of it. ¡®Something must''ve gone wrong somewhere." N?velDrama.Org ? 2024. At this moment, Simon was brought in by Jared''s men. Thetter was seriously traumatized, and when he saw Elijah standing in the middle of the crowd, he scampered over to his side. "Brother, save me!" Elijah looked at Simon at his feet.He had already heard the conversation between Nicole and Jared, and so he asked Simon with a sullen look. "Do you know what happened with the monster that appeared in the Thorne family''s ce?" When Simon was asked that, the scene of him nearly being squashed into paste appeared in his mind.His face turned pale as he said, "Brother, I was wrong.I shouldn''t have handed our Mobile Armor blueprint to Rhein.It''s al] my fault..." A look of panic appeared in his eyes. Hearing Simon confessing his own guilt. Eber erupted in a fury. Just as he wanted to yell something, he heard Simon spilling everything out. "The reason I teamed up with Rhein is that I''m the ugliest in the family and the most with the least authority.I was just too angry...I wanted the master of the family to prove myself, and Rhein said he could help me.He told me that the Turmann family has lost the government''s trust, and then he would connect me to the Intercontinental Party and then allow me to take over the role of the patriarch from the one that is distrusted..." Simon was scared out of his wits and told them everything. When Nicole heard it, she knew it went the way she had guessed. The moment Simon spoke about that terrifying monster, his entire person shuddered. Nicole was sure he was not lying, so she asked. "Do you know who created that monster?" Chapter 655 Chapter 655 When Simon heard it, a look of confusion appeared in his eyes.He lowered his head, seemingly trying to think, but in the end, he shook his head. "I''m not sure." He looked at Nicole.Her expression was calm and seemed trustworthy. Seemingly looking like she was encouraging him to continue speaking, he finally plucked up the courage to continue. "Rhein told me not to supervise the work.He went behind me to make a deal with the Federals.I suspect that the reason he kept me out of the process was to do something behind my back." Nicole looked at Simon''s expression and figured that he was not lying. Thetter was still in a state of surviving death, so his mental state was in tatters, and he should have no will to die.He had already lost all confidence in Rhein and the others, so the moment he saw Elijah, he spilled the beans on everything. Nicole turned to look at Jared. The two had an idea of what had happened at the same time.She gently tapped her index finger on the table, seemingly in thought. Elijah, standing by the side, knew that she had already gotten what she wanted out of him, so he turned to Simon before him and sighed. "Simon, it''s toote for you to realize your faults now." "You almost dragged the entire family into this quagmire for your own greed.Have you not considered that if Nicole had note, and the other party got the traitorbel to stick on us, how long can you be patriarch even if you manage to be one?" Elijah''s dark green eyes opened with a pained look within. "The Turmann family can and will never forgive traitors.So, leave.¡± "For him to need to deal with two siblings in one day, a pained look appeared in Elijah''s eyes.However, he was the patriarch of a huge family, and if he could not be fair with his judgments, then what should he do if someone were to betray the family for their own gain in the future?! Nicole knew this very well as she looked coldly at Simon with nary any sympathy. ¡®One reaps what one sows" Moreover, Simon was not a good person even before his confession. Simon could not ept this oue. When he heard Elijah''s merciless words, a look of disbelief appeared on his face. Even Eber, who had always been nice to him, did not say anything this time. Yeah, Eber is a stickler to rules.He doesn''t dare do anything that goes against the family creed, but I just made a mistake. Why must they hold onto this trivial matter and not give me a way out?! "W Thinking of this, Simon gave everyone a resentful look, especially Nicole.She was the one who had encouraged him to tell everything, yet when he spilled the beans, she refused to help him at all! He could now see that the person Elijah valued the most was not his own son but this Nicole, who had popped out of nowhere. If she could speak up for him, even just asking for mercy, perhaps he might have a chance to stay in the family and continue to enjoy its wealth and power... Simon looked at Nicole as he slowly spoke.His tone was, however, almost directive. "Nicole, I''ve told you so much.Why you can''t help me say a word or two to calm Elijah down and allow me to stay?" N?velDrama.Org ? 2024. Nicole had never heard such a plea before as she looked on impassively at Simon before saying, "I''ve not even settled the score of you sneaking into my room to steal the blueprint.I''ve only gotten you to admit what you did wrong so we cane up with a n on how to salvage this mess.You think this is some sort of contribution?" Chapter 656 Chapter 656 ¡®This entire mess is because of Simon''s greed, and now he is the one feeling wronged?" N?velDrama.Org ? 2024. Simon looked at her.Her words were piercing, and he could not refute what she said. ''I''ve divulged so much because of her question; she could at least show me some gratitude!¡¯ ¡°Why must they back me into a corner?" Simon got up; his eyes reddened as he wanted to say something to Nicole. At that time, he wanted to stretch across the table to grab Nicole''s clothes, yet the moment he was about to touch her, he suddenly sensed a sharp chill that was so terrifying it was as if he had taken another step forward.He would be losing his hand. Simon looked up and saw Jared by Nicole''s side.He was leaningzily against the chair, ying with a dagger in his hand. It was that same dagger that decapitated the monster earlier! Cold sweat started to form all over his head. The man beside Nicole had always given him a harmless feeling that he, for a moment, forgot how brutal his blows were and how inhumanly strong he was. Simon immediately froze as he looked at Jared and started shivering uncontrobly, not even daring to withdraw his hand. Janus looked at Simon and sensed the chilly vibeing from Jared.He immediately stood beside Nicole to support her.He then coldly said, "What were you thinking of doing there?" Simon''s face turned pale.He gave Janus'' neurotic smile a nervous nce before fleeing outside. ¡®That attitude of his is quite intriguing" Nicole gave Jared a thoughtful look, and he shot a smile back at her.It was only then did she look away and got up as she went upstairs. Jared, however, gently hooked in fingers, motioning for Janus to act before getting up and following behind Nicole. Elijah looked at the two and was a little startled.His subordinates were holding down the blueprint Nicole had sent over, and Jared did not make any demands from him. ''Perhaps Nicole had already told him" Eber came to his side and whispered. "Brother, do you think the two of them can deal with this matter?" Elijah put the blueprint in his hand down as he looked assuredly at the direction the two had left and said, "I don''t know about the others, but Nicole, she''s a woman of her words." Eber nodded.He believed Elijah, and after witnessing the strength Nicole had disyed this morning, he had to admit that he had gradually developed a trust in Nicole as well. It was the type of trust where disaster would surely pass if she was there. Elijah, seemingly recalling something, turned to Eber and frowned. "Things are still not yet settled.Go and drag Simon back.Otherwise, we''ll be on the back foot again if we were to have another confrontation." Eber nodded and made a phone call to gather his men.He then gave his watch a nce before leaving with his men in tow with a serious look on his face. Elijah looked at the blueprint before him and let out a soft sigh before turning to the servant behind him and saying, "Go and look for Carl." ¡®Ever since that boy found out about Nicole and Jared''s rtionship, he seemed very reluctant to show up at home.God knows where he has gone to" Yet, Carl''s voice rang out behind him, sounding somewhatid. "Dad, you''re looking for me?" Chapter 657 Chapter 657 Elijah squinted as he looked at his son before disappointedly pping the blueprint into thetter''s face as he said, "Go to the foundry and get the first batch out ASAP! If there''re any ws in them, just you wait!" Carl gave him a slothful response before turning around and walking outside. Yet, his eyes earnestly scanned through every corner of the blueprint. The blueprints Nicole personally drew had always been terrifyingly urate. This batch also probably required her to design the data chip herself. Elijah slowly raised his head and looked at the gradually darkening sky.He then recalled the words Elijah told him after Nicole had rejected him. "The Turmann family owes Nicole far too much.Even if she had rejected you, you must still be by her side.Even if she does not require your protection, you must still ensure that she is safe and sound." When Carl thought of this, his hand holding the blueprint grasped tightly. ¡®Yeah, without Nicole, there would be no Turmann family." ¡®What am I doing feeling dissatisfied for?¡¯ Jared and Nicole returned to their room. For the past two days, they had no chance to use the room together. The two were always separated during time off work and rest, so even if they were to use the same bed, there was no opportunity for them to share it. It just so happened today that the both of them had no business to attend to, so Nicolezily leaned by the window as she raised her eyebrows and looked at Jared, who was seated facing her and asked. "Out with it.What happened today?" When Jared saw her like this, a smile appeared in his eyes.He was sitting very naturally opposite her, but due to both of them having long legs, Nicole actually felt a little cramped as they sat before the huge French window. Seeing the man facing her showing a frown of dissatisfaction, thetter then went to her side and casually pulled her into his arms.He gently rubbed his chin over her head before finally replying with some satisfaction. Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g! "When I got there just at the nick of time, Rhein and Simon were already locked inside the vi.It''s Sliver''s usual MO.I''m sure there''s a gulf between the three of them now.¡± Nicole nodded. She adjusted her position to allow her to lean into his arms morefortably before motioning him to continue. When he spoke again, an iprehensible cheer appeared in the man''s voice. "I''ve ordered Janus to personally contact the Intercontinental Party.Sliver''s performance has been poor ofte, and he''s not even smart about it as a de.With him failing against me so many times, I suppose the top brass must be very dissatisfied with him." If Janus was here, he would definitely be excited to tell Nicole about Sliver''s flubbing. After all, when the Federals previously destroyed some of Boss¡¯ resources back then, he smacked them so hard that they spat everything out in restitution, and he even made a fortune out of it. ¡®What kind of brain does this man even have?¡¯ Upon hearing Jared''s words, Nicole could imagine Sliver''s grim, livid face. When she was in the organization, he was the same as well. Everything he did was for his personal benefit, and if something went wrong, he would thoroughly snap. "Sliver even wanted to represent the Federals to negotiate with me." Jared chuckled, his voice extremely clear. Yet when it rang by her ear side, it sounded extremely alluring. "He actually thinks he''s fit for that?" Chapter 658 Chapter 658 When Nicole heard that, her eyes dimmed somewhat.She then turned towards Jared, with the look of "good job" in her eyes. Jared knew what she was thinking as he looked at her. Looking at her delicate face, a surge of emotions welled in his eyes. Nicole was just too cute in his eyes. Many times, he had to fully suppress his desire to kiss her with all his might. Like now... Seeing that he suddenly stopped talking, a curious look appeared in Nicole''s eyes.She turned towards Jared. The man suddenly covered her eyes.He eagerly bit onto her lips and rubbed against them gently for a while. He wanted to do it gently as he pecked her lips again and again, then came the powerful deep kiss, not giving her any chance to react. Nicole was forced to take the kiss. The man''s noble and cold scent rushed to the tip of her nose. Even though it was a clean smell, it felt extremely invasive after a while.It was like a beast finally having its facade cracked, yet she did not refuse him at all. She simply just closed her eyes. The forest after the rain became misty, and the fog slowly rose, yet there was also a much truer side to it.It was no longer only fresh and natural; it was also scarred and fraught with danger. Nicole was slowly opening herself up to him, and so was he. The two kissed for a long while, and by the time Jared let go of her, it was already dark. Only a few faint afterglows of twilight shone into the room, and as he looked at her, his eyes radiated both love and restraint. Love meant possession, and love meant fighting with himself and restraining himself to protect her. Looking at Nicole with a gentle gaze, he slowly said, "You''re a kind person, Nicole, but I''m not." He ced her hand on his face. The rare coldness on it contrasted with the warmth of the palm. "If I''m not as immacte and perfect as your love, or if I''m much more sinister, dirtier than you had imagined, will you still choose meas you do right now?" Jared looked deeply at Nicole, his eyes gleaming.His entire person felt like an ephemeral yet beautiful dream floating in mid-air.He was unable to fall, yet he could not bear the anxiety of hiding his true self either.He gave Nicole a look of a person who had gone all in as his hair dropped down. Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g! They were words that were gloomy and sad, yet he said them so smoothly and calmingly. Nicole looked at him and smiled. "How many times do you want me to confirm that, hmm?" She took the lead and ced both her hands on Jared''s cheek, pulling herself up to kiss his face, kiss his beautiful eyes, kiss his tall nose, and then finally, kiss his pale lips. Jared, in her eyes, was like the most beautifulndscape painting, with just the right shade, with nary a stroke, not a beauty engraved upon her heart. Jared stood still. Ever since the moment, Nicole said that he was like a statue, his expression totally retracted as he just looked at her. "There is no truly good person in this world." She said cryptically. Yet, in Jared''s ears, her words were like the sweetest mead. "I can heal and also kill.I can be extremely stubborn for the things I stand for." "I don''t know when I made you feel so insecure." Nicole had finallypleted her masterpiece.As she looked at Jared, she slowly let out a clear smile. Chapter 659 Chapter 659 "I know who I fell in love with.So no matter what happens, I will love you," Nicole said with a deep gaze. "No one can tell me if I can or cannot choose you.Only I know if I made the right choice, and there''s no turning back when I do." At this time, Jared''s heart was beating faster and faster.He could not hold it in any longer.He pressed against Nicole with his lower body and began kissing her passionately. Nicole was flustered. Nobody had ever wanted her like this before. But Jared forced himself to stop. "Jared..." "Get some rest.I''ve got to go." "Oh..." Nicole did not understand why Jared had to leave.She thought he was mad. But all she could do was bite her lips.She still did not know how to butter a man up.She felt disappointed when she saw Jared leave, but she quickly shook her head. ¡®Why are you disappointed, Nicole? Did you actually want him to continue?'' She thought to herself. The next day, the Turmann family held a family meeting to announce Simon''s execution, while the Thorne family suffered huge losses because of the monster. Moreover, the Throne family had a fallout with the Intercontinental Party.So, they lost the ability to fight back. The Turmann family waited for their opportunity to fight back and gained the upper hand in a day with Jared''s help. Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g! "Thank you, Mr.Johnston," Elijah said when he waited upon Jared. ¡®Nicole really is the lucky star of the Turmann family.She had brought Jared to cooperate with us against the Intercontinental Party and the Thorne family at such a critical time.We would not have done it without him" he thought. "Well, my wife''s the boss," Jared replied as he smiled at Nicole. This statement made a few people ufortable, especially Carl, who was standing behind Elijah. Then, Elijah returned to his senses and said, "Thank you, Nicole.We couldn''t have done it without both of you." "Oh, it''s nothing.After all, Carl and I are friends," Nicole said and smiled at Carl. ¡°Carl was down in the dumps these few days, but his sadness disappeared when he saw Nicole''s smile.Yes, it doesn''t matter what type of rtionship we have as long as she''s by my side, right?" he thought Chapter 660 Chapter 660 Things wereing to an end. Nicole had not talked to her family much these few days, but her elder brother still sent a message in the mornings. ¡®Mom and dad must be worried" she thought. She then turned to Carl and Elijah and said, "I''ll leave the follow- up to you.There are still matters I need to attend to at school." Eber and the others looked at each other in dismay when they heard Nicole''s words. ¡®Why does a genius like her need to go to school?¡¯ they thought. "Okay, I''ll send someone to drive you," Elijah said. "There''s no need for that.I''ve prepared a private jet.We''ll go back in an hour," Jared replied with a smile. He looked at Carl when he said thosest few words as if to provoke anger. Carl ignored him and turned to Nicole, "I''ll be back in a few days after everything here is settled." The family matter has not been fully resolved, so Carl could not leave yet. Though, he would go with her in a heartbeat if everything was under different circumstances. "You better stay here, Carl.You will be a target if you go back after this," Nicole said solemnly while everyone fell silent. Carl was the head of the house''s son, but he rarely appeared in public in the past. This time, it would be different.Although the Thorne family had been suppressed for now, Carl would be their target once they regain their strength. "It would be best if you followed the arrangement." Nicole had once exposed Carl''s whereabouts when she answered his call rashly, but she will not make that mistake again.Carl felt helpless.He could only lower his head and say, "Okay..." After Nicole felt reassured, she nodded and said, "I''ve got to go now.Don''t worry.We''ll see each other soon." "Okay..." Carl knew that they would meet again, but he was heartbroken to see Jared and her leaving together. Everyone began to say their goodbyes to Nicole and left after she and Jared got into the car. Elijah did not know what to say when he saw the disappointment stered across Carl''s face.So, he thought it would be best for Carl to figure it out on his own. Nicole and Jared were back in the country in less than half a day with the private jet. As she got off the ne, she yawned. "Still sleepy?" Jared asked with a smile on his face. ¡®She was asleep the entire trip, but she''s still sleepy?¡¯ he thought. "Well, I didn''t get much sleepst night.I was up making improvements in the blueprints for the Turmann family," she replied.N?velDrama.Org ? 2024. Jared felt for her after he heard that.He reached out his hand to pat her head and said, "It breaks my heart to see you so exhausted. Nicole felt a warm sensation in her heart.¡± ¡®When did this unaffectionate guy be such a romantic?" She then looked back at him and said, "Aren''t you mad anymore?" "When was I mad?" Jared frowned as he did not know what she was talking about.Nicole thought of what happened yesterday and felt a little embarrassed. "Umm...When you left the room yesterday..." Jared immediately understood what she meant.He then smiled yfully and whispered something into her ears. Nicole blushed.She did not know where to look. "Stop talking nonsense," she said. ¡®When did he be like this?¡¯ "I''m not.What can I do when my wife is this attractive?" He teased. Nicole rolled her eyes and said, "Stop it.We''re home.Don''t scare my parents." Chapter 661 Chapter 661 "As if you''re not scaring them enough," Jared said with an innocent look. ¡®She gave us a status, but she doesn''t want me to call her pet names?" "Hmph.I''m not talking to you anymore," Nicole frowned. At that time, their ride was in sight. Just as Jared''s car stopped, another car drove up and parked right behind his. The door swung open, and a tall man walked out of the car.He immediately rushed over when he saw Jared. "Jared, you''re back! I was wondering how could you just leave thepany, but turns out you were out fooling around with women! " Murphy said to Jared happily. However, he stumbled when he noticed Jared''s cold gaze, like a sharp knife piercing through him. "Who''s this?" Nicole asked coldly. Since he was rude to Jared, she did not act nice. Jared did not care about Murphy. "Just a piece of trash," he said. "You go. I''ll handle it." Nicole knew that Jared was capable of handling things himself, so she did not press further. "Okay, I''ll go back and rest. Meet you at your ce for coffee tomorrow," Nicole replied. "Okay," Jared nodded and watched Nicole get into the car sent by the Riddle family. Murphy was furious at Jared for ignoring him while being lovey- dovey with a girl. "Let''s see how long you can keep this up! My eldest brother is back! He and my dad are waiting for you to return to thepany to give them an exnation!" Murphy said with a sinister smile. Jared had been careful since his return, but they finally caught him in the act; an acting chairman, leaving thepany just to fool around with girls. ¡®If he gets caught by Castor, he would definitely be kicked out of thepany by dad!'' Murphy thought. "An exnation? Well, I guess it''s time to give uncle and brother an exnation," Jared said. Murphy''s face turned pale when he noticed Jared''s eyes darkened. "What do you mean?" Murphy asked. "You''ll find out soon..." Jared then lowered his head and got into the car. Murphy was the one who wanted to call him out, but he was the one who got yed. ¡®He''s bluffing.We''ll see what he has to say for himself when he returns to thepany!'' Murphy thought. Nicole fell asleep in the car on the way back.She discovered she was brought to the family manor when she woke up. After questioning the driver, she found out that Mr.Riddle Sr.heard that she was back and called everyone to wee her home. However, she knew that he wanted to ask her about Mr.Wyance. '' After all, I didn''t have time to exin before I left" Nicole pulled herself together and walked into the manor.She soon felt that the atmosphere was weird. Daniel and Gloria were tending to guests with Mr.Riddle Sr in the hall at that time. When Nicole got closer, she saw the people who were sitting on the couch across from them. On the side was Norah, who had not been back in a while, and a poorly-dressed couple sat up front. Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. Sean was the first to see Nicole walk in.He quickly went up and said, "Nicole, you''re back." Everyone turned their heads when they heard this. Chapter 662 Chapter 662 Norah''s eyes immediately darkened when she saw Nicole.It was different than the innocent and helpless look she had before. She wanted to teach Nicole a lesson after she won the Math Olympiad, but she had to give up after Nicole left the country.She was surprised when she suddenly received a phone call from her parents. ''Did they finally miss me and want me to visit the family?¡¯ Norah thought. She did not expect them to find her biological parents. At this moment, her eyes were red.It was full of hatred. ¡®If it wasn''t for her, I wouldn''t be in this position.Being given away to a poor couple? Getting kicked out of this family?¡¯ Daniel and Gloria stood up and turned to Nicole, "Nicole, you''re back.Are you tired? Why don''t you go upstairs and rest? " Seeing that her parents did not seem to want her there, Nicole nodded. "Okay, I''ll go wash up." As she was leaving, Norah rushed up and grabbed her. "No, you can''t go," she said while she stared at Nicole with hatred. Nicole frowned and broke away from Norah, disgusted, ''''What are you doing?" Sean noticed something was wrong and stepped forward. "Calm down, Norah." "Calm down? How can I calm down?" Norah''s acting skills began.Her eyes filled with tears. When she raised her head to look at Sean, the hostility in her disappeared.She looked innocent and helpless again. "If Nicole didn''t appear, would you have driven me away? I''m the one who has lived with you for so many years, brother...We grew up together...Was our rtionship fake? Is the blood the only factor to be called family?" Everyone fell silent when they heard Norah''s words. Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. Gloria felt guilty.She had not been sleeping well these past few days.She had been worried about Norah.She did not expect that the next time she saw her was when they had found her parents.She then stepped forward and grabbed Norah, "Norah, you will always be my daughter, and that is something that will never change." "Really?" Norah shed a tear and looked back at the two people in shabby clothes. ¡®I will not let myself live a hard life with those two.No matter what, I have to stay" she thought. Norah bit her lips, and more tears rolled down from her cheeks. "I know that you love me, mom.But I don''t know these people.I have no rtionship with them.Are you and dad really going to send me away to live with them?" Gloria did not know what to say.The couple also felt guilty as they could not provide what the Riddle family could provide for Norah.It was true that they did not have much of a rtionship with her, so they could understand why she did not want to go with them. "Enough," Mr.Riddle Sr.voiced out. "It doesn''t matter if you don''t want to.They are your biological parents." As if pressured, the man immediately got up and said, "Norah...We''ve done a DNA test...You really are our daughter...It was our fault that we lost you in the first ce...Your mother and I will try to make it up to you...We promise..." The guilt behind the man''s eyes was clearly noticeable. Nicole had also been lost before, and she could never forget how Gloria and Daniel felt when she first came back. ¡®What kind of parents don''t love their child? What kind of child doesn''t want to reunite with her biological family?'' she thought. Nicole looked at the couple and could not stand it anymore.She slowly turned to Norah and said, "You shouldn''t reject them like this even if you don¡¯t know them.They''re your biological parents.You''re making them sad. Nicole''s words made everyone quiet down. "What do you know?!" Norah replied fiercely. "I felt the same when I came back to this family.Of course I know." Nicole''s words were powerful.Everyone could not help but look at her. "Even though the people in this family had a difficult time epting me at first, I tried my best to fit in.This is what a daughter should do." Nicole never gave up despite how badly she was treated.She never wanted to run away because this was her family. Chapter 663 Chapter 663 Gloria and Daniel were touched to see their daughter being so thoughtful. "Nicole, this is your home.No matter what everyone else thinks, your father and I will always love you," Gloria said. Nicole nodded and smiled at them, "I know." The hatred in Norah was boiling when she looked at how happy their family was. "Don''t make yourself to be so great, Nicole.The Riddle family is much more privileged than your previous family.Of course you tried to fit in!" Anger took hold of Norah.She did not give a thought to what she was Saying. "What nonsense are you on, Norah?" Sean frowned. "You know it''s true.She''s just a vige girl, but she became a princess when she returned to the Riddle family.Of course she tried hard to stay.What about me? Have any of you ever thought of me? What life will 1 live? What will I be?" Norah looked back at the couple with contempt and it made them shrink back. "We...We''re the one to me..." At that time, Mr.Riddle Sr.could not take it anymore. "What do you know? Nicole lived a poor life but never left her grandma''s side!" "That''s because she had no choice! Now that she a part of the Riddle family, she''s never been back!" "How dare you!" Mr.Riddle Sr.was furious, but he could not catch his breath; he could not stop coughing. "Dad! W "Grandpa!" Gloria, Daniel, and Nicole rushed to his side. Damien, who had been listening, could not bear it any longer. "Take care of your family matters yourself, Daniel.Dad has just recovered.How long are you going to let him worry about these things?" Damien would have already resolved these issues if it were him. Daniel had no choice but to be strict with Norah. "Norah, I''ve always treated you well as my half-daughter, and I have never spoken harshly of you, but this time, you have gone too far!" Everyone was stunned that Daniel was reprimanding Norah. Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. ''Is this still the loving father from before?¡¯ They thought. "Dad..." "Don''t call me dad!" Norah was stunned. Gloria and Nicole were also shocked after hearing that. However, Nicole was also relieved to see her father finally stepping up. ¡®He''s finally grown a backbone, '' she thought. Daniel stepped forward and picked up the documents and contract on the table.He then looked at Norah''s biological parents and said, "Since the DNA test has confirmed, you are Norah''s biological parents." Norah felt despair when she looked at how heartless Daniel was. ¡®Am I really getting kicked out today?'' Chapter 664 Chapter 664 Norah yed the victim as she looked at Gloria. "Mother...Do you not want me too?" Gloria could not help but thought to herself as she looked at Norah¡¯s sad face, ''I thought to myself many times whether Nicole will ask me what Norah asked.But Nicole never did" Gloria was soft-hearted when it came to Norah.But she remembered that Nicole could adapt to a new life. "Norah, although you¡¯re not my daughter, you can still be my goddaughter.I''ll still treat you well," Gloria sighed.She looked at Daniel as she said that. Daniel noticed that Gloria was soft-hearted.He stared at Norah¡¯s parents as he sighed, "Although Norah will leave with the two of you, she¡¯s still our goddaughter.I¡¯ll have Alfred transfers five hundred thousand to your bank ount.Do treat her well." Nicole sighed as she saw her parents¡¯ generosity. ''The Riddle family isn¡¯t obliged to do that.They¡¯ve raised Norah for so many years after all.Now, they¡¯re still going to transfer five hundred thousand to the couple.They''ve done everything for her" "Five hundred thousand..." Nicole said as her face turned pale instantly. ''I feel so cheap and pathetic suddenly¡¯ ''Tused to spend a few hundred thousand a year.But now, they want to get rid of me with just five hundred thousand?!¡¯Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g! "Father, I¡¯ll do it." Sean stepped forward to negotiate with Norah¡¯s parents. ¡®Not only have we found our daughter, but we¡¯re also getting paid too" the couple thought. They quickly nodded their head as they bent to get their bank card. Norah¡¯s heart was ice cold as she watched the scene.She knew she could not change what was going to happen.She clenched her fist as she forced herself to calm down.She raised her eyes again.She teared as she stared at Gloria. "Mother...No, I¡¯ll have to call you godmother from now on...Right? Gloria was heartbroken as she saw the sadness on Norah¡¯s face.¡± ¡®After all, she was my daughter for so many years.Can¡¯t believe we''re like strangers now.But I¡¯ve done everything I can" Gloria thought. Norah grabbed Gloria¡¯s hand without saying another word. "So, in the future...Can I stille back and visit you anytime I want...?" Nicole squinted as she looked at Norah.She disliked the way she acted. Gloria burst into tears as she nodded. "Of course.Come back and visit us whenever you miss us, okay?" Norah smiled stealthily when she got Gloria¡¯s approval.However, she still pretended to be pitiful. "Okay...I''lle back and visit you next time." Sean squinted as he looked at Norah. Daniel could hardly refuse as he saw the sadness on Gloria¡¯s face.Here will always be your second home.You cane back whenever you want"'' Daniel agreed with his wife. Norah felt better when she saw Daniel was soft-hearted too. However, the hatred deep down for Nicole began to surge up in her! But Norah could only smile and said, "Okay, I will..." She then turned around decisively. Suddenly, she had eye contact with Nicole.Her eyes were filled with ruthlessness instantly. Nicole frowned her eyebrows, but she was not afraid of her. Norah walked towards the door. "Nicole...We''ll see..." she said as she walked past Nicole. ¡®She took away everything from me.I''ll definitely deal with her and make her pay!¡¯ Norah thought. Nicole grunted coldly.She was not afraid of Norah. Norah¡¯s parents received the payment.They quickly said goodbye to the Riddle family as they left with Norah. Sean sensed something was not right.He then walked toward Nicole and asked, "What did Norah say to you just now?" Nicole did not want Sean to worry about her. "Nothing much.She only said goodbye to me," Nicole said coldly. "..." Sean did not believe her. ''Norah hasn¡¯t been the sametely" "Alright, I¡¯m tired.I¡¯ll go upstairs and rest." "Father, take it slow." Daniel walked toward Mr.Riddle Sr.to help him. Chapter 665 Chapter 665 Mr.Riddle Sr.did not forget to look at Nicole. "Nicole,e to my room." "Okay," Nicole nodded her head. Although Daniel and Gloria wanted to ask Nicole many questions, they could only wait and asked her after she came out of the room. Nicole followed Mr.Riddle Sr.to go upstairs. Although Damien wanted to listen to their conversation, he can only leave them alone as Mr.Riddle Sr.stared at him.Mx.Riddle Sr.sighed only after they were the only two people in the room. "Nicole, who are you exactly?" This was the question that he suppressed for a long time. "I knew Nicole wasn¡¯t an ordinary girl when she brought me to a secret base for treatment.But I was afraid to ask her.However, Mr.Wyance cared so much about her a few days ago.Mr.Johnston Sr.took her very seriously as well.I¡¯d been paying attention to the Riddle family for the past few days.I really wanted to know Nicole¡¯s true identity" Nicole knew this day woulde eventually.She knew she could not hide from him anymore.She pondered for a bit before she said the two words, "Zane Spears." Mr.Riddle Sr.was shocked by those two words. "Zane Spears..."he said. ''He¡¯s famous internationally.I wouldn¡¯t have in my entire life thought I¡¯d hear his name from my family" "Y-You¡¯re..." Nicole felt helpless as she saw Mr.Riddle.Sr¡¯s shocked face. ''I didn¡¯t want to scare him.But I can only tell him the truth now" "I''m his goddaughter.I¡¯m also the chief mercenary of the organization." Although it was a lot more than that, she was afraid that Mr.Riddle Sr.could not handle it if she had told him more. Sure enough, he coughed a few times continuously. "Ahem, ahem, ahem..." "Grandfather, are you okay?" Nicole stared at Mr.Riddle Sr.helplessly. ''I downyed what I told him.But by looking at his reaction, I think he was spooked." "I''m okay.I¡¯m okay." Mr.Riddle Sr.raised his head as he looked at Nicole. The look in his eyes changed. "No wonder Mr.Wyance and Mr.Johnston Sr.cared about her so much" ¡®Zane Spears''s the world¡¯s most famous mercenary organization.They¡¯re employed by top-level figures from countries around the world" ''No one has seen Zane Spears.But mercenaries that were chosen by him are elite talents.And they were all chosen when they were at a young age.Among them are people from ancient families and the children of wealthy families.They¡¯ re all athletic and talented geniuses" Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g! ¡®If she can be the chief mercenary...Doesn¡¯t that mean my granddaughter¡¯s the cream of the crop?!" ¡®How can I not be shocked?¡¯ ¡®I¡¯ve such an outstanding granddaughter, but I didn¡¯t even know it.No wonder she passed her exam with flying colors.It seemed like everything wasn¡¯t coincidental after all" ¡®Everyone in the Riddle family is such a fool.All of them look down upon her just because she was from the countryside" Nicole noticed Mr.Riddle Sr.did not look well.She walked forward to help himy down. "Grandfather, you need to rest more.Don¡¯t think about what happened.From now on, the Riddle family has me." ¡®I guess this reassured him" Nicole thought. Mr.Riddle Sr.was reassured like never before.He felt a sense of relief as he looked at Nicole. ¡°¡®I''m ashamed.I¡¯ve so many sons and grandchildren.But the most determined one is Nicole who was disced outside for years" "I¡¯m...Indebted to you.I brought you back here only after so many years." ''It¡¯d be wonderful if I could bring Nicole back to us earlier" Nicole shook her head as she said, "No.I didn¡¯t want toe back before this." Mr.Riddle Sr.could not help feeling shocked when he heard that. "Is it because..."He did not finish his sentence, but he understood why. ¡®With Nicole, with the support of Zane Spears organization, she could easily find out who her parents were" Chapter 666 Chapter 666 "I wanted to take good care of my grandmother before this.I did not want to disturb your life too." ¡®The Riddle family already had a daughter.They were a happy family.And I want to take good care of my grandmother.That was why I didn¡¯t want toe back to the Riddle family.That was until my grandmother found out about it.I didn¡¯t want her to feel guilty.I didn¡¯t want my parents from the Riddle family to be sad as well.That was why I came back" Nicole thought. Mr.Riddle Sr.had an unspeakable feeling as he looked at Nicole. "She knew everything.She had to bear all the problems alone all this while" ¡®We adopted a daughter.And we found Nicole after so long.But after she came back, we made so many demands on her.We were afraid that she would embarrass us" For the first time in his life, Mr.Riddle Sr.felt a strong feeling of embarrassment.He stared at Nicole as he sighed, "You don¡¯t need to do anything else.You just came back.Go and take a rest." "Alright."'' Nicole knew Mr.Riddle Sr.felt terrible.She tucked him in without saying anything further.She then turned around and left the room. Just when she reached downstairs, she could hear Samuel''s voice. "sister! You came back!" Before Nicole could react, Samuel rushed to her and hugged her. Nicole was disoriented by Samuel¡¯s enthusiasm.Her awkward body was a little stiff. Spencer had to step forward and pulled Samuel away from Nicole. "Alright, you¡¯re so sweaty.Don¡¯t stay near Nicole." Samuel looked embarrassed as he stepped back. "I¡¯m sorry.My basketballpetition just ended.I didn¡¯t have the time to change before I came back home." Nicole was ttered when she noticed not only Spencer and Samuel came back, but Stanley and Steve came back as well. "I went abroad for only a few days..." "They made it look like I left home for a long time" Stanley stepped forward as he said, "You won first ce in this month¡¯s exam and the Mathematical Olympiadpetition.But you did not go to school for the past few days.The school was blowing up." ¡®Nicole rose to be the genius of the school.The student union and clubs were waiting for her to come back to join them.The press from the school was waiting to interview her too.But she went overseas suddenly.Because of this, many people came after us, the brothers, to ask about her whereabouts" "Oh." Nicole heard what Stanley said.But she did not show any expression. The brothers could not help but be impressed by Nicole. ''Nicole¡¯s so young.But when she¡¯s calm, none of us can match her" they thought. Damien saw Daniel¡¯s family members were all there. ''"Dad¡¯s much better now.You all don¡¯t need toe back here so often.Brother, you too.You should go home and rest for a couple of days," Damien said with a slight cough. ¡®Daniel and his family stole the limelight recently.I was the only one keeping dadpany before that.Now that dad values Daniel and his family so much, I might have to leave this manor soon if I continue to allow Daniel to keep dadpany" Daniel did not realize the intention of Damien saying that. He nodded his head as he said, "Okay, brother." Daniel had no intention to steal credits. ''Now that dad¡¯s fine, I should bring my family back home" Just before Daniel and his family left, Damien looked at Nicole. Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. He could not resist but to ask her the question he had been wanting to ask, "Nicole, who are you exactly?" Nicole nced at Damien. ¡®Although I told granddad, I¡¯m not obliged to tell anyone else" Her eyes were cold as she nced at Damien. "Uncle, if you want to know, you can ask granddad," she said calmly. ¡®For sure, granddad wouldn¡¯t tell him" ¡®Because he doesn¡¯t deserve to know" Damien felt Nicole¡¯s cold eyes.He could not help but clench his teeth.But he knew he could not offend Nicole at the moment.He could only say, "Alright, go ahead and take care." Chapter 667 Chapter 667 Damien showed the attitude of a man of the house. Daniel and Gloria did not have the intention to stay any longer. They then left with their kids. Upstairs. Miley stepped out of the shadows. She stared at the back of Daniel and his family as they left. ¡°Don¡¯t they have any manners?! You¡¯re the eldest son! How dare Daniel¡¯s kids disrespected you! Too presumptuous!¡± ¡°Okay, stop talking.¡± Damien scolded. He was afraid that Mr. Riddle Sr. would hear what Miley said. ¡®I haven¡¯t been treated like this!¡¯ Miley thought. Her face could not resist but turned blue instantly. ¡°You only dare to be tough against me! Daniel had been giving you a hard time recently! But you didn¡¯t even dare to fight back! Ipletely can¡¯t count on you!¡± Damien was fed up. He pped her with the back of his hand immediately. Pow! Miley¡¯s face was swollen! ¡°H-How dare you hit me?¡± Miley looked at Damien in astonishment. ¡®Damien has never hit me before ever since we¡¯re married! How dare he pped me?! ¡°So what if I p you?¡± Damien¡¯s eyes were cold. ¡°I lost ground so quickly in the Riddle family because your family was defeated. You should reflect upon yourself!¡± He then walked upstairs after he said that leaving Miley behind. She was covering her face as she wept frustratingly. ¡®Rogers family was removed from the circle of the great families. That was why even Damien dare to treat me badly!¡¯ ¡®Who else can I count on?¡¯ ¡®Right now, the only person I can count on is Chloe¡­ " In the Chairman¡¯s office of Johnston Group. The atmosphere there was tense. Jared sat on a ck leather couch with aid-back attitude. Three men were sitting opposite him. They were Murphy, Castor, and a middle-aged man who was drinking his tea casually. He was Jared¡¯s eldest uncle, Henry. Jared was the acting president after he came back. Henry was working at a subsidiary. He rarely came to the headquarter. But he looked like he came here to dispense justice. But Jared looked like he did not care at all. He gently sipped on his coffee as he nced at Henry coldly. ¡°Uncle and my cousin brothers. You came here to my office early in the morning just to wee me back. I¡¯m ttered.¡± Henry pretended to be polite. N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. Murphy was impatient. He scolded, ¡°Jared, stop pretending! You left your position as acting president to hang out with a beauty overseas . Do you think you can hide it?¡± ¡°Hide?¡± Jared¡¯s eyes were filled with darkness. ¡°I don¡¯t need to hide the things that I want to do from anyone.¡± The pressure in the office dropped sharply due to his cold words. Murphy¡¯s expression changed slightly. He wanted to speak further. But Castor gave him a look to shut him up. Castor then smiled cunningly as he said, ¡°Jared, you¡¯re a different person ever since you came back from overseas.¡± They were overwhelmed by Castor¡¯s attitude. Jared¡¯s courage came out from nowhere. 1 His eyes were filled with coldness as he nced at Castor. ¡°Likewise. You were doing very well overseas too. You came to the headquarter right after you just returned. Do you want to be the acting president too?¡± Castor¡¯s facial expression changed. ¡®I didn¡¯t expect Jared to expose me so directly.¡¯ ¡°I should be the one who asks you this question. You were living peacefully overseas for years. Isn¡¯t that good? Castor¡¯s eyes started to fill with doom. Jared smiled as he saw that. ¡°I wanted to stay overseas too. But¡­ Granddad asked me toe back. I can only obey.¡± The three of them did not look good after Jared said that. Chapter 668 Chapter 668 ¡®The three of us have been working for thepany within the country. But when dad finally wanted to step down, he asked Jared toe back. Jared didn¡¯t even know anything about thepany. And yet, dad made him the acting president,¡¯ Henry thought. ¡®I was told that Jared has his ownpany overseas, but we think it¡¯s just a smallpany. Dad making him in charge of ourpany is a joke. Now then we got his loose ends, dad couldn¡¯t me us.¡¯ Henry saw his two sons fail to pick on Jared. He then put on airs as he said, ¡°Your grandfather put you in charge of thepany because he trusted you. But you abandoned thepany just like that. Jared, you disappointed me.¡± Jared smiled as he heard Henry¡¯s words. ¡°Uncle, you ttered me. I heard you lost a five hundred million contractst month. And Castor lost an investment overseas too. And yet, you still have the time to be disappointed by me. You value me so much.¡± ¡®How did he know about this?¡¯ Henry¡¯s face went livid instantly. ¡°Nonsense!¡± ¡°Nonsense? Really?¡± Jared smiled. He then immediately put his hand out to hand Henry some documentation coldly. ¡°This is the information that I found out. Should I show this to granddad for him to validate it?¡± Jared¡¯s eyes were cold and sharp as a sword. The atmosphere became extremely cold instantly. Henry was at a loss for words. Castor¡¯s face was gloomy. ¡°Jared, well yed!¡± ¡®I didn¡¯t expect him to have something on us. No wonder he was just sitting there calmly. Seemed like Jared had a backup n after he came back.¡¯ ¡°Likewise.¡± Jared raised his head coldly and nced at the three of them. ¡°Compared to what you all did back then, this is just the beginning.¡± Thest few words from Jared sent chills down Castor and Murphy¡¯s spine inexplicably. ¡®After Jared¡¯s dad passed away, we always bullied him. My memories of us kicking and punching him when we were kids are still vivid,¡¯ Murphy thought. ¡®Last time, we did enjoy it. But now I¡¯m feeling an irrational fear as I look into his eyes.¡¯ ¡°Jared! Don¡¯t think we won¡¯t do something to you just because you have something on us! Do you think granddad wouldn¡¯t know about what you¡¯ve done?¡± Murphy clenched his teeth bearing up. Jared¡¯s face remained magnanimous. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about Of course granddad knew. Because I¡¯ve already sent him the cooperative documents that I negotiated overseas.¡± ¡°Cooperative documents?¡± Henry froze. He could not help but nce at Castor. He then asked Jared, ¡°Y-You went overseas to negotiate a business coboration?¡± ¡®These two unruly sons of mine. They told me Jared went overseas just to hang out. That was why I came here to question him. But turned out he even has a contract now.¡¯ ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Jared smiled evilly. ¡°Turmann family. Uncle, have you heard of them?¡± ¡°T-Turmann family?!¡± Henry¡¯s face had a dramatic change suddenly. ¡®Turmann family. They are one of the three wealthiest families in Mecrounia!¡¯ ¡®This kind of family is too high to reach. Even for the Johnston Group. But Jared actually brought back a contract with them with just an overseas trip!¡¯ Henry was at a loss for wordspletely as he thought about that. Murphy did not even know who the Turmann family were. He shouted with rage, ¡°Jared, stop bluffing¡­¡± ¡°Keep your mouth shut,¡± Henry turned back and scolded Murphy. He was mad. ¡°Father¡­¡± Murphy was shocked. ¡®What¡¯s going on?¡¯ ¡®Didn¡¯t the three of us agree toe here to pick on Jared for his mistakes? Why did dad scold me suddenly when we haven¡¯t even picked on him sessfully yet?¡¯ Henry did not even bother with his stupid son. He turned his head as he smiled awkwardly at Jared. ¡°I think there were some misunderstandings. Jared, forgive Murphy. He just wanted what¡¯s best for the company.¡± ¡°He wanted what¡¯s best for thepany?¡± Jared smiled deeper. ¡°You should¡¯ve said that earlier. The headquarters marketing team is short-staffed now. I¡¯ll talk to granddad in the afternoon and hire Murphy. What do you think?¡±Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. Chapter 669 Chapter 669 Murphy was dumbfounded for a moment. He used to be the general manager of the branch of the company where his father was the CEO, doing nothing yet getting paid handsomely. Now Jared wanted him to work in the marketing department? ¡°I disagree!¡± Murphy yelled in exasperation. Henry gritted his teeth and said, ¡°You¡¯re right. If your grandfather agrees, then do it.¡±. ¡°Dad!¡± Murphy was stunned. Instead of looking for trouble, he had to run errands for Jared, even after losing his job. ¡°Don¡¯t call me Dad! I don¡¯t have such a stupid son like you!¡± Henry red at Murphy as he had given up on him. ¡®It¡¯s all Murphy¡¯s fault for not figuring out Jared¡¯s purpose for going abroad. Now I¡¯m on the defensive. If Mr. Johnston Sr. finds out that I¡¯ve sent someone to monitor Jared ande to find fault with him, Mr. Johnston Sr. will not spare me.¡¯ Henry gritted his teeth and could not care less about his ego anymore. ¡°Murphy knows he is wrong. What happened today¡­¡± Seeing Henry humble himself for the first , Jared said,¡± Since Murphy regrets it, I will not tell Grandpa, of course. But I hope you will stop sticking your nose where it doesn¡¯t belong, or I will be really irritated.¡± As he spoke, he slowly stood up. ¡°Max, see Uncle Henry out.¡± Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. Max immediately stepped forward and made a please gesture with his hand. ¡°Please.¡± Henry had never been treated like this before, his face grave, but there was nothing he could do but turn around and leave. Realizing that they had screwed up, Castor shot a warning look at Jared and left. Murphy became desperate when he saw this. ¡°Dad, Castor. Don¡¯t leave me!¡± He chased after the two as soon as his voice trailed off. The office became silent again after the three of them left. Max snorted and said, ¡°How dare hee looking for trouble with you.¡± Had Jared not wanted to reveal his identity too early, he would not have allowed these guys to throw their weights around here. ¡°It¡¯s alright.¡± Jared put down the file with a stony face and picked up the coffee. But Max could not be reconciled to it. ¡°They don¡¯t deserve a twenty percent share of the deal with the Turmann family.¡± The coboration between the Turmann family and Johnston Group that Jared was talking about was actually a concession of the coboration between JJ Johnston Group and the Turmann family. ¡°Only in this way can those old fags really make up their minds.¡± Jared looked out the window as the trio of father and sons downstairs had left. Only then did Max understand Jared¡¯s intentions. Mr. Johnston Sr. might support Jared¡¯s return to lead Johnson Group, but some of the board members still supported Henry. The Turmann deal would probably rock the entire board of directors. ¡°Speaking of which, we have Nicole to thank.¡± Max truly felt that Nicole was the lucky star who made this deal possible. ¡°Indeed.¡± Jared had a smile on his face at the mention of Nicole. ¡®I wonder how the little woman is doing now.¡¯ Chapter 670 Chapter 670 Nicole returned home, had a meal with her family, briefly exined what she did abroad, and went back to her room to rest.Her family wanted to know Nicole¡¯s true identity, but they consciously did not ask, thinking probably she had her reason not to, when she did not even tell Damien. It did not really matter as they were all family, regardless of Nicole¡¯s identity. The next day, Nicole was yawning big time while going to school.She had not been to school for a few days and thought that the fuss about her had subsided. But the moment she entered the school gate, people started to steal nces at her, and talked about her from time to time, just that the vibe was different from previously In the past, it was mostly contemptuous stares and sarcastic words, but this time, it all turned into adoring looks and secret praises. Nicole cared about neither. As soon as she was back in her ss, Lulu, June, and Bradley came up to her at once. ¡°You¡¯re finally back, Nicole!¡± ¡°Oh God, we thought Den had poached you and you wouldn¡¯t being to ss.¡± Bradley scratched his head innocently. Nicole put down her bag and yawned. ¡°I don¡¯t like the Math Olympiad; how could I possibly go with him?¡± Before this, it was for the bet. She did not want to take part in those meaninglesspetitions again. ¡°Well, if you leave, our ss will have one less genius, and we won¡¯t be able to get first ce in the grade,¡± June said happily. Nicole raised an eyebrow and looked at her. ¡°We got first ce in the entire grade?¡± ¡°Yeah!¡± June and Lulu spoke in unison. Lulu looked at her happily. ¡°You don¡¯t know yet, do you? Your monthly test score is first in the entire grade, crushing second and third ce by a wide margin. The average score of our ss has increased because of you. Our ss is overall first this year.¡± June looked proud. ¡°The day before yesterday, Ms. Emerson was named the outstanding teacher of this year. I heard that Mr. Kennedy was seriously ill and took half a month¡¯s sick leave.¡± They all breathed a sigh of relief, as they did not have to see that annoying guy atst. Nicole did not expect so many things to happen while she was away for just a few days. But the thought of Ms. Emerson being named the excellent teacher of the year made her feel happy. Bradley saw her in a daze and could not help but sneak up on her. ¡°I heard that Ms. Thompson has resigned and will leave the Royal Creek Institute in a few days.¡± Nicole raised an eyebrow gently. ¡°That¡¯s a good thing.¡± ¡®Ms. Thompson almost ruined Austin¡¯s and others¡¯ studies. So it¡¯s better for a misguided teacher like her to leave.¡¯ ¡°They say she resigned, but it seems that she has been fired, actually,¡± Lulu said thoughtfully. Nicole rested her chin on her hand. ¡°Old Man Ellison is still wise, at least.¡± All three of them were wide-eyed upon hearing Nicole call the respected Mr. Ellison as Old Man Ellison. But thinking about how Mr. Ellison defended Nicole at the convention, and Nicole¡¯s rtionship with Sebastian, they were not no longer so surprised. The three of them might not care, but someone else did. ¡°Nicole, how can you be so arrogant to call Mr. Ellison the Old Man Ellison?¡± Vivian seized on the opportunity to find fault with Nicole when she walked in and overheard what she said. Nicole shot a cold nce at Vivian and smiled dismissively. ¡°I will even call him that to his face. Do you have a problem with me?¡± Vivian choked at hearing what Nicole said. Everyone was startled and could not believe that Nicole dared to call Mr. Ellison that to his face. They all wondered who she was that Mr. Ellison wanted to pamper her so much. No one dared to say anything more about her at this point. Vivian¡¯s face was flushed , but she did not dare to say anything again. After all, in the auditorium the other day, Mr. Ellison was clearly defending Nicole. Vivian was thinking of teaching Nicole a lesson in Mr. Ellison¡¯s name, but if they confronted each other face to face, it might not work to her benefit. So she could only think better of it. No one spoke any more. So Lulu and the others returned to their seats, and Ms. Emerson soon arrived.Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. Chapter 671 Chapter 671 Ms. Emerson saw Nicole as soon as she entered the ssroom. ¡°Wee back, Nicole,¡± she said gently. Nicole smiled and said, ¡°Thank you, Ms. Emerson.¡± The two had a tacit understanding; Ms. Emerson was unspeakably grateful for Nicole; had Nicole not chosen her as the head teacher, she would probably not have been awarded the excellent teacher award. She knew she had gone too far at first, and almost passed up such an outstanding student. She now told herself that she would treat Nicole doubly well from now on. No one dared to mess with Nicole again when everyone saw Ms. Emerson had such a high regard for Nicole. As much as Vivian hated Nicole, she had to keep her displeasure to herself because of the presence of Ms. Emerson. The morning ss had begun. At lunch break, Nicole decided to go to the cafeteria. She knew she would attract attention, but she still had to go because Austin and others would look for her. Sure enough, as soon as Nicole and Lulu sat down, Austin and others swaggered into the cafeteria and came in front of Nicole. ¡°Wee back, boss!¡± Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g! ¡°We missed you so much.¡± Nicole rolled her eyes at them. ¡°You all are in the top twenty in the grade. Don¡¯t call Boss again, as if we¡¯re gangsters or something. It doesn¡¯t befit the image of top students.¡± What Nicole said struck them dumb for a moment. ¡°You¡¯re right, boss. We are already top students.¡± ¡°Exactly. Our demeanor should befit that of our identity.¡± Sammey quickly echoed. ¡°Then what should we call you from now on, boss?¡± They got a little confused. ¡°Just call me by name,¡± Nicole said. ¡°Huh?¡± ¡®Isn¡¯t that disrespectful?¡¯ ¡°What?¡± Nicole shot him a lock. Austin immediately obliged and said, ¡°Yes, Nicole.¡± He did not feel he deserved to call her by name, but still obliged, and the others followed suit. ¡°Will you still give her tuition, Nicole?¡± Nicole red at them. ¡°No more free lunch.¡± They all pulled a face upon hearing her reply. But Nicole did not bother to look at them again. ¡°I gave you all tuition previously because I didn¡¯t want you all to get kicked out and also because of the bet. It was a desperate measure in a desperate time. If you all want to keep your grades, depend on yourselves from now on. Don¡¯t let my previous time and effort spent on you all go to waste.¡± They felt sad to hear that, but it inexplicably ignited a fighting spirit within them. ¡°We got it. Thank you, bo- Nicole.¡± Sammey nearly made a slip of the tongue. Everyone else thanked Nicole, and the lunch break turned into a thank-you party. After the meal, Austin said, ¡°Before you left, you asked us to wait for you in the morning with the guy called Zeke. But we don¡¯t know him and have only found out that he is from the Northon Institute next door.¡± ¡°Uh-huh.¡± Nicole nodded. ¡°He wants to learn martial arts with me. I remember you all said you wanted to learn, too.¡± They had talked about it a few times before in ss. ¡°We used to be interested, but now we don¡¯t think we still have the energy,¡± several others said. ¡°We¡¯re going to concentrate on our studies.¡± If they wanted to keep up with the current learning progress, they would have to work hard for a while. ¡°You all are right. But if you all are still interested,e to the sports field tomorrow morning, but give up the soonest if you¡¯re not interested .¡± Nicole could not care less. Seeing that no one was joining , Austin gritted his teeth and raised his hand. ¡°I¡¯m joining!¡± Chapter 672 Chapter 672 He would support whatever Nicole did. ¡°I-I want to join, too.¡± Bradley¡¯s voice came from the other side. Nicole nced sideways at him. ¡°Why do you want to join?¡± ¡°I-I also want to learn martial arts so that I can protect myself.¡± He thought he could fight previously, but after seeing Nicole¡¯s skills, he was very envious. ¡°Then I will see you tomorrow.¡± Nicole nodded in agreement. Bradley and Austin were jumping for joy. Lulu and June could not help but chuckle at the sight. After the meal, they went outside together. While they were going, they bumped into Snow and Raine, who looked surprised to see Nicole back. They felt depressed at the thought of so many people at the family dinner falling over themselves, trying to brown ¨C nose Nicole. It made the two of them feel as if they were not in the same league as Nicole was. Snow might be grateful to Nicole for helping her recover the pink diamond, but she still had a hard feeling toward Nicole inside. Raine was even more so when seeing Nicole surrounded by so many people. The moment they passed each other, Raine spewed her insult, saying, ¡°I was wondering what that terrible smell was in the canteen today; it turned out to be that of a yokel.¡± It infuriated Bradley and Austin at once. ¡°Who are you talking about?¡± They all knew that previously on the school forum, everyone said Nicole was a yokel. The fact that Raine still mentioned it despite those posts had been taken down really pissed them off. Startled by the two of them, Raine immediately yed the victim¡¯s card. ¡°Help! The hooligans are beating people up!¡± While doing so, she did not forget to smear Nicole. ¡°Have you forgotten that you¡¯re from the Riddle family? How can you mingle with the hooligans? You might not be ashamed of yourself, but please think of the Riddle family!¡± Those people who were on Raine¡¯s side previously remained silent this time. Now that everyone knew what Nicole was capable of and her rtionship with Sebastian, the next governor, no one would want to offend Nicole. N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. Without the ridicule and discussion of the people around her, Raine¡¯s provocation looked like a joke, somewhat untenable. Lulu could not help but step forward and said, ¡°Why don¡¯t you keep on talking? Is it because you¡¯re embarrassed to find that no one gives a damn about you?¡± ¡°Yeah, the entire school now knows that Nicole isn¡¯t a yokel. You two are talking nonsense to nder Nicole. I wonder what you two are up to.¡± This immediately changed the way everyone looked at the two sisters. Snow sensed something was wrong and immediately pulled Raine aside. ¡°Stop talking nonsense, could you?¡± ¡®Still using such a bad trick, Raine really hasn¡¯t wised up at all.¡¯ ¡°Snow!¡± Raine was frustrated , but Snow could not care less about her. Looking at Nicole, Snow smiled gracefully. ¡°I would like to thank you for helping me get back the pink diamond at the Holder family partyst time.¡± ¡®She didn¡¯t say thank youst time, but now wants to thank me in public.¡¯ Nicole could not help but laugh.¡¯ Snow just want to shore up her persona.¡¯ Nicole did not want to y along. ¡°That won¡¯t be necessary. You med me for losing your pink diamondst time. Now that I¡¯ve helped you recover it, shouldn¡¯t you issue a statement to rify the truth of the matter?¡± Snow did not expect that Nicole would use her words to turn against her. There was a subtle change in her expression. ¡°¨ª-It¡¯s true that I¡¯ve misunderstood you before. So, how would you like me to rify?¡± Nicole smiled. ¡°Just post a statement on the school forum; it is something that you and Raine are very good at, isn¡¯t it?¡± Chapter 673 Chapter 673 Snow and Raine instantly looked embarrassed. Everyone knew the dirty things that the sisters did to Nicole previously; they posted false allegations and manipted public opinion on the school forum. At this time, the people around them felt even more disgusted with the two of them. Seeing that there was no other way to save face, Snow had no choice but to agree. ¡°Okay, don¡¯t worry. I will post the statement once I go back.¡± Only then Nicole was satisfied and walked out. But as soon as she was about to walk out the door, she stopped in her tracks, as if remembering something. ¡°I forgot to tell you; thest time when I went back to the manor the night the diamond went missing, Norah had been back but left without going upstairs. Could she have taken something and not dared to go upstairs?¡± The two sisters were stunned in an instant upon hearing that. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡®Could it be that Norah stole the pink diamond? But how could it be her? She had been dancing to our tune all this while; she wouldn¡¯t have the guts to do so.¡¯ ¡°What do I mean? Think for yourselves.¡± Nicole snorted and left. Norah had pulled tricks on her previously . But because she was still in the Riddle family, Nicole did not want to humiliate her and her parents, and Snow and Raine to go to her parents if they found out. But now, she had nothing to worry about. Norah should bear the consequences for daring to frame her. Watching Nicole and the others leave, Raine gritted her teeth and said, ¡°Snow, she is just trying to draw a wedge between us. Norah wouldn¡¯t dare-¡°. Snow shot her a re. ¡°What do you know? Do you really think that Norah is willing to dance attendance to us? She has been using you.¡± Raine¡¯s eyes widened, as it was hard for her to believe what Snow said. ¡°Has she?¡± Frustrated at seeing that her sister was so na?ve , Snow lost her appetite and turned to leave. The thought of Norah depressed her. ¡®How dare you scheme against me? You¡¯d better watch out for how I will fix you.¡¯ Snow posted a statement to rify the matter in the afternoon. As if she wanted to avoid humiliation, she made the statement as simple as possible, but it still caused a lot of discussion. Many people in the school knew that Nicole was a genius, a wizard. They started to trample over Snow, saying that they regretted voting for her as the most beautiful girl of the school, that she had a pretty face but no brain, and that she had framed Nicole. All in all, Snow¡¯s reputation hadpletely gone to the dogs. Edwin rolled his eyes and smirked when he saw the post, turning to look at Harvey, who was reading the speech script. ¡°Do you really want to be together with Snow? With all due respect, she¡¯s not no longer the most beautiful girl in school. Why are you still keeping her around you?¡± Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g! Edwin had always thought that Harvey had let Snow follow him because the most-beautiful -girl title could boost his ego. After all, as sessful as the Riddle family was, but it was still not good enough for him. Snow was so fake; he wondered why Harvey was into her other than for her pretty face and academic performance. Harvey was still reading the script and did not spare a nce at Edwin. He just said in a gentle but distant tone of voice, ¡°When did I say that I was going to be with Snow?¡± Edwin turned to look at him, ¡°Come on, Harvey. It has gone viral. People say that you treat Snow specially, and have bought her a valuable pink diamond. She has been bragging about it everywhere she goes. Who is going to believe that you¡¯re not dating her?¡± Chapter 674 Chapter 674 Harvey listened to his rogue-like tone of voice and frowned. ¡°Don¡¯t talk to me like this. Also, don¡¯t specte about my rtionship with Snow,¡± he said coldly. All he was thinking now was Nicole; Snow¡¯s name annoyed him. Edwin was shocked. Lately, he had been mingling with Preston and was influenced by his roguish way of talking, forgetting that Harvey hated that tone the most. He smiled and quickly changed the topic. Since Harvey did not like to mention Snow, he would instead talk about others, such as Nicole, the top hacker, and the new, most beautiful girl of the school. ¡°Harvey, don¡¯t you want to know who has such a charm that even Snow has been dethroned from the most beautiful ¨C girl position ? To be honest, I was shocked to see that girl for the first time; she was not only beautiful but also kept Austin under as herckey. Remembering all the things about Nicole amused Edwin, as Nicole¡¯s appearance had deceived him at the time. He waited enthusiastically for Harvey to ask him, only to see Harvey shoot him an inexplicable look. Edwin scratched his head in puzzlement. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with me you are looking at me like this?¡± Harvey had finished reading the script and stretched out his hand to button the cuff on the right side. While he was at it, he looked at Edwin sideways and said in a normal tone of voice, ¡°Did anyone tell you that curiosity killed the cat?¡± ¡®Good lord, he¡¯s threatening me, isn¡¯t he?¡¯ Edwin nodded hesitantly, not knowing what it had to do with what he said. N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. Harvey had finished packing up and was ready to go out.¡± My advice to you: don¡¯t be nosy.¡± With that, he stepped out the door, leaving Edwin to shudder at what he had said. ¡®It looks like Harvey really hates that I¡¯ve talked too much. But I can¡¯t me him; he hates people being inquisitive. I couldn¡¯t hold back my curiosity and so I deserve it. Anyway, Harvey doesn¡¯t know how lucky he is. I was trying to introduce Nicole to him, but he refused. If it weren¡¯t for my inadequate skills, I would have courted Nicole. Harvey doesn¡¯t really know how to appreciate her.¡¯ The thought of Nicole filled his head as he recalled the time when Nicole was standing in front of the computer, fingers flying over the keyboard to show off her skills. ¡®The program and skills that she has usedst time are notmonly avable in the market. They seem to belong to some organization. Could it be that Nicole has another identity?¡¯ He could not help but look up Nicole¡¯s ID, trying to find out what background she had. But apart from an ount, there was no background information about Nicole. It was incredibly clean. Not wanting to give up, Edwin tried again but found that the method he was proud of might have failed, and what appeared in front of him was still a nk. ¡®Maybe Nicole¡¯s skills are not something that I can crack. Will this mean I have no hope?¡¯ Edwin was depressed. ¡®It seems that I will need more time and effort to figure out Nicole¡¯s identity.¡¯ Then he took out his mobile phone with great interest. Looking at the reply on the screen, his eyes lit up. ¡®This is a new ount, but this person¡¯s information is still well hidden. Her previous records have been consciously erased, and the leads are all baits, which means I still can find nothing. She is really cunning.¡¯ There was no information found except that she was Lucifer. Nicole¡¯s ID was so mysterious that it aroused Edwin¡¯s curiosity . Edwin scratched his chin and felt his curiosity had beenpletely aroused. ¡°I don¡¯t believe I can¡¯t find out who is behind her!¡± As he spoke, he continued to hit the keyboard, trying to break through the firewall. He wanted to find a chance to learn about Nicole¡¯s true identity. Chapter 675 Chapter 675 But two hourster, Edwin still found nothing. He looked at the time; Preston should be about to finish ss, so he got up, left the school lounge, and hurried toward the school gate. At this time, at the entrance of the school parked an extremely showy bright -blue motorcycle . Preston was sitting bored on it with a lollipop in his mouth while ying a game on his mobile phone. Not far behind them was a group of girls who wanted to get closer but were too afraid to do so. Seeing Edwining, he frowned impatiently and threw his phone at him. ¡°What took you so long?¡± Edwin caught the phone in his hand and helped him win the round before returning it. Preston looked at the victory on the screen. He said nothing, but just took a small ck card out of his pocket and threw it into Edwin¡¯s hand. ¡°This is for you. You want to join me for basketball?¡± Edwin put away the little card, then looked up at Preston. He suddenly found that his sharp facial features were inexplicably simr to Nicole¡¯s, and he was hooked. He thought it must be an illusion because he had been too busytely. Edwin blinked his eyes. ¡®They clearly look different. It¡¯s all in my head.¡¯ He came out of his daze with embarrassment. ¡°I need to take care of something back at the office. So I can¡¯t join you.¡± N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. Preston raked his hair irritably. ¡°Okay, call me if anything. I¡¯ll go over when I¡¯m done.¡±, Edwin nodded. Preston started the motorcycle and sped away. Going into the garage, Edwin got into his car and drove in the opposite direction. Nicole walked out of the school not long after the two left. She was in a hurry just now and just grabbed the school bag in her hand. When she was about to reach her destination , she carried her bag on her back and walked slowly to the caf¨¦ next to the school. When us saw Nicole, he greeted her and asked enthusiastically. ¡°What would you like today, Nicole?¡± Nicole ordered a cup of caramel mhiato that she had triedst time. When us turned back to make the brew, she asked faintly, ¡°Hasn¡¯t hee today?¡± us kept on doing what he was doing and replied briskly, ¡°You miss our boss already, eh?¡± Nicole had no expression on her face and turned to sit down at a table, as if she was not bothered by us¡¯s nosiness. us then stopped what he was doing and took out his phone to call Max. ¡°Nicole has arrived. Ask Mr. Johnston toe over early.¡± There was a pause at the other end of the phone for a moment, as if the person was covering the microphone and asked the person next to him for instructions. Then Max replied, ¡°Mr. Johnston asks you to entertain her; he will be there soon.¡± us was relieved and took the freshly brewed caramel mhiato to Nicole. When he saw Nicole fiddling a pen between her fingers while studying, he could not help but smirk. Lately, Austin and his company had been frequenting his cafe, and he had heard from them that Nicole was a top student and genius, so he wondered why she still needed to study so hard. He could not help saying, ¡°Your caramel mhiato, Nicole.¡± Then he stood there for tens of seconds, waiting with certainty for Nicole to feel curious and say something to him. Nicole did not look at him but just said, ¡°Put it down.¡± Words choked in us¡¯s throat, and he was looking at Nicole when he sat back down. ¡®She is cooler than Mr. Johnston; there is no superfluous word and gossip. She didn¡¯t even talk much while I was standing there. Well, since she is not asking, I can¡¯t just go over and tell her that Mr. Johnston will arrive soon. That will make me look stupid.¡¯ He waited a little longer, and Jared had yet arrived. He became anxious, feeling not too happy, and so he texted §®§Ñ§ç. [When is the bossing?] Chapter 676 Chapter 676 Max looked at the lit screen and then at Jared, who was getting some shut-eye beside him. From the time he got off the ne in the morning until now, he had not closed his eyes. As soon as he got into the car, the enervation got the better of him and he shut his eyes. So Max did not want to bother him. ¡°We¡¯re on our way and will be there soon,¡± he said. In the caf¨¦, Nicole studied for a while and then reached for the caramel mhiato. She frowned after taking a sip. ¡®It¡¯s all the same ingredients , but how does he make it taste so much better?¡¯ Nicole sighed softly as she put the cup back in ce and continued studying. She did not touch the cup again until she left the caf¨¦. After tasting something better, she no longer settled for less. us could not help but feel disappointed when his boss had not arrived, and he felt sorry to keep Nicole waiting. It was not until Nicole had gone far that he came over to clean up the table. But when he picked up the cup, he saw Nicole had barely drunk the coffee, and for a moment, he felt not too happy. He immediately texted Max on the phone,ining that Nicole did not respect the fruits of hisbor, that she did not appreciate such a delicious coffee, and that she really had a bad taste. Max was stuck in traffic. Jared¡¯s face had darkened, as ck as ink, looking as if he would lose his cool at any time. He saw the message from us and calmly turned the screen off. But his phone still kept vibrating, as if the other side had no way to vent his grouses. Now, even Jared had taken notice. Max could only calmly tell Jared the truth. ¡°Nicole couldn¡¯t wait and has left.¡± Jared¡¯s expression turned gloomy. ¡°It¡¯s okay. She¡¯s gone, but I can go find her.¡± Nicole was on her way back. She wondered why Jared had note as promised. Guessing that he might be busy, so she did not call him. She put on the headphones and listened to the music as she walked back. Soon, Nicole reached the entrance of the Royal Creek Institute and was about to enter when a security guy with a poor attitude stopped her. ¡°What are you doing? Don¡¯t you know that the school gate is closed after 9:30?¡± Nicole hesitated slightly and checked her watch. She did not expect that she had waited for Jared for so long, even passing the school gate closing time. The security guy looked with disdain at Nicole when he saw a pretty girl dressed up like thise back sote at night. ¡®I have seen enough girls like this. They are willing to do anything, hanging out with men all day for money. She¡¯s thinking of entering the campus after it¡¯s passed the school gate closing time? No way!¡¯ The security guy looked at Nicole in disgust and mumbled to himself. ¡°I wonder what¡¯s wrong with college girls nowadays; they all have such poor quality.¡± Nicole could have called Mr. Ellison and no one would stop her from entering, but since the rules were there, she did not want to break them. ncing indifferently at the security guy, Nicole turned and walked away, intending to go home for the night tonight. Just then, a ck vehicle with a special emblem of a unique flower came from the caf¨¦¡¯s direction. When the security guy saw the vehicle approaching , he looked down upon it, as it was not the typical established brands he recognized, but still reluctantly opened the barrier to let it enter the Royal Creek Institute. The vehicle did not enter immediately but rolled down the window and Jared¡¯s face popped out from the inside. He looked at Nicole and smiled. ¡°Get in the car.¡± Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g! Seeing that it was Jared, Nicole stopped in her tracks and returned a smile, then got into the vehicle with no hesitation. The security guy looked on with surprise as the vehicle left in another direction instead of entering the school. As exasperated as he was, there was nothing he could do. Inside the car, Max secretly wiped the cold sweat from his forehead when he saw Jared¡¯s face had lit up, which was a rare sight. Chapter 677 Chapter 677 ¡®Fortunately, Nicole did not get to enter the campus; otherwise, I would have been done for tonight,¡¯ Max thought to himself. Seeing the smile on Jared¡¯s face after seeing Nicole, he could finally breathe a sigh of relief. Nicole did not know what Max was thinking. After she got into the car, she just rested her arm on the windowsill and said nothing. Jared looked at Nicole. He could barely see her snow white jaw as her face was in the shade. He could not help but lean over and asked her gently,¡± You went to the caf¨¦ to look for me. Why did you leave instead of waiting for me?¡± Nicole turned to look at him. There was a rare sense of dilemma on her icy face. ¡°You just returned from abroad, so I guessed you would be busy. Besides, I needed to return to the dormitory because the gate was closed.¡± Her thoughtfulness softened Jared¡¯s heart. ¡°But it was way past the time, and you didn¡¯t get to enter, right?¡± Jared reached to stroke her hair. Nicole did not resent it at all. She nodded matter-of factly. ¡°Yeah, thanks to someone; I missed the school gate¡¯s closing time.¡± Jared looked at her; she sounded as if she wereining but looked fearless. He could not help smiling, and his expression became gentler. N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. His eyes upturned, and he exuded an indescribable charm as he propped a hand to his forehead. ¡°Since you have no ce to go because of me, I will take you to go somewhere fun.¡± Nicole raised an eyebrow. ¡°Racing again?¡± She did not want to go because she was tired today. ¡°Some fun ce; not just that one.¡± He instructed Max to turn the car around and drive out of town. No one was talking for a while, and the only sound in the cabin was the soft music. Nicole smelled the sandalwood scent on Jared¡¯s body and felt inexplicably at ease. She slowly closed her eyes and enjoyed a rare moment of serenity. By the time she woke up, the car had stopped, and she found herself leaning against Jared¡¯s shoulder. Nicole was surprised. She just thought of taking some shut-eye, not expecting to call asleep just like that. For ten years, she had not been able to sleep so soundly in front of others. 2 Nicole looked at the extra suit jacket on her body and was bewildered. Grabbing the suit jacket, she looked up at Jared. ¡°You¡¯re awake.¡± He was wearing only a shirt, habitually rolling up a section of the cuffs, looking like a hippieish noble prince. Nicole handed Jared his coat and looked at him. ¡°Thank you.¡± Jared cocked a charming eyebrow at her politeness. ¡°Why are you so polite to your boyfriend?¡± Nicole looked at him awkwardly. Every time when Jared teased her, she would be at a loss for how to react. Jared could not help smiling when he saw how nervous she was. He motioned for her to look out the car window and said, ¡°Here we are. Don¡¯t you want to go in?¡± Nicole followed his eyes and saw two bodyguards at the entrance, which seemed to be that of a clubhouse. She pondered for a second and then said, ¡°Give a second.¡± Then she tore her T-shirt from the waist, revealing her fair and slender waist, and then spread her hair, messing it up, making her naturally curly hair look even more fluffy and wild. Jared looked at her and cocked an eyebrow in surprise. Chapter 678 Chapter 678 Nicole¡¯s eyebrows were extremely beautiful. She had always been dressed casually like a student all this while, but now she suddenly showed a bit of maturity, which made her look even morepelling. ¡°Let¡¯s go in.¡± Nicole let out a beguiling smile and got out of the car first. As soon as she stood up, her alluring, perfect waistline was fully exposed. Her thick, curly hair cascaded down to her waist, swaying as she went, firmly hooking Jared¡¯s eyes as like a hook, and he furrowed his brows gradually. Nicole heard Jared get out of the car and was about to take his arm to walk inside , she felt something falling on her shoulders. She looked down and saw the same suit jacket that Jared had put over her body before. Puzzled , she looked at Jared, but he had already walked past her and said in a not-to-questioned tone of voice,¡± Put it on.¡± Nicole hesitated and had no words. She groused in her mind. ¡®This guy is really bossy. But since he¡¯s upset that I look too sexy, I will put it on.¡¯ 1 Soon, the two walked together to the entrance, and the two bodyguards did not even bat an eyelid but let them in. The bodyguards felt relieved after the two entered. ¡°Joe called just now that Mr. Johnston was going to bring a little girl, and I didn¡¯t believe it. Did you see it just now? He didn¡¯t let her show her waist and wanted her to cover it up.¡± The other bodyguard nodded. ¡°Judging by Mr. Johnston¡¯s behavior, it is really unusual. But I¡¯ve got a glimpse of her; she is really pretty.¡± When he took a glimpse of the girl just now, the knife-like look in Jared¡¯s eyes was as if he was going to cut him into pieces. The first bodyguard said, ¡°But there used to be no women around Mr. Johnston. I thought-¡°. The second bodyguard suddenly shot him a look, and only then did hee to his senses with cold sweat breaking out all over his skin, realizing that he should not talk about their boss behind his back. Nicole was really surprised by where Jared had brought her to; it was San Joto¡¯s most luxurious private club. As soon as she entered , she heard smooth music, singing, and dancing. It was simply a paradise. She had never been here before, and could not help but lower her voice and ask, ¡°Are there any rules here?¡± Private clubs usually had tons of rules which must not be broken. This had to bemunicated and understood in advance. Jared looked at her nonchnt expression, he smiled even more and whispered in her ear. ¡°There are no rules here, and there are all kinds of recreational facilities here, just enjoy yourself.¡± Unbeknownst to Nicole and almost at the moment Jared came in, the club owner had got the wind of his arrival and hurried over with his men, just in time to hear the conversation between the two. Hearing Jared say that there were no rules here, the club owner¡¯s mouth twitched, but he did not dare to say anything. There were many rules here, and those who had broken them had learned their lessons the hard way. But those rules would not apply to Jared. Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. Johnston group was a key partner of the Bond family this year. During thest joint venture, he sent Jared $1 billion, but Jared did not even bat an eyelid. Such a man was someone he really could not afford to offend. Mr. Bond came up to Jared and saw that Jared did not even want to spare a nce at him, he quickly greeted him. ¡°Wee to our club, Mr. Johnston.¡± Chapter 679 Chapter 679 Only then Jared looked at him and smiled. ¡°Mr. Bond, I¡¯m here today with a friend. Don¡¯t make things so pompous.¡± Mr. Bond felt a sense of relief and smiled servilely.¡± Absolutely.¡± He then looked back and shouted to his men, ¡°Didn¡¯t you all hear what Mr. Johnston said? Get the hell out of here!¡± After sending everyone away, he looked back, only to see Jared look at him with a half-smile. He was stunned for a second, and then he let out a ttering smile. ¡°You must be busy, Mr. Johnston. I will leave you to it.¡± Nicole took it all in, wondering how Jared could make Mr. Bond so afraid of him, but she asked nothing. She followed Jared into the club¡¯s central hall, a ce filled with extravagance. Unlike the low-key color on the outside, the interior decoration was golden and brilliant with extremely dazzling crystal chandeliers, everything looking ssy and grand. Nicole looked at the hall, which was almost asrge as two football fields. The ce was alive with music, dance, and a variety of board and VR games, like a game hall for the rich. She had a nonchnt look on her face, but deep down inside, she found this ce quite novel. Jarednguidly followed behind her, wanting to see what she was interested in. us came up beside him from nowhere to protect the two. Jared waved his hand at him, and us got the hint and kept silent, looking at Nicole from behind with curiosity. ¡®Nicole has been looking at these things for some time. Could it be that she doesn¡¯t even know how to y these games?¡¯ Seeing that Jared had no intention of opening his mouth, he took matters into his own hands and walked over to Nicole. Every time Nicole walked to a table, he would exin the gamey at that table. ¡°This is Monopoly. The more chips you get in the game, the more you¡¯ll be able to expand the territory on the table,¡± he said. ¡°I know, while I was abroad, I¡¯ve yed something more professional than this.¡± She was talking about the casino. While in this clubhouse , they were merely board games. Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g! She was not interested in these things and wanted to turn around to leave. But something caught her eyes unexpectedly; she saw someone she knew. Sitting in one of the seats was none other than Sammey, whom she had met in the cafeteria today. He was unsmiling and looking pale, his face full of sweat. But all the wealthy kids in San Joto were basically regrs at various clubhouses. Sammey was no exception. He had yed countless board games, but for the first time, he lost as badly as he did now. He looked at his opponent across from him, unsure what tricks the opponent had used to beat him several times in a row, rendering him powerless to fight back. He was extremely nervous to see chips he lost were piling up in front of his opponents. Nicole felt something was wrong when he saw how nervous Sammey looked. Had this been just a regr board game, Sammey would not be so nervous. At this point, the yer opposite Sammey spoke.¡± Sammey, you concede defeat now and get down on your knees. Otherwise, transfer a million dors to my ount tomorrow as you have just agreed.¡± Sammey¡¯s face was grave; it turned out that Nathan Holmes, the yer, had been harassing Vivian, his sister, for the past few days. They had agreed outside the clubhouse that if Nathan lost, he would never be allowed to harass Vivian again; but if Nathan won, then he would have to give him a million dors. For the sake of his sister, he must not flinch, and so he agreed. At first, Sammey won two rounds, but in thest round, Nathan suddenly challenged him to bet one-to- ten. Sammey thought today he had a good hand, plus he was desperate to beat Nathan, gritted his teeth and agreed. Nathan had been winning consecutively ever since, and had taken most of the territory on the board. The chips piled up in front of him were up to his waist, while Sammey had nothing left in front of him. Chapter 680 Chapter 680 Sammey¡¯s eyes burned with anger as he looked at Nathan , who was sitting across from him with his legs crossed. His pocket money was only a couple of ten grand per month. No way he coulde up with $1 million. So he could only continue to gamble to make a turnaround. But given the proportion of territory on the table, he had little chance to win, no matter how hard he wished. But he had no choice but to continue. ¡°I won¡¯t concede defeat. Let¡¯s y another round.¡± Nathan saw that Sammey¡¯s determination and said cynically, ¡°Have you thought through it, Sammey? A million is not a small amount. Do you really want to continue? Is it so hard to get down on your knees to beg for mercy and then introduce your sister to me?¡± Nathan¡¯s lewd words made Sammey clench his teeth. His underlings behind him tried to dissuade him, saying,¡± Stop, Sammey. Think twice as one million is not a small amount.¡± ¡°Exactly. If your parents find out, they would definitely be infuriated.¡± Sammey heard what his underlings said and thought of giving up, but when he thought of Nathan¡¯s eagerness for Vivian, he could not bring himself to bow to him. N?velDrama.Org ? 2024. With this thought in mind, he looked at Nathan with icy eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t be too arrogant, Nathan. I will not lose to you.¡± He then ced his bet. When Nathan knew he was not giving up, he burst intoughter. ¡°You¡¯re really stubborn, Sammey. Okay, if you want to dance, let¡¯s dance.¡± He gave the dealer a look. ¡°What are you waiting for? Roll the dice now.¡± The dealer got the hint and quickly scooped the dice up into the cup. The dealer was professionally trained, and his hand movement was so quick, his action in one fell swoop, and no one could see what he was actually doing. But just when he was about to reveal the dice to decide Sammey¡¯s steps, a hand suddenly reached out and pressed on the cup with an index finger. The hand had fair skin, beautiful slender fingers, and the perfect shape of lune on the nails, looking like a piece of art that God had carefully polished. Moving upwards, one could clearly see that on the slender and fair wrist was a red wristband that was neither too thick nor thin, and the bright red of the wristband contrasted well with her fair skin, so much so that it was almost heart-stoppingly beautiful. The dealer looked at the hand in front of him with cold sweat popping up on his forehead. Sammey had been nervously waiting for the dealer to roll the dice for him. He was bowing his head and silently prayed that his chess piece would stop in a favorable position. But at this moment, silence suddenly fell and then followed by Nathan¡¯s sneeringughter. ¡°Who is this yokel so ignorant of the rules? How dare she stop the dealer from rolling the dice? Call your manager; I need an exnation.¡± Sammey looked up in shock and saw the back of someone he recognized. ¡®Isn¡¯t she Nicole?! Just that her hair was disheveled, and she was still wearing an ill-fitting men¡¯s coat, but because she was tall enough and in good shape, she did not look strange in the men¡¯s coat, but with a bit of a yuppie.. Not only Sammey, but several people next to him were stunned. ¡°What are you doing here, boss?¡± She came not only to the club but prevented the dealer from rolling the dice, which was a big no-no in the club. Everyone looked at her with concern in their eyes. Before they could say anything, Nicole looked back and gave them an assuring look. Chapter 681 Chapter 681 Nathan shouted impatiently, ¡°Sammey, what¡¯s going on? Do you really take this girl as your boss? Leon, call your manager out to fix this girl.¡± The dealer snapped back to his senses and nced at Nicole suspiciously. Because of the pressure from Nathan and his uncertainty about Nicole¡¯s identity, he listened to Nathan and called his manager. Sammey saw things hade to such a pass and blurted, ¡°Boss, what now? Why did you prevent the dealer from rolling the dice? The club will not let you go. Go now. I¡¯ll buy you time.¡± N?velDrama.Org ? 2024. While speaking, he got up and could not care less about his bet with Nathan. Nicole just pulled back her hand, which she used to press on the cup. ¡°It¡¯s okay. Let him call the manager.¡± Seeing her arrogance Nathan thought she did not know the rules here and taunted her. ¡°So you¡¯re Sammey¡¯s new boss? I heard your name is Nicole , tight? It is said that you are from the vige; it seems that it¡¯s true. You don¡¯t know the rules at all yet dare toe here. Now, don¡¯t say that I didn¡¯t warn you¡ªthe most taboo thing on the gambling table is to interfere with the dealer¡¯s work. I¡¯m afraid you¡¯re going to lose your right hand when the manageres.¡± Nicole did not even look at him, her eyes revealing nothing Jared had a yful smile on his face when he saw Nicole meddling in the game. Instead of ming Nicole, he walked over to us and saw the club manager hurry over. The manager did not see him. Desperately trying to curry favor with Nathan, he headed over to Table 63, where the ident had urred, followed by two intimidating bodyguards. On the way, the manager confirmed the incident with the dealer. By the time he reached Table 63, he had started scolding before he even saw who was there. ¡°Who is so daring as to stop the dealer from rolling the dice and breaking the rules of our club? Come with us now.¡± Hearing what the manager said, Nicole looked back slowly and cocked an eyebrow at Jared, who was standing not far away. ¡°But he told me that your club has no rules.¡± The manager broke out in a cold sweat when he saw her face. As he looked back, he also saw Jared standing behind him with his arms folded, looking at him with a smirk. Behind Jared was a ck-faced us. ¡®Isn¡¯t these the two distinguished guests the boss has just received? If so, I wouldn¡¯t even have a problem with them dancing on the table , let alone stopping the dealer from rolling the dice.¡¯ The manager thought to himself. ¡°Lady, I¡¯m really sorry. It could just be a misunderstanding. You go on and have fun.¡± He did not know her name but only knew that she hade with Jared. Thinking of what he had just said, he almost wanted to cut off his tongue. Nicole looked at the manager, and instead of arguing with him, she told the dealer to roll the dice again. Meanwhile , Nathan was dumbfounded , watching what was happening. ¡°Billy,What''s going on? She has broken the rules of your club. Should you break her hand?¡± ¡®Why did he apologize to her instead?¡¯ Chapter 682 Chapter 682 Billy red at Nathan. It was Nathan who dragged him into this. Now that he had offended Jared, he would probably lose his job. Billy and Nathan were quite close. Together with the dealer , Billy often used chicanery to help Nathan. Both Billy and Leon would gain a lot of benefits from it, so they were familiar with how things worked. Just that they did not expect to run into trouble this time. Both Nathan and Leon looked at Billy in disbelief . Billy gave them a look, feeling that he had done his best for them, so he walked toward Jared without hesitation. ¡°Mr. Johnston , I¡¯m really sorry. I didn¡¯t know that your friend was ying at Table 63 with Nathan. Otherwise, I would never have been so nosy. Please give me another chance.¡± With that, Billy clenched his hands and looked nervously at Jared. Jared said nothing but walked toward Nicole. It was us who looked at Billy and said, ¡°Since you know you are too nosy, you might as well prepare to be fired.¡± Billy was rooted to the spot. With Jared¡¯s judgment skills, he could easily tell that Billy was colluding with Nathan. So Billy knew his career was on the line. Jared was still a distance away from them, so Nathan and Leon could not see what Billy had done. Humiliated by Billy, Nathan looked back at Nicole viciously. ¡°Don¡¯t be triumphant yet. You¡¯ve made a serious mistake in the club, and I can easily fix you.¡± He had already heard that Nicole had no background at all, so he had no idea how Billy could cause things to end up this way. Nicole did not give any response. She just shot a cold nce at the stack of tokens in front of Nathan and then looked back at Sammey, who had been struck dumb.¡± This is just a game. How can you bet on the game?¡± Sammey looked helpless. ¡°He keeps harassing my sister. I have no other option. Knowing that he liked to y games, I bet with him.¡± Knowing that he did this not out of bad intentions, Nicole felt a little sorry for him. Vivian might be annoying, but she was Sammey¡¯s sister, after all. So Nicole thought people like Nathan really deserved to be taught a lesson. ¡°How much did you lose?¡± Nicole asked in a whisper. They all looked at Nicole. Upon hearing her question, Sammey came to his senses and said, ¡°You mean the tokens? Fifty million.¡± He was talking about the value of assets in Monopoly, which was almost all of it. N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. He looked at Nicole¡¯s face and continued. ¡°I often y Monopoly, but this time things have gotten really strange. All five rolls of the dice took me to the worst position, and the goodnds have all been bought up by Nathan. Now it is difficult to make aeback.¡± Nicole looked at Nathan upon hearing that. ¡®This guy has obviously used some dirty tricks; no way Sammey could win. Putting bets on the game to scam a student is despicable.¡¯ Her eyes looked frosty, but a cold smile was slowly creeping across her face. ¡°Nathan, do you dare to y with me?¡± Nathanughed triumphantly when he heard she wanted to challenge him. ¡®She is really stupid. Even a veteran like Sammey couldn¡¯t beat me at the game. She is just a yokel, who probably has never seen a board game, yet she wants to challenge me.¡¯ Chapter 683 Chapter 683 He forgot for a moment that Nicole had just prevented the dealer from rolling the dice. Instead, he looked at Nicole with a sneer and said, ¡°Okay, but what if you lose? Since you¡¯re so hot,¡± he looked up and down at Nicole with lustful eyes, ¡°why don¡¯t you be my woman?¡± N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. ¡®Her character and background are so-so, but she has got a really hot body.¡¯ Seeing Nathan leer at Nicole , Sammey and others knew his dirty thoughts. Sammey rushed to stand in front of Nicole , blocking Nathan¡¯s view of her, and said angrily,¡± Please respect her and yourself, Nathan.¡± Nathan sneered upon seeing Sammey get so furious. He was curious why these boys were so protective of Nicole. The Holmes family did not want to offend these families at once, so he said lackadaisically, ¡°I am not short of money but a woman. Think about the consequences if you want to y with me.¡± After saying that, he leaned back in his chair and continued to sweep his lecherous eyes at Nicole. Jared¡¯s face had darkened so much that even Max and us could clearly sense his murderous vibe. ¡®It¡¯s just a game, but you want to bet. Don¡¯t you know that this is illegal?¡± Nicole said coldly. Nathanughed wickedly upon hearing her question. ¡°It¡¯s just a private bet, a deal outside the club. No one can meddle with it. Get out of here if you don¡¯t dare to bet with me.¡± Nicole¡¯s eyes darkened abruptly as she had lost patience with Nathan. At this moment, a waitstaff of the club suddenly pushed a cart covered with a red cloth over and said respectfully to Nicole, ¡°Miss Riddle, these are the tokens for you.¡± Everyone was stunned. Nicole quietly looked at Jared as he approached slowly. She knew it was him who got her those tokens and did not refuse. ¡°How much is this?¡± she asked in a whisper. The waiter still bowed his head and said respectfully,¡± Monopoly¡¯s starting token is fifty million game coins. Here are exactly one hundred million game coins.¡± Nathan¡¯s eyes widened, and he pointed at the waitstaff and shouted, ¡°This is not fair. Monopoly¡¯s starting token has always been fifty million. Is the club crazy by giving her one hundred million?¡±. The waitstaff looked at Nathan with a not-too-happy look in his eyes. ¡°Thisdy is a distinguished guest of our club, and the starting capital of each game of Super VIP members is twice that of ordinary members. Have you forgotten?¡± Then he took all the tokens and piled them up in front of Nicole. Nathan waspletely dumbfounded at this point. ¡°Just her? How could she be a Super VIP?¡± The Bond family¡¯s private club operated an all membership system. An ordinary membership card costs millions a year, a bronze gold membership tens of millions, and a Super VIP membership hundreds of millions. He had not seen a Super VIP. Now they were telling him that Nicole was a Super VIP member. He wondered who she really was. Sammey and others looked at Nicole in shock, as if he had not expected things to turn out this way. They all were from wealthy families, but they had never seen people fork out a hundred million to subscribe to Super VIP membership. Sammey shook his head, realizing that none of this was an illusion. He said to Nicole, ¡°Boss, who the hell are you, really?¡± Chapter 684 Chapter 684 Nathan had obviously thought of this, too. He looked at Nicole, the lustful look in his eyes so obvious. ¡®She is rich and beautiful; this is the girl I want.¡¯ Nathan let out a dirty smile with the dirty thought in mind. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to be so rich. I really underestimated you!¡± Nicole was keeping a straight face and gently fiddled with one of the tokens that piled up in front of her. ¡°Cut the crap. Let¡¯s get started.¡± She did not have that much time to waste on minions like him. ¡®So what if she has double the number of tokens? She is just a yokel who has never seen the world. No way she is going to beat me, no matter what game itis.¡¯ Nathan stopped talking. He looked at Nicole with contempt, not believing that she would win. But after the dealer learned of Nicole¡¯s Super VIP membership, he sweated profusely, frantically winking at Nathan, signaling him not to agree to a duel with such a VIP, as he would lose eight out of ten. Overwhelmed with lustful desire for Nicole , Nathan had lost his senses. He gritted his teeth and said, ¡°Let¡¯s get started.¡± The game had started, and everyone else stepped aside. Jared could see the expression in Nicole¡¯s eyes clearly; she looked as if she was familiar with the rules and strategizing now. us stood by and watched, his jaw dropping to the ground as Nicole had just started reading the rules. ¡®She is indeed ying this kind of board game for the first time. I¡¯ve just disagreed with Jared getting so many tokens for Nicole. She has never yed Monopoly before. She¡¯s going to lose.¡¯ He looked at Nicole and had no words. Then he muttered, ¡°It¡¯s over, Mr. Johnston. You just spent one hundred million on a Super VIP membership. I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s going down the drain.¡± He looked at Jared disapprovingly, thinking that Jared had been too generous in parting with his money. But Jared ignored him. He walked up to Nicole, leaned down slightly, and asked in her ear with great affection,¡± Are you sure you can win?¡± He sounded nonchnt as if he was not worried at all. Nicole nced at him. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I will not lose.¡± Their eyes met in the air; one was yful, and the other was cold, yet there seemed to be some sparks of affection in the air. Sammey started to admire Jared when he saw Jared was so close to Nicole, and Nicole, who had a cold personality, did not resist Nathan saw this and sneered. ¡°No wonder you cane up with so many tokens. Apparently, you have a sugar daddy to back you up.¡± The Holmes family was only a third-tier family in San Joto, and he had no idea who Jared was, which was why he dared to be so arrogant. us heard Jared being called a sugar daddy for the first time, and he tried hard not tough. But Jared was unperturbed, looking thoughtfully at Nicole¡¯s nonchnt face, and then gave Nathan a glimpse but said nothing. Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. Jared¡¯s nce made Nathan¡¯s hair stand on end, and Nathan secretly told himself not to be afraid of a sugar daddy like him. He motioned to the dealer and said,¡± What are you waiting for? Come over and roll the dice now.¡± Leon looked at Nicole, then at Jared again, gritted his teeth, and stepped out. But facing Nathan and Nicole, his hands touching the cold dice shivered. He sensed Nicole¡¯s gaze and flinched back in fear as if feeling he was being watched. Following the rules, he shook the dice in front of the two and then stood opposite them and barely calmed down.¡±Please start your initial amount of money in the bank.¡± Nicole looked at her tokens and pushed out half of them with no hesitation. ¡°I will start with the same amount of money as his.¡± Chapter 685 Chapter 685 She was confident of winning and did not need that many tokens at all. N?velDrama.Org ? 2024. Sammey looked at Nicole and wanted to warn her not to take the opponent too lightly. But then he saw Nicole¡¯s calm face and thought better of it. He guessed Nicole was probably confident of winning, and he should not worry about her. The initial bet of fifty million made Nathan look at her in surprise. He did not expect that she still had backbone and did not use her Super VIP privilege. But that might work to his advantage, as he might probably win even faster. So he followed suit. The dealer walked over to the two and opened Nathan¡¯s dice first. ¡°Five steps for your piece.¡± Nathan¡¯s eyes widen with delight, clearly even luck on his side. The square that he was going tond was a keynd. He could buy it to collect rent as long as Nicolended on The dealer walked over to Nicole again and opened her dice. It was a three, which was just too small. Nathan¡¯s eyes lit up, and he gawked at the tokens in front of Nicole with a greedy look in his eyes. He held his head high, looking provocatively at Nicole, whose expression remained changed. ¡°Luck is not on your side at the start of the game. The first golden property is mine. Why don¡¯t you concede defeat now? I will be gentle to you.¡± He looked at Nicole with a lewd look on his face as if he were about to swallow her. ¡°You¡¯ve only upied one favorable property and are so quick to im triumph? It would be a p in the face if you lose,¡± Nicole said with a hiss. ¡°No way I will lose.¡± As expected, Nathan had a displeased look on his face upon hearing what Nicole said. ¡°I wasn¡¯t born yesterday. I will not lose to a novice like you.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what you said,¡± Nicole suddenly said, ¡°but you still just owed me a bet. I will be your woman if I lose. How about you if you lose?¡± ¡®She really dares to imagine that she will win.¡± Judging by the situation now, Nathan felt she could not possibly win. ¡°If I lose, I¡¯ll leave San Joto and never appear in front of you again.¡± ¡°Oh, really? This is what you said, okay?¡± Nicole smiled, knowing that Nathan had taken the bait. He did not know that she had given him a handicap. ¡°Yeah, I said that. Mark my words.¡± Nathanughed, thinking that this was impossible to happen. He was convinced that Nicole would lose and be his woman, and he could hardly suppress the ted look on his face. Nicole looked at him and smirked, her expression indifferent. ¡°You¡¯d better keep your words.¡± Sammey and the others saw clearly from the sidelines that Nicole¡¯s dice number was small, and things were not looking up for her during her next turn. Sammey saw she was raising her hand to pick up the piece, and he tried to stop her. ¡°Calm down, Boss.¡± us was so anxious that he could not bear to look at it. Meanwhile, Jared was looking at Nicole thoughtfully. Nicole seemed to hesitate for a second upon hearing what Sammey said. Nathan¡¯s heart skipped a beat, and he saw Nicole nce at him with a smirk and then say to Sammey, ¡°Are you the boss, or I¡¯m the boss?¡± Chapter 686 Chapter 686 After saying that, she moved her piece to the square before Sammey could stop her. He felt miserable at seeing that Nicole was going to be at a disadvantage. But he knew he could not me her; she just wanted to help him. Besides, he thought she was still a little girl, and it was normal that she had not yed Monopoly before. ¡®It¡¯s all Nathan¡¯s fault.¡¯ Sammey and others looked at Nathan with hatred in their eyes. Nathan did not care what they thought. He looked at Nicole¡¯s move and smiled like a Cheshire cat. ¡®What a fool she is,¡¯ he thought. us was stupefied , even though he had known Nicole better during this time. Nicole was still young, but she had shown that she knew what she was doing all this while. So he did not expect that she would be so naive and rose to the bait when provoked. ¡®She is too reckless without thinking about the consequences. She is hopelessly stupid.¡¯ He could not bear to look at her further. us felt even more depressed when he saw Jared was not bothered at all. Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. ¡®Please , boss. Nicole is taking your money and trying to be a hero.¡¯ Jared smiled upon seeing Nicole¡¯s confident look. ¡®This girl is superb at acting.¡¯ us had no words when he saw the smile on Jared¡¯s face. He could not help but turn to Max. He had to find someone to talk to, or he would be likely to get depression. But Max looked like he also believed in Nicole and did not bother with us. Nicole had made her move,nding on a square and looking at the stunned dealer. ¡°Can I buy this property?¡± Leon looked at Nicole¡¯s face and was stupefied . ¡°Okay, you may buy it, but it has no investment value.¡± Nathan burst intoughter, wondering if Nicole was dumb, that she was probably too scared tond on his property and pay the rent that she was willing to buy worthless property. Nicole bought it anyway. It was Nathan¡¯s turn to roll the dice. He secretly prayed in his mind. When the dice turned out to be a five, he broke into a smile. The dealer was obviously still helping him tond on a good piece of property. He bought it with no hesitation and added it to his portfolio. As long as Nicolended on his property, she would have to pay him rent. But Nicole looked nonchnt. She rolled the dice, and the result stunned everyone. They all could not believe that the dice would be a six with just a casual shake of her hand. 2 ¡®Luck is on her side this time. But howe she got a three in thest round?¡¯ Nathan looked at dice with a six and was exasperated. His face copsed suddenly as he looked at the dealer as if asking what was going on. The dealer did not dare to look at him. No one knew that when he dropped the dice just now, he had already adjusted it to a two so that Nicole wouldnd on Nathan¡¯s property and have to pay rent. To his surprise, when Nicole revealed the dice, it was a six, and she sessfully skipped Nathan¡¯s property. But everyone saw Nicole did not cheat. So Leon had to let Nicole pass through, and shended on another good piece of property. ¡°Oh God, this is going to be a game-changer.¡± Sammey was pleasantly surprised that Nicole hadnded on a good piece of property so quickly. Chapter 687 Chapter 687 Nicole looked at the table expressionlessly and reached out to move her piece. There was no apparent emotion on her face, but her gaze at Nathan was surprisingly cold, which was theplete opposite of her impulsive behavior when she agreed to the bet earlier. The dealer retrieved the dice. Nathan thought that he had upied two vantage points, and there was no need to worry too much, so he confidently drew two chance cards at random. After checking that the chance cards of the two had not been revealed, the dealer first walked to Nathan¡¯s side and held out his hand with a white glove to open the cards. All eyes were on the two cards as they were slowly revealed. One was a rent hike card, the other a card that shed the opponent¡¯s asset values by twenty percent, which was simply godsent. Nathan almost jumped for joy. He looked at his chance cards and guffawed, ¡°My two properties appreciated by thirty percent. Let¡¯s see how you¡¯re going to beat me.¡± Sammey¡¯s face turned pale upon seeing this result. He had hoped that Nathan would draw some less powerful cards so that Nicole would have a better chance of winning. But now, both cards were in Nathan¡¯s favor; Sammey was utterly disappointed. Surprise had faded from the faces of others. They could hardly bear to look at the chance cards that Nicole had drawn. After all, Nathan had drawn two good cards, and the odds of all four cards in a round being good were tiny. One of Sammey¡¯s underlings tried tofort Nicole. ¡°It¡¯s okay, boss. We haven¡¯t lost yet. The fact that you dare to take up the challenge is an aplishment.¡± Another guy also said, ¡°Yeah, boss. It is okay. This is just your first try.¡± Jared raised an eyebrow upon hearing what they said. ¡®I didn¡¯t know that these guys were so concerned about Nicole.¡¯ us had also seen Nathan¡¯s chance cards. He did not bother to say anything but smirked and turned to look at Max, whose expression was still extremely stony. Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. Likewise, Nicole still looked nonchnt as the dealer walked over to reveal her chance cards. Nathan was already going crazy with excitement. He excitedly locked his eyes on Nicole¡¯s cards and waited for the dealer to reveal her cards and then announce his victory. But the dealer looked anxious, as he felt Nicole was intimidating. She was sitting there leisurely, but her pair of fearsome, upturned eyes were sending chills up his spine. She looked at ease as if everything was under control. The dealer felt more and more nervous because of her stare. His hand was trembling as he revealed her cards.Meanwhile , Nicole was just looking on nonchntly as her chance cards were revealed. ¡°What is this?¡± ¡°This is¡­¡± Sammey was thinking of giving up at first. But he looked up when he heard those whispers . A look of incredulity spread across his face when he saw Nicole¡¯s chance cards. One was a market crash card that would sh property prices in half, which was expected. There would be a bad card issued to the yers in each round, but a market crash card that reduced property values by half was the worst of all bad cards. This card had practically wiped out the advantage of Nicole¡¯s starting capital, which doubled that of Nathan¡¯s. Not only that, but one of Nathan¡¯s chance cards would also sh her property values by a further 20%. Considering all this, Nicole really had a bad day today. She was destined to lose. But just when Sammey had lost all hopes, he saw the other card and was utterly snocked. ¡°T-This is an exchange card?¡± Chapter 688 Chapter 688 Everyone was stunned at hearing that.The dealer almost trembled to see the two cards. He took a deep breath and looked at Nicole¡¯s cards again. ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong with that, one bad card, one swap card, and there is only one such card. I can¡¯t be wrong. But I didn¡¯t give Nicole that card; it¡¯s still in my sleeve and will only be given to Nathan if necessary.¡¯ But when he checked his sleeve, there was nothing there. Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g! ¡®Could it be that she swapped the card out when I dealt the cards? But could this even be possible? I¡¯m professionally trained and could leave no trace at all. But the girl could do it so stealthily without me knowing; her skill is apparently above me.¡± The dealer waspletely dumbfounded. He looked at Nicole in fright. The thought of the girl grasping him at the beginning sent a chill up his spine. The dealer calmed down after a moment and said softly, ¡°There is no need to continue with this round of Monopoly; thisdy won.¡± Nathan looked at the dealer , dumbfounded . ¡°What are you talking about?¡± ¡®Isn¡¯t he the dealer? Why is he speaking for Nicole?¡¯ Nicole smiled and put down the cards in her hand one by one. When Nathan saw the asset reduction card, he was overjoyed. ¡°Look! Like I¡¯ve said, a yokel like her couldn¡¯t possibly beat me.¡± Sammey hissed. ¡°Don¡¯t get too happy too soon, Nathan. Look at our boss¡¯s next card.¡± Nathan hated it, believing that Sammey was bluffing. ¡°Do you think I will believe that she has got an exchange card? No way.¡± ¡®As long as the dealer is still on my side, he couldn¡¯t have possibly dealt her such a card.! While Nathan wasughing triumphantly, Nicole revealed herst card. Now he couldugh no more, not expecting Nicole to have the exchange card in her hand. There was silence. Everyone knew Nathan; he yed Monopoly and had almost never lost. But today, he screwed up and was. beaten at his own game by a rookie female yer for the first time. ¡°No, I will not lose.¡± Nathan still did not believe it. Sammey said triumphantly, ¡°You will undoubtedly lose. Your cards will all belong to our boss; after your asset values are reduced by half, they will further be reduced by twenty percent. What is left?¡± Nathan¡¯s starting token was half of that of Nicole¡¯s, and now he had only 10 million left, which was not even enough to buy the next property, which meant he could no longer continue with the game. ¡°No, it¡¯s impossible.¡± Nathan¡¯s face changed dramatically, and he looked at the dealer in surprise.¡± You sold me out. I gave you so much money, yet you dealt her an exchange card?¡± Everyone was stunned upon hearing that. No one expected the reason Nathan could keep on winning was that he had bribed the dealer. The dealer knew he was done for when seeing what unfolded. He removed the gloves and ced them neatly on the tray, then begged the supervisor. ¡°I cheated guests for him at Table 63. Take me away; I¡¯m taking responsibility for it.¡± As long as he was taken away, Nathan could not look for trouble with him. Chapter 689 Chapter 689 ¡°Where do you think you¡¯re going?¡± Nathan wanted to grab the dealer. The supervisor frowned, stopped Nathan, and then said something into the walkie-talkie. After getting a reply, he took the dealer away. ¡°Bastard,e back. Give me my money back.¡± But no one gave a damn about him. Everyone who had witnessed the entire episode looked at Nicole in amazement, as if they did not expect things to turn out this way. Nathan realized he had really lost at the hands of a yokel he despised. Jared motioned for Max to clean up the scene. Max immediately stepped forward. ¡°You lost, and you said before that if you lost, you would leave San Joto. Now it¡¯s time to keep your promise.¡± Sammey and the others were all triumphant as they watched Max instruct the bodyguards to take Nathan away. ¡®It¡¯s just a game! Who would take a game seriously? Let go of me!¡± Nathan sensed something was wrong and tried to run. Nicole looked on and frowned as Nathan fled. Just when she was about to get up, us, who was next to Jared, sprang into action. He lunged out and knocked Nathan to the ground with one punch. ¡°Are you trying to evade responsibility? Who the hell made a bet with Miss Riddle just now, eh? You deserve all this.¡± Nathany on the ground, clutching his stomach in pain, looking at us with resentment. He had never imagined that even the people around this sugar daddy were so badass. Soon the club¡¯s personnel arrived and dragged Nathan away, waiting for the Holmes family to redeem him. Mr. Bond then came out smiling. This time, after greeting Jared, he walked over to and looked at Nicole with respect. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for what happened, Miss Riddle.¡± Nicole looked at him and said faintly, ¡°It¡¯s alright, but never let these people who gamble on board gamese again.¡± Mr. Bond¡¯s smile stiffened; he knew Nicole was warning him that if anyone else came to gamble using board games, his club would be closed down. Knowing that he could not afford to offend Jared and Nicole , he looked at Nicole with respect. ¡°Yourre right. I will never allow such a person toe to our club again.¡± Mr. Bond looked at Jared silently and only breathed a sigh of relief when seeing that Jared did not have an opinion about him. Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. Knowing what he was trying to say, Nicole nced up at him. ¡°But today, Nathan and I made a bet that he would leave San Joto tomorrow if he lost. Now it¡¯s up to you to keep an eye on him.¡± Not only Jared but even us, who was rubbernecking with his arms crossed, was shocked. ¡®The Holmes family might have declined, but they still have a certain influence. It is difficult to kick the Holmes family out of San Joto. Yet Nicole is making such a demand. She is one hell of a ruthless girl.¡¯ Mr. Bond immediately trained his ttering mouth on Jared. ¡°Mr. Johnston¡­¡± Carrying out that demand would put him on the spot. Jared did not even look at him when he said, ¡°Just follow the Super VIP service rules of your club.¡± Mr. Bond¡¯s face copsed, but thinking about the one hundred million Jared had spent, he immediately gritted his teeth and said, ¡°Gotcha! I will handle it. Please enjoy yourselves here, Mr. Johnston, Miss Riddle.¡± With that, he could not wait to go backstage and contact the Holmes family. This time, it was Nathan who had messed with Jared¡¯s friend. So he had to deal with the Holmes family and kick them out of San Joto. Sammey and others eased up after Mr. Bond left. ¡°Boss, did we really win?¡± Chapter 690 Chapter 690 Nicole nced at a few of them, stood up, and walked over to Jared, then turned back to them and said, ¡°Since you call me boss, I can¡¯t watch you being bullied.¡± With that, he said to Jared, ¡°Thank you.¡± Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g! ¡®The VIP membership here should be very expensive, right? Not to mention Super VIP.¡¯Jared looked at her ss-like pupils and said dotingly,¡± Go home?¡± Nicole did not refute it again. She nced back at Sammey and others and said in a tone that had a rare gentleness in her voice, ¡®It¡¯s gettingte. Sammey, take them back. Nathan shouldn¡¯t have a chance toe looking for trouble with you all again.¡± Sammey and a few others watched her standing with Jared. It seemed that it was this man who came with their boss today, and he really felt that this guy was more than just a caf¨¦ owner. He looked at Jared and could not help but respect him, and then he thanked Nicole and Jared. Nicole said no more. She turned and walked toward the outside of the club. Jared threw the car keys in his hand at us and nced at himckadaisically. ¡°Max is not there. You drive.¡± us quickly caught the key and quickly brought the car over. After the two of them got into the car, he started the engine. But because of his excitement, he always reached over and kept asking Nicole about this and that. ¡°Miss Riddle , did you already see that the guy was cheating?¡± Jared was taking some shut-eye when he heard the question. He looked up at Nicole as if he also wanted to know the answer. Nicole did not shy away from answering it. ¡°Of course, I did.¡± ¡°So, how did you beat him?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a secret.¡± Nicole smiled. us was disappointed when he did not get the answer. Jared smiled. ¡°us.¡± us immediately responded. ¡°Yes, Mr. Johnston?¡± Jared looked at him through the rearview mirror with his amorous eyes slightly narrowed. ¡°Keep your mouth shut.¡± 1 us saw the forbidding look in his eyes and shut up at once. Silence instantly fell in the cabin. But he was used to a Jared like this, not the boss who was with Nicole, sometimes. us was deep in thought, wondering why Jared treated Nicole so specially. In other words, he was curious about what exactly attracted Jared to Nicole and made him so obsessed with her. ¡®There is more to her than meets the eyes.¡¯ Since neither of them said where to go, us drove back to Jared¡¯s usual resting ce. Nicole got out of the car and looked at Jared with puzzlement. ¡°We will rest here for the night tonight. I will send you over tomorrow morning.¡± Jared¡¯s face remained unchanged. Nicole nodded. Jared lived in a vi near the city, but it was still quiet. She liked the surroundings. Jared led her through the door to the first floor and pointed out the guest room to her. ¡°That¡¯s your room. You take a shower first, and I will make something to eat. It had been a long day, and he felt a little hungry. Chapter 691 Chapter 691 Nicole nodded, not rejecting his kindness. Halfway through the shower, she realized she did not have a change of clothes. Downstairs, us watched in amazement, thinking that he had an illusion as Jared fastened the apron as if he were preparing to cook. He rubbed his eyes and asked in disbelief, ¡°Boss, are you going to cook?¡± ¡®He could have just ordered it directly. I have seen no other women who could make him cook.¡± Jared did not spare a nce at him as he continued doing what he was doing. ¡°How about you cook?¡± us shook his head vigorously and then looked at Jared in a daze. ¡®The old-fashioned apron looks great on Boss.¡¯ At this moment, footsteps came from the stairs. Jared and us looked back almost in unison and were amazed. The girl was wearing a white bathrobe, and much of her skin was exposed, her rosy face glowing. Probably because she had juste out of the shower, she looked so refreshing and clean like a lily. Especially her pair of upturned eyes that looked like melting ice in the early spring, wet and a little misty, just like her hair. Looking down, there was her slender waist and long and delicate legs. Nicole had a little helpless look on her face, which was rare. She walked down in her bathrobe and said to Jared,¡± I don¡¯t have a change of clothes. I can only wear this.¡± Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. Jared came to his senses and immediately took off his apron. He then pulled us, who was still staring at Nicole in a daze, into the kitchen and passed him the spat. Seeing us still gawk at Nicole, Jared frowned. He strode out, took Nicole¡¯s hand, and brought her upstairs. It was not until Nicole disappeared into the corner of the stairs that us came out of his daze. Kicking himself for staring at Nicole like that, he looked at the spat in his hand and then at the sizzling things on the frying pan, suddenly screaming as he scrambled to save the dish.¡± Holy moly, Boss!¡± us wondered if a harder life would await him with Nicole¡¯s presence. Upstairs, Nicole shook off Jared¡¯s hand with a stony face.¡± What are you doing?¡± Jared looked at her and said nothing; he did not know what he was doing, but one thing was certain though, that he did not want to see us stare at her like that. She has no idea how attractive she is.¡¯ But thinking of the day at the Turmann mansion, he took a long cold shower to calm down, and since then, he had nevere any closer to her. He swallowed but could say nothing. After taking a deep breath, he took out his mobile phone. ¡°Order a set ofdies¡¯ clothes and send them over. The height is about five feet five.¡± Putting down the phone, Jared looked at Nicole. ¡°Wait in the room first. The clothes will be delivered in a while.¡± Nicole looked at him with a gentle look in her eyes.¡± Thank you.¡± ¡®That¡¯s what a boyfriend should do.¡¯ Jared fought back his fleeting desire, his self-control almost crumbling at the sight of her smile. He nced away, forcing himself not to look at her anymore, and then turned and left the room. Nicole looked at Jared as he left, a smile creeping across her face when she recalled hisst exnation. This time, she could tell that he was not angry but self-restraining. Downstairs , us was struggling with cooking. He was surprised when Jared walked over. ¡°Why did youe down so quickly, not spending time with the hot chick?¡± When Jared brought Nicole upstairs, he thought Jared was doing what most men would have done. Seeing that Jared did not answer, us seemed to have figured out something andughed. ¡°Ahh, Nicole is not a hot chick but an icy queen. Did you get frostbite?¡± Chapter 692 Chapter 692 He thought Jared was kicked out. Jared looked at him, apparently not too happy. So us quickly kept his mouth shut. He realized Jared was in a ck mood, and it seemed even more likely that Jared was kicked out of the room. Jared finally reined in his emotions, his pair of charming eyes expressionless, making him look forbidding. Not long after, someone knocked on the door of the vi. us went to open the door, and a crowd of people came in and lined up in two rows. One group was holding thetest branded clothes for the season that had not been released, and the other side held the matching essories and jewelry. N?velDrama.Org ? 2024. us looked at it and could not help but smirk. Jared walked over, and instead of having someone take the things straight upstairs, he picked a few of them and said to the people, ¡°Send the rest to my room.¡± After they put the things in his room, they all quietly left. Only then did Jared go upstairs and knock on Nicole¡¯s door. ¡°I will put the clothes here. Come downstairs when you¡¯ve go changed,¡± Before he could finish speaking, Nicole had already opened the door, took the clothes, and smiled. ¡°Got it.¡± 1 Jared looked her in the eyes as she smiled as if they were already newlyweds by this time. Shaking his head vigorously, not allowing his mind to run wild, he turned and went downstairs. Nicole looked at the clothes Jared had chosen for her, two of which were casual wear, which had a matching lining, and the other was a pajama. Changing into pajamas, she looked at herself in the mirror and did not think there was anything wrong with that. She then went downstairs slowly. us¡¯s eyes were darting around the house when Nicole walked downstairs. Seeing her attire, he burst outughing. The reason was that such a cool girl like Nicole was wearing a cute short-sleeved bear nightdress. ¡®I didn¡¯t know that Jared had such a taste in fashion.¡¯ Jared was surprised. He could not help but smile upon seeing Nicole wear this pajama. Nicole looked at the two of them and asked in puzzlement. ¡°Am I wearing the dress wrongly?¡± Because the dress¡¯s front was not too different from the back, it was all the same furry, so she had just casually put it on. ¡°No, no, it¡¯s beautiful.¡± Jared tried not tough. He was used to seeing Nicole¡¯s businesslike outfit. This stark contrast made him think she was cute. Turning his head, he found us was still there and gave him a look. ¡°You can go now.¡± ¡®This dude should have known better.¡¯ ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll go right away.¡± us had a knowing look on his face, and he quickly packed up his things and left. Seeing that us had misunderstood , he turned to look at Nicole. ¡°Don¡¯t bother with him. Please take a seat.¡± Only then did Nicole notice the dishes on the dining table, and they looked appetizing. She walked over to Jared and sat down beside him. us nced at the two with a smile before he left. Nicole, dressed in bear pajamas, and Jared, who was wearing a white shirt, looked surprisingly matched. Not wanting to disturb them, us chuckled and quickly sneaked away. Nicole had a small appetite. She took a sip of the soup and then the sd. Jared frowned at seeing her thin wrist. He fetched a slice of beef and said, ¡°Don¡¯t be picky eaters.¡± Nicole looked at the beef for a moment before eating it with a frown. She did not like meat, but she also did not like to waste food. Chapter 693 Chapter 693 Jared looked pleased as he watched her finish the beef. He then fetched her a piece of chicken. Nicole looked at him. Not knowing how to reject the kindness of others, she had no choice but to keep silent, hoping that he would get the hint. But it did not seem to work today. She was wearing a cute bear nightdress , her long fluffy hair cascading down, her face expressionless, her cheeks bulging as she chewed on food. Jaredpletely ignored her silent protest. After the meal, Jared got up, cleaned the table , and did the dishes. Watching his eyshes hang low and cover his charming eyes, she found him sexy as he rolled up the sleeves to do the dishes with his muscr arms exposed. Nicole leaned quietly against the wall and looked at him.¡± You are different from what I¡¯ve imagined.¡± After knowing him for so long, she had never seen the casual side of him. Jared heard her say this and looked back at her. ¡°What did I look like in your imagination?¡± Nicole raised an eyebrow. ¡°I thought you were a bossy CEO from another world.¡± This was the feeling he had given her all along. Jared could not help but chuckle, hisughter like a feather gently teasing Nicole¡¯s heart. ¡®What has been happening to metely? My heart always keeps pounding at his frown andughter.¡¯ His seduction n really worked. Not wanting to watch idly by, Nicole stepped forward to take the bowl in Jared¡¯s hand. ¡°Let¡¯s do it together.¡± Jared watched her do the dishes so neatly and squinted his eyes, knowing that she must have done this chore a lot. ¡°The Riddle family doesn¡¯t treat you well?¡± Nicole shook her head. ¡°You forgot I wasn¡¯t in the Riddle family before this. I did everything myself while living in the countryside. I¡¯m doing well now. My parents and brothers take good care of me.¡± When she and Mrs. When Wace Sr. lived together, she also performed this chore handily. Jared was relieved. He watched Nicole finish doing the dishes and turn off the wallmp. Jared was suddenly lost in reverie as Nicole walked toward him with a soft orange glow behind her. He had not felt this feeling in years. Because of Nicole, this deserted house felt more like home. He looked at Nicole, his eyes greeted by the warm light that came with her, and his heart was at peace. Nicole walked up to him and was a little baffled at seeing him in a daze. ¡°Are you alright, Jared?¡± Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. ¡°I¡¯m alright.¡± He smiled and enjoyed the moment. ¡°Let¡¯s go upstairs and rest.¡± He took her hand and went upstairs with her. The warmth of his hand seemed to have ignited Nicole¡¯s heart. She did not resist but let him hold her hand. When they got to the room, Jaredid her down with him on the bed. ¡°You¡­¡± Nicole blushed, not expecting that he would dare to lie down with her and hug her. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t touch you. I just want to spend more time with you.¡± Chapter 694 Chapter 694 The feeling of holding her was really reassuring. Nicole¡¯s heart pounded wildly, but she could feel his gentleness and sincerity. She could only utter a ¡°good night¡± after a long while. ¡°Hmm.¡± Jared smiled contentedly and closed his eyes slowly. Nicole wrapped her arms around his waist, and for the first time, she could sleep peacefully. It was a dreamless night for Nicole. When she woke up again, the sun had poured into the room. Nicole got up, but Jared was nowhere to be seen. As she went downstairs , she smelled the aroma of food in the air. Leaning against the railing, she looked at the man, who was busy in the kitchen. Sunlight shone on Jared. He was wearing a white shirt and a minimalistic ck apron, exuding a kind of ascetic male aura. Nicole was almostpletely captivated. She felt touched and warmhearted with such a graceful man making breakfast for her. When the man came out of the kitchen and saw her on the stairs, he could not help but squint his eyes with a smile. ¡°Good morning.¡± ¡°Good morning.¡± Nicole let out a warm smile and walked down the stairs. Jared put the breakfast down and turned around, only to be held by the little woman on his waist. His expression softened in an instant. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Nicole looked up at him with a serious face. ¡°It feels like home.¡± N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. Jared immediately understood what she meant, and he felt the same. With this little woman in the house, it really felt like home. Thest time he felt this way was when his parents were still alive. He reached out and hugged Nicole in return. The two were like people who had been wandering for a long time and finally found a harbor, licking each other¡¯s wounds to make up for the previous pain. After a long while, Jared took her to sit down for breakfast. ¡°I may be a little busytely, and I guess I won¡¯t go to the caf¨¦ too often.¡± He looked at her with a smile as if he was a husband who was about to go on a business trip. Nicole let out a warm smile, seemingly enjoying the feeling. ¡°Okay, go busy with your things. Remember to call me when you miss me.¡± She smiled cooperatively. It was the first time Nicole had allowed him to call her, and Jared couldn¡¯t help but smile. ¡°Got it, honey.¡± 1 Nicole did not object to how he addressed her this time. The two of them finished their breakfast, and Max came to pick them up. Jared took Nicole¡¯s hand, got into the car together, and sent Nicole back to the Royal Creek Institute. Arriving at the destination and before getting out of the car, Jared looked at Nicole dotingly. ¡°Remember to miss me.¡± Nicole let out a sweet smile , nodded, and whispered a¡± goodbye.¡± Jared looked on with a smile as she went. It surprised Max to see the lovey-dovey energy in the two of them. ¡®I know my boss is out of his charactertely, but that sweet smile on Nicole¡¯s face-is she still the Nicole I know?¡¯ Chapter 695 Chapter 695 Love, indeed, is a poison.Nicole kept a good mood all the way back to ss.Vivian, who sat in the first row, saw her at once. But instead of taunting Nicole, she looked at her as if she was in a predicament. Nicole ignored it, went straight back to her table, and sat down. Lulu had not arrived yet. She could faintly hear the discussion in the ss. ¡°Do you know Bobby from twelfth grade, who wants to rece Austin as a school bully? His family has been fixed by the Bond family.¡± ¡°The Bond family, a giant of the entertainment industry in San Joto?¡± ¡°Who else if not them? Can you name another Bond family in San Joto? I heard that Bobby¡¯s brother Nathan got into trouble with a VIP at a clubst night. It is said that today the Holmes family is liquidating its assets and leaving San Joto.¡± ¡°Really? Who is so powerful? The Holmes family got into trouble because of Ashleyst time. This time, the entire Holmes family is being driven out of San Joto?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. But I heard it¡¯s not an ordinary person. By the way, Sammey seems to know.¡± ¡°Sammey-Vivian¡¯s brother?¡± Everyone looked at Vivian, but Vivian was keeping her head low as if he was afraid that others would ask her. Everyone could only guess who could deal such a devastating blow to the stubborn Holmes family. Nicole kept silent, not wanting anyone to talk about him again. Austin came to ss B. As soon as he saw Nicole, he sat down with a smiling face. ¡°Boss, you know what? The family of Bobby, who has been provoking me all this time, has moved out of Northon.¡± Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g! Thinking that no one had heard the news, he happily continued. ¡°What karma. You may not already know, Boss. Bobby is finished. His underlings bowed and scraped to me, admired my insight for following such a powerful boss, and begged me to take them.¡± Nicole could not help but frown. ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you that you were no longer a gangster and that you must study hard from now on?¡± Austin immediately nodded. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Boss. I¡¯m not going to take those snobs, but I will let them follow whoever they like. I promised you I would study hard, and I would not fail you.¡± He could not help smiling, and everyone watched with a stiff expression. They all wondered when this school bully became such a sweet talker. But as soon as Bobby left, Austin¡¯s position would be shaken. Even if he did not take in those people, anyone with a little hindsight would know that no one would ever dare to mess with Nicole again. Austin was still smiling triumphantly. ¡°You¡¯re all that I need, Boss. I don¡¯t need those people to bog me down. Learning is my priority now.¡± Nicole smiled as she looked at the ttering Austin. Just then, Sammey suddenly came over. When he saw Austin , he immediately came to Nicole¡¯s side. ¡°I didn¡¯t know that Austin was here, too.¡± Austin immediately nodded. ¡°Of course, I¡¯ve got to bring Boss great news.¡± ¡°Bring the news?¡± Sammey was stupefied . ¡°Boss knew about it, okay? The Holmes family was kicked out because they lost a bet with Bossst night.¡± ¡°What?¡± Austin was stunned, and so was the entire ss. At first, Vivian wanted to pretend that she did not know Sammey. She now could not help but freeze with her head lowered even further. Only then did Austin know what happened. ¡°Boss, was it really you?¡± Nicole shot a look at the Sammey, the loose cannon, but she also knew she could no longer hide it. So she nodded and said, ¡°Sort of.¡± In fact, it was Jared who really put pressure on the Bond family, and Nicole had just beaten Nathan in the board game. ¡°Oh my God! Boss, you are so awesome! How did you do that? Tell me more about it.¡± Austin was desperate to know what had happened. But at this time, the ss bell rang. ¡°All right, let¡¯s go back to ss.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go, Austin. I¡¯ll tell you when we get back!¡± Sammey pulled Austin away as the bell rang. But Sammey halted in his steps as he walked past Vivian. Taking a deep breath, Sammey suddenly spoke. ¡°Vivian, Boss made a bet with the guy from the Holmes family to help you. You will no longer be my sister if you still want to single her out again.¡± The Novel will be updated daily. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone! Chapter 696 Chapter 696 With that, Sammey turned and left with Austin. Austin still looked puzzled and wanted to ask what was going on. Vivian looked up angrily and was furious when she saw Sammey leave. She never wanted everyone to know about it, but she did not expect her brother to say in public that she owed Nicole a debt of gratitude. Looking back, and sure enough, she found that all her ssmates were looking at her. Vivian was exasperated instantly, ring at everyone in anger. They all could only bow their heads and stop looking at her Ms. Emerson came in. Vivian pulled back her eyes but subconsciously shot a nce at Nicole. After ring at her for a moment, she looked away with indignation. ¡®I¡¯ve never wanted Nicole to help. She was just being nosy.¡¯ Nicole did not bother about Vivian and focused on the lesson. But Gary in the back row looked over at her in perplexity. ¡®I can¡¯t believe that Nicole can drive the Holmes family out of San Joto. How powerful is this girl¡¯s background? Could it be that Sebastian helped her again?¡¯ Meanwhile, a low-key gray vehicle drove in through the main entrance of the Royal Creek Institute. When the security guy saw this inconspicuous gray sedan, he smirked. ¡°Name, contact number, the reason for your visit- tell me all about it.¡± The front passenger window dropped, revealing an extremely shrewd and capable-looking face. ¡°Merwin Monroe, 63231,ing to see Mr. Ellison.¡± As Sebastian¡¯s assistant, Merwin had a cid disposition with an air of unquestionable authority. Unfortunately, the security guy did not recognize that. He scribbled on a piece of paper and asked if Merwin had an appointment. Merwin politely said no. The security guy rolled his eyes. ¡°You don¡¯t have an appointment? No, you¡¯re not going to see the principal. Please leave.¡± Merwin frowned and made a phone call. About a minuteter, the phone in the security room rang, and the security guy picked it up, only to hear the angry roar of his boss on the other end. ¡°How dare you stop Mr. Monroe from seeing the principal? Let him in, and you¡¯re fired.¡± The security guy was so frightened that he quickly raised the barrier to let the vehicle pass. He wanted to say something to Merwin, but Merwin had rolled up the car window. He stood at the gate, almost tearful as he pped himself in the face. As the vehicle pulled into the Royal Creek Institute, Merwin looked in the back seat with respect. ¡°Mr. Wyance, we¡¯ve arrived. Are we going straight to meet Mr. Ellison?¡± Merwin did not dare to look at Sebastian for too long. He looked away and then heard Sebastian speak in a faint voice. ¡°First drive around the campus.¡± Merwin acknowledged, knowing that Sebastian was supposed to want to see if he could bump into some little girl. So he drove around the Royal Creek Institute in the gray sedan. Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. Yvana, who was waiting with Snow for Harvey after ss, saw the car and was stupefied. Snow noticed her strange expression and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Yvana gathered herself before looking at Snow and said incredulously, ¡°I think I saw my uncle¡¯s car. But what is he doing at the Royal Creek Institute?¡± Chapter 697 Chapter 697 Snow¡¯s heart skipped a beat. She knew that Yvana¡¯s uncle was Sebastian, which was one reason she befriended Yvana. Thest time she could not speak to Sebastian at the party. Now that Sebastian hade to the Royal Creek Institute, she suddenly had a glimmer of hope in her eyes. ¡°Yvana, are you sure you¡¯ve not mistaken it?¡± Harvey had changedtely, especially when he was in front of her. Snow was trembling in fear every time she spent time with him, unsure when he would dump her. So she figured she had to secure the patronage of the powerful. Her idea was that if she could rub shoulders with Sebastian like Nicole did, then Harvey would certainly not dare to neglect her. Snow did not know what Sebastian was doing at the Royal Creek Institute, but she could not afford to miss this opportunity to see him. Snow tugged at Yvana¡¯s sleeve. ¡°Don¡¯t you have your uncle¡¯s phone number? We should call and meet him.¡± Yvana hesitated because she and Sebastian were not close, and she felt it awkward to call him all of a sudden. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you can¡¯t get along with Mr. Wyance.¡± Snow added. Yvana took the bait. She retorted. ¡°Of course not. My uncle loves me.¡± She immediately pulled out her phone and made the call. After only four or five rings, the other side picked up. ¡°Yvana, what¡¯s the matter?¡± Sebastian sounded kind, but his voicecked enthusiasm. But Yvana was already thankful as long as he picked up the phone. After all, Sebastian was a busy man. Had she called him on normal days, his secretary would have probably answered ve calls, which was already the best-case scenario. So she was pleasantly surprised that she got so lucky today and that she did not lose face in front of Snow. Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. Yvana tried to suppress her excitement and pretended to be nonchnt. ¡°Uncle Sebastian, I just saw your car driving past at school. Have youe to the Royal Creek Institute?¡± Sebastian chuckled and said, ¡°Yeah, I¡¯vee to the Royal Creek Institute to see Mr. Ellison. what¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡®He is here looking for Mr. Ellison. That makes sense now.¡¯ Yvana mouthed her words at Snow. Knowing that Sebastian was here to see Mr. Ellison, Snow suddenly got the question in her mind answered. ¡®No wonder. Mr. Ellison is the only person in the Royal Creek Institute who can make Sebastiane in person.¡¯ Yvana continued. ¡°I haven¡¯t seen you for a long time. I don¡¯t know if I can go to the principal¡¯s office to see you, and when you¡¯re done seeing Mr. Ellison, we can go to a light meal together.¡± Sebastian seemed to be checking his itinerary before he said, with regret, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Yvana. I need to meet someone important after this. I¡¯m afraid I don¡¯t have time. Come over now if you want to see me.¡± He hung up after saying this. Yvana felt it was already a bargain after talking with Sebastian over the phone for such a long time. Even Snow was looking at her with envy. Meanwhile, inside the gray car. ¡°Mr. Wyance, is that your rtive?¡± Merwin asked. Sebastian nodded. He and Yvana were rtively close by blood, and he could still recognize her by her name. If he had time, he would still keep in touch with her. But it meant little to him. After driving around for a while and not seeing Nicole, he decided to look for Mr. Ellison. The gray sedan pulled into the office building and stopped downstairs. Sebastian straightened his cor and stepped inside. At some point, four or five more people came out of nowhere to escort him, keeping others away from him. He walked into an elevator and unhurriedly pressed a button for the top floor. This was not his first timeing to the Royal Creek Institute, so he knew where he was going. He came to the top floor, which was solely upied by the principal¡¯s office, and no other employees woulde. So the entire floor was quiet. Sebastian motioned with his hand for his men to leave him as he came in front of a door with a gilded sign that read ¡°Principal¡¯s Office.¡± He politely gave a few knocks on the door before walking in. Meanwhile, Snow heard Sebastian was going to the principal¡¯s office and smiled. ¡°Yvana, did you say you wanted to go to see Mr. Wyance in Mr. Ellison¡¯s office? You¡¯ve seen Mr. Wyance since you were a kid, but I¡¯ve never seen him once. Can you bring me along so I can get a glimpse of what our future governor looks like?¡± Chapter 698 Chapter 698 Yvana saidckadaisically, ¡°He doesn¡¯t look that special with two eyes and one mouth, like anyone else. When the news of his appointment is released, you can see his photos on the Inte.¡± Seeing that Yvana refused, Snow knew she had not provided enough incentive to Yvana. So she gritted her teeth and said, ¡°When this is over, I will give you my turquoise ne. Haven¡¯t you liked it for a long time?¡± Yvana did like the ne, but Snow would never let go of it. So she did not expect that she could get it as a reward for taking Snow to see Sebastian. Yvana happily agreed. Just as she was just about to leave, Snow said, ¡°Wait a second. Harvey wille out right away. Wouldn¡¯t it be better to ask him if he wants to go with us?¡± Her idea was to let Harvey see her rtionship with Sebastian and change his attitude toward her. Yvana felt she had a point. But Sebastian had said that she could only see him in the principal¡¯s office. Not that she wanted to see Sebastian. She was just worried about not getting the turquoise ne if Snow did not get to meet Sebastian. ¡°Snow, why don¡¯t we go first? It doesn¡¯t matter if Harvey goes or not. He will see the governor often because of his Ellison Corporation connections. But you¡¯re different. My uncle came to the Royal Creek Institute and would only stay in the principal¡¯s office for a while. Don¡¯t regret it if you¡¯re not meeting him.¡± Snow was undecided for a moment upon hearing what Yvana said. While she hesitated, a noise came from the lecture building, where people shouted Harvey¡¯s name as they swarmed around Harvey. There was no warmth in Harvey¡¯s eyes, his smile not as enthusiastic as before. Snow saw Harvey, and her eyes lit up. ¡°Harvey, over here.¡± She then regretted calling out to him, as Harvey had been cold to her recently, unpredictable like a time bomb. Not sure if he woulde over, she figured that the safest thing to do was to walk up to him. So Snow gritted her teeth and walked forward with Yvana. Harvey heard her call and saw here toward him, but he did not stop her from doing so. He waited for her toe near before asking. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. Snow suddenly hesitated, looking at the familiar yet strange person. Still, she gathered herself and said, ¡°Mr. Wyance is here, in the principal¡¯s office. Would you like toe with me to meet him?¡± There was a look of surprise in Harvey¡¯s eyes when he heard Sebastian was there, but he quickly regained hisposure. ¡°Sure. I haven¡¯t seen Mr. Wyance for a while.¡± He handed his books to Edwin behind him. ¡°Help me bring them back to the dormitory. Thank you.¡± Then he looked at Snow. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Snow was overjoyed. She was expecting Harvey to refuse, but he agreed. Snow was secretly delighted, unaware of Harvey¡¯s thinking. He thought that since Sebastian hade to see his grandfather, it was only good and proper for him to meet him, but he could not care less about what Snow thought. He kept a cid disposition, his eyes revealing nothing Yvana was also happy that Harvey was willing to go along. She and Sebastian had little inmon and only talked about her studies when they met asionally. With Harvey tagging along, the atmosphere would be too awkward. The three of them walked together, and from time to time, there would be envious staresing their way. Harvey was absent-minded, while Snow walked in the middle with her head held high, like a swan that would never fail. Yvana was walking on the other side, thinking about her ne. Chapter 699 Chapter 699 The three of them came in front of Mr. Ellison¡¯s office, each having an ax to grind. Usually, no one woulde to this floor, but today, there were four people guarding the door, and another person stood in the stairwell. Seeing theming, one of them let out a weak smile. ¡°Who are you guys?¡± Yvana saw this and immediately knew that her uncle had not left. She immediately tried to push aside the bodyguards and continue to walk forward, but a cold, hard object was stuck to her head. ¡°Go one step further if you dare. Don¡¯t say I didn¡¯t warn you.¡± Yvana was stopped in her tracks. Snow looked at the thing that was pointed against Yvana¡¯s head and screamed involuntarily. ¡°It¡¯s a gun! Harvey, they have guns!¡± Harvey¡¯s expression remained unchanged. He looked nonchntly at the pistols in the bodyguards¡¯ hands and bluntly shook off the hand that Snow used to gasp his sleeve. ¡°I¡¯m Mr. Ellison¡¯s grandson. This is Mr. Wyance¡¯s niece. We came to see Mr. Wyance.¡± The bodyguards nced at each other, and upon confirming Harvey¡¯s identity, one of them said, ¡°This way, please.¡± Yvana looked in horror at the gun being taken away from her head. The person who stuck the gun to her head was the only female bodyguard here. She tucked the gun back in her waist and said respectfully, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Miss Wyance.¡± A brutish look shed in Yvana¡¯s eyes, and she pped the female bodyguard in the face. The female bodyguard did not dodge but took the hit without uttering a sound. She was well aware of the temper of these wealthy young kids. If she did not let them vent their anger now, they would stab her in the backter. Sure enough, after Yvana pped her, she seemed to feel better. She had held nothing back when she pped the female bodyguard, so her hand had reddened and swollen. ¡°How dare you point a gun at me!¡± Yvana yelled while enduring the pain in her hand. The female bodyguard kept her head low and apologized again. Only then could Yvana calm down. She gave the female bodyguard a good kick for good measure and then followed Harvey into the principal¡¯s office. The kick hit the female bodyguard in her chest. As tough as the female bodyguard was, it took her a good few seconds before she could get back on her feet. N?velDrama.Org ? 2024. Harvey saw what Yvana had done, but it did not affect him. Neither did he bother. Reaching out his hand, he gave three knocks on the door, and then a sober voice came from the inside. Harvey recognized the voice; it was his grandfather¡¯s. He checked his demeanor for thest time before pushing open the door and walking in. Snow followed closely behind him, followed by Yvana. This was the first time Snow and Yvana had ever entered the principal¡¯s office. The decoration was not luxurious, but it still looked ssy. Next to the wooden door were two potted green nts. Further inside was a solid red wooden desk and a spacious main hall, and further inside was a huge floor to ceiling window. The sun was setting at the moment, and the afterglow of the sunset was scattered on the window, creating a beautiful light and shadow. On the sofa in the main hall sat two people; one was Mr. Ellison, the other gentleman Sebastian. Unlike the Sebastian he had seen at thest family party, Harvey found him intimidating. There was silence for a moment, and then Harvey called out, ¡°Hello, Grandpa, Mr. Wyance.¡± Sebastian looked at Harvey with a smile. ¡°It¡¯s been a while since Ist saw you. I heard that Ellison Corporation has got some massive projects going on. Are you now in charge of thepany and pushing for massive development projects?¡± Chapter 700 Chapter 700 Harvey said nothing, just awkwardly keeping his head bowed. He had only joined thepany as an intern, learning to take over thepany¡¯s business and making some changes, not as exaggerated as Sebastian said. But Mr. Ellison nodded proudly. ¡°It is indeed Harvey. He has a keen market sense. Knowing that the market is starting to saturate along the coastal area, he has thought of investing in San Joto.¡± Sebastian smiled and looked at Harvey meaningfully. ¡®Investing in San Joto isn¡¯t something everyone dares to do. This young man has got guts. But I wonder if he has the means to see it through.¡¯ ¡°Harvey is indeed a dark horse. It looks like Mr. Ellison has a capable sessor.¡± The three of them exchanged some pleasantries for a moment before realizing that they had neglected Snow and Yvana. Sebastian and Yvana had not seen each other for a long time, and Yvana seemed to realize something and took the initiative to say hello. ¡°Uncle Sebastian, do you remember me? I¡¯m Yvana.¡± Sebastian smiled. ¡°You have grown up and be a pretty girl. I almost couldn¡¯t recognize you.¡± Sebastian cleverly defused the embarrassment moment. Mr. Ellison also looked at Yvana but somehow did not like her heavy makeup. Instead of symbolicallyplimenting Yvana, he simply said to Harvey, ¡°Get your ssmate a ss of water.¡± As Harvey nodded, Snow suddenly stepped forward. ¡°Let me do it.¡± She went into the pantry. Minutester, she came back out with sses of water for both Mr. Ellison and Sebastian. Snow thought she was going to get Sebastian and Mr. Ellison¡¯s appreciation, and Sebastian would recognize her because they had met at the partyst time.N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. But the two of them looked at each other and changed the topic of their conversation. They did not spare a nce at Snow nor drink the water that she had brought as if none of them recognized who she was. Snow tightened her hand that carried the bag. She tried so hard to impress, but neither Mr. Ellison nor Sebastian spared a nce at her as if she was just a teady in their eyes. Snow knew that these people looked down on her. She looked back at Harvey in tears, hoping that the man would save her from this embarrassing situation. But Harvey did not even look at her. Instead, he continued chatting with the two. Yvana was gloating over it, as Snow liked to pretend in front of her ssmates, always trying to appear superior. But she was nobody in front of her uncle. Turning her head away to pretend that she did not see her predicament, Yvana listened to the conversation, saying nothing but not embarrassed. Snow regretted it now. At first, she wanted to impress Harvey, not expecting that she did not get a chance to talk to Sebastian. She now wished she had note at all. There was nothing she could do but sit on pins and needles in the principal¡¯s office like an invisible person, feeling extremely humiliated. She did not dare to disrespect Mr. Ellison and Sebastian by leaving just like this. If she left, Harvey would probably never want to see her again So Snow sat awkwardly there until the few of them finished talking. As soon as they walked outside, she immediately stood up and said to Sebastian, ¡°My name is Snow. I¡¯m from the Riddle family. Do you have time to have dinner with us in a while? Harvey, would you join us?¡± Sebastian gave a faint response, saying, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I have to attend dinnerter, so I¡¯m afraid I can join you guys.¡± Harvey looked at Snow indifferently, as if he had nothing to do with her. The smile on Snow¡¯s face faded. She did not expect that Sebastian would snub her even after she dropped the Riddle family¡¯s name. But Snow did not know the reason Sebastian met with the Riddle familyst time. Had it not been Nicole, he would not have bothered to talk to them. Chapter 701 Chapter 701 She felt so awkward but could only say, ¡°Well, it¡¯s alright. I will leave you to it, and I will go first.¡± She then left the principal¡¯s office without looking back. Yvana was anxious, worried about not getting the ne as Snow left. ¡°Please excuse me, Mr. Ellison, Uncle Sebastian,¡± she quickly said and left, chasing after Snow. ¡°Wait for me, Snow.¡± Mr. Ellison looked at the two girls and shook his head. At first, he thought that there was something about Snow that allowed her to stay beside his grandson, not expecting that she was just a poor pretender whose modus operandi was so unsophisticated that even fools knew what she was doing. Thinking of this, he cast a disgruntled look at Harvey. Harvey bowed his head respectfully, but his expression remained unchanged. Sebastian squinted at Harvey, feeling not veryfortable with him. But since Mr. Ellison liked him, they had nothing to say as an outsider. Harvey smiled gently, but there was no emotion in his eyes. ¡°d to meet you again, Mr. Wyance. Let me see you out.¡± Sebastian gave Mr. Ellison a meaningful look. The two of them had finished discussing what they wanted to discuss before these juniors came. Mr. Ellison got the hint as soon as he saw the look in Sebastian¡¯s eyes. N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mr. Wyance. I will deal with the person who spread the rumor and take care of her at school.¡± It dawned on Harvey immediately. It turned out that Sebastian was here for Nicole. He came probably because he had heard the rumor about Nicole and him. Harvey¡¯s face darkened at the thought of this. ¡®Who the hell is Nicole that Mr. Wyance cares so much about her?¡¯ Sebastian¡¯s expression softened. ¡°Thank you, Mr. Ellison.¡± Mr. Ellison nodded and then motioned for Harvey to see the guest out and made a ¡°please¡± gesture. Sebastian left the office with Harvey. After they left, the serious look on Mr. Ellison¡¯s face eased up. He sat down in his chair with a smile on his face. ¡®I was right about Nicole. How nice would it be if she could be my granddaughter-inw? She is definitely a hundred times better than Snow.¡¯ The morning session was over. Nicole walked out of ss with Lulu and June to lunch amid the chatter around her. On the way, Lulu asked Nicole in disbelief. ¡°Did you really help Vivian?¡± Everyone had learned that Nathan, Bobby¡¯s brother, had been stalking Vivian for a long time. People said that Nicole struck this time to help the Collins family. ¡°No, I was just helping Sammey.¡± ¡®I wasn¡¯t that magnanimous; I just wanted to help Sammey.¡¯ ¡°But you still indirectly helped Vivian.¡± June looked at Nicole with a serious face, feeling for her ¡°But Vivian hasn¡¯t said a word of thanks to you until now.¡± Lulu also echoed. ¡°Yeah, she¡¯s been creating trouble for you all this while. You shouldn¡¯t have helped her¡± Suddenly, a voice came from behind them. ¡°Did I ask her for help?¡± Chapter 702 Chapter 702 The three of them saw Vivian¡¯s angry face when they looked back. Lulu and June were not holding back. ¡°What did you say? You¡¯re biting the hand that feeds you. ¡°What an ingrate.¡± ¡°You all ¡ª ¡± Vivian¡¯s face flushed, but it was all because of Nicole. She could not help but grit her teeth and look at Nicole. ¡°Don¡¯t expect me to be grateful to you simply because you¡¯ve helped me. I¡¯m not done with you yet.¡± She then stomped her feet and left. June was pissed. ¡°What kind of person is this? She was not only ungrateful but also nasty.¡± N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. ¡°Yeah, how can there be such a person?¡± Lulu echoed. Nicole was helpless. ¡°Let¡¯s go. I didn¡¯t mean to help her, anyway. I don¡¯t need her to thank me. ¡°Then Nicole walked forward. Just then, Snow stormed out of the lecture building and bumped into Nicole. Stunned, she immediately turned around and left. Nicole could not care less about her, and the three of them continued walking toward the cafeteria. On the way, they saw Samuel and Spencer, who spotted Nicole and ran toward them. ¡°Nicole, you¡¯re also going to the cafeteria?¡± The two siblings were usually busy and rarely went to the cafeteria, but since they bumped into Nicole this time, they wanted to join her. ¡°Yeah, why not?¡± Seeing the smile on their faces, Nicole immediately knew what they were thinking. ¡°Great!¡± Samuel was overjoyed. The two siblings walked with Nicole, forgetting that June and Lulu were there. Meanwhile, June and Lulu could not be more nervous. Especially June, who looked at Samuel with a smitten face, so nervous that she kept her head bowed and followed them from behind. Nicole noticed June¡¯s expression, nced at Samuel, and teased her. ¡°Haven¡¯t you been following the news of Samuel on the school forum, June? Can¡¯t say anything when you meet him?¡± Unbosomed, June immediately felt embarrassed. ¡°I-I didn¡¯t.¡± Only did Samuel look at June. ¡°You¡¯re June, Nicole¡¯s ssmate? I have heard your name. Nice to meet you.¡± June¡¯s face reddened, and she quickly said, ¡°N-Nice to meet you, too.¡± Lulu quickly nced at Nicole with an evil smile. Nicole chuckled and introduced her to Spencer. ¡°This is my roommate, Lulu.¡± Lulu nced at Spencer and blushed. ¡°Nice to meet you.¡± ¡°Nice to meet you.¡± Spencer held out his hand. Lulu¡¯s heart pounded in an instant. ¡®Wow, it¡¯s so nice to be with Nicole. What an honor to shake hands with one of the eight most good-looking guys of the school.¡¯ After shaking hands with Spencer, Lulu quickly pulled back her hand, nervous as a cat. Spencer looked at Lulu and somehow thought the girl was cute. They soon arrived at the cafeteria. While having a meal, Spencer asked, ¡°Are you not having ss in the afternoon?¡± ¡°Yeah, I have no lesson this afternoon. I will have a half-day break.¡± ¡°That¡¯s great. So are you going home?¡± Samuel asked after taking a bite of chicken thigh. ¡°Yeah. After spending a few days abroad, I¡¯m thinking of going home to spend time with dad and mom.¡± She felt relieved for not having to go back to the Riddle family manor and happy to spend time with her parents. ¡°s, we have sses in the afternoon. We can¡¯t go back with you,¡± Samuel said with disappointment ¡°Your courses are busy. Don¡¯t worry about me.¡± Nicole knew they had a lot of club activities, and Stanley was busy with the student union. ¡°They¡¯re busy, but I¡¯m not. I¡¯ll send you home.¡± Preston¡¯s voice came all of a sudden. Chapter 703 Chapter 703 Nicole looked back and saw Preston and Edwin. When Edwin saw Nicole again, he had a dramatic look in his eyes. He had investigated Nicole day and night for several days but still found nothing. All he got were dark circles under his eyes. ¡°Why are you sending my sister home? You¡¯re not going in the same direction.¡± Spencer looked warily at Preston, whose mother was Karen, with whom his family had been at odds with. ¡°Can¡¯t I stop by to see Uncle Daniel and Aunt Gloria?¡± Preston looked facetiously at the two siblings. The two siblings wanted to refuse, but Nicole said, ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. His bike is fast.¡± Nicole liked Preston¡¯s motorcycle after having seen it once. Since Nicole had agreed, the two siblings could only agree. ¡°Well, be careful on the road.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± Nicole smiled¡­ Preston and Edwin also had lunch at the same table, and because of that, June and Lulu became even more nervous. ¡®What is happening today? We have four of the eight most good looking guys in the school sitting here. I can¡¯t describe how awesome it is, all thanks to Nicole.¡¯ After the meal, Nicole bid farewell to Lulu and June, as well as Spencer and Samuel, and walked out of the school gate with Preston. Halfway, Edwin had gone back to rest at the dormitory because he had not gotten enough rest. Preston told Nicole to wait in front of the school and soon rode in with his motorcycle. It was not as badass as the Dodge Tomahawk, but it was still the best motorcycle in the country. Nicole looked up and down at the bright blue motorcycle with a faint appreciation look in her eyes. ¡°May I?¡± Her request surprised Preston, but he came to his senses and cocked an eyebrow. ¡°No.¡± ¡®It¡¯s too dangerous for a girl to handle a motorcycle.¡¯ Nicole was unruffled. She took the helmet he handed her, put it on, and then hopped on the back of the motorcycle behind Preston. Preston fired up the engine, the motorcycle roared to life and sped along the road toward the Riddle Mansion. Nicole sat behind him. Feeling the wind whistling past her ears, she could not help smiling. Preston liked motorcycles as much as Nicole did. The two soon arrived in front of the mansion. Preston first got off the motorcycle. Just as he wanted to hold out her hand for Nicole, she took off her helmet with one hand and flicked her long hair before getting off the motorcycle nimbly. She then threw the helmet to Preston. Seeing him looking at her in a daze, Nicole became baffled. Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. Preston looked at her, his heart shuddering at seeing her demeanor at this moment. ¡®Her beauty is like no other, sassy like a shooting star. Afraid that Nicole might be frightened, he had only driven 70 mph just now. But her calm expression surprised him. He even felt dizzy at 70 mph two years ago. Preston smiled at seeing her sassiness. ¡°You should have been my sister.¡± ¡®And Snow and Raine are probably fake.¡¯ Nicole heard the undertone of his words and smiled jocrly like a blooming purple iris, cold yet beautiful. ¡°Am I not now?¡± She turned around, waved her hand gently at Preston, and entered the house. Preston looked at her as she went, a sincere smile appearing on his handsome yet wild looking face. He shouted at Nicole, ¡°See youter.¡± Nicole did not look back, just raised her hand and mimed an ¡°OK¡± with her fingers before she disappeared from his sight. He sighed, straddled the motorcycle, and sped away. Chapter 704 Chapter 704 Nicole went in through the door with aid-back attitude. She noticed there was an extra pair of shoes at the door. She heard a gentle voice before she reached the living room. ¡°Mr. and Mrs. Riddle, I¡¯ll show myself out.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t leave now. Stay for dinner.¡± Nicole was at the door just after Gloria said that. Nicole froze for a moment when she saw the guest. ¡®I think I¡¯ve seen him in the photo from Mr. Wyance¡¯s office¡­¡¯ Martin froze for a moment when he saw Nicole. He came here on behalf of his father to inform Gloria and Daniel that they would deal with the school¡¯s rumor. But he hoped he would be lucky enough to see Nicole in person. ¡®I can¡¯t believe I got to meet her in person.¡¯ ¡®She was bright and brave,¡¯ Martin thought about the racing video. He was love-struck when he saw how gentle and beautiful Nicole was as she walked in. Nicole spoke first, ¡°You¡­ You¡¯re Mr. Wyance¡¯s son, right?¡± Martin shook off his fascination. ¡°Yes. D-Do you know me?¡± Nicole nodded her head. ¡°Sort of. I¡¯ve seen your photo in Mr. Wyance¡¯s office.¡± Martin was surprised. ¡®I can¡¯t believe Nicole knew about me!¡¯ This made him feel unountably happy. ¡°I¡¯ve heard about you too. This is my first time seeing you in person. I just can¡¯t believe how gorgeous you¡¯re,¡± Martin said shyly. Gloria could not help but nce at Daniel. She looked ambivalent. Daniel was calmed. ¡®Although Mr. Wyance¡¯s going to be the governor soon, Martin still can¡¯t rival Jared.¡¯ He stood by Jared. ¡°You¡¯re being overly gracious. Why did youe here?¡± Nicole asked politely. Martin shook his head shyly. ¡°My father wanted me toe and apologize to Mr. and Mrs. Riddle and to inform them we will handle the school¡¯s rumor properly.¡± Nicole thought for a second. She quickly realized what rumor Sebastian Wyance was talking about was. ¡®Mr. Wyance doesn¡¯t allow this kind of thing to happen. Especially when he¡¯s about to be appointed as the governor. He would certainly send someone to deal with the issue properly. N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. ¡°That¡¯s great.¡± Nicole was at ease. This is better. I have less to worry about.¡¯ Martin nodded his head as he said, ¡°I should go.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Nicole did not make him stay. Martin was a little disappointed as he looked at her. ¡®Well, this is my first timeing here. I shouldn¡¯t bother them too much. I should leave now.¡¯ Gloria looked at Nicole after she walked Martin to the door. ¡°I heard Martin¡¯s establishedpetence medically. Nicole, you have some medical knowledge too, right?¡± Nicole nced at Gloria as she asked, ¡°Did you visit grandfather with dad today?¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. was the only person who knew something about her background. Gloria nodded her head calmly. ¡°Yes. We wanted to know more about you. But your grandfather didn¡¯t tell us much. He only told us about your hobbies.¡¯ Nicole was relieved. She did not want her parents to know much about her true identity. She was afraid that they would be dragged into trouble. ¡°Alright. Father and mother, I¡¯m hungry. I want to eat.,¡± she said in a baby voice, intentionally to change the subject. ¡°Alright! Dinner is ready. We¡¯ll eat right away!¡± Gloria went to prepare the food happily. Daniel walked toward Nicole as Gloria left. ¡°You must be careful with Martin. Don¡¯t give him a chance.¡± Nicole raised her head suspiciously. She did not understand what Daniel meant. Daniel then coughed strangely as he left awkwardly. Nicole had a puzzled look on her face. ¡®What¡¯s wrong with dad and mom?¡¯ Nicole went back to her room after dinner. She turned on herputer to see what had happened while she was gone. Chapter 705 Chapter 705 Zeke was online not long after Nicole logged in. [Nicole, you¡¯re back?¡±] Nicole saw the moving profile picture icon. She opened it and replied, (Yes.] Zeke was overjoyed. (Why didn¡¯t youe to find me at the field? I was alone and bored.) Nicole smiled slightly. (You¡¯ll havepany very soon.] ¡°Ah?¡± Zeke froze for a moment. He did not know what Nicole meant. But Nicole went offline right after she finished doing her work online. She did not reply to him. Zeke was thinking about what Nicole said all night. He did not sleep well. The next day, he went to the field on time. He did not dare to reach therete, even just for one minute. But Nicole was already waiting for him there. She was not alone. Austin was standing behind her! ¡°W-Why is he here?¡± Zeke was one of the big shots in Northon Institute. Naturally, he knew who Austin was. They even had a feud. ¡°I should be the one asking this question. You¡¯re from Northon Institute. Why did you sneak into the campus of Royal Creek Institute?¡± Zeke gave Austin an angry stare as he said, ¡°I can go wherever I want. No one can stop me.¡± Zeke had already gotten approval from Mr. Ellison before he came to the field. ¡°The old man had to allow me to come to show due respect for my dad.¡¯ Nicole curdled her eyebrows as she looked at Zeke and Austin. ¡°You guys know each other?¡± ¡°No!¡± They replied unanimously. They then looked away and ignored each other. Nicole sighed, ¡°Anyway, starting from today, both of you are my apprentices. Now that both of you have decided to learn martial arts from me, I need you two to get along.¡± ¡°Ah? He wants to be your apprentice too?¡± Zeke looked disgusted. ¡°She¡¯s my boss. So, it¡¯s normal that she teaches me,¡± Austin looked disgusted too. They were at daggers drawn. Nicole did not bother to calm them down. ¡°Since the two of you can¡¯t stand each other, fight each other.¡± ¡°Ah? Fight?¡± Austin froze. ¡°Boss¡­ Are you kidding? You want us to fight?!¡± Austin thought, ¡®Didn¡¯t she hate it when I fight someone?¡¯ ¡°Yes.¡± Nicole looked serious. On the other hand, Zeke was ready to fight. ¡°Alright. Don¡¯t me me if he¡¯s hurt.¡± Austin was furious as he heard that. ¡°I¡¯m not afraid! Let¡¯s fight!¡± They actually fought after Austin said that! The field was empty because it was still too early. Or else people would have gathered to watch. Austin was a bully at school. He had some fighting experiences. His movements were clean. Although Zeke did not fight someone before, he picked up some moves from his father, Karlo. He actually knew some tricks, but he was inexperienced. Zeke did not dare to hit hard, so he looked very passive. Nicole noticed all their problems within five minutes of their fight. ¡°Okay. Stop,¡± she said coidly. They were overwhelmed by each other¡¯s attacks. They finally had an excuse to stop fighting. They stared at each other as they panted. ¡°You guys barely know how to fight. Austin, I have no idea how you can be a bully a school.¡± ¡°L.¡± Auston was speechless. ¡®I¡¯m great at fighting. The bullies from nearby schools were afraid to fight me. Nicole nced at Zeke too. ¡°You can¡¯t even protect yourself properly with your skills. Your father would be furious if he saw that.¡± Zeke blushed as he said softly, ¡°That¡¯s why I wanted to learn from you¡­ But you always asked me to jog.¡± Nicole sighed, ¡°That¡¯s basic physical training. You still have to jog every day in the future. But from now on, I¡¯ll teach you guys some techniques.¡± ¡°Really?!¡± Zeke¡¯s eyes brightened. ¡°Of course.¡± Nicole nodded her head. Austin was overjoyed too. ¡°Teach me, Boss. I¡¯ll learn well!¡±N?velDrama.Org ? 2024. Chapter 706 Chapter 706 ¡°Yes. Do learn well.¡± Nicole gave him an angry stare. She then turned back to teach them some moves. ¡°Training is over. You guys can now practice on your own. If you can perform these moves properly, both of you can spar. Do memorize them well.¡± ¡°Alright!¡± Zeke and Austin nodded their head. They were no longer at daggers drawn. They started to practice those moves Nicole taught them. Nicole then went back to her ss satisfyingly. The lessons taught in the ss were easy for Nicole. Teachers no longer kept a close eye on Nicole after they knew she was a genius. She could do whatever questions she wanted. After two sses, Ms. Emerson mentioned the school anniversary celebration arrangement on the stage. ¡°This year is Royal Creek Institute¡¯s centennial. We¡¯ll celebrate it with ys. We¡¯ll also invite some special guests to watch the shows. The y¡¯s theme of our ss is set. We need two lead actors, two primary supporting actors, and eight secondary supporting actors.¡± Everyone was excited about the school anniversary celebration. But Vivian was the first student to raise her hand as her eyes brightened. ¡°Ms. Emerson, I want to be the lead actress.¡± Ms. Emerson did not expect Vivian to be so straightforward. She then looked at Vivian up and down. She said awkwardly, ¡°Vivian, you might be more suitable to y the supporting roles with your height. You¡¯re not suitable to be the lead actress for this y. Vivian¡¯s face instantly turned pale when Ms. Emerson rejected her request directly. ¡®I was always the first one to request to be the lead actress whenever there were ys. And I¡¯ll always get it. I heard some directors were among the special guests this time. I was told that the Best Male Actor, Lloyd Holder, woulde too. He might also want to find a lead actress for the new drama, Lukewarm. I can¡¯t believe Ms. Emerson to turn down.¡¯ Vivian asked, ¡°Who will be the lead actress then?¡± Ms. Emerson did not select Nicole directly after she heard that. However, she could not help but nce at Nicole. Nicole, on the other hand, looked like she did not care what was going on. It seemed like she did not want to participate in the y. Ms. Emerson sighed, ¡°I¡¯ll nominate a few students. After that, you guys will cast your votes.¡± She thought, ¡®People are discerning. They¡¯ll know who¡¯s the most suitable one to be the lead actress.¡¯ N?velDrama.Org ? 2024. Vivian was frustrated suddenly. But the poll would decide the lead actress, so she could not argue with Ms. Emerson. Ms. Emerson then turned around and wrote two female students¡¯ names for the lead actress role. One of them was Nicole. While the nominees for lead actor were Gary and Jack. Jack did not expect he would beparable with Gary. He was secretly rejoicing. He even could not help imagining the scene where he and Nicole were the lead actor and actress. Suddenly, Gary kicked Jack¡¯s chair. Jack¡¯s hand that was supporting his chin slipped. Gary gave him a scare. ¡°G-Gary¡­¡± ¡°What were you fantasying about?¡± Gary obviously noticed Jack¡¯s anthomaniac. His eyes were filled with unhappiness. ¡°I-I didn¡¯t. I did not mean it. I¡¯m hardlyparable to you.¡± Jack lost his nerve immediately. Gary snorted coldly. ¡°At least you¡¯re self-aware.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ Of course.¡± Jack nodded his head. Gary then said coldly, ¡°Then, you know who to vote forter, right?¡± Jack froze suddenly. He could not help but sigh in his heart. ¡®Looks like I¡¯m no match for Gary And sure enough, Nicole and Gary won after two rounds of voting. After all, the other female nominee was unexciting. Her look was notparable to Nicole¡¯s either. Lulu was chosen to be the supporting actress. While June was selected to y the role of the female lead¡¯s best friend after she raised her hand to volunteer for it. After seeing what happened, Wayne and Jack could hardly wait to raise their hand to grab roles. Finally, the two of them got the family servant and butler role together along with Bradley. Chapter 707 Chapter 707 Vivian stared at the results on the ckboard. ¡®Ms. Emerson did this intentionally! ¡®Other than Nicole, those that were chosen were good friends of hers in the ss!¡¯ What made Vivian the angriest was that Gary was voted as the lead actor! Vivian was jealous and brokenhearted at the thought of Nicole starring alongside Gary. ¡®This was a golden opportunity. But Nicole took it away from me!¡¯ Vivian was furious! 1 Ms. Emerson left without allowing Vivian to object. Nicole was utterly surprised too. It was obvious that Ms. Emerson nned that. It seemed like she was afraid that Nicole would turn down the lead actress role. That was why Ms. Emerson made the ss vote. Nicole was popr recently. Naturally, everyone would vote for her to impress her. Nicole did not even want to participate in this pointless thing. But Ms. Emerson left right after announcing the results. It was obvious that Ms. Emerson was afraid that Nicole would reject the role. Nicole sighed. She knew she could only talk to Ms. Emerson about it after school. Vivian walked toward her just as she thought about that. ¡°Nicole, I want you to find Ms. Emerson to quit the lead actress role.¡± Nicole was furious suddenly. She raised her head as she looked at Vivian¡¯s justly face. Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. ¡°Why should I?¡± Nicole did not want the role initially. But after hearing what Vivian said, she did not want to quit anymore. ¡°Why? Because you¡¯re from the countryside. You don¡¯t even understand a single thing about the y. You¡¯re not good enough for Gary too!¡± There was a dead silence suddenly. Gary¡¯s eyes were filled with coldness as he looked at Vivian. Nicole thought for a bit. ¡°Oh, no wonder you were always against me these days. And you wanted to take the lead actress role so badly. It was all for Gary?¡± she smiled. She then intentionally nced at Gary. He looked embarrassed suddenly. ¡°Nicole, what nonsense are you talking about?¡± Gary did not want to be dragged into her fight with Vivian. ¡°Nonsense? Look at her expression.¡± Nicole smiled yfully. She knew exactly what was going on in Vivian¡¯s mind. Vivian¡¯s face turned red suddenly as she nced at Gary. She then said shyly, ¡°Enough crap, Nicole. Just tell me whether or not you¡¯ll give up the lead actress role!¡± Nicole stared at Vivian as sheughed like a flower suddenly. ¡°Initially, I didn¡¯t want to participate in this y. I was going to find Ms. Emerson after school to tell her about it. But I didn¡¯t like your attitude. So¡­ I decided not to quit.¡± ¡°What?¡± Vivian froze suddenly. She did not expect her action made Nicole change her decision. She was furious suddenly. ¡°Stop acting nice! I don¡¯t believe you wouldn¡¯t want to y such a good character!¡± ¡°It¡¯s just a y. It¡¯s just to y the gallery to seek the special guests¡¯ attention. Do I look like Ick attention?¡± Nicole raised her eyebrows as she asked the rhetorical question. It waspletely silent suddenly. Indeed, Nicole did not need to fight for the role like everyone else. Mr. Ellison and Mr. Wyance are the two biggest shots. She did not need to fight over the acting role. Vivian was fuming suddenly. She knew she could not win the argument against Nicole. She could only stomp as she said, ¡°Nicole, don¡¯t tter yourself! W-We¡¯ll see!¡± ¡®I¡¯ll not lose to her!¡¯ Nicole nodded her head as she smiled coldly. ¡°Anytime.¡± Vivian could not help but stomp as she left. Gary felt an unexinable excitement as she looked at Nicole¡¯s face when she was provoking Vivian. ¡®Does this mean Nicole wants to star alongside me in the y?¡¯ Chapter 708 Chapter 708 Gary felt inexplicably happy as he thought about that. He could not help but look forward to the rehearsal. After school¨C Ms. Emerson told the participants about the rehearsal time. She then informed them to go to the rehearsal. Gary saw Nicole pack her stuff to leave. He then did the same and chased after her. Nicole did not look at Gary even though she knew that Gary was following her. Gary was perturbed. He said softly, ¡°Is this really your first time acting in a y?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Nicole said coldly. ¡°If you have anything that you don¡¯t understand, feel free to ask me.¡± Gary smiled brightly. Nicole nced at him as she said unhappily, ¡°Gary, do you always feel superior whenever you do something? Do you always think that others need your help?¡± ¡®This dude, he always says he wants to help me whenever he sees me. But I don¡¯t need help from a weakling.¡¯ ¡°No, I don¡¯t.¡± Gary curdled his eyebrows. He did not expect that Nicole would think of him this way. ¡®She wasn¡¯t wrong. I can only me myself for being so self-righteousst time. I thought Nicole didn¡¯t know anything about Mathematical Olympiad. Now that I know she¡¯s a genius, I feel so stupid.¡¯ Gary sighed as he said in a serious tone, ¡°I didn¡¯t understand youst time. I was wrong about you. This won¡¯t happen again. You could ignore me if I said something that made you feel ufortable.¡± He then walked ahead of Nicole right after he said that. Disappointment could be seen on his back.Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. Nicole frowned her eyebrows as she stared at Gary. ¡®He¡¯s weird. What happened to the aloof dandy?¡¯ Soon, the students reached the shared rehearsal hall. They only realized that they were not alone in the rehearsal hall after they reached. sses from the high school and university departments were there for rehearsal too. Nicole looked toward there. She saw Samuel and Spencer. It seemed like they were both the lead actors for their respective sses. They stood at the center. While Stanley was standing in the middle of the crowd. It seemed like he was waiting for everyone to reach for the meeting. ¡°Gary!¡± A sweet voice could be heard, causing everyone¡¯s attention. Raine was there too. She stood beside Gary immediately after she saw him. But Gary was not in a good mood. He did not want to talk to her. He then went and stood at the center of his ss. People were standing on both of his sides. Raine could not stand beside him. Raine noticed Nicole was standing next to Gary. ¡°Why is she here?¡± She was anxious. ¡®Does this bumpkin even know anything about y? And she actually came along for the ride?! As a secondary supporting actress, Lulu stepped forward frustratingly as she said, ¡°Nicole¡¯s our lead actress!¡± ¡°What?¡± Raine opened her eyes wide suddenly. She felt aggrieved as she looked at Gary. ¡°Gary, a-are you the lead actor?¡±. Wayne nced at Raine as he said coldly, ¡°Of course Gary is our lead actor. If not, who else could do it?¡± Raine had a long face. She did not expect Nicole to get the lead actress role and starred alongside Gary as the main character. She was fuming at the thought of them rehearsing and acting as a couple in the y. Jack kicked Raine when she was down. ¡°Raine, Gary¡¯s very upset recently. He doesn¡¯t have time for you. Please be self- conscious. Step aside, alright?¡± Jack was straightforward. Gary did not have time for Raine. Chapter 709 Chapter 709 If it was back then, Gary would have definitely scolded Jack. But today, he actually did not even deign to look at her. Everyone could not help but gossip among themselves. ¡®Back then, Raine had always said that both she and Gary were a couple, yet Gary had never said anything about it. By the looks of things, could it be that it was Raine who was just ttering herself?¡¯ N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. Sensing the gaze of everyone around her, Raine let out a wronged look. ¡°Gary, do you really hate me that much?¡± Gary could not help but nce at Raine, and as he saw her dolled-up face that was full of crocodile tears, he felt disgusted and spat. ¡°Yes.¡± Raine waspleted stunned. She had not expected Gary to speak to her like this, without care of the Riddle family¡¯s standing. Instantly, she felt so humiliated she could only stomp her feet as she turned and ran out. ¡°Eh! Raine!¡± Someone from her ss chased after her. Stanley saw themotion and immediately maintained order. ¡°The reason I called all of you here today is to arrange the timetable for the rehearsal hall. Have all sses arrived yet?¡± ¡°ss A of eleventh grade is not here yet!¡± Someone reported. Stanley nodded, and sure enough, he did not see Norah¡¯s ss, nor did he spot Snow¡¯s ss either. Just as he was about to ask what was going on, someone suddenly came through the door. ¡°Shit! The girls from ss A of the freshman year and eleventh grade are fighting!¡± ¡°What?¡± Stanley¡¯s expression turned sullen the moment he heard that. ¡°I¡¯ll go have a look!¡± Samuel and Spencer were afraid that their big brother could not control the scene, so they followed behind. Everyone else looked at one another before following suit to watch the drama unfold. ¡°Someone from the university division is fighting the high-school division? Nicole, let¡¯s go have a look!¡± Before Nicole could even react, Lulu and June had dragged her by the arms out. Just as they walked out of the rehearsal hall, they heard the howlinging from the outer hall. ¡°Snow¡­ you, are you sure you are hitting the right person?!¡± ¡°The person I want to hit is you! You diamond-stealing thief! You¡¯ve been absent from school for a few days now, and I finally got my hand on you!¡± Snow¡¯s shrill voice thundered, surprising everyone. ¡°Is this the school beauty that everyone had admired?¡± After seemingly losing her status, Snow no longer gave any hoots about her image. Ever since Nicole told her the truth, she had been waiting for Norah to return to school, but as she had been busy settling into her new life for the past two days, so she only returned to school today. Now that she had an avenue to unleash her pent-up wrath, how could she forgive Norah? ¡°I did not! I did not steal the diamond!¡± As Norah cried and pleaded as Snow hurled abuse at her. Yet it was useless. Her cousin was a few years older than her and was a little stronger. A few ps were all it took for her cheeks to be flushed red. ¡°You didn¡¯t? I¡¯ve purposely retrieved the security footage from the manor and also asked the servants, and here you are still trying to lie your way out of things?¡± Snow snarled inwardly, ¡®Both Raine and I had been toyed around by this b*tch all this while. She even used me as a tool, and today I¡¯ll have my revenge!¡¯ ¡°No!!¡± Norah struggled, and when she saw Samuel and Spencer among the crowd of people, she rushed behind the two. ¡°Samuel, Spencer, help me! Cousin Snow wants to beat me to death!¡± Snow was taken aback for a moment when she saw Samuel and Spencer, yet the mes of fury in her heart burned bright. ¡°Who¡¯s your cousin? You¡¯re nothing but a mutt that the Riddle family had picked up by mistake! Now that you¡¯re out of the family, what right do you have to call my cousin?!¡± Everyone was stunned the moment she said that. When Norah told them that Nicole was her little sister that came back from the countryside, they had thought that they were blood-rted sisters! Only now did they learn that Norah was a fake daughter of the Riddle family! Chapter 710 Chapter 710 ¡®So, Nicole was brought back from the countryside because¡­ she is the true daughter of the Riddle family!¡¯ Everyone looked at Norah with disgust as they recalled her calling herself a daughter of the Riddle family. It turned out that she was just a fake! Norah had wanted to hide this matter until her graduation and did not expect Snow to let the cat out of the bag here and now! Norah gritted her teeth resentfully, wishing she could rip Snow¡¯s mouth apart! Yet, at this moment, the crowd was on her side, so Norah could only seek help as she pitifully looked at Samuel and Spencer. ¡°Samuel, Spencer.l. help me, please.¡± Samuel hesitated somewhat, but Spencer had already rposed himself as he said with a serious look on his face, ¡°Norah, was it you who stole the pink diamond that Snow lost?¡± They had heard everything when they arrived. Snow struck Norah because thetter stole the pink diamond. Norah had framed it on Nicole, causing everyone to think that it was Nicole who stole it. Yet, when they questioned her back then, Norah refused to admit it. ¡°I¡­¡± Norah still wanted to find an excuse. However, Stanley then walked out of the crowd. ¡°Snow said she had already pulled the footage from the manor¡¯s surveince camera. If you are lying, we can find out one way or another.¡± At this very moment, Norah¡¯s back was against the wall, so she could only pinch herself and say sheepishly, ¡°I¡­ I just saw it being pretty, so I took it to have a look¡­¡± The three brothers all showed a look of disappointment. They never thought that Norah, who had been a good, obedient girl all this while, had really stolen something! Spencer pulled Samuel away and said, ¡°You need to bear the consequences of your own actions. ¡°Samuel¡­ Spencer¡­¡± Norah totally did not expect them to be so ruthless. Stanley then said with an icy look on his face, ¡°Norah, you have already met your birth parents and left the Riddle family. We are no longer your brothers.¡± When he said that, everyone was shocked. ¡®So Norah had actually moved out of the Riddle family and have also met her birth parents.¡¯ So, she had the Riddle brothers no longer have any rtionship any longer. 1 Now those people who once envied Norah looked at her with contempt, as if she was just nothing but a liar. Norah had never expected to find herself in a situation after leaving for a few days. Feeling so aggrieved, she red at Nicole. N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. ¡°Fine, fine¡­ You guys just toss me aside after having her back, huh? I was the one living for over ten odd years with you guys, and you guys treat me like this?! Since you guys no longer acknowledge me as your sister, I do want brothers like you either!¡± 1 As she said that, Norah tearfully turned around and left. Samuel felt sorry for her and subconsciously wanted to chase after her. Yet, he was stopped by Spencer. ¡°Although the reality is cruel, she needs to get used to it sooner orter. Don¡¯t give her false hope anymore.¡± Samuel was at a loss of words for a good while. He also knew that he should not give Norah any more hope, so he stopped. Seeing Norah leaving just like that, Snow was still not satisfied. ¡°Where do you think you¡¯re going!¡± ¡°Snow, enough!¡± Suddenly, someone spoke out from the crowd, and when Snow heard the voice, her body froze. ¡°This is a school, not a wet market.¡± His cold voice had an admonishing tone to it, and that caused a chill to run down Snow¡¯s spine. As she turned and saw Harvey¡¯s face, she immediately lowered her head. ¡°Harvey¡­ why are you here?¡± Harvey nced coldly at her. ¡°Why? You¡¯re afraid that I would see you doing something stupid?¡± Harvey thought, ¡®What Snow has done the past few days is so stupid. She¡¯s getting more and more unsightly.¡¯ Chapter 711 Chapter 711 ¡°No¡­ it¡¯s not like that.¡± Seeing that Snow wanted to step forward to touch him, Harvey took a step back and causing her to miss. Everyone was shocked. ¡®Did Harvey just distance himself from Snow before everyone? ¡®What¡¯s going on?¡¯ Harvey, however, straight up ignored the crowd as he stared at Snow and said, ¡°Snow, your recent foolishness is beyond my ability to tolerate. Stop using my name to do anything from now on. There¡¯s nothing between us any longer.¡± ¡°What?!¡± Snow was shocked. She did not at all expect that Harvey would say something like that just because she was teaching that b*tch, Norah, a lesson! ¡®Nothing between us any longer¡­ ¡®That is to say, I can¡¯t even stay beside him as a femalepanion?¡¯ ¡°No! Harvey! Please, don¡¯t! Whatever weakness I have, I can change!¡± Snow pleaded to him. Yet, Harvey¡¯s expression was icy cold. ¡°You can¡¯t change foolishness.¡± For the usually affable Harvey to say something like this, everyone was stunned. Harvey had never been so indifferent to someone before. As he said that, Harvey did not wait for Snow to react and led his ssmates into the rehearsal hall. Snow was just left there in a daze, and she almost fell. It was only with the support of her ssmates behind her that she could barely regain her footing. When Stanley saw the scene, he could only sigh. Everything was Snow¡¯s own doing, and it was outside his control. Soon, everyone returned to the rehearsal hall and used the hall for rehearsal based on the timetable arranged by Stanley. On the way back, Lulu could not help but say to Nicole, ¡°I never thought that we¡¯d get such dramas to watch just bying to the rehearsal.¡± ¡°Yeah, and I guess that Snow and Raine were just boasting, and both Gary and Harvey had nothing to do with them.¡± Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. Nicole looked at Gary and the other two guys following behind her and reminded them in a whisper. ¡°Don¡¯t gossip until when we get back. Don¡¯t let them hear it.¡± ¡°Yeah, Nicole is right!¡± Lulu immediately covered her mouth. San Joto, film site¨C As Chloe was unable to finalize her role in Lukewarm, so she could only take on some small drama roles in the country as she asked her manager to help her secure the ambassadorship for the Johnston Group. If she could get the ambassadorship for Johnston Group, then she would have a chance to approach Jared As she thought of that, she spaced out again. Upon hearing the director calling for a cut, a look of impatience and irritation appeared in her eyes, This was already the eleventh time, and the reason was that the feeling was not right. She was already doing her best in the shooting, yet somehow the feel was not right, and she felt that the director was deliberating trying to embarrass her. The director gave Chloe a resigned look. The dissatisfaction in his eyes was almost palpable.¡± Chloe, what¡¯s the matter with you? Why are you spacing out like a log?¡± Together on the set today with Chloe was Lloyd, and he had seen Chloe¡¯s acting skills when he was overseas. Looking at the director¡¯s dissatisfied look and the aggrieved look in Chloe¡¯s eyes, a glint appeared in his eyes. ¡°How about we stop here for today and allow Ms. Riddle to find her feel back.¡± Chloe looked at Lloyd when she heard that and felt glum. ¡®When I was overseas, Lloyd Holder yed a cameo role on the set, yet he did not give me any face at all. Now that I¡¯m back in the country, he¡¯s the male lead, and I¡¯m just a supporting character. With that, he is even more arrogant.¡¯ Chapter 712 Chapter 712 Chloe had shot that scene eleven times this morning, yet she waspletely overwhelmed by Lloyd Holder¡¯s acting skill and could do nothing at all. It was because of that did the director think that she was stiff as a log today. Yet, Lloyd did not think that it was his problem and instead asked her to take a break. The director could see the bitterness in Chloe¡¯s eyes, but he also knew very well that Chloe was being outperformed by Lloyd. If there was just too much difference in the performance between the two actors, then the scene looking stilted was inevitable. The weaker party would be carried along and lose their rhythm and ability to perform, not unlike a string puppet, as they fall under their opposing party¡¯s control. This was also why so many were trapped in their role after acting with Lloyd, with no way to further advance their career. They could not walk out of that trance they had been led into, as their performance was hinged upon the details Lloyd had set for the scene. Even if they were to act in another show, their movements and thoughts were forever locked onto that character they had yed against Lloyd. That was why Lloyd Holder was called the Showbiz Assassin! He would silently murder those actors¡¯ performance levels and acting talents, leaving the actors at a loss when they moved out of his y. Thinking of this, the director sighed deeply. There were really very few people that were unaffected after performing with Lloyd. When he starred in Breaking Blue at sixteen, the star actress Miley Rogers, who performed opposite him, had said that the boy¡¯s ability was terrifying, and even she found it difficult to move out of the spot he had created for her. Sure enough, Miley no longer performed well in any other role in the past six years, even when she got a blockbuster script. Gradually, she too disappeared and no longer appeared in showbiz. ¡®And Chloe here was Miley¡¯s daughter. What a cycle. Is this mother-daughter pair going to have their careers ruined by Lloyd?¡¯ After pondering for a bit, no matter how dissatisfied he was, the director could only say,¡± We¡¯ll call it a day today. Chloe, go and study the script.¡± Chloe¡¯s appearance in this show was arranged by Miley, and if he allowed her to perish in Lloyd¡¯s hands, Miley would not let him off easy. After getting Nachelle¡¯s approval, he nodded respectfully at Chloe. ¡°You can go and rest. I¡¯ll need to go get ready for the next scene.¡± He did not wait for Chloe to react before smiling at the set crew and thanking them as he left. Chloe was stunned for a good while beforeining to her manager, ¡°Damn that guy. He keeps wanting to find trouble every time he sees me. He¡¯s just a pretty face, so what is he showing off for?¡±. As she said that, she irritably walked out of the set, got in the car, and left. Without anyone realizing, inside a low-key Cayenne on the opposite side of the road, Lloyd was staring at the photo in his hand in a daze. Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. Seated opposite facing him, a woman looked at him with interest. She had a cigarette in her mouth, the puffs of smoke from it covering her face. After letting out a dramatic sigh, she said, ¡°Lloyd, you¡¯ve pissed off an actress again? You¡¯re not in form lately. Who can make you so out of sorts?¡± The person speaking was his manager, Anna. Lloyd¡¯s hands that were rubbing the photo paused. ¡°She¡¯s a very important person to me.¡± As she had a cigarette in her mouth, Anna¡¯s words were a bit mumbled. ¡°Who¡¯s that person? Is she the youngdy you met at the banquet the other day?¡± She had gone to the banquet that day, but she only saw the side of Nicole¡¯s face. Lloyd¡¯s hand paused suddenly as his brilliant eyes gradually trembled. The light in his eyes was beamed straight onto the photo before him. Chapter 713 Chapter 713 ¡°Who is she to you?¡± Anna keenly perceived something was not right with his emotions. Lloyd had always been calm and collected, and he would not be trembling a little like this. A doubtful look soon appeared in her eyes. ¡°Could she be the person you¡¯ve been looking for all this while?¡± Anna had only briefly heard of her and knew that Lloyd had been looking for her, but she had no idea who she was. Lloyd did not speak at first, and after a long while, he finally said, ¡°Whether she is or not is no longer important.¡± Anna closed in to have a look and could not help to quip, ¡°She¡¯s really pretty, like an elf out from an ice cavern. Her looks are also top-notch in showbiz. Where did you find her?¡± There was no shortage of beautiful women in showbiz who were materialist and ambitious like Chloe, but what theycked was beauty that was immacte, sharp, and dynamic, so she rated Nicole very highly. Lloyd¡¯s hands suddenly clenched as he quickly put the photo away. He closed his eyes, and his voice no longer had the gaffed tone from earlier. ¡°Help me go through the script.¡± Seeing so, Anna did not say much. ¡°Oh, alright¡­¡± She was still, however, curious. ¡®If I run into Nicole again in the future, I need to take a closer look at her. Who knows if I can even scout her over! Chloe went back home sullenly and immediately realized that something was off with the atmosphere at home. She heard the sound of her mother crying in her room upstairs. Chloe¡¯s mood was foul, but when she heard her mother crying, she felt something was weird, so she went into the room. ¡°Mom, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Miley had not left her room for two days now. When she recalled how she was pped the other day, she would burst into tears from time to time. She originally thought that Damien would have mellowed down to look at her. However, it was her baby daughter who came looking for her instead. Seeing Chloe return home, Miley was even more riled. ¡°My baby daughter, why are you back today?¡± Content provided by N?velDrama.Org. ¡°I¡¯ve nothing to do at the set today, so I came back to have a look. What¡¯s the matter, Mom? Who made you so sad? ¡± Sensing something was not right, Chloe immediately asked. Having someone concerned about her, Miley¡¯s eyes reddened. ¡°It was your father¡­¡± ¡°Dad? Why?¡± Due to Miley¡¯s rtionship with the Rogers family, Damien had always treated her well. So why did he make her feel so aggrieved?¡¯ ¡°It¡¯s all because of Daniel¡¯s family. Nicole has managed to hog all of the limelight before your grandpa, so your dad is like a different person now¡­ Plus, the Rogers family now¡­¡± Before she could finish, Miley started crying again. However, now Chloe understood what was going on as she hissed. ¡°Mom, don¡¯t you worry. I won¡¯t just leave you and dad like that.¡± Chloe thought, ¡°The whole reason Nicole is hogging the limelight now is that Jared is the one behind supporting her. ¡®If I can snatch Jared for myself, who will dare to look down on me then?¡¯ ¡°You have a way?¡± Miley looked up with anticipation. Chloe said with certainty, ¡°Of course, isn¡¯t grandpa favoring Nicole because she has Jared Johnston behind her? I¡¯ll be going over to the Johnston Group to film the ambassadorship stuff in a few days¡¯ time. And once I get my hands on Jared¡­ there¡¯ll be nothing left for Nicole. She was one of the four beauties of showbiz and was one of the hottest female stars this year, She refused to believe she was any lesser than Nicole! ¡®When Jared learns of my charms, he will definitely toss Nicole aside!¡¯ Chapter 714 Chapter 714 ¡°You¡¯re right! If you are the inw of the Johnston family, no one will dare to look down on your dad and me any longer¡­¡± As Miley thought about it, her eyes lit up. ¡°My girl, mom can only depend on you now.¡± Chloe let out a gleeful smile. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, mom, I won¡¯t disappoint you.¡± As she thought of it, the sound of the door opening suddenly rang out. Miley frowned and wanted to admonish the person for being so rude to interrupt her conversation with her daughter. However, when she saw the person, the mes of anger in her eyes disappeared, leaving only an aggrieved look in them. Damien did not even look at Miley but instead turned to Chloe and said, ¡°Chloe, has work been tiring? Why do you suddenly have time to return home?¡± Chloe looked at Damien. A faint sullen look shed across her eyes as sheined to Damien, ¡°Dad, how could you hit mom?¡± As she said that, she nced at Miley. After hearing that, Damien¡¯s expression changed. He did not expect Miley to tell his baby daughter about their troubles. When Chloe saw his expression, she knew he was in a bad mood. Knowing that she could not speak against him anymore, she instead acted spoiled at him. ¡°Dad, even if you are in a bad mood, you cannot be taking it out on mom, right? Also, that Nicole is really too much, and we cannot just take it lying down! We should be doing something about it!¡± She was confident that her father would believe her, yet the moment she mentioned Nicole, Damien¡¯s expression turned into hesitation. He turned to look at his daughter and said softly,¡± I know what you are thinking, but now is not the time. Wait until we get another good business contract, then we don¡¯t have to be gauging other people¡¯s mood before your grandpa any longer.¡± How could Chloe not tell that Damien was just trying to blow smoke before her eyes? This was the umpteenth time already. Chloe looked angrily at Damien. ¡°Bear with it? What¡¯s wrong with you, dad? This is not how you usually act! Why are you so fearful of Uncle Daniel and his family?¡± She doubted, ¡®Is this man still my previously decisive and ruthless father?¡¯ Heavens know how much Damien wanted to give up enduring it. Yet, at this moment, the old man was favoring Daniel¡¯s family, and Nicole could very well be the next pir of the family. So how can he go after her and look for trouble for himself? Although her daughter had that bit of rtionship with the Johnston Group, it was just a project, and no one could guarantee how long she could be on it. He knew his daughter very well, but Nicole was a true proven talent with a positive disposition, but his daughter¡­ No matter how much he doted on his daughter, he could not just listen to her and ruin thatst bit of love his own father had for him. Rationality and rity of mind aside, as he looked at his daughter¡¯s angry face, Damien felt distressed. He pondered a little before saying, ¡°One more time. I¡¯ll try one more time again. I won¡¯t just sit here and wait for my doom.¡± Damien thought, ¡®The old man trusts Daniel too much now, and I cannot do anything.¡± Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. As Chloe heard Damien¡¯s words, even though she felt a little dissatisfied, she knew that this was the limit of Damien¡¯spromise. So she did not push him any further and just sat there sullenly. As he looked at his daughter¡¯s expression. Damien felt distressed. He had just this one daughter and had been doting on her every day, and she had never had to suffer such a massive grievance before. Damien then persuaded Chloe for a bit more before thetter¡¯s mood improved somewhat. For the next few days, Nicole went through a much more peaceful period of time. Aside from the daily rehearsals, she had nothing else to do. After the rehearsal, Nicole and June went to the teacher¡¯s office together to report the progress of the rehearsal in the past few days. They did not expect that Mr. Kennedy was seated before the desk of Mr. Louis as if he was a criminal awaiting interrogation. Mr. Louis nced at Mr. Kennedy and asked, ¡°Mr. Kennedy, are you sure about resigning?¡± Chapter 715 Chapter 715 Nicole and June heard that sentence as they stood outside the office and looked at each other. At this moment, Mr. Kennedy no longer had the usual gleeful smile on his face as he looked at Mr. Louis, his tone sounding rather helpless. ¡°I¡¯m made up my mind. Please sign it off, Mr. Louis.¡± Content provided by N?velDrama.Org. He had a pained look on his face, but he also knew that he had humiliated himself so much that he could no longer stay in this school. Yet Mr. Louis could not help but curl his lips. ¡°Mr. Kennedy, you¡¯re resigning right after your leave. Why? What if you regret itter? Mr. Kennedy had a rtive on the school board of directors, and Mr. Louis could be said to be trying to save his face. Yet, Mr. Kennedy said sullenly, ¡°Don¡¯t you worry, I will not regret it.¡± With him humiliating himself like that, no rtive would even talk to him any longer, no matter how close they previously were. He knew very well that he could still do decently being a teacher in the Royal Creek Institute with his ability, but he had just humiliated himself beyond redemption. Moreover, Mr. Louis and Ms. Emerson, who he had deliberately bullied all this while, were now flourishing. Since he thought his days there would be insufferable, he could only leave. Seeing that he had made up his mind, Mr. Louis got up and smiled. ¡°Then I¡¯ll approve it.¡± As he said that, he stamped the document without giving Mr. Kennedy any time to react. Mr. Kennedy was taken aback. He did not know that Mr. Louis would stamp the document so quickly. He actually regretted it a little in his heart, but it was toote now. Mr. Kennedy sighed as he took the approved resignation letter and left. However, the moment he turned around, he saw Nicole and June by the door. Upon seeing Nicole, Mr. Kennedy¡¯s pupils contracted as if he was afraid to see her. Nicole nced at him and smiled. ¡°Mr. Kennedy, leaving again after you¡¯ve juste back?¡± Mr. Kennedy looked awkwardly at Nicole. ¡°I¡¯m here to resign. Why? Do you have an opinion about that?¡± Nicole looked at him with an icy gaze. ¡°I have no opinions, but it seems like you¡¯ve not yet settled the bet we made.¡± Speaking of the bet, Mr. Kennedy¡¯s expression changed. Inside the office, the other teachers looked at one another. Ms. Emerson looked a little unsettled as she sat on her seat. In fact, she had forgotten about the bet after she got the excellent teacher award and did not expect Nicole to still remember it. Sensing the depressing atmosphere, Ms. Emerson got up and came to Nicole¡¯s side. ¡°Nicole, let¡¯s forget about it¡­¡± Nicole, however, shook her head. ¡°The bet back then was brought up by him, and I did not force him to make that bet. Mr. Kennedy, I¡¯m sure you don¡¯t want to be known as a person who isn¡¯t a man of his words, right?¡± ¡°You!¡± Mr. Kennedy did not expect Nicole to corner him even at this stage! ¡°L¡­ I¡¯m not a teacher at this school already. You have no right to demand that I apologize publicly!¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Nicole¡¯s eyes turned icy. ¡°Since you¡¯re no longer a teacher of this school, then I¡¯ve no need to hold back against you any longer.¡± As she said that, Nicole¡¯s hand stretched out and grabbed Mr. Kennedy by the cor! Mr. Kennedy sweated profusely. As he struggled, he asked, ¡°You! What are you trying to do?!¡± Chapter 716 Chapter 716 Nicole looked at him and sneered, ¡°Help you make good of your word!¡± As she said that, Nicole actually dragged Mr. Kennedy out of the office. Her strength was so great that Mr. Kennedy found it useless as he tried to grab onto the door frame but was yet still dragged away by Nicole. ¡°Nicole!¡± Sensing that things were bad, Ms. Emerson and June immediately chased after her. Mr. Louis and the other teachers too followed behind. When Mr. Kennedy was grabbed by Nicole, he was sweating profusely from his forehead and was totally terrified. ¡°Nicole! What are you doing? Let go of me! If you don¡¯t, I¡¯ll¡­¡± He tried to grab Nicole¡¯s hand, but with just one hand, she twisted his arm, causing him to scream in pain. ¡°AAARRGH!!!¡± ¡°You better not piss me off.¡± Nicole¡¯s gaze was as if she was about to murder him, and that made Mr. Kennedy stiffen up. ¡°Just who is this girl? How is she so strong?! Even as an adult, I¡¯m no match for her!¡¯ Very soon, Nicole dragged Mr. Kennedy to the broadcasting room and tossed him inside as she said, ¡°You don¡¯t have to apologize in public, but you definitely need to broadcast the apology!¡± If Mr. Kennedy wanted to resign, she would not stop him, but he needed to apologize for all of the abusive things he had done to Ms. Emerson! ¡°I¡­¡± Mr. Kennedy still wanted to run away. However, the moment Nicole cast a nce over, Mr. Kennedy was so terrified he was unable to move and could only nod. ¡°I¡­. I¡¯ll apologize¡­¡± Nicole nodded and sneered. ¡°Go on then.¡± Mr. Kennedy did not have much time to think about it as he immediately grabbed the microphone and adjusted the volume. All of the other teachers gathered outside the broadcasting room to see what Mr. Kennedy was up to. At this moment, Mr. Kennedy no longer cared to save face as he turned on the microphone and said tremblingly, ¡°I¡­ I was discourteous to Ms. Emerson back then, and I apologize to her¡­ It was I who had been mean and despicable. Ms. Emerson, she¡­ she is the true model teacher¡­¡± Mr. Kennedy looked at Nicole and was already so scared that he was a little incoherent. Seeing how Nicole had scared Mr. Kennedy until this stage, Ms. Emerson was both d and a little moved by what Nicole did. Now, all of her resentment had been calmed and sated. Only after Mr. Kennedy bbered a whole bunch of apologies did Nicole let him go as she said, ¡°Get lost.¡± She had no time to waste words with Mr. Kennedy here. Her time was very precious, after all! ¡°Yes, yes!¡± Mr. Kennedy immediately got up and scampered away. When everyone saw him run away, they could not help but cheer as a scourge was finally cast out. June walked out and looked at Nicole. ¡°Wow, Nicole, that was awesome.¡± ¡®Nicole is definitely the first person who does what she says!¡¯ Nicole, however, had a nonchnt look on her face. ¡°Since he¡¯s no longer a teacher of the school anyway, he¡¯s no different than any person in the society. I will teach whoever she wants a lesson any way I see fit. At this moment, Ms. Emerson walked out of the crowd and whispered to Nicole, ¡°Thank you, Nicole.¡± After today, no one would dare to trouble her, and this was Nicole making an example to everyone. Nicole looked at Ms. Emerson and smiled. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Consider it a repayment of gratitude for all those exercises you¡¯ve given me.¡¯ Ms. Emerson was slightly taken aback before failing to stifle herughter. ¡®It is really a blessing for me to have a student like Nicole.¡¯ Another person who thought the same was Martin. After seeing Nicole at the Riddle family manor back then, he would inexplicably think about her. Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. So much so that he was a little absent-minded for the past few days. Chapter 717 Chapter 717 At this moment, the experiment failed again, and Martin Wyance let out an irritable ¡®Tsk¡¯ as the experiment report in his hand was printed out. In fact, his experiment was almost about to fully take shape. If he was sessful with it, he would definitely have the opportunity to join the most advanced medicalboratory in Yamenia and be one of the top medical talents in theb. Perhaps he could even meet that miraculous physician the Rogers family had talked about, as that was the level he dreamed of reaching. It was said that the physician was someone a talent who returned from overseas, and her medical skills were the pinnacle of the medical profession. At just 21 years old, she had reached the apex of San Joto¡¯s medical profession. In San Joto, except for Joyce, who was his equal, Martin had never met a person like that before¡­ This time, he was originally in a team with Joyce, and the experiment had reached the most critical phase. If they managed a breakthrough, that meant that they could take things to the next level and make a very meaningful contribution to the advancement and direction of cell regeneration and rbination. Yet, who knew he would suddenly be so lost and keep making mistakes! Theb room door suddenly opened as Joyce sullenly walked in. ¡°Martin, what¡¯s the matter with you? This is the seventh failure already! Do you know how expensive our experiment materials are?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± Martin was indeed the coremand of the experiment, and he could not escape his responsibility, so he could only ept the mistake. Joyce¡¯s tone was pissed. Herrge-framed sses covered half of her face, looking totally like a researcher, yet deep inside, there was a fount ofints that was about to burst out like a geyser. She dared not hold a grudge against Martin, but at the same time, she hated the person that caused Martin to be so out of sorts! It was very likely for this reason, she might not be able to witness the most important stage of the experiment! Joyce was sullen. ¡®This was probably something caused by both Martin and I being too excellent, and he might¡¯ve been seduced by some vixen.¡¯ However, both of them were now the top pirs of the hospital, and their experiment¡¯s progress must not go wrong. Seeing that Martin was about to restart the experiment again, Joyce sighed as she took the experiment materials and said to Martin, ¡°Let¡¯s go. We¡¯ll call it a day here today.¡¯ As she cleaned up theb table, Joyce could not help but look at Martin. She red at him, her voice a little irritable. ¡°You don¡¯t seem to be yourselftely?¡± Martin had rarely failed so many times in his experiments before, and this time was just abnormal. Martin could not help but ask, ¡°What do I look like then?¡± Upon hearing this, Joyce was even more sullen as she felt that Martin was mocking her question. She tossed the materials in her hand aside as she said to him. ¡°Your experiments had always seeded after a few tries. Are you that bitter about doing the experiment with me?¡± They could be regarded as childhood friends, and they were ssmates and colleagues as well. She had feelings for Martin, but he was as dumb as a log, and that caused her no end of heartaches. When Martin heard that a curious look appeared in his eyes as he looked at Joyce and put down the test tube in his hand, ¡°Why would you think that? What do I failing my experiments have anything to do with you? His words made Joyce even more pissed off. She rolled her eyes as she hissed, ¡°What do you mean? What nothing to do with me?¡± She thought that Martin would exin to her why he was so reluctant to be with her. Yet, after hearing Martin¡¯s words, he not only did not y along, he even said that it had nothing to do with her, and that made her even more peeved. ¡°Yes.¡± Martin was resolute with his answer, and as he thought about Nicole, he went into a daze again. Seeing that he was out of sorts again, Joyce got even angrier. ¡®He¡¯s not thinking about me, but someone else? The more she thought of it, the angrier she got. She grabbed the test tube in Martin¡¯s hand and flung it to the ground as she roared. ¡°Martin, why are you so annoying!¡± ¡°Why doesn¡¯t he get my feelings?¡¯ Unable to bear the pain, nor could she verbalize it, Joyce could only leave theb angrily Martin looked at the test tube on the ground and frowned. Content provided by N?velDrama.Org. The only reason he agreed to do this experiment together with Joyce was not because of how excellent she was. It was just that she was good enough that she would not hold him back. But now, by the looks of things, her temper is really unstable.¡¯ Martin rubbed his nose as he squatted down to clean up the mess. A look of irritability appeared in his eyes. Women, what a bother. Still, Nicole¡¯s the best¡­ Chapter 718 Chapter 718 The Riddle family manor. Mr. Riddle Sr.¡¯s was almost fully recovered. So, everyone returned to the manor to prepare a meal in celebration of his recovery. When Nicole, Samuel, and Spencer arrived, everyone else was basically there. Even Chloe was back home. Both Snow and Raine were out of sorts today. Both of them had not recovered from the shock Gary and Harvey had inflicted on them. Yet, when she saw Nicoleing in, a resentful look appeared in Raine¡¯s eyes. However, with Nicole¡¯s standing in the family now, she no longer dared to run her mouth willy-nilly. Preston, meanwhile, looked at Nicole excitedly as he gave Nicole a rather silly smile. ¡°Hey, Nicole.¡± Seeing Nicole looking up at him, Preston pointed cryptically at her phone. ¡°What¡¯s your number? I¡¯ll add you.¡± They had already met each other a few times, yet he did not add her contact to his messenger. When something happened, he did not know how to reach her. Nicole raised her eyebrow and did not expect him to ask her for this before everyone. ¡®Is he not afraid that Karen and Dillon will get angry?¡¯ Yet, she did not refuse him and told him the number she had registered for a newly created messenger ount. Preston added her and paused for a moment. ¡°Her profile picture¡­ is just pitch ck?¡¯ ¡®This isn¡¯t all girly-like, no?¡¯ However, he did not think too much about it as he quickly sent a friend request to her. Nicole saw a friend request pop up on her phone. Preston had used an extremely shy emote to add her, and she felt regret adding him as a friend. She added him quick but was a little speechless as she looked at Preston. She totally did not expect Preston to be such a shy person online. However, adding him as a friend was fine. She was, after all, still quite interested in that car he had. Seeing that she agreed, Preston let out a bright smile, and just as he was about to say something, he felt a chill behind him. He turned back with a strange look and saw Nicole¡¯s five elder brothers standing in a line behind him, looking at him not unlike a pig before a row of butchers sharpening their knives. Sean¡¯s gaze was icy cold, while Steve pushed his sses a little. Stanley simply just smiled while Spencer crossed his arms with an impassive look as Samuel had an angry look on his face. N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. Preston was a little confused as he did not understand where the hostility from these five games from. Steve, however, spoke first. His voice was gentle, yet his words were rather sharp. ¡°Who allowed you to add our sister?¡± All of them had not seen Nicole in days. Now they had a chance to talk to her, Preston popped out of nowhere and even added her on the messenger app. ¡®Since when did this guy get so close to our baby sister?¡¯ When Gloria heard them, she turned to Nicole and asked, ¡°Nicole, you¡¯ve already met Preston in school?¡± Nicole had a resigned look on her face. I¡¯ve not only met him; I¡¯ve even helped him resolve a problem.¡¯ ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve met him a few times. Preston is easy enough to get along with,¡± She said. Stanley, however, thought that his little sister must have been deceived as Preston looked even more unreliable than Samuel! Preston, not realizing that he was being looked down upon, said innocently to Gloria. ¡°Aunt Gloria, Nicole¡¯s my cousin, so I¡¯d, of course, take care of her in school.¡± Gloria felt a little awkward¡­ After all, they had never gotten along well with Dillon and his family. Yet somehow, Preston had a pretty good rtionship with Nicole, and that was a surprise. Chapter 719 Chapter 719 Even Snow and Raine were surprised. They thought Preston had gone too far, ignoring his mother¡¯s threats and getting so close to Nicole. They saw Nicole as a shameless hussy who seduced their brothers. ¡°Cut it out, can¡¯t you all? Let¡¯s have your meal.¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. interrupted at once, knowing that Karen was going to chasten Preston. Everyone bowed their heads and ate, and it was all quiet. During the meal, Mr. Riddle Sr. nced at Nicole once. ¡°Nicole, since you and Jared are in love, it¡¯s time for marriage.¡± The Johnston family took such good care of their family, so he thought of having them get married. ¡°Huh?¡± Nicole did not expect Mr. Riddle Sr. to mention this. She was flustered, not knowing how to answer Daniel saw his daughter¡¯s embarrassment and smiled. ¡°Dad, why don¡¯t we let Nicole think about it? After all, this is not just about her, and she should at least discuss it with Jared.¡± Everyone was envious of Nicole upon hearing that. Chloe¡¯s eyes were full of jealousy, and she could not help but say, ¡°Grandpa, Nicole is just a student in the eleventh grade. It doesn¡¯t sound right for her to get engaged at such a young age, and it will affect her studies.¡± She would not let Nicole and Jared get engaged so early, she would not have a chance if they did. ¡°You have a point.¡± Only did Mr. Riddle Sr. realize his suggestion was not well thought out. Nicole nced at Chloe and thought for a moment. ¡°Grandpa, I¡¯ll discuss this with him.¡± It appeared that it was just another thing to her as if her rtionship with Jared was close enough to discuss anything. ¡°Okay, you¡¯d better hurry. The Johnstons are a prominent family. I wouldn¡¯t need to worry about you if you can get married early.¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. smiled, sincerely hoping Nicole would get engaged as soon as possible. Chloe¡¯s face darkened, and she felt that Mr. Riddle Sr. was biased. Raine and Snow were extremely jealous. ¡®Why are we all dumped while Nicole is going to marry a man as outstanding as Jared?¡¯ Snow tried hard to suppress her emotion, but Raine waspletely out of control. She stood up abruptly and said, ¡°Grandpa, you are too biased. How long have Nicole and Jared been dating that you can¡¯t wait for them to get married? What about me?¡± Content provided by N?velDrama.Org. Karen did not expect her daughter to talk like this and quickly pulled her aside. ¡°Raine, what are you talking about? Do you have a boyfriend?¡± Raine was a little depressed. Everyone in the family knew that her sister and Harvey were dating, and no one cared about her and Gary¡¯s progress. Gritting her teeth, Raine said, ¡°Yes! I¡¯ve liked Gary for a long time, and I want to marry Gary, too.¡± ¡°Ridiculous!¡± Mr. Riddle Sr¡¯s face changed. ¡°Why didn¡¯t I know about this? Does Gary like you?¡± Raine¡¯s face sank upon hearing the question. She did not know how to tell them that Gary had completely distanced himself from her for the past few days. Mr. Riddle Sr. and everyone else understood what her silence meant ¡°Nicole and Jared are in love. You have to first figure out your position in Gary¡¯s heart before telling me about this,¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. hissed and ordered everyone to continue the meal. Raine shot a re at Nicole with hatred. She always believed that if it were not for Nicole and Gary ying the male and female protagonists together, Gary would not have dumped her. She thought it was because of Nicole that everything changed. ¡®I will not let Nicole have everything she wants.¡¯ Chapter 720 Chapter 720 Nicole could not care less about Snow and Raine. After the meal, she turned on the screen of her phone to send a text message. [I¡¯m going back to the campus.] [I¡¯ll pick you up.] the other side replied at once. Nicole looked at the reply with a smile in her eyes, as if she felt his eagerness. [Okay.] Then, she tucked the phone back into her pocket before she got up and said goodbye to Mr. Riddle Sr. and others. ¡°Grandpa, Jared is picking me up. I¡¯ll go back to the campus.¡± ¡°Okay, enjoy your time together.¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. looked at Nicole with a smile. He would be happy to see Nicole spend her time with Jared-the longer, the better. Nicole nodded and then turned and left. She saw a car pulled up in front of her with Jared inside as soon as she stepped out of the gate of the Riddle Mansion. He looked at her and smiled with his eyes narrowed. ¡°Have you missed me these past few days?¡± Nicole smiled. ¡°Yes.¡± Jared saw the bright smile on her lips, beautiful and enchanting. ¡°It looks like you miss me a lot. But why didn¡¯t you text me?¡± He had only received one text message from her in the past few days. Nicole was startled for a second as if not expecting this question. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you¡¯d be busy?¡± He did not know what to say upon hearing her answer. Jared felt his chest tight with a sense of disappointment, ¡°I said I would be busy, but not to the point of not being able to answer calls or read messages. You¡¯ve never sent me a single text message. How cruel.¡± It was he who made the initiative to contact her all this while, but for the past few days, he had deliberately tried to see if she would contact him. Jared waited and was disappointed; she never made the first move. us looked at Nicole with a thoughtful look in his eyes. ¡®Jared cares so much for her he even questions a girl why she hasn¡¯t texted him.¡¯ Nicole sighed. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll text you next time.¡± She was highly self-restrained and did not like to bother others. But she understood it when Jared told her. He felt much better upon hearing her reply. He brought her into the car and drew her into his arms while ignoring if us was looking. ¡°I miss you.¡± Jared cared so much about a woman for the first time. us told himself to concentrate on driving and kept his eyes looking dead ahead. Nicole smiled. ¡°I miss you, too.¡± Then she reached to hug him. Jared¡¯s exhaustion over the past few days had finally eased. What he cared about most was Nicole. Nicole nced at Jared and pondered for a moment. ¡°Has the Johnston family given the pressure on my grandpa?¡± Jared frowned and looked at her. ¡°What?¡± ¡°My grandpa said today that he wished we would get engaged sooner.¡± Jared was surprised, but then he thought of something andughed. ¡°Someone must be desperate.¡± ¡°Who?¡± Nicole frowned. ¡°My second uncle.¡± Jared¡¯s face darkened. ¡°He doesn¡¯t know who you are, just thinking that you are just another girl from the Riddle family.¡± His second uncle wished to have Jared and Nicole get married so that Jared would not have a marriage arrangement with other families, and they would not be afraid of him anymore. N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. Not knowing Nicole¡¯s true identity and what she was capable of, they thought they had made the best bet. Little did they know Jared would get a treasure if he married Nicole. ¡°Oh? So what do you think?¡± Nicole asked rhetorically. Jared could not help but smile. ¡°Of course, I want to marry you as soon as possible, but it must be I who proposes.¡± Chapter 721 Chapter 721 He wanted to give the best to Nicole. Nicole instantly blushed upon hearing his proposal. ¡°Let¡¯s just keep things low-key.¡± She was used to keeping a low profile on everything, and she was still unustomed to it. ¡°You¡¯re my fianc¨¦e, and I will certainly give you the best.¡± Jared smiled and had already decided. us saw the opportunity. ¡°Let me handle it, Mr. Johnston.¡± He enjoyed organizing these things the most. ¡°I promise it will be better and more fun than what a dumbo like Max coulde up with.¡± Jared¡¯s face darkened, and us shut his mouth at once. But after a long while, Jared still agreed. ¡°Go and don¡¯t make mistakes.¡± ¡°I guarantee I will get the job done.¡± us smiled and continued to drive. Nicole did not expect Jared to proceed with things just like that. She felt awkward and did not know what to say, thinking the engagement was too sudden. N?velDrama.Org ? 2024. As they arrived at the school, Jared took her back to his caf¨¦ for a cup of coffee. Nicole had a look of satisfaction on her face while drinking the coffee handmade by Jared. Looking around the caf¨¦, Nicole suddenly asked, ¡°Why do you want to open a caf¨¦ infront of the school?¡± Jared¡¯s hand paused, and he looked up at her. ¡°Because there were signals of Lucifer here.¡± Nicole¡¯s face darkened as she finally understood something. It turned out that Jared opened the caf¨¦ here for her at first. ¡°Has my signal ever appeared here?¡± Nicole thought for a moment and suddenly recalled the phishing program. Her face sank. ¡°The one who used the phishing program to catch me out was you.¡± She and Jared had previously revealed their respective identities, and she also knew that Jared had put her on his wanted list, but she did not know at the time that Jared had used the phishing program to catch her. ¡°Of course, I wrote the program myself.¡± Jared let out an evilly triumphant smile. ¡°You wrote that program?¡± Nicole was surprised. That she had nearly fallen into the trap of the program showed how capable the person who wrote the program was. Just that she did not expect that it was Jared who created the program. ¡®Doesn¡¯t this mean Jared¡¯s hacking skills are as good as mine?¡¯ ¡°Yeah. Surprised?¡± He raised an eyebrow. ¡°Of course. If that program is really your creation, it will fetch a high price on The Hunters.¡± Nicole had a serious look on her face. Jared smiled. ¡°I¡¯m not short of money. I wrote that program just to catch you.¡± His expression looked explicit and fervent. His stare flustered Nicole, and she rolled her eyes at him. ¡°You have been getting better at teasing me lately, eh?¡± Jared smiled. ¡°You¡¯ve been getting better atplimenting metely, too.¡± Nicole¡¯s expression froze, looking a little bashful. ¡°Who wants topliment you?¡± Jared did not expose her, and the two of themughed and drank their coffee. Just then, the caf¨¦¡¯s door opened, and several Royal Creek Institute students poured in. Gary, the leading guy, saw Jared and Nicole and was stunned. Nicole and Jared also saw him. Jared¡¯s face darkened, and he did not intend to talk to him. Smiles faded from Gary¡¯s face as if he did not expect to meet them here. Jack and Wayne also saw Nicole, but they met Jared for the first time. They involuntarily nce at Gary and immediately spot Gary¡¯s abnormal demeanor. Chapter 722 Chapter 722 Gary and Nicole had been rehearsing together for the past few days, and he could not be happier. With Gary¡¯s rejection of Raine, even fools could tell that he had feelings for Nicole. So no one expected to see Nicole sitting with a handsome man. Gary¡¯s face could not look sullener, but he said nothing but sat down with Jack, Wayne, and the others at an adjacent table and ordered coffee. Jared had sensed Gary¡¯s abnormality as soon as Gary came in. He nced at Nicole and said, ¡°He¡¯s looking at you.¡± Nicole ignored it, only giving Jared a faint acknowledgment. After a few more sips and the coffee bottomed out, Nicole said, ¡°It¡¯s almost time. I should go back.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll walk you to the school gate,¡± Jared thoughtfully said. Nicole smiled. The two got up and left. As they walked past Gary, Nicole did not even look at or say hello to him but walked straight out. ¡°Boss, did Nicole just ignore you?¡± Wayne was in disbelief. ¡®The two of them have gotten to know each other better because of the drama rehearsal, but Nicole has just ignored Gary in front of that man? That man seems to be very special to her.¡¯ ¡°Don¡¯t bother with her.¡± Gary was angry, but he did not want to get upset just because of Nicole. But he could not help but feel depressed as he watched Nicole get into the car. By the time he pulled back his gaze, he had lost his appetite for the coffee. He left after sitting there for just a while. Tonight, Gary could not sleep well, as his mind was full of Nicole. The next day in ss, he kept staring at Nicole, and Nicole kept ignoring him. Finally, it was time for the afternoon rehearsals. Gary could not bear it anymore. While on the way to the rehearsal, he stopped Nicole. ¡°What is the rtionship between you and the man ofst night?¡± Nicole looked at Gary with a frown, puzzled by his action. ¡°Does it have anything to do with you?¡± She looked not too happy, thinking that Gary was too nosy. ¡°Of course, I-I¡­¡± Gary almost slipped up and revealed his feelings for her. Nicole pushed him away and said, ¡°That person will soon be my fianc¨¦. Think what you want.¡± With that, she left Gary watched in surprise as Nicole left. ¡®Fianc¨¦? Is she going to get engaged to that man?¡¯ His heart hollowed out at the thought of this. It was then that he realized he had cared so much about Nicole because he had fallen for her. But his realization hade toote. N?velDrama.Org ? 2024. Gary leaned feebly against the wall, feeling decadent. Unbeknownst to him, Raine had taken all in from a dark corner. ¡®Damn it, Nicole. I can¡¯t believe that Gary dumped me all because of you. When did she hook up with Gary that it made him so obsessed with her? What a slut.¡¯ This new revtion caused her to lose her mind, amplifying her hatred toward Nicole. ¡®I will make Nicole pay the price today, no matter what.¡¯ Chapter 723 Chapter 723 Can¡¯t let her y the drama heroine and continue to hook up with Gary anymore.¡¯ Nicole soon arrived at the rehearsal hall. Most of the people had arrived except Gary. Jack and others looked at Nicole. ¡°Nicole, do you know whereGary is?¡± Nicole shot a knife-like look at him, and it struck Jack dumb. ¡®Nicole doesn¡¯t look too happy.¡¯ ¡°What does he have to do with me? We will just proceed with the rehearsal without him.¡± Jack agreed with trepidation. Content provided by N?velDrama.Org. As Nicole left straight away to talk to the others, Wayne elbowed Jack and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you that you¡¯re so afraid of her?¡± Jack shot a re at him. ¡°Didn¡¯t you see the look in her eyes? She looked as if she was going to kill someone.¡± He felt her persona was stronger than Gary¡¯s, so much so that it sent a chill up his spine. ¡°I think you¡¯re just wimpy.¡± Wayne turned and walked away. Just then, someone walked in. Everyone looked over and saw that it was Raine and her ssmates. When Bradley saw this, he immediately stepped forward. ¡°It is the rehearsal time of our ss now. Please leave.¡± Raine red at Bradley.¡± We are the twelfth graders, your seniors. Who are you to bargain with us?¡± Bradley was intimidated, and his face darkened. ¡°What does this have to do with grades? The time is arranged by the student union, and it is our turn for rehearsal. Please leave now and stop interrupting us.¡± They had only gotten a day of rehearsal time out of three days. So Bradley and others needed to make the most out of it and would allow no one to interrupt them, Raine looked at herpanion and saw that Bradley would not budge. Herpanion stepped forward and said in a sarcastic tone of voice, ¡°Are you sure it is your ss¡¯s rehearsal day? But I remember today is our turn.¡± ¡°Obviously, it¡¯s ours. Stop messing around.¡± Lulu was anxious. Jack and Wayne looked at Raine haughtily. ¡°Raine, are you here to pick a fight?¡± ¡°If so, don¡¯t me us for being rude.¡± Wayne clenched his fists. Raine was not intimidated. ¡°Are you getting physical in school? Beware of getting expelled.¡± Jack and Wayne were startled. ¡°Don¡¯t get an inch and want to take a mile, Raine.¡± ¡°So what if I do?¡± Raine hissed, not taking them seriously. ¡°We remember today is our rehearsal day. Check with the student union if you¡¯re not happy with it.¡± Bradley and others could not help but look at each other. The student union was in the university department, and going there back and forth would take at least an hour, which meant they would have one less hour for rehearsal. Raine was obviously trying to create trouble here, but they could do nothing about her. Just then, Nicole came up. ¡°Firstes, first serve. We started rehearsals before you came. Aren¡¯t you guys the ones who have a problem with this? That being the case, go to the student union to sort things out.¡± Raine¡¯s face contorted with anger at seeing that Nicole was so glib-tongued. Her friend recognized Nicole by this time. ¡°How dare you interject when we, the twelfth graders, speak? You really need to be taught a lesson.¡± There was a malicious look in the girl¡¯s eyes, and she raised her hand to hit Nicole as soon as her voice trailed off. Raine looked on triumphantly. She did dare to pick a fight with Nicole for fear that her grandfather would censure her. But if it was her friend who hit Nicole, it would have nothing to do with her. D . So she just watched. As her friend raised her hand to p Nicole, some grabbed her friend from behind, stopping her hand in the air. The girl turned her head with anger, and Raine also subconsciously looked back. They both were surprised to see Gary¡¯s handsome yet stony face. Still grasping the girl¡¯s hand, Gary threw her straight out and away with a hiss. He literally threw her away without the slightest worry that his action would injure her. The girl fell straight to the ground as if she had not reacted to what was happening. When she knew what happened, she scolded angrily, ¡°Gary, I¡¯m your senior, for God¡¯s sake. Are you crazy?¡± Chapter 724 Chapter 724 Gary did not bother to talk to her, his face stony as he looked at the girl as if looking at a dead person. ¡°Whoever you are, I advise you not to pick a fight with Nicole again.¡± Instead of the usual yful look in his eyes, he carried a kind of ruthless indifference. ¡°Otherwise, I¡¯ll make you regreting into this world. ¡± Gary¡¯s eyes had never been so frightening. The girl looked at him, trembling in fright. She scrambled to her feet and ran out like a bat out of hell. She could no longer care what Raine had told her. Raine was stunned at seeing what happened, not expecting that Gary was still so protective of Nicole, despite Nicole having rejected him. ¡°Why are you so protective of her, Gary?¡± She could no longer bear it and pointed at Nicole. ¡°She has just rejected you, hasn¡¯t she?¡± Everyone was dumbfounded, and Jack and Wayne could not help but nce at each other. ¡®No wonder Nicole looked so grave at the mention of Gary. It turned out that Gary had just confessed to Nicole. This is a big deal. Gary had never liked a girl in all these years at school, yet Nicole rejected him.¡¯ Gary no longer cared about his ego. He looked at Raine with a frosty face. ¡°That¡¯s my business, and it has nothing to do with you. Don¡¯t pick a fight with Nicole again; don¡¯t say I didn¡¯t warn you.¡± He was now conscious of his feelings for Nicole and would not allow her to be bullied. ¡°You!¡± Raine¡¯s face flushed with anger, and she red at Nicole with resentment. ¡°You¡¯re super, Nicole.¡± With that, she stomped her foot and turned away. Jack looked at Nicole involuntarily, thinking that she would be grateful to Gary, not expecting that she would look even frostier than before. ¡®A Nicole like this looks even scarier.¡¯ Nicole did not see Jack¡¯s frightened expression. She just came out from behind Gary and said, ¡°I don¡¯t need you to protect me at all.¡± Nicole had always been indifferent, just like her words. Gary bit his lip involuntarily, the detached look on his face fading, reced by a warm and gentle expression. ¡°You said that I might think what I wanted, I want to protect you, and you can¡¯t stop me from doing so.¡± People around them were all stupefied. None of them could foresee that Gary could go so crazy for a girl. Both Jack and Wayne shrank from the sight of his action, thinking that Gary was too manly. Nicole had a headache, as she did not know why Gary was pigheaded. Seeing that the time was passing quickly, she interrupted by saying, ¡°We have wasted too much time on this. Let¡¯s rehearse.¡± Only then did everyonee to their senses and go back to rehearsing. Gary kept looking at Nicole with a feeling of emptiness inside him. ¡®I just want to protect her. Why did she hate me so much? Is it really because of that man?¡¯ It came to the anniversary of the Royal Creek Institute in the blink of an eye. Theing of Lloyd and the directorial team to hold an audition for Lukewarm had already gone viral for a long time. Content provided by N?velDrama.Org. Today, someone spotted Lloyd¡¯s director team at the Royal Creek Institute for the school anniversary celebration. Many people spected maybe he came here to select the heroine. By this time, Lloyd had arrived at the lounge prepared for him by the Royal Creek Institute, waiting for the celebration to begin. Not long after, Anna knocked on the lounge door. Chapter 725 Chapter 725 ¡°Come in,¡± he whispered. The door was quickly opened, and Lloyd¡¯s face appeared in front of Anna. He had not much expression on his face, yet he was graceful. Even though he was just standing there casually, there was a kind of extraordinary charm in him. He looked at Anna with a faint sense of expectation in his eyes, but it was wrapped in ayer of unexined emotions as if he was deliberately restraining himself. He lowered his voice and asked, ¡°Did she attend the show?¡± The reason he came was to see someone, but he was afraid of disturbing her, so he could only watch from a distance. Anna looked at the tall and charming man with a helpless expression on her beautiful face. ¡°Are you not inviting me to sit down and talk?¡± Lloyd said nothing. His eyshes fluttered gently, with his eyes shimmering as he looked at Anna and said slowly, ¡°Please take a seat.¡± Anna sat down and sighed before saying, ¡°As you wish, she¡¯s on the show.¡± Lloyd¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°Really?¡± ¡®I thought she wouldn¡¯t take part, judging by her dispassionate personality. If that is the case, the crew team wouldn¡¯t be able to select her, and my dream of acting with her would note true. Fortunately, she is taking part.¡¯ Thinking of this, an otherworldly smile crept across his face with an almost inaudible excitement in his voice. ¡°I really didn¡¯t expect that she would take part. I still have a chance.¡± Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. Anna stared at Lloyd. She had not seen him smile like that in years. It was apparent to her that Lloyd really cared about the girl. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. If she really has the talent, I will rmend her, too.¡± He looked at Anna with a growing smile on his face and sincerely thanked her. Anna nodded. ¡°You¡¯re wee. I will leave you to it, and be prepared, as you may also have to speak on stage as a delegate today.¡± ¡°Sure¡± Lloyd agreed. Anna gently closed the door with a hint of satisfaction on her beautiful face. As long as Lloyd cooperated with her well, she would have no problem helping him find a suitable heroine. Inside the room, Lloyd was looking forward to meeting Nicole. He wondered how her preparation was. Meanwhile, backstage, everyone had gotten ready. There was a waiting area for each ss, with ss A and ss B next to each other, Norah and Nicole became the focus of both sses, and people were talking about them in private. ¡°That girl from ss B is the biological daughter of the Riddle family.¡± ¡°Truth shall prevail. Just look at how pretty Nicole is; the same goes for her brothers¨Cthey¡¯re so handsome¡± ¡°Yeah, Norah is pretty ordinary Before this, I wondered how she had such good-looking brothers. It turned out that she was not a biological child of the Riddles.¡± They spoke louder and louder Getting pissed, Norah red over at them, and they all immediately shut After all, she was the leader of ss A. Norah chided them, saying, ¡°Do you all have nothing better to do? Go get the props.¡± Those girls knew she was using her position to take revenge for personal grudges, but they did not dare to say anything. They had no choice but to go get the props. Norah was irritable. She could not help but nce at Nicole in the ss B area. Bradley, June, and the others were all around Nicole, so she did not have to do anything. While Nicole¡¯s male partner was the handsome Gary, hers, after doing so much to get the female lead role, was a guy with a face only a mother could love. ¡°Norah, there is something on your head.¡± Her male partner did not know what she thought. He reached out to help Norah remove the debris on her head, but Norah was bent out of shape and smacked his hand away. ¡°Get out of my sight.¡± Norah red at him in disgust. Chapter 726 Chapter 726 The guy¡¯s hand felt numb after Norah smacked it away. He looked at Norah in shock, racking his brain, trying to figure out why she was treating him this way, But looking at her icy face, he did not dare to get angry He returned to his seat with indignation while grouching. ¡°You¡¯re just a fake. What are you so proud of? No one is obligated to dance to your tune.¡± Norah¡¯s uncooperative attitude inmed the guy. But he was secretly unnerved and bowed his head at seeing Norah¡¯s eyes, as he was afraid that she would send him to work with the props. Anyway, he knew that Norah now had no support from the Riddle family, and no one was afraid of her. The guy¡¯s face looked much better at the thought of this. Norah took off the debris on her head, only to find that the guy had been well-intentioned, but she did not bother. She thought she was the ss leader, and he certainly did not dare toin. But what happened next waspletely unexpected to her, as the guy did not give a damn about her. The guy¡¯s family was much wealthier than hers now. At first, he ttered her, and the two became the so called ¡°partner,¡± but now Norah¡¯s status in her family had be somewhat special, so no one wanted to suck up to her. For this reason, the split between the two waspletely normal, and no one was going to care. Norah was desperate when the guy refused to go on stage and read through the script. She could only apologize. ¡°It was my fault just now. I apologize. Let¡¯s do a read-through.¡± ¡°What? Apologize? I¡¯ve never heard that Miss Riddle would apologize.¡± The guy fumed. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Norah was frustrated when the guy raised his voice. ¡°What am I doing? Why ask when it was you who showed me your terrible attitude?¡± Norah was embarrassed. Seeing more and more people staring at her, she could only say, ¡°Didn¡¯t I apologize already? What else do you want?¡± ¡°Is this your apologetic attitude?¡± The guy was clearly not too happy. She had given him an inch, and he wanted to take a yard; Norah did not know what more to say but pouted. She had no choice but to pacify him, but he was not appreciative of it. In the waiting zone next door, Vivian looked at how Norah kowtowed to her ssmate, and she said,¡± Who is Norah without the support of the Riddle family? In contrast, look at how gleeful Nicole is.¡± Vivian felt unspeakably jealous as she watched Nicole being swarmed around by Gary and everyone else. Oliver had liked Vivian, who had been sitting next to him in the ss for a long time. He looked at her from the sidelines, her eyes glowing with an icy look engraved on his heart, and he could no longer recognize her. Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. A deep sense of disapproval shed in his eyes as he thought of Vivian¡¯s repeated actions against Nicole. ¡®We¡¯re all ssmates. Is it necessary to make things deteriorate to such a stage? Nicole might have a cold personality, but she has never put on airs or done Vivian wrong despite her connection with the Riddle family. Has she? Unfortunately, Vivian would never notice what others were thinking. Jealousy hadpletely consumed her, and she could no longer tell right from wrong. ¡°So what if she is the daughter of the Riddle family? She is a yokel.¡± The faces of those around her changed instantly upon hearing what Vivian had said. Gary, who had stayed silent all this while, stared at Vivian with frustration. ¡°What are you talking about?¡± He had put up with Vivian many times. But now, he had recognized his feelings for Nicole; he could not bear and did not want anyone to bully Nicole. Jack and Wayne were also stunned, wondering why Gary was standing up for someone else when he had never done so previously. Vivian looked at Gary¡¯s grave face and was surprised by how protective Gary was of Nicole. Chapter 727 Chapter 727 It was rare to see the fear on the face of someone like her who had always been undaunted. But for the sake of ego, even if the person in front of her was Gary, she still brazened it out. ¡°Did I say something wrong? Isn¡¯t she just a vige girl, yokel?¡± There was a rare tinge of deep red and frostiness in his eyes as Gary looked at Vivian. Lulu also felt that Vivian had gone too far and wanted to speak for Nicole. But since Gary had spoken for her, Nicole stopped Lulu. ¡°Let¡¯s wait and see.¡± N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. She would not intervene since someone had taken care of Vivian. Gary was angry at this point. ¡°Vivian, you went too far by repeatedly picking a fight with Nicole. Do you still want to keep your position as the ss leader?¡± Vivian looked at Gary¡¯s sullen face in fright, momentarily loss of words because Gary threatened her because of Nicole. ¡°Why are you so protective of Nicole?¡± She could not stand it anymore. Am I the only one who can see through Nicole¡¯s disguise? She¡¯s not as good as everyone thinks.¡¯ Gary nced at Nicole when questioned by Vivian. An unexined rage rose within him when he saw her nonchnt expression. Since he could not bear it anymore, he thought he might as well admit his feelings for Nicole in public. ¡°I like her. So what?¡± Everyone at the scene was stunned. Even those in the adjacent ss A and ss C fell into silence. Vivian did not expect Gary to admit in public that he liked Nicole. The same went for Nicole; she was dumbfounded for a long while, wondering what Gary was thinking. But Lulu and June were looking at her with a meaningful look. ¡°What he thinks has nothing to do with me.¡± Nicole felt there was nothing she could do about it. Her words sounded cruel, but it was a rejection in disguise, Everyone was surprised again by Nicole¡¯s rejection of Gary, whose family was far more prominent than that of Nicole, which was the Riddle family. Gary¡¯s face looked extremely grave as if he had been humiliated in public. Still, with a nonchnt expression, Nicole stood up and looked at Gary. ¡°Mind yourself. Don¡¯t cause more trouble for me, please.¡± She just wanted to go to school quietly and did not want to get into trouble. After that, she gave Vivian an icy look and then strode away from backstage. ¡°How dare you reject Gary?¡± Vivian looked on and muttered indignantly as Nicole left. Nicole did not only reject Gary but was also arrogant toward him. Vivian had liked Gary for a long time, and she hated Nicole for this. But as much as she hated Nicole, Gary did not spare a nce at her as he was chasing after Nicole. Oliver saw this and nudged Vivian. ¡°You should see reality clearly. You and Gary will never be possible.¡± ¡°Shut up!¡± Vivian shot her a re and then turned to get the props. She was so humiliated because of Nicole. She told herself that she would make Nicole¡¯s life difficult today. Chapter 728 Chapter 728 Backstage was too stuffy, so Nicole went out to get some fresh air. As she went, she bumped into someone head-on. She dodged subconsciously, but when she looked up, she saw Harvey. Harvey seemed to be surprised that he would bump into someone whom he had not seen for many days backstage. His eyes brightened up, but his expression remained indifferent. ¡°How are you?¡± Nicole raised an eyebrow. Of course, she was fine. ¡°I¡¯m great.¡± As she was about to leave, Harvey suddenly grabbed her hand, Gary was catching up at the time and saw the interaction between Nicole and Harvey. He was stunned for a second before he quickly hid in the shadows and observed them. He wondered if Harvey was also taking a liking to Nicole. Nicole looked back at the handsome Harvey with displeasure, seemingly seeing the sullen guy again. There was always a strong desire for destruction in his eyes, as if he had the greatest malice toward the world and did not have the slightest love for everything. No one, including Nicole, liked such a person. It did not help that Harvey was trying to pursue her. She broke free of his grip and looked at him with disgust. ¡°I¡¯ve told you many times; we aren¡¯t that close.¡± ¡®Yet he keeps on stalking me.¡¯ Harvey looked at her; she had put on makeup for the performance, looking even more stunning in a fairy dress. But the disgust in her eyes was exactly the same as before. He lowered his head and smiled, but his voice was indescribably hoarse. He did not know what wrong he had done and why Nicole was so disgusted every time she saw him. ¡°I know we are not that close, but I don¡¯t know why I would rather make myself feel so bad than hold you.¡± But she did not want him to hold her hand. ¡®Why is he willing to lowerhimself for me?¡¯ He was the high-flying Harvey, but he did not know why every time he saw Nicole, he wanted to spend more time with her and feel as if the sun was shining into the depths of his soul. Nicole took a deep breath and kept her senses. ¡°I have given you many chances because you are Mr. Ellison¡¯s grandson. Now stop harassing me. Don¡¯t say I didn¡¯t warn you.¡± She could no longer stand Harvey¡¯s rude behavior anymore. ¡°Why do you hate me so much?¡± Harvey looked Nicole in the eyes, and for the first time, there was some sincerity. Nicole frowned. She did not want to waste more time with him, but his question really puzzled her. ¡°What does this have to do with hating you? People who are not close to each other should keep their distance.¡± Nicole did not have any opinion about Harvey. To her, he was just Mr. Ellison¡¯s grandson. Harvey looked at her and knew that what she said was true. ¡®It is good enough that she doesn¡¯t hate me.¡¯ Harvey had a faint smile on his face at the thought of this. Nicole looked at him and did not want to face him for another second. So she quickly finished what she wanted to say. ¡°I don¡¯t care what you think, but even if I don¡¯t hate you, please respect yourself and keep your distance from me from now on.¡± N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. Strangely, the smile on Harvey¡¯s face widened after Nicole chided him. He instantly felt better when he heard Nicole solemnly say again that she did not hate him. Chapter 729 Chapter 729 Nicole looked at Harvey as if she had thought of something, the smile on his face sending a chill down her spine. N?velDrama.Org ? 2024. He looked better when not smiling, as his smile was elusive. ¡°Harvey is such a freak,¡¯ she thought to herself. ¡°I¡¯m not talking to you again, but please remember my warning: stay away from me.¡± With that, she turned and was about to leave. Hearing her threat, Harvey let out a stic smile and slowly moved backward as if he wanted to keep a safe distance from her. ¡°Is this distance okay?¡± he said with an evil smile. Nicole was startled and looked helpless. ¡°Harvey, did you do this on purpose? You know that¡¯s not what | mean.¡± She wanted him to stay out of her sightpletely and stop bothering her. Harvey was patient. He gathered himself and said, ¡°Then what do you mean?¡± Nicole looked at Harvey, knowing that he knew the answer but still wanted to ask on purpose as if he was buying himself time to talk to her. A hint of impatience appeared on her face, and he said in a bitter voice, ¡°Harvey, you know what I mean, don¡¯t you? So what¡¯s the point?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t know.¡± Harvey¡¯s expression remained unchanged. He just stared at Nicole as if he cherished the time the two of them spent together. ¡°There¡¯s very little time I can spend alone with you, isn¡¯t it?¡± While speaking, Harvey raised a hand as if wanting to help her tuck her hair. Nicole avoided his hand. She frowned with a hint of disgust and impatience on her face. ¡°What do you want, really?¡± Harvey gazed at Nicole. ¡°Will you believe me if I say I like you?¡± Nicole¡¯s expression copsed instantly. ¡®Has everyone gone crazy today? Gary just said something the same thing in front of the ss, and here came Harvey. But Harvey, unlike Gary, is self-interested. Looking at Harvey¡¯s serious face, Nicole could not tell for a moment whether he was telling the truth or not. But it had nothing to do with her. ¡°I don¡¯t care what you have to do with Snow. As for what you say, it has nothing to do with me, and whether I believe it or not has nothing to do with you.¡± Nicole tucked back the hair that had slipped down in front of her ear and then looked at Harvey with forbidding eyes. She had made herself clear she wanted nothing to do with Harvey, and this caused Harvey¡¯s face to darken. ¡°You¡¯re right. It¡¯s what I feel, and it has nothing to do with you.¡° Harvey suddenly took a step closer to Nicole, his eyes giving none of his emotion. But atst, they gave out a usual look of gentleness. ¡°Believe it or not, but I¡¯ve never been so sincere with people.¡± He had to give up Nicole because of his grandfather. But he was already tired of Snow. As long as he could gain a foothold in thepany, he did not need to resort to a marriage of convenience to help with his career. Then, he could chase whoever he wanted. Nicole seemed to sense his threat and suddenly turned away from him. Harvey saw her wariness and forced a smile. ¡°You don¡¯t have to be so wary of me. I won¡¯t hurt you.¡± ¡°You alone can¡¯t hurt me.¡± She did not want to waste time with him, so she turned and left. ¡°Remember my warning.¡± Chapter 730 Chapter 730 She would not be nice to him if he still behaved like this next time. Harvey looked on helplessly as Nicole left. ¡®This is how it is. When one is judged to be a liar, no one is going to believe him, even if he tells the truth. But as time goes by, Nicole will know that I¡¯m genuine.¡¯ He pulled back his gaze and left. Gary stepped out of the shadows and stared at Harvey with grave eyes as Harvey left. ¡®Then there was Jared; now herees Harvey. Nicole, oh Nicole, why do guys keep circling around you like bees to honey?¡¯ But he could not help that he had also fallen for her. Nicole bought two cups of ice coke and went backstage. Seeing Nicole return, Lulu waved at her enthusiastically. ¡°You¡¯re back!¡± Nicole walked over expressionlessly and looked around curiously. ¡°Where are the others?¡± There were still many people backstage when she left, but now most of them were gone. Lulu casually replied, ¡°The show is about to start. They¡¯ve gone to the front.¡± Then she looked at Nicole with a cheeky smile. ¡°I¡¯m the only one waiting for you here. How nice.¡± Nicole handed her another coke in her hand. ¡°Here you go.¡± Content provided by N?velDrama.Org. Lulu was pleased. It was a wise choice to stay and wait for her,¡¯ she thought to herself. Nicole did not know what Lulu was thinking. She took a sip of the coke and pursed her lips. ¡°Are you going to the front to watch the show?¡± ¡°Okay, but you¡­¡± Lulu was in a dilemma. She knew Nicole disliked crowds and noises, but she did not want to leave her friend behind. Looking at Lulu¡¯s dilemmatic expression, Nicole pondered for a moment. ¡°If you like, I¡¯ll go with you.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Lulu almost jumped for joy. Nicole smiled. ¡°Let¡¯s go together.¡± Lulu nodded vigorously and then left backstage with Nicole to see the opening show. They found where Bradley, June, and others were sitting and sat down with them. Seeing Nicolee, they all looked a little surprised. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect that you woulde, Nicole,¡± Bradley said. Hearing what Bradley said, Jack and Wayne looked up in surprise at seeing Nicole. ¡®Doesn¡¯t she dislike crowds and noises? Yet she is here.¡¯ Nicole saw the surprised expression on everyone¡¯s faces. She swept her eyes onto the stage and saw Preston y the host. She then said slowly, ¡°The host is my brother. I came to have a look.¡± Only did everyone understand. ¡°No wonder.¡± Nicole looked back up at the stage. Preston had already started his opening speech. Today, he was dressed in a suit, which was unusual for him. He was handsome and tall, and his eyes looked bright. Nicole gazed at his attire with a thoughtful look in her eyes. She did not expect him to look handsome when dressed up. Lulu looked at Preston with a smile and said in a very kind voice, ¡°Nicole, is Preston also your brother?¡± Lulu had only met Samuel, Spencer, and Stanley at school but did not know who her other two elder brothers were ¡°He¡¯s my cousin, actually,¡± Nicole said, expressionless, Lulu nodded in acknowledgment and then looked at Preston with admiration Nicole¡¯s brothers were all extraordinary. Preston had finished his opening remarks. He sorted his suit gracefully and proceeded to introduce today¡¯s guests. ¡°The Royal Creek Institute has invited Lloyd, an alumnus who graduated three years ago, to today¡¯s centennial celebration.¡± Chapter 731 Chapter 731 ¡°Lloyd!¡± Bradley was overjoyed, pping his hands as he finally met his idol. Lloyd stepped up to the stage and greeted the audience. ¡°Hello everyone, I¡¯m Lloyd Holder, a graduate of the Royal Creek Institute in acting.¡± Thunderous apuse rose from the audience to the school¡¯s previous senior, who had be a famous artist in showbiz. But Lloyd¡¯s eyes were busy searching for Nicole in the crowd. Eventually, he found her and could not help but smile gently at her. Lulu was stunned. ¡°Wow! Isn¡¯t Lloyd looking over here? He is smiling at me!¡± Nicole said nothing, knowing that Lloyd was saying hello to her. But she only responded with a slight nod of her head. But that was enough for Lloyd. Retracting his gaze, Lloyd continued to speak. Afterward, he handed the microphone back to Preston and left the stage. Preston was excited, too. Nicole looked at her cousin from behind and pursed her lips helplessly. He looks as cool as a cucumber on normal days, but it turns out that he can get excited, too, when he sees Lloyd. Nicole smiled at the thought of this. She sat back down and watched the show with her arms crossed as Preston continued to preside. Sitting in the back row, Gary suddenly said, ¡°Was Lloyd looking at you?¡± Nicole raised an eyebrow, not expecting Gary to have observed so closely. She groused, saying, ¡°None of your business.¡± Gary¡¯s face darkened, and he muttered to himself. ¡®While there is something going on between Nicole and Harvey, herees another guy. She and Lloyd know each other?¡¯ ¡°Who the hell is this brat?¡± Jack heard it and asked, ¡°What did you say, Gary?¡± N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. Gary did not bother to answer him. ¡°Just watch your show.¡± Jack looked away and shifted his attention back to the stage. Not far away, Vivian stomped her feet and red at Gary and Nicole. The opening speech had finally ended, and a series of performances began. Besides musicals, there were also song and dance performances from the university department. They all were awesome, and the performances of the performance art faculty were even more amazing. Snow, who was from the performance art faculty, was at the center of the performance. She stole the limelight in an instant, and many cheered along. People who admired Snow were screaming at the top of their lungs that Snow was the most popr girl in the school as if they had long forgotten that Snow had fallen off that altar. Snow was doing her best dancing on stage while her eyes involuntarily looked at Harvey, trying to get his attention. But Harvey had a nonchnt expression, cold to the extreme. The longer Snow danced, the more diffident she was, and she nearly made mistakes during herst dance movement. Fortunately, she managed to recover and stabilize her posture in time. No one but Nicole had noticed that Snow¡¯s dance movements were not as neat as expected. But because there were fewer song and dance programs, Snow¡¯s show appeared very exciting. At the time of voting, she got the highest score in the university department. ¡°It will be our turn soon,¡± Lulu said with excitement. ¡°Snow has performed well, but you are still the best looking.¡± Nicole did not care what others thought. After all, she did not intend topete for the heroine¡¯s role. Vivian came up to them. ¡°It¡¯s almost our turn. Ms. Emerson told us to go backstage and get ready.¡± Only then did they get up and go backstage. Most of the people at the lounge backstage were mostly high-school students. Each ss changed into their costumes in the order of appearance. Lulu and June had got changed. When they saw Nicole had not, they became anxious. ¡°Why haven¡¯t you got changed, Nicole?¡± Nicole nced at the order of appearance. ¡°There¡¯s still time. No hurry.¡± Her gorgeous dress was too heavy to wear. Lulu was anxious. ¡°But you still need to be ready. We will help you.¡± With that, the two helped Nicole change into the costume. Just as they picked up Nicole¡¯s costume, Lulu noticed that the sleeve of the clothing was torn. Chapter 732 Chapter 732 ¡°Oh my God, what¡¯s going on?¡± Lulu eximed in shock. June and the others immediately came up and found that Nicole¡¯s costume had been cut with scissors. ¡°Who did this?¡± Bradley could tell at a nce that this was a deliberate action. He subconsciously scanned around and found that Vivian, who helped with organizational discipline, was not there. ¡°It was definitely Vivian.¡± June also noticed it. Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. ¡°How could she do this? The show is going to start right away. How could she sabotage our ss?¡± Jack was furious. Gary¡¯s face looked grave, just like everyone who was taking part in the show. ¡°What should we do, Nicole?¡± Lulu looked at her dejectedly. Nicole pondered for a moment. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter.¡± She picked up a pair of scissors at once and cut off the sleeves of the costume. Without the fancy puffy sleeves, the costume dress now looked more fashionable, Nicole put the dress on with no hesitation, with her beautiful arms exposed. Before this, the dress looked gorgeous but cumbersome. Now it was much simpler yet ssier. ¡°Oh my God, it looks better than before,¡± Jack muttered, besotted. Gary saw this and gave Jack a push. Jack came to his senses and quickly pulled Wayne to look elsewhere. Lulu and June also eximed, ¡°Nicole really looks good in anything.¡± ¡°Yeah, it mainly depends on who wears them.¡± They all were relieved as the crisis was diffused. Just then, Vivian suddenly appeared. ¡°Why are you all still here? Hurry up and wait backstage.¡± They all stared over at her. Vivian was startled and looked at Nicole. She thought she would see a helpless Nicole, not expecting that Nicole had fixed the costume, and what was even more surprising was that it looked even better than before. There was a jealous look in Vivian¡¯s eyes, ¡°Why did you damage the prop costumes? Do you know these costumes were borrowed from the university department and have to be returned?¡± Seeing that Vivian was still pretending, Nicole looked at her and hissed. ¡°You know the costume was borrowed. Why did you sabotage it?¡± Vivian was stupefied, not expecting that Nicole would find out. But she looked at them and still pleaded ignorance. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t know? How about taking a look at the surveince footage?¡± Nicole looked frosty, and she nced at the surveince camera overhead. Vivian was frightened, her face pale. She then looked sideways and found a surveince camera in the waiting area. She nced at Nicole in fright. ¡°I-I -¡± Nicole hissed. ¡°Still want to make excuses? You had better figure out how you are going to exin to Ms. Emerson.¡± Jack and Wayne heard this and looked at Vivian with disdain. ¡°How could you do something like this?¡± ¡°Absolutely. That¡¯s the honor of the ss. How could you joke about it?¡± Wayne reprimanded Vivian. ¡°I¡¯m going to tell the teacher. People like you don¡¯t deserve to be the ss monitor,¡± Lulu said impulsively. Vivian¡¯s face suddenly crashed. ¡°Don¡¯t! I-I really didn¡¯t mean to target you all.¡± ¡°I was supposed to be the target, right?¡± Nicole hissed. Vivian could not help but bite her lip and admit it. ¡°Yes, I was targeting you, okay?¡± Gary could not hold back his anger upon seeing this. ¡°You¡¯ve gone too far this time, Vivian. For the sake of your private grudges, you dragged the entire ss into this? I don¡¯t need anyone else to intervene; I¡¯ll talk to Ms. Emerson myself.¡± Chapter 733 Chapter 733 Vivian was dumbfounded. ¡°Gary, how could you say that?¡± Gary looked at her with disappointment. ¡°What else do you expect me to say? People like you don¡¯t deserve to be the ss monitor.¡± ¡°You,¡± Vivian¡¯s eyes immediately reddened as Gary had never said such a harsh word to her before. But today, he said such a raucous thing to her just because of Nicole. Feeling wronged and fearful, Vivian could no longer stay at the scene. ¡°Gary, I hate you.¡± With that, she turned and ran away. But no one gave a damn to her. June gritted her teeth. ¡°She is horrible.¡± ¡°Absolutely. We can¡¯t let such a person be the ss monitor again.¡± Bradley echoed. ¡°Come on. Let¡¯s go.¡± Nicole wasted no time leading everyone straight away from backstage, leaving the other students gossiping among themselves. As they arrived backstage, they found Raine had juste off the stage. Raine saw Nicole and Gary, her eyes filled with jealousy. She decided to shoulder-check Nicole. But Nicole saw iting and avoided her in time. Raine was wearing high heels. She missed her target and lost her bnce, ending up throwing herself straight forward. Raine screamed and then fell straight down to the ground,pletely stunning everyone else. ¡°Oh, my God. Raine, are you alright?¡± Several of Raine¡¯s ssmates gathered around her and helped her up. Raine¡¯s jaw was dirty. After she was lifted, she stared at Nicole with hatred. ¡°You did this on purpose.¡± Nicole sneered. ¡°What have I done? Shouldn¡¯t I dodge when you shoulder-checked me?¡± Everyone instantly understood what was going on. Lulu could not help but echo. ¡°You were trying to shoulder-check Nicole. Now you deserve it.¡± N?velDrama.Org ? 2024. ¡°Hoist by your own petard. That¡¯s a shame. Leave now, and don¡¯t embarrass yourself here.¡± Bradley taunted her. Raine felt humiliated and could only grit her teeth and stare at Nicole. ¡°I¡¯m done with you yet. You¡¯d better watch out.¡± Since the battle lines were drawn, Nicole was ready to face her threat head-on. She smiled. ¡°Good, I will be waiting.¡± Nicole then went toward the waiting area backstage while Raine was helped off the stage. Jack and the others were euphoric, watching Raine flee with her tail between her legs. ¡°You¡¯re awesome, Nicole,¡± They praised. ¡®Nicole is neither afraid of Vivian nor Raine! Nicole nced at Jack. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. You better butter your boss up instead.¡± Cold-shouldered, but Jack did not resent it. Instead, it was Gary who tugged at his cor. He somehow thought it ring to see Jack and Nicole together. Soon, the twelfth-grade sses had finished their performance, and ahead of them was Norah¡¯s ss. Norah and her partner seemed to have reconciled, and the two were making the most of the time to do a read through As Norah saw Nicoleing, her face darkened again. She felt that had Nicole not stolen her ce in the Riddle family, she would not have to grovel before someone to apologize. But Nicole ignored her hatred, and there was nothing Norah could do about her. But she quickly calmed herself down, to Nicole¡¯s surprise. But Nicole knew Norah had always been good at controlling her emotion, so she did not care. Chapter 734 Chapter 734 Soon, the host announced the name of Norah and her ssmates¡¯ stage y, and Norah and her ssmates took the stage. Meanwhile, Nicole stood behind the scenes, watching them perform. Norah seemed to have been preparing for a long time, her performance deft, and she did not forget to wink at Lloyd. Nicole could not help but snort. Lloyd was a member of their organization, and he nearly died during the missionst time. Since then, the Holder family recalled him and never let him take part in missions again. So this little trick of seduction would not work on him. As Lloyd in the audience gave no response, Norah could not help but feel frustrated. The show was over atst. Norah bit her lip and stepped off the stage, feeling upset. While Norah walked past Nicole, Lulu said in a whisper, ¡°Nicole, it¡¯s our turn. You¡¯re the most beautiful today, and Lloyd will definitely pick you.¡± Nicole frowned. She did not want to get involved in the entertainment industry at all. As much as she did not care, Norah did. Before this, Norah had not noticed how stunning Nicole was dressed. But now she did, and she bit her lips with jealousy. ¡°I¡¯m not going to let her steal all the limelight today. Otherwise, I will have a ce at school.¡¯ N?velDrama.Org ? 2024. She nced around. Seeing the light stand on the stage, Norah suddenly thought of something. She left calmly, and no one cared. Preston yed the announcer for Nicole this time. The curtain opened, and Nicole and the others made their appearance. Nicole smiled as she walked past Preston, and Preston made an all-the-best hand gesture to her. Nicole returned a thank-you smile. The big red curtain slowly rose, and the stage drama of ss B officially began. Offstage, Lloyd¡¯s eyes lit up as soon as he saw Nicole. The music rose, and Nicole slowly recited her lines. She had put little effort into rehearsing before, but she was extremely talented. As soon as she got serious about it, her eye expression and emotions were engaged. Lloyd had never seen Nicole like this. Before this, she was cold and calm in front of him, but looking at the expressive girl on the stage, he was enchanted. Anna, who was next to Lloyd, smiled involuntarily. ¡°Is she the one you¡¯re rmending?¡± Lloyd came out of his daze. ¡°Uh-huh.¡± ¡°Not bad. Her beauty is one of a kind. Besides, she has practiced the lines well and is emotionally engaged. The stage y bes very vivid with her participation.¡± ¡°Yeah, I didn¡¯t expect her to be so talented.¡± As Lloyd watched with ecstasy, Anna started to consider Nicole seriously. She subconsciously said a few words to the assistant director beside her, and the assistant director nodded, paying a little more attention to Nicole. Edwin and Harvey, who were sitting together, were dumbfounded when they saw Nicole appear in a gorgeous costume. ¡°Is this the poker-faced Nicole that we know? She is a gorgeous princess in this dress.¡± Harvey¡¯s eyes were filled with a fiery sense of possessiveness. He had never seen Nicole dress so beautifully. He was captivated by just looking at her. The audience was also eximing with surprise. ¡°That is the girl from the high school; she is stunning.¡± ¡°Yeah, she recites the lines well, so natural.¡± As everyone praised Nicole, Raine and Snow¡¯s faces turned grave. Norah, who was still backstage, could not be more jealous at seeing Nicole¡¯s brilliant performance. ¡®Wait and see. I swear I will not let her steal the limelight anymore. Chapter 735 Chapter 735 On stage, the stage y of Nicole and Gary had reached the climax. The prince died because of the princess, and the princess walked to the center of the stage with a sad recitation of the line and said the line of imminent martyrdom with a sad face. It was only a stage y, but it tugged at the audience¡¯s heartstrings, some girls even welling up because of the plot. Nicole¡¯s sad appearance made those girls feel pity, and those boys felt sad and wanted to protect her. One of them was Edwin. ¡°Nicole¡¯s acting skills are also too incredible; it makes me want to go on stage to protect her.¡± Harvey could not help but nce back at him. Edwin shut up at once, not daring to speak anymore. Samuel and Spencer were sitting together, and Samuel¡¯s eyes had already reddened. ¡°Nicole¡¯s performance is awesome.¡± Spencer looked at him with disdain. ¡°You big man. Stop crying already.¡± As excellent as Nicole¡¯s performance is, you¡¯ve got to control yourself.¡¯ Samuel nodded and looked at Stanley, who was sitting not far away. Stanley was also full of admiration and pride, as her sister was stealing all the limelight. Just as everyone was admiring Nicole, a loud mechanical noise came from above the stage. Everyone subconsciously looked up, only to find that the stage lighting fixture was falling. ¡°Oh, my God!¡± The lighting fixture was just above Nicole; the consequences of it falling was unimaginable. ¡°Watch out, Nicole.¡± Samuel, Spencer, and Stanley all shouted a warning. Lloyd, who was closest to Nicole, stood up anxiously. ¡°Nicole, get out of the way.¡± Nicole had sensed danger and was subconsciously about to run, but she looked back and saw Gary still lying on the ground ying dead. ¡°Watch out, Gary.¡± With no time to think, Nicole ran toward Gary and pulled him away at once. Bang! N?velDrama.Org ? 2024. A stage light fixture with a diameter of over a meter fell, smashing down and leaving behind a massive hole in the floor, with debris strewn everywhere. Had Nicole not reacted fast enough, one of Gary¡¯s legs would have been smashed. Gary was struck dumb, not knowing what had just happened. Only when he looked back did he see a humongous hole in the stage floor and looked back at Nicole involuntarily. Nicole¡¯s face was pale, and Gary said with a stunned face, ¡°Nicole, did you just save my life?¡± Nicole did not bother to answer his question. She let go of him and stood up. Now, only did Gary see what appeared to be fragments of a lighting fixture leave a cut wound on Nicole¡¯s arm, her bare arm covered in blood. ¡°You¡¯re hurt?¡± Gary stood up nervously and looked at her with concern. Nicole avoided his outstretched hand and said warily, ¡°I¡¯m fine. It¡¯s just a minor cut.¡± Her eyes were looking at the lighting fixture overhead, above which was a metal maintenance passageway. It was narrow, but it was passable. It might look like an ident, but it was strange that only the lighting fixture above Nicole and Gary had fallen off. But she had no time to think because people were scrambling up the stage by now. Preston nervously leaned over and looked at Nicole¡¯s arm with a nervous face. ¡°Are you hurt, Nicole?¡± Nicole could only nod and say, ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± ¡°How can you be fine when you are bleeding? Let¡¯s go to the infirmary.¡± Lulu and the others had also come up to her. Gary was ashamed of himself, not knowing what to say at this moment. Suddenly someone jumped on the stage. Before everyone knew it, someone carried Nicole with both arms. Nicole was stunned. She looked up and found that it was Lloyd. Chapter 736 Chapter 736 Nicole¡¯s face darkened. ¡°What are you doing, Lloyd?¡± Lloyd looked worried. ¡°What am I doing, Nicole? I¡¯m taking you to the hospital.¡± With that, he ignored everyone else and left the stage with Nicole in his arms. There was an instant uproar. ¡°Nicole and Lloyd know each other?¡± Bradley looked at everyone in surprise. Lloyd, who was his idol, had just called Nicole by her name; the two of them seemed to be close to each other. Everyone seemed to realize something, looking at each other but not knowing what was going on. Preston was not at the partyst time, so he knew nothing and was surprised by Nicole¡¯s rtionship with Lloyd. Spencer and Samuel could no longer sit still and left their seats, saying goodbye to Stanley and going to see Nicole. The most surprised person at the scene was Anna and the director team. Little did they know Lloyd would openly carry Nicole away despite the crowd¡¯s presence. It would cause a publicity nightmare if the news got out. At present, what they could do was appease the audience and post a statement online as a preemptive measure. Meanwhile, Nicole, who had just been carried out into the lobby by Lloyd, could not wait to break free of his arms. Nicolended nimbly. She pressed a hand to her wound and red back at Lloyd. ¡°You¡¯ve crossed the line.¡± One rule in their organization was that as much as they were partners andrades-in-arms, outside of the organization, they must not contact each other openly. Lloyd was now a movie star, a public figure; his action just now was too impulsive. ¡°I don¡¯t have time for this. What¡¯s more important is to take you to the hospital.¡± Lloyd looked worried. Nicole snorted. ¡°Have you forgotten who I am? A medical doctor. Does anyone have better medical skills than I do?¡± Hearing this, Lloyd immediately realized that he was really reckless. ¡°I have a first-aid kit in my car; there is everything you want.¡± He quickly led the way to his car. Nicole said coldly, ¡°That won¡¯t be necessary. You¡¯re now a movie star; we should keep a distance from each other.¡± With that, she spun around. ¡°I will go to the infirmary. Don¡¯t follow me again.¡± Her inexorability stopped Lloyd in his tracks. He did not dare to follow her. He knew Nicole¡¯s temperament well; she meant what she said. If he followed her, she might really hit him. Not that he was afraid of getting hurt. He did not want to aggravate her injury. So Lloyd gritted his teeth and stayed where he was. Anna hade out. ¡°Lloyd, what¡¯s wrong with you? There are so many people watching, are you going to ignore the media and public opinion?¡± Lloyd calmed down. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I was just too desperate.¡± Upset, Anna put a hand to her forehead. ¡°Alright, get out of here first. Otherwise, if you get caught by the media, we will have problems answering questions. Wait until you get back to see Nachelle.¡± Lloyd could only follow her into the car and leave. When Nicole arrived at the infirmary, Spencer and Samuel, Bradley, Lulu, June, Gary, Jack, and Wayne had also arrived and jammed up the entire infirmary. Nicole wanted to treat the wound herself, but she was afraid that they would be surprised and ask questions. So she let the school doctor bandage it, and she would treat it with special ointment when she returned home. ¡°Doctor, how¡¯s my sister?¡± Samuel asked worriedly. ¡°Will it leave a scar?¡± The doctor in the infirmary nodded. ¡°The wound is deep. I¡¯m afraid that there will be a scar.¡± Content provided by N?velDrama.Org. The two siblings were distressed and nced back at Gary. They had seen clearly that had Nicole not turned back to save Gary, she could have entirely avoided the falling light fixture. Gary looked at Nicole with a remorseful face. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. You got injured because of me.¡± Chapter 737 Chapter 737 He also heard a strange noise at that time, but because he was afraid of affecting the performance, he did not dare to open his eyes. ¡°It¡¯s alright.¡± Nicole nced at him. ¡°I don¡¯t me you for this. This could be sabotage.¡± ¡°A sabotage?¡± Everyone was shocked. Lulu hurriedly said, ¡°Was it Vivian again?¡± She could not help but think, ¡®Vivian is so horrible. She targets Nicole at every turn.¡± Nicole shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t think she did this. She would not have the guts to go backstage again after she was driven away.¡± ¡°Who was it then?¡± June was also curious. She suspected it was Raine, but during their performance, the two sisters were offstage. Gary saw everyone was silent, and he immediately said, ¡°Leave it to me. The three of us will find out who did this.¡± Seeing Gary feeling a strong sense of responsibility and offering to help investigate the matter, Samuel looked much better now. ¡°Then we will count on you.¡± From Samuel¡¯s point of view, Gary owed it to Nicole. Gary nodded and immediately looked at Jack and Wayne, who said in unison, ¡°We¡¯ll find out the truth together.¡± With that, the three of them left. Lulu and June looked at Samuel and Spencer and knew that they were worried. They had no choice but to say goodbye to Nicole and left with Bradley. The doctor left after bandaging Nicole¡¯s wound, leaving only Nicole, Spencer, and Samuel in the infirmary. Spencer then said, ¡°Are you suspecting anyone, Nicole?¡± Nicole pondered for a moment, and a name shed in her mind. But looking at the expressions of her brothers, she chose not to say. ¡°No.¡± The two sighed with disappointment. Nicole looked at them. ¡°Don¡¯t tell Dad and Mom about this. I¡¯m afraid they would be worried. I will stay on campus for the next two days and won¡¯t go home.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Samuel frowned. ¡°No. How can you stay alone with no one taking care of you?¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright.¡± Nicole shook her head. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me. It is just a minor cut. I can handle it myself. Mom will be sad and cry if she finds out.¡± Knowing how important Nicole was to their mother, Samuel and Spencer could only agree for the time being. Thinking of Lloyd, Spencer continued to ask, ¡°What is your rtionship with Lloyd?¡± Nicole nced at the two and said calmly, ¡°We just met once at thest party.¡± Since Samuel and Spencer were not at the Holder family partyst time, Nicole glossed over her rtionship with Lloyd. ¡°Just met once?¡± The two were still not too convinced. Nicole bowed her head at this time. ¡°I¡¯m tired. Could you two go first?¡± Seeing Nicole¡¯s tired look, the two of them did not say more but helped Nicole up and sent her back to ss. By the time Nicole said goodbye to her two brothers and returned to ss, her ssmates had gone bananas. As soon as they saw Nicolee in, they came up to her with concern. ¡°Are you alright?¡± N?velDrama.Org ? 2024. ¡°You put up an awesome performance today. It was a shame that you couldn¡¯t finish the show.¡± Seeing everyone swarm around Nicole withpliments, Vivian, who was disliked by everyone, felt depressed. ¡°If she hadn¡¯t acted, this kind of thing wouldn¡¯t have happened. It must be that she has too many enemies.¡± As Vivian said that, she thought, ¡®An obnoxious person like Nicole must have brought trouble to herself.¡¯ But everyone was infuriated upon hearing Vivian¡¯s words. ¡°I think you are jealous of Nicole. You damaged her costume before this; maybe it was also you who sabotaged her performance.¡± Chapter 738 Chapter 738 Vivian was stunned, ¡°What does this have to do with me?¡± ¡°You¡¯re lower than a snake¡¯s belly, jealous of Nicole ying the heroine, so you have a grudge against her.¡± Being med by everyone, Vivian was utterly stunned. ¡°I-I didn¡¯t.¡± But no one believed her. Vivian was angry, ring at Nicole. ¡°This is what you told them, right? You framed me. How can you be so despicable?¡± ¡°I think it¡¯s you who¡¯s despicable.¡± Ms. Emerson¡¯s voice was heard saying all of a sudden. Everyone looked back and saw Ms. Emerson standing in the doorway. She red at Vivian while walking up to her. ¡°I¡¯ve heard about you destroying Nicole¡¯s costume. I didn¡¯t expect you to go so far as deliberately breaking the lighting fixture and trying to kill your ssmates. You don¡¯t deserve to be the ss monitor with such a character.¡± ¡°I-I didn¡¯t do that.¡± Vivian was aggrieved and desperate, ¡°I admit that I¡¯ve damaged Nicole¡¯s costume, but I wasn¡¯t so vicious as to want to kill her. What¡¯s more¡­¡± Vivian bit her lip and could not continue. Knowing that she had been wronged, Nicole sighed and said, ¡°What¡¯s more, there¡¯s Gary beside me; you can¡¯t hurt him.¡± Everyone looked over upon hearing that. Vivian looked back in surprise, not realizing that the person who spoke for her was Nicole. But Nicole could not care less about Vivian. She came in front of Ms. Emerson. ¡°I¡¯m sure it wasn¡¯t Vivian who did it, Ms. Emerson. She just damaged my costume.¡± Ms. Emerson frowned at Nicole as if she was not convinced. ¡°Are you sure?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure.¡± Nicole nodded matter-of-factly. Almost everyone knew Vivian admired Gary, and she could not possibly hurt Gary. Ms. Emerson then looked at Vivian. ¡°Since Nicole has testified for you, I will believe you for the time being. But you have repeatedly targeted Nicole and brought shame to the ss. You are no longer qualified to be the ss monitor.¡± Vivian looked at Ms. Emerson in surprise, not expecting that she would ask her to step down. ¡°Ms. Emerson-¡± ¡°It¡¯s not negotiable.¡± Ms. Emerson interrupted her and then turned to look at everyone else. ¡°The ss monitor of ss B needs to have both moral integrity, ability, and excellent grades. Nicole got the highest score in thest monthly exam. So starting today, Nicole is the new ss monitor.¡± Nicole did not expect Ms. Emerson to make her the head of the ss. ¡°Ms. Emerson-¡± ¡°Don¡¯t decline the offer. Do the job for a while. If you don¡¯t perform well, I won¡¯t force you to continue.¡± Ms. Emerson cut in and looked at Nicole with a serious face, as she expected Nicole to turn it down. ¡®Everyone wants to be the ss monitor, but Nicole wants to turn it down and negotiate with the teacher?¡¯ All of her ssmates were stunned by how high regard Ms. Emerson had for Nicole right now. Since Ms. Emerson was so insistent, Nicole could not only give in and agree. Meanwhile, Vivian clenched her hands, her nails almost sinking into the flesh of her palms, when she saw what happened. Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. She had not only been stripped of the ss monitor¡¯s position and suffered from humiliation but also frozen out by Nicole. Vivian pushed her ssmates away and ran out of ss with tears in her eyes. Oliver immediately went after her. Ms. Emerson felt disappointed to see all this. ¡°I really don¡¯t understand how Vivian could be like this.¡± Seeing Ms. Emerson¡¯s sadness, Nicole could say nothing but still try tofort her. ¡°Go take a rest, Ms. Emerson. Don¡¯t worry. I will take care of the ss affairs.¡± Ms. Emerson gave Nicole a second nce involuntarily. She knew Nicole was the most dependable candidate, and she did not have to worry when she handed Nicole the job. ¡°Well then, I know I can trust you. When you have found who was trying to hurt you, tell me about it, and will handle it.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Nicole looked at Ms. Emerson gratefully. Ms. Emerson patted her on the shoulder before leaving. Chapter 739 Chapter 739 As soon as the teacher left, everyone swarmed around Nicole to congratte her. ¡°You will be our ss monitor from now on,¡± Bradley, Lulu, and June were all smiles. Nicole was not as happy as them. Her thinking was that since she had agreed to the job, she would have to work hard to ensure she did a good job, and that was an added responsibility. Content provided by N?velDrama.Org. The school anniversary celebration had been wrapped out. There was no news of the casting from Lloyd¡¯s crew. But the school forum had posted videos of Nicole almost being smashed by falling objects and saving Gary. Inside the caf¨¦, Jared was watching the videos, his face darkening. He could not wait to see Nicole. 1 ¡°Go pick her up.¡± Jared got up and went downstairs, not expecting to see Nicoleing in with Bradley, Lulu, June, Austin, Sammey, and Zeke together. Nicole¡¯s arm was bandaged. The others were very careful, but they all looked happy. Austin congratted Nicole as soon as he took his seat. ¡°Boss, congrattions on being the ss monitor.¡± Sammey looked awkward, but he still gave his blessing. ¡°Congrattions, Boss.¡± ¡°Yeah, congrattions to Nicole for being the ss monitor.¡± June echoed. Meanwhile, Lulu looked triumphant. ¡°Nicole¡¯s grade was first in the ss. She deserves the position.¡± Nicole shook her head gently. ¡°There is nothing celebratory about being the ss monitor. There are a lot of chores to do.¡± Today, she had already attended to some trivial things. It was a little exhausting. ¡°I¡¯ll help you if you need help.¡± Bradley patted his chest with assurance. Nicole nodded in thanks, but her eyes were on Zeke. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± After school, it was Bradley and Austin who suggested celebrating. She did not know that Zeke would also join them. ¡°My partner told me about it.¡± Zeke smiled and nced at Austin, who also grinned. Nicole raised an eyebrow. ¡°When did you two be friends?¡± Zeke appeared a bit embarrassed. ¡°You know, men being men. Out of blows, friendship grows. I recently started to appreciate Austin¡¯s code of brotherhood.¡± ¡°Thank you for yourpliment. You¡¯re also a real man.¡± While the two men looked chivalrous, Nicole had no words. As she was about to order her coffee, she suddenly sensed an icy stareing her way. Nicole looked back and saw Jared behind her. Everyone was instantly silenced, no one daring to speak at the sight of Jared, and the air was filled with a sense of nervousness. Nicole saw Jared gazing at her arm and knew what he was thinking. She took his hand, sat him down beside her, and assured him, saying, ¡°I¡¯m fine, just a minor cut.¡± Jared had a serious look on his face. ¡°I¡¯ve asked Max to find the best doctor. You go to the hospital with me afterward.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Nicole was appalled by how domineering this guy was. Seeing Jared¡¯s concern, June and Lulu could only envy Nicole, ¡°Go, Nicole. Jared is concerned about you.¡± Lulu already knew Jared¡¯sst name, so she tried to give Jared a hand Chapter 740 Chapter 740 ¡°Yeah, the wound is quite deep. It wouldn¡¯t be nice to leave behind a scar.¡± June genuinely cared about Nicole. Nicole could only sigh and say, ¡°Okay, then. You guys have coffee. It¡¯s on me.¡± ¡°No. Boss took office today, it should be on me.¡± Austin had a generous spirit on his face. ¡°Enjoy yourselves.¡± Zeke smiled. ¡°Thank you.¡± Nicole also smiled, looking at Zeke with a thoughtful face. Jared was not too happy to see this, and he pulled Nicole up from her seat. ¡°Let¡¯s go to the hospital.¡± ¡°So fast?¡± She had not even drunk her coffee yet. ¡°The doctor won¡¯t be waiting.¡± He simply made a ran excuse. Nicole had no choice but to follow Jared. Outside the caf¨¦, Max had already driven the car over. Nicole and Jared got into the car together. As soon as the door was closed, Jared drew Nicole into his arms and frowned at her. ¡°How could you hurt yourself to save others?¡± In his eyes, Gary was not worth mentioning at all, not worth Nicole saving. Nicole sighed. ¡°It is sort of my reflexes.¡± Her professional code of conduct spelled out that she must avoid hurting the innocent and save lives every time on a mission. Yesterday¡¯s incident happened so suddenly that she had no time to think, and her first thought was to save Gary Jared had a serious face. ¡°Don¡¯t risk your life for other men next time.¡± Nicole looked at his serious expression and burst intoughter. ¡°What are youughing at?¡± Jared frowned. I¡¯m so upset, yet she stillughs.¡± Nicole gave him a yful look. ¡°You make me sound like I¡¯m the kind of woman who will risk my life for men. I was just doing what a normal person would do.¡± Jared realized it was inappropriate for him to say that, and he still looked jealous. ¡°But it is what it is.¡± Nicole saw his unhappiness and leaned into his arms. ¡°I promise you I will only risk my life for you next time.¡± She really was not in the mood to care about others. Jared felt better upon hearing that, but he was stubborn. ¡°I don¡¯t want you to risk your life for me. I¡¯ll protect you.¡± He would allow no one to hurt her. It was heartwarming for Nicole to hear such an assurance. ¡°Thank you.¡± Jared sighed. ¡°Thank me for what? I failed to protect you this time.¡± After a moment of thought, he suddenly said, ¡°I will send a few bodyguards to protect you tomorrow.¡± Nicole frowned. ¡°Have you ever seen a student with bodyguards at school?¡± ¡°You have to bring them.¡± He did not want to hear news of her injury again. Nicole again looked at him yfully. ¡°Can your bodyguards fight better than I do?¡± Jared hesitated, realizing that what she said was true. Nicole took a deep breath and then assured him. ¡°It was sabotage today. But don¡¯t worry, I will be more careful from now on.¡± Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. Jared was relieved. ¡°Okay. I will let you be for now.¡± But then he thought of something, and he asked with a serious face, ¡°A sabotage? Is someone trying to kill you?¡± Nicole¡¯s face turned grave. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Who?¡± Jared asked rhetorically. Nicole shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t have definitive evidence yet.¡± Jared¡¯s eyes turned frosty. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll send someone to investigate.¡± He told himself that he would not forgive those who tried to kill Nicole. ¡°I¡¯ll leave it to you.¡± Knowing that he would do it even if she refused, Nicole simply said nothing more and left Jared to it. Soon, as the two arrived at the hospital, the CEO of the hospital led a group of people to wee them. This spoke volumes of Jared¡¯s importance. Chapter 741 Chapter 741 The hospital CEO immediately came forward with respect. ¡°We have been expecting you, Mr. Johnston.¡± Jared replied indifferently, ¡°Where is the surgeon?¡± The CEO immediately replied, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I have asked our best surgeon to wait in the treatment room.¡± Jared nodded and immediately led Nicole inside. The hospital CEO immediately led the way for the two of them. They soon arrived at the treatment room. As soon as Nicole walked in, she saw a figure in a white robe. Looking from behind, Nicole found the doctor looking somewhat familiar. Hearing the voice, the doctor looked back, and the moment their eyes met, Nicole instantly recognized the doctor. ¡°It is you.¡± Martin was also pleasantly surprised to see Nicole. He never expected that the special patient needing his emergency treatment today was Nicole. ¡°I didn¡¯t know that you were working in this hospital.¡± Nicole knew at once that he had been keeping his father, Sebastian, in the dark about his practice in this hospital. Martin nodded silently, signaling Nicole to keep it a secret. Jared saw their interaction and asked, ¡°You guys know each other?¡± ¡°Yeah, we met once.¡± Nicole nodded. Hearing Nicole¡¯s answer, Martin felt a little disappointed. But upon thinking about it, he realized Nicole¡¯s response was entirely normal. He might have watched the videotape of the No. 16 racer and known Nicole for a long time, but Nicole really did not know him yet. Jared nced up and down at Martin, thinking he was another suitor of Nicole. He was upset by the many men who always surrounded Nicole. Martin sat down and said, ¡°I heard you were injured.¡± At first, he had only heard about the condition of an important patient and did not give it a second thought. But when he knew Nicole was ill, he became anxious. ¡°It¡¯s just a minor cut.¡± Nicole was not worried. ¡°Open the dressing and take a look,¡± Jared said. Seeing Jared¡¯s frown, which looked more worried than Nicole was, Martin could not help but take a second nce at him. He was curious about Jared¡¯s rtionship with Nicole. Martin motioned for Nicole to sit down, took off the dressing, and examined the wound. His heart skipped a beat when he found that the wound¡¯s edges rolled outward. ¡°The wound is caused by some hard object like ss; the cut is deep and could leave scars if not treated properly.¡± Jared¡¯s face turned grave. ¡°That¡¯s why wee to you. Can you treat it?¡± He had asked Max to find the best surgeon in San Joto for Nicole. Martin nodded. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I will take care of it.¡± He took Nicole to the treatment area and started to re-disinfect and bandage Nicole¡¯s wound. Nicole never batted an eyelid during the entire time. Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. Martin saw how tough she was and could not help but feel sorry for her. He could not imagine how much pain Nicole had experienced before this to be so immune to pain now. ¡°If it hurts, you can make a sound,¡± he said in a low voice. Nicole smiled and pursed her lips. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± It hurt Jared to see her reaction. But looking at Martin¡¯s excessive concern about Nicole, he felt inexplicably upset. Jared shot a nce at Nicole and said, ¡°You don¡¯t have to pretend to be strong with me by your side.¡± It was heartwarming to hear that, and Nicole looked over at Jared involuntarily with light in her eyes.¡± Okay.¡± She was just used to tolerating pain, but no one ever told her not to pretend to be strong. With him by her side, it felt so good to be pampered. Martin looked at the loving interaction between the two and started to sense the unusual rtionship between Jared and Nicole. He felt jealous, and his hands that were doing the dressing shuddered. This hurt Nicole. Only then did she frown. Chapter 742 Chapter 742 Martin immediately felt guilty. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I will be gentler.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Nicole nodded. ¡°Be careful.¡± Jared was not too happy and warned Martin. No one had ever threatened Martin like this, and he was a little upset. But he put up with it for Nicole¡¯s sake. After applying medicament, Martin bandaged the wound. Nicole¡¯s medical skills may be above Martin¡¯s, but Martin probably paid more attention to detail. Given a choice, she would not bother about this minor injury. But she did not want Jared to worry about her, so he followed him to the hospital. Now things turned out to be not too bad. After her wound healed, she would apply her special medicine, and the scar would disappear. ¡°Avoiding wetting the wound for the first couple of days,¡± Martin said. ¡°Okay.¡± Nicole knew all of thismon sense. Martin nodded contentedly at seeing Nicole so obliging. Jared was upset when he saw the two looking at each other. He inserted himself into the middle of the two and took Nicole away. ¡°It¡¯s almost time. Let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Nicole did not forget to look back at Martin and thank him. Martin looked at her with a smile, his heart fluttering, looking slightly shy. ¡°Don¡¯t mention it. It was my job.¡± Jared frowned and took Nicole away, not letting her say another word to Martin. Martin looked on as Nicole left, feeling mncholy. The hospital CEO came over. ¡°How¡¯s it going, Martin?¡± Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org. Martin smiled. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I have taken care of the patient¡¯s wound, and it will not leave a scar.¡± The hospital CEO let out a smile. ¡°That¡¯s good, that¡¯s good. The consultation fee is high this time; you will get a bonus this month.¡± Martin nodded awkwardly, but he did not care about the money at all. ¡°I will return to theb now.¡± He stayed here only because the hospital had the most advanced medical research facility in the country, and what he wanted to do most was medical research. ¡°All right, there you go.¡± The hospital CEO waved happily to let him go. Martin returned to hisb, but all that came to mind was Nicole¡¯s gentle face. He entered theb in a daze, only to hear Joyce talking impatiently inside. ¡°Dad, I¡¯ll do it. Don¡¯t rush me anymore, okay?¡± He looked inside and saw Joyce holding her phone around her neck with the gloves on, staring at the cell activity under the microscope. Seeing Martin¡¯s return and his not-too-happy expression, she quickly said a few words into the phone and hung up. Tucking the phone back into her pocket and shifting her attention back to the microscope, she heard Martin¡¯s grumpy voice. ¡°What were you doing, Joyce? Changed the damn gloves.¡± Martin watched and was pissed as Joyce nearly ruined his research. Only then did Joyce realize she had picked up the mobile phone without taking off her gloves. The bacteria on the mobile phone were so many that they couldpletely contaminate the research subjects in the instrument. Chapter 743 Chapter 743 She was too nervous and forgot about it when Martin stared at her. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m sorry, I was too nervous. She took off the gloves in her hands and threw them into the garbage can, then re-disinfected her hands and put on a new pair of gloves before returning to her post. Martin looked at her neat action, and his brows gradually eased up. Joyce was capable and had never made mistakes at work. But she had been absentmindedtely. Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. Martin raised an eyebrow. ¡°Stop what you are doing now. Have you had something going ontely? You look upset.¡± Joyce looked at the dark-haired teenager. Thinking of what her father had told her, she smiled with just the right amount of distress on her face. ¡°Just something happened at home.¡± Joyce¡¯s father med her for the McCarthy family¡¯s failure to win the tenderst time. But Joyce knew Martin did not like to hear peopleining all the time, so she had never vented her frustration in front of him for the past few days. She was depressed inside but pretended to be nonchnt outside. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Nothing big deal.¡± Martin looked at her, not too convinced. ¡°Really?¡± Joyce nodded, but deep down inside, she hoped he would continue asking. She wanted to tell him about her family¡¯s situation and see if he could help. To her surprise, Martin¡¯s expression changed upon seeing her nod her head. He looked at her with his arms crossed. ¡°Then never make such a low-level mistake again. Or else, get the hell out of myb.¡± He yelled at her callously. Martin¡¯s greatest concern was his research, for which he would tolerate no one. Even though Joyce had been his best partner and ssmate, it was not impossible to rece her if she kept being absentminded again. She was dispensable. Joyce was stunned, her expression crashing. Things did not turn out quite the same as she had imagined. Martin could no longer bear it when he saw her rooted to the spot. ¡°Do you want to leave now? Get back to work right away.¡± Joyce had always thought that she and Martin were the tag team of San Joto, and that he would treat her differently andfort her when she had problems, not expecting that she was nearly kicked out of theb. She looked at Martin in disbelief. Seeing that he was not joking, her eyes quickly reddened, and she returned to her post without a word. There were a few Yamenians in the group. Because Joyce was the only female here, they were tolerant of her. Kevin was not too happy at seeing Martin doing this to Joyce. ¡°Don¡¯t you think you are going too far, Martin?¡± Martin looked at Joyce and walked up to her as if he had listened to Kevin. Afraid that she would not hear clearly, he bent down and said in a very t voice, ¡°Go out there, take a rest, ande back Joyce was ttered and looked at him. She knew that Martin still cared for her. Her grievances got the better of her, and tears flowed out of her eyes. She looked at Martin, wanting to say something Kevin and a few others thought that Martin really wanted Joyce to go out and take a break, so they looked away with satisfaction. But in less than ten seconds, they heard Martin¡¯s thunderous voice. ¡°Sh*t. Joyce, your tears dropped onto the focal ne. Get the hell out of here.¡± He asked her to go out because he was afraid that this woman could not control her tears. Joyce was out of joint and looked in shock at Martin¡¯s disdainful face. She could no longer bear the insult, got up, and ran out of theb. After she left, Martin returned to his seat with an unconcealed, despiteful look on his face. As if thinking of something, he stood up again, rushed to the door, and shouted, ¡°Take a leave and don¡¯te back for the next few days.¡± Chapter 744 Chapter 744 Joyce hesitated when she heard Martin¡¯s voice, but after hearing what he said, she ran even faster. ¡®Who wants to take leave? Doesn¡¯t giving leave of absence mean that I¡¯m not needed in the research? Martin doesn¡¯t really care about me.¡¯ But Martin did not give a damn what Joyce thought. This time, it was supposed to teach her a lesson. If she still could not focus her mind on the experiment, she would not be needed on the team, as it would only bog him down. He looked at the few remaining people and pointed at a red-haired boy with freckles on his face. ¡°You take Joyce¡¯s ce to assist me.¡± The boy said nothing. He just nodded and went over. Their tolerance of Joyce was just a gesture of gentlemanliness, not a measure of how important Joyce was, as they all knew that Martin was the core figure of the team. After everything returned to normal, Martin returned to his seat. While continuing with his research, he felt better again when he recalled in his mind when Nicole came to treat her wound. Nachelle was onboard a ne, looking at the financial statements for the quarter with a faint look of satisfaction on her face. Her assistant sitting next to her suddenly said, ¡°Something happened to Lloyd.¡± ¡°What happened?¡± There was a fleeting look of surprise on Nachelle¡¯s face. Lloyd had been all her sustenance since the Holder family started the entertainment business. ¡°Lloyd has also been very careful and made no mistake so far. Why do things happen as soon as I¡¯m abroad for only two days?¡¯ ¡°The media reported Lloyd saved a student at the anniversary celebration of the Royal Creek Institute. There are photos of him carrying a girl. It looks like this girl is important to him.¡± Nachelle frowned at the mention of the Royal Creek Institute. She quickly figured out something and sneered. ¡°I think he met that girl at school.¡± Thest time she met Nicole at a party, Nachelle had a good impression of her. Coupled with the fact that the person whom her son had cared most about all these years was Nicole, who had spent the most time with him, Nachelle did not want to stop him. Content provided by N?velDrama.Org. She thought about it for a while and then told the assistant behind her, ¡°Contact Anna now and ask her to contact the media in my name and put a lid on the incident.¡± The assistant acknowledged her with respect, left, and then came back in with a thin and portable communication device and handed it to Nachelle. The phone rang, and Anna¡¯s ttered voice was heard saying, ¡°May I help you, Nachelle?¡± Nachelle spoke in an icy voice as she carefully exined the matter to Anna. Before hanging, Nachelle asked, ¡°Is the girl Lloyd saved called Nicole?¡± Anna nodded in disbelief. ¡°How did you know that? You know Nicole?¡± ¡®Otherwise, why does Nachelle ask about the girl¡¯s name? Nachelle¡¯s natural bias for smart girls is no secret in the industry. Could it be that Lloyd has already introduced Nicole to her, and she already has a n in mind? ¡°Nothing.¡± Nachelle did not bother to answer her question but hung up the phone immediately. She was not concerned about Nicole but Lloyd. She felt anxious. Because of Nicole, Lloyd had made a gaffe, which was quite unexpected. She feared Lloyd would lose himself. She had done some digging and knew that Nicole was dating Jared. If Lloyd was lovelorn because of that, it was going to kill him. If hope was the precursor to disappointment, it was better not to be hopeful. Chapter 745 Chapter 745 But with what she knew about Lloyd, he could only turn back after he tried as hard as he could. Nachelle looked at the clear water-like sky that flew past the window outside with a hint of upset look on her face. If the path is wrong, one should not continue in the same direction. But she lost Lloyd back then and now felt guilty for him and could not help but give him whatever he wanted. So even if Lloyd¡¯s rival was Jared, she would work hard for her son. Nachelle sighed tiredly. As she handed the reports in her hand to her assistant, her eyes spotted a line of text in the report. [The budget for the selection of female lead from major universities has been disbursed.] As if reminding her of something, she thought of Nicole¡¯s approximate age, and her eyes glinted. She immediately picked up her phone and made a call with an unconceble joy in her eyes. 2 Jared had brought Nicole back to his vi. Because of Nicole¡¯s injury and the condition in the dormitory, Jared forced Nicole to request a leave of absence from Ms. Emerson and asked her to stay at his vi. Nicole did not resent it, either. Jared¡¯s vi was the only ce where she could let her guard down. ¡°Thank you.¡± Nicole looked at Jared gratefully. N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. Jared still felt jealous. ¡°I¡¯ve done some digging in Martin¡¯s background. Isn¡¯t he Mr. Wyance¡¯s son?¡± Nicole raised an eyebrow, not expecting Jared to act so fast. ¡°I¡¯ve only met him once.¡± Nicole just slurred over the matter. Jared¡¯s expression was a little gloomy. ¡°I heard he visited your house recently.¡± Nicole smiled, not expecting that he had even found this out. ¡°Yes.¡± Seeing her smile, he got even more upset and drew her into his arms by force. ¡°What was he doing at your house?¡± Nicole had never seen Jared so bothered about anything, so she decided to keep him in suspense. ¡°Take a guess.¡± Jared was dysphoric. ¡°Mr. Wyance is the future governor, and he cares about you very much. He was probably going there to propose a marriage.¡± Nicole could not help but burst intoughter, amused by how imaginative Jared was when he got jealous. ¡°I didn¡¯t know that you were a novelist.¡± Seeing herughing at him, Jared became furious. He pushed her down on the couch and pressed her underneath. ¡°I¡¯m not kidding you.¡± He looked so serious that Nicole got lost in the depths of his eyes. She smiled helplessly. ¡°Put away your wild thoughts. I¡¯m yours alone.¡± These simple words of hers had rid all his irritability and anxiety. Jared felt frustrated with his recent sense of insecurity. Now he finally calmed down. He looked at Nicole¡¯s face, which was only a foot away from his, and could not help but kiss her. Nicole did not refuse as he came down with his kisses. She was also reciprocating his action, but it was clumsy. But Jared was more than happy. Upon getting her response, he was delighted and embraced her even more. It felt as if a century had passed before Jared let go of her. He stared at her blushed face and let out an evilly charming smile. ¡°There¡¯s some progress.¡± Nicole blushed even more when Jared teased him. She reached out and wrapped her arms around his neck. ¡°It¡¯s a vast improvement, mind you.¡± Chapter 746 Chapter 746 The next day, Jared sent Nicole to school. On the way, Jared made a pact with Nicole, wanting her to stay away from Gary and Zeke and forbidding her to see Martin. us, who was driving and listening in to this, was stupefied. He had never seen his boss so jealous and socking in self-confidence. Hearing what Jared said, Nicoleughed involuntarily. ¡°Okay, I get it.¡± She did not take his words seriously but just thought it was funny. Jared also looked as if he could not help himself. At the school gate, when Nicole got out of the car, Jared followed her. ¡°Why did you get out of the car? You can just drop me here.¡± She did not want Jared to follow her to the school gate, as that would attract unnecessary attention. Content provided by N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Something to do with Mr. Ellison.¡± He looked serious but pretended to be mysterious and did not tell her anything. Nicole thought it was a work-rted matter and did not ask again. ¡± I will go to ss now.¡± Jared nodded and then went with us to Mr. Ellison¡¯s office. Nicole looked on as he went, and she felt a little puzzled. But she said nothing and headed straight to the ssroom. Soon, Jared arrived at Mr. Ellison¡¯s office. The principal, Thomas Ellison, was surprised that Jared woulde to him early in the morning. He got up with a smile. ¡°Howe you have time toe over?¡± ¡®Jared seems to be keen to visit my office recently.¡¯ Jared smiled. ¡°I¡¯m here with a purpose, Mr. Ellison.¡± With that, he asked us to take out his phone and bring up a video for Mr. Ellison¡¯s eyes. Mr. Ellison was puzzled, not knowing what Jared wanted to show him. He nced down at the video. It turned out to be the video of Nicole saving Gary yesterday. In the second half of the video, there was a clip of a figure fleeing in the background. Mr. Ellison was surprised at how Jared got this recording. ¡°What do you want, Jared?¡± Jared did not keep him guessing. ¡°Justice for my girlfriend.¡± Mr. Ellison was surprised again, looking at Jared with his eyes widening. Nicole had rejected him before. He did not expect that she and Jared would be in a rtionship. ¡°You and Nicole¡­¡± ¡°You guessed it right.¡± Jared did not deny it. ¡°I didn¡¯t want to bother you for such a trivial thing, but neither do I want to step on your toes. So I¡¯m going to leave it to you, Mr. Ellison.¡± There was a hint of threat in his voice. If Mr. Ellison did not deal with it, he would. He just wanted to let Mr. Ellison save face. Mr. Ellison knew Jared, who was mature and introverted but never revealed his thoughts. It surprised him that Jared would confront him because of Nicole. It just showed how important Nicole was to Jared. At this point, his wish for Nicole to be his granddaughter-inw vanished. He knew Harvey could never beat a rival like Jared. ¡°You got it.¡± Mr. Ellison whispered. ¡°I will handle it. Nicole is a top student of our school, and I will protect her, for sure.¡± Jared was pleased and at ease, knowing that Mr. Ellison also cared about Nicole. Since Jared was here, Mr. Ellison said, ¡°I have thought through the proposal of cooperation you mentionedst time. I wonder if you¡¯re still interested?¡± This surprised Jared, as Mr. Ellison had never given a definite answer until now. Chapter 747 Chapter 747 Jared wondered why Mr. Ellison suddenly changed his attitude after learning about her rtionship with Nicole. Content provided by N?velDrama.Org. He frowned and wondered if Mr. Ellison knew something about Nicole. But he did not think it was proper to ask since the deal between them was also a matter of course. ¡°As long as you agree, someone will deliver the contract soon.¡± Mr. Ellison nodded at once. ¡°Thank you. I¡¯ll ask Harvey to liaise with you about the cooperation.¡± ¡°Harvey, your grandson?¡± Jared was surprised, but he had heard about him before. Over the past six months, Mr. Ellison had entrusted almost all of his business to Harvey. After all, Harvey was his only grandson, and Harvey¡¯s parents were gone. So Mr. Ellison was desperate to hand over thepany to Harvey. ¡°Yes, is there anything wrong with that?¡± Mr. Ellison asked in puzzlement. ¡°Nah, I just think young people might not be able to handle such a heavy responsibility.¡± Jared frowned. After all, Harvey was only a junior at the Royal Creek Institute and had not yet graduated. ¡°Try him, and you will know. I will take over if Harvey can¡¯t handle it.¡± Mr. Ellison assured him. Jared could say nothing but agree. ¡°Well, since that¡¯s the case, then I hope our cooperation will be a sess.¡± ¡°Great.¡± Mr. Ellison smiled, feeling relieved. He thought if Jared was really dating Nicole, he had to cooperate with him; otherwise, he would be in trouble if Jared was not on his side next time. Jared looked at Mr. Ellison, who was all smiles but whose thoughts were hard to guess, After discussing the cooperation with Mr. Ellison, Jared left. Mr. Ellison sighed as he watched Jared leave. ¡°s, this guy from the Johnston family is so blessed. He will grow even more powerful with Nicole by his side. Henry Johnston has got no chance.¡± By this time, Nicole had arrived at the ss and found that Vivian was not in her seat. As soon as Nicole sat down, Lulu came up to her and said, ¡°I heard Vivian was sick. She must be too embarrassed toe to school.¡± Nicole did not give a damn. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter to us if shees or not.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± Lulu poked her tongue out and went to collect the homework. Just then, Gary came over and looked at Nicole with guilt in his eyes. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I checked the school surveince yesterday but didn¡¯t find any clues.¡± No one had ever seen Gary cave in and apologize to anyone. But he did today, to the surprise of everyone. They all guessed that Gary behaved differently this time because Nicole had saved his life. So they all became more respectful to Nicole. But Nicole was unaware of what they thought. She just looked at Gary calmly. ¡°It¡¯s okay. It wasn¡¯t your fault.¡± Gary sighed. ¡°You were only injured because of me. It was my family who supplied the school¡¯s surveince system, but the saboteur had deliberately avoided all the surveince cameras.¡± He had looked at all the security footage but still made no progress. Nicole knew the saboteur would definitely avoid all the security cameras. ¡°I got it. I¡¯ll investigate.¡± Gary got back to his seat in frustration. He knew that Nicole might have her own way, but he still felt guilty that he was of no help. Jack and Wayne looked at each other, surprised by their boss¡¯s action. They had never seen him lower himself in front of others until now. It looks like he cares about Nicole a lot.¡¯ Today was Nicole¡¯s first day as a ss monitor. She had to attend to many affairs and report to the student union. So today was the busiest day since Nicole came to this school. Stanley was bright-eyed and bushy-tailed,ing up to congratte Nicole at seeing here to the meeting on behalf of ss B of eleventh grade. Chapter 748 Chapter 748 He had heard about Nicole bing the ss monitor. She had really lived up to his expectations. ¡°Thank you, Stanley.¡± Nicole let out a gentle smile. ¡°This is your first day here, so I guess you have not known a lot of people. But it¡¯s okay. Just ask if you are not sure.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Nicole dly epted. Stanley took Nicole into the student union conference room. As soon as Nicole entered, she saw several familiar faces. Harvey, Edwin, Snow, Raine, and even Preston, as well as Er, her third uncle¡¯s son, were in the student union. 2 Nicole raised an eyebrow, but there was no surprise, as she knew those who came from the Riddle family were all outstanding, each of them either a ss monitor or a member of the student union. Snow and Raine were surprised to see Nicole. Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org. Both of them were also the ss monitors of their respective sses. They could join the student union because of their excellent grades. In contrast, Nicole had juste to this school recently. They wondered how she ousted the incumbent and became the ss monitor herself, and joined the student union. So Raine was a little upset. ¡°How did she get here?¡± In fact, what she wanted to say was what gave Nicole the right to sit in the student union meeting. But she did not want to make a scene because there were other ss monitors from the high school and the college department. Stanley did not care about what Raine said, and he solemnly announced, saying, ¡°Vivian from ss B of eleventh grade has stepped down as the ss monitor because of her misconduct. Nicole is now the new ss monitor. She will take over the duty in the student union. Please give her a warm wee.¡± Everyone present knew that Nicole was the sister of Stanley, Samuel, and Spencer, and they quickly gave her warm apuse. Edwin was even more excited and pped his hands enthusiastically. Nicole had done him and Preston a big favor before. Now that she was in the student union, he would be more acquainted with herter. Harvey did nothing but lock his eyes on Nicole. He did not expect that this girl, whom he had a crush on, could join the student union so quickly. Edwin¡¯s heart skipped a beat when he saw the look in Harvey¡¯s eyes. ¡®Harvey¡¯s feelings toward Nicole have be deeper and deeper. If Harvey finds out that Nicole is Lucifer, he will not be able to extricate himself from his infatuation with her.¡¯ Edwin was a little worried for Nicole. Preston beckoned to Nicole. ¡°Come sit over here.¡± Nicole saw a spot next to Preston and dly walked over. Raine and Snow stared dead at Preston, hating this brother of theirs for favoring an outsider instead of them. Nicole had just taken her seat when suddenly someone burst into the doorway. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯mte.¡± It was Norah who walked in with a folder in her hand. She looked apologetically at Stanley Stanley¡¯s face turned stony upon seeing Norah. ¡°Take a seat.¡± Norah was exasperated. This was her first student council meeting since she left home. She did not expect Stanley to treat her even colder thanst time. She could only bow her head and walk to the conference table and sit down, only to see Nicole¡¯s face. ¡°Why are you here?¡± Norah looked surprised and jealous at once. Seeing the look in Norah¡¯s eyes, Nicole smiled. ¡°We are only separated by ss A. Don¡¯t you even know that the ss monitor of our ss has changed?¡± Norah was stunned by what Nicole said, but she could not believe it. ¡°How is that possible? Isn¡¯t Vivian the ss monitor Vivian? How did you be the ss monitor?¡± Preston was not too happy with Norah. ¡°Didn¡¯t you know Nicole was first ce in your grade on this exam? Since Vivian¡¯s academic results are so much poorer than Nicole¡¯s, the ss monitor should be reced.¡± Preston immediately got the support of everyone. Changes in the members of the student union were common. After all, the ss teachers of each ss hoped the ss monitor had both good grades and abilities, so ss monitors of each ss were normally appointed based on merits. But Norah was jealous to see that Nicole had be a ss monitor. She worked so hard to keep her position as a ss president. But Nicole had juste to the school not long ago, yet could oust Vivian and be a ss monitor. She had always felt that her only advantage in front of her brothers and parents was her position as a ss monitor. Now she had no advantage to speak of after Nicole had also be a ss monitor. Chapter 749 Chapter 749 ¡°Nicole, sit down, quick!¡± Stanley was impatient. ¡®She was alreadyte. And yet, she¡¯s still dawdling, wasting our time.¡¯ ¡°Okay.¡± Nicole hated it. But she could only clench her teeth as she sat down. 1 Nicole¡¯s eyes were gloomy as she stared at Norah. She was not sure whether Norah was involved in the incident yesterday. Meanwhile, Stanley started to chair the meeting. He started to arrange the school anniversary celebration¡¯s finishing touches. He also created some other new deployments. Nicole was spinning her pen as she listened to Stanley¡¯s exnation. She would stop and write down the key points. Content provided by N?velDrama.Org. Preston was impressed by Nicole¡¯s seriousness. ¡®It took her only one day to adapt to the ss monitor role. And she even looked like she was doing her job with ease. She was born to be a ss monitor.¡¯ Soon the meeting was drawing to a close. Stanley summarized, ¡°That¡¯s all. These are the uing tasks. The most important one is sports development. All the sses must be prepared.¡¯ ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°Got it, president.¡± Everyone agreed. Stanley nced at Nicole. He adjourned the meeting only after he saw Nicole agreed, like everyone else. Everyone was relieved after that. The seniors from the university department were the first ones to leave. Snow tried to keep up with Harvey¡¯s pace. But he suddenly stopped when he reached the door. He then turned around and spoke to Nicole publicly, ¡°Nicole, congrattions.¡± Everyone could not help but stun for a moment. They felt Harvey was interested in Nicole as they thought about those rumors they had heard. Snow, on the other hand, felt humiliated. She could only turn around and leave the meeting room. Raine was furious as she stared at Nicole. She even hooked up with Harvey.¡¯ After Harvey turned around and left, Raine could not help but say sarcastically. ¡°The prettiest girl in the school? More like a slut! You even seduced Harvey!¡± Norah was happy as she heard that. She could not help but agree with Raine indirectly, ¡°Nicole, you need to behave decently.¡± It sounded like some advice. But she actually meant Nicole was indecent. Everyone else could not help but stare at Nicole. Preston did not like it when Raine tried to shame Nicole. He said coldly, ¡°What were you talking about? The video before clearly showed that Harvey confessed to Nicole. How was that Nicole¡¯s fault?¡± After hearing what Preston said, the crowd realized it was not Nicole¡¯s fault. They realized it was Harvey who took the initiative. Preston added, ¡°If you¡¯re incapable hold your man, don¡¯t me the charisma of other girls.¡± His voice remained cold. Preston left with Edwin after saying that. Edwin, who was walking behind Preston, chimed in, ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± Everyone in the meeting room felt the two had a point. The crowd red at Raine. They believed she was jealous Everyone left. Rained stomped furiously. Nicole could not care less. She turned around and left right away. Raine and Norah were frustrated. But there was nothing they could do with Nicole. After everyone else left the room, Norah scolded, ¡°Bitch!¡± ¡°Right! But everyone was on her side!¡± Raine snarled. But the next second, Raine nced at Norah as she realized something suddenly. ¡°Why am I talking to you? You¡¯re no longer part of the Riddle family. You don¡¯t get to talk to me.¡± She turned around and left right after she said that. Raine¡¯s words were like a p in Norah¡¯s face. Immediately, Norah was furious. ¡°B*tch, did you think ! wanted to talk to a fool like you?!¡± ¡®Raine¡¯s useless. Or else I¡¯d have gotten rid of Nicole! ¡®Now it seems like I should do it myself!¡¯ Chapter 750 Chapter 750 Nicole was walking back to her ss. She heard people jabbering as she walked in the hallway. Lulu was very excited when she saw Nicole walk into the ss. ¡°Nicole! Have you checked your social media?!¡± Nicole froze for a moment. Il never care about anything on there!¡¯ ¡°Come and see this! The news posted by Anna Washington went viral!¡± Nicole frowned as she sat down to open her social media app quietly. Lulu and June walked to Nicole immediately. They were looking at the most trending news on social media. People were still talking about it online. The media leaked the image of Lloyd carrying Nicole at the Royal Creek Institute¡¯s anniversary celebration yesterday. But no one knew which mediapany did so. Suddenly, manyizens commented on it. ¡°Lloyd rescued some random beauty in the school. Is it a female student?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t expect Lloyd to have a sense of justice!¡± ¡°Lloyd? Was it the Lloyd who I¡¯m thinking of?¡± ¡°The person whomented above,e to your sense. I heard it wasn¡¯t some random beauty. It seemed like he already knew the girl before that.¡± ¡°Could it be Lloyd¡¯s girlfriend?¡± Nicole was upset as she looked at those trumped-upments. ¡°Lloyd was too impulsive. He got us into trouble again.¡¯ Fortunately, Lloyd¡¯s manager, Anna, immediately posted a press release to exin the situation. The press release mentioned that Lloyd was impressed by Nicole¡¯s performance. That was why he helped her. The people in thement section changed their opinion rather quickly. ¡°I¡¯m a student from Royal Creek Institute. She¡¯s the prettiest girl in our school. Her acting skills and personality are good. That exins why Lloyd liked her. I heard the production team came to choose the lead actress for their drama, Lukewarm. Of course she won¡¯t pass on this opportunity ¡°I¡¯ve watched the video of the performance. She¡¯s gorgeous!¡± Nicole was surprised. ¡®When did I gain so much public attention?¡¯ That would put her in danger. Her face had never been exposed like this. ¡®How can I carry out my missions after this?¡¯ She continued to go through thement section. Some people hit back at the earlierments. They supported Chloe, who was fired by the production team. ¡°Back then, Chloe was capable. She got her role in Lukewarm in a dignified way. I¡¯m not sure what happened. But how can the acting skills of a rookie be better than Chloe¡¯s? The production team should bring her back!¡± People with discerning eyesughed when they saw thements. ¡®It¡¯s obvious that Chloe hired ¡°cyber troopers¡± to write thosements to ride the wave.¡¯ After all, Chloe had only acted in a few popr dramas since her debut. The dramas were well received. A lot of people were willing to pay for the dramas. But it was hard to tell how her acting skill was based on just a few dramas. However, people had doubts in their minds. They were curious to know what happened that led to Chloe being fired by Nachelle. Many people tried to find the answer online, but most of them to no avail because the incident happened in Nottingbrook State. Although Chloe rode the wave, Nicole was still very popr. Many posted her pictures without make-up from the school online. Theizens went wild. Suddenly, lots ofizens online tagged Anna. They felt Nicole was perfect for the lead actress role in Lukewarm. Lulu, June, and other people¡¯s excitement heightened as they scrolled down thement section. Content provided by N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Nicole! Seemed like Lloyd¡¯s direction department dide to pick the lead actress! You¡¯ll probably be the lead actress!¡± Nicole nced at Lulu. She knew she was happy for her. But she did not care about what was happening. Those things did not matter to her. Nicole raised her head as she looked at Lulu calmly. ¡°I don¡¯t want to be a lead actress,¡± she said coldly Everyone froze suddenly. Lulu wondered, ¡°Why? This is a good thing!¡± She has a higher chance of getting into showbiz quickly and even bing the new popr actress. Chapter 751 Chapter 751 Nicole put down the books that she was holding. A hint of deep thoughts shed past her eyes. ¡°I should focus on studying now, isn¡¯t it? Go back to your seats.¡± Lulu and the others were embarrassed to stand. They quickly went back to their seats and sat down. Nicole was even more imposing after bing the ss monitor. No one dared to go against her. N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. Soon, the teacher came to the ss. But Nicole sent a message to Zeke secretly while thinking, ¡®My face can¡¯t be exposed online anymore¡­ Zeke should be able to handle this kind of small matter.¡¯ Sure enough, Zeke switched on hisputer immediately after receiving Nicole¡¯s message. He started working right away. Soon, all the pictures rted to Nicole were destroyed¡­ News online spread fast. It did not take long for Jared to learn about it. He had known Nicole was hurt yesterday, but he did not know Lloyd carried her. After looking at the trending post on his phone, he frowned as he stared at Max and asked, ¡°Did this happen yesterday? Why didn¡¯t I know about it?¡± Max bowed his head after he heard Jared¡¯s question. He answered, ¡°We didn¡¯t know about this either. We didn¡¯t expect the media to leak it.¡± Jared frowned slightly as he heard that. ¡°What was Lloyd¡¯s intention?¡± He thought, ¡®Lloyd was awarded the best actor. Every news about him that was leaked must have been approved by Nachelle. She actually allowed gossip like that about her son goes public. What was her intention?¡¯ A hint of concern shed upon Max¡¯s eyes as he looked at Jared¡¯s face. ¡°I¡¯m afraid that they have some ulterior motive. Lloyd¡¯s current production team¡¯s auditioning for their lead actress role. Before they went to Royal Creek Institute, all the sses were asked to prepare for a performance.¡± Max was nervous as he thought about that. He was afraid that Jared would be unhappy. Jared noticed Max¡¯s emotions quickly. He could not help but frown. ¡°You¡¯ve warned the Holder family, right?¡± Jared thought, ¡®Thest time I came back, I¡¯d already told Max to warn the Holder family not to bother Nicole anymore. Why is Lloyd still bothering her?¡¯ Max¡¯s eyes were filled with grievances as he stared at Jared. Heined, ¡°Boss, the Holder family has been doing well in the showbiz. They wouldn¡¯t care about what I said even if I¡¯d warned them. Jared looked at Max as he said coldly, ¡°You¡¯re right. For the past two years, the Holder family has progressed rapidly. It¡¯s time for Lloyd to get a taste of defeat.¡± Max said nervously as he thought Jared was angry, ¡°Are we going against the Holder family now?¡± Jared had many troubles to face with. It was not the right time to act overtly hostile to the Holder family. Although Jared was not happy with Max¡¯s doubt, he did not me him. He stood up slowly and walked toward the window. ¡°Well, this is the Holder family¡¯s choice. It¡¯s only fair if we entertain them.¡± Max stared at Jared. He immediately understood what Jared was thinking. ¡®Although this is not the right time to go against them, the Holder family made their choice. We could only make a counter move.¡¯ Max, ¡°Boss, what¡¯s your n?¡± he asked in a deep voice. Jared smiled coldly. He lowered his voice as he opened his mouth slowly. A hint of amusement shed past Max¡¯s eyes as he heard what Jared said. ¡®As expected from my boss. His idea can solve the issue without a fuss.¡¯ Max was relieved. ¡°I¡¯ll get right on it.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Jared signaled him to leave. After Max left, Jared stared into the distance as he made a decision secretly. Seems like I have to get what¡¯s mine sooner. Only then will those people tremble before me, and those coveting my girl will know their ce. ¡®Having a stunning and talented girlfriend sometimes can be trouble, huh?¡¯ Chapter 752 Chapter 752 sses for the day had ended. The next day was the weekend. Nicole got a call from her mother, Gloria, after school. Gloria asked Nicole to go back home to have a meal together and to apany her for the next two days. Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org. Nicole¡¯s initial n was to go home only after her wound was healed. But now, she had no choice but to forget it. She could only wear a long-sleeved shirt to go home with her three brothers. On the way home, Spencer was worried about Nicole. ¡°How¡¯s your wound?¡± Nicole did not lie about it. ¡°Yesterday, Jared brought me to visit the best surgeon in San Joto. He said it wouldn¡¯t leave a scar on me.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Spencer was surprised. Samuel smiled surprisingly. ¡°Jared¡¯s not bad.¡± Nicole smiled. ¡°Yes. He¡¯s not bad.¡± She said to herself, Jared cared about me the most.¡¯ Nicole smiled happily while talking about a guy. It was rather a rare sight to see, so Samuel teased her,¡± Not bad. If you want to get engaged with him, I¡¯ll support you.¡± Spencer could not help but pull Samuel¡¯s arm. ¡°You have no principles.¡± Samuel opened his eyes wide. ¡°What does this have to do with principles? As long as Nicole likes him, that¡¯s what matters. Am I right, Stanley?¡± Samuel looked at Stanley to seek recognition. But Stanley shook his head. He disagreed with Samuel. ¡°Don¡¯t involve me in your argument with Spencer.¡± Samuel and Spencer would always make up after their argument. But Stanley, on the other hand, would end up suffering the most whenever he became the third party being dragged into their argument. So, Stanley learned to stay out of it. Spencer lifted his chin as he looked at Samuel. ¡°Look, Stanley didn¡¯t even want to bother with you.¡± ¡°He didn¡¯t bother with you either.¡± Stanley looked at Nicole calmly while Samuel and Spencer were still arguing against each other. ¡°Nicole, I¡¯ll support whatever decision you make.¡± ¡®After all, Mr. Riddle Sr. gave the order. Jared¡¯s not bad either. If Nicole agrees, there¡¯s no reason for us to oppose it.¡¯ ¡°Okay.¡± Nicole nodded her head gently. Soon, the four of them reached their home. After they got out of the car, without thinking, Spencer and Samuel tried to help Nicole out of the car. Nicole withdrew her hand quickly. ¡°Don¡¯t help me. Mom will know I¡¯m injured if you guys help me.¡± She thought, ¡®It¡¯s just a minor injury. But with their help, I¡¯ll look like I¡¯m hurt badly.¡¯ Samuel and Spencer withdrew their hands immediately. ¡°We almost got caught.¡± Gloria¡¯s voice could be heard from the door after they said that. ¡°Who almost got caught?¡± Samuel and Spencer were terrified. They were at a loss for words suddenly. Nicole was frustrated. She nced at her brothers. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Samuel and Spencer were fighting.¡± Gloria knew the two of them always quarrel. So, she was not suspicious. ¡°You guys aren¡¯t kids anymore. You should act mature in front of your sister. Stop arguing.¡± Samuel and Spencer did not talk back. That was the least they could do to keep the cat in the bag. They could only promise their mother, ¡°Got it.¡± Gloria walked back to the living room with her children, and Daniel weed them with a smile. ¡°You guys are back. Your mother could not stop talking about you guys all week long. You guys are finally home.¡± When the four of them saw the other two people there, they said, ¡°Sean, Steve, you guys are home too!¡± They rarely spent time together as a family, so Steve and Sean being there was a surprise. Chapter 753 Chapter 753 ¡°Yes.¡± Sean smiled slightly. ¡°Thanks to you, the Riddle family¡¯s business partners have been stabilized. I have much more time now.¡± There were quite a few business partners offering them coboration ever since Mr. Wyance¡¯s visit to their house. Those contracts that were about to be terminated continued to be honored again. Hence, Sean had fewer things to worry about now. ¡°All thanks to you, Nicole,¡± Steve smiled proudly. Nicole quickly said, ¡°It wasn¡¯t because of me. Mr. Wyance is impartial. He helped us because you guys arepetent.¡± Sean and Steve nced at each other. Although Nicole was still young, she knew when not to take credit. They were impressed. ¡°Alright. It¡¯s difficult to get everyone in this family to gather. Let¡¯s sit down.¡± The Riddle family was being bound hand and foot when Norah was still living with them. Now that she was gone, the Riddle family was finally truly reunited. Soon, the butler ordered people to serve food. The Riddle family sat together. N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. That was the first time Nicole felt at home without outsiders. Got to say, the atmosphere in Nicole¡¯s family was way betterpared to the time when Norah was still part of them. The Riddle brothers did not need to reserve from showing Nicole care. ¡°Nicole, try this. This is good.¡± Spencer put food on Nicole¡¯s te. Samuel poured a ss of juice for Nicole. ¡°This is very tasty.¡± ¡°Thanks, brothers.¡± Sean smiled as he saw Spencer and Samuel were being so attentive to Nicole. ¡°You guys, why are you being so attentive to Nicole?¡± Spencer and Samuel nced at each other. ¡®Damn it. Did we make it too obvious? What if the others suspect Nicole¡¯s injured?¡¯ They quickly sat back down. Steve nced at Nicole secretly. ¡®She looked like she did something wrong. Stanley dared not to look at Mom and Dad either. The four of them are hiding something.¡¯ But Steve did not expose them. Instead, he took this chance to speak to his father. ¡°Ever since we got thend that the McCarthy family fought with us, our share price recovered. Sean secured a few projects as well. We¡¯ve finally turned the table around.¡± Daniel was relieved. ¡°That¡¯s great. You guys should help your grandpa more. Got it?¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Steve smiled. ¡°I¡¯ve handled our stock well. Don¡¯t worry, father.¡± Daniel patted Steve on his shoulder satisfyingly. ¡°What¡¯s going on with the McCarthy family now?¡± Daniel said that as he thought, ¡®They¡¯re not an easy foe. They suffered a loss. I¡¯m afraid that they won¡¯t give up so easily Steve nced at Sean. Sean then said, ¡°After the loss, they lost a few of their important business partners to us. It appeared that they ran into a funding gap too. They probably don¡¯t have the time to deal with us. They have enough on their te.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Daniel froze slightly. ¡°No wonder they fought so hard with us over thend.¡± Daniel thought, ¡®This year¡¯s economy is bad. Seems like the McCarthy family is affected too.¡¯ He then reminded his sons, ¡°But do still be careful. The old crook from the McCarthy family is a handful.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± Sean nodded his head. He then looked at Daniel as he said, ¡°Dad, you actually know the company very well¡­ Why don¡¯t you talk to grandpa about¡­?¡± Daniel shook his head without letting Sean finish his sentence. ¡°It¡¯s alright. Thepany has always been managed by Damien and Dillon. I want to stay out of it.¡± He preferred to spend more time with his children Nicole realized something at this point. ¡®Everyone in the family had been saying that dad left the company due to poor health. But only now do I know that dad actually knows everything that¡¯s going on with thepany. Just that thepany isn¡¯t his priority.¡¯ Nicole went upstairs leisurely to shower after dinner. Just when Nicole got out of the bathroom, Gloria brought a few outfits for her. ¡°Mother, why did you bring me so many things?¡± Nicole¡¯s eyes were filled with surprise as she saw Gloria bringing her so many outfits. ¡°You tell me.¡± Gloria reproached, ¡°Every girl likes to dress up. When Norah was still with usst time, she went shopping every weekend to buy clothes. But you, you only have a few clothes after you¡¯ve been with us for so long.¡± Chapter 754 Chapter 754 When it came to Norah, Gloria could not help but sigh a little. Back then, Norah was wastefully extravagant, but she did not say much about it. And now, Nicole¡¯s thoughtfulness and sensibleness made her heart ache, so she went and bought a few designer clothes for her girl. ¡°No need, Mom. My own clothes arefortable.¡± Although her clothes were simple, they were very comfortable. ¡°No refusing,¡± Gloria said sternly. ¡°Mommy will only feel better if you ept them.¡± Her back against the wall, Nicole could only agree. ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°Then give them a try and see if they fit. If they don¡¯t, Mommy will take them back to the store to exchange,¡± As she said that, Gloria took out the clothes and measured them on Nicole¡¯s body. ¡°Eh?¡± Nicole was bad at trying out clothes, but at this moment, she could only let Gloria do as she pleased as thetter put on one outfit after another on her. ¡°My daughter sure is pretty. She looks good wearing anything!¡± Gloria looked at Nicole in the mirror and nodded in satisfaction. Nicole was pretty surprised when she saw herself in the mirror. Gloria had indeed really dolled her up nicely. But thisce dress¡­ it¡¯ll be very inconvenient if I get into a fight with someone.¡¯ Gloria, however, was so happy that she pulled Nicole downstairs to show her off to her brother. ¡°Sean, Steven, look, isn¡¯t Nicole pretty with this dress?¡± Sean and Steve looked up and were stunned for a moment. They knew that Nicole was very beautiful, but after their mother dressed her up, Nicole looked like Aphrodite incarnate with her white dress and rhinestone hairpin. ¡°Woah, Nicole, you¡¯re really beautiful.¡± ¡°Eh? What¡¯s going on? Let me have a look!¡± Samuel and Spencer rushed out of the room on the first floor. When Samuel caught sight of Nicole¡¯s gorgeous dress, he spat the water he was drinking! Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. ¡°Ptui! My goodness¡­ Nicole, you¡¯re way too gorgeous in that!¡± Samuel eximed. Spencer then hissed. ¡°Samuel, you filthy dog, go and wipe the floor!¡± It was only then did Samuel put the cup down and go to wipe the floor. Stanley and Daniel, who were both in the study, also heard themotion and came downstairs. Upon seeing Nicole looking so beautiful, a surprised look appeared in Stanley¡¯s eyes. ¡°I knew Nicole was beautiful, but I never thought that she¡¯d be even more so after Mom¡¯s makeover!¡± Even the usually dull Stanley was also effusive with his praise, causing Nicole to be a little embarrassed. ¡°Dear brothers, stop teasing me already¡­It was Mom who insisted on me trying out the clothes.¡± ¡°It fits you very well,¡± Sean said with a very elegant smile. Gloria looked at Daniel and said, ¡°Daniel, do you think our girl will look good in this dress at the Johnston¡¯s banquet?¡± The moment the words came out, only did Nicole realize something was going on. ¡°Mom, did you buy all these clothes for me¡­ just because there¡¯s a banquet?¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s the Johnston family¡¯s banquet this time.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± She had no idea, and Jared had not told her anything about it. ¡°It¡¯s expected that you had no idea. It¡¯s being hosted by Mr. Johnston Sr., and I heard that it¡¯s to announce the next heir to the Johnston Group.¡± The news made Nicole frown as she could not help but think of Murphy, who had made a scene at the airport. She had investigated the background of the members of the Johnston Group in the past few days. Jared had been overseas all this while, so thepany was under the management of his second uncle, Henry. Henry¡¯s sons, Castor and Murphy, were the senior manager and deputy managers of a branchpany. Although Murphy was useless, Castor, however, was not someone to be trifled with. But she also found out that Mr. Johnston Sr. called Jared back when he was approaching retirement, seemingly intending to let Jared take over the Johnston Group. ¡®Henry is, however, already very established in thepany, and every single upper management persons were in line with him, making things very difficult for Jared.¡¯ Chapter 755 Chapter 755 ¡®Yet, Mr. Johnston Sr. suddenly wanted to hold a banquet to announce his sessor.¡¯ Content provided by N?velDrama.Org. ¡®That probably will confuse everyone. Who is he going to name as his sessor?¡¯ Seeing Nicole¡¯s expression turn glum, Sean knew that Nicole was thinking about something within, yet he still pretended to be calm and said, ¡°It¡¯s difficult for us outsiders to interfere with the matters of the Johnston family, but we still need to attend the banquet.¡± After all, Mr. Johnston Sr. had helped them before and attended the Riddle family¡¯s banquet as well. How could they not attend this when even Mr. Riddle Sr. was the one personally making the trip? ¡°I understand. I will attend it.¡± Nicole nodded. She knew that with her current rtionship with Jared, it was indeed time for her to get a clearer picture of his situation. She could not just always have Jared help her out. She should find a way to help him back as well. ¡°Good then. Get ready in these few days.¡± Daniel smiled genially. ¨C Nicole nodded. She knew that she must not cause the Riddle family to lose face, and so she needed to be prepared. ¡ª ¨C The next afternoon, Nicole brought bags of items Gloria had prepared for her back to school as she nned to go back to the dormitory to familiarize herself with the matters she needed to deal with on Monday. However, just as she got off the car at the school gate, she was blocked by a car. Nicole frowned as she looked at the ck car. She could tell at a nce its license te meant that this was no ordinary person¡¯s car. Soon, a slim figure came down from the car. This was the first time Joyce saw Nicole, but the moment she saw her, Joyce could not help but be surprised. So, the Nicole that could influence Mr. Wyance is actually a girl about eighteen to neen years old, and she¡­ is such a beauty.¡¯ Even as ady, Joyce found herself to be a little jealous. She bit her lips and puffed up the chest she was proud of as she tried to make her look imposing as she said, ¡°You¡¯re Nicole?¡± Nicole raised an eyebrow as she looked at Joyce¡¯s arrogant look and was instantly put off. ¡°Yes, and who are you again?¡± Her rather discourteous response caught Joyce by surprise. Are youngdies these days all so arrogant?¡¯ However, at this point, she could only grit her teeth and say, ¡°We¡¯ve not met before, but I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve heard of the McCarthy family, right?¡± ¡°You¡¯re from the McCarthy family?¡± Nicole eyed her coldly. It was only just Saturday when Sean spoke about them, and she did not expect someone from the McCarthy family to look for her so soon. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m a daughter of the McCarthy family, Joyce McCarthy.¡± Joyce proimed her name as she proudly crossed her arms before her. Yet, Nicole did not even pay her any heed. ¡°And?¡± Upon seeing Nicole was totally unperturbed, Joyce could not help but feel a little frustrated. After taking a deep breath, she calmed down somewhat. ¡°I¡¯m here to see who¡¯s this person from the Riddle family that managed to sway Mr. Wyance. I never thought that she¡¯d be just a brat.¡± Nicole looked at Joyce¡¯s deliberately contemptuous look and said icily, ¡°If I¡¯m a brat, you don¡¯t look much older than me either, no?¡± She looked like she was about Martin¡¯s age, twenty-four or twenty-five years old. ¡°I did not expect you to have quite the sharp tongue.¡± Seeing that Nicole was not about to step back, Joyce felt there was no longer a need to continue with the meaningless banter as she said, ¡°Let¡¯s cut to the chase. The reason I¡¯m looking for you is that I know where you stand in Mr. Wyance¡¯s heart and your status in the Riddle family. We¡¯ll just consider the McCarthy family lost thest round. Recently, there¡¯s a new real estate project, and the McCarthy Corporation ns to work together with the Riddle family. Help me send the word back and see if they are willing to work with us or not. If they are, the McCarthy Corporation will split forty-sixty with the Riddle Corporation.¡± Nicole looked at Joyce with her smug look and felt a little disgusted. She knew the situation with the McCarthy family, and they were hoping to use this project to turn things around, so how could the Riddle Corporation step into this trap? So it seemed like Joyce was treating her as a normal high school student and wanted to hoodwink her and use her rtionship with Mr. Wyance to influence his family¡¯s decision. She could not be bothered to think too much as Nicole spoke, ¡°No need.¡± Joyce¡¯s originally gleeful face suddenly froze. ¡°What did you say?¡± Chapter 756 Chapter 756 Her father had told her that as long as she got this ignorant girl who did not know anything to let slip words of attractive-sounding profit, then she could convince the Riddle family to work with the McCarthy family. However, Nicole could not even be bothered to y messenger as she simply just rejected her. Joyce could not help but panic. ¡°You¡¯re declining to cooperate with us without even passing on the message? Do you have any idea how big the profits will be if we cooperate? It¡¯ll be billions!¡± Nicole frowned and did not expect it to be such a huge project. So, it seems like the McCarthy family cannot shoulder this alone, so that¡¯s why they are looking to cooperate with the Riddle Corporation.¡± When Nicole thought of this, her smirk got even colder. ¡°Ah, now I get it. However¡­ this is simply because the McCarthy Corporation cannot shoulder such a huge project alone, but our Riddle Corporation is different. We can take on this project by ourselves. So why do we need to cooperate with you again?¡± Joyce was stunned. ¡°W-What did you say?¡± This girl looks like she¡¯s barely even twenty. How is she so shrewd?¡¯ ¡°You¡¯ve heard what I said. We, Riddle Corporation, will not work with the McCarthy Corporation. If we want to, we can take on this project alone.¡± Nicole¡¯s presence was so domineering, and her pride towered over everything. Joyce waspletely bbergasted. She did not expect to be crushed by a high schooler like this! She gritted her teeth and hissed, ¡°You really think the Riddle Corporation is capable of taking on this project alone? You overestimate yourself!¡± Even the McCarthy family dared not make such ims. She really doesn¡¯t know anything at all.¡¯ ¡°Whether we can take on the project or not is none of your concern. As long as we have enough cash, any project is within our reach.¡± Nicole smirked coldly. ¡®If I¡¯m not short of money, then the Riddle family is not short of money. Seeing Nicole being so confident, Joyce was at a loss of words for a good while. ¡°Nothing else? I¡¯ll be heading off then.¡± As she said that, Nicole took out a few bags from the car. She turned around and walked into the school with swagger. Joyce red at Nicole as she felt only humiliation As a daughter of the McCarthy family. I¡¯ve never been treated like this before! This girl, who gave her that confidence? Joyce was miffed, but she was even more worried. ¡®If the Riddle family does not work with us, that means that our family will not be able to secure this project, and when the timees, it means a breakdown in cash flow¡­¡¯ Gritting her teeth, Joyce thought of Martin. It looked like the only person she could seek help from was Martin Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org. When Nicole got back to her room, she noticed that Lulu was not back yet, but June was around. She saw that June was watching something on the phone with a silly lovestruck look on her face, not even noticing Nicole when she came in. Nicole could not help but let out a cough. ¡°Ahem!¡± June immediately sprang up. ¡°N-Nicole!¡± When she got up, she did not forget to hide the phone, looking all suspicious, but her cheeks were flushed red. Nicole raised her eyebrow and had an idea what was going on. She smirked yfully and said, ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°N-Nothing.¡± June looked away nervously. She dared not tell Nicole that she was watching a video of Samuel¡¯s basketball match or that her heart almost stopped beating when she saw Samuel¡¯s smile. ¡°Let me have a look.¡± Nicole put down the shopping bags and grabbed June¡¯s phone. Sure enough, the video of Samuel¡¯s basketball match was on the screen. Nicole could not help but snort. ¡°So, you¡¯re being all lovestruck with my brother.¡± She had long guessed that June liked Samuel. However, she just did not expect that June, the literal study freak during the weekdays, would be so lovestruck at Samuel¡¯s video during the weekends. Chapter 757 Chapter 757 ¡°I¡­¡± June bit her lips in embarrassment ¡°Nicole, please don¡¯t tell your brother¡­¡± ¡®Or else I¡¯ll really die from embarrassment. ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± Nicole nced at her. ¡°Who do you take me for? I hate gossip the most.¡± June nodded solemnly. ¡°Yeah, I know. You¡¯re not that sort of person.¡± It was only then she somewhat relieved. Nicole started to change, and as she changed, she suddenly recalled something. ¡°The Wace family in San Joto is quite an influential family. Are you going to Mr. Johnston Sr.¡¯s banquet?¡± 3 June was slightly taken aback. ¡°¡­ I don¡¯t know.¡± Although she was a daughter of the Wace family in San Joto, she focused mostly on her studies and did not ask about what was going on at home. ¡°My brother will be there.¡± All five of her brothers will be attending the banquet, and Samuel was naturally not an exception After June got a tip from Nicole, her eyes lit up. ¡°I¡¯ll go too then!¡± There was not much opportunity for her to get in touch with Samuel outside school, and she needed to seize this opportunity. ¡°Smart girl,¡± Nicole said as she winked at June. ¡°Make sure to doll up. Let me know if you¡¯re short of anything.¡± June always seemed like she did not get much pocket money. The average daughters of rich families were not as thrifty as she was. Her sensibility pained Nicole so much that she was afraid that June was unwilling to spend money, so she added that reminder. June could not help but be touched. ¡°Nicole¡­ thank you so much.¡± Although she was the daughter of the Wace family, ever since her stepmother married into the family, she rarely asked her family for money. Most of the time, her living expenses came from her own schrship money and some allowances from her grandmother. If she was to attend a banquet, she really did not have all that much money. ¡°What are you thanking me for? Aren¡¯t we friends?¡± Nicole teased. She had already long taken June and Lulu as her friends. June did not expect Nicole to say something so earnest and was touched. ¡°Nicole¡­ You¡¯re the best!¡± As she said that, she hugged Nicole from the change, even though thetter was not done changing yet. Nicole had just only slipped her t-shirt over her head, and the clothes were stuck on her shoulders when she was so awkwardly hugged. ¡°Uh, let me go first. I¡¯m not done dressing yet¡­¡± ¡®This was really awkward.¡¯ However, if it weren¡¯t for her arms trapped by her shirt, she would have pushed June away This was the first time Nicole had skin contact with a friend, and she was a little embarrassed. June immediately let her go and said, ¡°I¡¯ll help you put on your shirt!¡± As she said that, she pulled Nicole¡¯s casual tee down, After that, the two sat down to chat. Although Nicole only spoke asionally between exchanges, she would at times stillugh together with June. The two were really rxed. Inside the hospitalboratory¨C Joyce was seated in the crampedb with an uncontroble look of anxiety on her face. She finally returned to the team at Martin¡¯s grace, but she was still very nervous, worrying that she would be kicked out if she messed up again. Ever since the incident, she dared not speak to Martin casually anymore, and she did not know how to approach him about the McCarthy family¡¯s matter. At this moment, Martin was cutting something on theb bench with his hair messy. A sharpened pen was stuck on his ear as he could sense Joyce¡¯s gaze from time to time, and an irritable look slowly appeared on his face. He was unwilling to toss away the test tube in his hand. He carefully lifted it up as he looked at Joyce, his eyes cold and impatient. Content provided by N?velDrama.Org. ¡°There¡¯s no one here now. I¡¯ll give you onest chance. Now, speak, what Chapter 758 Chapter 758 Martin really had enough of her always being like this. When Joyce saw him looking at her and asking that question, she was so touched and wanted to say something. Yet, when she recalled that awkward situation that day, she quickly put that nonsense away and told him straightaway what was troubling her, ¡°Martin, my family recently lost a bid fornd near San Joto to the Riddle Corporation, and they¡¯ve also taken a few of our projects recently. There¡¯s a new recent project that we want to work on with the Riddle Corporation. My family has prepared well for it. Could you pass on a word to Mr. Wyance¡­?¡± What the McCarthy family feared the most was if the Riddle Corporation asked first and got handed the project, then the McCarthy Corporation would be totally done for. N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. Martin nced at her somewhat speechlessly. This sort of matter was the most boring of things in his eyes, and he did not expect Joyce to be out of sorts because of that. He then said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll let Dad know if the McCarthy Corporation really runs into trouble. Focus on the experiment and don¡¯t get distracted again, or else¡­¡± He gave Joyce a warning look, hinting that she should know what he meant. Joyce understood what he meant as a look of surprise appeared on her face. She totally did not expect him to agree just like that. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Martin. We¡¯ve already at the final stage of our research. I¡¯ll focus on it.¡± Martin nced at her, thinking to himself. ¡®Oh, so you actually know that the research is at its final stage?¡¯ However, in order to reassure her, he took off his glove and disinfected himself before leaving theb. He stood by the door and gave his father a call. The call only connected after a good while, and Martin said with some irritation, ¡°Dad, what¡¯s taking you so long to answer the call?¡± A melodious voice came from the other end. ¡°Martin? Your father is in a meeting right now. Just let me know if there¡¯s anything.¡± Martin frowned when he heard the voice. He almost wanted to immediately cut the line, but after pondering for a bit, he restrained himself. ¡°Get my dad to call me back once he is done.¡± After that, he pressed the red disconnect button on the phone screen. Only then did he remember, ¡®Isn¡¯t Nicole from the Riddle family? ¡®The McCarthy family actually wants to work with the Riddle family. I wonder if Nicole would agree or not.¡¯ Thinking of this, he felt a little regretful. ¡®I should not have straightaway agreed to Joyce on this. ¡®After all, Dad did support the Riddle family for that piece ofnd. That shows that the Riddle family has an outstanding point.¡¯ However, he had already given his word and could not go back on it. Thinking of this, he could not help but ruffle his messy hair, a look of hesitation appearing on his face. However, after some pondering, he walked in and said to the anticipating Joyce, ¡°Wait a bit, my dad is in a meeting. I¡¯ll give him a call once he¡¯s done.¡± Joyce was a little disappointed, but she dared not say anything and only nodded. As long as Martin is willing to help me, it¡¯s more than enough.¡¯ Martin looked at Joyce and felt that she looked rather pitiful. After all, he was somewhat responsible for the McCarthy family¡¯s failure in losing thend bid. If he were to just let things be and allow the McCarthy Corporation to go bankrupt, it would rub against his conscience, so he could only give it a try. Martin forced himself to stop thinking about it as he turned to look at the numbers on his instrument panel with tretful eyes Joyce on the other hand, thought Martin was worried about the experiment¡¯s results, so she stared at the instrument panel too, but her wandering eyes looked a little absentminded. To her, her medical research was important, but her family matters were obviously much more important. It was only when the McCarthy family found no help after searching around did she thicken her skin and look for Martin once again, As long as they could get this project, they could recover the loss incurred in losing that plot ofnd. But she knew her father had not put much effort into this cooperation proposal. He was instead trying to find someone to get an opportunity to speak with Mr. Wyance and get thetter to consider them once again However, the McCarthy family did not know many people in San Joto, and their base was weak. Yet, they did not want to focus on their industry but instead hoped to get into ces of wealth and power using connections, so their reputation in San Joto was just very average. Chapter 759 Chapter 759 It was because of that did her father remember that she knew Martin and wondered if he could help them cultivate a good impression before Mr. Wyance. After all, it was said that the project¡¯s internal scheduling had determined that the tender was to be done by the governor, so it was almost up to Mr. Wyance to decide who to give the tender to. Thinking of this, Joyce subconsciously stirred the ss rod in the beaker. The experimental data was no longer in her mind, only her worries about her family. After all, she could only continue tofortably be a doctor if the McCarthy family was prosperous, and if they were to lose again in this tender, her quality of life would likely see a downgrade. Thinking of this, a surge of emotion shed across Joyce¡¯s eyes as she subconsciously looked at Martin with an obvious pleading look on her face. Martin, who was stern with her but still extended a helping hand, was her only hope. N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. When she thought of that, her eyes looking at Martin were like a greedy fisher who found the riches of the deep. Martin was focused on the cell activity of the experiment and paid no attention to Joyce¡¯s gaze. He was very ambitious, and the purpose of this experiment would scare people witless. Even the members of his own team had no idea what his ultimate goal was. It was just that whenever he was just a step away, there would be a thin barrier standing between him and the level he wanted to achieve. This was the closest he ever was to his dream, and sess or failure all depended on this. Martin did not stop personally adjusting the temperature of the biological solution in the test tube. His eyes were locked onto the numbers disyed on the instrument penal as he closed in on that threshold he had been dreaming of! Yet just a second before it reached that threshold, all of the cells in the test tube suddenly stopped moving and then lost all activity one by one. And the numbers on the instrument rapidly fell. This was the Nth number of failures now, and Martin¡¯s eyes were a little red from staying upte. He rubbed his rather pale face as he walked out with an unsteady step, not even bothering to take off his gloves. He thought it would definitely be sessful this time. This was already his limit, yet he was still unable to keep the cells alive in that state, even after he had added his improved oxygenase as an auxiliary reagent. It was still useless. Martin suddenly felt a little despair. He put his hand into his pocket and then pulled out a cigarette before lighting it up and bit it by the side of his mouth. His team members originally wanted toe over to console him. Their ability to endure was far better than Martin¡¯s as thetter had poured his heart and soul into this experiment, and every failure meant a complete rebuke of himself. So far, thest attempt was the closest one to sess. It was just a tenth of a second away, and his new active enzyme invention would be sessful. Yet, they did not know that the active enzyme they thought they were researching was only a binding reagent Martin was using to assist with his experiment. Upon seeing Martin pulling out a cigarette, the few people around him looked at each other and, with tacit understanding, did not move forward anymore. Their team leader would only smoke when he was at his emotional limits. No one dared to go piss him off at this juncture. Martin seemed to be looking ahead but also seemed to be not looking at anything at all. His eyes were nk and unfocused. He took a deep puff as he let out a rare look of exhaustion. ¡®Do I have the right to chase after that miracle doctor?¡¯ Chapter 760 Chapter 760 Just as he was spacing out, Owen carefully leaned over and warned Martin as he looked at thetter¡¯s sullen face. ¡°Chief, the cig is going to burn your fingers.¡± N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. Only then did Martin realize that. He immediately flicked the cigarette butt that almost burned his fingers onto the ground. He extinguished it before picking it up and tossing it into the nearby trash can. His expression was very sullen, so Owen cautiously tried tofort him. ¡°Chief, don¡¯t be too sad. We¡¯ve failed so many times previously¡­¡± This is just another of those attempts.¡¯ As Owen saw Martin¡¯s expression darken, he did not mention thetter half of the sentence. Martin knew what he said was true, but the failure of the experiment sent his mood down into the abyss. He irritably scratched his fluffy curly hair. In the end, he finally took a deep breath before he said softly,¡± I¡¯ll be heading home for a bit.¡± He wanted to go home to calm down and consider if he should be persisting on this path or not. After all, he had encountered way too many bumps in the past six months. As he thought of this, Martin directly walked out of theb. Seeing that his expression had mellowed down somewhat, Joyce tossed the things in her hand over to her assistant and trotted over as she softly called out to Martin. ¡°Martin, wait for me!¡± Martin suddenly stopped as he once again impatiently looked at Joyce, his tone somewhat unfriendly. ¡°What else do you want?¡± Martin walked very fast, and it was tough for Joyce to keep up with him. Seeing that he finally stopped, she did not care about his attitude as she panted and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go home together. You and me.¡± ¡°WHAT?¡¯ Martin frowned. ¡°What did you say?¡± Joyce looked at him as she rposed her breathing. She smiled at Martin, ¡°Go home, of course¡­ Eh, Martin, wait for me!¡± Martin was not in the mood to listen to her as he turned around and left in disgust. Joyce¡¯s voice chasing after him came from behind him, ¡°Martin, wait for me!¡± When Martin heard that she was chasing after him, his expression turned even more sullen as he immediately walked out of the hospital. Joyce, even when she used all of her strength, could not keep up with Martin¡¯s pace. Seeing that Martin was walking farther and farther away, Joyce trembled in a fury. After getting into his car, Martin recalled what Joyce told him as he irritably took out his phone and called that number again. He was a man of his word. He would never break his promise. The phone rang for a good while, but no one answered, and just as Martin was about to hang up, the call suddenly connected. What came from the other side was still that gentle voice, ¡°Martin, it¡¯s me. What¡¯s the matter?¡± Martin remembered thest time he told Mr. Wyance to not hand over his phone to his stepmother, and thetter simply ignored him, and that made him so furious that he could not speak for a moment. Chapter 761 Chapter 761 Yet, Martin also inexplicably felt sad inside. ¡®So dad would rather listen to this ambitious woman than to listen to his own son¡¯s words?¡¯ All these years, his father, Sebastian Wyance, was extremely strict with him, yet he was so kind to that woman and her child and gave that child a lot of money for his expenses. Yet, Sebastian had never been so kind to him before! Thinking of this, Martin felt even more distressed. He was already in a bad mood today and did not expect his father tond another critical blow on him. He had always disliked talking to his stepmother, so he just said, ¡°Remember to tell dad to do what I told him.¡± Since the McCarthy family wanted to work together with the Riddle family on that new project, he would help her get that as long as it did not harm Nicole. Once done, Joyce would no longer keep bugging him about her family members like a haunting ghost. Martin¡¯s stepmother was clearly not happy being treated so brusquely, so she quickly asked, ¡°Martin, what¡¯s the matter?¡± After saying that, his stepmother realized that she was being quite barefaced about it, so she tried to cover things up, ¡°Martin, don¡¯t go thinking wildly. I¡¯m just afraid that I might not be able to send the complete message and affect the affair that concerns the two of you.¡± Martin, however, snorted and said sneeringly, ¡°What do my affairs have anything to do with you? Let me give you a word of advice. Pack up and leave my home!¡± As he said that, he immediately hung up. A peaceful night passed by. Nicole got up the next day to jog with Zeke and Austin. Sammey and the others came to join in the fun. Seeing the two were almost on par with each other, Nicole smiled softly. The two had improved rapidly and should not have any problems protecting themselves now. They were keen students and would ask Nicole about ways to disarm a technique from time to time. Nicole patiently answered their questions, and Zeke immediately took out a pen and paper to write them down. Austin also listened intently as he started to perform the technique. He very rarely noted things down and found that remembering things on the spot was much more practical. Under Nicole¡¯s guidance, Austin felt that his thinking became much more agile. Back then, he had tried many disarming techniques but found it difficult to break through Zeke¡¯s evolving techniques, and after Nicole pointed it out to him again, he suddenly felt enlightened. Nicole¡¯s thoughts were straight to the point. They cut out all other trivial matters like a de and struck in the most direct manner to catch her opponent. She had a terrifying talent in martial arts but in Austin¡¯s view, what was most valuable was her keen, almost instinctual rational intuition. She could focus and gain insight into everything, and this was something others could never achieve in a lifetime. The more Austin and Zeke mingled with Nicole, the more they found her unfathomable. They felt that they were like a sponge being left in the vast, endless ocean, but what they could absorb was only the tip of the iceberg. The distance between Nicole and them was like a chasm that could never be bridged. Zeke had thought that he had seen through Nicole and now felt that she was even more unfathomable than he had initially thought. Nicole looked at the two as they were very quiet and taciturn today.. From the moment she started to talk about the techniques, Zeke started writing and did not even lift his head up while Austin was practicing it for fear of forgetting the new technique she had just taught him. Seeing the two being so hardworking, she sighed in delight, ¡°It¡¯s so rare to see the two of you being so serious today.¡± N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. Zeke did not react as he quickly noted down thest of her lecture and did not even look up at all. ¡°The two of you have no problems protecting yourselves now, so just train between yourself from tomorrow onwards.¡± As she said that, a glint appeared in her eyes as she looked d. Yet, Austin felt an inexplicable chill from the back of his neck as he looked at Nicole¡¯s focused eyes and saw that she really did not want to teach them anymore. Austin immediately retorted. ¡°No way! We¡¯ve only learned the basics! Chapter 762 Chapter 762 Austin thought, I¡¯ve not done learning, so how can Nicole stop teaching me?¡¯ Seeing his reluctant face, Nicole smiled helplessly, ¡°What¡¯s the point of learning so manybat techniques? The techniques you know right now are more than enough. It¡¯s not like you¡¯re in the army. Focus on your studies, and don¡¯t keep thinking of fighting.¡± Austin looked at Nicole, and an indescribable look appeared in his eyes. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ it¡¯s not that I want to fight.¡± Nicole was the strongest person he had ever seen in the Royal Creek Institute. He really did not know whom he should learn martial arts from if Nicole did not teach him anymore. His heart set, Austin said determinedly as he looked Nicole in the face, ¡°I really want to learn martial arts, and maybe join the army or the special forces in the future, to be someone useful to society.¡± ¡°Pfft.¡± When Zeke heard Austin saying something so absurd just to have Nicole continue to teach him, he could not help butugh. ¡°Austin, you¡¯re overestimating yourself, no? With your level, it¡¯s impossible for you to get into the special forces.¡± Zeke¡¯s father, Karlo Guzman, was in the army, so he knew the requirements for the troops best. ¡°Who do you think you are?¡± Austin red at Zeke, a little angry at thetter poking fun at him. Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org. When Zeke heard this, he was even more amused as he looked at the furious Austin and said, ¡°Austin, you don¡¯t know who I am? If you want to join the special forces, I might actually have a say in that.¡± Zeke crossed his arms over his chest, acting like a big shot. Nicole could not stand that and smacked Zeke at the back of the head. ¡°Oh, don¡¯t you go acting full of yourself.¡± Karlo was a proper man of his own mind. There was no way he would listen to his son. Seeing Nicole now demolishing him instead, Zeke¡¯s movements became somewhat stiff. An awkward look appeared in his eyes. ¡°I¡¯m not. I really do know the requirements for being a special force soldier¡­¡± When Austin heard that, he could not help but be curious as he asked, ¡°How do you know?¡± Yet Zeke only cast an icy gaze over. ¡°Speak a word more, and I¡¯ll make sure you lie down there.¡± He said that as he snarled inwardly, ¡®Nicole wouldn¡¯t have scolded me if you didn¡¯t run your mouth, idiot.¡¯ Austin was dumbfounded and piped down as he continued to train. He dared not ask any more questions, but the seeds of suspicion had budded within him. ¡®This bastard, Zeke. He seems like someone with quite the background. Who is he exactly?¡¯ However, Austin quickly rposed himself. ¡®If I have time to worry about him, I might as well worry about Boss. What will I do if Boss really doesn¡¯t want to teach me anymore?¡¯ ¡®Without Boss¡¯s teaching, will a young talent like I get buried?¡¯ Thinking of this, Austin pulled back his wandering thoughts as he focused his gaze on Nicole, hoping that she would change her mind. However, Nicole seemed to have made up her mind, and no matter how Austin looked at her, she did not react. After morning practice, Nicole returned to the ssroom. Lulu was the busiest on Monday mornings because she was a course representative responsible for collecting everyone¡¯s homework Seeing that Nicole was still unfazed after being the ss rep, Lulu could not help but sigh, ¡°Why are you not as busy as me even after you became ss rep?¡± Back then, when Vivian was a ss rep, she would always issue orders as if she was very busy. Yet, Nicole was different, and she was very free on the first Monday after she took the position. ¡°There¡¯s nothing much. I¡¯ll go into the details of the sports meet after Ms. Emerson announces it.¡± ¡°Sports meet?¡± Lulu¡¯s eyes widened as she heard that and said as if she recalled something. ¡°Oh yeah, right. It¡¯s the sports meet around this month¡­ Eh, how did you get shoved with this crap right after you took up the position.¡¯ Hearing Lulu¡¯s snarky remark, Nicole could not help but frown. ¡°Is it that difficult?¡± Lulu immediately nodded. ¡°Of course. Just think, the Royal Creek Institute is focused on studies and results, and people would take part in some famouspetitions, but the sports meet is both a thankless and pointless matter, so most of the ss don¡¯t like participating in it¡­¡± Chapter 763 Chapter 763 Back then, it was Vivian who would preside over the sports meet as she coaxed or even threatened people to join one of the events. Nicole had only just taken up the position and did not know about this, much less force everyone to participate. ¡°I see.¡± Nicole only said that before turning to her books. ¡°How are you not panicking?¡± Seeing that Nicole was still unperturbed, Lulu panicked in her stead. ¡°Some things are just pointless to fret over. Things will work themselves out. Don¡¯t worry.¡± Nicole smiled and asked Lulu to calm down. Lulu calmed down somewhat. ¡®Nicole is different from Vivian. Perhaps she could really find a way.¡¯ Content provided by N?velDrama.Org. As she said that, she saw Vivian walking into the ssroom. After avoiding her for a few days, Vivian finally returned to ss for fear of falling behind in ss. When she stepped into the ssroom, she gave Nicole a bitter nce, but her temper was not as fiery as before. Seeing that she was behaving, Lulu did not say much. Soon, Ms. Emerson came in and announced the sports meet. When everyone heard about it, it was a sea of sighs. ¡°Ah¡­ This year¡¯s sports meet is half a month earlier than thest one¡­¡± ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t want to participate. I¡¯m not feeling well¡­¡± Ms. Emerson knew about the situation in her ss too. But this was a sports meet organized by the school. It did not make sense if no one participated. At this moment, she looked at Nicole and asked, ¡°Nicole, do you have any ideas?¡± Ms. Emerson had no ideas and could only ask if Nicole had any other suggestions. When Vivian saw this, she could not help but feel a tinge of schadenfreude. ¡®Nicole¡¯s timing as ss rep sure is unfortunate for her running straight into the sports meet. How could she, who just took up the position, handle something that I could not even get right well? ¡®I just need to wait until she slips up, and the ss rep position will be mine again! While gleefully thinking of that, Vivian wished that Nicole would just say she had no idea. Yet, Nicole spoke after pondering for a moment. ¡°The sports meet this year is different from the previous ones. After all, it¡¯s the first sports meet after the school¡¯s centennial anniversary, so the student¡¯s council has set up an awards system outside the prizes, but what exactly the system is or what the awards are is yet to be confirmed.¡± Nicole spoke slowly, but her words stunned everyone. ¡°There are prizes?¡± Everyone¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°For real?¡± ¡®This was something not seen in the previous sports meet.¡¯ ¡°The previous sports meet only has prizes for the top three, and there are additional prizes as well?¡± Everyone looked at Nicole in disbelief, and she looked back at everyone. Although she had not brought the matter up with the student¡¯s council yet, she was confident that the matter would be approved as long as she spoke to Stanley. Thinking of this, she gave everyone a rare smile. ¡°It¡¯s true. Also, there are not only prizes for the top three but amemorative award just by participating.¡± I ¡°Woah, awesome!¡± Everyone knew that when it came to rewards and prizes, the Royal Creek Institute was extraordinary! Even their schrships were far greater than most schools! So even amemorative award would be some expensive luxury item! How could they miss out on that? Chapter 764 Chapter 764 Nicole narrowed her eyes at seeing everyone stirred up. ¡°Register now before ces run out.¡± Those students, who felt dejected just now, raised their hands at once. ¡°I want to take part.¡± ¡°Me, too. I will take part in the long jump.¡± The ss came alive instantly. Lulu did not expect Nicole to turn things around so quickly, arousing everyone¡¯s enthusiasm for the sports day in just one day. This was something that had never been seen before at the Royal Creek Institute. Vivian did not expect Nicole to be so smooth-spoken, persuading everyone with just a few words. In the past, she had to make people sign up for the sports day by using coercion and inducement tactics, sometimes having to pay out of her own pocket to do that, yet those people were still reluctant to take part. So she was upset when Nicole, who had just assumed the post, could do that effortlessly. ¡®When did the student union have a reward mechanism?¡¯ Feeling with hatred, Vivian was itching to pour cold water on everyone¡¯s enthusiasm. ¡°Calm down, you all. When did the student union ever give out rewards? Nicole, are you trying to fool everyone into signing up for the sports day and then tell them there is no reward at all, or even if there is, it is just a piece of useless paper? Come on, just forget it.¡± Vivian¡¯s sarcastic remark burst everyone¡¯s bubble of hope. Many of them calmed down and looked at Nicole. ¡°You didn¡¯t lie to us, did you, Nicole?¡± ¡°Is there really a reward mechanism?¡± ¡°What are the prizes?¡± They threw a series of questions at Nicole, who could not help but squint. On stage, Ms. Emerson thought this was a little too much. Whether what Nicole said was true or not, she knew Nicole was trying her best for everyone. ¡°Are you all signing up for the sports day just because of rewards? Can¡¯t you all have a sense of collective honor?¡± Everyone fell silent. Even Vivian did not dare to speak. But Ms. Emerson had not let Vivian go yet. ¡°Nicole has been making efforts to encourage everyone to take part in the sports day. If you are not helping, at least refrain from frustrating her effort. I know you¡¯re upset that Nicole took over as ss monitor, but you can¡¯t target your ssmate just because of that.¡± Vivian did not expect Ms. Emerson to be so biased toward Nicole. Ms. Emerson not only questioned her but also exposed her jealousy of Nicole in front of everyone just because she had said something not too nice. She felt humiliated, biting her lips in indignation, and then was about to exin herself. Just then, Nicole smiled and interrupted Ms. Emerson. ¡°It¡¯s all right. ¡°I understand why Vivian thinks it¡¯s impossible. After all, she hadn¡¯t fought for everyone before. But I will strive for a better reward mechanism for everyone this time. It will not be just an empty talk, and the prizes will not disappoint everyone.¡± Hearing Nicole¡¯s assurance and thinking of what Ms. Emerson had said, more people believed Nicole, as they realized Vivian had tried to sabotage Nicole¡¯s effort because of jealousy. ¡°We believe in you, Nicole. I will sign up for the ry race.¡± ¡°Me too. I will sign up for the javelin throw.¡± The rest of the people followed suit after a few of them took the lead in signing up for the sports day. Nicole smiled, ¡°Well, if anyone would like to sign up for the sports day,e to me for the registration form after ss.¡± Vivian was not too happy when Nicole sessfully defused the crisis. But there was nothing she could do, as her teacher and ssmates were now on Nicole¡¯s side. Realizing she had lost her ce in the hearts of her ssmates, she felt indescribably frustrated and hated Nicole even more. The rest of the people followed suit after a few of them took the lead in signing up for the sports day. Nicole smiled. ¡°Well, if anyone would like to sign up for the sports day,e to me for the registration form after ss.¡± N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. Vivian was not too happy when Nicole sessfully defused the crisis. But there was nothing she could do, as her teacher and ssmates were now on Nicole¡¯s side. Realizing she had lost her ce in the hearts of her ssmates, she felt indescribably frustrated and hated Nicole even more. Chapter 765 Chapter 765 At the end of the day, Nicole had all the forms distributed, and everyone had signed up. When Nicole delivered the report to the student union, Stanley and Edwin, and the others were working on things. They were a little surprised to see that Nicole had gotten everyone signed up. Stanley was also surprised. ¡°Your ss signed up so fast?¡± The entire Royal Creek Institute, whether it was the high school or the college department, hated sports events. Everyone did not want to take part, and they would push the decision to thest day if they could. ¡°Yes.¡± Nicole nodded and then asked, ¡°Don¡¯t your ssmates want to take part?¡± Stanley was helpless at the mention of this. ¡°Yeah, they¡¯re enthusiastic about everything except for sports day every year.¡± Edwin could not help but interject. ¡°Our ss is the same. They all are uncooperative. Most of them do not want to take part. Only Harvey and his ssmates will take part because he is Mr. Ellison¡¯s grandson. But the other sses are in a simr situation to us.¡± ; Nicole had a n in mind upon hearing that. Edwin could not wait and asked, ¡°Nicole, how on earth did you get them to sign up for the sports day so quickly? This is a record since the inception of the Royal Creek Institute.¡± Nicole nced at him and said calmly, ¡°I told them that this year¡¯s sports day differs from previous years. Apart from the usual prizes, the student union wille up with a reward scheme.¡± ¡°A reward scheme?¡± Edwin looked at Stanley with surprise. ¡°Did you approve it?¡± Stanley is the president of the student union. He was probably the only one who could decide. But they wondered why he did not tell them there was such a good scheme. Stanley was also baffled. ¡°No, I haven¡¯t heard of a reward scheme at all.¡± Edwin was stunned when the president did not even know. ¡°Nicole, did you make a mistake or something? Nicole shook her head. ¡°No, the idea just came to me on a whim. I was thinking of discussing it with you while sending over the registration forms. Since all sses are reluctant to sign up for the sports day, why not propose a reward scheme to motivate them?¡± Only then did it dawn on Stanley and Edwin; Nicole had heard it correctly and was nning to act first and seek permissionter. Edwin could not help but feel a little helpless. ¡°We wish we could, but the student union has limited funding, and the Royal Creek Institute¡¯s reward program is of a very high standard every year.¡± In other words, the student union could note up with that much money, Content provided by N?velDrama.Org. Nicole thought about it for a moment. It would be easy to deal with once the problem was understood. Stanley thought Nicole had run out of choice and was worried about her. ¡°It¡¯s okay, Nicole. Let¡¯s proceed with that. We will pay for the rewards out of our own pockets.¡± Nicole shook her head. ¡°Since this is a school affair, how can we pay for it ourselves?¡± Stanley was stunned. ¡°Then what else can we do?¡± Nicole then smiled shrewdly and whispered a few words into Stanley¡¯s ear. Before long, Stanley¡¯s gloomy expression turned bright, ¡°This is a great idea.¡± Looking at Stanley¡¯s surprised expression, Edwin could not help but get anxious, knowing that they had got a good n. ¡°What is it? Tell me.¡± Chapter 766 Chapter 766 Nicole looked at Stanley. ¡°You guys discuss it. I was just proposing it. You all are the ones implementing it. I will go now.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Stanley smiled, feeling more assured. Edwin could not hold back his curiosity. Seeing Nicole leave, he quickly grabbed Stanley. ¡°What is so secretive? Tell me what idea Nicole hase up with.¡± Stanley broke free of his grip. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll tell you.¡± The two then discussed the n together, and Edwin could not help but p his hands exultantly. ¡°Nicole is awesome. Only she could think of such a way.¡± It was sunset. Students were pouring out of the Royal Creek Institute. Those who did not live on campus got into their family cars and went home. In the caf¨¦ opposite the school, Martin was watching the studentse out of the school. He just wanted to see the person he had been waiting for. He was happy to have just a glimpse of her. Since thest time Martin knew that Nicole was injured, he had been worried and thinking about her, even more so after the failure of the experiment. But they did not know each other well, and he could only find a way to create a chance encounter. There was no other shop opposite the Royal Creek Institute, so he could only wait in the caf¨¦. Joyce was sitting next to him, and Martin found her a little too annoying. Had he known that she would come and disturb him, he would not have told her where he was. He was not in the mood to talk, but Joyce kept trying to find a topic to talk to him about. He just gave her a perfunctory reply. Seeing that Martin was not resenting, she continued to pester him, asking him to put in a good word for her family. Hearing her mention the project again, Martin was losing his cool and looking at Joyce with disgust. He was expressionless, thinking of giving Joyce a fair one, ¡®How could I not find out earlier that she was such an annoyance? Joyce did not notice that Martin was on the verge of losing his patience and still talked incessantly.¡± Have you ever talked to Mr. Wyance? Do you know what was going on in his mind? Is he going to give the project to the Riddle family only? They can¡¯t possibly handle it.¡± Martin saw her pretentious look and said nothing. He turned his gaze to the crowd outside, secretly fighting back his impulses. ¡®Keep cool, keep cool.¡¯ Joyce saw Martin ignore her and leaned her face over again. ¡°You will make good on your promise, right, Martin?¡± She thought she looked beautiful now, but Martin just wanted to punch her in the face and then throw her out the window Martin looked back at her, gritting his teeth, and smiled as she leaned her face closer. ¡°If you say one more word, I will immediately ask my dad to give the project to the Riddle family.¡± This worked better than fists. Joyce was frightened and shut up at once. But she keptining in her mind that Martin did not know how to treat a woman properly. ¡°He isn¡¯t even interested in such a pretty woman like me and shows his cold attitude. He deserves to be single for the rest of his life.¡¯ Thinking of this, Joyce secretly stole a nce at Martin, who was looking out of the window. She felt a little shy at seeing his handsome face. ¡®He still looks pretty handsome when he is not angry with me. He might have a sharp tongue and bad temper, but he still treats me well, basically agreeing to any request I ask, and would not put me on the spot. So, even if he is bad-tempered, I think I can still ept it. Such a man will treat his wife well after he gets married, right?N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. Chapter 767 Chapter 767 Joyce was smitten at the thought of this. Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org. She was in a daze, thinking about her future with Martin, and then about the bits and pieces she had spent with Martin before. She and he had been schoolmates since childhood, at the Royal Creek Institute and also at Yamenia. Even though they had left school and were working as doctors at San Joto Central Hospital, people called them the tag team of San Joto. Just as she was the only female researcher in Martin¡¯s research, he had never allowed other girls to approach him. Joyce felt indescribably sweet when she thought of this. She was almost certain that Martin liked her. They had simr interests andpatible personalities, even their professions so perfectly matched. He might have a quirky temper, but she was willing to put up with him. She was sure that she would be the woman who understood him the most in the world and that Martin could never meet another woman like her The crowd outside had dispersed, and Martin did not hear Joyce¡¯s voice again. He was a little surprised that Joyce could shut up so obediently for so long. ¡®Had I known this earlier, I would have threatened her this way?¡¯ Martin had finished his coffee and still did not get to see the person he wanted to see. He sighed and turned to look at the woman next to him, only to get startled by her look. Joyce was resting her chin on her hand with her elbow on the table, staring at him with a look of infatuation on her face. Seeing him look over, she winked at him with a shy face. ¡®Oh, my God.¡¯ Martin shrank back a little, trying to keep a distance from this woman. ¡®This is scary. I was too na?ve. I should have known that this woman would not stay quiet and do nothing. She¡¯s just pulling another trick on me.¡¯ Joyce began silent harassment of Martin, looking at him, seemingly wanting to say something. But Martin ignored her and just waited silently for thest few students toe out of the school. If the person did not show up, he would have to leave. After a few minutes, all students had left, and the school gate was closed, leaving only a side exit open. Martin sighed, knowing that he had no luck today. He got up in disappointment and strode toward the exit. Joyce stomped her feet in frustration as she gave chase but could not catch up with him. Just then, something came to mind, and she covered her face in shyness. Martin must be shy. He has never been in any rtionship before. He must be shy in facing me after finding himself conquered by me. This must be the case.¡¯ Martin did not know what Joyce was thinking. Had he known, he would not have hesitated to give her a punch in the face to sober her up and tell her to stop daydreaming. After paying his bill and just as he was walking toward the exit, he suddenly saw Nicole walk in. The person whom he had thought he could not see suddenly appeared and walked into the caf¨¦ in front of him. Martin was stunned. Nicole walked to the bar counter, wanting to order us a cup of coffee. When she saw Martin, she raised an eyebrow and said calmly, ¡°What a coincidence to see you here.¡± Chapter 768 Chapter 768 But Nicole was puzzled, ¡®The hospital where he works is in the city¡¯s north, which is a far distance from the Royal Creek Institute. So why did hee here for coffee?¡¯ ¡°Yeah, what a coincidence.¡± Martin was nervous, looking at Nicole, but could say nothing else. Even his face had reddened. Joyce caught up and saw Martin¡¯s blushed face. She could not help but frown, looking up ahead and spotted Nicole ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Joyce looked hostilely at her. Nicole frowned at seeing Joyce. When she looked again at how Joyce blocked Martin behind her, Nicole immediately knew that the two of them were acquainted. She raised an eyebrow and smiled. ¡°This caf¨¦ is right opposite my school. I should be the one who asks what you are doing here.¡± Joyce was startled and could not find a word to respond. She nced back at Martin, who was also lost for words and looked as if his motive had been discovered. ¡®What¡¯s going on? Martin has always been confident when facing me. Why is he looking so shy in front of this brat?¡¯ The thought of this rang an rm bell in her. Joyce looked at Nicole with cold eyes. ¡°We are here for coffee, of course. Is this caf¨¦ yours? Can¡¯t Ie here?¡± No sooner had her voice trailed off than an icy voice sounded from behind her. ¡°She doesn¡¯t own his caf¨¦, but her boyfriend does.¡± The maic voice caused the three of them to look over. Joyce saw a tall and handsome man, dressed in a spotless suit and leather shoes,ing down from the private lounge on the first floor. It was the caf¨¦¡¯s VIP room, which even she and Martin had not been able to book, ¡®Who is this man?¡¯ Joyce felt that the man was familiar as if she had seen him before. Martin¡¯s expression turned grave the moment he saw Jared. He just did not expect that Jared was really everywhere. But after hearing what Jared said, he immediately understood something. It turned out that Jared was the owner of the caf¨¦ while he and Joyce were the interlopers. But Martin still said hello to Jared. After thest time they had met, he already learned from the hospital CEO who Jared was-he was the heir to the Johnston Group, with whom even the grandson of the future governor could not afford to mess. He clenched his hands at the thought of this. Jared noticed the look in Martin¡¯s eyes, but he ignored it and walked past him and Joyce toe to Nicole. ¡°What would you like today?¡± Nicole smiled, ¡°Anything, as long as it is you who makes it.¡± As soon as the two of them met, the ring look of them being a match made in heaven stung the eyes of others. Joyce came to her senses and realized that Nicole and this handsome man were a couple, and the caf¨¦ belonged to this man. ¡°I will make it for you.¡± Jared smiled dotingly at Nicole as he reached out, wrapped an arm around Nicole¡¯s waist, and shot a nce at Martin as if dering sovereignty. Martin clenched his hands even tighter, his fingernails almost sinking into the flesh. It was a feeling he had never experienced before in his life. He wished he could pull Nicole over to himself now. ¡®Why? Why did I meet such a nice girl sote?¡¯ Joyce seemed to feel Martin¡¯s frustration and was jealous of Nicole. She found that the man beside Nicole was almost more handsome than Martin, and the way he dressed was just as ssy as if not ssier than, Martin was.Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org. Chapter 769 Chapter 769 She is just a little girl; why is such an excellent man willing to be with her?¡¯ While Joyce was in a daze, Jared¡¯s eyesnded on her. He had just nced at her, but Joyce¡¯s heart pounded uncontrobly. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw the frosty look in his eyes. ¡°Why did he look at me like that?¡¯ Joyce was too frightened to utter a sound. Then Jared said in an icy voice, ¡°This is my caf¨¦. Anyone who offends my girlfriend is not wee here. You are not wee here next time.¡± His knifelike words pierced into her heart. Joyce felt a chill running up her spine, and she could not find a word to respond. Jared did not look at Martin at all as she brought Nicole straight to where they used to sit. Before leaving, she politely nodded at Martin. Only then did she go without looking back again. After all, they were not that close to each other. All Martin wanted was to meet Nicole, not expecting that she would follow Jared away after he had just seen her for a few seconds. His heart sank watching the two of them sit down together, all his anticipation and excitement dissipating at once. He was left with the feeling of suffocation as if arge rock was pressing against his chest. Martin could no longer stand it. He spun around and left the caf¨¦ at once. ¡°Martin.¡± Joyce came to her senses and immediately ran after him. Silence finally returned in the caf¨¦. Jared was grinding the coffee and looking on as Martin and Joyce left. He then casually asked, ¡°Did that guye to see you?¡± Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org. Nicole frowned. ¡°No. I didn¡¯t know they were here.¡± Thest thing she wanted was to see Joyce. ¡°Oh, yeah?¡± Jared¡¯s eyes darkened, His caf¨¦ was not on a thoroughfare, so he wondered why anyone woulde to his caf¨¦, which was across the street from the Royal Creek Institute. ¡®Martin must be up to something.¡¯ Meanwhile, Nicole had Joyce in mind at this point. ¡°Could you please check out for me what project the McCarthy family has been eyeing recently?¡± She found out yesterday that the McCarthy family wanted to work with the Riddle family, but it was not clear what the project was. As Joyce and Martin seemed to be close, Joyce could lobby Martin, who would influence Sebastian, then it would inevitably affect Sebastian¡¯s decision. So Nicole figured she had better discuss it with her parents to see if the Riddle family really wanted the project. If the Riddle family was going for it, she would fight for it. She trusted that Stanley and Steve had the capability and would not embarrass Sebastian. ¡°What is the project that the McCarthy family is after?¡± Jared pondered for a moment and then remembered something. ¡°It¡¯s a big order from Mecrounia, a new energy project. If they can get the project, they would recoup the loss of thend they lost before.¡± Nicole¡¯s eyes darkened. ¡°I didn¡¯t know that they were after this.¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s a shame that almost no domesticpany can handle this massive project alone. Yet the McCarthy family is eyeing it, they are biting off more than they can chew.¡± Jared smirked, not taking the McCarthy family seriously. Nicole looked at him and whispered, ¡°So, Joyce came to me yesterday on behalf of the McCarthy family because she thought of working with the Riddle family to take on this mega project.¡± Jared paused what he was doing for a second and then smiled. ¡°Interestingly, the McCarthy family is willing toe to terms with the Riddle family for the sake of the project.¡± Nicole¡¯s eyes darkened even further. ¡°My dad once said the McCarthy family was narrow-minded. So I¡¯m afraid that their willingness toe to terms with us is probably just a deception.¡± Chapter 770 Chapter 770 Working with such people was always worrisome. Jared suddenly smiled when he saw Nicole¡¯s thoughtful look. ¡°I can help if the Riddle family wants to take on this project alone.¡± Nicole subconsciously looked up at Jared and sighed. ¡°I didn¡¯t ask you for help. If the Riddle family really wants it, I¡¯ll do it by myself.¡± Content provided by N?velDrama.Org. Jared looked at Nicole¡¯s stubborn look and knew that she had her way. ¡°You are my girlfriend. Instead of letting you go working with someone else, I would rather you work with me.¡± Nicole felt touched at seeing Jared¡¯s sincere look, but she still felt something not quite appropriate. As far as she knew, Johnston Group did not have any new energy business. If Jared wanted to help her take on the mega project, he would have a lot of work to do. Besides, he has a lot on his te right now. ¡°Don¡¯t always think about helping me. You¡¯re up to your neck now. I don¡¯t want to distract you.¡± Jared¡¯s eyes darkened upon hearing what Nicole said. ¡°You already knew it?¡± While speaking, he handed her the ground coffee. Nicole took it and said, ¡°I only know what outsiders know. I don¡¯t know it all.¡± Jared felt not toofortable hearing her. ¡°You¡¯re not an outsider. I will tell you whatever you want to know.¡± Nicole had felt Jared¡¯s sincerity and was really eager to know more about him. ¡°I want to know everything about you.¡± She had never been this serious about anyone before, and she really wanted to know everything about Jared. There was a sh of emotion in Jared¡¯s eyes. ¡°Do you want to hear the story?¡± Nicole looked curiously at Jared, not sure why he suddenly said that. ¡°It is a long story.¡± He smiled with a hint of helplessness in his eyes. Nicole understood and immediately nodded. ¡°Of course, I do. I want to hear everything about you.¡± Looking at Nicole¡¯s sincere eyes, Jared let go of his inner guard and started to tell his story in a gentle voice. His story was simple but incredibly dark. ¡°There was a little boy in arge family. He enjoyed the love of his parents and the attention of others since birth.¡± Jared¡¯s thoughts seemed to have traveled back in time. When his parents were still alive, he was the heir to the Johnston Group. Everyone seemed to revolve around him, and he thought everything would remain as rosy as it was until one day, his parents went out and never came back. He did not understand the meaning of death. Only that people around him suddenly changed their faces and became indifferent to him, as if everything before was unreal. And in that cruel world, he felt like a fifth wheel, and no one cared about him. Finally, one day, when he was arguing with Castor and Murphy, he was beaten. Only then did he realize he was no longer the heir that everyone in the family cared about. The two siblings sneered at him, and behind them, the man who was his second uncle did not even say a word or reprimand his sons. He watched as his second uncle picked up his two kids and went back to their room. They were talking andughing, and no one cared whether he was injured or not. He watched his second uncle smile perfectly in front of his grandfather before turning around, carrying him back to his room, and venting his anger on him by kicking him. Chapter 771 Chapter 771 Jared wanted to tell his grandfather, but his grandfather had been sick because of the death of his parents, and he could only keep it to himself, allowing Murphy and Castor to punch and kick him. He remembered what Murphy had said. ¡°Do you think you¡¯re still the lofty heir? You are just a piece of garbage. Even if youin, no one will believe you. I¡¯m going to take your ce and deceive the entire world, but no one will believe you.¡± He hit back at Murphy and slowly got up with malice in his eyes. From that day on, he said goodbye to his grandfather, left the Johnston family, and went to study abroad. Jared spent over ten years abroad alone. He had a potent ability to lear; over the years, he had learned advanced skills in almost all fields. He happily started his own new life and set up his ownpany. But something unexpected happened; Mr. Johnston St. suddenly fell ill and tried every means to get him back home. Jared did not go on but looked gently at Nicole. ¡°But I really don¡¯t want to go back to my country and this ce. But now think about it; had I note back, I wouldn¡¯t have met you.¡± Hisst sentence gently pried open the door to Nicole¡¯s heart. It felt heartwarming to the extreme She never imagined that she was so important to Jared and that she was the only meaning of his return ¡°Thepany is still in a mess, but after meeting you, I feel that life in the country does not seem to be so bad after all.¡± Nicole looked at Jared and nodded subconsciously. ¡°Me too. There was bitter strife back at the Riddle family. But after she met Jared, she had not cared about it for a long time. Jared looked at her beautiful face with a gentle smile on his face. How good it would be if time could stay in this moment now.¡¯ Meanwhile, Joyce chased after Martin, but Martin did not look back. He was irritated, walking straight until he reached the river. A cool breeze blew through and sobered him up. Joyce saw him stop, and she carried the hem of her skirt and rushed toward him. Seeing an iritable Martin, she said disapprovingly, ¡°Martin, what¡¯s wrong with you? Why did you suddenly leave without waiting for me?¡± It made her aughingstock in front of Nicole. Martin looked with annoyance at Joyce, who was a little flustered. ¡°I didn¡¯t ask you to follow me.¡± He had no time for Joyce, as he already felt jealous enough at seeing Nicole and Jared together. Joyce was stunned, looking at Martin¡¯s indifferent attitude. She felt as if she had seen a stranger. Martin¡¯s indifference to her gave her an illusion that she had never known Martin Her eyes darkened in an instant, and she bit her lip in frustration. ¡°I will just go since you hate me so much With that, she spun around and left without looking back again because of her self-esteem. From full of anticipation to extreme disappointment, she felt so lonely inside, as if a goose had lost its direction She could not help but wonder if Martin really liked her as much as she thought. Watching Joyce leave, Martin calmed down a little and realized that he had gone too far. After all the failure of the experiment was not her problem, and he had been taking it out on her today He sighed but was embarrassed to apologize. So he lit a cigarette and calmed himself down. After finishing the coffee, Jared walked Nicole back to the school gate. As they parted, Nicole saw the gloomy look on Jared¡¯s face and could not help but tiptoe and kiss him At that moment, Jared hugged Nicole tightly and nted a fervent kiss on her lips.Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org. Chapter 772 Chapter 772 Fortunately, there was no one at the school gate. Nicole pushed him away and blushed. ¡°I-I go now.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± He smiled. She turned around, walked a few steps, and suddenly opened her mouth. ¡°I will attend the Johnston family¡¯s party.¡± Jared did not expect that Nicole already knew before he could invite her. ¡°Would you like to be my female partner, then?¡± He smiled happily. N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. ¡°My pleasure.¡± She smiled. Jared smiled even brighter under the streemp. ¡°Deal. I¡¯ll pick you up on the day.¡± ¡°Deal.¡± Nicole nodded excitedly and went back to the campus. He looked on as Nicole went before getting into his car contentedly. The next day, Nicole went to school as usual. She heard that both Stanley and Edwin had just done it; news came out from the student union that the reward scheme that Nicole had said earlier was real. Many students had started to sign up enthusiastically, and the problem of the school signing up students for the sports day had been resolved. In Edwin¡¯s words, Nicole was their lucky star. The result was that everyone in the ss had a lot of admiration for Nicole. As soon as Nicole became the ss monitor, her ssmates immediately got to enjoy the fringe benefit. They felt proud of being associated with Nicole. As those who used to trample on Nicole in the ss started to butter her up, Vivian was maddened. But she did not dare to show her anger. Lulu and June envied Nicole. ¡°You¡¯re the ss monitor now. How nice.¡± They felt relieved, as no one would bully her anymore. ¡°No, it¡¯s too busy.¡± She did not like the feeling of being busy. ¡°You¡¯re so capable; all these are just a piece of cake for you.¡± Bradley smiled. As he spoke, the school PA system sounded, asking all the students to gather on the sports field. ¡°Do today¡¯s recess exercisese earlier?¡± Jack and others were surprised. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Gary was toozy to ask and got up straight away. With Gary taking the lead, everyone got up and went to the sports field. Someone was standing on the podium. Nicole and the others walked over and saw that it was Norah. Nicole raised an eyebrow, not knowing what she had done wrong again. Norah had a vicious look in her eyes at the sight of Nicole. Nicole could not help but frown, her gut feeling telling her that this might have something to do with her. Sure enough, after each ss was lined up, Harvey stood on the podium, took the microphone, and said,¡± We have identified the culprit who sabotaged the lighting fixture during the performance of ss B of the eleventh grade on the day of the school anniversary celebration.¡± There was an instant uproar. ¡°It wasn¡¯t an ident, but an act of sabotage. And the culprit was¡­.¡± Chapter 773 Chapter 773 All eyes were on Norah. They could not believe that the real culprit turned out to be the adopted child of the Riddle family. Stanley¡¯s words made Norah feel humiliated as if she was in a slow process of death. She did not expect that the backstage crew would have filmed what she had done that day. When the ss teacher found her, she could not even find a word to respond. If she still wanted to stay at the Royal Creek Institute, she would have to apologize to Nicole in public. Otherwise, she would have to leave school today. Norah had no choice but to grit her teeth and agree. But the sense of humiliation was far stronger than she had imagined in front of the public. Especially when the person who supervised her apology was Stanley, she could not feel more humiliated than this. Stanley, her brother who used to love her, was now looking at her with frosty eyes. Looking at Spencer and Samuel not far under the stage, she saw their expressions change from shock to disdain. She had never seen such an expression on their faces. At this moment, they no longer regarded her as a family member. Seeing Norah still in a daze, Stanley handed the microphone over. ¡°Confess.¡± As she used to be his sister, he could not bear to use her in public. But if she was really the culprit, she had definitely gone too far. Norah took the microphone tremblingly. Now she had no choice but to grit her teeth and say, ¡°I touched the lighting fixture because I was curious. I didn¡¯t know that it would cause the thing to fall and nearly kill my ssmates. I now publicly apologize to the two of them, Nicole and Gary, asking for their forgiveness.¡± Norah bowed her head and begged for forgiveness as if she had been wronged. Nicole knew Norah was simply evading telling the truth. Saying that she touched the lighting fixture out of curiosity was another way of saying that she did not mean it. But she was convinced that Norah did it on purpose. There were many lighting fixtures on the auditorium stage. It just did not exin why only that one directly above their head fell. Nicole was as sure as death and taxes, but Norah did not keep on exining why she did that. Instead, she started crying and pleaded for forgiveness, as if Nicole and Gary would be upassionate if they did not forgive her. ¡°Norah is truly a spin doctor,¡± Lulu muttered from the sidelines, feeling that this time things were not as simple as Norah said. Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org. ¡°She is obviously at fault, yet cries like a victim.¡± Bradley looked angrily at Norah on the stage. Norah finished her speech. Stanley felt sorry and took back the microphone from her when he saw her crying nonstop. ¡°It¡¯s alright. It¡¯s over. Norah has publicly apologized and admitted her mistake. She will get demerits for it.¡± While Stanley announced the results, Gary frowned. ¡®Norah has made such a cmitous mistake, yet she always gets with only a demerit as punishment?¡¯ He looked at Nicole, who looked nonchnt all this while as if she did not care about it. So he had no choice but to stay quiet. Still crying, Norah got off the podium and went back to ss to calm herself down. Everyone else continued the exercise between sses before returning to ssrooms. On the way back to ss, Nicole did not say a word. Gary could not bear it anymore and said, ¡°Norah has done something heinous, yet only received a demerit as punishment. Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s too lenient?¡± Nicole nced back at Gary, ¡°Since it was the school¡¯s decision, we can do nothing about it.¡± After all, Norah was impable in her academic performance, so ss A¡¯s new teacher wanted to protect her. And as she had just noticed, Stanley was reluctant to inflict any severe punishment on Norah. Thinking about the feelings of her brothers, she did not want to pursue the matter further. But if there was a next time, she was not going to let Norah off lightly. Gary looked at Nicole and was frustrated. ¡°You gave up, but I won¡¯t-i¡¯ll make her pay.¡± Gary left in a huff. He was furious at how little Nicole cared about herself. She was almost seriously injured that day, yet she let Norah go. He could not agree with that. Watching Gary leave, Lulu suddenly leaned over. ¡°Nicole, Gary seems to care a lot about youtely, eh?¡± Chapter 774 Chapter 774 She let out an ambiguous smile, and Nicole shot a re at her. ¡°Stop being gossipy. I¡¯m not interested in him.¡± Lulu grinned. ¡°Of course, you are only interested in Jared.¡± Nicole blushed and stared back at Lulu. ¡°How dare you ridicule me?¡± ¡°How dare l?¡± Lulu ran. Nicole gave chase andughed with Lulu. In the distance, Stanley saw Nicole so happy and smiled. ¡®She finally looks like a schoolgirl, unlike her over -levelheadedness and apathy. Her personality is getting warmer and warmer recently.¡¯ Since the Norah incident, Nicole had been busy with ss affairs. Two days flew by, and it was the day of the party. At nightfall, the Johnston Mansion was brightly illuminated. Expensive cars pulled into the mansion, one after another. VIPs and celebrities emerged and entered the mansion. As San Joto¡¯s first family and business, the Johnston family¡¯s party was extraordinarily grand. Even Sebastian¡¯s son was present. The Holder family, the McCarthy family, and others came to congratte them. Mr. Johnston Sr. was full of vim and vigor, shuttling among the crowd, toasting and greeting guests. Henry followed behind his father as if he were the heir to be announced by the Johnston family today. So many people were pretty impressed and came over to say hello¡­ Henry was ttered, and even Castor and Murphy felt proud. Celebrities anddies came to chat up Murphy, who became ecstatic. Castor saw this and could not help reminding him. ¡°Enough, Murphy. Mind your manners.¡± ¡®The way Murphy looked is so humiliating.¡¯ ¡°Okay, okay. I¡¯ll stop looking.¡± Murphy nodded and quickly pulled back his gaze. Castor nced around the scene and said, ¡°Why didn¡¯t Jared c?me?¡± ¡°As we all know, Grandpa may announce the heir to the Johnston Group tonight. No way Jared would be absent.¡± Murphy was also puzzled. Just then, there was amotion in the doorway. The siblings looked back, and their eyes were attracted by a beautiful figure. Next to Jared was a beautiful woman in a white dress and high heels. Her hair cascaded down as if a waterfall, her eyes right like gxies. Every nce of her eyes and lift of her hands charmed all the men at the venue. Many female guests at the scene were awestruck. ¡°Isn¡¯t that Jared? Who is that woman next to him?¡± ¡°She is so beautiful. Where is she from?¡± Many people questioned, but no one knew who Nicole really was. Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. Seeing Nicole and Jared walk in, Mr. Johnston Sr. greeted them with a smile. ¡°Here you are.¡± Nicole returned a smile. ¡°Hello, Grandpa.¡± It surprised everyone that she used such an affectionate address on Mr. Johnston Sr. ¡®Who the hell is she? Mr. Johnston Sr. smiled gently. ¡°Hello, Nicole. Didn¡¯t your familye with you?¡± ¡°Yeah, in the back.¡± Nicole smiled gently. ¡°My grandpa said he would surely attend Mr. Johnston Sr¡¯s party¡± The scales fell from everyone¡¯s eyes, and they knew who Nicole was. Chapter 775 Chapter 775 It turned out that she was the biological child of the Riddle family and the much publicized Nicole whom Sebastian met personally a while ago. Most people had only heard of her name, and they did not expect her to be so beautiful. She and Jared looked like a perfect pair standing together. Murphy had seen Nicole at the airport gate, but she was mysterious in her baseball cap, and he could not see her face clearly. He just did not expect that she would look so stunning after dressing up. Murphy waspletely enchanted. Even Castor was surprised by Nicole¡¯s beauty. ¡®Damn it, Jared. Why can he have such a beautiful girlfriend?¡¯ His father had told him that Nicole was just a humble child of the Riddle family, and he did not give a second thought to her. Instead, he wished Jared would marry this girl as soon as possible so that it would be impossible for Jared to have another marriage tie with another family. Besides, this would also let the board of directors know Jared was not up to scratch as he had only married a girl from the Riddle family. But now, it seemed that there was more to it than met the eyes. Because of Nicole¡¯s breathtaking beauty, many dignitaries, including politicians, whom he did not bother to rub shoulders with, thronged around Nicole. ¡°I have heard about you for a long time, Miss Riddle. What a pleasure to see you in person today.¡± ¡°Absolutely. We feel honored to meet you.¡± Even Henry was dumbfounded to see all the VIPs gathered around her. So he figured he had to go over and talk to Jared and Nicole. ¡°Jared, is this Miss Riddle from the Riddle family, your fianc¨¦e?¡± He deliberately mentioned Nicole¡¯s identity that she was from the Riddle family. But everyone seemed to have heard some terrific news. ¡°Fianc¨¦e? Miss Riddle, you¡¯re Jared¡¯s fianc¨¦e?¡± ¡°Really? Why didn¡¯t I hear about it before?¡± The questioning guy was a little disappointed. Neither Nicole nor Jared expected Henry to be so desperate to mention who Nicole was. Nicole calmed down before smiling. ¡°My grandpa and Mr. Johnston Sr. betrothed me to Jared. But it was many years ago, so no outsiders knew about it.¡± ¡°You were betrothed to Jared from an early age?¡± ¡°You¡¯re a lucky guy, Jared.¡± Everyone was stunned, their expression changing upon hearing Nicole¡¯s admission. They already knew that Nicole had a good rtionship with Sebastian, who was about to take office as a governor. Now they even learned that she had been engaged with Jared from the Johnston family. It was a kind of win-win cooperation. They looked at Jared again. Before he returned home, they thought the Johnston family had given up on him. But Mr. Johnston Sr. handed over the helm of thepany¡¯s headquarters to Jared as soon as Jared returned. Before this, the outside world was still questioning his ability and doubting if he had any backing for him to hold on to his position for long. Now the situation seemed to have changed with Nicole bing his fianc¨¦e, as after Sebastian took office, Jared would have another powerful backing. It was a perfect match. With the two of theming together, everyone, including politicians and the wealthy, could no longer underestimate them. They all flocked up to them, just wanting to talk to the two of them more Henry was pushed aside. He could not help but feel surprised to see Nicole and Jared so well received. She is another girl from the Riddle family. Why is she so popr? What the hell has happened that he doesn¡¯t already know? Does Nicole have another identity which I don¡¯t know?¡¯ Not only Henry, Castor, and Murphy but also Harvey and Edwin, who were standing not far away, were dumbfounded. ¡°Harvey, do you know about this rtionship between Nicole and Jared?¡±Content provided by N?velDrama.Org. Chapter 776 Chapter 776 Harvey was exasperated, looking extremely displeased. Edwin knew he had said the wrong thing and dashed over to Preston. ¡°What happened? Your sister and Jared are really a couple?¡± Preston was also surprised. He rarely went home and did not know that Nicole was betrothed to Jared. No wonder the two of them were so close. Besides, he could always see Jared¡¯s car in front of the caf¨¦ across the street from the school, so he presumed Jared was there for Nicole. Chloe, who was afraid of not getting into the limelight, had arrived much early, thinking of seeing Jared and perhaps bing his partner. But she did not expect that Nicole was one step ahead of her. What upset her even more, was that Nicole and Jared wereing together. ¡®Wasn¡¯t she scared of losing Jared when she dered her sovereignty by publicly announcing their marriage contract?¡¯ Annoyed by those who came to say hello, Chloe quickly excused herself and walked toward Nicole and Jared. ¡°It¡¯s been a long time, Jared.¡± Chloe looked at Jared with flirting eyes. Jared¡¯s eyes darkened instantly. He really had no patience with Chloe. If she was not Nicole¡¯s cousin, he would not have kept any contact with her after he returned to the country. Jared¡¯s non-response embarrassed Chloe. So many people were watching, and he did not care about her feelings. Nicole smiled at Jared. ¡°Please excuse me. My cousin hase looking for me; I will talk to her.¡± Chloe continued to pursue Jared despite him ignoring her. So Nicole thought she might as well sort her out. ¡°I¡¯m not-¡± Chloe still wanted to talk to Jared. ¡°Okay.¡± But Jared had spoken ahead of her. Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org. Not waiting for Chloe to speak, Nicole swiftly pulled Chloe away. Joyce and Martin bemoaned upon seeing this. ¡°Did you see Nicole¡¯s cousin? She tantly flirted with Jared. I knew all women from the Riddle family couldn¡¯t be trusted.¡± Martin shot a re at her and left angrily as soon as her voice trailed off. Joyce did not know what she had said wrong, so she quickly caught up with him. Meanwhile, Gary was leaning against a pir, drinking heavily. His elder brother sensed something wrong upon seeing his expression. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you that you suddenly feel so down?¡± Gary was still excited before he came. But after Jared and Nicole arrived, he suddenly became so miserable. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Gary shook his head, but he was mncholic deep down inside. Nicole had publicly acknowledged her rtionship with Jared, so he knew he had no chance at all. Ryder did not know what to say but could only remind him. ¡°We have all the VIPs here tonight. Mind your demeanor.¡± Then Ryder left, handing him over to Wayne and Jack. But they were too afraid to do anything but watch as their boss tanked himself up. Soon, the Riddle family members arrived. Damien and Daniel helped Mr. Riddle Sr. walk in with other family members, including his sons and daughter, following from behind. The appearance of this family immediately caused quite a stir. People heard Sebastian had attended the Riddle family¡¯s party before. Now the Riddle family had found a new patron, finding back their ce as a top prominent family. Theiring to Mr. Johnston Sr.¡¯s party just showed how important they saw the marriage arrangement with the Johnston family was. Everyone thought that this marriage was guaranteed. Just as everyone expected, as soon as Mr. Riddle Sr. arrived, he headed straight toward Mr. Johnston Sr.¡± Hello, how have you beentely?¡± Chapter 777 Chapter 777 Mr. Johnston Sr. looked at Mr. Riddle Sr, and could not help but smile. ¡°I feel better now, tougher than before.¡± ¡°Good to hear.¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. smiled gently. N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. Mr. Johnston Sr. watched Mr. Riddle Sr.e with his sons, daughters-inw, and grandchildren and was extremely hospitable. ¡°Come in. Please be seated.¡± While speaking, he led Mr. Riddle Sr. to the sofa area, which was his exclusive lounge and where no others woulde to disturb. This showed how much Mr. Johnston Sr. attached great importance to the Riddle family. Raine, Chloe, Karen, and Dillon had never received such attention before. They walked over with their chins held high. Meanwhile, Daniel, Gloria, and their sons were much humbler, and their five hand some sons caused a lot of discussion among thedies. Damien and Gloria sat down with Everett first, followed by Dexter and Emma, who followed Emery and Alex, filling the VIP seats. Not a single person did not envy the Riddle family. Everyone else consciously stayed away from that area, not daring to disturb them. When Nicole saw her grandfather arrive, she brought Chloe with her and went over. ¡°Grandpa, here you are.¡± Miley immediately introduced her daughter to Mr. Johnston Sr. ¡°This is my eldest daughter, Chloe. She recently won the best actress award.¡± Mr. Johnston Sr.just nced at her once as if he did not think there was anything remarkable about the award. Mr. Riddle Sr. frowned. ¡°Go and sit down somewhere else. You don¡¯t have to be here. I¡¯m going to talk to Mr. Johnston Sr. alone.¡± They were unmindful and tried to impress Mr. Johnston Sr. at the wrong time. Miley was embarrassed, feeling as if she had been pped in the face. Chloe did not expect that Mr. Riddle Sr. did not even mention but subbed her. But when she looked up and saw Nicole, she sneered in her mind, thinking of taking Nicole away with her. She red at Nicole.¡± Let¡¯s go. What are you still standing here?¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Nicole nodded in agreement since the two elders wanted to speak in private. She did not want to stay here and be noticed, anyway. But just as Nicole was about to leave with the others, Mr. Riddle Sr. stopped her. ¡°You stay with me.¡± This instantly made others jealous. Even Damien was not qualified to stay here, yet Nicole could. Chloe¡¯s eyes were green with envy, and so were Snow and Raine. They could do nothing but watch Nicole stay while they were forced to leave the VIP zone and follow their parents to hang around with others. Now, everyone knew Nicole¡¯s position in the Riddle family; she was in her heyday. Not only that, but she had also gained favor with Mr. Johnston Sr., who agreed to let her sit at the same table with him. Everyone thought what an honor it was. Jared looked at it from a distance and let out a jovial smile. The other Riddle family members left the lounge. But as soon as they came into the crowd, people immediately came up, trying to rub shoulders with them. So they soon forgot the frustration just now. Nicole stayed in the VIP zone with the two elders and received an envious look from others. When Lloyd came in, he saw this and overheard manydies talking about him, but he only had Nicole in his eyes, Nicole was sitting with Mr. Johnston Sr., and he was not qualified to go near her. All he could do was stare at her affectionately from afar. Seeing that her son was so lovestruck yet unable to get close to Nicole, Nachelle became anxious for him ¡°Lloyd, why have you been sitting here like this since you came in?¡± There were few opportunities to talk to Nicole this way. He should instead find a way to approach her. Chapter 778 Chapter 778 ¡°What else can I do?¡± He was still staring at Nicole with no expression on his face, but his eyes were constantly surging with sadness and helplessness, looking lifeless. He thought of the first time he met Nicole. Everything was so innocent and beautiful. Back then, he was the same age as Nicole, but he was much shorter than her. During their training in the organization, he could only y the role of a follower every day. Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. His thoughts traveled far into the past, his eyes looking at Nicole with his hands clenched into fists. He met Nicole much earlier than Jared did, but Nicole was seeing Jared instead of him. He felt useless. After leaving the organization, he felt like he was not even qualified to speak to her. Lloyd¡¯s gaze grew heavier and heavier, and he could not take his eyes off Nicole. ¡°Can I still get back what I have missed?¡± He turned his head suddenly and asked Nachelle. He was a little drunk, his eyes filled with a young man¡¯s ignorance and confusion. Knowing how depressed Lloyd was, Nachelle looked at him with a sorry look in her eyes. She sighed and said, ¡°I don¡¯t know, but I can tell you that if you want to do something, just do it. Don¡¯t leave regrets for yourself.¡± There was a look of determination in Lloyd¡¯s eyes. ¡°You¡¯re right. You shouldn¡¯t leave behind any regrets.¡± Nachelle nodded and patted her son on the shoulder. ¡°I¡¯m d that you know what to do. I will always stand by you, no matter what your decision is.¡± She lost Lloyd before, and she also knew that it was Nicole who saved Lloyd and brought him into the organization, learning the skills to protect himself. It was also because of Nicole that he survived until she found him. So she knew what Nicole meant to Lloyd. She would not force Lloyd to give up. Instead, she would try to help him fulfill his dreams. Her response deeply moved Lloyd. When he looked at Nicole again, there was a strange glint shed in his eyes. ¡°I have thought it through, and I don¡¯t want to give up on her so easily.¡± Nachelle heard Lloyd¡¯s icy voice and understood her son¡¯s mind. ¡°Thenpete fairly with Jared. You are the heir to the Holder family, just as good as Jared.¡± Nachelle supported Lloyd with a kind of pride originating from the matriarch of a family. ¡°Okay.¡± Lloyd pulled himself back from his thoughts and responded affirmatively with determination in his eyes. Nachelle was just as resolute. As long as her son wanted it, she would fight for him. She was now thinking of finding an opportunity to test Nicole. Suddenly, there was an uproar in the doorway, Everyone looked back and saw that it was Sebastian. Their eyes lit up, and many people wanted toe up to him to say hello. Even the Riddle family members were eager for a piece of the action. But Sebastian just nced around once and then headed straight for Nicole, Mr. Johnston Sr., and Mr. Riddle Sr. Everyone hung back upon seeing this. Mr. Johnston Sr. and Mr. Riddle Sr. got to their feet. ¡°Hello, Mr. Wyance. What an honor to have a busy man like you here.¡± Chapter 779 Chapter 779 What was even more surprising was that Nicole was not nervous or feel honored at all when Sebastian greeted her. She just nodded her head and said unhurriedly, ¡°Yeah, my ss finished early today, so I came early.¡± Sebastian smiled and nced at Nicole. ¡°You dress like a girl today, and you dress up like this more often in the future.¡± It surprised everyone that the prudish Sebastian would coddle Nicole. People started to discuss whether Nicole was a rtive of Sebastian. But no one had ever heard that the Riddle family and the Wyance family were rted. Jealousy filled someone¡¯s eyes in the dark while people kept specting about their rtionship. Joyce, who had been hoping that Martin could put in a good word for her in front of Sebastian, was eating her heart out as Nicole enjoyed the privilege of talking to Sebastian directly. She looked weak in contrast. No wonder the McCarthy family lost. She became apprehensive, unsure if she could achieve her goal these days. It did not help that Martin was ignoring her and having all his attention on Nicole. Meanwhile, Snow and Raine were extremely jealous, as they had no chance to talk to Sebastian. All they could do was watch Nicole, Sebastian, Mr. Johnston Sr., and other VIPs rub shoulders with each other. After Sebastian had some pleasantries with Mr. Riddle Sr. and Mr. Johnston Sr., they came to join the other guests. People flocked toward them, trying to make up to them. As this was happening, Nicole took the opportunity to walk away. Jared felt more rxed now. He immediately came up to Nicole. ¡°Tired, eh?¡± He knew Nicole disliked this kind of socializing. ¡°It¡¯s alright.¡± Nicole sighed. N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. Jared chuckled. ¡°Get used to it. This is going to be inevitable when you be my wife.¡± Nicole blushed upon hearing that. ¡°There are so many people here. Stop talking about things like that.¡± ¡°I¡¯m serious.¡± He lowered his voice and leaned closer to her ear. His breath blew into her ear, causing her to tremble suddenly. She immediately shot a look at him. ¡°Get lost. This is not funny.¡± She felt Jared had be glibber and glibber recently. Jared chuckled at seeing her blush, finding himself more and more liking to tease her. He took her hand and said, ¡°Okay, let me hold your hand, and I will listen to you.¡± Nicole had no choice but to let him be. The two were in the corner, unaware that Harvey had been staring at them. He really wanted to separate Jared and Nicole, but he could not because he had nothing topete with Jared yet. If he wanted to get Nicole back, he had to be strong enough to fight Jared. So before that, he had to grin and bear it. ¡°Harvey, what¡¯s wrong with you? Why are you looking so grave?¡± Edwin saw his face and asked in a low voice. Harvey shot an icy nce at him. ¡°It¡¯s none of your business.¡± He was in no mood to stay any longer and could not care less about why he came. He just wanted to get out of here right now, not wanting to see Nicole and Jared act lovey-dovey. Gritting his teeth, he turned and left. ¡°Hey, Harvey. Where are you going?¡± Edwin was stupefied and subconsciously wanted to stop him. But Harvey had walked away without looking back. ¡°What a weird guy.¡± Edwin muttered helplessly, but there was nothing he could do but to let him be. Chapter 780 Chapter 780 The party was still ongoing. Nicole went to find Lulu and June while Jared was meeting people. The Barrera family and the Wace family were also considered prominent families, so they also attended the party. Nicole smiled when seeing June dressed so beautifully today. ¡°Nice dress.¡± June blushed. ¡°Thank you. If it weren¡¯t for you, I wouldn¡¯t be able to attend.¡± It was Nicole who gave her the invitation card. Not even her family members got invited. So her stepmother and younger sister did note and were jealous of her. ¡°Don¡¯t mention it. Mr. Johnston Sr. gave me extra invitation cards.¡± Nicole pretended to be nonchnt. She then nced in a direction. ¡°Samuel and Spencer are hanging around over there. Why are you standing here and not going over to talk to them?¡± June understood what Nicole meant, but she was instantly smitten. ¡°It¡¯s so awkward.¡± Nicole smiled. ¡°What¡¯s so awkward about it? If you are going, someone else will.¡± In hindsight, Lulu suddenly thought of something. ¡°Lulu, you like Nicole¡¯s brother, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Shhh. Be quiet.¡± June was shy and quickly covered Lulu¡¯s mouth. ¡°People might hear it.¡± Lulu nodded and took June¡¯s hand off her mouth. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I was surprised. Which of them-Samuel or Spencer?¡± She looked at June eagerly, as if she had something on her mind. Nicole clearly sensed something was wrong. June did not feel it because she herself was nervous. ¡°It¡¯s Samuel,¡± she said in a shy, low voice. She had had a crush on Samuel for a long time, but she never had the chance to talk to Samuel. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s Samuel.¡± Lulu was suddenly relieved. N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. Nicole was the best at observing people, and by this time, she had sensed something. ¡°Lulu, since June is nervous, why don¡¯t you apany her to find my brothers?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Lulu immediately tensed up. ¡°Don¡¯t you see how many people covet Samuel and Spencer? If you don¡¯t go over to them now, someone else is going to take your ce.¡± The eyes of the two of them immediately lit up upon hearing that. ¡°You¡¯re right. I¡¯ll go over now.¡± Lulu was a simplistic girl. She took June along, unaware that Nicole had not followed Nicole watched the two walk toward Samuel and Spencer and could not help but chuckle. ¡°I wish you sess.¡± Just as she was saying this, someone tapped her on the shoulder. She looked back and saw Lloyd. Seeing Lloyd¡¯s nervous look, she frowned. ¡°You have something to say?¡± Nicole¡¯s impassive reaction instantly shattered his courage. ¡°N-No, nothing.¡± Nachelle saw that word choked in her son¡¯s throat, and she quickly came to the rescue. ¡°He indeed has something to talk to you about. Could we have a moment with you in private?¡± Nicole had probably guessed something judging by the expectant look in their eyes. But with so many people around, her every move would be watched. After thinking about it for a moment, she refused. ¡°I don¡¯t want to give a wrong impression to others. Why don¡¯t we just talk right here?¡± Nicole¡¯s voice was gentle and graceful, but it still attracted a lot of attention. Seeing Lloyd and Nachelle, people immediately recalled the moment at the Holder family¡¯s party, where Lloyd expressed his feelings to Nicole and was rejected. They were all surprised to see him come to the Johnston family¡¯s party and ask to talk to Nicole in private, with no regard for Jared¡¯s feelings. Chapter 781 Chapter 781 Jared came over, stood beside Nicole, and wrapped his arm around Nicole¡¯s waist to dere sovereignty when he noticed what happened here ¡°Excuse me. My girlfriend is tired, she needs a rest. Enjoy yourself, Mrs. Holder¡± He did not want the Holder family to say anything unbing. So he made an excuse and took Nicole with him. Since this was the host¡¯s home. Nachelle could only watch Jared take Nicole away She clenched her hands, much to her chagrin. ¡°Damn it. Jared is so mindful.¡¯ But Nachelle had tested Nicole and was sure that not only did this youngdy have no feelings for Lloyd, but she also resisted him. Nachelle looked back at Lloyd helplessly with this thought in mind Lloyd was devastated and ashamed of himself. Sensing the stare from others, he could not withstand it, so he turned around to leave silently Nachelle saw her son¡¯s disappointment. She did not stop him but left with him By this time, Jared had taken Nicole to the balcony. Nicole looked at Jared¡¯s gloomy expression. She put her hand to his forehead to smoothen his frown.¡± Mrs. Holder just wanted to talk to me. I¡¯ve already refused. Why still this face?¡± Jared¡¯s expression eased up slightly, but still seemingly jealous. ¡°I won¡¯t allow anyone to covet my woman Nicole could not help but blush. ¡°Why are you getting more and more anless recently? Who is your woman? Jared stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her, drawing her directly into his arms and forcing her to look up at him. ¡°Who else but you? Moonlight, along with the gentle breeze, scattered on Nicole¡¯s face. As if Jared was enchanted, he could not resist but kiss her on the forehead Nicole¡¯s heart fluttered, and she slowly closed her eyes. Amid this amorous moment, a sharp voice sounded suddenly ¡°Are you here, Jared?¡± It was Chloe, whose voice came at an inopportune moment, a nuisance to both Jared and Nicole Nicole suddenly came to her senses and pushed Jared away Chloe came to the balcony just in time to see Nicole pulling back from Jared with a bashful face as if the two had done something unseemly. The sight of this made Chloe feel terribly jealous. ¡®I can¡¯t believe Nicole is already such a flirt at this young age I couldn¡¯t even make Jared give me a second look while she got away with him so easily.¡¯ ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Jared asked in an icy voice after they were interrupted ¡®L¡¯ Chloe stood startled, holding two sses of wine in her hands She wondered if she had said something wrong Otherwise, Jared would not have been angry with her Feeling wronged, she subconsciously nced at the sses in her hands and decided to go forward ¡°I brought you a ss of wine Nicole¡¯s keen eyes glimpsed at the winess, and her gut feeling told her that something was amiss, but she could not tell what Jared grabbed the winess but did not bother to spare Chloe a nce. ¡°You can leave now.¡¯ Chloe did not expect Jared to even say such a thing to her. Her eyes welled up, and tears fell instantly. N?velDrama.Org owns this text. ¡°I-I get it.¡± Chloe could not take this humiliation and left. Chapter 782 Chapter 782 Jared¡¯s face turned grave as he watched Chloe leave ncing at the winess, he knocked back at once and put the winess aside in exasperation ¡°Let¡¯s go back. The time was almost up, and he took Nicole away when he finished dealing with stuff here. ¡°Okay.¡± Nicole leaned closer to him with a gentle smile, Feeling Nicole¡¯s hand put through his arm, Jared started to feel better The two returned to the hall. When people saw the twoe back arm in arm, they immediately and subconsciously made way for them. Henry¡¯s expression turned grim at seeing the two of them attract so much attention. He had been eagerly waiting to see how Jared and Nicole would make an exhibition of themselves, but things did not go that way. The two of them were drawing more and more attention. Not only that, Nicole had found favor with Mr. Johnston Sr. and even rubbed shoulders with Sebastian Wyance. So he wondered who she really was and did not even know if it was right for Nicole and Jared to marry Mr. Johnston Sr walked up to the stage and looked down at the crowd. He coughed and said, ¡°Thank you foring to the party, everyone I think you all have heard about it: I¡¯m going to make an announcement in front of you all tonight.¡± His words immediately drew everyone, including the politicians and the rich kids around him. The Finleys, the McCarthys, the Wyances, the Holders, and other prominent families were all present. This was the moment they had been waiting for today. They wondered who would be the next heir to the Johnston family Henry was excited, as this was the exact moment he had been looking forward to. But he was also apprehensive at the same time because he had not seen through what was on Mr. Johnston Sr.¡¯s mind until now. He was really worried about something that he did not expect Castor and Murphy hade beside Henry, hoping their father¡¯s dream woulde true, and the two could keep their positions or even get promoted in thepany. Mr Johnston Sr. said from the stage, ¡°I will hereby announce the heirs to Johnson Group and family.¡± Everyone swallowed hard. No one at the scene dared to speak, waiting for the announcement with bated breath N?velDrama.Org owns this text. The Riddle family members were all anxious Their idea was that if Jared could be the heir, Nicole would be thedy of the Johnston family A rising tide lifts all boats, the Riddle family and everyone in it would rise to the top of the social circle in San Joto. There were also many shareholders of thepany present, all of whom nervously waited for the announcement. Most of them were pro-Henry. If Henry became the heir, they would also benefit from his rise After a moment of silence, Mr. Johnston Si continued. ¡°My grandson, Jared, will be the heir to Johnston Group The news came as a bombshell ¡®What Honry was the closest to the stairs, his eyes widening, thinking he had heard it wrong Murphy and Castor were dumbfounded Especially Murphy, who could not help but ask, ¡°Grandpa, did you say the wrong name? His question earned a knifelike look from Mr. Johnston Sr. ¡°You shut up.¡± Murphy shut up at once after getting scolded Chapter 783 Chapter 783 Castor was resentful but did not talk back. Instead, he stood in front of the shareholders who supported his father and said to Mr Johnston Sr., ¡°Grandpa, I know you prefer Jared, but my father has been the one who manages thepany all this while in contrast, Jared has only been back not long ago How can you hand over thepany to him? What gives him the right to take over the helm of the company?¡± Mr Johnston Sr¡¯s expression was frigid to the extreme, and heughed. ¡°Because he¡¯s the CEO of JJ Content provided by N?velDrama.Org. Johnston Group¡± ¡°JJ Johnston Group?¡± Everyone was astonished upon hearing the name Henry was familiar with the name JJ Johnston Group and Johnston Group entered a joint venturest year JJ Johnston Group, based in Mecrounia, had strong financial backing and enjoyed a high standing internationally Even Johnston Group appeared to be a weaker partner in the venture with JJ Johnston Group And Jared was the one who ran such a massive corporation Because the owner of JJ Johnston Group had been remaining very mysterious, no one in the country knew who the owner was, and Jared had always been the only person who could contact the owner And also, because of the venture with JJ Johnston Group, no one dared to challenge his position as the acting CEO of Johnston Group It was not until today that Henry realized that Jared was JJ Johnston Group¡¯s owner, which he had been trying to woo all this while No wonder JJ Johnston Group had only wanted to work with Jared It turned out that JJ Johnston Group was Jared¡¯s shadowpany Today, most of Johnston Group¡¯s funds were tied up in the joint venture with JJ Johnston Group, which also meant that most of the funds were in Jared¡¯s pocket Henry was utterly dumbfounded at this moment, regretting that he had underestimated his rival and did not properly conduct a background check on Jared Not far away, Edwin, who was watching it all, muttered to Preston, ¡°Few people in the country really know Jared owns JJ Johnston Group. I only learned about it when I took on a hacking job from JJ Johnston Group¡± Preston raised an eyebrow, ¡°You already knew that?¡± Edwin nodded ¡®In fact, Jared didn¡¯t really hide his identity carefully When he first came back from abroad, he used this identity to go to school and meet Mr. Ellison. People at the school only knew that he was the CEO of JJ Johnston Group and did not know that he was also from Johnston Group¡± So people only heard about Jared but were unaware he owned JJ Johnston Group Those who had seen the CEO of JJ Johnston Group did not know that Jared was the owner That was why the owner of JJ Johnston Group had been deerned so mysterious ¡°You deserve to be a master informer Preston raised an eyebrow, impressed by Edwin¡¯s Intelligence gathering wits ¡°I¡¯ll take that as apliment ¡°Edwin smiled triumphantly, unruffled by that sarcastic remark. People graduallye to their senses and watched Jared walk up the steps. They no longer saw him as just a Johnston family¡¯s outcast but a real strong man As the CEO of JJ Johnston Group and the sessor of Johnsion Group. Jared would control the biggest corporations in Macrounia and San Joto, bing the man that everyone looked up to Now, even those shareholders who supported Henry had turned against him. This was expected. There was no point in staying on Henry¡¯s side when Jared was clearly the winner. Henry knew he had failed utterly. He had lost every bargaining chip if Jared was the CEO of JJ Johnston Group Meanwhile, Castor and Murphy did not know the seriousness of the matter. ¡°Dad, what are you doing standing here? Jared has gone up there.¡± But Henry¡¯s face had turned pale, and he was utterly speechless. Chapter 784 Chapter 784 Jared walked up to the mezzanine in full view of everyone. He then turned to face the crowd. ¡°I have nothing to say. After all, I have just returned from abroad. I just want to say I hope to have the opportunity to cooperate with everyone in the future.¡± It was a very typical official speech, but in the eyes of all the young girls, he was a handsome and wealthy bachelor. Now they were even more envious of Nicole Chloe, on the other hand, knew Jared¡¯s identity abroad, which was why she wanted Jared so much. Unfortunately, Nicole was standing between her and Jared ¡°But Jared will be mine today Chloe checked her watch with a triumphant look on her face. When the time came, she would go over and take Jared away. He would have no way of shaking her off when it was a done thing No one knew what Chloe was thinking. The Riddle family members were stunned by this unexpected news, not expecting that Jared was not only dating Nicole but also the CEO of JJ Johnston Group Meanwhile, Mr. Riddle Sr felt thankful for it, as Jared was no longer what he used to be: he was more sessful than ever before His thinking was that had Nicole not been Zane¡¯s foster daughter, she would not have deserved Jared. While Mr. Riddle Sr. and his family were still in shock, Jared ended his speech and looked at Nicole, Today, I also have something else to announce His voice was maic Everyone fell silent, waiting for him to speak They all were curious about what else Jared wanted to say after bing heir to Johnston Group ¡°It is about Nicole and me Both our families have agreed on marriage So Nicole and I are going to hold an engagement ceremony next month, Jared surprised everyone. There was an instant uproar. People were more shocked than when they learned Jared was the CEO of JJ Johnston Group ¡°Oh my God.. Betrothal? Is he really going to get engaged to the girl from the Riddle family?* ¡°But he is the CEO of JJ Johnston Group. The girl from the Riddle family is unworthy of him.¡± Many people looked at Nicole with disdain, thinking that Nicole was not worthy of Jared Jared came down and brought her onto the stage, not caring at all about how people looked at him. He then kneeled down to Nicole in front of everyone¡¯s eyes Nicole had never expected that Jared would suddenly do such a thing, and she suddenly did not know how to react ¡°Wh What are you doing? As dexterous as she was, she had never been so panicked Her face reddened. and her heart pounded when she saw Jared kneeling on one knee in front of her. This feeling made her want to run away Jared took a red velvet box out of his suit pocket the next second Everyone ereidimed. ¡°I wish I were Nicole.¡± People expressed their amazement and envy. Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org. Chloe was eating her heart out upon seeing this. She did not expect that Jared would propose to Nicole in public before her n seeded. ¡®Damn it, Nicole. You stole my everything. Damn it.¡¯ Snow and Raine hated Nicole as well. Nicole had stolen the man they both liked, and she and Jared were acting lovey-dovey, and Jared was proposing to her in front of everyone¡¯s eyes. They were fit to be tied, wondering what was so good about Nicole that made Jared so obsessed with her. On stage, Jared ignored everything else and looked at Nicole affectionately. He said slowly in a maic voice, ¡°Will you marry me, Nicole?¡± Chapter 785 Chapter 785 ¡°I¡­¡± Nicole was so nervous that she did not know what to say. Her mind went nk for the first time in her life. ¡°Marry him, Nicole.¡± Lulu cheered Nicole on in the crowd. ¡°Marry him.¡± June echoed. Samuel was also excited. ¡°What are you waiting for, Nicole? Marry him.¡± Even Spencer was anxious, hoping his sister would give her nod to marry Jared. The same was true for Stanley and Steve. They were also waiting for Nicole¡¯s answer. Mr. Riddle Sr saw Nicole¡¯s hesitation and sighed. ¡°What are you still hesitating about, Nicole?¡± His words sobered Nicole up a little. She remembered his grandfather used to express his hope for them to get engaged soonest, and now his dream wasing true. She could not help but nce at Daniel and Gloria Her mother¡¯s eyes were filled with anticipation, and she gave Nicole a nod of encouragement, waiting for Nicole to make the decision At this moment, Nicole found the answer in her heart and looked back at Jared, ¡®I do.¡± ¡°Wow. It¡¯s awesome.¡± ¡°It is so romantic.¡± Lulu and June cheered, and June was so excited that she pulled on Samuel¡¯s arm. N?velDrama.Org owns this text. Samuel blushed instantly When June realized her gaffe, she quickly pulled back her hands. ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry.¡± Samuel looked away awkwardly, ¡°No, it¡¯s alright.¡± He did not know why his heart just thumped uncontrobly On stage, upon hearing her answer, Jared opened the velvet box, took out a diamond, and put it on Nicole¡¯s finger at once. The dazzling diamond was making all the women at the scene envious and jealous. Jared took her hand, got to his feet, and drew her into his arms with a smile. His genuine embrace gave Nicole a sense of assurance She had never thought that someone would someday propose to her on such an asion. Less so, an excellent man like Jared. She hugged him back, albeit shyly, to express her Joy Jared could feel Nicole¡¯s excitement, and he could not help but smile. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡¯ He let go of her. All he wanted now was to bring Nicole away and be alone with her ¡°Okay. Nicole smiled, her face blushing The two walked out of the venue in full view of everyone Gloria was shedding tears of happiness as Daniel drew her in his arms. Nicole¡¯s five brothers were all smiles, giving the two of them their blessing. With his dreaming true, Mr. Riddle Sr looked at Mr Johnston Sr with great relish As his grandson had lell, Mr Johnston Sr. came back onstage, ¡°Thank you all foring to the party today I¡¯m a bit tired today I¡¯d like to excuse myself and go to rest first. Please enjoy yourselves¡± He then did not forget to look at Henry ¡°Take Castor and Murphy with you to entertain the guests and clean up the main Only then did Henrye to his senses and nod. ¡°I will.¡± But deep down inside, he felt as if he had beenpletely crushed. The party was not held for him, but he was asked to clean up the mess. He gritted his teeth, wishing he could smash everything up. But he knew he could only put up with it. Now, Mr Johnston Sr. had Jared as his backer; there was nothing he could do now. Had he known this would happen, he would have sent the old man to meet Jared¡¯s parents in the afterlifest time. Chapter 786 Chapter 786 Henry was having a vicious thought, but the next second he saw Sebastian, he immediately smiled ¡°Mr. Wyance, you are¡­¡± He questioned when he saw Sebastianing with Martin ¡°It¡¯s gettingte So I don¡¯t want to bother you and am leaving with my son¡± Henry thought he could finally talk to Sebastian, but it turned out Sebastian was justing to say goodbye. He could only smile awkwardly ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll see you out.¡± He felt like a wuss, when people ignored him, he still had to see the father and son out, which upset him ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± After getting what he wanted, Mr Riddle Sr did not want to stay any longer and left, getting home to get a good rest ¡°Okay Daniel helped him walk out, and Damien, not wanting to be left behind, hurried up to help, too. Even if Dillon and his family wanted to stay and get to know some more powerful people, they dared not So they could leave Snow and Raine had spent hours dressing up only to have Nicole stealing all the limelight After Nicole left, they did not even have a chance to stay So they felt miserable Since their parents were also leaving they did not dare to disobey Mr. Riddle Sr. And just like that, the Riddle family had gone Lulu and June also left with Samuel and Spencer Seeing the Riddle family and the other VIPs leave, the remaining small fries were also leaving as there was no one they could make up to. So the party was over Only Gary was still looking at the soon-to-be-empty hall in a daze, pouring ss after ss of wine down his neck, more than he had drunk before he had seen Nicole get engaged. It was not until everyone left and Wayne dragged him away on the way back, he was still muttering Nicole¡¯s name Jack and Wayne looked at each other and sighed They could only say that Gary and Nicole met in the wrong ce at the wrong time The Johnston family¡¯s party had ended, and the only car left outside the mansion belonged to Chloe. She was now shouting into the phone. ¡°What? You lost them? How could you lose them? Don¡¯t you know the drug is going to take effect immediately?¡± Her poor assistant did not dare to argue but quickly apologized. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Miss Riddle But I think they discovered i was telling them.¡± ¡°Are you stupid or something? Can¡¯t you even carry out such a simple thing? I¡¯m afraid that a third dog will run away with the bone.¡± Chloe was about to explode, thinking that the only person with Jared now was Nicole She tried everything to get the drug, but now Nicole had run away with the prize. Chloe was really going crazy. Since her assistant had lost them, she had no chance to spend the night with Jared ¡°I don¡¯t want to see you again You¡¯re fired. Chloe hung up and threw away the phone in anger. She had painstakingly nned everything, but now her effort had gone down the drain. Jared is mine, even if you have slept with him I swear I will grob him back. She stared dead ahead with a vicious look in her eyes Everything Nicole enjoys today would be mine in the future I will not give up on Jured¡¯ At this time, a mysterious ck vehicle was speeding down a boulevard. Mox and us knew their ces and did not follow Jared and Nicole Jared wes behind the wheel, and he started to feel something amiss about him and involuntarily loosened his bow tie N?velDrama.Org owns this text. Nicole noticed his unuquel condition and asked, ¡®Are you okay? You don¡¯t look very good Chapter 787 Chapter 787 His face seemed a little red.Jared cocked an eyebrow in disbelief. "What''s wrong with my face? ¡° Nicole hesitated for a moment. "It''s a little red.Don''t tell me you feel shy now.Isn''t it a little toote?" Earlier, he suddenly proposed to her without giving her a heads-up.It was embarrassing for her. "Hmm, I''m not feeling shy.It was you who was bashful when I proposed to you just now.I saw your smitten face." He had never seen Nicole blushing, and this made him feel she was cute. After getting teased, she pinched his arm in retaliation. "Nonsense.You have grown a glib tongue recently, eh?" Strangely, Jared did not feel any pain when Nicole pinched his arm. "What the hell is wrong with me?¡¯ He ripped off his tie and opened the window. Nicole looked at him again in bafflement, feeling that his face was even redder than before.Seeing him open the car window, she could not help but frown. "Are you feeling hot?" Jared nodded helplessly. "Yeah, maybe it is the red wine." A light shed in Nicole''s eyes, and she recalled the ss of red wine that Chloe had given Jared. "Red wine..." she murmured, suddenly looking up at Jared again, then reaching over and pulling one of Jared''s hands to examine his pulse rate. "What are you doing?" Jared stared at her.He could drive with one hand, but it was a little dangerous. Luckily, they were now still waiting for the traffic light. Nicole felt his pulse for a moment, and then her face sank. "You have been drugged." "Drugged?" Jared frowned, looking at Nicole, and was suddenly amused. "Are you serious? What drug is it?" Nicole sighed and said with a serious face. "Do you really want to know? It is simr to an aphrodisiac." Jared almost stepped on the wrong pedal. He looked at Nicole and felt even more bizarre. "So I have been drugged? Are you going to tell me you know how to cure me?" Nicole nced at him. "Yeah." Jared could not help but look at her in shock. "Really?" "Yeah.You have been drugged, and you had better go to the hospital right away." Jared saw Nicole''s expression, and she did not look like he was lying.So he immediately turned around and headed to San Joto Central Hospital. But there was a traffic jam ahead, and Jared felt the air had be thin. Seeing his condition, Nicole got out of the car and swapped ces with him.He would sit in the back seat while she would drive. Jared got into the back seat obediently. Nicole saw the traffic jam ahead, nosed the car into an alley, then took out the old mobile phone she carried with her and pressed the button on the side. The mobile phone transformed into a map disy with a screen.It surprised Jared to see Nicole have such a high-tech gadget with her.Nicole issued an instruction to the screen.Find me the fastest route to the hospital." "You got it, master." The phone''s AI quickly replied. After a second, a roadmap was shown on the screen. Nicole immediately followed the map and stepped on the gas pedal. Inertia threw Jared straight back into the seat. Nicole showed off her driving skill,plete with a few drifting stunts.They reached the hospital in just ten minutes.N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. Chapter 788 Chapter 788 After receiving the call, the hospital CEO had already led someone to wait at the entrance. When he saw Jared''s car pulled up in front of the hospital, he went up at once. "Miss Riddle, who is his condition?" the hospital CEO asked nervously. "He has been drugged with that poison.Call the doctor who could treat him toe over." The hospital CEO gasped and then exined a predicament. "We have no doctor who can treat that kind of poison." "No?" "I will call another hospital to send someone over." The hospital CEO took out his mobile phone at once. "It''s toote.Take us to the dispensing room." Nicole looked at Jared, whose face was flushed. "Alright,e with me." N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. The hospital CEO immediately led the way. In the dispensing room- "Leave us alone.I''ll handle this.Also, don''t tell anyone about it." After saying that, Nicole closed the door. After giving Jared a ss of water and putting him on the bed to rest, Nicole started dispensing medicine at the dispensing table.She kept an eye on his condition from time to time while speeding up what she was doing.Soon, she came to Jared with the prepared medicine. "Jared, wake up.Take this." Nicole handed the medicine to his mouth. "Nicole..." "It''s okay.Just take medicine." Nicole fed him the medicine and then helped him lie down to rest.She then checked his pulse; it was gradually calming down. Nicole breathed a sigh of relief and sat quietly beside Jared. Sometimeter, Jared regained consciousness and frowned when he found himself in a strange ce. "Are you feeling better?" Nicole asked with concern. Hearing Nicole''s voice, Jared''s brows eased up, and he looked at her. "You have been here to keep watch over me all the time? You must be tired." "Not at all.I''m relieved that you have regained your consciousness. "Are we in a hospital?" Jared nced around. "Yeah." "Where is the doctor? Show me the diagnosis.Why did I suddenly feel giddy and hot?" Jared asked. "There is no doctor, no diagnosis." "What? So how was I cured?" Jared asked in bafflement. "I dispensed medication for you.You got better after some rest." Nicole calmly exined to him. "You know how to do that?" Jared looked at her in disbelief, not expecting that Nicole was an antidote expert. "This poison is verymon in the countryside, so most of us can treat it." Afraid that Jared would think too much, Nicole made up a story. In fact, this poison was a standard tool of interrogation.It was used to torture subjects to extract the information the interrogators sought. "I didn''t know that.So, do you know how I got poisoned?" Jared looked at her in puzzlement. "This poison is verymon, so it''s unclear what causes it."Nicole smiled gently. Chapter 789 Chapter 789 Naturally, she could not say it was a ss of wine. Otherwise, it would be no different from telling him who had drugged him directly. With Jared''s temperament, he certainly would leave no one who harmed him unharmed. After all, that person was also part of the Riddle family, and she did not want to implicate them. "Since you have got better.Let me drive you home." "Okay." Nicole helped Jared out of the hospital.Inside the vi, Nicole helped Jared sit on the couch. "Have a good rest.I''ll leave now." Nicole was just about to get up when he suddenly heard Jared''s wailing voice. "What''s wrong?" Nicole immediately sat back down beside him. "I have a headache.Can you stay with me?" Jared''s shrewd eyes nced at Nicole''s expression.Nicole was in a dilemma. N?velDrama.Org owns this text. After all, Jared had just proposed to her, and if the two of them stayed together for the night, the paparazzi would make a headline if they found out.But seeing Jared''s condition, she could not bring herself to leave him alone in the vi. "I''m so thirsty." Jared quickly feigned at seeing Nicole''s hesitation. "I will pour you water.Just a moment." Nicole immediately got up and off she went.Jared smiled triumphantly as he looked at Nicole from behind. "Here you go.Drink it slowly." Jared took a few sips from the ss and preemptively said, "Do you want me to call your family?" "It''s okay.I''ll call them in a minute.You rest well.I''ll be here with you." Nicole assured him. Jared got his way, leaning back on the couch and closing his eyes, giving her a chance to make a phone call. After a while, Nicole returned to Jared and patted him gently. "Go to your room and sleep." With Nicole''s help, Jared went into the room to rest. Two people snuggled up together and had a good night''s sleep. The next day, Jared went to work. Because it was a day off, Nicole went home. As soon as she entered the door, she saw Daniel, Gloria, and her five brothers sitting on the couch while watching TV and chatting. All eyes were on her, and Gloria rose to meet her. "Come sit down on the couch." Everyone spontaneously gave up the middle seat for her. Gloria nced at Daniel, then asked a question everyone was concerned about. "What was going on, Nicole? Howe Jared openly proposed to you yesterday?" "Yeah.Why didn¡¯t I hear you say before that you''re getting engaged? I didn''t expect your rtionship with Jared had developed so quickly." Daniel looked bewildered. After returning from the party yesterday, shock and questions filled the minds of everyone in the family, and he and Gloria had not slept well all night. Nicole looked at them, who were looking curiously at her and waiting for her answer.She smiled, knowing that what happened yesterday was a bolt from the blue for everyone. "Mom, Dad, I was just as shocked you all were by what happened yesterday.I got along well with Jared, but I didn''t expect him to propose to me at the party." As excellent as Nicole was in virtually all aspects, she was just a normal girl who would feel shy like anyone else, especially when someone proposed to her. Daniel and Gloria looked at Nicole''s bashful expression and smiled. "It''s okay.It''s a good thing.We are happy for you," Daniel said with a smile. Stanley interjected. "Absolutely.We haven''t had such a merry asion happening in a long time.I''m so happy for you." Sean hesitated for a while but asked atst, "You''ve been in a rtionship with Jared for so long, but we''ve never heard you mention his rtionship with JJ Johnston Group.Didn''t he even tell you?" "I''m indeed in a rtionship with him, but we have never talked about his business.I''m not curious about these things either," Nicole said. "After Nicole and Jared get engaged, we will have a lot of business opportunities." Steve''s eyes lit up at the thought about the good things that mighte along. Chapter 790 Chapter 790 Daniel said aptly, "Despite our rtionship with the Johnston family, we still have to do things on our own merits.We must never put Nicole on the spot and make outsiders think we are only sessful because of the marriage between Nicole and Jared." "Your dad is right.You all have to keep that in mind.I''m afraid that more people will scrutinize us from now on.You all should be more careful with your conduct outside," Gloria said with concern. "We will, and we will never cause Nicole difficulty." Sean looked at his parents, then at Nicole. Something came to mind and Stanley asked, "Mom, Dad, since Nicole is getting engaged, don''t we need to make preparations?" "Right, right.I was too happy and forgot such an important thing." Gloriaughed and ridiculed herself. "What do you like, Nicole? I will prepare it for you." Gloria looked at Nicole with a smile. "Yeah, whatever you like, just say it." Daniel chimed in. "It''s alright, Dad, Mom.Jared had got it all sorted out." Nicole smiled. Daniel nodded. "Jared is a promising young man and has gotten everyone prepared, but we in the Riddle family still need to do something.We can''t let others look down upon us." "Since it''s your day off, why don''t you follow your mom to go shopping?" Daniel spoke gently, with a hint of unquestionable authority. "Okay, then." Nicole could only agree to make her parents feel better when she saw their eagerness of wanting to do something for her. Samuel interjected. "Mom, I would like to buy a gift for Nicole, too.Can I tag along?" Gloria nced at him. "Okay." "Me too," Spencer said when he saw Samuel had seeded. Gloria was puzzled when Spencer also wanted to follow. "I thought you hate shopping? What makes you so different today?" "Because things are different now.I would like to get a gift for Nicole''s engagement." Just then, Stanley received a message. "Something is going on in the student union.I''m afraid I can''t join you all." "It''s all right.I''ll leave you to it.I know there are a lot more things to do on this year''s sports day.Especially after I proposed the award program." Nicole knew that as the president of the student union, he needed to keep an eye on many things. "We''re not going either, but we will definitely prepare something for Nicole''s engagement." Both Sean and Steve also needed to leave because of work. "Look how much your brothers love you, Nicole." Gloria looked at them and was touched by how much everyone loved Nicole. "Let''s go." Gloria took the three of them and drove toward the mall. In the mall, Samuel said, "Mom, we''ll go over there and have a look and then meet you two upter." "Okay, go ahead." "Nicole, shall we go to the jewelry section?" Gloria asked. "Okay." Nicole was not interested in clothes and essories.She would just follow Gloria wherever she went. Gloria took Nicole around, going from one jewelry shop to another. When she saw something she liked, she would ask the service staff to take it out and let Nicole try it out. "Mom, why don''t we find a ce to sit down and take a rest before we continue?" Nicole had been shopping around with Gloria for quite a while.She noticed that her mother had slowed down, probably from exhaustion. "I''m not tired.This is the branded stuff section.Why don''t we go inside to take a look?" Gloria said. Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org. Nicole sighed and followed her. "What do you think of this ne?" Gloria pointed to the ne in the disy case. "There are too many things going on in this ne." Nicole had never liked the overly ornate staff, let alone nes. She usually wore simple nes for decoration while attending events and would take them off immediately afterward. Chapter 791 Chapter 791 "Hmm, it really looks a bit too busy." "Are there any more special ornaments?" Gloria asked the service staff. "Yes, there''s anew Mona-style ne, simple and generous.Let me show you." "Okay." "Is thisdy wearing it?" "Yeah." "Can I help you put it on?" Nicole looked at the ne in the service staff''s hands and then at Gloria. "Absolutely." The service staff helped her put it on neatly. "This ne matches your beautiful neck perfectly." "Let me see." Gloria looked at Nicole, who was wearing the ne. "Well, not bad.Do you like it?" Gloria asked for her opinion. "It''s fine.I will take this." "I will buy this ne." Gloria turned to the service staff. "Wait a minute.I will pay for it." Nicole handed out his bank card to the service staff. Gloria stopped her. "How can I make you pay? This is a gift from me.Keep your card away." "Mom, I''m happy that you came out with me.I can''t make you spend money again." N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. Nicole knew the ne was expensive. As a homemaker, Gloria had been bullied over the years and had not much money in her hands. "Mom?" a sweet voice came from a direction. Gloria looked over her shoulder. "Norah?" Norah and her friends hade up to them. "Nicole is here.What are you two doing here? Norah nced at the ne in the service staff''s hands. "Wow, what a beautiful ne!" Norah could not take her eyes off the Mona-style ne. "Can I try it?" Norah looked at the service staff. "I''m sorry, Miss.Thisdy has bought the ne." "How much is it? I will get the same one, too." "Sorry, this is one of its kind." "Only one?" "Mom, I want this ne, too." "Norah, this ne is my gift for Nicole''s engagement.Why don''t you take a look at something else? I will buy it for you." Gloria smiled. "Mom, I think this ne must be expensive.Can I choose a gift of the same price?" Norah blinked her big, lustrous eyes at Gloria. Gloria was in a predicament, not knowing what to do. "Norah, Mom might have bought this ne as a gift for me, but I did not make her pay for it.If you have something you like, you can buy it with your own money." Nicole did not want Norah to get her way because she could tell that Norah was just looking for trouble. Chapter 792 Chapter 792 "Mom, Nicole is apparently bullying me." Norah tugged at Gloria''s hand. Gloria sighed helplessly. "Nicole really didn''t let me spend money.Look, her credit card is still here." Gloria showed Norah the bank card. Norah was displeased when she saw the credit card in Gloria''s hand. "I really didn''t expect that you had a credit card.Is it a credit card?" "Whatever card it is, it has nothing to do with you." Nicole took the card from Gloria and handed it to the service staff.She then ignored Norah and turned around. "Mom, pick an ornament you like.I will buy it for you." "It''s alright.I have a lot of jewelry.Where do you get so much money to buy nes? Is it really a credit card?" Nicole was still a student, yet she did not want Gloria to spend money on her, so Gloria could not bring herself to let Nicole pay for her. "Don''t worry, Mom.Jared gave it to me." Nicole made up a random story. Gloria was happy for her upon hearing that. "It is so sweet of him." Norah waspletely ignored.She was resentful at seeing the affection of the mother and daughter. "The ne has been wrapped for you, and this is the receipt.Have a nice day." "Thank you." Nicole took the ne. "Mom, Nicole." Samuel and Spencer hade looking for them after buying gifts. "Samuel, Spencer?" Norah happily came up to them to say hello. "Norah?" Samuel was surprised. "What a coincidence.Are you here shopping too?" Spencer asked. "Yeah, it''s my day off.So I just hang out with my friends." Norah saw both of them carry a wrapped gift in their hands and thought it was for her. "I didn''t expect you two to buy me gifts." "Actually, this is for Nicole." Samuel handed the gift to Nicole. Nicole looked at Samuel and Spencer. "It''s so sweet of you two.Thank you." "Don''t mention it.It''s gifts for your engagement." They looked at Nicole, whose hands were already full of stuff. Spencer said, "Open them once you are home.For now, we will keep them for you." Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org. Nicole nodded. Norah made a fool of herself again and now felt even more upset. "Since it is Nicole''s engagement, I will buy you a gift, too.There is a fashion boutique up ahead.Let''s go there to choose a dress as your engagement gift, Nicole." Norah had a smile on her face but an evil look in her eyes. Norah not only was not angry but also wanted to buy Nicole a gift. Gloria quickly said, "You''re not working yet, Norah.You don''t have to do that." "Nicole and I might not be rted by bloodline, but we both call you mom.Besides, it''s her engagement, which is only once ina lifetime; how can I not buy her any gift?" "Let''s go.It''s right in front, just close by." With that, Norah took Gloria''s arm and walked forward. After walking a few steps, she looked back and called out, "Why are you still standing there, Nicole? Come follow us." Nicole was about to say no when Spencer stopped her. "Norah has been conscious of her adopted child identity since she left home.I''m afraid she might overreact if you don''t follow her." Chapter 793 Chapter 793 "Yes, I know Norah best.Isn''t it just trying on clothes? You can make an excuse on the clothes, not refuting her kindness and relieving you of worries," Samuel echoed. Seeing her two brothers so concerned about her, Nicole also knew what Norah was trying to pull. "Okay, let''s try it." Once inside the fashion boutique, Norah said to the staff, "Get my sister a dress that best matches her looks." The staff nced at Nicole and saw that she was dressed casually. "Our outfits are all fashionable.I''m afraid they don''t match the look of thisdy." Norah felt a little better when she heard that Nicole was belittled. But she kept a straight face and said, "Do you mean my sister looks too ordinary? She is a member of the Riddle family.You had better think twice before you open your mouth." "I''m so sorry.Mrs.Riddle, Miss Riddle, and Mr.Riddle.She is new here and doesn''t know the rules." The person who spoke was the boutique manager, who shot the staff a knifelike look. "What are you waiting for?" Get Miss Riddle a few sets of fine outfits to try on." "This way to the VIP lounge, please." The boutique manager made a ''please'' gesture. Gloria had always been a kind person. When she saw the boutique manager''s polite attitude, she did not want to make a fuss out of it. N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. "Please don''t take it to heart, Nicole.These people are like that.Let''s go inside and take a rest." Gloria looked at Nicole andforted her, fearing that Nicole might be angry. Of course, Nicole did not give a damn, as she saw these people as just clowns.She knew that after shopping around for so long, Gloria must be tired. "Okay." Soon, two staff walked into the VIP area with several pieces of clothing.Norah casually picked up a piece of outfit from one of the staff. "Nicole, try it on." Seeing Gloria looking at her expectantly, Nicole expressionlessly took the outfit and walked into a fitting room. After Nicole left, Norah said to Gloria, "Mom, you and Samuel, and Spencer wait here.I''ll go in and give Nicole a hand." Norah walked toward the fitting room where Nicole was, and Nicole was trying on the outfit. She quietly pulled over a lowdder and climbed on it, then pointed the camera of her mobile phone over the top of the dressing room partition. The phone screen showed a woman''s figure. "Aaaaah! Who''s filming me?" The woman subconsciously looked up to sort out her hair, only to find a mobile phone above her head. Norah thought Nicole had discovered her, and she fell straight down the lowdder and smashed the screen of her phone. Hearing someone shouting, Gloria rushed over, only to see Norah lying on the floor.The boutique manager, who heard someone shouting in the fitting room, rushed over. Samuel and Spencer, fearing that something might have happened to Gloria and Nicole, followed suit. Once inside, everyone saw Norah lying on the floor while another woman ranted. "How did you fall, Norah?" Gloria quickly reached out to help her. "Don''t touch me.I think I have hurt my back." Norah screamed in pain. The woman was furious and yelled at Norah, who was still on the floor. "How could a little girl like you do such a despicable thing? Hand over your phone now." Norah was exasperated after being caught red-handed for filming the woman, whom she thought was Nicole. "It''s there.Take it." The woman picked up the phone, but the screen was broken.It was impossible to check the video Norah had taken. She was so angry that she threw the phone to the floor and stomped on it a few times. "Kid, who taught you to take a video of me changing clothes?" Now everyone instantly figured out what was happening. Chapter 794 Chapter 794 "You have to give an exnation for this." The woman angrily pointed at the boutique manager''s nose.She was a VIP customer of the fashion boutique. Never had she expected things like this would happen to her one day.The boutique manager apologized quickly. "It was an oversight on our part.I''m so sorry.The few pieces of outfits you tried on today will be given to you aspensation.We''re so sorry for what happened." "Do I look like I need these pieces of clothing?" The boutique manager apologized again. "I''m sorry.That''s not what I mean." "I want her to get down on her knees and apologize." The woman pointed to Norah on the floor. Norah gasped. Knowing she had screwed up big time, she looked at Gloria with a pitiful face. ''Mom, help me." Gloria was embarrassed, wondering how the child she raised could do such a thing.But she also could not bear to leave Norah behind. "My daughter is at fault and should apologize, but you can see that she is still a kid and has injured her back.Kneeling would be too difficult." "If you were in my shoes and videoed while changing clothes, wouldn''t you want an apology, at least?" "If she can''t apologize, then just strip her naked.I''ll record a video of her, and then we are even.There is no other way." The woman was vehement. Just then, Nicole came out of the other dressing room ina morous dress and saw Norah lying on the floor while awoman barked furiously.She appeared unconcerned, and she had heard all their conversations. "Howe you got out of that room?" Norah looked at Nicole in surprise. N?velDrama.Org owns this text. "You should be worried about your situation." Nicole did not bother to answer her question.Samuel and Spencer had sensed the undertone of what Norah and Nicole said. "By the way, this dress you gave me is quite nice.I will wear it now.Please remember to pay for it in a moment." Nicole''s words were an insult to injury for Norah. "You''re going too far, Nicole." Norah red at her. "Please help your sister, Nicole." Gloria scowled. "Mom, it was Norah''s fault, and thedy has every right to demand reparation.We can''t intervene." With that, Nicole gave Samuel a look. "Mom, get up.Norah is an adult and should be responsible for her actions." Samuel helped Gloria to the side. "Why are you on the side of the outsider, Samuel?" Norah pulled herself up with difficulty. "You''ve got to settle the things yourself, Norah.Mom and I still have other things to do, so we leave now." Nicole spun around and left. Although Gloria could not bring herself to leave Norah behind, Samuel and Spencer forcibly carried her away. "Mom..." Norah called out angrily as they went. "Apologize to thedy, and it will be over.Otherwise, things will not end up well for you," the boutique manager exhorted Norah. "Madam, I am sorry." Norah forced her apology through her teeth.They had bought what they wanted. Nicole and the others left the mall and got into the car. Gloria was still worried about Norah and kept murmuring in the car. Spencer was annoyed but was also curious about what had just happened. So changed the subject, saying, "Judging by what Norah said just now, it looks like something was going on between you two.Right, Nicole?" "Exactly.The way Norah looked at you wasn''t quite right." Samuel looked at Nicole with puzzlement. "There is no outsider here now; can anyone tell us what the hell is going on?" Gloria turned to look at Nicole. "What do they both mean? Is it true that something is going on?" Chapter 795 Chapter 795 Nicole looked at the kind Gloria.She did not want her mother to be deceived by Norah''s hypocrisy. "I was supposed to be the one Norah wanted to video-record." "What?" The three of them looked surprised. "You heard that right.If I hadn''t noticed it and changed the fitting room at thest minute, I''m afraid it would have been me when lost my temper just now." "What I didn''t seeing was that someone else got implicated.This will be a lesson for Norah." Nicole calmly told of what had happened. "I really didn''t expect that since Norah left the family, a well- behaved girl could change to be like that, not the Norah I knew anymore." Gloria sighed. "But why would she do that? Why target Nicole?" Gloria was none the wiser. "Must be jealousy.She thought Nicole stole the life that should have belonged to her." Spencer was a sensible person. Gloria nced at Nicole, then looked out the window and sighed again. Nicole said not a word again until she was back at the Riddle Mansion. "You all are back." Daniel saw them return and spoke. "Are these gifts for your sister?" Daniel watched as Samuel and Spencer walked in with beautifully wrapped gift boxes. "Yeah, these are for Nicole." "Dad, we''ve all prepared gifts for her.But what about you?" Samuel dug at Daniel. "See, Nicole? You have said nothing yet.They are such backseat drivers." "My gift is mysterious.You all will see it in a few days." "I didn''t know your dad could keep us in suspense." The family sat on the couch and burst intoughter. Nicole nced at her watch. "Mom, Dad.It''s gettingte.I have to go back to campus.So I''m not going to have dinner at home." "What is the hurry? Let''s have dinner before you go,"Gloria said. "I''m afraid I can''t.The school''s sports day is just around the corner, and there are a lot of things to do.Stanley must be up to his ears right now." Nicole quipped. "Nicole is now the ss monitor, and she has a lot of things to get busy with in the student union.Don''t worry about her." Danielforted Gloria and then said to Nicole, "Remember to have your dinner once you are back on campus." N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. "Don''t worry, Mom, Dad.I''ll go upstairs and put down the staff before I go." Nicole then went upstairs. "Don''t worry, Dad, Mom.We''ll apany Nicole back to the campus." Inside the school, the three siblings walked side by side. Nine out of ten passersby would invariably look at them, and the other one probably forgot to wear sses. "We are going to grab something to eat.Do you want to join us, Nicole?" Samuel asked. "It''s okay.I''m not hungry yet.I just want to go back to the dormitory to rest." "Okay.If you suddenly think of eating something, call us." "Sure.See you." After parting with Samuel and Spencer, Nicole walked toward the dormitory. Before she even entered the door, she could already hear Lulu''s voice inside. "What are you talking about? I could hear it from the outside." Nicole''s voice came. "Nicole, you''re back.We''re talking about you." Lulu came up to meet Nicole. Chapter 796 Chapter 796 "What do I have to talk about? You two have good enough grades and don''t have to study anymore, eh?" "Let''s not talk about studying.Come sit down here." Lulu pulled Nicole over and sat down with June. Nicole looked at their curious eyes and immediately knew what was going on. "I know you two have something to ask me about.Just ask." Nicole was straight to the point.She figured that if she did not quench their curiosity, no one would get to sleep tonight. "Nicole, are you really getting engaged to Jared?" Lulu waited curiously for her reply. "Yeah.Weren''t you there at the party that day?" Nicole asked rhetorically. "I was there.But I was in shock at seeing what happened.I couldn''t believe that an outstanding man like Jared would kneel and propose in front of so many eyes.I still feel like I''m dreaming when I think about it now." Lulu said, her heart fluttering. "What are you excited about? Speaking of excitement, I guess Nicole should be the most excited, right?" "Think about it; all the celebrities, VIPs, had their eyes on Nicole at that moment.How much self- confidence must one have to withstand that attention? If it were me, I would have felt as if those eyes had prated me.Yet Nicole was so cool, calm, and collected as if she was not the one who stood on the stage." June was amazed at the thought. "Heavy is the head who wears the crown.But you can''tpare yourself to Nicole." Lulu teased June. "Lulu." "My bad." Lulu backed down. Nicole looked amusedly at the two trading zingers with each other. "I think our school should have a stand-upedy ss; you two are very talented." "You must be kidding.We can only tease each other in front of you. "Mr.Johnston Sr.said Jared is the CEO of JJ Johnston Group.Is this true?" June looked at Nicole. "Did you both leave your souls at home when you went to the party that day?" "No, our souls were always there.Just that we couldn''t believe our ears." June blushed as she exined. "So, from now on, Nicole will be the CEO''s wife.It is a great honor for us to be roommates with Nicole." Lulu and June looked at Nicole with their eyes lighting up. "The CEO''s wife? Stop teasing me already." "Don''t keep asking about me.I also have something to ask you two." Nicole nced at them with an evil smile. Hearing that Nicole had questions for them, their hearts skipped a beat, and they started to evade her eyes. "Don''t run away.Tell us how you guys have been going?" Nicole nced at Lulu. Lulu''s heart pounded as if a school kid had been caught doing something wrong by the disciplinary teacher. "I don''t have much to say.But June might have made some progress." Lulu passed the ball into June''s court. June shot her a look and then smiled at Nicole. "There is no substantial progress.I just got his telephone number.Maybe we will have the opportunity to have coffee next time," June said with a bashful face. "Isn''t that progress? You have got the phone number.Great job, June." Lulu teased her again. Nicole smiled. "Not bad.You haven''t let me down." Then the two focused their attention on Lulu. "It''s your turn now." Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org. "Okay.I''ll tell you all." "Spencer is having a show this week.He said if I liked it, I could watch him perform." With that, Lulu buried her face in her hands. "A show? Howe I didn''t hear him talk about it when we came back togetherst night?" Nicole looked at Lulu in surprise. "It seems like they have had a private chat." It was now June''s turn to tease Lulu. "Lulu, help me ask if I can bring my family.I would like to watch the show, too." June continued to tease her. "You are interested, too? Then I would have to ask him.as far as I know, no outsiders may enter the venue without his permission." Lulu took it seriously. "silly Lulu.Can''t you hear June teasing you?" Nicole shook her head helplessly. Chapter 797 Chapter 797 "Damn you, June.If you don''t stop talking crap, I will get on your head." As the two went crazy in the dormitory, Nicole returned to her bed and looked at them. "Ouch, my hair." The next day, Nicole, Lulu, and June walked to the ssroom together. On the way, many students looked at Nicole in surprise. "Do you know she has been engaged to the heir of Johnston Group? " "Really? Then I have to take a good look at what kind of person she is." "Don''t be too obvious; she''sing toward us." "She looks a little cold." "Lulu, I feel there are many pairs of eyes watching us." "Not us; they are looking at Nicole." "How are we going to have our meal?" June grumbled and looked at Nicole, who looked nonchnt. "There''s Nicole here.What are you afraid of?" There was an uproar as soon as Nicole stepped foot into the cafeteria. There were discussions everywhere she walked past. People gave up their position in the queue for Nicole, and the stingy cafeteria owner gave her an extra- large portion. Lulu and June got the same privileged treatment, too, thanks to Nicole. The three of them sat down in a slightly quiet corner and started to eat, but there were still many people casting their eyes on them. "What are you staring at?" Austin''s voice came. "Boss?" "Stop staring.Eat your meal." Austin nced at the others disapprovingly, then ran over to say hello to Nicole. "Good morning, Boss." "Do you still keep practicingtely?" Nicole asked. "Yes, I practice every day." Curiosity still got the better of him. "Boss, I heard¡ª" "It''s true," Nicole suddenly said. Austin''s jaw dropped to the ground. "I have followed the right boss." "Stop messing around.Get something to eat or get lost." Reprimanded, Austin quickly went away. N?velDrama.Org owns this text. Just as he came out of the cafeteria, he bumped into Raine. "Are you blind or something?" Raine snarled. Austin was thinking of hitting back but thought better of it when he saw it was Nicole''s elder sister.He just muttered a few words and left. Since the news of Nicole and Jared''s engagement came out, people started to have more respect for the Riddle family. "Isn''t that thedy who consorts with the Johnston family? A ce like a cafeteria doesn''t fit into her current identity?" Raine said sarcastically when she saw Nicole, Lulu, and June in the corner. "Are you picking a fight here?" Lulu was going to get up and argue with her. Nicole held her down with one hand. "Don''t bother with barking dogs.Let''s eat.We will have work to do in a while." "What are you trying to insinuate?" Raine walked up to Nicole in anger. "Please don''t assume that I''m talking about you." Nicole did not even look up but continued having her meal. Everyone burst intoughter. Chapter 798 Chapter 798 Snow walked over and pulled Raine aside, then smiled at Nicole. "As a ss monitor for the first time, you definitely have a lot of things that you don''t understand about the sports day.We are all members of the student union; if you don''t understand anything, don''t be shy to ask us.Raine and I will not make fun of you." It was clear that Snow''s emotional intelligence was a cut above Raine''s.She had given Nicole a run for her money in just a few words. "Well, I will, and I''m sure I will have a lot of things to trouble you about next time." Nicole let out an evil smile. Snow was startled for a moment as she suddenly felt she had dug her own grave. "We''re done eating.I will first excuse myself." Nicole got up and walked straight past between the two of them. "A yokel marries into a prominent family; sooner orter..." Snow immediately nudged Raine. "Mind your words.This is a cafeteria." Bad things came in three; the moment Nicole walked into the ssroom, she collided with Vivian. "Nicole, can you handle the sports day preparation? Tell me if you don''t understand anything.As a former ss monitor, I''m happy to teach." Vivian was still resenting Nicole for stealing her ss monitor''s role. "What day is it? A day of kindness?" Lulu teased her. "Hey, what do you mean?" Vivian looked at her, feeling not too happy. "What do I mean? Exactly what you think" "I''m not talking to you." As some ssmates were talking about the sports day, Vivian looked at them. "I told you allst year that you must intensify the training.Now look at your physique; do you all think you can take part in this year''s sports day?" "Why can''t we take part? Not only will I take part, but I have also signed up for two games." "Vivian, you always used your ss monitor''s position as an excuse for not taking part in games previously.This year, you are a lot freer.Have you thought of any excuses yet?" "Stop the crap.You have just registered for two games yet want to show off.Don''t embarrass yourself.I will not only take part in the sports day this year but have also signed up for four games." With that, she looked at Nicole. "Nicole, as a new ss monitor, you don''t have to take part." The implication was that Nicole was no better than she was. The ssmates looked at Nicole with strange eyes, wondering if she would really make excuses, as Vivian said. N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. "Are you taking part, Nicole?" Nicole was thinking ofing back to the ssroom and having some quiet time, not expecting to bump into another nuisance.So she was forced to react. "I think I can only take part." "What do you mean?" "These are the games that our ss has signed up for.You may take a look, and if you have questions, ask me, and I will change it." Nicole handed them the registration form. "This is what I signed up for.Look, Vivian has really signed up." "She has really signed up for four games?" Their ssmates did not believe it at first. Vivian looked at them triumphantly. "You all believe it now, don''t you¡ª " Before she could finish speaking, someone eximed, "Holy moly, what the..." "I know; don''t be envious." "Nicole signed up for all the games?" Vivian almost stumbled when she heard that.She immediately snatched the registration form from her ssmate. "Did you see it wrongly?" Looking closely from top to bottom, she saw Nicole''s name with a tick on every game on the list. Chapter 799 Chapter 799 Vivian could not believe her eyes because no one had registered for all the sports events. She thought the reason Nicole did that was to steal the limelight. ¡°What¡¯s this?! You¡¯re proud because you¡¯ve registered for all the events? ¡°You¡¯re from the countryside. I¡¯m afraid that you don¡¯t know how cruel sports can be. Don¡¯t pretend to be sick and withdraw from thepetition when the timees!¡± Vivian threw the registration form at the people beside her. She then left the ssroom. Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org. ¡°Why is she always acting this way? She doesn¡¯t have a sense of collective honor. Hope she doesn¡¯t quit thepetition when the timees! She had never participated in anypetition before. And yet, she registered for four events. She overextended herself¡­¡± June could not stand Vivian¡¯s mad face. Gary was watching Nicole from behind. He walked toward her after Vivian left. ¡°Nicole, I want to make changes to the registration form.¡± ¡°The registration form is over there. Make the changes on your own.¡± ¡°If anyone of you wants to make changes to the registration form, do it before noon. I¡¯ll submit the form in the afternoon,¡± Nicole said to her ssmates. She did not bother Vivian, who was yelling. ¡°We won¡¯t make changes. We¡¯d given it a deep thought for a night!¡± ¡°Gary. Why did you register for all the events?¡± This is just a sports meeting. You don¡¯t have to do this.¡± Jack stared at Gary in surprise. ¡°That¡¯s right. Gary, we¡¯re just making up the numbers, right? Why are you being so serious about it?¡± Wayne scratched his head as he wondered. Gary nced at Jack and Wayne as they tried to dissuade him. He then picked up a pen to register for all the sports events for them as well. ¡°Don¡¯t do that, Gary. Are you trying to kill us?!¡± Jack and Wayne saw the checkmarks behind their names. They were anxious to the point that they almost cried. ¡°Don¡¯t cross them out.¡± Gary red at them. He then took the registration form and went back to his seat. Time passed quickly in the morning, as usual. It was lunch hour in a blink of an eye. Nicole stood up and said to her ssmates, ¡°Anyone who wants to make changes to the sports day events registration form, do it now. If not, I¡¯ll submit the form.¡± She had a look around. Nobody spoke. ¡°Where¡¯s the form?¡± Nicole asked. ¡°It¡¯s with me.¡± Gary took the registration form as he walked toward Nicole. ¡°Give it to me.¡± Nicole reached for the form. Gary took a step back. He did not give the form to her. ¡°I¡¯m going to the student council too. Let¡¯s walk together.¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright. I¡¯m going for lunch now. You go ahead.¡± Nicole took the registration form from Gary. She then turned around and left. Gary¡¯s blood was boiling as he looked at Nicole¡¯s back. ¡®I don¡¯t even deserve to walk with her now?¡¯ ¡°Gary, do you want to go for lunch now?¡± Jack reminded him softly. ¡°All you care about is food. You¡¯re useless!¡± Gary scolded Jack ridiculously. Jack felt wronged. ¡°Wayne, I didn¡¯t do anything that upset Gary today, right? What¡¯s wrong with him?¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t know? Gary has been a changed man ever since the Johnston family¡¯s party. I guess it¡¯s something to do with Nicole.¡± ¡°I see¡­ Gary, wait up.¡± Jack chased after him. Nicole submitted the registration form to the student council after lunch. She then went to the cafe outside of her school. us weed her immediately after she entered the cafe. ¡°Ms. Riddle, Mr. Johnston will be here in a minute.¡± ¡°I know.¡± ¡°Cappino?¡± us asked. Nicole showed him the ¡°Okay¡± hand gesture. She then sat at her usual table and took out herptop. After she logged in, she saw a job, ¡°Information on the website was stolen. We need an expert to fix it urgently¡±. Chapter 800 Chapter 800 ¡°What¡¯s going on? There¡¯s a good deal waiting for me right after I logged in.¡± Fixing this kind of issue was child¡¯s y to Nicole. She could fix it in a short while. That was like free money to her. ¡°Ms. Riddle, here¡¯s your coffee.¡± us put down the coffee carefully. ¡°Okay.¡± Nicole started fixing the website that got attacked immediately after she took up the job. Shortly after, the loophole on the website was fixed. She earned the mary reward easily. ¡°Intrusion Detection and Removing Virus¡± ¡°What¡¯s going on today? Jobs that were posted were all so easy.¡± Nicole whispered. She immediately took up the job. With her extraordinary technical expertise, the location of the intrusion was detected quickly. She then fixed the intrusion point immediately. After that, she gradually looked for the source of the virus. After a bit of hard work, she finally found the virus in a hidden folder. Nicole immediately removed the virus using the anti-virus system she developed. Just when she thought she had finished the task, an alert popped out suddenly. At the same time, Jared pushed the cafe¡¯s door and walked toward her. Nicole fixed the issue easily. She then closed herptop. ¡°Have you been waiting for a long time?¡± Jared sat down. ¡°Not too long. I was doing some work.¡± Jared nodded his head as he said, ¡°The coboration with the Turmann family is in ce. So, I might be very busy soon, I might not have the time for you. But I¡¯m free today.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Nicole raised her eyebrows as she looked at him. She was able to read between the lines. ¡°But I¡¯m not on break today.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± Jared grabbed Nicole¡¯s hand and walked out of the cafe immediately. ¡°Slow down. My bag.¡± A sudden friction sound of tires rubbing against the ground could be heard. The car then went off like an arrow. ¡°Jared, where are you bringing me? My ss is starting soon.¡± Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org. ¡°I took the day off for you. You¡¯ll like the ce where I¡¯m bringing you to.¡± Jared had already solved Nicole¡¯s concern. Nicole was a bit excited as she looked at Jared¡¯s excited face. The sports car was traveling on the coastal highway. The reflection of the beautiful ocean view could be seen in Nicole¡¯s eyes. A squeaking sound could be heard. The sports car stopped steadily. Nicole got down the car in surprise. ¡°Deep-sea Diving Club!¡± Nicole was very excited as she stared at the huge que. She had always wanted toe here, but she was too busy. ¡°Seems like Mr. Johnston has made an effort.¡± Nicole turned around to nce at Jared. ¡°Let¡¯s have a look inside.¡± Jared walked toward the door with Nicole. The two bellboys immediately opened the door and weed them as they saw Jared. Nicole thought the ce would be crowded. But the lobby was empty. ¡°Why is there no one here? Is the club closed today?¡± Nicole asked curiously. The bellboy quickly exined, ¡°It¡¯s empty because Mr. Johnston booked the entire club for exclusive use.¡± Nicole smiled as she looked at Jared. She knew exactly why he did that. Nicole had a special identity. It would be best if fewer people had contact with her. But it would take more than just money to be able to book the entire Deep-sea Diving Club for exclusive use. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s have a look at the equipment, shall we?¡± Jared looked at Nicole. Chapter 801 Chapter 801 ¡°Sure.¡± They took the lift to level 5. Rows of professional deep-sea diving equipment caught their eyes. Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org. ¡°Do you alwayse here?¡± Nicole asked Jared. ¡°Sometimes.¡± ¡°Is this your first time going deep-sea diving?¡± Jared stared at Nicole, who was choosing the equipment seriously. ¡°I used to dive at the diving area. This is my first time going deep-sea diving.¡± Nicole stared at the attractive deep-sea diving equipment. ¡°Looks like you¡¯re attracted by the equipment.¡± ¡°Yes. I¡¯m very excited now.¡± Nicole examined the equipment carefully. ¡°Let me help you to put them on.¡± Jared picked up a set of equipment as he walked toward Nicole. They were suited up after a few minutes. They then went to the diving preparation area. ¡°We can onlymunicate via signnguage when we¡¯re under the seater. Stay close to avoid idents,¡± said Jared. ¡°Okay.¡± Nicole showed him the hand gesture. She then immediately went under the sea. Jared shook his head as he followed her. The seawater was crystal clear. They could see to a great distance. Nicole slowly dived deeper as she enjoyed the beautiful undersea view. Jared watched Nicole as he followed her. There was a flock of yellow and blue color fish hunting for food not far away from them. Nicole did not disturb them. She gently recorded their food hunting process beside them. While she was doing that, a huge sea turtle swam past Nicole. Nicole immediately moved her camera to record it. The sea turtle did not bother her. It swam toward the coral. Nicole stopped following it after a while. She then raised her head to look at the distance from the surface. She could see the beautiful view of the sunlighting through the water. Nicole waved at Jared. She signaled him to swim nearer to her as she put away her camera. She then turned around to swim freely under the seawater like a mermaid. Jared could not help but freeze as he stared at Nicole, who was swimming. This is my first time seeing a different Nicole. She looks just like a mermaid.¡¯ The camera was following Nicole as they dived deeper slowly. The vision underwater slowly darkened. Suddenly, a dark figure swam past Nicole and Jared swiftly. Jared immediately stopped swimming to observe his surroundings. The dark figure moved too fast. They could not see clearly what it was. Jared then swam toward Nicole. He asked her to be careful via signnguage. Nicole nodded her head. She looked around to check out the situation. She then swam in the opposite direction. After a while, she saw a colorful fish flock. Nicole excitedly took out her camera to record them. The flock of fish changed its formation constantly. They were very colorful in the seawater. It was spectacr. Nicole was too carried away recording the flock of fish. She did not notice Jared¡¯s hand gestures. She had been following the flock of fish. Jared swam very hard to chase after her. Suddenly, a maw appeared in front of Nicole. It swallowed a quarter of the flock of fish. Nicole held her breath immediately. She turned off the light. She did not dare to move. The camera caught the shark clearly. It swam around Nicole in a circle. After that, it swam toward the flock of fish. Jared watched the shark until it disappeared out of his sight. He swam as fast as he could toward Nicole. Heforted Nicole gently. He then swam toward the water surface with her. They stopped at the sea depth, where they could see the sunlight. ¡°Here is safer,¡± Jared told Nicole via signnguage. He did not want to let go of Nicole¡¯s hand. But Nicole felt it was inconvenient. She then lost his hand and swam in the opposite direction. Jared chased after her immediately. They started a race in the water. After a while, there was a human figure swam toward them. Nicole stared at the figure as it got closer. She asked Jared via signnguage, ¡°Didn¡¯t you book the club for exclusive use? Did you lie to me?¡± Jared replied via signnguage, ¡°Do you think I¡¯d make this kind ofme joke?¡± He then carefully observed the figure as it swam closer. ¡°Why is there someone else?¡± Jared asked via signnguage. Chapter 802 Chapter 802 The human figure was getting closer. Suddenly, Nicole caught a cold light quickly. She immediately held Jared¡¯s hand to return to the water surface. Jared knew what Nicole was trying to do. He quickly swam toward the water surface. But the person was too fast. He caught up with them in just a few minutes. Nicole was surprised. ¡®This shouldn¡¯t happen with my capability. How did he catch up so easily?¡¯ Just when she thought about that, the person tried to sh Nicole¡¯s oxygen pipe. She turned around to dodge it cleverly. There was a cut on her oxygen cylinder. The person attacked Nicole again. Nicole grabbed his hand and took away his weapon. The attacker turned around and tried to escape as he noticed the situation was unfavorable to him. Nicole responded in kind. She cut his oxygen pipe with the dagger. The ouw desperately swam toward the surface as the water bubbled. Nicole did not bother him. She went to deal with another person. Nicole fought with the ouw using the dagger in the water. She cut off the ouw¡¯s finger in just a short while. Suddenly, the water around them became red with blood. Nicole and Jared dealt with the rest of them quickly. They then swam toward the water surface actively. Before they reached the surface, a shark carried one of the ouws covered in blood in its mouth and swam up to the surface. A huge ssh of water could be seen. Jared and Nicole did not dare to watch what was happening. They swam toward the shore quickly. A speed boat was speeding toward them. They got onto the speed boat safely. ¡°Quickly return to the shore,¡± Jared ordered as he nced at the shark behind them. The speed boat speeded toward the shore. The shark was chasing after them. ¡°Get up!¡± Jared took over the driver¡¯s seat. He pressed the elerator pedal. The speed boat elerated quickly. It then leaped forward on the water¡¯s surface. The shark was left behind. After they reached the shore, Jared immediately carried Nicole out of the speed boat. ¡°I can walk.¡± Nicole tried to free herself from Jared. ¡°Don¡¯t try to be tough. You¡¯re hurt.¡± Jared nced at Nicole¡¯s calf that was hit by the shark. Nicole only realized she was hurt when she looked at her calf with Jared. She knew Jared would not let her walk. She then stopped moving. She let Jared carry her to the lounge. Jared put down Nicole. He had someone to get them a first-aid kit. He quickly treated Nicole¡¯s injury. He then drove her to the hospital. The doctor carefully treated Nicole¡¯s wound in the hospital¡¯s VIP ward. ¡°Will it leave a scar?¡± Jared gave the doctor treating the wound a serious look. ¡°It might leave a shallow scar.¡± Before Nicole could say anything, Jared said seriously, ¡°No. You must get rid of the scar by any means. It can¡¯t leave even a tiny scar.¡± The doctor was in a cold sweat suddenly. ¡®Every wound leaves a scar. Mr. Johnston is giving me a hard time.¡¯ Nicole could tell it was difficult for the doctor to do that. She said, ¡°It won¡¯t leave a scar. I have a way.¡± She then nced at Jared confidently. The doctor looked at Nicole with surprise. ¡®This youngdy is good at lying.¡± ¡°It might hurt when I put medicine on the woundter. Bear with me.¡± Jared immediately stretched out his hand for Nicole. ¡°Bite my hand if it hurts. You got hurt because I didn¡¯t protect you well.¡± Nicole was thankful as she smiled. ¡°Don¡¯t cry when I bite your handter.¡±Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org. Chapter 803 Chapter 803 Jared was heartbroken as he looked at Nicole. He nodded his head. The doctor spread the medical power to Nicole¡¯s wound. He raised his head to look at Nicole. He did not expect Nicole to not frowned at all. He said in surprise, ¡°Youngdy, you¡¯re the toughest person I¡¯ve ever met.¡± ¡°Normally, even guys would scream when they use this medical powder. But you didn¡¯t even frown. I¡¯m impressed!¡± Nicole got a thumbs up from the doctor. Treatment had beenpleted. The doctor left after he advised them something Jared looked at Nicole with sympathy. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry for today. You wouldn¡¯t be in danger if I didn¡¯t give you the surprise. You¡¯re even injured now.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. It¡¯s just a minor injury. I¡¯m very happy today.¡± Nicole smiled slightly at Jared. ¡°It¡¯s obvious that the attackers¡¯ target was you. But why?¡± Jared could not help but wonder. ¡°I think they were my online jobspetitors. I¡¯ve beaten them a lot of times these years. They didn¡¯t like me long ago.¡± Nicole fabricated an excuse tofort Jared. After all, He did not know about her other identity. Nicole saw a familiar totem when she was fighting with the attackers in the water. So, she knew exactly who those people that tried to assassinate her were, Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org. But it did not bother her. They were no threat to her. The reason was that she had already destroyed those organizations. The attackers were probably the remnants of those organizations hiding in every corner of the world. The remnants were idle in different parts of the world after their organizations were destroyed. They had not forgotten about their organizations. They hated Nicole. They had always been looking for her. They would mess with her whenever there was a chance. They were persistent. ¡®I didn¡¯t expect them to ruin Jared¡¯s surprise. I¡¯m a little banged up. But luckily, Jared is fine. And we had dealt with them sessfully.¡¯ ¡°I didn¡¯t think they would actually try to kill you just because of failed tasks. Is it possible that they already knew who you are?¡± Jared was worried about Nicole¡¯s safety. ¡®Impossible. It was just a coincidence.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about what happened. I can deal with it. The most important thing now is to send me home.¡± Nicole tried to get up as she said that. Jared immediately held her down. ¡°I can stay out of this. But you must stay here. I¡¯ve already talked to your school. You can recuperate here for a few days without any worries.¡¯ ¡°It¡¯s just a minor injury. I don¡¯t need to rest.¡¯ Nicole nced at Jared. But Nicolepromised in the end so Jared could go to work with peace of mind. ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll recuperate here for a few days. You still have a lot of work to do, right? Go on.¡± Jared was relieved. ¡°And,e up with a reason for your family.¡± ¡°Alright, don¡¯t worry about it.¡± ¡°Call me if you need anything.¡± Jared left only after he made sure Nicole was taken care of. ¡°Since I can¡¯t go home or go to school now, what I can do now is only¡­. Nicole opened herptop. When she saw multiple alert dialogue boxes pop up on her screen, she frowned slightly. However, it was not difficult for her to deal with. She typed on her keyboard with her slender fingers. She resolved the dialogue boxes one by one. However, after five minutes, alerts popped out again unexpectedly. However, that was not a dialogue box. It was rather a defiant, evil smile. It made Nicole, who was experienced, smile. ¡®Looks like this isn¡¯t a virus. But rather, someone is controlling everything behind. Although her enemy erased his traces very carefully, Nicole managed to find his trace with tiny clues. By following her enemy¡¯s operating habits, Nicole deduced her enemy¡¯s intention and his next operating point. She was a step ahead of her opponent. She hid a virus in the operating point. Her opponent followed the necessary steps to reach the operating point. Nicole¡¯s virus that was ced in advance intruded into her opponent¡¯sptop. It was toote for him to remedy the situation. He watched hisptop explode in front of his eyes. Nicole¡¯s task waspleted. She secured her big reward. Nicole was very happy. But as she recalled her opponent¡¯s techniques, she picked up her phone and sent an ID to Zeke, ¡°Find out who¡¯s using this ID recently.¡± Chapter 804 Chapter 804 Martin had just returned to the hospital when he heard the director was looking for him, so he went to the hospital director¡¯s office first. ¡°Director, you¡¯re looking for me?¡± Martin knocked on the unlocked door as he went in. ¡°What took you so long? Go and check on Miss Riddle in the VIP room now,¡± The director said with a displeased look ¡°Isn¡¯t it just a leg wound? Can¡¯t we just get any outpatient MO to see her? Why must it be me?¡± Martin was reluctant. ¡°Cut the crap. If the person wasn¡¯t a VIP, would I be asking toe back in such a hurry!?¡± ¡°What are you still standing here for? Go on now!¡± The director urged him. ¡°Alright, alright. I¡¯ll be going.¡± Martin reluctantly made his way towards Nicole¡¯s ward. As he pushed open the door¡­ ¡°I¡¯m¡­ Nicole?¡± Martin looked at the patient sitting on the sick bed in surprise. ¡°Martin? Why are you here?¡± Nicole was surprised as well. ¡®How did he know I was injured?¡¯ ¡°The director got me toe to have a look. Why are you hurt so badly?¡¯ Martin was stunned and immediately recalled why he hade here for. ¡°It¡¯s nothing serious. Just a scratch. Nicole said nonchntly. ¡°You call that thick bandage around you just a scratch?¡± Martin frowned as he looked at the thick bandage. ¡°Which doctor did this bandage for you? It¡¯s too thick!¡± Martin shook his head in dissatisfaction. Seeing that Martin was about to take the bandage off, Nicole tried to stop him. ¡°No need for that trouble.¡± ¡°It¡¯s no trouble. A bandage too thick will affect the healing of your wounds,¡¯ Martin said as he started to undo the bandage. Soon, the bandage was undone, and Martin inspected the wound before reapplying the bandage after treating it ¡°Done.¡± Martin then cut off the extra bandage with a pair of scissors. ¡°Thank you.¡± Nicole noticed that Martin¡¯s treatment technique was far better than the earlier doctor¡¯s. ¡°No worries. Avoid eating spicy stuff for the time being,¡± Martin said as he sat down. ¡°Okay.¡± Martin looked at Nicole and asked, ¡®If it¡¯s not too much to ask, how did you get hurt?¡± *Oh, 1 struck something while diving. Nicole could not tell him the truth, Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org. ¡°Ah, you¡¯re being way too careless there.¡± Martin looked at her, somewhat distressed. At this moment, the ward door was pushed open. ¡°Martin, our experiment¡­When Joyce opened the door, she saw Martin caring for Nicole. She frowned a little and quickly nced at Nicole¡¯s leg. ¡°Nicole? You¡¯re hurt?¡± She walked forward and asked. Seeing that Joyce had walked in, Nicole nodded. ¡°Why are you here?¡± Martin spoke as if he didn¡¯t want Joyce to find him. ¡°Ah, it¡¯s like this. There¡¯s a situation in theb, and I heard you¡¯re in the ward, so I came looking for you.¡± ¡°What happened?¡± Martin was now very excited to hear any news about his experiment. ¡°It¡¯s hard for me to put into words. Have a look yourself.¡± Joyce found it difficult to exin. ¡°Sigh, let¡¯s go.¡± Martin took a couple of steps before seemingly remembering something as he turned toward Nicole. ¡°Nicole, I¡¯lle to see you againter. Rest well.¡± After that, he left the room. Joyce nced at Nicole with a displeased look. ¡®He had never been so gentle or caring to me before, and now he¡¯s caring about Nicole so much. This pisses me off.¡¯ Chapter 805 Chapter 805 After the two left, Nicole went back to rest, and soon it was nighttime. Someone knocked on the door. ¡°Come in.¡± Martin came in with a container of hot soup. ¡°Isn¡¯t that soup?¡± Nicole looked at the sk and guessed. ¡°You can tell? Wow!¡± Martin then opened the thermos container and handed it to her. Nicole was bbergasted. This kind of thermos container was all toomon, and no one used it for anything but to store soup, ¡°Did you make this yourself? Nicole carried the bowl as she asked. ¡®How I wished I could cook for you, but my culinary skills are quite wanting!¡± Martin let out a helpless sigh. ¡°Give it a taste. Is it good?¡± Nicole gave it a gentle sip and said, ¡°Not bad. Thanks.¡± Seeing that she liked the soup he got for her, Martin too was very happy. Just as the two were chatting, someone knocked on the door. ¡°Come in.¡± The two thought that it would be the doctor on duty. However, it was Joyce who came in. Before Nicole could even speak, Martin asked, ¡°Why are you here again? Don¡¯t you need to supervise theb?¡± Joyce ignored Martin¡¯s question as she smiled and came before Nicole¡¯s bed. ¡°Nicole, I was afraid you were not used to the food in the hospital, so I made dinner for you.¡± Martin gave Joyce a curious look. She was still in theb when he left, so how could she have the time to make dinner for Nicole? In fact, Nicole had had dinner, and they were food delivered by Jared¡¯s staff, but out of courtesy, she still tasted the food Joyce brought over. After taking a bite, Nicole smiled and put the food aside. This is clearly food bought from outside. Why did she say that she made it herself? Thinking of this, Nicole looked at Joyce. When she saw thetter¡¯s eyes looking at Martin from time to time, Nicole smirked as she understood Joyce¡¯s reason foring here. However, Martin treated Joyce like she was transparent as he continued talking to Nicole. Seeing that Martin ignored her, Joyce cast her gaze on Nicole and inevitably felt envious. Seeing that Martin was so caring towards Nicole, Joyce felt bitter. ¡°Nicole is already engaged to Jared, so why is she being all amorous with Martin.¡¯ Thinking of this, she could not stand it anymore as she Interjected, ¡°Martin, Nicole may only be wounded in the leg, but she still could use more rest. Won¡¯t we disturb her if we continue to stay here?¡± After hearing what Joyce sald, he looked at Nicole. ¡°She¡¯s right. You should rest. We¡¯ll be heading off first, then, Rest well.¡± *Alright. Bye.¡± Nicole saw the two off. She knew very well what Joyce was implying Ever since that day, Martin was not in theb but rather in her ward, and Joyce witnessed it all as her jealousy gradually evolved into hatred. On this day, Martin pushed the medicine cart over as usual to change her bandage. ¡°How are you feeling today?¡± He asked. ¡°Very good. Seems like I can get off the bed and walk already.¡± Nicole had been dying to give it a try. ¡°Seems like you can¡¯t stay still any longer, huh.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t fret. I¡¯ll examine it now.¡± Martinforted her and then started to examine the wound. As the bandages were removed, the wound was in good shape. ¡°Your intuition is on point. Once I apply for the medicine, you can get off the bed and do some gentle exercises.¡± N?velDrama.Org owns this text. ¡°Awesome! Your hospital¡¯s medicine is pretty good!¡± They were only slightly inferior to hers, and if it were not for the fact that Nicole was unable to find those reagents, she would have long been healed. ¡°Of course, I was the one who formted these medicines,¡± Martin said proudly. And just as they two were talking, Joyce walked in. Chapter 806 Chapter 806 ¡°Martin, the difference between the note you¡¯ve given me earlier and this one is too great. If we were to use this one to do our tests, problems would certainly ur.¡± Joyce frowned as she questioned him. ¡°Why do you have so many questions? Just test it based on what is on the note,¡± Martin hissed irritably. The two had already quarreled in the morning due to some equipment matters, and he did not expect her to argue with him in Nicole¡¯s ward. ¡°But the materials, ¡®Joyce still wanted to exin, but Martin brusquely interrupted her. ¡°Enough! Am I the lead, or are you the leader of this research?¡± Martin grabbed the note off Joyce¡¯s hand as he stormed out. Joyce did not expect Martin to yell at her in front of Nicole. She then turned to thetter and screamed.¡± It¡¯s all because of you!¡± Then, it was Joyce¡¯s turn to storm out furiously. Content provided by N?velDrama.Org. Nicole sighed, feeling somewhat amused. ¡®He clearly doesn¡¯t like you, but you¡¯re forcing yourself on him, so who¡¯s to me if you get scolded then?¡¯ Just as she was about to look away, she caught sight of the note on the ground from the corner of her eyes. Nicole was curious. ¡®What is it that drove the usually humble and polite Martin into a frenzy?¡¯ She gently got off the bed. ¡®Still standing on two feet on the ground feels best.¡± She slowly walked over and gave the note a nce after picking it up. ¡°Oh, so that¡¯s why.¡± Martin immediately got into his car and left the hospital after storming out of Nicole¡¯s room, while Joyce ran to the rooftop to vent before returning to theb to continue working The next day, Martin appeared at Nicole¡¯s ward as usual. After rposing himself, he knocked on the door and entered. ¡°Good morning, Nicole.¡± Martin greeted her as normal, but he consciously avoided eye contact with her. Nicole did not bring up what happened yesterday as she went, ¡®I can get off the bed abready. I still need to thank you for taking care of me for the past few days.¡± ¡°What are you doing being so polite to me for?¡± l¡¯il have an event that I must attend in the hospital tomorrow, so I won¡¯t be able to change your bandage for you. But I¡¯ll get a good doctor to do it for you.¡± Martin had already informed a colleague of his on this. ¡°You should¡¯ve long handed this over to someone else. Having you personally change my bandage is a gross misuse of your talents.¡± Nicole quipped. Martin smiled as he looked at the beautiful Nicole. His heart subconsciously skipped a beat, and his face quickly turned red. ¡°Martin, why is your face so red? Are you unwell?¡± When Nicole saw that Martin¡¯s face suddenly turned red, she thought he had an allergic reaction. ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing. It¡¯s probably just the room being a little warm. I¡¯ll go take some wind.¡± Martin used the opportunity to go to the window to calm himself down. ¡°Nicole, I actually have something that I¡¯ve been welling up inside me, and I have no one to talk to about it. I feel like I¡¯m being crushed,¡± Martin took a deep breath as he looked outside the window. Nicole could guess that it was and said, ¡°Sometimes, the sess or failure of a matter isn¡¯t that important. Enjoy the process and do your best.¡± Martin turned towards Nicole and smiled warmly at her. ¡°Look at this. Perhaps you won¡¯t be that stressed after that.¡± Nicole handed the note in her hand to him. ¡°What is this?¡± Martin looked at the note in her hand in confusion. ¡°Do you want me to keep holding it up like this?¡± Martin immediately walked over to take the note in her hand. As he nced at the note, he said, ¡°Isn¡¯t this my note?¡± Chapter 807 Chapter 807 ¡°Someone has changed something here¡­¡± Martin fell into deep thought when he saw the note. ¡°I changed it.¡±Nicole calmly exined it to him. ¡°You did?¡± Martin looked at Nicole before turning his gaze onto the note. Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Brilliant Just brilliant! Why didn¡¯t I think of this!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll head off first, Nicole. I¡¯lle back againter.¡± The mes in Martin came back alive as he could not wait to go back to theb and test it out, ording to the note amended by Nicole. A few hourster, the excited voice of someone in the corridor got closer and closer The next moment, a figure rushed into Nicole¡¯s room and hugged her tightly at lightning speed ¡°Nicole! It worked! It worked!¡± Martin yelled in excitement. At this moment, the person he wanted to share the good news with was Nicole. ¡°Let me go first.¡± Nicole was close to suffocating ¡°Oh, my bad. I got too excited.¡± Having realized what he was doing, he immediately let Nicole go. ¡°Nicole, you¡¯re literally brilliant! I just gave the amended note a test, and it actually worked?!¡± ¡°I never thought that the experiment that I have been cracking my head over hundreds of times would seed the moment I meet you. You are my lucky star, Nicole!¡± In Martin¡¯s eyes, Nicole was dazzling bright Compared to Martin, Nicole was much, much calmer. ¡°You¡¯re your own lucky star. This is the fruit of yourbor, the result of your toil.¡± ¡°No, no, the sess of the experiment has everything to do with you.¡± Nicole did not try denying him anymore. She knew that Martin was still at the excitement stage of sess. He had, after all, been under pressure for so long and needed to release it. ¡°Nicole, since you can get off the bed now, let¡¯s go out to celebrate for a bit. Oh right, I need to go back to theb for a while. I¡¯lle and get you right away. Wait for me!¡± Martin did not give Nicole any room to refuse him as he immediately left for theb after saying all that. Nicole looked on helplessly at Martin¡¯s back as she shook her head. Since things had already proceeded to this stage, it would not do for her to break Martin¡¯s excitement. She simply packed up and put on simple makeup. After all, she had been too carefree in her days in the hospital. Yet, Joyce had witnessed everything happening inside the room. Her hands under her furious face had turned pale from clenching. At theb entrance, just as Martin stepped out of it, he ran into Joyce with an unhappy face, ¡°I¡¯m heading out for a bit. Go and get the wrap-up report for thetter section done.¡± Martin handed over the wrapping-up work to Joyce. Are you going out with Nicole?¡± Joyce¡¯s mind was clouded, and she did not even listen to what Martin had just said as she asked him. ¡°Yeah, so finish up the wrapping up job, okay?¡± Martin did not hide it as he reminded her. ¡°I want to go too.¡± ¡°Huh? What for? There¡¯s plenty of things that require you to wrap up.¡± Martin red at her, not wanting Joyce to interrupt his celebration with Nicole. Joyce¡¯s gaze turned bitter. ¡°All these while I¡¯ve been helping you with everything, and now that the experiment is sessful, you¡¯re celebrating it with someone else?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve given my all for this experiment, so why I don¡¯t have a ce in this celebration?¡± Joyce stepped forward and blocked Martin¡¯s path as she questioned him. ¡°I¡¯ll admit that you¡¯ve contributed much to this experiment, but who didn¡¯t? I¡¯m just going out to rx now. We¡¯ll hold a celebration partyter, and I¡¯ll be sure to invite you then, so please stand aside.¡± Martin said as he walked around Joyce towards Nicole¡¯s wardroom. Joyce could not believe what Martin had just said as she stood there stunned, looking at his departing figure. She then went straight into theb, hissing, ¡°Martin, you forced my hand.¡± Chapter 808 Chapter 808 ¡°Thanks for waiting Let¡¯s go.¡± Martin walked up and carefully helped Nicole to walk. At the restaurant, Martin gentlemanly pulled the chair for Nicole ¡°The ambiance of this restaurant is pretty good; the food is delicious too. I heard that stars would often come here to eat,¡¯ said Martin. Nicole looked around. ¡°It¡¯s pretty good, but more importantly, it¡¯s very quiet. It¡¯s very nice to watch the scenery from here.¡± ¡°Martin, you must¡¯vee here a lot to view the scenery, right? Nicole looked outside and praised the scenery N?velDrama.Org owns this text. ¡°That sure did not escape your eyes. You¡¯re right. I¡¯ll order a ss of red wine to enjoy the view here every time I¡¯m stressed out, and I¡¯ll sit here for the whole day.¡± As he said that, he took a sip of his wine. ¡°This is indeed a good ce to rx i¡¯ll make it a point toe here often to rx,¡¯ said Nicole ¡®Sure We cane here together next time, then Martin smiled gently at her. Nicole continued to watch the scenery without respondmg. She liked this ce, but she did not say that she wanted to be together with him here. The waiter came over with the dishes, and a sharp gaze looked at the table Nicole was seated al. ¡°Nicole? Martin?¡¯ ¡°Why are the two of them together?¡± Chloe immediately took out a phone and took a couple of pictures before sending it over to Jared Grinning widely, Chloe put on her sunsses as she nced in Nicole¡¯s direction before leaving Jared was in the midst of work when his phone suddenly rang. His gaze swept across the screen. A surprise. Jared frowned a little and wondered who was ying a prank that got sent to him as he irritably turned off the screen and continued to work An assistant came in to confirm his schedule, and it only then did Jared pick up his phone to look at his calendar. After his assistant had left, the unread message kept shing on his screen, and he could not help but press on it. The moment he saw the pictures, Jared¡¯s eyes darkened as he picked up his jacket and left the office. The car stopped at the entrance of the building, and the valet came over to open his door. Jared tossed his car keys over and walked straight to the elevator. Nicole and Martin were chatting on and off when a tall figure walked out of the door towards her position. ¡°Your leg has healed?¡± As she suddenly heard a familiar voice, Nicole turned back to look at the person speaking. ¡®Jared? Why are ¡®Aren¡¯t you working now?¡¯ Nicole had not seen him for a few days now and was quite pleased to see him out of the blue. ¡°Mr. Johnston.¡± Martin stood up and greeted him. Jared nodded before continuing to speak to Nicole. ¡°I am working, but I got a little hungry, so I came over to have something to eat¡­¡± ¡°The two of you are?¡± He then looked at the two of them. ¡°Martin¡¯s experiment was a sess, and we are celebrating here.¡± Nicole could sense Jared¡¯s jealousy and quickly exined. She knew that his office was quite a distance away from there. ¡°Let¡¯s sit down together?¡± Before Jared could respond, Nicole pulled his arm to get him to sit. Martin looked awkwardly at the two. He felt a bit ufortable, but he could not say anything about chasing Jared away. He knew that doing that would just make Nicole hate him. Originally, he hoped to get closer to Nicole through this meal, but Jared¡¯s appearancepletely turned that on its head. Looking at the two talking andughing, he picked up his wine ss and enjoyed the scene outside as he sipped on it. Chapter 809 Chapter 809 It was another day, and Nicole was surfing the in the ward as she waited for the doctor to change her bandage Suddenly, someone knocked on the door, ¡°Come in.¡± Looking at the person pushing the medicine cart, Nicole was quite surprised. ¡°You¡¯re changing my bandage for me?¡± Joyce noticed Nicole¡¯s confusion and exined, ¡°There¡¯s an activity in the hospital today, and the doctor who was supposed to attend to you was called away at thest minute, so I¡¯m here in his ce.¡± Nicole nodded. It was the same if anyone changed her bandage. It made no difference to her. ¡°I heard Martin say that you can be discharged tomorrow.¡± Joyce walked over and prepared to change Nicole¡¯s bandage. ¡°Really? That¡¯s great.¡± ¡°Why aren¡¯t you participating in the event today? Changing the bandage should be left to the nurses.¡± Nicole asked ¡°They are all important people in the hospital, so they need to prepare the speech in advance. It¡¯s fine if I¡¯m a bitte. Moreover, you¡¯re a very important patient, and you¡¯re also Martin¡¯s friend. I¡¯m a bit worried if It¡¯s the nurse who is changing your bandage Nicole did not mind it as she put down herptop and watched Joyce change the bandage. ¡°I heard that you went out for a meal with Martin? Martin wanted me to join in, but I had the wrapping- up job to do, so I didn¡¯t apany you two. Was it fun?¡± Joyce withstood the pain in her heart as she smiled and looked at Nicole¡¯s face ¡°Oh, it was quite fun.¡± When she heard the words fun, Joyce¡¯s hand shuddered and identally touched Nicole¡¯s wound ¡®Hiss ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Did it hurt?¡¯ Joyce¡¯s nervous hands trembled even more. ¡°I¡¯m fine. Don¡¯t worry. Go ahead and apply for the medicine.¡± Nicole evenforted her. Joyce picked up the wound corroding medicine she had prepared earlier and opened the bottle to apply it to Nicole¡¯s wound. N?velDrama.Org owns this text. Nicole¡¯s keen eyes immediately noticed that this was a different medicine than the one Martin had previously formted, and she asked, ¡°Did the medicine change?¡± When Nicole asked that question, Joyce, who was self-conscious, almost spilled the medicine all over the bed. She then stuttered as she tried to exin. ¡®Ah-Martin said the wound is almost healed, and to change to this medicine to get rid of the scar.¡± Nicole looked at Joyce, acting strange. Her series of actions since she entered her room had been very abnormal, and her intuition told her that Joyce was acting very strange today. ¡®Wart¡¯ Nicole stopped Joyce¡¯s hand At this moment, Joyce¡¯s heart was pounding very hard. ¡°What¡¯s the matter, Nicole?¡± ¡°Can I have a look at the medicine in your hand?¡¯ Nicole hesitated a little before asking. She wanted to ascertain her guess and did not want to have a misunderstanding. ¡°This is a scar-removal medicine Martin had formted. Many people had used it already. There¡¯s no problem with it.¡± Joyce thought that Nicole would lower her guard if she mentioned that it was Martin¡¯s medicine. Yet, she did not expect Nicole to insist on watching look at the ointment. ¡®It¡¯s fine. She¡¯s just a student. She won¡¯t find out even if I show it to her.¡¯ 2 Joyce handed the bottle to Nicole. When Nicole picked it up and had a look, she was shocked. She was very familiar with this pungent smell, and as it was dissolved in other substances, most of its smell had already been masked, yet, its efficacy was not reduced. Nicole had managed to distinguish it through its subtle scent, but if it was anyone else, they would not have been able to tell the difference. Nicole gazed deeply at Joyce, ¡°I¡¯ll give you one more chance. What is this?¡± Joyce frowned imperceptibly as she calmly looked at Nicole, ¡°Nicole, what are you talking about?¡± Chapter 810 Chapter 810 ¡°Seems like you really don¡¯t know when to call it quits. Since you say this is Martin¡¯s medicine, then let¡¯s get him to confirm it.¡± Nicole took out her phone and sent Martin a text. Martin and the hospital director were seated together, answering the reporters interview questions. His phone suddenly rang, and upon seeing that it was from Nicole, he whispered into the director¡¯s ears before getting up to leave. Many reporters started to ask. ¡°Dr. Wyance, please stay. We still have some questions to ask you.¡± The director immediately got up to help. ¡°Dear members of the press, Dr. Wyance is going to handle an emergency case. I¡¯ll be answering everyone¡¯s questions in his ce.¡± Martin hurried to Nicole¡¯s ward upon seeing her message and saw Joyce standing by the side the moment he got in. He ignored her and walked straight toward Nicole. ¡°What¡¯s the matter, Nicole? What happened?¡± Martin looked at Nicole, bewildered. ¡°Have a look at this first.¡± Nicole calmly handed the bottle to him. ¡®Is there a problem?¡± Martin took over the medicine in puzzlement before taking a look. Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org. ¡°Hydrochloric acid? What¡¯s this?¡± Martin looked at Nicole in shock. ¡®Why is there such a highly corrosive material in her ward?¡¯ ¡°A?k her yourself. Nicole looked at Joyce standing by the side. Martin¡¯s eyes narrowed as he walked to Joyce¡¯s side and asked. ¡°Did you bring this medicine here? What are you doing bringing this here? And why are you here?¡± Martin tossed out three questions in quick session, making it difficult for Joyce to answer him. Upon seeing Joyce trembling and not saying a word, Martin got even more furious. ¡®Are you a log or something? What are you standing there for? Answer me, damn you!¡± Seeing that she refused to talk, Martin could only turn towards Nicole. ¡°Nicole, what¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°It¡¯s clear that she wants to use this medicine on mine. She said it¡¯s a special scar-removing medicine you¡¯ve made. ¡°How¡¯s your leg?¡¯ Martin subconsciously wanted to check the wound on her leg in a fit of panic. ¡°No need. I saw through that. Otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t be calling you here to confirm things.¡± Martin listened to what Nicole said and waspletely disappointed with Joyce. He never thought that the usually good-natured Joyce would one day harm others, more so Nicole. ¡°Martin, I can exin¡­¡±Joyce stepped forward and grabbed Martin¡¯s arm. Martin violently swung his arm away, sending Joyce to the ground. ¡°From now on, you are no longer a member of theb. Get lost from my sight.¡± ¡°Martin¡­ Joyce still wanted to make one final defense for herself. ¡°Get lost! Don¡¯t ever let me see you again!¡± Martin did not deign to look at her as he tremblingly pointed towards the door. ¡®Nicole, I hate you!¡± ¡°Martin, you can ask me to get lost today, but someday, you¡¯lle back to beg for me!¡± Joyce wiped her tears off as she got up and ran out of the door. After Joyce had left, Martin was so remorseful he dared not look Nicole in the eyes as Joyce had almost ruined Nicole¡¯s leg. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Nicole. I was a poor judge of character and almost caused you irreversible harm.¡± ¡°I¡¯m so sorry.¡± Martin did not look at Nicole as he bowed toward her. ¡°You don¡¯t need to¡­¡± Just as Nicole was about to help him up, Martin took a few steps back before walking out of the room with his head down. Ever since that day, Nicole did not see Martin again until the day she was discharged from the hospital. Jared gave some exnations about the work that needed to be done and then drove to the hospital to pick Nicole up. ¡°Mr. Jared, I thought you were busy. How did you find time to pick me up?¡± Her words seeped with dissatisfaction. ¡°You may not know, but I actually took the time out from my pile of work.¡± ¡°Since you don¡¯t have time, there¡¯s no need to pick me up,¡± she sounded jealous as she said. Chapter 811 Chapter 811 Jared smiled dotingly as he came to Nicole''s side and hugged her. "No way, no one is more important than you." "Is that so? I''ll forgive you this time." "Mr.Jared, I''vepleted Miss Nicole''s discharge procedures." Max walked over to report. "Good." "Let''s go, Miss Nicole." Jared quipped yfully. Nicole sniggered. "So, Mr.Jared, shall we go walk together then?" The two held hands as they walked out of the ward. Just as they were going through the hall, an emergency stretcher was quickly pushed in Nicole''s direction. Fortunately, Nicole was agile and easily dodged the oing collision. "Who''s that? How can you be so reckless!" Jared hissed in anger. He then asked Nicole, "Are you hurt?"Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org. "No, it seems like an emergency case.Otherwise, they wouldn''t be in such a hurry." Nicole nced toward the ER.She only saw amotion over there, and that puzzled her. "Why is there someone arguing at the ER? I''ll go over to have a look." Nicole was a kind person and could not stand to watch good people being bullied. "You''ve only just recovered.You don''t have to stand up for others." Jared tried to stop her. "It''s fine.Just wait for me in the car.I''lle over in a bit." As she said that, she ignored Jared''s disapproval and went straight to the ER. In the ER, due to her not being able to contact the patient''s family, Joyce only performed simple first aid and did not n to take the patient in for further treatment. As a result, she was scolded by the people around her. "How can you be like that? Where''s your empathy and ethics?" "Yeah, how can you not treat him just because he can''t pay?! This is too much!" "Stop making amotion here.This is the emergency department.If you raise any more ruckus, I''ll be calling security!" Joyce ignored the crowd''s protest as she adamantly refused to ept the patient. "Make way, please.Let me have a look." Nicole yelled. The crowd made way, and Nicole walked to the patient''s side. "Nicole, what are you doing? This is a hospital, not a ce for you to fool around." Joyce was pissed off when she saw Nicole. It was all because of her that Joyce was demoted to the emergency department and could no longer spend time every day with Martin. Nicole ignored her as she straightaway went to treat the patient. In her eyes, nothing was more important than the patient''s life. "His condition is serious; he needs urgent surgery." Nicole looked at Joyce. Joyce swallowed her saliva as she red hostilely at Nicole. A doctor behind her walked up and whispered. "Dr.Joyce, how about we perform the surgery first? Otherwise, who''ll be responsible if anything bad happens?" "We cannot reach this person''s family.If he is unable to pay for the surgeryter, who''s going to foot the bill then?" "Joyce McCarthy, is human life more important or is money more important now? If this person dies in the ER, you won''t escape awsuit." Nicole reminded her. "Even then..." "Enough! Get him into the operating theater! I''ll pay for his operation!" Nicole could not be bothered to argue with her. Every minute wasted was a minute lost in saving him.The other doctors realized the severity of the case. After ncing at Joyce, they pushed the patient into the operating room. "But who''s going to be the chief surgeon?" A nurse looked at both Nicole and Joyce. "I¡¯ll do it.Lead the way." Nicole''s presence was so great that the nurse dared not disobey her. As she looked at Nicole''s departing figure, Joyce angrily threw her notebook onto the ground. "Nicole, you''ve shown off in front of me one too many times and humiliated me to no end.You''ve made an enemy of me!" Chapter 812 Chapter 812 "What are you lot looking at? Move along." Only then did the onlookers disperse while still admonishing her.After disinfecting herself and putting on the operating gown, Nicole walked into the operating room and approached the patient. "What''s the patient''s condition?" "He''s still in shock even after putting on the respirator." Nicole then carefully checked through everything again. "It''s probably a cardiogenic shock." "Prepare for cardiopulmonary resuscitation and hook him up on IV." "Get a matching blood type pack, prepare sma." "Roger." "Prepare for surgery." Nicole''s determined gaze swept across everyone in the room. After several hours of intense surgery, the light outside the operating room finally turned off. Nicole slowly walked out of it after the patient was pushed out of the operating room.When Jared saw her, he immediately walked over and helped her to sit. "You must be exhausted.Have a sip." "I''m fine.If it weren''t for me just being discharged, these few hours would''ve been nothing." "You...Most people would''ve just dodged it, and yet you stepped forward yourself." Jared looked at her, slightly pained. "But didn''t it work out fine?" Nicole was very proud that she had managed to save a life. "Yes, but have you thought of the consequences? If you had failed, that''s a life lost." Jared was sweating profusely for her outside the operating room. "I dared to take on the surgery because I have total confidence in it." Nicole''s confident look was extremely attractive.Jared dotingly pinched her nose. "Fine, you''re awesome.Happy?" "Max, bring the car over." "Yes, Boss." When Martin returned to the hospital, he heard about Nicole''s feat in the emergency department. "Nicole, are you alright?" Martin ran over and saw Jared helping her outside. "I''m fine. Why are you here?" Nicole looked at Martin with a puzzled look. N?velDrama.Org owns this text. "I just heard about you in the hospital, so I rushed over." "Your timing is impable; the patient is suffering from cardiogenic shock.I''ve already operated on him, but he''s still in a critical period.This is a very special illness, and you need to carefully observe him for a while.You''re the best doctor here, and only you have the ability to be the main doctor of this special patient." "Don''t worry, leave it to me.You''ve just been discharged, so go and get a good rest." Martin was worried that Nicole standing for long hours would affect the recovery of her leg wound. "Oh right, Mr.Jared here has paid the patient''s bill." Nicole turned around and let out a pleased smile at Jared. "Got it." Martin nodded. "Mr.Jared, the car is here." At this moment, Max walked over. "Let''s go." Jared then left the hospital with Nicole. Martin looked at Nicole''s departing figure and let out a long sigh before returning to the intensive care unit to check on the patient. "How''s the patient doing?" Martin asked the nurse to his side. "The patient is stable after surgery." Chapter 813 Chapter 813 "Good.Continue to observe the patient.Let me know if there''s anything." Martin looked at the patient''s condition again as he told the nurse. "Yes, Dr.Martin." Martin came out of the ICU to the emergency department and learned about what had happened before taking Joyce to the director''s office. Martin knocked on the door and saw that the director was on the phone.He then brought Joyce into the office as the director ignored them and spoke respectfully to the person on the other end of the phone. "Yes, yes, for such a thing to happen in my hospital, I sincerely apologize.I will seriously deal with this and give you a satisfying reply." The director put down the phone with a grim look. "Good timing.I just wanted to look for the two of you." "Director..." Just as Martin was about to speak, the director stopped him. "Joyce McCarthy, exin to me now.What happened in the emergency department today that this call came to my office?!" "Director, it''s like this, a patient was brought into the ER, and I checked on him.I found that he was in a rather serious condition and needed surgery, but we were unable to reach his family.I thought that without his family''s signed consent, performing surgery on him was irresponsible.I did not agree to perform the surgery to protect the hospital''s reputation." Joyce was trembling when she exined to the director.This was the first time she saw him lose his temper. "So you''re a stickler to the rules, a responsible doctor, eh?" "Then why did you perform the surgery on the patient?" "It was Nicole.She practiced medicine illegally.I did try to stop her, but she insisted on pushing the patient into the operating theater without his family''s signed consent..."Joyce immediatelytched onto Nicole''s action. "Director, if you want to sue Nicole, I can stand witness." How Joyce wished she could see Nicole brought to justice. "And you still have the gall to say that! Because of you, the best opportunity to operate on the patient was almost missed.If it weren''t for Nicole ignoring protocol and working miracles, this hospital would have gone to hell with you!" The director''s eyes were red with anger as he smashed a cup onto the floor. "How could that be, she..." Joyce could not believe what the director had just said. "What?! You have no idea who the patient is.His son is a multinational CEO, and it was his son who called me just now." Only then did Martin realize why the director was speaking in a low voice just now. "Martin, is this how you trained them?" "I''m so sorry, director.I never thought that I would''ve caused such huge trouble for the hospital." Martin even had to apologize on Joyce''s behalf. "Get out of my sight right now, and never step foot in this hospital ever again." The director pointed at Joyce''s nose as he yelled at her before turning around and no longer looking at them. Joyce was already being scolded to the point of tears.She dared not even look at Martin as she ran out of the hospital with her head down. Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org. That afternoon, the hospital announced Joyce''s dismissal.In the manor, Nicole was biting on an apple as she surfed the web. Suddenly recalling the weird mission earlier, she gave Zeke a call. "Eh, Nicole, why do you have time to call me?" Zeke was quite surprised when he got Nicole''s call. "Have you managed to find who''s the person using the ID I asked you to check?" Nicole had no time to trade banter with him and went straight to the point. "Tsk, I thought you missed me after not being in touch for so long.It turns out you''re asking for something else.How disappointing." Zeke pretended to be unhappy and sighed. "Cut the nonsense.I''m probably intruding on your fun right now, right?" "Bloody hell, do you have irvoyance or something? No, I need to see if you have deployed spies near me." "No need.You''re not worth deploying a spy." "Hey, those words pissed me off.I''m still someone who is only behind you, alright? I''m a mysterious figure that is beyond reach in the eyes of others, okay?" "Yeah, right! If you don''t tell me the results, you''re a dead man." Nicole was really tired of bantering with this idiot. "Eh, calm down.I''ll send all of the information over right now." Zeke dared not provoke her. "Alright, I''ll be hanging up first." Nicole opened herptop and received the information Zeke sent over.She then carefully went over it. "So it''s the McCarthy family, huh..." Chapter 814 Chapter 814 "Jared, I''m going back home." Nicole called Jared on the phone. "The driver will drop you off, and I will see you at your ce at night." "It''s been a long day for you.Don''te tonight.I will see you at yourpany another day." "Okay, then.Take care and have a good rest.If I find out you don''t rest enough, I will fix you." Nicole''s heart almost melted at hearing Jared''sst sentence. "Okay, bye-bye." Hanging up the phone, Nicole went straight back to her home. "Good to see you back, Nicole." Gloria was delighted to see Nicole back; she had not seen Nicole in days. "Mom, what are you busy with?" "I''m making you some snacks." "How do you know I''ll be back?" Nicole looked at Gloria in amazement. "It''s Friday today.I figured you woulde back this week, so I thought of preparing things in advance so you would get to eat when you came home." Gloria wanted to make up as much as possible for some of the love Nicole had missed as a child. "Thank you, Mom.I feel so blessed having snacks to eat as soon as I''m back." "Here you go.Move over to the couch." Gloria handed her a portion of the snack. "Don''t make anymore.This is more than enough.Come over.Let''s have a chat." Nicole sat Gloria down on the couch. "Mom, where is Dad? I haven''t seen him since I''m back." Nicole had been back for a while and still did not see Daniel. "Upstairs with your eldest brother in the room.They''re working on a project." "You''ve been getting bettertely, Mom." "Really? I feel much better since you''re back, almost worry-free.Naturally, I will look much younger." Gloria seemed relieved. "I''m sorry to make you worry about me." Nicole looked at Gloria and felt sorry. Had shee back sooner, perhaps her mother would not have missed her so miserably. "Silly girl, all parents worry about their children.I feel so blessed to have a sensible daughter like you." Gloria stroked Nicole''s hair. Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org. "Mom, I''ll make sure you feel the same all the time." Gloria burst intoughter upon hearing that.Daniel wasing downstairs and happened to hear the laughter of the two. "You two look so happy.What is it about?" Nicole heard the voice and turned to look toward the stairwell. "Hi, Dad." "d to see you back, Nicole." When Daniel saw Nicole, all his troubles seemed to have gone away. "You haven''t been back in days.How were you doing at school?" Daniel and others did not know about Nicole''s injury, and when Nicole called the other day, she had only mentioned that she was busy and would note home for a few days. "Everything is great.Just that I''m still busy with the sports day and can''te home too often.But after the sports day, I''ll have more time." Nicole used the sports day as a disguise. "Really? Take care, then.Don''t do everything yourself.Instead, let other ssmates join you." Daniel still felt sorry for her, afraid that the sports day would exhaust his precious daughter. "Okay, Dad.Don''t worry." "Daniel, you don''t look good.Are you not feeling well?" Gloria asked with concern when she saw his face. "s, just don''t ask.You won''t understand even if I tell you." Daniel looked hapless. Sean saw Nicole, and instantly something came to mind. "Dad, since Nicole is back, why don''t you¡ª"'' During thest business deal, Sebastian had helped the Riddle family because of his rtionship with Nicole.So, Sean wanted to try if he could also help this time. Chapter 815 Chapter 815 Daniel nced at Sean. "We will figure it out ourselves." Sean, who was hopeful a moment ago, was instantly dejected upon hearing what Daniel said. Nicole looked at the despondent two and asked, "Dad, is there something happening to thepany?" Daniel nced at Nicole and sighed, "s." "Don''t sigh, Dad.Tell me what happened.Let''s figure it out together." Nicole was distressed to find his father, who had always been smiling, looking so tired today. Knowing that Daniel was too embarrassed to ask, Sean said, "The Riddle family is now bidding on a project of an internationalpany. "The size of the project is sorge that it is difficult to manage without enough capital, and the Riddle family''s financial standing is still not adequate.But it is notpletely impossible." The only problem is the Riddle family has a fifty-fifty chance of winning the project on its own.Besides, there are a lot ofpanies out there that are eyeing this project. "Whoever wins this project will sit on an equal footing with Johnston Group.So the Riddle family is also determined to win." Sean looked at Nicole determinedly. After listening to what Sean had said, Nicole finally understood and looked at them calmly. "I know little about the project, but if there''s something I can help with, I''ll do my best." "Sean, who is the biggestpetitor with the Riddle family now?" Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org. Nicole''s thought was clearly organized, and her question was to the point. "Except for a few lesser-known families, all that is left is the McCarthy family.Arge corporation like Johnston Group has its own projects, and it won''t be interested in such a project," Sean said with a thoughtful look. "It''s the McCarthy family again," Nicole murmured. "Sean, just let me know if there is anything I can help with." "Mr.Wyance seems to have a good rtionship with you.Could you ask him if he can help?" Sean looked at Nicole tentatively. "Mr.Wyance knows many people, but I''m not sure if he has any international connections.But don''t worry, I''ll ask him."Nicole looked at Sean. "Thank you.I will have to go now; there are still a lot of things waiting for me to deal with back at the company," Sean said politely. "It''s all right.Don''t worry.I will be at home with Dad and Mom." Nicole smiled at him. "Dad, Mom, I''ll go now," Sean said goodbye to Daniel and Gloria as he got up and left. "How are you going with Jared?" Gloria smiled and looked at Nicole. "We''re fine." Nicole blushed, looking shy.Gloria could tell that they were getting along well, judging by Nicole''s shyness. "Why don''t you invite Jared over for dinner?" Gloria looked at Nicole. "Not now, Mom.He has been busytely.He will contact me in advance when he has time." Nicole took Gloria''s arm. "Alright.What would you like to eat? I will make it for you." "I like anything that you make." "Such a sweet talker.Go take a rest upstairs.I will bring the meal up to you in a moment." "It''s alright.You can just call me.I''ll go upstairs now." With that, she went upstairs.Back in her room, Nicole turned on herputer and searched for the ID that the McCarthy family had used before.It did not take long for Nicole to hack into the ID''sputer, which was full of information about joint venture projects. Chapter 816 Chapter 816 Nicole suddenly thought of the project Sean had just mentioned. "Isn''t the McCarthy Corporation also bidding? Maybe I can find something useful for Sean here." Her fair fingers swiftly typed on the keyboard. "Not this.Not this, either." "The records of the McCarthy Corporation are a mess; they are all over the ce." All Nicole searched frustratedly. She told herself to be patient and searched again, then an encrypted file popped up in front of her eyes. "This file is encrypted.It must be a very important document." Nicole pondered for half a second and decided to crack the encryption. Sure enough, it was a halfpleted draft tender document. "Could this be the project Sean was talking about?" She picked up her phone and called Sean. It rang for a while before he picked up. Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org. "Hello, Nicole?" Sean''s voice came from the earpiece. "The project you just talked about, whichpany is it, and what is its name?" Nicole wanted to check if it was apany. "Aegis Corporation.Why ask? You have got news from Mr.Wyance? " Sean asked excitedly. "Don''t get excited yet.There''s no news.I''ll tell you as soon as there is. I will hang up now." Without waiting for Sean to respond, Nicole hung up at once. "Hello, hello?" Sean called out a few times into the phone, and no one answered. Nicole put down the phone and looked at the name of the project and thepany to which the project belonged on the tender document. "That seems to be it." She immediately copied the file and stared at the progress bar on the screen. 0%... 5%... 10%... "Come on." 90%... 100%. "Yes.It''s done." Nicole got the information in her hand and happily texted Sean, then shut down theputer and went downstairs. "Nicole, it''s ready.I have just made some sushi." Gloria called out to Nicole when she wasing downstairs. Nicole picked up a piece of sushi, put it in her mouth, and chewed it carefully. "Wow, it''s better than what is sold outside.Thank you, Mom." "Don''t mention it.I''m d that you like it." Nicole picked up another piece and handed it to Gloria''s mouth. "You eat a piece too, Mom." As Nicole was feeding her for the first time, Gloria was so excited that her eyes welled up. "Mom, are you okay?" Nicole looked at the tearful Gloria and did not know what to do. "I''m okay.I''m just too happy." Gloria ate the sushi that Nicole had fed her. "You''re so blessed to have Nicole feeding you sushi." Daniel, who was watching TV on the couch, was envious of Gloria. "Of course, I''m blessed." Gloria smiled. "Dad, you don''t have to be envious.I''ll feed you a piece." Nicole walked over to Daniel with a piece of sushi. "I''m blessed, too." The two of them ate the sushi that Nicole fed them, feeling so satisfied as if they had the whole world. While the three of them were enjoying the sushi happily in the living room, Sean suddenly hurried back in. Daniel was stunned at seeing him. "Why did youe back?" Sean looked at Nicole. "I asked him toe back." She then took out a sh drive from her pocket. "This is the tender document that McCarthy Corporation has drafted.Unfortunately, it has not been finished.But you can still take it back and study it first."Nicole handed the sh drive to Sean.Sean was stunned, not expecting Nicole to get this important information so quickly. "Where did you get this from? Is it credible?" Sean attached great importance to this project and would not tolerate any mistakes, so he was cautious about all the information he got, lest it was a trap set up by the rivalpanies. "It''s credible.But I guess this is only the first edition, and they may revise itter.So this information can only be used as a reference." Nicole did not exin much, and there was determination in her eyes. Chapter 817 Chapter 817 Sean hesitantly took the USB stick and looked at Daniel. "Okay, I''ll check it out." With that, Sean left. "Be careful and drive safe," Gloria said with concern. "Got it." "What''s the McCarthy Corporation information in the USB stick all about?" Daniel asked after Sean left. "Nothing special. Just a usual background check." Nicole could not exin it too clearly. "Don''t do anything illegal." Daniel reminded her. "Don''t worry, Dad." "By the way, Mom, your birthday ising up in just a few days, right?" Nicole suddenly remembered that Gloria''s birthday fell this month. Daniel came to his senses and said, "Oh yeah.If it weren''t for Nicole, I would have forgotten." Daniel immediately flipped through the calendar. "My memory failed me.It turns out that this Saturday is your mom''s birthday.How would you like to spend your birthday this year, Gloria?" "As in previous years, our family will spend two days together." Gloria did not have any special n.Her greatest happiness was to see everyone in the family safe and happy together. Daniel nodded in agreement. "Will you be busy at school on Saturday?" Gloria looked at Nicole. Nicole shook her head. "Not busy.I can''t guarantee that I will be the first toe home, but I will not be thest.""T''ll go upstairs first as I have something to do." Back in her room, she could finally rx and take a break.She crashed out on the bed. Nicole returned to school after breakfast the next day. In the hallway, Lulu and June saw a familiar figure in front of them and immediately chased after it. "Nicole, it''s really you." Lulu cried out in surprise. "Where have you been for the past few days? We missed you so much." "Yeah, Nicole, we haven''t seen you since that afternoon.We thought you had transferred to another school." "How is our ss?" asked Nicole "s." Lulu and June sighed in unison. "What''s wrong? What happened?" Nicole saw the downcast faces of the two. "Since you left, our ss has be a mess.Vivian stirred up troubles instead of helping manage the ss."" Lulu grumbled. "What about sports day? How''s it going?" Nicole was not worried about Vivian at all. Instead, she was more concerned about the sports day. "The other sses have entered their final training, but our ss is only less than halfway through," June spoke with a decadent look on her face as if she could see no hope any longer. "I think our ss could barely win any game on this year''s sports day," Luluined. "It''s okay.I''m back, and I will take care of it." "It''s good to have you, Nicole." Lulu and June instantly felt more assured with a sense of belonging. "But we have less than two weeks.We are not going to make it." The two were instantly discouraged again, thinking of the sports daying in just two weeks. N?velDrama.Org owns this text. "It doesn''t matter.We will make the most out of the remaining time.There is still a chance." "Nicole, have you thought of any solution?" Lulu looked at her in bafflement. "Let''s go to ss first." Nicole nced at the time. Before they got to the door of the ssroom, they had already heard the noise inside. Nicole pushed open the door, and everyone jumped at the sound of the door being pushed open and turned to look at the doorway. Chapter 818 Chapter 818 Seeing Nicole''s face, the noisy ssroom became instantly quiet. "ss is about to start.Everyone go back to your seats." All of them sat down neatly and orderly at hearing Nicole''s words, waiting for the bell to ring.Ms.Emerson walked into the ssroom as usual. "Why is everyone so quiet?" Everyone was already sitting in their seats, on their best behavior. While Ms.Emerson was still wondering, she saw Nicole the next second and understood instantly. "Wee back, Nicole." "Thank you." Ms.Emerson smiled at Nicole and then stepped onto the podium. "Before the lesson starts, I''ll first talk about something else." "While Nicole was not here, the assistant ss monitor and themittee members didn''t y a good leading role.Now our training isgging behind other sses." Ms.Emerson narrated with a disappointed look on her face. "Now that Nicole has returned, all students are to obey and cooperate with Nicole''s arrangements unconditionally.You all have to strive to catch up with the training before the sports day." "Also, from now until the end of the sports day, all my sses may be used for training as long as you have learned the lesson.I believe that under the leadership of Nicole and with everyone working together, we will achieve something great together."The more Ms.Emerson spoke, the brighter her eyes became, as if no problem was a problem as long as Nicole was there. "Do you all have confidence?" Ms.Emerson tried to boost morale at the podium. "Yes." the students shouted in unison. "It seems that Ms.Emerson is betting heavily on us this time; she even gives up her sses for this," Jack muttered quietly in the back. "Boss, we can''t follow these idiots." Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org. Wayne looked at the morale- boosting Ms.Emerson and shook his head.But Gary was staring at Nicole and did not hear what the two of them were saying at all. "Now, let''s get started." Time flew, and the three sses of the morning passed quickly.Nicole nced at the ss schedule; the next ss was physical education.Nicole felt it was an opportunity and went to the PE teacher''s office.She gave it a couple of knocks on the door. "Come in." It was Mr.Antolovic, who was their PE teacher. "Mr.Antolovic, there''s something I want to talk to you about." Nicole walked over to Mr.Antolovic''s desk. Seeing that it was Nicole, Mr.Antolovic smiled tteringly. "What can I help you, Nicole?" "As you know, Mr.Antolovic, the sports day is just around the corner.Our ss needs to enhance our physical training further¡ª" "If there is anything you need my help with, just tell me." Mr.Antolovic interrupted Nicole.He was a straightforward person and knew the situation in Nicole''s ss. Nicole saw things were looking up, and she said, "Thank you, Mr.Antolovic.I would like to use the PE sses to train those who have signed up for the games." Mr.Antolovic thought for a moment. "No problem.That''s a good thing.From now on, you don''t have to get my further permission.You may organize training for your ssmates during my ss.Come to me if you need other help." "That''s good enough.I''ll go now." Nicole left at once as if she were just briefing a subordinate. Back in ss, Nicole stood on the podium and coughed. The ssroom suddenly fell silent, and everyone looked at Nicole in unison. "From this moment until the end of the sports day, all students who have signed up for the games will have to follow my instructions." "We will have an intensive training program, where I will carry out special, intensive training for those who have signed up for the sports day.No one is expected to take leave, arrivete, or leave early.Everyone is a collective, and if one person is absent, everyone will be punished." Nicole looked like a changed person as if a military instructor. "Intensive training program? That''s cruel." "Exactly.We are students, not soldiers.It is just a sports day.Why so serious?" "Yeah.Who can guarantee that they can attend all the time? If one person can''t attend for some reason, do the rest of us really have to be punished together?"Some students, who rarely liked to take part in any activity, were very vocal in their opposition to the intensive training. "Don''t you people always think you''re badass? Why are you all getting cold feet at this critical moment?" Chapter 819 Chapter 819 "Is no one among you, all big men, useful?" Nicole''s eyes glowed with coldness as she scanned everyone under the podium. "That''s not quite right, Nicole.I didn''t say anything," said Gary. "You''d better not." "May I ask when we will start training?" Jack asked timidly in a whisper. "Starting from the next session." Nicole nced at her watch. "Next session? Isn''t the next session PE ss?" "I''ve talked to the PE teacher; he is very supportive of our ss." "There goes the PE ss." "You guys have five minutes to rest.After five minutes, whoever signed up for the sports day must assemble at the sports field."Nicole looked fearlessly at them. "Make the best of these five minutes." With that, Nicole left the ssroom.Backchat started in the ssroom as soon as Nicole left. "What can we do about this? She is killing us all." "Nicole is so barbarous.Probably she just wants to show us who is the boss." A ssmate stood up and condemned Nicole. "Exactly.Why didn''t I see that before? I didn''t expect that she would do anything to achieve her purpose." These people who did not want to take part in the training would not mince their words. "What can we do? She is the ss monitor.Not that we can defy her instructions." Vivian rolled her eyes. "Don''t you hate Nicole the most, Vivian? Why did you give in?" "I''m not giving in, just lying low and preserving my strength.I''m not talking to you all now as I have got to do some warm-up." Everyone looked in puzzlement at Vivian, who behaved out of her character. "What''s wrong with Vivian today? Why is she so spirited?" "Something must be wrong with her." "All right, let''s go." Gary was impatient with all the talk.On the sports field, Nicole had changed into sportswear and was waiting for everyone to arrive. "There are two minutes left.Those in the back, hurry up." Nicole shouted. Those few people trotted over and stood at the end of the line, disgruntled. "Everybody, warm up with me." Nicole led her ssmates to start doing the warm-up exercise before the training. A simple five-minute warm-up ended. Nicole nced at her ssmates and was impressed that none of them had broken a sweat. "Now, I will assign you all into different groups. Men''s, women''s, one hundred meters, two hundred meters, five thousand meters, and one hundred- and-ten-meter hurdles." "Those of you who have signed up for the above games, please step forward." Nicole looked at those who stepped forward, some tall, some short, some chubby, and some thin. "Go for atenp run around the sports field.Gary, you''ll be the team leader." Nicole knew Gary''s status in the ss; it might be better to have him lead the team. Gary did not expect Nicole to ask him to lead the team.He was startled for a second before he came to his senses. "Okay." Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org. Now that Nicole had chosen him, he had to take this opportunity to impress Nicole with his abilities. Chapter 820 Chapter 820 "All of you, run." Gary ran in front of the team and led everyone to run in circles around the sports field. The others saw Gary had taken the lead and ran, and they secretly groused. They did not dare to say anything but could only follow closely at the rear of the team. "High jump, long jump, triple jump, step out of the line.You go to the other side and train.Those who have signed up for the ry race practice ry running around the sports field.Your speed must exceed half ap of the 100-meter team.Shot put and discus throw, do push-ups in ce, a set of thirty reps, five sets to start with. "Participants of all regr games have been assigned into groups.I will train with you all and hope that everyone can monitor each other.If you find anyone cking, tell me, and you will be rewarded.Now, let''s get moving." With that, Nicole nced at Gary''s 100-meter training. "Gary, haven''t you eaten? Run faster." Gary heard Nicole''s taunts and gradually picked up speed. "Boss, slow down. We can''t keep up." Jack was panting in the back. Gary was a little better on the hundred-meter run, but the push-up side was a headache. "It''s only two sets, and you all have stopped? Go on." Nicole stood in front of them with strict demands. "I''m asking you to practice push-ups. What''s the use of just moving your ass?" Nicole reprimanded a ssmate. "You are just standing and feeling nothing; you''re not the one doing the push-ups." As one ssmate stopped and tocka rest, more and more followed suit. "Did I say you can rest?" Nicole looked at them, unsmiling. "We rarely do this stuff, and we havepleted two sets. We''re out of breath." They thought they would pretend that they were exhausted and see what Nicole could do with them. "Out of breath, right? Well, you guys get up." Nicole looked around the school. There were some workers on the other sideying brick floor tiles. "A few of youe with me, and the others continue training." Nicole came up to the workers, who were carrying the brick floor tiles, with the few troublemakers. After having a few words with them, the workers smiled and nodded, and then Nicole waved to the troublemakers. "Move all the brick floor tiles on the truck at the entrance of the school here before noon.If you all haven''t finished moving by noon, there will be no lunch for you all.You all can have your lunch as soon as you finish the job.If you think of filing aint with the teacher, go ahead.But then you may even have to move the brick floor tiles from the other trucks, too.Good luck."Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org. "We are just students, so why should we work?" As if Nicole had not heard, she walked straight toward those ssmates who were doing push-ups. Seeing Nicole walk back, those who were doing push-ups were doing it more seriously, no one daring to bezy. Suddenly there were screams from the long jump side.Nicole rushed over. "What''s wrong?" Vivian and a few girls were seen lying on the ground, holding their stomachs with both hands, and crying out in pain. "Vivian, are you making trouble again?" Nicole looked at her from above. Chapter 821 Chapter 821 ¡°It¡¯s the time of the month. My stomach hurts so much. I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t continue.¡± Vivian made a pained expression as she spoke. Several others immediately echoed. Nicole looked at their bad acting and sneered. ¡°You all seem really in pain. I have an idea. I have studied acupuncture , and I have a unique set of skills to relieve menstrual pain. A few needles will do the trick.¡± Nicole suddenly took a box of shiny silver needles out of nowhere. These female ssmates gasped in fear at seeing the needles and looked at Vivian. Vivian gritted her teeth. She looked at Nicole and then sat up reluctantly. ¡°It¡¯s okay. We¡¯re much better now and can continue training again.¡± ¡°You all do look better now. But don¡¯t force yourself to train if the cramp still lingers. I have really learned acupuncture.¡± Nicole looked at her ssmates with concern. Vivian immediately got to her feet and did some stretches. ¡°My stomach doesn¡¯t seem to hurt anymore. So let¡¯s keep training.¡± Nicole looked at them and nodded with satisfaction. Soon it was noon, and as soon as the bell rang, everyone copsed to the ground. ¡°I can¡¯t stand it anymore. I¡¯m dying.¡± ¡°I¡¯m starving. Get me a chicken thigh-no, two chicken thighs.¡± ¡°Everyone, the morning training session is over. After lunch, you all are to assemble on the sports field on time because Ms. Emerson¡¯s ss is in the afternoon. We can continue training.¡± After Nicole¡¯s announcement, everyone was free to move. Lulu and June dragged their tired bodies and came up to Nicole, not even having the strength to speak. They just gestured with their hands and then walked toward the cafeteria. Nicole looked at them, who had only trained for one session, and shook her head, wondering why they were so weak. ¡®This is far worse than the training in my group. And it was just a warm-up, not yet a formal training.¡¯ At noon, the cafeteria meal went fast, making the cafeteria owner wonder what was going on. All students from ss B were having a meal at the cafeteria and ate so much and so fast, like never before. After meals, they rested on thewn but did not see Vivian or others. ¡°Boss, where are Vivian and others?¡± Jack sat down beside Gary. N?velDrama.Org owns this text. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about them. They must have gone into hiding.¡± Gary could guess it without much thinking. As the training session in the morning was a bit too intense for Wayne, he thought of a little idea. ¡°Boss, since Vivian and all have slipped away, why don¡¯t we-¡± ¡°Shut up. Don¡¯t let me hear that again, or I¡¯ll cut off your tongue,¡± Gary said. Just then, he heard low discussion voices nearby as if quietly plotting something. Gary walked over and patted them on the shoulder. ¡°Why are you guys conspiring against Nicole? She is doing this for the collective honor of our ss.¡± ¡°We know you like Nicole. Isn¡¯t it because of her that you¡¯re willing to stay and train? But we don¡¯t like Nicole, and we don¡¯t want to be tortured by her anymore.¡± Having his motivation exposed , Gary was rooted to the spot for a second, now knowing how to respond. Just then, Nicole came over. ¡°Let¡¯s all assemble.¡± She did a head count and found that not all of them were there. There was no sign of Vivian, either. ¡°Do a roll call.¡± ¡°One, two, three¡­¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t tally. Look over at the people on your left and right. If you find the persons next to you aren¡¯t the ones in the morning, call them out.¡± Chapter 822 Chapter 822 No one dared to speak. ¡°Why does no one speak? Or do you all want me to do the roll call? Vivian, Tony, Caleb¡­¡± Nicole menti oned several names in a row, getting no response. ¡°Very good. There are already people skipping the tr aining right after the morning session. As I said before, if there is a single person absent, everyone will be punished.¡± ¡°Don¡®t do it, please.¡± Someone in the group wailed. ¡°me those who didn¡®te.¡± ¡°A few of you go to the sports room to look for Mr. Antolovic and take some sandbags and other weight bearing gear.¡± After a while, they returned with the gear. ¡°Everybody, tie a sandbag on your body and run circling the sports field.¡± This time, Nicole led the grou p in front. After tenps, some people began to fall behind. ¡°Keep going. There are only nine moreps left.¡± This was actually another form of training in the disgui se of punishment. ¡°Huh? Nine moreps?¡± By thest fewps, some people really could not keep on andy on the sports field. Those who were not involved in the sports day ran over and helped them up and brought them to rest on one side of the field. Gary caught up with Nicole. ¡°There are still twops left. Do you w ant to go for a match?¡± Nicole looked into his defiant eyes. ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°Whoever finishesst gives the winner a leg massage. How about that?¡± Gary wanted to enjoy a leg m assage by Nicole. ¡°I dare you to up the ante. Whoever finishesst gives everyone a leg massage.¡± Nicole cast a cold look at him. ¡°Challenge epted.¡± Gary looked at Nicole confidently, thinking he would not lose to her because he worked out regrly. ¡°I will give a ten¨Csecond handicap to you.¡± Nicole did not want to bully him. Gary was not too happy at hearing that. He thought Nicole was insulting him. ¡°I should be the one giving you the handicap. I don¡®t want to bully girls.¡± ¡°That won¡®t be necessary. Are you ready?¡± Nicole nced at Gary. ¡°Ready.¡± ¡°Let¡®s get started.¡± Gary quickly increased his speed. After running for a while without seeing Nicole, he smiled, thinking he had left Nicole far behind. As he just looked back, he saw Nicole right on his heels. ¡°Not bad. I¡®m going to speed up again. Keep up with me.¡± Gary teased, and he picked up his speed again. Now he thought he must have smoked Nicole, not expecting that she had already leveled with him. ¡°What the, you can still catch up?¡± Gary was surprised . ¡°Why aren¡®t you going faster? Come on.¡± Nicole taunted him. Gary had never been ridiculed like this before. He increased his speed again with all his strength. N?velDrama.Org owns this text. The two of them ran past the main group like a gust of wind. Jack was amazed. ¡°Boss is fast. This is the ¡°Come on, Boss,¡± Jack shouted. ¡°See, Nicole is side¨Cby¨Cside with Gary. The two are on par.¡± ¡°I think Boss is holding back. Otherwise, he would have left her far behind.¡± ¡°I don¡®t think so. Nicole doesn¡®t seem to break a sweatpared to Gary; he is sweating like a pig.¡± Chapter 823 Chapter 823 ¡°What do you know? Boss sweats a lot by nature.¡± ¡°Gary, is this what you have got? If you are not going faster, I will.¡± With that, Nicole shot out like an arrow and left Gary in the dust in just a few seconds. Gary was stupefied, wondering if this was still the same Nicole he knew. ¡°Did you see? I told you Nicole was holding back.¡± ¡°Go, Nicole.¡± Gradually , someone in the group shouted Nicole¡®s name. Soon Nicole finished twops. She looked on and gave Gary a gesture of encouragement as Gary still had half ap to go. Finally, Gary also crossed the finishing line, followed by the other s smates. They had allpleted serving the punishment. Nicole waited for Gary to catch his breath before speaking. ¡°It is time to deliver on your promise, Gary.¡± ¡°Sure. Jack, you and Wayne give everyone a leg massage.¡± ¡°Did I hear you correctly, Boss? You want us to give many people a leg massage?¡± Jack and Wayne looked at Gary, dumbfounded. ¡°Yes, is there any problem?¡± Gary stared at the two of them with a serious face. ¡°No problem. But can I find someone to help us both?¡± ¡°Whatever.¡± Jack heard that and felt relieved. He immediately called a professional masseur. Later, the entire sports field turned into a massage parlor. Gary came up to Nicole. ¡°I lost, and as promised , I will give you a leg massage.¡± ¡°That won¡®t be necessary. You go and help others.¡± Nicole did not need him to massage her legs. She was afraid of giving the wrong impressi on to others. ¡°Are you questioning my skill?¡± Gary was going to get started. 1 ¡°What are you and Gary doing, Nicole?¡± Raine asked when she saw Gary¡¯s hand about to touch Nicole¡®s leg. Nicole pulled back her leg as soon as she saw Raine.¡± Nothing.¡± ¡°I saw it all. You are already engaged, so why are you still fooling around with another man? If Jared kn ows about this, you will have a lot of exining to do.¡± Raine sounded as if she was concerned about Nicole, but she was actually mendacious. ¡°We¡®re training. What are you doing here?¡± Nicole knew Raine was making things, so she would not entertain her. ¡°Training ?¡± Raine looked doubtful at others who were enjoying their massage. ¡°Yeah. If nothing else, please leave. We¡®re going to keep training.¡± ¡°Time¡¯s up. Everyone, get to your feet.¡± Nicole turned her back on Raine and stood up to look at her ssmates. ¡°What an ingrate. You just wait to be scolded.¡± Raine turned away angrily. Nicole did not even look back at Raine but continued training with her ssmates. In the dormitory, Nicole had finished cleaning herself up and was now resting on the bed. Lulu and June After a while, Lulu said, ¡°I¡®ve never felt so good lying in bed.¡± ¡°Yeah, it isn¡®t even this tiring during military training.¡± ¡°You two are weak, already exhausted on the first day. How are you two going to continue?¡± Nicole looked at the two half¨C dead humans. ¡°Nicole, are you an Iron Man? Aren¡®t you tired?¡± Lulu said. N?velDrama.Org owns this text. ¡°Yeah, I¡®m so tired I don¡®t want to talk. How can you still be so energetic?¡± June now felt like breathing was a waste of energy. ¡°It seems that you two should usually strengthen your exercise. Starting tomorrow, I¡®ll take you two along when I get up and work out.¡± them along. Being mentored by Nicole was something that many people, including Gary, envied. Chapter 824 Chapter 824 ¡°No thanks. We¡¯d like to sleep a little longer.¡± Lulu did not want to work out with Nicole before the sun even came out yet. ¡°Don¡¯t you two want to? Do you know how many people want to practice with me in the morning, and I don¡®t take them along? Don¡®t take it for granted.¡± ¡°Of course, we know that someone wants to work out with you in the morning, and that person is more t han wanting it; he¡®s craving for it.¡± Lulu underlined thest part of the sentence in her voice. ¡°Lulu, belie ve it or not, I will drag you up in the wee hours of the morning if you talk nonsense again?¡± Nicole threat ened her, knowing who she was talking about. ¡°I will shut up right away and go to sleep. Good night.¡± Lulu backed down. The next day of training, Vivian and the others were not absent. Nicole did a roll call. ¡°Whoever didn¡®te to the training yesterday afternoon, please step out.¡± Vivian stood in the gro up and felt a chill running up her spine. After a while, she took the lead and stood out. While standing in fro nt, she realized everyone was looking at them with that kind of look. ¡°Why are you all looking at me like that?¡± Vivian felt unease being stared at. ¡°It was all because of you that got all of us punished.¡± ¡°We ran twentyps and came back to the dormitory dog tired.¡± ¡°It was all because of you.¡± The voices of reproach resounded throughout the sports field. Vivian looked at her piqued ssmates and chopped logic. ¡°We were called away by a teacher, and you were gone when you came back.¡± ¡°Vivian, stop lying. I dare you to reveal the teacher¡®s name.¡± A ssmate mercilessly exposed her. Vivian looked at him and could not find a word to respond. ¡°Well, you guys who were absent from training yesterday will have to redouble your training today. Everyone else has run tenps, then you guys will run twenty.¡± Nicole looked at Vivian with icy eyes, not happy that she always disregarded the overall interests and took the lead in picking a fight. ¡°Since we used sandbags yesterday, we will continue using them today.¡± With that, Nicole led everyone to a new training session. Today, Nicole added some of the most basic intensive training elements to the team on top of the basic training. Those who ran twentyps yesterday joining the intensive training today were quite okay with them, but Vivian and her gang were not. Because of yesterday¡®s absence, they could not cope with today¡¯s intensive training. After a while, Vivian and her gangy down again. Nicole came over. ¡°You guys¡® stomachs hurt again? Do you want me to treat it?¡± ¡°We don¡®t have a stomachache today. We really can¡®t keep on. Let us take a break.¡± Nicole could tell they were not lying. ¡°Fine. You have two minutes.¡± Then Nicole left to keep an eye on the training of others. Both Vivian and Gary werezy when Nicole w so Nicole had to check on them constantly. After walking around and returning to Vivian, Nicole found them still resting. She was angry but could not punish her ssmates like she did with outsiders. She could only outsmart them. Nicole walked up to Vivian , casting a long shadow ¡°Do you know there are prizes for this year¡®s sports day?¡± Nicole looked at Vivian. 1 Vivian immediately got up from the ground and leaned close to Nicole. ¡°There are prizes? Howe I never heard of it?¡±Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org. Chapter 825 Chapter 825 ¡°I didn¡®t know you didn¡®t know.¡± Nicole looked at her, pretending to be in surprise. ¡°What are the prizes? Tell us.¡± Vivian and the others immediately gathered around Nicole. ¡°I¡®ve heard that the prizes for the women¡®s group are bracelets and designer bags.¡± Nicole deliberately l eaked this information to Vivian. ¡°Impossible. The Royal Creek Institute has never had such an award, let alone bracelets and designer bags.¡± Vivian looked incredulous, for sh e had read the history of the Royal Creek Institute in the library. ¡°Then there is something that you don¡®t know. I heard it is not the Royal Creek Institute but off¨C campus investors that sponsor the prizes.¡± Nicole revealed to Vivian some ideas she had previously given to Stanley and Edw in. ¡°That¡®s impossible. Why would an off¨C campus investor sponsor a sports event?¡± Vivian still did not believe what Nicole had said. ¡°If you don¡®t believe me, you find out from the student union during the break and see if I have lied to you.¡± Nicole had a serious look in her eyes. Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org. The others saw Nicole did not look like she was lying, and they all nodded their heads. Nicole could see that everyone except Vivian had been somewhat convinced, so she made hay while the sun shone. ¡°So you should know, training is not only for the collective honor of the ss but also for your benefits.¡± Everyone felt what Nicole said had a point, so they no longerined they were tired. Instead, apetitive atmosphere aros e, as everyone feared being outdone. Only Vivian felt depressed and left. During the break, Lulu walked up to Nicole and asked,¡± All students said there would be awards such as bracelets and designer bags to be won in thepetition . Is this true?¡± ¡°It¡®s true.¡± There was no need for Nicole to hide it anymore, as the student union would announce it eve ntually. Lulu still did not believe it before this, thinking it was just a rumor upon hearing it from Nicole. Lulu was pleasantly surprised, taking June¡®s hands and jumping for joy. When everyone knew that there were prizes to be won, they trained even harder. Even the boys who sl acked a lot previously were now trying to keep up with everyone else. ¡°With concentration and unity, I believe our ss will win many prizes on the sports day.¡± Nicole continu ed to boost the morale of everyone. In the afternoon, news of the giving of prizes at the sports day was confirmed. The student union publicly announced the matter on the bulletin board and school forum. Some people not in the know thought it was just a prank, but after seeing it with their own eyes, they believed it. This mat ter became a hot topic of discussion at school. Everyone was talking about it, and many people expressed the hope that such a sports event should be held more frequently. After school, Nicole was called to Mr. Ellison¡®s office. ¡°Take a seat, Nicole.¡± Mr. Ellison poured Nicole a cup of coffee. ¡°You are looking for me for something, Mr. Ellison?¡± Nicole looked at him. ¡°Can¡®t I just see you for a cup of coffee?¡± Mr. Ellison smiled. ¡°Sure.¡± ¡°I heard that the student union announced giving prizes for the sports day, and it was your idea.¡± Mr. Ellison took a sip of the coffee. ¡°Yeah, the school holds a sports day yearly, and the students have aesthetic fatigue. So I thought there seems to work well.¡± Nicole was pleased with the response after the announcement. ¡°Not half bad at all. It has raised the enthusiasm of all students. Good job, Nicole.¡± Chapter 826 Chapter 826 ¡°By the way, I heard that the sports day brought many investors to the school. It¡¯s an achievement in the history of the Royal Creek Institute. Thanks to you.¡± Mr. Ellison was d that the school had such a talent as Nicole and that Nicole had chosen the Royal Creek Institute. Otherwise , such a good thing would have gone into the hands of other schools. Nicole looked modestly at Mr. Ellison. ¡°That¡¯s what I should do as a member of the school.¡± Mr. Ellison was in admiration of her, as he knew Nicole was truly a rare talent. ¡°I heard that Riddle Corporation was recently bidding for a project from an internationalpany. Is there such a thing?¡± Mr. Ellison asked. ¡°I didn¡¯t know that you were also interested in international business.¡± Nicole looked at Mr. Ellison calmly, wondering if he was also going to take part in the tender. ¡°Don¡¯t get me wrong. I¡¯m not that concerned about these things, but with the strength of Riddle Corporation, haven¡¯t you ever thought of working with otherpanies?¡± Mr. Ellison euphemistically reached out an olive branch. Nicole thought that Mr. Ellison was eyeing Aegis Corporation but expected that he wanted to work with the Riddle Corporation. ¡°I understand what you mean; if Riddle Corporation and Ellison Group join forces, we will have an eighty percent chance of winning the bid for the Aegis Corporation project, and while two dogs are fighting for a bone, a third one runs away with it.¡± Nicole¡¯s analysis was spot one. Mr. Ellison listened to Nicole¡¯s analysis and nodded with a smile. ¡°Personally, I think it¡¯s a win-win.¡± It was much better working with Ellison Group than with McCarthy Corporation. ¡°This matter is a major thing for which I need to ask for my family¡¯s opinions.¡± Nicole knew she was just a junior in the family, and it was Sean who was running thepany. So even if the joint venture was in the bag, she still needed to give Sean a heads-up. ¡°If you have decided, call me. Harvey will contact you for subsequent discussions.¡± Mr. Ellison did not forget to create opportunities for his grandson. ¡°Okay. I will go now if there is nothing else.¡± With that, Nicole got to her feet and said goodbye to Mr. Ellison, who saw her out to the hallway. Jared¡¯s car pulled up in front of Nicole as soon as she stepped out of the school gate. ¡°Jared? What are you doing here?¡± Nicole looked surprised at Jared, who appeared all of a sudden. ¡°Don¡¯t you want to see me?¡± Jared quipped. ¡°Don¡¯t talk nonsense.¡± Nicole opened the car door and got in. ¡°Where are you going? I will give you a ride.¡± Jared looked at her. ¡°Going back home.¡± Jared started the car and headed toward Nicole¡¯s home. In the car, Jared hesitated for a moment before asking, ¡°I heard that during the training, there was a professional masseur giving you a massage?¡± Jared had never heard of masseurs giving massages at school in his life. This was the first time he had ever heard it, and he felt it was unbelievable. 3 ¡°How did you know?¡± It also surprised Nicole, who wondered who Jared knew about it. She suspected he had eyes in the school. ¡°You don¡¯t need to know how I know. It¡¯s really news to hire professional masseurs to school and give students massages. Didn¡¯t the school say anything about it?¡± Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org. ¡°It¡¯s not as serious as you think. Gary and I had a bet, and he lost, so he was giving massages to ssmates as a punishment.¡± Nicoleughed at the thought of Gary and the others massaging the legs of other ssmates. Jared finally heard the name he wanted to hear. ¡°But from what I heard, Gary lost the bet and gave you a massage.¡± Nicole¡¯s expression crashed in an instant. ¡°Who is behind the rumors, and from where did you hear about them?¡± 1 ¡°You don¡¯t need to know. Just answer me; is there such a thing?¡± Jared could not tolerate someone else touching his woman, and if it was true, as the rumors said, he would make the Finley family pay. ¡°No. Jared, is this why you came to pick me up at school today?¡± Nicole came to her senses and red at Jared with a sharp look in her eyes. Chapter 827 Chapter 827 ¡°Of course not. This is for you.¡± Jared took a set of documents from the back seat and handed it to Nicole. ¡°What is this?¡± ¡°Isn¡®t Riddle Corporation bidding for the Aegis Corporation project? This is the profile of Aegis Corporati on.¡± When Jared heard that Riddle Corporation was bidding for the project, he immediately sent someo ne to do a background check on Aegis Corporation. ¡°Aegis Corporation¡®s profile?¡± Nicole smiled with delight. She had been scratching her head for the past few days on how to get this information, not expecting Jared had done that for her. ¡°Thank you.¡± Nicole gave Jared an affectionate look. ¡°Just a thank you?¡± Jared seized the opportunity. ¡°What do you want?¡± Nicole looked at him. He suddenly gave her a quick kiss. ¡°Let¡®s take this as a thank you gift.¡± Nicole was startled. Just as she was about to say something, the car stopped. ¡°Here we are, but I will not follow you in. I still have things to take care of back in the office.¡± Jared made an excuse before Nicole could say anything. In fact, it was not so much of an excuse, as he was really bus y. If it were not for the documents, he would have still been in a meeting at the moment. ¡°Really?¡± Nicole did not believe his words. ¡°Bye.¡± Nicole watched Jared¡®s car go away before entering the house. ¡°You¡®re back so fast?¡± Nicole sent a message to Sean before she left school. Now he had arrived home one step ahead of her. ¡°What exactly is going on, Nicole? You didn¡®t say it clearly on the phone.¡± Sean looked at her with quest ion marks in his eyes. Nicole sat down and then spoke slowly. ¡°Mr. Ellison called me to his office today.¡± ¡°Mr. Ellison?¡± Daniel instantly tensed up when he heard Mr. Ellison looking for Nicole. Nicole saw Daniel¡®s unusual expression and quickly reassured him. ¡°Don¡®t be nervous. Listen to me slowly.¡± ¡°Aren¡®t we bidding for the Aegis Corporation project? Mr. Ellison knew about it, and he talked to me today that he hoped to work with us to bid for the Aegis Corporation projec t.¡± Instead of easing up, Sean got a little nervous. ¡°Mr. Ellison is eyeing the project as well?¡± ¡°From my observation, he doesn¡®t seem to be interested in that project.¡± ¡°So what is his purpose for working with us?¡± Sean looked down thoughtfully. Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Whatever his purpose, with what I know of him, he is not going to do anything bad to us. Otherwise, he wouldn¡®t offer ¡°I agree to work with Mr. Ellison. First, we will outbid ourpetitors ; second, it enhances our rtionship with Mr. Ellison for more cooperation next time.¡± Daniel thought this was good; it killed tw Sean thought for a long while before looking up at Daniel and then at Nicole. ¡°I agree with Dad.¡± ¡°That¡®s great. I¡®ll bring Harvey home another day, and you guys talk about the cooperation .¡± Nicole looked at Daniel. ¡°Okay, then. You make an appointment with him.¡± ¡°Sean, what do you think of that draft tender document?¡± Nicole asked him. ¡°I didn¡®t see their bidding price, but I could roughly tell from the tender document that the McCarthy family is betting big on the project. So we must also be pre ¡°Show our hand?¡± Gloria was surprised. Chapter 828 Chapter 828 ¡°Sean, think it over before you make a decision, and do only what you can.¡± Gloria feared the results would not be as good as she expected. ¡°Understood. Don¡¯t worry.¡± ¡°I think McCarthy Corporation is no match for Riddle Corporation and Ellison Group, even if it goes all out, unless¡­¡± Nicole let her words hang. ¡°Unless what?¡± The three of them looked at Nicole in unison. ¡°Unless McCarthy Corporation also joins forces with others.¡± Daniel and Sean nodded. Indeed, McCarthy Corporation knew their strength and would find someone to work with if they wanted to win the tender. ¡°I¡¯ve thought about this before, but I have no idea who they will work with.¡± Sean was a little worried. ¡°Leave it to me.¡± Nicole looked at them with a serious face. ¡°It looks like I will have to bother you with this project.¡± For the first time, Sean felt powerless. ¡°It¡¯s okay. This is Aegis Corporation¡¯spany profile that Jared gave me. You can take it back and study it.¡± Nicole handed Sean the information Jared had given her. ¡°Jared? I didn¡¯t expect that he would find time to get this information for us. He is busy.¡± ¡°That¡¯s all because of Nicole.¡± Daniel looked at Nicole with delight. ¡°Yeah, this information is much more detailed than what I have found.¡± Sean briefly looked through it and sighed. ¡°We are family. I¡¯m happy that Riddle Corporation got the project. Mom, Dad, I will return to the campus because there is still something to do.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you go after dinner? You have lost weight recently.¡± Gloria looked at Nicole and felt sorry. ¡°Slim girls look better. I¡¯m going. Bye-bye.¡± Nicole waved goodbye to her family and returned to the campus. The next day, Nicole led everyone to train at the sports field, and Harvey came over. ¡°Can I have a few words with you, Nicole?¡± Harvey wanted to talk to her in private , as there were too many people around here. ¡°I happen to have something to talk to you about.¡± ¡°Gary, I will be away for a moment. You are to keep the training going.¡± Nicole instructed Gary and walked away with Harvey that Jared gave me. You can take it back and study it.¡± Nicole handed Sean the information Jared had given her. ¡°Jared? I didn¡¯t expect that he would find time to get this information for us. He is busy." ¡°That¡¯s all because of Nicole.¡± Daniel looked at Nicole with delight. ¡°Yeah, this information is much more detailed than what I have found.¡± Sean briefly looked through it and sighed. ¡°We are family. I¡¯m happy that Riddle Corporation got the project. Mom, Dad, I will return to the campus because there is still something to do.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you go after dinner? You have lost weight recently.¡± Gloria looked at Nicole and felt sorry. ¡°Slim girls look better. I¡¯m going. Bye-bye.¡± Nicole waved goodbye to her family and returned to the campus. The next day, Nicole led everyone to train at the sports field, and Harvey came over. ¡°Can I have a few words with you, Nicole?¡± Harvey wanted to talk to her in private, as there were too many people around here. ¡°I happen to have something to talk to you about.¡± ¡°Gary, I will be away for a moment. You are to keep the training going.¡± Nicole instructed Gary and walked away with Harvey. Gary shot a disgusted look at Harvey as they went. ¡°I will. Coming to a quiet corner, Nicole asked Harvey, ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± ¡°My grandpa has told me about the cooperation with Riddle Corporation. When will you take me to meet your family members?¡± ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯m going to talk about. If you have time after school today, pleasee with me to my house.¡± ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll wait for you at the school gate.¡± ¡°Deal.¡± ¡°Harvey?¡± Snow¡¯s voice suddenly came, and the next second, she saw Nicole there. ¡°Nicole? What are you doing there? ¡°Snow never expected to see Nicole here. ¡°Are you looking for me?¡± Harvey was annoyed at seting Snow, exasperated by her untimely appearance. At first, he was thinking of taking this opportunity to spend more time with Nicole, but now it seemed that it was ruined N?velDrama.Org owns this text. ¡°Oh, aren¡¯t you a ry race ace? I want to learn from you. ¡°It was all an excuse for Snow to see Harvey. ¡°You have also signed up for the ry race?¡± Harvey frowned ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m thinking of asking you to lead me.¡± Snow said as she squeezed in between Harvey and Nicole. ¡°You guys talk. I need to train over there.¡± Nicole did not want to see Snow act here. Harvey looked at Snow angrily. ¡°Didn¡¯t your ss also sign up for the ry race? Ask them to lead you. I have got something on and need to go now.¡± ¡°Hey, Harvey, Harvey.¡± Snow called out a few times while Harvey went, but he did not look back. Chapter 829 Chapter 829 ¡°Hmph! Why go upon seeing me? You have something to hide?¡± Snow angrily chased in Nicole¡®s directi on. ¡°Wait a minute, Nicole.¡± Snow called out to her from behind. Nicole rolled her eyes and turned to look at Snow. ¡°What? ¡°What did Harvey say to you just now?¡± Nicole knew Snow would not give up if she did not tell her something. ¡°Harvey asked me for advice wh en he saw how well my training was. That¡®s all about it.¡± With that, Nicole left straight away, not botheri ng if Snow believed ¡°You lie. With Harvey¡®s ability, he needs your advice?¡± ¡®Is Nicole deliberately taking this opportunity to be alone with Harvey?¡® Snow was even angrier at the th ought of this. ¡°I didn¡®t expect you to use this underhanded tactic. But don¡®t you ever think of seducing Harvey this way . He is mine.¡± Nicole returned to the training team, and Gary was leading the intense and orderly training. ¡°The ry race te am, stop.¡± Nicole suddenly had a new idea for training ¡°Ry race is not only about speed but also about the tacit understanding among the teammates. Fro m now on, the ry race teammates will have to nurture tacit understanding together at all times, exce pt for going to the toilets and sleeping.¡± It was the first time that everyone had heard that the ry race also needed to nurture tacit understandi ng, and they all could not help butugh. Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org. ¡°Don¡®tugh. This is a very serious matter. Everyone has to do what I say.¡± ¡°It¡®s always normal for girls to stick together. But for boys, don¡®t you think it¡®s a bit too weird?¡± Everyone burst intoughter upon hearing what Jack said. ¡°Can boys and girls also foster tacit understanding?¡± E veryoneughed again, and some shy girls blushed at hearing that. Nicole nced at Jack without smiling. ¡°What are you all thinking? Just do what I say. You all have thought too much as boys. Maybe you all aren¡®t tired enough, are you? ¡°My bad.¡± ¡°Okay, just train as I say after the ry race participantsplete the regr training.¡± ¡°Nicole, this shot is way too heavy. I want to change it.¡± Those who practiced shot put were so tired that their hands were shaking, ¡°Shots are all the same weight. What is the use of changing one? What needs to be improved is your own strength.¡± ¡°Giv e it to me.¡± Nicole picked up the shot and put it out,nding beyond the farthest bounds. ¡°Holy moly. That¡®s far. She is awesome.¡± ¡°You still have a long way to go, kid, if you think of getting up to Nicole¡®s level.¡± Nicole nced at the boy, who thought of changing the shot, and she walked over to another team. She ¡°Keep it up. After the training, I will treat everyone to a drink.¡± ¡°Nicole is the coolest ss monitor ever.¡± Nicole was amused, a gentle smile spreading across her face. When Gary saw this, he was utterly ench The school finished in the blink of an eye. Nicole waited for Harvey at the school gate as promised. Harvey dropped the car window. ¡°Nico the car.¡± Nicole opened the car door and got in. On the way, Nicole kept looking out the window. Harvey nced at Nicole and felt that she was avoiding Chapter 830 Chapter 830 ¡°Nicole, how is the training?¡± Harvey asked tentatively, hoping Nicole could talk to him. ¡°Good.¡± Nicole just gave a one¨Cword reply. Harvey took a deep breath. ¡°That¡®s great. I heard Vivian led other ssmates to skip training, and I tho ught you had a hard time managing them. But I¡®m relieved to see that you¡®re okay today.¡± Nicole did not bother to respond, as she sensed Harvey was just making talk. Seeing that Nicole still had no intention of talking to him, he could only find another topic. ¡°Can you tell me what the Riddle family thinks of the Aegis Corporation project? Nicole did not expect Harvey to rack his brains in order to talk to her. ¡°I¡®ve been in school all the time, so I know little about the Riddle family¡®s view on this project.¡± Nicole ju st wanted to get out of the car quickly as the atmosphere in the car was unnerving. After a short ordeal, the car was parked up in thepound of Nicole¡®s home. Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org. ¡°Dad, Mom, Harvey is here.¡± Nicole politely introduced him. ¡°Mr. and Mrs. Riddle, I got you something. I hope you two will like it.¡± To Nicole¡®s surprise , Harvey had even brought some gifts. ¡°When did you buy the gift? I didn¡®t see it just now.¡± Nicole asked in a whisper. ¡°While waiting for you.¡± ¡°Please take a seat.¡± Daniel motioned for Harvey to sit down. Harvey smiled and followed Daniel over and sat down. ¡°Let¡®s talk first. Sean will be back in a minute.¡± Daniel liked how polite Harvey was. ¡°Nicole, go ask him what he drinks,¡± Gloria asked as she and Nicole were preparing drinks in the dining room. ¡°No need to ask; he will drink anything.¡± ¡°When did the Riddle family entertain guests like that? Go ahead and ask him,¡± said Gloria. Nicole went reluctantly and asked Harvey, ¡°What would you like to drink?¡± Harvey smiled involuntarily as he thought Nicole was going to make a drink for him. ¡°Anything.¡± Nicole went back to the dining room and said to Gloria, ¡°I told you he would be okay with anything, and y believe me.¡± ¡°Did he really say that?¡± Gloria looked surprised. ¡°Yeah, Mom. Just pour a ss of juice, and I will just take it to him.¡± Nicole did not want to waste any mo On the couch, while Daniel and Harvey were having a great conversation, Nicole took a ss of juice an ¡°Thank you.¡± Harvey looked happily at Nicole. ¡°Dad, Sean and others would be back soon. I¡¯m going out to wait for them.¡± Nicole just did not want to spend time with Harvey i ¡°You don¡®t have to go out and wait for them. It is not like they don¡®t know the way. Stay here and chat with your friend.¡± Daniel did ¡°Mr. Riddle, you can just call me Harvey.¡± Harvey instantly closed the distance between him and Daniel. Chapter 831 Chapter 831 Since Daniel had spoken, Nicole was ill at ease to say anything. Otherwise, it would have been too obvious. ¡°Harvey, surely Snow has troubled you all at school, hasn¡®t she?¡± Daniel did not know what to say either, so he tried to be polite. ¡°Not at all. Nicole didn¡®t trouble us at school. Instead, she brought in many investors for the school,¡± said Harvey. Daniel looked confused. ¡°Investors?¡± ¡°Yes, that¡®s right. The Royal Creek Institute¡®s sports day has got fewer and fewer people signing up over the years, and the school has held countless meetings and thought of many methods, but none of them worked. Fortunately, Nicole came up with a solution this year. After the students knew, they all enthusiastically signed up, and the number of participants reached the highest number since the establishment of the Royal Creek Institute. The investors had read Nicole¡®s proposal before deciding to sponsor the Royal Creek Institute¡®s sports day.¡± Harvey had more words than usual when he praised Nicole. Daniel and Gloria felt proud of Nicole after learning that Nicole had done so well at school. They sat in the living room and talked for a while before Sean and Steve walked in. ¡°What a lively discussion. What are you all talking about?¡± ¡°You two are back just in time. Snow is doing very well at school. She helped the school solve a historic problem.¡± Daniel spoke excitedly to Sean and Steve. 8 ¡°I knew Snow was good, but I didn¡®t expect it to be so outstanding,¡± Sean eximed. 3 ¡°Stop talking about me already. Since you two are back, let¡®s get down to business.¡± Nicole did not want to be used as a talking point anymore. ¡°Hello, I¡®m Sean.¡± Sean politely held out his hand to Harvey. ¡°I¡®m Harvey.¡± ¡°I¡®m Steve.¡± They had seen each other before but had never sat together and spoken. After a brief introduction, Sean went straight to the point. ¡°Harvey, do you have any thoughts on the coboration between Ellison Group and Riddle Corporation?¡± ¡°Our purpose is the same; we all want to win the Aegis Corporation project, so we will share relevant information with each other. But there is one problem: people on both sides must know each other.¡± ¡°I¡¯m in charge of this project, so may I know who will represent Riddle Corporation?¡± Harvey said all this to tell the Riddle family that if they wanted to work with him,they would have to send someone he was familiar with. They all understood what Harvey meant. In the Riddle family, there was no one except Nicole, who was familiar with Harvey. Since this was the only requirement of Ellison Group, they had no choice but to make Nicole a representative of Riddle Corporation to deal with Harvey. ¡°Nicole will deal with Harvey,¡± Daniel said, and no one else had any objection. Harvey was so happy because he would not only get to see Nicole at school more often but also find her at Nicole¡®s home and wherever she was. ¡°That¡®s great. Nicole and I are ssmates; it¡®s easier tomunicate.¡± Nicole was d to have struck the deal, but she was inexplicably depressed when the thought of having to see Harvey all the time in the future. ¡°Since the Riddle and the Ellison families reached an agreement, I will first excuse myself and go upstairs to rest.¡±Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org. Looking at Nicole walking upstairs, Harvey was rejoicing. ¡°I will also excuse myself.¡± ¡°I¡®ll see you out.¡± Sean walked Harvey to the door. Once back in the living room, Steve was heardining. ¡°Was Harvey here to talk about cooperation? It felt like he was here just for Nicole.¡± ¡°I had prepared what to say before I came home, but he didn¡®t even say a word to me before signing the contract. So what is the point of asking me toe back?¡± ¡°Stop whining already. He didn¡®t talk to me, either. Now you all can see, don¡®t you? The reason he works with us is Nicole. But as long as there is a deal, it is a win¨Cwin for both sides when we win the tender. It doesn¡®t matter who is the representative as we are all the Riddle family members.¡± Sean knew it better; as long as the Riddle family won the tender, it did not matter if Nicole was in charge. Chapter 832 Chapter 832 Nicole went upstairs to get ready for a rest when suddenly her phone buzzed twice. She picked it up and saw that it was a message from Carl. [The things abroad have been resolved. It will not be long before I can go find you.] , [Excellent. Why isn¡®t there any news from Zely?] Nicole replied. [I think Zane has gone to Eperon, but I don¡®t know exactly what he is going there for.] Looking at the message on the screen and with Nicole¡®s knowledge of Zane, she felt that since Zane had gone to Eperon, things would not be so simple. [Stay alert, especially for news from Eperon. Keep in touch.] Nicole wrote. [Okay.] The next day, Nicole had breakfast early and went to school. Before she could even sit down, Preston and Edwin came looking for her. ¡°Can we have a word with you?¡± Preston asked Nicole out in the hallway. ¡°You two are so early. What¡®s up?¡± Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org. ¡°White has surfaced again and attacked the LAN of one of our clients.¡± Preston looked at her solemnly. ¡°White is back?¡± Nicole was taken aback, not expecting White to disappear for so long and reappear. ¡°Yes, and this is a very important customer, who is an arms dealer. I can¡®t imagine what the consequences will be if the drawings are leaked.¡± Preston tried to keep his voice down so no one else could hear him. ¡°Go. Let¡®s go to yourpany.¡± Nicole felt White must be eliminated, as it was a time bomb. At thepany, Nicole sat in front of theputer and typed out strings of code. She noticed that White¡®s intrusion was not rather unusual. She asked Preston, ¡°Who built the firewall for the arms dealer?¡± ¡°It was Warbler.¡± ¡°Call her over.¡± It did not take long for Warbler to be summoned to Nicole. ¡°Didn¡®t you notice that vulnerability?¡± Nicole studied Warbler with cold eyes. ¡°Vulnerability? No way. I was not well at that time, but I still worked hard and seriously. How can there be a vulnerability?¡± Warbler had an innocent look on her face. ¡°You worked hard?¡± Nicole was amused by Warbler¡®s expression. ¡°If you really worked hard, there would not have been a vulnerability in the firewall for an important client¨Cyou just mentioned that you were ill for those few days.¡± ¡°And I didn¡®t even say which client¡®s firewall had a vulnerability , and you immediately said you were ill on those days. This showed that you knew the vulnerability, but you didn¡®t fix it. Have you ever thought about the importance of this client? If it was because you did not fix this vulnerability, resulting in the weapons drawing leak, it would be an irreparable disaster and even affect you and my family. Warbler , do you still remember thest time I used the firewall you built as bait? I¡®m telling you now, although it might seem like you built the firewall for nothing, it worked. That¡®s the value of it, and it doesn¡®t have to continue to be there to be of value.¡± Nicole gave Warbler a good lecture. Warbler still argued about the vulnerability. ¡°It¡®s really not what you think. If I knew there was a vulnerability, I would have fixed it and wouldn¡®t have made such a low level mistake.¡± ¡°Stop quibbling. Do you want me toy bare the data in front of you before you admit it?¡± Nicole looked at Warbler, who still stubbornly denied any wrongdoing. At first, Nicole was thinking of cutting her some ck, but now it seemed that was unnecessary. She could only silence Warbler with facts. Chapter 833 Chapter 833 Nicole quickly tapped the keyboard . Lines of code with clearly visible logs appeared on the screen. It was useless forWarbler to argue anymore. "Impossible. I''ve obviously cleaned it up." Warbler blurted out the moment she saw the log and then quickly shut up when she realized she had been exposed. "You only erased the superficial data, but not hidden data in the system. How dare you do such a thing when you don''t even know this? You''re too daring but have no brain." Nicole sneered. "Preston, Edwin, listen to me." Warbler turned around and wanted to convince Preston otherwise. "You had the opportunity to exin yourself just now, but you didn''t take it. Now the facts have been laid bare in front of us. There is no need to exin further." Preston looked at her coldly, disappointed in her. Edwin shook his head. "We have been treating you so well. How can you betray us?" "I really didn''t. Someone must have framed me." Warbler nced at Nicole. Preston could not stand a double-dealing twister like her. "Get out of my sight. I need some quiet time." Seeing that Preston was annoyed with her, she had no choice but to leave with an upset look. "Is the vulnerability easy to fix, Nicole? Will it affect the client''s side?" Preston was worried that the client''s drawings would be leaked. "You go out and take a break. Give me a little more time here." Nicole continued to type on the keyboard. Preston and Edwin quickly went out so as not to disturb her. After some tinkering, the vulnerability that Warbler had left behind deliberately was sessfully fixed. But Nicole did not stop there; she went on to investigate the arms dealer''s background. ''It turns out this person is connected to Rowan.'' Nicole looked at the information on theputer. ¡°Why did White attack an arms dealer like him?'' Nicole could not wrap her brain around this. She saved the information and walked out. "I have fixed the vulnerability and upgraded the firewall. If there is anything else, call me immediately." "Nicole, we can''t thank you enough for your help." Preston felt like he owed Nicole. But he could not help it; he could trust no one else other than Nicole. "It''s okay. You owe me one. But who knows, I will need your help someday?" Nicole already had a rough idea in mind. "No problem. You just need to say it, and the two of us will be there for you." Two people were echoing each other, funny but sincere. "I''m leaving." Nicole was amused. As she went, she felt things were a little strange. She just could not wrap her brain around why White would suddenly attack the arms dealer''s intr, and this time, his style was a little different. Back at school, Nicole was surprised to see her ssmates training in the sports field on their own. ''The sun must be rising from the west,'' she thought. "Hello, Nicole." Someone greeted her. Nicole nodded and joined the training team. In the evening, Nicole was alone, checking on the arms dealer in the dormitory. She figured that the only way to know her opponent''s next move was to find out the opponent''s motive. So she started to stand in the shoes of her opponent. ''What would I get if I were White and attacked the arms dealer''s intr? It makes little sense.'' Suddenly, Nicole thought of something terrible. N?velDrama.Org owns this text. "Hacking the intr may be just the first step. If he finds the database through the intr, that''s where the real trouble starts." The database was the most important confidential document of the arms dealer, which contains all the information of the arms dealer. These materials not only contained weapons data but also recorded themunication history between arms dealers. Racking the database was equivalent to getting the information of all arms dealers. Chapter 834 Chapter 834 With Rowaning into the picture, Nicole finally understoodWhite''s intentions. ''Rowan virtually has everything, and all the arms dealers have some kind of connection with him.What is the point of sabotaging a few arms dealers? If I were White, I would cut the head off the snake. Once these armsdealers run out of weapons, they be toothless tigers. Zane''s organization is no exception.'' Nicole wasted no time in calling Preston. "I need a favor from you." The next day, Nicole came to Preston and Edwin''spany. "What''s up, Nicole? You''re so early." Preston and Edwin were having breakfast. "Do you want to have some?" Edwin asked. "No thanks. You guys keep on and just listen." "The attack was not idental but premeditated and nned," Nicole seriously borated on her analysis. "Premeditated? nned?" Preston and Edwin were surprised. "Yeah. All I need now are two helpers in this fight." Nicole looked at them. "No problem. We both will absolutely cooperate with you. What do you want us to do?" Preston finished thest bite of his breakfast. "From what I know of White, he willunch an attack against the firewall of arms dealers. The two of you are to defend against White''s cyberattacks, and I will track him down." Nicole told them her n. "No problem, we will hold down the fort and not let him seed this time." With Nicole''s supervision , Preston became twice as confident. He was determined to give White a bloody nose this time. "Don''t take it lightly. White is a veteran and cunning." Nicole reminded him. "We will be careful. But when will White attack?" Edwin asked the questions that were on everyone''s minds. "This is also the hardest thing to control. We don''t know when White will strike , so there''s only one way to deal with it: lie in wait." Nicole was not a god; there was no way to know when White would attack. "Huh? Wouldn''t that mean we will have to wait here for the entire day?" Edwin was put off by the thought of having to sit in front of theputer for the whole day. "You two can take turns to rest. That would be better." Nicole thought of an idea for them. "What about you? Who are you going to take turns with?" Preston looked at Nicole. "I don''t need to rest." Nicole would forget herself when she got serious. The two of them were stunned when they heard Nicole say that she did not need to rest. They silently sighed as they looked at her and could do nothing to help her. Time ticked by, and it was ten-forty in the morning. Nicole had been staring at theputer screen for over four hours. Preston got up and poured Nicole a ss of water. "Have some water, Nicole." "I don''t drink water when I work." Nicole did not want to visit thedies'' room and missed the best time to track down her opponent just because she drank too much water. The vulnerability was not always there, and timing was important; she could not afford to miss it for anything. "Okay. But shouldn''t you get up and stretch ? You have been sitting here for four hours." Preston felt sorry for you. Nicole was not her sister, but she was still his cousin. He was worried that her body could not stand sitting there for hours. "It''s alright. Mind your business, and don''t make a mistake." Nicole reminded him solemnly and seriously. "Okay, I will stay with you." Preston sat down, his eyes fixating on theputer screen, looking out for any unusual activity. After another hour, there was still nothing abnormal. N?velDrama.Org owns this text. "Preston, you take a break. I''ll keep watch." Edwin walked over to Preston and motioned for him to get up and rest. "Okay. I will leave it to you. What do we eat at noon?" It looked like they would have to take lunch at the office. "Ask Nicole." "What do you like for lunch, Nicole? I''ll order it." "Anything that can be eaten with one hand." Because she needed to free up a hand to deal with any unexpected situations. "One hand?" It was the first time Preston had heard someone order food like this. He did not know whether to cry orugh. Chapter 835 Chapter 835 "No problem." Preston started searching for everything they could eat with one hand. ¡°I¡¯ve ced the order. Food will be delivered in a moment. "Nicole, you better take a break. I think nothing is goingto happen in the morning." Preston became impatient. "That''s how your opponent will catch you by surprise," Nicole said, putting them to the trap wisely. "Nicole has a point. If I were the hacker, I would definitely strike while the target let down its guard; it is easier to hack through and stay under the radar." "Exactly." Nicole nced at Edwin, pleased by his improvement. While the three of them were talking, someone outside shouted, "Hello, food delivery!" "That''s quick." Preston hurried out to pick up the food. "The hamburger is for you, Nicole." Preston put a burger and some snacks next to Nicole. "Edwin, this is yours." Edwin drooled over the burger, as he had not eaten one in a long time. N?velDrama.Org owns this text. "Thank you." Nicole picked up the burger and took a bite. Preston waved his hand and tucked in. Just then, a prompt popped up on theputer screen as the firewall was defending against an unknown attack. Edwin immediately put down his food and counterattacked earnestly. Preston also stopped eating and joined in. Nicole put aside her burger that she had only taken a bite of. "What is the situation on your side?" Nicole asked. "The attack is not intense. It felt like White was testing the waters," Edwin said. "Keep your eyes open and secure the firewall," Nicole said. Nicole was tracking the signal to the source, but she lost the signal suddenly. "What''s going on?" "They stopped attacking." "Did you track down White?" "No, the time is too short." "s, this guy made a surprise attack at noon, causing me to choke on my burger." Edwin gasped and took a sip of his drink. Prestonughed at him. "Is this funny? Come , you sit here." Edwin gave up his seat. "I wonder when the next attack will be? What''s the use of me sitting there now?" Preston muttered as he sat in front of hisputer. "It''s crucial. You need to keep an eye on it. And the more important thing is, I need to eat." Edwin looked at Preston with a serious face. "You win." "Nicole, I''ll keep watch. You can have your lunch." Preston looked at her. "It''s okay. I''m not going to choke." They finished their meal and rested for a long while, but the attack was still not forting. Edwin started to lose his patience and asked Nicole, "Will White attack again today?" "It''s hard to tell. They all have their own schedule, so we have to wait." Nicole got up and stretched. Chapter 836 Chapter 836 When Preston saw Nicole was up and stretching, he quickly followed suit. "You have just sat down and now want to get up again? Sit back down and keep an eye on the screen, Preston. White could strike at any time." Edwin taunted. "Didn''t you see Nicole get up and stretch ? That means that nothing is going to happen. So don''t worry." "Lazy-guy." After doing some stretches, Nicole sat back down and waited quietly for the next attack, which had nevere again until nightfall. Nicole was exasperated after wasting a day of her time for nothing. Logically, hackers would not just attack once and give up. She wondered if she had misjudged something. Nicole sat there silently, analyzing the situation. Preston had dozed off when the urge of nature''s call woke him up. He saw Nicole was still staring at theputer screen. "Why don''t we just call it a day? You should also go back early to rest." Nicole ignored him, and Preston went to answer nature''s call. Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org. Just at the moment, he entered the men''s room, he heard Nicole call out to him. "Here ites!" Preston quickly zipped his pants and ran back out. Theputer''s firewall was under heavy attack. Preston quickly sat down and fought back. Nicole''s voice jolted up Edwin from his sleep. He sat straight up in front of theputer andunched a counteroffensive with Preston. "Nicole, have you tracked it down? The attack is vicious this time." Preston busily typed on the keyboard. "Hang on there." Nicole was looking for the weakest entry point. Suddenly, her eyes lit up, and she responded at once. "I got him." Nicole sessfully hacked into White''sputer in the quickest possible time. She could not have gained ess had White found out. "I got him," Nicole eximed again as if each announcement was a victory. Nicole started to rummage through White''sputer system for information about him. Suddenly, White found that hisputer had been hacked. He immediately made a counter-intrusion move. But it was toote; Nicole had taken over hisputer and restricted all his permissions . At this moment, hisputer was just a dummy monitor that he had no control over. He could only watch Nicole searching around for his information. Nicole also knew that White was aware of what she was doing. So she sped up the search. White stared angrily at the screen; his hands clenched into fists. Worried that the opponent might find information about him, he smashed theputer to the ground and walked out of his ce, then set the base on fire to cover his tracks. The scene of the raging fire was reflected in White''s eyes. White might have smashed theputer, but Nicole had managed to find his registration on The Hunters. Nicole mused as she looked at the information she had found. It turned out that White was also a member of The Hunters. After withstanding all the attacks, Preston and Edwiny exhausted on theirputer desks, asking feebly," Nicole, have you tracked him down?" "I got him." Nicole nced back. Chapter 837 Chapter 837 ¡°I appreciate your hard work. I¡®ll buy you guys a coffee another day.¡± Nicole turned off theputer and left. ¡°d to know you have got him. We won¡®t see you out.¡± Edwin and Preston fell asleep at their computer desks after Nicole left. Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org. Once out of Preston¡®spany, Nicole looked at the time; it was 1.00 am. Going back to the campus and home was out of the question , so she could only go to Jared¡®s ce. It was a sunny and breezy morning the next day. Jared stretched out and headed downstairs. Just as he came to the staircasending, he vaguely saw someone lying on the couch in the living room. Jared was stunned, wondering who had broken into his house early in the morning without triggering the security rm. He reached for a club, sneaked toward the living room, and came behind the couch. Jared held the club in one hand and pulled the throw pillow the person was sleeping on. Nicole was sleeping, but when she sensed someone approaching, she became alert and ready to strike at any time, just waiting for the attacker to pull her throw pillow, and she would quickly subdue the person. As Jared pulled the throw pillow away, and before he could strike with the club in his hand, he was kicked to the floor. Nicole heard the familiar voice and got up. ¡°Jared?¡± She hurried up to help him. Jared heard Nicole¡®s voice and looked over with a painful expression. ¡°Nicole?¡± Nicole helped him to sit down on the couch. ¡°Why did you sneak up on me like a thief in the early morning?¡± ¡°How do you still have the nerve to ask me this question? Why didn¡®t you inform me you hade? I thought it was an uninvited guest.¡± ¡°You really hit me hard; my hand is still numb.¡± Jared nced at his hand, which was still shivering, wondering how much force Nicole had used. ¡°You can¡®t me me; you could have dodged.¡± ¡°I didn¡®t tell you because I didn¡®t want to disturb your rest, so I thought I would just sleep on the couch,¡± Nicole exined. When she came to Jared¡®s ce, she was not so sleepy, so she looked through the material in the living room for a while. When she finally felt tired, she did not bother to go upstairs but fell asleep on the couch. Jared keenly captured some key information. ¡°So you must have arrived herete, right? Otherwise, you should have returned to the campus or your home.¡± Nicole did not expect Jared to see through her so quickly, so she might as well be honest with him. ¡°Yes, it was already 1.00 am when I arrivedst night. I had nowhere else to go, so I came to you.¡± ¡°Then you go to sleep first. I will make breakfast.¡± Jared looked at her and felt sorry for her. Nicole looked at Jared in amazement. ¡°You don¡®t even ask me where I wasst night?¡± ¡°No hurry. I will wait until you get enough sleep.¡± Jared gave her a look and went to make breakfast. Nicoley down on the couch and continued to sleep. This time, she slept soundly until she woke up naturally. ¡°What time is it? Why are you still here?¡± Nicole opened her eyes and saw Jared sitting beside her. ¡°Get up and get something to eat.¡± Jared brought breakfast to her when he saw she looked refreshed after a good sleep. Nicole was starving. She tucked in at once. Upon finishing breakfast, she looked at Jared. ¡°Don¡®t you have to go to work today?¡± ¡°It doesn¡®t matter.¡± Jared looked at her dotingly. It was nowte morning. He had postponed the morning meeting to the afternoon. So it looked like he would have to stay back tonight. ¡°Can you tell me now why you came back sote?¡± Jared finally asked the question. ¡°I¡®m helping Preston on a job. I guess I¡®ll still be busy for the next few days.¡± Nicole exined briefly. Had it not been for Jared, she would not have bothered to exin. Chapter 838 Chapter 838 Jared understood. ¡°Since it¡®s a job, I won¡®t ask more, but please take care of yourself.¡± ¡°So, are you going to live here for the next few days?¡± Jared wished she would, so he could see her every day. ¡°Maybe, not sure yet. You go get busy. Don¡®t worry about me.¡± Nicole did not want to affect Jared¡®s work because of her. ¡°Okay. You have a good rest.¡± Jared pulled a nket over her body and left for work. Nicole nced at the time. ¡°Oh gosh, it¡®s already noon.¡± She got up at once and washed up, then got ready to go to school. Just then, the thought of the situation at Preston¡®s side came to mind. She was worried that White would make aeback. So she went to Preston¡®s office instead. ¡°Nicole, what are you doing here?¡± Preston was just about to go out when he bumped into Nicole in the doorway. ¡°Are you going out?¡± Nicole looked at the neatly dressed Preston. ¡°Yeah, I have something to take care of, but nothing urgent. Let¡®s get inside.¡± Preston walked Nicole back into his office. ¡°How did youe back?¡± Edwin saw Preston. ¡°Ahh, Nicole hase.¡± ¡°Were there any unknown attacks this morning?¡± Nicole asked Edwin worriedly. ¡°Not yet. Everything is normal.¡± ¡°Good. White hides his identity very well. It may take some time to uncover it. But I¡®m afraid White will strike again, so you two have got to be vignt and don¡®t mess up.¡± Nicole knew she must find White before he struck again, lest he became a permanent scourge. ¡°Don¡®t worry. We will take turns keeping watch twenty four hours a day.¡± Preston assured Nicole. ¡°Okay. Get in touch.¡± With that, Nicole spun around to leave, only to bump into Rowan, who came to thank Preston. Rowan was surprised. ¡°What a coincidence, Nicole. I didn¡®t expect to meet you here.¡± ¡°It¡®s been a long while.¡± Nicole looked at Rowan. ¡°You guys know each other?¡± Preston was surprised. ¡°Of course.¡± Rowan nodded. Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org. ¡°You guys?¡± Rowan looked at Preston and then at Nicole. ¡°Nicole is my sister. She is also a hacker. It was she who thwarted White¡®s attack. I can¡¯t imagine what would have happened without Nicole.¡± Preston praised Nicole in front of Rowan Rowan looked at Nicole in shock. ¡°I knew you could heal, but I didn¡®t expect that you are also a formidable hacker.¡± ¡°You have been keeping a really low profile, Nicole.¡± Edwin looked at Nicole with admiration. ¡°It¡®s just a hobby,¡± Nicole said. Neither Preston nor Edwin expected Nicole to be not only a hacker but also a medical practitioner . They suddenly found her so badass and looked at her in a different light. Rowan was here to thank Preston and Edwin. He looked at Edwin and said, ¡°I have transferred the money.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Edwin made a gesture. Rowan set his sights on Nicole. ¡°I wonder if you have time for a cup of coffee together, Nicole?¡± ¡°Yeah, sure.¡± Nicole and Rowan walked out of Preston¡®s office together. Chapter 839 Chapter 839 After Nicole left, Preston and Edwin started to talk. ¡°Who is Nicole , really? Even an arms dealer like Rowan knew her,¡± Edwin asked. ¡°I¡®m not sure, but Nicole really makes the Riddle family proud.¡± Preston shook his head in a daze. He was d the Riddle family had Nicole. Nicole and Rowan were sitting across from each other in the caf¨¦ outside the school. N?velDrama.Org owns this text. ¡°Do you mind telling me how many attacks you have received?¡± Nicole wanted to know the truth of the matter so that she could make the right decision. ¡°There have been many attacks on my side, and so have other arms dealers.¡± Rowan had a headache at the thought of this. ¡°That¡®s bad.¡± Nicole did not expect things to be far more serious than she thought. ¡°Having experienced so many attacks, have you ever discovered what the characteristics of the attacker are?¡± Nicole wanted to find the attacker¡®s modus operandi and then dug into it further. Rowan took a sip of his coffee as he rummaged through his memory. ¡°I don¡¯t see any characteristics.¡± Suddenly, his eyes lit up. ¡°But there is one thing; the arms dealers who were attacked are the three major organizations¡® suppliers.¡± Nicole fell into silence upon hearing that. Other than Zane¡¯s organization, there were two other major organizations. If White¡®s targets were the arms dealers who supplied to the three major organizations , things would getplicated. Nicole felt White was plotting something big, probably wanting to cut off the supply of the three major organizations. Once there was no supply from the arms dealers, the three major organizations may be in danger. Seeing Nicole¡®s silence, Rowan knew the attacker was nasty. ¡°I¡®ll give you a new firewall; it is foolproof, and you don¡®t have to worry about maintenance. I will take care of it.¡± At the very least, she had to keep Rowan¡®s supply of ammunition, and keeping Rowan safe meant covering Zane¡®s back. ¡°Thank you so much. I can finally feel more at ease for now. I will transfer the money into your ount right now.¡± Rowan was overjoyed to hear that Nicole was going to set up a new firewall for him. ¡°Don¡®t worry. You can do thatter when the firewall is installed.¡± ¡°I can¡®t wait. To be honest, had I known you had the expertise in security systems, I would not have looked for someone else.¡± Rowan happily transferred the money to Nicole. Nicole talked to him again about the other two arms dealers before leaving the caf¨¦. ¡°Thank you. I¡®m counting on you.¡± Rowan looked at Nicole with a sincere face. ¡°Don¡®t worry about it.¡± ¡°Isn¡®t this devil instructor ?¡± Raine and her ssmates came to the caf¨¦ for coffee. ¡°You have a fianc¨¦. How can you still fool around with other men?¡± Raine said to Nicole and nced at Rowan with disgust. At first, Rowan had a pleasant expression, but the mischief ¨C making of Raine caused his face to turn grim instantly. Immediately, a group of men in ck came out of nowhere and surrounded Raine and her ssmates. ¡°Mind your words, brat.¡± Rowan looked at Raine with frosty eyes. Surrounded, Raine and her ssmates were terrified.¡± Nicole, why are you mingling with such a person? Aren¡®t you afraid of being found out by the elders of the Riddle family?¡± ¡°Are you suggesting that you are going to tell them?¡± Nicole looked at her with a stiff smile , causing Raine to shiver in fright. ¡°They¡®re so rude to you. Do you want me to teach them a lesson, Nicole?¡± Rowan asked Nicole. Hearing that, Raine tried to please Nicole. ¡°We are cousins, and I said that for your own good. Keep in mind your rtionship with the Johnston family. People could spread malicious allegations that offend the Johnston family. I¡®m concerned about your rtionship with Jared. Nicole looked at Raine, who was frightened by Rowan¡®s men, and then at Rowan with a smile. ¡°It¡®s alright. I know you are busy. I can totally handle this myself.¡± Chapter 840 Chapter 840 Rowan was a little disappointed to see that Nicole did not need his help. ¡°I will go then if you really don¡®t need help. Nicole nodded. Rowan gave the men in ck a look, and they gave way to Raine and his ssmates, who ran out of the caf¨¦ with their tails between their legs. Watching Raine flee, Rowan taunted, ¡°What a brat, trying to bite off more than she can chew!¡± Nicole watched Rowan leave, and then she went back to school. Suddenly, her phone rang. She picked it up; it was Samuel. ¡°Tomorrow is Mom¡®s birthday. What gift are you going to buy for her, Nicole?¡± Samuel and Spencer had gone to look for Nicole in her ssroom, but she was not there. ¡°I haven¡®t thought about it yet. What do you think?¡± Nicole had been tied up in trivial matters for the past few days and had not had time to select gifts. ¡°We¡®re also thinking about it. We are going to go to the mallter. Do you want to join us?¡± Samuel asked. Nicole thought for a moment, and she agreed. ¡°Then we will see you after school.¡± Samuel hung up the phone. Nicole went straight back to the dormitory and took out herputer to search for White¡®s information. ¡®Since White is a member of The Hunters , his personal information must be in The Hunters¡® database .¡® Nicole came up with a bold idea with this thought in mind. She was prepared to hack into The Hunters¡® database. Her fingers flew over the keyboard as she started to hack into The Hunters¡® database. But it was not as easy as expected. The Hunters¡®s firewall was designed by top hackers withyers of protection, not something that ordinary people could break into. After several times of unsessful attempts, she started to think. As time went by, Nicole still failed to hack into the system after repeated attempts and adjustments. She was in a difficult situation. Looking at the time, she realized she should go to meet with Samuel and Spencer. So she packed up and went out. Samuel and Spencer had been waiting for her at the school gate. ¡°Over here, Nicole.¡± Spencer waved at her. Nicole walked over. ¡°Have you thought about what gift to buy?¡± ¡°I will buy Mom a handbag. The one Mom is carrying now is outdated.¡± Samuel said happily. ¡°What about you, Spencer?¡± ¡°Doesn¡®t Mom like piano very much? The one at home is old. I¡®m thinking of giving her a new one.¡± ¡°You¡®re indeed a musical instrument freak. The gifts you choose are also different.¡± Samuel teased him. ¡°What gift would you buy for Mom, Nicole ?¡± They now looked at her. ¡°You¡®ll know in a moment.¡± Nicole kept them in suspense. The three of them happily drove toward the mall.N?velDrama.Org owns this text. At the mall, they first apanied Samuel to buy the designer bag he had seen before and then went with Spencer to the piano shop. ¡°Mr. Riddle, inside, please.¡± The service staff of the piano shop was hospitable. ¡°Did the piano I ordered arrive?¡± Spencer asked the service staff. ¡°It has arrived.¡± ¡°You twoe with me to see it.¡± Spencer loved the piano. The service staff led the three of them to the innermost part of the piano shop. ¡°Mr. Riddle , this is your custom piano.¡± ¡°Wow, custom piano?¡± Samuel looked at the eye-catching piano and stepped forward to admire it. ¡°Don¡®t touch it. This is custom¨Cmade for Mom. No one else is allowed to touch it.¡± Spencer smacked away Samuel¡®s hand that was about to touch the piano. Chapter 841 Chapter 841 "Nicole, do you think Mom will like it?" Spencer looked at Nicole. "Why are you asking me?" Nicole looked at Spencer in puzzlement. "You are all women, so you should like simr things and have the same thinking." "No, no,no.I still think differently from Mom, but I think she will like this piano." "Let''s not mention that it is a customized model.Mom will like it just because of your love." Nicole did not exaggerate the value of the things but highlighted Spencer''s filial piety to his mother. "Yes, that''s right." Spencer agreed with Nicole.Samuel could not listen anymore and interrupted."Nicole, we''ve both bought our gifts.What have you chosen for Mom?" "My gift is not here.I''ll take you all there when you''re done here." Nicole deliberately did not tell them, leaving them anxious. "Don''t create suspense.Take us with you."Samuel could not wait to find out. "Okay, let''s go." Nicole took the lead and walked outside. "The piano is good. Deliver to the Riddle family on time tomorrow morning." Spencer told the service staff before catching up with Nicole. "Where is your gift, Nicole?"N?velDrama.Org owns this text. After driving through a few streets, Nicole still did not tell him but just asked him to continue to drive. "We are almost there." A momentter, she said, "Stop right here." She opened the car door and went down. Samuel and Spencer stood next to Nicole and asked curiously, "Why are you bringing us to the antique market? Are you going to buy an antique here, aren''t you? "Nicole, most of them here are scammers.Let''s go somewhere else." Spencer tried to dissuade her. But Nicole did not listen to them at all and went straight inside. "Hey beautiful, I have the best painting here.Come, take a look." Just a few steps inside, a vendor called out to Nicole.Nicole did not bother to stop but walked straight ahead.Another antique seller shouted, "Hello, handsome man, pretty girl.Come, take a look at my Picasso paintings." "Oh, yeah, Picasso paintings.You wouldn''t have been here if you had Picasso paintings," Samuel taunted him mercilessly. The two continued to follow Nicole until she stopped before a vendor and looked at the mercantile on the table. "Little girl, can I help you?" An old man twisting his beard with his hand was sitting in a rocking chair and drinking beer leisurely.Nicole did not respond to him but intently studied what was on the table. "Nicole , can you tell what it is?" Spencer stood behind Nicole and asked in a whisper.She did not answer him, either. Looking at the few rough stones, her eyes lit up.She did not pick up the stone she saw but deliberately took anotherrger one and casually looked at it. "How much is this rough stone?" "You have got good taste, Little Girl.This rough stone is full of emeralds.I will let it go at five hundred thousand dors if you like." The old man was hopeful, thinking that today must be his lucky day, as this girl looked as if she knew nothing about gemstones. "A freaking stone costs half a million? That''s like daylight robbery." Samuel sneered. "What freaking stone? Don''t open your freaking mouth if you know nothing about gemstones.Otherwise, I will make you taste what it is like to ruin the business of others." As if Nicole had not heard them arguing, she put down the stone in a predicament. "This stone is nice, but it is too expensive." Spencer and Samuel were relieved to see Nicole put down the stone. Nicole deliberately picked stones other than the one she was interested in, and the old man thought he would be lucky. But now, he was annoyed by her questions. Chapter 842 Chapter 842 The old man looked at Nicole impatiently. "You have been asking me this and that for so long; are you going to buy it or not?" Nicole felt the time hade and decisively picked up the stone she was into and asked the old man again. "How much is this?" The old man had long lost his patience and did not bother to look at it. "If you buy it this time, I will let it go at two thousand." Nicole was secretly overjoyed, but her expression remained calm.She looked at the boss in a predicament."Two thousand is still expensive.How about one thousand? "No need to study again.One thousand dors and take it.Don''t waste my time.I need to take a leak." The old man had finished a can of beer, and his dder was full to the brim.He just wanted to send Nicole away so that he could relieve his dder. "Deal." Nicole took out a stack of cash and handed it to the old man.Samuel and Spencer were anxious but could only sigh since the money had changed hands. "Take a look.What do you think, Samuel, Spencer?" Nicole held the stone in her hand with a smile on her face. "Nicole, you are smarter than this.Why did you fall into the trap this time?" Samuel still could not understand why Nicole had bought the stone.A thousand dors was nothing to him, but he would not spend a thousand dors on a stone.Nicole let out a smile. "Come with me.I will let you see something mind-blowing." Nicole took them to apidarist. "Sir, I would like to have this stone turned into a pendant and a bracelet." Nicole handed the stone to thepidarist. "Sure.You may wait in the lounge and have a cup of coffee there.I will bring it to you once it is finished." The three of them went into the lounge.Spencer and Samuel were still talking about the stones, They did not believe that the stone contained emeralds. "I will go to take a look." After sitting for a while, Samuel became restless.He got up and wanted to have a look in the processing room. But before he could get out of the lounge door, a service staff walked in with the finished product. "Miss Riddle, this is a pendant and bracelet made ording to your requirements." "Holy moly.It''s so beautiful." Content held by N?velDrama.Org. Samuel was amazed.Spencer was also fascinated. "It''s superb." Nicole took them and looked at them in her hands. "How did you know the stone was a gem?" Samuel asked curiously. "I could tell." "You''re brilliant .If that old man knew this stone was a gemstone, he would cry."Samuel thought of that picture andughed involuntarily. "Wrap it up nicely for me." Nicole looked at the service staff. "Thank you for your business." The service staff respectfully saw them out. Together with Spencer and Samuel, Nicole returned home with the pendant and bracelet, The next day, the entire mansion came to life.In the early morning, Gloria sat on the couch and happily received her birthday gifts.Samuel came up and handed a designer bag to Gloria. "Happy birthday, Mom." "You shouldn''t have.I have many handbags." Gloria knew Samuel must have spent much of his pocket money on the handbag. "Those handbags of yours are outdated.This one is a new arrival this season.Try it out." Samuel could not wait to see Gloria carry the handbag he had bought. "It looks beautiful." Daniel looked on, his eyes full of affection, as Gloria carried the handbag on her shoulder.Sean walked over with two vacation tickets. "You and dad haven''t traveled alone for a long time.You two can go on a holiday with these two vacation tickets after your birthday." Before Gloria could say anything, Daniel chimed in. "I have been thinking of taking your mom for a holiday.And now, here we go." "Hahaha." "Dad, that''s a bargain for you." Samuel quipped. "Thanks to your mom." As everyone else hade over to give Gloria gifts, Nicole took out the gifts she had just bought. Chapter 843 Chapter 843 "Happy birthday , Mom." Nicole handed the beautifully wrapped gift to Gloria. "Wow, what a beautiful ne !"Gloria eximed as she opened the jewelry box and saw the emerald ne. Everyone gathered around her. "How much does such an enormous emerald cost?" Steve could not help but wonder. Content held by N?velDrama.Org. "Emeralds of such a pure color are rare." Sean sighed as he looked at the eye-catching emerald ne. "From where did you get this, Nicole?" Before Nicole could speak, Spencer blurted out. "This is also a bracelet." Gloria was too fascinated by the ne and forgot about the other box.She quickly opened it upon hearing what Spencer said. "This bracelet is also made of the same emerald?" Gloria looked at Nicole.Nicole nodded with a smile. "Mom, you will be amazed by how the ne and bracelete about,"Samuel told the ins and outs of how Nicole got the emeralds. "I didn''t know that Nicole is also a gemologist." Gloria did not expect it was Nicole who handpicked the emeralds and hired someone to custom-make the ne and bracelet. "Nicole, could you help me put it on?" Gloria immediately took down the ne she was wearing.Everyone praised Gloria for looking good wearing it.Then there was a knock at the door. "Gloria, did you invite friends over?" "No." "I''ll take a look." Spencer had probably guessed that the piano he had ordered had arrived.Sure enough, the delivery men had already carried the piano to the door. "Come in and put it in the hall," Spencer told the delivery men. "What is this, Spencer?" Gloria was surprised at seeing something sorge. "You''ll know in a moment." "Slow down. Be careful," Spencer said to the delivery men. "Please sign here." After Spencer signed the delivery note, the delivery men left. "Mom, this is my birthday present for you.Come and unveil it." Spencer took Gloria''s hand toe to the piano. "What is this? So mysterious." Filled with curiosity, Gloria whisked open the cloth that covered the thing.She covered her mouth with her hands when she saw the piano. "It''s a piano!" "I haven''t touched a piano in a long time." Gloria gently opened the lid. "Mom, sit down and y a song." Spencer could not wait but urged his mother. Gloria looked at them, who were all waiting to see her ying the piano. As her fingers gently danced on the keys, a beautiful melody reverberated through the mansion. Everyone apuded as she finished a song. "Mom, you y really well." Samuel was amazed, Suddenly, the sound of apuse came from the doorway. Everyone looked over and saw that it was Norah. "What is she doing here?" Samuel and others looked at each other. "Mom, you yed so well." Norahplimented Gloria. "Norah?" Gloria and Daniel were surprised because neither of them had told Norah about today''s gathering. Chapter 844 Chapter 844 "How can I forget your birthday? This is my gift for you."Norah handed the thing in her hand to Gloria. "I''m happy that you areing.Why did you spend money again?" Gloria took Norah¡¯s hand and sat her down in front of her. The arrival of Norah instantly shattered the jovial atmosphere of the family. Norah''s keen eye spotted the ne around Gloria''s neck. "This ne is so beautiful ," Norah eximed. "It is a birthday present from Nicole." Gloria smiled with delight. "Nicole has such good taste in nes." Norah praised Nicole, surprisingly. "It looks like you have got many presents for your birthday." "How are you doingtely, Norah?" Gloria had not seen her in a long time. "Everything is great.Just that things in the student union are a little busy.That was why I didn''t have time toe see you," Norah said. N?velDrama.Org owns this text. The next second, she asked Nicole, "How is the training for your ss?" "Pretty good." Nicole did not want to talk to her at all. "I heard that many students in your ss have hamstrings in training.You''re the new ss monitor.It must be hard for you." Norah''s words had an undertone of satirizing the ipetence of Nicole as the new ss monitor. "My ssmates are self-disciplined, so I often have time toe home." Nicole knew that if she did not hit back at her, Norah would push her luck and spit in her face. "Really? But I''ve heard..." Without waiting for Norah to finish speaking, Samuel interjected. "It''s been half a day since we were here; it''s time to cut the cake." "I will go get the cake." Nicole took this opportunity to leave, freeing her from the hassle of dealing with Norah''s questioning as if Norah really cared about her. So Samuel and Nicole went to get the cake together. "Please don''t mind what Norah says.Just treat her as if she is not there.If she picks a fight, I will help you fix her, "Samuel said.Nicole had not taken what Norah said to heart.So, upon hearing what Samuel said, she burst outughing. After a while, the two pushed the cake cart out and in front of Gloria. "Mom, make a wish." Gloria closed her eyes and pped her hands together in front of her chest.After a while, she opened her eyes again and blew out the candle in front of her. "What wish did you make, Mom?" Samuel asked curiously. "I can''t tell you, or it will note true." "Mom, eat the first cut of the cake." Norah took the initiative to cut the cake for everyone. While everyone was enjoying the cake, Norah suddenly asked Nicole, "Where is Jared?" What seemed to be a casual question was actually a provocation.Nicole had almost forgotten about Jared while everyone was happily chatting just now.If it were not for Norah, she would have forgotten about itpletely. "He heard about your birthday and asked me to bring you this gift. He said he had work to do there, so he couldn''te." Nicole took a box from her bag. "My birthday is not a big deal, yet a busy man like Jared still remembers it.Please thank him for me." Gloria took the box without opening it. "Mom, why don''t you open it? I was still curious about what gift Jared has given you." Norah stared curiously at the box. "It is a gift for Mom. Why are you so excited?" Samuel did not like how rude Norah was. "It''s all right.Since Norah is curious, I will open it," Gloria said and opened the box. A stunning ruby carving appeared in front of everyone''s eyes. Chapter 845 Chapter 845 "Wow.What a beautiful ruby carving!" Norah''s eyes twinkled with a coveting smile on her lips. "Jared is so generous.Such arge piece of fine ruby carving must be worth alot!"Steve said "Nicole , when Jared has the time, invite him here for a meal." Gloria looked at Nicole with delight. "Okay, Mom." Norah looked at the ruby carving and became even more jealous of Nicole.She always thought that Nicole had snatched the man who should have belonged to her. The family rejoiced until the evening. After Norah left, everyone else could finally breathe a sigh of relief, as if everyone except Daniel and Gloria felt ufortable with Norah''s presence. Nicole returned to school the next day. Because today was a rest day, fewer students were at the school than usual. When she was looking up some materials in the library, Zeke suddenly came looking for her. Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org. "Nicole, you''re really hard to find." Zeke had a time getting to her. "What are you looking for me for?" Nicole nced at him. "I heard you helped Edwin with an urgent job?" Zeke looked at Nicole with displeasure. "Yeah." "Why didn''t you take me with you? I''m your right-hand man." Zeke was not too happy that he was not invited. "That job came too sudden, and I forgot about you." Nicole continued to look at the material carefully, without turning her head to look at him. "You forgot about me? You''re too much." Zeke shouted angrily, but then he realized he was in a library.He hurriedly looked around to see if anyone was looking at him. "You''re too much." He now whispered. "But I have a more exciting job right now.Are you interested?" Nicole now turned to look at him.When Zeke heard that there was a more exciting job, he was exhrated. "What exciting job?" "I''m going to infiltrate The Hunters," Nicole spoke in a voice that only the two of them could hear. Zeke was stunned. "Are you crazy? There are tons of top hackers on The Hunters, and the head of the dark site is said to be one of the best.Aren''t you asking for trouble by attacking them?" "I''m looking for a person''s identity, and the only ce I can find the person''s identity is The Hunters.So I''ve got to hack it." Nicole looked at him seriously and resolutely.Zeke scratched his head with uneasiness. "Hold your horses.I will figure out a way and then improve the decryptor." Nicole looked at him and nodded. After Zeke left, Nicole sat in the library for a long time, then returned to the dormitory with a stack of books in her hand. Sitting in a chair, Nicole remembered what Carl had said and felt that there was more to what happened to Zane than met the eyes.So she picked up her phone and texted Zane. [Where are you?] After waiting for a long time without receiving a reply from Zane, Nicole had no choice but to deal with what was at hand first. She picked up a book and continued to read. The next day, Nicole led her ssmates to continue training in the sports field.She still could do nothing just yet because she had not heard from Zeke. All she could do now was wait for Zeke''s news while preparing for the sports day. There were still a few days left before the sports day. The training on the sports field today was intense but orderly. "You all have undergone days of intense training.Now let''s test how far you all could go, shall we? Do you have confidence?" Nicole shouted. "Absolutely." "Then let''s start with the 100-meter dash." Nicole looked at Gary. Gary and a few ssmates of his had warmed up ande to the starting line, just waiting for Nicole''s order to race to the finish line. Chapter 846 Chapter 846 "On your marks.Ready." Bang! As soon as the starter pistol sounded, Garyunched first, and other ssmates were on his heels. As he approached the finish line, he sprang forward with a quick burst of strength and crossed the finish line. Gary finished first at 11.22 seconds. "Not bad.It''s already an outstanding result." Nicole was happy with Gary''s performance. "You all have got the explosive power there, but physical strength is still not up to par." Nicole looked at her breathless ssmates and thought of a solution. "Prepare for the ry race." Nicole had used half the time of a lesson to review all the items. "The overall performance is not bad.I can tell that everyone has improved in terms of skills, but there is room for improvement in physical fitness.It''s okay; we will focus on training for physical fitness for the next few days." Nicole pointed out their strengths and weaknesses and gave solutions. Because Nicole''s ss had been doing well in the past two weeks, it had aroused jealousy from other sses. While Nicole was speaking in front of her team, a group of students led by Norali walked toward them from rm. "We will also train in this sports field today.Please make way for us," Norali unceremoniously led her ssmates to sh with students from ss B.But Nicole did not even bother to look at her. "Alright, You may use it aller we are done." "What did you say? We are also students of the school, and the sports field is for everyone.Why should we queue behind you?" Norah yelled at Nicole in a peeve. "Anyone can use the sports field, but with the firste first served rule." "Guys, double the sandbags'' weight, and get ready." Nicole continued to mentor ss B''s students. Seeing that Nicole did not take her seriously, Norah turned to look at her ssmates behind her and said, "Hurry up and start training in the middle of the sports field." Norah was thinking of hogging the sports field while ss B''s students went to get the sandbags. Just as ss A''s students were about to go, Nicole shot her dagger like eyes at them.They were all startled, looking at each other, and no one dared to take a step forward. "What are you all afraid of? It''s not like she will eat you." Norah scolded her ssmates. "Nicole, what are you doing? Are you going to hit them?" Norah red at her. Nicole said nothing but stood there with an intimidating look on her face. Norah was unwilling to back down after Nicole stole all the limelight.She reached out to push Nicole, trying to shove her away while she stood up there.But Nicole dodged her hand in a sh. Norah missed.She lost her bnce and fell straight into the sand pit. Norah cried out in pain, but everyone looked at her with ridicule, and no one offered to help her up.She tremblingly got up from the sand pit with sand in her hair and red at everyone. Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org. "I''m helping you get a training ground, yet you allugh at me along with them.Don''t you all feel ashamed?" Norah cried angrily, pushed her ssmates away, and left the scene in a whirlwind.After Norah left, Nicole nced at ss A''s students. "What are you all still doing here?" ss A''s students immediately left with tails between their legs. When other students returned with sandbags, Nicole continued to train with them. The Royal Creek Institute has several sports fields, and the one where Nicole and her ssmates were having training sessions was one of them.It was apparent that Norah was just picking a fight this time. Meanwhile, Mr.Ellison was seeing the CEO of Aegis Corporation out.As they passed by the training grounds where Nicole was, he called out to her. Nicole looked back.She walked over when she saw it was Mr.Ellison. Chapter 847 Chapter 847 "Mr.Ellison, what did you just call her?" The CEO of Aegis Corporation looked at Nicole in amazement. N?velDrama.Org owns this text. "She is Nicole, an outstanding student at our school." Mr.Ellison smiled proudly when he talked about Nicole. "Nicole ¡­" The CEO of Aegis Corporation looked at her thoughtfully. "Are you looking for me, Mr.Ellison?" Nicole stepped closer to say hello. "How is the training of your ss going on?" Mr.Ellison asked out of concern. "Not bad. They have made significant improvements in every aspect." "Great job. Keep up the good work." "Thank you. It¡¯s my job." Mr.Ellison nodded and turned sideways to look at Mr.Harmon. "Nicole, this is Mr.Scott Harmon, CEO of Aegis Corporation." Upon hearing thepany name, Nicole¡¯s heart skipped a beat, and she said politely, "Hello, Mr.Harmon." "I didn¡¯t know that you were Nicole.I have been looking for you." Mr.Harmon was friendly.But his response shocked Mr.Ellison, as he had never heard Mr.Harmon say he was looking for Nicole. Nicole frowned and exchanged a nce with Mr.Ellison. "You are looking for me, Mr.Harmon?" "That¡¯s right.I was impressed when I heard earlier that you stood your ground to save the life of an elderly in your own way in the emergency room, despite the opposition of everyone." Mr.Harmon looked at Nicole with admiration. "I didn¡¯t expect Mr.Harmon to even know such a trivial thing.It was an absolute emergency, and I couldn¡¯t bring myself to see the patient die." Nicole was surprised by how concerned this CEO of a multinationalpany was about the everyday news of a hospital. "To be honest with you, Miss Riddle, the elderly patient whom you saved is my father.I¡¯m grateful that you stood your ground that day, or else my father would not have lived to this day.Words cannot express my gratitude ; if you are free, I would like to treat you to a meal, and I can formally convey my heartfelt appreciation for what you¡¯ve done." Mr.Harmon looked at Nicole with a sincere expression. "Thank you for your cordial invitation, Mr.Harmon.But I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t find the time yet, as the school¡¯s sports day is just around the corner, and everyone is making full use of thest remaining time to practice.So I can¡¯t be absent just like that.I hope you understand." Nicole did hope to talk to Mr.Harmon of Aegis Corporation more, but she had just told her ssmates that she would train them to improve their physical fitness-she could not leave halfway.So Nicole could only politely tell him about her predicament. "It is okay.You shouldn¡¯t leave them behind.We can make an appointment for another day.I¡¯m seeing you as a friend now, Miss Riddle.So if you need any help in the future , just let me know, and I will never say no.This is my business card." After expressing his gratitude and seeing that Nicole was busy, Mr.Harmon could only bow slightly as a sign of respect, say his goodbye and leave. "Mr.Ellison , I¡¯ll see you again next time." Mr.Harmon shook Mr.Ellison¡¯s hand before he spun around and walked toward his car.After Mr.Harmon left in his car, Mr.Ellison turned to look at Nicole. "Why didn¡¯t I know you saved someone in the hospital and that someone was Mr.Harmon¡¯s father?" "It¡¯s not a big deal.I have almost forgotten about it," Nicole said. "If there is nothing else, I will go to training." "Okay." When Nicole returned, she took her ssmates to perform some special physical training, which was of medium difficulty in the intensive training program she had previously used on the neers in the organization. Another day had passed, and Zeke finally got news for Nicole. [See you at the caf¨¦.] Nicole rushed to the caf¨¦ as soon as she got the message. Chapter 848 Chapter 848 Nicole was still sitting at the usual spot, and us brought her a cup of coffee she usually ordered. "I haven¡¯t seen you in days, Miss Riddle.How are you?" "I¡¯m doing great.Is Jared still busy?" "Yeah, Mr.Johnston has been busy with the Turmann family.Please don¡¯t get mad at him if you feel slighted.He doesn¡¯t mean it." us put in a good word for Jared. "No, I won¡¯t.Please get me a quiet private lounge in a minute." Suddenly, someone familiar walked in. "Zeke, over here." Nicole beckoned to him. "Nicole, isn¡¯t there a private lounge here?" Zeke walked over to Nicole and nced at the peopleing in and out.Nicole got the hint. "Come with me." Upstairs in the private lounge , each of them stared at aputer. "Zeke, what happened to your decryptor?" Nicole asked worriedly. "I have made improvements on it.You may try it." Zeke was confident in his skills. Nicole was confident that she could beat those elite hackers with Zeke¡¯s help this time.She told Zeke about her experience with thest attack, and the two discussed tactics together. Content held by N?velDrama.Org. "Everything is set to go.Let¡¯s do it." Nicoleunched the intrusion program, ready to breach The Hunters¡¯ database.Her constant attacks created chaos and kept the other side busy while Zeke decrypted theyers of the database¡¯s firewall. Soon, they prated the firstyer of the firewall and could clearly feel the other side¡¯s anti intrusion system was resisting and fixing the breach. It took Nicole some effort to paralyze The Hunters ¡®anti ¨C intrusion system, and Zeke took this opportunity to speed up the decryption, his fingers flying over the keyboard, his eyes fixating on the computer screen. "That¡¯s not good; someone is restoring the firewall." Nicole tensed up. "Give me a little more time.I¡¯m about to decrypt it." Zeke tapped the keyboard even more rapidly, with lines after lines of code appearing on the screen, beads of sweat covering his forehead.Nicole upped the attack intensity, slowing down the restoration on the other side. "I got it.Go find what you want-quick!" Zeke said hurriedly. Nicole unleashed an automatic attack and carefully searched for White¡¯s personal information. The keyboard continued to crackle, and the messages shed across the screen. At this moment, the firewall of The Hunters system had been upgraded by the opponent, and its attack resistance ability was now several times stronger than before, and those vulnerabilities had also been patched. Zeke anxiously operated his newly developed attack program, hoping to buy Nicole some more time. Afraid of missing any important piece of information, Nicole stared intently at the screen. Suddenly, a long awaited message appeared in front of her eyes.She nced at it and immediately copied it to her own storage. There was still a minute to go; Nicole¡¯s heart pounded to the ticking of the second hand on the clock as the progress bar had not reached 100%pletion yet. Ten seconds left. "Hurry up." Nicole clenched her fists anxiously. Beep! [Export isplete.] At the same time, the vulnerabilities of The Hunters site were patched, and the anti ¨C intrusion system formed a new defense mechanism.Its firewall capability doubled. Looking at the sh drive in her hand, Nicole breathed a sigh of relief.Zeke slumped back in his chair and looked at Nicole. "Did you get it?" Chapter 849 Chapter 849 Nicole waved the sh drive in her hand, and the two looked at each other and smiled. Based on the information avable on The Hunters, Nicole found White¡¯s coordinates.She immediately contacted Carl, sent the coordinates , and told him what Rowan had told her earlier. [This is White¡¯s coordinates.Don¡¯t return to the country yet.Go check up on this person.Be careful.] Nicole felt more at ease after solving the problems that had stressed her out over the past few days.She looked at Zeke and asked, "Can you walk?" "You bet." "Let¡¯s go out and celebrate." After parting with Zeke, Nicole returned to the Riddle Mansion.As she pushed the door open, she saw Sean and Steve sitting in the living room talking to Daniel. They were all beaming at seeing Nicole return. "Nicole, I have something to tell you," Daniel said. "What are you all doing, Dad?" Nicole nced around. "The bidding documents are ready.Take a look." Daniel handed her the documents. "So fast?" "Not at all; just that you were too busy all this while." "By the way, did Harvey contact you regarding the Aegis Corporation project?" Daniel asked. "I have been busy, and so I haven¡¯t seen him. I will contact him afterward." Nicole flipped through the bidding documents and found they had done a good job. "Well done." Nicole looked at Sean and Steve. "That¡¯s our job.You may also hold a discussion with Harvey in ourpany¡¯s office." It was a better meeting venue where Sean could provide off-site assistance. "Okay.Any update on the McCarthy family?" Nicole wanted to know what was going on with her opponent. "The McCarthy family has been looking for partners everywhere.They are not as good as the Ellison family, but there is strength in number; we must not underestimate them." Sean told Nicole about the intel he had found. Nicole narrowed her eyes and then looked at Sean. "It seems they are trying to find an edge in terms of size.Keep an eye on the McCarthy family.Inform me immediately if there is anything amiss." Sean looked at Nicole¡¯s powerful aura and felt that it differed from that of a businessperson; she was even more determined.He suddenly felt that she was more of a leader. "Can I take these bidding documents back and analyze them?" Nicole looked at Sean. "Sure.Contact me anytime if you have questions." He was ready to do everything in his power to support Nicole. The school¡¯s sports day was held on schedule a few dayster. Because the event was sponsored , the sports day was granderpared to previous years.Even TV stations hade to the school to cover the event. The sports field was bustling with activity, and everyone was making final preparations for the official opening of the sports day. After Mr.Kennedy of ss A left, the new ss teacher gave Norah the tough job of winning first ce for the ss. Nicole stood in front of ss B and exined to everyone what were the precautions and arrangements of thepetition they had to keep in mind while Ms. Emerson was ying the cheerleader role, trying to motivate the participants.She looked at Nicole and already felt surefooted even before the game began. "Drink some water, Nicole." Ms.Emerson took a bottle of water and handed it to Nicole. "Thank you, Ms.Emerson." Nicole took the water and looked at her. "Is there anything you¡¯d like to talk to everyone about?" Ms.Emerson looked at Nicole and then said to everyone,"You guys have been training tirelessly just for today¡¯s game.I hope you all enjoy the game and be at your best." ss B¡¯s students apuded in unison, but this aroused a sense of jealousy among the students from other sses. "They are already so arrogant before thepetition starts.We have got to teach them a lesson afterward."N?velDrama.Org owns this text. Chapter 850 Chapter 850 Nichole had heard provocations from other sses, but she ignored thempletely, as she thought these kids did not deserve her attention. The sports day officially began after the head teacher gave an opening speech , and thepetition between the various grades started with men¡¯s and women¡¯s sprints. The TV station¡¯s cameras focused on the starting line. Gary was representing ss B.He was the first toe to the starting line and warm up here. The students off the field saw Gary as the first bastion of the opening game, and they all shouted his name. This showed how popr he was in school.The contestants from other sses followed, but only the students of their respective sses cheered for them.The referee called out, "On your marks.Ready." Bang! As the starter pistol fired, Garyunched out like an arrow, leading far ahead of the other contestants, and crossed the finish line in the blink of an eye. The cameras were all focused on him. The referee then announced, "Gary Finley from ss B of eleventh grade finished first at 11 seconds.Rory Antolovic from ss A of eleventh grade finished second at 13 seconds." Norah was a little angry when her ss did not finish first. "Gary! Gary!" The ss B students cheered as their ss won the first game of the sports day. Next came the women¡¯s sprinters. Before Nicole even went down the track, the cheers of her ssmates were ringing through the arena. Norah saw this and immediately trotted to the track. Nicole nced at her and went to the starting line as everyone watched. "Your ss¡¯s winning of first ce for the men¡¯s sprint is just an ident.Watch how I beat you in the women¡¯s sprint." Norah smiled evilly. After everyone had done their warm-up, the referee called out, "On your marks.Ready." Content held by N?velDrama.Org. Bang! As soon as the starter pistol sounded , Nicole catapulted ahead.Before Norah knew it, Nicole had gone far ahead. The next thing Norah saw was Nicole standing after the finish line. Gary took the lead and shouted Nicole¡¯s name, his voice ringing through the arena. The referee looked at the timer in his hand and got the shock of his life. "Nicole Riddle from ss B finished first at 9.12 seconds." Silence fell on the entire arena, and then an uproar came. This was a record time since the establishment of the Royal Creek Institute. "Nicole , you¡¯re the best.You¡¯re Wonder Woman." Jack acimed wittingly. "Jack is right, but I think Nicole is even quicker than Wonder Woman. She is Superwoman." It got contagious and other ssmates started to call Nicole ¡®Superwoman¡¯. Everyone cheered for Nicole, and no one cared how many seconds Norah, who came in second, took to cross the finish line. Norah looked at Nicole from a distance and became even more indignant. Led by Nicole, ss B mopped the floor in all sprints and had the highest morale of all sses. Other sses looked at ss B with envy, all wishing they were also members of ss B. Chapter 851 Chapter 851 ss A once again failed to finish first, and the ss teacher¡¯s face sank again. When he saw Ms. Emerson look at him with a proud face and a disdainful look in the eyes, he got even more exasperated. So he took it out on Norah. "How did you train your ssmates? Do you mind exining how we lose to ss B in every game? Do you still want to be a ss monitor?" "I want to be a ss monitor.I swear I will finish first in the next game to make our ss proud.¡± Norah said timidly, but secretly, she had an evil n in mind. Soon it was time for Vivian''s turns for the ry race. For the sake of prizes, she had given it all out during the training and done exactly what Nicole told her to doby spending most of her time with her teammates to build up their tacit understanding of each other. Vivian, Lily Moreno, Lulu, and June came to the starting line and performed some warm-up exercises, Nicole kept watching them. As the four of them looked back at her, she gave them a nod of encouragement. With Nicole¡¯s morale support, their confidence doubled. At this time, Norah was smiling evilly from the sidelines, as if waiting to see their misfortune or something. ¡°On your marks.¡± Bang! Lily, as the first baton, handed the baton to June''s hand without a hup. June was running parallel to a contestant from ss A but gradually falling behind.Meanwhile, Lulu was waiting anxiously at the ry point, cheering for June in her mind. ''You can do it, June.'' The baton was soon passed to Lulu. Seeing that the ss A contestant had gone ahead of her, she ran as fast as she could.But at this time, she felt a sharp pain in her foot. Lulu ignored the pain, gritted her teeth, and continued to run toward Vivian. Nicole was watching and had also sense something amiss with Lulu ¡ªshe knew Lulu could run faster than this.She looked at Norah, who was watching thepetition triumphantly on the other side and began to suspect something. But since the game was still going on, it was impossible to stop the game. Nicole had no choice but to watch Lulu run and then hand over the baton to Vivian with a painful look on her face. While waiting for the baton, Vivian also noticed something was wrong with Lulu. But there was no time to worry about that, as her rival was already one step ahead of her. Once getting the baton, she wasted no time running toward the finish line. Just when everyone thought ssB would lose the ry race this time, a miracle happened. Vivian ran with all her strength and crossed the finish line in a burst of speed, barely milliseconds ahead of arrival. The joyous expression on the ss teacher of ss A faded in an instant.He red at Norah with dissatisfaction and then sat down and ignored her. ¡°Vivian! Vivian!¡± Her ssmates shouted her name. This was her first time feeling the warmth from her ssmates. But this was not the time for this; Vivian and June rushed to helpLulu back to the rest area. After Luluboriously took off her shoes, everyone saw the blisters on her foot, and it was bleeding. Spencer and Samuel were here to cheer for the team. But when seeing blood on Lulu''s foot, Spencer immediately took her up in his arms and carried her to the infirmary. Lulu was in pain and could not control her expression. But when Spencer carried her in his arms, she felt it heartwarming, and the painful look on her face eased up somewhat. She leaned against Spencer''s chest to cherish this hard-won moment. Nicole picked up Lulu¡¯s shoes for examination with a grave face and found some hard stic shrapnel behind the shoe lining. Norah hade over, wanting to amuse herself. But before she could say anything, her eyes collided with Nicole¡¯s piercing eyes. ¡°If you think of getting any first ce in this year¡¯s sports day, perish the thought.You won''t even get one." Nicole snapped. "Isn''t it too premature to say that, Nicole? The next game hasn¡¯t started yet.Let''s wait and see." Norah nced at Nicole as if she had done nothing and then at Jack before she left with a sneer. To preventLulu''s ident from happening to others, Nicole immediately told her teammates who were about to go on the track. ¡°Take off your shoes and check them carefully.Put them back on only after you find no anomaly.Alert me at once if you find problems." "Nicole, I found some hard stic in my shoes.¡± Jack pulled the thing out to show Nicole.Content held by N?velDrama.Org. Chapter 852 Chapter 852 Nicole nced at all that. "It is exactly what I thought. Does anyone else have it?¡± ¡°I have the same problem, too.¡± Waook out the same hard stic. "Collect these shoes and hard stic shrapnel and find someone to keep them,¡± Nicole instructed. "Those who have finished thepetitions, take off your shoes and put them on others.¡± Nicole arranged things in an orderly manner. ¡°The men¡¯s ry race is about to start.All contestants, on your marks." Jack and Wayne put on the shoes that did not fit well and walked to the starting position. "On your marks." Bang! The men''s ry race had started. Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org. The male students of ss B were wearing shoes that did not fit, but they still overcame difficulties and smoked other contestants, sessfully winning first ce. Once again, Norah''s ss had still failed to finish first. Up next was Nicole¡¯s game.She would not give Norah a chance to sabotage her performance. The contestants from ss A stretched. They picked up the shot and put it out forcefully; she achieved a fairly medium distance. When her ssmates saw the results, they all apuded. Norah was delighted, as she thought there was finally something she could be proud of. She looked at Nicole triumphantly.It was Nicole¡¯s turn. Norah was keeping an eye on her as she thought she could finally see how Nicole would embarrass herself. Nicole picked up the shot, and everything was set.She nced sideways at Norah before putting the shot out gently, and the shot flew beyond the farthest line. Even the referee was stunned for a moment before making the announcement. ¡°Nicole just broke the record at 21 meters.She won first ce." Everyone, irrespective of sses, went apes. They all looked surprised. ¡°Nicole is incredible.I heard that she made a record distance during the training.I didn¡¯t expect her to do this today.¡± ¡°Absolutely.That''s farther than the national champion could achieve, right?" The students who watched thepetition were all talking about it. Norah''s face turned pale, and her arrogant attitude was no more.Her ss teacher¡¯s expression had completely copsed. "Norah, what have you all practiced all this while? Is this what you all have got? The other sses have won all first ces.You''re a real disappointment to me." The ss teacher said angrily and then left the scene. Norah had worked hard to train her ssmates , but she still could not beat Nicole. She stomped her feet in anger and frustration. "Nicole, why did youe to the Royal Creek Institute to mess up my life?¡± In the followingpetitions, Nicole showed her strength and won first ce in all the games. It stunned her ssmates and teachers.She now became famous throughout the school, and Ms. Emerson felt very proud of her. It was not just Norah who saw Nicole''s sess and fame. Snow and Raine were also watching the eleventh-gradepetition. They all were pissed at seeing Nicole¡¯s sess. "What has she done that she could take first ce in all thepetitions? Something must be amiss.¡± Raine would rather believe that Nicole hadcheated. "Snow, it is your turn now." Some ssmates called out to her again. ¡°Here Ie.¡± Snow hurried over. Because of theck of intense training, Snow became physically exhausted halfway through the competition.She finishedst. Raine was slightly better than Snow but did not make it into the top three. Chapter 853 Chapter 853 "Exactly. She is also from the Riddle family, yet nothing like Nicole. Such a stark contrast.¡± ¡°If I were here, I would have been too embarrassed to stay here." "Shut your dirty mouth.I''ll cut off your tongue if you say it again." Raine stepped out angrily, trying to argue with them,but Snow stopped her. ¡°Don¡¯t bark up the wrong tree.Nicole is the one to me.If not for her, these people would not have taunted us.¡± Snow looked at Nicole with frosty eyes. It had now moved on to pole jump, which was an event June loved. After warming up, she walked to the field.But as she walked past Snow, a leg was quietly extended, tripping her up.She fell to the ground, injuring her palms and knees. June had no choice but to give up thepetition and let her substitute take her ce, Nicole had previously signed up for all the events. As some of her ssmates liked to take part in some of these events, she gave way to her ssmates while she would be a substitute . Everything had gone on smoothly, and her ssmates had also performed well.But in June¡¯s turn, an ident happened. Nicole asked Samuel to take care of June while she came onto the field. The audience rose in a hubaloo when they saw Nicole again. "Nicole, go, go, go!" Nicole swept her eyes over her ssmates, who were cheering her, then picked up the pole andunched it into the air. She broke the national record. The TV station had recorded her wonderful action, and there was thunderous apuse from the audience. Nicole enjoyed more fame and grabbed even more limelight. This year¡¯s sports day was concluded. At first, Snow and Raine were expecting to see Nicole embarrass herself. But things did not turn out as expected, and they had indirectly helped Nicole gain more fame instead. So they left the scene in exasperation. The TV station requested to interview Nicole, but she declined it and rmended Gary as the ss representative for an interview. Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org. Gary never liked to appear in front of the camera, but since Nicole had asked, he had no choice but to agree. Nicole was thinking of going to the infirmary to check on Lulu¡¯s foot injury, but she heard that Lulu had been back in the dormitory.So she went straight back there. As soon as she entered the door, she saw Lulu sitting against the wall. Nicole came up to her and asked with concern, "Does it still hurt? What did the doctor say?¡± ¡°I feel better after seeing you." Lulu looked at Nicole with a smile. "Silly girl, am I your panacea?" "Nicole , how were the subsequent events going?¡± Lulu was injured and left the scene early, so she missed a lot of the actions. ¡°It was awesome.Our ss has taken the most first ce, and you share part of the credit,¡± Nicole said. ¡°Really? That is amazing.Do you know that our ss has never won first ce before? Had it not been for you bing the ss monitor, we would have remained at the bottom of the barrel.Thanks to you for giving us training.Nicole , you are awesome.¡± Lulu was genuinely happy. ¡°You¡¯re wrong.It¡¯s not my credit alone.It¡¯s the result of everyone working together.ss B is the best!" Nicole was not carried away but remained humble even though she had scored so many firsts. "Yes, ss B is the best!" Lulu shouted in the dormitory. "Where is June? Why didn''t I see her back?" Lulu was asking when June walked in slowly from outside. "I''m back." "June, how did you get hurt, too?" Lulu was taken aback, her heart skipping a beat at the sight of the bandage on June''s leg. Nicole stepped up and helped her sit down. "What the hell is going on?" "Before thest pole jump event, I identally tripped and fell.¡± June was disappointed that she did not get topete. Chapter 854 Chapter 854 "You should have been more careful. Now Nicole is the only person who hasn¡¯t been injured and could move around freely in the dormitory.¡± What should have been a word of concerning out of Lulu''s mouth turned out to be a little funny. The three of them looked at each other and burst intoughter. Suddenly there was a knock at the dormitory¡¯s door.Nicole went to answer the door.It was Spencer and Samuel. ¡°Oh, my God.You guys actually came to the girl''s dormitory?" Nicole eximed. "Is Lulu here?" "Is June here?" Nicole could immediately tell why the two guys came. ¡°I will leave you guys to it.I will leave first, as I still have something to do.¡± Nicole actually did not want to be a third wheel here, so she left. She came in front of the ssroom and pushed open the door. Ms.Emerson was excitedly praising everyone. When she saw Nicole, she immediately invited Nicole to the podium. "Nicole has done great today, and because of that, our ss has be the envy of teachers and students in the school.Please give Nicole a big round of apuse.¡± Ms.Emerson took the lead, and warm apuse from everyone followed. Nicole hurriedly motioned for everyone to calm down. ¡°Ms.Emerson, the honor belongs to all the students, and everyone''s performance has exceeded expectations.¡± Nicole praised everyone instead of taking all the credit for herself. ¡°Yes, Nicole is right.It¡¯s our collective honor.But it was Nicole who trained you all.So I have decided that during my ss in the afternoon, you all may move freely.¡± Ms.Emerson had never been so happy as she was today. In the past, ss A had always been outperforming ss B. Today, she could finally hold her head high. Vivian suddenly remembered that there were prizes given for this year¡¯s sports day.So she took the opportunity to ask Ms.Emerson. "Didn''t you say that there were prizes for taking first ce?¡± ¡°I was so happy that I almost forgot suchan important thing.Anyone follows me to get the prizes?" "I will go." Vivian was the first to raise her hand. So Ms.Emerson took Vivian and a few others to collect the prizes. Because their ss had won too many prizes, Nicole, as the ss representative , had only received a symbolic prize and the prize list on the podium of thepetition. After a while, Vivian and her ssmates returned with boxes of prizes, and Ms. Emerson instructed Vivian and others to distribute them to everyone. They were all happy to receive the prize. "Just as Nicole said, these prizes are all big-name items." ¡°Nicole couldn¡¯t be lying.And I''m grateful to be in the same ss as Nicole.Otherwise , these awesome prizes would have belonged to someone else.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right.When I went out to collect the prizes, people from the other sses looked at us enviously.¡± Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org. ¡°Nicole, thank you.Had you not trained with us, we wouldn''t have gotten these big-name prizes.¡± ¡°We¡¯re sorry that we opposed you before this." Those students who had worked against Nicole during the training apologized to her now. "When I see everyone has a prize in their hand, I know that our previous efforts are worth it.Let''s forget the past, and remember today that we can do it as long as we want it hard enough.¡± Watching her once naughty ssmates approve of Nicole, she knew she could never change Nicole''s ce in the ss. As much as she did not want to concede defeat, she no longer dared to be foolhardy now.She fiddled with the prize in her hand as she walked over to Nicole and whispered a thank you. Nicole looked back. When she saw it was Vivian, sheplimented her, "This results from your efforts, and you should thank yourself.You have won four first ces for the ss." Vivian was transfixed for a second, not expecting Nicoleto praise her.She seemed to have found a little sense of existence in front of Nicole, and she started to admire her. After the sports day, the school announces a few days off.Nicole was carrying her backpack and was on her way to return home when she ran into Harvey. "Nicole, the tender day of the Aegis Corporation project will soon arrive.Shall we discuss the bidding ?¡± Harvey asked. He knew that this was a rare opportunity where he could spend time with Nicole alone.If not for Aegis Corporation''s tender, the Riddle family would not have worked with the Ellison family, and he would not have had an excuse to see Nicole so often. Chapter 855 Chapter 855 "Okay, let''s go to Riddle Corporation." Nicole felt that since they were discussing the tender, Sean''s office was the most ideal ce as he had moreprehensive material. Harvey did not dare to object.He was fine as long as Nicole agreed to meet him.So he drove Nicole to Riddle Corporation. "Why didn''t you make a phone call before you came so that I could make preparations, Nicole?" Sean ran into Nicole and Harvey when he came downstairs. "Are you going out???" Nicole asked when he saw Sean with a briefcase in his hand. "I need to discuss a project with a client." Sean shrugged helplessly. "It''s okay.I will leave you to it.We''re here just to discuss the tender." "Okay.Steve knows where the files are.I''ll call him and ask him toe down to meet you." Sean pulled out his phone and was about to call Steve. N?velDrama.Org owns this text. "No, it''s alright.We will go up and find him." Nicole stopped Sean. "I''m really sorry, Harvey. Maybe we can go for dinner when I am backter." Sean then hurried away. Nicole and Harvey took the elevator up to the 36-floor, and Nicole said not a word to Harvey in the elevator. As soon as they stepped out of the elevator, they saw Steve standing there, greeting them.Nicole shook her head, knowing that Sean must have told him. "You''re quick, Steve." "Sean said he bumped into you two downstairs and asked me to receive you two.He has got to go, as he has an appointment," Steve exined. "Wee to Riddle Corporation." Steve politely shook hands with Harvey. "My pleasure." Harvey smiled politely. "This way, please." Steve gestured. "Why didn''t you two make a phone call beforeing? You almost caught me off guard." Steve nced at Harvey. "You sound exactly like Sean." "We bumped into each other on the street, and the suggestion to discuss the tender here was an impromptu decision," Nicole said. Steve led them to the conference room and sat down. "Please give me a moment.I''ll go get the files." It did not take long for Steve toe back with all the files rting to the Aegis Corporation''s tender. "That''s a lot of files." Harvey looked at the pile of files stacking up together.He was looking for an excuse to be alone with Nicole. With so many files in front of him, it could take them hours to read through them. "Let''s get started." Nicole just wanted to finish the discussion with Harvey as soon as possible so that she could go home and rest. "Nicole, take a look at this." Harvey deliberately took a file and leaned closer to Nicole, asking for her opinion. "What is it?" Nicole could not see any problem. "A multinational corporation asrge as Aegis Corporation will surely want to give their projects to companies with a solid background, as reputation should be the most important thing for them." Chapter 856 Chapter 856 "We need more precious data for our bidding documents." Harvey said. "You''re right; I also think the same. Steve, take note of what Harvey said, and have Sean revise it when he returns." "Okay." Harvey made a few more changes, and after each revision, he confirmed it with Nicole before finalizing it. In fact, they were all minor details. After sitting in the conference room of Riddle Corporation for nearly two hours, Harvey could not stay still.He looked at Nicole, who was still studying the materials. ''Nicole, why don''t we stop here for today? It''s gettingte." Nicole looked outside; the city lights were already on. "Okay, let''s go then." "Steve, we''re leaving.Do you want toe along?" Nicole asked. Steve had long since seen Harvey''s affection for Nicole.He waved his hand. "I still have some work to do.You guys leave first." "Okay, then we will go first." "See youter, Mr.Riddle," Harvey said to Steve. "See youter." N?velDrama.Org owns this text. In the car, Harvey broke the silence. "I''m sorry that I dragged you over to work today when you were supposed to be resting after the game." "But since we haven''t even eaten anything, may I treat you to a casual dinner?" Harvey finally said what he most wanted to say. "Like you said, I''m exhausted today and want to go home early to rest. Sorry." Nicole politely declined. "That''s okay, then I will meet you at your house tomorrow. We''ll discuss the tender again. It is the school holidays these few days." Harvey continued to create opportunities for himself. Having just politely declined Harvey''s kind offer, Nicole was too embarrassed to turn him down and had to agree reluctantly. "Okay, but I might have to sleep in." "Oh, no problem.I''ll be thereter." Harvey saw Nicole did not refuse him and became hopeful.The car pulled up steadily in front of her home. "Thanks for the ride back.Bye." Nicole waved to him and got out of the car. "Bye-bye." Harvey kept looking at Nicole as she went and only started the engine when she disappeared into the house. The next day, Nicole slept in before getting up.By the time she got downstairs, Harvey was already sitting in the living room chatting with Daniel. "Hi, Nicole." Harvey greeted her. "Harvey? How long have you been here?" Nicole looked at him with slight surprise. "It''s been a while. Did you sleep well?" Harvey looked at her with a smile. "Pretty good. I need to eat something before I can discuss it with you." "There''s no hurry.Take your time.I''m having a great conversation with your father." Harvey was just fine, as he just wanted to see her, and discussions were nothing more than an excuse. "Good." Nicole looked at Daniel, then went into the dining room and really took her sweet time. Thinking that Harvey would drag herself to continue discussing the tenderter, she really did not want to deal with it.So she took out her phone to send a message to Sean. [Are you busy right now?] [It''s alright.What''s up?] [Harvey is waiting for you at home and wants to talk about the tender.] Nicole deliberately said that Harvey was waiting for him. [At home? Okay, I''ll be right back.] She put down her phone and was in a good mood because someone would stand in for her in a moment.She took her breakfast with ease, asionally looking over to the couch, where Harvey and Daniel were talking passionately. Sean''s drive took at least twenty minutes. Nicole finished her breakfast and came to sit on the couch.She had to put on a front until Sean returned. "I''m sorry for keeping you waiting.Shall we continue the discussion from yesterday??" Nicole looked over at Harvey. "Sure." Harvey gave Nicole a fond look. Chapter 857 Chapter 857 Daniel saw the clue and immediately made himself scarce, leaving only Nicole and Harvey in the living room. "What would you like to drink?" Nicole asked. "Anything¡­" He would love it as long as it was Nicole who made it. Nicole got up and went into the dining room.She came back with a ss of water and put it in front of him. "Thank you." "Nicole, I saw your wonderful performance on the sports day.I''m sure you must be very fond of sports on normal days." Harvey started by asking about her interests and did not seem to have any intention of talking about the tender. "Uh-huh." "How about we go y tennis together someday?" Harvey extended the invitation again. "Sure." "Harvey, this project is one of the best projects this year.Looking through the bidding proposal, what do you think our chances of winning will be?" Nicole had to bring the conversation back to the tender. "My analysis is that we have an eighty percent chance of winning." Harvey was confident in his work. Riddle Corporation was stronger than McCarthy Corporation, and with the Ellison Group connections, the scale definitely tipped in their favor. Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org. "There still seems to be a twenty percent uncertainty." Nicole mused. Harvey saw Nicole''s concern and reassured her. "For a project of this magnitude, eighty percent certainty is as good as 100 percent.So you don''t have to worry.I''ve got everything." Harvey looked at Nicole with determination. As they spoke, Sean walked in and hurried over to them. "I''m sorry for keeping you waiting, Harvey." Sean looked at him with an apologetic face. Harvey looked at Sean, who appeared all of a sudden and was confused about the situation for a while. "Where did you guys get to in your discussion?" Sean went straight to the point. "We''re discussing whether we can win the tender." Nicole could see Harvey''s confusion and hurriedly chimed in to avoid Harvey''s question. "Oh, I did the bidding document this time.What do you think, Harvey?" Sean wanted to hear Harvey''s opinion. "The bidding document was well done, and I had told Steve about a few details yesterday." Harvey''s mind was still wondering how Sean coulde back in such a hurry when he was so busy. "That''s good.I''ve made adjustments to those details this morning.Here''s the new bid document.Take a look." Sean said as he took the new bid document out of his briefcase and handed it to Harvey. Harvey nced at Nicole, who only smiled with a nod.So he took it in his hand and browsed through it. "Good," Harvey said. "I just got word that the bidding date has been moved up." Sean brought heavy news. "The date has been moved up? What day?" Nicole and Harvey asked in unison. "Tomorrow." Sean looked at them with a serious face. "Tomorrow? So soon." Nicole whispered. Harvey said softly to Nicole, "Rx, we will win the tender." "Since the bidding session is tomorrow, I have to go back and get ready, too." Harvey got to his feet at once. Nicole nodded. "I will see you tomorrow at the tender." Harvey expected Nicole to see him out, but instead, she just said goodbye. "Okay, see you tomorrow." "I will see you out." Sean looked over at him. Harvey nced at Sean and nodded gently.Nicole felt much at ease after Harvey left.She felt the atmosphere was weird with him around.. Chapter 858 Chapter 858 The following morning, Aegis Corporation held a bidding session on time Inside the bidding venue, Mr.Harmon sat on the second floor with the representatives from the biddingpanies and media below. The McCarthy and three other families had arrived early to the bidding session. Hearing that Mr.Harmon was on the second floor, they were going up to pay a visit.But when they reached the staircase, the security guards stopped them. The three families had to return to their seats and wait for the bidding to begin. After a while, Nicole, Harvey, and Sean walked in.Luke saw the three of them and came up to provoke them. "Harvey, didn''t Mr.Ellisone today?" Luke asked as he did not see Mr.Ellison. "My grandfather has other things to do.So he won''t being today." "If yourpany wants this project, I won''tpete with you.But if you work with the Riddle family, then I will have no choice but topete." Luke looked at him with a pleasant expression. Harvey did not take Luke''s threat too well, and he sneered. "I''m looking forward to it." Luke saw that Harvey was not intimidated, and he turned to Sean. "How have you beentely, Sean?" "Mr.McCarthy, how''s your health these days?" Words choked in Luke''s throat. "Mind your words, young man.I heard that in order to get this project, you are using your sister to get close to the Ellison family.It is clear that the Riddle family has paid a lot for this.But you may still not get what you want." Lukeughed out loud. "Cut it off, Mr.McCarthy." Harvey immediately stopped Luke. Luke''s voice was loud, and what he said had caught everyone''s attention. Content held by N?velDrama.Org. The media aimed their cameras at them for interviews. Mr.Harmon was sitting on the second floor and had a good view of what was happening below. "Mr.Riddle, is it true what Mr.McCarthy just said that Riddle Corporation uses their own family members for the sake of profit? " A reporter asked Sean. "This is simply a fabrication by Mr.McCarthy.The Riddle family would never use their own family members for profit." "Mr.McCarthy is using an underhanded method to vilify others here.He is stooping too low." Sean mocked Luke. "Mr.Riddle, I have one more question." "Nicole?" came the voice of Mr.Harmon. Everyone looked at the source of the voice.Just as they thought Mr.Harmon wasing to meet them, they saw Mr.Harmon go straight for Nicole. "Hello, Mr.Harmon." Nicole looked as if she was not surprised by his appearance at all. "you''re here for the bidding, too?" Mr.Harmon asked. "Yes, I am here to bid for Mr.Harmon''s project on behalf of Riddle Corporation." Nicole faced Mr.Harmon as usual, calm and collected. Luke''s heart skipped a beat when he saw that Mr.Harmon and Nicole knew each other. "I didn''t know that Mr.Harmon knew the people from the Riddle family." "Why didn''t you find out such important information?" Luke chided the assistant beside him. "I didn''t hear you mention it thest time we met, but I didn''t know that Riddle Corporation belonged to your family." Mr.Harmon was surprised. " The bidding is about to start.See youter. " Mr.Harmon just came down to say hello to her. After Mr.Harmon left, not only those at the scene were talking about it. Even Harvey and Sean looked at Nicole with surprise. "Why didn''t you tell us you and Mr.Harmon knew each other?" Sean looked happy. Chapter 859 Chapter 859 "What is there to say? We bid on our own merits.¡± Nicole instantly poured cold water on Sean''s suggestion. Immediately , a leader from Aegis Corporation came on stage to say some words of thanks, and then a staff member read out the bid evaluation principles and things to note before he proimed the start of the bidding process. "The bidding has now officially started." The person in charge of the project walked up to the stage and started introducing the project. Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org. "The above is the content of this project." Next, a staff member confirmed that all the bidders were present and then went through some more procedures. "It is the bid opening time." Harvey looked at Nicole and reassured her. ¡°Don¡¯t be nervous.We¡¯ll get it.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not nervous.It''s just too boring to sit here." Nicole gave an unexpected reply. After the bid opening and quoting, the project manager made thest announcement . "The winning bid for the Aegis Corporation project goes to Riddle Corporation.¡± Sean and Harvey breathed a sigh of relief . At this time, the McCarthy family members stood up to oppose the oue of the bid.Mr.Harmon gave Luke a sharp look, and Luke immediately flinched. The project manager stepped forward and looked at Luke with impartiality. ¡°Aegis Corporation¡¯s bids have always been fair and impartial.Are you questioning Aegis Corporation???" Luke and the others were too scared to speak again. After the bidding was concluded, Nicole, Harvey, and Sean were heading out the door when Luke suddenly came over and said with a smile, "Sean, Riddle Corporation was expected to win this time. After all, yourpany is already strong enough. Not to mention you now have the Ellison family backing you up. Congrattions." Sean exchanged a look with Nicole and Harvey, wondering what this cunning man was trying to pull here. ¡°Thank you, Mr.McCarthy.¡± Sean did not want to say more. He walked past Luke and left. Seeing the three of them leave, Luke was exasperated. ¡°If it weren¡¯t for Mr.Harmon, do you think you could win the bid?" In the car, Nicole made a phone call to Daniel. ¡°The bidding session is over. We won the bid." "Really?" Daniel was holding the phone in excitement. ¡°When you guys return, we will celebrate. By the way, invite Harvey to join us." "Okay." Nicole was happy to win the bid today, so she did not mind having Harveye along. Today, Nicole went shopping and ran into Norah, who was happily chatting with her friends. When Norah looked up, she saw Nicole , whose face reminded her of what happened on the sports day, and things still clouded her sanity. "Nicole, I didn''t expect to run into you, yokel." Norah had taken to using that phrase to belittle her. Nicole did not bother to respond but wanted to walk past her on the other side, but Norah stood in her way. "You feel so proud of yourself now, don''t you? Not only did you steal all the limelight from me, but you also caused me to be scolded by my teacher.Why did you do that to me?" Norah spilled her guts in the street. ¡°Don¡¯t me others here for your ineptitude.You might as well go improve yourself if you have the time,¡± Nicole retorted. "Do you think you are qualified to lecture me just because you¡¯re a famous person at school? I think you deserve a good beating.¡± Norah was furious and reached out to p Nicole. But Nicole parried her attack and knocked her to the ground instead. Lying on the ground, Norah felt so humiliated. Nicole walked past her and left. At first, she thought ofing out for a break, but bumping into Norah had ruined her day. After Nicole left, Norah sat on the floor and called Gloria. Instead of going home, Nicole went to the caf¨¦. Seeing Nicolee in, us greeted her, sat her down, and made her a cup of coffee.He also noticed that Nicole was not in a good mood.So he took out his phone and sent a message to Jared¡­It did not take long before Jared appeared in the caf¨¦¡¯s doorway. Chapter 860 Chapter 860 "Jared???" The moment she saw Jared, her mood instantly improved. ¡°What brings you here?¡± Nicole looked at him. ¡°Of course, to keep youpany.¡± Jared took her hand in his. "I heard the sports day was a sess, and you''re now a celebrity at school.¡± Jared looked at her dotingly. "The sports day was really quite sessful , but I''m not as famous as you say.¡± Nicole remained modestin front of Jared. "You know, that''s what I appreciate about you; a very humble mind, no matter how much you¡¯ve done.¡± Jared had not realized that he was stillplimenting her. ¡°I learned that from you.¡± Nicole quipped. "By the way, there''s something happy I want to tell you.¡± Nicole looked at him with excitement. "Oh? Tell me about it." "We got the Aegis Corporation project.¡± Jared nodded. "A merry thing indeed, but I have something even happier to tell you.¡± Nicole did not expect this. "What other happy things ?" "About our engagement, of course." Nicole looked at Jared and blushed. "This is something that my mother has been hastening me about.¡± Jared sighed, feeling a little frustrated. "It seems that our engagement is not as important as a project in your mind. "I''m really not prepared for it..." She surreptitiously observed Jared''s expression. Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org. Jared thought their engagement would add icing to the cake, but it turned out to be his wishful thinking. "It seems I was the one who was jumping the gun.If you haven''t thought about it yet, we can postpone it.¡± Jared¡¯s emotion fell from its height to its lowest. ¡°Just kidding.¡± Nicole looked at him with sudden amusement. "How dare you joke about this kind of thing? I will have to fix you now.¡± After saying that, he picked up Nicole and shoved her into the car. After finishing sses, Nicole, Spencer, and Samuel went home together. Just a short distance out of school, someone rushed over to attack Nicole. But Nicole was quick in her reaction.She grabbed the attacker''s hand, spun around, and threw the attacker out.It turned out that it was Joyce who attacked her. Joyce''s bodyguards saw what happened and rushed to catch her, preventing her from falling. "Beat the daylights out of her." Joyce barked an order. Immediately, a group of men in ck came up and surrounded Nicole. Ignoring if anyone was watching, Nicole swiftly beat them to the ground. ¡°A bunch of losers.You all couldn¡¯t even beat a girl?¡± Joyce scolded. Maybe they had underestimated Nicole.The men in ck got up from the ground and charged at Nicole again with their best moves. But they still ended up losing, just like before, getting beaten to the ground within a few rounds. This time, these men in ck had a hard time even getting up.Many students saw the fight and eximed in awe¡­. Chapter 861 Chapter 861 Vivian , standing among the crowd, was stunned to see what had happened. She had also picked a sight with Nicole before; fortunately, Nicole was forgiving. Joyce also did not expect Nicole to be so badass, so much so that even the professional bodyguards she hired were no match for Nicole. So she fled at the first avable opportunity. Spencer and Samuel knew Nicole knew some self-defense techniques, but they did not expect her skills to be so terrific. Seeing Joyce and those men in ck were gone, they hurriedly brought Nicole back to the Riddle Mansion. Once at home, the three of them tacitly agreed that none of them would mention what had just happened in front of the school. Gloria saw theming back and called out to them. ¡±You guys havee back at the right time. Come over for dinner.¡±¡± They all sat down and started to dig in when the doorbell rang ¡°Who could it be at this time?¡± Gloria looked at Daniel in confusion. ¡°Why are you looking at me? You will know soon.¡± ¡°Ahh, it¡¯s Harvey. Why are youing with so many gifts? You shouldn¡¯t have.¡± Gloria looked at Harvey with surprise. ¡°My grandfather said a big part of this partnership had Nicole to thank. He asked me to bring some gifts over to celebrate.¡± Harvey put the gifts down and looked at Nicole. ¡°Mr. Ellison is so kind. We should have been the ones who thank him for his help.¡± Daniel put down his cutlery. ¡°Have you had your dinner, Harvey? Please join us.¡± Since Harvey was here to congratte them, Gloria felt she should not slight the guest. Only then did Harvey notice that they all had not had dinner yet. ¡°Sure. Thank you.¡± No one expected Harvey would actually sit down and eat with them, which made them feel a little awkward. N?velDrama.Org owns this text. ¡°Harvey, please sit next to Nicole.¡± Gloria did not know what Harvey had in mind for Nicole, and Harvey was happy with this arrangement, too. 1 But Nicole was a little upset and lost her appetite, but she could not just leave like this. After all, Harvey had just sat down; if she left the table now, it would be too disrespectful. ¡°Nicole , please get Harvey a ss of water,¡± Gloria said so because she just saw sses were closest to Nicole. Nicole was reluctant, but she could not show it. So she had to do what Gloria said. Meanwhile , Harvey was happy enough that he could sit beside Nicole. ¡°I don¡¯t know if Nicole has told you guys that Mr. Harmon of Aegis Corporation and Nicole are friends. He even came over to say hello to her at today¡¯s bidding session.¡± Harvey just wanted topliment Nicole. Daniel was stunned for half a second when he heard that. ¡°Mr. Harmon of Aegis Corporation and Nicole are friends?¡± ¡°Howe I didn¡¯t hear you talk about it before when we were working on the tender?¡± Daniel asked Nicole. ¡°I have only met him recently.¡± Indeed , Nicole and Mr. Harmon had only met once. ¡°The way I saw Mr. Harmon talking to you didn¡¯t look like he had just met you but like an old friend of many years. I heard that security stopped the McCarthy family when they tried to meet him.¡± Harvey had not noticed that Nicole did not want to talk about this, and he told of what he had heard. Nicole shot him a look. ¡®Where has he heard all this from? The thing is, he even adds details. Does he actually think he knows as much as I do about my rtionship with Mr. Harmon?¡¯ ¡°But it¡¯s understandable; even I have found myself like a girl as outstanding as Nicole, not to mention Mr. Harmon. ¡°Harvey unknowingly divulged his secret thought. Everyone else looked awkwardly at Harvey. Realizing the gaffe, he quickly went into damage control mode. ¡°I mean, Nicole is very outstanding, and there are many people who like her.¡± He had sort of covered his tracks, and the atmosphere at the table returned to normal. Nicole , sitting next to Harvey, felt like she was riding a roller coaster; it was too exciting. She put down her cutlery and said, ¡°I¡¯m done eating. You guys enjoy your meals.¡± Harvey watched as Nicole got up, and he also thought of putting down his cutlery. But he had made himself embarrassed just now, so he thought he had better stay at the table and continue having dinner with everyone else¡­ Chapter 862 Chapter 862 After the meal, .Harvey chatted with Daniel and the others on the couch for a while, while Nicole sat on the side, quietly watching TV and not saying another word to Harvey the whole time. Seeing that it was getting dark, Harvey got up and excused himself. Gloria looked at Nicole and said, "Go see Harvey out." Nicole had no choice but to put down the remote control and see Harvey out. When he came to the doorway, Harvey wanted to talk to her about ying tennis.But Nicole spoke first before he could. "Now that the tender is over and Sean is in charge of the follow-up of the project , you can go to his office and talk to him and don''t have toe to the Riddle Mansion anymore." Harvey got the hint and challenged her. "What if I don''t?" N?velDrama.Org owns this text. "Try me." Nicole''s eyes turned cold instantly. Harvey was upset and nced at Nicole. "I will let you know I''m better than him." With that, he left.Nicole returned to the living room, and Gloria pulled Nicole to one side. "How are you and Harvey getting along?" "Mom, why do you ask this?¡± Nicole looked at Gloria in surprise. "I get the feeling that Harvey treats you differently." Gloria was gauging the change in Nicole¡¯s expression. Nicole''s face was expressionless as she exined frankly, "Mom, you¡¯re overthinking it; we¡¯re friends.¡± ¡°Really?¡± With the experience of someone who had been here, Gloria was still a little unconvinced. ¡°Really.Don''t get your head in the clouds." ''Harvey, you''re creating trouble for me.¡¯ ¡°It¡¯s been a long time sinceJaredst came to our house for dinner.You should care more about him.If he has time, bring him back for a meal." Gloria cared a lot about the rtionship between herand Jared. "Okay, I''ll bring him back in a few days when he¡¯s not that busy.¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m just worried about you.After all, those girls out there are attracted to Jared like bees to honey,¡± Gloria said. ¡°You think too much.I''m not even worried; what are you worried about?" It was the first time Nicole had heard such words from Gloria''s mouth, and she found it amusing "What are youughing at? You are my daughter; of course I have to think about you." "There are many things in the business world that you still don''t understand.But slowly, you will know." Gloria was worried about her daughter, just like other mothers did. ¡°I know.Thanks, Mom." Back upstairs, Nicole took out her phone and thought of calling Jared. Suddenly, she remembered that these days Jared had only been texting her.She guessed that he must be busy and always in a meeting. Otherwise, he would not have just texted her. ¡®¡¯''It has been so many days, and Jared is still busy.Could it be that something happened to the company?'' Nicole was a little worried. She quickly turned on theputer to check the recent status of Johnston Group. It turned out that the cooperation between Jared and the Turmann family had been doing great, with good news announced, one after another. Johnston Group''s mechanization business was getting stronger because of Jared''s return. Nicole was less worried after seeing all this. But when she thought of Jared having aplished so much, he must be too busy to even have a proper meal.So, she called Max. ¡°Hey, Max.Did Jared have a good resttely?¡± ¡°Mr.Johnston has not slept for three days, and he has just returned to the vi to rest." ¡°"Okay, please turn his phone into silent mode.¡± Chapter 863 Chapter 863 "Yes." After an unknown amount of time , Jared woke up from bed and pushed open the door. He heard the sound of cooking downstairs, thinking it was Max in the kitchen, and headed downstairs. Jared was surprised to see a table full of food when he came to the dining room. "I didn''t know you could cook." "You''re awake?" Nicole heard his voice and came out with the finished dish. N?velDrama.Org owns this text. At the sound of a familiar voice, Jared turned and looked into the kitchen with surprise on his face. "Nicole? What are you doing here?" "If I don''te, someone might be exhausted,¡± Nicole spoke with both anger and heartfelt exasperation. "Aren''t you here now? And you have cooked so many dishes.¡± Jared was happy to see Nicole,and the fatigue in his body went away. "I hope you like it." "Did you make all this?" Jared looked at the table full of dishes with surprise. ¡°Yeah.I cooked them all ording to the online tutorial.Before that, I could only cook some simple dishes for my grandma.This is the first time I made them." Nicole blushed as she fetched him some dishes and waited for him to taste them. Jared looked at the table of food, his eyes reddening from happiness.He did not expect Nicole would cook for him and make something that she had never made before.He could not help but hold Nicole''s hand and look at her with deep affection. ¡°Thank you.I will like it as long as it''s your cooking." ¡°Sweet talker.Try it.¡± Jared took a bite andplimented her. "It''s been a long time since I''ve had the taste of family cooking, yum.¡± ¡°Eat more if you like.Whenever I''m free, I''ll make your home-cooked meal." Nicole looked at him dotingly, feeling sorry inexplicably. ¡°I don¡¯t want you to be so tired.My woman is supposed to be served, not serving." Jared''s domineering words of love caught Nicole off guard, and her heart throbbed. ¡°Don¡¯t just look at me.You eat too." Jared gave Nicole a bite of the dish. The two of them sat together and enjoyed those delicious dishes. Suddenly, Jared¡¯s phone rang. He nced at it then and walked to the living room to answer it. Looking at Jared, who was on the phone in the living room, Nicole put down her cutlery and waited for him quietly. When he finished, he returned to the dining room. Nicole looked at him. "Is it time to leave?" Jared hesitated and saw her reluctance to part with him. He said with a smile, "I can stay for another ten minutes.¡± Nicole secretly sighed and asked, ¡°Are you doing okay at thepany now?" She had found out the news about Johnston Group, but it was not all credible. She wanted to hear from him about the actual situation. ¡°Don¡¯t worry.I''m the only one in thepany who can work with the Turmann family.Those shareholders wouldn''t dare to create trouble for me." Jared could hear that she was worried about him. "I''ll get the engagement done as soon as I''m done with this.¡± Jared took her hand and looked at her affectionately. Nicole could not help but blush and shy up when Jared looked at her with deep affection. After the meal, Jared got dressed and was ready to go. Looking at the cool and beautiful Nicole beside him, he could not help but give her a lovesome kiss on her rosy lips. Nicole, who waspletely unprepared, stiffened up before she responded in a clumsy way. "Did you miss me?" Jared scratched her nose and teased her. ¡°Mm.¡± Nicole nodded graciously. Jared did not expect her to admit it outright, so he took her into his arms. The two of them enjoyed a moment of cuddling before they got into the car together.Nicole apanied him, and they arrived downstairs at his office. Chapter 864 Chapter 864 "Here we are. I''m going up now." Jared stroked her hand. ¡°As important as work is, your body is more important,¡±Nicole said with concern. "Hmm." As soon as Jared got out of the car, Chloe came over. ¡± Jared, you have finallye.I''ve been waiting for you." They did not expect to bump into Chloe downstairs. Nicole got out of the car and stood next to Jared. When Chloe saw Nicole, she could not help but mock her. ¡°Look who is here.It''s Jared''s fianc¨¦eing to the office, keeping a close eye on Jared.Are you worried?¡± Nicole nced at Jared. "I''m not worried about him, but those annoying women who steal other women¡¯s partners.¡± Chloe was blue in the face. She did not expect that Nicole, whom she remembered as too honest to talk to, would dare to call her that. "You''ve grown up now and dare to talk to your cousin like that, eh?¡± Chloe looked at her with great displeasure. "Looks like you still remember you''re from the Riddle family, so don¡¯t embarrass yourself here.¡± Nicole looked at her coldly. "You¡ª" Jared loved the way Nicole was jealous, but Chloe''s bullying of her in front of him was something he could not stand. Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org. He gave Max a look, and Max immediately got the hint. "Miss Chloe, the director asks you to go over to shoot the endorsement video.¡± Max pulled at Chloe¡¯s armand dragged her away. "What are you doing? I can walk by myself." Chloe gave Nicole a resentful look before she walked into the building. "Now that we''re here, why don''t you go up with me?¡± Jared wrapped her hand around her shoulders as he walked her to the elevator. "Won''t it interfere with your work?" Nicole did not want it to disturb him. "Work will be more productive with you." "When did you be such a sweet talker?¡±Nicole smiled and looked over at him. "When I was kissing you." The sudden flirting made Nicole''s heartthrob. Nicole had just walked into the lobby with Jared when she noticed that everyone around them seemed to be looking at them. ¡°Look, Mr.Johnston brought a woman to thepany." Some neers, who did not know who Nicole was, were surprised. ¡°Mind your words.That¡¯s Mr.Johnston¡¯s fianc¨¦e.¡± A workce veteran kindly reminded them. ¡°Fianc¨¦e? Mr.Johnston is engaged?¡± ¡°Not yet, but it¡¯s been announced.So I guess the engagement will be soon." "I''m so envious of her.I don''t need to be his fianc¨¦e, but just follow Mr.Johnston around every day." Some junior staff members were envious. "Work hard, and maybe one day, you all might be promoted to be his assistants.¡± ¡°I¡¯d better not go up there with you.Everyone seems to be looking at me." Nicole got cold feet and did not want to go up there. ¡°Are you scared?¡± ¡°No.It¡¯s just a little ufortable,¡± Nicole said. "Rx, think of today as getting used to the role of Mrs.Johnston in advance.You''ll get used to it slowly." Jared did not forget to tease her. "I''m getting depressed, and you''re in the mood for jokes.¡± ¡°Take it easy.You will be let go in a minute." As the two of them got into the elevator, Nicole breathed a sigh of relief. She felt much more nervous than on the sports field, as those sizing eyes looked as if they could drill into her flesh. The elevator door opened. When Jared pulled her out, they ran into Murphy.Murphy frowned at seeing them. Chapter 865 Chapter 865 "What''s wrong with women? Does Johnston Group disallow women in thepany? Isn¡¯t the one standing next to you also a woman?¡± Nicole misunderstood and thought hewas discriminating against women. ''You " Without waiting for Murphy to say anything, Jared brought Nicole to walk past him. Murphy looked at the two holding hands and was fit to be tied. "This is so ridiculous." When they came to Jared''s office, Jared made her a cup of coffee. ¡°You still make the best coffee.¡± Nicoleplimented him. ¡°Sit down for a while.I have a meeting to attend, and I will be back soon,¡± Jared said. Had he not had to attend a meeting, he would have stayed here to spend more time with her. ¡°Go get busy.Don''t let me hold up your work, or I''ll leave. "Okay, wait for me." With that, Jared took the files and went out. About ten minutes after Jared left, Henry pushed open the door to Jared¡¯s office with Chloe in tow. Nicole thought it was Jared who had returned and was just about to say hello when, to her surprise, she saw Henry with Chloe right behind him. Henry sized up the girl in front of him. "You''re Nicole?" "Yes." "Why are you here? Where is Jared?" Henry flushed with displeasure at how she could be in this office. "He''s gone to a meeting." Nicole could see that Henry was not too friendly. Henry walked past Nicole and sat down on the couch. Chloe shot Nicole a look and sat down next to Henry. Nicole looked at the two of them and also sat down to drink her coffee like before. Seeing that she was drinking alone and had no intention of serving him water, Henry started to y the elder card. "Get me a ss of water." Nicole acted like she did not hear him. She did not even look at him. "Hey, get me a ss of water." Henry raised his voice. "Don''t call me ''Hey,'' and the water is right over there.Get it for yourself if you want." Nicole despised such a patronizing guy. So she ignored him. "Don''t you know the rules? I''m your elder." Henry rebuked her. N?velDrama.Org owns this text. "Who doesn''t know the rules ?" Jared''s voice suddenly came. Chloe was the first to get to her feet, followed by Henry, who also stood up slowly.He then nced at Nicole and found that she had not gotten up yet. Just as he was about to reprimand her, Jared interrupted. "The coffee is getting cold, right?" "Yeah, if you''de back a littleter, it would have beenpletely cold,¡± Nicole said. It was then that Jared talked to Henry. "May I help you, Uncle Henry?" Only then did it remind Henry that he was here for business. He almost forgot about it because of Nicole. "Jared, there is one thing I need to remind you." ¡°I have hired Chloe as the brand ambassador for the new product.It was too disrespectful of you to ask someone to take her away in public.It could hurt the artist¡¯s image.If this gets out, it will also impact our new products that will beunched soon.¡± Henry looked like he was thinking of thepany. Jared could tell the undertone of Henry''s words, which was clearly ming him. "It seems that I''m not capable of taking care of such an important artist here. Since it is you who hires her, please take her to the branch and take good care of her there, so you won¡¯t get angry at me." At first, Jared was still worried that he could find no excuse to send Chloe away. Chloe was stunned. Getting into Jared''spany was hard, and she was here just so that she could see Jaredmore. She did not want to be sent away just like that.So Chloe looked at Henry as if she had been wronged. Henry was now in an awkward situation, not expecting that Jared would find himself an excuse in this situation. "Jared, I didn''t mean that, there might be some misunderstanding today.Chloe, hurry up and apologize to Jared." Henry immediately backed down and made Chloe apologize. Chapter 866 Chapter 866 Chloe was transfixed in her ce. Am I not here to seek justice for myself? Howe it ends up with me having to apologize?¡¯ Seeing Chloe freeze, Henry reminded her. ¡°What are you thinking? Apologize to Mr. Johnston.¡± Only then did Chloe snap back and look at Jared with reluctance. ¡°No need to apologize to me. Apologize to this, Ms. Riddle.¡± Jared looked at Nicole. Henry spoke up for Chloe. ¡°It¡¯s inappropriate , isn¡¯t it? She¡¯s a popr actress, after all. How can she apologize to a student?¡± ¡°Inappropriate? I think it¡¯s appropriate,¡± Jared said with a not-to-be-questioned tone of voice. Henry took a breath and gave Chloe a wink. Chloe looked at Nicole with great reluctance before squeezing out an apology with difficulty. Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org. ¡°I¡¯m sorry if I have done something wrong, Miss. Riddle.¡± Nicole nced at her and said, ¡°Stop doing something that you know would offend the others next time. Or else it will be you who will bear the consequences.¡± ¡®How dare this brat wants to lecture me? If Jared hadn¡¯t backed you up, I would have ripped your mouth off.¡¯ Chloe stared at her with a grim look and stopped talking. ¡°Well, if there¡¯s nothing else, we¡¯ll leave.¡± Henry hurried to leave as he was afraid that they might cause further unnecessary trouble for themselves. ¡°Take care, Uncle Henry.¡± Jared watched them leave. Jared came to sit beside Nicole and asked, ¡°Are you happy now?¡± ¡°Yup. Give me a wink if there is something interesting like thising up next time.¡± Nicole felt so fulfilled when Chloe apologized to her, and she got to lecture Chloe. ¡°I do hope it doesn¡¯t happen again.¡± He did not want to be putting her through the wringer. ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°Just now, they said Chloe was shooting at yourpany?¡± Nicole asked as she suddenly remembered the conversation she had just heard. ¡°Yeah, thepany¡¯s new product is about to go on sale, so they make her the brand ambassador,¡± Jared exined. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Do you have a problem with that?¡± ¡°Won¡¯t you be tempted with such beauty appearing in front of your eyes every day?¡± Nicole said with wistful amusement. ¡°What¡¯s going on in your little devil¡¯s head? How could I be tempted by this level of beauty of her? Are you unsure of yourself?¡± Jared raised an eyebrow at her. ¡°I have confidence in myself. Just that there are too many mate poachers out there that not even men of the cloth could stand the temptation.¡± Nicole ridiculed him. ¡°How dare youpare me to the clergymen? I will fix you, good and proper.¡± Jared grabbed her at once. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m sorry.¡± Nicole begged. Jared caught an opportunity and would not let her go easily. The two of them flirted with each other in the office for a while before Jared let her go. ¡°You¡¯re so naughty. I¡¯mughing so hard I¡¯m out of breath.¡± Nicole dropped to the couch and giggled. ¡°Did you find out about the source of your poisoning at thest partyst time?¡± It was only when Nicole saw Chloe today that she remembered the incident. ¡°Not yet.¡± ¡°Then watch out for Chloe,¡± Nicole said. ¡°You sound like you know something.¡± Jared keenly sensed something in her words. ¡°I¡¯m just guessing. There is no actual evidence.Otherwise, it would have pursued the matter.¡± Jared yfully came up to her. ¡°I¡¯m not afraid. I have you. I¡¯m not worried if I get drugged again.¡± Chapter 867 Chapter 867 "Not afraid? I''ll see if you''re scared." Nicole reached out and pinched Jared around the waist. There was a sudden knock on the door. Jared immediately put away his smile and sorted his attire before saying, ¡°Come in.¡± ¡°Mr.Johnston, everyone is here." "Okay, you go first." "I have a meeting to attend.¡± Jared looks reluctant to go. ¡°You get busy.I should go home too." https://novelebook/home1Nicole stood up and walked out of the office with Jared. Back at the Riddle Mansion, she found there was a hive of activity there. While wondering why she walked straight inside.Damien, Dillon, and Dexter were all in the house. Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org. "Daniel, we are here to congratte you on behalf of Father for your sessful bid,¡± Damien said. ¡°Thank you.Our sess has kind of made the entire Riddle family proud,¡± Daniel said modestly. "Daniel, I suppose it wasn''t easy to win the tender bid, right?¡± Dexter asked. ¡°It¡¯s really difficult.There were many powerfulpanies bidding for it, and some rivals were trying to undermine us,¡± Daniel said with a long sigh. "The good thing was that Sean and Nicole had risen to the challenge and still studied the tender seriously.Together with Harvey''s help, we won the tender atst." Daniel was proud of it. ¡°Daniel, that¡¯s just a one-sided view.The sess of your bid this time is mostly because of Damien.If it wasn''t for him, Harvey would not have joined hands with you guys.He could have bid himself,¡± Karen said disapprovingly. Daniel nced at Karen awkwardly. Knowing her character and that everyone was here today to congratte them, he did not want to refute her in front of everyone.So he could only smile and remain silent. Sean heard what Karen said and was upset.He got up and went to the dining room, where he saw Nicole sit, and he asked, ¡°When did youe back?¡± ¡°It¡¯s been a while.What are these people doing here?¡± Nicole asked. "They say they''re here to congratte us, but their every word reeks of jealousy.¡± Sean nced at the three families in the hall, and Nicole shook her head. Meanwhile, Damien was self-satisfied after hearing what Karen said. Suddenly, thendline phone rang, and Damien, who was closest to the phone, picked it up. ¡°Hello? This is the Riddle family.Who is this?¡± Damien asked bluntly. ¡°Hi, this is Scott Harmon.May I speak to Nicole?" Scott only had the phone number of the Riddle family, not Nicole¡¯s mobile phone number, so he called the house phone. Hearing the name, Damien immediately sat up upright with a serious face. ¡°A moment, please, Mr.Harmon.I will ask Nicole over right away.¡± ¡°Nicole, Mr.Harmon calls you on the phone." Gloria had seen Nicole in the dining room just now,but she knew Nicole did not like her uncles, so she had not asked her toe over. Now, since Mr.Harmon was calling, she had to ask her toe over and answer it.Nicole heard Gloria¡¯s voice and went over. ¡°What¡¯s up, Mom?¡± ¡°Mr.Harmon is on the phone." Gloria pointed with her finger. Damien was curious about what Mr.Harmon would say to Nicole, so when he handed the phone to Nicole, he turned on the speakerphone . Everyone was stunned to see this. ¡°Hello, Mr.Harmon.I''m Nicole," Nicole said in a tone of voice that sounded as if they were peers. ¡°Nicole, it¡¯s Scott.My father is out of the hospital and would like to invite you and your family over.I don''t know if you have time?" Scott asked politely. "I''m d to hear that your father has recovered and is out of the hospital.It was just part of my job, nothing big deal," Nicole said, politely declining. Chapter 868 Chapter 868 But Scott did not give up. "Nicole, it might be nothing big deal to you, but for me, youare the person who saved my father''s life.I have no way to repay you but thank you in person.Give me a callter, and I will send someone to pick you and your family up.¡± Nicole nced back at her parents, who had the desire to go written all over their faces, and since Scott was so sincere and insistent, she agreed. After Nicole hung up the phone , Damien and the other two families became embarrassed by what they had said earlier.They felt like they had just got pped in the face. ¡°Nicole, when did you save Mr.Harmon¡¯s life?¡± Damien asked curiously. ¡°Yeah.Why haven''t I heard you say that before?" Karen questioned. ¡°I have just performed an operation on Mr.Harmon¡¯s father at the hospital,¡± Nicole said nonchntly. "You know how to operate?" Everyone could not help but be surprised ¡°Why so surprised?¡± Nicole did not want to talk about it and was ready to go upstairs to rest when Karen suddenly pulled her to one side. ¡°Nicole, will you bring anyone else to Mr.Harmon''s house this time?" Miley unashamedly tried to butter up to Nicole. ¡°No,¡± Nicole said indifferently. Karen said, ¡°Don¡¯t be na?ve, Miley.An outsider won''t think for us." Miley sighed in disappointment. "Didn''t you guys always treat me like an outsider before? And now I do the same, and you guys aren¡¯t happy about it.¡± Nicole said bluntly,her cold eyes sweeping over their faces. Everyone could not find a word to respond, and they all did not dare to look at her, as they all had a guilty conscience. Damien, who could not stand the atmosphere unpleasant to him, got to his feet and left without saying a word. The other two families also left in tandem. Raine was pissed at seeing Nicole''s arrogant attitude." How can you talk to your uncles and aunts like that? You have such bad manners.¡± ¡°Doall people with good manners talk like you do?"https://novelebook/home1 Nicole looked at Raine with piercing eyes as if she would break Raine''s throat if Raine dared to say one more disrespectful word. Snow saw things not right and hurriedly dragged Raine away. After the three families left, silence returned to the house, and Nicole went straight upstairs to rest.She would have fallen asleep had those people note disturbing her. Gloria followed Nicole to her room, sat in a chair, and asked with concern, ¡°What else is going on with you we don¡¯t know about?¡± "Nothing.I really didn''t take this matter to heart and tell you guys about it.I didn¡¯t know Mr.Harmon would care that much.¡± Gloria believed her. She stroked Nicole''s hand and said with concern, "Whatever happens next time, be sure to tell us.We are family." Nicole looked at Gloria, feeling emotional with a lump in her throat.While they were talking, Gloria received a phone call.She nced at Nicole and left in a hurry.Nicole felt that Gloria''s expression was odd, but she went to sleep without giving it a second thought.The next day after school, Jared picked Nicole up in front of her school. ¡°You¡¯re really on the dot.¡± Nicole teased him. ¡°I have to.Otherwise, I would be in trouble with all the boys swarming around you like bees.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go.Back to the Riddle Mansion." Last time, Gloria had mentioned she had not seen Jared in a long time and wanted Nicole to take him home for a casual dinner. Today, Nicole found out that Jared could take time out of his busy schedule, so she asked him out. As the car sped down the road, Jared nced at Nicole. ¡± How have you beentely?¡± ¡°Pretty good.Eating well, sleeping well." Nicole said, not picking up on Jared¡¯s undertone. ¡°What about you?¡± Nicole looked over at him.Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org. Chapter 869 Chapter 869 "I''m not so good. It''s been two days since Ist received a video call from someone.¡± Jared had a look of disappointment on his face. ¡°So you are here waiting for me?¡± Nicole chuckled. "I was just afraid to disturb you because you were so busy,¡± Nicole exined. ¡°Really?¡± Jared was not so convinced. "Really." "Okay, I forgive you." "Who needs your forgiveness?" "By the way, the school holiday ising soon.I¡¯m thinking of going on a vacation.When will you be free?" Nicole had been in this city for a bit too long and wanted to travel around other cities. "Soon I will be able to free up some time.The joint venture is on track now, and when things start on the track, I will spend time with you.¡±Jared would also love to have more time to spend with her. ¡°That settles it.When I have time, I will go check out the city I want to visit.¡± ¡°Do you have somewhere you want to go?¡± Nicole looked over at him. "No, I will go anywhere you go," Jared said a lovey-dovey line without him realizing it. ¡°You¡¯ve been very flirtytely.https://novelebook/home1Have you been studying it secretly?" Nicole''s eyes narrowed as she examined him. "Do I look like I need to study it? That''s so underestimating me.¡± Jared was full of pride. Laughter filled the cabin, and before they knew it, they had arrived at the Riddle Mansion. The car was parked up inside the mansionpound, and in front of them was another car, which Nicole recognized right away. The two got out of the car and walked toward the door, where they met Sean and Harvey,who were coming out. ¡°You¡¯re back, Nicole.¡± ¡°Hello, Mr.Johnston.¡± Harvey greeted him as if nothing had happened. Jared looked at him expressionlessly, but he said nothing. Nicole also looked at Harvey with a frosty face.But Harvey still smiled graciously before he got into his car and left the Riddle Mansion. Sean saw Jared''s grave expression and asked Nicole, "Is Jared feeling not well?¡±. "No, he just doesn''t like Harvey." "Oh." Sean nodded thoughtfully, guessing that Jared was not happy because Harvey had seen Nicole too frequently to his liking. ¡°Let¡¯s go in the house.Everyone¡¯s inside.¡± Sean made a gesture of invitation. Nicole held Jared¡¯s arm and walked in with him. When Gloria saw Nicole and Jared, she looked in a panic and hurriedly ended her conversation with Daniel. ¡°Mr.Johnston, Nicole, what do you like to eat?" Nicole once again sensed that something was wrong with Gloria¡¯s demeanor. "Whatever." She then nced at Sean, who looked at her nkly. ¡°Mr.Johnston, please have a seat,¡± Daniel said. ¡°Please call me Jared, Mr.Riddle.¡± ¡°Okay, Jared.I heard that you have been busy because of a joint venture.I guess it must be a very important project." Daniel did not know what to talk to him about, so he just casually inquired. ¡°Yeah, It is really quite important.That was why I didn''t have the time toe visit you and Mrs.Riddle.¡± Jared exined politely. "I heard Riddle Corporation won the Aegis Corporation tender the other day.Congrattions,¡± Jared said. Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org. Daniel smiled. "And that''s thanks to Nicole." "Dad, we won the Aegis Corporation project because of Sean¡¯s beautifully done bid documents, not because of me. "Nicole did not want to take the credit but attributed it to Sean. Chapter 870 Chapter 870 Sean was ttered and hastened to humble himself and praise Nicole. ¡°It¡¯s mainly because Nicole knows Mr. Harmon. Otherwise , we wouldn¡¯t necessarily have won the tender, no matter how beautifully done the bid documents were." "You know Mr.Harmon?" Jared asked , looking over at Nicole in surprise. "Do you remember when I saved an old gentleman in the hospital earlier?¡± Nicole helped Jared recall what had happened. ¡°I remember that.¡± ¡°That old gentleman is Mr.Harmon¡¯s father.¡± After Nicole exined this, Jared immediately understood. "Looks like you weren''t wasting your time that day." Jared joked. "What are you talking about? I didn''t even know about the old gentleman¡¯s rtionship with Mr.Harmon.Besides, I didn¡¯t save him because of Mr.Harmon." Nicole hurriedly exined herself, afraid that Jared would think it was a premeditated act. ¡°I know.I was just teasing you on purpose." https://novelebook/home1 "Aegis Corporation is still quite demanding, project wise.If you need any help, just let me know." Jared looked at Daniel and Sean. ¡°Thanks a lot, Mr.Johnston.¡± ¡°The meal is ready.Come and eat." Gloria came into the living room to tell everyone. N?velDrama.Org owns this text. "Jared, I didn''t know what you like to eat, so I picked something Nicole likes and made some.Nicole is always with you, so I thought perhaps what she likes, you might like too.¡±Gloria smiled and exined, worried that Jared would think too much. ¡°You¡¯re right.Whatever Nicole likes to eat, I like too." Jared inadvertently acted lovey-dovey in front of the elders. Nicole hurriedly fetched him some food to hide her bashfulness. ¡°Try it.My mom¡¯s cooking is delicious.¡± Jared took a bite. "It tastes great, better than what a five star chef cooks.¡± ¡°Eat a little more if you like it.I can tell you have lost some weighttely." Gloria''s face beamed when she heard Jaredpliment her on the delicious cooking. After the meal, Jared sat for a while before leaving.Daniel and Gloria saw him out and invited him to come again when he was not busy. The family sat around the couch talking.After seeing Jared out, Daniel was nowhere to be seen. Nicole guessed he was in his room.She came in front of the room and gave it a knock. "Come in." "Dad, why aren''t you in the hall chatting with us? What are you doing here alone?¡± Nicole walked in and saw a preupied father sitting in his chair in deep thought. "Nicole, there''s something you may not know yet; recently your mother and Norah have been in contact frequently.Norah''s parents met with a car ident, and both are now hospitalized.So no one is taking care of Norah." Daniel hesitated for a long time but decided that he should tell her. Once Nicole heard this, and after associating it with Gloria''s strange behavior on thest two asions, it all made sense. "How are they?" "They are injured, but the good thing is, it¡¯s not life threatening.¡± ¡°Your mom is too soft-hearted.When Norah had hysterics, your mom gave her half a million dors privately.At first, she kept that from me.But when I found out, she told me she could not bring herself not to help Norah because she had raised Norah for over ten years." Daniel sighed helplessly. ¡°Norah is too much.Didn''t you give her half a million before? Why is she stilling for money?¡± Nicole said in anger. "I am also angry about this, but your mom said that the money has been given out, and there is no point in talking about it now.Do you think she is unaware of what she is doing?¡± ¡°But I made her promise that this was thest time she would give Norah money,and she agreed.For the time being, we will just have to watch and see.¡± Daniel felt better after telling what was bottled up inside him.He had been upset since he knew about it. ¡°In that case, you shouldn¡¯t get upset anymore.I will not live on campus for the next few days.I will return to stay with mom more often." Nicole had a n in mind. Daniel nodded. ¡°Please pretend you don¡¯t know about this.¡± Chapter 871 Chapter 871 "Hmm." The next day, Nicole came to school. People she met along the way, regardless of whether she knew them or not, greeted her.She got a little dizzy from having to nod her head constantly. When she entered the ssroom, all the students, including Vivian , looked at her with even more respect than the days after the sports day. Nicole just thought it was strange and did not give it a second thought. During her lunch break, Nicole suddenly received a call from Martin. "Hey, Nicole, are you free at noon? I have something to talk to you about.¡± Martin sounded a little anxious. "I''ll meet you at the cafe in front of the school, then.¡± Nicole hung up the phone and headed for the cafe. She sat in the cafe for a while before Martin arrived; he had driven as fast as he could. "What''s the rush to see me?" Nicole looked at him in puzzlement.https://novelebook/home1 "I really have no choice but toe to you now.¡± ¡°Come on, tell me, what happened?¡± ¡°The results of my experiments are gone.¡± Martin could not ept it until now and felt miserable. "Gone? When did that happen?" Nicole looked incredulously at the dejected Martin, who seemed to have lost quite a lot of weight. ¡°Justst week.I had to do a secondary test only to find out that it wasn¡¯t the sessful experimental result that I made anymore.¡± Martin recalled. Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org. "And you didn''t even notice it before that?" Nicole frowned. "After the experiment was sessful , I stored it in theb freezer untilst week, when it was time for the second test.When I took it out, I realized it wasn''t the result of my experiment,¡± Martin exined. "I was thinking of following your checklist and doing it again, but after doing it several times without sess, I didn''t know what the problem was.So I was desperate and had toe over to see you.¡± Martin looked at Nicole with embarrassment. "Why didn''t you contact me sooner when such a serious thing happened?¡± Nicole knew how much this experiment meant toMartin; it was his blood and sweat that he had worked for most of the year. ¡°I thought about contacting you.Every time I came over to see you, I saw you were busy, so I decided not to bother you.¡± ¡°Did you check theb surveince?¡± Nicole thought the thing would not grow legs and run away on its own. The disappearance could only be man-made. "I have checked , but there is nothing unusual." Martin had checked the surveince and nothing was amiss. Nicole was deep in thought. ''Since there is nothing wrong with the surveince, then the thing must have been swapped out.¡¯ ¡°If it¡¯s convenient for you now, I can show you to theb. "Martin knew only Nicole could help him, and he put all his hopes on Nicole ¡°Sure.¡±Nicole thought it would be okay to see it in person. "Let''s go, then." Coming to the door of theb, Nicole studied her surroundings carefully, then Martin opened the door, and they walked in. Theb was cluttered withbware everywhere. "Yourb looks like there has been a break in here.¡± Nicole looked at theb in slight surprise, ¡°Please don¡¯t mind the mess.I''ve been experimentingtely, so it might be messy." Martin said with embarrassment. "Where is the freezer that holds the results of the experiment?¡± ¡°Here.¡± Martin led Nicole inside. Chapter 872 Chapter 872 As Nicole walked and observed, she found that there were four surveince cameras in theb. All were pointing in different directions, one of which was pointing at the freezer. Nicole checked the freezer, and there was no sign that it had been broken into, showing that it was not an outside job. "Who else cane into theb besides you?" "No one else has a key except me.¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure.¡± Martinnodded affirmatively. ¡°Then it is hard to exin it.Since the key is with you, anyone who wants toe in muste to you to get the key.Without the key, they could only break in.https://novelebook/home1But the doors and windows have no signs of being pried.¡± Nicole said after examining the environment in the laboratory. "Are you sure you have carefully checked the security footage of these four surveince cameras?¡± Martin nodded his head vigorously. Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org. "Where are you going?" Martin saw Nicole heading out the door and thought she was leaving. "I''m going to take a look outside." Nicole stepped out of theb and looked around. She saw a camera at the end of the hallway pointed just this way. "Have you seen the footage from that camera?" Nicole pointed to the end of the hallway. Martin frowned and shook his head repeatedly.He had never noticed there was a surveince camera there. "Is it convenient to go check the footage of that camera now?¡± Nicole had a glimmer of hope for that camera. ¡°I¡¯m afraid not today.I heard that the hospital is repairing the wiring, and I guess we can only check the footage the day after tomorrow.¡± Martin could do nothing about it. ¡°It¡¯s okay.There is no rush.Check the footage the day after tomorrow.Contact me again.Don¡¯t get too wound up.This shouldn''t be too hard to solve." Nicole patted his shoulder tofort him. ¡°That¡¯s the only thing I can do for now.Thank you for your help today,¡± Martin said politely. Martin and Nicole walked downstairs together. Nicole stopped in her tracks when she saw the sign for the hospital wards. "What''s wrong?" Martin saw Nicole stop and followed her eyes ¡°Were there a couple admitted recently because of a car ident?¡± Nicole asked. Martin shook his head. ¡°Not sure.Was it your friends who were hospitalized?¡± ¡°No.It was my ssmate¡¯s parents.They met with a car ident some time ago, and I hadn¡¯t had time to visit .When I saw the ward sign, I thought I''d ask and see if they were in your hospital.¡± Nicole continued to walk forward. "In that case, I''ll ask around for youter." "Okay." Nicole nced at the time. "I''ll go back to school then." "I''ll drive you." Martin drove Nicole back to school, and then he went home. Soon, she finished school for the day and went home with Samuel and Spencer. As soon as they entered the house, they saw Gloria on the balcony on the phone. Instead of calling Gloria, Nicole went straight upstairs and took out herptop to check if there were any replies fromZane-there were none. ''Did Zane encounter something difficult?'' Nicole''s heart skipped a beat, and she immediately texted Carl. (How is your investigation going?) Carl did not reply in time either, so Nicole guessed he was busy.She closed herptop and went downstairs. "Nicole? When did youe back?" Gloria was sitting on the couch, lost in thought. When she heard a sound, she looked toward the stairs. "Been back for a while." Nicole walked toward the couch and sat down. Gloria''s heart skipped a beat, and a sense of panic shed across her face as she wondered if Nicole had seen her on the phone. Chapter 873 Chapter 873 "Howe I didn''t see you when you came back?¡± Gloria looked at her tentatively. ¡°I didn''t see you, either.Were you out for a walk?" Nicole could see that Gloria was hiding something from her, so she did not want to expose her. ¡°Oh, yeah.I just got back from a walk." Gloria said with an embarrassed smile. ¡®Fortunately, Nicole didn¡¯t see me.Otherwise, how am I going to exin to her?'' https://novelebook/home1 "Are you guys having a school semester break soon?¡± Gloria changed the topic quickly. "It seems like it''s close." "With the semester breaking, do you and Jared have any ns?¡± Gloria thought for sure they would take advantage of the semester break to spend time with one another. ¡°Haven¡¯t thought about it yet.Mom, do you have any ns?¡± Nicole asked rhetorically. ¡°I don¡¯t have any ns.I will stay at home with your father." Gloria had a bored look on her face. "I suggest you and Dad get an RV and travel around the world.It''s especially cool to think about it." Nicole said longingly as if she was already on her way. ¡°No.If your father and I are away, who will take care of you?¡± Gloria looked at Nicole with reluctance. ¡°We¡¯re both old enough to take care of ourselves.If you guys really want to do that, I can help you customize an RV.¡± ¡°Forget it.I can''t really go away without worrying about you guys.I know you''re independent, but your two brothers aren''t; they are still acting like children.¡± Gloria thought they should be better than that. But she did not expect that Samuel had heard what she said. "Mom, I never thought we would have such a bad image in your mind.We''re just as outstanding too." Samuel put his hand to his forehead and rolled his eyes. ¡°Nicole, look.Am I wrong?" Gloria nced at Samuel and then at Nicole. Nicole snickered. "Samuel, you look like a child who hasn''t grown up." ¡°Even you make fun of me.You must be thinking that I haven''t bullied you in a long time.¡± Samuel said, reaching out his ws at her. "Are you sure?" Nicole raised her eyebrows and looked at him with an evil smile. Samuel instantly remembered the scene in front of the school and gave up. "For the sake of Mom, I''ll spare you once today." ¡°Who spares who?¡± Spencer approached with his guitar. ¡°You seem to be everywhere.Just y your guitar.¡± Samuel gave him a look. Spencer was upset and said, "Yeah, whatever." And he went to the balcony. "Who put a stool in here? Is it for me?" Spencer looked over at the three of them on the couch. Gloria gasped and stammered. "Err, I saw how nice the weather was and sat on the balcony for a while earlier.¡± ¡°s, I thought it was specially prepared for me.¡± Spencer sighed and sat down. Nicole gave Gloria a look and continued to have a war of words with Samuel. The next morning, Nicole got up and went to the dining room to get a ss of water.She once again bumped into Gloria on the balcony on the phone. This time, instead of pretending she did not see it, Nicole walked right toward her. "Mom, who are you calling?" Gloria was shocked to hear someone call her. She hurriedly hung up the phone and turned around panickily. ¡°It¡¯s you, Nicole.I''m helping you with the engagement." Content held by N?velDrama.Org. "Okay." Nicole nodded and went back upstairs with her ss of water. Gloria looked on as Nicole went, and she let out a long sigh of relief.She felt lucky that she had wittingly used Nicole''s engagement as an excuse to muddle through the situation. Nicole was upstairs, took out herptop, and started deciphering Gloria¡¯s phone. ¡°It knew it; it¡¯s all from Norah.But what''s this?'''' Nicole saw several message logs with Norah''s name written on them. Chapter 874 Chapter 874 Nicole was instantly stunned when she opened it. It turned out that Gloria not only transferred half a million dors toNicole, but after that, she had further transferred money to Norah several times, and the amount was close to a million dors in total. Looking at the messages, Nicole would not continue to sit by idly. If things were allowed to continue, Gloria''s bank ount would be emptied in no time.It was time for her to intervene. After washing up, Nicole went downstairs for breakfast and school as usual. No one in the family could see what was on Nicole¡¯s mind. Nicole did not go to her ss but walked into Norah¡¯s ssroom.https://novelebook/home1Norah was about to say something.But Nicole pped her twice in the face before she could say a word. "Nicole, how dare you hit me?" Norah pointed at her with both shock and aggrievement. ¡°You¡¯re no longer a part of the Riddle family.Why are you still asking my mother for money?" Nicole scolded. Norah looked at Nicole with rm, wondering how Nicole knew about it. Forcing herself to stay calm, Norah stared at Nicole and said, ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about.I didn¡¯t ask Mom for money.She was the one who lent my parents the money for their medical expenses after she heard about their car ident.¡± ¡°Are you still trying to spin?Whatever.If you dare to ask my mother for money again, I will make you pay for it.¡± Nicole said icily and turned to leave. Norah trembled in her chair, gritting her teeth and looking at Nicole with vicious eyes as Nicole left.Nicole had barely gotten her butt in her chair back in the ssroom when Ms. Emerson approached her. "Nicole, your mother is here looking for you." "Okay, I''ll be right over.¡± Nicole knew it was Norah who had told her mother about it. When Gloria saw Nicole, the first thing she did was rebuke her. "How could you hit Norah at school? I offered to give her the money.She didn¡¯t ask for it.Do you know that your behavior has hurt Norah? Apologize to her right now,¡± Gloria said with a not-to-be-questioned tone of voice. Nicole looked at Gloria and felt sad; she had done all this for her mother, yet her mother told her to apologize. "I have done nothing wrong, much less apologize to her.If you''re giving Norah money again, I''ll make her pay the same.¡± Nicole looked at Gloria with a determined look. Gloria clenched her fists in anger as she looked at the stubborn Nicole. As much as she knew Nicole had no bad intentions, hurting Norah was something she did not want to see.She sighed and left in anger. Nicole, unable to understand why her mother did that, trudged back to her ssroom. Spencer and Samuel heard Gloria hade to school and rushed over.But there was no sign of Gloria, only Nicole walking back alone. "Nicole, isn''t Mom here? Where is she?" Samuel looked behind Nicole and did not see his mother. "She left." "She left? Didn''t she just get here?" "What was Mom doing here?¡± Spencer asked as he could see that something was wrong withNicole''s expression. "Did you guys know about Norah asking Mom for money?¡°Nicole did not want to hide it from them anymore. "Norah asked Mom for money?" Both of them were taken aback. ¡°Yeah.Her parents were hospitalized in a car ident, and then Norah had already asked for almost a million dors fromMom." Nicole told them all about it. ¡°One million dors? That¡¯s not a small amount.How dare she ask for that much money as a little girl?¡± Samuel frowned in shock at hearing the figure. Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org. "It doesn''t require that much money even if they are ¡° Chapter 875 Chapter 875 ¡°Dad knows. It was he who told me this.¡± ¡°Then why doesn¡¯t Dad dissuade Mom?¡± ¡°Dad can¡¯t dissuade Mom, either, and he is troubled because of this,¡± Nicole said with an expressionless face. ¡°Mom is so used to indulging Norah so much that she dares to ask Mom for money. If she dares to come to me, I will give her a fair one.¡± Spencer did not expect Norah to be so mean now. ¡°Nicole, go back and talk to Mom when you have time and ask her to transfer any more money to Norah,¡± Spencer said. ¡°I couldn¡¯t dissuade her, either. Mom just came over and reprimanded me and told me to apologize to Norah.¡± Nicole told the story of what had just happened. ¡°Mom reprimanded you for Norah and made you apologize to her? Why?¡± They werepletely baffled, not knowing what had happened in the past few days. ¡°I just went to Norah¡¯s ss and pped her. I didn¡¯t expect her to turn around and tell Mom about it.¡± Nicole sheered, ¡°She is so abominable, She took money from our family and used you of pping her. I¡¯m going to find her.¡± Samuel became more and more agitated as he spoke. ¡°Don¡¯t be so hot-headed. You¡¯ll end up like Nicole if you go.¡± Spencer hurriedly stopped him. ¡°So what do we do? Are we just going to let her ask for money from Mom?¡± Samuel squatted on the floor anxiously. ¡°You guys go back to ss first. I will go back after school and talk to Mom. I will tell you guys when I find a solution.¡± Nicole walked to her ssroom. The two of them looked at Nicole in unison, and now they could only do what Nicole said. Back at the Riddle Mansion, Nicole did not see Gloria there. Daniel was sitting on the couch, looking at his phone in the living room. ¡°Dad, why are you the only one home? Where¡¯s Mom?¡± Nicole asked. ¡°She said she was going out shopping this afternoon. She hasn¡¯te back yet.¡± https://novelebook/home1Nicole looked at her watch; her school had finished half an hour ago, Gloria should have been home by now. ¡°Dad, I want to talk to you about what happenedst time. ¡± Nicole came and sat down next to Daniel. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Daniel put his phone down and looked at her ¡°Mom didn¡¯t go shopping this afternoon; she went to school to see me.¡± ¡°Why did she see you at school?¡± Daniel asked with a puzzled look on his face. ¡°Because of Norah.¡± Daniel paused for a second when he heard this. His eyes narrowed as he looked at Nicole. ¡°So your mother knows that you know about this, too.¡± Nicole nodded. ¡°That¡¯s right, plus I found out that Mom transferred money more than once to Norah and several times after that.¡± ¡°What? She promised me she would not do that again. She turned around and changed her mind.¡± Daniel lowered his head and kneaded his forehead. Luckily, Nicole did not tell him the amount Gloria had transferred to Norah. Otherwise, he might be fit to be tied. ¡°Don¡¯t be upset. Since she has transferred the money, let¡¯s persuade her not to do that again.¡± Nicole mobilized Daniel to dissuade Gloria together. Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org. ¡°See if you can freeze Mom¡¯s bank ount for a while and then unfreeze it for her after this.¡± Since they could not keep an eye on her all the time, they would have to do something about the money. ¡°That¡¯s all that can be done. It¡¯s gettingte; should we go out and look for your mom?¡± Angry or not, Gloria had been out all day, and Daniel was worried about her. ¡°I will go look for her. Someone must be home, or else no one knows when Momes back.¡± Chapter 876 Chapter 876 "Good, be safe and keep in touch." ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll be fine.¡± Nicole got up and prepared to head out the door. She suddenly stopped in her tracks, realizing that going out and looking for someone just like that was no difference from looking for a needle in a haystack.She took out herptop and typed rapidly on the keyboard. A dialog box popped up on the screen, and she entered Gloria¡¯s personal information. Not long after, a florist on the map appeared with Gloria¡¯s information, and through the security camera, Gloria was seen paying at the florist counter. "Mom bought flowers from this florist half an hour ago,¡± Nicole exined to Daniel. "The florist? Could she be buying flowers to visit Norah''s parents in the hospital?¡± Daniel asked. Nicole immediately kept pinpointing Gloria''s location through the surveince cameras on the street. Sure enough, Gloria was seen stopping at a hospital.https://novelebook/home1Just then, Martin called, and Nicole answered the phone." Hello, Martin,¡± ¡°I found out what you told me yesterday;there was indeed a couple in the inpatient unit of our hospital." Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org. Looking at the screen, Nicole suddenly thought of a solution. "Martin, I need you to do me a favor." "I''m all ears.¡± ¡°Can you go outside the couple¡¯s ward and see if my mother is there? Better not let my mom see you," Nicole said. ¡°Okay.I will go over there now and take a look and call you backter.¡± After a few minutes, Martin called again. "I saw your mother talking to the patients in the ward.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°By the way, is the wiring maintenance at your hospital over?" "It seems like it''s over.Do you want toe over now?" Martin looked outside; it waste afternoon. Thinking that she had ss tomorrow and nothing to do now, Nicole decided to go over there. "I will go over there now." "Okay, I will meet you downstairs.¡± ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll see youter,¡± Nicole said and hung up. ¡°Dad, don¡¯t worry.Mom is seeing Norah''s parents and will probably be back soon,¡± Nicole said. "Good." Daniel had guessed it when he saw Gloria''s location information at the florist. ¡°Martin wanted to see me.I have to go out for a while." "Aren''t you going to have dinner at home?¡± Daniel looked at her with concern. ¡°I¡¯m not hungry now.When Momes back, you guys have dinner first.No need to wait for me.I''m leaving." Nicole shut down herptop and took a taxi to the hospital. From the car, Nicole could already see Martin standing at the entrance, waiting for her. "Hi Martin, I didn''t know you really waited for me downstairs.¡± Nicole thought he was just being polite, not expecting that he really waited for her downstairs. ¡°Of course.Didn''t I tell you on the phone?" "I thought you were just being polite.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go upstairs.¡± ¡°What floor is the surveince room on?¡± "Top floor." "Let''s go straight there." "Okay." Martin had already given the surveince room a heads up before Nicole arrived. They walked into the surveince room, which had a lot of screens. Chapter 877 Chapter 877 "Martin, what floor is yourb on?" "Twenty-second floor.¡± "Please pull up all the surveince footage on the twenty second floor for me," Nicole said clearly. After waiting for a while, the surveince officer pulled up all the footage of the twenty-second floor. "You guys take your time." The surveince personnel gave up his seat. "Thanks." Nicole sat down and looked at the surveince footage carefully. "Nicole, there are some I¡¯ve checked." "It¡¯s okay.We will check them again." Nicole was afraid that he might miss the most important clue if he did not pay attention.Since Nicole had said so, Martin sat down next to her and watched it again with her. "This is the usual footage of you guysing in and out.It doesn¡¯t look like anything has happened yet." Nicole turned off the screened ones. "From these angles, there doesn¡¯t seem to be a problem." Nicole zoomed in on that surveince footage at the end of the hallway. "I ran into Joyce when I came out of your ward on the day the experiment was sessful.I thought I should bring her to celebrate with us, but she said she had some unfinished business and stayed behind to finish up." Martin looked at the screen and lied. "I didn¡¯t say anything else when I saw how insistent she was." Martin¡¯s eyes blinked more frequently than usual as he described the episode, and naturally, Nicole could see that he was lying. "Martin , I¡¯m helping you with your investigation , and any word could be a clue.So be honest with me." Nicole looked him in the eye and nodded at him. "Of course, you¡¯re helping me, and I will tell you everything I know." "ording to your description, she should have gone in to do the finishing touches after you left?" Nicole watched the surveince footage where Martin left, and Joyce walked into theb alone. "Right." Martin nodded. But soon, Joyce walked out with her bag on her back and then looked around for a while before leaving. After this, no one appeared at theboratory again until Martin returned. Nicole could see that Joyce had a guilty look on her face when she looked around, but a guilty look was not evidence. "Martin, I see nothing amiss for now.I need to take it back and take a closer look.Can this video be copied?" "Yes." Martin had it downloaded and handed to Nicole. "It¡¯s been a long day.I¡¯m sure you haven¡¯t had dinner, right? Allow me to buy you dinner." "Okay." Nicole also wanted to talk to Martin more about him and Joyce and maybe even get some clues. In the restaurant, Martin ordered steak and other side dishes and a bottle of wine. "Nicole, thanks for your help." Martin picked up a ss of wine to toast Nicole.Nicole picked up her ss and clinked it with him. "Don¡¯t mention it.I have helped little, no clue so far." "No rush.It¡¯s useless for them to steal it, and it¡¯s not that hard for me to redo it.https://novelebook/homeJust that I will have to waste some time.I just don¡¯t want the thief to get away with it." Martin put down his ss tofort Nicole. "It¡¯s nothing if it is just a petty thief.But what happens if someone who knows what they¡¯re doing takes it?" Nicole reminded him of what was at stake.Martin¡¯s hands holding the cutlery froze, and he looked at Nicole. "If someone who knows what they are doing has stolen it, then all the work I put into this experiment will be wasted."Nicole wanted to take the opportunity to test him out. "I actually just saw some clues when you and Joyce were talking in front of theb." Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org. "It¡¯s not like she didn¡¯t want to go celebrate, right?" Nicole stared intently at Martin¡¯s expression.Martin suddenly smiled and looked over at her. "Still, you have noticed it.You are right.She had a big fight with me in front of theb because I didn¡¯t want to take her to celebrate." Nicole shook her head helplessly. "Why did you hide such an important clue from me?" "It is now tentatively possible to specte on who took the results of your experiments." "Who?" Martin looked at Nicole with curiosity. "Joyce." Chapter 878 Chapter 878 "She? No way.She doesn¡¯t have the guts." Joyce had always been a wishy-washy little girl in Martin¡¯s eyes. Content held by N?velDrama.Org. Since Martin did not believe it, Nicole had to show him the surveince footage again.She took out her laptop and yed the surveince footage. "Come here and take a look." Martin got up and stood beside Nicole.This was his first time so close to her, his heart fluttering. Nicole showed him the footage of Joyce going in anding out and finally framed the moment when Joyce re -emerged from theb. Nicole paused the screen and zoomed in on Joyce¡¯s backpack. "Does she usually carry a bag this big?" Martin recalled and shook his head. "She usually carried a shoulder bag.I have never seen this bag before." "If I¡¯m not mistaken, this backpack contains the results of the experiment, and finding Joyce will find the results of the experiment." Nicole pointed to the backpack in the footage. Martin¡¯s heart sank. This was an oue he had not expected.His fluttering heart had calmed down, followed by a moment of contemtion.He slowly returned to his seat with Joyce¡¯s face reyed in his mind. "What are you going to do?" Nicole asked softly. She knew Joyce had always been Martin¡¯s right-hand man and had followed him for a long time, so it was normal for him to be unable to ept this. "Let me think about it." He was now eager to get the results of the experiment back immediately.But would she admit it and return the result to him if he went looking for her directly? https://novelebook "The rtionship between you and her hasplicated the matter.Take your time to think about it and contact me if you need anything.I¡¯m leaving now." Nicole tucked herptop, got to her feet, and was ready to go. "Thank you, Nicole," Martin said with an expressionless face. Martin continued to sit alone in the restaurant, losing himself in thought. After Nicole left the restaurant, she went back to the Riddle Mansion. As she walked into the living room, Gloria and Daniel were already waiting for her on the couch. "Nicole,e sit down." Gloria was the first to speak. "Mom, you¡¯re back." Nicole walked over and nced at Daniel. "I might be too harsh to you at school this afternoon.Please don¡¯t be angry with me." Gloria took Nicole¡¯s hand. Nicole looked like she had never taken that to heart at all. "Mom, if you don¡¯t mention it, I don¡¯t even remember it." "I told you, Nicole is forgiving.She won¡¯t even take these little things to heart." Daniel gave Nicole a look to ease the awkward atmosphere.Gloria rolled her eyes at him. "I know you are the only one who knows your daughter¡¯s best.Happy?" "Mom, Norah-" "Don¡¯t mention it again.I won¡¯t transfer any more money to Norah from now on." "Mom, you¡­" Nicole nced at Daniel with surprise, wondering why her mother suddenly had a change of heart. Daniel looked at Nicole and nodded as if saying that Gloria had been like this since she returned from the hospital. "I have visited Norah¡¯s parents, and they¡¯re going to be in the hospital for a long time.Norah can¡¯t stay unattended, so I have decided to let Norah move back in with us tomorrow." Nicole and Daniel were stunned.So this was where it hit the hardest. "Gloria, shouldn¡¯t we all talk about this together about this?" Daniel did not expect Gloria would suddenly make such a decision. "Sean and Steve aren¡¯t staying at home; Spencer and Samuel onlye back once a while, and only Nicole is back from time to time.So there are only a few of us at home.What else is there to discuss?" Gloria looked assertive. "But Norah is not even a member of the Riddle family anymore, so it¡¯s inappropriate for her toe back and stay here again?" Daniel still tactfully discouraged her. "What¡¯s inappropriate? She has lived here since she was a child, and even though she has reunited with her biological parents, she still calls me mom." Chapter 879 Chapter 879 "I mean, Nicole and Norah had so many old grudges.Wouldn¡¯t it be awkward if they lived together?" Daniel saw Gloria did not understand what he meant, so he had to say it frankly. Gloria was just thinking about Norah and ignoring Nicole, and now she looked over at Nicole. "If Norahes back, you¡¯ll forget the past, won¡¯t you?" Seeing that Gloria was determined to get Norah back, Nicole knew that further discouragement would only upset her. "As long as she doesn¡¯t pick a fight with me, I won¡¯t bother with her.But if she does, I won¡¯t let her off so easily.I¡¯m tired and going up to rest first." With that, Nicole went straight upstairs. Gloria did not expect Nicole to remain so adamant. After Nicole left, Daniel said to Gloria, "I know you can¡¯t bear to see Norah suffer, but Nicole is our biological daughter.How would Nicole feel if you put them both under the same roof?" Gloria looked at Daniel and was silent. "Just think about it." With that, Daniel also went upstairs, leaving Gloria alone, sitting on the sofa and lost in thought in the living room. The next day, Martin called Joyce. "Hello, it¡¯s Martin." "You finally contacted me after all this time." "Shall we meet?" There was no warmth in Martin¡¯s voice. "Sure.I will see you at Blue Whale Restaurant then." https://novelebook Joyce hung up the phone. After a quick cleanup, Martin drove to Blue Whale Restaurant.He picked a seat by the window and sat down. "Shall I take your order now, sir?" The waiter asked Martin. "Just a minute, I¡¯m waiting for¡­ a friend." He was not even sure how to define their rtionship right now. Joyce walked slowly in her high heels toward Martin¡¯s position. Seeing Joyce¡¯s face, Martin did not stand up but watched as she sat down. "Long time no see." In the end, he spoke first to say hello. "Yeah, it¡¯s been a long time." Joyce looked much more refined now than when she was working with Martin. "You¡¯ve changed quite a bit." Martin looked at Joyce, who looked more like a fine, gracefuldy.Content held by N?velDrama.Org. "You have changed little." "You do know why I¡¯m looking for you, don¡¯t you?" Martin¡¯s eyes burned into her. Joyce paused for half a second and sneered. "How would I know why you were looking for me?" "The results of my experiment were stolen." Martin watched the change in her expression.. "If they get stolen, call the police.I¡¯m not a cop." Joyce sneered. Martin saw she had no intention of admitting it and said straight away, "You took it, didn¡¯t you?" She did not expect Martin to have traced it to her, and there was a fleeting guilty look in her eyes. "Where is the evidence? You could go to jail for nder." "Just admit it.I saw it all on the surveince footage." Martin could no longer suppress his inner rage, and his bloodshot eyes stared at her viciously. "Surveince footage? Where is it? Let me take a look, too." Joyce slyly argued without blushing.She did not even know when she could face Martin so calmly. Chapter 880 Chapter 880 "You have known me for so long; you know my temper.If you give it back to me now, I can pretend that nothing has happened." Martin looked at her condescendingly. "You are still the same as before.Do you really think everyone else has to be at your bidding? I¡¯m telling you; I¡¯m not the Joyce it used to be, and what you want is not with me." Joyce did not want to talk to him anymore, and she stood up and prepared to leave. Suddenly her arm was clutched, and she looked back. Martin was staring at her with red eyes. "Where did you hide it?" "You are hurting me." "Where did you hide it?". "Let me go.Waiter," Joyce shouted. "Sir, please let your hand off thisdy." The waiter rushed over to stop Martin. There was nothing Martin could do but watch Joyce leave.He did not get back the thing, but it was certain that she had stolen it. Martin knocked back a ss of red wine, then made a phone call before storming out of Blue Whale Restaurant. Nicole , Spencer, and Samuel came home together, and the three of them wereughing and talking as they walked toward the living room. The next thing they knew, Norah was sitting on the couch. Nicole nced at her coldly and went straight upstairs. Norah stood up and greeted Spencer and Samuel enthusiastically , but they gave her a disdainful look and went upstairs as well. Norah snorted in anger. "Damn you, Nicole.You must not have bad-mouthed me in front of my brothers while I was away." https://novelebook She med Nicole for Spencer and Samuel¡¯s indifference. At dinner, the family sat together. Daniel was sitting at one end of the table, Norah next to Gloria on the right ¨C hand side, and Nicole and her brothers on the opposite side, all without saying a word. A dreary atmosphere hung over the dining room, and Gloria could not stand it and broke the silence. "Norah is moving back in for a while as of today." She left her words hung for a while to gauge the expressions of the three of them across the table. As if by prior agreement, the three of them did not look at Gloria but ate their meals. "Spencer, Samuel, you guys put the cutlery. Nicole too." Only then did the three of them put down their cutlery and look at Gloria. Gloria smiled and looked over at Spencer and Samuel."Norah hasn¡¯t been back for a while.Won¡¯t you two say hello to your sister?" Samuel had a frosty face. "I only have one sister, and that is Nicole." With that, he left the table without finishing the meal. Gloria looked at Samuel with displeasure. "s." Seeing Samuel walk away, she turned to Spencer.Before she could say anything, Spencer spoke. "Mom, Dad, I¡¯m done eating.I have homework to do, so I¡¯m going upstairs first." "These two kids¡­" Gloria gave Daniel a disappointed look. "Norah, don¡¯t mind it." Gloria then smiled andforted Norah. "I¡¯m fine, Mom.Samuel and Spencer have mock examsing up, and they are mentally stressed.I know." Norah found herself a way out of the awkwardness. "Norah is as understanding as ever." Gloria stroked her hair.She was still disappointed that she had not repaired their rtionship. Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. "Mom, Dad, I¡¯m done eating too." Nicole had finished her meal.She would not be dumb enough to let herself go hungry because of Norah. Nicole brought some snacks to Samuel¡¯s room. "Here you go." She threw them directly at him. Chapter 881 Chapter 881 ¡°Nicole is the best. You care about me.¡± Samuel ate the snack and looked at Nicole gratefully. ¡°Next time, don¡®t be so blunt, much to Mom¡®s embarrassment.¡± Nicole sat down and looked at him. ¡°I wasn¡®t thinking too much. I was fit to be tied when I saw Norah and thought of her taking so much money from Mom and stilling to live in our house. I really don¡®t understand her.¡± Samuel bit into a snack hard. ¡°That you don¡®t understand; supplies might be important, but a home base is even more important.¡± Spencer drew an analogy. Samuel looked at him with usible understanding.¡± Your analysis makes sense. So what should we do as people on the home base?¡± ¡°We will just lie in wait.¡± Spencer stood in front of the window like a grand strategist! ¡°I will not join you guys. I¡®m going back to rest.¡± Nicole saw her two brothers too deep into acting and shook her head helplessly. When she got back to her room, it was still early, and she could not sleep, so Nicole turned on her computer to see if there was any news from Carl and Zane. Just as she entered the intr, Carl¡®s message came through. [We have found out the approximate location of White and are narrowing it down to pinpoint the location.] [Get rid of him when you find him.] She logged out of the intr after sending the message.She casually browsed The Hunters job list page. Suddenly, a high¨Cpay job appeared in front of her eyes. She was curious and clicked in. Then it turned out that she was wanted with a bounty of $20 million. ¡°This would be great if only the job was about others.¡± Nicole could not help butment. If not, she could have gotten this $20 million easily. She continued to browse through the job list. Not long after, she saw another special job. [Cracking the intr of a foreign organization.] The pay was slightly less than the one wanted her, but it was still high. Content held by N?velDrama.Org. Nicole decisively epted the job and then shut down theputer and went to rest. She did not want to deal with the new assignment today. The next morning, Norah got up surprisingly early to make breakfast for the whole family, something she had never done before. When Gloria came downstairs, she saw Norah busy in the kitchen and thought Norah was hungry and looking for food. But when she walked over, she realized Norah was cooking breakfast diligently. ¡°Norah , when did you learn to cook breakfast and have such an appetite?¡± Gloriaplimented as she looked at the breakfast that was already ready on the table. Hearing Gloria¡®s voice, Norah knew she had achieved the intended effect. ¡°A few days ago, when I had nothing to do and browsed social media, I saw someone make a nutritious breakfast. So I thought I would try to do that. But on the first try, it was sessful. I happened to get up early today and thought I would try again. I also want you and Dad to try my breakfast.¡± Norah smiled sweetly, as bright as the morning sunrise. ¡°Norah is so sweet.¡± Gloria could not stopplimenting her. ¡°Do you need a hand?¡± Gloria looked around but was not sure where to begin. Norah pulled her to the dining room and sat her down.¡± You can just wait here while I finish the cooking.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± A few momentster, Daniel came downstairs, and Gloria hurriedly called him over. ¡°Come and see. Norah has made us breakfast.¡± Daniel looked surprised. Norah had only eaten but never cooked since childhood. So he wondered what changed her, that she was making them breakfast today. He strode into the dining room to take a look and found that things looked appetizing. ¡°How¡®s that? Appetizing, isn¡¯t it?¡± Gloria looked over at Daniel with a smile on her face. He nodded. ¡°That¡®s really nice.¡± He nced at Norah, who was busy cooking, then went back to the living room. Chapter 882 Chapter 882 By the time Norah had made everyone¡®s breakfast and brought it to the table, Nicole had washed up ande downstairs. ¡°Nicole,e and try the breakfast that Norah has made. It¡®s the second time she has made it, and it is a sess,¡± Gloria said to Nicole ecstatically. Hearing that Norah had made breakfast, Nicole instantly lost her appetite. ¡°I don¡®t feel like eating this morning.¡± Without looking at Norah , she carried her bag and went out. Gloria chased after her and asked with concern, ¡°Where are you going? Are you not feeling well?¡± ¡°No, it¡®s simply that I ate too muchst night,¡± Nicole said. Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org. ¡°I¡®m going to meet Jared.¡± ¡°Be safe.¡± Gloria turned around and saw Spencer and Samuel walking out. ¡°Where are you guys going? It¡®s not like you have ss today.¡± Gloria looked at them both in puzzlement. ¡°Our ssmate invited us to y cricket.¡± ¡°It is still early in the morning? Have something to eat before you go.¡± Gloria tried to stop them, but it did not work. The two of them left. Back in the dining room, where only the three of them were left. Gloria called Daniel, who was sitting in the living room, ¡°Come and have breakfast.¡± Sitting down at the table , Gloria saw Norah looked not too happy and knew it was because the three of them did not eat the breakfast Norah had made. So she took a bite of breakfast and startedplimenting Norah. ¡°This is the most delicious breakfast I have ever had.¡± Norah felt much better when she saw how much Gloria liked it. ¡°You can try this.¡± Gloria was given a piece of cake. ¡°Dad, try this.¡± Norah fetched a piece for Daniel as well. ¡°Mmm, yummy.¡± Samuel and Spencer picked up their paces and caught up with Nicole. ¡°Where are you going, Nicole?¡± Nicole looked back and saw them both. She knew they had not eaten either. ¡°Come on, let¡®s go get something to eat together.¡± Samuel and Spencer nod their heads. At a breakfast restaurant, Samuel asked Nicole, ¡°Where are you goingter?¡± ¡°I¡®m going to Jared¡®s ce.¡± ¡°I wish I were you, having a ce to closet yourself. Unlike us, we don¡®t even have a ce to go.¡± Samuel bit into his croissant wearily. ¡°If you don¡®t have anywhere to go,e with meter.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Samuel looked at Nicole with delight. ¡°Stop that surprised look, eat quickly.¡± Nicole was about to finish her meal while Samuel had still not finished his croissant. After breakfast, they took a cab to Jared¡®s vi. At the office, Jared received a message about Nicole going to his vi. He hurriedly finished his work and hurried back to his home. When he walked into the vi, he heardughter inside. He wondered if there was someone else. ¡°Jared, you¡®re back.¡± Nicole saw Jared walk in and walked over to him. ¡°Hello, Mr. Johnston.¡± Spencer and Samuel stood up and greeted him politely. ¡°You guys take a seat. I go up to get changed,¡± Jared said to them both. ¡°Nicole, can youe up with me for a minute?¡± Coming into Jared¡®s room, Jared spoke to Nicole as he got changed. ¡°What¡®s the deal with them, and what are they doing here?¡± ¡°Norah returned to my family, so we all came out to avoid her. And they both had nowhere to go, so I brought them here temporarily,¡± Nicole said. ¡°Norah is back at your house again?¡± Chapter 883 Chapter 883 ¡°Hmm.¡± Nicole was helpless, too. ¡°Then you stay here for the time being.¡± Jared saw this as an opportunity instead. Nicole looked at him, figuring that was all she could do.¡± Okay.¡± Jared had changed into casual wear and went downstairs with Nicole to the living room. As soon as Jared and Nicole came to the living room, Spencer and Samuel got to their feet. ¡°Our ssmates asked us to go y cricket with them. We will have to go.¡± Jared looked at Spencer and Samuel. ¡°Why don¡®t you stay for lunch if you¡®re not in a hurry?¡± After all, they were both Nicole¡®s brothers. ¡°It¡®s okay. Our ssmates have been hastening us. We will leave now.¡± Spencer and Samuel snickered and nced at Nicole before hurrying away. In fact, no ssmates were looking for them to y cricket at all. They just did not want to disturb Jared and Nicole here. On the couch, Jared hugged Nicole in his arms. ¡°It seems like a long time since we have snuggled together like this.¡± ¡°I am free this afternoon. Where would you like to go?¡± Jared looked over at Nicole. ¡°Then let¡®s go to the beach, shall we?¡± Nicole thought of going to the beach to ease herself from the mncholy. ¡°Yeah, but what do we do now?¡± Jared had an evil look in his eyes. Nicole suddenly thought of an idea. ¡°Let¡®s watch a movie. She took out her phone and quickly found one of thetest blockbusters and streamed it on the TV across the room. ¡°This is a recent blockbuster with high ratings. You watch it first while I go get some snacks and Coke.¡± ¡°You can¡®t carry so much stuff by yourself. I will go with you.¡± The movie was paused, and Jared followed Nicole to get things together. The movie resumed. Nicole was eating her snack and watching the movie with great interest, while Jared had one hand on Nicole¡®s shoulder, sipping his Coke in boredom, as the movie was not as attractive to him as Nicole was. The movie¡®s story built up and soon reached its climax. Nicole oohed and aahed with excitement and then nced at Jared, who looked cool, calm, and collected.¡± Why aren¡®t you excited at all?¡± ¡°Am I not? I¡®m excited, too.¡± Jared lied with a straight face. ¡°This piece is wonderful.¡± He did not forget to say this. Nicole shot a look at him, knowing that it was just a half hearted reply. She suddenly wanted to tease him a little.¡± So, what do you think is the most exciting moment?¡± ¡°I think¡­ The monster is too funny.¡± After saying that, he could not help butugh. ¡°The monster is funny? It¡®s really the first time I¡®ve heard someone say that about monsters.¡± ¡°Look, the monster is here again.¡± Jared pretended to be nervous and drew her closer to himself. ¡°It is fine. The monster is gone. No need to get so excited. ¡°Nicole had seen his intention was just to get up close and personal with her. Two hours passed, and the movie ended. Jared sat on the couch with Nicole in his arms. ¡°What would you like to eat? I will make it for you.¡± Jared asked dotingly. ¡°Cheesy banana?¡± Nicole said bluntly. ¡°No problem. You find a movie to watch here. I will call youter when it is ready.¡± Jared kissed Nicole¡®s cheek gently and went to the kitchen. Nicole did not expect that, and her heart pounded, her face blushing. She hurriedly took a sip of Coke to cover up her smitten look. While Jared was busy in the kitchen, Nicole sat on the couch and watched the movie absentmindedly. She thought had Jared asked her to help at this moment, she would have walked over without hesitation. ¡°Nicole, do you like more cheese or bananas?¡± Jared¡®s voice came out from the kitchen. Nicole took this opportunity to put down the remote control and walk over to Jared with her Coke. ¡°I like a little more cheese.¡± Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. Chapter 884 Chapter 884 ¡°Okay, go back and keep watching your movie. It will be ready in a minute.¡± Jared nced at her as he kept doing what he was doing. But Nicole had no intention of going. She sipped on the Coke and admired Jared¡®s cooking. ¡°Why don¡®t you go back and watch movies?¡± Jared looked up and found Nicole still there. ¡°The movie got stuck and took a little too long to load. I will wait here for my cheese banana.¡± She said duplicitously. She just wanted to stay here with Jared. Jared could tell Nicole¡®s intentions; he had the fastest inte connection in his house. ¡°I will make two more steaks and a couple of snacks to go with them. I don¡®t mind if you want toe over and help.¡± Jared invited Nicole. ¡°OK, I will give you a taste of my handiwork too.¡± Nicole put down her Coke and rolled up her sleeves, ready to do it. ¡°Do you have chicken thighs?¡± Nicole asked. ¡°There. It¡®s in the fridge.¡± Nicole took out the chicken thighs, thawed them quickly, and then sprinkled them with seasoning to marinate. ¡°Are there any corn kernels?¡± Nicole asked again.¡® ¡°There, in the middle of the refrigerator. You look for it.¡± She found the corn kernels and cream. Taking advantage of the time spent marinating the chicken thighs, she made a bowl of creamy corn soup. ¡°It smells good.¡± A whiff of steak wafted into Nicole¡®s nostrils. ¡°Let me see. Wow, it¡®s sauteed so well.¡± The steak in the skillet made a sizzling sound and was temptingly red. Jared was pleased with Nicole¡®spliments. ¡°Do you want to try sauteing a steak too?¡± Jared looked at her with a wink. Nicole looked at him sideways and thought. ¡°Yeah.¡± Jared ted the sauteed steak, then took a new piece of steak, ced it on the skillet, and handed the tongs to Nicole. ¡°Here.¡± Nicole took the tongs and looked at the steak in the skillet but did not know where to start. Jared saw her hesitation and hugged her from behind, and showed her how to saut¨¦ it. Held by Jared from behind , Nicole¡®s heart fluttered, and she forgot she was sauteing a steak. Her heart was pounding uncontrobly. ¡°Like sauteing steaks?¡± Jared asked in a soft whisper in her ear, his breath lightly blowing into her ear. Nicole¡®s cheeks reddened, and she said nothing. Jared looked at her with a smile and continued to hold her hands to handle the steak. With Jared¡®s guidance, Nicole sauteed the steak sessfully. Heplimented her. ¡°You have done it well.¡± Nicole rolled her eyes at him as if saying it wasn¡®t even her sauteing it; it was he who held her hands to do it. ¡°I will fry the chicken thighs.¡± Nicole broke free from Jared¡®s embrace and went to check on the marinated chicken thighs. ¡°What are you going to do with the chicken thighs?¡± Jared asked Nicole as he nced at the marinated white meat. ¡°Coat them in breadcrumbs and fry them in oilter.¡± Nicole was mouth watered at the thought of golden¨Cfried chicken thighs. ¡°Do you need help?¡± Jared looked at her with an evil smile. ¡°No need. I can do this one.¡± She preheated oil in the pan for frying the chicken thighs. Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org. ¡°Let me help you tie your apron.¡± Jared took an apron anyway, wrapped it around Nicole¡®s waist, and helped her tie it. Nicole looked at him sheepishly and smiled, then skillfully fried the chicken thighs, which were then done in no time. Jared looked at the meal on the table and smiled at her with satisfaction. ¡°Would you like some wine?¡± ¡°Absolutely.¡± He took out a bottle of red wine, poured two sses of it, and handed one to Nicole. ¡°Cheers.¡± ¡°The steak is delicious,¡± Nicole said. ¡°We will do it together next time¡± Chapter 885 Chapter 885 ¡°I am almost ready for the betrothal. You can let me know if you need anything so I can have someone prepare it.¡± Jared looked over at her. ¡°I don¡®t have any demand.¡± Nicole did not like fussiness, so she did not ask for much. Content held by N?velDrama.Org. ¡°No demand? Well, take your time thinking about it. We still have a few days, anyway.¡± Jared thought he was asking too abruptly. The two had lunch, cleaned up a bit, and then drove to the beach. The breeze was gentle , and the waves werepping the beach. Just standing here, Nicole¡®s mood was inexplicably bing better. Resting on the beach felt like a cozy hug, one only matched by the sunshine¨Cfilled sky. Stepping on the sun¨Cwarmed sand felt sofortable. On the surface of the sea, many surfers kept falling into and climbing out of the water. Seeing that Nicole was interested in surfing, Jared asked her, ¡°Want to go surfing?¡± ¡°You know how to surf?¡± Nicole looked sideways at Jared with a skeptical look on her face. ¡°Let me show you my charm.¡± Jared dragged her to the surfing shop https://novelebook/my-wife-is-a-hacker-by-summer-bd1579.html?dev=tl ¡°Mr. Johnston, the surfboards are ready.¡± ¡°Good.¡± ¡°Pick a surfboard,¡± Jared said to Nicole. Nicole looked at all the custom¨Cmade surfboards and picked one. ¡°Looks like you like to surf, too?¡± ¡°I know a little.¡± Jared gave her a look, then grabbed the surfboard that he usually used. Coming to the beach, by the buoyancy of the water, the two paddled slowly together out to the sea. Then by the waves, Jared quickly got on the board and surfed steadily along, with Nicole following close behind. After the wave broke, Jared came down, looked at Nicole, andplimented her. ¡°Not bad.¡± Then he got back on the surfboard and chased after Nicole. Feeling Jared chasing after her, Nicole kept charging forward along the waves with impressive skills. After a short surf on the beach, Jared stopped Nicole.¡± Let¡®s get on the yacht.¡± ¡°The yacht?¡± ¡°I will take you through a more enjoyable program.¡± Jared smiled mysteriously. Once on board, the two put on their parachute gear. As the yacht sped up, the two lifted off into the wind. The thrill of ascension made her forget all the stresses of life and work, throwing them into the deep blue sea and clear sky. Gliding with a parachute, looking out over the endless sea, and enjoying the sunset at dusk, Jared held Nicole in his arms with joy. At nightfall, the two of them were on the yacht looking across the shore at the brightly lit city. ¡°Should we stay on the yacht tonight?¡± Jared suggested. ¡°Why not?¡± It did not matter where, as long as she could be with Jared. They snuggled up to each other on the king¨Csized bed aboard the yacht, and it turned about to be a sleepless night. The next day, before the first light, Jared dragged Nicole up to watch the sunrise. Sitting on the top of the yacht, waiting for the sun to rise. They saw arge , red orb peek out from the horizon in the east. ¡°It is gorgeous. It is the first time I have seen the sunrise at sea level,¡± Nicole said. ¡°How does it feel?¡± ¡°Great. It is an amazing feeling.¡± Nicole leaned against Jared¡®s shoulder, her eyes watching the sun rise out of the horizon. ¡°Have something to eatter, and then I will show you the engagement venue.¡± Jared nted a soft kiss on her forehead. ¡°Show me the venue?¡± Nicole thought she was okay with it, as she trusted Jared¡®s choice. ¡°Yeah, I was worried you wouldn¡®t like it, so I figure we should take a look at it first, so we can make changes if necessary.¡± Jared was thoughtful. Chapter 886 Chapter 886 After missing breakfast, Jared drove Nicole to the venue where the betrothal would be held. Several waiters were waiting for them outside the entrance of the opulent and magnificent hotel. When they saw Jared¡®s caring, they came forward to greet them. Jared led Nicole inside; the gilded lobby, the high¨Cstyle carpeting, and the light¨Creflecting crystal chandelier looked equally opulent. ¡°What do you think of the atmosphere?¡± Jared asked as he led her inside. ¡°Pretty good.¡± ¡°Let¡®s take a look inside.¡± Arriving at the site of the betrothal , it was low¨Ckey and luxurious , perfectly in line with Nicole¡®s aesthetic taste. She looked around, and her eyes finally fell on Jared. ¡°You have prepared well. I like it a lot.¡± Jared looked at her with a smile. ¡°I¡®m d that you like it. In a few days, we are having our betrothal party here. I hope that day wille sooner rather thanter.¡± ¡°You can¡®t wait?¡± Nicole asked him snidely. https://novelebook/my-wife-is-a-hacker-by-summer-bd1579.html?dev=tl Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org. ¡°I really can¡®t wait. I want to confirm our rtionship sooner rather thanter.¡± Jared wrapped his arms around Nicole¡®s waist and pulled her in his arms. ¡°Get off me before someone sees us.¡± Nicole tried to push him away. ¡°No, it won¡®t be. It is just you and me here.¡± ¡°That is not good either.¡± Breaking free of Jared¡®s grasp, Nicole came to the side. ¡°I have seen the hotel. I will go to school if there is nothing else.¡± ¡°Okay, I will give you a ride.¡± Jared drove Nicole to school. ¡°I will pick you up tonight.¡± ¡°It¡®s okay. I can get back on my own.¡± ¡°It is better to wait for me,¡± Jared said and then drove away. As she walked down the path leading into the school, someone suddenly appeared in front of her. ¡°Nicole, there¡®s a problem with the Aegis Corporation project.¡± ¡°Harvey? What are you doing here?¡± Nicole asked, puzzled. ¡°Forget about me for now. Let¡®s just go find Sean together.¡± Harvey did not look like he was joking. ¡°Let¡®s go then.¡± Sean was sighing impatiently in front of the floor¨Cto ceiling window in Riddle Corporation when suddenly there was a knock on the office door. ¡°Come in.¡± Sean looked back at the door. Nicole and Harvey walked in. ¡°What brings you guys here?¡± Sean¡®s eyes sparkled with surprise. ¡°What is going on?¡± Nicole asked him openly. ¡°There are some problems with the supplier; they haven¡®t delivered the materials. This causes the work to stop,¡± Sean said. ¡°The work has stopped?¡± Harvey did not expect it to have affected work. Sean looked at him and nodded. ¡°Any idea why the supplier didn¡¯t deliver the materials?¡± Nicole asked Sean. ¡°They said there was a shortage, so the delivery was dyed.¡± This was the reason given to Sean by the other party. .. ¡°Shortage?¡± Nicole¡®s mind was racing. ¡°Immediately send someone to the market to check the price of the materials and the inventory of the various importers,¡± Nicole instructed Sean. ¡°Okay, I¡®ll get right on it.¡± Sean made a phone call. ¡°Send someone to find out if someone is hoarding raw materials.¡± It was not so much about shortage, but someone deliberately hoarded the materials. ¡°Let me know as soon as you have news.¡± Nicole looked at Sean seriously. Chapter 887 Chapter 887 ¡°Good.¡± Sean looked at his younger sister, who was more like a leader at the moment. ¡°Don¡®t get mad. Things always work out.¡± Nicole reassured Sean. ¡°I¡®m alright. We just stop working for a day, and then we will have to work overtime to catch up. After all, Aegis Corporation wants us to deliver the project on time.¡± It was Aegis Corporation¡®s audit department that Sean was worried about ¡°By the way, Nicole, didn¡®t Mr. Harmon invite you, Mom, and Dad to be his guests? Did you guys go?¡± Speaking of Aegis Corporation, Sean remembered Mr. Harmon¡®s invitation earlier. ¡°It is tomorrow. Do you want toe along, then?¡± Nicole asked. ¡°I can tag along?¡± Sean¡®s eyes lit up. ¡°Sure, just so you can talk to Mr. Harmon about the project, too.¡± For Nicole, Sean was the best shield she could use. ¡°Okay, then I will pick you, Mom, and Dad up at the Riddle Mansion in the morning.¡± Sean looked forward to tomorrow with excitement. ¡°OK, then we will go now. Make sure we¡®re on top of things.¡± Nicole instructed as she was leaving. Sean looked at Nicole solemnly and nodded. ¡°Don¡®t worry. I take this project more seriously than you do.¡± ¡°Bye¨Cbye.¡± https://novelebook/my-wife-is-a-hacker-by-summer-bd1579.html?dev=tl ¡°See youter, Harvey.¡± After leaving Sean¡®s office, Harvey looked admiringly at Nicole. ¡°Why are you looking at me like that? Don¡®t you know me?¡± Nicole did not like being stared at. ¡°You just did a great job of identifying the problems.¡± Harveyplimented her condescendingly. Nicole did not even bother to listen, as she did not need hisments. ¡°Since you thought of that too, why didn¡®t you juste to see my brother solve the problem? Instead, you came to me?¡± Nicole stopped to question him. ¡°I want to see you,¡± Harvey said with surprising bluntness. Nicole did not expect him to go to great lengths just to see her and spend more time with her. Content held by N?velDrama.Org. She shot him a nce, having no words. In fact, she did not really know what to say about him. ¡°Wh?t I just said, you heard it all. You are to follow up on the matter.¡± ¡°How can that be? You have taken over, and you have to be responsible till the end. I have other things to do.¡± Harvey refused. ¡°You have things to do? Do you think I¡®m free? You just heard it; I¡®m invited to Mr. Harmon¡¯s house tomorrow, and I have a betrothal party in a few days. If you want to talk about being busy, I¡®m busier than you, okay?¡± Nicole rolled her eyes and walked forward. Harvey looked at Nicole from behind and stopped where he was; the words betrothal party pricked his ears. Nicole did not care about him. After being taken to see Sean by Harvey, there was no point in going back to school now.She took out her phone and dialed Jared¡®s number. ¡°Hey, I¡®m invited to be a guest at Mr. Harmon¡®s house tomorrow, so I don¡®t think I can stay at your ce today.¡± ¡°That¡®s okay. Do you want me to pick you up tomorrow?¡± Jared asked as he worked. ¡°It is alright. Sean will drop me off.¡± ¡°You get busy. If it ends early tomorrow, I will see you at the office.¡± ¡°Okay, then I will wait for you.¡± After hanging up, Nicole took a cab back to the Riddle Mansion. When she thought of Norah¡®s face, she instantly got upset again. There was no one in the living room. Nicole called Gloria, who was out with Daniel for a walk and would only be back in a while. So Nicole went upstairs and waited. She took out herptop and checked the job she had epted earlier. She wondered what was so special about this organization that there was a $10 million bounty on it. After checking for a while, she found only some information on its official website but nothing on a deeper level. ¡°There seems to be a bit of a problem,¡± Nicole murmured. She took out her mobile phone and called Zeke. ¡°Hey, Zeke, what are you up to?¡± ¡°I¡®m upgrading the decryptor. What¡®s up?¡± Zeke had been working on finding a breakthrough on the device for the past few days, and it was driving him crazy. ¡°I have a fat job here. Are you interested?¡± Whenever Nicole had a job, she would call him, unless the job was beyond his ability to perform. Chapter 888 Chapter 888 ¡°Fat job? Of course, I¡®m interested. But how fat can it be? ¡° Zeke had not had a job in a long time. ¡°If it works out, you will get five million dors.¡± Nicole was ready to give him half. ¡°Five million dors? Did I hear you right? I haven¡¯t gotten such a fat job for a long time.¡± ¡°What¡®s the assignment? Send it over so I can take a look. ¡°Zeke could not wait. ¡°I will send it to you in a minute.¡± His phone buzzed, and he received a message from Nicole. ¡®Hacking the intr?¡® Zeke smiled. This kind of job was a piece of cake for him. He immediately messaged Nicole back. [I will take this job.] Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org. https://novelebook/my-wife-is-a-hacker-by-summer-bd1579.html?dev=tl [Good. Find a time to meet some other day. You study it for a few days and text me if you have questions.] Nicole replied. [Okay.] With that, Nicole closed herptop and went downstairs to see if her parents had returned from their walk. When she got downstairs , she saw the person whom she least wanted to see instead of seeing Daniel and Gloria. Without even talking to her, Nicole went straight to the couch and sat down, thinking that it had been half an hour and her parents should being back now. Norah could see that Nicole was intentionally avoiding her. She thought for a moment and went over to sit down, anyway. ncing at Nicole, she said, ¡°Howe I didn¡®t see you after school today?¡± Nicole did not bother to talk to her. Norah continued when Nicole did not answer. ¡°I heard that you, Dad, and Mom are going to be guests at Mr. Harmon¡®s house tomorrow.¡± Nicole still did not say a word but watched the TV. ¡°We¡¯re back.¡± Gloria¡®s voice rang out as she and Daniel entered the house in tandem. ¡°Mom, where did you and Dad go for a walk? It took you so long.¡± Norah got up to greet Gloria. ¡°We had a walk at the beach.¡± Gloria beamed. ¡°Look how happy you are. The beach must be fun, right?¡± Norah took Gloria¡¯s arm and acted coquettishly. ¡°I will take you for a walk someday.¡± The two talked as they made their way to the living room. ¡°Nicole, why are you home so early today?¡± Gloria asked when she saw Nicole sitting on the couch. ¡°Didn¡®t Mr. Harmon invite us to be his guests tomorrow? I thought I¡®de back and remind you.¡± Nicole was afraid that Gloria would forget about it. ¡°Thanks to you foring back. Otherwise, I would have forgotten.¡± ¡°What time do we go tomorrow?¡± ¡°Tomorrow at nine o¡®clock. Sean wille and pick you up in the morning.¡± Nicole was thinking of staying here at first, but when she saw Norah, I changed her mind. ¡°Aren¡®t you staying here tonight?¡± Daniel, who had not spoken so far, had read Nicole¡®s mind. ¡°Jared has been working too hardtely, so I¡®m going to go over and take care of him.¡± Nicole made up an excuse. Otherwise, Daniel would not have agreed with her, given how much he loved her. ¡°Tell Jared that work is important, but he also needs to take care of his health. With so many people in hispany, can¡®t anyone share his workload?¡± Daniel said with concern , and it was the first time Nicole had seen him care so much about Jared. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I will convey your concern and tell him to take care of himself.¡± ¡°I will leave now if there is nothing else,¡± Nicole said, ready to get up and leave. Chapter 889 Chapter 889 Gloria hurriedly pulled her back. ¡°What¡®s the hurry? Stay for dinner, and then only go.¡± Since shest reprimanded Nicole at school, Gloria clearly felt that her rtionship with Nicole was drifting apart little by little because of Norah. Nicole gave up upon seeing her mother¡®s reluctance to see her go. ¡°Okay.¡± Gloria and Daniel breathed a sigh of relief and smiled in unison. She sat in the middle of the couch with Nicole on her left and Norah on her right. ¡°Norah, has school been preparing for finalstely?¡± Gloria asked with concern. ¡°Yeah, now I¡®m studying and doing mock¨Cup questions every day. It¡®s killing me.¡± Norahined. ¡®¡®That¡®s tiring. Do you want to take a day off to rest?¡± Gloria was afraid that the pressure would be too much and wear Norah out. ¡°I have taken a day off and want to go out tomorrow to unwind,¡± Norah said, seemingly unintentionally, but her eyes nced at Nicole. ¡°Mom, is Sean going with you to Mr. Harmon¡®s house tomorrow?¡± Norah asked. https://novelebook/my-wife-is-a-hacker-by-summer-bd1579.html?dev=tl ¡°Sean? I didn¡®t hear he was going.¡± Gloria nced back at Nicole. ¡°Oh, I told Sean about it. Since he is in charge of the Aegis Corporation project, he should build rapport with Mr. Harmon.¡± Nicole exined. Gloria nodded her head. Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org. ¡°That¡®s great. He can get to know Mr. Harmon, and it will make things easier next time.¡± ¡°Mom, is Mr. Harmon someone powerful? I see everyone respects him a lot,¡± Norah asked Gloria curiously. ¡°Mr. Harmon is the CEO of Aegis Corporation, so, of course, he is powerful. But as to exactly how powerful he is, I¡®ve never seen it. Only Nicole has seen him.¡± Gloria did not know how to describe Scott as a whole. ¡°Nicole, since you¡®ve met Mr. Harmon, can you tell us about him?¡± Norah, driven by curiosity, asked Nicole. ¡°There¡®s nothing to tell. I don¡®t know him well.¡± Norah did not give up. ¡°Even if you don¡®t know him well, you¡®ve at least met him. We haven¡®t met him, so you can tell your parents about him in advance.¡± Norah used her parents as an excuse, and now Nicole could not refuse. But she really had nothing to say; she was really not familiar with Mr. Harmon. Nicole sighed helplessly. As long as Norah was here, she would not stop. ¡°Mom, Dad, I have only met Mr. Harmon once at the tender venue. The impression I got was one of authority but not intimidating,¡± Nicole said. ¡°It¡®s okay. Tomorrow we will get to know each other. Just be mindful of what you say and treat things as normal.¡± Daniel said,ing to Nicole¡®s rescue. Otherwise, Norah would still ask endless questions. With that, they chatted on the couch for a while longer. Mostly it was Norah talking to Gloria while Daniel and Nicole watched TV on the other side. During dinner, Norah kept thinking about Nicole¡®s invitation to Mr. Harmon¡®s house tomorrow. So she found something to say to Gloria. ¡°What time will you be back tomorrow? I will be waiting for you at home.¡± ¡°Well, I¡®m not sure about that. You don¡®t have to wait for us. Go hang out with your ssmates,¡± Gloria said. ¡°Have you forgotten? I¡®m taking a day off tomorrow, and all my ssmates are at school. So there¡®s no one to keep mepany.¡± Norah sounded as if she was lonely. ¡°Aah, my memory fails me. So you will be home by yourself tomorrow. I thought you were going out with your ssmates.¡± ¡°Yeah, if you guyse backte tomorrow, I guess I will be home alone all day,¡± Norah said with a sad look on her face. Gloria saw it and could not bring herself to leave Norah alone at home. ¡°It¡®s not like you can take a day off every time. Being at home alone is too lonely. I will see what I can do.¡± Suddenly Gloria thought of an idea and looked at Norah. ¡± Why don¡®t you go with us tomorrow so you won¡®t be alone?¡± Chapter 890 Chapter 890 ¡°Is that okay?¡± Norah looked over at her with a delighted expression. ¡°Of course. You¡®re my goddaughter.¡± Gloria assured her. ¡°Ahem.¡± Daniel cleared his throat to remind Gloria, who immediately looked at him. After seeing his expression, she hurriedly turned her eyes to Nicole. ¡°Is it okay to bring an extra person tomorrow?¡± Nicole had long guessed what Norah was up to. She had been nning this from the beginning , and Gloria had walked right into it, bing her tool. ¡°Mom, it¡®s our first time going to Mr. Harmon¡®s house. It is not good and proper to bring someone he doesn¡®t know to see him without his permission.¡± Nicole was worried about Norah getting her into trouble. https://novelebook/my-wife-is-a-hacker-by-summer-bd1579.html?dev=tl ¡°Mr. Harmon didn¡®t invite Sean either, yet you still ask him to tag along. So why can¡®t Norah?¡± Gloria argued for Norah. ¡°Sean has met Mr. Harmon before, and he is the head of the project. That is why I have suggested Sean go with me to promote cooperation between the two families. Even Steve didn¡®t get to go, let alone others.¡± Nicole would never let Norah tag along. Since Nicole had said so, Gloria knew she should not push her too much and turned to look at Norah helplessly. ¡°It¡®s okay, Mom. Nicole is right. It is not appropriate to go without an invitation .¡± Norah sounded as if she was understanding, making Nicole seem petty. Nicole could not stand watching Norah pretend in front of her and got to her feet. ¡°Mom, Dad, I¡®m done eating. I¡®m leaving now.¡± ¡°You have just finished eating, and you¡®re leaving? It¡®s windy outside,¡± Gloria said with concern. ¡°It¡®s okay, bye. Tomorrow at nine in the morning,¡± Nicole said and left. ¡°Norah, could you help me pick what I should wear tomorrow?¡± Gloria looked at her with a smile. ¡°You look good in anything. I will just do the matching for youter.¡± Norah took the opportunity to butter Gloria up. Daniel¡®s mood had long since left with Nicole, and he wondered if Nicole had really eaten well, as Norah and Gloria kept talking endlessly and giving Nicole trouble. It was only after she left the Riddle Mansion that Nicole felt more at ease. She did not expect Norah to have the cheek to go to Mr. Harmon¡®s house. In her eyes, Norah was too hubristic. She drove to Jared¡®s vi. The light was off in the house, so she knew Jared was not back yet. She walked in and said, ¡°Brinqa, turn on the lights.¡± Binga was the newly installed smart¨Chome virtual assistant. The lights came on, and Nicole walked over to the couch, then sat down, put her backpack down, and sent a message to Jared. [What time will you be back?] [You¡®re back at the vi?] Content held by N?velDrama.Org. [Yes. Let me know before youe back.] [About 8.00 pm.] [Okay.] Nicole looked at her watch; there was still some time left. Sitting on the sofa was boring, and she did not want to watch a movie, either. So she took out her laptop, continuously tinkering with it to study the job again. She was adamant about finding some useful clues. Her phone rang, and she picked it up. It was Zeke calling. ¡°Nicole, I found some clues. Thepany for this job seems to be a techpany, nothing special.¡± Zeke had not figured out what the value of thispany was after looking it up for some time. ¡°A techpany?¡± Nicole was deep in thought. ¡°Keep looking. I will contact you tomorrow when I¡®m free. ¡°She then hung up. She looked at the time; it was time to go prepare the meal. Nicole wanted Jared to go home and eat the meal she had cooked for him after a long day of work. Chapter 891 Chapter 891 Nicole went into the kitchen, picked what Jared liked to eat, and quickly cooked it. About half an hour later, Jared¡®s car pulled into the vi. Seeing the lights on inside the vi , Jared knew Nicole was back. He walked into the house, but there was no sign of Nicole. ¡°That¡®s odd. She clearly said she would wait for me. Why is no one here?¡± It was only when he continued to walk inside that he heard sounds in the kitchen. Letting out a smug smile, he reached to push open the kitchen door and quietly approached Nicole before hugging her tightly from behind. ¡°Yikes.¡± Nicole was so focused on cooking that she did not even hear Jared¡®s footsteps. It startled her when he hugged her from behind. ¡°When did you get back without even making a sound?¡± Nicole snapped. ¡°I just got back. Are you cooking for me?¡± Jared asked, still hugging her. ¡°What do you think? If you don¡®t let go of me, you won¡®t have any dinner.¡± ¡°Are you threatening me?¡± Jared spoke softly into her ear. https://novelebook/my-wife-is-a-hacker-by-summer-bd1579.html?dev=tl ¡°Okay, go wash your hands. Dinner is about to be ready.¡± Nicole could not stand his teasing anymore and turned around to push him out. At the table, Jared picked up the cutlery and happily dug in. Seeing Nicole not eating, he asked, ¡°Why aren¡®t you eating?¡± ¡°I ate when I was back in the Riddle Mansion. These dishes are made especially for you.¡± Nicole was happy to see him eat the food she had made. ¡°Okay. What time are you going tomorrow? Do you need me to send a car to drive you there?¡± ¡°It is okay. Mr. Harmon will send a car to pick me up tomorrow.¡± ¡°How¡®s your deal with Aegis Corporation going?¡± Jared suddenly remembered and asked. ¡°The project is on track. It is just¡­¡± Nicole hesitated. ¡°What¡®s wrong? Are you running into problems?¡± Jared saw something in Nicole¡®s expression. ¡°I went to see Sean the other day, and he said a supplier had dyed shipment of materials, and the work had to pause,¡± Nicole said. Jared put down his cutlery and thought for a moment. ¡°It is reasonable to assume that suppliers won¡®t dy shipment unless someone is offering them a higher price. ¡°You mean someone is sabotaging us?¡± Nicole looked at him. Jared nodded and looked at her. ¡°It is possible because there is no shortage of materials internationally right now. There are plenty of materials, and the only one holding back on supply is Riddle Corporation¡®s supplier. So you can see that something is amiss.¡± Jared had given Nicole a hint.Content held by N?velDrama.Org. ¡°I got it now.¡± Nicole looked at him with a serious face. ¡°The meal was yummy. What do you want as a reward?¡± Jared teased. Nicole thought about it. ¡°Take a day off.¡± She did not want him to work that hard. ¡°A day off? Haven¡®t you been taking thest few days off? ¡± Jared thought Nicole wanted to take a day off. ¡°I¡¯m talking about you.¡± Nicole pointed at him. ¡°Me?¡± Jared let out a long breath. ¡°I won¡®t be as busy as I was before, and I can take a break anytime I want. It is just that you¡®re in school, and I¡®m bored with my break, so I might as well do something at the office.¡± It turned out that he did not take a break because he did not have herpany. ¡°I didn¡®t know that. We will have exams soon, and then I will be able to spend every day with you.¡± Nicole walked over to Jared and put her hands on his shoulders. Chapter 892 Chapter 892 Jared gently stroked her delicate hands, stood up, and carried Nicole directly to the sofa before gently setting her down, climbing over her, and looking at her lustrous eyes, fair skin, and rosy lips. He could not resist the temptation and kissed her fervently. At first, he thought Nicole would push him away. But she did not. Instead, she met his action, which fired him up even further, and he kissed her even more voraciously. The two kissed passionately on the couch for a long time before Nicole pulled apart a little and said, ¡°Let me get some air.¡± She looked at the handsome man, admiring his beauteously sharp face. Nicole felt that she must have been bewitched to like him so much. Jared locked eyes with her fondly, one hand caressing her hair. ¡°You¡¯re beautiful.¡± Nicole¡¯s already ruddy cheeks instantly blushed even more. ¡°I hate you.¡± ¡°Let¡®s go to the bedroom.¡± Jared smiled as he carried Nicole into his arms once again and headed upstairs. Early the next morning, Jared kissed Nicole¡®s forehead. https://novelebook/my-wife-is-a-hacker-by-summer-bd1579.html?dev=tl ¡± It¡®s still early. You may sleep a little longer. I¡®m going to work.¡± ¡°Bye¨Cbye.¡± Nicole gave him a kiss on the cheek. After Jared left, Nicole could no longer sleep but toss and turn, thinking aboutst night. She scratched her head and then got up and washed up. When she came downstairs , she saw it was still early, so she made herself breakfast and picked up the phone to call Sean. ¡°Hey, have you picked up Mom and Dad?¡± ¡°I¡®m on my way. They told me this morning that you weren¡®t staying at homest night. I will pick you up later after I pick them up.¡± ¡°That won¡®t be necessary. Mr. Harmon is going to send a car to pick me up. We will meet at Mr. Harmon¡®s house. I¡®ve sent the address to your phone.¡± ¡°Okay, I¡®m driving. See youter.¡± Sean hung up after learning the situation. After Nicole had breakfast, she sat in the dining room and waited for a while. Then, she heard a car honking outside the vi. After cleaning up a bit, she walked out. ¡°Are you Miss Riddle?¡± ¡°Yes, I am.¡± ¡°Mr. Harmon asked me toe to get you.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. The driver opened the car door for her and drove toward Mr. Harmon¡®s house. The scenery on the way was beautiful, the weather sunny. The car gradually drove out of the city and headed for the outskirts . After a while, a private estate with continental¨Cstyle architecture appeared in front of her. The gates opened, and the car carrying Nicole slowly drove in, the surrounding scenery a masterpiece. It took about ten minutes of driving around the estate before the car came to a steady stop in front of a tall building with arge gate, and an attendant came over to open the door for Nicole. ¡°Has your family arrived yet?¡± ¡°Not yet. I will wait here for them for a minute.¡± Nicole stepped aside, took out her cell phone, and called Sean. ¡°Hey, Nicole.¡± ¡°Have you arrived?¡± ¡°We have reached the gate of the estate. Where are you?¡± ¡°I¡®m waiting for you at the front door of the house.¡± ¡°Okay, we will be right there.¡± ¡°Miss Riddle, why don¡¯t you go in first and wait inside?¡± ¡°They will be here soon.¡± Nicole smiled. Chapter 893 Chapter 893 Chapter 893 Just as she expected it, Sean and others arrived in his car within a few minutes. After the car was parked, Nicole walkedup to them. Dad, Mom, don''t you guys think you are overdressed? Nicole was surprised when she saw them. ¡°It is called respect. We are meeting Mr.Harmon for the first time.¡± Daniel exined. Miss Riddle, this way, please. The family butler came over to usher them. Thank you. Nicole and the others followed the family butler inside. Scott, his wife, and his father had been waiting for a long time. When he saw Nicole and her family walk in, Scott got up to wee them. ¡°Miss Riddle, you havee atst. If you didn''te, my father would have rebuked me. Scott joked humorously. ¡°Mr.Harmons, you two are so kind. Healing patients is my job. Nicole was modest, and she was not asking for anything in return. ¡°Miss Riddle has high medical ethics. Please make yourself at home, just considering that you''re visiting a friend.¡± Scott had a smile on his face. These are my parents, and this is my eldest brother. This is Mr.Harmon from Aegis Corporation. Nicole introduced them to each other. Scott shook hands with them to wee them. Nicole came up to Mr.Harmon Sr. and asked, You''re in much better spirits than before. Please take a seat, Miss Riddle.¡± Mr.Harmon Sr. gestured for Nicole to sit next to him. Thanks to you, I can still meet with you here today.¡± Mr.Harmon Sr. looked at her with gratitude. ¡°Don¡¯t mention ebook it. How have you been since you were discharged from the hospital?¡± Nicole asked. ¡°It feels better than being in the hospital. The air and environment here are good, and I''m recovering well.¡± Mr.Harmon Sr. felt that being in his own home was just morefortable than being in the hospital. ¡°As long as you feelfortable . But you have to go to the hospital for follow-up treatment every three months. ¡°In Nicole¡¯s eyes, he was still her patient. Scottplimented her, saying, You''re not only highly skilled in medicine but are also concerned for your patients.¡± ¡°That¡¯s who she is, always taking everything seriously.¡± Daniel looked at Nicole and felt proud of her. While Nicole was chatting with Mr. Harmon Sr., Sean and Mr.Harmon were talking about the project. U1 I have never said thank you in person, so I would like to take this opportunity today to thankMr. Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org. Harmon for your willingness to give us the Aegis Corporation project.¡± Sean looked at Scott gratefully. ¡°I have read your bid proposal. It is unique among manypanies and meets all the requirements of Aegis Corporation . Also, you are Miss Riddle''s family. Scott was willing to give the project to the Riddle family, partly because hewanted to repay Nicole''s kindness. Sean understood that and still expressed his gratitude. ¡°Mr.Riddle, if you encounter any problems with the project, you can always talk to my assistant, and he will help you.¡± Scotthad exined the project to the Riddle family long ago. ¡°Thank you, Mr.Harmon. Since it was at the estate, Scott did not invite anyone except the Riddle family. No outsiders had ever entered the estate, and the Riddle family was the first. After chatting for a long while, the family butler came over, ¡°Mr.Harmon, the banquet is ready.¡± ¡°Mr.and Miss Riddle, I have prepared lunch for you all. This way, please. Scott then led them to the dining room. The spacious and bright dining room had a sumptuous banquet set in the middle. Just by looking at it, one could tell that it was specially prepared for Nicole and her family. They were seated in order of seniority, except for Nicole, who was seated next to Mr.Harmon Sr., right across from Mr.Harmon. Mr.Harmon raised his ss to Nicole and said, Miss Riddle, from now on, we are friends. If you need anything, call me. Chapter 894 Chapter 894 This is the gold card for all the clubs under my name. From now on, you can go to thoseclubs as you please without having to pay anything. Scott handed the limited-edition gold card to the butler, who handed it to Nicole. ¡°Mr. Harmon, thank you for your hospitality, but I can''t ept this.¡± Nicole came to the banquet today because she did notwant Scott to keep remembering about her saving her father''s life. She just did not expect him to give her a gold card out of the blue. ¡°Compared to your medical ethics, a card is nothing. You are looking down on me if you don''t ept it.¡± Nicole never thought Scott would say such thingsjust to make her ept the gold card. Everyone looked at Nicole with awkwardness. Gloria defused the sticky situation by telling Nicole, I can see that Mr. Harmon really wants to give you a gift. If you don¡¯t ept it, won¡¯t you disappoint Mr. Harmon? Nicole looked at Gloria and knew that if she did not ept the gold card, she would not be able to continue with themeal. ¡°Thank you, Mr. Harmon.¡± Nicole looked at Mr. Harmon. Scott smiled and took the lead in raising his ss. Cheers.¡± Then everyone raised their ssestogether. After the meal, Nicole and her family said goodbye to Mr. Harmon and his family and then left the estate. In the car, Gloria said, ¡°I never thought Mr. Harmon would be a man who knows how to repay kindness.¡± ¡°Yeah, not only did they invite us over forlunch, but they also gave Nicole a gold card. s far as I know, Mr. Harmon never invites outsiders to his estate. We should be the first,¡± Sean said proudly. After all, it was a matter of honor, and a status symbol, to be able to go to Mr. Harmon¡¯s estate. ¡°Exactly. How fortunate we are,¡± Gloria said. ¡°It¡¯s all thanks to Nicole. Content held by N?velDrama.Org. Otherwise, we wouldn''t be able toe to an estate of this level in our lifetime.¡± Daniel praised Nicole. Dad, you''re exaggerating. Nicole looked back at him and chuckled. ¡°Nicole, that¡¯s not an exaggeration. Take the gold card that Mr. Harmon has given you; it is a limited edition, not something you can get with money.¡± Sean¡¯s eyes were filled with pride. Although it was not given to him, from his demeanor, it looked as if he had got that gold card. Nicole saw him talking about the card and radiating with delight and said, ¡°You seem to like this gold card. I will let you have it.¡± Sean hurriedly declined. ¡°I don¡¯t dare to ept it. Not anyone deserves to own this gold card. You are the only one in our family who deserves it.¡± ¡°It¡¯s really getting more and more god-like, but it isstill just a gold card. Nicole looked at Sean''s expression andughed. You better believe it; something this expensive is not something that ordinary people can afford to have.¡± ¡°You might as wellconcentrate on driving. Nicole did not believe him at all. Dad, Mom, should I take you straight home or go somewhere else?¡± Sean asked. Go home. Sean, drop me off at a convenient ce where I can get a cabter.¡± Nicole was not going backto the Riddle Mansion. Where are you going? I will drop you off after dropping off Dad and Mom.¡± ¡°Nicole, aren¡¯t youing home with us?¡± Gloriaasked in surprise, No. You just get Dad and Mom home ebook safely. Nicole had her own n. Dad, Mom, I have some other things to take care of, so I won¡¯t be going back with you.¡± Nicole turned to look atthem. L ILLE After twenty minutes, Sean stopped at a suitable location. Bye, thank you for the ride. Nicole smiled at Sean. https://novelebook/let-me-go-mr-hill-bd2228.html? Bye-bye. Be safe. After getting out of the car, Nicole took a cab to Jared¡¯s office. Max, is Jared busy? The reason Nicole called Max was that she was worried about disturbing Jared. ¡°Mr. Johnston is in a meeting. Do you want me to tell him? No, don''t disturb him. I will wait for him in his office by myself. Nicole hung up the phone and took the elevator up to the floor where Jared¡¯s office was. She made herself a cup of coffee, sat on the couch , and admired the views outside. Chapter 895 Chapter 895 Jared''s office had a perfect view of the sea, making it an ideal spot forsea viewing. After a while , Jared came in from outside. Seeing Nicole sitting with her back to him, he immediately walked with quiet steps, tiptoeing to the window, and swooped in to hug her. But he missed. How dare you trick me? Jared mped his grip on Nicole¡¯s wrist and yanked her into his arms. Nicole had heard the door open when ebook Jared came in, but she deliberately did not turn around. Instead, she wanted to lure him in. At the moment he was ready to ??vel?book pounce on her, she quickly ducked. LLL Who told you to always sneak up on me? ¡°What are you looking at?¡± Jared asked dotingly ashe hugged Nicole and looked at her side face. I''m looking at the sea. Jared followed her eyes; the vastness of the ocean was truly aspirational. ¡°How does Mr. Harmon¡¯s estate feel?¡± Jared asked. How did you know it was an estate that I had gone to?¡± Nicole¡¯s eyes narrowed as she studied him. How can I not know your whereabouts? Jared responded in a bossy way. ¡°You followed me.¡± ¡°I was worried about you. I must make sure the ce where my fianc¨¦e visits is the safest.¡± Ever since thest diving ident, Jared had orderedsomeone to protect Nicole secretly. I will let you off the hook for the sake of your nicety.¡± Nicole graciously forgave him. ¡°Today, Mr. Harmon entertained us with a banquet and gave me a gold card.¡± She said, holding it out and showingit to Jared. Jared took the gold card, nced at it, and was surprised. He gave such a valuable gold card to you? It seems that Mr. Harmon values his rtionship with you. I didn''t want it at first, but Mr. Harmon was too passionate, and I could do nothing about it,¡± Nicole said helplessly. Jared sneered. You could do nothing while pretending to be helpless with a gold card in your hand?¡± ¡°What do you mean I waspretending? I really didn''t want it, Nicole tried to exin herself. ¡°I know. I don''t have a meeting this afternoon, so should we go try on the betrothal dresses?¡± Jared suggested. Why not? Jared drove Nicole to thepany''s clothing store that provided tailor service. ¡°Hello, Mr. Johnston.¡± The store manager had been expecting him outside. Jared took Nicole¡¯s hand and walked in. ¡°Mr. Johnston, this is a tailor-made outfit for you and Miss Riddle.¡± ¡°Let Miss Riddle try it.¡± ¡°Please followme, Miss Riddle. A staff member led Nicole to the fitting room. T ¡°Are you going to try it too, Mr. Johnston?¡± The store manager asked. Yes. Right this way. Jared walked out in his tailor-made suit, which felt great. He then went to Nicole¡¯s fitting room. ¡°You¡¯re so handsome,¡± Nicole eximed subconsciously. Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org. When she realized what she had said, she hurriedly covered her mouth. Jared smiled with delight, as that was exactly what he wanted to hear. ¡°How long before you are ready?¡± ¡°Soon. I will be ready soon. I will wait for you outside.¡± Jared happily went. Chapter 896 Chapter 896 After a short while, Nicole came out in her dress. Jared was stunned at themoment he saw her as if he had seen a fairy. Fairy, is it okay if I call you that from now on?¡± Jared joked with a smile on his face. Fairy? Do you want me to call you a fairy boy? That¡¯s hrious.¡± Nicole rolled her happy eyes at him. Jared still could not help butpliment her. This gown matches you so well, light and delicate. It was the first time Nicole had beenplimented by him like that in front of outsiders,and she felt shy. People are looking at us. Jared turned around only to find the store manager and the staff members looking at them with smiling faces. You guys go out first. Suddenly, he instructed them like a changed person. After everyone else had left, Jared looked Nicole up and down and continued topliment her. If you descend from the air wearing this gown on the betrothal day, people will definitely mistake you asa fairy. Have you eaten honey today? Why did you be a sweet talker all of a sudden?¡± Nicole teased him. LL Not only did I eat honey today, but every day going forward, I¡¯m going toeat it. Jared wrapped his arms around her and gave her a kiss. Nicole hurriedly ducked out of the way and gave him a scornful look. ¡°This is a clothing store. You are so daring. Jared looked at her steadily without uttering a word. If that''s okay, this is the one to go with? He asked her opinion. Since you haveplimented me like that, is there any other gown that canpare toit? Nicole stroked the gown and loved it. She was happy that Jared had good taste in fashion. ¡°Manager.¡± ¡°Mr. Johnston, how may I help you? The store manager trotted in. Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org. ¡°We have decided on these two outfits. Order them to be delivered to the hotel on the day of the betrothal.¡± ¡°Okay, Mr. Johnston. After changing back into their own clothes, Jared and Nicole left the clothing store. In the car, Jared looked at Nicole and asked, Now do you have somewhere you want to go?¡± ¡°No. You may arrange the rest of the day. Nicole leaned back to get some shut-eye. Jared shook his head, picked up the phone, and made a call. ¡°Max, get a helicopter ready for me. I need it in twenty minutes. Jared, what are you doing preparing the helicopter?¡± Nicole was shocked to hear Jared¡¯s telephone conversation and satup straight away to ask him. ¡°Don¡¯t be nervous. You will know soon. Jared deliberately created suspense as he looked at the nervous Nicole. Nicole was instantly alert and repeatedly ??vel?book studied Jared''s intentions, but he looked cool, calm, and collected, not like something terrible had happened. Nicole could not guess what he was up to. https://novelebook/my-wife-is-a-hacker-by-summer-bd1579.html By the looks of things, she knew she would not get an answer, even if she asked. She took out her phone and searched for recent events. After analyzing them, none of the events had anything to do with Jared. So she wondered what his intention in preparing the helicopter was. Jared did not tell her even after they had gotten out of the car. She was baffled but had to follow Jared; if there was any danger, she could at least help him. The nervousness during battles came to her once again. She had not experienced this for a long time. Her every cell involuntarily became on guard as she scanned the surroundings for danger. LII TL Why did you bring me ??vel?book to the office? Aren¡¯t there any more meetings this afternoon? Don¡¯t you have to get ona helicopter? Nicole asked three questions in a row. The helicopter is up there. This was all Jared said before he brought her to his exclusive elevator. The elevator soon came to the rooftop, where Max was already waiting. ¡°Mr. Chapter 897 Chapter 897 ¡°Okay, get on the helicopter.¡± Jared took Nicole¡®s arm and was about to walk toward the helicopter. Nicole pulled his hand and asked, ¡°Where are we going? What¡¯s happening?¡± Looking at a still nervous Nicole , Jared could not bear to tease her anymore. ¡°Nothing is happening. I¡®m going to show you the world.¡± Nicole could not believe her ears. ¡®Jared has to be kidding her, right? He gets a helicopter to take me to see the world for no reason?¡® She looked at him in disbelief. ¡°Are you kidding me?¡± ¡°Nope. You will find out in a minute. Get onboard.¡± Jared took her hand and got on the helicopter. Jared made it to the pilot¡¯s seat, leaving Nicole in the passenger seat. ¡°Are you ready? It is a gift before we get betrothed.¡± ¡°A gift?¡± Nicole waspletely baffled, increasingly confused by what he was saying. But looking at him like he was going to fly the machine himself, Nicole asked with concern, ¡°Do you have a flying license?¡± ¡°Sure. I do.¡± Jared flew the helicopter up into the air, heading toward the sun. ¡°Look over there.¡± Jared pointed out to the sea, where several yachts on the sea posed in a huge heart shape. ¡°Do you like it?¡± Jared looked over at Nicole. ¡°Love it.¡± Nicole was so touched, and she kissed Jared on the lips. The sun shone brightly and warmly on the two¡®s faces. Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org. Jared did not expect Nicole to kiss him, let alone in a helicopter. The sound of fireworks suddenly came. Nicole looked outside, and a line appeared in the distance after the explosion of fireworks in the air. [Nicole, Jared will always love you.] It was the first time she had seen her name appear from the fireworks¨Cone that belonged to her, the fireworks he had set off for her. ¡°Jared, why didn¡®t you tell me earlier? You caused me to worry for a while,¡± Nicole said. ¡°I¡®m sorry to have worried you. I wanted to surprise you.¡± It was the first time Jared had ever said those words to anyone, or maybe he would only say them to Nicole. Jared flew the helicopter away from the sea and off into the distance. ¡°Can you tell me where we are going now?¡± Nicole was not worried now, her tense nerves having rxed at the sight of the gift he had prepared for her. ¡°We are going to the ind for our honeymoon now.¡± ¡°Honeymoon? Aren¡®t we only going on our honeymoon after we get married?¡± Nicole looked at him in puzzlement ¡°Who says we have to be married before you can go? I can go on my honeymoon whenever I want, as long as you agree, and no one else can stop us.¡± Jared looked at her dominantly as if he was going to swallow her up in the next moment. ¡°Hell yeah.¡± Nicole looked at him with a smile. ¡°Let¡®s take a picture,¡± Nicole suggested. The time with him was always good, and she wanted to keep the moment. Carl was still tracking White abroad. The coordinates had been narrowed down to a town, but the situation here wasplicated, so he did not dare to act rashly. He had tried to contact Zane in the past few days but had not heard from him. So today, he continued to go outside to have his meal as usual. Suddenly the beacon light on his hand shed rapidly , and Carl immediately covered it with his sleeve, knowing White should be in his vicinity. While eating, his eyes scanned. Suddenly, a man in a hoodie in the corner caught his attention. Chapter 898 Chapter 898 The hoodie man ordered a meal, quickly finished eating, then got up and walked out. Carl immediately followed. He knew hackers were vignt, so he did not dare to follow too close but tailed him from a distance. Every timeing to a fork in the road, the hoodie man would look back to see if there was anyone following him. After making sure that no one was following him, he would continue to walk forward. Carl had followed the hoodie man for several intersections, but the hoodie man had not gone into any buildings. It seemed that this man was extraordinarily alert. He led Carl to roam around several intersections, then made sure it was safe before entering a small, inconspicuous door. Carl watched the door close from a distance, and instead of getting close to check, he went into a nearby shop. He knew that the hoodie man must be watching from behind the door. For days on end, Carl watched the hoodie man¡®s movements nearby that door. ording to the coordinates, this hoodie man should be the person whom Nicole asked him to find, but he still needed confirmation from Nicole before he took action. After sending several messages to Nicole without receiving a reply, Carl had no choice but to stay near the door to observe the hoodie man. Nicole and Jared stayed on an ind for several days. After the honeymoon , Jared flew her back to the office. ¡°Go ahead and get busy. No need to see me off. I¡®m going back to the vi.¡± Nicole kissed him on the cheek before leaving As she walked downstairs to the lobby, she bumped into Chloe, who was walking in. ¡°Nicole ? You¡®re here to see Mr. Johnston ?¡± Chloe acted like a big sister. ¡°You have a problem with that?¡± Nicole asked rhetorically, without answering. Last time she was forced to apologize to her in Jared¡®s office. This time, she wanted to redeem herself. Chloe suddenly changed her attitude and looked at Nicole kindly. ¡°I have something that needs a favor from you.¡± Nicole just wanted to get back to the vi quickly. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Henry knows Grandpa likes to collect diamonds , so he specially asked someone to buy a Dresden Green Diamond from abroad and asked me to pass it to Grandpa. But if I take it back to Grandpa now, it will bete for themercial shooting, and it will affect theunch of the new products of Johnston Group.¡± ¡°I know you are cautious, so I want to ask you to help me deliver it to Grandpa.¡± Chloe looked at Nicole and softened up. Nicole sized her up and thought about Johnston Group¡®s new productunch. ¡°Where¡®s the stuff?¡± ¡°It is in my bag. I have been carrying it around with me for fear of losing something so valuable.¡± Chloe took out a beautiful box from her handbag and carefully handed it to Nicole. ¡°Be careful. This is expensive and the only one. ¡°Chloe looked as if she was afraid Nicole would lose it. ¡°You can deliver it yourself if you are worried.¡± Nicole handed the box back to her. Chloe hurriedly pushed it back and smiled. ¡°Don¡®t worry, don¡®t worry. I trust no one else but you. Bring it to Grandpa quickly.¡± ¡°Okay, I¡®m off.¡± Nicole took the box and walked out. Looking on as Nicole went, Chloe let out a triumphant smile. ¡°I will make it impossible for you to exin yourself this time.¡± She then spun around and walked back into the building. Nicole took the box and went without dy. She hated Chloe, but she would do it for her grandfather¡®s sake. She waved down a cab and got in. ¡°Crimson Street.¡± Soon, the cab stopped in front of her grandfather¡®s house. She got out of the cab and walked into the house with the box. Before Nicole even came inside , she could already hear Raine and Snow¡®s voices. ¡®What are they doing here?¡® Nicole walked in with curiosity. Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org. Raine was giving her grandfather a shoulder massage when she saw Nicoleing in. ¡°What brings you here?¡± Chapter 899 Chapter 899 ¡°Do I have to report to you whenever Ie to see Grandpa?¡± Nicole hit back. ¡°Nicole,e and sit down.¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. was happy to see Nicole, whom he had seen in a while. ¡°Grandpa, are you feeling okay?¡± Nicole said with concern. ¡°Still in good health. Don¡®t worry about me.¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. beamed, his voice forceful. ¡°I can tell by Grandpa¡®s voice. You¡®re so fake,¡± Raine said sarcastically. Nicole did not want to get into it with her. She looked at Mr. Riddle Sr. and said, ¡°Grandpa, I¡®m getting betrothed to Jared in a few days. Can youe?¡± ¡°d to hear that. I give you guys my blessing, but I won¡®t be there for your betrothal . I will send you a gift when the timees, anyway.¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. said, sounding hale and hearty. ¡°Grandpa , we don¡®t want gifts. We are happy to see you are always healthy and with us.¡± Nicole was all smiles. Only in front of Mr. Riddle Sr. and Jared could she smile so happily. ¡°Nicole, I didn¡®t know that you were so filial.¡± Raine standing behind Mr. Riddle Sr., was ready to find fault with Nicole ¡°Raine, will you stay out of the way when I¡®m talking to Grandpa?¡± Nicole reprimanded her with frosty eyes. ¡°You¨C¡± ¡°All right, Raine. Go over there and rest for a while,¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. said, and Raine had no choice but to walk away. ¡°Snow, didn¡®t you see Nicole¡®s smug look? Why didn¡®t you say something?¡± Raine angrilyined to Snow. ¡°Grandpa likes Nicole a lot, plus she will be betrothed to Jared soon, and Grandpa will like her even more. So don¡®t be upset with yourself,¡± Snow said. ¡°You are really forgiving, eh,¡± Raine said sarcastically to Snow. Content held by N?velDrama.Org. Nicole took out the box that Chloe had asked her to and handed it to Mr. Riddle Sr. ¡°Grandpa , this is what Chloe asked me to bring you. She said that Henry knew you liked to collect things, so he specially bought the Dresden Green Diamond from abroad for you.¡± ¡°It is so kind of Henry.¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. took the box and put it in his hand without the intention of opening it. ¡°Grandpa, why don¡®t you open it and take a look?¡± Nicole asked curiously. ¡°Right, Grandpa. Open it and check to see if there is anything broken.¡± Raine and Snow immediately came over when they heard that the diamond was bought from abroad. Seeing that his three granddaughters wanted him to open it, he smiled. ¡°I will open it up then and let you all help me take a look at it.¡± ¡°Okay. Okay.¡± Raine nodded her head repeatedly. Mr. Riddle Sr. gently opened the box, and a sparkling diamond came into view. ¡°This is the Dresden Green Diamond?¡± Raine eximed in amazement. Mr. Riddle Sr. took it in his hand and looked at it, then his face sank, and the smile on his face disappeared . Nicole saw his expression and immediately asked, ¡°Grandpa, what¡®s wrong? Is there something wrong with the diamond?¡± Snow and Raine heard what Nicole said and immediately looked at her. ¡°How could there be a problem with such a nice¨Clooking diamond? Stop making trouble here.¡± ¡°Bring me my sses,¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. said to the family butler. His sses were brought up. He picked up a loupe and looked at the diamond carefully. After a long while, he put down the loupe and sighed in disappointment. ¡°This is not a Dresden Green Diamond but just a rtively pure diamond.¡± ¡°What?¡± Nicole, Snow, and Raine eximed in shock. Chapter 900 Chapter 900 ¡°Grandpa , are you getting that right?¡± Nicole could not believe her ears and asked again. ¡°It can¡®t be wrong. I have this kind of diamond, which is several times better in purity than this one.¡± Mr. Riddle Sr.¡®s serious expression told her that this diamond was not the one Chloe was talking about. Nicole looked at the diamond in the box and wondered how this could be. ¡°Nicole, I didn¡®t expect you to do such a thing, stealing Grandpa¡®s diamond. You are so daring.¡± Snow red at Nicole and rebuked her. ¡°Nicole, was it because you saw that the Dresden Green Diamond was so beautiful that you swapped the diamond with a fake one?¡± Raine looked at Nicole viciously, seriously suspecting that Nicole had taken the diamond. ¡°Exactly. How could Chloe let you deliver something so valuable with just a box? That looks like child¡®s y.¡± Snow also suspected that Nicole had tampered with it. Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org. Seeing that Raine and Snow were fanning the mes, Nicole shot them a displeased look and turned to Mr. Riddle Sr. ¡°Grandpa , I did nothing. I watched Chloe take this box out of her handbag, and I never opened it midway, much less knew that it didn¡®t contain the Dresden Green Diamond.¡± Nicole looked at Mr. Riddle Sr. with a grave face. ¡°It is okay. It is just a diamond. No need to make a fuss about it.¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. stopped Snow and Raine. ¡°Nicole, I believe in you.¡± He looked at her with an avuncr face. Nicole was warm¨Chearted, knowing that her grandfather trusted her so much. ¡°Grandpa, I will find out what¡®s going on and give you an exnation.¡± With that, Nicole left. Mr. Riddle Sr. looked on, twirling his beard with a thoughtful face as Nicole went. ¡°Grandpa , why do you trust Nicole that much? What if she really took it and doesn¡®t admit it?¡± Raine grumbled angrily. ¡°She wouldn¡®t; I know Nicole.¡± ¡°Don¡®t mention this to anyone.¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. instructed them. ¡°Got it, Grandpa.¡± Snow and Raine grimaced helplessly. Deep down inside them, they were thinking of making good use of this opportunity to smash down Nicole. On the way back, Nicole recalled every word and action Chloe had said and done, and there was no question that the box had been switched before it was passed to her. But Chloe would not admit it if she were to question her right now. After all, she left in a hurry after taking the box and did not open it to check. Now things had gone wrong, and there was a possibility that Henry would be implicated Her car pulled up steadily in front of Jared¡®s vi. Nicole got out of the car and walked in, her mind still thinking about the diamond. Seeing theputer on the table, she remembered she had an appointment with Zeke earlier. She immediately turned on theputer, and several messages from Carl popped up on the screen. Nicole immediately opened them. It was all messages from Carl waiting for her confirmation. She smacked her thigh for almost screwing things up big time. Carl had found someone who acted like White, and because he could not be sure, he kept his hands off. Nicole zoomed in on the pictures and videos Carl sent over, repeatedly examined them, and then replied to Carl. (What is the situation at your end now?] She soon received a reply from Carl. (This person switches his ce of stay every few days and is very suspicious.] [Find a chance to test him. If this person is White, get rid of him immediately.) (Okay.) Aftermunicating with Carl, Nicole quickly contacted Zeke. ¡°Have you made any progress in your research in thest few days?¡± 1 ¡°I¡®m ready to assist you in cracking it.¡± Zeke was still confident in himself. ¡°Okay, we will do it in sync now.¡± Nicole started attacking the target¡®s intr. Chapter 901 Chapter 901 Zeke, on the other side, was hacking simultaneously with Nicole. The target had a rtively vigorous defense, and Nicoleconstantly looked for and attacked its vulnerability, but each attempt was foiled. Her fingers kept typing on the keyboard, her eyes glued to theputer screen. Time seemed to speed up while she was working. Content held by N?velDrama.Org. Two hours had passed before she knew it. ¡°Zeke, stop the attack,¡± Nicole said. ¡°Okay.¡± The two stopped hacking at the same time. "We willunch another wave of attackter when they ck off,¡± Nicole said. ¡°Okay.I will stand by." Nicole took advantage of the break to call Ms.Emerson. ¡± Ms.Emerson, I''m not going to school until the exams, as I have more things to do in the meantime.¡± ¡°Okay, I understand, and I know you won¡¯t fall behind in your study even if you don''te to school.So don¡¯t worry and get busy.¡± Ms.Emerson¡¯s attitude toward Nicole could not be nicer now. ¡°Thank you, Ms.Emerson.¡± Nicole hung up. She did not have to worry about school things for now.She came to the couch to get some shut-eye. As she closed her eyes, the diamond came to mind again. It had now be her sore point; as soon as she rested, she could not resist thinking about the matter. Nicole forced herself to stop thinking about it and got some rest, as she still had a task to continueter on. Nicole fell asleep on the couch. When she opened her eyes again, it was already dusk outside.She got up, stretched, and got a quick bite, then sat down at theputer. "Zeke, are you there?" "I''m here." "Get ready for the second wave.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± The silent war resumed and the two sides engaged in a tug of war, with Nicole stepping up her attacks this time as she clearly sensed that the target was in disarray and revealing more and more of its weaknesses. She took the opportunity to release the virus. Soon, the intr of the target appeared semi-paralyzed. ¡°How many levels have you hacked, Zeke?¡± Nicole asked. ¡°Three.I sense that they have fiveyers of firewall.Such defenses are a piece of cake for my decryptor." Zeke had extraordinary confidence in his newly upgraded decryptor. ¡°Don¡¯t screw up.¡± Nicole reminded him. "Don''t worry." Under Nicole''s intense attack, the target''s website went down, and Zeke had also cracked it all. ¡°Mission aplished,¡± Nicole announced. ¡°You have improved again , kid,¡± Nicoleplimented Zeke. ¡°I know.¡± ¡°Oh, stop, you.I have wired you the money.Bye." "So fast? Remember to call me next time when you have a fat job like this." Nicole made a handsome sum of money working on his job, which only required a few days of her effort.It was easy money for her. But after just hacking the target''s intr, Nicole identally saw a description of something simr to Martin¡¯s finished experiment. She immediately checked again, and it really looked like Martin''s result of the experiment.She quickly downloaded the data and called Martin on the phone. ¡°Are you busy, Martin?¡± Nicole asked. Chapter 902 Chapter 902 "Yes, I''m in theb. What can I do for you?¡± Martin had given up pursuing the previous finished experiment and was now re-experimenting. "I wille over now if it is convenient for you.¡± ¡°It is convenient.You maye over anytime." "Okay, I will see youter.¡± Nicole hung up the phone, grabbed the information, and hurried off toMartin''sb. At the hospital, Nicole takes the elevator to Martin''sb floor. When Martin heard a knock on theb door, he opened it from the inside. "Come in, Nicole." It surprised Nicole to see a disheveled Martin. "What''s wrong with you? How did you end up like this?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Martin hurriedly looked in the mirror and was almost startled by his look. "Sorry, I have been so busy experimenting all this time and didn¡¯t pay attention to my personal grooming.Hope you don''t mind." Martin scratched his head in embarrassment. "Are you still okay?" Nicole looked at the haggard Martin, who no longer looked as handsome as previously. ¡°I¡¯m okay.I feel pretty good.¡± ¡°Nicole,e and see this.I¡¯m midway through the experiment now.What do you think?" Nicole was the only person he trusted and would share the joy with now. Nicole followed him and walked over to check it out. The experiment product was taking shape, and it was slightly different in outline from thest one. ¡°You upgraded it?¡± Nicole asked. "Yes, the previous finished experiment has been sessful, but there are still some issues in practical applications.I came back and went through all the problems from scratch, refining them one by one, and now it is kind of close to perfect.¡± Martin looked scruffy, but he found his confidence again. Nicole nodded. "I''m sure the finished product will be stunning this time around.I look forward to seeing your result soon." "Thank you.I promise you will be the first to witness it." ¡°Why don¡¯t you name it?¡± Martin pleaded as he looked at her. ¡°Me? Not appropriate.You should be the person who names it." Nicole politely refused, as she figured that he had spent time and effort experimenting.He should be the one who names the thing. After thinking for a while, Martin had a lightbulb moment. ¡°Let¡¯s call it The Beacon.What do you think?" Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org. "The Beacon- that''s a great name, symbolizing hope and light.¡± Martin looked at Nicole and nodded vigorously. "I feel as if the name hase to life with your exnation.¡± ¡°You seemed to have something for me on the phone, didn''t you?" Martin suddenly thought of something. "Yes, take a look at this." Nicole took out the information and handed it to him. "What''s this?" Martin took the information and looked at Nicole. "You will know it when you read it." Martin took the information to a chair and sat down, flipping through it carefully, his expression graduallyturning from nonchnt to surprised. "Where did you get this information?" Martin asked Nicole with emotion. ¡°Just calm down.There¡¯s no need to question the content. "What are you going to do now?" Nicole looked at him with a calm face. Martin''s fingers holding the information tightened, as he never thought that Joyce would take the result of the experiments they had worked together for half a year and sell them abroad. Chapter 903 Chapter 903 Martin was wrestling with the thought of whether to forgive Joyce. He looked at the information in his hands and roared in anger, his eyes bloodshot, feeling as if his head was going to explode. After a long while, he looked at Nicole with no expression. "Since she has betrayed me, I will make this personal.Thank you, Nicole.I will take care of this myself. "There was no warmth in Martin''s gaze, as if a drop of water would freeze on it if it fellin. ¡°Take care of yourself.¡± Nicole turned to leave. Nicole felt sorry for Martin as she thought back on the contents of the information; Joycehad gone too far. If she were in his shoes, she would have uprooted the McCarthy family in its entirety. A few dayster, Jared and Nicole''s betrothal was held as scheduled, and the magnificent hotel was filled with people. It might only be a betrothal, but VIPs and celebrities came to congratte them and wanted to associate with the Johnston family. In the splendid ballroom , handsome guys and beautiful girls gathered and hung out together. The Riddle family, as kindred of Nicole, was seated in the front talking to the Johnston family members, while the younger ones wereughing and joking with friends and rtives in the ballroom Snow, Raine , and Norah gathered together and chatted with each other, and they were surrounded by socialites who were trying to make up to them. Because of Nicole, people started to look up to them. Screams rang out at the ballroom entrance as Harvey walked and was immediately surrounded by a group of beautiful women Snow looked displeased. ¡°These women are so unashamed.Have they never seen a man in their lifetimes?" Not wanting to be outdone, she plucked up her courage and walked up to Harvey with a smile. ¡°You havee.It is quieter over there.Why don''t we go sit over there?" Snow knew Harvey hated being pestered, so she pointed him to a rtively quiet spot. Harvey nced at the ce and thought it made sense, so he walked over. When the others saw Snow steal Harvey away, they all looked displeased. "Harvey did not want to talk to Snow, yet she still shamelessly approached him.¡± ¡°People say she is the most popr girl at school, but I think she is more like a joke," a few others said sarcastically. Immediately after, Sebastian walked in, b¨¹t Martin was nowhere to be seen at his side. Jared and Nicole looked over at him. ¡°This way, please, Mr.Wyance.¡± Nicole came up to greet him. "Congrattions to you two," Sebastian said, holding out his hand. "Nicole, I will take you to rest in the lounge." Jared took Nicole¡¯s hand and was about to go to the second floor. ¡°It is okay.The guests are all here; it is not good for us to rest.¡± Nicole refused. "Then go sit over there." Jared gestured for Max to take Nicole over. Nicole was not really that tired, but she knew Jared did not want her to get too strained, so she obeyed. Jared was alone in the ballroom , entertaining guests, and people kepting up to him to talk. That was when Scott walked over. ¡°Mr.Johnston, how are you doing?" Jared looked back at hearing a voice. ¡°When did you arrive , Mr.Harmon? You should have sent someone to give me a heads-up.Sorry for not weing outside,¡± Jared said politely. ¡°It is okay, Mr.Johnston.I just heard about your betrothal, and I thought it would not make it here on time.Luckily, the party hasn¡¯t started yet,¡± Scott said. Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org. The two men got together and talked. Gloria walked over to Nicole and asked with concern, "Are you tired?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine, Mom.What are you doing over here? Where''s Dad?" "He is over there talking to his friends.I was sitting around doing nothing, so I might as welle over here and see you.¡± Gloria was all smiles, genuinely happy forNicole and Jared''s betrothal. Chapter 904 Chapter 904 "Nicole, you look so pretty today," Lulu and June said as they walked over. ¡°You guys talk; I will go check on Norah," Gloria said as she saw Nicole''s ssmates approaching and immediately made herself scarce. ¡°Thank you, Mrs.Riddle.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t see you two just now.When did you guys arrive? "Nicole looked at them curiously. ¡°We just arrived.Nicole , this ce is so grand.I wish I were you." Lulu sat down and said with envy. ¡°No need to be envious .Just wait until youe here, too." Nicole looked at her and felt it was funny. "Not anyone can afford to use this ce." Lulu looked disappointed. "Gee, why don''t you just ask Nicole to arrange it for you when the timees?¡± June suggested. ¡°Nicole, your gown is so stunning.Where did you order it? " The first time June saw Nicole, she was attracted by the gown Nicole was wearing. "It was ordered from Jared''s tailoring shop, and it turned out okay, right?¡± Nicole stood up to show it off. ¡°That is so okay.I''m going to order a set too when I get engaged.¡± June was also envious. "Okay, mention my name then, and they will give you a discount.¡± ¡°Really? A million thanks.¡± Harveywas sitting with Snow, but his eyes were on Nicole. "What have you been up totely, Harvey? I haven''t even talked to you for a while." Snow seized the opportunity to chat with him. ¡°It is all work stuff.You won''t understand it even if I tell you." Harvey''s perfunctory attitude was all too obvious. Snow was not too happy, but she could not help wanting to talk to him more.So she spoke again. ¡°You¡¯re dressed really handsome today.Those girls at the door just now were too disrespectful by swarming around you.After this, we n to go to the beach for a walk.I heard that there is a firework show today.Do you want to join us?" Snow continued to talk, not noticing Harvey¡¯s impatience in the slightest. Harvey felt his ears hurt in less than twenty minutes of sitting next to Snow.If you stayed sitting there any longer, he figured his head was going to explode. So he got up and walked toward Nicole. "Where are you going, Harvey?" Snow stood up and asked. ¡°You can sit here.I''m just mooching around." Snow was keeping an eye on Harvey, trying to see where he was going. She stomped her feet in anger when she saw him look for Nicole. ''What is so great about you, Nicole?'' she yelled in her mind. Norah, who had taken in Snow''s expression from the side, came up to her. ¡°Are you okay, Snow?¡± Snow looked up. When she saw it was Norah , she rolled her eyes with annoyance. "What are you doing over here? "I saw you weren''t in a very good mood and thought I''de over to keep youpany." Norah did not mind her attitude and continued to talk to her calmly. Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. ¡°I¡¯m in an excellent mood.I don¡¯t need yourpany.¡± Snow was still piqued. "In an excellent mood? Your eyebrows are all furrowed together.Keep that up and everyone else will see," Norah kindly reminded her. Chapter 905 Chapter 905 Snow then came to her senses, realizing that she had almost embarrassed the Riddle family. She turned her eyes to Norah and asked, "I heard you are back to the Riddle family.How are Mr.and Mrs.Riddle treating you?¡± Snow aimed at her soft spot. Norah felt a pang of ache inside her.She did not show it on her face but just looked at Snow with a smile. ¡°They have been treating me well, just like before.Besides, Nicole moved out of the Riddle family of her own ord as soon as I got back.¡± ¡°Nicole has moved out of the Riddle family?¡± The news surprisedSnow. She studied Norah , not expecting that she had gotten rid of Nicole only after a few days back. ¡°That is right.I saw the look on your face just now.You''re still not giving up on Harvey, aren''t you?" Norah steered the conversation back to Snow. "It is none of your business who I like." Snow shot her a re, but then, her attention slowly shifted to Harvey, who was now approachingNicole. "Humph! Isn''t it at all hard for you to see your sweetheart¡¯s heart set on another woman?¡± Norah nced at Harvey andincited jealousy in Snow. Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. Snow clenched her hands into fists, her knuckles turning white, but she did not say a word. ncing at Snow''s expression, Norah knew she had hit Snow where it hurt, and she continued, ¡°It is so pathetic having your sweetheart right in front of you, but you can only watch from afar as he and another woman make out.It is so sad.¡± As Norah kept fanning the mes, Snow was getting pissed. ¡°That is enough.Stop it." Norah felt it was time and turned to look squarely at Snow. "If you want to take your sweetheart back from someone else¡¯s arms, I can help you.¡± Snow slowly turned to look at her, then shot a re at her. "That won''t be necessary." With that, she got up and left. Norah looked at Snow, who walked away, and smirked. " You wille to me of your own ord.¡± ¡°Congrattions, Nicole.¡± Harvey did not want to say this, but he forced himself to. ¡°Thanks.Howe I haven¡¯t seen Mr.Ellison today?" Nicole did not want to talk to him about anything else, so she asked about Mr.Ellison. "With the final exam just around the corner, there are a lot of things for Grandpa to take care of at school.So I''m here today to congratte you on behalf of the Ellison family.Are you really going to marry Jared?" Harvey looked at her with a serious face, as if he would resolutely take her away if she said no. ¡°Today is my betrothal day.I hope you won''t make a scene, and also don''t want to hear such words again.If you still want to be friends with me, stop pestering me, or we can¡¯t even be friends.¡± Nicole looked at him with a serious expression. Harvey looked at Nicole , feeling as if a thousand knives were stabbing into his heart. Jared noticed what was going on over here and came striding over. "Nicole, what are you guys talking about?" Hearing Jared''s voice, Nicole immediately put on a smile. "Harvey and I were talking about the Aegis Corporation project.Now that we are done, let''s go entertain the guests." Nicole got up and walked with Jared to the crowd without giving Harveyanother look. Harvey stood still, looking on with frosty eyes as Nicole went. ''I love you so much, but you turn a blind eye to me.Is your heart made of stone, Nicole?'' Not wanting to stay and watch them together any longer, Harvey turned and left the betrothal party. Snow, who was talking to her sisters, saw a familiar figure walking out. When she looked back without seeing Harvey, she immediately chased after him. "Where are you going, Snow?" Raine called out but did not manage to stop Snow. Chapter 906 Chapter 906 Karen was clueless about the situation and thought Snow was just going out for a bit. She impatiently said, ¡°What is all the fuss about? She is just going out." "No, I feel that something is wrong with her expression." Raine was worried about Snow. ¡°She is a pain in the neck.What is she doing out there instead of getting to know the VIP gentlemen? You go and get her back,¡±Karen said. ¡°Okay.¡± Raine went in a hurry. Nicole saw several of them left in tandem but did not give it a second thought.She continued to entertain guests with Jared. Just when everyone was chatting with each other, there was a suddenmotion, and the guests in the ballroom looked toward the entrance. A beautiful woman with a hot body walked in. Nicole looked at her and it turned out that it was Chloe. "You''rete, superstar," A guest who knew Chloe teased her. "I''m really sorry because I was tied up at work. I''ll drink a toast to all of you." She picked up a ss of red wine and raised it in the air, then bottom it up. "Why is she here? Did you invite her?" Nicole looked at Jared at her side. "Nope." Damien saw that Chloe just came in and drank a whole ss of red wine, and looked at Miley with displeasure. " Why don''t you pull her over? What a disgrace." Miley hurried over to Chloe and said with a smile, "Your father is waiting for you.Let¡¯s go over there.¡± ¡°You go over first.I have to talk to the bosses about work." Chloe nced in Damien''s direction, where there were mostly older men.Going there would be too boring.As there were bigwigs around, Miley could not just drag her away.So she could only say a few more words to hurry her before she left. ¡°You didn¡¯t bring her here?¡± Damien questioned Miley. "Chloe said she had to talk to the bosses about her work and woulde overter.¡± Miley covered up for her. She was hoping her daughter could get to know more people in the upper echelons. That way, it would also help her career development. "Congrattions, Nicole, Jared." Chloe clinked her wine ss with Nicole and then gave Jared a meaningful nce. Nicole did not get the meaning of her look and nced at Jared as if tosay, "what does she mean by that?" Jared blinked innocently as if to say, "I know nothing." "Thanks." Nicole smiled faintly, but she did not drink. ¡°Mr.Johnston and Ms.Riddle are really a match made in heaven, the envy of others,¡± One bigwig next to them said. Jared turned around and talked to them. Chloe took the opportunity to bring Nicole to a less crowded area and looked around to make sure no one was around, then got a fresh ss of wine and took a sip." Have you delivered the diamond?" At first, Nicole was pissed with Chloe when she saw her, but she fought back her anger and did not question her because there were other people around. She least expected that Chloe would take a rise out of her first.So she looked at Chloe with icy eyes. "You still have the nerve to ask? Why did you frame me?¡± ¡°What are you talking about? I framed you?¡± Chloe did not get what Nicolemeant. She looked at Nicole with a dumbfounded expression. "Still pretending? You swapped the diamond, didn''t you? " Nicole said, staring her in the eyes. "What do you mean? The diamond has been swapped? Tell me clearly!¡± Chloe was as unrelenting as if she had caught a thief. Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. "Do I need to exin to you? You know very well what you have done.¡± Nicole looked intimidating, putting a lot of pressure on Chloe. Chapter 907 Chapter 907 "Nicole, I really don''t understand what you''re talking about?¡± Chloe looked like she had been wrongly used. "Okay, then I will tell you; the diamond you asked me to give to Grandpa is not a Dresden Green Diamond, but an ordinary one.Now, do you hear me?" Now Nicole''s mood had all been ruined, and she looked at Chloe with a frosty look in her eyes. "How is it possible? Henry bought it from abroad, and I saw him put it in the box with my own eyes.There is no mistake." "I know you have taken the diamond for yourself.You''re a thief." Chloe''s eyes reeked of emotions, as if it was real, as she said. Nicole did not expect her to make a false counter-charge.Sheughed in exasperation. ¡°You really are an actress.If I wasn''t a party to this, I might have believed your acting. "I didn''t expect you to be this kind of person, stealing the diamond and not admitting it.It is a disgrace that the Riddle family has someone like you.¡± ¡°This is a serious matter, and Grandpa knows about it now.So if you don''t go and admit your mistake to Grandpa, bear the consequences.Also, as things now seem to implicate Henry, I''m interested to see how he will react when he finds out about it.¡± Nicole turnedaround and left, not giving Chloe a chance to admit her mistake. https://novelebook/my-wife-is-a-hacker-by-summer-bd1579.html?dev=tl ¡°I will see what you can find out.Don''t intimidate me with Henry, thinking I''m a three-year-old." Chloe poured the red wine down her neck and then looked at Jaredin the distance. ''No one can take you away from me, not even Nicole.¡¯ Nicole had juste back to Jared¡¯s side when two people walked in the door.She recognized one of them as Mr.Riddle Sr.¡¯s butler. "Alfred, what brings you here? Where''s Grandpa?" Nicole looked behind him. ¡°Miss Nicole, Mr.Riddle Sr.asked me to give you this, saying it is a betrothal gift for you and your fianc¨¦.¡± Nicole nced at Jared, then took the gift box from the butler''s hands and opened it. Inside the box was a key. Nicole looked at the butler. ¡°Mr.Riddle Sr.knows that you like the sea, so he specially bought a house by the sea.Here is the key,¡± the butler said. "Tell Grandpa I like it very much and thank him." Nicole¡¯s heart warmed, and she looked at Jared and smiled. "This is a betrothal gift from my grandpa." Jared looked at her dotingly and nodded, and everyone at the scene spontaneously apuded and congratted her. Content held by N?velDrama.Org. Only some people from the Riddle family apuded but were jealous in their hearts. Chloe, in particr, was green with envy. Norah saw that Chloe and Nicole were talking earlier.But now Chloe was alone.So she walked over. ¡°Long time no see, Chloe.¡± Chloe followed the voice. Not expecting it to be Norah, she nced away disdainfully. "What are you doing over here?" "I saw you drinking alone here and came over to keep youpany.¡± Norah had a friendly look on her face. ¡°I don¡¯t need yourpany.I heard your biological parents were hospitalized after a car ident.What are you doing here instead of being at the hospital with them? ¡°Chloe said sarcastically. ¡°I¡¯m here concerned about you, of course.I heard that the diamond you asked Nicole to give to Grandpa was switched, so I guess someone must have tampered with it, right?" Norah spoke in a light- hearted manner about something that no one else knew about yet. Chloe¡¯s attitude immediately turned serious. "Who told you about this?" Chloe wanted to frame Nicole, but she did not want anyone else to know about it. "You don''t need to know who I heard it from, but knowing Nicole as I do, she wouldn¡¯t swap the diamond.So¡­¡± Norah then looked her in the eyes. Chapter 908 Chapter 908 Chloe hurried to cover her mouth. "Keep your voice down. ¡± It was as if she was afraid someone would hear her. "Why are you so nervous? It is not like there is anyone else here.¡± Norah had an I-own-you look on her face. Content held by N?velDrama.Org. Chloe came to her senses and looked at her. "Just say it; what do you want?" "I want nothing but to see Nicole in disrepute.¡± Norah especially emphasized thest part of the sentence. Chloe frowned at her. ''She has known how to please people since she was a child; she is a smartass.She clearly knew who tampered with the diamond but didn''t report it.Is it really true, as she said, that she only wanted Nicole to lose her reputation?¡¯ ¡°Chloe.¡± Norah¡¯s gentle voice brought Chloeout of her thoughts. https://novelebook/my-wife-is-a-hacker-by-summer-bd1579.html?dev=tl "In that case, we are in the same boat and have the same enemy.Let¡¯s work together.¡± Chloe raised her ss. The two clinked sses and sized each other up. Even when Norah said something like that, Chloe still looked at her with wary eyes. The betrothal party ended after a toast session. Jared and Nicole saw all the guests off before heading back to the vi. ¡°It has been such a long day.Why do people have so many things to say?" Nicole dropped onto the couch, not wanting to move. "Who would want to talk so much for no reason? It was all about business.¡± Jared exined the rationale to her. "They did achieve their objectives, but it was us who got all the aches and pains of a hectic and tiring day.¡± ¡°Never take me to parties like this next time." Nicole did not like business entertainment. "Okay, you can be left out of the party, but how can you be left out of the wedding?" Jared came to Nicole''s side and doted on her. "You know what I''m talking about." Nicole got up, thinking of going to rest upstairs. Jared picked her up straight away. ¡°Let¡¯s go rest together.The next day, the sun was warm, and the breeze was gentle.Jared finally did not have to get up early to go to work.It was alreadyte morning, and he had still not woken up. Nicole looked at the side of his handsome face and could not resist reaching out to touch his skin. The next second, a pair ofrge hands clutched her wrist. "Are you trying to sneak up on me?" Jared teased. Nicole wanted to pull her hand back but could not. ¡°No.There is something on your face, and I just wanted to wipe it off for you.¡± Jared did not believe her lies. Abroad, Carl followed Nicole''s instructions and got a faultyptop, then brought it to the restaurant frequented by the hoodie man and waited for him. The hoodie man walked in, ordered the food he usually ate, and remained seated in the corner where he always sat. ¡°What a shittyputer.It is infected with viruses again.¡° Carl deliberatelyined loudly, his hands pping theptop.The hoodie man discreetly ate his food, his eyes asionally ncing at Carl. Chapter 909 Chapter 909 Carl cursed for a long while but still did not see the hoodie man, so he asked the restaurant¡¯s owner, ¡°Hey, is there anyone here who knows aboutputers? I need to repair this brokenputer." The restaurant''s owner shook his head and said there was nothing he could do. Carl stood up in anger and yelled, "I can''t believe no one can help me.¡± He then looked at the restaurant¡¯s owner again. "Can I put an ad in your ce?" "Sure." Carl picked up a pen and wrote, (If someone can help me repair myputer, I''m willing to pay double the normal price.) He then left with theputer. After Carl left, the hoodie man had also finished his meal. https://novelebook/my-wife-is-a-hacker-by-summer-bd1579.html?dev=tl He nced at the ad when he went to the counter to check out, and then left. For days on end, Carl waited with hisputer in the restaurant for the hoodie man toe forward to him. Today, Carl walked into the restaurant, unexpectedly the hoodie man arrived earlier than him today and had already finished his meal. An imperceptible surprise shed in Carl¡¯s eyes. Carl sat down at the table, ordered food, and then ate while chatting casually with the person next to him. Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org. Halfway through the meal, the hoodie man walked past him and came to the counter to check out. Just when Carl thought it was a fruitless day again, a familiar figure walked up to Carl and stood next to him. Carl chewed his mouthful of food as he looked at the person who turned out to be the hooded man. "What do you want?" The hoodie man nced at hisputer and asked, ¡°May I take a look?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Carl handed him theputer. The hoodie man turned on theputer, which was indeed unbootable , as Carl had said, and then looked at Carl. ¡°You will really pay double?¡± Carl nodded. "You can fixputers?" The hoodie man said nothing more and lowered his head to tinker with his computer.It seemed the hoodie man really had run out of money. Through the past few days of observation, Carl found that the hoodie man ordered less and less food each time, thus he spected that the hoodie man should be short of funds. So he came up with the bright idea of using money to lure him into his trap. Carl quietly observed the hoodie man''s repair techniques, and soon, under the hooded man¡¯s hands, theputer returned to normal. Looking at theputer that was back to normal, Carl acted like he was surprised and happy. He then hurriedly took out the money and handed it to the hoodie man, who took the money and left without a word. After a quick check of theputer, Carl could conclude this time that the hoodie man was indeed White. He gave theputer to the restaurant''s owner and walked out to follow the hoodie man. The hoodie man was about to walk to the door when he sensed that someone was following him. He hurriedly picked up his pace and walked into an alley that he had never entered before , hiding and observing the person following him. Carl knew the hoodie man was hiding in the alley and slowed down at the mouth of the alley to let the hoodie man see who he was. When the hoodie man saw it was the man whom he had just helped repair hisputer, he was relieved and came out of the alley. Meanwhile, Carl timed it so perfectly that as he looked back, he was just in time to meet the hoodie man¡¯s eyes. "What a coincidence to run into you again." Carl approached and greeted the hoodie man. But the hoodie man remained alert, nodded his head, and continued walking. Carl saw he had no intention of talking to himself and could only say something to lower the hoodie man''s guard. ¡°My house is over there.Is yours too?" The hoodie man ignored him and quickened his pace. Making sure Carl was not following him, he unlocked the door and just as he was about to close it behind him, a hand took hold of the handle.He looked up the arm and found that it was Carl. So he said impatiently, ¡°Let go of your hand.¡± Chapter 910 Chapter 910 "I''m not here to fixputers either." Immediately after, Carl pushed the door open with force. White saw things go wrong and ran back inside. But he could not outrun Carl and was caught by Carl just in a few steps. Carl thought the hoodie man was just a hacker and could not fight, but to his surprise, this guy knew a thing or two about self-defense.He broke free of Carl''s grasp, grabbed an object, and hurled it at Carl¡¯s head. Carl dodged, kicked the weapon out of White''s hand, and then reached out to grab him. White parried, and the two men fought in the abandoned house. Within a few rounds, White was on the back foot. Carl hit him as if he was practicing with him, knocking him to the ground with a hard punch. Then he tied White up and used extremely cruel means to extract information from White before setting the ce on fire, and there was no more White in the world. When Carl returned to his ce of stay, he immediately contacted Nicole. [White has been gotten rid of and all the information has been extracted.] Nicole was looking at her computer when she suddenly received a message from Carl. She hurriedly clicked on it and was relieved to see the message. Nicole immediately replied to Carl. [Send the information to me ande back.] [Okay.] On theputer, the informationing from Carl was being received little by little. In the afternoon, Nicole came to Jared¡¯s office. Instead of going straight to see Jared, she went to the ce where Chloe was shooting to have a look. Chloe was in the studio shooting amercial as usual. "Is this okay now? I need to take a short break.¡± https://novelebook/my-wife-is-a-hacker-by-summer-bd1579.html?dev=tl After just a few shots, Chloe wanted to take a break. The director could not afford to offend Chloe but let her be. ¡°Everyone, adjust the camera.After Chloe has enough rest, the shooting continues." A whileter, an assistant came to the lounge where Chloe was and asked, ¡°Have yourested? Are you ready for the shooting?" Chloe gave her young assistant a look and reluctantly stood up. ¡°You guys get ready.I will be right over." The young assistant happily went to reply to the director. After a while, Chloe came over and stood in front of the camera, showing products ording to the director¡¯s instructions. Nicole had her attention on the young assistant. She asked Max to ask the young assistant out while Chloe was shooting ¡°Take it easy and sit down.¡± Nicole looked atthe young assistant, who was too timid to look at her. ¡°What is your name?¡± ¡°I¡¯m Kelly.Kelly Henderson." "Kelly, I heard you dropped out of school to earn money for your younger brother¡¯s medical bills,right?" Nicole studied the young assistant. "Yeah." "So have you gotten enough money to pay for your brother¡¯s medical bills yet?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s a long way to go.¡± Nicole thought for a moment and said, "Thepany has a benefit of free financial support for employees in need this year.I see your situation meets the criteria.So I will send someone to take your brother to the best hospital for treatment, and thepany will bear all the medical expenses." Max stood by and gasped, wondering when thepany hade up with such an employee benefit scheme. But since Nicole had already said it, he could do nothing to stop her. Kelly looked up at Nicole incredulously. ¡°Is everything you said true?¡± ¡°It is true.You can ask him if you don''t believe me." Nicole pointed to Max beside her; everyone in the company knew who Max was. Kelly looked at Max.He nodded helplessly, not expecting him to have to y an aplice too. "Just now I saw you working diligently in the studio; is that actress always behaving affectedly?¡± Nicole spoke what Kelly did not dare to speak. Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. Kelly lowered her head and dared not say a word. Nicole could easily see from her demeanor what she had been through. ¡°I see you are pretty smart too.Do you want to get out of the studio and get a higher post?¡± Kelly looked at Nicole with a glint of surprise in her eyes. Chapter 911 Chapter 911 "Okay, what is the test?" Kelly asked Nicole. ¡°I will ask you a few questions first, and after you answer them all, then we will have a practical test." Nicole saw Kelly agree and continued to ask for the desired answers. "Did Chloe have any contact with Henry for the past few days?¡± Kelly recalled a moment. ¡°A few days ago, Mr.Johnston had met with Chloe, asking Chloe to help him bring a Dres something diamond to the old gentleman of the Riddle family.¡± ¡°Dresden Green Diamond?¡± ¡°Yes,that is the name.It is too long.I can¡¯t remember it.¡° Kelly scratched her head in embarrassment. https://novelebook/my-wife-is-a-hacker-by-summer-bd1579.html?dev=tl "And did you get a look at the diamond?" Nicole finally heard the answer she had been waiting for. ¡°I saw it.Mr.Johnston opened the box in front of Chloe, and I was on the side.¡± Kelly told of what she had seen. Nicole hurriedly took out her phone and found a picture of the diamond to show to Kelly. "Is this the same diamond as this one?" Kelly shook his head after looking at it carefully. ¡°It is not the same.This one is a different color than the one Mr.Johnston took.¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± Nicole asked again. "I''m sure." It was all clear now that the problem was with Chloe; she was the thief who called another thief. ¡°You go back and stay with Chloe.If you see a Dresden Green Diamond in her hand, quietly take a picture and send it to me." Nicole took out her phone and exchanged telephone numbers with Kelly. ¡°Will this offend Chloe?¡± Kelly asked worriedly. ¡°Nah, this is just part of the test.Chloe knows.She will also deliberately watch out for you.If you seed , you will be promoted," Nicole promised. "Okay, I willplete the test." Kelly was full of confidence. ¡°Get to work now.¡± After Kelly left, Max spoke. "Miss Riddle, are you doing this to investigate something?" Nicole did not want Jared to know about it yet. "I just want to pick a smart girl to be my assistant.¡± Max knew in his heart, so he asked no more questions. "Has Jared finished his meeting?" Max looked at the time. "The meeting is over now." "Let''s go find him." Nicole got up and went to Jared¡¯s office. Seeing Nicole walk in, Jared said, "I was about to call you, and you came in.What do you think we have here?" "Sort of psychic connection.¡± Nicole approached him, and Max backed right out. "If you are not doing anythingter, can you go somewhere with me?¡± Nicole looked at him with lustrous eyes. "Where?" "The sea view vi that my grandpa gifted me." Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org. ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s go now.¡± Jared held her hands and went downstairs. The car drove on a wide stretch of road for a short time beforeing to a beautiful seaview vi. Jared stopped the car, and the two of them entered the vi. Nicole eximed, "What a beautiful vi! Grandpa is still the one who loves me the most.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t I love you?¡± Jared said with jealousy. ¡°Come on.Are you jealous of Grandpa?" Nicole gave him a look. "Come on in." Nicole dragged Jared into the vi for a tour, then back up to the rooftop. Chapter 912 Chapter 912 ¡°I finally have a home of my own,¡± Nicole eximed as she looked out to sea. ¡°I¡¯m going to bring my grandma over to live with me so she can enjoy life in her golden years.¡± Jared looked at her in puzzlement. ¡°It is not like you are short of money. So why didn¡¯t you buy a house and bring your grandma over earlier?¡± ¡°If it was a house in my name, Grandma would have been suspicious, which is why I dyed bringing her to live with me. Now it is different; the house is a gift from Grandpa, so I know how to answer if Grandma asks.¡± Nicole was happy as a child at the moment. Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Okay, I will go with you tomorrow to pick up your grandma.¡± Jared loved her so much that he would do anything for her. Nicole was touched and snuggled in Jared¡¯s arms. ¡°I¡¯m grateful to have you.¡± Jared kissed her hair and hugged her a little tighter. https://novelebook/my-wife-is-a-hacker-by-summer-bd1579.html?dev=tl The next day, Jared and Nicole had breakfast and then set off for the small town where Nicole¡¯s grandmother lived. The weather was clear and cloudless. Jared and Nicole sat in the car, rxing and listening to music. ¡°I have hardly ever heard you talk about your grandma, but yesterday on the rooftop, I could tell from the look in your eyes that you had that affection for her that seemed to transcend the bloodline.¡± Jared looked into Nicole¡¯s eyes. ¡°I grew up in foster care in the countryside and lived with my grandma, who is my closest rtive in this world. In our small mountain vige, remote and poor, many children did not go to school. To make me literate and sessful, my grandma walked several miles to the town every day to sell baskets to support my study. I could not bear to see my aging grandma working so hard every day, so I said I did not want to go to school. The result was a furious grandmother. She did not spank me or anything, but hid in her room and quietly cried. ¡°Since then, I have studied extra hard to give back to my grandma with my best grades. Then I studied computers and earned my first bucket of gold and bought her a new set of clothes, but I never saw her wear them. When I asked her about it, she said she had returned it, saying I shouldn¡¯t waste money and that she wanted to save for my future college. I had a fight with her because of that.¡± Speaking of which, Nicole looked out of the car window, her eyes welling up. This was the first time she had told someone about her and her grandmother. Jared listened to Nicole¡¯s story and felt a lump in his throat. He was sorry for the girl in front of him, thinking that had he met her earlier, she would not have to suffer so much. ¡°It will be a few hours before we get there. Do you want to get some shut-eye?¡± Jared asked her gently. Nicole still did not dare to look at him. She reclined the seat and looked up at the blue sky. The car sped down the highway, and after a few hours of driving, it went off into a mountain road, where it was foggy and dewy. So Jared took off his jacket and draped it over Nicole. ¡°Are we there yet?¡± Nicole came out of her nap and looked over at Jared. ¡°We should be there soon.¡± She sat up straight and stretched a bit, then looked at the increasingly familiar scenery and opened the window to take a deep breath. ¡°It still smells familiar, so fresh.¡± Passing through the town, the school where Nicole once attended had been given a new look. Pedestrians in the town saw a few expensive cars driving by slowly and spected which big shot was coming to visit. As the car drove onto a vige road, a small house came into view. Soon they arrived in front of the house of Nicole¡¯s grandmother. The car slowly ground to a halt. Nicole and Jared got out and walked inside, where a familiar figure was weaving bamboo baskets in the middle of the courtyard. ¡°Grandma.¡± Nicole called out as she saw her grandmother. Mrs. Wace Sr. looked up at the voice. ¡°Nicole?¡± Nicole rushed over and took Mrs. Wace Sr.¡¯s hand. ¡± How are you, Grandma?¡± ¡°It is really you, Nicole.¡± She could not believe her eyes and looked at Nicole with amazement. She kept stroking Nicole¡¯s hand and would not let go. ¡°Why are you back suddenly?¡± Chapter 913 Chapter 913 "I''ming back to get you." Nicole let out a radiant smile as she saw her grandmother was still in good health. ¡°This is my fianc¨¦.¡± Nicole introduced Jared to her. ¡°Hello, Grandma .Nicole and I are here to pick you up." Jared looked at her with heartfelt respect. "Pick me up? Where to?" She looked over at Nicole. "Come live with me in the city." "You have a stable job now?¡± Her grandma asked with concern. "Yeah, and I have even bought a house." "That is great.I¡¯m happy that you have a stable job.Work harder and make friends with others.I won''t go with you; I''m used to living here." Mrs.Wace Sr.knew that houses in the city were expensive, and even if Nicole could afford one, it would not berge. https://novelebook/my-wife-is-a-hacker-by-summer-bd1579.html?dev=tl Besides, she did not want to disturb the life of Nicole and Jared. ¡°You have to go.I can afford to take care of you now, and I want you to enjoy your retirement.¡± Nicole took the woven basket in Mrs. Wace Sr.''s hand, put it aside, and brought her into the house to sit down.Mrs.Wace Sr.ushered them to sit down and was about to turn around to get them some water. Nicole knew what her grandmother was going to do and stopped her. ¡°Don¡¯t bother.The car is waiting for us.Let¡¯s pack first and then we will go.¡± Mrs.Wace Sr.still did not agree to go to the city with her, but Nicole had decided that she was going to take her along, no matter what. After much persuasion , Mrs.Wace Sr.finally agreed. She packed up her valuable things, and Nicole helped her get in the car to return to the city. Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org. When leaving, Mrs.Wace Sr.kept ncing back, reluctant to leave the small house that she had lived in all her life. She locked the door and took another good look at the small courtyard before getting into the car withNicole. On the way back, Nicole asked Max to drive a little faster, as she was worried that her grandmother might get tired. Atst, the car slowly stopped in front of the sea view vi. Nicole helped Mrs.Wace Sr.out of the car. "Grandma, do you like it here?" "It is so beautiful." Mrs.Wace Sr.looked at the massive vi, all praises. ¡°You will live here from now on.This is our home,¡± Nicole said. Mrs.Wace Sr.nodded and walked in with them. Nicole had prepared a sunny room for Mrs.Wace Sr..Sitting in the room, Mrs.Wace Sr.enjoyed the sunshine and the sea view. ¡°This is Tia.She will take care of you from now on." Nicole introduced a girl to Mrs.Wace Sr.. ¡°Hello, Mrs.Wace Sr., my name is Tia." Tia Rose is a kind girl who always had a pleasant smile on her face. ¡°Tia, is the meal ready?¡± Nicole asked. Besides Tia, Nicole had also hired other maids with respective roles for her grandmother. ¡°It is ready.The cook has made a hearty and nutritious meal." "Grandma , let¡¯s go eat.¡± Nicole helped Mrs.Wace Sr.walk toward the dining room. "Grandma, you sit here." Nicole helped Grandma sit in the main seat. ¡°How wasteful it is to cook so many dishes.Don¡¯t cook so much next time.¡± Mrs.Wace Sr.was used to living frugally, so she was a little ufortable to see so many dishes all of a sudden. "It is a reception for youring today, so I have asked them to make a more sumptuous meal.¡± Nicole had to make up an excuse to muddle through. ¡°That is still too much.¡± Mrs.Wace Sr. Chapter 914 Chapter 914 Nicole looked at her grandmother , feeling regretful , as Mrs. Wace Sr. had been living a hard life all this while.She told herself she had to take care of Mrs.Wace Sr.from now on. Nicole and Jared had lunch with Mrs.Wace Sr., and took her to the beach to get up close and personal with the ocean. There were still many old folks living ind who had never seen what the sea looked like in their lives.After Mrs.Wace Sr.settled in, Nicole told Jared to go home while she stayed with her for a few days. On the rooftop, Mrs.Wace Sr.rested in a rocking chair in the sun, while Nicole took out herptop and worked on the other side. She sent a message to Sean. [How is your investigation of the material problem going? Did the material supplier continue to supply?] Soon, Sean replied. Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org. [A few days before the material supplier resumed supply, there were indeed severalpanies in the market hoarding goods at high prices, but then, they suddenly stopped hoarding, and thepany resumed supply this time.] https://novelebook/my-wife-is-a-hacker-by-summer-bd1579.html?dev=tl [d to hear that.] Nicole had one less thing to worry about with this problem settled.She had not heard from Zane since shest contacted him. Nicole was concerned about him and sent a message to Zane, hoping to get a reply from him this time. Suddenly her phone rang, and she picked it up, it was Gloria calling ¡°Hi, Mom.¡± ¡°You haven¡¯t been home for days.Spencer and Samuel are back today, so are you back too?¡± Gloria asked tentatively. Nicole could hear that Gloria was missing her. "Okay, I will be backter." "Okay, we will wait for you toe back for dinner,¡±Gloria said and hung up. ¡°Tia, I¡¯m going to go out.You stay here with Grandma." After giving her instructions and speaking to Mrs. Wace Sr., Nicole left the sea view vi. Back in the Riddle Mansion, Gloria and Norah were chatting on the couch. When they saw Nicole back, Gloria happily came up to her. "What would you like to eat tonight, Nicole? I will ask the kitchen to make it for you.¡± ¡°Whatever.¡± Nicole had nothing to say. ¡°You were so beautiful on your betrothal day.I have wanted toe up and talk to you, but seeing as you were so busy, I didn¡¯t go over,¡± Norah said, trying to express her goodwill. "Where are Spencer and Samuel?" Nicole asked about them both instead of answering Norah. ¡°We¡¯re here.¡± Samuel heard Nicole¡¯s voice and shouted downstairs. "What are you guys doing upstairs ?" Nicole got up and headed upstairs. Norah nced at them and hurriedly got up to follow. " Wait for me.¡± Samuel and Spencer were ying a game. "Do you want toe over and try, Nicole?" "I''m not ying child¡¯s y.¡± Nicole nced at it and was not interested. Norah saw Nicole was not interested , and she asked, ¡°I want to try.Can you teach me?" "Come over then." The two of them made space for Norah. Norah sat down happily between the two of them, picking up the joystick and ready to start at any moment. She looked right and left, but Samuel and Spencer had no intention of ying with her. So Norah inquired, "Aren''t you guys ying?" "We''re tired of ying.You may y on your own." Leaving Norah behind, the two walked toward Nicole. ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°Nothing .You guys should apany Norah." Nicole grabbed her phone and headed for her bedroom. She closed the door and checked the message from Kelly. [I¡¯m sorry, Miss Nicole.Chloe has been shooting recently, and I haven''t spotted anything amiss about her.] [That is okay.Keep watching.] Chapter 915 Chapter 915 [Okay, I¡¯ll do my best.] Nicole turned off her cell phone and was deep in thought.¡¯ It seemed that Chloe was quite alert, and Kelly might have a problem getting a photo of her. I¡¯ve got to help her. Suddenly, the phone rang again. Nicole thought it was Kelly and answered it. ¡°Nicole, it is Martin.¡± Martin¡¯s voice came from the other end of the line. ¡°Can I help you, Martin?¡± ¡°I¡¯m having a little problem here, likest time. If you are free, could youe over and take a look at it for me?¡± Martin asked. Since he did not sound too urgent, Nicole said, ¡°Would it be okay if I go over tomorrow?¡± https://novelebook/my-wife-is-a-hacker-by-summer-bd1579.html?dev=tl ¡°Sure, sure. Then I will wait for your call.¡± ¡°By the way, I¡¯m sorry I couldn¡¯t make it to your betrothal party.¡± Martin was so busy experimenting for the past few days, so engrossed in it that by the time he realized it, it was already the day after Nicole¡¯s betrothal. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I knew you must have been experimenting when I didn¡¯t see youing. Don¡¯t take it to heart,¡± Nicole reassured him. ¡°I will see you tomorrow, bye.¡± After hanging up the phone, Nicole walked out of the bedroom and passed by the rec room, which was now vacated, and wondered where they had all gone. ¡°You two loved Norah so much before. Why are you bullying her now? You all have grown up, haven¡¯t you?¡± Gloria criticized Spencer and Samuel downstairs. Nicole went downstairs , puzzled by what had happened. She had only been in the bedroom for a short while, and now Gloria was lecturing them now. ¡°What happened , Mom?¡± Nicole nced at Norah , who was wiping tears from her eyes behind Gloria. ¡°You are here just in time, Nicole. Your two brothers are behaving less and less like elder brothers. They not only did not y with Norah but also insulted her.¡± Gloria red at Samuel and Spencer. Nicole hurriedly calmed Gloria down. ¡°Don¡¯t be angry. They have grown up and can solve things on their own. You shouldn¡¯t get involved.¡± ¡°Can I even say something? How can I watch Norah get bullied by those two boys and say nothing?¡± Seeing that she could not persuade Gloria, Nicole turned to Samuel and Spencer, nced at Norah, and chided them with an icy face. ¡°What¡¯s going on? What have you done to make Mom so angry? Whose problem is it? Hurry up and admit your fault, so Mom will take the heat off you all.¡± Nicole scowled at the three of them. ¡°We have done nothing wrong, so why should we apologize?¡± Samuel stubbornly shot a look at Norah. ¡°It was my fault. I upset them.¡± Norah leaned against Gloria with an aggrieved look. Gloria felt sorry and hurriedly hugged her. ¡°Oh, baby, I will seek justice for you.¡± Norah shook her head. ¡°It is alright. I don¡¯t want my brothers to get mad.¡± ¡°Norah is so understanding. Let¡¯s ignore them and go sit over there.¡± Gloria wrapped her arm around Norah and walked toward the couch. Spencer and Samuel looked at Norah¡¯s pretentious demeanor and really wanted to expose her. Seeing Nicole wink at them, they thought better of it and went upstairs in frustration. Nicole did not want to watch Norah act downstairs. Since Norah had moved back, something unpleasant would happen in the family every time she came home. She was just fed up with it. ¡°Mom, we have all met, and I have some things to do and will skip dinner. I will go first.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you go after dinner?¡± Gloria wanted her to say. ¡°It is okay. I wille back to see you guys some other time.¡± Nicole walked out as she finished. Gloria tried to chase after her, but Norah suddenly burst into tears and clung to her. Nicole was in the car when she received a call from Mr. Riddle Sr. ¡°Hey, Grandpa.¡± Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Some day when you and Jared are not busy,e back to have dinner.¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. would like to meet Jared. Chapter 916 Chapter 916 ¡°Okay Grandpa, we wille to see you together someday.¡± Back at the sea view vi, Nicole wanted to see Mrs. Wace Sr. in her room, but Tia told her that Mr. Wace Sr. had gone to bed. Nicole came to the dining room looking for something to eat, and Tia quickly cooked a bowl of ground beef pasta for Nicole. ¡°Awesome, Tia. I didn¡¯t know you could cook.¡± Nicoleplimented her as she looked at the luscious pasta made with red wine. ¡°Just don¡¯t make fun of me. Try it.¡± Tia apanied her. ¡°Yum, thanks for this.¡± After a few bites, she thought about Jared, who she thought should still be at the office at this hour and not off work. After sending him a message and waiting a while , Jared called her back. Tia had good sense; she went to watch TV on the couch. https://novelebook/my-wife-is-a-hacker-by-summer-bd1579.html?dev=tl ¡°Hey, have you had your dinner yet?¡± Nicole was concerned about him. ¡°Not yet. I¡¯m still in the office. There¡¯s some paperwork to deal with. Have you eaten?¡± Jared was also concerned about her. ¡°I¡¯m eating now.¡± ¡°What are you eating?¡±Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org. ¡°Tia made ground beef pasta. It is super good.¡± ¡°Someone doesn¡¯t seem to have made me pasta for a long time. I¡¯m craving it.¡± Jared teased Nicole as he dealt with the paperwork. ¡°If you can show up in forty minutes or less, I will make you a sizzling bowl of ground beef pasta.¡± Nicole took a satisfying chew of the beef to tease him. ¡°If you want to tease me with a bowl of ground beef pasta, do you think I will be tempted?¡± Jared had finished dealing with the paperwork. He got up, put on his coat, and headed for the parking lot. ¡°A bowl of ground beef pasta can¡¯t tempt you, but the key is, who makes it.¡± Nicole¡¯s words smacked of teasing. Tia, who was watching TV on the couch, was being force fed with their lovey-dovey conversation. . After hanging up the phone, Nicole came to the couch and watched TV with Tia. ¡°Do you think Mr. Johnston will be hereter?¡± Tia had a hunch that Jared would show up. Nicole turned to her and pondered for a while. ¡°He still has some paperwork to do and could only finish in ten minutes at the earliest, and the drive from the office is about half an hour. So the chances of him coming over are fifty-fifty.¡± ¡°Do you really want Mr. Johnston to show up hereter?¡± Tia came close to her and gossiped. ¡°I¡­¡± Nicole suddenly came to her senses. ¡°Why are you so gossipy? I almost fell for it.¡± Tia giggled. ¡°Just admit it. I can see it.¡± ¡°How dare you talk crap like this? Beware, I will fix you good and proper.¡± With that, Nicole poked Tia in the waist. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Please forgive me.¡± Tiaughed , with tears bursting from her eyes. Nicole punished her for a long while before letting her go. ¡°If you talk crap like that again, I will punish you with this method.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t do that again.¡± Tia waved her hands frantically. The living room gradually returned to its previous silence. Suddenly, the roar of an engine sounded outside. Tia went to the window to take a gander. ¡°An unfamiliar car is pulling into the garage.¡± Nicole hurriedly got up and went to the window to take a look. Sure enough, a supercar that she had never seen before had pulled up outside. She instantly kept her guard up. ¡°Stay inside and protect Grandma. I will go check it out.¡± She pushed open the main door and stepped outside, her eyes staring straight at the car, and the next second, she saw a tall figure step out of the car. ¡°Looks like you missed me a lot.¡± Jared smiled yfully, having just watched Nicole run out of the house. ¡°No, I didn¡¯t. Howe I have never seen you drive this car before?¡± Nicole asked with curiosity. Chapter 917 Chapter 917 ¡°This car is quick. I rarely use it. I wouldn¡¯t have driven it today if it weren¡¯t for a bowl of ground beef pasta.¡± Jared looked at Nicole with a smile. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect that you would really rush over for the sake of the pasta. Come in.¡± ¡°You know what I¡¯m up to,¡± Jared whispered in her ear. Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. Nicole¡¯s face instantly blushed. ¡°Tia is still inside. Don¡¯t talk crap like this when you go in.¡± ¡°Hello, Mr. Johnston,¡± Tia greeted Jared respectfully. ¡°What did you call me?¡± ¡°Mr. Johnston.¡± Tia looked at Nicole in puzzlement. ¡°What did you call her?¡± Jared nced at Nicole. Tia immediately came to her senses. ¡°I should call you my brother-inw?¡± https://novelebook/my-wife-is-a-hacker-by-summer-bd1579.html?dev=tl Jared was ttered. ¡°That is what you call it from now on. Tia nodded. ¡°I will go check on Grandma, my brother-inw. You stay here with Nicole.¡± With that, she hurried upstairs, not forgetting to steal a nce back. After Tia went upstairs, Nicole looked at Jared shyly.¡± Why did you ask her to call you that?¡± She was so embarrassed that she wished the ground would swallow her up. ¡°Don¡¯t you like it?¡± Jared looked over at her teasingly. Nicole took a breath. ¡°I will go make beef burgundy for you.¡± She then went to the kitchen sheepishly. Jared took off his jacket and then walked into the kitchen, hugging Nicole, who was making ground beef pasta, from behind. ¡°Stop it. I¡¯m cooking you pasta.¡± Nicole turned her head sideways to warn him. But Jaredpletely ignored her warning, still hugging her and not letting go. She could only turn around and push him out of the kitchen. ¡°You sit still here, and I will be over in a minute with a sizzling pasta.¡± Jared looked at her fondly, wanting an incentive. Nicole looked at him helplessly, then at the stairway, before she gave Jared a peck on the cheek and then trotted back into the kitchen. Jared, who had received his incentive, sat contentedly in the dining room, waiting patiently. After a while, Nicole carried a steaming te of ground beef pasta and put it in front of Jared. Looking at the pasta in front of him, Jared sniffed. ¡°It smells so good.¡± He then picked up some pasta with his cutlery and put it in his mouth. ¡°Yummy.¡± Jared was generous with his praises. Nicole looked at him with a radiant smile. ¡°Is it really that yummy?¡± ¡°Of course. It is the best pasta I have ever had,¡± Jared said hyperbolically. ¡°I don¡¯t believe you.¡± ¡°Has the supply of materials resumed?¡± Jared asked offhandedly. ¡°Yes. Thepanies that were hoarding at high prices suddenly stopped hoarding for some reason, and the supply has been restored.¡± Jared nodded and said nothing more. ¡°These material vendors are so abominable. When they saw high prices, they disregarded the agreement and stopped the supply. They don¡¯t keep their promise.¡± Nicoleined with exasperation. ¡°Then again, what exactly caused thosepanies to suddenly stop stocking up?¡± Nicole felt it was odd, but the people she had sent to investigate did not find out anything. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that, as long as supply has resumed. The work schedule is the most important thing now.¡± Jared helped her prioritize. ¡°You are right, too.¡± Anyway, the problem had been solved, and Nicole did not want to think about it now. She did not know that Jared had helped her out. After apanying Jared while he had his meal in the dining room, they went to the beach for a walk. ¡°When will thepany¡¯s new product beunched ?¡± Nicole looked over at him. Chapter 918 Chapter 918 ¡°Soon. It will happen soon. Why are you suddenly concerned about that?¡± Jared looked at her with curiosity. ¡°As the person closest to you, I want to be the first person to try out that awesome product.¡± ¡°You¡¯re looking forward to this product?¡± ¡°Sort of. Is the Chloe endorsement contract over when the new product is released?¡± Nicole beat around the bush and finally asked the question she wanted to ask. ¡°Chloe? Had Henry not rmended her, I would have reced her,¡± Jared said without mincing his words. ¡°I think with Chloe¡¯s current number of followers, she is the best candidate for the endorsement. Her character is average, but she wouldn¡¯t dare to make trouble under your supervision.¡± Only if Chloe stayed in Johnston Group could Nicole monitor her better. Once Chloe left, looking for evidence would be much harder. ¡°When did you get so close to her you would speak up for her?¡± Jared stopped and looked at Nicole in bafflement. https://novelebook/my-wife-is-a-hacker-by-summer-bd1579.html?dev=tl ¡°I¡¯m not speaking for her. I¡¯m standing up for thepany and maximizing its interests.¡± Nicole¡¯s eyes shed with shrewdness. Indeed, this was an ideal way to kill two birds with one stone. ¡°I will consider your suggestion.¡± Jared understood what Nicole said. Just that he was worried that Nicole would be jealous. But since she had said so, he would not mind retaining Chloe. But her subsequent performance would decide whether she would get to keep the job or not. ¡°In a few days, an international techpany is holding aunch event. Would you be interested in coming with me to check it out?¡± Jared hoped Nicole could attend with him. ¡°A techpany?¡± ¡°Yes. It¡¯s said to be theunch of a state-of-the-art tech product. But we will only know what exactly it is on that day.¡± Jared knew Nicole was interested in this kind of stuff, and that was why he told her. ¡°Sure. I will have time until the exam.¡± Nicole heard what Jared said and became interested in the tech product. ¡°Good. I will pick you up then.¡± Jared took Nicole¡¯s hand and continued to walk forward. ¡°Have you thought about where you want to go on vacation?¡± Nicole asked Jared. ¡°No. Do you have any ces that you want to go?¡± Jared looked over at her. Nicole thought for a moment. ¡°There are a few ces I want to go at the moment, but I¡¯m still weighing which one to choose.¡± ¡°If you can¡¯t pick on, then we will visit all of those ces. ¡°Jared spoiled her. ¡°How is that possible?¡± Nicoleughed, loving how bossy and sweet he was. ¡°I will do my best to get it done for you as long as you want it.¡± Jared looked into Nicole¡¯s eyes with strong affection. Nicole felt awkward after Jared teased her. ¡°Did you secretly enroll in a pickup line ss? You have been giving me surprises now and then.¡± ¡°Pickup line ss? I¡¯m afraid I¡¯m the teacher.¡± Jared was confident as ever. ¡°I really can¡¯t with you.¡± Nicole shook her head, amusedly and helplessly. ¡°Are you staying here tonight?¡± Nicole asked; if he wanted to stay, she would arrange for it. ¡°By the look on your face, you seem to want me to stay. Well, I¡¯m for your sake,¡± Jared said. ¡°You¡­ Great.¡± Nicole could not find a word to respond. ¡°Let¡¯s go back.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Back in the living room, Nicole had just called out to Tia when Jared stopped her. ¡°What are you doing? You want to put me in the guest room?¡± ¡°If not, then where else?¡± Jared took a breath. ¡°Where¡¯s your bedroom?¡± ¡°Are you telling me you¡ª¡± Content held by N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Nicole, did you just call me?¡± Tia asked. Chapter 919 Chapter 919 ¡°No, she didn¡®t. You may go and rest.¡± Jared said before Nicole could say anything. Tia stood on the stairs and scratched her head. ¡°Looks like I was hallucinating.¡± ¡°Lead the way. I need to rest early because I have to work tomorrow,¡± Jared said with a straight face. Nicole could only lead her to her bedroom. When she walked into it, and before she could react, Jared pressed her against the wall. The only sound left in the quiet room was Nicole¡®s thudding heart. ¡°Are you nervous?¡± Jared teased her. Nicole gulped. ¡°What do you say?¡± Jared stroked her hair and then nted kisses on her lips. The next day, Jared drove her to the office. Just as she arrived outside hispany¡¯s building, Max came up and handed an envelope to Nicole. She turned to Jared and asked in puzzlement , ¡°What is this?¡± Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. https://novelebook/my-wife-is-a-hacker-by-summer-bd1579.html?dev=tl ¡°Take a look and you will know.¡± Jared was creating suspense. Nicole took the envelope and opened it¨Cit was a set of car keys. ¡°This is for me?¡± ¡°Yeah. Since you have to go around ces frequently, I bought you a car.¡± ¡°Where is the car?¡± ¡°Press the key fob.¡± Nicole did as Jared said and pressed the key fob. She was shocked when she saw the signal lights of a Lamborghini parked not far away shing. ¡°A Lamborghini?¡± ¡°Mr. Johnston took a long time to pick this one. He said it would go well with you, Miss Riddle.¡± Max exined it on behalf of Jared. Nicole looked over at Jared. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°You can go try the car. I¡®m going up to the meeting.¡± Jared doted on her and tapped the tip of her nose before striding off into the building. Nicole got into the car but did not know where to go. Just then, the call she had made with Martin yesterday came to mind, and she started the car. The roar of the engine caused her adrenaline to rush. She floored the gas pedal and sped toward Martin¡®sb. The car sped down a wide road, and the car made heads turn wherever it went. Soon Nicole arrived at the hospital where Martin was working. After parking up the car, she got out of the car and walked into the hospital. ¡°Martin, I¡®m almost there. You are in theb, right?¡± Nicole called him on the phone as she walked. ¡°I¡®m in theb. Come straight up here.¡± Nicole hung up the phone, went to theb door, and knocked. Martin opened it for her from inside. ¡°d to see you here, Nicole.¡± ¡°So what¡¯s up?¡± Nicole looked at the progress of his experiment and got straight to the point. ¡°The list you helped me revisest time is now unusable. I would like to discuss with you what materials to rece it with.¡± Martin took out the experiment records and the list of experiments. ¡°Thest experiment has only one head control and is part of the first¨Cgeneration product. It is unstable in every way.¡± ¡°This time The Beacon is part of aplete upgrade that has to be studied in depth in terms of performance and stability.¡± This was the advice Nicole gave him. ¡°You are right. This is what I was thinking. The raw materials I was looking at weren¡®t too ideal.¡± Martin looked as if he had been defeated. ¡°I will work with you to figure out the material problem.¡± Nicole looked at him with a serious face, hoping she could do her small part to help him. ¡°Thank you, Nicole.¡± He felt more assured that Nicole was by his side. ¡°You are wee. Make a list of the materials you need. I will try to see if I can find some for you to experiment with first.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Martin immediately took a pen, wrote it out, and handed the list to Nicole. Nicole nced at the list. ¡°I will see what I can do. Wait for my message.¡± Chapter 920 Chapter 920 With that, Nicole was about to leave theb when Martin called out to her. ¡°Nicole.¡± ¡°Is there something else?¡± She looked back at him. ¡°If you have time, let¡®s have dinner together and discuss. ¡°Martin made the experiment as an excuse to invite her. Nicole thought about it. ¡°Okay.¡± Upon leaving the hospital, Nicole drove for a while when two cars tailed her from behind. She wanted to find out if the two cars were really following her, so she stepped on the gas pedal and the car sped ahead instantly. She looked through the rearview mirror and saw the two cars were also catching up fast behind her. That confirmed her suspicion . Since she was still in the city, she could not deal with them here and decided to lure them toward the outskirts. On an open road, the Lamborghini was speeding steadily in front and the two cars slowly approached, looking like they were trying to sandwich her on both sides. Nicole waited patiently for them to level with her. https://novelebook/my-wife-is-a-hacker-by-summer-bd1579.html?dev=tl Just as they were leveling up with her and were about to sandwich her, Nicole floored the gas pedal and the Lamborghini shot ahead like a bullet. The two cars collided with each other and were destroyed. She drove the car toward Sean¡®s office. The car stopped and attracted a lot of attention. Nicole got out of the car and walked into the lobby with people staring at her. ¡°Is Mr. Riddle in?¡± Nicole asked the receptionist. ¡°Mr. Riddle is in the conference room. Would you want me to inform him?¡± The receptionist knew who Nicole was. ¡°That is okay. I will just wait for him in his office.¡± Nicole walked straight into Sean¡®s office. After sitting in the office for a long time, Sean pushed open the door. ¡°Why brought you here, Nicole? Are you here to see me?¡± ¡°I¡®m not here to see you. I have something I need your help with.¡± Nicole took out Martin¡®s list and handed it to Sean. ¡°What¡®s this?¡± Sean took it with puzzlement. ¡°Can you get these raw materials?¡± Sean nced at the list and frowned. ¡°I can get some of them, but the others are hard to get.¡± ¡°Then prepare those that you can get and send them here. ¡°Nicole left Sean an address. ¡°What are you doing? What¡®s with all these materials?¡± Sean asked curiously. ¡°It is not for me, but Martin.¡± Nicole had no qualms to let Sean know. ¡°Martin? Isn¡®t he a doctor? What¡®s with all this stuff?¡± Sean asked three questions in a row. ¡°You don¡®t have to worry about that. Just send these materials over for me. Thanks. I¡®m off.¡± Nicole turned around and was about to leave. ¡°I heard Grandpa asked everyone to go for a gathering in a few days. Do you know that?¡± Sean said. ¡°Yeah, I know.¡± ¡°Then both you and Jared will be there, right?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Content held by N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Do you think Grandpa has something important to announce?¡± Sean looked at Nicole in bafflement. ¡°I don¡®t know. See youter, bye.¡± With that, she left. She drove to Jared¡®s office. She had not heard from Kelly for days, and she wanted to go over and check on her situation. Inside the studio, Chloe was still working, and Kelly was standing by, rushing over to hand Chloe water as soon as the director called for a cut. ¡°What¡®s taking so long to shoot this one? How much longer is it going to take?¡± Chloe was obviously a little impatient. She was already tired of standing. ¡°It¡®s going to be quick, just a little longer.¡± The director was patient and reassuring. Chloe had no choice but to be patient. Just then, she saw someone looking like Nicole from the corner of the eye. She frowned, and the director immediately shouted, ¡°Pay attention to your expression!¡± Chloe immediately adjusted her expression, and soon the shooting was done. She walked toward Kelly for water. ¡°It was her, obviously. Howe she disappeared in the blink of an eye?¡± Chapter 921 Chapter 921 ¡°Chloe, who are you talking about?¡± Kelly casually asked. ¡°Nothing. Just an acquaintance.¡± Just then, some of Chloe¡®s fans came up to Chloe with a gigantic bouquet. ¡°Chloe, what you just did was just perfect, superb!¡± ¡°Thank you. Could I have your autograph?¡± A fan looked at her with anticipation. ¡°Sure. Where do I sign?¡± Chloe did not see any pen and paper. ¡°Just sign here.¡± The fan pointed to the left shoulder and leaned close to Chloe. Chloe smiled awkwardly, but remained polite as she gave him her autograph. ¡°Thank you. Love you.¡° ¡°I¡®m going up to take a break,¡± Chloe said to the director and headed upstairs. https://novelebook/my-wife-is-a-hacker-by-summer-bd1579.html?dev=tl She was sitting in the lounge and thinking about her sighting of Nicole just now when someone knocked on the door. ¡°Come in.¡± Norah pushed the door open and walked in. ¡°I¡®m here to visit you.¡± ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Chloe asked. ¡°Are you free at noon? Let¡®s have lunch together.¡± Norah invited Chloe with a serious expression. Chloe sized up Norah for a moment. ¡°Why not?¡± In the restaurant, Norah cut her steak and nced at Chloe. ¡°Is your work going welltely?¡± ¡°It went pretty well.¡± Chloe was still not too friendly. Norah smiled. ¡°Grandpa is going to invite Nicole and Jared to his house in a few days. Are you free to go back?¡± ¡°I don¡®t know how the schedule is going to work out yet, but there should be time.¡± Chloe thought of the family getting together and expected something going to happen. Norah looked around and then looked at Chloe. ¡°What do you think the situation would be if the family found out that Nicole stole such a valuable diamond?¡± She was prepared to embarrass Nicole in front of the family members. ¡°You¡®re not going to say it in public, are you?¡± Chloe thought Norah would be stupid enough to do that. ¡°Why would Ie out on my own? Of course, someone else would do this dirty job. But it might require your cooperation.¡± Norah nced at her with a meaningful look. ¡°You want me to cooperate? What do you mean?¡± Chloe did not understand what Norah meant. ¡°Someone will definitely ask you about the diamond. When the timees, as long as you insist that the diamond that you have handed over to Nicole is the real Dresden Green Diamond, people will definitely not think you are lying but that Nicole has stolen the diamond and doesn¡®t admit it.¡± Norah¡®s eyes lit up as she came up with the plot. Chloe¡®s heart skipped a beat, as she did not expect that Norah could be so scheming at such a young age. ¡°No problem. It looks like I have to go there myself.¡± As long as she could vilify Nicole, she would have a chance to divide Nicole and Jared, and then Jared would be hers. ¡°It would be best if you can go.¡± Norah did not forget to high¨Chatted her. Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org. After lunch, Norah left. Taking advantage of the time when Chloe and Norah were having lunch, Nicole gave Kelly some additional instructions before leaving. Nicole was back at the sea view vi, and Tia was thrilled to see the cool Lamborghini as if it was bought for her. ¡°This car is too cool. Whose is it?¡± Tia walked around the car and could not take her eyes off it. ¡°It is mine,¡± Nicole uttered calmly. ¡°Yours? You bought a car?¡± Chapter 922 Chapter 922 ¡°It was Jared who bought it for me,¡± Nicole said happily. ¡°Mr. Johnston really has taste. The car he bought for you is not only luxurious but also very much in line with your style. Give him a like.¡± ¡°Knock it off. What¡¯s Grandma doing?¡± Nicole asked. ¡°She was just sunbathing for a while, and now she¡¯s sunning her quilt.¡± Tia could not understand Mrs. Wace Sr.¡¯s behavior. ¡°It¡¯s okay. Grandma is used to living in a mountain vige, and she feels ufortable not doing something every day. Let her do whatever she wants, as long as she doesn¡¯t get hurt,¡± Nicole said to Tia, who then understood. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I will take care of her.¡± Tia assured Nicole. ¡°Grandma, I¡¯m home.¡± Nicole walked over to Mrs. Wace Sr. who was sunning her quilt. https://novelebook/my-wife-is-a-hacker-by-summer-bd1579.html?dev=tl ¡°You are back! I will make something to eat? What do you, like?¡± Mrs. Wace Sr. stopped what she was doing. She took Nicole¡¯s hand and walked back into the house. When they came to the kitchen, Mr. Wace Sr. realized that she did not know how to use the kitchen equipment. She looked around, not knowing what to do. Nicole and Tia smiled at each other upon seeing that. ¡°Grandma , you can just tell them what you want to do. You don¡¯t have to do it yourself,¡± Nicole said. ¡°s, I¡¯m getting old and can¡¯t do anything.¡± Mrs. Wace Sr. was dejected. Nicole looked at Mr. Wace Sr. and wanted to help her get her confidence back. ¡°Grandma, there¡¯s something I need your help with.¡± When she heard Nicole needed her help with something, she immediately got excited and looked at Nicole. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you know how to take care of flowers in your old house? I have a few pots of flowers that I want you to help me take care of.¡± ¡°Okay, bring it here. I guarantee they will bloom every day.¡± Mrs. Wace Sr. said with a smile. ¡°OK, I will bring the flowers over this afternoon.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°Are we having sandwiches or pasta for lunch?¡± Nicole asked Mrs. Wace Sr. ¡°Pasta it is. You are working outside. Eating pasta will make you feel full longer.¡± Mrs. Wace Sr. genuinely cared for Nicole, who was still the same little girl needing her care. ¡°Okay, then we will have pasta.¡± After having lunch with Mrs. Wace Sr., Nicole left the flower shopping to Tia and then went to her room. Nicole was thrilled to receive a message from Zane when she took out herptop and turned it on. Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org. [It¡¯s not convenient to contact you now, but don¡¯t worry about me.] Nicole looked at the message Zane had sent her and tried to figure out what had happened to him. ¡®Zane could be injured; he would only tell me not to worry when he is hurt. Nicole could no longer sit still and question him. [Where are you?] She then contacted Carl immediately. [Where are you, Carl?] [I¡¯m at the boarding gate, just about to board my flight back home). [Don¡¯t board the ne. Wait for me toe over to you.] Carl was confused, but he knew Nicole must have had her reason. So he left the airport and found a ce to stay. Nicole wanted to book a flight to meet Carl right away but realized that her grandfather was still waiting to see her and Jared. She took out the phone and called Jared. ¡°Are you free tonight to go with me to see my grandpa?¡± Nicole sounded insistent. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Jared clearly sensed that something was wrong with Nicole. ¡°Nothing. Just that Grandpa wants us to go back and have dinner with him.¡± Nicole did not tell him what had happened. ¡°Sure. I will pick you upter.¡± Chapter 923 Chapter 923 ¡°It is alright. I will drive there myself.¡± Nicole wanted to get there as soon as possible. If she had enough time, maybe she could catch thetest flight. ¡°See you at my grandpa¡®s house.¡± Nicole hung up. Feeling that Nicole was a little out of sorts, Jared dropped the paperwork in his hands and drove straight to Mr. Riddle Sr.¡®s house. ¡°Grandpa, Jared and I will be back to see you in a while.¡± Nicole called her grandfather. ¡°Okay. I will have someone arrange it now. You guys juste.¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. was overjoyed to hear that Nicole wasing with Jared. Nicole packed up her belongings and then called for Tia.¡± I may not be staying back here for a while, so you take good care of Grandma here.¡± ¡°Okay, Nicole.¡± Tia did not ask more questions. https://novelebook/my-wife-is-a-hacker-by-summer-bd1579.html? Nicole came to Mrs. Wace Sr.¡®s room to say goodbye.¡± Grandma, Grandpa asked me to stay at his house for a while. I may note here to see you for some days. If you need anything, just tell Tia. She will take care of you.¡± ¡°Don¡®t worry. I can take care of myself. You go ahead and get busy. Don¡®t worry about me.¡± Mrs. Wace Sr. knew Nicole was busy and did not want to burden her. ¡°I will be back to see you when I¡®m done.¡± Nicole hugged Mr. Wace Sr. for a long time and then got up and left. The Lamborghini was speeding toward Mr. Riddle Sr.¡¯s house. As Nicole arrived and parked up her car, she saw Jared waiting for her at the entrance. Content held by N?velDrama.Org. ¡°You are waiting for me?¡± Nicole walked over and took his arm. ¡°What do you say?¡± ¡°Let¡®s get inside together.¡± Nicole took Jared by the arm and walked inside the mansion. Mr. Riddle Sr. and Daniel and his wife were sitting inside talking when they saw Nicole and Jared walk in. ¡°Grandpa, Mom, Dad.¡± Nicole was the first to greet them. ¡°Come on over.¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. said. ¡°Mr. Riddle Sr., Mr. and Mrs. Riddle, how do you do?¡± Jared greeted them politely. ¡°Please take a seat.¡± Nicole and Jared sat down next to Mr. Riddle Sr. when voices came from the doorway. They looked toward the door and saw the other three families. ¡°Dad, why did you call us over in such a hurry?¡± Damien asked as he walked toward Mr. Riddle Sr. ¡°Sit down and talk.¡± ¡°Today is Nicole and Jared¡®s first time back since they got betrothed, so I called everyone over to liven things up.¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. spoke after everyone had sat down. ¡°So that¡®s what this is about.¡± Damien thought it was some big deal. He gave Nicole a disdainful look, but did not dare look at Jared. Dillon looked at Jared. ¡°Mr. Johnston , I was too busy to have a drink with you on the day of your betrothal. But today, we shall have a good drink.¡± Dillon picked up a ss of wine to toast Jared. ¡°Absolutely.¡± In response , Jared picked up his ss to toast Dillon. ¡°Nicole, how do you find the house?¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. looked at her. ¡°It is veryfortable . You are really good at choosing houses. The view is superb. You can go to see it when you have time.¡± Nicole thanked him. ¡°I¡®m d that you like it.¡± When he saw Nicole liked it, he knew it was worth it. ¡°It is a house from Grandpa; you can¡®t expect anything less,¡± Karen said, getting green¨Ceyed. ¡°You have given Nicole a vi with a sea view. Why don¡®t we have one?¡± Raine asked. ¡°That is a gift for Nicole¡®s betrothal. When you get engaged, I will buy each of you a house as well.¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. looked at her with a smile. Since Mr. Riddle Sr. had said so, Raine did not dare to ask for anything, and could only sit down resentfully.Chloe nced at Jared every now and then, thinking about why such a handsome and wealthy man was not her man. Chapter 924 Chapter 924 Chloe turned to look at Mr. Riddle Sr. ¡°Grandpa , how do you like the Dresden Green Diamond that I asked Nicole to pass to you the other day?¡± Before Mr. Riddle Sr. could say anything, Snow chimed in. ¡°There is no Dresden Green Diamond that you are talking about. It is only an ordinary diamond.¡± Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org. Chloe immediately looked at Snow in surprise. ¡°What did you say? An ordinary diamond?¡± ¡°Yes. Raine and I were both present that day. Inside the box was just an ordinary diamond,¡± Snow said with certainty. At first, Mr. Riddle Sr. wanted to y down the issue, but now it seemed that he could not. ¡°Impossible. I looked at it when Henry brought it to me; it was not an ordinary diamond. I even checked it again on purpose before I handed it to Nicole.¡± Chloe looked at Snow with a shocked face. ¡°Nicole, what was Snow just talking about?¡± Chloe looked at Nicole in disbelief. https://novelebook/my-wife-is-a-hacker-by-summer-bd1579.html? The entire family understood what it was about at this point, and they all, including Jared, looked at Nicole. ¡°When I brought the box to Grandpa and opened it, there was indeed an ordinary diamond inside,¡± Nicole said calmly. ¡°Nicole, what are you talking about? When I took it to you, it was no ordinary diamond. I told you to be careful; have you forgotten all that?¡± Chloe looked at her with a puzzled face and a questioning look in her eyes. ¡°Why would Chloe want to self¨Cloot? Did you take it and didn¡®t dare to admit it, Nicole?¡± Snow held a grudge against Nicole for stealing Harvey from her, so she stood on Chloe¡®s side. ¡°Yeah, Chloe wouldn¡®t take her own stuff. Exin to everyone quickly; did something happen on the way? If something has really happened and you have lost the diamond, Chloe won¡®t me you.¡± Norah appeared to be speaking for Nicole, but in reality, was trying to convince others that Nicole had tampered with it. Jared wanted to help Nicole, but he did not know what was going on and had no way to defend her, except to feel anxious for Nicole. ¡°I can¡®t believe this is happening, Nicole. Did you see the diamond and want to take it as your own?¡± Karen pointed at Nicole. In her mind, it was Nicole who swapped the Dresden Green Diamond with an ordinary one, as a girl like Nicole from the countryside would most likely steal when she saw such expensive stuff. ¡°It seems like you all know Chloe well enough to think I have tampered with it, doesn¡®t it?¡± Nicole cast an icy look at them. ¡°Let me ask you guys; what does Chloe like?¡± She looked at each of them, but none of them, not even Miley, could answer. ¡°No one knows, do you? If you all don¡®t know, what makes you think she is not a suspect? Is it just because she was the one who entrusted it to me?¡± ¡°Since immemorial , embezzlement has happened again and again. You all suspect me with no proof. Are you all doing it intentionally?¡± Nicole nced at their faces, and none of them dared to meet her eyes. ¡°I will find out the truth and clear my name, but I will also not let the bad guys get the punishment they deserve.¡± ¡°Grandpa , thank you for inviting us. We have things to do, so we will leave now,¡± Nicole said, standing up with Jared and leaving straight away. ¡°You all have ruined the family gathering. Is a diamond that important?¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. was furious. ¡°Alfred , find out what has actually happened. I want to punish those who cause disharmony in the family severely,¡± he said coldly and went upstairs. Silence fell in the living room. No one expected Mr. Riddle Sr. to lose his temper like this. Everyone at the table looked at each other, and no one knew what to do. ¡°We will leave first,¡± Daniel spoke after a long while as he left with his family. His three elder brothers were seeing Daniel¡®s sour face for the first time. Chapter 925 Chapter 925 ¡°Why are you still sitting here? Disperse.¡± Damien said with a peeved look on his face. What had been a wonderful reunion had been spoiled by Norah¡¯s underhanded maniption, and that was the result she wanted to see. In the car, Jared looked at Nicole saying nothing. He believed Nicole was not that kind of person. Nicole suddenly stopped the car at the side of the road and looked at Jared. ¡°I won¡¯t drive you back to the vi.¡± Jared looked Nicole in the eyes. ¡°Where are you going?¡± At first, Nicole did not n to tell him, but they had gotten so upset tonight that she was afraid he would worry about her if she did not tell him again. ¡°I¡¯m going abroad to take care of some things.¡± ¡°Abroad? Right now?¡± Jared did not ask what was going on but looked at her with a serious face. ¡°Yeah, the flight is in a little while.¡± He knew he could not stop her and that she must have something urgent to deal with. He reached out and stroked her hair. ¡°How soon will you be back?¡± Nicole took a long breath. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± https://novelebook/my-wife-is-a-hacker-by-summer-bd1579.html? Jared nced at her and kissed her on the lips for a long while. ¡°Take care. Remember, there¡¯s someone in this city who will always be waiting for you.¡± Nicole¡¯s eyes reddened with emotion as she plunged into Jared¡¯s arms for a long time. She then gently let go and took the pendant off her neck and put it in Jared¡¯s hands. ¡°I wille back safely.¡± Nicole looked at him affectionately. ¡°I will give you a lift.! ¡°It is okay.¡± Nicole got out of the car and hailed a cab toward the airport. Jared got out of the car and looked on as the cab carrying Nicole disappeared into the distance with emotion. He then got into the car and floored the gas pedal to catch up with the cab. At the boarding gate, Nicole looked back involuntarily and was surprised to see that familiar figure in the crowd. Jared stood outside looking at her. Nicole waved her hand and then boarded the ne. Looking on as Nicole went, he raised a hand and stopped it in mid-air. Nicole sat on the ne and through the tiny window, she could still see Jared standing in front of the floor-to ceiling window, watching the ne waiting to take off. She immediately took out her cell phone and turned on the shlight and waved it in front of the window, hoping Jared could see it. Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org. Still in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, Jared likewise turned on the shlight of his cell phone, and the two gazed at each other as if they couldmunicate telepathically. The ne took off into the sky, and Jared¡¯s gaze went up with the ne until it was out of sight. On the ne, Nicole clutched her phone with both hands. Suddenly a feeling of solicitude, which she had never had before , hit her. In the past, she was brave and fearless , going anywhere with no worry. She wondered what was wrong with her this time, questioning this feeling, which she was not supposed to have, and suspecting if it was because of him. She turned on her cell phone again, looking at the photos they took together at the beach, almost heartbroken. Carl had received Nicole¡¯s flight information and came to the airport to pick her up. Nicole had just walked out of the airport when she saw Carl. They gave each other a hug. ¡°It has been a long while.¡± ¡°It has been a long while. Get in the car.¡± Carl got into the driver¡¯s seat and started the car to drive away from the airport. Nicole checked out the hotel room to make sure that it was safe before taking out herptop. Chapter 926 Chapter 926 ¡°Do you have yourputer with you?¡± Nicole asked Carl. ¡°Yup.¡± ¡°This is the message Zane sent me the other day. Try going through the coordinates sent in this message to see if you can find out where Zane is.¡± Nicole looked at Carl. 2 ¡°Okay, I will look into it right away.¡± Carl quickly searched with hisputer. There was no signal detected. Carl looked at Nicole and shook his head. Nicole took a long exhale, wondering what kind of opponent Zane had met and where he was now. There were many questions on Nicole¡¯s mind. She leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes as Carl continued to search for Zane¡¯s coordinates. As long as Zane appeared once, he could pinpoint his approximate location. Two of them stared at theputer, one meditating in the chair until dawn. https://novelebook/my-wife-is-a-hacker-by-summer-bd1579.html? ¡°I¡¯m getting some breakfast . You wait here,¡± Carl said and went out. Nicole got up and moved around, looking out the window at the city of tall buildings. She had only one goal in mind, which was to find Zane. Soon, Carl returned with breakfast. They ate it and continued to search for Zane¡¯s coordinates. Suddenly, Nicole¡¯sputer received a new message. She hurriedly checked; it was from Zane. [Don¡¯te to me.] ¡°Carl, get a quick lock on where the message is sent from. ¡°Nicole gave a quickmand. With his left hand on the keyboard and right hand on the mouse, Carl quickly searched for the coordinates of Zane¡¯s message and soon found an approximate location. ¡°Roca Este.¡± Nicole took out her cell phone and dialed a number.¡± Rowan, I need weapons.¡± ¡°The address has been sent to your phone. There¡¯s everything there.¡± Rowan helped her arrange it without asking questions. ¡°Good.¡± ¡°When do we leave?¡± Carl asked. ¡°In ten minutes.¡± Nicole looked like a leader. ¡°Aye.¡± Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org. Carl drove Nicole to the address given by Rowan. As the massive shutter slowly rose, Carl drove the car inside. ¡°Hello, Rowan asks me over to pick something up.¡± Nicole¡¯s face was frosty and expressionless. ¡°Inside, please.¡± A man in a suit led them inside. ¡°Feel free to pick anything inside.¡± The man in the suit made a gesture of invitation. Nicole and Carl walked in and grabbed some needed weapons, then left. As they were leaving, the man in the suit gave Nicole a pager with unlimited distance. ¡°When in trouble, call us.¡± Nicole gave him an affirmative look before leaving in the car into the distance. ¡°Navigate to Roca Este.¡± Nicolemanded. ¡°The destination has been set to Roca Este,¡± the intelligent assistant said. Carl drove the 4¡Á4 toward Roca Este. The road to Roca Este was surprisingly empty. ¡°Not a single car here. I¡¯m afraid this ce is being monitored.¡± Carl warned. Nicole looked out of the car. ¡°Even if there¡¯s a volcano ahead, we¡¯re going to drive through it. Keep your eyes open.¡± In the video, the 4¡Á4 was driving toward Roca Este. Chapter 927 Chapter 927 ¡°Franco, there¡¯s a vehicleing into Roca Este.¡± A man reported. ¡°One? It doesn¡¯t matter how many. It will be fine as long as they don¡¯t get off the vehicle. Keep watching.¡± Franco sat in a chair smoking a cigar while a woman with a hot body poured him a drink beside him. ¡°We have entered Roca Este territory.¡± Carl cautiously warned. ¡°Stop the car. I want the precise location of Zane,¡± Nicole said. She then took out a tablet. ¡°Activate the smart radar.¡± ¡°The smart radar is activated.¡± Content held by N?velDrama.Org. Nicole named the coordinates and the smart radar started searching. After a while, a red dot appeared on the tablet. https://novelebook/my-wife-is-a-hacker-by-summer-bd1579.html? ¡°Head this way.¡± Nicole synced the tablet to Carl¡¯s car, who followed the route and kept driving toward the red dot. The road was quiet, asionally there were cries of the ind¡¯s animals. As they drove close to the location of the red dot, Nicole suddenly said, ¡°Slow down and stay alert.¡± Carl drove while keeping an eye out for movement in front and to his right, and Nicole was ready with her weapon in hand. Suddenly, the car beeped, and Carl mmed on the brakes. ¡°There is a minefield ahead.¡± ¡°Get off.¡± The two of them equipped their weapons and dashed into the woods. Following the arm monitor , Nicole and Carl came near the red dot and took out their binocrs to observe the terrain and the target. ¡°There are many of them. Zane should be inside,¡± Nicole said after studying the situation. ¡°What should we do?¡± Carl looked at her. ¡°There¡¯s a bluff back there. There should be fewer people there. Let¡¯s both go up from there.¡± Nicole made a battle n, and then the two of them started to move. Coming to the bluff, Nicole visually measured the distance. ¡°This bluff should be about eight meters high. Find an anchor point on each side, and then quickly run over.¡± ¡°Run over?¡± Carl looked at Nicole in disbelief. ¡°Yes. This will reduce the time. I will run over and find an anchor point, then you set up the bridge for easy evacter,¡± Nicole said. Carl mimed an OK with her fingers. Nicole piloted a drone, took the rope to the opposite bank to make a quick anchor point, and then made another anchor point on this side. She stepped a foot on the rope to test its stability. Gravel was falling, but the rope and anchor points could still bear the weight. So she took a few steps backward and used the inertia to run on her toes over the rope to the opposite bank as fast as possible. Carl looked on with amazement; it seemed to him that Nicole had improved again during the time he had spent apart from Nicole. Nicole affixed another rope to the anchor point and threw it to Carl, then grabbed her own weapon and stood guard. Soon, Carl finishedying the evac route and came over to Nicole¡¯s side with his weapon. ¡°There are two guys there. You knock them out. I will go this way and then we will meet up at the back door.¡± Nicole used the drone to map out the terrain and sent it to Carl. The two split up. Nicole snuck up on the guards and knocked them out with a couple of strokes . Carl did the same, knocking them out with a straightforward hand de and joining Nicole at the back door. Carl quickly opened the door, and they entered in tandem. It was pitch ck inside. They put on their night vision goggles with which they could clearly see the situation inside. Nicole and Carlmunicated with hand gestures, then continued inside. Zane was recuperating on a basic bed under the protection of his men. His hearing was extremely acute. When he suddenly heard a sound that was different from usual, he bounced up on the bed, gestured to his men, and took cover. Nicole and Carl snuck up on Zane¡¯s location. When they saw a guard, Nicole told Carl to be careful and take out the man. He was about to get close to the guard when the guard suddenly turned around and several others rushed over and surrounded Carl. ¡°Drop your weapon!¡± Carl scanned the men gathered around him and slowly put his weapon on the ground, buying Nicole time to finish them off. Nicole immediately threw out a smart shooting device when Carl was spotted. The smart shooting device was already aiming at everyone¡¯s head and ready to take out those men around Carl at the press of a button. Chapter 928 Chapter 928 Carl slowly withdrew his hand away from the weapon and was about to make a gesture signaling Nicole to shoot when a figure stepped out from behind. Nicole immediately took aim with her weapon and through the scope she saw the long-awaited face of Zane. She decisively made a code sound, which Zane and Carl both heard and recognized. ¡°Stand down. Friendly.¡± Zane called out to his men with a frown. Zane approached and took a closer look at the person surrounded. ¡°Carl?¡± ¡°Zane?¡± Carl did not expect the person surrounding him to be Zane. ¡°Are you okay, Zane?¡± Carl asked with concern. ¡°I¡¯m fine. How did you find me here?¡± Zane asked. https://novelebook/my-wife-is-a-hacker-by-summer-bd1579.html? ¡°Zane,¡± Nicole said as she ran out of the shadow. ¡°Nicole?¡± Zane¡¯s heart sank when he saw Nicole, not expecting her to find him here atst. ¡°Zane, is it really you?¡± Nicole carefully examined Zane, extremely thrilled. Zane, on the contrary, looked dilemmatic, as he did not feel sofortable. ¡°Nicole, what brings you here?¡± ¡°Of course I¡¯m worried about you. What happened to your arm?¡± Nicole noticed that Zane¡¯s arm was wrapped in a bandage. ¡°It is okay. Just a minor injury.¡± ¡°You all stay on guard,¡± Zane instructed his men. ¡°Come and sit down.¡± ¡°How did you break through the defensive lines?¡± Zane was a bit confused. He had alreadyid a heavy defense, not expecting that there were still loopholes. ¡°We couldn¡¯te in through the front, but it was still possible at the back,¡± Nicole said. Content held by N?velDrama.Org. ¡°I know the back; it is a bluff, which is even more unlikely,¡± Zane said with confidence, as he knew the surrounding terrain like the back of his hand. ¡°For most people, it is impossible, but I¡¯m Nicole. There is nothing I can¡¯t do,¡± Nicole said with confidence. Zane looked Nicole in the eyes and believed that Nicole¡¯s ability was beyond even his imagination. Looking at Nicole with pride , he said, ¡°I ampletely relieved to see the person you are now.¡± ¡°Zane, there is one thing I don¡¯t understand.¡± Nicole looked at him in bafflement. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Those people out there don¡¯t look like our people.¡± Otherwise , Nicole would not have bothered to cross the bluff. ¡°Indeed. Those really aren¡¯t our men. A friend sent them to protect me.¡± Speaking of which, a touch of imperceptible sadness shed across Zane¡¯s face, something Nicole had never seen before. ¡°No wonder I didn¡¯t recognize them. Where are our men? ¡°Nicole asked. ¡°All of our men died in battle to protect me.¡± There was a glint of hatred in Zane¡¯s eyes. ¡°What?¡± Nicole and Carl¡¯s eyes widened in shock. ¡°Who did this?¡± Nicole¡¯s heart ignited with anger, not expecting Zane to meet his match this time. ¡°A mysterious organization. The details are sketchy for now. Their modus operandi is unique, unlike that of those whom we have crossed paths in the past.¡± Zane recalled the scene at that time, where his men fell one after¡¯another down in front of him. ¡°A mysterious organization?¡± Nicole wondered. ¡°By the way, how did you guys get into Roca Este?¡± Zane suddenly asked. Since no one hade on the ind since he was trapped here. ¡°We looked up your coordinates and followed them right into Roca Este,¡± Carl said. Chapter 929 Chapter 929 ¡°Were there any obstacles along the way?¡± Zane asked Carl cautiously. Carl recalled. ¡°No, there wasn¡¯t even a car on the road to Roca Este.¡± Zane heard that and let out a long sigh. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Zane?¡± Nicole asked, looking at his troubled face. ¡°I¡¯m afraid that someone let you in on purpose,¡± Zane told of his suspicion. ¡°Could it be that someone is watching the ind, and that is why you haven¡¯t been able to get out?¡± Nicole ventured a guess. Zane nodded his head. After he was wounded , he could not fight like he did before. He had tried to fight his way out a few times with his men, but they were forced back. Those men sent to him by his friends also died and were wounded. Nicole gasped. There was more to the opponent than met the eye this time, and it seemed there was a tough battle ahead. ¡°Zane, why don¡¯t you let me take a look at your arm first? ¡°Nicole was worried about Zane¡¯s injury. https://novelebook/my-wife-is-a-hacker-by-summer-bd1579.html? ¡°Okay.¡± Zane knew Nicole had superior medical skills. Conditions were limited, and he had only treated the wound briefly before this. Nicole took out a portable medical kit and came to Zane¡¯s side. The white bandage was removed, and gradually the bloody bandage , too. This was not the first time Nicole had seen such a thing. Her action was deft and swift as she continued to remove the bandage. Soon a bloody wound caused by shrapnel came into view. It pained Nicole to see such a condition. ¡°Zane, the shrapnel needs to be taken out right away, but I only have one shot of anesthetic. It might hurt a little when I go deep insideter, so bear with it.¡± Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org. Zane looked at Nicole and nodded with a smile. ¡°I have had worse. This pain is nothing. You don¡¯t have to worry about me. Just go ahead and do it.¡± Nicole looked at him and nodded solemnly, then picked up the instrument and started to take out the shrapnel. The shrapnel in the dermis was quite easy to remove, and Zane did not feel a thing. He pursed his mouth and did not make a sound as Nicole inserted the instrument deeper into the muscle tissue. ¡°It is all taken out.¡± Nicole ced thest piece of shrapnel on the table, then applied a special medicine and bandaged his wound up. ¡°Great skill, Nicole. I feel much better now.¡± After the shrapnel was removed, the wounded arm felt much better. Nicole knew Zane did not want her to worry about him. She just looked at him for a while, saying nothing more. ¡°Zane, is the only exit in the whole of Roca Este the one we came in through?¡± Nicole asked. ¡°Yes, I have been looking almost the entire ind and haven¡¯t found a secondnd exit, unless-¡± ¡°Unless what?¡± Nicole asked. ¡°Unless we take the sea route, but weck boats.¡± That was the thing Zane had been struggling with. ¡°The sea route,¡± Nicole murmured, deep in thought. ¡°Maybe I can call in some boats.¡± Nicole looked at them with a light in her eyes. Zane could not believe his ears. ¡°I contacted Rowan before I came here. Maybe his people can get me some boats.¡± Nicole looked at Zane. Zane thought for a long time and then looked at Nicole.¡± We need to prepare first. Choose a ce outside the enemy¡¯s surveince range as a picking up point.¡± ¡°Okay, Carl and I will go out and look for it.¡± ¡°This is a sketch I made earlier with some crucial locations marked on it. You guys might need it.¡± Zane handed it to Nicole. Nicole took out her phone to snap photos and synced them to her smart device. ¡°Zane, you be careful here.¡± ¡°Carl, let¡¯s go.¡± Nicole and Carl went out with their weapons. Following Zane¡¯s sketch of the ind, Nicole and Carl found a spot on the beach in Roca Este. This was the backside of Roca Este, furthest from the city. Chapter 930 Chapter 930 After a moment of observation, Nicole said to Carl,¡± Leave a mark.¡± Then the two of them went to check out other locations.¡± Leave a mark here.¡± Carl did as Nicole had instructed. ¡°If the entire Roca Este is under the enemy¡¯s surveince , how will the boats get in?¡± Carl asked the question Nicole had been thinking about. ¡°I¡¯m thinking about this too, but we can¡¯t think too much now. We will know when we cross the bridge.¡± Trapped on this isted ind, Nicole also did not know what to do next, but could only let Carl leave marks, and then they went back to study in detail. They had marked all the ces suitable for boats to dock. ¡°Carl, you go get the car back, and I will look around.¡± After Carl went, Nicole went up to the top of one of the highest hills and took out her binocrs to observe the entrance to Roca Este. There were indeed many men in ck guarding the entrance. With their current numbers and equipment, it seemed that fighting their way out was not really possible. Back at Zane¡¯s ce, Carl had already brought the car back. https://novelebook/my-wife-is-a-hacker-by-summer-bd1579.html? ¡°Did you find anything, Nicole?¡± Carl asked. ¡°The entrance into Roca Este has been sealed off by the men in ck. We are nowpletely trapped.¡± Nicole told of what she saw. Zane mmed his fist down hard on the table. ¡°Looks like this gang is trying to trap us here with little effort.¡± ¡°Did you find the ces where the boars could dock?¡± Zane looked over at Nicole. ¡°Yup. I have asked Carl to leave marks in different spots.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t youe up with a battle n, Zane?¡± Nicole looked at Zane. Content held by N?velDrama.Org. ¡°You two have juste on the ind today. The enemy will definitely keep a close eye on you two. If we take action now, we will definitely be discovered . Let¡¯s stay put today, and you and Carl do the necessary preparation, ¡°Zane said. ¡°Okay.¡± Nicole and Carl went out at once. ¡°Someone, watch closely the situation outside the ind and keep me informed.¡± ¡°Aye.¡± After giving the instructions , Zane took out the sketch and carefully studied the escape n. Nicole and Carl came outside and checked everyone¡¯s equipment. The men¡¯s weapons and equipment were fine, but there were just not enough men. ¡°Carl, choose the ten best among them to protect Zane while evacuating.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Nicole went to a secluded area and took out her pager.¡± Hello, hello.¡± After a long wait, a voice replied. ¡°Roger.¡± ¡°Prepare three boats, then wait for my signal and sail due south of Roca Este. I have marked three spots there. Stop one boat at each spot.¡± Nicole exined to the man in the suit. ¡°Okay.¡± Amid the tense atmosphere , Nicole and others spent an uneventful night on Roca Este. The next day, before dawn, a man on sentry duty on Roca Este suddenly noticed a group of men sneaking up toward them and immediately reported back to Zane. ¡°There is a group of unidentified men entering Roca Este. ¡°How many of them?¡± ¡°At least twenty, probably thirty.¡± ¡°Lead a team and ambush the enemy.¡± Zane picked up his gun and was already ready for battle. Chapter 931 Chapter 931 ¡°Zane, take it easy. Carl and I will go out and see what is going on.¡± Content held by N?velDrama.Org. ¡°You guys protect Zane. Make sure nothing goes wrong.¡® Nicole instructed the ten bodyguards she had selected earlier. ¡°Aye.¡± ¡°What are you doing? I don¡®t need protection.¡± Zane looked at Nicole, not too happy. Nicole knew Zane¡®s temperament and could only look at him with a solemn face. ¡°This is not the time to try to be brave. All you have to do is protect yourself, so Carl and I can concentrate on the enemy. If something happens to you, then there is no point in using here.¡± Nicole took Zane¡®s hand and held it with force. What Nicole said made sense. Zane saw she was now no less capable than he was, and besides, he did have mobility problems, so it would be worse if he went and got into trouble. https://novelebook/my-wife-is-a-hacker-by-summer-bd1579.html? ¡°Okay, you guys must be careful.¡± ¡°Don¡®t worry. We won¡®t die until we get you out of here.¡± Nicole smiled, then left with Carl and the others. Nicole and Carl arrived at the best observation point and found a group of sneak attackers approaching the minefield. ¡°Carl, take a few men to this side of the minefield and ambush anyone who crosses it,¡± Nicole instructed. ¡°Okay, you guyse with me.¡± Carl led a group of men toward the minefield. ¡°You take a couple of guys and stay on guard in case someone sneaks up from somewhere else.¡± Nicole looked at the man beside her. ¡°The rest of you hid around the house, and don¡®t let anyone get near it.¡± After finishing deploying the men, Nicole found a higher ground to get a panoramic view of the situation, as well as the best sniper spot. It did not take long for the sound of an explosion toe from the minefield. Everyone tensed up. Nicole took the binocrs to watch Carl¡®s side. Smoke billowed as one after another explosion sounded. The sneak attackers were blown apart, and no one dared toe forward anymore. ¡°This is a minefield. Do not move! Fall back the same way we havee!¡± The leading guy with beard ordered. After seeing hisrades being blown into pieces, they did not dare to go further. Carl watched the sneak attackers withdraw beyond Roca Este. Only then he had the battlefield cleaned up and the minefield rigged up again. It was to erase the traces of the explosion that had just urred so that it looked as if nothing had happened here. Nicole met up with Carl. ¡°Have the sneak attackers retreated?¡± ¡°Yes, they have suffered huge casualties in the minefield and are pulling out beyond Roca Este.¡± ¡°This is the gear we have captured, and the minefield has been rigged up again,¡± Carl reported to Nicole. ¡°Good. Distribute the gear among our people, send reinforcement to the entrance of Roca Este, and get someone to keep an eye on the waters close to the shore.¡± With that, Nicole walked toward Zane¡®s location. ¡°Zane, the sneak attackers have retreated. This time, there was a minefield, and that was why they didn¡®t cross over. But things would be uncertain next time. I¡®m worried that they will find another opportunity to sneak in, so we should leave as soon as possible.¡± Nicole looked at Zane and asked for his opinion. ¡°Indeed. Judging by the number of people in this sneak attack, they are just testing the waters. The minefield can¡®t hold them off all the time, so you contact the rescue people now and tell them toe over immediately,¡± Zane said. ¡°Okay.¡± Nicole immediately took out her pager and made contact. ¡°Since we can¡®t use local boats, boats will take half a day to arrive at the earliest,¡± Nicole reported back to Zane. ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°Order some men to hide for an ambush. Tell them to intercept any enemy entering Roca Este. The rest of the men head near the pickup spots and withdraw to the nearest boats as soon as they arrive.¡± ¡°Leave the best equipment and ammunition for the men guarding the entrance.¡± Zane looked at Nicole with a serious face. Nicole understood what Zane meant and then walked out with Carl to get ready. ¡°Carl, you go to the middle pickup spot and ambush. Keep an eye on the pickup spots on both sides.¡± ¡°Aye.¡± After Nicolepleted the deployment of one of the pickup spots, she found a higher ground nearby to observe the entrance to Roca Este. Zane also led an ambush near the pickup spot and then had to wait quietly for the boat to arrive. Chapter 932 Chapter 932 On the other side, Franco listened to the report of the returning bearded man in the building, looking not the slightest surprised as if he had expected this result. ¡°Assemble the team right away and take four more sappers to sweep the mines, this time wiping out Zane and the others at once.¡± Franco looked at the bearded man and barked his order, then picked up a ss of wine and took a sip as he looked at Roca Este on the monitor. At noon, with the sun baking the earth, Zane¡¯s men hid in the bushes. As they spoke , arge group of armed men advanced toward the ind at the entrance to Roca Este. As they watched, the bearded man led the group to a stop where the minefield was. ¡°Sappers!¡± the bearded man shouted. Immediately, four sappers came forward to sweep the mines. There were no snipers among the men who had been ambushing outside the minefield , so they saw the sappers sweeping the mines but could do nothing about it. https://novelebook/my-wife-is-a-hacker-by-summer-bd1579.html? Nicole, who ambushed at the pickup spot nearest to the minefield, saw the situation through the binocrs and immediately moved toward the minefield. By the time she reached the higher ground and was in range, the sappers had already cleared several mines. She grabbed her sniper rifle and took down the sapper, who was demining at the front. The other sappers saw that and immediately retreated for cover. A few secondster, they came out and continued to clear the mines. Nicole took out two more sappers with two shots. At this point, there was one sapper left. So someone immediately stepped forward to protect the only sapper, but they did not see where the sniper was and did not know which direction to return fire. Even with protection, the sapper still had to continue to clear the mines. Another shot was taken. Nicole took out thest supper, leaving the enemypletely with no sappers. The bearded man furiously picked up a machine gun and shot a few rounds in random directions, hitting nothing. He looked angrily at the minefield in front of them and cursed frustratedly before ordering his team to back up and take cover. After contemting for a while, the bearded man and those armed men turned around, abandoning their n to go through the minefield. The bearded man led his team, trekking through mountains and forests carefully. Perhaps afraid of stepping on a mine, they moved slightly slower. After a long while, the group came to a rocky cliff, and the bearded man looked upward. ¡°You two go over there and see if you can climb up.¡± Two men went to check under the cliff and then came back and reported. ¡°We should be able to get up there using grappling hooks.¡± The bearded man turned around and ordered . ¡°Prepare grappling hooks and go up as fast as you all can.¡± His men immediately took the grappling hooks and threw them toward the top of the cliff. ¡°Ready to go.¡± ¡°Go.¡± the bearded manmanded.Content held by N?velDrama.Org. His men climbed , following the rope lines. Halfway up the cliff, the rope suddenly snapped, and they fell from the height of dozens of feet and were severely injured. The bearded man looked up but saw no one, thinking that sharp rock surfaces might have worn the rope, causing it to snap. So he ordered his men to bind two strands of rope into one and climb again. As they were halfway up the cliff, the same thing happened. The bearded man looked up the cliff again with bafflement, suspecting if there was someone up there. He instructed a few men toe over. ¡°A few of you climb using the grappling hooks. The rest of you find some spots where you can climb with your hands and set up a humandder.¡± ¡°Aye.¡± ¡°This time, even if there is someone up there, they can¡®t stop me.¡± The bearded man looked upward with confidence. ¡°What do we do this time? They¡®re spreading out and climbing up.¡± The few people Nicole had arranged to ambush here ran out of countermeasures. Chapter 933 Chapter 933 ¡°You go and inform the nearest team toe over for reinforcements. The rest, hold on to your positions. Never let them climb up.¡± The bearded man¡®s men barely found a ce where they could climb up barehanded. They set up multiple humandders, working their way up toward the top of the cliff. Zane¡®s men threw rocks and all avable things at the humandders. When one humandder went down, a new one came up. Atst, they could no longer hold their position and perished together with the enemy. After all of the men of the bearded man came up, they immediately searched the ind. Carl received a distress call and immediately rushed to the cliff with his men. On the way, he and the bearded man respectively perceived a movement ahead and immediately ordered their men to take cover. After a while of taking cover and seeing no movement, the bearded man ordered a few men to go check out the situation. Carl, a stager at this, instructed those behind him, ¡°No one shoots.¡± ¡°Boss, there is nothing unusual.¡± Several people ran back to report to the bearded man. The bearded man swaggered out. https://novelebook/my-wife-is-a-hacker-by-summer-bd1579.html? ¡°Keep moving. Make sure you catch Zane and the two guysing in after him alive. Never let the three of them get away.¡± ¡°Aye.¡± The bearded man¡®s team continued to advance in Zane¡®s direction. Carl immediately alerted Nicole of the bearded man¡®s location and then encircled him in the back, cutting off his retreating route. After a while, through the binocrs , Nicole saw the bearded man leading a group of men moving in her direction. ¡°Wait until they get to the heel before you shoot. The leader needs to be taken alive.¡± Nicole instructed. ¡°Aye.¡± Seeing that the bearded man¡®s team had entered the ambush circle, Nicole ordered her men to shoot, and they aimed all the guns at the bearded man¡®s team. The bearded man and his men immediately took cover while returning fire. In the chaos, both sides had lost some men. As the bearded man¡®s team was in in sight, they suffered higher casualties. Seeing his men fall one by one, the bearded man ordered a retreat. Before they could retreat far, Carl cut off their retreating route from the back. The bearded man was desperate and led his men to fight their way out. Carl¡¯s team was outnumbered, and most of them were killed or injured in the exchange of fire. As the bearded man and his men continued to fight their way out, Carl was almost overwhelmed . Atst, the bearded man gradually broke through the ambush. Nicole and her men quickly closed in on Carl¡®s side, and the two sides converged and pressed forward on the bearded man. Nicole saw the bearded man¡®s intention and aimed a shot at his leg. The bearded man fell to the ground. His men tried to help him, but they were killed by Carl. Nicole and Carl led their men to surround them. The bearded man tried to finish himself off with a gun, but the gun was out of bullets, and Nicole took him alive. Nicole brought the bearded man toe in front of Zane, who looked over at him and asked, ¡°Who are you working for?¡± The bearded man was stubborn and did not look at Zane. Carl stepped on the bearded man¡®s wound, causing him to grimace in pain. ¡°Speak!¡± The bearded man gritted his teeth and fought back the pain. As Carl stepped harder on his wound, the bearded man sweated in pain. ¡°It¡®s Franco.¡± ¡°Franco?¡± Zane repeatedly mumbled the unfamiliar name; he had never heard of the man in all his life operating internationally. ¡°Why is he working against me?¡± Zane¡®s eyes were filled with puzzlement. N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. ¡°Remember five years ago when you destroyed an underground organization?¡± Chapter 934 Chapter 934 ¡°The leader of that organization is Franco¡®s father.¡± Hearing what happened five years ago, Zane could almost see the scene of that day. In the bloody battle, he seeded in destroying the underground organization that had done so much harm to people. He killed the leader of the organization but did not expect that the child he spared was Franco, who was taking revenge today. Back then, Franco hid in a dark corner and watched his father die in front of his eyes. Since then, he joined an organization and kept strengthening himself. Eventually, he took out the original leader and became the new overlord. He had been looking for Zane ever since. This time, trapping Zane was the best opportunity for him. After knowing his enemy¡®s purpose, Zane fell into contemtion. ¡°What about this guy?¡± Nicole asked Zane for his opinion. Zane looked at the bearded man. ¡°He is our bargaining chip. Bring him aboard.¡± https://novelebook/my-wife-is-a-hacker-by-summer-bd1579.html? Franco, who was in the building and had still not received any news for a long time, started to have a bad feeling.¡® Beardie hasn¡®t sent a message back for so long. He must have been killed. Zane, I¡®m going to cut you into pieces.¡® ¡°Send two more teams to encircle Zane bynd and sea respectively and bring Zane back to me alive!¡± Franco could not sit still. He stood up, puffing away as he looked toward Roca Este. Soon, two teams of Franco¡®s men surrounded Roca Este bynd and sea. ¡°Boss, there are two groups of men surrounding Roca Este fromnd and sea.¡± A henchman quickly ran in to report to Zane. ¡°It looks like Franco is desperate ,¡± Zane said in a calm voice. Zane looked at Nicole. ¡°Find out how long until the boats arrive.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Nicole went out to contact the rescue boats. Soon, she walked back in and whispered in Zane¡®s ear. ¡°Everyone evac to the previous pickup points ording to n,¡± Zane instructed. ¡°Aye.¡± ¡°Carl, take the bearded man and go to the middle pickup point,¡± Nicole told Carl. ¡°What about you?¡± Carl looked at Nicole worriedly. ¡°I will protect Zane and escort him to the pickup point on the far right. See you in Armoda.¡± ¡°Take care.¡± The two of them nced at each other, then went about their business. Carl took the bearded man and arrived at the middle pickup point without incident, while Nicole and Zane were going to the far right pickup point. Nicole had informed the rescue team that the leftmost pickup point had been canceled, so one of the boats was acting as an escort for the other two boats. The two teams sent by Franco quickly came around toward the center of Roca Este. The team that came from thend route encountered the minefield and lost some men, but there was no ambush after that. They quickly moved toward the house where Zane was hiding and carefullyunched an encirclement of the empty house. After throwing some smoke bombs, they stormed and searched the house without finding Zane. The leader of the group knew it was a trap and reported it to Franco. Franco was a little surprised to receive the news. Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. There was only one entrance and exit on the entire ind. His men had been monitoring it, and no way Zane could have escaped. After pondering for a moment, a possibility came to mind. Chapter 935 Chapter 935 ¡°Check out the beach immediately. They may try to escape by sea. Stop them and if necessary, kill Zane.¡± Franco¡®s eyes were burning with anger. He would not let Zane escape, even if he had to kill Zane outright. Nicole and Zane led an ambush at the pickup point. As the boat was about to arrive from a distance, a group of men appeared 300 feet away. Nicole had guessed that Franco¡®s men were looking for them and immediately ordered, ¡±Protect Zane and get on the boat.¡± She took out her weapon and led a fight to the death with the enemy. When Carl heard gunfireing from Nicole¡®s side, he knew that Franco¡®s men had caught up with her. ¡°Take cover,¡± Carl told the men behind him. Soon, there were two speedboats heading toward the ce where the gunshots were heard. Carl saw the situation and had no time to think. He ordered. ¡°Stop these two speedboats.¡± He knew that if these two speedboats got there, Nicole and Zane would be surrounded and in deep sh*t. So he had to stop these two speedboats here, no matter what. https://novelebook/my-wife-is-a-hacker-by-summer-bd1579.html? Carl grabbed his sniper rifle and shot the helmsman, sending him dropping dead into the water, then led his men in a frantic blockade. The other speedboat did not engage Carl but bypassed him and headed straight for Nicole. Carl handed the bearded man to his men and ran for Nicole and Zane. As the boating to Nicole¡®s rescue stopped at the pickup point, Nicole looked back. ¡°Take Zane on board.¡± Everyone fired back while retreating toward the rescue boat. Zane made his way to the boat with everyone protecting him. Franco¡®s men saw Zane on board and attacked even more frantically. ¡°Go.¡± As the enemy¡®s attack was getting more intense, Nicole decided to stay behind to buy time for Zane. Receiving Nicole¡®smand, the boat sped off at once. Zane shouted for the boat to stop, but the boat still sped away as fast as it could. He looked back from afar at Nicole, who was fighting to stop the enemy and felt bad and helpless. There was nothing he could not do except watch Nicole fight the enemy. Carl came to Nicole¡®s side and said, ¡°Zane has escaped to a safe distance. Come with me.¡± Carl covered Nicole as she retreated toward his pickup point. Franco¡®s men were pursuing them relentlessly, intending to wipe them out. But with Nicole and Carl working seamlessly together, Franco¡®s men did not dare to close in on them. ¡°Get on board first.¡± Carl gestured for Nicole to go. Nicole nced at Carl and quickly got on board. Carl grabbed the bearded man and used him as his shield. ¡°Don¡®t shoot. It¡®s me!¡± The bearded man shouted desperately for fear that he would be killed. Franco¡®s men saw the bearded man and stopped shooting. Carl took the opportunity to retreat toward the boat. The bearded man, freed now, limped toward his men, who started to shoot in Carl¡®s direction again.N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. Nicole saw the situation and immediately went to pull Carl onboard while telling the boat to set off. Just as Carl was about to get to the boat, Nicole was shot in the arm. But she endured the pain and pulled Carl onto the boat. ¡°You¡®re hurt?¡± Carl saw Nicole¡®s arm bleeding. ¡°I¡®m fine. Take out the bearded man.¡± Nicole instructed. As the boat sped out to sea at full speed, Carl took up his sniper rifle and shot at the bearded man, killing him instantly. When Franco¡®s men saw that the bearded man had died, they jumped on their speedboats and pursued Nicole and Carl. Nicole ignored her wounded arm and continued to shoot at the pursuers from the boat with Carl. The pursuing speed boats were destroyed by machine gun fire. On the other side, Zane¡®s boat had also got away. Both boats headed toward the escort boat. The three boats regrouped and steered toward Armoda. Chapter 936 Chapter 936 When they arrived safely in Armoda, Zane¡®s men had been waiting for them there. The three checked into a high¨Cend hotel. Carl came into Nicole¡®s room and looked at the bandage on Nicole¡®s arm with a guilty look on his face. ¡°If it weren¡®t for saving me, you wouldn¡®t have gotten hurt.¡± Nicole nced down at her arm. Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org. ¡°It is just a minor injury. I will be fine. Don¡¯t me yourself.¡± Carl sat her down in a chair. ¡°I know you¡®re a great healer, but don¡®t dy in treating this wound. I will help you with it now.¡± Nicole smiled when she saw the first¨Caid kit in Carl¡®s hand. ¡°Looks like you came prepared.¡± Carl nced at the first-aid kit in his hand. ¡°Of course.¡± https://novelebook/my-wife-is-a-hacker-by-summer-bd1579.html? After re¨Cbandaging Nicole¡®s wound, Carl finally breathed a sigh of relief. ¡°Apply your medication once a day, and I guess it will be fine soon.¡± ¡°You still remember my medication works better, eh?¡± Nicole teased him. ¡°Of course I remember. Whenever I was injured in the past, it was you who treated me.¡± Carl looked at Nicole with pride. ¡°What¡®s the next n?¡± Carl suddenly asked Nicole with a serious face. Now Zane and Nicole were injured, and if Franco came looking for them now, they would be no match for him. ¡°I think we should return to base immediately. We can¡®t stay here much longer.¡± Nicole said after pondering for a while. It got riskier with each extra day staying here. ¡°Absolutely. That is what I thought.¡± Carl looked over at her. ¡°Let¡®s go find Zane.¡± Nicole stood up and headed outside. Zane¡®s men guarding the door of Zane¡®s room saw Nicole and Carl and gave a knock on the door before opening it for them. ¡°How are your injuries ?¡± Nicole was the first to speak. She cared about Zane¡®s condition. ¡°It isn¡®t deteriorating. I¡®m more worried about you; is your injury serious?¡± Zane asked with concern as he motioned for her to sit beside him. ¡°It is just a minor injury, no big deal.¡± Nicole sounded cool, as she did not want Zane to worry about her. ¡°Nicole wouldn¡®t have been hurt if it wasn¡¯t for saving me.¡± Carl med himself. Nicole shot a look at him. ¡°You never looked this sad when you got hurt for protecting me previously. What¡®s wrong now? Don¡®t mention it again.¡± She then turned to Zane. ¡°Do you have any ns now?¡± ¡°I¡®ve asked someone to prepare the helicopter. As soon as the helicopter arrives, we will fly back to the base. It is not safe to stay here for long.¡± Zane looked at them both seriously. ¡°We have the same thinking. Franco won¡®t give up. Maybe they are already on their way,¡± Nicole said matter of¨Cfactly. ¡°That¡®s right. Before the helicopter arrives, we can¡®t let down our guard yet. You guys go back and get ready. I will let you know as soon as the helicopter arrives,¡± Zane said. ¡°Then we will leave and get ready.¡± Nicole got up and left with Carl. Back in her room, Nicole took out her cell phone and received several messages from Jared as soon as she turned it on. It warmed her heart to read the messages from Jared. [I¡¯m fine. Don¡®t worry.] Nicolepiled a few words with one hand and sent them to him before quickly turning off her phone. Jared was sitting at his desk, looking through the files, when his phone suddenly buzzed. He picked it up and checked the message immediately. Since Nicole left and whenever his phone rang, he would check his phone immediately when it rang, as if afraid to miss Nicole¡®s message. He finally received a message from Nicole, and he quickly read it. It was a huge relief for him. Jared wrote a message and replied to Nicole , but he did not get a reply for a long time. Jared looked at his phone and felt disappointed. Just then, there was a knock on the door, and Max walked in. Chapter 937 Chapter 937 ¡°Mr. Johnston, theunch event, which the multinationalpany announced a few days ago, has been postponed for a week for some reason,¡± Max said. ¡°Postponed for a week?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Find out what is going on,¡± Jared said. ¡°Aye.¡± ¡°Nicole, the helicopter has arrived. Get to the rooftop immediately.¡± Zane called Nicole. ¡°Copy that.¡± Nicole immediately grabbed her backpack and headed for the elevator. While walking past Carl¡®s room, she knocked on the door. https://novelebook/my-wife-is-a-hacker-by-summer-bd1579.html? On the rooftop, Zane, who was already waiting in the helicopter, saw Nicole and Carl and called out, ¡°Hurry up! After Nicole and Carl got onboard, the helicopter took off and flew toward Zane¡®s base at once. After a long flight, they finallynded at the base. It was nowpletely safe, and Nicole¡®s tense mind eased up. ¡°You guys get some good rest at the base and go back only after you two have recovered fully.¡± Zane looked at Nicole. Nicole nodded. As Zane left, she and Carl went to their resting ce. ¡°What do you think about Franco? He is still a threat as long as he lives.¡± Carl looked at Nicole with a serious face. ¡°Tell me what you have in mind.¡± Nicole knew Carl best. ¡°I¡®m thinking of gathering a strike team to raid Franco¡®sir after you have recovered from your injuries.¡± Carl still dared to speak his mind in front of Nicole. Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org. Nicole thought for a moment. ¡°I have also considered it before. I will find a chance to discuss it with Zer.¡± ¡°Then get some rest. I will also get some rest too. Let me know if you need anything, and I will send it straight over to you.¡± Carl cocked an eyebrow at her and left. A weekter, Nicole and Carl were suddenly summoned to see Zane. ¡°You are looking for us?¡± Nicole looked at Zane. ¡°Take a seat. I have something to tell you guys.¡± ¡°Tomorrow, a multinationalpany is going to hold aunch event, during which tech and medical products will be announced. You two,e with me to theunch event tomorrow. If the new stuff is helpful for weapons, we have to get all the supplies and not let the product flow into the market.¡± ¡°So serious?¡± Nicole looked at Zane with a grave face. ¡°Yeah. I have received information that a peace destroying, ndestine organization called The Raven is trying to get their hands on this invention. So the thing that thispany isunching is likely to be useful in weaponry. We can¡®t let this thing fall into the hands of the ndestine organization.¡± Zane¡®s expression at this moment was both serious and earnest. ¡°Got it,¡± Nicole and Carl said in unison. Zane¡®s gaze swept over Nicole¡¯s injured arm. ¡°Has your arm recovered yet?¡± ¡°It has recovered,¡± Nicole replied with no hesitation. Carl gave her a look. ¡°Go back and get ready. We will depart at nine.¡± Nicole and Carl walked out of Zane¡®s office, and Carl spoke up. ¡°Your arm has obviously notpletely healed. Why didn¡¯t you tell Zane the truth?¡± Nicole quickly dragged him to a ce where no one was around. ¡°You heard what Zane just said, didn¡®t you? The R¨¢ven is also eyeing that thing, and it means that the thing must be useful. If a fight breaks out tomorrow, I will be by Zane¡®s side to protect him, and you go grab the thing. Otherwise, the consequences of the thing falling into the hands of The Raven will be unthinkable.¡± Nicole told Carl what was at stake. Chapter 938 Chapter 938 Carl understood what Nicole was saying, but she still had a wound on her arm. He was worried about who was going to protect her when the time came. ¡°I know you won¡®t listen to me. Bring more men with you, just in case.¡± Carl would only be less worried if more men were with Nicole. ¡°Okay.¡± The two of them walked to the training ground , where there were many mercenaries training. Nicole swept her eyes over them and then selected ten experienced special mercenaries to follow her. Coming to Hall A, Nicole looked at them solemnly.¡± You¡®re going to go on a mission with me in a minute. Your job is to protect the boss, understand?¡± ¡°Understood.¡± https://novelebook/my-wife-is-a-hacker-by-summer-bd1579.html? ¡°Now go change into civilian clothes and get your gear. Assemble in Hall A in twenty minutes.¡± Nicole ordered. ¡°Aye.¡± Nicole nced at Carl, and then the two of them also went to change into civilian clothes. Twenty minutester, everyone was assembled in Hall A.¡® Nicole and Carl stood in front of them, waiting for Zane¡®s departure notice.Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org. Around nine, Nicole and Carl received a message from Zane at the same time. (Now go to Gate A to board the helicopter.] [Got it.] Nicole replied to Zane. ¡°Everybody heads to Gate A.¡± Nicole led the team to Gate Coming to Gate A, Nicole told the mercenaries to get into the helicopter. She waited for everyone to get onboard before she did, and then she ordered it to take off. The helicopter flew for a long time before itnded on the rooftop of a hotel. Zane led them to a room for a preoperative briefing. ¡°Here is the floor map of tomorrow¡®sunch event. The four of you disguise as service crew at the launch event tomorrow and report immediately when you find The Raven members. You two monitor the perimeter of the event and immediately report anything suspicious . The other four of you will go with me to theunch event tomorrow. Let¡®s split up.¡± Zane ordered. After the mercenaries left, Zane looked at Nicole and Carl. ¡°If The Raven memberse tomorrow, there is a good chance they will grab the thing, and you two will have to get it before they do.¡± Zane assigned them the most important task. ¡°I will just grab the thing myself. Nicole will stay by your side to protect you.¡± Carl nced at Nicole. He knew Nicole would be safer with Zane. Zane looked at Nicole and thought for a moment. ¡°It would be better if you two go together. You don¡®t have to worry about me. Securing the new product is the most important thing.¡± ¡°Aye.¡± ¡°Go take a rest.¡± Out of Zane¡®s room, Nicole said to Carl, ¡°Don¡®t worry about me. This injury is nothing to me, and it has basically healed.¡± Nicole was optimistic. She was worried that Carl could not deal with The Raven, and she could still help if she was there. ¡°Why don¡®t you always take your injuries seriously?¡± Carl was just as angry as he was sorry. ¡°Why are you so overreacting? I know my condition. You just need to concentrate on securing the product. Stop worrying about me.¡± Nicole frowned at him, exasperated by his way of reaction. ¡°Go back and get a good rest.¡± With that, Nicole went back to her room. Back in the room, she did not rest immediately but took out herptop to hack into theunch event website and the surveince system, carefully studying it. After noticing nothing was out of the ordinary, she closed theptop and went to sleep. Chapter 939 Chapter 939 Early the next moming, Nirole and Carl arrived at theunch event to familiarize themselves with the ce. Anyone who entered the venue was under Nicole¡®s monitor, She had the venue under her control, Gradually , VIPs from all over the world stepped into the event venue, and people gathering in groups were chatting Not long after, Zane arrived with four bodyguards disguised as participants. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Nicole and Carl. He sat down in a ce where he could have a good view of the entire venue. Everyone was talking about today¡®s new products, ¡°Did you hear that a new product will beunched today? ¡°A guy with a big belly said. ¡°Yes, I have heard that, too. But there will be two products.¡± Another middle¨Caged man said. ¡°Two? As far as I know, there will be only one. Did you hear it wrong?¡± ¡°No. I heard that there were two productunches today.¡± https://novelebook/my-wife-is-a-hacker-by-summer-bd1579.html? ¡°No way. Everyone gets the same information. You must have heard it wrong.¡± Yet another man retorted with confidence. ¡°s, if you don¡®t believe it, forget it.¡± The middle¨Caged man left the crowd and sat down in his seat. Just then, a group of people walked in, and everyone walked over to greet the leading man of the group. When Nicole saw the face of the leading man, she was stunned for a second. Carl noticed what had happened at the entrance and nced in Nicole¡®s direction. ¡°What brings you here, Mr. Johnston?¡± ¡°I didn¡®t know that Mr. Johnston was also interested in this kind ofunch event.¡± The big belly man said. ¡°I happened to be free today and heard that there was a new productunched, so I came to check it out.¡± ¡°How much do you all know about the new product?¡± Jared swept his eyes over them. ¡°I heard it is a tech product, but I am not sure about the other.¡± ¡°I heard there are two productunches today.¡± The middle¨Caged man walked up to Jared. Jared looked at him. ¡°Two?¡± He then nced at Max behind him, and Max lowered his head. Thispletely surprised Jared, who only received news that there would be a tech productunch. Apparently, he only learned about it now that there were two productunches today. ¡°It seems that they have made a tremendous breakthrough in research and development.¡± With that, Jared walked to the front seats. He got a nce of Zane from the corner of his eye as he walked past him. Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. After sitting down, he spoke a few words to Max, who went out immediately afterward. Nicole hid in an inconspicuous position where Jared would not see her, and she could have a good view of the entire venue. Soon, someone came out to officiate the event. ¡°Wee all of you who are taking the precious time to attend this new productunch event. Thank you, everyone.¡± After the opening speech, the director of research and development came on stage to introduce the first new product. ¡°Thank you for your patience in listening to the introduction. Next, I¡¯m going to reveal the first new product for you.¡± After saying that, a staff member pushed a disy cart onto the stage. ¡°It seems that there are really two new products,¡± Everyone in the audience said. ¡°This thing on the disy cart is our new tech product this year. Let¡®s witness it together.¡± With that, the director of research and development pulled the silk cloth covering off the disy cart. An artificial intelligence robot appeared in front of everyone¡®s eyes. ¡°I call this AI robot Brave because it can help humans do dangerous tasks, go to ces that humans can¡®t reach, and protect humans from injury in some environments, reducing human casualty.¡± Chapter 940 Chapter 940 After that, the director of research and development came on stage to introduce the first new product. ¡°Thank you for your patience in listening to the introduction. Next, I¡¯m going to reveal the first new product for you.¡± After saying that, a staff member pushed a disy cart onto the stage. ¡°It seems that there are really two new products,¡± Everyone in the audience said. ¡°This thing on the disy cart is our new tech product this year. Let¡¯s witness it together.¡± With that, the director of research and development pulled the silk cloth covering off the disy cart. An artificial intelligence robot appeared in front of everyone¡¯s eyes. ¡°I call this AI robot Brave because it can help humans do dangerous tasks, go to ces that humans can¡¯t reach, and protect humans from injury in some environments, reducing human casualty.¡± ¡°Next, I¡¯m going to test Brave for everyone to see if it is up to the snuff in handling different emergency situations.¡± The director of R&D took out a methrower and aimed it at a staff member who was wearing protective clothing. With a gentle press, a me shot toward the staff member wearing protective clothing. Brave quickly made its judgment, lunged at the staff, and led him away from the me. It only let go of him after making sure there was no danger. https://novelebook/my-wife-is-a-hacker-by-summer-bd1579.html? The staff member stood up unscathed and faced everyone, saying that he was fine and had not been harmed There was apuse from the audience. ¡°With Brave, you don¡¯t have to hire a bodyguard. One Brave can take on a hundred men.¡± ¡°This year¡¯s new product is a surprise.¡± Some people sitting in their seats praising Brave on stage. Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Brave has passed the test. Next, we will test its rescue capability.¡± A staff member trapped in an iron barrel was carried and ced at the center of the stage. He called out to Brave and then shouted for help. Brave saw the staff member trapped in the barrel, scanned the surroundings to make sure there was no danger, and walked over. First, it scanned the physical condition of the trapped person, determining that he was okay, and scanned the iron barrel before the rescue began. It took Brave just a few minutes to get the trapped staff member out. The audience apuded again. Just then, a group of men came in from the entrance, sat in the back seats, and looked at the stage. Zane, Nicole, and Carl were alerted by the scouts outside and immediately noticed those men. They reiterated the situation to everyone , and the mercenaries raised their guard further. There were many tests on stage, and Bravepleted them excellently. Its performance was unanimously recognized by everyone present. ¡°Are you all surprised after seeing Brave¡¯s performance?¡± The R&D director tried to hype up the atmosphere on the stage. ¡°If anyone is interested, you may order it from the staff after the event. ¡°The showcase of our first new product ends here. Next, I¡¯m going to show you another new product, which is an advanced medical instrument. Without further ado,please wee this new piece of product.¡± The director gestured to the staff members under the stage, and then they pushed the exhibition cart to the stage and handed it to the director. ¡°After you all have seen the first product, you must wonder about what this medical device is next to me, right? After all, our current level of healthcare is still limited in many aspects, and our emergency rooms can¡¯t treat patients in time, which is unfortunate for the patients and their families, and we deeply regret it.¡± ¡°But starting from now on, we don¡¯t have to worry about it anymore. There will be no more regrets because we have developed a world-ss advanced medical instrument. With it, even if you encounter an emergency, you will be taken care of at the soonest possible time so that there will be no more regrets in your family, and the death rate in the world will decline.¡± After the director made his speech , the audience erupted into thunderous apuse, which showed the audience resonated with what the director said. Chapter 941 Chapter 941 ¡°Let¡®s focus on the exhibition cart.¡± The director ripped off the silk cloth covering, and a dummy head model wearing two medical instruments came into view. Everyone looked at the things onstage with a puzzled look. ¡°This is the most advanced medical instrument in the world?¡± ¡°It looks like they can only treat the head. But what if the other part of the body is injured?¡± ¡°Yeah, you can only wear them on the head. How do you use them on other parts of the body?¡± Many people in the audience raised questions, and the director on the stage motioned them to calm down. ¡°One of the most important organs in our body is the brain, so we developed this instrument for the brain. With this instrument, sudden brain diseases will be alleviated in the shortest possible time, leaving more time for doctors to treat the patient so that more patients can survive.¡± https://novelebook/my-wife-is-a-hacker-by-summer-bd1579.html? Hearing the director¡¯s exnation, the people in the audience gradually understood and showed interest in the product. The director was relieved when he saw he had the scene under control. Only by convincing these top officers of corporations to trust their products can they make money. ¡°This product is leading the world in medical care. After it is sold, we will continue to record the actual use and feedback on the data toy the foundation for the next generation of products. Theunch event will end here. Anyone who wants to order this world¨Css, advanced medical instrument may contact our staff. Thank you.¡± The director waved and then left the stage. The audience gathered for a discussion. After a while, someone came to the staff to order a batch of this medical instrument, trying to seize the market opportunity. Seeing that someone had ced their orders, others who did not want to be left behind followed suit. Jared sat in his seat and watched those people ce their orders with enthusiasm. He was unfazed and quietly watched because he saw Zane. Those sitting in thest row split into two teams. They avoided the crowd and took advantage of the chaos to go backstage. Nicole noticed what had happened and called Zane.¡± There are two products now. What should we do?¡± Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org. ¡°Go get them.¡± ¡°Aye.¡± ¡°Copy that.¡± Carl headed backstage with the mercenaries at the venue. ¡°The four of you go help Nicole.¡± Seeing those people going straight for the products, Carl quickly walked to the staff member. ¡°The director asked me to send the product to him.¡± The staff member nced at Carl. ¡°Howe I don¡®t know you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m the director¡®s bodyguard ,¡± Carl said icily. The staff member looked at the grim¨Cfaced Carl and handed him the product in fear. Carl pushed the cart and left backstage. When some people saw that, they immediately went after Carl. Nicole walked over to the medical instrument the staff had brought off the stage. She nced at it, and her pupils shrank. ¡®Isn¡®t this Martin¡®s experimental product? Why is it here?¡¯ With no time to think, she decided to take it first before asking questions. ¡°Leave it to me. The director asked me to take care of this.¡± As Nicole pushed the cart in the other direction, another group of sharp¨Ceyed members of The Raven went after her. Chapter 942 Chapter 942 Nicole pushed the cart for a while, then left it going while she ran in the opposite direction. The Raven members rushed up to the cart, looking for the instrument, but found nothing. Knowing that Nicole had tricked them, they drew their weapons and chased after Nicole. Meanwhile, Carl pushed the cart into a room and shoved Brave through the window, outside of which his mercenaries were waiting. They took Brave and left. He found something about the size of Brave and put it on the exhibition cart. Just as The Raven members were approaching the room, Carl pushed the cart out of it again. Two of them immediately came up to search the room. ¡°It¡®s not here.¡± ¡°Keep chasing.¡± Knowing that The Raven behind him had not been fooled, Carl picked up his pace and continued to move forward. Since it was in a crowded venue, The Raven did not want to attract unwanted attention but would prefer to take things away quietly. https://novelebook/my-wife-is-a-hacker-by-summer-bd1579.html? Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org. Carl pushed the cart to the parking lot outside, then took the things from the cart to the car and drove away. ¡°Where are you?¡± Carl contacted Nicole. ¡°I¡¯m being hunted by the members of The Raven. It was not hard to tell from her voice that she was running. ¡°I will drive past the main entrance . Are you anywhere near it?¡± ¡°No. I¡®m too far from the main entrance. You first shake off those guys on your tail beforeing to pick me up.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± Carl floored the gas pedal, and the car shot straight through the front entrance , with two cars belonging to The Raven on his heels. Theunch event was still in full swing inside as the director was chatting andughing with those corporate bigshots, utterly unaware that his things had been taken away. After a while, a staff member came over and whispered in his ear, and the cheerfulness faded from his face. He must not let the guests see it, so he faked a smile.¡± Please excuse me. I will leave you guys to it and be back in a while.¡± At the backstage, the staff member showed the empty boxes to the director. ¨C¨C¨C* ¡°Where are the products?¡± Where did they go?¡± The director swept his piercing eyes over them. ¡°Two people iming to be your bodyguards under your order took them. So we didn¡®t dare to stop them.¡± ¡°You idiots! Don¡®t you know your own men?¡± The director angrily kicked the metal rack next to him, hurting his foot instead. ¡°What are you all waiting for?¡± Send someone to find it and get the things back, no matter what.¡± ¡°Aye. A group of bodyguards started looking around for Nicole and Carl. The director adjusted his mentality. He told himself that the things might have gone, but he had to keep his cool and not let the guests find out anything. Otherwise, they would not buy the products. After calming down his breathing, he changed into a smiling face and came back out to continue talking with those corporate bigshots. ¡°Do you sell the two samples? I want to take it back for a pre¨Csale.¡± A shrewd guy made the request, thinking that by buying the sample, he could get ahead of others in the market. ¡°I¡®m sorry that I can¡®t sell you the samples. Please be patient while we process your order. We will deliver the products to you as soon as possible. Don¡®t worry.¡± The director reassured the man. Chapter 943 Chapter 943 ¡°How can I not be desperate? You know how important it is to get a head start, don¡®t you?¡± ¡°I know, but there are so many of you here. Who should I sell to? A watched pot never boils. But I promise to let you get the goods first. What do you say?¡± A director is a director, after all. He sessfully cated the man. ¡°What else can I say when you have promised that? I¡®m happy to work with someone like you.¡± The man politely clinked sses with him. ¡°My pleasure.¡± Nicole re¨Cnned the route and ran toward the main entrance when a knife suddenly appeared in front of her. She immediately bent her body and slid straight over to dodge the de. But The Raven guys were quick. They attacked Nicole with the knife again. Nicole immediately took out her weapon and fought back. She was alone, and with only one hand she could use, while there were several members of The Raven attacking her. She fought back hard, and after several rounds of fighting, she hurt a few of them. But members of The https://novelebook/my-wife-is-a-hacker-by-summer-bd1579.html? Raven still attacked Nicole incessantly, hellbent on taking the instrument from Nicole. Just then, she saw the director¡®s bodyguards run toward her. She shouted at them, ¡°Over here! Come and help me. Those bodyguards picked up their paces and rushed toward her. When The Raven members saw a group of bodyguardsing their way, they thought those bodyguards were here to help Nicole. So they attacked those bodyguards as well. Nicole took the opportunity to flee. Carl drove his car and lured The Raven members to the suburb and looked in the rearview mirror. ¡°Now is the time to get rid of you all.¡± N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. The Raven members fired at Carl¡®s car from behind, and Carl dodged left and right, trying to avoid getting hit by the bullets. But there were still some bullets that hit the rear windshield and broke it. Carl took out his gun and returned fire. At this point, the pursuing cars had caught up with him. Three cars were now running side by side and colliding with each other while The Raven members kept firing at him. Carl floored the gas pedal and drove up the side of the hill to avoid getting hit by bullets. One of The Raven¡®s cars was pursuing Carl on the tarmac while the other was on the hillside . Carl floored the gas pedal again at the right moment and drove straight down the hillside, smashing into The Raven¡®s car and destroying it. But he did not dare to stop. He continued to drive. The Raven guy in the other car fired at Carl in front with a machine gun. Carl drove some distance, then braked and steered the car to make a one¨Ceighty. The Raven guys in the other car were dumbfounded, wondering what this guy was doing. But he did not slow down the car, as if whatever Carl was going to do, they were still going to kill him. Carl mmed the gas pedal with a determined look in his eyes and then drove straight into the opposite car. Neither The Raven members were afraid of death. They also floored the gas pedal to collide with Carl¡®s car. CRASH! BANG! The two cars collided and exploded with a loud bang. Car body parts were sent flying all over the ce. Carl had jumped out of the vehicle and rolled to the side of the road in the distance, now looking at the burning car but seeing no one. Just then, a superbike was passing by, and Carl stopped and expropriated it, using it to return to the event venue to save Nicole. Zane took his men to the rendezvous point and saw Brave, but not Nicole and Carl. ¡°A few of you go back to the event venue to help Nicole and Carl.¡± ¡°Aye.¡± Nicole ran to a hallway only to bump into a group of Raven men. She was about to take on them when four mercenaries appeared. ¡°You go first. We will stop them.¡± The mercenaries and The Raven men got into a fight. Nicole nodded and ran in the other direction. The Raven men and the bodyguards in the back were alsoing in her direction. She nced at the two groups of men behind her and looked up, then ran upstairs. The Raven men and the bodyguards chased after Nicole to the lobby on the fifth floor. Nicole looked at The Raven men and the bodyguards and frowned. She knew that if they still kept chasing her, her energy level would drop even faster, and then she would be in trouble. Chapter 944 Chapter 944 Nicole gathered her breath, wanting to kill the members of The Raven and the bodyguards as quickly as possible. She summoned her strength with determined eyes, raised her knife, and lunged at the two groups of men, shing one man at a time. They were no match for Nicole. One man was shed on the shoulder and fell to his knees with blood flowing down the de. But there were too many of them. Fighting all of them at the same time started to take a toll on Nicole¡®s strength. As she fought in front , knives suddenly came at her on her left and right. Pulling her knife back, Nicole dodged backward, and the iing knives missed their target and hit the ground. Nicole immediately swung the knife left and right and shed the throats of the two attackers with blood gushing out instantly. Nicole ran backward with the knife still in her hand, but the members of The Raven seemed to have been enraged and attacked her incessantly. She had no choice but to fight back. After a long while, she found it hard to fight them back with one hand, gradually feeling overwhelmed, and retreated slowly. The attack of the two gangs became more and more fierce, with several knives aiming at Nicole at once, forcing her to parry. She was not hurt anyhow. Just then, she saw from the corner of her eye a knifeing from the other side, but she could no longer free her hand to parry it. Just as Nicole thought she was dead, a box was hurled over and knocked the knife away from Nicole in the nick of time. https://novelebook/my-wife-is-a-hacker-by-summer-bd1579.html? Following that, a tall figure arrived in a whirlwind and knocked those men to the ground, then pulled Nicole up and protected her behind him. Nicole looked at the man who had saved her. He looked so familiar from behind. A secondter, she eximed,¡± What are you doing here?¡± Following immediately , Jared¡®s bodyguards arrived and guarded the two of them while fighting the attackers. It did not take long before they defeated the two hostile groups of men, and the remaining few saw the situation and fled. Jared carried Nicole and headed outside. Carl arrived outside the event venue on the superbike and happened to run into the mercenaries. ¡°Did you guys see Nicole?¡± ¡°A man took her. He had too many bodyguards for us to go near him.¡± Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org. After hearing what the mercenaries said, Carl knew who the man was. ¡°Stop looking and meet up with the boss right away.¡± Seeing Carl back, Zane stood up and asked, ¡°Where is Nicole?¡± ¡°Someone hase to her rescue,¡± Carl said. ¡°Jared?¡± Zane sat down slowly. He saw Jared at the event venue earlier. If it was really Jared who took Nicole away, she would not be in danger anymore. ¡°Take off right away and go back to base,¡± Zanemanded. ¡°Aye.¡± Jared carried Nicole all the way to his car. ¡°Drive back to the hotel right away.¡± In the car, Jared¡®s murderous look had faded from his face. Nicole quietly nced at him. She did not expect him to be so badass that he could ward off The Raven. Jared looked out the window and did not speak to Nicole along the way. The car stopped in front of a hotel. Nicole wanted to get out of the car herself, but judging by the look in Jared¡®s eyes, she knew he would not let her walk on her own. Just as expected, Jared walked in with her in his arms. On the couch, Nicole sat there, not knowing how to exin it to him. ¡°Why are you at theunch event?¡± Jared finally asked her. Now that he had seen her and The Raven fight, there was no point in hiding it from him any longer. ¡°I¡®m on a mission.¡± Just as he had guessed it. Few organizations in the world dared to mess with The Raven. Besides, he had seen Zane there when he entered theunch venue. So it was easy for him to deduce something. ¡°What is your rtionship with Zane?¡± Jared asked her pointedly. He had no interest in her mission. ¡°Huh?¡± Nicole, who had never dreamed that Jared would ask this question, did not know how to answer it. Chapter 945 Chapter 945 ¡°How long are you going to keep it from me?¡± Jared looked at her eyes and read her mind. ¡°No, 1¨CI¡®m a member of Zane¡®s organization.¡± Nicole knew that Jared had guessed something and would not let her go if she did not say something real. Jared might have guessed it, but it still surprised him upon hearing it from Nicole¡®s mouth. ¡°No wonder you always leave without saying why. Now it all makes sense.¡± Jared stood by the window and took a long breath. He was not angry that she was a member of Zane¡®s organization but that she had not told him all along Nicole walked over. ¡°Jared, I haven¡®t told you that this is my fault, but I have my own difficulty.¡± Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. Jared turned around and held harm. ¡°Tell me what difficulty you have.¡± Nicole gasped as her arm hurt https://novelebook/my-wife-is-a-hacker-by-summer-bd1579.html? Jared immediately let go of his hand, looking down at Nicole¡®s injured arm with a frown of concern. ¡°You¡®re injured?¡± Nicole lowered her head and said nothing. Jared immediately told Max to call the doctor. ¡°It¡®s okay. I can handle it myself.¡± Jared at this moment would not let her be. He shouted at Max, ¡°Don¡®t go yet?¡± He then sat her down on the couch, the anger on his face turning to concern. Not long after, Max walked in with the doctor. ¡°Mr. Johnston, the doctor has arrived.¡± ¡°Doctor, her arm is injured. Quickly take a look.¡± Jared said. ¡°Okay.¡± The doctor quickly removed the bandage on Nicole¡®s arin and then looked at Nicole with surprise when he saw the wound. ¡°Is this a newceration? Have you had a gunshot wound before?¡± The doctor could not hold back his curiosity. ¡°Yes. It was all healed, but today I identally tore it again.¡± Now that the doctors had seen it, Nicole could only nod in admission. She saw Jared¡®s saddened expression in her peripheral vision. ¡®I didn¡®t expect that Nicole had really been shot. I wonder how she survived the ordeal.¡¯ Jared thought. ¡°s, gunshot wounds aren¡®t easy to heal. Don¡®t get hurt again after I bandage it,¡± the doctor said. ¡°Use this, doctor.¡± Nicole took out her original medication and handed it to the doctor. The doctor looked at Nicole in amazement and then at Jared. ¡°Mr. Johnston?¡±. ¡°Just listen to her.¡± Jared knew that Nicole¡¯s medicament was definitely better. Since Jared agreed, the doctor said nothing. He bandaged the wound with Nicole¡®s original medicament and left. Jared sat down next to Nicole and took her in his arms with saddened eyes. ¡°I¡®m so sorry.¡± Nicole¡®s heart melted upon hearing that, all the pains healed by Jared at this moment. ¡°No. Meeting you is the greatest thing in my life.¡± Nicole looked up and their eyes collided, and the two of them started kissing passionately. Halfway through kissing, Nicole suddenly gasped as he identally touched Nicole¡®s wound. ¡°I¡®m sorry for hurting you.¡± Jared looked apologetic. ¡°It¡®s all right. I¡®m starving. Can you get me something to eat?¡± Nicole said. Chapter 946 Chapter 946 ¡°Okay, I¡®ll ask Max to buy it right away.¡± Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org. ¡°Max.¡± Max walked in from the outside. ¡°Yes, Mr. Johnston?¡± ¡°Buy something that Miss Riddle likes to eat right away. Be quick.¡± ¡°Aye.¡± Not long after, Max came back with a few things that Nicole liked. ¡°Try it.¡± Jared fed the thing to her mouth. Nicole suddenly felt embarrassed. It was the first time she had been fed, especially by someone she liked. https://novelebook/my-wife-is-a-hacker-by-summer-bd1579.html? ¡°What are you waiting for? Open your mouth.¡± Jared gently put the food into her mouth. ¡°It tastes so good. This is the best meal I¡®ve ever had.¡± Happiness glowed inside her. ¡°Really?¡± Jared looked at her and was delighted. ¡°Yeah.¡± Nicole looked into his eyes and answered earnestly. While two people were in their lovey¨Cdovey world of their own, Nicole¡®s phone rang. She took it out and looked at it; it was Zane calling. She nced at Jared. ¡°I have got to take this call.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Nicole took the phone, walked to a corner, and pressed the answer button. ¡°Hey, Zane.¡°. ¡°How are you, Nicole?¡± Zane¡®s tone of concern came through the microphone. ¡°I¡®m alright. You? Did Carl get Brave?¡± She did not know about their situation after separating from Zane. ¡°We¡®re alright. Carl got Brave. Did you get the medical instrument ?¡± Zane heard Jared had rescued Nicole but was concerned that she had not gotten the medical instrument. ¡°The instrument is with me. I will be back at the base right away.¡± Nicole knew Zane cared a lot about the medical instrument. ¡°No hurry. We will see after you have fully recovered.¡± Zane learned from Carl that Nicole had not yet recovered from her injury when going on the mission with him. He felt guilty. ¡°So it was Carl who told you, wasn¡®t it? I will fix him good and proper.¡± Nicole said nonchntly. ¡°Take good care of yourself. You can fix him however you want it after you have recovered.¡± ¡°I have to hang up now. But before I go, there¡®s one thing I want to remind you; The Raven has seen your face. Be careful.¡± Zane sounded a bit more serious now, revealing his concern and worries. Nicole knew what he meant. ¡°Don¡®t worry. I will be careful.¡± ¡°Okay. Looking forward to your return.¡± Zane hung up. Nicole was relieved that she could stay with Jared for a few more days. Back in the living room, Jared was still waiting for her. ¡°I¡®m back.¡± ¡°Continue to have your meal then.¡± Jared held up the spoon and waited for Nicole to open his mouth. ¡°Don¡®t you want to know who called?¡± Nicole teased him. ¡°Finish your meal, and then I will drive you there.¡± Jared¡®s face looked reluctant to let her go, but he knew he could not stop her, as that was her job. ¡°There? Where?¡± Nicole was confused. ¡°The ce where you are going. ¡°Jared was obviously not as happy now as he was when he was feeding her. Nicole understood what it was about now and looked at him amusedly. ¡°Apparently, someone is reluctant to let me leave. If he can beg me, I will consider not leaving.¡± Jared had a light bulb moment when he heard what she said. ¡°So you don¡®t have to go?¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± Nicole looked at him, nodding and smiling. Chapter 947 Chapter 947 ¡°Are you happy that I¡®?n not leaving?¡± Nicole sat down next to him and looked him straight in the eye. ¡°It¡®s okay. Come, have your ineal.¡± Jared did not want to admit it and delivered the spoon to lier mouth. ¡°Pig head.¡± Nicole opened her mouth and ate it. After the two finished eating. Jared held Nicole¡®snd.¡± Let¡®s go back. After all that has happened today, it is no longer safe here.¡± Jared knew The Raven; judging by their modus operandi, they would search everywhere for Nicole. ¡°Max, book the next avable flight back home.¡± ¡°Aye.¡± ¡°Zane, how is Nicole doing over there?¡± Carl knew Nicole was with Jared, but he was still concerned about Nicole. https://novelebook/my-wife-is-a-hacker-by-summer-bd1579.html? ¡°Nicole is fine. Don¡®t worry about her.¡± ¡°The Raven might not have gotten Brave, but judging by their style, they won¡®t give up¡± ¡°Zane, are you worried that The Raven wille after us? ¡°Carl asked. ¡°No. I¡®m not worried that they will get to me. But if The Raven takes control of the manufacturing nt, that¡®s a huge problem. The most terrible thing about high¨Ctech inventions like Brave is that good peopleExclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org. use it for honorable causes, and evil people use it for evil causes. So we have to get ahead of ¡®The Raven and take control of thatpany.¡± Zane looked into the distance. ¡°Give the order, and I promise I will take control of thatpany before The Raven does,¡± Carl assured him. ¡°We need to strategize carefully. This isn¡®t a trivial matter.¡± ¡°You may leave now and let me think about it.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Carl understood Zane¡®s concerns; such an internationally influentialpany would not just be left to the control of others. The bodyguard reported back the situation to the director, who dropped into his chair in disappointment. He did not expect that on the day of theunch event, his products would be snatched away from him. It was a huge embarrassment for him. ¡°Find out who the two groups of people are. I will let them see who they are messing with.¡± The director banged hard on the table with his hand. On the ne, Jared carefully took care of Nicole. ¡°Take a rest. I will alert you when we get to the destination.¡± ¡°I¡®m not tired. I want to look at you like this.¡± Nicole leaned sideways in her seat and looked at Jared. ¡°Lie down. This position is not good for your injured arm., ¡± Jared made the seat level out so she could lie down and rest. ¡°Alright.¡± A few hourster, Jared tapped Nicole next to him. ¡°We¡®re about tond. Wake up.¡± Nicole opened her eyes and found that she could actually sleep well next to Jared. ¡°That is quick. I haven¡®t slept enough.¡± ¡°Someone has said she wasn¡®t tired, but she slept like a log.¡± Jared teased her. ¡°I can¡®t help it. Your energy field is so strong that I will soon fall asleep as soon as I lie down next to you.¡± Nicole med it all on him. Jared looked at her with amusement. It was the first time he had heard such irrefutable reasoning. When we got off the ne, there was a car waiting in the VIP passage. Jared took Nicole¡®s hand and walked straight into the VIP passage. The car drove toward Jared¡®s vi. On The Raven¡®s side, the leader was extremely upset to see the men returning empty¨Chanded. ¡°Howe not a single product was grabbed? Is their security so good this year?¡± The leader looked at those who returned from theunch event in disbelief. ¡°Two people appeared out of nowhere today and snatched our target from us.¡± ¡°Who are they? How dare they take things from me?¡± The leader pped his hand on the table. ¡°I¡®m not sure, but they were all very skilled. We were about to capture the woman when a man came out of nowhere and saved her.¡± ¡°A man and a woman?¡± The leader slowly sat down and pondered. ¡®Could it be someone from Zane¡®s organization? Chapter 948 Chapter 948 ¡°No way. Zane¡®s men wouldn¡®t meddle with such little things.¡± The Raven leader pondered, wondering where the other rival hade from, snatching away what he had been eyeing for so long. ¡°Do you want to send someone to hunt down and kill these two people?¡± The leader of Team A asked. ¡°Don¡®t act rashly. Since these two people dare to take something from The Raven, they are either fledglings or... ¡°The leader¡®s expression turned grave. What he was most worried about was thetter, which would be more problematic. ¡°It doesn¡®t matter who they are. Let¡®s catch them and make them hand over the things and then give them a good beating as a warning.¡± The leader of Team A gritted his teeth as if that would make him feel better. ¡°Team B, find out who these two people who robbed us are.¡± ¡°Aye.¡± https://novelebook/my-wife-is-a-hacker-by-summer-bd1579.html? ¡°Team C, set off at once and take control of thatpany first.¡± The leader knew that only by controlling thepany was hie controlling the production nt so that the two products that had been stolen would no longer matter. ¡°Aye.¡± He was going to turn the production nt into his base, and arge number of Brave, which would do his bidding, would roll out of the assembly line in the future. By that time, he would have the world under his control. ¡°What do we do?¡± The leader of Team A became reckless, and he saw that Team B and C had already been assigned tasks. ¡°You guys stand by. Get out first.¡± The Raven leader asked him to leave so that he could think for himself. Inside the vi, Jared sat Nicole down on the couch. ¡°Tired from flying?¡± Jared looked at her with concern. Nicole looked at Jared, wondering what had happened to him. Since saving her, he seemed to have changed, his care for her meticulous. ¡°How tired could it be after sleeping on the ne for so long?¡± ¡°Want to eat something? I can satisfy you as long as it is what you want to eat.¡± Jared looked at her matter¨Cof factly. He felt she must not have rested well when she was injured, so he had topensate her for it now. Nicole¡®s eyes lit up after thinking seriously for a moment. ¡°I want to eat the steak you cooked.¡± Remembering thest time Jared cooked a steak for her, she started drooling. Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org. ¡°Okay, I will cook it for you now.¡± Jared switched on the TV for Nicole and headed for the kitchen. Nicole sat on the couch and looked at Jared, who was busy in the kitchen, then pulled out her phone and snapped a few pictures of him. She smiled as she looked at Jared in the photos. Suddenly, she remembered Mrs. Wace Sr. and dialed Tia¡®s phone. ¡°Hey, Tia, is Grandma okay?¡± ¡°Nicole? Mrs. Wace Sr. is fine, but every now and then, she would ask me when you woulde back. We all miss you.¡± Tia said mushily. ¡°I have just been away for a while, and you guys started to miss already?¡± ¡°Of course. Before this, you were basically here every day. Mrs. Wace Sr. and I couldn¡®t get used to it when we suddenly couldn¡®t see you for days.¡± ¡°Okay, you guys are just not used to it, not that you miss me.¡± ¡°No, no, no, I¡®d love you toe back quickly.¡± Tia pretended to cry. ¡°I¡®m just kidding. I will go back to see Grandma the day after tomorrow.¡± Nicole really could do nothing with the cute Tia. Putting down the phone, Nicole turned off the TV and slipped to the kitchen to enjoy Jared¡®s cooking, ¡°What are you doing here? Go back to the couch and take a rest.¡± Jared shot her a serious look. ¡°I feel bored sitting there. I might as well be here to give youpany.¡± Jared shook his head, then picked up a side dish that he had cooked and fed it to Nicole. ¡°How does it taste?¡° Chapter 949 Chapter 949 ¡°It¡¯s yummy. I want more.¡± Nicole opened her mouth and waited for him to continue feeding her. Jared fetched another piece for her. ¡°You¡¯re hungry? Let¡¯s eat this first.¡± ¡°No. I just like to eat what you feed.¡± Not expecting herself to say something so embarrassing, she spun around, not daring to look at him. Jared smiled. He did not know that there was such a side to her. ¡°How about one more bite?¡± Jared teased her. ¡°No. Let¡¯s eat together.¡± Nicole walked to the other side. ¡°Then sit down in the dining room. The steak will be ready soon.¡± The dining room was close to the kitchen. Nicole waited patiently in the dining room. In the kitchen, Jared was still busy cooking, but he would asionally nce at Nicole. After a while, Jared walked over to Nicole with two tes of steaks. ¡°It is ready. Let me cut it for you.¡± https://novelebook/my-wife-is-a-hacker-by-summer-bd1579.html? Jared cut the steak and put it in front of Nicole. ¡°Here you go.¡± She picked up a slice of steak with a fork and put it into her mouth, chewing it with gusto. ¡°It¡¯s so good.¡± Jared saw Nicole¡¯s expression and grinned with satisfaction. ¡°You have taken things from The Raven this time, and they aren¡¯t going to sit idly by.¡± This was something that Jared was worried about. The Raven had members everywhere, and he feared they would attack Nicole. Nicole was silent for a moment. ¡°I know. But if I didn¡¯t take it, there would be even bigger trouble with the thing in their hands.¡± ¡°But have you ever thought about it that even if they didn¡¯t have these two products, they could still control the factory?¡± What Jared said suddenly hit home with Nicole. The fork in her hand froze in the air; she realized she had not thought about this yet. ¡°Excuse me. I have got to make a call.¡± Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. ¡°The Raven may have already been doing something. So no hurry. Let¡¯s finish your meal first.¡± Jared continued eating his steak calmly. Nicole took a deep breath and picked up the fork to continue eating while her mind was racing. After a while, she finished eating the steak and nced at Jared. ¡°I¡¯m done eating.¡± She then walked over to the couch and took out her phone. The call went through.¡± Hey, Zane.¡± ¡°What happened , Nicole?¡± Zane asked nervously, as he thought something was wrong. ¡°I¡¯m all right, Zane. Is there any movement on The Raven¡¯s side?¡± Nicole asked bluntly. ¡°It¡¯s not clear yet. What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°I¡¯m worried that The Raven has sent someone to take over the factory. Shall we send someone over to check it out?¡± Nicole spoke her mind. ¡°It is difficult to control thepany. Even if The Raven did send someone over, it would be a bloody battle. When both sides have exhausted their men, only then will we intervene and take over, reducing the casualty to our side. ¡± It turned out that it was all in Zane¡¯s n. He had sent no one because he was waiting for the other two sides to fight to their death. ¡°You have really thought the n through.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, Nicole. Take a good rest in your country and spend more time with your family. You don¡¯t have toe back to base unless necessary.¡± Zane knew she had people and things that she was worried about back home and did not want her to get involved to keep her safe. ¡°I know you¡¯re doing this for my own good, but The Raven and I have already crossed paths, and they are definitely going toe after me. So I can¡¯t sit here and do nothing.¡± ¡°Things may not be the way you think, Nicole. You stay with Jared first, and I will contact you whenever there is anything going on.¡± ¨C ¡°Okay. Feel free to contact me if you need me to do anything.¡± After hanging up, Nicole went back to the couch and sat down. Chapter 950 Chapter 950 Jared looked at the spiritless Nicole and asked, ¡°What happened?¡± Nicole looked at him with a sad face. ¡°Zane won¡¯t let me take part in the action.¡± ¡°Apparently, he has his own ns.¡± Jared looked at Nicole nonchntly. ¡°Stop thinking about it. Rest early,¡± Jared said, wanting to carry Nicole upstairs. ¡°Go to rest so early? I have just had my meal and still want to watch TV for a while.¡± ¡°I will apany you, then.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you have to work?¡± Nicole looked at him curiously. ¡°Not today. Nothing is more important to you.¡± Jared suddenly sweet-talked her. Nicole leaned toward Jared. ¡°By the way, I forgot to ask, How did you show up at theunch event and save me?¡± ¡°Do you remember when I told you about the multinationalpany that held theunch event?¡± https://novelebook/my-wife-is-a-hacker-by-summer-bd1579.html? Nicole suddenly remembered it. ¡°I didn¡¯t know this was thepany you were talking about. Shouldn¡¯t it have held the event earlier?¡± ¡°It was postponed.¡± ¡°No wonder. So how did you suddenly appear when I was fighting them?¡± Nicole had not revealed herself at the venue, so she wondered how Jared knew she was there. ¡°I noticed you not long after I entered the venue. Otherwise, you would have been a hostage by now.¡± ¡°Hostage? You are underestimating me. If I hadn¡¯t been injured, those people wouldn¡¯t have been my match at all. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter anymore. If you don¡¯t want to watch TV, go upstairs and rest.¡± Jared warned. ¡°I¡¯m watching.¡± The next day, Nicole woke up in Jared¡¯s arms. She wondered how she got upstairsst night-she guessed she must have fallen asleep halfway watching TV. Nicole was just about to get up when Jared said, ¡°You¡¯re awake.¡± She looked back at Jared. ¡°You¡¯re already awake?¡± ¡°Certainly earlier than you did. Let¡¯s wash up together.¡± Jared took her hand and walked toward the washroom. He helped Nicole squeeze the toothpaste on the toothbrush and handed it to her. She was stunned for a second, surprised by his action. But seeing the toothbrush in her hand, she had to believe it. ¡°What are you waiting for?¡± Jared was already standing beside her and washing up, then looking at Nicole in puzzlement. ¡°Nothing.¡± After breakfast, Nicole wanted to have a good rest today. She looked at Jared. ¡°You go to work and don¡¯t apany me. I want to take a break on my own.¡± ¡°Okay, there is an important meeting in the morning, and I wille back at noon to cook for you.¡± Jared nted a kiss on Nicole¡¯s forehead and left the vi. Suddenly, the phone rang. Nicole picked it up and saw that it was Ms. Emerson. ¡°Nicole , the exam falls this weekend. Can you take it?¡± Ms. Emerson asked her. ¡°Yes, Ms. Emerson. By the way, how is everyone else?¡± Nicole had not been to school for a long time, and she wondered if everyone had put effort into their study while she, as the ss monitor, was away. Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Everyone is doing great and misses you very much. They all look forward to your return to guide them in their study.¡± Ms. Emerson said with a smiling voice on the phone. ¡°I will return soon.¡± ¡°Then I will leave you to it. Bye-bye.¡± Ms. Emerson hung up. ¡°Bye-bye.¡± [Kelly, is there any progress on your side?] Chapter 951 Chapter 951 Soon, Kelly replied. (Chloe will be going to a bank this afternoon. I guess it has something to do with the diamond. I will try to tag along.] (Okay, stay in touch.) (Okay.) Chloe had been very cautious, and Kelly had gotten no information yet after so long. If Kelly could get nothing by this afternoon, Nicole would decide to take matters into her own hands. She was lying on the couch looking at her phone leisurely when a piece of news came into Nicole¡¯s sight. Nicole stared at the news of McCarthy Corporation going bankrupt. Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org. ¡®What happened? How did McCarthy Corporation go bankrupt?¡¯ Nicole was surprised. https://novelebook/my-wife-is-a-hacker-by-summer-bd1579.html? ¡®Could it be because it lost the Aegis Corporation project?¡¯ Nicole found Sean¡¯s telephone number and was about to call him about it when a face appeared in her mind. She immediately called Martin. ¡°Do you know that McCarthy Corporation has gone belly up?¡± ¡°I know.¡± When she heard Martin¡¯s response, which did not sound surprised at all, something dawned on her. ¡°Where are on you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m having a meal outside.¡± Martin was talking to Nicole on the phone as he cut the steak. ¡°I will go find you.¡± Nicole grabbed the medical instrument and drove to the restaurant where Martin was having his meal. In the restaurant, Martin was sitting in the same spot where he and Nicole had eaten steak to celebrate the sess of the experiment. A figure slowly approached him from a distance. ¡°How are you, Nicole?¡± Martin smiled at her. ¡°I¡¯m great. You¡¯re eating here alone?¡± Nicole sat down across from him. Martin nodded. ¡°What have you been busy with recently? ¡°I attended a productunch abroad. Did your experiment go well?¡± Nicole asked. ¡°It is going on smoothly. Speaking of experiments, I have got to thank you. Those materials must be difficult to find. ¡°When Martin told Nicole about the materialsst time, someone delivered the materials to him a few days after that. He knew it must have been Nicole who had done it. ¡°It was really hard to find, but it was Sean and Jared who helped find it. Credit goes to them,¡± Nicole said. ¡°I didn¡¯t know that. I really appreciate their help.¡± Martin felt embarrassed. ¡°By the way, what product launch did you attend abroad? ¡°Martin looked at her curiously. ¡°It was a tech and medical productunch.¡± ¡°Tech and medical?¡± Martin became interested. ¡°Yes. They showcased an AI robot called Brave. This robot can help humans do dangerous work, and to a certain extent, it can also y a protective role,¡± Nicole said. ¡°That¡¯s life-changing. Automation ismon now, but in some industries, many jobs are stillbor- intensive. If this Brave robot can help humans with those dangerous jobs, it is great news for society.¡± Martin was both excited and emotional to hear it, his face beaming with exhration. ¡°After listening to what you have said, I really want to witness it with my own eyes. We should also have such a wonderful invention. What is another medical invention ?¡± Martin looked excitedly at Nicole, full of anticipation. Nicole took the medical device out of her bag and ced it on the table. Martin¡¯s expectant look faded from his face as he saw the medical instrument. He frowned, his pupils shrinking. He picked up the instrument to take a closer look and then looked at Nicole. ¡°How is this instrument identical to my first experiment? Is this a coincidence?¡± Martin looked at Nicole in disbelief. ¡°If I¡¯m not mistaken, this is your experiment result.¡± Nicole looked at Martin with serious eyes. ¡°What did you say?¡± Martin looked at the instrument more closely. Chapter 952 Chapter 952 ¡°You¡¯re right. When it was made, I made a very inconspicuous mark on the back of the instrument, and this one also has one on it.¡± Martin looked at the mark and said seriously. ¡°How did you get it back?¡± Martin frowned and looked at Nicole because he knew Joyce had sold the instrument abroad. ¡°I knew the boss and took it back. ¡°Nicole could only lie. She could not have said she snatched it. ¡°Certainly not as easy as you say, but thank you anyway. With it as a reference, making The Beacon will be much easier.¡± Martin looked at Nicole. His gratitude toward Nicole was beyond words. ¡°Don¡¯t mention it. After The Beacon is sessful, remember to get me one,¡± Nicole casually said. ¡°No problem. Cheers.¡± Martin picked up his ss to toast Nicole. ¡°There¡¯s one more thing I¡¯d like to know.¡± Nicole put down her ss and looked at Martin. ¡°What is it?¡± https://novelebook/my-wife-is-a-hacker-by-summer-bd1579.html? ¡°How exactly did McCarthy Corporation go bankrupt?¡± Nicole looked him in the eyes. Martin put down the instrument and looked at Nicole.¡± The McCarthy family has done a lot of bad things over the years. It would just take the leak of one thing, and there would be tons ofpanies ready to retaliate against them.¡± ¡°Where is Joyce now?¡±. ¡°I heard they moved abroad to avoid revenge ,¡± Martin said as he took a sip of red wine. ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about them. Would you like to see The Beacon?¡± said Martin, inviting Nicole. ¡°Why not?¡± In theb, Nicole looked at The Beacon, which was now in the testing stage. ¡°It looks like you¡¯re going well.¡± ¡°Yeah, thanks to your materials.¡± ¡°Is the experiment sessful?¡± Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org. ¡°I have justpleted once, and the sess rate was fifty percent.¡± ¡°Oh, could you tell me what The Beacon can do?¡± Nicole asked. ¡°The Beacon is a portable medical device that allows for rapid repair and regeneration of damaged cellr tissue, resulting in rapid wound recovery.¡± ¡°Rapid wound recovery?¡± Nicole looked at Martin with surprise. ¡°Can The Beacon really do that?¡± ¡°Yes, theoretically, it is possible, but it needs to be proven in more trials.¡± Martin¡¯s eyes lit up when talking about The Beacon. ¡°Great. This experiment is awesome. If it seeds, it will create miracles . I¡¯m very much looking forward to The Beacon.¡± After hearing Martin¡¯s idea, Nicole thought the advent of The Beacon would benefit many people. ¡°If you need any help, I will throw my full support behind you.¡± Nicole looked at Martin earnestly. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to keep you from your work. I will go now. There you go!¡± Nicole made a cheering gesture and left. ¡°I will see you out.¡± ¡°No. This experiment is more important. I want to see it sooner rather thanter.¡± Nicole spun around and left. Nicole¡¯s encouragement motivated Martin. He put on hisb coat and immediately got to work. Since she hade out, Nicole went straight to the sea view vi. Coming into the courtyard , she saw the eye catching flowers. ¡°You¡¯re back!¡± Tia saw Nicole in the courtyard from upstairs and rushed down. ¡°Hey, Nicole.¡± Tia opened the door for Nicole. ¡°How are you doing, Tia?¡± Nicole asked. Tia nodded and looked at her in surprise. ¡°Great. I thought I¡¯d have to wait until tomorrow to see you. I didn¡¯t expect to see you today. I¡¯m so happy.¡± Chapter 953 Chapter 953 "I''m happy too.Where''s Grandma?" While Nicole was abroad, she missed Mrs.Wace Sr.just as much as she missed Jared. "Grandma is sunbathing on the balcony.I will take you there," Tia said and led Nicole to the balcony. Mrs.Wace Sr.was lying in a rocking chair with her eyes closed. Nicole came gently to sit beside her, watching her quietly, not wanting to wake her up. Not long after, as Mrs.Wace Sr.slowly opened her eyes, she was surprised and happy to see Nicole beside her. "When did you get back? Why didn''t you wake me up?" Mrs.Wace Sr.took Nicole''s hand and kept stroking it as if Nicole would disappear if she let go. "I saw you were sleeping soundly and wanted to let you sleep a little longer."Nicole looked at Mrs.Wace Sr.with a smile on her face. "You must not have eaten well out there, right? Look how thin you are.I will make you something you want to eat." Mrs.Wace Sr.sat up. "I miss the creme mushroom pasta that you make," Nicole said, smiling at her grandmother. "Give me a moment.I will make it for you now." Mrs.Wace Sr.stood up and went to the kitchen with Nicole. Nicole was in the kitchen giving Mrs.Wace Sr.a hand, and soon a te of creme mushroom pasta was ready. Mrs.Wace Sr.and Nicole came and sat down in the dining room. "Grandma, the pasta you make is still the best.When I was homesick outside, I craved the creme mushroom pasta that you make," Nicole said, eating the pasta with a smile and a satisfied look on her face. "Eat more if you like it.There is more in the pot if you have not enough." Mrs.Wace Sr.just watched quietly as Nicole ate. "I envy you, Nicole.You have such a loving grandmother who loves you," Tia said enviously from the side. "Why don''t you try the pasta that Grandma makes, too?" Nicole said. "Can I?" Tia really wanted to try it. Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. https://novelebook/my-wife-is-a-hacker-by-summer-bd1579.html? "Sure.Please help yourself." Nicole watched as Tia walked happily into the kitchen. "Grandma, what have you been doing in my absence for the past few days?" Nicole asked casually. "There is nothing to do.There is no garden here, and I can''t be like in the countryside, nting my own vegetables, picking wild mushrooms.The good thing is you have asked someone to send some flowers over.I nted them in the garden when I had nothing to do." "Ahh, it was you who nted all the flowers in the garden? No wonder they bloom so well." Nicole complimented her. "What have you been doing abroad?" Mrs.Wace Sr.asked. "I attended aunch event." "What''s aunch event for?" Mrs.Wace Sr.spent all her life in the countryside and had no idea what a launch event was for. "It is just to promote products," Nicole exined to her. "I see." "So, how long will you stay this time back?" Mrs.Wace Sr.asked again. "I should be able to stay for a while longer this time.Grandma, do you not want me to leave you?" Nicole looked Mrs.Wace Sr.in the eyes. "You have your own job, and I support you.All I want is for you to take care of your health." Mrs.Wace Sr.looked at Nicole''s waning cheeks. "Don''t worry.I''m in excellent health.Nowadays, people''s aesthetic is to be thin where you should be thin and fat where you should be fat." Nicole exined. "The pasta that Grandma makes tastes fantastic." Tia held a te of pasta and ate it. "No fooling you. It is an exclusive recipe." "Mmmmmm, can you teach me someday? Next time, when I want to eat it, 1 can make it myself and don''t need to bother Grandma." "Okay, I will teach you someday." After finishing the pasta, Nicole and Tia apanied Mrs.Wace Sr.to take the beach for a stroll. "Look, Grandma.There are so many beautiful shells." Tia picked up a shell and brought it to Mrs.Wace, Sr. Chapter 954 Chapter 954 "The sea is so photogenic, and the shells look pretty." Mrs.Wace Sr.looked out to sea. Looking at her grandmother, who loved the sea so much, Nicole knew she had done the right thing.She took out her cell phone and sent a message to Jared. [You don''t have toe back at noon because I''m with Grandma now.] [Okay.] "How are your grandpa, mom, and dad?" Mrs.Wace Sr.suddenly mentioned the Riddle family. "They''re all fine.Would you like to meet them?" Nicole asked, looking at Mrs.Wace Sr"s expression. "No, I was just asking." Mrs.Wace Sr.knew the Riddles were a prestigious family and had no time to entertain an olddy from the countryside like her. "If you want to see them, I can arrange that." "No, they are busy.Don''t disturb them." As they returned from their walk and were back in front of the vi, a luxury car drove toward them and stopped right in front of them. Two people got out of the car. Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org. "Is this the sea view vi Grandpa gave you, Nicole?" It was Raine and Snow. They stepped out of the car and looked at the vi. "What are you guys doing here?" It annoyed Nicole to see them. "We came over to see you.Here sure is a nice view," Snow eximed, then looked at Mrs.Wace Sr.beside Nicole. "Is this Mrs.Wace Sr.whom you picked up from the countryside? "Hi, Mrs.Wace Sr., we''re Nicole''s cousins."Snow walked up and greeted Mrs.Wace Sr.When Mrs.Wace Sr.heard they were from the Riddle family, she greeted her with a smile. "So it''s the twodies from the Riddle family.How do you do?" https://novelebook/my-wife-is-a-hacker-by-summer-bd1579.html? "Are you going in, Mrs.Wace Sr.? I will help you." Snow reached for Mrs.Wace Sr"s arm, but Nicole blocked her from doing so. "Let''s go inside, Grandma."Mrs.Wace Sr.looked over at Snow and Raine. "Nicole, invite them toe in." "Come on in, you guys," Nicole said with annoyance, then helped Mrs.Wace Sr.to walk in. Raine was not best pleased as Nicole and others walked in. "She really thinks of herself as the master of the house, eh? Let''s go in and check it out, shall we?" Raine looked at Snow. "Let''s go." The two of them walked into the vi and toured around as if they were at their own home. "This vi is pretty big and well decorated.Grandpa was really willing to ssh money on this." Raine murmured as she toured. "Just see with your eyes, not with your mouth." Nicole was not too happy.She would not have let them in had it not been for Mr.Wace Sr.Snow came to sit on the couch and looked at Mrs.Wace Sr. "How old are you, if you don''t mind asking?" "I''m seventy." Mrs.Wace Sr.had a benevolent smile on her face. "You are still in good health at seventy." Snow had an innocent look on her face. "Are you used to living here?" Snow continued to chat with Mr.Wace Sr. "At first, I was not used to it, but then I slowly adapted." "Do you know this house doesn''t belong to Nicole?" Raine looked around, then came over and sat down to look at Mrs.Wace Sr. "I know." "You know?" Raine stared in disbelief at Mrs.Wace Sr. Chapter 955 Chapter 955 "Well, Nicole told me before I came here that Mr.Riddle Sr.had given her a house, and she wanted me to stay here with her." Mrs.Wace Sr.said with pride radiating from her face. Raine nced at Nicole. "If you guys just came over to view the house, you should be done by now and leave now." Nicole shooed them away. "What''s your hurry, Nicole? How can we finish viewing such a big house in just a few minutes? We haven''t even warmed up our backsides yet, and you''re asking us to leave." Snow said this for the benefit of Mrs.Wace Sr.Sure enough, Mrs.Wace Sr.spoke up and scolded Nicole. "You shouldn''t say that, Nicole.Miss Riddle, feel free to view the house if you like, and if you''re not in a hurry to leave, stay for dinner." "Grandma." "It is so nice of Mrs.Wace Sr." Snow smiled at Mrs.Wace Sr.Nicole took a deep breath. ¡®I can''t believe that these two cheekyds have the nerve to stay for dinner" Suddenly, Snow had a n in mind. "There are no outsiders here, Nicole.Tell me the truth; did you take that diamond? If you have taken it, give it to me, and I will help you plead with Grandpa.I believe Grandpa will be lenient with you." Nicole frowned, wondering what Snow was up to. "What diamond? Nicole, did you take someone else''s thing?" Mrs.Wace Sr.looked at Nicole with puzzlement. N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. https://novelebook/my-wife-is-a-hacker-by-summer-bd1579.html? Before Nicole could say anything, Snow chimed in. "Don''t you know, Mrs.Wace Sr.? Nicole swapped the diamond that someone gave Grandpa." "What? Nicole took the diamond that someone gave to her grandpa?" Mrs.Wace Sr.had an incredulous look on her face. "No way, this is absolutely impossible.Nicole grew up under my care.She would never do something like this." Mrs.Wace Sr.waved her hand repeatedly as she knew Nicole''s character best. Nicole, who was about to defend herself, was relieved to hear what Mrs.Wace Sr.said. "You better believe it, Mrs.Wace Sr.If I hadn''t seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn''t have believed Nicole would do such a thing." Snow was hellbent on framing Nicole. "Now things have happened; all we can do is not to make a mountain out of a molehill." "Please help persuade Nicole.As long as she hands back the diamond, Grandpa will be lenient with her." Snow looked like she was concerned about Nicole. "Enough, Snow.Stop being melodramatic here.What you see is just like a blind man touching an elephant.You don''t even know the whole thing." Nicole interrupted Snow. "How can I not know that? Raine and I saw it with our own eyes.How can it be fake? What''s inside that box is just an ordinary diamond." "You have to understand; we''re trying to help you." Snow spoke with the utmost fairness. "whether you''re to help me or to harm me, you and I both know it in our hearts." Nicole and Snow stared at each other in a stalemate. "Nicole, if you did take someone else''s diamond, just give it back." Mrs.Wace Sr.spoke up to break the deadlock. Nicole looked at Mrs.Wace Sr., who was sitting there. "Grandma, I didn''t take it.Don''t you even believe me anymore?" Mrs.Wace Sr.did not know what to do, as Nicole''s face told her that she was not lying. "I believe you." "Tia, take Grandma to her room to rest." "Okay." After Mrs.Wace Sr.left, only Nicole, Snow, and Raine were left in the living room. "Aren''t you guys leaving yet? Are you really going to stay for dinner?" Nicole looked at them resentfully.Raine looked at Nicole. "Of course.Since Mrs.Wace Sr.is gracious enough to invite us for dinner, we are happy to ept it." "Are you going to disobey Mrs.Wace Sr.and drive us away?" Snow knew she could use Mrs.Wace Sr"s words to pressure Nicole. "My grandma was just being polite.Did you guys take it seriously? Drive away before the sun goes down, and don''te back here again." Nicole swept her frosty eyes over them.Snow swallowed in fright when she saw Nicole''s intimidating gaze. "You have stolen Grandpa''s diamond.Don''t assume that he would let you pass simply because he has given you a vi.Since you didn''t listen to advice, be prepared to be chastised by Grandpa and kneel in front of the entire family to admit your mistake." Chapter 956 Chapter 956 "I don''t think you can stay in this house for long." Snow looked around and then left with Raine. Had Nicole not wanted to get her hands dirty, she would p them in their faces. The fact that they came to her house and picked a fight with her really pissed her off.So she thought she was going to fix them good and proper. Nicole took out her phone and dialed Zeke''s number. "Help me with one thing, Zeke." After hanging up the phone, she looked with a sneer at Snow and Raine, who were slowly walking to their car. A few dayster, Nicole''s injury had healed.She drove to the school. As she walked in, she bumped into Harvey.It surprised Harvey to see Nicole. "Nicole? When did you get back?" "Just came back." Nicole had no intention of talking to him and kept walking toward the teaching building. "How are you doing recently? I went to your house and didn''t see you, andter heard you were out of the country.Is it true?" Harvey knew from the teacher that Nicole would note to ss before the exam, so he went to her house hoping to find out what it was about, but he did not get any answer. Bumping her at school today was really unexpected.He was both shocked and happy. Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org. "Hmm." https://novelebook/my-wife-is-a-hacker-by-summer-bd1579.html? Nicole continued to walk forward. "Are you free at noon? Why not have a meal together?" Harvey wanted to date Nicole, the happiness of seeing her written all over his face. "I''m sorry.I have an appointment at noon." "It is okay.We can meet another day again.I''m happy to see you." Since Nicole was away, Harvey had been in a state of limbo all day, his mind following Nicole abroad. "Nicole?" Lulu and June walked in from the direction of the dormitory and were surprised to see Nicole. "Hey, long time no see." Nicole walked over and gave them a big hug. "I really missed you and was disappointed to hear that you wouldn''te before the exam," Lulu said with a puppy look in the eyes. "Really?" Nicole looked at her suspiciously. "You doubt me? Ask June if you don''t believe me." "I can testify that Lulu mentioned you at least ten times a day, and I was jealous." June rolled her eyes. "Hahaha, it seems that when I was away, you two must have said a lot of bad things about me, didn''t you?" Nicole raised an eyebrow at them. "Of course not." Harvey felt awkward standing behind them.He wanted to tell Nicole that he was leaving, but because of fear of disturbing them, he left in silence. "Tell me, was there anything funny happening in my absence?" Nicole walked toward the ssroom, surrounded by both of them.Her ssmates were nervously doing revision in the ssroom when they saw Nicole in the doorway. They immediately cheered. Students from other sses, thinking that there was some celebritying, came over and poked their heads into the windows of Nicole''s ssroom to take a look at what had happened. "What''s going on? Why is ss B so lively?" "It seems like Nicole is back." ss A''s students chatted with one another. Norah''s mood plummeted when she heard Nicole had returned.The days that Nicole was away were her happiest days. "Damn it.She''s back," Norah said in a murmur. "What did you say, Norah?" "Nothing.Go back to the ss and do your revision." Norah turned and walked toward her ssroom. In ss B, students gathered around. "Nicole, you have been absent for so long. Are you confident in the exam?" "Do you still need to ask? You know Nicole has no problem with it.You better worry about yourself." Chapter 957 Chapter 957 "Get lost.I didn''t ask you for an opinion.Keep your mouth shut." The two started to bicker. "Don''t disturb Nicole.Let''s go back and do revision." Gary''s voice rang out. When Nicole was away, Gary had retreated to his own little world, dawdling about all day, not bothering with anything.He even ignored Jack and Wayne when they looked for him. But as soon as Nicole returned today, he seemed to be alive again, his eyes lighting up and fixated on her.He even came to her rescue when someone disturbed Nicole. "Long time no see, Nicole." Gary came over and greeted her. "How is your study?" Nicole''s first sentence was actually to ask him about his homework, which was unexpected to him. "I-I''m doing fine." Gary sounded awkward as the question stunned him. In fact, he had not read a book in a long time.Nicole looked at him and nodded. "I will find a chance to quiz you." She then continued to talk with June and Lulu. When Gary heard Nicole was going to test him in his study, he took a breath and went back to his seat, then grabbed his books and worked on them. Soon, Ms.Emerson came over for morning study. "I would like to draw your attention to the priorities today.Turn to page ¡ª Nicole? When did youe back without telling me?" Ms.Emerson suddenly saw a familiar figure in Nicole''s seat, and it turned out to be Nicole. "I just came back this morning and haven''t had a chance to say hello," Nicole said. "It''s okay.At least you''re back.Lead everyone for a final push for theingst few days." Nicole looked at Ms.Emerson and nodded. "Okay, let''s look at page twelve." Ms.Emerson started to get to the highlight of the day. Soon, the morning passed in a sh as everyone was busy.Nicole stretched her arms, which had been stiff from helping her ssmates draw out key points all morning.Gary came over. "Let me give you a massage." Nicole looked over at him in surprise and froze for a moment. "No, you go about your business." She wondered what was wrong with this kid so that he could say something that would make people misunderstand. "Are we going to eat in the cafeteria?" Lulu and June asked Nicole. "Sure, let''s go." The three of them left the ssroom and headed for the cafeteria. On the way, Nicole looked over at Lulu. "Have you and Spencer made any progress?" Lulu was surprised by the question, and her white cheeks blushed. "Why are we talking about this all of a sudden?" "Are you shy?" Nicole looked over at her teasingly. "Not at all.Hurry up and go.There will be no food left if we''rete." Lulu left them behind and hurried toward the cafeteria. "Something''s going on.We will have to interrogate her tonight," Nicole murmured. In the cafeteria, Nicole had just walked in when she saw Snow and Raine lining up for their meals. Lulu walked over to them and said sarcastically, "The two most popr girls in the ss are here to eat in the cafeteria too? The sun is really rising from the west." "Do we have to report to you where we''re going to eat? That''s funny." Raine nced at Lulu with contempt. "Could it be that you''ve offended your parents, and they had your financial support cut off?" June said sarcastically. "What are you talking about? I think you''re the one who''s been cut off financially all this time." Raine red at June as if she had been poked at a sore point. "What are you staring at? No money for food, so you want to eat me, huh?" June became so sharp-tongued that it exasperated Raine. "Snow, help me teach her a lesson." Raine pleaded to Snow for help. "Don''t be angry and argue with kids," Snow said sarcastically whileforting Raine.Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. Chapter 958 Chapter 958 "What did you say? See if I will rip your mouth off," Raine said, extending her ws at June. Lulu rushed up to help June beat Raine. Snow stood there, not knowing what to do, as she had never been in a physical fight before and did not know how to help Raine.But then she saw Nicole.What are you doing standing there, Nicole? Why don''t youe over and help Raine?" "Are you mistaken or something by asking me for help?" Nicole looked at Snow incredulously. "Are you going to stand by and watch a member of the Riddle family get beaten up?" Snow was still using the Riddle family to order Nicole around,pletely unaware of the situation. "Snow, no need to beg her.I can handle this myself." Raine was going against two alone.She sounded with a lot of gusto, but Lulu had pinned her to the ground as she spoke. "Get up, or I will call someone." Snow saw that Nicole did not even offer to help and could only threaten them. In the cafeteria, the three of them were in a melee. Lulu and June''s physical strength has increased considerably since training with Nicole, so they can easily deal with Raine, who was pinned down and beaten up. Nicole looked on for a few moments before she said, "Raine, admit your mistake, and they will let you go." She knew that if things went on, Raine would not have to take the exam. "I know you made them do this.You better watch out.After I finish with them both, I will get you." Raine was swearing at Nicole despite being pinned to the ground. "Yeah, I will see how long you can hold out." Nicole went to the side and sat down to watch.Snow could not bear to see Raine being beaten and could only grovel to Nicole. "Nicole, I''m sorry.Please ask them to stop fighting." "What do you mean? Do you think I caused Raine to be beaten? Didn''t she ask for it?" Nicole shot a disdainful nce at Snow.Snow looked at Nicole and swallowed in fright. "Whatever, just leave Raine alone." She now had only one thought: that was to save Raine. As for the humiliation this time, she would find the opportunity to reciprocate. Nicole was satisfied with Snow''s humble attitude. "Knock it off, you guys." Lulu and June heard that and slowly got up from Raine. ''We will let you off this time, for Nicole''s sake.If you dare to mess with us again, we will surely ruin your face." "Get up." Snow rushed forward to help Raine up.Raine was about to reach out to hit them again when Snow hurriedly pulled her back. "You can''t beat them.Don''t embarrass yourself anymore.Let''s get out of here." "Get the hell out of here, and don''t let me see you two again," Lulu said to Snow and Raine. "I really didn''t expect that the school''s two most popr girls would have their day." Some of the surrounding students who had been bullied by them before felt vindicated. Snow and Raine were so humiliated this time that they left the cafeteria with their tails between their legs. Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org. "when did you two be so badass?" Nicole looked at them with surprise. "We''ve always been badass.Just that we didn''t tell you," Lulu said with gusto. Nicole looked at them with amusement.She knew that Zeke had fixed things right. "Let''s eat." It was the first time Snow and Raine were bullied, and they could not swallow their pride.They had just walked out of the cafeteria when they ran into Norah. Norah saw Raine''s messy hair and asked her with concern, "What''s wrong with you?" Chapter 959 Chapter 959 Chapter 959 Raine shot a look at Norah and walked away.Snow looked at Norah and said, "Nicole bullied her." "Nicole? She hit her?" Norah looked at Snow with surprise. As far as she knew Nicole as a person, Nicole would hit no one at school. "She didn''t hit Raine directly, but indirectly.She got the others to beat Raine up," Snow said, ming it all on Nicole. Norah stared at Snow.She had heard it correctly, and Raine''s reaction just now confirmed what Snow had said. Snow did not linger on but rushed to catch up with Raine. Norah pondered the matter as she walked slowly to the cafeteria. In the cafeteria, Nicole, Lulu, and June wereughing and talking as they had their meals. Norah nced over in their direction and then sat behind them after getting her food.She seemed to be eating but, in fact, was listening in to and secretly recording their conversation. After a while, they finished their meals and got up to leave. Norah looked at the recording on her phone, and her eyes narrowed. ''Nicole, I''d like to know how you are going to exin to your aunt this time" Under Nicole''s guidance, the students of ss B were working hard, everyone transforming into committee members of the study club. After school, Norah returned to the Riddle Mansion and went straight to her bedroom. She did not even hear Gloria call her. In the bedroom, she turned on herputer and found Karen''s email. With a few clicks of the mouse, she had sent the audio recording in the cafeteria to Karen anonymously. Karen, who was looking at her phone, suddenly received an email.She opened it and found an audio file, wondering why someone had sent her an audio file. Feeling curious, she opened the audio file. It was the conversation between Nicole, Lulu, and June talking about Raine''s beating. Karen heard their chat and was instantly furious. "How dare Nicole join others to bully Raine? This is rebellion." Karen headed downstairs angrily, just in time to see Snow and Raine walk in. Before she could walk over, Raine saw her and pounced right into her arms. "Mom, Nicole bullied me." Raine was crying, and Karen was distressed and helped Raine to sit down on the couch. Now she could almost be certain that the audio recording in the email was true. "What''s going on? Tell me, and I will back you up." Karen asked, feeling sorry. "Our credit cards were frozen, and when we went to the school cafeteria for lunch, Nicoleughed at me and had her ssmates beating me up," Raine said as she sobbed and cried louder. "How outrageous.She has rebelled against her own family.How dare a wild girl from the countryside connives with someone to beat my daughter?" Karen was furious.She looked at Raine, who was bawling in her arms, her face blue with anger. "Snow, are you hurt anywhere?" Karen looked over at Snow, who was sitting on the side. "I''m okay, but Raine is being badly bullied by Nicole." Snow added fuel to the fire as she could not wait to see Karen go after Nicole right away. "Nicole! I''m going to her house tomorrow to sort things out." Karen''s eyes were bursting with anger. The next day, early in the morning, Karen took Raine to Daniel''s house. N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. After ringing the doorbell, a maid answered the door. "Madam, is there something urgent for you toe so early?" "Is Gloria in?" Karen asked in a hostile tone. Chapter 960 Chapter 960 "Mr.and Mrs.Riddle are having breakfast inside." Maria, the maid, could tell that Karen was anything but friendly and did not dare to stop her as Karen brought Raine inside. "Maria, who''s here?" Gloria asked. The next second, Karen and Raine appeared in the dining room. "Karen, Raine? What brings you here? Have you had your breakfast?" Gloria looked at the two in surprise. "No, I''m so pissed." Karen was disgruntled and said sarcastically. Daniel and Gloria looked at each other as they could not figure out what Karen was up to. "Then sit down and join us.Maria¡ª" "That won''t be necessary.You guys eat quickly, as I have something to talk to you two,"Karen said as she brought Raine to the couch. Looking at Karen''s reaction, Daniel and Gloria were in no mood to eat by now.So they put down their cutlery and sat down on the couch.????l?????.??m "Karen, you came over early in the morning.Just tell me what it is about." Gloria looked at Karen. "Where is Nicole? Tell her toe downstairs." Karenmanded with a peeved face. "Nicole is not in.Talk to me if there is anything." Gloria studied Karen and Raine. "Not in? Where did she go? Is she afraid I wille after her, and so she has gone into hiding?" Karen looked at Gloria. "Call her and tell her toe back immediately." The more Daniel listened, the more confused he got. "Come after her, for what?" "For what? She beat Raine up.This is what I''m here for."" Karen looked at Daniel with an angry face. "Nicole beat Raine up?" Daniel and Gloria looked over at Raine. "What''s going on, Raine?" Gloria asked. Upstairs, Norah heard someone talking loudly downstairs. So she came downstairs and saw Karen and Raine. She smirked and then walked over as if she knew nothing. "Auntie Karen, what brings you here so early?" Norah walked over and greeted her. Karen nced at Norah and ignored her. When Norah saw Karen was ignoring her, she came to sit next to Gloria and asked ina whisper, "What''s going on, Mom?" "They said that Nicole beat Raine up." Gloria still did not believe Nicole would hit someone to this day. "Raine, are you okay?" Norah made an expression of surprise.Raine gave Norah a look and cried even harder. "Don''t be afraid to tell them exactly how Nicole beat you up." Karen backed Raine up. Raine sobbed and told the story of how Nicole had bullied her, exaggerating things from beginning to end. After listening to what Raine said, Gloria felt her blood pressure spike and put her hand to her forehead. When Daniel saw this, he quickly asked with concern, "What''s wrong? Are you feeling dizzy? at Norah held Gloria up. "Mom, I will get you a ss of water." Gloria waved her hand, calmed down a bit, and then looked at Raine. "Is what you said true? [ have never heard of Nicole bullying her ssmates at school, not to mention you are her cousin." Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org. Gloria could not believe what Raine was saying, as she knew Nicole''s character well. "What do you mean? Are you saying that we are here early in the morning to pick a fight?" Pissed, Karen fired a shot at Gloria. "I didn''t mean that.It is just that I know Nicole''s character; he is not likely to hit anyone, much less bully Raine," Gloria said in Nicole''s defense. "You don''t have to defend her.Just get her back here.I want to ask her face to face." Karen told Gloria sternly. "Mom, let''s not refute in a hurry.Let''s first appease Auntie Karen.After all, we don''t know much about what Nicole is doing outside." Norah was feeding the line that Nicole was probably bad to Gloria. Chapter 961 Chapter 961 Gloria nced at Daniel and gestured for him to make the call. Daniel got the hint and got up to call Nicole while Norah was in the living room trying to calm Karen and Raine down. ¡°Nicole, are you up yet?¡± Daniel asked with a slightly urgent tone. ¡°Yup, Dad. What¡¯s up? It¡¯s still early in the morning.¡± Nicole could hear the urgency in Daniel¡¯s tone. ¡°Raine and her mother came looking for you.¡± Nicole immediately understood what Daniel meant. ¡°I will be right back.¡± After she hung up the phone, she stepped on the gas pedal and drove to her father¡¯s house. ¡°Nicole will be back soon. When shees back, we will be clear once we ask.¡± Daniel¡¯s face was no longer warm but cold. ¡°Tell her to hurry up. I don¡¯t have that much time.¡± Twenty minutester, Nicole¡¯s car was parked outside the house. As soon as she stepped out of the car, she heard Karen¡¯s voice in the house. She went inside and saw five people sitting in the living room. Karen¡¯s anger red up when she saw Nicole. ¡°Look what you¡¯ve done.¡± Nicole swept an icy nce over at Karen and Raine, who was still crying. ¡°What are you two doing here?¡± ¡°You beat Raine up. How could you do that? Hurry up and apologize to Raine,¡± Karen scolded Nicole in a stern voice. ¡°Apologize?¡± Nicole looked at Karen with amusement and a sneer. ¡°Are you mistaken? She should thank me.¡± ¡°What did you say?¡± Karen stood up, wanting to hit her. Nicole grasped Karen¡¯s wrist and reminded her in a frosty voice. ¡°You better be respectful as an elder, or it won¡¯t look good on you if you lose your decency.¡± ¡°Let go,¡± Karen shouted angrily. ¡°Nicole, be respectful.¡± Gloria scolded. Nicole nced at Gloria, then let go of Karen¡¯s wrist. ¡°See? Now she even dares to hit me. What else can¡¯t she do? That¡¯s your good daughter.¡± Karen looked at Daniel and Gloria reproachfully. Gloria was upset with the way Nicole had just behaved. Although Karen was nasty, she was, after all, Nicole¡¯s elder, and Nicole should not have disrespected her elders. Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org. ¡°Nicole, apologize to your aunt.¡± Gloria scolded. Nicole frowned and looked expressionlessly at Gloria.¡±. She was the one who wanted to hit me. I was just defending myself. I¡¯m not at fault.¡± ¡°You¡ª¡±Gloria could not find a word to respond. ¡°That¡¯s enough. Let¡¯s all stop arguing. I believe what Nicole said. There must be some kind of misunderstanding.¡± ¡°What misunderstanding? Raine is sitting right here. You can all see it. It¡¯s a fact that she was beaten.¡± Karen still looked at Nicole with viciousness. ¡°Do you all still want to solve the problem? Everyone calm down,¡± said Daniel as he could not stand Karen anymore. It was the first time Karen saw Daniel lose his temper. She was startled and instantly shut up. Daniel calmed down a bit and looked at Nicole. ¡°Were you there when Raine was beaten?¡± ¡°I was there.¡± ¡°Look, she was there.¡± Karen reprimanded whenever she saw a chance. ¡°Will you let me finish?¡± There was no warmth in Daniel¡¯s voice. Chapter 962 Chapter 962 ¡°Did you hit Raine?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t.¡± ¡°Liar. It is obvious that you hit Raine. You are lying through your teeth.¡± Daniel ignored Karen and looked at Raine. ¡°Did Nicole hit you?¡± Raine continued to sob as she dared not look up to meet Nicole¡¯s eyes. ¡°What are you asking again? Here¡¯s the injury on her arms.¡± Karen pulled up Raine¡¯s sleeves and showed it to them. Raine¡¯s arms were covered with scratches, which was apparently the doing of girls. ¡°Nicole, how do you exin the scratches on Raine¡¯s arms?¡± Daniel looked at Nicole intently. ¡°These scratches happened when she was fighting with someone else. They don¡¯t have anything to do with me.¡± ¡°Fighting with someone else? You mean Raine fought with other students at school?¡± Daniel caught the key point keenly. He understood it now. It seemed to him that the bruises on Raine¡¯s arms were caused by someone else. ¡°Raine, keep your head up. Why didn¡¯t you just say you got into a fight with someone else?¡± Daniel wanted to get an answer from Raine¡¯s eyes. Raine slowly looked up but avoided eye contact with Daniel. ¡°I -I just forgot.¡± Daniel could see at once that Raine was lying, and he felt relieved instantly. As long as Nicole did not hit anyone, everything else would be easy. ¡°You forgot? It was Nicole who hit you.¡± Karen heard that something was wrong and hurriedly interrupted Raine. ¡°You hurt Raine like this. If you sincerely apologize, I will let this slide. Otherwise, I will make you pay back twice as much.¡± Karen threatened Nicole in front of Daniel and Gloria. Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org. Without waiting for Daniel and Gloria to speak, Nicole said morosely, ¡°I will not admit what I didn¡¯t do. If you want to threaten me, you¡¯ll pay the price.¡± Nicole¡¯s words stabbed into Karen¡¯s heart like an icy de. ¡°Karen, there must be something that you have not understood clearly.¡± Daniel nced at Karen. ¡°Fine. Since you will not apologize , don¡¯t me me for what ising. Daniel, that¡¯s the good daughter you have here.¡± ¡°Raine, let¡¯s go!¡± Karen did not expect that her attempt to denounce Nicole did not work. So she angrily brought Raine to leave. Daniel did not bother to stand up. ¡°Maria, from now on, don¡¯t let anyone from that family in.¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Maria was too frightened to breathe. ¡°Nicole¨C¡± ¡°I have to go to ss, so I¡¯m leaving.¡± Nicole did not even give them a chance to exin and turned around to leave. Daniel looked at Nicole and sighed as she went. ¡°Wait for me, Nicole.¡± Norah chased out. Nicole got in the car, not bothering to look at Norah as she drove off. Norah stomped her foot in anger. ¡®You escaped again. Nicole, you are really difficult to deal with.¡¯ Chloe was relieved to see her new shoote to an end. It was a waste of her time to be in this studio all day and not see Jared at all. ¡°Kelly, make an appointment with Henry for me. Tell him I¡¯m waiting for him at the Blue Whale Restaurant.¡± Chloe told Kelly. Chapter 963 Chapter 963 ¡°Okay, I will make the call right away.¡± In the Blue Whale Restaurant, Chloe found a seat by the window while Kelly waited for her in the car. Not long after, Kelly saw Henry get out of the car and head inside the Blue Whale Restaurant. ¡°I envy Chloe. She has good food and drink every day and gets to know those bigshots. I wish I could be like her.¡± Kelly sat in the car with an envious face. Kelly was bored. She was fiddling with her phone. Suddenly the phone dropped, so she bent down to pick it up. While she was looking for wet wipes to wipe the phone, a bag in the corner caught her attention. Just before Chloe entered the restaurant, she deliberately changed her handbag and then put the bag she often carried in the corner of the car. N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. Looking at the bag in the corner, Kelly started to specte in her mind, wondering if the Dresden Green Diamond was in this handbag. She wanted to open it, but it seemed rude to open someone else¡¯s handbag without permission. So Kelly was in a predicament. ¡®It¡¯s better to open it and take a look. In case it¡¯s in there, I will pass the test.¡¯ After getting it right, she would not have to be an assistant again, and she might even be promoted to a higher position . Just thinking about it made her happy. She gently opened the handbag and rummaged around for a while. Suddenly , her fingers felt a box. She took it out; it was unassuming. ¡®This box doesn¡¯t look like it contains a diamond, does it?¡¯ Kelly studied the box suspiciously. Driven by curiosity, she decided to open it and take a look. As she gently opened the box, a bright diamond came into view. ¡®Th- This is Dresden Green Diamond?¡¯ Kelly could not believe her eyes. She rubbed them and looked at the box again. And there it was, the Dresden Green Diamond. ¡®My goodness! Chloe put such a valuable thing in a lousy box like this. She is gutsy. She doesn¡¯t have to go to such a great length just to test me, does she?¡¯ Kelly¡¯s heart was pounding as she could not contain the surprise of having the Dresden Green Diamond right in front of her eyes. She immediately took out her phone, snapped a picture,and sent it to Nicole, then closed the box and put it back , in ce. Nicole¡¯s phone buzzed as she received a message from Kelly. She took a look by clicking on Kelly¡¯s avatar, and there was a picture of Dresden Green Diamond. She mmed on the brakes to stop the car, then zoomed in on the picture and examined the photo carefully. ¡°Kelly? Is the diamond still with you?¡± Nicole asked in a whisper. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m the only one in the car right now,¡± Kelly told Nicole. ¡°You¡¯re in the car by yourself? Where are you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m in the parking lot of the Blue Whale Restaurant.¡± ¡°Hold it right there and guard the diamond.¡± Nicole hung up the phone, floored the gas pedal, and drove toward the Blue Whale Restaurant. Chloe and Henry were sitting across from each other in the restaurant. ¡°Mr. Johnston, what have you been up totely? I haven¡¯t even seen you for a long time.¡± Chloe poured a ss of red wine for Henry. ¡°s, Jared is in charge of all of Johnston Group¡¯s projects while I can only manage the branch. What else can I be busy with?¡± Henry was not too happy with his nephew. ¡°Then you should talk to him. Ask him to transfer you to the head office.¡± ¡°Hmph, that¡¯s easy to say. I would be thankful if he didn¡¯t kick me out of thepany. How could he transfer me to the head office?¡± Henry picked up his ss and took a sip. ¡°You are so capable. It must be Jared who doesn¡¯t know you yet. If you can pull some strings to ce me in a position where I can see Jared, I won¡¯t forget your help when I¡¯m finally with him.¡± Chloe picked up her wine ss and clinked sses with him. ¡°Isn¡¯t thatmercial shoot you¡¯re on pretty good?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not good at all. I can¡¯t see Jared at all except for filming.¡± Chloeined. ¡°Doesn¡¯t he even go to the shooting studio now to see the progress?¡± Henry asked in puzzlement. Chapter 964 Chapter 964 ¡°I could only go once a month and just talk to the director and leave. There was no chance to approach him.¡± Chloe recalled with a sigh of frustration. Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. ¡°Okay, I will think of a way.¡± ¡°By the way, did your grandfather like the diamond I asked you to bring to himst time?¡± After Henry gave the diamond , he had not received a call from Mr. Riddle Sr., so he was grumbling a bit secretly. ¡°Grandpa loved that diamond. He asked me to thank you on his behalf.¡± Chloe lied to Henry without batting an eyelid. ¡°As long as he likes it, I will send him another gift when I get another collection.¡± ¡°Your father has a project in his hands that is looking for a partner recently, right?¡± Henry had found out a few days ago about a ten billion dor project in Damien¡¯s hands that was in progress. ¡°You have really gotten your information quickly and know everything that I don¡¯t know yet. I will ask about this for youter and let you know when I have any news. ¡°Chloe smiled and looked at Henry. ¡°Thank you. I will do my best to get you a position that can give you ess to Jared.¡± Henry¡¯s eyes shone with shrewdness. ¡°Then, thank you, Mr. Johnston.¡± Nicole parked the car and found Chloe¡¯s car based on Kelly¡¯s location. ¡°Hey, Kelly.¡± ¡°Miss Riddle.¡± ¡°Can I take a look at the diamond?¡± Nicole looked over at her. ¡°Sure.¡± Kelly took out the box and handed it to Nicole. Nicole looked at the unassuming box and gently opened it. Inside was indeed the Dresden Green Diamond. She took a high-quality imitation Dresden Green Diamond out of her pocket and switched it with the real one. ¡°Put this back. Your appraisal is very sessful. In a few days, you will receive a notice from the personnel department, and the rest has nothing to do with you. It¡¯s a test for Chloe this time. Whatever she asks you, just say you don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°Does Chloe have to take the test too?¡± Kelly asked in bafflement. ¡°Yes, her test is a little more difficult. If you tell her about it during the test, both of you will be disqualified or even terminated.¡± Nicole deliberately scared her so that she would not tell Chloe what had happened. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t help her cheat. She needs to depend on her ability to pass the test. But there is one thing I don¡¯t understand ; both diamonds are the same, so why do you have to swap them?¡± Nicole was not afraid of her knowing. ¡°That one is a high quality imitation. It is too risky to use the real one all the time. No one can afford to lose it, so thepany decided that using a high-quality imitation would be more appropriate.¡± ¡°So, they should have used a high-quality imitation long ago. This time, I don¡¯t have to worry about it anymore.¡± Kelly sighed with relief. ¡°I¡¯m leaving now. Stay in touch and let nothing slip,¡± Nicole said. ¡°Okay.¡± Henry and Chloe finished their meal. They walked out of the Blue Whale Restaurant and said goodbye after giving each other a hug. Chloe got into her car and said, slightly inebriated,¡± Kelly, drive home.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Kelly started the car and drove toward Chloe¡¯s ce. Chloe crashed out after arriving home,pletely forgetting about checking the diamond. The following morning was a sunny day. Nicole had her breakfast and went to school as usual. There were three days left before the exams, and everyone was doing their best to make the final push. ¡°Everyone, there are still threest days. I hope you will cherish these three days and focus all your attention on your studies. Once the exams are over, no one will care how much you want to y.¡± Ms. Emerson stood at the podium to give her ssmates a pep talk. ¡°What are you looking at, Nicole?¡± Ms. Emerson looked over at Nicole. ¡°Nothing.¡± Ms. Emerson nodded. ¡°I hope the top of the grade will stille from our ss this year.¡± Chapter 965 Chapter 965 ¡°Go for it, everyone.¡± Nicole had done all¡¯ her homework and left the ssroom with her books. Gary saw her go out and followed her. ¡°Are your homework all done?¡± Nicole asked him. ¡°Almost. Where are you going?¡± Gary looked at her. ¡°Almost is not good enough. Ms. Emerson will fix you good and proper if you drag the ss back.¡± ¡°So, where are you going?¡± Nicole stopped and looked at him. ¡°Does where I go have anything to do with you?¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t mind. I was just asking.¡± Gary hurriedly exined. Nicole shot him a look and then walked toward the library. Gary stopped talking and followed Nicole. The library was quiet, and Nicole found a seat at the side to read a book while Gary sat down not far from her, keeping an eye on Nicole from time to time. Chloe got up with a dry mouth and went to the dining room for water. Recalling what Henry had said last night,she dialed Miley¡¯s number. ¡°Hello, Mom?¡± ¡°Chloe, aren¡¯t you busy today?¡± ¡°After themercial shoot , I can take some time off. What have you been up totely?¡± Chloe asked casually. Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org. ¡°I¡¯m not busy with anything. If you¡¯re off, why don¡¯t youe home for a few days?¡± Miley had not seen her for a long time, so she missed her. ¡°Yeah, why not? I will pack up and then go home for a few days,¡± Chloe said happily. ¡°Okay, what do you like to eat? I¡¯ll prepare it for you.¡± Miley was filled with joy when she heard Chloe wasing home. ¡°Of course, the dishes you make.¡± ¡°Okay. I guarantee you will get to eat as soon as you get back. Go pack up. I will prepare the ingredients,¡± Miley said. ¡°Okay, bye.¡± Chloe put the phone down and came to sit down on the couch. When she saw the handbag on the coffee table, it reminded her of the diamond. So she quickly checked it. ¡°It scared the hell out of me.¡± Looking at the diamond in her hand, Chloe thought of Nicole.¡± Aren¡¯t you going to investigate? Now that the diamond is in my hand, I will see how you can investigate it.¡± She put the diamond away and went wash up. Nicole was concentrating on her book in the library when someone walked up to her and sat down. She looked up and found that it was Harvey. ¡°How did you know I was here?¡± Nicole knew Harvey did not come to the library to read books. ¡°I asked someone else.¡± ¡°Nicole, in a few days, Aegis Corporation is going to hold a project seminar, and all thepanies working on their projects are going to send people over. Sean and I have discussed it and agreed that it would be best for you to go. ¡°Harvey only talked about work, so Nicole was not so antipathetic. ¡°Me?¡± Nicole did not want to go at all. ¡®Why do they think I¡¯m the best fit?¡¯ ¡°Yes, after all, the boss of Aegis Corporation knows you. So you are the most suitable person.¡± Harvey looked at him with firm eyes. ¡°What if I don¡¯t want to go?¡± Nicole looked at him indifferently. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if you don¡¯t want to go. At worst, Riddle Corporation will not get another project from Aegis Corporation.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you know that Riddle Corporation has always spoken on merit?¡± Nicole was not too happy with Harvey¡¯s statement. ¡°On the Aegis Corporation project, we all know why Riddle Corporation was sessful in the bid. It certainly wasn¡¯t just because of the Ellison family,¡± Harvey said, and the meaning could not have been clearer. Chapter 966 Chapter 966 Nicole did not want to argue with him. Indeed, she had more or less everything to do with winning the last bid.¡± Stop interrupting my reading.¡± ¡°Okay. The flight is booked for the day after the exam. I¡¯m leaving.¡± Harvey got up and left. After Harvey left, Gary slowly moved over to Nicole and looked at Harvey as he went. ¡°What did he want with you? Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. Nicole scowled at him. ¡°When did you get here?¡± ¡°I-I came with you. But I was reading over there when I saw Harvey. So I came over to ask.¡± Gary looked as if he had a guilty conscience. ¡°Since when do you have to ask about my business? Go and do your homework.¡± Gary went back to his seat and started reading seriously. It was the day of the exam. Nicole entered the exam hall and came out in about 20 minutes. The invigtor sat at the podium and looked at Nicole¡¯s paper; this was the student who had submitted her exam paper the quickest under his invigtion. Previously, students who turned in their papers so fast were those who did not study, but Nicole¡¯s paper was clearly and neatly answered, and she did not miss a single question. Nicole walked out of school, relieved that she was done with her exams and that she no longer had to go to school to deal with lessons. She got in her car and floored the gas pedal to drive to her grandfather¡¯s house. Mr. Riddle Sr. was happy to see her. ¡°Don¡¯t you have sses today?¡± ¡°The exam is just over today,¡± Nicole said. ¡°How did you do on the exam?¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. looked at her. ¡°Zero pressure. Grandpa, how have you beentely?¡± This was the first time she came to see her grandfather after she returned from abroad. ¡°To quote you earlier, zero pressure. My everyday life as it is; just boring.¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. joked. ¡°You sound like you are a bit tired of your current life? Do you still want to experience something exciting?¡± Nicole asked tentatively. ¡°What other exciting things can I experience with my old bones? The daily news is exciting enough.¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. beamed. ¡°I haven¡¯t been following the newstely. Is there something big going on?¡± Nicole looked at him with bewilderment. ¡°Many people have been hurt by the recent unrest in many ces abroad.¡± Mentioning these things made Mr. Riddle Sr. feel sad. ¡°Yeah? I have been so busy with other thingstely that I haven¡¯t noticed.¡± Nicole could not help but think of Zane and Carl, that maybe they were on a mission in a foreign country at the moment. ¡°Grandpa, I brought my grandma to the vi you gave me earlier. You won¡¯t be angry, right?¡± ¡°Oh? Why didn¡¯t you tell me earlier? I would have given Mrs. Wace Sr. a reception, which should have been done out of courtesy.¡± ¡°How is her health?¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. looked at Nicole with an avuncr face. ¡°She is healthy. She wanted toe over to visit you before, but she didn¡¯t because she was afraid it would disturb you,¡± Nicole said. ¡°What disturbance? I¡¯m bored to death here alone all day. ¡°Well, you go back now and pick up Mrs. Wace Sr., and we will have a casual dinner together tonight.¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. said with a big smile. ¡°Okay, then I¡¯ll go now.¡± After Nicole left, Mr. Riddle Sr. instructed the family butler. ¡°Ask the chef toe to the house. I want to entertain an important guest tonight. Also, get the family over here. I want to introduce them to an honored guest.¡± ¡°Yes, Sr.¡± Nicole drove back to the sea-view vi. Her grandmother was watering the flowers in the garden. Chapter 967 Chapter 967 ¡°Grandma, you¡®re watering the flowers?¡± ¡°Are the exams over, Nicole?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°How did the exam go?¡± Mrs. Wace Sr. was concerned about her studies. ¡°I don¡®t think it¡¯s a problem.¡± Mrs. Wace Sr. saw Nicole¡®s confidence and nodded her head. ¡°d to hear that. You can rx now.¡± ¡°My grandpa asked me toe and pick you up. He invites us to have a family dinner tonight.¡± ¡°Tonight? Will we disturb him?¡± Mrs. Wace Sr. asked endearingly. ¡°No. I will take you in now and change.¡± Nicole helped her into the house. When Nicole came to the room, she found that Mrs. Wace Sr.¡®s clothing was not suitable for attending dinner. So she drove Mrs. Wace Sr. to the mall to buy some clothes. She realized it was her fault for only thinking of taking her grandmother shopping for clothes now, ming herself for not having thought of it before. ¡°Why are weing to the mall?¡± Mrs. Wace Sr. felt dizzy looking at the busy mall. ¡°You have been here for so long, and I can¡®t believe I haven¡®t even taken you to buy a few outfits. It¡®s so unthoughtful of me. It just so happens that we have dinner to attend today, so let¡®s pick out a few more sets.¡± Nicole took Mrs. Wace Sr.¡®s arm and headed into the mall. ¡°I have clothes. Don¡®t spend unnecessarily.¡± Mrs. Wace Sr. disagreed that Nicole was spending money frivolously. ¡°It is alright. I¡®m earning money now, and I can afford to buy you something better.¡± Nicole led her into a shop. ¡°Hello, how can I help you?¡± A shop assistant came forward and asked. Her attitude was a bit haughty when she saw Nicole and Mrs. Wace Sr. dressed in and simple. ¡°Get my grandma some clothes that fit her. We have dinner to attend,¡± Nicole said. ¡°Okay, just a moment.¡± Nicole clearly sensed some impatience from the shop assistant, but she said nothing and took her grandmother aside to sit down. Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org. ¡°Miss, take a look at these dresses.¡± The shop assistant took out some dated styles to try and fool Nicole. ¡°These styles seem to be old from the year beforest, don¡®t they? Nothing new?¡± Nicole asked. ¡°I¡®m sorry, Miss. The new arrivals are out of stock today, and the shop only has the old ones.¡± The shop assistant looked disgustedly at Nicole and Mrs. Wace Sr. Nicole was about to get angry. But considering her grandmother was there, she calmed down and walked back to Mrs. Wace Sr. ¡°Grandma, this shop doesn¡®t have the right style. Let¡®s look at other shops.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Nicole helped Mrs. Wace Sr. to the other shops. ¡°Bring out this year¡®s new clothing that fits my grandma, and let us have a look.¡± Nicole was not polite this time as she spoke straight away. The shop assistant swept her eyes at Nicole and Mrs. Wace Sr. and waved her hand in disgust. ¡°There are no clothes here for you two. Get out of here.¡± Nicole got furious. ¡°Get your manager over here.¡± ¡°The manager doesn¡®t have time, so get out of here.¡± Nicole walked out to look at the billboards in the mall and then dialed a phone number. Soon the head of the mall came trotting over to Nicole. ¡°Miss Riddle , I¡®m sorry to keep you waiting. What can I do for you?¡± Mr. Patel came up to Nicole respectfully and squeezed a ttery smile. The shop assistant looked dumbfounded, wondering when Mr. Patel had ever been behaving like this. Usually, it was someone else who treated him like this. ¡°Mr. Patel, I was thinking of buying some clothes for my grandmother, but the shop assistants in several shops said they didn¡®t have any. Is there nothing my grandma can wear in a mall as huge as yours?¡± Nicole questioned him nonchntly. Beads of sweat popped up on Mr. Patel¡®s forehead, and he said tteringly, ¡°How can it be? There is everything that your grandma wants here. Which shops have you gone to? I will apany you.¡± Chapter 968 Chapter 968 ¡°This is it.¡± Nicole looked back at the shop assistant inside and led her grandmother in under her watchful eye. Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. ¡°Mr. Patel, this is¡­¡± ¡°Don¡®t you even recognize Miss Riddle? Go get her grandma some of thetest clothes this year,¡± Mr. Patel said. ¡°Yes.¡± The shop assistant immediately did as she was told, not daring to dy for a second. Soon, the shop assistant held several sets of the current new clothes in front of Nicole. ¡°Miss Riddle, it is my fault for not recognizing you. I apologize. These are the best clothes in our shop. Please have a look.¡± Mr. Patel could immediately tell that there must have been friction between the shop assistant and Nicole before he arrived, and he hurriedly mediated. ¡°Miss Riddle, if there is anything that doesn¡®t fit, I will immediately ask her to go and change it for you.¡± Nicole was not one who was difficult to reason with. When she saw the sincerity of the shop assistant and Mr. Patel¡®s pleading, she let it slide. ¡°Let¡®s give this one to my grandma to try on.¡± The shop assistant hurriedly picked the outfit up and helped Grandma to put it on her. ¡°You look so spirited in it. Miss Riddle, what do you think?¡± Nicole looked at Mrs. Wace Sr. It was really a matter of dressing up and dressing down; Mrs. Wace Sr. looked much more refreshed in her new clothes, and her entire temperament was elevated. ¡°Nice, it fits.¡± ¡°How do you feel, Grandma?¡± Nicole asked. Mrs. Wace Sr. looked happy in the mirror. ¡°It looks good.¡± Seeing how much her grandmother liked it, Nicole said to the shop assistant, ¡°Same size; wrap these all up.¡± When Mrs. Wace Sr. heard this, she said, ¡°Why buy so many, Nicole? One is good enough. Clothes nowadaysst ten years at least.¡± ¡°It¡®s okay. You can change it every day.¡± Nicole would buy Mrs. Wace Sr. any she liked. ¡°You have such a dutiful granddaughter. We are so envious.¡± Mr. Patel praised. Mrs. Wace Sr. was all smiles. ¡°Miss Riddle, are you paying by cash or card?¡± The shop assistant asked with a smile. ¡°Card.¡± Nicole took out a gold card and handed it to the shop assistant. Mr. Patel and the shop assistant froze when they saw the gold card, which was a limited edition gold card with the word Harmon on it. That someone could hold this card spoke volumes about her status. ¡°What are you waiting for? I¡®m in a hurry.¡± Nicole¡®s words jolted the two of them back to reality. ¡°Yes, I¡®ll go right away.¡± Mr. Patel did not even expect Nicole toe up with a gold card. He only knew her as Jared¡®s fianc¨¦e, not that she and Scott Harmon were friends. After checking out, Nicole helped Mrs. Wace Sr. downstairs while Mr. Patel carried her shopping bags behind her all the way to the car park. Nicole helped her grandmother into the car and turned to Mr. Patel. ¡°Thank you very much.¡± ¡°Don¡®t mention it. It is my pleasure to serve you. Please visit our mall again next time.¡± Mr. Patel smiled politely. ¡°Bye¨Cbye.¡± Nicole got in her car and drove off toward the sea¨Cview vi. Nicole was so happy to see her grandmother all groomed and dressed up. ¡°Grandma, from now on, you will wear it all like this. It¡®s ssy.¡± Nicole praised. Tia nodded from the sidelines. Mrs. Wace Sr. did not quite understand what Nicole was saying, but she looked at her and smiled, knowing in her heart that she wasplimenting her. ¡°Tia, we¡®re off to Mr. Riddle Sr.¡®s house. No need to wait for us for dinner tonight.¡± ¡°Okay. Drive safe.¡± Chapter 969 Chapter 969 Nicole finished with Tia and drove Mrs. Wace Sr. to Mr. Riddle Sr.¡®s house. Mrs. Wace Sr. looked with wonderment at the colorful lights as the car traveled through the city streets outside the car window. It was the first time in her life that she had seen such beautiful lights. Nicole could see that Mrs. Wace Sr. liked it, so she slowed the car down a bit so that her grandmother could watch a little longer. Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org. Forty minutester, Nicole¡®s car was parked up in the car pouch in her grandfather¡®s house. She got out of the car and came over to Mrs. Wace Sr.¡®s side to help her out.¡± Take it slow,¡± she said. The family butler had been waiting for some time. When he saw Nicole and Mrs. Wace Sr., he said, ¡°Good day, madam. Miss Riddle, everyone is here. We¡¯re just waiting for you two.¡± ¡°What do you mean? Is there someone else?¡± Nicole looked at the family butler. ¡°Everyone from the Riddle family is here.¡± The family butler nodded. Nicole was startled. ¡°Why didn¡®t Grandpa tell me about it? She looked at Mrs. Wace Sr. with a sh of concern.¡± Grandma, let¡®s go inside. Grandpa is waiting for you.¡± Mrs. Wace Sr. nodded and walked inside with Nicole. In the living room, the Riddle family members, headed by Mr. Riddle Sr., were seated to his left and right. When Nicole walked in with Mrs. Wace Sr. in her arms, Mr. Riddle Sr. rose to wee her. ¡°Mrs. Wace Sr., the Riddle family wees you.¡± ¡°Mr. Riddle Sr., how¡®s your health?¡± Mrs. Wace Sr. greeted him. ¡°Pretty good. How about you?¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. gestured for Nicole to help Mrs. Wace Sr. to her side. ¡°I can still move around.¡± The two looked at each other and smiled. They were seated before the others took their seats. ¡°Is this olddy Nicole¡®s grandmother?¡± Chloe spoke into Miley¡®s ear. ¡°Keep your voice down. You need to be polite when so many people are present.¡± Miley reminded her. Norah was annoyed and tired of seeing Mrs. Wace Sr. Before she could get rid of one, another came, which was a real headache for her. ¡°Let me introduce you all to Mrs. Wace Sr., who raised Nicole.¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. smiled. ¡°Hello, Mrs. Wace Sr.¡± All greeted Mrs. Wace Sr. politely. Mrs. Wace Sr. looked at them all and nodded with a smile. Mr. Riddle Sr. then introduced them to Mrs. Wace Sr. ¡°Over here is my eldest son¡®s family of four.¡± ¡°Over here is the second son and his family of five, and over there is the third son and his family of four.¡± After the introductions were made, Mr. Riddle Sr. ordered the feast to begin. 1 ¡°Mrs. Wace Sr., please make yourself at home, as we are family. I have never visited you, so I would like to thank you for raising Nicole. No words can describe my gratitude.¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. took a ss of wine to Mrs. Wace Sr., and the others joined him in a toast. ¡°Nicole has been a good girl since she was small. I treat Nicole as my own granddaughter.¡± Mrs. Wace Sr. said. Mr. Riddle Sr. nodded. ¡°So, without further ado, let¡®s enjoy the meal, shall we?¡± Mrs. Wace Sr. nodded. Nicole picked up a piece of lobster meat for her. ¡°Grandma, this is delicious. Try it.¡± Halfway through the meal, Snow started asking about the diamond provocatively. ¡°Didn¡®t you say you would look into the diamond matter, Nicole? It¡®s been so long. Isn¡®t it time for something to be said? After all, that is a rare Dresden Green Diamond.¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. looked at Snow with displeasure. ¡°Today is a day of hospitality. Stop talking about that.¡± ¡°Grandpa, this can¡®t be put off any longer. It just so happens that everyone is here today, so let¡®s just sort it out.¡± Chloe spoke up. She was keen to see Nicole embarrassed in front of the family and Mrs. Wace Sr. Chapter 970 Chapter 970 ¡°Nicole, it is not toote for you to admit it, and it¡®s not a shame to apologize to Grandpa in public.¡± ¡°You won¡®t be the only one to be embarrassed if you are exposedter.¡± Chloe climbed on her high horse and swept her eyes at Nicole and then at Mrs. Wace Sr. Nicole smirked and asked rhetorically, ¡°Chloe, if you admit it now, I can plead for you in front of grandpa. Grandpa is in a good mood today. Maybe he won¡®t punish you heavily. If not, you won¡®t be the only one to lose faceter.¡± Chloe did not expect Nicole to ask her back, her heart skipping a beat, and she quickly adjusted her state of mind. She had hidden the real diamond, and no one knew where it was except her. So she thought Nicole must be bluffing ¡°Nicole, I think you¡®re drunk without drinking. Since you suspect me, prove it to everyone.¡± Chloe challenged Nicole, knowing that she had no proof. ¡°Okay, at first, I did not want to say anything. But since you have asked for it, I will make it happen.¡± Nicole looked Chloe in the eyes with a sneer. ¡°Here¡®s what happened: before I left the country, Chloe asked me to bring a rare Dresden Green Diamond to grandpa. As I was in a hurry, I didn¡®t open it to confirm. After I got it to grandpa , I opened it and saw that it was an ordinary diamond. Snow and Raine can testify to it.¡± Nicole paused for a moment to look at them. Raine quickly stood up, as this was the best chance to embarrass Nicole. ¡°I can testify that when we opened the box that day, it was indeed an ordinary diamond inside, so we deduced Nicole had swapped it midway. Grandpa was also present at that time.¡± ¡°What?¡± The others who were present heard this and looked at Nicole in shock. ¡°Nicole, how dare you swap Grandpa¡®s diamond? You¡®re so shameless . You even hit Raine the other day. I don¡®t understand why the Riddle family has someone like you.¡± Karen took advantage of the issue and took out her anger on Nicole. ¡°Nicole hit Raine?!¡± All the elders stepped out to criticize Nicole. ¡°Be quiet. Let Nicole finish her sentence.¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. knocked his staff on the ground. Nicole ignored them and looked at Raine with a straight face. ¡°You can now sit down.¡± ¡°I¡®m sure, at this point, you all think that I must have switched the diamond midway, right?¡± ¡°Who else could it be but you? Would Chloe swap the diamond she gave to her grandfather?¡± Damien red at Nicole. ¡°I have to correct you here. It wasn¡¯t Chloe who gave the diamond to Grandpa. It was Henry. He asked her to deliver the diamond. She ran into me, so she asked me to deliver it on her behalf.¡± ¡°Isn¡®t it the same? She ran into you. It¡®s not like she knew you were going to show up beforehand.¡± Snow was quick¨Cwitted in excusing Chloe as she saw fit. ¡°You¡®re right. How did she know I was bound to show up there?¡± Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. ¡°This is the CCTV footage I took out of the building, so you all can watch it.¡± Nicole handed a sh drive to the family butler. Chloe¡®s heart skipped a beat. She had had the building¡®s CCTV footage cleaned up, so she wondered where Nicole had gotten it from. On the TV next to the living room, the family butler yed the CCTV footage from the days leading up to the day of the incident. Nicole walked out. ¡°Since the video is a little longer, please fast¨Cforward it. ¡°Stop. Everyone, this was the time I went to see Jared. Now keep ying ¡°Stop! Here¡®s a shot of Chloe watching me from the side, covering her face, but her shoes give her away. She was having an endorsement shoot of the new shoes of Johnston Group, so these shoes were not avable on the market. Only during the endorsement shoot did she have the opportunity to wear them. Continue the video.¡± ¡°Nonsense. That wasn¡®t me at all. I was wearing flip flops that day.¡± Chloe saw a w and retorted. Chapter 971 Chapter 971 ¡°Oh, so you were wearing flip¨Cflops that day.¡± Chloe looked at Nicole¡®s expression, feeling as if she had been tricked. ¡°You¡®re right. It really wasn¡®t you who covered your face; it was you who was on the phone at the pir.¡± Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. Everyone followed Nicole¡®s lead and looked at the person next to the pir in the footage. Even with the sunsses on, they could easily identify Chloe, given their familiarity with her. ¡°Chloe, were you really on the phone there?¡± Miley, who loved her the most, spoke up to guide her. ¡°Yeah, I was on the phone there talking to my manager.¡± Chloe lied as she picked up Miley¡®s signal. ¡°It¡®s okay if you don¡®t admit it. Let¡®s keep watching.¡± Nicole looked over at the family butler. The video continued. For days on end, Chloe had been on the phone at the pir, and then it was her pretending as if she ran into Nicole by chance and asking her to deliver the diamond. ¡°That is all the video for now. I¡®m sure you all have questions in your mind after watching it. Now I will break it down with you all. There are now two suspects: me and Chloe. So we can narrow the search. The person who swapped the diamond was either me or Chloe and no one else.¡± Nicole swept her eyes over at everyone, looking for confirmation, and they had all no objection to her analysis. ¡°Let¡®s talk about me first. What is my motive? Why would I swap something I knew was for Grandpa?¡± ¡°You must have gotten greedy with the diamond and swapped it to keep for yourself.¡± Snow looked at her and put forward her analysis. ¡°If we go by your analysis , am I not shooting myself in the foot? I was the one who sent it to Grandpa, and I swapped the diamond. If it were you, would you be so stupid as to think that Grandpa couldn¡®t tell? So that reason doesn¡®t hold water; I had no motive to swap the diamond.¡± Snow could not find a word to respond. ¡°If I didn¡®t swap the diamond, at what point was the diamond swapped?¡± ¡°It must have been before I got the diamond. So here¡®s the question: I think Chloe had the diamond before I got it, hadn¡®t she?¡± Nicole looked at Chloe, and all eyes followed. ¡°Why are you all looking at me? I haven¡®t seen any diamonds. Why would I take a diamond that was given to Grandpa?¡± Chloe said. ¡°Nicole, after all that talk, the problem is with me, right?¡± ¡°That¡®s right.¡± ¡°Well, since you say the problem is with me, show me proof, or don¡®t get me to take the me for you.¡± Chloe looked expressionlessly at Nicole with her arms folded in front of her chest. ¡°I knew you¡®d say that.¡± Nicole took out her phone and called up a picture. ¡°Check it out.¡± Nicole ced her phone on the table for everyone to view. Miley was the first to pick it up and check it out. ¡°What does a picture of a diamond say? You can take as many pictures as you want with the diamond in your hand.¡± Damien took it and looked at it, too, but not seeing anything. But when Chloe saw it, her pupils contracted, as that was none other than her handbag in the picture. Everyone only noticed the diamond and ignored the handbag, but Chloe recognized it at first nce. Chapter 972 Chapter 972 ¡°Chloe has a keen eye and recognized her handbag at first nce.¡± Nicole smiled as she saw Chloe¡®s expression change. ¡°What handbag? I don¡®t know what you¡®re talking about. ¡°Chloe did not dare look Nicole in the eye. She became evasive and threw the phone straight onto the table. It was only after Nicole reminded everyone that they noticed the handbag in the picture. ¡°This bag looks familiar. I think I¡®ve seen Chloe carrying it,¡± Raine said without thinking, and her remark instantly drew everyone¡®s attention. ¡°Why are you all looking at me like that? Did I say something wrong?¡± Raine asked out of fear. N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. ¡°No, you¡®re quite right. Even Raine can see that. Can¡®t Auntie Miley see that?¡± Nicole turned around and pointed at her eldest aunt. ¡°I¨C I haven¡®t seen Chloe carry it.¡± Miley¡®s voice reeked of a guilty conscience. ¡°If I¡®m not mistaken, the handbag is at Chloe¡®s house right now, but I don¡®t have time to go that far to get it for everyone, so I have another photo to show you here.¡± ¡°Could you please help me show that picture on the sh drive?¡± Nicole asked the family butler. A picture of a girl taking a selfie appeared on the big screen, with none other than Chloe carrying that handbag by her side. Damien shouted in anger, ¡°Stand up!¡± Chloe was so frightened that she immediately got up from her seat, shivering. ¡°Exin yourself to Grandpa.¡± Damien, despite his anger, gave Chloe one more chance to turn herself in. ¡°Grandpa, I was wrong. I got greedy and swapped the diamond,¡± Chloe said as she cried. ¡°What are you crying for? How could you have the nerve to cry when you have done something wrong? Is it as simple as you got greedy?¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. chided. ¡°I really didn¡¯t frame Nicole,¡± Chloe said in her own sophomoric defense. ¡°The video is right there, and you¡®re saying you didn¡®t mean it?¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. was really pissed off at her, not expecting such a brilliant actress granddaughter of his to y mind games and set up her cousin in the family. ¡°Why don¡®t youe over here and get down on your knees and admit your fault to Grandpa?¡± Damien saw the situation and opened his mouth but was actually trying to excuse Chloe. Chloe immediately came over to Mr. Riddle Sr. and dropped to her knees with tears running down her cheeks. ¡°Dad, Chloe knows she¡®s wrong. Please forgive her this time for the sake of Chloe being a first ¨C time offender.¡± Damien stood up and bowed before Mr. Riddle Sr. to plead for Chloe¡®s mercy. ¡°Uncle Damien, you¡®re being too obvious in your favoritism, aren¡®t you? Chloe coveted Grandpa¡®s rare diamond and framed me for that. She hasmitted two big mistakes at the same time. Is it enough to get down on her knees and admit she¡®s wrong?¡± Nicole would notpromise her stand this time. She was determined to make an example of Chloe and fix the unhealthy culture in the family. ¡°Yes, yes, Nicole is right. She can¡®t just admit a mistake and leave it at that. Tell her to go home and bring the diamond back to you immediately.¡± ¡°She won¡®t have to go back for the diamond. Since she has made a mistake, she can¡®t be let off lightly.¡± Nicole looked coldly at Chloe, who looked up at Nicole with a malevolent look in her eyes. What Nicole said, shocked everyone. They wondered what made her say Chloe didn¡®t need to get back something so valuable, especially when Mr. Riddle Sr. had said nothing yet. ¡°Chloe knows she¡®s wrong, and Grandpa has said nothing, so who are you to speak here?¡± Damien got desperate. ¡°¡®That¡®s right. It is your grandpa¡®s diamond. Who are you to make the call?¡± Karen looked at Nicole with dissatisfaction. Chapter 973 Chapter 973 Everyone elseined about Nicole. ¡°Nicole is qualified to say that. After all, she is the victim. I think this matter is at Nicole¡®s disposal.¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. let Nicole decide Chloe¡®s fate. ¡°Dad, how can you let a junior¡°. Mr. Riddle Sr. red at Damien, and he immediately shut up. When the others at the table saw Damien was afraid to speak up, they did not dare to intercede on Chloe¡®s behalf. They looked at Nicole to see what she would do to Chloe. Nicole swept her eyes across the faces of everyone , and they all looked at her, feeling angry but afraid to speak out. She then took a box out of her pocket, opened it, and ced it in front of Mr. Riddle Sr. A brilliant Dresden Green Diamond was reflected in his pupils, and everyone present froze in their seats. ¡°Isn¡¯t it at Chloe¡®s ce? How did it end up with you?¡± Karen could not believe her eyes. ¡°Yeah, Nicole, what¡®s going on?¡± Everyone waspletely baffled. ¡°I prepared things in advance in case Chloe destroyed the evidence in desperation.¡± ¡°Grandpa, this is the real Dresden Green Diamond,¡± Nicole said as she looked over at Mr. Riddle Sr.Mr. Riddle Sr. picked up the diamond and examined it. ¡± Nice, nice texture.¡± Chloe looked on and could not believe it, as if she was dreaming. ¡°This isn¡®t real. Nicole couldn¡¯t have gotten the diamond.¡± She thought she had hidden it securely, and no one else in the world would find it but her. She had tried to ckmail Nicole with the diamond , but that no longer seemed possible. ¡°Chloe, you overestimated yourself. When you targeted me previously, I could ignore it for Grandpa¡®s sake, but not this time. You are targeting Grandpa now, and I can¡®t look the other way any longer.¡± Nicole¡®s eyes were prating as if they could see through Chloe¡®s chest. ¡°As of today, Chloe may note to Grandpa¡®s house, and her heritable right be taken away,¡± Nicole announced in a warmthless voice. ¡°How can this be? Dad, you can¡¯t just watch Nicole do whatever she wants.¡± Miley spoke up and pleaded on Chloe¡®s behalf. To agree to Nicole¡®s announcement would be tantamount to removing Chloe from the Riddle family and would be a death knell to Chloe¡®s future in the family. ¡°Yeah, Dad. That¡®s too heavy a punishment, isn¡®t it?¡± Others also spoke up for Chloe. ¡°Just do what Nicole says.¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. was utterly disappointed in Chloe. Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Mr. Wace Sr., I¡®m so sorry for what is happening today. I will pay a visit some other time.¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. made amends to Mrs. Wace Sr. and then simply got up and left the dinner. Seeing that Mr. Riddle Sr. was gone, Nicole looked at Mrs. Wace Sr. ¡°Grandma, let¡®s go home too.¡± Then, without giving the others a second nce, she drove Mrs. Wace Sr. out of her grandfather¡®s house, leaving the others looking at each other all at sea. The following day, Nicole arrived at the airport. Harvey had been waiting for her, and when he saw her, he got up and greeted her. ¡°I knew you¡®d be here.¡± ¡°How long until boarding?¡± Nicole had received a call from Sean saying that he could note because he had something on. He had decided Nicole was the best person for the job, which was why she hade to the airport. ¡°Half an hour to go. What would you like to drink?¡± Harvey asked. ¡°Nothing. You just have to keep quiet from now on.¡± Nicole sat down and plugged in her headphones, and read a book. Harvey saw Nicole¡®s response and was dumbfounded. He had no choice but to sit next to her, quietly looking at his phone, his eyes ncing over at Nicole every now and then. Soon the board call sounded. Harvey waved his hand in front of Nicole¡®s eyes. ¡°Time to board.¡± Chapter 974 Chapter 974 Everyone elseined about Nicole. ¡°Nicole is qualified to say that. After all, she is the victim. I think this matter is at Nicole¡®s disposal.¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. let Nicole decide Chloe¡®s fate. ¡°Dad, how can you let a junior¨C¡°. Mr. Riddle Sr. red at Damien, and he immediately shut up. When the others at the table saw Damien was afraid to speak up, they did not dare to intercede on Chloe¡®s behalf. They looked at Nicole to see what she would do to Chloe. Nicole swept her eyes across the faces of everyone , and they all looked at her, feeling angry but afraid to speak out. She then took a box out of her pocket, opened it, and ced it in front of Mr. Riddle Sr. A brilliant Dresden Green Diamond was reflected in his pupils, and everyone present froze in their seats. ¡°Isn¡¯t it at Chloe¡®s ce? How did it end up with you?¡± Karen could not believe her eyes. ¡°Yeah, Nicole, what¡®s going on?¡± Everyone waspletely baffled. N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. ¡°I prepared things in advance in case Chloe destroyed the evidence in desperation.¡± ¡°Grandpa, this is the real Dresden Green Diamond,¡± Nicole said as she looked over at Mr. Riddle Sr.Mr. Riddle Sr. picked up the diamond and examined it. ¡± Nice, nice texture.¡± Chloe looked on and could not believe it, as if she was dreaming. ¡°This isn¡®t real. Nicole couldn¡¯t have gotten the diamond.¡± She thought she had hidden it securely, and no one else in the world would find it but her. She had tried to ckmail Nicole with the diamond , but that no longer seemed possible. ¡°Chloe, you overestimated yourself. When you targeted me previously, I could ignore it for Grandpa¡®s sake, but not this time. You are targeting Grandpa now, and I can¡®t look the other way any longer.¡± Nicole¡®s eyes were prating as if they could see through Chloe¡®s chest. ¡°As of today, Chloe may note to Grandpa¡®s house, and her heritable right be taken away,¡± Nicole announced in a warmthless voice. ¡°How can this be? Dad, you can¡¯t just watch Nicole do whatever she wants.¡± Miley spoke up and pleaded on Chloe¡®s behalf. To agree to Nicole¡®s announcement would be tantamount to removing Chloe from the Riddle family and would be a death knell to Chloe¡®s future in the family. ¡°Yeah, Dad. That¡®s too heavy a punishment, isn¡®t it?¡± Others also spoke up for Chloe. ¡°Just do what Nicole says.¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. was utterly disappointed in Chloe. ¡°Mr. Wace Sr., I¡®m so sorry for what is happening today. I will pay a visit some other time.¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. made amends to Mrs. Wace Sr. and then simply got up and left the dinner. Seeing that Mr. Riddle Sr. was gone, Nicole looked at Mrs. Wace Sr. ¡°Grandma, let¡®s go home too.¡± Then, without giving the others a second nce, she drove Mrs. Wace Sr. out of her grandfather¡®s house, leaving the others looking at each other all at sea. The following day, Nicole arrived at the airport. Harvey had been waiting for her, and when he saw her, he got up and greeted her. ¡°I knew you¡®d be here.¡± ¡°How long until boarding?¡± Nicole had received a call from Sean saying that he could note because he had something on. He had decided Nicole was the best person for the job, which was why she hade to the airport. ¡°Half an hour to go. What would you like to drink?¡± Harvey asked. ¡°Nothing. You just have to keep quiet from now on.¡± Nicole sat down and plugged in her headphones, and read a book. Harvey saw Nicole¡®s response and was dumbfounded. He had no choice but to sit next to her, quietly looking at his phone, his eyes ncing over at Nicole every now and then. Soon the board call sounded. Harvey waved his hand in front of Nicole¡®s eyes. ¡°Time to board.¡± Chapter 975 Chapter 975 Out of the hotel, Nicole waved down a taxi and got in. Harvey was just about to get in, too, when Nicole stopped him. ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°Out and about with you, of course.¡± Harvey looked at her with a stunned expression. ¡°I have got something on. Do your own shopping,¡± Nicole said as she mercilessly closed the car door and then told the driver to drive off. Harvey was dumbfounded in his spot. ¡®What the hell? She has gone off by herself?¡® He quickly waved down another taxi, got in, and told the driver, ¡°Follow that taxi in front of you.¡± After the taxi drove on for a while, Nicole noticed a taxi following her behind. She knew it was Harvey and said to the driver, ¡°Change of n. Go to the central business district.¡± Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. The taxi stopped at the shopping street, and Nicole headed inside a mall. Harvey hurriedly told the driver to stop and then quickly got out of the car. Seeing Nicole enter the mall, he looked around and followed. ¡°Why make going to the mall such a mystery?¡± Then he gave chase. Afraid that Nicole might spot him, he could only follow at a distance behind. Nicole knew Harvey was following her, so she went into one shop, got out, and then entered another, moving around randomly. After watching Nicole enter a shop, he found a coffee stand and bought himself a coffee. He was about to finish his coffee, but Nicole had still note out, so he cautiously walked toward the shop. Looking around for a moment without seeing Nicole, he called over a shop assistant and asked, ¡°Where did that woman in ck go?¡± ¡°I think she has gone over to that side.¡± Harvey went to check out inside . As he walked and saw another door, he smacked his head with his hand. ¡°She must have gone out through this door.¡± He quickly went out through that door to look for Nicole, but the mall was packed, and he could not locate her. Frustrated , Harvey found a bench and sat down to take a rest. He had lost her after following her so far. Nicole walked out of the mall to the side of the street, got into a taxi, and headed toward Carl¡®s location. Once arrived, she gave a few knocks on the door with a special code, and Carl opened the door from the inside. Nicole entered at once. ¡°Is the wound in your arm okay?¡± Carl had been worried about Nicole¡®s gunshot wound. ¡°It has long healed. What are you doing over here?¡± Nicole asked. ¡°One of the production nts of thepany that held thest productunch is here. Zane asked me toe and investigate,¡± Carl said. ¡°Thatpany has a production nt in Lanningbourg? ¡°Nicole was surprised. ¡°Yes. Curley Corporation not only has production nts in Lanningbourg but also in several other countries. It has set up these nts separately for fear of being controlled by an underground organization like The Raven.¡± Carl had done a lot of digging on Curley Corporation. ¡°I didn¡®t know that. It seems that the people in charge of Curley Corporation thought that someone would be eyeing their products at the outset.¡± Nicole was intrigued. ¡°Has The Raven infiltrated the production nt in Lanningbourg?¡± Nicole asked. ¡°Not yet, but one country¡®s production nt has already fought The Raven. It is said that both sides have suffered huge casualties.¡± ¡°And now The Raven has been staying quiet for some time.¡± ¡°Let¡®s not talk about that. How are you back home?¡± Carl looked at Nicole. ¡°Life at home is still pleasant. I¡®ve just finished my exams, and now I¡®ming over for a seminar, and then I¡®m supposed to be going on a trip with Jared.¡± Nicole had a longing look on her face when she talked about the trip. ¡°I¡®m happy to see you happy.¡± Carl¡®s eyes were dark and lustrous. He was happy as long as Nicole was happy. ¡°Happy? I¡®m worried about you and Zane. The Raven is not to be trifled with. You must be careful.¡± Chapter 976 Chapter 976 ¡°Forget it. I¡®d better talk to Zane ande back and fight alongside you guys.¡± Instead of worrying about them on a daily basis, it would be better to go back to the organization and join them in their missions. ¡°It¡®s better for you to stay at home. I might be formidable with you by my side, but I will worry about you. Unlike now, when I can face the enemy with no worries.¡± Carl expressed his thoughts implicitly to Nicole. ¡°Heh, when have I ever needed you to worry? It is all about me worrying about you, okay?¡± Nicole shot him a look. ¡°How many days will you be here?¡± Nicole looked at Carl with lustrous eyes. ¡°Without incident, it should be three more days before I go to the next factory,¡± Carl said with a serious face. Nicole nodded. ¡°I¡®m supposed to be on a flight in three days, too, so we can still meet up if you haven¡®t left by then.¡± ¡°Sure. Keep in touch.¡± ¡°Keep in touch. I¡®m leaving now.¡± Nicole and Carl gave each other a hug, and she left in style. N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. After returning to the hotel, Nicole heard a knock on the door just as she was about to hit the sack. She went over to answer the door and saw Harvey outside. ¡°It is you again. What can I do for you?¡± Nicole looked at him impatiently. ¡°Can we go in and talk?¡± Harvey looked around the empty hallway. ¡°Let¡®s talk here. I have to sleep.¡± ¡°Where did you just go when you were at the mall?¡± Harvey had been mulling this over since he got back and could not figure it out. ¡°Just this?¡± Nicole thought it was something serious, but it turned out to be asking her where she had gone. ¡°Ahh, yeah, just this.¡± Harvey looked at Nicole in bewilderment. Nicole mmed the door shut and went back to bed. Harvey was taken aback, wondering why she had closed the door before he could finish his sentence. Fearing that he would beughed at, he slunk back to his room. The next day, Nicole finished washing up when there was a knock on the door. She reluctantly walked over to open it. Just as she was about to say something , she found it was not Harvey, who she found repulsive. ¡°Miss Riddle, I¡®vee to pick you up for the seminar.¡± It was the man in the suit who had picked her up from the airport yesterday. ¡°Okay, I will be downstairs in a minute,¡± Nicole said, closing the door, grabbing her bag, and heading out. Downstairs, Harvey was reading a book. Seeing Nicole approaching, he closed his book and got up to greet her.¡± Good morning.¡± ¡°Good morning.¡± Nicole shot a nce at him and headed straight for the car without stopping. Harvey was used to the way Nicole treated him. He followed her into the car. Soon, the car stopped in front of a building ¡°Miss Riddle, Mr. Ellison, the seminar is on the 30th floor. Someone inside will receive you.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Nicole politely thanked the man, got out of the car, and walked into the building. ¡°Harvey , weren¡®t you told the route and address of the seminar before you came?¡± Nicole asked as she walked. Chapter 977 Chapter 977 ¡°Yup.¡± ¡°So howe you didn¡®t tell me?¡± Nicole suddenly turned back to give him a sidelong nce before continuing to walk forward. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I thought S¨¦an had told you,¡± Harvey said humbly. An usher was waiting in the lobby. When she saw Nicole and Harvey walk in, she came up to greet them. ¡°Miss Riddle, Mr. Ellison, this way, please.¡± The usher led Nicole and Harvey to the meeting room, which was already full of people talking. Seeing Nicole walk in, Scott came over to greet her. ¡°Miss Riddle , did you have a good rest yesterday?¡± ¡°Yeah. Thank you, Mr. Harmon, for your hospitality,¡± Nicole said politely. ¡°Don¡®t mention it. It¡¯s a great honor for me to have you here for the seminar. This way, please.¡± Scott made a gesture of invitation and guided Nicole to the middle seat. ¡°Quiet, everyone. This is Miss Riddle I was telling you about.¡± Scott introduced Nicole to everyone. Silence fell in the conference room as people looked at Nicole and cast admiring nces. ¡°Miss Riddle is not only beautiful but also young and talented.¡± A man praised. ¡°It is indeed an honor for me to have the privilege of meeting you today.¡± ¡°Yeah. I have heard a lot about you, but today I¡®m finally meeting you in person.¡± As everyone kept ttering Nicole, she smiled awkwardly in response, wondering if these people were faking admiration or true hypocrisy. ¡°Please be seated, Miss Riddle.¡± Harvey, who came in with Nicole, was sitting in the corner, ignored by everyone. He watched Nicole receive favor from everyone with envy.After the pleasantries, Scott got down to business. ¡± Today¡®s seminar has two themes. One is for us to discuss the development of the manned flying car project, and the other is for you all to get to know each other. Everyone can now speak freely about the manned flying car project and express your opinions and ideas.¡± Scott finished his speech and leaned back in his chair to watch. A man wearing sses was the first to make ament.¡± ¡°Let me say that manned flying cars are indeed a viable direction. ording to our research on the current market, I think that within one to two years, ground transportation will no longer satisfy people¡®s travel needs, and manned flying cars are a necessary trend, so we should form a research and development team and aim to have manned flying cars on the market within two to three years.¡± ¡°I agree with Mr. Wyatt. Nowadays, we travel a very short distance only to get stuck in traffic, and time is wasted on the road. Isn¡®t there a saying that time is life, and wasting time is wasting life? This is too costly. I don¡®t think that anyone can afford to waste time.¡± A middle¨Caged man put forward his opinion in a serious andposed manner. ¡°I agree with what the two of them said. The streets are really jammed now, but manned flying cars are not easily developed. Taking a step back; even if developed, supporting operation, facilities, and supervision is also a problem.¡± ¡°What Mr. Moreno said is indeed a real problem. With our current ability, developing this project is a bit difficult. I suggest it is better to do some projects that we are good at. That way, we can do a good job, and we can get a return quicker.¡± ¡°Yeah, time is money. The manned flying car project will be lucky if it can pay for itself in five years.¡± During the seminar, everyone talked about their opinions and views. Only Nicole kept listening without saying a word. Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org. After listening to everyone¡®s speech, Scott looked at Nicole. ¡°What do you think about the manned flying car project, Miss Riddle?¡± ¡°We all know how hard it was back when we made the first atomic bomb. If we identify a goal and that goal is right, I believe that with everyone¡®s concerted efforts, we can solve all the problems one by one as time goes by. A manned flying car is not a dream, either.¡± Nicole calmly expressed her opinion. Chapter 978 Chapter 978 Scott heard Nicole¡®s speech and agreed with it. He did not expect Nicole to have such a vision at such a young age. ¡°Everyone, I think Miss Riddle has a point. Back then, our forefathers could stand on their own feet and struggle hard for the sake of the nation, and this kind of hardworking spirit is very worthy of our learning. As long as we have perseverance and determination, I believe that the manned flying car can definitely be realized, and all the hard work will produce value by then. So we don¡®t need to worry.¡± Scott calmly made a summary and statement. ¡°Now we vote by a show of hands. If we get a majority in favor, we will start the manned flying car project, and vice versa, to cancel.¡± Scott took the lead and raised his hand. Since he had raised his hand, those people from the companies that were not as big as his looked at each other and also raised their hands. The result was that the majority was in favor. ¡°I dere that the manned flying car project is approved. Next, I will set up an R&D team, and the project will be officiallyunched in a month.¡± Everyone apuded, and the seminar proceeded to the next agenda. People started towork in groups of three or five. Nicole did not want to join them. So Harvey came over. ¡°Don¡®t you want to go over and exchange ideas?¡± ¡°No.You go ahead.¡± Nicole stood by the window, looking out at the view. ¡°Okay. You stay here to enjoy the scenery.¡± With that, Harvey headed into the crowd. ¡°Hello, Mr. Allen. My name is Harvey; Harvey Ellison.¡± ¡°Ahh, Mr. Ellison. I¡®ve heard a lot about you.¡± ¡°Mr. Ellison, did youe with Miss Riddle this morning? ¡°Mr. Allen nced at Nicole, then asked Harvey. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Why doesn¡®t Miss Riddlee over and talk? She looks bored standing by the window alone,¡± Mr. Allen said. ¡°She wants to enjoy the view.¡± Harvey nced over at Nicole and then exined. ¡°Enjoy the view?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± While Harvey was talking to Mr. Allen, a man of Nicole¡®s age approached her with a ss of wine. ¡°Hey, it sure is a marvelous view from here.¡± Nicole did not even look at him and continued to look out the window. She did not want to have any contact with these business people at all. Seeing that she was not looking at him, the man introduced himself. ¡°Hello, I¡®m Ike. I heard your speech just now. I think you are full of charm, like a great general.¡± ¡°Like a great general? Is th¨¢t a way to describe a girl?¡± Nicole was suddenly amused by his wording. ¡°You look good when smiling.¡± Ike looked at Nicole with a twinkle in his eyes. Nicole curbed her smile and asked, ¡°Is this how people chat up girls these days?¡± ¡°Chat up girls? I think you¡®re mistaken. It¡®sworking time. I heard you represent Riddle Corporation and thought I¡®de over and talk to you.¡± Ike exined. Nicole was indeed beautiful, but that was not the reason for his conversation with her. Nicole realized she had made a gaffe and apologized with embarrassment. ¡°I¡®m sorry. I can¡®t believe I forgot.¡± ¡°You know Riddle Corporation?¡± Nicole looked at him with surprise, wondering how a foreigner knew about Riddle Corporation, which did not seem to be famous. Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org. ¡°When I came here this morning , Mr. Harmon spoke a little about you, so I know a little about you,¡± Ike exined, trying hard to speak in Hustuaburgian. ¡°No wonder.¡± Nicole nodded in acknowledgment. ¡°Miss Riddle, can you share some of your ideas about the manned flying car project?¡± Ike liked what Nicole had said before. He had been engaged in research in this area, so he had great expectations for this project. ¡°I know little about this project, and I just said what came to mind.¡± Nicole did not want to talk too much with him because she was not too interested in the project. Chapter 979 Chapter 979 ¡°Okay, but I¡®m looking forward to seeing you in the R&D group. Bye.¡± Ike could see that Nicole did not want to have much interaction with him and could only leave discreetly, but he admired her. After Ike left, Harvey came over to Nicole. ¡°You know that guy?¡± ¡°Nope.¡± ¡°Howe he came over to talk to you if you don¡®t know him?¡± Harvey shot a look toward where Ike had left. ¡°Is it any of your business who I talk to? Are you done chatting with them?¡± Nicole nced at the bigwigs who were stillworking in the venue. ¡°We have talked. I feel pretty good about it and should be able to get deals for Ellison Group.¡± Harvey was happy with his performance just now. Scott walked over to Nicole. ¡°Miss Riddle, are you interested in this project?¡± ¡°Do you mean the manned flying car program?¡± Nicole looked at him with surprise, wondering why he had asked her that. ¡°Yes. I¡®m putting together an R&D team soon. If you have time, I hope you can join.¡± Scott just wanted Nicole to feel involved; he knew she was not an expert in this area of R&D. ¡°I know nothing about R&D, and I don¡®t seem to be able to help much.¡± Nicole politely refused. ¡°It doesn¡®t matter. It¡®s nice that you can witness the growth of the manned flying car with us,¡± Scott said casually, without forcing Nicole into joining. ¡°It¡®s okay to witness together, and I¡®m honored to witness the development process of the manned flying car,¡± Nicole said modestly. After all, such an enormous project was not for the average person to take part in, and she would be happy if she had just watched. Harvey watched with jealousy from the sidelines as Scott invited Nicole to take part without inviting him. ¡°Mr. Harmon, Ellison Group will be happy to provide support for this project if needed.¡± Harvey volunteered himself. He would work hard for anything that gave him the chance to see Nicole. Scott looked at him and politely declined. ¡°Thank you for your support, Mr. Ellison.¡± ¡°Miss Riddle, make yourselffortable. There¡®s a party tonight. I¡®ll see you then.¡± Scott continued talking to Nicole and then left without interacting with Harvey again. ¡°What did Mr. Harmon mean?¡± ¡°Nothing.¡± With that, Nicole headed for the door. Harvey followed close behind. ¡°Slow down and wait for me.¡± ¡°Miss Riddle.¡± Nicole turned around and saw that it was the same person from earlier. Ike stepped forward and said, ¡°Do you have timeter? I know an interesting ce. Are you interested?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± She had nothing else to do anyway, so she might as well go out for a stroll instead of returning to the hotel. ¡°You are?¡± Harvey coughed as he looked over at Ike. ¡°Hello, Mr. Ellison, my name is Ike,¡± Ike greeted Harvey. N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. ¡°Hello, I¡®m a friend of Nicole.¡± Ike smiled at Harvey as he heard he was Nicole¡®s friend.¡± Do you want to join us?¡± ¡°He can¡®t go. He has other things to do.¡± Nicole chimed in and answered for Harvey without waiting for him to speak. ¡°It¡®s not really important. I can join you guys.¡± Harvey said cheekily, as thest thing he wanted was to leave a strange man alone with Nicole. Chapter 980 Chapter 980 ¡°Miss Riddle, please.¡± Ike gestured with his hand. Nicole shot a look at Harvey and then walked forward while Harvey and Ike followed closely behind. Inside Ike¡®s car, Nicole was listening to music in the back. Harvey was sitting in the front passenger seat as Ike was driving the car off into the distance. After twenty minutes, the car stopped in front of an experience center. Nicole looked out of the car. ¡°The Octopus Experience Center?¡± ¡°Yes, it¡®s a gaming experience. I¡®m told it¡®s a must¨Cvisit ce,¡± Ike said. ¡°Then let¡®s check it out.¡± Nicole took the lead. She got out of the car and headed inside,ing to the door and being stopped by the staff. ¡°Please show your number tag.¡± Ike came up quickly. ¡°Here it is.¡± Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org. The staff checked the three number tags before letting them in. ¡°An experience center with a ticket check? It¡®s not like it¡®s a movie theater.¡± Harveyined. ¡°It is said that this ce only epts two hundred visitors a day, so it is entry by number only. Whoevereste will have to wait until tomorrow, and tickets are not pre¨Csold but sold at the counter.¡± Ike exined to Harvey. ¡°Oh, I didn¡®t know that.¡± Harvey understood upon hearing Ike¡®s exnation. ¡°Are the three of you together?¡± A youngdy with blonde hair and blue eyes approached them. ¡°Yes,¡± Ike spoke. ¡°Are the three of you experiencing it together?¡± Ike nced at Nicole as if asking her opinion. ¡°Yes,¡± Nicole replied. ¡°This way, please.¡± The blondedy guided them toward the inside. ¡°After passing this door in front of you, the game officially begins.¡± ¡°How do you y this game?¡± Harvey asked the youngdy, who just smiled sweetly, saying nothing. ¡°What does she mean? How are we going about it?¡± Harvey looked at Nicole with a puzzled look on his face. ¡°Since this is an experience center, certainly we will have to experience it ourselves. Telling you outright would defeat the purpose.¡± ¡°If you¡®re scared, stay. Let¡®s go.¡± Nicole said, and then looked over at Ike. The two pushed the door open. No way Harvey would leave them to spend time alone. So he hurried after them.It was pitched back inside , and the faint light was only enough to illuminate the directional signs. Nicole led the way. The lights came on all of a sudden as a four¨Cdimensional space appeared ahead of them. yers must find the real one before the clock struck in order to pass the level. The moment the lights came on, time began as a giant timepass was ticking overhead. ¡°It seems to be a game of time plus space. Is it for us to experience the feeling of time flying by?¡± Nicole murmured. ¡°There are many one¨Cway passages here, so we have to choose carefully, or we¡®ll probably get stuck inside,¡± Nicole exined to them both. ¡°So, how do we get through?¡± Harvey looked at Nicole. ¡°There must be a pattern to look for.¡± Ike was good at analysis. There were multiple mirrors in front, and between each mirror was a passage by which it was hard to tell where it would lead to. The only choice was to go in and check it out themselves. The good thing was, they could stille back out if they had not ventured too deep inside. But beyond the mirror door, it would be the point of no return. This was almost exactly what Nicole had thought. Ike tried to look up to see the time, but the clockpass was gone. In its ce was a gxy. ¡°Why is the clock gone?¡± Chapter 981 Chapter 981 ¡°Maybe there will be a reminder at a certain point in time. There might be an answer on these stars,¡± Nicole said. Ike and Harvey looked upward to study it carefully. ¡°Look, there¡®s the Big Dipper in the Milky Way.¡± Ike pointed with his finger. ¡°The answer should be in the Big Dipper,¡± Nicole said with confidence. ¡°As far as I know, ancient people determine the seasons ording to the position of the seven stars of the Big Dipper with the bucket handle east pointing, indicating the arrival of spring, the bucket handle south pointing, the arrival of summer, the bucket handle west pointing, fall harvest, the bucket handle north pointing, all things hide in the winter. It is likely that this level was made using this theory because few people abroad know about it, and it is evident that the owner of this experience center is a local.¡± ¡°Makes sense. Let¡®s study it.¡± Harvey looked up with a serious face. The Milky Way disappeared all of a sudden, and the timepass reappeared. Ten minutes had passed, and they would fail if they had notpleted the level in another twenty minutes. ¡°Let¡®s all take a closer look,¡± Nicole said. The Milky Way reappeared, and the three of them concentrated on studying the mysteries of the Big Dipper. After a long while of examination, Nicole found that there was a bucket handle in the south, east, north, and west, and it seemed to be necessary to choose one of these four bucket handles. ¡°Do you see anything, Mr. Ellison?¡± Ike did not understand the theory of the ancients, so he could not read it. Harvey took a deep breath, then spoke with a thoughtful look. ¡°ording to my analysis , the seven stars of the Big Dipper are brighter in the south, and the passage should be the mirror door that the south finger of the bucket handle points to.¡± He did not forget to look to Nicole for confirmation. ¡± What do you think, Nicole?¡± ¡°I also think it¡®s the mirror door pointed to by the southern finger of the bucket handle.¡± N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. Harvey instantly looked up at Ike cockily. ¡°Am I right?¡± ¡°But I see it differently than you do. I didn¡®t think that when I saw that bright south finger of the bucket handle; I think this level is designed ording to the actual season outside. Now it is summer outside, so the mirror door pointed by the south finger of the bucket handle should be the passage through the level,¡± Nicole said. ¡°Nicole has a point, too.¡± Harvey knew for sure that Nicole¡®s analysis was more urate. ¡°Then let¡®s go into that mirrored door, shall we?¡± Ike looked at the two of them. ¡°Okay.¡± Nicole led the way in. As they came in front of the mirror door, Nicole looked back at them. ¡°Are you guys sure you want toe in with me?¡± The two of them nodded and looked at Nicole with serious faces. ¡°Good.¡± Nicole pushed open the door and stepped inside. Inside was dark, and there was a glimmer of light gradually bing visible as they went further. Nicole felt relieved at the sight of the light; she knew the next level must be ahead. Sure enough, as they walked out, they came to the second level. ¡°Yes! We¡®re through.¡± Harvey and Ike happily raised their thumbs at Nicole. ¡°Don¡®t get too happy too soon. There is a second level waiting for us.¡± Nicole looked at the level in front of her and had no joy to speak of. She really could not understand why she agreed to Ike earlier. ¡°Let¡®s go and see what¡®s on the second level.¡± Nicole remained at the front. The second level was brightly lit, so it did not feel so scary. The three of them stood in an empty space where there was no equipment, no hints, not even a door. ¡°Where¡®s the door? Howe there¡®s nothing there?¡± Harvey looked around and saw nothing. ¡°This level is kind of fun.¡± Nicole looked around with interest. It would be a waste of time for her if there was no difficulty in the game. ¡°What do you mean? How do you get through with nothing?¡± Harvey looked at Nicole. ¡°Maybe there¡®s everything here. We just can¡®t see it,¡± Nicole said. Chapter 982 Chapter 982 ¡°Miss Riddle has a point. Some things just can¡®t be seen, but that doesn¡®t mean they don¡®t exist.¡± Ike agreed with what Nicole said. ¡°Feel the surrounding walls,¡± Nicole said. The three split up and felt the walls. As the wall was also white, it was impossible to tell what was in the walls by just looking with the naked eye. So they could find clues by touching them. Nicole gently pressed the wall, and ayer of stairs appeared out of thin air in front of her. She stepped on it and pressed again at the top. Then there was anotheryer of stairs. She had found the pattern and continued doing it. Before long, she had reached a height of about one and a half floors. Meanwhile, Ike also found on his side the same stairs that Nicole had found. ¡°You¡®re all up there. What can I do?¡± Harvey looked up at the two of them above. ¡°You keep looking for clues down there,¡± Nicole said. Nicole reached up and came into contact with a square brick that sank in. She looked inside and saw a glowing object. She pressed it, and a beam of light shot out at the brick in front of Ike. ¡°Put your hand on the brick with the light spot,¡± Nicole shouted to Ike. Ike put his hand on the brick, as Nicole said, and inside was a prism mirror. He adjusted the angle of the prism and the beam was refracted to the wall in the middle. ¡°See there? We need to get there,¡± Ike said to Nicole. Nicole could not take her hand off now, or the beam would disappear. So she looked down at Harvey. ¡°See if there are any clues on the ground, Harvey.¡± Harvey looked carefully at the ground. ¡°There¡®s nothing.¡± ¡°There¡®s nothing?¡± Nicole fell into thought. ¡°There¡®s a square tile with a pattern here!¡± Harvey shouted. ¡°Step on it,¡± Nicole instructed. Harvey stepped on it, and the bricks fell off. He lost his bnce and fell to the ground, one foot stuck into the hole left by the brick. Nicole and Ike were shocked, and both thought Harvey had injured his foot. ¡°Are you alright , Harvey ?¡± Nicole asked nervously and was about to get down from above to check on him. ¡°I¡®m fine. No need toe down.¡± He calmed himself down, slowly pulled his right foot out, and stood back up. A small trap scared the daylights out of Harvey and Ike. Nicole was surprised but not frightened. ¡°Stop stepping on the patterned square tiles. Check if there are other styles of square tiles?¡± Nicole said. Harvey looked ahead. ¡°There , in front of the patterned brick, is a round brick.¡± ¡°Don¡®t you step on it this time? Try pressing it with your hand.¡± Harvey went over and squatted down, pressed hard with his hand, and the square tile rose from the floor to a height.Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Find the same pattern and put your hand on it, then walk over to the square tile the beam is shining on and press it,¡± Nicole said. Harvey followed Nicole¡®s instruction and pressed on the tile that formed an S¨Cshaped passage below. He came under the square tile that the beam was shining on, and with a gentle press, a door appeared out of thin air on the white, gapless wall. Harvey was going to open the door, and surprisingly, saw a four¨Cdigitbination on it. ¡°There¡®s a four¨Cdigitbination lock.¡± Ike observed for a while and shouted to Harvey, ¡°How much time did it take us to get from the first level to here? Harvey nced at his watch. ¡°Twenty minutes and thirty four seconds.¡± ¡°Try entering that number!¡± Ike shouted. Harvey entered the numbers and pressed, but thebination lock did not open. ¡°The code isn¡®t right.¡± Chapter 983 Chapter 983 "Ike, how many floors do you have over there?" Nicole asked. "My side has eight floors." "Harvey, how many stone pirs do you have over there in total?" "Fifteen." "Try 6815," Nicole said, looking at Harvey. Harvey keyed the numbers in and pressed, then the door lock opened with a click. "The door is open.Come on down." Harvey pushed open the door and walked out first while Nicole and Ike followed in tandem. "This experience center is really kind of fun.I''m liking it here." Harvey suddenly got excited and walked in front eagerly. They had arrived at the third level, with paintball guns ced on both sides and a voice announcement ringing out all of a sudden."Wee to the third level, ''Shoot or Die" yers need to wear protective equipment and carry weapons before entering." Nicole looked at the equipment and weaponry, skillfully put them on, and took up the weapon.She then looked at the two of them, who were struggling to put on the protective gear. "You guys take your time.I''m going in to check it out." With that, Nicole headed inside. "Nicole, aren''t you going to wait for us?" Harvey asked, worried that she could not handle the situation on her own. "You guys are too slow." Nicole continued moving in.§Ú¦Ò¦Í???§Ó¦Ò¦Ò§Ü.¡é¦Ò§Þ There were many covers inside. Nicole came behind one to observe the situation on the other side. After a long while, she still did not hear or see any movement, so she moved forward quietly.Then she heard a rustle of footsteps behind her.She drew her weapon and aimed it back behind her. "Don''t shoot.It''s me," Harvey said in a whisper. "What''s up ahead?" Harvey asked Nicole. "It''s not clear.It''s all quiet.I suggest you two move back to back in one ce in case the enemy sneaks up on you." Nicole helped them out with their moves. Harvey and Ike looked at each other. "No problem." "What do we do now?" Ike asked. "See that cover-up ahead? You two quietly feel your way over," Nicole said. "Okay." Making a gesture, the two men felt their way to the cover diagonally opposite Nicole. After watching them both arrive safely, Nicole made a forward gesture, and the three of them advanced in two directions. Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org. Suddenly there were paintballs shot at them, and Nicole quickly ducked.She then gestured to Harvey to hold his hat up with his gun, which Harvey did. Nicole saw the timing and found the exact spot where the shot was fired and got rid of the shooter. With one obstacle out of the way, they could now move forward. Nicole looked at the cover slightly up ahead and slid up behind it with a lie slide, and the paintballs missed her. Harvey and Ike were stunned as they watched Nicole perform the action so skillfully.They did not expect Nicole to be that good. "I will cover.You guys run forward fast," Nicole said to them.She took out a smoke grenade and threw it while telling them to run and open fire at the enemy. The scene was filled with the sound of gunfire from both sides in a fierce battle. After Harvey and Ike came behind the cover, they also fired at the opposite side, taking out two people in the chaos. If counting the ones Nicole had taken out, their team had taken out six people. "How much farther is the base camp up ahead, Nicole?" Harvey asked. Chapter 984 Chapter 984 "We''ve gone about ten meters.This is an indoor game; this ce shouldn''t be veryrge.I reckon the other side''s base camp is another twenty meters or so up ahead." Nicole said as she looked back. Thanks to Nicole, Harvey and Ike could make it this far, which was something they definitely could not achieve by themselves. "You guys continue to fire down there while I''m going to find a high ground." Nicole left at once. "Hey, where are you going?" Harvey called out as Nicole went, but it was to no avail. Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org. Nicole came to slightly higher ground with a good view of the entire area under the opponent''s fire.To her surprise, there was arge area up ahead. Because there was a fog made of dry ice, it was not possible to see the exact situation.Her paintball gun could not snipe, so she could only shoot at the nearby enemies, then return to the ground. Just as she was about to push forward again, Nicole heard the sound of footsteps. "Why did theye up so fast?" As the footsteps got closer, Nicole put her gun behind her back.The next second, a person wearing enemy gear came into view. With no hesitation, she mmed the enemy to the ground, taking the enemy out by pulling off the blood bar on his body. Nicole released him and was ready to move forward when the man attacked Nicole from behind again.She sensed it and subdued him again with a reverse takedown. "You''re dead.No more attacks." Nicole kindly reminded him. "Who said I was dead?" The man sounded icy and did not look like he was the staff of the experience center.Just as Nicole was distracted, the man broke free of Nicole''s grip and took out his dagger to thrust at Nicole again.She could see that he was holding an actual knife, and after meeting his eyes, she realized that this man was an assassin. Nicole quickly dodged and was not hurt.She then kicked away the attacker''s dagger, grabbed his wrist, and threw him to the ground. The man resisted, so Nicole broke his wrist. The scream of the man attracted fire from the other side. Nicole hurriedly hid under the cover, stepped on the assassin''s wrist, and asked, "Who sent you? How many of you havee?" The assassin did not answer, and Nicole stepped harder on his wrist.He grimaced in pain. "All I know is to get rid of you, nothing else." The man did not look like he was lying, so she lifted her foot. "Get out of here, or I will make sure you die here."§Ú¦Ò¦Í???§Ó¦Ò¦Ò§Ü.¡é¦Ò§Þ The assassin scrambled to his feet and ran outside. Nicole watched on and found that he did not look at all like a real assassin.She looked back, trying to locate Harvey and Ike, but they were nowhere to be seen. Nicole knew that there might be other dangerous people in the venue and decisively moved back to find Harvey and Ike. There were still paintballsing from the front, so Nicole had to deal with them first before going to Harvey and Ike.She got serious by grabbing her paintball gun and sprinting forward with a burst of energy, perfectly dodging all the paintballs shot at her and clearing the obstacles in front of her with a few shots. Harvey and Ike, still unaware of what was going on, remained prostrate as they moved forward. Suddenly, a figure came from a distance toward Ike. The two of them picked up their guns and shot at the iing man.But when the man did not fall, Harvey wondered. "He has been shot multiple times. Why is he stilling forward?" "I don''t know.What should we do?" Ike asked. "Run, or when hees over, we both die." Chapter 985 Chapter 985 Another figure blocked their way, reaching for Harvey.Having learned some self-defense techniques, Harvey swiftly dodged the opponent''s grabbing hand.But the opponent did not stop his attack. After missing his target, the opponent continued to charge at him. Harvey quickly raised his paintball gun and shot at the man. As the assassin was hit and screamed in pain, Ike dragged Harvey back and ran. Nicole came from behind just in time to meet them. "Are you guys okay?" "We''re fine.Just that one opponent was hit but didn''t die.Instead, he continued to attack us." Nicole immediately knew what had happened and pointed to the way they came. "You guys go back to the second level and call the staff to take you out." The two men looked at Nicole in puzzlement, wondering why they needed to call the staff while they were still in the game.Nicole saw the bewilderment on Harvey''s face, but there was no time to exin, as the assassin was catching up. "Don''t ask.Just do as I say." She pushed them away and then hid. One assassin saw that there was no one there and thought they were hiding, so he slowed down his steps to search carefully. Nicole saw the right moment to strike and lock the throat of the assassin, thinking of taking him out at once.But since this was an entertainment outlet, she did not kill him but just kicked him in the knee. The assassin''s moan of pain was drawing the other assassins¡¯ attention. Not long after, several people gathered around, but they did not find Nicole anywhere but their mate on the ground. The assassins started looking around for Nicole, unaware that she was right overhead and had a full view of their actions.She used her paintball gun and aimed a shot at an assassin''s temple, knocking him out to the ground. Hearing gunfire, the other assassins looked up and then quickly went after Nicole, who leaped from one tform to the next, and the assassins fell short of capturing her. Nicole raised her paintball gun and continued to fire at the assassin. Since it was not a real gun and not hitting the vital parts, the regrly trained assassins were unharmed. Nicole aimed at the two assassins and hit them in the vital parts, and they fell to their knees and cried out in pain.She took this opportunity to leap and came in front of them. "Who sent you?" She had to find out the mastermind, or the risk would always follow her and affect everything. The assassins were tight-lipped, refusing to divulge any information, thinking Nicole could do nothing with them. Nicole picked up a dagger on the ground and stabbed it into an assassin''s leg. "Speak!" The assassin gritted his teeth and held on. "You have guts.I will see how long you can hold out." Nicole twisted the dagger in his leg slightly, and the assassin screamed in pain. N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. "I will tell you.It''s Franco." "Where is he?"§Ú¦Ò¦Í???§Ó¦Ò¦Ò§Ü.¡é¦Ò§Þ Before Nicole could finish her question, another assassin shed at her from behind.She dodged out of the way and disappeared again in a sh. The assassin kept looking around for her. Nicole already knew who had sent them, so there was no need to hold back anymore. She picked up a steel rod on the ground and came out. When the assassins saw her, they clutched their daggers and charged at her. She calmly held the steel rod and waited for them toe. The next second, her steel rod and the daggers collided with sparks flying all over the ce as Nicole and the assassins fought ina melee. Chapter 986 Chapter 986 Harvey and Ike ran to the second level. After alerting the staff, he felt they could not leave Nicole behind, so they found some steel rods and ran back toward Nicole. By the time they came back to the scene, the assassins had been knocked to the ground. Nicole looked back at Harvey and Ike, tossed the steel rod in her hand, and walked over to them. "Why are you guys back again?" The two of them had not yete out of their startlement, so Nicole waved her hand in front of their eyes. "We were worried about you.But it looks like it is over." Harvey looked at the men on the floor behind Nicole. At this point, a staff member rushed over and was shocked to see the unknown man injured on the floor. "Who are they?" "Just leave them to the police." Nicole looked at the staff and exined. "Let''s go." She then brought Harvey and Ike out of The Octopus Experience Center. On the way back, Harvey had a lot of questions in his mind.He had known Nicole for so long, yet he did not know that she could fight so well.It was apparent that those people were after Nicole.He could not resist asking, Who are those people? It looks like they are all after you." "I don''t know.Maybe it is the terrorists in the area, which is said to be not very safe." Nicole prevaricated. "Yeah, I''ve also heard that there are some extremists here that cause trouble from time to time." Ike managed to digress. "Is that so? I didn''t know that."§Ú¦Ò¦Í???§Ó¦Ò¦Ò§Ü.¡é¦Ò§Þ Harvey did not press Nicole any further. Nicole looked out the window.She did not expect Franco to find out where she was so quick.But she also wondered how Franco knew since no one knew her information. Nicole did not speak until she got out of the car.Ike had thought of taking them out to experience something fun but almost got them hurt. Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org. "I''m very sorry for today, Miss Riddle, Mr.Ellison.I didn''t expect this to happen, either." Ike looked at them with an apologetic face. "It''s okay.I can''t me you for that.Instead, I want to thank you." Nicole did not have the slightest intention of ming Ike. After all, he was also a victim and was kind enough to take them out fora break. "Don''t take it to heart, Ike.Aren''t we standing here unscathed?" Harvey tried to make Ike feel better with a joke. "Okay, bye," Ike said goodbye and drove off. Nicole headed inside the hotel, and Harvey followed her outside her room. "Do you think what happened today could be a coincidence?" Harvey nced at Nicole with a meaningful look on his face. "What do you mean?" Nicole frowned at Harvey. "Can we get in and talk?" Harvey nced around the hallway. "Okay." Nicole did not refuse his request this time.Harvey sat down once he was inside. "Something to drink?" Nicole asked. "Got any red wine?" Harvey wanted some red wine to jazz up the atmosphere.Nicole gave him alook. ''We have juste back, and he wants to drink? What''s the matter with him?'' Chapter 987 Chapter 987 "Yeah." Nicole took out an unopened bottle of red wine and handed it to him.Harvey got up and poured himself a ss, then looked over at Nicole. "You want some?" "Drink yourself." Harvey took a sip of the wine. "What did you mean just now?" Nicole looked at him with a serious face, figuring that Harvey must have discovered something. Otherwise, he would not have asked like that. "Did it not bother you that Ike approached you unsolicited at the seminar?" Harvey asked. "Why should I be bothered? Wasn''t everyone talking to each other there?" Nicole detected nothing suspicious or unnatural about Ike at the time. "Maybe you were really looking at the scenery outside and did not notice those people in the venue." "I had noticed Ike for a long time.He didn''t talk to anyone but you.Why do you think that is?" Harvey looked meaningfully at Nicole? "He was neatly dressed, with not a bit of dust on his leather shoes, so he could be mysophobic, and not talking with others is also part of his mysophobia, no?" She really didn''t pay attention to the people inside the venue because she was just not interested.So she ignored Ike when he came over, and it was only after he tried to strike up a conversation that she spared him a nce. "You really think he is mysophobic? I''m speechless.Don''t little girls like you have any resistance when facing a handsome man?" Harvey could not help but get a little irate. "I''m not at all attracted to handsome men, okay? It is just not what you think.Cut the cackle and get to business," Nicole said. "I think it''s part of his n to first strike up a conversation with you to get to know each other before he might have the opportunity to invite you to the experience center, and then only next to carry out the subsequent n, which is to send extremists to kill you." "You must have too much imagination to make this kind of thing up." Nicole thought what Harvey said was exaggerated. "It is indeed my spection, but one thing is for sure: when we both ran out of the third level to call for help, and I was going to return to find you, he stopped me.Then I insisted, and only did he go back with me."Harvey told the details to Nicole.She looked into Harvey''s eyes, and he did not look like he was lying. "Could he have stopped you because he was worried about you and that you would be in danger if you went back?" "I don''t think so.After all, we have only known each other for less than a day.If you had stopped me, you might have been worried about my safety.But Ike could never be."§Ú¦Ò¦Í???§Ó¦Ò¦Ò§Ü.¡é¦Ò§ÞHarvey said with confidence. Through Harvey''s description, Nicole gradually pondered about it. If it was really like Harvey said, then Ike could be a master of covert operations.I have got to be careful when dealing with him next time" "Don''t tell anyone about this because we still don''t know who Ike is, and we can''t jump to conclusions.Isn''t there a dinner tonight? We will make contact with him then." Nicole instructed Harvey that she did not want to spook Ike if he was really up to something. "Okay.Don''t worry about it." Harvey looked at her seriously. "You go back and rest.We will go to dinner together tonight." Nicole wanted to be left alone to think, so she asked Harvey to leave. "Okay, then I will leave and get ready.You get some rest.After all, you just went through something so dangerous." Harvey knew that what happened at the experience center had caused a great deal of surprise to Nicole. "Take the wine away with you." Nicole needed to stay alert now. "Okay." Harvey took the wine and left Nicole''s room.Nicole took out her cell phone to make a call. N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. "Carl, have you heard of this guy Ike?" "Ike? Never heard of it.What''s wrong?" Carl asked back. "Nothing.Just someone I met at the seminar today.If you have time, help me check this person''s background.So far, I only know his name is Ike.Maybe even the name isn''t his real name." Nicole now knew very little about Ike. Chapter 988 Chapter 988 "Okay, I will find out and let you know.I will hang up now if there''s nothing else." Carl was taking care of things at the moment. "Okay." Nicole hung up the phone, her eyes deep in concentration as she looked at the couch where Harvey had just sat.Sinceing abroad, she had not spoken with Jared on the phone.So he picked up her cell phone and called him. The phone was picked up after a few rings. "Did the serninar go well?" Jared''s voice came over the phone. "It went pretty well.The meeting also passed a manned flying car project, and I guess Mr.Harmon will hold the press conference soon." "Are you okay back home?" Nicole asked. "Not so good." Jared sounded dispirited as if someone was sick.Nicole thought he was in trouble. Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org. "Did something happen?" "I''m no good without you." Jared sensed she was caring for him before he uttered the second half of the sentence. "Bummer, you made me nervous for a second." Nicole snapped. "Since you''re suffering so much from longing for me, I can video- call you for a while." Nicole missed him, too. Soon, Jared video-called her, and she picked it up. The two of them could finally see each other and were relieved from the pain of longing. "How many more days will it take to get back on your end?" Jared asked. "I should be able to go back tomorrow." "Tomorrow, I will pick you up." Had he not had something on his hands that he needed to take care of, he would have flown to her side right away. "No need.There''s Harvey; we are going back together." "Harvey? He''s going too?" Jared was upset to hear Harvey''s name.He did not know Harvey was also going, or he would have apanied Nicole. "Yeah, he is representing Ellison Group." Nicole then realized what she had said and tried to cover it up. "Next time something like this happens, make sure you tell me." Jared was not worried about Nicole, just that Harvey would harass her. The two were talking when suddenly the doorbell rang on Nicole''s side.She knew it must be Harvey picking her up for dinner. "It should be the driver picking me up for dinner, so I have got to hang up now.I have to go." Nicole did not dare mention Harvey again.When she opened the door, it was indeed Harvey. "The driver is already waiting downstairs.Let''s go."§Ú¦Ò¦Í???§Ó¦Ò¦Ò§Ü.¡é¦Ò§Þ Harvey looked at her. "Why is the car here so early?" Nicole looked at the time. "It is probably the distance."'' Harvey was not sure. "Just give me a minute while I change." Nicole closed the door back. Soon, the door opened again, and Nicole came out in her gown. Harvey was stunned for a moment, as this was the second time he had seen her in a gown, and she was as beautiful as a fairy.He could not take his eyes off her. "Let''s go." Nicole nced at Harvey. "Okay." Harvey snapped back and walked with Nicole downstairs. Half an hourter, the car stopped in front of a clubhouse, and Nicole and Harvey got out and walked inside. Chapter 989 Chapter 989 "Is it Miss Riddle and Mr.Ellison?" The receptionist asked. "Yes" "This way, please." The receptionist guided them to the dinner venue. Unlike the daytime seminar, there were some unfamiliar faces at the dinner. As Nicole and Harvey made their way inside, those who knew them greeted them. "Here we meet again, Miss Riddle." Scott came up to her. "I''m seeing a lot of unfamiliar faces, Mr.Harmon." Nicole looked over at the surrounding people. "These are the local prestige families who have some business dealings with me.But you can just rx and talk to them.It is good for Riddle Corporation''s future," Scott said. Nicole smiled. "I was impressed by your speech at the seminar during the day, and I have gained a lot of confidence.The manned flying car project is not a simple experiment.It must take someone with conviction and determination to lead the team.I was nning to lead the team myself, but something more important came up.I need to take care of it.By observing you during the day, I know you are equipped with leadership skills and have a firm belief in manned flying cars, so¡ª" "Mr.Harmon, are you telling me to lead the R&D team, are you?" Nicole interrupted him. "That''s right.I couldn''t find a more suitable candidate other than you." "Mr.Harmon, as you said, a manned flying car is not a simple experiment.I know nothing about R&D and really can''t handle it.Thank you for your invitation." Nicole politely refused, as she had more important things to do. Besides, those dark forces were watching her from the dark. With all sorts ofplications that she was facing, it was a potential threat to the R&D team.Since Nicole refused, Scott could only ask her to agree in a tactful way. "I know you don''t understand R&D.In fact, you don''t have to do anything.Juste over from time to time and give the team members a shot in the arm.The assistants will handle the rest for you." "Mr.Harmon¡ª" Nicole was about to say something else when Harvey nudged her on the side. "Mr.Harmon, Nicole might need a little time to think about it, since this is no small matter,"Harvey spoke up to smooth things over. "Right.Maybe I''m too desperate.Hope you don''t mind, Miss Riddle.There''s no rush to reply to me.You go back and think about it.I will leave you guys to it."§Ú¦Ò¦Í???§Ó¦Ò¦Ò§Ü.¡é¦Ò§Þ Scott excused himself, not giving Nicole another chance to refuse. "Harvey, what are you doing?" Nicole looked at him with displeasure. "Don''t rush to refuse requests from such a prominent figure like Mr.Harmon.Agree to his request first and then roll with the punches." Harvey had been in the business world for a long enough time to know the rules. "Let''s not talk about other things.If you take part in the development of the manned flying car, there will be more opportunities for business between Riddle Corporation and Aegis Corporation.I''m sure not only Aegis Corporation but also many otherpanies will seek cooperation with Riddle Corporation next in the future." Harvey seemed to have seen the bright future of Riddle Corporation. After listening to Harvey''s analysis, Nicole suddenly felt that there was really no harm in it for Riddle Corporation. "Well, let''s leave it at that." As Mr.Harmon had already walked off to chat with others, she could only make considerations. "Harvey, have you seen Ike?" Nicole asked, suddenly remembering what had happened during the day. "Not yet.If I were him, I''m sure I wouldn''t be here either," Harvey said. Nicole sighed. If it was as Harvey had said during the day, it would not be easy to find Ike again. The two scanned the venue without finding Ike, so they came to the lounge and sat down, watching the bigwigs at the dinner talk to each other. Just then, a voice rang out.N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. "Why are you two sitting here?" Ike camete because he was tied up with something earlier. Looking toward the voice, Harvey eximed, "Ike?" "Are you d to see me?" Ike greeted Harvey warmly. After what happened in the experience center, he felt like they wererades in arms who had gone to war together. Chapter 990 Chapter 990 "Y-Yeah." Harvey nced hesitantly at Nicole. "Why did you arrive here sote?" Nicole acted quite naturally and greeted Ike normally. "I got caught up in some things, so I came a littlete. Luckily the party isn''t over yet." Ike joked. "It is okay.The dinner party just started not long ago, too." Harvey finally regained hisposure. "Ike, where are you from?" Nicole asked. "I was born in Fattoria, went to school here, and came to thispany right after graduation to do product development all the time." Ike described something about himself. Nicole gave Harvey a look, meaning that Ike was not like what he thought, that he was a serious university graduate who worked for Mr.Harmon. Harvey looked at Nicole in confusion.He was only guessing before this, so he thought he could not be med for it all. "What do you think about the manned flying car project?" Nicole wanted to hear Ike''s opinion. "A manned flying car is a great idea.There''s a good chance it will be one of the most important vehicles in the future." This was Ike''s own opinion. "You''re right.The problem of traffic jams is getting worse on the roads in many countries now.We have toe up with a good solution, or else sooner orter, the roads will be like parking lots, overflowing with cars." The reason Nicole had an approved view of manned flying cars was based on the current situation of traffic jams around the world. "Indeed.In fact, my team and I have been researching manned flying cars for some time.In our R&D lab, we have alreadye up with a prototype, which can travel a short distance, but it is not perfect.There are many things that need to be perfected." When Ike talked about the manned flying car, his beaming face suddenly turned gloomy. "You have already made it? Can you show it to us?" Harvey looked at Ike with amazement. Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org. "Of course.You two are my friends." Harvey nced at Nicole. "It is a little boring here.Can you show us around now if it is convenient? We are leaving tomorrow." Ike thought for a second and looked at Nicole. ''Sure.Let''s go." After Nicole said goodbye to Scott, she went with them to Ike''s R& Dcenter. Carl was on a stakeout when he suddenly received a message from zane. [Come back to base immediately.] [Copied.] After Carl received the order, he left before he could say goodbye to Nicole. Back at the base, Zane had already assembled his team. "Zane, what''s going on?" Carl asked as he came to Zane''s side. "One of Curley Corporation''s production nts will soon be under the control of The Raven.We must take over the production nt before The Raven takes control." Zane''s eyes were full of determination; he was determined to win. "Aye."§Ú¦Ò¦Í???§Ó¦Ò¦Ò§Ü.¡é¦Ò§Þ "Everyone move and board the ne." Zane gave the order, and his men ran toward the cargo ne in a nervous but orderly manner. "Did you see Nicole in Lanningbourg?" Zane asked Carl on the ne. "Yeah.She''s fine." It was promised that he could see her again, but now he was on a ne to another ce. Chapter 991 Chapter 991 "That''s good.I was worried that someone from The Raven would get to her." Zane did not want Nicole to get involved in anything dangerous right now. "I don''t think so yet, but Nicole asked me to check out someone named Ike.Not sure what she means." N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. Carl told Zane what Nicole had asked him to do. "Ike? Since she has asked you to look into it, you help her with it as best as you can after we take control of the manufacturing nt," Zane said. "Okay." A few hours into the flight, the cargo ne opened the rear cargo door, and Zane and the others jumped out of the ne. Ike drove Nicole and Harvey to his R&D center. As the door opened, a manned flying car was parked in the middle of the workshop. "This is the manned flying car you developed?" Harvey looked at the behemoth in surprise. "Yes.There is no way to reduce the size now because of the manyponents needed.But as technology advances, the size will get smaller and smaller.I aim it to be about the same size as a car now, " Ike said. Nicole walked over to check it out. The shape of the manned flying car had been a world apart from a car. From the appearance alone, it looked more like an alien spaceship in movies. "Ike, can you tell us a bit about how it works?" Nicole asked, looking at the manned flying car. "This manned flying car uses four independent propellers for take- off,nding, and forward motion.When the pilot starts it, it is like operating a car, driving the flying car through the control stick.It can''t go any higher when it reaches a certain height.We set an upper limit on the altitude so that it can avoid collision with aircraft and cause an ident," Ike said. "What if there is a malfunction in the air? Will the flying car crash? " Harvey asked a very practical question. "In the event of a malfunction, the flying car will activate the emergency system to maximize the safety of the driver," Ike said. "That is to say; now it is only possible to safeguard the driver''s life.Absolute safety is still not possible, right?" Harvey asked matter-of-factly. "Yes, because this flying car is just a prototype, and the technology is not mature enough now." This was the exnation given by Ike.It was impressive that they could make it, which was the only one in the world as of now. "You guys have done a great job.I''m sure you all have suffered many setbacks in making this flying car, right?" Nicole looked over at Ike. "Yeah.Many of my colleagues were injured during the development and test flights, but they still persevered, which led to the flying car before you." Ike told the research and development process, his eyes full of pride. "Thank you for your contribution to the progress of mankind." Nicole looked at him matter-of-factly. "That''s our mission, what we''re after." Ike smiled and looked at Nicole. "It''s gettingte.We have to get back.Thank you for showing us around your debut project.It is our pleasure." Nicole said goodbye, then left the R&D center with Harvey. Back at the hotel, no one mentioned Ike as the man behind the curtain. They returned to their respective rooms to rest. The next day, Nicole said goodbye to Mr.Harmon on the phone and then took a flight back home with Harvey. Last night, she received a message from Carl and knew that Carl had left.She had sent his flight information to Jared''s phone. After getting off the ne, she saw Jared at the exit gate. "Tired?" Jared asked, taking her hand with concern,pletely ignoring Harvey, who was on the side. Harvey saw Jared was doing it on purpose.He did not make a fool of himself but left in another car. Chapter 992 Chapter 992 Sitting in the car, Nicole leaned against Jared''s chest. "Now that nothing else is going on, we can go on atrip together.Do you have time?" "Yeah.You can look at the cities you want to visit first." Jared had not been busytely, just the asional meeting. "Okay, then I will check out the guide first.If I see any interesting ces, I wille back to you." "Okay." After about half an hour, the car stopped in front of the Sea View Vi. "Go on in.I have some business to take care of.I will meet you at my ce tonight." Jared gave Nicole an evil look. Nicole got the hint and bit her lower lip bashfully.She was just about to get out of the car when Jared pulled her by the hand. "Did you forget something?" Nicole frowned. N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. "No." Jared pointed to his cheek, and Nicole was amused.She then gave him a peck on his cheek with embarrassment. "I''m going in.Drive safe." "I will.Remember our date tonight." Jared reminded her in case she forgot. Nicole watched Jared''s car drive away before walking into the vi.Tia was helping Mrs.Wace Sr.nt flowers in the garden. When she saw Nicole walk in, she ran over happily. "Nicole, why didn''t you tell me in advance when you came back so I could pick you up at the airport?" Nicole looked at her and smiled. "Jared picked me up.You don''t have a driver''s license.So, how are you going to pick me up?" "Looks like I will have to get a driver''s license." Tia sighed. "Grandma, are you nting flowers again?" Nicole walked over to see her. "You''re back, Nicole.These flowers are beautiful.I''m thinking of nting more.Looking at them every day makes me happy." "Okay.You may nt as much as you want, just don''t get tired," Nicole said. "I won''t.I will rest for a while when I feel tired." "Then go get busy.I just came back to see you.There are still some things for me to do at my friend''s ce, so I won''t be staying here today," Nicole said. "It is okay.You do your things and don''t always have toe back to see me.I have Tia here to take care of me.Everything is fine," Mrs.Wace Sr.said with an avuncr face. "Okay.Tia has been a great help." Nicole nced at Tia. "Don''t worry about it" Tia said. "I''m leaving, Grandma." "Okay.Take care." Mrs.Wace Sr.stood up and looked at Nicole.She drove away from the Sea View Vi and listened to music in the car the entire way, feeling rxed. Thinking of Sean as she drove toward Riddle Corporation. "Is Sean in?" Nicole asked the receptionist. "Let me check it out for you." "Mr.Riddle is in his office." The receptionist said after making a phone call. "Thank you." Nicole took the elevator up to the floor where Sean''s office was, came in front of it, and gave it a knock. "Come in." Sean''s voice rang out inside. Nicole pushed the door open and walked in. "What are you busy with, Mr.Riddle?" Chapter 993 Chapter 993 "Nicole, you''re back?" Sean was so busy with the Aegis Corporation project that he hadpletely forgotten about Nicole''s return. "s, look! I was so busy that I forgot the time you came back.Did Jared pick you up from the airport?" Sean asked. "Since when do you like to gossip?" Nicole scowled at Sean, surprised to see him take up a new hobby after only a few days. "I''m not gossiping; I''m concerned about you." Sean was deadly earnest when talking nonsense. "I''m not talking to you anymore." "Okay, no more jokes about you." "What did you get out of the seminar?" Sean offered Nicole a cup of coffee. Nicole took the coffee and did not answer him right away.She wanted to make him eager for a while, for he had made fun of her just now. Seeing that Nicole was about to finish her coffee and still did not seem like talking, Sean knew she was on purpose. "My bad.Please don''t keep me in suspense anymore.Quickly tell me." Nicole then put down her coffee cup. "Some exciting things were happening during the seminar.You''d have been surprised had you been there." Sean listened to Nicole with interest, his eyes lighting up. "What''s so exciting?" Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org. "Ever heard of manned flying cars?" Nicole looked at him. "Manned flying cars?" Sean frowned as he recalled his memory. "I think I heard of a simr concept product abroad a few years ago, just once, and then there was no news.Where did you hear about it?" Sean asked curiously. "That was the major topic of discussion in the seminar." Nicole looked at him calmly. "You guys were discussing manned flying cars?" Sean looked at Nicole in disbelief. "That''s right.There are more surprises, though." Nicole continued. "More?" Sean could no longer sit still.He was curious about what kind of seminar Nicole had gone to this time and brought back such explosive news. "Yeah.The meeting was not only to discuss manned flying cars but it was also announced to be developed." Nicole dropped the bombshell, causing Sean to freeze. "Is it really going to be developed?" Sean looked at Nicole excitedly, his face overflowing with excitement. "Why are you so thrilled?" Nicole looked at him in disbelief, thinking that he was overreacting. "Of course.It is something I have dreamed of doing.I never thought that what was once a concept car would now really get underway.Manned flying cars will be a qualitative leap for the automotive industry and a way of travel that many people aspire to.If it can really be developed sessfully, it will revolutionize the current way of travel," Sean said. "Are there really many people looking forward to it? Aren''t nes more convenient now?" Nicole only knew that manned flying cars would somewhat relieve the traffic pressure on the roads and had no in-depth knowledge of the rest. "Airnes are just easier over long distances, but there is no solution to the pressure of traffic for short- distance travel.And the dramatic increase in the number of conventional cars is a major problem causing traffic congestion.Only by solving this problem will society be able to move easily and quickly on its feet, and that''s where manned flying carse in,"Sean exined, bullish on the manned flying car project. "Can Riddle Corporation take part in this project?" Sean asked what was on his mind. "You want to be involved in the development of manned flying cars?" Nicole raised an eyebrow at him. "Whatever stage is fine as long as I can take part in the project." Sean looked at her matter-of-factly, his eyes full of a wonderful vision of manned flying cars. "I didn''t know you had such a deep passion for manned flying cars.It just so happened that Mr.Harmon asked me to take part in its R& D.If you really want to take part in this project, assemble an elite team.If there is something suitable for Riddle Corporation to do, I will hand it over to you." Nicole said tly as if she was talking about something ordinary. Sean was different; he looked at Nicole with astonishment, as he could never have dreamed that Nicole would be involved in the R& D.He could not calm his joy inside. "Mr.Harmon asked you to take part in its R&D?" Chapter 994 Chapter 994 "Yeah." Nicole nodded without a trace of joy on her face. "You are really a blessing to Riddle Corporation.It seems that Mr.Harmon appreciates you very much.Ordinary people can''t take part in the research and development of such high precision work since he has so many talented people under him." Sean looked at Nicole with envy. "It is not as exaggerated as you say.I have no interest at all.Since you like it so much, I might as well talk to Mr.Harmon and let you join the project." "Stop joking.You are the one whom Mr.Harmon values." Sean would not dare to overstep his boundaries. "Me? I think you''re the one who''s joking.I''ll be honest with you; there are a lot of things waiting for me, and I really don''t have time to get involved." Nicole looked at Sean with a serious face. "What about Mr.Harmon? I''m afraid he won''t let you go so easily? " Sean said what Nicole was really feeling inside. "That is the thing.I''m in a predicament, not knowing how to reply to him." Nicole''s beautiful face was filled with worries.It was the first time she was worried about something. "It is really a delicate matter.If you don''t reply with care, it will affect the friendship between you two." "But don''t fret.Just follow your heart.Don''t let every day of your life be spent with mncholy.It isn''t worth it." Sean patiently assured her, hoping his sister would be cheerful every day. "You''re right; follow my heart.You get busy.I''m leaving." Nicole said goodbye to him and got up to leave. "Take care.I won''t see you off." Sean waved his hand at her. After leaving Sean''s office, Nicole drove to Martin''sboratory. On the ne earlier, she had received a message from Martin saying that he had some good news to share with her. Martin was in theb doing the final tests.He wanted to share the best results with the people he trusted and liked the most today. Nicole knocked on the door, but Martin did not open it as quickly as before.It took him a few moments to answer the door. "Nicole, you''re here?" Martin''s face was beaming. He looked haggard, but his spirits were high. "What are you doing? Taking so long for you to open the door for me." Nicole looked at Martin, who had a strange smile on his face. "Come on in.I want to show you something good." Martin mysteriously pulled Nicole inside. She wanted to shake Martin''s hand away, but seeing how excited he was, she did not want to kill the buzz, as he must have been in theb for too long. Nicole let him pull at her sleeve and brought her in front of a row of instruments. Martin looked at the instrument and said, "See? This is my gift to you." Nicole was startled, wondering why he gave her a gift for no reason. "Has it been long since you have had any rest?" Nicole was concerned about his health. The Beacon project would be ruined if he fell sick. "Yes, but that''s not the point.Take a look inside." Martin pulled Nicole into the instrument and pointed to the ss enclosure. Nicole followed his finger and looked inside; it was a circuit board.It just looked like a circuit board to her. "It is a circuit board.Don''t tell me that is what you have been working on all these days." She could not believe that a board that small had tortured Martin like this. "Yes, I have been working on it all this time." "What about The Beacon? Have you given up on The Beacon?" Nicole asked in puzzlement. Martin smiled at her. Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org. "This is The Beacon." Nicole looked at him in confusion and then at the circuit board inside the instrument and pointed at it. "This is The Beacon? It doesn''t look like one." "This is the heart of The Beacon.With this chip, The Beacon can be activated and be the most meaningful Beacon." Chapter 995 Chapter 995 As Nicole listened to Martin''s exnation, she once again looked into the instrument. The chip that Martin made really looked like a circuit board. "This is the first-generation chip, right? Is the performance stable?" Nicole asked. "It is rtively stable.Just that the size is a little huge." Even Martin wanted tough when he looked at the chip. "It really is not small." "When will the finished product of The Beacon be ready for trial?" This was Nicole''s chief concern because her loved ones who were in the midst of the war were still fighting a blood-soaked battle; they needed such equipment badly. Martin thought for a moment before he replied to Nicole. "The finished product will be out next week, the quickest." Nicole nodded her head. "I''m looking forward to the finished product.Be sure to let me try it when it is out." "Don''t worry.I promise you; you will be the first to try it out."Martin assured her with a smile. "So, is there any more work to be done here?" Nicole wanted to take him for a better meal. After all, he was just too emaciated now. "No more work.I wille back and assemble it tomorrow." "Clean up.We will go out to celebrate." Nicole looked at him. "Okay, give me a moment." Martin grabbed the important sh drive before locking theb door. Nicole drove Martin to the restaurant where they had previously celebrated. "When did you get the new car?" Martin sat in the chair and looked at Nicole. "It''s been a while.You had been in theb all this while, so you didn''t know." "It seems like I haven''t been out for a really long time, so much so that I didn''t even know you had bought a new car," Martin said with amusement. "None of these matters." "Come on.Let''s raise a ss to celebrate the birth of The Beacon." Nicole picked up her ss and clinked it with Martin. "Cheers!"'' Martin picked up his and knocked back at once. N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. "You must have worked your butt off all this time." Nicole looked at Martin seriously.He was doing what he liked, but it was a different feeling for Nicole because she was the ultimate beneficiary. "No big deal.All the hard work is worth it." Martin did not feel tired at all, as he enjoyed the entire process of developing The Beacon. There were some frustrations and difficulties, but the result was satisfying. "What have you been up totely, Nicole?" Both of them were too excited to talk about The Beacon before Martin came to his senses. "I went abroad for a seminar and just got back today." Nicole did not hide it from him. "You went abroad? I really knew nothing about it." "I was so hurried that I rushed abroad the day after my exams," Nicole exined casually. "Really? That was quite a rush.By the way, what seminar type was it?" Martin asked with curiosity. "It is kind of an industrial seminar." Nicole still could not discuss it with outsiders because it was still confidential. After all, this was about Mr.Harmon''s new project, and no outsiders may find out about it before the press conference. Chapter 996 Chapter 996 "Oh, it was an industrial seminar.Must be boring, right?" Martin could almost imagine a group of people sitting around discussing those metal machinery. "It was okay, not overly boring." Nicole was not bored because what they were discussing was different from what Martin was imagining. "By the way, it was Joyce who sold that first-generation product to Curley Corporation, right?" Nicole looked at him. "Yes, "Are you going to sue them for copyright infringement?" Nicole asked. If he wanted to defend his rights, she could help. "I don''t want to pursue any further.Curley Corporation was unaware of it in the first ce.Besides, you have helped me get the thing back, so pursuing the matter is unnecessary." Martin now seemed to be uninterested in fame and fortune.Not to mention the Joyce family had already received its due punishment. "Good.Anyone can make mistakes; forgive them when possible." Nicole agreed with Martin''s thinking. "Since the exams are over, you should be rxed now, right?" Martin steered the conversation to a lighter topic. "Yes.I''m preparing a travel n now, and if things go well, I should be ready to go soon." "Lenvy you so much for being able to go traveling." "You can too.Take a vacation for yourself after The Beacon is done, and go outside and rx," Nicole said. Material ? N?velDrama.Org. She thought Martin was the one who should go out for a change of environment. "Itcks fun traveling alone.Unlike you, two people can see the same scenery, listen to the same music, and can talk on the road.How good!" There was a tinge of envy and a longing look on Martin''s face. How he wished there was someone who could be like Nicole, apanying him to see the world, talking andughing along the way. "Then you should find apanion quickly.There seem to be a lot of nice girls around you, don''t you?" Nicole teased him. What Nicole said was true. Martin was handsome and gentle, just that he could not help himself when it came to experimenting because that was his heart and soul, and he would not allow anything to get in the way. Other than that, he was definitely a great guy. "Don''t make fun of me.No girl would take a liking to an experimental nut like me." Martinughed at himself. That was how he portrayed himself; he did not think he was that good. "There will always be someone who clicks with you." Nicole did not want to delve into the topic of rtionships with him too much. "Yeah, but she may already have her heart set on someone else." Martin nced at Nicole with an abstruse look in his eyes. Nicole did not meet his eyes but took a bite of her food. "I heard you brought your grandmother from the countryside.When did that happen?" It suddenly crossed Martin''s mind. "Just this month.She is getting older and older, and I don''t feelfortable with her being alone in the countryside." Life in the countryside was inconvenient. Nicole was worried that her grandmother could not get medical attention in time if she fell sick By getting her grandmother to live here.she could take care of her at any time. "Yeah, older people should live in a more convenient ce, and the city has excellent living, entertainment, and medical facilities." "Did your grandmother have her medical check-up this year?" Martin asked, looking at Nicole. "Not yet.I wouldn''t have remembered had you not mentioned it.I will have to take Grandma for a full body check-up soon," she said. "Tell you what, I will help your grandma make an appointment:.After all.our hospital is the best in the state." "That won''t be necessary.I will just take her straight there.It is not urgent at all.¡± Nicole thanked Martin for his kind offer. "Well, feel free to contact me if you need anything." Martin still wanted to be able to help. "Okay. If I really need help, I will call you," Nicole said with poise. Chapter 997 Chapter 997 After dinner, Nicole drove Martin home. "Thanks for the ride back.Would you like toe in for a cup of coffee?" Martin looked over at Nicole. "No, thanks.I need to go back and get some rest." She had not had a good rest since she got off the ne.She had been running around outside, so she indeed felt tired at the moment. "Okay, drive safe." Martin watched Nicole''s car until it disappeared before walking into the house. Nicole headed straight toward Jared''s vi. As she arrived, she parked the car and walked in. Jared had not returned yet. Relieved, she went to the dining room and poured herself a ss of water, then went to the living room, sat down, turned on the TV, andid down to rest. Before she knew it, she was asleep. At some point during her sleep, the sound of a door closing jolted her out of her sleep.She opened her eyes, looked toward the door, and sawa familiar figure walking in. Seeing Nicole sleeping on the couch, Jared walked over to her and asked with concern, "Why didn''t you sleep in your room? You didn''t fall asleep waiting for me, did you?" "Yeah, why are you back sote? It''s getting dark." Nicole nced out the window. It was already dark outside. "I was supposed to be back at the end of the day, but I had to attend a video conference all of a sudden, so I was a littlete.Sorry to keep you waiting." Jared looked at Nicole apologetically. Nicole then understood why Jared hade back sote. "Have you had your dinner?" Nicole asked. "Not yet." "I will go make you something. What would you like?" Nicole was about to get up. Jared stopped her and looked at her with gentle eyes. "You get some rest.I can do it myself.Have you eaten?" "I''ve eaten.You go and eat something." Nicole said and went to sleep again. Jared saw her sleeping so well and knew that she must be tired from the business trip, so he gently helped her cover up and then went to the kitchen. After a quick meal, Jared came to the couch.He picked her up and walked upstairs. At first, he thought of having some intimate moment with her, but seeing that she was sleeping soundly, he did not disturb her. The next day, the sun was just right, and the breeze was warm. Nicolezily stretched and reached her hand to the side. When she did not feel the person next to her, she opened her eyes and found that she was alone in the room. "That''s strange.Where did Jared go? I clearly remember himing back yesterday." Nicole sat up groggily and looked out the window.It was another day in a great mood for her. Getting out of bed and walking out of the bedroom downstairs, she heard the sound of cooking in the kitchen.So, she followed the sound. "Are you making me breakfast?" Nicole''s gentle voice came from behind him. Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org. Jared looked back. "You''re awake.Take a seat in the dining room.Breakfast will be ready in a minute." Before she went to the dining room, Nicole gently walked up and hugged him from behind. "Thanks, I am so blessed." Jared turned around and dropped a kiss on her forehead. "I''m blessed too, and to be able to take care of you." The two sat across from each other in the dining room. Nicole happily ate the breakfast Jared had made. "Do you have something to do today?" she asked. "There''s an outdoor event today.If you''re free, you cane with me and check it out." Jared would like Nicole to go with him. Chapter 998 Chapter 998 "Yeah, I can stay with you all day today." Nicole looked at Jared with a smile in her eyes. "Oh, it''s rare that our Miss Riddle is not busy. How nice." After eating, Max came to pick up Jared in a car. "Mr.Johnston, the car is ready." "Then let''s go." Jared took Nicole''s hand and got in the car. Max drove toward the suburb. The scenery along the way was beautiful, a ce where Nicole had never been before. "Are we going to the countryside?" Nicole looked at the gradually unfamiliarndscape. "Yeah, you can rx as much as you want today." Jared kind of took her out to rx. "Really? That would be really great.It would be nice to have a horse to ride," she said thest part of the sentence in a murmur. Jared made a mental note of it. After half an hour, the car stopped in front of a building. "Here we are.Let''s get out of the car." Jared looked over at Nicole. "Okay." Jared led Nicole inside the castle-style building. "I''m going to meet someone first, and I wille to youter.You can just hang out here.-Max, take care of Miss Riddle." "Aye." Jared walked to the other side, and Nicole walked to the front. As she pushed open the door, a massive turf with nice soothing weather greeted her.She walked on the turf and felt fresh with every breath, like having a natural oxygen spa. "Max, does Mr.Johnston alwayse here?" Nicole asked as she looked at the distant scenery. "asionally." "Is there anything interesting to do here?" "There''s a golf course here.Do you need me to get the clubs?" Max asked. "Why not? Let''s go y golf for a while." Nicole could not find other things to do, so she decided to y golf.She got onto the golf cart, and Max drove her toward the golf course. "Here''s your gold club, Miss Riddle," Max said. Nicole took the club, went to a golf course tee, looked into the distance, and swung the club. The golf ball flew in a beautiful arc beforending on the grass. Due to the distance, Nicole had to travel by cart.She was having fun on the golf course while Jared was upstairs talking to someone. He looked out the window just in time to see Nicole''s silhouette, and a smile appeared on his lips. Fiore Fisher was talking when she noticed Jared''s smile.She thought he was interested in her, and she was thrilled for a second. "Mr.Johnston, it seems that you are interested in the said proposal.If it is convenient for you, we can drop by the site to take a look this afternoon." Fiore looked at Jared with a smiling face. "There''s nothing wrong with this project.I will find another time for the site visit.I have other things to do today." Jared politely declined Fiore''s suggestion. Fiore smiled and looked at Jared. "It''s okay.Mr.Johnston''s business is important.Then we will make another appointment; it is not an urgent matter, anyway."She, an experienced businesswoman, quickly defused the awkwardness with just a few words and made Jared fee] at ease. "Do you have any ns for noon?" Fiore thought that since Jared had something in the afternoon, it should be okay for her to ask him to have lunch at noon. "I have no ns for noon." Jared had his full attention on Nicole on the golf course, and he did not really pay any attention to what Fiore said.Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org. Chapter 999 Chapter 999 "Then let''s have lunch together." Fiore suggested. Only then did Jared look at her, thinking of declining her offer.But since Fiore had already said it, it was rude for him to refuse now. "Okay." "Then you may take a rest here while I make the arrangements." Fiore smiled and looked at Jared, then walked out. Jared could not sit still in the lounge and made a beeline to the golf course. The moment Nicole swung her club, a round of apuse came from behind. Feeling odd, Nicole looked back behind her. "You''re done with your work?" Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org. "Yeah." "Nice shot." Jaredplimented her. "Want to join me for a match?" Nicole invited him. "Why not? But I will have to tee it up here." Jared asked Nicole''s opinion. "No problem." Nicole really was not having much fun ying by herself. Now that she had Jared to keep herpany, it did not matter where he teed off. Jared took a look at Nicole''s ball position, picked up his club, and swung his arm. A white ball flew off into the distance,nding just short of Nicole''s ball and slightly in front of it. "Not half bad at all." Nicole watched Jared''s neat actions and admired him. "How about we have a reward and punishment?" Nicole suggested. It seemed a little less fun without some kind of reward or punishment. "Yeah, go ahead." Jared wanted to hear what great ideas she had. Nicole thought for a moment. "The winner will make the loser do one thing, and the loser can''t refuse." "That''s a great idea, I think. It looks like you have got to be ready for it." Jared looked at her wickedly. "I''m not going to get verbal with you.See you on the course." Nicole took her gold club and walked toward her ball. Jared watched on with interest and followed her. The twopeted joyfully on the golf course. Near noon, their game finally ended. Nicole put down her club and looked at Jared. "When I figure out what to do, I will let you know.You can''t refuse." "Of course.Since we have agreed, I''m going to keep my promise." Jared looked at Nicole with a serious face. "Mr.Johnston, lunch is ready.And this is?" Fiore looked at Nicole beside Jared. "This is my Nicole Riddle, my fianc¨¦e.And this is Miss Fisher," Jared said, giving a brief introduction to the two. "Abh, it''s Mr.Johnston''s fianc¨¦e.Nice to meet you." Fiore greeted Nicole warmly. "If you don''t mind, Miss Riddle, why don¡¯t you join us for lunch? What do you think, Mr.Johnston?" Fiore finished with Nicole and looked at Jared again.Jared did not answer immediately but looked to Nicole for her opinion. "Why not?" Nicole did not feel any wrong. Fiore was kind enough to invite her the first time they met.So, she thought it was rude to refuse. Besides, the invitation came from a woman. "Then let''s go in." Jared saw Nicole did not object and looked at Fiore. "This way, both of you." Fiore made a gesture and then led the way.The three of them came into the vast room, with Jared sitting in the middle, and Nicole and Fiore sitting on either side. "Mr.Johnston, my toast to you." Fiore raised her wine ss and waited to clink sses with Jared. Without speaking, Jared picked up his ss and clinked it with her. "You like this, don''t you?" Jared fetched Nicole a piece of the dish. Chapter 1000 Chapter 1000 "I really envy Mr.Johnston and Miss Riddle." Fiore smiled as she looked at them, feeling somewhat jealous inside. ''What is wrong with me? Howe I feel this way?'' "What does Miss Riddle do for a living?" Fiore casually chatted with Nicole. "I''m a student." Nicole looked at her. "I have nostalgic memories of my school days.I can still remember all the good and heart -breaking moments as a student." Fioremented. "I guess Miss Fisher had a colorful student life, right?" Nicole looked at her and spoke casually. "It was rtively rxed when I was in school because I didn''t have to worry about my homework." Fiore boasted. Nicole nodded in acknowledgment. "I can tell.Otherwise, you wouldn''t be where you are today." She knew that those who could dine with Jared must also be someone prominent. "Thank you." Fiore dly enjoyed Nicole''spliment. Jared barely said a word to Fiore during lunch. "When you''re done eating, I will take you somewhere." Jared looked at Nicole, his eyes full of her. "I''m done." "Thank you for your hospitality, Miss Fisher.We have some business to attend to, so we will make a move first." After Jared politely said goodbye to Fiore, he took Nicole''s hand and left the room. Fiore watched as Jared and Nicole disappeared into the doorway. After they were gone, she put away her smile, got up, and went to the window, below which was Jared bringing Nicole into a cart and driving off in a direction. "Where are you taking me?" Nicole asked curiously. "You''ll see when we get there." Jared kept her in suspense. It was a big ce. They drove for another ten minutes in the cart before stopping at a turf. "This can''t be a horse farm, can it?" Nicole guessed as she looked at the long horse barn. "How did you get so smart? You guessed it in a heartbeat." Jared had wanted to surprise Nicole because she had said on the way over that it would be nice to have horses. Nicole smiled and looked over at him, surprised by how mindful of what she said. "Thank you.I''m so happy." "Come on, let''s go in and pick a horse." Jared never let go of her hand. "Isn''t there a horse breeder to take us to choose a horse?" Nicole asked. "Yes, there is, and he should be working inside.Hello, is anyone there?" Jared asked in a loud voice. A horse breeder in the long horse barn looked up from what he was doing and fixated his gaze on the entrance. Material ? N?velDrama.Org. "Jared, when did you get here? Why didn''t you tell me earlier?" The horse breeder did not have a trace of timidity when facing Jared but sounded like he was meeting an old friend, his tone natural. "I was supposed toe here for business and leave, but my fianc¨¦e wanted to ride a horse, so I came on a whim." Jared did not have his usual persona at all.Here he had a more down-to-earth aura, a different kind of charm. "How are you, Uncle Ronnie?" Jared asked. "Very well. This is your fianc¨¦e, isn''t it?" Ronnie Willis stood up, studied Nicole for a second, then nodded in satisfaction. "Jared, you are a lucky man." Chapter 1001 Chapter 1001 Jared smiled heartily, knowing he was a lucky man; whoever married Nicole would be the luckiest man in the world. "This is Uncle Ronnie," Jared introduced. "Nice to meet you, Uncle Ronnie," Nicole greeted graciously. "Nice to meet you." "Uncle Ronnie, why don''t you help us choose two horses?" Ronnie had been living with horses for over thirty years.No one knew the horses here better than he did, and Jared knew best. "Okay." Ronnie headed inside. Jared hurriedly brought Nicole along to keep up. They walked down the aisle, nked by tall horses. "What do you think of this horse?" Ronnie looked at Jared as he stopped in front of a ck horse. "Nice.This horse has a bright light in his eyes, stout legs, and a beautiful body.He must be a thoroughbred." Jared had high praise for this horse.Ronnie nodded with satisfaction. "That''s a good point.You have improved." "This horse is my favorite, the best one in the whole barn." Ronnie stroked the horse, and anyone could tell his love for the horse in the eyes.He unhooked the reins and led the horse out, then handed it to Nicole''s hand. "Miss Riddle, since you are Jared''s fianc¨¦e, eventually, you two are going to get married.From the moment you entered the door, Jared has never let go of your hand, so he loves you, and I can see your love for each other.So, I want to give you this horse as a wedding gift when you get married." Material ? N?velDrama.Org. Ronnie looked at them with a smiling face. "Uncle Ronnie, this is not appropriate.You raised this horse since it was small.It has always followed you.We¡ª" Before Jared could finish, Ronnie interrupted him. "Since you call me Uncle Ronnie, do as I say.Besides, I''m giving it to Miss Riddle, the Johnston family''s future daughter-inw, so don''t you butt in. "Uncle Ronnie, I take nothing from anyone.Not to mention that this horse is the love of your life, so I can''t take it, but I really appreciate your kindness." No amount of words could persuade Nicole to ept it. Although it was just a horse, it was Ronnie''s favorite horse, which Nicole could definitely not bring herself to ept. "This is the first time we have met, so you may not know my character, but Jared does.I like Jared very much, so anyone closely connected with him.If you are ready to marry her, then you must ept my blessing." Ronnie looked at Nicole with a serious face, and he was sincere in giving them his blessing. Seeing Ronnie''s insistence, Nicole looked at Jared, who nodded at her. "Thank you, Uncle Ronnie.But I don''t have room for a horse at home, so he will still be kept at your ce." Nicole took the reins from Ronnie, but she had no intention of taking the horse away and still kept it for Ronnie, only now it was hers. "Great." Ronnie guffawed as he grasped Nicole''s intention. "What''s his name?" Nicole asked Ronnie as she petted the horse. "Pinto, because it has a ring of white on each leg and runs as fast as the wind, much like the ride of the hegemon king back in the day," Ronnie said. "Pinto, nice name." Nicole liked the name. "Go out and try it.Spend more time with Pinto first, talk to him more, and feed him some food, and he will be more docile once he knows you," Uncle Ronnie said. "Okay." "We''re going out first, then." Jared took the stallion that Ronnie had raised as a foal and had a deep affection for. "Go ahead and be safe." "Got it." Jared and Nicole came out of the barn with a horse in each hand, and Nicole led Pinto to a clearing and got him something to eat. After a few moments of getting acquainted, Pinto stopped trying to break free of her hand, and Nicole knew Pinto was starting to trust her. Chapter 1002 Chapter 1002 "Pinto seems to like you a lot." Jared and Nicole stood together. Material ? N?velDrama.Org. "I feel the same way.It feels like an old acquaintance with him." Nicole was happy that Ronnie gave her Pinto. "Do you want to hold it for a walk first?" Jared looked over at Nicole. "Yeah." Nicole also thought it would be nice to take a walk in such a vast and scenic ce. Two people and two horses were walking on the grasnd. The scene looked as good as a painting. After walking for a few moments, Jared felt ready. "Want to try riding on it?" Nicole''s eyes met his.She gently stroked Pinto and nimbly mounted the horse. Pinto was not displeased but waited for Nicole to sit sturdily before slowly trotting forward under Nicole''s urge. Jared rode his Siro and apanied Nicole on her walk alongside. "How does it feel?" Jared asked. "It feels good.Pinto is very human," Nicole said. "Yes, Pinto is an intelligent horse, and then there is Siro here; he doesn''t feel alone." "Possible." "Shall we go up the hill?" Nicole suggested, wanting to stand at the top of the hill and look into the distance. "Yeah, let''s go." Abroad, Zane and Carl led two separate teams to encircle the Curley Corporation manufacturing facility, as The Raven was on the verge of taking control of the nt.The security team from inside the nt was about to be taken down by The Raven. "Carl, take the contro] room and never let The Raven''s men in," Zane ordered Carl. "Got it." Carl took his men and stood guard on the perimeter of the control room. This was the most important ce in the entire nt. Outside the nt, Zane led mercenaries in a battle with The Raven''s men. Sparks were flying all over the ce as Zane braved the gunfire and led his men to keep The Raven''s men pinned down. After a long fight, Zane gradually took over most of the factory, and The Raven was forced to retreat. "Team Three, what should we do now? We''re about to be overwhelmed." A Team 3 member asked the leader. Team 3¡¯s leader looked at the battle situation and was frustrated. "Take the rest of the men and retreat quickly." He knew that the entire Team 3 would be wiped out if they kept fighting here. "Got it.Retreat." "Boss, the attack on my side seems to be easing up," Carl reported to Zane about the situation. "They probably couldn''t hold on anymore.Stay there and don''t go anywhere.I wille to you when I have dealt with the situation here," Zane said. Team 3 retreated under covering fire, but Zane would not give them a chance. Now, Team 3 was isted inside the factory, unable to advance or retreat, and the leader was desperate. "Find out which direction the enemy fire is the weakest and concentrate your forces in that direction," Team 3''s leader ordered. "Okay." Team 3 had concentrated their forces, but they did not know it was a trap that Zane had left for them. As Team 3''s men rushed through, they were immediately cut off by Zane''s men in the rear. Now, Team A found out that there was no way out. "Mates, let''s fight our way out." Team 3''s leader was furious.He picked up his assault rifle to lead the fight. Team 3 was no match for Zane''s team from the beginning, let alone now. Within a few minutes, the battle was over, and Team 3¡¯s leader died in his attempt to get away. "Carl, all clear." Zane informed Carl. "Copied." Carl immediately deployed the defense, and now they officially took over the nt, as the people of Curley Corporation were no longer capable of defending it. After Zane settled everything down, he sent a message to Curley Corporation headquarters. After all, they could not be here to protect the nt all the time. Nicole, apanied by Jared, had a great time.It was already dark when the two returned to the barn. "Uncle Ronnie, we''re leaving now." Jared and Nicole found Ronnie in the lobby. Chapter 1003 Chapter 1003 ¡°Okay. Be safe. Miss Riddle, pleasee again when you have time. " Ronnie looked at Nicole. "Okay, I will, and I wille over to bother you more often in the future." It was the first time they had met, but Nicole and Ronnie got along very well. "We''re leaving." The two of them waved to Ronnie, who waved goodbye in the same way. As the limousine drove from the estate to the city, Nicole leaned on Jared''s shoulder and fell asleep. The car stopped steadily in front of the vi, and Max was about to speak when Jared made a silent gesture before walking into the house with Nicole in his arms. Heid her gently on the bed, not daring to makerge movements for fear of waking her up. Despite that, Nicole still woke up. ¡°Are we back yet?" "We are back. You may continue to sleep." Jaredy beside her, and the two fell asleep in each other''s arms. The next day, Jared took Nicole to his office. Because Nicole felt bored at home, she might as well follow him to the office, where she could also check the route. ¡°Max, who is the product spokesperson chosen by the advertising department this time?" "I think it is still Chloe," Max said. ¡°Why is it her again? Isn''t there anyone else avable besides Chloe?" Jared did not like Chloe very much. "I will go talk to the advertising people again." ¡°That won''t be necessary. I will go over there now and check it out. " Jared got up, ready to go to the shooting scene. "Nicole, I''m going to go to the shooting scene. You may rest here." Jared looked back at her. "I heard you guys just mention Chloe. Are you going to see her now?" Nicole asked. "No, but I might run into her." ¡°Oh, can I go? I haven''t been to the shooting scene yet." "Yes, anything you like." On the shooting set, Jared walked in with Nicole. When the director saw Jared and Nicole, he immediately greeted them with a smile. "Has this endorsement started shooting yet?" Jared nced at the director, then looked around the scene again. "Not yet, in the preparation. We will start shooting once the artist arrives." ¡°Who is the artist this time?" Material ? N?velDrama.Org. "Chloe." ¡°Why is it still here? Couldn''t the advertising department find anyone else?" The director got what Jared meant, and he lowered his head, not daring to make a sound. "Max, get the person in charge over here," Jaredmanded in a frosty voice. A momentter, the person in charge walked in with quick steps. " Mr. Johnstone, are you looking for me?" "I heard that this time the product spokesperson is still Chloe." "Right." ¡°If I remember correctly, she was also the spokesperson for thest product, right? The sales seem to be average, right?" Jared looked at him with an expressionless face. "Err..." ¡°Since the result isn''t ideal, change someone else. If it is for contractual reasons,municate with the artist properly and try to meet her demand." Jared''s meaning could not be clearer; he thought Chloe did not deserve the endorsement job. Chapter 1004 Chapter 1004 "Yes, yes, yes, but the shooting will start today. It is toote to sign up for a new artist." The person in charge looked at Jared in a predicament. Jared sighed. He suddenly looked at Nicole. "You guys go ahead and set up the scene. Nicole,e out with me for a minute." Nicole followed him out with puzzlement. ¡°You heard everything we just said. Do you want to be a product spokesperson?" Nicole looked at him with astonishment, wondering why he thought of asking her to be a product spokesperson. "This is no joke. I have no experience in this area, and it wouldn''t be fun if it didn''t turn out well." Nicole was self-aware. She had never been exposed to endorsements. "I''m not kidding. I think you''re multiple times better than Chloe. If someone like her can, you will have no problem." Jared had a lot of confidence in Nicole. "Besides, it is going to be filmed today, and it is toote to find someone else. So can you help?" Jared looked at her with pleading eyes. Nicole hesitated for a few moments. She could see that Jared was in a bit of a difficult situation right now. If she did not help him now, no one else would. "I can try. But if it doesn''t work well, I''d rather not shoot today, and you have to find the best spokesperson." Nicole looked at Jared with serious eyes. ¡°Okay, but I have full confidence in you." Back on set, Jared nced at the director. "How long until we start shooting?" "In another half hour," the director said. ¡°Makeup artist, take Miss Riddle to apply makeup. She will endorse the new product in a moment." Jared announced seriously. Everyone in the room froze. They had never seen Nicole''s ad before and had doubts about her ability. The director was the first to react and immediately get to work. Jared sat aside in anticipation of Nicole''s performance. The person in charge asked cautiously from the side. "Mr. Johnston, do I still need to find a new artist?" "You talk to Chloe. I will let you know if there are any changes." Jared did not even look at him, his eyes on the crew on the set. ¡°Okay, then I will go talk to her," the person in charge said respectfully and left the scene. Half an hourter, Nicole came out of the dressing room with her makeup on. There was a sudden silence as all eyes, including Jared''s, was captivated by her beauty. ¡°Miss Riddle is so stunning, isn''t she?" The staff''s envious eyes were locked on Nicole. ¡°Get to work now and have a good lookter." ¡°Jared, I feel weird and awkward. Do you think I can do it?" It was the first time Nicole was so unsure of herself because it was not her makeup style at all. Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org. ¡°You are beautiful. The makeup hair suits you." Jared looked at Nicole''s makeup and could not take his eyes off her. ¡°Mr. Johnston, it''s ready to shoot." The director came over. ¡°Okay, take Miss Riddle to the audition," Jared said. Nicole nced at Jared and followed the director to the middle of the set. ¡°Miss Riddle, let''s perform a screen test first. When I say start, you can do some poses," the director politely exined to Nicole. Nicole nodded her head, barely understanding half of what he said. Chapter 1005 Chapter 1005 "Miss Riddle, look at the camera.Action." The director called out. The moment the director called out to start, Nicole instantly got into the mood, subconsciously waving her arms, and making several poses. The director smiled in satisfaction. "Mr.Johnston, please take a look." The director finished filming and showed it to Jared. Watching Nicole''s performance on camera, Jared smiled with satisfaction. "Very talented.The results are excellent." "Director, let Miss Riddle familiarize herself with the product and then start shooting," Jared said, and the director immediatelyplied. N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content. An assistant helped Nicole understand the new product, and soon Nicole grasped its features. "Miss Riddle, we will start shooting when you are ready." The director did not dare to rush her.He waited patiently for Nicole to study the product. Little did he know that just as he finished speaking, Nicole said, "I''m ready to go." The director looked at Nicole incredulously. "There is no rush.You can familiarize yourself with it more so that it will be easy for you during the shooting." "I have studied it well enough.Let¡¯s get started." Nicole was so confident that it was a little hard to believe. The director could not believe that Nicole could fully understand the product in such a short time.He helplessly walked to the camera. Since Nicole wanted to give it a try, he could not stop her. "Attention all teams.Lights ready.One product, one take.Action." With the director''s call, Nicole started to showcase the new product''s features in front of the camera.Jared watched Nicole perform and started Lo worry about her because slide really had no experience at all. "Cut." Everyone stopped as the director called out. Nicole did not leave the set, her eyes looking toward the director as if waiting to re-shoot again. "Miss Riddle is really talented.One take, and it is a wrap." The director apuded with delight. Everyone could not believe what they saw until Nicole came to Jared. "Miss Riddle is awesome.I was preparing for a second take, not expecting her to get it right in the first take." "It was the easiest I''ve shot since.It just went so well." "I knew I got the right person.You''re really awesome." Jaredplimented her. Just then, a figure walked in. At first, she did not see Jared and Nicole and went straight to the director. "Hurry up, and let''s get started.I have other things to doter." Chloe was putting on airs before the shooting even started. "Makeup artist, why are you still standing there? Just do some make -up on the spot." The make-up artist did nothing but look at the director, who had had enough and looked at Chloe.Chloe, the shooting has finished.Don''t you have other things to do? Go and get busy." The director had tried not to humiliate her by telling her politely. "Finished shooting? Howe I''m not even there yet, and the shoot is over? What do you mean?" Chloe looked at the director with bafflement. "Didn''t you receive the notice?" "What notice?" Chloe looked at him with even more confusion. Chloe followed the director''s eyes and saw Jared and Nicole.She hurriedly walked over and greeted Jared with a smile. "Mr.Johnston, when did you arrive? Why didn''t you tell me in advance? Chloe tried her best to impress him, disregarding Nicole and the staff around him.But Jared did not even spare her a nce. "You''re here early enough, huh?" The sarcasm could not have been more obvious. Chapter 1006 Chapter 1006 Chloe lowered her head in shame, not daring to meet his eyes. "I was in a traffic jam on the way.That was why I waste." Jared did not believe her excuses at all, nor did he want to argue with her.He just focused on what mattered. "You don''t have toe here again, as we have decided not to use you for the new product endorsement this time." "Mr.Johnston, did I do something wrong?" Chloe looked at Jared with confusion. "It''s not your problem.This new product and your temperament don''t match," Jared said. Chloe''s eyes suddenly lit up when she saw Nicole, who had makeup on her face. Combined with what the director said just now, she had guessed the reason: it must be Nicole who stole her endorsement. ''I have not had time to settle the score with her for thest incident, and now she is trying to steal the endorsement from me.She really takes me for a fool?" Chloe gave Nicole a displeased look. ''''I didn''t know that you were here, too." Nicole said nothing but just nodded. Seeing Nicole said not a word, Chloe was embarrassed but quickly found a way out of it. "I think Mr.Johnston is right.This new product really doesn''t match my aura, and it is also a bit of a sh with my time slot.But I still hope Mr.Johnston''s new product will be a big seller.I will leave you to it then, as there are other things waiting for me to get over there." Chloe looked at Jared and said goodbye. "Kelly, stay here.You don''t have to follow me anymore." Chloe looked at Kelly, who was the assistant assigned to her by Johnston Group. "Come here, Kelly." Nicole beckoned Kelly to her side.Kelly left Chloe and went to Nicole. Chloe had asked Kelly to stay, but seeing Kelly go with Nicole was still upsetting. "You will follow me from now on," Nicole said before Chloe could walk out. "Okay." Kelly was a bit confused, as she thought she was going to be promoted instead of remaining as an assistant. But judging by Nicole''s rtionship with Jared, she suddenly felt that following Nicole might be even more rewarding than being promoted to a minor position. "Since the results are good, Miss Riddle will be the product spokesperson for the new product," Jared told the director. The director nodded his head vigorously in acknowledgment.Her identity aside, Nicole''s outstanding performance had already earned his approval. "Let''s go back and rest," Jared said to Nicole. "Okay." "Kelly, you are given the day off.Go home and get some rest," Nicole turned around and said to Kelly. "Thank you, Miss Riddle." "You can call me Nicole from now on." "Okay, Nicole." Nicole and Jared left the shooting scene. "Mr.Johnston, your uncle is waiting for you in the office." Max walked over and reported. ¡®Why did he not stay at the branch ande to the headquarters instead?" Jared thought as he walked. The office door was pushed open as Jared and Nicole walked in.Henry got up at once to say hello. "Jared, Miss Riddle is here too?" Henry looked at them with a smile on his face. "Uncle Henry, what''s the matter withing over here today again?" Jared sat back in his chair and looked at him indifferently.Henry came to Jared''s desk, his face slightly grave. "You know about the project that the branch is doing now, right?" "Yeah.Why?" Jared watched as Henry put on his show.Henry sighed and looked at Jared helplessly. "The international price of raw materials has doubled again.We could barely purchase itst time.And now, we are quite overwhelmed by the increase.If the price continues to rise, soon we won''t be able to purchase.If that really happens, I hope the headquarters can provide us some support." Jared looked at Henry and understood the intention of his visit, which was to pre-empt his support. "The prices now are soaring high." Jared did not dismiss him outright.N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. Chapter 1007 Chapter 1007 "Yeah." Henry was still echoing. "But ording to my observation, such a situation will notst long; prices will decline soon.The most important thing at this time is not to stock up but just keep the project running normally.Wait for the best time to stock up again inrge quantities." Jared gave him instructions on how to handle it.Henry, still not hearing the answer he wanted, nodded. "Certainly." "Is there anything else?" Jared looked at him. "By the way, I heard that the new product¡¯s endorser has been changed." Henry looked at Jared with displeasure as Chloe was his rmendation, and Jared did not even give him a heads-up when recing Chloe. "Uncle Henry is really quick in getting the information.You already heard what I just dealt with on my end," Jared sneered at him. Henry could not have understood better what Jared meant by looking into his eyes. "Oh, I just ran into Chloe when I came over.I asked her when I saw her, something was not right about her expression," Henry quickly exined. Otherwise, the nature of what he said just now would be different. "That is fine.You get busy.I will leave you to it." Henry did not dare to stay a moment longer and immediately left. "Jared, it looks like he has gone a little overboard with his eyes on your side," Nicole warned. "Max." Jared picked up the phone. "Mr.Johnston." "Find out who tipped Henry off about Chloe''s recement," Jared instructed. "Okay." Max put down the phone and went to work immediately. Putting down the phone, Jared looked over at Nicole. "Looks like the trip is going to have to be postponed." "Yeah, I''m going to be busy with work starting today."Nicole nced at him helplessly. Jared came over and hugged her to assure her. "We will shoot this endorsement in a few days, and then we can still go on the trip." "Really? It will only take a few days?" Nicole snickered. Seeing that Nicole became happier, Jared gave her a doting scratch on her nose. "Yeah." "Then I will go ahead and n now." Nicole took out her phone and checked it. Jared shook his head helplessly, wondering if all women were such wonderful creatures, so much so that they were different every second. "Then take your time.I will work over there." "Okay." Time at work always passed quickly. Nicole felt her stomach growling after seeing only a few ces.She looked at the time, and it was already noon. "Jared, what are we going to eat for lunch?" Nicole asked. "What would you like?" Nicole thought for a second and said, "How about a steak at the Blue Whale Restaurant?" "Sure.I will have Max make a reservation." "Max, make a reservation at the Blue Whale Restaurant for lunch," Jared instructed. "Okay, Mr.Johnston." "I have asked Max to book it.We will be there as soon as I finish my work." Jared looked at Nicole and smiled gently. "Okay.I will take another look then." Nicole happily picked up her phone and continued to check out the travel guide. After about twenty minutes, Jared stood up and walked over to Nicole. "Let''s see what you''ve been looking at."N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. Chapter 1008 Chapter 1008 Nicole held up her phone to show him. N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. "The view is magnificent, and I can even feel the fresh air through the screen." "It does look good as a travel destination." Jared agreed with Nicole''s choice of this ce. "Oh? You like it here a lot?" "It looks pretty good.Don''t you like it, too?" "Hmm, then this will be the first destination for now." Nicole bookmarked the destination. "Let''s go to lunch." Jared took Nicole''s hand and headed out the door. Jared drove Nicole to the Blue Whale Restaurant. The restaurant manager was already waiting at the entrance, and he came down the steps to greet Jared when he saw the car. "Wee, Mr.Johnston." Jared looked at the manager and nodded, then walked into the restaurant with the manager leading the way. "Mr.Johnston, this is the private room prepared for you." The manager was very polite. "Can we sit outside?" Nicole asks Jared. "You want to sit outside?" Jared asked back. "Yeah?" Nicole did not like the constraints of sitting inside the private room. In contrast, she preferred the spaciousness of the main dining hall. Sitting in the window seat, she could not only enjoy the scenery outside but also feel the hustle and bustle inside.It was afortable atmosphere. "Please arrange a table by the window in the dining hall." Jared could amodate everything Nicole wanted because he had no opinion about where to eat. "Okay.Please follow me." The manager was slightly surprised but did not dare to dy a bit. "Miss Riddle, do you think this table is okay?" The manager chose the best spot in the hall.Nicole looked at the manager and was pleased. "This is a great spot.Thanks." The manager was ttered. "It is my honor to serve you and Mr.Johnston.I will leave you with it.Enjoy your meal." With a wave of the manager''s hand, a waitstaff came over to take their order. "I would like a set of the signature dishes," Nicole ordered a favorite set for herself. ¡°I will have one just like hers," Jared said to the waitstaff. Nicole did not expect him to order the same thing as she did and looked at him with a smile. "Are you sure you want to eat the same as me?" "What is the problem?" Jared frowned at her. "No problem, just afraid you might not be used to it," Nicole exined but seeing that he was willing to order the same dishes, she secretly felt happy. "Is there still a lot for you to do at the office right now? I see the new product is back online." "No, it has been easier for me, and the new product doesn''t need my constant attention." Jared looked rxed. "Is that so? But why do I feel like you''re busy every day?" If she waited for him at the vi, it would feel like a long day. "It is okay.Maybe it is because you could only see me at night, so it feels like I have been busy." "Now you cane with me to the office, and you shouldn''t feel lonely." Jared sensed that Nicole must be bored at the vi by herself. "Mm.It is not something I''m good at, but it will be nice to be in the same building as you." "If you will, I can arrange a position for you at thepany." Jared looked at her with serious eyes. "A position? Forget it.I don''t like a nine-to-five job.It is eptable to spend time with you asionally, but if I repeat the same thing every day, I just can''t do it." Nicole was very true to her own thoughts, and she did not have to worry in front of Jared; she could say anything she wanted. Chapter 1009 Chapter 1009 Chapter 1009 "So, what do you like to do?" Jared wanted to help her find something to do. "You know who I am.I could be out at any time, so following a prescribed routine is something I''m not going to do.If I can''t start well, I won''t start at all.Here''s the meal.Let''s try it." Nicole could not wait to pick up her fork when she saw the meal she had ordered. "So good." Nicoleplimented as she took a bite of the appetizer. "Is it really that good?" Jared looked at Nicole''s exaggerated expression. "Yeah.Try it if you don''t believe me." Nicole raised an eyebrow at Jared. Jared picked up the spoon and took a sip. It tasted fresh and delicious with a rich mouthfeel.He was instantly conquered. "It looks like you''re a connoisseur." Jared endorsed Nicole''s tastebud. "That''s not really true, but it''s delicious for sure." "Jared, what do you know about Curley Corporation?" Nicole remembered seeing Jared at theunch event and thought he would know something about Curley Corporation. "You''re interested in Curley Corporation?" Jared looked at her. "Sort of.The Brave robot they produced looks awesome." Nicole still had a vivid memory of it. "That robot has a lot of features and is worth promoting if it can serve humans.But there is one thing that worries me." Jared''s face turned serious. "You mean..." "Hmm." Jared did not say it out but just looked Nicole in the eye and nodded. "Curley Corporation''s main business is the AI machinery.Over the years, they have sold their AI products worldwide.So, we can say that they are a very strong upstart." Jared''s evaluation of Curley Corporation was fair. After all, its global reputation was there. "Plus, theunch of Brave some time ago caused an international uproar and much fame." "Curley Corporation, as an upstart, has achieved so much in just a few years.They must have a powerful person inside thepany," Nicole said. "Yes, the chief engineer at Curley Corporation is a very talented and interesting person." Jared talked about that engineer with great interest. "And have you met him?" "Yeah.Just thest time I attended theunch event." "Howe I didn''t see him there?" Nicole asked. "He wasn''t at theunch event.I met him outside." "So how did he position Brave? Did you guys talk?" Nicole looked at Jared curiously. "His position on Brave was that it was for humanity." Jared remembered that chat well. Hearing that, Nicole was relieved, as such a positioning was eptable to her. "I hope that will be the case.But you know, there are many people who are eyeing Brave right now?" Nicole said with a straight face. N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content. Jared nced at Nicole and asked, "Are you guys encountering some kind of problem?" "There are problems, and if they are well controlled, they would be defused.If they are uncontroble, they may lead to disaster."Nicole looked at Jared with serious eyes.Looking at Nicole''s serious expression, Jared got what she meant. "If you need my help, feel free to ask." He was willing to do his small part to maintain world peace. "Thanks.I''d like to meet the chief engineer if that''s convenient." Nicole stated her purpose straightforwardly, and that was what she wanted to say. Chapter 1010 Chapter 1010 Jared pondered for a second. "I will contact him, and if he is willing, I will apany you to meet him." "Thank you." Nicole looked at Jared with a serious face. "Cheers." "You don''t have to be so polite with me." Jared did not like the feeling of distantness. Nicole let out a heartfelt smile, thinking this meal was so worth it. If she could get to know the chief engineer, she could learn a little more about Brave. "There is no more filming today.Are you still going to the office this afternoon?" Jared asked with a sudden change of topic. "Do you want me to go?" Nicole asked rhetorically, without answering. "I do want you to go, but if you have other things to do, you don''t have to go to the office." Jared expressed his thoughts, and the decision was put back in Nicole''s hands. "Since you want me to apany you, I will apany you, no matter what." Nicole was not being subtle this time, as she openly expressed her thoughts. Jared looked at her with a big smile on his face. The view outside the window was just so right. A few dayster, Nicole was at the vi when she received a phone call from Martin.She thought there was a problem with theb and immediately sat up to answer it. "What''s up, Martin? You called so early." "The Beacon ispleted!" Martin shouted excitedly on the other end of the phone. "Is it true what you said?" Nicole asked again. "Yeah.Is it convenient for you toe over now?" Martin wanted to share the joy of the moment with Nicole. "Sure.I will be right there." Nicole changed her clothes and drove toward the hospital where Martin was. When he arrived at theb, Martin was holding The Beacon in his hands excitedly.He could not get enough of it. "Is that The Beacon you''re holding?" Nicole had seen what Martin was holding before she even approached. Martin nodded vigorously. "Come and see." Nicole quickened her pace. "Is this the finished product of The Beacon?" "Yes.What do you think?" Martin looked at Nicole with an excited look on his face. "It looks great.How do I use it?" N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. Nicole looked at the tiny Beacon, not knowing how to get started. "It can be worn in any position you find convenient, and that is the biggest difference between it and the first generation," Martin exined proudly. "Is it that convenient?" Nicole looked at Martin in disbelief. "Yeah.You may try it."'' While speaking, he handed The Beacon to Nicole. "Do you really want me to be the first to try it out? Are you sure?" Nicole had said that before but was actually just joking. "Pretty sure.I think you are the best person for the job." Martin looked at Nicole with serious eyes. "Okay." Nicole then wore The Beacon on her arm. "You haven''t taught me how to use it yet." Nicole looked at Martin. "See the button here?" Martin pointed. "Yeah." "If you are poisoned, press the green button right away, andmon poisons can be broken down quickly.Even when you encounter a powerful toxin, The Beacon can help you inhibit the spread of the poison in the quickest possible time, giving you time to detoxify yourself," Martin exined this powerful feature. Chapter 1011 Chapter 1011 Nicole waspletely astonished.She did not expect Martin to have developed such a powerful device. Martin, satisfied with Nicole''s surprised expression, continued the introduction. "There is apartment under this red button.If you suffer a traumatic injury, press the red button and take out the fast-healing injection needle and jab on the wound; the speed of recovery varies with the severity of the injury." "Can it really do that?" Nicole looked at Martin in disbelief. "I have tested it, and it is doable.The medication inside this injection needle helps regenerate and repair damaged cells so it can quickly heal your wound." "This is also a feature that wasn''t avable in the first generation." "So, what does this disy do?" Nicole asked curiously. "The disy is one that monitors the wearer''s body health values in real time, while showing the amount of antidote and restorative injection needles." "This device is really fantastic.Martin, how did youe up with the idea of developing this device?" Nicole was shocked after listening to Martin''s exnation. So far, this was the most powerful medical-type device she had ever seen, and it was also something that her organization needed very much, which could greatly improvebat capabilities and reduce casualties. "It is the patients inside the emergency room that inspire me.Watching their pain, I empathize with them.If there was a device that could help them recover when they were injured, then they wouldn''t have to go to the emergency room to experience at the edge of life and death." At this point, Martin could not help but sink into alow mood. Nicole then understood why Martin was so dedicated to experimenting in theb; she admired him from the bottom of her heart. "Martin, you''re a great man." Nicole said with approval. There were no other words that she could find to describe Martin. "Is this device mass- producible?" Nicole asked the key question. "Yes.I will produce it inrge quantities once the formalities are done." "That''s really great." Nicole prepared to take The Beacon off her arm. "Wear it, as I said, you will be the first one to try the first Beacon.It''s for you." Martin looked at Nicole with deep affection. This was the best gift he could give her. Seeing that Martin was serious, Nicole did not decline.She really liked The Beacon. "Then I will keep it." "Let me know if you run out of injection needles," Martin said. "Can I buy more spares of the injection needles?" Nicole asked. "Sure.It is just that it is not in mass production right now, so I can only package a tiny number here.But it is enough for you to use," Martin said with a smile. "It is so nice of you." This was something Nicole had not expected. "Looks like your ce is going to be my supply base from now on." Nicole looked at him jokingly. "No problem.I''d be more than happy to." Martin looked at Nicole with a smile on his face. N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content. "But I would prefer that you never have to use The Beacon; that''s the truest part of me." Martin suddenly got deeply emotional. "I certainly don''t use The Beacon lightly.After all, I''m that good." Nicole joked. "Martin, I want to talk to you about something." "I''m all ears." "Can I have a privilege when The Beacon is mass-produced?" Nicole gauged his thoughts through his eyes. "What privilege?" Martin did not get what she meant. "I have a friend who is a bodyguard and may need to purchase in bulk You don''t have to worry about the money.I''m sure they will pay at your price, just that I hope you would sell them ording to the quantity they need." Nicole looked at Martin with serious eyes.She wanted every mercenary in Zane''s organization to be equipped with The Beacon. "This shouldn''t be a problem.I will supply as many as you guys want as long as the factory can produce it." Martin could not resist Nicole''s request.He would try to help her with whatever she asked for. "I''m here to thank you in advance for my friend." Chapter 1012 Chapter 1012 "Your friend is my friend, not to mention the fact that it was you who provided The Beacon''s production materials." Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org. "Oh, yeah.If you didn''t remind me, I would have forgotten about it.You will need arge quantity of the raw materials for mass production, right?" Nicole asked. "Yes.I''m going to visit a few raw material suppliers today to have a look, and if they meet our standards, we will talk further about cooperation." "I will leave you to it.If you need my help, you are definitely wee." Nicole left. "Okay." Martin watched Nicole leave. In the car, Nicole received a call from Harvey. "Hello, Nicole.What are you busy with?" Harvey''s voice came over the phone. "I''m driving.What''s up?" Nicole was still in the happy state of receiving The Beacon. "Nothing major.I haven''t seen you since I got back from abroad and thought I''d call to say hello." Harvey obviously had missed her. "Oh, since you have called, let me ask you something: did Ike contact you?" Nicole remembered the foreigner. "No.Why are you asking about him all of a sudden?" Harvey was worried that Nicole would fall for Ike. "Nothing.Just remembering that debut he made and thinking it was awesome." It turns out that Nicole was just interested in the manned flying car. Harvey eased up. "I''ve been looking at the information about manned flying carstely and have a lot of ideas." "Since when are you interested in manned flying cars? I saw you had been talking to those CEOs quite a bit," Nicole said sarcastically. "Those are all necessary exchanges.Actually, I''m also optimistic about the prospect of manned flying cars.I would like to take part in it if I have the chance." Harvey shared the contents of the seminar with his grandfather after he returned home in order to see Nicole more often and have amon topic with her.He tried to convince Mr.Ellison to agree to his participation. "You want in on this?" "Yeah.It is dangerous for you to drive while on the phone.Besides, we can''t discuss in just one or two sentences.Is it okay to meet up at Peaches & Cream Cafeter?" Harvey tentatively asked her out.There was no reply for a long time. "Yes, send me the location." "Sent.See you in a bit." Harvey hung up the phone and flew downstairs, got in his car, and drove toward Peaches & Cream Cafe. At Peaches & Cream Cafe, Nicole got out of the car and walked in. This was a unique cafe, the interior decoration style of which was what Nicole liked. "Hi, Nicole," Harvey waved to Nicole as he sat in a chair in casual attire. Seeing Harvey, Nicole walked over to him. "There is something special about the way you are dressed today." It was rare for her to see him dressed so casually.Previously, he was all in a handsome suit. "Is that so? I think you will feel morefortable with me dressing like this.I see you all wear like this." Harvey was observant of Nicole''s usual attire.Nicole nodded and sat across from him. Chapter 1013 Chapter 1013 "Over on the phone earlier you mentioned that you wanted to be involved in the manned flying car project.Does your grandfather know about this?" Nicole knew Harvey was one of the more brilliant next-generation sessors in the family.But at present, Mr.Ellison still held arge part of the power in the Ellison family. "He knew.After returning home, it was the first thing I told him.He has not agreed to it, but there are nine out of ten chances that he will agree." Harvey was still confident.He knew his grandfather''s keen business sense, and his grandfather could tell how good the future prospects of this project would be. "That means your grandfather hasn''t made his position clear yet." Nicole saw it thoroughly, but she also knew that Mr.Ellison would not want to miss such a fantastic project. "I have a feeling we will have some news soon, and when the timees, I hope you can put in a good word for us in front of Mr.Harmon so that Ellison Group can have a chance to get involved." Harvey looked at Nicole ingratiatingly. The manned flying car project was a massive project in recent years. Nicole knew that Scott''s seminar was an open call for capital, and that he would not refuse capable companies to join. Afterall, the more the number of investors, the lower the risk Scott would have to bear, and the higher the chances of sess it will be.This would be a win-win cooperation. "Has the Aegis Corporation project wrapped up?" Nicole asked him, as she had not heard the news of the project beingpleted. "It''s not over yet, but it doesn''t require my constant attention anymore.The people under me aren''t paid to do nothing." Harvey was still confident in this regard.He had handed over the Aegis Corporation project to his subordinates. This project, which was also originally for Nicole he was also involved in, was steadily progressing, and everything was going well. "You must make sure nothing goes wrong, as the Aegis Corporation project is kind of a groundwork to get into the manned flying car project, understand?" Nicole kindly reminded him.If the project in his hands was not doing well now, all the talks about taking part in the manned flying car project would be useless. "Don''t worry.I didn''tpletely let go of it.I understand what you meant." Harvey looked at Nicole with serious eyes to reassure her. "d you know that." "Nicole, can I go with you when you guys are doing the R&Dter? " Harvey looked at her tentatively. "I''m afraid that is impossible.Every drawing in the R&D department is confidential.Even if I want to take you in, the people over there won''t.You should be clear about this." "Okay." Actually, he was just asking.It would be best if he could tag along, and even if he could not, he could still ept it. The two sat at Peaches & Cream Cafe for a long time. After their meeting, Nicole drove back to the Riddle residence, as she had not been back there since she returned home. As the car stopped at the Riddle residence, she took one look at the house and walked inside. "Mom, Dad, I''m home." Nicole called out to the people sitting in the living room. "You''re back, Nicole?" Daniel was happy to see her.He had heard that she had gone abroad and did not know that she had come back. Norah saw Nicole and smiled as usual.But Nicole feigned as if she did not see her. "Where are Spencer and Samuel?" "I think they''re resting upstairs." Gloria said hesitantly. "Mom, Dad, how have you guys been?" Nicole walked over and sat on one side, looking at them with concern. "We''re great.We just haven''t seen you in a long time and miss you a bit." Gloria had deeply missed Nicole and said what was on her mind. "I havee back to see you, haven''t I? Just call me when you miss me next time." Nicole suddenly looked at Norah. Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org. "Have your parents gotten better?" "Much better, and they are still recovering.Godmom and I visit them at the hospital almost every day." Norah was quick-witted in her reply, fearing that Nicole would take advantage of the opportunity to chase her out of the Riddle family. Chapter 1014 Chapter 1014 Nicole doubted what Norah said. Recalling what happened the other day and studying Norah''s current behavior. Norah was clearly deceiving Gloria and is trying to leech off the Riddle family. On the day the incident urred, Nicole had walked past the inpatient unit when she remembered that Norah''s parents had been injured. Afterall, Norah''s parents were okay, so she went to the service counter and asked about them. The nurse on duty told Nicole that Norah''s parents could be discharged, but their family did not agree, saying they were afraid of the after-effects and insisted on letting the two stay in the hospital for observation. "Nicole, I think I saw you at the hospital the other day.Did you go to the hospital the other day?" Norah''s voice jolted Nicole out of her thoughts. "Yeah.What is wrong?" "I saw you and Dr.Wyance.You two seem to be very close." There was nothing wrong with this statement, but Norah''s tone could be easily misunderstood. Daniel and Gloria looked at Nicole as if she had done something bad. Material ? N?velDrama.Org. "Mom, Dad, why are you looking at me like that?" Nicole asked them with puzzlement, wondering if it was because of what Norah ; had said. "I didn''t ask you before.But since Norah has mentioned it, I will ask: what is your rtionship with Dr.Wyance?" Gloria looked at Nicole. "Mom, what do you mean by that? Martin and I are just friends." Nicole looked at Gloria with embarrassment. "It had better be," Gloria said. Nicole understood Gloria must be overthinking things. "Mom, Dad, Martin is Sebastian''s son, as you all know.Besides that, he is an incredibly good medical doctor.The reason I have been in contact with him so much is because of one of his experiments." Daniel was relieved after hearing Nicole''s exnation.He knew Nicole would do nothing that would cross the line. "Norah, I see you have an interest in Martin, don''t you? Do you want me to introduce you to him some day?" Nicole dug at Norah, reciprocating Norah''s deliberate action of picking a fight with her. "No, no.I have heard a lot about Dr.Wyance." Norah quickly waved her hand and refused.She had heard that Martin was an experimental maniac. "Is that so? By the way, I heard your parents seem to have recovered from their injuries, right?" Nicole wanted to test her. The smile on Norah''s face faded instantly, her eyes moving in their sockets before she looked at Nicole and stammered. "Huh? No, I asked the doctor earlier, and he said they still need to stay in the hospital for observation.I actually hope they can be discharged sooner, so that our family of three can be reunited again." Norah''s acting was so good that tears started to fill her eyes as she spoke. Gloria was moved by her acting skills and held her in her arms. "Is that so? But what I was told wasn''t quite the same as what you said.The nurse at the hospital said that your parents could have been discharged, and that it was dyed because the family didn''t agree." Nicole had no problem exposing her.She did not want to see Gloria continue to be fooled by Norah. "You must have misheard.If they could be discharged, why didn''t I know?" Norah was sophomoric and refused to admit it. Daniel looked at Norah with suspicion. Nicole looked at Norah and smiled. Since Norah did not admit it, she would just help her to the end. "It is okay.I have an acquaintance at the hospital.I will make a phone call to reconfirm it for you.If they can really be discharged from the hospital, that is a good thing, too." Nicole was about to make a phone call when Norah stopped her. "Don''t bother.I''m going to the hospital tomorrow.If they are really ready to be discharged, that will be really great.I can just do the discharge paperwork for them and take them home." "Okay.Then I won''t ask for you." Nicole did not believe that she could not manage Norah.She had just exposed Norah with a few words and made Norah offer to go to the hospital and bring back her parents. "Where are you living now after you return from abroad? How about moving back in?" Gloria asked Nicole, digressing from the topic. She was hoping that Nicole woulde back to live with her so that the family could be together again. Nicole nced at Norah. "No.I''m mostly at the Sea View Vi with my grandma.Besides, there are already three at home that need your care, so I won''t be back to cause more trouble." Chapter 1015 Chapter 1015 Nicole had hinted Norah who was causing problems for the family, but soon she would move out. Gloria knew what Nicole meant, and she did not continue to persuade her to move back in. Nicole sat in the living room, ufortable facing them. No one could guess what stupid things Norah would say next, so she nced upstairs. "I will go check on them both." She got up and headed upstairs. Norah looked on with vicious eyes as Nicole went.She did not expect that Nicole would discover it and always make her life difficult. On the second floor, there was a ruckus in Samuel and Spencer''s room. Nicole pushed open the door and walked in. "What are you doing?" Nicole''s voice rang out. Samuel and Spencer turned back to look toward the door and were surprised to see Nicole. "When did you get here? Come over and y together." Samuel beckoned to Nicole. "What is this game that you guys are ying?" Nicole looked at the game on the monitor.She never yed games, so she was unfamiliar with these things. "It is a fun horror puzzle adventure game." Samuel exined. "Here, you try." Samuel gave up his ce for Nicole. "I can''t." Nicole refused. But Samuel''s enthusiasm was too much for her to resist, and she was made to sit down and then shown how to do it. "Now, you try it.There is no problem for sure." N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content. Samuel was positive about Nicole''s ability to learn. "Don''t me me if I lose." Nicole thought she had better pre- empt. "Don''t worry.I won''t me you," Samuel said heartily. Then they tensed up as they watched Nicole y.Here''s a run through." "Jump!" Spencer looked at the screen and was unconsciously immersed in it. Nicole nimbly controlled the little yellow man of the game. The little yellow man moved quickly and left the monster behind. "The following level is difficult.We both yed countless times but did not pass.You try." Samuel had lost confidence in the table level. Nicole controlled the little yellow man to a room where many gigantic monsters were eating on a rectangr table. The little yellow man must climb on the table and dodge the attack of the gigantic monsters before coming to the edge of the table, and then jump onto the window on the opposite side. Samuel and Spencer watched nervously as Nicole yed. "This level must be done the right way or being eaten by the gigantic monsters is inevitable." "You try it first." Nicole yed, and after some attempts, before the little yellow man could move a couple of steps, it was grabbed and eaten by a gigantic monster. Chapter 1016 Chapter 1016 "It is a little tough." Nicole could not help but sigh when she could not level up. "I have tried this level countless times and haven''t gotten past it yet.Otherwise, I wouldn''t have let you try," Samuel said sarcastically. Theirughter could be heard downstairs. Norah was upset that they were so happy when Nicole arrived, so she said to Gloria, "I''m going upstairs to see what they''re doing." "Go ahead." Gloria was happy to see them all in one ce and get along harmoniously. Norah ran upstairs and saw three of them staring at aputer with bated breath. "What are you guys ying?" Norah''s sudden voice startled them, and Nicole failed the level again. "I''m not ying again.What is this game?" Nicole sighed and got up to leave. "Don''t leave.You could level up in just a couple of tries." Samuel called out to Nicole to stay. "You guys have fun.I''m leaving." Nicole walked downstairs. Samuel gave Norah a reproachful look. Had Norah not made a sudden noise, maybe Nicole would have leveled up. "What are you doing here?" he asked. "It was downstairs and heard that you guys seemed to have a lot of fun here, so I came up to take a look.Are you all ying a game?" Norah asked as she nced at theputer. "Yeah." Samuel did not feel like talking to her. "I saw Nicole didn''t get past the level earlier.Can I try?" Norah wanted to join them. "Forget it.This kind of game is not for you.You''d better just y mobile games," Samuel said sarcastically. After getting snubbed, Norah left with exasperation. Downstairs, Nicole would not stay and talk any longer. After having a short chat with Daniel and Gloria, she was ready to head out. It was at that moment she saw Norahing back downstairs, and she reminded Norah, saying, "Tomorrow, if you need any help at the hospital, feel free to call me." She was saying this on purpose. "Okay." Norah squeezed an awkward smile at Nicole. Meanwhile, at Mr.Johnston Sr"s residence, Henry was sitting next to his father. "Dad, there''s something I don''t know if I should talk about." Henry looked at Mr.Johnston Sr.in a predicament. "You''re old enough that you should know what should and should not be said.So just say it." Mr.Johnston Sr.shot a nce at him. N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content. "The raw materials prices have gone up recently, and our branch is cash-strapped.I went to the headquarters a few days ago to ask Jared for help.If we can get through this difficult time, the branch''s revenue will definitely double.But Jared not only did not help but also lectured me about this and that.He did not charge a penny when he delivered raw materials to Martin.Now that his own family needs help, he stood by.What Jared has done is too much.If there is no more capital injection, our branch will be ina dangerous situation." Henry told of all his displeasure at once. "You said that Jared gave Martin raw materials.Was it Sebastian''s son, the doctor?" Mr.Johnston Sr.looked at Henry. "Yes, it is Sebastian''s son.I heard he is developing a medical device and seems to be ready for mass production.Dad, that''s not the point; the point is that Jared would rather help outsiders than his own family.Don''t you have to take care of that?" Henry looked at Mr.Johnston Sr.with anxiety. "I will find out the situation.If it is true that he did something wrong, I will order him to transfer funds to you right away." "Dad, you have to help me out quickly.I can''t wait much longer."Henry looked at Mr.Johnston Sr.with an anxious face. Chapter 1017 Chapter 1017 "Henry, why can you still not keep your cool when encountering problems at your age? You need to learn to control your emotions, " Mr.Johnston Sr. said. "Understood." Henry did not dare to say more, since he had said what he wanted to say. "Are you going to stay for lunch?" Mr.Johnston Sr.in effect, told him he should leave when it was all said and done. "No, thepany still has a lot of things waiting for me to deal with." "Oh, then you get busy." Henry respectfully left. At the office, Castor was still anxiously waiting for Henry''s return.As Henry pushed open the office door from outside, Castor immediately got up. "Dad, is Jared willing to inject capital?" "No." Henry sat down furiously in his chair. "So, what do we do? We can''t get that money back now that we embezzled it, and we will be done for if Jared finds out about it." Castor waspletely diposed. "Be quiet.Don''t I know how serious things are?" Henry chided.He was more worried than anyone else. After easing up a bit, Henry looked at Castor. "I have already mentioned this to your grandfather.When he sees Jared give so much raw materials to others for nothing, he will definitely get mad at Jared, and then he will have to send us the money." "Should I print out a copy of Jared''s ount of the raw materials that were transferred out and send it to Grandpa?" Castor asked as a thought came to mind. "Don''t worry about that.I reckon the family butler has already shown all the information to your grandfather." Henry''s mouth curled up in a smirk. Upon receiving a call from Mr.Johnston Sr., Jared rushed over to meet him.Mr.Johnston Sr.said nothing on the phone, just telling Jared that he had something to talk to him about. In the living room, Jared sat in the right-hand seat and looked over at his grandfather. "What is it about, Grandpa?" Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org. "I have passed the helm of thepany to you for a while now, right?" "Right." Jared looked at Mr.Johnston Sr., wondering why he asked that. "How is thepany doing now?" "ording to the quarterly financial statement, thepany''s earnings have doubled from the same periodst year," Jared said matter-of-factly.He felt at ease now that it was for this reason that his grandfather called him over. "I knew I entrusted the right person.Thepany is indeed doing better in your hands." Mr.Johnston Sr.praised him. "It is mainly because you haveid a solid foundation early on." Jared was modest and did not take credit for it. "There is something I want to get to know about." "What is it?" "I heard you gave Martin a batch of raw materials from yourpany for free.Is there such a thing?" Mr.Johnston Sr.looked at him with an expressionless face. "It seems that someone has said something about me in front of you.But it is okay.This is something I was going to tell you after it had taken off, but it is also okay to tell you now.Here is the thing: Nicole approached me earlier and said that Martin was developing an advanced medical device, but hecked raw materials and asked if I was interested in investing in it.After listening to her description, I thought it was an excellent product, so I gave Martin the raw materials for free, as an investment for his product." Chapter 1018 Chapter 1018 "Now this product has been sessfully made.It is called The Beacon, and it is in Nicole''s hands.I have seen it.Now the factory is ready for mass production, just waiting for the formality to be done." "This is a picture of The Beacon.Take a look first.I will bring Nicole over to show youter." Jared showed the picture of The Beacon on his phone to Mr.Johnston Sr. "Is this the product you invested in?" Mr.Johnston Sr.asked as he looked at the picture of The Beacon. "Yes, there may be no way to exin it in one or two sentences, but you will understand when you see the product in person." Jared was confident about The Beacon, believing that theunch of The Beacon would generate buzz and orders would follow. "If it is such a great product, ask Nicole to bring it over some day." Mr.Johnston Sr.spoke in a calm tone, revealing nothing of his thought. "Okay." "The Johnston family is an extended family, and I''m sure you understand that the phrase ''united we stand, divided we fall''." Mr.Johnston Sr.wanted the family to get along and did not like internal strife. "I will take care of it as I see fit." Jared knew his grandfather well enough to understand what he was talking about. "That is good.I won''t ask you to stay for lunch, as Nicole should be waiting for you at home." Mr.Johnston Sr.looked at him with a smile. "I will leave then." Jared got up and politely said goodbye. "Where are you?" Jared called Nicole. "I''m at the vi.Have you had lunch?" Nicole asked with concern. "Not yet.I''m on my way back to the vi." "You''reing back to the vi? You are free in the afternoon?" Nicole asked him happily. "Yeah.What would you want to eat? I will make it for you when I''m back." "It''s alright.Just tell me what you want to eat, or we will both probably starve to death when you finally arrive and cook," Nicole said with a smile. "Okay, then just cook whatever you like.I''m fine with it." "Okay, I will make it now and it will be ready by the time you get home.Bye." Nicole hung up the phone and walked toward the kitchen. Jared said to Max with a smiling face. "Check Henry''s branch officeter and see what''s going on there." "Got it." Half an hourter, Jared''s car pulled up in front of the vi. Jared got out of the car and walked into the house as Max drove off.He pushed the door open and walked in. Without Nicole in sight, he took off his suit and walked toward the kitchen, where a plump figure was busy. Jared quietly walked over and hugged her from behind. "What are you cooking?" "When did you get back? You walked like a ghost." Nicole''s heart throbbed for a second. "Just got back.Can I help you with something?" Jared liked the feeling of being busy in the kitchen with her. "Get a soup bowl to serve soupter," Nicole said. "Okay." It did not take long for a bowl of fresh soup and four small dishes to be ready, and Nicole served him a bowl of soup. "How about trying the soup I made for the first time?" "This is the first time you have made soup?" Jared looked at her with surprise. "Yes, don''t you feel honored?" Nicole looked at him with pride. "It is my honor.Just that, is this soup really drinkable?" Jared asked, looking at the not-so-pretty looking soup. Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org. "Ignore the appearance.This soup of mine doesn''t look pretty, but it still tastes good.Try it now." Nicole looked at him as if she was waiting for him to finish the soup. Chapter 1019 Chapter 1019 Jared took a sip from the spoon as if he had made a big decision. The spicy white pepper mixed with fishy acidity almost made him throw up.He swallowed it with determination and then took a big bite of other food to stop the feeling of vomiting. Nicole looked at him with delight as she saw him eating with gusto and thought he liked it. "I knew you would like it.It was just as I expected.But you don''t have to eat like people are going to grab it from you.It is all yours." Jared was petrified upon hearing that. ¡®What? It is all mine? Isn''t she really screwing me?'' He hurriedly exined. "Actually, you don''t have to give me everything.You should drink it too, as I can''t finish it myself." He was almost crying, as he simply could not finish it all. "It''s okay.I don''t like soup much.This soup is specially made for you.You work so hard every day, have some soup to replenish your body." Nicole looked at him with a concerned face, not feeling Jared''s helplessness at all. "Specially made for me?" Jared was dumbfounded, thinking this was the end of him. "Yeah." Nicole smiled happily at him, unaware of how hapless Jared was right now. Nicole never drank that soup.She just ate the sd and other dishes as she kept refilling Jared''s soup bowl, as if her eyes grew on Jared''s soup bowl. "No more filling.I''m done." Jared hurriedly got off the table. If he stayed any longer, he was afraid he would have to spend the entire afternoon in the toilet. "Oh, then I will keep it for you to drink at night." Jared almost wanted to go over and throw the soup bowl away when he heard this, but he could not do that, so he had to put up with it. "Don''t do anything now.If you''re done eating,e over and sit down for a while." Jared walked over to the couch. Nicole put down her cutlery and followed him over to sit down. "Is the first product that Martin made with you?" Jared looked at her. "Yeah.Do you want to see it?" Nicole asked, upon knowing what he wanted. "Show it to me." Jared looked at her expectantly. "Okay." Nicole took The Beacon out of her bag next to her. "This is The Beacon.Take a look." While speaking, she handed it to him. Jared took it in his hand and looked at it carefully. "What does this thing do?" Nicole then told Jared exactly what Martin had told her, and Jared nodded in surprise. "I didn''t expect that Martin could make such a powerful device." "Are the paperwork done for the manufacturing of Martin''s product?"Jared asked. "I don''t think so." "Has a productunch event been held?" Jared asked again. "I don''t think so." Nicole had not heard Martin mention it.Jared frowned. "How can such a great product not even have aunch event? What''s Martin been up to?" ¡°I heard him say that raw materials are increasing in price and suppliers are not easy to find.He is probably looking for suppliers all over the world right now." Nicole told Jared what she knew. "Why are you suddenly so interested in Martin''s business?" Nicole asked in puzzlement. "Anything valuable will arouse my interest.Isn''t the raw material for the pre-production of this device from me?" Jared mentioned the raw materials. N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. "Yes, I almost forgot if you didn''t remind me." Chapter 1020 Chapter 1020 "The prices of the raw materials now are ridiculously high, and he will of course have a hard time finding major suppliers." Material ? N?velDrama.Org. Jared knew the market like the back of his hand. "Indeed." Nicole seemed to have thought of something and looked at Jared with a surprised look. "You have the raw materials, and Martin could have asked you to work with him.Why did I just think of that?" Nicole sighed at her slow wit. "You just said you weren''t busy this afternoon.Do you want me to contact Martin and we can meet somewhere to talk with him?" Helping Martin was helping herself. Only when The Beacon was in production could Zane''s organization use it to fight against The Raven better. "Why not?" Jared also has his own calctions. Last time, Nicole asked him for help, so he did not think about cooperating with Martin. But this time, Henry hadined to Mr.Johnston Sr., and he felt it was time for him to talk to Martin.It was going to be a win-win cooperation. "I will ask him what he''s up to now." Nicole took out her phone and dialed Martin''s number. "Martin, are you still out there looking for a supplier?" "Yeah, what''s up, Nicole?" "Have you found any?" "I saw several of them this morning, and they were all booked out of raw materials.So, I still have to keep looking." Martin sighed dejectedly. "Do you want me to introduce you to a major supplier?" Nicole''s call was like a rain after a long drought, lifting Martin''s spirits again. "Sure.Whichpany is it?" "I will see you at Blue Whale Restaurant in a while.You will know then." Nicole hung up the phone and looked at Jared. "Let''s go." At the Blue Whale Restaurant, Martin sat at a table, still guessing who the supplier Nicole was going to introduce him to. "Martin." Nicole walked in and waved to him. Martin waved his hand back at her, and then he spotted someone he knew. "Jared?" "Sorry to keep you waiting?" Nicole and Jared walked over and sat down. "It''s okay.I have just arrived." Martin shot a nce at Jared, then back at Nicole. "I don''t think I need to introduce you two again." Nicole said. "Mr.Johnston." Martin was still a bit unnatural to see Jared. Jared nodded. Knowing Martin was an introvert, he took the lead to speak. "Dr.Wyance, I heard The Beacon is ready for mass production, right?" Chapter 1021 Chapter 1021 "Yes, I''m preparing for mass production now, but raw material is a problem." Talking about raw materials these days gave Martina headache. "Now, raw materials are really hard to find, but the good thing is that I have no shortage of stock.So this is not a problem for me." Jared looked at Martin with confidence. "Really? That''s great.Mr.Johnston, let me exin my product to you first." Martin wanted to exin The Beacon to Jared so that he would understand and be interested before he could talk to him about cooperation. "Okay." "I developed the same product that Nicole has in her hand, and I think Nicole has already exined some of its features to you.So I won''t talk about it here.Let''s look at the other advantages of The Beacon.§Ú¦Ò¦Í???§Ó¦Ò¦Ò§Ü.¡é¦Ò§Þ" ¡°The Beacon is an excellent first-aid medical device with many potential users.Hospitals, homes, outdoors, and all walks of life can use it.In terms of sales, I think its potential is limitless.Because of its speciality and effectiveness, it willrgely avoid the painful cost of idents.It is a new product worth rmending, a wonderful product.When I first developed The Beacon, which is in Nicole''s hand, it was you and Mr.Riddle who helped me.I didn''t pay at that time, but I will pay for it together with this payment.No matter what, I should thank you and Mr.Riddle.Since Mr.Riddle is not here today, I will toast you first." Martin raised his ss to Jared. Jared clinked sses with him. "You don''t have to pay for the first batch of raw materials that I gave you.I have understood this product of yours, and I think it has great potential.Now you are just starting out.You need support in all aspects.If you don''t mind, I can invest in The Beacon and help you open up the market." Jared made his thoughts clear and simple. "Really? Why would I mind? If you are willing to invest in us, that''s really great." Martin did not expect that Jared would be willing to invest in The Beacon, which was a boon to him as he was just starting out, and Jared would be his benefactor now. "That''s good that you don''t mind.I heard from Nicole that you haven''t held aunch event until now, have you?" Jared asked him. "Yes, I was too busy with the factory and looking for suppliers, so I had to postpone theunch date," Martin said. "I think we should set up apany.You just pick a name.You will be the majority shareholder, and I will take up the rest of the shares.We then divide the work into two parts.You handle product development and quality control, and I will send someone to take care of the rest of the things so that you can focus on R&D and do what you are good at.Do you think that''s a suitable arrangement?" These things were a piece of cake for Jared, and he easily divided things up in a simple and clear way. "You are not only my benefactor but also an outstanding entrepreneur.To be honest, other than R&D, nothing else is what I am good at.With your arrangement, I feel everything is clear, and I can concentrate on R&D again." "Thanks for the thoughtfulness.Why don¡¯t we name the newpany The Beacon Company?"Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org. Martin looked at Jared as if asking his opinion.He was grateful to Jared because he would not have thought of these things otherwise. "The Beacon Company is a good name,"Jared said. "Since you also think it is a good idea, let''s call it The Beacon Company then," Martin said. Seeing that Jared was happy with the name, he approved it even more. Jared suddenly became the second shareholder of The Beacon Company, and things were under his control, while Martin had his ownpany. Jared''s n was a triple whammy: he founded The Beacon Company and became its shareholder, so Mr.Johnston Sr.would have nothing to say about it; Henry had no more excuse to make a fuss about the raw materials he had given Martin, and The Beacon''s promising future was in his hands. "I will send someone to set up The Beacon Company right away, arrange for theunch event, and if the raw materials are okay, I will send them to you tomorrow.The rest will wait until The Beacon rolls out of the factory." Jared told him clearly so that he would not be confused. "Got it.You are efficient.It seems I really need to learn from you." After today''s exchange, Martin had a full new understanding of Jared. In his mind, Jared was a high and mighty CEO, but today''s encounter really made him know the real Jared. Chapter 1022 Chapter 1022 "Martin, I got you such a great partner.How are you going to thank me?" Nicole smiled and looked to Martin for credit. "I will make your order our first priority." Martin looked at Nicole. "Okay, that''s what you said.I''ll make a note of it." Nicole looked at him with a serious face. "Absolutely." Martin then turned to Jared. "What is the best location for our newpany?" Martin knew nothing about this. "I will have someone pick some better locations to send you for reference." Jared could see that Martin really did not know much about this aspect of the business. "If you have anything in the future, feel free to contact me.That is all we will talk about today." Jared got up and prepared to leave. "Take care, Mr.Johnston." Martin stood up to see Jared and Nicole off. "Bye-bye, Nicole." In the car, Nicole looked over at Jared andplimented him. "You were awesome today." "Awesome, what?" Jared looked at her nonchntly.§Ú¦Ò¦Í???§Ó¦Ò¦Ò§Ü.¡é¦Ò§Þ "When you were telling Martin about setting up apany, I felt like you were glowing." Nicole looked at Jared with adoration. "Did I? I just arranged things as usual." N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. Jared was unimpressed. "Show off," Nicole murmured. Jared hugged her with a smile. "Thanks for being the go-between.I will go with you to see your grandma tonight." Nicole looked at Jared in surprise. "Why do you suddenly want to apany me to see my grandma?" "Haven''t you been there for days? Forget it since you don''t want to."Jared was actually trying to avoid that soup at night. "Let''s go then since you have said it.Don''t you go back on it!" "Max, head straight to the ocean-view vi," Nicole instructed. Forty minutester, the car stopped in front of the ocean-view vi, and Nicole and Jared got out of the car in tandem. "Grandma, we''re here to see you." Nicole walked into the living room and saw Mrs.Wace Sr.watching TV on the couch. "Nicole?"Mrs.Wace Sr.looked back. "Hello, Nicole, Mr.Johnston."Tia walked up to greet them. "How is Grandma''s health these days?" Nicole asked Tia. "She is in pretty good health, eating and sleeping well,"Tia said with a smile. "That is great.Tomorrow I want to take Grandma for a medical check-up, so don''t let her eat or drink anything after nine o''clock tonight," Nicole said. "Got it, Nicole." After that, Nicole walked over to Mrs.Wace Sr. "I will take you to the hospital tomorrow for a physical examination, and you will not be allowed to eat or drink anything at nine o''clock this evening." "What''s the point of going to the hospital? I''m not sick" Mrs.Wace Sr.had never made a trip to the hospital, even once a year; she thought only people who were sick would go to the hospital. "It is just a normal medical check-up.You can go without being sick.Just don''t worry.I will go with you." Nicole reassured her. "How are you doing, Jared?" Mrs.Wace Sr.did not continue talking to Nicole.She turned to look at Jared with concern. "I''m great, Grandma.You look much better than thest time I saw you.Is it boring to be here?" Jared looked at Mrs.Wace Sr. "It is not boring.Usually, Tia will walk me to the beach, where there are lots of beautiful shells.I even picked up some." Chapter 1023 Chapter 1023 Jared smiled and nodded. "Grandma, you stay here and keep watching TV while Jared and I take a stroll," Nicole said so that Mrs.Wace Sr.would not think she had left. "Okay, go ahead." With that, Nicole and Jared headed to the rooftop. "The view from the rooftop is still the best," Nicole said, facing the sea. "You love it here?" Jared looked over at her. "Yeah.I like this ce very much.Drinking coffee and embracing the sea breeze here is so rxing.I enjoy living here." Nicole expressed her feelings. "If you like it here, you can always stay here." Nicole gave him a look. "It is easy for you to say. How can I bring myself to let you live in the vi alone?" Jared smiled and hugged her. "So, you are doing this for me?" "How about we move nearby, too?"§Ú¦Ò¦Í???§Ó¦Ò¦Ò§Ü.¡é¦Ò§Þ Jared was willing to move to the beach for Nicole. "Is that okay?" Nicole looked at Jared with a surprised look on her face. "What is not to like? Anything if you like it." Jared looked at her fondly. "You''re so nice." Nicole leaned against his chest.Nicole and Jared spent the afternoon on the rooftop in the sea breeze. "Nicole, Mr.Johnston, you are not leaving tonight, are you?" Tia asked. "Yeah.We will stay here tonight.It is more convenient for us to bring Grandma to the medical check-up tomorrow." "What would you like for dinner tonight?" Tia asked again. "The usual dishes will do." Nicole did not like to get too extravagant and wasteful.It was just a meal. Unnecessary to make it like the New Year''s dinner. "Okay, I will prepare it right away." After dinner, Nicole and Jared were in the garden with Mrs.Wace Sr.watering the flowers. Nicole then suggested by saying, "Shall we go for a walk on the beach?" "Yeah." Jared had not taken a walk on the beach in so long, so much so that he had almost forgotten what it felt like to step in the sand.As the two walked hand in hand toward the beach, Jared looked out to sea and asked, "Did you order many medical devices from Martin?" "Yeah." "You didn''t order those devices for Zane''s organization, did you?" Jared wanted to be sure of what he thought. "You are right.We need a device as good as The Beacon badly." "Jared, please do me a favor: don''t sell The Beacon to The Raven.If a product like The Beacon falls into their hands, I''m afraid there will be more ces that will suffer harm." This was a problem that Nicole had been worried about. If The Beacon was ced in the hands of good people, it was a wonderful product for the benefit of the country and the people; if it fell into the wrong hands, it would be an aid of evil. "It is not so easy.I can control who we sell to, but I have no control over who they will resell to." N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content. Jared was telling the truth; there was nothing he could do about this. "So, what should we do? We can''t just do nothing, right?" "There is another way: limit the sale of The Beacon to the domestic market only so that it might be safer.Even if there is a leakage, it would only be a small percentage." Jared could only think of this solution for now. "This seems to be the only solution now.We must also think of a better way.Otherwise, the domestic demand will be saturated within a few years, and the product will still have to be exported." Nicole felt that not exporting was not the best solution and that there must be a better way. "Don''t worry about it.Just sit down with Martin some day and talk about it.Maybe he will have some ideas." Jared reassured her. "That is the only way to go.There are really no two ways about it." While speaking, Nicole picked up a stone and threw it into the sea. "Jared, have you ever yed stone skipping?" Nicole looked over at him. Chapter 1024 Chapter 1024 "What''s stone skipping?" Jared had never yed it, so he did not understand what Nicole meant by that.Nicole picked up a rock and showed him. "This is called stone skipping." "Oh, I have never yed that." "You must have had a pretty boring childhood." Nicole mocked him. "I didn''t find it boring.Everyone was the same." "Look how I do it." Nicole demonstrated it to Jared. "Did you see that?" Nicole asked as she looked back at him. "That easy?" Jared saw it clearly and found no difficulty. "Don''t just talk.Try." Nicole looked at him with a provocative look in her eyes. "Then open your eyes." Jared picked up a rock and approached the beach.He nted his feet in a firm stance and held the rock steady, then threw the rock across the water, and it bounced off the surface five or six times, surprising Nicole. "Not as good as me, but it is not bad." Nicole looked at Jared with a slight disappointment for failing to taunt him. "Did you get anything out of the seminar you attended a while back?" Jared asked as it suddenly crossed his mind.§Ú¦Ò¦Í???§Ó¦Ò¦Ò§Ü.¡é¦Ò§Þ "Surely.I got to know a foreign friend who is so good you can''t even imagine what he has developed." Nicole looked at Jared with an impressed face. Jared frowned, looking at Nicole, figuring that the person must have developed something notmon in the market. "Could it be some kind of high-tech gizmo again?" "Not bad.It is pretty close.Try again, and I will see if you can guess." Nicole wanted to test Jared''s imagination. "Are you testing me? Okay, then I will y along." Jared sat down to look out to sea and think. "A high-tech gizmo? It is a broad category, not easy to guess.Foreigners are more into novelty, so I guess it should be people- rted." Jared looked at Nicole after analyzing it. "Yes, but the scope of this is so broad that I guess you won''t be able to guess it for a while.Maybe I will tell you." It was impressive of Jared to guess that it was people-rted.Ever heard of manned flying cars?" Nicole raised an eyebrow at him. "Manned flying cars? Your foreign friend has developed a manned flying car?" Jared looked at Nicole in shock. This was something he had not heard of.He did not expect that foreign countries had already developed it, but only a few people knew about the concept domestically. Jared could not help but be anxious and think he had to take some action now; he could not let foreigners take the market. "Yeah, and I even went to his research center to view it.The thingpletely changed my imagination.Just putting it there makes me curious.It is just wonderful." N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. Nicole recalled the manned flying car in awe. "Can you tell me more about the manned flying car?" Jared wanted to learn from Nicole about the other side''s progress and strength. Chapter 1025 Chapter 1025 "How should I describe it to you? It is a car that can fly in the sky and only take two people, but its appearance still looks cool.You know UFOs, right? It is simr to that." Nicole could not fully describe the actual situation of the manned flying car with words, and only those who saw it could feel its charm. From Nicole''s brief description, Jared had captured some keywords.He figured that the man- flying car was only in the early stages of research and development and not very practical. N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. "I can feel how cool it is just by listening to what you say.Do you have any opinion about the manned flying car developed by foreigners?" Jared asked. After all, Nicole had seen it with her own eyes and must have had a sense of what it was like. "Appearance aside, from a practical point of view, it is still something nice to have, but that needs fine- tuning and improvement.Scott is optimistic about manned flying cars.During the seminar, he even announced the setting up of a manned flying car R & D team and invited me to take part.I''m in a dilemma." Nicole sighed helplessly. As much as she was interested in manned flying cars, she knew nothing about R&D. Scott was putting her in a difficult situation.§Ú¦Ò¦Í???§Ó¦Ò¦Ò§Ü.¡é¦Ò§Þ "Oh? Scott asked you to take part in the R&D of manned flying cars? " Jared seemed to see an opportunity, his eyes brightening up. "Well, what do you think I should do? How can I say no without offending him?" Nicole asked Jared for advice. "That is easy don''t say no." Jared looked at her with a serious face, wondering why she wanted to turn down such a great opportunity that many people wanted to take part in but could not. "Don''t say no? Why?" Nicole did not expect Jared to advise her in this way. "I think this is a great opportunity.You should seize it." Jared told her seriously. "I don''t see this as a great opportunity.You should know I have more important things to do." "Of course I know, but this R&D is just as important.No one in the country now recognizes the inevitability of manned flying cars, and if you can bring the technology that you have learned back to the country, it will open the minds and eyes of everyone and will be a pioneer of manned flying cars in the country.Then I can set up a business for you to produce manned flying cars." Jared had seen all the future trends and even came up with a future n. "So you have long-term ns." Nicole looked at him with sly eyes. "Do you still want to say no?" Jared looked her seriously in the eyes. "Looks like I''m going to have to give it some serious thought now." She then shed Jared a knowing smile. "I''m looking forward to your answer." Jared took her hand and walked forward. "I''m looking forward to it just as much.Let''s go back." "Okay." Back at the vi, Mrs.Wace Sr.was resting, and there was no sign of Tia.So Nicole brought Jared to her room. "We will have to sleep here tonight, as the other rooms haven''t been cleaned up." Nicole nced at Jared. "It is fine to sleep here." Jared did not mind where he slept as long as Nicole was there with him. "Why are you still standing there?" Jared let out a wicked smile. "I''m going to wash up.Don''t you need to?" "Of course I need to." Jared walked with her into the washroom. Chapter 1026 Chapter 1026 The following day, at the dining table "You really don''t want me to go with you guys?" Jared asked again. "No.Really.It is just a medical check-up." "Well, then I will eat up and go back to the office first." Jared kissed Nicole in front of everyone, then said goodbye to Mrs.Wace Sr.and went back to the office. "Nicole, Mr.Johnston, and you are so sweet.I feel like a third wheel here." Tia looked at Nicole enviously. "Not at all.Come on, eat." Nicole sheepishly fetched an enormous chunk of food to Tia''s dish, and Tia giggled at her shyness. After the meal, Nicole drove Mrs.Wace Sr.and Tia to the hospital. Martin was returning to pick up his things when he bumped into Nicole at the hospital entrance. "Are you here to apany your grandma for her medical check- up?" Martin saw the olddy beside Nicole and knew without guessing that it must be her grandmother. "Yes, what are you doing here?" Nicole asked, looking at Martin, who was in a hurry. "I''m going to pick up something from theb.Hi Grandma." Martin said hello to Mrs.Wace Sr. "Grandma, this is my friend." Nicole introduced Martin to Mrs.Wace Sr. "Nicole, it is inconvenient for you to stand in line with your grandma.How about this: I will arrange it for you?" Martin looked at Nicole. "It is alright.There is Tia to help." Nicole nced over at Tia. "Well, I will go upstairs first, then.Feel free to call me if you need help." Martin smiled warmly and then headed upstairs. Tia looked at Martin as he left, almost infatuated. "Nicole, your friend is so handsome." "Is he your type?" Nicole teased her. "Don''t make fun of me." Tia stood on the other side of Mrs.Wace Sr.and stole a nce at Martin, who was about to walk into the elevator. Nicole snickered and looked over at Mrs.Wace Sr. "Grandma, let''s go sit in the lounge area." "Tia, go get in line and register," Nicole instructed. N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. "Okay." Nicole apanied Mrs.Wace Sr.as she sat in a chair and waited. Martin walked toward theb, his mind still thinking about Nicole and Mrs.Wace Sr.in the lobby.He took out his cell phone and made a call. "There is ady named Nicole Riddle in the lobby on the first floor, wearing a set of blue clothes.She is my VIP guest, bringing an olddy to the medical check-up today.Help arrange it so that she doesn''t have to wait too long." "Okay, Dr.Wyance." In the lobby, Nicole was chatting with Mrs.Wace Sr.when a head nurse approached and greeted Nicole politely. "Hello, are you Ms.Riddle?" "Tam.What can I do for you?" Nicole''s eyes sized her up cautiously. "Dr.Wyance has told us about it.Please follow me." The head nurse made a gesture of invitation. "What is the full name of the Dr.Wyance you speak of?" Nicole asked out of professional habits. "Martin Wyance." "Okay." Nicole helped Mrs.Wace Sr.off with the head nurse. "Tia, there''s no need to stand in line anymore,"Nicole called Tia. The three of them followed the head nurse to a quiet examination room, and the head nurse looked at Nicole. "Miss Riddle, please just wait here while I take your grandma in for her check-up." "Can I go in with her?" Nicole was afraid that Mrs.Wace Sr.would not cooperate. Chapter 1027 Chapter 1027 "Sure." "Thank you.Grandma, I will go in with you.Tia, you wait here." Nicole looked back at Tia. "Okay, call me if you need anything,"Tia said. "I will." N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. Nicole helped Mrs.Wace Sr.and followed the head nurse into the examination room.Mrs.Wace Sr.was clearly ufortable when faced with the doctor and the instrument, but she was more at ease with Nicole''s presence. "Rx, Grandma.It will make it easier for the doctor to examine you,"Nicole said. Mrs.Wace Sr.looked at Nicole and nodded.Soon after some tests were done, the head nurse came over to Nicole. "Miss Riddle, could you please take Grandma to the bed of the instrument ande out?" "Okay." About two hourster, after all the tests were done, Nicole apanied Mrs.Wace Sr.to the doctor''s office. "What is the state of my grandma''s health, doctor?" "She is in very good health, much better than people of his age.Nowadays, there are few old people in such a healthy physical state.Keep it up, Mrs.Wace"the doctor said. "I exercise every day."§Ú¦Ò¦Í???§Ó¦Ò¦Ò§Ü.¡é¦Ò§Þ Mrs.Wace Sr.smiled as she spoke to the doctor. "Fantastic." "Thank you, doctor.We will leave then.Grandma, we can go back now." Nicole took Mrs.Wace Sr.and Tia with her and left the hospital. On the way home, Mrs.Wace Sr.asked Nicole, "I heard from the nurse that it was Dr.Wyance who arranged the check-up for us. When you have time, invite Dr.Wyance toe to the house." "Grandma, it is alright.We are good friends.We know each other very well." "Since you two know each other well, that is all the more reason to invite him to our house." "Okay, I will invite him some day."Nicole could only go along with her. After several days of not receiving funds from Jared, Henry was restless.He picked up the phone to call Mr.Johnston Sr. "Dad, has Jared been to your cetely?" Henry tried to get information out of Mr.Johnston Sr. "Yeah.What''s up?" "Did Jared say when he was going to inject capital into the branch? " That was the thing Henry cared most about. "I mentioned it to Jared.He hasn''t transferred you the money yet?" "Not yet.If he doesn''t transfer funds, I won''t be able to hold this up." Henry sounded anxious. "Maybe he has his ns.You''d better carry out what he said.The market is unstable now.You be careful." "I know." Henry heard and understood what Mr.Johnston Sr.meant and hung up the phone in frustration. "It seems your grandpa is still favoring Jared.We can''t count on him.We have to figure it out ourselves." Henry looked at Castor and Murphy. "Dad, what do we do?" Castor asked Henry, squinting. "You two go outside and try to get some investment, see if anyone is willing to invest in us.As long as people are willing to invest, we will get through this difficult time." Henry looked at them seriously, his eyes full of determination. "Okay, we will get on it right away." Martin was setting up the production line in the factory when us walked up to him. "Mr.Wyance, are you installing the production line?" "Yes, you are?" Chapter 1028 Chapter 1028 "My name is us, Mr.Johnston''s assistant." "Hello." "This is a list of the locations Mr.Johnston has asked me to identify.Please choose one of them as the newpany''s address." us handed the list to Martin.Martin looked at it for a long while and finally chose the one near Jared''s office. "Let''s go with this one." "Okay.I will contact you when it is ready.One more thing; theunch event is ready.You are to attend and speak at theunch event tomorrow morning." "Just myself? What about Mr.Johnston?" Martin asked. "Theunch event is mainly about introducing a product, so Mr.Johnston won''t be there.If there is nothing else, I will excuse myself," us said and left. "Mr.Wyance,e here and take a look." An engineer called out.Martin immediately went over. "This spot must be level.I will tell you again; all assembly lines must be level, do you understand?" "Got it." "Martin, you do things pretty quick here." Nicole''s voice rang out.Martin turned around and looked at Nicole with surprise. "How did you find this ce?" "It is easy to find.Are you putting the assembly line together?" Nicole looked inside. "Yes, what do you want to see me about?" Martin asked. "Do you have time at noon? My grandma wants to invite you to lunch,"Nicole said. "Your grandma wants to invite me to lunch? Why?" Martin looked even more surprised. "We knew it was you who helped arrange the medical check-up that day.So grandma wants to thank you in person." "No trouble at all." Martin thought it was about something special at first. "Well, it is up to you whether you go or not, but I have brought the message, anyway.Can Ie inside for a tour?" Nicole was curious about how The Beacon was produced. "Yes, I will take you inside.They are installing it now, and when all this equipment is installed, it will be ready for a trial run." §Ú¦Ò¦Í???§Ó¦Ò¦Ò§Ü.¡é¦Ò§Þ Martin introduced those production lines to Nicole. "It looks like I''m going to have to call you Mr.Wyance, as you will be the CEO of thepany." Nicole teased him. "Don''t call me that.I''m not used to it." N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. Martin still could not get used to being called Mr.Wyance. After all, he had been called Dr.Wyance for years. "It is okay.You will get used to it after a while." Nicole patted him on the shoulder. "us came over just now, informing me of theunch event of The Beacon tomorrow morning.Do you know about it?" Martin looked at Nicole happily. "Theunch of The Beacon? No one told me about it." Nicole frowned. "It is okay.I will tell you now.Are you going to be there tomorrow? " Martin wished Nicole could be there. "I can be there, but I won''t be speaking on stage." "I''d be happy if you were there." Martin looked at Nicole happily. Being able to witness theunch of The Beacon with Nicole in front of the press was something he was looking forward to. "So, how long will you be busy here?" Nicole nced at the workers, who were busy setting things up. "Your grandma is waiting for me to go over, isn''t she?" Martin looked at her. "Then I will go over and exin a few things to them, and then I will go with you." "Okay, I will wait for you here." Chapter 1029 Chapter 1029 Martin walked up to the instation engineer and talked with him as he gestured. After a few moments, the engineer nodded, and Martin left them and went to Nicole. "Let''s go," he said. Nicole drove Martin toward the sea-view vi. After about forty minutes, the car pulled up in the vi''s courtyard. "It is so beautiful here." Martin eximed, looking at the beach. "How long has it been since you have been to the beach? What is with the big reaction?" Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org. Nicole looked at him with surprise. "It has been so long that I don''t even remember." Martinughed at himself. "If you still have time after dinner, we will walk with you to the beach." Nicole led Martin into the house. "We? There are others?" Martin looked at Nicole with puzzlement. "Tia, who went to the hospital with me that day.Does that ring a bell?" Nicole gave him a look. "Oh, I remember her, but I didn''t look at her closely that day," Martin recalled. "It is okay.You can take a good lookter." Nicole teased him. "Okay, but what do you mean?" Martin almost got tricked by Nicole. Nicole smiled and walked over to Mrs.Wace Sr. "Grandma, look who I brought back for you." Mrs.Wace Sr.turned to Martin. "Is this Dr.Wyance from the other day?" "It is me.I heard you had good health." §Ú¦Ò¦Í???§Ó¦Ò¦Ò§Ü.¡é¦Ò§Þ Martin stepped forward and spoke in a friendly voice. "Please have a seat." Mrs.Wace Sr.said with courtesy. "Dr.Wyance, thank you for the other day." "Don''t mention it, Mrs.Wace Sr.Nicole and I are good friends, and that was what I should do." Martin was gentle, and Mrs.Wace Sr.liked him. "Dr.Wyance, have some water." Tia brought a ss of water to Martin. "Thank you." "Dr.Wyance, how is your work?" Mrs.Wace Sr.did not know what to talk about, so she asked about his work. "I have been busy installing equipmenttely, spending most of my time at the factory," Martin told the story of what he had been doing as if he were reporting to his grandmother. "Be safe when you are running back and forth." Mrs.Wace Sr.said with concern. "It is safe, Mrs.Wace Sr.Don''t worry," Martin exined. "Martin, please don''t mind.My grandma has always been down- home and hospitable." Nicole exined for fear that Martin would be offended. "It is okay.I like her down-home and hospitable." Martin did not feel offended but kind. "Lunch is ready." Tia came over. "Dr.Wyance, let''s go over there." Mrs.Wace Sr.walked toward the dining room. At the table, she was very cordial. "Dr.Wyance, please make yourself at home and eat all you can.These are all prepared for you." "Martin, you are so lucky.I have never had some of these dishes before." Nicole shot him a jealous look. "Thank you for your hospitality, Mrs.Wace Sr.This is the most scrumptious meal I have had in a long time." Martin looked at the table full of food and felt like it was New Year''s Eve. "Help yourself." Nicole did not treat him as an outsider and ate by herself. After the meal, Nicole and Martin spent some time chatting with Mrs.Wace Sr.in the living room. Tia came over from the dining room with fruit. "Grandma, why don''t we take you for a walk on the beach?" Nicole looked at Mrs.Wace Sr. "I''m not going.You guys can go by yourselves if you like." "Then you stay here and watch TV while we go for a walk on the beach." Nicole nced at Martin and then brought Tia to the beach. "Martin, what does it feel like to step on the beach?" Nicole looked at him. Chapter 1030 Chapter 1030 "It is along-lost feeling, hot andfortable." Martin looked out to the sea, feeling the sea breeze.It had been a really long time since he had taken a walk on the beach, as the busyness of work was swallowing him up. "Nicole, thank you for bringing me here." Martin stepped onto the beach,pletely at ease.Blue sky and white clouds made him forget all his worries, with only the sound of the sea in his ears at this moment. "The sea is a natural therapist.No matter if you are happy or not, you can talk to it." Nicole raised her hands to the sea. "Dr.Wyance, what do you usually like to do?" Tia looked at Martin with a smile on her face. "I like to experiment." Martin could not think of any other hobbies he had. "Experiment?" Tia did not understand what he meant and looked at him in bafflement. N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content. "Yes, I made the device that Nicole is using now.I have been working on that for a while.Things get a bit easier now." Martin looked at her and told her what he had done. "Dr.Wyance, you are amazing! J thought you were just a regr doctor." Tia did not expect that Martin could develop devices, and her feelings for him increased dramatically. "I''m not as amazing as you say.It is my hobby." Martin and Tia had a pleasant conversation. Nicole just quietly admired the scenery and did not interrupt to give them enough space. The two talked for a long while before they thought of Nicole.Tia asked, "Why are you so quiet, Nicole?" "I''m thinking about something." Nicole could only find a random excuse. "Thinking about what?" Martin looked at Nicole curiously. "Nothing.Just some trivial things abroad.You guys keep talking." Nicole smiled as she looked at them both. Just then, Martin''s phone rang.He picked it up, talked to the caller for just a few words, and hung up. "Nicole, Tia, there is something at the factory that I need to attend to."'' Martin looked at them. "I will give you a lift, then.It is difficult to get a taxi here." Nicole looked at him. "Thank you." Meanwhile, Henry was listening to Castor''s report in his office. "Dad, I have visited manypanies.None of them are willing to invest in us." Castor stood in front of Henry''s desk to report his work in the past few days. SNAP! Henry forced his hand on his desk angrily. "Didn''t these people want to invest in Johnston Group before this? Howe all of a sudden they change their minds?" "I don''t know.The fund we siphoned will not be back for a while, and the loan ising due soon.What should we do?" Castor was pacing back and forth. "s!" Henry sighed helplessly, angry with Jared. "It must be Jared behind this.Since he and Dad treat me like this, I''m not going to y nice anymore." §Ú¦Ò¦Í???§Ó¦Ò¦Ò§Ü.¡é¦Ò§ÞHenry''s eyes looked scarlet, and his gaze was ruthless. "Dad, did you think of a way?" "Come over here," Henry whispered something in Castor''s ear, and his pupils kept dting. "Dad, isn''t this too much?" Castor frowned. "What do you know? A real man will do whatever it takes to get what he wants." In the evening, inside the vi, Jared was having dinner with Nicole when he suddenly received a call from Alfred, the butler. "Mr.Johnston Sr.has met with a car ident," Alfred said. "What?" Jared was in shock. "In which hospital? I will be right over." Jared put down his cutlery and got up, ready to go. "Jared, what''s wrong?" Nicole had never seen him so nervous before. Chapter 1031 Chapter 1031 "Grandpa met with a car ident." " will go with you." "Okay." Jared drove Nicole''s Lamborghini and sped toward the hospital. In the emergency room, the doctors were struggling to save Mr.Johnston Sr.Jared and Nicole looked through the ss and saw Mr.Johnston Sr.lying on the bed with his eyes closed. "How did this happen?" Jared asked the family butler with a sullen look on his face. "Mr.Johnston Sr.said he was going to go outside for a walk, and I got a call from the hospital not long after he went out, and then..." Material ? N?velDrama.Org. The family butler could not figure out why until now. Just then, a nurse in the operating room ran out. "Who is the patient''s family?" "I am.How is my grandpa?" Jared asked. "The patient is badly injured, and the doctor said the patient needs to undergo surgery.Please sign here." The nurse handed a consent form to Jared. "Who is the chief surgeon?" Jared asked. "It is Dr.Robertson." "Which Dr.Robertson?" "The best surgeon in the hospital." The nurse finished and turned to walk back into the operating room. Looking at Jared''s anxious demeanor, Nicole reassured him, saying, "Your grandpa will be fine.Let''s wait over there." Nicole brought Jared to a chair and sat down. Just then, someone came up from a distance. "What happened to Mrs.Johnston Sr.?"§Ú¦Ò¦Í???§Ó¦Ò¦Ò§Ü.¡é¦Ò§ÞHenry asked the family butler. "He has been in a car ident." "A car ident?" Henry looked at the family butler with a shocked face.He then swept a nce at Jared and Nicole sitting at the side. "Get me the best doctor in the hospital.I have to save Dad." Henry talked loudly in the hallway. "Be quiet!" Jared shouted.He already had enough headaches, and he could not stand Henry''s impudent behavior. "How do you talk to your uncle like this? Now that your grandpa is in the operating room fighting for his life.How can you still sit here?" Henry shot back. Jared looked up at him with a knife-like look in his eyes. Henry did not dare to look at him but turned to reprimand the family butler. Half an hour passed, and the surgeon came out of the operating room with asad look on his face. Jared went over to him and asked, "How is my grandpa?" "I''m really sorry I wasn''t able to save the patient.So go in and see him for onest time while he is still breathing." Dr.Robertson said, nced at Henry, and left. Nicole looked at her watch; this surgeon only went in for less than half an hour and then came out to dere the patient dying. Plus, the way he had looked at Henry, she felt something was wrong. But there was no time to think, as Mr.Johnston Sr.was still lying on the operating table.So she hurried in. Jared and Henry saw Mr.Johnston Sr.lying on the operating table and called out a few times without getting an answer from him. "Jared, we did our best.Let your grandpa go in peace." Henry tried to persuade Jared to leave. "If you have something to do, leave first," Jared replied coldly. "You, s, I will go talk to the hospital about what we should do next," Henry said and left after giving Mr.Johnston Sr.another look. Nicole went to Mr.Johnston Sr"s side and checked his injuries.She found that only one of the injuries was life-threatening but not incurable, as the doctor had imed. "Jared, don''t be upset yet.I think your grandpa should be in aa.You go out and rest for a while, while I will heal your grandpa," Nicole said with a serious look on her face. Chapter 1032 Chapter 1032 Jared looked back at Nicole without a hint of surprise. "You don''t have tofort me.I just want to stay here with Grandpa for a little while longer." Nicole took his hand. "I mean it.Time is running out." Seeing Nicole''s serious expression, Jared walked out of the operating room without a word. "Martin, where are you?" Nicole''s urgent voice came through the phone. "I''m at the hospital." "Great.Come help me in the operating room on the thirteenth floor right away." "The operating room? You''re hurt?" Martin asked nervously. "It is not me.You will know when youe over." "Okay, I will be right there." Martin left what he was doing and ran to the elevator, and headed to the operating room as fast as he could. "Mr.Johnston? What are you doing here?" Martin saw Jared sitting in a chair outside the operating room.Jared looked up at him without saying a word.Martin pushed the door open and walked in.§Ú¦Ò¦Í???§Ó¦Ò¦Ò§Ü.¡é¦Ò§Þ "Nicole, I saw Mr.Johnston outside.Who is it that needs surgery?" The next second, he was shocked to see Mr.Johnston Sr.on the operating table. "How could this happen?" "Mr.Johnston Sr.had a car ident.I have to operate on him now.Can you be my assistant?" Nicole believed in no one in the hospital except Martin. "Yeah.But can you?" Martin could not believe that Nicole would operate. "Have you forgotten who changed the data of your experimentst time?" Martin furrowed his brows as he recalled what had happened back then. "I will call in some more nurses," Martin called all the people he was close to. Soon, several nurses came into the operating room. "Let''s get started." Nicole was ready to go. "Scalpel." Outside the operating room, Jared sat in the chair and watched as the nurses went in, and the light of the operating room came on again. He took a long breath. A long time passed, and Henry came back again with a group of people.He became suspicious when he saw the light of the operating room had lit up again. "Jared, what''s going on in there?" Henry asked. "Nicole is performing the surgery," Jared said in an icy voice. "Nicole? What does a little girl like her know about surgery?" Henry instantly exploded at the sound of that. The people behind him rushed toward the operating room ina swarm, and before they could reach the door, a loud rebuke rang out. "No one gets in there." Jared swept his eye at those people, and they all froze in ce, not daring to take a step forward. N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content. Max walked over and stood at the door of the operating room, looking at everyone with cold eyes as if he would break the leg of anyone taking a step forward. In the operating room, Nicole heard the noise outside and frowned. "Do you want me to check it out?" Martin asked. "No.Continue the surgery." Nicole collected her mind, calming herself down, and kept doing what she was doing. Martin looked at Nicole''s technique and felt that it was familiar as if he had seen it somewhere. Chapter 1033 Chapter 1033 "Jared, what are you doing?" Henry looked back at Jared. "Uncle Henry, you better bring your men and leave before my patience runs out," Jared said in a morose voice. Henry could see that Jared meant it, and he did not dare to challenge him.He nced at the operating room, thinking that a little girl like Nicole would only make things worse and cause Mr.Johnston Sr.to die even faster. He grunted in anger and then spun around and led his men to leave. The hallway became quiet again after Henry and his men left, and the light of the operating room was still on. "Max, how long has Nicole been in there?" Jared looked at him. "Miss Riddle has been in there for about an hour." Max looked at the time. Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org. Jared took a deep breath, stood up, and started pacing the hallway. As time passed, beads of sweat popped up on Nicole''s forehead. A nurse saw that and wiped them off for her. Again, a long time had passed and Max''s voice rang out. "Mr.Johnston, the light is out." Jared and the family butler immediately came forward, anxious eyes looking inside. After a while, Nicole and Martin came out. "How is my grandfather?" Jared took Nicole''s hand and looked into her eyes, trying to get an answer from inside. "Your grandpa.is fine." Nicole sighed in relief. "Really?" Jared was in disbelief at hearing what Nicole said. "Really."§Ú¦Ò¦Í???§Ó¦Ò¦Ò§Ü.¡é¦Ò§ÞMartin reaffirmed what Nicole said.Jared looked at Martin for a moment and then at Nicole with grateful eyes. "I can''t believe you have saved my grandpa.Thank you." "It is what I should do." "Nicole, I think I have seen your technique somewhere before." Martin tried hard to remember. "You''ve seen it before?" Nicole nced at Martin.She had never used this technique anywhere else; this was the first time.So she wondered how Martin had seen it before. "I remember it now; this surgical technique is a secret creation of the world''s top doctor, James Dade.No one else, except for his student Ghost Hand, knows this technique.Where did you learn it? " Martin suddenly remembered a foreign case he had read, which briefly described some of Ghost Hand''s surgical techniques. "James Dade? Ghost Hand?" Jared looked at Martin in surprise. "You have also heard of it?" Martin looked at Jared. "Yeah, I heard that James Dade is an internationally recognized top surgeon, and his disciple Ghost Hand is the one who has the highest attainment in medicine after him." Jared had only heard of their deeds but had not seen the real person. "I can''t believe that you guys also know James Dade and Ghost Hand and even know his techniques." Nicole did not answer Martin''s question directly. "They are god-like beings, the pinnacle of the medical world.It would be my greatest honor if I could meet either of them." "Nicole, you still haven''t told me where you learned that technique?" Martin had no intention of leaving her alone. "Well, since you''ve seen it, I will tell you honestly.I am Ghost Hand," Nicole said calmly as she looked at them. "You are Ghost Hand?" The two looked at Nicole in shock and disbelief. "You don''t believe me?" Nicole could see their disbelief. "Unbelievable indeed." Martin looked at Nicole and murmured. "You don''t believe me either?" Nicole asked Jared. "I believe you, even if no one does." Jared looked at her affectionately, not expecting that his fianc¨¦e was the famous Ghost Hand. Just then, a nurse pushed Mr.Johnston Sr.out of the operating room.Jared walked over to check on him. "Your grandpa is still in aa, but he is out of life-threatening condition.Let''s get him to the ICU." Nicole walked over and took Jared''s hand tofort him.Jared nodded. Chapter 1034 Chapter 1034 Henry returned to his office with the thinking that Mr.Johnston Sr.could no longer speak for Jared. "Castor, spread the news about your grandpa''s ident right away.The sooner, the better." Henry wanted to teach Jared a lesson for being arrogant all this time.He then called all the directors of thepany. The next day, Jared was on his way to thepany when Max sent him the news of Mr.Johnston Sr"s ident. [Johnston Group''s chairman died in an ident.] Jared stared at the headline on his phone. Just then, acall came in, and it was Henry. "How long before you arrive at thepany? The board members have something to discuss with you." Henry sounded excited on the phone. Jared seemed to have guessed what was going on. "Max, drive faster." "Yes, Mr.Johnston." Max sped up the car at once and soon arrived and stopped in front of the Johnston Group building. Jared strode ahead toward the conference room.He came to the front of the conference table and sat down, his eyes scanning everyone at the table, where no one dared to meet his gaze. Henry saw everyone lowering their heads, and he took the lead by saying, "Jared, all the board members are here today because they are concerned about Mr.Johnston Sr"s condition.You were the last to leave yesterday.So why don''t you tell everyone?" Jared swept a nce at Henry, who was speaking, and then looked at everyone else. "On behalf of the chairman, I would like to thank you for your concern.You should have seen the news today.I assume you are all here today not only because of the news but also because you were compelled toe." Speaking of this, Jared nced at Henry. "The news is not true.The chairman''s condition has been effectively controlled, now ced under observation, so you don''t need to be overly nervous," Jared said pointedly. Hearing what Jared said, Henry was instantly wide-eyed. ¡®That is impossible.I clearly saw Dad was about to breathe hisst yesterday.No way he would get well.What happened?'' He sat in his chair, thinking, and did not hear Jared talking to him. "Henry, what are you thinking about?" Jared called his name. Henry now came back to his senses and smiled awkwardly. N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content. "Nothing.§Ú¦Ò¦Í???§Ó¦Ò¦Ò§Ü.¡é¦Ò§ÞThis is just clickbait to get attention.I will deal with them good and proper." "Since you have said so, I will leave the matter to you." Jared took this opportunity to pass on the PR damage control task to Henry. The chickens hade home to roost for him. "Jared, we are sorry to hear about the unfortunate incident, and we are relieved to hear that the chairman is fine.But someone must carry out the chairman''s duty in his absenceSo perhaps we should first appoint an acting chairman to carry out the chairman''s duty and ensure thepany can run smoothly until the chairman fully recovers and can preside over the board of directors again." A director, a senior-aged man, proposed. As soon as he finished speaking, the conference room was abuzz with discussion, and voices of agreement abounded. Jared looked at the people in the conference room and knew that Henry was determined to win this time. "What is everyone''s opinion?" Jared asked. "I agree with Mr.Holden''s suggestion.After all, the board of directors can''t function without someone presiding over it." Mr.Pearce looked at Jared and said calmly. "Yes.I also agree with Mr.Holden.The board can''t function well without someone presiding over it." Chapter 1035 Chapter 1035 In Mr.Pearce''s lead, many board members agreed with Mr.Holden''s statement. "Well, since everyone agrees with Mr.Holden, then let''s raise our hands and vote for an acting chairman." Jared was alone and could only preside ording to the majority opinion now. "Max, you will preside over the election of the acting chairman," Jared said. "Okay." "I will call out the names of the board members in order, and everyone will raise their hands to vote.We will elect the one with the most votes as the acting chairman." Max announced the voting rules. "Starting with Jared, all those who vote for Jared as acting chairman raise their hands.Jared has eight votes." "All those who vote for Mr.Holden as acting chairman raise their hands.Mr.Holden, four votes."§Ú¦Ò¦Í???§Ó¦Ò¦Ò§Ü.¡é¦Ò§Þ "Raise your hand for Mr.Pearce as acting chairman.Three votes for Mr.Pearce." "All those who vote for Henry to serve as acting chairman raise their hands.Henry has twelve votes." "All those who voted for Mr.Campbell to serve as acting chairman raise their hands.-Mr.Campbell five votes." "Finally, I announce Henry will act as acting chairman of thepany in the absence of Mr.Johnston Sr.," Max announced. The room erupted in apuse as Henry stood up pretentiously to look at those who had elected him. "I hope that during my time as acting chairman, we can work together to boost ourpany''s performance before I hand back the helm to Mr.Johnston Sr.Thank you all, especially to Jared, for his support." Henry did not forget to take a jab at Jared. "Then we will all look forward to Henry''s highlight reel." Jared deliberately ttered Henry by repeating his promise, meaning to remind everyone to monitor him together, which would make his every move more transparent. The meeting ended, and Jared left the room first. Henry and his cohorts were talking loudly and joyfully in the room.He was now the acting chairman. The entire group had to listen to him, and Jared could no longer flex his muscles in front of him like before. Back in the office, Max could not help but say, "Mr.Johnston, Henry is clearly trying to take advantage of the opportunity to usurp the position.Why did you let him do what he wanted?" Max just watched Henry''s smug look in the conference room and felt like punching him in the face.He could not stand that Henry was too eager to usurp the position while his father was ill.He felt Henry was abominable, like those rebellious ministers in ancient times. Material ? N?velDrama.Org. "You just saw it; those are his men.That those weasels were sitting there meant they hade prepared.Even if I could stop them today, there is tomorrow and the day after.One day, they are going to make things even worse, and then it will be hard to control." Jared was avoiding a head-on collision with Henry now. During a time when Mr.Johnston Sr.was still in intensive care, angering him would make things worse. "So, what do we do now? We are only halfway through the cooperation with Martin." Max was worried that Henry would cause trouble for Jared. "We will go ahead with the cooperation with Martin.You tell us to speed up the process ande up with a revenue analysis as soon as possible.Even if there are objections, as long as we have the data in hand, those directors are not stupid, and they won''t let a wonderful project go by without seizing it.They won''t sacrifice their wallet to help Henry." In Jared''s eyes, those people''s minds were like exhibits in front of him; he knew them too well. Chapter 1036 Chapter 1036 "Okay, I will contact us right away." After Henry was elected acting chairman, the first thing he did was to allocate funds to relieve the pressure on the branch, and Henry and Castor eased up. "Dad, now that you are the chairman, the Johnston Group is finally in our hands, and we are no longer at Jared''s mercy." Castor was jumping for joy. "Yeah, after all these years, I finally made it to the top on my own, "Henry said. "Congrattions, Dad." "Castor, from now on, I will let you run this branch.Make good use of this opportunity, and we, father and son, join forces.When we have finally taken over the Johnston Group, we can do whatever we want." Henry was not content with being an acting chairman.He wanted control of the Johnston Group, the real chairman. "Don''t worry, Dad.I will definitely put the branch in order." "Keep an eye on the hospital side at all times.Don''t let your grandfather wake up, do you understand?" Henry reminded him with a serious face. "Got it.I will send someone to monitor him 24 hours a day and report to you as soon as there is any situation." Castor had already sent someone over, and now Mr.Johnston Sr"s ward waspletely under his surveince. "Good.Remember to destroy any trace of the record of the money we have siphoned out.Make sure no one will find out." This was one of Henry''s biggest concerns. "Got it." At the vi, Nicole was checking herputer when she received a call from Harvey. "Nicole, I heard that something happened to Mr.Johnston Sr.is it true?" Harvey''s surprised voice was heard over the phone. "Is that what you are calling about?" Nicole asked him back. N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content. "Err, no.I just wanted to ask if there was any news from Scott."§Ú¦Ò¦Í???§Ó¦Ò¦Ò§Ü.¡é¦Ò§Þ Harvey had been thinking about the manned flying car project. "Not yet.How is that project you and Sean are working on?" "It is going well.Haven''t you been to Sean''s cetely?" "No, I haven''t been to his ce in a long time." "Where are you? If you are free, let''s go over to Sean''s ce." Harvey had not seen her for a long time either and wanted to take this opportunity to see her. "If you want to go, you go alone.I have a calling in.Talkter.Bye." Nicole hung up, not giving Harvey time to speak. "She hung up on me again," Harvey murmured. "Nicole, where are you? Grandpa''s condition has be unstable.Can youe over?" It was Jared at the other end of the phone. "Yeah, I''ming over." Nicole put down herputer and rushed out of the house. In the hospital, Mr.Johnston Sr"s condition was not too optimistic, as his vital signs suddenly weakened.The door of the hospital room was pushed open, and Nicole walked in. "What is wrong with Grandpa?" "Quickly take a look." She quickly walked to the hospital bed.The parameter readings on the instrument were dropping, and Mr.Johnston Sr"s life was in danger. "How could this be?" Yesterday, after Nicole performed surgery on Mr.Johnston Sr., his vital signs were all stable, and he was supposed to get better today.So she wondered why his condition had deteriorated now. Chapter 1037 Chapter 1037 Nicole gave Mr.Johnston Sr.a quick check-up and found no problems anywhere, including the instruments. Atst, her eyesnded on the IV. "Let me see the infusion record for today." Nicole looked at the doctor. The doctor immediately handed it to her, and she found the problem at first nce. "How can you give this medication to the patient? His current condition isn''t suitable for this medication.Pull out the needle immediately." "We have given this medication to many patients after surgery, and there have been no adverse reactions." The doctor questioned Nicole''s judgment. "You are right; many hospitals give this medication to post- operative patients, but this patient''s case differs from others.If you use this medication, there will be significant side effects." Nicole pulled the needle when she saw no one dared to do it. "You can''t do that.This will put the patient''s life in danger." The doctor did not believe what Nicole said and tried to stop her. N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights. "Don''t stop her.Just do what she says." Jared spoke up upon hearing what Nicole said. Nicole nced at Jared and then quickly wrote a prescription and handed it to the nurse. "Follow this prescription and give the patient the medication right away." The nurse looked at Jared for a second and then hurried out to dispense the medication. Mr.Johnston Sr.weakened even quicker after the needle was pulled. Nicole did not have time to argue with the doctors.She took out the silver needles she carried with her, found a few crucial points, and started to apply needles. After a few moments, Mr.Johnston Sr.''s vital signs gradually stabilized, not dropping as fast as earlier. The doctors at the side had surprised looks on their faces, not expecting Nicole to be so skilled in acupuncture and stabilize Mr.Johnston Sr"s condition with just a few needles. At this time, the nurse walked in with the prepared medication and administered the IV to Mr.Johnston Sr.Nicole stood by and observed, watching the values on the instruments rise to normal, before pulling out the silver needles. "First, follow the medication list I just prescribed for a week, after which I will give you a new one." Nicole looked at the doctors without reproaching them. After all, they were trained to do their jobs, and it was understandable that they did not understand what Nicole was doing. The doctors did not dare to refute her again.§Ú¦Ò¦Í???§Ó¦Ò¦Ò§Ü.¡é¦Ò§ÞInstead, they nodded and looked at her with admiration. "Thank you, Nicole." Jared looked at her gratefully.She was the one who had brought his grandfather back from the brink of death again and again. Nicole looked at him and shook her head. "Don''t mention it.I wille over to visit once a day, so you don''t have to worry about it." The two looked at Mr.Johnston Sr., who was lying in the hospital bed.Grandpa, you must wake up.The board of directors is still waiting for you to preside over it." "Mr.Johnston, Henry has arrived at the headquarters,"" Max said as he came in. "Is there something going on in thepany?" Nicole saw Max''s grave expression and asked. "Yeah. I have to go to the office to deal with it." "Go ahead. I will stay here." Nicole''s words were reassuring to Jared. "Thank you.I will be back when I''m done." Jared looked into Nicole''s eyes and then left with Max. In the car, Jared asked Max, "Who did Henrye with?" "Just him." "Alone? Do you know why he is here?" "I think he is here to report to his job.People at thepany told me that Henry is choosing his office." Even Max was amused to hear about this. "Looks like it is not the first day he wants to be the chairman." Jared looked at the sky with frosty eyes. When he arrived at the office, Henry had already chosen his own office and was sitting inside, enjoying the joy that belonged to him. Jared walked right in and looked at the office that had not been cleaned up yet. "Uncle Henry, are you happy with the office?" Chapter 1038 Chapter 1038 Henry heard Jared''s voice and turned to him in his swivel chair, looking at him with pride. "Excellent.The feeling of sitting here is really different.Even the scenery is so breath-taking.Call me Mr.Chairman from now on, Jared.By the way, what are you busy with now?" "Nothing.I have just recently taken on a new project." Jared would not tell him about his investment in Martin''s Beacon. "Oh, you don''t seem to be doing anything worthwhile.I mean, howe thepany is not doing well? But it doesn''t matter.Now that I''ve taken over, there is a very popr project abroad that I think our company shouldpete for.Of all the people in thepany, I think you are the only one who knows thepany best.So I will appoint you to represent thepany topete and try to take the project." Henry was on his first day as the acting chairman and already started to flex his muscles. The first person he wanted to fix was Jared, and he was going to use this nice -to-have project as a pretext to send Jared away. "Okay.Send me the informationter, Mr.Chairman.Enjoy the view." Jared shot Henry an icy nce and then left. "The flight is on the day after tomorrow.I have already booked the ticket for you." Henry said aloud as Jared left. Back in Jared''s own office, Max asked, "Why did you say yes to him just now when you could have said no?" Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org. "It is his first day as the acting chairman.If I don''t let him get what he wants in the first round, he will surely make more troubleter on.By then, it will be hard to control him." Jared knew Henry well, and he would y along as long as things did not affect thepany''s interest and his deal with Martin.§Ú¦Ò¦Í???§Ó¦Ò¦Ò§Ü.¡é¦Ò§ÞThe only thing was that he was worried about Mr.Johnston Sr., who had not yet awakened.He sat in his chair and suddenly thought of Nicole. "Order two meals and go to the hospital afterward." "Okay." In the hospital, Nicole was guarding Mr.Johnston Sr.by the bedside. Even when the nurse came in to change the medication, Nicole had to check it before allowing the nurse to do so. Jared pushed open the door to the ward and saw that Nicole had been sitting at the bedside in the same ce when hest saw her. Jared went over to her and asked, "You have been sitting here all along?" "Yeah.The nurse came in a few times to change the medication, but your grandpa''s condition has been stable." Nicole looked over at Jared.He stroked Nicole''s hair and felt sorry for her. "Why are you being so nice? I feel bad about it." Nicole shook her head and asked him with a smile instead, "Did you bring me anything to eat?" "Yeah." Jared asked Max to put the food on the table. "Wow, that looks good." Nicole was starving.She picked up the cutlery and dug in without waiting for Jared. "So good." Nicole smiled contentedly. "Take it slowly.These are all yours." Seeing Nicole so hungry, he could not bring himself to eat. "What are you waiting for? Let''s eat together." Nicole was puzzled when she saw Jared not eating. "Okay." Only did Jared eat. Other than Mr.Johnston Sr., who was lying on the hospital bed, they were the only persons left in the ward. "Jared, did something happen in thepany? You left in such a hurry earlier." Nicole looked at Jared. "Nothing big deal.It was Henry who went to the office." "Henry? What was he doing at the office?" Nicole looked at him in puzzlement. "He is the acting chairman now.So he was reporting to thepany today." "When did he be the acting chairman? Isn''t your grandpa the chairman?" Nicole looked at Jared with surprise.The baffled look in her eyes was unmistakable. "Thepany has a rule that if the chairman can''t carry out his duty, the board of directors will elect an acting chairman," Jared exined to her. Chapter 1039 Chapter 1039 "So people just chose him? Didn''t they see that you were obviously a better choice?" Nicole could not understand why this happened. N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights. "There is something going on there that you don''t understand when you are not in the workce." "From the tone of your voice, it sounds like someone has pulled some gamesmanship." Nicole was not in the workce, but she could guess the tricks people used at the workce. "These people will really do whatever it takes to get what they want, even sacrificing the interest of the company.How did such a person be a senior executive in thepany?" Nicole was in disbelief. Jaredughed and continued eating. "There is something I need to talk to you about." "What is it?" "Henry asked me to bid on a project abroad, and the flight is the day after tomorrow.I will need you to look after my grandpa on my behalf while I''m away." Jared looked at Nicole with pleading eyes. "Don''t worry.I will help you take care of your grandpa.Do whatever you need to do abroad.Grandpa will be in my good hands." Nicole looked at him as she finally had a chance to share his burden. Before this, it was she who always needed his help. "Okay.I will be back soon.If there are any urgent matters, you can call us." "Okay.Don''t worry.Everything will be fine." That morning, Nicole was sending Jared off at the airport. "The ne will be leaving soon.Do you want to give me a present? " Jared looked at Nicole. "A present? I don''t have one." Nicole looked at him awkwardly. The next second, Jared kissed her on the lips. "This gift will be enough." Nicole blushed instantly and looked around in embarrassment. "It is so embarrassing with all these people here." "I''m leaving." Jared walked reluctantly toward the boarding gate, looking back at her every now and then. Nicole waved to him. This time, it was Nicole who stood by the window looking at the ne, and Jared tacitly turned on his phone''s shlight, waving at Nicole from the ne. After seeing Jared off, Nicole headed straight to the hospital. Mr.Johnston Sr.was still in aa, so Nicole consulted the doctor about the changes in Mr.Johnston Sr"s condition over the past few days and then went to sit with him in the ward for a while before returning to the sea-view vi. "Nicole, I see you have been running around oftentely.What are you busy with?" Tia was concerned about Nicole and felt that she had been working a bit too hardtely. "Haven''t you watched the news?" "The news? You mean the news about Mr.Johnston Sr.having a car ident?" Tia came to Nicole''s side. "Yeah.Mr.Johnston Sr.was hospitalized, and I have been spending time at the hospitaltely." "And how is Mr.Johnston Sr.doing now?" Tia asked with concern. "His condition is stable." "Good to hear.It is more important that he is alright than anything else." "Absolutely.Everyone knows the logic, but still why do people still sell their lives for power and money? He should have been enjoying his retirement at his age, but such an ident struck him.Life is unpredictable." Nicolemented. "What is for lunch?" Nicole looked at Tia. "Whatever you want to eat.I will make it for you." Tia looked at Nicole. "Why are you being so nice? I would like to eat porchetta." "Got it.Just give me a moment." Tia went into the kitchen as she was going to cook Nicole''s favorite porchetta herself. Chapter 1040 Chapter 1040 "Is the porchetta ready?" Nicole could not wait but went into the kitchen as she had smelled it. "Yes, it is ready." Tia served the porchetta in style and brought it to the table. "It looks very appetizing." "Come on, try it." Tia looked at Nicole. Nicole took a bite of the porchetta and vors exploded in her mouth. "It is so good!" Material ? N?velDrama.Org. "There would be no surprises if I brought it out earlier." "I can eat this all day.This porchetta is just too good." Nicole munched at it. After the meal, Nicole and Tia were rxing on the sofa. "Tia, why don¡¯t we watch a movie?" "Yeah, I will find one." Just then, Nicole''s phone rang.She picked it up and answered it. "Hello." "It has been a long time, Nicole.My R&D team has been set up.When are youing over to take a look?" Scott''s voice came through the phone. "Scott, I admire the speed of your execution.I can''t believe you have already put together the R&D team so quickly." Nicole marveled at Scott''s speed at doing things. "Since the decision has been made, there is no reason to dy.The sooner this project can go live, the closer we are to our dream.You still haven''t answered me, Nicole.When are youing over to take a look?" "Scott, I really want to go over right away, but there are some things I need to do on my end, and I can''t get away for a while." Nicole exined. "What could tie you up so much that you can''t get away from? Do you need my help?" Scott still cared a lot about Nicole, and he was willing to help out with her matters. "Thanks Scott.I can handle it myself.I will fly over to your side as soon as I''m done here." Nicole did not need Scott''s help, but she was grateful for his kindness. "Okay, then you get busy.I will get the R&D people started on my end.Call me when you cane over." Scott was slightly disappointed that Nicole could note to the opening ceremony of the R&D team. "Okay." Nicole hung up the phone. "You are so busy, Nicole.I think you need an assistant," Tia said with a serious look on her face. "An assistant? Thanks for reminding me.The director told me yesterday that I had shooting this afternoon.What time is it now?" Nicole suddenly remembered the shooting. "Two o''clock." "Argh, I''mte." Nicole immediately got up and walked outside. "Drive slowly, Nicole," Tia called out. But Nicole did not even hear her.She got into her car and sped to the studio. "Sorry, I''mte." Despite who Nicole was, she still politely apologized to the director, who looked at her and smiled awkwardly as if not knowing what to say. "What is wrong?" Nicole was confused by his strange expression. "Where is Kelly?" Nicole looked around and saw no sign of Kelly. "She is in the dressing room," the director then said. Chapter 1041 Chapter 1041 "What''s wrong with you today? Are you not feeling well?" Nicole looked at the director''s strange look with amusement. "Nicole, how have you been?" Chloe emerged from the dressing room and came to a stop in front of Nicole. "Chloe? What are you doing here?" Nicole sized her up and noticed that her makeup and clothes were the exact theme of today''s shoot. "Didn''t you get the notice?" Chloe smiled at her. "What notice?" Nicole looked at her in puzzlement. "You tell her," Chloe said to the director condescendingly. The director looked at Nicole in a predicament. "It is okay.Just tell me." Nicole could see the director''s dilemma. "Mr.Henry has reced your endorsement with Miss Chloe, so you don''t have toe over for future filming." The director carefully observed Nicole''s expression, afraid that she would be angry and me him. Nicole sneered. "I thought it was some big deal.It turned out to be just this trivial thing.Since you like the endorsement so much, I will give it to you.Go back and tell Henry that he''d better find a better artist for future endorsements and don''t use any random celebrities, lest it will ruin the image of the product.Kelly, do you want to follow me?" Nicole suddenly remembered what Tia had said, and she really needed an assistant now. Chloe looked at her with contempt. "Do you think she will go with you? Unless she doesn''t want the job anymore." Kelly looked at Chloe with a sneer. "Nicole, I''m willing to follow you." Chloe looked at Kelly in shock. "You want to revolt against me?" While speaking, she raised her hand to p Kelly.But Nicole was quick to grab a pole to stop Chloe, whose hand hit the pole and her face contorted in pain. "Nicole, what are you doing?" "She is not your ve.You have no right to hit her." Nicole stood up for Kelly. "What does it matter to you if I hit her or not? You are meddling in my business.Teach her a lesson!" Chloe called out to the bodyguards behind her. One bodyguard went over to Nicole. Seeing that she was a girl, he did not take her seriously. As he reached out, trying to grab her clothes with one hand, Nicole sped and twisted his finger, causing the bodyguard to cry in pain. The other bodyguards saw the situation and came up to grab Nicole. But Nicole did not even spare them a nce, knocking the four bodyguards down to the ground in just a few moves.It scared the hell out of Chloe and the director, who quickly went into hiding. "Chloe, your bodyguards are toome.I suggest you hire some professional ones...How are you going to expect them to protect you when they couldn''t even protect themselves? It is ridiculous." Nicole mocked as she looked at the bodyguards, who were crying out in pain on the ground. "Kelly, let''s go." Nicole looked at her, and Kelly, who had only just snapped from the shock, immediately followed Nicole out of the studio. "You bunch of losers! I have paid you all for nothing, and you all could do nothing when I needed you the most.Why are you all still lying on the floor? Everyone has gone!" Chloe scolded the bodyguards on the ground. "Chloe, are you still shooting today?" The director timidly came to Chloe''s side and asked cautiously. "What are you shooting for? Can''t you see the height of the eyebrows?" Chloe directed her anger at the director, who then quickly got out of Chloe''s sight to avoid being scolded again. Nicole looked at Kelly upon leaving thepany''s building. Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org. "If you regret it now, I can help you find a job in anotherpany." Kelly shook her head and looked at Nicole with a serious expression. "I have decided to follow you from now on." Kelly realized after what had just happened that Nicole was definitely better than Chloe.She did not know Nicole''s real identity, but as long as Nicole was better than Chloe and a good person to get along with, she was willing to be her assistant. Chapter 1042 Chapter 1042 "Following me may be more stressful than following Chloe, so be prepared for that." Nicole looked into her eyes and could see that Kelly was not too determined. "I''m not afraid of hardship." "Then try to work with me first.If you feel you can''t stand it anymore, tell me, and I will arrange another job for you." Nicole decided to keep her around to try her out first. "Where do you live now?" Nicole asked. "I live in the suburbs, far from here." "Then how do you get here to work every day?" Nicole looked at her curiously. "I take a bus ride to the subway and change a few lines to get to the workce," Kelly said. It sounded like a lot of trouble to Nicole, but Kelly appeared nonchnt, as if she was so used to it she did not find it troublesome anymore. "That''s too inconvenient.I will help you find a ce to live in the city, and then you can move here for work." Nicole deliberately said it was for work in case Kelly would note over. "Oh." Kelly naively thought that Nicole was asking her to move here for work. "Go back and pack up today.I will send you the address of your new hometer." "Thanks, Miss Riddle." "Call me Nicole from now on." "Okay." Nicole had nothing to do after she parted ways with Kelly, so she drove to the hospital again. Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org. "Who are you, people?" Nicole came into the hospital hallway and saw two bodyguards standing in front of the ward where Mr.Johnston Sr.stayed. "We are sent by Mr.Johnston to protect Mr.Johnston Sr.No one may enter without Mr.Johnston''s permission." The bodyguards stopped Nicole and did not let her in. Nicole sized up the two bodyguards.Had they not been in the hospital, they would have been knocked to the floor right now. "I''m telling you, even if Henry is here, he can''t stop me from going in.So get out of the way if you know what you''re doing." Nicole''s eyes were so intimidating that the bodyguards looked at each other and said, "We will make a phone call to confirm." "Hurry up," Nicole said, appearing not too happy. One bodyguard hurriedly took out his cell phone and called Henry. "Mr.Johnston, there is a woman trying to break into the ward.What should we do?" Henry guessed it was Nicole. "Let her in.You can''t stop her, but keep an eye on her." "Aye." The bodyguard hung up the phone and did not stop Nicole. Johnston Sr.was still in aa. Nicole checked his condition and was confused. ''He is supposed to wake up today, but howe there is no sign of waking up at all?'' At that moment, the doctor pushed the door, "Miss Riddle, you''re here too." "Doctor, is the patient taking the medication I prescribed?" Nicole asked. "Yes.Didn''t you say it wouldst a week?" "Are you sure the medication hasn''t been changed in between?" Nicole asked again. "Yeah.It was always the same medication you prescribed." Nicole was deep in thought. ''That''s weird.If he had been on my medication, he would have woken up by today at thetest. Chapter 1043 Chapter 1043 Doctors and nurses examined Mr.Johnston Sr.as usual.Nicole watched their actions, but her thoughts wandered off into the distance.It was only when the doctor finished the examination and said goodbye she came back to her senses. "Goodbye." Nicole did not find any suspicious signs in the ward, so she walked out to the reception. "Who has been visiting Mr.Johnston Srtely?" "Besides you and Mr.Jared, Mr.Johnston came once." "Mr.Johnston; you mean Henry Johnston?" "Yeas," "Did hee alone, or did he bring someone else with him?" Nicole asked. "He came with Castor and no one else." "Okay, thank you." N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content. She figured that if it was only Henry and Castor, they could not have done it on their own; there must be other suspects. Nicole was deep in thought and unknowingly came in front of the duty roster.She casually nced at it, and suddenly a thought shed through her mind.She immediately examined the duty roster, on which were the photos of two doctors and four nurses. Nicole took out her cell phone and snapped a picture, then walked to the security room. "Miss Riddle, you are here again?" It shocked the staff in the security room to see Nicole.Thest time she came, she found out about Joyce''s theft of Dr.Wyance''s experiments.So they thought something big had happened again this time. "Hello, could you please check the surveince record of Mr.Johnston Sr"s ward for me?" Nicole asked. "Okay." The staff yed the surveince footage for Nicole.The screen showed Jared and her, then Henry and Castor, interspersed with the doctors and nurses checking in every day, all the way to today''s, with no strangers in sight. "Can I take a closer look?" Since there was no stranger in sight, the only way to check for clues was on those people in the surveince footage.§Ú¦Ò¦Í???§Ó¦Ò¦Ò§Ü.¡é¦Ò§ÞThe staff gave up a seat to her, and Nicole sat down in front of the monitor to look carefully as the footage was reyed from the beginning again. Ruling out Jared and herself, she skipped to the part where a doctor made his round in the ward.Nicole slowed down the video and took out the photo on her phone, andpared it with the doctor and nurse on the monitor; they matched the photos on her phone.She continued with the video until Henry and Castor appeared in the video. Nicole carefully observed every movement and detail of them and still found nothing suspicious.So she could only continue to y the surveince video. The monitor showed a doctor and nurses again, and shepared them with the photos on the duty list; they matched.She clicked to continue the video, watching patiently. There were she, Jared, and the two familiar doctors and nurses. She looked at the monitor with frustration and murmured, "Am I really thinking too much? Maybe Mr.Johnston Sr.is just waking up a dayte?" Nicole started to have self-doubt. At that moment, a doctor''s image appeared on the monitor again.But this time, he was alone, without thepany of any nurses.th. She frowned at what she saw. "Why isn''t the nurse here today, and the doctor is alone?" The footage showed the doctor walking into the ward, checking the state of Mr.Johnston Sr.as usual, and then ncing at the door again.He was then seen to take out an injection needle from his shirt pocket and jab it into the infusion bottle quickly.He then walked out of the ward and left in the other direction.Nicole immediately called the security staff.Help me pull up all the videos of this person. With a few clicks of the mouse, the security staff found the videos. "It is all here." "Zoom in," Nicole instructed.She saw a mane in from outside the hospital with a backpack. He went into the men''s room, and then a man in a white robe emerged from it, but no sign of the first man with the backpack. Nicole concluded that the man in a white robe was the backpack man. Chapter 1044 Chapter 1044 "Call up the footage of this white-robed man who came out of the men''s room." Nicole pointed to the person in the white robe on the screen. The security staff immediately called up the surveince footage. After the man came out of the men''s room, he did not take the elevator but used the stairs to go to the floor where Mr.Johnston Sr"s ward was. Out of the stairway, he checked around to make sure No one was seeing and then headed toward Mr.Johnston Sr"s ward. After making sure that no one was inside, he pushed the door open and went in. Since it was a VIP ward, there was also surveince inside. Through the surveince footage, Nicole could clearly see the man entering the ward, checking the condition of Mr.Johnston Sr., as if to determine if Mr.Johnston Sr.was still in aa, and then injecting some substance into the infusion bottle. After watching the entire video, Nicole and the security staff gasped in shock.She had been focused on Henry and had not thought that someone would disguise as a doctor to get in. "From now on, keep a 24-hour watch on Mr.Johnston Sr"s ward.If you find anyone suspicious, apprehend them immediately and inform me." Nicole instructed. "Aye."'' The Johnston Group owned the hospital, and the staff also knew that Nicole was Jared''s fianc¨¦e. Nicole left the security room with the video of the perpetrator and immediately brought a doctor to give Mr.Johnston Sr.a full examination. She wanted to find out what kind of drug the white- robed man had given him and whether it was harmful to his health.She stood by and watched the doctor doing his job. After a while, the doctorpleted a preliminary examination. "Miss Riddle, the patient''s physical state has not changed.The only thing is he is still in aa.We have taken a blood sample and will send it to theboratory.I wille back to you with the results later."§Ú¦Ò¦Í???§Ó¦Ò¦Ò§Ü.¡é¦Ò§ÞThe doctor finished and went off with the nurse to take the blood samples for testing. Nicole was relieved that Mr.Johnston Sr.was not harmed. When the blood test results came back, she would know exactly what the problem was.She sat in the chair and watched Mr.Johnston Sr"s face and the parameter readings on the equipment. After about ten minutes, the doctor came in with the test results. "Miss Riddle, all the indicators of the patient, are normal, except for one indicator that is slightly higher." The doctor handed theb slip to Nicole.She looked at theb slip. Now she knew what drug the fake doctor had injected into Mr.Johnston Sr.Her mind was racing as she quickly came up with a remedy. "Stop the current medication for two days.Follow this prescription for the next two days." Nicole handed the doctor the written paper sheet. "Okay.I will have the nurse dispense the medication." The doctor went out with the medication list, and this time he did not question it. Taking out the phone, Nicole sent the surveince video to Zeke. [Help me get a hold of this man''s information and send me his address.] Looking at Mr.Johnston Sr.in the hospital bed, Nicole said to herself, "Since Jared entrusts you in my hands, I''m going to take care of you." She spent the afternoon in the hospital with Mr.Johnston Sr.Suddenly, a noise outside the ward disturbed her.She went outside to check on what had happened. "Harvey? What are you doing here?" Nicole looked at him in surprise, wondering how he had found his way here. "Nicole? You''re here too?" Harvey was here to visit Mr.Johnston Sr.on his grandfather''s instruction, not expecting to run into Nicole here. ¡®What are the odds?"he thought. "Oh, my grandpa heard about what happened to Mr.Johnston Sr.and asked me toe to visit, but these two guys wouldn''t let me in." Harvey, with a bouquet in his hand, gave the two bodyguards a disgruntled look. "He is clear.th. Let him in." Nicole instructed the bodyguards, who then no longer dared to stop Harvey. Harvey followed Nicole into the ward. When he saw Mr.Johnston Sr.lying in bed as asleep, he tiptoed over. N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content. "What are you doing?" Nicole looked at his odd behavior and wondered. "He is sleeping, and I don''t want to disturb him." Harvey gently put down the bouquet and nced at Mr.Johnston Sr.Nicole had no words and looked at him helplessly. "You can walk and talk normally." She did not tell Harvey that Mr.Johnston Sr.was still in aa so as not to create public opinion. "You should have told me earlier." Harvey sighed with relief. Chapter 1045 Chapter 1045 "Howe you are the only one here? Where is Jared?" Harvey came in and asked when he did not see Jared. "He is out of town on business." Nicole sat back in her chair and said. "A business trip? After what happened to his grandfather, he had to go on a business trip?" Harvey could not understand Jared''s behavior. In his opinion, Jared was a workaholic, and he was still in the mood to travel at this time.If it were him, he could not do that. "He can''t help it." Nicole exined to Jared but said nothing more, because it would involve the internal affairs of the company. "Hmph, you believe him when he says there is nothing he can do? He is a CEO.Why couldn''t he leave things to his subordinates, and why did he need to travel at this time? Could he be..." Harvey had an exaggerated expression on his face. "Are you here to gossip or to visit Mr.Johnston Sr.?" Material ? N?velDrama.Org. Nicole could not stand any longer and reminded him. "Sorry, off-topic." Harvey saw Nicole''s expression all change before he realized he had said something he should not have. "How is his condition?" Harvey returned to the topic, concerned about Mr.Johnston Sr"s injury. "He is fine, out of life-threatening condition now." "d to hear.Are you the only one here without Jared?" Harvey looked at her and felt sorry for her. "Yeah." Harvey frowned, looking not too happy "Didn''t Henry and his two sonse by?" "Yes, when Mr.Johnston Sr.had his ident, they came once when he was in the ICU."§Ú¦Ò¦Í???§Ó¦Ò¦Ò§Ü. ¡é¦Ò§Þ Nicole felt sorry for Mr.Johnston Sr.for having such an ungrateful son and grandsons. "I got it now; all together, they have been here only twice." Harvey sighed, feeling sad for Mr.Johnston Sr. "Are you going to stay here tonight?"Harvey asked. "No.it is about time for me to go back." Nicole looked at her watch. "It just so happens that I''m free.I will give you a lift back I haven''t been to your new home, anyway." Harvey smiled cheekily as he looked at Nicole. "I''m driving." Nicole refused. "I''m not driving.So why don''t you drive me?" Harvey took the opportunity totch onto her.Nicole looked at his shameless face and did not know what to do. "Let''s go, then." Nicole nced at Mr.Johnston Sr.onest time before she could leave with relief. "I''m not taking you home.If you get into my car, you will have to go wherever I go." Nicole threatened him. "It is okay.A car is better than no car." Harvey got in the passenger side and put on his seat belt, and waited for Nicole to get in. Nicole looked at Harvey in the passenger seat and had a headache.th She wanted to go home to rest, and he was following her. Chapter 1046 Chapter 1046 "Harvey, my house is on the beach.You can''t get a cab there.Are you sure you want toe back with me?" Nicole got in the car, trying to dissuade him again. "I love the beach so much.Let''s get going.I can''t wait." Instead of getting out of the car, Harvey urged Nicole to drive. Harvey''s cheekiness defeated her.She could not continue to harp on the issue with him, so she started the car and drove to the sea view vi. N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights. On the way, Harvey felt the car was too quiet and asked, "Don''t you think you should y some music?" Nicole gave him a frown and kept driving. After a while, he asked again, "If you don''t have music in the car, I can y it on my phone." Nicole gave him an impatient look and turned on the music.Since she could not stop him, she might as well y the music in the car. At least the sound was better than his.Harvey hummed along with the rhythm of the music, really not taking himself as an outsider.He got high, bing so rxed that Nicole felt a bit embarrassed of him. "Harvey, just listen to the music.Don''t make a sound, okay?" Nicole could not enjoy his outstanding musical talent. "Okay." Harvey stopped humming. "Nicole-" Harvey was about to speak when Nicole made a silent gesture.Now, it felt much morefortable on the way back.§Ú¦Ò¦Í???§Ó¦Ò¦Ò§Ü.¡é¦Ò§Þ The door to the sea view vi slowly opened, and Nicole drove in. "What a beautiful vi," Harvey said. Nicole parked the car and got out without saying a word. Harvey quickly followed her. "Nicole, your grandfather treats you so well.He even gave you such an enormous vi with a sea view." Tia heard someone open the door and came over. "You are back, Nicole!" "Where is Grandma?" Nicole asked. "She is resting in the living room." "And this is?" Tia noticed another person behind Nicole. "This is Harvey." Nicole just introduced Harvey by his first name.Harvey let out an awkward smile and introduced himself. "Hi, I''m Nicole''s friend, Harvey Ellison." "Hi, I''m Tia.Come on in." Tia greeted him warmly. Compared to Nicole''s attitude, Tia''s attitude made Harvey feel more weing.Harvey followed Tia inside. When he saw Nicole''s grandmother, he greeted her warmly, "You must be Nicole''s grandmother.Hello, Grandma." "Why are you calling her grandma? She is not your grandma." Nicole gave him a look. Harveyughed awkwardly and sat down to chat with Mrs.Wace Sr.Tia whispered to Nicole, "What is the situation?" "Don''t misunderstand.He was curious about my house and had toe over to see it," no.vel.ebook.Nicole exined. "Don''t tell this to Jared when hees back," Nicole said. Tia covered her mouth and snickered. "Grandma, let Tia take you out into the sun.It seems like you haven''t been outside for days." Nicole did not want Harvey to ingratiate himself with her grandmother. Chapter 1047 Chapter 1047 Tia stood up and helped Mrs.Wace Sr.walk outside.Harvey looked at Nicole. "What do you mean? I''m having a wonderful conversation with your grandmother.What''s with the sun? I know you too well; you are just afraid I will annoy your grandma.You could have just said so." Harvey also stood up. "Where are you going?" Nicole asked when she saw him get up. "I''m changing a spot, can''t I?" Harvey looked at her with a puzzled expression. ¡®When did she be so bossy? Even if this is her house, can''t I change to sit in a different spot?" Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org. "Abh, okay." Now Harvey sat a little closer to Nicole and nced at her.Seeing that she had no intention of talking to him, he had to find something to talk about. "Nicole, any news from Scott?" Nicole was still thinking about the hospital thing and heard not his question. Seeing that she was not paying attention to him, Harvey plucked up his courage to ask again.Only then did Nicole hear his question. "Yes.He has set up the R&D team." Then there were no more words from her. Again, Harvey saw Nicole was not interested in this topic, and he tried to find another thing to talk about. "I heard that the Johnston Group has announced that Henry is now the acting chairman of the company.Does Jared have no opinion on this decision?" He could only talk about Jared, hoping that Nicole would talk to him a little more. "What can he do even if he has an opinion? He is only the CEO of thepany.It is the board of directors that appoints the acting chairman.There is really nothing he can do."§Ú¦Ò¦Í???§Ó¦Ò¦Ò§Ü.¡é¦Ò§Þ "I didn''t know that.Since Henry has be the acting chairman, Jared might face resistance in the company from now on." Harvey sincerely felt sorry for Jared, but at the same time, happy about it.He was still not happy that Jared stole the woman he liked from him. Nicole looked out the window at the sea and did not respond to him, her mind filled with all that had happened recently. Things urred so abruptly that she was not prepared for them. Harvey saw Nicole''s drifting mind and said nothing again.He knew from the look in her eyes that she was worried about those things.Not wanting to bother her anymore, he stood up to look at Nicole with a heartfelt smile. "Get some rest.While Jared is away and if you need someone to talk to, call me.My phone is on 24 hours a day.I''m leaving." "I will give you a lift."th. Nicole heard what Harvey said this time and let out a firm smile. "I don''t want to bother you.I will figure it out myself," Harvey said jokingly, trying to get Nicole to rx a bit in this way. "Don''t try to be a hero.You can''t really get a cab here." Nicole could not bring herself to let Harvey return on foot.She grabbed her car keys and prepared to open the door. Just then, a car sounded its horn outside the house. Feeling strange, Nicole looked outside, and Harvey looked at her with a smile. "You don''t have to drive me home.My cab is here." In fact, he texted his driver to pick him up when Nicole was lost in thought just now.The door opened, Nicole saw the car outside, and smiled¡ªthat was Harvey''s own car. "When did you summon the car over?" "Just when you were lost in thought.Well, I''m off.See you tomorrow." Harvey waved to her, got in his car, and left.Nicole smiled and waved before she came to her senses. "See me tomorrow? What did he mean?" Tia and Mrs.Wace Sr.came back from their walk and saw Nicole standing outside. "Why are you standing outside? Where''s your friend?" "He has gone." "Gone? Why didn''t you ask him to stay for dinner?" Mrs.Wace Sr.was a kind and warm person. When she was in the countryside, she would always ask her guests to stay for dinner, no matter who came to her house.Not that she was rich or something, but she always gave the best food to her guests. Chapter 1048 Chapter 1048 "Absolutely.I can see this guy cares about you a lot.You should have asked him to stay for dinner." Tia snickered. "Tia, I think you are looking for a fight, right?" Nicole raised her hand and chased after Tia. The two of them started a mad scuffle around Mrs.Wace Sr. "s, you two are going to make me dizzy." Abroad, Jared sat in the room and looked up at the stage. ''Max, how many of thepanies here today really want thend?" "Most of them are here for the fun of it.Only 80 percent of those in the front row want thend," Max said. Jared smirked when he found that there were not as manypetitors as he thought and was confident of winning the bid for the piece ofnd he wanted. The bidding started with the auctioneering onstage and gave some obligatory talk, then entered the main business. "Now on the big screen is the firstnd, a total area of 336,415 square feet with a starting price of $93 million and a bid incremental value of $2 million.The bidding starts." "$95 million." "$95 million from Bidder 13," the auctioneer announced. "$97 million." "$97 million from Bidder 22." "$100 million." Jared told Max to raise his bid card. "$100 million from Bidder 5.Any higher?" "$100 million once.$100 million twice." The auctioneer shouted. "$105 million." "$105 million from Bidder 11.Is there any higher?" The auctioneer swept his eyes over the audience under the stage.§Ú¦Ò¦Í???§Ó¦Ò¦Ò§Ü.¡é¦Ò§Þ "Mr.Johnston, should we raise it again?" "No." Jared was deliberately raising the price. "$105 million once.$105 million twice.$105 million one three times.Sold.Congrattions to Bidder 11." The venue resounded with celebratory apuse. Bidder 11 smiled and nced at Jared, as if to say, "Boy, your wallet isn¡¯t as thick as mine." Jared ignored his taunts but smiled back.He could not care less, since it was not his money. "The following bid is for a piece ofnd with a total area of 607,859 square feet.The starting price is $100 million, with a bid incremental value of $5 million.Start bidding." "$110 million." "$110 million from Bidder 45," the auctioneer shouted. "$115 million." "$115 million from Bidder 27." "$125 million." "$125 million from Bidder 8. Is there any higher?" The auctioneer looked down at the audience. "$125 million once." "$140 million." N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content. "$140 million from Bidder 18.Any higher?" The auctioneer shouted. "$150 million." Jared told Max to raise his bid card. "$150 million from Bidder 5.Any higher?" The auctioneer excitedly scanned the stage as many people chattered. "$160 million." A beautiful blonde raised her bid card and then nced back in Jared''s direction. Jared also looked at her and nodded, not letting Max raise his bid any further. "$160 million from Bidder 9.$160 million once.$160 million twice.$160 million three times.Sold.Congrattions to Bidder 9." The venue erupted in celebratory apuse again, and the blonde stood up happily and looked back at Jared. "The following bidding is thest piece ofnd today.Total area of 1,333,519 square feet with a starting price of $200 million and bid incremental value of $20 million.Now start bidding." Finally, it was thend Jared wanted.He took a nce at the people inside the venue; except for a few in the front row, those at the back hung back. "Mr.Johnston, what is the bid this time?"th. Max looked at Jared. "Let''s not rush into it.Let them warm up first." Jaredid back and watched. "$240 million." Chapter 1049 Chapter 1049 "$240 million from Bidder 19." N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights. "$260 million." "$260 million from Bidder 23." "$300 million." "$300 million from Bidder 4. $300 million once." "$350 million." "$350 million from Bidder 5.Any higher?" The auctioneer waved his right hand excitedly on the stage. "$380 million." "$380 million from Bidder 4." "Max. "$400 million." "$400 million from Bidder 5." The middle-aged man in the front row looked back at Jared and continued to raise his bid card. "$450 million." "$450 million from Bidder 4." There were more murmurs from the people in the room. "It looks like Bidder 4 and 5 are going at it." "Today''s auction is interesting." "$500 million." "Awesome." The people at the back could not contro] themselves but exim. This was the highest bid in the room. That a piece ofnd with an area of over 1.3 million square feet could fetch this price was phenomenal. "Are there any more bids?" The auctioneer deliberately paused for a few seconds; the higher the price, the more they would earn. When the auctioneer saw no one was raising their bid cards, he shouted. "$500 million once.$500 million twice.$500 million three times.Sold.Congrattions to Bidder 5 for winning Lot 3."§Ú¦Ò¦Í???§Ó¦Ò¦Ò§Ü.¡é¦Ò§Þ The room erupted in thunderous apuse as Jared stood up and looked at the crowd, and nodded. Max was driving away from the venue when a group of people suddenly appeared in front and stopped Jared''s car. "Mr.Johnston, someone is in the way." Max stopped the car. "Who are they?" "I don''t know.They look like gangsters." Max looked carefully at the group of men who blocked their way. "Give them some money to send them away." Jared knew these people were all about money.He did not want to waste time with them, and he would just tip them and ask them to leave. "Come here." Max took out a stack of cash from the car and waved to the group.A man in the lead approached Max. "Mr.Johnston is in a good mood today.This is for you all.Here you go." Max tossed the money into the man''s hand. He thought the man would take the money and tell his men to get out of the way, but the man stomped the money on the ground and pointed at Jared sitting in the back seat. "Get out of the car." Max saw that the kid did not know what he was doing, and he looked back at Jared. "Mr.Johnston, I will take care of it." "Okay." Jared ignored the man who was screaming outside the car. Max loosened up his tie, pushed open the door, and got out of the car, asked the shouting man, "Who sent you here?" "You have no business here.Get out of the way¡ª" Before the fat man could finish his sentence, Max snapped his hand at once and looked at him expressionlessly. "Your hand is too rude." When those men blocking in front of the car saw Max had snapped the fat man''s hand, they charged at Max with their sticks. Max flung away the fat man and moved toward those guys wielding the sticks. In just a short while, the group of men was beaten to the ground, screaming in pain incessantly.th.Max brushed down his suit, walked straight back to his car, and drove toward the hotel. Chapter 1050 Chapter 1050 At the hotel, Jared took out his cell phone and called Nicole. "What are you doing now?" "Just woke up.How about you?" "I''m at the hotel.You must be exhausted from the days I was away, are you?" "No, you can hear in my voice that I''m full of energy." Nicole joked about herself. "How are things going on your end?" Nicole asked how he was doing abroad. "It is going well.I guess I will be back soon." "So, when will you be back? I will pick you up." Nicole was happy to hear Jared say he wasing back. "The date is not set yet.I will let you know when it is set." "Okay." It was a false hope for Nicole. "Has grandpa''s condition changed these days?" Jared''s biggest concern when he came abroad was his grandfather''s condition. "Nothing has changed, just a little better than when you left." Nicole reported the good news, but not the bad.She did not tell him about the fake doctor''s injection to Mr.Johnston Sr., afraid that he was worried about him. "Thank you.I feel much more at ease with you by Grandpa''s side." Jared was grateful to Nicole. "Why do you always say thank you? Aren''t we a family? That is what family is for," Nicole said. N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights. "It is still dark on your side, right? I won''t keep you from sleeping.Get some rest early.§Ú¦Ò¦Í???§Ó¦Ò¦Ò§Ü.¡é¦Ò§ÞI will wait for you toe back" "Don''t hang up yet.I will give you a present," Jared said dotingly. "What kind of present can you send from so far away?" Nicole did not believe he could send a present. "Muah!" Jared sent her an affectionate kiss over the air. Nicole smiled and reciprocated with hers. "Good night." Jared hung up the phone and then called Max. "Book my flight home.You can take over the rest from here." "Mr.Johnston, it is nighttime.Do you want to leave now?" "Yes"! "Okay, I will book the next flight for you right away." Max drove Jared to the airport. On the ne, Jared was thinking about Nicole''s face when she saw him, and he fell asleep thinking about it. When he opened his eyes again, it was the flight attendant who woke him up. "Mr.Johnston, the ne is about tond.For your safety, please adjust your seat.Thank you for your cooperation." Jared looked out the window; the sun was high, and it seemed to be almost noon. In the hospital, Nicole was sitting on the chair in the ward as usual when the door of the ward was pushed open suddenly.She looked at the door and asked, "What are you doing here again?" Harvey looked at her with a serious face. "I was here today fora medical check-up, so I came up to see Mr.Johnston Sr." While speaking, he walked over to check the equipment. "Hasn''t he woken up yet?" Nicole ignored him, thinking that he was probably the only one who coulde up with such an excuse. "Don''t look.Sit down and don''t touch the machine." "Come on, I''m just concerned about Mr.Johnston Sr.By the way, he has been in aa for a few days, right? If he doesn''t wake up, will he..." Harvey hesitated halfway through. "No, the doctor changed a new medication, and he should wake up soon." Nicole looked with confidence at Mr.Johnston Sr.whose eyes were still shut tight. After using the new medication, the toxins in his body should be gradually drained out, and he was supposed to wake up after all the toxins injected by the fake doctor were drained out. Harvey thought Nicole was too sad and paranoid.So he tried tofort her. "Rx, don''t think too much.He has been in aa for so many days..You can''t force it.As long as he is alive, he is going to wake up one day.It is just a matter of time." "Are you trying tofort me?" th.Nicole looked at him in puzzlement. Chapter 1051 Chapter 1051 "Yeah, I understand how sad you must be feeling," Harvey said, attempting to console her. "I get it." "Oh, really?" Nicoleughed. "I''m just trying to figure out Mr.Johnson Sr"s condition? Why are youforting me?" "You''re just trying to figure out Mr.Johnson Sr"s condition?" Harvey repeated after her. "It seems to me that you''ve watched one too many TV shows." Nicole stared at him with a brow raised and shook her head. "What do you think I was doing?" Harvey buried his face in his hands, knowing that he had misunderstood; he had embarrassed himself. Darting his eyes at his watch to catch a glimpse of the time, he changed the subject in an attempt to mitigate the resulting awkwardness. "It''s already noon.Why don''t we head out for lunch together?" Nicole checked the time as well, and was surprised to realize that she had been in the ward for so long. "What''s on the menu today?" "You can order whatever you fancy!" Harvey said, finally able to recover what was left of his dignity. "Well then, let''s make our way to the Blue Whale," Nicole replied with a smile on her face, as she had always reserved a special ce in her heart for the Blue Whale Restaurant, which had always provided her a sense offort whenever she dined in there. "Okay, I will book us a table now." Harvey took his phone out and proceeded to make a call. "Good afternoon.This is Harvey Ellison, and I''d like a table for two reserved by the window." "Wait, how do you know that I like window seats?"§Ú¦Ò¦Í???§Ó¦Ò¦Ò§Ü.¡é¦Ò§Þ Nicole frowned at him as he ended the call and pocketed his phone.Harvey, who liked window seats himself, once heard that Nicole did as well, and with this in mind, he replied, Who am I to pursue you if I don''t even know where your favorite seats are?" Nicole was amused. "Why don''t I believe this?" "Believe it or not, that''s the truth." Harvey turned his palm up ina gesture of invitation. Material ? N?velDrama.Org. Nicole darted him a sidelong nce and proceeded to walk out of the room while telling the security detail, "Be sure to examine the identity of anyone who enters the ward, and those who wear masks should remove them for this purpose. The doctors are no exception. "Aye" the bodyguards responded with a hint of reluctance. Watching Nicole disappear into the hallway, the man to whom she had spoken proceeded to take his cell phone out and call someone. "Nicole seems to be having suspicions already.She just ordered us to check the identity of anyone who wishes to enter the ward, saying that the doctors are no exception." "Did she really say that?" his correspondent replied. "Yes"! "Has there been any improvements in Mr.Johnston Sr"s condition within the past few days?" "No, he has not woken up." "Just watch over him and be sure to keep me posted." Henry hung up and turned his attention to Castor. "That needle of yours seems to be working." "That''s right.My men are always reliable." Castor bragged. "Don''t get toofortable, now," Henry warned. "Never let anyone know about this.Put on a show if you have to.Do you understand me?" "Understood." Castor nodded his head repeatedly.us drove to the airport to pick Jared up, and upon arrival, he said, "Mr.Johnston, you must be hungry after a long flight.Shall we get you something to eat first?" "No, send me to the hospital," he replied, having decided that visiting his grandfather was his topmost priority. Besides, he wanted to give Nicole a surprise. "Okay." us nodded and drove off in the hospital''s direction once Jared had climbed in. Meanwhile, Nicole was having lunch with Harvey at the restaurant, not realizing that she had missed a surprise.Arriving outside the ward, Jared saw the two bodyguards at the door and shot them a nce. "Who sent you?" Chapter 1052 Chapter 1052 "Mr.Johnston, it is Mr.Henry who had ordered us to protect Mr.Johnston Sr." Jared nodded gently. "Have you noticed anything unusualtely?" "No.Only Miss Riddle and Mr.Ellison of the Ellison Group came over as of recent." "Mr.Ellison?" Jared frowned. "You mean, Harvey Ellison?" "Yes '''' Jared gasped and sighed, annoyed with Harvey, who he thought was adept at exploiting the tiniest of opportunities to make his advances on Nicole while he was away.Then, he strode over and sat down at the bedside, looking at Mr.Johnston Sr"s face as he slumbered. "Grandpa, why haven''t you woken up yet?" All of a sudden, something miraculous transpired.Perhaps it was the medication or perhaps, Mr.Johnston Sr.had heard Jared''s voice. Whatever the cause was, the old man''s fingers began twitching. us saw that and eximed, "He is moving!" With his eyes widened, Jared whirled around and stared at us. "What did you say?" "Mr.Johnston!" us pointed at the hand of the elderly Johnston. "I swear, I just saw a jerk on Mr.Johnston Sr"s fingers!" Jared centered his gaze on his grandfather''s hand at once.Then, he held it up and called out, "Grandpa, if you can hear me, just move your fingers!" After a long pause, Mr.Johnston Sr"s fingers twitched again, and this time, Jared saw it for himself. "Grandpa, you can hear me, can''t you?" Jared clutched his grandfather''s hand in excitement as a smile crossed his face. "us, get the doctor here right away!" us dashed out of the ward at an instant, and in less than a minute, he reappeared, bringing a doctor and a nurse with him. "Mr.Johnston?"§Ú¦Ò¦Í???§Ó¦Ò¦Ò§Ü.¡é¦Ò§Þthe doctor asked. "Doctor, I just saw a jerk on my grandpa''s finger!"Jared yelled. Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org. "Can you please check up on him!?" The doctor smiled and nodded upon hearing the news, and proceeded to say, "This is a good sign, but don''t get too excited just yet.Let me examine him right away." Nodding his head, Jared sat in silence as the doctor and the nurse approached his grandfather to proceed with the examination process. It was then that Nicole and Harvey returned to the hospital after their lunch in the Blue Whale. The second they opened the door to the ward, her eyes met Jared''s, and she stared at him as her heart skipped a beat. "Why didn''t you tell me earlier so that I could give you a ride from the airport?" Nicole asked and walked over to Jared, lowering her voice as she noticed the two medical staffs performing the examination. Jared''s grin faded as soon as he saw Harvey behind Nicole. Looking at her, he asked, ''''So, you came here together?" Sensing Jared''s displeasure, Nicole nced over her shoulder and gave Harvey a nervous look before turning to Jared again. "He is visiting Mr.Johnston Sr., and I just happened to meet him at the door." Jared refused to utter a response forting to her exnation. Instead, he fixed his eyes on Harvey''s hands, expecting to see a bouquet of flowers or a gift of some sort. Harvey, who seemed to know what Jared was thinking, then said, "Oh no, I forgot I''ve brought the greens.They''re still in the car.I''ll head downstairs and get it." With Harvey out of the ward, Nicole changed the subject at once and asked the doctor, "Is the patient doing any better today?" The doctor nodded. "I have checked.The patient seems to be improving.Perhaps what Mr.Johnston saw was an indicator of what''s toe." Nicole looked at Jared. "What did you see?" Jared smiled. ''"I just saw Grandpa''s fingers move." Chapter 1053 Chapter 1053 "You saw your grandpa''s fingers move?" Nicole repeated in shock. "Yes, and it wasn''t just me." Jared nced at us. "He saw it too." "Did you?" Nicole looked at us with her eyes widened.She could not help but beat herself up deep within for missing such a significant moment, even though she had been tending to the elderly Johnston every day since he was hospitalized, while Jared and us, who had just arrived, had already witnessed it. However, she also knew that her medicine had worked. As Mr.Johnston Sr.had shown signs of consciousness today, he would most probably wake up tomorrow or the day after, should there be no incidents. Still, she knew that these were just her own spections, and she could tell no one about it just yet. "Your grandpa must be happy to know you''ve returned to see him, " Nicole said as she sat next to Jared. He smiled at her. "No one else knows, but I do.You haven''t gotten much rest while you were taking care of Grandpa, have you?" With a mix of guilt and appreciation for Nicole after having burdened her with the task of taking care of the elderly Johnston, Jared centered his gaze on her big dark circles under her eyes and stroked her hair. "Well, now that you''re back, I can sleep for a few days," Nicole joked, attempting to lighten up the mood in the ward. "Okay, sleep for as long as you want." Jared looked at her dotingly. "There are outsiders here."§Ú¦Ò¦Í???§Ó¦Ò¦Ò§Ü.¡é¦Ò§Þ Nicole nced at the others, after which she turned to the doctor in charge. "Doctor, keep that medicine going and change it once every three days after the patient wakes up." Judging by their interactions, it was almost as though she was the rendering physician, while the attending physician was more like an assistant of hers instead. "Okay, Miss Riddle.If there is nothing else, I will excuse myself now," the doctor replied with a nod and left. Seeing that Mr.Johnston Sr.was fine, us turned to Jared and said, "Mr.Johnston, you''ve not eaten anything since you got off the ne.Do you want me to arrange something for you now?" Nicole stared at Jared in puzzlement. "How many hours has it been? Why have you not eaten anything? us, take Mr.Johnston out to lunch now.I have already eaten, and I''ll stay to take care of Mr.Johnston Sr." "Okay," us replied. "No, don''t bother." Jared said, wanting to stay in the ward a little longer. "Just order some takeout and I''ll be fine." "No, you''ve been flying for several hours," Nicole interrupted. "Please, you need a proper meal and a good rest right after." "But¡ª" "us, like I said, have a great lunch arranged for Mr.Johnston, and send him back to the vi so that he can get the rest he needs. Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org. Clear his schedule for the day and make sure that nobody disturbs him," Nicole instructed,pletely ignoring what Jared had said. In the meantime, Harvey, who had left the ward earlier, had returned after a long walk to the nearest florist to purchase arge pot of greenery. He had also hired a few porters to carry the nt to Mr.Johnston Sr"s floor, where he met Jared and us, who were already exiting the ward. In the hallway, both men locked eyes for a moment, and in an attempt to diffuse the tension, Harvey said, "Are you leaving now, Mr.Johnston? "That nt looks fresh, but it''s not really that useful now, is it?" Jared said, and walked off. Nicole covered her mouth and snickered, while Harvey looked on with a re as Jared left. "What do you mean? I''m here to visit your grandfather, and this is how you treat your guests? This is outrageous!" "Don''t just stand there.Tell them to carry the stuff in.Quickly!" Nicole told Harvey as she saw the two porters sweating profusely.Turning back to Nicole, Harvey proceeded to tell the porters to move the potted nt into the ward. Chapter 1054 Chapter 1054 Harvey looked over to Nicole with a sigh of exasperation. "Jared was a gentleman and a top executive at one point.When did he be so rude? I guess you''re the one to me for that, right?" "I don''t think I have that sort of power over him." Nicole smirked. "But if you ask me, I think he''s the way he is because of you." "Because of me?" Harvey asked, before he began pondering on his role in all of this. "Well, alright, I think I know what you mean." Nicole burst into a fresh gale ofughter, and seeing this, Harvey stopped her. "Is it really that funny? Come on, keep it down.Mr.Johnston Sr.needs his rest." Realizing her gaffe, Nicole stopped herself and allowed herughter to taper off. Outside the ward, a bodyguard had reported to Henry everything that had just transpired in the ward. When Henry, who was in a good mood, heard the news that Mr.Johnston Sr.could awake from his comatose, the smile on his face vanished.He hung up in disbelief, his eyes nk and his face expressionless. "Castor, where are you?" Henry bellowed over the phone. "I''m chilling with Murphy at the clubhouse." Castor groaned in exasperation the moment he heard Henry''s voice. "What''s up?" "How are you even in the mood to rx! ? Henry yelled. "Get back here!" "Ugh, can Ie overter?" he said as he was enjoying a massage, and was so rxed that he did not want anyone or anything to interrupt his bliss. "Cut the crap and get back here, now!" Henry roared.§Ú¦Ò¦Í???§Ó¦Ò¦Ò§Ü.¡é¦Ò§ÞMurphy wondered who Castor was talking to on the phone and asked, "Who''s looking for you?" "Dad just called.Let''s just head over there right away." Castor dismissed his masseuse and got up to get himself dressed. Seeing this, Murphy followed suit and eyed him with suspicion. "What''s the hurry?" "He didn''t say, but let''s just go." Castor rushed out of the clubhouse, not wishing to keep his father waiting as he was all too familiar with Henry''s temper. Upon arrival, he pushed the door to the office open, and there, he saw the towering man standing by the window, looking out. "Dad, what''s so urgent?" Castor asked in a shaky voice. Henry slowly turned around and took a seat on the couch. "The hospital said that your grandpa is showing signs of consciousness." "What?" Castor''s heart skipped a beat. "Dad, if Grandpa wakes up, you will lose your job." "I know, but that''s not the point, now is it?" Henry said. Have you dealt with the man who struck your grandpa?" Henry''s biggest concern was that Mr.Johnston Sr.and Jared would eventually discover the perpetrators behind the ident. "Yes, we''ve sent him out of the country," Castor replied. "He''s clean out of here." "Well, fair enough," Henry continued. "And have you wiped the surveince footages that could''ve been recorded during the incident?" "Don''t worry." Murphy looked at the other two men with confidence. "I''ve destroyed each and every camera on that stretch of road in advance." Hearing that they had erased all of the potential evidence that could have been used against them, Henry breathed a sigh of relief. Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org. "Tomorrow, I''m going to the hospital to see if your grandpa has really woken up.If he has, you can send someone else to deal with him again." Henry looked at Castor. "Okay." "I was also informed that Jared is back," Henry said, now turning his attention to Murphy. "I want you to keep an eye on him and report to me if you ever see him doing anything you find suspicious.Dealing with him won''t be a walk in the park at all." Chapter 1055 Chapter 1055 "I''ll be sure to watch him closely...." Jared was having lunch in a restaurant with us, to whom he said, "Before leaving the country, I asked you to investigate the ident that my grandpa was involved in.Have you managed to gather anything?" "I found a video." us handed his phone to Jared. "Wait, why is there only one video? Shouldn''t there be a few other surveince cameras on that stretch of road?" Jared said with his brows raised. "All of the cameras along that street were damaged," us reported. "I have every reason to suspect that someone had sabotaged them in advance.The only one that was left untouched was the one which got us this footage, and it was located right outside a mall about a few hundred yards away.The truth of the matter is, we aren''t able to identify the car by its brand or its license te because of the distance and the angle." Jared watched as he listened to us. The instant he saw his grandfather''s car being mmed into, his heart sank.He clenched the fork in his hand, his fist turning a shade of white. "Do everything you can to find out who owns that car and who was driving it that day," Jared said in a bitter tone of voice. "Aye." "Mr.Johnston, it is really you?" a female voice asked. Looking up, he saw Chloe, who was also here for lunch.She thought the two figures at this table looked familiar, and so, she came over to see if it was Jared. Jared handed the phone back to us and greeted her with a nk stare. "What are you doing here?" "I''m here for lunch." Chloe smiled at him while looking him in the eye. "I guess I''m lucky to have bumped into you here.Mind if I join you?" "Aren''t there plenty of unupied tables around here?" Jared said, craning his neck and looking around the restaurant. "Perhaps I''m not here at the right time," she said. "I''m afraid the other tables are reserved." "Reserved?"§Ú¦Ò¦Í???§Ó¦Ò¦Ò§Ü.¡é¦Ò§Þ Jared queried, knowing that it is another one of her pretenses. "Why haven''t you made a reservation for yourself?" "I was in a hurry and my assistant forgot to do it for me." "Well, sit down, then," he relented. Chloe breathed a sigh of relief, ted that she had finally tricked Jared into giving her a seat beside him. It was the first time she had ever been in such close proximity to him. To her, he was nothing short of attractive; his eyes that gleamed like onyxes under the light, his prominent nose, his kissable lips, and his chiseled face would make any man envious. Just the mere sight of him had stunned her. Jared sensed the fiery gazeing from across the table.He ate thest piece of his steak and was about to get up and leave when Chloe stopped him. "Mr.Johnston, I think I know something that''ll interest you." Jared stopped and stared at her. As expected, Chloe did not avoid his gaze, so he figured that there is something that she must be privy to. Chloe knew that what she said had worked when Jared stopped in his tracks. "Mr.Johnston, please sit down." Jared looked her in the eye and nted himself back on the chair."Say what you wish to say.You have five minutes." Chloe took a deep breath and smiled. "You must''ve been at the hospital as ofte, right? Surely, you''ve had run-ins with Nicole and Harvey, too, haven''t you?" Jared leaned back in his chair and eyed her in silence. He wanted to see what she could tell him he did not already know. N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights. Noticing that she wasn''t getting a response forting to her question, Chloe took a sip of wine and continued, "Aren''t you curious about the rtionship between the two of them now? Don''t you want to know what happened within the few days when you were out of the country?" "I''m not curious about their rtionship," he said, knowing that he has neither the time nor patience for her gossip. "Save your breath, if that is what you are getting at." "Nicole and Harvey have been in and out of Mr.Johnston Sr"s ward together these days." Chloe blurted out, somewhat anxiously. "Don''t you care about that?" Jared narrowed his eyes. "Just so you know, there is a price to pay for nder." "I''m telling you the truth," she said. "If you still don''t buy that, you can send someone over to check on them." Chapter 1056 Chapter 1056 Jared studied Chloe''s demeanor and surmised that she did not seem to be lying, but he also knew that Nicole wasn''t known for her veracity, and thus, he decided it would be better to investigate so as not to misunderstand Nicole. "The steak here is wonderful." Jared rose up to his feet. "Enjoy your meal." Chloe looked on with a smirk as Jared left the premises.She knew that her words had taken hold in Jared''s heart. "Harvey, you have me to thank for helping you." In the car, Jared began pondering if there was truth in her words.To avoid jumping to baseless conclusions, he decided it would be better to let us look into it. "us, I want you to look into what Chloe has just said." "Mr.Johnston, is it possible that Chloe is trying to sow discord among you and Miss Riddle?" "Don''t worry about her,"Jared replied. "I wish to know everything that had happened in my absence." "Okay." us drove Jared back to the vi and began his investigation as thetter had ordered. The very next day, Henry arrived at the hospital in the morning. When he pushed the door in, he was greeted, much to his surprise, by the sight of Nicole and Jared together. Seeing this, he shed them a smile. "Ah, I see you''re all here.Is your grandpa getting better?" Faking his concern, he strode up to Mr.Johnston Sr., and was relieved to see that his eyes were still closed. "What brought you here this early, Uncle Henry?" Jared turned to him and asked. "Has the project abroad beenpleted?"§Ú¦Ò¦Í???§Ó¦Ò¦Ò§Ü.¡é¦Ò§Þ Henry sauntered over and took a seat on the couch. "There are still some bits and pieces left to take care of.I''ve asked Max to stand in during my absence." Jared sat on the other side and began to study Henry from top to toe. "I knew there was no one else in thepany who could have handled that project except for you," Henry remarked with a falsepliment. Soon after, the physician came in for one of his routine check-ups, and Henry watched the doctor as he worked. Following the conclusion of the examination, he asked, "Doctor, is my dad going to be okay?" The doctor looked at Henry and said, "Yes, he is expected to regain consciousness soon." "Oh?" An imperceptible fear shed in Henry''s eyes as they widened, but he masked it with a smile at once. "That''s wonderful." Henry reluctantly said. "Alright.You guys better stay here with your grandpa.I must excuse myself, as I still have a few things to take care of back in thepany." In truth, Henry could no longer sit still as he had to return and plot his next set of moves. "Uncle Henry, are the bodyguards outside the ward here under your orders?" Jared looked at him. N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content. "Yeah, I hired them to protect your grandpa." "We''ve got no need for them anymore," Jared stated without even asking.You may dismiss them." "How is that supposed to work?" Henry protested. "Who is going to protect your grandpa, then?" Henry was not too happy about the fact that Jared had asked him to withdraw his men as soon as he returned.He knew Jared was being cautious. "I''ll hire someone to protect Grandpa in their stead," Jared replied. "You will be needing them more than he does." ¡®What does he mean by that? Is there something that he is aware of?'' Henry looked at Jared and thought to himself. "After all, you''re now the acting chairman of the Johnston Group," Jared finished in a manner that frightened Henry. With cold sweat on the verge of trickling down Henry''s forehead, he shed his nephew an awkward grin. "You have a point.I''ll leave it to you, then." Henry proceeded to leave with his bodyguards. After his uncle had left, Jared turned his attention to Nicole. "Did Harvey visit grandpa very often while I was away?" Nicole caught whiff of Jared''s jealousy at once, and eyed him with a smile. "Why would you ask that? How much do you think Harvey cares about your grandpa?" "I don''t think he cares much, if at all." "Do you still think he''ll show up as often?" Nicole answered with a rhetorical question of her own. "It''s understandable for him toe once in a while, but..." "But what?" Nicole looked at him, suppressing the urge to burst outughing.She wanted to see what sort of remarks would exit his mouth. "But you''re here." What Jared meant could not be clearer. Chapter 1057 Chapter 1057 "So that is the reason why you did what you did to Harvey yesterday, isn''t it?" "It seems to me that you''ve been dishing out a number of rhetorical questions.Are you having a guilty conscience?" Jared asked, staring into her eyes. N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content. "No, I''m not.I just didn''t expect you to do that to Harvey.He was a little shocked." Nicole looked at him. "Did he say that to you?" Jared raised an eyebrow at her. "Sort of." "He even told you what was on his mind." Jared looked at Nicole suspiciously. "Wasn''t he afraid that you would tell me?" "Maybe he hasn''t even thought about it.Anyway, I heard what Henry said just now.Was the international project difficult?" Nicole digressed, not wanting to discuss about Harvey with him. Jared could sense that Nicole did not wish to talk about Harvey. "It was a piece of cake.If he didn''t say that, he would have no reason to send me away." Nicole nodded, seeming to understand what Jared was saying. "If that is what you mean, then what was his intention of sending you abroad? It can''t be..." A thought suddenly crossed her mind.She shook her head again in disbelief. "No, it can''t be." "It can''t be what? What''s on your mind?"§Ú¦Ò¦Í???§Ó¦Ò¦Ò§Ü.¡é¦Ò§Þ Jared asked with a frown. "Nothing." Nicole could not tell him, as she could not confirm her suspicions right now. Jared looked at her curiously. "Have you been here with Grandpa all these while?" "Yeah, I came over every day to check on him." Jared stared at the surveince camera and examined it to ensure that it was just a regr camera with no audio recording functions installed before he asked, ''''So you must havee across something suspicious, right?" Nicole followed his line of sight. "Do you know?" "What is it?" "It seems that you don''t, then." Nicole confirmed through the look in his eyes that he did not know about the fake doctor yet. "Take a look at this." Nicole handed him her phone. Jared''s pupils contracted when he saw what was in the video. "Has this person been found yet?" "We are still looking into it, but we should be able to uncover more about him in due time." The fingers that he was gripping the phone with turned white.He did not expect that idents would still happen, even with bodyguards standing on watch. "You should go home and catch some rest.I''ll be here." Jared looked at Nicole. "Okay.I''ll head back to the Riddle residence.My parents were visiting your grandpa the other day and they did tell me to return." "Send your parents my regards and thank them for me." "Alright, I will.I''ll be on my way, then" Nicole took one more look at Mr.Johnston Sr.before walking out of the ward. Upon entering the car, Nicole proceeded to phone Gloria. "Mom, are you home? I''ming back to see you now." "Yes, we''re home.Doe back! What would you like to eat for lunch?" Gloria asked her happily. "I''ll leave that up to you," Nicole replied. "I''ll be there in a few minutes." "Okay, take your time, then." "Yeah." Chapter 1058 Chapter 1058 The dazzling Lamborghini sped down the highway, and it did not take long for it to arrive at the residence of the Riddles. "Mom, Dad, I''m home!" Nicole walked in. "Nicole,e on over," Samuel called out to her from the living room.Nicole followed his voice to the living room, where Samuel was watching a sci-fi show. "I thought you''ve got something interesting going on.Apparently, you guys are just watching a movie." "Come take a seat and watch it with us.It is one of the most popr movies as ofte," Samuel said. "Really?" Nicole went over and sat down with Samuel and Spencer. "Alright, I''m sold." "Nicole, how is Mr.Johnston Sr.doing?" Daniel approached Nicole and asked. "There are signs of improvement." "That is good." "Nicole, I''ve been meaning to ask.How did Mr.Johnston Sr.get himself into that ident? Does his family know?" Daniel looked at Nicole curiously. "Not yet.As far as I''m aware, the case is still under investigation," Nicole said. She did not tell Daniel what she knew. After all, it was the Johnston family''s business; she knew what she should say and what she should not say. "s, nothing is as certain as the unexpected.I sure as hell didn''t expect Mr.Johnston Sr.to get into a nasty ident at such an old age." Daniel sighed. N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content. "I heard that the car at the scene was absolutely wrecked.Otherwise, he wouldn''t have been unconscious until now." "Dad, let me ask you something." "What is it?" "Do you know if Mr.Johnston Sr.had made any enemies when he was younger?" Nicole wanted to find out more about him so that she could investigate. "The world of business is like a battlefield; he definitely made a few enemies along the way, but I''ve never heard of anyone harboring any sort of deep hatred for him.Mr.Johnston Sr.might be a tough and opinionated businessman, but he is also a good man," Daniel said, recalling his memories. ¡®Dad, if you''re right, then this isn''t an old feud, but amore recent conflict.But what could have caused others to make an attempt on his life?'' Nicole thought. "Nicole, why are you asking me this? Do you suspect that¡­?"§Ú¦Ò¦Í???§Ó¦Ò¦Ò§Ü.¡é¦Ò§Þ Daniel''s words hung as he looked at Nicole. "Nah, I''m just asking to get a better understanding of the situation.After all, this is not something to be taken lightly," Nicole hurriedly exined. "So, is Jared back? I heard he went abroad.After such a major incident, how could he just leave?" Daniel said, and as he did not understand the actual situation, there was a sense of reproach in his voice. "Dad, I don''t think you understand the situation.Actually, Jared didn''t want to leave; it was the company''s arrangement, and he was in no position to refuse." Nicole exined on behalf of Jared. Otherwise, this would affect her family''s opinion of him when they meet himter. "Thepany? I''m informed that Henry is now the interim chairman.He didn''t arrange it, did he?" Daniel asked, recalling the previous press release by the Johnston Group. Daniel knew that Jared and Henry did not get along, and after hearing what Nicole had said, he understood the reason for it. "Your guess is as good as mine." Nicole did not confirm or deny, and the reason for which was understood by everyone. "Henry has just risen to the position of interim chairman and he is already behaving in an arbitrary fashion by sending his nephew abroad during this important juncture.Wouldn''t this cause a stir!? " Daniel said with his voice raised in anger. "Calm down, dad.Besides, Jared is already back." Nicole said as she caught sight of her father''s indignant expression. "Jared is back? Why isn''t he with you?" Daniel simmered down the second he heard that Jared had returned. Chapter 1059 Chapter 1059 "Jared stayed back because someone had to look after Mr.Johnston Sr." "Indeed," Daniel replied. "He just returned to the country.He should definitely be spending more time with his grandfather." "Dad, why haven''t I seen Norah even after I''ve been back for so long?" Nicole said, thinking that Norah had moved away after she had exposed her. "Norah?" Daniel said. "She is out on a trip with your ssmates and has been gone for a few days." Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org. Without Norah at home, Daniel was much more rxed.Nicole looked at Daniel with a frown. ''''So, she didn''t move out?" "Nope." "Wait, haven''t her parents been discharged?" Nicole said, perplexed at Norah''s ungrateful behavior. Did she not go home to look after them? Why is she still allowed to freeload in our house?" "Who told you that Norah''s parents were discharged from the hospital? How am I not aware of that?" Daniel looked at Nicole with surprise, as Gloria had visited them at the hospital yesterday. "So, they have not been discharged?"§Ú¦Ò¦Í???§Ó¦Ò¦Ò§Ü.¡é¦Ò§Þ Nicole asked, appearing to be even more perplexed than before. "Yeah.How can her parents be discharged from the hospital before they could manage aplete recovery? Who did you hear that from?" Nicole looked away and sneered. ''It seems she hasn''t taken what I said seriously and is still in the mood to go out on vacation.I was thinking of sparing her the humiliation by allowing her to tell Mom and Dad herself.But looking at her, I can''t be med for being a little more ruthless" "The nurse told me that Norah''s parents could have been discharged a long time ago, but they weren''t, because the family refused," Nicole said. Daniel stared at Nicole with his brows raised, confused at what he had just heard. "It can''t be.Yesterday, your mom came back from the hospital and said that Norah''s parents are still in need of multiple injections on a daily basis.You must''ve misheard, right?" Nicole shed Daniel a look of confidence. "I did not mishear.The nurse told me everything.If you don''t believe me, ask them the next time you''re at the nurses'' station, and you''ll understand what I''m talking about." Gazing into Nicole''s eyes, Daniel believed that his daughter was not lying. "Don''t tell your mom about this until I''m certain as to what is going on." Daniel and Nicole both knew that Gloria was doting on Norah to the point of spoiling her.If they told Gloria without being certain that it is the truth, it would probably backfire. Nicole nodded. "The same goes for you guys." Daniel looked over at Samuel and Spencer, who were watching TV. "We didn''t hear anything." "Dad, you''ve been chatting for a very long time.Are you done yet? We''re watching a movie, and your conversation has been nothing but a disturbance," Samuel said as he could no longer stand the noise. "That is all you seem to know.Why don''t you two find something productive to do at the office during the school holidays, huh? Tomorrow, I''ll get Sean to bring you to the office and show you the ropes." Daniel stared Samuel and Spencer down with a look of unmistakable displeasure. Samuel held his tongue at once, not wishing to get himself and his brother in trouble. In the meantime, Spencer shot him a re, as if to say, "It was all your fault.You should have just put up with it.Now we''re done for." Nicole watched as their expressions changed. "The movie is still pretty funny, eh?" The two immediately red at Nicole, knowing that she was gloating. "Nicole, I need you toe over.I''ve got something to show you." Gloria called out from the kitchen. Nicole rose to her feet and left the living room for the kitchen. "Mom, why don''t you join us in the living room and rx for a bit while the maids do the work?" Nicole said as she strolled into the kitchen. "You haven''t been back in a long time," Gloria said. "I want to make you something you''d like to eat." In truth, Gloria still loved Nicole.It was just that Norah was too adept at pretending and eliciting sympathies, causing Gloria to be protective of her. Chapter 1060 Chapter 1060 "Thank you, Mom." Nicole said politely. "What''s with the formality? Are you still mad at me?" Gloria knew she had been unfair to Nicole by being protective of Norah at her expense. Material ? N?velDrama.Org. "No." "Nicole, you can''t me me for defending Norah.I know she is pretty timid, even as a kid.She has always been cautious about everything and have always catered to the whims of others." Gloria exined. "I understand your position." Nicole apanied Gloria as she worked in the kitchen, and after a while, Nicole returned to the living room. "Are you guys done? Dinner''s ready." At the table, Gloria looked at Nicole and asked, ''Has Mr.Johnston Sr.woken up yet?" "Nope, not yet," she replied, having to answer the same question once again. "He hasn''t? Well, that doesn''t bode well for him." Gloria sighed and continued eating. "Quit bbering in front of the children.Mr.Johnston Sr.is showing signs of recovery," Daniel quickly added. Nicole went on to exin. "Mom, it''s not as grim as you think." "I''m sorry.I know next to nothing about the situation."§Ú¦Ò¦Í???§Ó¦Ò¦Ò§Ü.¡é¦Ò§Þ Gloria a shed her daughter a bashful smile and ced a piece of Nicole''s favorite dish onto her te. "Thanks, mom." Nicole smiled and proceeded with the rest of her meal. Meanwhile, at the hospital, Jared ordered, "us, hire someone to monitor the surveince, and notify the men guarding outside the ward immediately should youe across any individuals of dubious character. Check and verify the identities of anyone who enters the ward, and inform me if you notice anyone behaving suspiciously." "Aye." Jared nced at Mr.Johnston Sr.again before he whirled around and left the ward. Concurrently, Henry had returned home with his two sons to plot their entry into the hospital for the second time. "Dad, we''ve sent our contact away, and now it''s difficult to procure ourselves another one." Castor looked at Henry in a quandary. "You have to do it no matter how hard it is.I went to the hospital today, and I was told that your grandpa may regain consciousness at any moment.Don''t you want the life you have now? Do you want us to surrender our hard-earned position to Jared again?" Henry bellowed out in an attempt to guilt his child. "Of course, I don''t." "If you don''t want that, then do as I say.Hurry up and find someone to give your grandpa another shot in the same way as before, except with double the dose this time," Henry said ruthlessly. He wanted his father to slumber forever this time round, so that he would never have to worry about it. "Dad, doubling the dosage is going to kill Grandpa." Castor fumbled, not wanting to get into hot water with thew. "What are you afraid of? It is not like we''re the ones getting our hands dirty.You''ll need a heart of stone if you wish to maintain your position," Henry elucidated in an attempt to indoctrinate them. "Now, don''t just stand here.Get on with it!" Henry bellowed and shooed the both of them out of his office. "Castor, is it okay if we do this?" Murphy was a little scared. "Are we going to be busted for this?" "What the hell are you afraid of? Dad said everything will be fine, so let''s just get it over with.Would you like to spend the rest of your life with Jared walking all over you?" Castor was angry at the mere thought of Jared. If he had not taken Henry''s rightful ce, he would not have beenpelled to do anything to harm his grandfather. "Now let''s just go,"Castor finished."Nicole had returned to the vi facing the sea when she received a message from Zeke. [Found the man.He is hiding abroad.These are his information and coordinates.] [Well received.Thanks.] Nicole perused the personal details of the individual.He was an erstwhile doctor, but somewhere down the line, a misdiagnosis that had cost a patient their life had resulted in his medical license being revoked, and he resorted to bing a chatan. Chapter 1061 Chapter 1061 "So, this is why he knows what sort of drug to use to sedate Mr.Johnston Sr. without killing him. He has knowledgeable when ites to medicine. It is a pity that a single case of misdiagnosis led him down this rabbit hole." Nicole bemoaned the man''s uwful practice as much as she hated it. She took her phone out and sent a message to Carl. [Where are you?] She soon received a reply. [At Brave''s production facility. You miss me?] After ensuring that Carl was not on a mission, she called him directly. "Why do you only text when you''re avable? Don''t you know that I''m in a rush?" Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org. ¡°What''s the matter?" Carl became nervous all of a sudden. Nicoleughed. "Now that''s more like it. I need you to do what you did previously, and find someone for me. Here are the information and coordinates of that individual. Search for him, and I hope you''ll be able to bring him back here." "Bring him back instead erasing him this time?" §Ú¦Ò¦Í???§Ó¦Ò¦Ò§Ü.¡é¦Ò§Þ Carl asked to confirm what he had heard. "I need you to bring him back alive. A-l-i-v-e," Nicole said, spelling out thest word. In truth, Carl had heard her clearly and was just teasing her on purpose. "Okay, I heard you clearly. I''ll say hello to Zane first and then, I''ll get it done for you." "Okay, thanks." "How have you and Zane been?" Nicole asked, as she had not contacted Zane in a long time. ¡°Things have been rather peaceful here. The Raven hasn''t returned ever since we gave them a good beating. We''ve resumed our operations now, and we''ll pull out when the fes from Curley Corporation take over," Carl said, telling Nicole about the actual situation on his end, so she would have no reason to worry. ¡°None of you got hurt, right?" Nicole asked, concerned about him. ¡°of course not," Carl bragged. "Don''t you know what I''m capable of?" "You can''t afford to be careless, even if you''re skilled in meleebat. Here is what you need to know. The target is a doctor, and he knows all there is to know about sedatives. You better watch out, or you''ll find yourself on the wrong end of his needle," Nicole mocked. ¡°Don''t make meugh. Is he as fast as I am? I would''ve taken him out before he could even dose me," Carl said confidently. ¡°I haven''t seen you for a while now," Nicole mocked. "It seems that you''ve gotten better at running your mouth." "You wouldn''t feel good if you''re not ridiculing someone for a day, huh? It is not like you''ve never seen what I''m capable of," Carl retorted. ¡°Yeah, you''re a quick one, but I''m always a few steps ahead." Nicole burst out into a gale ofughter. ¡°You''ve gotten better at goading, it seems," Carl responded in kind. "Then we''re the same, both you and me." "You''re learning from the best, Carl. I''ll have to give you the attitude adjustment you need when I see you," Nicole threatened him. "I will just have to see youter, then," he said. ¡°You dare threaten me now? Looks like someone''s getting uppity these days. I''ll have to fly over in a minute and beat you to a pulp, then," Nicole warned. "Yeah, I''m scared," he said. "I''m just going to stop talking now. Someone is calling me." "Go. Remember to capture the target and bring him to me as soon as possible. I''m just afraid he''ll hole himself in a more isted location. If that happens, it''ll be even harder for us to get him," Nicole said. "Understood. I''m hanging up." "Bye." "Mr. Wyance, our production line has beenmissioned. We''re just waiting for the materials to arrive before we begin." Chapter 1062 Chapter 1062 "Thank you. I''ll contact the supplier right away. If everything goes well, the raw materials should arrive by today." Martin looked at all the production equipment in the factory with relief, as he could finally begin the process of mass- producing The Beacon. Back in his office, Martin could be seen dialing us''s number before holding the phone to his ear. "Mr. Junkerman, I''m all set here. May I know when the materials will arrive?" "Mr. Wyanice, they are on their way and should be delivered to you in about an hour. Get ready to receive the goods." us exined. "Okay, Mr. Junkerman. I''ll finalize the arrangements right away." Martin hung up and ced the phone down with a smile on his face. "Charles, inform the folks in the warehouse that the cargo trucks will arrive in about an hour''s time," Martin said to his assistant. ¡°Okay, Mr. Wyance. I''m going to arrange it." About an hourter, several supply trucks entered Martin''s factory. "Mr, Wyance, the trucks have arrived," Charles said as he strode into Martin''s office. Martin rose to his feet and followed Charles outside to examine the materials. Meanwhile, one of the drivers got out of his vehicle and handed the delivery note to Martin. "Mr. Wyance, you may check the goods and ce your signature here if it is okay." "I have confidence in Mr. Johnston. Thanks a lot," Martin said politely, as this was his first time dealing with these people. "Charles, escort the drivers to the lounge and let them rx for a bit." ¡°Thank you for your kindness, Mr. Wyance, but we should hurry up and unload the cargo," the driver said. "That way, we can report back to thepany as soon as possible." ¡°Okay. Charles, tell our men to make haste and start unloading," Martin said. "Yes, Mr. Wyance." ¡°Hurry up, everyone!" People in the factory got busy, and soon after, several tons of materials had been unloaded. "Mr. Wyance, we''re leaving," one of the truck drivers said, and climbed into his vehicle. "Goodbye!" Martin then turned around and ordered. "Charles, let''s begin right away!" "Okay, Mr. Wyance," Charles replied. The entire factory was in full swing. With the raw materials entering the machine, some important parts were gradually made. "Charles, the quality of this part is not up to snuff. I need this fixed immediately," Martin said, having found some problems right from the start. As time went by and the equipment were running, more and more problems became apparent. Martin called a halt to the production process at once and set about trying to discover what the issues were and what went wrong. Otherwise, they would be wasting more of their materials, which came at an exuberant cost. ¡°Joe, take the lead and get the quality control department to monitor the key processes. Find out what the fundamental issue is, and correct it to ensure that parts produced are up to standard," §Ú¦Ò¦Í???§Ó¦Ò¦Ò§Ü. ¡é¦Ò§ÞMartinmanded. ¡°Okay, Mr. Wyance. I will get right on with it," Joe said. Martin stood on the second floor, looking at all the equipment below. "I wonder, what went wrong?" At that exact moment, a hand tapped him on the shoulder, and Nicole''s voice blurted out, "What are you staring at?" "Nicole, what are you doing here?" Martin nced at her and continued to observe the production sites downstairs. Nicole caught sight of the sort of mood he was in, and asked, "What is with that sour look on your face?" "Nothing," Martin replied, as he was not the best at expressing his feelings and usually kept things to himself whenever he faced an issue. ¡°Nothing? It is written all over your face," Nicole asserted, as she felt sorry having to see him in this state. "Is it that obvious?" Martin turned around to face Nicole. ¡°Of course it is. What is going on? Is there something wrong with the product?" Nicole had hit the nail on the head.N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content. Chapter 1063 Chapter 1063 "Well, the quality of the parts being produced is substandard."Martin sighed, still racking his brains to figure out what went wrong. "There is just no other way to put it." "Substandard?" Material ? N?velDrama.Org. Nicole eyed him with a puzzled look on her face. "See this in my hand? This is The Beacon you''ve made, and it''s fine.So, I don''t get it.How could it be substandard?" "When I made The Beacon of yours, it was produced in small quantities, and so, quality control was easy.Now that it is being mass produced, even a minor difference in any of the variables will lead to quality problems," Martin exined. "I get it now," Nicole said, wanting to see what was happening on site. "Let''s head down and see what is going on." "Come on.Let me show you." Martin walked ahead with Nicole following right behind. When they stopped in front of one of the contraptions, Martin asked the engineer and the quality control staff members, "Hey guys, how is it going? Is it ready to function as it should?" "Not yet.We''re still examining it." "How long will it take?" Martin stared at the engineer. "I''m not sure.At this rate, it may take a few minutes or an absurdly long amount of time,"§Ú¦Ò¦Í???§Ó¦Ò¦Ò§Ü. ¡é¦Ò§Þthe engineer stated, as he had not identified the source of the problem just yet.Martin breathed a long sigh, anxious at whatever was going on.Nicole patted him on the shoulder. "Don''t worry.It''ll be fixed in due time." "Let''s take a look at the other ces." He proceeded toward another production site with Nicole. "Mr.Wyance." "What is the situation on your end?" Martin looked at Joe. "We have identified the problem.ording to our analysis, the temperature is not high enough.Before this, we tested the materials in smaller quantities, and it was easy to control the temperature.Now that the volume is several timesrger, we need to exercise a more precise control of the temperature." Now that they have discovered one of the issues, Martin was no longer as tensed as he was. "Good job, Joe.ording to your diagnostics, all you need to do is set the heat to a temperature proportional to the amount of materials we are using.The more urate and consistent, the better.Let''s hope for the best this time." "Okay.I will get on with the calctions right away." With one of the chief issues taken care of, Martin appeared to be even more at ease with himself. "Come on.Let''s head over there." Once the duo had made their way to the other side of the production site again, he asked, "Are there any problems on your side?" "No, we are just waiting for the final assembly," one of the men said. "Mr.Wyance, will the first batch of The Beacon be out today with no further issue?" "To be honest, I don''t know," he replied. ''''There were some problems during the first two stages, but if we can have them taken care of, we can resume production today itself.Alright, you guys should conduct further examination and make sure that nothing goes wrong." Martin was very cautious, taking a careful approach at every workstation. "Don''t worry, Mr.Wyance.We will ensure that everything goes as nned." Martin smiled. "Right on." "Now, it seems that there are only two sites left unchecked.I will go to the first and take a look.Why don''t you stick around in the other sites and help out with the temperature adjustments?" Nicole said, feeling that the problem in the first site was more serious, and she was ready to help. Martin looked at Nicole and nodded, hoping that she could aid him in solving the issue as soon as possible. "Okay." With Nicole back in the first site where the engineer was, she took a long, hard look at the equipment and asked, "Hello.Have you discovered what the problem is?" The engineer looked up at Nicole. "Not yet." "Let me take a look with you." Nicole stepped forward. The engineer nced at Nicole, refusing to take her seriously. "Hey kid, do you even know what you''re supposed to be doing?" Nicole recognized the engineer''s disdain and said, "Yeah, a little." "Don''t get in our way, then." The engineer ignored Nicole and went to continue the discussion with his colleagues. "Hey crew, let''s proceed." Chapter 1064 Chapter 1064 Nicole stared at the smug engineer, intending to let him falter in his attempts and step in to aid him once he waspletely out of options.She pulled a chair over and sat down to watch them as they discussed. The engineers were putting their heads together and once the tests were conducted, they followed the procedures that they had agreed upon. Yet, they were met with nothing but one failure after another. "How can this be?" The engineer asked, questioning his own abilities. "Did you mess up on one of the steps?" another engineer chimed in. "Yeah, that''s possible," he replied. "Quickly now! Jot the steps of each process down and run the tests again," After twenty minutes of rigorous testing, the output of the machine was still poor, in spite of the fact that they had exhausted all of the sequences that they hade up with. Not able to hold herself back for another minute, Nicole said, "You''ve been running these tests for so long.Have you found anything yet?" The engineer, who was unable to identify the issue, was utterly frustrated.He turned around and red at Nicole. "Not yet.Why are you still here?" "You''ve wasted so much time and resources trying to shed a light on what §Ú¦Ò¦Í???§Ó¦Ò¦Ò§Ü.¡é¦Ò§Þ went wrong, and yet, you''ve got nothing to show for it.Are you guys really engineers?" Nicole said while eyeing them with her brows raised. "What did you just say to me?" the engineer bellowed, his face red with embarrassment and fury. "Who gave you the right to question us!? I''ll have you know that we''re the top engineers in this field! Even Mr.Wyance watches his tone when he speaks to us! So who do you think you are, talking to us like that, kid!?" "Are you a rtive of Mr.Wyance''s?" he asked after a pause. "Rtive? I''m not his rtive.I''m his friend¡ª" "I don''t give a damn who you are.You can''t just step in and get in the way of our work here.Scram"§Ú¦Ò¦Í???§Ó¦Ò¦Ò§Ü.¡é¦Ò§ÞA middle-aged engineer interrupted Nicole and shooed her away. "I''ve got no idea where Martin hired you stooges from," Nicole said. N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights. "Y''all talk a good game, but when the timees for you to get things done, you''ve got nothing to show for it." "What are you on about, you little rascal?" "I am done bickering with you guys.Step aside." Nicole stated in a solemn tone as her ck eyes glinted. Those engineers were taken aback the instant Nicole asserted herself in a unique disy of confidence. Although they were still doubtful of her abilities and her knowledge, they relented and stepped aside anyway. Nicole then strode over to examine the equipment under the scrutiny of the engineers.She took a long, hard look at the machinery. Recalling the lessons the engineers had learned moments ago, she deduced that the issue did not lie with the operating procedures, but with the quality of the materials. With this theory in mind, Nicole proceeded by inspecting the materials. Through the use of an instrument, she was able to determine that the raw materials were fine. The engineer, realizing that Nicole was at a loss herself, chimed in, "I can see that you aren''t able to figure it out yourself.Are you ready to eat the humble pie just yet?" Nicole shot him another nce and continued her inspection. '' Since there are no issues with the raw materials, there must be something wrong with the hardware.But then, the machine is new. How could it be the cause of all this?¡¯ As she began to examine the contraption more thoroughly. Martin sauntered over and made a beeline for the engineer. "How is it? Is it operable now?" The engineer shook his head and gestured at Martin to look at Nicole as she was inspecting the equipment. "Nicole, what are you doing?" "I''m checking it, §Ú¦Ò¦Í???§Ó¦Ò¦Ò§Ü.¡é¦Ò§Þ" Nicole replied without looking at him. "No, it''s fine.There are engineers here," Martin said, not wishing to burden Nicole. "It is okay," she responded. "Aren''t you in a hurry to start the production? I''ve noticed that they couldn''t handle it, so I''ve decided to give it a shot." "Don''t you dare spew that hogwash in front of Mr.Wyance!" the engineers yelled, afraid that they would lose their jobs because of what she had said. "You can pipe down and watch, or you can get out of here," Nicole retorted as Martin watched on. Chapter 1065 Chapter 1065 The engineers felt that they were being humiliated, and proceeded to talk to Martin.But before they could get a word in, Martin turned to them and said, "Just listen to her." This rendered them speechless, for they were not expecting Martin to give free rein to Nicole. "Mr.Wyance, I don''t know how close you are to this woman, she knows next to nothing about what we''re doing, but she sure as hell knows how to pretend.She even insulted us.We demand an exnation from you, and you shall give us one, or I''m afraid that we can''t continue working together in this," the middle-aged engineer took the lead and said. Martin was just about to speak when the equipment began functioning as it should, with parts being churned out. In response, the engineer swallowed his pride as he watched the machine working the way it always should have.He maintained his silence when Nicole and Martin proceeded to check the quality of the parts being made. Examining the product, Martin said, "This one is eptable." Then he looked at Nicole with delight. "Fabulous, Nicole! I knew I could count on you.Thank you so much." "Okay, let''s get everyone started," Nicole said, urging him to get to work. "Right.Is everyone in their workstations prepared to proceed?" Martin yelled. "Yes! " "Let the mass production begin!" Martin announced, after which every equipment began to run, churning out a huge quantity of parts. "Joe, make sure the quality is controlled," §Ú¦Ò¦Í???§Ó¦Ò¦Ò§Ü.¡é¦Ò§ÞMartin reminded him with much concern. "Okay," Joe said. Nicole nced at the so-called engineers and sauntered past them. They hurriedly followed her, with one of them saying, "We''re so sorry, Miss Riddle.It was our fault.I hope you can forgive us." Concurrently, Martin stormed over and said, "The both of you are fired.I cannot afford to hire you any longer." The engineers did not expect Martin to relieve them off their duties, and so, they pleaded with him. "Mr.Wyance, we''re sorry that we ran our mouths moments ago.Please forgive us." "Have you forgotten how rude you were to Miss Riddle?" Martin red at them. "It is all my fault," the engineer pleaded. "I''ll own up to it." "Don''t follow me around," Martin said. "You''ve got no idea who you''ve offended, do you?" Hearing this, they ran up to Nicole and apologized.Nicole was annoyed, but she did not wish to make a mountain out of a molehill. "Martin, just get these guys off my back.Let them do their jobs." Heeding Nicole''s words, Martin turned to them. "You heard that? You know what to do next time.Now go!" The engineers nodded to Nicole and Martin at once with sheepish smiles on their faces. "Thank you, Miss Riddle, and thank you, Mr.Wyance." Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org. "Nicole, let''s head upstairs," Martin said and climbed the flight of stairs. Now, on his office chair, Martin centered his gaze at Nicole. "By the way, I haven''t asked you this, but what brought you to the factory all of a sudden.Did Jared send you over to supervise us?" "You''re in the mood to have another dig at me now, aren''t you?" Nicole gave him a piercing look. Martin flinched. "No.I''m just happy that the production has resumed." Then, he got up and made a beeline for the floor-to-ceiling window where he can view the busy production sites down below. Chapter 1066 Chapter 1066 "I''m happy that you''re finally able to resume mass production, but I think I can make you a little happier," Nicole said in a soft voice as she looked out of the window. Martin turned to her in confusion. "What do you mean?" "I want to order a thousand pieces of The Beacon," Nicole said, looking at Martin with a solemn expression. "A thousand? Why do you need that many of them?" Martin asked, shocked to hear that Nicole wanted a thousand of those. "Don''t worry about it," she said. "I have my own uses for them." "Alright." He nodded. "Where do I deliver them to?" "Tell me when you''vepleted the order," she said. I will get someone to pick it up for me." "Okay, no problem." "I will also be asking you for the subsequent needle refills at any time, so you should always be prepared." "Okay.I will stock up on as many injections as you want." Nicole returned to the vi, where Jared was already waiting with a meal served for her. "It smells so good." Nicole caught a whiff of the tantalizing aroma as soon as she walked in. "What is my chef up to, I wonder?" N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights. As she approached the dining room, she saw her favorite dishes on the table. "What is happening? These are all my favorites." "You''re back!" Jared waltzed out of the kitchen with two more dishes in his hands. "Chef, what''s the asion?" Nicole walked over to help him untie his apron. "Take a seat." Jared poured two sses of red wine, sat down, and looked at her with his ss raised. "Thank you for looking after my grandfather while I was away." "What are you talking about? I''m pretty close to Mr.Johnston Sr., am I not?" she said. ''''I''m not just looking after him because of you.Jared knew that she wanted to lighten his burden for him.He looked at Nicole with a smile. "Anyway, thank you. "Here''s a toast for you too,"§Ú¦Ò¦Í???§Ó¦Ò¦Ò§Ü.¡é¦Ò§Þ she said. "You must have missed your family when you were abroad.I bet it was just as hard." "Try some of this," he said, gesturing at the dishes. Nicole took a piece and consumed it. "Oh wow.If only you could cook me a favorite dish every single day." "Sounds like a walk in the park for me." Jared looked at her with a smile. "How are you holding up in the hospital?" Nicole asked and eyed him expectantly. "Has your grandpa regained consciousness?" "No.I really don''t know when, or if he will regain consciousness.He hasn''t moved a finger ever since that day.Do you think it could have just been his muscles or nerves twitching involuntarily?" Jared said, seemingly in despair. "Don''t be discouraged," she replied. Your grandpa will awake from hisatose for sure.Are your men guarding the hospital now?" "Yeah.I have ordered Henry to relieve his men off their duties," he said. "Now, I have reced them with people of my own.They are outside the ward and in the security room as we speak." Nicole nodded. "Good.Tell them to keep their wits about them.Your grandpa is still not out of the woods yet.Those who wish to harm him are likely to strike again." "I''ve thought about this,"Jared said. If someone else dares to make a move, I''ll see to it that he doesn''t get away with it.By the way, have you found the sham doctor?" "Yeah," she replied. "He has fled and is now holed up in another country, but I have hired someone to hunt him down and capture him.I believe we''ll be seeing him soon enough." "Good.I didn''t expect you to be so quick on your feet."Jaredplimented her. Chapter 1067 Chapter 1067 "What can I say? I''m an expert in that regard." The duo continued with the topic at hand throughout dinner. After the meal, Jared brought Nicole into the living room, where she leaned her head against Jared''s shoulder, catching whiff after whiff of his scent. "It''s reallyfortable, you know, leaning on you." "Comfortable? Is that all you have to say about it?" Jared turned his head sideways and gazed into her face which was nothing short of angelic to him. "Okay, there is also the air of positivity around you, and I like that." Jared smiled with satisfaction. "You went to Martin''s factory today.How are things going over there?" "The first batch of The Beacon was sessfully mass - produced today, and it looks really good," she exined. "When I was there, there was a minor issue with the equipment.It just wasn''t working properly.I saw Martin, and he was a nervous wreck.He wasn''t in the mood to talk to me at all.All he could think about was the malfunction, and how to get it fixed." "How did it work out?" Jared looked at her with a brow raised. ¡°I got it fixed in less than a minute.I was there for quite a while, watching a bunch of people standing around the hardware, not knowing what to do," Nicoleined, knowing that the engineers were ipetent. "I didn''t know that you are capable of fixing mechanical parts,"Jared said, noticing something special about Nicole. "I don''t think so, but I know a little," she replied. "Martin was on the verge of firing those engineers because of that." "Firing them? I mean, it is understandable that they wouldn''t know everything there is to know, but that does not warrant a firing now, does it?" Jared said, knowing that technical staffs in thepany could not possibly be proficient in everything, and that only a group of them working together can outperform an intellectual. "Ditto," she replied. "That was why I had to convince him to keep them around.Martin is a real workaholic." "Isn''t that good? If you work with someone like that, you wouldn''t have to worry about him cking off or something." "That is true." Out of the blue, Jared held Nicole in his arms and looked at her with a loving gaze. Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org. "Did you miss me while I was gone?" "No."§Ú¦Ò¦Í???§Ó¦Ò¦Ò§Ü.¡é¦Ò§Þ She blushed. "You''re in over your head." "The look on your face begs to differ." Jared gazed into her eyes with a wicked smile. Nicole attempted to pull herself away from Jared''s arms, but he had her bound. "Where do you think you''re going?" "I''m going upstairs to catch some rest." "Are you in a hurry?" He maintained his grip on her hand and would not let go. "What are you on about? I''m done with this conversation." Nicole released herself from his grip and headed upstairs. Jared followed her to the bedroom, where Nicole plonked herself on the bed to get some sleep. Jared walked in as well, and closed the door behind him.Then, he climbed onto the bed andid done beside her. With Jared''s breath hissing against her ears, Nicole could not fall asleep at all.She tossed and turned over to the other side, and before long, she felt an arm around her waist. "I''m trying to sleep." "Well, I''m trying to sleep too." "How am I supposed to fall asleep like this?" "You can do so with the crook of my arm around your waist." The night then became silent, with a bright moon looming over them in the sky. Through the window, the beams streamed into the room. The next day, Jared was jolted awake when the phone rang.He proceeded to answer it. "Mr.Johnston, we''ve got ourselves a weasel outside the ward," his correspondent said. "Can youe and take a look?" "Okay.First, escort him into the security room.I''ming over right away." Jared ced the phone down, vignt and wide awake. Chapter 1068 Chapter 1068 Nicole woke up to the sound of Jared''s Voice. N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights. "Who just called?" "The hospital did.They have gotten us a suspicious individual." Jared told Nicole as he got dressed. The instant she heard that something had transpired in the hospital, her eyes widened and she quickly got herself dressed at once. "I''ming with you." Jared nced at her. "Alright, let''s go." The two of them did not even have time for breakfast, as they had to race off to the hospital. Upon arrival, Jared and Nicole made a beeline for the ward to check on Mr.Johnston Sr.When the bodyguards at the door saw Jared approaching, they greeted him. "How is Mr.Johnston Sr.?" Jared asked, concerned about his grandfather. "He is safe.The suspect did not manage to enter." "Good." Jared pushed the door open and walked in. Mr.Johnston Sr.was still lying serenely in his hospital bed, and all the surrounding equipment were working as they should. "Stay here with Grandpa, while I''ll head to the security room to see who that person is," Jared said to Nicole. "Okay," she said. "Go ahead." Jared stormed off to the security room. When a bodyguard saw him approaching, he opened the door and greeted Jared. As Jared entered the room, he caught sight of an emaciated man in a whiteb coat crouched on the floor with his hands tied behind his back. The guard brought Jared a chair, which he proceeded to take a seat on.He then studied the skinny man from top to toe. Judging by his stature, the man was probably suffering a case of chronic malnutrition. The leather shoes on his feet were even too big for his feet. "Mr.Johnston, this is the syringe recovered from his body," §Ú¦Ò¦Í???§Ó¦Ò¦Ò§Ü.¡é¦Ò§Þhis security detail said, handing him a syringe primed with a needle.He picked it up and looked at it. "Send it to theb and analyze its contents." "Okay." "What is your name?" Jared looked at the man, and asked in a low voice.The man looked up at Jared timidly. "The name is CC." "I want your real name." "Conrad Calhoun." "Who sent you?" "I don''t get what you''re on about!" Conrad protested. "I''ma doctor and I work here! Let me go or I''ll call the cops!" "You want to call the cops?" Jared stared at the man with a smirk, intending to find out if he had the guts to do so. "Good.I would''ve forgotten if you didn''t remind me.Somebody untie him and pass him a phone!" When the security detail ced the phone in front of him with the numbers, 911, dialed in, Conrad swallowed and wimped out.He would not dare to finger the call icon on the interface. Jared saw this and sneered. "I thought you said you wanted to call the cops on me.All you need to do is press that little icon over there.Why won''t you do it? What is there to be afraid of?" Chapter 1069 Chapter 1069 "Don''t use me of not giving you the chance to make that call.I''ll count down from ten.If you don''t tell me, I will put it away and you''ll never get another chance to do so." "Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one." Jared gave his bodyguard a nod, and thetter walked over and snatched his phone back. "If you don''t want to call the police, then at least tell me who sent you." Jared said, his expression so piercing that he looked as if he could singe the man with his gaze. "I''m really a doctor.Why won''t you believe me?"§Ú¦Ò¦Í???§Ó¦Ò¦Ò§Ü.¡é¦Ò§ÞConrad sputtered, still unwilling to tell Jared the truth. "You are still tight-lipped, eh?" Jared said. "Alright, which department are working in?" "I-I am a surgeon." Conrad fumbled after a moment of hesitation.Even if what he said was true, there would still be no legitimate reason for him to enter Mr.Johnston Sr"s ward. "You''re lying through your teeth," Jared retorted. "You''ve never been a surgeon.You''re just trying to weasel out of it.Let me remind you that the person who hired you to do this has already known that you''ve been caught.He''s likely thinking of ways to cover the trail by killing you already.Yet, here you are, trying not to expose them.Think about yourself.Is this worth it?" Conrad''s eye twitched upon hearing Jared''s words. Material ? N?velDrama.Org. ''Is it true, that they will kill me like he said?'' At this juncture, Conrad was already having second thoughts about whether he should keep the identity of his contractors concealed. Jared proceeded to bait him by saying, "Have you thought about your answer? If you have any concerns, just tell me.I will do my level best to ensure your safety, but first, you''ll have to tell me the truth." Conrad''s eyes rolled and cold sweat began trickling down his forehead.It was a tough decision to make, but after some hesitation, he looked up at Jared.He was about to speak when the door to the security room was thrown open, and in came Henry.His eyes ranged over Conrad, who was squatting on the floor, and met Jared. As soon as he saw the both of them, he began feigning surprise. "I was informed that a suspicious individual was apprehended in front of the ward.Is that him?" Henry pointed at the crouching Conrad. "Who told you that we''ve caught a weasel in front of the ward? This man is just a petty thief pretending to be a doctor.He stole my wallet and I caught him red-handed.I''m surprised at how fast you got caught wind of this.It seems that you''ve got your fingers on your pulse." Jared stated, exposing Henry in just a few words. Seeing that Jared had turned the story against him, Henry resorted to using Mr.Johnston Sr.as an excuse.§Ú¦Ò¦Í???§Ó¦Ò¦Ò§Ü.¡é¦Ò§Þ "I just happened to be visiting your grandpa.As I was passing the nurse''s station, I heard there was amotion and thought something had happened to your grandpa, so I rushed over." Henry tried his best to cover his tracks.Yet, Jared was no longer interested in engaging him, as he was more focused on getting Conrad to tell the truth, and so, he left Henry alone. "Since this is the case, why don''t you go ahead and visit grandpa like you said you would.I still have matters to attend to over here." He averted his gaze from his uncle and centered it on Conrad''s face, during which Henry nced at Conrad from behind Jared, before saying, "I will leave you to it then" Henry took on a frosty look the second he walked out of the security room. ¡®Jared Johnston.I swear, I''m going to drive you out of the Johnston Group one day.You''ll never meddle with our affairs anymore" Back in the security room, Jared turned to Conrad. "What were you going to say? Now that no one is around, speak up." Conrad shrank, unable to look Jared in the eye. "I was about to say that you got the wrong person.To be honest, my family is poor and none of us could afford treatment here, so I thought of sneaking in here in the guise of a doctor to get my hands on some medicine.The hospital is huge, and no one would find out if I had snuck a few bottles of pills into my jacket anyway.All was going well until I got busted by your men.So yeah, I''m not the one you''re looking for." Jared red at Conrad, knowing that he was lying.He was about to spill the beans, but Henry''s sudden appearance had rendered all progress null and void. "Release him," Jared told his security detail. Conrad did not expect Jared to let him go, and was perplexed at why he had gotten away with what he was trying to do.He inched his way toward the door, and upon reaching the doorway, proceeded to dash out in a sh. "Get someone to tail him.Find out who he has been in contact with, get the evidence on film, and bring it to me," Jared instructed the bodyguard behind him. Chapter 1070 Chapter 1070 As the security detail left, Jared thought about Henry, who made his sudden and coincidental appearance just as Conrad was about to confess. With that in mind, the young Johnston could not help but take a deep breath and consider the idea of Henry being involved in all of this. Back in the ward, Nicole was having a conversation with the doctor when Henry pushed the door in. "You''re here, too, Nicole." "Uncle Henry." Nicole greeted. Henry nodded in acknowledgment and turned to the doctor. "Didn''t you say that the patient was about to regain consciousness? A few days have passed, so why isn''t he awake yet?" "The catch is, everyone has a distinct physiology.Some individuals are stronger and may recover in short order, while the ones who are frail may take a much longer time to heal.Take this patient, for instance.Thetter applies to him," the doctor exined. "I didn''t know that one''s physique has any bearing on one''s recovery.It seems that we all need to improve our health and make our bodies stronger.Has he had his injection today?" "Not yet.A nurse wille over in a moment to give the patient his infusion." "Alright, get on with what you''ve been discussing, then.There are still a few things in thepany that will require my attention.I''ll have to excuse myself now." Henry left after just asking a few questions. Nicole eyed Henry as he left, and murmured, §Ú¦Ò¦Í???§Ó¦Ò¦Ò§Ü.¡é¦Ò§Þ"What''s with him? He came and left in a hurry just like that.Seems a little strange, to be honest." "Miss Riddle, what did you say?" the doctor said, looking at her. "Nothing," she replied. "Anyway, where were we?" When Jared came back, the doctor had already left, and Nicole was all alone in the ward. "Did Henry stop by?" Jared asked. "Yes, how do you know?" Nicole looked at him with her head tilted. "I''ve already met him," Jared replied. "Has he said anything?" "He didn''t say much, but before he left, he did ask the doctor why your grandpa isn''t already awake by now." Nicole was still wondering where Jared had met Henry. "Where did you meet him?" "In the security room." "How did he end up there?" Her eyes narrowed to a frown. "There must be a spy.Otherwise, he would not have known that there was a security room, let alone be able to make his way there in a haste.Call this a hunch, but I think he there is rtion between him and the weasel we''ve apprehended.If Henry wasn''t there, he wouldn''t have changed his statement." "Judging by what you just said, there must be some sort of connection between the two of them," Nicole asserted, having deduced that which had urred in the interrogation room based on what Jared had said. "what are you going to do?" Nicole asked as she looked him in the eye. Material ? N?velDrama.Org. "Without some solid evidence, nothing much," he replied. "But I''ve already ordered someone to follow that man.I believe it won''t take long before we get ourselves some clues." "Due to the fact that there are so many of Henry''s spies in the hospital, we need to beef up our security measures," Nicole reminded Jared. "Yeah, I''ve intended to do the same," he said, and turned to his assistant. ''''us, I need more men over here for Mr.Johnston Sr"s protection" "Yes, Mr.Johnston," us replied. "How is Grandpa today?" Jared asked and fixed his eyes on Mr.Johnston Sr., who was still lying motionless on the hospital bed. "He is just as he was yesterday," Nicole answered. "Nothing has changed." A look of disappointment crossed Jared''s face as he stared at his grandfather, wondering when the old man would finally awake from hisatose. Chapter 1071 Chapter 1071 After along while, Mr.Johnston Sr"s finger moved again.This time, Nicole saw it, and she excitedly called out to Jared. "Your grandpa''s finger moved." Jared immediately looked at his hands. "Where is it?" "It just moved." Jared stared at his hands with unblinking eyes, and suddenly his finger moved again. This time, both of them saw it. "Grandpa, can you hear me? Open your eyes and look at me if you can." Nicole saw this and said to Jared, "Your grandpa seems to hear you.Talk to him more." Jared nced at Nicole and continued to talk to Mr.Johnston Sr.about his childhood.The clock was ticking, and Jared held his grandfather''s hand and kept talking to him, while Nicole watched nervously. Suddenly, Mr.Johnston Sr.opened his eyes and looked at the ceiling with confusion.§Ú¦Ò¦Í???§Ó¦Ò¦Ò§Ü. ¡é¦Ò§ÞJared and Nicole saw this and immediately went up and asked, "Grandpa, are you awake?" Mr.Johnston Sr.heard the voice and turned to look at Jared and Nicole with a smile at the corner of his lips.Jared immediately called out, "Somebody, go get the doctor." A momentter, there was a rush of footsteps outside the door, and then the doctor and nurses hurried in. "Let me examine him." Jared and Nicole stood by and watched as the doctor and nurses did a series of tests on Mr.Johnston Sr.The doctor then looked at Jared with a smile on his face. "Everything is fine with the patient.We will take another blood testter.Meanwhile, we will keep observing him.Don''t let the patient talk too much." "Okay." The doctor and nurses took the blood sample and left. Inside the ward, Jared and Nicole looked at Mr.Johnston Sr., and Nicole said, "Grandpa, how are you feeling after waking up?" Mr.Johnston Sr.nodded slowly, meaning he was fine.Nicole looked at Jared. "Grandpa is in good shape.Don''t worry." Mr.Johnston Sr.felt happy to see the two of them the moment he woke up.Jared looked at him and said, "Grandpa, don''t worry about thepany.Everything is fine.All you need to do is rest and get well." "Mr.Johnston, you and Miss Riddle haven''t had breakfast yet.Do you want me to make arrangements?" us asked. "Don''t bother.Just buy takeout and bring it here," Jared said. Since Mr.Johnston Sr.was awake, they would have breakfast in the ward. "Okay, I will go get it right now." us left. Mr.Johnston Sr.was not well enough to talk, but he was not deaf.He looked at Jared and Nicole as if to say, "Go get your breakfast.I''m fine here." "Grandpa, you don''t have to worry about us.We would like to stay here with you." Nicole guessed what was on Mr.Johnston Sr"s mind and looked at him with a smile.Mr.Johnston Sr.smiled and nodded gently.Henry had just sat down in his office when he received a report from his spy. "Mr.Johnston Sr.has woken up." "What? When I went there this morning, he was still...Okay, I know.You guys continue to keep an eye on it.Alert me if there is something." Henry sat down in his chair with a blue face.The waking of Mr.Johnston Sr.was bad news for him.His mind was racing.He did not expect that Mr.Johnston Sr.would wake up, and he did not know what to do now and if his father remembered anything. Owned by N?velDrama.Org. Henry wondered if it was in his best interest to go see Mr.Johnston Sr.now. A lot of things went through his mind. Just then, there was a knock on the office door. "Dad, I got word that Grandpa has woken up." Castor and Murphy hurried in. "I already know." Henry was trying to figure out a solution with one hand on his forehead. Chapter 1072 Chapter 1072 "What do we do now? Will Grandpa still remember the perpetrator''s vehicle?" Castor asked, looking at Henry. "How should I know? Where did the man Jared freed go?" Henry looked at Castor. "He is probably on a train to another state by now." "What is the point of going to another state? Send him and his family out of the country the same way you didst time." Henry ordered in a stern voice. "Send out of the country? It is toote now that the train has left." "Immediately send two teams of people, one picking up his wife and children, and one picking him up at the next station, and then book the next flight to send him away immediately." "Dad, there is no need to be in such a hurry." "Your grandpa is awake now.The sooner these people are taken care of, the better.Just do as I say.Also, have you dealt with the car and the driver?" Henry could not wait any longer; one more day of dy and Jared might find out. "It has been taken care of.Jared will never find out in his lifetime.Dad, are you still going to the hospital?" "I''m thinking about it, too.Jared was suspicious when I went there this morning.If I go there again, it would be like I have got a spy there.So, let''s pretend we don''t know about it." There was a cunning look in Henry''s eyes. "Okay, we will then go do our job." "Well, go on." Owned by N?velDrama.Org. us returned to the ward with the takeout he had bought. "Mr.Johnston, breakfast is here." "Okay.Just put it on the table." "Grandpa, we will eat something first ande overter to keep youpany."§Ú¦Ò¦Í???§Ó¦Ò¦Ò§Ü.¡é¦Ò§Þ Jared looked at Mr.Johnston Sr.Mr.Johnston Sr.blinked, looking a little sleepy. Nicole could see that he was sleepy, and she gave Jared a gentle wave.As they came to the table and sat down to eat, Nicole looked at Jared. "Your grandpa is awake, but he needs more sleep and rest.So we shouldn''t disturb him again." Jared heard what Nicole said, and he thought for a moment. "Grandpa just woke up and can''t be left alone.After breakfast, you go back first, while I will stay here with him.I''m worried about someone causing trouble at this time." Nicole understood what Jared meant and nodded. "Okay, I will bring you dinner tonight." "Thank you.I really appreciate your help all this while." "Don''t mention it." After breakfast, Nicole wanted to tell Mr.Johnston Sr.that she was leaving.As she came to the hospital bed and saw that he had his eyes closed and was still resting, she decided not to disturb him. "Jared, I will go then." Nicole said her goodbye to Jared. "Let us drive you home." "It is okay.I will just take a taxi myself.us should stay here and help you." Nicole''s understanding and thoughtfulness made her attractive. "Okay, take care then." Jared walked Nicole to the elevator, waited with her for the elevator.He watched her step into the elevator and disappear before his eyes before he came back outside the ward, where us whispered to him, "The car has been found, but it''s burned beyond recognition.But we can still barely make out the chassis number." "Where is the car from?" "It is from another state.The owner has been found and brought back." "Where is the owner?" "I have settled him in a hotel, and our people are watching him." "Good.I will go to check on him tomorrow.Don''t mention this in front of Mr.Johnston Sr." Jared instructed. "Aye." Jared pushed open the door and walked into the ward, where Mr.Johnston Sr.was still resting.He was a little exhausted, so he came to the couch,y down, and quickly fell asleep.. Chapter 1073 Chapter 1073 Nicole returned to the vi and rested for an entire afternoon. When she got up again, she got a call from Kelly. "Nicole, I have moved into the new house you found for me, and I have been staying idly for a few days.Do you have any work for me?" Nicole thought for a second and found that she had no work for Kelly to do now. She figured that if she let Kelly stay idly for too long, Kelly might think too much. "Kelly, I will send you an address in a minute, and you go and help out there tomorrow." "Okay.I promise to finish the job." Atst, there was something to do.Kelly thought Nicole had forgotten about her at first. After hanging up the phone, Nicole called Martin. "There is a girl named Kellying to see you tomorrow.She is my assistant.Could you please give her something to do?" "What is your assistant doing here if she is not working for you?" §Ú¦Ò¦Í???§Ó¦Ò¦Ò§Ü.¡é¦Ò§ÞMartin asked, puzzled. "I have nothing for her to do on my side for now, so let her work at your ce first." "I have nothing for girls to do here, either." Martin pondered, finding nothing for Nicole''s assistant to do. "You can arrange what Charles usually does for Kelly.She is very diligent in her work" "Okay, then I will see what I can do.But don''t me me for giving her too much workter." Martin wanted to pre-empt the me he might get from Nicoleter on. "You are so kind, Mr.Wyance.You won''t drive her too hard." Nicole deliberately gratified him. "That won''t work on me.I have got to work now." Martin hung up the phone. Nicole looked at the time and saw that it was about time to prepare lunch, so she went to the kitchen and got busy. The next day, us drove Jared to the hotel where the owner of the vehicle was staying. "Is he still inside?" us asked a bodyguard. "Yes, "Open the door." As Jared walked in, the vehicle owner looked at them with a confused look.Who are you people? What are you doing holding me up here?" Owned by N?velDrama.Org. "Rx.I just want to ask you something." Jared looked at the shivering vehicle owner. "Is the car in the video yours?" Jared asked us to show the man the video. The man looked at the video and nodded. "It looks like the car I lost, but without the chassis number, I can''t be sure." "Show him the chassis number." Jared instructed. "The chassis number is that of the car I lost,"the owner said, looking at Jared. "This car was stolen?" "Yeah.I didn''t know my car was stolen until they found me." "You are so careless.You didn''t even know your car was missing." Jared looked at him and had no words.He found that this man did not look like he was lying, and by the looks of things, he would not find any clues from him because someone else must have stolen his car to hit his grandfather. The vehicle owner helplessly lowered his head before he looked up abruptly at Jared. "Do you know who stole my car? I have to make him pay for it." "Make him pay for it? Unless you can find the guy who stole your car, then not only will you be compensated but you will also receive an additional reward." Jared scanned him with icy eyes. The vehicle owner was confused, wondering what Jared meant by he could receive a reward even after losing his car. "Let him go." Jared looked at us and left. Just as he got into his car, a phone call came in, and he answered it. "Speak." "Mr.Johnston, someone is trying to send Conrad and his family away.What should we do?" "Don''t let him leave.Grab him and bring him back, along with whoever sent him away." Jaredmanded in an icy voice. "aye." Chapter 1074 Chapter 1074 ¡®He wants to escape after doing something bad? No way" Jared said in his mind. "Go to the hospital." In the hospital, Henry was sitting at the bedside looking panickily at Mr.Johnston Sr, who had woken up. "Dad, you finally woke up.I have been waiting for you to wake up all this while." Henry looked at him with an excited face and some tears in his eyes. Mr.Johnston Sr.just nodded his head when he saw tears in Henry''s eyes. "Dad, do you feel ufortable anywhere? I will have the doctore over to take a look at you right away." Owned by N?velDrama.Org. Mr.Johnston Sr.shook his head. "Dad, can''t you talk now?" Henry looked at him timidly.He would be relieved if Mr.Johnston Sr.woke up without talking. "Dad, do you remember what happened before you were injured?" Henry finally asked what he wanted to ask.Mr.Johnston Sr.shook his head again. Henry was instantly relieved and looked into his father''s eyes. "Dad, it hurt me to see you like this.I will find the vehicle that caused the ident and will not let the bad guys get away with it." "How is Mr.Johnston Sr.today?" Jared asked the doctor as he walked in the hallway. "He is better today than yesterday.He has the strength to talk," the doctor said. Pushing open the door to the ward, Jared saw someone he did not want to see. "Hello, Jared." Henry greeted when he saw the door open and Jared came through the door.§Ú¦Ò¦Í???§Ó¦Ò¦Ò§Ü.¡é¦Ò§ÞJared nced at him once, and then walked over to Mr.Johnston Sr."How are you feeling today, Grandpa?" "Fine." Mr.Johnston Sr.said with little strength, but he was better than yesterday. At least he could talk now. Henry looked at Mr.Johnston Sr.in shock, as he did not know that his father could actually talk. "Dad, is there anything you would like to eat? I will have someone bring it over to you." Henry pulled a smile, as if he was happier than everyone else after Mr.Johnston Sr.finally woke up. "No." Mr.Johnston Sr.could barely utter a word.Henry was about to continue when Jared cut him off. "Grandpa has just woken up and can''t talk too much.Let him rest for a while." Henry gave Jared a disgruntled look and then looked at Mr.Johnston Sr.with a smile. "Dad, have a good rest.I will go back to work ande back to see you another day." With that, Henry got up, nced at Jared again, and left the ward. Jared looked at his grandfather and said, "You rest.I will stay here with you." Mr.Johnston Sr.nodded and fell asleep. Henry got into the car and pped the seat hard next to him. ''I didn''t expect the worst to happen¡ª Father can now talk.The good thing is that he doesn''t remember what happened before the ident.But I still need to make some preparations, just in case" "Drive." Henry instructed his assistant. Carl followed the information and coordinates Nicole gave him and found the doctor whose license had been revoked. In the restaurant, the unlicensed doctor was leisurely dining with a hot woman when Carl, in his suit, came in and sat at the table diagonally across from him. "Sir, here is the menu." A waitstaff came over and handed a menu to Carl. "I would like a steak, thank you." Carl''s eyes were fixed on the unlicensed doctor. "It is a beautiful day.I''m happy to have lunch with you." The unlicensed doctor looked at the hot woman and sweet -talked her. Chapter 1075 Chapter 1075 "Me too.It is so rxing to sit here.I''m happy." The hot woman smiled and nced out the window. "What do you usually do in your free time?" The unlicensed doctor asked. "Travel." "l enjoy traveling too.We can go together sometime." Carl scoffed as he listened in to their conversation. "So he is picking up the girl." He took out his phone and sent a message. [I have got my eyes on the unlicensed doctor.] [Don''t let him discover you.] Nicole replied. [He doesn''t have time for me.He is chatting up a hot chick right in front of my eyes.] Carl surreptitiously took a picture of the unlicensed doctor and the hot woman and sent it to Nicole. [He really knows how to enjoy his life, but he doesn''t have much of a chance.Find a chance to grab him.] [No problem.] "I don''t know your name yet." The unlicensed doctor looked at the blonde beauty. "Elsa." "Elsa.Nice name.My name is Jack." The unlicensed doctor just gave himself a foreign name. "If you want, I can drive you to a beautiful spot for a photo shootter.Would you like to be my model?" The unlicensed doctor invited her. "A photo shoot? Nice.I''d like that very much." The two hit it off immediately. After the meal, the unlicensed Dr.Jack drove the hot woman to the countryside, and Car was not far behind.§Ú¦Ò¦Í???§Ó¦Ò¦Ò§Ü.¡é¦Ò§ÞSuddenly, Carl thought of a brilliant n and stepped on the gas pedal to overtake. The unlicensed Dr.Jack was chatting andughing with the beauty in the car, when suddenly the beauty eximed, "There is a man who seems to be injured up ahead.Should we stop and take a look?" The unlicensed doctor nced at Carl lying on the ground and then looked at the hot woman. "We are not doctors.We can''t help much.Let''s leave him to someone who can." He just did not want to get into any trouble, let alone have anything to spoil his date with this hot woman. Looking at the unlicensed doctor''s car driving past with no intention of stopping, Carl cursed, "Goddamn it. What kind of doctor doesn''t stop when seeing an injured person? Oh, I forgot, he lost his practicing license." Starting the car, Carl chased after the unlicensed doctor''s car. The unlicensed Dr.Jack drove all the way to a beautiful riverside in the suburbs and stopped the car.He then took the hot woman for a photo shoot. Carl stopped his car at a hidden ce in the distance, got out, and gradually approached Jack''s position. On the riverside, Jack helped the woman pose, taking the opportunity to get up close and personal with her. As the camera shuttle clicked away, one after another, photos of the woman were taken. Feeling that the time was almost right, Jack sat down close to the woman, pointing to the distant scenery with his finger. Just then, the two looked at each in close range, the tips of their noses touching together, and then Jack kissed her. Carl saw it was the right moment and quietly approached.He then rushed over to subdue Jack, who thought it was some bad guy, and put up a fight. The hot woman was terrified and kept screaming. Carl had to calm her down and told her to rx, and that Jack was a fugitive. Jack stopped struggling and turned to look at Carl when he heard that. "What gives you the right to arrest me, and who sent you?" "You have hurt someone.You know it yourself." N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content. Jack paused for a few seconds, then continued to argue. Carl ignored him. He tied Jack up and shoved him into his car. Before he left, he told the hot woman, saying, "That car is yours now.Drive yourself back, and you have never seen what happened." The hot woman nodded, then drove off at once. Carl drove Jack to the ne that he had prepared in advance.He tied Jack''s hands and feet and secured him in a position where he could not interfere with him piloting the ne.He then started the ne and flew toward Nicole''s location. Chapter 1076 Chapter 1076 [The ne willnd in an hour.I have brought the guy back.] [Copy that.] Nicole told Jared the news, and they drove to the agreed location to wait for Carl to fly in. Shortly after, a ne flew in Nicole''s direction. Carl saw Nicole and a bunch of cars on the tarmac.He found a suitable spot andnded the ne safely. After turning off the engines, Carl walked off the ne with the unlicensed Dr.Jack. Nicole walked up to Carl and said, "It has been a long day.Take a rest here." Carl looked at Nicole. "Okay." "Take the guy away." Jared nced at Carl, then ordered. As us waved his hand, several bodyguards stepped forward to grab Jack, escort him to the car, and drive him to the hotel for custody. "Let''s go." Jared said to Nicole. Nicole looked back at Jared and nodded, then looked at Carl. "Let''s go." Nicole and Jared arrived in a car and stopped in front of the hotel, while Carl arrived in the car behind them. Getting out of the car, Nicole wanted to wait for Carl to go in with her. Jared had no choice but to follow her. When they got into the private lounge, the three of them were seated. Nicole first took a ss of wine and toasted to Carl. "I didn''t have a chance to thank you for helping me so muchst time, so I will make up for it this time.Tonight is just for you.I will take you to a fun ce tomorrow," Nicole said, and even winked at Carl. Jared toasted Carl with a ss of wine, too. "Thank you for helping us out so much.Everything here is on me." Jared''s wealth was enviable, but Carl had no desire for money.He just looked at Jared and epted his tribute with a smile. At the dinner table, Nicole and Carl were chatting andughing,pletely ignoring Jared, who was sitting beside Nicole. After much brouhaha with all the food and drink, Nicole and Carl became high and started to stand up and sing. Jared had no words for it, as this was the first time he had seen Nicolepletely let herself loose. The singing in the room was so loud that Jared could not take it anymore. He dragged Nicole over, flipped her on his shoulder, and walked out. Material ? N?velDrama.Org. "What are you doing, Jared? We are not done yet." Nicole struggled on his shoulder. "Nicole, Nicole..." Carl staggered as he tried to reach for Nicole. "Bring this gentleman to the hotel for rest." Jared instructed his bodyguards.He continued to carry Nicole to the car, with Nicole dancing on his shoulder. Back at the vi, Jared carried her to the bedroom, gently put her to bed, and looked at her, whose face flushed. He wiped her face with a hot towel, and then covered her with a quilt, and hugged her to sleep. The next day, Nicole woke up with a terrible hangover. When she did not see Jared beside her,§Ú¦Ò¦Í???§Ó¦Ò¦Ò§Ü.¡é¦Ò§Þ she crawled out of bed and put on her shoes before staggering toward the stairs. Jared was having breakfast in the dining room when he saw Nicole wobbling down the stairs.He immediately put down the cutlery and rushed up to her. "Why didn''t you get more sleep?" He helped Nicole to sit down in the dining room. "I''m thirsty.Is there any water?" Nicole''s eyes were half-closed, her eyes dull. Jared quickly poured her a ss of water and handed it to her. "Here you go." Nicole took the water and gulped down at once. "Drink it slowly," Jared said with concern. In no time at all, Nicole had finished arge ss of water. "More." Chapter 1077 Chapter 1077 "A ss of water early in the morning is enough.I have made you some porridge." Jared put a bowl of porridge in front of Nicole. After having a ss of water, Nicole was more awake, and she looked up at Jared. "How did I get back yesterday?" Jared looked at her with a frown. "You don''t remember?" Nicole shook her head. "I don''t remember." "I carried you back yesterday, and you were fighting back.It took me a lot of effort to get you back.My shoulder is still sore." Jared wanted tough at the memory ofst night. "What are youughing at?" Nicole could tell Jared was holding back hisughter. "I''m notughing." Jared denied it. "I saw youugh.Stop denying." "Where is Carl? Is he still sleeping?"§Ú¦Ò¦Í???§Ó¦Ò¦Ò§Ü.¡é¦Ò§ÞNicole asked Jared as she looked around and saw no sign of Carl. "I arranged for Carl to stay in the presidential suite.He stayed therest night." The scene of Carl holding Nicole''s hand and singing togetherst night came to mind at the mention of Carl. "Oh, thank you." ¡®Is she saying thank you on behalf of Carl? Is it possible that in her mind, Carl is closer to her than I am?" Jared looked not too happy at the thought, but he still cared for her. "Have some porridge and then go up to rest.I will go to the hospital first." "Okay, bye." Nicole nced at him, then lowered her head again. Jared sighed helplessly, got up, and put on his suit, then walked outside. After Jared left, Nicole ate nothing.She just poured another ss of water and took it upstairs. When Jared arrived at the hospital, Mr.Johnston Sr.had already woken up from his nap and greeted him when he saw Jared walk in. "Grandpa, you are awake early today." Jared came to the bedside and sat down to talk to him. "The nurse opened the window for me this morning.The air is very fresh." Mr.Johnston Sr.had a better spirit now, and he could finish a sentence without taking a breath. "Your spirits are getting better every day.Do your wounds still hurt?" Jared asked. "It doesn''t hurt as long as I don''t move.It is better than the first day I woke up." Mr.Johnston Sr.started to have a smile on his face. "Where is Nicole?" he asked. "She is not feeling well today, so I asked her not toe." Jared found a random excuse, not wanting to mention what happenedst night. "Let her rest at home if she is not feeling well.She doesn''t need toe here every day.You too; the company has so many things waiting for you to take care of.I''m fine here.Don''t worry about me." Mr.Johnston Sr.looked at Jared with kindness and understanding. "Understood.It is not busy these days, so I don''t have to be at the office all the time." Jared did not dare to tell him that Henry was the acting chairman now, so that he would not get angry, lest it affected his recovery. Owned by N?velDrama.Org. "Oh." Mr.Johnston Sr.nodded his head. At this time, the doctor was doing his rounds. "Doctor, did you get the results of thestb test?" Jared looked at the doctor. "It is out.Some of the patient''s health indicators are slightly low, but there are signs of recovery, and they are rising every day.So there is no need to worry." "That is good.How long will it take for my grandfather to return to normal and be discharged from the hospital?" "It is still hard to tell.There is no way to deduce it based on the current situation." "Jared, there is no hurry.I can rest anywhere anyway." Mr.Johnston Sr.was expansive. Chapter 1078 Chapter 1078 "Grandpa, I have some things to take care of.You take more rest.I will be back soon." "You go and do your things.No need toe back.Go and get busy. "Okay, I''m off then.If you need anything, press this button." Jared pointed it out for him. Mr.Johnston Sr.looked at him and nodded. Jared took us and left the hospital, heading for the hotel. Arriving at the hotel, Jared sat in his chair, scanning the unlicensed doctor with an air of authority. "Who are you people? How dare you abduct me! Do you know that this is illegal?" The unlicensed doctor shouted at Jared. Jared did not care what he said and asked the question he wanted to ask, "Is that you in this video?" N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights. The unlicensed doctor took a look at the video of him giving an elderly person an injection and denied it. "No." Seeing his denial, Jared showed him the video of him entering the men''s room with a backpack. "Does this ring a bell?" The unlicensed doctor looked at it and swallowed unconsciously. Jared was taking all his expressions in. "Who sent you to kill my grandfather?" Jared looked at him expressionlessly, his air of intimidation filling the room. The unlicensed doctor felt suffocating. "Kill your grandfather? That is a crime I can''t afford." "You''re not going to tell me, are you?" Jared then nced at us, who got the hint and slowly approached the unlicensed doctor with a syringe. "What are you doing?" The unlicensed doctor stepped back in fear. "Grab him." us instructed the bodyguards. Two muscr hands mped down on the unlicensed doctor so he could not move. us then approached him and was about to give him an injection. The unlicensed doctor cried out in fear. "What is this drug?¡± "Who sent you?"§Ú¦Ò¦Í???§Ó¦Ò¦Ò§Ü.¡é¦Ò§ÞJared asked again in an icy voice. "It really wasn''t me.You have the wrong person." The unlicensed doctor was still sophomoric. us jabbed the man in his arm at once. The unlicensed doctor tensed as he watched the injection go all the way into his body, his legs going limp as the bodyguard let him go. He shuddered and looked at Jared. "What did you do to me?" Jared looked at the time and said bitterly, "Don''t worry.It is not going to kill you.But in ten minutes, I''m afraid you won''t be able to keep that arm." "This little trick isn''t going to fool me.You guys underestimate me." The unlicensed doctor leaned against the wall and gasped, but was terrified inside. "Really? Then you had better hold on.I have plenty of time to y with you, but you only have two arms and two legs." Jared leaned back in his chair and looked at him with stern eyes. Judging by Jared''s expression, he did not look like he was lying to him. The unlicensed doctor started to feel a paining from his arm and it perturbed him. As time went by, the spot where he was injected started to fester. The unlicensed doctor took off his clothes and immediately saw the part with necrosis. His lips trembled when he said, "What have you done to me? Give me the antidote." "The antidote is right here, but you have to tell me who sent you," Jared said. Just a while ago, the unlicensed doctor was still boasting.But now he was shaken. "That person really isn''t me.Maybe it is just a body resemnce, but it is really not me." The unlicensed doctor was still defending himself sophomorically. Chapter 1079 Chapter 1079 "I didn''t expect you to be so loyal, but unfortunately, you followed the wrong person.Maybe you don''t even know if the people you protect with your life will want you dead even more when they know you have been captured." Jared''s words hit him where it mattered. A sh of hesitation shed in the eyes of the unlicensed doctor.He started to think that what this person said made some sense. The pain was still eating away at his arm, and when he looked at it again, his arm had be festered and bloody.But he still gritted his teeth and held on while pondering what Jared had just said. "You don''t have much time left.If you still wait a little longer, you will lose this arm of yours." Jared kept ying a mind game with him. "Do you want your arm and protect yourself, or do you want to lose your life for that irrelevant person? Which is worth more? And what are you doing all this for?" The crushing pressure from Jared was knocking on his brain. The pain in his arm was too much for him to ignore, but he was afraid of retribution from that person if he betrayed him.But now that he was hurt, the man did not show up to save him. The unlicensed doctor lowered his head and kept thinking and weighing his options. After thinking about it hard and long, the unlicensed doctor looked up at Jared. "I will tell you, but you have to keep me safe.If that man knows that I have betrayed him, he will definitely send someone to kill me." "As long as your information is valuable, I can grant you the request." Jared looked at him with serious eyes. The unlicensed doctor hesitated. "I didn''t see his face clearly, but that man has a pentagram tattoo on his hand." "A pentagram?" Jared looked into his eyes, examining him to see if he was lying. "Any other features?" "When that man found me that day, he was wearing a suit.He was about five-foot-eight, wearing a baseball cap and a mask, nt- eyed." The unlicensed doctor had exined all that he knew. "That is all I know.Give me the antidote," he said anxiously. "Have you note in contact with anyone else besides this man?" "No." "Do you know what his purpose is?" "No.He just asked me to dispense some drugs to keep the old man in aa." Jared looked the unlicensed doctor in the eye. "Give him the antidote." us tossed him the antidote, which he immediately injected into his own arm. "For your own safety, stay here for the time being.My men will protect you." Jared could not let him go just yet, as he still needed him to identify the mastermind. N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights. The unlicensed doctor looked at Jared with fearful eyes and nodded. Walking out of the room, Jared instructed us. "Check this man out ording to his description." "Okay." Nicole was resting when she was suddenly awakened by the ringing of the phone.She felt for the phone and answered, "Hello?" "Are you still sleeping? It is alreadyte morning." Carl''s voice came over the phone. "Why do you care? You are up?" "I''m up.I¡¯m going out to get something to eat.Have you eaten?" §Ú¦Ò¦Í???§Ó¦Ò¦Ò§Ü.¡é¦Ò§ÞCarl asked. "No." Nicole suddenly remembered that someone had offered her a bowl of something while she was still in a trance this morning, but she had left without eating it. She wondered who the person was, or if it was just a dream. "Do you want me to pick you up and we go get something to eat together?" "Yeah.I will send you the location," Nicole said, closing her eyes again while Carl was still talking on the other end. Chapter 1080 Chapter 1080 "Nicole, the location you sent isn''t detailed enough.Can you send a more detailed one? Hello? Are you listening to me?" Carl hung up the phone after no reply from Nicole.And he thought he might as well rely on himself. After locating Nicole''s exact location on his cell phone, Carl hailed a cab and headed to Jared''s vi. After getting out of the car, Carl rang the doorbell at the gate. Nicole opened her groggy eyes and looked at the bedroom door, wondering who hade to disturb her sleep again.She went downstairs to the door, saw Carl''s face through the CCTV camera, and opened the gate to let Carl in. Carl came to the door of the vi, where Nicole was standing there waiting for him. Nicole asked, "How did you get here so fast?" "It''s okay.Are you still sleeping?" Carl looked at Nicole and knew she must have just woken up. "Yeah.Come on in." Nicole led Carl in. "Where do you want to go to eatter?" Nicole looked at Carl. "I don''t know.I don''t know this ce very well.Do you know where the food is good?"§Ú¦Ò¦Í???§Ó¦Ò¦Ò§Ü. ¡é¦Ò§ÞCarl had asked her toe along because he expected her to take him to a good ce to eat. "Hmm..." Nicole thought for a moment. "Take a seat while I get changed, and then I will take you to find something good to eat," Nicole said and headed upstairs. "Okay." Carl sat on the couch, waiting for Nicole, feeling bored. Soon Nicole came back downstairs with a change of clothes, looked at Carl, and said, "Let''s go." "Have you thought about where we are going?" Carl walked shoulder to shoulder with her. N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content. "Yes, You drive." Nicole tossed him the keys. "You treat me as a driver again?" Carlined. "Cut the crap.There is no such thing as a free breakfast.Just drive." Nicole gave him a look and got into the car. Carl got in andplimented her. "That''s a nice car.Who gave it to you?" "Couldn''t I have bought it myself?" "You? Come on, you wouldn''t spend money on a car.Who is it?" Carl looked over at her and raised his eyebrows. "Jared." "I knew it.No one but him would buy you a car that expensive." "I don''t see how that is apliment.So drive." Nicole hit Carl on the shoulder. Carl started the car, floored the gas pedal to drive out of the vi. Nicole looked at him and frowned. "What are you doing, driving so fast?" "I''m trying out the speed of this car." Nicole shot him a look and had no words. "This is the city.If you drive like this, the traffic police wille after you." "Do you think I would be afraid?" Carl was challenging Nicole''s patience. "Are we here to race?" "Ah...I forgot." Carl slowed down, having just been sopletely absorbed by the car that he had forgotten what they were even out to do. "Turn right up ahead." Nicole told him with a darkened face. "See that ce? Go there." Nicole pointed to a splendid clubhouse. Carl parked the car, and they got out and walked to the clubhouse. Carl looked at the entrance. "It looks nice." "Come on, let''s go inside." Nicole stepped inside. "Hello, do you have an appointment?" The lobby attendant asked Nicole. Chapter 1081 Chapter 1081 "No." "Sorry, I''m afraid you can''t enter without a reservation." "What''s the deal with this ce? It looks really good, but with that many rules, dining here is going to be a problem," Carl said, not looking too happy. Nicole produced a gold card from her pocket. "Do you think we''ll be able to enter with this?" The service staff took the gold card and examined it. Then, her eyes widened, and her attitude shifted as she looked at Nicole with what seemed to be newfound humility and respect. "Okay," the staff said. Nicole turned Carl. "We may enter now." Carl smiled, happier and satisfied with the oue. Following the service staff, Nicole and Carl entered the clubhouse, and as they walked, Carl eximed in amazement, "It is bigger that in looks on the outside." In front of them was a spacious and brightly lit hall. The walls, which were draped in gold, made the whole ce look splendid, and there were four passages, one on each side, with each leading to different areas. "What do you have on the menu?"§Ú¦Ò¦Í???§Ó¦Ò¦Ò§Ü.¡é¦Ò§ÞCarl asked the service staff who was leading the way. "We have a ton of dishes.You''ll see when you look at the menu," the staff said, unable to introduce them all, as there were just too Many to name. "Get us a room," Nicole ordered. "One that is nice andfortable. "Sure, this way, please." The service staff gestured, inviting them both to enter the one closest to them. "I hope this room has what you''re looking for." Nicole walked in and looked around, before asking Carl, "What do you think?" Carl scanned the ce, not looking too satisfied. "It could''ve been better." In response, Nicole turned to the service staff. "Are there any other rooms?" "Yes, right this way, please," the staff replied. The service staff then led them to another private lounge. "Does this room better suit your needs?" Nicole looked at Carl, who subsequently walked in to examine the ce. "It is not bad at all." "Then here it is," Nicole said and turned to the service staff. "Serve us the very best you have on the menu." "Okay, I will get right on it.If you need anything else, you may ring the little bell on the table and one of our staffs wille right over," the staff said, and sauntered off to prepare their meals. Carl plonked himself on the couch, and switched the television on with a remote, while Nicole took a seat beside him. "Pick a sci-fi blockbuster," Nicole said. "I''m not a fan of sci-fi.At this moment, I''m in the mood for some fantasy adventure," Carl said, fiddling with the remote. "I don''t see the appeal.Hand me the remote." Nicole reached out for the remote, who pped her hand away, refusing to give it to her. Nicole red at him. "Think you''re a tough guy, aren''t you?" Carl reluctantly handed her the remote control. "We''re just watching a movie.Why do you always have to be so forceful?" "Do I look like I give a damn?" she replied. Carl rose to his feet and strutted off to the other side of the room, seemingly bored out of his mind. A momentter, Nicole heard singing.§Ú¦Ò¦Í???§Ó¦Ò¦Ò§Ü.¡é¦Ò§ÞFrowning, she looked over and murmured, "What the hell? Is he singing, like for real?" Material ? N?velDrama.Org. She ced the remote and walked over to Carl, who was crooning away with a microphone in hand and his back turned to her. Nicole picked the other one up and joined him in a duet, and soon, the duo began resuming with the fun that they had left off the night before, filling the entire room with their voices. Once they had concluded the final verse, Carl eyed Nicole.Aren''t you supposed to be watching a movie? Why did youe over?" "What''s it to you? I''ll do as I wish," Nicole replied and proceeded with the next number on the list. As the music cued in, Carl sang the first line before Nicole could even utter a word. Nicole looked at him with her brows raised and her lips pursed. Then, she took a deep breath, ready to seize the moment the second he paused to catch his breath, and when he did, Nicole belted, drowning his voice out with hers. Seeing this, Carl resigned himself to the notion that he would have no choice but to sit back and wait for her to finish. Chapter 1082 Chapter 1082 By the time they were done with the second number, the two of them were left parched and famished. Both went back to the table, on the verge of drooling as they fixed their eyes on the dishes which were already being served. The service staff politely went out after serving them their meal, and once the entrance door had closed, the both of them tucked in as if they had not eaten for a week. "Wow, this is good," Carl said after taking a bite. Nicole nodded in agreement and gestured at another one of the dishes to Carl. "Try this one." Carl took a piece and tasted it. "Wow, that''s lovely.Looks like you''ve found us a gem of a ce." "Of course I did," she replied with a smile. "I had to take you somewhere ritzy to make sure you''re well-fed and entertained." Due to the sheer amount of food on the table, both Nicole and Carl were quickly gorged, whereupon Carlid his cutlery down. "Nicole, I don''t think I can take another bite.If I keep going, I''m not going to be able to buckle my belt." Nicole''s eyes narrowed as sheughed. "Well, look at you.So much for being a tough guy, huh.Come on, let''s head to the entertainment section.It''s going to help with the digestion."§Ú¦Ò¦Í???§Ó¦Ò¦Ò§Ü.¡é¦Ò§ÞNicole got up, took the lead, and sauntered off toward the entertainment area. There was a galore of games in the entertainment area, and as Nicole walked, her eyes ranged over the entire room, eventually spotting a shooting game. "Carl, check this out.We''ve got something fun over here." Carl was still slumped at the table when he heard Nicole calling out to him.Curious, he rose to his feet and lumbered over to her. "What is that?" "A shooting game.Fancy a round?" she asked. In response, he eyed her with his brow raised. "The loser foots the bill." Nicole smiled. "Yeah, let''s get started." Without further dy, the duo inserted their tokens, and the game began. A horde of zombies soon appeared before them and hobbled over. Carl took care of them with a few well-ced shots and turned to Nicole with a grin. "See? It is a piece of cake." Nicole smiled without uttering a word, as she knew that the best was yet toe. As soon as the subsequent round began, the horde grew in size, and the game grew even more intense in terms of speed and difficulty. Carl took the gun and proceeded with the onught, leaving little room and reason for Nicole to intervene.She stood idly by for the first three levels, as Carl had easily blitzed his way through. After catching a glimpse of Nicole''s score, which was still capped at zero, on the right side of the screen, Carl smirked. "You didn''t hit any of them, did you? Come on.These zombies areme as hell." "Go ahead and have your fun, but you''ll be singing a different tune soon enough." Nicole shot him a piercing stare and picked her gun up. Owned by N?velDrama.Org. As soon as the fourth stage began, Car] noticed that there were far fewer zombies on the screen and quipped, ''"Why are there so few of them? Is that all this game has to offer?" Out of the blue, a bunch of zombies appeared from above and ambushed them. Carl jumped, took aim at once, and began shooting while a second horde lurched out and charged at him from the front. Struggling to keep them at bay, he asked, "Nicole, what are you doing? Why are you not shooting?" Noticing that Carl was getting anxious, Nicole took aim and began firing away. The two of them teamed up, and with Nicole''s aid, they got past the stage with rtive ease. "Nicole, we''re supposed to be a team.Why did you just sit back and watch? Are you waiting for me to get my butt kicked?" Carlined. "Aren''t you a badass? I thought you didn''t need me," Nicole mocked. Carl could not think of a response to the jibe, and thus, decided to y it cool. "Of course I am, but with that many zombies, I don''t think I''ll be able to stop your ass from being handed back to you." In actuality, he was insinuating that Nicole had fired the shots to protect herself while he was the one leading the charge. "Oh, alright then.You won''t have to worry about me in the next stage.I''ll just get myself killed," she replied. "You..e on.The match has already started, so you might as well just keep going," Carl pleaded. This time, the number of zombies multiplied and nked from both the left and right. "Carl, do you need my help now?" Chapter 1083 Chapter 1083 Carl felt helpless upon realizing that Nicole could assert her dominance over him, even in a game such as this. "Yes, please." This prompted Nicole to grab her gun and clear the zombies on the right. The two of them worked together and soon, they eliminated their undead enemies, after which they gave each other a high- five. "Yeah!" This sense of teamwork and synergy carried onto the next few games, and they managed to clear every stage in one go. "Well, that was fun!" Carl said. "I don''t think it was as fun as you think it was," Nicole said and strutted off to the other side of the entertainment section. "What do you mean?" Carl hurried after her to the billiard table. "Carl, do you fancy having a friendly match?" Nicole looked at him with raised eyebrows. "Sure, you may go ahead and tee off." Meanwhile, Jared was back at the office when Max sauntered in with a contract for an international project. "Mr.Johnston, this is the contract.Please take a look." "Okay.By the way, I need you to check on something with the finance department.You see, the company has recently made a few payments.I want you to find out where the funds have gone,"§Ú¦Ò¦Í???§Ó¦Ò¦Ò§Ü.¡é¦Ò§ÞJared instructed. "Okay, I will get right on with it now." "There''s no need to rush," Jared replied. "You just came back, so I''d like you to take a day off and catch some rest." "Thank you, Mr.Johnston," Max replied, and left the office, having informed his employer of all that was supposed to. Owned by N?velDrama.Org. Later that day, Jared was still in his office, sifting through and perusing from the pile of papers on his desk when he registered the cking of high heels from a distance. As expected, a knock came not long after. "Come on in," he said. "Hello, Jared.It has been a long time." Fiore''s voice echoed. "What brought you here, Miss Fisher?" Jared said, and peered at her with his face still behind the document. "The beautiful weather here, I guess." Fioreughed and sat down from across Jared. "What have you been up to?" "Nothing too important, really.Anyway, are you here because you wanted to discuss with me about something?" Jared ced his pen down and looked at her. "So, I wouldn''t be allowed toe over if I''ve got nothing important to talk to you about?" Fiore snickered. "I won''tin if you do." Jared smiled, looking more charming. "Having you around would be a pleasure." "It''d be hard for me to leave if you''re going to be this charming," she replied with a smile. "Listen, here''s the thing.I''ve got a hundred billion dor project lined up, and I''m looking for a partner.You are the only one who has the motivation and the ability to see it through, so I am here asking you to consider a partnership with me." "Thank you, Miss Fisher," he said. "Unfortunately, the call is not mine to make.I''m sure you''re informed that the Johnston Group has appointed an interim chairman.Any major decision involving thepany has to receive his approval before it can proceed.I am afraid that you''d have to liaise with the interim chairman and ask him if he is willing to work with you." Jared said, using Henry as an excuse with which to decline Fiore''s proposal. The coboration with Martin had just started, and though it was not a big project, Jared did not want to commit himself to anything else just yet. Furthermore, his te was already full, thanks to the major project that Nicole was involved in. "You mean Henry? I didn''t expect him to be chairman.Is he at the office now? I will go talk to him," Fiore said, the smile on her face fading. Her tone and her expression grew cold.She wanted to take this opportunity to meet Jared more often, not anticipating the notion that she had to go through Henry, and acquire the old man''s approval. Chapter 1084 Chapter 1084 "I''m sure he is in the office.You''ll need to speak to him directly anyway, so just head to the thirty-fourth floor and see if he is there." Jared opened the door and ushered her out.To him, the longer she sat here, the more time he would waste talking to her. "Okay, I''ll see you some other time, then.I must make my way up there and meet Henry now." Fiore rose and headed out the door. "Okay, bye." Fiore strutted out of Jared''s office, took the elevator, and headed straight to the floor where Henry''s office was, and when she had arrived at the reception counter, she asked, "Is Henry in?" The secretary who saw her did not recognize her, and she also felt that it was rude and inappropriate for the woman to call Henry by his first name. "May I ask who you are and if you have an appointment?" "What? Now that Henry is the chairman, he needs an appointment made before anyone is allowed to meet him?" Fiore eyed the assistant with her lips pursed and her brow raised. "Tell him that Fiore Fisher has something that would interest him." The assistant picked the phone up and said, "Mr.Johnston, a person by the name of Fiore Fisher wishes to see you." "Send her in," Henry said. "Mr.Johnston said you''re wee to enter." The assistant stared at Fiore with an expression of puzzlement, thinking, ''Who is this woman? Who is she to demand entry and raise her voice in front of Mr.Johnston''s office?! Fiore pushed the door open and walked in. N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights. Henry looked at her with a nk stare, and without even bothering to stand up. If it were in the past, he would have hurried out of the office to greet her. He gestured. "Miss Fisher, please take a seat." "Mr.Johnston, you''ve gotten yourself a rather opulent office, I must say," shemented. Though Fiore might have called him Mr.Johnston on purpose, she did not like Henry, even in the slightest.She looked around and found that the ce was even more spacious and decadent as compared to Jared''s office. Henry did not in the least care what she called him, and he took that as apliment. "It is alright.The decorations are the work of my employees.I specifically instructed them to keep things modest, but it seems that this was what they had in mind.Either way, I thought it looked amazing, and embraced it anyway." "Mr.Johnston, you''re truly a modest man, indeed," Fiore said, her tone icy and her face nk. "You rarely visit, so I must ask, what brought you here today?" Henry frowned as he began to size her up. "Mr.Johnston, it seems that you have taken on an entirely new appearance and demeanor ever since you became the chairman." Fiore took a seat, and looked at him from the couch. Henry left his chair and joined her on the couch as well. "Oh, that''s fine." "To cut to the chase, I have a hundred billion dor project in my lineup, Mr.Johnston.I was wondering if you''d be interested in a partnership," Fiore said as she scrutinized his expression. "Oh? I''m all ears." Henry beamed. "It is a new energy project with enormous future prospects, a lucrative business, I should say..." Fiore said, and proceeded to pitch her idea with the eloquence typical of a businessperson for the next few hours. Then, she stopped. "Mr.Johnston, my apologies, but I''m a little thirsty." Henry, who knew what she meant, got up and went to his desk to make a call. "What would you like to drink?" "Do you have coffee?" "Of course we do." "Bring two cups of coffee in, please"'' Henry ordered over the phone. In no time, the secretary strode in with two cups of coffee and ced them on the table in front of Henry and Fiore, respectively. Fiore nced at the assistant, grabbed her cup of coffee, and took a sip. "The coffee is not bad." Though she seemed to mean well, she was insinuating that brewing coffee was the only thing the secretary was capable of doing. Chapter 1085 Chapter 1085 Henry, upon hearing what Fiore had to say about the coffee, took his cup and took a sip as well. "It tastes good indeed." Fiore darted him a nce and turned away with a sneer, knowing that Henry had echoed her sentiment without knowing what she had meant when she said what she had said. "Mr.Johnston, are you interested in the coboration that I had just proposed?" Fiore asked, steering the conversation back to the topic. "It seems to be an excellent project on paper, but it''ll take three years for us to get any meaningful returns, which I think is a long wait," Henry replied. Although he was not as savvy as Jared when ites to business, he was still able to call the shots thanks to his vast amounts of experience in the industry. "That is expected of a project of such scale and quality," she said, attempting to persuade Henry so that she could work with Jared. "Breaking even in a matter of three years isn''t slow by any measure.To get ourselves the highest amount of returns, we must hedge our bets on these quality projects.Minor projects may offer quick returns, but the tradeoff is, the yields will be low, which ultimately, results in a waste of time and resources.For us, time is money, and I believe that our precious time should be spent investing in high- yield projects." "Thank you, Miss Fisher, for considering us for such an excellent project idea.But this is a hundred billion dor project, so you must give me some time to think about it."§Ú¦Ò¦Í???§Ó¦Ò¦Ò§Ü.¡é¦Ò§ÞHenry replied, neither epting nor declining the offer, as he wished to keep the option. "Okay, then I shall excuse myself and await your good news." Fiore said, not wanting to stay for another minute, as she had made herself clear. "Allow me to send you off." "It is alright." Fiore declined, and left the office by herself. Back in the establishment, the duo had already yed two games. Both Nicole and Carl had each won a set, and now on the third, Nicole had pocketed every ball except for two, while Carl had scored none. Seeing that Nicole was going to win again, he said, "Hey, take it easy on me this time." Nicole pocketed another ball with a thud. Then, she looked up at the scoreboard and saw that Carl had missed every shot he had attempted. Nicole looked yfully at Carl. "All right," she said, and intentionally misced her shot, giving Carl a chance to score. Carl took his cue to the pool table and eyed the billiards, murmuring, "I''m going to be humiliated if I don''t pocket this in a single try." Unfortunately for him, Nicole had overheard what he had said. "Do you really need to maintain your pride in front of me?"N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights. "Hearing you say that really saddens me.I''m aman, and I can''t allow myself to be embarrassed any further, alright?" Carl gave Nicole a sideways nce, and proceeded to take aim. "Well, alright." Carl''s cue ball struck the billiard, and it entered the pocket with a thud.But as he was cheering and patting himself in the back, Nicole appeared indifferent. ''What is there to be happy about when you have just scored once?'' Carl took aim at the ball that was slightly further away, struck the cue ball, and pocketed his second billiard before turning to Nicole. "See? That''s not even once anymore now, is it?" "Come on, where did thate from? Are you sure you''re not ovepensating for something?" Nicole looked at him and shook her head. Nicole''s scathing remark might have shattered his sense of satisfaction in himself, but it had also aroused his fighting spirit.He had to make a clean shot, so that she would notugh at him anymore. With his game face on, he proceeded tond a couple of shots in a row, leaving all but one billiard on the table. "I''m about to win, so be ready to eat your words and pay for the meal!" he eximed. "It is not over yet.We do not know who is going to win." Nicole said, remaining as calm and collected as ever. "Fine, consider this a graceful defeat on your part." Carl smiled. With the strike of a cue, heunched thest ball into the pocket. As of now, all that was left were the cue ball and Nicole''s eight-ball on the left side of the table. If he could pocket the ck billiard, he would be victor of the match. Nicole, who was hovering at the sidelines, did not panic even when she saw that Carl had pocked all of his balls, Instead, she took a sip of her drink. Carl then stopped ying, went up to Nicole, and said, "If you''re willing to throw in the towel, I will sit this one out and spare you the embarrassment." Chapter 1086 Chapter 1086 "Why don''t you start by getting thest ball in?" Nicole sneered and rolled her eyes at him. Carl narrowed his eyes and gave her a thumbs up. "Alright, I''ve got to admit that your confidence is admirable." Then, he went back to the table, took aim, and prepared himself for the winning shot, but before he went on to strike the cue ball, he nced over his shoulder back at Nicole. "Are you sure you are not going to concede defeat?" Nicole waved her hand as if to dismiss him, and Carl proceeded to pocket the eight - ball.He walked over to Nicole with a look of smug satisfaction on his face. "You refused to concede even after I''ve given you the chance, but I''ve won anyway." "What''s so humiliating about that? It is just a game.Now that we have eaten and had our fun, let''s get out of here." Nicole walked out with a confident gait, as if she had not lost the game at all. "You know, there is something about yourposure that tells me that it is not genuine,"§Ú¦Ò¦Í???§Ó¦Ò¦Ò§Ü. ¡é¦Ò§ÞCarl ran after her. Soon after, Nicole arrived at the reception desk and met the service staff. "May I have the tab, please?" The service staff looked at her, and in a respectful tone, said, "Miss Riddle, as someone who possesses a gold card, you aren''t required to pay." Before Nicole could utter a word in response, Carl turned to the staff member in shock. "Wait, we aren''t required to pay because she has a gold card?" "Sir, let me exin it to you," the staff member said. "Miss Riddle is a gold card holder, and one of the privileges afforded to her, but not our regr patrons, is that she isn''t required to pay a dime when dining in our establishment." Carl stared at her, bbergasted at what he just heard. "I didn''t know that you were held in such high esteem." "Well, since none of us are required to foot the bill, let''s just go." Nicole walked out with a look of indifference, devoid of even a single ounce of pride. Along the way, as she drove him to Martin''s factory, Carl darted her a look. "Where are we headed to now?" "To the factory." "The factory? What are we even going there in the first ce?" Carl asked in a state of puzzlement, wondering if she did own a factory. "What''s on your mind?" she replied. "You''re probably thinking to yourself that I don''t own such a ce, aren''t you?" "Wait, how do you know what I''m thinking?" Carl eyed her with incredulity. "Are you reading my mind?" "I can''t read your mind.It is written all over your face." Nicole rolled her eyes at him. Material ? N?velDrama.Org. "Really?" Carl said, refusing to believe so. Soon after, the duo arrived at Martin''s factory. Nicole got out of the car and walked in, noticing an entire crowd of employees bustling about in an orderly fashion. Among them was the engineer who had underestimated her earlier. When he spotted her, he ran up to them and greeted her with a smile on his face. "Hi, Miss Riddle." Nicole stared him down. Recognizing him as the engineer with whom she had a scuffle, she remained tight-lipped, nodded, and walked on. After a few steps forward, she halted, and found that the engineer was still behind her, tailing the both of them. "Why are you following me? Aren''t you supposed to be working?" Realizing the issue, the engineer smiled, backed up, and left. "Nicole, who''s that guy and what''s his deal? Why is he acting like a dog when it sees its master?" Carl nced at the engineer, and back at Nicole. "You know the engineer to whom I''ve taught a lesson? He''s the one." Carl nodded in understanding and directed his gaze at the equipment. "What are these machines producing?" She looked at him and beckoned him toe along. "Follow me." Arriving at the assembly ofpleted product parts, Nicole grabbed one of the samples that had passed the Quality Control inspection and handed it to Carl. "This is it." "What is this?" Carl took The Beacon and examined it. "This is a new medical device developed by Martin.It can speed up the recovery process for those who are suffering medical conditions," Nicole introduced. "Is it really that good?" Carl scrutinized the tiny Beacon in disbelief. Chapter 1087 Chapter 1087 Nicole produced a knife out of nowhere and stared at Carl. "If you don''t believe me, you can go ahead and try cutting yourself." "Come on, do you think I''m that stupid?" "You don''t seem very smart, either." Nicole sheathed her knife and walked into one of the office rooms. There, she caught sight of someone she knew, and without hesitation, she walked over and tapped the person on the shoulder. "Nicole!?" Kelly whirled around and shouted out in surprise at seeing Nicole. "What are you doing here?" Nicole asked, her eyes fixed on what Kelly was holding. "Nothing much.Just getting something done for Mr.Wyance.When did you get here, by the way?"§Ú¦Ò¦Í???§Ó¦Ò¦Ò§Ü.¡é¦Ò§ÞKelly said, happy to see her. "I just arrived and here I am, bumping into you!" Nicole replied and smiled. Kelly responded with a giggle. "You don''t ever get bored working here, do you?" Nicole looked at Kelly. "Not at all.I''ve got to say, each day is a fulfilling one, as there is so much for me to do,"Kelly replied, though she looked knackered. "You won''t have to be here tomorrow," Nicole said. "Come over to the hospital and help me out by taking care of an elderly person." "The hospital? Sure! I''ll be happy to be with you no matter where." Kelly smiled. "Where is Martin?" "I think he is in his office up above." "Okay.I''ll go check on him." Nicole headed upstairs. "I''ll leave you to it, then." As the door to the office was open, Nicole walked right in. When Martin saw her, he beamed. "You didn''t tell me that you wereing." "I''ve got nothing better to do, so why would I tell you in advance? Besides, surprise visits like these will allow me to see if you are cking off." Nicole smiled and walked in, after which she took a seat. "Allow me to introduce, this is my friend, Carl, and this is Martin, whom I''ve just mentioned to you,"Nicole said, introducing the two men to each other. "I''ve heard a lot about you." Carl looked at Martin with a smile. Martin responded in kind. "Hello." "Martin, he didn''t believe me when I told him that The Beacon was good, so I''d like you to give him a demonstration." Nicole eyed Martin with her eyebrow raised. "Sure." Martin grabbed The Beacon on his desk, and looked around for a mouse on which he could test the device. "There are no mice here.Let''s go outside and look for one." Then, the trio marched out of the room and headed downstairs together. ¡®How could there be mice in the factory when there aren''t even rats?'' Martin thought, anxious for something he could test his invention on, but when he heard a scream, he rushed over to the source. "What''s going on?" "Mr.Wyance, Joe identally injured himself while he was working on the machine," one of the workers said. "I think we need to take him to the nearest hospital." "Let me see." Martin walked up and inspected the wound on Joe''s arm. "A trip to the hospital won''t be necessary, as I can take care of it." He turned to Carl. "Carl, allow me to demonstrate what The Beacon can do." Upon concluding his sentence, he pressed a red button, removed a syringe containing a rapid-healing concoction from thepartment, and thrust the needle into Joe''s arm. Seeing that the drug was taking effect at once, Martin nced back at Carl. "What do you think?" N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content. "Amazing!" Carl yelled, his eyes fixed on Joe''s wound in amazement. It was a minor wound that would usually take a few days to heal, but with Martin''s injection, Joe''s arm was restored within a matter of minutes. "Martin, how did you evene up with The Beacon?" Carl asked. "The healing effect is miraculous!" Martin smiled at him. "Rapid healing is one of the best features about The Beacon. It took me forever to develop it. If it didn''t work as well as it does, I wouldn''t have produced it en-masse." Chapter 1088 Chapter 1088 "Gosh, you''re a genius! I can''t believe that you actually invented something this futuristic! Can I buy one?" Carl asked, wanting to buy one because he felt that this device would be of use to him. "Weren''t you skeptical of it?" Nicole teased. "Why would you want to get one now?" "How could I doubt it now? It''s just that...didn''t know what it was capable of," Carl exined, his face flushing due to embarrassment. "You don''t have to purchase one." Nicole looked at Carl and smiled. "I''ll give one of these to you." "Are you sure about that?" He looked at Nicole in disbelief, thinking that she was just messing around with him. "It''s fine if you don''t want it." She turned around and headed for the exit. Carl ran after her, stammering, "Oh, sure! Please, uh, get me one.When can I have it?" "You''ll get er when I leave," she replied. "Martin, when Carles over to receive his order, you may pass him thetest batch of The Beacon which I''ve just ordered." Nicole nced to the side at Martin and ordered.Martin kept his eyes fixed on Carl for a moment and turned to Nicole. "Understood." "Alright, we better get going now,"§Ú¦Ò¦Í???§Ó¦Ò¦Ò§Ü.¡é¦Ò§Þshe said, passing her Beacon to Carl as she began walking off. "See you around." "See you," Martin waved. "This is yours." Carl received The Beacon, and wore it on his arms with a look of delight. "Man, this thing looks really cool on me.It matches my aesthetics." Nicole darted her eyes at him. "Indeed, it does look good on you." "Are we leaving already?" Carl nced over back at Martin. "Yeah, unless you''re thinking of spending the night here, that is.I don''t mind leaving you here if that''s what you want," Nicole said without giving him another nce and got into her car. "Why would I want to live in a factory?" he asked and entered the vehicle, afraid that Nicole would leave him behind. "Where are you staying?" she asked. "I''ll send you home so that you can catch some rest." "Do you have anything going on for you?" he asked in response. "I can keep youpany if you''d like." Nicole replied. "No, I''m just heading over to my grandmother''s for a visit." "Now that I''m here, we can both pay her a visit together." Carl stated, knowing that he had nothing better to do in the hotel where he was staying. At least he would have someone to talk to if he tagged along. "Okay, sounds good to me," Nicole said, flooring the elerator and heading off to the sea view vi. "It''s beautiful here." Carl looked out from the window and admired the sea that stretched off into the horizon. "Yeah.I love lounging around at balcony and gaze off into the sea when I''ve got nothing else to do," she said. "I can keep my eyes on the view all afternoon at times.By the way, do you see that building in front? That''s the vi." "Wow, that''s huge!" Carl eximed as he stared at the only vi overlooking the sea. "Of course it is," she said upon reaching the vi. "It was my grandpa''s gift to me." Then, she entered the driveway. N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content. "Wait, whose car is this?" Nicole questioned as she noticed an unfamiliar car parked at the courtyard. "Could it be Jared?" Carl asked, hazarding a guess. "It can''t be him.That''s not his car.I guess we''ll find out once we''re inside." Nicole parked her car and strutted off into the vi. As Nicole and Carl entered the living room, they spotted a man sitting on the couch, chatting with Mrs.Riddle Sr.1 "Nicole, you''re back!" Mrs.Riddle Sr.said the instant she noticed Nicole walking in. The guy on the sofa turned around to look at the entrance. "Nicole, what kept you away for so long?" Harvey asked as he eyed Nicole with a look of concern on his face. "I''ve heard from Mrs.Riddle Sr.that you haven''t visited her for a few days." Nicole shot him a re and made a beeline for Mrs.Riddle Sr." Grandma, why did you let him in?" "What kind of question is that?" Harvey nced at Carl and back at Nicole, his face red with embarrassment. "Why can''t I be here?" ¡®It is fine if Nicole wants to have a dig at me in front of our friends and family, but how could she do it in front of a stranger?'' Harvey thought. Chapter 1089 Chapter 1089 Harvey stared at Carl and asked, "And who is this?" "A friend of mine," Nicole replied, foregoing the need to introduce them to one another. "Hi, I''m Harvey Ellison.A friend of hers too." Harvey extended his hand to Carl. Carl, sensing that Nicole was not on good terms with the man in front of him, gave a short reply.He did not even shake Harvey''s hands. Seeing this, Harvey withdrew his hand, sat down awkwardly, and turned to Nicole, "What have you been up totely? Has Mr.Johnston Sr.woken up?" Ever since Jared returned, Harvey had not visited the hospital. "He''s awake," Nicole said, before turning to Mrs.Riddle Sr.and introducing Carl to her grandmother. "Grandma, this is my best friend, Carl." "Hello, Mrs.Riddle Sr.," Carl greeted. Mrs.Riddle Sr., who noticed Carl''s tall and athletic physique,ughed, "This boy over here looks fit.You better be eating moreter on." Nicole turned to look at Carl. ¡®Grandma''s right.He is buff indeed" As Nicole and her grandmother chatted, Harvey sat down in his quiet little corner, and watched them.§Ú¦Ò¦Í???§Ó¦Ò¦Ò§Ü.¡é¦Ò§ÞHe felt ostracized as no one could be bothered to talk to him.It was as if Mrs.Riddle Sr.had forgotten about his presence as well. Not feeling content with being left out any longer, Harvey decided to interrupt their conversation. "Mrs.Riddle Sr., have you gotten any sun today?" Mrs.Riddle Sr.looked at Harvey. "Huh?" "I mean, would you like to go out to the balcony and bask under the sun?" Harvey asked. "Sure." Mrs.Riddle Sr.nodded "I''ll keep youpany." Nicole helped Mrs.Riddle Sr.up. Seeing this, Harvey hurried over and kept the olddy supported on the other side. Carl was perplexed as he looked at the both of them rushing to the aid of Mrs.Riddle Sr. ¡®''She is still pretty strong and healthy.Does she really need two people on her nk to prop herself up?" Harvey smirked as he saw Carl staring nkly at them.He felt that he had finally been given a chance to shine, and as both Harvey and Nicole walked Mrs.Riddle Sr.to the balcony, Carl followed closely behind. Nicole red at Harvey. ''Why is this guy everywhere? He''s just trying to get himself some attention and brownie points" All of them sat down after they had brought Mrs.Riddle Sr.to the balcony, and as the gentle breeze blew and caressed her face, Nicole gazed out into the sea. "Such lovely weather today." Harvey nodded in agreement. "Yeah.We should all just chill out under this climate." Nicole turned toward Harvey and suggested, "Why don''t we have a game of volleyball at the beach?" Harvey eyed her with a look of approval. "That''s a great idea! But then, grandma just came up." The both of them simultaneously turned their attention to Mrs.Riddle Sr., after which Harvey came up with a bold suggestion. Owned by N?velDrama.Org. "Why not bring her along?" Nicole pondered for a moment. "She is in no condition to y volleyball." Harvey rolled his eyes and frowned. "Who said she''ll be ying with us? She can be our referee!" "Well, that sounds like a good idea," Nicole replied, feeling that Harvey was capable of spurs of brilliance at times.It was then that Tia walked in with a tter topped with fruits. "Have some, Nicole." Nicole looked at Tia and nced around. Realizing that there were four people present, she concluded that they could team up in pairs. "Tia, would you fancy a game of volleyball with us?" "Sure!" Tia beamed. "And Carl?" Nicole asked. "Yeah sure," he answered. "Okay, we''ll bring grandma along, then," Nicole said. "Hey grandma, we''ll take you to the beach for a game of volleyball." Mrs.Riddle Sr.waved her hand in dismissal. "You guys can go ahead.I don''t think I can y at all." "No worries.You can be our referee.You can bask under the sun there too," Nicole said, as she helped her grandmother up on her feet. Chapter 1090 Chapter 1090 All of them strutted to the beach with chairs and parasols in hand. When they had found a spot they wanted, Carl went about setting up the parasol as Harvey arranged the chairs, and Nicole and Tia sat Mrs.Riddle Sr.down. "Grandma, you can just sit here and watch us y," Nicole said. "Whichever side the ballnds, you can go ahead and deduct points for that side." Mrs.Riddle Sr.kept nodding her head, but Nicole was not certain if her grandmother actually understood the instructions. "Alright, let''s split into teams." Nicole turned to the rest of them. "What is the arrangement?" Harvey asked. "I''ll team up with Carl, and you''ll be with Tia," Nicole said, not wishing to be in the same team as Harvey. On the other hand, Harvey wanted to team up with Nicole, but due to the fact that Nicole had already paired him up with Tia, he could not decline. Doing so would only make Tia feel awkward. "Alright, let''s move out!" Nicole said. "The both of you can decide who gets to go first with a game of Paper, Scissors, and Stone," Carl suggested, whereupon they did. "I won!" Nicole yelled, and started the game. With a bang, Nicole struck the ball,unching it to the opposite side. However, Harvey was light -footed and quick to act; he sprinted over and bounced it back to her. Nicole was well-prepared to strike the ball again. Once the ball had reached her side of the court, she quickly stretched her arms out andunched the ball up and over the. Once again, Harvey countered and sent it flying back to her. Seeing that Harvey had bounced it back once more, Nicole sent the ball toward Tia instead, and as Tia did not really know how to y, the ball grazed her hand and fell to the ground. With that said, Nicole had won the first round. In spite of this, Harvey stepped forward and encouraged Tia. "Don''t worry, let''s try again." This time around, Nicole eluded Harvey and focused on engaging Tia, and as expected, Tia could not track, let alone bounce the ball back, and thus, Nicole won the second round. After Nicole had won a few rounds in a row, Harvey stopped the game. "Nicole, I don''t think our teams are bnced in terms of skill levels.I think we should reshuffle them." Nicole asked, ''How are we supposed to do that?" Harvey considered her question for a moment, and after some thought, he decided to seize the opportunity and say, "Both you and Carl are good at this, but the same can''t be said for Tia and I.Why don''t I switch ces with Carl? That would even the ying field." Nicole turned to Carl, who had no objections. "Okay, let''s do that." "First off, let''s catch a break." Nicole strutted off toward Mrs.Riddle Sr."We''ll continue in a bit." "Grandma, did you see that?"§Ú¦Ò¦Í???§Ó¦Ò¦Ò§Ü.¡é¦Ò§ÞNicole asked. "I won a few rounds in a row." "I saw that.The ball has been flying back and forth.It made me dizzy," Mrs.Riddle Sr.replied. They erupted into a gale ofughter when they heard her response; the atmosphere at the beach was lively, indeed. After their break was over, Nicole stood up and turned to look at them. "Are you guys ready?" "Let''s go!" Harvey yelled.He was in good spirits.Now that he was in the same team as Nicole, he would take this opportunity to showcase his abilities to her. "Tia, you can attack from the front.I''ll stand guard on your six." Carl said, exining his strategy to Tia. "Sure, but I''m not very good at it." Tia looked at Carl and blushed. "It''s okay.I''ll be here," Carl replied, his tone exuding a sense of trust. "Nicole, you can remain in the front.I''ll take care of the back." Harvey spouted with a tone of confidence to Nicole. "Okay," she responded. When the match began, Tia opened byunching the ball onto an area unguarded by the opposing team. In response, Nicole rushed over and bounced it into the air. Then, Harvey followed up with a jump and sent the ball flying toward Carl.Carl caught the ball with rtive ease and sent it hurtling back to the ground across the, winning the game. Seeing this, Tia whirled around in excitement and gave Carl a high five. "He actually got it." Harvey sighed, thinking that Carl wouldn''t be able to reach the ball because it was rather far away from him when it was sent over the.Yet, Carl not only caught it; he had sent it flying back to them with a winning shot. In the subsequent round, Tia opened with a shot across the once more. Nicole saw this and sent the ball flying back to them, prompting Carl to lurch forward and strike it. With the ball flying past Nicole, Harvey thought that she would not be able to reach it in time, so he lunged forward to secure the ball.N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights. At that instant, both of them collided into other and fell to the ground, as the ballnded right beside them. Chapter 1091 Chapter 1091 Nicole rubbed her aching shoulders and yelled at Harvey. "What do you think you were doing?! You were standing far back, and yet you rushed over!" Harvey felt he was not to me, and proceeded to exin, ''''I thought you wouldn''t be able to catch it in time.That''s why I had toe over." "Jeez!" Nicole red at him and issued a sigh. As the game continued, Carl began showing them all the extent of his athletic prowess by winning one round after another. Once they were nearing the end, he and Nicole were the only ones left ying; Harvey and Tia had both decided to spectate at the sidelines as they were exhausted. "I''m done ying." Harvey drank some water and waved at Nicole and Carl. "I''m just going to sit this one out, as I''m beat." Meanwhile, Tia, who had left the game earlier on, was now sitting beside Mrs.Riddle Sr.Seeing this, Nicole turned to Carl and asked, "Want to take a break¡± "Sure," he answered. Following this, the quarter joined Mrs.Riddle Sr.and gazed off into the horizon. A few dayster, after dusk had fallen and the lights had been lit, the Johnston Group''s annual ball commenced as scheduled. The venue was bright and lively, and every attendee was dressed to the nines for the asion. All of them had their wine sses in hand as they engaged one another with in good spirits, while several of thepany seniors were sitting around, holding discussions pertaining to any future coborations and development ns. Meanwhile, at the entrance, a luxury car had rolled up and stopped. A tall and slender figure soon stepped out of the car with a gorgeous woman in his arm. The duo was, of course, Jared and Nicole, and they had turned every single pair of eyes on them as they made their entrance. "Wow, Mr.Johnston looks spiffy today!" someone in the crowd said. "Yeah, Miss.Riddle is stunning too!" the othermented. Everyone at the ball was lost in admiration for Jared and Nicole. With eyes on them, they made their way to the center of the hall. Then, a group of people began to surround and greet the both of them. N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content. "Jared, it has been ages since I''vest seen you," a man said. "Indeed, it has been a while, Mr.Campbell," Jared replied. "Miss Riddle is pretty striking today.I think you ought to keep an eye on her," Mr.Campbell teased. Jared shed a smile as he looked at Nicole. To him, these people were just envious. In response, Nicole simpered and said, "Carry on, guys.I''ll head over there to check a few things out." Nicole seized the opportunity to elude the group of middle-aged men who had made her feel ufortable. At that exact moment, the crowd at the entrance erupted with cheers and apuses again, for Henry had walked in with Chloe. Hearing the cacophony, Jared looked over. ''It''s the Johnston Group''s annual ball.Why did he bring Chloe instead of his wife?" With every eye in the room set on them, the pair sauntered up to Jared, with Henry saying, "Jared, you look pretty darn good, you know that?" Henry''spliment was delivered with a grin, but Jared did not buy into his fakepliment, "Yeah, I''m fine, I guess." "Jared." Chloe eyed Jared, having tried to seduce him every now and then. "Nicole isn''t here with us today, is she?" Henry asked, as she was nowhere to be seen. "She is on the other side, having a chat with her friends," Jared replied. Henry turned to Chloe, signaling her to join the others over there. Then, she shot Jared a nce and said, "Alright, I''m heading over there.I''ll leave you guys to it, then." "Henry, you''ve finally arrived.We''ve been waiting for you." Mr.Campbell approached Henry with a grin. "My apologies, Mr.Campbell.I see that the evening has just started, and you can''t keep all that charm to yourself already," Henry said, implying that Mr.Campbell was trying was already hitting on the women at the ball. "That''s hrious! What can I say? I''m not as swooning as you are, Henry.Look at your plus one.She''s an international star!" Mr.Campbellughed, all while his eyes were fixed on Chloe. "If you''re interested, I can always set you up for dinner." Henry us guffawed. "I guess I''ll have to thank you in advance." Chapter 1092 Chapter 1092 Jared felt nothing but disdain for the two men and the nature of the conversation they were engaging in, and strode off without excusing himself. When Henry turned around to speak to him, he was already gone. "Jared, how is your grandfather holding up?" Daniel asked, as the two men had huddled themselves at a quiet corner of the hall. "I was informed that he has regained consciousness." "Yeah, he is recovering.As of recent, he has begun to sit up." Jared looked at Daniel, thankful for his concern. "That''s great!" Daniel beamed. "Your grandfather has always been a strong and healthy person, so I do not doubt that he is having a speedy recovery." "Yeah." "Dad, what are you guys talking about?" Nicole walked over as she noticed Jared and Daniel together. "Ah, we were just talking about Jared''s grandpa," Daniel replied, before turning his attention back to Jared again. "Jared, please, doe over for a visit whenever you''re free." It had been sometime since Daniel had a meal with Jared and the family.§Ú¦Ò¦Í???§Ó¦Ò¦Ò§Ü.¡é¦Ò§ÞHe had little to no clue about how the rest of them were doing in life. "Sure.I''lle over when I have time," Jared said. "Nicole, is your mom over there?" Daniel asked. "Yeah, right behind that pir." Nicole pointed. "Alright.I''ll go over and check on her." He stood up and made his way to Gloria. "The both of you can carry on." "Jared, what are you doing here?" Henry walked up to the pair with a ss of wine in hand. "I was looking for you.Ah, you''re here too, Nicole." "Henry," Nicole replied with a nod and a smile. Henry then looked at his nephew. "Jared, I''ve never had the chance to ask you about Martin''s project, which you have been investing in.How is it going? Now that we''re here, we can talk about it for a bit." "It has been running without a hitch.The products were all mass- produced and the sales were pretty good," Jared informed. "Oh.But I was told that their products are not well-received in the market.ording to the data, a lot of people are still not able to afford the product,"Henry argued. Henry kept his eyes on Jared after he had said his peace.He was awaiting Jared''s response. If his nephew couldn''t offer him a satisfactory exnation, Henry would do what he deemed was necessary. "The price is definitely on the higher end of the spectrum as of now.This is because the cost of raw materials have been skyrocketing.When the cost returns to its previous market value in the foreseeable future, the price of our products shall be re- adjusted to be more economical.When that happens, more orders will being in, one after another," Jared said, confident in his projections. "What you said makes sense.I''ll be looking forward to seeing the good news in the next quarterly report," Henry replied, implying that if sales did not improve by the next quarter of the year, he would have to withdraw from the project. Jared could only put up with his antics, as he was dealing with a person who was short-sighted and utterly incapable of thinking past short-term gains. If Jared was now still the person he was years ago, he would have foregone the conversation and shooed Henry away.It was then that music began to fill the room. Henry brought Chloe to the middle of the hall, bobbing and weaving to the rhythm. Soon, the pair began to dance with everyone in the hall watching them. Chloe swayed and twirled in a surprising disy of grace in Henry''s arms, but she would dart her eyes at Jared from time to time. After the first song had ended, members of the crowd brought their partners to the floor, joining Henry and Chloe. Jared followed by leading Nicole to the dance floor, on which they proceeded to cut a rug like a pair of professional terpsichorean. With dapper suits and silken gowns paired with songs and dances, the event went into full swing, as the hall erupted into a dazzling disy of mour and beauty. Everyone present became even more appealing, as they danced the night away. N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content. After a few sessions, Nicole pulled Jared off to the side. "Let''s catch a break for a while and watch them." Indeed, Nicole did not wish to embarrass herself in front of others any longer.She felt that, while the people in the crowd were envied by many, they were also clowns in the eyes of many others. Out of the blue, a person walked up to Henry and whispered something into his ear. Soon after, he hurried out and left Chloe in the room all by herself. "Wait, what just happened? What made him skedaddle?" Nicole queried as she watched Henry hightailing it from the premise. Chapter 1093 Chapter 1093 Concurrently, Max approached Jared and said, "Sir, the hospital just called.Mr.Johnston Sr.is in danger." "WHAT!?" Jared yelled. "Something just urred in the hospital.I''ll have to rush over and check it out." "I''ming with you," Nicole said, whereupon they hurried out of the ce. The duo sped over to the hospital, and when they threw the door to the ward open, they saw that the doctor was already there, attempting to save Mr.Johnston Sr. "What happened?" §Ú¦Ò¦Í???§Ó¦Ò¦Ò§Ü.¡é¦Ò§ÞJared asked the nurses in a grim tone of voice. "I''m not sure either! I rushed over to check on him the moment I heard the bell.When I came in, I noticed that he was not in a stable condition like he used to be, so I called the doctor over! The doctor said that he is suffering food poisoning and here we are, trying to save him!"the nurse cried, for if anything were to happen to Mr.Johnston Sr., she wouldn''t be able topensate them. After gaining a brief understanding of the situation, he anxiously stared at the doctor who was trying to rescue Mr.Johnston Sr."Don''t worry.As they''ve managed to identify the cause, they will be able to save him," Nicole said in a gentle tone of voice.She was attempting tofort and assure Jared, knowing that he was in a state of anxiety. The doctor was panting and sweating profusely. Yet, Mr.Johnston Sr"s condition had not improved. Fortunately, it was then that Nicole remembered that she had one of the Beacons in her possession. She strode up to the hospital bed and injected Mr.Johnston Sr.in the arm with the concoction at once. With the doctor''s efforts to revive him, and the medicine taking effect, Mr.Johnston Sr.was jolted awake with a loud gasp. "Grandpa, what happened?" Jared hurried over to check on him. "He''s fine now." Nicole looked at Mr.Johnston Sr"s expression, knowing that the poison had been expunged from his body. The doctor panted and checked the vital sign monitor beside him. Seeing that all of the indicators were where they ought to be, he breathed a sigh of relief and turned toward Jared, "Sir, the patient has been saved." "Thank you." The doctor waved his hand. "No.We have Miss Riddle to thank for that.Her injection worked." "Thank you so much, Nicole." Jared turned to Nicole with gratitude swelling deep within. Whenever Mr.Johnston Sr.was in danger, she would always be there to whisk him away from the light at the end of the tunnel.She truly was his guardian angel. "We should keep a look out for Mr.Johnston Sr.first," Nicole said, keeping her eyes on Mr.Johnston Sr.who was lying in bed, restless and exhausted. "Grandpa, you''re alright now.Nicole saved you," Jared murmured to his grandfather. Mr.Johnston Sr.looked at Nicole and blinked as a way of expressing his gratitude, to which Nicole responded by smiling back. "It''s okay, as long as you''re fine." Seeing that Mr.Johnston Sr"s situation was now stable, Max walked over to Jared and whispered, "Sir, I happen to notice something strange outside the ball.I believe that the person who opened the car door for Henry had a pentagram tattoo on his hand.Jared spun around and stared at Max with a look of concern. "Are you sure about that?" "Yes.Although there was some distance between us, 1 managed to get a good look thanks to the headlights of a passing car,¡± Max replied, staring back at Jared with a solemn look on his face. ¡®Could Henry have sent that man with the pentagram tattoo after my grandpa? But why would he hurt grandpa? What is going on?" ? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org. "Sir, should I look into this matter?" "Yeah.I need you to find out if that man with the pentagram tattoo is one of Henry''s goons," Jared ordered in a serious tone. Chapter 1094 Chapter 1094 "Understood.I''ll get right on with it at once." Meanwhile, Henry and the man with the pentagram tattoo were headed to the suburbs. Located there was an abandoned factory where Conrad and his family were huddled up in a dark corner. On the other side of the factory, Jared''s man could be seen, gagged, and bound to his chair. Henry put a mask on and walked in.He nced around at his surroundings while Conrad ignored him. Then, he walked over to look at Jared''s man and gestured at his goon, giving him an order to interrogate them. "Who ordered you to go after Conrad!?" the tattooed man said. "Spill!" "No one sent us," Jared''s man replied. "He owed me money and I was there to reim what''s mine." "Conrad, do you know him?" the tattooed man asked Conrad. Conrad shook his head in fear. "I don''t know him at all." "Did you hear that?" The tattooed man punched him in the gut, creating a loud thud. "Now spill and tell me the truth!" "I''m telling you nothing but the truth!" Jared''s man said, coughing. ¡°You have nothing to gain from beating me to death." "Let''s see how long you''re able to keep up the charade." The tattooed man proceeded to pummel Jared''s personnel in the gut, causing him to retch and vomit blood. "Are you going to tell us the truth or not?!"§Ú¦Ò¦Í???§Ó¦Ò¦Ò§Ü.¡é¦Ò§Þthe goon bellowed. Noticing that the detainee was still tight-lipped, the tattooed man turned to Henry, "Looks like he won''t be squealing." "In that case, cut his tongue out and release him." Henry said. Henry always had a hunch that it was Jared who had hired him, but he wanted to confirm his suspicions. Therefore, he would release this person so that he could send a message to Jared.He wanted to see how his nephew would react upon seeing the man removed of his tongue. After releasing the man, Henry removed his mask and threw it on the floor. "Conrad, if you dare snitch, I''ll see to it that you''ll suffer the same fate." "I did not see or hear anything today, sir." Conrad trembled, for he was frightened to his very core. Henry turned around and looked at the tattooed guy, "I think someone has been tailing Conrad.Find a remote location in the mountains and keep him in the hideout.I''ll let you know when the coast is clear." "Understood." "Follow me," the tattooed man said, and led Conrad and his family into an off-road vehicle before driving off. With that done, Henry pretended as though nothing had happened and went home. During the next day, Nicole brought Carl out on a ride to Ronnie''s estate. "Carl, what do you think about this ce? It''s prettyrge, eh?" Nicole asked, having been in a good mood. "The air is so much fresher here.It''s as if I''m surrounded by nature." Carl rolled the window down and breathed in some of the crisp air from the surroundings. "Nicole, don''t tell me you''ve brought me here to so that we could go into hiding." Carl teased. "Hiding?" Nicole said. "You''ve got one hell of an imagination.Do you think I''d be able afford a plot ofnd of this scale?" "Nothing is impossible," Carl said, smiling. "If thendlord is willing to sell it, I''ll take it off his hands whenever I want and give it to you." "Yeah, granted he is willing to sell it to you, that is." Nicole jabbed. After driving for a while longer, Nicole halted and parked her vehicle at the entrance of a racecourse, prompting Carl to give her a look of puzzlement. "Why have you brought me here?" "I''m going to introduce you to my baby," Nicole said, her eyes brimming with joy as if she truly had a baby to show Carl. "Nicole, what have you been up to for the past few years? First, came the gold cards and the factories, and now, you''re telling me that you have a baby? What is going on?" Carl asked, shocked by these revtions about her, and wondering how she had amassed these fortunes for herself. Owned by N?velDrama.Org. "Allow me to exin.The factory isn''t mine, but the baby you''re about to meet is indeed mine." Nicole shed him a sly smile and made her way to the entrance. Ronnie was feeding the horses, but as soon as he heard footsteps, he turned his gaze toward the entrance. Upon noticing that it was Nicole, a grin crossed his face. "Why didn''t you give me a call beforeing over? I could''ve prepared something for you." "No worries, I''m no stranger to this ce," Nicole said, as both she and Carl walked up to Ronnie. "Uncle Ronnie, allow me to introduce.This is my best friend, Carl.I''ve brought him here today so that he can meet that horse which you''ve gifted me." "Hi, Carl," Ronnie said. Chapter 1095 Chapter 1095 "Hi, Uncle Ronnie." "Are you feeding hay to the horses?" Nicole asked. "Yeah.These horses need to be fed with quality hay each day, or else, they''d get cranky." Ronnieughed. "Have you fed Pinto?" Nicole asked. "I haven''t," Ronnie replied. "But you can go ahead and feed him if you want." "Alright, I''ll pamper him with some treats.Carl, carry this for me, " Nicole said, passing a heavy bag of treats to Carl. "Uncle Ronnie, we''ll be on our way now." N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights. Nicole waved at Ronnie. "Go ahead." Ronnie looked at the both of them with a smile. "Nicole, the baby you''ve been referring to is a horse?" Carl asked, surmising that it must have been. "That''s right, it''s a horse!" Nicole mused, seemingly proud of the fact that she had a horse aspared to a gold card. Carl looked at Nicole with a brow raised, "You weren''t this proud when you had a gold card.It is just a horse.Do you have to be this proud about it?" "You don''t understand," she said. "This particr horse is Uncle Ronnie''s favorite horse.It has been with Uncle Ronnie since it was just a fawn.During ourst visit, when I came over with Jared, Uncle Ronnie generously gifted me this favorite horse of his, and that is why it is so precious to me." After a while of chatting, they reached Pinto''s stable. Carl was stunned when he saw Pinto.It looked to be the most intelligent horse he had ever seen.Its eyes were bright and full of life. As soon as Pinto noticed Nicole walking over, it trotted over and greeted her at once. Pinto was humanlike in demeanor. "Pinto, I''m here to pay you a visit," Nicole said while feeding it. "Did you miss me?" Almost as though Pinto could understand what Nicole was saying, it neighed in response to her questions. "Carl, did you see that? Pinto pretty much acts like a human, don''t you think?" Nicole nced at Carl. Carl nodded. "Can I pet him?" "Well, you can try." Nicole was not sure either, as she did not know how Pinto would react to strangers touching him. As expected, just as Carl extended his hand, Pinto shook his head and evaded the gesture. Carlughed. "I guess he''s afraid of strangers." Nicole shrugged. "There''s nothing I can do about it." As they watched Pinto munching on the hay inrge quantities at a time, Nicole grabbed a brush and began to straighten the horse''s hair. "Are we volunteering in a stable or what?" Carl asked, expressing his disinterest in helping out. "After Pinto is done eating, we''ll take a walk," Nicole replied. "You drove all the way here for Pinto," Carl argued. "Why do I feel as though you didn''t bring me here to chill out?" "You can look around and find yourself a horse that you like. After you''ve both gottenfortable with one another, we can go out for a few rounds of riding together," Nicole said, attempting to shoo him away before he could piss her off. "Okay, I''ll wait for you outside," Carl said, and walked off. "Uncle Ronnie, how long have you been a horse breeder?" Carl approached Ronnie and struck up a conversation. "More than a decade," Ronnie replied. "In which case, you should be very knowledgeable when ites to horses.Could you perhaps do me a favor and pick one for me? I am thinking of beating Nicole in a raceter on." Carl smiled and looked at Ronnie. Having heard Carl''s request, Ronnie burst into a gale of heartyughter. "You wish to defeat Pinto in a race? That''s just impossible!" Carl eyed Ronnie with his brows raised, "Why?" "In this entire racecourse, none of the horses are as athletic as Pinto.I suggest you just pick one from the stables, because it wouldn''t matter what you do anyway," Ronnie advised. "I don''t believe that.There are so many horses out here and none of them can outrace Pinto?" "Well, you can certainly try." Ronnieughed. Chapter 1096 Chapter 1096 Fiore''s previous attempt at forming a partnership with Jared in his office was met with failure. With this in mind, she scheduled another appointment with him, and this time, they met each other in a golf course. Nicole was not there either, and as soon as Fiore noticed this, she seemed a little happier. "Mr.Johnston, this way, please." Fiore shed her palms upward in a gesture of invitation. Owned by N?velDrama.Org. "Did you bring me here so that we could talk about the coboration?" Jared sat down and looked at Fiore. "Henry is still reviewing the proposal," she replied. "I''m not sure how long he is going to take.Anyway, I asked you out today so that I could learn a thing or two from you." Fiore beamed at Jared. To her, he was irresistible, even when he was just sitting idly. "Oh, I see," he replied. "Fortunately for you, I do have some time to spare today." "That''s great!" Fiore said, happy with the fact that Jared had not declined her again. Fiore was dressed in a form-fitting outfit, which entuated the curves on her body as they both walked over to the course.She was hoping that this could catch Jared''s attention. But right after Jared had struck the first ball, he walked over to the next stop. Fiore was worried that he did not notice her, and so, she went forward and spoke to him. "Mr.Johnston, you did well for your first shot," she said,plimenting his skills. "Your technique isn''t that bad either." Jared nced at her fora moment and turned away. "Not really.I mean, I don''t really know much.I was just swinging around without knowing how it is done.Well, since you''re so good at it, perhaps you can teach me, Mr.Johnston." Fiore stared at Jared''s visage and her lips gradually curved to form a smile. "Do you want to hire a coach?" Jared shot her a side stare. Fiore beamed, her eyes brimming with hope. Thinking that Jared was about to make her a promise, she uttered, "Yeah." "Well, I happen to know a few good coaches around here," he said with a smile. "I''ll introduce them to youter." Fiore''s smile vanished upon hearing Jared''s response, after which she decided to change subject by asking, "Mr.Johnston, why isn''t Miss.Riddle here with us today? "She is out with her friends." When they had reached the spot where the ball hadnded, the caddy passed one of the clubs to Jared. After gauging the distance between him and the cup, Jared took a heavy swing. The golf ball flew up, casting onto itself a perfectly round silhouette as it flew up, andnded on a patch of turf. When he turned around, he noticed Fiore standing behind him, watching him intently. Curious, Jared looked at Fiore and asked, "Why aren''t you ying?" "I''m not good at this.Besides, it''s much more entertaining, you know, watching you y instead," Fiore said with a smile. Initially, they had agreed that the both of them would be ying, but in the end, Jared was left to y on his own. Bored and unamused, Jared turned to Fiore with his brows creased, and said, "Because you don''t really know how to y, I guess I am done for the day.I have other matters to attend to, so I''ll make a move.Let''s meet each other some other time." Jared seized the opportunity to rid himself of Fiore. "But, Mr.Johnston, you were here for barely an hour." Fiore eyed Jared with her brows furrowed. "Don''t you think it''s a little disrespectful?" "Let''s just call it a day, Miss Fisher," he said. "I''ll be sure to set another day aside for you." As Jared had already put it in such a way, Fiore decided that it would not be wise to keep him around. "Okay then, but be sure to keep your promise, alright?" Fiore looked at Jared with deep-set eyes.It was then that two horses galloped out, streaking across the field. Startled by the horses'' neighs, Jared looked up. One of the figures riding atop her mount looked familiar to him, and so, he fixed his gaze on her. Fiore, upon noticing this, did the same, and when she too had caught sight of the figure, she asked, ''The person who''s riding the horse, she kind of looks like Miss Riddle, doesn''t she? But as she thought that Jared had not heard her, she went up to him and repeated, "Mr.Johnston, is that Ms.Riddle?" Chapter 1097 Chapter 1097 "Let me check it out." Jared threw his club on the ground, after which he climbed into a cart and made a beeline for Nicole. Meanwhile, at the other side of the field, Nicole and Carl were already racing one other. "Carl, is your horse running out of stamina?" Nicole turned back at gave Carl a smirk as if to mock him for not being able to keep up. "Don''t get ahead of yourself just yet." Carl grinned. "Just watch.I''ll be the one you''ll have to race after soon enough." He knocked his horse on its nk, urging it to speed up. The two of them rode on and galloped across the field. Soon after, Jared arrived, having sped over and parked his cart on a spot in close proximity to them. When he got down, he directed his gaze at Nicole, who was still dashing across the course atop her stallion.He could not help but smile at the sight; it seemed that Nicole and Pinto had developed a much stronger bond. Nicole was still cantering down the field when she looked over her shoulder. It was then that she saw a cart parked in close proximity, with a familiar figure standing beside it. Seeing this, she turned the horse around and made a beeline for Jared. Carl was in hot pursue, but when he saw Nicole turning around, his brows creased. "Jared, when did you arrive?" Nicole approached Jared with a grin on her face. "I''ve been here for some time now.I saw you on horseback having fun after I''ve taken care of my business, so I decided toe over, " Jared said, happy to see Nicole, especially after witnessing the style in which she rode. At that instant, Carl rode, and when he called out to Jared, his brows were furrowed. "Jared?" Owned by N?velDrama.Org. "Hey, how is it going?" Jared greeted in response. "Do any of the horses here suit you?" "Well, they''re not bad at all," Carl replied. "Miss Riddle, you looked really cool on horseback!" Fiore butted in when nobody saw hering. "Fiore, what are you doing here?" Nicole asked with a brow raised. "Didn''t Jared tell you? I invited him for a game of golf today.We saw you after a few games," Fiore said, cing a particr emphasis on the fact that she was the one who asked Jared out. Naturally, Nicole understood what Fiore was up to. Nicole darted her eyes at her, and then at Jared, after which she replied, "Jared told me about the game, and he said that it was such a coincidence that we were out here at the same time." Nicole deliberately said that so that Fiore would not get a chance to brag. "Do you guys want to ride around for a while longer?" Jared quickly seized the opportunity to ask Nicole, as he was already feeling awkward. "Of course.Carl and I just made a bet.He''ll be buying us dinner if he loses the race," Nicole said while narrowing her eyes on Carl. But Carl only responded by creasing his brows. When did he even make such a bet? "Okay, I''ll join you guys, then." Jared smiled. "I feel like riding too.Why don''t we all go together as a group?" Fiore said, forcing herself into the picture without bothering to ask anyone if they were willing to include her. Then, she shot Jared a nce. Jared did not have the heart to say no, so he replied, "Follow me then." Fiore got onto Jared''s cart with a beam, and together, the headed for the stables. Nicole maintained her stare at the buggy, and it was then that Carl approached Nicole, tracking her gaze. "This Fio- something.How could she be so casual around Jared? How did she pull that off?" Carl was stating his thoughts in a half- joking manner, as he was attempting to lessen the awkwardness which was a result of the interaction. "Who knows if..." "If you can''t beat me, you''ll have to buy me a round of dinner." Nicole eyed Carl at an instant. Then, she whirled around and sped off into the distance. "Hey, when did I even agree to this?" Carl asked as he raced after her. Chapter 1098 Chapter 1098 Nicole did not give him a forting answer and rode off into the distance on her horse. Galloping her way forward, she drifted into cloud nine and her troubles just seemed to vanish, as she basked in the wondrous scenery with its vast swathes of greenery all around. "Hey, wait up!" Carl shouted and attempted to catch up, but to no avail.He could only watch as Nicole''s silhouette shrunk into the horizon. As Jared came out of the stable atop his mount, Siro, he noticed that Nicole and Carl had vanished. He took out his phone out and attempted to call them, but each time he did, he was met with a voice asking him to send them a voicemail instead. ¡®They must be so busy riding that they couldn''t hear their phones ringing" he thought to himself. Seeing this, he decided that he would ride off to the direction that the duo had taken earlier, but just as he was about to do so, he heard a scream; it was Fiore, who was having trouble maintaining her bnce atop her horse. "Mr.Johnston! I''m scared!" Jared turned around and looked at her, "Why did youe here all by yourself? Where''s your instructor?" "My instructor was busy!" Fiore yelled and rode toward Jared. "Please, wait for me!" Jared was anxious, as he had little to no clue of Nicole''s whereabouts, but with Fiore already behind him, he could not turn a blind eye to her, or else, there would be nobody around to aid her if something catastrophic urs. "Grasp the reins," he instructed. "Keep your feet on the stirrups.Don''t pull on the reins too tightly, or the horse will stop." Jared was forced to apany Fiore and teach her some basics. It took her a while to get the hang of it.She was riding her horse at a snail''s pace and would often scream from time to time, evoking Jared''s attention and concern. N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights. "Mr.Johnston, why is my horse spinning around in circles?!" she cried out while feeling dizzy. "Please,e and help me out!" "Loosen the reins on the left side.Make sure you bnce your grip on both sides so that your horse won''t trot around in circles." Jared said as he stifled his urge tough at her. "How far have they gone that it is taking them so long to make their way back here?" Jared murmured while gazing off into the distance. Fiore caught up to Jared and beamed at him. "Mr.Johnston, what are you looking at? By the way, where is Miss Riddle and that friend of hers? Didn''t you say that we were going to ride horses together? Where did the both of them go?" "Have you gotten the hang of it?" Jared asked, his eyes still fixed at the yonder where Nicole and Carl had wandered off to. Realizing that Jared was after Nicole, she screamed and was about to fall off the horse''s back when Jared whirled around and grabbed her. "Are you alright?" "I''m fine.I think I''m starting to get the hang of it now.If you wish to go ahead and search for Miss Riddle, I''lle along," Fiore said, knowing that Jared would neither leave her here, nor allow her toe along with him. Jared looked at her and said, "No.Forget it.I''ll stay here and watch over you as you practice.Judging by your skills, you are definitely not ready to gallop off at full speed." Then, he sighed and gazed off into the distance once more. "Thank you for coaching me, Mr.Johnston." She beamed. "I really appreciate it." ¡®It was Fiore Fisher" he thought. ''If it was anyone else, I would not have given a damn" "Come, I''ll teach you how to trot forward slowly," he offered. Although she would not be able to perform a full speed gallop, he could gradually teach her along the way. Perhaps, they would even be able to catch a glimpse of Nicole by then. Jared then took Fiore out on a ride. It did not matter how far they went, as Fiore only cared about the fact that he was by her side.Her eyes were fixed on him the entire time. "What are you looking at?" Jared whirled around just in time to catch sight of the amorous look on her face, which startled him Chapter 1099 Chapter 1099 When it dawned upon her that the look on her face was bing lewder by the second, she turned and looked away at once. "Mr.Johnston, the scenery over there seems amazing.Shall we head over there and take a closer look?" she suggested. Owned by N?velDrama.Org. "Nah, I''d say it is not that lovely.I''ll take you to another location up ahead.We can get a better view there,"he said, as all he wanted was to head off to the direction that Nicole had wandered off to earlier. "Really?" she asked. "Well then, let''s go.I can''t wait!" Although Fiore had been here before, she had never explored the golf course.This only fueled her curiosity. "Slow down, Nicole!" Carl shouted, gradually closing the distance between them. "Why are you riding so fast? We''re just heading out for a meal! Jeez, I think my back is about to snap.No, ugh, forget it.I''m just going to get down and walk,"§Ú¦Ò¦Í???§Ó¦Ò¦Ò§Ü.¡é¦Ò§ÞCarl said, and dismounted. Nicole turned around and trotted over to him, as she stared him down in dismay, "We''ve only ridden for a short while and you''re already whining about back aches.Don''t you think you''re bing a wimp?" "What are you talking about? Who''s the wimp here! ? Turn around and see how far we''ve traveled," Carl said while ncing over his shoulder. It was then that he turned to Nicole in confusion, unable to remember the way they came, and consequently, the way back. "Nicole, do you remember the way back?" Nicole stared at him, her face flushed due to embarrassment. "I think I do, but not exactly.Oh well, it''s not that important anyway. "Excuse me? This ce is vast, and if we were to get lost here, how will we find our way back?!" Carl yelled, having lost his cool.He was not prepared for a scenario like this when he came out here for the horse riding session. "A ce of this scale scares you? I have never seen you so cowardly before, and I didn''t think I would, even if you were facing a hail of bullets." Nicole retorted.She was already unhappy, and Carl''s incessant whining only served to further enrage her. "Anyway, there''s a river up ahead.Let''s go over there and let our horses drink some water," Nicole said as she caught a glimpse of what looked to be a stream in the distance. Carl concurred. "Sure.After such a long period of galloping, it''s about time we give them some water to quench their thirst." Jared had brought Fiore with him in his search for Nicole and Carl. He whispered, "It''s gettingte.Where are the both of them?" Looking around, he realized that he should not proceed any further as it would be easy for them to get lost. Besides, he did not know for sure which direction the duo had traveled and would return from. With this in mind, he decided that it would be wise to send Fiore back and return on his own to search for them. "This ce is very vast indeed," she said. ''''You can''t even see where the boundaries are.Mr.Johnston, you were right.The scenery here is much better than where we were before." Fiore had no idea what was going through Jared''s mind at the moment. While she was heaping praises upon him, Jared did not hear a word she had said. "Let''s turn back," Jared nced at Fiore briefly before turning around. "Alright!" she said. "Anyway, it''s beautiful here.I think I''lle back here as often as I can in the future!" Fiore couldn''t help but admire the beauty of the scenery.She was became apletely different person when she was next to Jared. As a matter of fact, she no longer felt like she was a high- ranking businesswoman at all. When they had returned to the racecourse, Jared requested for the instructor to help Fiore dismount, but he himself did not. After she had gotten off the horse, she noticed that Jared had not. Looking at him, she said, "Mr.Johnston, why aren''t you getting off your horse?" "I''m thinking of going off for another round of riding," he responded. "I don''t think it is a good idea for you to exert yourself too much in a short span of time.You should head back and catch some rest." Fiore understood the connotation of Jared''s words very clearly. Chapter 1100 Chapter 1100 "Alright.I really had a lot of fun today," she said. "Take care, Mr.Johnston.I''ll excuse myself now." Fiore opened the door to her car, and stopped to look at Jared with a sweet smile on her face. "By the way, don''t forget to schedule an appointment with me, Mr.Johnston." Jared nodded his head, and watched as Fiore drove away. "Alright, bring the dogs out," Jared turned to the others and instructed. "We need to search for someone." "Okay, let''s get ready now," aman said. Jared brought a group of people with him as he rode across the grasnd, but he still couldn''t catch a single glimpse of Nicole and Car]. Stopping midway, he gged down an employee who was familiar with this ce and asked, "Is there a swamp in these parts?" "Yes, there''s a swamp in the southeast.If you do not know how to navigate your way through that ce, it''ll be easy to get lost." Upon hearing the employee''s words, Jared gasped. "Alright.You should lead the way.Let''s head over there and search." "Okay," he replied, after which the group galloped off southeast. After Nicole and Carl had given their horses their drink, they felt at ease with themselves. Turning to Carl, Nicole said, "Right.Let''s head back" "Okay," he uttered, whereupon the duo rode out from the river and arrived at the side of a hill. Carl looked around, confused as to where he was, and asked Nicole, "Do you remember which direction would lead us back?" Nicole frowned, as she was galloping fast, and was not paying any attention to her surroundings. "No, I don''t remember either." "What are we going to do?" "I mean, I can vaguely remember that the sun was our right when we came," she exined. "Now, I think we should follow the path with the sun on our left.We should also pay attention and look out for the hoof prints on the path.I think those will lead us back to where we came." Nicole surmised that she could trust her ability to survive in the wild, and as long as she remained calm, she would be able to find her way back. "Let''s go.We must return to the racecourse before it gets dark." Nicole tapped the house at its nk with her feet, prompting Pinto to gallop forward. Carl followed at once, and this time, he was not far behind. "Mr.Johnston, there''s a swamp right up ahead." The employee pointed to the grass in the distance to Jared. "We''ll stop over there for a bit." "No, stop,"§Ú¦Ò¦Í???§Ó¦Ò¦Ò§Ü.¡é¦Ò§ÞJared said with his voice raised, after which he turned to those around him. "Everyone, let''s call out for Nicole "One, two, three, Nicole...!" After yelling out for a long time, there still was not a response. At this moment, the sky had grown dark, and the sun that had been looming over them was already setting at the western horizon. "They''re definitely not here, so let''s just move and head back," Jared instructed as he nced at the setting sun. "Okay." On the way back, Jared kept looking around, hoping to catch a glimpse of Nicole, to whom he would rush over in a heartbeat once he could see her. "Nicole, how long have we been riding, already?" Carl asked, bing a little anxious as the twilight began to descend upon them. "Why haven''t we even reached the racecourse?" "We may really have lost our way," Nicole said with a solemn look on her face. "How about this.We take the reins off the horses, and let them find their way back to the stables.That way we can follow them back," Carl suggested. "It''s getting darker by the minute," Nicole replied, analyzing the situation at hand. "There''s no way we''d know if there are any wild beasts roaming around.If we are still moving about once dusk falls, it may be even more dangerous for us all"N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights. Chapter 1101 Chapter 1101 "We must find a ce where can lie low and catch some rest before it gets dark." Nicole looked around. "It seems that we are fated to remain here on the ins tonight," Carl said, helpless as it was something he did not anticipate would happen. "Carl, let''s go." Nicole took the lead and sped off. "Let''s just stay here tonight.We''ll need to get ourselves some branches and build ourselves a simple tent.Oh, and let''s not forget, we need to think of something to protect us and our horses too," Nicole exined while examining the tiny tree branches. "Okay.I''ll get us some sticks and twigs while you wait her with the horses," Carl said, and made a beeline for the coppice. Soon after, Carl returned with an armful of broken branches. "Okay.I think we may start now." "Okay, I need to get some traps ready while I set up the tent," Nicole said, delegating the task to him. "Okay." The two of them began to work together in a tense and orderly manner, and it did not take long for Nicole toplete the tent, the main purpose of which was for protection against any of the creatures which might be roaming about. Owned by N?velDrama.Org. "How are you doing over here?" Nicole asked as she went over to Carl. "I''ve set a few traps, so be careful"'' Carl looked at Nicole as he continued. "I''m going to get us some branches for firewood," Nicole said, and made her way to the coppice. ¡®The protective measures are in ce, but what are we going to eat? '' Nicole thought to herself while trudging along the path. Out of the blue, the grass in front of her rustled. Nicole instinctively assumed a defensive posture, leaning over the grass, and treading lightly with her feet. Then, a rabbit jumped out, startling her. Nicole unsheathed the dagger which she had brought, and chased the rabbit down with it. The moment she saw an opening, she seized her de by the tip and threw it at the rabbit, killing it at an instant.§Ú¦Ò¦Í???§Ó¦Ò¦Ò§Ü.¡é¦Ò§ÞThen, she strutted over and picked the carcass up. Once she had returned to the campsite, Carl shot her an anxious look. "Where have you been? What took you so long?" In response, Nicole held the rabbit out in front of her with a smile on her face, "Looks like we won''t be starving tonight." "Ah, so you were hunting that thing down," Carl said, astonished as he took the branches off her arms. "I was beginning to wonder what took you so long." "Get the fire started.I''ll roast it when you''re done," Nicole instructed "Okay." Carl rushed over, kindling the mes shortly after. "Now that it''s done, I''ll leave the roasting to you." Nicole looked at Carl. "No problem.Just wait.We''re going to make in such a way that it is crispy on the outside and tender on the inside." Carl picked up the branches as Nicole skewered the rabbit, roasting it on the bonfire. "Wow, that smells really good," Nicole said, as she stared at the meat cooking over the mes. "Let''s wait for a while longer.It''ll be even tastier then," Carl said, looking at Nicole who he knew was already on the verge of drooling. "Wait a little longer? No, I don''t think I will," Nicole said as grabbed a piece and began tearing into it. "How is it?" Carl asked Nicole. "Is it done well?" "Yeah.Don''t roast it anymore.It''s good as it is." Nicole beamed with satisfaction as she ate. ¡®All that matters is that we don''t have to go through the night with an empty stomach, '' she thought. "It''s alright.It''ll be done before you know it.I''ll let you have a taste of it in a while.Trust me, it''ll be even tastier," Carl said with a smile as his face shimmered with the light from the mes. "Okay, I''m calling dibs on the drumstick," Carl reached out and tore into the thigh of the rabbit, unable to wait any longer. "Wow.This is good!" "You know, it has been a while since I''ve eaten any sort of meat this way.To be honest, opportunities like these don''t present themselves very often." Nicole looked at Carl, who was brimming with satisfaction as he chowed down on the thigh. Chapter 1102 Chapter 1102 After they had enjoyed a scrumptious meal, Carl turned to Nicole and said, "I''ll get some sleep first.I suggest we take turns.For the first half of the night, I need you to keep a lookout for us, and for the second half, I''ll do that." "Okay, sure," she replied. It was easy for them to keep watch during the first half of the night. Nicole was wide awake and had stayed up until midnight without even realizing it.She was not tired and seeing that Carl was sound asleep, she was in no hurry to wake him up.She got up and approached Pinto. When she was near, she noticed that Pinto was not asleep either.He was standing there as if he was on guard duty with her. She proceeded to check on the two horses, which were fine.Then, she made her way back to the tent and gave Carl a light push, "Get up.It''s your turn to keep watch." N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights. Carl sat up and looked around, startled "What''s wrong?!" "Nothing.It''s just your turn to keep watch." Nicole said, andid down to catch some rest. "By the way, I''ve checked on the two horses, and there aren''t having any issue.I''m going to get some shuteye now.If you see anything out of the blue, wake me up.Don''t try to deal with it on your own." "Okay.Get some sleep, then." Carl stretched and stood up to readjust his position, after which he eyed the surroundings with a dagger in hand. Meanwhile, Jared had brought his entourage back to the racecourse after their first, unsessful attempt at finding Nicole.He had decided that he could not wait any longer and turned to his aide, Max Graham, "Organize a search and rescue immediately." "Understood." Max took his phone out and called for a search party. About thirty minutester, two teams marched in and stood in front of Jared. "I''ve sent you the details of the individuals we are searching for in the chat room.We are to split into two teams to search and rescue them in the ins.If youe across any situations, report it to the racecourse immediately," Max ordered in front of everyone. "Understood,"they said. "Let''s go." Under Max''s instructions, the two teams departed for the grasnd. "Mr.Johnston, the two teams are now on their way.Don''t worry, Miss Riddle will be fine.She''s has got her wits about her," Max assured, as this was the first time he had seen Mr.Johnston look so anxious. "There is only so much their eyes can do at this hour.Send a helicopter over right away," Jared ordered in a solemn tone of voice. "Alright,"§Ú¦Ò¦Í???§Ó¦Ò¦Ò§Ü.¡é¦Ò§ÞMax said, and proceeded to make another call. "We have two missing individuals here.Send a search and rescue helicopter over at once!" "Max, tell the pilot to make a pit stop here at the racecourse first," Jared ordered. Within ten minutes, a helicopternded outside the racecourse, and Jared proceeded to approach it. "Max, I need you to stay here." Jared climbed in. "Keep me posted the second you receive any updates regarding the situation." "Mr.Johnston, are you going with them?" "Yes," The helicopter took off slowly, with Jared gazing down from the helicopter every now and again, hoping to catch sight of any signals that might indicate that Nicole was calling for help. Concurrently, Nicole was deep in sleep,pletely unaware of the fact that Jared had lost his mind crazy in his search for her. All of a sudden, a howl echoed across the field, jolting her awake.She sat up and looked at Carl at an instant. "Was that a wolf?" "Yes, I''m afraid so." "Quick!" Nicole ordered. "Throw more branches into the fire! We need to make our merger!" Chapter 1103 Chapter 1103 "What sort of weapons have you brought to defend yourself?" Nicole turned to Carl. "I have a dagger with me," he replied. "Our daggers won''t be of much use against the wolves," she said, assessing the potential situation. "We can only use our torches to scare them away.If the wolves surround us, we must protect our horses, find out which one is the pack alpha as soon as possible, and target it so that we may live to see the sun rise." "I got it." Carl nodded, ready to defend his camp. The horses began to thrash and wine, attempting to free themselves from their bonds. Noticing this, Nicole hurried over tofort Pinto and the other horse and shot a bullet of a ce over her shoulder at Carl. "They must be close." As soon as had uttered those words, she saw about a dozen pairs of eyes gleaming about in the dark, charging at her general direction. When they were nearing the campsite, they slowed down and began to size Nicole up, sensing out for any weaknesses and vulnerabilities through visual and auditory cues. Then, they halted and circled around the duo, effectively surrounding Nicole and Carl who could only stare back at them. "Carl, they stopped," Nicole said. "I can see that.Perhaps they are noting any closer because of the mes,"§Ú¦Ò¦Í???§Ó¦Ò¦Ò§Ü.¡é¦Ò§ÞCarl said, hazarding a guess. "If this is going to keep them at bay, how long do you think our fire canst?" Nicole asked Carl. "It won''tst until the break of dawn." Carl looked at the branches surrounding them, knowing that he should have gotten more of those earlier. "Then let''s keep the fire burning for as long as possible," she ordered. "Use anything that is mmable, and I mean everything, including the tent." "I''ve counted the branches," he said. "Alright, good.Looks like I''ve got no choice but to fight them!" Nicole said, staring at the wolves who were standing in wait directly across. As long as the mes remained kindled, they would not pounce. "Carl, can you identify the alpha of the pack?" Nicole asked Carl. "No, they''re too far away." Carl shook his head. "I don''t think I can tell just yet.Wait, I have an idea, Nicole.You see is pretty fast and can cover great distances in a short span of time.I''ll distract the wolves for you while you hurry back to the racecourse to get help." "If I go, what do you think is going to happen to you?" Nicole asked. "There are so many of them against one of you! How are you supposed to fight them off on your own?" "Just go!" he yelled, urging her to flee. "Cut the crap, save your breath, and let''s kill ourselves a few wolves!" she cried out. "After all these years going through hell and high waters for you, when have I ever left you to fend for yourself!?" Nicole could tell what he was thinking, but she would never flee on her own, let alone leave him here to be fed to the wolves. "No, you''re not running away," he said, still attempting to push her away. "Don''t look at it that way.You''re actually going to get help, and by doing that, you''ll eventually be able to save the both of us.If you don''t go now, we''re both going to be trapped here." Nicole neither answered nor looked at him, for her eyes were on the wolves. Realizing that he could not convince Nicole to flee without him, he breathed a huge sigh. As the fired began to dim, the wolves grew restless, and proceeded to advance on them, inching in ever closer. ? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org. "Carl, we can''t just sit still while the fire is still burning," Nicole reminded. "Once it goes out, we''ll be in dire straits!" "Okay.What do you suggest we do?" Carl looked at Nicole. "Do you see that slightlyrger wolf at the back?" Nicole pointed to Carl. "Yeah, I can see it." "I suspect that it is the alpha,"§Ú¦Ò¦Í???§Ó¦Ò¦Ò§Ü.¡é¦Ò§Þshe said, analyzing the situation. "If we can snuff him out, the entire pack will disperse, and we''ll be alright." "Okay.I''ll help you out by luring the others away while you take care of that one," Carl vowed. "Okay.Mount your horse and lead the wolves to the grove so I that I can nk them from the sides," Nicole exined to Carl. "It is a feasible strategy, but with high rewardes a high risk for you. If the wolves don''t tail me, you''ll be in grave danger," Carl pointed out. Chapter 1104 Chapter 1104 "I know, but that is the only solution we have." Nicole looked at Carl firmly. ? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org. "Okay, how about you separate and distract them, while I go after the alpha?" Carl suggested, not wanting want Nicole to risk it. "Don''t underestimate them when you begin leading them away," she warned. "They are fast.Once they have given chase, you must climb up the nearest tree you can find.Otherwise, you''ll just be their next snack." "Okay.Just do as I''ve said.I''ll countdown to three and you''ll make a run for the grove." Nicole picked her torch up and mounted Pinto, with Carl doing the same with his stallion. "Are you ready?" Nicole shouted. "yes!" "Three, two, one.Go!" Carl sped off to the grove, prompting several members of the pack to give chase and hunt him down. As this was happening, Nicole made a beeline for the alpha, which proceeded to bare its teeth, ready to pounce. The remaining wolves charged forth, prompting her to wave her torch at them to keep them at bay. She repeated this until she was about ten yards away from the alpha, during which she unsheathed her dagger, and in a swift, stabbing motion, plunged her de into the beast, killing it. Seeing this, the rest of the pack howled and yelped as they dispersed. With that done, she retrieved her dagger and galloped off to the grove that Carl vanished into. Meanwhile, Carl was clinging onto a branch atop a tree, while his horse had fled in a panic. With the alpha in, and the pack scattered, it was now safe for him to make his descent. "Carl, where are you?!" Nicole called out. "I''m up here," Carl replied from above. "The wolves are gone! You cane down!" Nicole held her torch up, illuminating the trunk of the tree as Carl tossed his away and made his way down the tree "Have you dealt with the pack leader?" "Yeah.Let''s head over there.By the way, where''s your horse?" Nicole asked upon realizing that his stallion was missing. "I think he hightailed it when all that chaos was unfolding.Well, never mind then, let''s see what you''ve done to the alpha." Carl picked his torch up and strutted off to where the incident had urred. However, before they could reach the area where Nicole had in the alpha, a few wolves were already present, mourning the death of their pack leader. "Carl, let''s not go over there." "Then let''s take this opportunity to get more branches for the fire. "Alright." Sitting next to the campfire, Nicole and Carl could still see a few wolves about a few hundred yards away. "Do you think they are going toe after us?"§Ú¦Ò¦Í???§Ó¦Ò¦Ò§Ü.¡é¦Ò§ÞCarl asked. "It''s hard to tell, so let''s just keep our wits about us," she replied. Meanwhile, the helicopter and the rescue teams on the ground had been searching in vain for the both of them for over an hour now, but they were still not able find anyone or anything. From where Jared was sitting, he had not seen a single distress signal at all. "Look further south," he instructed the pilot. "Yes sir." After flying for a while, the pilot spotted a re in the distance, and reported his sighting to Jared at once. "Mr.Johnston, there is a light source up ahead." Jared craned his neck and squinted his eyes, ''Head over there.Quick!" Then, the helicopter took off toward the light in full speed. Hearing the whirring of the rotor des, Nicole gave Carl a sideways nce. "Carl, do you hear that?" "I think I heard it," Carl replied. "It''s behind us." Carl and Nicole spun around and gazed up at the same time, and as expected, they saw a helicopter flying toward them. "Wave our torches," Nicole ordered. "Mr.Johnston, it seems that someone is calling for help,"the pilot reported. Chapter 1105 Chapter 1105 "Go to the rescue," Jared instructed, hoping that the person waving at them was Nicole. The helicopter hovered for a moment and descended, whereupon Jared stepped out, and when he saw that the person who had gged him down was Nicole, he hurried over and locked her in a tight embrace. "Are you alright?" "I''m okay." She pushed him away at once. "How did you know I was here?" "Long story." Jared looked around. "We were all over the ce looking for you, and then we found you here.Anyway, let''s go on the chopper." Nicole turned her attention to Carl. "Hey, climb in and make your return with these guys." "Aren''t youing with us?" Carl asked Nicole. "I''ll head back together with Pinto," she said, looking at Jared. "I can''t just leave him here.You guys can just tell me the route home. "How about this? We stay here and keep youpany until dawn breaks in case another beastes for you," Carl suggested, reminiscing about the wolf attack earlier. "Beast?" Jared turned to Carl in shock. "Yeah," Carl exined. "We were attacked by wolves earlier.Fortunately, Nicole managed to kill the alpha and get us out of the woods." "Are you hurt?" Jared turned to Nicole at once. "No, don''t worry about it," Nicole assured. "You really don''t have to keep mepany.Just leave the tools for me to find my way back." "No, it is dark and you really shouldn''t be here alone," Jared insisted, refusing to leave Nicole out here alone, no matter what, at least not anymore. "Max, I found Nicole." He reported to Max on the phone. "I''ll send you the location.Tell the rescue team to make their way here as soon as possible." N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights. "Come on, we can''t just wait here.Carl, get into the helicopter with Jared and fly back.I''ll take Pinto with me and meet the rescue team along the route," Nicole said as she looked at the two men, who were still refusing to board the helicopter. "How about this, Nicole," Jared began. "Get into the chopper with Carl and I will meet the rescue team midway.I have Pinto''s trust, anyway." ''This is the only way I could protect her.I''d rather she and Carl get back by ne together if it means getting her back safe and sound" "No can do! Wouldn''t it be worse if you were in danger? I''m not going to agree to this!" Nicole argued, with neither of them wanting the other to stay. "Why don''t the both of you head back first, and I''ll lead Pinto to the rescue team slowly," Carl said while staring at the both of them, knowing that it was thest resort. "No, Pinto doesn''t know you well enough and he won''t let you handle him," Nicole said, concerned over Pinto''s safety above all else. "Well, if that''s the case, we should all stay here, then," Jared said, not knowing what else he could do. Seeing that neither of the two men would leave, Nicole was at her wit''s end as well. Then, an idea dawned upon her. "Alright, listen up.Why don''t we do this? I''ll ride the horse back, and you can lead the way with the helicopter." "I guess that''d work," Carl looked at Jared. After a moment of hesitation, Jared caved in and nodded. "Stay safe and pay attention to your surroundings." He had no choice but to get into the helicopter with Carl. With the aid of the searchlight, Nicole rode Pinto across the ins awash in darkness.It was pitch ck, and she could not even see her fingers before her, with the beam of light being the only thing that was visible to her. To rendezvous with the rescue team as soon as possible, Nicole pushed her legs against Pinto''s nk, giving him themand to speed up. Though the ride was interminable, Nicole was eventually able to meet the team of rescuers while the two men returned to the racecourse, waiting for her. Still racked by anxiety, Jared entered the building and pulled a chair over for a seat, as Carl stood outside and paced around. About 20 minutester, he saw the twinkling of lights from the rescue team in the distance. Knowing for sure that it was Nicole, he got on a horse and galloped off to their general direction. Chapter 1106 Chapter 1106 Jared Johnston heard noises outside and asked, "Max, is that a horse?" "I think it is," Max answered. Jared hurried out of the building and saw that Carl had already galloped off on horseback, and there seemed to be light shining in from the distance where Carl was heading off to.He knew that it was Nicole, who had made a safe return along with the rescue team. "Prepare dinner for us right away." Jared stood outside at gate of the racecourse and kept watch, as the light became brighter with each passing second. "Why are you here again?" Nicole shook her head when she saw Carl was rushing toward her. "I just came over to see how you''re doing," he said with a look of concern. "Have you encountered any creatures along the way?" "No, there were a lot of people with me. I''m fine!" Nicole looked at Carl with a smile. "Is that Jared?" she asked upon catching a glimpse of a person standing outside the gates of the racecourse. "I think it is," Carl replied without much certainty, as he had not seen Jared when he rode away. "Come," Jared said as he helped Nicole dismount. "You didn''t encounter anything on the way back, did you?" Jared looked at Nicole with concern. "Safe and sound," Nicole nced at Jared and began ambling off to the house in the racecourse. "Come on inside." Jared took Nicole''s hand and walked in. Upon entering, Nicole saw a table filled withvish meals. "Wow, there''s food prepared!" N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights. "Miss Riddle, are you okay?" Uncle Ronnie came over and asked. Nicole looked at Uncle Ronnie apologetically, "I''m okay.I''m sorry.I must''ve scared you.I even lost one of your horses too." "No worries," Ronnie said. "All is well, as long as you''re back in one piece.Please, help yourself to some food and catch some rest once you''re done." "Okay," she replied. "Thank you, Uncle Ronnie." Upon seeing that Nicole was fine. Ronnie Willis went back to his quarters and resumed with his sleep, leaving Jared and Carl to apany Nicole on the dining table. "It''s really cold outside, so I suggest you get yourselves warmed up with some wine." Jared looked at them both, and then centered his gaze on Nicole. "Hey Nicole, you made a bonfire out in the wild.Were you lost?" "Yeah, well I was originally...going out for a ride, but then, I kept going and the next thing I knew, I wasn''t able to find my way back." Nicole replied, without telling him that he was the reason as to why she had sped off the way she did. "Thank goodness, we came back safe and sound, or else we''d have been sleepless," Carl jokes. "No, it gave me a lingering fear.This is the first time I''ve been surrounded by wolves.It was really traumatizing,"§Ú¦Ò¦Í???§Ó¦Ò¦Ò§Ü.¡é¦Ò§ÞNicole sighed before taking another bite. Listening to the exchange between the two of them, Jared began to get an idea of how terrifying it must have been for them. "Nicole, have some of these." Jared ced pieces of vegetables onto her bowl. "It''ll help put you at ease." "Thank you foring for us, or else we wouldn''t have known what other kinds of beasts we might have to encounter," Nicole shed Jared a bitter smile and turned to Carl. Indeed, if Jared had not found them, they would have ran out of means to defend themselves if they encountered another creature again. "Yeah, thanks you for arriving in time, Mr.Johnston," Carl said and raised his ss to Jared. Jared raised his ss in response, "Don''t mention it." ¡®Although Jared had led a search party for me tonight, I don''t think I can feel it.Deep down inside I''m still mad at him, but with Carl here, I don''t want to ruin the atmosphere.He might think we are just being obnoxious with all of that drama" By the time the meal was over, Nicole had regained much of her strength, and Carl had excused himself, leaving her in thepany of Jared. Chapter 1107 Chapter 1107 "I''m off to bed as well," Nicole ced her cutlery down and made her way to one of the bedrooms. Jared followed Nicole with the thought of sharing the bed with her, but she whirled around and red at him upon entering the room. "I wish to sleep alone tonight.There should be other rooms prepared for you, as you are a regr here." After saying that, she mmed the door in his face.Jared stood in front of the door of Nicole''s room with a frown.Her sudden outburst had left him puzzled. ¡®She was fine earlier when we were having dinner, so I wonder, what caused the sudden shift in her mood?'' He knocked on the door, but as nobody answered, he had to make do with the other rooms for the night. The next morning, after bidding goodbye to Uncle Ronnie, Jared drove Nicole back to the vi, with Carl departing for his hotel. As they drove, Nicole kept looking out the window, not wishing to speak to Jared.He nced at her and said, "Did you sleep wellst night?" "Yeah I did." Nicole offered a faint reply without making eye contact. Noticing that she did not turn around, he pressed on. "Why did you ride so far out yesterday?" When the topic was brought up, the mental image of Jared and Fiore together in the cart surfaced, and her fury sprung to life. "The scenery was breathtaking," Nicole said with her voice raised. Jared knew that she was unhappy, but he did not specifically know why. "The next time I visit that ce, I''ll take you there,"he replied. "I''ve already seen it once.I don''t wish to see it again." Nicole blurted out bluntly, as they were the only people in the car. "It is okay, next time, I''ll take you to a ce with a better view."§Ú¦Ò¦Í???§Ó¦Ò¦Ò§Ü.¡é¦Ò§ÞJared smiled in an attempt to lighten the mood, regardless of how angry Nicole was. "Where are you going?" Nicole asked upon noticing that they were not headed in the direction of the Sea View Vi. "Back to my ce." "I wish to go to the Sea View Vi to visit my grandma.If you return to the vi, pull over and leave me at the side of the road." Nicole said, not wanting to go back there for the time being.She needed a change in scenery for a few days in order to recuperate, and ease the tension between the both of them. In response, he darted her a nce and said, "Okay, I''ll take you to your grandma''s." Instead of facing him, she red at him from the corner of her eye. Soon after, the car pulled up in front of the Sea View Vi, and Nicole was about to get off the car when Jared noticed that she still did not want to talk to him. He stopped her, "Nicole, I''l] pick you upter tonight." "There will be no need for that.I''ll be staying here for a few days." After having said that, Nicole got out of the car and stormed off to the gate, with Jared watching her in a state of confusion. ¡®What have I done to upset her?¡¯ He clenched the steering wheel and took along breath, whereupon he floored the elerator and left the Sea View Vi. Jared was still in a daze, even after he had arrived in his office, working on something at his desk It was then that Max walked in. "Mr.Johnston, as requested, these are the documents detailing the money that had been spent."" Max ced the documents in front of him. Owned by N?velDrama.Org. "What have you uncovered?" Jared looked at him and asked. "A lot of the funds have been withdrawn under the pretense that they would be used for important projects, but in actuality, none of these projects were real or have been carried out," Max reported. "Have you found out who was the one who had applied for them?" Jared eyed maxed with a solemn look on his face. "They were all applied by Murphy Johnston." Jared mmed the documents on the table, "It seems that the father and son duo are up to no good." "What do you want me to do?" "There is no need to do anything just yet.For now, we''ll let him have it, but once this quarter of the year is over, we''ll make him answer for the grand total that he has embezzled," he said, as his eyes glinted with a spark. ¡®If you are going to embezzle from the Johnston Group, you better bepetent enough to do so" Chapter 1108 Chapter 1108 "How was your trip to the hospital?" "It was alright.The chairman is having a speedy recovery, and I can see that he is feeling much better now," Max reported. "That''s good, but I need you to be vignt." "Certainly." "By the way, have you found Conrad?" "I''m afraid not," Max said. "The man I''ve hired for the job hasn''t returned, but I''m pretty sure we''ll hear from him soon." "Give him a call, so that we have an idea of what''s going on," Jared ordered. "Yes, Mr.Johnston." As soon as Max took his phone out, the person whom he was about to call sent him a text message. "I had Conrad secured and was about to bring him back to us, but I was assaulted by someone I couldn''t recognize.We were both captured and thrown into a warehouse where they sliced my tongue.I was released, but I think they''ve taken Conrad away by now." "Do you know where they''re taking him? Have you managed to identify them?" Max texted back with his brows furrowed. "No, they were all wearing masks," the man replied. "They released me after they''ve sliced my tongue off, but I think the person who roughed me up had a pentagram tattoo on his arm.The other one looked like a ringleader of some sort.He was wearing a suit and a pair of expensive Leonardo shoes." "Retrieve your tongue from the warehouse and get it reattached,"§Ú¦Ò¦Í???§Ó¦Ò¦Ò§Ü.¡é¦Ò§ÞMax advised. "Then, go home and recuperate.I''ll transfer the money to your bank ount in a while." Owned by N?velDrama.Org. After replying to that man''s text messages, Max turned to face Jared with a solemn look. "What happened?" Jared asked with his brows creased. "One of our men just sent me a text, telling me that he was assaulted when he had finally managed to get his hands on Conrad.As for thetter, he is now being taken to God-knows-where.Our man got his tongue cut off too, but they released him.Thankfully, he was very observant.His attacker had a pentagram tattoo and the person who appears to be the one who had hired him was wearing a suit and Leonardo shoes," Max reported the entire incident to Jared. Jared clenched his fists in anger. "That pentagram tattoo and Leonardo shoes again.Here is the first order of business.Make sure that our man is well taken care of, and get some money transferred to him.Then, follow the lead that he has given us.I want to know who these two men are." "Yes, Mr.Johnston." "Be sure to get more people in for the job this time." "Yes, Mr.Johnston." "By the way, is there anything urgent for me to take care of in the office today?" Jared looked at Max and queried. "No." "Very well, In which case, you''ll be following me to the hospital," Jared ordered. "Yes, Mr.Johnston," Max replied. Back in the Sea View Vi, Nicole was taking a rest in the bedroom when her phone buzzed as she received a message from Ike. "Are you busy right now, Miss Riddle? Our research and development term has begun working on their tasks for quite some time now.Will you be able to pay us a visit anytime soon?" Nicole was rather delighted to have received Ike''s message. "Hello, Ike.I have a lot on my te right now, but I''ll definitely be seeing you some other time.Besides, I really want to know your progress." "Sure, we''ll bring you over whenever you''re avable," Ike replied. "We''re already done with our initial preparations, so we''re now moving onto the developmental phase in small teams." "You''re really quick and efficient.By the time I''m there, you''ve all probably already made tons of progress" she responded. Chapter 1109 Chapter 1109 "Fingers crossed.I hope you''ll be able to pay us a visit soon." "Sure, all the best to you!" N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights. A smile crossed her face as she did not expect Ike to be this excited to see her. Jared opened the door to his grandfather''s ward and walked in as the physician was administering the routine check-up on his grandfather. "Mr.Johnston," the doctor greeted. "How is my grandfather doing?" Jared asked. "His condition is improving in a slow and stable way, which is good." "Okay, but how long will it take for him to recover from being bedridden?" "Most likely in two months or so.Besides, it''s advisable for him to get as much rest as he can, so that he achieve a faster recovery," the doctor advised. "Thank you very much, doctor," Jared said. "How''s thepany doing right now, Jared?" Mr.Johnston Sr.asked.It had been some time since Maximillianst enquired about thepany, and so, it was only natural that he was concerned about it as soon as he could muster the energy to do so. As much as he knew that Jared was more than capable of managing everything well, he could not help but miss hispany. Jared noticed that his grandfather had made mentions thepany multiple times, and so, he figured that he should offer him a few trivial updates to put him at ease. For starters, The Beacon factory that we''ve invested in is achieving progress at a steady pace and has begun mass-production now. "Oh, I didn''t expect it to make this much progress while I''m in the hospital!" Maximillian''s eyes widened. "Thank you for your hard work, Jared." "No, it is my duty,"§Ú¦Ò¦Í???§Ó¦Ò¦Ò§Ü.¡é¦Ò§ÞJared replied humbly. Maximillian nodded with satisfaction and smiled at him. "It seems that I''ve made the right decision by entrusting thepany to you. "What about the sisterpany that your uncle is managing? Did anything go amiss?" Maximillian asked, as he was well aware of Henry''s capabilities and disposition, and that was why he had only allowed him to manage the subsidiarypany. "No, he has been conducting himself appropriately these days, but there aren''t many projects going on in hispany," Jared lied, knowing that he needed to conceal the truth from Maximillian. Maximillian would nag, but his concern would not lead up to the point where he was furious at Henry. "I knew it.He was fortunate enough tond himself a partnership, so I''m not even expecting him to have his hands on arge number of projects," the old man said. Maximillian was rather upset when he scolded Henry.However, he was not angry, as he had already anticipated that something like this would ur. "Don''t get mad at him, grandpa," Jared said. "You should be taking good care of your health right now.That''s all that matters." "Alright, I won''t be aggrieved.I''ll just forget about it once I''m doneining.I have nothing to worry about as long as you''re around." Maximillian looked at Jared with a smile. "By the way, why isn''t Nicole with you today?" Maximillian asked. Jared had to lie about this again, and thus, he said, "Nicole was out riding horses at Uncle Ronnie''s racecourse, but the wind triggered a headache in her. That''s why she is unable to pay you a visit today. "Oh, ask her to take good care of herself, even when she''s out having fun," Maximillian said, his tone full of concern. "I was the one who hasn''t really been taking good care of her.I''ll get her some medicationter," Jared said, starting to feel guilty as he recalled the incidentst night. "Jared, I''m not trying to intrude, but you can''t neglect Nicole''s feelings.I know you''ve been breaking your back for thepany, but you must still make time for her.Don''t make her feel lonely, alright?" Maximillian reminded him. "Yes, I understand, grandpa.Anyway, you''ve been sitting up for quite some time now.Aren''t you tired?" Jared asked, concerned about his grandfather. "Iam, actually," Maximillian replied. "Justy me down so that I can catch some rest, please.Anyway, you should go back to work now.I''ll be sleeping soon, so you won''t have to sit around to keep mepany anymore." Chapter 1110 Chapter 1110 "Sure, please rest well, grandpa.I''m leaving now, so I''ll pay you a visit as soon as I can," Jared said, after which he stood up and left the hospital. While he in the car, his mind was racing with the advice that his grandfather had imparted, and after a while, he ordered, "Bring me to the Sea View Vi, Max." Following a long drive, Max pulled up right outside the gates of the Sea View Vi. "We''ve arrived, Mr.Johnston," Max informed. Jared took a look at the vi and wondered, ''Should I enter or should I just sit here and look?¡¯ "Mr.Johnston?" a voice called out, whereupon Tia''s petite figure appeared from the mansion''s garden. Then, she sauntered toward Jared''s car and greeted him. Jared''s face was flushed with embarrassment when Tia spotted him, but he could only act as if nothing had happened. Owned by N?velDrama.Org. "Hi, Tia." "Aren''t youing in?" Tia looked at Jared with her head tilted. "Of course I am." Jared smiled as he stepped out of the car and mmed the door shut. "I''m making a move now, Mr.Johnston.Please just call me if you need me," Max said, helping him out with the decision by removing the other option, and that was to stay in the car. Jared red at Max while Tia gave the former a warm wee, "Let''s head inside, Mr.Johnston." "Sure, let''s go," Jared said, after which he proceeded to enter the vi with Tia. "Have a seat, Mr.Johnston," Tia said, "I''ll get Miss Riddle toe down here." As Tia was sensible, Jared offered her a smile and remained silent as he sat down on the couch in the living room. He looked around, and saw that Mrs.Riddle Sr.was nowhere to be seen or heard, and so, he waited patiently. After a few minutes, Tia, who was all alone, approached him. "Mr.Johnston, Miss Riddle said that she was not feeling well, so she won''t being down, but I think you may head upstairs to check on her." Tia looked at Jared with a smile and a wink. Jared nodded at Tia, whereupon she took the hint and left. Then, he sat still for a while longer, thinking to himself, Wouldn''t it be even more embarrassing if I go upstairs and knock on her door just for her to keep me out? Oh well, I guess it''s probably better for me to just sit here and wait for her in the living room" After that, he turned the television on and watched the news. This continued until Nicole made her way to the lower floor to get herself a cup of water, and she was about to do so when she heard noises from the television in the living room. As soon as she walked over, her eyes met Jared''s, who happened to be looking over at the same time. For a moment, both of them were stunned, much like deer caught in the headlights, until Jared decided to sh her a smile. "You''re awake." Nicole nodded, holding a cup in her hands. Then, she took a seat on the couch and nced over at Jared before turning her gaze to the television. ¡®Why is he even here? He hasn''t been sitting around, watching the news while I was asleep all this while, has he?" "Have you...been sitting here the entire time?"§Ú¦Ò¦Í???§Ó¦Ò¦Ò§Ü.¡é¦Ò§ÞNicole asked with a frown. "Yeah, there''s a lot going on in the news today," Jared said, using the news as a shield to avoid further embarrassment. Nicole stifled a chuckle before asking in a stern manner, "What brought you here?" "Nothing much, I just...came over to pay Mrs.Riddle Sr.a visit," Jared lied, unable to cast his ego aside. "Well, then I think you''ve already seen her," she said. "You may leave, now that you have nothing else to do here." "Sure," Jared replied, still unwilling to swallow his pride to say what he meant to say. The next day, Nicole went to the hospital to pay visit Mr.Johnston Sr.a visit, and because she had not seen him in a while, she brought him some fresh flowers. "I''vee to see you, Mr.Johnston Sr.," Nicole greeted after she opened the door to his ward. "Ah, you''re here, Nicole." Mr.Johnston Sr.set the book he was reading down and looked at Nicole, who was standing at the entrance. "Are you feeling better today?" "What do you mean by that?" Nicole asked, confused as to what Maximillian had meant. "Jared told me that you were feeling unwell after a session of horse riding. Are you feeling better today?" Mr.Johnston Sr.repeated. "Oh, I''m much better now," Nicole said as she thought, ''It seems that he didn''t tell Mr.Johnston Sr.about what had happened that day" "How have you been feeling these days, Mr.Johnston Sr.?" Nicole sat on his bed after she was done arranging the flowers. Chapter 1111 Chapter 1111 "I have been feeling better with each passing day, but I just don''t know when I can get out of this bed," Mr.Johnston Sr.said, unable to wait anymore. "Don''t rush it, Mr.Johnston Sr.It''s going to take a while for you to recover, and your journey to recovery has just begun.You should rest more," Nicole advised. "Oh Nicole, I''m so bored in this room.The person whom I get to see most often is the nurse, and I don''t even have anyone to talk to, " Mr.Johnston Srined, after which he switched the topic of conversation. "What have you been up totely?" "Nothing much, I''ve just been taking a break." "Are you still going strong with Jared?" "we''re alright," Nicole said, curious about the question. ''Why did Mr.Johnston Sr.ask me about our rtionship? Did Jared tell him something?" "That''s good.Jared has a lot on his te, so he might not have the time to keep youpany.Please try to understand his situation.Still, I''ve advised him to make time for you yesterday.Your rtionship is of utmost priority," N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights. Mr.Johnston Sr.said, and looked at Nicole with a smile. "Yeah." After gathering what she could from what Mr.Johnston Sr.had said, Nicole finally understood why Jared went over to see her without telling her why. ¡®He probably did it because of Mr.Johnston Sr." she thought. At that exact moment, the doctor walked in. "It has been a while since Ist saw you, Miss Riddle." Nicole nodded in response and asked, "Is Mr.Johnston Sr.still on the same prescription as before?" "Ah, about that, Mr.Johnston Sr.has stopped using that prescription since the fourth day he was awake," the physician replied and looked at Nicole. "Should we prescribe him something new?" "I think your medication is working fine, so let''s just stick with it." "Alright." While Nicole was talking to the doctor, her phone rang, prompting her to answer it. "Hey, what''s up?" "Are you busy?" Harvey asked, his voice loud and clear on the other end of the call. "I need to see you." "I''m in the midst of visiting Mr.Johnston Sr.in the hospital, so I''ll be seeing youter," she replied. "Sure, catch youter," Harvey said. "You can just leave if you''re busy, Nicole," Mr.Johnston Sr.said, looking at her. "Well then, I''ll visit you again when I''m free," Nicole said, bade him farewell, and proceeded to leave the hospital. Nicole proceeded to drive to the library in which she was supposed to meet Harvey.She did not know why he wanted to meet her here, of all ces, but she walked in nheless. "Where are you?" Nicole texted. "By the window on the fifth floor," Harvey replied. Nicole took the elevator and got to the fifth floor, where people were reading inplete silence. Harvey waved at her, whereupon she sauntered over and took a seat. "Why did you ask me toe here?" Nicole said, her eyes ranging over the surroundings. "What else can we do in a ce like this aside from reading?" Harvey said, delighted to see Nicole as he responded with a smile. Nicole took a look at the book that was propped up in front of him. "Do you even understand what you''re reading?" "Are you making fun of me? Can''t you see the annotations next to the text?" Harvey said, looking extremely confident. "I''m worried that you might not even understand the annotations, " Nicole mocked. Harvey rolled his eyes at once and said, "I''m not going to argue with you.By the way, when are you heading abroad?" "Why are you asking?" Nicole replied without giving him the answer him as she returned his gaze. "Why else? So that I cane along with you, obviously." Harvey said, looking at her withplete seriousness. Chapter 1112 Chapter 1112 "You''re not nning to sneak over, are you?" Harvey squinted as he looked at Nicole. "Do I even have to sneak? I can go there with my head held up high, " Nicole said without hesitation. "why you!" Harvey was so angry that he was at a loss for words. "It''s all right.Anyway, I heard that Sean is facing some financial difficulties.I wish to help him out, but..." Harvey did not continue on purpose. All he did was stare at Nicole, waiting for her to say something. "Sean has financial issues? Why didn''t anyone tell me?" Nicole''s smile faded at an instant. "He probably doesn''t want you to worry about him," Harvey replied. "If I wasn''t working on a project with him, I wouldn''t know about this either. "Anyway, that''s not the point.The point is..." Without waiting for Harvey to finish, Nicole got up and strode off. Seeing this, Harvey ran up to Nicole and said, "I''m not done yet.Why are you leaving?" "I''m going to meet Sean." "That wouldn''t help." Harvey grabbed Nicole''s arm as he exined. "You''ll just add to the stress that he is already dealing with.Money is the only thing that could help him now." Nicole stopped and looked at him. "Do you know how much money he needs?" "Well..." Harvey hesitated, still beating around the bush. "Forget it, I''ll ask him myself if you''re not going to tell me," Nicole said and attempted to walk off once more. Harvey grabbed her arm again. "Why are you in such a rush? I''ll tell you now. "He needs around six hundred million dors.Actually, he might even need more," Harvey told her with a serious look on his face. Nicole stood on the spot as she pondered, ''I don''t have six hundred million dors with me, so what should I do?'' When Harvey saw that she had calmed down, he brought her to a table nearby and sat down with her. "Calm down, I''m already thinking of a n.As long as I am able to get my grandpa''s approval, Sean will have the money wired to his ount in an instant." Harvey said, although he just wanted to use this as a reason for Nicole to bring him along with her, He did not expect to scare Nicole. Nicole immediately looked at him and asked, "Really?" "Yeah.On one condition though." Harvey arched his brows as he looked at Nicole. Nicole smiled. "Okay, but still, thank you." She knew Harvey was not going to use this against her. Otherwise, he would not have asked his grandfather in advance. Owned by N?velDrama.Org. "Do you think I''ll settle with a ''thank you''" Harvey quickly took the chance to ask for more. "Do I look like a charity service to you?" "What else do you want then? I''ll do it as long as it''s within my capacity." Nicole looked at him with a frown. "Now, that you''ve said it, don''t you dare go back on your words!" Harvey said, acting like a child. "Yes"! "It''s around lunchtime now, so why don''t you buy me a meal?" Harvey suggested. Nicole paused and asked, "Can I invite Carl too?" "Why would you do that?" Harvey looked at Nicole in confusion. "I think he''s pretty bored in the hotel," she replied. "If he is, I can find something interesting for him to do.Just don''t ask him out to join us for lunch, okay?" Harvey said, not wanting someone else to be with them, but he respected Nicole''s wishes nheless. "Fine, you win this time." Nicole gave in, as she wanted him to help Sean out. Chapter 1113 Chapter 1113 Seeing that Nicole had agreed, Harvey was as happy as a m. "Where do you wish to go?" Harvey smiled at Nicole. "I''m fine with anywhere, really," she replied. To her, it was just a casual meal, and so, she did put much thought into the options she had. "There''s a new restaurant in town, so why don''t we check that out, " Harvey said with his eyes on Nicole. "Sure." "Are you not driving?" Nicole asked, as she noticed him entering the car with her. "Yeah, just so that I can be more environmental friendly," Harvey said, knowing that Nicole would definitely be driving. Therefore, he had walked over on purpose just so that he could hitch a ride. "Let me put this out there.You can''t just march into my house like you didst time." Nicole said in a stern tone. "Don''t worry, I won''t do that anymore." Harvey rolled his eyes. It was then that Nicole loosened up. Then, she entered the car and drove off with the aid of Harvey''s directions. As they were getting nearer, the buildings around them were getting increasingly familiar. "Is the ce still a long way from here?" Nicole asked. "Not really." Harvey peeped out of the window and eyed the buildings. "It should be somewhere in front.There''s a parking lot in front, so let''s just head over there." After they had gotten off the car, Nicole turned to Harvey, "Aren''t we near the headquarters of the Johnston Group? Where is this restaurant you''re talking about?" "Chill, let me take a look." Harvey looked around and his eyes lit up at once. "I''ve found it! Follow me." Harvey pulled Nicole by the arm and made a beeline for the restaurant. Little did they know, they were being observed by Fiore who had just exited her car as well.She squinted to take a closer look, turned around, and walked into the headquarters of the Johnston Group. Seeing that Fiore was approaching, the assistant made a call to inform Henry at once. Then, he walked up to her with a wide smile and weed her. "Ms.Fisher, Mr.Henry Johnston is waiting for you inside." He opened the door for her, after which she nced at the assistant with a grin on her face. "Fiore, your visits tend to be unannounced, and so, I couldn''t make my way downstairs to give you a personal wee," Henry said. "Henry, these formalities are unnecessary.I came here today to ask you about the proposal we''ve discussed.Have you made up your mind about this?" Fiore sat in front of Henry, awaiting his reply. Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org. "Get Miss Fisher a cup of coffee, and be sure to brew it well." Henry nced at his assistant. "Noted," the assistant said and marched out of the room at once. "Fiore, I''ve given the proposal some thought, and I must say that the project is good, but there are some risks involved.I''ll hold a meeting with the board of directors.When the decision has been finalized, I''ll let you know right away," Henry said and looked at Fiore with a grin. "Henry, you''re not trying to stall to buy yourself some time, are you? A number of people have been asking me about this project.If it wasn''t for the rtionship we have, I would''ve agreed to their offers already.The more you drag, the more I lose.It has been a few days already, and yet you have not had a single meeting over this matter? What a joke!" Fiore stood up and stormed off. Henry quickly stopped her and apologized. ''''Fiore, you''ve misunderstood.It''s not like how you''ve put it.Let''s all calm down, have a seat, and discuss about this." "There''s no need for that.The project can''t wait for anyone, so why should I wait?" Fiore continued taking a few steps. "Fiore Fisher, let''s sign the papers immediately!" Seeing that Fiore was furious, Henry did not dare to drag anymore. "In fact, we''ll sign it now!" "Oh, so you''re taking the offer now?" Fiore looked at Henry with a grimace. "Well, I''m not extending it to you anymore." "Fiore,e on," he said. "Quit messing around.Let''s sit down and talk about the details." "There''s no need for that.If you can agree to this one condition, I''ll coborate with you." Fiore red at him. "Otherwise, you can kiss this project goodbye." Chapter 1114 Chapter 1114 "What would that catch be? Let''s hear it." "I''ll bepletely in charge," she replied. "With that said, I''d like Jared to be the one discussing the project details with me from here on." After Henry had heeded Fiore''s condition, he calmed down.He was trying to read the look on her face. ''Is she having feelings for Jared?! Indeed, if it was true, it would do them no harm at all.The only issue was that the project would be too lucrative and massive for Jared to manage. "Fiore, I can agree to that, but I have a little request of my own." Henry looked at her with a leer which he suppressed. Impatient, Fiore frowned and looked at him. "What request?" Henry smiled and looked at Fiore. "I want Jared to manage this project together with Castor.After all, it''s a huge project.If Jared were to do it alone, it would be too much of a burden for him.Castor can assist him and together, they can share the workload." Fiore gave it a quick thought. ''Jared would definitely be tired if he manages the project all on his own.And if he is tired, he would have neither the time nor energy for me.That would just defeat the purpose of what I had nned out, but with Castor around, Jared would have more time to spend with me" "Okay, sure." Fiore gazed into Henry''s eyes and agreed. "In which case, should we sign the contract today or some other time?" Henry said, seeking Fiore''s opinion. "Since it has been decided, we''ll sign it tomorrow," she replied. "You can send your men over to my office tomorrow." "Alright, no problem," he said. "I better get going now." Fiore said without giving Henry another look and walked straight out the door. Henry stared at Fiore''s rear and smirked. ''Being the chairman is amazing! All the good things woulde to me before anyone else.This vault of gold will be mine soon" At this thought, Henry could not help butugh. Fiore did not leave the building right after she had walked out of Henry''s office. Instead, she went to Jared''s office. "Is Jared around?" Fiore asked the assistant at the door. "Mr.Jared is having a meeting at the conference room.You may wait for him in the office," the assistant said, and brought Fiore into the office. "What would you like to drink?" "Coffee." "Noted." In a few minutes, the assistant brought a cup of coffee in. Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org. Just as he was about to leave the room, Jared opened the door and waltzed in. "Mr.Jared Johnston, Miss Fisher is here," the assistant reported, and marched out of the room. Jared took a deep breath and walked in. "Fiore, to what do I owe this visit?" "Jared, I''m here to bring you some good news." Fiore beamed as she looked at Jared.He looked at Fiore, puzzled as to what she had meant. Then, he sat down and asked, "What good news do you have this time?" "The project I told you about, Henry has agreed to it today," Fiore replied as she was sat at the table across Jared. "He agreed to it? That''s good news indeed. Congrattions to you! " Jared smiled at her. Chapter 1115 Chapter 1115 "It''s not just good news for me.It''s good news for us." Fiore smiled at Jared. "Us?" The smile on Jared''s face began to fade, and he looked at her with his forehead creased. "What do you mean by that?" "This project will be managed by you and Castor," she replied. "Isn''t that good news for us? In addition, the both of us will be working on this project together in the future." Fiore was ted.She looked at Jared affectionately as if he was her boyfriend. "Was this Henry''s idea or yours?" Jared asked. Initially, Fiore wanted to tell him the truth, but she was worried that Jared would object, so she med it on Henry. "It was Henry''s idea of course.He must have thought that Castor couldn''t manage such a major project alone, so he assigned it to you as well.Anyways, I think this is a good arrangement.It would definitely be tiring for a single person to do everything on his own.With the both of you working together, neither of you would be exhausted." Jared had a strong urge to approach Henry at once and ask him to pass the position to someone else. But knowing that Henry was at the top of the chain ofmand, he would not be able to persuade Henry without a solid reason. Then, he stared at Fiore and his mind began to wander. "Jared, what are you thinking about?" Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org. Fiore noticed that Jared was lost in thought and attempted to snap him out of it. "Nothing.It''s just that this news is way too sudden.I don''t think I''m prepared for it yet," Jared said, knowing that he could not tell her what was on his mind, so he had toe up with something. "Oh, no preparations are needed.You can just treat it like you would any other project.There is no need to be nervous about it." Fiore said, thinking that he was anxious about the project, and attempted to comfort him. "When is the project starting?" Jared stared her in the eye, and asked. "Once the contract has been signed, we''ll get to work immediately.To create an opportunity for herself to get closer to Jared at work, Fiore had already dyed the n.She wanted to make up for all the lost time. "Is it that urgent?" Jared raised his eyebrows. "If it wasn''t Henry who kept stalling, we wouldn''t be in this much of a rush," Fiore said, angry at the mere mention of Henry. "How long is this project going tost?" Jared asked. "The estimated time would be about three years.It might bepleted earlier or they might be dys.It''s too early to set a time frame for it," Fiore replied, telling Jared the truth. "Three years?" Once Jared was informed of the duration, the urge to pull himself out of the project became stronger.It seemed to him that he needed to have a good conversation with Henry. "Yeah.After all, it''s a massive project.The focus is on future development and long-term profits, so it''ll take up quite some time," Fiore exined, feeling that Jared was not too excited about it. "Jared, do you have any worries about the project?" "Is it because of your existing projects?" Fiore continued, making a wild guess. "That is just part of the issue, but I have given it some thought," he replied. "I might not be able to manage so many projects all at once.I''m worried that there might be some problems in the future.Jared knew that Fiore would be the person in charge of this project.Thus, he attempted to make it clear to her that he was not the best person to manage it, hoping that she would remove him from it.However, he did not expect Fiore to not share such concerns. In fact, she began tofort him by saying, "Jared, for a person like you, I''d say that these worries are as baseless as can be.With your abilities, managing a few projects all at once will not be an issue.Even if you don''t have enough time and energy needed to take care of this project, Castor will be by your side, assisting you.I''m sure he won''t let you manage everything on your own." Jared was disappointed, for he had already made his intentions and position obvious, and yet Fiore had failed to understand what he had meant. "Thank you for your assurance." Jared issued a long sigh. "Jared, in light of this good news, should we head out and celebrate? I saw a new restaurant just around the corner. Would you like to grab some lunch together?" Fiore suggested. Chapter 1116 Chapter 1116 "I''m not hungry yet..." "It doesn''t matter," she interrupted. "It''s already afternoon, and we still have to eat.Lunch is on me." Fiore held her head up high and looked at Jared.She was waiting for him to get up and head out with her. Seeing Fiore''s insistence, Jared knew that he could not decline. Knowing this, he casually stood up and said, "Since you''re here in my turf, I''ll be buying us lunch instead." "You''re always so thoughtful.I''ll dly ept, then." Fiore smiled and walked out together with Jared. Back in the restaurant, a portion of Harvey and Nicole''s order had been served. "Sir, please enjoy your food.The rest of the order will be served shortly," the waiter exined in a soft tone. "Alright." "Let''s give it a try, Nicole." Harvey''s eyes lit up as he stared at the dishes. "The ting makes the dishes look really inviting." "Well, it''s pretty good," Nicoleplimented after she took a piece of yam and chewed it. "Yeah.Even these chunks of beef stewed in the broth.Every bite is so rich in vor." Harvey could not help but express one ttering remark after another about the dishes on the table. "Anyway, you still haven''t answered my question.When are you flying abroad?" Harvey mentioned again.He was eyeing her, eagerly awaiting her reply. Nicole looked at him. "Are you that interested ining along for the project of the manned flying car?" "Actually, I''m not interested in joining," he said. "I''m just curious about it." He could not be forting with the fact that he wanted toe along because of her. Owned by N?velDrama.Org. Otherwise, he would have lost his chance of going with her. "Curious? There is a time and ce for you to fill your curiosity, and this is not it.If that is your reason, I would suggest not going at all.There''s nothing there.Our days will be boring and uneventful, filled to the brim with discussions, experiments, and repetitions the entire process until we achieve a desirable result." Nicole exined to Harvey truthfully. After all, there was nothing attractive there for her as well, and if it were not for Jared, she would not have agreed to join the project. Nicole was furious at the thought of Jared.She scooped a piece of the food in front of her and took a big bite. "Don''t you think it''s cool for a group of people to work on a problem together? Everyone has different ideas and when it alles together, interesting things tend to ur.To me, it''s a ce filled with challenges and innovation.Even if I have no knowledge about these things, being able to witness these experiments will be a joy," Harvey said, trying really hard to make his exnation sound reasonable. "I''ve never seen you being this persistent over something." She looked at him with a deadpan expression on her face. "Because you''re so eager toe along, I''ll let you know once everything is confirmed.But I have one request." "What would that be?" Harvey stared back, his seriousness matching hers. "When we''re there, you may only follow me around.You can''t wander around or touch anything on your own.Wherever I go, you go.Whenever I leave, you leave too.You can''t stay there with the development team on your own and get in the way of their work." Nicoleid her demands out, unsmiling. "Not a problem!" he said. To Harvey, these demands are nothing but boons for him. After all, she was the only reason as to why he wished toe along. If he could stay by her side all the time, he would be screaming with joy. "Okay, but let me make this clear," she said. "If, and when you do go against our agreement, I''ll send you back at once, and you won''t be allowed to follow me around anymore." "I''ve always kept my word.I''ll fulfill whatever I''ve promised you, so don''t you worry." Harvey maintained a deadpan expression on his face as he assured Nicole. "Anyway, try this out." Harvey scooped a dish and served it to Nicole. Coincidentally, Jared was walking toward their general direction when he saw the gesture taking ce, and it was then that Fiore saw that Jared had stopped walking. She walked up to his side and asked, "Are we sitting here?" Chapter 1117 Chapter 1117 Jared did not answer Fiore''s question, as his eyes were still fixed on Nicole and Harvey. Fiore, who was confused, proceeded to trace Jared''s gaze, only to find Harvey serving Nicole some food. Seeing that, she smirked. Then, Fiore pretended to give him a look of surprise. "I think that''s Nicole and Harvey over there.Should we head over and say hi?" Once again, Jared did not offer her a forting response.He had the urge to rush forward and ask Nicole, but when he recalled Nicole''s cold attitude toward him, he gave up on the thought. Then, he turned toward Fiore, "Let''s just sit here?" "Alright." Fiore replied at once, not minding the seating position; her work was done as long as she managed to sow a sense of misunderstanding between the two of them. "Hello, what would you like to order?" The waiter stood politely beside them, at the table, and waited to take their order. Fiore held the menu up and nced around. Then, she turned to the waiter and asked, "It''s our first time here.Could you rmend a few dishes?" "Sure, the dishes on the first page of the menu are pretty good,"§Ú¦Ò¦Í???§Ó¦Ò¦Ò§Ü.¡é¦Ò§Þthe waiter suggested. "Alright, then I''ll have one of each," Fiore replied. "Jared, what would you like to eat?" Fiore turned to Jared after she had ordered a few of the dishes she would prefer, but it was then that she noticed that his gaze was still fixed on Nicole''s table. Fiore then waved her hand in front of Jared''s face. "Jared, what would you like to eat?" It was only then that Jared came back to his senses and looked at Fiore. "I''m fine with anything.You may go ahead and order up." "Okay." Fiore nodded, after which she turned toward the waiter. "We''ll just stick with those which I have just ordered." "Alright, I''ll bring some snacks over, so the both of you can have a much while you wait," the waiter said. "Sure," Fiore uttered, satisfied with the restaurant''s service. After the waiter had left, Fiore turned her attention toward Jared and attempted to initiate a conversation. "Jared, I ordered quite a few dishes today.I''m afraid I might empty your wallet." "It''s fine, as long as you''re happy," Jared replied to her absentmindedly. "Jared, you''ve been staring for quite some time now.Why not go over and say hi?" Fiore said in purpose, attempting to persuade him. Based on her understanding of Jared, the more she coerced him to do something, the more he would be unwilling to do it. ? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org. "No, it''s fine." Jared averted his gaze and centered it back at Fiore. "Have you made the order for the both of us?" Fiore chuckled. "I did.Are you really this forgetful? I''ve just asked your opinion regarding the order too." It seemed that Jared was so engrossed in the act of staring at Nicole that he had forgotten about all that had just happened. "Oh, is that so? Perhaps I didn''t notice," Jared exined, albeit awkwardly. "Jared, what do you like to do during your spare time?" Fiore asked, not wishing to spend all of her time talking about work- rted things with him, as she wanted to know him on a personal level too. "Whenever I''m free, I like to read, y sports, and travel..." he said, but the instant he spoke about traveling, he recalled that he made a promise to travel together with Nicole. However, one incident led to another, and that had caused a dy to their trips. Then, Jared turned toward Nicole and looked at them again. Chapter 1118 Chapter 1118 "I wasn''t expecting you to be so productive during your spare time." Fiore smiled and looked at Jared, attempting to seduce him from time to time. "How about you?" he asked. "What do you like to do when you''re not working?" "I like swimming.That sense of freedom it provides is amazing.On top of that, I can cut down on some weight.It''s good for my health, " Fiore said, after which she looked at Jared with a grin on her face. The server approached them with a tray in hand. "Hello, these are the dishes you''ve ordered." "Their food seems authentic, and the aesthetics look pretty good," Fiore said, as her eyes were drawn to each dish. The waiter proceeded to leave after serving them their meal. "Jared, give this a try." Fiore scooped from one of the dishes and ced a chunk on Jared''s te. "Thank you." Jared took a bite. ''It is pretty good, I must say.Fiore proceeded to dig in, whereupon she engaged Jared in a merry conversation, and from time to time, she would let out a loudugh.Her motive was to get Nicole to notice them. "Jared?" Nicole suddenly blurted. ? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org. Harvey heard her remark, and turned around to see what was going on.His eyes widened at that instant. "It really is Jared.How is it that he is here as well? And who is thatdy with him?" Nicole was asking herself the same question as well. ''Why does her figure look so familiar?" It was at this moment that Fiore turned to her nk and waved at the waiter. Nicole instantly recalled, "Fiore Fisher? Why are they together again?" Harvey noticed that Nicole''s expression had soured, and so, he asked, "What do you mean by ¡®together again¡¯? Do you always bump into them spending time together?" Nicole red at Harvey, and in a harsh tone of voice, replied, "I bumped into them a few days ago.They were ying golf together.Harvey nodded and replied, "Perhaps they''re just talking about work." Harvey came to realize that he was defending Jared after he had blurted those words, and thus, he quickly added, "Or who knows, they might just be chatting?" Nicole rolled her eyes at Harvey, "Aren''t these one and the same?" "No, there''s a world of difference," he continued exining as though he was an expert in the science of social interactions. "Talking about work is, you know, merely about work, but when ites to having a chat, the topic could be anything.They can be engaging in small talk, or they can be partaking in deep, meaningful conversations about their personal lives." "What kind of expression is that?" Nicole sneered at Harvey. "Spoken as though you are some kind of expert." "I won''t say I''m an expert, but I''ve seen a lot.I must say, I do know a thing or two about instances like these." Harvey looked at Nicole confidently. "Then what do you think they are talking about?"§Ú¦Ò¦Í???§Ó¦Ò¦Ò§Ü.¡é¦Ò§ÞNicole asked out of slight curiosity. Harvey turned around and scrutinized Jared''s expression. Then, a smirk appeared on Harvey''s face. "What are you smiling at?" Nicole looked at him, puzzled. "Oh well, Jared is also a man after all." Harveyughed. Chapter 1119 Chapter 1119 "Would you be so kind as to further your exnation?" Nicole asked, unhappy at the sight of Harvey laughing all by himself. "Things like these can only be understood through experience, not words," Harvey said with his brows raised. "I see that you are disying a lot of interest in whatever they could be talking about.Why don''t you head over and say hi?" "I''m not going to do that.You do so if you want." Nicole rolled her eyes and continued eating. "You''re not even going to greet them, so why should I?" Harvey nced at her. Then, he continued eating as if nothing had happened. However, he was leaping with utmost joy deep within. Nicole took a few bites and realized that she could no longer stifle her curiosity.She looked up and gazed off at Jared''s general direction again. Coincidentally, her eyes met Jared''s. Seeing this, she whirled around and averted her gaze at once. But to Jared, Nicole''s actions made it seem as though she was hiding something from him. At this point, the air around Jared was bing so stifling that even Fiore, who was preupied with her food, could feel it. As soon as she looked up, she was almost shocked by the expression on his face. "Jared, are you okay?" Fiore looked at him, concerned. Hearing Fiore''s voice, Jared quickly collected himself.He had lost all appetite at this juncture.Then, he looked at Fiore, maintaining his decorum as he said, " Fiore, I have matters I must attend to.I need to excuse myself. The meal is on me, so you may enjoy the food on your own time." "Jared, what is the matter?" she asked. "Why are you in such a hurry? You didn''t really eat much.Why not take a few more bites before you leave?" In truth, Fiore wanted to make Jared stay for a while longer because she was not sure if Nicole had noticed them. "No, I''m good.Bye." Jared took onest nce at Nicole and left at once. "Jared, I''ming with you." Fiore rushed after him, wishing to leverage this opportunity. Nicole noticed themotion at Jared''s table, but as soon as she nced over her shoulder to catch a glimpse of it, Jared had already walked out with Fiore following right behind. After having witnessed that, Nicole''s appetite vanished.§Ú¦Ò¦Í???§Ó¦Ò¦Ò§Ü.¡é¦Ò§ÞShe ced her fork down and slumped back against her chair.Harvey was able to register her feelings at once, during which he grabbed his juice and drank a little.Then, he looked at Nicole. "It''s fine.If you''re unhappy, just let it all out.I''ll pretend as if I didn''t hear anything." Nicole shot him a nce and maintained her silence.She did not need a listening ear.In fact, she could manage the pain, and recover on her own. "Are you done eating?" Nicole asked after a long pause. "We still have a lot of time." Harvey looked at her with his forehead creased. "Are you done yet?" "Yeah, you can take your time." Nicole said that and stood up. "I''ll get the bill." ? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org. But as she was about to turn around and grab her belongings, Harvey stopped her. "What do you mean? Are you leaving already?" "Yeah." Harvey dropped his fork and looked at Nicole, Where are you going?" "Home," she replied. "Where else would I go to?" "I''ming along." Harvey stood up, ready to leave with her as he did not wish to eat anymore. "It''s fine.It wouldn''t be convenient for us.You should finish up the food, or else it''d be a waste." Nicole smiled and left the restaurant. Harvey stared at Nicole as she walked out. As she had not eaten her share, Harvey understood that anyone would be unhappy if they were to see their other half having a meal with someone of the opposite gender. This applied to Nicole as well. However, the more distant they were, the better it would be for Harvey, and hence a higher chance for him to make Nicole his. With that in mind, Harvey sat down and continued eating, rxed in light of that which had transpired. On her way back to the Sea View Vi, Nicole could not stop thinking about the scene where Jared and Fiore were having augh together. ''How could he be this happy around her? And the worst part is, he saw me but never bothered to say hi?" Concurrently, Jared was also furious as he sat in the car. ¡®When she went out with Carl the other day, she almost got into trouble.Why is she hanging out with that b*stard, Harvey, again today? Has she lost all of her feelings for me already?" Chapter 1120 Chapter 1120 With the thought lingering in his head, Jared, who was heading home, quickly turned around and drove back to the restaurant. Just as he reached the junction, he came across Nicole''s car, which he could recognize through the windshield, and decided to follow her. As Nicole''s mind was racing with all that had urred at the restaurant, she became a little too distracted while driving. When she had reached the junction, she did not pay attention to the stoplight, and continued driving forward. At that exact moment, a truck came careening over from her nk, and before she knew it, the truck had mmed into her. Jared, who was tailing her from behind, became as pale as sheet upon witnessing that scene.He pulled over at once and dashed over to Nicole. As soon as he had approached the driver''s side of the car, he wrenched the door open and yelled, "Nicole, are you okay?!" Nicole, whose hands were on her forehead, looked up and saw him, "Jared? Why are you all over the ce?" Upon uttering thest word, she passed out. Jared immediately carried her into his car.? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org. Then, he floored the elerator and rushed to the hospital. "Please wake up, Nicole.Just hold on for a while longer! We''ll be reaching the hospital soon," Jared said while keeping an eye on her condition, after which he took his phone out. "Martin, Nicole got into an ident.I''m rushing her to the hospital now.I need you toe over right away!" "An ident!? That''s it! I aming over!" Martin left all he was doing and rushed to the hospital. Jared''s car halted, whereupon Martin ran over and lifted Nicole onto an emergency stretcher. As he was pushing her into the emergency unit, he asked Jared, "Where was she struck? Was it a serious ident?" "It was not a very serious one, but she got hit in the head," Jared said, attempting to describe the whole situation to Martin. "Excuse me." Martin pushed Nicole to the emergency ward and began to examine her. After a few tests, Martin became more rxed, and turned to look at Jared, "Don''t you worry.She only lost consciousness.There are no injuries on the other parts of her body save for some bruises on her head."Upon hearing Martin''s diagnosis, Jared breathed a sigh of relief, "That''s great.You should go ahead and treat her." Martin proceeded to treat the bruises on her forehead with utmost meticulousness. While he was doing so, Nicole woke up, surprised to see him. "Martin? Where am I?" "You''re at the hospital." Martin held her down so that she would stay still. "Don''t get up.You got injured in a car ident, and I''m treating your wound now." "Max, I need you to head over to and take care of Nicole''s ident, " Jared ordered with his phone held up to his ear. "Is she hurt?" Max hurriedly asked. "Just some bruises," Jared replied. "She''s fine." "Alright.I''ll deal with it now," Max finished. Jared hung up and strode into the emergency room. By now, Martin was done treating Nicole''s wound while she was already sitting up. "How are you feeling now?" Jared quickly walked over and asked.Wide eyed, Nicole turned, and stared at him, "How are you here as well?" "He was the one who sent you here," Martin exined. Nicole fixed her eyes on Jared. As it turned out, the Jared she had seen in the crash site was not the one in her dreams, §Ú¦Ò¦Í???§Ó¦Ò¦Ò§Ü. ¡é¦Ò§Þbut once she recalled him having gone on a lunch date with Fiore, a strange feeling came over her. "Weren''t you having lunch with Fiore? Why were you there when the ident happened?" Nicole looked at him with a brow raised. "I well, that''s not important.How are you feeling now? Do you feel any sort of pain?" Jared dodged the question and asked. "That''s none of your concern." Nicole was still furious, and Jared''s attempt at evading the question only made her more so. "You should go," she said, not wanting to see him at this moment. "What happened to the both of you?" Martin asked, sensing that something was wrong with the both of them, and that they seemed to have had an argument. Seeing that Nicole was upset at him, Jared decided that he should not insist on lingering, and proceeded to leave her under the care of Martin, who he trusted. "Nothing.Just do me a favor and send her hometer on.I''ll get going as I have matters to attend to." "Hey Jared!" Martin shouted, but Jared continued walking away. Chapter 1121 Chapter 1121 ¡°Nicole, you''re still in pain.Why did yoush out at Jared? What happened to the both of you?" Martin stared at Nicole, confused and curious. "Nothing happened.Can I just go home now?" Nicole asked Martin. "Yeah sure, but you can''t go home on your own." Martin helped her up and walked out. "I''ll take you." "Thank you." Nicole looked at him and nodded. "There really isn''t a need for formalities." Martin shook his head. "I really don''t understand the both of you." Then, he helped Nicole into his car and drove her home. "Give me the address of your house," Martin asked Nicole the moment he got into the car. "You''ve been to my house before, haven''t you?" she asked as a hint of doubt shed across her eyes. "In your current state, do you think I should send you back to Mrs.Wace Sr"s house? Are you sure she won''t get mad when she sees you the way you are?" Martin eyed Nicole, not knowing what to say to her anymore. Nicole sighed.She really did get hit on her head, or else she would not have asked him to send her to her grandmother''s residence. But after some thought, she realized that she had no other ce to go home to, barring Jared''s. But then again, she did not want to be in Jared''s presence in her current state, so she said, ''''Send me to the hotel." "Hotel? Do you not have anywhere else to go to?" Martin frowned and asked Nicole. "Nope." "Alright." Martin drove her to the hotel, disappointed. "Do you really want to stay here?" Martin surveyed the lobby once they had arrived. "Thank you again for sending me." Nicole opened the car door and was about to get off when she spun around and red at Martin, having remembered something. "Please keep this as a secret.Even if Jared asks you where I''m staying, please do not tell him," she said. "Is that even necessary?" Martin looked at Nicole with his brow raised. "It very much is, so please, help me out." Nicole clenched her fists and begged him.§Ú¦Ò¦Í???§Ó¦Ò¦Ò§Ü.¡é¦Ò§ÞThen, she mmed the door shut and made her way into the hotel. As Martin watched her disappearing into the lobby, he could not help but shake his head, before muttering, "Women really do confuse me." The hotel which Nicole had entered was also the one that Carl was staying at. After she had checked in, one of the staff members brought her to a room directly across Carl''s. "Miss, this is your room." "Alright, thanks." Nicole said, waiting for the staff to leave, after which she knocked on Carl''s door. Carl was working out in the room when he heard a knock and walked up to the door to see who was standing outside.He wasn''t expecting it to be Nicole, and so, he quickly answered the door. "Nicole, what are you doing here?" Carl greeted her happily, but the sight of the bandage on Nicole''s head shocked him. "What happened to your head?" he asked. "It''s nothing.I got myself into a minor ident and bruised my head." Owned by N?velDrama.Org. Nicole walked into the room without any care in the world. Seeing that Nicole was in good spirits, Carl was not as worried. "What would you like to drink?" "Water," she replied, prompting Carl to get her a ss. "Are you working out?" Nicole caught sight of Carl''s abs as she took the ss of water from him. "Yeah, I''ve got nothing much to do, so I''ve decided to work out for a bit." Carl quickly put a shirt on. "That''s good." "Anyway, what have you been up to these days?" "There were some issues at my brother''spany.I was having a discussion about the solutions that we can implement with a friend of mine today,"Nicole lied, in spite of the fact that she had never done that to him, especially in regards to her personal life. Chapter 1122 Chapter 1122 "How severe are the issues?" he asked, genuinely concerned. "Do you need my help?" "No, we''ve found a solution already," Nicole replied. "Oh yes, I''ve been meaning to tell you this.The Beacons which I''ve ordered will be produced in the next few days.We can head over to the factory and pick the shipment up together." "Sure, no problem.And where should I send them to?" Carl asked. "You can pass them to Zane," Nicole replied. "He''ll know what to do." "Alright." "That''s all I came here to tell you about.I''ll," Nicole said, having done what she came here to do, and proceeded to leave. Carl took his coat while saying, "Judging by the state you''re in, I think I should just send you home." "It''s fine.I''m staying in the room across yours,"§Ú¦Ò¦Í???§Ó¦Ò¦Ò§Ü.¡é¦Ò§Þshe said, after which she noticed that he was frozen as he stared at her, baffled. "Across mine?" Carl could not believe what he had just heard. "Do you really want to stay here in this hotel?" "Yeah, you won''t have to send me home.Bye now." Nicole walked out of his room and into hers. Lying on her bed, Nicole''s mind was racing as she pondered on the way Jared had acted back in the hospital. ''When did he be sopliant? He left just because I asked him to?! Back in the headquarters, Jared had just reached, and Max was already approaching him. "Has everything been settled?" Jared queried, his face deadpan. "Yes,"Max replied. "Sir, after having conducted an investigation for the past few days, I''ve found the man with a pentagram tattoo on his hand." Upon hearing this news, Jared''s heart skipped a beat. "Where is he? it "He''s currently in town." "Don''t rm him.Just be discreet and take note of the people he meets." Jared said, before drifting off into his thoughts again. This man must be an agent.I''m sure that through him, I''ll be able to trace the man who is in charge...the one with the Leonardo shoes. "Understood," Max said. "Have you gotten any news about Conrad?" Jared asked. "There''s none so far," Max replied. "Our people are still searching for him." "Alright.Make sure you keep an eye on this tattooed guy.We might be able to find a few more leads through him," Jared said, unsmiling. "Understood.I''ll pass your orders on at once," ? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org. Max finished, and walked out. Jared sat in the office and was thinking quietly. ''After all this time, I''ve finally managed to gain some leads from all the investigations.The person who hurt grandpa? I''ll make sure he pays for what he did once I get my hands on him!'' "Sir, I''ve already made the arrangements," the tattooed man reported while standing before Henry. "You weren''t being followed when you came here, right?" Henry stared at him. "No." "Good job," Henry said. "You may take a few days off.After you''re done, I need you back in that hideout so that you can keep an eye on Conrad.I''m worried that without you around, Jared''s men might find him and take him away." At this point, Conrad and the family were Henry''s biggest worry. If Jared managed to find them, Henry would be in hot soup. "Sir, why not just dispose of Conrad? Once he is gone, everything will be settled." The tattooed guy eyed Henry with a piercing look. "What the hell do you know?" Henry asked. "We might have kidnapped them, but we can''t just start with this whole business of murdering them.These are two different things!" Henry''s initial motive was to be the chairperson.He did not wish to kill anyone, or else, everything that he had done up to this point would go to waste. Chapter 1123 Chapter 1123 "Right," Henry said. "Well, the old man seems to be recovering well, so do you have any more bright ideas so as to leave him in a vegetative state? If you don''t, I''m afraid that the both of us will be in hot water." Henry Johnston had not been at ease since he discovered that his father, Maximillian Johnston, had been making a speedy recovery. This would only mean that he would be forced vacate his position as the chairman of the Johnston Group. At this juncture, the only option he had would be to deal with the old man as soon as possible "They have beefed up the security in the hospital," the man said. " It''s impossible to act against the old man." "Still, we must make the impossible possible as soon as we can! This is our only chance to act.I''ll be having nightmares if we don''t act any sooner!" Henry nced at the tattooed guy. "Yes, sir," the tattooed man affirmed. After the both of them were done with the conversation, Henry ced his hat on and left the private room at the hotel. After waiting for several minutes, the tattooed guy carefully examined his surroundings and strode out. With his head bowed, he walked on and left after he was certain that nobody was on his tail. As careful as he was, he did not know that he had been photographed by the security detail who was guarding Jared Johnston in the distance. Jared was working when his phone burred.§Ú¦Ò¦Í???§Ó¦Ò¦Ò§Ü.¡é¦Ò§ÞUpon picking it up to check his messages, he saw photos of a tattooed man and an unidentified person. "Max, get someone to tail these two individuals, and see where they''re going," Jared ordered. "Yes, sir," Max replied. Once evening had arrived, Jared returned to the vi. Having not seen Nicole for a while now, he took his phone out and proceeded to make a call. "Tia, has Nicole returned to the mansion?" "Miss Riddle?" Tia answered. "No, she didn''t tell me that she wasing back today.Why? What''s the matter? Did Miss Riddle head over to your ce?" Tia said, confused upon hearing the questionsing from Jared. "During the day, she mentioned that she wanted to visit Mrs.Wace Sr., so I thought she''d returned home after that.Well, she''s not back yet, but she could be on her way.It''s alright, I''ll contact her." Jared hung up, confused. ¡®If she''s not at her grandmother''s ce, could she have returned to the Riddle family home?'' Jared thought. He was in a tizzy as heid on the sofa.He could not directly call the Riddles, nor did he wish to contact Nicole. "Martin, do you know where Nicole went after you''ve treated her wound?" he asked on the phone. Martin hesitated for a long time. Nicole had ordered him not to tell Jared, but at this juncture, he was in a dilemma, as he was worried about Nicole as well. "I..." N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights. Upon registering Martin''s hesitation over the phone, Jared pointed out, "Nicole told you not to tell me, didn''t she?" "Yeah." "No worries," Jared said. ¡°Let''s do it this way.I''ll ask the questions and you answer yes or no." "Okay." Martin did not like the feeling of being in the crossfire between the two of them at all, as he felt as though he was betraying both of their trusts. "Has Nicole returned to the Riddle residence?" Jared asked Martin. "No." ¡®If she didn''t go back to the Riddle residence and she didn''t go back to her grandma''s residence either, then where is she?" he thought. '' Does she have other ces to go to?" "Mr.Johnston, Nicole should be safe now.You don''t have to worry.As she doesn''t want you to know where she is, I think we should respect her decision.Let her calm down for a few days, and perhaps she''ll take the initiative to contact you then," Martin said, looking at the situation from the perspective of a bystander and objectively reminding Jared. "Yeah, okay." Jared concurred, hoping that Nicole was indeed safe and sound. Jared had not received any calls from Nicole for several days.He was getting anxious. ¡®where is she hiding? Did she go over to Harvey Ellison''s ce?'' Jared could not stop overthinking about all the possibilities, so he stood up, put on his coat, and walked outside. "Nicole, the goods that you''ve ordered are all here.Please take a look at them." Martin pointed to The Beacons that were neatly ced behind him. Chapter 1124 Chapter 1124 Nicole walked over and checked the shipment. "It''s good," she said. "Thank you for your hard work." "It''s nothing.When can you pick them up?" Martin asked, looking at Nicole. "We can get them today." Nicole nced at Carl. "Okay.I''ll arrange for the workers to load them in the truck right away," Martin said, and went over to instruct Charles. "Let''s head upstairs for a little chat while we wait." Martin extended his palm in a gesture of invitation. At that exact moment, a luxury car pulled up at the factory, with everyone looking at it. A tall figure got out of the car, revealing Jared, who proceeded to nce at everyone as he approached them. Upon seeing that it was Jared, Nicole nced at Martin, who quickly exined, "I didn''t tell him." "I was not expecting you to be here," Jared told Nicole with a look of surprise on his face. "Yeah, I didn''t expect you to be here either." Nicole looked at Jared with a nk stare. "Mr.Johnston, are you here to inspect our work?" As soon as he had gotten Nicole to believe that he was not here for her, he had to clear the suspicions in front of Nicole. Jared proceeded to nce at Martin, understanding what he had meant. Then, he looked at Nicole with a slight twitch at the corner of his mouth. "Yes, I am here to inspect the work.What are you all doing here?" "We came here to pick our goods up.If Mr.Johnston has nothing else to ask, we will be on our way," Nicole responded, giving Carl a wink. As the two walked over to the workers in charge of loading the cargo, Jared noticed that Nicole was still angry.His face became downcast as soon as he saw this. "Martin, what are these?" Jared looked at Martin and asked. "Oh, Nicole ordered a batch of goods from us, and now that the production isplete, we are delivering it," Martin exined. "Nicole ordered an entire batch of Beacons?" "Yes.¡± Jared walked to where Nicole was loading the goods. "Nicole, why haven''t I heard of you mentioning this before?" "Mr.Johnston, you have a lot of things to manage on a daily basis. I don''t think you should be concerned about trivial matters like these,"§Ú¦Ò¦Í???§Ó¦Ò¦Ò§Ü.¡é¦Ò§ÞNicole said, deliberately ignoring his anger. Jared took Nicole''s hand and pulled her to the side. "Why are you pulling me? Let me go!" Nicole broke free from his grasp. "Where were you staying yesterday?" Jared could not help but ask. "Do I have to report to you where I live too?" Nicole red at him. "You know that''s not what I meant." Jared said, with the second half of the sentence remaining unsaid. "How long are you going to be staying elsewhere?" "If you''re just here to ask me about this, I''ve got nothing to say to you. There is much work to be done," Nicole said, after which she left and walked over to Carl. "How long will it take for us to load the truck up?" Nicole asked Carl. "A few hours." Carl nced at Jared. ¡°Do you have anything you want to do?" "No, I''m just keeping track of the time." "Don''t worry, we should be able to send it all out before noon." "Alright." "Go upstairs and wait.I''ll watch them here." Carl looked at Nicole, not wanting her to stay there with the awkwardness of having Jared around. "Well then, thank you for all the hard work," Nicole joked and made her way upstairs. Jared stood there and watched as Nicole went up.He felt that if he were to follow her, she would be even more furious at him, and so, he turned around and left. Martin, who was watching him leave, then went upstairs and saw Nicole, who sitting on one of the chairs in his office, scrolling through her phone. Martin coughed. ? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org. "Nicole, what happened between you and Mr.Johnston?" Then, he proceeded to eye her with a look of puzzlement on his face. Chapter 1125 Chapter 1125 "Is Jared Johnston still downstairs?" Nicole asked while looking at Martin with inquiring eyes. "He had left when I came up." "I thought he would follow us up too...," Nicole murmured. "What did you say?" Martin asked, not having caught up with what Nicole had said. "I said, our affairs can''t be exined in a sentence or two.So, you should just drop it." Nicole did not even look at him and was still scrolling on her phone. Noting that Nicole did not want to talk to him, Martin did not press further. After all, this was an issue between the two of them, and thus, it was better for outsiders to stay out of it. "Nicole, I heard that Mr.Johnston invited you to participate in histest project.What is that project about?" Martin asked with his head tilted. "You heard that too?" Nicole looked up from her phone and nced at Martin. "Yes.Rumors has it that it seems to be a very big project, so much so that various international companies have already begun investing in it." "You seem to know a lot, and you also know that certain things can''t be spoken about in a casual way, but since you are a good friend of mine, and I can tell you about the general stuff." "I understand." "It is said to be a project that is very helpful to the traffic at present," Martin said, looking at her. "That''s all I can reveal.Well, I guess I am socially responsible now." Nicoleughed. "It seems so." Then, they both looked at each other and smiled. After the goods had all been loaded into the truck, Carl went upstairs to look for Nicole. Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org. "The goods are all loaded and set to go." "Okay, let''s go." Nicole put her phone away and stood up. "Martin, we''re leaving now." "Okay, have a safe trip." Martin got up and sent them off. Nicole and Kyle proceeded to drive to the cargo ne with their truckload of goods. "Carl, I won''t be going back with you.There are a few other things I must attend to here.Be careful on the way back,"§Ú¦Ò¦Í???§Ó¦Ò¦Ò§Ü.¡é¦Ò§ÞMartin instructed Carl. "Well, I''ll send you a message after wend, then I''ll leave." Carl bade him goodbye and walked toward the ne. "Tell me what you need." "Okay, let''s go back," Carl waved to Nicole and then the area disappeared little by little from Nicole''s sight. "Mr.Johnston, we tailed the tattooed man and found Conrad Calhoun''s hideout.What should we do now?" us Junkerman''s voice issued through the phone. "Are you sure you''ll be able to bring back the tattooed man in together?" Jared asked. "The other party seems to be heavily guarded with a substantial number of henchmen, and we may not be able to fight them all," us replied, analyzing the situation. "Then let''s just not risk it.Just bring Conrad Calhoun and his family in.We''ll look for opportunities to capture that tattooed goon in the foreseeable future," Jared instructed over the phone. "Yes, sir." us Junkerman had led people to surround and raid Conrad Calhoun''s hideout.He waited for the tattooed man to leave before he started the siege. After a few days of patient waiting, the tattooed man had finally gotten into his car and left after a conversation. Following the tattooed man''s departure, us and his men loaded Conrad Calhoun and his family into the truck and was prepared to transfer him to another location. us saw the opportunity and signaled for them to make their moves.His men then surrounded him from both sides, and soon, the guards were eliminated. Conrad Calhoun was in the truck when he heard the fighting outside and was about to walk out to check, and that was when he coincidentally got himself into the arms of us Junkerman. "Where do you think you''re going?" us asked him, his voice low and icy. "I just wanted to see what was going on," Conrad was scared and sat back down at once, unsure of what this group of people were doing. Chapter 1126 Chapter 1126 us went on to order his men to deal with the guards, after which he drove Conrad Calhoun to the city. "Mr.Johnston, Conrad has been found.We are on our way back," us reported back to Jared over the phone. "Arrange them a ce across from where the doctor is," Jared said. "That way it''ll be easier to take care of them." "Yes, sir." Jared did not wish to show up in person this time round, because Conrad would recognize him.If he were perform the interrogation himself, Conrad would most likely resist. At this point, he would have to leave it to someone that Conrad was not familiar with. "us, I need all hands on deck to guard all the routes entering the city,"§Ú¦Ò¦Í???§Ó¦Ò¦Ò§Ü.¡é¦Ò§ÞJared instructed, having waited for several days to capture the goon. "If youe across a man with a pentagram tattoo, round him up at once.We might be close to close the case soon enough." As this was happening, the tattooed man was making a call to Henry Johnston. "Mr.Johnston, the person has been transferred.You can rest easy, knowing this." "Okay,e back right away, and let''s deal with the old man," Henry said. "Yes, I''m on my way back now," the tattooed man replied. "I''ll be here in the evening." "Alright, keep an eye out and see if there is anyone following you," Henry warned. "Very well." The tattooed guy hung up and looked outside, where he saw nothing unusual. "Hurry up and try to return to the city at night.I don''t want to stay overnight in the wilderness." "Okay." Meanwhile, Kelly, who was looking at Nicole, asked, "Miss Riddle, where are we going?" "I''ll send you home first," Nicole replied. "Don''t worry about me," Kelly smiled. "If there''s nothing else going on, I can always take the cab home myself.You can drop me off here." How can I ever let Nicole send me home?¡¯ Kelly thought. "It''s fine." Nicole shot her a nce. "I can send you home.We''re heading in the same direction anyway." "Okay, why don''t you let me know the list of things you need me to prepareter?" Kelly asked. "List? I think you''ve misunderstood.It''s not a list for me, but a list for you.There are supplies and equipment that you''d need to prepare for yourself." Nicole stated, amused by what Kelly had just said. "Oh, I misunderstood," Kelly fumbled. "How many days are we going to be there again?" "Tentatively, a week." "Alright." "This is where my home is.Would you like toe in and have a seat, Miss Riddle?" Kelly invited. "No, I''ll pass, but I''ll be sure toe in next time," Nicole declined. "Bye now." Nicole floored her pedal after Kelly had left, and made her way to the Sea View Vi.She had not returned for several days now, and she missed her grandmother very much. This belongs to N?velDrama.Org. "I''m back!" Nicole walked into the vi and called out. At that instant, Tia Rose ran out upon hearing that voice and gave Nicole a big hug. "I''ve missed you so much, Nicole.Where have you been these days?" "I came back, didn''t 1? Where''s grandma?" Nicole looked around, with Mrs.Wace Sr.nowhere to be seen "Grandma and our brother-inw are having a chat on the rooftop.He really has a lot of patience,"§Ú¦Ò¦Í???§Ó¦Ò¦Ò§Ü.¡é¦Ò§ÞTia praised. "What has he done for you? You seem to be fan-girling him." Nicole eyed Tia with a look of suspicion. "No, I Am not.All I am saying is, he is a kind and loving person." Tia said, looking very smitten. "You little sleaze! Have you been fooled by his looks? This is the first time I''ve heard someone praising him for being loving." Nicole eximed, feeling that Tia was utterly helpless in his presence. "I''m not a sleaze! He is handsome, because if he is not, how could he be worthy of our little sister, Nicole?" Tia asked, clearly captivated by her brother-inw. "I didn''t even know that you''d be so adept in the art of ttery," Nicole teased her with a smile. "Miss Riddle, you are so annoying!" Tia defended. "I guess what they said about you is true, huh? Anyway, I''m not going to argue with you.I''ll lose either way.You better head up to see him and grandma." Tia then pushed Nicole up the stairs. Chapter 1127 Chapter 1127 "Ah crap..." Nicole muttered as Tia pushed her to the rooftop. When Jared Johnston heard the voice and looked over, he locked eyes with Nicole. Sparks flew the instant their eyes met. Nicole quickly averted her gaze and directed it at her grandmother. "Grandma, I''m back." Nicole walked up to Mrs.Wace Sr.with a smile and sat down. "Tia has returned," Mrs.Wace Sr.said. "I was just asking Jared here about you, saying that you haven''t seen anyone for several days now." "I''ve been busy with work these days, so I didn''te back," Nicole exined with a smile. "Oh, but then, you must pay attention to your health.You could be earning a lot, but what good would that do to you if you fall ill?"§Ú¦Ò¦Í???§Ó¦Ò¦Ò§Ü.¡é¦Ò§ÞMrs.Wace Sr.advised. ? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org. "Yes, what grandma said was right," Nicole concurred. "Anyway, I''ll be going abroad on a business trip in a few days.I''ll be sure toe back and visit you after that." "You have to be off again?" her grandmother enquired. "And to such a ce that is so far from home?" "Yeah, there is something over there that requires my attention.I''ve been urged by the ones working on the project for a while now." Nicole looked at Mrs.Wace Sr.and exined. "You''re going abroad?" Jared asked with his brows raised. ¡®Why was I not aware of this at all?'' he thought. "Well." Nicole nced at him. "When are you leaving?" he asked. "What can you even do?" she asked back. "I''ll send you off," Jared replied. "There is no need for that, because someone else will do so," Nicole stated. When Jared heard that, he grimaced, and he shot her a bold guess, "Is it Harvey Ellison?" Nicole looked at Jared in surprise, "What makes you think that it''s him?" "You..." Jared stopped, wanting to point out that she had been living with Harvey Ellison these days, but with Mrs.Wace Sr.beside him, he swallowed the rest of the sentence. "Aren''t you two always together these days?" Jared looked into Nicole''s eyes. Nicole sneered and rolled her eyes at Jared. ''''What did you even see, that you''ve arrived to this conclusion?" "Now, that''s funny." He looked at Mrs.Wace Sr.and hesitated for a moment before proceeding. "Weren''t you having lunch with him the other day and well, as ofte too?" "I wasn''t expecting you to have one hell of an imagination.You can really connect the dots when there is none, can''t you? How amazing." Nicole said while giving him a scoff. "I am not even going to rise to that," he responded. "Grandma, would you like to go downstairs and eat some fruits?" Nicole asked after looking away from Jared. "Sure." Mrs.Wace Sr.uttered, after which Nicole helped her up.Jared stared at Nicole''s back as she left. Confused and upset, his face took on a sour expression. "What was that all about?'' he thought. In order to make himself clear, Jared got up and joined them in the living room, and when the three of them had been seated on the couch, Jared''s kept his eyes fixed on Nicole, an act which made her feel ufortable. "Don''t you have to work to do?" Nicole asked, implying that he should get back to work. "It is a Sunday." Jared looked at Nicole, rendering her speechless. "Then you can just take a seat and chill out." Nicole gave him a sideway nce, and proceeded to turn her gaze on the television. "Grandma, what kind of shows do you like to watch?" Nicole turned to talk to Mrs.Wace Sr., ignoring Jared.It was then that Tia came over with a tter of fruits in hand. "Hey Jared, have some fruits." "Okay," he replied. Chapter 1128 Chapter 1128 "So, you have been staying over at the Riddle''s residence these days?" Jared looked at Nicole, still feeling scathed by her questions and responses earlier. Instead of giving him a forting reply, Nicole rolled her eyes at him without saying a word. Entering the intersection of the city, an off-road vehicle gradually drove near, "Mr.Graham, the target has been spotted." "Find a window of opportunity and stop that car! Do not let anyone off the hook without my orders!"" Max ordered. "Yes, sir," the other man ordered. The tattooed man and his partner continued driving for a while, before thetter noticed that there was a car following him from his hind. "Sir, someone appears to be tailing us," his partner said. ? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org. The tattooed guy nced back at once, ''''So it''s true.We need to lose them!" He stepped on the elerator, propelling his car forward in breakneck speed, and made his way to the fork at the end of the route. "Crap, we have been found." "Hurry up and pursue them!" Jared''s man yelled. "Contact the others and request backup!" A chase then ensued between the two cars, resulting in both speeding and overtaking one another. "They''re too close on our six!" the goon''s partner said. "We won''t be able to outrun them!" "I believe that their cars will not be able to catch up on rocky terrain,"§Ú¦Ò¦Í???§Ó¦Ò¦Ò§Ü.¡é¦Ò§Þthe tattooed guy said while ncing back at the car behind him with a leer. "They are heading for the mountainous route!" Jared''s man reported. "Regardless of which route they take, we can''t let them get away!" Max bellowed. ''''Car Number One, the target has entered the mountains in the suburbs of the city.Hurry up and stop him in his tracks!" "Yes, sir," the driver of Car Number One said. Now in the mountainous route, the off-road vehicle careened forward with a sedan following in hot pursuit, its driver disregarding the dangers and damages that such a terrain could cause just to capture Henry''s henchman. "These people are really persistent," one of Henry''s men said. "I can''t believe that they woulde after us like this in sedans!" "Step on it and shake them off at the intersection ahead!" the pentagram tattooed guy ordered. "Got it," his partner said. "We are spreading ourselves too thin!" one of Jared''s men said. "We can''t see them anymore." "Stop!"§Ú¦Ò¦Í???§Ó¦Ò¦Ò§Ü.¡é¦Ò§Þthe leading vehicle ordered, halting to survey the intersection. ''''They should be headed this way.Move out!" Then, the lead vehicle sped off toward where Henry''s men had vanished into. After covering several miles in distance with nobody on his tail, the man with the pentagram tattoo breathed a sigh of relief. "We''ve lost them.Let''s get back to the city." "We''ve lost them.You, I need you to return to the end of the fork and prepare for an ambush at once!" The leader in the car instructed Car Number One. Car Number One spun around, and its upants proceeded to set their traps, waiting for their target to re-enter the route. After ten minutes, they heard the roaring of an engine in the distance, whereupon they scattered as they allowed the steel wire that they had set up at the intersection to do its bit. The off-road vehicle drove straight ahead, not noticing that a trap had been set. Due to the speed at which they were traveling, the vehicle flipped over, injuring everyone who was in it. At this point, they could not help but be stunned by the sudden turn of tables. Jared''s men quickly surrounded them and restrained them one by one, as the man with the pentagram tattoo and his associates kicked and wriggled. He could not believe the fact that he had been caught. Chapter 1129 Chapter 1129 Jared Johnston was still in the living room, out of sight and out of mind, when his phone rang. Then, he picked his phone up and strode over to the other side of the room to answer the call. "Mr.Johnston, we have captured them all." "Okay, I''lle over right away." After hanging up, Jared approached Nicole and said, "I have something I need to take care of, so I''ll be heading off now." Nicole turned to look at him, but maintained her silence anyway. Seeing that, Jared turned to Mrs.Wace Sr.again. "Grandma, I''ll be leaving first.I''ll pay you a visit some other day." Mys.Wace Sr.nodded and said, "Okay, be careful when you''re driving." "Will do." Jared took another look at Nicole before leaving, and as she saw him hurrying off into the car, she was taken aback. ¡®Why did he leave in such a hurry?" she thought. ''Did something major happen? ''Wait, what am I doing? Why should I worry about him?¡¯ Nicole then shook her head and continued watching TV. Jared entered the hallway of the hotel as us approached him. "Mr.Johnston, everyone we''ve captured are in these rooms." "Has he started talking?" Jared asked us. "He squealed, but the doctor said that the clues are pointing to the man with a pentagram tattoo." "Bring the doctor and Conrad to the room of the guy with the pentagram tattoo.I''d like to interrogate them together." Jared said, and marched into the room where Henry''s henchman was held hostage. With the door pushed open, Jared saw that the man with the tattoo was tied to a chair with his head covered in a sack. Upon hearing the creaking of the door, he bellowed, ''''Who are you? How dare you kidnap me?" Jared looked at him and there it was; the pentagram tattoo on his hand, matching with the height as he was described. At present, Jared could not see his face. Then, he sat on a chair beside the man, maintaining his silence. After a while, us brought the sham doctor along with Conrad into the room, where they both saw the Henry''s henchman. The both of them were startled, as if they were deer caught in the headlights. When Conrad saw Jared''s face, his legs buckled, and he copsed. With Jared shooting us a nce, us turned to both Conrad and the sham doctor, and said, "Step forward and have a look.Is this the person you were talking about?" The sham doctor did as he was asked, and scrutinized the man with the tattoo. When he saw the pentagram tattoo on his arm, his eyes widened, and he looked back at us. "Who are you?!" Henry''s henchman bellowed, still struggling in a chair. us waved his hand, signaling that he coulde backter, after which he ordered Conrad to step forward and identify the man, which he did. Now trembling, Conrad looked at us and nodded. "Bring them out," us instructed the bodyguards beside him. After the sham doctor and Conrad had identified the man, they were escorted out of the room, leaving Jared, us, and a few other bodyguards with the perpetrators. us stepped forward and removed the blindfold from the tattooed henchman. The dazzling light made it hard for him to open his eyes. Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org. "Mr.Johnston?!" The pentagram tattooed guy looked at Jared in fear, trembling as his will to resist dissipated. "You know me?" Jared looked at him with a nk stare and asked. "Who doesn''t know Jared Johnston?!" The tattooed henchmanplimented with a look of fear. "As you know who I am, why don''t you start by telling me why you did what you did, as well as the person who ordered you to do this? Go ahead, and spare yourself from the suffering you are about to endure." Jared looked at him calmly, but with the cold light in his eyes, it was difficult for the henchman to stare into them for too long. "I didn''t do anything.What do you want me to say?" the tattooed man bbered. "Drop the act! Those two people have already told us everything you''ve ordered them to do.What''s the point of hiding anything now!?" us bellowed. The pentagram tattooed guy frowned. ''Did they capture Conrad and the doctor too? So, the two men who had walked up to me.Were they the ones?'' "Traitor! I knew it was a bad idea, keeping you all alive! You should have been dealt with in the first ce!" the man with the tattoo cursed. He had persuaded Henry Johnston to get rid of them before, but as Henry wouldn''t listen to him, they hadnded themselves in dire straits.It was over for them. Chapter 1130 Chapter 1130 "You don''t have to waste any time on me.You can use whatever you see fit, and I''ll not spill!" Henry''s henchman red at them. "You know, Mr.Johnston is being pretty merciful here." us red back. "Don''t squander it." "Save your pity and your mercy, and just do your worst!" the tattooed henchman bellowed, like a man who had nothing else to lose. "Okay, if you''re going to be a shmuck, I guess I''ll have to give you a taste of your own medicine." us looked at the bodyguard beside him with a smirk. The two walked over and held the henchman''s head back. us slowly leaned into him, and his face took a sinister turn. Holding two pens in his hand, he strode up, inserted the barrel of the pen directly into the man''s nostril, and jostled it back and forth, prompting him to let out a wail. "Speak up or I''ll continue," us said. "Ha, I won''t say anything!" the tattooed man cried. "Ahahaha!" us''s jammed the pens further in and exerted even more force as he jostled, and the henchman burst into tears at once.§Ú¦Ò¦Í???§Ó¦Ò¦Ò§Ü.¡é¦Ò§ÞHowever, even as he could no longer breathe, a wry smile crossed his face. us stopped and looked at him, "Are you ready to talk now?" "Hahaha, no..." Realizing that his method is not working, us nced at Jared who was standing behind him, prompting Jared to turn to the security detail beside him.The bodyguard immediately produced a syringe that was used to deal with the sham doctor, and walked up to us. "Inject him," Jared ordered, his voice icy and low. The tattooed man stared at the liquid that was being injected into his body, whereupon he shot Jared a re and asked, "What did you give me?" "That liquid will make your arm fester," Jared said in the calmest of tones. "You''re despicable!" the tattooed man cursed. "You brought this upon yourself. If you''re willing to, spill now, or else, the injection will take effect in a few minutes, and by the time that happens, and I''m afraid it''ll be toote for you to say anything then," ? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org. Jared threatened, eliciting a sense of fear in the mind of the perpetrator. "You''re just lying to me.What harm can a tiny bottle of liquid do to me? Do I look like a three year old to you?" the tattooed guy mocked. He was not afraid of the concoction the way he was afraid of blood. What Jared had said was simply too far-fetched. "That''s what the sham doctor said before, but in the end, he squealed," Jared said. "Well, it doesn''t matter.You can always choose not to believe, but the next time I see you, your arm would have rotted away." The tattooed henchman began to sing a different tune.His eyes were fixed on the tip of the needle that he had been injected with seconds ago. As time passed, the area on his arm where the needle had pricked began to fester and rot.A burning sensation radiated from the inside out. He gritted his back mrs and barely endured the pain, after which he yelled out. "You''re not as tough as the fake doctor.us, how long do you think he''llst?" Jared looked at us and asked. us nced at the tattooed man with a sneer, and mocked, "I think he willst for about 20 minutes, and it won''t be record breaking aspared to the sham doctor." "I think you''re overestimating him.From what I can tell, he''llst for fifteen minutes at most." Jared and us teased in front of the pentagram tattooed guy''s face. The pentagram tattooed guy felt humiliated, red at the both of them, and panted. "I won''t say a word even if my entire arm rots away." "It''s a shame that your integrity is being wasted on all the wrong ces, and for all the wrong reasons," Jared mocked him and shook his head. "Jared Johnston, if you are able to, you can find a quicker way to dispose of me.After all, what kind of man are you to use such despicable methods! ?" The man with the pentagram tattoo red at him with bloodshot eyes. Chapter 1131 Chapter 1131 "Do you think I''m more of a man than you are? It seems that you didn''t understand what I was trying to convey.You see, it''s not easy for you to die, but I won''t let you get off with a quick death either.If you don''t tell me what I want to know, I''ll make it slow and painful." Jared said as though he was joking, making the others shudder. "Jared Johnston, you should just die," the tattooed man retorted."I won''t tell you anything no matter how much you torture me." "Don''t speak too soon, now." Jared looked at him yfully. "So let''s see.Can you still move your arm?" The tattooed man''s face were clenched and twisted, and his arm was trembling as it dangled limply at his side. "Jared Johnston, give me the antidote! Quick!" Henry''s henchman could not bear it anymore, as the excruciating pain in his arm had consigned him to a life even worse than death. Seeing this, Jared nced at us with a slight smile at the corner of his mouth. "I was right," Jared said. He didn''tst past fifteen minutes at all"Then, he looked at the tattooed man with a piercing stare, "The antidote is here, but you must first provide me with the answer to my question.So tell me, who sent you to assassinate Mr.Johnston Sr?" "I have no idea!" ¡®What ame excuse'' Jared nced at us. "Give him some more.use took a bottle of alcohol out and walked up to the man with the pentagram tattoo.The entire bottle of alcohol hovered in front of him, and though he had said that he was not afraid, he was, in truth, shaking with fear, as he new he would soon have a taste of death. "If you speak now, you can still survive, but if you drag on, I''m afraid it''ll be toote for your arm,"§Ú¦Ò¦Í???§Ó¦Ò¦Ò§Ü.¡é¦Ò§Þus reminded. "You''re just trying to scare me with that bottle of alcohol.At this point, you can just take a knife and plunge it through my chest instead," the tattooed man said, maintaining his stubbornness. "Alright then.Here, have a drink," us said, and proceeded to pour the contents onto the man''s decaying arm. As soon as the alcohol made contact with the wound, the searing pain sent him tumbling off onto the ground, and his entire body began to writhe. Jared watched as the man thrashed and convulsed on the ground for a while, after which he said, You do these thing just for money. Do you think that money would do you any good once you''re dead, and do you really think that the people you are serving are worth your sacrifices?" As he continued convulsing, he stared at Jared, still refusing to speak up. Seeing this, Jared stepped forward and squatted in front of him, whereupon he produced a lighter and yed with it.Owned by N?velDrama.Org. The moment the tattooed man saw it, he knew what Jared was going to do next. But just when Jared was about to flick the lighter on, he stopped. "No, I''ll tell you! I''ll speak up!" the tattooed man yelled, having been tortured by Jared to such an extent that he no longer wanted him or anyone else to experience this any longer. ¡®The money I have earned has not been spent.Is Henry Johnston not worth working for anymore?" "Help him up." Jared ced the lighter away and sat back on his chair. Jared''s men proceeded to help him up. At this juncture, he was ready to talk, as looked at Jared with fear.He was shaking in fear, and his arm was limp. "Who ordered you to do these things?" Jared''s shot him a dagger of a stare. "Can you give me the antidote first?" he said, knowing that he had to spill anyway, but he also wanted to save his arm. "The antidote will be given to you, but it''s toote for that arm.If you don''t want to lose the other one, just tell me the truth.No tricks or you''ll lose both of your legs." Jared eyed him as the air became chilly around him. Chapter 1132 Chapter 1132 "I''ll tell you everything I know," the tattooed man caved in. "Give him the antidote." Jared looked at us. Soon after, us administered the antidote, which stopped the decay from spreading to the rest of the man''s arm, putting an end to the agony, or so it seemed.Then, the tattooed man looked at Jared with resentment in his eyes. "That person, it won''t ever cross your mind." "Don''t beat around the bush," us urged. "Tell us who hired you! "Henry Johnston." The tattooed man looked at Jared''s expression the moment he had said it. Upon hearing the name, us narrowed his eyes at Jared, whose expression remained nk. "Aren''t you surprised? It''s your uncle who ordered me to poison your grandfather.This news will be very viral!" he said, and erupted into a gale of maniacalughter. "Do you know what you''re talking about?" Jared asked. "Let me tell you that you will not survive, ndering Henry Johnston." Although Jared hated Henry, he did not wish to believe that Henry would go so far as to murder his family members. "I''m telling you the truth," the tattooed man continued. "Believe it or not, just a few days ago I met him in a restaurant.He ordered me to find an opportunity to have another go at the old man and said that this time, he would make that old man sleep forever.These are all his words." Now that it had been said, he no longer had anything to hide.The fate of Henry Johnston was thus left in the hands of God.Jared, having received the photos a few days ago, then showed them to the man with the pentagram tattoo. "Is this the person?" "Turns out that you have been eyeing us for a long time.It seems that you''re destined to find it." "What other ns does he have in mind?" Jared continued to ask. "That''s all I know.If he had anything else in mind, he sure as hell did not inform me." The tattooed man looked at Jared with a frown. "I''ve told you everything I know.Can you let me go now?" "I''ll release you, but if you ever hurt my family members again, I''ll make suffer in ways you can''t even begin to imagine!" Jared roared, and after which he ordered us to let the man go. After the man with the pentagram tattoo had left, us turned to Jared with his brows raised. "Mr.Johnston, I''m worried that this fellow will continue to run amok, as you''ve decided to let him loose." "Don''t worry, he will be going to Henry Johnston," Jared said, and proceeded to whisper into us'' ear. After that, us brought his men along and left the room at once.§Ú¦Ò¦Í???§Ó¦Ò¦Ò§Ü.¡é¦Ò§ÞHenry Johnston was working in his office when he suddenly received a call from a man with the pentagram tattoo. "It''s done.Transfer the money to me.I''m off to the countryside.I feel that someone has been tailing me," the tattooed man lied. "But the old man hasn''t been dealt with just yet.There is no one else for the job other than you now," Henry Johnston argued as a sense of uneasiness flooded him. "I still have a few men positioned near the hospital," the tattooed man said. "I''ve already told them everything they need to know.Tonight, they will lure the security detail guarding the old man away.When that has been done, you can take the opportunity to sneak in." Before leaving, he would do Henry Johnston onest favor.§Ú¦Ò¦Í???§Ó¦Ò¦Ò§Ü.¡é¦Ò§ÞAs he had paid a huge price for what he had done, he would leave a huge prize for Henry. ? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org. "Is it usible?" Henry asked. "I''ve never anything like this before.¡± "Just rx," the tattooed man replied. "It is very simple.If you can''t do it, get your son to do it.Even if something happens, you can get away by saying that you''re there to protect that old man.This is yourst chance.Call me only once you have wired me the money." "I can only wire you half the money.I will give you the rest after I am done with this whole shebang." Henry Johnston said, afraid that his efforts would go to waste if he were to transfer him all the money at once. Chapter 1133 Chapter 1133 "I''ve got this, don''t you worry.Send the money over now," the tattooed man said before he hurriedly ended the call. Henry was alright before he received this abrupt call, which had left him anxious. However, he would have no choice but to transfer the money to them, as he did not want those degenerates to ruin his n over a bit of cash. After he had wired them the sum, he stood by the floor-to-ceiling window and looked outside as he thought, ''What should I do...?'' Time passed, and when he checked his watch, he realized that it was already 7pm.It was then that Henry called Castor and Murphy over. "Dad, what happened this time?" Castor looked at Henry as there was always there were always serious developments going on whenever he visited his office. "We have to act tonight..." Henry waved at them, signaling for them toe closer to him. "Both of you will do it together.One of you will be on the lookout and the other will enter the ward and do the deed." Henry stared at them with a vicious look on his face. "Dad, why don''t you get that person to do it? We''ve never done anything like this before." Castor protested, slightly fearful. "That person is being tracked now, so he won''t be able to do anything for us, but his people will start a commotion at the hospital, so when that happens, I need the both of you to sneak in and deal with your grandpa," Henry said. "Get out of there as soon as you can and don''t let anyone spot you." "Dad, can you hire a professional to do this?" "Shut it! This is the best way to minimize the involvement of others.If you seed in this mission, all of the luxury and wealth will be yours," Henry said, continuing to indoctrinate them. "Fine, we''ll have to really make this work for our future," Castor gave himself a push. "What if grandpa recognizes us?" Murphy looked at Castor anxiously. Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org. "We''ll wear face masks"'' Castor answered. "If grandpa sees us, we''ll just tell him that we caught a cold." "But the surveince cameras in the hallways will be capturing footages of us, won''t it?" "What should we do about that, Dad?" Castor looked at Henry with his forehead creased. "Don''t worry about it.Someone will take care of that for you.Your only task is to just send your grandpa into aa." Henry said, and gave them a stare void of all humanity. "Okay." Castor uttered. "Go," Henry said. "I''ll be waiting for the good news." After Castor and Murphy had left, Henry began pacing back and forth in his office. There was a voice in his head, telling him that it was not the right thing to do. Henry was extremely antsy, and so, he went back home. Then, he got his wife to pack her bags and prepared her to leave at a moment''s notice. Twilight descended upon them as a group of men plotted their scheme outside the hospital in a city spruced up with lights. Once they were done with their preparations, they left tomence their operation.It was then that one of the men armed with a bomb barged into the level where Mr.Johnston Sr.was at, prompting the security detail who were guarding his room to clear the scene the instant they heard the rm. As this urred, the surveince cameras in his room were hacked. Shortly after, two nervous figures appeared in the hallway, after which they rushed into Mr.Johnston Sr"s ward.§Ú¦Ò¦Í???§Ó¦Ò¦Ò§Ü.¡é¦Ò§ÞCastor mumbled as he looked at Mr.Johnston Sr., who was fast asleep in his bed. "I''m so sorry, grandpa.We have no choice but to do this." Then he looked at Murphy and said, "Why are you just standing there? Do it!" Chapter 1134 Chapter 1134 Murphy pulled a syringe out with his hands trembling, and jammed the tip into an IV bag. Then, the duo rushed out without checking twice. However, they retreated in fear as soon as they had reached the door, as someone had walked in. "What are you doing here?" Jared appeared as he stared them down. It seemed like Jared had already identified them, so Castor fumbled, "We''re here to see grandpa, but he''s already asleep, so we''re heading back now." He immediately tried to leave right after he hadpleted his sentence. "Wait a second," Jared said, startling the duo so much that their knees almost buckled. "What''s up?"§Ú¦Ò¦Í???§Ó¦Ò¦Ò§Ü.¡é¦Ò§ÞCastor said, trying to sound as calm as he could. This belongs to N?velDrama.Org. "Why are you in face masks at night?" Jared asked, sizing them up. "We caught a cold, and we didn''t want to pass it to grandpa," Murphy answered. "You''re both ill?" Jared asked. "Yeah." They both said, not daring to look at Jared as they were afraid that he would notice something. "There was a terrorist attack at the stairway moments ago," Jared pointed out. "How did you get in?" "Well¡­ Nothing really happened when we wereing in," Castor lied. Jared then walked up to Mr.Johnston Sr"s bed. "Why is the surveince camera not working?! What did you do to grandpa?!" Jared turned and red at them at once, petrifying them as they thought, ''Sh*t! Jared has found out!'' Then, they slowly turned around and swallowed, as the both of them were on the verge of a panic attack. The bodyguard grabbed their wrists in an instant, and the syringe fell out from Murphy''s grasp, its clinking echoing throughout the room. us picked it up and looked at it. "Have a look at this, Mr.Johnston." Jared snatched it from us and inspected it, before ring at them. "Why did you do this? Who told you to do this?!" Both Castor and Murphy dropped to their knees in fear and begged, "we didn''t n this.Our dad ordered us to do this." ¡®Hah, they''re absolute dinguses" Jared scoffed, bringing their mission to an end. "Why is Henry doing this?" Jared continued interrogating them. "He wants to be the chairman of thepany, and he didn''t want grandpa to disce him after he has woken up," Murphy spilled as he was awash in fear, while Castor kept nudging him to shut him up. Jared smashed a mug in a rage, which frightened them to the point that they huddled together. "He actually did this to his family for a mere position in thepany?! People like him don''t even deserve to live!" Jared yelled, his eyes burning with rage. "Please check on grandpa.If you don''t do anything now, we might run out of time!" Castor reminded Jared as he still had a sliver of humanity left in him. Jared nced over at his grandfather. "You can get up now." Upon hearing that, the person who seemed to be Mr.Johnston Sr.rose and got down from the bed, before he walked up and stood next to Jared. "Grandpa?! How..." Castor eximed in horror as he pointed at the man next to Jared. "Take your mask off, please," Jared ordered. The bodyguard smiled as he took his mask off before Castor and Murphy''s eyes. "You''re not grandpa?!" they cried in unison. "Obviously. If he was, you would both be dead by now." Jared stared at them, his face cold and his tone icy. "Where''s grandpa?" Castor asked. Jared rolled his eyes and ordered, "Bring Mr.Johnston Sr.back in, please." Soon after, a bunch of men returned pushing Mr.Johnston Sr.into the room, whereupon they hefted him back onto the sickbed.§Ú¦Ò¦Í???§Ó¦Ò¦Ò§Ü.¡é¦Ò§ÞHe had heard everything. Kneeling on the floor were Castor and Murphy, who were looking at Mr.Johnston Sr.in fear as one of them cried, We''ve messed up and we''re sorry, grandpa!" "Yeah, we''ve learned that we''re at fault and we''re truly sorry for that." The duo crawled to his bed as they begged for forgiveness. "Where''s Henry! ? Bring him over! I wish to see him!" a furious Mr.Johnston Sr.ordered. Chapter 1135 Chapter 1135 "Calm down, grandpa." Jared looked at Mr.Johnston Sr. "I''ll handle this." "It''s okay, I''ll settle this myself," Maximillian said. "Bring Henry over at once." "Where''s your father?" Jared asked. "He''s probably waiting for us at home," Castor said. Jared looked at us, who immediately brought his men along with him as they made for Henry''s house. However, Henry had arrived at the hospital in a hurry at around the same time. As soon as he reached the lobby, he saw us walking toward him with a group of men at his nk Startled, he hid and phoned Castor in a sh. Back in Mr.Johnston Sr"s ward, Castor''s phone rang.He then turn to look at his grandfather as he did not know if he should answer the call. "Put him on speaker," Jared ordered. Castor answered, and Henry''s voice was instantly heard from the other end of the call. "How did it go?" "It went perfectly ording to n," Castor''s fumbled, his voice trembling.Henry registered the shuddering in his son''s voice and hung up at once. Seeing this, Castor stared at the phone before turning to Jared in helpless fashion. Hiding in a corner, Henry immediately called his wife and said, "Head to the airport right now, and do it as fast as you can.A group of men are heading to our house." "Okay!" his wife replied. After ending the call, Henry looked out for any sign of Jared''s men before sneaking back to his car to make his way to the airport. In the airport, Henry met his wife at the spot that they agreed on and in no time, proceeded to flee to another country through thetest flight avable. When us had arrived at Henry''s house with his men, he saw that the entire ce was pitch- ck.§Ú¦Ò¦Í???§Ó¦Ò¦Ò§Ü.¡é¦Ò§ÞHe knocked on the door, but no one answered. "Open the door!" Bam! It was then that they smashed the door open, and us barged in with the men. "Mr.Johnston?" he yelled, but no one responded, even after they called out repeatedly. Then, us shot his men a look and they began their search upstairs. "No one''s here," one of them said. us immediately reported this to Jared, saying, "Mr.Johnston, no one is here."? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org. "If they''re not at home, head to the airport right now!" Jared ordered, uponing up with the thought that they must have gone there. "Yes, sir," us affirmed. "Quick! Head to the airport!" us ordered, and took his men to the airport at breakneck speed. But once they had reached the airport, the ne that Henry was in had already taken off. us kept searching for Henry in the airport until he saw the very same ne taking wing outside of the window. Seeing this, he immediately asked a staff, Please check if there''s a ''Henry Johnston! in the flight that just took off." "Sorry, we don''t have the right to disclose our passenger''s information," the staff said. us proceeded to call the manager of the airport on the spot, and the staff received a call right after us had hung up. "Alright, got it," the staff said. "Sir, we''ll check our list of names for you now." The staff looked at us respectfully. "Found it, sir.There is indeed a man named Henry Johnston on that flight.His ID number is..." "Where is that flight headed to?" us interrupted. "Roca Este." "Got it, thank you." Then, us quickly reported back to Jared upon confirming everything. "Okay, you cane back now," Jared said, before turning to Maximilian. "Grandpa, Uncle Henry has fled the country." Chapter 1136 Chapter 1136 "What?" Mr.Johnston Sr.looked at Jared inplete shock. "It seems that he was already prepared," Jared murmured. "That insolent brat!" Mr.Johnston Sr.yelled. "Get him back here, even if he is in hell right now!" Then, he burst into a fit of coughs. "Don''t get so riled up, grandpa.Your health is our priority.Let us take care of this," Jaredforted him. "Get the doctor and bring these two downstairs," Jared proceeded to order. "Then, get someone to keep an eye on that tattooedckey of his and see if Henry contacts him." "Yes, sir," his security detail said. "You should lie down." Jaredid Mr.Johnston Sr.down as he did not want his grandfather''s condition to worsen. "Mr.Johnston, what should we do with the terrorist?" one of his men asked. "Just do whatever is necessary," he said. "Yes, boss," his bodyguard replied. After a minute or two, the doctor strode in. "What''s wrong with Mr.Johnston Sr., Mr.Johnston?" "He was slightly agitated.Please check on him,"§Ú¦Ò¦Í???§Ó¦Ò¦Ò§Ü.¡é¦Ò§ÞJared exined to the doctor as he looked at him. "Alright," the physician said, and proceeded to perform his checkup. After a round of examination, the doctor looked at Jared and said, " He is fine, but his blood pressure has slightly increased. Please don''t get him worked up again." "Understood." Jared nodded. The next day, Nicole bade Mrs.Wace Sr.and Tia farewell before taking Kelly to the airport. When they were in the waiting lounge, Nicole gazed off at a ne that just took off andmented, "I was nning to go fora vacation, but I don''t think it''s possible anymore." "Miss Riddle, just go wherever you wish.We''re going abroad, so it''s pretty much the same as going for a vacation, no?" Kelly beamed, as she was ted at being able to travel abroad with Nicole. "I wanted to go somewhere chill andid-back to rx, and with you here, it''s starting to feel more like a vacation now, but it''s just that..." Nicole suddenly thought of Jared. ¡®It''d be perfect if he was here" "It''s just that what?" Kelly looked at Nicole with her head tilted. Owned by N?velDrama.Org. "You''re here, Nicole!" Harvey greeted, as he was close to searching entire airport to look for Nicole and Kelly. "Didn''t I tell you to wait at A2?" Nicole looked at him, resigned. "Did you? I was in a rush, so I didn''t get the message." Harvey sat down next to Nicole. "Anyway, how much longer do we have to wait before we board?" "Probably, around twenty minutes," Kelly answered him. "By the way, I haven''t introduced the both of you to one another, right?"§Ú¦Ò¦Í???§Ó¦Ò¦Ò§Ü.¡é¦Ò§ÞNicole said, and began introducing them to each other. "This is Kelly, my assistant, and Kelly, this is Harvey Ellison.You''ve probably heard of him." "Of course, he''s pretty famous.I''ve always wanted to meet him." Kelly''s cheeks flushed as she looked at Harvey Nicole caught it and teased her, "Why are you blushing, Kelly? Do you have a crush on Harvey?" "Come on, don''t make fun of me, Miss Riddle." Kelly quickly shifted in her seat, not wanting to look at Harvey anymore. Harvey''s lips twitched.He did not like Nicole joking about this. "Why isn''t Mr.Johnson here to send you off?" Harvey arched his brows and looked at Nicole. Nicole rolled her eyes at him. "Do you miss him or something? If that''s the case, don''te with me." Chapter 1137 Chapter 1137 "No, no, you''ve misheard," Harvey quickly denied, knowing the if he were to piss Nicole off trying to be yful, he would be digging his own grave. "Miss Riddle, we should board the flight now." Kelly, who was keeping watch of the time, reminded Nicole. "Let''s go." The trio then made their way to the entrance. Jared sent a text message to Nicole but got no reply, so he figured that Nicole was already on the ne. ¡®''I would''ve sent her off if grandpa isn''t in the hospital" Now, all Jared could do was think about how much he missed her in his office. On the ne, Nicole proceeded to put on her headphones to watch a movie, as she had nothing better to do.She had chosen to spend her time on aedy film. Harvey, who was sitting next to Nicole, took a nce at the movie that she was watching. "I''ve watched this before.Something funny is going to happen.Wait for it." Nicole rolled her eyes at him and continued watching. "Something is going to appear...Right here! Hahaha...!" Harvey burst outughing, but Nicole did not find anything funny at all. "Why aren''t youughing?" Harvey asked Nicole. "I hate spoilers." Nicole looked at Harvey, evidently annoyed. Harvey''s smile instantly vanished from his face as he shifted in his seat, and turned his own screen on. Displeased, Nicole switched her screen off. Seeing this, Harvey began sneaking nces at her, not wanting to speak to her as he was afraid that he would add fuel to the fire. Throughout the journey, Harvey did not really pay attention to the movie he was watching as he was busy thinking about Nicole. However, Nicole kept her eyes closed until] theynded. "It''s time to get off the ne, Nicole." Harvey patted her gently.She gradually opened her eyes. "Wow, that''s fast, wasn''t it? Let''s go then." Nicole then stretched and got ready to get off the ne. Ike had been waiting for some time at the area where he was supposed to pick her up, and when he saw Nicole, he quickly waved at her. Ike had a tall build, so it was rather easy to spot him in the crowd. Nicole, who had noticed him from afar proceeded to wave back at him.§Ú¦Ò¦Í???§Ó¦Ò¦Ò§Ü.¡é¦Ò§ÞThen, the trio approached him. "You''re finally here." Ike greeted Nicole with a smile. "I guess you must be tired." "I''m okay.I''ve just been sleeping," Nicole greeted him with a smile too. "Hi, Harvey." Ike shook hands with Harvey. "You''re here too." "Yeah, how are you?" Harvey asked politely. "I''m great," Ike replied, after which he turned to Kelly. "And this is?" "She''s my assistant, Kelly," Nicole introduced. "Nice to meet you." Ike nodded at Kelly. "Nice to meet you too," Kelly responded in kind. "Let''s go." Ike extended his arm and gestured to them, taking them to their vehicle. Ike thought that Nicole wasing alone, so he personally drove over to pick her up, as he wanted to have a chat with her.He did not expect her to bring along two other guests, who had ruined his n.However, there were enough seats for all of them, and so, none of them had to get a cab. Once they were in, Harvey and Ike took the front seats, while thedies, Nicole and Kelly, sat at the back. Ike could only look at Nicole from the rear-view mirror. "Nicole, we''ve been stuck on the same problem for a few days now.Thank God you''re here.I believe you''ll be able to help us out." "What could have been difficult enough to cause an expert like you to be at his wit''s end, I wonder?" Nicole asked, as she was a little surprised at what he had said. "The issue is, we can''t seem to findmon ground and arrive to some understanding," Ike said. "Some of them wanted to implement solution A while some wanted solution B.That''s why there have been some conflicts going on between the teams during the discussion. "Anyway, I don''t even want to go there these days." Ike finished, looking defeated. Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org. "You''re overreacting.If there''s a problem, go ahead and solve it.Just use whichever solution is better.It''s understandable that conflicts would arise from time to time," Nicoleforted him. Chapter 1138 Chapter 1138 "If everyone shared your pragmatic approach, there wouldn''t be any problems." Ike waved, still feeling defeated. Harvey and Kelly did not really understand what they were saying, so they did not know how to join the conversation. They just maintained their silence, with the atmosphere in the car gradually bing quieter with each passing second. Then, after the car had pulled up in front of the hotel, Ike took a look and said, "I think this is your hotel." "Thanks for picking us up from the airport.We''ll be heading up now, so I''ll be seeing you at theb tomorrow," Nicole thanked Ike. "Don''t mention it.Go and catch some rest.I''ll see you tomorrow." Ike smiled at them, got into the car, and left. "Let''s head inside." Nicole looked at Harvey and walked into the hotel. A porter went over to them and helped them with their luggage as Nicole walked up to the concierge and presented them her ID. Then, a staff guided them to the room that they had booked. "Miss Riddle, this is your room." The staff looked at Nicole and gestured. "Bye, I am going in now." Nicole opened her door and walked in. Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org. "This is your room, Mr.Ellison." "Thank you." Harvey grinned with satisfaction as his room was right next to Nicole''s. "And this is your room, Miss Henderson." "Thank you." Kelly opened her door and entered her room. Their rooms were next to each other, so Harvey quickly unpacked his things and left his room to knock on Nicole''s door. Nicole walked up to her door when she heard someone knocking. "Who''s there?" "Me." Harvey''s voice rang from the other side of the door. Nicole opened her door and marched right back to her room, giving Harvey a view of her back, and so, he pouted and closed the door. "What are you doing, Nicole?" Harvey asked as he walked in. "Unpacking, obviously.Are you done unpacking already?" Nicole continued to arrange her belongings without looking at him. "I-I don''t have much to unpack." "Nicole, there are entertainment facilities in one of the floors above us.Do you want to check it out together?" Harvey invited Nicole, hoping that Nicole would join him. "Entertainment? Really?" Nicole turned to him with a brow raised and her head tilted. "Probably, I saw a rmendation at the ground floor lobby just now." Harvey looked to the side and saw a paper sitting on the table, and proceeded to pick it up. "Look! They really do have it.It is written here." Nicole stopped and stood next to him as she perused the contents written on the paper. "It looks promising.I think I''ll check it out after I''m done." "Hurry up, then.I''ll wait for you on the couch."§Ú¦Ò¦Í???§Ó¦Ò¦Ò§Ü.¡é¦Ò§ÞHarvey took the flier and walked up to the couch. "Tell Kelly that she ising with us too," Nicole said. "Huh?" Harvey utter, never having thought of bringing Kelly along. "What do you mean by ''huh''? Go!" Nicole urged him. "Okay." Harvey''s smile faded. ¡®What do I tell Kelly to make her tell us that she doesn''t want to join us?'' he wondered. He walked to the door slowly as he pondered, but before he realized it, he was already at Kelly''s door. "I''m here already?" Their rooms were not far from each other''s anyway, so Harvey knocked on Kelly''s door, and once it opened, she appeared at the doorway "What brought you here, Harvey?" "Are you busy with something?" Harvey asked. "I''m unpacking. Would you like toe in?" Kelly asked, and made way for Harvey. Chapter 1139 Chapter 1139 Harvey hesitated as he thought, ¡®Nicole would definitely be suspicious if I return to her too soon, right?'' Thus, he walked in. "Do you want anything to drink?" Kelly asked. "It''s okay, I''m just looking around," Harvey replied. "What are you going to do after you''re done?" Harvey asked. "Eh, I''ll probably meet up with Miss Riddle." Kelly sat next to Harvey and looked at him. "I wonder if she has anything for me to do." When he heard that she was going to look for Nicole, his n was ruined. All he could do now was invite Kelly. "Well, I''ve heard that there''s an entertainment lounge upstairs.Would you like to check it out together?"§Ú¦Ò¦Í???§Ó¦Ò¦Ò§Ü.¡é¦Ò§ÞHarvey looked into her eyes and asked. Kelly was suddenly flustered as she thought, ''Is Harvey asking me out?" Harvey seemed to know what she was thinking, and so, he quickly added, "Nicole and I are nning to head over thereter.So, I came over to ask you if you''d like to join us." He breathed a sigh of relief as he waited for her answer. Kelly immediately knew that she had misunderstood, so she calmed herself down and looked at him, embarrassed. "Ah, okay.I''m fine with anything." "All right, you can continue unpacking now," he said. "Let''s gather in Nicole''s room once you''re done.See you there." Harvey left right after he was done passing her Nicole''s message. "Sure," Kelly uttered as she watched him leave. After he closed the door, Kelly mumbled to herself, "What were you thinking?! Why would Harvey even be interested in you?! You almost made a fool out of yourself." Outside her room, Harvey looked at Kelly''s door and figured that he should be more vignt when speaking to Kelly. When he returned to Nicole''s room, Nicole asked, ''''What did she say?" "She''s unpacking too, so she''lle over when she''s done." "I''ll head back for now.When you''re about to leave, please remember to holler me," Harvey said, and went back to his room. "Alright," Nicole said. On the other end, Jared was still in his office, checking his phone from time to time. He was afraid that he would miss her texts, but whenever he checked his phone for messages from Nicole, there would be none at all. "This woman sure knows how to keep a grudge.I''ll see how long she can keep up with this charade." Jared toughened up and did away with the questions that were guing him. But after havingpleted his work, Jared picked his phone up and called Nicole anyway. Beep...beep... Though the call was connected, no one was there to answer it. This angered Jared, who was about to hang up, until he heard Nicole''s voice muttering a soft, "Hello?" Jared drew a deep breath, and he suddenly did not know how to continue the conversation. "Did yound safely?" "Of course, who else are you even talking to?!" Nicole answered. "What''s up with you?"§Ú¦Ò¦Í???§Ó¦Ò¦Ò§Ü.¡é¦Ò§Þhe asked. Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org. "Nicole, let''s look over there." Harvey''s said, his voice reaching Jared''s ears from the speaker. "Okay," she replied to Harvey. "Can you speak up?" Nicole asked Jared as she walked. "Is Harvey with you?" Jared asked sharply. "Yeah, he came with me." Nicole did not hide anything from Jared as she was the one who brought Harvey here. "Why didn''t you tell me that he was traveling with you?" Jared asked. "Do you really need to know?" Nicole asked. "It is that important to you?" "Of course it is.As long as it has anything to do with you, I have the need to know." Jared did not notice what he had said, registering it only after he had blurted it out. Chapter 1140 Chapter 1140 Nicole halted in her tracks and kept mum. The call went silent, and after some time, Jared said, "Well, you''re safe now and that''s all that matters.Take care." Then, he hung up. Nicole ced her phone down slowly and stood still as she had suddenly lost her interest in the entertainment facilities. After a while, Harvey realized that she was no longer following them, prompting him to turn around and say, "Why are you standing there? Let''s go!" Nicole looked at him. "I suddenly remembered that I have something I need to do.You should go ahead, I''ll catch up with you later." Without waiting for Harvey to respond, Nicole left the area, leaving him stupefied as he watched her leave. ''She became an entirely different person after she answered the call? Did something happen?¡¯ "Kelly, has anything happened before you came here with Nicole?" Harvey looked at Kelly and asked. Kelly thought about it as she furrowed her brows, before responding, "No, I don''t think anything happened today.Miss Riddle was doing just fine before we came here, and I didn''t receive any urgent messages either." "That''s weird." Harvey thought about it as he was confused. "What happened to her?" "Harvey, Miss Riddle said that she will catch up with uster.Perhaps she remembered that there was something that she had forgotten to do," Kelly said, surmising that this was the only exnation. "Maybe," Harvey replied, although he felt that something else was going on. "Let''s y some games over there while we wait for her." Harvey pointed. "Sure." Kelly beamed, as any chance to be alone with Harvey was a good thing for her. Nicole took the elevator back to the room and closed her door.She sat down by the window as Jared''s words raced across her mind in continuous fashion.She looked at the picture that she had taken with Jared on the phone as a smile unconsciously crossed her face. ''What''s wrong with me? Why am I smiling at a picture? He was the one who was being all intimate with Fiore, so how could I forgive him just because of that one line? I can''t do this!'' Nicole calmed down andid down on her bed, facing the ceiling as she stared into space. When she picked her phone up and opened Jared''s chat log, she suddenly wondered if she should give Jared a call. All of a sudden, Jared''s request for a video call popped up on her screen. Nicole''s heart skipped a beat, and after a few seconds of hesitation, she clicked on the green button. Their faces were immediately on full disy. Jared was leaning against a chair as he watched Nicole on the screen. "Are you lying on a bed?"§Ú¦Ò¦Í???§Ó¦Ò¦Ò§Ü.¡é¦Ò§Þhe asked with a brow raised. "Yeah," she replied. "Weren''t you with Harvey moments ago? Are you..." Jared''s eyes widened in an instant as he thought, ''Are they really.." "I am back in my room." Nicole could guess what he was thinking, so she quickly killed that thought for him. Jared was relieved when he heard her answer. ''Thank God she exined.Otherwise, I would really buy a ne a ticket and fly over to meet her" "You just hung up, so why are you video-calling me again?" Nicole looked upset as she looked at him. "I probably called you on ident," Jared said, being stubborn and egotistical once again. "I see.Well then, let''s end the call," Nicole responded, acting as though she was about to hang up, as she wanted to rid Jared of his obstinacy. "It''s okay, since we''re already here, let''s just stay on the call," Jared said, and stopped acting as stubbornly as he did. "Okay then, just say what you need to say," Nicole stated, giving him another chance to admit his mistake.This belongs to N?velDrama.Org. "Are you two alone on this trip?" Jared asked, evidently still concerned about the issue. "If I said no, would you believe me?" she asked. "Of course. Who else is there?" Jared continued asking. ¡®He obviously doesn''t believe me" Nicole looked at Jared on the screen and remained silent for quite some time, as she wanted to make him anxious. Chapter 1141 Chapter 1141 "Nicole?" Jared shook his phone. "Is the call dropping?" Nicoleughed at him. "No, Kelly is here with us too." ''He probably won''t be sleeping tonight if I don''t tell him about this" she thought. "Who''s Kelly?" Jared asked, confused as he did not seem to know that person. "My new assistant.Thatdy who used to be Chloe''s assistant in the studio," Nicole exined. "Oh." Jared uttered, and ceased worrying as he began to recall who that was. "Has Miss Fisher seen you today?" Nicole asked, bringing Fiore up as a topic of conversation on purpose. "No, why did you suddenly think of her?" Jared locked at Nicole with his brows raised. "If you can ask me about Harvey, why can''t I ask you about Fiore?" Nicole retorted, upset. "Of course you can, you can ask me about anybody." Jared knew what Nicole was trying to say, so he quickly relented.She knew that Jared was giving her a half-hearted response, so she rolled her eyes. Do you have anything else to say? If not, I''ll hang up now." "No.Remember to let me know before youe back.I''ll pick you up," Jared said, taking the initiative to patch things up between them. "We''ll see, then." Nicole did not want to let him go easily, so she hung up at once. After lying aimlessly on her bed for a while, she suddenly remembered that Harvey and Kelly were still upstairs. With this in mind, she switched her phone off and left her room before taking the elevator. Harvey and Kelly were ying with a w machine, and while Kelly looked very engrossed with the game, Harvey seemed to be rather distracted. The instant he saw Nicoleing out of the elevator, Harvey quickly weed her. "Nicole, why did you go away for so long?" "Eh, are you trying to get a plushie?" Nicole dodged his question and shot him one of her own as she saw Kelly ying. "Yeah, we''ve gotten a few," Harvey responded, still figuring out why Nicole had left for so long. "Miss Riddle, you''re finally back.Help me with this plushie, please.I''ve tried one too many times, but I just can''t seem to get it." Kelly said, looking rather resigned. "Let me see." Nicole walked over. "Are you talking about the blue elephant?" Nicole asked Kelly. "Yeah, that blue elephant." Kelly pointed at the plushie in the machine. "Okay, I''ll give it a shot," Nicole said. "It''s not my fault if I can''t get it, though." "Of course not," Kelly replied. "It''s not easy to get it at all." "Give me a token." Nicole shed her palm. Nicole pushed the joystick, causing the w to hover above the elephant. After a three second dy, the w grabbed the elephant''s head, after which Nicole quickly tapped the button twice, bringing the w up with the elephant. Kelly, who was really nervous, held her breath as she mumbled, "You can do it...You can do it..." Owned by N?velDrama.Org. Under the eyes of the trio, the w firmed its grip on the elephant and released it the instant it was above the hole. Kelly cheered. "We got it! We got it! "You''re amazing, Miss Riddle!" Kelly hugged Nicole with the elephant in hand. Chapter 1142 Chapter 1142 "Nah, I''ll teach you the trick," Nicole said. Harvey watched as they yed, but he was only standing there as an observer. All of a sudden, Nicole looked at him. "Do you want to give it ago?" "Me?" Harvey looked at Nicole, surprised as he had never tried his hands on a w machine before. "Sure, but I''ve never done this before," he said. "It''s easy. I''ll teach both of you," Nicole said, after which she demonstrated the steps to the both of them again. "You got it now?" Nicole looked at them. "Yeah, I''ll give it a try," Harvey said, excited to give it a go.He looked at the plushies in the machine and had no idea as to which one to get. Then, he turned to Nicole and asked, "Which one do you think looks good?" Nicole took a good look at the contents of the machine and said, "That round and white pr bear.That one is really cute." "Alright, I''ll get that one," he said. Owned by N?velDrama.Org. Harvey, upon confirming that Nicole liked the pr bear, proceeded to make that particr plushie his target.Then, he repeated the steps that Nicole had shown him moments ago. "I got it!" At the very next second, the w shook, and the pr bear dropped.Harvey sighed and asked, "Why did that happen? Nicole, I did whatever you told me to do.Why wasn''t I able to get it?" "You probably didn''t time it right.It''s okay.Try again." Nicole exined before encouraging him. "Okay." Harvey worked the joystick once more, but the oue was still the same; he could not get the pr bear. "I''m done." Harvey said, defeated. "It''s just not working for me." He felt embarrassed ying with that w machine as a grown man, and to top that off, he wasn''t able to get any of the toys, even after multiple tries. "You''ve only given it two shots and you''re giving up already?" Nicole looked at him and asked. "This game isn''t for me.The both of you should go ahead instead." Harvey gestured to them and stood aside. "Give it a shot, Kelly." Nicole turned to her. "If Harvey couldn''t do it, I wouldn''t even stand a chance," Kelly mumbled, not confident in her abilities at all. "It''s fine.It''s just a game.It matters not whether we get it or not.We''re just doing it for the fun," Nicole said, attempting to encourage Kelly. "Alright, I''ll give it a go." Kelly strutted up to the machine. "Harvey, you were trying to get that pr bear, right?" Kelly looked at Harvey. "Yeah." Harvey nodded, but he did not want Kelly to seed, as he wanted to practice his steps on his own and acquire the pr bear for Nicoleter on. "I''ll try to get it, then." Kelly said, intending to procure the plush toy for Harvey tofort him after his failed attempts, as she thought he wanted it, The w hovered above the pr bear''s head as Kelly aligned it properly. She mimicked the steps that Nicole had demonstrated, whereupon she managed to lift the pr bear up. When Harvey saw that, a sense of embarrassment flooded him. However, the instant the w retracted, the oue of her attempt was simr to Harvey''s; the w shook, releasing the bear. Harvey was immediately relieved as he thought, ''Thank God she didn''t get it.I''ll be so embarrassing for me if she did" "Miss Riddle?" Kelly looked at Nicole. "It''s okay, try again," Nicole replied. Kelly gave it another shot. This time, the pr bear did not fall when the w shook. Seeing this, she issued a sigh of relief while Harvey began panicking. The w then moved towards the hole as Kelly watched on with a beam on her face. But just as she thought she was going to seed this time, the w trembled, releasing its grip on the pr bear. "Miss Riddle, I can''t do it." Kelly looked at Nicole pleadingly. "Why don''t you try it out?" Chapter 1143 Chapter 1143 "That was close.Let''s give it another shot." "Ah..." "Let me do it," Harvey interrupted, wishing to get the toy himself, as she could not wait any longer. "You want to give it a go?" Nicole looked at Harvey with a brow raised. "Yeah, I was observing Kelly''s strategy, and I''m quite certain I''ll be able to get it right this time round," he said. ¡®Even if I can''t get it right in one go, I''m sure a few more tries will do the trick." "Harvey will definitely get it this time round." Kelly said, cheering him on by his side. Harvey held onto the joystick with great confidence and maneuvered the hook towards the pr bear. With all of the tricks he had learned from his observation, he tapped the button right when he should. As expected, he managed to grab the bear. Harvey clenched his fist as excitement flooded him. This time round, the bear was positioned close to the funnel, and so, the moment he got it, the bear went right through the hole, allowing them to im it from the dispenser. Seeing this, Harvey became as happy as a m and took the bear out at once. Then, he turned to Nicole. "I got it!" "Hah, I told you that you''d be able to get it." Nicoleughed as she stared at him. "Nicole, this is for you." Harvey beamed and passed the pr bear to her. "It wasn''t an easy catch, so I think it''s better for you to keep it," Nicole said, refusing to take it because she did not really want that plushie. "Kelly, let''s check that out." Nicole turned to Kelly. Then, the both of them walked off, leaving Harvey rooted at the same spot with the bear in his hand. The next day, Nicole brought Kelly and Harvey to theb, where Ike had been waiting for them. "Hi, did you manage to catch some good rest yesterday?" Ike greeted them at the entrance. "It was pretty good.The hotel had some entertainment facilities upstairs, so we had quite a lot of fun last night," Nicole replied. "Really?" Ike said. "Well, that''s good to know. Anyway, let''s make our way inside." Ike took the lead and ushered them into theb. "Ike, what is everyone doing today?" Nicole asked Ike, as she wanted to get a grasp of the current situation. "They are in the meeting room, discussing the feasibility of the n." Ike extended his hand while expressing his frustrations. Nicole and Harvey looked at each other and strode into the meeting room with Ike. The meeting room was abuzz with solemn conversations, but once the people seated there spotted Ike bringing three strangers into the room, all of them fell silent. Ike looked at everyone and introduced, "This is Miss Nicole Riddle.Mr.Scott specifically appointed her to manage the R&D of the manned flying car project.These are her assistants." Harvey looked at Ike awkwardly. ¡®When did I be Nicole''s assistant?" "Hi everyone, I''m Nicole." Nicole scanned the room and introduced herself with a smile. Those in the meeting room stared at each other.It was as if they did not have a hoot to give about this newly appointed manager, as only one out of the many had the courtesy to respond in kind. ? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org. "Hi Miss Riddle.I''m Jean Pearce." Nicole looked at him and nodded. "What were you guys discussing about?" "We were just discussing about the design of the manned flying car," Jean reported. Nicole sat down and took a good look at everyone, "Oh, carry on.Don''t let me stop you." "Okay.Jean was left stunned for a brief moment, but he immediately understood what Nicole had meant. "Let''s pick up from where we left off." Jean spoke to those in the room. Then, they continued their discussion, with each of them taking turns to present their ideas and opinions on the project. Chapter 1144 Chapter 1144 "Both of these designs are unique in their own ways, but I think the first design is better," a middle-aged man said, voicing his opinions to everyone within earshot. "I share his view," another man said. "The first design is better suited for the current market. This belongs to N?velDrama.Org. Besides, it is also simpler. In terms of difficulty when ites to production, the first design would be rtively easier to produce and manufacture. "Yeah, that makes sense," echoed those who agreed. "I don''t think so," another one of the men argued. "Although the first design is much better suited for the current market, I wouldn''t say it matches entirely.We have to bear in mind that our product might not be introduced to the market anytime soon.So, if we are making an assessment based on the data we currently have, it wouldn''t be ideal at all." "In that case, what do you suggest we refer to? Data from the future?" one of them replied sarcastically. The room burst intoughter. "We shouldn''t be dismissing that as a factor," the man responded. "We are gathered here today, discussing about the manned flying car project because one of us had the vision to make this a reality.If no one had thought about it before, perhaps we wouldn''t be sitting here at this moment. "What I''m trying to say is, the car that we''re designing should be tailored for the convenience of the people in the future, and that is why we have to be bold enough to imagine.We can''t be toofortable with ourselves.If we can get out of ourfort zones, we can design a something that will be considered state-of -the- art for many decades toe." "That is a valid take, and we all understand where you''reing from," one of the men supportive of the first design replied. "Who wouldn''t want to design a car that will amaze everyone? However, it would be too early for us to consider that, judging by our current capabilities.I believe our main goal here is to produce a manned flying car first.Without a prototype, any further discussion will just be nothing but hot air." Nicole, who sat at the front, quietly watched the back and forth. As the interminable discussion went on, Jean looked at Nicole. "Ms.Riddle, as the manager, which design do you think is better?" Now that Jean had asked, everyone''s eyes were centered at Nicole. They were all waiting for her to tell them what she thought. Nicole looked around the room. ''Everyone has strong ideas and opinions about this, and that is why they are at an impasse. But now that they have thrown such a loaded question at me, I can''t help but wonder if they are trying to get me to dig my own grave?'' With that thought in mind, Nicole shed them a smile and looked at all of them in the eye, "I think everyone has made their point, and truth be told, there are strengths and weaknesses to all of your arguments.To bepletely honest, I don''t think I have a strong opinion on what should and shouldn''t be.After all, I don''t specialize in designs.But I have a suggestion.If we can''t decide on the design, why don''t we all vote?" Nicole went about exining before throwing the question back to them. The whole group looked at each other, after which Jean continued the conversation by saying, "I think Miss Riddle has a point.What do you guys think?" "Since we can''t reach a unanimous decision, we can only vote," one of the men said. "Alright, as everyone has agreed to vote, let''s just begin," Jean said. "Those in favor of the first design, please raise your hand." Jean announced. "And those in favor of the second design, please raise your hand." After all of the votes had been counted, Jean dered, "After having counted, the first design has 18 votes while the second design has 12 votes.ording to the results, we will be using the first design." It was then that the meeting room erupted with a mix of jeers and cheers. Naturally, the ones cheering were those in favor of the first design. "Ms.Riddle, do you have anything else to say?" Jean asked Nicole. "Nope." "Okay.Since we have decided on a design, let''s hurry up and work on the next step.The meeting is thus over." Jean announced to the rest in the room. After that, everyone in the meeting room got up and left one after another. "That was depressing." Harvey sighed after everyone had left the room. "Nicole, it seems like the people here are anything but friendly." "Don''t give it too much thought.That''s how researchers are like.Some of them can be really condescending," Nicole replied, as she understood their demeanor, and had encountered those who were worse in that regard. Chapter 1145 Chapter 1145 "What are we going to do now?" Harvey asked Nicole. "Let''s get to know this ce." Nicole stood up and walked out. "Ike, please show us around.I''d like to check this ce out." "Sure, this way please." Ike gestured, bing a tour guide at an instant as he brought Nicole and the rest of her group around in order to familiarize them to the ce. ''What you''re seeing here is the design department.This is where the designs were made." "Further up is the production department," Ike continued. "After the design department has created a finalized blueprint, they would conduct their experiments here.And finally, we have the research and development department.That is the core department where the bulk of developments take ce.Of course, there are other sections which are not as significant, such as that resting lounge, cafeteria and more." Nicole nodded and turned to Ike. "Which department are you in?" "I''m in the R&D department." "Oh, that''s impressive," This belongs to N?velDrama.Org. Nicole quipped as a hint of admiration shed in her eyes. "Nah." Ike looked at Nicole humbly. "The issue that you guys have been struggling with for days has been solved.I guess there''s nothing else I can help out with.I guess I should leave now," Nicole said, getting ready to leave. But before she could, Ike stopped her. "You haven''t been to the R& D department.Don''t you want to check it out?" "Am I allowed to enter?" Nicole looked at Ike, her eyes filled with doubt. "Of course! You''re our manager.You''re allowed ess to all of the areas." Ikeughed. "How about the two of them?" Nicole pointed to Harvey and Kelly. "I''m sorry, but I''m afraid not.The R&D department is the core department, so ess is restricted." Ike looked at Nicole apologetically. "Understood," Nicole uttered and turned to them. "In that case, the both of you can wait for me at the lounge area." "Alright," Kelly said. After that, Ike brought Nicole into the R&D department. "Sounds like they''re keeping secrets," Harvey murmured as he watched Ike and Nicole disappear into the area he was not allowed to enter. "Harvey, shall we sit there and wait for Miss Riddle?" Kelly pointed to the chairs at the lounge area. When they had arrived at the R&D department, both of them noticed that the researchers were busy with their duties. Even after Nicole and Ike had entered for quite a while, none of the researchers had bothered to acknowledge them. "Everyone, stop what you''re doing for a moment.Let me introduce to you, thisdy beside me is one of the managers of the manned flying car project, Miss Nicole Riddle," Ike announced, prompting all of them to look up. "Ms.Riddle," everyone in the room greeted in unison. "Hello everyone," Nicole greeted them back with a smile. Chapter 1146 Chapter 1146 "You may continue with your work," Ike said to all of them. "Miss Riddle, this way please." "What is that thing they''re working on?" Nicole nced at Ike and asked. "They''re developing a chip," Ike said. "A chip? Why aren''t we using those developed by professional chip manufacturers?" Nicole looked at Ike with her brows raised. "The manufacturers out there couldn''t meet our needs.To them, our requirements are just too high.They just can''t meet our standards, so we could only produce them on our own.Besides, it will be much more convenient for us to improve on the project if we have our own supply of chips," Ike exined. "I see, Although it''s not a walk in the park to develop, we''ll definitely have an upper hand in the future, as it''s our own technology," Nicole analyzed. "That''s right.We won''t have to be at the mercy of the manufacturers anymore.Furthermore, we could sell these chips to others if we y our cards right." Ike grinned. "Now that''s a good idea.We''re killing two birds with one stone," Nicoleplimented. "At any rate, these researchers are the ones busting their rears to make this work.Be sure to take good care of them, and provide them with whatever they need.Should they face any problems, always render immediate help." Nicole instructed. "Understood," Ike said. "Let''s get out of here." Nicole said. Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org. "If we don''t, we''ll just be getting in the way of their work." "Sure, I''ll walk you out," Ike replied. Ike apanied Nicole to the entrance, after which she turned to him and said, "You don''t have to apany me.You should get back to work.I''ll tour around on my own." "Alright.Call me if you need anything." Ike walked back into the R &Db after he had said that. Nicole then sauntered off to the lounge area where Harvey and Kelly were sitting, drinking coffee. "I see that the two of you seemfortable." Hearing Nicole''s voice, Harvey looked over, "You''re out already? I thought the both of you would be staying there for quite a while." "I''m worried that I''ll just be in the way, so, I just checked it out and left."" Nicole exined. "Where are we going now?" Harvey asked Nicole. "Let''s...just walk around." Nicole looked around and headed off to a random direction. "Do you even know the way?" Harvey mocked at her. "No, but how big could this ce be? We won''t get lost, so don''t worry about it." Nicole rolled her eyes and continued walking straight. As she was walking, a virtual image disy caught her eye. "Wow! This looks beautiful!" "Is this the manned flying car?" Harvey walked over, also captivated by the virtual image disy. "I think so." Nicole replied, not very sure. "It will be so cool if we could drive something like that in the future!" Harvey said, his eyes glued to the image.He could not help butpliment it. "This is the design department.Let''s check things out in there." Nicole eyed the sign beside her. When she had pushed the door open, every person in the department stared at her. Nicole led Harvey and Kelly into the room. Then, a young chief designer came over and greeted her. "Miss Riddle, are you here to observe?" Chapter 1147 Chapter 1147 ¡°No, it''s just that the disy out there really caught my eye, and so, I walked in." Nicole smiled at him. With Nicole having to businesspeople on a daily basis, she had trained herself to maintain a graceful smile on her face, so that no one could guess what her actual thoughts were. ¡°Oh, that was our design from the previous phase. The extended his hand as a gesture of invitation. "Over here." Then, he led Nicole in. ¡°What you''re looking at now is modelled ording to the previous iteration. After a few alterations, we came up with a new sketch. The previous one was based purely on our imagination, so it did not quite cut it in terms of utility and realism. The one we have now is much better, but we''re still trying to improve on it," the chief designer said, introducing thetest design to Nicole. ¡°It looks amazing. The fact that your team could bring your imaginations to life is amazing." Nicole complimented. ¡°We are ttered," the chief designer replied. "Looking at your design, I noticed that the car is only fit for two, am I right?" Nicole looked at the image in front of her and asked. "That''s right. As the manned flying car is meant to be airborne, the critical part is its propulsion. Once that is set, it will be safe, which is why we''re trying our best to reduce its size. That way, the engine can maintain a stable output. If its load is too heavy, it might affect both the thrust and the momentum, which will then endanger the driver," he exined. "I see. You''ve made a good point there. Safety and security is our main priority. After we have addressed that, it would be great if we can develop a four-seater. Still, we can save that thought for later. With the continued advancements in technology, I''m sure we can achieve it one day. It''s just a matter of time,¡± Nicole remarked, recognizing the chief designer''s efforts. "I''m sure we will. We will enhance and improvise ordingly, so that we can produce the very first manned flying car in the world. I believe that the rest wouldn''t be a problem after that." The chief designer looked at Nicole confidently. "Yes. Fingers crossed! I''ll make sure to keep an eye on any future developments,¡± she replied. "I can''t wait to see the first manned flying car designed by your team. "Anyway, I better not keep you around for too long. You can go ahead and continue with your work." Nicole turned around and left as soon as she was done speaking. "Have a good day, Miss Riddle." This belongs to N?velDrama.Org. After they had walked out of the design department, Harvey looked at Nicole with admiration. Noting his weird gaze, she asked, "Why are you looking at me like that?¡± "I''vee to notice that you''re looking more and more like a chairperson. All the things you''ve said seems to check out.¡± Harvey continued to stare at Nicole with that same gaze of admiration. "Was it that obvious?" Nicole asked, unable to believe his words. "Kelly, do you think I was a little too formal when I was talking to them?¡± Nicole turned to Kelly. "I think it was a little formal, but it''s not something you should worry about,¡± Kelly replied. Nicole shed her palm at her. "You don''t need to exin. I get it." Then, she kept walking. ¡°Nicole, where are you going?" Harvey asked. ¡°Out of here," Nicole answered. ¡°No, you were doing alright. Don''t worry about it." Harvey said, attempting tofort her for what he perceived as a slight against her. Nicole looked at Harvey and said, ¡°I''m not worried at all. I think the tour is almost done. We should head back." ¡°Oh, I see." Harvey said, embarrassed. As they were leaving theb, Nicole said, "Harvey, why do I feel as if there''s nothing to be worried about here. Everything seems to be going smoothly." ¡°Of course, they are all professionals doing what they do best. Did Scott send you here to do something for him?" Harvey looked at Nicole. ¡°He asked me to mingle around with the team and foster some sort of unity among them,¡± she said. "He told me not to worry about the other things.¡± ¡°Scott must have admired your leadership skills and your ability to bring people together. So, all you have to do is gather all of these experts and progress as a team towards the same goal," Harvey said, addressing her doubts. Chapter 1148 Chapter 1148 ¡°Harvey, you seem to have improved a lot this time around,¡± Nicole said upon arriving at that sudden realization and patted him in the shoulder. ¡°No, you''re wrong," he argued. "I''ve always been this good, alright?" ¡°That doesn''t matter. It''s a good day for me. I''ll treat you all to something nice!¡± Nicole said, acting like a generous sister to all of them. ¡°I guess we should think hard and decide what we want to have." Harvey narrowed his eyes and looked at Kelly. Kelly chuckled and covered her mouth while Nicole''s lips began twitching. ¡®Did Harveye all the way here just to clown around?¡¯ ¡°Have you decided?" Nicole urged, trying to get Harvey to hurry up. "Make up your mind or I will change mine.¡± ¡°Yeah. Let''s head to the western restaurant by the Winborg River. I''ve heard they have blue lobsters of the highest grade. I want to give that ce a try," Harvey suggested, on the verge of drooling in front of thedies. ¡°Winborg River? Where is that?¡± Nicole asked, having never heard of the location before. She then stared at Harvey with a brow raised. "Let''s get in the car,¡± Harvey replied. "I''ll have to check the map.¡± "Take your time,¡± Nicole said. "Let''s head to the city first.¡± "Kelly, you better take the wheel,¡± Harvey said. This belongs to N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Alright.¡± Kelly nodded. After they had covered a few miles in distance, Harvey said, "I''ve found the way. Kelly, follow this route.¡± "Okay." Kelly took the phone off his hands after he had passed it to her. "Harvey, it is a long way from here. If we go there just to find out that there aren''t any blue lobsters, I''ll turn you into our meal,¡± Nicole eyed him and said in a threatening tone of voice. ¡°Alright, but you''d have to make sure there is a pan big enough to fit me.¡± Harveyughed as he looked at Nicole. After a 30 minute drive, Kelly pulled up at the entrance of the restaurant by the Winborg River. As the car halted, Kelly turned around and looked at Nicole, "Ms. Riddle and Mr. Ellison? We''re here.¡± "Let''s get down.¡± Nicole nced at Harvey. After they had made their way into the restaurant, a waiter approached them and asked, ¡°Hello, how many of you?" ¡°Three,¡± Harvey replied. "This way, please." The waiter led them to the upper floor. After they had been seated, Harvey looked at the waiter, "I heard there are blue lobsters here. Do you have any today?" "Yes, we do." Harvey immediately felt relieved to know that he had not been wrong about the lobsters at all, "Can we have the biggest one?" Then, he turned to Nicole and said, "Nicole, you and Kelly should see if there''s anything you''d like to order.¡± ¡°I''ll have a steak and a sd." Nicole looked at the waiter. ¡°I''ll have a steak and a dessert of the day,¡± Kelly added. "Noted," the waiter said, and left. ¡°I hope you''re ready for the feast.¡± Harvey stared at them with a grin on his face. ¡°Harvey, consider this your lucky day.¡± ¡°Sir, are you fine with this lobster?" The waiter held a big fat lobster and walked over to get Harvey''s confirmation. ¡°Wow, now that''s huge." Harvey might have seen a great deal of things, but the size of the lobster did not fail to intimidate him. " Yes. I''m very much fine with it." ¡°Alright. We''ll proceed with the cleaning, then." The waiter brought the lobster away and strode off into the kitchen. ¡°Nicole, did you see that? That lobster''¡¯s head was thisrge!" Harvey gestured with his hands as if he was a caveman who had been introduced to civilization. Chapter 1149 Chapter 1149 ¡°Yes, I saw that. Please spare us the theatrics," Nicole said, having had enough of his antics. ¡°Ms. Riddle, is our work done for the day?¡± Kelly asked Nicole. ¡°Yeah, we can hang around in the afternoon and you can go wherever you want." Nicole turned to Kelly. ¡°Really?¡± Kelly smiled. ¡°That''s great!" While they were busy chatting with one another, the waiter came over with steaks and other snacks in hand, and ced them on the table. "Enjoy your meal." ¡°Their steak is pretty good." Nicole cut a small piece and took a bite out of it. ¡°Yeah,¡± Kelly added. After a while, two men carrying arge chopping board approached Nicole''s table. "Excuse me." The empty tes were taken away. Then, two handsome waiters hefted the gigantic lobster and ced it on the middle of the table, and just like that, the entire table was filled. "How do we eat such a huge lobster?¡± Harvey looked at the waiter. Another waiter brought a set of mallet and kitchen shears to the table. The three of them were stunned as they saw the tools. They did not realize that such tools, as unusual as they were, were needed for a meal of this sort. Harvey grabbed the huge kitchen shears and proceeded to stare at the waiter with his wide eyes, "We''re using this?¡± "Yes, sir. You can use this to extract the contents out the shell and eat it," the waiter said in manner that indicated he was not kidding at all. "Let''s get to work." Harvey held the kitchen shears and proceeded to cut his way through the ws with all of his strength. "These are for the both of you.¡± Harvey served the ws to Nicole and Kelly. ¡°Thanks.¡± Nicoleughed, thinking it was funny. "What are youughing at?¡± Harvey asked, his brows raised. "You must be happy. You can eat and mess around at the same time. Such an immersive dining experience is pretty interesting,¡± Nicolemented, happily eating the contents of the w which Harvey had much difficulty cutting through. "Quit screwing around. How''s does it taste?¡± Harvey wiped the sweat on his forehead away. "It is really tasty. Stop cutting. Here, have some." Nicole gave him a piece. Harvey scooped the flesh out of the w with his fork. Then, he dipped it into a special mixture of sauces and put it into his mouth. "Wow! It''s fresh!¡± After he had eaten his fill fora moment, Harvey continued shelling the lobster. Once he had made his fourth cut, he lifted his head and looked at Nicole, "Nicole, this is a rare experience. You should try it out yourself." "I think I''m fine where I am. You can continue with it," Nicole replied, not interested in cutting the lobster at all, as she preferred being served with lobsters that were readily prepared. Noticing Harvey''s grimace, Kelly grabbed the tools and looked at him with a smile, "This is quite interesting. I wish to experience it. After all, it''s not every day that you get to do this.¡± Then, she began to cut the lobster diligently. Harvey noticed that her technique was incorrect, so he made it a point to offer her some friendly advice. ¡°Hold the kitchen shears straight. Be careful when you''re cutting it. Make sure your hands aren''t too close to the shears." ¡°Okay.¡± Kelly said as a warm feeling flooded her from within. Owned by N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Kelly knows how to have fun. This really is a rare opportunity. Nicole, you''ll regret it if you don''t try it for yourself,¡± Harvey said, trying to persuade Nicole. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I''ll reserve this opportunity for you guys. I¡¯m sure I''lle across another in the future," she replied, making it sound as if Harvey and Kelly would not have this opportunity anymore. ¡°I guess what you said does make some sense," he said. "Kelly, don¡¯t overdo it. Leave the rest to the waiters so that they can help us.¡± As Harvey said that, Kelly began to blush. "Okay." After some painstaking effort, Kelly finally managed to cut an entire w out. ¡°It seems that food tends to taste better when you it is made with your efforts." ¡°I''m done. You guys can take your time." Nicole ced her fork down and drank her coffee. ¡°Nicole, I don''t think you ate a lot. Would you like to have another w?" Harvey looked at the shells in front of her. ¡°Oh, I''m stuffed," Nicole answered. ¡°The both of you can go ahead¡± Chapter 1150 Chapter 1150 The three of them ended the scrumptious meal with happy tummies. They were all slouching against their chairs by the end. ¡°Nicole, where would you like to goter?" Harvey asked Nicole. ¡°We''re going shoppingter. You can head back to the hotel and catch some rest,¡± Nicole said, not wanting Harvey toe along as she could shop with Kelly. ¡°I''ming with the both of you," he said. "As I''m so bloated right now, I could use some exercise to help with the digestion.¡± Harvey''s intentions were clear. He came all the way here just to apany Nicole. Naturally, he would pass on any opportunity to spend time with her. ¡°Suit yourself," Nicole said, as she could not care less. After they had left the restaurant, they drove to the bustlingmercial street. It was crowded and filled with excitement. Just as the car came to a stop, Nicole and Kelly got down and walked into themercial area. Perhaps they were so stuffed after the meal that Nicole, who had never liked shopping, actually initiated a trip. Harvey looked at them as they sauntered off to the distance. He got down from the car and slowly caught up with them. "Aren''t you girls shopping? Why are you walking so fast?" Harvey asked as he was chasing after them. "There are just too many people here,¡± Nicole turned back and looked at Harvey. "We''re thinking of looking for a slightly less crowded area. You don''t have rush after us. You can just take a stroll behind us. If we ever get lost, we can call each other.¡± ¡°Alright, I''ll try my best to keep up," he said. "Kelly, I think there''s a show of some sort over there. Let''s check it out!" Nicole pointed to a crowd near them. ¡°Surel" When they were in between the crowd, they saw a young man in a cape standing in the middle of the circle, performing magic tricks. "Look at this." The man bit his tongue while he was trying to verify the authenticity of the apple. "This is an apple.¡± "I''ll cover this with a piece of cloth." The man held the covered apple and stood in front of Nicole. Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org. "Miss, could you try and touch it to see if the apple is still in there? " The man looked at Nicole. Nicole stretched her hand out to touch it. ¡°It''s still there.¡± "Okay. This is my first time meeting thisdy. We don''t know each other, so she can''t be lying. Isn''t that right, Miss?" The man looked at Nicole as if waiting for her to confirm it. "Yes, we''re strangers,¡± she replied. "Okay. Now, we''re about to witness some magic. Please make sure your eyes are wide open.¡± The man walked around in a circle before returning to the middle. "Three, two, one." The man then whisked the cloth away, revealing that the apple had turned into a pear. The crowd burst intoughter and apuse, as Nicole and Kelly stared at the pear in shock. ¡°Ms. Riddle, how did you do that?" Kelly asked Nicole. ¡°To be honest, I have no idea," Nicole replied. The man smiled and walked up to Nicole. Then, he gave the pear to her, after which he continued performing. ¡°What was that show about?" Harvey approached Nicole and asked. ¡°Didn''t you see it?" ¡°I just reached.¡± ¡°The apple turned into a pear." Nicole showed the pear to Harvey. Harvey picked it up and took a closer look. He muttered, "An apple into pear? What an old trick." In the midst of the crowd, the magician was performing another trick. Those around him were enjoying it thoroughly, with the exception of Harvey, who was observing his moves intently. After the magician had sessfully performed another trick, a round of apuses followed Harvey smirked, ¡°Nicole, I know how he did it.¡± Nicole looked at Harvey. "You saw it?" Chapter 1151 Chapter 1151 ¡°That''s right. When he was showing the apple to others, he was secretly reaching into his pocket with the other hand. I guess that is when the switch urs," Harvey confidently exined. ¡°Ah, I see." Nicole finally understood. Knowing that it was a trick, she lost all of her interest in watching the show and left. ¡°Why are you leaving already?" Harvey asked, and hurried after Nicole. This belongs to N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Since you''ve solved the mystery, what''s the point in watching it anymore?" she replied. ¡°Ms. Riddle, there''s an escape room there. Should we try it out?" Kelly pointed to the ce following a short walk. Before Nicole could speak, Harvey stepped in and said, "Where is the fun in that? Let''s head to the front instead." Looking at Harvey, she understood why he had stopped them from going. The previous incident with Ike had urred at an interactive indoor level, so, he might be worried that something of that nature would happen again. ¡°Yes, I''ve been there before. It''s not that fun. Let''s keep walking," Nicole said, and when she had uttered thest word, her eyes met Harvey''s. As the trio continued, Nicole suddenly received a call from Zeke. " Nicole, what have you been up to? It''s been a long while." "I''ve gone abroad now. What made you think about calling me?¡± Nicole asked. "I am facing a massive problem. Can you help me when you''re avable?" Zeke said in a low and deep tone of voice. "A massive problem? With your skills, what could give you such a hard time?" Nicole said, thinking that he was joking around. "Stop teasing me. When you''re back at the hotel, I''ll send them over to you. That''s all for now. Bye.¡± Zeke hung up the instant he was done speaking. "ssic Zeke. He knows that he can''t manage tasks of such difficulty, and yet he just can''t turn a challenge down.¡± Nicole shook her head and sighed. "You were saying something?¡± Harvey frowned and looked at Nicole. "Nothing. Is there anything fun to do in front?¡± Nicole looked over and asked. "Well, there''s a shooting game. Should we give it a try?" Kelly looked at Nicole. To Nicole, a game like that would be a walk in the park. "Sure, let''s give it a shot." "Sir, how should we y this?¡± Kelly asked the person in charge. "Do you see those balloons there?¡± The man pointed. "If you manage to shoot ten, you''ll get a small plushie. If you''re able to shoot twenty, you''ll get the medium-sized ones. With thirty, you can get the big one and so on and so forth.¡± "What if I manage to shoot all of them? What do I get?" Nicole asked. ¡°All of them? Hah! I''ve been operating this business for a long time, and the bestpetitor I''ve had only managed to shoot thirty. You''d be lucky if you could shoot five,¡± he said. The man looked at Nicole''s petite frame. He knew that she had never yed such a game before, so he burst outughing. "It''s too early tough now. If I manage to shoot all of them, what do I get?¡± Nicole looked at the man, unsmiling. ¡°What sort of prize would you want?" ¡°I want those binocrs in your hands," Nicole said, as she already knew that it was a great item the moment she saw it on the booth. The boss took and examined it. "Sure, but if you lose, you''ll have to pay me tenfold the price of this thing.¡± "Sure," she said. ¡°Nicole, don''t you think you''re making that promise a little too quickly? At this sort of distance, it would be hard to get even one shot in. This is how they have rigged the game against you," Harvey reminded her. ¡°Don''t worry, I won''t lose," she said. Nicole raised the gun, and with a bam, one of the balloons at the far end burst.Harvey was shocked. "We got one!" Then, he looked at Nicole in surprise. "Come on! Let''s do it again." At this point, he was feeling even more pumped up now. Chapter 1152 Chapter 1152 Nicole fired a few more shots, causing bang after bang as the balloons burst. Seeing this, the owner''s eyes widened. ¡®That first shot might have been luck. But for each consecutive shot she had ced since then, I''m convinced it''s not luck anymore.¡¯ Before he knew it, Nicole had destroyed twenty balloons, and that was when he sat down, "Lady, I see you''ve shot down twenty. I''m telling you that it''s better to not push your luck. A medium-sized plushie will do. If you keep going, you''ll have to pay me money if you lose.¡± ¡°It''s fine. Since we''ve made a promise, I''ll follow through it. I''m not afraid of losing." Nicole looked at the boss and smirked. In the face of Nicole''s determination, the boss could not help but sit down. Soon after, Nicole shot ten more balloons, and when she looked over to her periphery, she could see that the owner of the booth was dripping with cold sweat. ''Those binocrs. I''m going to get it!¡¯ With the three consecutive bangs that followed, the man was left despairing over the fact that he would soon have to give his prized possession away. It seemed that he had finally met a professional shooter that day. With thest shot fired, the final balloon burst. Seeing this, Kelly rejoiced. ¡°Yay! We won!" Nicole ced the gun down, walked over to the owner, and looked at the binocrs. "Sir, please honor your promise.¡± The boss caressed the binocrs in his hand for a moment. Then, he closed his eyes and passed it to Nicole at once, "Take it.¡± Nicole took the binocrs from him. "Thank you. Now, let''s go." When they had left the shooting booth, Harvey looked at the binocrs in Nicole''s hands and asked, "Nicole, I saw that the owner had other things to offer. Why would you choose a pair of binocrs? Do you have any uses for it?¡± Harvey was confused. He did not understand why Nicole would want binocrs that looked antiquated. "This is good stuff. You just don''t have an eye for things like these. " Nicole nced at Harvey with a smirk. "Pfft, who would believe that?¡± "You guys are....¡± Nicole let out a sigh, feeling toozy to exin herself any further. All that mattered was that she understood the value of the item she had acquired. "Where else do you guys want to go?" Harvey looked at the twodies. ¡°I''m pretty much done. I want to go back and catch some rest. The both of you can go ahead and have your fun." Nicole looked at Kelly and knew that thetter still wanted to walk around for a bit more. ¡°Yeah, met too. I can''t even feel all that food in me anymore," Harvey said while he stroked his belly. Seeing that the both of them wanted to return to the hotel to catch some rest, Kelly had no choice but to follow suit. "Harvey, you''d be bored if you head back. Why don''t you stick around with Kelly and walk around for a bit?¡± Nicole said, suggesting the exact opposite. "I think that''s a good arrangement. Kelly, I''ll think I''ll have to make your job harder now. Just keep Harveypany, take your time, and look around.¡± Nicole smiled and gave Kelly a wink. Kelly understood what Nicole was trying to tell her and nced at Harvey shyly, ¡°Alright.¡± ¡°Okay, I''m off now. The both of you can take your sweet time.¡± Nicole waved and left. With Harvey and Kelly being left to their own devices, they looked at each other, "Where are we going?" Nicole drove herself back to the hotel, and the first thing she did as soon as she had reached was switch herputer on and check for Zeke''s message. ¡°This is a defense operation." Nicole began to peruse the contents of the message. Soon after, Nicole took her phone out and called Zeke, "Hello, what was the task that you have received?" ¡°Cyber defence. But I''m not sure whichpany it belongs to. I''ve been looking it up for the whole day and I haven''t found a clue just yet," Zeke replied, as he was just as doubtful when he received the task. ¡°I''m not surprised that you weren''t able to find out. Tasks such as these are usually assigned by arms dealers. Normally, they would hire an agent to release this, so that others won''t be able to trace it back to them," Nicole exined. ¡°I get it now. I guess this will be a tough one, then," Zeke muttered. "Nicole, what do you think I should do with this task?¡± ¡°I need to look further into it," she said. "If this really does concern arms and munitions, things may get tricky. Just wait for my call." ? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org. After Nicole was done speaking, she hung up at once. Chapter 1153 Chapter 1153 Nicole ced her phone down and began typing on the keyboard. When she saw the notification on theputer screen, her eyes darkened. ¡®Seems like someone is nning to get firearms,¡¯ she thought. ¡°Zeke, activate the firewall I''ve created for now. If anything happens, contact me.¡± Nicole sent the procedure over and continued her investigation on this issue. Meanwhile, Jared had gone to visit his grandfather. ¡°Jared, do you have any updates regarding your Uncle Henry?" Mr. Johnston Sr. asked. ¡°Not yet. Searching for someone who''s holed up in another country takes time, so my people are still working on it. We''ll probably hear from them soon enough if Uncle Henry hasn''t flown to a third country," Jared responded. ¡°No one else knows about this, right?" Mr. Johnston Sr. asked as he looked at Jared. "No." "Good. Do not ruin the name of our family. Let''s just settle this matter privately.¡± "Sure." "You should head back to work.¡± ¡°Take care, grandpa. Bye for now." Jared stood up and left the ward. The instant Jared had entered the corridor, he asked, "Max, do you have updates regarding Henry?¡± "Nope, it''s as if he has vanished into thin air," Max replied. "There have been no traces of him since he fled.¡± Jared sighed, frustrated. "Hire a professional detective from that country to aid us. It will be great if we can find him as soon as possible.¡± ¡°Alright, I''m on it,¡± Max replied. This belongs to N?velDrama.Org. When he went back to his mansion, the silent emptiness in the house made him think of Nicole. So, he picked his phone up and called her. "Hello, are you busy right now?¡± "It''s alright. What''s up?" Nicole turned the loudspeaker on as her eyes scanned through the details on herputer. ¡°Nothing much, just wanted to ask how you''re doing over there," Jared replied, as he just wanted to hear her voice. ¡°I''m fine,¡± she said. "If that''s all you wanted to ask, I''ll be going off now.¡± "Okay, bye." Jared finished, feeling calmer now that he had heard Nicole''s voice. Nicole did not even have the time to think about the reason as to why Jared called her in the first ce. As soon as she had ended the call, she centered all of her attention to the information on theputer. "Nicole, I''ve already activated your firewall. What should I do now? " Zeke asked her. ¡°Now, you''ll have to watch out for any attacks that might give the person''s location away,¡± Nicole ordered. ¡°Okay,¡± Zeke replied, after which he dozed off. After some time, Zeke woke up from his sleep to find that Nicole''s firewall had not been breached at all. Looking at the screen, he thought, ¡®¡®Is that all for today?" But just when he was about to fall asleep again, hisputer notified him with an alert. "Danger! Danger!" Zeke jumped at once, with his eyes glued to the screen. His fingers darted across his keyboard as he wanted to locate where the cyber- attack wasing from. By doing so, he would be able report back to Nicole so that she could n a more precise assault. Much to his dismay, however, it was just a test. That other party had ceased before Zeke could trace them. ¡°Argh! I was so close.¡± Zeke struck the table, angry and frustrated. It was then that Nicole sent him a text message. ¡°They are testing the waters, but you have to try your best to locate them. We don''t know when, or how long they''re going to keep testing us." ¡°Okay.¡± Then, Nicole proceeded to stand guard by theputer. Though she had already perfected her system, she was still wary of the unexpected. Chapter 1154 Chapter 1154 Though they were situated in two different parts of the world, they were protecting the very same thing. The next day, Harvey knocked on Nicole''s door. "Nicole, do you want to have breakfast together?" When the first rap was not answered, he knocked on her door a few more times. ¡°Nicole?¡± Then, her door creaked open, revealing a Nicole with tousled hair as she stood before him. "Order a takeaway for me when you go out for your mealter."¡± Harvey was shocked to see Nicole looking so unkempt. "What happened, Nicole?" ¡°What do you mean ¡®what happened¡¯? I''m fine,¡± she replied. Nicole had stayed up all night, so her eyes were bloodshot and her lids were drooping. ¡°Are you sure that you''re fine?" Harvey asked as he studied her from top to toe. ¡°What''s wrong?" Nicole looked at him with her brow raised before turning to the mirror. ¡°Gosh! Why do I look like this?!" Nicole immediately ran off to the washroom to freshen up. Owned by N?velDrama.Org. Then, she walked out after she was done grooming herself. ¡°Why are you still here?¡± ¡°I''m worried about you," he replied. "What happened? Why do you even look like this?" Harvey was baffled as he wondered, ''She was perfectly fine yesterday, and we even strolled around the area. Why does she look so tired this morning?¡¯ "Like I said, I''m fine. I just stayed up to take care of some work- rted stuff. You should have your breakfast now, and please, remember to get me some food after you''re done." Nicole pushed Harvey aside and walked out. ¡°Alright, I''ll get you some food right now. You should catch some rest." Harvey looked at Nicole before heading downstairs, worried and downcast. Nicole closed the door and walked back to her room where she fell asleep before she even knew it. Suddenly, she was jolted awake by a notification on her phone. She then grabbed it and saw that Zeke had sent her a message. " The firewall yesterday was a sess. It hasn''t been hacked at all. Unfortunately, I wasn''t able to trace their exact location." "The assault was a rather aggressive one, and yet you still weren''t able to trace them? What''s going on?" Nicole responded, beginning to doubt Zeke''s expertise. ¡°I''m bummed out too. With my skills, I didn''t think I''d fail. Do you think that they might be professionals?" Zeke texted back with a shocked emoji at the end of the sentence. "Well, that''s not impossible. You should focus on guarding the system today. I''ll find another way to trace them,¡± Nicole replied, and went off to give herself a rinse. While she was in the midst of it, she heard a knock on her door again, and so, she hurried out of the bathroom to answer it. ¡±You''re done eating already? Well, that''s quick.¡± "No, not yet. I''ve brought it all up to eat with you because I don''t want you to starve yourself,¡± Harvey replied, concerned as he walked over to the couch and took a seat. ¡°Thanks, you go ahead. I''ll join you when I''m done washing up.¡± Nicole then returned to the washroom to continue grooming herself. She walked out of the washroom and joined him on the couch thereafter, but the instant she saw that the food on the coffee table had remained untouched, she asked, ¡°Why haven''t you started?" ¡°I told you that I''m going to eat with you." Harvey felt a lot better the moment he saw Nicole''s current state. ¡®At least her hair is tidier now.¡¯ ¡°Tuck in." Nicole took a sandwich and gave it to Harvey. ¡°Nicole, are you still going to the manufacturing base of the manned flying cars today?" Harvey asked as he looked at Nicole. ¡°Nope,¡± she replied. ¡°You and Kelly can do whatever you want today." ¡°Whatever we want? So where are we heading off to today?" Harvey looked at Nicole with his head tilted. ¡°You can discuss with Kelly about this," she said. "I''m not joining you today." ¡°You''re not joining us? What are you going to do then?" Harvey asked Nicole with a brow raised and his forehead creased. ¡°I have to stay here and take care of something important," she answered. "I can''t disclose the details to you, though. Anyway, thanks for the breakfast. I''m done, so I''ll get back to business now. ¡°Oh, and remember to close the door on your way out." Nicole finished and made a beeline for her computer. Chapter 1155 Chapter 1155 Harvey wanted to join Nicole by herputer, but as she had explicitly said that there was ssified information involved, he could only do as he was told, and leave. The instant he had left Nicole''s room, he saw Kelly had just exited the elevator. Upon noticing him, she walked over to Harvey and greeted him politely, "Good morning, Harvey.¡± "Good morning. Did you bring these for Nicole?" Harvey looked at the box of sandwiches in her hands. "Yeah, is Miss Riddle awake?" "Yeah, but I just bought her breakfast.¡± Harvey was implying that Nicole had already eaten, which was why Kelly would not have to bother her anymore. "I see. Well, have you had your breakfast, Harvey?" Kelly looked at Harvey and thought, Tf he hasn''t had his breakfast yet, perhaps we can have it together.¡¯ "Yeah, I have,¡± he said. "Oh, guess I''ll head back to my room, then.¡± Kelly bade him farewell and returned to her room.Harvey was feeling bored after he had gone back to his room too, so he switched his TV on.Meanwhile, Nicole had sessfully located her target, and had sent a virus over to their system. After a slight dy, she received a call from Zeke. "Nicole, the assault has stopped. I don''t think they''re testing us this time. It was too sudden,¡± Zeke reported. "I did it. I guess theirputer has been destroyed now, so you can go ahead and im your bonus.¡± Nicole said, feeling light- hearted now. "You''re awesome, Nicole. There''s nothing you can¡¯t do!¡± "Eh, I guess I''m alright." "With theirputer fried, do you think that they will get it repaired andunch another attack soon?" Zeke asked, worried. "I''ll try to upload the virus into the firewall, so when someone tries to hack it, theirputer will be infected once they''ve breached the firstyer. That way, it will be secure. In the meantime, you should keep an eye on it for a bit and contact me when somethinges up,¡± Nicole ordered. This belongs to N?velDrama.Org. "Okay, I''ll share my bonus with you, for sure," Zeke said happily. "Alright, goodbye now," she said. Nicole continued working on theputer after she had ended the call, as she wanted to install the virus into the firewall, just as she had told Zeke. Time flew, and before she knew it, she realized that two hours had passed since she ended the phone call. She then switched herputer off and stretched her muscles. "It''s finally done.¡± After loosening up her joints, she threw herself on the bed. Knowing that she could finally be at ease now, she closed her eyes and dozed off, but after a while, she was awakened by a series of knocks on the door again. "Who is it? Why do they always have to disturb my dream?!" Nicole mumbled and went back to sleep. After a few minutes, the person rapped on her door again, prompting Nicole to make her way towards it with a frown. "Who is it?" "It''s me, Miss Riddle,¡± Kelly''s voice streamed in from the other side of the door. Nicole looked at Kelly after she opened it. "What''s up?¡± "Miss Riddle, it''s noon now. I''m just here to ask what you''d like to eat." "It''s already noon now?" Nicole looked at Kelly in a daze. "Yeah, did you just wake up?" Kelly eyed her, scanning her from top to toe. "Yeah, what did you and Harvey do in the morning?¡± Nicole took a seat on the couch. "Harvey and I? I was in my room the whole time, so I wasn''t with Harvey.¡± Kelly furrowed her brows and looked at her. Chapter 1156 Chapter 1156 ¡°Oh, just ask Harvey about lunch," Nicole said. "I just woke up, so I don''t really have an appetite just yet." ¡°Are you okay, Miss Riddle?" Kelly asked Nicole with a look of concern as she thought Nicole was feeling unwell. ¡°I''m fine. I¡¯m just a little tired.¡± ¡°In that case, we''ll bring some food up so that we can eat together. ¡° ¡°No, don''t worry about me,¡± Nicole said. ¡°I''ll grab something when I''m hungry.¡± ¡°Have a good rest. I''ll go talk to Harvey now.¡± Kelly then walked out of Nicole''s room. Nicole no longer felt sleepy after she had been awakened by Kelly, so she showered and put on a fresh set of clothes before walking out of her room. ¡°Miss Riddle, weren''t you going to get some rest? Why are you out and about?" Kelly asked when she and Harvey bumped into her as they left their rooms. "I couldn''t sleep after you left, so I wanted to take a stroll outside. I didn''t expect to bump into the both of you." Nicole looked at them, surprised. "Well, we''ll join you then.¡± Harvey walked over to Nicole. "Yeah, we''ll keep youpany and have a meal with you right after.¡± Kelly smiled as she linked arms with Nicole. "Won''t you be starving yourselves then?" "Nah, we''re not that hungry yet.¡± Harvey looked carefree as he stared at Nicole. ¡®As long as I''m with Nicole, hunger is thest thing on my mind.¡¯ "Let''s go then.¡± Nicole took the lead and made her way to the elevator. "Nicole, let''s catch a movie in the afternoon since we''re all free. What do you think?" Harvey suggested. To Harvey, travelling abroad was equivalent to going on a vacation. This time, he had Nicole with him, and with Jared out of the picture, he wanted to do what he would have done if he was out on a date with Nicole. "Sure," Nicole responded without hesitation. After taking a stroll in the garden, Nicole began to feel hungry, so she looked at them and asked, ¡°Should we have our lunch now?" ¡°Sounds good,¡± Kelly said. "Harvey, do you have any good rmendations?¡± Nicole asked yfully as she looked at Harvey. "Let''s see." Harvey began to ponder. "There''s a barbeque restaurant across the street, right? Should we give it a try?¡± Kelly pointed at the barbeque restaurant and suggested. ¡°Sure," Harvey agreed. "Why are so quick to agree to it? Do you have nothing in mind?" Nicole teased him. "You wish. I just think that barbeque is an excellent choice," Harvey replied in a serious tone of voice. Nicole smiled as she looked at him. "Let''s go then." ¡°What''s the deal with that look on your face?" Harvey asked as she turned her back on him. Nicole ignored him and sauntered off to the barbeque restaurant with Kelly. ? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org. After they had entered the premises, Nicole found a quiet spot by the window and sat down. "Just order whatever you want, Kelly.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Kelly uttered. The trio then chatted with one another at the table, making the atmosphere ever more joyous. ¡°Nicole, judging by speed of the progress in terms of research, how long do you think we''re going to be here?" Harvey asked as he looked at her. ¡°I think we can go home in a few days,¡± Nicole responded. ¡°Wow, that soon?" Harvey blurted out, slightly shocked as he looked at her with his eyes widened. ¡°Why? Don''t you want to go home?" Nicole asked. ¡°No, it''s just that we''d always let go of a project only after monitoring it for a few days," he fumbled. ¡°Don''t you think you''re letting go of it a bit too soon?¡± Harvey was just making up excuses at this point. He just did not wish to go home, as that would mean that he would no longer be together with Nicole every day anymore. Chapter 1157 Chapter 1157 ¡°You''re right," Nicole said. ¡°Usually, a new project has to be monitored for some time, but you''ve seen it yourself yesterday. They''re professionals who are good at what they do, so other than a few curveballs every now and again, they''ll be perfectly fine. Besides, I can''t do much over here. As long as I can get updates about the research progress anytime, I can alwayse back." ¡°Whoa, where did that humilitye from?" Harvey asked as he arched his brow. ¡°I''m not being humble," she replied. "I''m just stating the facts. ¡°Okay, let''s stop talking about that. Are we going to watch a movie after this?" Nicole looked at Harvey curiously. ¡°Sure, we can do it anytime,¡± Harvey replied, when he suddenly noticed a familiar figure. ¡°Why is she here?" "Who?" Nicole tracked his gaze and looked over. "Chloe?¡± Chloe was heading at their direction when her eyes met Harvey''s, but she did not notice Nicole, whose back was facing her. "Harvey? What a coincidence. You''re here too?¡± Chloe walked over and greeted him. Owned by N?velDrama.Org. "What a coincidence, indeed. When did you get here?" Harvey greeted her in return. "I just came here yesterday. I was just shopping around when I saw this barbeque restaurant, so I came in to try it out. I didn''t expect to see you here. Seems like it is meant to be.¡± Chloe looked at him with a smile. "Is this your friend?¡± Chloe then turned to look at the person who was sitting across from Harvey. "Nicole?!" The second Chloe saw Nicole, she froze. The excitement that she had on her face was immediately wiped off. "Why are you here too?!" Chloe asked, confused. "Why can''t I be here? Are you the only one allowed to travel abroad?¡± Nicole took a nce at her and continued eating. ¡°Why you...¡± Harvey could tell that there was bad blood between Chloe and Nicole, so he quickly relieved the tension. "Chloe, get a table as soon as you can. This barbeque here is as good as the one back home." Chloe knew that he was trying to diffuse the tension, but she wanted to get the upper hand in this confrontation. "Isn''t the seat next to you empty, Harvey? Can I sit next to you?" "Well..." Harvey saw that Nicole was still considering it, but Chloe had already sat down. Seeing this, Harvey could not do anything, but get the waitress to bring them another set of cutleries. Nicole and Chloe sat facing each other at the table, but neither of them spoke to one another. However, everyone around them could feel the tension between the two. The grill was still piping hot, but no one was eating. Kelly looked at both Nicole and Chloe before turning her gaze to Harvey. Shemunicated to him with her eyes in a way that signaled, "What do we do now?" Harvey replied with his eyes as well, with its implication being, "I have no idea." Suddenly, an idea dawned upon Harvey as he poured a ss of water for Chloe. "Have a cup of water, Chloe." Chloe could not ignore Harvey''s gesture, so she rolled her eyes at Nicole and smiled at him. "Thankyou, Harvey.¡± ¡°Don''t worry about it." Harvey seemed to have resolved the tension at the table, giving both Kelly and Harvey some measure of relief. ¡°Chloe, are you here for work?" Harvey asked, picking a random topic to prevent Chloe from breaking out into a fight with Nicole. ¡°No, I''m here for vacation. What about you, Harvey?" Chloe asked as she looked at him. "We''re here for work.¡± "We?" Chice immediately understood Harvey. ''Turns out, they came here together.¡¯ ¡°Yeah, the three of us are here for work," Harvey exined without hesitation. Chapter 1158 Chapter 1158 Then, Chloe noticed that thedy next to Nicole was her previous assistant, Kelly. ¡°Why are you with them?" Chloe asked, shocked as she looked at Kelly. Kelly did not respond as she did not know how to formte a reply that would not piss Chloe off. "I see. You''re Nicole''s assistant now, right?" Chloe guessed as she nced over at Nicole. Kelly offered a weak nod and remained silent. "Seems like Jared hasn''t been treating you that well, hun? Even your assistant is a leftover from me." Chloe looked at Nicole and mocked her. She had belittled the both of them in a single sentence and was looking as smug as ever. "That''s rich,ing from a person who doesn''t even deserve to have an assistant." Nicole looked around, but she did not see anyone else together with Chloe. "You''re thest person who has the right to say that." "Who doesn''t deserve to have an assistant, you say?¡± Chloe retorted with a re. "You, obviously. Don''t you have any self-awareness? Look around you. Is there anyone else who fits that bill?¡± Nicole said, her scathing remarks effectively hurting Chloe. Indeed, Henry had fled the country and Kelly had resigned. Chloe was afraid that she would be dragged into this mess, so she quickly fled to another country, which was why she was eating alone. Chloe was at a loss for words and could not find anything to say in response, so all she could do was re at Nicole. "Do you know that my assistant is unpacking my luggage back in the hotel? Do you think everyone would bring their assistant everywhere with them, just like you?" Chloe retaliated with a lie. ¡°You should look in the mirror. Aren''t you the person who likes to bring their assistant everywhere with them?" Nicole asked, merciless in her attempt to back Chloe into a corner. Harvey quickly changed the subject when he saw that they were fighting again. "We''re almost done with our food, so it''s about time we head to the theater.¡± Nicole took a nce at him and said, "Let''s go then. The environment here sucks, and I''ve had enough of it.¡± Nicole took the lead and stood up, followed by Harvey and Kelly. However, Chloe had not had thest word, so she was determined not to let Nicole off the hook. "Harvey, are you going to watch a movie too?" Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Ah... yeah.¡± Harvey nced over at Nicole before responding to Chloe. "Which movie?" Chloe asked. "Are you going too? You know, if you leave, I''m going to be really bored eating here on my own. "Uh..." ¡°Why don''t you stay here with me for a bit?" Chloe looked at Harvey with a wink and a smile. ¡°We''re leaving now, so it''s up to you if you wish to stay ore with us." Nicole saw that Harvey was stuck between a rock and a hard ce, so she walked off on her own. ¡°Nicole,¡± Harvey called out to her, but she strutted off without another nce over her shoulder. The moment Kelly and Nicole had stepped outside, Kelly said, " Don''t let a person like her anger you, Miss Riddle. It''s not worth it.¡± ¡°I''m not actually pissed. I just wanted to rile her up.¡± Nicole smirked. ¡°Then, are we going to wait for Harvey to join us, or..." Kelly blinked and looked at Nicole. "We''ll go to the movies first. If he wants to join us, he''ll let us know. Come on.¡± Nicole immediately took Kelly to the nearest movie theatre. ¡°There are so many movies, Miss Riddle. Which one are we going to watch?" Kelly asked, her eyes ranging from trailer to trailer at the counter. ¡°Which one interests you?" Nicole looked at the movie previews. Chapter 1159 Chapter 1159 "I think Sci-fi movies are more appealing to me." "Let''s watch the Sci-fi one, then." "Alright, I''ll go get the tickets." Kelly walked up to the counter. "Done.They''re going to check our tickets soon, so all we have to do is wait here for a bit." Kelly said, holding a big box of popcorn and two bottles of coke as she sat down next to Nicole. "Sure," Nicole replied. Back in the barbeque restaurant, Harvey was still being held back by Chloe, so he could only watch as Nicole left the restaurant. "Chloe, I''ve had my fill.I can''t eat anymore.You just got here, so you should take your time and enjoy your lunch," Harvey said, and was about to leave when she stopped him. "What''s the rush, Harvey? Is the movie really that good? If that''s the case, I''m not that hungry anymore.I''ll watch it with you ande back for lunchter." Chloe stood up and walked out of the restaurant too. Harvey was stupefied. ''Why is she joining us? Isn''t that going to cause a row?" "No Chloe, the movie isn''t that good.But if you want to watch it, you can watch it some other day.Things got a little awkward between you and Nicole back there, so it''s not a good idea for the both of you to be in the same room together," Harvey said in an attempt to dissuade her from following him around. However, he did not anticipate that Chloe would be so petty and unreasonable. The more he pushed her away, the more insistent she became. "Harvey, it wasn''t that big a deal.I was just bickering with Nicole, like sisters do all the time.Don''t take it seriously.Besides, I''m older than her.Why would I argue with a little girl?" Chloe said, framing Nicole as the sole reason behind the tension. Harvey looked at Chloe in disbelief. ''Is this really Chloe? Why is she acting like apletely different person?" Chloe would have been able to sway a person who had just gotten to know her. However, Harvey was not an Average Joe. Even though he did not really know Chloe, he was certain that Nicole despised her, judging by the way Nicole reacted to her presence earlier. Such was why he did not want Chloe around. Besides, it was he who hade up with the suggestion of going to the theatres together, and with the fact that he did so as a means of bonding with her, he did not want another conflict to disrupt that. "Hopefully, but I think it''s best for you to watch that movie with someone else.Goodbye." Harvey immediately walked out upon uttering thest word without sparing her the opportunity toe up with a response. "Harvey?" Chloe knew that Harvey was not keen with the idea of bringing her along, so she just followed him from afar. In truth, she did not wish to watch the movie at all. The reason as to why she had pestered Harvey was that she wanted to find another window of opportunity to humiliate Nicole, just to make herself feel better. Harvey called Nicole while he was on his way to the movie theatre. "Hello, Nicole.Which movie are you watching? Tell me the name, hall number, and seat number is." "Who are youing with?" Nicole asked instead of giving him a reply. "I am here on my own.Chloe is still having lunch in the restaurant, " Harvey stated with confidence. "Hurry up, then.They''re checking our tickets soon," Nicole urged him. "All right, I''m going up now.See you soon." Harvey entered the elevator and quickly closed the door. Chloe saw Harvey''s figure disappearing into the elevator, so she immediately took the other one leading up to the movie theatre. As soon as Harvey had gotten out of the elevator, there was already a crowd lining up outside of the theatre. "Harvey, over here." Kelly waved and called out to him the second she saw him. Harvey waved back and walked up to them. ? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org. "Why are you in such a rush? There are two other show times after this." Chapter 1160 Chapter 1160 "The two of us have been waiting for quite a while.You''re the one who''ste, and yet you have the gall toin?" Nicole rolled her eyes at him. "Okay, alright." Harvey knew that he had messed up too. ''It''s all Chloe''s fault" The usher was already beginning to check for their tickets, and the people were gradually entering the movie hall. At the end of the line, Chloe held her ticket as she walked in with the crowd.She counted the seats in the hall and took a seat behind Nicole and Harvey. However, none of the three noticed that Chloe was sitting right behind them. When the time came, the lights in the hall started to dim and the screening began. Nicole and Kelly were watching the movie without paying attention to anything else, but Harvey would steal a nce or two at Nicole''s side profile every now and again. "Miss Riddle, does Harvey want some popcorn?" Kelly looked toward Harvey''s direction and asked. "I''ll ask him." "Do you want to eat some popcorn, Harvey?" Nicole turned to Harvey and asked. "Nope." "He doesn''t want any." "How do you find this movie, Nicole?" Harvey asked, attempting to start a conversation with Nicole. Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org. "It''s not bad.I can definitely have a good time watching it," Nicole responded without looking at him. "Yeah, the CGI is not too shoddy.Did you choose this movie?" Harvey looked at her. Under the dim light, Nicole''s side profile was even more alluring. To him, it was so captivating that Harvey felt slightly awestruck. "Kelly and I did." Time passed and the movie soon neared its climax. Harvey was amazed by the animations and began to mumble excitedly to himself. Nicole was also enjoying the brilliant effects in the film, but she kept hearing a constant mumble next to her. Unable to stand it anymore, she turned to him. "We''re all watching the show.Can you keep it down a little?" "Alright, alright," he muttered. But as soon as she had turned her gaze back to the screen, Harvey said, "But Nicole, the animation was just too good!" Harvey still could not suppress his desire to discuss the movie with Nicole. Nicole rolled her eyes in annoyance, but Harvey could not see her frustration in such a dimly lit area. "Sorry, but can you just keep quiet? You are bing a disturbance," one of the other patrons said, unable to stand him anymore either. "Sorry about that," Harvey quickly apologized. But the silence did notst, as Harvey then opened his mouth once again. "Harvey, can you just shut up?" Nicole scolded as she was done being tactful. Before Harvey could respond, a voice cried out from behind Nicole. "Who are you to yell at Harvey? He can do whatever he wants!" Nicole and Harvey spun around simultaneously and in unison, they said, "Chloe?!" Nicole and Harvey exchanged looks and Harvey quickly exined, "I didn''t bring her here." "Why are you following us around?" Nicole asked, clearly displeased. "You even came all the way here!" "That''s where you''re wrong.The theatre is a public area, and I''m just here to watch a movie.Did you just say that I was following you? Well, here''s a news sh.You are not as important as you think you are," Chloe mocked Nicole with a smug look on her face. "I''m not going to dignify that with a response.I won''t want to be a nuisance." Nicole stifled her anger and continued watching the movie as she shifted in her seat. "You''re the nuisance, and yet you''ve got the temerity to im otherwise? How hrious,"Chloe said in a condescending tone of voice.Nicole treated her words as if they are hot air and continued enjoying the movie. Chapter 1161 Chapter 1161 Chloe would talk to Harvey from time to time after that, though he was not truly interesting in having a conversation with him.She just wanted to use the interaction as a vehicle with which to insult Nicole every now and again. In spite of the fact that it was a decent movie, Chloe''s sudden appearance had rendered the entire experience unenjoyable. While Chloe was still talking with Harvey, Nicole''s fury peaked, prompting her to re at Harvey and say, "Excuse me, I''m leaving. "Leaving? The movie hasn''t ended yet." Harvey looked at Nicole with his brow raised. "Move!" Nicole yelled. Harvey quickly made way for her, whereupon she walked out of the hall. When Kelly saw that Nicole was leaving, she followed. Seeing this, Harvey stood up and left as well, as there was no reason for him to stay anymore. Chloe rolled her eyes at them and shouted, "Gosh, they''re just so disruptive!" The people around Chloe looked at her in the exact same way she had looked at the trio. They were frustrated at her, but due to the fact that she was a lone woman, they decided not to reprimand her. "Nicole, aren''t you going to finish the movie?" Harvey ran out and asked Nicole. "Didn''t you see that smug look on Chloe''s face? With her around, I won''t be able to watch squat!" Nicole vented at Harvey. "How did she even get a seat behind us? It''s just weird!" Harvey sighed, unhappy with Chloe''s attitude toward Nicole. Harvey felt guilty, as he initially wanted to spend some quality time with Nicole. But as Chloe had caused a scene, it ruined everything for all three of them. "What''s so weird about it? She definitely came in with you!" Nicole red at Harvey, upset. "Please, I''ve got nothing to do with this.She was still in the restaurant when I walked out, and I didn''t know I was being followed while I was on my way here.I''ve got no idea how she even followed me here," Harvey said, refusing to admit that he had a part to y in how things turned out. "She doesn''t know anyone here other than you," Nicole fumed. "Maybe she just knew that we were going to watch this particr movie and found her way in.That''s possible, you know," Kelly said, attempting to defend Harvey. Nicole turned to Kelly. "Why are you defending him? Who''s assistant are you?" "Yours, of course." Kelly quickly went up and stood next to Nicole. "That''s what I thought.Anyway, I''m not in the mood anymore, so let''s head back and let her watch the movie alone." Nicole took onest look at the hall before turning around and leaving. But as soon as she had reached the entrance, her phone rang, prompting her to pick it up and answer the call. "What''s up, Ike?" "Miss Riddle, there''s a tech exhibition tomorrow.I wish to attend it with you.Will you be avable?" Ike asked. "When?" Nicole asked. "Tomorrow morning." "I think I''ll be able to make it.Just send me the locationter." She then thought, ¡®There''s nothing here for me to do anyway, so going to the exhibition isn''t a bad idea, after all" "That ce isn''t easy to find.Let''s just set a time and I''ll pick you up tomorrow," Ike suggested. "Sure, what time does the exhibition start?" Nicole asked. "Around 9 am." "Pick me up at 8, then," Nicole said him after having nned her time roughly. This belongs to N?velDrama.Org. "Alright, see you tomorrow," he said. "Bye." Nicole hung up right after. "Why are you all looking at me like this?" Nicole asked, startled by the curious look on Harvey and Kelly''s faces. Chapter 1162 Chapter 1162 "What''s going on? Did Ike ask you out?" Harvey looked at Nicole with his forehead creased. "Yeah, Ike invited me to an exhibition with him," she replied. "Let''s go back to the hotel now." "What exhibition, and are you the only one invited?" Harvey''s expression darkened. ''Did Ike really ask Nicole out to an exhibition? Doesn''t this mean that he''s trying to woo her?" "A tech exhibition.He probably invited me alone, since he didn''t mention anyone else in the call," Nicole said, holding back the fact that she was surprised too. "The only thing Ike thinks about are beautiful women!" Harvey purposely grumbled next to Nicole. "Do you want to go as well, Harvey?" Nicole asked and looked at him. "So what if I do? No one invited me anyway." Harvey said, his eyes downcast as he nced over at Nicole. ¡®He''s waiting for me to invite him" Nicole knew what he was thinking, so she smirked and asked, "What if I invited you?" "If you invite me, I think I might be able toe with you," Harvey said, still putting on a show. "Really?" Nicole looked at him with an arched brow. "Yeah." Harvey said, as he even sounded serious now. "In your dreams!" Sheughed. "I''d never want to bring you along.Harvey did not expect Nicole to fool him, but the moment he realized it, Nicole was already several yards away from him. "Nice job messing with my feelings!" Harvey chased after her, prompting Kelly to chase after him in turn. The trio hurried off to the hotel as Harvey pointed at Nicole while panting. "How are you so damn fast? Stop running.I can''t catch up anymore." "You''re such a wimp.We''ve just covered a short distance and you''re already gasping for air?" Nicole stopped and turned back tough at him. "How dare youugh at me?! When I catch up to you, I won''t let you off the hook that easily." Harvey caught his breath and continued to run after Nicole. "Bring it on! You might be able to catch up to me if you''re a tad bit faster!" Nicole continued to tease. "You''re way too smug for your own good, Nicole!" he said, but no matter how fast Harvey ran, there was always a considerable distance between him and Nicole. "I really can''t do it anymore.Wait up.Kelly." Harvey turned back to talk to Kelly, but there was no one in sight. "Where''s Kelly?" Harvey looked at Nicole, dumbfounded. "She''s even slower, so she''s probably still walking over." "I''m going to catch my breath and wait for her." "I''ll wait with you." Nicole sat down and took a rest. The duo proceeded to wait for a long time, but Kelly was still nowhere to be seen. This belongs to N?velDrama.Org. Harvey looked at Nicole, as he was beginning to worry. "Why is Kelly not here yet? She wouldn''t be in danger, would she?" "Let''s turn back and look for her." Harvey and Nicole then went back to the movie theatre. "Weird, I still can''t see any traces of Kelly." Harvey said, his gut tingling. "Give her a call," Nicole ordered, as she was still rather calm. Harvey dialled Kelly''s number, and after some time, Nicole asked, "So? Did the call get through?" "Nobody answered." Harvey was confused and looked at Nicole. "Just keep calling, and look for her in the theatre.I''ll search around this area." Nicole then left to search for her. Harvey did as he was told and kept calling Kelly.He immediately made his way to the theatre with his phone in hand. It was then that Nicole spotted the car that was passing by. ¡®Where is Kelly? She has not been kidnapped, has she?'' ¡®Is the Raven here?'' she thought, as her eyes widened. Chapter 1163 Chapter 1163 Nicole observed her surroundings carefully. If there was an adversary in the area, she might very well be exposed to their line of sight as well. At that exact moment, Harvey called her. "Nicole, I found Kelly." "Where is she?" Nicole asked sharply. This belongs to N?velDrama.Org. "In a restaurant near the movie theatre," Harvey said, sounding rxed. Nicole was relieved and said, "Stay where you are. I''lle over to you." "Okay, we''ll wait for you here." Harvey gave Kelly a look of resignation after he ended the call. ¡°Why didn''t you answer my call moments ago?" Harvey red at Kelly, though he was actually concerned. Kelly shrunk as she looked at him. "There are way too many people here, so I didn''t hear the ringtone." Harvey shook his head and issued a sigh. It was then that Nicole walked in. She immediately understood what had happened when she saw that Kelly was safe and was holding a bag of snacks. "You went off to buy some snacks?" "Yeah, I noticed that you didn''t eat much back in the barbeque restaurant, so I came over to buy you something when I saw that they were selling some snacks." Kelly exined, so afraid that she hung her head low without looking at Nicole as she spoke. Initially, Nicole was rather ticked off at Kelly. But after hearing her exnation, Nicole smiled. "What can I say? Thanks for buying us snacks, but you really got us worried." "I''m sorry about that." Nicole shook her head and exined, "You don''t have to apologize to us, Kelly. I just want to tell you can''t just walk around like you do back in our home country. We wouldn''t know what would happen if you bumped into the wrong people. That is why you must remember, try not to walk alone next time. Just tell us where you''re going and we''lle with you, okay?" ¡°All right, I''ll keep it in mind." Kelly looked at Nicole with a grimace. ¡°Okay, thank God you''re safe. Let''s head back now," Harvey said, attempting to soothe the both of them. "Let''s go." Nicole patted Kelly''s shoulder. When they had returned to the hotel, the trio gathered in Nicole''s room. After browsing through the list, they found a simple movie and enjoyed themselves as they ate the snacks. "Nicole, consider this rpense for what you had experienced earlier," Harvey said, bringing up something that Nicole had almost forgotten. "You''re such a party pooper." Nicole rolled her eyes. "Sorry, I messed up." Harvey gave in and handed Nicole a small snack. Nicole took it and red at him. "I''ll be sure to sew your mouth shut if that ever happens again." "Kelly will be my witness. There won''t be a next time," Harvey promised, unsmiling. "Okay, I''ll be the witness to this promise." Kelly smiled. After having spent a substantial amount of time with Kelly these days, Harvey began to view Kelly as the little sister he had never had. When he saw the grimace on her face moments ago, he was both angry and heartbroken. And just like that, the room was then filled with fresh gales ofughter throughout the duration of the movie. The next day, Ike arrived at 8am, just as he had promised. As Nicole was preparing to leave, her phone rang, and she answered the call. "Are you here already, Ike?" "Yeah, I''m outside your hotel." Ike''s gentle voice was heard. Nicole walked up to the window and looked down, where she saw a white SUV at the parking lot several floors below. "The white SUV?" Nicole asked. "How did you know?" Ike asked, sounding shocked. "| just saw you. Give me a minute, I''ll be there in a bit." Nicole then hung up and walked out of her room. Chapter 1164 Chapter 1164 Ike was already waiting outside of his car downstairs, and when Nicole approached him, he opened the door for her like a gentleman would. Nicole smiled and said, "What''s with the sudden disy of chivalry?" Ike smiled. "Am I not supposed to? Ladies first." Nicole nced at Ike and got into the car as Ike climbed onto the driver''s seat and ignited the engine, whereupon they drove to the technology exhibition. Noticing that Nicole had been silent, he brought his hand up to the stereo to turn the radio on, which was ying Nicole''s favorite song. A smile crossed her face. "You have a good taste in music." Ike shed her a smile of his own upon hearing that. His preparations did not go to waste. Seeing that Nicole was in a good mood, he started a conversation. " What did you do yesterday?" Nicole recalled the feeling she had when she was caught in the spat with Chloe. "Nothing much. I just bumped into a Karen." Ike frowned. "Who pissed you off? Do you want me to take care of her for you?" Nicole shook her head. After all, Chloe was a part of the Riddle family. If she wanted to teach her a lesson through uwful means, she would have done so long ago. Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org. "It''s fine, I know my way around this," she said. Nicole already had an idea as to the best ways to deal with Chloe, but she had refrained from doing anything, as she wanted to be merciful. The duo continued engaging in a conversation, and before they knew it, they had already arrived at the exhibition. Ike then got down and opened the door for Nicole. Nicole got off the car elegantly and Ike extended his arm to her, indicating that he wanted her to hold it. Nicole furrowed her brows. "It''s not even a major event. You really don''t have to be this formal." Ike froze as awkwardness flooded him from within. Though he was disappointed, he could not do anything but say, "True." Nicole ignored him and entered the technology exhibition by herself while Ike watched her, sad and disappointed. Now in the exhibition hall, the event had already started. There were various types of products that were on disy, and all of them had their fair share of enthusiasts. Nicole was rather interested in technology exhibitions. She thought that she might bump into some intelligent people who could help her establish her manned flying cars. She also wanted to see the current state of the development of manned flying cars. That was the reason as to why she had agreed toe with Ike in the first ce. It was then that Ike joined her in the exhibition hall. He saw Nicole looking at the products that were present and smiled. "Here, I''ll show you something worthwhile." Nicole knew that Ike had a good reason to invite her here, and as expected, Ike took her to a booth. Within it was arge screen on which a sci-fi video was ying, showing them a car flying in the sky... Nicole''s eyes turned dark. ''Isn''t this concept the same as the manned flying cars we''re developing?'' Ike could tell that Nicole was shocked, so he murmured to her, " This is just a special effects clip, don''t get so worked up." Nicole red at him. "Just a clip? Then why did you bring me here? W There was nothing but the screen in that booth, so it might just be aconcept. Ike shed her a sly smirk. "You''ll know soon enough." Nicole had no choice but to wait and remain. Soon, a crowd flocked over, gathering around the screen to watch the clip. Chapter 1165 Chapter 1165 Aman with sses smiled and took to the stage. ¡°Today, I''m here with a presentation regarding manned flying cars. Ourpany has designed a chip that would bring us a step further toward achieving the dream of manned flying cars by way of incorporating the chips into the systems of modern cars, along with state- of-the-art mechanical designs." As the man made his impassioned announcement, Nicole heard the keyword. "A chip?" Her eyes sparkled. She had just started developing manned flying cars, and after all the research that had been conducted, it was concluded that the chip was the magic bullet. She was already in the midst of programming the codes of the chip, but as she had never studied about it, she still needed a lot of information. Little did she know that someone in the exhibition had already produced a chip, and as Nicole was an expert in mechanical design, obtaining a chip would bring her much closer to her end goal. Nicole''s eyes lit up when she thought about this. Owned by N?velDrama.Org. Ike saw the look in her eyes and grinned. "So? Time well spent, huh?" Nicole looked at him and nodded happily before turning her gaze back to the stage. Suddenly, Ike sighed. "Initially, I was in the process of developing achip too. But I did not expect that thispany would beat me to it. Unfortunately, we''re rivals too." Nicole did not expect that thepany in question was a rival to Ike''s, so she said, "Wouldn''t it be nice to partner up? Why would you want to be rivals when you can both work together towards amon goal?" Ike scoffed. "You should ask them yourself. I''ve sent a few people over to discuss about a potential partnership, but they would always refuse to work with anyone else. I think they''re just afraid that others would steal their designs. The only thing they need is an expert to help them with their mechanical designs. They don''t wish to be essories to otherpanies." Nicole immediately connected the dots; this company wanted to dominate the field as they had technological superiority. Nicole found that it was understandable, as she had encountered people of the sort as well. Knowing this, it would be very difficult to forge a partnership with them. While she deep in thought, the man on the stage had taken his presentation a step further by introducing their chip. Noticing that, Nicole paid even more attention to what he was saying, with Ike stepping aside so as not to distract her. Nicole was gifted. Even if thepany did not want to partner up with her, she would probably still get some sort of inspiration from them, one way or another. Soon after, the man began to present the code encrypted within the chip. Ike immediately widened his eyes. "Gosh, this is crazy! Do they really think that their codes are impossible to duplicate?" Meanwhile, Nicole remained silent, frowning as if she was trying to remember something. However, it was then that the codes disappeared almost instantly. The presenter smiled and said, "This code represents our sincerity. As we are willing to disclose it, it shows that we are certain that it''s impossible to duplicate. We''re earnestly asking mechanical designingpanies to send us their information so that we may work together..." Nicole was still listening, but when a thought struck her, she erupted into a gale of laughter. This surprised Ike, who asked, "What are youughing at?" Nicole looked away and said, "Though the code is slightly shorter... well, I think I got it." Ike was extremely shocked. "Are you serious?" He knew that Nicole was a genius, but he did not know that she was this intelligent. As thepany had disclosed the code, he surmised that it was probably something that was irrelevant and unusable, but he did not expect Nicole to get something out of it too. "Thank you, Ike. Can I use your office in the afternoon?" She had not though that she would be able toe up with an idea so soon, which was why she found the exhibition extremely worthwhile. Ike immediately nodded when he saw Nicole being so high- spirited. "Sure! Do you know what to do already?" Nicole shed him a wicked smile, "You''ll find out in the afternoon." When Ike saw Nicole''s that smile, he knew that she had already gotten an idea. After all, Nicole had never let him down. Chapter 1166 Chapter 1166 Ike watched Nicole''s eyes light up, but unbeknownst to him, there was a pair of eyes staring at him, its gaze dark and cold. Sensing that, Ike looked over, and that was when he spotted a face that he did not wish to see. "Why the hell is he here?" Ike asked with a frown. Nicole tracked his gaze and saw both Harvey and Kelly standing at a spot not far from them. Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org. Upon being noticed, Kelly waved at them at once. Nicole arched her brows as she knew that Kelly had no interests in technology or exhibitions of the sort. It was the reason as to why Nicole did not even bother to invite her in the first ce, but what surprised her even more was the fact that Harvey was there with her. Seeing that Nicole had noticed him, Harvey walked over to Nicole whilst pretending as though Ike was not there at all. Nicole shot both Harvey and Kelly a frown as she asked, "Why are you here? Then, she looked at Kelly and remarked, "I thought you weren''t interested in tech exhibitions." Kelly automatically turned to Harvey and said, "I-I''m interested in checking it out now. Am I not allowed?" Nicole caught her gaze and thought, ''This love-struckdy definitely came over with Harvey.¡¯ Nicole could not help but look at Harvey. "So, you''re the one who has a keen interest in the technology exhibition, right?" Harvey dared not deny it, as he knew that Nicole was clever enough to have known; she could definitely have guessed it if he did not tell her anyway. "Yeah, Iam," he admitted, after which he turned to the stage and continued. "But I''m not as interested in it as you are. So, what do you think? Are you intrigued by the chip?" Harvey narrowed his eyes, and Nicole could immediately sense that he was pushing her for an answer. "No," she said. Knowing Harvey, she he would never admit it even if she did, or else, he might find a way to give the chip to her the very next day. She knew how he would go about doing it, but she did not wish toplete her project so recklessly. ¡°Are you for real?" Harvey asked as he looked at her with his eyes squinted. He could tell that Nicole really liked the chip. In fact, she needed it. In response, Nicole shook her head. "That is just a prototype. I might be able to create something better..." As long as she had information she needed, she could always invent something better, and she was confident about it Harvey had no choice but to believe her. He knew that if Nicole said that she could pull something off, she would always do whatever she could to make it happen. ¡°Okay then." Harvey then stood next to Nicole. "Let''s watch it together.¡± As he spoke, he was already inching closer to her left, while Ike was standing to Nicole''s right, sandwiching her. While Kelly felt immense pressure by just looking at them, Nicole waspletely unfazed by the tension as she stoodfortably between them. Kelly could not help but admire this quality of hers, but she went up and stood next to Harvey anyway. Meanwhile, Ike, who had noticed that Harvey was moving closer to Nicole, could not help but furrow his brows. ''Why is this weirdo always lingering around her? I already don''t have a lot of alone time with her as is... He unconsciously grabbed Nicole''s hand the instant he thought about this. "Let''s step forward a little." Nicole was stunned, but she did not wrench her hand away from his as there were a lot of people around them. Instead, she allowed him to bring her over to a spot that was a little closer to the stage. Either way, she had very little reason to be in such close proximity to the stage. She already knew what she wanted to know, so she just came along to see if there was anything special going on in the subsequent session. As for what Ike had done, she kept mum about it, as he had released his grasp on her arm rather quickly. The exhibition was alreadying to an end anyway. However, this had left Harvey feeling very upset. Chapter 1167 Chapter 1167 He knew that something was up with Ike, and as expected, he had other intentions when he invited Nicole out. To add to that, he had never touched Nicole, but Ike had done so with ease. As soon as he recalled the mental image of Ike holding Nicole''s arm, he got worked up. Kelly could feel the change in his demeanor too, and this prompted her to ask, "D-Do you want to move forward too?" "Why is Harvey upset after Nicole and Ike moved to the front?¡¯ she thought. Harvey looked like he was waiting for her to say that, so he shed her a fake smile and said, "Sure." Then, he started walking towards Nicole and Ike. Noticing the gap between the pair, he shamelessly squeezed in and stood in between them, blocking Ike. This caused Nicole to shoot him a frown, as she felt that it was getting packed in here. In response, she moved to the right, but halted as soon as she noticed that Kelly had also stepped in to form a row with the four of them. "What are you watching, Nicole?" Nicole sighed and exined, "This is the exhibition on the development of manned flying cars." Kelly became perturbed as soon as she heard about the manned flying car and the chip needed to operate it. This belongs to N?velDrama.Org. "Gosh, isn''t that what you''re working on?" Hearing this, Nicole was flooded with the urge to cover Kelly''s mouth. Frowning, she looked at Kelly and said, "Keep it down..." If the people on the stage knew about it, things would soon get ugly. Kelly eventually realized that she had said what she was not supposed to, and quickly buried her mouth in her hands to keep herself quiet. However, she did not realize that the two men were silently at war with one another before her very eyes. Ike was ring at Harvey. There are so many ces around here, but you really do know where to go, don''t you?" Harvey, refusing to back down retorted, "Of course, I have to find the best spot to watch the presentation." Ike scoffed. "You''re standing really close to the stage, so excuse me for asking this.Do you even understand a thing?" Harvey''s expression soured at once. Indeed, he knew very little about the development of electronic chips. However, Nicole was an experienced hacker, and because he had spent a considerable amount of time with her, he picked up a thing or two about coding. In spite of this, Ike continued to belittle him. Harvey pursed his lips as his eyes narrowed on Ike. "I guess you understand a thing or two, but there is a line between understanding what a chip is and being able to develop one.If that wasn''t the case, you wouldn''t have failed to develop one, would your" Ike was purple with rage after Harvey had insulted him. "Why you...it Harvey cackled when he saw the change in Ike''s expression. ¡®Who does he think he is, challenging me like that? He''s not even on the same league as I am!'' With Harvey standing between him and Nicole, he could no longer speak to her, making his face contort with an ugly grimace of sorts. Finally, when the exhibition ended, Ike immediately went up to Nicole and said, "Let''s go.Didn''t you say that you wanted to use my office? We''ve got to strike while the iron is hot." Nicole was about to agree when Harvey interrupted and said, "It''s gettingte, you should grab some lunch now.Don''t you think?" While Harvey was asking Nicole, his kept his eyes centered on Kelly. All of a sudden, Kelly felt another pair of eyes on her, and they were staring at her intensely. "Loa." ¡®Ike''s gaze really scares me" she thought. ''It''s like he doesn''t want Nicole to join us for lunch.." In the end, she centered her eyes back on Harvey''s face, and with her teeth gritted, proceeded to yell, "I''m hungry! Let''s eat!" Nicole did not expect Kelly to be on board with eating lunch as well. She checked the time and realized that it was really gettingte. Besides, it would be a hassle if she had to eat whilst in the middle of her research. With this in mind, she agreed, "All right then, let''s have lunch first. This left Ike glowering at once. ''Damn it. This means that I will have to see Harvey for another few more hours!'' He had an inkling that Harvey was not going to go down without a fight. Chapter 1168 Chapter 1168 ¡®I had no other option, because Nicole had already agreed" Several people walked out of the exhibition hall together, ready to head out for dinner, and Ike was about to escort Nicole to the car when Harvey suddenly interrupted. "I just sent a message of confirmation for the location.You cane with me." Harvey said as he reached out to grab Nicole. "I know.I can do it myself," Nicole subconsciously withdrew her hand. Harvey''s expression soured at once, and Ike could not help but feel a little pleased. However, the smirk on his face did notst, as he then saw Harvey''s car pulling up on the driveway, whereupon Nicole approached it. Seeing that, Ike could not help but be annoyed that his car was parked a little too far away. It was gettingte, and he could only watch as Nicole climbed in. Kelly, who was watching as Nicole got in, could not help but feel a little embarrassed for herself. Harvey had already left, and he didn''t even spare her a nce. Then, she looked at Ike and shed him an awkward smile. "Mr.Ike, where is your car parked at?" Ike responded with a nk stare. ¡®If this woman hadn''t spoken to Harvey earlier, Nicole would definitely not have gone out with him, and now, there is no getting rid of her" "This way," he snorted, walked up to his vehicle, and drove to catch up with Harvey. In the car, Ike was so depressed that he did not speak, and Kelly was too afraid to say a word. ? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org. In the other car, Nicole was looking ahead without saying anything. Harvey, on the other hand, was in a good mood, and proceeded to start a conversation with a smile. "You seemed to be very interested in that chip, moments ago," Harvey said. ''As long as she wants it, I''ll find a way to get them for her" "Yes, I''m confident that I can do better." Nicole replied, her expression hinting at more eagerness than ever before. Harvey nodded, ''This is one thing I like about her.She radiates confidence wherever she goes" Soon, the two cars pulled up in front of an Italian restaurant, and Kelly''s eyes lit up as she got out of the vehicle. "Wow! It''s huge!" Nicole took a nce at the restaurant as well.It was really big, and she assumed that it should be a well-known restaurant in the area. ¡®Only Harvey can book a ce as decadent as this without making a reservation..." Nicole thought to herself with the suspicion that he had long nned for this. Now that they had arrived at the restaurant, they did not waste any time thinking about some other ce to have dinner at. "Let''s go," Ike said. "I have things to do after dinner." "Okay!" Kelly nodded her head, following in suit. On the other end, Harvey was also strolling into the restaurant leisurely as if without a care in the world. Upon noticing Harvey''s expression, Ike followed with a cloud of gloom trailing behind him. After they had walked into the restaurant, they were escorted to the VIP area by the restaurant''s manager. "Oh, it''s actually a restaurant...,"" Kelly stopped mid-sentence, surprised when she saw the scenery outside of the floor-to-ceiling windows. The entireyout of the city could be viewed from here, making the scenery even more breathtaking. ''This guy, Harvey Ellison, he did note to this ce for a casual dinner. An establishment like this would surely have required a reservation in advance. Not to mention, the location here has the best view. I''ve never been to such a restaurant this nice before! Looks like I have benefited a lot from Harvey today!'' Kelly thought. "Let''s take a seat," Harvey smiled, and pulled a chair out for Nicole in a disy of chivalry. Nicole thought it was unnecessary, but she still sat down nheless. Harvey naturally sat down beside her, and Kelly sat on the other side next to her. Ike was deprived of any choice, so he could only sit next to Kelly with a grimace on his face. After taking his seat, Ike sneer issued a cold sneer. "I see that you shouldn''t be underestimated, Mr.Ellison.Toe out here for dinner on a casual basis, and reserve us a spot that no ordinary person could afford is no small feat." Chapter 1169 Chapter 1169 Ike was a local, and thus, he knew everything there was around these parts like the back of his hand.Having said that, Nicole a realization dawned on Nicole.The look in Harvey''s eyes became sullen. However, this was not the first time that Harvey had done this, and it was not something for her to be concerned about.Concurrently, he also looked indifferent, and proceeded to say, "Mr.Ike you tter me." Ike''s expression darkened at an instant, and he thought, ''Who told him that it was apliment?¡¯ Harvey, who was disinterested in trading blows with Ike, took the menu from the waiter and handed it to Nicole. "Their dishes here are very unique.You can order whichever ones you like." Nicole nced at the menu, narrowed her eyes slightly, and said, "Yes they are, and the price isn''t that exuberant either." ¡®Can''t this guy just keep a low profile when he travels abroad? This is just over the top" "Oh yes, I was looking at this too," Harvey said, pretending to not understand. Nicole had little choice but to order their food. After discussing with Kelly, they ordered two Italian dishes and handed the menu to the others. As soon as Ike got his hands on the menu, he immediately smiled. "Dinner tonight is on Mr.Ellison, so I won''t hold back." Harvey''s expression remained unchanged as he replied, "Yes." Ike''s eyes immediately darkened. He really hated how calm andposed Harvey was, and he wanted to see how long he could keep up the charade. As Ike spoke, he got more serious, and after ordering a few expensive dishes, he asked Nicole in a serious tone of voice, "Do you want to go to theboratory with me after dinner? My subordinates haven''t eaten yet.I think I''ll order a few more to go." Meanwhile, Nicole had never seen Ike behaving in such a petty way, as he would usually to be calm and mature. ¡®Why is he acting as though he has a beef with Harvey, today?" Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org. Just as Nicole was about to dissuade Ike from going through with what he had in mind, Harvey stepped in, and as he spoke, he began to sound as if he was a significant other to Nicole. "You can buy everyone a round of dinner.Just take it as a treat from Nicole." Tke felt disheartened at once. ''This guy just doesn''t know when to quit.Just because Jared isn''t here, he thinks he can just step in and act as if he is her lover?" But before Ike could muster a retort, a cold voice came sounding out of nowhere. "I don''t need you to concern yourself with my girlfriend and what she does, Mister Ellison." This familiar voice caught everyone by surprise, and they sat with wide eyes like a bunch deer in headlights. Nicole''s pupils shrank and instinctively, she spun around to the sight of a handsome man. Harvey and Ike were also taken aback by this. Ike was the first to react. "Mr.Johnston?" He had not anticipated this, but as soon as he thought of Jared Johnston, the man appeared right before his eyes. ''Speak of the devil himself! Upon confirming that it was really Jared, Harvey''s face soured, and by now Jared had already walked up to Harvey with a sneer on his face. "Well, you don''t seem too happy to see me, Mr.Ellison." Harvey''s face then shifted as a cocktail of emotions wracked him from within. ¡®This fe surely knows what he''s talking about!'' In spite of this, he was still able to offer Jared a reluctant smile in response. "Well, I was just surprised that you are here, Mr.Johnston, and I happened to be treating my guests to dinner.Why don''t you join us?" ¡®whenever Nicole and I are alone, Jared would always appear sooner orter. I thought I would have more time to spend with her, now that I am in another country with her. I didn''t expect that Jared Johnston would be here too" Jared curled his lips into a smile, "Wherever Nicole is, I''ll be there like a bolt out of the blue.Am I right?" Chapter 1170 Chapter 1170 While speaking, Jared looked at Nicole with nothing but sincerity in his eyes. Nicole caught Jared staring at her, and almost instinctually, she averted her gaze. Due to the fact that they had not reconciled after the incident that had drawn her ire, she had not been keeping in contact with Jared for the past few days. In addition, she did not even expect that Jared would be here at all. Jared noted her act of avoiding eye contact, so he turned his attention to Kelly, who immediately got up from her seat and moved over to give him some space. She went and sat next to Ike, who had since remained silent after Jared''s arrival. ¡®Harvey''s arrival was problematic enough already, and now that Jared is here, things are even worse" Ike thought. Ike looked Nicole in the eye, hesitant as to what he should say, but he also knew the rtionship between the two of them. He did not dare to mess around in front of Jared, and thus, he restrained himself, with Harvey doing the same. Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org. As expected, Harvey was sullen, and he was no longer as cocky as he was before. Ike could not help but muster a scoff as he continued to order a few more dishes. Regardless of whether the dinner is on Mr. Johnston or Mr. Ellison tonight, I will thank you on the behalf of my subordinates." Jared curled his lips into a smile and said, "It''s not a problem." In response, Ike nodded politely but felt a little disappointed because he did not manage to humiliate Harvey. ''Of course it isn''t a problem for him.He is filthy rich" After Jared had taken his seat next to Nicole, she rolled her eyes and proceeded to ask Jared, "Why are you here?" Jared smiled, after which his lips curled into a smirk, "Your friend Harvey here left some clues as to where you guys are, so I came over to see what''s up." Hearing this, Nicole could not help but roll her eyes at him again. ¡®What a joke.He doesn''t even take me seriously.I can''t believe that he actually travelled hundreds of miles abroad just because Harvey Ellison is here with me" she thought, but with so many people around, she did not wish to expose him. Soon after, the food was served. Nicole had ordered steak, and she was about to cut it when Jared intervened and made a few perfect slices for her. ¡®Wow, you''re thoughtful, Mr.Johnston.That''s really sweet of you!'' Kelly beamed upon seeing that.With every eye on the table fixed on her, Nicole was naturally embarrassed and in a low voice, she said, "I don''t want to do this today..." As soon as those words exited her mouth, Harvey''s grimace became even more pronounced, and Ike began to feel blue as he thought, ¡®I don''t despise Jared as much as I despise Harvey, but I am not happy with this public disy of affection. Only Kelly is dumb enough to not have noticed anything, even after she had seen the joy in their eyes" "Mr.Johnston is really nice to Miss Riddle, it seems!" As soon as Kelly had uttered those words, Nicole shot her a stare dagger, and she fell silent at once. The atmosphere became awkward, as Kelly kept her head bowed and her eyes fixed on her meal. Ike did not wish to get in the way, and so, he could only watch as Jared tended to Nicole during the entire course of the dinner. Due to the fact that there were two other men around, Jared behaved in a manner that was even more considerate than usual, which in turn made Nicole extremely ufortable. Even after she had eaten her meal, Nicole could only continue maintaining herposure. But the second the attendant brought their soup over, Harvey jumped at the opportunity and immediately helped the attendant with the serving. "This soup is very unique.Give it a try." Chapter 1171 Chapter 1171 Nicole couldn''t help but raise her eyebrows and nce at Harvey.¡¯ Can this guy stop adding fuel to the fire?¡¯ Before Nicole could say anything to him, however, Jared spoke first. "There is no need for that Nicole doesn''t like drinking soup." As he spoke he grabbed the pot of coffee brought over by another server. "Here are the coffee beans. I just handed some to the restaurant for our coffee. You can try some of it.¡± Unbeknownst to all of them, Jared had brought her favorite coffee beans, causing Nicole''s eyes to light up. In spite of the fact that she was a little unhappy, the thought of his intentions and actions made her bow her head and say, "Thank you. ¡° Harvey, seeing that Nicole was still holding Jared''s cup of coffee, froze. ¡®This Jared is really crafty. He even brought coffee beans to the restaurant.¡¯ It was at this moment that Nicole took a sip of the coffee. The taste was mellow, and was not as vorful as the homebrewed coffee that Jared had always made her. Jared, who seemed to have read her thoughts, smiled adoringly. "It seems that I have pampered you. I''ll brew some coffee for you when we get back." As soon as these words left his mouth, Nicole''s face flushed. ''Why is he being so cheesy?¡¯ "Let''s head home and talk about it,¡± she responded calmly. Jared, upon registering her coyness, did not continue to tease her, but whenever the two of them spoke to each other, it seemed like they were flirting. As they did so, Harvey was left aside, feeling totally embarrassed. He looked crestfallen and did not wish to speak to anyone anymore. Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org. Kelly noticed that Harvey had lowered his head in frustration while having his meal, and could not help but feel that the situation was a little distressing to him. ¡®If I had known that it would make Harvey so ufortable, I would not have agreed to bring Nicole with us for dinner...¡¯ With their tes close to being emptied, Jared proceeded to ask her about business, "Are you going to Ike''s R&Dbter?" Nicole nodded her head. She had decided to forego the ill feeling she had as she chatted with him about business, ¡°Ike took me to the technology exhibition this morning, and I saw someone developing a chip for the manned flying car.¡± Jared knew that Nicole had made progress, but his eyes began to narrow. He had hisplete attention on the fact that Ike had brought her to the exhibition. His eyes darted over to Ike, who felt a tinge of guilt at once. Even if he had something to say, he did not wish to risk a confrontation with Jared. "I got the news two days ago, so I brought Nicole there to have a look,¡± Ike said, pretending as if he had no intention on hitting on her. In response, Jared issued a cold snort and said, "Really? Those who do not know you well enough would have thought that you were intentionally asking Nicole out to see the exhibition." As soon as those words exited his mouth, Jared''s eyes turned dark. Ike immediately looked at Harvey with a frown and said, "Mr. Ellison here thinks I have ns for Miss Riddle? Wouldn''t it be more obvious that you were the one who does, as you were the one who invited Miss Riddle for dinner?" ¡®Don''t me me as you were the one who exposed me!¡¯ Jared''s expression became even more brooding as he watched the other two men bickering with one another. ''These men around her are chumps! Nicole quickly became overwhelmed with the cacophonous scene between the three men. She stood up abruptly and said, "I''m done eating. I''ve got something to do in the afternoon, so I''ll leave first.¡± "Miss Riddle! Wait up!" Ike noticed Nicole leaving and immediately followed. Nicole was going to his R&Db, so he did not wish to pass on the opportunity. Naturally, Harvey stood up and was about to follow them when Jared held him back and said, "My girlfriend has something to do, so we''ll be leaving. This meal is on me.¡± Jared made it clear to Harvey that he was not following them. Chapter 1172 Chapter 1172 Harvey was still intent oning along, but Kelly stopped him. She could not bear to see Harvey getting hurt again, so she could only pull him aside and shook her head as she said, "Mr.Ellison, Mr. Johnston is already here. Don''t go chasing after them." These words seemed to remind him that it was time for him to wake up. He had no chance of being alone with Nicole anymore. In the past, Harvey used to rely on Jared''s absence to do so, and those were the times when he could feel as if he was Nicole¡¯s guardian angel of sorts. He was not expecting Jared to be here today, but now that the unanticipated had urred, his dream of being with Nicolepletely disintegrated. Harvey''s footsteps grew louder and heavier as he watched Nicole saunter off. He did not know how to keep up. He could only clench his fists, gritting his teeth as he red at the back of Jared. ¡®One day, I''ll surpass Jared Johnston and have Nicole for myself!¡¯ ? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org. After the three of them had left the establishment, Jared pulled Nicole into his car, which was parked by the entrance. With his eyes downcast, Ike could only watch as he got into his own vehicle to lead the way for the both of them. Silence filled the car as Nicole kept mum, and upon noticing that Nicole was sulking again, Jared issued a loud sigh. ¡°Are you still concerned about the incident at the racecourse?" Nicole''s eyes rolled, and without turning to look at him, she said, " No, I''m thinking about the chip right now." Jared breathed a sigh of relief when he heard that she was not hung up about the incident anymore. Then, he reached out to hold her hand. "That''s good.¡± Upon feeling his touch again, Nicole''s heart skipped a beat. She wanted to pull away, but he was holding onto it so tightly and was refusing to let go. "What are you doing...," Nicole asked as she looked at him with a blush. As Jared''s dark-colored eyes kept her locked in ce, he said, "Do you know how much I miss you these days?" "She hasn''t been calling me much these days,¡¯ he thought. ''1 assumed that she was too busy, so I sent her a message, and as she couldn''t reply to it either, all I could do was wait. However, in the end, I just couldn''t wait any longer. I had to find a reason to meet her.¡¯ Nicole gave him a nk stare. "Aside from me, aren''t there other people around you?" He knew that she was still mad at Fiore, and so, he reached out and bopped the bridge of her nose. "There is no one else. In my heart, there''s only one and that''s you." Nicole found herself looking away. She was afraid that she would fall into his trap, and so, she pulled her hand away. "Okay, stop being so cheesy." Noticing that she did not seem to be angry anymore, Jared raised his eyebrows and said, "I want to know. How about you? Am I the only one in your heart?¡± Nicole''s face flushed as she thought to herself, ¡®Why is he so annoying today? Is he jealous of Harvey?¡¯ Then, she turned to him at once and said, "I have nothing going on with Harvey. Don¡¯t think much into it.¡± Jared felt a sense of relief the moment she had made their rtionship clear to one another, but then, he soon proceeded to ask, "What about Ike?" Nicole froze, and frowned at Jared. "What kind of crap are you talking about? Ike and I are just business partners." "Really?" Jared asked, unable to believe it. Chapter 1173 Chapter 1173 Nicole gave him a nk stare. ¡°You can think as you wish, but don''t mention anything weird. I need Ike''s help while I''m abroad for the time being.¡± He noticed that Nicole did not seem to be having any problems, and this gave him a sense of relief. ¡°If you need to use the R&Db, I can help you with the preparations right away." Nicole sighed. ¡°That won''t be necessary. I won''t be using it for a long time. Hell, I may already be on my way home after valen dana attina thah sin Knowing howpetent she was, he stopped querying her, and agreed to apany her to Ike''s R&Db. Noticing the stern look on his face, Nicole raised her brow and asked, ¡°Jared, did you really get the news from here?¡± In response, Jared nodded. "I didn''t lie to you. I don''t really need toe here to do the work, but then, you''re here.¡± A sense of warmth filled her heart up upon hearing the second half of his sentence as he had said it with such sincerity. "Alright, I get it. Well, you should go and check on your things. I might be here in the R&Db for the whole afternoon." She did not want to take up too much of his time. Jared felt reluctant but agreed to her statement anyway, as he noticed that Nicole wanted to concentrate on her work. "I''ve booked a hotel for you. I''ll pick you up once you''re done.¡± Not expecting Jared to be so amodating and well-prepared, every ill feeling that she had ever had for him vanished, and she nodded frivolously. "Okay." Jared then patted her head and gave her a doting look. Nicole was at loss as to what to do and allowed him to touch it before he withdrew his hand. She could not feel the urge to resist when he did. Soon after, their car pulled up at Ike''s R&Db, marking Jared''s first time there. He was not expecting it to be a factory in the suburbs, and upon seeing such a crude design, Jared could not help but ask, "This is his R&Db?" Nicole nodded, "Well, it looks simple on the outside, but don''t let that fool you. The interior houses everything we need." Jared felt reluctant but agreed to her statement anyway, as he noticed that Nicole wanted to concentrate on her work. "I''ve booked a hotel for you. I''ll pick you up once you''re done.¡± Not expecting Jared to be so amodating and well-prepared, every ill feeling that she had ever had for him vanished, and she nodded frivolously. "Okay." Jared then patted her head and gave her a doting look. Nicole was at loss as to what to do and allowed him to touch it before he withdrew his hand. She could not feel the urge to resist when he did. Soon after, their car pulled up at Ike''s R&Db, marking Jared''s first time there. He was not expecting it to be a factory in the suburbs, and upon seeing such a crude design, Jared could not help but ask, "This is his R&Db?" Nicole nodded, "Well, it looks simple on the outside, but don''t let that fool you. The interior houses everything we need." "This is Miss Riddle¡¯s treat for everyone. Please, be sure to cooperate with her for the next few days." Everyone nodded immediately. "Yes sir, and thank you, Miss Riddle!" Nicole nodded back in response, and proceeded to head into Ike''s office. After turning hisputer on, Nicole began to write the codes, drawing from her memory of what she had seen, as well as her own ideas. Ike watched Nicole as her fingers darted across the keyboard, surprised and amazed at how good her memory was. As he could only remember fragments of it as she continued typing away, he thought, ¡®She had memorized all the codes. Theposition of the written code is almost the same as what I had seen at the science and technology Ike watched Nicole as her fingers darted across the keyboard, surprised and amazed at how good her memory was. As he could only remember fragments of it as she continued typing away, he thought, ¡®She had memorized all the codes. Theposition of the written code is almost the same as what I had seen at the science and technology exhibition. This line of code is like a key to a whole new world.¡¯ Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org. The more Nicole typed, the more surprised and excited he became. "If you can develop something that matches what we had seen, feel free to use it on my manned flying car. It will definitely be an invention that nobody could rival!" Nicole gave him a nk stare in response. "I''m just getting started. You may leave. Don''t bother me when I''m working.¡± Ike could only suppress his excitement, and left the office the moment he realized how serious she was. T was hoping Nicole could finish writing the code for that chip sooner...¡¯ Chapter 1174 Chapter 1174 Without knowing it herself, Nicole had been working until the dead of night, and she came to her senses after all of the R&D personnel outside the office had left. It was only after Ike came walking in with dinner that she was able to snap out of it. ¡°Let''s eat something first. The chip can''t bepleted in a day.¡± Ike said, making her realize that she was really hungry. ¡°Oh, good," she said and was about to rise to her feet when she found that they had been rendered numb after so many hours on the chair. She staggered a little, and that was when Ike rushed over to keep her supported. "Are you okay?" Nicole shook her head and was about to speak when another voice came streaming in from the door. ¡°What are you doing?" Ike looked toward the door of the office where the tall and straight figure of Jared Johnston stood. Jared did not expect that he woulde across a scenario like this just as he had walked past the door. He quickly strode in to help her up, and that was when he shot lke a nce. "Mr. Johnston don''t get me wrong. Miss Riddle staggered and was about to fall," Ike quickly exined, fearing that Jared would overthink. "Are you okay?" Jared asked Nicole with concern. She sat backdown with Jared''s help, and after a while she said, "It''s okay. I have just been sitting down for way too long. I wasn''t paying attention when I got up just now, and I almost fell. I was very fortunate that Ike was there." Jared frown lifted the moment he heard Nicole''s exnation. "No job is as important as the fact that you must take good care of your health. Do you understand?" As it was, those words were not just meant for Nicole; they were also a reminder to Ike that he ought to back off. Ike stood there quietly and watched them as they spoke, fearing that the wrong sentence would cause another misunderstanding again. ¡°Let''s stop here today. I''ll take you back to catch some rest,¡± Jared said as he looked at her. ¡°Alright, wait a minute. I''ll have to save the data.¡± Nicole saw that Jared would not allow her to continue working into the night, so she had no choice but topromise. After she was done backing her work up in a save file, Nicole looked at Ike and said, "I''ll stop here for today. I''ll be back here first thing in tomorrow morning.¡± ? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org. ¡°Okay.¡± Ike looked at her and nodded. ¡°Let''s go." Nicole got up slowly while Jared helped her out of Ike''s office. ¡°Are you okay?" Jared asked, concerned. "Yes." Nicole looked at Jared and shed him a smile. Max, seeing that Jared was helping Nicole out, quickly opened the car door for them. Jared ushered her into the backseat, after which he entered the car himself. ¡°To the hotel." Jared looked at Max and ordered. ¡°Yes, sir,¡± Max replied, and drove them to the nearest hotel. Soon after, they arrived. "Mr. Johnston, we''re here." Nicole looked outside, and eyed Jared with her brows furrowed. " Isn''t this the hotel I''ve been staying in?" Chapter 1175 Chapter 1175 "I''ve booked you another room in another wing. It''s closer and more convenient for you, and it''ll save a lot of time," Jared looked at Nicole as he exined. ¡°Thankyou.¡± Nicole looked at Jared with nothing but warmth in her eyes. ¡°That''s very thoughtful of you.¡± "Let''s head inside.¡± Jared got out of the car and was able to help her up, but she refused. "It''s okay," she said. ¡°I''m fine now." ¡®It was not that big a deal,¡¯ she thought. ¡®What happened earlier at the office was just leg numbness. It had recovered on the way to the hotel, and to let him continue holding me up isn''t what I''d allow.¡¯ "Try walking around.¡± Jared kept his hands in a supporting position, afraid that Nicole would fall again. The instant he saw that she was fine, he felt relieved. Then, he took her hand and walked her toward the hotel''s entrance. Now in the room, Nicole sat down to catch some rest while Jared poured her a cup of water. Then, he walked up to her side with a look of seriousness and said, "Though what you did was very important, it must not happen again. Your health is way more important than anything else you''ve got going on." "I know. The reason why I sat a little longer today is because I was afraid that I''d forget and no longer able to recall the details of the code I had seen." Nicole exined, know that Jared was just worried about her. "Well, if you need any help with you research and development, you can let me know.¡± Jared looked at her, unsmiling. ¡°Thank you in advance, Jared. I will definitely ask if I need to." Nicole stared at Jared with a smile, feeling at ease with him by her side. "How do you feel now? Are youfortable?" Jared asked her in a gentle tone. "I''m really fine,¡± she replied. "You don''t have to worry too much." "You''ve worked very hard today," he said. "Let me help you rx." "There is no need for that." Nicole''s blushed as Jared''s hands were already on her legs. As he massaged her, he would ask from time to time, "Is it here?" "No." ¡°Then it must be here. Let me help you rx,¡± he said as he continued massaging her. The next day, Jared woke up and turned to look at Nicole who was still sleeping beside him. With his sight on the face that many would find hard to look away from, he raised his hand and caressed her cheek, which was tender and delicate, and as he did, he found it hard to stop. Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org. Nicole, who was still asleep, felt a pair of warm hands touching her, and a smile appeared on the corner of her lips. Nicole woke up after a while, she slowly opened her crusted eyes to a hazy view of her room. The moment she did, she caught sight of his handsome visage and a pair of deep brown eyes. Seeing that, she shed him a soft smile. "You''re awake," Jared softly said as they locked eyes. "Yeah,'' Nicole responded in kind. "Have you been awake for a long time?" Nicole reached out and touched him in the cheek. "No. I woke up just moments ago.¡± With the delicate and clean smile on his handsome face, Jared took Nicole into his arms again. ¡°I really wish I can hold you like this forever." Nicole looked up at him and smiled. "Okay, but don''t you have to work?" "Holding you like this won''t affect any of my work,¡± Jared said in a confident tone of voice, as if he could really do both things at the same time. "Okay." Nicole leaned in and ced her head on his chest. Chapter 1176 Chapter 1176 After some time, Nicole got up from the warmth of his chest and looked at him, "What are we having today?¡± Jared looked at her dotingly and said, "Well, what do you want to eat?¡± ¡°Oat milk." Nicole looked at him and took the words right out of his mouth. "Alright, I''ll ask someone to bring it over.¡± Jared got up, picked up the phone, and dialed a number. Then he made his way back to the bed and looked at Nicole. "Get up and go get ready. I think the food will be delivered soon." "Okay." Nicole stretched, and got up from the bed to wash up while Jared apanied her to the bathroom. Love filled their eyes as they both stood and stared at each other in front of the mirror. Hearing the ringing of the doorbell, Jared finished rinsing himself and walked over to open the door. "Mr. Johnston, this is the meal you''ve requested for," the server said. ¡°Okay.¡± Jared took the tray and made a beeline for the dining room. After a while, Nicole came sauntering out of the bathroom and into the dining room. The corners of her mouth raised when she saw that her food had arrived. "Let''s have our breakfast." Jared handed her a spoon. "So, are you going to Ike¡¯s R&Db after breakfast?" "Yes, and what are you going to be doing today?" Nicole looked at Jared and asked. "I''m going to investigate Henry today and the clues he had left behind.¡± "Are there any leads yet? A man of his age will leave traces no matter where he goes.¡± Nicole looked at Jared in bewilderment. "If he is using his real identity, it''ll be very easy to find him,¡± he said. "However, I''m afraid that he¡¯s not using his real identity, and to search for him then will be like finding needles in a haystack." "Anyway. have a toast." Jared handed a piece of toast to Nicole. "If you need help, I can make an arrangement for you.¡± Nicole looked at him, unsmiling. "No, not for now,¡± he replied. "I''ll ask you when it''s necessary.¡± ¡°Alright, just let me know when you''re ready. Anyway, I''m done eating. I''ll go get change. Thank you for the breakfast,¡± Nicole said and took the initiative to nt a kiss on Jared''s face before heading to the bedroom to change. With a smile on his face, he got up and followed her to the bedroom, where he hugged her from behind, breathing in the fragrance of her hair, which left him feeling as though he was intoxicated. "I''m going to find you after I''m done." ¡°Okay.¡± Nicole turned around and kissed him in the lip, whereupon the pair broke into a session of passionate smooching. After a while, Nicole pushed Jared away, and looked at him with a smirk, "I should go." "I''ll send you there.¡± Jared then put his clothes on and ushered Nicole out of the hotel. Opening the car door, he said, "Watch your head.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± The pair entered the backseat, after which Max drove them to Ike''s workce. ¡°You have to get up and stretch after working for a while. You can''t sit there all day, or it''ll be like yesterday again," Jared instructed. Nicole turned around, looked at Jared, and nodded, "Yes, I''ll remember that.¡± A smile of satisfaction yed on Jared lips, and soon after, the car pulled up outside of Ike''s factory building. ? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org. There, Jared gave Nicole a kiss. "I won''t walk you in.¡± "Okay. Be careful, okay? This ce is not very safe,¡± Nicole reminded him with concern. Chapter 1177 Chapter 1177 "Don''t you worry.¡± Jared looked at her and smiled. Jared allowed Max to drive away once he had seen Nicole entering Ike''s factory. "Ike." Nicole walked in and called out to him. ¡®I''m here!¡¯ Ike''s voice came booming in from one of the directions. Nicole followed the sound and walked over and saw that Ike was working on something beside a prototype of a manned flying car. "What are you doing here?" Nicole walked over and asked. ¡®I''m dismantling and upgrading it." ¡®Ike, the reference value of this first-generation prototype is limited," she said as she looked him in the eyes. "Don''t waste your time on it. You saw it at the science and technology exhibition yesterday. The renditions produced by our opponents are very different from what we have right here. We should go back to research and development immediately to see where the design department is going with this. We can also give them some fresh suggestions.¡± Ike''s eyes widened upon hearing those words. "What you''ve said is right. Let''s go to the base immediately.¡± "Wait. I''m going to back yesterday''s data up from yourputer,¡± she said. "I had left in a hurryst night, and I didn''t get to extract it." "Okay, let''s go.¡± Ike led Nicole to the office. ¡°There''s one more thing I wish to tell you." Nicole suddenly stopped. "What''s the matter?" Ike looked at Nicole with his brows furrowed. "The people here can create essories and other products for the manned flying cars, and they''ll still have a certain share in the market by then. Don''t waste too much time on the production of the complete cars. It won''t be easy topete with the majorpanies,¡± Nicole said. The words were purely well-meant advice. "I''ll think about it, let''s go to the R&D base first.¡± Ike said while looking at Nicole. ¡®Yeah.¡¯ Nicole quickly extracted and unzipped the files on theputer before turning it off. "Let''s go.¡± Nicole looked at Ike. "Okay." Being the gentleman Ike was, he opened the car door for Nicole, after which he got onto the driver''s seat and floored the elerator, speeding off to the R&D facility. "Nicole, you must have been really tiredst night, right?¡± Ike chatted about that which had happened the night before. "It''s alright to be tired, but I''ve been on my rear for a long time, which was something you thought was funny.¡± Nicole smiled as she felt a little embarrassed. "No, I think you tend to forget about yourself and everything around you when you''re working. Otherwise, you wouldn''t be like that.¡± Ike nced at Nicole. ¡®Gosh, her skin is so fair,¡¯ he thought. ¡®I have no choice. That''s the nature of my work. Sometimes, I even feel as if I am not taking much care of my body. I''m d I exercise all year around and am in great health, otherwise, I would not be able to take it," Nicole joked. This belongs to N?velDrama.Org. "Do you work out often too?" Ike heard Nicole talking about exercise and happened to strike up a new topic and interest between them. "Yes, I work out almost every day,¡¯ she replied. "Judging by what you just said, I guess you exercise regrly too?" "That''s right, but not necessarily every day. Sometimes I give myself a day off if I don''t have the time,¡± Ike said humorously. ¡®It''s true that sometimes, there is no way you can do it if you don''t have the time, but when you do, you be able to get into a routine, and that''ll be good for the body." "I''ll take you to the gym when I have the time. To have a look around, of course." Ike said, extending an invitation to Nicole. "Sure. I haven''t exercised much for these past few days. I''ll give it a try.¡± Nicole could not let this opportunity pass. If it was Harvey who had invited her, she might have to think hard about it, but as it was Ike, it did not ur to her that she would have to think about it at all. "Then it''s a deal. I''ll pick you up another day when I have the time and we''ll go to the gym for a workout session together." Ike said, wishing to settle this matter as soon as possible, so that Nicole would not think of changing her mind. "Sure, no problem,¡± Nicole readily agreed. Chapter 1178 Chapter 1178 The car came to a halt at the parking lot of the facility, with Nicole and Ike getting down and walking off to theb thereafter. "Ms. Riddle, Mr. Ike." Theb guard greeted Nicole and Ike politely as soon as he saw them approaching the entrance. ¡®Is everything fine here?" Nicole asked. "Yeah, everything is fine as usual,¡¯ the guard replied. "Alright, thank you for your work,¡± Nicole said, after which she and Ike headed inside. "Are we going straight to the design department?" Ike asked as he was walking beside Nicole. "Yeah, We''ve just talked about this, didn''t we?" Nicole replied to him sternly. Upon arriving at the entrance of the design department, they swiped their cards, pushed the door open, and walked in. The chief designer, upon noticing that Nicole and Ike had entered the room, walked over to greet them. "Ms. Riddle, Mr. Ike." ¡®How is the current design going for the team?" asked Nicole. ¡®It''s going well.¡± ¡®I see. May I have a look?" Nicole asked the chief designer. "Sure. Over here please." The chief designer extended his hand as a gesture of invitation, whereupon Nicole and Ike entered the meeting room. Once they were both inside, the chief designer activated the sma screen on the wall. "Miss Riddle and Mr. Ike, please have a seat. I''ll need a moment to search for the data and show it to the both of you.¡± "No worries." Nicole and Ike took their seats and waited. After a brief moment, a rough sketch of the manned flying car appeared on the screen. Nicole and Ike''s eyes met for an instance. Then, they stared at the screen with frowns on their faces. Noticing their expressions, the chief designer suddenly felt nervous. ¡®We weren''t informed that Miss Riddle would being in for an inspection today. Why are they making it seem like there is one?¡¯ Nicole maintained her stare for a while longer and turned to Ike, "Do you have anyments?" This belongs to N?velDrama.Org. Ike looked at Nicole and thought for a moment before making his remarks, "Our design seems quite in. If we were topete in the industry based on appearance, I''m afraid well be behind." The chief designer looked at Ike confusedly, "Mr. Ike, I didn''t quite get what you were saying. Are there otherpanies researching on manned flying cars as well?" "That''s right. Miss Riddle and I were at a tech exhibition yesterday. We saw a conceptual design from a rivalpany there. Although it''s just a conceptual design, we could see that their vision for this flying vehicle is very advanced.¡± Ike exined to the chief designer. ¡®What? There are otherpanies working on manned flying cars?" the chief designer asked, extremely shocked upon hearing the news, as he had no idea prior to being informed of this. "Don''t be surprised," Ike said. "Even if they are just researching on it, I''m quite sure they''re at the same phase as US. Perhaps, they might be a little, but not far behind US in terms of progress "If we cane up with a design that''s a lot more attractive and practical, I think well be able to secure fifty percent of the market." Nicole looked at them firmly. Without realizing it, her faith in this project had given the chief designer and Ike the confidence boost they needed. "Now, let''s discuss about how we should improve and modify our current design together.¡± Nicole looked at both of them, prompting Ike and the chief designer to respond with nods. "Ms. Riddle, which part of the vehicle do you think we could modify?" The chief designer turned to Nicole. Nicole looked at the current design and suggested, "I think we can make the hood a lot more angr and shy. When people look at it, they''d find it more pleasant to the eye. Second in the list of priorities is to reduce the windage. We should try our best to minimize air resistance as much as possible, so it would be safer for it to fly. At the same time, it would be able to increase mileage in the air.¡± After she was done speaking, Nicole turned to look at Ike, ¡®What do you think?¡± ¡®I agree with the both of what you have said. While considering this, we should produce a manned flying car fit for two. That would be a huge selling point too." Ike stated. "He''s right. This feature could win potential buyers over, provided it is within the same price range.¡± Chapter 1179 Chapter 1179 "What is your opinion on this?" Nicole turned to the chief designer. "I think all of your suggestions are great. We will modify ording to both of your ideas as soon as possible." "Alright. Well leave it to the design team. If youe across any difficulties, well always here for you. We can solve this together." Nicole eyed the chief designer with a serious look on her face. "Alright." "That''s all for now," she said. "We''re leaving. All the best to you!" After Nicole had walked out of the design department with Ike, she turned to him and said, "You should head to the R&D department. I''ll go back to my office now." "Okay," he uttered. Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org. Once Nicole had arrived at her office, she turned theputer on and sat down to continue working on the code, but after an hour or so, Jared called her on the phone. "Are you working? Did you get enough rest?¡± Jared¡¯s caring and gentle tone could be heard on the line. ¡°Yeah, I''m working now. It''s only been an hour, and I don''t feel tired at all." Nicole turned on the loudspeaker on and worked while chatting with him. ¡°Even if it has just been an hour, you should move around and stretch for a bit. Now, just put your work aside for a moment," Jared said in amanding tone of voice. "Okay, HI catch a break now,'' Nicole agreed, though her fingers were still darting across the keyboard. ¡°Are you trying to fool me?" Jared asked. "I can hear you typing away on the keyboard." "You have a good sense of hearing.¡± Nicole smiled and "I''m standing up and taking a break now. There''s no typing sound from the keyboard anymore, right?" reported Nicole. "That''s good. Move around a bit more. You can chat with me too while taking a break.¡± Jared replied assertively. "Why are you so pushy? You want me to chat with you while taking a break. In that case, why would it still be considered a break? I''m hanging up,¡± Nicole balked. "I''ve got no choice. This is the only way for me to know that you''re actually taking a break," he said. Jared was just worried about her. He knew that if they ended the call, she would return to her work without resting at all. He knew her all too well. "Your little tricks," he said. ¡°I''m telling you, it''s best for you to not y any of them with me.¡± "Fine, you''ve caught me red handed. You win.¡± "Oh yeah. By the way, weren''t you looking into Henry''s leads? How do you still have the time to call me?" Nicole suddenly remembered and asked. "Max is looking into it. I''m in the car with nothing to do, and I suddenly thought about you.¡± Jared nced out of the window. Max had been away for a long time and he had not returned yet. "I see. Then you shouldn''t be sitting in the car waiting. You should go and check things out,¡± Nicole advised. "Why should I be out and about? Are you trying to suggest that, so that no one would be watching over you?" Jared asked, knowing that it was another one of Nicole''s tricks again. "When did you be this annoying?" she replied. "Didn''t I tell you that I''m done with my break? I need to get back to work already.¡± "Okay then." Jared looked at his watch. Without realizing it, they had been talking on the phone for twenty minutes. After hanging up, Jared looked at the entrance of the airport. After a short while, Max could be seen walking out of the doorway. Then, he entered the car and turned to Jared, "Sir, this airport does not have any records of Henry boarding a flight.¡± "Let''s go to the next airport.¡± "Okay." Chapter 1180 Chapter 1180 Back in the office, Nicole had sat down in front of herputer once again and had continued working. After typing for a while longer, she stopped and copied a document into her USB drive. Then, she shut theputer down and made her way to the R&D department where Ike was. She swiped her ess card and walked in to a room full of people who were busy researching of the chips. Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org. Upon finding Ike, she walked over and said, "I''ve created a design for the first-generation of chips. You can have a look with your team." "That''s quick!" Ike looked at Nicole in shock. "It''s a simplified version. If it looks fine in every aspect, but I''ll go into the details," Nicole exined. "Okay, let''s have a look," he said. Ike then proceeded to call a few chip experts over. "Miss Riddle has designed a simplified version of the chip. Let''s see if we could work on it." Now in the office, Nicole and the team began discussing the feasibility of this simplified chip, and after two hours they concluded that the design was excellent. All of them looked forward to the final complete version from Nicole. "As everyone thinks that this design is usable, I''ll continue working on it." Nicole said, and was about to leave when one of the men stopped her. "Ms. Riddle, I''d suggest for you to design it up to a certain phase and bring it over for US to experiment it again. This is to check if there are any alterations needed during the process." "Yeah, I thought so too," she replied and made her way back to her office where she continued working on the chip again. Outside of the other airport, Jared watched as Max walked back into the car. "Are there any leads?¡± Jared popped the question before Max could even begin reporting. "Yes. There was a record of Henry''s wife boarding a flight here," Max replied. Jared frowned and asked, "Did she board the flight alone or with someone else?¡± "Alone." "Quickly send someone over to keep watch at her arrival hall,¡± Jared ordered. Mike Tyson choi ng¨¦ng nudi h¨¦ trang va cai k¨¦t h¨¦i han Ban co thue sw bi¨¦t v¨¦ ngu¨¦n g¨¦c cua san bay Tan Son Nhat? "Understood," Max uttered. ¡®Henry is as sly as a fox,¡¯ Jared thought. ¡®They must have left separately and nned to rendezvous at some other location. I''ll make sure I get that rat from his hole.¡¯ ¡°Let''s head back to the hotel now,¡± Jared said. Hearing that, Max started the engine and made his way toward the hotel. On the way there, Jared called Nicole on the phone again. "Hey, are you at Ike''s factory?" "No, I''m at theb. Why are you calling me again?" Nicole asked, working as she answered Jared''s call. ¡°I''m done with work here,¡± he replied. ¡®I thought of visiting you, but it''s fine since you''re at theb. I''ll head back to the hotel first and pick you upter.¡± Jared felt a little sad, as she was at theb, where he had no ess. If she was at the factory, he would have been able to keep herpany. "Okay, you should head back and get some rest first. I''ll be back as soon as I''m done with work here. Bye now." Nicole immediately hung up after she had uttered thest word. Meanwhile, Harvey was in the hotel, feeling extremely bored. Ever since Jared had taken Nicole away, Harvey had never seen her again. Not able to withstand it anymore, he went up to Kelly''s room and knocked on the door. "Kelly?" "Mr. Harvey, how may I help you?" Kelly stared at Harvey at the door and asked. "Uh, what are you doing?" Harvey asked, pretending to care about her as it would be awkward for him to ask Kelly about Nicole. "Nothing. Do you want toe in?" Kelly asked as she felt that it was impolite of her to speak to him at the door. "Sure." Harvey entered and sat down. "Kelly, how long did Nicole say we''d be here for?" "About a week or so. Is something wrong?" Kelly looked at Harvey with her brows raised. Chapter 1181 Chapter 1181 "That means we only have a few days left, right?" Harvey took his phone out and flipped through the calendar app. "I think so." "I''m not sure what Nicole is doing. There has been no news from her since the day she left. It''s quite disturbing." Harvey muttered to himself. "She sent you a message?" Harvey stared at Kelly in shock. Stunned by Harvey¡¯s unusually strong reaction, she replied, "Yeah, why?" It was only then did Harvey realize that he was getting too worked up. Thus, he quickly regained hisposure and smiled at Kelly before saying, "Nothing. What did she tell you in the message?" This belongs to N?velDrama.Org. "She informed me that she won''t being back here for the next few days. Mr. Johnston has arranged a room for her somewhere else and it''s a lot more convenient there. She asked me not to worry about her." "She''s noting back anymore? Where is the room that Mr. Johnston had booked for her?¡± Harvey asked as he frowned. "She did not mention," Kelly replied. "Jared Johnston. Why is he always ruining my ns?¡± Harvey muttered. "Mr. Harvey, are you okay?¡± Kelly looked at him her brows raised. "I''m fine. I''ll leave now.¡± Harvey said, having no reason to stay there anymore, as he had already gotten the information he wanted. "Mr. Harvey, are you freeter?¡± Kelly looked at him shyly. "Why?" "No, nothing else." Seeing that Harvey was not interested in watching the movie again, Kelly did not ask further. Harvey turned around and left her room with a crestfallen look on his face. Kelly was a little sad too. Initially, she thought that she would have the chance to catch a movie with Harvey alone. However, she had not expected him to reject her. "Forget it. I''ll just finish what | have to do.¡± Kelly switched herputer on and started working. After Harvey had returned to his room, his mind was filled with nothing but thoughts and mental images of Nicole. ¡®She messaged Kelly and never bothered to tell me anything. That''s a little too much!" He picked his phone up and dialed Nicole''s number. Nicole was focusing on her work, and when she heard her phone ringing, without hesitation,¡¯ Why are you calling me again? Didn''t | tell you that I''m working? Do you want me toplete my work early or not?" Harvey was caught off guard as he received that telling off. He gulped and asked cautiously, ¡°Who annoyed you for you to be this pissed off?" Realizing that the voice from the other side of the phone was not Jared, Nicole felt embarrassed at once. "I''m sorry, | thought...Who are you?" "How could you not recognize my voice already? I''m Harvey." Harvey said, perplexed. Harvey was bing angrier too. Not only was he scolded, he was also left to deal with the notion that Nicole could not recognize him. He was so angry that he was about to hit a wall. "Oh, it''s you.¡± Nicole felt relieved. Thankfully, she had onlyshed out at Harvey, thus lessening the embarrassment that she had felt. If it were someone else, she would have wished that the floor had swallowed her. "What do you mean ''oh''? Who pissed you off so much that you gave me an earful for no reason?" Harvey asked her, feeling wronged. "No one. Sorry for that. Excuse my sudden outrage. "Why are you calling?" Nicole asked him in a serious tone. embarrassment that she had felt. If it were someone else, she would have wished that the floor had swallowed her. "What do you mean ''oh''? Who pissed you off so much that you gave me an earful for no reason?" Harvey asked her, feeling wronged. "No one. Sorry for that. Excuse my sudden outrage.embarrassment that she had felt. It it were someone else, she would have wished that the floor had swallowed her. "What do you mean ''oh''? Who pissed you off so much that you gave me an earful for no reason?" Harvey asked her, feeling wronged. "No one. Sorry for that. Excuse my sudden outrage. "Why are you calling?" Nicole asked him in a serious tone. Chapter 1182 Chapter 1182 "Did you forget something?" Harvey demanded. ¡®Forget something? What do you mean by that?" Nicole replied with a question of her own, as she did not understand what he had meant. "Before we came here, didn''t you promise to bring me to theb with you? Now, you''ve gone off on your own and left me aside at the hotel without saying a word. What is this all about?" Harvey questioned, his tone brimming with dissatisfaction. "Ah. I''m really sorry about that. I''ve been terribly busy since the day Jared dragged me out of the restaurant. I totally forgot about it." Nicole apologized to Harvey on the phone. "Anyway, are you still at the hotel?¡± "Of course, where else would I be?" "Looking at the time now, I don''t think you should be here today. How about tomorrow? I''ll arrange for someone to drive you here.¡± Nicole asked. Hearing that Nicole wanted to bring him to theb the next day, Harvey began to smile again, after which he replied in a serious tone of voice," Sure. Don''t bete tomorrow.¡± ¡°That won''t happen. The person I''m sending will be punctual for sure. You just have to make sure you''re waiting at the lobby on time." Nicole could imagine Harvey''s snickering at that moment. ¡°Don''t worry about that." After he hung up, Harvey felt a lot moreforted. Til just have to endure this for one more day, and I''ll get to see Nicole tomorrow!¡¯? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org. However, it was then that a thought struck him out of nowhere, ¡®Will Jared be there too?'' Harvey sighed and mmed the table.Why did I forget to ask her about this moments ago? If Jared is there as well, I don''t really want to go anymore.* However, Harvey could not call Nicole and disturb her anymore. All he could do was pace around the room and think. Nicole, on the other hand, was engrossed in her work, and the moment she lifted her head, the sky was already dark. A sense of nervousness rose within her. ¡®If I head backter, Jared will definitely give me another lecture again.¡¯ Nicole quickly saved her work and left the office. In the corridor, she met Ike who was running after her In truth, Ike had been waiting for Nicole toplete her task. He knew that she was busy working on the chip design at her office. Therefore, he did not enter the room and bother her. Instead, he sat in the lounge area and waited for her. "Nicole." Nicole spun around the instant she heard him calling out to her. "Ike? Why are you leaving thiste too?" Nicole did not expect Ike to work thiste. "You, as my superior, are still untilte at night. What makes you think I have the guts to clock out earlier than you?" Ike joked around with Nicole. "What superior are you talking about? You tter me." Nicole and Ike walked out side by side. "Nicole, is the chip design going well?" Ike looked at her and asked. "It''s fine. There have been some minor issues every now and again, but I''ve managed to solve them." Nicole nced at him and continued walking. "You''re amazing! You''ve only seen it once the other day and remembered it. I''m curious, how did you pull that off?" Ike looked at Nicole with nothing but admiration in his eyes. "I''m not as good as you''ve been led to believe. It''s just that I have a better memory." Nicole replied humbly, as she could not tell anyone that she had a photographic memory. "You''re being a little too modest. Oh yeah, is Mr. Johnston picking you up tonight since it''s thiste already?" Ike finally asked the question he wanted to ask. If Jared was noting to pick her up, he would have the chance to send her back home. "I''m not sure," Nicole, replied, unsure as she had not received any messages about Jared waiting for her outside theb. "If Mr. Johnston is not here to pick you upter, I''ll send you back. You won''t be able to get a cab here," Ike said, expressing his intentions clearly, "Alright. I''ll have to thank you for this then.¡± Nicole looked at him half- jokingly. Chapter 1183 Chapter 1183 Nicole and Ike were chatting andughing as they were walking to the parking lot outside. Thinking that Jared was not here to pick her up, ? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org. Nicole looked around with a sense of disappointment swelling within her. Then, Ike said, "It seems that Mr. Johnston isn''t here..." Before he couldplete his sentence, a dazzling light beamed out and elongated Nicole and Ike''s shadows. Jared got down from the car and looked at Nicole, "Are you done with work?" As soon as Nicole saw Jared, a happy smile appeared on her face. Just as she was about to walk toward Jared, she suddenly remembered that Ike was with her. She turned over and looked at Ike, "It seems that someone hase to pick me up. I guess I won''t be able to take a ride home with you today. Sorry." "It''s fine. I feel more at peace knowing that Mr. Johnston is here to pick you." Ike smiled, as he did not seem to be embarrassed at all. "See you tomorrow.¡± Nicole bade Ike a goodbye and walked toward Jared. "Why didn''t you tell me that you''re picking me today? I almost left with Ike." Nicole nced at Jared and ranted. "I wanted to give you a surprise. Get in." Jared opened the door for her. Nicole and Jared both climbed in, after which Max started the engine and drove to the hotel. ¡°You worked till..." Before Jared could finish his words, Nicole immediately interrupted him. "I know. But I must let you know, the chip design which I''m working on currently is crucial. So, I''ll be quite busy for the next few days. If I''ve ignored you in any way, I hope you would understand. Besides, this chip will be very important to you too." Nicole forced a smile as she offered him a serious exnation. The chip..." Jared stared at Nicole''s eyes and thought for a while. "Okay then. Since you''ll be pretty upied with work, and that too for me, I''ve decided to send you to and fro every day. Are you happy with it?" "For real?" Nicole did not expect Jared to make her such an offer, and for each and every day too. ¡®That''s amazing!¡¯ "Yes, for real. But I might be flying home anytime. I''m not sure how for long I will be able to do this daily." Jared looked at her seriously. "It''s fine. Every trip counts." Nicole wrapped her arms around his with a smile on her face. ¡°You must''ve not eaten yet, right? What do you feel like having now? We''ll head over there now." Jared asked her affectionately. ¡°It''s been a while since I had meat puffs. Do they have it here?¡± Nicole''s big eyes were blinking as she looked at Jared. Jared furrowed his brows. Indeed, Nicole had thrown him a challenge this time round. Snacks like meat puffs were easily found everywhere back at home. But now that they were abroad, it would be quite a challenge to find them. Jared looked at Nicole with his brow raised, "Are you really craving for it? Or are you just joking?" Nicole sat up straight and looked at Jared, unsmiling, "Do you think I look like I''m kidding right now?" Seeing that Nicole was serious about this, Jared pursed his lips and ordered, "Max, find a restaurant that has meat puffs.¡± "Sir, the nearest shop is twenty minutes away," Max informed. "Can you wait for another twenty minutes?" Jared asked Nicole. "Yeah." "Try and reach that ce as quickly as possible," Jared instructed. "Alright." Max floored the elerator and the car dashed forward like a bullet discharged from the barrel of a gun. Chapter 1184 Chapter 1184 At the restaurant, Jared ordered two portions of meat puffs, which Nicole began scarfing down on, as she could finally satisfy her cravings. "Thank you for bringing me here to have meat puffs.¡± Nicole looked at Jared happily. ¡®It''s great to have him around. Even at an hour thiste, I get to satisfy my cravings.¡¯ ¡®What''s with all that formality today?" Jared raised his eyebrows and looked at her. "It''s alreadyte, and yet you still took the time to take me to a ce this far. Of course, I''d have to thank you sincerely.¡± Nicole looked back at Jared, unsmiling. Jared nodded and sized her up. "Was Ike with you while you were working today?¡± Nicole was eating her meat puff, but once she had heard Jared''s question, she slowly raised her head and looked at him. ¡®What is he trying to imply with that question? Does he think that there¡¯s something going on between Ike and me?¡¯ "No, I was at my office alone. He was working at the R&D department.¡± Nicole exined. ¡°Jared Johnston, why would you ask if Ike was with me while I was working?" Nicole threw the question back at him, as she wanted to see how he would respond. "Oh, weren''t the both of you working together in the factory yesterday? So, I assumed that the both of you might be working together today as well. Why are you questioning me in such a way?" Jared quickly beat her to it, making her feel awkward as he knew what her intentions were. "What kind of reason do you think I¡¯d have? By the way, this meat puff is delicious. Have you tried it?¡± Nicole immediately changed the topic of conversation to mask her embarrassment, as she was perhaps thinking too much into it. "I had some already. It is quite delicious indeed." Jared replied with a smile. "Oh yeah. Is there any progress when ites to that investigation?¡± Nicole asked Jared as she suddenly remembered about Henry''s issue. "Yeah, a little." ? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org. "You''ve found Henry''s hiding ce?" Nicole ced her fork down and stared at Jared. "We haven''t found him, but we''ve managed to find his wife," Jared said, not optimistic about this piece of information. Nicole noticed that Jared was expressionless, and that was when she knew that Jared had little hope for that lead. "No worries. Although it''s not an important piece of information, it''s still better than nothing, right?¡± Nicole shed him a warm smile,forting him. "Yeah." Jared felt a lot better, as he saw that Nicole was attempting tofort him. After they had eaten their meals, Jared took Nicole''s hand and walked her out of the restaurant. Now under the moonlight, Jared looked at her, "If these problems didn''t exist, I''d have brought you to a ce where it''s just the two of us. That way, we can enjoy each other''s presence.¡± Hearing Jared''s sudden confession, Nicole began to blush as she gave him a coy look, "What''s with the sudden idea?" Staring deep into Nicole''s eyes, Jared smiled, "I don''t know why. Perhaps, I was just in the moment. "Anyway, let''s head back." Jared maintained his hold and walked her to the car. The next morning, Harvey had gotten ready incredibly early. He was waiting for the driver that Nicole had arranged to pick him up, and from time to time, he would gaze down at the parking lot from his room. Although it was still early, his heart was already set on Nicole. All of a sudden, a knock came from outside his room, prompting him to walk over and open the door. "Hi, good morning.¡± "Good morning, Mr. Harvey." Kelly greeted politely. "How may I help you?" Harvey asked. "Oh. I was afraid that you won''t be able to wake up, so I came to check on you." Kelly smiled and studied him from top to toe, noticing that he was dressed very well. "As you''re already awake, I guess I''ll head back into my room now." Harvey was confused as he watched Kelly appear and disappear from the hallway in a split second. Then, he slowly closed his door. Chapter 1185 Chapter 1185 "What was that? She just came over to check and see if I''m up or not?¡± Harvey thought out loud, still confused as to why Kelly hade and knocked on his door. After he had walked back to his room, he looked at the time. ''The car should be arriving in five minutes.¡¯ Then, he looked at himself again in the mirror and walked out of the room, feeling satisfied. Harvey made his way to the elevator hallway and pressed the button, waiting for the elevator to arrive. It was at then that someone appeared beside him. Turning to his nk, a sh of shock crossed his eyes. "You''re going out as well?" Harvey asked Kelly with his eyes widened. "Yes." Kelly smiled, not saying much. Harvey did not think much about it, as he simply remarked, "It sure has been really boring, just staying in the hotel for the past few days. It''ll be great to go out for some fresh air." This belongs to N?velDrama.Org. There was a ding and the elevator door opened. Kelly gestured for Harvey to enter first. Then, the two of them descended to the lobby together. Once they have walked out of the building, Harvey reminded Kelly, "Be careful when you''re out there. Have fun!" At that exact moment, a white SUV drove in slowly and pulled up in front of Harvey. The chauffeur came down, looked at Harvey and greeted him politely, "Are you Mr. Harvey Ellison?¡± m," Harvey replied. "I was sent by Miss Riddle to pick you up. Please get in the car." The driver quickly opened the door for Harvey. Harvey was very satisfied with the driver''s services. He felt that Nicole truly cared for him. Then, he got into the car and waited for the driver to close the door. After waiting for quite a while, the door was still open. Harvey looked at the driver and found him chatting with Kelly, and so, he called out to him." Mister, let''s go." The driver turned around and looked at Harvey. '' Alright.¡± The driver closed the door for Harvey. Then, he brought Kelly to the other side of the car and opened the door for her, whereupon she got into the car. Harvey stared with his eyes wide as Kelly got into the car. He then asked, '' Why are you getting in too?" "Isn''t this car arranged by Miss Riddle?" Seeing that Harvey was questioning her, she replied with one of her own. "Yeah." "Then, that''s right.¡± "Mister, let''s go,¡± Kelly told the driver. The driver started the car engine and drove to theb where Nicole was. As Harvey sat, he pondered about why Kelly was with him in the car as well as he kept staring at her. Kelly, noticing that Harvey was eyeing her from her periphery, shed a smile. ¡®Does Harvey have feelings for me?¡¯ "Mr. Harvey, is there something on my face?" Kelly popped the question, unable to help herself any longer. Upon hearing that, Harvey realized that his actions had offended her, and so, he quickly exined, "Oh, there''s nothing. I''m sorry, I was just curious.¡± "Curious about what?" Kelly tilted her head and looked at Harvey, unable to understand what he had meant. "Just, why are you in the car with US now?" Harvey spilled the question he had been pondering about. "Oh, so it was about that.¡± Kelly said, feeling disappointed. ''I was in over my head, it seems.¡¯ "Miss Riddle had asked me to help her out at theb. As she had sent someone over to pick you up, she told me to hitch a ride with you," Kelly answered. Chapter 1186 Chapter 1186 ¡®I see." Harvey twitched his lips. ''Nicole did not mention this to me, and just like that, I''ve been embarrassed.¡¯ Meanwhile, Jared had sent Nicole off to theboratory. "We''re here. I''m going in now.¡± Nicole was about to step out of the car when Jared stopped her. Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org. "Did you forget something?" Jared leaned in closer with his cheek. Nicole looked at him shyly and gave him a quick peck on the cheek. Then, she waved at him, "Bye." ¡®I''ll pick you up tonight," he said. Nicole nodded and walked up to the entrance. Just as Jared was about to leave, Harvey''s car drove pass. Harvey immediately recognized Jared''s car, and he muttered, "Don''t tell me he''s here too." Hearing his muttering, Kelly asked, "Mr. Harvey, what were you saying?" "Nothing. Let''s get down." Harvey nced at Kelly, got out of the car and walked up to the entrance. Nicole was swiping her card at the door when Harvey walked up to her and greeted, ¡°Morning.¡± "Morning, you''ve arrived pretty fast, I see." Nicole said, not surprised at all to see Harvey. "Why didn''t you tell me that Kelly will being along as well?¡± Harvey whispered to Nicole. "Why?" Nicole looked at Harvey with her brow raised. At that moment, Kelly came over with her face beaming. "Good morning, Miss Riddle." "Morning." Nicole replied with a smile. ¡®Let''s get in." Nicole left Harvey behind and walked in with Kelly. Harvey could not say much. He only followed them from behind. Those we did not know who Harvey was would have thought of him as their personal bodyguard. The three of them made their way into the building, with Nicole striding off to her office while Kelly and Harvey followed behind her. When they had arrived at the office, Nicole sat down and prepared to work. Harvey looked at her and asked, "What should I do?" "You?" Nicole looked at Harvey. "You can go ahead and find something else to do. Just don''t bother me. That''s all.¡± ¡®Hey. I''m the sessor of the Ellison Group. Are you going to cast me aside just like that?¡± Harvey said, feeling that Nicole was being dismissive of him. ¡®She did not even give me a chance to show her my skills.¡¯ ¡®No, that is not the point. I honestly do not know what kind of task to assign to you." Nicole brought her hands with her palms turned upwards and looked at Harvey. "Okay,¡± he replied. "Perhaps I was being a little pushy there. You guys can continue with your work.¡¯ As soon as Harvey was done talking, he walked to the corner opposite of Nicole''s and sat down. ¡®It''s great that there¡¯s nothing for me to do. I can just sit here quietly and admire her from here." "Okay.¡¯ Nicole turned herputer and began working while Kelly sat in front, assisting her. After half an hour had passed, Harvey asked Nicole, "Hey, how about a coffee break?¡± Nicole looked up, "Sure." Harvey got up and walked out of the office to prepare a cup of coffee for Nicole. It was then that Ike entered Nicole''s office from the other side. Chapter 1187 Chapter 1187 "Hey, Nicole. Are you already working this early?" Ike asked, carrying two cups of coffee in his hands as he approached Nicole. Seeing that Kelly was there too, Ike ced one of the cups beside Nicole and handed the other to Kelly. "Thanks, Mr. Ike." Kelly said politely. Ike nodded. Then, he took the other cup of coffee and passed it to Nicole. " Take a break." "Thanks." Nicole took the cup of coffee from Ike and gave it a sip. "How is the design? Is there anything I can help you with?" Ike smiled at Nicole. "I just need to sort out some data, and after that, I''ll be needing help from your team to proceed.¡± Nicole looked at Ike. "Alright. I can''t wait." Ike looked at Nicole with a smile while Kelly was observing Ike''s bodynguage and expressions in secret. As Ike and Nicole were chatting, Harvey happily sauntered into the room with the freshly brewed coffee in hand. When he saw the back of Ike, the smile on his face faded. ¡®Jeez, I just stepped away to make coffee for a while, and I have already given Ike the chance to get close to her.'' Harvey could only pretend to be courteous toward Ike by walking in with a greeting. "Hi, Ike.¡± Hearing someone calling his name, Ike whirled around to see who that person was. "Mr. Harvey? What are you doing?" Ike stared at the cup in his hand with his forehead creased. Harvey, noticing the expression on Ike''s face, went on to exin, "I came here today with Nicole. I went out to make some coffee just now.¡± As Harvey was talking, he made a beeline for Nicole. His eyes ranged over the desk and there, he found a cup of coffee. ¡®I won''t even have to guess that it was Ike who made her that.¡¯ But Harvey left his coffee on the table anyway, and just as he was about to pass it to Nicole, Ike unexpectedly reached out and took it. "Thank you for the coffee, Mr. Ellison. Since Nicole has her own, I''ll take this.¡± Ike did not wait for Harvey''s response and immediately took a sip, whereupon heplimented, "This coffee that you''ve brewed is pretty good, Mr. Ellison.¡± Harvey tried to suppress his dissatisfaction and remain calm, but the frown on his face betrayed what he truly thought. Nicole felt awkward when she saw it. To buffer the awkwardness in the room, Harvey forced a smile at Ike, ¡®I''m d that you liked it.¡± Then, Harvey walked to the other side and sat down. Noticing that Harvey did not pass her another cup of coffee, Ike could not help but smirk with satisfaction. Harvey took a seat and began to re at Ike from the back, and as Kelly had noticed the murderous look on his face, she began to worry for Ike''s safety. "Nicole, may I have a look at your design?¡± Ike requested as he looked at Nicole with gleaming eyes. "Sure, but don¡¯t put the me on me if you can''t understand anything,¡± Nicole joked. "If I don''t understand a single thing, that means there is much for me to learn from you,¡± Ike''s said, his words carrying a hidden meaning. Nicole did not think too much into it; she only took it as a joke. On the other hand, Harvey, who was sitting at the corner facing Nicole, totally understood Ike''s connotation. Harvey''s re became even more pronounced. ''That scumbag is actually thinking about learning from Nicole? Does he even know that he is out of her league?¡¯ "Look, these are the things I''ve been busy with for these few days.¡± Nicole nced at Ike and pointed at theputer screen. Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org. Ike then walked up to Nicole and leaned over. From Harvey''s point of view, it seemed like he was about to hug Nicole. "Wow, this seems reallyplicated.¡± Ike looked at the screen and frowned a little. Nicole chuckled, "To you guys, it definitely is a little tooplicated." "Yeah, I think out of everyone here in thisb, you''re the only one who can do something like this." Ike looked at Nicole with eyes full of admiration. He was even more attracted to Nicole now. ''Thisdy not only has the looks, but also the brains. She really is charming.¡¯ "I''m not as good as you think I am." Nicole looked at him humbly, feeling that Ike was giving her too much credit. Chapter 1188 Chapter 1188 "No, I''m not even exaggerating. I think I made a mistake earlier. You must be the most capable person I''ve met so far," Ike praised as he looked at her with his piercing ck eyes. ¡®Itis said that the eyes are the most honest; he thought. Kelly could not bear to hear those words anymore, and so did Harvey Ellison, who was seated at corner facing her.He proceeded to stand up and interrupt the flirting between the two. "Ike, I''m not making fun of you. I get that your foundation is so huge, but do you really not have a single expert who can pull this off?¡± Ike turned around and looked at Harvey. "To be honest, even though we do suffer from ack of professionals, there is nobody who could give Nicole a run for her money. She easily outsses any other expert if we are going to make aparison." "Oh, if you put it that way, yes. There is only one Nicole in this world after all. I doubt anyone could surpass her capabilities, well, perhaps those who aren''t even born yet,¡± Harvey said and gave Nicole a smile. As Nicole was seated on the chair, the two men stood hovering over her like two towers ring at one another. Feeling very ufortable in the middle, she stood up and walked over to Kelly, pretending to make conversation with her. "How''s the organization of the data that has been handed over to you?¡± Nicole asked Kelly. "Data?" Kelly looked at Nicole with her head tilted. "She didn''t ask me to sort the data out.¡¯ With Harvey and Ike looking at Kelly at the same time, Nicole quickly gave Kelly a wink. Having understood what Nicole had meant, Kelly replied, "Ah, I¡¯m still organizing them. There are some ces I can''t understand. Could you please have a look at it with me, Miss Riddle?" "Okay. Let me take a look," Nicole said, pretending to be interested in assisting Kelly in her work. Upon noticing that Nicole was going to be busy again, Ike tactfully said, ¡ã Go ahead. I''ve been away for a while now. I think it''s time for me to go back to work as well.¡± "Okay." Nicole raised her head and nced at him when she heard that Ike was about to leave. "Great, I just happen to want a cup of coffee. I''ming with you," Harvey said, urging Ike to leave and making it clear to thetter that they should not dally around. Then, he smiled and walked out of Nicole''s office together with Ike. After the two men had left, both Nicole and Kelly breathed a huge sigh of relief. "It''s about time they leave.¡± "Kelly, do you feel like there was an elephant in the room?" Nicole looked at Kelly with a brow raised. Kelly looked at Nicole and said, "Yes, I sensed it. The tension in the air was palpable." ¡®What do those two take me for?" Nicole sighed. She stood up from Kelly''s seat and returned to her own, after which she calmed herself down and started working again. This belongs to N?velDrama.Org. Harvey then walked in with coffee. The office was quiet, barring the sound of the keyboard as Nicole typed away. Harvey nced at her, and saw that she was so focused on her work that she did not notice that Harvey had walked in. This left him with no other option but to return to his former position and sit down quietly as he watched her. He did not dare to disturb her. Nicole worked until noon came around. Feeling a little fatigued, she stretched her waist and looked at the time. "It''s noon already?" Harvey immediately lifted his head when he heard Nicole asking him about the time. ''When did I fall asleep sitting?¡¯ "Let''s go have lunch.¡± Harvey stood up and looked at Nicole, stretching his body a little bit. "Let''s go, then." Nicole nced at Harvey, and then at Kelly. "Kelly, let''s go and have lunch." ¡°Alright.¡± Chapter 1189 Chapter 1189 Nicole, Harvey, and Kelly made their way toward the restaurant while Ike was already waiting inside. When Ike saw Nicole walking in, he waved at her, prompting her to wave back. Harvey followed Nicole in, and upon noticing Ike''s ingratiating tendencies, he began to seethe from deep within. In the restaurant, Nicole found a quiet spot where she took a seat, with Harvey and Kelly sitting directly across. "Nicole, are you still going to the foundationter?" Harvey said, wishing to talk to her more, as he did not have the chance to talk to Nicole all morning and during lunch. "Yeah. What''s up? You can''t stay for much longer?" Nicole asked, as she had noticed Harvey''s look of boredom a few times during the morning, during which she would silently chuckle and leave him be. "No. I''m veryfortable here.¡± Harvey looked at Nicole, pretending to be rxed. Still, he was worried that Nicole would find an excuse to make him leave. He was determined not to give Nicole any chance to kick him out of here. ¡°Really?¡± Nicole looked at Harvey''s expression with a smirk. "Of course." Harvey shed her a reluctant smile. Nicole nced at Kelly, nodded, and continued to eat. "Is there anything I could help with in the afternoon?¡± Harvey did not want to lollygag and doze off on the chair like he did, as he did not want the time he had with her to be wasted on sleeping. Nicole looked at Harvey, "Do you really want something to do?" "Yeah, it''s just too boring,¡± Harvey said, unsmiling. In response, Nicole continued eating, while she thought about what she could assign Harvey to work on. It was at this moment that Ike brought his te and came over to sit next to Nicole. ¡®Why are you hereter than usual today?¡¯ Ike said, casually starting a conversation with Nicole. "I was just too focused that I didn''t notice the time.¡± Nicole nced at him and continued munching. Harvey shot Ike a stare dagger. ¡®Why is he here? Why is he everywhere? Why is he here having a chat with her when we''re eating?¡¯ It was then that Ike noticed that Nicole did not continue their conversation, and that that her mind was elsewhere, ¡®What are you thinking about?" "I was thinking about what I could let him do,¡± Nicole said without even bothering to sugarcoat the fact. Although she was more than fine with it, Harvey''s expression began to sour. ''How can I allow Ike to see that part of me!¡¯?" The corner of Ike''s mouth curled slightly, and he looked at Harvey with a smirk. "If Mr. Ellison here feels bored and has nothing to do, I happen to have some trivial matters that are yet to be assigned to someone. Perhaps I can make you an arrangement if you''d like." Harvey looked at Ike''s expression and quickly exined, "That won''t be necessary. It''s not that I don''t have things to do, but I felt that Nicole¡¯s work is a bit challenging. I just wanted to help her with it." Then, in order to weasel his way out of it, he looked at Nicole and said,¡¯ Since you have nothing to share with me, I guess it''s all good. I was just worrying too much." Nicole looked at Harvey, who was suddenly singing a different tune, and felt that he was acting a little strange. ''He said he was bored just minutes earlier and now he doesn''t want to help. What''s his deal?¡¯ "Let''s just eat." Harvey saw that Nicole was confused and changed the subject. He continued to eat in silence while Nicole and Ike continued engaging in a casual conversation in front of him.Content ? N?velDrama.Org. Chapter 1190 Chapter 1190 After lunch, Nicole and Kelly went back to the office. Harvey, who had not followed them, went to the pantry alone instead. The pantry was particrly empty. There was no one there as it was past lunch break. Everyone was busy working on their tasks in their own departments. Seeing this, Harvey went to the bar, poured himself a ss of wine, and took a sip while ncing around. ¡®This is a strange ce,¡¯ Harvey thought to himself while realizing that he was the odd one out who had insisted in staying just so he could spend more time with Nicole. He took another sip of his wine as he thought about how annoying Ike was and how much he hated him. He took another sip once more and this time, he began thinking about what he could do to win Nicole over. After emptying the ss of its contents, Harvey ced it down and returned to Nicole''s office. Nicole and Kelly both shot him a nce when he returned before they quickly returned to work. Harvey knew that they were busy with their duties, and so, he went and sat down on the same chair that he had previously upied. He brainstormed ideas and ways he could start a conversation with Nicole. Nicole nced at Harvey, noticing he was in a daze and said, ¡°Harvey,e here.¡± Harvey was taken aback when he heard Nicole calling his name. He walked over to Nicole and asked, "What''s the matter?¡± "Can you understand the data here?¡± Nicole opened a tab for Harvey to read. Owned by N?velDrama.Org. ¡®Maybe this is my opportunity to shine,¡¯ he thought as he understood the data after catching a glimpse of it. "Yes," he said. "Can you really understand it?" Nicole asked, unable to believe it as Harvey looked her in the eyes and nodded. "Well, that''s good,¡± she said. "I made this data a little too hastily, so there might be errors in them. Can you sort it out for me?" Nicole had already thought of a suitable task to assign to Harvey while they were out getting lunch. She had deliberately teased Harvey in front of Ike to get a reaction out of him. If Harvey had epted Ike''s offer, she would have spoken up. "Of course I can. What should I use to help you organize?" Harvey looked around the office and noticed there were no spareputers for him to use. "I''ll have someone bring aputer over right now. You can do your work on that table.¡± Nicole pointed to the table he had been sitting at. "Okay." Nicole made a phone call, and not long after, a person with aputer came knocking on her door. "Come in,¡± Nicole said. The man walked in and asked, "Ms. Riddle, here''s theputer you asked for. Where shall I set it up?¡± Nicole pointed at Harvey''s direction and said, "Set it up for him there on that table." "Okay." Soon, a brand-new desktop was installed in front of Harvey, and the person left shortly after. Harvey turned theputer on and tried it, remarking, "It seems to be working fine, Nicole. I just need to sort the data you''ve given me.¡± To ensure the safety of the data, Nicole exported it to a portable hard drive and gave it to Harvey. "Don''t connect to the inte. The organized data are to be saved in this hard drive, and only in this hard drive," Nicole instructed with a serious look on her face. ¡®Okay. Is this data for urgent use?¡± Harvey looked at Nicole and asked. "Not really,¡± she replied. ¡°You can organize it normally. If youe across parts that you don''t understand, feel free to ask me. Don''t make any assumptions.¡± Chapter 1191 Chapter 1191 "Okay." After Nicole was done speaking, she went back to her desk and continued working. Kelly nced at Harvey and shed him a smile while giving him a thumbs-up. In return, he did the same, before centering his focus on the task at hand. Just like that, the office fell silent, with nobody getting bored enough to doze off. All that moved were the silhouettes of the three hardworking individuals. Nicole was thinking about what to write next, when Harvey''s voice sounded out and startled her. "Harvey Ellison, do you know that speaking that loudly in such a sudden way can scare others?¡± Nicole covered her chest with her hands and looked at Harvey with a re. Harvey, realizing that his voice had frightened them, looked at Nicole with embarrassment. Nicole paused for a moment, before she looked at Harvey and asked, "Tell me, what is the matter?" ¡®There is something that I don''t understand here. Can youe over and exin it to me?" Harvey asked. Owned by N?velDrama.Org. Although he understood most of it, there was a section that had left him stumped. Thus, he took this as an opportunity to ask Nicole. ¡®It would be great if she coulde and give me some assistance,¡¯ he thought. Nicole saw that Harvey was stuck, and without hesitation, she stood up and walked toward him. "Where?" Nicole looked at the screen and asked him. ¡®I don''t fully understand the meaning of this paragraph.¡± Harvey pointed at a line of codes on the screen. In response, Nicole leaned over; her eyes fixed on the screen. Her hair hung down in front, and Harvey caught a whiff of the fragrance, making him feel as though he was intoxicated. "This section indicates that you should divide it into two parts from here,¡± Nicole exined. ¡®Oh, I see," Harvey muttered, understanding it "Is there anything else you don''t understand?¡± Nicole turned to look at Harvey. The moment she turned her head, her flowing hair brushed against his face, causing his heart to skip a beat. This was the first time he had touched her hair. He wanted to hold her tight in his arms. "No, there''s nothing else.¡± Harvey looked into Nicole''s eyes. ¡®Continue working on it, then. Ask me if you any questions.¡± Nicole patted him on the shoulder and went back to her seat. In aplete daze now, Harvey continued eyeing her, maintaining his gaze as she returned to her seat. The second she had sat down, she noticed that a pair of eyes were staring at her. She raised her head and looked at him. Harvey quickly averted his gaze and kept his eyes fixed on theputer, pretending as if he was working hard. Seeing this, her lips twitched and she went back to work. Concluding that Nicole had not noticed that he was staring, he breathed a muffled sigh of relief and continued his work. Time flew, and soon after, the sun began to set. Kelly stood up to stretch her muscles, and that was when she looked at Nicole and asked, "Miss Riddle, do you want a cup of coffee?" ¡®Sure.¡¯ Nicole raised her head and nced at Kelly, before going back to her task. After that, Kelly looked at Harvey and asked, "Mr. Harvey, would you like a cup of coffee?" "Yes, but I''ll make it myself.¡± Harvey saved the file, got up, and went to the pantry with Kelly. Kelly was about to make coffee for Nicole when Harvey stopped her. "Are you going to make coffee for Nicole?" "Yeah, what''s the matter?" Kelly looked at Harvey with a slight frown. "You can make your own," he said. "I''ll make hers.¡± The coffee he had made for Nicole in the morning was stolen by Ike, and with Ike not being here at this moment, he wanted to make another cup for Nicole. ¡®Oh," she uttered. Kelly had a hunch that Harvey seemed to be interested in Nicole. She was a little disappointed, but she also understood that Nicole had the figure, the brains, and the charm to make others fall head over heels for her. If I was a man, I would definitely like Nicole too. Chapter 1192 Chapter 1192 As Harvey stirred the coffee with a spoon in his hand, the image of Nicole leaning over in front of him appeared in his mind''s eye. Her curves are perfect, and I think I can still smell the fragrance of her lovely hair,¡¯ he thought. Kelly was already drinking her coffee while Harvey was still stirring his in a daze. Kelly at him in confusion and could not help but offer him a reminder. "Mr. Harvey, the coffee is done, isn''t it?" Kelly''s voice brought him back to reality. ¡°Oh, yeah.¡± This belongs to N?velDrama.Org. Harvey took the coffee that he had brewed and drank it directly, forgetting that it was for Nicole. Seeing that, Kelly''s eyes widened and she asked, "Mr. Harvey, isn''t this cup for Miss Riddle?" Harvey''s hand froze as he held the cup to his mouth. ¡®Oh no,'' he thought. ¡®Why did I even drink from the cup that I had made for her? What am I going to do now? Right!" Harvey spun around and looked at Kelly with a smile. "This cup of coffee has too much milk, so I won''t be giving it to Nicole. I''ll make another for her right away. If you''re in a hurry, you can head back first." As he said that, he began making another cup and nced at Kelly who was standing beside him. ¡°Remember not to add too much milk again. I''ll head back first." Kelly said, and made her way back to the office. ¡®Where''s mine?¡± Nicole asked as she saw Kelly walking in without any coffee for her. "Mr. Harvey has it. He¡¯s making it for you.¡± Kelly smiled and walked back to her seat. "He...alright then." After Kelly had left, Harvey breathed a sigh of relief. ¡®Was I acting weird? Did she see that? I can''t be thinking too much about it now. Nicole is still waiting for her cup.¡¯ Harvey hurriedly made the coffee and took it to the office. "Nicole, this is for you. I didn''t mean to keep you waiting." Harvey looked at her with warm eyes. "You didn''t poison it did you? After all, you''ve been there for a while.¡± Nicole narrowed her eyes, teasing him. "Stop with the hogwash. If you really did....no, no, you better not drink it, then. I can''t be held responsible if anything happens." Harvey reached out to grab the coffee in Nicole''s hand. "You fell for it. I''m just messing with you.¡± Nicole moved away, preventing him from taking her cup. "Don''t you make jokes like these anymore.¡± Harvey gave her a serious stare and returned to his seat to continue working. "What is going on? He became a different person after he went out to make me this cup of coffee,¡¯ Nicole thought. "Kelly, did he meet Ike out there?¡± Nicole stood up and whispered to her. "As far as what I saw was concerned, no. I didn''t see Mr. Ike when I was there. I''m not sure about what happened after I had left," Kelly whispered back. ¡®That''s strange. Why isn''t he even able to take a joke anymore?" Nicole nced at Harvey, unable to wrap her head around the situation. Kelly stood up and muttered to Nicole in a low voice, ¡°When we were making coffee, the first cup was obviously made for you. I''m not sure why, but Mr. Ellison was there stirring your coffee in a daze for a long time. I''m not sure what he was thinking about." Nicole thought, ''How can this be?¡¯ Nicole looked at Harvey again, and found that he was taking sneak peeks at her, but when he saw her looking at him, he immediately turned around, pretending to be working again. ¡®He''s peeking at me?¡¯ Nicole thought, bing even more curious about Harvey''s unusual behavior. "Something must have triggered that, right?" Kelly shook her head, sat down and continued working. Nicole narrowed her eyes and looked at Harvey, and as she sat down slowly, she pondered, ''He doesn''t seem to be having any problems. Forget it. What happened to him has nothing to do with me. I should focus on my work.¡¯ Then, she went back to work, taking sips from her cup every now and again. As time flew by, the sky darkened, and when Nicole looked at where Harvey was sitting, he was already gone. ''Where did he go?¡¯ Chapter 1193 Chapter 1193 "Kelly, did you see Harvey when he went out?" Nicole asked. Owned by N?velDrama.Org. "No, I didn''t see him." Kelly raised her head when she heard Nicole''s voice. She had been working all this while, and so, she had not notice that Harvey was not in the office anymore.It was then that Harvey came sauntering in with some cakes in hand. "Take a break and have a slice of cake." Harvey looked at Nicole and Kelly with a smile, after which he ced it down on Nicole''s desk. "You brought cakes for US?" Nicole stared at Harvey, her eyes wide. ¡®Before this, he made me coffee because he wanted some,¡¯ she thought. ¡®It was a matter of convenience and I doubt he really cared, anyway.How is he so caring, all of a sudden?¡¯ Harvey knew that Nicole did not like him, and he was worried that Nicole would think that he was going an extra mile to show her that he cared, so he denied it. "Oh, I was going to go make myself more coffee, and I saw some cakes, so I took some back for the two of you to help with the fatigue.¡± Nicole heaved a sigh of relief upon hearing his exnation. ¡°I was just beginning to think that you underwent a 180 degree shift in personality, but as it turns out, it is just a matter of convenience. Thanks anyway." Then, Nicole picked a slice of cake up and handed it to Kelly. ¡°Thanks.¡± Nicole picked up another slice of cake and ate it happily. "I guess the sugar does help with the fatigue." Harvey grinned with unmistakable pride and satisfaction the instant he saw that Nicole was eating happily. "Nicole, it''s getting dark, so should we get off work too?" Harvey looked at her and asked. "You can leave anytime you want,¡± Nicole said. ¡°I''m not just talking about me,¡± Harvey replied. ¡°I''m talking about you too." "I''ve still got onest part to take care of. I''ll get off work after I''m done dealing with it.¡± Nicole looked at him. "In that case, I''ll wait for you to finish and get off work together,¡± he said.¡¯ After all, there is one part left to bepleted." Harvey just wanted to be right next to her. He clicked on the file he had closed and continued working. The three of them then got busy in the office for another hour before Nicole turned theputer off and stood up to stretch her muscles. ¡°Time to get off work,¡± Nicole said. Harvey looked at Nicole, "Okay, I''ll shut theputer down right away.¡± "Me too." Kelly turned her desktop off as well, and stood up. "Well, everyone has worked hard today, especially Mr. Ellison here.¡± Nicole looked at Harvey with a smile on her face. Harvey responded in kind and said. "The same goes to you." Soon after, the trio left the building together without bumping into Ike, who had to leave early today due to personal reasons. In the parking lot outside the R&Db, Jared''s car was already waiting there. Spotting Nicole¡¯s silhouette as she exited the building, he got off his car and stood in front of it, with the beams from his headlights casting a long shadow of him. From where Nicole was standing, Jared looked like he was glowing. Nicole quickly walked up to Jared, "So you know how to turn the car lights on today?" "Yes, otherwise you''d think that I didn''te to pick you up,¡± Jared said. "But it seems that the folks with cars have yet to get off work today.¡± Jared looked behind Nicole, seeing only Harvey and Kelly. Chapter 1194 Chapter 1194 "Are you talking about Ike?¡¯ Nicole narrowed her eyes and looked at Jared. Jared shed her a smile and kept mum. As of now, Harvey and Kelly had already walked up to Jared. "Mr. Johnston, I''m afraid you will be sending two more people home today, '' Harvey said to Jared. "No problem, but I''ll have to make you wait for a little while.¡± Jared said, not intending to let Harvey ride in the same car as them. Harvey did not understand what he had meant, so he looked at Jared.¡¯ What did he mean when he said that?" Harvey watched as Jared opened the door for Nicole, who entered. Then, Jared looked back at Harvey and Kelly, and said, "There will be another caring to pick you up soon.¡± After that, he got into the car and left, leaving Harvey and Kelly standing there in the parking lot. "Mr. Harvey, Mr. Johnston probably meant that he will be sending another car to pick US up, right?" Kelly looked at Harvey. "Yeah." "Then let''s wait.¡± Harvey watched as Jared drove away. ¡®You really do know how to screw around, Jared Johnston. Do you really think that I''d need to wait for you to send a car my way?¡¯ Harvey took out his phone out and made a call. After a while, a car approached them from the distance and pulled up in front of Harvey. The driver then got out and opened the car door for Harvey. Harvey climbed in and looked at Kelly. "Get in the car." Kelly entered through the back and sat still. As they drove on, they went pass the car that Jared had sent. Kelly nced back, looked at Harvey, and asked, "Mr. Harvey, a car just stopped in the parking lot." ¡°Yeah. It''s the car that Jared had sent." This belongs to N?velDrama.Org. "Then whose car are we riding in?¡± Kelly looked at Harvey with her brows raised. "Mine." Harvey uttered as he stared into the distance nkly. "Yours? But | thought you said you don''t have a car?¡± Kelly looked at Harvey in surprise. Harvey maintained his silence, and closed his eyes. Seeing this, Kelly decided not to bother him anymore. Nicole looked at Jared and asked, "Have you arranged a car for them?" "Yeah." "That''s good then,¡± It was then that Jared''s phone rang, prompting him to answer the call. "Mr. Johnston, the people you''ve asked me to pick up were not around." ¡®It''s okay if you couldn''t pick them up. Don''t worry about it." Jared hung, unamused. Nicole overheard the conversation, looked at Jared and asked, "What did you mean when you said that it''s okay if the driver couldn''t pick them up?¡± ¡°He probably got himself a ride." Jared looked at Nicole and exined to her. "Yeah, as long as | can return home." Nicole said, not bothering to think about Harvey. Soon after, their car pulled up at the entrance of the hotel, whereupon Jared took Nicole''s hand and walked in. In the room, Jared had prepared a bathtub filled with warm water for Nicole. "The water has been filled,¡± he said. ¡°Take a bath and rx." Nicole looked at Jared with her brows furrowed. "What''s the asion? Why did you fill the tub for me? Is this some sort of conspiracy?" The corners of his mouth lifted and he broke into a chuckle. ''What kind of conspiracy do you think | can pull off with a tub of water? If you don''t want it, I''ll enjoy it myself.¡± Jared was about to strip his clothes off when Nicole stepped in. "Stop. How can | possibly pass on this? Mr. Johnston himself had personally filled up my bath. | must''ve been the first to experience this. Even if this ends up being my undoing, I''d still get in thinking that I''ve got nothing to worry about." After Nicole was done speaking, she walked into the bathroom, took her clothes off, and dipped her feet into the water. "The temperature is just right,¡± she remarked. Nicole soaked herself in the water and closed her eyes. After a while, she opened her eyes and looked around to find that her phone was not there. If it was, she would have been able to y some music, which would further enhance the ambience. ¡®Jared, have you seen my phone?" Nicole called out. Chapter 1195 Chapter 1195 ¡°I saw it!" Jared responded from outside the bathroom. "Can you bring it in for me?" she asked. The thumping of Jared''s footfalls followed, and soon, he was at the door knocking. "I''ming in." Nicole scrambled to hide her figure in the water but she could not, as it was transparent without a layering of soap on top. Jared came right toward Nicole, but she quickly stopped him in his tracks." Don''te any closer." "But how am I supposed to hand you the phone?" Jared looked into her eyes without squinting. Nicole looked around and knew he was right. "Try closing your eyes and slowly make you way over here." Jared breathed a sigh of resignation. "Is there anything else that I haven''t seen before? You know, there''s no need for you to be this prudish." "You...!" Nicole''s face turned bright red. ¡°No, I''m not allowing that. Come in and do as I''ve said.¡± "Okay...Okay..." Jared closed his eyes and inched his way forward. "Is this alright?" Jared asked as he moved closer. Just a little more," Nicole instructed, after which he took a few steps forward. "Can you get a hold of it now?" ¡°Yeah, you may hold it out in front of you,¡± Nicole replied. Jared slowly handed the phone to her, and Nicole reached out to grab it. "I got it, thanks!" ¡°Alright.¡± Jared withdrew his hand, turned around and opened his eyes. Then, he stepped out of the bathroom, while Nicole turned her phone on and yed some music the second Jared closed the door. "She really knows how to enjoy herself," Jared murmured to himself as he left. About 30 minutester, Nicole came out of the bathroom wrapped in a towel as she went into the bedroom. There, Jared was already lying on the bed, fast asleep. "He fell asleep?" Nicole shot him a nce with her brows furrowed. Then, she closed the door and went to the living room. She turned the TV on and was about to find a movie to watch when her phone suddenly rang. Nicole picked it up and saw that it was Zeke Guzman calling. "Zeke, what''s so important that you''re calling me at this hour?" Nicole asked. Owned by N?velDrama.Org. "Sorry, I forgot that it''s prettyte there,¡± Zeke replied. ¡°I''ve found some clues about the person you''ve ordered me to investigate." "What clues?" Nicole asked at once. Nicole had spoken to Jared about this before. Although Jared had not asked her aid in this investigation concerning Henry Johnston, she knew that his methods would be too time consuming. Hence, she had asked Zeke to help her out. "I see. Well, thanks. Do keep me posted whenever you get any updates about the case.¡± Nicole hung up after she was done speaking. Nicole lifted her head and saw Jared''s silhouette in the living room, startling her. "When did you get here?¡± "Who called?" Jared came over and sat beside her. "Zeke. He''s got news on Henry," Nicole said, and proceeded to tell Jared about the information she had gotten from Zeke. Jared''s eyes lit up, as he looked at Nicole and said, "Did you hire someone to investigate him?" "Yeah." ¡®Where is he?" he asked, as Henry''s whereabouts were what Jared wanted to know, above everything else. Chapter 1196 Chapter 1196 "Roca Este,¡± Nicole said these two words withplete rity. "Roca Este...," Jared murmured, staring at the TV and lost in thought. The next day, the weather was fine as Jared and Nicole sat, eating in the dining room. ¡®I''m going to fly home today," Jared said. "You must take care of yourself here.¡± "If you''re bored, you can get Kelly toe over and keep youpany, but not Harvey. I don''t want you getting involved with him," Jared instructed, not wanting Harvey to be anywhere near Nicole. "Don''t you worry,¡± Nicole replied. "I know what to do.¡¯ "When are you going toe back?" Nicole looked at him, betraying the unwillingness to let him go. ¡®What''s up? I haven''t left and you''re already missing me?" Jared looked at Nicole with a smirk. "No, I just wanted to know so that I can get others to leave before you arrive," Nicole said just to get a rise out of him. "It seems that you still have the temerity to harbor thoughts such as these." Jared went up to her and pinched her on the chin. Nicole looked at him with a smile, "I don''t, but I cannot guarantee that there wont be any.¡± "In that case. I''ll have to send someone over to guard you 24/7, and I''ll fly over at once if something urs." Jared looked into her eyes with burning passion and made out with her, prompting her to reciprocate. After a moment, he released her, gave her a loving stare, and said, "If grandpa is okay, I wille back to pay you a visit again.¡± "Okay." Nicole nodded. "Are you flying off soon?" "Yeah." "Let me send you off.¡± Asmile appeared on the corner of Jared''s lips. "Okay." As they took a slow drive from the hotel to the airport, Nicole leaned against Jared¡¯s arms. "Remember to text me when you havended safely.¡± "Okay, I will. Well, no one is going to pick you up after you get off work today. Perhaps you''ll have to ride home in someone else''s car," Jared said in a figurative way. "Don''t worry,¡± she said. "Just leave your car here. I can drive it around.¡± Nicole then shot him a nce at him and thought, ¡®What a cheapskate.¡¯ Jared looked at her and shed her a smile without saying a word. Once they had pulled up outside the airport, Nicole apanied him to the security terminals. "Go home and be careful when you''re driving,¡± Jared advised while keeping his eyes locked on Nicole. Owned by N?velDrama.Org. "Yeah, and remember to tell me once you havended.¡¯ "Bye." Jared waved and vanished into the security checkpoint with Max. Nicole then walked out of the airport and drove Jared''s car to the R&Db. When she had reached the office, sne saw that both Harvey and Kelly were already working. Upon noticing her, Harvey came up to her and greeted her, "You''rete today." "Oh. I went to the airport earlier. Harvey, did you hire a personal chauffeur yesterday?" Nicole asked in a casual way. "Yeah, Mr. Johnston''s driver took a long time, so I called myself another. I was thinking that I should return home as early as possible to catch some rest." Harvey said, feeling that it was not necessary to tell her the truth about such a trivial matter. Nicole did not wish to expose him either, so she looked at him and sat down. Not long after Nicole had begun working, Ike walked in. "Nicole, what do you want me to do?" Harvey saw Ike walking in and paused as he kept his eyes on him. "You came here in a rush. Take a seat for bit. I''ll be done in a second." Nicole looked at Ike and motioned for him to seat on the chair and wait. "Okay." Ike turned around and sat down in a chair. It was then that he noticed that Harvey was looking at him. "How can I help you, Mr. Ellison?" Chapter 1197 Chapter 1197 "Nothing." Harvey turned around and continued to do his work the moment he noticed that Ike was sitting far away from Nicole. Ike, seeing that Harvey was also busy in front of theputer, walked over curiously. "Are you sorting the data out, Mr.Ellison?" "Yeah." Harvey uttered, refusing to borate further and continued working.Ike watched him for a while and noticed that there was an error.He wanted to tell Harvey about it, but once he was reminded of Harvey''s character, he chose to maintain his silence. "Come here," Nicole beckoned, prompting Ike to approach her. "The current design is like this..." Nicole pointed at the screen, and Tke listened intently. Harvey, on the other hand, had been keeping an eye on the distance between Ike and Nicole. ''If he gets any closer to Nicole, I will not hesitate to make some noise to let her know about it" Just when Ike was about to bump into Nicole, Harvey suddenly ducked. This caused Nicole and Ike to look at him at the same time. "What are you doing?" Nicole stared at him with her brows raised and asked. "It''s nothing.It''s just that my feet are numb." Harvey casually found an excuse to justify his weird behavior. Then, Nicole and Ike continued their discussion. Ike pointed at the screen, after which he ced his hand on the back of Nicole''s chair.His fingers grazed Nicole''s back. As she had felt it, she leaned forward by a little bit. Seeing that Nicole had moved forward, Harvey kept silent and did not react. "Okay, I''ll go back and make the preparations at once.You can find me in the R&D department with the datater," Ike said, and left the office. Nicole then looked at Harvey and asked, "How''s the sortinging along?" Harvey heard Nicole''s inquiry and replied, "There is still a bit left for me to sort out." "Okay, you better speed up," she said. "I must bring it to the R&D departmentter on." "Alright." Harvey quickened his hand movements after he had responded to her, while Nicole continued to immerse herself in her work. After 30 minutes, Nicolepleted the final bit of her work an exported it to the hard disk at once. "Harvey, have you finished sorting the data out?" Nicole asked while perusing her documents. "Yeah, it''s done." "Export it to the hard drive." "Okay." Nicole brought Harvey along to the R&D department. After swiping her ess card to gain ess, she entered the conference room that Ike had prepared. "Are you ready?" Nicole looked at Ike and asked. N?velDrama.Org ? 2024. "All set." Ike turned theputer on and nodded at her. Nicole walked over and sat in front of theputer.She plugged the disk into the port and waited as the system began to read the data. They watched as the progress bar got longer and longer, and finally, they heard a ding, revealing that the learning process was sessful. Nicole opened the file, as well as the data set that Harvey hadpiled, after which she operated the computer to demonstrate what she had created. Everyone''s eyes were fixed on the screen in front of Nicole. Then, it began to move and the chip manufacturing process was soon being disyed on the screen. All of a sudden, a dialog box popped up in the middle of screen, stating that there was a data error. The people on present in the room became nervous, with Nicole scrambling to search for the error at once. After several minutes spent on skimming through the codes, she found that there was a problem with one of the data setspiled by Harvey. "Harvey, did you not notice anything peculiar when you were sorting the data out?" Nicole asked. "Is there a problem?" Harvey immediately leaned over and examined the data on theputer. "Over here." Nicole pointed with her index finger. "You know what? Forget it.Just watch how I do it." After Nicole had uttered thest word, she darted her fingers across the keyboard as quickly as she could to rectify the mistakes made by Harvey. Chapter 1198 Chapter 1198 Ike looked at Harvey. Had Harvey note off as a jerk, Ike would have informed him of the mistake there and then. After Nicole had pointed it out, Harvey realized that the error was entirely avoidable. Perhaps he was just distracted because Ike was in the office, causing him to overlook the inuracies. "It''s done.Let''s try again." Nicole restarted the program and centered her gaze on the screen.As expected, it worked ording to n and everything turned out just as they had wanted. "This is my first time seeing such a unique design!" one of the designers remarked. "Miss Riddle, we might need some examine and analyze it," Ike exined to Nicole. "Sure, we''ll discuss about it today.Don''t hesitate to tell me if there''s anything we need to improve upon.We''ll get it done right away." Nicole looked at everyone with nothing sincerity in her eyes. Everyone nodded before they began their discussion with their eyes on the screen. With some of them expounding upon the areas that needed improvement, Nicole immediately arranged for one of the engineers to fix the issues that were mentioned while she took the lead directing the process. Harvey found a chair and took a seat as he watched Nicole giving instructions to the group of engineers. The meeting room was busy, and he felt that he was not a part of it. Realizing that he was not needed there, he went out to get a breath of fresh air. As he sat on bar stool, drinking coffee, a figure appeared out of nowhere and came up to him. "Harvey, you''re drinking coffee again?" Kelly asked, having entered the lounge and seen him staring into space by himself. Harvey turned to her. "Are you on a break?" "Yeah, and is Miss Riddle still working with Mr.Ike in the development department?" Kelly asked. "Yeah, they''re still busy," Harvey responded without a hint of emotion on his face. "Harvey, why do I feel like you''re in a rather bad mood today?" Kelly blinked at him. "Is that so? Perhaps it''s because it was too noisy in the meeting room,"Harvey said, unable to bring himself to be happy. "Wow, even you''ve had enough, huh," Kelly observed. "The meeting must''ve been really noisy then, right?" "Noisy would be an understatement.It felt like there was a hive of bees buzzing around my ear." Owned by N?velDrama.Org. Harvey shook his head and took another sip from his cup. "Well, of course.It''s a major project, and that''s why everyone wants to have the best solution." "Enjoy your break I''m heading back in." Harvey ced his cup down and bade her farewell before making his way back to the development department. The moment he swung the door to the meeting room open, he saw Ike talking to Nicole at a corner. Harvey frowned as he thought, ''I just went out for a cup of coffee and Ike has already glued himself to Nicole.Seems like I can''t leave them alone at all" "Hey, what are you talking about?" Harvey stood in between them and asked. Chapter 1199 Chapter 1199 Nicole and Ike turned back to Harvey. "Where did you go?" "I went to grab some coffee.Do you want some?" Harvey looked at Nicole.He was confused and thought that she was upset with him for not bringing her a mug. "No, I needed your help, but it''s done and dealt with now." Nicole responded and continued her discussion with Ike as they stared at the screen. "Miss Riddle, even the bestpanies in the market are using 5- nanometer chips, so I think we should give the 4-nanometer chip a shot." Ike looked at her with utmost seriousness. Nicole shot him a nce before turning her gaze back to the screen as she pondered. After some time, she responded, "We can try.If we seed, it''ll be a huge breakthrough." "Yeah." Ike''s eyes lit up, brimming with confidence. Content ? N?velDrama.Org. "But we''re not capable of producing a 4-nanometer chip just yet," one of the engineers interrupted the moment he overheard their conversation. "I know, but we should give it a try.That way, we can increase the performance of this chip exponentially." Nicole argued, believing that her creation was the best. At the very least, it had to be better than the chip disyed in the technology exhibition, and so, she insisted on using the 4- nanometer chip. The engineers fell silent after hearing Nicole''s suggestion. They thought that the 5 -nanometer chips were already considered to be state-of-the-art, and that to produce a 4-nanometer chip would be an insurmountable challenge. They were not ready to be the first ones to fail, and they did not know why Nicole would wish to risk it. Nicole spoke when she saw that everyone was objecting to her idea. "Quiet down, everybody.I know you''re all professionals here and you''re all having a hard time understanding our perspective.You''re probably thinking ''Why don''t we just use the certified 5- nanometer chip? Why are we venturing into the unfamiliar territory by trying to produce a 4-nanometer chip?'', am I right?" "Yeah, we don''t know why we''re taking on the 4-nanometer chip challenge.The 5-nanometer version already suffices, so to use a 4- nanometer chip for this purpose ispletely unnecessary," a middle- aged engineer contended. "That''s right.I think the 5-nanometer chip is much more reliable and I don''t think I''ll agree with the use of the 4-nanometer chips." Nicole looked at them and listened to their views calmly. Ike attempted to reason with them, but the stubborn engineers disagreed nheless. "I understand where you''reing from," Nicole said. "Actually, if you think about it logically, you''re right.Indeed, the 5- nanometer production technology is good enough, and theirpany is definitely going to be using the 5-nanometer technology, without a doubt. "However, what I''m trying to say is that their chip is second to ours, which is why, while the 5- nanometer chip is good enough for them, our chip needs to be better than theirs.The 5- nanometer technology won''t be able to showcase the chip''s full potential, and that''s why Ike and I want to take a leap of faith and give it a shot," she finished. "We understand where you''reing from too, Miss Riddle.Everyone knows that you''re the one who came up with this chip, and that is why you wish to bring it to its full potential.Unfortunately, our experience is telling us that the 5-nanometer technology is the safest bet.It has the highest rate of sess too, which is why we find the 4-nanometer technology really risky," a determined engineer exined as he looked at her. "Since you''re all insisting on the use of the 5-nanometer technology, there''s only one option left." Nicole turned to Ike. Everyone exchanged looks as no one understood what she meant. "What option?" Nicole looked at them and responded, "You''ll use the 5-nanometer technology, and I''ll get a few people to use the 4-nanometer technology.Then, we''ll make aparison.We''ll use the production technology that is able to produce the most stable, reliable, and powerful chip.What do you think?" The engineers started discussing among themselves and soon after, one of them said, "Okay, that''s the best way, moving forward." Chapter 1200 Chapter 1200 "I''m going to select a few of you now." Nicole looked around at the engineers. This belongs to N?velDrama.Org. "The few of you,e over and team up with me.The rest of you can make your own arrangements," Nicole ordered. "Alright," they said. Nicole and her team members made their way to the development department with Ike following right behind as he wanted to be ina team with Nicole. Nicole turned around and looked at him. "You have to stay in the development department and contact me if anything happens, alright." "Okay." Ike said, reluctantly watching her leave as she had made her orders clear. Nicole took them to an office and said, "Thank you in advance for working with me for the next few days.Please contact each other whenever they are any developments and be sure to maintain close communication with one another.I hope that we can sessfully produce a 4-nanometer chip." "Yes, Miss Riddle," one of her engineers said. "Clean the office today and get whatever you need from the equipment department.We shall begin tomorrow." Nicole instructed them and left thereafter. Once Nicole had returned to her office, Harvey said, "Nicole, are you confident about producing the 4- nanometer chip?" Nicole turned to him and replied, ''Do you think I''m messing around?" "To create a 4-nanometer chip isn''t a walk in the park.I need you to understand that if you''ve decided to develop one with them, it is going to be far from easy," Harvey stated, knowing how difficult it was to create a chip, and that it would be almost impossible to do so without apetent team. "All of you think that it''d be an arduous task, but I really want to give it a shot." Nicole stared at him affirmatively.Harvey issued a sigh as he looked her in the eye. "Fine.You have my support.Juste to me if you need anything." "That''s all I need to hear from you." Nicole smiled and gave him a nce before sitting down, wondering how she was going to kick the development process off tomorrow. On the other hand, Jared''s ne was on a slownding. After he had gotten off the ne, he went to the hospital at once. ¡° I''ve been gone for quite a while.I wonder how grandpa is doing" He opened the door and walked in when he saw his grandfather having a meal. As soon as Mr.Johnston Sr.saw him, he asked, "You''re back?" "Yeah." Jared nodded and took a seat beside Mr.Johnston Sr. "Grandpa, you look much better now, aspared to when I left." Jared smiled at him. "Yeah, I am feeling much stronger too.I''ve also been eating a lot more than I used to!" Mr.Johnston Srughed and looked at him. "Max, did the doctore in today?" Jared looked at his aide and asked. "Yes, he said that Mr.Johnston Sr.is progressively getting better," Max reported. Jared nodded with satisfaction. Then, Mr.Johnston Sr.looked at Jared and asked, "Jared, how''s thepany doing now?" "Let me assure you that the operations have been running as smoothly as can be," Jared replied. "Okay.And what has Nicole been doing these days? I haven''t seen her in a while now." Mr.Johnston Sr.asked, as he had suddenly thought of her. "She went abroad." "Abroad? What is she doing there? Did she leave because you drove her up the wall?" Mr.Johnston Sr.looked at Jared with his brows furrowed. "No, Mr.Harmon is working on a project there, so he asked her to help him out." Jared summarized the entire situation and told Mr.Johnston Sr.as he did not want him to worry about it. Mr.Johnston Sr.smiled when he heard that Mr.Harmon had invited Nicole over to help him out. "Even Mr.Harmon needs her help.It seems that my granddaughter - inw is no ordinary person."Mr.Johnston Sr.smiled as he spoke highly of Nicole. "You should get some rest, grandpa.I''m heading back to the office now." Jared bade him farewell and made a beeline for the exit.But just as he reached the door and was about to go out, Mr. Chapter 1201 Chapter 1201 Jared turned to Mr. Johnston Sr. and asked, "Yes, grandpa?" "Have you received any updates about Henry?" Mr. Johnston Sr. asked, his expression nk and cold when he broached the topic. "Not yet. I''ll let you know as soon as I get any." Jared walked out after leaving him with those words. Jared knew that Mr. Johnston Sr. would only be more worried if he knew the truth, so he chose to hide it from him until he could bring Henry before Mr. Johnston Sr. "Max, how''s Martin''spany doing?" Jared asked while walking. "Everything is fine with Mr. Wyance and hispany. They''ve already produced a huge batch of equipment," Max reported. "How''s the sales?" "There aren''t many orders for now. After all, we''re only selling them locally, so there aren''t many opportunities for these devices to be used to their best capacity." "When you return, contact Martin and see if it''s possible to export it to a country in which we are influential." "Yes, sir." "And one more thing, try not to let Mr. Johnston Sr. know about Henry." "Got it." Max replied, watching Jared get into the car and before they left the hospital. "Mr. Johnston, are we going to the office or back home?" Max asked. "To the office." "Sure." Max steered the car and drove them to the office. When they had arrived at the office, an assistant entered Jared''s office and said, "Mr. Johnston, this is the contract detailing the project between Henry and Miss Fisher. Now that he''s not here, this project..." "Okay, just leave it here," Jared said, frustrated as soon as he thought about Fiore, who was the reason as to why there was a misunderstanding between him and Nicole. He picked the file up and perused it. ''Henry signed it!'' Jared became furious and threw the file on the table. ''He''s gone but he left a huge mess for me to deal with.'' The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. Suddenly, he thought of something and asked Max. "Where''s Castor?" Owned by N?velDrama.Org. "I heard he''s been locking himself in his room, not going anywhere." "Get him to clean Henry''s mess!" Jared looked at Max. Max narrowed his eyes and asked, "Are you saying that you want Castor to take over the project?" "Yes." "Won''t ourpany suffer a massive loss?" Max asked. "Besides, Miss Fischer wouldn''t agree to that, would she?" "Just get Mr. Wyatt to supervise him. I''ll talk to Miss Fisher." Jared replied, having already figured out what he was going to say. "Yes, sir," Max uttered. After Max had left, Jared took his phone out and sent a text to Nicole. [I''m back in the office.] After some time, he received a reply from her. [Don''t work today. Just take a rest at home. By the way, did you go to the hospital? How is Mr. Johnston Sr.?] [He''s recovering, so don''t you worry. He even asked me about you.] [You didn''t badmouth me in front of him, did you?] [Am I that much of a jerk to you?] Jared texted, starting to feel upset for some reason. [Yup, a grade A jerk too.] Nicole replied, deliberately aggravating him as she thought about the incident that night. [How dare you! Do you think my hands are tied just because I am miles away from you? Seems like I have to fly over for a little heart to heart again.] Chapter 1202 Chapter 1202 [Come over then, I''ll be waiting for you.] Nicole mocked, unafraid as she knew that Jared was threatening her. ''Why would he evene over when he just flew back, anyway?¡¯ [You dare challenge me? Very well. We''ll see what I''m going to do to you the next time I see you...] Jared replied, sending a few emojis along with the message. Nicole quickly gazed off at Harvey''s direction. As luck would have it, Harvey was not looking at her, so she shifted over and used the monitor to block his view of her. "No more second chances. Goodbye!" Nicole quickly turned her phone off and acted like nothing had happened after she had sent that message. Jared chuckled when he saw Nicole''s message before cing it aside. He then began to work on the tasks that had umted over the past few days. Hours passed, and the second he looked up from his desk, the sky was already pitch ck. Seeing this, Jared turned to the documents on his desk and thought, ¡®I won''t be able toplete them even if I stay up all night.¡¯ Knowing this, Jared took his phone out and gave Max a call. "Max, buy me some food." "Yes, Mr. Johnston,¡± Max replied. Jared hung up, stood up, and moved around. Then, he made himself a cup of coffee before returning to his desk to continue working. Soon after, Max gave his door a few knocks and entered. "Mr. Johnston, I''ve brought you some food." "Just ce it here.¡± Jared gestured at the coffee table. Max ced Jared''s dinner on the coffee table and left the office. This belongs to N?velDrama.Org. After he had reviewed the document that he was holding, he went over to his coffee table to eat his dinner as he looked at the time. ¡®Nicole is probably done with her work by now.¡¯ He opened his chat log with Nicole and video-called her, but as no one answered, he ended the call and began eating all by himself. Just when he was about to finish his meal, Nicole returned his call. "Sorry, I was busy, so I missed your call." "It''s alright. Haven''t you gotten off work?" Jared asked with concern. ¡®No, I must still arrange everything that we''re going to do tomorrow. Are you having dinner?" Nicole asked, noticing the cutlery in his hand. "Yeah, have you had yours?¡± "Not yet, but I''m going to have mine after I''m done.¡± "You should grab something to eat first. You can always work after you''ve had your dinner.¡± Jared said, concerned about her as he did not want her to work on an empty stomach. "It''s okay. I''m going to be done soon. Don''t worry.¡± Nicole smiled. "Well, work as quickly as you can, then,¡± he said. "I won''t bother you anymore." "Okay,¡± Nicole uttered. Jared quickly ate what was left of his dinner and returned to his work pile. In another part of the world, Nicole had alreadypleted everything she needed to do, and was already having dinner with Harvey and Kelly. "Nicole, would you like to stay in the hotel with US today?" Harvey asked as he looked at Nicole. Nicole took thest bite of her vegetable dish and returned the gaze. "Nah, I''m good. It''s closer here anyway. I''m going toe here earlier tomorrow morning.¡± "Okay, but wouldn''t you want Kelly to apany you?" Harvey asked, feeling that it would not be safe for her to make her way back on her own, now that Jared was gone. "It''s fine. I''ll feel much better with the idea of the both of you returning together. I''d be worried if you were to go back to the hotel on your own,¡± Nicole said, knowing that she would be perfectly fine if she returned to her hotel alone. However, she was not confident that Harvey would be able to protect himself, as she had seen his combat skills, or rather, hisck thereof. Harvey''s heart melted when he heard that Nicole was worried about him.'' Seems like I did well by staying here with her. My efforts are finally paying off Chapter 1203 Chapter 1203 Harvey immediately put on a show of machismo. "You don''t have to worry about a big guy like me. Instead, I should be the one worrying about you going back alone.¡¯ "Kelly, you should follow Nicole hometer. It''s better to havepany," Harvey looked at Kelly and said. "I''m fine with anything. I''ll just go along with whatever you''ve decided.¡± Kelly said with a look of indifference, as she was Nicole''s aide, and would do whatever she ordered. Upon seeing how stubborn Harvey was, Nicole decided that she did not wish to argue anymore. "Whatever then. Just let me know when you''re home.¡± "No problem." Harvey looked at Nicole with a smile. Soon after, the three of them walked out of the restaurant and Nicole proceeded to drive Kelly back home. Harvey stood there and watched until the car had vanished from sight. Then, he entered the car that had been waiting for him for quite a while. Meanwhile, Carl had finally kept his end of the bargain by bringing the Beacon back to Zane after pulling some strings. "Carl, what are they carrying?" Zane asked as he looked at the boxes that his men were carrying. ¡®It''s good stuff, Zane. Nicole told me to bring them here.¡± Carl smiled at Zane without answering his question directly. Owned by N?velDrama.Org. "Good stuff? Let me see." Zane demanded, looking at Carl with his brows raised. ¡®Open it for Zane,¡± Carl ordered his men. His men opened the box, revealing devices asrge as a person''s palm. Zane frowned as he looked over. "What are these?¡± Carl took one of them out before approaching Zane. "This is the good stuff Nicole had sent you. The Beacon." "The Beacon?" Zane looked at the item in Carl''s hand with his forehead creased. "Yes. It is a portable medical equipment. "Look, there are two buttons and a screen here. It''s used to examine, detoxify, and repair the cells in one''s body..." Carl exined the function of the Beacon to Zane while holding onto it. "Oh? Can it really serve that many functions?¡± Zane looked at Carl in disbelief, as he had seen his fair share of cutting-edge inventions, but none of them ever came close to this. "Yes. The owner of the factory even gave me a live demonstration when I was there. It works really well,¡± Carl mused as his eyes sparkled. ¡°Anyway, Nicole has also made it clear that you must contact her before the syringes run out, so she could make some arrangements in advance." ¡®That''s very thoughtful of her,¡± Zaneplimented. "I''m sure nothing will go wrong, given the fact that Nicole had her hand in this, and you''ve seen what it could do. "Yeah Zane, it''s going to benefit US greatly," Carl said. "Nicole said that it''s going to drastically decrease the risk of our men getting into life threatening conditions while they''re operating." Zane''s eyes lit up as soon as he heard that. ''If what she said is true, then she is doing US a huge favor.¡¯ "If that''s the case, hand all of these out now. You''ve got to make sure that everybody gets one." Zane beamed as he said to Carl. "Right away.¡± Zane held one of the Beacons in his hand as he made his way back to the house and sat on a chair. He stared at the device, his eyes filled with curiosity, "The person who invented this medical contraption has got to be a genius. I have to meet this person if I ever get the opportunity." Nicole''s image appeared before his mind''s eye as he looked at the Beacon in his hand. It had been some time since he called her up and he could not help but wonder how she was doing. He took his phone out and dialed Nicole''s number. After waiting for a moment, Nicole answered the call. ¡®Hello, Zane." Nicole greeted, her voice a little low because she thought that something wrong must have happened to Zane when she received a call from him. Chapter 1204 Chapter 1204 "Chill out. Everything is fine here," Zane assured Nicole as he could tell that she was worried.That''s good to know. How are you, Zane?" Nicole asked. ¡®I''m swell. I''ve seen the Beacons you got Carl to deliver to me.¡± "What do you think about it?" Nicole asked. Carl introduced it to US and I found it amazing!¡± he said. "It¡¯s really useful to us." "That''s true, and I''ve been looking forward to it even before it was produced," she replied. "Now, I can rest easy when you and your men go about on your missions.¡± "Yeah. How are you, by the way?¡± Zane asked with concern. ¡®I''m doing pretty well for myself,¡± she replied. ¡°I''m on a business trip in Lanningbourg." "Lanningbourg? You''ve got to take care of yourself. It''s not the safest ce to be," Zane reminded. "Why? Is the Raven up to something again?¡± Nicole immediately asked as she wanted to know the latest update. ¡®They''ve been pulling little tricks in silence. Previously, one of the factories of Curley Corporation was vandalized, but fortunately, thepany was prepared for it and took precautions, otherwise, they might have faced a great loss." "Why haven''t I heard of this?¡¯ Nicole asked, confused. "The attack wasn''t that major, so not many knew about it.¡± ¡®Oh. By the way, has Curley Corporationpleted the Brave Al robot production?" Nicole asked. "I think they have produced the first batch," Zane replied. "Alright Zane, can you see if it''s possible to order an entire batch of Braves from Curley Corporation?¡± Nicole asked. "What would you need them for?" "We can put them to good use after some modifications," Nicole said in a low voice. I''ve thought about that too, but Curley wouldn''t just sell those Braves to just about anyone.¡¯ Zane said, knowing what the Braves could do.He wanted to get his hands on a few of them too, but it was just too difficult for him to do so. "They wouldn''t sell it to anyone other than the fire department and other rescue groups. One of the reasons is that they cannot produce them fast enough to meet the demands,¡± Zane finished. "In the world we live in, no business would say no to profits. As we know what the problem is, there is always a chance. I''ll give it a try." The light in Nicole''s eyes dimmed as she was thinking of solutions. "You have lots of crazy ideas, so you might as well go ahead, but I must ask that you do not push your luck." Zane reminded. "Yeah, I know my limits,¡± she said. "I''m not going to get in the way of your rest now. Just contact me if youe across any issues.¡± Zane said and hung up right thereafter. "Sure." Nicole ced her phone down. She wanted to give Jared another call, but when she saw that it was gettingte, sheid down and got herself some shuteye. The next day, the weather was great and there were white clouds floating in the sky. Nicole and Kelly were already at the R&Db to work early in the morning. "Kelly, take these and bring them to that office.¡± Nicole pointed at the documents on the table. ¡°Sure.¡± Nicole had prepared everything that she needed before she began the process of tuning and debugging. Many people were entering theb at that time, and all of them greeted Nicole when they saw her. "Good morning, Miss Riddle." Nicole looked at them. "Good morning." "You''re really early, Miss Riddle.¡± Ike walked in as well.Content ? N?velDrama.Org. Chapter 1205 Chapter 1205 "You''re here just in time, Ike. Help me see if I''ve missed anything." Nicole looked at Ike and thought, ¡®Finally, someone can help me.¡¯ Ike looked around as his eyes ranged over the equipment in the office.¡¯ Everything''s here already. This ce is almost as good as myb now." "Yeah, okay. Still, this ce is not remotelyparable to yours. How''s the preparation going on your end?¡± Nicole stopped what she was doing and looked at Ike. ¡®A few members of my team have not arrived yet, so I suppose your team is more disciplined than mine.¡± Ike looked at Nicole in admiration. "We''re just fine." Nicole smiled humbly. "Well, I''m not going to stick around for a chat. I''ve got to go back and start preparing too,¡± Ike said, after which he left Nicole''s workce. Nicole watched Ike as he left and smiled is everyone here?¡± Nicole asked, eyeing the people in her office. All of them looked around and it was then that one of them said, "One of us isn¡¯t here yet.¡± ¡®Call that person and ask them where they''re at." "Okay." Kelly, Harvey isn''t here too, right?¡¯ Nicole looked at Kelly, who was beside her. ¡®He told me he was on his way when I texted him earlier,¡± Kelly said. "Alright.¡± "Before we begin, let''s have a discussion. You can state your opinions. Tell me what you think about this chip.¡± Nicole looked at them. While they were discussing, Harvey arrived and walked in after pushing the door open, and for a moment, he locked eyes with Nicole before taking a seat. Nicole was at the front, going over the ways in which she could work with the R&D personnel. Soon after, the person who got stuck in traffic barged in as he panted heavily, rushing to join the discussion. After it was over, Nicole charged a few of them with the task of developing the chip, and though everyone was assigned a different responsibility, all of them would be working collectively toward the same goal. From time to time, someone would call out to Nicole and say, "Please have a look at this. Miss Riddle. The office was busy, but Harvey was afforded the privilege of being the mostid-back person in the room. However, he did not justze around, as his eyes were fixed on Nicole. His gaze followed her wherever she went. He knew that Nicole was busy, so he did not wish to bother her. All he could do was watch her in silence. As soon as lunchtime came, Harvey went up to Nicole to speak to her. Unfortunately for him, Ike, who was slightlyte, had walked over too. "Wow, you really are working hard. Usually, you''lle over early for lunch. Why are you thetest among everyone today?¡± Nicole teased. "I won''t allow myself to lose to you. For the entire morning, I haven''t drank a single sip of water.¡± Ike said before he gulped a big ss of water down. "Seriously? You have so many people working with you, but you don''t even have the time to drink water?" Nicole said, unable to believe what he was spouting. "I''m serious.¡± Ike replied with a look of defeat. As the exchange urred, Harvey red at Ike as he was utterly annoyed with him. Back in the office, Jared was working when someone walked in after opening the door. "Mr. Johnston, I''m d you''re finally back, as the project might be dyed if you aren''t.¡± Fiore fussed as she entered Jared''s office. "It seems that the news got to you rather quickly, Miss Fisher. I just got back yesterday and you''re already here today," Jared joked as he looked into Fiore''s eyes. "Oh, that''s very charming of you to say, Mr. Johnston. You were the one who brought me here.¡± Fiore looked at Jared affectionately. Content ? N?velDrama.Org. Jared was rendered speechless and changed the subject at once. "Did youe here to talk about the project?¡± ¡®Yeah, I can''t believe I actually forgot about the elephant in the room after looking at you," she said. "Mr. Johnston, though Henry has fled to another country, I signed this contract with the Johnston Group, and that is why it''s still in effect. Thankfully, it''s stated in the contract that you and Castor are the people in charge of this project. This why I''m now talking to you about it." Fiore smiled. To her, Henry''s absence was a boon, as Jared would not have an excuse to avoid her anymore. Chapter 1206 Chapter 1206 "Miss Fisher, are you really here to talk about this project?" Jared asked as he looked at Fiore. "Of course, we can''t dy this project anymore.¡± Fiore said, starting to look serious. "All right, please give me a moment. I''m going to make a call.¡± Jared picked his phone up and dialed Max''s number. "Get Castor toe to my office now." "Miss Fisher, let''s have some coffee while we wait in the seating area. When everyone''s here, we can start talking about the project.¡± Jared stood up and walked toward the couch. "Sure." Fiore followed him and took a seat on the couch, her eyes glued on him. "Mr. Johnston, do you have an international project in your lineup too?" she asked. "No, I just went abroad to visit a friend of mine," "Oh. How''s Mr. Johnston Sr. doing now? I''ve always wanted to visit him, but I''m worried that I''ll just be bothering him." Fiore looked at Jared sincerely. ¡®Thanks for the concern, Miss Fisher. My grandfather is doing a lot better, but it''s still not a good idea to visit him just yet." "Ah, he''s struggles with old age too. It must be hard for him." Fioremented. "Mr. Johnston, would you like to go horse-riding with me when you''re avable?" Fiore looked at Jared and asked. "I might not have the time these days. You should know that Henry left a lot of mess for me to deal with. I don''t know how busy I''ll get.¡± Jared sighed and looked tired. "I would''ve never expected Henry to be that kind of person. You should''ve kicked him out of the company sooner. You''re making life hard for yourself now." Fiore stared at Jared, heartbroken, but she could not do anything to help him. "I didn''t see thating either..." Jared sighed again. As Jared continued speaking with Fiore, someone knocked on the door. ¡®Come in," Jared said. Max and Castor entered, with Fiore rolling her eyes at Castor. It seemed that she did not wish to see him. Owned by N?velDrama.Org. "Take a seat," Jared ordered. Castor looked at Jared cautiously and took a seat. "Miss Fisher is here to talk about the project that she has signed with your father. You''re one of the people in charge on the contract, that''s why you''ve been called over," Jared informed. "Please tell US what you need US to know, Miss Fisher." Jared turned his gaze to Fiore. "The project is starting soon, so I need you to select a representative who will be working closely with me." Fiore¡¯s gaze shifted from Castor beforending on Jared. "No problem. The Johnston Group will definitely be working closely with Miss Fisher. I have a lot of things on my te, and Castor is one of the people in charge. As such, I''m now arranging for Castor to take on this project with Miss Fisher," Jared said, before turning to Castor. You must update me the second you notice that there is a development of some sort. At the same time, you must learn from Miss Fisher as well,¡± Jared ordered Castor coldly. ¡®Sure, I will cooperate with Miss Fisher." Castor said, looking humble. ¡®Mr. Johnston, this project is not something that he can take on with his limited experience. If you''re assigning him to me, you might as well not assign anyone to me." Fiore''s eyes turned cold as she was deeply upset with Jared''s n. Chapter 1207 Chapter 1207 "Don''t you worry, Miss Fisher. Allowing him to take over is just a formality. You know how busy I am right now, and surely he''s able to handle a few minor tasks. If there''s something that he is incapable of doing, you can alwayse to me. "Actually, I''m still working with you on this project. There will be nothing important to take care of in the beginning, and that¡¯s why he''ll be monitoring it for now. When I''m done with my work, I''ll be taking over. Do this for me, would you?" Jared looked at Fiore. Fiore drew a deep breath. Every time she looked at Castor, she would think of Jared, leaving her in a bad mood, but as Jared had asked her to do him this favor, she could only acquiesce. "Fine, I won''t argue, as you seem pretty earnest about our partnership. I''ll just work harder for now, but I''ll make this one thing clear to you. When you''re done with your work, you must take over at once, or else I will be stretching my limits.¡± ¡®I always knew that you''re an understanding person, Miss Fisher. I can''t, and won''t allow myself to mistreat you, so I''m going to bring you out to dinner tonight. Let''s take it as a celebration for the start of our project." Jared smiled at her. "It''s not every day you that you treat others to dinner, Mr. Johnston. I''m going to have a feast tonight." Fiore finally let out a smile. Jared looked at Castor and said, "You''ll being with US too. We must keep Miss. Fisherpany, alright?¡± "Sure," Castor responded respectfully. Fiore nced over at Castor and thought, ''Castor''s pretty cute, but he''s just nowhere close to Jared''s league.¡¯ ¡°Let''s meet tonight then.¡± Fiore smiled and looked at Jared before leaving his office. When Castor saw her leaving, he left in a hurry as well. "Mr. Johnston, are you really going to buy Miss Fisher dinner tonight?" Max asked, unable to understand Jared''s actions. He could tell that Fiore was into Jared, and as such, how could Jared himself not know this? "You know her. She''s going to pester me every day if I don''t treat her to this meal." Jared sighed with defeat. ¡®This is all Henry''s fault. I''m going to kill him when I find him.¡¯ "Don''t just stand there. Book US a restaurant,¡± Jared ordered Max. "Yes, sir,¡± Max said and proceeded to do as he was told. After that, Jared proceeded to review his documents again. In the sea view vi, Mrs. Wace Sr. had begun to miss Nicole, and so, she got Tia to give Nicole a call. Nicole walked out of her office to answer the phone. ¡°What''s up, Tia?¡± "Miss Riddle, Mrs. Wace Sr. really misses you. She just asked if you''re doing alright over there.¡± Tia''s voice rang from the other end of the call. "I''m doing okay, so just tell grandma that she doesn''t have to worry about me. I''ll drop you a video call later." Nicole hung up right after she was done speaking. "Okay, bye.¡± Tia uttered. "Bye-bye." Nicole hurried back to the office to continue working after hanging up. Time flew, and in the blink of an eye, night fell. Nicole was having her dinner when she suddenly remembered what she had said during call in the afternoon. With this in mind, she gave Tia a video call right away. Tia knew that Nicole was going to call her; she had been keeping an eye on the phone after she was done working. When she noticed that Nicole was calling her, she answered her phone at once. ¡°Hello, Miss Riddle.¡± "Where''s grandma, Tia? Didn''t you say that she misses me? Where is she?" Nicole looked at Tia. "She''s right beside me. Here.¡± Tia ced the phone in Mrs. Wace''s hand. Content ? N?velDrama.Org. "Mrs. Wace, you missed Miss Riddle, right? You can talk to her now." Tia gestured at Mrs. Wace Sr. to look at the phone and speak to Nicole. Chapter 1208 Chapter 1208 "Hi grandma, Nicole here. How are you?" Nicole greeted Mrs. Wace Sr. on the phone. "Yes, Nicole, I''m doing really well. What about you?" Mrs. Wace Sr. looked at Nicole with concern. "I''ve been doing fine. You don¡¯t have to worry about me. I''ve been eating well, and sleeping well. Look, I''m actually having dinner right now." Nicole showed Mrs. Wace Sr. her meal. Mrs. Wace Sr. looked at her and nodded. "Why are you having dinner at such an hour? You have to take care of yourself, you know?" "Yeah, I''ve been working overtime today, so that''s why I''m eatingte. I usually eat my meals on time.¡± Nicole smiled as she exined. "Hello, grandma." Harvey face suddenly popped up on the screen and greeted Mrs. Wace Sr. Nicole looked over her shoulder and rolled her eyes at him. ¡®What''s he doing here?!¡¯ "Hi." Mrs. Wace Sr. greeted, not knowing who she was talking to, but she nodded and smiled anyway. Owned by N?velDrama.Org. "How are you doing, grandma?" Harvey asked, not caring that Nicole had rolled her eyes at him and continued addressing Mrs. Wace Sr.enthusiastically. "She''s doing fine. Carry on with what you were doing and leave." Nicole red at him and shooed Harvey away. "Tsk." Harvey left as he could tell that Nicole was annoyed with him. "Grandma, what have you been doing while I was gone?" Nicole looked at Mrs. Wace Sr. and chatted. "I just nted some greens and weeded my garden.¡± ¡¯Gardening?" Nicole looked at Mrs. Wace Sr. with her eyes widened. Hearing this, Tia quickly responded, "Miss Riddle, Mrs. Wace made me clear the garden a few days ago. I asked her what it was for, but she didn''t want to tell me. When I was done, she asked me to buy some tools and that''s when I finally knew that she wanted to nt some vegetables." "Well, you should get grandma whatever she wants. But aren''t you worried that she''ll be worked to exhaustion?" Nicole chided. Tia felt wronged and upset by what Nicole had just said, and it was then that Mrs. Wace Sr. quickly stepped in. "I was the one who asked her to do it. Why are you lecturing her? "When you''re back to see it, I think you''ll like my garden too." Mrs. Wace Sr. smiled and continued. ¡®I know. You can nt your greens, but please don''t wear yourself out. Remember to get Tia to keep yourpany whenever you''re out and about in the garden." Nicole reminded, as she was worried about her grandmother. "Sure." "Don''t worry, Miss Riddle. I''ll be there to help Mrs. Wace out every time. When youe back, you might even get to try the vegetables we''ve nted.¡± Tia giggled and looked at Nicole. "Really? You have to save some for me, then." "We''re leaving now, Nicole." Harvey announced. He was already done with his meal when he saw that Nicole was still chatting on the phone, and so, he wanted to go home first. "Sure." ¡®I''m going back to work, grandma,¡± Nicole said. ¡°I''m going to end the call now, so I''ll talk to you some other time.¡± "Of course, but do take care of yourself." To Mrs. Wace Sr., nothing was more important than health. "M-hm, I will." Nicole hung up and strode back into her office. In a restaurant, Jared, Fiore, and Castor were seated in a room, engaging in small talks with each other. Jared was sitting next to Fiore, bored and inattentive as he watched her bber on. Chapter 1209 Chapter 1209 ¡®Do you agree with me, Mr. Johnston?¡¯ Fiore abruptly stopped and asked. "Yeah, you''re right.¡¯ Jared tapped his ss against hers with a clink. Castor, pour Miss Fisher some wine,¡± Jared ordered. Hearing this, Castor quickly poured some wine for Fiore. Fiore looked at Castor and began to lecture him, "It''s a pity, Castor. You weren''t born with good parents, so you weren''t properly educated. Their actions almost cost you the second half of your life too. Fortunately, though, you were born into a good family. Look at Mr. Johnston. We''re all around the same age, but he''s so much better than you. | think he is what you should strive to be. Whatever you do in the future, you should think of him as a frame of reference and make informed and meaningful decisions based on that." "Yeah, you''re right, Miss Fisher." Castor could only listen and nod, as he was afraid of getting into a spat with her. In truth, he loathed Fiore. He hated her even when Henry was still around, and now that he needed to listen to her lectures with a smile, he became even more frustrated. "Castor, Miss Fisher is a smart woman. You should learn a thing or two from her," Jared praised. ¡®A toast to you, Mr. Johnston.¡± Fiore raised her ss and toasted. The dinner was nearing its end, but when Fiore noticed that Castor did not look like he was smart enough to take the cue that he was supposed to be leaving soon, she pondered for a moment and said, "Have you looked at the details of the project?" Castor looked at her and said, '' Not yet.¡± Fiore rolled her eyes at him and chided, "What? You should have been familiar with everything about the project before you even began. How can you work with me tomorrow if you haven''t looked at it?" "Well..." Castor did not know what to do, so he nced at Jared before turning his gaze back to Fiore. ¡°Weir what? Just go home and read it! Read as much as you can today, so you won''t be in a haze tomorrow.¡¯ In other words, Fiore was urging him to leave. Castor looked at Jared and got up to bid them farewell before leaving the room. After he had left, Jared and Fiore became the only ones left in the room.¡¯ Finally, the third wheel is gone. | can let my guard down now. Otherwise, I''ll still have to act like a CEO.¡¯ She smiled at Jared and inched closer to him. "Mr. Johnston, you must''ve spent a lot on this meal today. | really enjoyed the food." "That''s good. It only means that my efforts didn''t go to waste," Jared answered absent-mindedly. "Thank you very much, Mr. Johnston.¡± Nicole eyed Jared with a flirtatious gaze. ''| didn¡¯t know that he would ce such effort into this meal.¡¯ "It''s nothing, really. As you''re done eating, let''s head home." Jared looked at the time and figured that it was about time to end the dinner. "What''s the rush, Mr. Johnston? Are you worried that Miss Riddle has waited for a long time at home?¡¯ Fiore narrowed her eyes at him. Jared smiled. "You''re hrious, Miss Fisher. The only thing that''s waiting for me at home is that huge pile of documents." "Well, there¡¯s no need to be in such a rush to go home, then," she said.¡± Work is never-ending, so just keep mepany and let me enjoy myself tonight, would you?¡± Content ? N?velDrama.Org. Fiore had tried really hard to get him here, so she would not let him go if she was not satisfied. "When we''re done with this drink, let''s hang out in my club. You made me really happy tonight, so I''ll return you the favor too.¡± Fiore stuck her ss against his and chugged its contents down. "Let''s go, Mr. Johnston,¡± Fiore said and walked out. Jared stood up and walked out with her. When Max saw Jared, he immediately walked up to him. ¡°Are you going back home, Mr. Johnston?¡± Before Jared could respond, Fiore rolled her eyes at Max. "What do you mean ''go home¡¯? Take US to my club." Chapter 1210 Chapter 1210 Max looked at Jared, waiting for his order. Content ? N?velDrama.Org. "Excuse me?! Did you not hear me?" Fiore red at him and yelled. Jared nodded in defeat, and Max hurried away to get the car ready. "Mr. Johnston, your aide isn''t behaving sensibly at all.¡± Fiore criticized Max as she watched him leave. Jared remained silent. After some time, Max drove to the pick-up area in front of Jared and Fiore. "Let''s go, Mr. Johnston.¡± Max opened the car door and Fiore walked over. In the club, Fiore got someone to serve them a bottle of vintage wine. When the staff had walked out, she was left alone with Jared in this spacious room. She picked a song and passed Jared the microphone. "Mr. Johnston, I am dedicating this song to you. Can we sing it as a duet?" "I don''t sing well. You can do so on your own,¡± Jared declined. She could tell that he really did not want to sing, so she sang alone. However, she had still chosen to sit next to him as she did. Jared scooted over to the side, but she moved closer to him whenever he did so, hell-bent on trying to impress him with her charms while she was singing. Jared was feeling really ufortable in a ce as noisy as this, so he ended up suffering a headache after he had sat through the entire song. "Mr. Johnston, what song would you like to hear? I''ll look for it and sing it to you.¡± Fiore looked at him amorously. ¡®I rarely listen to music, so I don''t think I can recall any," he replied. "Miss Fisher, now that no one is here, give it to me straight. How long is this project going tost?¡± Jared looked at Fiore, With the tube lights beaming down on Jared''s charming visage, Fiore became enchanted. "Mr. Johnston, it will take at least 3 years toplete the project. However, I can assure you that we can break even after two years of investment and start raking in profits by the third year,¡± Fiore responded in kind, as she had never lied to him. "Honestly, that''s a little too long. I can gain more profits from elsewhere within that span of time.¡± Jared said in a straightforward manner. "I Know your projects are all highly profitable, Mr. Johnston. You''ve invested in The Beacon, didn''t you? And you probably haven''t profited off it, right? I can guarantee that you''ll break even in two years or so, even though it might not be as rewarding as my project,¡± Fiore said with confidence. "Just rx and wait for the massive returns." Fiore smiled at him, her gaze affirmative. "I''m going to take your word for it, Miss Fisher. If I don''t profit by then, I''ll pull out." Jared said, only wanting Fiore to give him a guarantee. At the same time, he wanted to take precautions as well. "Don''t worry, If the future of this project is bleak, I wouldn''t be investing in it too,¡± she said. At that moment, a piece of dance music yed and Fiore looked at Jared. "Shall we dance, Mr. Johnston?¡± Fiore readily stood up, waiting for Jared to take her hand. Seeing this, Jared stared at her hand and remained seated as he thought of ways to avoid dancing with her. Suddenly, Jared felt the burring of his phone in his pocket. Without any regard for who the caller was and what they wanted, he immediately answered it and walked out of the room. Fiore put on a grimace as she watched him leave, and threw the microphone aside before sitting down for another ss of wine. Jared did not stop walking after leaving the room. He just kept going while he was answering the call. "Hello." Chapter 1211 Chapter 1211 "Mr. Johnston, we''ve found a clue. Henry was seen in Roca Este, and we''re currently tracing his whereabouts." "Good. Don''t startle him, and be sure to bring him back right after you''ve found him," Jared ordered. "Yes, sir." Max immediately ran up to Jared when he saw him walking to the lobby.¡¯ Mr. Johnston." "Take me home." Jared nced back at the room with the suffocating presence and decided not to return. Besides, there was a vixen waiting for him in there. "Yes, sir." Max did not dally and drove Jared back to his mansion. Fiore waited in the room for a long time, but Jared was nowhere to be seen. After some time, she walked out to look for Jared and stopped a staff who was passing by. "Have you seen Mr. Johnston?¡± "He went to the lobby moments ago.¡± Owned by N?velDrama.Org. Fiore made a beeline for the lobby. She thought Jared had gone to answer the call in the lobby because the room was too noisy. However, even in the lobby, he was still nowhere to be seen. Fiore went to the receptionist and asked, "Have you seen Mr. Johnston?" "He left shortly after answering a call," the receptionist ryed. Fiore stomped her foot on the ground. ¡®What sort of twisted coincidence is this? Why did that person call right when we were about to dance?!" "Keep the wine in the room. I''m leaving now," Fiore ordered the receptionists. "Sure. Goodbye, Miss Fisher." In the car, Max looked at Jared in the rear-view mirror and asked, Mr. Johnston, Miss Fisher seems different today.¡± "You noticed it too?" Jared turned to Max. ¡°It''s painfully obvious.¡± Max said in an awkward tone of voice. "You''re not to tell Nicole a word about whatever that has happened tonight. If you do, you''re fired,¡± Jared said in a deep voice. Max took a solemn look and responded, "Yes, sir.¡± Soon after, they arrived at mansion and Jared entered his house alone. Jared went into his study and continued working after turning hisputer on. It was then that he saw the picture of him and Nicole on his desk, whereupon he picked it up to have a look before returning to his work. Nicole was locked in a discussion with her team members in her office. Even after countless trials, they were still unable to produce the 4-nanometre chip. "Nicole, I think you should give up already. You can already manufacture the chips using the 5- nanometre technology, so why must you use the 4- nanometre technology?" Harvey said, looking at the problem from a businessman''s perspective, in which as long as the chip was marketable and profitable, he would ept it, even if it was a 5-nanometre chip. "You won''t get it. If the 4-nanometre chip is a sess, it''ll bring US a lot of benefits,¡± Nicole exined as she looked at Harvey, who looked as confused as ever. "I understand where you''reing from, but we can''t develop it now, can we? I think we can produce a batch of 5-nanometre chips and sell them. As for the 4-nanometre chips, we can still take our time and research on it," Harvey reasoned to the best of his abilities. He believed that Nicole would be able to produce the 4-nanometre chip in the near future, but they just did not have the time now. "I think Mr. Ellison is right. Why don''t you join US and develop the chip together, Miss Riddle?" Ike appeared out of nowhere upon overhearing Harvey''s remark. "When have the both of you be so united?" Nicole looked at them, her forehead creased. Chapter 1212 Chapter 1212 "Great minds think alike." Harvey looked at Nicole confidently. "Tsk, great minds my foot. Do you even know how to spell that?¡± Nicole mocked. "Look, I get what you''re saying, but I am just not giving up. After the streak of failures in the past few days, I''ve already figured something out." "Give us one more week, and well be done." Nicole looked at them seriously. "I don''t mind, but you should ask your team members and see if they''re still willing to continue their research with you." Harvey looked at the people seated in the office. Nicole looked at them without saying a word. "I''m fine with it," one of the men said. "Me too," another echoed. "We''re right here with you," the others added. A gratified look grew on Nicole''s face. ¡°Thank you for the support and the faith you have in me. Let''s work on it for another. If we fail this too, we''ll be merging with the 5-nanometre chip team.¡± "Okay." Ike pped as he stood behind her. He was hesitant at that moment. He wanted Nicole to seed, but at the same time, he wished she would fail. "What brought you here, Ike?¡± Nicole asked. "We''re facing a problem over there, so well be needing your help," Ike replied. "Keep going, team.¡± Nicole then walked out with Ike. ¡°Let''s go." "Miss Riddle, there seems to be some error in the data here. We can''t proceed anymore," one of the researchers exined. Nicole sat down and took a look. '' The numbers don''t tally. Someone changed it, didn''t they?¡± "Yeah, we made some alterations based on what we needed," the researcher replied. "Initially, everything was going smoothly, but it doesn''t seem to be working now." "It''s probably just a minor issue." Nicole thought hard and began working with her hands all over the keyboard and the mouse. After half an hour of amending, recing, and linking, she corrected the errors, allowing them to proceed with their work again. "It''s done.¡± Nicole stood up. "Thank you, Miss Riddle. You''re amazing.¡± "Are you on the simtion stage now?" Nicole asked while she stared at the screen. "Yeah. The 5-nanometre technology has been here for some time, so we just need to work on your design and incorporate it into the simtion. If everything goes well after that, we can start with the production already," Ike exined. "You''re quick! Good job. If that''s all, I''m heading back now." Nicole nced at Ike and left. After she had returned to her team, she looked at the members who were in the midst of researching the 4-nanometre technology andmented,¡± Life''s tough for those who''re doing things that have never been done before!¡± After rxing for a short while, Nicole regained her energy and returned to focusing on her research once again. Concurrently, Harvey had been taking mental notes of Nicole''s efforts these days. He did not understand why she was trying so hard. ¡®She could''ve just used the tried-and-true method of creating a brilliant chip, so why is she so adamant on venturing into something she is totally unfamiliar with? What a waste of time.¡¯ Though he could not understand her, he was still willing to give it a shot with her. Two dayster, Nicole was keeping up with the local news in the afternoon just as usual. Even though she was not in her country, she was still concerned about the events and developments back home. Harvey spotted Nicole scrolling through her phone while she was eating, and so, he said, "It won''t be easy for the food to go down if you''re going to eat like that.¡± Owned by N?velDrama.Org. Nicole looked up at him. "Where did you get that from? You definitely made that up, didn''t you? If you have time to waste, please spend it reading the news and keeping track of things that are of value.¡± "You should stay away from hogwash like that. You''re not old enough to be bbering like that just yet." Nicole finished, and continued scrolling through her phone. Chapter 1213 Chapter 1213 Harvey lost his appetite as Nicole had dissed him. He was just looking out for her, and yet his courtesy was repaid with a jibe. As she was swiping, a piece of news caught her attention. It was then that she ced her utensils down and became engrossed in the article. Harvey noticed that she had stopped eating and had ced all of her attention on the news. In response, he shook his head in total helplessness and jeered, ¡®You''re so concerned the happenings in our country that you don''t even bother to eat anymore." Harvey stared at Nicole, and upon noticing that the expression on her face was something other than the usual, he asked, "What is wrong with you? Don''t tell me it''s another headline?¡± Nicole suddenly stood up and walked out while holding her phone in hand. Seeing this, Harvey and Kelly were stunned, and they quickly chased after her. "Miss Riddle, where are you going?" Kelly asked. "Nicole, what is going on?¡¯ Harvey asked as he was running after her. "See for yourself." Nicole passed her phone to Harvey. "Kelly, quickly book a flight ticket home for me. I want the earliest flight possible.¡± Nicole ordered. "Noted." A baffled Kelly took her phone out to book Nicole the ticket. "A fire broke out at the Beacon Company¡¯s factory with eight injured!" Harvey read out in disbelief. This belongs to N?velDrama.Org. Hearing Harvey''s words, Kelly looked at him in shock. ¡°What did you say? The factory is on fire?¡± "That''s what the news reported." Harvey looked at Kelly, unsmiling. "Miss Riddle, do I book tickets for three?¡± Kelly asked Nicole. "Just book mine." "That won''t do! We''reing with you,¡± Harvey told Nicole in a solemn tone of voice. "That''s right. Miss Riddle. I wish to go and check it out as well." Kelly said, nervous. "The both of you won''t be of much help back there. It''s better for all of you to stay here and help. I''ll go back and see if it''s serious. If it''s not, I''ll be back soon.¡± Nicole walked into the car as soon as she was done exining. "Okay then.¡± Kelly gave Nicole a look of disappointment. "I''ll send you off." Harvey sat in the passenger seat. Nicole shot him a nce. Then, she floored the elerator and made her way to the airport. As they pulled up to the parking lot, Nicole looked at Harvey and said, ¡®You don''t have to usher me in.¡± "Alright, we''ll be here awaiting your return.¡± Harvey stared at Nicole intently. "Okay. When I''m not around, try to help them as much as possible.¡± Nicole ordered, knowing what Harvey was capable of, and that he was justzy. "Don''t worry about it. Don''t get yourself into trouble while you''re there," Harvey warned. "Bye now." Nicole closed the car door and walked into the airport. Just as she took her boarding pass, Nicole heard her name being announced. "Calling for Miss Nicole Riddle booked on flight CZ3262. Your flight is ready to leave. Please make your way to gate fifteen immediately for boarding.¡± Nicole rushed to the gate, went through the security checks, and boarded the ne. Fortunately for her, she was quick on her feet, or else she would have to wait for the next flight. At the parking lot, Harvey gazed up at the sky and stared at the ne that just took off. He knew that Nicole was in there. After the airne had receded from his view, he turned the car around and drove off. Chapter 1214 Chapter 1214 Back at theb, Kelly asked Harvey, "Mr. Harvey, has Ms. Riddle boarded the ne yet?¡± "Yes, she has taken flight now." "Don''t worry, the situation back home might not be as serious as described in the news." Harvey comforted Kelly wno seemed depressed. "Yeah, hopefully Mr. Wyance and the rest are all safe and sound,¡± Kelly said, and proceeded to pray. The factory was filled with smoke. Jared, who was there, rushed in and stared at the production site for The Beacon. About half of the factory had been burned to ashes, and the ground was covered in soot and cinders. Some of the employees were performing emergency rescue procedures on those who were injured, and others were salvaging the products. "Where is Martin?" Jared grabbed ahold of a worker and asked. "Mr. Wyance is inside.¡± The worker pointed at a part of the factory that had beenpletely destroyed. Jared''s eyes froze for a moment and a nightmarish thought flitted across his mind. Then, he made his way into the factory. "Sir, you can''t go in there." Max attempted to stop Jared as he was worried that thetter would get injured. Owned by N?velDrama.Org. "Get away from me!" Jared bellowed. "Sir, it''s too dangerous inside. You can''t go in.¡± Max persisted. Jared shoved Max away and made a beeline for the factory. Clouds of smoke were rising up into the air in the factory as Jared searched for Martin. From time to time, workers would hurry past him as they moved The Beacons which they had salvaged from what was left of the factory. "Martin!" Jared shouted. Martin was concealed behind curtains of smoke, attempting to save any usable products from the ashes. When he heard someone calling his name, he turned spun around to see who it was. With the aid of his gut feeling, he made a guess and shouted, "Mr. Jared, is that you?" "It''s me!" Jared yelled. "Where are you?" Everyone inside was covered with soot, and as such, Jared could not discern which one of them was Martin. "Don''te in here. It''s too dangerous!¡± Martin bellowed, stopping Jared from moving forward. After a while, Martin took some of The Beacons with him and approached Jared. ¡®Mr. Johnston, let''s talk outside." Jared squinted and stared at all of the people in front of him. He could not tell if the person in front of him was Martin or not. Once they were out of the factory, Martin passed the goods he had managed to salvage to the others. Then, he turned toward Jared. "Mr. Johnston. It''s too dangerous. You can''t stay here." Martin yelled, attempting to dissuade him from staying here. "Has the fire been put offpletely?" asked Jared. "Yes, and we''re all salvaging the products now." "Are there a lot of products left inside?" "Yes, there are plenty," Martin replied. "The people can salvage some of it." Jared looked at him, "It''s better for you to stay outside. My men will being over soon.¡± "No, Mr. Johnston," Martin argued. "We need all the help we can get, and the more hands we''ve got, the more well be able to salvage.¡± Deep down, Martin treasured these products. They were the product of his blood, sweat and tears, after all. "Mr. Johnston, you should head back for now. I''ll find you and exin everything after I''m done here,¡± Martin said, after which he left Jared and made his way back into the decimated structure. Jared felt helpless as he stared at Martin dashing back into the factory.¡¯ Martin is the driving force of this factory. His safety should be of utmost importance during moments such as these.¡¯ "Max, are they here?" Jared asked in a panic. "They''re here, sir.¡± Tell them to go in and salvage the products. And please, get them to drag Martin out of there." Jared ordered solemnly. "What If Mr. Wyance doesn''t want toe out with US?" "Then carry him out by force if you have to." "Understood." Max hurried into the factory as well. Chapter 1215 Chapter 1215 Jared stood outside and waited anxiously. Whenever someone came out from the factory, he would look over and check them out. "Miss, there''s a fire at your destination! I''d advise you not to go there," the cab driver kindly reminded. "Sir, please just hurry up," Nicole ordered, as she was already panicking in the car and was not in the mood to deal with any of it. Soon after, the cab stopped at the entrance gate of the factory, with Nicole getting out of the car and running inside at once. "Miss, you haven''t paid for your fare!" the driver shouted. However, Nicole did not hear him at all, and before he knew it, she was out of his sight already. N?velDrama.Org ? 2024. "Jared, what is the current condition inside?" Nicole ran up behind him and asked. "Nicole? What are you doing here?" Jared looked at Nicole in shock.He did not expect her to receive the news so soon. In fact, he was nning to hide this news from her. "I rushed here immediately after I saw the news article," Nicole replied. "Where''s Martin?" she questioned. "He''s in there," he answered. "What is he doing in there? Don''t tell me..." Nicole looked at Jared, her eyes widened and her face as pale as sheet. Her reaction was quickly followed by a sigh of relief. Fortunately, things did not turn out the way she had imagined. "I''ll head inside and check things out." Jared quickly grabbed onto her arm and looked at her sternly. "You can''t go in." "Why? Haven''t they extinguished the fire already?" Nicole asked Jared in confusion. "Although they''ve extinguished itpletely, there are still a lot of risks that we aren''t aware of in there. I''ve checked it out moments ago, and the whole ce is still filled with smoke. It''s very dangerous for you to enter without a mask," Jared exined to Nicole in haste. Hearing Jared''s exnation, Nicole could only stare at the burned factory helplessly as she panicked. "Why didn''t you stop Martin then? How could you let him enter when it''s already so dangerous in there?" Nicole began to me Jared. "How sure are you that I did not stop him? I''ve tried, but he was really stubborn about it.No one could stop him." Jared eyed her with a grimace. ¡®Why is she ming me now?¡¯ he thought. It was then that Max dragged Martin behind him as he came out from the factory. "Max, how are things in there? Have you seen Martin?" Nicole asked in a hurry. "Nicole?!" Martin yelled. ''Why is she back here too?¡¯ Nicole came to realize that the person Max was dragging behind him was Martin after hearing his voice. Martin''s face was covered in soot at that moment.He looked so haggard and filthy that it was hard for anyone to recognize him. "Martin?" Nicole asked. "Are you okay?" Seeing that Martin had walked out safely, Nicole felt a lot calmer. Martin looked at her and was caught off guard by her kindness.He never thought that Nicole would rush all the way back here for him. "I-I''m fine...it''s just...the products." Martin gave her a look of guilt as he had a tough time putting his misery in words. Nicole looked back at him. ¡®We''re in the midst of a disaster, and yet the only thing he''s worried about is the products? It really pisses me off, seeing him risking his own life to protect the ce the way he did!¡¯ Nicole could not help it anymore, and so, she lifted her hands and gave him a smack. "Ah!" Martin squealed out of pain, after which he looked up in shock as he did not understand why Nicole had struck him. The only response he got from Nicole was a re. "You''re such a damn fool! The products can be remade again.But if something were to happen to you, we would be in deep s*it!" It was only then that Martin came back to his senses. ¡®That''s right.I am the core of this entire project" A sudden sense of shame and guilt flooded him as he did not realize how important he was, and how much Nicole cared about him. "I-I was just acting rashly ording to the situation...I''m sorry." Martin lowered his head and was at a loss for words. Chapter 1216 Chapter 1216 Looking at the way Martin was ming himself, Nicole felt that she should stop ripping into him. Then, she turned to Max and said, "Bring him to the hospital for a checkup.Call me the second you receive any updates." "But the situation here..." Max looked at Jared helplessly as the situation here was still a mess. "Go ahead, I''ll take care of things here." Jared nced at him and gave him some assurance.It was only then that Max gave him a firm nod. "Alright, I''ll drive him to the hospital now." Martin looked at Jared, grateful for what he had done. Recalling that Jared had gone in to search for him while the fire was still burning, Martin was ovee with a sense of gratitude. "Mr.Johnston, thank you for going in and looking for me.Please take care of the situation here." Jared nodded lightly as a way of telling him not to worry. It was then that Nicole suddenly remembered what Martin had said about Jared entering the factory. The mes, which had initially been extinguished, was raging once more. After Martin and Max had left, Nicole shot Jared a re. "All of you are the same! Why can''t the both of you give me some peace of mind for once? It''s bad enough that I had to deal with a fool like Martin! Why did you rush into the fire as well?!" Jared shot her a nce with her eyebrows raised. "Oh, so you''re worried about my safety now? I don''t think] can tell if he was the only person you were worried about moments ago!" Noticing signs of jealousy, Nicole issued a sigh. "Moments ago, I was panicking and worried that something might have happened to Martin, and that was why I wasn''t paying attention to what you were saying." As Jared recalled the way Nicole had scolded him for not pulling Martin out of the factory, he felt that she had wronged her. "Now that you know, I wasn''t the one who did not try to bring him out of the fire, was I?" Jared looked at her with a frown. ''I went in just to look for Martin, but he was as stubborn as a mule" Nicole nodded. "Yeah.But please.Next time, I don''t want you risking your own life too..." She just wished that Jared would drag Martin out, not put himself in danger too. Seeing that Nicole was sincerely worried about him, Jared smiled and extended his arms to give her a hug. "Alright, I get it, but you better focus on the factory now and think about ways to help us recover.There are a lot of things that require our decisions." Jared''s reminder alerted her once more. As she witnessed the situation at the factory and how messy it was, she issued a sighed. ¡®The road to sess is really filled with hardships" she thought. '' Now that half of the factory had been burned to ashes, rebuilding will take a really long time to complete" "We can only wait for it to be rebuilt," she said. "In the meantime, let''s just take a breather." Jared saw her through and understood that she was trying to stifle her anger. Knowing this, heforted her by saying, "Don''t worry, I''ll get a crew together to rebuild it again.I''ll make sure that they try their best to do it as soon as possible." Nicole felt relieved, but in less than a second, her eyes narrowed again. Then, she turned to Jared and asked, "But, have you discovered the cause behind this fire? Is it really an ident?" Jared''s eyes grew dark as well. "My men are on the ground collecting clues now.However, I don''t believe that it''s just an ident, especially when we have someone as careful as Martin around." Nicole remained silent. As a way of acknowledging what he had said, she let out a cold sneer. "I don''t care who this person is.Since he has decided to screw with me, I won''t let him get away with it." It was then that Jared registered a hint of brutality on Nicole, something that he had not seen in her for a while now. ''The person who had decided to mess with her better pray hard for his own life" In the blink of an eye, nightfall descended upon them. Nicole stayed on site and made sure that the workers had relocated all of the salvaged products and machineries. N?velDrama.Org ? 2024. After everything had been organized, she proceeded to return to the vi with Jared, and the moment they arrived, Nicole made a beeline for the bathroom and took a shower. When she came out, Jared had already changed into his casual lounge wear and was waiting for her, staring at her with nothing but affection as she walked out with a towel wrapped around her figure. He had not seen her for days, and his longing for her was a torment. As he eyed her soft and supple skin, he could not help but step forward and help her put on a bathrobe. Chapter 1217 Chapter 1217 Nicole began to feel shy when she noticed that Jared was approaching her. Fortunately, he was only there to help her put on the bathrobe and was back at his seat as soon as that was done. Then, he joined him at the table and took a sip of warm water. "Max called," Jared said. "Martin only sustained some minor burns on his hand.He''ll be fine after a few days of rest." "Okay." Nicole nodded, finally at peace. "Let him catch some rest for a few days then." Instead of responding to that, Jared, with eyes betraying his longing and affection, said, "Just stay here tonight.You should get some good rest too." His invitation to Nicole was hard for her to refuse out of courtesy, but the moment she thought of Mrs.Wace Sr., she shook her head. "I''ve been away for so long.Grandma must''ve missed me.I''d like to go home tonight." Noticing that Nicole was more concerned about Mrs.Wace Sr.than himself, Jared began to sulk. "What about me? You''ve been away for so long, and I''ve missed you very much too." With thatst line spoken, Jared stood up, moved forward, and pinned her to the chair, his nose close to hers and his breath on the verge of caressing her cheeks. Nicole felt a sense of tension within her at once. ¡®Every time this guyes close to me, my heart races..." Unable to withstand it anymore, she ced her hands on his shoulders and lightly pushed him away. Owned by N?velDrama.Org. "Fine, I''ll just bring you along.Is that okay?" "Since he enjoys sticking with me, I''ll just let him tag along" she thought. Jared was a little annoyed, but the decision made him feel better anyway. Lowering his head, he gave her a peck on the cheek. "Fine.Consider this the ¡®interest¡¯. As for the ¡®principal¡¯, I''ll collect it some other day." With her cheeks turning bright red, she responded by teasing, "You''re such a jerk!" Jared shed her a smirk and stood up, "You should change.I''ll send you hometer." Nicole at his back as he walked out. Then, she breathed a sigh of relief and quickly got up to change, and when once she had gone downstairs, she noticed that Jared was already waiting for her in the car. As Nicole got in the car, she saw that Jared had just hung up. "Why? Did you manage to find any clues?" Jared shot her a nce. Then, he ignited the engine while saying, "Yeah, I''ve discovered something about the cause of the fire.Although the power supply unit was in mes, there were no signs of arson.I''ve asked my men to thoroughly inspect the units before this.They were all in good condition before the ident urred." Nicole''s brows began to tighten. ''If this ident was deliberately nned and executed by someone, there is no doubt that this person must be an expert.He left no traces behind at all" "Keep investigating, then.If someone had done it, they must have left a trail for us to find.Even the devil can''t hide his cloven hoof," Nicole said, certain that the perpetrator would be discovered eventually. "You''re right," Jared affirmed. "Anyway, you should think about what you''d like to eat for dinner.I''ll ask us to prepare them." Nicole could tell that Jared wanted to arrange a scrumptious meal for Mrs.Wace Sr., but she shook her head. "Grandma is pretty much used to simple things now.If you''re going to give her something decadent, she''d feel ufortable.I think a few simple dishes for dinner will do." "Alright." Jared drove them to the sea view vi without objections, and before they knew it, they had arrived. To her surprise, Tia and Mrs.Wace Sr.had been waiting for them at the door. Shocked, she turned toward Jared, "Did you inform them?" "What do you think?" Jared smiled. Then, he got down from the car and opened the door for Nicole. Chapter 1218 Chapter 1218 Nicole had no choice but to get out of the car. Then, she watched as Tia approached her with Mrs.Wace Sr. in her arms. "Grandma, it''s very cold out here, and yet here you are." Nicole looked at Mrs.Wace Sr., worried. "You silly girl.You haven''t been back for days.Of course, I''de out and wee you home.Come on in, food is ready." Mrs.Wace Sr.tugged at Nicole and they all went in. Jaredughed. "Mrs.Wace Sr.Are you going to leave me outside? It was only then did Mrs.Wace Sr. remembered that Jared was here too. She quickly spun around and smiled at him, "That wouldn''t be nice, would it? Come on in!" Jared and Nicole had been together for quite a while, and as such, Mrs.Wace Sr. did not treat him as an outsider anymore. Tia shed him a grin and said, "Brother-inw, why are you acting like you''re an outsider. Come in!" Nicole rolled her eyes at Tia, "I see you''re already getting chummy with him." "Hehe." Tia shot Nicole a yful nce and closed the door. Then, Nicole brought her grandmother to the dining table and sat her down. "Grandma, be careful." "Okay, gather around here and sit down, everyone." Mrs.Wace Sr. said as she looked at all of them. "I''m sure all of you are hungry, so let''s eat." Mrs.Wace Sr. Then, she picked Nicole''s favorite dish up and served it to her. "Nicole, you''ve gotten really skinny ever since you were away from home.Here''s your favorite dish.Do have more." Owned by N?velDrama.Org. Mrs.Wace Sr.looked at Nicole lovingly. After having not seen Nicole for half a month, Mrs.Wace Sr.felt that her granddaughter seemed emaciated. "Thank you, grandma, you''re the best!" Nicole happily ate the food which Mrs.Wace Sr. had served her. ''This is the best food I have ever eaten.Every single bite is filled with a taste of grandma''s love" "Jared, have some too.Don''t be shy." Mrs.Wace Sr.noticed that Jared had not touched his utensils, so she extended him a warm invitation. "Nicole, you know what Jared likes to eat.Serve him some food." Mrs.Wace Sr.ordered. "It''s fine, grandma.He knows what how to get what he wants from the table," Nicole said and continued eating. "Why are you acting like this? Jared is our guest, and you should be serving him." Mrs.Wace Sr.red at Nicole with a look of disapproval. "Fine, I''ll do it." Jared looked at Nicole and the corner of his lips lifted into a smile. "What would you like to eat?" Nicole turned to Jared and asked. "I''d like to eat anything that you like." Nicole rolled her eyes. ¡®He''s being cheeky again" Tia watched them from the side and let out a muffled chuckle. Nicole noticed Tia chuckling from her periphery, whereupon she turned her gaze on Tia and said, "Stop laughing and eat up." "Ok." Tia immediately lowered her head and quietly ate her food. After they were done with dinner, Nicole helped Mrs.Wace Sr. to the couch. Then, Mrs.Wace Sr.looked at her and said, "Nicole, are you always tired when you''re away from home? You don''t seem well." Jared eyed Nicole, and that was when he realized that there was something wrong with her complexion. Chapter 1219 Chapter 1219 "Why do you look so pale?" Jared looked at Nicole, concerned. "Really? I don''t really feel any sort of difort anywhere," she replied." Perhaps I was just rushing during my journey home. "Grandma, I''m fine.I''ll be better after I take a rest." Nicole turned to her grandmother, not want Mrs.Wace Sr.to worry about her.She really did not feel weak or ufortable at all. Seeing that Nicole was taking her own condition lightly, Jared became annoyed, "You''re already looking this sick and yet you insist that you''refine? Are you waiting for the day when you copse to finally acknowledge that you''re sick? "You should head upstairs and get some rest," Jared advised. Nicole looked at Jared. ¡®I haven''t really spoken to grandma yet, so why is he asking me to take a rest already?¡¯ "It''s fine.I''d like to stay here and have a little chat with grandma for a while.If you want to catch some rest, you can do so on your own," Nicole finished, and turned to Mrs.Wace Sr.Jared knew that Nicole would not listen to him anymore, so he turned to Mrs.Wace Sr. "Grandma, look at her being all stubborn even with the way she looks. Please tell her off." "Nicole..." "Grandma, I know my body well, so you need not worry about me.I''ll be staying here with you for a while.After that, I''ll head upstairs to get some sleep."§Ú¦Ò¦Í???§Ó¦Ò¦Ò§Ü.¡é¦Ò§Þ Nicole said, taking the initiative to stop Mrs.Wace Sr.from persuading her. Seeing this, Jared could not help but issue a sigh and stare at Nicole. "Alright then.Anyway, what brought you home so suddenly?" Mrs.Wace Sr.asked, clueless about the fire at Martin''s factory. "Oh, we''re on a two-day break and I thought you haven''t seen me in a while.Because of this, I felt that I shoulde back and pay you a visit, so you wouldn''t be worrying about me." Nicole did not tell her the truth. After all, it would only make Mrs.Wace Sr. anxious, and that would not be necessary. Jared felt relieved when he saw Nicole withholding the truth from the olddy because he did not want Mrs.Wace Sr. to worry about it as well. "You''re a lovely granddaughter." Mrs.Wace Sr. smiled with a look of gratitude on her face. "Nicole, you''ve been engaged to Jared for a while now.Shouldn''t the both of you pick a date and get married already?" §Ú¦Ò¦Í???§Ó¦Ò¦Ò§Ü.¡é¦Ò§ÞMrs. Wace Sr. asked, throwing the million-dor question at them. Nicole''s flushed a bright shade of red at once, as she never thought that Mrs.Wace Sr. would raise a question about this matter. Concurrently, Jared was also stunned, but he soon realized that it would be a good thing for him. "Grandma''s right, we should really start thinking about this." Jared smiled and gave Nicole a look of delight. ''How did I forget about something so important? Thankfully, her grandma raised the question, or else, it would still be sitting at the back of my mind" "What is there to think about? Quit screwing around." Nicole warned as she turned around to look at him reproachfully. "How is this a joke? That was grandma¡¯s idea." Jared said, using Mrs.Wace Sr. as a shield with which to deflect herebacks. "You!" she fumed. This belongs to N?velDrama.Org. ¡®Forget it! I''m not going to argue with him. In the end of the day, he won''t be the only one to determine if we get married or not.! Nicole turned around, smiled at Mrs.Wace Sr., and exined, "Grandma, we''re all busy now. We''re not in a hurry to get married yet." "How could you not be in a hurry? If you''re not in a hurry, I am. There will always be an endless bout of work for you to get busy with.With my old age, and if the both of you don''t get married soon, I''m not sure if I''ll get to witness your marriage." Mrs.Wace Sr. seethed as she looked at Nicole. She had been waiting for that day toe: the day when Nicole could get married and find a forever home with the man she loved. That was Mrs. Wace Sr"s biggest dream. "Of course, you will.With the fact that you''re in such good health, I''m sure you can see US getting married," Nicole said, saddened by Mrs.Wace Sr" Looking at Mrs.Wace Sr"s head of white hair, she thought, ¡®Grandma''s worry is valid" Nicole hugged Mrs.Wace Sr., as her eyes reddened, "Grandma, you must take good care of yourself. You have to be there during the day of my wedding in the foreseeable future." Mrs.Wace Sr.patted Nicole''s back andforted her. She knew that her words must have worried Nicole. "I''ve always been healthy, andI''m sure I''ll be able to attend your wedding.I''m just a little worried for the both of you." "Don''t worry.Once we''re done with much of our work, we''ll get ready for the wedding.When that day comes, you must dress up well, attend the ceremony, and be our witness." Nicole mustered out a smile and looked at Mrs.Wace Sr. Chapter 1220 Chapter 1220 ¡°Alright, when the timees, this olddy will be your witness" Mrs.Wace Sr.could tell that Nicole''s eyes were brimming with tears, and that made her feel a little ufortable. As Jared watched them embrace one another, he felt both a mix of happiness and sadness. ¡®Grandma is indeed getting old" "Now, go upstairs and get some rest." Mrs.Wace Sr.looked at Nicole affectionately. "Okay, I''ll apany you back to your room first," Nicole said as she helped Mrs.Wace Sr.up. Mrs.Wace Sr.looked at Jared who was sitting on the couch at the side and said, "Jared, it''s already late. If you don''t have other important things to take care of, you can stay here for the night." "Oh, alright," he uttered. Initially, Jared was nning to head back home in a while, and as such, it surprised him when Mrs.Wace Sr. asked him to stay. "I''m off to bed now," Mrs.Wace Sr.said, after which she made her way to her room with Nicole''s help. After Nicole had brought Mrs.Wace Sr.back to her room, she came back to the living room to find Jared waiting for her on the couch. "What are you still doing here?" Nicole looked at Jared with her brows furrowed. ¡®Didn''t he say that he''ll just be sending me home? In that case, he should be heading back to his home now, not sitting down here" "Didn''t you hear what grandma had just said?" Jared proudly said and looked at Nicole. Now that he had the support of Mrs.Wace Sr., no one could chase him out of the house, as long as he wished to stay. "You actually took her words seriously?" Nicoleughed and looked at him in disbelief. "Of course." "She was just being polite.Can''t you see that?"§Ú¦Ò¦Í???§Ó¦Ò¦Ò§Ü.¡é¦Ò§Þ Nicole asked him with a look of disbelief. "From what I''ve heard, that doesn''t seem to be the case.It seemed that she was sincere about having me here," he said. "To respect grandma''s wish, I''ve decided to stay" Jared did not seem like he was joking at all. While he was sitting alone in the living room, he had thought it through. "You''re really staying?" Nicole took a seat beside Jared, and it was obvious that she found it hard to believe. "Yes, let''s head upstairs and get some sleep." Jared nced at the time, and was about to grab Nicole by the arm when she narrowly escaped his grasp. "Fine, I''ll go up by myself." Jared said, knowing that as soon as he went upstairs, Nicole woulde looking for him. Jared headed upstairs right away as Nicole continued staring at him from the back. "Hey, are you really heading upstairs?" Jared did not respond to her question and continued making his way up. Unable to sit still anymore, Nicole quickly got up and walked to her room. By the time she had reached the upper floor, Jared was taking his shirt off, and just as Nicole entered the room, she saw his shirtless figure and asked, "Why didn''t you close the door if you''re going to change?" ¡®I did close it. You''re the one who pushed it open and came in, alright?" This belongs to N?velDrama.Org. Jared casually ced his jacket on the chair. Nicole rolled her eyes and walked in. Then, she stared at him and said, '' This is my room.The guest room is situated directly across." Jared shot her a frown.He moved forward, approaching Nicole, and pinned her to the wall. "Are you expecting me to stay in the guest room?¡¯ "Yeah, you''re our guest.If you''re not going to sleep in that room, don''t even think of spending the night in this one." She stared right into his eyes as she made the remark, unfazed by what he was doing. "You know, I wonder, who was the one talking about our marriage with grandma back in the living room? And yet here you are, referring to me as a guest.Were you just trying to put on a show in front of grandma?" Jared looked into her eyes and questioned. Chapter 1221 Chapter 1221 The instant the wedding was mentioned, Nicole became weak in the knees.She had not given it much thought just. In fact, she had simply acted on the spur of the moment when she promised Mrs.Wace Sr., as she saw how excited Mrs.Wace Sr. was about their marriage. I only did that to make her feel at ease. If you have any opinions about the wedding, you can always talk to me about it." Nicole suddenly shot him a solemn look, thinking that Jared was unhappy because she had not discussed it with him and had promised Mrs.Wace Sr.on her own. ¡®I have my own opinions." Jared''s maic voice sounded out to her ear. ¡®Tell me, what are they? If you don''t agree to it, it''s not toote for you to back out and find someone better for you." Nicole looked at him calmly. "You''re thinking about these things? Did anything happen abroad? Anything that I wasn''t aware of after I came back here?" Jared''s gaze became even more piercing. The people he was most concerned about were Harvey and Ike.§Ú¦Ò¦Í???§Ó¦Ò¦Ò§Ü.¡é¦Ò§ÞIf they were the actual reason behind the thoughts that Nicole had, Jared would not allow Nicole to return to Lanningbourg. "Nothing happened.After all, marriage is an important thing.We must really think it through.If you have other thoughts or opinions, I''ll respect them." Nicole leaned herself against the wall and stared him in the eyes. ¡®This is what my thought is.I will be sleeping here today to prove that I''m not here as a guest, but as an owner." Nicole gulped. Initially, she thought that he was going to tell her something unpredictable, but in the end, it was just a request to sleep in her room." What a bore. I thought you really had something to say about the wedding and is that it?¡¯ "A bore, huh. Were you expecting me to give you a different answer?¡¯ Jared looked into her eyes and scrutinized her. ¡®Who said that? Those were your words." Nicole said, wishing to wriggle her way out of his trap, but to no avail. "Do you want me to get my sleep or not?¡¯ she asked. "Of course, I want you to. Not only do I want you to sleep, I want you to sleep together with me" N?velDrama.Org ? 2024. Jared lifted Nicole up as he said that and walked upto the bed. The weather was nice and cool the very next day. Seeing that Nicole had not woken up, Jared proceeded to caress her face.It was so soft and smooth to the touch that Jared could not stop himself from doing so. Nicole was soon woken up by Jared''s touch.She opened her eyes and looked at him. "What are you doing? You''re disrupting my sleep." "Your face is satisfying to touch." Jared stared at her with a smile. "Gosh! Have you touched any that is not satisfying?" Nicole grabbed the chance to question him. "I have" Jared immediately admitted to it without hesitation. Nicole''s eyes widened at an instant. ¡®He actually dared to admit it.I guess a CEO like him would have women running to him no matter where he goes. He must be an expert at this by now" Nicole became so furious that she pped his hand away at once. "Answer clearly, or else you''re not touching me ever again!" Realizing that Nicole had be jealous, Jaredughed. "Are you seeing green?" "I''m not! Quickly exin yourself, and don''t you digress!" Nicole looked at Jared with a re, seemingly dead serious about it. "I meant that I''ve touched animals before." Jared looked at her in surrender. "Quit screwing around.You could even think about using animals as an excuse!? I see that you just don''t have the balls to fess up!" Nicole continued pushing, as she could not believe him. Seeing the serious look on her face, Jared realized that the joke had been taken too far. After all, he had already told her the truth, which she could not bring herself to believe. Chapter 1222 Chapter 1222 "Nicole, look at me." Jared cupped her cheek. "What will change if I look at you?" Nicole stared at Jared, her eyes cold. "I''ve never touched anyone other than you. You are the only one in my life." Jared looked at Nicole, his eyes filled with affection and sincerity. Nicole was stunned upon registering the look in his eyes and how earnest he was. Initially, she just wanted to find out which woman had skin that was coarser than her.She had not anticipated such moving words from him. "Jared, I see that you have a way with words and you''re getting better at it now.At this rate, you are almost on par with Harvey," Nicole teased, refusing to cave in to his sweet talk. Deciding not to pursue it anymore, as she had weaseled away from Jared, she sat up and went to the bathroom to give herself a rinse. Just as she reached the bathroom, Jared passed her a toothbrush with toothpaste readily squeezed onto it. "Here you go." "Thanks." Nicole grabbed it and began brushing while looking at the mirror. As Jared had also picked his toothbrush up and had started brushing with her, the both of them looked at each other''s reflection in the mirror. It was at that moment that Jared felt a sense of warmth within him. Nicole had never done something like this with anyone.§Ú¦Ò¦Í???§Ó¦Ò¦Ò§Ü.¡é¦Ò§ÞShe felt that it was wholesome. In fact, she wanted time to freeze this moment so that life would always be this beautiful. After washing up, the both of them had breakfast together. Nicole looked at the time and said, "Are you heading back to the office soon? I''m nning to visit the factory today and see if I can find any leads." Jared raised his head ever so slightly and sized her up. "I think it''s better for you to just chill out this morning." As soon as he had said that, Mrs.Wace Sr.returned home. When she saw that the couple had made their own simple breakfast, she frowned. ¡°Ah! Why are the two of you up so early? I just went to the market with Tia and was hoping to make something nice for the both of you." Nicole immediately turned to look at Mrs.Wace Sr.She stood up and helped her over. "Grandma, it is fine.He''s going to work soon, so we had an early breakfast. That way, he can make it to his office in time." As soon as thest word was uttered, Nicole gave Jared a wink. In response, Jared smiled, and as he was almost done with breakfast, he stood up and told Mrs.Wace Sr., "Indeed, I''m in a rush to return to the office. I''ll visit you some other time, grandma." "Oh, alright then. Drive safe." Mrs.Wace Sr. looked at him kindly. "Will do," he said, after which he turned around to give Nicole a nce while smiling. "See you after work." Nicole frowned. ¡®Who''d want to meet you after work, you nutjob" But as soon as she saw him leaving, she immediately felt a sense of desire and longing. Sensing Nicole''s desire, Mrs.Wace Sr.ughed, "Alright, alright.He is gone already.If you''re that hesitant to let him leave, why didn''t you tag along?" Nicole could tell that Mrs.Wace Sr. was teasing her, so she replied, "I never said I wanted to follow him. It''s hard enough for me toe back, so I''d like to stick around and spend some time with you for a bit longer." Mrs.Wace Sr. smiled. "You''re a good child, indeed." After the conversation was over, Mrs.Wace Sr. brought Nicole into the kitchen and made breakfast together with Tia helping them. Just like that, the morning ended in a peaceful note, being one of the quietest that Nicole had had in a while. In the afternoon, Nicole headed out.She had nned to visit the factory and return home to pay his parents and brother a visit. After all, they had no clue about her return. N?velDrama.Org ? 2024. Soon, Nicole drove to the factory. Chapter 1223 Chapter 1223 Nicole thought it would be a ruin with nobody around. However, as soon as she got out of the car, she saw us. us immediately chuckled when he saw Nicole as he walked toward her. "Why are you here, Miss Riddle?" Jared had given him an arduous task early in the morning itself, making him think that he was going to be utterly bored for the entire day, which was why he did not expect Nicole toe over. "Did Jared send you here?" Nicole guessed. usughed. "M-hm. You''re right, Mr. Johnston sent US here to im everything that can be salvaged before clearing the area for reconstruction. I¡¯ve got to give him credit where credit is due. Jared really is efficient,¡¯ Nicole thought. ¡°Alright, carry on," she said. "HI go and have a look.¡± us quickly stopped her. "Miss Riddle! This ce is already in ruins, what''s there to see?! It''s not safe to walk here. Please don''t get yourself hurt.¡± This belongs to N?velDrama.Org. Nicole shook her head. "It''s fine. I''m just going to look around.¡± Then, she asked us about the location where the fire had started, after which she went to the area where the generator was and examined it. As expected, she could not find the problem. us looked at her and asked curiously, "Miss Riddle, is there a problem here?" Nicole thought about it and said, "Bring me some tools. I want to crank it open and have a look inside.¡± us nodded and got someone to bring a toolbox over. Nicole reached out for the toolbox and took one of the tools out as she stood in front of the charred generator and pried the shell open. As expected, the wires were already in a mess, but Nicole was still looking for clues. us was confused, but he knew that Nicole would never do something if she did not have a good reason to, so he just waited for her at the side. After some time spent inspecting the device, Nicole finally spotted an area that had melted in a manner different from the rest of the generator. Nicole''s eyes narrowed. us watched as she picked a wire up and examined it, so, in his state of curiosity, he asked, "Miss Riddle, is something wrong?" Nicole''s eyes darkened as she quickly a section of the wire off and passed it to us. ¡°Put it in a bag and find out how this wire was melted. Then, follow the clues and continue investigating.¡± us immediately nodded and took the wire. "Got it." He gotten word from Max that this fire was uncanny, so Nicole might have actually found a clue. With this in mind, us did not linger, and quickly brought it for inspection. Nicole watched him from the back with a wicked smile. "I''ll find you, no matter who you are!" After two hours, Nicole returned home to her parents, and as she exited her car, she saw that Sean and Steve were both getting off their vehicles too. They were bbergasted when they saw her. "Nicole?! You''re back?!" Chapter 1224 Chapter 1224 "Yeah, are you having an off day today?" Nicole walked over and greeted Sean and Steve happily as well. "Yeah, we came back to see mom and dad." "Aren''t you supposed to be in Lanningbourg? Why did youe back?" Sean asked Nicole, confused. "I hate to be that guy, but I think we should stop chatting here at the entrance. Let''s get in. Mom and Dad would be ecstatic to see Nicole.¡± Steve smiled at them as he pushed them into the house. "Okay, we can walk in on our own ord." Sean shook his head in defeat. In the living room, Daniel and Gloria were watching the news on the couch while Spencer and Samuel were ying games on their phone. "You two shouldy off the phone for a bit. The screen really isn¡¯t good for your eyes." Gloria reprimanded, having taken note of the time they had spent ying games while she watched the TV. "We''re fine. We just started,¡± Samuel responded. "Are you sure?" Sean asked. The moment Samuel and Spencer heard Sean''s voice, they responded without even looking up. "Bro, it''s not every day that you''re back here. Can''t you just mind your own business?" "Is that how you talk to your eldest brother, kid? Look who¡¯s back!" Sean yelled, pretending to be angry. Samuel and Spencer looked up at him. ¡°Who?¡± Nicole suddenly popped out from behind Sean, prompting Spencer and Samuel to exim, "Nicole!" They stopped ying their games at once and threw their phones away before running up to her. "When did youe back? Why didn''t you tell US? We could''ve picked you up." Nicole looked at them happily and exined, "I can''t say that I''ve nned for it, and that''s why I didn''t have the time to tell you. ¡°Anyway, what was the game that you were ying? You looked pretty engrossed when you were at it." Nicole looked at them with her brows furrowed. "Come here, we''ll show you.¡± Samuel and Spencer dragged Nicole to the couch. "Nicole, you''re back!" Gloria greeted her happily the instant she saw Nicole. "I''m home, mom and dad!" Nicole announced. "Go on without me. I''m going to talk to mom and dad for a bit,¡± Nicole said while looking Samuel and spencer. Then, she sat down with Gloria and Daniel without giving her phone another look. "How was the trip to Lanningbourg, Nicole? It''s been so long since west saw you." Daniel was concerned about her, even as he was beaming. Owned by N?velDrama.Org. He had not seen Nicole for a very long time, and as such, he missed her dearly and was ecstatic to see her when she came back. "It''s pretty good. How''s everything here at home?" Nicole looked at her parents with an endearing gaze. Indeed, she had not been home for a long time, which was why she was felt slightly unfamiliar with her home. Chapter 1225 Chapter 1225 "We''ve been keeping well. Was it tough working abroad? You don''t look so good." Gloria was really observant, as she noticed that Nicole did not look like she had been sleeping well. "Haven''t you been sleeping well?" Daniel heard Gloria and had also noticed that Nicole did not look like she was in good shape. "Ah... I do get enough sleep over there, but I came back in a rush yesterday. I''m probably just experiencing jetg, so I''m fine." Nicole exined while feeling guilty. ¡®It''s all Jared''s fault,¡¯ she thought. ¡®Il won''t be this tired if it wasn''t because of him.¡¯ "Did you rush back here because Martin''s factory had caught fire?¡± Daniel guessed. Judging by how hasty her return was, Daniel figured that it had something to do with Martin. "Yeah, I was informed that his factory was on fire, so I took the earliest flight home." Nicole said without anything. She did not feel the need to hide anything from them as they were different from Mrs. Wace Sr. ¡®It was a pretty big fire. Martin suffered quite the loss, didn''t he?" Daniel looked at Nicole with a frown. N?velDrama.Org holds this content. ¡°Yeah, half of the factory was destroyed, along with the equipment and the products." Nicole became upset when she talked about this. Gloria quickly changed the subject when she saw that Nicole was beginning to feel sad. "Nicole doesn''t come home very often, so let''s not talk about things like these.¡± "How are things with Jared? It has been some time since we''ve seen him." Gloria smiled at Nicole. "We''re fine. He''s been really busy with work these days, and due to the fact that his grandfather is still in the hospital, he usually works until it gets veryte," Nicole replied with a smile, though she began to feel sad for Jared as she finally realized how tough it must have been for him. "It''s not easy for Jared either. I didn''t expect that his family would have to deal with someone like that, you know.¡± Gloria sighed. "Nicole, how''s Jared''s grandfather?" Daniel asked. "Jared said that he¡¯s been experiencing a steady recovery, and I do n to visit him in the afternoon.¡± Nicole looked at Daniel. "Good. He''s really old, so he has to be extra careful now. He should take good care of himself,¡± Daniel said. "Yeah." "Nicole, how''s the project going?" Sean asked. "Can you tell US about it?" Sean had been holding it in for a very long time. He wanted to talk to Nicole about this the minute he saw her, but he did not get to do so after Steve had interrupted him. Now that he finally had the chance, he had to ask her about it. "Mr. Harmon had gathered a team of researchers and we''ve already started the project. It''s doing okay. We''re currently researching the chip, and that''s where I have some issues." Nicole told them some trivia to satiate Sean''s curiosity. "What is the issue? Do you find it hard to solve?" Sean looked at Nicole with a frown as though he was worried. "I can''t really summarize it, but it''s kind of challenging. I''ll find a way to resolve it though,¡± Nicole said, remaining positive about it and believing that they can seed. "By the way, how''s the project with Aegis Corporation going, Sean?" Nicole asked. "It has been running smoothly. We would''ve ended up with a miserable failure if Harvey had not invested at that time. I heard that he went abroad with you. Did he return with you too?" Sean asked. If Harvey was back, he would have treated Harvey to avish dinner as a token of appreciation. "He didn''t," Nicole replied. "He''s still busy with work over there." ¡®I see. Send him my regards when you''re back in Lanningbourg. Without his help, we would''ve been in hot water.¡± Sean looked at Nicole, stern and unsmiling. "Alright. I''ll do that for you, for sure." Nicole shed him a smile. "Are you done chatting? We can finally y together if you''re done." Samuel and Spencer had been listening to them the whole time and when the conversation seemed to being to an end, he interrupted them. Chapter 1226 Chapter 1226 "All you do is y video games. Nicole has been talking to US since she got back. You should learn a thing or two from her and engage in more productive activities. Look at her. She''s already living independently abroad, and yet, here you are, still ying video games at home," Gloria lectured them, and would have forgotten about them if they had not interrupted Nicole and Sean. "Mom, you said it yourself. Nicole doesn''te back very often, so you should stop nagging US. We''re adults now, and we have our pride, okay?¡± Samuel stared at Gloria as he expressed his thoughts. "You''re always looking for excuses...¡± "Don''t lecture them anymore, mom. Just let them chill for a day. You can continue the nagging when I''m not around tomorrow." Nicole aided Samuel by persuading to let them off the hook. "Since Nicole is here, I''m just going to leave it,¡± Gloria said. "How long will you be staying, Nicole?" Gloria hoped that Nicole could stay for a few days, so that their entire family would be together for longer. "I must return to Lanningbourg as soon as I''m done with Martin¡¯s factory." Nicole replied. Nicole could tell that Gloria wanted her to stay for a few more days. Unfortunately, she had to help her team abroad, and there was nothing that she could do to change that fact. "Well, it''s good to be busy. Youngsters like you should be putting more effort into your work." Daniel said otherwise, even though he wanted her to stick around too. "I Know your work is important, but you and Jared must take care of yourselves," Daniel said with concern. Content ? N?velDrama.Org. "Yeah, we will." Nicole said, and it was then that she realized that Norah was nowhere to be seen, even after she had spent much time chatting in the living room. ¡®Is she out on a vacation again?¡¯ "Mom, how''s Norah''s parents?¡± Nicole suddenly asked, startling Gloria. "Why do you ask?" Gloria said. "Oh, it''s because I''ve been sitting here for quite some time, but I haven''t seen any traces of Norah, and that''s why I suddenly thought about her. Back then, I''d always bump into her whenever I am here, so it''s kind of weird, not seeing her around,¡± Nicole exined. "Norah''s family got discharged from the hospital, so Norah went home to take care of them,¡± Gloria replied. "Oh." Nicole thought, ¡®No wonder I didn''t see her. Seems like she''s keeping her word.¡¯ "Has she been visiting you?" Nicole asked Gloria. "Yes, a few times, but she hasn''t been visiting recently, has she?" Gloria looked at Daniel and asked. "Yeah, I think it has been two to three weeks since shest came over.¡± Daniel replied, though he did not really mind.¡± Anyway, Nicole, please have your lunch here. Let your mother cook something nice for you," "Sure," Nicole uttered in response. "Nicole, can you y with US now?" Samuel asked. "You y, I''ll watch,¡± Nicole said, as she did not have the energy to y games and just wanted to take a rest. ¡®Hey, can''t you tell that Nicole is tired? Why are you forcing her to y games with you? That''s really insensible of you," Sean chided. Spencer had one good look at Nicole after listening to Sean. "Nicole, catch your rest on the couch if you''re tired. We won''t bother you." Sean shook his head. "Is this how you''re letting her get her rest?¡± Nicoleughed when she saw them arguing and thought, ¡®It''s nice to be with family.¡¯ "By the way, Nicole, how was life with Mrs. Wace Sr. in the sea view vi? " Daniel asked, as he suddenly thought of her. "She''s doing pretty well. Sne even nted her own vegetables and seems to be in high spirits every day," Nicole replied, and was all smiles when she talked about her. "Really? She must be having a lot of free time, then." Daniel smiled at Nicole. Chapter 1227 Chapter 1227 ¡°You must''ve visited Mrs. Wace Sr., right?¡¯ "Yeah, I came over from her ce," Nicole said. "Nicole, you''ve been engaged to Jared for some time now. What''s the n? " Daniel studied Nicole with his eyes. Content ? N?velDrama.Org. Sean and Steve chortled as they immediately knew what Daniel was trying to say. Nicole was watching Samuel ying his game when she heard Daniel''s question, and so, she lifted her head and asked, "Huh? What n?" Daniel saw that Nicole did not understand him, so he pushed it aside." Nothing. Go ahead and y your games. I''ll see if there''s any good food in the kitchen.¡± Sean came to sit next to Nicole after Daniel had left. "Nicole, did you not understand dad or are you just pretending that you didn''t?" Confused, Nicole looked at her with a frown. "What are you saying? I wasn''t pretending at all.¡± Sean looked at Steven when he saw that Nicole really did not understand what their father had meant, but they did not burst her bubble. "Seems like you didn''t.¡± "Why are you two acting so strangely?" Nicole looked at them with her head tilted. ¡®Ignore them. Let''s just y,¡± Samuel interrupted, ending the topic. After some time, Gloria''s voice echoed from the kitchen. "Lunch is ready." ¡®Nicole, let''s eat." Sean walked up to the dining hall with Nicole. Samuel and Spencer, who had turned their games off, also went over to eat their lunch. Seeing that the dining table was filled with dishes, Nicole was shocked. '' Mom, isn''t this too much?" ¡®You don''te back every day, so of course, we must have a feast," Gloria replied. ¡®Quick, sit down and see if my cooking skills have improved or not.¡± Gloria smiled as she waited for Nicole''s review. Sure.¡± Nicole sat down and took a bite of her favorite dish. "It''s still amazing. Mom, I think you''ve actually improved.¡± Nicole beamed, andplimented Gloria. Gloria was over the moon when she heard Nicole''spliment, and the smile on her face lingered for a while. ¡®Here, try some of these.¡± Gloria continued to get Nicole to give her other dishes a try. ¡®Wow, this is really good! It''s crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. Samuel, Spencer, try it!" Nicole suggested. "Is it really that good?" Samuel took a small bite, doubtful and skeptical of his mother''s cooking. ¡®Damn, it''s really good! Mom, why don''t I see you making this dish on a daily basis? You''re ying favorites! You''re only making good food when Nicole is around," Samuelined and acted like he was upset. "You should be grateful that you''re getting something to eat. Stopining," Sean jabbed at him. ¡®Let''s dig in. Don''t just stare at the food," Nicole reminded them as she looked around. Then, all of them started eating, and from time to time,pliments would fill the dining area, leaving Gloria ttered. ¡®Is it really good or are you all just trying to make me happy?¡± Gloria asked, starting to doubt them. ''Why are they being so sweet today?¡¯ "It''s really good. Try some." Nicole ced a few pieces onto Gloria''s te. Chapter 1228 Chapter 1228 "Hmm, it''s pretty good.¡± Gloria said after taking a bite, and when she looked at everyone at the table, all of them burst outughing at once. "Nicole, how long have you been engaged?" Gloria asked. "A few months, I believe?" Nicole answered as she ate. "Oh, doesn''t Jared have a n?" Gloria continued ask her. "n? What do you mean?" Nicole stopped eating and looked at Gloria. Gloria rolled her eyes at Nicole. ¡°You silly girl, why are you so dense when ites to matters like these? What I''m trying to ask is, when are you nning to get married?" Everyone at the table fell silent when Gloria shot her that question, and they turned their attention to Nicole at once. Nicole''s face flushed. ¡®Weren''t we eating? Why are they asking me about marriage now?¡¯ "Mom, why are you asking me this all of a sudden?¡± Nicole felt embarrassed and stopped eating. How could she talk about this in front of everyone?¡¯ "Don''t overthink it. I''m just worried about you. I can see that you''re doing well with Jared, and that''s why I asked you if you''ve got any ns to get married. If you do, your dad and I will see if there''s anything we can do to help you out,¡± Gloria gently exined as she wanted to help Nicole as much as she could. "Mom, Dad, please don''t stress yourselves out. You don''t have to worry about us. We know that you''re doing this for US, but we have our own things to deal with. We''ll talk about marriage once we''re done with our work. Don''t worry about it.¡± Nicole replied. She did not object to the idea, and had just told them the truth of what she thought. They might even get married right after they were done with their busy lives, and as such, it was something that he would have trouble predicting. "Okay, I know. I''m not rushing you. Your dad and I just want you to be happy. '' Gloria looked at Nicole earnestly and stroked her daughter''s hair. "I know." "Eat up, the food''s getting cold,¡± Daniel reminded them. Nicole smiled at him. Owned by N?velDrama.Org. After their meal, they went to hang out on the couch again, and that was when Nicole looked at Samuel and Spencer and whispered, "How are things with Lulu and June? Which stage are you at now?¡± "What do you mean ¡®which stage¡¯? Gosh, you''re so nosy!" Samuel rolled his eyes at her as he did not want to talk about it, but Spencer''s cheeks turned red at once. Nicole immediately knew what was going on and smirked. ¡®Seems like a lot of things had happened when I wasn''t around.¡¯ Suddenly, she took on a more serious tone and said, "You should reallyy the games off and spend more time with your friends when you have the time. Go outside more often. It''s not really good to stay at home and y games all the time.¡± In other words, she was reminding them that they should spend more time with their girlfriends and explore the world together instead of missing out on all the fun. "Got it? Even Nicole thinks it''s bad to y games. From tomorrow onwards, you''re grounded." Gloria, who was sitting at the side, immediately voiced out when she heard Nicole lecturing them. Noticing that their mother was nagging at them again, Samuel responded, '' Okay, we''ll spend more time with our friends.¡± "Nicole, are you trying to make US hate you as soon as you''re back here?" Samuel red at Nicole, his gaze threatening. "I''m doing this so that you may live happily ever after. You mighte to thank me in the future." Nicole looked at them, delighted. "I''ll thank you now...for robbing US of our gaming privilege," Samuel retorted. Nicole was amused and burst outughing. Chapter 1229 Chapter 1229 "What are youughing at?" Gloria and Daniel looked at Nicole, shocked. ¡®Nothing, I''mughing at them ying their games," Nicole casually said. ¡®Mom and Dad, I''ve stayed for some time already, so I''ll be leaving now. If it gets anyter than this, I''m worried that I''d just be bothering Jared''s grandpa when I visit," Nicole exined as she looked at her parents. "Sure, hurry up, then. Are youing back to stay for the night?" Daniel looked at Nicole in anticipation. "No, I''ll have to meet Jared at night, so it''s going to be veryte if I doe back here. I''ll just be disrupting your sleep,¡± Nicole exined. N?velDrama.Org holds this content. "Yeah, going back and forth can be really tiring. Please remember to take care of yourself when you''re abroad and get the rest you need," Daniel reminded her as he was worried. "Don''t worry, I''ll be fine. If you miss me, just drop me a video call," she said. Store info Directions Nicole did not wish to leave them either, but there were matters that required her attention, so leaving was the only option for the time being. "And what if we miss you?¡± Samuel and Spencer asked. "Will you?" Nicole asked, rting it to what she had said to them previously. "Forget it, we wont. Just go away already." Samuel urged Nicole to leave with a look of unbridled annoyance on his face. "Why are you even mad?¡± Gloria asked, not understanding Samuel at all. Nicole smiled as she looked at Samuel''s sour expression. "I''m making a move now. You don''t have to send me to the door." Nicole waved them goodbye and walked out. But when she turned around, she saw that her family was still walking her to the door anyway, and this left a faint smile on Nicole''s face. "Bye." Then, she got into her car and drove away from the Riddle Residence. From the rear-view mirror, she could still see them watching her as she left, and this made her tear up, as she missed them too. She arrived at a crossroad, and stopped at the red light. She looked at the cars that were driving past her, and suddenly, a familiar yet blurry figure drove past her. Her eyes widened at once, but before she knew it, the car was gone already. She just could not get a clearer view of the driver and who they were. Then, the green light lit uo and Nicole continued her journey to the hospital. After a while of driving, she pulled up at the car park and got down before entering the hospital. She then took the elevator up to Mr. Johnston Sr.''s floor and saw Max, who was keeping guard outside. He immediately greeted Nicole when he saw her. "You''re here, Miss Riddle." "Is Jared in there?" Nicole asked Max. "Yeah, he''s talking to Mr. Johnston Sr." "Okay." Nicole pushed the door open and walked in. Mr. Johnston Sr. looked at the door as it opened and was shocked to see the person behind the door. Nicole? Come here!" Mr. Johnston Sr. beckoned her to make her way toward him while Jared followed his gaze, it really is Nicole.¡¯ Their eyes locked, and they remained so until she was seated in front of Mr. Johnston Sr.''s bed. "Have you been feeling better, Mr. Johnston Sr.? It has been some time since Ist visited you because I''ve been in Lanningbourg. Don''t get mad at me, okay?" Nicole smiled at Mr. Johnston Sr. as she exined. Chapter 1230 Chapter 1230 "Am I that petty of a person to you? Why would I be angry with you?" Mr. Johnston Sr. smiled at Nicole, and was seemingly more energetic after seeing her. "He won''t be angry with you, but he''d just ask me ¡®where is Nicole¡¯ whenever he sees that I''m visiting him alone. He just misses you,¡± Jared voiced Mr. Johnston Sr.''s thoughts out. "Why are you even saying that?" Mr. Johnston Sr. looked at Jared, embarrassed. "Yeah, grandpa is the most generous man alive." Nicole smiled at Mr. Johnston Sr. Mr. Johnston Sr. was amused by Nicole''s remark. "Nicole, after you came, I realized that grandpa''s mood got a lot better than before. He even looks much more energetic now," Jared said, amazed. "Is that so? I didn''t know I had the power to lift people''s spirits up." Nicole teased, making fun of herself to make Mr. Johnston Sr.ugh. "How do you feel now? What did the doctor say?" Nicole returned to the main point of discussion and asked in the most caring way possible. "Grandpa has recovered a lot and he can perform some basic activities now, but he''s still unable to get down from his bed yet,¡± Jared began. "The doctor said that he has to rest for another month or so before he can get off the bed and try moving around.¡± Jared was relieved as he exined this to Nicole. ¡®Grandpa can, and will recover.¡¯ Nicole was surprised as she did not expect Mr. Johnston Sr. to recover so rapidly in such a short span of time. "Grandpa is recovering well, indeed. His progress is a week ahead of what I had expected. I can tell that he''s been in a good mood and has been getting enough rest." Nicole smiled at Mr. Johnston Sr. "Yeah, you''re right. I feel energized these days too." "Nicole, aren''t you supposed to be abroad? Why are you back all of a sudden?¡± Mr. Johnston Sr. looked at Nicole with his brows furrowed as he did not understand why she hade home so suddenly. Jared and the rest of them did not tell Mr. Johnston Sr. anything about Martin''s factory''s fire. In fact, they did not even show him the news. Nicole did not know about this, but Jared did not have to tell her either.¡± I''m back here to take care of some stuff. Besides, it''s been some time since I''ve visited you." Nicole looked at Mr. Johnston Sr.''s current state and decided that it would not be wise to bring anything negative up and ruin his mood. As such, she shared a collective thought with Jared, in that she would not make any mentions about the fire. Jared gave Nicole a piercing look, as he did not expect her to share such a strong, near-telepathic connection with him. "I know you''re busy and I suppose that Jared has been harping about this for a few times now, but you have to take care of yourself." Mr. Johnston Sr. said, looking at Nicole. I will," she replied. "So, did youe back to take care of the fire that had started in Martin''s factory, Nicole?" Mr. Johnston Sr. stared at Nicole, energetic as ever. "How did you know that, grandpa?" Jared and Nicole exchanged looks. They had no idea that Mr. Johnston Sr. had already known, which was why they were trying their best to conceal the existence of the incident from him. "Hah, do you really think that I wouldn''t know anything just because I''m in a hospital?" "No, that''s not the case.¡± "Have you found any clues about that incident?" Mr. Johnston Sr. looked at Nicole and asked. N?velDrama.Org holds this content. "I''ve found something, and I''ve already ordered us to investigate it." Nicole looked at Mr. Johnston Sr. as she replied. "Yeah, I don''t think this case is really that simple. You need to pay more attention to the investigation,¡± Mr. Johnston Sr. exined. "Grandpa, do you know something that we don''t?¡± Jared asked as he stared into Mr. Johnston Sr.''s dark eyes. Chapter 1231 Chapter 1231 ¡°Do you remember when Martin was forced to pay the Anderson family a visit abroad?¡± Mr. Johnston Sr. shifted his gaze to Jared and Nicole. ¡°The Anderson family? Are you talking about Luke¡¯s family?¡± Nicole narrowed her brows and asked. ¡°You¡¯re right. I heard that Luke¡¯s daughter has been linked up with some influential family abroad and they¡¯reing back for some prayers. However, I have no idea if that¡¯s true.¡± ¡°Prayers?¡± Nicole asked, shocked as she looked at Mr. Johnston Sr. ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t I know a single thing about it?¡± Nicole looked at Jared in puzzlement. Jared shook his head as he had no idea too. ¡°Most of the people here had forgotten about the Anderson family. Besides, only a few of them would being back this time, and they¡¯re keeping it on the down low. This is why not many people know about this.¡± Mr. Johnston Sr. exined. ¡°Grandpa, why didn¡¯t you tell me about this previously at all?¡± Jared assumed a strange expression as he asked Mr. Johnston Sr. the question. ¡°You didn¡¯t bother to ask,¡± Mr. Johnston Sr. replied. Jared issued a helpless sigh. ¡°There are no special asions that would justify any need for prayers now, and yet, they came all the way back here. Isn¡¯t it a little¡­¡± Nicole looked at Jared before she couldplete her sentence. Jared could understand what Nicole was trying to say as his expression became solemn. N?velDrama.Org ? 2024. Suddenly, the mental image of the figure that Nicole had spotted on the streets appeared before her. She had an inkling that things were really moreplicated than she had thought after hearing what Mr. Johnston Sr. had said¡­ ¡°Grandpa, what else do you know about the Anderson family?¡¯ Nicole looked at Mr. Johnston Sr., trying to get every single piece of information about the Anderson family as soon as she could. ¡°It is said that the Andersons met the Defoes at a banquet after they had fled the country. However, the two families began to get closer and closer for some reason. After that, they announced the marriage between the two families, and the Defoes handed some of their properties to the Andersons to manage. That was when the Andersons started to be relevant again.¡± Mr. Johnston Sr. said, telling her everything that he knew. Nicole became even more worried upon hearing what Mr. Johnston Sr. had said. ¡®It seems that Joyce has found someone to back her up, or else, she wouldn¡¯t being back for the prayers. I¡¯m afraid that Martin hasn¡¯t known about this yet.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t know the Anderson family is so resilient. Thank you for giving telling me something of such importance, grandpa.¡± Nicole looked at Mr. Johnston Sr. gratefully. ¡°We¡¯re family. There¡¯s no need to be so polite,¡± Mr. Johnston Sr. said with a gentle smile. Mr. Johnston Sr. looked out of the window before shifting his gaze back to Jared and Nicole. ¡°It¡¯s gettingte now. You guys should go home and get some rest.¡± ¡°Alright. We¡¯ve already bothered you for long enough. It¡¯s time for US to go now. Be sure to take care of your health. I¡¯ll visit you again the next time I return,¡± Nicole said as she stood up. ¡°Grandpa, we¡¯re leaving now.¡± Jared stood up too. Mr. Johnston Sr. looked at them and nodded While they were walking in the corridor, Jared asked, ¡°Are we going back to my ce or grandma¡¯s house tonight?¡± ¡°Neither. I need to go and talk to Martin.¡± Nicole looked into Jared¡¯s eyes and spoke. Jared returned the stare. He knew that she would want to tell Martin about these important developments as soon as possible. ¡°Okay then. Let¡¯s go there together.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you have something else to do?¡± Nicole asked, not wanting to waste Jared¡¯s precious time as she could tell Martin about it on her own. ¡°Are you trying to get rid of me?¡± Jared nced at Nicole with an expression that seemed as though he was questioning her. Chapter 1232 Chapter 1232 ¡°Don¡¯t take it the wrong way. I was just afraid that you have something more important to do. Let¡¯s head out together, then,¡± Nicole said as she walked outside, after which she went to collect her car in the parking lot. ¡°Are you going to driving?¡± Jared asked. ¡°What else can I do? I can¡¯t be leaving my car here, can I?¡± Nicole looked at Jared. ¡°Max, take the car and leave,¡± he ordered. Then, Jared approached Nicole¡¯s car and said, ¡°I¡¯ll drive.¡± They left the hospital in their Lamborghini and made their way to where Martin was. Then, Nicole took her phone out and dialed Martin¡¯s number. Martin answered the phone after a few seconds. ¡°Hello, Nicole.¡± ¡°Martin, where are you now?¡¯ Nicole asked, requesting for his location directly. ¡°I¡¯m in the office in my factory. What¡¯s up?¡± Martin asked. ¡°Why are you still there? Never mind. Let¡¯s talk when we meetter. Wait for me in your office.¡± Nicole said, and hung up thereafter. ¡°What did he say?¡¯ Jared asked after noticing that Nicole had begun to look miffed. ¡°Martin is still in his office in that factory. I have no idea what he¡¯s doing there,¡± Nicole said, baffled. ¡°The employees are still renovating the ce. I guess he¡¯s just worried.¡± Jared exined, as he was able to understand Martin¡¯s intention. N?velDrama.Org ? 2024. Nicole frowned as she looked at Jared without saying another word. ¡°You went back to your house today, right? How are your parents?¡± Jared shifted his gaze to Nicole and asked. ¡°They¡¯re fine. My parents even made mentions about you as we spoke, and they said that they haven¡¯t seen you for a while now.¡± ¡°You went abroad, and besides, I¡¯ve been busy too,¡± Jared exined. ¡°I know.¡± Nicole said, not ming him. Jared shed her a faint smile before he asked, ¡°Is Norah still living in the Riddle Residence?¡± With Jared¡¯s sudden mention of Norah, Nicole paused for a second before she answered, ¡°No. I heard that she had followed her parents home after they were discharged.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Jared gave her a slight nod. ¡¯Without Norah around, Nicole probably didn¡¯t have to deal with a nuisance in her home.¡¯ Nicole looked at Jared, wanting to tell him about her parents urging her to get married sooner. However, they had only made brief mentions, and so, Nicole thought that it would be unnecessary to tell him now. As such, she changed her mind and swallowed her words. Suddenly, Jared¡¯s phone rang, prompting him to catch a glimpse of the caller ID before putting his phone down without answering the call. Noticing what he did, Nicole asked, ¡°Why aren¡¯t you answering the call?¡± ¡°Oh. It¡¯s not important,¡± Jared said and flipped his phone over. Nicole paused and nced at the back of his phone. Then, she looked away. They arrived at the Beacon factory, where a lot of workers were cleaning up the trash inside. Nicole got down from the car and looked over. ¡¯They seem pretty efficient.¡± ¡°It¡¯ll probably take two weeks to get everything back to normal.¡± Jared walked up to her and said. ¡°Let¡¯s go. Martin is still waiting for US in his office.¡± Nicole nced at Jared before making her way to Martin¡¯s office. Chapter 1233 Chapter 1233 Up above, Martin was sitting on a chair while catching some rest with his eyes closed. Nicole and Jared walked in and knocked on the table. ¡°Nicole, Mr. Johnston. You¡¯re here.¡± Martin opened his eyes to see them standing in front of him. ¡°You seem very tired. Have you not rested well for the past two days?¡± Nicole looked at Martin¡¯s bloodshot eyes. ¡°Everyone¡¯s busy outside. Being the person in charge, how can I catch a break during times like these?¡± Martin got up and poured each of them a cup of water. ¡°You don¡¯t have to do that. I came over I have something I need to ask you. ¡± Nicole went to the couch and sat down, looking at Martin with a serious expression. Martin took a seat as well, and he proceeded to look at both Nicole and Jared with a puzzled expression. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°What do you know about the McCarthy family¡¯s business abroad?¡± Nicole looked into his eyes and asked. Martin could not help but to furrow his brows when he heard the name, McCarthy, being uttered. ¡°The McCarthy family? I have not heard a single thing about them ever since they migrated.¡± N?velDrama.Org ? 2024. Nicole then asked, ¡°Does Joyce not contact you anymore?¡± Martin¡¯s eyes lit up the instant his memory was refreshed, and he said, ¡°She called me once, but I didn¡¯t answer, nor did I call back.¡± ¡°What happened? Why did you bring up the subject about the McCarthy family?¡± Martin stared at Nicole with a look of confusion. He did not understood why Nicole had made mentions of the McCarthy¡¯s. Nicole looked into Martin¡¯s eyes, and in a solemn tone of voice, he said, ¡°I heard that the McCarthy family has risen from the dead.¡± ¡°What do you mean? Risen from the dead?¡± Martin stared at her for a moment, not understanding what he Nicole had meant. ¡°The McCarthy family had married one of their daughters to a rather eminent family abroad. Things have been going really well for them. There are news about them making their return here to pay their forefathers some respect,¡± Nicole said, spilling everything to Martin. Martin was left stunned for a moment when he heard about the news brought to him by Nicole. The sheer quantity and the nature of the information was too much for him to stomach. ¡°I was shocked when I first heard it too. I did not expect Joyce to leach off a foreigner,¡± Nicole said, helping herself to a sarcastic remark. ¡°Yeah. I didn¡¯t expect them to be so tenacious¡­¡± Martin replied. He was bewildered, as he had never thought that the McCarthy¡¯s family would rise to the position they were in. ¡°This is not a big deal. We had settled the beef between US before they left the country. Well, it matters not whether they are here to pay respect to their forefathers, as long as we all mind our own business,¡± Martin said with a calm look on his face. Certain that everything was over, Martin thought, ¡®As long as they don¡¯t bother US, and we don¡¯t bother them, things are going to be okay.¡¯ ¡°Things are not as simple as you think it is.¡± Jared looked at Martin with his deep-set eyes and warned him. Martin looked Jared in the eye and thought, ¡®What does Mr. Johnston mean?¡¯ Jared, noticing that Martin had not understood what he meant, continued,¡± There are a number of things that you can easily get over and not think about anymore. Sometimes, you wouldn¡¯t even react if they do happen again. But for some people, getting over a personal grudge isn¡¯t in the cards, especially those who were hurt during the process. Some people might do everything in their might to seek vengeance against those who¡¯ve hurt them, just to let them know how it feels. Only then will they be satisfied. Barring that, nothing would stop them.¡± Jared¡¯s words awoken Martin to the reality of the situation, ¡®It seems that I have to keep an eye out.¡¯ ¡°Nicole, do you know when the McCarthys are going to return to pay their respects?¡± Martin asked, his expression solemn. ¡°I don¡¯t know the exact date, but I will make sure to pay close attention. You should keep an eye out too,¡± Nicole urged. Hearing this, Martin lowered his head slightly and began to think. ¡°A strange thing happened on my way to the hospital today.¡± Nicole looked at the both of them. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Jared gave Nicole a frown, with Martin staring at her as well. ¡°While I was waiting for the stop light to turn green at the intersection, a familiar silhouette drove past my car. I couldn¡¯t see clearly who it was due to how fast they were, but I could see the outline of what looked to be a woman,¡± Nicole said. It was then that Jared and Martin both thought of who the person could be, and nced at each other at the same time. Chapter 1234 Chapter 1234 Jared then asked, ¡°Who do you think it is?¡¯ Nicole thought about it for a moment, and gradually, she said, ¡°Joyce McCarthy.¡± As soon as the two words exited her mouth, Martin gasped. ¡°Had she made an early return?¡± ¡°It¡¯s hard to ascertain¡­but I do have a feeling that she had something to do with the fire at the factory,¡± Nicole said, giving them a guess. ¡°I can¡¯t be¡­it was her who had set the factory on fire?¡± Martin frowned in disbelief as he began pondering about it as well. ¡°There is no certainty as of now. us has yet to return with any sort of evidence, and we don¡¯t know for sure if Joyce McCarthy is in this city right now. This is all just our spection¡­¡± Nicole did not have the slightest clue, and her guess was all too sudden too. ¡°You have to be alert. Pay attention to the people and the things happening around you. Do not let your guard down until the truth has been discovered. I¡¯m really worried that you¡¯ll be in danger,¡± Nicole warned as she looked into Martin¡¯s eyes. ¡°Well, you should also pay attention too. She didn¡¯t like you very much either,¡± Martin reminded. He still remembered the destructive acts that Joyce would engage in, out of jealousy for both Nicole and Jared. ¡°It¡¯s okay. If I find out that she did y a hand in the factory fire, I won¡¯t need her toe to me¡­¡± The corners of Nicole¡¯s mouth curved ever so slightly, and as she spoke, her eyes became void of any sort of warmth, making it as though she could freeze whatever her sight pierced. ¡°Go home and catch some rest. I¡¯m worried that that you¡¯ll copse after the rebuilding is done. If that happens, nobody will manage the factory.¡± Nicole looked at Martin with a solemn expression, as she truly was concerned about Martin¡¯s physical condition. ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll head back in a bit,¡± Martin replied. ¡°Okay then, I guess that¡¯s all for now. Let¡¯s go. We¡¯ll contact you if wee across any new developments.¡± After saying goodbye to Martin, Nicole and Jared left the factory, with Martin waving his hand at them as he watched them leave in their car. Then, with the intent of finding out what the progress was, he approached the employees who were busy working and asked, ¡°How¡¯s the cleaning going?¡± ¡°We¡¯ve cleaned more than half of it. It¡¯ll probably be done by tomorrow morning,¡± one of them replied. ¡°Good job everyone. Charles, go and buy everyone some foodter,¡± Martin ordered. ¡°Yes, sir,¡± Charles uttered in response. ¡°Thank you, sir,¡± the rest of his employees said. Martin smiled and waved his hands, after which he walked around to inspect the scene. In the car, Jared was looking at Nicole, but before he could speak, Nicole said, ¡°Let¡¯s head back to your vi.¡± Jared looked at her in surprise, ¡°Why are you not going to your grandma¡¯s today?¡± ¡°I¡¯m worried¡­Um, it¡¯s nothing.¡± Nicole stuttered as she could not find it in herself to blurt what she had wanted to say. N?velDrama.Org ? 2024. ¡°I¡¯d like to hear you out.¡± Jared always had a smile on his face, making it seem as if teasing Nicole was his greatest pleasure. ¡°I don¡¯t want to tell you.¡± Nicole crossed her arms and looked forward. The Lamborghini whooshed its way down the street, and soon after, they arrived at Jared¡¯s vi. After parking the car, the pair got out and made their way into the vi together. ¡°What would you like to eat?¡± Jared asked. Nicole noticed her stomach was empty. ¡°Two portions of steaks.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not a picky eater, and yet, here you are, ordering steak at such ate hour.¡± Jared looked at her and made a beeline for the kitchen with a smile. Chapter 1235 Chapter 1235 ¡°Since you¡¯d like to have steak, why don¡¯t youe in and give me a hand.¡± Jared¡¯s culinary skills meant that her assistance was not required, but being in the kitchen by himself could prove to be boring, and so, he called her in, hoping she could keep himpany while he was at it. ¡°Jared, since when have you required assistance when you cook?¡± Nicole took her coat off and strutted off to the kitchen. Jared looked at her with a smile and did not utter another word. He knew that he had gotten what he wanted when she came over. ¡°What do I need to do?¡± Nicole looked at him and asked. ¡°Wipe my sweat off me,¡± Jared said with a smile. Hearing that, Nicole was stunned for a moment, ¡®Is he out of his mind? He just started and there¡¯s no sweat!¡¯ ¡°Jared, there¡¯s not even a drop of sweat, what am I even wiping?¡± Nicole looked at him, puzzled. ¡°Impossible. I can already feel it. You¡¯re not nning to idle around, are you?¡± Jared said, deliberately messing with her. Unconvinced, Nicole stared at him and said, ¡°I¡¯m not, okay?¡± Then, she grabbed a towel and carefully wiped the imaginary sweat off his forehead. ¡°Jared, can you lower your head a little?¡± Nicole asked after a few wipes, and when he did, he was inches away from sticking his face onto hers, making it possible for him to smell the fragrance of her hair. ¡°Is this distance alright for you?¡± ¡°You¡¯re doing this on purpose, aren¡¯t you?¡± Nicole gently pushed his face away, and continued wiping away. ¡°Wasn¡¯t it you who told me to lower my head? Why, what¡¯s up?¡± he asked, before an imperceptible smirk appeared at the corner of his mouth. ¡°Don¡¯t you think you have lowered your head a bit too much? You¡¯re basically sticking it right into my face,¡± Nicole retorted. ¡®He¡¯s so awful at ying tricks on me.¡¯ ¡°Oh really? And there I was, wondering why it was so smooth and smells like perfume?¡± Jared said with a visible look of dissatisfaction. ¡°What¡¯s with that look on your face? You don¡¯t like it?¡± Nicole bit her lower lip and stared at him with a threatening look. ¡°No, I like it. You¡¯re helping me by wiping the sweat off me,¡± Jared insisted. ¡°I¡¯m not wiping anymore. There¡¯s always more no matter how often I wipe it. ¡± Nicole ced the towel down and stood aside to watch Jared cook. ¡°Fine, you can stop with the wiping, then. There¡¯s an apron over there, help me out and bring it over here.¡± Jared ordered, already thinking of other ways to torment her.Owned by N?velDrama.Org. Nicole nced at him helplessly and thought, ¡®It was I who wanted to have steak. I guess I have no choice but to bite.¡¯ ¡°Here¡¯s the apron you wanted.¡± Nicole handed the apron to him. Jared spread his arms, deliberately looking at the greasy stains on his hands, after which he pretended to wear the apron, and failing to do so even after several attempts. Nicole, who was standing at the side, issued a sigh while he waited for her to help him out. ¡°Stop moving. I¡¯ll tie it up for you.¡¯ Nicole wrapped the apron around his waist, prompting the corners of Jared¡¯s mouth to twitch in triumph. ¡°It¡¯s fastened.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Jared looked at her with a smile on his lips. Chapter 1236 Chapter 1236 ¡°Hurry up and cook the steak. I¡¯m starving.¡± Nicole looked at the steak on the grill and her stomach growled. ¡°Alright. It¡¯ll be ready soon.¡± Jared gave Nicole a doting look, after which he started grilling the steak with utmost seriousness. Jared brought the steak into the dining room after they were cooked. By then, Nicole was already holding a knife and a fork, ready to taste the steak. Then, he looked at Nicole, who looked like a toddler waiting to be fed, and smiled, ¡°Are you that hungry? Did you not eat much at the Riddle¡¯s?¡± ¡°I did. Every dish was tasty, and they were all my favorites too,¡± Nicole replied, salivating when she thought of the lunch she had had at noon. ¡°Really? I should¡¯ve gone there with you earlier,¡± Jared joked. Nicole then proceeded to cut a piece of steak and chew it. It¡¯s so tender. Your grilled steak is the best.¡± ¡°You have to pay for my delicious steak,¡± Jared joked. ¡°Okay. Name the price.¡± Nicole continued to eat with a look of nonchnce. ¡°Aren¡¯t you afraid that I¡¯ll name a hefty price?¡± Jared looked at her. ¡°Nope. No matter how expensive a steak is, I won¡¯t go broke.¡± Nicole nced at Jared. She had expected that Jared would not ept her money, and so, she was confident that she would do just fine. ¡°Indeed, but what if money isn¡¯t the mode of payment?¡± Jared asked, the corner of his mouth lifting ever so slightly with a wicked glint in his eyes. Nicole paused as she was cutting her steak, whereupon she lifted her head to look at Jared. ¡®What does he mean?¡¯ ¡°And what¡¯s that mode of payment you¡¯re talking about?¡± Nicole asked Jared with probing eyes. ¡°Chill. Don¡¯t worry about it. Have your meal first.¡¯ Jaredforted her with a smile and proceeded to eat his steak contentedly. ¡°Wow, the steak today is really good,¡± he bragged. Nicole nervously finished her steak and was prepared to leave the dining room under Jared¡¯s gaze. ¡°I¡¯m done eating. You can take your time.¡± Nicole slowly climbed the flight of stairs, after which she hurried into her room and locked the door. Then, she breathed a sigh of relief. Jared felt that it was hrious to see her scurrying away like a frightened bunny and shook his head. Then, he ced his utensils down and made his way upstairs. Upon passing Nicole¡¯s room, he paused. Nicole was sitting on her bed when she heard his footfalls outside, and that was when her heart tightened. ¡®He¡¯s not going toe in, is he?¡¯ After a second had passed, the thudding of his footfalls quickened and dissipated entirely. Relief flooded Nicole at once. Content ? N?velDrama.Org. Jared went into his study and sat down, and when he took his phone out, he saw a message from his subordinates abroad.[Mr. Johnston, we¡¯ve found Henry. He seems to have taken refuge with a foreigner. There are bodyguards following him everywhere. We can¡¯t get close to him. ¡®Foreigners?¡¯ Jared could not help but think that Henry¡¯s contacts were all locals. The chief executives from around the world knew about him, and no one would dare to cross the Johnston family just to protect him. ¡®Who would be the one willing to take him in?¡¯Launch an investigation into the background of the foreigner who took him in. Do not let Henry find out about who you are.Yes, sir. Then, Jared called Max and instructed, ¡°Track the movement of the McCarthy¡¯s and confirm whether Joyce is in the country.¡± ¡°Yes, sir,¡± Max replied. After hanging up, Jared began to cogitate, his eyes showing a wave of unrest. It was then that his phone sounded out with the notification tone. Thinking it was a message from one of his men abroad, he picked his phone up to check. Chapter 1237 Chapter 1237 [Mr. Johnston, what have you been busy with? Why didn''t you have the time to answer my call?] As it turned out, it was sent by Fiore. Jared sighed and thought, "Why is she still pining over me...?'' Jared replied perfunctorily, as it would be rude to just ignore the text. [There are too many things for me to deal with as of recent. I am busy during the day. I must''ve missed it.] [I''ve heard about the fire at The Beacon factory. Don''t get too angry, things will get better with time.] Fioreforted him. [Are you going to your office tomorrow?] Jared stared at the message she had sent and ceased all of his responses for a moment. ¡®What does she mean? She''s not going toe to the office to find me, is she?¡¯ [I''m not sure.] Jared replied in ambiguous fashion. [It''s okay. Are you going to the office or Martin''s? I know the address to both locations.] [Anyway, it''s alreadyte. I won''t bother you anymore. Please get some rest. It must''ve been very stressful these days. I''ll see you tomorrow.] Fiore texted and sent him a goodnight emoticon. Jared stared at Fiore''s messages in shock. ¡®What is wrong with Fiore? Is she really going toe over to find me tomorrow? If she does bump into Nicole, there would be a huge misunderstanding.¡¯ [I''m too busy to keep youpany these days, Miss Fisher. I''ll visit you some other day.] Jared quickly edited his text and sent it before he awaited her reply. Minutes passed and still, a reply was not seen. ¡®It seems that she must''ve slept.¡¯ At this point, Jared was worried about what he should do the next day, and after a while, he raised his head. He could only allow the chips fall where they might. He walked out of his study and towards Nicole''s room. Then, he pushed the door with his hands just to find that they did not budge. "You locked the door! Do you think it can keep me out?" Jared''s mouth curled slightly, and he walked away beforeing back with a key. Nicole was falling asleep on the bed when she suddenly heard someone unlocking the door. rmed, she immediately turned the light on and sat up, staring at the door with her eyes wide open. ¡°It''s broken!¡± He seems to have the key," Nicole murmured. The door opened with a click. It was the sixth key that Jared had tried. If he could not open the door with the keys, he would have tore the door down, but as it did, he pushed it open and walked in. He thought Nicole was fast asleep on the bed and did not expect the bedroom light to be on with Nicole sitting on the bed whilst looking at him. "Why haven''t you slept?¡± Jared looked at Nicole in surprise. "I was about to fall asleep, and you woke me up." Nicole looked at him in the eye with dismay. "So, I woke you up?" Jared ced the bunch of keys he had in his hands on the table and walked towards the bed. "Yeah. That''s right, and why are you here?¡± a wary Nicole asked. Jared smiled at the sound of Nicole¡¯s words. N?velDrama.Org holds this content. ¡°Of course I''m here to sleep. What do you think I am doing?" It was then that he slowly approached Nicole. "Don''te any closer." Nicole shrank back without knowing it. ¡®What are you afraid of?" Jared looked at Nicole with an evil glint in his eyes as she looked at him with her eyes half open. It was obvious she was feeling very sleepy. "You can sleep in peace.¡± Jared went over andid down gently with his arms around her. Then, Nicole fell asleep peacefully in Jared''s arms. Chapter 1238 Chapter 1238 After that, the two of them slept until the sun rose. Nicole was woken up by the sound of her phone. She fumbled around carelessly and ended up touching Jared. Furrowing her eyebrows, she was instantly awake. Then, she immediately withdrew her hand with her heart pounding. At this point, Jared was also partially awake. He looked up and found Nicole sitting there in a daze. ¡®What are you doing?" Jared''s voice suddenly sounded, which almost startled Nicole into falling off from the bed. Seeing this, Jared quickly grabbed her and pulled her into his arms before pinning her onto the bed. The two looked at each other with Nicole''s heart pounding even faster than before. "You...why are you awake?¡± Nicole murmured as she looked into Jared''s eyes. "Aren''t you the one who woke me up?" Jared helped smoothen her messy hair, and as the gentle teasing caused Nicole to bring her hands up to her chest, Jared took this opportunity to nt a light kiss on her face. He sat up with a smile and looked at her, "Are you going to get up anytime soon?¡± Nicole immediately sat up upon hearing Jared¡¯s question. She then searched around for her phone and looked through it. Having gotten a missed call from us, she immediately called back. ¡®us, have the results returned?" Nicole asked. "Yes." ¡°Ok, wait there. I''ll be there right away.¡± Nicole hastily hung up, put on a change of clothes, and walked out. ¡®Where are you going?¡± Jared asked, seeing that she was in a hurry. ¡°I''m going to the factory. The test results came out.¡± Nicole said, and was about to leave when Jared stopped her. "Wait." "What''s up?¡± "Since the results are out, there''s no need to rush. I''ll head over with you after we have had our breakfast," Jared said calmly as he put his clothes on. ¡°Aren''t you going to the office today?" Nicole looked at Jared in surprise.¡¯ Isn''t hispany filled with things waiting for him to deal with?¡¯ she thought. "I''ll send you there as I need to see the results too." Jared walked past her and went downstairs. Nicole followed him into the dining room where Jared then quickly made two servings of breakfast and ate before driving them to Martin''s factory. When they arrived at Martin''s office, both us and Martin were already there, looking at the test results. Noticing that Nicole and Jared were walking in, us hurriedly brought the results over to them. "Mr. Johnston, Ms. Riddle, have a look,'' he said. Nicole took the sheet and examined it carefully with Jared by her side doing the same. As they progressed from the second to thest line, her expression became progressively more indignant. Without knowing it, her brows had narrowed to the point that they looked to be knitted together. Owned by N?velDrama.Org. "Look." Nicole handed it to Jared. "It seems that this was the thing that had caused the fire," Jared said after reading the test sheet. "That''s right.¡± "Martin, do you have this in your factory?" Nicole asked Martin. Martin pondered for a moment before he shook his head and said, "No." "Are you sure?" "I am sure. The raw materials in the factory were used to produce the Beacon''s medical equipment. This thing is a vtile chemical which we have no need for, and so, it''d make no sense for US to purchase it,¡± Martin firmly denied. "Now things are beginning toe to light. Since it''s not from the factory, it must''ve been brought in by someone else." Nicole''s eyes narrowed. "You must investigate the workers in the factory. Inspect everyone other than yourself,¡± Nicole confessed, looking into Martin''s eyes. Chapter 1239 Chapter 1239 "Is this necessary?" Martin asked, worried about the worker''s reactions, and how they would be affected. "Yes." Nicole answered him firmly. "By the way, one question. Have you recruited any new employees as of recent?" Nicole asked, having suddenly thought about it. "I did. Last week, the maintenance guy was too busy. They insisted that we get more hands on deck. They have been working hard, so I agreed to it." Martin looked at Jared and Nicole as he recalled. "How many people were recruited?" "There were five." "Focus on investigating these five people," Jared advised. "Okay. I''ll do so right away," Martin said. "Wait." Nicole stopped Martin, who was about to leave. "Is there something else?" Martin whirled around to look at Nicole. ¡°Find an excuse to do so. Thest thing you''d want to do is spook them," Nicole advised. ¡°Okay.¡± Martin went out after they were done speaking. Then, Nicole turned to look at us and said, "You have worked really hard. Go home and get some rest." "You''re wee. This is just what I do," us said respectfully, and looked at Jared, who nodded before thetter proceeded to leave. Nicole nced at Jared and said, "They really are your men. I can''t order them around.¡± ¡°Well of course, if they take orders from everyone, would they still be my men? If you want him to listen to you, I can order him to do so," Jared said as he looked at her. ¡°No, you better keep him for yourself. There''s nothing important here anymore. Go back to your office and get busy," Nicole urged Jared. ¡°Are you going to stay here?" Jared looked at her and asked. "Not really. Maybe I''ll go home in a while, or do you want me to apany you to the office?" Nicole raised her eyebrows as she eyed him. Jared thought, ''If she wanted to, she could think about it.¡¯ Jared initially wanted to bring her to the office, but when he suddenly remembered the text message Fiore had sent himst night, he decided not to, as Fiore woulde to the office to find him today. ¡°That won''t be necessary. You''ve worked hard enough. Why don''t you go back to your grandma''s and have a good rest. It''s been a few days since you came home. Your work abroad must still be waiting for you, right?" Jared said, attempting to bnce between his own interests in her, and his wish to prevent another misunderstanding. "Makes sense," she said. "It''s about time I return to Lanningbourg. It''s an important week, after all" "In that case, I won''t be sending you off. I''ll see you tonight." Nicole waved at him. "See you tonight." Jared hugged her and walked out. From the window upstairs, Nicole watched as Jared got in his car and left. She then sat down and calmly pondered. ¡®Who was the person who started the fire? Is there anyone backing them up? Why did they burn the factory down if someone was behind it? Was it a case of jealousy after they had seen the Beacon? Or was it Joyce, who probably came back for revenge? Or is there someone else?'' Many questions kept popping up in Nicole''s mind. After a while, Martin walked in, and noticing that Jared was not there, he asked, "Where''s Mr. Johnston?" N?velDrama.Org holds this content. Nicole raised her head and looked at Martin. ''He had left. Have you started your investigation?" "It''s already in motion. At first, everyone was anxious, but after I reassured them, things became alright." "The five newly recruited are being investigated now, right?" Nicole asked Martin. Chapter 1240 Chapter 1240 Heading to the direction of the Sea View Vi, she proceeded to make her way back to visit Mrs. Wace Sr. before leaving, as thetter would think that Nicole had gone missing if she did not. As soon as Jared arrived at the office, an assistant walked over to meet him. "Mr. Johnston, the directors are waiting for you in the conference room.¡± Jared frowned and looked at the assistant, ¡°What are they here for?¡± "The reasons they''re here seems to be rted to the fire at the Beacon factory." The assistant said, having gotten information about the Beacon factory incident. "Let''s go take a look.¡± Jared changed and made his way to the conference room. Jared pushed the door open and walked in. The conference was silent for a moment. No one dared to speak. Seeing this, Jared sat at the head of the table, looking at everyone, ¡°What brings everyone here today?¡± N?velDrama.Org holds this content. After a while, an elderly man looked at Jared and asked, "Mr. Johnston, did we invest in Martin''s Beacon Company?" ¡®What are you trying to say?" Jared looked at the person who had spoken and asked. The man shrank at once, whereupon he looked at Jared with a smile and said, "We all heard about the fire at the Beacon factory, and we happen to be the major shareholders over there, and that is why I must ask, what caused the fire, Mr. Johnston? Will it affect our investment?" ¡®Do you all have the same questions?" Jared asked whilst looking around without giving them a direct answer. Seeing that no one was speaking, Jared continued, ¡°The cause of the fire is still under investigation. The results should be avable soon. As for the investment, I don''t think it will be affected. After all, The Beacon is still considered a world-ss device. We have high-end products like these. Are we still worried that there will be no clients?" "However, the fire had indeed caused US to lose a lot in terms of our investments. Now that the cost has not been recovered, all prospects in rtion to The Beacon are in question. Besides, who can guarantee whether the same disaster won''t happen again," a middle-aged man questioned. "Do you really wish to see another disaster happening to The Beacon industry? Or does the fire at the Beacon having anything to do with you?" Jared shifted all the me on him in one sentence, causing everyone in the meeting room to immediately focus their attention on that person. ¡®Why are you looking at me like that? Why would I want something disastrous to happen to The Beacon!? I am also a part of the investment,¡± the man retorted. "Mr. Johnston, you have done me dirty by saying this. I''ve been looking forward to the sess of The Beacon before it was toote. What does that have to do with the fire? You can''t just say something that nderous, as it would cause everyone to be suspicious of me," the middle-aged man said as he became nervous. His face was pale, and he could not afford to have something like the disaster attributed to him. Jared nced at him coldly and thought, ''He really is a wimp. All I did was scare him a little and he¡¯s already petrified. What a chicken. Jared''s tactic worked, as he wanted the board of directors to make fools out of themselves. Once they had kept mum, Jared continued, "The investments I have made over the years are obvious to everyone. Of all the projects we''ve been involved in, which one isn''t lining your pockets with revenue?" I didn''t see you guysing here to thank me when I paid you all the dividends, but now that something as trivial as this had urred, you showed up here with your knickers in knots. It would be a joke if people knew about this.¡± "Anyway, you''re all veterans here," Jared continued. "So tell me, why are you uncertain about this matter?¡± "Anyway, I have other things to take care of, so I won''t be arranging dinner for any of US." Jared said, his words causing everyone present in the room to flush as they got up to bid him goodbye. ¡®Wait a minute." Jared suddenly called out to stop the middle-aged man who had questioned him earlier. The middle-aged man suddenly shivered, looked at Jared with his head lowered, and forced a smile. Jared could not help but look upon the gesture in disgust, as it looked uglier than an ugly cry. ¡®Next time round, if you hear any gossip, don''t be in such a hurry to jump to conclusions. At least take the time to understand what the issue is, and let your brain process the situation before you spew your take, do you understand?" Jared reprimanded in a cold and harsh tone of voice. The man was so frightened that ayer of cold sweat broke out on his forehead at once, causing him to nod and bow in a gesture of apology. "I''m sorry Mr. Johnston. It was because I was confused and wasn''t able to think clearly. I won''t dare to do so again next time. No. Actually, there won''t even be a next time." "Very well." Jared said, not listening to the words that the man had spluttered out. "Okay." The middle-aged man hurriedly left the conference room, not daring to even turn his head around. Chapter 1241 Chapter 1241 "These people must be bored out of their minds. They even came to thepany,¡± Jared murmured, feeling displeased. "Mr. Johnston, do you want to find something for them to do?" Max asked from the side. "Only those who did not make a ruckus." "Understood." Jared got up and walked toward the office. Just as he sat on the chair to rest for a while, he heard a knock on the door. "Come in." He really could not get himself a break. Fiore walked in with her heels clicking loudly against the floor. Jared nced over and couldn''t help sucking in a breath, ''How did shee here so quickly!¡¯ "Ms. Fisher, what brings you here?¡± Jared teased. Fiore understood the meaning of his words. She asked, "What do you mean, Mr. Johnston? What brought me here again? Do you not wee me?" "No way. My door is not for Ms. Fisher to causally enter whenever she wants,¡± Jared said with sarcastic remarks, but Fiore did not care about it. As long as she could see Jared, she would be happy. "Mr. Johnston, do you notice anything different about me today?¡± Fiore twirled in front of Jared, looking at him with big watery eyes. Jared did not understand, so he looked at her for a long time. However, he did not notice any difference. In fact, he did not care about her appearance at all. "What''s different?" Jared asked. Fiore''s face immediately fell. "You are half-hearted, aren''t you? You didn''t take a good look at it. N?velDrama.Org holds this content. "I''m wearing a newly bought skirt today.¡± She looked at him with a smile on her face. Jared was speechless for a moment and thought, ¡®What''s there to be happy about in a dress? It''s such a fuss. If it''s not for a project I''m cooperating with her, I won''t even bother with her at all.¡¯ Jared did not show any indifference on his face but looked at her with slightly praised eyes. "Very beautiful.¡± Fiore''s face blossomed with joy when she heard Jared''s praise. ¡°I knew it. You would think it looks great too." "Please have a seat." Jared motioned for her to sit down. Fiore sat opposite Jared and looked at him affectionately. "Are you working?¡± ¡®Well, what seems to be the matter, Ms. Fisher?" Jared wanted to solve all her problems as soon as possible so she could leave. "Why can I onlye if I have something to do? Isn''t your door open for me at anytime?¡¯ Fiore suddenly scolded him. Jared was speechless. He could barely give a polite smile. When Fiore noticed that Jared did not speak, she knew her sudden visit had disturbed his work. "I won''t disturb your work. I''ll wait for you on the sofa,¡± she said with a smile. "Ms. Fisher, don''t you have a project to work on?¡± Jared wanted to remind her. "There''s Castor on the project site, so don''t worry.¡± Fiore had handed the matter over to Castor and then hurriedly went to find Jared. Chapter 1242 Chapter 1242 "What? You put Castor in charge of it?" Jared looked at Fiore in disbelief. "Ms. Fisher, Castor has no practical experience. What if something goes wrong without your supervision?" Jared reminded her worriedly. "Rx, don''t worry. My assistant is there to assist him. Nothing bad will happen. Even if something happens, my assistant will call.¡¯ Fiore looked very calm. Content ? N?velDrama.Org. "Mr. Johnston, do you have coffee?¡± ¡®She wants me to brew coffee for her. Jared really wanted nothing to do with her. ¡®Why did Henry have to sign a contract with her back then?¡¯ He picked up his phone and said, "Make a cup of coffee for Ms. Fisher¡¯ "Ms. Fisher, I''m quite busy today. You''re wasting time waiting for me here. Why don''t I arrange some entertainment for you?" Jared just wanted her to leave his office as soon as possible, even if it costed him a little money. "Without you, there is no entertainment at all." No matter what Jared said, Fiore was determined not to leave. "Alright." Jared had no choice but to tear himself apart because of such a trivial matter. Instead of looking at her, Jared started to deal with the workload in his hand. He had already lost ten minutes talking to her just now. He could not waste too much him on her. His assistant knocked on the door and walked in with two cups of coffee.¡¯ Ms. Fisher, your coffee." Then another onto Jared''s table. He gave her a wink, the assistant understood and left. Jared continued to work while Fiore was sipping coffee on the sofa while looking at Jared as if she was his girlfriend waiting for him to get off work. "Mr. Johnston, your officecks a bit of vitality. I''ll send some flowers to decorate itter." Jared did not hear what she said at all, and then hummed. On the side, Nicole had arrived at the sea view vi and had been chatting with Mrs. Wace Sr. for a long while. "Nicole, when will youe back from this trip?¡± Mrs. Wace Sr. looked at Nicole with reluctance in her eyes. "Grandma, I should be back soon this time.¡¯ Nicole was unsure herself but saying this would reassure her to make her feel at ease. ¡°Alright. Tell me in advance before youe back. I''ll cook some delicious food for you." Mrs. Wace Sr. looked at Nicole with a kind smile. Nicole stepped forward and hugged her for a while, then let go, "Grandma, I''m leaving.¡± Nicole got up and walked outside. When she came to the door, Nicole told Tia, "Don''t ever leave grandma unattended. Keep up the good work.¡± "No worries. Mrs. Wace Sr. is just like my own grandma. Don''t worry. The next time youe back, I promise to make her fatter,¡± Tia promised Nicole. "You also need to gain some weight." Nicole looked at Tia with a smile. ¡®I don''t need it. I still need to be pretty.¡± Tia smiled sweetly. "I''ll be off now.¡¯ "Remember to send US a message when you get there." "I will. Bye grandma." After speaking, Nicole drives away from the sea view vi. She nced at her watch, noticing some time left, and drove to Jared''s office. After the assistant walked out of Jared''s office, she quickly called Castor. Fiore was still leisurely admiring the scenery in Jared''s office. When a call came in, she walked over to pick it up, and it was Castor''s voice that came from the other end. Chapter 1243 Chapter 1243 "Ms. Fiore, there''s something I need you to go through personally. Can youe over now?" "What''s the matter? Is my assistant around?¡¯ asked Fiore. "There were some other matters to deal with, so he left for a while. If you''re noting, we most probably have to dy the progress.¡± Castor exined. Fiore replied with slight annoyance, "All of you are a useless bunch. Give me some time, I''m going over now.¡± As soon as she hung up, Fiore walked to Jared''s desk and looked at him, "Mr. Jared, I''ll have to attend to some matters about the project for a while. I''lle overter." "Go on. I won''t be sending you off then." Once Jared heard that she was leaving, he was inexplicably delighted. "Are you that eager for me to leave?" Fiore bent forward and stared at Jared. Jared immediately leaned back, "It''s just that your work there is much more important. You''re overthinking it." "Okay, I''m leaving now.¡± Then, Fiore walked out. Watching Fiore leave, Jared felt relieved. Tve finally sent her away.¡¯ Fiore stood in the elevator lobby while waiting for the elevator toe up. Once a ¡®ding¡¯ sounded, the doors opened and revealed Nicole was in the elevator. The both of them stared at each other concernedly. The moment their gazes met, a silentpetition grew between them. Nicole slowly stepped out of the elevator and passed by Fiore. After Fiore had already entered the elevator, her eyes were still nailed to Nicole''s back up to the moment when the doors closed. "When did she return?" Fiore was having a moment of shock in the elevator. Nicole walked to Jared''s office. When Jared''s assistant noticed her approaching, he covered his mouth in surprise. He wanted to dial Jared and inform him, but it was toote. Nicole was already about to push the office door open. Content ? N?velDrama.Org. Jared assumed that Fiore hade back again. So, he looked up and was about to question her. But unexpectedly, he met Nicole''s eyes. "Why are you here?" Jared froze as a slight sense of guilt rose in him. But in a split second, his face broke into a surprised look. Yet, Nicole still caught him. She teased him, "Why? Are you upset that I''m not the one you were expecting?" "What are you talking about?¡± Jared pretended he did not understand Nicole¡¯s words. "Stop acting. I''ve already bumped into her just now.¡± Nicole did not have much time, so she spoke straightforwardly. Hearing this, Jared immediatelyughed, "You meant Ms. Fiore?" He purposely referred to her with a professional title and not her full name. "Was there someone else here other than her?" Nicole sat right in front of him and looked at him sternly. She was waiting for him to exin himself. "The both of you talked?" Jared asked carefully. "No." Nicole looked back at him calmly. Jared immediately sighed out of relief. ¡®As long as Fiore kept her mouth shut and did not spit nonsense, it would be easier for me to exin.¡¯ "So, the thing is, Henry signed a project with Ms. Fiore previously. Now that Henry isn''t around, I..." As Jared was exining, Nicole suddenly interrupted him. ¡®I don''t have much time today to listen to the whole story. Just tell me what she is here for today." A strong aura of pressure from Nicole was ced on Jared. "She came today just to discuss the project.¡¯ Jared spitted out a lie brazenly. Nicole snorted, "This is my first time seeing someone wear a floral dress to discuss a project." Chapter 1244 Chapter 1244 Nicole''s words hit Jared hard like a p that he had nothing to refute. ¡®That is her personal matter. I have nothing to say.¡± Jared was still stubborn. Nicole could see through him. ''He doesn''t want to tell me the truth? That''s fine. I''m not that interested in it anyways!¡¯ "You should pay more attention to Martin''s matters. He needs your help." Nicole looked at Jared solemnly. Then, she stood up and walked out. ¡®Nicole, where are you going?" Jared immediately asked her. Nicole did not reply to his question and walked straight out of the office. From the window, Jared watched Nicole drive off in that Lamborghini. He quickly picked up his phone and called her. But even after a few calls, no one picked up the phone. Jared knew that Nicole was angry at him, so she would not take her calls. He stopped bothering her and thought of exining everything to her clearly when he met her at night. Then, he returned to his desk and continued working. Time flew by quickly alongside Jared''s pen, which was gliding away. When he looked up, it was already afternoon. So, he put down his pen and stood up to stretch. Then, he took his jacket and walked out. As he reached his assistant''s desk, he stopped for a moment." If Ms. Fiore is here to see me, tell her I''m on a business trip." "Noted." Jared drove and headed to the sea-view vi. He knew that Nicole must have gone there, so he did not return to his own ce. Little did he know, Nicole was already on the ne and resting. Although her eyes were closed, the image of Fiore at the elevator kept popping up in her head. Nicole casually sat up, simply picked up a magazine, and flipped through it. She wanted to ignore Fiore. But no matter what she was looking at, she could not forget Fiore''s provocative look at the elevator lobby. In the end, she managed to forget it by watching aedy reality show. Jared''s car slowly entered the sea-view vi''s porch. Right at that moment, Tia turned around and saw the carthat drove in. "Whose car is it?¡± Tia murmured and walked out. She only recognized that it was Jared''s car when she reached the porch. "Mr. Johnston, why did youe?" Tia walked over to him. "I''m here to visit grandma.¡± Jared did not explicitly mention that he was there to find Nicole. As he was worried that Nicole would speak harshly to him, Jared used Mrs. Wace Sr. as a shield. "Oh,e on in then." Seeing that Jared was here to visit Mrs. Wace Sr., Tia did not say much and quickly let him into the living room. Jared looked around and noticed that Nicole was not around. He was sure that Nicole hid in her room and sulked. He went to the sofa, sat down, and greeted Mrs. Wace Sr. warmly,¡± Grandma, I''m here to visit you."N?velDrama.Org holds this content. "You''re quite a busy man. There''s no need to visit me daily." If Mrs. Wace Sr. had remembered correctly, Jared had juste over a day ago. "Mdy, Mr. Johnston is showing extra care for you.¡± Tia chimed in. "Mr. Johnston, have some fruits." "Thanks." After being silent for quite some time, Jared carefully asked, "Tia, how was Nicole when she came back?" Tia frowned and looked at Jared questionably. She thought that Jared was asking about the other day when Nicole had just returned home. She tried to recall the scene from that day, "I think she looked pretty happy.¡± When Jared heard that, he was stunned, "Happy? Why would she be happy?" "Yeah, Nicole was very happy. She even chatted a lot with US." Tia replied based on her memory. Jared was dumbfounded upon hearing Tia¡¯s response. ''Why did Nicole talk about Fiore to the family too? This is too embarrassing for me.¡¯ "Tia, are you sure that Nicole looked happy on her face? Could you have read it wrongly?" Jared looked at Tia in disbelief. Chapter 1245 Chapter 1245 "Read it wrongly? Did I read it wrong?" Tia lowered her head and tried to recall. "That''s not right. I remember Nicole was happy when she came back.¡± Tia took some time to think and replied to Jared confidently. Jared was confused by Tia''s response. ''No matter what, Nicole would not return happily. Unless...she lifted her finger on Fiore? This seems like the only possibility.¡¯ At that thought, Jared could not help but sigh. ''l guess things have gone too far this time around. I should''ve just exined everything clearly to her earlier at the office.¡¯ Then, he decided to head upstairs and clear things up with Nicole. Jared stood up and was about to walk to the stairs. Tia assumed he was about to leave, so she said, "Mr. Johnston, you''ve just arrived, and you''re leaving already?" "No, I''m going upstairs to see Nicole.¡± After Jared had finished speaking, he wanted to head upstairs. "Upstairs? Mr. Johnston, don''t you know that Nicole had already left?¡± Tia replied while looking at Jared confusedly. "She left? Where to?'' Jared asked Tia as he was clueless. "Overseas? Didn''t...she tell you?" Tia looked at Jared''s surprised expression and wondered if she had identally said something she should not have said again. "Which flight?¡± Jared asked Tia. "I think it was the morning flight. She did not tell me about the exact time." Jared recalled everything. ¡®Could she have left for the airport immediately from my office? ¡®No wonder she asked me to help Martin. So, that was the case.¡¯ "Did she instruct you to do anything before she left?" asked Jared. "Other than asking me to take good care of Mrs. Wace Sr., there''s nothing else.¡± ¡®Nicole must be very angry at me this time. Otherwise, why would she not tell me about her leaving?¡¯ Jared thought. "I have some things to take care of. I''ll make a move.¡± After Jared hurriedly bid goodbye to Mrs. Wace Sr., he drove off at high Speed. Jared took a nce at the time while he was in the car. ¡®If she took the morning flight, she would still be on the flight. I''ll wait till tonight and call her.¡¯ Just as he was about to return to the office, Jared suddenly remembered about Fiore. So, he called his assistant, "Did Fioree by the office this afternoon?¡± "Yes, she did. I told her that you weren''t around, but she did not believe in me and insisted on waiting for you in your office.¡± "Then just let her wait." Jared hung up the phone as he finished speaking. ¡®This is all Fiore''s fault. Why did she choose to wear a floral dress to my office? On top of that, she bumped into Nicole! She really did me no good. ¡®What should I do now to make Nicole happy?¡¯ Unknowingly, Jared had already reached the entrance of Martin''s factory. He nced at the ce. ¡®Since Nicole had already requested me to do it, I should just give it a try.¡¯ To speed up the rebuilding process and continue production, Max and us were all busy helping on the site. Just as Jared entered the factory, Max happened to notice him. So, Max quickly ran over to him, "Sir, you''re here." "How is the rebuilding work progressing?" Jared asked as he stared at the factory which was being worked on. "Everything Is on track. If everything goes well, the new facilities wille in starting next week," reported Max. "Okay. Let''s try to focus on the production and gain back all the time we lost." "Noted." "Where''s Martin?¡± asked Jared as he looked around and did not see Martin around. "Mr. Martin is in the meeting room. He and us are investigating the cause of the fire." Content ? N?velDrama.Org. "Alright, you should get back to your work." Jared walked toward the meeting room. Chapter 1246 Chapter 1246 In the meeting room, Martin and us were checking the recording taken during the investigation. Jared''s footsteps were approaching the meeting room. Then, us was the first to notice Jared''s shadow. So, he politely walked over and opened the door, "Mr. Jared." "Yeah." Hearing some noise, Martin looked at the door and found that Jared had arrived. Martin stood up and looked at Jared, ¡°Mr. Jared, you''re here." "Did you manage to find any leads?" Jared walked to Martin''s side. "Currently, we''ve filtered out two possible suspects. We''re still going through the rest.¡± Martin gave his seat to Jared and exined their progress. ¡®The two which you filtered out are new employees who had just joined?" Jared looked at the video and questioned. "One of them is a new employee; the other is a senior." Martin looked at Jared. "There''s only one new employee that is suspicious?¡± asked Jared. "Yes. Everyone else seems normal." "us, go and interrogate these two people,¡± ordered Jared as he stared at the recording. ¡°Noted,¡± replied us, and he immediately went out to work on it. Content ? N?velDrama.Org. "Have a seat. How many recordings are there left?" Jared questioned Martin. Martin moved the mouse, "Those that are not done yet are all here.¡± "y them. I''ll watch it with you." Jared signaled Martin to y the video. Martin nced at Jared and was confused by Jared''s actions. Then, Martin asked, Mr. Jared, aren''t you busy?¡± Martin was afraid that he was interrupting Jared''s work with this. After all, a job as minute as watching videos could be managed by Martin alone. "It just so happens that I¡¯m quite free today. So, I came here to have a look. Come on, y the video.¡± Jared urged him again. It was only then Martin yed the video without hesitation. The both of them began to watch the video attentively. After an hour had passed, us returned to the meeting room. He walked to Jared''s side and reported, "Mr. Jared, those two suspects are cleared.¡± Jared remained silent after he heard us. So, Martin asked, "That''s impossible. How could they be clear of any wrongs?" I''m sure I saw them looking guilty in the recording.¡¯ "Mr. Martin, after the interrogation, I realized that the newbie was just scared and worried about bearing responsibility. That senior has stolen things from the factory before, and that was why he was guilty.¡± us exined to Martin. Martin was furious when he heard that. He had never treated any of his employees badly, yet they dared to steal. "These traitors! Fire them immediately!" "Noted. I''ll ask Charles to take care of it.¡± us turned around after he had finished speaking. "Martin, don''t get so worked up. Who knows the culprit is in one of the clips behind here. Let''s continue watching." Jared persuaded him. Then only did Martin sit down calmly and continue watching the recording. Both of them watched for quite a while when Jared suddenly shouted,¡± Rewind a little." Martin rewound to a minute before and continued ying. Jared observed and analyzed a man in the clip carefully. That man did not look guilty at all. "Mr. Jared, I don''t think this person is suspicious, right?" Martin stared at the man in the video and asked. "Take a closer look," reminded Jared. Martin went closer, and his eyes suddenly brightened, "His hands were under the table, and he kept rubbing it.¡± "That''s right. Perhaps this man is suspicious." Jared exined. Chapter 1247 Chapter 1247 "We''re not in a rush. Let''s finish watching all of it." Jared was calm and asked Martin to continue ying all the unwatched recordings. "We''ve finished all of it?" asked Jared. "Yes, there''s none left." "Other than that person''s sneaky behavior, the rest only looked nervous. You can go and interrogate that person now." Jared showed his approval to Martin. "Okay, I''ll work on it now," Martin replied as he stood up. Try and control your emotions," reminded Jared. "Noted." Martin looked at Jared and walked out. At that moment, us walked into the room too. Jared looked at us, ¡¯ You should join Martin in the interrogation. If his questions aren''t effective, be there to remind him about it. Also, broadcast it live for me to watch.¡± "Noted." After us had left, Jared leaned back on the chair and closed his eyes for a while to rest. After a while, us sent a video, and Jared picked up his phone to watch. Throughout the whole interrogation process, Jared observed that man. "Mr. Jared, we''ve managed to get the answer.¡± Martin and us pushed the meeting room door. Content ? N?velDrama.Org. "I saw it already.¡± "What''s next?" Martin looked at Jared as he had no experience with such situations. "Although he admitted that it was his doing, he was paid by someone to do it. He had never seen the person, and he couldn''t even tell US if that person was a man or ady. This would be challenging.¡± Jared spoke in a deep voice. "Sigh. We went through so much to find the person who started the fire, and now there¡¯s an instigator. This is so frustrating." Martin sat down and ranted his heart out. "Since we''ve found out about the criminal, we can''t let him continue working here. "us, send some people to keep an eye on him. Try and find out if he would meet anyone. If there is, that person might just be the one behind this whole incident," Jared looked at us coldly and ordered. "Noted. I''ll arrange them now." "Then what should I do?" Martin asked Jared. "You still have to supervise the rebuilding works here. Other than that, you should find a few more trustable people to strengthen our security and avoid another round of idents," Jared advised Martin. "Okay, I''ll go and work on it immediately." "Alright." "Mr. Jared, if you''re free tonight, I''d like to invite you for dinner." Martin wanted to thank him. "Let''s focus on our duties for now. Once this whole ident is resolved, we''ll find time for a good meal." Jared went down as soon as he finished speaking. "I''ll send you off." After Martin had sent Jared off, he immediately arranged his men as instructed by Jared.¡± Jared drove out of the factory and left on his own. Whenever Nicole was not around, Jared had no clue where to go. Just as he saw Blue Whale Restaurant, Jared stopped his car and stared at it. ¡®That''s Nicole''s favorite restaurant.¡¯ He parked his car right in front of the entrance of Blue Whale Restaurant. Then, Jared got down from the car and entered. "Mr. Jared, do you have a reservation for tonight?" The manager noticed Jared walking in and immediately came forward to wee him warmly. "I don''t have any reservations. I''d like to have the original ce and a meal for one.¡± "Alright. I''ll arrange for you immediately." The manager led Jared to his seat and poured a ss of water for him before quickly walking to the kitchen. Jared sat on the chair and looked at the empty seat in front of him. Instantly, he felt empty inside. ''Why didn''t I tell her the whole truth? She''s not an unreasonable person. I''m sure she would''ve understood me. ¡®Well, look at me now. I''ve angered her so deeply that she did not bother to tell me that she was leaving. I really dug my own grave this time around.¡¯ Jared sighed andughed at himself. Then, he held up the ss and took a sip of water. Chapter 1248 Chapter 1248 Jared flipped through his phone and looked for Nicole¡¯s contact on his messenger. When he tapped into her profile, he noticed that she had blocked him. He could not see her status. Jared was unnerved immediately. He counted the time quickly and thought, ¡®She must havended already.¡¯ He tried to video call Nicole. But after ringing for some time and no one picked up the call, it automatically hung up. Jared was starting to feel unhappy. So, he dialed Nicole¡¯s number once more. After waiting for a short while, Nicole finally answered the phone. "What''s the matter?¡± Nicole asked coldly. Jared could sense from her tone that Nicole was still angry. Facing that, Jared was at a loss for words instantly, so he kept quiet for a moment. Once Nicole noticed that he was not replying, she got angrier and said in an unhappy tone," I''m hanging up if you''re not going to say anything.¡± "Wait." Jared stopped Nicole as soon as he heard that she was about to hang up. How could he be willing to let her hang up, especially when it was so hard to reach her by phone? N?velDrama.Org holds this content. "H-have you eaten?" Jared hesitated for a moment and spit out a question. "You made an international call just to ask this?¡± Nicole mockingly replied with another question. "No, have younded safely?" It seemed like Jared''s brain had frozen. The moment he asked the question, he was disappointed in himself. ¡®Why would I ask such a stupid question? 1 Nicolepletely lost her patience, so she replied angrily, ¡°If there''s nothing else, I''m hanging up.¡± As soon as she finished speaking, she immediately hung up. "Hey!" Jared put down the phone when he heard the beeping sound. He rubbed his forehead and was disappointed in himself. ¡®Why can¡¯t I speak clearly when I''m facing Nicole directly? I was still nning to exin everything, and now I''ve failed all my ns.¡¯ Jared drank a big gulp of water out of frustration. When the manager was carrying the food and approaching Jared, he happened to see Jared gulping down the ss of water. That made him nervous as he thought that his service was too slow, and it made Jared hungry. Therefore, the manager walked up to Jared faster and politely served the food in front of Jared. "Mr. Jared, enjoy your meal." The manager quickly walked away after he finished serving. He was worried that Jared would scold him if he stayed. However, Jared did not notice the manager''s weird actions at all. His head was filled with Nicole, and he kept thinking about the wrong things he had said to her. He instinctively picked up the knife and fork to cut the steak. Then, he popped a piece of meat into his mouth and began chewing. Amidst his thoughts, he did not bother to think about the taste of the food. Unknowingly, Jared had finished eating up all the food on the table. He only came back to his senses when he held the ss. Jared looked at those tes shockingly. ''Did I really finish all these foods on my own? I did not realize it at all. ¡®Forget it. It doesn¡¯t matter.1 He did not leave the ce immediately. Instead, he chose to stay there and sit a little longer. After all, he would be alone in the house. It would not be any different. "The night view here is quite pretty.¡± Jared looked out of the window and sighed. When he used to visit the restaurant with Nicole, all his attention was ced on Nicole alone. This night was the day when he realized how beautiful the night view was. Jared unexpectedly took out his phone and took a picture of the view from his seat. Then, he posted it on his social media without any caption. That would make people think and interpret the picture on their own. Nicole, on the other hand, was full from her meal. When she was leaning on the chair while resting, she swiped through her social media. It so happened that she saw the photo which Jared had posted. ¡®I see, so he was at that restaurant," Nicole mumbled unconsciously. "What did you say?" Harvey asked again, as he did not hear Nicole¡¯s words clearly. "What? Nothing." Nicole quickly swiped it away. She forgot that Harvey was eating beside her. Harvey could sense that Nicole was not acting naturally. He peeped over Nicole''s phone to see what she was up to. Nicole quickly closed her phone screen and looked at Harvey coldly, "What are you looking at? Finish your food quickly.¡± Chapter 1249 Chapter 1249 Then Nicole hmphed. Deep down, she was thinking about what had happened earlier at Jared¡¯s office and how he was lying to her. It hurt her to think about it. He began lying and could even do it brazenly right in front of her. It really made her feel disappointed. As she was thinking, she could not help but stare nkly. ¡°Hey! Why are you in a daze?¡± Harvey caught Nicole staring nkly after he had finished his food. So, he waved his hands right in front of her eyes. ¡°What? Have you finished eating?¡± Nicole pped his hands and rolled her eyes at him. ¡°Yeah. What were you thinking about? Your eyes were still.¡± Harvey asked out of curiosity. ¡°Nothing much. Let¡¯s get back to work.¡± Nicole got up and walked to her office. Harvey and Kelly followed behind her. ¡°Did you notice that Nicole has been acting weirdly since she returned?¡± Harvey whispered to Kelly. ¡°A little, I guess. She seems very distracted,¡± Kelly tried to recall and replied to him. ¡°Yeah, she is very distracted.¡± Harvey looked as if he knew everything. ¡°Could it be that something big happened back at home?¡± Kelly guessed. Upon hearing Kelly¡¯s assumption, Harvey frowned and appeared to be worried. ¡°That could be possible, otherwise, she would not be this distracted.¡±N?velDrama.Org holds this content. Harvey knew Nicole well to a certain level. If it were not something important, Nicole would not have been bothered about it, let alone distracted by it. ¡®I¡¯m sure I can find it out once I ask around.¡± Harvey and Kelly were whispering behind Nicole. When they looked up, their eyes met with Nicole¡¯s, which were staring at them. ¡®Why did you look back?¡± The both of them were scared by Nicole, and they gasped at the same time. ¡®What are you guys whispering about?¡¯ Nicole looked at them with a sharp gaze. ¡®Nothing, we were just discussing what we should have for dinner.¡± Harvey could only cover things up with a minute matter. ¡°You¡¯ve just finished lunch, and you¡¯re already thinking about dinner. Could you use your brain juice on more important things instead?¡± Nicole rolled her eyes at Harvey and scolded him. ¡°Okay.¡± Harvey only gave a short reply in a soft voice. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± As soon as Nicole finished speaking, she turned around and continued walking forward. ¡°Did you see that? She was letting out her anger on US, so she must be frustrated.¡± Harvey was analyzing it for Kelly. Kelly nodded in agreement, ¡°It¡¯s better for US not to anger her again. Let¡¯s not be a nuisance to her.¡± ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s go.¡± Harvey and Kelly hurried to catch up with Nicole¡¯s footsteps. Nicole could tell that they were already following her, so she did not turn back again and continued walking straight to her office. Once Nicole pushed the office door open, she turned to the engineer who was working and asked, ¡°How are things now? Are there anytest updates?¡± ¡°No. This craft is too challenging. Without you, we can¡¯t progress at all.¡± Nicole smiled and encouraged him, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m back now. Let¡¯s work hard together.¡± Then, Nicole walked over and began to focus on her work. In the blink of an eye, it was already Friday. To avoid Fiore, Jared had to leave work two hours earlier for the past few days. So, he was forced to bring his documents back to the vi and continued working untilte at night. Chapter 1250 Chapter 1250 The next day would be his off day. Jared did not want to bring those documents home that day. He looked at the time and realized that there was one hour left before noon. ¡®I must work harder. That way, I only need one and a half hours in the afternoon to finish everything. Then, I can leave earlier than usual.¡¯ He drank some water, picked up his pen, and continued working. Suddenly, there were some noises coming from outside. Jared listened closely, and his eyes widened in shock, ¡°Fiore! ¡®Why did she choose toe in the morning today?¡± Jared looked around and thought of hiding. He tried to calm down. ¡®This is my office. Why should I hide?¡¯ But as soon as he recalled how persistent Fiore was, he knew that she would bug him again. Thest time when he did not hide, she ended up dragging him to a meaningless dinner in the name of work. It was a total waste of his time. Hearing her approaching, Jared immediately hid inside the back room of his office. With a bang, the office door was pushed open by Fiore. The assistant looked toward Jared¡¯s desk helplessly. But she did not find him there, so she could not contain her shock. ¡®When I came in earlier to serve him water, he was still working there. I did not see him walking out as well. Where is he?¡¯ Fiore seemed shocked and scanned every corner of the office. Tve alreadye earlier today, and yet I don¡¯t see Jared. Could his assistant be telling the truth? That he¡¯s out of town?¡¯ Fiore nced at the assistant behind her angrily. Then, she walked in to search for Jared as she was not satisfied. She believed that Jared must be in the office. But even after searching through the room, she could not find him. Fiore came to his desk and let out a long sigh. Why is Jared away for so long? Even his assistant doesn¡¯t know where he went. That¡¯s too odd.¡¯ All of a sudden, Fiore¡¯s gazended on an uncovered pen on the table.¡¯ ording to Jared¡¯s habit, he would definitely cover the pen before leaving. But this pen was simply left on the table uncovered. It seems like Jared did not leave, or he left the office in a hurry without covering it up.¡¯ At that thought, a mischievous smile formed on Fiore¡¯s face. ¡®Since he wants to y, I¡¯ll y along with him.¡¯ Content ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡®He really isn¡¯t here. I guess I saw wrongly.¡± Fiore purposely made up an excuse for herself. The assistant hurried in front and said, ¡°You must have seen the wrong person. Mr. Jared has been away for days. No one else had entered this room except for me. I was here to get some documents.¡± ¡®If that¡¯s the case, I¡¯ll leave for now. Once Jared is back, make sure to inform me first thing, alright?¡± Fiore purposely said it in a louder voice in hopes that Jared heard her. She turned around and left the office. Seeing that Fiore had left, the assistant quickly closed the office door and sent her off to the elevator lobby personally. She made sure to see her walk into the elevator, and the door closed before walking back to the office. When she pushed the door open, Jared had already returned to his seat and continued working. ¡°Sir, just now¡­¡± The assistant looked at Jared confusedly. ¡°Has she left?¡± asked Jared. ¡°Yes. I personally see her off just now.¡± ¡°Okay, you may get back to work.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± The assistant went out and closed the office door. Jared let out a sigh of relief. He was awfully close to being caught by Fiore. Good thing he was fast enough, otherwise it would be embarrassing. He picked up the pen and continued working. Little did he know that the pen he was holding was the thing that exposed him. Chapter 1251 Chapter 1251 When Fiore walked out of Johnston Group, she did not leave the ce immediately. Instead, she went to the coffee ce opposite and ordered a cup of coffee to chill. She was waiting for Jared toe out and walk into her trap. In the afternoon, Jared continued working after lunch. He did not rest at all. Fiore wasfortably having her tea time at the coffee ce. She did not expect Jared to stay in there even during lunch break. The customers in the coffee ce had shifted from group to group. Fiore was the only one who continued sitting with her dessert and coffee. Fiore looked at the time, and it was already two in the afternoon. She was starting to be impatient. ¡®Did I overthink it? Is Jared really out of town?¡¯ Fiore held her bag, walked out of the coffee ce, and walked to her car. At the same time, Jared had just finished working on thest document. He covered the pen, wore his coat, and walked out of the office. He was worried that if he dyed for even a minute, he would bump into Fiore at the office and be stalled by her again. So, he hurried to the parking lot. Fiore got into her car and took out her phone to search for Jared¡¯s contact. She hesitated for a moment. Then she pressed the dial button. Jared had just reached the parking lot when his phone suddenly rang. He took out his phone to check. ¡®It¡¯s Fiore. Why is she calling again?¡¯ He slipped his phone back into his pocket as he had no intention of answering the call. Then, he quickly walked to his car. Fiore was holding her phone while waiting for Jared¡¯s voice toe through. All of a sudden, a familiar figure shed across her eyes. She immediately looked over, ¡®Isn¡¯t that Jared?¡¯ She decisively got down from the car and walked toward that person. She heard the ringtone too. So, she quickened her steps and watched that person get into the car. It so happened that it was Jared¡¯s car too. ¡®I knew it. He was around this whole time.¡¯ After Jared entered the car, the phone stopped ringing. He started his car engine and was ready to leave. When he reversed his car and was about to drive forward, a figure suddenly appeared right in front of his car standing. Jared immediately stepped on the brake. ¡®Why did this person suddenly appear?¡¯ After taking a closer look, Jared gasped. ¡®Isn¡¯t that Fiore? Didn¡¯t she leave already? What is she doing here?¡¯ At that moment, Jared¡¯s mind was filled with questions. Fiore slowly walked toward the passenger seat. ¡®It really is Jared.¡¯ Then, she pulled the car door open and sat in the car. ¡°Mr. Jared, what are you doing here? Aren¡¯t you out of town?¡± Fiore smirked and looked at Jared. ¡®Gotcha! Thanks to that uncovered pen and me for not driving off earlier. Otherwise, I would¡¯ve missed you.¡¯ Jared looked at Fiore politely, but deep down inside, he was wondering how he should answer her question. ¡°How did you know that I was out of town?¡¯ Jared did not reply to her but threw another question. ¡°Didn¡¯t your assistant tell you that I went to the office and looked for you?¡± Fiore did not answer his question too and replied with another question. Jared furrowed his eyebrows a little. Then, he turned to Fiore, looking like he had a sudden realization, ¡°I think she did mention roughly, but I was busy at that time, so I did not think much about it. After that, I forgot about it.¡± N?velDrama.Org holds this content. ¡°Such a bigpany, and yet you have to take care of everything on your own. You seem to have a hard time, Jared. Your employees are really useless.¡± Fiore did not expose him. The only thing that mattered to her was finding him. As for him lying, she felt that there was no need for him to admit it. It was not important. Chapter 1252 Chapter 1252 ¡°Ms. Fiore, is there anything you want to tell me?¡± Jared made a smart move by using his assistant as an excuse. It was only then that he managed to escape Fiore¡¯s question. ¡°Mr. Jared, I don¡¯t think this is a suitable ce to discuss things. Let¡¯s go to my clubhouse.¡± ¡°Your clubhouse is too far from here. Let¡¯s go to a nearby cafe. I know of a good cafe.¡± The nightmare Jared experienced at Fiore¡¯s clubhouse the previous time was still fresh in his mind. He did not want to step foot in that ce again. Furthermore, Castor would not be there with him. It would be a challenge for Jared to handle Fiore. ¡°I¡¯ve been sitting at the cafe the whole day. Why not let¡¯s go to a restaurant nearby?¡± Fiore had just come out from the cafe. Even her breath was filled with the smell of coffee. She could not drink any more coffee. ¡°That¡¯s fine.¡± As long as they were not going to her clubhouse and it was a ce with more people, Jared was fine with going anywhere. ¡°How about the Blue Whale Restaurant?¡± Fiore raised her eyebrows and asked Jared. Hearing the name ¡°Blue Whale Restaurant,¡± Jared nced at Fiore. ¡®She knows about this restaurant too. But that¡¯s nothing extraordinary since it¡¯s just a restaurant. It¡¯s normal for her to know about such a ce as someone who likes to hang out. There isn¡¯t a ce of which she doesn¡¯t know.¡¯ ¡°Ms. Fiore, do you frequent that restaurant?¡± Jared asked the question casually. ¡°No. I recently heard that the food there is pretty good. Since I have the chance to eat with you, I thought we could try it out.¡± Fiore smiled widely at Jared. After she bumped into Nicole in the elevator lobby thest time, Fiore did a background check on Nicole¡¯s recent movement. She found out that Nicole frequented the Blue Whale Restaurant with Jared. She took advantage of Nicole¡¯s absence and tried to rece her to dine at the restaurant with Jared. ¡°Alright.¡± Jared thought, ¡®So, she has no clue about the Blue Whale Restaurant. What is she actually nning to do this time around?¡¯ Jared started the car engine and drove out of the parking lot toward the Blue Whale Restaurant. In the car, Fiore would look at Jared from time to time. She did not know what to chat with him about. So, she decided to ask about the things he had done the past few days when he had been away. ¡°Mr. Jared, I haven¡¯t seen you for days. What have you been up to?¡± Fiore stared at his handsome face and asked. ¡°I¡¯ve been busy with the problematic projects which Henry left behind.¡± Jared did not try to hide. Instead, he simply replied in a sentence. After all, it was not something embarrassing for people to know of. At the mention of Henry, Fiore could not help but rant, ¡°Damn it, this Henry Johnston. He actually dared to run away after doing terrible things. Such a person deserves to die. ¡°Mr. Jared, it has been quite a while. Is there any news about Henry yet?¡± Fiore looked at Jared and asked. She had no purpose behind the question. It was just purely her curiosity. ¡°I heard that he¡¯s abroad. I¡¯m not sure about the specific ce.¡± Jared did not tell her the truth. To avoid anyone leaking the news, it would be best if people did not know about Henry¡¯s whereabouts. Otherwise, it would be detrimental to Jared¡¯s n. ¡°Henry really knows how to hide. I cant believe there isn¡¯t any news about him. Could something bad have happened to him?¡± Fiore suddenly covered her mouth and made a wild guess. ¡°I don¡¯t think so. Maybe he¡¯s just hiding in a hidden zone. So, it wouldn¡¯t be easy to find him, but that doesn¡¯t mean that he won¡¯t be found forever.¡± Jared looked in front firmly. ¡°Yeah, after some time has passed, he won¡¯t be able to hide anymore. I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll be exposed one day.¡± Fiore spoke in an angry tone. While the two were chatting in the car, Jared had already driven them to the entrance of the Blue Whale Restaurant. He parked his car and walked up while Fiore followed him. The manager noticed Jared and hurried over to wee him. ¡°Mr. Jared, do you want the usual spot?¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. Just give me a quiet spot.¡± Jared simply requested. Fiore observed the manager¡¯s look. She could tell that Jared frequented the ce and had a designated spot. However, Jared was not willing to bring her to that table, and she could not force him. Therefore, she could only follow Jared¡¯s arrangement.Owned by N?velDrama.Org. Chapter 1253 Chapter 1253 ¡°This way, please.¡± The manager got what Jared meant and guided him and Fiore to a rtively good spot at the restaurant. The manager was unsure why Jared did not sit at his usual spot, thus helping him to another seat instead. The scenery at the new seat was not as good as the ce Jared and Nicole often frequent at. ¡°Mr. Johnston, please take a look at our menu.¡± The manager handed the menu to him. ¡°Ladies first. Ms. Fisher, you can order first.¡± Jared signaled the manager to hand the menu to Fiore. The manager immediately handed the menu to Fiore and said respectfully, ¡°Ms. Fisher, please take a look at our menu.¡± ¡°Okay.¡¯ Fiore looked up at the manager, then took the menu and nced at Jared. ¡°Since you insisted, I¡¯ll order first.¡± Jared looked at her and nodded. Fiore opened the menu and scanned it while the manager waited for her to order. She flipped the menu to thest page but did not order. The manager watched Fiore fidgeting around, assuming she was conflicted about what to order, so he asked, ¡°Ms. Fisher, do you need me to have some rmendations for you?¡± ¡°Yeah. You can rmend to me what Mr. Johnston would usually order.¡± Fiore ced the menu down and looked at the manager. The manager¡¯s smiling expression froze for a moment, and he nced at Jared. Jared instantly knew what Fiore meant. He looked at the manager and said, ¡°It¡¯s normal for Ms. Fisher not to know what to order for the first time. Ordering the same dish as I am, is not wrong either. We¡¯ll take two, and also my wine.¡± The manager let out a huge sigh of relief when Jared understood the situation he was in and said, ¡®Yes. I will prepare it right away.¡± The manager was scolded by Jared before for not serving his meal in time. He now felt the need to perfect his service in catering Jared. He scurried to the back kitchen and gave out instructions to the chef. ¡°Mr. Johnston ordered two of the same dishes today. Prioritize their dish.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± This is Mr. Johnston¡¯s wine. Go and serve it.¡° The manager did not want things to be made difficult by Fiore, so he sent a server over. The waiter cautiously walked over to their table with the red wine in hand. Fiore noticed the manager was not attending to them. Instead, it was a waiter. A smile appeared on the corner of her mouth. ¡®It seems that the manager was intimidated by me. I probably must be the first person ever to want the same meal as Jared,¡¯ she thought. The manager had been keeping a close eye at Fiore¡¯s direction from the front desk. He was puzzled when he noticed that the waiter had returned without doing anything. The manager thought, ¡®She didn¡¯t make things difficult for him. Did I do something wrong, or have I analyzed the situation wrongly?¡¯ N?velDrama.Org holds this content. ¡°Ms. Fisher, what do you think of the ambiance here?¡± Jared chatted with her casually. ¡°The ambiance here is quite nice, but it doesn¡¯t seem like a great seat.¡± Fiore looked at Jared pointedly. Jared knew what she meant. However, he looked into her eyes and did not answer. Chapter 1254 Chapter 1254 Fiore noticed that Jared did not speak. She felt ufortable trying to keep the conversation going. ¡®I don¡¯t like going to ces where other people have been; she wondered if Jared had brought other people to the seats they were sitting at. ¡°Mr. Johnston, have you ever been to the office after returning from your business trip?¡± Fiore looked into his eyes and asked. Jared also looked into her eyes and said, ¡°No.¡± The corners of Fiore¡¯s lips curled slightly, and she continued, ¡°There are some things you may not have been aware of yet.¡± She looked at him pretending to be mysterious, which aroused his curiosity. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Jared was curious when he heard what she had said. Tve dedicated most of my time being at thepany. What else possible could I not be aware of?¡¯ Just as Fiore was about to speak, the server came over to serve them their meal. ¡°Mr. Johnston, your meal is served. Please enjoy.¡± The server then left respectfully. Jared raised his wine ss and looked at Fiore, ¡°Ms. Fisher, this is fine wine. Take a sip and try it.¡± She picked up her wine ss and slowly twirled it, then took a sip and praised, ¡°Mr. Johnston¡¯s favorite wine is really good. Can you give me a few bottles?¡± ¡°As long as you like it, I¡¯ll get someone to send you a boxter,¡± Jared said generously. Content ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Don¡¯t bother. It will be better if I go and retrieve the wine you have gifted me from you personally. Thank you, Mr. Johnston,¡± Fiore toasted to him with a smile in her eyes. ¡°What did you mention just earlier about the thing I didn¡¯t know about?¡± Jared continued to ask. Fiore ced down her wine ss and smiled slightly. Instead of telling him directly, she slowly picked up a knife and fork to cut her steak. ¡°Do you know that Ms. Riddle has left?¡± ¡®How did she know that Nicole had left? Was she following Nicole?¡¯ Jared looked at Fiore calmly while thinking. ¡°I know,¡± Jared said. Fiore was not surprised, knowing that Nicole could have said her goodbyes to him the same day. ¡°But there was someone who got onto the same flight as her. Did you know that?¡± Fiore looked into Jared¡¯s eyes carefully. His eyes shed with seriousness when he heard her words and asked, ¡°You mean someone is following her?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Fiore said calmly. ¡°Why are you telling me this?¡± Jared could not understand Fiore¡¯s intentions. ¡®She hated Nicole so much. If Nicole was murdered, she would be over the moon, so why is she telling me all this?¡¯ ¡°Although I don¡¯t like Nicole, and I don¡¯t want anything to happen to her since you like her so much. I don¡¯t want to see you being sad.¡± Fiore stabbed a piece of steak and chewed it in her mouth. Jared looked like he could not believe her words, so she added, ¡°You canpletely believe me on this matter. I could never lie to you.¡± Jared was still staring into her eyes, seeking confirmation for a long time while he cut a piece of steak. ¡°Of course, I believe Ms. Fisher¡¯s words. However, there are so many people in the same fight. Why do you think that the person is trailing Nicole?¡± ¡°My people are also trailing Nicole. They saw with their own eyes that the person followed from Martin¡¯s factory all the way to the airport and boarded the ne Nicole went on. Mr. Johnston, do you think this is all just a coincidence?¡¯ Fiore raised her eyebrow and looked at him. ¡°Forget it. You can be the judge of it yourself. I¡¯m just here to remind you that.¡± Fiore picked up her wine ss and took a sip. Jared stared at Fiore the entire time; he had already lost the appetite to eat his steak. He wrecked his brain, thinking about who it could be that was trying to get Nicole¡¯s attention. Chapter 1255 Chapter 1255 ¡°Mr. Johnston, what are you thinking about? Are you thinking of who it might be that is trailing Nicole?¡± Fiore asked while looking at Jared¡¯s dazed expression. ¡¯How did you know, Ms. Fisher?¡± Jared asked after being brought into reality by Fiore¡¯s question. ¡¯I don¡¯t but what I know is that Nicole had gone to Martin¡¯s factory recently. Do you think this might be rted to one another, Mr. Johnston?¡± Fiore did not know why but she felt like it was rted to one another. Jared heard Fiore¡¯s words and was brought into realization and said, ¡¯ Thank you Ms. Fisher for telling me this. Today¡¯s meal is on me. I have other things to do now, so I¡¯ll be off.¡± ¡°Mr. Johnston, I¡¯ll consider this as you owing me a favor?¡± Fiore did not stop him from leaving, instead looking at the direction Jared was in. Jared stopped in his tracks, and squinted at her and said, ¡°Okay.¡± He strode out of the Blue Whale Restaurant, into his car and drove away. Meanwhile, Fiore savored her food and wine which she did not get to finish thest time. She could not care less about whether Nicole was being followed or not. She only knew that Jared would be concerned about Nicole, and she would have the upper hand in this situation. ¡®I must be very smart, letting him know about Nicole being followed. Now, he owes me a favor. He would ask me for things and won¡¯t easily reject me anymore in the future,¡¯ she thought. Jared dialed Martin¡¯s number while driving, ¡°Are you at the factory?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡¯Okay, I¡¯ll be there.¡± After a simple exchange of words, Jared hung up the phone, stepped on the elerator, and drove toward the factory. When Jared arrived at Martin¡¯s factory, he did not bother to check the status of the rebuilding. He made a beeline to Martin. Content ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Mr. Johnston, why are you in such a hurry? We can talk in my office,¡¯ Martin said when he saw Jared¡¯s expression. ¡¯Okay.¡± ¡°What did you say? Someone from the factory had followed Nicole and boarded the same flight?¡¯ Martin¡¯s eyes widened in shock after hearing the news. ¡°Is this news urate?¡± ¡®It should be urate. I came here to ask you, have any of those you have fired met others?¡± Jared looked at Martin and asked. ¡°I haven¡¯t heard any news about them contacting the others yet,¡± Martin replied. Jared fell silent when he heard him. ¡°Have there been any suspicious situations here in the factory recently?¡± Jared suddenly asked again. ¡¯No. Nothing has happened here in the factory since that person was fired.¡± Martin shook his head. ¡®Could it be that the person¡¯s target has shifted to Nicole? It shouldn¡¯t be¡­ No matter from what perspective it is being analyzed, it is targeting Martin and the factory. It¡¯s impossible to have a reason to target Nicole,¡¯ Jared could not stop guessing in his mind mentally. ¡®Mr. Johnston, what¡¯s the situation there like now? Is Nicole safe?¡± Martin looked at Jared with concern for Nicole in his eyes. Jared had already called Nicole several times on his way to the factory but to no avail. He wanted to know what was going on with Nicole. ¡°I can¡¯t get in touch with her, and I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on with her,¡± Jared said with a hint of disappointment in his voice. ¡®Can¡¯t get in touch with her? How can this be?¡± Martin immediately became anxious when he heard it and thought, ¡®How can Jared not be able to get in touch with Nicole? Could it be something that had happened to her?¡¯ Chapter 1256 Chapter 1256 Jared could not tell Martin that Nicole was angry with him but watching Martin anxious made him even more anxious. ¡°Maybe you can contact her,¡± Jared said while looking at Martin. ¡°Me?¡± Martin looked at Jared in surprise, not understanding what he meant. ¡°Hurry up and try to call her,¡± Jared ordered a dazed Martin. ¡°Okay.¡± Martin quickly took out his phone and dialed Nicole¡¯s number. Both Jared and Martin listened intently to the call tone, and after a long while, the call was answered. N?velDrama.Org ? 2024. ¡°Martin, what are you calling me for?¡± Nicole¡¯s voice came from the phone. At that moment, the hearts of Jared and Martin felt lighter when they heard her voice. ¡°Nicole, are you okay?¡± Martin asked with concern in his voice. ¡°I¡¯m doing quite well. Did something happen at the factory?¡± Nicole asked. She felt a little weird hearing Martin¡¯s tone. The factory is fine. I haven¡¯t called you in such a long time, so I was just catching up,¡± Martin said quickly to cover it up. ¡°It hasn¡¯t been that long, has it? Wasn¡¯t I in the country just a few days ago?¡± Jared typed on the phone and showed it to Martin. ¡¯Yeah. Where are you now?¡± Martin asked ording to Jared¡¯s words. ¡°Where else can I be? I¡¯m working overtime at the R&D center.¡± Nicole was upset and had not gotten any sleep due to the chip¡¯s trouble. ¡°Is everything normal at the R&D center recently?¡± Martin continued to ask ording to Jared¡¯s questions. ¡°Everything¡¯s fine. What¡¯s wrong with you today? Why are you asking strange questions?¡± Nicole sensed that something was wrong with Martin and asked. ¡°I¡¯m fine. It¡¯s because of what happened in the factory recently, so I¡¯m a little bit worried about you.¡± Martin finished speaking and looked at Jared. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me. You better think of a way to rebuild the factory as soon as possible.¡¯ ¡°Is Jared helping out at the factory?¡± Nicole asked when she was suddenly reminded what she had entrusted Jared to do before she left. ¡°Yeah. Mr. Johnston has beening to the factory quite frequently recently. He also helped US find the person who started the fire.¡¯ Martin praised Jared in front of Nicole. ¡°I see he still has some conscience.¡± Nicole unconsciouslyined. Martin did not expect Nicole to say such words and looked at Jared suspiciously, where Jared dodged eye contact for a moment. ¡°Does the person have any aplices?¡± Nicole asked Martin. ¡°Not in the factory. I¡¯ve already fired him and sent people to watch over him.¡± Martin reported the progress to Nicole. ¡°Well, you did the right thing. It is impossible for a worker who has nothing against you to set fire and risk being imprisoned. There must be someone instructing him to do so.¡± Nicole¡¯s analysis became more certain. ¡°Mr. Johnston and I thought of the same thing too.¡± ¡°Is there any news about the McCarthy family?¡± Nicole asked. ¡°I haven¡¯t heard of anything as of the moment,¡± Martin replied. ¡°Why has it gotten so silent with no news¡­,¡± Nicole thought to herself. ¡°Do you want to tell her about someone following her?¡± Martin asked Jared in a small voice. ¡°Tell her so that she¡¯s aware and alert about it.¡± Chapter 1257 Chapter 1257 ¡°Who are you talking to?¡± Although Martin had lowered his voice, Nicole still heard some small voices. ¡°What, no. Nicole, I have something to tell you,¡± Martin suddenly said righteously. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve got some news about the day you flew back. Someone followed you from the factory and got on the same flight as you. You have to be careful and keep a close eye on the situation around you,¡± Martin instructed, ording to Jared¡¯s words. ¡°Someone has followed me abroad? All the way here?¡¯ Nicole was a little surprised when she heard the news. She was too angry with Jared that day. She did not notice that someone was following her. ¡°Is this reliable?¡± Nicole questioned. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s reliable. Mr. Johnston told me.¡± Martin directly reported Jared¡¯s name without thinking too much. It was toote for Jared to stop him from saying it. Martin looked at Jared suspiciously and thought, ¡®Shouldn¡¯t I mention his name?¡¯ Jared squinted his eyes at him and thought, ¡®The cat¡¯s out of the bag now. It doesn¡¯t matter anymore.¡¯ ¡°Jared?¡± Nicole questioned. ¡°Yes.¡± Martin answered while looking into Jared¡¯s eyes. Nicole suddenly remembered that she had missed Jared¡¯s call just now and thought, ¡®Did he call me earlier just to tell me about it? I am still angry at him but fortunately, nothing happened. Otherwise, I would regret it even after my death.¡¯ ¡°Nicole, are you still there?¡± Martin asked after not hearing Nicole¡¯s response after a long time.N?velDrama.Org ? 2024. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m still here¡­Did Jarede to the factory today?¡± Nicole asked Martin. Martin had turned the speakerphone on so Jared could hear Nicole. Martin looked at Jared and asked him how to answer. Jared typed down on his phone and Martin replied ording to Jared¡¯s words, ¡°He already left.¡± ¡°Oh. Martin¡­¡± Nicole wanted Martin to pass a message to Jared for her but suddenly gave up. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, you can tell me.¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Nothing will go wrong here. You safeguard the Beacon until I get back.¡¯ ¡°Is there anything else? If there¡¯s nothing else, I have to get back to work.¡± ¡°Okay, take care.¡± ¡°Alright, bye.¡± After hanging up the phone, both Martin and Jared breathed out a sigh of relief at the same time. He looked at Jared and asked, ¡°Mr. Johnston, why didn¡¯t you tell Nicole directly?¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter who says it. If there¡¯s nothing else, I¡¯ll be off now.¡± Jared left immediately after finishing his sentence. Just as Jared was about to leave, Martin said, ¡°Mr. Johnston, when Nicole asked about the McCarthy family earlier. I suddenly thought of a terrible thing.¡± Martin paused while looking into Jared¡¯s eyes. ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± Jared frowned and looked at Jared, his expression seemed to be worried about something. ¡°The McCarthy family mentioned abouting back to worship their ancestors. There has been no news up until now and based on the news you brought here iming that the person who followed Nicole could be¡­¡± Martin left the sentence hanging and looked at Jared. ¡°You doubt the McCarthy family?¡± Jared got the meaning of Martin¡¯s words and looked at him. ¡°It¡¯s just a suspicion. After all, Lilly was very jealous of Nicole before and was tampering with Nicole¡¯s medication. She had intentions to harm Nicole, and now that she¡¯s back. She might know about Nicole¡¯s whereabouts. It¡¯s not impossible for her to get her revenge.¡± Martin was familiar with Lilly¡¯s jealousy of Nicole. ¡°Lilly McCarthy did something to hurt Nicole? Jared had not heard of Nicole speaking of this before. If not for Martin today, he was afraid that he would never find out. ¡°Yeah. However, everything was exposed by Nicole, and she didn¡¯t get hurt because of it. Did Nicole not tell you about it?¡± Martin looked at Jared with a puzzled face. Chapter 1258 Chapter 1258 Jared shook his head slightly and said, ¡°From the looks of it, there might be some unknown danger at Nicole¡¯s side at any given moment.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think you should worry too much about it. Isn¡¯t Nicole at the base? She should be safe there alongside Harvey and Kelly apanying her. It shouldn¡¯t be much of a problem,¡± Martin spected. ¡°Leave Nicole¡¯s matter to me. There¡¯s still a lot for you to worry about the factory but thank you.¡¯ ¡°Also, you have to protect yourself too. Just in case bad things happen at any time, given the current situation.¡± Jared looked into Martin¡¯s eyes and reminded him. ¡°You too.¡± Martin looked at Jared sincerely ¡°I¡¯ll be off now.¡± Jared walked downstairs after speaking. Max came over to Jared once he reached downstairs and greeted, ¡°Mr. Johnston¡± ¡°Follow me. Leave the matters here to us,¡± Jared ordered while ncing at the factory that was slowly getting rebuilt. ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Max drove Jared to his vi, where Jared spent a long time in his study room pondering. He looked at Max and said, ¡°There are two things you need to do.¡¯ ¡°One, investigate the recent movements of the McCarthy family and focus on investigating whether Lilly McCarthy has made any moves.¡¯ ¡°Second, immediately send someone abroad to protect Nicole secretly and at all costs not to let her get hurt or harmed.¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± After Max left, Jared continued to sit alone in his study and was still thinking. Owned by N?velDrama.Org. Abroad, Nicole had woken up at her desk on a Sunday morning, and Harvey had ced breakfast on her desk. ¡°You¡¯re awake. Have something to eat first.¡± Harvey nced at her, displeased, with a pang of guilt in his heart, he knew she just came here to lead everyone¡¯s work, and he could not help but feel sorry for her and her sacrifice. ¡®Is that chip more important than her health?¡¯ Harvey pondered for a while as he could not understand. ¡°Thank you.¡± Nicole nced at Harvey, then picked up a sandwich and put it in her mouth. ¡°Nicole, you don¡¯t get any benefits from this job. What are you working so hard for?¡± Harvey asked her puzzledly from the side. ¡°You don¡¯t know the importance of this chip to the market. If you can make a better chip, you may get more orders using this chip.¡± Nicole had always kept Jared¡¯s word in her mind as a reminder. It was why she was desperate, ¡®It is all because of him.¡¯ ¡°That¡¯s not enough of a reason for you to work so hard on this. Do you even know who you are working for to meet the number of orders?¡± Harvey reminded her that she was already working hard for Scott Harmon, and it was not worth it at all. Nicole nced at him and said, ¡°Of course I know. Alright, off you go.¡± Take some rest,¡± Harvey said before leaving. Nicole looked at theputer screen while eating. ¡®Today is thest day. If we don¡¯t seed, we¡¯d have to merge with Ike¡¯s group. Then everyone¡¯s hard work will all be in vain.¡± Nicole took a nce at the office and saw that everyone was present. She stood up and looked at them, and said, ¡°Today¡¯s ourst day of test runs. If we still fail by the end of the day, then everyone will have to go to Ike¡¯s R&D tomorrow.¡± After Nicole finished speaking, everyone looked at each other. From their eyes, she could see that everyone was unwilling to admit defeat. ¡°Alright, since it¡¯s ourst day. Let¡¯s try our best!¡± Nicole made a gesture of cheering. Everyone in the office began to get busy, even Harvey participated in it, as he had also put in a lot of effort the past few days. ¡°Ms. Riddle,e and take a look.¡± Nicole went over to check. ¡°This was the data fromst time. It failed, but if you change it here and increase the value.¡± Chapter 1259 Chapter 1259 ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Ms. Riddle, over here.¡± Nicole hurried over to another person calling her name. She looked at it and said, ¡°Didn¡¯t you use it the day before yesterday? It¡¯s no wonder you kept getting it wrong. Have you rested well?¡± ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, Ms. Riddle. I¡¯ll revise it right away.¡± Everyone has been working overtime these days, and he is indeed a little tired. ¡°It¡¯s alright.¡¯ ¡°Kelly, make some coffee for everyone to refresh ourselves,¡± Nicole looked at Kelly and ordered. ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°How many raw materials do we have?¡± Nicole asked. ¡°Probably enough for three more experiments.¡± Nicole stroked her forehead and thought, ¡®Three times was not enough. I think I have to ask Ike for some more.¡¯ Nicole turned around and walked outside of the office. Harvey had kept his eyes on Nicole while he was helping. He saw Nicole walking outside, and he immediately followed. ¡°Where are you going?¡± Harvey came outside and called. Nicole looked back to see Harvey and exined, ¡°I¡¯m going to find Ike.¡± ¡°I¡¯lle with you.¡± Harvey caught up with Nicole. ¡°No need. I think it¡¯s better if you stay and help out in the office.¡± Nicole thought that there was no need to carry heavy things thus she could handle it herself. Harvey could only say in frustration after Nicole refused to let him follow,¡± Okay, if you need help. You must call me.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± After speaking, Nicole walked toward Ike¡¯s R&Db. Harvey nced at Nicole¡¯s back before reluctantly returning to the office. ¡°Ike, I need a favor.¡± Nicole walked in and stood next to Ike. ¡°Ms. Riddle, what do you need?¡± Ike saw a smile on the corner of Nicole¡¯s mouth. Nicole looked at the people around him and said, ¡°Let¡¯s talk outside. I don¡¯t want to disturb their work.¡± Ike nodded. He understood what Nicole meant and followed her outside of the R&Db. ¡°There¡¯s no one here, so let¡¯s talk,¡± Ike said while looking at Nicole. ¡°We only have enough materials for three experiments. Can you help me get some materials for me?¡± Nicole looked at Ike sincerely. ¡°This is no easy request. The materials that have been distributed are limited in number. You also know that some of the people here do not support your R&D. They definitely will not agree to give you the materials.¡± Ike was in a tight spot as he was caught in the middle between two parties. Moreover, the materials were not in his control. He would need the approval of other superiors. N?velDrama.Org ? 2024. ¡°I know this matter is difficult, so I came to find you. I can¡¯t find anyone to help me here except for you, even if it¡¯s for a little bit.¡± To Nicole, everything now is crucial. Every bit of material she could get her hands on was as important. At there, Nicole was just a nominal person in charge. She had little say in making very important decisions. If she were in her home country, she would have received the materials already. Ike saw that Nicole really needed it. After thinking for a while, Ike said, ¡°I¡¯ll try my best to help you. It¡¯s uncertain whether I can get it or not, so don¡¯t get your hopes too high.¡± ¡°Alright. Thank you, there are still many things to do in the office, so I¡¯ll go back and wait for your news.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Nicole turned around and walked toward the office. Ike nced at Nicole¡¯s office, let out a long sigh of relief, and thought, ¡®How can I help her with this?¡¯ Chapter 1260 Chapter 1260 When Nicole reached the doors of her office, Harvey saw her walking in and asked, ¡°Did you not get it?¡± ¡°Ike promised to help. Let¡¯s wait for his newster in the afternoon.¡± After speaking, Nicole walked over to her desk to continue working. In Zane Spears¡¯s organization, Carl had already finished preparations and was waiting for Zane¡¯s order to let people on board. After a while, Zane Spears appeared in front of everyone. He nced at everyone and said, ¡°Your task this time is to protect Curley Corporation in Lanningbourg and eliminate all of The Raven members that are invading and have other malicious intentions.¡± ¡°Yes, sir,¡± everyone said in unison. Zane nced at everyone¡¯s equipment, geared up with the Beacon, then set his eyes on Carl. He walked up to Carl and looked at him. ¡°This task is extremely difficult due to the massive destruction of The Raven. There are only three production bases left for Curley Corporation. The production base in Lanningbourg is thergest and mostprehensive among the three, so you must protect it well and send the bravest ones to the battlefield if necessary ¡°This is the authorized key given by Curley Corporation¡¯s CEO. You have to keep it safe!¡± Zane ced a key into Carl¡¯s hand and looked at him seriously. Content ? N?velDrama.Org. Carl looked at the key he held tightly in his hand, then raised his head and looked at Zane with firm eyes and said, ¡°Don¡¯t you worry, Sir. We willplete our task!¡± ¡°Okay. Go board the ne,¡± Zane ordered. ¡°Yes, sir.¡± ¡°Get on the ne,¡± Carl turned to look at everyone and ordered. Then he led the team onto the ne and flew into the sky under Zane¡¯s watchful eyes. After testing a few experiments, the materials left were only enough for three. By noon, the materials left could only suffice for one experiment. Nicole nced at the materials, raised her head to look at everyone, and said, ¡°Let¡¯s get our lunch breaks.¡± Everyone looked at Nicole, then put down their work and went to get their lunch at the restaurant. Harvey came to Nicole¡¯s side and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go eat.¡± ¡°No, you go ahead. I don¡¯t have much of an appetite.¡± Nicole looked disappointed,pletely depleted, and unable to cheer up. ¡°No can do. It¡¯s not shameful to dere a failure,¡± Harveyforted. ¡°It¡¯s not shameful, but it¡¯s not the result that I wanted it to be.¡¯ Nicole looked at him and exined. ¡°Not only were the materials limited, but the personnel and equipment were all in aspects not cooperating. So, you do whatever it is you need to do, and it doesn¡¯t matter if you seed or not.¡± ¡°When we return home, I will ensure my full support to you to help you achieve the results that you want.¡± Harvey looked into Nicole¡¯s eyes seriously and spoke. Nicole suddenly felt that Harvey seemed much taller, but unexpectedly he said something that touched her, and a warm current flowed in her heart instantly. ¡°Thank you. Your words are enough.¡± Nicole looked into his eyes sincerely, with a smile on the corner of her lips. During this time abroad, if it were not for Harvey¡¯s bickering with her from time to time, she would be bored to death. ¡°How about we have dinner together?¡± Harvey extended another invitation to Nicole. She noticed that Harvey had no intention of letting her go so easily, and she did not want him to worry and said, ¡°Okay.¡± At the restaurant, Nicole nced around and did not see Ike. Harvey noticed that Nicole was looking around, so he sat down and asked, ¡°What are you looking for?¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Let¡¯s eat.¡± Although Nicole was having the food in front of her, her brain was constantly thinking about what they would do after they failed the experiments. Harvey noticed that Nicole seemed to be in a trance. He raised his hand and waved in front of her eyes, and said, ¡°Hey, don¡¯t think about it. Eat first.¡± Nicole nced at Harvey and curled her lips slightly, giving a weak smile, then stopped thinking and continued eating. After lunch, Harvey took Nicole to the pantry for a cup of coffee. Nicole had refused as she wanted to rest. Chapter 1261 Chapter 1261 Nicole walked into the office on her own, and all of a sudden, Ike appeared in front of her, holding something in his hand. ¡°Nicole, I found some of the materials you wanted.¡± Ike handed her the materials, prompting her to hurriedly take and inspect them. After confirming that it was what she wanted, she looked at him and said, ¡¯ Thank you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry that it¡¯s not much,¡± Ike replied, still feeling guilty about the fact that he could not aid Nicole when she needed help. ¡°Don¡¯t say that. I¡¯m very grateful that you¡¯ve managed to acquire them. Now, I can carry the experiment out another two more times,¡± she said, the corners of her mouth lifting slightly. ¡°Yeah, okay. Good luck. I won¡¯t keep you for long. I need to get myself some food.¡± Ike hurried off to the direction of the restaurant after he was done speaking to her. Content ? N?velDrama.Org. In response, Nicole stared at Ike from the back and thought, ¡®So, that was why he wasn¡¯t at the restaurant earlier. He was busy getting the materials for me.¡¯ Nicole then turned around and walked into the office. There was no one else in there. Kelly was having lunch when she suddenly felt a sense of queasiness in her stomach and had gone to get some rest. Nicole closed the door, and due to the fact that she had no time to catch a break, she started working immediately> She began by re-analyzing all of the programs and data. It was then that Harvey and Kelly came back from the pantry, and opened the door to see that Nicole was already working in front of theputer. ¡°Miss Riddle, why don¡¯t you take a break?¡¯ Kelly walked over and asked concernedly. ¡°I need to do this for onest afternoon. After today, I can rest however I want,¡¯ Nicole said, and proceeded to devote herself to work again. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll help you out.¡± Kelly immediately returned to her seat and worked. Noticing that they had all begun to work, Harvey naturally went with the flow and said, ¡°I¡¯ll help out too.¡± Nicole nced at him, the corner of her lips curling up slightly, as the three of them got busy in the office. ¡°Kelly, can you send the files over?¡± Harvey asked Kelly. ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll send them to you right away.¡± ¡°Harvey, sort the data out and perform a thorough inspection. We only have three shots at the experiments this afternoon,¡± Nicole instructed. ¡°Okay. Let me assure you this time that there will be no more mistakes,¡± Harvey said firmly. After the lunch break had ended, the rest of the team gradually returned to the office. Walking in to see Nicole, Harvey, and Kelly working already, all of them hurried over to their seats and resumed their work. The atmosphere in the office was great, and such was perhaps due to the fact that everyone knew that they had a few hours left. Once it was half past two, Nicole asked, ¡°Has the data in everyone¡¯s possession been incorporated?¡± ¡°Just a little bit more,¡± one of the team members said. ¡°Is five minutes enough for you?¡± Nicole asked. ¡°Yes.¡± Nicole took advantage of this by ordering them to work on the equipment. ¡¯ Clean the equipment up again.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°Are you ready now?¡± Nicole asked once more after five minutes had passed. ¡°We¡¯re ready,¡± everyone said in unison. Chapter 1262 Chapter 1262 Nicole looked at the person in charge of the equipment, and the staff proceeded to press the button on the contraptions. Everyone was staring at theirputers, with Nicole focusing her gaze on the equipment at the same time. A few minutester, the process halted, and just like that, a brand-new chip was produced, prompting Nicole to look at the chip with a smile on her face. Then, some of the staff members opened the casing, brought the chip out, and handed it to Nicole. Nicole was fill with satisfaction as she looked at the chip in her hand. She did not expect that they would actually be able to produce one. Everyone was brimming with excitement as they stared at the chip in Nicole¡¯s hands as well; they had finally seeded in producing the chip after working on it for so long. Then, Nicole walked up to an engineer and ordered, ¡°Test the chip.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± The engineer grabbed the chip at once and inserted it into another device fortesting purposes. Everyone gathered around to watch, and just like Nicole, they kept their eyes on the screen, not averting their gaze for even a moment. The test result appeared on the screen after a while, with Nicole staring at it intently. The results showed that the performance of the chip they had made was not up to standard, prompting her to make her way back to her seat in disappointment. The excitement that had filled the room earlier dissipated at once. All of them fell back on their seats in frustration, and the office suddenly became quiet. After a long while, Harvey stood up and said, ¡°Let¡¯s not be discouraged. Although the performance of the chip is not up to standard, we¡¯ve at least made a breakthrough. We¡¯ve actually produced a chip!¡± ¡°Nicole, don¡¯t you think so?¡± Harvey deliberately asked her. Nicole raised her head to look at Harvey, after which she stood up and said, ¡°What Mr. Harvey said is right. We¡¯ve sessfully produced a four- nanometer chip, and as for the performance, we can keep trying. It¡¯s not time to get off work yet is it?¡± ¡°Yes, Miss Riddle is right. We¡¯ve already produced a four-nanometer chip. There¡¯s no doubt that we can improve its performance,¡± an engineer echoed. ¡°Yes, we can definitely get it done,¡± another engineer said, and just like that, their spirits were lifted again. Nicole darted her eyes to her periphery and said, ¡¯ Nigel, share the set of results that showed that the chip wasn¡¯t working as well as it should. Let¡¯s find out what the problem is.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± It was then that the office returned to its erstwhile state of busyness. Nicole and her team gathered for another round of discussion as Harvey looked at all the activity in his surroundings with a smile on his lips. With the minute arm of the clock shifting, Nicole and her team remained busy in the office, while Carl¡¯s cargo ne was on the verge ofnding. ¡°We are going tond very soon. Please get ready, everyone.¡± Carl looked at everyone and ordered. ¡°Yes, sir.¡± With the ne gradually descending in altitude, the cargo ne was eventually met with a safe landing. Carl then ordered everyone to get off the ne quickly, whereupon they drove to the Curley Corporation¡¯s base of production in an off-road vehicle that had been there awaiting their arrival. Upon arriving at the base, Carl and the person in charge switched ces and assumed control of the production base. ¡®The first team will be divided into two, with one guarding the exits and the other the entrance,¡± Carl looked at a group of people and ordered. Owned by N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Yes, sir.¡± ¡°The second team will be divided into four, and all four will be patrolling the perimeter of the base.¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± ¡°Mr. Pearce, tell your men to guard the entrances and exits of the base.¡± Carl looked at him and ordered. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll get my aide to do so right away,¡± the person in charge said. Carl responded with a slight nod, after which he turned to the three groups and ordered, ¡°The third group will be divided into six teams, which will be in charge of patrolling the base.¡± Chapter 1263 Chapter 1263 ¡°Yeah.¡± Carl looked at Mr. Pearce and said, ¡°Mr. Pearce, where¡¯s the central control room?¡± ¡°This way, please.¡± Mr. Pearce immediately understood what Carl meant and proceeded to lead him to that room. Carl and the men who had stayed behind followed Mr. Pearce to the central control room, after which he opened the door and began with the process of inspection with his men. After he had examined the surveince system in the room, he turned around and ordered, ¡°Install some surveince cameras outside.¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± As the whole area was being set up, Carl stayed back in the central control room and took over from there. On the other hand, Nicole was now running the veryst experiment for the day in an office at the research base. Everyone¡¯s eyes were fixed on the screen, holding their breaths as they watched the endless sh of numbers. As they did so, Nicole began praying mentally, hoping that they would seed this time. ¡°Ding.¡± The results appeared with a ding, and once everyone had seen it, they breathed a long, collective sigh and left in disappointment. Owned by N?velDrama.Org. Nicole was devastated when she saw the results on the screen, as she had been met with another failure in spite of the fact that she had already tried her best. ¡®Is it really impossible to develop this chip?¡¯ At that moment, several men opened the door to Nicole¡¯s office and waltzed in with Ike, causing everyone to turn their gaze at the door. Nicole looked at them and instantly understood why they came over.¡± You¡¯re all here to see the results, right? Come with me.¡± Nicole brought them over to Naigel¡¯sputer right away and said,¡± Naigel, show them the final results.¡± Naigel looked at Nicole and reluctantlyputed the results. Then, Ike and the rest proceeded to look at the results, before turning back to Nicole. ¡°Miss Riddle, we¡¯ve already anticipated this oue. We only agreed to your idea because of Mr. Harmon. Now that the experiments have ended, please merge with Ike¡¯s team, starting from next week.¡± One of the men in charge stepped forward as he looked at Nicole. He had always been opposed to Nicole, and thus, he felt vindicated. ¡°No problem,¡± Nicole responded tly. Then, she turned to the people who had been by her side for the past few days and gave them all a grateful smile. Hearing this, everyone stood up and stared at her. ¡°Thank you for the effort you¡¯ve put in for the past few days. I have let you down, and I¡¯m sorry.¡¯ Nicole nodded and left the office. ¡°Wait up.¡± Kelly ran after her. Nicole ran up to the rooftop with Harvey in hot pursuit. Once they were on the rooftop, he stared at Nicole from the back and maintained his silence. Then, he slowly walked up to her side without uttering a word and proceeded to watch the sunset with her. After some time, Nicole finally spoke. ¡°Maybe that guy was right. I¡¯ve been wrong from the very beginning.¡± Nicole felt that she had wasted everyone¡¯s precious time. ¡®If they didn¡¯t follow her, she could¡¯ve done something more practical together with Ike,¡¯ Harvey thought. ¡°No one knows what¡¯s right or wrong until it has actually been done. Only the people who¡¯ve tried know what is wrong.¡± Harvey began to feel bad for her as he looked at her. ¡®She didn¡¯t have to do this, so why is she taking on this burden on her own?¡¯ ¡°Yeah, I know now.¡± Nicoleughed at herself. ¡°Maybe you¡¯ve just started. You¡¯re far from done here.¡± Harvey saw Nicole¡¯s blood, sweat, and tears poured into her work for the past few days, and he believed that she had not reached her full potential just yet. Chapter 1264 Chapter 1264 Nicole looked at him after hearing what he had just said. ¡°Just started?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Nicole squinted her eyes slightly as she watched the sunset¡­ Kelly had tried her best to chase after them, but Harvey was nowhere to be seen. After searching high and low, she decided to head back to the office and wait forthem. Suddenly, the door to the office swung open, and Kelly looked over to see Harvey and Nicole, at which point she immediately walked over and asked, ¡°Where have you been, Miss Riddle? I¡¯ve been searching for you everywhere.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯re fine,¡± Nicole assured as she noticed Kelly¡¯s worried expression. ¡°Did they erase the data?¡± Nicole asked Kelly. ¡°No, they just removed the equipment,¡± she responded. ¡°Good.¡± Nicole uttered, relieved as she made her way back to herputer. Then, Nicole went ahead and began working on herputer while Kelly looked at her in confusion. ¡°Miss Riddle, what are you doing?¡± Harvey answered before shing them a leer, ¡°One day, you¡¯ll know.¡± Kelly was speechless as she did not understand what he was trying to say. ¡°Done.¡± Nicole deleted the data on herputer before shutting it down. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Nicole gave Harvey and Kelly a nce as she walked out of the office. N?velDrama.Org holds this content. In the hallway, Nicole bumped into Ike, who was making a beeline for her. ¡°About today, Nicole, you don¡¯t have to take it to heart. Look at it from a different perspective. You can still develop the chip next week, and we can still work together,¡± Ike consoled Nicole. He had been longing for the day when he could work with Nicole, so that he could derive some fun and motivation out of it. ¡°I¡¯m fine, Ike,¡± she replied. ¡°I was going to look for you as well.¡± ¡°Me, really?¡± Ike asked, shocked and confused. ¡°Thank you for taking good care of US for the past few days. I won¡¯t being over next week, but that doesn¡¯t mean that I won¡¯t being here anymore.¡± ¡°Really? Are you flying back to your country?¡± Ike looked at Nicole, surprised as he did not expect his unfulfilled hopes to be crushed just like that. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve got matters I need to attend to over there,¡± she said. Ever since Nicole returned to Lanningbourg, there was not a day where she was not worried about the recent developments of the Beacon, causing her to give Martin calls from time to time. ¡°Don¡¯t be upset. I¡¯ll stille over to pay you visits from time to time. I¡¯ll be there to wee you if you ever find yourself in my town as well. Anyway, bye for now.¡¯ Nicole gave Ike a polite smile before leaving with Kelly and Harvey. Ike wanted to ask her to stay, but he had no reason to do so. Hence, he could only watch her leave until her figure had disappeared from the corridor. Ike sighed and punched the wall with regret. ¡®If I didn¡¯t mess with the equipment, Nicole¡¯s chip might¡¯ve seeded by now. That way, she wouldn¡¯t have to leave this ce, and I could see and talk to her every day.¡¯ In actuality, regardless of whether Ike messed with the equipment, Nicole would still not be able to develop the chip with the existing setup and technical support. Indeed, theb was not equipped to amodate the development of Nicole¡¯s chip. Chapter 1265 Chapter 1265 The trio got into the car, and Nicole proceeded to drive off to her hotel. However, she did not anticipate that the person who was hiding outside of their base to immediately follow her when he saw her leaving. Nicole did not tell Kelly and Harvey about her stalker, as she did not know about it. After driving for some time, it dawned upon her that a car had been following her for a while now. Then, she smiled and mmed the brakes, halting the car in front of a mall. Harvey saw that it was not their hotel, and so, he asked, ¡°This is the mall. Why did you stop here?¡± ¡°Bring Kelly along and buy me something here. I want to bring something back for my grandma.¡± Nicole said, making an excuse up. Content ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°And you¡¯re noting along to buy something for her?¡± Harvey looked at her with his brows furrowed. ¡°I¡¯ve ordered something, and it just got delivered, so I¡¯ve got to retrieve it. Just get off,¡± Nicole urged as she nced over to the car that was following behind her. ¡°We can pick your order up with you and get a gift for your grandmotherter,¡± Harvey said, starting to argue with her. Hearing this, Nicole lost her patience and red at him. ¡°Are you going or not?¡± Seeing that Nicole was angry, Harvey acquiesced, ¡°Fine. Just remember to pick us up once you¡¯re done, okay?¡± ¡°Just get off.¡± Nicole rolled her eyes at him. Harvey and Kelly closed the door, whereupon Nicole zoomed away. Harvey watched as the car sped off into the distance and decried her, ¡°Did you see that, Kelly? She left just like that!¡± ¡°Harvey, let¡¯s just get the souvenirs. Miss Riddle will definitely give you another round of lectures when shees back if she sees that you haven¡¯t gotten her anything,¡± Kelly replied. After having spent so much time with Harvey these days, Kelly knew him a lot better now. She knew that he was soft-hearted, in spite of his propensity for snide words. ¡°Why would I be the one getting a lecture? Wouldn¡¯t you be empty handed yourself?¡± Harvey looked at Kelly who was walking into the mall. Nicole parked her car at a random spot in the basement of a hotel and entered the building after getting down from her car. The car behind her was parked somewhere close by as well. It was then that the man eyed the hotel, and proceeded to follow her in. Nicole deliberately concealed herself at one of the corners in the hall before she continued walking, as the stalker advanced upon discovering that she had disappeared into the premises. The second he reached the entrance, he saw Nicole making her way to the end of the hallway before turning right. He ran after her at once, but was quickly left confused. There were plenty of rooms, and he had not managed to see which room Nicole had gotten into, so he could only sneak over and try his luck with each one. When he reached the first door, he ced his ear against it. After having not heard anything for some time, he moved on to the next one and did the same thing. However, the next was thrown open the minute he leaned against it, whereupon an arm with a powerful grip reeled him in. ¡°Why are you following me?¡± Nicole grabbed his neck and pinned him against the wall. ¡°I didn¡¯t- I¡¯m just passing by,¡± the man fumbled, resorting to denial in spite of the fact that he was fearing for his life. ¡°Passing by? Do you really think I didn¡¯t know that you¡¯ve been tailing me even when I was back in my home country? Are you really trying to deny it? ¡¯ Nicole shot back in forting fashion as she red at him. The man did not expect that Nicole had known about him for such a long time, so his eyes began to wander. He did not know what to do. ¡°I¡¯ll give you a second chance. Why are you following me? Who sent you?¡± Nicole¡¯s urged, her re ever scarier, as if she would murder him if he remained tight-lipped. ¡®Well, Mr. Wyance sent me to protect you.¡± Nicole knew that he was still lying, so she tossed him onto the ground and stomped on his chest. At that instant, the man tasted the coppery tang of blood in his mouth. Chapter 1266 Chapter 1266 "i¡¯ll spill¡­ Please, don¡¯t kill me.¡± That person looked at Nicole, terrified. ¡°Go on.¡± ¡°I was sent by the McCarthy family.¡¯ ¡°McCarthy? Do you mean Joyce McCarthy?¡± Nicole red at him. The man nodded, after which Nicole took a deep breath and lifted her foot off his chest. Then, she left the area, but not before she kicking him once more, knocking him unconscious. Once she had left the area, she got to her car and made her way back to the mall. ¡°Come out, Harvey.¡± Nicole beckoned through the phone. ¡°We need more time as we¡¯re not done yet,¡± Harvey replied. ¡°Are you back already?¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m about to reach the ce where I dropped you off,¡± she answered. ¡°Why don¡¯t youe in and find us?¡± he asked. ¡¯It¡¯s okay. Juste out when you¡¯re done. I¡¯ll wait for you in the car.¡± Nicole said, not wanting to enter a mall filled with so much noise. ¡°You were the one who wanted to buy something for your grandma, and yet you don¡¯t even want to get down of the car,¡± Harvey mumbled. ¡°What did you say?¡± ¡¯Nothing. Well see you when we¡¯re done.¡± Harvey hung up right after he was done talking to her. Meanwhile, the person who had just been fired by Martin had left his hotel for the streets. He was on high alert, and was constantly ncing around to see if anyone was tailing him. It was evident that he was experienced in this field. In addition, he spent a lot of time walking in circles around the block before entering a quiet store. Though he was vignt, he was still not able to elude Jared¡¯s men. When they saw him walking into the store, one of them stood guard at the front entrance, while the other waited at the backdoor, blocking all of his escape routes. In the store, the man made a beeline for the furthest room, where another guy was seated, monitoring the surveince cameras. ¡°Boss, I¡¯ve been noticed.¡± ¡°You piece of sh*t!¡± The man monitoring the surveince footages kicked him. ¡°Why did youe back here, then?! Do you want to lead those people here?!¡± ¡°I¡¯ve checked, and no one followed me here,¡± that person said affirmatively. The other man red at him before letting him go. ¡°Get up.¡± ¡°Just keep an eye on Martin¡¯s factory. They¡¯re still rebuilding it, right? Just let them do whatever they have to do, as we¡¯ve got bigger fish to fry¡­¡± he said, before whispering something into the other man¡¯s ear. ¡¯I see,¡± the man who had walked in said, i¡¯ll head back now, then.¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll update you on the next step.¡± N?velDrama.Org ? 2024. ¡¯Yes, boss.¡± ¡°Attention, that man just came out,¡± one of Jared¡¯s men reported. ¡¯Follow him.¡± Max walked into Jared¡¯s office to report the news to Jared. ¡°Mr. Johnston, our men have found that the person who started the fire had just met up with another person in a store. What should we do now?¡± Jared thought about it, and proceeded to order, ¡°Don¡¯t do anything if you can¡¯t spot any of the McCarthys.¡± ¡°Yes, sir,¡± Max uttered. ¡°Any updates from abroad?¡± Jared asked Max. ¡°Not yet,¡± Max said. Suddenly, Max¡¯s phone rang, prompting him to quickly answer the call. Chapter 1267 Chapter 1267 "is Miss Riddle injured?¡± Max asked with concern. Jared immediately grabbed the phone. ¡°It¡¯s Jared Johnston here. What just happened?¡± ¡°Mr. Johnston, Miss Riddle took care of her stalker, who had already passed out by the time we arrived.¡± ¡°Is Nicole hurt?¡± Jared asked anxiously, as Nicole was probably the only person who could make him worry. ¡°We can¡¯t tell for now, but our men are following her already. Well hear from them soon.¡± Content ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°You must report to me the minute you receive any news regarding Nicole,¡± Jared ordered. ¡°Yes, Mr. Johnston. And what are we going to do with Miss Riddle¡¯s stalker? ¡¯ Max¡¯s man asked. ¡°Get him to rat his boss out,¡± Jared heartlessly said. ¡°Yes, sir,¡± the man said. Jared then tossed the phone back over to Max with a dark look in his eyes. He was extremely worried about Nicole and was afraid that she had gotten hurt. If she was, he would never go easy on the person who had inflicted injuries upon her. ¡°We¡¯re back,¡± Harvey said as he opened the car door. ¡°Why did you buy so many things?¡± Nicole remarked, noticing that they were struggling to hold that many bags. ¡°We had to buy more for grandma. That way, we can show her that we¡¯re sincere.¡± Harvey smiled at Nicole. ¡°Fine.¡± Nicole reached out to take some of the gifts off Harvey¡¯s hands before driving back to the hotel. In the hotel, Harvey asked her, ¡°What time is our flight tomorrow?¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t booked US a flight yet, so I¡¯ll send it to you when I¡¯m done,¡± Nicole responded. ¡°Alright, HI catch some rest now, then.¡± ¡°Me too.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Once Harvey and Kelly had left, Nicole began to think about what the stalker had said. ¡®As Joyce had already ced a target on my back, wouldn¡¯t Martin be as well?¡¯ she thought, during which she quickly pulled her phone out to call Martin. ¡®Martin, how¡¯s the rebuildinging along?¡± Nicole asked. ¡°It¡¯s almost done now. How have you been?¡± Martin asked. ¡°I¡¯m alright. The good news is, I¡¯ming back tomorrow,¡± Nicole said, telling him about her return. ¡°Tomorrow? Really?¡± Martin uttered, shocked to hear this. ¡°Yeah, when have I ever lied to you?¡± she asked. Nicole felt a lot better as she thought about returning home. She had not been feeling too well due to the failure with the chip she had been developing. ¡°Great. What time¡¯s your flight? I¡¯ll pick you up upon arrival,¡± Martin said excitedly. ¡®I haven¡¯t booked my tickets yet. You must be busy at the factory, so it¡¯s best if you don¡¯te over. I¡¯m not alone anyway. I have Harvey and Kelly with me,¡± Nicole declined, as she did not want to trouble Martin, knowing how busy things were at the factory. ¡°Oh, I¡¯ll just give you a warm wee once you¡¯ve arrived home safely then,¡± Martin replied, not as worried anymore when he heard that she was not alone. ¡°Sure.¡± ¡°By the way, was Mr. Johnston informed about your return?¡± Martin suddenly asked. Nicole remained quiet for some time and figured that there was no need to hide this from Jared. After all, he would know this sooner orter. ¡®I don¡¯t know,¡± she said. ¡°I haven¡¯t told him yet.¡± ¡°Oh, just let him know. He will be so happy when he hears that you¡¯reing back next week.¡± Martin deliberately clued Nicole in on Jared¡¯s feelings, behaving as though he was a wingman of sorts. ¡°Sure, all good. Bye for now.¡± Nicole quickly ended the call in a bid to elude any conversations about Jared. Though the call ended, Nicole still could not help but consider whether she should tell Jared about her return. Though he had kept his promise before she left, she was still rather angry with him. She opened her chat log with him and stared at it without sending him a message in the end. Chapter 1268 Chapter 1268 The next morning, Harvey was already done packing as he waited for Nicole and Kelly in the morning. Harvey waited in his room for a very long time, but no one had bothered to knock on his door. ¡®Is Kelly not awake as well? They said that the flight was eight in the morningst night.¡¯ Harvey then looked at the time. It was already half past six in the morning, but Nicole and Kelly were nowhere to be found. Harvey left his room and went over to Nicole¡¯s room before knocking on the door, and as expected, nobody answered the door, even after a long time. ¡®Is she still sleeping? I¡¯ll just head over to Kelly¡¯s room, then.¡¯ He went over to Kelly¡¯s room and knocked on it. After a while, the door opened, revealing Kelly who was garbed in neat clothing, showing that she was already done preparing. ¡®Kelly, let¡¯s have breakfast in 5 minutes,¡± Harvey said. ¡°Sure, Harvey. Did you juste from Miss Riddle¡¯s room?¡± Kelly blinked at him. ¡°Yeah, why?¡± Harvey frowned. ¡®Is something wrong?¡¯ ¡°Is Miss Riddle awake?¡± Content ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡®I don¡¯t think so. Since you¡¯re here, you should wake her up.¡± Harvey said. He could not enter her room, but if he could, he would have already barged moments ago. ¡¯Okay, on it,¡± Kelly said. ¡°M-hm, I¡¯ll be waiting for you in the restaurant upstairs,¡± Harvey said and made his way to the dining area a floor above. Kelly closed her door and knocked on Nicole¡¯s. After some time, Nicole opened the door to see Kelly standing outside. ¡°Good morning.¡± ¡®Good morning, Miss Riddle.¡± Kelly followed her into the room after closing her door. ¡°Why are you up so early?¡± Nicole asked as she took a seat on the couch. ¨¬ don¡¯t think I¡¯m early. Harvey is already waiting for US in the restaurant.¡± Kelly said, before she proceeded to tell Nicole about her conversation with Harvey. ¡¯Harvey sure is excited to return home,¡± Nicole said, making fun of him. ¡¯ Go ahead and meet him first, Kelly. I¡¯ll see you in a bit.¡± ¡¯Sure, bye for now.¡± Kelly turned around and left Nicole¡¯s room, having done what she came here to do. In the dining area, Harvey was seen drinking his coffee leisurely; he was in a good mood. ¡®When Nicole returns home, she won¡¯t be spending as much time with me already. Strangely, why do I not feel worried anymore?¡¯ Indeed, Harvey was confused, but he was also feeling a sense of relief. He ced his coffee down, and the moment he saw Kelly walking in on her own, he creased his forehead and waited for Kelly to take a seat in front of him before asking, ¡°Why are you alone? Where¡¯s Nicole?¡± ¡°She said she¡¯ll be here in a bit,¡± Kelly replied as she picked the menu up. Harvey gave her a light nod before taking another sip of his coffee. ¡®What did you order, Harvey?¡± Kelly asked. ¡°Just a cup of coffee.¡± Harvey swirled his coffee in front of Kelly. In response, Kelly nodded and asked, ¡°Are you waiting for Miss Riddle?¡± Harvey coughed as Kelly had exposed his true intentions, but that did not stop him from offering her a serious response. ¡°No, I¡¯m just used to drinking coffee before ordering a meal.¡± Harvey then ced his cup down and started browsing through the menu. Meanwhile, Kelly was staring at him with a hint of disappointment in her eyes, before calling a waitress over. After she was done, Nicole appeared and made a beeline for their table. Seeing this, Harvey fixed his eyes on her and said, ¡°Morning.¡± ¡°Morning, why are you up so early?¡± Nicole sat down and looked at him before ranging her eyes over the items in the menu. Chapter 1269 Chapter 1269 ¡°No, I wake up around this time every day,¡± Harvey said in a serious tone of voice. ¡°Lies. You¡¯d only knock on my door at around seven in the morning,¡± Nicole replied, exposing him. In response, Harvey smiled and exined, ¡°I was just afraid that you¡¯d still be sleeping, so I¡¯d always goe over only after I¡¯m done eating. ¡°Didn¡¯t you notice that I¡¯d always bring you breakfast every time I knock on your door?¡± Harvey smirked, giving off an air of slyness. It was then that Nicole came to this realization. ¡®So that¡¯s why.¡¯ ¡°Are you done packing?¡± Nicole asked them while she ate. ¡®Yeah, we can leave for the airport once we¡¯re done with breakfast,¡± Kelly said. ¡°Nice.¡± Nicole shed them a smile of satisfaction Soon after, the trio returned their keys, after which Nicole said to Harvey,¡¯ Thank God you came over right after, or else, it¡¯s going to be such a hassle.¡± ¡°Hassle?¡± Harvey asked, confused. ¡°Nothing.¡± Nicole gave him a nk stare without offering him a word of exnation and made her way to her vehicle. Then, she started the car and drove off to the airport withouting across anything suspicious. With this in mind, she looked at Kelly and said, ¡®Go get us the tickets.¡± ¡°Sure,¡± Kelly uttered. N?velDrama.Org holds this content. However, once they were all on the ne, people would sneak nces at Nicole from time to time, prompting her to take mental notes of the person¡¯s seat. When the ne departed after 20 minutes, Nicole got up to use the bathroom. The second she walked past the person¡¯s seat, she peered over to find nothing suspicious about the individual. When Nicole was done using the bathroom, the same person snuck a nce at her again. Nicole noticed this, but opted to pretend as though as she did not notice this. ¡®If he this person is a dangerous one, I must not show him that I had noticed him, or else I¡¯ll endanger the other passengers.¡¯ She returned to her seat and looked at Harvey, who was gazing out of the window. ¡°I¡¯ll switch seats with you. Scoot over.¡± ¡°Why, what¡¯s up?¡± Harvey asked, confused. ¡®We¡¯re sitting just fine, so why is she asking to switch seats suddenly?¡¯ ¡°The window seates with a great view, so you can have it for more of that.¡± Nicole stated,ing up with an excuse. Harvey had seen one too many sceneries, and so, he could not be bothered to look at one through a small window. ¡°It¡¯s okay, you can enjoy it yourself.¡± At the very next second, Nicole immediately shoved him in, as she was not having down with the idea of having a discussion with him. ¡®What are you doing?¡± Harvey asked, shocked. ¡®Just shut it and watch your movie.¡± Nicole shed her a nervous smile, and was not looking like she was joking at all. Harvey observed her odd behavior and instantly knew what was going on. He did not protest any further and returned to watching the movie with a heightened sense of alertness. After switching seats, Nicole kept paying attention to the person who was ignoring her. As soon as that person did something menacing, she would get up from her seat and take care of him. After about an hour, the man lost his patience. He rose to his feet and made his way to the bathroom, but as he was walking past Nicole, the ne experienced some turbulence. Seeing this, he took the opportunity to wrap his arms around Nicole. Nicole was quick to respond, and she did so by grabbing his hand and pinning him to the ground. ¡°Who sent you?¡± ¡°Hey, cken your grip. What do you mean who sent me?¡± the man asked in confusion. Chapter 1270 Chapter 1270 Chapter 1270 ¡¯Still trying to fake it, huh? Looks like I¡¯ll have to make you suffer a little more before you¡¯d tell me the truth.¡± Nicole bent that person¡¯s arm further to the back causing him to shout. ¡®It hurts!¡± ¡®Do you want me to break your arm before you would answer my question? ¡® Nicole questioned him, her gaze cold. She was not expecting anybody from the McCarthy family to follow her into the ne at all. It was at that moment that the air marshals heard them. They came over and saw Nicole pinning a man down on the floor. So, they approached the man and subdued him before telling Nicole, ¡°Well take over from here.¡± N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. Nicole did not wish to do that, but she figured that as she was still on the ne, she had to give in to avoid getting into more problems. Then, she whispered into the air marshal¡¯s ear, ¡°This person is behaving very suspiciously. You¡¯ve got to find out who sent him here.¡± The air marshal looked at Nicole and gave her a frown before taking the person away. Then, the stewardess came over to calm the other passengers down. Then, Harvey looked at Nicole and asked, ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°That guy has been following US,¡± Nicole said briefly. Harvey furrowed his brows at once. ¡°Why would he do that? Was he trying to rob us?¡± Nicole rolled her eyes at him. ¡°It¡¯s not that. However, the crisis has been averted now. You¡¯ll know what¡¯s going on when we get off theer.¡¯ Harvey looked at Nicole with his brow raised. ¡®What¡¯s going on? She looks like she knows exactly what that guy is up to.¡¯ The ne finally began to descend after some time, after which Nicole turned to Harvey and Kelly and said, ¡°You two should head back first.¡¯ ¡®What about you?¡± Harvey asked while staring at her. ¡°I¡¯m going to find out what¡¯s up with that person who got taken away on the ne moments ago. I¡¯ll be fine. Just be on your way now.¡± Nicole signaled for Harvey to leave with Kelly. ¡°Okay. Be careful.¡± Harvey left the ne with Kelly right after saying that. Then, upon noticing that the person who got subdued on the ne was getting escorted out, Nicole walked over. The air marshal saw Nicole and said, ¡°You shoulde with US.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Nicole followed them to the interrogation room, but she was stopped right outside after they had brought him in. ¡°Why can¡¯t I go inside? I was the one who got him.¡± Nicole questioned the air marshal. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. This is an investigation room, and no unauthorized personnel are allowed in there, even if you were the person who got him. You can wait outside, and my colleague will be with you in short order.¡± The air marshal exined to Nicole. Then, he went into the room and mmed the door shut. Nicole caught another fleeting glimpse of the room before she took a seat on a chair outside as she waited. After some time, a few other air marshals approached her. ¡®Hello, ma¡¯am. Are you the victim of that which had happened on the ne moments ago?¡± one of the air marshals asked. ¡°Yes, I am.¡± ¡®Could you describe to US how that person assaulted you?¡± ¡®He came up to me at the side and lunged at me. Coincidentally, the ne was experiencing some turbulence, and I was able to pin him down.¡± Nicole said, and told them everything that had happened. ¡°Okay,¡± the air marshal said. ¡°We have a rough idea of what had happened now and I think we¡¯ll have arrive to a conclusion soon. We¡¯re terribly sorry for what you had to go through.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. Be sure to tell me everything that the person has said in there.¡± Nicole requested, her eyes narrow and stern. ¡®No problem. We won¡¯t let you down. Well leave now, so that you may catch some rest here.¡± The air marshals turned around and went into the investigation room after saying that. After twenty minutes or so, Martin called, ¡°Nicole, aren¡¯t youing to the factory? Where are you now? Has your flight been dyed?¡± ¡®No, I¡¯ve already gotten off the ne, but there is something for me to take care of at the airport,¡± she exined. Chapter 1271 Chapter 1271 ¡¯You¡¯re at the airport?¡± he asked. ¡°How much longer is it going to take?¡± ¡®Not very long, I guess.¡± Nicole looked at the time and realized that it had been half an hour. She had figured that it would not take longer than that. ¡®Okay. I¡¯lle over to pick you up now,¡± Martin said. ¡°Aren¡¯t you busy?¡± she asked. ¡®Don¡¯t worry about that. Just wait for me at the airport.¡± Martin hung up after saying that. The air marshal finally came out after some time, whereupon he went up to Nicole and said, ¡°Excuse me, ma¡¯am. That person has confessed everything.¡± ¡®What did he say?¡± Nicole looked at the air marshal expectantly. ¡°ording to his words, he said that he only had the idea of doing something he shouldn¡¯t have done because of how pretty you look,¡± the air marshal said. ¡°He¡¯s willing to apologize and ask for your forgiveness.¡± Nicole looked at the air marshal in disbelief. ¡°Is that all?¡± ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am. We have been looking into, and we can confirm that he wasn¡¯t lying,¡± the air marshal said in a solemn tone of voice. ¡®Impossible. I¡¯m sure that he¡¯s hiding something. The reasons he gave are ridiculous.¡± Nicole protested, unable to convince herself to believe that such was the oue of the investigation. ¡®How about this? I can bring you inside and talk to him personally if you don¡¯t believe what he had said,¡± the air marshal suggested. ¡°Sure,¡± Nicole agreed, as she had been waiting for him to say that. After entering the investigation room, Nicole made a beeline for the man and looked him right in the eyes. ¡°You¡¯re not going to fool me with those made-up exnations. I have my own ways to make you talk even if you wouldn¡¯t tell me the truth here.¡± ¡°Lady, I¡¯m admitting to what I have done. Please forgive me. I¡¯m so sorry, but I really have no idea about the things you asked me about.¡± He began begging with a dejected look on his face. Nicole ignored him as she felt that the man was just acting in front of the air marshal. Then, she took a step closer to that person, and in an attempt to prevent the air marshals from hearing what she was about to say, she murmured, ¡®I can let you go if you¡¯d just whisper it to me now.¡± ¡°Lady, I honestly have no idea about what you¡¯re talking about,¡± the man said. Nicole looked him in the eyes. ¡°Fine. I gave you the chance, but since you¡¯re not taking it¡­¡¯ Then, she turned around to face the air marshal. ¡°I forgive him. Let him go.¡± A smile immediately appeared on that person¡¯s face as soon as he heard what Nicole had said. ¡°Thank you. Thank you so much.¡± ¡°You better not do that again!¡± the air marshal warned him. ¡°Yes, sir. I won¡¯t!¡± he replied, after which he proceeded to leave in a hurry. ¡°Is it okay for me to leave now then?¡± Nicole asked the air marshal.N?velDrama.Org holds this content. ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am. I¡¯m so sorry for taking up your time.¡± Nicole did not even look at the air marshal when he spoke as she went right out to follow that person. That person immediately felt that somebody was following him after leaving the room, and he was right, as the moment he whirled around, he saw Nicole staring at him. It was at that moment that he froze. ¡®Hasn¡¯t she forgiven me? Why is she following me now?¡¯ So, he stood in ce and waited for Nicole to approach him. Afraid to make eye contact, he quickly swept his eyes across in a fleeting nce at her. ¡°Lady, I thought you¡¯ve forgiven me. Why are you still coming after me?¡± ¡°And you¡¯re right. Just keep walking. I¡¯m heading in the same direction as you.¡± Nicole leered. ¡°After you then.¡± That person extended his arm, gesturing for Nicole to walk ahead first. Nicole looked at him coldly. ¡°No, I¡¯m good.¡± Chapter 1272 Chapter 1272 The man swallowed, not daring to resist Nicole. He walked away timidly, and kept turning back his head back to look at her from time to time as he did. Soon after, the both of them entered the parking lot together, and unable to take it anymore, he turned around to face Nicole. ¡°Lady, I¡¯m so sorry. I shouldn¡¯t have disrespected you. I know you¡¯re a generous person, so please, forgive me this time, for real!¡± ¡°I told you that I¡¯ll let you go right now if you¡¯d just tell me who sent you.¡± Nicole stared at him nkly. ¡°Nobody sent me! I just couldn¡¯t control my urges. Why would anybody send me to do something like this?!¡± Nicole was pushing that person to the edge, and he was almost kneeling as he was. ¡°How about this, would you let me go if I kneel down in front of you?¡± The man fell to his knees in front of everyone as he spoke. However, Nicole was not swayed by that gesture at all. His act of kneeling down was not going to change her mind if he still would not tell her who had sent him. Concurrently, Jared¡¯s car was parked next to Nicole, and the instant he spotted the man who was kneeling down on the ground before, he shifted his gaze to Nicole. ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡± ¡°Why are you here?¡± Nicole asked him back instead of answering. Jared could tell that Nicole was still mad at him, so he said, ¡°Martin had something to do and couldn¡¯t make it here, so he told me about it.¡± ¡°What? I shouldn¡¯t have asked him to pick me up here,¡± Nicole murmured under her breath. The man kneeling down eyed Nicole and Jared from head to toe. ¡®Her friend is here too? I¡¯m screwed!¡¯ ¡°Lady, I¡¯ve learned my lesson. Please forgive me!¡± the man continued begging. ¡°There are too many people here. We should take this elsewhere.¡± Jared nced at the person on the ground and said to Nicole. In response, Nicole gave Jared a nce and got into the car. Jared looked at Max, who immediately got the message, prompting him to bring the man into the car and leave the ce. Knowing that Nicole would not want to return home with him, Jared got into the car and said, ¡°To the mansion by the beach.¡± During the journey, Nicole kept gazing out of the window. She did not look like she wanted to talk to Jared at all. Meanwhile, Jared was looking over at her, as he wanted to ask her about what had happened just now. In spite of this, he dropped the idea soon after, resulting inplete silence throughout the entire journey to the mansion. Nicole got out of the door as soon as the car came to a halt. Then, she turned around and said to Jared, ¡°The man from the airport had been following me. Be sure to find out whom he¡¯s working for.¡± She mmed the door shut before making her way into the mansion without disying any intention of inviting him in. Jared wanted to get out of the car with her, but knowing that it would not be a good idea, he withdrew his hand from the door handle. Instead, he stared at Nicole¡¯s figure as it disappeared into the mansion and said, ¡°Go to Max¡¯s ce now.¡± Tia ran up to Nicole as soon as she entered the mansion. ¡°Nicole! What brought you here?¡± Tia was very surprised to see Nicole here. She did not see anybodying into the mansion when she woke up moments ago, and yet, here Nicole was, appearing out of nowhere. Tia was just astonished. ¡°How are you guys?¡± Nicole looked at Tia and asked concernedly. ¡°We¡¯re doing very well. Grandma was just talking about you this morning. She told me it¡¯d be great if you coulde back today, and you really did.¡± ¡°Where is she?¡± Nicole asked, as she did not see Mrs. Wace Sr. anywhere in the living room. ¡°She¡¯s still sleeping in her room.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t bother her then. I¡¯ll talk to her after she has woken up.¡± Even though Nicole wanted to see Mrs. Wace Sr. as soon as possible, she did not want to disturb the old woman who was sleeping. ¡°Sure. You¡¯ve got to be very tired,ing all the way here. Why don¡¯t you take a nap upstairs too?¡± Tia asked.N?velDrama.Org holds this content. Chapter 1273 Chapter 1273 ¡¯Okay then, I will head upstairs now.¡± ¡¯Oh, by the way, what would you like for lunch? I will make it for you.¡¯ Tia looked at Nicole and asked. ¡®Anything is fine,¡± Nicole replied. ¡°Okay.¡± Tia watched Nicole who proceeded to upstairs, after which thetter went to the dining room. Jared pushed the door in as Max was interrogating the man was kneeling in front of Nicole back in the parking lot. When Max saw Jared, he respectfully approached thetter. ¡°Mr. Johnston, this guy is pretty tight- lipped. He won¡¯t say anything.¡± N?velDrama.Org holds this content. Jared looked at the man, walked over, and sat down in front of him as he studied him. ¡¯Why were you following that woman?¡¯ ¡¯I have said it many times; I didn¡¯t follow her. It was just a misunderstanding.¡± The man stared at Jared with a miserable look on his face, not expecting that things would end up where they were. ¡¯A misunderstanding, you said? Then tell US what you know.¡± Jared shot him a cold stare. ¡¯Yes. Well, the thing is, after I sat down, I saw that beautiful girl walking over, and as she looked really good, I sneaked a couple of extra nces. As I passed her on the way to the bathroom, the ne suddenly jolted and I bumped into her. Before I knew it, she pinned me to the floor and asked me who had sent me. I was confused, as no one sent me here. I¡¯m just an ordinary guy.¡± The man looked at Jared, his eyes filled with shame as he begged for mercy. ¡°That is enough. Break his arm and let him go,¡¯ Jared said, as he had heard the full story, concluding that this man was just a molester, and that there was no one behind him. ¡°Aye,¡± Max said. ¡¯Please don¡¯t!¡± the man yelled. ¡°I know I messed up! Please let me go!¡± Jared walked right out without another nce backward. ¡°Drive me to the office.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Max uttered. Now at the office, Jared was seated his chair with his head filled with images of Nicole. ¡®It has been so long. Does she have to be so mad at me? If Martin hadn¡¯t told me, I wouldn¡¯t have known that she was back in the country. Is she not even going to see me anymore?¡¯ A series of questions lingered in Jared¡¯s head, leaving him in no mood to work. A phone call came in, prompting Jared to pick his phone up and answer it. ¡°Mr. Johnston, we¡¯ve got news. The McCarthys are returning to the country tomorrow to visit the graves of their forefathers, but we found out that one of them has returned to the country long before that.¡± ¡°Find out who that person is.¡± Jared instructed in an icy tone of voice. ¡¯Understood,¡± Jared¡¯s man said. Nicole was about to fall asleep when her phone suddenly rang. She reached for the phone and tapped the ¡®answer¡¯ icon, whereupon Harvey¡¯s voice came through. ¡°Nicole, are you still at the airport?¡± Harvey asked in an anxious tone of voice. ¡°No, I¡¯m back at home now,¡± Nicole saidzily. ¡¯You are sleeping?¡± Harvey asked, though he could tell that she was by the sound of her voice. ¡¯Yeah, is there anything else? If not, just hang up already.¡± Nicole tossed the phone aside, ignoring him. ¡®Get some rest, then. I will see you tomorrow if you¡¯re okay with that.¡± After having heard no reply from Nicole even after a while, Harvey knew that she must be asleep, and so, he hung up. Chapter 1274 Chapter 1274 Rat-Tat-Tat. A few knocks on the bedroom door woke Nicole up from her dreamy slumber. ¡®Come in,¡± she said. Tia walked in to see Nicole rising from her bed, and said, ¡°Nicole, the food is ready, and your grandma is in the dining room.¡± ¡°Okay, I will be right there.¡± Nicole yawned and stretched, after which she got out of bed and headed downstairs. In the dining room, Mrs. Wace Sr. was waiting with great anticipation for Nicole. She had heard from Tia that Nicole was back. ¡°I¡¯m home, Grandma.¡± Nicole strutted over to take a seat next to her grandmother. ¡®How is it that you¡¯re back so soon this time?¡± Mrs. Wace Sr. asked, happy but also puzzled at the same time. ¡°Are you getting annoyed with me already?¡± Nicole yfully and rhetorically asked. ¡°What are you talking about? I couldn¡¯t wait for you toe back. Why would I be annoyed with you?¡± her grandmother asked. Then she served Nicole a piece of her favorite dish. ¡°Eat up and get some rest for a while, since you juste home.¡± ¡°Well, I won¡¯t be leaving for a while this time,¡± Nicole said in lighthearted fashion. ¡®That is great. I will make you delicious food every day.¡± Mrs. Wace Sr. beamed, loving the idea of having Nicole by her side every day. ¡®Yeah, I¡¯m going to be stuffed like a pig, then,¡± Nicole joked. After the meal, Nicole and Tia helped Mrs. Wace Sr. up to the rooftop to enjoy the view of the sea. N?velDrama.Org ? 2024. It was then that Tia looked at Nicole with her head tilted and asked, ¡®Did you have a good time abroad?¡± ¡°Not really, not as much as here, at least.¡± Nicole gazed off at the sea before her eyes, feeling at ease. She could leave all her worries in the sea for the moment and not think about any of it. Then she remembered the gifts that she had asked Harvey and Kelly to purchase. ¡°Tia, did you receive the gifts I¡¯ve brought for the both of you?¡± ¡°Gifts?¡± Tia beamed. ¡°Yeah. There are a lot of them.¡± Nicole smiled as she looked at Tia. ¡°Where is it?¡± Tia asked, unable to wait to see the gifts. ¡°Haven¡¯t they arrived long ago? Did you not receive them?¡± Nicole looked at Tia in surprise. ¡°Nope. Could they have been sent to the wrong address?¡± Tia spected. ¡°No way¡­ Oh, I remember; it should be with Harvey.¡± Nicole suddenly recalled the incident at the airport, where she had allowed Harvey to head home first in order for her to investigate the suspicious man. Realizing that gifts must also be at his ce, she hurriedly took her phone out and called Harvey. ¡°What¡¯s up, Nicole?¡± Harvey was resting when he heard the phone ringing. He picked it up, and when he saw that Nicole was the one calling, he quickly answered it. ¡°Are the gifts you¡¯ve bought at your ce, right now?¡± Nicole asked, going straight down to business. ¡°I think they are. I¡¯d have forgotten if you didn¡¯t mention it.¡± Harvey suddenly realized. ¡°Is it okay for you if Ie over to pick them up from you now?¡± ¡®You don¡¯t have toe over. I will deliver them to you right away,¡± Harvey said, as catching his rest is trivial aspared to getting a chance to see her again. ¡®That would be much appreciated.¡± Nicole hung up once she was done speaking, as she did not feel the need to be too courteous to Harvey. Harvey quickly got dressed. Before heading out, he made a beeline for the mirror to check out his outfit, making sure that he was satisfied with it before leaving the house and driving off to Nicole¡¯s ce. After hanging up, Nicole looked at Mrs. Wace Sr. and Tia. ¡°The gifts will be here in a moment. Grandma, how are the vegetables you¡¯ve been growing?¡¯ Chapter 1275 Chapter 1275 ¡°All good. Why don¡¯t I show you?¡± Mrs. Wace Sr. asked, looking at Nicole. ¡°Great.¡± Nicole apanied Mrs. Wace Sr. into the garden. ¡°Wow! Did you grow all of these?¡± Nicole marveled as her eyes ranged over the greens in the garden. ¡°Yeah, your grandma takes care of these vegetables with utmost care!¡± Tia admired from the side. ¡°Grandma, you are not exhausted from all that farming, are you?¡± Nicole asked with concern. ¡°Nah, this is much less than what I had grown when I was in the countryside. It would be better if there is a bigger field for me to work with. ¡¯ Mrs. Wace Sr. said with an avuncr smile on her face. ¡°Grandma, there are only a few of US living here, and we don¡¯t have to sell any of it, so this is more than enough,¡± Nicole said. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have allowed you to nt this much if I were home.¡± As Nicole and Mrs. Wace Sr. were deep in conversation, a car pulled up at the courtyard of the Sea View Vi. It was then that Harvey got out of the car to see Nicole, Mrs. Wace Sr. and Tia chatting in the garden. ¡°Hey, Nicole.¡± ¡°Harvey,e over and take a look.¡± Nicole waved her hand to beckon him over. Harvey got out of the car to make his way toward the garden, and as he came up to Nicole, he greeted Mrs. Wace Sr. before asking Nicole,¡± What¡¯s up?¡± ¡°These are the vegetables that Grandma had nted, and when they mature, you can have some of them,¡± she said. ¡°Grandma nted all of these? So this is how we grow all of the vegetables we eat?¡± He eyed the vegetables in the garden in amazement. He had never nted anything before, so the idea of growing vegetables was novel for him. ¡°Yes, if you have empty plots at home, you can try it, too. Just treat it as an educational hobby.¡± Nicole quipped, unashamedly asking a CEO to grow vegetables. ¡°Did you bring US the gifts?¡± Nicole asked. ¡°Yeah, they¡¯re all in the car,¡± he replied. ¡°Grandma, let¡¯s check the souvenirs out, shall we?¡± Nicole helped Mrs. Wace Sr. up and walked her to Harvey¡¯s car. ¡°Why don¡¯t you help Grandma inside while Tia and I bring the gifts in? It will be easier for all of US.¡± Harvey suggested as he looked over at Nicole. ¡°That would be nice,¡± she said, and made her way back to the living room with her grandmother. ¡¯Tia,e over and help me out.¡± Harvey looked at Tia. ¡°Okay,¡± Tia uttered, and followed him. Before long, the both of they came waltzing back into the living room with gifts in their hands. Mrs. Wace Sr. looked at them and said, ¡°Why have you bought so much stuff? What a waste of money.¡± N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. ¡°It is not much, really. These are just some of the local specialties,¡± Harvey, who knew best, exined, as he was the one who had bought them the souvenirs. Nicole turned to Harvey. ¡°Thank you so much. How much do I owe you? I will pay you back.¡± ¡°Are you looking down on me, thinking I can¡¯t afford a bunch of things I¡¯ve only spent pittance on?¡± Harvey yfully gave Nicole a disgruntled look, after which he walked over to Mrs. Wace Sr. and ced the gifts in front of her. ¡°Mrs. Wace Sr., these are all for you,¡± he said with a smile on his face as if she were his very own grandmother. Perhaps, due to the fact that his own grandmother had left him when he was very young, he envied Nicole for having a grandmother with her. ¡°Thank you so much.¡± Mrs. Wace Sr. beamed at Harvey. ¡°Don¡¯t mention it. This is what we, the younger generation, should be doing. If you like me, why don¡¯t you take me as your grandson?¡± Harvey suddenly suggested. Nicole frowned upon hearing that, thinking that Harvey must be out of his mind for making such a suggestion. She immediately chimed in before her grandmother could say anything. ¡¯ Don¡¯t you have a grandfather, Harvey? Why would you want to take my grandmother as yours? Don¡¯t even think about it.¡± Chapter 1276 Chapter 1276 Seeing Nicole¡¯s look of disapproval, Harvey exined, ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to steal Grandma from you. I just thought she liked me very much, so I suggested it.¡± ¡¯I do like him. He is so neat and decent,¡± Mrs. Wace Sr. said. ¡°You hear that? Your grandma likes me very much. What you¡¯ve got to say about that doesn¡¯t count.¡± Harvey quickly took a seat on the other side of Mrs. Wace Sr. and avoided Nicole¡¯s re. ¡®Grandma, don¡¯t be fooled by his appearance. He is cunning and his personality does not match his looks at all,¡± Nicole said as she sat down. Mrs. Wace Sr. looked at the both of them, who were seated on both her left and right, and giggled. ¡°You two are really like a pair of siblings when you bicker.¡± ¡°He is not my brother.¡± Nicole said, not wanting a brother like Harvey. ¡°Your grandma is so right. Nicole, call me bro.¡± Harvey audaciously demanded. ¡°Harvey, are you looking for a fight?¡± Nicole red at Harvey. ¡°Quit pushing your luck.¡± ¡°Forget it. If you don¡¯t like it, I will stop saying it. Your grandmother has agreed to it anyway. Either way, you¡¯ll have to listen to me, as I¡¯m your brother from now on.¡± Harvey smirked. In truth, it was not that he really wanted to be Nicole¡¯s brother, but with a position like that, he would have a convenient excuse to meet her whenever he wanted. ¡°Harvey, I think you just need a good beating,¡± Nicole said, and swung at Harvey. ¡°Grandma, she is trying to hit me.¡± Harvey ducked out of the way while asking for protection from Mrs. Wace Sr. ¡°Don¡¯t be rude, Nicole,¡± her grandmother said. Now, with Mrs. Wace Sr.¡¯s help, Harvey was able to elude her punches. ¡°You¡¯re lucky today just because Grandma is protecting you. I¡¯ll let it slide once. If you talk smack to me again, I¡¯ll make sure to fix you, good and proper.¡± Nicole shot Harvey a stern look before she stopped. ¡°Grandma, looks like I can no longer leave this ce.¡± Harvey nced at Nicole, as if he had been wronged. While they were talking in the living room, Nicole¡¯s cell phone rang. She picked it up to see that it was Martin, prompting her to tap the icon. ¡¯ Are you done there, Martin?¡± ¡®I¡¯m done. Sorry, Nicole. I was going to pick you up earlier, but something unexpected happened and I didn¡¯t make it. So was it Mr. Johnston who drove you home?¡± Martin apologized, feeling embarrassed. ¡°Yes, I knew that you must have been tied up with something when you didn¡¯t show up. Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± Nicole reassured him. Content ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Very good. I have reserved a table for you at The Herald,¡± Martin said. ¡°I¡¯ll be seeing you there at 4:30. Is that okay?¡± Martin had already made all the arrangements, as he wanted to give Nicole a warm reception. ¡°No problem.¡± ¡°Okay, in that case, we talkter when we meet,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯m hanging up now.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Nicole hung up and looked at Mrs. Wace Sr. ¡°Grandma, I won¡¯t be home for dinner. My friend is hosting me and I must go.¡± ¡°Go ahead. Just stay safe when youe home tonight,¡± Mrs. Wace Sr. said. ¡°I will,¡± Nicole replied. ¡°Nicole, I was just about to tell you that I have also prepared a dinner reception for the three of US tonight. What did Martin say on the phone?¡± Harvey looked at Nicole after hearing what she had just said to Martin. ¡°Martin told me a long while ago that he would arrange a dinner reception for when I came home. We have agreed to meet at 4:30 today.¡± Nicole looked at Harvey. ¡¯It seems that there is just no way for me to be at two ces at the same time.¡± She spread her arms out, not knowing what to do. ¡°Yeah, I wasn¡¯t expecting a sh, either.¡± Harvey murmured. ¡°Let me tell you what. Since it is our reception, and Martin is not a stranger, why don¡¯t we all just do it all together? What do you think?¡± Harvey suggested, eyeing Nicole attentively. Chapter 1277 Chapter 1277 ¨¬ think it is fine, but I will have to talk to him about it,¡± she said. ¡®Then you should talk to him,¡± Harvey said. ¡°Okay.¡± Nicole picked her phone up and called Martin. Content ? N?velDrama.Org. As expected, Martin answered the phone quickly. ¡®What¡¯s up, Nicole?¡± ¡°Martin, is it okay if I bring two other people along today?¡± Nicole asked. ¡®Who are they?¡± Martin replied in kind. ¡°Harvey and Kelly, who just returned from Lanningbourg with me. Harvey has also prepared a reception, which happens to be at the same time as ours. I can¡¯t go to two ces at the same time, and so I thought, maybe we all can merge the two. What do you think?¡± Nicole suggested, knowing it was Martin¡¯s decision to make as he was the one who wanted to carry out the reception. ¡°No problem,¡± Martin said. ¡°There more the merrier. By the way, would you like me to send a chauffeur over?¡± Martin did not resent Harvey, and as long as Nicole had agreed and was happy, he would have no problem with it. ¡°It¡¯s okay. Harvey is here with me right now. We will head over thereter together,¡± Nicole said. ¡°Okay, I will see you guys at The Herald.¡± ¡°OK.¡± Hanging up, Nicole looked over at Harvey. ¡°Martin said it¡¯ll be okay for you toe along.¡± ¡°Nice,¡± Harvey said while raising his eyebrow, thinking that Martin seemed to be a nice guy. Then, he looked at the time. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we be heading out now?¡± ¡°Do we have to move so early? There is still time.¡± Nicole thought, as there was still an hour before 4:30. ¡°Don¡¯t we have to pick Kelly up?¡± he asked. Although Kelly was just an assistant to Nicole, the three of them had gotten along very well for the duration of the trip to Lanningbourg. As such, they treated Kelly as if she was their sister, and considered the reception iplete without her. ¡°Right, I forgot about that,¡± Nicole said. ¡°Grandma, we are leaving.¡± Bye Grandma. I will see you again soon.¡± Harvey bade the old woman a cordial goodbye and walked out of the vi with Nicole. ¡°You don¡¯t have to drive. Take my car,¡± Harvey said, looking over at Nicole. ¡°Okay, but you will have to drive me home when it is over,¡± Nicole said, looking at Harvey. If he would not agree, she would drive her own car. ¡°No problem, just get in.¡± Harvey replied, happy to do so as the privilege of driving women around had always belonged to Jared, with Harvey¡¯s turning in today. Harvey started the car and drove toward Kelly¡¯s house, ncing at Nicole to say, ¡°Nicole, can you please call Kelly and tell her to get ready? We will pick her up as soon as we get there.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Nicole grabbed her phone and dialed Kelly¡¯s number. ¡®Kelly, are you busy?¡± Nicole asked. ¡°No. What can I do for you, Nicole?¡± Kelly looked at herputer, thinking Nicole had assigned her a task. ¡°There is a reception tonight,¡± Nicole replied. ¡°Harvey and I will be here at your house in a few more minutes, so get ready now ande out.¡± Chapter 1278 Chapter 1278 Chapter 1278 ¡°Oh, okay.¡± Kelly was dumbfounded upon hearing that, and she began thinking to herself, ¡®A reception? What is going on? Why am I invited?¡¯ However as Nicole had extended the invitation to her anyway, she quickly freshened up and went downstairs. After a while, Harvey¡¯s car pulled up in front of her. Then, she made sure that the two people in the car were indeed Nicole and Harvey before getting in. Harvey looked at Kelly through the rear-view mirror and teased, ¡°I wasn¡¯t expecting to see this feminine side of Kelly.¡± While they were abroad, Kelly had always been garbed in formal attire, which conveyed a sense of professionalism. Today, however, she had taken on apletely different style, which was refreshing to see. ¡°Harvey, this is the first time I¡¯ve ever heard youplimenting someone. Still, I must say that Kelly really has a great sense of fashion today. I like it too. Looks like you¡¯re being highly by Harvey today, Kelly.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not as mean as you think I am. Don¡¯t I shower you withpliments often?¡± Harvey gave Nicole a look of surprise. Then, he continued. ¡°But Kelly gives me a very different feeling today than before. Kelly, I suggest you wear it like this from now on. It suits you perfectly,¡± Harvey said. Kelly blushed upon hearing the praises heaped on her. Looking at Harvey from the backseat, she said, ¡°Really? Since you think it looks good on me, I¡¯ll keep dressing the way I do whenever I get the chance.¡± ¡°What do you mean when you have the chance? Do you not allow this at work?¡± Harvey looked at Nicole beside him. ¡°Why are you looking at me like that?¡± Nicole shot Harvey a frown, after which she gave her assistant a nce. ¡°Kelly, you can wear whatever you want from now on.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Kelly nced at Harvey¡¯s side profile, feeling happy. Soon after, they arrived in front of The Herald and got out of the car, whereupon they all walked in, while a valet parked the car for Harvey. ¡°I didn¡¯t know that Martin had arranged the dinner here in this ce,¡± Harvey said as he walked. ¡°You have been here before?¡± Nicole asked. ¡°Quite regrly. I have spent my birthdays here almost every year,¡± Harvey stated without bragging at all. ¡°Huh, why does it sound like you¡¯re bragging?¡± Nicole gave Harvey a sideways nce. ¡°It¡¯s because you are overthinking it,¡± he retorted. ¡°Martin, we are here. Have you arrived?¡± Nicole called Martin on the phone. ¡°I¡¯m here,¡± Martin said. ¡°I will being right out to take you in.¡± In a minute or two, Martin appeared, and when he had approached Nicole, he greeted each and every one of them. ¡°You guys are pretty early. This way please.¡± Martin led the way. ¡°How long have you been here?¡± Nicole asked, looking over at him. N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. ¡°It has been a while. I thought you guys would be here on the dot, and I wasn¡¯t expecting you all to arrive this early.¡± Martin smiled and chatted with Nicole. When they had arrived at their private, reserved room, Martin invited the three of them to sit down. ¡°How long will you be staying here this time?¡± Martin looked at Nicole before ncing at Harvey and Kelly. ¡°We will be sticking around for a long time this time. Is there something you need help with?¡± Nicole rhetorically asked, looking at Martin with a smile in her eyes. Chapter 1279 Chapter 1279 ¡®Perhaps there really is. I will let you know once I¡¯ve thought about it.¡± Martin joked. ¡°By the way, how has the reconstruction been going?¡± Nicole asked, as the rebuilding of the factory was what she was most concerned about now. ¡°It has been rebuilt. With Mr. Johnston¡¯s full support, the rebuilding went very smoothly. We are now installing the equipment.¡¯ Martin looked at Nicole. ¡¯Oh.¡± The mere mention of Jared gave Nicole a pang of disappointment, as Jared was not among them today. ¡®Now that everyone is here, shall we get started?¡¯ Nicole looked at Martin. Martin looked at his phone and said, ¡°Wait a minute. There is another person who should be here soon.¡± Nicole frowned. ¡®Someone else ising? Martin didn¡¯t tell me about it on the phone.¡¯ ¡°Who else ising, Martin?¡± she asked. ¡°You will see.¡± Martin smiled at her, deliberately creating a sense of suspense. Harvey frowned upon hearing what Martin had said. He spected in his mind, ¡®Could the person Martin was talking about be Jared?¡¯ ¡°How are things going for you over at Lanningbourg? Did you return home early because everything went just as you had nned?¡± Martin started the conversation again and looked at Nicole with a smile. ¡°Ah well, let¡¯s not talk about it. There were just too many constrains, and we had achieved next to nothing.¡± Nicole replied, frustrated at the mention of anything that had urred abroad. ¡®It is okay. You are just starting out. If you can¡¯t find support abroad, you can always do it at home. Mr. Johnston and I are here for you, and we¡¯ll always have your back.¡± Martin looked at Nicole, his eyes brimming with assurance as he would help her out in a heartbeat. ¡°Aw, this is the second time I¡¯ve heard something so touching since I came back.¡± Nicole said, feeling blessed. Martin looked at Nicole, confused. ¡°What do you mean when you said, second time? Who did you hear it from, for the first time?¡¯ ¡°The first time was from Harvey.¡± Nicole gave Harvey a look of amusement. It was then that someone pushed the door in. With an intimidating presence, Jared appeared before their very eyes. Nicole gasped at the sight of Jared. ¡®I should have guessed it. How could he not be at my reception? Besides, the seat next to me was empty from the moment I sat down, which I should have guessed why.¡¯ Coincidentally, Harvey was seated facing the door, and when Jared came in, their eyes met for a moment. Harvey thought, ¡®It really is him!¡¯ ¡°Mr. Johnston, pleasee in.¡± Martin immediately ushered him to the seat next to Nicole. Harvey stared at Jared and only looked away after Jared had sat down.N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. ¡°Hi, Mr. Johnston,¡± Kelly greeted him with respect. Jared nodded gently in acknowledgment as he sat down next to Nicole without a hint of awkwardness in him. Nicole regretted not telling Martin about this earlier, but now it was toote. There no longer was a point in saying anything at all, as Jared had already taken a seat next to her. ¡°What did Harvey say during the first time?¡± Jared asked Nicole as he sat down, as he had overheard what they had said at the door. ¡°What brings you here?¡± Nicole shot him a rhetorical question with a grimace on her face. Jared was not bothered when Nicole did not offer a reply forting to his question. Instead, he answered her question right away. ¡®Of course I¡¯ming to this reception for you.¡± Nicole looked at Martin, thinking of asking him why he had not informed her that Jared wasing. But knowing that Martin was not aware of everything that had happened between her and Jared, she surmised that he was just being kind to host her, and hence, she held her tongue. On the other hand, Harvey had understood everything. He was keenly aware that something unpleasant that he knew nothing about had happened between Nicole and Jared, and that this would be his chance to swoop in. Chapter 1280 Chapter 1280 Noting the strange atmosphere, Martin hurriedly butted in to lighten the atmosphere. ¡°As everyone is here, I will order them to serve US our meals.¡± He tapped the bell, prompting a waiter toe in a momentter. ¡°You may start serving.¡± Martin instructed. ¡°Yes, sir,¡± the waiter said. Kelly was also able to sense the awkwardness. She quickly got up and poured wine into everyone¡¯s cups. Just then, the waiter began to serve them their food. ¡°Let¡¯s all raise our sses to Nicole, Harvey, and Kelly.¡± Martin took the lead in toasting them. Everyone then raised their sses in response, and that was when Martin said, ¡°Wee back.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Nicole looked at Martin and thanked him, with Harvey and Kelly doing the same right after. ¡°You are the guests of honor today, so make yourselvesfortable.¡± Martin sensed that everyone was rather uptight, resulting in a palpable tension of sorts, so he tried to liven it up. ¡°The man whom you said was tailing you at the airport has exined himself. He is just some run-of- the-mill creep.¡± Jared suddenly said, while withholding the disgusting details of what the man had said. Nicole turned to look at him with a frown upon hearing this. ¡°A creep? Is that what the oue of your interrogation is?¡± ¡°Yeah, you are the one who was being paranoid. It was just a misunderstanding, but I¡¯ve already punished him for you,¡± Jared said as he looked at her. ¡°I¡¯m paranoid? A misunderstanding?¡± Nicole red at Jared. ¡®Did he know that I was being followed abroad?¡¯ she fumed. ¡®If Martin hadn¡¯t told me, I would have been in danger. I entrusted him with this important task, and yet he has temerity to say that I am being paranoid? This is totally uneptable!¡¯ ¡°Jared, did you interrogate that guy properly? He followed me on the ne from Lanningbourg. If you can¡¯t handle it, I will do it myself.¡± Nicole red at Jared. ¡°I have freed him. The matter isn¡¯t asplicated as you think.¡± Jared exined again. ¡°Hold on a second, Nicole. What did you say? Someone followed you on the ne from Lanningbourg?¡± Harvey looked at Nicole with his eyes widened as he had only understood what they were talking about after hearing the conversation for a while. As she had already spoken about it, Nicole did not intend to hide it from Harvey anymore. She looked at him and uttered, ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me about it if it was a danger to you?¡± Harvey questioned, looking at Nicole with a frown. ¡°The situation wasplicated. I don¡¯t want everyone to know about it. In fact, the fewer the better,¡± Nicole exined. N?velDrama.Org holds this content. ¡°But you can¡¯t just not tell me. I remember, was the person you subdued on the ne the one who was following you around?¡± Harvey suddenly recalled the incident on the ne. ¡°Yeah,¡± she replied. ¡°So the danger has been around all this time,¡± Harvey murmured. At that time, he thought that the guy was just a thief, and after the authorities had taken the guy away, he had not given it a second thought. But now, he grew ever more perturbed when he thought about it. Chapter 1281 Chapter 1281 ¡°Actually, you could have dropped me a hint. I shouldn¡¯t have taken Kelly off the ne and left you at the airport by yourself.¡± Harvey said, regretting what he had done at that time. Kelly was left stunned and frozen upon hearing what they said and looked at them in shock. ¡°It¡¯s all behind US. Am I not sitting here fine?¡± Nicole said, forced to assure Harvey that she was fine. ¡°Mr. Johnston, why did you let that man walk free after Nicole told you that the guy was the one who was stalking her?¡± Harvey suddenly pointed his finger at Jared, questioning him sternly. ¡°Harvey, I did what I did. Don¡¯t poke your nose into that which does not concern you and mind your own business,¡± Jared said with a nk stare. ¡°Nicole¡¯s business is my business. I was on that flight back with her, so I had the responsibility to deal with any threats to her,¡± Harvey retorted. ¡°Harvey, let me take care of this.¡± Nicole gestured for him to stay out of it. Harvey shot Nicole a nce and could only keep his rage down. ¡°Jared, since you¡¯ve let the man loose, you¡¯re responsible for capturing him and handing him back to me. Otherwise, I won¡¯t be done with you.¡± Nicole turned to look at him, her eyes fierce and her demeanor stern. ¡°Don¡¯t you believe anything I say to you now?¡± Jared turned to meet Nicole¡¯s eyes. ¡°We are all friends, so don¡¯t get so worked up. There are some details in this matter that we¡¯re not aware of, and I believe that Mr. Johnston will not let a scum loose by mistake.¡¯ Martin hurriedly stood up to mediate as soon as he noticed them saber-rattling. ¡¯Martin, you have no business defending him here. This matter doesn¡¯t concern you.¡± Nicole nced at Martin. ¡°Oh well, Mr. Johnston, I guess I have no choice but to tell her about it in this situation.¡± N?velDrama.Org holds this content. Martin could not help it. If he did not tell Nicole the truth, the misunderstanding between them would only deepen. ¡°Don¡¯t say it,¡± Jared interjected. ¡°Stop pretending here. Just get that guy back and I will let it slide.¡± Nicole said, as she did not want to make things difficult for Jared either. She was just too eager to find out who was trying to harm her. ¡°Nicole, the fact is, it was Mr. Johnston who gave me the information I forwarded you before, and that includes the day when we spoke. Mr. Johnston was right there with me. Although I have not seen the guy who followed you, do you think Mr. Johnston would simply allow someone who wants to hurt you on the loose?¡± Martin spoke with emotion about what Jared had been doing for Nicole in secret. Nicole¡¯s eyes shrank as she heard this. ¡®I didn¡¯t know that all that information came from Jared. He has done so much for me. Why have I suddenly stopped believing in him? Was I really blinded by impulse?¡¯ After a long pause, Jared said, ¡°This is a reception, so let¡¯s not talk about that. It has been a long time since we have had dinner together. Let¡¯s get back to the topic of the day.¡± ¡°Right, what we have today is a reception. Let¡¯s talk about something happy. ¡± Martin quickly echoed with a smile. ¡°I was getting too emotional earlier. I¡¯m sorry for ruining everyone¡¯s mood.¡± Nicole raised her ss in a toast and downed it. Everyone else followed by raising their sses and took a swig before the tension in the room died down. Nicole hesitated before picking her ss up and turning to look at Jared.¡¯ Why do you always do stuff that causes misunderstandings? You are obviously helping me out behind my back, but you don¡¯t tell me, and you never allow others to say it out loud either. Do you have this knack for being an unsung hero?¡± Jared could tell that Nicole was being petnt with her, so he lifted the corners of his mouth into a smile, unfazed by what she had just said. He knew that letting the man go scot-free would surely raise Nicole¡¯s hackles, but he could not tell her the truth about the man, as it would be embarrassing for her. Hence, he would rather put up with a misunderstanding with Nicole. He knew that she woulde to understand what he had done one day, but he did not expect that day toe so soon. Chapter 1282 Chapter 1282 Jared grabbed his ss and struck it against Nicole¡¯s with a clink, after which he looked at her with affectionately. ¡°You are wrong. I just like being your unsung hero.¡± One minute, the two of them were arguing, and by the next, they started to act all lovey-dovey. Everyone at the scene was stunned, amazed by a man as smooth as Jared himself. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s get dinner started. Everyone has been waiting.¡± Jared signaled to Nicole with his eyes that everyone was watching. Nicole quickly sat back down and said, ¡°Sorry to keep everyone waiting.¡± Harvey snapped out of his daze. ¡°At least you know.¡± Nicole shot Harvey a re. ¡®Who said anything to you?¡¯ ¡°Okay, let¡¯s get started.¡± Martin smiled as he noticed that everyone was at ease, restoring the hospitable atmosphere that was there before. ¡°Nicole, this is good. Have some.¡± Harvey said, about to serve a dish to Nicole. But before Nicole could say anything, Jared chimed in. ¡°She doesn¡¯t like that.¡± Then, he scooped a chunk from another dish and ced it directly onto Nicole¡¯s te. ¡°This one is good. It is what you have always wanted to eat.¡± ¡°Yea, yea, yea, Mr. Johnston ordered this dish specifically for you.¡± Martin echoed from the side. It was Martin¡¯s idea to host Nicole today, but after he had informed Jared about it, everything became Jared¡¯s call. From the venue to every dish on the table, everything had been carefully selected by Jared. ¡°This is not the only dish, but most of the dishes were ordered by Mr. Johnston.¡± Martin looked at Nicole. What he meant was self-exnatory, and everyone in the room understood it. This made Harvey very upset. ¡®Had Martin not said that he had nned the reception, this scenario would not have happened, let alone an opportunity for Jared to show off. Since Jared was the one who ordered all the food, what is the point of serving them to Nicole? It was just an icing on the cake for her.¡¯ Harvey picked the wine dispenser up and refilled Nicole¡¯s ss. ¡°Let¡¯s drink, Nicole.¡± She nced at Harvey and raised her ss thereafter. ¡°To ourselves.¡± To ourselves.¡± Harvey ced his ss down as soon as someone knocked on the door of their private room. It was then that Martin said, ¡°Come in.¡± But once a man walked in with a cake in his hands, Martin asked, ¡°Are you in the wrong room? Nobody celebrates birthdays here.¡± ¡°I ordered it,¡± Harvey said. All eyes were on Harvey, as the man with the cake walked up to him. ¡°Sir, this is the cake you¡¯ve ordered.¡± ¡°Put it right here.¡± Harvey pointed right at where Nicole was sitting. The man did as he was told by putting the cake down, and left. Nicole looked at Harvey in puzzlement. ¡°Why did you order a cake?¡± ¡°I wanted to celebrate, as it is our reception today.¡± ¡°Open it up.¡± Harvey looked at Nicole and gestured. N?velDrama.Org holds this content. Nicole reached out to open the box in front of her, and a dainty threeyer cake came into view. In there was a picture of the three of them on a trip abroad, and a row of letters that read, [Celebrating our triumphant return!] on the cake. Although Nicole seemed cold, the child within her still existed. The instant she saw Harvey¡¯s thoughtful gift, she was so touched that she began tearing up ¡®Harvey, when did you be so thoughtful?¡± Nicole looked into his eyes and gave him a heartfelt compliment. Chapter 1283 Chapter 1283 "Remember what I said on the rooftop at the base?" Harvey looked Nicole in the eye, and the two locked eyes, sharing a relieved smile. Jared was watching them when he suddenly interrupted their fond memories. "Shouldn''t you share such a delicious cake with everyone?" Having bested Jared by a slight margin, Harvey nced at him with a smug look on his face. "What is the hurry? We will share the cake right away." "Nicole, you make the first cut." Harvey handed Nicole a table knife. "Me?" "Yeah." Nicole took the knife and thought about it for a moment, after which she turned to Kelly and beckoned her over. "Come over, Kelly." Then, she he looked at Kelly and Harvey. "Since we are celebrating the return of all three of US, it is only right that we cut the cake together. Come on, let''s do it together.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Harvey looked at her and grabbed her hand while Jared watched on. The three of them proceeded to cut the cake together, after which Harvey took the knife from Nicole, took the first slice of cake, and handed it to Nicole. "Here you go." Nicole dly epted, while Jared watched without uttering a word, though he was quite upset. Then, Harvey cut the second slice of cake and handed it to Kelly. "Other than Nicole, you are the only woman here.¡± ¡°Thank you, Harvey,¡± Kelly said, smiling happily as she imed the slice of cake which Harvey had cut for her. After that, he cut another slice for Martin and handed it to him. ¡®Thanks Harvey," Martin said. Finally, he cut a slice for himself and ced the knife down without giving any for Jared. Nicole looked around and was about to pick the knife up to cut a slice for Jared when he refused. "I haven''t been enjoying sugary food itemstely, so you guys can go ahead. Then he grabbed his cutlery and enjoyed his meal alone. Harvey''s mouth curved up in a smirk. He proceeded to enjoy the cake while chatting with Nicole, completely ignoring Jared. Jared was listening in on Nicole and Harvey''s conversation, ready to chime in whenever he had the chance. However, they were talking about everything that had happened abroad, making it difficult for him to interrupt. In fact, Harvey was doing this on purpose. He knew that Jared certainly would not have the opportunity to chime in if he talked about things at the base abroad. Nicole suddenly issued a sigh midway through the conversation, and that was when Jared knew that his chance hade. "What''s wrong? Why are you sighing all of a sudden?" Harvey knew that he had screwed up. He was too engrossed in the conversation and had totally forgotten about Jared''s presence, allowing him to exploit the situation. As expected, Nicole turned to Jared with a look of sadness in her eyes. "The reason we came back this time round is that, when we were manufacturing chips abroad, my proposed solution didn''t work. I was so frustrated that I decided to return home.¡± Nicole confided her frustrations in him as soon as she looked at him. Content ? N?velDrama.Org. Jared finally understood why Nicole had been wearing the frown from the time he saw her until now. As it turned out, something had been bothering her. "I didn''t know that. Can you show me your proposalter?" Nicole nced at Jared in surprise, then she remembered what he had told her before. She smiled. "Okay." Chapter 1284 Chapter 1284 Harvey was waiting for Jared to falter in his attempt tofort Nicole so that he could swoop in. He thought that Jared would not understand the situation back at Lanningbourg, and that it would not help no matter how hard Jared tried. Harvey had even thought of what to say to her should that be the case, but was surprised when Jared sessfullyforted Nicole in a single sentence. ¡®How did he do it in just one sentence? Gosh, I''m still waiting for my opening!" "Nicole, the nt will be ready to resume production soon. You cane over for a visit whenever you have time." Martin looked at Nicole. ¡®I''m nning on visiting, even if you don''t bother to mention it, but it might take a few days for me to free up. I have a few things I need to take care of first.¡± Nicole exined, looking at Martin. ¡°It is okay. You cane whenever you wish. Just take care of your side of things first. There is nothing going on at the nt right now. I''m just checking in with you,¡± Martin said with a smile. "Okay." "Martin, any progress on the arson case?" Nicole asked as the question suddenly came to mind. ¡®There are some. The guy who started the fire the other day was meeting someone in a small store. We''ve already ced a few men outside to keep an eye on and ambush him. We''re just waiting for the key person to show up so that we can capture him." Martin told them all of the information he had received, as there were no outsiders in the room. "Hmm, keep an eye on that side first. Have you beefed up the security at the nt?¡± Nicole asked. "Yeah, I have entrusted the job to the people I trust,¡± Martin said. "Good. As equipment is arriving these few days, there will be many peopleing and going. Be extra careful. I''m worried that the guy might take advantage of the opportunity to sabotage our stuff again,¡± Nicole said with concern. "I have also thought about that. This time, however, the equipment is different from the ones we had. It requires the manufacturer¡¯s technicians toe over to install and debug, which makes it easy for malicious agents to exploit the situation. This is what I''m worried about.¡± Martin said with a look of worry on his face. Nicole took a deep breath and pondered. ¡°Can we send our own employees to the manufacturer to learn about instation andmissioning?" ¡®That''s impossible. The manufacturer is counting on this feature to make money. They are not going to teach you," Jared said. N?velDrama.Org holds this content. ¡°Now, that would suck,¡± Nicole said. "Perhaps you could recruit a few experts in this field." Harvey suddenly spoke up. "Recruiting experts?¡± Martin looked at Harvey in puzzlement. "Yes," Harvey said. ¡®Experts who can install and debug can''t be lying around doing nothing. It is impossible for us to recruit any." Martinughed the idea off. "You may not be able to recruit them, but who is to say that Mr. Johnston can''t?" Harvey looked at Jared, and everyone else followed suit. "Yes, it will be much easier if Mr. Johnston is the one approaching them. That way, it won''t be as risky as well." Martin looked at Jared, his eyes lighting up. ¡®Yes, not only does it minimize the risks, we also won''t need to spend a fortune to hire the manufacturer''s technicians if there are any problems with the equipment in the future, as we can repair it ourselves. Now that''s a twofer," Nicole said. "Well done, Harvey! You didn''t travel with me for nothing. You have gotten smarter, it seems.¡± Nicole looked at Harvey andplimented him. ¡®Thanks.¡± Harvey rolled his eyes. ''ls sheplimenting me or herself?¡¯ "Jared, we will count on you for this,¡± Nicole said as she turned to look at Jared. ¡®She appears to be asking for my help, but in reality, she is just telling me,¡¯ Jared thought. ¡®They didn''t even ask for my opinion when they were discussing about it. Now that they havee to a decision, they are expecting me to do it.¡¯ Evidently, the interaction had left Jared feeling a little upset. However, since it was Nicole who had asked, he could not refuse. Besides, he had an investment in thepany, and so, he had to think in terms of the Beacon''s interest. Chapter 1285 Chapter 1285 ¡®Okay, I will ask Max to take care of it." Jared agreed, knowing that he was the only one who could help Nicole feel better. Otherwise, she would be left to fend for herself again. "Mr. Johnston, thank you very much. Here''s a toast to you.¡¯ Martin looked at Jared and raised his ss. But Jared did not respond to him, as his eyes were on Nicole, who got the hint and raised her ss to Jared. ¡°Thank you. I will drink to you.¡± After saying that, she tilted the ss and was about to chug it all down when Harvey attempted to stopped her.Nicole..." However, Jared beat him to the punch and grabbed Nicole''s arm before lowering it slowly. Then, he looked at her with affection in his eyes. "You don''t have to. I''m sorry that I didn''t exin everything to you. I know it made you anxious, and it was on me because I didn''t think it through properly, so I will down this ss as an apology to you." Instead of drinking from his own ss, he took Nicole''s from her hand and downed it in one go. Nicole was touched by the sincerity in his eyes and his attitude, and at that very moment, all of the dissatisfaction that she had with him vanished. "What a surprise today. I have never seen Mr. Johnston making amends to anyone before." Martin commented. Harvey shot Martin a nce, his eyes filled with jealousy. Then, he grabbed his ss of wine and took a swig. Seeing this, Kelly said, "Harvey, that is not good for your health." "It is okay. I''m happy.¡± Harvey took another swig after having said what he did not mean. Nicole did not see any of this. She was now so focused on Jared that she did not even notice that Harvey was drinking out of jealousy beside her. The group then proceeded to chat untilte night before calling it a day. Just as Jared and Nicole walked out, Max approached them and helped Jared into the car along with Nicole. ¡®Max, let me know when you have gotten Jared back to the vi safely." Nicole looked at Max. All of a sudden, Jared grabbed Nicole by the wrist and pulled her into the vehicle. ¡°Jared, I can''t get out of the car if you''re going to keep doing this," Nicole told him, but Jared was so drunk that she could not free herself from his grip no matter what she did. "Why don''t you take Mr. Johnston home instead?" Max said. Nicole had no choice but to give Max a nod. She figured she would have to find a way to return home after getting Jared back to his vi. "Harvey, Jared is very drunk. I must take him home. You don''t have to drive me home today, as I see that you aren''t really sober, either. "Kelly, I will leave Harvey to you." Nicole looked at Kelly, who was holding a clearly inebriated Harvey. "Okay, don''t worry, I will get Harvey home safely." Kelly looked at Nicole and assured her.N?velDrama.Org ? 2024. Harvey, supported by Kelly, was watching Nicole. He had heard everything she had just said, but he could not find the strength to respond. Before this, Nicole had told him that she wanted him to take her home, but now that she was in Jared''s car, he could only watch in a state of helplessness. "Martin, are you okay?" Nicole looked at Martin. "I''m fine. You don''t have to worry about me. You should take care of Mr. Johnston." Martin said, as he had a driver there to pick him up. "Well, we are leaving now." "Max, drive." Nicole mmed the car door shut. Chapter 1286 Chapter 1286 Max drove Jared and Nicole gradually away from The Herald under the watchful eyes of Harvey. Kelly, and Martin. Martin then turned to Harvey and Kelly and asked, "Do you want me to drive you home?" Harvey waved his hand, and Kelly said, ¡°Thank you, Mr. Wyance, but it''s okay. I will take Harvey back to his home.¡± "Well then, be safe. I shall leave now." Martin left in the car that had arrived to pick him up once he had said his goodbyes. This left Kelly and Harvey, who remained standing at the entrance outside The Herald on their own. "Harvey, what is your home address?" Kelly asked. Harvey mumbled a few incoherent words and cked out. Seeing this, Kelly had no choice but to help Harvey into a cab. "Make your way to 455 South Avenue,¡± she said. The next morning, Harvey woke up with his throat parched. He opened his groggy eyes, still feeling a little dizzy. It took him a while before he could see the furnishings in the room clearly. "Where is this?¡± He looked around the room, the pastel-colored decoration telling him that this was not his room. Just as he sat up from bed, the bedroom door was pushed open from the outside as Kelly walked in with a ss of water. Seeing Harvey wide awake, she said, "You''re awake?" Then, she handed him the ss of water. Harvey looked at Kelly, grabbed the ss of water, and took a sip. "What is this ce?¡± "It is my home.¡± Harvey looked at Kelly in surprise as he almost spewed his mouthful of water. "Your home?" ¡°Yeah, is there anything wrong with that?¡± Kelly looked at Harvey calmly. Harvey looked around again, and noticed that the entire room was in pink. He did not expect Kelly to be so cute. "Wait, why am I at your house?¡± Harvey frowned. "You got hammeredst night, and I didn¡¯t know where you lived, so I brought you straight to my home.¡± Kelly looked at Harvey bashfully. "I was drunk?" Harvey looked at Kelly, unable to believe that. "You don''t believe me? Do I have to tell you about it?" Kelly asked, wishing to exin the entire situation to him as she could see that Harvey did not believe what she had said. "No, it is alright. Thanks for bringing me here.¡± Harvey said as he got up and staggered out of the room. Seeing this, Kelly rushed forward to help him out. "I''m fine on my own.¡± Harvey stubbornly brushed Kelly''s hand aside and hobbled out on his own. N?velDrama.Org ? 2024. After leaving Kelly''s house, Harvey hailed a cab and headed for his vi. Back in Jared''s vi, Nicole had spent the entire night taking care of Jared and had fallen asleep on his bedside. After Jared had woken up, he saw Nicole sleeping on the edge of his bed.¡¯ Has she fallen asleep while taking care of me?¡¯ Jared ced his hand on his forehead, which still hurt a little. He gently got off the mattress before carrying Nicole to the bed and covering her with a nket. After doing so, he looked at her beautiful visage and gave her a peck on the forehead. Then, he left the room so that she could get some rest. He came into the living room, sat down on the couch, and took a breather, recalling the events ofst night. He could vaguely remembered that Nicole had helped him out of The Herald, but he could not remember anything that had happened thereafter. Following a short rest on the couch, he got up and made his way to the kitchen, where he wanted to make a hearty breakfast for Nicole. After a while, footfalls began thudding down the flight of stairs. It was Nicole. She scanned the living room but Jared was nowhere to be seen. Hearing a sound in the kitchen, she made a beeline for it, and it was there that she saw Jared cooking. Chapter 1287 Chapter 1287 Jared spun around and saw Nicole looking at him. ¡°You are awake? Why didn''t you get more sleep?¡± ¡®I didn''t see you in the bedroom and thought you were not feeling well again.¡± Nicole looked at Jared. Jared looked at Nicole with a frown. ¡°Wait, why would you think I was not feeling well when I''m not in the room?¡± Nicole was amused at the thought of Jared not feeling well. Last night, he had wandered around alone looking for the bathroom, and she ended up helping him in. ¡®What are youughing at?" Jared asked, perplexed by the mocking look on Nicole''s face. ¡®Nothing, just recalling some of your strange behaviorst night.¡± Nicole said, and erupted into a gale of laughter again. Jared could not help but shake his head, and returned to the kitchen to get busy, with Nicole following right behind to see what he was doing. ¡®What are you doing?¡± she asked. ¡°I''m cooking your favorite steak," Jared said. ¡®That¡¯s nice of you.¡± Nicole looked at him with her brows raised. "Not a problem. Take it as token of gratitude for taking good care of mest night.¡¯ Jared looked at Nicole with a smile. "Now, go and wash up," he urged. "The steak will be ready once you''re done. = ¡°Okay.¡± Nicole turned around and headed upstairs. Jared sped up, and in no time, he got two sets of hearty breakfasts ready. After Nicole was done giving herself a rinse, she came back into the dining room. The two sat across from each other, with Jared handing her the steak which had been sliced. Seeing this, she smiled as she enjoyed his disys of chivalry. Besides, she had not eaten steak that he cooked for a long time. Jared nced at Nicole. "Give it a try. Haven''t you been missing it for a long time?" "No, I haven''t. I could have steak every day abroad, you know?" Nicole pped back, though she was actually happy, and did not mean what she said. Jared knew she was lying, but he could not be bothered to expose her. He sliced the piece of steak on his te, took a piece and chewed it in his mouth. Then, he looked at Nicole in the eye with a smile on his face. ¡®What happenedst night?" Jared asked while staring at Nicole. ¡®Nothing. You and Harvey were drunk, while the other three of US were sober." ¡°Harvey was drunk too?" Jared looked at Nicole with a brow raised. "Yeah, I had to ask Kelly to take him home," she said. N?velDrama.Org holds this content. Jared was secretly delighted with the fact that he had also gotten drunkst night. Otherwise, Harvey would have asked Nicole to take him home. ¡°Do you have anything going on today?" Jared asked, looking at Nicole, thinking if she had nothing to do, they could catch some rest together in the vi. ¡®I don''t think I have anything to do. Do you?¡± Nicole asked, looking into Jared''s eyes. ¡°Since you have nothing to do, why don''t we cut ourselves some ck andze around here today?¡± Jared stared into Nicole''s eyes, unsure if she would agree. ¡°I''m going back to my Grandma''s today. Have yourself a good rest here. Thank you very much for the breakfast,¡± Nicole said, ced her cutlery down, and turned around before making her way upstairs. Looking on as Nicole went up, Jared felt a little disappointed. He began wondering if she was still mad at him. After a few minutes, Jared walked up to her as she returned to the lower floor, fully dressed. Puzzled, Nicole looked at him. ¡°Don''t you have to get some rest? Are you going out as well?¡± Chapter 1288 Chapter 1288 ¡®¡®It bores me to stay here on my own. I might as well go to work." Jared pushed the door open and walked out ahead of Nicole. Nicole shot him a nce and followed suit.Now sitting in his car, Jared looked over at Nicole. "Are you coming back to stay the night?¡¯ "No, I''m noting back,¡± Nicole said, after which she stepped on her gas pedal and drove away. Jared then ignited his engine and drove to his office. On the way, he could not get Nicole out of his head and was in no mood to work, so he turned around and drove to the hospital. Once he had arrived at Maximillian''s ward, he pushed the door open and walked over. "Grandpa, why are you out of bed?¡± He had not visited his grandfather for just a while and to his surprise, his grandfather had already gotten out of bed. "Jared, you are here?" Mr. Johnston Sr. was standing by the window, admiring the view outside when he heard Jared''s voice and turned around. "Grandpa, did the doctor say that you can get out of bed and move around? '' Jared asked. "The doctor said I''m recovering fast, and can get out of bed slowly now." Maximillian looked at Jared with sincerity in his eyes, though he was lying. Jared nodded, believing him. "That''s good, but you should also get more rest and take it slowly." "Don''t worry. I know what I''m doing. Anyway, what brings you here today?" Maximillian asked, looking over at Jared. "It has been a few days since I''vest visited you. It just so happens that I''m not as busy today, so I dropped by to see you," Jared said, not telling him the real reason. "Come over and sit down." Maximillian gestured, signaling Jared to walk him to the couch and sit him down. "Jared, when the doctorester, you ask him if I can be discharged from the hospital.¡± As he said those words, the intention of getting out of the hospital was written all over his face. "Judging by how quickly you are recovering, you''ll probably be discharged from the hospital soon. I will ask the doctorter when hees by," Jared said. "By the way, have you gotten any information regarding Henry yet?" the old man asked. Maximillian was always thinking about Henry, and would ask Jared the same question during every visit. N?velDrama.Org ? 2024. "My men found him abroad. They said that he seems to have joined forces with some foreignpany. Now, we have no way of bringing him back." Jared said, telling Maximillian everything he knew, as he knew that he would not be able to fool his grandfather. "Traitor! How dare he defect to foreigners? Find him, and I will break his legs!" Maximillian bellowed. ¡®Grandpa, don''t worry about it." Jared said, not wanting his grandfather to worry about Henry when he was still sick. ¡°I will take care of it." He would try his best to handle the issue for him. While the two were talking, the doctor, who had just walked in from the hallway, was stunned to see Maximillian sitting on the couch, talking to Jared. "Why are you out of bed?!" The doctor hurried over to Maximillian. Maximillian did not look too happy because he thought that the doctor had talked too much. ¡®Could he note inter? I have only just gotten out of bed and have moved around for just a while.¡¯ ¡®Hi, Mr. Johnston," the doctor greeted Jared. Jared then realized that his grandfather had secretly gotten out of bed on his own, and that the doctor had not allowed him to move around. "Mr. Chairman, you can''t get out of bed yet. Haven''t I exined that to you? Why are you getting out of bed again?" the doctor said with a tone of concern, after which he helped Maximillian back to bed with Jared. Jared eyed his grandfather with a look of helplessness, as it seemed that this was not the first time he had sneaked out of bed. Chapter 1289 Chapter 1289 "Grandpa, you can''t be doing this anymore. It will affect your recovery, and as a result, you''ll have to extend your stay here." Jared admonished him with concern. ''l know, but it is just too ufortable to be in bed all the time. Besides, I didn''t make any rigorous movements. I just went to the window to look at the scenery outside.¡± Maximillian knew he had done something wrong and spoke with a much gentler tone than usual. "Mr. Chairman, just hang in there for another week, and you should be able to get out of bed after that. I won''t stop you from doing whatever you want after that," the doctor reassured him. Maximillian nodded in agreement with the doctor''s advice. "Doctor, how long do you think it will take for my grandfather to be discharged from the hospital given his current rate of recovery?" Jared asked. "With his current rate of recovery, I think it should be about two or three more weeks," the doctor said in Maximillian''s presence. Maximillian, who was on the bed, was happy, knowing that he could leave this boring ward soon. "Grandpa, you heard what the doctor just said, didn''t you? You can get out of here soon." Jared looked at Maximillian, happy for him. "I hear you." Maximillian¡¯s face broke into a smile. Jared then checked his wristwatch after he had spoken to Maximillian for a long time. "Grandpa, get some rest. I wille back to see you some other time.¡± "Go ahead. With so much going on in the office, you won''t have toe over again until I''m discharged," Maximillian said. Jared nodded, said his goodbye, and left the hospital. N?velDrama.Org ? 2024. Meanwhile, Nicole, who had arrived at the Sea View Vi, ran into Mrs. Wace Sr. as soon as she entered the house. "Why didn''t youe homest night? Where did you go?" Mrs. Wace Sr. asked. "Oh, I went to Jared''s house," Nicole said as she held Mrs. Wace Sr.''s by the arm. "Why didn''t you tell me about it?¡± her grandmother asked. ¡°I was up all night, unable to sleep well." "It was my fault, Grandma.¡± Nicole said, feeling guilty for making her elderly grandmother worry. ¡®It was Jared''s fault for getting drunk and giving me a hard timest night. Otherwise, I would have been home,'' she thought to herself. "Grandma, let''s go and take a seat on the couch," Nicole said, helping Mrs. Wace Sr. toward the couch. It was then that Tia came in from the garden, and when she saw that Nicole had returned, she hurried over. ¡°Nicole, you''re back." Then she sat down beside Nicole and whispered, "You didn''t call when you couldn''t make it back home last night. Your grandma really couldn''t sleep, as she had spent the entire night worrying about you." "I know. Grandma saw me as soon as I came home." Nicole gave Tia a sheepish nce. "What are you two talking about?" Mrs. Wace Sr. asked. "Nothing. You didn''t sleep wellst night, grandma. Why don''t I help you into your bedroom now so that that you may catch some rest?¡± Nicole turned to look at Mrs. Wace Sr. with concern. "Okay. I''m relieved to see that you''re back, and I''m really sleepy now.¡¯ Mrs. Wace Sr. said. "Let me help you." Nicole helped Mrs. Wace Sr. up walked her into her bedroom. After tucking her grandmother in, she walked out of the room. "Tia, don''t call me for lunch. I''m going to catch some sleep, too." Nicole had not slept well either, because she had to take care of Jaredst night. Now that she was home, she turned around and headed upstairs to her room. Chapter 1290 Chapter 1290 Closing the bedroom door behind her, Nicole plonked herself on her queen size bed, able to finally get some proper sleep. A few dayster, she went to Martin''s factory. "How is the productioning along, Martin?¡± Nicole asked, looking at Martin in his office. "It is going well. The production levels are gradually returning to the same as before," Martin replied. "That''s good," Nicole said. ¡°Are there a lot of orders piling up?" "There are quite a lot of ordersing in, but we''re certain that we''ll be able toplete them before the delivery dateline," Martin said, confident in his abilities. ¡®It seems that you''ve already gotten a handle on it. By the way, what about the technicians that Jared had recruited for you?" Nicole asked, as she thought of Jared. "Those technicians that Mr. Johnston had recruited were godsend. Otherwise, I guess we would have to wait for a few more days before we can start with the production.¡± Martin looked at Nicole with gratitude in his eyes. ¡®I knew I could trust Jared with this.¡± Nicole looked at Martin with pride. She knew Jared would always be circumspect and would do his best in everything he was assigned. "Nicole, I heard that the McCarthy family is back, but the thing is, why haven''t we heard anything about them?¡± Martin looked at Nicole in puzzlement. "I''ve got no idea. I¡¯ve received no news about the McCarthy family as ofte. I''m not sure what they are up to," Nicole said as she narrowed her upturned eyes. "Nicole, have you discovered the identity of the person whom the stalker of yours was working for?" Martin asked. "Joyce," Nicole calmly uttered the name that Martin had in mind. "I didn''t expect it to really be her,¡± Martin murmured. ¡®How did you know that?" Nicole looked at Martin in bafflement. ¡®When I told you about it before this, my first vague suspicion was that it might be her. However, I had nothing to back it up, so I didn''t dare to tell you lightly.¡± Martin exined. "Oh, it is fine. I just didn''t expect that the McCarthy family would have the nerve to return and put a target on my back,¡± she said. As Joyce was the one who had started it all, Nicole wouldn''t let her get away this time. N?velDrama.Org holds this content. "Have you noticed any suspicious individuals in the factory recently?¡± Nicole suddenly asked. ¡®No, things have been rather quiet. I think that, after thest incident, they would not dare make another again.¡± Martin looked at Nicole with a hint of assurance in his eyes. ¡®The only issue is, we still do not know who was behind that arson attack." Martin added, looking distressed. "Don''t worry. The truth wille out eventually,¡± Nicole said. "Mhm,¡± Martin uttered. "Until we''re able to bring the mastermind behind the attack to justice, we must not let our guard down, so that they can''t find an opening to exploit," Nicole said. "I have beefed up our security," Martin said. "That is great. Well, you should get busy now. I will leave you to your work." Nicole got up, said her goodbye, and proceeded to leave. "Would you like to see the newly installed production nt?¡± Martin suddenly called out to Nicole. ¡®Yeah. Why not?¡± Nicole turned around and followed Martin. Concurrently, Max had walked into Jared''s office after cing a few knocks on the door to report something to his employer. "Mr. Johnston, we''ve gotten some intel about the McCarthy family.¡± Jared looked up at Max. "Speak up.¡± ¡®We''ve found Joyce in a private mansion located in the outskirts of town. The McCarthy who had returned to the country earlier was indeed Joyce," Max said, telling Jared about all the information he had gathered. ¡®So it really is her." Jared''s eyes darkened as he stared ahead. Chapter 1291 Chapter 1291 "Have you noticed any sort of activity from her as of recently?" Jared asked Max. "Since her return, she has been on the down-low. Other than the gym, she hasn''t been to many other ces.¡± Jared could not believe that she would live such a quiet and normal life. To him, her actions were definitely suspicious. "Get someone to check out the gym which she frequents," Jared ordered. "Understood," Max said. "By the way, I need you to find out if the person who went abroad with Nicole has any sort of connections with Joyce." Jared ordered. ¡°Take note of each and every move made. Should there be any updates, report to me immediately." "Understood," Max uttered again. "Oh yeah, have you gotten any updates regarding Henry?" asked Jared. "No," Max said. "His bodyguards are always with him, so our men can''t make a move just yet.¡± "If that''s the case, create a window of opportunity to whisk him away." Jared instructed coldly. "Understood," said Max. ¡®Martin, I think the new facilities are a lot better than the previous ones." Nicole said as she and Martin were having a chat outside. "That''s right. All of the facilities were imported by Mr. Johnston. It was a massive step-up aspared to our previous batch," Martin praised. ¡®I take it that when I wasn''t around, you''ve gotten really close to Jared?" Nicole raised her eyebrows and looked at Martin. "Mr. Johnston has done a lot for me.¡± Martin''s eyes were filled with gratitude. "I''ve heard you repeating this line multiple times already. That''s all for today. I''ll get going now, she said, after which she got into the car and drove out of the factory. But once she was in the car, Nicole''s phone suddenly rang. Seeing this, she pressed the ¡®ept call¡¯ button N?velDrama.Org holds this content. ¡°Hello?¡± "Nicole. Where are you?¡± Harvey''s voice sounded from the phone. "I just left Martin''s. Why are you calling me?" Nicole asked. "We''ve been back for a few days now. Shouldn''t we continue working on the chip soon?" Harvey reminded her. "Yeah, I get it. I''m driving now, so if there''s nothing else, I''m hanging up. Bye -bye.¡± Nicole immediately hung up after she was done speaking. All of a sudden, Nicole recalled what Jared had said the other day at The Herald. Then, she immediately made a turn and drove to Jared''s office. Upon reaching the headquarters of the Johnston Group, Nicole got down and stared at the building. It was a ce which gave her mixed feelings, for the ce invoked feelings of sadness while brimming with surprises. However, for the sake of the chip, she had no choice but to walk into the building. As soon as Nicole had arrived at Jared''s office, the assistant immediately stood up and greeted Nicole upon seeing her. "Is Jared in?" Nicole asked. "Mr. Johnston is in, Miss Riddle," the assistant replied politely. ¡°Alright,¡± Nicole said, whereupon she strode in and pushed the office door open. When Jared heard the door opening, he thought that it was his assistant delivering documents to him.Without lifting his head, he coldly said, "Just leave it here.¡± "Mr. Johnston, are you hiring me as your assistant now?¡± Nicole''s voice sounded out in the room. Jared immediately stopped writing and looked up at Nicole. Asmile crossed his face at once. "What brings you here?" "Why? Am I not wee here?" she asked. Chapter 1292 Chapter 1292 "You know that''s not true. Come over and have a seat." Jared stood up from his desk and gestured her toward the couch. N?velDrama.Org holds this content. "Is there anything I can help you with?" Jared asked Nicole. "May I onlye to you if I need help?¡± Nicole purposely questioned. Jared studied Nicole from head to toe. ¡®What''s up with her today? Why is she being passive aggressive with her words?¡¯ "You know I don''t mean it that way,¡± Jared said, briefly exining himself. "Fine, I''m done messing with you. I have something important to discuss with you today.¡± Nicole spared him the banter and began to speak in a more solemn tone. "What is it?¡± Jared looked at her. "Didn''t you ask for the proposal when we were at The Herald a few days ago?¡± She took the proposal out of her bag and handed it to Jared. "I''ve brought it to you today. You may have a look at it." Jared took it from her and flipped through it, ¡°Is this the chip you''re nning to develop?" ¡®This isn''t just about making the chip, it''s for you as well.¡± Nicole stared at him and answered. "For me?" Jared looked at her in puzzlement. ¡®What does she mean by that?¡¯ "Have you forgotten?" Nicole replied with a question, able to tell from the expression on his face that he was clueless. "What did I forget?" he asked. Nicole sneered, "I guess you''ve really forgotten everything.¡± Jared continued looking at her in confusion. He was perplexed by Nicole''s questions. "Why did I agree to Mr. Harmon''s invitation? Have you really forgotten all of that already?" Nicole reminded Jared. It was then that what she meant dawned upon him. ¡®So, that was what she was referring to.¡¯ shing her an awkward smile, he said, "If you had told me earlier, I would''ve recalled it right away.¡± Then, Jared began to frown, ¡°Are you trying to say that this chip you''re developing is meant for the manned flying car?" "That''s right. To be precise, it was designed for you." Nicole gave him an amorous nce as she exined. Hearing this, Jared felt touched and locked Nicole in a tight embrace at once. "Thank you for sacrificing so much for me.¡± Jared''s honeyed voice sounded in Nicole''s ear. "I''m d that you''re aware of that. Now, let''s see if this proposal is feasible or not." Nicole wriggled out of Jared''s arms and urged him to take action. "Okay, I need to read it through in detail.¡± Jared replied as he gave her a serious look. "Yeah, you must peruse it thoroughly." Nicole reminded him. Then, Jared took the proposal, walked to his desk, and sat down. He ced all his focus and attention on the proposal in his hand. Not forgetting that Nicole was there while he was reading, he asked the assistant to make a cup of coffee for her. Naturally, Nicole loved the sweet and caring side of Jared. She sat on the couch and drank her coffee while admiring Jared''s look of diligence while at work. After a while, Jaredpleted his read. He lifted his head, looked at Nicole and said, "This proposal is feasible. What do you need me to do?¡± Nicole sat there and began to think, ¡®There''s an empty workspace at Harvey''s ce on site. No doubt, equipment and raw materials will be the most challenging areas to manage.'' Making up her mind, she looked at Jared and said, "I need your help on equipment and raw materials." Jared looked at Nicole and smiled. It seemed that she had entrusted him with the most difficult task. At the same time, this showed that Nicole still thought of him as a pir of strength on which she could depend. "No problem. When do you need it?¡± Jared asked. Chapter 1293 Chapter 1293 "It''ll be great if it could be done as soon as possible." Nicole looked at Jared and smirked. ¡®Okay, I''ll make the arrangements right away,¡± he replied. "Thanks in advance," she said. "You should get back to work. I''ll leave you to it then.¡± Nicole said, as she hadpleted what she had intended to do there, and did not want to stay and bother Jared. "Why? You''re just going to hurry off once you''ve settled your business here? " Jared asked upon noticing that she was about to leave. "No, I¡¯m just worried that if I stay here, I''ll be bothering you while you work." Nicole looked at him and exined. "Nonsense. I''ll be even more efficient if you stay.¡± Jared looked at her affectionately and smiled Nicole gave it some thought, ''I don''t really have anything to do right now, and since he has already asked, I''ll just stay here and apany him." "Okay then. But it''ll bore me to just sit here and do nothing. Do you have aputer which I can use?" she asked. "Yes, there is. I have aptop here, you can have it.¡± Jared reached into the desk drawer beside him and took aptop out. Then, he passed it to Nicole. Nicole took theptop from him, went back to the same spot, and sat down. After she had turned it on, her slender fingers began darting across the keyboard in continuous fashion. As she did, Jared would look at Nicole from time to time. ¡®Even though she¡¯s just sitting there, she''s as gorgeous as ever.'' Nheless, Nicole did not know that Jared was looking at her. The entirety of her being was focused on the screen as she was gleaning for information about Joyce, and after hours of searching, she finally found what she was looking for. ¡®It seems that she really did return home earlier. In that case, the person I bumped into the other day might be her.¡¯ After thinking about it for a moment, Nicole quickly searched for thetest updates about Joyce, but to no avail. It was as if Joyce had vanished from the inte altogether. Some of the applications which Joyce would frequent back then had no records of her login history for a long time either. Nicole frowned as she sat still. ¡®How am I going to investigate further from here?¡¯ When Jared got up to make some coffee during his break, he noticed Nicole locked in a state of bafflement on the couch. With his mug in hand, he walked over and asked, "What''s the matter? Who is giving you such a massive headache?" Nicole noticed Jared but her eyes were fixed on his cup of coffee. "That coffee you have with you, could you give it to me?" Jared chuckled, "Sure, take it." He passed the mug in his hand to her and turned around to make himself a new cup. After that, he returned. "Tell me, what is it that is stressing you out?" Jared asked. "I''m digging into what I can find about Joyce, but she hasn''t been on the inte for a while. And now, it''s practically impossible to get any updates about her on the inte,¡± Nicole said, telling him everything about her investigation. "You want to find the most recent updates about Joyce?" Jared raised his eyebrows and looked at Nicole. "Yeah." Nicole''s eyes suddenly lit up. "Why did he ask me such a question? Does he know something?¡¯ "Jared Johnston, do you know anything about Joyce?¡± Nicole''s eyes narrowed at Jared. "That''s right. I do know a few things about her,¡± Jared answered without hesitation. "My men have found the ce that Joyce is holed up in.¡± "You''ve found her? Where is she?" Nicole asked as she looked at him in disbelief. N?velDrama.Org holds this content. "She''s residing at a private mansion in the suburbs. It''s a secluded ce, so no one can gain easy ess to it. I guess that''s the main reason as to why she chose that ce.¡± Jared replied, telling her what he had discovered. Chapter 1294 Chapter 1294 The suburbs?¡± Nicole frowned and looked at Jared. ¡°No wonder there are no traces of her activity on the inte. The signal in the suburbs must be pretty poor, right?¡± In Nicole''s imagination, the suburbs which Joyce was staying at must be a remote and secluded ce with no residents. it''s not like how you imagine. I think the reason as to why she isn''t on the inte is that she doesn''t want to give her location away." Jared calmly analyzed. Material ? N?velDrama.Org. After Nicole had heard Jared''s analysis, she lowered her head and began to think. ''What he said makes sense too. The McCarthy family had publicly announced that they''re returning to their hometown. Why would Joyce hide her whereabouts?" ¡®Jared, there''s one thing which I don''t understand. The McCarthys have already made the announcement that they''re going back to their ce of origin. Why would Joyce go into hiding?" Nicole frowned and asked Jared. "I guess she must be harboring some sort of unspeakable secret," Jared blurted out. ¡®Yeah, that must be the case." Nicole agreed. "Jared, what has Joyce been doing recently?" Nicole continued to question Jared. "She has been behaving well. Other than going to the gym on a daily basis, she doesn''t go anywhere else." Jared told her everything he knew about Joyce. "Gym..." Nicole murmured. ¡®Could there be something odd about the gym as well?" Nicole guessed. ¡®I''ve sent someone there to investigate it. If there are any updates, I''ll let you know," he replied. "Nicole, are there any interesting stories from when you were abroad? I''d like to hear them.¡± Jared smiled, easing his way into the topic about everything that had happened abroad. "When I was abroad? I guess the best thing that happened to me on this trio was that I went on a shopping spree,¡¯ Nicole recalled, as the shopping trip was the most interesting that had happened to her. "Shopping spree? Tell me more," Jared said, following his instinct. He felt that something must have happened during that shopping spree. Nicole did not register this, but she was falling for Jared''s trap. "The other day, the three of US went shopping. While we were walking, a child suddenly appeared out of nowhere and tackled Harvey to the ground. At that moment, Harvey just couldn''t stop crying.¡¯ Nicole burst into an incessant gale ofughter as she recalled the experience. Watching Nicole¡¯sughter, Jared looked at her in confusion. "Is it that funny?¡± Nicole looked at him and nodded. Then, she continued with her fits ofughter on the couch. Initially, he wanted to find out if Harvey had done anything that had crossed the line. However, it seemed to him that Harvey had been making a fool out of himself in front of Nicole. After a few minutes, Nicole finally stoppedughing, "You should get back to work. Am I being a distraction to you here?" "It''s still fine." Jared got up, walked to his desk, and continued working until noon came around. Then, he got up from his desk and turned to Nicole, "It''s already noon. Let''s have lunch together." "Okay." Nicole shut herptop down and left the office with Jared. At the restaurant, Jared had ordered a few of her favorite lunch dishes. "Are you going to stay and apany me in the afternoon?¡± Jared asked Nicole. "I was thinking of visiting Harvey and checking out the site in the afternoon. " Nicole blurted out, as she did not find anything odd in that statement. ¡®You wish to visit Harvey?" Once Jared heard Harvey''s name, he began to feel on edge. "Yeah. I n to move out right after lunch.¡± Nicole added. She had no clue that Jared was acting weirdly. "Why are you in such a hurry?¡± Jared stopped eating and asked. Chapter 1295 Chapter 1295 ¡°I''m not in a hurry. After all, I''ve got nothing else to do today. I thought I''d just check out how things are progressing on site," she said. ¡®If you need a space, I can rent one that will fulfill all your needs. Then, you wouldn''t have to go around the bush with Harvey,¡± Jared offered, wholeheartedly wishing to prevent Nicole from meeting Harvey.He did not want his own fiancee to constantly associate herself with a selfish man like Harvey. ¡®It''s fine. There''s a free one avable, so why would we spend money on rent? Why should I say no to freebies?" Nicole declined, for although she knew that money was not an issue for Jared, she felt that there was no need to waste it on rent. "Okay then, whatever makes you happy,¡± he said. Jared had already tried his best to persuade her, and he knew that he could not force her into it. Then, they continued with their lunch. After lunch, Nicole bade Jared goodbye and immediately drove to where Harvey was. ¡®Harvey, are you free now?" Nicole asked as she called Harvey on the phone. "Yeah, why?¡± Harvey asked in confusion. "Nothing much. I''m just thinking of visiting the site you mentioned. Will you be avable to head over there now?" "Yeah sure. When will you be reaching? I''ll head over there now." Harvey quickly took his jacket and rushed out of his ce as he was talking on the phone. From N?velDrama.Org. ¡®I''m driving now,¡¯ she said. "Can you send me the exact address?¡¯ ¡°Sure.¡± Harvey immediately sent the location to Nicole. Then, he ignited the engine and drove over. "Nicole. I''ve sent you the address. I''m hurrying over now, so I think I''ll be arriving earlier than you,¡± Harvey said in a voice note to Nicole. "Got it," she replied. After twenty minutes, both of their cars pulled up at the basement of a building at the same time. There, Nicole and Harvey got out of their cars and made their way toward each other. "You''re pretty quick. I thought I''d arrive before you, and yet here we are. Here at the same time.¡¯ Harvey looked at Nicole with the corner of his lips raised, smiling. ¡®Didn''t you see my ride? It''ll be odd if I arrivedte with that." Nicole shot him a nce "Soon, I''ll get myself one that''s faster than yours.¡± Harvey narrowed his eyes at Nicole''s car and commented. ¡°As long as it''s not the same model as mine, it''s your call to make,¡± Nicole said, and walked into the building. Harvey followed her at once and said, "I''ve never thought of buying the same model as yours. But after hearing what you just said, it makes me even more interested in that idea. Who knows, I might just buy the exact same model with the exact color.¡± Nicole turned around and red at Harvey. ¡®You! Fine, if you like it that much, I''ll just sell mine to you then.¡¯ "You''re willing to sell me the car which Mr. Johnston had gifted you?¡± Harvey raised his eyebrows and reminded her. Hearing Harvey''s words, Nicole''s lips twitched. "You actually took it seriously? I was just messing with you." "Pfft. If I didn''t mention it, you would not have remembered that," Harvey mocked. ¡°Just lead the way." Nicole took a few steps forward and pushed him a little. Then, the both of them got into the elevator. When the elevator opened again, the entire floor of the empty office building was unveiled before Nicole''s eyes. ¡®Why isn''t anyone here?" Nicole murmured. ¡®¡¯It''s working hours and yet there''s not a single soul here¡± Harvey seemed to have noticed her doubts, during which he replied," There''s no one here. The entire floor is yours.¡± "The entire floor?" Nicole whirled around in shock and looked at him. ''Did I hear him correctly?¡¯ Chapter 1296 Chapter 1296 A thing to note is that the real estate prices in that area were steep. And yet, Harvey had given her an entire floor to utilize. ¡®Isn''t that too much of a favor?! ¡°Harvey, I won''t be needing that much space!" Nicole exined to Harvey. "It''s fine. You can just leave the corner empty if you don''t need it." Harvey answered her in a casual tone of voice. It had taken him a lot of time and resources to clear the floor for her, and he had done all of that to ensure that Nicole would have enough space to work. "Leave it empty?" That would be such a waste!" Nicole yelled. ¡®He really is ignorant about money,'' she thought. ''He doesn''t have the brains for business at all. But having said that, this is definitely an excellent location for me. When I buy more equipment in the future, I can expand my business right away. It''s amazing!'' Nicole felt that there was a possibility for her to upy all of the space in the future. ¡°Harvey, I noticed that all the other floors are upied. Why is this particr floor empty? The fixtures are all in good condition too." Nicole looked at him with her brows raised and asked. Harvey drew a breath of cold air, ''How should I answer her so that she would buy into my lie?¡¯ ¡°Harvey Ellison? Are you listening?" Nicole stopped walking and stared at him. "I am listening." ¡°Well...this floor is too high up so it can be quite inconvenient for anyone to go up and down. And that is why thepanies are not keen on choosing high levels as offices," Harvey replied, simply making up some excuses. ¡°These people have such strange excuses. It''s my first time hearing that there are people who do not like higher levels." Nicole could not help but shake her head. From N?velDrama.Org. ¡®Jared''s office is at the highest level of the building and the view there is phenomenal,'' she thought. ''These people clearly do not know anything.'' "Yeah, it is quite strange." Harvey yed along. ¡°What do you think about this ce?" he asked Nicole. "It''s not just great; it''s extraordinarily great!" Nicole replied as she beamed. Seeing that Nicole was satisfied, Harvey felt happy too. In the end, his efforts did not go to waste. ¡°When can I bring the equipment in?" Nicole asked Harvey. ¡°You can bring them in anytime." ¡°Okay, I think I''ve given this ce a rough tour. Let''s talk about the bills." Nicole turned to Harvey and said. ¡°What bills? This ce is just an empty floor. If you could utilize it, you''re already helping it serve its purpose," Harvey said. He would never take her money since all these were specially prepared for her. "Harvey, don''t lie to me. At first nce, I could already tell that the people here have just moved out. How could I take advantage of you?" she said. In fact, Nicole had already made a rough guess when she first walked in. ''The desk area looks clean and tidy. It does not seem like it has been vacated for very long, and that is why I think that the people here must have moved out recently. Besides, Harvey''s exnation was a little too far-fetched. Why would anyone give up on such a hot spot just because it''s on the highest floor?¡¯ After she had thought it all through, Nicole concluded that Harvey had purposely cleared the ce out for her. As such, it would not be courteous of her if she did not repay him in the slightest. At the very least, the rent must be paid, and it was not like she could not afford it. "It''s true. This ce has been left empty for a while. Don''t worry about it and just work here." Harvey said, maintaining the stubborn, bold-faced lie, in spite of the fact that Nicole had already discovered the truth. ¡°Listen, I don''t want to waste your time. Do you want me to point out every single evidence for you to fess up to the lie you''ve been feeding me?" Nicole stared at him unwaveringly. Harvey looked into Nicole''s eyes. ''It seems that she has already guessed it correctly. I''ve already tried extremely hard to cover it up, but how did she find out?'' ¡°Alright, fine. Since the cat is out of the bag, I won''t hide it anymore. I did ask people to clear out of this space a few days ago. But I won''t take any of your money for rent."" Harvey replied to her firmly. ¡°Harvey, how much would it cost for me to pay rent? Or are you nning to make me owe you this massive favor?" Nicole raised her eyebrows. Chapter 1297 Chapter 1297 "Now that you mention it, it seems to be a clever idea, after all. Anyway, I would never collect rent from you. If you really feel bad, then just take it and owe me that favor." Harvey looked at Nicole. Deep down, he was really satisfied. Indeed, it would be great news for him if Nicole owed him a favor. Seeing that Harvey was persistent about not collecting rent, Nicole could only give up on that idea. "Fine then, I''ll owe you one, but you are not to make any absurd requests," Nicole told Harvey in a solemn tone of voice. From N?velDrama.Org. "But what if I really want it?" Harvey said in an attempt to challenge Nicole. "In that case, you better take the rent." Nicole replied in a serious manner. "Okay, okay, I was just messing with you.¡± Harvey said, switching his tone from one of seriousness to yfulness. He did not want to offend Nicole. After all, he wanted to utilize that favor for something beneficial. Nicole rolled her, evidently unhappy. Then, she said, "Well, that''s all for today. I''m leaving.¡± "You''re leaving so soon?¡± Harvey followed Nicole and entered the elevator. "Why should I stay here? I''ve already seen everything I wanted to see." Nicole turned to Harvey and exined. "Okay then," he uttered. "Did you manage to take care of the equipment and raw materials? Do you need my help?" Harvey asked. "Nah, I''ve already asked Jared to help me take care of them,¡± she replied. "Well, just let me know if you need any sort of manpower, I can source them out for you.¡± Harvey offered, wanting to try his best to lend Nicole a helping hand. "In terms of manpower, we already have Kelly and me. I think three or four more people would be enough for the time being. If you have any suitable candidates, do help me contact them." Nicole exined as she looked at Harvey. ¡°Alright, leave that to me." Harvey agreed. When they reached the car park, Nicole turned around and looked at Harvey. "You don''t have to send me off. I''m driving back now." "Are you going back to the Sea View Vi?¡± Harvey asked with her brows raised. "Yeah, you have any business there?" Nicole got into the car and stared at Harvey. Harvey climbed onto the passenger seat at once. "Get the engine started.¡± "Why? You''re following me back?" Nicole asked as she looked at him in puzzlement. "Yeah, isn''t it obvious?" he replied. "I haven''t seen Mrs. Wace Sr. for quite a while. Since my schedule is clear today, I''ll juste over and pay her a visit for a bit.¡± "Harvey, do you really think of yourself as her biological grandson?" Nicole asked, as she was almost rendered speechless. ¡®This dude really is full of himself.¡¯ "Get out! I''m not taking you with me.¡± Nicole chased him out harshly. "You have yet to cross the river and you''re burning the bridge already?" Harvey asked in a confident tone of voice. ¡®I''m not burning the bridge after crossing it. It''s just that, I don''t want to bring you home with me." Nicole looked into his eyes, as she spoke her mind without any formalities. "You really have got the nerve to speak to me like this!" Harvey raised his eyebrows and looked at her. If it were him, he would not have the guts to utter the words she had uttered to him. After all, it was he, who prepared the office space for her. ¡®Is there really nothing between US?¡¯ Chapter 1298 Chapter 1298 Nicole kept her eyes on Harvey, who was nothing short of awkward, and thought that it was funny. She had deliberately done that that so that Harvey would have no choice but to use up that favor that she owed him. That way, she would not have to feel as if she was beholden to it. However, Harvey was adamant about not mentioning it. Instead, he stayed in her car and refused to get off. The both of them sat in the car, refusing to give in for a few minutes. Seeing that Harvey just would not get out of the car, Nicole could only ignite the engine and drive off to the Sea View Vi. On the way there, Harvey made himself at home in Nicole''s car. Unconsciously, he reached out to switch the music yer on, but Nicole immediately reacted by smacking his hand away. Material ? N?velDrama.Org. "Weren''t you taught to not simply touch other people''s belongings?" Nicole shot him a nce. "I just wanted to y some music, How is this considered as touching other people''s belongings?" Harvey ignored her and proceeded to tum the music yer, going as far as to connect it to his ylist. In an instant, the entire car was booming with Harvey''s favorite songs. Unable to tolerate his antics anymore, she floored the elerator and sped off to the vi. "Nicole, slow down. Why are you speeding?¡± Harvey asked, as he noticed that the car was moving faster by the second. Nicole smiled to herself and ignored him. Instead of listening to him, she drove even faster, and soon after, the Lamborghini pulled up at the Sea View Vi. Nicole continued ignoring Harvey as she got down. She immediately opened the car door and strutted into the vi. Seeing this, Harvey quickly got down from the car and chased after her. Mrs. Wace Sr. and Tia were watching television in the living room when they arrived. Upon hearing someoneing in from the entrance, they turned around. "Nicole, you''re back. Come have a seat.¡± Mrs. Wace Sr. noticed invited Nicole in upon noticing her. ¡°Grandma, how have you been?" Harvey''s voice sounded at the very next second. Mrs. Wace Sr. looked behind Nicole, and recognized him as Harvey Ellison, the grandson she had taken in previously. "Harvey, you''re here too. Come and have a seat.¡± Mrs. Wace Sr. extended a warm wee to Harvey, totally forgetting about Nicole''s existence along the way. Nicole rolled her eyes at Harvey. ¡®It''s all his fault that half of grandma¡¯s love and attention has been robbed from me. She actually forgot about me as soon as she saw Harvey.¡¯ Nicole walked over and sat on one side while Harvey sat at the nearest spot to Mrs. Wace Sr. ¡°Grandma, you look a lot better now,¡± Harveyplimented her with sweet words. Nicole rolled her eyes at him again, ¡®What a smooth talker.¡¯ Harvey ignored Nicole''s reaction and continued chatting with Mrs. Wace Sr., "Grandma, how big are the vegetables you''ve nted? Can you take me to the garden where I can see them?" "You still remember my vegetables and nts?" Mrs. Wace Sr. replied with a smile to Harvey. ¡®Come, I''ll bring you there.¡± Mrs. Wace Sr. stood up as she spoke, after which she brought Harvey to the garden. Now at the garden, Mrs. Wace Sr. pointed at the vegetables and said, ¡® Look at them. Aren''t they taller than thest time you were here?" "Yeah. I remember thest time I came over, they were about eleven inches tall? Now they''re about three feet tall, right?" Harvey looked at the matured vegetables in surprise. It seemed that barely a few days had passed since hest visited, but the vegetable had grown at a rapid pace. "The rainy season has been good this year, and that is why the vegetables could grow tall and healthy." Mrs. Wace Sr. stared at her own farm in tion. "I see.¡± Harvey looked at Mrs. Wace Sr., as a major realization dawned upon him. Chapter 1299 Chapter 1299 "I have not watered them yet. Since you''re here today, would you like to give it a try?" Mrs. Wace Sr. asked. "Sure. How could I miss out on such an interesting experience?¡± Harvey took off his coat and rolled up his sleeves as he spoke. He was ready to do it. Seeing Harvey''s enthusiasm, Mrs. Wace Sr. was beaming with joy. "There''s a bucket and adle here. Fill the bucket with water, and then use thedle to pour water over each nt," Mrs. Wace Sr. said, guiding Harvey at the side. "Got it. Grandma, you can just sit at the side and watch me.¡± Harvey grabbed the bucket and confidently strutted toward the faucet. After filling it up, he carried the bucket of water to the garden. Then, he turned around and looked at Mrs. Wace Sr. "Grandma, can I start from here?" "Sure. Be careful, don''t slip and fall over.¡± Mrs. Wace Sr. reminded him kindly. ¡°I''m fine, don''t worry.¡± Harvey proceeded to scoop some water out of the bucket with thedle and watered the vegetables. Harvey watered the first nt, and then the second, and then the third. After he had made his way to the end of a furrow, he turned around proudly and waved to Mrs. Wace Sr., indicating that he had watered an entire furrow of vegetables. At that moment, Nicole and Tia walked over to see what was going on. All they saw was Harvey watering the nts carefully. As he was about toplete his round of watering on the second furrow, he lifted his head in the same way and looked at Mrs. Wace Sr. Not expecting Nicole to be there as well, he did a wider and more rigorous wave, and shouted, "Nicole, do you want to experience this?! It''s quite fun!" "No, thank you. I should leave the fun to you.¡± Nicole twitched her lips andughed. "Okay. You can just watch me from there. Watch me conquer this vegetable garden.¡± Harvey confidently held thedle up and pointed to the garden. Watching Harvey''s antics, the threedies at the side burst into a gale ofughter. Harvey continued watering the vegetables happily, but the second he turned around, he stepped onto the muddy water which was flowing out. In an instant, he tipped over and fell sprawling on his face. Mrs. Wace Sr. gasped, as she was taken aback by the sight. ¡®Tia, get over to him and help him up." ¡°Okay.¡± Tia ran up to Harvey at once. As soon as she reached Harvey, she pulled him up with all of the strength she could muster. The moment Harvey stood up, she saw that his face was stained with muddy water, making him unrecognizable. The threedies broke into a fresh gale ofughter at once, with Nicoleughing so hard that she was on the ground, clutching her belly in pain. Harvey stared at them, dumbfounded as he could not fathom why they wereughing so hard. ¡®What are youdiesughing at?" Harvey asked out of genuine curiosity. "Nicole, tell me, what are youdiesughing at?" Harvey tuned to Nicole and asked. N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. Nicole looked at him and waved her hands. She wasughing so much that she could not even speak. Harvey could only turn to Tia and asked, "Hey, you''reughing too. What''s so funny?" Tia had to suppress herughter, and with tears in her eyes, she replied, ¡¯ You''ll find out once you look in the mirror.¡± Harvey frowned a little and proceeded to make his way to a mirror to see what was going on. Unexpectedly, just as he took another step forward, he tripped over again, causing his entire body to fall into the mud again. Seeing this, the threedies burst into another thunderous gale again, with Tia rolling on the floor in laughter, this time around. Harvey could not help but pick himself up without any sort of assistance. Then, he walked out of the garden cautiously, minding every step he took. When he had finally stepped out of the garden, he went to the faucet and was about to wash his hand when he suddenly saw his own reflection from the windowpane beside him. At first, he was stunned for a moment. But after he turned around to look at Nicole, he could not help but join them in their chortling fit. It was then that he finally understood why thedies wereughing so hard at him. Chapter 1300 Chapter 1300 "Harvey, you should just simply wash off the mud on your face and hands. Then, Tia will lead you to the shower so that you can wash up.¡± Mrs. Wace Sr. told Harvey in a caring manner. Harvey looked at her and replied, "Alright." "Oh yeah, let Tia clean your dirty clothes after you''ve changed,¡± she added. "Okay." Harvey then went made his way to the bathroom with Tia leading the way. "Grandma, let''s head inside." Nicole helped Mrs. Wace Sr. up and brought her to the living room. "Nicole, go and prepare a set of fresh clothes for Harvey." Mrs. Wace Sr. ordered. "Grandma, I don''t think we have any clothes for men in this house.¡± Nicole looked at Mrs. Wace Sr. in embarrassment. "I think those oversized clothes you usually wear will fit him. Why don''t you grab one of your shirts for him?" Mrs. Wace Sr. stared at Nicole with her brows raised. Nicole began to blush, ¡®How could I let Harvey wear my clothes? Besides, they are all filled with my scent.¡¯ "Grandma, all of my clothes are worn. It wouldn''t be nice for him to wear them, would it?" Nicole exined to Mrs. Wace Sr. embarrassedly. ¡°Other than your clothes, none of ours will fit him. Judging by how Harvey behaves around you, I don''t think he''d mind.¡± Mrs. Wace Sr. posed. Nicole sighed, as that seemed to be the only way. "Alright then." Nicole went into her room and began to go through her wardrobe. "This is a no. Not this one too. Which should I let him wear?" Harvey was done showering after some time, and was about to walk out when he suddenly realized that he had no change of clothes. As such, he stayed in the bathroom awkwardly. ¡®It wouldn''t be nice if I walk out in this robe. It''s a little impolite for me to ask for someone too. What should I do?¡¯ Just as he was contemting, there was a knock on the door. "Harvey, I''ve left the clothes on the drawer outside. You can grab it just by stretching your hand out." ¡®It''s Nicole¡¯s voice. Did she go out to buy clothes for me?'' Harvey heaved a sigh of relief. Fortunately, Nicole was around, or else, he would have to stay in the washroom forever. "Okay, got it,¡± Harvey quickly replied to her. Then, Nicole left the room. Harvey opened the door and stretched out one hand to find that there really were clothes in there. He grabbed it and immediately closed the door. He held the clothes against his body to gauge if it would fit and it seemed a little too small for him. ''It''s fine. Nicole doesn''t know about my sizing. It''s good enough that she had bought something for me.¡¯ Harvey quickly wore the clothes and stepped out of the bathroom. He looked at the mirror and noticed that both the shirt and pants were quite small. The silver lining was that they were stretchable, and as such, he could still fit into it. All of a sudden, he registered a floral scent. Then, he grabbed the cor and gave it a good sniff. ¡®Why is there perfume on this? And it''s a familiar scent.¡± Within a second, an idea flitted across his mind. ¡®Don''t tell me these are Nicole''s clothes¡± He drew another whiff of the scent, and it was then that he realized that it really was the one which Nicole would usually wear on her person. N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. Then, Harvey looked into the mirror carefully. "No wonder these clothes are small and stretchy. They must be Nicole''s." Nicole has a curvy figure, and so, tight clothes fitted her the most, as they would entuate her figure. After clearing his doubts, a shocked expression appeared on Harvey''s face. ¡®She allowed me to wear her clothes. Does this mean something?¡¯ Harvey''s imagination began to run wild as he stood in front of the mirror. Without knowing it, he had been in the room for a long while. Meanwhile, Nicole noticed that he had not exited the room for quite a long time. She was worried that Harvey had copsed in there, and so, she quickly went in with Tia to check on him. As soon as they entered the room, Nicole found Harvey admiring himself in front of the mirror. Little did she know that Harvey was actually admiring her clothes. Chapter 1301 Chapter 1301 As soon as their eyes met, the atmosphere became tense with awkwardness. ¡°I didn''t see anything,¡± Tia said, after which she hurried out. ¡®Harvey, what the hell are you doing?" Nicole looked at him in disbelief and asked. ¡°I...¡± Harvey did not know how to exin himself as he thought, ¡®I couldn''t say that I was busy admiring her clothes, now can I? That would be too vulgar.¡¯ ¡°I''m looking at these clothes and they seem to be a little small,¡± Harvey said as he immediately eased into the subject of clothes. Nicole looked at the clothes she had picked out for Harvey at once. She wanted tough at and ridicule him, but instead of doing so, she said, am The clothes do look a little bit small, but they suit you.¡± ¡°You think this suits me?" Harvey eyed Nicole with a skittish expression on his face and asked her to take a closer look. "Yeah, take a look for yourself. It showcases your figure perfectly, don''t you think?¡± Nicole praised as she looked at Harvey in the mirror. "Yeah, it really is good. The garments should entuate your hourss figure to the fullest, right?¡± Harvey said in a charming tone of voice beside Nicole. It was then that Nicole felt her heart tightening and thought, ''He noticed? It''s probably nothing, right? Can I exin myself?¡¯From N?velDrama.Org. "Harvey, let me exin.¡¯ Nicole turned to look at him, and so did he. The two of them were already next to each other, but as soon as they whirled around, their noses touched. The instant their eyes met, sparks flew, and the both of them froze in ce. Harvey swallowed. ''This feeling is so wonderful. My heart is thumping like crazy, and there are butterflies in my stomach." Nicole''s breathing slowed as she gasped, and her mind went nk. After a short while, Nicole was the first to snap out of it. She shoved Harvey away and ran outside. Harvey got out of his stupor when Nicole pushed him, but he did not chase after her at once. He was still in a daze because of his short-lived happiness. Nicole blushed and entered the living room before sitting down. Looking at Nicole, Tia noticed that she was acting rather strangely and asked, "Miss Riddle, why is your face so red?" Nicole unconsciously raised her hand to touch her cheek, which felt as though they were burning. "I''m fine. I''m just going to head upstairs.¡± Nicole hurried out of the living room and made her way upstairs. "Miss Riddle, do you want me to call a doctor for you?" Tia asked. ¡°No. I''ll be fine after a while!¡± Nicole loudly replied before disappearing at the top of the stairwell. ¡°Okay.¡± Tia uttered. At around the same time, Harvey wasing out of the bathroom. He was avoiding eye contact and had a strange expression on his face as well. Looking at Tia, he asked, ¡°Where''s Nicole?¡± ¡°Oh, Miss Riddle¡¯s face was flushed. She seems a little unwell. She went upstairs to catch some rest.¡¯ Tia told him. ¡°Mr. Ellison, are these clothes..fortable?¡± Tia looked at him, embarrassed. ¡°It''s alright." Harvey forced out a smile. ¡°Hang in there. Your clothes will be ready to wear soon,¡± she said. ¡°Alright. I apologize for all the trouble,¡± he replied. Chapter 1302 Chapter 1302 "Have a seat in the living room, Mrs. Wace Sr. is waiting for you there.¡± Tia looked at Harvey and said. "Okay. I''ll go and talk to Mrs. Wace Sr.," he said, after which he unconsciously nced up at the flight of stairs. "Harvey, did you get hurt from the fall earlier?" Mrs. Wace Sr. asked Harvey when she saw Harvey approaching her. "No." Harvey shed her a slight smile. "I think this dress kind of suits you, it''s just that it''s a little small. Fret not, there aren''t any outsiders here." Mrs. Wace Sr. looked at him and assured. Harvey nodded and narrowed his eyes. ''How did Mrs. Wace Sr. know that the clothes belonged to Nicole?¡¯ He was embarrassed, and thus, he did not dare to ask any more questions. In the bedroom, Nicole had thrown herself on her bed, burying herself under her quilt. She was still thinking about everything that had happened in the bathroom. ¡®What is wrong with me?¡¯ she thought. ''Why do I keep thinking about the moment our noses met?¡¯ Suddenly Jared''s appearance flitted across her mind, and a surge of guilt made its way into her heart at once. What is wrong with me? I didn''t do anything wrong, but why do I feel this way?¡¯ Nicole sat up from her bed, irritated. ¡°It''s all his fault. If he hadn''te, none of this would have happened, and I wouldn''t have made a fool of myself. Ah! This is so messed up" Nicoleid down on her back again, her eyes staring straight at the ceiling. All of a sudden, Harvey''s face appeared on her ceiling. Petrified, she shut her eyes tightly and mumbled to herself, ¡°Stop thinking about him!" Out of the blue, she heard a knock on the bedroom door. Nicole immediately sat up with her eyes on the door and asked, ¡°Who''s it?¡± Material ? N?velDrama.Org. "It''s me. Tia told me you weren''t feeling well so I''vee to check on you. Are you okay?¡± Harvey asked as he stood outside of her bedroom door. "Yeah, I''m fine. Go and apany grandma,¡± Nicole urged, not wanting to see him now. "You better open the door and let me take a look, or else Mrs. Wace Sr. will be worried about you.'' Harvey said, refusing to leave, while issuing her a threat in the name of her grandmother. Nicole sighed. ¡®This is so troublesome.¡¯ Then she got up, walked up to the door, and opened it. "See. I''m fine." After leaving it open for less than a second, she was about to close the door when she realized that Harvey was blocking the way. He looked at Nicole''s still rosy cheeks and said, ¡®Since you said you''re fine. Why don''t youe downstairs and have a seat with US?" ¡°I''m tired. I want to get some sleep. You guys can continue chatting.¡± Nicole finished, and was about to close the door again, just to realize that Harvey had blocked it again. "What on earth are you doing?¡± Nicole looked at him and asked. "Earlier..." Harvey was about to exin himself when Nicole interrupted him. "It was just a coincidence. Don''t think too much about it. Once your clothes are dry, put them on and leave.¡± Nicole looked at him, her eyes glinting with impatience. "This dress...¡± "You can just throw it away,¡± she said. "] don''t need it anymore.¡± "Anything else?" Nicole stared him down. Harvey sensed that Nicole did not want to see him right now. He took a long look at her, after which he said, "Nothing. Have a good rest.¡¯ Then he turned around and made his way downstairs. Nicole heaved a sigh of relief and closed her bedroom door gently, before walking back to her bed. "Was I being too dramatic?¡¯ she asked herself. ¡®After all, nothing really happened. It shouldn''t have been this embarrassing." Harvey went downstairs and was greeted by Tia who was holding his clothes in her hands. "Mr. Ellison, your clothes are dry." Tia handed them to him. "Thank you.¡± Harvey took the clothes from Tia, turned around, and walked into the changing room. Chapter 1303 Chapter 1303 After a while. Harvey came out of the changing room and walked into the living room, where he looked at Mrs. Wace Sr. and said, Mrs. Wace Sr., I suddenly remembered that there''s something I need to deal with. I will pay you a visit on another day." Mrs. Wace Sr. looked at Harvey and upon noticing that he was behaving in apletely different manner than earlier, she thought, ''He must really have something urgent to deal with.¡¯ "Hurry up. Don''t let me keep you around for too long," Mrs. Wace Sr. said hurriedly. "Goodbye. Mrs. Wace Sr." Harvey gave her a slight nod. After he was done speaking, he turned around and walked out of the Sea View Vi. Harvey sat in his car and gave Nicole''s bedroom onest nce before igniting his engine and driving off toward his ce of residence. After driving for a while. Harvey felt that the atmosphere in his car was rather depressing, so he reached out for his phone and yed the list of songs that waspiled by Nicole. In an instant. all that had happened earlier came surging back in his mind. "She gave me her own clothes, but why did she act like she hated me when I went upstairs to look for her? Am I thinking too much? But wait. She was bright red, so she was obviously just shy. wasn''t she? Is this just another show of a woman''s unpredictable nature?¡¯ While he was pondering about this, he firmed his grip on the steering wheel. ¡®Yeah. It must be, or else she wouldn''t have turned bright red and avoided eye contact.¡¯ Harvey confirmed his thoughts once more, and that was when his mood suddenly became clear again. In the evening, Jared drove to the Sea View Vi, where he pushed the door open and walked in. There, he saw Tia watching TV with Mrs. Wace Sr. in the living room. As soon as Mrs. Wace Sr. heard someone walking in, she turned to look at the door, and that was when Jared''s figure appeared. "Jared! What brings you here?" Tia happily stood up to wee Jared. Jared nodded in response, his eyes ranging over the living room, but Nicole was nowhere to be seen. "Where''s Nicole?" he asked. "Miss Riddle is having a rest upstairs,¡± Tia replied. "What''s wrong with her?" Jared looked at Tia and asked. "It''s nothing. I think that Miss Riddle is feeling a little bit under the weather. I offered to call her a doctor, but she said she didn''t need it." "Under the weather?¡¯ Jared narrowed his eyes. "I''m going to go take a look." Jared and Mrs. Wace Sr. both greeted each other briefly, after which he made his way upstairs to Nicole''s room. He raised his hand to knock on her door as soon as he arrived. N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. Nicole was sleeping on her bed when she was suddenly jolted awake by a knock on the door. "Tia, I don''t want to eat dinner,¡± Nicole said. The knocking on her door did not stop after she had spoken. Instead, Jared''s calm and caring voice said. "Why won''t you have dinner? Is something wrong?" Nicole was already half awake, but when she heard Jared''s voice, she instantly woke up. ¡®Jared? Why is he here?¡¯ She sat up in a panic before making her way to the door to open it. ¡®It really is him!" "You. Why are you here?" Nicole asked Jared in surprise. "I came after I got off work. What''s the matter with you? Why don''t you want to eat dinner?" Jared looked at Nicole in concern. Then, he lifted his arm and felt her forehead with the back of his hand. whereupon he noticed that she was not ill. "It''s nothing.¡¯ Nicole took his hand away and walked over to her bed to sit on it. "I''m not sick or anything.¡± "I just don''t feel like eating. That''s all," Nicole murmured. Chapter 1304 Chapter 1304 Jared followed Nicole into her bedroom and sat down on her bed. He looked into her eyes and asked, ¡°Although your forehead isn¡¯t hot, I must ask, why is your face flushed?¡± Nicole suddenly felt a pang of guilt and turned away, not daring to make eye contact with Jared, ¡°No. it could be because I just woke up.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Jared looked at her with a brow raised when he saw her avoiding eye contact. Nicole. who was a little flustered. began to ponder, ¡®Did he find out? Or did Tia tell him something?¡± Jared walked over, stood in front of Nicole, and looked at her. "What''s with that look? ¡®Why do I think she¡¯s afraid to look at me?¡¯ Jared thought to himself. ¡°What? I just woke up, my brain isn''t functioning properly yet,¡± Nicole exined in a hurry. ¡°Really? You seem to be acting a little weird to me.¡± Jared furrowed his brows and looked at Nicole. "No, you''re thinking too much." Nicole covered it up with a smile. "Is grandma downstairs?" Nicole quickly changed the topic. "Well, Mrs. Wace Sr. and Tia were watching TV downstairs when I came.¡± "Oh. Right. Let''s go downstairs and find grandma,¡± Nicole said as she got up and made her way downstairs. Jared looked at her bedroom, and as everything seemed normal, he closed the bedroom door and followed her to the living room. In the living room, Nicole was sitting next to Mrs. Wace Sr., and appeared to be whispering something in her ear. As soon as she saw Jared walking toward them, she quickly sat straight up and pretended as if she was watching TV. Jared had seen what she had just done, but he refrained from saying anything. Instead he went up to Nicole and sat next to her with a nce. Then, he looked at Mrs. Wace Sr. with concern and asked, "Mrs. Wace Sr., how have you been as of recent?" Mrs. Wace Sr. looked at him and smiled. ¡°I''m fine. You don¡¯t have to worry about my health. I have been sleeping and eating well. I''m in good health." "That''s good. It''s a blessing that your body is still healthy." Jared responded with a smile. Jared chatted with Mrs. Wace Sr. for a while, after which he turned his gaze to Tia and asked, "Tia, did anything of interest happen as of recent?" As per tradition, Tia would crack a few jokes whenever Jared visited, and so, she looked at Jared with a smile and said, "Jared, it''s a coincidence that you''re here. Something very interesting thing happened today." But before Tia could finish her sentence, she stopped, stifling the urge to break into a fit ofughter. "Oh? What is it? Tell me.¡± Jared looked at her, waiting to hear the joke. ¡°Today, Mr. Harvey..." Tia was about to tell Jared, but before she could continue to say anything, she saw Nicole starring daggers into her, prompting her to stop and fall silent. "Harvey Ellison?¡± Jared frowned, and continued to query Tia after he had captured bits and pieces of information. Tia looked at Jared with a nervous smile and said, ¡°Jared. the grapes today are very sweet. I''ll go and get you some.¡± Material ? N?velDrama.Org. After she had uttered thest word. she rushed out of the living room. Jared looked at Tia''s figure as she hurried away. and found that her conduct was rather strange Then, he turned his gaze to Nicole and asked, ¡°Was Harvey here today?¡± Nicoleposed herself before turning to look at Jared and responding,¡± No, why would hee here?¡± As she spoke. her expression conveyed a look that a situation like that would never happen. ¡°Really?¡± Jared raised his eyebrows and looked at Nicole ¡°Of course! Why would hee anyway?¡± Nicole looked at him. unsmiling and solemn In spite of the charade. Jared noticed that Nicole had no intention of telling him the truth. and with Mrs. Wace Sr. nearby, he did not press on any further. ¡®l find a way to ask her about itter after we return to the vi.¡± he thought. Chapter 1305 Chapter 1305 Jared looked at Nicole, and with a rxed tone of voice, he said. "Since you don''t n to eat dinner here. let''s head home and not bother Mrs. Wace Sr.¡± "Huh?" Nicole retained her senses. Jared looked at Mrs. Wace Sr. with a smile and said, ¡°Mrs. Wace Sr. Nicole doesn''t n to have dinner here so well go head back first.¡± "Skipping dinner? How can I easily allow this to happen?" Mrs. Wace Sr. looked at Nicole worriedly. ¡®Don''t worry. I''ll make whatever she wants to eat when we reach hometer." Jared dispelled Mrs. Wace Sr.''s worries in a single sentence. ¡®Alright. Be safe on the way back." Mrs. Wace Sr. looked at them and urged. "Okay," he said. Nicole was then dragged out of the Sea View Vi with Jared''srge hands wrapped around her wrist. He helped fasten her seatbelt in the car, after which he ignited the engine and drove to his own vi. N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. Jared did not ask a single question on the way back, and neither did Nicole; the both of them sat quietly and looked out of the window. After arriving at the vi, Nicole made a beeline to the upper floor without looking back, whereas Jared was taking his coat off when he saw Nicole heading upstairs. Jared turned around and made his way into the kitchen, and after a while, he walked into the dining room with two dishes in hand. He noticed Nicole had note down, and so, he headed upstairs, where he noticed that her door was closed. He pushed the door open and walked in directly. Nicole was huddled up in her quilt, and so, she did not notice anyone walking in, Jared walked over, lifted her quilt, and said, ¡¯ Dinner is ready. Let''s go downstairs and eat." Nicole''s looked at him in shock with herrge eyes, and thought, ''He just came up here to get me to have a meal without asking me? And he even made dinner? What is he up to?¡¯ Nicole cautiously eyed Jared, a gesture which he responded to in kind before speaking up, "What are you still doing here? The food will get cold, or would you like me to heat it up for you again?" "Ok." Nicole quickly got out of bed and followed Jared into the dining room. As usual, Jared sliced the steak up for her and ced it in front of her. However, Nicole did not grab her utensils right away. Instead, she looked at Jared with her pair of big eyes and pondered, ¡®There were no questions, no temper tantrums. Dinner was cooked, and the steak was cut. Everything seems natural and normal. Could it be the calm before the storm?¡¯ "What are you looking at me for? You have not eaten yet. Is there food on my face?¡± Jared said jokingly. It was only then that Nicole grabbed her utensils and began to eat. The atmosphere in the dining room, however, made Nicole feel as though there was a palpable tension with no apparent source. Unable to withstand the torture any longer, she drew a deep breath before putting her utensils down to look at Jared and say, ¡®Say whatever it is you want to say.¡± Then, she braced herself, prepared to tell him the truth. Jared ignored her and ate his steak. Nicole frowned at him and thought, ¡®What does he mean? Not speaking?¡¯ Nicole became inexplicably more anxious. "Jared, are you going to ask me or not? I am giving you onest chance.¡± It was only then Jared looked up at her and said, "You asked for it." Chapter 1306 Chapter 1306 Jared remained silent for a long time, making it as if he had been waiting for her to say this. In response, Nicole murmured to herself, ¡®This is bad. I''m done. That''s it. He has gotten me to bite. The words had been spoken, and now, there''s no way to take them back. It''s toote to regret it now.¡¯ The corner of Jared''s mouth curled up by a slight bit, whereupon he looked at Nicole and said, "Tell me. What is the matter of interest that Tia was trying to tell me?" Nicole looked at him and took a deep breath. "So, this is the situation. I went to find Harvey after meeting up with you today. So, after we were done viewing the venue, I was getting ready to head back to the Sea View Vi when he came stubbornly got into my car. He said he wanted to follow me to pay my grandma a visit.¡¯ I had no choice but to take him along. Later on, he said he wanted to see the vegetable farm for himself,¡± Nicole continued as she reyed the scene in which Harvey was making a fool of himself in the field. Unconsciously, the corners of her mouth curled up into a smile, which Jared noticed, before she burst outughing. He did not know the reason as to why she wasughing, and this, he asked, "What are youughing at?" Nicole snapped out of it the second she heard Jared''s voice. "Don''t rush me, I am telling you the story.¡± "Did I mention that he went to see the farm the farm for himself? Anyway, I''m not sure as to what had happened in the midst of it, but he was watering the vegetables. He was doing pretty, until he turned around. He must''ve stepped on some mud, and it was then that he slipped and fell face first onto the ground. He looked like a y figurine, which got us all in stitches." Nicole looked at Material ? N?velDrama.Org. Jared and said, before another fresh gale erupted from her. Jared looked at Nicole, calm and collected. "Was this what Tia was trying to tell me?" "Yeah. That''s what happened today. Don''t you think it''s funny?¡± Nicole looked at Jared who was alreadyughing at the dining table. ¡®I was worried as to what had happened. I did not expect something so ridiculous that it got them all rolling," Jared issued a sigh as he thought about the situation. ¡°Alright. Hurry up and finish your meal. It''ll turn cold if you don''t." Jared looked at Nicole and urged. "Oh." Nicole responded, picking up her utensils before proceeding to eat what was left of her food. She was secretly relieved that she had narrowly escaped a catastrophe. After they had eaten their dinner, they went to the living room where they sat down. It was then that Jared looked at Nicole and asked, "How was the office venue today?" "Very good,¡± she replied. "Harvey has freed up the entire floor of an office building to make space for me. It was pretty darnrge, and I can utilize it ordingly." "An entire floor? How could he have such a space vacated?" Jared looked at Nicole with his brows raised. Nicole had wanted to keep it as a secret from him, but as she did not want tensions to simmer again, she told him the truth. ¡°It''s not unupied. I mentioned this to him before about asking for the space, so he got the previous upants to evacuate." Upon hearing this exnation, Jared understood the situation. Still, he did not expect that Harvey would spend so much money to please Nicole. ¡®Since he''s so willing to do things to please people, and he''s also helping my fiancee. I''ll give him an opportunity; however, he must do something in return.¡± "Harvey has worked hard for you, and because of this, we can''t just use his office in vain. I''ll transfer the rent to himter." Theer of Jared''s lips lifted, as he knew that by doing so, Harvey would be made aware that Jared had rented this ce for Nicole, hence distinguishing their rtionship as landlord and tenant. In addition, he also wanted Harvey to know that his fiancee did not need this sort of support from others. "I told you, he refused to take it. It''s okay, it just that I owe him a favor,¡± Nicole said nonchntly. "Favors are not easily repaid." Jared looked at him and reminded her, as he was worried that Harvey would soon make excessive demands. "Don''t worry. We''ve made our boundaries clear.¡± Nicole said to offer him some relief, as she saw the look of worry on Jared''s face. Hearing that, Jared''s heart lightened at once. Chapter 1307 Chapter 1307 "By the way, when will the equipment and materials arrive?" Nicole looked at Jared and asked. "When will you be needing it?¡± he replied. "I''ll send them to you whenever you need it." From N?velDrama.Org. Asmile appeared on the corner of Nicole''s mouth, "Wow, that¡¯s really nice of you. Can I have it the day after? I must n the office arrangement tomorrow." "Okay. Do you need me to send someone over to help you with the nning?" Jared looked at Nicole and asked with concern. ¡®There''s no need for that," she said. ¡°I can do it myself." ¡®By yourself?" he asked. "But it''s such a huge venue. How can you do it alone?¡¯ ¡®Don''t you worry about it. I''ll send some men over tomorrow, and then, you can tell them what you''ve got in mind," Jared said bluntly, rendering Nicole unable to refuse his offer. ¡®How''s Mr. Johnston Sr.''s recovery?" Nicole asked, suddenly remembering that Mr. Johnston Sr. was still in the hospital, and that she was in such a hurry that she had not made time to visit him yet. ¡®He''s recovering just fine. He has been sneaking out of bed behind the doctor''s back as of recent. I caught him once when I paid him a visit," Jared said, updating her about Mr. Johnston Sr.''s situation. "I didn''t expect that Mr. Johnston Sr. would be acting like a kid at his age. He hasn''tpleted his recovery and he''s already out of bed... The doctors must be having a hard time." Nicole said, knowing how helpless yet hrious the situation was. "You guessed it,¡± he said. "The doctors were really bbergasted and there was nothing they could do about it.¡± ¡®However, they have said that he should be discharged in about two to three weeks from now." Jared looked at Nicole and said, his eyes filled with hope. "Really? That''s great! We can buy a big bouquet of flowers to congratte him the day he gets discharged," Nicole said with a smile as she looked at him. Jared brought her in for a hug and said, ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡®Hey! Why are you thanking me again? There''s no need for US to be so courteous to each other.¡± Nicole said, thinking it was a little strange. ¡®Okay, ever since you came back, we haven''t had time for each other. Don''t you miss me?¡± Jared asked Nicole with a glint of coquettishness in his eyes. In response, Nicole looked at him shyly. ¡®How am I supposed to answer him?'' she thought. ¡®I shoulde up with an excuse.¡¯ "It''s just that too many things have been happening as of recent,¡± she muttered. "Perhaps I have really been ignoring your feelings, but I hope you don''t mind." Nicole got off Jared''sp and said, "It''s gettingte. I''ll head upstairs to get some sleep first.¡± After she was done speaking, she quickly made her way upstairs and vanished from Jared''s line of sight. I¡¯ll be having another sleepless night if I don¡¯t get away soon,¡¯ Nicole thought. The corner of Jared''s mouth curled slightly when she caught her eye. He had read her expression and ascertained her intentions, surmising that she was not holding back. Even if she had not said anything, Jared would still have taken her upstairs. However it seemed to him that Nicole had made things easier. "Right. Time to get some sleep." Jared agreed and followed her upstairs. Nicole, who had taken multiple steps ahead then spun around and asked,¡± You''re going to sleep too? Do you not have anything to deal with?" "No," Jared replied and strode into the room. Nicole stared at Jared''s back as he walked up the stairs and suddenly, she halted in her tracks and thought, ¡®Should I not go upstairs to get some sleep? If I don''t do so, I can still bed down in the living room. But if I go up now, I may not even have a minute worth of rest to myself.¡¯ Chapter 1308 Chapter 1308 Jared had taken a few steps before he noticed that Nicole''s footfalls were not trailing behind him. Then, he turned around to see that Nicole was standing on the flight of steps in a daze. "What are you thinking about?¡± "It''s nothing. I suddenly remembered that there''s something I need to take care of." As soon as she was done speaking, she hurried back down before he could even utter a word. Jared had wanted to tell her that she could use the study room, but she was long gone by then. "Coward," he sneered. Nicole plonked herself atop the couch with her heart pounding in her chest. She was afraid that Jared woulde back around, and so, she whirled around to check if he was. The instant she saw that he was nowhere near her, she issued a sigh of relief. ¡®If I had not taken the initiative to escape earlier, he would have stopped me. The problem now is that there is noputer in the living room and mine is all the way up in my bedroom. What should I do so that Jared wouldn''t suspect anything?¡± ¡®I can''t watch TV now, or else the excuse I''ve given him would not add up. He will definitely question me if he finds out.¡¯ Nicole sat idle in the living room, in which time began to slowly pass, before she took her phone out and watched videos. She suddenly thought of Zeke, and that was when she searched for his contact and called him. "Zeke. I haven''t contacted you in ages. Are you busy?" Nicole asked. "Nicole! Let me fill you in on what I''ve been working ontely. It''s something major," Zeke said in a hushed tone of voice. ¡®Something major? What are you working on? Tell me," Nicole asked, frowning. Two days ago, I was on the dark web and I discovered a special mission toplete. All I need to do is toplete the mission and I will get a badge from the Reby family.¡± "That faction has a badge?" Nicole asked, as she had never heard of them having a badge. "Yeah, and you didn''t know?¡± Zeke asked. ¡®That''s something she didn''t know about?¡¯ "I don''t. What''s the use of the badge anyway? There''s no actual use for it now, is there?" Nicole said disapprovingly. "You''re ignorant. The badge of the Reby family has a decisive ce among members of the armed forces and the underground scene. However, there are very few people who do own the badge. It is rumored that only five people in the world do. It is usible that this badge is very important," Zeke said, finally able to find something of pride to brag to about in front of Nicole. He was so happy that the joy of actually having the badge would pale inparison. "A badge so small holds so much power...¡± Nicole muttered, her emotions running high upon hearing Zeke''s description. "The reward is truly special. So, I take it that the mission is not for any Tom, Dick, and Harry, right?¡± Nicole asked.From N?velDrama.Org. ¡®That¡¯s right. I''ve been researching about it for a week now, but I still haven''t made any progress,¡± Zeke replied, and as he spoke, the tone of his voice betrayed how listless his look would be if he was in front of her. "Nicole, if you have the time, can you help me?" Zeke asked. ¡®Well, I do have the time now," she replied. ¡®That''s great!¡± Zeke cheered. "But myputer isn''t with me right now,¡± she added. Upon hearing this, Zeke felt a little bummed out. "However, I can use my phone to study. We can go through the details together through video call." Nicole said, surmising from Zeke''s words that it was a special mission and with the fact that she had nothing to do at the moment, she had decided to help him out to kill some time. "That''s even better!¡¯ Zeke said in a surprised tone of voice. "I''ll hang up now and call you back through video.¡± Zeke said, and hung up at once. is it that necessary for him to be this excited?" Nicole frowned, staring at her phone as she watched the phone call end. It was at that moment that she heard footfallsing down the stairs. Nicole darted her eyes toward the flight of steps, where she saw Jareding down. The second he saw Nicole looking at him, he asked, "You''re working on the couch?" Chapter 1309 Chapter 1309 ¡®Yeah, is there a problem?" Nicole replied defiantly. ¡°No, I was just asking," Jared replied as he strutted off to the dining hall instead of making his way toward her. ¡®Just asking? Why do I feel like you''re not simply just asking? You''re clearly monitoring me,¡± Nicole sneered. Soon after, Zeke gave her a video call, which she answered. "Is it done?" "Yeah." Zeke''s voice echoed from the speakers. At the same time, Jared was walking past with a ss of water, and when he heard Nicole talking to a man whom he was unfamiliar with, he approached her. Noticing that Jared wasing over, she quickly ced her phone down and looked at him. "Is there something you need?¡± ¡®Who are you talking to?" Jared asked in a tone that hinted at his suspicion. "A friend of mine,¡± she exined as she looked at him. "What friend?¡¯ Jared asked, as he had guessed that Nicole was talking to a friend whom he did not know of, or else she would have mentioned the person by name. it''s just a friend!" Nicole looked at Jared in astonishment. ¡®What''s the point of asking? Can I talk to my friend in peace without reporting every single little detail to him?¡¯ ¡®I think I heard a man''s voice,¡± Jared said, studying her expression. ¡®Yeah, it is a dude. Don''t take it the wrong way. He''s a friend I have known for many years. We''re just ordinary friends, okay?" Nicole exined herself so that he would not misunderstand. "Ordinary friends who have known each other for many years?" Jared asked, bing more intrigued now. ¡®She has a male friend whom she has known for many years. How could I not know about this?¡¯ Zeke''s voice emanating from Nicole''s speakers interrupted his train of thought at once. "Nicole, why is your screen ck?¡¯ "Nicole?" Jared was still staring at Nicole, who could not pick her phone up to exin herself. She could do nothing to ease the awkwardness. Instead, she was waiting for Zeke to think that the signal was poor, so that he would hang up on his own. "Your friend is calling for you.¡± Jared looked at Nicole and reminded. "It''s fine. You don''t have to worry about him," Nicole replied, not wanting to talk to Zeke under Jared''s supervision. Jared was originally curious and unexpected, ''I don''t think there''s anything wrong with Nicole having a friend of the opposite sex. Her unusual behavior is suspicious, however. Could there be something going on between them?¡¯ ¡®ls this how you treat your friends of several years?'' Jared looked at Nicole with suspicion and asked. "Huh? He won''t mind. Don''t you have other things to do?¡± Nicole asked.¡¯ Why is he not leaving?¡¯ As themotion urred, she was on the verge of passing out, with Zeke still awaiting her help. "It''s okay. I suddenly have this urge to watch TV. I won''t be bothering you, would I?" Before Nicole say a word, Jared had sat down on the sofa and turned the TV on. Helpless, she stared at him and thought, "Why would he do that, all of a sudden? He clearly wanted to eavesdrop on me.'' A thought then flitted across her mind, ¡®Since he''s out of the bedroom, there''s no one inside. I have to take this chance and go get myputer.¡¯ Then, she turned to Jared and said, ¡°You can watch TV here, I''m going upstairs." Jared looked at her and thought, ¡®Didn''t she say she had to take care of something? Why is she going up when I just sat down? Is she deliberately avoiding me?¡¯N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. Chapter 1310 Chapter 1310 ¡®Didn''t you have something you said you need to deal with? Are you not going to do it anymore?" Jared asked. "I am doing it, but theputer is upstairs." Nicole made her way upstairs after she had uttered thest word. In response, Jared frowned at Nicole and thought, ''l am sure she is avoiding me on purpose! When Nicole arrived at the bedroom door, she whirled around to ensure that Jared was not following her. After she was sure that he had not followed her, she went in and locked the door. Relieved, she thought, ¡®Even if hees knocking on the door, I can just lie down on the bed and pretend as if I am sleeping. As there was no threat from Jared, she would not be needing Zeke as an escape n. Nicole pulled her covers up and wrapped herself in them before falling asleep peacefully. Meanwhile, Jared was sitting in the living room, watching TV in a daze,¡¯ What kind of man could make Nicole avoid me? I can''t let this matter slide. I have to get to the bottom of this.¡¯ Jared whipped his phone out and tapped on Max''s contact icon But it was then that he hesitated for a moment and turned his phone off. ¡®This matter should not be publicized. Its better I find out on my own,¡¯ he thought. Jared checked the time, and upon noticing that it was already past 9 o''clock, he turned the television off and made his way upstairs. He came to Nicole''s room and stretched his hand out to push the door open, but he stopped, as he knew that Nicole had locked the door. ¡®Since she''s avoiding me, I better not be rash until things get straightened out,¡¯ Jared thought to himself and decided on that before making a beeline for another room, where heid down to get some shuteye. There, the scene in the living room and the man¡¯s voice manifested his mind. The next day, Jared and Nicole ate breakfast at the dining table. The tension was palpable, as Nicole was still refusing to exin herself, in spite of the multiple nces from Jared. She had noticed none of them, and was just eating as usual. ¡®I''ll send you off," Jared suddenly said. Nicole raised her head to look at him and declined. "There''s no need for that. You''re busy with your work. You can get someone to send me there. It would be a waste if they idle all day.¡¯ "I think it''s better if they drive me there. That way, it''ll be more convenient,¡± Nicole gently said while looking at him. "Okay. Be careful while driving on the road." Jared gave her a nk stare. ¡®Is this the beginning of her rejection toward me?¡¯ Jared thought wildly. "Okay." "By the way, about the process of developing the chip, whatever it is that you have, and will ever encounter, don''t carry the burden by yourself. This is something that we share inmon. You can lean on me when the going gets rough,¡± Jared said confidently. Nicole blushed and nodded. "Don''t worry. I understand." "I''m done eating. I''m going to go first." Nicole left the dining room after finishing the past piece of her sandwich. Nicole walked out of the mansion, started the car, and headed to the Golden Coast Building. As soon as she had arrived, she took the elevator to the topmost floor of the building. She walked into the office and saw Harvey already sitting there in a daze. ¡®Why is he here?¡¯ Nicole thought to herself as she approached him. ¡°Harvey, what are you doing here?" Harvey turned to look at her once he had heard her voice. N?velDrama.Org holds this content. Feeling a little embarrassed, he replied, "Nicole, you''re here.¡± Harvey was still unable to get over how shy she looked the day before. He did not expect her to be standing in front of him now. "Yeah," Nicole replied lightly. Ever since that day, she had not contacted him. As a matter of face, she still felt embarrassed upon seeing him unexpectedly today. "Um...Are you here to work?" Harvey looked at Nicole and asked. He did not know what he was asking, as his mind was flooded with thoughts about her. Simrly, Nicole noticed Harvey''s odd behavior and could sense the restraint he had on himself. Where the two of them were once familiar with each other, they had be awkward whenever they found themselves alone in the same stretch of space. Chapter 1311 Chapter 1311 "How can you start work with nothing here?" Nicole smiled at him with an awkward expression on her face. Harvey then realized what he had asked, and with his embarrassment deepening, he quickly exined, "I meant what are going to do today? I can help you out." He then observed her mood and mannerism. "Oh, I''m here to n out the workspace and see how I can furnish the area. '' Nicole looked at the vast space and started to ponder. "It''s not easy. I''ll look for a designer for you. Just tell him your ideas and he''ll know what to do.¡± Harvey pulled his phone out and was about to contact the designer when Nicole stopped him. "It''s okay. The nning team is on their way, and they''ll be here any time now,¡± she said. "Oh, you''ve got yourself a team of professionals already." Harvey smiled. "Yeah," Nicole uttered, though she did not tell him that it was Jared''s arrangement. "How are you going to utilize this area?" Harvey asked. "I don''t know yet,¡± she replied. "Do you have any suggestions?" Harvey thought about it and responded, "I think you can get ideas from the workspaces abroad and n ording to your needs." "That''s a good idea,¡± Nicole agreed. Harvey grinned upon hearing thepliment, and genuinely believed that his sincerity would make her heart flutter. "I''ll build ab here and a manufacturing room there. I think having these two should suffice for now," Nicole exined, gesturing with her hands. "Nice, that makes sense too.¡± Harvey agreed as he watched Nicole pointing around. While they were chatting away, a man entered the area and asked, "Hi, are you Miss Riddle? Mr. Johnston has sent US here to assist you." m." Nicole walked over and greeted them. It was at that moment that Harvey realized that Jared was the one who had aided Nicole when she said that she had already contacted someone. "I don''t want to use up all of the space here because I think they might serve another purpose in the future. For the time being, I want two offices. Can you check and see which design works best?" Nicole asked two of the employees. "Sure, we understand what you''re looking for and we''ll proceed with the inspection now,¡± one of them said. ¡°Alright,¡± she said. Then, they began the process of measuring and studying the area. "Nicole, don''t you think you should build a warehouse to store the equipment too?¡± Harvey asked her as he suddenly thought about it. "Yeah, I almost forgot." Nicole quickly approached the men. "Hey, I need a warehouse too. It''s best to situate it near the entrance so it''ll be more convenient," Nicole suggested. "No problem,¡± one of them said. "Miss Riddle, please have a look at this. We n to build two offices on the right and one hidden warehouse at the entrance. You can reconfirm the dimensionster. We''ll keep the left side empty for now, so you can utilize that area in the future. What do you think?" N?velDrama.Org holds this content. Nicole thought about it and said, "That''s an excellent n, but won''t the hidden warehouse be troublesome?" "Not at all. After all, it''s at the entrance. A hidden warehouse won''t stand out among the offices and will blend in just fine with them." Chapter 1312 Chapter 1312 ¡®Oh, that¡¯s nice.¡± Material ? N?velDrama.Org. "Both offices should be able to house about twenty to thirty people. There won''t be this many people, but there''ll be equipment, which takes up space as well,¡± Nicole exined. "Equipment?" an employee asked. "Do you have the measurements of the equipment you are referring to?" "The equipment aren''t big. I''ll just have a few of them in the office. Additionally, it''s best to have a set of double doors for the office,¡± Nicole demanded. "Sure, we''ll design it ording to your requirements," an employee said. "When will you begin with the construction and how long will it take?" Nicole asked. "If it''s possible, we can begin today, and you''ll be able to use it tomorrow,¡± one of the men said. "Wow, that''s quick! Well then, let''s start with the construction today. Thank you very much," Nicole politely said. "Okay, I''ll get the workers to bring the tools over," the designer said. "Sure, I''ll leave this to you. We''ll make a move now," Nicole said, after which she and Harvey left the area. "Nicole, I might be mistaken but if you want to develop a chip, this ce will be able to amodate that just fine. However, if you want to start manufacturing chips, I''m afraid this area is too small," Harvey reminded, as he suddenly recalled that chip manufacturing factories were huge. "I know, I¡¯m just experimenting, just like Martin was when he was just starting out. When I''m familiar with the techniques and have met the standards for mass production, I''ll consider building a factory like Martin''s. But that''s all in the future. It''s way too early to think about that now," Nicole exined. "Got it." Harvey nodded. ¡°By the way, do you think Martin can help us?" Harvey asked, as it dawned upon him that Martin was a researcher as well. ¡°Ah, I totally forgot about him,¡± she said. "I''ll ask himter, but he¡¯s pretty busy these days and probably won''t have enough time and energy to help out around here. Besides, his factory just got reconstructed, so I think it''s best not to bother him right now." Nicole knew that Martin had devoted his life to the Beacon factory. There was also a fire, which had urred only weeks ago, so Nicole figured that Martin should take a break. ¡°True, he must have a lot on his te," Harvey agreed. ¡°Fortunately, I''m not that busy, so I can frequent this ce to help you out,¡± Harvey said, having already nted his excuse to visit this ce. "Don''t worry, I won''t go easy on you even if you''re busy," Nicole said. It was like things were back to the way they used to be between them. ¡°Okay, where are you headed to now?" Harvey asked. "Home. I''ll just leave this ce to them,¡± Nicole answered. "Grandma is doing well these days, so you don''t have to pay her any visits today," Nicole added quickly. "I don''t mean it that way," Harvey shed her an awkward smile. "Don''t overthink it. I''m not trying to stop you from going there, but grandma is really doing well now." Nicole exined as she realized that she was being too straightforward. "It''s fine. Let''s just go." Harvey walked on. On the other hand, Max was in the midst of reporting to Jared in his office. "I knew there was something wrong with the gym. Why would she even go there every day?" Jared frowned and pondered. "Mr. Johnston, we can essentially conclude that the fire at the Beacon factory is tied to Joyce. Do you want to interrogate the person who was talking to Joyce''sckeys in the gym?¡± Max asked. "Not for now. Even if we''re certain that Joyce did it, we still won''t be able to capture her. Things are not as they used to be. She has the support of some big yers now..." "What should we do then?" Chapter 1313 Chapter 1313 "Monitor her closely," Jared said. ¡°As long as she doesn''t harm any of our men, just ignore her. I need you to orchestrate a ploy to keep the McCarthys held up in the country, so that we can temporarily sever their connection with their allies from abroad. "And also, I need you to find out who she has been getting support from. We have to start from the roots,¡± Jared added as he gave Max a solemn re. "Yes, sir," Max replied. "Have you gotten any updates regarding Henry?" Jared looked at Max. "The head of his security detail is nning to leave, but Henry won''t be following him. For the time being, he is staying back with only a few bodyguards," Max reported. "A good opportunity indeed. Bring him back now,¡± Jared ordered. "Yes, sir.¡± "That''s all for now. You may leave." Max left the office, and Jared proceeded to glean information about the man who had contacted Nicole last night. Suddenly, another person opened the door to Jared''s office, revealing Fiore behind it. ¡°Long time no see, Mr. Johnston.¡± Fiore smiled. "Miss Fisher, are you here because you miss my coffee or something?" Jared teased. "Yeah, everyone misses your coffee, Mr. Johnston.¡± Fiore took a seat across from Jared. Jared smiled and the secretary strutted in with some coffee, as she knew Fiore''s character. She would demand coffee whenever she visited, so the assistant proceeded to serve her coffee without her asking this time. Nicole looked at the assistant and smiled as she said, "You''re getting smarter." 1 In response, the assistant served her the coffee and left politely. "What are you busy with, Mr. Johnston?¡± Fiore asked. From N?velDrama.Org. Jared quickly turned hisputer off and said, "What else? Just the never- ending pile of documents." "Mr. Johnston, you''re going to wear yourself out if you do everything by yourself. Why don''t you hire a trustworthy subordinate and take care of yourself? Don''t just work for the money. There''s little meaning to life if that¡¯s what you''re going to be doing all day, don''t you think?" Fiore said before taking a sip of the coffee. "That''s the ideal scenario, Miss Fisher, but everyone ys a different role in society, and not everyone can live a life like that." Jared expressed his resignation to his position in society. "Not everyone can, and that includes me," he finished. "Though they can''t, I think that shouldn''t be an issue for you, Mr. Johnston." Fiore looked at him. "You''re ttering me," Jared said and proceeded to look at a document. "There''s a party tonight. Would you like to enjoy it with me?" Fiore arched her brows as she looked at Jared, hoping that he would ept her invitation. "No thanks. ces like that don''t suit me. I feel morefortable in the office." Jared declined. "That''s a shame. It''ll be nice if you can join,¡± Fiore said with an obvious hint of disappointment in her voice. "You have friends, so why are you fussing over not having apanion?¡± Jared casually asked. "What''s the point of going with them?¡± she argued. "By the way, I heard that Miss Riddle is back. Why am I not seeing her with you?" Fiore brought Nicole up and began to observe Jared''s eyes, attempting to assess the state of their rtionship. Chapter 1314 Chapter 1314 "She''s busy with her own ventures, so she doesn''t have time to waste.¡± Jared looked at Fiore and replied without a thought. Fiore smiled. ¡®Seems like their rtionship is on shaky grounds. I guess this might be my chance.¡¯ "Miss Riddle just got back and she''s already busy with work. I heard she sees Mr. Martin rather often too. It looks like she¡¯s more of a workaholic than I am. If I leave the country for a long time, I''d want to spend some time with my fiance as soon as I return.¡± Fiore said as she attempted to convey some hints to Jared through her gaze. Material ? N?velDrama.Org. "The Beacon project is really important to her, and that¡¯s why she pays more attention to it," Jared said. ¡®It really seems that she hasn''t really spent much time with me after she came back. If she isn''t with Mrs. Wace Sr., she''d be busy with her work. If Fiore didn''t remind me, I''d probably have overlooked that fact.¡¯ "How''s the project going, Miss Fisher?" Jared asked. "It''s doing fine, but Castor is next to useless. He¡¯s not even as good as my assistant. I think you should hire someone who''s more capable, Mr. Johnston. It''s best if you can have a look at it when you''re free," Fiore suggested. "Okay, I''ll consider that,¡± Jared replied. ¡®So Castor really is hopeless. I''ve given him chances, but he doesn''t seem to be making good use of them.¡¯ "Mr. Johnston, it''s already afternoon. Why don''t you treat me to lunch?" She looked at Jared. He did not wish to agree, but he thought about the update that she gave him back then, so he responded with a smile. "Sure, where would you like to eat?¡± "Blue Whale Restaurant?¡± Fiore suggested. Jared paused before answering, No problem. Can we leave after I''m done with this?" "Of course,¡± she replied. ¡®I have to use the bathroom too." Fiore obviously did not mind waiting, as she had already gotten the chance to have another meal with Jared. "Okay." The moment Fiore left his office, Jared sent Nicole a text message. [ How are things going? Do you want to have lunch together?] [It''s fine. The people you''ve hired are busy now, so I don''t have to be there. I''m almost arriving at my grandma''s ce already. ] [Okay, I''ll pick you up at night] Jared wanted to know Nicole''s whereabouts to ensure that she would not appear in Blue Whale Restaurant. Otherwise, she would definitely be locked into another misunderstanding with him again. He quickly settled his tasks and walked out, and as Fiore was heading toward him at the same time, she hurried over the moment she saw him leaving. "Done with your work?" "Yeah, let''s go," Jared said, after which he quickly entered the elevator, with Fiore followed suit. Then, Jared drove them to Blue Whale Restaurant. where they sat down at the table they had previously upied. This time around, Fiore called the waitress over to order without waiting for Jared to do so. "I want two of each order." she said. Strangely. Fiore had only been here with Jared once, and yet she had already remembered everything he had ordered in the previous visit. "You remember the food we ate, before this.¡± Jared looked at her. "Of course. I have to remember the things you like, Mr. Johnston.¡± Fiore smiled at him. She truly had feelings for him. so it was natural for her to remember everything about him. Jared did not know how to continue the conversation, and as such. he just smiled and took a sip of water. "Mr. Johnston, did you bring Miss Riddle here?" Fiore asked, talking about Nicole again. Chapter 1315 Chapter 1315 Jared did not avoid her gaze. It was an easy question to answer, and so, he said, "No. Nicole likes this restaurant, so she would always be the one bringing me here.¡± "Oh." Fiore nodded. Jared recalled the first time he was here with Nicole, but they were not sitting at this table. They were so loving and sweet back then. When he reminisced, he could not help but smile while failing to notice that Fiore was staring at him. When he realized that, her eyes were already on him. She had never seen him smiling that earnestly before. ¡®I didn''t expect him to be so charming. It feels like I want to give him a hug Jared quickly corrected his expression and asked, "Miss Fisher?" "Oh, excuse me. Your smile was just too enticing, Mr. Johnston.¡± Fioreplimented. Jared did not expect her to admire him, and this caused him to choke. "Excuse me, I must use the washroom." Jared quickly got up as he could only calm himself down elsewhere. Fiore smiled as she watched him leave. ¡®Is he being shy? I didn''t know he had a shy side to him.1 Jared stayed outside for some time, and only went back to his table when he felt that the dishes were about to be served. Before he reached his table, however, he saw a man talking to Fiore. He thought that the man was a friend of hers, and so, he did not walk over and just watched them from afar. But after some time, he noticed that there was something weird about the expression on her face, so he walked over. That man was pestering Fiore, and he seemed to be asking for her number. When The instant Fiore saw Jared, she quickly stood up and hurried over to him with a look of distress on her face. "Mr. Johnston, this man is harassing me." Jared frowned at that man, who red at Jared fearlessly and asked, "Do you know each other?" "He''s my boyfriend," Fiore said without waiting for Jared to respond. Jared looked at her. ¡®How could she say this?¡¯ Just when he was about to exin, Fiore stopped him. The moment he saw the look of bewilderment on her face, he gave up on trying to exin himself. Thus, he resorted to telling the man coldly, "Leave, before you piss me off." The man was stunned by Jared''s strong presence and fled at once, afraid to have another nce at Fiore''s beauty. Meanwhile, Fiore was feeling safe as she stood behind Jared''s tall figure. He turned around and asked, "Are you okay?¡± "I''m fine; I''m just startled, that''s all. I didn¡¯t expect to bump into people like that in a restaurant." Fiore looked at him with a terrified expression. "He''s gone now, so all is good." Jaredforted her and took her to her seat before sitting on his own. At that moment, a waitress walked toward them. "Mr. Johnston, your wine and dishes." N?velDrama.Org holds this content. Jared nodded and raised his ss to Fiore. "Drink some to calm yourself down." Fiore was at ease after sitting down as she struck her ss against Jared''s. ¡°Thank you, Mr. Johnston. If it wasn''t for you, I really wouldn''t know what to do. This is the first time someone tried to hit on me like that, so I was shocked." Chapter 1316 Chapter 1316 Fiore tried her best to be meek before Jared so he could naturally disy his protective nature. Even if he knew how to control it, he would still subconsciously protect her, which was what she wanted. Jared did not think much about it as he thought that it was normal for women to be started whenever strangers made unsolicited moves on them. That was why he was not repulsed by her actions when she was in fear. To him, it was in the nature of men to be protective. "Let''s have our meal,¡± Jared said, using the food as a means of diverting Fiore''s attention. ¡°Okay.¡± "By the way, the wine you wanted is ready, but you haven''t imed any of it yet." he said. ¡®I''ll just leave it with you for now and get it next time,¡± she replied, making up an excuse to meeting him again. ¡°Okay.¡± Jared knew her intentions, but he did not wish to expose her. After having lunch with her, he went back to his office and continued working. N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. On the other hand, Nicole had gone home when she received a text from Zeke. [Didn''t we agree to study about the missionst night? Why did you not have a signal, all of a sudden? Did something happen?] Zeke was busy worrying about her for the entire night. Nicole quickly replied to him after reading his text. [I''m fine. The connection was lostst night. Do you need me to help you out now?] [Yes!] She received his reply in an instant. [Okay, I''ll turn on myputer upstairs.] Nicole went back to her room and turned herputer on. "Send me your mission.¡± After some time, Zeke sent the task over to herputer. She looked at it thoroughly and found out that it was a mission to crack the ssified details of a team''s mission. ¡®So that is why the reward is a badge of the Reby family. This is a tough mission, and we might still get ourselves in trouble if we seed,¡¯ she thought. (Zeke, do you know the risks associated with this mission?] Nicole asked him through text message. If he was unaware, she had to let him know. [I know, and that''s why I want to try it out] [You should think twice. This is something very serious. If your details ever get exposed, you might be killed. If that happens, you won''t get the badge and you''ll also lose your life.] Nicole reminded him. [I''m prepared for that. Just enlighten me on the strategy and what I should do. You though, should stay out of this.] Zeke was worried that he would drag Nicole down with him if he failed the mission, which would result in an oue too terrifying for him to bear. [Since you''re ready, let''s proceed.] Nicole checked the details and sent them over to Zeke. Then, she guided him via video call. Three dayster, Harvey walked into Nicole''s office with four specialists in chip development. "Nicole, I''ve gotten some experts to help you out. You can start introducing yourself." Harvey looked at Nicole. Nicole smiled as she greeted Harvey. "I''m Nicole, the person in charge here. I was the one who had established this project, and it''s an honor to have you join US in this enterprise. Wee." Nicole looked at the four specialists as she introduced herself. "It''s an honor. I''m Terry Anderson, and I''ve heard about you and Mr. Johnston. You''re really beautiful, Miss Riddle,¡± one of them introduced. "These are my good friends, Fabe Wynn, Keith Robertson, and Mark Leigh." Terry introduced them to Nicole.It''s an honor to be here,¡± they greeted Nicole. Chapter 1317 Chapter 1317 Thank you for reading this post, don''t forget to visit Again! ¡°Hello everyone, wee. ¡°Do you have any subordinates?¡± Nicole looked at them and asked. She could not just have professionals working with her as she also needed staff members. ¡°We do. All of us have apprentices. If you need more men, we can get them toe over and help out,¡± Terry said. ¡°Okay, can each of you bring two assistants over with you? I¡¯m afraid we might get too busy,¡± Nicole requested. ¡°Let¡¯s familiarize ourselves with the equipment today and start our work tomorrow when you¡¯ve brought your assistants over.¡± Nicole looked at them. ¡°Sure, from today onwards, you¡¯re our lead. We¡¯ll follow your arrangements, Miss Riddle,¡± Terry said naturally. ¡°Okay. And by the way, you should stop calling me Miss Riddle. You¡¯re all older than me, so just call me Nicole,¡± Nicole responded humbly. ¡°That¡¯s not too appropriate. We¡¯re colleagues, so I think we should stick with Miss Riddle.¡± ¡®Yeah, that¡¯s most appropriate,¡± Harvey chimed in. Nicole looked at him. ¡°Anything¡¯s fine with me.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s have a look over there.¡± Nicole took them to the office. ¡°We only have two offices built here ¨C ab and a manufacturing room.¡± Nicole looked at them. ¡°If you have any needs or suggestions, feel free to voice them out anytime. If it¡¯s something beneficial to the development of the chip, I will try my best to fulfill your needs,¡± she added. ¡°Alright,¡± they said. Then, Nicole walked them around to get them better acquainted with the equipment. Seeing that he was not needed anymore, Harvey left the area without bothering Nicole, but when Nicole turned around to find him, she realized that he was already gone. ¡®Well, he¡¯s gone already,¡¯ he thought. Til just buy him a meal to thank him for this.¡¯ Suddenly, her phone rang, and when she saw that Carl was the caller, she called out to Kelly. ¡°Keep thempany, I have to answer a call,¡± she ordered. She then walked out to answer the call. ¡®Why are you calling me, Carl?¡± Nicole asked. ¡°Nothing much, I just thought of asking you out for a meal since you¡¯re abroad as well,¡± he said. Carl did not know that Nicole had returned home, so he thought she was still in Lanningbourg. ¡°You¡¯re in Lanningbourg? When and why do I not know about this?¡± Nicole asked, shocked. ¡®Why don¡¯t they keep me posted anymore?¡¯ Material ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°I¡¯ve been here for a week. Did Zane not contact you about this?¡± Carl said, thinking that Nicole knew that he was in Lanningbourg. ¡°No, I haven¡¯t been in contact with Zane for some time now,¡± she replied. ¡®Where are you? I¡¯ll look for you if that¡¯s in the cards,¡± Carl asked for Nicole¡¯s location. ¡°I¡¯m afraid you can¡¯te. I¡¯m back home already,¡± Nicole said with regret. ¡®What? When was this? Why didn¡¯t you tell me about it?¡± Carl said, sounding angry. ¡°I¡¯ve been back for a week or two. I didn¡¯t tell anyone because I left in a hurry. Besides, I didn¡¯t know you¡¯ll be in Lanningbourg!¡± she argued. ¡®What happened there?¡± she asked. Nicole knew that something must have happened for Carl to pay a visit to Lanningbourg. She wanted to know what was going on and if it would affect her base of development. Chapter 1318 Chapter 1318 Thank you for reading this post, don''t forget to visit Again! ¡¯Just that there was something about Curley Corporation. Will you being over?¡± Carl said, wanting to see Nicole, just to fail in his attempt once more. ¡¯I won¡¯t be going there in the foreseeable future. If you miss me, you can meet me back here,¡± she said. ¡¯Forget it. I have a mission to take care of, so I won¡¯t be leaving for a while. If you have me in mind, you should pay me a visit instead,¡± Carl said, expressing his desire to meet Nicole in Lanningbourg. in that case, you should focus on your mission. When you¡¯re done, you cane and hang out with me.¡± Nicole replied. She did not wish to visit Lanningbourg at all. After all, she had just began her research, and thus, she could not leave. ¡°Can¡¯t you just pay me a visit instead?¡± Carlined. ¡°You¡¯re just counting on me toe to you after I¡¯m done. How inconsiderate.¡± ¡¯For your information, I¡¯m really busy now. I can¡¯t leave. If that was not the case, I¡¯d have been there in a heartbeat. Let¡¯s just face it. It¡¯s just an unfortunate coincidence,¡± Nicole exined. ¡°What are you busy with now?¡± Carl asked. Why is she always busy? Doesn¡¯t she need to catch a break? She¡¯s always busy with something whenever I call her.¡¯ ¡°I¡¯m researching on how to develop a chip,¡± Nicole told him. ¡°A chip? Did I hear you correctly?¡± Carl said, almostughing out loud. ¡¯You can¡¯t simply do that,¡± he protested. ¡°You don¡¯t know the ins and outs, so you shouldn¡¯t be tinkering around as you please. If you have nothing to do, juste to me. I can guarantee that you won¡¯t be bored.¡± ¡®She¡¯s really digging her finger into every pie she can find,¡¯ he thought.¡¯ Developing a chip?! Come on, give me a break.¡¯ From N?velDrama.Org. ¡®Even if I get bored to death, I won¡¯t hang out with you. Besides, I¡¯m not messing around. I have practical experience, and I have professionals at my disposal. I believe I can create the chip soon, and it¡¯s going to be an chip of international renown,¡± Nicole said confidently. ¡¯Okay, I¡¯ll be waiting for the good news. You must let me know, so that I canugh at you.¡± Carl said, still unable to believe that Nicole could develop a chip. ¡®I¡¯m done talking to you already,¡± she said. Take care. It¡¯s not safe over there these days.¡± Though they were bickering, Nicole was still concerned about his safety. ¡°Sure, don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t be in danger. You should be the one taking care of yourself. Bye.¡± Carl was concerned about her too. After they had hung up, Nicole made her way back to her office and engaged in a conversation Terry and his colleagues about work. In the afternoon, Nicole received a text from Jared, stating that he was going to have lunch with her. ¡°Kelly, buy Terry and the rest to lunchter. I have something to do, so I won¡¯t be able to have a meal with them,¡± Nicole said to Kelly. ¡¯Sure.¡± ¡®Gentlemen, I wanted to treat you all to lunch, but I just received a call and I now have something to take care of. I won¡¯t be able to have a meal with you today, and I hope you can excuse me for that. However, I¡¯ve already gotten Kelly to arrange lunch for all of you, so she will be tending to you on my behalfter on,¡± Nicole said, disying her appreciation for them with her words. They smiled at her and said, ¡°Miss Riddle, please go ahead. You don¡¯t need to engage US with such formality.¡± ¡°Okay, then I¡¯ll be leaving now. Please enjoy your lunch.¡± Then, Nicole went downstairs. Jared already had his car parked for some time. When he saw Nicole walking out, he quickly got out of the car to wee her. Chapter 1319 Chapter 1319 Thank you for reading this post, don''t forget to visit Again! ¡¯You just started and you¡¯re already this busy? I¡¯ve been waiting for 5 minutes down here.¡± Jared stated. ¡°It¡¯s the professionals¡¯ first day today, so of course, I had to tend to them. Otherwise, it¡¯ll look as though as I don¡¯t value them,¡± she replied. ¡°It¡¯s just been 5 minutes and you¡¯re already growing impatient?¡± Nicole arched her brows as she looked at Jared. ¡®I wouldn¡¯t dare.¡± Jared opened the door to the car for her. In the car, Nicole asked, ¡°Why are you treating me to lunch?¡± ¡°No reason, really. It¡¯s just that having lunch alone gets boring, so it¡¯s better to have it with someone I know.¡± Jared looked at her and continued driving. ¡®I thought you had something important to tell me. If I knew that there was nothing important, I wouldn¡¯t have agreed toe along,¡± Nicole said, regretting all of a sudden. ¡°Really? Having a meal with me is a dream for many beautiful women. You should appreciate that you get to experience it,¡± Jared said delightfully. ¡°Enjoy? You¡¯re too full of yourself.¡± Nicole smiled in defeat. In Blue Whale Restaurant, Jared ordered Nicole¡¯s favorite dishes and asked, ¡°It has been some time since west ate here, has it?¡± ¡°Yeah, the view is phenomenal here.¡± Nicole admired as she looked out the window. She felt much calmer when she sat and looked at the scenery. ¡°When I was abroad, did youe here often?¡± Nicole asked. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯lle here whenever I¡¯m free.¡± Jared only responded with a few words and omitted the part about Fiore, as he was afraid that this would lead him into another misunderstanding with Nicole. ¡°When you weren¡¯t here, I got really bored eating on my own, and because of this, I thought ofing here. Whenever I sit here, it feels like you¡¯re eating with me. Besides, we¡¯ve enjoyed the scenery together here too, so I can momentarily relive the beautiful moments when you¡¯re here by my side. ¡± Jared looked at Nicole and said in a mncholic tone of voice. ¡°Aw, why are we being emotional now?¡± Nicole asked, embarrassed and attempted to switch topics. ¡°Why not? You¡¯re sitting right in front of me now, and you have time to spend time with me already, so I won¡¯t let you leave me for such extended periods of time anymore.¡± Jared looked at her possessively, though he continued speaking in a gentle tone of voice. Nicole blushed. ¡®I just left for work, and I didn¡¯t know he¡¯d miss me this much.¡¯ Then, she took a bite of the dessert she liked and passed it to Jared. ¡°I really like this. Give it a try!¡± Jared had never liked food items such as these, but he did not decline the dessert that Nicole had given him. Instead, he looked at Nicole with a smile and ate it. It was then that Nicole realized that she had passed the dessert to Jared with her spoon on the te after seeing him taking a bite. ¡®Now, this is too embarrassing.¡¯ ¡°It¡¯s good.¡± Jaredplimented it unknowingly, as even he was shocked by the gesture and the taste of the dish. Perhaps, he was just expressing his love for Nicole. ¡°Good, I was afraid that you wouldn¡¯t like it.¡± Nicole said. She was still feeling embarrassed and thought that Jared would not notice that. Besides, she had never seen Jared eating a dessert on his own volition. He had just ordered it for her, just like what he had done this time. N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. ¡°Did you not visit your family after you came back?¡± Jared asked, as he suddenly thought of the Riddle family. Chapter 1320 Chapter 1320 Thank you for reading this post, don''t forget to visit Again! ¡¯Yeah, I don¡¯t know how mum and dad are doing now,¡± Nicole replied. ¡¯I¡¯ll apany you after work to pay them a visit.¡± Jared suggested out of the blue. Material ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡®You want to apany me?¡± Nicole looked at him in surprise, as she wondered if he really was asking to visit the Riddle family. ¡®What has gotten into him?¡¯ ¡°That¡¯s right. Didn¡¯t your parents mention that they haven¡¯t seen me in a long time? I¡¯ve always wanted to visit them. Since I¡¯m pretty free today, let¡¯s pay them a visit after work.¡± Jared calmly exined to Nicole. ¡®Okay, but you¡¯ll have to pick me up then,¡± requested Nicole. ¡®No problem,¡¯ he said. Suddenly, an idea popped up in Nicole¡¯s mind. She turned to Jared and looked at him shyly as she did not know how to bring it up. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡¯ Jared posed the question, as he realized that Nicole had something to tell him. ¡°Thest time I returned home, my parents asked me about our wedding.¡± Nicole nced at Jared awkwardly. Jared understood what she meant and replied, ¡°So, what you¡¯re trying to say is, you want me to be mentally prepared for the questions?¡¯ ¡¯That¡¯s right. If they happen to ask any questions which you¡¯re notfortable with, can you¡­¡± ¡®Don¡¯t worry. I know what to do. I won¡¯t put you in a difficult position.¡± Jared assured, as he knew what she was thinking. Nicole heaved a sigh of relief and a smile gradually appeared on her face.¡± That¡¯ll be great. Actually, thest time I returned home, I¡¯ve promised them that we¡¯ll get married soon.¡± When Jared heard this line, he almost spat the wine out of his mouth, whereupon he looked at Nicole in disbelief, ¡°You¡¯ve promised them?¡± ¡°Are you okay?¡¯ Nicole passed him a paper towel hurriedly. Jared waved his hand to indicate that he was fine. it¡¯s not as you imagined. At that time, I only mentioned that we would think about it when the both of US are not as busy. I did not give them a specific timeline, so don¡¯t you worry about it,¡± Nicole quickly exined to Jared. Hearing this, Jared issued a sigh of relief. Marriage was truly a significant matter. Regardless of what, the both of them shouldmunicate about it. Fortunately, Nicole had not made them any promises. Otherwise, the both of them would be in great trouble. ¡°Actually, I did think about our wedding, but there have been a lot of things happening as of recent,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯m worried that you wouldn¡¯t be in the right mood for it, so I never mentioned it to you. I was waiting for the right time to discuss it with you. ¡°Since you¡¯ve already mentioned it, I thought I¡¯d express my thoughts to you now,¡± Jared spoke to Nicole with an affectionate look in his eyes. Seeing that Jared was speaking about the matter in a serious manner, Nicole gulped and stared at him with a look of solemnness in her face. ¡®I have thought about working on the wedding preparations soon. Since we¡¯re on the same page, I guess the universe has spoken. Let¡¯s go to my parent¡¯s ce and talk about this after lunch. What do you think?¡± Jared suggested to Nicole with an equal degree of solemnness. ¡°WelL.I actually wanted to tell you that I don¡¯t intend to talk about our wedding today,¡± she said. ¡®We¡¯ve been really busy with work for the past months, and work has truly just begun to catch up on my end. It¡¯s not the right time to have our wedding now. Therefore, the sole purpose of the visit today is purely to just check on my parents. If my parents do not mention the wedding, let¡¯s just remain silent about it. Otherwise, we¡¯ll have a lot of exining to do.¡¯ Nicole looked at Jared with her forehead creased and a brow raised. ¡°Oh, so that was what you were trying to say. I thought¡­Never mind, we¡¯ll talk about the wedding when your work is settled. I¡¯ll just apany you to visit your parents today.¡± Jared said, having understood Nicole¡¯s intentions, and respected her decision. ¡®Thank you for understanding.¡± Nicole smiled at him. ¡°No biggie. Let¡¯s continue eating,¡± he said. After lunch, Jared drove Nicole to the Riddle Residence. On the way there, they bought the family some gifts. They slowly drove into the house. After they had parked the car, Nicole and Jared got down and entered the house together. ¡°Mum! Dad! I¡¯m back!¡± Nicole shouted as she pushed the door open. Chapter 1321 Chapter 1321 Thank you for reading this post, don''t forget to visit Again! Gloria, who was sitting in the living room, heard Nicole¡¯s voice. Then, she stood up to wee her daughter. ¡°Nicole, you¡¯re here?¡± ¡°Oh, Jared is here too?¡± An expression of shock appeared on Gloria¡¯s face when she saw Nicole and Jared together. ¡°Mrs. Riddle, it has been a while. You¡¯re looking much better from thest time I met you.¡± Jared greeted Gloria warmly. ¡°Really? I¡¯ve been feeling better too. I guess it wasn¡¯t just a feeling. Come on in.¡± Gloria led them into the living room. ¡°Where¡¯s dad?¡± Nicole asked as she noticed that Daniel was missing as soon as she entered the living room. ¡°He¡¯s in the study. I¡¯ll text him.¡± Gloria shed Nicole a grin. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll go and surprise him myself.¡± Nicole got up with a smile on her face and went upstairs. ¡°That little girl of ours is really close to her dad. He¡¯d be delighted when he finds out that she¡¯s back,¡± Gloria exined to Jared. From N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Here, have some fruits, Jared.¡± Gloria served Jared the te of fruits affectionately. ¡°Thank you.¡± Jared sat in the living room and began a casual conversation with Gloria. Nicole walked up to the entrance of the study and knocked on the door, whereupon a voice sounded from the room in response. ¡°Come in.¡± Nicole pushed the door open and walked in. The moment Daniel lifted his head and looked toward the entrance, he was caught off guard to see Nicole there. In surprise, he asked her, ¡°When did you arrive? Why didn¡¯t you tell me earlier?¡± ¡®I just came. I¡¯m here with Jared,¡± Nicole replied to Daniel. ¡°Jared¡¯s here too?¡± Daniel was even happier when he heard that Jared hade with her. ¡°Yeah, he¡¯s chatting with mom downstairs,¡± she said. ¡°Come, let¡¯s head downstairs.¡± Daniel closed the book which he was holding, got up and went downstairs with Nicole. Jared was chatting with Gloria when Daniel and Nicole approached them. Seeing Daniel approaching, Jared stood up at once and greeted, ¡°Mr. Riddle. It has been a while.¡± ¡°Indeed, it¡¯s been a while, Jared.¡± Daniel stepped forward and shook Jared¡¯s hand. He was ted to have Jared visiting them. ¡°Go on, have a seat,¡± he said. ¡°Jared, it¡¯s such a rare opportunity to have the both of you here for a visit. Why don¡¯t you stay for dinner with US?¡± Daniel looked at Jared and Nicole with a grin. Nicole remained silent and looked at Jared. ¡°Sure. I haven¡¯t had home-cooked food in a long while too. I must take this opportunity to eat more.¡± Jared followed suit and nced at Nicole, as if he was asking her, ¡®Are you satisfied?¡¯ Nicole smiled and looked back at Jared. The look in her eyes made it seemed as though she was replying to his question with a silent, ¡®Yes.¡¯ ¡°That¡¯s great!¡± Daniel replied enthusiastically. ¡°Jared, are you still very busy with work?¡± Daniel looked at Jared in concern. ¡°Yeah, it feels like there is a never-ending to-do list waiting to bepleted every day.¡± Jared replied with a wry smile. ¡°Even though it¡¯s good to be busy, remember to take care of your own health,¡± Daniel said. ¡°Will do,¡± Jared uttered. ¡°By the way, I¡¯ve heard that you¡¯re involved in Fiore¡¯s project too?¡± Daniel asked Jared. Chapter 1322 Chapter 1322 Thank you for reading this post, don''t forget to visit Again! ¡°Yes. The agreement was signed when Henry was still around. After he left, I took over some responsibilities. After all, these projects belong to the Johnston Group. Someone has to take over and protect thepany¡¯s reputation.¡± Jared replied with a hint of embarrassment. Although Henry had left thepany, Jared would not use his resignation as an excuse to go against the agreement. That would just tarnish the reputation of thepany. Moreover, Fiore would never let it slide if he did. Daniel sighed. ¡®Henry really did stir a lot of crap!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about him anymore. It¡¯s been a while since the kids have visited. Let¡¯s talk about something else,¡± Gloriamented on one side. ¡°Yes, yes, yes. Jared, how¡¯s your grandpa¡¯s recovery thus far?¡± Daniel asked, immediately changing the topic of conversation by shifting it to Maximillian¡¯s situation. ¡°He has been recovering well. Sometimes, he would get down off the bed and move around a little.¡± Jared replied. ¡°Really? That¡¯s great news. Luckily for him, his body is strong enough for him to recover fast. Wouldn¡¯t you say so?¡± ¡°Yeah, that must have helped him a lot.¡± Jared answered. N?velDrama.Org holds this content. ¡°In which case, will he be discharged soon?¡± Gloria asked Jared. ¡°Yes, the doctor said that he can return home and recuperate in the next two or three weeks.¡± Jared turned to Gloria and exined. ¡°Oh. Once he¡¯s back at home, make sure he gets the same treatment he had gotten in the hospital. Given the nature of his injury, we must pay attention to the post-recovery period too.¡± Gloria urged Jared with concern. Nicole sat beside them and watched them as they bombarded Jared with questions. Then, she suddenly interrupted them, ¡°Mom, dad, what have you guys been up to? Have Spencer and Samuel been making things hard for the both of you?¡± ¡®Nah, they¡¯ve been behaving very well recently,¡± Gloria said. ¡°After breakfast, they would head out and come back at night. They¡¯re not addicted to video games anymore. I guess what you said during your last visit left an impact on them.¡± Gloria smiled at Nicole as she was very satisfied with Spencer and Samuel¡¯s recent behavior. As long as they stayed away from video games, she would fully support their desire to hang out with their friends. ¡¯Have they changed this much?¡± Nicole mustered a slight frown and looked at Gloria. She felt that Gloria¡¯s description did not fit the two boys at all. At most, spencer would stay at home and y some music. He was not the kind that liked to hang out, so how could he be out for the entire day? ¡°Yeah, if you don¡¯t believe me, why don¡¯t you stick around and find out for yourself? They¡¯ll probably be back during dinner time,¡± Gloria said in an attempt to convince Nicole. ¡°That¡¯s strange¡­¡± Nicole murmured softly. However, Jared was able to read her lips. He looked at Nicole and remained silent about it as Gloria and Daniel were there. ¡°Dad, did Seane home? I haven¡¯t heard from him in a while. I wonder how he is doing with his project now.¡± Nicole turned to Daniel and asked. ¡°He came back once, about a few days ago,¡± Daniel said. ¡°I heard that the Aegis project has been going smoothly. It¡¯s just that he has been really busy, so it¡¯s been very hard for US to meet him.¡± Although Daniel thought that Sean was too busy, he was relieved and happy about the progress his son had been making. Being busy also meant that Sean was improving and that would be a good thing. ¡°He¡¯s truly that busy? I guess I could only find him in the office if I want to meet him.¡± Nicole replied to Daniel. ¡°Do you need him for anything?¡± Daniel turned to Nicole and asked. ¡°Nothing. I¡¯m just asking because I haven¡¯t seen him in a while.¡± ¡°Daniel, since Nicole and Jared are here, why don¡¯t you give Sean a call and ask him toe over if he¡¯s free,¡± Gloria suggested. ¡®That¡¯s a great idea. Quickly now, call him and ask him.¡± Nicole urged. As he was spoke, Daniel held his phone and dialed Sean¡¯s number. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll ask him now.¡± ¡°Dad, what¡¯s the matter?¡± Sean¡¯s voice sounded from the other side of the phone. ¡°Sean, are you busy today? Come over to the house if you¡¯re free tonight. Nicole and Jared are back,¡± Daniel said. ¡°Nicole and Jared are back?¡± He was shocked as soon as he heard the news. Chapter 1323 Chapter 1323 Thank you for reading this post, don''t forget to visit Again! ¡®Yes.¡± ¡°Alright, 111 be there tonight.¡± Sean said, giving an affirmative reply. ¡®Okay then, don¡¯t forget to inform Steve. We¡¯ll be waiting for you at home.¡± Daniel hung up as soon as he was done speaking. ¡®Will do,¡± Sean said. ¡®Dad, what did Sean say?¡± Nicole immediately asked as soon as Daniel hung up. ¡®The second I told him that you¡¯re back, he said that he¡¯ll being back tonight.¡± Daniel replied to her with a smile. ¡®That¡¯s great! The house will be a lot livelier tonight.¡± Gloria eximed. ¡®Let me give Stanley, Spencer, and Samuel a call and see what time they will be home.¡± Daniel immediately started dialing on his phone as soon as he had uttered thest word. ¡°Where are you guys at? Why is it so noisy there?¡± Daniel asked as he heard the sound of loud music coming from the other side. ¡°Dad, why are you calling?¡± Samuel said after he shifted to a much quieter spot. ¡®Nicole and Jared are back. All of you better be home earlier tonight. Is that clear?¡± Daniel ordered. ¡°Alright. Well be back before dinner. Anyway, I¡¯m quite busy now. I¡¯m hanging up.¡± Without waiting for Daniel¡¯s response, Samuel immediately ended the call. ¡®This little brat! How dare he hang up on me!?¡± Daniel fumed after deactivated his phone. ¡®What happened?¡± Gloria asked after noting the expression on his face. ¡°Nothing. They said they¡¯ll be back before dinner,¡± Daniel exined to them withoutmenting any further. ¡°These two kids, usually they¡¯lle running once they hear that Nicole¡¯s back. Why are they¡¯re so chill about it this time around? They must be having too much fun out there,¡± Gloria remarked with surprise. Nicole quickly caught onto some details and surmised that Spencer and Samuel must have been up to no good. ¡°Jared, you haven¡¯t been to our garden right? Let me give you a tour of it.¡± Nicole turned to Jared and offered. ¡°Mom, dad, I¡¯ll show Jared around the garden.¡± Nicole said upon turning around to look at her parents. ¡°Go on. I think Jared hasn¡¯t been there before.¡± Gloria smiled. Seeing that Jared and Nicole were growing closer, she could not help but feel happy forthem. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Nicole stretched her hand out and dragged Jared to the garden. Jared gave Daniel and Gloria a slight nod, after which he followed Nicole to the garden Nicole released Jared¡¯s hands only after they have reached the garden. With a grin on her face, Nicole asked, ¡°Isn¡¯t it beautiful here?¡±N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. Jared gazed at the garden and admired, ¡°It¡¯s quite pretty. By the first nce, you could tell that it¡¯s well taken care of.¡± ¡°Yeah, my mom loves flowers. Usually, she¡¯lle here and do some gardening or admire the flowers during her free time. Every single flower here was nted and taken care of with her own hands.¡± Nicole exined as she walked toward the bushes. Chapter 1324 Chapter 1324 Chapter 1324 ¡®It is no wonder that your smile is so lovely, just like a flower. You must have inherited it from your mom.¡± Jared gazed at Nicole and admired her. Thank you for reading this post, don''t forget to visit Again! The instant Nicole heard hispliment, she instantly blushed. She was obviously talking about Mrs. Riddle, and yet Jared had shifted his attention to Nicole instead. ¡®Don¡¯t move.¡± Jared suddenly stated. ¡®What¡¯s the matter?¡± Nicole immediately froze as she asked Jared with a look of shock on her face. Once she saw that Jared was pointing his phone at her, she finally understood what he was intending to do. A beautiful smile gradually formed on her face, ¡°Are you taking a picture of me?¡± ¡®Yeah. I want to capture each and every beautiful moment of you.¡± Jared quickly snapped a number of candid pictures of Nicole. ¡°Are you done? I want to have a look,¡± Nicole asked as she looked at him. ¡®Yeah, I¡¯m done. Come take a look.¡± Jared looked through the photos on his phone and was seemingly satisfied with them. Nicole grabbed his phone to see how the pictures were, before muttering,¡¯ That¡¯s not bad. At least I don¡¯t look ugly in them.¡± ¡®What do you mean when you said, at least you don¡¯t look ugly? I did take excellent shots of you, okay?¡± Jared retorted. Indeed, he really did take nice pictures of Nicole; she was as beautiful in those photos as she was in person. ¡°Don¡¯t go yet.¡± Jared grabbed Nicole¡¯s wrist and pulled her into his arms with all of the strength he could muster. ¡®What are you doing? We¡¯re at my parents¡¯ house!¡± Nicole¡¯s heart thumped. She thought that Jared was about to do something to her, and so, she scanned her surroundings cautiously. ¡®Don¡¯t get freaked out. This is a good opportunity. I just want to take a picture with you.¡± Jared whispered into her ears. Upon hearing that, Nicole sighed. ¡°You could¡¯ve just said it. You really scared me.¡± Then, she lifted her head and directed her gaze at the phone which Jared was holding up high. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you were thinking of¡­¡± Just as Jared was speaking, Nicole interrupted him mid-sentence. ¡°Do you still want to take that picture or not? If not, I¡¯m leaving,¡± she said. Material ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Don¡¯t go just yet.¡± The corner of his lips lifted as he watched Nicole blush. Then, he fingered the shutter and took a few photos together with her. ¡°Looks good.¡± Jared hovered over Nicole as the both of them looked through the photos. ¡°Do send me the pictures we¡¯ve taken today.¡± Nicole requested. ¡°If you want these pictures, you¡¯ll have to give me something in exchange for it.¡± Jared looked at her with a devilish smile. ¡°Are you trying to coerce me again?¡± Nicole replied with her eyebrows raised. ¡°I¡¯m not coercing you. It¡¯s called a trade.¡± Jared looked into her eyes with a glint of affection in his. ¡°Don¡¯t forget, you still owe me a favor.¡± Nicole looked at Jared slyly and reminded him. ¡°Oh, I remember,¡± he said. ¡°Do you want me to use it up now?¡± Jared was secretly hoping that she would make mentions of the favor at that moment. That way, he would not have extra concerns in the future whenever he wanted to do something with her. ¡°Nice try! I won¡¯t let it be spent on such a small thing. If you don¡¯t n to send me those photos, then I don¡¯t want them either.¡± Nicole pretended to storm off and admired the scenery on her own. Jared smirked and nced at her. Then, he slowly approached her. ¡®If you kiss me now, I¡¯ll send the photos to you right away.¡± Jared proposed his intention in an unusual way. Nicole nced at him and thought, ¡®What a handsome rascal. He¡¯s the only one who would dare to speak to me in this way. If it was someone else, I would¡¯ve given them a good p on the face.¡¯ Chapter 1325 Chapter 1325 Thank you for reading this post, don''t forget to visit Again! ¡°Are you serious about that? You won¡¯t go back on your word, will you?¡± Nicole squinted her eyes and questioned him. ¡°I won¡¯t. I always stay true to my words.¡± A devilish look formed on Jared¡¯s pretty face. Nicole took a deep breath and scanned her surroundings. Seeing that no one was around them, Nicole gave him a light peck on the cheek. Then, she looked at him and said, ¡°Remember to send the photos to me!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± Jared smiled. He never expected that he would actually get a kiss in exchange for a few photos. ¡®It¡¯s such a good bargain. Had I known this, I¡¯d have brought her out on holidays more often.¡¯ ¡°Nicole, would you like to continue with the travel ns we¡¯ve discussed about?¡± Jared asked her. ¡®Travel? I would love to, but what about the chip?¡± Nicole gave Jared a helpless nce. ¡°Well, it¡¯s still in the early stages of development. Why not put the project on hold and continue working on it after we¡¯re back from our trip?¡± Jared asked. ¡°I¡¯ll leave that up to you. After all, I am doing this project for you,¡± Nicole replied, looking into his eyes. ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll assign us to be your right-hand man, starting from tomorrow,¡± Jared suggested after havinge up with an idea. ¡°All you have to do is pass your work to him as soon as possible and set a target for your team. With us and Kelly around, there wouldn¡¯t be major issues as long as they follow your instructions. Besides, if they evere across a stumbling block, they could always call you right away. That way, we can continue with our travel ns.¡± Nicole furrowed her brows, and after having given it some thought, she said, ¡°It doesn¡¯t sound like a bad idea. Ask us toe over to my office tomorrow.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± he uttered. ¡°But¡­¡± Nicole paused, as the McCarthy family came to mind once more. ¡°But what?¡± Jared looked at her and asked. ¡°Why did Joyce send someone over to tail me? And about the arson attack at The Beacon factory, there is still much that we¡¯ve yet to settle. I don¡¯t think this is the right time for US to leave for a vacation,¡± Nicole expressed as she looked at Jared firmly in the eyes. ¡°I guess we¡¯ll have to take care of Joyce first.¡± An icy glint crossed Jared¡¯s eyes. ¡°Yeah, or else, we wouldn¡¯t be able to enjoy ourselves during the trip,¡± she said. ¡°You¡¯re right about that,¡± Jared agreed. ¡°Joyce will still be a thorn at our side.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s not think about it today. Shall we take a seat at the swing for a moment?¡± Nicole suggested as she pointed at the swing in the garden. ¡°Sure.¡± Jared and Nicole walked toward the swing. Nicole rested her head on Jared¡¯s shoulder and closed her eyes, prompting Jared to hold her in his arms. As the two of them were swaying back and forth on the swing, the sun shone upon them, casting a heartwarming shadow of the lovers on the ground. After a while, Nicole slowly opened her eyes. She did not realize that she had fallen asleep in his arms. ¡°How could I have fallen asleep?¡± Nicole asked as she quickly sat up straight and looked at Jared in shock. ¡°Perhaps the environment here puts you at ease because of howfortable it is. I guess you¡¯ve been really exhausted these days. Otherwise, you wouldn¡¯t have fallen asleep so easily,¡± Jared replied as he stretched around Seeing him stretch, Nicole sheepishly asked, ¡°You did not move the entire time, did you?¡± ¡°Nope. I saw you sleeping soundly so I didn¡¯t want to bother you.¡± N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. Although Jared¡¯s arms were numb from all her leaning, he was very happy that she was willing to sleep in his arms. This was the first time they sat on a swing together. To add to that, they did so in a garden, and so, it felt like they were surrounded by the beauty of nature. ¡°Why are you so well-behaved today? Are you growing tired of me already?¡± Nicole looked at him and sulked. To date, it still surprised her that Jared had not touched her in ways she deemed inappropriate. ¡°Do you feel better now?¡± Nicole massaged his arm. ¡°A lot better. I didn¡¯t expect you to be so adept at massaging.¡± Jared stared into her eyes affectionately and praised. Chapter 1326 Chapter 1326 ¡°That¡¯s good,¡± she said. Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Can you be a peach and fall asleep on my shoulders all the time?¡± Jared requested out of the blue. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Nicole looked at him with her brows raised. ¡®What is wrong with him? I¡¯ve never heard of anyone asking others to fall asleep on their shoulders. ¡°If you do that, I can always get a massage from you.¡± Jared smiled at her. ¡°In your dreams!¡± Nicole pushed his arm away at once. ¡°Anyway, let¡¯s head inside,¡± Nicole said, as she was preparing to stand up. It was then that Jared grabbed her by the arm and said, ¡°Everyone¡¯sing back for dinner tonight. If anyone asks US about our wedding during dinner, what would you say in response to them? Have you thought about it?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think anyone would ask.¡± Nicole frowned and looked at Jared nervously. ¡°That might not be the case. This time around, we came here to visit them together. Someone might identally let the question slip,¡± Jared replied with a suggestive look on his face. ¡°If anyone were to ask, we¡¯ll just use work as an excuse. After all, the wedding must be dyed, one way or another. Anyway, I suggest that you refrain from visits after today. Given enough time, they¡¯d forget all about it and stop asking,¡± Nicole rmended. ¡°Alright then. If that¡¯s what you want. I¡¯ll respect it. If your family finds out about it in the future, you¡¯ll know what to do.¡± Jared exined as he kept his eyes on her. ¡°I know. When that timees, I won¡¯t trouble you. All of these are my ideas. Is that fine with you? Pfft.¡± Nicole rolled her eyes at him and walked into the house. Jared gazed at her from the back and smiled. Then, he followed her in. In the living room, Sean and Steve were already back. Just as they were about to take a seat on the couch, Nicole and Jared walked in from outside. ¡°Nicole.¡± Sean and Steve stood up and turned toward Nicole. ¡°Mr. Johnston.¡± Sean stepped forward and greeted Jared warmly. ¡°Sean, Steve, when did you guys arrive? Why didn¡¯t anyone tell US?¡± Nicole looked at the two boys and asked. ¡°We just arrived not long ago. The both of you came in as soon as we sat down.¡± Sean smiled at Nicole and exined. ¡°You guys went to the garden?¡± Sean made a guess based on the direction they hade in from. ¡°Struck the bull¡¯s eye with that guess, didn¡¯t you? We were getting a little bored of sitting here so I brought Jared out to the garden for a little walk,¡± Nicole replied, looking at Sean. ¡°Let¡¯s all have a seat,¡± Sean said to them. ¡°Sure.¡± ¡°This is my first time meeting you since you came back, right? I heard your trip back home was unnned. What actually happened?¡± Sean asked Nicole with his brow raised. ¡°It¡¯s nothing major. It¡¯s just that I couldn¡¯t stand it there anymore, so I came back, because I knew I could count on you,¡± Nicole jokingly said to Sean. ¡°Come on,¡± Sean retorted. ¡°You can¡¯t stand it there? More like that country can¡¯t stand to keep you around any longer, right?¡± Sean knew Nicole well. She was a genius, and so, she would be adored no matter where she went. There was no way that she could not fit in. ¡°Hehe, you know me so well. I couldn¡¯t even fool you for a second.¡± Nicole looked at Sean mischievously. Chapter 1327 Chapter 1327 Sean looked at Nicole with doting eyes, "Now, can you tell US the real reason as to why you came back so suddenly?" "Actually, I''m working on an experiment now, but the equipment and materials back there were insufficient. Therefore, I gave it some thought and decided toe back. I could gain the support I need from you guys, so I just came back. That''s all." Nicole exined to them with a nk stare on her face. She did not make mentions of her chip project to them. In the end of the day, it was a corporate secret which involved Jared''spany. Because of this, she had to keep it private from them for the time being. Sean grinned and said, "I knew it. It''s impossible that you can''t fit in there. In the end, it was because of their inability to amodate your ns. Since you''re back, you should just focus on your experiment. If you need anything, just let me know. I''ll make sure to get you whatever you need." "Well, I guess I''ll have to thank you in advance." Nicole smiled and cupped Sean''s hands in hers. Seanughed. "Nah, there''s no need for that.¡± Sean turned around to look at Jared and the smile on his face faded, whereupon he began acting with decorum and spoke to Jared in a much more formal manner. "Mr. Johnston, you have countless things to attend to on a daily basis. I''m sure you had to push aside some of your work to make it here today, right?" "Not really. It has been a while since I visited Mr. and Mrs. Riddle. Coincidentally, I was having lunch with Nicole today, so we chatted and decided toe over together," Jared briefly exined to Sean. "Oh" "I heard that the Johnston Group and the Fisher Group are working on a renewable energy project. Do you mind sharing a little about it?¡± Sean asked, observing Jared as he popped the question. Upon hearing Sean''s question, Daniel and Steve turned their attention to Jared. "The renewable energy project was decided upon when Henry was still around. It was he who had signed the contract with Fiore. I don''t really know much about this project either, but I suppose it''s a project worth investing in, in the long run. "You guys know how Fiore is too. Over the past few years, none of the projects she invested in had failed. She cares a lot about this project as well," Jared briefly introduced the project, expressing that it was a project worth doing. ¡°It''s not every day you get toe across a good project like this. If she needs any funding in theter stages, the Riddle family would be more than happy to help.¡± Sean looked at Jared convincingly. Jared sized him up and he could tell that Sean was sincere about participating in the project. ¡®Sure. But aren''t you guys working closely with the Ellison family on one of projects helmed by Aegis Corporation? Do you have the resources to participate in another project?" Jared looked at Sean and questioned. "Yes, we are coborating with the Ellison family on that project by Aegis Corporation, but it''s about to bepleted soon. After that, I can use some of my resources on other projects. Even if it isn''t the one pertaining to renewable energy, we would have participated in another." Sean looked at Jared confidently. He was trying to tell Jared that the Riddle family was powerful. "That''s good. Once we begin focusing on the funding, I''ll let you know.¡± Jared gave Sean some assurance. ¡®Thank you in advance,¡± Sean said. "The both of you should not be talking about work all the time. Brother, have you visited grandpa recently?" Nicole asked Sean. "I went to his ce about a few days ago. Grandpa did ask about you as well, but I didn''t know that you were back already, so I told him that you''re still abroad. Now that you''re back, you should visit him soon. He really misses you a lot.¡± Sean turned to Nicole and began talking about everything that had happened at Mr. Riddle Sr.''s ce a few days back. "Alright, I''ll pay him a visit within the next few days. Is there anything which he likes these days? I''ll buy them for him." Nicole asked. "He has everything he needs already. A visit alone will make him very happy, so there''s no need to go bearing gifts," Sean exined. "Alright then. I''ll figure it out," Nicole replied. Material ? N?velDrama.Org. "Anyway, are you seeing anyone now, brother?" Nicole suddenly asked Sean about his personal matters. In response, Sean blushed and stared back at Nicole. Chapter 1328 Chapter 1328 "Why are you asking such a question out of the blue?¡± Sean looked at Nicole shyly. The look in his eyes was telling her that there were outsiders present. However, Nicole was not bothered by that, and proceeded with her questions. "It''s just because I care about you. Come on, tell me about it." "There''s none. How would I find the time to date anyone when I¡¯m so upied with work?" Sean exined himself to Nicole. Material ? N?velDrama.Org. "Sean, you''re not that young anymore. Isn''t it time to find yourself a partner? " Gloria suggested. "Mom, don''t listen to Nicole. I have my own ns.¡± Sean tried tofort Gloria. "What are your ns? As far as I''m concerned, you''ve rejected all the blind dates I''ve arranged for you. You''ve always said that you''ll be bringing a girlfriend home soon. And yet? I haven''t seen you getting together with anyone up till today!" Daniel butted in, as he had overheard the discussion. With the pressure on him mounting, the more they talked about it, Sean red at Nicole. ¡®It''s all because of her questions that everyone''s eyes are now on me.¡¯ "Mom, dad. If I must be honest, Sean is actually dating someone currently," Steve interrupted. Sean looked at Steve in shock. ¡®Since when have I dated anyone?¡¯ ''Why is he making stuff up?¡¯ "Steve Riddle.¡± Sean was about to interrupt Steve when he saw the glint in Steve''s eyes. "Brother, you don''t have to keep it a secret anymore. Juste clean with mom and dad.¡± Steve gave Sean a wink and signaled him to follow through with the lie. Sean gulped and quickly thought of something, "Since the cat is already out of the bag, I guess I shouldn''t hide it anymore.¡± Sean looked at Daniel and Gloria, and issued a sigh. "Mom, dad. It''s true that I''m dating someone. But we''re still getting to know each other and have not officially gotten together yet. That was why I did not mention this to the both of you." Hearing this, Daniel and Gloria''s eyes widened. A grin instantly appeared on their faces. "I see. No wonder you were reluctant to talk about it." Daniel looked at Sean andmented. "You little brat. Even if you''re just dating each other, you could''ve told me about it as well. You''re always hiding things from US. Dating someone is a good thing. It''s just that when we have no clue about what is going on, we would naturally overthink. Isn''t it better for everyone, now that you''ve revealed the truth to US? That way, we wouldn''t be too worried about you anymore,¡± Gloria said to Sean reproachfully. "Yeah. I''ve gotten you all worried. I should have told you guys earlier,¡± Sean said, directing the me to himself. "There''s no need to me yourself. Now, we''ll leave you to it. Remember to treat her well, alright? Don''t bog yourself down with work all the time.¡± Gloria advised. "Don''t worry about it, mom. I will not," he said. "Nicole, how are things with Martin?" Sean took the opportunity to change the topic of conversation once there was a pause. "Martin? The production on his side has gotten back on track." Nicole replied to Sean. Sean sighed. "I''ve never thought that the factory would be on fire." "It''s fine," Nicole said. "All of this is in the past.¡± "Have you discovered the reason behind it?" Daniel asked Nicole. "Not yet. It is still under investigation,¡± Nicole replied, unable to reveal certain details to them. "Why is it taking so long?" Daniel asked, puzzled. Chapter 1329 Chapter 1329 "Perhaps this fire was a big one, so they''ll need more time to investigate it. I''m not very sure either." Nicole briefly exined. "Yeah." "Oh right, I''m sure you guys have heard that the McCarthy family are going to visit the graves of their forefathers tomorrow, right?" Sean looked at everyone in the living room and asked. "I''ve heard about it. The McCarthy family isn''t a big one, and yet they have made a huge deal out of paying respects to their ancestors. It''s as if they''re afraid that no one will notice them. It''s a bit extra if you ask me," Nicolemented with contempt. "It is! I find it hard to believe that a fallen family would hold such a grand ceremony to pay respects to their forefathers," Stevemented in annoyance. "Perhaps you guys are unaware of this, but the McCarthy family has established connections with a family of high social status abroad. They even became inws, and are doing well abroad. That''s the main reason as to why they''re going the whole nine yards with the ceremony. They must be thinking about salvaging whatever is left of their reputation," Jared chimed in. "Oh, I see." Daniel uttered, as it dawned upon him that such was why the McCarthy family dared to behave this arrogantly. "A while ago, the McCarthy family were chased out of the country by Martin. I guess part of the reason for that splendid ceremony was to rub it in Martin''s face, don''t you think?" Sean looked at everyone as he spoke. "That''s possible. Who knows? The ident in that factory might have been perpetrated by the McCarthys too,¡± Stevemented nkly. "You are to keep this between the family, and not talk about it with outsiders. Do you understand?" Daniel ordered Steve with a serious look on his face. "Okay," Steve uttered. Upon hearing Steve''sment, Nicole thought, ¡®I didn''t expect Steve to have that thought. Is he just running with a wild guess? Or does everyone think the same too? "I personally don''t think that it''s the McCarthy family''s doing. The McCarthy family in now and the past are of two distinct statuses. If they were to make a move on Martin, they wouldn''t do it in secret. They could''ve done it publicly and still regain their reputation. There''s no reason for them to pull the stunts in private,¡± Sean said, voicing an entirely different opinion. Those words gave Jared a new thought, ¡®Perhaps it''s as Sean had said. With Joyce''s current support, she could have taken revenge on Martin publicly. Why would she do it in private? What could the motive behind this be?¡¯ Jared''s eyes darkened as thoughts began racing across his mind. ¡®What you said makes sense too. The McCarthy family must have some other motive behind their ceremony." Steve analyzed the whole thing with seriousness. Still, it never crossed his mind that the other motive for Joyce''s return was one of them. As they were chatting, spencer and Samuel came waltzing in from the outside. When the both of them saw Nicole, they ran over excitedly and greeted her, "Nicole, why did you not inform US that you are visiting? That way, we would have waited for you at home." "Didn''t you see Jared here?" Daniel reminded them. It was only then did Spencer and Samuel notice Jared sitting beside Nicole. ¡°Hello, Mr. Johnston." Jared looked at them and nodded. "It was ast-minute decision too.¡± Nicole looked at them and smiled. It was all Jared''s idea, because if it was not, she would only n to visit themter. "Where did you guys go?" Nicole looked at them from head to toe. "We were ying at the basketball court. We had a great game today, didn''t we?¡± Samuel nced at Spencer. "Yes, it was exciting.¡± spencer immediately came to his senses and yed along. Nicole eyed their shoes and noticed that they were not wearing basketball shoes. They were not stinking of sweat either. It was obvious that they were lying. ¡®Something is up with these two.¡¯ Samuel winked at Nicole as he said. "You guys can continue chatting. We''ll head upstairs and have our change of clothes." Then, the both of them hurried upstairs.Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org. Chapter 1330 Chapter 1330 "These two rascals seem to be a little more rowdy as of recent.¡± Gloria looked at their backs with a smile on her face, Tm d they are hanging out with their friends more often.¡¯ A smile crept up on Nicole''s face, ''l wasn''t expecting them to go out with their friends.¡¯ Noticing Nicole''s smile. Jared looked at her and asked, "What are you smiling at?¡± ¡°Hush, I''ll tell youter.¡± Nicole said, signaling Jared to not make mentions of the topic any further. In response, Jared furrowed his brows and wondered, ¡®Why is she being so oblique?¡± After a few minutes. Samuel and Spencer came downstairs, took seats across from Nicole. and asked. ¡®Nicole. when did you get here?¡± "We''ve been here all afternoon. Did you guys have a good time this afternoon?" Nicole asked them with a pointed nce. "Of course, we''re happy, but we''re also exhausted,¡± Samuel said, pretending. "Spencer, did you go with them?¡± Nicole asked Spencer. "I did not. I just watched them from the sidelines." Spencer said with some confidence. As there were other people in the living room, Nicole did not continue to press on. "Mom, when will dinner be ready?" Nicole looked at Gloria and asked. "It should be ready soon. Are you hungry?" Gloria responded in kind. Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org. "No, I''m just asking,¡± Nicole replied. "You should go and take a look. It''s almost dinner time.¡± Daniel looked at Gloria and motioned her to go to the kitchen. ¡°Okay, let me go have a look,¡± Gloria said as he got up and marched to the kitchen. ¡®Sean, spencer and Samuel are due for their internships. Are you going to assign them some training in yourpany?" Nicole asked Sean. "Dad has approached me on this before, and I''ve also asked them for their opinions. You should let them speak for themselves," Sean replied, giving Samuel and Spencer the right to speak for themselves. Everyone turned to look at them with their foreheads creased and immediately fixed their gazes on the duo of Spencer and Samuel "You don''t have to look at US like that, do you?¡± Spencer said. "Sean has asked US before, but we felt like we weren''tpetent enough for the kind of work he has in mind.¡± Nicole knew that they both did not want to go, surmising that they had made some excuses up to elude Sean''s arrangements "Sean, is the job that you have assigned them beyond their capabilities?¡± Nicole looked at Sean with her brows furrowed "The work I had assigned them was rudimentary. All I can say is, they could do it by themselves if they wanted, and yet, they still think they''re notpetent enough. I can''t force them to do anything if you watch my drift.¡± Sean said, as he had tried his best to make things work. ¡®It''s just that they weren''t cooperative,¡¯ he thought "Why are the both of you so insecure? Are the children of the Riddle family really that ipetent?¡± Nicole looked at them and asked. genuinely surprised ¡°If you think the work assigned by Sean is difficult, then I will make the arrangements for you,¡± Nicole solemnly said with a purpose in mind. Chapter 1331 Chapter 1331 ¡°I¡¯m free during any time of the day. Just give me a call before youe over to the headquarters,¡± Sean said, happy that they wereing to do their internship at his ¡°Okay,¡± the duo uttered. It was then that Gloria marched out of the kitchen, looked at them and said, ¡°Dinner¡¯s ready. Come over and eat.¡± Gloria ced all of Nicole¡¯s favorite dishes in front of her, before turning to Jared and saying, ¡°Jared, I don¡¯t know what you usually like to eat so I¡¯ve allowed the cook to make you some special dishes. Come, have a taste of it and see what you like.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Jared replied politely. ¡°Nicole, these dishes are your favorites. I¡¯ve asked the cook to make them for you. Give them all a try, would you?¡± she said. Jared stared at the stacks of food in front of Nicole and thought, ¡®Isn¡¯t this a bit much? He then looked at the other people, who only had a few dishes made for them. ¡®The treatment here is obviously preferential.¡± ¡°Mom, you prepared more dishes for Nicole than the rest of us here. Aren¡¯t you ying favorites?¡± Samuel asked in jealousy. ¡°Is that so? Here,e have some of this.¡± Gloria addressed Nicole patronizingly,pletely disregarding the existence of others. Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org. All Samuel wanted was a better dish, and seeing this, Gloria quickly ced another dish in front of him for him to eat. Jared coughed and signaled Nicole to share some of her food with him, as it would be too embarrassing for him to ask out loud, Understanding what Jared had meant, Nicole turned to Sean at once and said, ¡°I know Sean also likes this dish. Mom just told me to try some of these.¡± Nicole then smiled and handed the dishes to Sean. Gloria understood what Nicole meant and in relief, she said, ¡°Yeah, what Nicole said was right. I heard Nicole was awarded a restaurant with a Michelin Star. I was thinking if she could give our chef a score.¡¯ ¡°Anyway, let¡¯s snap out of it and hand that dish over to me,¡± Gloria looked at them and said. It was only then that everyone began eating, with Nicole heaving a sigh of relief.¡± Things got awkward real quick. I think it¡¯s because mom was a little too psyched. Perhaps it¡¯s her first time meeting Jared?¡± Half way through the meal, Sean suddenly looked at Nicole and asked, ¡°Nicole, have you and Jared thought about when you¡¯ll be getting married?¡± Jared¡¯s heart suddenly tightened, I guessed it right. I suppose we can only wait for Nicole¡¯s answer. Then, he turned to look at Nicole and thought, ¡®Sean is Nicole¡¯s eldest brother and he was totally justified in asking that question. He did have the right to ask.¡± Nicole darted Jared a nce, after which she calmly looked at Sean and exined, ¡± We¡¯ve been a little busy with our work as of recent. I think that, when the time is right, we will n for our wedding.¡± Jared gave Nicole a silent thumbs up after hearing her answer, ¡®She didn¡¯t betray his trust. There was credibility in her words.¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s good. When you both aren¡¯t too busy with work, you can prepare for the wedding. It would be torturous for both your mind and body if you do it when you¡¯re tied up and stuff,¡± Sean replied, having understood what Nicole had said. ¡°Yeah. In fact, I won¡¯t be worrying too much about the wedding. I think Jared is the one who will be doing much of the worrying. I don¡¯t want him to carry most of the burden.¡± Nicole nced at him and continued talking without leaving room for others to ask questions. ¡°Yes, we are grateful that you have Jared by your side.¡± Gloria looked at the two of them with a satisfied grin on her face. Jared and Nicole then both looked at each other, their eyes brimming with love for each other. ¡°When the timees, you can turn to me and tell me what you need. As your eldest brother, I will do everything I can to support you.¡± Sean looked at Nicole and said heartily. ¡°Don¡¯t you worry. I think that you won¡¯t be the only one who will be busy by then.¡± Nicole looked at everyone with a smile. ¡°That¡¯s how it should be. Our sister¡¯s wedding is the top priority of the Riddle family, and no one is allowed toze around!¡± Steve said jokingly. My Wife is a Hacker by Summer Chapter 1332 Chapter 1332 My Wife is a Hacker by Summer Chapter 1332 ¡°Steve, just say what you want to say. Why are you looking at us that way?¡± Samuel asked with a nk stare on his face. ¡°What are you getting all riled up about?¡± Steve asked. ¡°I didn¡¯t say who the ckers are.¡± ¡°Yeah right, your eyes have already given it away,¡± Samuel sarcastically said. ¡°Wow, you¡¯re a genius, aren¡¯t you? You know how to read my eyes now?¡± Steve shot back. ¡°You¡­¡± ¡°Okay, okay, cut it out. Jared is still here. Behave yourselves.¡± Daniel reminded. One after another, several heads turned to look at Jared¡¯s general direction, after which they continued to eat quietly without a peep. Nicole watched from the side as they quarreled over nothing, and with an obvious smile on the corners of her mouth, she thought, ¡®It¡¯s fun to have a family like them.¡± ¡°Jared, don¡¯t mind them. They usually act like this. It¡¯s how they¡¯ve always been since they were young,¡± Daniel looked at Jared and exined. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I really like their way of getting along. There is something very pure about it. Jared said. Indeed, he could truly feel it, as he thought that was how easily a family ought to get along, unlike his. ¡°Really? Well, so long as you don¡¯t mind. Here, have some of this dish. This is what Nicole eats every time shees back for a visit,¡± Daniel said to Jared with a smile on his face. ¡°Okay,¡± Jared said. The entire family happily ate the rest of their dinner, and after it was over, they watched as Nicole and Jared left the residence of the Riddles. In the car, Nicole looked at Jared and asked, ¡°How was today for you?¡± Jared shot Nicole a nce, and in a tone of voice that reeked of envy, he said, ¡°It¡¯s been very eventful. You and your siblings all get along very well.¡± Then, he thought, ¡®If only the Johnston family were the same.¡® From N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Why? Are you envious? Nicole asked, looking into his eyes. ¡°You¡¯re a part of our family now. You can join us if you like our way of getting along with one another, you know.¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright. I¡¯m fine, I¡¯m used to being alone. Although I¡¯ve missed out on the joy you have, losing those things have allowed me to focus on my work,¡± Jared said as he looked at the situation from another angle. ¡°Alright. I hope you know that our family really likes you.¡± Nicole looked at Jared and said. ¡°I know,¡± he replied. ¡°Are you going to stay at Mrs. Wace Sr.¡¯s ce tonight?¡± Jared looked at Nicole and asked. ¡°No, I have work tomorrow,¡± Nicole answered. ¡°It¡¯ll be closer if I stay here.¡± ¡°Okay, in that case, I¡¯ll get us directly to my ce.¡± Jared ended, and proceeded to drive his way to his mansion. Back at the vi, Nicole was about to go to the living room to take a rest when her phone suddenly rang. She picked it up to see that it was Zeke calling, and so, she casually answered it. ¡°Zeke, what¡¯s the matter?¡± Nicole asked. ¡°I¡¯m having a little trouble with that mission. Do you have the time to look into it?¡± Zeke asked in an anxious tone of voice. ¡°Rx, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll take a look at it for you right away.¡± Nicole took her phone with her and walked upstairs. Upon reaching her bedroom, Nicole quickly switched herputer on and texted Zeke. [Should I video call or should I help you out remotely?] My Wife is a Hacker by Summer Chapter 1333 Chapter 1333 My Wife is a Hacker by Summer Chapter 1333 [Remotely. I think it¡¯s better that way.] Zeke replied. [Okay. I¡¯ll call you in a bit.] Nicole gained remote ess to Zeke¡¯sputer after a while and carefully went through Zeke¡¯s files, checking for any errors. N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. It was at this moment that Jared knocked on Nicole¡¯s bedroom door. He peered in and saw that she was busy in front of herputer. ¡°There¡¯s still work to be done at this hour?¡± Jared asked. ¡°Yeah, there¡¯s something that needs to be handled at the moment. What do you need?¡± Nicole looked at Jared and asked. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I just want to get some sleep,¡± Jared exined. ¡°I may have to work for a while longer. Why don¡¯t you sleep in your room, so I don¡¯t end up disturbing you,¡± Nicole suggested. Jared looked at her and frowned. ¡®Why is she being so secretive again? Is she afraid that I¡¯ll be watching her?¡® ¡°Nicole, I¡¯ve tried this before. You can try other methods.¡± Zeke¡¯s voice suddenly sounded from the phone. ¡®Crap! How can I forget to hang up the phone,¡® she thought. Jared could not help but frown as he thought, ¡®The man¡¯s voice sounds familiar.¡® A light then shed in his eyes. ¡®Isn¡¯t this the man from before?¡® Jared recalled carefully before confirming that it was the man who had spoken to Nicole previously. ¡°Nicole, who is that on the phone?¡± Jared looked at Nicole and asked. ¡°A friend of mine. I told you about it not long ago.¡¯ Nicole looked at Jared and exined. ¡°You can go out now. I¡¯m really in a hurry to work here.¡± Nicole got up and pushed Jared to the door. Then, he shut the door with a m and proceeded to lock Jared out of the room. Jared nced at the closed door and took a deep breath, ¡®I must find out what she¡¯s up to with that person.¡® Jared walked into his study room, turned hisputer on, and began to investigate Nicole¡¯s recent activity on the Inte history browser. Jared was well aware of Nicole being a master of hacking, and thus, he naturally had to search from The Hunters. That night, Jared and Nicole became busy with their respective affairs in front of theirputers, with neither disturbing on another. Jared came down to the kitchen the next morning to make breakfast for Nicole. Hisplexion was also better than it was before, as if he already knew what Nicole was up to. Nicole was busy getting ready upstairs. After she was done dressing up, she made her way downstairs. ¡®I think I¡¯ll just skip breakfast today. After how I had treated himst night, I doubt he would make breakfast for me.¡¯ But as soon as she was there, she took a glimpse into the kitchen and saw that Jared was already making breakfast. ¡°What are you looking at? Sit down quickly and have breakfast. Aren¡¯t you needed at the R&D center?¡± Jared reminded, as he ced the dishes on the dining table. Nicole looked at Jared, and did as he was told. However, she did not begin to eat. Instead, she waited for him to join her at the table, out of courtesy. Jared brought another dish out to the dining table, and there, he noticed that Nicole had not begun eating. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Is it not appetizing?¡± Nicole hurriedly waved her hand, ¡®How could I not have appetite?¡® ¡°No, I¡¯m waiting for you so that we can eat together,¡± she said. Jared looked at her with the corners of his mouth lifting, ¡°That¡¯s not bad. At least you know how to be considerate. Now, let¡¯s eat.¡± ¡°What do you mean? Was I not considerate before?¡± Nicole looked at him and retorted. ¡°I can¡¯t really recall, but someone had quite the attitudest night.¡± Jared hinted at everything that had happenedst night and quietly observed Nicole¡¯s demeanor. Nicole¡¯s annoyance vanished at once. She gave him an aggrieved look and said, ¡°I did give you an attitudest night, I admit, but that was because I was in a hurry and didn¡¯t take your feelings into ount. I¡¯m sorry.¡± My Wife is a Hacker by Summer Chapter 1334 Chapter 1334 My Wife is a Hacker by Summer Chapter 1334 Jared noticed a trace of guilt on her face. He looked at her and mentally smirked. ¡°However, you did notice that I had something that needed to be done. Youpletely ignored that and made it difficult for me. I think you ought to have some responsibility in this,¡± Nicole said while eyeing him. Nicole genuinely believed that she could not take all of the me. ¡®If he hadn¡¯t entered the room to bother me, then the rest wouldn¡¯t have happened.¡® Initially, Jared wanted to give her apliment, but after hearing the second part of her sentence, he looked at her and said, ¡°You¡¯re putting me me on me now?¡± ¡°No, we both had a role to y in how things turned outst night. We¡¯re both responsible to some extent,¡± Nicole feebly muttered, as she did not dare pin the me on him. Jared issued an audible sigh. ¡°I guess I made breakfast for nothing¡­¡± Nicole hurriedly threw her arms out, with her hands hovering inches above her te. ¡® No, the breakfast has nothing to do with this. I am very satisfied with all you¡¯ve done for me this morning. Thank you.¡± ¡°It¡¯s more important to have a full stomach,¡± Nicole added, hoping it would calm Jared down. ¡°Quickly eat up or it¡¯ll get cold.¡± Jared reminded her out of concern, and did not pursue the argument any further. Agreeing with what he had said, she began to eat. As soon as they had cleaned their tes, the duo left for work together. ¡°I might get off of workte today, you¡­,¡± Jared looked at Nicole and spoke. From N?velDrama.Org. Feeling helpless about the situation, she thought, ¡®What does he mean? Is he still angry aboutst night? He has never been this sensitive of a person, so why would he make a big fuss this time?¡® ¡°It¡¯s okay. Don¡¯t worry about me, I¡¯ll head back to my grandma¡¯s ce tonight,¡± Nicole said with a nk stare. Jared, who had calmed down from earlier, looked at her with his brows raised, as though he was aware that something had gone wrong. ¡®What¡¯s the matter now? I have a really busy day ahead. I¡¯m just telling her in advance so that she wouldn¡¯t stay up waiting for me, or else I would¡¯ve allowed her go to the office and apany me.¡® ¡°Nicole, today I am¡­¡± Nicole gave him a wave of dismissal without waiting for him to exin. ¡°I¡¯m in a hurry to leave.¡± She got into her car, stepped on her elerator, and drove away, leaving Jared to watch her leave as he swallowed the words that been left unsaid. Seeing this, he had no choice but to get in his car and drive to the office. Nheless, Jared followed Nicole¡¯s car on the way to work. Nicole noticed him trailing behind her through her rearview mirror and turned a blind eye to it, pretending as if she did not see it. In response, Jared sped up, pulling up to the side until their cars were parallel to each other to nce at her. Though she noticed him, she deliberately ignored him, after which she floored the elerator, leaving him far behind. As helpless as Jared felt, he gave up on the chase her to avoid any idents. The two cars then drove off in two separate directions at the intersection, and by the time Jared arrived at the office, Max was already waiting for him. ¡°Mr. Johnston.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Jared looked at Max and asked. ¡°Yes, sir. Henry Johnston has been captured by our men. He¡¯s on his way back now.¡± Max reported to him. Jared¡¯s eyes lit up, and he looked at Max at once, whereupon his eyes slowly fell back in a roll. ¡°Did anyone spot you when you captured him?¡± ¡°No, but the bodyguards protecting him might have noticed,¡± Max replied while looking at the time. ¡°Well, it doesn¡¯t matter now,¡± Jared said. ¡°He is already on a ne here, right?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Max answered. ¡°It¡¯s fine. If they do decide to challenge us, let theme. I won¡¯t let them take him away from me!¡± Jared looked forward with his cold, piercing eyes. ¡°Mr. Johnston, what will you do when Henry reaches?¡± Max asked, looking at Jared. Chapter 1335 Chapter 1335 I still have to wait for the Mr. Johnston Sr.''s instructions on this matter. Have him settled in at our hotel and keep him guarded. Remember that no one must find out about him!" Jared solemnly ordered. ¡®Yes, sir" Max said. "Do you have any other orders, Mr. Johnston?¡± "Has Joyce made any moves recently?¡± Jared looked at Max and asked. Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org. "No, the McCarthy family will be making their sacrifices to their ancestors tomorrow. They''ve been quiet for the past few days,¡± Max replied. "Quiet? Tomorrow we must pay special attention to their movements. Get someone to protect Nicole in secret." Jared looked at Max and ordered. "Yes, sir," Max said. "By the way, what happened to the foreigner that the McCarthy family is leeching on?" Jared asked. "We''re still investigating them. So far, we''ve onlye to know that they are of the Herald Family.¡± ¡®The Heralds?¡¯ Jared could not help but be solemn upon hearing the name being uttered. "Mr. Johnston, do you know of the Heralds?'' ¡®Yeah, the Heralds have a long history across the globe. They have cooperative rtions with families of renown across the world in various fields. They''re very prestigious, and it''s said that their businesses have been handed down for many generations now." Jared exined to Max as he gazed off into the distance with his piercing eyes. ¡®What I don''t get is, how was the McCarthy family able to leech off of the Heralds? This is way too peculiar!¡¯ Jared said, unable to stop thinking about it, and unable to figure any of it out. ¡®I don¡¯t understand,¡¯ he thought. ¡®Regardless of which angle I am viewing this from, how can the McCarthys, who are of no value, be of any use to them? Could it be true love? This is ridiculous!¡¯ "Off you go. Report to me if youe across any new developments.¡± Jared looked at Max and ordered. ¡®Yes, sir." Max turned to leave after he was done speaking, leaving Jared to ponder about this at his desk. Meanwhile, Nicole had just pulled up in the parking lot of the Golden Coast building, and was about to walk toward the building when she was stopped. "Excuse me, are you Miss Riddle?" a masked man approaching Nicole asked, stopping her in her tracks. "You are?" Nicole asked, whereupon the man immediately produced a vial of liquid from behind and sshed it onto her. Agile, Nicole quickly dodged the stters. Droplets of the liquid sshed onto her clothes, which were quickly corroded and stained. Nicole noticed the corrosion marks on her clothes, and immediately knew theposition of the liquid. She lifted her head to see who had attacked her, but the person was already long gone. "So fast?!" Nicole stomped on her feet in anger, knowing she had allowed the culprit to get away. ¡®It seems that they have nned this for a long time, seeing how fast of an escape route they had.* With much of her clothes dissolved. Nicole took them off and dumped them in the trash can, before making her way into the building, as she could no longer wear them. Instead of making a beeline for the R&D center, she headed to the control room. She knocked on the door as soon as she had reached, and it was not long before the people within came to open the door. "What''s the matter with you?" they asked upon seeing Nicole''s ragged state. "I was attacked outside the building moments ago. I want to check the surveince.¡± Nicole looked at the staff politely and exined. Chapter 1336 Chapter 1336 "My apologies, but if you are not the person in charge here, you don''t have the authorization to enter,¡± the staff refused with a coldly. Hearing this, Nicole had no choice but to give Harvey a call. ¡®Where are you? I need help with something in the building." "You mean the Golden Coast? Wait for me. I''ll be there soon.¡± Harvey hung up and immediately got up from the couch before running to his car and driving off in a hurry. Soon after, Harvey arrived at the Golden Coast building. Nicole, who had been waiting on the couch in the hall for ten minutes, then checked the time. ¡®I didn''t expect him to be here so quickly.¡¯ ¡®Mr. Ellison, why are you here?" The staff greeted Harvey as soon as he had entered the hall. Harveypletely ignored their question and made a beeline for Nicole before asking, ¡°What do you need me for?¡¯ The staff were stunned when it dawned upon them that Nicole actually knew Harvey. "She didn''t say she was acquainted with Mr. Ellison. She called him here directly. What should I do?" Before the staff could speak up, Nicole opened her mouth and said, ''l just wanted to check on the surveince, but your people wouldn''t let me in because they didn''t know me." Harvey understood what was going on at once, and shot the staff an icy re. The staff was frightened to the bone, with goose bumps rising on his skin as he stuttered, "Mr....Mr. Ellison, all thedy said she was that she was attacked and had to look at the surveince footages. She did not mention that she knew you either.¡¯ Harvey''s hardened expression was unwavering, which showed how much he cared about her and that he would stand his ground if anyone made her unhappy. "You can go and collect the rest of the month''s sry," Harvey said. ¡¯ There''s no need for you toe to work anymore.¡± ¡®What?!" the staff member eximed, stunned. ¡®All I did was show her a bad attitude, and now I''m losing my job!?" "Miss! I know I messed up. Please, I didn''t know that you were acquainted with our boss. Please you must help me out! A great man will not remember the faults of a petty man,¡± the staff said hurriedly. Nicole noticed the pitiful look on the face of the staff member as her eyes glinted with indifference. ¡®This man is nothing short of boorish. Even if I had said I knew Harvey, he would just make the situation even harder for me. Calling Harvey over did make things easier.¡¯ "Be kinder to people next time,¡± Nicole strode past him and walked made a beeline for the elevator after she was done speaking. With Nicole being indifferent to the pleas of the man, Harvey too walked away, having lost all of his patience for the staff member. The lobby manager, who had heard the news, then rushed over, and called the security guard to escort the staff away at once. With a look of apathy, Nicole listened to the staff begging not to be kicked out as Harvey led her to the elevator and pressed a button, ¡°I really did not expect that you would take the initiative to call me." Harvey knew that Nicole seldom asked for help, and with the fact that she had requested his help for such a trivial matter today, he was over the moon. Nicole nced at him and said, "It is the owner who must handle the situation when his dog misbehaves. Wouldn''t you agree?" From N?velDrama.Org. Harvey''s smile froze at an instant, ¡®Gosh, this is awkward. Why did she have to word it like that? It feels like I''m being humiliated...¡¯ When the elevator doors opened, Nicole ignored him and marched into the elevator, with Harvey having no choice but to follow her into the control room. The security guards were all stunned when they saw Harvey walking in, and all of them immediately stepped forward to greet him. "Mr. Ellison! What brings you here?" Chapter 1337 Chapter 1337 At this hour, Harvey usually would note to work. However, upon seeing a woman standing behind him, the security guards were stunned, as it was the first time Harvey had brought a woman to the Golden Coast building. ¡®I wonder what her background is." Nicole ignored their gaze, and addressed Harvey directly. "I was attacked in the parking lot. Get the security to y the surveince footage." The security guards immediately adjusted the monitor and gave way to Harvey. Harvey nced at Nicole, who looked like she was determined to get to the bottom of this. She was sitting with her legs crossed, looking very standoffish. The security guards were amused by Nicole, whose standing allowed her to be in the good graces of their employer. ¡®Is this woman...Mr. Ellison''s girlfriend?" The two of them dared not ask, and so, the both of them got up, shed them nervous smiles, and went to make tea for them. Nicole stared at the screen intently. Soon after, the footage loaded, showing that someone was already there, and had been camping in wait in the parking lot prior to her arrival. The person was extremely cunning, as they had already nned the assault in such a way that the surveince cameras were not able to capture anything, barring the moment he had attacked. Though the face of the assant was revealed momentarily, the angle at which the image was captured made it impossible for Nicole to discern their features. They were also wearing a mask; which only allowed Nicole a fleeting glimpse of their eyes. Nicole took her phone out and took a picture of the man''s face. ''For the rest of it, I''ll go home and use my tracking software to find this person. Nicole put her phone away, after which she got up and said to Harvey, "I¡¯m done here. Thanks for helping me out." Although Nicole was being polite, the look on her face was anything but. Harvey knew that she was injured in his building, due to which he was partially responsible. His eyes darkened as he turned back to look at the security guards, "What''s the matter with you guys? Why weren''t you aware that someone was being attacked in the parking lot?!" The two security guards were startled by Harvey''s sudden outburst. i...we really didn''t pay attention...¡¯ Nicole sensed that Harvey was about to fire the security guards because of her; she felt that sne was making a big fuss, so she spoke up, "Leave it. It''s not unusual for them to be unable to see so many screens at once." The two security guards looked at Nicole and nodded. The light in their eyes indicated that they understood she had decided to spare them, and they were very grateful to Nicole for that. Understanding that Nicole did not wish to pursue this, he assured her," Don''t worry, I will find out who this person is." Nicole shook her head and said, "I have a solution. There''s no need to alert the police so that it doesn''t alert the culprit.¡±N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. ¡®Saying goes that if there is a premeditated attack, there might be a snake behind the mouse, and if one were to lure the snake out of the hole, it would be harder to get the mouse,¡¯ she thought. Harvey did not like where this was heading. ¡®Each time something happens, Nicole would solve it by herself, and Jared would always be of help to her. But why is it that I could never be of help to her? Gosh, I''m always so powerless standing next to her. Talk about being useless!¡¯ "No matter what you''re looking into or how, I will definitely not sit back and do nothing." Harvey walked out of the control room after speaking, his resolute tone and his frustration leaving the two security guards baffled. ¡®What''s the situation?¡¯ one thought. ¡®Why is thisdy so cold? Is it because their rtionship has not been established yet?¡¯ another thought. The two security guards observed the look of defeat on their employer, before taking another look at Nicole. ¡®Our boss is such an outstanding man, who attaches so much importance to her safety, and yet she seems so uninterested in him,¡¯ he thought. ¡®She is even keeping her distance. This woman really is something! Chapter 1338 Chapter 1338 "Thanks," she said, ignoring the look of bafflement on their faces. Nicole left the control room and returned to the office on the top floor, after which she switched her computer on and began the process of scanning the man''s face. Although he was wearing a mask underneath, she possessed a cutting edge software which could restore the outline of the lower half of the perpetrator''s face. Nicole was pensive as she eyed the face that had been digitally constructed. She had never seen this person before, and it was unlikely that she had inadvertently instigated a vendetta. Nicole logged into The Hunter, after which she posted forth a mission to seek information about this man. She had no time to spare on trivial yet arduous tasks such as these, so she decided to leave it to others. Unexpectedly, Zeke called her not long after she had posted the assignment on the website. ¡°Nicole, why don''t you just call me when you have something that needs taking care of?" Nicole did not expect that Zeke would even want to take on such a small task, and so, she frowned. "You''re a phantom. How can you take on jobs such as these?¡± "Yeah, sure, I won''t take other people''s work, but it is my duty to help you out!¡± he argued. Nicole had aided him in a mission of his own before, and thus, it was out of courtesy that he had to return the favor. "Don''t you have better things to do?" Nicole raised her eyebrows, ¡®This guy canplete a mission worth hundreds and thousands of dors, and yet he wants to do this?¡¯ "This tiny task won''t take up much of my time at all. I''ll promise to bring you news as soon as possible." Zeke hung up directly after quoting the price. Nicole could not help but curl her lips into a smile, ¡®Although this guy likes to screw around, he¡¯s still pretty reliable.¡¯ Nicole then ced all of her focus on her work, and in the blink of an eye, time drifted. Before she knew it, it was already lunch time. She stood up to stretch, and was about to order herself a takeaway when she heard a knock on the door of her office. Nicole raised her head hesitantly and saw Edward''s face. ¡®Thest time I saw him, I was helping him deal with Rowan''s affairs, and that was so long ago,¡¯ she thought. ''I didn''t expect to see him again today. He was one of Preston¡¯s friends.¡¯ Nicole did not treat him with coldness and indifference, opting to address him calmly instead. "What''s the matter?¡± "Oh, I came here to look for Harvey today," he said. "Instead I found out that your R&D center is here in Golden Coast. I was looking for a chance to thank you for thest favor you''ve done me, but I haven''t had the chance to meet you since then.¡± Nicole curled her lips and politely, she said,¡¯ Don¡¯t mention it. I was helping Preston out as well.¡± For her efforts, she was handsomely rewarded. Edward looked tense as the exchange continued. On the other hand, Nicole could not help but narrow her eyes. Then, she thought for a moment and said, "Was it Harvey who asked you toe to me?" And just like that, Edward had been exposed. ¡®Nicole is so clever that she can even read minds!¡¯ Unable to keep up the charade, he confessed, "Yes, it was him. He''s too embarrassed to ask you to go out for lunch, so here I am, being used as an excuse.¡± Nicole gave him a slight frown. ¡®That Harvey Ellison. Since when has he decided to resort to such tricks? He was already shameless enough as he was.¡¯ In a tone of nonchnce, she said, ¡°I''m not going. Tell him I already have an appointment.¡± Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org. "Huh?" Edward was stunned for a moment. Nicole went on to ignore him. She opened the door and walked out of the office. As Edward looked at her from the back and shook his head bitterly. ¡®Wow, she really has the nerve to turn Harvey down,¡¯ he thought. How can I be as brazen as her? This is embarrassing." He shook his head as he left the top floor. Harvey was going through his documents when Edward appeared before him with a frown. "Hey, didn''t you invite Nicole out to lunch? How are you so calm?" Harvey lifted his head slight and asked, "She agreed?" "No! How was I supposed to make it happen!? She had the nerve to tum you down, even though she knows mel" Edward grimaced as he discovered where he stood in this situation. Chapter 1339 Chapter 1339 Harvey nced at him, before continuing to go through his documents. Noticing that Harvey was oddly calm, Edward stared at him in bafflement and said, "It surprises me that you''re not even showing a tad bit of disappointment.¡± ¡®This guy had threatened me just earlier, forcing me to do it and now he doesn''t even look like he had an ounce of damn to give,¡¯ Edward fumed from within. "I knew she wouldn''t say yes," Harvey said. ¡®Nicole already has someone in her heart, so it would be odd if she agreed. I have nothing to lose if she rejects me.'' Edward could not help but stare in bafflement when he understood what had just happened. "You know why it was going to work out? Then why did you get me to ask her out on your behalf? Are you kidding me?" Harvey raised his eyes coldly. "So what?" Edward suddenly lost his cool. He was really aggrieved, but he was unable to let his temper fly just like that. He gritted his teeth and yelled, "You''re shameless!" By the time Edward had uttered those words, he had lost all interests in having lunch with Harvey, and hence, he turned around and left. Harvey was then left to sift through his documents after the door had closed. A sense of emptiness was lingering in his heart. Though he did not show it, he did not like how Nicole always rejected him. ¡®When will I ever develop a closer bond with her?¡¯ Meanwhile, Nicole had walked out of the Golden Coast building. She had done all of that to deceive Edward into thinking she had an appointment, but now, she was truly starving. She wanted to grab a meal at once, but it was at this moment that her phone rang. She reached out to answer the phone, and a mature voice sounded from the other end. "Miss Riddle.¡± Nicole thought for a long while before recognizing it as the voice of Alfred, an old house butler for the Riddle''s family. ¡°Alfred? What''s the matter?" Alfred heard that Nicole had recognized his voice, and immediately said,¡¯ Yes, it''s me... Mr. Riddle Sr. does not seem to be doing well as of recent. He has refused to go to the hospital..." Material ? N?velDrama.Org. Alfred knew that Nicole had some medical knowledge, which was the reason as to why he called. ¡°Alright, I''ll be back as soon as possible.¡± Though it was only lunch break, there was still enough time to fit a roundtrip in. Nicole then headed to the parking lot and drove to the Riddle family manor. ¡®The Riddle family manor is exceptionally quiet today. It seems that grandpa is ill and did not want to rm anyone,¡¯ Nicole thought. Though the house was quite deserted, Alfred seemed a little excited when he saw Nicole. He began to fill Nicole in on the condition of Mr. Riddle Sr., "He caught a coldst night and has not been feeling well today. He refuses to go to the hospital as he thinks it''s amon which will go away on its own." Alfred could not help but issue a sigh. ¡®Even now, he refuses to ept that he is aging.¡¯ Nicole walked up the flight of stairs before reaching out to knock on the door. Thinking it was Alfred, Mr. Riddle Sr. responded, "Come in.¡± Nicole pushed the door open and walked in. "Grandpa?" Mr. Riddle Sr. who was on the rocking chair opened his eyes when he heard Nicole''s voice. He immediately got excited when he saw Nicole, "Oh my, why are you here? Come sit down quickly.¡± In response, Nicole took a seat directly across her grandfather. "How could you find time toe here when you''re so busy?¡± he asked. Mr. Riddle Sr. knew Nicole was out there doing great things, although he never had never asked. ¡°Are you sick?" Nicole asked without beating around the bush. "What did Alfred tell you? He''s really getting more and more out of line as ofte." Mr. Riddle Sr. said, immediately feeling embarrassed. Nicole issued a sigh and reached out to feel his pulse. Although he disliked seeing the doctors, he could still ept Nicole''s methods ofing up with a diagnosis. He had to put his stubbornness aside and let Nicole feel his pulse. Chapter 1340 Chapter 1340 In an instant, Nicole discovered what was going on with Mr. Riddle Sr." Grandpa, you''re not young anymore. Catching a cold is nothing minor now. Though you''re not sick, you already disying some symptoms." Mr. Riddle Sr. was rendered speechless, and so, he sighed. "Fine, I ept that I''m old. I''ll just do whatever you ask me to.¡± Nicole smiled and ordered the butler to bring some medications over. In response, the butler quickly left to get them the medicines as he thought, ¡®Only Nicole could convince Mr. Riddle Sr.¡¯ As for Mr. Riddle Sr., he remained seated to have a chat with Nicole in the living room. He looked at her before saying, "How are things with Jared?¡± "What''s with the sudden question, grandpa?" Nicole looked at him curiously. ¡®Why is he talking about me all of a sudden?¡¯ "I''m just worried about you. You''ve both been engaged for such a long time. Isn''t it time for you to consider marriage?" Mr. Riddle Sr. smiled gently. "Grandpa, you''re just like mom and dad," she said. "Oh? Did they urge you to get married too?¡± Mr. Riddle Sr., looked at Nicole, amused. "Yeah." Nicole nodded. "It goes to show that we love you," the old man said. "I know, grandpa. Actually, Jared and I already have a n. We have too much on our tes these days, so we''re nning to prepare for the marriage after we''re done with the bulk of our work,¡± Nicole informed him about their n without hiding anything. "Ah, you already have a n. I won''t have to worry then.¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. looked at Nicole earnestly. "Yeah, you don''t have to worry at all. Just remember to attend my wedding! " Nicole requested. "I''ll definitely give you a big gift, but I probably won''t be at your ceremony,¡± he responded. ¡°As the grandpa who loves me the most, how can you not attend my wedding?! You can be sit out anyone''s wedding but mine!" Nicole pleaded. "Nicole, I''d really love to go to your wedding, but I..." "You''ve always been well, haven''t you? What are you worried about?" Nicole studied his mannerisms. ''He looks strong and healthy! He''s probably even healthier than most middle-aged men.¡¯ "Well, I haven''t gone out for quite some time now, so I''m not used to those sorts of environments anymore," he replied. "Grandpa, that''s just because you haven''t been going out. You''ll feel better once you start taking strolls outside," Nicole consoled him. ¡°I''m an old bag of bones now. Where can I go?" Mr. Riddle Sr. smiled gently. "Miss Riddle, here''s the medication. Which one do you need?" The butler approached them with a box of medications. Nicole sifted through the pile for the medication that she wanted before taking it out for her grandfather. She then looked at the butler and said, "Feed this oral medication to grandpa twice a day. He''ll be better in about 3 days. If he hasn''t recovered by then, please send him to the hospital immediately.¡± From N?velDrama.Org. "Understood, Miss Riddle." The butler looked at Nicole with a solemn expression on his face. "Thank you very much,¡± she said. "Grandpa, I have work in the afternoon, so I''m not going to stay any longer. Please listen to the butler and take your medication on time. Otherwise, I might have toe back anytime,¡± Nicole reminded him with a serious look on her face. Mr. Riddle Sr. smiled faintly as he found Nicole extremely cute whenever she was being cheeky. "Don''t worry." "Well, I''ll be leaving now. Take good care of yourself." Nicole then walked out after bidding farewell to her grandfather. "Hey, send her off for me." Mr. Riddle Sr. ordered. "I''ll send you off, Miss Riddle." The butler looked at Nicole The butler proceeded to walk her out of the house and say, "Miss Riddle, I hope you can visit your grandfather whenever you''re free. I feel that his brain is starting to get fuzzy as of recent." Chapter 1341 Chapter 1341 Is it because grandpa misses US since we haven''t been visiting him for a long time?" Nicole asked the butler with a slight frown. ¡®That''s probably one of the reasons why," Alfred replied. Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org. "Got it, thank you,¡± Nicole said, after which she drove off. When she had returned to theb, everyone was already busy with their own things. Nicole joined them and started working for two hours straight until her stomach began to ache. ¡®Carry on, I''m heading out for a bit." Nicole walked out. ¡®What''s wrong, Miss Riddle?" Kelly noticed that there was something wrong with Nicole, so she ran after her. ¡°Nothing, I''m probably just too hungry,¡± Nicole exined. "Didn''t you have lunch?¡± Kelly asked as she helped Nicole to the lounge "No, something came up, so I didn''t have time to eat,¡± Nicole said. ¡®Take a break. I''ll buy something for you,¡± Kelly said, after which she went off to buy something for Nicole. Nicole plonked herself on a chair and rested when a cup of coffee appeared in front of her. She looked up and asked, ¡® Harvey? Why are you here?" ¡®I was bored, so I came here to chill out for a bit. I saw you sitting here, so I just came over." Harvey looked at her. ¡®Your coffee." "Just leave it there." "You don''t look too good," Harvey said. Nicole nodded and replied. "I didn''t eat anything for lunch, so I''m having a stomach ache now.¡± "You didn''t eat? You''re taking your work way too seriously! How could you not eat?¡± Harvey looked at Nicole with an expression of bafflement. "No." "No? Wait here, I''ll be back.¡± Harvey left without bothering to listen to a word of her exnation. Nicole wanted to stop him, but he was already too far away by then. After some time, Kelly returned with some food in her hands. "Eat some, Miss Riddle." "Thank you." Nicole grabbed a spoon and took a few mouthfuls of soup. At that moment, Harvey returned with some food as well. When he saw that Nicole was already eating, he looked at Kelly and figured that Kelly had bought something for Nicole to eat. So, he just ced the food he had bought in front of Nicole and took a seat next to her. "I was calling out to you, but you walked away before you could hear me," Nicole exined. "It''s okay. Just eat up." Harvey looked at her unapologetically. "Kelly, you can go back to work now. I''ll keep herpany," Harvey said to Kelly. Kelly looked at Nicole and left after saying goodbye. ¡°Eat slowly. The soup isn''t bad at all," Harvey said. Nicole nodded in agreement. "Nicole, doing this once or twice is fine, but you really can''t starve yourself all the time, do you understand?" Harvey asked in concern. "Don''t worry, I didn''t eat lunch today because something urgent came up. I''m not dumb,¡± Nicole said, starting to feel better and more energized after eating. Chapter 1342 Chapter 1342 Harvey smiled. "I didn''t say you were dumb. Nicole rolled her eyes at him, and he quickly took his words back. "I didn''t mean it that way." ¡°By the way, what happened this afternoon? What''s so urgent that you couldn''t find the time to eat?¡± Harvey asked as he drank his coffee. "Something about my grandpa, and that was why I had to hurry over,¡± Nicole told Harvey, as it was not something which she had to hide. "Oh, so that was why.¡± Harvey looked at her. "Speaking of whom, I haven''t seen your grandfather in ages. How is he doing?" Harvey asked Nicole as he looked at her with a caring gaze. "He''s doing pretty well,¡± she replied. ¡®He rarely goes out now, so it''s hard to see him," Harvey said faintly. ¡®Harvey, do you have something to do here?" Nicole looked at him. ¡®Oh, nothing much. Since I''m here, I¡¯m just going to see if there''s anything to work on. I haven''t had a good look of this ce for a while now." Harvey said, not wanting Nicole to go another attack once more. Thankfully, Nicole was fine today, or else he would not have been able to live with himself. "Well, please do," she said. "I think there are lots of security concerns here. I was lucky this morning because I noticed the move and managed to quickly dodge it. If someone else was in my position, they''d be dealing with life threatening injuries by now! ¡°And that''s why you must beef up the security on the outside,¡± Nicole suggested. ¡®Yeah, I''m really sorry about everything that had happened this morning. I''ll try my best to enforce security as soon as possible, so that simr incidents won''t ever happen again," Harvey guaranteed. "It''s okay. I''m not ming you. Just giving you a suggestion." ¡®I know,¡± he said. ¡®That scum sure has the guts toe after someone in broad daylight! He even did it in a parking lot. That''s outrageous!¡± Harvey fumed. "Nicole, did you piss anyone off?" Harvey asked Nicole, concerned. "That''s not possible! I''m always either here or at... grandma''s ce. I don''t even have the time to talk to strangers." Nicole exined without mentioning that she would often be at Jared''s ce as well. If she did, Harvey would see green again. "That''s weird. Why would someone attack you, then? He even resorted to such despicable tactics. If you think about it logically, the attacker must be someone who hates you with a passion, otherwise, he wouldn''t be that cruel to you,¡± Harvey exined with utmost seriousness. "Try recalling if we pissed anyone off in Lanningbourg. Didn''t someone follow you up the ne? Perhaps he had an aplice." Harvey said, invoking a scary thought. Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Lanningbourg?" Nicole listened to Harvey and began to think about the incidents that had happened abroad. In Lanningbourg, the only people whom she could have crossed were the people who were opposed to her ideas for the chip. Still, it would be too farfetched for them to call a hit on her. It waspletely unnecessary. They were just employees, and as such, they had no justification to harbor such passionate hatred for her. "Probably not. They don''t hate me that much, yet. They don''t have that much power either,¡± Nicole calmly replied. "You sure?" Harvey disagreed, as he felt that it was very likely that the incident was tied to someone abroad. Chapter 1343 Chapter 1343 Okay." Nicole looked at him and nodded. N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. ¡®If what you said is true, which local do you think would be having such an intense beef with you?" Harvey looked at Nicole in puzzlement as he could not figure it out. "Could it be Miley? What about Snow or Raine?" Harvey listed their names as he looked at Nicole. Nicole looked into his eyes. She stirred her drink with a spoon as she started pondering. "Miley is still abroad. She can''t even look after herself now, so it''s very unlikely that she''d have the thought of doing that to me. Besides, I don''t think she has the resources to pull that off. "I''ve neither seen nor met with Raine and Snow after I came back here. I don''t think they did this either..." "Who could it be other than them?" Harvey frowned, confused. ¡®Norah is the only one left now. I''m sure that, out of all them, she hates me the most. Is it because I told somebody else about her parents¡¯ admission to the hospital, and she couldn''t get over it? And was that why she came up with a plot to get back at me after I returned?¡¯ Nicole analyzed. "Nicole, you should get back to eating now. I''ll get someone to look into this and find out who the person who assaulted you was." Harvey said, his eyes filled with determination as he looked at Nicole. Nicole thought about it and figured that it would be impossible for her toe to a definitive conclusion in such a short time. Besides, she still had work to do in the evening, and so, she kept her thoughts in the back burner and resumed eating. She would just deal with her assantter. Harvey looked at Nicole as she was about to finish her meal, and asked, ¡¯ Nicole, have you heard about this? The McCarthy family is going to publicly pay their respect to their ancestors tomorrow. How ridiculous?! The ritual ismonce, and they can just do it quietly on their own. However, they just felt the need to broadcast it to everyone. They''re just so extra!" "I know they were going to do that tomorrow, but what do you mean by publicly?" Nicole asked as she looked at Harvey, confused. "I heard that the McCarthys have contacted the media. They''re going to broadcast the entire ritual, so that the people of Amhurst District will know that their family has returned in its full glory." Harvey chuckled as he told Nicole about it. "The McCarthys are really something else. They''re just a regr family, and yet they''re doing something like this. How unbelievable.¡± Nicole shook her head, as she could not understand the intention of them doing so. "Yeah. I guess everybody in this town is probably thinking the same thing as you are. Nobody knows what they''re trying to prove. There''s nothing glorious about doing that. If anything, they''re just using their ancestors as an excuse to show off." "Huh? The McCarthys..." Nicole mumbled as a thought suddenly struck her.¡¯ Oh, yeah. How could I forget about the McCarthys? Joyce hired someone to follow me when I was abroad. I guess she already wanted to screw with me, but thankfully, I managed to get him off my back. Joyce still has a score to settle with me, so she had probably sent another person to hurt me again...¡¯ Nicole could finally see a clearer picture of what was happening the more she thought about it. Otherwise, it would have bugged her for the rest of the evening. She had already discovered two suspects so far, and she believed that the truth woulde to light very soon. After noticing that Nicole had space out and stopped talking, Harvey asked, Nicole, what are you thinking about?" ¡®I suddenly thought about someone who might''ve done this.¡± Nicole''s eyes sparkled as she stared at Harvey. Chapter 1344 Chapter 1344 ¡®Who?" Harvey looked at Nicole in confusion and asked. "Joyce McCarthy." Nicole uttered the name slowly as she stared at him. "Joyce McCarthy?!" Harvey widened his eyes in shock. ¡®That''s right! How could I forget about her? There is always some hostility between the two of you, isn¡¯t there?¡± "But wait, why would she hate you?¡± Harvey asked Nicole with his forehead creased. "Because of Martin, I guess,¡± Nicole replied, left with no choice but to tell them about that which had happened a long time ago. "Martin? What happened?¡± The look of confusion remained on Harvey''s face as he looked at Nicole. What was it that had happened between them that even I don''t know of?¡± "It''s a long story, so I won''t tell you about it now,¡± she replied. "Thanks for the lunch. I''ve got to get back to work now.¡± Then, Nicole stood up and said goodbye to Harvey before making her way to the elevator. Opting to follow her to the elevator, he stood beside Nicole and said, "I don¡¯t have anything else to do. I''lle with you." "Didn''t you just say that you were going to look into the security issues of the building just moments ago? You probably have plenty of other things to take care of.¡± Nicole stared at him and said. Harvey did not know how to respond to Nicole''s question, and as such, he uttered in resignation, "The elevator''s here. You should go now.¡± The only thing that he could do was watch Nicole as she got into the elevator and wave her goodbye. Nicole then ascended to the highest floor via the elevator, while Harvey left and went to do what Nicole had requested of him. ¡®I''ve got to strengthen the security system and find the person who had assaulted Nicole,¡¯ he said to himself. As soon as Nicole had marched into theboratory, Kelly went up to her and asked, "Miss Riddle, are you feeling better?" "Don''t worry. I¡¯m fine.¡± Nicole looked at Kelly, who was evidently worried about her. ¡®Terry was looking for you just now,¡± Kelly reported to Nicole. ¡®Thanks. I''ll catch up with him.¡± Nicole said and approached Terry. ¡°Terry, were you looking for me?" Nicole asked. "Miss Riddle, where did order these spare parts from?" Terry looked at Nicole and asked. Nicole stared at him, confused. "Don''t take it the wrong way. I don¡¯t mean to offend you, but this batch of spare parts seems to be of lower quality.¡± Terry quickly exined to Nicole after noticing how puzzled she was. ¡°Lower quality? Are you sure?" she queried. "Look, this is from the first batch, and this is from the second batch." Terry handed Nicole the parts. Nicole held them up in her hands to examine them, but she could not tell any difference between them with her naked eyes. "They look the same to me.¡± "Yeah. They look the same on the outside. However, I need you to take a look at the machine over here." Material ? N?velDrama.Org. The spare parts of the second batch were clearly of a lower quality aspared to those of the first batch after they had been tested by the machine. Rage surged through Nicole''s veins as soon as she saw the results. ¡®I wonder who''s actually bold enough to mess with me.¡¯ "Get rid of everything from the second batch. Seal them up and leave them aside. I''ll take care of them." Nicole looked at Terry and instructed. "Sure, but we need the recements within the next few days. Is there anything you can do about it?" Terry looked at Nicole and asked with a hint of worry in his voice. "Don''t worry about it. I''ll order a new batch of the same quality as the first batch.¡± Nicole reassured Terry with a look of confidence on her face. "Okay, I''ll get back to work then." "Sure." Nicole then called out to Kelly. "Who delivered this batch of spare parts?¡± Chapter 1345 Chapter 1345 Kelly proceeded to recall from her memory. "These parts were from the samepany, but the delivery person was a different man." Nicole noticed what had gone wrong upon leaming that a different person had delivered the goods. "Let me have a look at the delivery order." "Sure." Kelly turned around and went to look for it. Nicole took her phone out and dialed the contractor''s number. "I need a few new offices. Can you send someone over to do some renovation for US?" "Sure. We have your blueprint with US. I''ll send my men over as soon as we''re done with the design," the contractor said. "Okay," Nicole uttered. "Miss Riddle, here it is." Kelly approached Nicole with the delivery order in hand. Call them and tell them I need to speak to someone,¡± Nicole ordered. ¡°Okay.¡± Kelly dialed the number right away. After some time, Kelly hung up and reported, "They''re sending somebody over right now.¡± "Goad," she said. N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. Less than half an hourter, a representative from thatpany marched into Nicole''sboratory with an assistant. They greeted Nicole enthusiastically as soon as they saw her. "Miss Riddle, we''re here. What can we help you with?" "You''re the supplier of our spare parts. The first batch was decent, but I can¡¯t say the same about the second batch. Can you give me an exnation for that?" Nicole questioned the representative with a stern look on her face. "Miss Riddle, is there a misunderstanding? Everything that we''ve delivered to you is of top quality. That can''t be right!" The man knew who Nicole was, so he would not dare swindle her with some low-quality goods. He simply could not believe that there was something wrong with the spare parts he had supplied her with. "The spare parts are right here. Have a look for yourself.¡± Nicole said, trying not to argue with him. She would rather him look at the spare parts himself before exining the whole situation to her. That man looked at the spare parts piled near the door. Then, he brought his assistant over to inspect them. "Test them with the machine." His assistant took a phone-sized machine out at once and began testing the spare parts one after another. "Beep, beep, beep!¡± The machine went off, indicating that the spare parts were defective. The man stared at the device in disbelief. "How is this possible?! Give it to me!" The man was worried that his assistant did not know how to operate the device properly, so he decided to do it himself. However, the contraption responded in the same manner as before. Nicole, who was standing at the side, came over to him and asked, "I was right, huh? What''s going on?" The man creased his forehead in confusion. ¡®This can''t be right. Everything that I''ve delivered here is of top quality. How could they be defective at all?¡¯ The man then admitted his mistake sincerely. "Miss Riddle, I''m sure that there''s a misunderstanding. It''s impossible that we delivered you a batch of defective parts. I''ll get someone to take these away and send you a brand-new shipment. We''re willing topensate your loss if there are any. "I like how you''re handling this, so forget about thepensation,¡± Nicole said, as the manner in which the supplier addressed the issue had made her feel better. "Just get me the new shipment as soon as possible. However, there''ll be consequences if something like this happens again.¡± Nicole spoke with an air of authority, scaring the man. "Don''t worry. I guarantee that it won''t happen again. I''ll look into it and give you an exnationter,¡± the man reassured Nicole with a smile on his face. "Sure. By the way, I have a question. How many people did you send to deliver my order?¡± Nicole looked at him and asked. Chapter 1346 Chapter 1346 ¡°Oh, just one! What¡¯s wrong?¡± The man looked at Nicole in confusion and asked. -Just one? One of my employees said that the person who had delivered the first batch of goods was different from the second batch. I think you can start investigating from there.¡± Nicole reminded him out of kindness. ¡°They¡¯re not the same person?!¡± The man looked at Nicole, puzzled. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll start looking into it now. I¡¯ll leave now if there¡¯s nothing else.¡± ¡°Sure,¡± she said. Nicole began thinking to herself after the man had left. ¡®It looks like something¡¯s wrong with the delivery man. Everything wille to light after I¡¯ve found him.¡¯ ¡®Kelly, I wish to have a look at the camera footage of the delivery man.¡± Nicole turned to Kelly and said. ¡°I¡¯m on it,¡± Kelly replied. Nicole eyed the delivery man on the screen and discovered that it was the same person who had assaulted her in the parking lot. ¡®This person could be is such close proximity to me already. I guess coming here as a delivery man was just a part of his n of ambushing me again. ¡®It seems like I¡¯ve got to take this person seriously now,¡¯ she thought. ¡®It is even more dangerous now that he could lurk around me. I need to do something.¡¯ Nicole went on to work with the others after going back to the office. As the hours passed, the sun began to set, after which the dusk fell upon them. Nicole then brought Kelly along to inspect the batch of goods after everybody had left, and only made their way out of theboratory after making sure that there was nothing wrong. Nicole drove off and went right back to Mrs. Wace Sr.¡¯s mansion thereafter. ¡°Miss Riddle, what do you feel like eating tonight?¡± Tia looked at Nicole and asked. ¡°Anything is fine. I have something to doter on. Don¡¯t bother me if there¡¯s nothing important.¡± Nicole said and headed upstairs to her room. Tia looked at Nicole from the back curiously. ¡®Why is she so serious today? Whatever. I should just mind my own business.¡¯ Nicole went back to her room and switched herptop on while dialing Zeke¡¯s number at the same time. ¡°Zeke, have you discovered anything from the photos I sent you?¡± ¡°Yeah. He¡¯s just an ordinary sry man. There¡¯s nothing special about him.¡± Zeke replied from the other side of the phone. ¡°An ordinary man? Has he met up with anybody recently? Or are there any sudden changes in his life as ofte?¡± Nicole asked after thinking for a moment. ¡°Let me check.¡± Zeke looked the man up and began reading up about him. ¡°There¡¯s nothing unusual about his social life, but I think one of his family members had been admitted to the hospital not long ago,¡± Zeke told Nicole while reading about that person. ¡°Admitted? Send me all of the information you have about him and carry on with your own task,¡± Nicole ordered, wanting to investigate it personally as she knew that Zeke would definitely be distracted with all that multitasking. ¡°Sure. I¡¯ll do so right now,¡± Zeke said. ¡°I got it,¡± she said upon receiving the files. ¡°Thank you so much. I¡¯ll have a look.¡± ¡°Okay, bye.¡± Then, Nicole began reading thoroughly about the person who had assaulted her. N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. ¡°Hugh Bradford,¡± Nicole mumbled under her breath. Zeke was right about him being another wage ve. Hugh was just a nameless dummy who did not have a lot of money. Besides, he did not even know Nicole. ¡®Why would he assault me?¡¯ Nicole thought to herself as she continued to read about him. Chapter 1347 Chapter 1347 Soon after, Nicole began to notice something about the man. Hugh¡¯s grandfather was suddenly diagnosed with a serious illness. He had attempted to borrow money from all of the banks he could find, but to no avail. Dayster, however, a huge amount of money were deposited into his bank ount, and the sum was what he had used to pay for his grandfather¡¯s operation. ¡®Why would an average person suddenly receive so much money? I¡¯m sure there is more to it¡­¡± Nicole could not help but frown as she read the documents. From N?velDrama.Org. She immediately did what she could and located where Hugh was. She found out that he was in the hospital. She looked at the time and thought that it would already be toote for her to make her way there, so she continued perusing the information that Zeke had sent her. On the other side, Jared had just returned to his mansion. It was all dark and he knew that Nicole had gone to Mrs. Wace Sr.¡¯s ce again. Because of this, he figured that he would have to spend the night alone. He marched straight to his bedroom. Then, he took his phone out and gave Nicole a video call. Nicole was still reading through the information when that happened. She picked her phone up and looked at it after hearing the notification sound. Seeing that it was Jared who was video-calling her, she hesitated and sighed. Tm just going to leave it.¡¯ However, she did not realize that her fingers had identally tapped the green icon when she ced her phone away. Nicole went on to read the documents, not knowing that the call was already connected. Jared could not see Nicole anywhere on his screen. All there was, was a sheet of white. He looked at it closely and realized that it was the ceiling. ¡®Why did she put the phone aside after epting my call?¡¯ he thought, is she giving me the cold shoulder on purpose?¡¯ After waiting for some time, Jared could only hear the cking from the keys on the keyboard and the mouse. Not able to wait anymore, he took the initiative to speak first, ¡°Why aren¡¯t you talking after you¡¯ve picked up?¡± Nicole, who was totally concentrated on reading the information was startled when she heard Jared¡¯s voiceing out of nowhere. She immediately darted her eyes to the door as she thought that he had come to her ce. However, the door was shut, and she could not see Jared anywhere. She furrowed her brows as she attempted to figure out what was happening. ¡°What¡¯s going on?! Am I hallucinating?¡± Jared could not stop himself fromughing after hearing the way Nicole was talking to herself. ¡°What are you talking about? Are you putting on a show for me?¡± Nicole stood up instantly after hearing Jared¡¯s voice again, after which she checked every corner of the room nervously. ¡®Has Jared installed some hidden camera in here?* ¡°Jared, can you hear me?¡± Nicole asked while inspecting the room. ¡°Of course. Could you let me look at you while you speak?¡± Jared asked. ¡®What does he mean? Can he not see me? Is it because of the angle?¡¯ Nicole began assuming things. ¡¯How am I supposed to do that?¡± Nicole asked. ¡®I guess I just have to find where the camera is.¡¯ Jared, who was holding his phone, was shocked by what Nicole had just said. ¡®What is she talking about?¡¯ ¡°Can¡¯t you just lift your phone up?¡± Jared asked in confusion. ¡°My phone?¡± Nicole then went up to her phone and looked at it. ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡± She did not remember epting the call, and as such, she had no idea what was going on. ¡°Nicole, what are you doing?¡± Jared asked with a puzzled look on his face. All he wanted to do was look at her, but what she was doing truly got him stumped. ¡®Jared, why was the call connected?¡± Nicole asked him another question instead of answering him. ¡°You should be asking yourself that.¡± Jared looked at her. ¡®Did I touch my phone identally?¡¯ she asked herself. ¡®Whatever, it doesn¡¯t matter, as long as he didn¡¯t do anything to my room.¡¯ ¡®Why did you call?¡± Nicole nced at Jared and asked. ¡°Nothing much. I just wanted to look at you,¡± Jared said frankly. Chapter 1348 Chapter 1348 Nicole was left speechless. ¡°Please end the call now if there¡¯s nothing else. I¡¯m busy.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. Just carry on with your work and put your phone aside. I¡¯ll just look at you from there.¡± Jared told Nicole. ¡®I don¡¯t have anything to support my phone with over here. Besides, why would you want to do that? We just met this morning, didn¡¯t we?¡± Nicole said, not giving in to Jared¡¯s absurd request. ¡°Yeah. We met this morning, which means that it has already been a day since Ist saw you. Why can¡¯t you just let me look at you since I can¡¯te over to see you in person?¡± Jared said as if he was in the right. Nicole had no choice but to prop her phone against something and positioned the front camera at herself. ¡°Will this do? I¡¯m going back to work now.¡± ¡°Sure, go ahead. I¡¯ll hang up after a while.¡± Jared said. Nicole shot him onest and continued staring at herputer to peruse the information as Jared watched her from the screen. After a while, a knock was heard on Nicole¡¯s door. ¡°Miss Riddle, it¡¯s time for dinner.¡± N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. ¡°Okay,ing,¡± Nicole responded. After that, she switched herputer off and was about to head downstairs with her phone when she saw that Jared had not hung up. ¡°Why are you still here?¡± Nicole looked at Jared as she asked. ¡°Are you going to eat now?¡± Jared asked. ¡°Yeah. Have you eaten?¡± Nicole responded in kind. ¡°Not yet,¡± he said. ¡°I don¡¯t know what I¡¯d like to eat.¡± ¡®You¡¯ve got to eat. Go and cook something for yourself.¡± Nicole urged. ¡°Uh, I don¡¯t feel like eating alone,¡± Jared said in azy tone of voice. Nicole red at him. ¡°I guess you¡¯re just not hungry yet. ¡°Bye for now. I¡¯ve got to have my dinner.¡± Nicole hung up at once after uttering thest word. Jared was about to say something, but the screen had already gone dark. Hence, he gave up on the idea and went to the kitchen, while Nicole went to the dining hall have dinner with Mrs. Wace Sr. and Tia. The next morning, Nicole went to the hospital, where she had located Hugh by tracking his phone. After she had arrived at the hospital, she saw Hugh taking care of his ill grandfather through the window from outside the ward. She pushed the door open and calmly strode in. ¡°Hey, are you feeling better now?¡± Nicole asked. Hugh whirled around after hearing an unfamiliar voice. His eyes widened as soon as he saw Nicole, as he was feeling extremely nervous. He did not expect that Nicole would be able to track him down. He was so anxious that he dropped the bowl of soup that he was holding ¡°Why are you here?¡± Hugh asked, not bothered by the mess he had just made. ¡°Calm down. I¡¯m only here to pay the old man a visit.¡± Nicole red at him before cing the basket of fruits that she had brought on the table beside the bed. A murderous re was present on Hugh¡¯s face as he barked, ¡°My grandpa doesn¡¯t need a visit from you. Leave now!¡± The old man gave Hugh a meful look before Nicole could say anything.¡¯ Hugh, how could you treat our guest like this? Clean up the mess on the floor at once!¡± ¡°Grandpa.¡± Hugh was not going to leave the ward with Nicole around. He did not trust Nicole to be alone with his grandfather because he had done something to hurt her before this. Chapter 1349 Chapter 1349 Mr. Bradford Sr. turned around and asked Nicole, ¡°You¡¯ve got to be a friend of Hugh, right? Thank you for visiting me. Please have a seat.¡¯ Nicole sat down calmly,pletely ignoring what Hugh was doing there. ¡®You¡¯re the first person to ever visit me after staying in the hospital for so long. I guess you¡¯re very close to Hugh, aren¡¯t you?¡± Mr. Bradford Sr. looked at Nicole with a smile. ¡®Mr. Bradford Sr., do you know how Hugh was able to afford your medical fees?¡¯ Nicole asked Mr. Bradford Sr. tentatively. Mr. Bradford Sr. stared at Nicole in confusion upon hearing her abrupt question. Then, he shifted his gaze to Hugh before he answered, ¡°Hugh told me that he did very well at work this year, so he received a big bonus.¡± N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. Hugh was standing at the side. His eyes were narrowed and his fists were clenched as he red at Nicole. Nicole understood that Hugh had told Mr. Bradford Sr. a lie after hearing what thetter had said. She did not have the heart to expose Hugh because his father was just as old as her grandmother. ¡®Grandpa, we have to go out and talk about something.¡± Hugh cut his grandfather off and motioned Nicole to leave the room with him. Nicole then looked at Mr. Bradford Sr. and said, ¡°Rest well, sir. I¡¯ll get going now.¡± Hugh brought Nicole to a secluded spot. Then, he spun around to look at Nicole and asked, ¡°How did you know it was me and how did you find me?¡± ¡®It was easy to find out who you were, and it was even easier to track you down,¡± Nicole calmly said while staring into his eyes. Hugh froze, not knowing what to do upon hearing what Nicole had said. He did not expect that his happy days woulde to an end so soon, and he did not know if Nicole would take him to prison either. He had no idea what was going to happen to his grandfather if she really did. A myriad of questions began popping in his head. ¡®Calm down, I understand the situation you¡¯re in. I¡¯m not here to bring you to the cops, but I need to ask you some questions.¡± Nicole shed him a stern look as she asked. Hugh could not help but be suspicious after hearing what she said. ¡®You¡¯re not here to get me arrested?!¡± ¡®It depends if your answers are satisfy me,¡± she replied. ¡®What do you want to know?¡± Hugh looked at her, frightened. ¡®Who gave you the money?¡¯ Nicole asked as she red at him, her eyes shing with sparks. Hugh drew a deep breath upon hearing that. I¡¯ve never told anyone about this. How did she find out?¡¯ ¡®How did you find out?¡± Hugh swallowed and asked. ¡°That¡¯s none of your business. Just answer my question.¡± Nicole retorted with a stern look on her face. ¡°You heard everything my grandpa said moments ago,¡± Hugh answered, attempting to brush her off. ¡®Do you really think that I can¡¯t tell that what your grandfather said is not true? Honestly, don¡¯t even try!¡± Nicole yelled, her voice thundering across the room. Hugh inhaled deeply. Then, after hesitating for a second, he asked, I can tell you that, but can you guarantee that the money in my ount will remain as mine?¡± Hugh did not want all of the money to be gone before his grandfather could make a full recovery. It would be no different than putting him in prison. Nicole thought about it and looked at him. ¡°Nobody wants your money. I can guarantee that.¡± Hugh hesitated again and said, ¡®A restaurant owner gave me his number, but I¡¯ve never met his person. We onlymunicated with each other through phone.¡± ¡°A restaurant owner? How did you know him?¡¯ Nicole asked. ¡°My grandpa needed a lot of money for the operation. I couldn¡¯t find anybody to lend me the money, so I went to a restaurant to drink my worries away. The owner knew what I was going through, so he treated me to some snacks and shared a few drinks with me. He told me that he knew a person who could probably help me, so¡­¡± Hugh exined, not daring to look at Nicole because of how guilty and ashamed he felt. Chapter 1350 Chapter 1350 ¡°Well then, do you know that person¡¯s name? The person whom the restaurant owner had introduced to you.¡± Nicole questioned. ¡°I don¡¯t know, but I did hear them referring to her as Ms. Jo.¡± Hugh told Nicole. ¡°Ms. Jo¡­¡± N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. ¡°So, the person who instructed you to attack me is this Ms. Jo?¡¯ Nicole asked after giving it some thought. Hugh nodded. ¡°Do you still remember the address of the restaurant?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Tell me.¡± Nicole ordered, having decided to visit the ce and meet the restaurant owner on her own. Just as Nicole was about to leave after getting the address, Hugh called out and stopped her. ¡°Could you not tell them that I¡¯m the one who gave you this information?¡± Nicole nced at him, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. From now on, just take good care of your grandfather and stay away from things like these. Otherwise, I¡¯ll be back to exact retribution on you.¡± Hugh was frightened and took a few steps back. Then, Nicole left. Now in the car, Nicole could not stop thinking about this matter. ¡®The owner and the instigator must be on the same team. In that case, the owner must know her. If she can¡¯t show her face, who would go to the ceremony on her behalf? That person must be someone she can trust too.¡¯ Suddenly, a figure appeared in Nicole¡¯s mind. With the idea in mind, she immediately made a U-turn and drove off to the way she came. Once she had arrived at the restaurant, Nicole took a seat on a table and waited for the person to appear. At that moment, the television was disying a live broadcast of the McCarthy family¡¯s ceremony. From the broadcast, she was able to see that the McCarthy family¡¯s ceremony was exceedingly morous and grand. There was a long line of cars driving up the mountain. Nicole stared at the television and wondered, ¡®Joyce must be in there too¡­¡¯ After a short while, a familiar figure approached Nicole and took a seat in front of her. ¡°You were in a hurry to meet me. What¡¯s the matter?¡± Harvey looked at Nicole with a smile and asked. He had immediately rushed over upon receiving Nicole¡¯s call. ¡®Nicole has been asking to see me multiple times now. Does she have feelings for me now? Whatever it is, I must seize this opportunity and express my feelings to her in more apparent ways.¡¯ ¡°Take a look at the menu. Everything¡¯s on me.¡± Nicole passed the menu to him. Harvey took the menu and nced at Nicole. It seemed to him that she really wanted something from him. Therefore, Harvey did not hesitate and ordered his favorite dishes. Then, he asked, ¡°Could you tell me the purpose of our meeting now?¡± ¡°The McCarthy family¡¯s ceremony is being broadcasted live on television. Do you see it?¡± Nicole reminded him. Harvey squinted at the television and said, ¡°What is there to see? I¡¯ve seen grander ceremonies than this. They¡¯re just acting like clowns on the street.¡± Harvey did not even bother to watch it. To him, the McCarthy family was just putting on an act of tomfoolery that they themselves had staged. He was not interested in being an audience of the show. ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about them. Tell me, why did you ask me toe here?¡± Harvey looked at Nicole impatiently. ¡°Why do I feel like you¡¯re very interested in what I¡¯m about to say?¡± Nicole observed the look in Harvey¡¯s eyes and asked. ¡°Nah, how can that be? I¡¯m just worried that you¡¯re in a hurry.¡± Harvey said, quickly covering it up. ¡°Really? ¡°Fine. Actually, I asked you toe here today because I need you to help me find something out.¡± Nicole locked eyes with Harvey as she exined herself. Chapter 1351 Chapter 1351 ¡°What do you need me to find out?¡± Harvey stared at Nicole with a look of puzzlement. ¡°It¡¯s about what happened at the parking lot. I¡¯ve found the person who assaulted me,¡± Nicole calmly said. ¡°You¡¯ve found him? Where is he? I¡¯ll go and make him pay for what he did!¡± Harvey immediately stood up and asked upon hearing the news. Nicole knew that he would disy such a massive reaction, so she quickly signaled him with her eyes to sit down. ¡°Keep it on the down low!¡± Nicole scanned her surroundings. Fortunately for her, the ce was quite empty that day, and as such, nobody was paying attention to them. ¡°I¡¯ve met the person and it seems that someone had ordered him to attack me,¡± she said. ¡°There¡¯s no need to give him hell over it anymore.¡± ¡°Even if he was just a hired gun, you should not just let him off the hook, since he¡¯s an aplice too,¡± he fumed. ¡°You must give him the punishment he deserves. What are you going to do if he hurts you again?¡± Harvey then looked at Nicole nervously. ¡®Is it inconvenient for her to do so?¡¯ ¡°If it¡¯s inconvenient for you to act upon it, I can do it on your behalf,¡± Harvey said in a solemn tone as he looked into Nicole¡¯s eyes. Material ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°No, it¡¯s just that I don¡¯t really want to take any action against him. The most important thing now is to find out who the true perpetrator behind this incident is.¡¯ Nicole reminded him in a stern voice. ¡°I¡¯ve managed to acquire the address where the attacker met up with the instigator. I called you here today to check the ce out for me,¡± Nicole told Harvey. ¡°Me?¡± Harvey asked in confusion. ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll recognize me, so I can¡¯t go there by myself. I can¡¯t simply tell anyone about this incident too. Hence, you¡¯re the best choice for this. On top of that, you¡¯re the one I trust the most,¡± she solemnly said. Harvey felt touched after hearing those words, for Nicole actually referred to him as someone whom she trusted the most. ¡°Why are you zoning out?¡¯ Nicole asked, trying to get Harvey back into his senses, as she noticed that he was in a daze. ¡°Nothing. What were we talking about?¡¯ Harvey asked Nicole as he beamed at her. ¡°I said, do you have time to check the ce out for me?¡± Nicole repeated herself again. ¨¬ do. If it has anything to do with you, I¡¯ll make myself avable for it even if I¡¯m busy.¡± Harvey looked at Nicole as if she was the most important thing in the world to him. ¡°Can you not suck up to me?¡± Nicole rolled her eyes at him. ¡°Anyway, this is the address of that ce. You may have a look. After this, I¡¯ll bring you there while I wait in the car,¡± she continued. ¡°What should I say when I enter?¡± he asked. ¡°You don¡¯t have to initiate a conversation. Just act like you¡¯re in trouble and desperate for help. Then, the owner would approach you on his own and rmend someone named Ms. Jo to you. I suspect Ms. Jo to be the mastermind behind this whole incident,¡± she replied. ¡°Ms. Jo?¡± he asked. ¡°Yes. After you¡¯ve spoken to Ms. Jo, get the owner to bring you to meet her. When that happens, all you have to do is take a picture of Ms. Jo and you¡¯re done,¡± Nicole said, exining his role in the entire operation to Harvey. ¡°It doesn¡¯t seem to be a challenge.¡± Harvey saying, having initially through that it would be a challenging and dangerous task for him. But after listening to Nicole¡¯s exnation, he scorned. ¡°Although it sounds simple, there are certain risks associated with it, and that¡¯s why you must be careful. Don¡¯t be careless, as those sorts of people are sly. Once they notice anything, you might lose your life,¡± Nicole solemnly exined. ¡°Is it as scary as you just described? Or are you just trying to scare me?¡± Harvey looked at Nicole in disbelief. ¡°I¡¯m not exaggerating. Just, be careful with every move that you make,¡± she warned. ¡®Wear this so that I can track your location in real-time.¡± Nicole gave Harvey a tiny tracker that possesses a recording function as well. Chapter 1352 Chapter 1352 Harvey grabbed and examined it. ¡¯Where should I wear it?¡± ¡°Wear it where it¡¯s hidden. They might search you when you meet Ms. Jo, so you must be prepared,¡± Nicole advised as she looked him in the eye. Material ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Alright. Why do I feel like I¡¯m in a movie?¡¯ Harvey continued joking nonchntly. ¡°Please be serious about this,¡± she said. Nicole then looked at the three-piece suit that he was wearing from head to toe and said, ¡°You need to change out of these.¡± ¡°Huh? Change my clothes? Do we have to go to that extent?¡± Harvey frowned upon hearing that he had to change out of his clothes. ¡¯Since we¡¯re acting, well have to go all out,¡± she replied. ¡°Come on, I¡¯ll bring you to the mall.¡± After speaking, Nicole stood up and walked out of the restaurant. Seeing this, Harvey quickly followed her. In the mall, Nicole brought Harvey to the front of a shop. After taking a single nce, she walked in. ¡®Sir, please give him a set of clothes in this style that would fit him.¡± Nicole turned to the owner and pointed to Harvey who was behind her. The owner studied Harvey¡¯s figure and size, gave Nicole a prompt reply, and went off to search for clothes. Not long after, he came back with a set of clothes in hand. ¡°What do you think about this?¡± The owner passed it to Nicole. Nicole took a good look and examined Harvey¡¯s figure, after which she said, ¡°It¡¯s quite fitting. Let him try it on.¡± ¡°Nicole, isn¡¯t this too casual?¡± Harvey looked at that set of clothes and felt that it was too different from what he was wearing. Surely, Nicole was not trying to trick him, right? ¡®Casual is what we¡¯re going for. The more casual it is, the better,¡± she replied. In fact, Nicole was exceedingly satisfied with that set of clothes. ¡°Go and try it on. Let¡¯s not waste any more time.¡± Nicole rushed him. Harvey took the clothes from the owner and slowly walked into the fitting room as he was reluctant to do so. Soon after, Harvey put those clothes and walked out. Even though the clothes looked quite simple and casual, he still looked handsome in them. Nicole approached him and began to size him up. She shook her head in disapproval, ¡°Now, the clothes look casual enough but there¡¯s still a hint of ruggedness in you. You still need a bit of a makeover.¡± After clearing the check, Nicole dragged Harvey to a cosmetics store. ¡°Have a seat,¡± Nicole said, making Harvey sit in front of a mirror. Then, she picked a makeup removal pad up to wipe the skincare products off Harvey¡¯s face. Seeing this, Harvey brought his hands up at once and stopped her. ¡°Nicole, what are you doing?¡± ¡°I¡¯m just wiping off the products on your skin and giving you a simple makeover. Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t make you hideous.¡± Nicole looked at Harvey through the mirror and exined. It was only then that Harvey lowered his hands and allowed Nicole to do as she pleased. In her left hand was a hair spray that she had picked up, while in her right was a blower which she then used to work on his hair. After a few minutes had passed, a new Harvey appeared before her eyes. She admired her masterpiece and smiled. That was the look she wanted. ¡°Have a look.¡± After Nicole had moved to the side, Harvey stared at himself in the mirror. He could hardly recognize himself, for he seemed like apletely different person, as if the former Harvey Ellison had died. Indeed, the present Harvey Ellison looked like an average Joe. Chapter 1353 Chapter 1353 The beauty adviser noticed that Nicole was abusing the samples, but just as she was about to say something, Nicole whipped out some cash and ced it in front of the mirror. Then, she brought Harvey out of the store. Meanwhile, the beauty adviser watched as the two of them left the store, and thought that they were very strange. From N?velDrama.Org. Nicole then ignited engine and drove Harvey to the restaurant. After covering a considerable distance, Nicole stopped at a junction near the establishment. ¡®You should get down here. After you walk past the junction in front, turn right and you¡¯ll see that restaurant.¡± Nicole instructed. ¡®Where will you be waiting for me? Do you have any weapons I could use to defend myself?¡± Harvey looked at Nicole nervously. ¡°I¡¯ll leave the car here, but I¡¯ll keep an eye on the situation from a small shop across the restaurant,¡± she replied. ¡®Don¡¯t panic if you¡¯re in danger. If possible, try to protect yourself and cough three times. That way, I¡¯d know you¡¯re in trouble and I¡¯lle to get you right away.¡± Nicole continued instructing as she looked him in the eye. ¡°Alright, understood,¡± he said. ¡®I¡¯ll go now.¡± Harvey took a hard look at Nicole¡¯s eyes and got out of the car. \ Then, he made a beeline for the restaurant. Nicole wore the cap and scarf she had just bought at the mall moments ago. After making sure that she had disguised herself, Nicole got down from the car and made her way to the small shop across the restaurant. Concurrently, Jared¡¯s phone began to ring. ¡°Sir, we¡¯ve noticed a guy walking into the restaurant. He looks like Mr. Ellison,¡± Jared¡¯s men who were camping outside of the restaurant reported to Jared. ¡°Are you talking about Harvey Ellison?¡± Jared asked. ¡®The guy looks like him, but we aren¡¯t sure if it is.¡± ¡°Keep a close eye and report to me immediately if anything happens.¡± Jared ordered them coldly. ¡°Understood,¡± they said. Jared began to ponder after he had hung up. ¡®Why would Harvey go to such a ce? They must have been mistaken.1 Then, he continued working. Nicole entered the shop, ordered a drink, and sat at a corner by the window. Then, she began to observe the restaurant directly across from where she was. Once Harvey had entered the restaurant, he nced around, chose a seat and asked for food. Then, he began putting up an act. Just as Nicole had anticipated, his acting sessfully captured the owner¡¯s attention; the owner first served him a few side dishes. Then, he brought a few bottles of beer over and began to engage Harvey in a conversation. As the previous mission was unsessful, the owner had gotten an earful from his employer. This time, he wished to acquire someone smarter than Hugh, so that the mission would be a sessful one. That way, he could regain his reputation and standing in the eyes of his boss. As the owner was sizing Harvey up, he could feel that thetter was much more intelligent than Hugh. That was the reason he had approached Harvey and tested him anyway. Hugh had already been exposed once, and therefore, he could not be of any use in the mission anymore. Such was the reason as to why the owner had to procure the next person for the job. ¡°Brother, you seem to be a little younger than me. If you¡¯re facing any problems, you can take me for a friend and tell me all about it. You¡¯d feel better after letting it all out.¡± The owner looked at Harvey and said in an attempt to test him. Harvey looked at him and knew that the owner had taken the bait. Therefore, Harvey took it to the next stage and began to concoct a tragic life story. His acting skills were so superb that he managed deceived the ownerpletely. Seeing that Harvey was so young, and yet had to endure such a tragic life, the owner chatted with and tested him for a while longer. After that, he let his guard down and asked, ¡°Brother, since your family is in a difficult position, have you ever thought of doing something to turn your life around and live better?¡± As the owner had already suggested it, Harvey mustered a pitiful reply, ¡°Of course I¡¯ve thought about it. It¡¯s just that I don¡¯t have the skills and qualifications required. How am I supposed to change my life?¡± Seeing that there was no one around them, the owner rmended someone to Harvey secretly. Harvey¡¯s eyes lit up as soon as he heard it. The person which the owner had rmended was just as Nicole had said; it was Ms. Jo. Chapter 1354 Chapter 1354 Hearing that, Harvey gave the owner an obvious look of disbelief. ¡°How could there be something so good in this world? And I could earn this much money? That¡¯s unbelievable!¡± The owner could tell that Harvey did not believe him. He began to feel annoyed, ¡¯Why is he not buying what I¡¯d said yet?* ¡¯It¡¯s true! Just a few days ago, someone had already received the money. I¡¯m not lying to you!¡± the owner said to Harvey in utmost seriousness. Harvey continued to act as though he was in disbelief, and pretended to think fora moment. Then, he said, ¡°If what you said is true, let me meet Ms. Jo. ¡°Otherwise, I won¡¯t be able to buy that. Why would money fall from the sky andnd directly on my palms?¡± Harvey muttered. The owner stared at Harvey while looking troubled. It seemed that Harvey had really given him a run for his money. ¡¯You¡¯ll take the job as soon as you meet Ms. Jo?¡± the owner asked as he looked at Harvey sternly. ¡®Yes. As long as I get to meet Ms. Jo and see her in person, I¡¯ll be at ease. Otherwise, it¡¯ll feel like I¡¯m doing something illegal!¡± Harvey whimpered, deliberately giving the owner a look of fear. The owner took a deep breath and stared at Harvey for a long time. Then, he said, ¡°Fine, since we¡¯ve discussed it to such lengths, I¡¯ll try my best to let you see her. ¡°But I must tell you this, Ms. Jo would never agree to meet you. The only thing I can do is to bring you to her. After you¡¯ve taken a single nce of her, you must leave with me immediately. I won¡¯t allow you to get me into hot soup,¡± the owner asserted sternly. ¡®If you agree to do the job, I¡¯ll take you to her immediately. If not, you may forget about it,¡± he added. ¡°Fine.¡± Harvey chugged his beer down and agreed. ¡®Follow me.¡¯ The owner took his apron off and brought Harvey to the car outside. From N?velDrama.Org. The second Harvey walked out, he casually looked around and got into the owner¡¯s car. Once the engine had been ignited, they drove off into the distance. Once Nicole noticed that Harvey was being brought away in a car by someone, she exited the shop at once and hurried to her car. Then, she proceeded to tail the car from behind. Concurrently, Jared was in the midst of a meeting when he received a text message from one of his men. [The restaurant owner had left with the guy.] [Get some of our men to follow them. Be sure to keep an eye on the restaurant too.] [Understood.] ¡°My little brother, remember that I¡¯m the one who initiated this meeting between you and Ms. Jo. Don¡¯t you ever tell anyone about this, or else, I won¡¯t let go of you,¡± the owner warned Harvey as he was driving. ¡¯Don¡¯t worry. If you really have introduced me to such a good opportunity to earn some money and turn my life around, I¡¯d be more nothing but grateful to you. Once I get the money, don¡¯t forget to send me your ount number. I¡¯ll transfer some of it to you,¡± Harvey said, trying to build a rtionship with the owner. The owner beamed upon hearing those words, and with a wide grin, he said, ¡°I can tell we¡¯ll have a good rtionship brother. You really are a smart guy.¡± Both of them proceeded to chat andugh throughout the journey, and before they knew it, they had already arrived at the location where the McCarthy family were performing their ceremony. ¡°Brother, we¡¯re here. Let¡¯s go,¡¯ the owner said as he looked at Harvey. Little did he know that Nicole had also followed them to the ceremonial venue from afar. Upon arrival, she recognized the ce immediately. ¡®This is exactly where the McCarthy family is performing their ceremony today.¡¯ Nicole then parked her car at a secluded spot and waited for them quietly. Chapter 1355 Chapter 1355 Little did Nicole know that Jared¡¯s men had been hiding behind the scenes, keeping an eye on the entire situation. Harvey, on the other hand, saw the line of cars parked in front of him and recalled the live broadcast he saw at the restaurant earlier. ¡®Are there other families holding their ceremony here in addition to the McCarthys?¡¯ Harvey questioned in his mind. The owner was already several feet away by then. Once he turned around, he found Harvey standing still right next to his car. ¡°Brother, why are you standing there? Follow me,¡± he called out, thinking that Harvey was intimidated by the sheer grandness of the ceremony. The further they went, the more men in suits they spotted. The owner was trying really hard to coalesce into the crowd while bringing Harvey along with him. After an interminable period of attempting to push their way in, Harvey was on the verge of giving up, because his feet were repeatedly threaded on by the people around him. Yet, he could only endure the pain quietly and squeeze through the crowd with the owner. Suddenly, the owner halted, with Harvey trying his best to squeeze his way to the owner¡¯s side. Then, he whispered into the owner¡¯s ears, ¡°Which one of them is Ms. Jo?¡± As there were too many people, the owner only managed to spot Ms. Jo on the right side after a moment of searching. Not daring to point at her, he could only whisper back to Harvey, ¡°Look to your right, the seconddy in front is Ms. Jo.¡± Harvey followed the owner¡¯s direction, his eyes ranging to the second person on the right, and when he did look over, his gaze was locked on the aforementioned person at once. ¡®Isn¡¯t that Joyce?¡¯ Initially, he was ready to take a quick snapshot of her, but it seemed to him that there was no need for that. After he had identified who Ms. Jo was, he immediately lowered his head in fear of being recognized by Joyce. When the owner noticed Harvey looking down, he asked, ¡°Why are you looking down? Have you seen her?¡± Harvey turned to the owner and nodded. The owner understood him and quietly brought him back to the car. Meanwhile, Nicole had been waiting in the car for hours, and yet Harvey had not reappeared. She had not received any emergency signals from him either. Therefore, she did not dare to get down from the car to find him. All she could do was sit and wait for him patiently After a long while, two men made their way down from the hill and approached the car. Nicole fixed her eyes on them, and saw that they were Harvey and the owner. Seeing that they left as soon as they had entered their vehicle, Nicole started her engine as well, and tailed them from afar, with Jared¡¯s men following them at the very end of the convoy. In the car, the owner went on to exin all the duties and responsibilities to Harvey. He also promised him that once the job was done, Ms. Jo would definitely transfer the money over to him on time. In response, Harvey expressed his trust in the owner. When they had reached the city, Harvey requested the owner to pull over and drop him at the side of the road. Then, he made his way into a mall. Material ? N?velDrama.Org. Once the owner saw that Harvey had disappeared into the mall, he drove off. Noticing the owner, Nicole did not get down from her car in a rush to find Harvey. Instead, she sent him a text. [He might still be watching you near the mall, so I can¡¯te and get you now. However, you¡¯re not in any danger. We¡¯ll meet at the Golden Coast Building.] [Alright.] Harvey quickly sent her a short reply as soon as he had read the message. Then, he pretended to act as if all was normal, and proceeded to make a few rounds in the mall before leaving. Jared¡¯s men, on the other hand, had followed the owner back to the restaurant. They had also reported the whole situation to Jared. Concurrently, Nicole had returned to her office in the Golden Coast Building, and was already waiting for Harvey to meet her. After about ten minutes, Harvey appeared outside the office building. He was worried that the owner had followed him there, so he had not changed into his old clothes and had instead entered the building immediately. After making sure that the owner was not there, Harvey strode into the elevator and reached Nicole¡¯s office in short order. Chapter 1356 Chapter 1356 As soon as Harvey had walked in, he quickly took his clothes off. "Do you have to be in such a rush?" Nicole teased as he watched him. From N?velDrama.Org. "Yes, I have to. These clothes aren''tfortable at all. It''s too hot and suffocating to be in them," Harvey said. and tossed them onto the couch in disgust. Then, he walked up to Nicole''s desk and sat down. "We can''t get rid of these clothes yet. Before we''re done taking down the mastermind behind this whole incident. you''ll have to continue acting like an average Joe in public." Nicole informed. "What? Continue acting? Are you kidding me?" Harvey asked as his eyes widened. "Didn''t you say that you wanted to help me? It has only been a day and you''re regretting it already?" Nicole retorted, using his words against him. Harvey wanted to retain his image. How could he go back on his promise, especially one that he had made for Nicole? Thus, he would have to stick to her until the very end. "I''m not. I''ve never regretted helping you out.¡± Harvey looked at Nicole while stifling his true feelings about all of this. "Anyway, I''ve been sitting here for the whole day. Do you have some coffee?¡± Harvey requested. "Yeah, hold on," she said. Once she was done speaking, she went and brewed him some coffee. As he drank the coffee which Nicole had made for him, Harvey began to feel at ease. While Harvey was drinking, Nicole took the chance to ask her, "You guys went out so that you could meet Ms. Jo?¡± "Yes." Harvey took a sip from his mug and replied. "Well then, did you manage to take a picture?" Nicole looked at Harvey earnestly, waiting for him to show her the picture. "I''ve just sat down and rxed for a bit. Can¡¯t you let me take my time and savor the taste of this coffee which you''ve made me?" Harvey said, deliberately creating suspense by not telling her what he had discovered right away. In response, she could only let him take his time, as she was the one who had requested his help in the first ce. "Fine. Take your time. I''ll make some more if you want.¡± After all, it was just a cup of coffee, and for her to make one would not be a problem for her at all. If Harvey wanted it, Nicole would make him as many cups as he desired. Hearing Nicole''s words, Harvey looked at her in surprise. "Ah, so this is how it feels to be needed by someone. Anyway, I don''t think I''ve got the space for that much coffee, as I had quite a lot of beer moments ago. Can you store this coffee forter? You can make them for me the next time I''m here.¡± Nicole stared at him and thought, ''How clever of him.¡¯ Then, she replied, "Sure. Now, can I have a look at the picture?" "To be honest with you, I don''t have the photo. But I can confidently tell you who IMs. Jo is." Harvey looked at her, his face oozing with confidence. Nicole frowned and looked at him with her brows raised. "What do you mean?" "If I don''t tell you, you would never have thought that IMs. Jo is someone we know." Harvey teased, still messing around. "Someone we know?" she asked. "Quit ying games! Who is it?" "Joyce licCarthy,¡± he uttered. "Joyce IicCarthy?" Nicole repeated his words in shock. ¡®So, that was why the owner brought Harvey to the licCarthy family ceremony. I should have thought of her!¡¯ she surmised. Joyce had along way to go before she was able to aplish her ns while she was abroad, and yet she had already called a hit on me here. She''s getting bolder by the day and losing sight of her ce in this country!¡¯ Chapter 1357 Chapter 1357 ¡®I was also shocked when I saw that it was Joyce. She had always struck me as the soft, vulnerable sort, so who would have known that she would be so despicable!¡± Harvey bellowed, as he hated anyone who would dare to hurt Nicole. "Nicole, now that we know all of this is Joyce''s doing, should we send someone to get rid of her?¡± Harvey asked. All he had to do was to make a call. Nicole did not even have to make a move on her own and Harvey could instantly get rid of Joyce on her behalf. "It seems to me that she has hated me for a long time..." Material ? N?velDrama.Org. "I''m more than grateful to you for helping me to this extent. For the next step however, I''ve decided that it''d be a personal matter between me and her. Because of this, I''ll have to take care of it on my own." An icy glint shed in Nicole''s eyes, making Harvey, who was sitting directly across, shudder. "Nicole, based on what we''ve learned from these few incidents, I can tell that Joyce is the ruthless sort. Even if you don''t want me to get involved, I should at least tell Jared about this, don''t you think?" Harvey said, giving her an anxious look. He was worried that Joyce might hurt Nicole again. "Thank you for risking your life for me and helping me out today. You must be tired. I think you should go home early and get some rest," Nicole replied, thanking him without answering his question. "You''re acting like we''re strangers by saying that,¡± Harvey said. "I can''t really say that it was risky, and perhaps I am a little tired, but I''m feeling a lot better now after having that cup of coffee you''ve made.¡± Harvey did not expect Nicole to thank him for all that he had done for her, but he was satisfied as long as Nicole was happy. ¡°Anyway, I won''t bother you anymore for today,¡± he continued. "If you don''t want Jared to find out about this, I''m willing to back you up whenever you need it. Call me if you need anything.¡± As soon as he had uttered thest word, Harvey chugged down thest bit of coffee he had left. Then, he put on that set of casual clothes, shot Nicole a nce, waved at her, and left. Nicole burst intoughter as she saw how ridiculous he looked in those clothes, and after Harvey had left, she began to think again. On the other hand, Jared was just done with his meeting. He then returned to his office and checked the messages on his phone. The first message was a report from his men, which informed him that the owner had brought a man to the McCarthy family ceremony. As soon as Jared had read the second message however, his eyes widened. Based on what was stated in the report, while his men were tailing and protecting Nicole, she had gone to the ce where the McCarthy family had performed their ceremony. "What was Nicole doing there?¡± Jared murmured as he stared at the message. ¡®Why did all of them go to that ce?¡¯ Jared walked up to the floor to ceiling window, gazed into the distance, and began to think hard After a while, Jared picked his phone up and called Nicole. "Where are you? = "I''m at theb, why are you calling?" Nicole asked in return. "Grandpa will be getting discharged tomorrow. You wanted to get him too, right? Shall I pick you up from work tonight and bring you back to my ce? ¡¯ Jared said, talking about Maximillian''s discharge as he could not directly ask her why she had gone to the McCarthy family''s ceremony. "Oh, sure,¡± Nicole replied while her mind was still upied with other things. ¡°Alright, just wait for me at your office then," Jared ended, and hung up. Time flew as they got busy once more, and in the blink of an eye, it was already time to get off work. Seeing this, Jared drove to the entrance of the Golden Coast Building. However, he did not see Nicole there, so he got out of the car and entered the premises. He took the elevator and reached Nicole''s floor, and as it was his first time there, the receptionist stopped him as he walked in. "Good day sir. Are you looking for someone?" the receptionist asked. Being the newbie she was, the receptionist did not know who Jared was. Seeing that the receptionist could not recognize him, Jared replied, ¡°I''m here to meet Nicole Riddle.¡± "I''m sorry sir, but you are?" the receptionist asked, wanting to identify the person before bringing him in. She would not just let anyone into the office. "I''m Jared Johnston.¡± Although the receptionist had never met Jared, she had heard of his name before. She stared at him in shock as soon as she heard those two wordsing out of his mouth. Chapter 1358 Chapter 1358 "You''re not going to let me in?¡± Jared asked upon noticing that the receptionist had frozen. "I''m sorry. sir. I''ll lead the way,¡± she said. It was then that Kelly walked over and spotted Jared. Upon noticing him, she quickly approached him and said, ¡°Mr. Johnston, what are you doing here?¡± "He''s here to meet IVliss Riddle," the receptionist reported to Kelly. "Sir, Miss Riddle is in there. I''ll bring you there." Kelly politely led Jared to Nicole''s office. Kelly knocked on the office door and said, "Ir. Johnston is here, Miss Riddle.¡± The moment Nicole heard the word ¡®Mr. Johnston¡¯, she lifted her head at once and turned to the door. At the very next second, Jared appeared before her in the office. "What are you doing here?" she asked. "Didn''t we agree that I''ll be picking you up after work? Did you forget about it?" Jared walked up to her and sat down in front of Nicole. Kelly closed the door carefully and left. "I did not forget about it. It''s just that, I didn''t know it was time to go home already.¡± Nicole replied. ¡®What is keeping you upied at this hour?" Jared queried her again. "Nothing. What would you like to eat?" Nicole asked while she was shutting herputer down. ¡®What do you feel like having? It''s my treat.¡± Jared replied. "Let''s go to the Blue Whale Restaurant. I¡¯m craving some desserts.¡± Nicole replied. "Sure." After grabbing her backpack, Nicole stood up and walked out of her office with Jared. "Kelly, we''re leaving now. Don''t forget to check everything before you leave, '' Nicole reminded Kelly. From N?velDrama.Org. "Don''t worry, Miss Riddle. Drive safe, Mr. Johnston.¡± Kelly said, bidding them goodbye. Jared then drove Nicole to the Blue Whale Restaurant, where they sat at their usual table. Nicole proceeded to order a dessert and some of her favorite dishes, while Jared kept to his usual order. "The design of your office looks pretty good,¡± Jared said, breaking the silence with apliment. "Thank you. It''s all thanks to you that we have such a pretty office." Nicole took a spoonful of dessert, and as the sweetness filled her tongue, she instantly felt better, alleviating the stress that she had while she was still in her office. ¡®Still, I must say that I''ve noticed that it isn''t that spacious. Should I invest some money to expand it?" Jared asked, his eyes filled with nothing but genuine intentions of helping her. "There''s no need to rush it just yet. I''m sure there will be other opportunities for you to invest. but now is not the time,¡± Nicole exined to him. "Alright then. If you need anything, just let me know," Jared promised. "I will. Even if you didn''t mention it, I''ll ask you anyway. After all, you''re the best when ites to matters like these," Nicoleplimented him in a soft voice. Jared was delighted as soon as he heard herpliments. He loved it whenever she acknowledged his abilities. It had always been his wish to be the first person in Nicole''s heart; the one she could rely and lean on. ¡®Have you been to Martin''s ce recently?¡¯ Nicole asked Jared. "No, everything has been settled there. Even the production rates have returned to normal." Jared replied. ¡®That''s great.¡± she said. "Anyway, what have you been busy with?" Jared asked while observing her. Chapter 1359 Chapter 1359 "I''ve just been busy with the project. What''s up?¡± Nicole asked him back. "My men saw you at the site of the McCarthy family ceremony today. What''s up with that?" Jared stopped and stared at Nicole as he asked the question. Nicole''s hands froze for a moment, after which she took a bite of her dessert. ''Why does he seem to know about everything?¡¯ "You got someone to stalk me?" Nicole looked at him with her eyes widened and asked. "It''s not stalking when you were the one who appeared right where they were,¡± Jared calmly said. ¡®What do you mean? You''re keeping an eye on the McCarthy family?" Nicole asked, having caught a small detail. "It''s none of your business. Answer me. what were you doing there?" Jared questioned Nicole sternly. Nicole lowered her head and continued eating her dessert. ¡®Should I tell him or not? If I tell him, will he make a huge deal out of it? If Joyce gets away, it''ll be hard for me to get to the bottom of this. What should I do?¡¯ "Are you thinking of a way to brush it off?" Jared said, having foreseen what she was going to do. Nicole lifted her head and uttered, "No." ¡®I guess I have no other choice but to tell him,¡¯ she thought. "I''m investigating someone named Ms. Jo. I followed a lead and that was where I ended up yesterday,¡± Nicole said, revealing some information to him. With Jared''s intelligence, it was impossible for her to not reveal anything. She could only weasel her way out by telling him a half-truth. "Ms. Jo?¡¯ Jared murmured the name and began to think. "This Ms. Jo you''re looking for. Is it Joyce?" Jared suddenly looked at Nicole and revealed the other half of the truth which Nicole did not mention. Nicole swallowed and stared at him. "How did you guess it?" "It''s simple. There''s a ¡®Jo¡¯ in Joyce¡¯s name. And since you went to the McCarthy family mansion to look for this person, it can only be her," Jared exined. ¡®Why didn''t I think that Ms. Jo is Joyce?¡¯ she thought. ''I guess I should let Jared know about the entire thing.¡¯ "Since you''ve guessed it, I won''t hide it from you,¡¯ she said. "The person I''m looking for is Joyce. Recently, she called a hit and sent someone after me. Therefore, I''ve nned to give her the payback she deserves for everything she has done both in the present and the past," Nicole revealed as she looked at Jared. ¡°You were attacked?¡± he asked. ¡®Wait, when was this? Did you get hurt?" Jared questioned, beginning to worry about Nicole. N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. ¡®It happened a few days back. I''m fine.¡± Nicole quickly exined when he saw how anxious Jared was. It was only then did Jared heave a sigh of relief, "So, the person who attacked you was Joyce McCarthy?" "Yeah. This is not the first time she had made an attempt on my life. Because of this, I can''t let go of her easily," Nicole¡¯s eyes narrowed as she gave Jared a long and hard look. "Leave this to me. You should just focus on your chip project. You shouldn''t get your hands dirty trying to exact retribution on her." Jared said to Nicole in a tant disy of machismo. After all, he was already on the move. Once the time was right, he would immediately deal with Joyce on behalf of Nicole while destroying all of the former''s support system as well. "I''m afraid we aren''t on the same page on this. I must destroy Joyce McCarthy with my own hands." Nicole said, not n to let Joyce get away that easily. "That''s easy. After I''ve captured her, I''ll pass her to you. Then, you can deal with her as you wish,¡± Jared said with an icy glint in his eyes. "Alright then.¡± Nicole knew there was no way she could talk Jared out of it. Hence, she could only acquiesce to it. After all, Jared had no say in what she was going to do. "Is Mr. Johnston Sr. going straight home to the Johnston family manor after getting discharged?" Nicole asked. "Yes," he said. ¡®In that case, should we head back to the Johnston family manor and rearrange the house for him today?¡± Nicole asked. "I''ve already made the necessary arrangements. All you have to do is follow me and fetch grandpa back from the hospital tomorrow. He will be happy to see you,¡± Jared replied. Chapter 1360 Chapter 1360 "Alright. I''m going to go prepare a bouquet of flowers for Ir. Johnston Sr. to wee him home after the discharge,¡± she said. "Okay, I''ll drive you over to the florist tomorrow," Jared said and looked at Nicole with doting eyes. After the two of them had eaten their dinner at the restaurant. They made their way back to their residence. During the very next day, Nicole selected arge bouquet of flowers at the florist and held it in her arms. She turned around, and upon noticing that Jared''s hands were empty, she asked the shopkeeper to bring them anotherrge bouquet of flowers. "One for each of US. It''ll look better that way.¡± Nicole looked at the flowers in their arms with satisfaction and said. "Alright! Let''s head to the hospital." Nicole clutched the flowers and made her way toward the car. In the corridor of the hospital, Jared and Nicole proceeded to make their way toward Mr. Johnson Sr.''s ward while holding the two bouquets they had purchased. They pushed the door open and saw that the doctors and nurses were helping him with some exercises. Mr. Johnston Sr.''s face lit up the instant he saw them walking in with tworge bouquets. "You''re both pretty darn early, aren''t you?" Mr. Johnston Sr. looked at them and asked. "We wanted to pick you up early," Nicole said as she made a beeline for Mr. Johnston Sr. "Mr. Johnston, the procedures for the discharge have beenpleted," Max reported as he walked in. "Okay, go and get our car started." Jared turned his head to Max and instructed. "Yes, sir." Jared walked up to Mr. Johnston Sr.¡¯s bedside and said, "Grandpa, the procedures for your discharge have beenpleted. Let''s go home." N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. "Okay." Mr. Johnston Sr. nodded lightly, after which he got out of bed slowly and steadily with the help of the nurses and doctors. Nicole and Jared then stepped forward to help Mr. Johnston Sr. out of the ward. They had to do so, as the old man had refused to sit on the wheelchair that had been prepared for him. He thought, ¡®I''ve beenying down for such a long time. Finally, I''ve been given a chance to walk, and so, I must walk out of here by myself.¡¯ Max was holding the tworge bouquet of flowers behind them, while Nicole and Jared were at the front, supporting Mr. Johnston Sr. as he slowly walked. Nicole then proposed to take a celebratory discharge photo as they reached the main entrance of the hospital. Mr. Johnston Sr. did not refuse and asked Max to take a photo of the three of them, after which he carefully helped him into the car before driving off to the Johnston family manor. During the ride to the manor, Mr. Johnston Sr. kept looking out of the window at the streets of the city. grasping the scenery that he had not seen for a long time. A familiar building soon appeared before his eyes: the Johnston family manor. The butler and servants were already waiting in line at the gate of the family manor to wee Mr. Johnston Sr. home. Jared slowly got out of the car, followed by Mr. Johnston Sr. who got out slowly. Then, the faithful housekeeper immediately came up to Mr. Johnston Sr. and said, "Wee home Mr. Johnston Sr.!" Mr. Johnston Sr. looked up and nodded his head, as a smile crossed his face. ¡®It feels good to be back and seeing familiar faces.¡¯ "Wee home Mr. Johnston Sr!" All the servants belted in unison. He looked at everyone with tion, whereupon he took onest nce at the family manor before entering. Mr. Johnston Sr. walked into the living room and sat down. He then turned to the duo of Jared and Nicole and said, "Please stay for lunch, if you''re not too busy.¡± Chapter 1361 Chapter 1361 Mr. Johnston Sr. was already courteous enough, so Jared and Nicole could only nod their heads in agreement. Seeing this, Mr. Johnston Sr. turned to the old butler, who immediately understood what he had meant and strutted off to prepare lunch for them happily. "Jared, I heard that you''ve found Henry.¡± Mr. Johnston Sr. said as he shifted in his seat. Hearing that, Jared looked at him and thought, ¡®I had nned to interrogate him before letting grandpa know about this. I didn''t expect that he is already aware of everything that''s going on.¡¯ "Yes, it was a struggle, but after going through a few curveballs, we found him," Jared replied. "Where is he now?" Mr. Johnston Sr. looked at Jared and asked. "He''s on the way back. He''ll be here in the next few days,¡± Jared replied. Mr. Johnston Sr. seemed to be aware of the situation and everything that had transpired. N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. Meanwhile, Nicole looked at Jared and thought, ¡®I didn''t expect that he had found Henry so quickly, and even got him in custody. He really is one of a kind.¡¯ ¡®Alright, report to me when he arrives. I have to interrogate him myself." Mr. Johnston Sr. said, displeased upon hearing the mention of Henry. "Grandpa, you shouldn''t get too worked up after you''ve just been discharged. You can leave the interrogation to me.¡± Jared looked at Mr. Johnston Sr. and said with a sense of assurance. Mr. Johnston Sr. was about to protest when Nicole suddenly interrupted him, ¡°Mr. Johnston Sr.? Jared told me that your condition isn''t that stable yet, and that is why you mustn''t get too riled up by this situation, or else, you''ll have to be hospitalized again if you rpse. I''m sure that you do not wish to go back there, do you?¡± Nicole knew that Jared wanted to interrogate Henry himself, so she spoke up to help him out. Mr. Johnston Sr. looked at Nicole and thought about it for a long time. Then, he looked at Jared and fumed, "I will leave the interrogation to you, then. Make sure that you get him to exin his actions clearly and his motive behind them. Then, but him behind those bars for life." Mr. Johnston Sr. thought angrily, ¡®It''s bad enough that he wanted to murder me, but what I could not understand is that he''s my own son. I didn''t expect that he would turn out to be such a bad apple...¡¯ "Okay. I will do as you have instructed. You just have to focus on getting well. I will get someone to report to you about the interrogationter on," Jared said with a solemn expression on his face. "Okay," his grandfather uttered. Mr. Johnston Sr. then turned to Nicole at once. "What have you been up totely, Nicole?" Nicole looked at him with a smile and replied, "I''ve been researching about chipstely.¡± "Chips? What kind of chips do you need? You can just buy them, right? Why do you need to research on the chips yourself?" Mr. Johnston Sr. looked at Nicole with his forehead creased. "Grandpa, I don''t think you are aware that the chip we need is not readily avable in the market just yet. Because of this, I thought I could attempt to make one myself. If the research is sessful, I can make a lot of money from it,¡± Nicole said jokingly while Mr. Johnston Sr. listened to her intently, thinking that the chips were easy to research on. "Oh? I didn''t expect you to have such a broad vision." Mr. Johnston Sr. praised as he looked at her. In response, she looked at Mr. Johnston Sr. and shed him a slight smile that was absent of any sort of pride. "Getting to meet Nicole has been the greatest blessing for US, Jared. You should cherish her, and don''t you dare lose my precious granddaughter-in-w, or else I wont ever forgive you!" Mr. Johnston Sr. looked at Jared sternly. Upon hearing the old man calling her his granddaughter-inw, Nicole''s face turned bright red, and she darted Jared a shy nce at once. "Don''t worry, grandpa. I definitely won''t lose your granddaughter-inw,¡± Jared said and nced at Nicole. Mr. Johnston Sr. then asked Jared about thepany updates while Nicole proceeded to arrange the two big bouquets of flowers. Chapter 1362 Chapter 1362 After a while, the old butler came over, "Mr. Johnston Sr.? Your lunch is ready." "Jared, Nicole? Let''s go,¡± Mr. Johnston Sr. said while looking at them. Nicole quickly went over to support Mr. Johnston Sr., helping him toward the dining room. Both Jared and Nicole then apanied Mr. Johnston Sr. to his first meal after returning to the Johnston family manor. Jared and Nicole bade Mr. Johnston Sr. farewell after they had finished the meal. In the car, Jared looked at Nicole and asked, "What did you do to make him like you so much? This is the first time I''ve heard him showering others with praise.¡± Nicole shot Jared a frown before asking, "What do you mean? Are you unhappy that he likes me that much? Or do you think I''m that hard to like?¡¯ Jared suddenly fell silent upon being bombarded with these questions. ¡®Why aren''t you talking anymore? You still owe me an exnation.¡± Nicole looked at Jared and said. "Of course, I''m happy. My taste in women has always been the best.¡± Jared''s mouth curled up in triumph. ¡®I didn''t ask you to boast. I asked you to give me an exnation.¡± Nicole frowned demanded, as Jared was too shy and embarrassed to say it. "Well, I''ve given you the exnation, and that''s all you''re getting," Jared said arrogantly. Noticing that Jared was still refusing to give her a direct answer, she did not press on further. Instead, she reached out to turn the music on and crank the volume up. ¡°I''m going back to the researchb, you can drop me off there,¡± Nicole said in amanding tone of voice without waiting for Jared to speak. Jared shot her a nce, and the corner of his mouth lifted. ¡°Okay.¡± He then floored the elerator and drove toward the Golden Coast Building. Soon after, they arrived at the lobby of the Golden Coast Building, during which Jared turned to look at Nicole and said, "We''re here.¡± Nicole turned around and was about to get off the car when Jared asked, ¡¯ Should Ie and pick you upter?¡± "Sure," Nicole responded softly, whereupon she closed the door and made her way into the building. Jared watched as she walked in, before driving away to his headquarters. On the way there, Jared''s phone rang. "Mr. Johnston, I''d like to go and pick up the red wine in a bit. Are you at HQ right now?" Fiore''s voice red out from the speakers. "Yeah," he responded. From N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Alright, I''ll see you in a bit." Fiore smiled and hung up. Not long after Jared had arrived at the office, Max walked over to him and said, "Mr. Johnston, the person in charge of escorting Henry was ambushed on the way. I can''t reach him now." Jared stopped in his tracks and looked at Max with muzzled eyebrows, ¡®Send someone to get him right away. We must bring Henry back at all costs! We can''t let him get away again!" "Yes, sir." Max turned around and went to deal with the matter. Jared walked up to his personal elevator and pressed the button to call it down. A voice suddenly called out to him from several yards away. Jared followed the source and direction of the voice and saw that it was Fiore, who was walking toward him. ¡®I guess I have no choice but to wait for her,¡¯ he thought as he waited for her. Fiore then sauntered over and stood beside Jared. "I didn¡¯t expect that I''d bump into you in the lobby. What a coincidence." Indeed, Fiore was delighted to see Jared. ¡®I haven''t seen him for a while now, no thanks to the project.¡¯ ¡°How did you arrive so quickly?" Jared asked Fiore with a look of surprise. Chapter 1363 Chapter 1363 "Actually, I was pretty near when I called, so I came here as fast as I could. '' Fiore exined as she looked at him. "Oh, so that''s the case, huh." Jared said, having understood what had happened upon hearing it. From N?velDrama.Org. "I think you''ve just arrived, Mr. Johnston. But didn''t you say that you were in the office when we were on the phone?" Fiore looked at Jared with probing eyes. "I''ve been at the office, but I had to go out to run some errands,¡± Jared casually said. "Oh," Fiore uttered when she came to the realization. And when the elevator doors opened, Jared walked out with Fiore following suit, and together, they entered the office. "Your wine is over there, Miss Fisher. I''ll get someone to bring it out for you. '' Jared said while pointing to a box of wine on the right. ¡°Thank you, but it''s alright, Mr. Johnston. I''ll get someone to take it out of here when I leave,¡± Fiore said, hinting that she was not about to leave anytime soon. ¡°Okay then. Rx and make yourself at home. I''ll get my assistant to make you a cup of coffee." Jared went up to his desk, picked his phone up, and dialed his assistant''s internal line. I am impressed, Mr. Johnston. You have grown to remember my preferences now.¡± Fiore looked at him, her eyes lighting up as sheplimented him. "Ms. Fisher, you''ve been here multiple times, so naturally, I can''t help but remember them,¡± Jared said, implying that he did not remember her preferences on purpose. In spite of this, Fiore was not bothered. She proceeded to take a seat on the couch across Jared and picked up a magazine to read. "Mr. Johnston, do you also like to read magazines?¡± she asked absentmindedly. "No, my aides prepared them for guests to read," Jared casually replied. "Anyway, how''s the green energy project going, Miss Fisher?¡± Jared suddenly asked. In response, Fiore ced the magazine down, after which she looked at Jared and said, ¡®I''ve been really busy recently, and haven''t had a breather for so long. When will youe over to give me a hand, Mr. Johnston?" Fiore then looked into Jared''s eyes. She was somehow looking forward to an answer that she wanted to hear. "Didn''t I send over an employee capable enough to aid you? What''s the matter? Is that person not good enough for the job? Do you need me to send you another?" Jared shot her a nce and continued to open the documents in his hand. "Send me another one? Forget it. I''ll just wait for you toe over and help me out.¡± Fiore expressed her wish again. Jared withheld his reply and buried his face in the stack of documents instead. Then, Fiore walked up to Jared''s desk with the magazine in hand. "You''ve been working really hard every day. Aren''t you tired, Mr. Johnston?" Fiore casually asked to make conversation with him. "Fortunately, I''m already used to it," Jared said, and as soon as he raised his head, she was already in front of him. "Has the coffee been served to you?" Jared gestured and was about to pick his phone up to make another call. "No, I just came over to take a seat. The view here is better aspared to the view on the couch." Fiore said pointedly. Jared took a nce of the couch behind her. He did not mind, as she could sit wherever she liked. "Mr. Johnston, where did you buy this pen from? It¡¯s so exquisite!" Fiore¡¯s eyes zoomed in on the pen in Jared''s hand. "It must''ve been prepared by the assistant. Would you like me to have the assistant get you one?" Jared looked at Fiore and offered. "No thanks, I don''t use a pen that often, but I think you look really elegant with a pen!" Fiore said, giving him a veiledpliment. Hearing this, Jared stifled a retch. ''So, she was waiting for me.¡¯ Chapter 1364 Chapter 1364 "Anyway, I''m hosting a private reception at the Cosmo Pavilion tomorrow night, Mr. Johnston. I hope you won''t let me down. This is the invitation to the reception.¡¯ Fiore gently ced the invitation card down onto Jared''s hand. Jared stopped working, caught a glimpse of the invitation card next to him, and was about to refuse, when he was interrupted by Fiore. ¡°Mr. Johnston, I already know that your schedule is free tomorrow night, so don''t you dare think about declining it.¡± Jared looked into Fiore''s eyes; he had been covered. ¡®How could I? I will be there." Jared looked at her politely and said. ¡®Are you bringing Miss Riddle with you too?" Fiore looked into Jared''s eyes and asked. ¡®It depends. She has been quite busy as of recent." ¡®Oh, by the way, I heard Mr. Johnston Sr. has been discharged from the hospital today. It seems that he''s recovering well." Fiore asked, having suddenly remembered about it. ¡®Yes, thank you for your concern, Miss Fisher. It''s good to know that you''re even aware of my grandpa''s discharge from the hospital." Jared unconsciously darted her a fleeting nce. ¡®She seems to have a lot of eyeliner on,¡¯ he thought. ¡®She seems to be very interested in my affairs.¡¯ "Mr. Johnston Sr.''s discharge from the hospital happens to be major news, so naturally, I got to know about it. If it was not because of the project getting in the way, I would also have paid him a visit when he got discharged,¡± Fiore said, expressing her intentions clearly to Jared. ¡®Oh.¡¯ Jared looked at her. Fiore was trying her best to mask her concern, in fear that Jared would think that she was being nosy. She just wanted to know more about him, so that she could have more to talk about with him. It was then that the assistant entered the office to deliver her the coffee. Looking at Fiore with a face full of guilt, she said, ¡°I''m sorry Miss Fisher. I had something very important to take care of earlier. Here''s the coffee you''ve requested." "It''s okay." Fiore took the cup and ced it on Jared''s desk. From N?velDrama.Org. "Mr. Johnston will drink it for me. I won''t stay here any longer as I have other matters to attend to.¡± Fiore gave Jared onest nce, before turning around and walking out of the office. ¡°Help Miss Fisher out and bring the box of wine to her car," Jared ordered. ¡®Yes, sir." The assistant lifted the case of wine and followed Fiore out of the room. Meanwhile, he looked at the cup of coffee on the table before picking it up and taking a sip, ¡®Not bad at all.¡¯ Then, he caught a glimpse of the invitation in his periphery as he ced the cup of coffee down before continuing to work. Time passed in a sh, and soon after, the office hours ended. Jared stood up and stretched his muscles, noticing that the buildings were brightly lit, with the entire city spruced up with lights. Seeing this, he sorted through the processed documents before dialing his assistant¡¯s number. ¡°What do you need, Mr. Johnston?" The assistant respectfully asked as he stood in front of Jared. "Those are the documents that have been processed. You can proceed with these." Jared pointed at the stack of files by the table. "Okay, is there anything else?" The assistant picked the file up and looked at Jared as he asked. "Do I not have anything scheduled for tomorrow night?" Jared asked, ¡®How would Fiore know something I didn''t?* "Yes, you have nothing nned for tomorrow night. Do you need me to arrange something for you?" "That wouldn''t be necessary. Anyway, off you go.¡± Jared said, prompting his assistant to leave with the documents. Then, he whipped his phone out and called Nicole, "Have you gotten off work yet?¡± "Not yet. Are you?" Nicole asked. "Yeah. Should I pick you up now or shall I do itter?" Nicole looked at the pile of work she had in her hands, before catching a glimpse of the time and replying, "Come pick me up in an hour." Chapter 1365 Chapter 1365 "Alright, I''ll see you in an hour." Jared hung up after he had spoken. Then, he went to his desk and sat down. not wanting to continue working. He proceeded to turn his computer on and began researching on manned flying cars. The results showed that there were many research attempts that had failed. so he carefully perused and analyzed the details. Soon after, Jared looked up and saw that an hour passed in a blink of an eye. Seeing that. he immediately turned hisputer off and walked out Jared then rushed to the Golden Coast Building where he parked his car before heading upstairs. ¡®Nicole must''ve been waiting for me. She might be mad at me when she sees meter.¡¯ Jared poked his head into the R&Db and noticed that most of the lights had been turned off except for those in Nicole''s quarters, where they were still on. He walked over to the door of the office, expecting Nicole to be sitting there. waiting for him. Instead. a different scenario yed out. "Are you still working. Nicole?" Jared walked in and asked. Nicole lifted her head the instant she heard Jared''s voice. "Why are you here so soon? There''s a bit left. I think you''ll have to wait for a bit." She motioned Jared to take a seat, as she had wanted toplete her work before going home. Jared walked in slowly and looked at her, ¡®Did she not realize that more than an hour has passed?¡¯ "Nicole, is your task that important?" Jared asked while looking at her. "It''s not that important. I mean, there''s still a bit left and I wish toplete all of it today," Nicole replied without looking at him. In response, Jared walked over, pulled her up, and walked her out of the office, prompting Nicole to eye him in shock. "What are you doing? Let me go!" she protested. Material ? N?velDrama.Org. "Because it''s not as important, there''s no need to rush and waste another minute of your time on it for today." Jared firmed his grasp on her and pulled her away from the R&Db. "Can you at least let me close the door?" she asked. "Kelly is still there, so there''s no need for you to worry," he said. Jared maintained his grasp on Nicole until they had reached his car." Fasten your seatbelt." "Are we going back to the vi?" Nicole looked at him and asked while fastening her seatbelt. "No." "No? It''s already sote. Where are we going?" Nicole looked at him with a slight frown because she did not know where they were going. Without giving her a forting reply, Jared maintained his silence and sped off to a certain direction. Noticing this, she issued a sigh of defeat. ¡®What is he trying to do" "Jared. I''m exhausted from work today. I don¡¯t have the energy to mess around with you. If there¡¯s nothing else to do, please send me back so that I can get some sleep." Nicole looked at Jared with tired eyes ¡®Mess around with me? When have we ever done that? This is hrious.¡¯ Jared thought to himself. "Don''t worry. it won''t tire you out even more. You''ll find out when we reach," Jared assured "Alright, wake me up when we arrive. I''ll rest my eyes for a bit." Nicole closed her eyes and took a power nap Smiling. Jared nced at her and thought. ¡®She works really hard at her job." Soon after. they pulled up outside a club, and as the car halted. Jared looked at Nicole and gave her a few light taps. "We''re here, Nicole." Nicole slowly opened her hazy eyes and looked out of the window. "We''re here?" "Yeah. let''s get out of the car." Jared said Chapter 1366 Chapter 1366 After getting out of the car, Nicole looked at Jared and asked, "Why did you bring me to this kind of ce?¡¯ I¡¯m already so exhausted and he brought me to party?¡¯ she thought. ¡®Out of all the days he could bring me here and he chose to bring me here today?¡¯ Nicole turned around and was about to strut back into the car. When Jared grabbed her and said, "Come, follow inside and you''ll thank meter." Nicole, who did not understand his motives at all, thought, What kind of tricks is he ying now?¡¯ Then, she looked at him with his brows furrowed and forehead creased, before following him into the clubhouse. "Mr. Johnston, your room is ready," the manager, who had stood at the door and waited for Jared''s arrival for about half an hour, informed. ¡®Lead the way," Jared ordered with a nk expression. ¡®This way please." The manager took the lead. After a short walk, they arrived at a quiet room, during which the manager extended his hand in a gesture of invitation, prompting them to walk in ¡®The massage therapist will be here soon," the manager said, and quietly left. Nicole looked around, and it was then that she understood that Jared had brought her out for a massage. ¡®You just wanted me to chill out, so why were you hiding it?" Nicole looked at Jared and asked. Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org. ¡®I wanted to surprise you." Jared looked into Nicole''s eyes affectionately. ¡®It really is a surprise," Nicole said as she sat down to rx. Not more than a secondter, the massage therapist came knocking on the door. ¡®Come in," Jared said. "Mr. Johnston, this is our senior massage therapist. I hope you enjoy our service. If you need anything, you can press this button and I wille over to assist you," the manager introduced as he looked at Jared respectfully. "Okay," Jared uttered, after which the two massage therapists began to perform their massages on the duo. "How is it? Has it relieved your fatigue?" Jared looked toward her and asked. ¡®This ce is not half bad. I think I haven''t gotten a massage in a long time, m Nicole said, apparently satisfied. ¡®I''ll register you as a member if that''s fine," he said. "That way, you cane over whenever you need to rx." ¡®That wouldn''t be necessary. I find it a bit restrictive. I prefer toe whenever I want to.¡¯ Nicole said, not wanting to be tied down by a membership card. "Getting a card is just for the convenience. There''s no limit as to how many massages you can get," Jared exined to her. "Really? I guess that''s fine then," she said. ¡®Enjoy it while you can," he replied. "I''ll take you out to get something to eatter on." Jared closed his eyes after he had spoken as he enjoyed the moment. Nicole did the same and fell asleep. The massage therapist left after 20 minutes. Jared slowly opened his eyes and was about to ask if she wanted to get dinner, but when he looked over at Nicole, he saw that she was fast asleep, and hence, he let her be to get some rest. After an hour, she slowly woke up to find that Jared was looking at her.¡¯ Did I fall asleep?" Jared nodded, "You slept for an hour." "One hour?" Nicole slowly sat up and looked at the time and eximed. ¡¯ Have I really slept for that long? Why didn''t you wake me up!?" "I saw that you were sleeping so peacefully, and I wanted you to rest up for a while longer,¡¯ Jared said with a nervous look on his face. "Nicole, aren''t there other people who are working with you on this chip? Why do you always tire yourself out so much?" he asked. "In all honesty, I have just been busy because there are a mix of many different things that need to be sorted out," Nicole exined. "Well, how about I get some engineers over tomorrow to help you out?" Jared offered, not wanting Nicole to overwork herself. "Sure, I was nning to recruit more people anyway!" she agreed, as both of their ideas coincided with one another''s. Nicole then sat up, looked at Jared, and said, "Since we have rested, shall we go grab something to eat?" "Yeah." Chapter 1367 Chapter 1367 Jared and Nicole then took a stroll to the restaurant near the massage parlor together and ordered their meals. "Nicole, there''s a reception tomorrow night. Will you be avable?" Jared looked at Nicole and asked. "Tomorrow night?" Nicole thought for a while. it seems that you don''t have the time," he said. "A friend of mine has extended me an invitation." "You need a dance partner?" Nicole looked at Jared and asked. "Well, since you don''t have time, forget it." Jared said, just wanting to make sure that it would be best if the two women did not meet. ¡®How about trying this signature dish?" Jared asked as he cut a slice of steak and handed it to Nicole. it doesn''t taste bad at all," Nicolemented after taking a bite. Nicole went to the R&Db the next day as usual, while Jared drove off to his office after seeing her off. Concerned about the operation to recapture Henry, he gave Max a call. "How''s everything going?" ¡®Our men have found Henry, but among the people who had escorted him back here before, there was only one survivor," Max reported with a heavy heart. ¡®Offer the family our condolences and a sum aspensation. After that, bring Henry back as soon as possible!" Jared bellowed. Material ? N?velDrama.Org. "Yes, sir." Jared hung up as us walked in. "Mr. Johnston, the operations in the Beacon factory is now back on track. There is nothing unusual happening as of now." "You''re back just in time,¡¯ Jared said. "There''s something I need you to investigate on." ¡®Yes, sir." us grabbed the materials and left in a respectful manner. On the other end, Joyce McCarthy was at the gym with the restaurant owner. "You didn¡¯t happen to see anyone following you here, did you?" Joyce asked vigntly. "No.- Joyce McCarthy then led him into a private training room for further questioning. "Our previous contact had failed to do his job. Have you found any potential candidates?" Joyce asked the restaurant owner, her eyes brimming with wickedness. ¡®I''ve found one. He should be able to do a bang up job," the man looked at Joyce and reported with a smile on his face. "Have you made the arrangements as to when you''re going to do it?" Joyce asked. "No, not yet. I am waiting for your orders," the owner humbly replied. "This time around, we must not employ the same methods. We ought to change our approach. I''d like more than to make Nicole''s life a living hell," Joyce said viciously. "Yes, I understand," the man uttered. "Remember, you must seed at all costs. Otherwise, you won''t see me ever again." Joyce red at him with her dark eyes, her gaze so piercing that they looked as though they could prate a hole through him. "Yes, ma''am," he said. "You''re dismissed," Joyce finished. "Yes, ma''am," he repeated. The restaurant owner left in terror at once, while Joyce began her exercise alone in the gym room. Her figure was chiseled and well-defined. As dusk descended, business magnates and socialites began exiting their cars at the entrance of the Cosmo Pavilion, before striding into the lobby. Attending the event were many women who had secret crushes Jared, and as they knew that he would make an appearance tonight, they had worn some exquisite makeup to make an impression. In the banquet however, Fiore¡¯s gorgeous dress dominated the scene, capturing the attention of the audience. Aware of this fact, she thought, ''No one will steal my limelight tonight.¡¯ She was ncing around, noticing that Jared had yet to arrive. Suddenly, a figure approached her. "Well, aren''t you dressed to the nines, Miss Fisher?" Mr. Russellmented as he ogled Fiore¡¯s body. ¡®What do you mean by that, Mr. Russell? Am I not sexy and pretty enough in my usual garments?" Fiore asked him with a nk stare. Chapter 1368 Chapter 1368 "Uh, of course! Miss Fisher looks stunning every day! Allow me to make up for it by chugging this ss down." Mr. Russell tilted his ss and gulped the wine in his hand down. "Miss Fisher is one of the most well-known beauties around here. I think Mr. Russell here should punish himself with two cups." Mr. Irwin approached them as he overheard their conversation. "Mr. Russell really knows his manners," Fiore looked at Mr. Irwin and shed him a light smile, for he had captured her attention. is there something important that you need to announce at today''s reception, Miss Fisher?" Mr. Irwin asked. "There''s really nothing I can hide from you, Mr. Irwin. I hope you''ll keep it a secret for me. After everyone''s here, I''ll reveal it." Fiore said as she approached Mr. Irwin win a smile on her face. Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org. "You really know how to keep people guessing, don''t you?" he said. "Shall we have a toast?" Mr. Irwin raised his eyebrows and said while looking at Fiore. "Even if you didn''t ask, I would still have initiated a toast with you." Fiore picked a ss of wine up and struck her ss against Mr. Irwin''s, after which the duo drank happily. At the same time, the entrance of the reception hall attracted the cheers of a group of girls. Mr. Irwin looked over andined, "Young people these days scream whenever theye across the slightest of things. It really is irritating.¡¯ Fiore looked at Mr. Irwin and said, "Well, you don''t quite know how to enjoy the excitement, and yet you still came. The area over there is quieter. You can chill out over there while I''ll go greet the guests. I''lle back to keep youpanyter." "Okay, then I''ll wait for you over there." Mr. Irwin said, and with thepany of Mr. Russell, they made their way to the more quiet area. With a smile on her face, Fiore watched as Mr. Irwin walked away, after which she whirled around and headed toward the entrance. ¡®Who could it be that caused the crowd to cheer?¡¯ she asked herself. Before Fiore could reach the door, she saw that Jared was surrounded by a group of young women. Fiore''s sharp eyes swept across the young women surrounding Jared, frightening them to the extent that they immediately left Jared alone. None of them dared to step forward. Instead they looked at Jared with wistful eyes from the side, while a few of them took pictures. "Mr. Johnston, I was bing worried that you would not show up. It seems that you still do care about me." Fiore looked at Jared with a hint of confidence in her eyes. "You must be pulling my leg, Miss Fisher. How could I ke on your reception?" Jared looked at her casually. Fiore then nced behind Jared, and to her delight, she did not see Nicole. ''l knew she would not come.¡¯ Fiore went up to his side and took his arm under the stare of the entire crowd. She was beaming with satisfaction, but before she could bask in the envy of others, Jared casually left her behind and walked up to the stack of wine sses, before picking one up and looking at her. "You have a lot of good wine here, Miss Fisher," Jaredmented. He was making sure that he had drawn a clear line for the others to see, so that they would not misunderstand or misinterpret his rtionship with Fiore. However, little did he know that the photograph of Fiore holding his arm had already been captured by someone in the crowd, and had been posted on the inte, making it viral in a matter of minutes. Jared waspletely unaware of the fact, as he was still busy chatting with Fiore. Fiore was not bothered by this, and once again, she went up to Jared''s side, but this time, she did not hold onto his arm. She then turned to look at the crowd and said, "Everyone, thank you for joining US today. Today¡¯s event is just a normal social gathering, but there is indeed one important announcement that I''d like to make." Chapter 1369 Chapter 1369 "As we all know, I am currently working on a green energy project with Mr. Johnston, and with his support, the project is steadily gaining traction. This green energy project is far from a minor one. and I''m very grateful to Mr. Johnston for his willingness to aid me," Fiore began as she nced at Jared beside her. "With that said, I''d like to establish a foundation in the name of Mr. Johnston and myself, to render aid topanies that require help and support in order to ensure healthy and sustainable development. To make this a sess, I hope to acquire support from people of all walks of life. That''s all from me. Thank you everyone,¡± Fiore belted out to the crowd. Jared was stunned by that announcement. ¡®Why would she set a fund up, all the sudden? And she even wants me to be a part of it. She didn''t even discuss about it with me in advance. What''s going on?¡¯ "Wait, why haven''t I heard any mentions pertaining to the establishment of the foundation before this. Miss Fisher?¡± Jared looked at Fiore and asked in a low voice. "It was a spontaneous idea. Let''s continue with the reception first. We can discuss about itter on." Fiore looked at Jared and said. "But..." "Mr. Johnston, there are many people watching, and I''ve already stated it. You can¡¯t just destroy my reputation like that now, can you? If you don''t wish to participate in it in the future, then there''s no need to. I won''t force you to." Fiore finished, andughed it off while waving her hands at everyone. Meanwhile, Mr. Russell and Mr. Irwin were sitting at the quiet area, listening to Fiore¡¯s speech. "Moments ago, Miss Fisher was withholding an important announcement. As it turns out, she wants to establish a foundation with Mr. Johnston. This ought to be interesting,¡± Mr. Irwin said to Mr. Russell with a slight twitch. "Miss Fisher and Mr. Johnston joining hands to establish a foundation? What exactly do they wish to do?" Mr. Russell casually murmured. "It matters not what they do. As long as Mr. Johnston participates, with you and I following along, it will be worth our while.¡± Mr. Irwin looked at Jared and Fiore with scheming eyes. "What you said is true." Fiore allowed the crowd to move freely after she had delivered her speech, before whisking Jared away to a more secluded space. She had kept a mental note that Jared disliked noisy ces, so she had specially arranged a private room for them on the second floor. "Where are you taking me?" Jared asked, brushing Fiore''s hand aside. "I know you dislike crowds, Mr. Johnston, so I''ve arranged a quiet room for us upstairs," she said. ¡®I''m here for the reception, Miss Fisher. If there¡¯s nothing else going on, then it''s best that I get going.¡¯ Jared looked at Fiore and said. "Don''t be in such a hurry, Mr. Johnston. We still have got the main event. I can''t have you missing it. You cane up and chill out for a bit." Fiore urged him to head up to the room with her, refusing to let him go. In the room, Fiore popped open a bottle of red wine in front of Jared. The both of them went on to make small talk while they prepared themselves for the main event. "Mr. Johnston, this is one of the best I have. Please. have a sip." Fiore said as she picked the bottle up and poured a ss for Jared. Jared took the ss of wine and examined it. ¡®She just opened the bottle, so there should be no problems." Then, he positioned the ss near his chest. and before he gradually moved it up to his nose. After taking a sip, he felt the rich taste of the red wine. This taste is just right. I can register a lingering aftertaste even after just a single sip. Noticing the look of surprise on Jared''s face, a smile appeared on the corner of Fiore¡¯s mouth, and she said. "How is it?" Material ? N?velDrama.Org. "Not bad,¡¯ he replied. For Jared. This was already considered an appraisal. ¡®The red wines I usually drink are vintage wines. I''m surprised that she brought a bottle of good vintage wine out. But then again. she had just gotten a case of vintage wines from me, as well as a bottle of younger red wine.¡¯ Chapter 1370 Chapter 1370 I spent a fortune to get this imported from abroad. and it cost me twenty- five grand for the shipment alone. I haven''t touched it at all after it got here. Some of my friends wanted to try it, but I did not allow any of them to. You''re the only person I''ve ever offered this to." Fiore said as she beamed at him. "May I know, what was your purpose of establishing this fund. Miss Fisher?" Jared asked as he looked at her. "It''s getting ever more difficult to keep an enterprise running now. A number of decent projects had to be abandoned because nobody was willing to invest in them." "I''ve witnessed too many excellent projects with massive potential gone to waste, and I''ve got to Say, it''s a shame. That is why I''m trying to do whatever I can to fund those projects thatck the financial resources needed to sustain themselves.¡± Fiore said as her face took on a more serious expression. Jared began to second guess his desire to decline Fiore''s n after he had seen how determined she was in seeing it through. "That''s a very good idea, and you have my support. However, I don''t want my name to be on it. Just put yours in it." Jared said to her in a stern manner. "No way. The fund wouldn''t be as meaningful without your name in it. Your name has to be there if you''re going to be a part of it," Fiore said, refusing to ept Jared''s request. "I''ll have no choice but to outright decline it if you insist," Jared protested. Material ? N?velDrama.Org. He had no issues parting with his money for the sake of the foundation, but he would not allow himself to be Fiore¡¯s partner, as the nature of the fund would not be the same anymore. Furthermore, the public would also make a scene out of it. "Let''s not talk about this now," she said. "There''s little to be gained by continuing this conversation before the fund has been established. "Here''s to you, Mr. Johnston. Thank you for sparing so much of your precious time for the event. My day became so much more meaningful with you here tonight.¡± Fiore lifted her ss and struck it against Jared''s. Then, she took a sip out of hers. Jared drank from his ss as well before he looked at Fiore and asked," How much time do we have left before the main event? I''ll have to excuse myself if I''ll have to wait for a long time.¡± "It won''t take long. I''m sure that somebody will notify US about it soon.¡± Fiore filled Jared¡¯s ss before knocking hers against his. "Mr. Johnston, you''ve got to appreciate good stuff like this one," she said, after which she emptied her ss in a single chug. ¡®Miss Fisher..." Jared was about to stop her, but it was already toote. Fiore ced her ss down, stood up, and strutted off to the wall to the right. Then, she turned the music in the room on and eyed Jared with a coquettish smile. "Will you join me for a dance while there¡¯s still a little time left?" Fiore stared at Jared with her sparkling eyes. Jared lifted his arm to loosen his tie. while Fiore made a beeline for him. Jared leaned back instinctively. but as soon as he did so. he fell back on the bed behind him. He was not feeling good about it at all, and was about to get up and leave the room, when he began to feel dizzy and disoriented. As of now, he could hardly muster the strength to prop himself up on the bed. Then, he saw a beautiful figure approaching him slowly. "Are you tired, Mr. Johnston? You should rest up here. you know?" Fiore suggested. inching her way closer to his cheeks as she drew the tang of his cologne in with each breath. At that point, she was at the closest she had ever been to him, and she enjoyed it very much. Jared mustered all of his strength to push her smooth, slender hands that were all over his face away. However, as soon as he did so, her handnded on his chest. "Mr. Johnston, I didn''t know that your chest could be so warm,¡± Fiore said, feeling the warmth on his chest on the palm of her hand. Jared tried his best to push her away again, before he staggered his way toward the door. Unfortunately, Fiore went after him at an instant, and pulled his jacket off him directly. Chapter 1371 Chapter 1371 Jared forced his way to the door, grunting as he knocked himself against the door. Max. who was standing outside the door, tried to get inside after hearing the sound. However, he was stopped by Fiore¡¯s bodyguards. "Nobody can enter the room without Ms. Fisher''s permission.¡± Max looked at the two bodyguards from head to toe. ¡°I''m Mr. Johnston''s secretary." "We''re aware of that, but we still can''t let you in without Ms. Fisher''s permission.¡± Asound could be hearding from inside the room again. Then, Max ignored the bodyguards and broke into the room. Max saw Jared lying on the bed, panting, while Fiore unbuttoned his shirt. "Who let you in?! Get out of here now!¡± Fiore went off at Max after he entered the room. Max ignored her and walked straight to Jared. Fiore threw her bodyguards a nce, and they rushed toward Max. Max swiftly dodged them and pinned them down with just a few moves. Material ? N?velDrama.Org. "Ms. Fisher, please let me do my job.¡± Max looked at Fiore as he spoke. Looking at her ipetent bodyguards, Fiore knew she could not stop Max from taking Jared away. So, she looked at Max and said with a smile, ¡®Why are you so tense? I''ve known Mr. Johnston for many years. Why would I hurt him? He had too much to drink just now. I was just helping him rest when you broke in. I drank a little bit as well. I thought you were an intruder. Please forgive me." Max knew what Fiore was trying to imply. He nodded at her. Then, he took Jared out of the room and left through another exit. Fiore fumed. She scolded her bodyguards for ruining her perfect n. She finally had a chance to be alone in a room with Jared, yet these two guys blew it for her. Max would never have been able to take Jared away if they were morepetent. ¡°Trash! Get out of my sight. You''re fired!" Fiore shouted at them. Frightened, the bodyguards left the room and shut the door with their tails between their legs. Fiore swung a pillow at the door. The banquet downstairs was still very busy, and everyone was oblivious to what had happened upstairs. In the mansion, Nicole did not see Jared in the house after returning home. She was about to call him because she thought he was doing overtime. However, she then remembered that he had said something about going to a banquet that night, so she put her phone away. The doorbell rang while she was watching television. Nicole thought it was Jared, so she wondered why he did not use his key. She went to get the door and saw Max holding Jared up. "What''s with him?" Nicole looked at Max in confusion. "Mr. Johnston had too much to drink at the banquet." To avoid any misunderstanding, Max decided to not tell her the truth. "Get him inside." Nicole opened the door. Then, Max helped Jared to the sofa andid him down. "Ms. Nicole, I''ll get going now.¡± Max turned around and looked at Nicole. "Sure. Thank you so much." After Max left, Nicole went to Jared''s side. "I always thought his tolerance was very high. How many drinks did he have before he passed out like this? Chapter 1372 Chapter 1372 Nicole grumbled under her breath while unbuttoning Jared''s shirt. Then, a red mark on Jared''s cheek caught her attention. She looked at it closely and realized it came from a woman''s lips. ¡®Didn''t he go to a banquet? Why is there a lipstick stain on his face?!¡¯ A lot of questions ran through Nicole''s head. She furrowed her brows and looked at Jared, who was sound asleep. "Good one, Jared Johnston! Looks like you had a lot of fun earlier and even got yourself drunk. Why did you bothering back home?¡± Nicole looked at him as she questioned him. However, Jared only responded with snores. Nicole left his side angrily. Then, she switched off the television and went upstairs. Shey in her bed and thought about what had happened. The longer shey there, the angrier she got. She felt like Jared had been pretending to be a man of principles. The next morning, Jared woke up because of how thirsty he was. He looked around and did not see Fiore anywhere. Relief flooded through him. He took a cup and filled it with water before downing it. It was only then he realized that he was back home, but he had no idea why he was sleeping in the living room. He tried to recall what had happenedst night. Thest thing he could remember was Fiore unbuttoning his shirt and nothing else after that. ¡®How did I get home? By myself? Probably not. Max was with me. I''m sure Max sent me back here. ¡®Why was I sleeping on the sofa then? Max would never just leave me there like that. There has got to be something I missed.¡¯ While trying to recall his memories, Jared heard footsteps from the staircase. He immediately turned his head to look over, thinking it was Fiore. Then, Nicole appeared before his eyes, and Jared felt relieved again. The trauma that Fiore brought him was unimaginable. "You''re awake," Nicole said without concern, looking at Jared. ¡°Yeah. Good morning," Jared said in greeting. Nicole red at him and asked sarcastically, "How was your sleepst night?" "Last night... was fine." He did not remember what happened anyway, as he had slept away all night. He would still be sleeping if he was not that thirsty. "What about you?" Jared asked, looking at Nicole. Nicole continued to mock him. "It was excellent. The bed was so big and fluffy. So much better than the sofa.¡± After hearing what Nicole said, Jared realized then that he had yet to brush his teeth. He stood up slowly as his head still felt a little dizzy. It got better after he stood upright for a while. "Is there any breakfast for me?" Jared asked as he walked to the washroom. He looked at his reflection in the mirror there, and he was shocked! ¡®What did I do to look like this? My hair is a mess, and even my shirt is unbuttoned.! When he was about to wash his face. he suddenly noticed a lipstick stain on his cheek. He was stunned. ¡®Where did thise from?¡¯ Suddenly. an unpleasant scene shed through his mind. ¡®Could it be... ¡®Oh, no! Nicole probably saw this. Otherwise, I wouldn''t be sleeping on the sofa. It also exins why she acted so weird just now.¡¯ Thinking of how terrifying Nicole''s gaze was, he immediately connected the dots. He freshened up quickly and went downstairs. Nicole was already having breakfast in the dining hall. He walked over slowly and sat down, only to find out that there was no food in front of him. He nced over at Nicole as she kept eating without looking at him. Jared hesitated, but he decided to ask anyway. "Nicole, how did I get backst night?¡±N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. Chapter 1373 Chapter 1373 Nicole lifted her head to look at Jared after hearing his question. Then, coldly, she asked him another question, "Have you forgotten about everythingst night?" "I remember some of it, but I have no idea how I got back," Jared replied with a hint of guilt in his voice. "Max sent you home," Nicole told him. Jared ran through his memories and vaguely remembered this happening. ''Seems like she noticed the lipstick stain on my face, and that''s probably why I was left in the living room to sleep" Even though Jared was not happy about what she did, he figured Nicole should be feeling worse. "About what happenedst night, I can exin." Jared peered at Nicole with a sincere look on his face. "It''s fine.I''ve got to go to work now.You should make something to eat for breakfast." Then, Nicole stood up and left the table. "Nicole..." Despite Jared calling her name, Nicole did not stop walking as she went straight out the door. Anger flooded Jared''s veins as he stared at Nicole''s car driving away from the mansion. ''How did I get drunk? And how did that lipstick stain get on my face?" Jared put on his jacket, got in his car, and drove to the office. There, Max stood before Jared. "What happenedst night? I want to know everything in detail." Jared said. Not wanting Jared to worry aboutst night''s incident, Max tried to hide it from him. "Mr.Johnston, nothing happened.You should take a look at the documents first." "Tell me," Jared said without emotion. Max noticed his tone, so he told Jared everything that had happened the previous night. N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. The more Jared heard, the angrier he got.He was not expecting Fiore to set him up like this at all. Fortunately, Max was sharp enough to get him out of there. Otherwise, Fiore likely would have taken advantage of him. "Did Nicole take care of me after you sent me home?" Jared asked, looking at Max. "Yes, sir.Ms.Nicole was the only one in the mansion." "Got it.Get back to work now." Jared treated Fiore like a friend, and he even gave her a bottle of wine as a gift.He did not expect that she would drug him at all.He recalled clearly that he had started to lose consciousness after drinking the wine she handed him.He just did not know if there was something wrong with the wine or if Fiore had done something to the ss. Jared mmed his fist on the table angrily. "That damn woman!" ¡®There''s no way I''m going to be her partner anymore.She can only me herself for this" Meanwhile, Zeke sent Nicole a message as soon as she arrived at the office. [Are you there?] [Yeah.Why are you contacting me through this?] Nicole felt it was strange that Zeke used an encrypted channel to text her. [Abort mission.I was exposed, and I escaped to a safe ce for now.Could you take over and get it done for me?] ''Things were all good just a few days ago.Why is Zeke suddenly getting hunted down now?'' [Hide well and stay low.Can''t you just carry on with the mission after some time? I don''t have the energy to take on such a high-risk mission right now.] [Okay, but I have a favor to ask.Please help meplete this mission if you ever hear about my death.I genuinely hope you can help me.] Chapter 1374 Chapter 1374 Nicole did not appreciate Zeke''s negativity. [Can''t you be more optimistic? You''ll be fine.Just get it done yourself.] [Thanks!] Then, Zeke went offline. Nicole sighed after looking at Zeke''s status. ''''He could''ve been enjoying his life if he didn''t have such a dangerous job.There are plenty of other things to do if he were just after the thrill..." "Ms.Riddle, the engineer wants to talk to you about something," said Kelly after entering the office. "Sure.I''ll be right with him." Nicole shut down herputer and left her office. In the afternoon, Harvey came over for Nicole. "Is Nicole here?" he asked the receptionist. "Ms.Riddle is inside." "Okay it He walked into Nicole''s office but could not see her anywhere. "She''s not here." Harvey went to another room to look for her.He pushed the door open and saw Nicole saying something about the chip with the engineer. "Mr.Ellison." Kelly greeted him as soon as she saw him enter. "Hey." Nicole then turned around and looked at Harvey. "What brings you here today?" "The thought of missing you, I suppose," Harvey said shamelessly with a bright smile on his face. "Boring." Nicole rolled her eyes at him. ¡®In the few days I haven''t seen him, I wonder where he learned this from." "Are you busy?" he asked, looking at Nicole. Material ? N?velDrama.Org. Nicole looked back at him. "Do you need me for something?" "Of course." "Wait for me in my office then.I''ll be with you in a second." Nicole said to him before resuming her discussion with the engineer. After some time, Nicole returned to her office. "Anything to drink? "Do you have coffee?" Harvey asked bluntly. Nicole picked up the phone and said, "Get Mr.Ellison a cup of coffee." "So, what''s so important that you had toe all the way here to tell me?" Nicole sat on her office chair.She lifted her brows as she looked at Harvey. "Joyce is rushing me to get it done already.What are you nning to do next?" Harvey asked her with an inquiring look. Nicole leaned back on her chair and thought about it. ''It looks like Joyce can''t wait toe after me.I wonder why. ¡®Could it be that she wants to leave the country as soon as possible...?'' "Try to stall her for now.Give me some time to think about it," Nicole answered. "Again? I can probably do that for just another day. I''m afraid they''ll start suspecting me if I keep stalling." Harvey put on a cautious look as he gazed at Nicole. "Understood.I''ll let you know what to do as soon as I figure it out." Nicole looked at Harvey again as she asked, "Have you heard anything about Martin?" Harvey felt a spark of jealousy. "Nothing much is happening with him.Why do you suddenly ask that?" "I''m starting to think that I''m not the only one Joyce ising after, but Martin too," said Nicole. "Martin? Didn''t they use to work together? Even though he chased the McCarthy family out of the country, he didn''t do anything to hurt them. I heard he only did that because Joyce stole something he was experimenting on." Chapter 1375 Chapter 1375 "Well, I guess they''re considered even now." Material ? N?velDrama.Org. Harvey looked at Nicole as if he had a lot going on in his head. "Yeah." Nicole gazed at Harvey. What Harvey said was only part of the reason, and he probably still did not know about the envy between them.She figured it would be better to keep him in the dark to reduce the risk of him making a mistake. "You should leave now.I need to be somewhere." Nicole looked at Harvey and then stood up, leaving her office. Just then, the receptionist entered the room with a cup of coffee. "Mr.Ellison, here''s your coffee." "It''s fine." Then, he followed Nicole out of the room. "Where are you going? I''lle with you," Harvey said. "Harvey Ellison, are you so free because you made my brother do everything for you?" Nicole questioned him. With a confident look, Harvey replied, "I didn''t.I''ve finished all my work already.You can call Sean and ask him if you don''t believe me," Nicole rolled her eyes at him before entering the elevator. Harvey got on as well. "Don''t you have other projects to handle other than what you''re working on with the Aegis Corporation?" Nicole said while keeping her gaze forward. "Of course, but I''m letting my subordinates take care of them.I''m spending so much money on their sry.What''s the point of doing that if I still have to do everything myself? "I''m not like you and Mr.Johnston. Even though both of you are very hands-on and your business keeps growing, you''re wearing yourselves out at the same time.I don''t think work is worth sacrificing my health for. "I''m living ratherfortably now, and I think the most important thing to me is living in the present.Otherwise, it''ll be toote to do anything when we get older." Harvey spoke as if he had found the meaning of life, and living the present was his priority. "Different people have different dreams." That was all Nicole said before she walked toward her car.Harvey followed her. Nicole got inside the car and looked at him. "You''re noting with me," she said. Then, she started the car and drove off as Harvey stood there, watching the car get further and further away from him. Nicole dialed Martin''s number while driving. "Martin, are you in the factory?" Nicole''s voice traveled through the phone and reached Martin''s ears. "Yeah, I am.Why do you have the time to call me?" Martin put down the documents in his hands. "I''m on my way to the factory now.Talk to youter." Nicole hung up the phone after confirming Martin''s location. Knowing that Nicole would be there soon, Martin stood and went outside. He wanted to wee her as they had not met for some time. After a while, Nicole drove her car into Beacon, and Martin was waiting for her in the parking lot. Nicole parked her car and got out. "Are you weing me?" Nicole asked with a bright smile on her face. "of course.It''s been some time," Martin said, looking at Nicole. "You''re right." "Let''s talk upstairs." Martin led the way to his office with Nicole in tow. Nicole took a seat as Martin made a cup of her favorite coffee. Nicole took the cup from him and sipped. Then, she looked at Martin and said, "Isn''t this the coffee I gave you? Why do you still have it?" It had been some time since she gifted the coffee to him, and he should have finished it long ago. So, Nicole felt it was strange that he still had some left for her. Martin looked at Nicole and smiled, "I don''t know where you buy your favorite coffee, so I didn''t drink any of the coffee you gave me.I kept it all so I could make them for you when you visit." Nicole was very surprised to hear what he said. "Really? You didn''t use it, just so I can have them when Ie by?" Chapter 1376 Chapter 1376 Nicole sighed, "Why don''t you just tell me if you like this coffee too? Even though finding them is difficult, I have ways to get them for you. "You''re such an interesting person..." Nicole looked at Martin helplessly while trying to hold backughter. "I had no idea." Martin put on an innocent look.He did not know Nicole could get them so easily.He thought that it was difficult for her to bring them back from overseas. Nicole put down the cup of coffee and asked, "How''s the factory doing recently?" "Not bad.Production is going well, and orders just keeping in.I can''t find any time to ck around." Martin enjoyed being busy very much.It made him feel content-- his lifestyle concept was the opposite of what Harvey proposed. Nicole looked at Martin and felt like he had be his old self again. The obstacles in life were not affecting him very much, or perhaps he was just a tough person.She put on a serious look after the small talk and asked him, "Has Joyce contacted you these days?" The smile on his face slowly disappeared as soon as he heard Joyce''s name. "No.Why did you bring her up suddenly?" He looked at her, confused. "That''s nice.I was just asking." Nicole decided not to tell him about Joyce hiring someone to assault her since it does not affect him. After all, it would have been better to avoid getting Martin involved if Joyce did not try to mess with the factory''s operation. "Oh, the McCarthy family even hired a television station to broadcast their prayers.Did you know about that?" Martin looked at Nicole and asked. "Yeah, I do." N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. Not only did she know, but she was there in person too. "They put up quite a show.Why do you think the McCarthys even did that?" Martin could not figure it out, so he asked Nicole. "They probably just want their dignity back.After all, they fled the country ingloriously back then.We knew you only gave the McCarthys a chance because you and Joyce had been working together for years." Nicole recalled her memories and could remember every single thing that happened. "Dignity? Ha ha..." Martin chuckled. "The McCarthys could only get where they are today because they''re riding on somebody else''s coattails.How ironic." Martin mocked them sarcastically. The McCarthy family was nothing but dirt to him, and dirt needed no dignity. "How much do you know about this?" Nicole could understand what he was trying to say.She felt like Martin knew something about what happened with the McCarthys when they went abroad. "Not much.However, I heard that the McCarthys formed a connection with the Adam family through marriage.The Adam family is very wealthy, but they don''t have enough heirs to extend their bloodline.In addition, the elders in the family are worried that their business empire will copse, so they have been searching for a very fertile woman to bear their children." "Something so ridiculous is actually happening?" Even though Nicole had seen a lot of things, it was her first time encountering something so strange. "That''s right.Thedies of other big families aren''t bothered to do that for the Adams.Additionally, that ce didn''t have many females, so it was harder for the Adam family to find a suitable candidate.I guess the McCarthys went there because they heard about this." Martin told Nicole as he finally connected the dots about what happened. Nicole''s eyes sparkled, ''''In that case, the Adam family doesn''t really care about the McCarthys.They''re just using the McCarthys as breeding stock." "Yeah." "I see.No wonder none of the Adams were there during McCarthy''s family prayer.That exins everything now." Nicole thought about what happened the other day on the hill and immediately understood everything. Chapter 1377 Chapter 1377 Thank you for telling me everything.¡± Nicole looked at Martin and thanked him. After all, he made her trip worth it. It made her job a lot easier after knowing the truth. She had finally found Joyce¡¯s weak spot. ¡®You don¡¯t have to thank me. Instead, I should be the one thanking you.¡± A smile appeared on Martin¡¯s face as he looked at Nicole. ¡®What for?¡± She gazed at him, confused. ¡®I know the factory is back on track because of the good words you put in for me in front of Mr. Johnston. I¡¯m also aware that you¡¯re why I can get so many orders. I won¡¯t forget what you¡¯ve done for me.¡± Martin looked at Nicole gratefully. He knew that Beacon would not achieve so many things if it were not for her. ¡®I thought you didn¡¯t know. I just wanted to do something to help you because I saw how much effort you put into this whenever I came here. Coincidentally, I had a few friends looking for new medical equipment, so I rmended your product. They were very eager to get their hands on Beacon when they saw it, so I gave them your contact. You won¡¯t me me forthat, right?¡± Nicole looked at Martin and told him everything she had done for him. ¡°Why would I me you for something beneficial to me? Did you see the trucksing in and out of the factory daily? All of them are filled with the orders you got me.¡± Martin looked very happy as he spoke. ¡°Really? Are there really that many orders?¡± Nicole could not believe it. ¡®Of course. Nicole, it¡¯s been so long since we had a meal together. Are you free today?¡± Martin looked at Nicole and asked. ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go to a restaurant now, then.¡± He suggested. ¡°Sure.¡± She gazed at him, ¡®You don¡¯t have to drive. I¡¯ll send you back here after eating.¡± Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org. ¡®That¡¯s too troubling for you.¡± Martin rejected the idea as he was not a person who would like to trouble other people. ¡®What¡¯s so troubling about that? I just have to step on the pedal.¡± Nicole waved her hand at him, indicating for him to get in the car. Martin buckled up. Then, Nicole started the car and drove out of the factory. ¡°Martin, which restaurant are we going to?¡± Nicole looked at him and asked. ¡°How about your favorite ce, the Blue Whale Restaurant?¡± Martin suggested. ¡°How did you know that¡¯s one of my favorite restaurants?¡± Nicole thought that only Jared knew she liked the food at Blue Whale. She was not expecting Martin to know about it too. ¡®I noticed it thest time we went there together.¡± Martin tried to remember thest time they had a meal together, which was quite some time ago. ¡°Last time? It was pretty long ago, isn¡¯t it?¡± Nicole slightly arched her brows and asked. ¡®Yeah, you¡¯re right.¡± The conversation continued in the car, and they arrived at the restaurant shortly after. Nicole parked her car nearby and went inside with him. The manager saw them and immediately went to wee them. ¡® Ms. Nicole, Mr. Wyance. You came just at the right time. We got a very rare softshell king crab just now. Would you like to try it?¡± Chapter 1378 Chapter 1378 Only special customers could get an opportunity to get a taste of this rare softshell king crab. Nicole was a regr and their VIP, so the manager rmended it to them. He would not do the same to normal customers because of how rare the type of crab was. ¡°Martin, would you like to try it?¡± Nicole looked at Martin and asked. ¡¯Sure,¡± he replied gracefully. ¡°We¡¯ll take it.¡± Nicole looked at the manager and spoke. Material ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Okay, I¡¯m on it.¡± Then, the manager trotted to the kitchen. A waiter brought Nicole to her special spot. Martin looked around and sat down. ¡°This table is definitely the best spot to be at in this restaurant.¡± He praised. ¡°Of course. I sit here every time for a reason.¡± Nicole said proudly. She felt particrly rxed today when she sat there with Martin. ¡¯Yeah. Ms. Nicole, you¡¯ve always been a person of excellent taste.¡± Martinplimented her again. ¡®I didn¡¯t see you eating any choctes before we came here. What¡¯s with the sweet tongue?¡± Nicole looked at Martin and teased him, making him blush. Two waiters came to their table carrying a huge te a whileter. ¡°Ms. Nicole, this is the softshell king crab you ordered. Please give them some room to serve it on the table.¡± The manager said politely before the waiters ced the te carefully in the middle of the table. ¡°Please, enjoy. Don¡¯t hesitate to call me over if there¡¯s anything I can do to help.¡± The manager left with the waiters after saying that. It was Martin¡¯s first time seeing such a huge king crab. An expression of profound astonishment shed across his face. Nicole lifted the edge of her mouth after seeing how surprised he was. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Is it too big?¡± Nicole looked at him and joked. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s huge. It¡¯s got to take many years for the crab to grow this big, right?¡± Martin could not help but guess as he looked at the delicacy in front of him. ¡°I guess. Maybe this species of crab is naturally this big. ¡®Stop looking at it and have a taste.¡± Nicole looked at him and spoke. ¡°Sure.¡± Martin would probably still be staring at the crab nkly if she had not asked him to start eating. Nicole took a big pincer. She cracked it open and ced the meat into the sauce prepared by the chef. Then, she put it into her mouth. It was delicious. The crab tasted so fresh and chewy. Nicole enjoyed it very much. Martin grabbed one of its legs after looking at the satisfied expression on Nicole¡¯s face. He dipped the meat in the same sauce and tasted it. Martin looked very surprised after eating it. It was heavenly. ¡°Is it good?¡± Nicole looked at him and asked. ¡°It¡¯s excellent!¡± Martin could not find any other words to describe it as he looked at her with a big smile. ¡°I¡¯m d that you like it. We¡¯re going to have a feast today.¡± Nicole raised her ss and proposed a toast to Martin. Chapter 1379 Chapter 1379 ¡°You drove here. How could you drink?¡± Martin calmed down and asked Nicole. ¡°I¡¯ll just ask somebody else to send me back. Come on, let¡¯s drink.¡± She signaled him to raise his ss. ¡°Okay.¡± Martin heard what she said and clinked his ss with hers. ¡°Martin, you didn¡¯t want to sell Beacon to foreign countries for some reason. Have you changed your mind on that?¡± Nicole brought it up as she looked at him. ¡°Actually, I hope the Beacon can benefit everyone in the world. However, I¡¯m also worried that people with bad intentions would use it to facilitate their evil deeds if they ever got their hands on it. I don¡¯t want that to happen.¡± He exined to her with a serious look on his face. ¡°Yeah, that could happen. But a lot of those ces don¡¯t have good living conditions. The people there need a good product like the Beacon to help them and give them a chance at life again.¡± Nicole witnessed too many injured people die because they could not receive proper treatment on time. She hoped Martin could change his mind so the Beacon could help as many people as possible. ¡°I understand what you¡¯re trying to say, but¡­¡± Martin sounded like he needed a reason that was convincing enough for him to sell the Beacon overseas and help those people in need. ¡°Stop hesitating. You only invented Beacon because you wanted to help people. You can¡¯t give up on those needing the Beacon just because you¡¯re worried that a tiny part of them would misuse it. From N?velDrama.Org. ¡°You should unleash its full potential in our country and the whole world!¡± Nicole encouraged him to make the best decision. Martin bowed his head down and started thinking. Nicole did not want to pressure him, so she said, ¡°Don¡¯t feel pressured. Let¡¯s eat first and talk about this when we get backter.¡± Nicole grabbed another crab leg and continued eating. Then, Martin suddenly looked and her and said, ¡°You¡¯re right. I can¡¯t confine its potential by only selling it here. I¡¯ve got to maximize its value. ¡°Nicole, I¡¯ve made my mind up. I will expand Beacon¡¯s sales range and export it wherever needed.¡± Martin looked at her and said seriously. ¡°That¡¯s the best idea. Should we drink another ss to celebrate Beacon¡¯s sess worldwide in advance, then?¡± Nicole looked at him and said jokingly. ¡°Sure.¡± Martin raised his ss, and a genuine smile appeared across his face. ¡°Nicole, you¡¯re drinking too much.¡± Martin looked at how she drank ss after ss and spoke. ¡°Not really. Such little amount of alcohol can¡¯t do anything to me.¡± Nicole was starting to feel a little tipsy, but it was unusual for her to feel this way by only drinking this much. Suddenly, she felt slightly upset when she remembered the lipstick stain on Jared¡¯s smile. Perhaps one gets drunk easier when they are in a bad mood. Nicole wanted to dial Kelly¡¯s number after eating but identally called Harvey instead. ¡°Kelly, I¡¯m at Blue Whale now. Come pick me up.¡± Nicole spoke right after the call was connected. Harvey immediately knew what was going on. ¡®It looks like she went to dine at Blue Whale Restaurant without me. How outrageous! She would only think of me when she needed help. How could she not ask me to eat together with her?¡¯ ¡®Hello? Kelly?¡± Nicole called Kelly¡¯s name a few times but did not get an answer. But she thought Kelly had already heard what she said, so she hung up. ¡°Martin, let¡¯s wait here for a while. Kelly will be here in a minute.¡± Nicole told Martin before she picked up her ss again to continue drinking. He quickly stopped her hand that was already holding the ss as he said, ¡¯ Nicole, you¡¯ve drunk enough today. You should stop.¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m very happy today. Martin, you should visit myboratory when you have the time. Who knows¨C maybe you¡¯ll fall in love with that ce.¡± Nicole lifted the edge of her mouth as she said to him. ¡°Really? I heard Mr. Johnston talking about it before, but what are you researching?¡± Martin looked at Nicole and asked. Chapter 1380 Chapter 1380 ¡°You¡¯ll know when you get there.¡± Nicole kept him in suspense. Harvey suddenly appeared in front of them when they were still chatting. He nced at Nicole before he asked Martin, ¡°What¡¯s up with her? Why did she drink so much?¡± ¡°We had a really good talk, and she got too caught up in the moment. You can see how much she drank from the bottle.¡± Martin looked at Harvey and exined to him. However, Harvey looked at Nicole helplessly and said to Martin, ¡°Come on, I¡¯ll send you guys back.¡± He carried Nicole in his arms directly after saying that and walked toward his car, which was parked outside. Harvey put Nicole in the backseat and got into the car with Martin. Then, he drove away from the Blue Whale Restaurant. ¡°Martin, where do you live?¡± Harvey looked at Martin and asked. ¡°Just send me back to the factory,¡± Martin replied. ¡°It¡¯s already sote. Why do you still want to go back?¡± Harvey looked at him confusedly. ¡°The factory just restarted its production not long ago, and I have to be there to keep an eye on things. I don¡¯t want the same thing to happen again. ¡± Martin looked at Harvey and spoke. ¡°You¡¯re so hardworking. It¡¯s admirable.¡± Then, Harvey drove the car toward the factory¡¯s direction. After a while, the car stopped in front of the factory. Martin turned to look at Nicole, who was in the backseat, and said to Harvey, ¡°Get her home safely.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. See you.¡± Harvey stepped on the pedal and left. Harvey was worried about her and kept looking in his rear-view mirror to check on her. ¡®Where should I send her?¡¯ Harvey started thinking to himself while driving. Ultimately, he figured it would be best to send her back to Mrs. Wace Sr.¡¯ s house. He did not want Jared to take care of her. Instead, he wanted to look after her for once. Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org. Half an hourter, he arrived at the sea-view mansion. Tia came out of the house after she saw Harvey¡¯s car. ¡°Mr. Ellison? What brought you here sote at night?¡± Tia felt strange as she asked him. ¡°Ms. Nicole? Is she okay?¡± Tia saw him helping Nicole from the backseat and quickly went to help him hold her. However, Harvey said to her, ¡°Open the door.¡± Then, he carried Nicole in his arms again and walked into the house. Harvey carried Nicole to her room andid her down on the bed. Then, he turned around and said to Tia, ¡¯Get me a warm towel.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Tia went to do as he said. ¡°Mr. Ellison, maybe I should take care of her instead.¡± Tia figured it might be inappropriate for him to look after Nicole, so she suggested the idea. Harvey looked at Tia. He stepped aside anyway, even though he wanted to wipe Nicole¡¯s face personally. ¡°Okay.¡± Then, he stood at the side and watched Tia wipe Nicole¡¯s face carefully. Tia looked at him. After wiping Nicole¡¯s face, she said, ¡°Mr. Ellison, thank you so much for sending her back. I¡¯ll let her know about this after she wakes up.¡± Then, she waited for him to leave the room. However, he stayed in the room without moving at all. So, Tia said, ¡°Mr. Ellison, what are you looking at?¡± After hearing what Tia said, Harvey realized he was staring at Nicole. He quickly shifted his gaze to Tia and said, ¡°I¡¯ll get going now, then.¡± ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll walk you out.¡± Tia shut the door and walked him to the yard. ¡°You can get back inside now.¡± Harvey opened his car door and said to Tia. ¡°Be safe on the road,¡± Tia said out of concern. Then, Harvey drove slowly and left the mansion. The sun was setting. In the office of Johnson Group. Jared stared at his phone. ¡®Nicole left just like that in the morning alone, and she didn¡¯t even give me a call till now. ¡®It¡¯s already been a day. Could she still be mad at me?¡¯ He dialed Nicole¡¯s number anyway after hesitating. Chapter 1381 Chapter 1381 Sadly, Nicole did not pick up any of the calls. Jared hung up with a frown and a sigh. "Max." Hearing Jared called him, Max instantly pushed the door and entered, "You were looking for me, sir?" "Try and locate Nicole." "Noted." Max nodded. Then, he whipped out his tablet. After a brief moment, he reported, "Ms.Riddles has returned to the sea view vi." "vi?" Jared frowned again. ¡®This petty girl.She left home just because she''s angry?" The thought of Nicole sleeping over at Mrs.Wace Sr"s house made Jared blue. There was no way he could bring her home when she had just gone there not long ago. Jared held his head in his hands as his hatred toward Fiore grew bigger. ''If it weren''t for her, Nicole wouldn''t have acted this way" While he was cracking his head on this matter, Max''s phone rang.He nced at the caller [ID and immediately picked up the phone without hesitation. Then, his face turned gloomy as he replied, "Alright, I''ll report it to Mr.Jared." After the call had ended, Max turned to Jared and said, "Sir, Henry has been brought back, but Mr.Maximillian''s men brought him to the family manor." "Grandpa?" Jared''s eyes turned dark as he did not expect Maximillian to bring Henry home. "Bring the car.We''ll go to the family manor." Jared was worried that Maximillian would be soft-hearted.He could not let Maximillian decide on this matter alone. From N?velDrama.Org. Max followed Jared down and quickly drove him to the Johnston family manor. After two minutes or so, Jared exited the car.He saw that the vehicle that captured Henry was still there. ¡®They must have reached here not long ago" Jared strode into the manor and found Henry kneeling on the floor. Maximillian was sitting on the sofa and fiercely stared at Henry, "You''re really an incredible son of mine.How dare youy your hands on your own family member? How did I raise a monster like you?" Henry was trembling all over when he received the scolding from Maximillian. He wanted to escape home and also from being punished by thew. However, he did not expect to be caught back home again. Seeing that everything had been exposed, Henry knew he had no way out of it. All he could do was crawl to Maximillian''s foot and cry, "Dad, I was wrong! I was too obsessed at that time.Please don''t me me or ignore me! Now that he was caught and brought back, if Maximillian hadn''t taken care of him, Henry would probably end up in jail and died there. After all, he was now responsible for a few people''s lives. "Don''t me you?" Jared suddenly chuckled.He entered the living room in a depressing mood. Henry instantly got scared and shivered like the autumn leaves falling from the tree, "Wh-When did you return?" Initially, Henry wanted to beg Maximillian for a second chance before Jared returned. However, it was unexpected that he would return this quickly! "Why? Are you that scared of me? Or are you simply scared that you can''t coax grandpa with me around?" Jared exposed Henry mercilessly. Henry trembled, "I-I''m not! Dad, don''t listen to his nonsense! How would I dare? I''ve really repented on all of my wrongdoings..." Jared chuckled, "If you really did repent, you wouldn''t be caught back here.You would''ve surrendered yourself earlier!" Those words instantly pped Henry in the face.It also made Maximilliane to a realization. This son of his would do anything just to escape from his sins. He must not be soft -hearted toward him! Chapter 1382 Chapter 1382 "Quit all that nonsense! You better exin from A to Z what happened.What else are you hiding from me?" Maximillian had been deceived for many years; he wanted the truth now. "I..." Henry was at a loss for words.He had done so many bad things that he did not know where to start. But Jared might expose him, so he chose not to tell the truth. Maximillian would hate him even more if that were to happen! So, Henry gritted his teeth and began crying, "I-I was wrong...I asked people to knock you and did the trick at the hospital.I-I''m worse than a beast.Dad, please forgive me!" Of course, Maximillian had known about these already. But when he heard Henry admitting to it on his own, his heart began to stir. ¡®How did I raise such a useless and disrespectful son? And after years of upbringing, he actually tried to kill me! What a rebel!'' "What you did was attempted murder.How do you expect grandpa to forgive you? Even if he does, the law would not easily let go of you." Jared looked at Henry coldly. Everything that had fallen on Henry was brought upon him on his own. "''Y-you want to send me to jail?" Henry''s face turned pale.If he did go to jail, his life would be ruined forever. "Are there any other options? Who should I ask topensate for my parents¡¯ lives?" Speaking of his parents darkened Jared''s eyes. It was so dark that it seemed like he was about to kill people. When Maximillian heard Jared''s words, he was immediately stunned, "What do you mean your parents'' lives?" It was apparent that Henry was also frightened by Jared''s words, for his whole body was shaking.y-you know about it?" Jared''s eyes were as cold as ice and sharp as a knife. He stared at Henry coldly, "Why do you think I came back?" A thunder roared. As if his world came crashing down, Henry could not continue kneeling and dropped to the ground. "Jared, what are you talking about?" Maximillian immediately turned pale.He trembled and looked at Jared as his heart began to stir. Jared knew it was time, so he decided to tell Maximillian what he had kept in his heart for along time. "Grandpa, Henry murdered mum and dad." Instantly, Maximillian became dizzy as if his entire world had copsed. "Sir!" The house butler was quick to react, and he supported Maximillian. Only then did he not fall to the ground; he sank into the sofa instead. But he only managed to return to his senses after a long while. Looking at Jared, Maximillian''s heart ached, "Have you been keeping this to yourself all these years?" ¡®When Jared''s parents passed away, he was only a teenager.And yet he had to endure the secret for so many years.On top of that, Henry''s children chased him out of the country" At that moment, Maximillian was utterly heartbroken. ¡®The onlypetent grandson of mine had to go through so many hardships! I have failed as a grandfather!¡¯ At that thought, Maximillian turned to Henry, who froze and sat on the ground dumbfoundedly. His eyes were filled with hatred. "Alfred! Call the police officers.I want to make sure that he goes to prison!" ''To murder his own brothers and kill his own father? Henry is simply inhumane! Even if he were to be shot today, he would not even blink!'' "Dad! Please! You can''t do this to me!'' Henry immediately returned to his senses and tried to beg for forgiveness. "Don''t call me that! I don''t have a son like this! From today onwards, Henry Johnston is not a part of the Johnston family!" Once Maximillian said those words, Henry was utterly astonished.He began to scream at the top of his lungs. From N?velDrama.Org. "Dad! I am your only son! Do you really want to abandon me? My big brother is gone-- do you want to lose me as well?" Chapter 1383 Chapter 1383 Watching Henry keep hurting Maximillian with his words, Jared could not take it anymore.He lifted his legs and sent a kick toward Henry''s chin.He fainted instantly and stopped crying. "Drag him away." Jared''s eyes were filled with disgust.He did not want to see Henry anymore. Max quickly brought some men and carried Henry away. After a moment, the police arrived and immediately detained Henry. Max also handed over all the evidence they obtained to the police. The living room had finally regained its peace. However, if one listened closely, one could catch Maximillian sobbing softly. Maximillian turned his back to him, worried that Jared would notice him being weak. He choked with sobs after a long while, "My whole life is a failure.My sons are killing each other, and my grandson has to carry these burdens alone.I am a huge failure!" Jared felt the sadnessing from Maximillian.He went forward to carry him and said, "Grandpa, I do not me you." That sentence alone made Maximillian teared up out of guilt again.He quickly stretched out his hand and hugged Jared. The pain of losing his own son and the guilt of not being a good grandfather to his grandson stirred Maximillian''s heart.He hugged Jared and cried for a long time. It was nighttime. Jaredforted Maximillian to sleep. Then, he went downstairs and was immediately approached by Max. "All the evidence of Henry scheming to hurt your parents has been sent to the police station.Adding up to his attempted murder at the hospital, tax evasion, corruption, and other charges, I believe Henry would get a death sentence." Jared''s eyes were dark as he listened to a useless person''s fate. Then, he walked out of the manor, turned around, and nced at it.He took a deep breath, ''''Mum, dad...The both of you may rest in peace now." Then, he turned away charmingly and left the manor. In the night, his figure looked particrly deste. When Nicole woke up, it was already dark outside.She never thought she could sleep for so long by drinking only a little alcohol. Perhaps, she was too tired as well. Recently, she had been tense. N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. But, on the other hand, it could be a good thing since it was rare for her to rx. Just as she was getting down from her bed, she sensed someone sitting on a chair by the balcony. She immediately turned around and got down, "Who is it?" As she was speaking, she switched on the lights too. A familiar slender figure appeared before her. Nicole did not expect to see Jared there. "What are you doing here?" Nicole got up angrily and asked. "I missed you." Jared''s voice was deep. The sensitive Nicole could tell that Jared was not in a good mood.So, she took a few steps forward to check on him. At that moment, Jared suddenly stretched out his hand, pulled her over, and made her sit on hisp. Then, he immediately hugged her without letting her see his face. She sat still as she felt Jared''s chin resting on her shoulder. ¡®What happened to this guy? He doesn''t seem to be in a good mood.'' However, Nicole never asked anything. She just let Jared hug her for a long time. It was not until Jared''s mood lightened that he asked, "Why did youe here without saying anything?" "Does she know I need her by my side now?'' Nicole avoided his gaze guiltily, ''I missed grandma.Why can''t Ie?" To be frank, she did not want to see Jared and be reminded of the lipstick stain. Instead, she wanted to go home and calm down. Chapter 1384 Chapter 1384 Jared frowned and looked at her.Then, he replied shamelessly, "But what am I supposed to do? I missed you." Nicole acted as if she did not care, "That is not my business.Many others miss you.You don''t need me." Her jealous words made Jared burst out inughter, Are you still jealous?" Nicole did not admit to it, "I wouldn''t dare to.Who am I to be jealous?" She got up to escape as soon as she finished speaking. However, Jared held her tightly, "You''re my girlfriend, my future wife, mother to my future kids." Those confident terms and warm hugs made Nicole''s heart skip a beat. ¡®This guy sure has a way with his words!'' "Don''t bluff! Go and find the one who kissed you to have your baby!" As soon as those words came out of her mouth, a light shed across Jared''s eyes, "That''s what you said." After saying that, Jared grabbed the back of Nicole''s head and forcefully kissed her.It caught her totally off guard. Not until she began to be breathless did her brain stop thinking. When he let go of her, it felt like an eternity.She stared at him with her face flushed¡ª she was speechless after being kissed. Jared smiled delightedly, "Now, can you listen to my exnation?" Nicole rolled her eyes at him and objected silently.She did not want to listen to it at all. But Jared took her into his arms and began to speak slowly. "That night, I was drugged." Jared''s eyes began to turn dark.He was too careless with Fiore. "Drugged?" Nicole had no idea that that had happened, but she finally understood everything. ¡®That w*nch Fiore is too much!'' "But don''t worry.Nothing happened between Fiore and me." While reassuring Nicole, he stared into her eyes affectionately. "There''s only one person in my heart, and it''s you." Nicole''s face flushed instantly.She could not resist the urge to hit him, "You''re fooling around now." Jared smiled and added regretfully, "That day, Fiore set me up.And while I was unconscious, she left a stain.And whatever happened after, you''ve already found out." Material ? N?velDrama.Org. All of a sudden, Nicole felt a sense of guilt. When everything happened, she did not ask any questions.Her jealousy got the best of her when she saw the lipstick stain, causing her to misunderstand Jared. Nicole remained silent for a long while. Then, Jared added, "But all of these are still my fault.I will never allow Fiore to get close to me anymore in the future." Nicole sighed and covered his mouth, "I trust you.You don''t have to promise me anything." Fiore was a challenging person to handle. Nicole did not want Jared to have any massive conflicts. They would have to take things step by step to get rid of her. Seeing that Nicole had gotten calmer, Jared heaved a sigh of relief.He held her hand and kissed the back of her hand. "Then, shall we go home tonight?" Jared winked at her with a smirk. Nicole suddenly felt shy, "I''ve alreadye here.It wouldn''t be nice for me to leave in the middle of the night." At that hour, Mrs.Wace Sr. must have fallen asleep already. Jared nced at the bed and said, "In that case, I guess I''ll just have to stay here." Chapter 1385 Chapter 1385 As Jared spoke, he carried Nicole in his arms arrogantly. The following day, Nicole woke up before he did.She continued staring at him nkly. ''How could I have misunderstood someone who cares and loves me wholeheartedly?" "Are you looking at me?" Jared asked as he opened his eyes and looked at her.She sat up shyly and denied, "When did I? I just woke up right before you did." "Really?" Jared also sat up and moved closer to her. "Of course.Get up; breakfast should be ready downstairs." Nicole was about to get up from bed when Jared grabbed her wrist and pulled her into his arms. "What are you doing?" Nicole stared into his eyes nervously. "What do you think?" Jared looked into her bright eyes with a smile on his face. The next second, Jared immediately pressed his lips against Nicole''s. That made her gasp for air. Then, after a while, he got up and said to her, "Get up." Nicole immediately came back to her senses.She got out of bed and washed up. Jared watched her running away and smiled. After they had washed up, Nicole and Jared headed downstairs for breakfast. Mrs.Wace Sr.and Tia were shocked when they saw him appear. "Sir? Why are youing down from upstairs?" Tia looked at him puzzledly and popped the question first. "I arrived heretest night, so I did not want to wake the both of you up." Jared made up a lie without any hesitation. Nicole nced at him, ¡®This guy is getting better at telling lies.He did not even blink" Hearing his exnation, Tia scratched her head doubtfully. ''I did not go to bed earlyst night.." "Come, sit down and eat." Mrs.Wace Sr.said to him, understanding what he meant. Then, everyone ate breakfast in silence. None of them mentioned that matter anymore. After breakfast, Nicole helped Mrs.Wace Sr.to the sofa. She turned to her and said, "Grandma, my friend sent some supplements from abroad and specifically said it was for you.I''ll arrange for someone to send it over to youter." "It''s fine.You can have it.I still have many supplements here, and I can''t finish them." Mrs.Wace Sr.told Nicole.Some of those supplements were given by Jared, and some were from Harvey and Martin. "Don''t worry.Just take some every day.Day by day, you''ll finish it all." Nicole smiled and told Mrs.Wace Sr.After chatting for a while, Nicole looked at the time and said, "Grandma, you can just rx here.Jared and I are going to work now." "Alright, go ahead." Mrs.Wace Sr.waved at them. "We''ll get going now." Jared bid goodbye to her. Then, he drove Nicole out of the sea view vi. In the car, Jared asked Nicole, "Are you going to theb?" "Yeah.And you?"she asked him. "I''m going to the office." Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org. "Later during noon..." The both of them spoke in unison. Jared and Nicole looked at each other andughed. "You go first."he said politely. "If you''re free at noon, we can have lunch together."she gave a suggestion. "Sure." "Your turn."she stared at him, anticipating what he had to say to her. Chapter 1386 Chapter 1386 "I wanted to say the same thing," said Jared, ncing at Nicole. "You''re lying! I don''t believe it!" said Nicole. "It''s true.I''m not lying to you this time," Jared exined to her seriously. Nicole still found it hard to believe his words. "Really?" "Really." "Alright then.Where do you want to go this afternoon?" Nicole asked Jared. "Of course, we''re going to your favorite ce, Blue Whale Restaurant," Jared responded. Nicole had just been there with Martin the day before, and they had the softshell king crab.Today, she wanted to try something new. "I don''t think we should go there so often.Why not switch things up today?" "Sure.Then you can think of a ce to go." Jared wanted her to choose. "I can''t think of any now.I''ll let you know once I think of one." N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. As they were chatting, a car reached the lobby of the Golden Coast Building. Nicole gave Jared a peck on the cheek. Then, she quickly opened the car door for him and ran into the building. Watching Nicole run inside, Jared smiled widely. Then, he drove out of the Golden Coast Building. Just as Nicole stepped out of the elevator, the receptionist hurried to her and said, "Ms.Riddle, Mr.Harvey is waiting for you inside." "Harvey? What''s he doing here?" Nicole asked the receptionist. The receptionist shook her head. "I''m not sure." "Alright, I got it." Nicole walked into her office. Harvey was sitting in her office, drinking coffee leisurely. "Mr.Harvey, are you treating this ce like a caf¨¦ now? You alwayse here for coffee whenever you''re free." Nicole spoke suddenly, startling Harvey. "Howe there''s no sound when you walk?" Harvey questioned her as he patted his chest. "It''s because you weren''t listening.What are you doing here today? " Nicole sat on her office chair. "Have you forgotten about the n we discussed yesterday? I''ve been waiting for your message all night long." Harvey gave her a puzzled look. "Also, why didn''t you ask me along for dinner with Martinst night?" Harvey looked unsatisfied. "I had something important to discuss with Martinst night.Also, why should I invite you when I eat with someone? I don''t have to exin these things to you as well," said Nicole, rolling her eyes at him. Hearing that, Harvey became angrier. In that case, don''t you dare ask me to send the both of you home next time!" Initially, he just wanted to make Nicole feel guilty.He did not expect Nicole to act so arrogantly. "You sent me home yesterday?" Nicole could not believe her ears.She clearly remembered calling Kelly. How did it end up being Harvey? "If not, who?" Nicole was confused and looked at Harvey in disbelief. "That''s strange.I remember I called Kelly.How did the call reach you?" "Look." Harvey whipped out his call history and showed it to Nicole. Only then could Nicole believe his words. "That''s really strange.But thank you for sending me home yesterday," Nicole thanked Harvey reluctantly.Harvey finally felt better after hearing those words. "I''m a generous man, so I''ll forget about this.Now, let''s talk about how we''ll deal with Joyce." At the mention of Joyce, Nicole became serious.She recalled what Martin had told her the night before. Then, she looked at Harvey and said, "Tell that restaurant owner you didn''t seed.That way, we can extend Joyce''s stay here." "Would that work? Wouldn''t they get suspicious of me?" Harvey looked at Nicole and analyzed her expression. Chapter 1387 Chapter 1387 "I''m not afraid if that rouses suspicion.At most, it''ll just force Joyce to personally get involved.That''s even better in my books." Harvey analyzed the matter calmly. "Alright, but I can''t shake the feeling that this response is too nonchnt.We need to present it in a way that makes them see that you''re unaffected.Otherwise, I think they''ll look into my background and expose me.If that happens, Joyce will definitely notice." "You''ve got a point.We can put on a show for them.We cannot allow the restaurant boss to figure out who you are." Nicole looked Harvey in the eyes as she said this. "Yeah." "We cannot meet outside the za anymore.We need to find a new ce." "I''ll leave the arrangements to you then.Just inform meter." "Alright, I''ll see to it right now." As he said that, Harvey got up and left the room.Nicole sat in the office, thinking for a good while before getting up to do her work. The clock kept moving, and soon it was lunch break. Jared called as scheduled. "Have you figured out where to eat for lunch?" Jared''s voice rang out from the phone. "I have.There''s a pretty good restaurant on the Eastside.Let''s give it a try." "Alright,e down then.I''m waiting downstairs." "Already? I thought you hadn''t left yet." Nicole sounded a little surprised. N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. "Gotta be a bit more proactive when I''m asking a beauty out for lunch." "Enough cheek.I''lle down now." Nicole hung up and walked to the elevator, taking it down to the lobby. Getting into Jared''s car, Nicole showed him the restaurant details on her phone. "This ce." Jared then inputted the details into the GPS device and reminded her, "Alright, put on your seatbelt." The car slowly crove into the bustling Eastside. Jared peered at the building and asked, "This should be the ce, right?" Nicole immediarely looked over. "Yup, that''s the one." Jared then parked the car, opened the door for Nicole, and the two walked into the restaurant. As this was the first time they were at the restaurant, the manager did not know them.However, he could tell from how they were dressed that they were rich folks. "Wee! Pleasee in.May I know what you would like to order?" Nicole looked at the crowd inside the restaurant and spoke as she walked. "Just give us a selection of your specialty dishes." "Yes, ma''am." "Do you have a quieter spot in the restaurant?" Jared asked. "We do.Pleasee upstairs," said the manager as he led the way. After arriving at a quieter spot in the restaurant, the manager looked at Nicole and asked, "Would you like something to drink?" "We''re driving, so just water will do." "Sure.Please sit down and rx.We''ll be serving you soon." The manager left then. Jared looked at Nicole and asked, "So this is the so-called ''pretty good'' restaurant you talked about?"He recalled the rather noisy crowd downstairs. Nicole could sense Jared''s irritability and exined, "This ce may be a little noisy, but the food is pretty good.You''ll know I''m tight once the food is served." Chapter 1388 Chapter 1388 "Alright then." Since they were already here, it would be rude for Jared to rebuke Nicole, so he sat down and patiently waited for the food to be served. After a while, a waiter came to Nicole and Jared''s table with a tter of specialty dishes before carefully cing it in front of them. "Bon Appetit." Nicole picked up one of the delicious pieces and held it up to Jared. "Give it a taste." Seeing that Nicole was trying to feed him, a smile appeared on his face as he ate the food. "Not bad," Jaredmented. "See, I told you so.This restaurant''s food has to be pretty decent to be so popr." Nicole then took a bite as well. The two chatted as they ate. And for some reason, the topic shifted to the McCarthy family, and Nicole looked at Jared as she said, "I had dinner with Martin yesterday, and I heard something really important from him." "Martin? What sort of important news can he bring?" Jared asked nonchntly. Martin was nothing but a reclusive researcher to him. Nicole gave Jared a serious look. "It seems like you still don''t know Martin well enough." "I''m sure you already know about the McCarthy family''s marriage ns with the foreign forces, right?" Nicole looked calmly at Jared. "I do.What about it?" "Then do you know why that Adam family from overseas would want to marry into an out-of-favor McCarthy family?" Nicole''s gaze was full of meaning. "Tell me." Jared raised an eyebrow.He, too, had been investigating this matter recently. ''Could Nicole know something I don''t?" "I heard that the McCarthys were targeting the Adam family because thetter was branching out.So their marriage ties are more utilitarian and not as strong as we''ve imagined." Nicole told Jared everything Martin had told her. "I see." Jared was even happier to hear this than to eat good food.He finally had a way to deal with the McCarthys now. "Nicole, do you think this information is reliable?" Jared asked somewhat worriedly. "I heard it from Martin himself. It shouldn''t be fake." Martin was her friend and would not have given her false information. Jared continued to try to verify the information. "Then where did Martin learn about this?" Nicole found herself unable to answer Jared''s question. Perhaps she was too excited when she got the information and forgot to ask Martin for the details. "That, I don''t know.I''ll ask him when I go back." "No need.If the information is true, I''ll find out after some investigating.Martin wouldn''t feed you fake information, so there''s no need to worry," Jared said to reassure Nicole. "Yeah." Seeing that Nicole was still not enthused, he sat beside her and said, "No need to think about it.Real or not, bringing it up is important." Those words amused Nicole. "I''m not a child.You don''t need to humor me." "You''re always a precious girl in my heart." "Oh, you!" As the two chatted, Joyce appeared. From N?velDrama.Org. The manager had arranged for her to sit to the far right of Nicole, with her back facing Nicole. There were a few other tables of guests between them. Since Jared was seated by Nicole''s side, he did not see her enter the ce either. Joyce pointed at a few dishes on the menu. "I want these few dishes.Serve them up, quick." Chapter 1389 Chapter 1389 "Sure, ma''am.We''ll serve them right away." After that, Joyce looked around and saw nothing of interest, so she took out her phone and sent a message. [I''m at the restaurant opposite your studio.] "Sit back down." Nicole pushed Jared back into his seat. Being pushed like that, Jared could only return to his seat. "How''s the chip researching along?" Jared asked, looking at Nicole. "We''ve already developed it.We''re in the testing phase now," Nicole answered as she ate. Jared was quite surprised upon hearing Nicole''s response. "That fast?" "You call that fast? We were already developing it when I was still overseas.It''s just that there were some ipatible parts.Otherwise, we would''vepleted it long ago." Nicole still felt that their research progress was too slow. "You''re being too modest.You managed to settle the matter in a month when a development team would''ve needed half a year.Isn''t that amazing enough?" Even Jared felt that Nicole was selling herself short. "Really?" Nicole had not been in contact with the technology development team. The only people she had been in contact with were those in the base, but they did not give Nicole the feeling of being particrly good, nor were theyparable to the ones she had at the moment. "If I get the opportunity, I''ll take you to meet a developer, and you''ll know why then." Jared gazed lovingly at Nicole and felt more and more that he had gotten himself a treasure. As Jared chatted with Nicole, a man with a cap walked over and sat at Joyce''s table. Jared nced at the man but did not pay thetter too much mind as he continued his conversation with Nicole. A momentter, Jared took another idental nce at the opposite side of the restaurant and noticed that the man had his cap on and was deliberately pulling it low as if he was afraid of being recognized. Such strange behavior immediately caught Jared''s attention.He took out his phone and sent Max a message before returning to chat with Nicole as if nothing had happened. Ten minutester, the man got up and left, but the person who shared the table with him did not and was seemingly still eating. ¡®¡®am I overthinking this?" Jared frowned a little as he looked at Joyce''s back. Just as he was serving something to Nicole, Joyce got up and went downstairs. A momentter, Jared received a message from Max. [Mr.Jared, I just saw Joyce McCarthy leaving the restaurant you were in.] [Tail her.See what she''s up to.] [Roger.] Sensing that Jared was somewhat distracted, Nicole asked, "Did something happen with the company?" "Nah, just a small matter.You know thepany can''t function without me," Jared replied with a teasing tone. N?velDrama.Org owns this. "Yeah, yeah, you''re the heart of thepany." Nicole could not help but teasingly praise him. Suddenly remembering Mr.Johnston Sr., Nicole asked Jared, "How''s Grandpa doing after he got home?" "He''s doing good at home, and I think he''s much more alert than when he was in the hospital," Jared answered. "That''s good.Most people would feel better once they''re back home.Their bodies will naturally recover a little faster.But don''t getcent.After all, you don''t have all the facilities back home." "Yeah, but don''t worry.The butler apanies Grandpa all day long.He''ll be fine." Seeing Nicole so concerned about his grandfather, he loved her even more.She was a smart, kind, and filial girl. Chapter 1390 Chapter 1390 "I understand but do visit Grandpa when you have the time.After all, you''re his closest rtive," Nicole advised as she looked Jared in the eyes. "Alright.Speaking of which, the food here is pretty decent," Jared said as he met Nicole''s eyes. "Told you.Give this a try, then." Nicole served Jared another dish that he had yet to taste. "Okay." An hour passed, and after Nicole and Jared ate, they walked out of the restaurant. "How about we take the Soutke road back? I haven''t seen that ce in a while," Nicole suggested with an inquisitive gaze. "Sure." The two then got into the car and left the restaurant. Along the way, Nicole kept looking in the rearview mirror. Noticing that, Jared asked, "What are you looking at?" "Nothing.The scenery here is beautiful." Nicole changed the subject. Jared gave her a deep look before looking at the za at Soutke and said, "Yeah, we haven''t passed through this road for a long while now." Nicole suddenly felt like taking a stroll through the za. "Can we find a ce to stop? I want to take a walk." "Sure thing." Jared drove toward the parking lot. Nicole got out of the car and walked toward the za, her eyes seemingly looking for something. Suddenly, a figure rushed toward her, knocking her down and spilling a bottle of unknown liquid on her. Seeing Nicole being attacked, Jared immediately ran toward her. "Nicole!" However, the masked person that had attacked Nicole swiftly fled. Covering her face with her hand, Nicole screamed in pain. Jared did not have the time to chase the perpetrator.He quickly carried Nicole back to the car.He mmed his foot on the elerator and drove toward the hospital. "Hold on, Nicole.We''re almost at the hospital," Jared tried tofort Nicole as he drove. "Not the hospital.Look for Martin.He''s the best doctor around," N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. Nicole reminded him as shey in the back. Jared immediately turned the car around and drove to the Beacon factory. Anxious, he gave Martin a call. "Martin, Nicole''s hurt.Where are you now?" "Nicole''s hurt?!" "I''m at home.You cane over now," Martin told him. During the previous renovation, he had built a professional medical room in his house to be used in unique situations. "Okay, we''lle over right now." Martin went to get the equipment ready as soon as he put down the phone. Jared sped all the way there, running several traffic lights. In less than ten minutes, he had arrived at Martin''s ce. Jared carried Nicole inside. "Martin?" Hearing Jared''s voice, Martin immediately got out to meet them. "Put her on the bed," he instructed. Jared put Nicole on the sick bed and looked at her with an anxious look on his face. "Go out and take a breather.I''ll check Nicole''s injuries." Martin looked at Jared. "I''ll stay here.Work on her now.I won''t disturb you." Jared had no intention of leaving Nicole alone.He wanted to stay by her side. Chapter 1391 Chapter 1391 "You can wait outside. Having Martin here alone will do,¡± Nicole said softly. Once Jared had heard her words, he became concerned for a bit, but he left the room nheless. He then took a seat on the couch and gave Max a call. Inside the medical room, Martin looked at Nicole and softly said, "Take your hands off the wound, Nicole. Let me look at it.¡± Upon hearing that, she slowly lifted her hands. The moment he saw that Nicole''s face was perfectly fine, Martin was stunned. "Your face. Why did he said you''re injured?¡± "Hush! Lower your voice. I''m putting up an act with Harvey, and Jared doesn¡¯t know about it." Nicole sat up, took a napkin, and wiped the liquid off her face. Martin nced outside before walking up to her side and asked, "What the hell is going on?¡± "You''ll find out soon enough. For now, you just need to help with getting this ruse going.¡± Nicole shot Martin a nce before lying back down on the bed. Looking at Nicole, Martin said in defeat, "How do you want me to help?" "Make it as if I''ve been seriously injured, and do it in such a way that we can fool even Jared.¡± Indeed, if the ruse could deceive Jared, it would also be clever enough to deceive Joyce, as well as others. "This is quite a tough ask, I must say.¡± Martin looked at Nicole in the eye and shot her a frown. "Don''t worry. I believe that you''ll be able to do it." Nicole gave Martin a look of confidence. She believed that Martin could definitely pull it off as she could not find anyone who would be able to do this better than he could. N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. ¡°Alright. I''ll give it a try, I suppose," Martin said as he began nning his moves. After sitting in the living room for a period of time, Jared grew anxious. He walked into the medical room to peek in from outside, but unfortunately, he could see nothing, so he muttered to himself, "What''s taking them so long?" He hesitated a little before raising his hand and knocked on the door." Martin, how''s Nicole? Is she in any danger?" The instant Martin heard Jared''s query, he asked Nicole, "What should I tell him?" "Just say that I''m in no danger, and please, ask him to calm down," she said as she looked back at him. Martin came to the door and opened it a little as he looked at Jared. "She''s in no danger. You can rest easy. I''ll be done soon enough.¡± Jared snuck a peek through the gap of the door that Marin had left open, and only saw the edges of Nicole''s shirt, frowning grimly as he looked at Martin. "Her face..." Martin could tell what Jared was implying, and he proceeded to give thetter a troubled look. "You''ll find out once I''m done." He then closed the door. Looking at Martin''s expression, Jared did not dare to think about what had urred, but the more he did not wish to think about it, the more he did. Without being aware of it, he wandered back to the living room. Sitting down in a daze, he thought. ¡®If I had apanied Nicole at that time, things wouldn''t have been as bad as they are... Twenty minutester, the door opened from the inside as Martin helped Nicole out. The second Jared heard the sound of the door swinging open, he got up and made a beeline for the medical room, but as soon as he saw her, he halted, unable to proceed further; her appearance had made his heart drop His eyes widened in shock. "How did it be so serious?!" "I''m so sorry. I did my best," Martin said, giving Jared a look of defeat and helplessness. Nicole was about tough when she saw Jared''s expression, but to keep the ruse up, she could only stifle the urge to do so. Solemnly and slowly, he walked up to Nicole with a look of unmistakable pain on his face. "Does it hurt?" Nicole shook her head and remained silent. As she was already putting up an act, she had decided not to speak at all. Seeing that Nicole had not given Jared a reply, Martin responded in her stead, right after shooting her a nce. "It does hurt a little, but it''s nothing too serious. I gave her the best medicines I''ve got, so the pain will be somewhat bearable. Chapter 1392 Chapter 1392 Jared gave Martin a nce and a slight nod. He was in a daze as he continued to look at Nicole. "Let''s bring this conversation out of here,¡± Martin said as the two men helped Nicole toward the couch. The trio then took their seats on the couch, with Nicole sandwiched in the middle. She shot him a nce and blinked. Jared did not understand what she had meant and turned to Martin. Martin immediately exined. "Oh, she said that there''s no need to worry. She''s fine." Jared looked at Martin with his brows raised. ''How the heck was he able to read that?¡¯ "I got it. Just rx and heal up. This wound is nothing. I''ll hire the best doctors in the city to treat you." Jared turned around andforted Nicole at once, intent on getting the best doctors to restore Nicole''s visage. The instant Nicole heard that he wished to hire another doctor, she thought, ¡®Won''t my ruse be exposed?¡¯ Then, she gave him another blink at once. "What''s the matter with her?" Jared asked Martin, unable to understand her sudden blinking From N?velDrama.Org. Martin looked at everything that Nicole was doing, and as he thought about what Jared had said earlier, he exined, "She''s probably hinting to you that there''s no need to get another doctor. I''m the most reliable doctor around and she doesn''t want treatment from anyone else." Jared took a deep breath and exined to Nicole, "I know Martin''s very skilled, but there are many other doctors abroad who are experts at what they do. They specialize in treating wounds like these. Besides, Martin is busy and won''t be having much time." "Jared, I no longer have to supervise the factory twenty-four seven already. Further still, with a wound like that, it is my duty to do my best to treat her, as a good friend of hers,¡± Martin said as he gave Jared a look that brimmed with resolution. ¡°Alright then. You must tell me if you need anything. Money is no object, so long as Nicole is healed. I''ll leave it all under your care." Jared looked solemnly at Martin. "Don''t worry, Jared, I''ll inform you if I ever need anything.¡± Concurrently, Martin began to think, ¡®What should I do if Jared finds out that I''m colluding with Nicole in this ruse...?¡¯ "Well then, should we arrange for Nicole to be hospitalized?" Jared asked Martin. In response, Martin looked at Nicole and said, "Sure." Jared took his phone out at once and called Max. While Jared was busy in the midst of his call, Nicole shot Martin another nce. "Nicole, let''s just move right away.¡± Jared said to Nicole, sounding distressed. Nicole blinked at Jared in agreement. He then helped her up as they walked out. "Jared, I''ll drive you two there," Martin offered, feeling that Jared would want to take care of Nicole at the back seat. "Alright," Jared said, before he and Nicole entered the back seat. Martin started the car and left his ce as they headed for the hospital, and along the way, Jared wouldfort Nicole from time to time. "Does it hurt?" Nicole shook her head. Martin snuck a nce at Jared through the rearview mirror as he drove. Soon after, they arrived at the hospital, and with Jared''s help, Nicole slowly made her way into the hospital. As they passed through the crowded hall, many in the building began to cast curious nces at Nicole. Nicole looked around while pretending that she was not. This was what she wanted. The more people knew about it, the sooner the news would reach Joyce''s ears. As they were bombarded with countless curious stares from the crowd, Jared, Nicole, and Martin got into the elevator and proceeded to the ward that had been arranged for her upstairs. Chapter 1393 Chapter 1393 After they had entered the room, Nicole slowly herself down on the sickbed with Jared''s help while Martin stood at the edge of the bed, watching them. Anurse then walked in, saying, "You''re here, Dr. Wyance." ¡°Yes. She''s my patient and I''ll be in charge of her.¡± Martin told the nurse. N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. The nurse nodded in understanding as she grabbed a pen and wrote Martin''s name on Nicole''s patient ID, designating him as the attending physician, before cing it on the bed. ¡°Medicate her using this prescription.¡± Martin handed the prescription to the nurse. When the nurse took the prescription, she raised a brow in confusion. "Dr. Wyance..." "Just medicate her using the prescription I gave you.¡¯ Martin shot her a nce, prompting her to leave without saying another word. "Jared, just stay here and apany Nicole. I''ll head out for a bit," Martin said, and gave Nicole one last nce before exiting the room, leaving Jared and Nicole inside. Jared sat by Nicole¡¯s side and looked at her as he attempted tofort her. "It''ll get much better once the medicine is applied. Don''t worry, you know how skilled Martin is. He will definitely patch you up." Nicole gave him a slight nod as she looked at him. She really could not bear to deceive him, but for the sake of her ns, she had to. Suddenly, Jared¡¯s phone rang and he let out a smile. It was a call from Max. He then picked up the phone and went to the window to answer it. Nicole looked at him, and after a while, after Jared was done talking on the phone, she blinked at him. "What''s the matter? Feeling ufortable?" Jared immediately asked, anxious. Nicole continued to blink, and with Jared still unable to understand her, he was left panicked and confused. Seeing this, she could not help but issue an inward sigh. It was really not easy tomunicate with him without Martin around. Suddenly, she thought of an idea. She motioned for him to hand his phone over to her, and proceeded to type a line of words on it before handing the phone back to Jared. "It''s nothing major. I''m here with you,¡± Jared said, finally understanding what Nicole was motioning at and looked at her with a loving look on his face. It was then that Martin and the nurse walked in, with the nurse approaching Nicole to give her an injection. Before she was injected, Nicole quickly typed another message out to Jared. [I''m fine. I just need the injections for now. Don''t worry, Martin¡¯s around. You have so much stuff to deal with back in the office, so please, go back.] Reluctant to leave her side, Jared said, ¡°In that case, rest well and recover. I''lle to apany you whenever I have the time." Nicole looked at Jared in the eyes and nodded. Jared then turned to Martin and said, "I''ll leave Nicole to you. I''ll have to excuse myself for now.¡± ¡°Yeah, sure." Martin then sent Jared off. A momentter, Martin returned to the ward and sauntered up to Nicole''s bed. At this juncture, the two of them were the only ones left in the ward. Nicole then asked Martin, "What did you inject me with moments ago?" "Don''t worry, it''s just some nutrient solution. There will be no side effects.¡± Martin looked at Nicole in the eyes and exined. "Ok." ¡°What do you n to do next?" Martin asked. In response, Nicole closed her eyes, acting as if she was really catching some rest after sustaining a serious injury, and said, "I''ll go with the flow. I n to rest for a few days in the hospital and give those who aren''t convinced of my injury some kind of proof." Chapter 1394 Chapter 1394 Martin disyed a slight frown. For a moment, he could not understand Nicole''s intentions. The, once he noticed that her eyes were closed, he thought, ¡®It''s best not to bother her with any more questions. She must have her own reasons for doing so.¡¯ "Well, get your rest, then. If there¡¯s anything else you need, you can call me anytime,¡± Martin finished, and turned around to leave the room. ¡°Alright.¡± Nicole then slept peacefully throughout the entire night. Meanwhile, Jared had returned to hispany, with Max already waiting for him in his office. ¡°Tell me everything,¡± Jared ordered as he walked in and took a seat on his chair. "From what we''ve gathered in our investigations, the Adam family are now linked to the McCarthy family through marriage. They''ve been expanding their sphere of influence wherever possible, and have been urging the McCarthys to do the same. The McCarthys have remained silent on this matter, however, and this has left members of the Adam family unhappy with them.¡± Max looked at Jared and reported. "But wait, weren''t they desperately clinging to the Adam family before this? " Jared asked as he could not help but think about the situation. "Without the support of the Adam family, is it possible that the McCarthys have arrived at an impasse," Max asked in confusion. Jared turned to look at Max. ''What he said made sense. The McCarthys would not have been able to return if it wasn''t for the Adam family. If that was not the case, they would not have dared step foot on the country to hold that ceremony for their forefathers. It is definitely possible that Joyce McCarthy was reluctant to help with the expansion of the Adam family business. Either that, or she couldn''t find it in herself to let go of her past grudges.¡¯ "Max, go ahead and expose Joyce McCarthy to the press for aiding the Adam family. Make sure that the Adam family are aware of the kind of person whom Joyce McCarthy is." Jared looked at Max and ordered. "Yes, sir." Max uttered, and he left to attend to his work immediately after. ¡®So long as the Adam family do not ditch the McCarthys, it''ll be fairly easy for us to clean up after them,¡¯ Jared thought as he gazed out of the window with a sneer on his lips. However, his train of thought was soon broken, as an assistant of his proceeded to barge in. "Mr. Johnston, the Fisher Group is going to hold a meeting on the Green Energy Project this afternoon. Should I arrange to have you be present, or should I get someone attend on your behalf?" the assistant asked, looking at Jared with his brows furrowed. ¡°Arrange for Mr. Allen to attend on my behalf. I have other matters to attend to this afternoon,¡± Jared replied. Jared recalled the so-called good deed that Fiore had done for him, and because of that, he wanted nothing to do with her anymore, at least not for a while. ¡°Alright. Here are two documents that will require your signature." The assistant ced the documents in front of Jared, who picked them up and perused them, before signing them and handing them back to the assistant. "ce the less significant itineraries that I have on my schedule in the back burner, and have the important ones sent directly to my phone." Jared looked at the assistant and ordered. "Yes, sir. Do you have any other instructions?" The assistant stared at Jared, waiting for his orders. "Oh yeah, here''s another thing. If Fiore everes to see me, you must notify me in advance.¡± From N?velDrama.Org. "Yes, sir." ¡°Off you go." Jared looked at the time. ¡®Looks like I still have some time left before I have to head out to pick Nicole up.¡¯ He then flipped through the files next to him and began to work. Abroad, Carl was still monitoring the situation at the Beacon factory closely. Even though they had gotten into skirmishes with The Raven for the past week, most of his crew members were able to make speedy recoveries thanks to the supply of Beacons provided by Nicole. ¡°Continue guarding the entrances and exits. Report any oddities to me at once. Do you understand?¡± Carl looked at his subordinates and asked. Chapter 1395 Chapter 1395 ¡°Understood.¡± Carl went back to the main control room after patrolling around for an hour. He then picked his phone up and gave Nicole a call. ¡°Carl, are you cking off in the midst of a busy schedule?¡± Nicole asked jokingly How¡¯d you know? Are you a mind reader of sorts?¡± Carl asked in astonishment. ¡°Considering that you¡¯re able to give me a call, you must not be having anything urgent on your hands. Anyway, how¡¯s everything there? Are you okay?¡± Nicole asked with concern. ¡°I¡¯m holding up just fine. I¡¯ve just had another confrontation with The Raven about a week ago and fortunately, our men who¡¯ve been injured were able to put the Beacons that you¡¯ve given us to good use. Their recoveries were fast, and they were able to get back into action soon after,¡± Carl said, praising Nicole for her foresight. ¡®Wow, I didn¡¯t expect the Beacons to be of use that soon. The Raven seems to be quite conscientious¡­¡¯ ¡°Are you okay?¡± Nicole asked worriedly. ¡°You know how I am. How are those thugs supposed to hurt me anyway?¡± Carl said confidently. ¡°Don¡¯t get too cocky now. The Raven is pretty ruthless. I wouldn¡¯t advise being careless whenever you encounter them,¡± Nicole said with a hint of concern in her voice. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I know how to take care of myself.¡± Carl rolled his eyes. ¡®She¡¯s thousands of miles away and yet she¡¯s keeping tabs on me.¡¯ Original content from N?velDrama.Org. ¡°I heard that you¡¯ve just used the Beacon. Do you think there are any features that need to be improved upon?¡± Nicole asked. ¡°I haven¡¯t discovered any problems with it yet,¡± Carl recalled. ¡°That¡¯s good. If you happen to find any defects in the future, let me know as soon as possible. It¡¯s best that others do not use them if they are,¡± Nicole told Carl. ¡°Yeah, I know. So, how¡¯s life back there?¡± Carl asked as he became concerned about Nicole¡¯s life. ¡°When have you started caring about my life?¡± Nicole asked, finding herself caught off guard by the question. ¡°I¡¯ve been doing that for a while now. It¡¯s just that you¡¯ve been too busy to pay attention,¡± Carl exined proudly. ¡°Really? I don¡¯t believe you.¡± ¡°Alright, don¡¯t overthink it, and just answer me. How are you doing?¡± Carl asked her again. ¡°I¡¯m doing pretty well. There¡¯s nothing you need to worry about. It¡¯s not as dangerous here as it is over at your ce. The sun is shining, and life is beautiful.¡± Nicole said, describing her current condition. ¡°Wow, you know, I find that enviable! It would be great if I could live a life like yours.¡± Carl closed his eyes and imagined the beautiful life that Nicole had described. But once she had heard Carl¡¯s statement, she fell silent. ¡°Carl, after this mission is over, try and request for a transfer from Zane so that you cane over and protect me.¡± ¡°Protect you? Why would you require my protection? Aren¡¯t you a tough woman?¡± Carl asked with a look of surprise on his face, puzzled as he could not figure out why. Creases appeared on Nicole¡¯s forehead. ¡®It seems that he didn¡¯t understand where I wasing from. Carl is still a young man, and yet, he has never gotten to enjoy a life of peace and beauty. After all, he has constantly been training and doing missions all over the world. It would be nice for him to just stop and take a break to explore the world in a different sort of way. Chapter 1396 Chapter 1396 ¡°Why should Ie over to protect you? Is it because Jared has not been taking good care of you? If that¡¯s the case, I¡¯ll fly over and teach him a good lesson!¡± Carl eximed, thinking that Nicole had not been treated well and threatened to stand up for her. ¡± Keep your voice down! It¡¯s not what you think. Jared treats me very well. Anyway, just do as I say.¡± Nicole said, not taking no for an answer. ¡°But¡­¡± ¡°No buts! Are you turning your back on me now?¡± Nicole questioned, her tone bing stern. ¡°Alright, chill. I¡¯ll do as you say.¡± Carl quickly resigned. Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org. He too wished to stay by Nicole¡¯s side every day, for it was what he had long been yearning for. ¡°That¡¯s more like it. Well, I ought to go and catch some rest now. You can go back to work. Stay safe, and no matter what happens, please keep yourself protected first,¡± Nicole sternly warned. She knew that he was more capable of defending himself, but she was worried about him, nheless. ¡°I know. You should get some good rest now. I¡¯ll call you when I¡¯m free,¡± Carl bade her goodbye and hung up. Nicole then ced her phone down, and looked up at her IV bag.¡¯ It¡¯s almost finished.¡¯ She pressed a button, prompting a nurse to strut in not long after ¡°What do you need, Miss Riddle?¡± the nurse asked as she looked at Nicole respectfully. ¡°The IV drip is almost done. Help me get the needle out.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± The nurse quickly pulled the needle out for her. ¡°Is Martin still here?¡± Nicole looked at the nurse and asked. ¡°Dr. Wyance received a call earlier and has left in a hurry.¡± ¡°Alright, thanks.¡± ¡°No problem. Take care.¡± The nurse smiled at Nicole and left. ¡®I wonder, what is it that had caused him to leave in a hurry?¡¯ Nicoleid on the hospital bed and began to think. ¡®I guess I¡¯ll find out when hees backter.¡¯ Nicole then took her phone out and called Kelly. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you back yet, Miss Riddle? Are you okay?¡± Kelly anxiously asked after noticing that Nicole had not been in the office for the entire afternoon. ¡°I¡¯m fine. There¡¯s an issue abroad that I need to deal with, which is why I need you to keep an eye on the R&D Lab. If there¡¯s anything you can¡¯t handle, give me a call and ask me,¡± Nicole told Kelly over the phone. ¡°Okay. Don¡¯t worry, I will report to you if there¡¯s anything I need help with.¡± ¡°Okay then, I¡¯ll hang up now.¡± After hanging up, all of Nicole¡¯s worries slowly disappeared as her eyes slowly got heavier, whereupon she fell into a deep slumber. Martin did not return to the hospital until the evening, but Jared, who hade to visit her, had pushed the door to the ward open with a creek, and stepped inside. Noticing that Nicole was fast asleep, he gently walked over to her bedside and sat down. Then, he looked at the scar on Nicole¡¯s face. ¡®It¡¯s all my fault.¡¯ Nicole woke up after a while, and saw Jared¡¯s face the moment she opened her eyes. Seeing that Jared was sitting at her bedside, she was about to open her mouth to ask him when she remembered that they were in the hospital. Once again, Nicole pretended that she was unable to speak and texted Jared. [Why are you here sote?] Nicole typed her message out on her phone and showed it to Jared. ¡°Seeing that you¡¯re here all alone, I can¡¯t help but to worry about you. I¡¯ll apany you here tonight.¡± Jared took his coat off and hung it aside. Nicole¡¯s eyes widened the moment she heard what he was intending to do. ¡®How does he evene up with the idea of staying here overnight? I can¡¯t keep pretending if he¡¯s going to do that. I must find a way to get him out of here.¡¯ In response, Jared looked at her and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Why are you looking at me like this?¡± [I¡¯m hungry.] Chapter 1397 Chapter 1397 ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll get us to go and buy you some food and bring it over, ¡± Jared said as he took his phone out and called us. Nicole helplessly watched as Jared made the phone call. ¡®What should I do?¡¯ [I suddenly remembered that I have something very important to do. Can you bring myputer here?] Nicole quickly typed on her phone and showed it to Jared. ¡°You¡¯re all injured! How can you think about work?¡± Jared asked, his face brimming with disapproval and concern. [My face may have been wounded, but my hands are fine. If you don¡¯t help me out, I¡¯ll have to go and get it myself.] Nicole gestured as if to get out of bed, threatening Jared. ¡°Don¡¯t move. I¡¯ll go.¡¯ Jared looked at Nicole, unable to disagree and resist her. ¡°But if I go back now, I might not be able to apany you tonight. I can only bring theputer to you tomorrow.¡± Jared felt a little disappointed at the thought that he could not stay with Nicole for the night. [It¡¯s okay. I don¡¯t want you staying here with me anyway, or I won¡¯t be able to rest well. You should get some sleep at home, not here.] Jared looked at Nicole, ¡®I know that her work is important, but it seems that she¡¯s just looking for an excuse to get me out of here so that I won¡¯t feel ufortable.¡¯ ¡°There¡¯s no rush then. I¡¯ll go after you finish dinner.¡± Jared looked at the time. [Okay.] ¡°Did Martin tell you when you will be able to speak?¡± Jared asked, feeling that it would be too cumbersome for Nicole to type out her words whenever she wished tomunicate. [It should be soon. Do you feel weird that you can¡¯t hear my voice?] ¡°Yeah, and if it¡¯s possible, I¡¯d want to hear your voice right now.¡± Jared looked at Nicole, expressing his wish Nicole looked him in the eye and smiled, after which us knocked on the door and came in with a bag of takeaway in his hands. ¡°Mr. Johnson, I¡¯ve brought you dinner,¡± us said, looking at Jared. ¡°Bring it over.¡± Jared raised thepartment table for Nicole, whereupon us ced the takeaway on the table in front of Nicole and respectfully left. Jared took the boxes of food out of the bag, before looking at Nicole and asking, ¡°Which one would you like to eat first?¡± Nicole looked at what she wanted to eat, with Jared tracking her gaze. Then, he grabbed the dish she liked and fed it to her. Nicole opened her mouth slowly. ¡®This seems a little romantic. If I hadn¡¯t faked it, I wouldn¡¯t havee to know how sweet he can be. He instantly knew what I wanted just by looking me in the eye. Ah, he knows me too well.¡¯ Jared was crestfallen, but for some reason, he felt that Nicole had been looking at him with soft, gentle eyes. ¡®This silly girl. She¡¯s gotten hurt so badly, and yet, she can find it in herself to care about these little things.¡¯ ¡°Are you tired?¡± Jared asked after he was done feeding Nicole. Nicole nodded and silently prayed that he would leave as soon as possible. ¡®I won¡¯t be able to pretend any longer if he keeps this up.¡¯ N?velDrama.Org owns this. ¡°You should get some rest, then. I will get yourputer and see you tomorrow. Try and have a good sleep tonight.¡± Nicole nodded. Chapter 1398 Chapter 1398 Jared caressed Nicole¡¯s face, while his eyes were brimming with reluctance. Nicole¡¯s heart melted at the sight of his doting eyes. ¡®He has been treating me so well. Even after my face has be like this, he still treats me the same as before. He isn¡¯t disgusted by me at all¡­¡¯ ¡®The original n was to lure the perpetrator out, but I didn¡¯t expect him to care about me this much. It¡¯s really getting overwhelming.¡¯ Nicole was struck with a pang of guilt when she saw how reluctant Jared was to leave. ¡®Maybe I should¡¯ve told him the n. That way, he wouldn¡¯t be as sad. But then again, Jared would behave too calmly, and because of that, we won¡¯t be able to fool anyone.¡¯ Then, she closed her eyes and waited for time to pass. As night fell, a person came knocking on Joyce McCarthy¡¯s door and barged in hastily. ¡°Nicole was injured and hospitalized, Ms. Jo. The injury was very serious. It left her disfigured!¡± ¡°Disfigured?¡± ¡®The heavens must be on my side! Looks like the restaurant owner is reliable after all. Now that the b**** has been disfigured, I¡¯ll have to see how she¡¯ll seduce other people!¡¯ ¡°Is there anyone guarding that b****?¡± Joyce looked at her aide with a glint of wickedness in her eye. ¡°Jared was there with her earlier, but he seemed to have left to get something.¡± Joyce smirked at once. ¡®This opportunity is a gift from heaven!¡¯ ¡°Send someone there. I think you know what to do.¡± She lifted her hand and performed the cutthroat gesture. Her man immediately understood what she meant and was taken aback by the fact that Joyce wanted him to make an attempt on the woman¡¯s life. ¡°Yes, I know,¡± he said, left with no choice but to follow along with the orders. Joyce then nodded and leaned backfortably on the backrest. ¡®I have long waited for this day! So long as Nicole¡¯s not dead, there won¡¯t be a day when I will be able to sleep peacefully. It¡¯s only after she has been dealt with that the McCarthy family has been avenged!¡¯ Nicole was lying on her bed with her eyes closed, waiting for someone. It was then that she heard a creek, followed by the sight of a man quietly opening the door and entering. Nicole did not move until the person had approached her. He produced a syringe from one of his pockets and was about to inject it into her IV drip when Nicole kicked him in the head. Suffering a heavy blow to the head, he staggered and fell onto the ground. ¡°You¡¯re finally here!¡± Nicole sneered and sat up from the bed. Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org. The man was startled when he saw that Nicole could still move. All of a sudden, she leaped out of bed and grabbed him by the back of his cor, before shoving him with considerable force, causing him to fall to the ground again. The man was terrified. ¡®How is this even possible? No wonder Ms. Jo wanted to get rid of her. She¡¯s a living nightmare!¡¯ The man was thinking of ways to escape when Nicole stomped on his chest, causing him to freeze and squirm. ¡°Let go, let go of me!¡± the man yelled, trying to thrash his way out of her grasp. ¡°I thought she woulde in person. I definitely wasn¡¯t expecting her to send someone over.¡± Nicole quipped. Chapter 1399 Chapter 1399 ¡®It seems to me that I¡¯ve really overestimated Joyce McCarthy.¡¯ The man under her feet attempted to sweep her leg off from under her in a hasty move, but she kicked his syringe away and proceeded to stomp on his other hand, crushing it hard under her heels. ¡°Since Joyce had sent you here, you must be one of her most loyalckeys. Well, don¡¯t think of going back to her anymore. You¡¯re staying here,¡± Nicole sneered. Keep dreaming!¡± The man immediately retorted. However, as soon as he had uttered those words, the door of the ward suddenly swung open, revealing Martin, who soon walked in with a group of policemen. They then picked the man up and cuffed him. ¡°Damn it, it was a trap!¡± The man bellowed, feeling a mix of astonishment and fear. ¡®This b**** is so devious that Ms. Jo might not be her match!¡¯ ¡°Of course, it¡¯s a trap, do you really think I¡¯m hurt?¡± Nicole sneered, her eyes dark and bloodthirsty. Martin shuddered the instant he noted Nicole¡¯s gaze. ¡®Now I understand why she wanted me to fake her wounds. It was to lure them out!¡¯ ¡°Take him away, and wait for his master to show up.¡± As the man had been neutralized, Joyce McCarthy would definitely show up sooner orter. The man¡¯s eyes betrayed his sense of defeat and resignation. He could only allow himself to be dragged away by the police. Martin watched as the man was being taken away, and breathed a sigh of relief. ¡°This feels way too satisfying. If I waste, what would have happened to you?¡± he asked. ¡°Based on what you just saw, does it look like he¡¯d be able to hurt me?¡± Nicole asked and shed him a cheeky smile. Martin was left speechless for a moment there, ¡®It is no doubt that the average Jane wouldn¡¯t be able to do what she has done.¡¯ ¡°However, my goal has yet to be achieved. That perpetrator has yet to show up. I guess I have to wait until tomorrow.¡± Nicole sighed, and proceeded to lie down in peace before yawning. Martin looked at Nicole and guessed, ¡°Is the person you¡¯re referring to Joyce McCarthy?¡± Martin was aware that all the attempts on Nicole¡¯s life had all started following Joyce McCarthy¡¯s return to the country. Nicole nodded, knowing that Martin and Joyce were once good friends. ¡°Why? Are you sad that you¡¯ve had to part ways with her?¡± Nicole asked in a low voice. ¡°What are you talking about? We¡¯ve long be strangers.¡± Martin immediately shook his head. He had already known the true colors of Joyce McCarthy, but what he did not expect was her unwillingness to let go of Nicole, and since then, he had found it hard to ept what she had done to Nicole. ¡®Why does she keep targeting Nicole?¡¯ ¡°That¡¯s good. This time¡­ I won¡¯t let her get away again.¡± ¡®If someone like Joyce isn¡¯t brought to justice, Nicole would not stop,¡¯ he thought. ¡°Yeah, I know it¡¯s because she despises you,¡± Martin sighed, growing ever more worried about Nicole. ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯m not afraid of anything she has to throw at me. Thank you for saving my a** today. You can go home and catch some rest. You still have work tomorrow.¡± ¡°But what about you tonight?¡± he asked. ¡°Don¡¯t jinx it. Herckeys won¡¯t be able to make it back in time, and she won¡¯t be able to make another move against me for a while. Oh yeah, can you help spread the news for me? That you¡¯ve caught the person who almost got me killed?¡± N?velDrama.Org owns this. Martin was taken aback for a moment, before registering Nicole¡¯s intentions. ¡°Yeah, sure,¡± he murmured, nodding his head. ¡°Anyway, get some sleep. I¡¯ll be leaving now.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Nicole nodded, rolling over, before finally falling asleep. Martin sighed, after which he turned around and left. As of now, his determination had be ever more evident. ¡®I must protect Nicole and prevent her from getting hurt again!¡¯ Nicole woke up early in the morning to find that someone was staring at her. Without knowing it, she looked over and saw that Jared had arrived. ¡°Are you awake?¡± The corner of Jared¡¯s lips lifted, but there were hints of suspicion in his eyes. ¡°Yeah¡­,¡± Nicole uttered weakly. ¡°You can talk now?¡± Jared could not help but heave a sigh of relief. Nicole noted the look of distress on his face. ¡®He must be feeling stressed again.¡¯ Then, she sighed and nodded. ¡°I¡¯m fine¡­¡± Chapter 1400 Chapter 1400 However, due to the fact that she had just woken up, Nicole¡¯s throat was a little parched. Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org. Seeing this, Jared immediately passed a ss of water to her. ¡± Here, drink some. It will make you feel better.¡± Nicole¡¯s heart warmed as she received the ss of water, after which she gulped it down, ¡°Much better¡­¡± This silly man actually had so much trust for me,¡¯ Nicole thought. It had made her feel so bad for him that she did not have the heart to deceive him any longer. ¡°That¡¯s great,¡± Jared¡¯s said, flooded with relief, but this did notst the moment he looked down. ¡°But why are there broken syringes on the ground?¡± Although the room had been cleaned up, it was still quite messy. Jared could not help but cast his suspicions on all that had transpiredst night. Shocked by the sight, she thought, ¡®This fe, Jared, is rather observant. Indeed, it would be too hard for me to fool himpletely.¡¯ In fact, she was afraid that she would not have been able to keep the ruse up yesterday if he had not been this caring. ¡°It¡¯s fine. The nurse identally shattered it when she was changing the medicines yesterday,¡± Nicole said, causing him to let it slide. ¡°Your throat has just healed. Just rx. Here, take yourptop.¡± Nicole reached out to grab theptop, after which she nodded in a disy of gratitude. It was then that Max came into ward with their breakfast prepared. Jared motioned him to set it down, before picking a bowl of oatmeal up and feeding it to Nicole. Seeing the look of affection in his eyes, she could not help but lift her hand. ¡°I¡¯ll do it myself.¡± His enthusiasm was indeed on the verge of overwhelming her. Noticing her sense of difort, he did as he was told without another word. Then, he leaned forward and examined her face. ¡°Does it still hurt? 11 Nicole gave him a sneaky nce and with a hint of guilt and shame, she replied, ¡°It¡¯s much better now.¡± While the look on his face became more affectionate and meaningful to her, he did not offer her a forting reply. ¡®I will put all of my work aside for now to keep youpany,¡± he suddenly said, and Nicole froze. ¡®What? Jared actually wants to keep mepany?1 she asked herself. In truth, Nicole no longer had a reason to make him leave. Noticing her silence, his eyes began to brim with curiosity. ¡°Why? You don¡¯t seem keen with the idea of me staying.¡± The look in his eyes made her feel as though she was sitting on pins and needles. Growing up, no one had ever exerted this much pressure on her, that was until Jared showed up and did the impossible. In the end, she sighed and said, ¡°Whatever suits you. If you want to stay, by all means, stay.¡± As it was daytime, Joyce would probably not make a move, though the same could not be said for the night. Seeing that she was still withholding information from him, he simply nodded his head. ¡°Alright.¡± After that, he ate breakfast with Nicole, and though she was initially rxed, his calm and collected demeanor managed to irritate her again. ¡®Does this guy know something?¡¯ she thought, without uttering another word out loud. After he was done with his breakfast, heid down on the couch with both of his legs crossed while scrolling through his phone. Nicole went on to observe Jared¡¯s mannerism, which seemed to indicate that he wanted to hunker down for the entire day, causing her to issue a silent sigh deep within. ¡®Is he really that free?¡¯ Nicole thought. ¡°I¡¯m fine, actually. Things should be pretty busy back in thepany. I don¡¯t want you to waste too much of your time on me,¡± Nicole began persuading him to leave. Jared gave her a nce and all of a sudden, he said, ¡°No business is more important than you.¡± And this time, he meant what he said. Chapter 1401 Chapter 1401 The sudden confession made Nicole choke, up and she fell silent thereafter. It was only after Jared had seen her lying down and doing what she was supposed to be doing that he went on to handle his work affairs remotely through his phone. He was actually quite busy, but he was also worried about Nicole, and that was why he would rather stay here to apany her. N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. Seeing this, Nicole had no other option but to turn herptop on to do her work. After much thought, she sent a message to Harvey. As of now, Harvey was the only person capable of getting through this curveball. As expected, Max hurried into the room not long after. ¡°Mr. Johnston, about thepany meeting in the afternoon, it would be best if you show up¡­¡± Max closed in on Jared¡¯s ears to whisper the rest of the sentence to him. Nicole could not hear it clearly but she had an inkling of what the tactic that Harvey had employed was. As both sides were coborating, the employees at thepany would definitely be overwhelmed if Harvey made a fuss. Unexpectedly, Jared shot Nicole a re after having heard everything that Max had said. His gaze went on to give her an inexplicable chill deep within. ¡®Why is he looking at me like that? As if¡­ He knew that she had done it! But wait, it would not be that strange now, would it?¡¯ Nicole thought to herself. In truth, Jared was not able to read her thoughts, and he could not even if he wanted to. Ultimately, he kept mum and decided not to utter a word about it. He had already stayed here for close to two hours, and as Nicole was adamant about wanting him to leave, he could only respect her wish and leave. In addition, he feared that something had and would go wrong if he did not. ¡°Get well soon. I¡¯lle backter.¡± Jared¡¯s darted his eyes at her, after which he took his coat and left. With mixed feelings, Nicole watched his silhouette as he left. She could not help but breathe a sigh of relief, yet, at the same time, she felt sorry for Jared. If it was any constion to her, she would only need to keep the act going for two days, and that all of this woulde to an end soon enough. After Jared had left, Nicole proceeded to get busy with herptop. She quickly hacked into the hospital¡¯s systems and took control of the surveince. As of now¡­ she was waiting for the fish to take the bait. In the evening, the hospital becamepletely silent, with Nicole falling asleep after she had finished her dinner. At the moment, the doctors and nurses were switching shifts. Just as she was about to fall asleep, she heard a sudden series of footfalls from afar. Nicole slowly sat up and looked at the door of the ward, squinting her eyes like a fox ready to pounce. Soon after, a woman in stilettos rushed in, throwing the door open, and apanying her here were four bodyguards. The instant they entered, they quickly closed the entrance to the ward and pulled the curtains down. This turned the ward into a private space. Nicole stared at the woman at the front who was wearing a hat, and muttered coldly, ¡°So you came.¡± Joyce took her jacket and hat off to show Nicole her face, which was heavily caked with makeup. She had deliberately done so to instill a sense of jealousy in Nicole; jealousy rooted in the idea that Joyce still possessed her good looks while Nicole was nothing but a disfigured creature. Seeing that Nicole was truly disfigured and that there were now several appalling scars running down her face, Joyceughed out loud. ¡°Aw, Nicole. Looks like you actually got your just deserts, huh! Wasn¡¯t that the same face that had managed to enchant Jared and Martin? Let¡¯s see if that face of yours can do the same now!¡± Nicole proceeded to look at Joyce. Although she was as skinny and idiotic as she used to be, there was something in her gaze that seemed different now; her eyes were filled with rage and twisted savagery. ¡°Tsk tsk. You are the young scion of the McCarthy family. What I don¡¯t get is, why is it that you look more like one of those lunatics who¡¯ve broken out of a mental asylum?¡± Nicole ridiculed in a cold voice. Nicole then went on to study Joyce, her eyes brimming with condescension, ¡°Even if I¡¯m disfigured, Martin will still do everything he can to help me out. What about you? You¡¯re just another scumbag who stabs others when their backs are turned.¡± Nicole¡¯s words pierced her like a hot knife through butter, shattering Joyce¡¯s self-esteem at once. ¡°B****! what gives you the right to criticize me!?¡± Joyce rushed to the front of the window and grabbed a mirror, forcing Nicole to look at it. ¡°Martin treated you just because he was kind! With that face of yours, what right do you have to ridicule me?¡± Chapter 1402 Chapter 1402 Having the mirror almost pressed to her face by Joyce, a murderous aura began emanating from Nicole as she grew purple with rage. The iciness in her gaze was instantly felt by Joyce. ¡®Damn it, I had this exact feeling when I went up against her in the past! She is nothing but a troll now! What do I have to be afraid of? ¡® Joyce thought. At that moment, Nicole struck back with a jab. ¡°You really care about Martin? Well, weren¡¯t you the one who had set the factory that he worked hard to build on fire? The incident even almost took his life. So, tell me, who is the b**** in this room?¡± Joyce was taken aback, for she had not thought that Nicole knew about this incident. In response, she simply forced a smile. ¡°Ha- ha, clever as always, I see. I had not thought that you would know that I was the one who did it so soon. The act was seamless, wasn¡¯t it?¡± Indeed, she had hired a professional tomit the act, rendering it impossible to find out who the perpetrator was, for there were little to no traces left. ¡°It was indeed seamless. I have yet to discover the perpetrator up until now. I cannot even present any evidence that someone had deliberatelymitted arson,¡± Nicole¡¯s gaze darkened, and she stared at Joyce with a wicked smirk. Joyce could not help but pull her lips into a smile. ¡°You really thought I was dumb? How could I possibly allow myself to leave any traces behind? Oh, that includes the attack at the underground parking lot. Good luck, because you aren¡¯t going to find the slightest leverage!¡± Nicole¡¯s eyes grew dark, and as she spoke, her lips twitched. ¡± Indeed, you¡¯re actually smarter than you were before.¡± Joyce heard the reluctant praise, and her smugness grew. ¡°Well, I learned from the best, and today, I am returning you the favor.¡± After she was done ranting, she produced a syringe and said to her security detail, ¡°Hold her down for me! Today, I will personally send you to death¡¯s door!¡± ¡®That imbecile could not kill Nicole, so I¡¯m going to do it myself today! I will make sure that Nicole will not get to escape again! She is like a wildfire dry forest. I must get rid of her if I ever wish to find peace!¡¯ Joyce shouted in her mind. She watched as both of her bodyguards were about to grab Nicole¡¯s arms and pin her in ce, with the latter¡¯s face turning pale and icy. In a sh, Nicole raised her leg and kicked one of them in the head, flooring him. Then, she leaped up to strike another with a haymaker to the face, knocking him down. And just like that, she had taken two men down. Her movements were nimble and she was dexterous, unlike a patient. Seeing that, Joyce became frightened and subconsciously retreated. Right after that, two of Joyce¡¯s remaining two bodyguards rushed in at once, shouting, ¡°You¡¯ve got no idea who you¡¯re messing with! n Nicole¡¯s gaze darkened, and she swiped at the cups atop thepartment table. It flew across the room andnded on the head of another bodyguard, a bald man, shattering it into several pieces. Having witnessed Nicole¡¯s ferocity, thest man pulled a dagger out of his pocket and lunged forward to stab Nicole. She spun around to dodge it, after which grabbed the man¡¯s arm and twisted his wrist until a crack was heard. ¡°Ah!¡± The man squealed, dropping the dagger in the process. Nicole thenunched a flurry of punches, striking him in the side of his abdomen. ¡°Ugh, ugh, ugh!¡± He groaned a few times, shielding the area that was being struck, and knelt over. N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. And just like that, Nicole had dealt with all four of Joyce¡¯s security detail. Joyce was dumbfounded. She was already suspicious when she realized that some of her own people had not returned after she had sent them out on mission, and thus, she had brought four more men for the job this time. Still, she had made the grave mistake of underestimating Nicole once again. Seeing that Nicole was making a beeline for her, Joyce proceeded to grit her teeth and yelled, ¡°I¡¯ll fight you until my veryst breath if I have to!¡± After that, she grabbed the syringe and lunged at Nicole, but unfortunately for her, Nicole was able to disarm her, before plunging the syringe into her skin in a backhand maneuver. ¡°Ah! It hurts!¡± Joyce screamed and backed away while knocking the medical trolley down, sending multiple bottles and equipment plummeting to the ground at once. She looked at her stomach, shocked, and quickly pulled the syringe out. Chapter 1403 Chapter 1403 Her syringe was filled with a potent concoction. Although she had just been injected with less than a quarter, it was still life ¨C threatening. Nicole looked at her panicked gaze and huffed. ¡°Joyce, you really thought that you could take on me on your own?¡± After saying that, she lifted her hand to tear the prosthetic scar that Martin had made, restoring her face to normal. The very sight shocked Joyce to the point that she was rooted to the ground. ¡°You, you¡¯re not disfigured! You¡¯re not even injured!¡± Indeed, she was not, for if she was, she would not have been able to fight back with such ease and viciousness. Nicole shed Joyce a yful smirk. The beautiful smile on her face was like a flower in spring, causing Joyce to flinch in disgust and pain. Nicole then said, ¡°Knowing it now is toote for you, but I¡¯ll tell you anyway. I¡¯ve set all of this up just to lure you out. You¡¯re going to spend the rest of your life in a prison cell.¡± Nicole¡¯s gaze darkened, as this was not what she wanted. Sadly, Joyce had closed in on, and cornered her, forcing her to take this course of action. ¡°Throw me behind bars?¡± Joyce said weakly, able to already feel the venom taking effect. With her limbs growing numb, she stood upright, supporting herself with the trolley, and proceeded to sh Nicole a wicked smile. ¡°On what basis? On the basis of me calling hits on you? Well then, do you have the evidence? Were there witnesses? Well too bad for you, I¡¯m the one being poisoned, so I can easily turn this around!¡± N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. Nicole was taken aback by the fact that Joyce was still thinking about ways to frame her. This made Nicole utterly disappointed with Joyce. ¡®This woman is truly irredeemable,¡¯ Nicole thought. She centered her icy gaze on Joyce, and took another step forward. ¡°What did you think was the reason I¡¯ve decided to lure you out here?¡± Joyce quickly felt that something terrible was about to happen. Cold sweat began running down her body as she asked, ¡°What do you mean?¡± Nicole yfully twitched her lips, after which she pointed at the phone ced at theer of the room. Then, she gave Joyce a sly smile. ¡°I tampered with the surveince system of the hospital. Everything has been recorded from the very moment you walked into my room. Your crimes? Well, I have already recorded all of them,¡± saying this.¡± Nicole pressed on her watch. A wicked grin the crossed her face as she said, ¡°Right this moment, the evidence of your crimes are being sent to the police station.¡± Joyce immediately froze. She had truly not expected that the operation was another opportunity for Nicole to retaliate. This had even allowed Nicole to gather evidence of her crimes. If word of this got out, the Adam family would not spare her. Hatred and rage engulfed Joyce¡¯s heart thereafter. Spotting the window behind Nicole, she let out a blood-curdling cry. ¡°Since you want me to go down, I am going to take you with me!¡± Upon uttering thest word, she mustered all of her strength and held onto Nicole¡¯s waist. Then, she charged toward the window. Having not expected Joyce to tackle her, Nicole hurriedly elbowed Joyce in the back, attempting to break free, but by the next second, she felt her lower back dashed against the window frame. Before she could register it, her entire body felt weightless, for she had plummeted out from window together with Joyce. Joyce cracked a smile as soon as they fell out of the window. The corner of her lips had blood seeping through due to the hemorrhage caused by the venom, but her eyes were beaming with smugness and satisfaction. ¡°I¡¯ve been dosed. I¡¯m definitely a goner, but now, you will join me in death!¡± Nicole looked at Joyce¡¯s crazed expression with her eyes trembling. She had not anticipated that the syringe would be filled with a lethal concoction. Had she known that, she would definitely have guessed that Joyce would do her worst. However, it was toote, for that one single error in judgment would soon be her undoing. She had calcted her risks, but this time she had miscalcted. ¡®We were on the seventh floor. I guess I would have my innards sttered all across the pavement at such a height,¡¯ Nicole thought. Even after having done so many missions, Nicole had never feared death. She knew that the day woulde for everyone. Yet, when death had trulye knocking, her mind was racing with images of Jared¡¯s silhouette¡­ She was reluctant¡­reluctant to let him go. Chapter 1404 Chapter 1404 She was very happy during her days spent with him. Very happy indeed, so much so that she did not realize that she, who did not fear death, was also capable of emotional attachment. However, all of this had been given to her by Jared¡­ As the wind hissed past her ears, her mind became flooded with memories and thoughts about Jared. She suddenly felt remorseful for lying to him. If she died, he would be devastated. Strangely enough, Nicole, who had always been strong, had tears streaming down her face before being carried away by the wind. ¡°Goodbye¡­ Jared¡­¡± Just as she closed her eyes, waiting for death to arrive, she heard a scream in her ear. ¡°Nicole!¡± Nicole subconsciously darted her eyes to the side and saw Jared rushing toward the spot where she would fall. Just as she was about to crash, he suddenly opened his arms. ¡°No!¡± Nicole screamed, for she would rather die than to see him get hurt trying to save her. However, unable to change the direction in which she was falling, shended atop Jared, who managed to cushion her fall. ¡°Ugh!¡± After she had heard a grunt, she heard a loud thud from below, whereupon there was another thud, and then a loud shriek. ¡°HELP! There is a dead person!¡± ¡°Someone just fell down the building!¡± Pandemonium erupted around her at once. Arge group of nurses and doctors rushed in, in a hurry. The entire ce was filled with a cacophony of screams, chatters, andmands. And yet, in the midst of it all, Nicole could only hear Jared¡¯s weak voice. ¡°I¡­ Caught you¡­¡± His voice was still deep and husky, but as he uttered the words, Nicole¡¯s heart began to ache, as though as it had been sliced open. It must have been painful for him, as the entire weight of her body hadnded on him at such a height. She raised her head to look at Jared, whose face was already as pale as sheet. The corner of his lips had runnels of blood seeping through, but he was still staring at her with a smile. ¡°You IDIOT¡­ Why did youe back? Why¡­ why did you even catch me!?¡± ¡®This damn fool! Does he not know that a person falling down from the seventh floor can actually squash those below them!?¡¯ Nicole thought. Looking at Nicole¡¯s red eyes, he noticed that it was actually the first time she had cried in front of him, and though there was an excruciating pain in his chest, he mustered all of the strength left in him and lifted his hands to wipe her tears away. ¡°Don¡¯t cry¡­¡± But his touch only made her tears flow uncontrobly¡­ ¡°You idiot! Idiot!¡± Nicole yelled, not knowing what else to say. She hastily got up from him to feel his pulse, panicking as she could not feel anything. Indeed, his pulse was very weak, and he was barely alive anymore. ¡°Help, Help!¡± she yelled.N?velDrama.Org owns this. This was the first time in which Nicole had experience such severe panic. She had never experience this in the past, not even when she had experience life-threatening injuries from her missions. However, she was utterly terrified today. She was afraid of losing Jared and she feared that he would leave her. The doctors then brought a stretcher, after which they ced Jared on top of it and rushed him into the hospital building. Chapter 1405 Chapter 1405 ¡°A stretcher is needed here too! Before Nicole entered the building, she saw that everyone was surrounding Joyce. Nicole red in her general direction. Joyce was already lying in a pool of her own blood, unable to speak. Her body convulsed every now and again, but her gaze was fixed on Nicole. Even as she was breathing herst, she was still able to lift her finger and point it at Nicole, for even if she was going to hell, she would want nothing more than to drag her in. However, the moment she lifted her arm, there was a pause. At the very next moment, her arm fell limp on the ground. Her irises rolled back, and her breathing ceased. In response, Nicole coldly turned her head around without sparing Joyce another nce. If she died, it would be good news for her, but if she did not, that would mean that she was the one responsible for Jared¡¯s current state. As such, Nicole would show her a life worse than death if she could make it out alive. Jared was quickly wheeled into the operating theater, with Martin rushing in at once. Seeing that Nicole¡¯s knees scraped, his eyes immediately widened. ¡± What just happened? I heard that someone fell off the building? You¡­¡± Nicole gave him nce, indifferent to the injuries she had sustained. ¡°I¡¯m fine. Let me operate on him.¡± Nicole looked at Jared¡¯s X-ray and decided that an operation was imminent, and that she would be the one doing it. Meanwhile, Martin paused for a bit, after which he fixed his eyes on her wounded legs again. Realizing that it would be unwise and imusible for her to perform the surgery herself, he sternly said, ¡°Your leg requires treatment. How could I let you perform the operation?¡± ¡°Just let me perform the surgery for him!¡± Nicole raised her voice. She stubbornly looked at Martin, who could see how wet her bloodshot eyes were. He had never seen Nicole in such a light. Martin could not help but look at her carefully. Then, he discovered that she seemed to be suppressing her pain. Her entire body was shivering, but she was stubbornly holding on, not allowing herself to copse. Seeing Nicole¡¯s vulnerable side for the first time, Martin¡¯s heart ached for her. Looking at Jared, who was already strapped to a breathing device in the operating room, Martin¡¯s gaze became firmer. He stretched his hand out to pat her on the shoulder. ¡°Concern causes panic. You cannot operate on your immediate kin. These are among the ts of being a doctor. If you believe in me¡­ let me take care of Jared. I promise you that he will be fine.¡± Martin¡¯s voice had a gentleness that she had never experienced. As her shoulder felt the warmth of his palm, she finally calmed down and apologized for her loss ofposure. ¡°Sorry¡­¡± Nicole, who had never apologized to anyone, had actually apologized to him. Seeing this, Martin could not help but feel restless. He held onto her, sat her down, and said, ¡°You should calm down a bit. Let someone help you bandage your injuries. When I leave the operation, you still need to take care of Jared¡­¡± This sentence made Nicole sober up, and she nodded her head earnestly. This well-behaved version of Nicole was totally unfamiliar and distressing to see. He could not help but stretch his hand out to pat her shoulders again, whereupon he got up and marched into the operating theater. As it all began, Nicole could only watch Jared¡¯s surgery from the window. It was then that Harvey came rushing into the hospital. He had initially hurried over to stall Jared. However, Harvey did not expect that, the moment he parked his car, something so severe could happen. He then heard the nurses as they described the events that had unfolded to him, before looking at Jared, who was lying still in the operating room. The expression on his face changed soon after. He did not think that Jared would go all out for Nicole, for Jared was actually courageous enough to catch a person falling from the seventh floor¡­ He darted his eyes at Nicole, and suddenly felt a pang of guilt. As he did not know if he would catch Nicole at that moment if he was in Jared¡¯s stead, he felt that he had lost to Jared this time. He noticed that the usually calm and collected Nicole was nervously looking at the window into the operating room in a trance. Her body was still shivering and curled up into a ball from the cold. Harvey¡¯s heart felt heavy, and he immediately took his coat to drape Nicole with it. Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org. It was only then that noticed that Harvey had shown up. She immediately furrowed her brows and questioned, ¡°Did I not tell you to stall him?! Why¡­ why is he even anywhere near the hospital?!¡± Had Jared not shown up, she would be the one lying in the operating theater, as she was supposed to. She would be the one dealing with the critical injuries, not him. Chapter 1406 Chapter 1406 ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± Harvey uttered, unable to say anything else. Nicole thennded a series of punches on his chest. ¡°I asked you to stall him. If you had done your damn job, he would have been fine¡­!¡± As she spoke, her voice choked. Harvey had never seen Nicole in her current state. He had seen valiant Nicole; the Nicole who was always calm, collected, brilliant, and capable ofing up with strategies to deal with any situation, but he had never seen her being so vulnerable and tearful. At that moment, he became overwhelmed with remorse. He could not help but hug Nicole and allow her tond a flurry of hits on him. ¡°Hit me. I did not think that things would turn out the way they are. Jared ultimately knew everything. He had people monitoring you at the hospital¡­ He knew that Joyce had brought her men with her to make another attempt on your life, and knowing this, he left in a hurry¡­¡± Harvey revealed as Nicole continued tond a few blows on him. However, the more she knew about the truth, the greater her pain became. As it turned out, she was not wrong; Jared actually knew everything. It was just that he did not burst her bubble as he wanted her to fulfill her ns, opting instead to protect her in secret It was unknown to her how often Jared had always protected her in secret and helped her out while taking her ns into consideration Jared had indeed sacrificed much just for her, so much so that he would not be able to pay him back in this lifetime. She closed her eyes, overwhelmed and wounded, before Nicole cking out and losing consciousness¡­ ¡°Nicole! Nicole!¡± Harvey held onto Nicole. Afraid that she would fall over, he grabbed her at once. Concurrently, Max, who had been busy handling all the paperwork, saw everything that had transpired and immediately rushed over. ¡± Damn it. Send Miss Riddle to the ER. Quick!¡± Earlier, he was busy dealing with matters for his employer and actually forgot that Nicole was the person who had plummeted down seven floors. As such, it would be impossible for her to not suffer any injuries at all. He would be damned if he continued to ignore her while she was going through all of this with a few internal injuries. Harvey and Max quickly wheeled her to the emergency room at the very door. Upon arrival, the doctor began his examination on Nicole immediately while Harvey and Max sat outside the door, waiting. Time flew by, and before they knew it, night fell, with the air growing chillier with each passing hour. The hospital corridor soon grew quiet and empty. Meanwhile, Nicole, who was struggling in her dreams, was jolted awake all of a sudden. Realizing that she was in a ward, Nicole swiftly sat up, feeling dizzy. N?velDrama.Org owns this. But before she could leap out of the bed, Harvey stopped her. ¡± Don¡¯t move. You have sustained several internal injuries and a concussion in your head. You need to rest more.¡± However, Nicole did not have time or the will to worry about herself. ¡°What about Jared!?¡± Harvey looked at the time. Seeing that five hours had already passed, he shook his head. ¡°The operation had yet to end¡­¡± However, as he concluded his sentence, Nicole disregarded her injuries and pulled the needles and tubes out of her body. The fact that she was bleeding did not bother her as she put on her pair of sandals and rushed out. ¡°Nicole!!¡± Harvey attempted to stop her but only managed to catch onto the edge of her sleeve. Nicole broke free during the very next second and barged out of the ward. Not giving an ounce of care for her leg injury, she made her way to the operating theater where Jared was. At the same time, Martin had just exited the theater. From afar, he saw Nicole rushing toward him in a hobble. Without even bothering to speak to Max, he quickly hurried over to hold onto Nicole. ¡°You¡¯re badly injured. What are you doing, running over in a rush? ¡± Martin looked at Nicole, distressed. He could not understand why she was acting so foolishly. ¡°What about him?! How is he?!¡± she asked. Nicole, at the moment, had her sights and heart wholly on Jared, and the only thing she wanted was to know whether he was fine or not. Chapter 1407 Chapter 1407 Martin was stunned. At this point, he became aware that Nicole did actually care about Jared, and that she loved him more than she loved herself. Harvey, who had been chasing after Nicole too, noticed this. He could not help but muster a bitter smile and hold onto Nicole. Then, he asked Martin. ¡°How is Jared?¡± Although he was still jealous of Jared for his ability to acquire all of Nicole¡¯s attention and care, he could not pretend as if he did not care about him. He knew that if something grave were to happen to Jared, Nicole would never be the same person she used to be. Martin nced at Harvey, who seemed to understand how he was feeling. He too, could not help but give him a wry smile. ¡°He is fine. He¡¯s doing better now.¡± Even though he shared Harvey¡¯s jealousy of Jared, Martin still gave it his all to save Jared, as he did not want Nicole to be devastated. Maintaining a reassuring smile, Martin continued, ¡°He is heavily injured. Six broken ribs, a damaged kidney, and several of his internal organs were bleeding. Still, the surgery was a sess. The only concern now is the head trauma. He is in aa now¡­¡± Seeing Martin¡¯s hesitation, Nicole¡¯s eyes became downcast, and she asked, ¡°It will be bad news if he fails to wake up tonight, right? 11 As she was a doctor herself, she had understood Jared¡¯s condition before she cked out and lost consciousness. Martin nodded his head, not disagreeing with what Nicole had said. ¡°You can go in and apany him. His will to live on should be much stronger if he knows you are by his side. Let¡¯s hope that there will be a miracle.¡± Hearing thest sentence, Max felt that the situation was not as optimistic as he had hoped, as he gripped his hands tightly. Yet, he knew that this was Mr. Johnston¡¯s decision. If it happened again, he knew that Jared would still do what he had done. Suddenly, they heard a familiar shriek from the operating theater adjacent to the one they were standing in front of. ¡°My daughter, oh my sweet daughter! How could you leave me like this!?¡± Luke McCarthy yelled, his voice belting out in grief and agony. The quintet snuck a nce through the corner of their eyes. A nurse was wheeling a body covered in white cloth out into the hallway with Luke McCarthy following right behind in tears. At this moment, Martin¡¯s expression changed. He was so busy trying to rescue Jared for the entire time that he did not remember that Joyce had¡­ He looked away, feeling very upset. He refused to set his eyes upon the corpse, and in a low, shaky voice, he said, ¡°I¡¯m exhausted. I¡¯ll return to my office and get some rest.¡± Nicole knew that he would be unable to ept the reality of the situation, so she nodded. ¡°Go then. Leave the rest to me.¡± She had calmed down significantly and now had the confidence to handle any of the issues rted to Jared, whatever they might be. ¡°Alright,¡± Martin nodded in kind, and left the corridor. When he had reached the end of the hallway, he paused for a moment, after which he continued and made his way to the morgue where Joyce was being wheeled into. After all that had been said and done, they used to be friends, and so, he could not be so heartless as to disregard her current statepletely. Meanwhile, Nicole had already averted her gaze, looking around only after Jared had been pushed out. Seeing this, she immediately followed the doctors with Max and Harvey following her close behind. Together, they sent Jared to the Critical Care Unit. After Nicole had personally installed all the equipment, she sat at the bedside to apany him, unmoving and silent. N?velDrama.Org owns this. Max, who saw this, could not help but feel emotional about the scene. Whether it was Mr. Johnston or Miss Riddle, they were both deeply in love with one another; their love actually surpassed his imagination. Max then issued a sigh and said, ¡°It¡¯s almost time. I¡¯ll go and prepare dinner.¡± In a tone of indifference, Nicole said, ¡°There¡¯s no need for that. I won¡¯t be able to eat.¡± In response, Max said, ¡°If you don¡¯t eat, Mr. Johnston will be very upset if he finds out.¡± Nicole maintained her silence. Max knew what it meant, and seeing it as a tacit approval, he left to prepare dinner. Meanwhile, Harvey continued to apany Nicole. Seeing Nicole in a state where she had lost all appetite, he took a seat next to her. ¡°You are also a patient. You can¡¯t just keep sitting here. Your body won¡¯t be able to take it.¡± Chapter 1408 Chapter 1408 Without sparing him a nce, Nicole continued to stare at Jared. ¡± No, I wish to stay with him.¡± At this moment, no one was as important as Jared in her world. The only person who mattered was Jared. In response, Harvey looked at Nicole¡¯s steely gaze and gave up on his attempt to persuade her. Judging by the look on her face, Harvey knew that, regardless of what he had to say, Nicole would not leave this ce. ¡°That¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll be here with you then,¡± Harvey turned around to look at the unconscious Jared lying on the sick bed. He wished Jared would wake up sooner. That way, Nicole could be at ease. Nicole sat at Jared¡¯s sick bed, maintaining her silence. Both of her hands were cupping Jared¡¯s, not letting go even for a moment. Looking at his ashen face and tightly shut eyes, Nicole was desperately hoping that he would suddenly open his eyes and talk to her. Yet, as time flew by, all was silent, barring the beeping emanating from the vital signs monitor. When Max had returned and walked in with a bag of takeaways, Harvey looked at Nicole¡¯s already stiff figure and was about to say something. Then, he looked at Nicole, and in a gentle tone of voice, he said, ¡± Nicole, dinner is here. You should go and eat something, okay?¡± Having heard Harvey¡¯s words, she looked over her shoulder and nced at him. Max then walked over and joined Harvey in persuading her, and it was only then that was she willing to eat something. Seeing that Nicole was willing toe over and eat something, Harvey and Max looked at each other respectfully and issued sighs of relief. Max proceeded to prepare the cutlery for her while Harvey stayed back to tend to Jared. Although Nicole was eating, her gaze was still focused on Jared¡¯s general direction. She hurriedly took a few bites, after which she returned to Jared¡¯s bed again. Noticing how quickly she had eaten and returned, Harvey said, ¡± You should eat your meal in peace. We¡¯re all in the same ward. Nothing will happen to Jared. Besides, I¡¯m right next to him.¡± ¡°I¡¯m done eating. It¡¯s fine since I¡¯m here. You should go home early to get some rest,¡± Nicole sat back in her original position. Original content from N?velDrama.Org. Harvey looked at Nicole¡¯s forlorn state and could not help but feel bad for her. Then, he said, ¡°Nicole, you have been sitting here for quite a long time. You should return to your ward to get some rest. If you copse from exhaustion, who is going to take care of Jared?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t go back. I want to stay here to take care of Jared. I don¡¯t want him to get anxious if he wakes up and doesn¡¯t see me,¡± Nicole said, adamant on not wanting to leave. The helpless Harvey could only stand up and walk over to Max. ¡°I see that there is enough space for another sickbed. You should go and arrange for one and have them push Nicole¡¯s bed over. Or else, from what I see, she won¡¯t be going back,¡± Harvey said as he turned around to nce at Nicole. ¡°Alright, but we can only do it right now, so I am going to arrange it right away,¡± Max shot Nicole a nce, after which he left and did as he was told. Harvey stayed at the sick ward to keep Nicolepany, and after 10 minutes, Max walked in, bringing along with him a group of men, who proceeded to wheel Nicole¡¯s sickbed into the room. Then, he approach Nicole from the side and said gently, ¡°Nicole, you can continue to stay here and apany Jared.¡± Nicole looked at Harvey and thought, ¡®What is he doing again?¡¯ The next second, she saw the sick bed behind him. It was indeed her sickbed. ¡°How were you able to move my bed over?¡± Nicole asked him, surprised. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t me me. You kept sitting there, so I got worried. That was why I got Max to move your sick bed here. That way, you can rest on your bed while keeping Jaredpany.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t, and I won¡¯t allow you to refuse anymore, ¡°Harvey said while looking at her affectionately. Chapter 1409 Chapter 1409 Nicole looked at Harvey, who had done this painstakingly for her, and could only nod her head in approval. Seeing this, the corner of his lips lifted into a slight smile. His efforts were not in vain, after all. N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. ¡°Take it slow, I¡¯ll support you,¡± Harvey lightly held onto Nicole as he walked her to her sick bed. ¡°Look at this. You can see Jared here. Now, have some proper rest. There are people standing guard outside. If anything happens, you can call for them,¡± Harvey said. ¡°Alright, you should go home. No need to worry about me. I know my condition. I can take care of myself,¡± Nicole looked at Harvey with a lifeless expression on her face. ¡°Okay, then I ¡®ll be leaving. If there is anything, you must tell me. I¡¯lle and see you again tomorrow,¡± Harvey looked at Nicole and reluctantly made his way to the door. Even as he was reaching the bend in the corridor, Harvey was still worried and from time to time, he would stop in his tracks. Then, he turned around and walked out again. After about half an hour, a nurse, who was pushing a medical trolley, entered the room, treading lightly as she went. When she saw that Nicole was still wide awake, she said, ¡°You should rest easy, Miss Riddle. We have nurses on duty and will be making rounds for the rooms every hour. Nothing will happen to Mr. Johnston.¡± ¡°Mhm,¡± Nicole watched as the nurse checked up on Jared and changed his medication. After the check-up, the nurse went on to assure her that everything was normal. Then, she slowly pushed the medical trolley away. Before leaving, she urged Nicole to get some rest once more. In response, Nicole shot her a single nce and gave her a slight nod, whereupon she continued to stare at Jared¡¯s face. The following day, Harvey came in early to bring Nicole her favorite breakfast as he went to the sick ward. ¡°Have she woken up?¡± Harvey looked at the bodyguards and asked them. ¡°Not yet,¡± one of them answered. Then, he carefully pushed the door open and walked in silently to ce the breakfast on the table. ¡°Why are you back again?¡± The silent room suddenly rang out with Nicole¡¯s voice. Harvey immediately turned around to look at Nicole, and assumed that he had woken her up when he entered. Then, he walked over, feeling slightly apologetic. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for waking you up so early.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯ve actually woken up much earlier, ¡°Nicole said while looking at Jared. Having read the expression on her face, Harvey said, ¡°Why is yourplexion so terrible? Did you not sleep wellst night?¡± ¡°No, I did. Now, have you brought some breakfast over?¡± Nicole changed the topic, not wanting Harvey to continue asking. She did not want him to worry, as she was actually wide awake for the entire night. Hearing that Nicole wanted to eat her breakfast, Harvey quickly grabbed it and carefully ced the container before her. ¡°These are your favorites.¡± Nicole looked at the food that she usually liked, and as it turned out, she did not wish to take a single bite out of it. All she did was drink a bit of oatmeal before putting them down. ¡°Eat a bit more, ¡°Harvey advised out of concerning, as he saw that she had ced it down after eating barely a few spoonful. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I don¡¯t have the appetite,¡± Nicole replied. ¡°Then put them aside. It would be more convenient for you when you want to eat itter,¡± Harvey replied. It was then that the door to the ward was pushed open. Martin walked in with a few nurses following right behind. Upon noticing Harvey, he greeted him before turning to Nicole. ¡± Although I¡¯ve agreed to let you move here, you are still a patient. Don¡¯t take anything lightly. You are to eat your three meals every day on time.¡± Chapter 1410 Chapter 1410 ¡°Put her on some medication, ¡°Martin ordered the nurses by his side. ¡°Okay,¡± one of the nurses said, whereupon she immediately approached Nicole. Nicole did not protest, and went on to allow the nurse to put her on some IV drip. Martin then walked up to Jared¡¯s sickbed and proceeded to examine him, for more than ten hours had passed since the operation. ¡®Why is Jared still not showing signs of consciousness?¡¯ Martin furrowed his brows as he pondered. After some thinking, he surmised that there was no other way around this. He had done everything he could, and now, the only thing he could do was wait for Jared to wake up by himself. After checking up on Jared, Martin walked over to Nicole¡¯s sick bed to examine her as well. ¡°You were severely injured, so you are not allowed to get out of bed today, ¡°Martin said sternly, thinking it would make Nicole take her injuries seriously. Nicole did not give him a reply, as her gaze was still fixed on Jared. Seeing that Nicole was keeping mum, Martin turned to Harvey and said, ¡°I have some business to attend to back at the factory. I¡¯ll have to excuse myself now. If anything happens here, give me a call.¡± ¡°I will. I will be here to keep thempany. You can go and deal with the stuff back at the factory without any worries, ¡°Harvey looked at Martin with an earnestly. ¡°Good. In that case, I¡¯ll make a move first,¡± Martin gave Nicole another nce before turning around and leaving. ¡°You should go home too. I¡¯ll be fine being here by myself,¡± Nicole said, wanting Harvey to go handle his own things. ¡°Things are not as busy back in Ellison Group. I can stay here and keep youpany for a while, ¡°Harvey said with a caring look on his face. Nicole looked at him and left him to his own devices. The sick ward then reverted back toplete silence. Harvey went on to take a seat beside Nicole¡¯s sickbed and silently kept herpany. It was unknown how much time had passed, but soon, Harvey registered the sound of loud pacing coming from the hallway. Worried that the noise would disrupt Nicole and Jared¡¯s rest, he got up and made his way to the door. ¡°Who are you, people? Why are you running around creating a racket? Leave at once!¡± Harvey coldly eyed the group of people outside the ward. The moment he had uttered thest of his sentence, one of the men walked over from behind. His entire figure was oozing with an aura of bitterness as he looked at Harvey. ¡°Mr. Ellison, I hope you are well.¡± Harvey looked at the person speaking and centered his gaze on him. ¡°Mr. McCarthy.¡± ¡®Should he not be at the funeral parlor saying his final goodbyes to his daughter right now? Why is he even here?¡¯ Harvey thought. As he spoke, Luke was already a few steps in front of Harvey. He then looked at the ward behind Harvey and asked, ¡°Is Nicole Riddle in there?¡± Harvey studied Luke McCarthy¡¯s gaze and was certain that he had ill intentions. As such, he could not allow him to enter. ¡°Mr. McCarthy, this is a hospital. What are you doing here?¡± Harvey asked as he stood tall, towering over Luke. ¡°Don¡¯t get all nervous. I heard Mr. Johnston was severely injured, so I came over to pay him a visit,¡± Luke took a step forward and stuck his head into the threshold to get a good look of the ward. N?velDrama.Org owns this. Harvey stood before Luke, blocking his view, as he said, ¡°Mr.Johnston requires rest. He will not be epting visits from anyone right now.¡± ¡°Alright then. Send my regards to Mr. Johnston. I hope he gets well soon,¡± Luke gave Harvey a dubious look, before turning around to leave. He was not expecting to see Harvey outside the ward. Much to his chagrin, his attempt to enter the ward where Jared and Nicole were in was unsessful. With Harvey there, he could not enter, and as such, he could only leave along with his men. Chapter 1411 Chapter 1411 With his eyes trained on Luke and his men as they left, restoring the corridor to silence once more, Harvey turned to the bodyguard by the door and said, ¡°Tell Max to beef up the security in this floor, and do not allow anyone else other than the doctor and the nurses to enter.¡± ¡°Got it,¡± the bodyguard said. After he had given the orders, Harvey pushed the door open and entered the ward. Looking at him, Nicole asked, ¡°What happened out there?¡± ¡°Nothing much. Are you hungry? Would you like something to eat? ¡± Harvey asked, trying to shift her attention away from the topic. Nicole could see that he was hiding something, but instead of questioning him further, she replied, ¡°I¡¯m not hungry. Have you had breakfast yet?¡± Seeing that Nicole was suddenly so concerned about him, a faint smile appeared on the corners of his lips. ¡°I¡¯ve eaten already. Don¡¯t worry about me.¡± He was very ted with the fact that Nicole had still found it in herself to be concerned about him, even during a time like this. ¡°Harvey, please bring me myptop,¡± Nicole said as she looked at him. Harvey walked over to the table and picked theptop up, before handing it over to Nicole. He looked at her as she turned it on, thinking that she was bored and wanted to watch a movie. ¡°It¡¯s good that you are watching some movies to keep your mind upied. Otherwise, I¡¯ll need to think of something to keep you entertained.¡± Harvey smiled and said to her. Nicole shot him a nce and remained silent as her slender fingers began darting all over the keyboard, producing cks with every press of a key. Zeke had not contacted her for a few days now, and she was a little worried for his safety. After locking onto Zeke¡¯s position, she sent him a message. [Are you alright?] A momentter, Nicole received a reply from Zeke. [I¡¯m fine for now. Almost got caught by those guys last night. Thankfully I¡¯ve managed to evade them after pulling a few clever tricks.] [However, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be that lucky next time. Nicole, I¡¯m pretty certain I won¡¯t have the chance to work on that mission already. If you have the time, can you help me out and get the badge?] Zeke had a strange feeling that he had made the wrong decision this time around, and that he would never have a chance to see or acquire that badge again. Nicole looked at the message that Zeke had sent her and began to ponder, as this was not the first- time he had requested her aid for this mission. ¡®Should I take on this mission?¡¯ Thinking of Zeke¡¯s current situation, she realized that he had ended up the way he did because of this mission. ¡®Why didn¡¯t you listen to me when I spoke to you about it?¡¯ However, Zeke was not in a particrly precarious situation. It was just that he had no way to continue doing this mission. After some thought, Nicole made up her mind. [Alright. I¡¯ll do my best, but you must promise me one thing.] [Forget one. As long as you can help me procure the badge, I¡¯ll promise you a hundred things! ] [Come and collect the badge yourself.] Zeke looked at the message Nicole had sent him, and his eyes reddened, for he knew what Nicole had meant. [Of course. That¡¯s my badge, and I won¡¯t be handing it to you like that. Alright, I¡¯ll cut things short. I need to get something to eat.] After sending her that message, Zeke went offline. Nicole then found Zeke¡¯s mission details and began to peruse it carefully, so much so that she did not bother to respond to Harvey when he spoke to her. Seeing that Nicole was so engrossed in what she was doing, Harvey thought that she was watching a very interesting movie, so he got up and went over, trying to have a peek. Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org. However, before he could do so, Nicole shot him a frown and asked, ¡°What are you doing?¡± Being stared at so sternly and suddenly by Nicole caught Harvey off guard, and he swallowed before saying, ¡°I¡¯m just wondering what movie you¡¯re watching.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not watching a movie. You¡¯ve been here for a while now. It¡¯d be better if you go home and do what you need to do,¡± Nicole said, not wanting anyone to get in the way of her rest, as well as Jared¡¯s. Judging from Nicole¡¯s tone, Harvey knew that she really wanted him to leave, so he could only sh her an awkward smile.¡± Alright, I won¡¯t disturb you anymore. I¡¯lle back to visit you again another day.¡± Chapter 1412 Chapter 1412 After he had finished his sentence, Harvey walked out of the ward. N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. Nicole, sensing that she had upset Harvey with her curt remarks, immediately called out to him. ¡°Harvey.¡± Harvey whirled around and looked at Nicole. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°Can you bring me a bowl of soup from the Blue Whale Cafe the next time you visit us?¡± Nicole said in a somewhat bashful way. A surge of warmth kindled Harvey¡¯s heart, and a smile crossed his face as he agreed. ¡°No problem.¡± And after he had said that, he left the ward. Once Harvey had left, Nicole looked at Jared, who was still lying quietly in his bed without disying any signs that he would be waking up. Nicole began to pray silently. She could forget about the issue of the lipstick mark on his face. In fact, she would not be mad, let alone stay mad at him, as long as he regained consciousness. She then center he gaze back on the screen of herptop. Right now, she wished to help Zeke out by completing his mission. This was something he had always wanted to do, and so, she had to see to it that it was done. Tuning out all distractions, Nicole began to focus on the mission. Barring the beeping of the vital signs monitor, the only sound that could be heard was the cking on her keyboard as she typed away. In another part of the world, Carl was sitting in the centralmand room, monitoring the various key areas in the production base. The secret organization that had beenying low thus far would not be giving up just like that. Carl thought that they would strike again at any given moment, due to the fact that an advanced droid such as Brave was just all too valuable to them. Just as Carl was taking a sip of water, the rm suddenly rang. He immediately looked over. ¡°Situation report!¡± ¡°Our base is under attack by an enemy team,¡± his subordinate reported. ¡°Send our reinforcement to guard the key entry points!¡± Carl ordered. ¡°Roger that, Wilco!¡± It was then that three more rms went off. ¡°We have three separate enemy squads attacking the three other gates!¡± his subordinate reported. Carl eyed the surveince monitor before him and analyzed the situation before giving hisbat orders to his subordinates. It was then that the factory manager, f, rushed to the centralmand room before asking Carl in an anxious tone of voice, ¡°K, how about we let the Braves engage them on the field if the situation requires it?¡± Carl immediately turned around and pondered for a bit. ¡°Yeah, just in case things go south. Take my men and equip the Braves with ordnances.¡± ¡°Right on it.¡± After getting Carl¡¯s agreement, f led the men toward the warehouse. Carl did not leave the centralmand. Instead he stayed behind and continued monitoring the combat situation at the various gates. Through the surveince monitor, he could see intense fighting transpiring across all four gates, with shes from the gunfire from both sides illuminating the entire gate area. Even after engaging Carl¡¯s men for about half an hour, the secret organization¡¯s blitz did not wane. Though both sides had suffered casualties, the numbers were higher on the enemy team. Just as Carl was about to deploy the special strike force to snipe them from the various vantage points, the attacks suddenly abated. ¡®What¡¯s going on? Why are they retreating, all of a sudden? Could they be backing off to regroup after failing to capture the points?¡¯ Carl thought to himself. Then, he brushed the thought off and ordered, ¡°Send the wounded to the lounge area and patch them up.¡± Chapter 1413 Chapter 1413 ¡°Rotate the squads manning all the four gates. Let ourrades who¡¯ve just engaged in battle recover.¡± ¡°Roger that.¡± The operator in the centralmand said, broadcasting Carl¡¯s orders as ordered. After a few minutes, new squads moved in, recing each and every single one of the men who were involved in the defense effort. In the lounge, the mercenaries who had been involved in the siege were also being treated by the medical team, resting after they had been patched up. Thankfully, all of them had a Beacon device on their persons, and with them, their wounds quickly recovered. Carl then came over to check on their wounds, and upon seeing that everyone was alright, he became relieved, thanking Nicole in his mind. Carl then brought the guards around the base for another inspection. As he patrolled, he suddenly spotted a small door that had been left unguarded. Carl immediately walked over to examine it, and just as he was a foot away from the door, he heard footfalls outside. Based on his many years of experience, he knew what to do, and proceeded to make a call at once. ¡°Get something to barricade this door with.¡± Carl ordered. His men went on to grab all of the heavy objects that they could find in their vicinity, and ced them against the door, blocking it. Original content from N?velDrama.Org. Carl then summoned another man of his, and ordered, ¡°Get a technician here and have the door welded shut¡± ¡°Roger that.¡± Just as the man had taken his tenth step, a loud bang thundered across the room, and the enemy troops stormed in, spraying volleys of lead rounds everywhere. As it turned out, they had blown the door up. Carl responded by leading his men in the retaliation effort, but it was also then that all four gates were under attack once again. No one had anticipated that their enemies had found an unguarded passage, allowing them tounch another attack on both fronts. Carl and the goons of the secret organization then engaged in a fierce battle at the small entranceway. ¡°Enemy contact at the northern entrance on the first floor. We need those on standby to reinforce it at the double,¡± Carl ordered through the walkie-talkie. Witnessing the organized assault beingunched by the enemy, Carl realized that the siege effort was nned, and that the previous assaults on the four main gates were just a diversion. The main attack had just begun. He led his men in the counterattack to prevent the secret organization from advancing further, but at this juncture, they were being outgunned and outmatched, forcing Carl and his men to fall back time and again. As Carl retreated, the enemy troops advanced, slowly upying the factory in an almost mechanical pace. Suddenly, the news of the main gate being lost red out from Carl¡¯s walkie-talkie, rendering him helpless and furious. ¡°f, are you done yet?!¡± Carl called out. ¡°Not yet. I still need a bit more time. Hold on for a while longer.¡± f¡¯s replied, his voice emanating from the walkie-talkie. ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll give you five more minutes. After that, you¡¯ll have to send in the reinforcements no matter how many units you have equipped!¡± Carl said, before grabbing his weapon and firing a volley of bullets at the hostiles. ¡°K, we are on the verge of being overwhelmed here,¡± Carl¡¯s subordinate reported. ¡°Hold on for another five minutes. Reinforcements are inbound soon!¡± Even after those on standby had joined the battle, they had only managed to push the enemy forces back a little. Carl did not expect that the secret organization¡¯s attack would be so ferocious this time. Based on his understanding of them, they should not have been able to mount such a potent offense. Yet, there was no time for him to ponder, for a grenade suddenly came hurtling in before falling to the ground with a nk. Quick on his feet, Carl grabbed it and hurled it away. Thanks to his quick reflexes, he was spared from a gruesome fate. Just as the enemy troops were about to force Carl into a corner, four Braves suddenly emerged from another direction, their armaments zing as they methodically surrounded the hostile troops and attacked. With the Braves¡¯ intervention, the tables were turned, and Carl led the Braves in the effort to suppress the attackers and push them back. Without any recourse, the troops of the secret organization could only fall back to the door and retreat through it. After pushing them back, Carl got his men to reinforce and seal the door at once, leaving them to guard it before leading the Braves to the main gates. Chapter 1414 Chapter 1414 The main gate that had initially been lost to the enemy squad was slowly recaptured following Carl¡¯s arrival with the Braves. As the enemy retreated, Carl, who spared no time dawdling, redeployed the defenses at once, with the Braves now manning the gates as well. After he had made the necessary arrangements, Carl went on to perform a body count. The casualties were much heavier this time, with eight suffering serious injuries and ten being slightly wounded. Carl immediately ordered his men to deliver the wounded to the lounge to receive medical attention while he and f made their way toward the warehouse where the Braves were stored. ¡°How many Braves are yet to be equipped?¡± Carl asked as he walked over with f. ¡°There are still many more. We need to remove the equipment that were installed with before arming them with weaponry. That is why it is taking us so long,¡± f exined. ¡°Get more men to help out. I fear that the hostiles will mount another offensive soon again.¡± Carl looked at the Braves as he stepped into the warehouse. ¡°Understood,¡± f said, before calling more of his staff members into the warehouse. Back at the ward, Nicole had sessfully breached the firstyer of defense for the mission, with two more left to crack into. She had initially wanted take a break before continuing, but it was then that a nurse strolled in with a medical cart, and upon seeing that Nicole was on herptop, she surmised that Nicole was working, and walked over to advise her. ¡°Miss Riddle, you should be resting up, not working.¡± Worried that the nurse would see what she was doing, she closed herptop. The nurse went on to change Nicole¡¯s IV solution before approaching Jared¡¯s bed. Along the way, Nicole was observing her every single move. She was always on guard as she had seen too many dirty tricks like this. Very quickly, the nurse examined Jared, who remained the same as before; he was still showing no signs of consciousness. The nurse then gave Nicole a few more instructions before leaving with the cart. After the nurse had left, Nicole got down from her bed and went up to Jared¡¯s side. Looking at the unresponsive Jared, she said, ¡°Jared, why aren¡¯t you up already? How long do you n to sleep? Are you trying to ck off here? Are you avoiding work, or are just avoiding me?¡± As she stared at the unresponsive Jared, Nicole began a long monologue with him, caressing his hand using both of hers. Suddenly, when Nicole was not looking, Jared¡¯s finger twitched, though this escaped her notice. Concurrently, the door to the ward swung open, and Martin came walking in. Seeing that Nicole was once again seated by Jared¡¯s bedside, talking to thetter, Martin did not bother to interrupt her. He walked in and sat down quietly. Nicole sensed that Martin was here and immediately turned around to ask, ¡°How long do you think it¡¯ll take for him to wake up?¡± Martin looked at Jared, who was still lying unconscious on the bed, and pondered for a bit before answering, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, he¡¯ll regain his consciousness soon enough.¡± Nicole looked Martin in the eyes, knowing that he was just trying tofort her. She then looked back at Jared, her hands stroking his. It was then that Nicole¡¯s phone suddenly burred. She picked it up and saw that she had received a message from Carl. [Nicole. I need a refill for the Beacon. Can you ship them over right away?] Seeing Carl¡¯s message, Nicole knew that he had been attacked, and so, she turned to Martin and asked, ¡°Martin, can you prepare another batch of medical solutions for the Beacon?¡± Martin took a nce at her phone and asked. ¡°How much do you need?¡± ¡°As much as possible. Send it to this address. ASAP,¡± she ordered. She had no way to aplish this herself now and had to hand it over to Martin.N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. Chapter 1415 Chapter 1415 Noticing that Nicole looked rather anxious, Martin said. ¡°Sure. Don¡¯t worry about it. I¡¯ll see to it right now. Just rest up here and wait for my update.¡± Original content from N?velDrama.Org. ¡°I¡¯ll leave it to you then,¡± Nicole said, giving Martin a look of appreciation ¡°Yeah,¡± Martin said. ¡°Don¡¯t you just sit there all the time. Take care of yourself. He still needs your care.¡± This was the most he had spoken to her in the past few days. ¡°I know,¡± she replied. ¡°I¡¯ll get back to bed in a bit.¡± ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll go settle that matter then,¡± Martin said, after which he got up and left the ward. Nicole saw him off, and after talking to Jared for a little while longer, she got back onto her bed. However, instead of resting, she turned herptop on and continued to crack the codes as required by the mission. Hours passed, and with her attention all focused on theputer, she did not even realize that it was already dark outside. It was then that Max pushed the door open and saw Nicole on theputer, prompting him to say, ¡°Good evening, Miss Riddle. How about catching a break and having some dinner first?¡± Max brought her dinner over to her and ced it on the table. It was only then that Nicole looked at him. ¡°When did youe?¡± Max was taken aback for a moment. ¡®Did she not hear me just now? Seems like Miss Riddle gets too engrossed when she works.¡¯ ¡°I just came in. I¡¯ve bought you dinner. Here, have a bite.¡± Max replied as she looked her in the eye. ¡°Oh, okay. Just leave it there first,¡± she said, and continued her task of breaching the cyber defenses. Max, who did not bother her, went up to Jared¡¯s bedside and took a seat to observe thetter. Nicole gave Jared a nce before she centered her eyes on the screen once again. This time, however, the process of hacking was not as easy as before and took time. She had to proceed very carefully, or else she would trigger an rm and mess it up for Zeke. Max stayed in the room for a while, and when it was time for him to leave, he stood up, wishing to bid her goodbye. However, upon seeing that she was as engrossed in her work as ever, he killed the thought, gently opened the door, and left, as he did not wish to disturb her. When she had managed to crack the second key, she raised her head and looked at Jared¡¯s direction, just to realize that Max had already left. It took her aback to think that she did not even realize that at all. Thankfully, Max was someone familiar and trustworthy. After she had worked for another few hours, she closed herptop and called it a night. Then, sheid down and fell asleep. During the night, Nicole heard the sound of a nurse pushing the door open. She took a nce and did not pay too much mind as she then closed her eyes and continued to sleep. Seeing that Nicole had not woken up, the nurse quietly walked up to Jared and took a look. When she saw that he was not disying any signs of regaining consciousness anytime soon, she quietly unplugged the power cord of one of the equipment before cautiously making her way to Nicole¡¯s side. When she saw that Nicole was still fast asleep, she took a new bottle of IV drip and exchanged it for her. She took a deep look at Nicole thereafter, before whirling around and making a beeline for the exit. Just as she was about to open the door, Martin walked in, and the two met at the door. Martin, who did not recognize the nurse, asked, ¡°Which department are you from? Why have I never seen you before?¡± ¡°I¡¯m from the medical department, but I was not in charge of Mr. Jared¡¯s room. The nurse-in-charge has fallen ill today, so I stepped in to take over,¡± the nurse said, not daring to look at Martin. Martin furrowed his brows. ¡®Why was I not informed that Lilian was sick?¡¯ Chapter 1416 Chapter 1416 ¡°Dr. Wyance, if there¡¯s nothing else, I¡¯ll proceed to the other wards now.¡± After she had said that, the nurse walked around Martin and left the room. Martin turned around and looked at the nurse¡¯s back with some lingering questions in his mind. ¡°What¡¯s the matter, Martin?¡± Nicole asked, as she got up to look at the door from which the noises had emanated. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. You¡¯ve eaten already, right? I¡¯ve only brought you something light.¡± Martin said, as he brought some food over to Nicole. Nicole sat up and looked at Martin as she said, ¡°I¡¯ve had dinner already. So, a light meal will just nice.¡± After she had spoken, she unconsciously darted her eyes at Jared, and noticed that a red light was emanating from the life support machine. She got out of bed at once, intending to hurry over to where the equipment were installed. ¡°What are you doing? Your IV is still attached!¡± Martin reminded upon seeing her springing to her feet like that. Nicole pulled the IV needle out without saying anything and walked over to Jared. When she was close, she saw that he was pale as sheet, and so, she proceeded to check the equipment. Next to her, and right beside the life support machine was a cord that had been left unplugged and strewn on the floor. With no time to think, she immediately plugged it in again. She then observed Jared¡¯s condition. Concurrently, Martin walked over and asked, ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°The life support cord fell off.¡± Nicole looked at Martin with a frown. ¡°Fell off?¡± Martin asked, taken aback when he heard that. ¡°How did the plug fall off? How¡¯s Jared?¡± Martin at Jared anxiously. Nicole did not answer him, and went on to observe Jared quietly. After a while, Jared¡¯splexion returned to normal and it was only then that was she relieved. ¡°He¡¯s back to normal.¡± Nicole said. Martin heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°That¡¯s good then.¡± ¡°Did someonee in earlier?¡± Nicole asked. ¡°Earlier?¡± Martin narrowed his eyes, trying to recall. N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. ¡°I don¡¯t know about earlier but I did run into a nurse just as I came in.¡± Nicole too recalled that she had seen a nurse walking in while she was in a daze, and the aforementioned nurse was walking toward Jared beforeing up to her. After that, she had paid the nurse no mind. Just as Nicole was recalling that, she suddenly felt dizzy and staggered, almost falling on Jared. Thankfully, Martin was there to grab her before she could. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Martin looked at her with a look of worry on his face. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I feel like I am cking out.¡± Nicole frowned slightly as she shook her head. ¡°Why would you feel dizzy all of a sudden? Did you overexert yourself today?¡± Martin asked, knowing that she was using theptop today, and that she must have been working in secret. Just as he was asking her, Nicole slouched against him, and after calling her few times without garnering any response, Martin instinctively felt that something was wrong with Nicole. He immediately picked her up and ced her back on her sick bed before examining her. And the results shocked Martin. ¡°How is she poisoned?!¡± Immediately after, he took the Beacon out to detoxify Nicole, before calling the other medical staff members to bring the emergency rescue equipment in. In the hallway, the doctors and nurses, who got Martin¡¯s message, rushed into Jared¡¯s ward with medical equipment in tow one after another. ¡°Hurry, get the equipment ready for emergency rescue! Nicole¡¯s poisoned!¡¯ Martin ordered without dallying. Everyone in the room was shocked when they heard that Nicole was poisoned. Under Martin¡¯s lead, they fought tooth and nail to save Nicole. At the same time, Jared¡¯s finger twitched again, but no one saw it. After a long process of expelling the poison from her system, Nicole was finally pulled from the brink of death, and seeing that her vital signs were returning to normal, Martin heaved a sigh of relief. Chapter 1417 Chapter 1417 He dismissed the rest of the staff, allowing them to rest while he stayed behind to monitor Nicole¡¯s condition. Martin had fortunately brought the Beacon with him, or else the fate that could befallen Nicole would have been unimaginable. Sitting at Nicole¡¯s bedside, he slowly observed her. Time slowly passed and when it was close to midnight, Nicole finally woke up. ¡°You¡¯re awake?¡± When Martin saw that Nicole finally awake, he became very excited as that meant that Nicole was fine now. She opened her eyes and saw that Martin was seated by her bed side. To her, his look of excitement seemed a little strange. She wanted to speak but she felt that her throat and mouth were severely dehydrated. Noticing that, Martin poured her a ss of water and carefully ced a straw in there. Nicole¡¯s thirst was sated after she had taken a huge gulp, and after she had handed the ss back to Martin, she realized it was really dark outside. ¡°How long have I been asleep? And why are you here at this hour?¡± ¡°How do you feel?¡± Martin asked with concern. ¡°For some reason, I feel lightheaded.¡± Nicole held her head. ¡°Lie down and rest up then.¡± Martin advised. Nicole looked at Martin and with her brows raised, she asked, ¡± Wasn¡¯t I with you moments ago? I suddenly felt dizzy when I got up, and I don¡¯t remember anything that has happened after that. Why am I in bed now?¡± ¡°You were poisoned earlier. Thankfully I noticed it, or else¡­ Well, what did you eat moments ago?¡± Martin asked her with a simr look. ¡°Poisoned?!¡± When she heard from Martin that she was poisoned, Nicole was in utter disbelief. ¡°How was I poisoned?¡± Nicole frowned and started to ponder, unwilling to believe that she had been dosed. ¡°You were indeed poisoned. Otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t be here until thiste.¡± ¡°You almost scared me to death when you suddenly stopped breathing moments ago,¡± Martin said, still fearful when he recalled everything that had happened just now. ¡°I didn¡¯t eat anything aside from the stuff Max had brought over.¡± Nicole recalled. ¡°This one?¡± Martin walked over to the dining table as he asked. ¡°Yep.¡± Martin took the Beacon to test the food out and found that there were no traces of poison. He then turned around and said, ¡°There¡¯s no poison in the food.¡± Original content from N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Of course. Why would Maxce the food with poison?¡± Nicole said with certainty. ¡°It¡¯s not the food, and you didn¡¯t seem to havee into contact with anything else¡­¡± Martin lowered his gaze as he pondered. ¡°Just lie down first. Try to recall what you¡¯ve came into contact with today or in the past few days that could¡¯ve caused a poisoning. ¡± Martin said, looking at her. Nicole leaned herself against the headboard as she tried to recall. Everything she had eaten recently were either brought over by Harvey or Max. The food brought over by the two of them would definitely not be problematic, so the possibility of food poisoning could be disregarded for the time being. ¡°Martin, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s food poisoning,¡± Nicole told him with a look of certainty on her face. Martin then asked in return. ¡°If it¡¯s not food poisoning, what do you think caused the poisoning then?¡± ¡°Could I have been poisoned by drugs?¡± A thought suddenly urred in Nicole¡¯s mind and she blurted it out. Martin locked eyes with her. ¡°Drugs? You¡¯ve been using the same IV drip for the past few days and it¡¯s my own prescription, so there shouldn¡¯t be a problem.¡± Martin was dead serious. How could he ever hurt Nicole? Chapter 1418 Chapter 1418 ¡°You misunderstood me. I¡¯m not suspecting you. Perhaps there were things that we might¡¯ve overlooked.¡± Nicole continued her attempts to recall as she spoke. ¡°Right, when I came in, there was a nurse who was about to leave your room. I¡¯ve never seen the nurse before, and she said she was standing in for Lilian.¡± Martin suddenly remembered. ¡°A nurse?¡± ¡°Yes. Did you know what she was doing inside your room?¡± Martin asked as he looked at Nicole. Nicole tried her best to recall and after a while, she said, ¡°I remember that the nurse came in to have a look at Jared before changing my IV drip. The procedures were as usual. I don¡¯t remember seeing anything particrly suspicious.¡± ¡°That¡¯s strange. What could it be then¡­?¡± Martin began to ponder. ¡°Wait, no!¡± Nicole cried out, having suddenly recalled something. Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Martin looked up at Nicole. ¡°After the nurse left, you came in, and I found that the plug on Jared¡¯s life support machine had fallen off. Normally, a plug that has been secured would not fall out like that if no one had touched it!¡± ¡°And then the nurse changed my drip¡­¡± Thinking of this, Nicole¡¯s eyes narrowed as she looked up at the IV drip stand. ¡°Where¡¯s the previous drip bag?¡± ¡°Over there. I changed it when I was performing emergency rescue. ¡± Martin quickly brought the IV bag over to Nicole. Nicole looked at the drip bag and could not see anything unusual from the surface. Handing the bag over to Martin, she ordered, ¡°Send it for a toxicology test. Perhaps we¡¯ll find out what¡¯s going on once the results are out.¡± Martin looked at Nicole and instantly understood what she meant. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll send it to theb right now.¡± Martin turned around and left with the drip bag. After he had left, Nicole got down from her bed and walked toward Jared¡¯s, as she was feeling much better now. She sat down beside him and inspected the instruments. Once she saw that nothing was amiss, she then turned toward Jared. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to wake up already? Did you know that something almost happened to you today? Thank goodness I noticed it first, or else you¡¯d have¡­¡± ¡°Anyway, just open your eyes soon, okay?¡± ¡°Nicole! There¡¯s something wrong with this drip bag!¡± Martin rushed over with the toxicology report and saw her sitting beside Jared¡¯s bed. ¡°Wait, why are you out of bed?¡± Martin asked with concern. ¡°I feel much better now. What were you saying about the IV drip?¡± Nicole asked. ¡°After we have tested the contents of the bag, we discovered that there was a slow-acting, lethal poison in it!¡± Martin said with a grim look on his face. ¡°As expected!¡± she cried out. Even though she had expected that this would be the case, it was still quite harrowing to hear it for herself. ¡°It looks like it can only be the nurse¡¯s doing.¡± Nicole narrowed her eyes. ¡°It must be her then,¡± Martin concurred. ¡°I¡¯ll go look for her right now!¡± Martin said as he got up, wishing to look for that nurse. ¡°She would¡¯ve fled long ago, so forget it,¡± Nicole said. ¡°Martin, I didn¡¯t see how she looked like. You ran into her. Do you remember her face?¡± ¡°She was wearing a mask at that time, so I could only see her eyes. Her eyes were deep with double- eyelids¡­ She also looked like she was wearing a pearl earring.¡± Martin said, attempting to recall. ¡°A pearl earring?¡± Nicole asked. ¡°Right. I felt that something was weird back then. How could a nurse be wearing such a big earring? Now that I think of it, she¡¯s no nurse at all. Gosh, I¡¯m such an idiot!¡± Martin sighed while ming himself. After all, the culprit was right there, standing before him, and yet he could not tell at that time. Chapter 1419 Chapter 1419 ¡°You¡¯re not at fault. No one expected this to happen,¡± Nicole said,forting him. ¡°Thank god you were alright,¡± Martin said. ¡°Or else, what do I even tell Jaredter?¡± ¡°Alright, alright. Go to the security room. Check and see how the nurse left the hospital. She¡¯d definitely have revealed herself after leaving this ce,¡± Nicole told Martin. ¡°I¡¯ll go look into it right away,¡¯ he said. ¡°Okay.¡± At noon, during the very next day, Harvey bought a meal from the Blue Whale Cafe and visited Nicole. As he opened the door with the meal in hand, he saw Nicole and Martin talking about something. When the two saw him walking in, they stopped. Nicole looked at Harvey and asked, ¡°Uh, why are you here?¡± Harvey lifted the food and shed it before her. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you wanted to eat something from the Blue Whale Cafe? I went there to get some takeout before I came here. Want to give it a try now?¡± ¡°Thankyou. Just leave it there first,¡± Nicole said. ¡°Alright.¡± Harvey ced the lunch box on the small table by Nicole¡¯s bed before looking at the two. ¡°With this footage, leave the rest to me. You still have other things to see to.¡± Nicole told Martin. N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. ¡°But you¡¯re really weak now. How are you going to deal with it?¡± Martin asked with a look of disapproval. ¡°What are you two talking about?¡± Harvey walked over and asked. ¡°Nothing. Let¡¯s have lunch.¡± Nicole nced at Martin before walking over to the small table. Martin looked at Harvey and said, ¡°Nicole, how about we let Mr. Ellison handle this? He¡¯s no stranger to us, and I¡¯m not really keen on letting you handle this.¡± ¡°What needs her handling? She¡¯s a patient now.¡± Harvey looked at Martin with his brows raised. He did not approve of Nicole needing to handle anything at this moment. Martin did not tell him about it directly. Instead, he looked at Nicole, as though he was asking her if she wanted to tell Harvey or not. Nicole then contemted for a moment, ¡®Harvey had been involved previously, and so, there is no need to hide this from him.¡¯ ¡°Here¡¯s the deal. Someone pretended to be a nurse, got into the ward, unplugged the instrument monitoring Jared¡¯s vital signs, and poisoned my IV drip. We¡­¡± Before Nicole could finish, Harvey interrupted her. ¡°Poisoned?! How could that happened with so many bodyguards outside?¡± ¡°Are you alright, Nicole?¡± Harvey, who was shocked, walked over to check on Nicole. ¡°I¡¯m fine. Thankfully, Martin was around at that time.¡± Nicole darted Martin a nce. Harvey also gave Martin a nce before asking Nicole, ¡°Who did this!? The audacity of him!¡± ¡°It must be someone that hates me to the bone.¡± Nicole blurted out. ¡°Yes, you¡¯re right.¡± Martin looked at Nicole, having thought of someone from what she had said. ¡°You mean¡­¡± Nicole then thought of someone and could not help but to meet Martin¡¯s gaze. ¡°What are you two talking about? I¡¯m quite lost.¡± Harvey said, totally confused. The two ignored him as they continued, ¡°Seems like there¡¯s no longer any need to investigate. We just need to grab hold of the person to get to the bottom of this.¡± A cold glint appeared in Martin¡¯s eyes. It was fine if he was the one who got hurt, but hurting Nicole was something he could never abide. ¡°I¡¯ve yet to fully recover, so I¡¯ll not able to get that perpetrator myself.¡± Chapter 1420 Chapter 1420 ¡°We can¡¯t make use of Jared¡¯s men either¡­¡± Nicole said as both she and Martin looked at Harvey in unison. ¡°Why are you looking at me?¡± Harvey asked, crept out by their gaze. ¡°You¡¯re the only one who can help us with this.¡± Martin looked into Harvey¡¯s eyes. ¡°Help you? With capturing people?¡± Harvey looked at them with his brows raised. ¡°Actually, what are you talking about? Can you exin to me?¡± Harvey asked. ¡°Harvey, someone attempting to poison Nicole. Do you understand now?¡± Martin exined. N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. ¡°I¡¯ve heard that part, but who are you nning to capture?¡± Harvey asked, puzzled. ¡°Him.¡± Martin looked for a picture on his phone and sent it to Harvey¡¯s. ¡°Isn¡¯t this¡­¡± ¡°Are you saying that he¡¯s the one who poisoned Nicole?¡± Harvey looked at Nicole with curious eyes. ¡°He¡¯s the only one who has the motive now, and that¡¯s why I need you to bring him to us,¡± Nicole said coldly. ¡°Are you going to interrogate him here?¡± Harvey asked. ¡°Of course not. Find an empty room in the suburbs and take him there; I¡¯ll interrogate him there. And please, remember not to expose yourself,¡± Nicole reminded him. ¡°Sure, I¡¯m on it.¡± Harvey then walked out. When he reached the door, he suddenly stopped and turned to Nicole. ¡°Remember to eat the lunch I brought you.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°Nicole, if Harvey manages to bring him to us, do you really want to perform the interrogation yourself?¡± Martin asked. ¡°Of course,¡± Nicole affirmed. ¡°All right then,¡± he said.¡± I¡¯ll being with you.¡± Martin knew Nicole¡¯s character. Once she had made up her mind, there was no going back. ¡°It¡¯s fine. When I¡¯m not around, please take care of Jared.¡± Nicole looked at him with a stern expression. Martin obviously understood what Nicole was trying to say, so he nodded in agreement. ¡°Very well then, but you can¡¯t go there alone, either. You should take Kelly with you. It¡¯s best if someone is around if anything happens.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. Harvey will be there, so you don¡¯t have to worry,¡± she said. Then, she looked at Jared. ¡°It¡¯s all set, then. Anyway, we¡¯ve been talking for hours. You should check up on Jared¡¯s condition now.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Martin walked up to Jared¡¯s bed and proceeded to examine his condition. ¡°So?¡± Nicole asked when she saw him putting his stethoscope away. He shook his head. ¡°Everything¡¯s still the same.¡± ¡°Why? Is it because the medicine is not effective?¡± Nicole looked at the medicine, doubtful of it. She then took a seat and checked Jared¡¯s pulse. After some time, she asked, ¡°Martin, can you lend me a pen?¡± She took the pen and wrote a prescription on a piece of paper before passing it to Martin. ¡°Can you please follow the instructions and bring me the medication.¡± ¡°Are you sure, Nicole? He won¡¯t be able to drink it by himself now. ¡± Martin looked at Nicole with his brows raised. ¡°Yeah, just do what I say. I have a n,¡± she said. ¡°Fine, I¡¯m on it now. You shouldn¡¯t sit on the floor for too long. Take a rest on the bed.¡± Martin then left with the prescription in his hand. Nicole sat next to Jared and began talking to him. Before she knew it, the entire afternoon had passed. Chapter 1421 Chapter 1421 When the nurse walked in with the medication, Nicole was still sitting by Jared¡¯s bed. ¡°You¡¯ve just undergone detoxification, Miss Riddle. It¡¯s not right for you to be this active,¡± the nurse reminded Nicole gently. ¡°Okay, did Martin ask you to bring these here?¡± Nicole looked at the medication atop the nurse¡¯s tray. ¡°Yeah, Dr. Wyance told me to bring these to you.¡± The nurse handed Nicole the medication. ¡°Alright, you may leave now,¡± Nicole said to the nurse. Original content from N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Sure, just alert me if you need anything,¡± the nurse said, after which she exited the ward. Nicole stared at the medication before looking back at Jared. ¡®How am I supposed to feed him¡­?¡¯ ¡®Seems like this is the only way.¡¯ Nicole ced the medicine into her mouth and leaned in toward Jared¡¯s lips¡­ As she was doing that, Jared¡¯s eyshes fluttered, and this time, she was able to catch it. She quickly looked back up in shock. ¡°Are you awake?¡± Nicole asked excitedly, though he there was no response from him. Dejectedly, Nicole then said, ¡°If you can hear me, please move your eyelids.¡± She then stared at Jared¡¯s eyes quietly, waiting for a miracle to happen. But three minutes had passed, and much to her chagrin, Jared remained still and unresponsive. The look of excitement on Nicole¡¯s face began to vanish. ¡°It¡¯s okay. At least I¡¯m able to see you recovering. Keep taking this medication, and you¡¯ll be waking up in no time.¡± Nicole said. She wanted Jared to hear her, and at the same time, also wanted to give herself some confidence. Tired after talking to Jared for such a long time, Nicole returned to her bed to catch some rest. Suddenly, she thought of Zeke, whereupon she took her phone out to search for his contact before sending him an encrypted text message. However, Zeke did not reply, even after a long while. Thinking that it was because he was still in hiding, she did not wait for his response. Then, she switched herptop on and continued to work on her mission. Two dayster, Harvey sent a message to Nicole. ¡°I¡¯ve captured that guy. We¡¯re in the suburbs in the west of the city. I¡¯ve already sent you the location.¡± ¡°Did you expose yourself?¡± Nicole asked. ¡°Nope.¡± ¡°Good. I¡¯ll be there in a second.¡± Nicole switched herptop off and got off her bed. She walked up to Jared¡¯s bed and looked at him before calling Martin. ¡°Are you free now? Harvey has captured that man.¡± ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll head to the hospital now.¡± Having understood what Nicole had said, he quickly ditched whatever he was doing and drove to the hospital without the slightest hesitation. And when he opened the door to the ward, Nicole was already geared up, ready to make a move. Martin asked as he looked at Nicole¡¯s outfit, ¡°Are you ready? Are you sure that it¡¯s safe out there?¡± ¡°It¡¯s safe. Harvey will be with meter. Besides, this ce is pretty close to the west coast,¡± Nicole exined. Martin nodded. ¡°Sure.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll leave Jared in your hands now. Do not leave this ce until I am back,¡± Nicole reminded him, as she was worried about Jared. ¡°Okay, I shall guarantee that he won¡¯t be harmed or worse off than he was,¡± Martin promised. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll make a move now.¡± Nicole looked at Jared again before turning around to leave. ¡°Keep your wits about you. You must inspect anyone who¡¯sing into the ward. If you notice anyone suspicious, just detain them and wait for my return!¡± Nicole ordered the bodyguards at the door. ¡°Understood,¡± the bodyguards said. After had spoken, Nicole made her way to the elevator. It had been some time since she had walked out of the hospital. The air was so much fresher outside. Nicole quickly made a beeline for her car and drove off to the west coast. Chapter 1422 Chapter 1422 As Nicole¡¯s car gradually left the town, the view around her began to turn dreary and unfamiliar. She saw a house from afar, but she was not sure if it was the same one whose location Harvey had sent her, so she made her way over there. When she had pulled up, she scanned the decrepit building. There were a few cars parked outside, so she walked into the building carefully. Nicole then sent Harvey a text. [I¡¯m here. Where are you?] Harvey replied. [I¡¯m in here. Come to the second floor] Nicole looked at the spiral staircase and kept her eyes on the second floor as she walked upstairs. The moment he saw her, Harvey went over to greet her. ¡°Put this mask on.¡± Harvey passed her a mask. Nicole grabbed it, wore it, and turned around with her back facing Harvey. Sitting somewhere nearby was someone with a sack over his head, tied to a chair. Nicole approached the man who had been tied up and ordered the people around her, ¡°Take that sack off.¡± Luke¡¯s face appeared before her after his sack had been removed, and he was shocked to see two masked individuals standing before him. Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org. He stuttered as he asked, ¡°Who are you?! Why did you kidnap me?! 11 ¡°You don¡¯t need to know who we are. Just admit your recent wrongdoings if you want to live,¡± Harvey asked him in an altered tone of voice. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re saying. If you¡¯re Jared¡¯s goons, you should know who I am by now. You¡¯ll be better off if you release me now! If not, I¡¯ll give you hell!¡± Luke threatened them, his re fierce and murderous. ¡°Jared? Why would you say that we¡¯re Jared¡¯s people? Are you afraid of Jared because you did something terrible to him?¡± Harvey asked upon discovering the gap in his answer. ¡°I¡¯m not afraid of him! He might not even wake up anymore, so why should I be afraid of a dead man?!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t even try to bait me. If you don¡¯t work for Jared, why have you captured me? We don¡¯t owe each other anything, so what do you want?¡± Luke asked, deducing that they were kidnappers who were after his money if Jared was not a part of the equation. ¡°We just want an answer,¡± Nicole said all of a sudden. ¡°An answer? An answer to what¡­?¡± Luke looked at Nicole. ¡°Do you know this nurse?¡± Nicole showed him a picture of the woman whom Martin had found. Luke immediately recognized the person in the picture, but he proceeded to deny it. ¡°Nope.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a quick response. Did you even have a good look at it?¡± Nicole mockingly asked, as she knew that he was lying. ¡°I really don¡¯t know who this person is. If you wish to find her, why don¡¯t you just do it? Why do you have to tie me up?¡± ¡°Have a closer look, Luke. I¡¯m going to ask you one more time. Do you know this woman?¡± Nicole asked, her tone a lot fiercer than before. Luke had many experiences with situations like this, so he was not going to admit to anything in a situation like this. ¡°I¡¯ve said it already. I don¡¯t know her. You got the wrong person,¡± Luke said, still attempting to deny it. ¡°Ah, so you¡¯re not going to spill, huh? Fine, I¡¯m not going to force you.¡± ¡°Guys,e over and give him a taste of the full-face mask,¡± Nicole ordered the bodyguards. The bodyguards exchanged looks. As they had no idea what Nicole was saying, all of them stayed put. ¡°Why are you not doing anything? Come on!¡± Nicole ordered coldly. ¡°Sir, what does full-face mask even mean?¡± a bodyguard asked Harvey. This was the first-time Harvey had heard that term as well, so he looked at Nicole with a slight frown and a brow raised. Chapter 1423 Chapter 1423 It was only then that Nicole realized that they knew next to nothing about this approach. So, she stood up and tried to find something that could help her. She went to Harvey and said, ¡°I need some of this.¡± Then, she raised her dagger and cut a small piece of fabric off Harvey¡¯s shirt. Harvey was shocked. ¡°Why did you do that?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll get you a new shirtter.¡± Nicole then went up to Luke with that piece of cloth in her hand. ¡°Hold him still and get me that bottle of water.¡± Nicole looked at Luke and said. ¡°What the hell are you doing? You better think this through¡­¡± Original content from N?velDrama.Org. Nicole went on to cover his face with that piece of cloth before he could finish his sentence. After that, she took the bottle of water from the bodyguard and asked Luke again, ¡°Do you know that woman?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t.¡± Nicole poured the water on the cloth and Luke began struggling. ¡°Press it tighter against his face and make sure he enjoys it,¡± Nicole said to the bodyguard. ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am.¡± Luke¡¯s struggling and thrashing became even more violent as he was running out of air. Nicole told the bodyguard to remove the cloth from Luke¡¯s face just before he was about to asphyxiate. Luke gasped for air right after that and his face turned purple and livid. Nicole then looked at him and said, ¡°Do you who that person is, now?¡± ¡°No.¡± Luke denied, still refusing to give in. ¡°Fine, do it again!¡± Nicole looked at Luke contemptuously. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Luke groaned as they covered his face again. This time, Nicole waited for a while longer before she allowed her security detail to remove the cloth from his face. She took her time, as Luke fought for his life. It took two bodyguards to pin him down. It was only when she saw that Luke was about to pass out that she motioned the men to remove the piece of cloth from his face. The bodyguards took the wet cloth off his face, and Luke¡¯s eyes rolled back. He was gasping as he slowly regained his consciousness. Luke red at Nicole weakly. ¡°I¡¯m not going to spill anything, even if you torture me to death.¡± ¡°Well, okay. Let¡¯s do it again¡­¡± But before Nicole couldplete her sentence, Luke caved in, and shouted, ¡°Wait! Stop it. I¡¯ll tell you. I¡¯ll tell you everything.¡± Luke could not bear to go through that again. If this continued, he would die here. ¡°Go ahead. Tell me everything you know, and truthfully too.¡± Nicole looked at him coldly. Luke nced at her and spoke after he had taken a few deep breaths. ¡°I know that nurse.¡± ¡°What did you tell her to do?¡± ¡°I-I told her to teach Nicole a lesson,¡± Luke said with a ruthless look on his face. ¡°Just a lesson?¡± Nicole asked. ¡°Of course. Nicole is the reason as to why my daughter is dead. There¡¯s just no way I¡¯d let her get away with it.¡± Luke¡¯s passionate hatred for Nicole surged when he thought of Joyce¡¯s death. ¡°Did you tell the nurse to poison her?¡± Nicole¡¯s gaze became icier as the interrogation progressed. ¡°Poison? Why would you say that? It¡¯s illegal!¡± Luke put on a surprised look as if he was truly innocent. Nicole lifted the edge of her mouth coldly. ¡°So you know it¡¯s illegal, huh?¡± Then, she took the concoction out and threw it in front of Luke, who was taken aback the moment he saw it. ¡®It looks like Nicole sent these people to kidnap me. Does this mean that she is still alive?¡¯ Chapter 1424 Chapter 1424 ¡°Did Nicole send you?¡± Luke looked at Nicole, who was wearing a mask, with his bloodshot eyes. N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. ¡°I guess you probably knew that this IVbag wasced with a lethal concoction.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t. If anything, it has got to be the nurse. I¡¯m innocent!¡± Luke cried, his face pale as sheet. ¡°How dare you say that?!¡± Nicole yelled, her voice so icy that it could literally freeze Luke. Having felt her sheer viciousness, he slumped against the chair, terrified. ¡°I swear I¡¯m not lying.¡± ¡°Luke, do you really think we have no idea what you did after we got you here? You better be honest if you don¡¯t wish to experience anything worse!¡± she yelled. ¡°I don¡¯t know anything. Please just let me go.¡± Luke pleaded, set on not admitting to anything after having figured that these masked individuals were sent here by Nicole. ¡°It seems to me that you¡¯ve grown tired of living.¡± Nicole took a dagger out as she approached Luke slowly. She shot him a nce and proceeded to stab him in the leg. Luke yelled out in pain as blood gushed out of the open wound, with streams running down the hilt of the knife and down onto the floor. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± ¡°Have you changed your mind?¡± Nicole looked at him coldly as if she could not hear his grunts at all. Harvey, who was standing at the side, became quite frightened after seeing how cruel Nicole was. It was his first-time seeing this side of her. Luke had never experienced pain of this sort. Unable to endure it anymore, he began to beg for mercy. ¡°Please just let me go. I¡¯ll tell you everything.¡± Nicole kept the dagger plunged into the wound and said, ¡°Go ahead. 11 Luke knew that he would probably lose his leg if he uttered another lie to this masked woman after seeing how serious things had gotten. He was now afraid to hide the truth, so he confessed to everything he had done to Nicole. Nicole released her grip on the dagger and took a recorder out, with Luke getting anxious after seeing it. ¡°You¡¯re so despicable. How could you do this?¡± ¡°You wily old fox. You¡¯re going to spend the rest of your life in prison.¡± Nicole took her mask off. Luke could not help but gasp after seeing Nicole¡¯s face. Then, he said while looking at her in shock, ¡°Nicole? It¡¯s you?!¡± He was about to reach out and snatch Nicole¡¯s phone, but a sharp pain in his leg stymied him as soon as he moved, stopping him from doing anything. ¡°You should¡¯ve seen thising, you old fart. You would¡¯ve never ended up like this if you didn¡¯t try to harm anyone.¡± Nicole looked at the bodyguard beside her after she hadpleted her sentence. ¡°Send him to the police and give them a copy of this recording too. 11 ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am,¡± one of the men replied. ¡°Nicole, do you really think you can send me to prison? You¡¯re way too naive!¡± Luke barked. Nicole turned around and looked at him. ¡°You better hope that they lock you up, because you¡¯re going to have it worse out here¡­¡± Then, she left the ce with Harvey, leaving Luke¡¯s resentful whining behind them. Harvey removed his mask and looked at Nicole after they had gotten out. ¡°Nicole, you were ruthless back there!¡± Nicole gave him a nce and said, ¡°Let¡¯s head back.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Harvey was a little intimidated by Nicole, so he quickly got into the car and quietly went back to the hospital with her. Harvey was still in admiration of what Nicole had done as they made their way to the corridor. Suddenly, Nicole stopped, causing Harvey to almost bump into her. ¡°Why did you stop?¡± Harvey asked as he looked at Nicole with his brows raised. ¡°Don¡¯t mention anything about Luke when we get insideter.¡± Nicole looked at Harvey and said. ¡°Why? Are you afraid that Martin would find out?¡± Harvey looked at Nicole with his brows furrowed. Chapter 1425 Chapter 1425 I have my reasons. Just keep that in mind.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Martin was sitting in the ward when they pushed the door open. He had not left the room even once ever since Nicole had gone out. ¡°You¡¯re back.¡¯1 Martin stood up and looked at them. ¡°Yeah,¡± Nicole uttered. ¡°How did it go?¡± Martin looked at Nicole with a brow raised. ¡°Things weren¡¯t bad at all,¡± she replied, not needing to worry about being ambushed anymore. ¡°That¡¯s great,¡± Martin said. Suddenly, Martin¡¯s phone rang, and he took a nce at it. ¡°Nicole, somebody from the factory just called. I¡¯ll make my way there now, since you guys are back.¡± Martin looked at Nicole and said. ¡°Sure,¡± she replied. ¡°Thanks for your help. See you.¡± ¡°No worries,¡± Martin replied. ¡°See you around, Harvey.¡± ¡°Okay, drive safe,¡± Harvey said. Harvey went up to Jared¡¯s bed and looked at him. Then, he walked over to Nicole and asked, ¡°Should we get something to eat?¡± ¡°I¡¯m good. I wish to stay here,¡± Nicole declined, as she thought that there had to be at least one person in the ward. ¡°Come on. I know you¡¯re worried about Jared being alone here, but Luke has been taken care of. Besides, there are so many bodyguards outside. Jared will be fine,¡± Harvey told Nicole. ¡°Even though Luke isn¡¯t a threat anymore, I just don¡¯t feel safe leaving Jared alone here. You should just go out and eat on your own.¡± Nicole hospital. ¡°Hold on, Nicole. We¡¯re almost at the hospital,¡± Jared tried tofort Nicole as he drove. ¡°Not the hospital. Look for Martin. He¡¯s the best doctor around,¡± Nicole reminded him as shey in the back. Jared immediately turned the car around and drove to the Beacon factory. Anxious, he gave Martin a call. ¡°Martin, Nicole¡¯s hurt. Where are you now?¡± ¡°Nicole¡¯s hurt?!¡± ¡®I¡¯m at home. You cane over now,¡± Martin told him. During the previous renovation, he had built a professional medical room in his house to be used in unique situations. ¡°Okay, welle over right now.¡± Martin went to get the equipment ready as soon as he put down the phone. Jared sped all the way there, running several traffic lights. In less than ten minutes, he had arrived at Martin¡¯s ce. Jared carried Nicole inside. ¡°Martin?¡± Hearing Jared¡¯s voice, Martin immediately got out to meet them. ¡°Put her on the bed,¡± he instructed. Jared put Nicole on the sick bed and looked at her with an anxious look on his face. ¡°Go out and take a breather. I¡¯ll check Nicole¡¯s injuries.¡± Martin looked at Jared. ¡°I¡¯ll stay here. Work on her now. I won¡¯t disturb you.¡± Jared had no intention of leaving Nicole alone. He wanted to stay by her side. looked at Harvey and returned to the bed to get some rest. N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. Harvey figured that it would not be appropriate for him to persuade her any further as she had already gotten into bed. In addition, he would be the one to me, should anything terrible happen to Jared if Nicole left. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll go alone then. Let me know what you¡¯d like to eat, and I¡¯ll bring them back here,¡± Harvey offered as he looked at her. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I don¡¯t have an appetite.¡± Nicole took herptop out and began typing away. ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll get going now.¡± Harvey quietly left after seeing how Nicole was giving him the cold shoulder. ¡°Sure,¡± Nicole said, staring at herptop screen without even lifting her head. Harvey left the hospital. As soon as he figured that there was little point in eating alone, he returned to the office, instead of going to a restaurant. Back in the base of operations, Carl was on the phone with f. ¡°Is the equipment ready?¡± ¡°It will be soon. Five units of Braves are yet to be armed.¡± f responded. ¡°Good. Give me ess to the Braves after they¡¯re ready. I must start nning on the defense,¡± Carl said to f. ¡®They¡¯re owned by thepany. I¡¯ve got to ask for my superior¡¯s permission before doing so,¡± f exined to Carl. ¡°Okay. Get it done as soon as possible. I fear that The Raven willunch another assault soon,¡± Carl said, telling f about his worries. ¡°Sure. I¡¯ll get it done right now.¡± f hung up and dialed his superior¡¯s number. ¡°Yes, I understand. Rest assured; I¡¯ll be sure to cooperate with Carl,¡± f said, addressing the person on the phone in the most courteous way he thought possible. ¡°Get the Braves ready as soon as possible. I need return to the central control room now. Keep me updated,¡± f ordered his subordinates, after which he left. Carl was still waiting for fs reply in the master control room, when all of a sudden, The Raven mounted another offensive again. Carl immediately issuedbat orders to every squad present there.¡± Send the Braves to the front and let them cover US. I need you to work together with the Braves and shoot at the enemies from the back. That way, we can defend against the enemies in the most effective way possible.¡± ¡°Sir, we don¡¯t have ess to the Braves yet, so our men are stuck out there. What should we do?¡± one of the group leaders reported to Carl. Chapter 1426 Chapter 1426 I¡¯ll think of something. You¡¯ve got to hold out for a while longer. After I¡¯ve gotten the authorization, I will send The Braves over to stand in for you.¡± N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. ¡°Okay.¡± The group said, and went off to execute Carl¡¯s order at once. From outside of the control room, f rushed over, barging through the door, and went up to Carl¡¯s side. ¡°How did it go?¡± Carl looked at him and asked. ¡®They¡¯ve agreed. The higher ups have given US the authorization. All of the units in the base are now under yourmand,¡± f handed the authorization code to Carl. As soon as he had acquired the authorization, Carl immediately ordered The Braves to take position at each gate andunched a counteroffensive against The Raven once. Almost instantly, the tide of the battle turned as Carl marched The Braves to the gates. The men cooperated with the Braves as they emptied the magazines on the Ravens. The battle transpired over the night, with both sides engaging each other fiercely. The Raven, who had always relied on their heavy artillery, were easily defeated after Carl had gotten authorization over the Braves. Carl ascended to the rooftop and called Nicole following their sessful victory in defending the base. ¡°Hey, why did it take you so long to answer the phone?¡± Carl asked sharply when he saw that Nicole was taking longer to answer the phone. ¡°I was busy moments ago. How¡¯s everything on your end? Have you received the Beacons I¡¯ve sent to you?¡± Nicole¡¯s tone was filled with concern. ¡°Everything¡¯s fine on my side. We¡¯ve just seeded in defending the base against The Raven.¡± Carl said, reporting the good news to her, as he did not wish to make her anxious. ¡°I¡¯ve yet to receive the shipment. Perhaps it¡¯s on the way. Well, even if it has arrived, it won¡¯t be easy for US to get it, as members of The Raven are just right outside.¡± ¡°How many Beacons do you have left? Is it enough?¡± Nicole asked, worried. ¡°Yeah, there is enough to go around,¡± he replied. ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± Carl had previously counted the quantity of Beacons before heading up to the rooftop. ¡¯Half of our entire stock had been used up, the new shipment isn¡¯ting in, and things are getting worse, as our defense efforts are getting more challenging.¡¯ ¡°That¡¯s great. I¡¯lle over to help you out after I¡¯m done with my work here,¡± she said. Nicole¡¯s words were like a beacon of bright light in the darkness, giving Carl the hope he never thought he needed. Although Carl would like it if Nicole fought side by side with him, he had to decline the offer. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s fine,¡± he said. ¡°You can rest easy, knowing that nothing will go wrong here. The Raven isn¡¯t that big of an issue. You should focus on your job back at home.¡± ¡®Well, you¡¯re the best!¡± Nicole said. ¡°Be vignt, and don¡¯t ever let your guard down.¡± Nicole knew Carl¡¯s character all too well, which was why she did not argue with him, opting instead to give her words of encouragement. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll see you after the missions are over,¡± Carl said over the phone. ¡°Sure, you should hurry up now,¡± Nicole urged. ¡°Of course,¡± he said. ¡°Anyway, I have to go now.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± After hanging up, Carl returned to the main control room and continued to deploy his defenses all over base. Meanwhile, Nicole was busy cracking thest key for Zeke. Nicole heaved a long sigh of relief as she had finally found thest secret key. She had lived up to Zeke¡¯s expectation, owing to her ability to decipher the encryption for the task. Chapter 1427 Chapter 1427 ¡®I don¡¯t know where he is and how he¡¯s doing now.¡¯ Nicole thought. She was nning to contact Zeke, but was then met with an unexpected pop-up alert on herputer. ¡®There is a dyed rm that has always been hidden,¡¯ she surmised.¡¯ Once the codes have been deciphered, it¡¯ll still be triggered regardless if the mission was a sess or not. My location has been locked into as soon as I¡¯ve cracked it.¡¯ Nicole immediately recognized the seriousness of the matter and called Martin. ¡®Martin, I have something urgent that I need to tend to, and I have to leave for the time being. As for Jared¡­I¡¯ll leave him to you.¡± Nicole shot Jared a nce while talking to Martin on the phone. ¡°What happened?¡± Martin asked, confused by Nicole¡¯s sudden phone call, as well as her odd request. ¡¯I don¡¯t have time to exin to you now. I¡¯ll exin everything once I get back. I have to leave right away, so can you get here before I leave?¡± Nicole asked, her tone brimming with impatience. ¡°Okay. I¡¯lle over right away,¡± he agreed. It was Martin¡¯s first-time hearing Nicole being so impatient. After hanging up, Nicole quickly packed herptop and her belongings, ready to leave at any given moment. She then walked over to Jared¡¯s hospital bed before leaning over to kiss him on the forehead. ¡°Jared, I may have to leave for a bit. You have to wake up as soon as possible, and when Ie back, I hope to see the old you again.¡± The door of the ward was suddenly thrown open by Martin, who walked in quickly and went up to her to ask, ¡¯ Nicole, what is it that you¡¯re in such a hurry for? You have notpleted your recovery yet. It¡¯s not advisable for you to go out.¡± Martin looked at Nicole with concern, as he did not want things to turn out the way they did, likest time. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me, I¡¯m fine. While I¡¯m away, I¡¯ll leave Jared to you. Please, take good care of him for me!¡± Nicole looked at Martin earnestly, for she trusted him the most. ¡°Don¡¯t you worry, I¡¯ll take good care of him. Where are you heading? You should at least give me for a heads-up, right?¡± Martin asked, feeling that Nicole was behaving a little too strangely. ¡®Why is it that she suddenly has to leave on a business trip?¡¯ he thought. ¡®To top it all, all of this sounds very suspicious.¡¯ ¡®The less people know about this, the better. I¡¯m not telling you for your own sake.¡± Nicole nced at the time. ¡®I have to leave, I can¡¯t stay here.¡¯ This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. Martin¡¯s lowered his gaze. ¡®Is it possible that she¡¯s going out there to do something risky?¡¯ ¡°Nicole, you can¡¯t go about doing stuff that¡¯ll get you killed!¡± ¡°There¡¯s nothing dangerous about it,¡± she said. ¡°It¡¯s just a business trip abroad. What are you so nervous about? Things just came up, and when they did, I just have to go.¡± ¡°Okay, I have to leave now. I¡¯ll call you when I have the time.¡± Nicole gave Jared onest nce after she had spoken, whereupon she left in a hurry. Martin watched as Nicole left. He wanted to follow to see what was going on, but with Jared¡¯s life entrusted to him, he could not leave thetter alone in the ward without anyone to tend to him. Martin took his phone out and called Harvey, Mr. Ellison, Nicole just¡­¡± ¡°Okay, I got it. I¡¯ll head to the airport right away.¡± Harvey hung up and drove to the airport at once. Nicole sat in a taxi while inquiring about thetest flight. ¡®I have to go somewhere safe before I get myself exposed.¡¯ Then, at the airport, while Nicole was going through security checks, Harvey rushed in, looking around for Nicole at the seating area. Soon, he suddenly caught a glimpse of a familiar figure, and that was when he loudly shouted, ¡¯Nicole!¡± Nicole heard a familiar voice calling out to her and looked up to see that it was Harvey. ¡®What is he doing here!?¡¯ She quickly ducked down, before she grabbed her belongings and boarded the ne. Chapter 1428 Chapter 1428 Harvey noticed that Nicole had no intention of waiting for him, and so, he rushed toward the security checkpoint, trying to catch up to her, but was stopped. ¡¯Excuse me sir, but you cant venture past this point without a ticket,¡± the terminal guard said. ¡°My friend is over there. I just want to talk to her for a minute,¡± Harvey anxiously exined as he nced over at the direction that Nicole was at. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but you can¡¯t enter.¡± Seeing that the security personnel refused would never let him pass, he was left with no choice but to make a run for the counter and purchase a ticket. Unfortunately, he was told that the ticket sales had stopped. Harvey clenched his fists angrily, wishing to argue with the agent, but he knew that they were just doing their jobs and following the policiesid out by thepany. Harvey then suppressed his anger and asked, ¡®In that case, could you help me find out where that ne is going?¡± ¡°Okay, just a moment sir/ the agent said, before returning a momentter. ¡¯ Excuse me sir, the ne is headed to Lanningbourg.¡± ¡¯Lanningbourg¡­?¡¯ Harvey frowned while thinking about it. ¡°What time is the next flight to Lanningbourg?¡± Harvey asked. ¡°The next flight to Lanningbourg is an hour from now.¡± ¡°Okay, thanks.¡± Harvey then left the ticket counter and went to an empty ce to call Martin. ¡°How¡¯s it going? Did you manage to catch up to her?¡± Martin asked in an inquiring tone of voice. ¡°I almost caught up to her! She saw me, and that was when she turned around and left. If it was not for the security getting in my way, I would have stopped her,¡± Harvey said in defeat. ¡°Oh¡­¡± Martin uttered, feeling a little disappointed as well. ¡°However, I was told that Nicole¡¯s flight is bound for Lanningbourg. There¡¯s another flight in an hour. I¡¯ll take this flight to find her/ Harvey divulged, exined his n to Martin. ¡°Since she didn¡¯t want you around her, I don¡¯t think it¡¯ll be necessary for you to follow her there. She must have her reasons. If you follow her there, you might ruin her ns,¡± Martin replied. Harvey hesitated after hearing Martin¡¯sprehensive consideration of the current situation. Harvey then sat down, and carefully, he began to recall the scene when he saw Nicole earlier. ¡®Nicole had taken me to Lanningbourg before. Earlier, she pretended as though she did not know me. Why did she do that? Was someone tailing her? Was she afraid that she¡¯ll get me into trouble?¡¯ After some careful consideration, he decided not to follow Nicole to Lanningbourg. ¡®If Nicole needed my help, she would definitely have contacted me. What Martin said was right. If I rush over to find her, I might cause her unexpected trouble.¡¯ After his impulsive thoughts had tapered off, Harvey regained hisposure and watched as the ne took off. ¡®Although I don¡¯t know what you are going to do. I hope youe back safely, Nicole,¡¯ Harvey said in his heart before walking out the airport in big strides. Then, he returned to his office. On the ne, Nicole was relieved to see that Harvey had not managed to catch up to her, or else, it would be troublesome for her to take care of him. She lowered her hat a little, after which she took her phone out and sent a text to Zeke. Where are you? After a while, Nicole received a message from Zeke. I¡¯m hiding in Honveher. There¡¯s a lot of people hunting for me, which is why I haven¡¯t been contacting you. I¡¯m in Lanningbourg. Hide well, so that you don¡¯t get discovered. I¡¯ll go and pick you up when I¡¯ve managed to lose the person who is tailing me. Cool. I¡¯ll wait for you.N?velDrama.Org owns this. Chapter 1429 Chapter 1429 [Don''t worry. I''lle and get you. I still need to hand you the Reby Family Crest] [The Reby Family Crest? You''ve acquired it?] Zeke was over the moon as soon as he heard the news. ¡®This is the best news I''ve heard in days!" [Yes. You''ve got to hang in there. The badge is very cool.] [Can you send me a photo of it?] Zeke asked. [Okay, I''ll send you a picture after I''ve settled down_] [Alright then. I think it''s time for US to go offline now. We can''t linger any longer, or the risk of US being caught increases. ] [Ok.] One after another, the two of them went offline. Nicole ced her hat on her face, after which she closed her eyes and fell asleep. ¡®There''s no danger on the ne.¡¯ Hours passed, and upon feeling a shake, Nicole was jolted awake. Then, she looked out of the window to notice that the ne hadnded. She took her backpack, got off the ne and left the airport. Nicole was aware that Carl was in this country as well, but her first priority was to hide and find out who the person who had been tailing her was. She hailed a cab and went to the hotel she had just booked. Arriving at the hotel shortly after, she scanned the surroundings outside of the building before walking in. Nicole approached the front desk, whereupon she checked herself in. A staff member then guided her to her reserved room. "This is the room you''ve booked. Have a good rest and call the front desk if you need anything," the staff said to her warmly. "Okay, thank you.¡± After the staff had left, Nicole opened the door and walked in. She immediately locked the door after entering. Then, she began to check the security of the room, inspecting every nook and cranny to ensure that it was safe before cing her backpack down. After that, she pulled the curtains aside and looked down, the view clear and wide. ¡®If anything happens, I''ll be able to see it clearly.¡¯ Nicole poured herself a ss of water before taking herptop out to check on the task and surely enough, her hunches were confirmed. ¡®The rm was triggered, and someone was already on my tail,¡¯ she reflected. ¡®Thankfully, I left the hospital in the nick of time, or else, Jared would be involved. Leaving him there was the best option to keep him safe. Judging by how quickly I have left the country, it would take a while for them to find me.¡¯ ¡®Now I just have to get the badge I''ve promised Zeke.¡¯ Nicole thought, as she had told Zeke that she had already acquired the badge in order to give him some hope and motivation. Her slender fingers then darted across the keyboard as shemitted herself to cracking the final key. ¡®If everything goes well, I will be done in half an hour.¡¯ Meanwhile, Martin had found himself unable to take care of Jared on a constant basis, as he had a factory that he needed to run. With Jared left in a vegetative state, and with Max and us busy with the affairs of the Johnston Group, he was the only one left to manage things in the Beacon factory. Original content from N?velDrama.Org. ¡®If I leave, who will be here to take care of Jared? Martin pondered for a long while. When Harvey came to mind, he shook his head and said, "Harvey can''t do this. He has never gotten along with Jared. Harvey will never be able to take care of him." "Who else can I entrust...?" A beautiful face then came to mind. "Aside from Nicole, she is the only one who has demonstrated utter sincerity to Jared." After he had though out loud, Martin took his mobile phone out and dialed a number. "Why are you calling me, Mr. Wyance?¡± Fiore asked in surprise. She had just returned to her office after a meeting when Martin called. Chapter 1430 Chapter 1430 "Miss Fisher, there''s something you may not know, so I have called you to tell you about it. It is something that you should know." Fiore was left confused after hearing what Martin had just said, ¡®What is it that I should know, and what is it that I shouldn''t? What is he talking about?¡¯ ¡°Listen, Mr. Wyance. I don''t know what you''ve been reading as of recent, but I would appreciate if you don''t speak in riddles. Don''t beat around the bush. Just tell me directly if you have anything to say," Fiore calmly said. "Well, as you''re no stranger to US, I''ll just tell you about it right away." "OK?" "Mr. Johnston has been hospitalized after suffering some critical injuries," Martin exined, after which he paused, intent on hearing what Fiore had to say. "Critical injuries?! Fiore leaped up from her chair the instant she heard that Jared had been hospitalized. "What happened?! Which hospital is Jared in now?! Tell me. I''ll head there right away.¡± Fiore anxiously queried. N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. "Don''t worry, Mr. Johnston is in my hospital,¡± Martin replied. "Okay, I''ll be there right away.¡± Fiore hung up and hurried out of the office. As soon as she had exited the room, she ran into her assistant, who said, ¡¯ There''s a contract I need you to look into, Miss Fisher." "Put it on my desk. There''s somece I need to be." After giving her assistant that curt reply, she hurried into the elevator, prompting her assistant to look at her with brows furrowed. Where is she going, and why is she in such a hurry?¡¯ Fiore arrived at the hospital in less than ten minutes. She followed the location that Martin had sent her, and in no time, she found Jared''s ward, which was situated in a private floor. However, before she could enter, one of the bodyguards stopped her at the door. "You''re not allowed in there." "I''m Fiore Fisher." ¡°I said, no one is allowed inside." "You!" Martin, who had heard themotion outside, hurried over and pushed the door open. ¡°Let her in. I was the one who asked her toe,¡± Martin said to the bodyguard. On any other day, Fiore would have flown off the handle and taught the bodyguards a lesson for addressing her the way they did, but her grievances were secondary, as she then rushed in after Martin had opened the door for her. Fiore was instantly met with the sight of Jared lying on the hospital bed, surrounded by life support machines and a multitude of other medical equipment. "Gosh, why does it look so serious?!" She stepped forward to examine Jared''s condition. "Mr. Johnston''s injury has been treated. Now, he is on the road to recovery. We just have to wait for him to wake up.¡± Martin told Fiore from the side. "Well, when will he wake up?" Fiore turned to look at Martin and asked. "It''s hard to tell. Mr. Johnston''s head suffered immense blunt force trauma. He may wake up tomorrow, or maybe even longer..." Martin answered, uncertain as to when Jared would wake up, for the rest would be dependent on Jared himself. Fiore issued a long sigh after hearing Martin''s words. "How can this be...? w ¡®l was at the reception with himst week. What is with this major and sudden change? Gosh, I don''t I''ll even be able to deal with this,¡¯ she agonized. Fiore looked at Jared''s closed eyes and could not help but blush at the sight of him. Chapter 1431 Chapter 1431 Martin saw how Fiore behaved around Jared and said carefully, "Ms. Fisher, I have been taking care of Mr. Johnston recently, but now my factory needs me to deal with some things. Could you...¡± Fiore could guess what Martin was trying to say, so she interrupted, "I understand. I''ll stay here and take care of him while you settle whatever you need to deal with." "For the time being, we can''t let the public know about Mr. Johnston''s injury. I hope Ms. Fisher can help keep this a secret." "Understood." "Thank you." "By the way, where''s Nicole? Jared had such a huge ident. Where did she go?" Fiore did not see Nicole since she came in, and she did not see her after chatting with Martin. Martin hesitated for a moment before replying, "Nicole has a very important matter to attend to, so she left." "Important matter?" Fiore mimicked mockingly. ¡®What could be as important as Jared''s injury? I bet she saw Jared¡¯s condition and thought he wouldn''t wake up, so she just left.¡± Fiore''s face filled with contempt. "I knew from the start that she just wants Jared for his money. Now that he''s not doing well, she''s nowhere to be seen. She''s really a gold-digger." ¡®However, this is also a good thing. Let US all see Nicole''s true colors so Jared will no longer be blind to her actions. She saved me some work by leaving voluntarily.¡± Fiore sat in Jared''s room while telling Martin all this. Martin knew Nicole was not the type of person that Fiore said she was. He would argue with Fiore, but under the circumstances, he could not refute. Fiore was the only person who could take care of Jared for him. ¡°Thanks for taking care of him, Ms. Fisher. I''lle over once I finish my business." Martin still looked at her with a grateful expression on his face. ¡®It''s already sote. What are you still doing here? Go home and have a good rest when you''re done. I''ll be here to take care of him, so don''t worry about it. You cane here when you have nothing to do tomorrow." Fiore had already decided to stay the night by Jared''s side. "How can I let you stay here overnight? The hospital is notfy enough for you to rest well,¡± Martin said politely. ¡°I''m not an inflexible person. Isn''t that a bed over there? Don''t worry about me, and go get busy with your work." Fiore knew Martin was afraid she would not be able to cope with the hospital environment. ¡®Who hasn''t stayed at the hospital before? Since Jared is here, of course, I''d be willing to stay here with him.¡¯ "Well then, I guess I''ll be leaving. If I''m busy, I wont be able toe here, but I''ll bring breakfast for you tomorrow morning." "Okay." "If anything happens, you can holler the bodyguard outside or call me at any time. My phone is on twenty-four-seven,= Martin recapped carefully. "Okay, I''ll make a note of it." Martin only then left the ward in peace; he also exined some things to the bodyguards when he stepped outside before striding out of the hospital. In the ward, Fiore apanied Jared, who was in aa. She looked at him on the hospital bed, stretching out her hand to hold his. It was warm to the touch. She looked at him and said, "Mr. Johnston, if you could see it now. The woman you like so much is not here to apany you. Instead, she ran away. Only I''m willing to stay here with you while you''re in this state. This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. ¡°Hurry and wake up. I don''t want to talk to her alone without hearing the answer." Fiore looked at Jared affectionately and poured out her heart. The nurse came in when it was time to change Jared''s medication as usual, but as soon as she came in, she saw an unfamiliar face. "Who are you? Why are you in Mr. Johnston''s ward?¡¯ The nurse asked. "Where''s Ms. Riddle?" The nurse looked at Nicole''s empty hospital bed and saw no sign of Nicole around. Fiore nced at the nurse and introduced herself, ¡°I''m Mr. Johnston''s friend. Ms. Riddle has already left. I''ll be here to apany Mr. Johnston in the future. Are you here to change his medication?" Chapter 1432 Chapter 1432 "Yes." The nurse shot a confused nce at Nicole''s sick bed and then walked over to change the medication for Jared. ¡®How should we address you?" The nurse asked, looking at Fiore as she changed the medication. "I''m Fiore Fisher," Fiore answered. "Hello there, Ms. Fisher,¡± the nurse then greeted. ¡®Nurse, regarding Mr. Johnston''s condition, what can I do to help speed up his recovery?" Fiore looked at the nurse while humbly consulting her. The nurse saw Fiore''s concern for Jared and told her, "You can speak more with Mr. Johnston. Talking about the past with him might be of some help." ¡°Alright,¡± Fiore replied. After the nurse left, Fiore, sure enough, followed what the nurse suggested and kept talking to Jared about stories from the past. Meanwhile, on the international side, Nicole had already obtained the Reby Family Crest. She stared at the family crest on theputer. On top of it was a piece of virtual identification information. Whoever fills up their name would be the owner of the crest. Nicole kept this information safe. It was critical. She could not risk sending it to Zeke through the inte. Nicole could only look for him after getting rid of the people tailing her. She casually stole a nce outside her window. She did not expect to see a group of dark-clothed peopleing down a vehicle and walking toward the hotel. Nicole knew they were looking for her. It seems that their response was rtively swift. She quickly packed her things, put her bag back on her back, and walked out of the room. Just after Nicole stepped out of the room, the men in ck suits walked over to knock on the door. They even imed to be the service staff of the hotel. After knocking for a while and having no response, the men in ck directly kicked the door open and then rushed in to check the room. The person inside had been long gone. ¡°No one''s here,¡± one of them said. Original content from N?velDrama.Org. ¡®They most likely just left. The water on the table isn''t finished. Go quickly and chase after them," the leader ordered. "Yes, sir!¡± The group of ck men started to search inside the hotel. Nicole dodged all their pursuits and finally arrived at the entrance. Just as she was about to walk out, she unexpectedly encountered two dark- clothed men standing guard outside the door. ¡®There are two more here? Looks like I cant walk through the main entrance.¡¯ Nicole surveyed around and saw people walking down from the upper floors. Nicole quickly hid and then walked in the other direction. "Boss, we don''t see her,¡± one of them reported. "That''s impossible. It indicates that she''s here.¡± the man with a crew cut took out his cell phone and checked for Nicole''s position again. ¡®Boss, this person''s position moved," one of the goons said. Just then, a car drove from the main entrance toward the outside. The crew -cut man looked at the phone and the vehicle and shouted, "Don''t let that car get away!" All the men in ck immediately got in their vehicles and chased after the car. At the same time the men in ck left the hotel, Nicole also sneakily slipped away from the side door. After chasing for a while, the men in ck stopped the car to examine it. However, besides the driver, no one else was in the car. Only a single chipy silently in the back seat. The crew-cut man picked up the chip and immediately realized and eximed, "Oh no! We''ve been tricked." "Return immediately,¡± he ordered. The dark-clothed men immediately turned around to drive to the hotel. After returning to the hotel, the men turned the hotel upside down to search and still did not even see a sliver of Nicole''s shadow. "That was very cunning of them!¡± The crew-cut man angrily stomped his foot. Now, looking for Nicole would be like looking for a needle in a haystack. If it were not for the man with the crew cut holding on to their phones, Nicole would not have known how they would have been able to track her with pinpoint uracy. Finally getting rid of the men in ck, Nicole contacted Zeke. Chapter 1433 Chapter 1433 "Is it convenient to talk to you?¡± Nicole asked. "I''m free,¡± Zeke replied. Original content from N?velDrama.Org. ¡°When doing the mission, were you using aputer?" Nicole started to question him. ¡°Of course. Otherwise, how would I have decoded it?¡± Zeke asked. ¡°Then I know why you could never ditch the people tracking you." "Why?" Zeke also felt that it was odd. Every time he arrived in a new city, people were always pursuing him. This caused him to change his location non-stop. He was exhausted every day. The people pursuing you are tracking you through the chip in yourptop. So you need to dump the chip. This way, you can hide from the people chasing after you,¡± Nicole exined to Zeke. "So that''s how it is. Since you knew about this, why didn''t you tell me earlier? Do you know what I''ve been going through these days?" Zekeined to Nicole. "If you have the time toin, why don''t you quickly dispose of the chip?¡± Nicole snapped back at Zeke. ¡°Thanks, we''ll be in contact after I get rid of the people tailing me," Zeke went offline. Nicole originally wanted to tell Zeke about the crest but saw that he had already gone offline. Hence, she could only tell him next time. Although she ditched the men in ck pursuing her, she was still in the same city as them. Nicole dared not to lower her guards. Instead, she carefully looked for another hotel to stay in. This time, no men in ck came to disturb her. After Nicole had taken a proper rest, she thought about Carl and took out her phone to give him a call. The phone rang for quite a while and still did not get through. Nicole knew Carl must have been busy, so she hung up the phone and went downstairs to eat dinner. When she returned, Carl''s call came back. "Hello, Nicole. You gave me a call?" Carl''s voice came from the phone. "Yeah. You crossed my mind, so I gave you a call to ask about the situation on your side,¡± Nicole exined in a sentence. ¡°How is it on your side? Did The Raven leave already?¡± Nicole asked Carl. "I haven''t seen any people from The Raven for the time being. They might be poised for a scheme, or they might be retreating for their own good," Carl looked at the surveince while talking. "Be more careful when you are unsure. The enemy might be monitoring you in secret,¡± She initially wanted to tell Carl that she was now at Lanningbourg. But she decided to wait before telling him first until she could get rid of the people tailing her. ¡°I''m fine. You should get back to work," then Nicole hung up the call. She finally had some peace and quiet after putting down the phone. Nicole remembered Jared and did not know what his current condition was. Scrolling through her contacts list, she found Martin''s contact information. Then, she gave him a call. Martin was washing up. When he heard the phone''s ringtone, he quickly walked over to his phone and picked up the call, "Hello, Ms. Fisher.¡± ¡®Ms. Fisher?¡± Martin, I''m Nicole," Nicole said. "Ah, Nicole. How are you? Is everything smooth sailing?¡± Then only did Martin hear Nicole''s voice clearly. He was too anxious just now and thought Fiore was looking for him for something, so he directly answered once he picked up the call. "So far, so good. You just said Ms. Fisher. What''s wrong with Fiore?" Nicole knew Ms. Fisher that Martin said just now referred to that woman. ¡®Nothing wrong. You heard it wrong,¡± Martin tly denied. How could he tell Nicole that the person staying by Jared''s side was Fiore? ¡°You must''ve called because you were concerned about Mr. Johnston, right?¡± Martin immediately changed the subject. "Yes. Is Jared currently okay?" Nicole asked concerningly. "Mr. Johnston is fine. He is the same as when you were here. No change at all,¡± Martin answered. Chapter 1434 Chapter 1434 "Oh." Not hearing any news about Jared waking up, Nicole was slightly disappointed. But it was within expectation. "Martin, if you are free, could you send me a video of Jared daily?1'' Nicole asked. "Sure," it seems that he has another mission now. ¡°Thank you for your work. It''ste. You should rest early. I won¡¯t be bothering you anymore,¡± Nicole said, wanting to hang up the call. ¡°Wait a minute, Nicole/ Martin quickly said. ¡°Is there something else?" Nicole questioned. "Are you at Lanningbourg now?¡± Martine wanted to confirm Nicole''s current location. ¡°Harvey must''ve told you/ Nicole was almost caught by Harvey when she passed the security check. He must have told Martin about this incident when she got back. "Yes," Martin gave a single-word answer. m at Lanningbourg. All of you can rest easy. Tell Harvey, don''te to Lanningbourg to look for me. I do not want to see him." Countless dangers were currently surrounding Nicole. She didn''t want him to walk into this ring of fire. ¡°Alright. As long as you are safe and sound, we are relieved," Martin said. N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. "Mhm," Nicole replied. The next morning, Martin took the initiative toe to the hospital to visit Jared and also bring breakfast for Fiore. When he pushed open the door, Fiore had already woken up. "Ms. Fisher. I thought I would have disturbed you. I did not expect you to wake up so early,¡± Martine put the breakfast in his hand onto the table. "I have a habit of jogging in the morning. So I would wake up slightly early in the morning. It''s also good for the body,¡± Although at the hospital, she did not let herself have a break. "This is the breakfast you bought me?" Fiore came to the table to look at it. "That''s right. I didn''t know what you like to eat in the morning, Ms. Fisher, so I bought everything. I hope you like the taste,¡± Martin exined to Fiore. "You are too kind, Mr. Wyance. I have not eaten such a hearty breakfast in a long time. Thank you,¡± Fiore looked at the table filled with food. Her mouth formed a slightly happy smile. "Really? If Ms. Fisher likes it, I cane over every morning and bring you breakfast,¡± Martin looked at her with a small smile. "That''s great, but there is no need for so much. I''ll be satisfied with just one every day," Fiore happily ate the breakfast. ¡°Okay,¡± Martin replied. Martin came to Jared''s bedside. While Fiore was eating her breakfast, he sneakily took a video and sent it to Nicole. At this moment, the nurse came in to give Jared an injection. Then, she saw Martin and greeted him passionately, "Dr. Wyance, you came ¡°Mmm, what medication are you injecting Mr. Johnston with?¡± Martin looked at the nurse while asking. "Still the previous prescription you gave me,¡± the nurse answered. "I will give you another prescriptionter. Starting tomorrow, stop this prescription temporarily and inject the new medication,¡± Martin looked at the prescription while exining. ¡°Alright, Dr. Martin,¡± the nurse started giving Jared an injection and did a check up on him. After the nurse had finished checking, she left. Martin came over and sat across from Fiore. "Ms. Fisher, I don''t have any business today. I can keep Mr. Johnstonpany here. You can go back home and rest properly. Yourpany''s side should have a lot of matters to be settled, and they''re just waiting for you," Martin could not let Fiore stay here to apany Jared. Since she is also a CEO, company matters ultimately still require her approval. Chapter 1435 Chapter 1435 "That''s good. I came here in a rush yesterday. I need more time to handle matters at thepany. So I''ll just go back to deal with them. I''lle backter,¡± Fiore told Martin as she had just finished eating. "There is no need to rush. You should rest well when you go back,¡± Martin said while acting as if it were for her sake. N?velDrama.Org owns this. "Mhm," Fiore got up and went to Jared to look at him. ¡°Mr. Johnston, I''ll be going back first to handle some matters. I''lle back soon to keep you company," she said. Although she knew Jared was still unconscious, she still spoke as if she was speaking to a person capable ofmunicating. "Then, I will be leaving first. See you around," Fiore said. "Very well, let me walk you out,¡± Martin offered. "No need. You should stay here and take care of Mr. Johnston. We cannot leave him unattended,¡± she said. Fiore was obviously more concerned for Jared. ¡°Alright. Then, take it slow,¡± Martin watched Fiore as she walked out the ward¡¯s doors. At the same time, Martin''s phone rang. Turns out it was Nicole initiating a video call with him after she saw the video. "Nicole, I''m right by Mr. Johnston''s side right now. You can take a look at him,¡± Martin knew the meaning behind Nicole''s video call, so he opted to tell her directly. ¡°Okay,¡± Nicole saw that Jared was still lying on the sick bed with both eyes shut through the video. There was not the slightest sign of him waking up. "Martin, can you observe carefully whether Jared''s eyshes are moving?" Nicole asked Martin. ¡°Lashes?¡± Martin looked at Nicole with a face filled with astonishment. "Nicole, Mr. Johnston had yet to wake up. How could theshes move? You can rest assured that if Mr. Johnston were to wake up, I would tell you immediately,¡± Martin thought Nicole had her hopes too high.Martin, you do not understand my meaning. Before this, I saw his eyshes move once. So I''m sure he will definitely move a second time...," Nicole exined to Martin. ¡°What did you say? Mr. Johnston''sshes moved once before? When was this incident? Why did you not tell me?¡± Martin was shocked to hear this news. He assumed that Jared would always stay like this and did not expect something like that to happen when he was unconscious. "It was just a slight movement. I thought it might be a problem with the nerves, so I did not tell you,¡± Nicole said. ¡°Look, Nicole. Both of Mr. Johnston''s eyes are shut. There is no sign of hisshes moving,¡± Martin put the camera directly over Jared''s eyshes to allow Nicole to observe. "I see it,¡± Nicole replied. Not seeing Jared''sshes move, Nicole was slightly upset. Suddenly, she had a sh of brilliance and said,¡± Martin, could you help install a real-time surveince device above Jared''s head? This could help record his changes easily." "Send me the ount. With this, I will also be able to see Jared anytime while saving you a lot of trouble,¡± Nicole added. "Sure, but doing this seems unnecessary,¡± Martin did not think the phenomena observed by Nicole would indicate anything. Instead, he believed that it might have been a momentary nerve twitch. "It is necessary. If it can record the twitching of Jared''sshes, it would indicate the possibility of him waking up at any moment," Nicole said. After all, she was the Ghost Hand and knew much more than Martin. ¡°Alright, I will let someone install it in a while," Martin said. "Mm, sorry to trouble you,¡± Nicole apologized. Martin replied,¡± It''s nothing." After hanging up Nicole''s call, Martin got someone to install a cloud monitoring device she wanted and sent the ount information to her. Very soon, Nicole received the ount sent by Martin. She quickly tapped it open to check. Cloud monitoring was very convenient. Not only could it focus, but it could also observe the situation of the room with a 360- degree angle view. With this device, even if Nicole was far from the country, she could still check in on Jared''s real-time conditions at any time. Chapter 1436 Chapter 1436 A few dayster, Nicole was having breakfast downstairs. She unintentionally lifted her head and saw a group of men dressed in ck walking toward the restaurant. She immediately dropped her hat lower and walked toward the kitchen at the back. "Hello there, May I be of assistance? This is the kitchen, and the oil and fumes are quite heavy,¡± a waiter looked at Nicole while saying. "I want to go to the supermarket behind here to buy something. I''m in a rush, so can I leave from this side?¡± Nicole acted like a girl with special conditions. The waiter, who was also a female, understood it very well. So she immediately brought her out. The moment Nicole''s front foot stepped out the backdoor, the men in ck stepped into the restaurant. They coldly surveyed the ce and did not find Nicole''s presence. N?velDrama.Org owns this. "Gentlemen, are you here for a meal or something else?¡± The foreign waiter had seen everything, so a few men dressed in ck leather coats were not very scary. "Have you seen this person?" The men in ck had managed to obtain Nicole''s picture from the previous hotel she was in. "It''s a little familiar. Let me think carefully," The waiter looked at the picture and felt she had seen this person somewhere. Suddenly, she remembered, ¡®Isn''t this the girl who left from the back door just now?¡¯ "This person just left from the back door," The server said to the ck- clothed man. "Just now?¡¯ They were a step behind again, but it''s better than having a broken lead. "Track her!¡± A few men in ck immediately rushed toward the backdoor to chase her. At the same time, they sent the location to the man with the crew cut. The crew-cut man received it and quickly rushed the others. Nicole hailed a cab to escape farther away. The dark-clothed men saw Nicole get in a taxi and swiftly drove their vehicles to pursue her. Nicole sat in the car and looked back constantly. The men in ck had already caught up. "Youngdy, where do you want to go?" The cab driver asked. "I want to go to the outskirts. But could you drive a little faster?¡± Nicole said with a slightly anxious tone. "Okay, but the price to the outskirts is very high!" The driver reminded her in good faith. "No problem. As long as you drive a little faster,¡± Nicole said. "That''s fine. You sit tight!¡± The driver''s foot hit the gas pedal, and the vehicle suddenly lurched forward. Nicole suddenly leaned into the seat and felt like another colossal hand was dragging the car and running swiftly forward. The men in ck also did not hesitate. When they saw the vehicle Nicole sat in sped up, they also stepped harder on the gas pedal to pursue her. Just like that, the cab was chased by the dark-clothed men through the city without the knowledge of the cab driver. The road in the cities wasplicated. The driver zoomed through the streets and alleys. His driving skills were proficient. On the other hand, due to the unfamiliarity of the terrain, the men in ck had a close encounter with a person with a wheelbarrow on the opposite side of the road when they were turning at an intersection. The men in the car were also injured. Nicole snickered when she saw this. The driver heard herughter, looked at her through the rear-view mirror, and asked, '' What are youughing about?¡± ¡°Nothing,¡± She certainly could not tell the driver someone was pursuing her from behind. However, the driver saw the cars following from behind through the rearview mirror. His years of driving experience told him the few cars behind were pursuing her. Due to overseas countries being seldom safe, a cab being robbed was normal. Hence, cab drivers were trained to have fantastic driving skills. He blew a puff of smoke in disdain, then nonchntly shifted gears and swerved into another alley. Nicole sat in the car, watching the foreign buildings. She did not know where the driver had brought her. But as long as she was in the city, she could not make a move. Chapter 1437 Chapter 1437 ¡°Mister, where are we going now?¡¯ Nicole looked at the driver and asked. ¡°This scenery is unique, so I¡¯m bringing you here for a spin. Rx, I won¡¯t charge for this stretch of road. I can bring you for a ride for free,¡± Instead, the driver was looking for an excuse to ditch the people chasing them. This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. Nicole heard and immediately exined, ¡°Mister, I have urgent business to attend to. Well see the scenery next time.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± The driver promised, but his car still drove into the narrow alleyway. The men in ck pursued them into the alley and stopped to check. ¡°Why did you stop?¡± The crew-cut man asked. ¡°Boss, it doesn¡¯t seem easy to fit into this narrow alleyway,¡± one of them answered. ¡°What is there to not go in for? Did you not see that cab driven in? If you dilly dally, that person will run off again,¡± The crew-cut man smacked the subordinate who was driving and cursed at him. ¡°Catch up to them quickly!¡± The man with the crew cut ordered. His subordinate could only drive the car slowly into the alley. ¡°Over there. Quickly, catch up,¡± the crew-cut man saw the cab and pointed his finger. When they caught up, the taxi turned into another alley. ¡°Quickly! Why are you so slow!?¡± The crew-cut man scolded continuously on the side. ¡°Boss, this is too narrow. We are unfamiliar with the road conditions, and it¡¯s not easy to drive in,¡± the subordinate exined in aggrievance. ¡°What gibberish! Bring out the skills you always boast,¡± the subordinate innocently suffered another crew-cut man¡¯s ps. Suddenly, an intersection appeared in front of them. The car turned into it and disappeared. The man with the crew cut looked around, ¡°Where did they disappear!?¡± ¡°Turn right. And the vehicle behind us, turn left,¡± the crew-cut man ordered into the walkie-talkie. So the two cars separated and drove in two different directions. Suddenly, the crew-cut man saw the cab not far away, ¡°Over there. Quickly drive over there.¡± The cab stopped there as if waiting for them. Seeing the crew-cut man¡¯s car getting closer, the cab driver immediately started the engine and drove into the alley next to it. The frustrated crew-cut man quickly ordered them to chase. But just as the car drove into the middle of the alley, a tire suddenly dropped from above. Once it crashed into the crew-cut man¡¯s car, the top of the vehicle was banged. The person on top even popped out their head to look down. Turns out they were fixing a car and identally let the tire run. This mechanic shop would often have these idents ur. If the tire did not crash into anyone, then they would go down and retrieve it. However, if the tire crashes into something, they will not want it as thepensation would be more expensive than the tire. This incident was known to everyone in the surrounding area. So anyone who would pass through it was careful every time. Nicole saw the incident through the windshield and could not help butugh. The driver also drew a smirk. He put his foot on the pedal and drove off. Thankfully, the car was still drivable. It was just that the people inside were suffering too much. They needed to bend down. After driving for a while, the crew-cut man called for the vehicle to stop. He stretched his arms to open the door, but the top of the car was dented due to the crash. This caused the car door to not open. In a rage, the crew-cut man kicked the door open and quickly left the car to rest. Only then did he feel slightly better. ¡°Boss, the car has driven off. Should we continue chasing it?¡± One of the subordinates asked. ¡°Chase it, of course! We need to chase it!¡± Crew-cut man yelled out. He immediately took out the walkie-talkie and ordered the other car to follow the cab. Chapter 1438 Chapter 1438 Thinking that the men in ck had been taken care of by the driver, Nicole felt relieved. ¡®1 didn¡¯t have to lift a finger, and someone else takes care of the matter. That¡¯s great!¡¯ Nicole thought she did not need to go all the way to the suburbs. She wanted to ask the driver to send her back. Just as she was about to speak, a car filled with men in ck suddenly pulled up in front of the taxi and blocked their way. ¡®That¡¯s it. I guess I¡¯ll have to go to the suburbs after all,¡¯ Nicole said silently in her heart. The two cars stopped at the intersection while facing each other. The driver was smoking his cigarette calmly while looking at the car in front of him. On the other hand, the man in ck fiercely stared at the taxi in front. The driver stepped onto the elerator from time to time, making the car roar. After staring for a while, the men in ck began to feel impatient. They wanted to get down from the car and take Nicole. As they were about to push the door open, Nicole¡¯s car sped forward, threatening to crash into them. All they wanted was to catch Nicole, not die with her. Seeing Nicole¡¯s car speed up, they quickly pushed their door open and jumped out of the car. Unexpectedly, the taxi brushed past their car and drove into the alley. Once the men in ck noticed that the taxi was not going to run into them, they quickly got back into the car and chased after Nicole. From his rear-view mirror, the driver noticed that the men had followed them. Then, he began to maneuver around the alley to shake them off. N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. When they passed by an alley, no one was blocking in front, but the driver honked and drove into it. When the men in ck drove past them, a bag of flour fell from the sky and covered their car instantly. The windshield was covered with ayer of flour, causing them to lose sight of the road. The men in ck sprayed some water on the windshield, thinking it would help him see the road ahead. However, when he turned on the wiper, the whole windshield was covered with flour paste. That made it even more troublesome, and it would have been easier if they got down and wiped it off. In desperation, they stopped the car to clean off the water and flour on their windshield. The taxi driver stopped the car not far from them and looked behind. After that, he drove out of the alley. Since no cars were tailing them from behind anymore, the driver drove to the suburbs. Nicole also knew that the men in ck did not have any vehicles to use, so they would not be able to find her anytime soon. She spoke to the driver, ¡°Sir, I don¡¯t feel like going to the suburbs anymore.Please send me to Mason Lane.¡± ¡°Miss, I¡¯d advise you not to go to Mason Lane. Rumor has it that the area has been quite dangerous recently,¡± the driver kindly reminded her. ¡°I know. Just drop me off there,¡± Nicole replied expressionlessly. ¡°Alright,¡± the driver replied without concern. Then, he drove the car and headed toward Mason Lane. The journey to Mason Lane was quite long. So, Nicole whipped out her phone to check on Jared¡¯s situation whenever she felt bored in the car. The surroundings looked exactly like how it was when she left. Jared was quietly lying there and in a deep sleep. She zoomed into hisshes and noticed that they were still. Nicole sighed. ¡°When are you going to wake up? At the hospital, Martin noticed that the surveince camera was moving. He smiled at the camera and waved. When Nicole saw him waving, she moved the camera to greet him. ¡°Nicole, can you hear me?¡± Martin looked at the camera and asked. He wanted to know if that thing worked and make sure it was not a useless product. Nicole moved the camera again to signal that she could hear him. ¡°Nicole, you should be able to speak too, right?¡± Nicole checked the application and adjusted the setting. Then, she said, ¡°Is everything fine on your side?¡¯ ¡°I can hear you now. Everything is fine here.¡± Martin replied to Nicole. Nicole felt that it was interesting that she could use the camera tomunicate with Martin. Then, she chatted with Martin for a while. While they talked, the driver had brought them to Mason Lane. He parked the car and turned to Nicole. ¡°We¡¯re here.¡± Nicole looked out and saw that the streets were quite empty. It was almost like a dead town. Chapter 1439 Chapter 1439 After paying the taxi fee, Nicole got down from the car. ¡°Martin, I¡¯ll talk to youter. Bye.¡± Nicole quit the surveince application and walked forward. It was still bright outside, but no one was on the road, and the shops on both sides of the street were mostly closed. Nicole pushed a door to one restaurant and walked in, ¡°Hello?¡± Hearing someone¡¯s voice, the owner quickly came out from the back of the shop. When he saw that it was a woman, he said, ¡°How may I help you?¡± ¡°Do you have noodles here?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°I¡¯d like to have one.¡± ¡°Alright, please have a seat.¡± As soon as the owner finished speaking, he went to the back kitchen. Nicole pulled a chair and sat down. She scanned the whole ce and looked outside. After a while, the owner brought a hot bowl of noodles to Nicole. ¡¯Here are your noodles.¡± ¡°Alright. Thank you.¡± Just as Nicole was about to dig in, two men in ck uniforms suddenly emerged from the opposite shop. Then, another man chased after them and talked to them. It seemed like those two men did not pay for their items. The next second, the man who was chasing the two men was beaten to the ground by them. One of them even wanted to take something out of his pocket, but he was stopped by his partner. Cursing, the two men left. Nicole and the shop owner witnessed the whole incident from the window. Then, Nicole asked the owner, ¡°Who are those two men? Why did they beat him up?¡± The owner looked at Nicole and asked, ¡°You must be new here?¡± Nicole nodded. N?velDrama.Org owns this. ¡°The situation here is quiteplicated. A few days back, a group of people dominated this ce. No one knows where they¡¯re from, either. They¡¯ve been messing with the atmosphere and the lives of the people here at Mason Lane. No one dares to step out of their houses now. Even the shops rarely open for business. As you¡¯ve seen, Mason Lane is like a living hell right now. Anyone who bumps into them would be in trouble!¡± After the owner had finished exining, he let out a long sigh. Nicole¡¯s eyes gradually darkened. ¡®These people must be from a gangster organization. There wouldn¡¯t be any other group who could turn Mason Lane upside down.¡¯ ¡°Didn¡¯t the local authorities step in to solve this matter?¡± Nicole asked the owner. ¡°They¡¯ve stepped in many times. But this group of people is unstoppable. The authorities are at their wit¡¯s end and have already decided to give up.¡± ¡°I see.¡± ¡°Enjoy your meal. You better leave here as soon as possible after you¡¯ve finished eating,¡± the owner kindly reminded her. Nicole smiled at him politely and picked up her utensils to eat. After she had finished her food, Nicole settled the bill and walked out of the noodle shop. In order to not attract any attention from the gangsters, Nicole purposely covered herself up tightly. However, there was no one on the streets. No matter how tight she tried to cover herself, the gangster could easily spot her. Sure enough, a few moments after Nicole walked out of the shop, the two men who had just beaten someone up blocked her way. Chapter 1440 Chapter 1440 The bearded man noticed Nicole¡¯s beautiful eyes and moved closer to her. ¡°Hey, prettydy, do you want us to send you home?¡± Nicole nced at the two of them and recognized that they were the two men who had just beaten up the shop owner. Nicole had an idea and replied, ¡°Sure, but my house is a little far.¡± ¡±That¡¯s fine. My house is just nearby. Why don¡¯t youe to my house and y for a while?¡± The bearded man raised his eyebrows and asked Nicole. ¡°Sure, but I¡¯m not sure if there¡¯s anything interesting at your house.¡± Nicole¡¯s eyes seemed to have a deeper meaning behind her words. ¡°I have all kinds of interesting things at my house. We¡¯ll bring you there now. ¡± As he was speaking, the two men brought Nicole into their car. One on the left and the other on the right. Original content from N?velDrama.Org. One of the men in the car could not hold back and wanted to touch Nicole. Before his hands could reach Nicole, she immediately mped his wrists.¡± Your hands seem to be naughty.¡± ¡°You have such strong hands, gorgeous.¡± After he said this, the man stretched out another hand toward Nicole. The man who was driving knew that his partner was an impatient man. He could not help but shake his head. His partner had always made an impatient move in the car, and today was no exception. Nicole grabbed the man¡¯s hands and locked them, making him immovable. ¡°Is thisfortable enough?¡± Nicole asked. The man driving did not expect the girl to be so cooperative this time. Surprise shed through his face. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to be so good at this.¡± The man began to struggle and threw himself onto Nicole¡¯s body. Nicole leaned back, lifted her legs, and kicked the man out of the window. The man mmed to the ground heavily, spitting out blood. The driver could feel that there was a hugemotion in the backseat. But he did not bother about it and continued driving. All of a sudden, Nicole leaned toward him, surprising him. ¡°That was fast! I guess Andy¡¯s stamina is getting worse by the day.¡± The driver jokingly mocked his partner, who had been kicked out of the window by Nicole. ¡°What about your stamina?¡± Nicole said in a low voice. ¡°My stamina is a lot better than his, of course,¡± the man said proudly. ¡°Really? Let me try.¡± Nicole stretched out her hand and pressed on his head. With a bit of pressure, she had caused pain to shoot through his head. ¡°Stop it! That really hurts!¡± he shouted. Nicole did not stop. Instead, she put on more pressure. ¡°Where is your boss?¡± The man quickly came to his senses and asked, ¡°Who are you?¡± ¡°Answer me!¡± Nicole continued to add pressure to her hand. The man cried out in pain. ¡°I don¡¯t know!¡± ¡°What a stubborn mouth.¡± Then, she yanked one of his arms from the steering wheel, and the car began to sway from side to side. The man had to try and stabilize the car while enduring the pain. ¡°No one has been able to endure my interrogation yet. Do you want to test that?¡± Nicole¡¯s cold words filled his mind. ¡°Who the hell are you?¡± the man asked. ¡°You don¡¯t have to know who I am. Tell me. Where is your boss?¡± Nicole repeated. ¡°I really don¡¯t know! Even if you kill me, I don¡¯t have the answer to your question.¡± ¡°Alright then. I¡¯ll let you have a taste of death.¡± As Nicole spoke, she immediately removed his second arm and jumped out of the car. Chapter 1441 Chapter 1441 The man in the car could not move his hands, nor could he jump out of the car. He could only contort his face and watch as the car drove toward a wall. BAM! The car crashed straight into the wall, and the man saw himself at death''s door. Nicole walked toward the car and checked on the man. He was still breathing. She took out a bottle of water and dumped the contents on the man''s head. He slowly opened his eyes but seemed to be ina daze. Nicole pulled him by his hair to make him look at her. ¡°How does it feel to almost die? I''ll give you one last chance. Tell me where your boss is at.¡± This was the first time the man felt such terror. He looked at Nicole, trembling with fear, before reciting the address through the blood in his mouth. Upon getting the address, Nicole let him go. "I''ll let you go this time.¡± After that, she turned around and left. The man heaved a sigh of relief. Just as Nicole was about ten meters away, the car suddenly exploded, lighting both the car and the man in mes. Nicole continued to walk forward without looking back. Soon, the explosion attracted many more of the secret organization''s men to the scene. Through the debris, they found that it was their own vehicle. Meanwhile, Nicole followed the address given and saw from afar that all three floors of the building were lined with guards. It seemed like that person was telling her the truth. This was the secret organization''s military headquarters. Looking at the heavily guarded HQ, Nicole carefully surveyed it before leaving quietly. She then went to a car dealership and went in to have a look. One of the salespeople came over to greet her warmly. "Hello, Miss. What sort of car are you looking to buy? I can show some to you.¡± Nicole nced at her and asked, "What''s the sturdiest car you have?" "The sturdiest car?" The saleswoman was stunned for a moment and made an incredulous expression when she heard Nicole''s question. She had been a salesperson for a long time. This was the first time she heard such a question from a girl. "Are there none? I''ll go look somewhere else then.¡± Nicole turned around and walked out. The saleswoman immediately grabbed Nicole''s arm, not wanting to lose a potential customer. "Please wait! We''re a big showroom. Why wouldn''t we have one? We definitely have something that will please you.¡± ¡°Show me.¡± Nicole pushed the saleswoman''s hand away. N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. ¡°Of course. Please follow me.¡± The saleswoman led Nicole into the garage, where there were many vehicles. The saleswoman led the way and stopped before a car, saying, "How about this one, Miss? If it doesn''t fit your needs, I''ll take you to see an even more powerful one.¡± Nicole gave the car a nce. It only had a few anti-collision beams on the exterior and did not meet Nicole''s requirements whatsoever. "This won''t do,¡± Nicole said impassively. "No problem. We have more inside.¡± The saleswoman smiled. "I don''t have time to browse through them all one by one. Take me to the best one you have,¡± Nicole said with an ice- cold expression. Frightened by Nicole''s demeanor, the saleswoman immediately put away her smile as she led Nicole to the innermost part of the garage. "Miss, this is the sturdiest car we have. It should meet your expectations, right?¡± the saleswoman asked cautiously. She did not dare be overly enthusiastic. Nicole did not answer as she walked to the car to inspect it. ¡®The car looks structurally sturdy enough, but it needs reinforcements.¡¯ Chapter 1442 Chapter 1442 Nicole turned back to the saleswoman. "Do you provide modification and tuning services here?¡± "We do. You can tell me what you wish to add on.¡± "Take this car to be worked on,¡± Nicole told her. "So, Miss, I take it that you want this car, right?" the saleswoman asked. "Yes, I do.¡± "Alright, please go to the front desk to pay first. I''ll get the tuner to drive the car over to modify it." The salesperson gestured as she spoke. Nicole took out a card and gave it to the saleswoman. "Take this card and charge it. I want to observe the modification.¡± "Alright." The saleswoman took Nicole''s card and went to the front desk. Nicole went to the modification room and as she arrived, the master tuner in the garage turned to her. "Hello. What would you like to add to the car?" "Do you have ballistic armor and windshields?" Nicole asked. "We do, but changing into ballistic windshields is expensive, and you probably won''t need it." The master tuner looked at Nicole. She looked like a young adult, but for her to be able to buy this car and install ballistic windshields, she must be very rich. "You don''t have to try to save money for me. Install all the ballistic windshields, armor, and all other high-spec parts,¡± Nicole told the master tuner. "Eh? You want ballistic armor as well?" The master tuner was shocked. "You didn''t hear wrong. Hurry up and install them. I''m in a hurry.¡± Nicole sounded impassive. The master tuner worried that the customer was asking him to modify the car without paying first. If that were the case, all his efforts would be for naught. "Please wait a moment. I''ll confirm things with the front desk for a bit.¡± He called the front desk to rify the situation. The saleswoman had justpleted the transaction when she got the call. After hearing from the master tuner, her jaw dropped. "What? She wants to install ballistic armor and windshields?! " She was shocked. "Pass the phone to the customer, please. "The front desk wants to speak with you.¡± The master tuner handed the phone over to Nicole. "Hello." "Hello. I''m the saleswoman who serviced you earlier. I heard that you''d like to install ballistic armor and windshields?¡± the saleswoman questioned. "Yes, is there a problem?¡± "No, but are you aware of the costs? Do you need me to go over the price list for you?¡± She did not think that Nicole, being such a youngdy, would have that much money to add on something that expensive to her car. "No need. Just deduct whatever it costs from that card.¡± With that, Nicole returned the phone to the master tuner. N?velDrama.Org owns this. She then saw him exchange a few more words before hanging up. "Miss, you may go outside to wait and rest. I''ll inform you once the modifications are done.¡± "It''s fine. I''ll wait here,¡± Nicole said as she sat down on a chair beside her. "Sure." The master tuner did not say anything else as he went to work. As Nicole waited, the saleswoman walked over with a ss of water and ced it beside Nicole. "Miss, please have a drink." "Mhm.¡± Nicole did not spare her a nce, as her gaze was focused on the car being modified. Seeing that Nicole ignored her, the saleswoman quietly left. Chapter 1443 Chapter 1443 Time passed and after thest piece of ballistic armor was installed, the master tuner turned to Nicole and said, "Miss, please take a look. The modifications are done as requested." Nicole walked over to the car. As she had been watching the master tuner modifying it, she did not want to waste time checking it all over again. Instead, she decided she would just test its protective capabilities. Catching sight of a big iron hammer near them, she took it and swung at the car. The car was not damaged in the slightest. Seeing that, Nicole was satisfied. But what she did scared the daylights out of the master tuner. This was the first time he saw someone hit a brand- new car with a hammer like that. Nicole then turned to the master tuner and said, "Thank you for the hard work.¡± "Yeah," the master tuner replied, still bearing a stunned expression. Nicole could see the shock on his face. She did not say much as she got into the car and drove off. As she drove, she could feel that the performance of the modified car was indeed different. The only catch was that the gas tank was not filled up, so she had to drop by a gas station to refuel first. After filling up the tank, she then went to a gun shop to purchase some equipment before driving onto Mason Lane. Back at home, Fiore managed thepany''s matters before driving to the hospital Jared was at. "Miss Fiore, why are you back so soon?¡± Martin had thought that Fiore would take a break before visiting again, but apparently not. "Dr. Martin, go attend to your business. Leave this ce to me." As if she were really his girlfriend, Fiore took it upon herself to take charge of all of Jared''s affairs. "Miss Fiore, I''m not busy today. I can stay here and take care of Jared together with you. It would be easier on you too,¡± Martin replied. Fiore smiled at Martin. "Might as well. It can be quite boring when I''m alone.¡± It was rare to see Fiore smiling so gently, and Martin could not help but be charmed. "Dr. Martin." Fiore''s soft voice pulled him back to reality. N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. "Ah, I''ll go check why the nurse has yet toe in for the medicine run," Martin said somewhat bashfully as he left. Fiore did not notice Martin''s strange behavior and nodded. ¡°Okay.¡± After Martin walked out of the ward, he sighed to himself." Martin, what were you doing, staring at her just now? That was rude...¡± Without paying much attention, he then found himself at the nurse''s station. Martin walked inside and said, "Mr. Jared''s drip should be changed in a bit.¡± "Oh, but the current pack hasn''t finished yet, right?" the nurse responded, looking at the time. "I said in a bit. It''s not like I''m asking you to go right now." Martin nced at the nurse before making his way out. He did not want to go back to the ward just yet. Instead, he decided to get some fresh air. Sitting on the bench outside, Martin took out his phone and viewed Nicole''s contact profile. He wondered what she was up to and considered giving her a call. But after a while, he gave up on that thought. ''She¡¯s probably working now. Won''t be good to disturb her.¡¯ With that, Martin quietly sat outside by himself for a good while. Inside the ward, Fiore sat beside Jared and apanied him as she took out a book and slowly read aloud to him. Every time she went to Jared''s office, she would see this book on his desk, so she silently noted down the title and bought an identical copy. The book was hard to find, and she only got it by asking a friend to buy it overseas. Fiore turned to the part she had left off and continued to read it aloud to Jared. At the same time, just when Martin returned and was about to walk in, he saw the scene through the window by chance. Martin stopped for a moment and slowly let go of the doorknob to not disturb them. Seeing that Jared was doing fine, he turned around and left. Chapter 1444 Chapter 1444 Fiore was reading the book to Jared and did not notice that Martin was outside. From time to time, she would look to Jared for a reaction, but there was no response. Nicole''s car slowly entered Mason Lane. There were no other cars on the road, as if the ce was dead. The quieter and peaceful the scenery were, the more carefully Nicole observed her surroundings. The car was driving ata steady speed. Suddenly she noticed something strange in the ins in the distance. She slowed the car down and took out a pair of binocrs to look at the ins. Sure enough, there was an ambush up ahead, hiding in the grass. Noting their position, Nicole prepared herself for a fight. The car did not stop and continued toward the ambush. When the secret organization team hiding in the grass saw the car pass by, they immediately became alert. "Boss, there''s a private off-roader here. Seems like it''s heading to the base. Do we intercept it?¡± the team leader reported on thems. "Intercept it. Intercept every vehicle. We cannot allow anyone to enter the base." "Yes, sir.¡± "Get ready! Stop that car!" the team leader ordered. "Yes, sir!" Nicole drove at a leisurely pace. Under the sunlight, she was able to notice there was a line of spikes on the road in front of her. Looking at the ins on either side of the road, Nicole mmed her foot on the throttle and sped onwards without hesitation. Immediately, bullets were shot in the direction of the car. Fortunately, the car was protected against the bullets. Nicole drove the car toward the ambushers lying in the grass. To avoid being run over, they had to break cover. Nicole grasped that opportunity to lower the windshield slightly. With lethal precision, she shot the few ambushers dead in an instant. There were still more bullets flying at her, and based on the direction they wereing from, Nicole urately discerned the shooters¡¯ position. She swiveled the car to kick up a cloud of dust and then drove straight for the shooters. N?velDrama.Org owns this. Seeing the car charging at them, the secret organization team that were spraying bullets at Nicole had to run in the opposite direction. This time, Nicole was in no hurry to finish them off. She chased after them until they tired out and copsed onto the ground. Nicole shot at their wrists, and their guns fell to the ground. She then stopped the car before them. She got out of the car and took measure of them. Nicole eyed them with a vicious look and asked, "How many ces have you set up for an ambush?" No one spoke as they gritted their teeth and red at her. "Not talking? Fine then." Nicole knew how to deal with these people. Without hesitating, she took her handgun and shot someone before looking at the rest. "How about now?" Some of them gulped nervously, a look of hesitation shing across their eyes. Yet, no one spoke. Seeing this, Nicole shot another person. Seeing his team member drop dead before him, one person could not stand it anymore and hissed at Nicole, "Just kill us if you''re nning to!" "You''ve got guts, but it''s misced.¡± As she said that, she shot that person in the knee. He immediately cried out loud, the veins on his neck popping out as his leg twitched non-stop. His entire body writhed in pain, his eyes bloodshot... At the same time, Nicole looked at the person next to the one she shot. Before she could open her mouth, that person covered before Nicole''s murderous intent and begged for mercy. Chapter 1445 Chapter 1445 Witnessing how hisrade had ended up, the man did not want to be the next one. So he swallowed and said with much difficulty, "We have four ambush spots.¡± When he spoke those words, his teammate beside him red at him with bloodshot eyes. But the man did not want to end up like the other two. He had no other choice. "Where are the other three?¡± Nicole asked him. "One is at the other entrance and the other two at the exits." ¡°Simrposition and strength?¡± Nicole continued to question. "About the same.¡± "Who''s leading this?¡± "It''s C." "C..." This was the first time Nicole had heard this name. After getting the information she wanted, Nicole nced at the two remaining ambushers. Such people would continue to do ill if she let them live, so she shot them both before getting back into the car and driving toward Curley''s production base. Carl was resting in the base when a subordinate suddenly went up to him to give a report. "K, a vehicle is driving toward us.¡± Car! quickly got up to look at the surveince monitor console. "Is it the secret organization''s car?¡± "It does not look like the secret organization¡¯s car, and if it were them, they wouldn''t juste with a single vehicle. By the look of it, it''s a private vehicle," the subordinate said. "A private vehicle, huh? Since we cannot confirm anything at the moment, scan it for explosives first,¡± Carl said with caution. "Yes, sir.¡± The subordinate immediately activated a device and scanned the car heading toward the base. Whether it was the secret organization''s vehicle or not, he cannot allow it to approach the base so easily, to avoid any peril to the base. "The car up ahead, please stop and stay where you are," Carlmanded through the speakers outside. When Nicole heard Carl''s voice, her lips raised a little. It could not be helped that he was unable to recognize her right now, so she followed hismand and slowed the car down to a stop. Carl stared at the car that stopped in the distance through the surveince camera. He felt quite worried. After all, the secret organization''s goons were all cunning and treacherous. If they were to disguise themselves as ordinary folk to get close to the base tounch an assault, he had to stop them in advance. "There are no bombs in the vehicle, but there are weapons in it,¡± the subordinate reported. This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. "Weapons!" When Carl heard that, he tensed up even more. "Guards, the vehicle in the distance is armed. It may be the goons from the secret organization. Do not approach," Carl ordered. "Roger." Carl gave a robot, which was at the gate, another order,¡± Robot Al, go forward and inspect.¡± After receiving the order, the robot approached Nicole''s car. Nicole waited in the car and saw that no one was allowing her in. Instead, a robot wasing her way from inside the base. She now realized that Carl must have taken her for one of the secret organization''s goons. Sighing, she opened the door and got out of the car. The robot''s tracking and aiming system immediately locked onto Nicole and her face immediately appeared on the monitor in the centralmand. When Carl saw that face, he was shocked. "Nicole!" Chapter 1446 Chapter 1446 At the same time, the robot scanned the weapons that Nicole had on her person and immediately asked Carl if it should engage her or not. Seeing that the droid was about tomence with its attack protocol, he immediately ordered, "Halt, Robot A1! Withdraw. Cancel alert." "Guards, allow that car at the distance in." Carl gave the order before rushing downstairs. Nicole watched as the droid began backing away and the main gate opening up. Knowing that Carl had seen her, she got back into the car and drove into the base. After she had reached, Carl was already there to greet her. "Nicole, why are you here?" Carl, who was initially happy, put on an icy look the instant he saw Nicole. "What''s with that look? Are you not happy to see me?" Nicole said as he grimaced. Car! looked around and said, "Stay here and guard this ce. "You, follow me,¡± he said to her. He brought Nicole to the rooftop, after which he turned to look at her. "You didn''t bother to even arrange a ce for me to rest up. Instead, you''ve brought me all the way here to the rooftop. Don¡¯t you know how exhausted I am?" She raised her eyebrow at him. "How can youe here alone like this? Don¡¯t you know how dangerous it is? The exits are all..." "Surrounded by members of the Raven? I know. They didn''t manage to do anything to me and still lost an entire team,¡± Nicole said confidently, not wanting Carl to worry. "You should''ve told me that you wereing beforehand, so that I could give you a warmer reception," Carl argued, faulting Nicole for not informing him before she came here. Original content from N?velDrama.Org. "Am I not standing before you in one piece right now?" she asked. ¡°I know you are worried for me, but you know what I''m capable of. Those grunts are no match for me.¡± "If there''s nothing else, please get a ce fixed up for me so that I can get some rest." Nicole raised her eyebrow. Carl sighed as he looked at Nicole in the eyes. "You sure drive me up the wall." He then took Nicole to the room next to his. "You can stay here if you''re not in a hurry to leave." "Of course I''m not in a hurry to leave. It took me much effort to get here. And what do you mean by that? You want to see me gone that badly?" Nicole snapped back and red at him. "Yeah. It''s better if you leave now." Carl, who was standing at the doorway, said tly. "Carl, your fuse sure has be shorter in the days when we''ve not met. You actually dare to talk to me like this now, huh?" Nicole leaned against the bed as she looked at Carl in the eyes with a frown. Carl took a deep breath and turned his face away from her. "Either youe in and take a seat, or go. Don''t just stand there at the door.¡± Nicole said, sounding somewhat peeved. Although Carl was angry, he did not wish to leave. He had barely exchanged a few words with her after meeting her. Moreover, Nicole was a slightly ticked off by his demeanor as well. Closing the door, Carl made a beeline for the chair opposite of Nicole. "Why are you here, all of a sudden, Nicole?" he finally asked. He was so preupied at being concerned and angry with her that he forgot to ask her why she was here. "Who said I came here all of the sudden? Am I not allowed toe here for a trip?" Nicole replied, wishing not to give him a proper answer. Chapter 1447 Chapter 1447 Car! noticed that Nicole was mad at him, and so, he had to make the first move and apologize. "Don''t get too upset at me, okay? You know I said those things because I was worried about you. Since you''re here already, you can stay as long as you wart. I''ll definitely protect you." "Now, that sounds a lot better. I thought you were about to bite my head off, for a second there." Nicole walked past him, noticing that he was looking down at the floor. N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. Seeing that Nicole had calmed down, Carl continued asking, "So, can you tell me now? Did youe here for something?" CarI stared at Nicole''s eyes and sized her up. ¡®She must have gotten herself into trouble. Otherwise, she wouldn''t havee to such a dangerous ce without telling me. Or am I wrong, and that she simply misses me?" "It''s because of you. We haven''t met in such a long time, so I thought of giving you a surprise." Nicole replied, not wanting to tell him the truth, as she was being tailed by a group of unknown people. CarI''s base was the best possible safe house for her, in part because there were a lot of men from the Raven guarding each and every point of entry. The people tailing her could never enter the ce. Even if they managed to break through and survive the Raven''s assault, they would not be able to reach the base. If she had told Carl about it, he would have be more worried, and bombarded her with more questions. Nicole did not want toplicate things. The best way out for her was for her to deal with the people as discreetly as possible. As for the person who had sounded the rm, she would discover who he was once she met Zeke. "Surprise me? No one would believe you.¡± Carl looked at Nicole with his brows furrowed. Indeed, she had given him an excuse, thinking she could fool him the way she could fool a kid. "It''s up to you whether you choose to buy it or not. After all, I really dide here to give you a surprise." Nicole said with a look of indifference on her face. Then, she closed her eyes and took a nap. ¡°I''m going to take a nap,¡± she said. "You should get busy." Did she just give me an order to leave? Carl nced at Nicole, turned around and left. Then, he gently closed the door behind him and went to the master control room. Hearing the door closing, Nicole opened her eyes and tiptoed to the door. She heaved a sigh of relief after Carl had walked away. ¡®I did not expect Carl to have such a keen eye. He could actually tell that I was lying to him. Did my expression give it away? I guess it wouldn''t be easy to keep it a secret from Carl.¡¯ "Are there any strange urrences outside?" Carl walked into the master control room and asked. ¡°Nothing unusual, but it seems that there are few members from the Raven hovering outside the base,¡± his subordinates reported to him. ¡°Hovering? Can we see them?¡± Carl asked. "We can see some of them," his subordinate said. ¡°However, we can''t see them clearly because they are a little too far away." "Zoom in." All they could see was a small group of people, who were busy doing something at the entrance road to the base. The corner of Car''''s lips curled up in response, forming a prideful smile. ¡®It must be the ce where Nicole had broken through,¡± he said. "They must be recovering from the ambush.¡± "Keep a close eye on them. Don''t let them enter,¡± Carl ordered. "Understood." Then, Carl went down to examine all of the sites at the base. As he was walking past the production site, he noticed f there, and went in. ¡°f, are the droids ready to resume operation?" Carl asked. ¡°Almost. The only part that needs to be repaired are these. The rest are pretty much done,¡± f reported the situation to him as he saw Carl approaching. "That''s good. We must resume production as soon as possible. We are in crucial need of powerful droids like Brave." Carl looked at f solemnly and said. "Understood." f returned the stare with the same degree of seriousness. He knew of the Brave''s importance to everyone. If it wasn''t for Brave, they might have been overwhelmed and defeated by the Raven, with the Brave falling into their hands as well. Chapter 1448 Chapter 1448 "Thank you for your hard work. I''ll proceed to the other departments now.¡± Carl patted fs shoulder and left. As soon as he reached Door D, Carl noticed that the workers looked exhausted. Seeing this, he asked, "How long have you guys been guarding this section? This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. "We''ve been here for five days." "Five days." CarI stopped and thought for a moment. Then, he took his walkie-talkie out and ordered, "The guards who have been watching the doors will be heading to the lounge to catch some rest. Group Four will take their post over." "Understood." After he had given his orders, Carl continued to the next area for his inspection. Meanwhile, Nicole, who was in the room, had already woken up from her nap. Checking the time, she realized that it was already evening. She stood up and stretched contentedly. For the past few days, she had not gotten any good sleep, as she had been too busy hiding herself from that group of people who were following her. It was only after arriving in Carl''s base that she had finally managed to get a good sleep. Then, Nicole whipped her phone out to contact Zeke, as she wanted to know where he was. [Zeke, are you safe?] However, even after waiting for a few minutes, she did not hear back from Zeke. Noticing this, she guessed that Zeke might still be on the run, and therefore, it was inconvenient for him to give her a reply at once. It was at that moment that Nicole''s stomach began to rumble. She knew she had to eat something to satiate her hunger first. She walked out of the room to find that nobody was in the corridor. Nicole then walked toward the opposite direction from where she hade, and after covering several yards, a group of people on patrol duty appeared in front of her. Having spotted someone atst, Nicole hurried over and yelled, "Hey! Wait!" The instant the squad heard her voice, they suddenly stopped and whirled around. Upon noticing that it was Nicole, they immediately stood at attention. As those men were from Zane''s organization, they could recognize her. "Where is the cafeteria?" Nicole asked casually, for even if they were her subordinates, she would have to fill her own stomach first. "It''s downstairs,¡± one of them replied. "Okay. You may continue with your patrol duty." Nicole ordered them with a stern look on her face. "Roger that." The team then continued patrolling the base. Nicole followed their directions and made her way downstairs. On her way, though, she bumped into Carl. "You''re up?" Carl asked as he noticed Nicoleing down. "Yeah." "Where are you heading to?" Carl continued. "I want to grab something to eat at the cafeteria," Nicole replied bluntly, as there was no shame in being starved. "All of you may head back to the lounge to catch a break." Carl ordered the band of mercenaries behind him. "Got it,¡± they said. Then, Carl turned back to Nicole and said, "I''m hungry too. Let''s go there together." Carl proceeded to make his way downstairs with Nicole following closely behind him. "Although this is a production base, the internal structures are a littleplex. Here, take this.¡± Carl passed a walkie-talkie to Nicole. Nicole grabbed and pocketed it. Then, she looked at Carl and asked, ¡°It''s just a production base. Why do things have to be so complicated?" "I don''t know. Perhaps, it was designed as such in fear of saboteurs breaking in,¡± he replied. In fact, it had taken Carl an entire day to familiarize himself with the whole ce. "I guess the man at the helm of Curley Corporation must have anticipated that this day woulde when he built this ce." Nicole pondered as she walked. Chapter 1449 Chapter 1449 "Well, who knows?" Carl said. "It is only right that they take such necessary precautions, as this is an important project. Otherwise, the Raven''s forces wouldn''t have made so little progress in theirst assault." "Now that I think about it, it''s all thanks to theplex structure that we had gained enough precious time to equip the Brave and send the Raven back,¡± he continued. The instant Nicole heard those words, she looked at Carl in shock. "The Raven''s forces hadunched an attack before?" It was then that Carl realized that he had identally spilled a secret. He coughed awkwardly and said, "It''s all in the past. Here''s the cafeteria." Hearing this, Nicole could tell that Carl was obviously avoiding her question. Meanwhile, Carl knew what Nicole liked to eat, so he ordered two portions and ced them in front of Nicole. "These are your favorite dishes. Give them a taste and let me know if it''s authentic or not." Carl looked at Nicole with a smile on his face. However, Nicole''s was still thinking about what Carl had said. "Erm, Carl, did you get hurt?" Although talking about the past was of no use to any of them, Nicole was still concerned if Carl had sustained any injuries. "Nope. With my skills and experiences, how could I get hurt? Let''s not talk about it anymore. Try this food. I doubt it''d be as good once it''s cold," Carl said, not wanting to discuss this matter anymore. "Thank God you''re fine,¡± Nicole said, feeling relieved. "It seems like it has been a while since west had a meal together.¡± Nicole looked at Carl. "Yeah, it''d seem that way,¡± he said. ¡°But you still remember my favorite dishes,¡± she replied. "Of course, and it''s not just your favorite dishes. I still remember all the things that you like." Carl was taken aback by his own words too, the same words he had blurted without a second thought. "Nicole, the car that you drove here was modified. So, it seems that you came here prepared?" Carl raised his eyebrows and asked. "That''s right. Things are quite messy out here. On top of that, you''re guarding the base, so it''s safe to say that things can get pretty dangerous. It''s only right for me toe here prepared. Otherwise, I''d be driving myself into my own grave.¡± Nicole smirked. "Speaking of which, I suddenly remembered something important." Nicole''s face assumed a more solemn expression. "What is it?¡± he asked. ¡°Before I came over, I went snooping around the Raven''smand post. The one who''s taking the lead this time around is Cara," Nicole said, reporting her findings to Carl. The moment Carl heard those words, his eyes widened in shock. "You went to the Raven¡¯smand post? Do you have a death wish?!" "Don''t get so worked up. I''m still alive and well, am I not?" Nicole immediately assured when she noticed his expression. "Nicole, I think you''re bing too much of a daredevil. You actually have the guts to break into the Raven''smand post alone. Do you know how dangerous it is?¡± N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. Car! could not calm himself down. Nicole''s recklessness did indeed bother him. Undeniably, Nicole was a very capable woman, who could dwarf him in skill and experience. However, the Raven''smand post was not the safest ce to be. Carl was already worried and angry that Nicole had taken the risk to find him at the base, but little did he know that Nicole had gone ahead to inspect the Raven''smand post before arriving here. As such, he was on the verge of fainting upon hearing that from her. ¡°Calm down," she said, attempting to put him at ease, but to no avail. "Sit down!" Nicole yelled, as her gentle approach was not taken kindly. Hearing the sudden outburst from her, Carl calmed himself down and sat down slowly. However, his eyes were still brimming with anger and anxiety. "It isn''t as bad as you imagine," she said. "Besides, I''ve experienced worse throughout the years. A smallmand post wouldn''t give me any trouble.¡± "But..." Carl uttered, but as soon as his eyes met Nicole''s, he swallowed the words that he was about to say. "I know you''re worried about me, and that you think that I was acting rashly. But let me assure you, I wouldn''t do things that I''m not uncertain about. Besides, I''ve gained a lot of intel from this visit," Nicole said, and once she had finished her sentence, a wicked smile crossed her face Car! looked at Nicole¡¯s face with his brows furrowed. "What do you mean?" Chapter 1450 Chapter 1450 Now, we not only know where the Raven''smand post is, but we also know who is leading them. Wouldn''t you say that such information is essential?¡± Nicole asked as she raised her eyebrows. "Definitely. As the saying goes, ¡®To know one''s own strength and the enemy''s is the surest way to victory¡¯.¡± Carl replied. "That''s right. I don''t really know much about Cara. But now that we know their name, it''ll be easy for me to look up this person''s details. On top of that, with our knowledge of themand post''s exact location, we can do a precision strike when we need to.¡± Nicole said with a smirk. "If we can defeat them, we''d rid ourselves of the current obstacle, clearing a path for our supplies to enter. And the cherry on top? We''ll be free to transport our items in and out while we set up defenses at key areas. When that is done, it would be a lot easier for us to bring our supplies in.¡± Nicole exined the n as she looked Carl in the eyes. "You''re right. If we do that, we could cripple the Raven''s forces, and they would lose one of their key members. That''s one hurdle out of the way if we ever wish to take them down in the future," Carl said, having finally understood Nicole''s intentions. A look of admiration then appeared on his face. "Nicole, you''re really amazing. I guess everything is in your hands now." "Moments ago, I was still concerned about your safety. I didn''t stop to think that you had such a brilliant strategy in mind. All I can say is, I''m actually pretty happy to have you here." Carl said, finally speaking his mind. Nicole looked at him with a smile. "We''ve known each other for years. Do you think I wouldn''t know what you''re up to?" ¡°Let''s finish this quickly. Later on, we''ll go to the central control room and discuss our next step in detail.¡± Nicole said to Carl. ¡°Alright.¡± After they were done eating, the both of them made their way to the central control room. Then, Carl brought a map out for Nicole to peruse. ¡°Take a look. This is where we''re at now.¡± Carl pointed on the map for Nicole. "It seems like that person wasn''t lying. There really are two entrances and two exit routes." Nicole stared at the map of the base and said. Then, she carefully searched for themand post where Cara was. N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. "This is the main street. This is... Why can¡¯t I find it?¡± Nicole asked, unable to locate themand post even after staring at the map for a long time. "We''re not in a hurry. Come, sit down and look through it slowly." Carl advised. ¡°I''m not in a hurry. This map doesn''t seem to be detailed enough. Do you have a more detailed one?¡± Nicole asked, thinking that she could not have misinterpreted or overlooked anything on the map. "Let me find it." Carl opened a drawer and began to flip through the stack within it. "I''ve found it. There¡¯s a better one here." Carl took the map out andid it open on the table. "This one is a lot more detailedpared to the one before.¡± Nicolemented before continuing to locate the Raven''smand post. ¡°I''ve found it." "Where?" Carl hurried over to see. Chapter 1451 Chapter 1451 "Here." "This is the exact location of themand post." Nicole pointed it for Carl to see. "So, it is ina remote area. That was why all of the men I''ve deployed were not able to find anything. This bunch is really cunning.¡± Carl looked at the map and sighed. "There''s no use in being cunning. It will be the end of them once they are forced to engage us face to face.¡± Nicole said confidently. "Nicole, how are we supposed to destroy theirmand post just by staring at it?¡± Carl jabbed, already impatient to make his way there and wipe them out. ¡°Let me think...¡± Nicole stroked her chin as her brain got to work quickly. ¡°Right now, the Raven''s forces have surrounded all of our entrances and exits. Therefore, it''s kind of impossible for us to march an entire army out of the gates to attack themand post." Original content from N?velDrama.Org. "We can only send a small squadprising of our best out there. After that, well sneak our way through the enemies andunch an assault on themand post." Nicole said, analyzing the situation in ordance with their current circumstances. She felt that it would be easier for them to seed with a sneak attack. "I agree with you. But can we add two Braves into our ranks? With them around, it could increase our chances of winning.¡± Carl asked, having known Brave''s lethality. In fact, he hoped that that the Braves alone could wipe all of the enemies at themand post out due to how powerful they were. "Brave is a little bigger in size. Having them around would make it difficult for us to sneak in, and it would quickly attract the opponent''s attention. I don''t think it would be wise to include the Braves in this mission.¡± Nicole replied, disagreeing with the addition of the two droids. "But it would increase the chances of us winning. Think about it, themand post would be heavily guarded. Even if our men are skilled enough, we might not be able to prate their defenses. Once our army gets obliterated, we would be suffering a huge loss. "With the firepower that the Braves have to offer, however, the scales could be tipped. Our men could use the Braves as shields, allowing them tounch an attack on themand post effectively,¡± Carl said, presenting his argument. Nicole gave his argument some thought after she had heard it. ¡®What Carl said is right. The manpower we have at the base is quite limited. If they send their best members out on this mission, it would of course be remarkable if they seed. However, if they fail, the consequences for us will be truly awful.¡¯ ¡°Let''s think about this carefully ande up with the best n.¡± "Now, let me take a picture of this map so that I can study itter." Nicole took her phone out and snapped a few pictures. "Carl, remember, we share the same goal." Then, Nicole turned around and left the master control room. Once she had reached her room, Nicole projected the picture she had just taken to the wall. Then, she began to study it, but just as she was concentrating on the n, her phone burred with the notification sound. She picked her phone up to find Zeke''s message on the status bar. [Lucifer, I''ve escaped to Lanningbourg. Don''t worry about me, I''ll find you the instant I get to be alone at home.] [Lanningbourg? I''m at Lanningbourg too, but it''ll be a little too inconvenient for me to be out and about. Please take care of yourself. I''ll find you once I''m done here.] Nicole then quickly told Zeke about the recent development which she did not have the chance to divulge during the time when he wasst online. [ Before I forget, let me tell you some good news. The mission for the insignia has beenpleted. All that''s left is for you to fill your name in.] [Really? Lucifer, you''re my fairy godmother! When we meet, I''ll make sure to thank you properly. You''ve really done me a huge favor!] Zeke replied, expressing his gratitude. From his message itself, one could tell how happy he was. [Okay, well, this is the truth of the situation. Because of that mission, I had to...Forget it, you must thank me properly the next time we meet.] Nicole thought about it and decided not to tell him that she was being tailed. Zeke was already in hiding, so it was best for her not to add to his worries. After all, she was hiding at the base of productions belonging to Curley Corporation. Those pursuing her would not be able to harm her there. Chapter 1452 Chapter 1452 [That much is certain! You can start thinking about what you want. Once I''m done here, I¡¯ll look for you.] [Alright, I''ll let you know once I think of something.] [That''s all for today. I''m going offline now.] As soon as Zeke had sent her that message, he went offline. Nicole ced her phone down and continued studying for the sneak attack n. All of a sudden, a knock was on the door. "Come in.¡± Nicole knew that it was none other than Carl, as no one else woulde looking for her. Carl pushed the door open and walked in with a cup of drink in his hand. There, he found Nicole studying the map and said, "Here." Nicole took the cup of coffee from Carl''s hands. "If you''re here, who''s taking care of the central control room?" N?velDrama.Org owns this. "Oh, everything is well taken care of. There¡¯s nothing to worry about." "Are you still thinking about the n?¡± Carl looked at the map and asked. "Yeah, the terrain surrounding themand post is quiteplex. I''m thinking about a way to overwhelm and destroy themand post all at once.¡± Nicole turned to the map and began to think. "It''ll be a challenge for us to overwhelm them right away. I think we''ll have to take things slow with our n and think of an exit strategy." Carl looked at Nicole. He wanted to work on the n step by step. "Look at this. If we wish to get out, we will have to get pass these two exits. However, both of these ces are heavily guarded by the Raven. So, we''ll have to think about how we could make the cross without rming them," he said. "I''ve thought about this.¡± "You''ve thought about it? What''s your idea?" Carl looked at Nicole with his forehead creased. "We can''t use any of these exits.¡± "We can''t use any of them? Well then, we wouldn''t have any other way out." Carl replied to Nicole with a questionable look. "There''s a path. Perhaps, it''s a little too well-hidden for anyone to discover it." Nicole smirked. "Which path?" Carl looked at Nicole in shock, for he had been at the base for quite some time now, and yet, he did he not know about a third exit. "Look here, at the west-most side of the base. There''s a river there. We can cross over through this river.¡± Nicole pointed on the map for Carl to see. Carl fixed his gaze on that river at once, wondering why he had never thought of passing through that river. "I don''t think it''s possible for us to do so, Nicole. I remember that there aren''t any bridges at that river, and the current is pretty strong. It''s almost impossible for humans to swim in it." Carl exined, recalling the first day he patrolled the ce. Indeed, he had checked the ce out, just to discover that the current was really powerful, and that was why he did not bother to set up any defenses there. Based on his judgment, no one in their right mind would pick a route which involved crossing over such a dangerous river. "It''s true that humans won''t be able to swim past it. But we could set up cable lines on both sides of the riverbank. Our terrain is slightly higher, so it would be easier for us to go there. That way, we could cross over quickly and easily.¡± Nicole said without any hesitation. As soon as Carl heard of that idea, he immediately came to the realization that it was a feasible n. He began to smile as he looked at the map. "Nicole, you''re really amazing! This is the best idea ever.¡± Carl turned around and praised her in admiration. Chapter 1453 Chapter 1453 "Don''t get your hopes up. We might''ve been able to solve the problems we have now, but we still have to study this matter closely and n our next few steps in advance in preparation for the next time it happens,¡¯ Nicole blurted, her words extinguishing Carl''s enthusiasm. "Why are you doing this, raining on my parade and all?" Carl grumbled, though he went ahead and sat next to her at the very next second. "When I arrived, I noticed that there only a few who would dare walk the streets, and that members of the Raven would randomly blend into the crowd and form groups of two to three. That''s not many, I know, but I think it''ll be best if our men avoid them for now. Though it''s difficult for us, we must solve this issue as discreetly as possible without doing anything abrupt or suspicious, lest we attract the attention of the Raven,¡± Nicole continued, summing up the things she had encountered in the city before this, and informing Carl about the dangers. "So you''re saying that you encountered all of these when you came?¡± Carl asked, having keenly captured all of the details through Nicole''s words. "I''m fine, however I was osted by two people who were behaving suspiciously.¡± When Nicole said this, the scene of a car exploding right behind here appeared in her mind. "Two people? Did they let you go, or did you help them out?" Carl looked into Nicole''s eyes and asked. "Of course, I didn''t go around seeking trouble! I''ll have you know that I''m a harmless person!" Nicole looked at Carl with her eyebrows raised. "Yeah right." Carl retorted, not believing that im that she was harmless at all. "The point is, remember what I''ve said, and you''ll easily be able to avoid them. It seems that they have a clever scheme up their sleeves, so don''t make a scene out the tiniest of things before they unveil their major n.¡¯ Nicole looked into Carl''s eyes and warned. "Don''t worry about it," he replied. "I will remember whatever you''ve said to me clearly. Now, can you tell me about Cara?" "I don''t know much about Cara. I have to find out more about them. The problem is that there are many guards patrolling themand post, so we must divide our men into two groups. One to lure the guards away and another to kill those within themand post.¡± While talking, Nicole began to research on Cara on theputer while Carl looked at the map of the area they were going to infiltrate. ¡®There are no tall buildings around. It''ll be difficult for us to snipe any of them because there isn''t a high ground. But then again, splitting into two groups is one way to deal with it. Still, it won''t be easy to overwhelm them if there are too many people in the area.¡¯ Car! frowned while thinking of the possible scenarios. ¡°Nicole, as far as our forces are concerned, I don''t think it''ll be wise to deploy too small a number, or else, we risk being easily outnumbered." "What you''ve pointed out is true. There shouldn''t be too few of us, considering the fact that there are a lot of guards patrolling themand post,¡± she replied. "By the way, are there enough spare Beacons to go around?" Nicole suddenly remembered and asked. "There''s not much left, but it''s more than enough for an entire elite squad,¡± Carl replied while looking at Nicole. "That''s great. We must provide and equip the ones who will be deployed on this mission ordingly. We''ll find a solution to make up for the equipment that we areckingter on," Nicole nned. ¡°Okay.¡± "Come, take a look at this. This is the information I''ve found about Cara." Nicole ced theputer on the table. "Cara doesn¡¯t seem to possess any valuable information. How could an ordinary person take a leading position in the Raven?¡± he asked. "And what''s more important is, how do we secure Curley''s base of productions, and how could the leader of the Raven send such a person here? This makes no sense," Carl said with a look of puzzlement. "Since he is already leading the Raven, there must be something special about him. We can''t afford to overlook and underestimate him. Perhaps his way of getting things done is very distinct from the others in the Raven. Let your subordinates know that we are to pay more attention when we are fighting. Back down when things y out in unusual ways, and remember to not be fight reckless,¡± Nicole exined, having a hunch that Cara was a strange individual. N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. "Well, now that I think about it, seeing that that this is all we can find out about him, I must admit that there''s a lot that we still don''t know about him. Should we send some of our men out to collect some information about him?" Carl looked at Nicole and asked. Chapter 1454 Chapter 1454 ¡°Although we need to find out more about Cara, our current situation makes it difficult for us to send our men out. The roads and the river are no longer essible. We can''t let the Raven take note of these routes either,¡± Nicole said in a solemn tone of voice. "Yeah, you can go ahead and see if you can dig up more information about this.¡± Carl looked at Nicole, assuming that it would be safer to investigate online. ¡°Alright, I''ll give it another go.¡± Nicole began typing away, her fingers darting across the keyboard. All of a sudden, a voice red out from Carl''s walkie-talkie. "C, there are four squads approaching the base in an orderly manner." "Got it. I''ll be there right away," Carl replied at once. "You go right ahead. I''ll stay here and continue with the investigation and nning,¡± Nicole said to Carl. "Okay. I''lle back to discuss with you after I''ve dealt with the Raven''s assault." Carl got up and left as soon as he had finished his sentence. "How''s the situation out there?" Carl walked into the central control room and asked. "They''re almost within our range," one of his subordinates reported. "Get everyone ready. Once they are within range, they will be rendered helpless. I will kill each and every one that approaches,¡± Car! ordered with a solemn expression on his face. "Yes, sir.¡± The Braves were then deployed to the various vital positions across the base, their ordnances trained at the Raven''s advances that looked as if they were marching to their deaths at the enemy''s doorstep. Under themand of Cara, the Raven suddenly elerated in pace, with the four squads attacking the gates of the base almost simultaneously. Both sides then engaged in another fierce shootout. In the master control room, Carl was monitoring the situation, givingmands every now and again to adjust and alter his defensive strategy whenever changes urred. Suddenly, Nicole walked in with herptop. "Carl, take a look at this.¡± Nicole showed Carl herputer screen, "Is this Cara''s personal information?" Carl looked at Nicole in surprise. "That''s right. He''s the adopted son of the leader, which means that he has been learning from his father for some time now. He was probably sent to Curley¡¯s base of productions because the leader wanted him to gain some experiences.¡± Nicole analyzed based on the given situation and information. "So, ording to you, he is a highly valued member of the organization. Otherwise, he would not have been entrusted with a task like this,¡± Carl deduced. "Yeah. How''s the Raven''s siege effort now? Are they getting more aggressive?" Nicole asked while staring at the huge surveince monitor before her. ¡°Compared to their previous attacks, it''s not as aggressive," Carl replied. "They might have failed in their previous attempts, but I think they might be testing the waters this time around,¡¯ Nicole assessed. "Carl, I think now is the best time tounch a sneak attack on themand post, as they''re still busy trying to break into the base. The ranks within themand post must have been thinned, so a sneak attack might grant us twice the results with half the effort.¡± Nicole''s eyes lit up as she looked at Carl. Original content from N?velDrama.Org. "You''re right. I''ll go ahead and gather our elites now.¡¯ Carl turned around and left as soon as he was done speaking. "Please, keep an eye on the control room, Nicole.¡± Carl turned around to look at Nicole before asking her for a favor. "Sure. Off you go, and remember everything I''ve told you.¡± Nicole reminded as she returned his gaze. ¡°Okay,¡± he said. Chapter 1455 Chapter 1455 At the lobby, Carl had rallied a team of elites consisting of experienced and capable mercenaries handpicked from his ranks. As he stood before them, he said, ¡®The task will be extremely difficult. Our mission is to capture and destroy the Raven''smand post.¡± "Their leader goes by the name of Cara. He is a person without muchbat experience on the field, but he has been under the wing of the man helming the Raven for the longest time, so his abilities are not to be underestimated." "This operation must be carried out with utmost caution. Fall back whenever you find that there is little resolve for the situation. Every single one of you are equally important, so do not wander off alone as a lone ranger, no matter what. Do you understand?" Carl nced at everyone with a serious expression. "Sir yes sir!" "Good, so here is the n of action," he began again. "Jason and Yolli, the both of you will be in charge of this operation as squad leaders. From the base, use the zip line and make your way to the west side of the base. Upon reaching the enemy''s base, divide yourselves into two groups. Jason, you''re in charge of distracting the enemies and directing gunfire away. Yolli, you''re in charge of engaging the enemies at themand post. Make your immediate return once the mission haspleted.¡± "If the infiltration is a sess, bring any useful information back to us, as well as some of Cara''s belongings. Use the original route for your return, and make sure that none of the outsiders can spot you," Carl said, conveying Nicole''s words to the group of elites. "And that is the strategy. If you encounter any problems during the operation, you may make your own decisions without reporting the situation to the base. Now, gather and check your equipment, everyone. If you have gotten everything you need, you may begin!¡± Carl looked at them and ordered. "Yes, sir!" The elite team proceeded to gather their equipment neatly before making a beeline for the small door leading out of the site. Carl then ordered one of them to open it, after which he watched as they left the base. At the same time, the Raven, who were engaging in violentbat outside of the production base were unaware that the elite squad were slowly making their way to theirmand post. To smoothen their process of sneaking out of the base, Carl ordered some of the troops to direct their line of fire away from the area where the elite squad was. The fightsted all morning, with both sides bing exhausted as noon approached. Soon after, the Raven began to retreat. When Carl saw the Raven''s forces retreating, he became worried that something had urred, whereupon he contacted one of his men at once to inquire about the intentions of the other party. "C, the Raven seems to be readjusting. Some are resting and rearming themselves,¡± the man reported back. "Well, if that''s the case. Keep an eye out on them and keep me updated if there are any recent movements on their part," Carl ordered. "Yes, sir!" "Nicole, let''s go grab something to eat.¡¯ Carl suggested, knowing that Nicole must be hungry after staying in the control room all morning. "Sure." At the cafeteria, Nicole looked at Carl and said, "Carl, the people whom you''ve assigned the mission to. Have you gotten any news from them?" "Not yet," Carl replied while looking at the time. Nicole took a deep breath and kept mum. After the meal, she went back to her room to catch some sleep while Carl returned to the central control room to continue monitoring the situation outside. Nicole sat down and took her phone out before opening the remote surveince application on her device to see Fiore sitting beside Jared, who was still lying motionless on his hospital bed. She was holding a book in her hand. This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. ¡®It seems that she is reading to Jared,¡¯ Nicole thought upon seeing Fiore stopping and ncing at Jared after reading a few sentences from her book. Nicole then moved the surveince camera around, and found that Jared and Fiore were the only ones in the ward, with Martin being nowhere to be found. "Where did that fool wander off to? I left Jared in his hands and he''s not even there. And why is Fiore there too?" Nicole murmured, feelingpletely dismayed. Nicole proceeded to dial Martin''s number, and waited for him to answer. "Nicole, are you okay?" Martin immediately answered Nicole''s call as he walked out of the meeting room. Chapter 1456 Chapter 1456 ¡°I''m fine, but what''s the deal with Fiore?" Nicole asked Martin directly. "Fiore Fisher? What are you talking about?" Martin asked sloppily. "Don''t y dumb with me. She''s in Jared''s ward. Do you want me to go on? " Nicole asked, her tone icy. She was not expecting Martin to withhold such an important piece of information from her. It was then that Martin suddenly remembered the cloud surveince camera in the ward. ¡®Nicole must''ve seen Fiore through it¡¯ "So, you already knew about...Fiore. Well, uh, I couldn''t leave Jared alone in the ward. I have other things that I need to deal with. After much consideration, I think that Fiore is the best person suited to take care of Jared, and that was why I came up with that decision,¡± he said with traces of guilt in his voice. "Where''s Max when you''re busy?" Nicole asked. "Max haspany matters to deal with too, and with Jared locked in his current state, no one else in thepany knows what to do. Max and us have been busy with thepany¡¯s affairs. They asionallye over to visit Jared, but they would leave whenever they receive a phone call," Martin replied, exining the predicaments that Max and us were into Nicole. Upon hearing Martin''s words, Nicole anger began to dissipate. Indeed, Max and us had been working hard ever since Jared fell into aa. "Martin, I Know that you''ve been worried about this, but to let Fiore take care of Jared? Don''t you know how Fiore feels about him?" Nicole said bluntly. "I know precisely how Fiore feels about Jared, and that was why I entrusted her with the task of taking care of Jared. Otherwise, I wouldn''t be able to deal with my own stuff. There isn''t anyone else that''s more suited to look after him right now,¡± he said. "This is the reason as to why I didn''t ask you for your opinion. Firstly, you were out of reach, and secondly, I was afraid that you would disagree if you found out," Martin continued, expressing his concerns freely. N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. "Martin, am I an unreasonable person to you?" she asked. "Of course not. It''s just that I didn''t arrange things well,¡± Martin replied, knowing that Nicole wasn''t angry anymore right after he had heard what she had to say. "Anyway, when are youing back?" Martin asked. "I still have some difficult things to deal with here. I can''te back for the time being. As for Jared, I''ll leave him in your and...Fiore¡¯s hands for now,¡± she replied after some hesitation. "Don''t worry about Jared. You should take care of yourself over there,¡± Martin reminded with concern. "Don''t worry about me, Martin. There is one more thing I need you to keep as a secret for me,¡± she requested. "What''s that?¡± he asked. "If Jared wakes up, don''t tell him that I''m now abroad. You must not let hime and look for me,¡± Nicole said in a stern voice. "That will be difficult. I mean, if everything can be dealt with before he wakes up and he asks me about you, I''ll... Anyway, it won''t take that long for you toe back, right?" Martin hesitated with a hint of embarrassment. "I''m not sure how long I''ll take," she blurted out. "Bottom-line is, if Jared wakes up and I haven''t returned by then, you must never let him know that I''m not in the country. You must keep this as a secret from him!¡± Nicole urged. ¡°Alright, I''ll try my best to keep it a secret, but it''lle a day when he discovers the truth, and I''m not to me when he does," Martin said, not wishing to deceive Jared again. "I hope that you''ll be able toe back soon so that I won''t have to lie to him again,¡± he said. "Mr. Wyance, everyone has a few questions they''d like to ask you." Charles said aftering out of the conference room and walking up to Martin. "Okay, I''ll be right back." "Go ahead and take care of things on your end first. Bye,¡± Nicole said upon hearing everything that was happening on Martin''s end. Chapter 1457 Chapter 1457 ¡°Okay, I''ll call you when I have the time." Martin hung up. In the room, Nicole looked at the set of doors, suddenly wishing that Jared would regain consciousness, so that she would have more time. Outside, the Braves and the troops were still trying their best to fend off the offensive mounted by the Raven. Nicole was not in the mood to stay in the room for the entire day, so she got up and walked out of the room, before heading to the central control room. "Why is it that there a bunch of people engaging those around them. What''s the situation?" Carl murmured in puzzlement while looking at the monitor. "What''s wrong?" Nicole walked over and asked. "Take a look outside,¡± Carl said, imploring Nicole to look at the monitor. Nicole proceeded to keep her eyes on the monitor, which then showed her the very scene that Carl had witnessed earlier. Nicole recognized those who were locked in battle with the Raven immediately. "I didn¡¯t expect them toe here,¡¯ Nicole whispered. "Nicole, who are those people you''re talking about?¡± Carl asked upon hearing what she had said. "Oh, nothing. I¡¯m talking about the people from the Raven. Have you met them outside before?¡± Nicole asked, concealing the truth from him. Carl looked at Nicole in disbelief, after which he continued to pay attention to the battle outside. It was clear that the situation outside had gotten messy. The men who were not part of the Raven had gradually be caught in the siege mounted by the Raven, and in the midst of the battle, they were caught in the crossfire. A wicked smile appeared on Nicole''s mouth as she watched them being killed one by one. ''Those people who had followed me before should be gone by now. Man, I wasn''t expecting the Raven to do me such a huge favor.¡± Indeed, the Raven had regarded the group out there as the members of the base, mistaking them as the base''s reconnaissance team, and had thus immediately surrounded and attacked them. It was at this moment that a voice red out of Carl''s walkie-talkie. "C, we have reached the other side of the river. We need someone to get us." This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. "Okay, I''ll send someone to meet you on the other side of the river right away," Carl ordered. "Nicole, since you''re here. I''ll go out to meet them." Carl said as he looked at her, after which he turned around and left. About half an hourter, Carl returned to the base with the members of the elite team. Nicole went out to greet them, assuming that they had sessfullypleted the task. She took a look at them, and that was when her eyes widened in shock. "Why are you all injured?" She walked over and asked. "Initially, we had lured the guards outside themand post. Yolli then went in to deal with the ones inside. A group of people suddenly came out of nowhere and attacked me. We were fortunate that we were able to fight our way out, or else, we would''ve been beaten to a pulp," Jason reported to Nicole. Nicole looked at Carl as she listened to what Jason had to say, after which she ordered, "Bring them in and get their injuries treated first.¡± After they had left, Nicole continued, "It seems that when I went there to scout them, they had noticed me and taken some precautions." "This time we have gotten ourselves some casualties. If we want to get rid of Cara, we have to think in terms of the long run.¡± Nicole and Carl conversed as they walked along, side by side. "I didn¡¯t expect Cara to be so cunning. It seems that we had underestimated him,¡± Carl said as his eyes narrowed. ¡°Perhaps we did... I''m beginning to think that Cara is an interesting figure, after all. I must meet him in person when I get a chance,¡¯ Nicole said in a low voice. Outside the base, the Raven began to gradually retreat as they had received orders from their higher ups. Then, the base of production slowly reverted to its previous state of calm, with the sun setting in the background... Chapter 1458 Chapter 1458 Harvey hade to visit Jared at the hospital today, but when he entered, Martin was nowhere to be found. Instead, he was faced with the sight of Fiore. "Why are you here?" Harvey looked at Fiore in surprise and asked. "Mr. Ellison, are you here to visit Mr. Johnston?" Fiore asked, ignoring the look of surprise on Harvey''s face. Noticing that she had not bothered to answer his question, he looked at her and asked, ¡°Judging from the fact that you''re this calm, I''m assuming that you''ve beening here regrly, haven''t you?" N?velDrama.Org owns this. "What do you mean I''ve beening here regrly? I have always been here apanying him, okay?" Fiore got up from her seat and poured herself a cup of water. "Always been here apanying Mr. Johnston? Am I hearing this right? Where''s Martin?¡± Harvey looked at Fiore in disbelief and asked. "Naturally, Dr. Wyance has other things he needs to tend to, so he didn''t show up today." Fiore looked at his shell-shocked expression, knowing that Martin had not told him any of this. "Why this Martin. How can he let you in here when Nicole had entrusted Jared to him?" Harvey muttered about calling Martin. Fiore heard Harvey''s loud murmur, but she did not stop him. Instead, she returned to Jared''s hospital bed with her ss of water, whereupon she continued reading to him. Harvey looked at Fiore''s actions in shock before dialing Martin¡¯s number. "Martin, what are you doing? Why is Fiore in Jared''s ward?" Harvey asked Martin in a low voice. "You went to visit Jared? How is he?" Martin asked about how Jared was doing, ignoring Harvey''s question. Harvey issued a sigh of defeat. He nced at Fiore, after which he moved closer to the window and asked, "Martin, did you hear what I''m asking you? What''s going on with Fiore?" "Oh, you''re talking about her... I brought her here to take care of him. I''ve been running around, busy as a beaver as of recent," Martin exined. "But you can''t... You can''t ask help from her. If Nicole finds out, she''ll skin you alive!¡± Harvey suddenly realized his voice was a little too loud and immediately lowered his volume. "Don''t worry. Nicole is aware of it," Martin replied to him calmly. "What?! Nicole knew? And she agreed to it?" Harvey asked in surprise. "Well, Nicole took this much better than you did," Martin mocked. "If there''s nothing else, I''ve got to hang up. I''ve still got much to do here." "Okay then, I''ll talk to youter." Harvey said and hung up, given the situation at hand. Fiore shot a bullet of a nce at Harvey before continuing to read. Harvey then returned the nce and asked, "Are there any signs of Jared waking up?¡± "No." "Oh. Are you reading here?¡± Harvey took a glimpse of the book in her hand and casually asked. "This is Mr. Johnston''s favorite book so I''m reading it to him." Fiore looked at Jared and said. "Oh...go right on ahead, then. I have something I need to attend to so I''ll be leaving." Harvey bade Fiore goodbye and left the ward. Then, Harvey looked at the bodyguard standing by the door and asked,¡± How long has Fiore been taking care of Jared here?" "It''s been several days," the bodyguard replied. Harvey gave him a slight nod, took another glimpse of the ward once more, and left. Chapter 1459 Chapter 1459 In the car, Harvey made a phone call to Nicole. He had not been able to reach her for the past few days, but much to his delight, the call connected today. He was excited as he waited for Nicole to answer. "Hey, why did you call me?" Nicole''s voice red out. "How are you, Nicole? It''s been a while, and I''m d that I''m finally able to reach you today.¡± Harvey said, ted to hear Nicole''s voice. "I''m doing very well, so you don¡¯t have to worry about me,¡± she replied. "Nicole, I just left the hospital. Do you know anything about Jared as of recent?¡± Harvey carefully asked. "You went to see him? How is he?" Nicole quickly asked Harvey upon hearing Jared''s name being uttered, as she thought that he was showing signs of consciousness. "Calm down, he''s fine. But... There''s an uninvited guest in his ward,¡± Harvey said, wanting to tell Nicole about it gradually. "Uninvited guest? Who is it?¡± Nicole asked as she wondered. ''Did someone go in there to look for him?¡¯ "Please don''t get mad if I tell you. They didn''t do anything.¡± Harvey said, having thought hard about it. "Just tell me who''s there!" she yelled. "I saw Fiore. She''s in his ward." Harvey replied, having mustered up the courage to tell Nicole. "Who else is there?¡± Nicole asked. "No one. But aren''t you shocked that Fiore was there?" This was not what Harvey was expecting as he thought Nicole would be stunned to know that Fiore was there. "Can you not beat around the bush next time?" Nicole chided, as she thought that the people who were after her had gone in to look for Jared. "I already know about her taking care of Jared, so you don''t have to act like it''s a big deal,¡± she said. N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. "You knew about this?!" Harvey''s eyes widened in shock. "Yeah, Martin exined to me already,¡± she said. "How''s Jared? Fiore didn''t do anything that crossed the line, did she?" It was a lie to say that Nicole was not worried. Nicole knew everything that Fiore had done to Jared too, which was why she was slightly anxious. "He''s just the same as always. Fiore didn''t step out of line and was just reading a book there. She even said that it was a book that Jared liked,¡± he informed. Harvey had not heard that there was a book that Jared liked, so he was wondering how Fiore knew about it. "A book?¡± Nicole asked, slightly surprised. "Yeah, don''t you know what book Jared likes? Seems like you don''t really pay attention to him,¡± Harvey teased. "Why wouldn''t I know? Other than reading to Jared, what else did she do?¡± Nicole brushed the topic aside and continued asking Harvey. "Nothing. I wasn''t there for long. I left when I saw that there was nothing unusual with Jared.¡± Harvey recalled. "If you''re free these days, please visit Jared for me and let me know if anything happens,¡± she requested. Harvey knew what Nicole had meant, and said, "Sure, I''ll visit him once every few days. I guarantee that you''ll be the first to know when something happens to him.¡± "Sure, thank you. I''ll treat you to a feast when I''m back,¡± Nicole said. "In that case, you''ve got toe back soon. Don''t try to trick me with this offer.¡± Harvey said. In truth, he just wanted to see Nicole. He was bored to death when she was not around, as there was no one that he could talk to. "Okay, I''m busy with something here, so I''ll hang up now,¡± she said. "Bye." Then, Nicole ended the call. Chapter 1460 Chapter 1460 A few dayster, Nicole and Carl plotted to attack the Raven''smand post once more, as the injured members of the elite team that had been assaulted was recovering well. "Nicole, go get some rest. You''ve been at it for the entire morning." Carl looked at Nicole with concern. "It''s fine, I''ll study it for a while longer.¡± Nicole shot a nce at him before looking back at the map. Hearing this, Carl took the map away from her and folded it. "What are you doing? I''m still looking at it," Nicole asked Carl. "Take a break from it and go out with me for a bit," Carl said with a serious look on his face. "Where are we going?" Nicole asked with a frown. "You''ll know in a bit. Let''s go.¡± Carl stood up and looked at Nicole, motioning her to follow him. As Carl had stored the map away, Nicole could only follow him outside. Both of them then walked out of the meeting room, and Car! took Nicole to the lounge. Nicole saw the lounge the moment she walked in and asked, "Why did you bring me here? Do you know that our time is precious?¡± N?velDrama.Org owns this. She was about to turn and leave when Carl grabbed her wrist. "Taking a rest wouldn''t be a waste of time. You''ve been exerting yourself for the entire time, so it is safe to say that your mind is pretty fuzzy at this point. "Have a seat. I''ll make a cup of coffee for you. It''s been some time since you tried it, huh?" Carl persuaded Nicole, prompting her to finally sit down. After a short while, Carl walked over with two cups of coffee. "Here, see if my coffee has be worse." Nicole looked at the coffee and found that Carl had even decorated it with somette art. Seeing this, she smiled and took a sip of the coffee. Meanwhile, Carl watched her expression closely before he asked, "How is it?¡± Suddenly, Nicole feigned a look as though she had just tasted something awful. ¡°Why is this so bad? Your skills have deteriorated, Carl." "Huh? Is it that bad? Let me give it a try." Carl grabbed Nicole''s coffee, attempting to taste it for himself. Nicole quickly stopped him, even if she had to touch his hand. "I''m just messing with you." In response, Carl rolled his eyes. "I''m being nice to you, and yet, here you are, screwing around with me.¡± "To be honest though, your coffee brewing skills have actually improved a little," Nicole praised him with a smile. "Ah, that''s impossible. Who knows if you''re kidding or not?" he said, reluctant to believe that Nicole was complimenting him. "Tsk, you won''t even believe me even when I''m giving you apliment, so let''s just forget about it." Nicole drank the coffee. "Okay, I believe you. I believe in anything you say, and that''s why I was fooled,¡± he said in defeat. "You''ve been here for so long, but why hasn''t Jarede over to see you? Did you sneak your way here?¡± Carl asked, as he suddenly thought about Jared, whom he had always considered to be an overbearing guy. "Come on. Why must I even sneak around?¡± she asked. "He''s really busy with his work, so he can''t be with me wherever I go. Besides, I told him that I was coming to visit you this time, so he''s not worried at all." Nicole continued, telling him a lie with a straight face. Chapter 1461 Chapter 1461 "Oh, I see. You used me as an excuse,¡± Carl said. "What excuse? It''s just that he isn''t worried because I''m safe around you.¡± Nicole rolled her eyes. "Well, he''s going to be disappointed this time..." Carl sighed. "Why are you being such a Debbie downer? This has not ended. We can turn the tables as long as we can capture Cara''smand post.¡± Nicole looked at him with confidence. "Easier said than done. You''ve seen how our men ended up after thatst attempt. It''s just too tall of an order for us," Carl said with a look of defeat. "This is not the Carl I know. What did you go through that turned you into someone like this? Where did the courageous and optimistic Carl go?!" Nicole looked at him, her eyes brimming with passion and fury. "It''s not an issue of confidence. It''s just that we''ve beenered like prey. We don''t have enough equipment or weapons. I''m just worried that..." Carl stopped mid-sentence. N?velDrama.Org owns this. "Don''t lose hope. You''re not fighting alone. I''m here with you. We''ve ovee many predicaments, and we will ovee this one too! There''s nothing we can''t do!¡± Nicole encouraged with a look of affirmation. He looked at Nicole''s assuring gaze and the passion in his eyes lit up. ¡®She''s right. She''s here with me too. We''ve gone through so many battles, so this is nothing! Nothingpared to what we''ve faced in the past.¡¯ "It''s nice to have you here, Nicole. It feels like we''re in the pastpleting missions once again." Carl smiled at Nicole. "Yeah, think about how we used to ovee our difficulties andplete our missions. We can do it this time too!¡± she said. "Come on, let''s head back to study the map." Nicole took thest sip of her coffee and made her way back to the meeting room. Carl and Nicole then went on to discover ways to deal with the Raven¡¯smand post throughout the entire afternoon. When the sky had darkened, Carl brought two cups of instant noodles over, whereupon they continueding up with a n while eating. The next day, after the sun had risen to brighten the day, Carl was asleep on the table while Nicole was stilling up with a n to capture the post. "It''s finally done!" Nicole eximed in joy, forgetting that Carl had fallen asleep next to her. Her loud voice immediately woke Carl up, and he stared at her in a daze. "What happened? Did Cara attack us?!" "No, Carl. I found a way to resolve the problem that we were facingst night!" Nicole walked over and told him happily. "For real?!" Carl eximed, shocked and excited. "Yes! Come have a look.¡± Nicole pointed at the map and proceeded to present her idea to him. Carl listened to her as his eyes widened. He looked at Nicole and said, "This is a brilliant idea! You''re a genius, Nicole! But wait. You''ve been up for the whole night, haven''t you?¡± Car! felt bad for Nicole. He was a little too exhaustedst night and could only recall looking at Nicole as she studied the map intently before he fell asleep. "I''m fine. I''ll just make up for my sleepter,¡± Nicole said, looking knackered. "Just get some sleep now and leave the rest to me," he replied. "I''m really fine..." But as she was about toplete her sentence, Carl interrupted her. "No, don''t work on this anymore. Just go to sleep. You''re my dam - No, you''re my angel.¡± Carl smiled as he pushed Nicole out of the meeting room. Chapter 1462 Chapter 1462 ¡°Alright, alright. I''ll go to sleep, okay? But please, look into it carefully, since you''re more familiar with this ce than I am. There can''t be any loopholes, so we must seed this time!" Nicole turned to remind him. "Sure, don''t worry about it. I''ll be extra attentive. I''ll still need you to double-check it in the end, so please, get some rest.¡± Carl just wanted Nicole to have some sleep. "Okay, I''ll go catch some rest. Juste and find me if you need me,¡± she said. "Yup, got it." Carl then returned to the meeting room. In truth, he did not expect Nicole toe up with a n overnight. With that said, he proceeded to study the geography of the ce as he thought, ¡®Nicole really did provide me with massive aid for this n. I''ve got to better it as much as I can, so that the chances of us failing again are close to none.¡¯ Then, night came. Two squads went on to sneak out of the tiny door of their base, fully geared and armed. They were headed toward the riverside and when they got there, Nicole led them across the river, followed by Carl. In the dead of night, and under the cover of darkness, both Nicole and Carl brought the two teams to themand post nearby. "Carl, seen anything on your end?" she asked. "I''m going to assess the enemy''s formation." Carl took his binocrs out and stood at the best position he could find as he poked his head out carefully, attempting to get a good look on their positioning. But after looking at it for a bit, his face turned sour. "Nicole, they have changed their formations... No one is out there." Nicole scoffed. "Seems like I was right. n B, let''s go." Car! could not help but smile. "Thank God for your n B. Got it, I¡¯ll send the troops in." In a dark room in themand post, stood a man with a gun in his right hand, while on the other, were two walnuts which he fiddled with. He was looking out of the window with a cold expression on his face. Soon, another man barged into the room and knelt over. "Sir! Our targets have taken the bait." The man stopped fiddling with the walnuts and chuckled.¡± They''re here? What are we waiting for then? This time¡­ don''t let them get away!" Smack. Apanying the man¡¯s coldughter was the crushing of the walnuts, their bits scattering on the floor. This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. His subordinate, who was shocked, quickly turned around and left. The man stood up and walked out of the room. He then took his pair of binocrs out and eyed the exterior of themand post from above, gazing at the "ants" who were sneaking in. ¡®Judging by the number of people here, it seems that they have sent all of their troops,¡¯ he thought. After all, the man had been luring them in for several days.¡¯ They do not have many resources, so this must be their final battle.¡¯ "Prepare yourselves. We''ll get them all this time. Every single one of them!" The man belted out in a chilling fit ofughter as the lurid scar ran down the corner of his eye. "Yes, sir!" His men nodded and got ready for battle. As swift as they could be, Nicole and Carl''s army began the siege. The man immediately shouted, "Fire!" The people in the area immediately knew that they had been tricked, after which the team leader shouted, "Find cover!" All of them dispersed at once, resulting in an uncoordinated mess as the fight devolved into chaos. The man was absolutely delighted at the sight of it. Doesn''t seem like we had to waste much ammo to get these people here today!¡¯ Both sides engaged in a frenzied shootout, littering the ground with bullet cases and the air with the sound of booming gunfire. And finally, after what seemed to be forever, one of the parties ceased attacking. Chapter 1463 Chapter 1463 The man smiled with delight. ¡®Hah, they probably ran out of ammo!¡¯ Unfortunately, he was right. Carl''s men did indeed run out of ammo. Then, he quickly waved his arm and eximed, "Halt! Capture those who are still alive. Don''t waste your ammo. These people aren''t worth it.¡± "Yes, sir!" His men stopped firing and ran out of themand post, rushing toward the bunkers to quickly surround it. Carl''s men, who here hiding behind their covers, were all pale as sheet. They had already thrown their guns on the ground and lifted their hands in surrender. "Don''t shoot... W-We''re out of ammo!" One of the men surrendered with his trembling arms raised, trying to exin himself as he was afraid that he would get a bullet to the head. Watching as his enemies were being surrounded, the Ravenmander walked out from the dark, smug and satisfied. "Sir! We''ve rounded up a total of 17 people," one of his men said. Though themander had no clue as to how many people were on Carl''s team, he knew that they could not halt their attack as long as they had backup. Besides, some of the one present were Zane''s elite mercenaries. Nheless, he was brimming with joy at the sight of these highly-trained men raising their arms in defeat. "I wasn''t expecting the legendary mercenaries working for Zane to be this weak! You were all probably hiding in your base, huh? You bunch of wimps!" he barked. Jason looked upset, and even though he had also raised his hands in defeat, his eyes were brimming with hatred. But then, a voice echoed in his ear. ¡°Calm down." The gentledy sounded confident, causing him to simmer down at once. "You''re screwed because you chose to follow the wrong person!" Themander took his pistol and pointed the muzzle at Jason''s head. Jason''s eyes narrowed in an instant. Even if Carl had gotten him to act like he was surrendering, he had pride as a mercenary. He did not fear death. Jason red at the man and asked, "You''re Cara, right?¡± The man was furious when he saw Jason''s gaze. "Who are you to ask who I am? How dare you re at me?! Why don''t you ask the grim reaper yourself?!¡± Through gritted teeth, Carl said, "Nicole! We won''t be able to ascertain that man''s identity in time. Let''s attack!¡± In response, Nicole hesitated and said, "Save our men first." It was then that Carl saw that the commander was going to shoot Jason at any given moment. He had no time to think, so he quickly took aim with his gun at themander''s hand. This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. Just when Jason thought he was about to die, he heard a bang, and the man''s hand erupted with blood before his eyes, sttering droplets onto his face. At that moment, he was so stunned that he could not even blink. "ARGH!!!" The man issued a piercing shriek into the night as he fell to the ground. "My hand! Someone is ambushing us!¡± His men quickly surrounded him as they formed a human shield around him! At the same time, Jason grabbed the pistol from the floor and started shooting at them! With Jason''s lead, the people who had faked their surrender began to attack them alongside Carl. Soon after, the Raven''s numbers dwindled, and themander was momentarily saved. But no matter how much they tried, they could not seem to shoot anyone. "Sir! I think... We''ve fallen into their trap!" Themander''s subordinate flushed, his body was covered in blood. Seeing hisrade die had almost made the man wet himself. Chapter 1464 Chapter 1464 "Imbeciles! You''re all idiots! Is this how you spy on your enemies? None of you noticed that there was an ambush!" themander yelled, the pain in his hand akin to it being crushed into a million pieces. He was furious at his men who had failed to spot the trap! Carl wasted no time. He rushed toward the man and took care of his remainingckeys while Jason and Yolli pinned the three people down. This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. Carl then walked up to the man with his rifle in hand and stomped on his broken hand. That man yelled at the top of his lungs in pain. "Go to hell! Just kill me if you''re bold enough!" However, all Carl did was look at him coldly as he asked, in a condescending tone of voice, "Are you Cara?" The man froze for a second before he a cold smirk crossed his face. "Hah. You thought I was Cara, huh? Could have gotten an Oscar for all the acting, don''t you think? Unfortunately... you don''t have what it takes to meet him!" Carl, who was shocked, instantly felt that something awful was going to happen! ¡®D*mn it! This man isn''t Cara! Where is Cara?¡¯ he thought. Suddenly, he heard the loud crack of a pistol discharging behind him. Concurrently, he heard Nicole shouting, "Carl! Watch out!" Car! dodged in the nick of time, the bullet missing him by a hair¡¯s breadth, and whizzed right past him! "Ugh!" The bulletnded right on the neck of the man whom Carl was stepping on, his blood spurting all over the ce. Car! was bbergasted by the sight of it. ''What''s happening?¡¯ Unfortunately, it was then that he realized that he had fallen right into his opponent''s trap. Still, Carl was not expecting the person he was dealing with to kill one of their own. Three gunshots then echoed across the post, and upon hearing them, Carl yelled, "Return fire!" Jason and Yolli immediately found cover with their men and began retaliating with volleys of their own. However, their enemies were on high ground, and their disadvantage quickly became apparent in the battle. Jason gritted his teeth. ¡°Nicole, we can''t hold on for much longer!" ¡®What''s Nicole waiting for? We''re trapped!" he thought. Nicole held her sniper rifle tightly in the dark. ¡®The man behind all of this is going to show himself soon! I can''t expose myself now!" After three minutes, Carl surmised that he could no longer defend against his enemies'' heavy fire anymore. He retreated to the wall of themand post and hid himself. Few of his men were left critically injured, but Yolli and his unit risked their lives to drag their injuredrades to a safe spot. The gunshots then stopped. Nicole forced herself to calm down as she looked at her bleedingrades. Suddenly, the speakers crackled and a peal of creepyughter red out of them. "Heh heh. Zane¡¯s men are really something else. Still, isn¡¯t it a little ridiculous for you to think that you could capture me like this?" the voice asked in a mocking tone of voice, echoing across themand post. Nicole''s face darkened at an instant. ¡®This man is a cunning one. He''s more than prepared for this.¡¯ After she had calmed herself down, she switched her watch on and a holographic depiction of entire internal structure of themand post appeared before her. ¡®He''s got to be somewhere in here if he''s using the speakers...¡¯ Chapter 1465 Chapter 1465 Nicole shed an evil smile and yelled. ¡°I found him!" Carl then brought Jason, Yolli, and the rest of the unit in as they hunkered down behind covers. The wound on Carl''s arm had already started to bleed. Jason was a little confused, "Okay, what is she doing?" Carl shot him a nce and maintained his silence. Although none of them could understand why Nicole had tantly chosen to do nothing as they were getting injured and cornered, Carl had worked with her for several years, and thus, he knew that she had something up her sleeve. Hence, the only thing he needed to do was to trust her and await her orders quietly, whereupon they would likely storm into the building and take the fight within alongside Nicole. Carl then gave it a little thought andughed aloud. "Hah! Hah! It pains me to think that someone as infamous as you are would actually be scrambling about, hiding like a sewer rat in broad daylight, C. You don''t even have the nuts to show yourself! Instead, you got yourckeys to y the stunt double! What the hell are you, if you''re not a d*mn coward!" The speakers fell silent for a moment, after which the eerie voice said, "Meet you, and you alone? You''re in over your head, you Turmann family punk!" CarI''s gaze darkened at once. He was not expecting Cara to have traced his family background. It seemed to him that it would be unwise to underestimate his enemy''s capabilities, and while Cara was truly trick for him to deal with, he must force thetter to show himself, nheless. Only then could Nicole think of a n. As he thought about it, Carl took a step forward, ¡°Since you already know who I am, why don''t I get myself acquainted with the great C before I die, huh? I want to see if this figure alone isparable to the Turmann family!¡± At that moment, everyone was stunned. They did not expect that Carl, one of their top brass working for Zane, was a member of the Turmann family. Such was why Carl had such an imposing presence about him, even at such a young age. In the meantime, everyone who had met Carl''s gaze began to have more respect for him. Yet after his speech had ended, the speaker remained silent without a response. Time passed in utter silence, and soon, cold sweat began dripping from everyone''s forehead. Nicole had now found Cara''s possible position, and that was when she got one of her snipers to take aim. However, she could not leave Carl. Even if Cara really appeared, she had to first keep Carl safe. Carl became very nervous when he saw that nobody was showing up, even after a long time. He got enraged at an instant, and walked out of the shadows to empty the magazine in his handgun skyward. "What''s up? You regard the Turmann family with such disdain, and yet you fear a man with no bullets left in his gun! What a coward!" Carl yelled out. N?velDrama.Org owns this. Nicole could not help but break out in cold sweat for Carl as she thought, ¡®This dude is too reckless! What does he think is going to happen if they have a sniper!?'' Unexpectedly, after a minute, the floor opposite of Carl opened up into a secret passage. A then stairway appeared before him. "You''ve got some balls! Come on in then, and I''ll let you die as a man of knowledge, "Cara''s voice emanated from within. Carl, who was shocked for a moment, thought, ¡®This man is really cautious!" Meanwhile, Nicole, who had noticed something wrong, yelled, "Don''t go in!" Although she had already pinpointed the enemy''s exact location, she realized that they were holed up in an underground chamber. As of now, she could not find a route into the chamber. Carl heard her, and it was then that he smiled. "Nicole, I believe you will find a way." Nicole was taken aback by his words at once. ¡°Carl! Don''t be stupid!" Carl was just worried they would discover that was not themanding officer. With this in mind, he discreetly removed the earpiece while wiping the blood of hisrades off his face. Then, he threw his handgun away and strode into the opening to the underground chamber. Nicole''s eyes quickly turned red. ''l can''t believe that he has so much trust on me!" Nicole did not have much time to think. She knew that she could not hide anymore, and as such, se swiftly turned the holographic projection on and searched for an alternate passage to the secret chamber. Meanwhile, Carl had already made his way into the dark passageway. Jason and Yolli attempted to catch up, but just as they had taken two steps forward, the Raven sniper hidden in the distance fired two warming shots into the ground before they feet, deterring them. Chapter 1466 Chapter 1466 Jason and Yolli could only watch helplessly as Carl entered the underground chamber. Then, the entrance on the floor closed shut. ¡®Damnit! Nicole! What the hell are you doing?!" "You want to see Carl die?" Although both cursed through the earpiece, Nicole did not respond. Instead, both of them nced at each other. Nicole was not usually like this. ¡®Could it be that Nicole was already killed?¡¯ Thinking of this, both of their faces went pale, and they immediately fell into despair. Carl walked down the underground passageway step by step. Then, aftering down thest step, a figure suddenly popped out, striking the back of his head hard. ¡°Oofl" Carl grunted and fell. The next moment, he felt two people carrying and dragging him forward. The hellish training in the past enabled Carl to keep his consciousness under the effects of a heavy hit. He persevered until the two men brought him into a room. The room surroundings were an intricateputer facility. It was able to see every ce inside and outside themanding center. Carl immediately understood why he was ambushed before this. It turns out they had prepared early on. This particr point even surpassed what he and Nicole had thought of. Car''''s eyes were blurry, but he seemed to be conscious. The man at the headughed out yfully. Step by step, he walked over, "So young and so well-trained. It''s truly a shame to just die like this." Carl immediately understood, and his predictions were correct. Cara let hime down just to grant him amnesty. The man before him kneeled with glee. One of his hands pinched Car''''s chin, "Stinking brat. Your mouth is foul, and you hurt many of my men. But if you are willing to follow me and let me use your Turmann family''s weapons in the future, I can pardon your lowly life. How would it be?" Carl finally saw the man¡¯s face now. Although it was a man, he seemed to look like a drag queen. His narrow eyes seemed to be oozing sluttiness. "Ptui, you pansy!" Carl cursed out weakly. Cara spat right on his face after he heard Carl call him a pansy. He immediately flew into a rage and raised his hand to punch him. With a bang, Carl immediately saw stars. "You really think that just because you''re a member of the Turmann family, I won''t dare to kill you?¡± He hated being called that word the most, as he was called that throughout his life. He was not a pansy at all and only looked like this! ¡°Come, men. Mince him for me and feed him to the dogs!" Cara was utterly furious. His eyes were filled with bloodlust, and he wanted Carl to be mincemeat! Carl insteadughed, "He he he... he he...¡± Blood dripped from the corner of his lips, but the smile was eerie and cold. He seemed not to be the slightest bit afraid. Cara immediately felt the veins on his temple pop, "What are youughing about?" Carl did not answer. Cara was instantly in a rage and held onto his hair. He forced Carl to meet his eyes, "What are you smiling about?!" CarI''s gaze grew cold, and he spat a bloody spit at Cara''s face. Cara subconsciously blinked, but he heard Carl say a sentence in his ear, "I smiled because you, nameless pawn, are not worthy of being worked up for!" The next moment, Cara heard the two men holding Carl cry out in agony, ¡°Ah!" When Cara instinctively opened his eyes, a handgun unexpectedly pressed his forehead. The cool feeling of the barrel made Cara''s eyes immediately widen. Then he immediately saw a stunning face appear in front of him. Cara was stunned, "Who are you?! How did youe in here?!" N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. His secret chamber was personally set up with a super encrypted password! Even the best hacker in the world would be unable to crack it. It would be impossible for someone toe in. Chapter 1467 Chapter 1467 When Carl came down, he ultimately did not see anyone elsee down! Nicole smiled brightly, "I was... here all along just now." Cara instantly froze and remembered the two people who carried Carl. One of them had a skinnier frame than usual and was actually not one of his men! "When did she rece my men? Did I actually let her into the secret room? Only me and my closest subordinates could enter!¡¯ N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. He thought to himself. In other words, his men were still outside. Only he and the two subordinates were in the underground room. Carl had already wiped the blood from theer of his lips and stood up. Then, grumbling, he ranted at Nicole, ¡°You were too slow at making a move. Did you purposely let me get punched once?" Nicole did not even turn around to reply, "Who let you take the liberty of facing dangers by yourself? This is a lesson for you to remember in the future.¡± Seeing that the two shed with each other arrogantly, Cara''s expression turned vicious, "You are just two prepubescent little bastards, and you want to capture me? You''re overreaching yourselves!" When he finished speaking, he dodged to the side and escaped from Nicole''s gun. However, Nicole had predicted his movements earlier and did not shoot in panic. Instead, she used the butt of the firearm to hammer into his head directly. As a thirty-year-old man, it was the first time he was hit on the head. Cara could only feel humiliation and immediatelyunched an attack on Nicole. Nicole''s gaze turned cold, and she swiftly countered his attacks. The man''s attacks were ferocious. Compared to the others she had encountered, his skills were odd. Yet, Nicole stayed unmoving to his barrage. After a few exchanges, her gaze became chillier, and she directly swung to Cara''s side and fired a shot at his knees. Whoop!! The rm suddenly rang throughout the basement. Caraughed smugly," Ha-ha, you truly assumed you could capture me like this! My secret chamber has rms and traps everywhere! So you are utterly unable to get out!" Nicole saw his crazy smug smile but smiled even more brightly, "Are those the rms?" Cara quickly felt something was wrong and turned around instinctively and saw theputer screens. Unexpectedly, the screens had all unknowingly turned static! ¡®My trap systems are... crashing?!¡¯ He thought. The trap designs he took pride in had all turned to harmless bubbles before Nicole, and nothing was left of them. This feeling of humiliation was never felt before by him since his birth. Cara, at that moment, had all his sanity consumed. ¡°I''m going to kill you!¡± Although this girl seemed not older than twenty, she was too detestable. Nicole noticed something wrong but did not expect Cara to raise his head. The retina scanner above the secret room immediately scanned his retina. She missed that spot and did not expect other devices to be avable. A loud boom sounded. Nicole and Carl heard the sound of a massive explosion. Then they saw the situation outside from the surveince devices, starting from the outer ring. ¡°Thismanding center actually has bombs!" Carl was immediately stunned and did not expect this person to be so insane. Never mind him killing his subordinates: when he went crazy, he wanted to bury the whole commanding center! ¡°All of you will die here!" After saying this, Cara chose a direction and ran off instantly. It was apparent he still had a contingency. "You want to run? Impossible!" Nicole''s gaze was cold and shot his other leg. Chapter 1468 Chapter 1468 "Ah!" Cara cried. The next moment, he fell before the secret door only he could open. Cara thought to himself, ¡®This girl is truly ruthless!" Yet, before he could react, Nicole had already stepped onto the knees, injured from the shot. She said, "You have sinned so much. How could I possibly let you run away? You want us to die... then let us die together.¡± N?velDrama.Org owns this. Then Nicole gave Cara an evil smile. Seeing the demonic expression in Nicole''s eyes, his whole body shivered from the shill. Her expression was more terrifying than when he went insane! "However, you have done so many terrible things. Letting you die like this is so easy... I still have many bullets here. I''ll just use it all on your body!" Her words fell. She shot again at his shoulder de. "Ah!!! You., you''re crazy!" Cara cried out. ¡®This woman would let me suffer even in death? Devil! She is actually the devil!¡¯ He thought. Before he could think anymore, with a loud bang, Cara''s other shoulder de also was broken from the shot. Boom, boom! From their ears, the sound of the explosions came repeatedly. Carl was already panicking and saw Jason bringing the squad to retreat. He instead was growing more and more despairing. ¡®Oh, mother, I really don''t want to die today!¡¯ Carl thought. He wanted to ask Nicole for help, but she seemed nuts. She furiously and continuously fired at him as if she genuinely did not fear death. Bang! Another shot was fired. She fired the shot that scraped his entrails. Then, Cara''s whole body felt immense pain. The blood quickly spurted from his chest, and his mouth and nose were all bloody. This feeling made Cara immediately fall into terror. After so many years and near-death experiences, none of those types of pain or near-death state made him as terrified as he was this time. "Hurts..." Every breath he took was painful. "Painful, right?¡± Nicole saw him groaning, but her expression was a vicious smile, "I forgot to tell you, I studied medicine. I can scrape your esophagus and hit your lungs... make every breath you take feel agonizing but unable to die. After a moment... I''ll give you another booster shot. You''ll get to feel it while lying there by yourself. One by one, you will be crushed by stones. Your limbs will transmit unbelievable pain but still stay conscious. You will die off with all this pain..¡± Hearing Nicole''s description, Carl felt his scalp tingle from it. ¡®Nicole seems to have genuinely gone crazy! Oh god! I want to bring her out of here and escape so badly, but it is impossible to get out!¡¯ Carl thought. For the first time in his life, Carl felt his legs turn to jelly and wanted to drag Nicole and run. Yet, at this moment, Cara seemed to have broken down," No, no..." He began to cough violently. He used all his might to beg for mercy. But the blood from his chest flowed up to his mouth, which terrified him even more. Chapter 1469 Chapter 1469 Yet, Nicole quickly pulled Cara and threw him by the door. With the injuries on his body, this fall made Cara cry in pain, "Ah!!!You... What are you doing!" N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. It was so painful to him. Nicole looked at Cara and smirked for a moment," You only begged me to save you just now, but... I didn''t promise anything." "What?" Cara was immediately dumbstruck. He did not expect that this stinking wench would go back on her word. By his ear, the waves of explosions were continuing. Nicole coldly stood by the steps and looked at him patronizingly as if she was looking at a pile of trash. Then, she said," You hurt so many of our people... You think I would let you live?" Cara saw her expression and suddenly discovered that this woman was the devil. He thought that telling her the exit just now would be a chance at surviving. "No... No... I beg you to save me... I don''t want to die!" Cara tried to crawl toward Nicole. However, Nicole looked at him like a squirming worm and only left a cold sentence, "My final grace would be not giving you the booster shot. But people like you... deserve to die." After saying those words, she directly twisted the valve outside. Cara watched tantly as the door closed. His eyes were immediately filled with blood, and he looked at her in fear while screaming, "No!!!" He coughed again. A mouthful of blood spurted out again, but Nicole''s gaze still did not falter. Until the door closed, Cara despairinglyid his head on the shut wall and knew he could not even stand up without them. He was done for. Nicole turned around and saw Carl looking at her, shocked. She gave a cold smile, ¡°What''s wrong? You scared of me?" Carl was stunned. Although it was for a moment, he indeed had such thoughts. But what she said was true... this type of person is a catastrophe if left alive. Thinking of this, He swiftly held out his hand to pull at Nicole," Nothing to be afraid of. I''ll bring you out." Feeling Carl''s powerful arms dragging her, Nicole felt relieved. Then, she and Carl quickly escaped the underground tunnel. Although there was no one to lead the way, Nicole''s structural map on her watch could urately point them to exit to these tunnels. Otherwise, she would not have found the entrance to the secret chamber without the structural map. Kaboom! The sounds of the explosions were getting closer. The tunnel behind them was starting to copse. A wave of dust flew by, but Nicole and Carl did not stop for a moment. "There is a light!" Seeing the entrancee closer, Carl saw a sliver of hope. However, behind her, Nicole felt the crumbling moving swiftly toward them. They were about a step away from the entrance, so they rushed out. Suddenly, a rock dropped from above the entrance. Nicole did not have time to think much, then swiftly extended her hand and pushed Carl out with a massive heave. With arge booming sound, Carl could not react. The powerful shockwave hurled his whole body. Besides the copse, there were explosives by the entrance. Carl suddenly sat up in shock and noticed something was not right. "Nicole!" He instinctively turned around. But at that moment, the entrance had copsed. The doorway was filled with shattered stones. Chapter 1470 Chapter 1470 "Damnit!" Carl growled in anger and rushed in Nicole¡¯s direction. He could barely make out Nicole''s hand from the crevices. However, he could not reach it and did not even know if Nicole was still alive. N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. "We''re screwed... Is there anyone here? Help!¡± There was only darkness, and the surrounding was pitch ck. Nicole seemed to not be able to find her way. From afar, she heard Carl''s voice. However, she could not distinguish its direction and felt it was too noisy... ¡®Carl... Where is he? Is he safe?¡¯ She thought to herself. She was fatigued and wanted to sleep for a while. Yet, she could vaguely hear Carl''s self-reproaching voice and could not stop making a noise. She could not help it and finally said with furrowed brows, "So noisy..." While Carl and Jason were ming and resenting themselves, they suddenly heard Nicole''s restless voice and were immediately stunned. They swiftly stood up. "Nicole? You''re awake?" Carl came to the bedside surprised. Seeing Nicole actually open her eyes, his whole body was in relief. Nicole saw the ceiling and then looked at Carl, Yolli, and Jason, who were also in the house. She tried to get up. Carl quickly walked to the bed to crank it up, which made Nicole much morefortable. She nced at him, grumbling, "Why were you making so much noise..." Jason saw that Nicole had gained consciousness and sighed, ¡°Although the Brave robots came in time and saved you, you almost could not be saved because you stopped breathing for too long. Carl was remorseful about it." They feared Carl would havemitted self-disembowelment if Nicole had not woken up soon. Nicole could not help but roll her eyes at Carl, "The training had all gone to waste. It''s normal that our squad mates have incidents. Stop being so childish." Men are actually just grown children. Carl was older than her by two years. When he was in trouble, she would always suppress her genuine emotions. In contrast, Carl acted embarrassingly whenever he was in front of Jason and the lot. If Zane knew, he would definitely said Carl was a disgrace. Carl, instead, did not care. He twitched his lips into a smile and looked at her, and said, "I don''t care about that. I only care about you.¡± At that moment, Carl''s gaze was slightly searing when looking at Nicole. The previously suppressed feelings could not help hide the concern and care for her. Jason and Yolli noticed the odd mood and said, "Carl, since Lucifer is fine, you should take care of her. I will take care of the mess at the base." "Alright," Carl nodded his head. Nicole thought about it and said, "After the base has been settled, we need to build an outpost at Cara''smanding center. Make sure incidents of the supply line being blocked by the enemy never happen again." This time, she was present. So she solved the incident with Carl''s cooperation. However, she and Karl could only sometimes be here. Jason gave her a meaningful nce. When doing the mission, he doubted her abilities until Carl told her about the incident. Only then did he know thedy''s skills and resolute decision-making ability. It was iparable to theirs. He could not help but treat her with more respect now and replied,¡± I know. M Nicole nodded her head and watched both of them leave. Carl had helped her pour a ss of water and asked, "You must be thirsty, right?" Nicole saw Carl''s concerned look and felt awkward, "Your sudden well- behaved manner is making me ufortable." Carl smiled in resignation, "I was the one who was almost dragging your feet. If you got into an incident, Zane would kill me." Nicole knew Carl was joking, and his concern was serious. Following this, she answered thoughtfully, "Has the scene been managed properly? What about Cara''s body?" Car''s gaze reverted to its gloomy state, "Settled, and he is already dead.¡± Chapter 1471 Chapter 1471 ¡°Is there anyone behind this?¡± This group of people appeared at a strange time. Usually, with Carl around and the fame of Zane¡¯s organization, no one would dare make a move, let alone a tant move like this. Who would be so bold if they did not have anyone backing them? Therefore, Nicole strongly suspected that someone was behind all this. ¡°We have yet to find out. While we were taking care of things here, no one came.¡± Narrowing her eyes, Nicole fell into deep thought. After a while, she said, ¡°Go and release the news that themand post has been destroyed.¡± Carl immediately understood Nicole¡¯s intention. ¡°You¡¯re trying to lure the snake out of its hole?¡± Nicole nodded. Then, she said with a serious tone, ¡°These people are from the same industry, and everyone in the industry knows about Zane¡¯s organization. Yet, these people still came, fully knowing what they were getting into. They must have nned this earlier, and someone was backing them.¡± Carl¡¯s gaze sharpened. ¡°What are you scared of? No matter how many appear, I¡¯ll kill them all!¡± Seeing him act like some hero, Nicole made an annoyed look. ¡°Stop bragging. If it weren¡¯t for our cooperation, you¡¯d be dead by now.¡± In the face of Nicole¡¯s criticism, Carl could only dejectedly admit defeat. After discussing things with Nicole, Carl went ahead as nned. He gave Jason a call and ordered him to make the necessary arrangements. When Nicole saw Carl talking on the phone, she took a deep breath andy in bed. She could finally rest. But at that moment, a notification came from her second phone. N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. She had received a text from an unknown number. [Nicole, save me!] At the end of the text was a series oftitude and longitude coordinates. In fact, it pointed to a location in Lanningbourg! Nicole was stunned for a moment. The only person who was at Lanningbourg and would request help from her in such a way could only be Zeke! ¡®What¡¯s going on? What on earth happened to Zeke?¡¯ Subconsciously, Nicole got up. The wound on her arm made her wince slightly. Hearing Nicole¡¯s voice, Carl immediately hung up the phone and approached her. ¡°Why did you get up? Even if your injury isn¡¯t fatal, ordinary people would need a few days in bed to recover. Can¡¯t you just take a break and rest, so I don¡¯t have to worry about you?¡± However, Nicole was not in the mood to think about her wounds. She replied gravely, ¡°Send someone to track Zeke¡¯s whereabouts immediately!¡± While saying this, Nicole showed the text message to Carl. When Carl saw that it was an anonymous message, he paused. ¡°How do you know it¡¯s from Zeke?¡± Nicole rolled her eyes at him. ¡°I have no time to exin it to you. Quick! I¡¯m worried he¡¯s in danger!¡± She had gotten rid of the group of men who were tailing her. She worried that she had angered them and they were now targeting Zeke. Later that night, the thoughts swirling in her mind prevented Nicole from falling asleep. She twisted in bed for a while and got used to the soreness in her body. In the end, Nicole decided to get out of the medical room and head toward the master control room. Carl was not there. Jason and Yolli were rebuilding the defenses in an orderly manner. They also nted a watch house at the enemy¡¯s originalmand post. Carl really had an eye for details. Nicole did not bother about the defenses anymore. Instead, she opened Carl¡¯s tracker and traced his movement. She quickly looked for any clues with the coordinates provided by Zeke. ¡®I have to get to Zeke before those people do!¡¯ Chapter 1472 Chapter 1472 If it were not an emergency, Zeke would not have sent her such a text. The situation may have be critical. With a few taps on the keyboard, Nicole managed to find Zeke¡¯s location. It was a hotel. ¡°This bastard. Even in danger, he¡¯s still a spoiled brat. He¡¯s actually staying at such a hotel? Did he really think he¡¯ll be fine as long as his information is erased?¡± Nicole let out a sigh and hacked into the hotel¡¯s system. She quickly retrieved Zeke¡¯s erased information and found his room number. To get a better idea of the situation, Nicole hacked into the security system and viewed the security camera on Zeke¡¯s floor. She rewound the CCTV recording a few minutes back and saw a few muscr men appear in front of Zeke¡¯s room. This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. When Nicole spotted the leader, her eyes and face darkened. ¡°Him?¡± She gave it some thought for a while and pressed fast forward. Sure enough, after a short moment, Zeke¡¯s room exploded! ¡®These people, how dare they act this rashly?! They nted a bomb in such a public ce! ¡®This group of people made such a hugemotion at Lanningbourg. On top of that, they were going after Zeke and me. Where are these people from?¡¯ Nicole¡¯s fists were clenched tightly while she stared at the screen. After a moment, Nicole saw Zeke, whose body was bloody, carrying the man who had entered his room. With the help of two other men, Zeke escaped from the ce hurriedly. But within a minute, a group of men in ck appeared in the corridor. Before Nicole could get a good look at those men¡¯s faces, the camera footage was cut off. ¡°They dare at this way in Lanningbourg? These people aren¡¯t normal¡­¡± Nicole snorted and broke into a cold sweat. Looking at her watch, she discerned that it had been roughly twenty minutes since Zeke had left the hotel. Zeke was carrying a wounded man, so it would be difficult for him to escape a huge group of people. Nicole rewatched the CCTV recording of Zeke¡¯s escape thrice and noticed a new watch on Zeke¡¯s wrist. Noting the model, she turned her gaze and immediately investigated the coding forthat limited edition smartwatch. Then, she sent a signal through the satellite. ¡°Pick it up, you fool.¡± The watch rang for a long while, but no one picked it up. Nicole¡¯s heart was getting heavier and heavier. This guy¡­ Could he be¡­? ¡°Hello? l-isthis Nicole?¡± Zeke¡¯s voice, filled with sobs and trembling, finally came through from the other end of the line. ¡°Zeke? Please keep the call connected! I¡¯ll pin down your location right now,¡± Nicole yelled as she locked down Zeke¡¯s location. Then, she sent it to Carl¡¯s phone. When Zeke heard Nicole¡¯s voice, he sobbed even more,¡± Nicole¡­ be quick. M-my dad¡­ he¡¯s¡­¡± Nicole¡¯s hands froze in an instant. In her mind¡¯s eye, she clearly saw Zeke carrying Karlo on his back when he was leaving the hotel. But his back had been covered in blood. It was probably from the explosion. Karlo probably got hurt while trying to protect Zeke. ¡°I know. I¡¯ve sent my people to find you. Three minutes. Just hold on for three more minutes!¡± Carl could do a quick job, and Zeke¡¯s location was fairly easy to find. Within three minutes, Carl will be able to find Zeke. ¡°But why was your dad at the hotel?¡± Nicole was confused about why Karlo would appear in Lanningbourg and beat people to death. ¡®He was themander of Hustuaburg, and it¡¯s practically taboo to go to a foreign country. On top of that, he wasn¡¯t wearing his uniform. That means that his trip to Lanningbourg was a secret and done of his own ord. Chapter 1473 Chapter 1473 ¡°When I left home, I was worried that I¡¯d burden my family, so I didn¡¯t tell them about my work. Somehow, my dad managed to find out about the mission I was on. He thought I was getting myself into huge trouble¡­ so¡­¡± The more Zeke spoke, the more sadness overtook him. Zeke felt like he was so useless that his dad had toe to his rescue, despite Karlo¡¯s position. ¡°Karlo even disregarded the nation¡¯sw for you¡­¡± ¡°Nicole, his head is bleeding a lot. What should I do?¡± Knowing that Nicole has medical skills, Zeke tried to ask for help. However, Nicole had no time to help him with Karlo¡¯s wound because she had checked the surrounding CCTV cameras. She found that a group of men was searching after them. ¡°Zeke, is there anyone else with you now?¡± Zeke was stunned for a moment. ¡°There are¡­ two men¡­¡± ¡°We¡¯re running out of time. Ask them to stay put and guard your father while you go and lure those people away!¡± ¡°They¡¯re here?¡± Zeke¡¯s voice was shaking. Before this, he was a hacker who would hide behind screens and take care of any mission. He wasn¡¯t someone who could take care of assassins! ¡°Do you want your dad to die? His wound is critical, and the best thing to do is for him to stay idle!¡± Hearing that his dad is in danger, Zeke hardened his will. ¡°I know what to do now¡­ You¡¯ll help me, right?¡± If Nicole could contact him through his smartwatch, she would definitely have a way for him to escape! ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll protect you!¡± No matter what, Zeke was her partner. She would not let him die alone. Zeke took a deep breath and decided to trust Nicole. ¡°I believe you will.¡± Then, he stood up to follow Nicole¡¯s instructions to walk out of the alley. ¡°Sir!¡± The two bodyguards behind him were shocked when they saw Zeke standing up. ¡°Both of you, take care of my dad. In three minutes, someone will be here to pick you all up. I¡¯ll go and lead those people away.¡± Zeke felt a little cool at that moment. Then, he mustered his courage and rushed out of the alley. Unexpectedly, he heard a loud voice shouting from nearby as soon as he stepped out. ¡°He¡¯s here!¡± Zeke was almost caught off guard. ¡°Run ahead! There¡¯s a small alley about fifty feet away.¡± Nicole¡¯s instructions came at the right time. Zeke clenched his teeth and ran ahead like a maniac. After running about fifty feet, he was met with a small alley between two buildings that could only fit one person. Zeke did not have much time to think. He immediately rushed forward. The group of people could not go in all at once. They could only enter one by one, so the group leader yelled in frustration, ¡°Go after him! Damn it, move faster!¡± At that point, Zeke had already exited the alley. Nicole continued to give him instructions. ¡°On the right, there¡¯s a house. Get through the door and walk to your left. There¡¯s a back door!¡± Zeke had no time to question Nicole. He only rushed ording to Nicole¡¯s instructions. Thedy in the room, who had been watching television, jumped in surprise. ¡°Ahh! Who are you?!¡± Zeke paid her no mind and immediately exited through the back door. Thedy wanted to continue berating, but a few muscr men also crashed into her ce then. ¡°Oh my! Who are you?! Help!¡± Thinking they were gangsters, thedy shivered in fear. However, Nicole¡¯s satellite was much faster and more urate than the attackers could catch up to. She guided Zeke all the way out of the area by purposely choosing the less noticed paths. Original content from N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Turn left at the market!¡± ¡°There¡¯s a small road on the right!¡± ¡°Walk down the stairs and hide under the bridge!¡± Chapter 1474 Chapter 1474 Zeke followed Nicole¡¯s instructions and hid under the bridge. After a while, that group of men got to the bridge but did not see Zeke at all. ¡°Damn it, we lost him! Keep looking!¡± the leader of the group ordered. The rest ran up the bridge. Before the leader left, he nced at the bottom of the bridge. But after giving it some thought, he decided to go up the bridge to find their target. At that moment, Zeke¡¯s heart was pounding very quickly, but he covered his mouth as he dared not breathe loudly. Hearing the footsteps fade away, Zeke released a big breath of relief. ¡°Get out. Quickly head back and find your dad. Carl and the rest have reached the ce.¡± Zeke almost broke into tears in that instant. ¡®That¡¯s great¡­ I knew I could count on Nicole.¡¯ He thought about it no more and followed Nicole¡¯s instructions to head back with the shortest route. As expected, Zeke saw Carl and a few people carrying his dad into the car. Once Carl noticed Zeke, he said franticly, ¡°You bastard! Where did you go?!¡± ¡®He sent an SOS text. And yet, he ran away. I didn¡¯t know where to find him at all!¡¯ ¡°Nicole asked me to lure the attackers away,¡± Zeke said while panting heavily. ¡°Nicole?¡± Carl was a little stunned. Zeke immediately pointed to his watch. ¡°She hacked the system and contacted me.¡± Carl immediately understood that Nicole made all of this happen. Otherwise, Carl would only be met with Zeke¡¯s dead body now. ¡°Let¡¯s go. Your dad¡¯s wound seems critical!¡± Zeke nodded and followed Carl out of the alley. However, they found an ambnce following behind an unted ck car. Karlo was already being carried into the ambnce. Carl looked at Zeke, who was in shock. ¡°It was Nicole who instructed us to call an ambnce.¡± Zeke could not hold it in anymore. His eyes began to water. ¡®Luckily, Nicole had helped¡­ Otherwise, my dad would have been¡­¡¯ Carl did not spare any time to watch Zeke in deep thought. Instead, he pulled Zeke into the car. Original content from N?velDrama.Org. The ck car¡¯s door closed, and with the ambnce following behind, both vehicles drove out of the alley. A crowd had gathered to witness the scene. Behind the crowd, the men in ck went struggled, but they could not squeeze through the crowd. The leader could only make a report through his headset.¡± Boss¡­ That man was taken away by someone powerful.¡± After about ten minutes, Carl brought Zeke and Karlo back to the base. Nicole was already waiting for Zeke at the door. She had to speak to Zeke personally to rify certain things. Once Zeke got out of the car, he saw Nicole and ran toward her. ¡°Nicole!¡± Sobbing, Zeke wanted to hug her. However, the cor of his shirt was pulled from behind. Carl looked at him in annoyance. ¡°You little brat! Don¡¯t even think about it.¡± Carl did not even dare do such a thing. He would not let Zeke do so! Zeke could only gloomily put down his hands and say,¡± Nicole, please save my dad. To protect me, his head sustained injuries from the bomb. His head was bleeding a lot¡­¡± Zeke described Karlo¡¯s situation as he panicked. Chapter 1475 Chapter 1475 At that moment, Karlo was being pushed out of the ambnce. Nicole took a nce at Karlo¡¯s wound, and her eyes darkened. ¡®Damn it! How did he get hurt so badly?¡¯ Nicole did not have the time to question Zeke further. She immediately told the others, ¡°Quick, prepare an operating theater for me. The patient needs surgery immediately!¡± Although Zeke knew that his dad¡¯s injury was critical, he did not expect to get such a strong reaction from Nicole. Zeke immediately felt his heart wrench. ¡°Nicole, my dad¡­ he¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°We¡¯re running out of time. I¡¯ll have to get ready for the operation. Carl, take care of Zeke.¡± ¡°Roger.¡± Carl nodded. When he saw that heavy expression on Nicole¡¯s face, Carl knew how serious the situation was. The medical team at the base sent the patient to the emergency room. Nicole did not have enough time to change her clothes. She quickly did a simple sanitizing process and immediately went to work. Karlo indeed tried his best to save his son, even using his own body as a shield. Karlo¡¯s right cheek was disfigured. His skull showed signs ofminuted fracture, and there was shrapnel around it. Adding things up with Zeke¡¯s description of his blood loss, Nicole concluded that the shrapnel had entered Karlo¡¯s brain. The longer it took for the shrapnel to be removed, the more extensive the damage to the patient. After all, Karlo is themander of Hustuaburg. If anything happened to someone in this position at Lanningbourg, it might cause international tension. The mess Zeke got himself into this time was a big one. Nicole took a deep breath and suppressed her anger. Then, she picked up a scalpel and skillfully operated on Karlo. However, Karlo¡¯s wound was too deep. Even if his body was as fit as a horse¡¯s after years of training, the head was the most fragile area of the body. Nicole quickly identified the number of pieces of shrapnel in Karlo¡¯s brain. Three of them were in the most critical areas! If it were not for Nicole¡¯s intervention at the rescue, Karlo would have been dead already. However, Nicole was not confident that Karlo would fully recover after the surgery. Time passed second by second, minute by minute. And in the blink of an eye, a few hours had passed. The sweat on Nicole¡¯s forehead had never stopped dripping. Yet, her hands were still stable and sure. Even Nicole¡¯s assistant surgeon from the base was impressed by her incredible skills. He would never have been able to perform such a perfect operation for a patient like this within a few hours. Finally, thest piece of shrapnel was extracted. Nicole heaved a sigh of relief and began to close things up. The wound on her arm was so painful that she had almost lost her senses from those few hours of grueling work. Nicole took a step back. ¡°I¡¯ll let you do the sutures.¡± Carl¡¯s subordinates, even if it was just a medical team, would be of an international level. Suturing should not be difficult for them to perform. When Nicole passed over the tools, the doctor felt honored and nodded. ¡°Understood. I¡¯ll make sure to do it with care.¡± Nicole nodded in relief. Then, she walked out. When she left the operating theater, she looked at her watch. It had already been six hours. No wonder the wound on her body was causing her such pain. Just as she pushed the door open, Zeke immediately ran to her. ¡°Nicole, how¡¯s my dad?¡± Nicole sighed. N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. Zeke suddenly felt as if his world had crumbled. ¡°H-he¡¯s d- dead?¡± Zeke¡¯s dad was themander of Hustuaburg. If Karlo died on foreignnd, how would Zeke exin it to the family and all the country¡¯s leaders? When Nicole saw Zeke¡¯s fearful look, she sighed again. ¡°Do you really doubt my skills?¡± All the patients she had operated on had never died in her hands. Zeke was really underestimating her. Hearing those words, Zeke was stunned for a moment. Then, his expression changed from sadness to joy. ¡°He¡¯s okay?¡± Carl let out a relieved sigh. ¡°I told you. As long as it¡¯s Nicole, your dad wille back to life!¡± Chapter 1476 Chapter 1476 Over the past few hours, Carl had been listening to Zeke ming himself incessantly, and that was driving him up the wall. Having witnessed Carl¡¯s arrogance in the way he spoke, Nicole could not help but roll her eyes at him. ¡°Since when were you an expert in matters rted to medicine?¡± Carl stopped and became silent at once. ¡°It¡¯s not¡­¡± This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. However, when he noticed that Nicole did not look like she was fine at all, he asked, ¡°Was the operation unsessful?¡± Nicole shook her head. ¡°It was sessful. But the shrapnel were embedded in the most vital areas of his head, and so, his brain has been wounded. If he can regain his consciousness tonight, he will be fine. If he doesn¡¯t¡­then I¡¯m not certain if he ever will.¡± Indeed, it would take a long time for one to recover from damage done to the nerves in the brain. Then, Zeke¡¯s expression of joy dissipated, reverting to one of sadness and disappointment. ¡°How could this be¡­?¡± His dad was themander of Hustuaburg, and had faced one too many battles and perils in life. In spite of the fact that he had been on the brink of death more than once, he had sessfully cheated death every single time. Yet, Zeke could not help but wonder why the injury that his old man had sustained this time was so fatal. ¡°Stay strong.¡± Nicole stretched her hand out and patted Zeke in the shoulder. ¡°I need you to understand that your dad is in a rather unique position. It¡¯s impossible for him to leave the country with ease. I guess he must have gotten himself on a private trip just to find you, this time around. You better give your grandpa a call right away ande up with an excuse before your dad returns. Otherwise, word will soon reach the leaders that your dad has deserted his post. Everything will be much moreplicated than it already is.¡± As thing stood, Nicole already had enough issues to take care of. Thest thing she wanted was to get herself into a situation with the Guzman family. It was only then did Zeke came to his senses. ¡°I got it. I¡¯ll call grandpa now.¡± Then, he walked to the other end of the corridor in restless fashion and called his grandfather. Carl looked at him and frowned. ¡°Is his phone protected with some form of encryption? If the people who are after him manages to track his signal, will he¡­?¡± Nicole shook her head, ¡°That¡¯s not important now. Previously, he needed an encryption to conceal his identity. He didn¡¯t want his dad to know that he had gotten himself into hot soup, so he came here to hide. Now that Karlo has been mortally wounded, he no longer cares about his true identity being revealed.¡± As Nicole spoke, her face assumed a solemn expression. ¡°I really want to know how those people will react once they realize that they had injured themander of Hustuaburg.¡± It was then that loud, ceaseless screams began to fill a dark room. A fewrge, burly men had copsed after having being beaten on the ground. None of them dared to fight back, as theyid there, taking blow after blow. ¡°Sir, we know we messed up.¡± ¡°We did not do our job well.¡± ¡°Sir, I did not know that the one who had cracked the system is the son of Commander Guzman¡­¡± ¡°Sir, please forgive us!¡± Even as the men went on to grovel in every way they knew, the man in ck continued ordering the merciless beating of the men as punishment for their inability toplete their task. They only stopped when the people werepletely beaten to a pulp. The man in ck was wearing a ck leather mask, rendering it impossible to see what he actually looked like. However, the viciousness in his eyes was apparent, as his gaze was piercing enough to intimidate everyone in the room. Anyone who looked into his eyes would tremble. The beatings finally ended soon after, with the man who had led the operation mustering all of the strength he had left in him to get up and kneel. Then, he apologized to the man in ck. ¡°Sir¡­please give me another chance. I¡¯ll be sure to help you reim what was yours¡­¡± The man in ck snorted, ¡°Reim what was mine?¡± Those very words made everyone tremble, with the team leader being so frightened that he bowed down, waiting for the man in ck to say or do something. Chapter 1477 Chapter 1477 The man in ck stood up and trudged up to the man kneeling on the ground. Then, he stomped on the back of his head. The man on the ground gritted his teeth in pain at once. However, he did not dare make a sound. The man in ck pressed his foot down against the team leader, exerting greater pressure, and in an icy tone, he said, "That scum cracked the system, and he left the country right after. He obviously realized what that thing is and wanted it for himself. Now that we know that he''s backed by the military, how are you going to reim it?¡± The team leader endured the pain with the leather heels above his temple, and his head pressed against the ground. "Sir, I''ll efinitely retrieve it, even if it means losing my life... I definitely won''t get you involved...¡± Hearing his words, the man in ck paused and begrudgingly released him. At the very next second, he squatted down in front of him and pulled the team leader up by the hair, making sure that he was met with his icy re. "Remember that your life has always been mine." "Y-yes!" the man fumbled, as he was too terrified to say anything else. Then, the man in ck''s expression grew even icier. ¡°Forget about the Guzman family... Tell me, how did the Turmann family get involved?" Indeed, he genuinely did not expect two problematic families to be involved merely because the system had been cracked. "I-I''m not sure either... Perhaps... I mean, perhaps I was seeing things...¡± the team leader said, hoping that he had been mistaken. ¡®If I was correct, then I''ve in fact gotten into trouble with two powerful families. I''ll definitely get killed! he thought. The man in the mask then flung the team leader''s head aside. "Go and investigate! Find out who''s holding what''s mine and bring it back to me within three days... Otherwise... You won''t have toe back ever again.¡± Hearing his words, everyone in the house became instantly terrified, and as quickly as they could, they left. The man in ck then turned around and looked at the dark clouds outside the window. His eyes were brimming with bloodlust and his gaze was as piercing as a sharp knife. ¡®Who was it? Who was the one who had stolen what''s mine?!" If they ever get around to figuring out what''s inside, the oue is... Unimaginable,¡¯ he thought. Within the blink of an eye, a day passed. Zeke had spent the entire night in Karlo''s ward. However, Karlo had shown no signs of consciousness, and this only served to fuel Zeke''s sense of hopelessness. Even though Nicole had expected this from the get go, she still could not help but to go and see how he was doing. As of now, Zeke looked as if he were void of emotions. He was sitting on the chair in front of the hospital bed, staring at Karlo as though he was catatonic. He looked to be in utter despair. ¡®What''s the use of being alive, if he''s going to be like this. If he remains in a vegetative state, it''s no different from being dead,¡¯ he thought. Looking at Zeke, Nicole began to feel bad for him. When she saw how dry his lips were, she poured him a ss of water before walking over and handing it to him. '' Here, have some water.¡± N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. Hearing Nicole''s voice, Zeke turned to her in mechanical fashion as if he were a battery- operated puppet. Then, hints of emotion began to appear in his eyes, though his tone remained lifeless nheless. "You''re here.¡± Aspared to the lively Zeke whom she had known, the current Zeke looked as if he had matured in cynical fashion overnight. His steady gaze bore an iciness that Nicole had never seen. In fact, he no longer bothered to ask Nicole if his father would wake up; he was worried that he would not get the answer he wanted. Nicole could tell he was holding back. "Don''t worry. Your father is a healthy man. I''m confident he''ll recover faster than an average person, so don''t give up hope now." Zeke paused midway as he was drinking. He shifted his gaze to Nicole as if he had regained some of his senses.¡¯ Really? My dad will regain consciousness?¡± Nicole gave him a solemn nod in response. "Mhm. Right now, you have more important things to do. I have secured the Reby Family Crest for you. It''s stored within the sh drive. What do you wish to do with it?¡± Chapter 1478 Chapter 1478 Zeke¡¯s firmed his gaze at once. ¡®All of this... I¡¯ve caused all of this. Right now, even my father is involved. I cannot allow this to go on,¡¯ he thought. Noticing Zeke¡¯s reluctance to do anything, Nicole understood his situation. "While nobody in Hustuaburg dares to cross the Guzman family, you still need all the power you can have to protect your family. Perhaps...this crest could be of use to you," she said earnestly. ¡®So long as Zeke ims ownership over this crest, the peopleing after him will have to think twice. Besides, it¡¯s toote now. There is nothing that they can do to him,¡¯ she thought. Zeke''s gaze remained dark, as he subconsciously nodded. Nicole smiled in relief. ¡°It''s good that you''vee to a decision. The process should beplete after you''ve keyed your personal information in. Zeke nodded and took the sh drive. Then, he grabbed his portable tabletputer. N?velDrama.Org owns this. After he had clicked on the sh drive icon containing the crest that Nicole had cracked, a shy image appeared before his eyes on theputer screen. Zeke looked at the spectacr totem effects, and his gaze wavered slightly in shock. ¡¯This is... This is the Reby Family Crest?" "Mhm,¡± Nicole shrugged confidently. Zeke swallowed and tapped the screen without a second thought. Then, an interface appeared before him. It was in a foreignnguage that read: Please key the name of the owner in. You have only one chance to do this. Once ownership has been finalized, it shall remain unchanged until the present owner of the family crest passes away. ¡®If I really do be the owner of this crest, I''ll be able to protect my family. However, I''ll also be pursued by many. I''m not confident that I have what it takes to face everything that''sing my way,¡¯ he thought. Seeing that Zeke was staring at theputer screen in a daze, Nicole could not help but ask, "What are you waiting for?¡¯ Suddenly, Zeke turned around and grabbed Nicole by the hand. This startled Nicole, who asked, "What''s the matter? Are you scared?" She could feel Zeke''s fear. "Yes, I''ve learned about what the crest means. It''s normal for him to be anxious and fearful. However, to be an owner of this crest also means possessing power beyond measure. Only five individuals in the world get to possess such power. Furthermore, I''ve heard that the fifth owner of the crest in this century hasn''t appeared yet. Perhaps someone had hidden it, or perhaps, nobody has cracked and gotten it yet. Who knows?¡¯ she thought. ¡®lf Zeke bes the owner of this crest, he''ll definitely be in the spotlight, which will in turn make him a worldwide sensation. But this is also the only way for US to discover who the ones hunting US are. Perhaps we''ll also be able to stop them froming after US," she finished. However, it was then that Zeke finalized his decision as he pulled Nicole by the arm. He looked at Nicole and said, "Nicole, you''ve saved me this time. You possess the courage, the abilities, and theposure that Ick. You''re more suited to be the owner of the crest." Nicole was startled, as she did not expect Zeke to give her something this significant. "Have you gone mad? Do you know that this crest can make families across the world work for you no matter what their stances are?" she asked. ¡®Does he know how much countless people have sacrificed just to get this crest? Now that he has gotten the opportunity to be the owner of one, he''s giving it to someone else? Even though he¡¯s giving it to me, I must say that this kid is behaving too rashly!" Nicole thought. "I haven''t gone mad," Zeke said, shooting Karlo a nce. Chapter 1479 Chapter 1479 ¡°All of this was caused by my hunt for the crest. If it weren''t for the crest, my father wouldn''t have ended up this way..." Zeke said. ¡®Even though I crave the power it offers, I can''t erase the hatred I feel toward this crest,¡¯ he thought. Then, Zeke continued, "So what if I can summon people from each and every faction to protect my family after I''ve gotten the crest? Is anyone truly standing with me? They''re merely bowing down to the power of the crest. But you''re different, Nicole. You have Carl. You also have the backing of the organization.¡± ¡®Prior to this, I''ve already known that Nicolemands power beyond what I could expect. But now that she has actually saved me here in Lanningbourg, and after having seen the entire base for myself, I know her people will definitely protect her!¡¯ he thought again. As of now, Nicole understood Zeke''s ns. ¡®I have to admit, the kid is right. All things considered, the Reby Family Crest hasn''t appeared in years, so I do not know what will happen once somebody ims ownership of it. If nobody cooperates with Zeke and protects him, he''ll just be a sitting duck, waiting as somebody maniptes him,¡¯ she thought. With this thought in mind, Nicole''s gaze darkened. "I understand. Since that¡¯s the case, I''ll give it a shot.¡± Seeing that Nicole had agree to his request, Zeke sighed in relief. However, there was a caveat, as he then proceeded to make a request. "I only ask for one thing. I want you to use the crest to protect the Guzman family and avenge my father!" ¡®I won''t spare anyone who has hurt my father!!¡¯ he thought. Nicole looked at his eyes, which were brimming with vengeance. Then, she took a deep breath and nodded. "You''ve given me such a valuable gift. I''ll definitely protect you thoroughly." ¡®Zeke has given me something so significant. Forthat, I''ll definitely protect him. And of course, I''ll aid him in his vengeance!¡¯ she thought. "Thank you... Nicole.¡± Zeke looked at Nicole with gratitude as if he were clutching onto his lifeline. ¡®If it weren''t for Nicole, I''d have been facing all of this by myself right now. Even though it''s sort of embarrassing for me to seek refuge behind a woman, I can''t help bute to the realization that Nicole is much stronger than me,¡¯ he thought. As he was thinking about it, Zeke personally keyed Nicole''s name in. Soon after, a fingerprint reader appeared on the screen. Zeke nodded at Nicole. Just as Nicole was about to stretch her hand out, Carl barged in. "Nicole! No!" While Carl was outside, he heard them saying something about the Reby Family Crest, and after doing some research about it, he finally learned what it was. ¡®Even though the Reby Family Crest is an object of power and prestige, it hasn¡¯t appeared for years. Who knows if Nicole will be in danger once she takes possession of it?!¡¯ Carl thought. Then, he stood between Nicole and Zeke as he said, "You stupid idiot. This thing is an object of great significance. Countless people have their eyes on it. Are you trying to put a target on Nicole''s back for your own selfish reasons?!" Zeke, who was startled, quickly replied, "That wasn''t my intention..." I¡¯m genuinely impressed by Nicole and everything she has done, and that''s why I think she''s the only person worthy of the crest,¡¯ Zeke thought. ¡°Calm down, Carl,¡± Nicole frowned and pulled Carl aside. ¡®This dude has always been too impulsive,¡¯ she thought. ¡°How am I supposed to calm down? I know you''re agreeing to it because you''re trying to protect this idiot. You know far better than anyone else that this object is dangerous! If it weren''t for this thing, you wouldn''t have fled to Lanningbourg with peopleing after you!" Carl yelled. This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. It was only after Carl had said it that Zeke learned that Nicole was hunted because of the crest. ¡®I thought she would be fine because she has so many individuals who are willing to protect her...¡¯ Zeke thought. "Do you know that Nicole has been forsaking her own safety just to protect you?¡± Carl said to Zeke. "She has sustained multiple injuries, and yet, she still operated on your father. Now, she even has to get herself into great danger because of you. Do you not have any conscience?" Chapter 1480 Chapter 1480 Car! did not possess an ounce of care for what Zeke''s intentions were, and reprimanded him at once. ¡®Nicole... You...¡± Zeke had no knowledge as to what Nicole had gone through prior to this. It was only then that he finally noticed the bruises and injuries on Nicole''s arm. At that point, he was flooded with guilt from the inside. After she had seen Zeke''s look of guilt and embarrassment, she finally lost it and yelled, "That''s enough. Stop it, Carl!" Carl fell silent after she had shouted at him. However, he was still heaving with anger. He continued staring at Zeke, thinking that he had stopped that ungrateful man. However, it was then that Nicole said, "While this object may bring US unknown danger, no one else can make better use of it other than the organization, provided it is for the right reasons. Besides, the Guzman family are people of the military. It will be a disaster for them if one of their own attains such power." Not expecting Nicole to be so foresighted, Zeke thought, ¡®She''s right. In the end of the day, my father is themander of Hustuaburg, and he is indeed responsible for arge number of troops. Everyone will be really fearful and distrustful of the Guzman family if his son amasses power outside of the establishment as well. This will definitely get US into trouble!¡¯ Even Carl did not expect Nicole to think that far. ¡®Right now, Zane''s organization is being targeted. While this crest maye with its own set of dangers, it will definitely be of great help to the organization if it''s real. It''s just that I''m really worried about Nicole..." Carl thought. Nicole saw the hints of worry in Carl''s eyes, to which she calmly responded, "If you''re worried about me, keep me safe. This is what you can do." N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. Carl hardened his gaze at once. "Of course I can do that!" TH definitely protect her even if it means risking my life!¡¯ he thought. ¡°That''s good enough for me," Nicole smiled happily, diffusing the tension that was in the room before. Then, she looked at theputer screen. "Perhaps nothing will happen even if I click on it," she said as she lifted her hand and pressed her thumb against the fingerprint reader. In an instant, the fingerprint on the screen shed red, Then, a few words appeared on the screen. [Congrattions. You are the sixth-generation owner of the fire crest.] Soon after, a bright effect of mes shing about appeared on the screen. Within a blink of an eye, the me disappeared, and the image of a globe appeared. Then, at the center of the globe, the moving image of a signal manifested and radiated across the Earth, whereupon multiple dots lit up across the continents. An audio recording then began to y. ''The Holy Alliance has been notified of the existence of the sixth-generation owner. Loyal to a fault and powerless to defy you, their aid will be at your disposal. Those who dare rebel against you will face untold consequences!" Nicole ranged her eyes across the locations on the globe. They were all well-known families from the past hundred years, each powerful in their own right. The moment she became the owner of the crest, all of the families who had formed an alliance with the Reby family would be notified, bing her allies in the future. When Carl and Zeke saw this, they were both stunned. While the two looked at each other in shock, Nicole''s watch started ringing. Nicole clicked on the notification, after which a message appeared before her eyes at once. [Congrattions, sixth-generation owner.] Messages of simr wording came in one after another, with the senders being well-known and powerful families from different countries, It was then Zeke and Carl werepletely sure that the crest was real, and that all of them would obey Nicole should she call for it. ¡®So, that was why those people were trying so hard to kill Nicole and I, as they wanted to reim this thing for their own,¡¯ Zeke thought. He was shocked, but he did not regret what he had done at all. ¡®If the whole world learned about me in an instant, I definitely would have peed myself,¡¯ he thought. Nicole, on the other hand, stared at theputer screen and merely frowned. She turned around and looked at Carl. "It seems that my identity has been exposed." To Nicole, this did not bode well for her. Chapter 1481 Chapter 1481 Carl had a look of helplessness as well. He could only give himself a facepalm at that moment and think about how he was going to report this development to Zane¡¯s organization. Unbeknownst to them, Zane was at the main base when his phone suddenly vibrated. He was having a drink of water, and when he grabbed hold of his phone, he was left stunned, whereupon he spat out whatever was in his mouth. "The sixth-generation owner of the fire crest... Nicole Riddle?!" he asked, as the Reby Family Crest was a legend that Zane had heard of when he was younger. He had never thought that he would ever receive a news of this sort until he was old enough to have children and grandchildren of his own. Moreover, he did not expect to receive news about the owner of the Reby Family Crests today, for it was something that had not happened in the past hundred years. ¡®Those who possess the Reby Family Crest has the authority to enlist all of the families who had joined the alliance during the Holy War that had transpired hundreds of years ago. Now that these families have all be ancient families, all of them are descendants of those who used to be around. If the owner does make an appearance, all of the families will need to obey them without question. It''s like how all of the people had to gather their might for themander of the Reby Family during the Holy War,¡¯ Zane thought. However, what shocked Zane even more was that the name of the crest''s owner was none other than Nicole Riddle. ¡®Could it be someone who shares her first andst name?!" he wondered. However, his eye inexplicably twitched, as he had a bad feeling about this. He could not help but look at the location from which the message was sent. ¡®Lanningbourg? Isn''t that the ce Carl where Carl is carrying his mission out?¡¯ Zane pondered. It was then that he felt his heart clench. ¡®But Nicole shouldn''t be there!¡¯ he thought again. With this in mind, he dialed Carl''s number. Concurrently, Carl was in the midst of thinking of a way to exin everything that had happened to Zane, and hence, when his phone burred, he jumped. He shot his phone a nce, his face brimming with guilt. As expected, it was a call from Zane. Carl¡¯s face nched at an instant. "Nicole... Uncle Zane...¡± Nicole looked at him, mildly shocked. ¡®Uncle Zane got the news so quickly? Could he...¡¯ she thought. This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. Upon noticing Carl''s expression of fear and cowardice, she snatched the phone from him. "Hello, Uncle Zane?¡± The moment Zane heard Nicole''s voice, he dropped his cup onto the ground, and it shattered into many pieces. Not having the time to worry about the cup, he roared, "Nicole?! Why are you in Lanningbourg?!" ¡®That girl, Nicole. Is she actually in Lanningbourg? Does this mean that she''s very likely the person who possesses the crest?¡¯ he thought. Nicole moved the phone further away after Zane had bellowed at her, and in the calmest way she could, she replied, ¡°You''ve received the news very quickly. Are the antecedents of the Zane''s organization rted to the Reby family?" Zane instantly choked upon hearing her astute question. "1 haven''t even asked her about what she had done, and she is already turning things around?! he thought. In response, Zane suppressed his anger and said, "Depart home immediately. I need you to exin things clearly to me in person. I need to know exactly what had happened.¡± With a tone of resignation, Nicole replied, ¡°Alright. Coincidentally, I also have something I need to ask you." Zane grew even more furious with each passing second. He was livid, but as Nicole had made it a point to calm him down, he had nowhere to unleash it. "Well talk when you''re back!" he roared. Then, he hung up on her. Car! looked at Nicole fearfully. "What happened? Was Uncle Zane furious?¡¯ Chapter 1482 Chapter 1482 Nicole threw the phone back at Carl. ¡°He''s alright, but he did tell us to return home at once." Carl nched again. "Alright? We''re definitely going to be yelled at when we get back, aren''t we?" However, Nicole had a look about her that indicated that there was no denying the fact that he was right. Those affiliated to the crest notified were all scions of the families that had lingered for hundreds of years. ¡®Uncle Zane''s identity has always been the subject of mystery. Even Carl and I have never asked him about it before. However, Uncle Zane was actually included in the list of families affiliated to the Reby Family Crest. As he was able to receive the notification pertaining to the ownership of the crest, he must be one of the legitimate scions of one of these ancient families. He will know far more about the origins of the crest aspared to the rest of us, and that''s why I''ll definitely need to return at once and get things straight with Uncle Zane in person. But Jared... Now that the crisis has been averted for the time being, I really wish to go home and see him,¡¯ Nicole thought. Previously, Nicole did not have the courage to contact Jared, because she was worried that she would rope him into this whole mess. "Since Uncle Zane has issued an order, make the appropriate arrangements. We''ll return to the headquarters in the afternoon,¡± she said. The instant Zeke heard that Nicole was leaving, he felt uneasy. "Nicole... If you leave, what''s going to happen to me?" ¡®Will those people remain on my side once she has left?¡¯ Zeke wondered. "Your father is in good hands. I''ll get you on a ne back home before I leave in the afternoon,¡± she said. "You need to remember, even if your grandfather manages toe up with an excuse, the higher-ups might still request to check on your father''s condition. We''ll stall them for another day or two. Any longer than that, and they''ll start getting suspicious." Zeke immediately nodded. ¡®Nicole does pay great attention to the smallest of details," he thought. Nicole thought for a moment before grabbing the watch. She then got the crest and transferred it into her watch''s system, installing it. Then, she typed a few words in. Zeke could not help but give it a nce, and that was when he saw the first mission that Nicole had issued. [Spare no effort in ensuring the safety of the Guzman family.] Zeke felt his heart getting heavy, for Nicole¡¯s first mission after receiving the crest was to protect the Guzman family. This time around, he could not help but feel at ease. He looked at Nicole with a gaze brimming with gratitude. N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. "Thank you... Nicole.¡± "You''re wee,¡± she replied. "I must also thank you for this valuable gift.¡± While it was an object that would invite untold trouble, she had to admit that it might be something useful to Zane''s organization in the future. Zeke shook his head. "You deserve it. The person who wears the crown must bear its weight, and as of now, only you can bear the crest''s weight." Zeke was well aware of his own strength and capabilities, and that was why he decided that he was in no position to bear the responsibility. Nicole nodded and patted him in the shoulder. "Regardless, this crest is still yours in some ways, so do let me know when anything happens, okay?¡± Knowing that Nicole was not a selfish person, he nodded vigorously. Then, Nicole shot Zeke onest nce before leaving the ward with Carl. After that, Zeke walked up to Karlo, and in a low voice, he said, "Dad, I''ll bring you home today...¡± After Carl had left the ward, he went off to look for f. He proceeded to exin that he needed to leave and that the Curley Group would take over and handle the rest from here on out. Meanwhile, Nicole finally had the chance to get some rest. After having nursed the injuries that she had sustained, sheid down quietly. Nicole''s mind was flooded with mental images of Jared. She could not help but grab her phone to see how he had recently been. However, she was also hesitant, as she feared that she would see Fiore on the screen... ¡®Wait for me, Jared. I''ll be back by your side soon,¡¯ she thought. Chapter 1483 Chapter 1483 I didn''t expect that as soon as I switch the camera on, I would be met with a face so unfamiliar. Darn it. It just seems that I can''t keep it hidden anymore." N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. At around this time, Fiore was busy taking care of Jared in his ward. As Mr. Johnston Sr. walked in, he saw what she was doing, and was stunned by the sight in front of him. Mr. Johnston Sr. was puzzled. ''So that was why he hasn''t been contacting me as of recent. I knew he had a girlfriend, which is why he doesn''te home often.¡¯ Initially, Mr. Johnston Sr. had received some really bad news, and had been meaning to tell Jared about it, but much to his chagrin, Max had been dissuading him. Now, Mr. Johnston Sr. might be old but he was vignt enough to notice that something was wrong. And when he made it a point to find out, he discovered that Jared was injured and had been hospitalized for several days. ''How dare they keep it from me¡¯?¡¯ This was why Mr. Johnston Sr. had rushed to the hospital to pay both Jared and Nicole a visit. However, what he did not expect was that a strange woman would be taking care of his grandson the moment he entered the door. "Where''s Nicole? Where is she?" he asked, for he had something urgent to ask Nicole. Fiore had met Mr. Johnston Sr. before at a certain banquet, and as such, she was overjoyed when she saw the elderly man strolling in through the door of the ward. However, she had not expected him to ask her about Nicole as soon as he walked in, and because of that, a sour look appeared on her face at once. "I didn''t know that Nicole is so significant to Mr. Johnston Sr. that he asked for her as soon as he barged in through those doors,¡¯ she thought. Fiore lifted her head while maintaining a smile on her face as she greeted, "Hello, Mr. Johnston Sr. I''m Fiore Fisher. It was only then that it dawned upon Mr. Johnston Sr. that the person in front of him was somewhat familiar. ¡®The Fisher family. In the most recent years, they have be one of the biggest and most influential families in the United States. They''ve been catching up with us, especially the head of the Fisher family. He cherishes his one and only granddaughter, who is very well known in San Joto. She was one of those who were rmended to us when Jared was looking for a potential partner in marriage. But what puzzles me is that, how did they be so close? And why is Nicole not around to take care of him when he had an ident...,, Mr. Johnston Sr. thought curiously. "Ms. Fisher, you''re being too polite. I didn''t expect you to have such a good rtionship with my grandson,¡± Mr. Johnston Sr. nodded and replied in a low voice. Fiore knew that he was testing her, and thus, she thought long and hard before she took the opportunity to say, ¡°Yes... I have known Jared for a long time now. He got himself hurt because of Nicole. No one is around to take care of him, so I came here..." With that said, she had made it clear to Mr. Johnston Sr. that they had known each other for a long time. In addition, it was an opportunity for her toin about Nicole for not being here for Jared during such a crucial period. Nicole, who was watching from the security camera, could not help but raise her eyebrows. ¡®1 should not take this woman lightly. She actually had the nerve to disrupt my rtionship with Mr. Johnston Sr.¡¯ As Mr. Johnston Sr. walked in hurriedly in his search for Nicole, his actions confirmed Fiore''s inexplicable guess. Mr. Johnston ignored Fiore''s words as he knew Nicole had deep feelings for his grandson. He also knew that Nicole was a person of special significance, and so, her absence meant that she had important matters to attend to. ¡®So, is it possible that the news from this morning is true?¡¯ Mr. Johnston Sr. thought to himself. He had mixed feelings, being somewhat relieved while feeling that things could get reallyplicated. ¡®It can''t be happy too early or things will take a different turn. I don''t know if it''s a blessing or a curse. The person might just share Nicole''s surname for all I know,¡¯ Mr. Johnston Sr. thought, feeling a little uneasy about Nicole''s absence. ¡°Get someone to check on Nicole''s whereabouts right away, and see if she''s in Lanningbourg," he ordered. Nicole heard Mr. Johnston Sr.''s words clearly from the security cameras. '' He actually knew the coordinates in Lanningbourg.'' Indeed, her suspicions were confirmed. The Johnston family were also one of the families affiliated to the Reby Family Crest, as well as the Holy Alliance. Chapter 1484 Chapter 1484 In fact, Mr. Johnston Sr. had obviously made his way here to find out more about this matter. It was then that Nicole looked at her watch and thought, ''1 can''t help but wonder how many century-old families are affiliated to this crest, so much so that even the Johnston family are a part of the Holy Alliance. Does this mean that all of the century-old families in San Joto had received the news?'' Nicole sighed, as she was worried that Jared¡¯s family would find out about this. On the other side of the camera, Mr. Johnston Sr. turned to look at Fiore after having spoken to the housekeeper. "You''ve worked hard taking care of my grandson for the past few days. Now that I''m here, you can go home and get some rest,¡± Mr. Johnston Sr. said to Fiore in a polite tone of voice, though he was otherwise unemotional and collected. Original content from N?velDrama.Org. Fiore could not help but feel that it was very insensitive of Mr. Johnston Sr. to ask her to leave, but she pretended as though she was sincere about her being here nheless. "I''ve been here talking to Jared, Mr. Johnston Sr. I dont want to leave him until I get to see him recover from hisa with my very own eyes.¡± Mr. Johnston Sr. looked at her. ¡®If things were the same as before, I would dly treat her well, but now, Jared is together with Nicole, and their rtionship is going well. As Jared had risked his life for Nicole and ended up the way he does, it goes to show how much he cherishes her.¡¯ As Mr. Johnston Sr. understood them well, he did not want anyone to disrupt their rtionship. "There is need for you to stick around. Jared already has a fianc¨¦e; I don''t want my future granddaughter-inw to have any misunderstandings. It''s best that you leave," Mr. Johnston Sr. whispered. Nicole who was watching from the security camera had heard Mr. Johnston Sr.''s words loud and clear. Her heart quivered, as she did not expect that Mr. Johnston Sr. would stand up for her. A surge of warmth filled her heart at that instant. Nicole did not tell Mr. Johnston Sr. about Jared''s condition due to his health, but the more she thought about it, she realized that she should have done otherwise. ¡°I should have told Mr. Johnston Sr. about everything before I left so that I would not be so depressed over it.¡¯ ¡®That fe, Martin, really knew how to stir the pot,¡¯ she continued. Fiore''s expression froze. ''This old man is impossible to convince. He really does want to kick me out of here¡¯ As Fiore felt ufortable with Mr. Johnston Sr. around, she could not muster courage to allow herself to stay there. Thus, she stood up and said, "I see. In that case, I''ll head home and get some rest. I''ll leave Jared in your hands now.¡± ¡®It seems to me that Jared is pretty important to her.'' Nicole observed, secretly unhappy, silently wishing that Fiore would leave as soon as possible. It was then that Carl suddenly came over and called out for her. "Nicole, are you busy? f has something to discuss with you.¡± Upon hearing this, Nicole immediately deactivated her phone and shot the door a nce. At around the same time, Fiore was about to leave Jared''s ward when she saw Jared''s moving. "Mr. Johnston Sr.! Jared''s eyes are moving! I''ll call the doctor!" she yelled. "The heavens have helped me! I don''t have to leave now. I must let Jared see me, so that I can let him know that it was me who had been taking care of him. He''ll get to know that I am a thousand times better than Nicole, who has ran off to god knows where,¡¯ Fiore thought happily. Mr. Johnston Sr. frowned, but he did not stop Fiore from getting the doctor. ''1 hope that Jared will wake up soon. I have important things I need to discuss with him, especially the news I''ve received this morning.¡¯ In a dark room, the man in ck was filled with rage, smashing all there was in the room. Unfortunately for him, the people in front of him who had promised to reim what he thought was his within three days, were all bound and gagged. The man who was in charge of the operation wanted to beg for mercy. However, with his mouth gagged, he could only look at the man in ck in despair. Chapter 1485 Chapter 1485 Without the slightest hint of mercy, the man in ck turned to his other subordinates and ordered, "Take them out and ughter them.Crush them into bits and feed them to the dogs!" A series of muffled sounds emanated from the three hostages. They were so frightened that that they knelt over and wailed. However, their pleas were futile, as they were soon dragged out by the other men, who were getting ready to feed them to the dogs. The man in ck was purple with rage. ncing at the screen of his phone, he knew that he was at a total loss, and that he would never get to be who he used to be. It was then that his phone rang, and after a moment of hesitation, he answered the call. A moment of total silence ensued, as a sense of iciness emanated from the other end of the call. He knew at the other party was waiting for him to speak. N?velDrama.Org owns this. After drawing a deep breath, he said, "I messed up this time, but don''t worry.I will handle this matter professionally." "How are you going to deal with it?" the person on the other end of the call asked, their tone cold and calm. "Don''t you know? If the owner of the crest dies, the system will restart and a new owner will take her ce," the man in ck said, his gaze darkening. "The new owner of the crest has already been recognized.Right now, everyone is protecting her. Do you think killing her will be easy? Why don''t we just forget about our previous transaction," the other party snorted coldly, their words brimming with sarcasm. The man in the face mask could not help but tighten his grip on his phone. "Don''t worry. I will take care of this matter before sundown!" The other party fell silent for a moment before replying, "I''ll wait for you until sundown, just in time before another batch of goods arrives. If you''rete, then don''t me me for being unmerciful." The man in the face mask grew nervous for a moment, but as he was afraid that his subordinates could sense his fear, he hung immediately, ''It is hard to believe that his bast*** actually has the guts to boss me around like this.'' He thought about how they first started out, where they promised each other that they would acquire the badge before obtaining the Brave droids. He also thought about how they would dominate the world together, but now, with how sorry the state of affairs were, he began to ponder, ''Why would I do the dirty work to get the badge and share in his glory?" His expression darkened the more he thought about it. "Call everyone. Tonight, we willunch a full-on assault," he said to his subordinates. ¡®Nothing matters anymore. As long as we''re able to obtain the crest and the Brave, I can rule the world!'' As he thought about it, he took his spare phone out and dialed a number. In the afternoon, the sun shone high and bright above them. Nicole''s had mood improved tremendously when she was sure that Fiore would be leaving the ward. Once she had visited Mr.Spears, she would be able to return to San Joto by tomorrow morning. At the private airport, Nicole was well at ease, watching as Carl''s men ushered Zeke and Karlo into the chopper before getting two armed helicopters to escort them. "We''ll see you back home," Zeke said, looking at Nicole before he boarded the ne. Zeke could not express the immense gratitude he had for her, so he saved those words for when they had all returned to San Joto. Nicole nodded in response. "Okay.Take good care of your father.He''s a strong and sturdy man.I am sure he will recover soon.Keep me posted if youe across anything." "Okay, I will." Zeke nodded, trusting Nicole''s words. Nicole watched as Zeke boarded the ne before turning to look at Karlo. "You are too kind to this kid," Karlo said with a hint of jealousy in his tone. Nicole gave him a nk look. "He gave me a crest of much significance.As such, I must treat him well." Karlo could not argue with that, so he sighed before he continued, "The arrangements at the port have been made.Only a limited number of Braves are to be transported to the headquarters today.There are some difficulties..." "Let f know that the sooner they could transfer the Braves, the better.And before I forget, tell them that the period within these three days would be the safest for them and their researchers to evacuate." Chapter 1486 Chapter 1486 Carl look displeased as he said, "Actually I don''t think it''s really necessary.We''ve solved this problem before.What else could happen? This is the manufacturing site of the Brave.Who would be stupid enough toe here and start a fight? Are they blind enough to do that? Nicole looked at Carl with an expressionless look on her face. "You better not cause me any trouble." After saying that, she watched as Zeke''s helicopter took off and flew away. Soon after, the helicopter that she was about to board came flying in from the distance. Nicole switched her phone off as she waited for the helicopter to arrive. As the helicopter drew closer, she began to feel that something awful was about to happen. As the helicopter was about tond, this gut feeling prompted Nicole to turn around and throw herself onto the ground, tackling Carl along the way. Before Carl could react, he was already pushed onto the ground by Nicole. It was only after he had rolled under the jeep beside him that he came to his senses and asked what just happened. The sound of a Gatling gun came buzzing in from the distance, its volley of bullets striking the hull of the jeep, which was soon riddled with holes all over the ce. "What''s going on?!" Carl yelled, stunned as he wondered how a chopper that had been sent over by the headquarters could attack them. "The chopper is a decoy!" Nicole growled, not having time to think. "I''ll distract them! You better flee!" "Nicole!" Before Carl could get up, Nicole had already rushed ahead, sprinting her way toward the control tower as the machine gun sent a barrage of lead rounds in her general direction. Nicole dodged left and right, evading all of the bullets with little effort. The man on the helicopter grew anxious at the sight of this. "Move in closer!" The pilot did as he was told and lowered the helicopter. While he was doing so, Nicole had sessfully arrived at the door, whereupon she entered the control tower. Carl, on the other hand, had already rushed back into the building, shouting into the headset, "We are under attack.Get someone to shoot the chopper out of the sky at once!" "Ves, sir!" The airport was filled with Carl''s men. As soon as he had given his order, he heard the anti-air cannon being heightened as it took aim at the helicopter. However, before they could fire at the helicopter, a missile came homing in from the pylon of the chopper, piercing the turret at once. A deafening st ensued at the very next second, as the defenses they had mounted were destroyed just like that. This made Carl furious. "What are you doing! ? Retaliate at once.Use all of your weapons!" he yelled. "Sir, the situation seems pretty bad. Look at the sky!" one of his men shouted. Carl looked up and it was at this moment that he spotted multiple other helicopters with blue rudders. "A very familiar logo." Carl did not have time to think or waste, as he had already seen the helicopter hurtling toward the tower, gunning everyone in the vicinity down. None of them had the time nor the skill to dodge the bullets. Original content from N?velDrama.Org. Most of their were either dead, wounded, or cowering behind walls as they screamed. Nicole helplessly watched as all of them were mowed down by the machine guns, but as soon as she saw multiple armed individuals with sniper rifles taking position, she ran off again. At that point, they came to realize that Nicole was no longer in the control tower. The helicopter then prepared tond. Just as they were about tond, Nicole unexpectedly rushed out of the control tower with a sniper rifle in hand. She took aim at the pilot and struck him in the head, killing him instantly. "Damn it!" The person who was manning the guns shouted, but it was toote for him to do anything. The helicopter instantly took a nosedive and careened toward the control tower. Seeing this, Nicole spun around and ran for her life. Behind her, the helicopter crashed into the ss of the control tower, exploding as it plummeted right into themand center. A wave of heat from the explosion radiated toward Nic, whose knees gave in as she was rushing out the door. In spite of this, she barely escaped with her life, for sae had made it to the hallway just in time. The control room was a mess, with mes dancing and sparks flying all over the ce. Nicole coughed, as she waved the dust in front of her away. Through the broken walls of the corridor, she then saw more than a dozen choppers heading toward her, with each helicopter mounted with their own heavy machine guns. Chapter 1487 Chapter 1487 As soon as they were near the airport, they unleashed a barrage of rounds. ¡®It impossible for anyone to escape from here. If I stay here and wait for them tond, Carl and his men will all be dead,¡¯ she thought. "Seems like they''ve put their resources to good use," she muttered to herself. ''It is obvious what their objective is. To kill me and get the crest!¡¯ Nicole put on her headset, and in a cold tone of voice, she said to Carl, "Get everyone to evacuate through the underground passage. I''ll cut around." "How can we do this? You''re their target!" he yelled. Nicole''s eyes narrowed. "It''s because they are after me that everyone can get to safety." Carl grew anxious at once. "Are you crazy? I''ll call for help right away!" Carl then sent a distress signal to Jason and the others. "Even though I have the badge with me right now, nobody will be able toe to my rescue in time. You have to fall back! I''ll be there in three minutes," Nicole shouted. Carl gritted his teeth, as he knew that there was truth in Nicole''s words. ''Our forces at the airport are ill- equipped to deal with so many enemies.It is only by evacuating as soon as possible that we can reduce the number of casualties.¡¯ "Everyone, evacuate and make your way through the underground passage immediately!" Carl ordered. N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. Nicole revealed herself as she walked up to the operator''s console in the control tower. Near the already damaged and dusty device, she picked the loudspeaker up and yelled, "I really didn''t think that there would be such a huge wee party for me!" The loudspeakers echoed across the entire heliport, as the people in the helicopters were taken aback. From behind the entire fleet, the gaze of the man in ck darkened.He grabbed his pair of binocrs at once and eyed the control tower. There, in the wreckage, a figure in ck tights stood straight, with the strong winds from the helicopters buffeting her hair. Her fair face was covered in dust, and the look in her eyes radiated contempt and confidence. Seeing this, he could not help but be taken aback by her fearless haughtiness. ¡®It seems that she is just a high school student, but her presence isn''t unlike those of seasoned killers. Nicole. So, who is she? How was she able to deal with so many of my men and steal my crest? I don''t understand. She must be extraordinary.'' As the helicopter approached, the man in the mask grabbed the megaphone, and in an icy tone of voice, he asked, "So, you''re the infamous Nicole?" Nicole was able to discover the source of the sound after hearing it. ¡®Damn, so that b*stard is hiding in thest helicopter! It''ll be too risky at this distance, but I think I''ll be able to take him out in one shot. If I can''t do that, then I am screwed. I guess I must bring him closer.'' Nicole grabbed the loudspeaker and walked up to the broken window again. "Yes, it must have taken a lot for all of you toe all the way here in such a grand disy just to kill me. I really want to see who this big shot is. He seems pretty ruthless, trying to take a woman out like that," Nicole sarcastically mocked. For a moment, all the subordinates of the man in ck snickered. They were not able to keep their faces straight due to the irony and truth in Nicole''s words. Indeed, Nicole seemed to be a pretty harmless woman, and to have more than a dozen helicopters equipped with machine guns pointed at her was embarrassing on the part of the man in ck. Hearing this, the corner of his lips twitched. ''Who is this b*tch to mock me?" Chapter 1488 Chapter 1488 "Does she think that this is what I really want?¡¯ he thought. Then, he gritted his teeth and sneered back at her. "With those beauty and brains, I can tell that you''re not some in Jane on the streets.It''s such a pity that you''ve stolen one of my things.Otherwise, I would have spared you.Anyway, I don''t have the time to mess around with you anymore." The man in ck was aware of the benefits and privileges granted to those who possessed the crest. Once the signal had been released, one of members of the alliance would definitelye to their aid within twenty minutes. With this in mind, he knew he had to get the job done as soon as possible. In fact, he had only a few minutes left. Nicole nced at the time, and that was when she realized that only a minute had passed. ''This guy is just too cautious!" "Kill her!" The man in ck ordered with scarlet eyes, relentless and unyielding as he just wanted to kill Nicole and reim what was his. "Oh, you wish to kill me? Let''s just say, it won''t be that easy," Nicole snorted coldly before turning to her watch. "Activate the EMP!" she yelled. Nicole had taken advantage of the time she had bought through stalling them by hacking the airport''s system. With the EMP activated, the helicopters began to lose control, with the machine guns mounted at the side falling off. "Damn it! Sir, we are losing control of the aircraft!" his pilot yelled. "Help!" another shouted. Screams and cries of help red from the dozens of helicopters who were in the area as they lost control and crashed into the tarmac. "Team two, fire at will!" The man in ck ordered. "Let''s get this over with. This little b*tch is a slippery one!'' he fumed. The choppers that were aiming at the tower desperately tried to shoot at Nicole However, she was already long gone. It was only after a minute of frenzied gunfire, which soon left the tower in ruins, that the man in ck realized that there was nobodying out from the exit. This made him seethe in rage. ¡®She must be in the spiral corridor below the tower,'' he thought. "Fire a missile at the tower directly! I don''t believe that this won''t be enough to kill her!" the man in ck bellowed. Unfortunately for him, he failed to realize that his helicopter was gradually approaching the control tower. Nicole, who was hiding among the ruins, had her sniper set up and had taken aim at his head, ready to pull the trigger at any given moment. Nicole fired her first shot, and when he heard the bang, he subconsciously turned to see a fleeting reflection of him for less than a second. Before he knew it, a bullet whizzed past his ear. "Ahi " A wave of screams red out, with the man in ck feeling that his eardrums had ruptured from the cacophony. This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org. His ears rang, after which he saw a huge stters of blood everywhere. "Sir! "" With the squad leader down, another man rushed over and ced himself between Nicole and the man in ck, shielding him. "Damn it!" Nicole cursed, frustrated that she had missed her second shot, with the bullet grazing him by a little. ''He is one lucky b*stard! Two shots and none were fatal!¡¯ she thought in utter disbelief. Nicole had already missed the golden opportunity to assassinate the man in the face mask. As there was not enough time left, she quickly picked the machine gun up before hurrying down the tower and making her way to the underground passage. ¡®It''s been three minutes...Carl and his men should have fled.I must get out of here!'' she thought. Concurrently, the man in ck pushed his deputy away, and upon seeing the tragic deaths of those who had been working for him, coupled with the bloody wound in his ear, he exploded in a fit of rage. "Damn it! I''ll kill you myself, you b£¤*ch!" Then, he stepped forward and shoved the man holding the machine gun away. "Drive over there! I will kill her myself!" He ordered the driver. The driver, who was taken aback for a moment, then did as he was told. Chapter 1489 Chapter 1489 The other helicopters were watching the leader''s movements. But unfortunately, they could only use the machine gun to aim at the car that Nicole had dashed into. Tut tut tut! Numerous machine guns aimed at Nicole started to shoot in a sweeping motion. As she drove, Nicole''s car was under the hail of gunfire as she tried to dodge them. However, when they came to the side of the vehicle, she was seen by the man in the face mask. He aimed directly at the tire and got a clear shot. With a loud bang, the tire of her car exploded and flipped when it arrived at a bend. Nicole took a protective stance, but her body was rolling down with the vehicle. Bang, bang, bang. After a flurry of loud sounds, Nicole could only feel her ears ringing and her head spinning. ¡®Damn it... it seems that I can''t escape,¡¯ Nicole thought to herself. She exerted herself to support her body but discovered that two aircraft had alreadynded as she tried to gain her bearings. The overturned car was spilling gasoline. Nicole was curled up in the driving seat. Then, she saw a few pairs of legs approaching her while still stuck in the seat. ¡®Is it God''s will for me to die? It might be true. So many asions of cheating death, and God has helped me through it enough times. If I am about to repay with my own life today, it was about time,¡¯ she thought. Yet, Nicole still pulled out a handgun from her thigh. She decided to fight these people to death. Carl was at the entrance of the underground tunnel. He waited and waited, but Nicole still did note. Finally, he could not wait any longer and did not care about Nicole''s orders. He brought the remaining two men and drove the car out of the underground tunnel. Just as they came out, they saw a few aircraft that had alreadynded. A few burly men were walking toward a rolled-over car. Anymore thought was unnecessary as, based on the route she took, they knew Nicole''s getaway vehicle was turned over. "Savages!" Carl¡¯s eyes immediately turned red, and he drove the car toward her. Then, however, a flurry of sweeping shots suddenly came from the sky. Carl''s car was hit in the gas tank, and immediately sparks flew. ¡°Boss! The car is about to explode!¡± Both his subordinates shouted out. Then, without much time to think, the guy in the shotgun seat pushed Carl out and jumped out of the car. The other person also flipped out of the vehicle. Carl crashed heavily onto the floor. He stopped just in time to see Nicole in the turned-over vehicle opposite him. She was drenched in blood and holding her handgun, prepared for a showdown to the death. He had seen her escape death so many times, but he had never seen her so flustered. She looked like a caged beast that could only await its ughter by humans. "Nicole!" Carl tried to get up and rush toward Nicole. However, a foot suddenly stepped onto Carl. A voice-filled bloodlust came from above, ¡°Are you herpanion? The young fe from the Turmann family?" Having seen the picture from the information given, the man in the face mask recognized Carl instantly. Currently, the masked man''s ears were in pain. He just wanted to crush Nicole into a paste, including those connected to her. Adding more force to his legs, he was close to stomping Carl''s ribcage to pieces. Yet, Carl still only had Nicole in his eyes. He stretched out his arms and crawled toward her, ¡°Nicole! Are you okay?!" Nicole saw Carl being stepped on. Her eyes, dyed red from the blood, immediately turned bloodshot, ¡°You let go of him! ¡± Carl had almost died for her in the past. But this time, she would not let him suffer, regardless of what happens. ¡°Let him go? Alright," the man in the face mask growled cruelly. Then, he lifted his leg and directly kicked Carl''s chin. Carl immediately saw stars after being kicked. The guy was a trained professional. The kick made his vision go dark. ¡°Bastard!¡± Nicole raised her handgun in resentment and fired at the man. However, the man in the face mask also took out a pistol and aimed it at Carl, ¡°Shoot then! Let''s see who dies first!"Original content from N?velDrama.Org. Chapter 1490 Chapter 1490 Nicole immediately stopped. She could not allow Carl to die again; she had already experienced the feeling of losing arade. She would rather die herself than have that feeling again. ¡®He, he, are you unwilling? Is he your boy toy?¡± The man in the face maskughed maniacally, ¡°If it''s this way, I''m even more interested in killing him!" As he said this, he reloaded the gun. "You dare! If he dies, you won''t get the crest!" Nicole slowly crawled out of the car. She simply tossed the handgun and opened her watch. In front of everyone, the hologram of the crest appeared floating. Seeing it, the man was stunned. When this thing was in his hands, it was merely a ck screen that could not be opened. He did not expect the crest to be so dazzling after Nicole cracked it. Yet, when he saw it, his gaze quickly turned greedy. "Give it to me!" The man in the face mask roared with his eyes glinting with the desire for power. Instead, Nicole held out her hand to touch a button on the watch, "If I can crack it with my own hands, it means I can destroy it myself!" "You dare!" The man in the face mask growled in anger. Then, he saw Nicole motioning to press the button. A cold sweat broke from his forehead. He had already checked before. Nicole''s background wasplex; hence the item had fallen into her hands. This is due to her being the most excellent hacker in the world, Lucifer! If she genuinely had been prepared earlier, making the program to destroy the crest would not be impossible. But, then, it would be useless even if they killed Nicole. No one knew where the second crest of the world was located. ¡°I''m only giving you ten seconds. Let him go!¡± Nicole gritted her teeth. Blood flowed from her forehead to the corner of her eyes, but her eyes would not blink. She was ready to die at any moment. "Nicole! I''m not leaving!" Worst case possible, he will die together with Nicole. How could he possibly dump her here all alone? ¡°Ten, nine, eight!" Nicole was already in a rage. She did not want to give the man in the face mask more time to consider. "Seven, six, five, four..." Nicole continued to count. ¡°Enough!¡± The man in the face mask could not resist any longer. He saw that Nicole¡¯s expression was ruthless. He knew she was serious and could only grind his teeth and let go of the leg stomping on Carl. "Let them go!" He ordered out loud and withdrew his handgun. Since his target from the start was no other than Nicole. When he gets hold of the crest, the whole Spears organization would be worthless to him. By then, he would not let go of every single one of them. Thinking about this, he suppressed his anger. CarI''s two other subordinates that jumped out of the car were also severely injured. Once they were let go, they immediately rushed to Carl screaming, "Boss!" They wanted to fight back, but they had no weapons on them. So now, they could only look at Nicole in pain and thank her for saving their lives. "Bring Carl away!" Nicole yelled angrily. Although both have their own concerns, they know Nicole did it to let Carl stay alive. They could not allow her sacrifice to go to waste. Thinking of this, both of them held onto Carl. Carl finally found his strength and tried to struggle, "You all should let me go! I can''t... I can''t leave her!" Nicole stared at Carl. It was the first time she had seen him this hysterical. She understood that feeling. It was the same as when he almost disappeared from her life. That feeling of suffocation... Although she always acted as if nothing had happened, she could not suffer the same pain again. Staring at Carl, Nicole''s gaze hardened, "Carl. This time, I can finally protect you." She smiled as the blood trail left on her face continued to trickle. It hurt Carl''s eyes and made his eyes red. "I don''t need your protection... I just wanted you to live! You idiot!" He screamed out. ¡°Boss, you need to calm down! Don''t let Nicole''s sacrifice be in vain!¡± Both subordinates who held onto him almost lost their grip and could only growl. "No... I can''t lose her..." Carl gazed at Nicole. Seeing her farther away, he could not go against his heart and said, "I¡­ I love her!" CarI''s confession made his subordinates stunned. Their hearts were filled with anguish... They did not know Carl and Nicole had this kind of rtionship. Nicole''s iris shrunk as she thought, ¡®Carl... actually loved me...¡¯ Although she had felt it, she was not sure. A smile tugged at the corner of her lips. She only wanted to leave him with a smile. This made Carl, who was being dragged away, heartbroken. "Nicole, Nicole! I love you! You can''t die!" He struggled hard, but his voice was getting further away. When a gun was pointed at him, he was brought by his subordinates into a vehicle and left. The man in the face mask watched the car leave, then walked in front of Nicole coldly, "Who could have expected that the young fe actually liked you? However, you do look quite charming.¡± Nicole was such a beautiful and capable woman that the world had never seen. If she had not snatched the crest, he might have fancied her. Being stared creepily by him, Nicole could only feel disgusted. Her gaze turned ruthless. N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. ¡°Alright, the men have been let go. You should pass me the thing now,¡± the man in the face mask''s expression was dark. His eyes always focused on the hand pressing the button on her watch. "As long as you give up that thing, I can leave you with your corpse intact," the corner of the masked man''s lips twitched upwards as if saying with great mercy. "Then I should truly thank you,¡± Nicole huffed coldly. But, she continued, "I can die, but you should let me die a knowing person. Who the hell are you?" The tiny camera lens captured everything when she pressed the recording button on her watch. Even if she died, she would leave some clues for the others. The man in the face mask¡¯''s gaze immediately became deeper and thought, ¡®This woman is too smart. I will not give her any chances! "You want to know who I am? Ask Hades yourself!" His eyes were quickly filled with the intent to kill. He lifted the gun and shot at Nicole. Yet, a smile came from the corer of Nicole''s lips, "Since you wouldn''t say it, then don''t me me for this!" "No!" The man in the face mask saw that she was about to press the button. Before he could react with the gun in his hand, he motioned to press the trigger. "Die with me then!" Nicole said as she currently had her eyes shut. Since she could not identify him clearly, she would have them all perish together. The man in the face mask had found out then that Nicole''s watch was blinking fast. It was just like a time bomb. ¡°Wench, I''ll kill you first!¡± He screamed. Bang! A single sound of gunfire erupted. Nicole had assumed that she was done for. However, she actually did not feel pain after a few seconds. Instead, the shriek of the man in the face mask floated to her ears, "Ah!" Nicole slowly opened her eyes. A high-powered machine gun shattered everything below the man in the face mask¡¯s wrist, leaving only a broken hand. "Someone is ambushing us!" The man in the face mask''s second-inmand shouted. Chapter 1491 Chapter 1491 Following this, Nicole heard a flurry of gunshots being fired from outside the car and the sound of explosions banging on her ears. The man in the face mask''s gun could not be found. Watching the aircraft in the skies being shot down one by one and seeing Nicole''s watch still blinking, he could only roar in anger, "Retreat!" The dark-clothed men got their orders and clustered around the man in the face mask while retreating, confused. Nicole saw this and quickly pressed stop on the detonating feature of the watch. ¡®So close. With only less than twenty seconds left. If the rescue werete even by a bit, I would''ve been a goner...'' She thought to herself. ¡®However, who was the one who came so swiftly to rescue me? Even if Jason and the others were still on the way, they could not have arrived now,'' Nicole continued her train of thought. Just as she was thinking about it, the sound of a helicopternding was heard. Nicole nced sidelong, but her whole body was stuck in the overturned car. She was lying on the ground and could only see a silhouette walking toward her from afar. The silhouette was tall, slender, and familiar. Could it be... Her thoughts were still running when the person had already seen her. He ran directly in the direction of the jeep. Nicole could clearly see the man running over. It was him. It really was him! Whenever and wherever she was in danger, that person would definitely appear... However, should he not be in aa now? Why was he here? Then she saw that under his ck trench coat, he was still wearing his hospital gown. Her eyes turned watery. ¡®This guy definitely didn''t listen to the doctor''s orders. The first thing he did after waking up was to find me,¡¯ Nicole thought. "Nicole!" Jared said and rushed to the side of the vehicle. Seeing Nicole drenched in blood, his heart felt like it was pierced by something. It ached unbearably. He did not care about his body strength. He pried open the car door and dragged her frail body out. He didn''t care about blood stains on her body and held her tightly, ¡°I''m sorry..." He hated himself so much for sleeping so long. For letting her suffer and almost getting her killed. Once he remembered that Nicole was surrounded by so many people from above just now, his heart almost seemed to suffocate with excruciating pain. "You came..." Nicole used all her strength to hold onto Jared''s neck. His chest felt safe and sound. Only in his embrace could she be able to feel so at ease. "I''ve arrived..."Jared softly whispered into her ears and directly held her up, ¡°Go to the nearest hospital!" Nicole did not speak and allowed him to carry her onto the aircraft. The exhaustion slowly settled in. Nicole enjoyed the feeling of his embrace. She slowly shut her eyes and fell asleep. This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. Seeing Nicole behave like a kitten in his arms and slowly drift asleep, Jared felt immense distress. He could not help but close his face onto her forehead and kiss her... His gazended on the new device on Nicole''s arm. He pressed the red button. The still-slumbering Nicole''s brows unfurrowed as she fell into a deeper sleep. She had not rested well these few days. Nicole felt herself sleeping for a long time and had a very long and beautiful dream. Chapter 1492 Chapter 1492 Jared woke up and came to her rescue. He kept herpany every day and brought her out to y. No missions, no family restrictions. She could go anywhere she wanted to go. In her dreams, she was like a normal girl. She could go shopping with him, go to the fairgrounds, eat ice cream, and do the stuff she used to think was childish. As long as she was with Jared, she felt everything had meaning. After a long time, she gradually woke up. The sunlight pierced through the curtains and gently shone into the room. The whole interior became particrly warm. Nicole tried to move but felt her hand being grasped. She lowered her head and discovered that Jared was lying on her bed, seemingly asleep without changing his clothes. She looked at him with a hurt expression. Nicole was most familiar with his body conditions. He had just woken up and should be very weak. Nicole pulled out her hand and tried to wake him up. Yet, he woke up simultaneously when she pulled her hand out. Seeing Nicole woke up, Jared''s gaze brightened. He immediately asked, "How are you? You thirsty?" Original content from N?velDrama.Org. Nicole nodded her head. Sleeping for so long did make her slightly thirsty. Jared wanted to get up to pour water for Nicole. Suddenly, a figure from the sofa was one step ahead to pour water and quickly put it at Nicole''s side. Nicole raised her head and saw Carl''s worried andplicated expression. It was fortunate that she was okay. Yet, he was a bit helpless. He did not know how to face Nicole. He assumed the words she said when she was close to death were true... Carl nced at Jared''s cold gaze and said with slight guilt," Your body seemed quite frail. You can call for me to do these things for you." Although before this, Carl was not satisfied with Jared. However, this time, Jared saved Nicole. He also noticed that the only person able to protect Nicole was Jared. He was ultimately notpatible with Nicole... Hence, he was willing to bless them from the deepest part of his heart and ready to help Jared willingly. Jared saw Carl''s genuine expression and felt his heart feel morefortable. He had stood guard for Nicole for two days, making his body rtively weak. He did not heed Carl any longer. He watched Nicole finish drinking her water and said in a low voice, ¡°Feeling better?" "Mmm," Nicole nodded, "No need to be so worried over me. I feel fine." She said while touching her head. The final injury was her head in the overturned car, but she is not in pain currently. ¡°Thankfully, you brought the Beacon product with you. You had some light injuries, and the doctor only needed to bandage them. However, the new light performed its function. Your injuries healed very swiftly. With merely two days, you were almost fully healed,¡± Carl said while taking the cup and putting it down. His whole body felt a wave of relief wash through. Then only did Nicole remember that she had brought this product from Beacon before. It was just that she did not get injured so mheavilyst time. Hence, she did not want to waste it but did not expect it to be used by them. "What a pity. It was just a slight injury; there is no need to waste it," Having these things are costly. The production of this product on Martin''s side is also little. "It''s fine. I have already increased the investments on Martin''s side. The first batch of devices will be sent here very quickly,¡± Jared said. He had understood the situation at the base these two days. He also knew that there was many injured personnel, so he contacted Martin and let him send the stuff over. Nicole saw Jared''s expression and could not help but be filled with reassurance. Indeed she did not need to bother as long as Jared was present. "You think so considerately,¡± Nicole smiled at Jared. The smile on her face was like a flower blossoming. Carl saw her smile and was stunned. However, following this, his heart was slightly envious. He was destined never to behold her smile in his current life. "You guys can talk first. I''ll inform Mr. Dous that you''ve awakened,¡± Carl said. He merely wanted fresh air and did not want to interrupt their romantic moment. "Mr. Dous came?¡± Nicole was shocked and did not expect Zane to have rushed over from their headquarters. Chapter 1493 Chapter 1493 "Of course.He heard you were injured, so Mr.Dous rushed over as soon as possible.But, you were in aa for two days, so I arranged for him to stay at the base," Carl replied. "Oh..." Nicole''s expression was slightly awkward as she had not expected that she would have slept for two days. It was honestly too much; most likely, Dous was already furious. Yet, she only had eyes for Jared at the moment. "When did you wake up? I didn''t even know..." Nicole asked. When Mr.Johnston Sr. came over, he had clearly not yet awoken. However, when she was in danger, he rushed around from the maind. Jared stared at the surprise and worry that glinted in Nicole''s eyes, then looked at her and reproached, "I haven''t woken up yet, and you dumped me and then went adventuring all alone? What did you n to do if I had not rushed over in time?" Once he remembered Nicole''s blood-soaked state, his heart felt like it was painfully stabbed. It was not like he had not seen Nicole go on missions. He also guessed that a strong person like Nicole would definitely be met with dangerous missions in the organization. However, before this, she would always save the day. But this time, he noticed how dangerous Nicole''s jobs were. Being stared by his searing gaze, Nicole was feeling slightly guilty. She did not know how to answer and merely mumbled, "It was an emergency, and I was worried I would drag you down. So I left..." "Then you used this thing to observe me constantly?" Jared narrowed his gaze and pulled out a pinhole camera from his pocket. Nicole did not expect him to know and could only squeeze an ugly smile while saying, "I was just worried for you..." "Was it also you who agreed to let Martin send Fiore to my sick ward?" Jared continued asking. ''Is this woman not jealous?" He thought. When mentioning Fiore, Nicole''s expression turned worse. She pouted, saying, "Of course not.It''s just that it would be impossible for Martin to always stay with you at the sick ward.On Max''s side, if he kept running to the hospital, grandfather would know.Since Fiore would not have any ill intentions toward you..." "No ill intentions.Are you sure?"Jared said with a face filled with glumness. ¡®Does this woman care about me after all?'' Jared thought. Seeing that Jared was not speaking and was seemingly angry, Nicole could only sigh, "Of course, I was not reassured.I wanted so badly to fly back immediately.If there had been no ident the day before, I would have already left and returned to your side..." Jared''s emotions felt much better when he heard those wordsing from the bottom of her heart. This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. His gaze also softened slightly, but his tone was still scolding, "If you really wanted to go back, why did you not consider more for yourself?" He had already heard the incident from Carl''s mouth and knew that Nicole chose to sacrifice herself to protect Carl.His heart was filled with rage and distress for her. Nicole was stunned and answered awkwardly, ''Was it Carl who told you?" Jared''s gaze turned stormy, and he said, "Do you know how it feels to hear from another man''s mouth that my woman sacrificed herself to save him at all costs?" Heartache and inexplicable jealousy were what he felt. The more he looked at Carl, the more Carl looked like an eyesore. Nicole understood Jared so well and knew he was slightly jealous. She could only tell him the truth, "On a mission before we met, Carl got heavily injured and disappeared into the sea for a long time when he tried to protect me.I still remember the feeling of guilt now...So, I really didn''t want to lose him again." Nicole''s words were spoken with deep emotions. But when Jared''s ears heard them, it only made him feel more unbearable. "Then you would have the heart to let me lose you?" His voice was still cold but also hinted at a sliver of fear. Jared was not afraid of anything. No one would make him scared, and he did not fear death. Yet this time, he was terrified. If he werete by just a bit, he would not get to see her again. Seeing Jared''s blue gaze, Nicole''s heart sank. She could only droop her head and say, "I''m sorry...Jared..." Chapter 1494 Chapter 1494 She had almost never uttered these two words to anyone, but this time, she could not help but to do so, as she had truly disregarded his feelings. Seeing her bow her head as she admitted to her wrongdoings, Jared felt heavy in his heart. With considerable effort, he held her in his arms and said, "I don''t want your apology.I want you to take good care of yourself.If you were in my position, would you allow yourself to lose me?" Nicole immediately thought of the critical injuries that he had sustained for her. Indeed, all she could feel when he was in aa was a deep, crippling heartache. "If I have to lose you, you might as well just stab me and let me die, " Jared said, his words brimming with a measure of sincerity and gentleness that made Nicole''s heart quiver.It was only then that Nicole knew how important she was to Jared, and how painful it would be for him to lose her. "Remember this.The day you die, I will not be able to live on alone.I will never let go of you, even if it means following you to hell and back," Jared said. Looking out the window, he did not allow her to look into his eyes and see how serious he truly was. His words were akin to that of an oath. It reverberated across the room, with each word etching itself into Nicole''s heart. Hearing this, she could not help but raise her arms to hug Jared as her heart quivered. "The same goes to me.In that case, let us promise that if you die first, I will definitely not let you go alone," Nicole answered. It was then that questions began to arise. Why would she not be the same when she had lost him? Why would she also love him to the point of not being able to let go, even in death? Jared never thought that she would actually make this pact with him, that he was actually so important to her. "Why would I die, silly girl?" Jared said as he let go of her head. Then, he gazed into her eyes and said, "You haven''t married me yet.How could I allow myself to die?" Unable to help herself, she remarked, "So imprudent." To her, he had ruined such a beautiful moment. Meanwhile, Jared bit his lips, feeling that she was incredibly adorable. In response, he nted a kiss on her forehead. However, it was also then that the door to the ward swung open. Carl and Zane walked in, and as soon as they saw the scene before them, they were taken aback. There, things took an awkward turn, with the duo pondering if they should stay or go. Thankfully, Nicole had heard the sound and raised her arms up to push Jared away lightly. N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. Seeing that Carl and Zane had entered, her face turned bright red. "Mr.Dous...you came." ¡®That fe, Carl.Didn''t he tell me that he would inform Mr.Spears? Why did he bring him here?" Nicole thought to herself. Zane coughed and pretended as if nothing had happened. And after clearing his throat, he asked, "Are you feeling better?" Nicole nodded and replied, Thanks to the Beacon, I have made a swift recovery." ¡®The things that Martin had invented are truly handy, indeed" she thought. At the mention of the Beacon, Zane shot Jared a nce before saying, "It''s pretty useful.Your fianc¨¦ had arge shipment of Beacons sent over to us.We are ready to distribute them to everyone at the base and headquarters." Nicole was pleasantly surprised, as she did not expect Jared to actually be so considerate. Concurrently, Zane walked up to Jared and asked, ''''How is your body? You have been taking care of Nicole for a while now.Are you okay?" Zane''s tone of concern took her aback. Chapter 1495 Chapter 1495 Nicole suddenly thought that Jared and Zane might actually know each other. Otherwise, there would be little exnation as to why Zane had given her the coffee beans that were procured from Jared''s farm. As expected, Jared maintained a very polite tone with Zane. "I''m fine.It''s only right for me to take care of her." Zane smiled. "I never expected that you and Nicole were together.I''d have introduced you guys to each other earlier if I knew that this would happen. In response, Jared said, "Yeah.It''s a shame I didn''t get to see her when I met you back then." As the conversation urred, Nicole began to feel a little awkward. She figured that she might probably not have any feelings for Jared if they had met each other earlier. "Mir.Spears, how did you get to know Jared?" Nicole asked, as she was a little curious about it. It was then that Zane realized that Nicole was still there. This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org. In awkward fashion, he replied, "We''ve known each other for a long time.I first met him when I visited his grandpa, but he was still a teenager back then." Nicole lifted her brows and looked at Jared. ''I see.Mr.Spears is a friend of Jared''s father.Now I know why he''d always send him coffee" After having engaged in all of the small talk, Zane cut straight back to the chase again. "I''m afraid that your grandpa has heard about it now that you''re here." Jared knew what Zane was talking about, as his face took on a solemn expression. "Yes.He has heard about it." As soon as Jared had woken up, his grandfather had informed him about the Reby Family Crest. His instincts had clued him in, and that Nicole was his fianc¨¦e. Thus, he had rushed to her aid without bothering to keep himself well rested at all. He was worried that his fianc¨¦e would be in danger. After listening to their conversation, Nicole could almost guess what they were talking about. Her gaze darkened as she said in a low voice, "I guess the Johnston family is also one of the families affiliated to the Reby Family Crest, am I right?" Both Zane and Jared looked at Nicole at the same time, as if they were admitting that what she had said was right. "Not only the Johnstons, but every other family who were involved in the Holy War back then, and that includes me.I''ve heard about it," Zane said. Zane sat on the sofa and with a solemn look on his face, he said, "Rumor has it that the descendants of the Reby family retrieved crest and hid it more than a century ago.None of us have expected it to reappear again.However, every family in the Holy Alliance are bound to the will of our ancestors, and will obey whoever possesses the Reby Family Crest, no matter what." "Holy Alliance? Holy War?" Nicole asked, as she could vaguely remember the system mentioning these keywords when she was searching for the owner of the crest back then. Zane noticed how confused she was, so he took a deep breath and continued, "It''s a long story and it''s only briefly mentioned in our family''s records. More than a thousand years ago, rumor has it that a deadly tribe went on a rampage on ournd, and nobody could stop them. "Because of this, every powerful family in the world had no choice but to form the Holy Alliance to stand against them.Still, we failed anyway. After that, the Reby family invented a drug, which managed to obliterate our enemies for good. However, they also lost five of their bravest and most formidable sons in the battle. "That was why the Holy Alliance had gifted five crests to the descendants of the fallen warriors of the Reby Family as a token of gratitude." Carl and Nicole looked at each other after they had heard this myth -like story. "Do people really believe in things like this in this day and age?" "Even though some of the allies from a thousand years ago had disappeared, the families that are still around all have a very long history. All of us value the will and traditions of our ancestors very much. All the families have documented this incident at the very beginning of their family''s history, so the descendants take it very seriously. That being said, every descendant of the families that are a part of the Holy Alliance will do everything they can to assist and protect the person who holds the crest," Zane finished. "But isn''t this crest supposed to be given to the Reby family? Why would somebody else own it now?" Nicole said, curious. Zane then sighed and said, "ording to what my ancestors have documented, somebody coveted the power of the crest about two hundred years ago, so they stole it away from the Reby family. However, the descendants of the Holy Alliance followed the orders of their forefathers and obeyed the person who had stolen it nheless. Then, chaos broke out a hundred yearster, so the Reby family retrieved the crests and destroyed them. Nobody would''ve thought that one of the crests...would be with you now." Zane stared at Nicole with a look that indicated mixed feelings. Chapter 1496 Chapter 1496 Nicole had always been somewhat of a daughter to Zane, and yet, he felt like he had be something of a servant to her now. All in all, it was just an unpleasant feeling for Zane. Nicole did not notice Zane''s reaction as she was pondering about the causes and consequences. "I''m afraid that the Rebys did not destroy the crests," she said." Instead, they kept it." "Are you saying that there are more crests out there?" Carl looked at Nicole, shocked. Nicole shook her head. "I''m not sure about that, but it''s not easy to procure the crests. I''m probably the only person in this world who can do it." The three men immediately fell silent after they had heard what she had said. They knew what Nicole was capable of and that she was not lying. ¡®Doesn''t this mean that Nicole is the only person who can own all five of the crests if she''s the only person who can acquire them?! Zane thought, bing restless at the notion that Nicole could possibly own more than one of these. "Listen, you just got this thing, and it has already gotten you into so much trouble. It''d be best if you do not pursue the other crests. Otherwise, even Zane''s organization won''t be able to keep you safe. tt It was a different time aspared to a thousand years ago. Only about two thirds of the families in the Holy Alliance are still around, and only half of them are considered to be the most prestigious families in the world. It had been so many years, and there are many more mysterious and ancient families that were equally powerful. Things would only get worse if those families were toe after the crests. "It''s better for us to take ownership of them, instead of letting them fall into the hands of those with devious intent." Nicole looked at Zane with an expression of seriousness on her face. Zane arched his brows. N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. "Is that why you put yourself at risk?" Nicole shrugged her shoulders. "What do you think?" Then, Carl butted in. "It''s not.She''s only doing this for that kid from the Guzman family.The first order that she gave the other families was to protect the Guzmans." "The Guzman family?" Zane frowned. "What does this have to do with them?" Jared''s gaze darkened as well. "What''s going on? Be specific." As things stood, Jared would never let that kid get away if he did anything to put Nicole in danger. Nicole quickly red at Carl after realizing that the two men in front of her were going to put the me on Zeke. "You don''t know anything." ¡°I..." Carl uttered, but stopped as soon as he realized that he owed his life to Nicole. "Nicole, what exactly happened? You can''t hide from me." Zane looked at Nicole with concern.He thought that Nicole had be too mature as of recent. Nicole looked at Zane and tried to y it oft as something unimportant. "Zeke got the crest by ident and someone was going to kill him for it. I was worried that those men won''t stoping after Zeke if I don''t do something, so I took ownership of the crest temporarily. Chapter 1497 Chapter 1497 "Temporarily?!" Zane was shocked. "How could you not talk to me about something so serious before making that decision? The crest isn''t going to recognize somebody else as its owner as long as you''re still alive. You just turned yourself into a sitting duck to those people!" Nicole lifted her brows. This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org. "That was how it worked back then, Uncle Zane.However, this new crest is a system.Do you know what I''m good at?" Her words shocked Zane. "Are you going to overwrite its system?" Nicole nodded, and after a while, she said, "I can probably do that, but this system is the most complicated out of all the other ones that I''ve seen.I might need some time to look into it." Zane calmed down a little after he had an idea as to what Nicole''s n was. "You should figure something out to distance yourself from the system as soon as possible then." In response, Nicole moved in closer and stared at him. ''''Then what? There''ll still be peopleing after it...I''ve got to ce it somewhere safe." Zane thought for a moment, and with a pained expression on his face, he said, "That''s because too many people know about the Reby Family Crest now.The Rebys disappeared after they had retrieved the crests about a century ago.It''s very difficult to track them down now, but I''ll try anyway..." Carl then grew nervous. "Is Nicole never going to be safe before we can find the other crests?" Upon hearing that, Jared calmly said, "The Holy Alliance will protect her as long as she''s still the possessor of the Reby Family Crest.Most people wouldn''t dare to do anything to harm her.Any newly minted family that is ignorant of the rules will have to get past my family first before they get to try anything." Only a few new families that had emerged in the start of the century would covet Nicole''s crest, and the Johnston family happened to be the strongest family among them. Such was why Jared was not afraid of them at all. A feeling of warmth rushed over Nicole after Jared had said that. Carl kept mum at once. ''Oh.I almost forgot.Not only does Nicole own the crest.She also has Jared around to protect her...'' Zane looked like he was relieved too. ''Nicole has chosen the right person to be her fianc¨¦.'' "Let''s not talk about the crests for now. After all, we know that nobody would dare to harm Nicole for now. Instead, we should be focusing on finding out who attacked our base. They could be the same group of people who robbed the Braves from us,"Zane said with a troubled look on his face. Nicole''s eyes became stern. "The Braves were robbed from us?" ¡®Didn''t I move them away? Why would they be stolen?¡¯ she thought. She shifted her gaze to Carl subconsciously. Then, with a look of defeat, he said, "The reason why f and his men couldn''t back us up at that time was because somebody else had attacked the harbor too.They hijacked the ship that was supposed to ship the Braves away..." Carl became very frustrated as he thought about that. On that day, he almost lost Nicole while the Braves had been stolen from them. It was just awful for him. The grimace on Nicole''s face became even sourer. "First, somebody came after the Reby Family Crest, and now, the Braves have been stolen.I''m sure that these people have some major ns ahead if they''re working together." With the Braves gone, Nicole could only wonder what would happen if she had lost the crest too. ¡®I''m afraid that all hell will break loose if these two things fall into the wrong hands,'' she thought.Nicole''s words made the three men think. "The crest will bring them the power of more than a hundred familiesbined, and with the Braves...Even a country could be overwhelmed with the might of such power! What is this person up to?" Carl asked, getting more worried by the second. Zane grimaced as well. ''''Even we would have to obey that person if Nicole had not managed to get her hands on the crest." Zane knew that the people in his family would never let him get away with it if he were to defy the will of his forefathers. Chapter 1498 Chapter 1498 Chapter 1498 Zane''s words shocked Carl. He was d that Nicole had managed to secure the crest before anybody else. Otherwise, the consequences would be unfathomable. "Looks like we''ve got to find out who attacked Nicole and robbed us of the Braves.We can only start striking back after we''ve figured their intentions out," he said. Jared''s gaze was vengeful.He would not spare a single soul who had been involved in the assault against Nicole. In fact, he would chop the masked man in ck into a million pieces if he ever found out who he was. "Yeah, Uncle Zane.You should assemble a team to retrieve the Braves as soon as possible," she said. The technology used in Braves were developed by the Turmann family. Serious trouble would arise if someone else managed to reverse engineer it. "I already did that, but that ship disappeared right after it had arrived at the open sea.They destroyed the tracking device too, so it''s not working anymore," Zane said with a look of dismay. However, as troubled as he was, he stood up and continued anyway. "Just leave it to me.You''re now the owner of the crest, and the entire organization will be under your command.All you need to do is keep yourself safe." Carl looked at Nicole anxiously. "You''ll only be safe after we''ve captured and neutralized our enemies..." Jared''s gaze swept across Carl. "Worry for yourself.I''ll protect her.Jared was eager to find out who was bold enough to mess with him and his loved ones. Zane then eyed Jared with a look of concern. "Our top priority now is to bring Nicole back to your territory as soon as possible.After all, it''ll be difficult for a dragon to crush a snake in its own domain.I''m afraid that you''re in danger too.Indeed, Jared was still not in his best of health and above anything, he needed rest. "Yeah.We''ll be on our way in an hour," Jared replied. His men were already waiting. Zane did not have to remind him of that at all. Upon knowing that all of the arrangements had been made, Zane felt relieved. "I''ll leave her to you if that''s the case." Clearly, Nicole was like a daughter to Zane, as he had never been so worried for a person before. "Sure." Jared nodded, assuring Zane that Nicole would be safe under his wing with the look of determination in his eyes. Feeling at ease now, Zane said, "Please send me regards to your grandpa." "I will," Jared finished. After that, Zane turned around and left the ward. Carl looked at Nicole yfully after he saw how downcast Zane was when he left the room. "Uncle Zane doesn''t dare to give you any orders anymore.Come to think of it, you''re not only the owner of the crest.You''ll soon be Uncle Zane''s superior too." Nicole rolled her eyes at him. "Don''t spout that kind of hogwash.Uncle Zane will beat you up if he hears it." Carl burst into a gale ofughter, as his mood had significantly improved after Nicole had woken up. "I don''t care about anything but you.I have nothing to worry about as long as you''re safe." His gaze looked so sincere, that it reminded Nicole of the time when he got dragged away while he was professing his love to her. And just like that, things took a romantic turn in the room. However, Carl felt a sudden chill running down his spine as he saw Jared''s sharp gaze directed at him through his periphery. Carl immediately fell silent.He felt that Jared''s presence was so oppressive that it was practically suffocating him...This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. Chapter 1499 Chapter 1499 "I-I guess I should get going now.I''m afraid that Uncle Zane might need my help..." Carl said, and left the room thereafter. The door mmed shut with a bang, showing how much Carl was in a hurry to leave. This gave Nicole a sense of relief. ¡®Looks like Carl isn''t really bothered by everything that had happened.I wish that I could pretend that nothing had happened too,'' she thought. However, Jared had noticed everything. "What happened between you and him? Why is there some sort of tension in the room?" Jared noticed that Carl would treat Nicole exceptionally well, and whenever he stared at Nicole, he would do so in a passionate way. Besides, he had never really gotten along well with Carl. Even now, he regretted the fact that he had allowed Carl to leave, especially after he had observed how guilty thetter looked. "Nothing much." This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org. Nicole looked at Jared. Then, she came up with a random excuse in fear that Jared would grow jealous once again. "I guess he''s distancing himself from you after he had seen how close you are with Uncle Zane.You''re not seeing green now, are you?" "Are you sure?" he asked. Jared could not believe what Nicole had said to him because Carl was the heir of his family, and he had figured that thetter would have no reason to fear him just because he discovered that Jared was a close friend of Zane''s. Even though he had more questions, he did not bother to ask because Nicole was not ready to tell him the truth. Besides...he did not want Nicole to think that he was a petty man who would be jealous over everything. "You''re so good with words.What exactly do you mean by that?" Jared frowned and looked at her with his brows raised. Nicole was left speechless. ''Does this dude not know how easy it is for him to get all jealous?" "Whatever.I''m feeling hungry.I want to eat something," she said. Nicole did not wish to continue the conversation with him after she had narrowly just escaped death.She just wanted to have a good meal. Jared nodded and looked at his phone. "I''ve already asked someone to send some food over." "Okay." Nicole nodded. As expected, someone came into the ward with breakfast in hand just after they had waited for a few minutes. "These are all your favorite food," he said. Nicole had been undergoing a swift recovery with the aid of Beacon, and so, Jared got her all of her favorite food as he thought that they would not affect her health. Nicole was delighted as soon as she saw the food. "Consider this a celebration for cheating death." "Sure," Jared said as he stood up and picked Nicole up. Then, he ced her down on the couch. Meanwhile, Nicole blushed as soon as she felt how warm he was. Even though they were officially together, and with the fact that she was already used to being intimate with him, she would still feel shy whenever other people were around. "Dig in," Jared said, handing Nicole the utensils. It was a unique experience for her to enjoy exquisite French cuisine in a hospital ward, and needless to say, Nicole felt very happy that she could do that. And as if that was not enough, Jared even got someone to bring her a brewing machine to grind her coffee beans with. Nicole could not remember thest time Jared made her a cup of coffee.She took a sniff and felt like the entire ward was saturated with its fragrance. Seeing how eager she was, he came up to her and ced the cup down in front of her. "This is the newest strain of coffee on my farm for this season.Give it a try." Nicole smiled. Then, she grabbed the cup and took a sip. Suddenly, she felt a unique yet mellow taste radiating across her tongue. Chapter 1500 Chapter 1500 "Not bad.It tastes better than all of the previous ones I''ve tried.Oh, and I must add, the aftertaste is very strong," she said. Jared could not help but sh her a smile upon hearing Nicole''s professional feedback. "I guess it''s only right that I give the best stuff to the expert." Nicole returned the smile before she ced the cup down and began eating.She looked at Jared and said as she chewed. "You''re looking very pale.You haven''t been sleeping for the past two days, have you?" This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org. ''This dude is reckless.He came to save me right after he woke up from a head injury.How ridiculous,'' she thought. "It''s fine.I''ll get better by staying here with you," Jared said in nonchnt fashion. Nicole''s heart melted, and in a flirtatious manner, she teased, "Cut it off.Nobody knows your body better than me.You''ve got to bed down in a hospital after we get backter." ''This guy suffered major injuries because of me, yet he disregarded his own health and safety, and rushed out of the hospital just to save me.Does he really think that he''s made of steel?¡¯ she thought. "Hospital?" Jared lifted his brows. "I guess not.My grandfather is expecting you." "Grandfather?" It was then that Nicole realized that Jared''s grandfather hade to visit him in the previous video recording. '' He probably knows something...'' Everything else would make sense if the Johnston family was a part of the Holy Alliance. Noticing Nicole''s look of concern, he said, "Don''t worry.My grandfather just wants to know what really happened.He''s very d that you own the crest now.After all, you''re the future wife of his grandson.It''s not an issue that you have the crest to make our family stronger. Nicole looked at him. "Are you sure? Is that what your grandfather thinks? I''m just worried that everyone else will think that I''m a burden..." "My family isn''t afraid of anything." Jared looked at Nicole sternly to reassure her. Nicole immediately felt a lot better and as of now, she even began to admire the choice she had made.She was d that Jared had been staying by her side, making her feel that she would always have his support whenever she needed it. "Are you saying that I should never leave you and your family then?" Nicole said cheekily before she continued to eat. Jared lifted his brows. "Of course.You''re never, ever, leaving." Nicole nodded as she looked into Jared''s gentle eyes. "Okay then..." It was a promise from Nicole that she would never leave him. As Jared had gotten the answer he wanted, he stroked her hair gently and proceeded to eat his breakfast with her. Jared''s ne arrived as soon as they had finished their meal. Together, they bade everyone goodbye and left the country soon after. Zane was worried that their enemies wouldunch another assault on Nicole, so he sent Carl and a few other men to escort them in a fleet of seven other nes. Nicole looked out of the window and thought that Zane was being overprotective. Nicole then saw more than ten other nes flying in a formation around Jared''s private jet after they had flown out of the city area. As all of the aircrafts coalesced, the formation became even stronger. To Nicole, a scenario like this could only be witnessed on television whenever some high-ranking officials were escorted out of some country. "Isn''t this a bit much?" she asked. Nicole had always been a humble person, and therefore, she had never expected that she would one day travel in a manner simr to individuals of major significance. "Not at all.You''re as important as a world leader now.This is perfectly normal." Jared looked at Nicole solemnly. It would be a huge deal if a country had ten prestigious families present to protect it. However, Nicole was in charge of multiple regions across the globe now. She was the individual whom all families would obey, and thus, her treatment wasparable to those of world leaders. Nicole was rendered speechless as she looked at Jared. Even though she thought that what he said made sense, she still could not ept the fact that she would have to travel like that. "Just this once.Let''s just get things back to normal once we''re home.I don''t want to freak my family out," she said. Chapter 1501 Chapter 1501 Jared nced helplessly at her and said, "That''s quite hard.I guess Mr.Riddle Sr.might have learned of something some time ago..." Nicole could not help but look at him. "What do you know?" He gave her a deep contemtive look. "The Riddle family is probably the ancient houses that came before the Johnston family." Those words caused Nicole''s face to turn gloomy. "What do you mean by that?" ''Could the Riddle family, too, receive news of the distribution of the family crest?¡¯ "You''ll find out soon enough..." Jared looked outside, not wanting to shock her. But Nicole''s mood was already in the gutter. ''If Grandpa found out about this, it''ll be a mess back home..." She looked at her local phone that had been turned off and did not even dare to turn it back on. This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org. In the evening, the Riddle family was in turmoil. Mr.Riddle Sr.suddenly fell sick after receiving some unknown shock and had been unconscious for two whole days now. No one knew what had happened. The doctor only knew that he had suffered a shock but had no way to rouse Mr.Riddle Sr.back up. Everyone came home and kept vigil for two days, but Mr.Riddle Sr.never woke up. In the hall, all four family households were there. Even Chloe, who was struck off the family register and chased out of the house, was called back by her family. Seeing that Miley had taken the opportunity to call Chloe back, Karen could not help but cast barbs, "Ah, I see someone who had been struck off the family registering back here knowing that the old man might not make it. Is it so she can im a share of her inheritance? Even if Dad survived this, he''d probably keel over the dead seeing a certain someone here." Miley could immediately tell that Karen was mocking her daughter and spat back. "You think everyone''s like you, only thinking about the inheritance? Chloe is only here because she''s afraid she might not be able to see her grandfather for onest time!" Karen and Miley''s words forced Daniel to speak out the words he had been suppressing. "Karen, Miley.Dad is only unconscious.Why the heck are you two quarreling here?" ¡®These two women.They are so eager for Dad to die so they can split up his property!¡¯ When he heard Daniel''s words, Damien, too, lost his temper as he shouted at Karen and Miley. "Enough! Shut up, both of you! Are the two of you that oblivious to your surroundings?! What are you quarreling for?" Seeing that everyone was in such turmoil, Gloria was also uneasy.thuy. She held Sean''s hand anxiously as she asked, "Have you managed to get hold of your baby sister? Why isn''t she back yet?" In the past, Mr.Riddle Sr.would fare much better when he saw Nicole. But this time around, they were unable to contact her. They were worried that she might not be able to make it back in time should something happen to him. Raine was also out for a trip and only came back today. When she heard that Nicole waster than them, she sneered. "Why is that brat not back yet? When Grandpa was doing okay, she stuck to him like glue. Now she''s nowhere to be found when something happened to him? What a filial granddaughter she is!" Hearing Nicole being mocked, Samuel spat back. "Look in the mirror, please.No matter what Nicole is up to, she''s still far better as a personpared to the two of you who go missing for days on end." Raine, of course, did not take that retort lying down. "And now, who''s the one missing? Nicole is an ungrateful brat, that''s what!" Just as she said that, the main door suddenly opened. Alfred immediately went to receive the guest in surprise. "Miss Nicole, you''re back!" When everyone heard his voice, all of them turned their heads around. Chapter 1502 Chapter 1502 A slender figure walked through the door. Even though it was only a simple ponytail, her beautiful face was still so apparent. Behind her was a handsome, imposing man. Who would it be if not Jared? When Nicole brought Jared home, Chloe, Snow, and Raine''s expressions changed. Chloe''s eyes were filled with jealousy and disgust, Snow''s envy, and while Raine''s eyes were full of disdain, they were also painted dark with jealousy. When she saw her daughter, Gloria was the first to stand up. "My goodness, Nicole.Where have you been? Why are you sote?" Nicole had only wanted to ascertain if her grandfather had learned something; instead, she saw the entire family here the moment she stepped into the ce. Being rather surprised, she asked. N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. "Why are all of you here?" Seeing that Nicole was totally at a lost, Chloe, even when she knew she had no right to speak, could not help but say, "What? Didn''t you know Grandpa had fallen ill? To think he dotes on you so much. He had favored Nicole so much that he no longer cared about her, the eldest granddaughter.Mr.Riddle Sr.did not even care that Nicole was fooling around with Jared all day.She, however, dared to put that thought into words. "Grandpa''s sick?" Nicole gave Jared a curious nce, thinking that he knew something she did not. Jared shrugged, indicating that he had no idea either. Nicole had no time to think and asked Alfred, "What happened?" Alfred immediately said, "Two days ago, he received a message and was so shocked he copsed on the spot.The doctor was unable to do anything at all...Miss Nicole, please hurry and see to sir." No one expected Alfred to seek help from Nicole. Karen immediately snorted. "Alfred, are you senile or something? She''s no doctor.What are you doing getting her to see to him?" Alfred knew how skilled Nicole was in her medical practice and rolled his eyes at Karen with an icy look. "Ma''am, don''t you know Miss Nicole is extremely skilled in medicine? Back then, when sir got sick, she treated him and prescribed him his medication." Nicole even did his surgery. It was just that Mr.Riddle Sr. had instructed him not to say anything about it. Otherwise, he would have told them everything! No one had expected Nicole to know medicine. The fact blindsided the entire family. Preston, who was busy gaming on his phone, had seen Nicole''s medical skills at y. He put away his phone and said to Nicole, "Hurry up and see to Grandpa.If you cannot wake him up, I fear the worst for him." Preston''s words shocked everyone. Daniel, Gloria, and their sons looked at each other with visible confusion on their faces. None of them knew that Nicole knew medicine... Moreover, from Preston''s tone, it sounded like she was very skilled in it. ''If she cannot do anything, then is Grandpa really done for?¡¯ Karen gave Dillon an incredulous look. Fearing being outdone, Dillon rumbled. "Let''s follow her." Everyone then hurried upstairs behind Nicole. Jared was not flustered. Knowing that the Riddles probably had plenty to talk about, he did not rush upstairs and instead sat down to have a cup of coffee first. Upstairs, Nicole looked at Mr.Riddle Sr''s monitoring equipment and consultation reporty cua baoShe read the report silently and looked so professional that everyone else was dumbstruck. Raine just had to mock her. "Well? Can you actually understand that? Stop yacting there already." Chapter 1503 Chapter 1503 ¡®She is just a high school student. What sort of medical skills can she have?! Preston rolled his eyes at his foolish sister, watching her getting humiliated. "Nicole, how''s Grandpa?" Preston whispered. Nicole handed the report over to him, saying, "He''s fine.Just suffered a shock." The news she gave Grandpa really shocked him. She was actually very surprised. The Riddle family was no longer considered a very prestigious family in San Joto, much less a member of the Holy Union. So it was natural for the older man to be shocked when he learned that she was the crest bearer... When Raine and Snow heard what she said, they thought she was spouting nonsense. Even when Nicole was the one who found her diamond, Snow still could not help but say, ''''The doctor has already diagnosed that.Everyone knows that Grandpa had suffered a shock." Raine immediately followed out. "Yeah, yeah.You may as well be saying nothing at all!" Nicole could not bear it any longer and shot her a sharp nce. Raine was so startled by her aura that she bit her tongue and almost cried out in pain. Ignoring the two sisters, Nicole took off the Beacon and put it on Mr.Riddle Sr. No one had seen that new device before, and Dexter asked with some concern, "Nicole, what is that...Will it have any side effects?" Nicole nced at Dexter and said, ''''Don''t worry, Uncle Dexter.This is Martin''s new medical device.It could quickly help a person to recover." When he heard Martin''s name, Dexter immediately fell silent while everyone else was surprised. Martin was Sebastian Wyance''s son, and he was a medical researcher. There was word that he and Jared had invested in apany called the Beacon and was selling a medical device with the same name.It was said that the domestic demand outstripped the supply. Even when the Riddle family had paid money to get in line, they still had yet to receive the product. They also did not expect that Nicole would get her hands on it first. Nicole and Jared''s rtionship aside, to think she was also so close to Martin. No wonder Mr.Wyance took so much care of Nicole every time he came to the Riddle''s residence. Upon seeing this scene, Snow and Raine were even more jealous. That was not just it. Nicole took out a pack of needles she had carried with her and deftly struck a few needles into Mr.Riddle Sr¡¯s head. Everyone was stunned by seeing Nicole treating Mr.Riddle Sr using the needle technique. Damien was a little nervous. "Nicole, you know alternative medicine as well?" He thought that she knew modern medicine when she read the report earlier.But to think that she knew alternative medicine as well? Miley asked the question in his stead. "Can traditional medicine work? Is it reliable?" Preston nced at them and said, "Nicole''s well-versed in modern and traditional medicine.Stop worrying so much." All these people just loved to worry for nothing. Seeing her son defending Nicole so confidently, Karen dared not say anything despite her anger, fearing being humiliated againter. Chloe still refused to relent. "How skilled can a high school student be? If anything happens to Grandpa, I''ll see how you deal with it." After hearing Nicole getting mocked despite helping, Steve could no longer hold back. "Even if anything were to happen to Grandpa, it''s the matter of the Riddles.A person who had been struck off the family register should just keep her mouth shut." Steve''s words pierced into Chloe''s pain point, and her face turned pale. "What did you say?" Spencer also did not hold back. "You heard what he said.Or have you no grasp of the shameless things you''ve done in the past?" A conniving person like her who would frame her family member should not be showing herself before Grandpa. Seeing that a quarrel was about to ensue, Emma quickly chimed in. "Calm down, all of you.Don''t disturb Grandpa''s rest." N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. Only then did Chloe shut up. But in her heart, she hoped that something would happen to her grandfather so that it could embarrass Nicole. Yet, somehow that royally backfired as two to three minutester, Mr.Riddle Sr''s eyes twitched! Chapter 1504 Chapter 1504 Samuel was the first to react. "Grandpa''s eyes are moving!" When Daniel saw that, he immediately came to the bedside. "Dad? You''re awake?" Damien and Dillon, too, hurried to the bedside. Nicole, however, hissed. N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. "Grandpa had just woken up.Surrounding him like this is bad for his breathing." Both Damien and Dillon felt embarrassed and quietly took a few steps back. At this moment, Mr.Riddle Sr.finally slowly opened his eyes. Seeing that everyone was back, he could not help but feel a little dazed. He only remembered that he had read a message and lost consciousness soon after that... Recalling that message, he immediately remembered something and quickly looked for Nicole in the crowd. "Nicole..." His hoarse voice called out. Everyone was taken aback. Mr.Riddle Sr.was not only conscious now, but he could also speak! Nicole''s medical skills were indeed amazing. The earlier doctor said there was no other way left. And yet, she managed to do it! Chloe''s expression was bitter and lined with jealousy. She had been away for so long, and Grandpa had never once given her a call. After his reawakening, the first person he called out was Nicole! ¡®What sort of charm did Nicole cast on Grandpa for him to treat her like this?" But now that the older man was awake, she could only pretend to be invisible. She feared that if he were to discover her presence, he would have her chased out of the house... Nicole then brought a cup of water for Mr.Riddle Sr. "Take a sip, Grandpa." Seeing Nicole being such a filial girl, Mr.Riddle Sr.got up with the help of Alfred and drank a sip. With Mr.Riddle Sr.awake, Nicole plucked out the needles on his forehead. "How do you feel, Grandpa? Do you feel dizzy?" It was a pressure point to force one''s reawakening. As a result, there may be some difort that will follow. "I''m fine, I''m fine.You, on the other hand..." Mr.Riddle Sr.looked at Nicole with a concerned look on his face. "I got a message..." "Grandpa, let''s put that matter aside first.We''ll talk about it alone after you''ve recovered." There were way too many people around.thuy bao She did not want so many to know about that matter. Upon hearing what Nicole said, Mr.Riddle Sr.immediately new that she wanted to keep it a secret from the family. But that also gave him the answer he needed. The name on the message he received was not a person who happened to share the same name as his granddaughter. It could be his granddaughter herself! His heart thumped, and Mr.Riddle Sr"s expression turned solemn. Seemingly noticing that Mr.Riddle Sr.was still worried about something, Nicole added, "Grandpa, don''t worry.Jared''s here to protect me, and I also have my own backing.Things will be fine, and I promise to protect everyone in the Riddle family." Nicole looked at Mr.Riddle Sr.resolutely, giving him the reassurance he sought. Mr.Riddle Sr suddenly understood everything now.He could not help but pat Nicole on her shoulder. "The Riddle family will be relying on you from now on..." At this age, his body could no longer withstand any more shocks. Nicole''s current position was no longer the same as in the past. Now, the entire Riddle family depended on her. Chapter 1505 Chapter 1505 The exchange between Nicole and Mr.Riddle Sr.confused everyone. ¡®What did the old man mean by that?'' ''What did he mean by handing the Riddle family to Nicole.." Nicole''s response was even stranger, iming that she would protect everyone in the Riddle family. ¡®What ability does she have to protect the Riddle family?" Moreover, even if the Riddle family were no longer as powerful as before, they were still a prestigious old family of San Joto. So who would do them harm? Yet no one dared to ask Mr.Riddle Sr.those questions. They could only wait until after Mr.Riddle Sr. had closed his eyes to rest. So they had gone downstairs before they questioned Nicole. Dillon was the first to lose hisposure. He had been pondering Mr.Riddle Sr"s words, seriously suspecting that the older man had handed Nicole something very important. Just as he entered the hall, he turned around to question Nicole without taking a seat. "What did your Grandpa mean by that? Why is he leaving the Riddle family to you? Did you take something from him that you shouldn''t?" The older man had never disclosed how he would divide the family''s properties. Now that Daniel had Nicole and five other sons behind him, the older man favored him more and more while he was favored less and less. So now he suspected Nicole had swindled most of the property for herself! Nicole could tell what Dillon was thinking just by looking at him and sniggered, "What the Riddle family has isn''t worth me eyeing them.I will eye the Johnston''s if I want to eye something." As she said that, Nicole sat beside Jared with a haughty air. Jared looked at Nicole''s rxed face and was not even angry. Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. Instead, he felt very amused by what she had just said. When Chloe heard that, she immediately turned to Jared. "Mister Jared, you heard that? Someone here''s getting close to you just for your wealth." Jared did not even look at Chloe as he put down his coffee and hugged Nicole. "She doesn''t have to eye my wealth.Even I''m hers.What she wants, I shall give." When such cheesy words came out of his mouth before everyone, Nicole suddenly had goosebumps. Chloe, Snow, and Raine cast a jealous look over Nicole. All of these should have been Chloe''s, but it was taken away by this stray mutt from nowhere! Spencer could not help but snigger as he looked at Dillon. "Did you all hear that? With my brother-inw here, why would my baby sister even care about what little we have? Uncle Dillon, stop projecting yourself onto her." Karen was displeased seeing her husband being dissed. "Daniel, what sort of upbringing is this? Trying to lecture your elders?" When Nicole heard Karen scolding Daniel, she said icily, "You should be looking at yourself in the mirror.You said nothing when Snow and Raine were causing a ruckus in Grandpa''s room.Now you presume to lecture another family on upbringing?" "You!" Karen''s face was flushed red in anger. Snow and Raine wanted to say something, but Damien, seeing the chaos in the house, stood up. "Silence, all of you.Let''s get back to business.We just want to know why Dad would say that to Nicole." Nicole could see that Damien was worried about the inheritance and so nced at Jared, using him as an excuse. "What else? The Riddle family will be relying on the patronage of the Johnston family from now on.If not me, who else should Grandpa say that to?" Jared did not mind being used by Nicole as a shield. On the contrary, he felt good that this young woman relied on him instead.novelebookBut what Nicole said turned everyone else''s expression sour. All of the men in the family could not be relied upon to make the Riddle family flourish. Only through Nicole being together with Jared the family started to prosper. Be it Chloe, Snow, or Raine, neither of them was able to get involved with any top figures. Instead, all of them looked like they had their tongues tied as words failed them. Chapter 1506 Chapter 1506 Dexter then let out a sigh. "Dad has his reasons.Since he''s fine now, let''s return." Being around his brothers and sisters-inw for the past few days really exhausted him. "Yeah.Mom hasn''t been resting well for the past few days, so we''ll go first," said Er, giving Nicole a somewhat apologetic nce. Nicole nodded. "Er, take Uncle Dexter and Aunt Emma back to rest.Don''t worry, I''ll take good care of Grandpa." "Alright." Er nced at Emery, who had always been the quiet one, as the two left with their parents. Karen wanted to say something else, but Dillon, noticing Damien''s grumpy look, could only leave with her, Preston, Snow, and Raine in tow. Preston even smiled at Nicole before he left as if to wee her home. After seeing them off, Nicole looked at Damien. "Uncle Damien, are you staying behind to take care of Grandpa?" Being questioned like that, Damien felt a little miffed.He was, after all, older. No younger generation should be asking if he wasing or going. But when he recalled how Mr.Riddle Sr.had treated her specially, he dared not run his mouth. Instead, he decided to go home and investigate the matter. "No.Since you do know medicine, your Grandpa should be under your care.Just make sure nothing goes wrong." Damien narrowed his eyes slightly at her. Nicole could tell that he was applying pressure on her.He was implying that she would bear all responsibilities should there be any issues. Yet, she was unperturbed and only smiled. "Don''t worry, Uncle Damien.I was the one who operated on Grandpa back then.This small issue won''t cause any trouble." Her words stunned both Karen and Damien. They recalled the time the old man was taken away by Nicole for an operation, but no one knew that the operation was done by her! ¡®Are Nicole''s medical skills really that amazing?" At that moment, Damien realized that Nicole was not as simple as he thought. ¡®This girl...There are probably secrets to her" The jealousy in Chloe''s eyes was like razors, but before Jared''s imposing aura, she dared not speak up.novelebook She was also curious about what other secrets Nicole was hiding. ¡®How is she so skilled in medicine?'' ¡®Who the hell is she?¡¯ Seeing that her parents were still standing there, Chloe went up to them and said, "Mom, Dad, the car is ready.Let''s go home." Karen was pissed off but could not vent her anger, so she nced at Everett before leaving. Damien nodded as he left. Chloe rolled her eyes at Everett before following behind her parents. Seeing how Everett''s position in the family had always been so low, Nicole raised her eyebrows.She wondered what Uncle Damien and Aunt Karen were thinking, putting all their focus on Chloe. N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. In her opinion, Everett was the shrewd, brilliant one. After everyone left, Alfred walked over to Nicole and said, "It''s all thanks to you today, Miss Nicole.Or else, heaven knows when Mr.Riddle Sr.would wake up." Nicoleforted the somewhat excited butler and said, "It''s fine.Grandpa''s recovering well.He suffered a big shock this time.He''ll be fine after a few days'' rest." Chapter 1507 Chapter 1507 "That''s good to hear.I''ll go look after him now." Alfred wiped the tears at the edge of his eyes, bidding Daniel''s family farewell before heading upstairs. Samuel could no longer hold his excitement and sat beside his sister. "Nicole! When did you get so good at medicine? You were the one who operated on Grandpa as well?" This baby sister of his was just too amazing.She was not only physically superb and skilled in martial arts.She even had medical knowledge! She was among the best in school, with everything within her grasp. Was there anything she could not do? Forget Samuel. Even Daniel, Gloria, Sean, and Steve were surprised. N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. "Nicole, you sure hide your skills way up your sleeves." Stanley had kept quiet this whole time, but now he voiced his shock. "I know, right? You sure made us proud, baby sis!" Recalling the expressions of Chloe and her family when Nicole woke Grandpa, Spencer also felt ted. Seeing Nicole''s silence, Sean said, "Alright, alright. You all talk so much that Nicole can''t get a word in." Both Spencer and Samuel immediately shut up as the entire family gave Nicole an expectant look. Nicole was in a conundrum, not knowing where to even begin exining.So, she nced at Jared. Yet, he gave her an indifferent look before picking up his coffee, indicating that she should settle this herself. Nicole sighed as she tried to simplify things. "The only entertainment I had back in the vige was reading, so I''ve read plenty of books on modern and alternative medicine.Then I was taken under the wing of a physician and learned his skills." At her words, Jared grinned to himself. There was nothing wrong with what she said after all. But no one knew that her master was James Dade, and he was the internationally famed physician, nicknamed the Ghost Hand... Nicole was considerate to her family members, fearing that she would scare them if she told them the truth.So she avoided all of the heavy stuff. That was why Damien, Dillon, and their families were so disrespectful toward Nicole. Jared looked forward to seeing their expressions when they found out who she really was. The brothers were waiting for Nicole to surprise them with an extraordinary twist to the story. novel ebook But when Nicole stopped talking, they looked at each other. "Just like that?" Steve raised his eyebrows, feeling that things were moreplex than she described. "Just like that." Nicole was resolute with her answer, her expression impassive. The others did not protest. Daniel knew Nicole''s demure nature, and she obviously did not want to borate further. Looking at the time and seeing Gloria''s rather gaunt look from being anxious for the past two days, he said, "No matter what, Nicole got Grandpa back up, so let''s not add to her troubles here.Let''s take mom home to rest." Gloria was not ready to go. "I''m fine.I just want to spend more time with Nicole..." She really did miss her daughter. Seeing how pale Gloria was, Nicole grabbed her mother''s hand and read her pulse. "Dad, let mum rest at home for a few days.She''s been anxious for the past few days.I''ll prescribe her some medicine.She''ll be better once she takes them." Hearing that, Daniel nodded. "Alright, I''ll stay back to take care of your mom and grandfather." When Sean saw that both his parents would stay, he whispered to his father, "Then, Mom, Dad, just rest up here.I''ll see to thepany.Don''t you worry." "Alright, go home then.You don''t have to worry about us here," Daniel told his sons. Samuel, however, looked disappointed. "I want to stay too and chat more with Nicole." Immediately, Spencer pulled his ear. "You talk way too much.Let''s not disturb her.Come on, let''s go." Chapter 1508 Chapter 1508 Stanley and Steve could only stand up and say to Nicole, "We''ll be heading off then." "Wait." Seeing that her family members were about to leave, Nicole suddenly turned towards Jared. N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. "What''s that stuff?" Jared eyed the coffee table. Max had already delivered the thing over when he had coffee downstairs earlier. Nicole immediately opened the box and found seven watches of different exquisite designs. Daniel gave Nicole a perplexed look. "These are..." She then said with a solemn look on her face, "We have to listen to Grandpa.Be it you, Dad, or Mom, or the rest of you, be careful when you''re out and about.If you ever find yourself being followed or in danger, press the ck button on the watch to contact me and the white button to secretly send your current coordinates." When she was on the ne, she made a tracking andmunication system simr to that on her watch.She then got Jared to ask Max to upload them into the digital watches so she could contact her family. Looking at such advanced gadgets, both Samuel and Spencer''s eyes widened in amazement. "Woah! This is so high-tech!" Sean rolled his eyes at the two.He could tell something was not right. "Nicole, is our family in trouble or something?" ¡®If it''s not that, why else would Grandpa say stuff like that? And why would Nicole give us these to protect us?! Nicole paused for a moment, but chose not to tell him. "Just in case.I hope it''s just me overthinking things." Seeing that his little sister was unwilling to tell them, Steve gave Sean a wink and decided to investigate the matter himself. Stanley did not speak and chose to believe Nicole unconditionally.He took the watch and put it on his wrist. "Don''t worry.We know how to take care of ourselves, but you..." She was just a girl, and that worried them the most. Then, Jared slowly said, "Don''t worry.I''ll take good care of her." Seeing Jared speak up, the Riddle brothers set their worries aside. After all, Jared was far more capable than any of them, and since he had already said that, what was there for them to worry about? "We''ll be going then." Sean and Steve put on the watches as they left the other three brothers. Jared could tell that Nicole was still concerned, so he leaned over and whispered to her, "Rx.I''ve already sent men to guard them in secret." Nicole nodded. Knowing how meticulous Jared was, he probably had sent people to secretly guard her other uncles as well. "It sure is reassuring with him around.'' After everyone had left, Nicole brought Gloria to her room to rest.She apanied her mother for a while before thetter fell asleep. When Daniel escorted Nicole out of the room, he finally asked the question he had been holding back on. "Nicole, what''s the secret between you and Grandpa? Can''t you tell me?" Nicole knew that her father would figure something out, but for now, she did not want to add to his troubles. Smiling, Nicole said, ''Dad, I''ll tell you when the time''s right, but it''s not now." It will not be toote novel ebook for her to tell them everything after she cut herself off from the system. She did not want Daniel to worry too much about her. Daniel could sense his daughter''s train of thought, so he nodded. "If that''s the case, I''ll respect your decision.Tell me when the time is right then." Chapter 1509 Chapter 1509 Nicole nodded and watched as Daniel returned to his room.She let out a sigh of relief and then went downstairs. To her surprise, she found Jared sitting there.Why are you still here? Shouldn''t you be back in the hospital?" ¡®This guy...does he think he''s fully recovered?" Jared rolled up his sleeve, revealing the medical instrument on his arm. "The Beacon?" ''When did he get his hands on this?'' she wondered. "Yeah.Otherwise, how do you think I managed to stay alert by your bedside for the past two days?" This was also why he immediately redirected the Beacon delivery from the home country to Lanningbourg. novel ebook He was no fool, after all. "Why didn''t you tell me you had it with you?" This asshole had her worrying over him. "l thought of telling you after I''m better, but now looks like a good time." As he said that, he reached out to take the instrument off. Nicole, however, stopped him. "Keep it on for a while longer.Your health is important." Having his fingers touched by her, Jared smiled cheekily. "Alright, whatever you say, ma''am." Only then did Nicole realize that she had tugged his hand.Her cheeks turned slightly red, and just as she was about to let go, Jared pulled her over and put her on hisp. Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. "Everything is already arranged.I can finally rest now.Arrange a room for me." He had almost lost her for good this time, and now he did not want to be separated from her for a single moment. "You...want to stay here?" ''This jerk actually wants to stay in the Riddle residence?" "Why? Can''t I?" Jared raised his eyebrow. "Of course not!" Nicole was flustered. "We''re only engaged.How can you stay here?" It would have been fine if it was her own ce, but this was her grandfather''s house, and with both her parents here, how could she allow him to stay here? Seeing Nicole''s overreaction, Jared put a helpless look on his face. "Why not? If you don''t agree, I can ask Mr.Riddle Sr." Thinking of how the old man wanted him to hurry up and marry Nicole, he was sure Mr.Riddle Sr.would not refuse him! "Don''t you go disturb Grandpa!" Mr.Riddle Sr.was asleep now. How could Jared be like this? "So you agree then?" He raised his eyebrow, with a cheeky look that said, ''If you don''t agree, I''ll ask the old man immediately.¡¯ Nicole was at a loss and could only grit her teeth as she hissed, "Fine, you win." She then called one of the servants over. "Please arrange a guest room for Mr.Jared." Jared looked at the servant and added, "I want the room next to Miss Nicole''s." The servant was slightly taken aback but then nodded, giving a knowing look "Yes, sir.I''ll go prepare the room right away." Seeing the servant''s face, Nicole turned around and red at Jared. "You did that on purpose." For him to embarrass her before the servants like this, he was growing a lot of nerve! "I''m tired.I''ll go and take a rest." As he said that, Jared suddenly swept Nicole off her feet and carried her in his arms. "Rest if you want to.Why are you carrying me?" Nicole yelped. Jared showed a wry smile. "You need a good rest too.You''re also a patient, so you have to listen to me." "You!" Nicole was flustered, but seeing all the servants looking over, she was so embarrassed she could not say a word.She allowed Jared to carry her upstairs in front of everyone and let him take her into her room... Chapter 1510 Chapter 1510 The night slowly rolled in peacefully. The Fisher family was listening to their assistant''s report in annoyance. "Mr.Johnston went abroad right after he woke up from hisa...He went to fetch Nicole.He''s staying at the Riddle''s residence tonight..." ¡®This bastard, Jared! He barely spared me a nce after he woke up.Instead, he turned to talk to his grandfather! On top of that, he left the country to find Nicole despite knowing his physical condition was terrible! I''ve been waiting for him at home. The first person he saw when he woke up was me, and it was me who took care of him the entire time. Nicole didn''t even care for him when he was bedridden! ¡®I thought Jared went after Nicole to ask her why and break up with her, but I didn''t expect him to bring her back here! And to even stay at her family''s residence afterward! ¡®All my hard work went to waste!'' Filled with hatred, Fiore gritted her teeth as she thought of the two of them staying at the Riddle residence.Her hands clenched so hard that her fingernails made indents on her palm. "God damn it, Nicole! What kind of love spell did you cast on Jared?!" ¡®Our Fisher family is far more powerful than the Riddle family.Why did he choose her over me? Do I have to make Nicole disappear to make him notice me?'' Fiore''s hatred towards Nicole grew tremendously in her heart. '' Why am I not as good as her?" Her eyes turned dark as she thought about it. "Go send some people to keep an eye on her...If you get the chance, go and teach her a lesson!" "She needs to learn how difficult it is to be Jared''s woman!'' "Yes, ma''am!" The assistant turned and left. As soon as he did, the housekeeper knocked on her door. "Ms.Fisher, Mr.Fisher has just arrived from the Fisher Residence and is requesting you and Mrs.Fisher to go downstairs." "Okay." Fiore looked at her watch. ¡®It''s nine o''clock.He''s usually resting at this hour. Why did hee home sote and request us to head downstairs?" Fiore felt a little suspicious of her novel ebook father''s actions. Yet, she put it on her coat and walked downstairs. Downstairs, Mrs.Fisher was already there.She seemed to have heard unexpected news. "What did you say? Are you sure you didn''t get it wrong?" Mrs.Fisher looked shocked. Fiore, who saw her mother''s surprised expression, quickly hurried. N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. "Mom, dad, what happened?" Mrs.Fisher saw Fioreing down the stairs and said in a depressed tone, "Ask your father.Your grandfather had asked us to visit a family who is no longer useful to us.If word spreads, wouldn''t we look ridiculous?" Hearing this, Fiore could not help being suspicious of the motive. "Dad, who did grandpa ask us to visit?" Mr.Fisher nced at Fiore and said coldly, "The Riddle family." Upon hearing the name, Fiore froze. ''The Riddle family...wouldn''t that be...?'' "Is the Riddle family the one whose daughter married into the Johnston family?" Nick Fisher''s expression stiffened as soon as the words left Fiore''s mouth. "You know of them?" Fiore''s eyes were cold. "Not only do I know of the Riddle family, but I am very familiar with the one that stole Jared''s heart from me!" Both Mr.and Mrs.Fisher immediately understood. They were aware that their daughter had always been an arrogant person. She barely took an interest in those who pursued her, and there was only one person she was passionately interested in.It could only be the one and only Jared Johnston. Chapter 1511 Chapter 1511 ¡®I thought I would have plenty of time to get closer to Jared. I didn''t know that he was already engaged to someone from the Riddle family. To top that off, he had to be engaged to a rancid witch that the Riddle family had found from the streets,¡¯ Fiore fumed. ¡®I have no choice but to put my foot down and strike back. I can''t even begin to think when he mentioned that the Riddle family is the family which had adopted that b*tch!¡¯ she continued. "The Riddle family has been in decline for many years now, so why did he ask us to pay them a visit? Our family is now one of the five major families in San Joto. What''s the Riddle family''s deal? Is it just because they''re on good terms with Jared? I don''t get it. Besides, I''ve just restored my status and reputation as of recent." "What do you know?¡± Mr. Fisher''s expression darkened. "The Riddle family have been around for a century. Ever since Mr. Riddle Sr. retired, their son Damien Riddle was left in charge, and that resulted in their decline. However, Daniel Riddle''s son, Sean Riddle, has now taken over. Every single one of their sons are all powerful figures, and thus, their former glories are being restored. And on a side note, Daniel''s daughter is even more capable..." Speaking of which, Mr. Fisher was unsure of where to begin, as he had figured out that the Reby Family Crest had always been a symbol of peace and solidarity between the families ever since the crusade. "Just how powerful can a person be? It''s nothing more than an alliance between two families through marriage, so how can they climb their way to the top that easily?" she asked. From Fiore''s perspective, Nicole and the entirety of the Riddle family had depended on the background of Jared''s family to bolster their own status and reputation. Mr. Fisher shot his daughter a nce, unsure of how to exin to her the secrets of the family. ¡°There are several things that I can''t find the right words to exin to you, but you must know that you must not pick a fight with Nicole! The Riddle family are not to be messed with from here on out!" Judging by the look on her face, Mrs. Fisher was evidently bing even more confused, but she was certain that her husband must have discovered something that she did not know about. This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. ¡°Alright. I''ll go ahead and prepare everything we need tonight before we head overt? visit the Riddles tomorrow,¡± Mrs. Fisher said. Fiore, who was in denial, yelled, ¡°I''m not going!" ¡®I would rather die than to give her the satisfaction!¡¯ she fumed. Mr. Fisher was not aware of everything that had happened between her and Jared as of the recent. Therefore, he assumed that Fiore was just throwing a hissy fit for no good reason, and just being downright immature. "Forget it. She''s just a kid. If she doesn''t want to go, we better not force her to do it. The both of us will do. Besides, she has to go to the office tomorrow," Mrs. Fisher said, preventing Mr. Fisher from pressuring Fiore intoing along for the trip to visit the Riddles. There were several projects that thepany was in charge of, and Fiore could not afford to take her eyes off the aforementioned projects before they werepleted, and such was why Mr. Fisher was able to empathize with her and let it slide. ¡°Very well. Anyway, we must prepare some gifts..." Fiore watched her parents as they returned to their bedroom. ¡®They said they wanted to give Nicole gifts!?'' It was then Fiore lost all of her patience, as her anger boiled and fueled the hatred in her heart. ¡®Nicole is going to get it. I just don''t understand why she just can''t stop after getting Jared wrapped around her finger. Now, she wants the Fisher family to back her up?!¡¯ ¡®It was all thanks to my hard work for these couple of years that the Fisher family has almost caught up with the progress of the Johnston family in terms of our financial and social statuses. From the looks of it, my hard work is now all in vain due to the Riddle family''s sudden reemergence. Gosh, I can¡¯t stand that b*tch!¡¯ Fiore seethed. "Just wait and see, Nicole Riddle!" At the Riddle residence, during the very next day, Nicole and her parents had just woken up when they were greeted by an influx of guests showing up at their home. Mr. Riddle Sr. had recently just recovered, and thus, Nicole did not force him to get out of bed. Mr. Riddle Sr. was aware that the presence of these influential families meant that they had gotten news pertaining to Nicole, as they had alle to pay her a visit. Both Nicole and her father, Daniel Riddle, then went on to wee the guests into their residence. Aside from their visits, there were many families that had delivered gifts, all of which were addressed to Nicole. At first, Daniel and Gloria thought that they were just paying Mr. Riddle Sr. a visit. However, what they did not expect was that everyone who were present were looking for Nicole. They both exchanged silent nces, thinking that it could be rted to their daughter''s disappearance or perhaps something that they did not even know about. As of now, only Mr. Riddle Sr. had the right to know, and thus, they did not proceed with any more questions. Chapter 1512 Chapter 1512 The gifts kept arriving untilte in the afternoon. It was only then that Mr. Riddle Sr. felt better and came downstairs, where he saw the stack of gifts piled in the hallway. "It seems that our Riddle family is about to regain the glory that it had lost twenty years ago,¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. muttered and sighed. About ten years ago, Mr. Riddle Sr. had handed thepany down to Damien Riddle, which was the biggest mistake he had ever made. Over the next few years, he had to bury his fourth child and a few other children from his own family whilst witnessing his family¡¯s fall from grace. It was his negligence that had caused the downfall of the family. "You really are the lucky star of the Riddle family. Ever since you came in, our family has only prospered,¡± he said to Nicole. "Stop it, grandpa. It''s only because of you that our Riddle family could live to witness this day," she replied. When Mr. Riddle Sr. was still deep in the world of business, he was a figure that was as prominent as Mr. Johnston Sr. It was just that the younger generation had failed to live up to his expectations that everything became awry. However, Nicole''s elder brothers would be there with her in the future, and with all of them around, it was almost a certainty that they would not allow the Riddle family to fall from grace once again. ¡°I''m getting old now, and we''ve got these people paying you visits. However, you can''t just ept these gifts and do nothing. You should go get ready. I''m going to make an announcement. We''re having a banquet here tonight at the Riddle''s residence to entertain our distinguished guests,¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. said. ¡°Tonight? Dad, isn''t this a little too rushed?¡± Daniel asked, feeling a little surprised, as the previous banquets hosted by the Riddle family were all prepared half a month in advance, and sometimes, the guests they had invited would not even care to show up despite having made reservations in advance. "It''s not rushed. Right now, these people should be on their toes, so as soon as these invitations have been rolled out, they''ll be present here tonight," Mr. Riddle Sr. retorted. Mr. Riddle Sr. looked at Nicole, his face brimming with admiration. "Now, they would be eager to meet Nicole as soon as possible.¡± Daniel''s heart skipped a beat, as he shot his daughter a nce. He had this inexplicable feeling that his daughter''s standing in San Joto had be unrivalled, even by Mr. Riddle Sr. himself. This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. ¡®What is going on here?¡¯ ¡°Alfred, go get things ready,¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. ordered in a low voice. "Yes, sir!" The house butler nodded and hurriedly went to work. "Daniel and Gloria? The two of you may go and invite our distinguished guests. After that, inform Sean, Steve, and Stanley. Tell them toe home tonight so that they may help us out," he said. "Okay!" Daniel hurriedly nodded and went off to do as he was told, as he dared not linger. His wife proceeded to follow him upstairs to contact the guests, but not before shooting Nicole a look with her brows raised. ¡®Why is my daughter...Why is she suddenly so popr among the other families? Even if it was about her engagement to Jared, the fact that so many people are so eager to see her doesn''t add up. Couple that with the gifts that were all addressed to her and we have...¡¯ Judging by my father-inw''s attitude towards her, I guess that my daughter is no longer who she used to be.¡¯ Gloria thought as she held her husband''s hand a little tighter, with tingles of excitement in her heart. In spite of the fact that her daughter would not want to talk about it, Gloria knew that it would bode well for them. She was relieved to have such a wonderful daughter. Nicole watched her parents as they scattered, while she helped Mr. Riddle Sr. to his seat. "Grandpa, how many families here in San Joto were involved in the crusade? Why is the news spread so quickly?" Nicole had initially wanted to keep a low profile, allowing only a few people to know about her recent ascension before ending her connection with the crest. However, amid all of that suppression of the development geared towards directing attention away from the Riddle family, Nicole had underestimated the speed with which they had received the news, with gifts being delivered to her doorstep as soon as she had arrived home. It was already obvious that numerous people had already gotten the news as soon as she became the owner of the crest, and were waiting for her toe home... Chapter 1513 Chapter 1513 ¡°During the crusade, there were more than a hundred families involved who were part of the alliance. Although some of them had disappeared, two-thirds of the century- old families that had survived are all in San Joto today.There are only a few based in the west coast. Most of them settled in San Joto, while some who aren''t here had branched out," Mr. Riddle Sr. said. Nicole immediately understood why the news had spread so quickly. ¡®Curse the system! I should''ve blocked the system''s message function before I was recognized as the owner of the crest!¡¯ Nicole had wanted to keep it a secret from her parents and brothers, but from the looks of it, it would be way too difficult for her to do so now. "If you can''t keep it concealed, you might as well announce your identity with utmost confidence. After all, the true hermits are the ones holed up in major cities," Jared''s voice suddenly echoed through the room. Nicole turned around, and that was when she saw Jared entering the house. "This guy had left the Riddle residence for his headquarters in the wee hours of the morning. I thought he would not be back here so soon, and yet, here he is,¡¯ she thought. Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. Jared noticed that Nicole was not very weing, and so, he gave her an affectionate look before shing her a smile. "What''s wrong? Did you miss me?" "Cut the crap. Mr. Riddle Sr. is still here.¡± ¡®This dude is getting bolder by the day. Even with grandpa around he¡¯s still pulling these sort of stunts,¡¯ she thought. Jared smiled, stopping his teasing, whereupon several men followed him in. "My grandfather had gotten his men to deliver the gift he had prepared, Mr. Riddle Sr. By the way, he also asked when you would invite him to a reception dinner.¡± "A reception dinner? What kind of reception dinner would this be? People would assume so if they thought that this banquet is their reception dinner...but it looks nothing like that to me...¡± ¡°Alright, don''t worry about any of that. These people are all here to give you a helping hand. It''s better to be safe than sorry, considering that our enemies mighte back to have another go at you,¡± Jared said to Nicole, the look on his face fearless as always. However, Jared''s words surprised Mr. Riddle Sr., who asked, "Someone attacked Nicole?" Nicole rolled her eyes at Jared at once. "You run your mouth a little too much." Mr. Riddle Sr. immediately turned to look at Nicole, "Why didn''t you tell me about something this serious?" ¡®So that was why Nicole had kept to her words when she said that she would protect the Riddle family. It seems that after obtaining the crest, the Riddle family had encountered some predicaments of sorts,¡¯ Mr. Riddle Sr. thought. "I just didn''t want my family to worry about me, but what Jared said was right. Since I can''t hide it anymore, I guess I''lle clean about it," she said. Jared shed Nicole a smile of relief as she had made up her mind. "Is there anything I can do for you? You can just tell me," Jared asked. ¡®Him being here, and helping us out is already enough,¡¯ Nicole thought. "Why...well since you''re already here, you can stay and get some rest. You can also inform Mr. Johnston Sr. that there''s a banquet at 5 in the evening today," Mr. Riddle Sr. said, before giving Jared a polite smile. Jared nodded gently. "Okay.¡¯ ¡°Tonight''s banquet will be a special one. Have you prepared your outfit?" Jared turned his attention to Nicole and asked. "What he said is right! Nicole, you better hurry up and prepare your outfit for tonight. You''re the star of the show. Remember that!" Mr. Riddle Sr. reminded. In response, Nicole issued a deep sigh. Tm the worst when ites to things like these.¡¯ "Mr. Riddle Sr.? I think I''ll bring Nicole with me,¡± Jared said to Mr. Riddle Sr. as if he had prepared himself for this very moment. ¡°Alright, you guys better hurry up.¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. nodded happily. With that said, Nicole had no choice but to follow Jared out the door. "Why did you have to blow things out of proportion?" ¡®If he hadn''te, things would''ve been much simpler,¡¯ she thought. "Let''s hurry up, there are peopleing tonight. If you don''t do this well, consider the fact that we are hosting more people that we ever would on our engagement party," Jared said. Nicole could not help but sigh. She knew that he was right, and so, she followed in his lead. Chapter 1514 Chapter 1514 And just like that, Nicole was whisked away from her abode by Jared. On her way out, she was overwhelmed as she saw the never-ending influx of gifts that people had sent her. ¡®I guess it is good to leave the house for a breather,¡¯ Nicole thought. "Why, you seem unhappy?" Jared asked, noticing that Nicole kept staring out the window. Nicole shot him a nce and said, "It''s not a good thing. What is there to be happy about?" Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. Jared nced at her with an expression of admiration on his face. ¡®This is exactly why I like her. No matter how much skill and influence she possesses, she does not give in to ttery nor humiliation. She does not value power and knows when to draw a line, where she could assess the situation she is faced with rationally.¡¯ Jared then went on tofort her. ¡°Anyone else in your position with the privilege of being able to establish connections with so many influential families would also be filled with anxiety. Now that you have the Reby Family Crest, you''re now the one at the helm of the alliance with these influential families at your beck and call. Still, it is a burden you must carry, and you will be the only one feeling its weight." Nicole took a deep breath. ¡°It''s because these people care only to build connections while I wish to find out who is behind all of this. If I don''t, much of the world will be in chaos, and no one will be able to escape from it." Jared stared at Nicole as his eyes darkened. "I know you''re in a position of great power, but you can¡¯t always put yourself in danger for the sake of others.¡¯ "There has to be bnce in everything in this world. Now that she has acquired the crest, she can''t simply put herself at risk and not take advantage of the benefits thate along with it,/ he thought. "You can''t judge a book by its cover. You never know when these people wille in handy. Perhaps some of them could help you track where all of the Braves had gone to," he added. Nicole''s gaze became distant. ''l have to say, he really is my best strategist. As for the person who had the balls to seize the Braves, I can''t help but wonder if he is a person of renown as well. Mr. Spears and Carl have yet to update me on any clues they might have discovered. Anyway, the clock is ticking. Perhaps I can request help from those who are willing to render aid to support the investigation...¡¯ A person suddenly came to mind, interrupting Nicole''s train of thought. Indeed, he would be well suited for the task at hand, given his intelligence, but she was not keen on getting him involved again. As Nicole was too engrossed in her thoughts to speak; Jared knew that she was already brainstorming a n. Soon after, the two arrived at a boutique. As they entered the store, the store manager greeted them," You''re Miss Riddle, right? This way please.¡± Nicole instantly knew that Jared had made the arrangements beforehand the moment the store manager addressed her. She shot him nce before following the store manager in to try some clothes on while Jared sat on the couch and waited for Nicole toe out. Not long after, Nicole walked out. Jared, who had heard her footfalls, then raised his head slightly to see her garbed in an elegant dress of limited rarity. It was very different from her engagement dress, making her very sexy and attractive, entuating the hourss figure that she had worked very hard to preserve. The perfect slit on her hips showed her well -proportioned and slender legs, revealing a sultry look. Her beautiful, bare shoulders were even more alluring in this particr piece of garment. Jared was inexplicably bewildered. ¡®How long has it been since she turned 18? She is so curvy and well-proportioned!¡¯ "Mr. Johnston, are you satisfied?" The store manager looked at Jared courteously. It was only then Jared came to his senses, and responded with a dark look on his face. ¡°No, I am not." Chapter 1515 Chapter 1515 Jared had already informed the boutique about Nicole¡¯s measurements. On top of that, he had ordered the most luxurious, elegant dress avable, not knowing that it would be this sexy. Nicole looked at Jared''s gloomy expression, confused as to why that was. "I think this looks pretty good, I''ll just take this one. The material with which this dress is made is pretty decent, though I am not used to showing my shoulders and bare legs. But then again, formal gowns are meant to be like this.¡¯ "Wrap this up,¡± Nicole said to the shop manager. ¡®Things like these are a waste of time,¡¯ she thought. Jared''s face became even darker when he had heard Nicole''s words, and said, "No, get something else that''s not this revealing.¡± As soon as those words exited his mouth, Nicole instantly knew what Jared was thinking about. Understanding what he had meant as well, the manager immediately said, "I''ll get something else right away!" The store manager then hurried away to get other clothes, while Nicole looked at Jared and smiled. "Was that necessary, Mr. Johnston? Don''t all formal dresses look like this?" Nicole teased. ¡®All of the young princesses would find various ways to show their bodies. This dress was designed perfectly, but I didn''t expect that Jared would also be fond of such a design, '' she thought. "No one is allowed to look at my woman like this.¡± Jared said, his eyes brimming with seriousness. At that instant, all of Nicole¡¯s doubts dissipated. ''He...really cares about me.¡¯ This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org. Soon, the store manager brought two more gowns over. One of the two dresses was made ofce, which was a little revealing but spared her the trouble of having bare shoulders and thighs nheless. However, it was still unable to hide Nicole''s curves, which on another note gave Nicole an additional ir of beauty. At this sight, Jared felt a little more rxed that he was about a minute ago. "Is this alright?¡± Nicole raised her eyebrows and asked. "Yeah, pick this one.¡± Jared said, his expression bing less tense. In response, the store manager breathed a huge sigh of relief, for the duo were the greatest clients that their store had ever gotten, and thus, she could not afford to offend them. "Okay, please wait here while I go wrap it up." The store manager proceeded to help Nicole out of her clothes respectfully before ironing it and wrapping it up. The two of them walked out of the boutique, whereupon Nicole began to feel a little thirsty. She looked around and saw a coffee shop across the street. "There''s a coffee shop here too. Not bad," Nicole smiled, as she saw that the sign of the coffee shop, as well as their tables and chairs were noticeably new. She guessed that the coffee shop had opened for business not long ago. Noticing that there was a lot of time left, she decided that she would head into the coffee shop for a drink. "Let''s go get a cup of coffee.¡± "Is the coffee here as good as the coffee I make?" Jared asked. Sensing hints of jealousy from Jared, she held his arm yfully. ¡°Alright, alright. The coffee you brew is the best, but since I won''t be able to drink yours today, we''ll have to make do with his.¡± Nicole then noticed that she had sessfully coaxed him as she saw the corners of Jared''s mouth lifting. ¡®This girl is such a sweet talker,¡¯ Jared thought, unable to resist the urge to pamper her. The two of them entered the coffee shop, with the barista standing next to the coffee machine grinding coffee beans as he watched Jared walk in. Then, he immediately greeted them, for this was an upscale commercial street and he had already noticed Jared entering the boutique across the street earlier. Having never expected that Jared woulde over to have a taste of their coffee in their establishment in person, the barista thought, ¡®What a great honor this is! "Wee, pleasee right in!" Nicole was amazed to see that the barista was being very enthusiastic to serve them, but upon noticing that he was staring at Jared, she guessed that they must''ve recognized him. ¡°Two cups oftte," Nicole responded with a smile. "Okay, okay! Please have a seat, I''ll have it ready right away!¡± The barista returned to the coffee machine again before he proceeded to prepare the mix carefully. Nicole then observed the barista¡¯s nervous antics.She could not help but say, "Jared, it seems that you often frequent this area, as people were able to recognize you right off the bat." Chapter 1516 Chapter 1516 Jared was not bothered by it at all as he replied, "You should know about me as long as you''re in San Joto." Although those words betrayed his arrogance, Nicole knew that he was just speaking the truth. Jared did notment any further, as the supervisor quickly brought two cups of coffee in and served it to Jared and Nicole. Nicole gently lifted the mug while Jared nced at thette art and thought, ''Even though the coffee here is not as good as mine, the techniques they employ in crafting coffee art is just something else. As Jared was thinking, he took a sip. The supervisor went on to look at Jared, who was taking sips of his coffee while going through some documents. "Sir, how is the coffee? If there is any issue, I''m ready to assist you." He was afraid that he had not served Jared well. "It''s fine. The coffee is fine." Jared took another sip without looking up. "Really?" The supervisor stared at Jared. , For someone like Jared who must have had all sorts of coffee, his act of saying that the coffee was "fine" meant a great deal to them. The supervisor proceeded to thank him happily. "Thank you for yourpliment." It was then that the door to the caf¨¦ opened.Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. Seeing that, the supervisor gave Jared an apologetic smile, and went off to greet his other customer. Meanwhile, Nicole was sipping her coffee while ncing at the entrance. There were not many people on the street. In fact, they were the only customers at the caf¨¦ at that time, and so, upon spotting the group and their sudden appearance, Nicole could not help but steal a few nces at those customers once again. From her periphery, she saw a tall man with a t cap entering the premises. As suspicious as he was, he was not looking at them at all. Instead, his head was bowed, as he found a ce to sit and signaled to the supervisor, "I''d like a cup of cappino." It was the very first time that the supervisor had encountered a person of such icy disposition. His smile was stiff. "Coming right up." He left and hurried off to the kitchen. Soonter, a server came out and served the man the cup of cappino he had requested. Nicole took two more sips of her coffee and noticed that the man had never lifted his head. It seemed to her that man was looking at the menu. However, it was also then that she noticed there was a barely noticeable callus between his thumb and index finger. Jared had also noticed that man. He narrowed his eyes a little and proceeded to size the man up. ¡°Why? Is something wrong?" he asked. Nicole felt his gaze. She lifted her head and stared at Jared, signaling him to keep quiet and observe. Jared suddenly burst outughing. ''Oh, thisdy¡¯. As strange as it was, he might have found something interesting or amusing. After finishing her coffee, Nicole nced at the time and said to Jared, "I''m going to make a call outside. Come to me after you''ve settled the bill.¡± As soon as she had spoken, Nicole left at once. That left Jared feeling helpless. With the fact that Nicole was such a fierce and independent woman, Jared felt that he would not have the chance to be protective of her. All Jared could do was nod back at her. Then, he turned around and strode off to the payment counter. Seeing that Nicole had left, the man in the t cap left some cash on the table, got up, and left. When Jared noticed that the man was following Nicole, his face darkened. "Sir, is everything fine?" The supervisor looked at Jared cautiously. ¡®He seemed fine just now, why does he look so angry now? Did I do something wrong?" "Is there a problem?" Jared nced at him coldly. "N-none at all!" The supervisor fumbled, as he was startled. " Goodbye!" ¡®A person of such status. It''s best for you to leave!¡¯ he thought. Jared did not bother about the supervisor, as he turned around and walked out of the caf¨¦ at once. The supervisor was left standing there as he broke into cold sweat. That scared him. It really did. Indeed, Jared really did live up to the name of being the scion of the Johnston family. His presence was intimidating. Chapter 1517 Chapter 1517 After Nicole had stepped out of the cafe, she veered into an alley beside it as she pretended as if she was on the phone. As expected, the man who had walked out of the cafe followed her with a handkerchief in hand; he wanted to drug her. In a sh, just as the man was less than a foot behind her, Nicole lifted her elbow and struck him in the bridge of his nose. In an instant, great pain filled his nose while tears and blood cascaded down his face. "AHH!" The t-capped man squealed. Nicole turned around and punched him in the stomach. The man immediately knelt over on the ground. Seeing that the man was incapable of fighting back, Nicole immediately took his t cap off. Nicole did not recognize him at all, so she knew that someone must have hired him. She grabbed the man''s hair and progressively tightened her grip, causing him to grimace in pain, ¡°Let go! Please let go of me!¡± The man began to beg for mercy as he knew that he had gotten into hot soup. ¡°Let go of you? Sure. Tell me, who hired you?¡± she demanded. ¡®The balls on this person to send one man at me. He had underestimated me, and if I must hazard a guess, he must not be here for the crest,¡¯ she thought. Indeed, Nicole had not offended any gangsters who would be motivated to do such a thing to her. The man could tell that Nicole was not someone he ought to mess with, so he replied quickly, ¡°J-just let go of my hand...and I''ll tell you. It''s just too painfull!¡± After all, the man was only gaining a few thousand dors from this hustle. It would therefore be unwise for him to pick a fight with someone of power over such a small amount. "Spill." Nicole let go of him temporarily and stood up. It was then that Jared appeared at the alley. There, he noticed that Nicole had already taken care of the guy herself. Then, Jared slowly approached her, "You''ve caught him?" ''This little punk! Who is he toy his hands on those I care about? He really does not know where he stands!¡¯ he fumed. "I got him, but it was too easy,¡± she mocked. ¡°There''s no fun in it." Indeed, a punk like him was not worth Nicole¡¯s energy. The man who was kneeling on the ground was shocked.¡¯ Who on earth is thisdy? I gave her two heavy punches and it didn''t even stagger her?¡¯ Those words caused the man to break into a fit of cold sweat as he said, ¡®Miss, I''m just a hired gun working for someone else. I wanted to drug you...and, urn, do something. How could I be med for that? At most, I''d consider youpetition. Please let me go!'' "Cut the crap. Who sent you? Tell me and skedaddle!" Upon hearing that the man wanted to do something to Nicole, Jared''s face became as cold as ice. The man was so afraid that he trembled. He did guess that Jared might be some big shot judging by Jared''s luxurious outfit. The man realized that he ought not to mess with anyone like that and that the entire operation had been a disaster. Gritting his teeth, the man could only reply, ¡°I-it was a man named Flynn. I''ve seen him before. I think he frequents the Fisher Group..." "Fisher Group?" Nicole raised her eyebrows. She could not help but sneer at Jared. "It seems that all of this is your admirer''s work.¡± Jared furrowed his brows. "What does this have to do with me?¡± "Of course, it does. If it weren''t for you, would she have targeted me?" Nicole looked at him and scoffed, her eyes brimming with jealousy. As soon as she thought of the time that Fiore had spent taking care of Jared, Nicole began to feel ufortable. This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org. "Why? Are you seeing green?" Jared looked at Nicole yfully. Chapter 1518 Chapter 1518 Noticing that they were both flirting now, the man kneeling on the ground quickly asked, "C-can I go now?¡± Jared rolled his eyes. "Scram and never appear in front of me again!" Otherwise, Jared would not let him off the hook that easily next time. "Yes. Yes. Yes." The man was so scared that he was crawling on the floor. He then picked his cap up and left. "Fiore really underestimated me. She actually got an idiot to attack me," Nicole sneered. Noticing Nicole''s displeasure, Jared replied, "I''ll make sure that she pays for everything that has happened today." Jared was already engaged to Nicole. He could turn a blind eye whenever Fiore attempted the asional flirt. However, the moment she ordered an assault on Nicole out of malice, Jared decided that he would not let this slide. Noticing that Jared was being serious, she stopped teasing him, "The Fisher family will being tonight, right?¡± Perhaps, it was high time for Nicole to show Fiore the kind of person she truly was. Previously, Nicole had been so kind to thetter that Fiore had the gumption to think of herself as a rival to Nicole. Tonight, Nicole would shatter all of Fiore¡¯s illusions. "Let''s go. I''m already looking forward to tonight''s dinner." Nicole, who usually despised events that required plenty of socializing, could not contain her smile. However, that very same smiled proceeded to weird Jared out. In the evening, the sun was gradually setting as the crimson hues were cast on the sky. Under the glow of eventide, the Riddle family manor proceeded to open their gates for the dinner event. Therge stretch of turf at the garden was also opened for guests. However, there was still an endless stream of guests at the entrance. The hall was soon to be upied while the garden was crowded as well. In addition, the ten most influential and prestigious families of San Joto had sent their representatives to the event as well. When Mr. Ellison and the Johnston family had arrived, they were greeted with the scene of a massive crowd. "This is the biggest gathering in San Joto within thest thirty years." This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. Although the Ellison family was the second family out of the ten, they were not capable of bringing in representatives from each branch and generation. Moreover, apart from those families from San Joto whose names they could mention, there were also some powerful families abroad, most of whom Jared had never even met them before. All he could do was look at the badge on pinned to their fronts clearly, before finding out who they were. Harvey did not understand why his grandfather had dragged him along to the Riddle family manor. Seeing that there were more familiesing over, Harvey became even more confused. "I did not hear any rumor about the Riddle family. Why are there so many peopleing? Are they all here just for Mr. Riddle Sr.?" In response, Mr. Ellison nced at Harvey and issued a sigh. At that point, Mr. Ellison had not talked informed Harvey about the Reby Family Crest. He knew that Harvey''s heart was set on Nicole, but as he knew that Nicole had already been engaged to Jared, he did not want Harvey to discover her identity and wound up with regrets. Therefore, Mr. Ellison had continued stalling whilst withholding the news from Harvey. Mr. Ellison could only breathe a long sigh, ¡°Soon enough, you''ll find out who these people areing for." On the other hand, Harvey had roughly guessed that Mr. Ellison was hiding something from him, but he was not in the mood to press on. At that moment, his heart was set on Nicole. He had heard that Nicole had returned home, but he had no idea where she had gone off to. He had not seen her at all. "Harvey!" a voice red out at once, surprising him. Harvey turned around and that was when he saw Snow all dressed up as she approached him. Harvey was quite disappointed, but he remained polite nheless. "It has been a while." Throughout the holidays, Harvey had been working for Nicole, and because of this, he did not have anytime to spend with Snow. No matter how many times Snow called or texted, Harvey would ignore her and reject her advances. Indeed, he was not expecting Snow to be so friendly during their next meeting. Chapter 1519 Chapter 1519 "It really has been a long time, but I can understand. I heard you¡¯ve been working for the Riddle Corporation during the holidays. It''s understandable that you''re busy.¡± Snow said, trying really hard to portray Harvey herself as an understanding character. After she had spoken, she turned to Mr. Ellison, having not forgotten about him. ¡°Hello, Mr. Ellison. I haven''t seen you in a while, and yet, here you are, as strong as ever." Mr. Ellison did not have a good impression of Snow, though she was one of the daughters of the Riddle family. Although she is not remotely close to Nicole in terms of her capabilities, her position in the Riddle family should not be overlooked nheless. It would serve him best if he could maintain a good rtionship with the Riddles, and so, Mr. Ellison did not treat Snow coldly. "Yeah, you guys may continue,¡± Mr. Ellison said. "I''ll see your grandfather for a bit. I heard that he fell sick two days ago." Snow was caught off guard upon seeing that Mr. Ellison was treating her politely. ¡®Mr. Ellison actually excused himself so that I could spend more time with Harvey...Does that mean...that Mr. Ellison approves of my rtionship with Harvey?¡¯ she pondered. As soon as she thought of that, Snow got even more excited. Unable to hold back, she moved in closer to Harvey, "Harvey, it seems that you do not have any partner tonight??Do you mind if I..." Usually, Snow''s faux coyness and clinginess were traits she could use to gain herself favors from just about anyone. Unfortunately, Harvey''s eyes were already set on Nicole. "It''s fine. I don''t need a partner. I have some friends there, so would you please excuse me?" As he was speaking, he turned around with a cold expression on his face and walked away. Snow was locked in a smile, but she could only stare nkly at Harvey as he left her and approached the Wyance family, who had just arrived. The Wyance family was ranked as the first family within the political circle. Their presence at the event had thus added a lot of ir to the room. However, Sebastian would soon be promoted to governor within the next few days. As it was a vtile period, he would not be able to attend the event on his own. Thus, Martin had represented him that night. Once Martin entered, a number of people approached him, which was something he could not manage. Coincidentally, he saw Harvey walking towards him, so he immediately seized it as a means of escape. "I''m sorry, my friend is here. I''d like to talk to him for a sec." As soon as he had spoken, the two men met each other. This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org. The instant the crowd saw Martin and Harvey standing together, none of them approached them thereafter. Martin only began speaking to Harvey once everyone else had already left. "Thank God you came. Otherwise, I''m not sure how to deal with those people." "Same," Harvey replied, not wanting to get involved with the other people as well. Yet, Harvey''s eyes would range across the crowds from time to time. "Where is Nicole? Is she at the hall?" ¡°I''m not sure, but she must be at home. After all, she is the star of the show tonight.¡± ¡°The star of the show?" Harvey asked, slightly stunned. ¡± Aren''t these people here for Mr. Riddle Sr.?" Hearing this, Martin instantly picked up on something. "Don''t you know?" Sebastian had already told Martin everything, as he was asked to represent him. He had also instructed Martin to be even more formal to Nicole without disying any signs of impudence." ''But how could Harvey not know?¡¯ Martin thought. "Know about what?" Harvey said, feeling that he was kept in the dark again, much to his chagrin. It was then that the Bradford family arrived, with Edwin spotting Harvey once he had entered the ce. Then, he bade his parents goodbye at once and grouped up with the two other men. "Goodness gracious! It really has been a long while. Harvey, you''re here too!" Harvey saw Edwin. He knew that the Bradford family did not like to attend events. Previously, they would always ask Edwin to attend these events on their behalf. However, Edwin''s parents were also there for the dinner. Chapter 1520 Chapter 1520 "What''s going on? Your parents are also here for the Riddle family dinner?¡± Harvey asked, the strange feeling in his gut growing heavier by the second. At that point, he began wondering what had happened to Nicole. What did she do to draw so many figures of influence here? "Oh, Nicole got involved in a pretty significant matter. Of course, it makes sense that we should be here! It''s not just the Bradford family. Look at the whole ce. All ten of the families are here in full. Even the ones that did not bother to join us had sent their representatives over. I heard that there are stillrge families whose representatives are rushing over now. This time around, the Riddle family must be enjoying the prestige.¡± Edwin mused as he scanned the surroundings. This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. Quietly, he was thinking, ¡®Luckily, I got to know Nicole before this. We are now considered as friends. I would be able to share in her prestige as well.¡¯ "What happened to Nicole?" Harvey queried, feeling a lot more ufortable about it as Edwin did know about it too. However, it was a long story, which had begun with the legends shared between all of the ancient families long ago. For someone like Edwin, who was not particrly good at expressing himself, he did not know where to begin. "You don''t know about it? In that case, just wait for the dinner to begin. Soon, you''ll understand why these people are here for Nicole." Hearing that the crowd was here for Nicole, a dull feeling began to set in for Harvey. ¡®Previously, when Nicole left the country in a hurry. I''ve already felt that something strange was going on. And now, we have so many powerful families gathering here in packs. What on earth is going on?¡¯ he wondered. At that moment, the Finley family arrived as well. The two brothers, Gary and Ryder, apanied their parents and strolled into the garden. They were all stunned when they saw the crowd. Ryder''s face darkened, and he asked Gary, "Didn''t you join the Math Olympiad with Nicole before this? How is your rtionship with her?" Gary shot his brother a nce. "Why are you asking me such questions too?¡± "Someone else has also asked you this?¡± Ryder asked, feeling a little embarrassed, Gary looked at his parents, who were already socializing with the people around them. "Mum and dad, they''ve been asking me about it since two days back. What happened? Why are there so many powerful families here visiting the Riddle family? What does this have to do with Nicole?" Aside from helping his brother with the management of thepany, the only other thing that was bothering Gary was Nicole. It was a pity that he had never gotten a good reason to contact her. However, he had still not managed to contain his urge of wanting to meet her in person. Such was why he had shown up at the dinner event. Even if she was engaged, he still could not help but think about her. Yet, there was something strange about Ryder and his parents. Ryder knew all too well that Gary had been suffering bouts of depression as of recent, and was in a bad mood. Therefore, Ryder had not informed Gary of anything pertaining to the family. "Never mind, it''s nothing. Judging by your reaction, I guess you have a neutral rtionship with her." Ryder''s words pierced Gary like an invisible stake through the heart at once. "You..." Just as Gary was about to make a scene, Ryder saw his ssmate and quickly stopped him in his tracks. ¡°There''s a prettydy I need to meet. I''ll excuse myself." Gary could only contain the sadness within. He walked to the wine table in forlorn fashion, grabbed a ss of wine, and began to drink. It was then that Nicole, who had just walked out of the house, saw Gary. She was incredibly surprised to see him, so she quickly approached him. However, Gary was not in the mood to talk to her. "Go away." Although Nicole seemed to be embarrassed, she still walked over and pestered him, being her usual annoying self. But for Karen, she felt at ease seeing her two daughters hanging out with their sweethearts. Unable to hold it in any longer, she turned around and asked her husband, ¡°Dear, what is going on? The family suddenly decided to host a dinner and those who are present are all figures of prestige. It seems rather strange, given the fact that they had never wanted to be here, even when they were invited. Some of these people are strangers to us, but judging from their outfits, they seem to be members of certain powerful families too. What is going on?" Dillon drank a sip of wine as he sized them up as well. "I''m not sure what is going on either, but I took a look at the list of gifts moments ago. Most of them were addressed to Nicole..." "What? Nicole?¡± she asked. Chapter 1521 Chapter 1521 Karen was shocked. "How is that possible? That silly woman has just been back for a few days? She did not even receive this many gifts when she got engaged to Jared. Why are so many people sending stuff over to her when it''s just a dinner organized by the family?¡± "Who am I supposed to ask these questions to!?¡± Dillon fumed, annoyed by Karen''s endless barrage of queries. "Who to ask? Ask Damien about it! I''m sure he knows more about it than us!" Karen urged. Hearing this, Dillon had no choice but to look for Damien and ask him about it. Unfortunately, Damien was only tasked to wee the guests at the entrance. He knew nothing about the situation either. Initially, he was happy to see all of thosevish gifts, but upon finding out who the receiver was, he became frightened. Usually, whenever there were guests at their house, most of the gifts would be addressed to Mr. Riddle Sr. whereas the rest would be his. During this particr night, however, things were particrly strange. Most of the gifts were for Nicole while the rest were for Mr. Riddle Sr., with no mentions of his name at all. Furthermore, there were quite a number of powerful families from the other cities present as well. Dillon did not know them personally, but they were so well-known that Dillon could not summon the guts to approach them. All of the gifts they had presented consisted of precious and rare items. The prices were also astronomical. "What is going on, honey?¡± Miley asked, her fading smile growing stiffer by the second. This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org. Miley was brimming with jealousy as soon as she saw the exuberant gifts addressed to Nicole. ¡®Are these people stupid? They came all the way here to deliver gifts to Nicole? How is she deserving of all these, unless she has been riding on Jared''s coattail to make herself known to the people in his circle? Or did something eventful happen to the Johnston family, and because of that, it gave us so much attention?¡¯ "I''m not sure either, but I''m guessing it has something to do with what dad had said to Nicole," ¡®Dad was whispering to Nicole the other day. Everyone''s standing in the family might shift soon!" Miley noticed that Dillon''s expression was getting darker. At that moment, Dillon came over and asked, "What about dad? He had not exined anything to us, and yet he expects us to entertain the guests. A lot of people are asking me about Nicole, and I don''t know what to say!¡± Deep down, he had nothing but disdain for Nicole, but whenever someone would ask him about her, he would heap praises upon her name as though his lips were coated with honey. ¡°I''m not sure. Dad just asked us to wait for more guests to arrive. The dinner will begin in an hour," Miley said. With that said, if they wanted the truth, they would have to wait until then. It seemed that most of the Riddles, along with Dexter''s family were remarkably busy. The young and old were so busy entertaining the guests that they had no time to look for Mr. Riddle Sr. It was then that Stanley, Steve, and Sean alongside Spencer and Samuel arrived. They had obeyed Daniel and Gloria''s instructions and returned early, but in the garden, they only found Damien, Dexter and Dillon''s family getting busy. The boys felt a little ufortable at that sight. ¡°Where is mum, dad and Nicole?" Steve asked. "I don''t know.¡± Samuel shrugged. While the five of them were scratching their heads, they saw Daniel and Gloria walking out. Then, someone from the crowd said, ¡°I think they are Nicole''s parents." But that simplement made the whole crowd silent at an instant. All eyes were on Daniel and Gloria. Sensing that things would soon take a strange turn, the five brothers hurried up to their parents¡¯ side. "Mum, dad, why are there so many people at our house?" Sean nced at the crowd and asked in a soft voice. "Yeah, where''s Nicole?" The garden was filled with people, but Nicole was nowhere to be seen. Unfortunately, Daniel and Gloria did not have an answer to their question either. It was then that the crowd waiting outside realized what was going on. A blonde-haired couple then approached them slowly. Chapter 1522 Chapter 1522 "Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Riddle,¡± the man said to Daniel and Gloria politely. At that moment, someone in the crowd recognized the married couple. "Aren''t they... from the royal family of Yamenia?!" "Seriously?! They''ve been around for over a thousand years! I can''t believe they came to the banquet too!¡± another in the crowdmented. "Tell me about it..." the third said. In a strange turn of events, even the royal family from Yamenia was there, and they were greeting Daniel and Gloria too. Naturally, with them in sight, no one bothered about Damien and his wife anymore. For a second there, Daniel and Gloria were stumped. ¡°Hello there, you are..." Sean was well-travelled, so he was very familiar with Yamenia. "Dad, this is the future king of Yamenia, Prince Andrew, and his wife, the princess." "Prince?" "The princess?" Spencer and Samuel eximed in shock. Sean red at them, shutting them up at once. However, he was secretly in awe as well. ''Wow, what kind of fortune are we blessed with? How did we get the prince and princess of Yamenia to visit us?! This has got to be the most glorious day for the family in centuries!¡¯ Meanwhile, both Damien and Dillion were too in shock to utter a word. ¡¯So, that was why this couple have been acting smug and keeping to themselves for the entire time. They were royals!¡¯ When they entered, they did not even bat an eye at Damien. Such was why they could not fathom why the royals would be so polite to Daniel and Gloria. Dillion''s eyes were already burning with jealousy when he figured that the presents were for Nicole, but with the most recent development in y, he was livid. ¡®What''s going on? Why is that stupid kid Nicole so valued by them? Even her parents get to be respected too!¡¯ he fumed. "What? Why didn''t the prince and princess talk to you? Why are they associating themselves with Daniel and Gloria?" Miley asked, upset and resentful as she felt that their status in the family was diminishing in importance with each passing day. "Shut up! We''ll see how this goes!" Damien said, finding the situation incredibly grim for himself and proceeded to hold his tongue. It was at that moment that Daniel reached out, wanting to shake the prince''s hand. This stunned the prince for a moment. Sean was shocked as well. ''That''s the prince of Yamenia! Not everyone gets to shake his hand!¡¯ But the prince only paused for a second before extending his hand to shake Daniel''s in a gesture of reciprocation. Seeing this, everyone''s eyes widened in shock. ¡®Gosh, what an honor! Daniel is actually shaking hands with the prince of Yamenia! Doesn''t this mean that the Riddle family is going to have more power?" Daniel did not find anything unusual and responded with a gentle smile instead. "Thanks for traveling so far toe here. Since you''ve been outside for so long, why don¡¯t we head inside? I''ll introduce you to my father." In response, the prince and princess of Yamenia exchanged looks before saying, "But we''d like to meet Miss Nicole first.¡± When the crowd heard Nicole''s name, everyone gasped. Everyone present was there to meet Nicole in person. Unfortunately, many of them did not know her on a personal level. Only those who had attended the Riddle family''s banquet and the Johnston''s engagement banquet actually knew her. Now, the individuals of great prestige and influence had shown up for Nicole, rather than Mr. Riddle Sr. Snow and Raine''s eyes were burning with jealousy. They did not wish to talk to Chloe, who had made herself present at the banquet despite having been kicked out of the house. However, seeing what was unfolding before them, they had no choice but to ask her, "What''s going on? They''re royals, so why are they here to see Nicole?"This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. Chapter 1523 Chapter 1523 Chloe rolled her eyes at them. "How would I know?¡± She did not know much about Nicole. All she ever cared about was making her leave Jared, but now that she thought about it, she realized that Nicole was not to be underestimated. After all, Lloyd had called her Soy at his family¡¯s banquetst time. Chloe had done some research and discovered that Soy was the code name of one of the most important figures in Interpol. To Chloe, however, Nicole was just a high school student. Even if she had joined Interpol, hit the jackpot, and gotten herself the code name, Soy, Chloe had still refused to believe that Nicole was of any good. Still, the scene today had left her stunned. In a twist, Mr. Riddle Sr. had organized a banquet at the veryst minute for Nicole, and yet many people had showed up. In addition, her mother had informed her that a great number of the presents were for Nicole, and that Chloe herself could only look at them. Hence, that had made her livid. On the other hand, Daniel and Gloria were shocked. Though they felt that Nicole''s identity had changed, they did not expect that a prince would pay her a personal visit. They looked at each other before responding, "My daughter is upstairs. She''ll being down when the banquet starts, Your Highness." They could not wait to bring Nicole down to meet a figure of such status. However, Mr. Riddle Sr. had explicitly ordered that Nicole could not make her way downstairs before the time came. Therefore, the couple could just offer that as a reply. The crowd thought that the prince was going to be furious upon hearing Daniel and Gloria''s reply. Instead, the prince gave them a humble smile in response." Sure. In that case, let''s head inside and wait for her." The princess nodded. "Yes, prince.¡± Seeing this, Daniel and Gloria were both shocked and relieved to see the prince being so calm. Then, they quickly said, "I''ll lead you in, Your Highness.¡± ¡°Thanks,¡± the prince uttered, being really polite to Daniel as well. After having witnessed this scene, nobody in the crowd would dare to look upon Daniel with disdain anymore. ording to the rumors, Daniel was the ineptest son among his brothers. His five sons were decent, but they had been living under the shadows of their three uncles nheless. Now, the public was starting to realize that they were all geniuses. Now, Nicole had single-handedly gotten everyone to take Daniel and Gloria seriously. Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. Meanwhile, Stanley watched as his parents invited the royals in.He could not help but pull Steve aside. ¡°What''s going on, Steve?" Steve looked at Sean and said, "You should ask Sean instead...¡± No one had expected this to happen. They could not wrap their head around the fact that Gloria and Sean had be so honored, that even the royal family went up to them to greet them in person. And once the prince and princess had left, the crowd shifted their gaze to the five brothers. Some of them anchored themselves back to reality and asked, "Are you all Nicole''s brothers?" Steve looked at Sean and smiled. "That''s right. I''m Steve, Nicole''s eldest brother.¡± ¡°I''m her second brother, Sean,¡± Sean said. Steve and Sean introduced themselves and nced at each other for a while. Both of them were aware now, that on that day, their parents were not the only ones whose status had be known; the brothers had also became relevant in the eyes of the most influential members of society...and that they owed all of this to Nicole. "Huh? Even we are getting the attention now?" Samuel, who was still in shock, asked Spencer. In response, Spencer replied, "I have no idea, but who cares? It''s good that mom and dad are getting valued, is it not? Let''s just keep the guests entertained for now.¡± Chapter 1524 Chapter 1524 "Spencer is right.¡± Stanley nodded. "Come on, let''s go. There are still guests at the entrance.¡± He then brought two of his brothers to the entrance. Damien stood before them. He was ushering the guests in initially, but it was then that the people who had seen everything that happened earlier went on to greet the brothers,pletely ignoring him. None of them cared that Damien was the eldest son of the Riddle family. It was bad enough that Daniel had dwarfed them in status and prestige, but now that Daniel''s sons were more considered more significant than him, the crushing embarrassment began to gnaw at Damien and his wife from the inside out. Dillion and his wife were even more ashamed. The people who were talking to them had all gone off to talk to Sean and Steve instead, leaving them with nobody around them. This only served to leave Dillion feeling even more humiliated! "I''m going to look for dad! I need to know what''s going on!¡± Dillion fumed, certain that Mr. Riddle Sr. had provided Daniel something of great benefit. But it was then that amotion was heard at the door. "Mr. Johnston Sr. is here!" Even if Dillion had wanted to leave, he could not do so upon hearing that Mr. Johnston Sr. was present. As such, he could only stifle his anger and walk up to him with Damien at his side. "You''re here, Mr. Johnston Sr," Damien said, trying to greet Mr. Johnston Sr. Dillion followed suit. "This way please, Mr. Johnston Sr." After looking at them, Mr. Johnston Sr. nced over at Stanley. Seeing this, Stanley quickly walked up to him and said," Good day, Mr. Johnston Sr. My grandpa is at the living room. Let me help you in." "Sure." Mr. Johnston Sr. smiled and extended his arm, allowing Stanley to help him in. Damien and Dillion were embarrassed to the bone. They exchanged looks as they felt extremely annoyed. Meanwhile, Stanley proceeded to walk Mr. Johnston Sr. into the house. Sean and Samuel''s jaws were almost floored by the scene before them. Previously, Damien and Dillion would always prance around with an air of superiority and smugness around them. But as the saying goes, ¡°what goes aroundes around," and that was what they were experiencing at this very moment! ¡®This feels awesome!¡¯ Sean thought. "Hmph!" Damien grunted, unable to tolerate this any longer, and turned back before heading into the house. Damien was utterly humiliated, so he could only return to the house with his wife. This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. They did not wish to embarrass themselves there any further, so they had decided to hide themselves somewhere. ¡®We''ll figure something out after we find out what''s going on!¡¯ Chloe was upset when she saw her parents leaving in embarrassment, so she proceeded to approach them, wanting to argue with them. However, Everett stopped her with a grab to the hand. "Don''t go, Chloe.¡± Chloe flung Everett''s hand aside. "Piss off! You useless wretch. You''re afraid to defend mom and dad, but I''m not!" Everett''s eyes became as cold as ice. "Go on. I guarantee dad and mom will only be subjected to more embarrassment if you cause a scene.¡± As it was the first time that Chloe had seen such an expression from Everett, she asked, "What do you mean?" Everett looked at her with a stern look on his face and said,¡± You''ll know when the banquet starts. I hope you don''t embarrass our parents any further. Otherwise, grandpa will do something even worse than kicking you out of the house...¡± Chloe was shocked to see Everett threatening her, "Are you threatening me?¡± Everett did not bother to look at her. Though her parents viewed Chloe as their perfect princess, Chloe was nothing but an idiot to Everett. "Whatever." Everett said, not wanting to waste any more time on Chloe. As expected, no one really paid attention to her, while Everett continued to help in ushering the guests in with a perfect smile. Chapter 1525 Chapter 1525 Though Chloe was upset, she figured that there was truth in what Everett had said, and so, she just rolled with the punches. As time passed, most of the families had already arrived, with the banquet being about to start when the Holder family suddenly arrived. Nachelle, who had turned up with the movie star, Lloyd, began to garner quite a lot of attention. "Oh my God, Lloyd is here!¡± "It''s the A-lister, Lloyd Holder!" Chloe immediately looked over when she heard themotion. She was nothing but ackey in the entertainment industry because of what Nachelle and Lloyd had done. When Mr. Riddle Sr. kicked her out years ago, the Riddle family had no time to take care of her, so she could only live her sad life abroad. She was gritting her teeth as soon as she remembered how they had stood against her. Still, her parents had tried their best to hash a n that would allow hereback. She knew that there were many rich people around today, and as her grandfather was too busy to deal with her, she wanted to go around and build connections on her own. Hence, she was shocked that she would meet the Holder family today. Though she was upset, she could only hide behind other people. The Holder family had also been around for a long time, but they had been keeping a low profile of their lives. No one knew what the family was doing, but everyone from the family livedvishly. When Lloyd became a celebrity, their family established a mediapany just to manage him, and that was when the public became even more aware of the Holder family. But some of them guessed that the Holder family was a family filled withplexities. Otherwise, they would not be San Joto''s top ten families, even at a time when they were living humbly. It was just that no one knew what business the Holder family was running in order to keep them going. As for Lloyd, he had been looking for someone ever since he arrived, but to no avail. Ever since he found out that Nicole was the girl for him, he had been looking for a chance to meet her, but as usual, she was always with Jared. He had invited her out privately too, but her brothers would always be in the way. He felt that most of his messages would be stopped before they could even reach her. Upon seeing that Lloyd was crestfallen, she arranged for him to act in a movie abroad, as he could not find a female lead whom he was happy with. However, the moment Lloyd had returned, Nicole got engaged to Jared. As such, the Holder family had decided to keep the news from Lloyd, ever since, for they were worried that he might get hurt. Still, he could not find Nicole no matter what he did after his return. Therefore, the instant he heard that Nicole was back, he nned to pay her a visit. However, his grandfather had gotten him to join the Riddle family¡¯s banquet before he could even ask. N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. He did not know what was happening, but he agreed to it anyway, as he just wanted to meet Nicole. Though he could not find her, he was in luck, for it was then that he saw Samuel and Spencer. "Hello, where¡¯s...Nicole?¡± he asked. The people in the crowd who were not aware were confused when they heard that Lloyd was there to see Nicole. But the ones who knew did not find it surprising. After all, 80% - 90% of the people there had actuallye to see Nicole. When Samuel and Spencer saw him, their expression turned cold. ¡®Why is it that this guy has a knack for pestering Nicole whenever he sees her? He even tried multiple ways to meet her, even after Sean and Steve stopped him and said that Nicole didn''t want to be in contact with him.¡¯ For this reason, Samuel and Spencer wanted to avoid him as well. But as they had to wee all of the guests that day, it was impossible for them to kick him out. Spencer said tly, "Take a seat there. Nicole wille out when the banquet starts." If this had happened in the past, Nachelle would never allow Spencer and Samuel to talk to her son like that, but with Nicole''s new identity in ce, the Riddle family had be a powerful family. Therefore, she could only tolerate the scorn and pat Lloyd in the shoulder. "Let''s head inside." Chapter 1526 Chapter 1526 Lloyd nodded as he did not find anything odd. "Sure." He then hurried into the Riddle family''s mansion. Samuel could not help but look at Spencer. "Is it okay to let him in?¡± He shrugged. "What can I do? This is a banquet, so I can''t kick him out now, can I?" Besides, their grandfather would never allow them to do such a thing. ¡°But he won''t annoy Nicole, right?¡± Samuel asked. When Nicole got engaged, the Holder family had only sent a younger member of the family as their representative to the party. None of them came, as though they were afraid that it would hurt Lloyd. However, the truth would soon be revealed, as Lloyd had showed up today. "Don''t worry, I believe Nicole will know what to do.¡± Spencer replied, confident in Nicole. "You''re right." Samuel nodded and continued ushering the guests in. At that moment, Mr. and Mrs. Fisher arrived at the scene. Initially, they had nned to visit in a discreet manner, but they had received an invitation to attend the banquet before they could do so, thus rendering them unable to do so. Mr. Fisher was hispany''s CEO, so he had to be there. N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. Besides, Mr. Riddle Sr. had personally invited the three of them here. Fiore had no other choice but to tag along. She was teasing her grandfather for making a mountain out of a molehill, but the moment she arrived at the banquet, she was leftpletely baffled. "What''s up with the Riddle family?¡± she asked. There were so many guests, and many of them were people whom she could not invite no matter how hard she tried. There were local and international socialites, and they had all sent the head of the family and the heirs to attend this ad- hoc banquet. ¡®Only a few hours had passed since the Riddle family had sent out the invitation, so most of them must have boarded a private ne to make their way here!¡¯ she thought. ¡®What is going on with the Riddle family? Did they really have a stroke of luck? Why would this many individuals of great significance attend their banquet? These people would not care about the millions of dors of bonuses, so what made the Riddle family so important to the extent that these people woulde all the way to pay them a visit?¡¯ Mrs. Fisher was shocked as well. "Dear, what happened...?" It was the first time Mr. Fisher had seen something like that, so he became nervous and got tongue-tied for a second there. "Let''s just talk inside.¡± Mrs. Fisher then dragged the stupefied Fiore into the living room of the Riddle family manor. The yard was crowded with guests and there were several elderly members of the centennial families gathered in the living room. On top of that, Fiore even spotted the royal family of Yamenia, who were sitting on the couch, having a polite conversation with Mr. Riddle Sr. There were many people from abroad with a trantor earpiece in their ears, so there would not be problems pertaining tomunication. ¡®The Riddle family must''ve spent a fortune on this banquet,¡¯ she thought. When Stanley saw the Fishers, he immediately invited them over to take a seat. The Fishers were more powerful than the Riddles. After all, they were among the top five families in San Joto, and as such, they must get a seat. However, with the sheer number of significant figures around, the Fishers seemed to be mediocre at best. They could not even sit next to Mr. Riddle Sr. and could only look at him from afar. Chapter 1527 Chapter 1527 At the corner of the banquet was an orchestral band that was performing a symphony. The entire ce was as extravagant as it could be, so much so that even the Fisher family would not have money to spend like this. Indeed, the Riddle family had really spent a fortune on this. Mr. Fisher, who had be slightly nervous, immediately got himself a ss of wine when a server passed by. Mrs. Fisher could not help but ask, "This banquet is a little too loud. Did the Riddles hit the jackpot? Why are so many socialites in his house all of a sudden?" N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material. It was then that Mr. Fisher finally said, "Not only did they get crazy rich, but they will also have control over the entire field of business..." Both Fiore and Mrs. Fisher were left with their jaws hanging. "What do you mean?" Fiore asked. ¡®Is he joking? We''re over even constitutional monarchies in this day and age, so what family would hold such power?¡¯ Mr. Fisher did not know how to exin to the young Fiore. And just when he was about to exin it to her in a low voice, Mr. Riddle Sr. suddenly stood up and eximed to the crowd, "Ladies and gentlemen, thank you foring all the way here to attend my banquet. It''s an honor to see all of you while I''m still alive, and I have no one else to thank, but my granddaughter Nicole." Fiore nearly jumped out of her skin when she heard Mr. Riddle Sr. ¡®Is this for real?¡¯ she wondered. ¡®Is everyone here just to see Nicole? Hell, is Mr. Riddle Sr. experiencing all of this grandeur solely because of Nicole? No... It can''t be.¡¯ Nicole was a mere student, and the spotlight was only shone on her because she was dating Jared. What power did she even possess to get those magnates to ce her on a pedestal? While she was still in shock, Mr. Riddle Sr. continued, ¡°It''s about time now, and I know everyone is here to see my granddaughter in person. As such, I won''t waste your time anymore. I hereby announce that the banquet of the Holy Union begins!¡± Music began to y immediately after Mr. Riddle Sr. had spoken. At that moment, Nicole appeared at the top of the stairs of the second floor as she descended the flight slowly. Her skin was plump, and her face as graceful as that of a swan. As soon as she had made an appearance, everyone''s eyes were on her. They were all in awe of her beauty and her stunning figure, as Nicole was breathtaking to behold. She was even so much prettier than Fiore herself, and the worse thing for thetter was that she was holding Jared''s arm. Indeed, the only person whom Fiore thought was deserving of her was holding Nicole in the arm. Seeing this, Fiore became very livid and upset. She was also mad at the person who said that he was going to deal with Nicole on that day. ¡®What''s the deal with all of this?! Why didn''t he destroy her innocence and teach her a lesson?! Hell, why is Nicole still getting all the spotlight with the crowd being in awe of her now?! I''m so pissed!¡¯ Nicole took her time to descend the flight of stairs as Jared supported her like a gentleman. He was worried that she might fall. Meanwhile, Nicole was feeling truly ufortable. She was not a princess, and she was not an A-list celebrity either. There, she wondered if they really had to do this. Her appearance had also made the guests who were outside rush in. Chapter 1528 Chapter 1528 Harvey and Martin were so surprised that they were rendered speechless after seeing how gorgeous Nicole looked. In addition, Gary was stunned too. Even though the five brothers of the Riddle family had seen how beautiful Nicole could look during the engagement party many moons ago, they were still in amazement because the dress she was wearing looked a lot more elegant aspared to thest one she had worn. ¡®Our sister looked out of this world!1 they thought. Lloyd was staggered by her beauty too. He could not help but take two steps forward when Nicole came down. He would already be in Nicole''s face by now if Nachelle had not stopped him. Nachelle only did that because he knew that Nicole was not someone that they could mess with. As all of this went on, Nicole and Jared were already standing in front of the crowd at this time. The prince of Yamenia looked at Nicole before shifting his gaze to Jared, whom he had met before. Then, with a smile on his face, he said to Jared, ¡°Hello, Mr. Johnston, we meet again." Jared offered a faint smile in response. He would send some coffee beans to Prince Andrew every year, and therefore, he was rather familiar with the prince himself, even though they had only met a couple of times. "Prince Andrew, I didn''t expect that you''d travel so far to attend my fiancee''s party. I''m sorry for not weing you properly.¡± Prince Andrew could not help but look at the princess after knowing that Nicole was actually Jared''s fiancee. Then, with a smile, he said, "Mr. Johnston, you''re a lucky man. I didn''t know that your fiancee is the latest possessor of the Fire Crest. I would''ve done everything I could to attend your engagement party if I knew about this earlier." Jared had sent them an invitation to his engagement party without expecting them to show up because they were not that close anyway. It was already very kind of Prince Andrew to send him gifts and congratte him online. However, Jared also knew that Prince Andrew regretted very much for not attending the engagement party. Had the prince attended the party, he would have known Nicole earlier. "It''s fine. I''m already very d that you can be here today.¡± Jared smiled and responded courteously. Nicole was relieved after seeing how Jared handled Prince Andrew as she was never the best at socializing. "You''re right. It''s my honor to be here.¡± Prince Andrew smiled before turning to the princess. The princess immediately got his message and opened a present. "The king had requested us to give you something before we came, Miss Riddle. You''ve got to ept it.¡± N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. The crowd could not help but look at the box to find out what it was after they had heard what she had said. That box slowly rose, and a sparkling gem appeared, glinting under the light around them. Everybody could tell that the gem was among the best in the world after they had beheld its color. Indeed, a gem like this would only appear on the crown of the king of Yamenia. Nicole did not expect that the king of Yamenia would gift her something like this. It was very clear what the king was trying to do, and his actions appeared to be even a little crude. Mr. Riddle Sr.''s legs became weak after he had seen the gem, and he would have fallen off had Daniel not held him up in time. Mr. Riddle Sr. looked at Daniel, who then proceeded to wipe his sweat off. Meanwhile, Daniel was still in utter shock, even though his father was able to maintain his bnce. He had never seen anything like this in his life. ¡®What did my daughter do that even the royal family of Yamenia is so respectful to her?¡¯ he thought. Everybody else there was taken aback by everything that had happened too. Some of the families that attended the party did not seem to take their ancestors very seriously, but after seeing what the royal family of Yamenia did, they could not help but be respectful too. The Holders, in particr, hade over to observe the reactions of the other families, but they were not expecting to see this happen at all. It seemed that, even though they did not wish to do the same, they were not powerful enough to resist the might of so many historical families. Therefore, they stepped forward, and through gritted teeth, they said, "We prepared a gift for you too, Miss Riddle. Please have a look." Chapter 1529 Chapter 1529 Jared was surprised to see the Holdersing forward, but he did not show his displeasure openly. The item that Nachelle had gifted them was actually a ssical painting that bore a history of more than a thousand years. As expected, it was a priceless work of art. Lloyd was appalled by the gesture. ¡®What''s wrong with mom? Why would she give Nicole such an expensive gift?¡¯ Furthermore, if he remembered correctly, that particr painting was his grandfather''s favorite. It was only then that Lloyd realized that something was not right. ''So many members from the Riddle family are here today, and all of them are dressed in the most decadent garments. What''s going on?¡¯ Nicole looked at Nachelle, and was about to decline the gift when he took the painting with a smile, as he knew what Nachelle was thinking. "I''ll ept this gift on behalf of Nicole. Young people like her don''t know howto appreciate works of art like this.¡± Nicole knew that her grandfather did not wish to offend anybody who was present today. She also understood that the Riddle family would be very powerful if all of them could be on their side in the future. Thus, she did not stop Mr. Riddle Sr. from doing what he did. Regardless of what would happen after the crest had been decrypted and severed from her name, there was little point in making any enemies. For that reason alone, she allowed Mr. Riddle Sr. to take that painting. Besides, Mr. Riddle Sr. also looked as though he loved that painting very much. "Thank you, Mrs. Holder and Mr. Lloyd." Nicole said, giving the mother and son duo a slight nod to express her gratitude.This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org. Nachelle''s mood immediately improved. ¡®Even though Nicole is still so young, she''s a very polite and courteousdy. She did not allow the power thates from being the possessor of the Fire Crest to get to her head.¡¯ ¡®Unfortunately, my son is not lucky enough to be with her. If Lloyd had married her, my family would be the one standing here proudly with the Riddles, not the Johnstons!¡¯ she thought. As the night went on, more and more people began to surround them, each bearing gifts which they would then present to Nicole. Meanwhile, Harvey felt very ufortable after seeing how popr Nicole was. ¡®Why do I feel that Nicole has be so out of reach after just one night?¡¯ Mr. Ellison Sr. then came over to him. "Why are you still standing here? Everyone is giving them gifts now. Where''s the gift I''ve told you to bring?" Soon after, Harvey came around and hurried off to give Nicole the gift with his grandfather beside him. Martin filled his name in the gift list beforeing inside because he wanted to keep a low profile for his family while everybody else were gushing in, wishing to hand their gifts to Nicole in person, Concurrently, Edwin turned to Preston, who was standing beside him, and said, "Tsk, tsk. You have such a powerful rtive. You''ve got to be so proud right now.¡± Preston looked very confused. Indeed, he hade to the banquet with his parents without knowing what was happening. "What do you mean?¡± "Tsk, tsk. Stop pretending like you don''t know," Edwin said, thinking that Preston was just acting. "Nicole is the new owner of the fire crest!" Preston became even more puzzled upon hearing what Edwin had said. "Fire crest? Like in a video game? I have no idea what you''re talking about." Edwin''s eyes widened as soon as he realized that Preston was really oblivious to what was happening. "Are you serious? Do you really not know anything about the Reby Family Crest?! Every family that has been around for more than a thousand years would record the lore of the Reby Family Crest and store it in their family archives!¡± Preston was taken aback after Edwin had mentioned the Reby Family Crest. He had taken glimpses of his family''s genealogy when he was eight, but he did not remember what was written in there at all! "I can¡¯t recall..." Preston said with his brows furrowed. Suddenly, Er appeared out of nowhere, and asked, "Reby Family Crest? What''s that?" Chapter 1530 Chapter 1530 Emery shook her head as soon as she saw her brother and Preston''s look of doubt. "I mean, you''re a nerd, so you won''t know anything anyway,¡± Er said in a scathing remark of his introverted brother. Hearing this, Emery quickly pinched his ear. At that moment, a voice was heard behind them. "You''re all from the Riddle family, and yet none of you cared to learn about the origins of our genealogy?" All of them turned around to see Everett walking towards them with a ss of wine in his hand. Everett had always been around to help Damien. Though he did not hold a high position in the company as of yet, he was still rather familiar with the family''s business. ¡®Everett? You know about it?¡± Er asked without hesitation, as he was still pretty young. Preston and Everett shared a neutral rtionship, so he just shot Everett a nce while Emery continued sipping on her drink, as she did not seem to be interested in this subject at all. Everett looked at Er and shed him a polite smile before saying, "I can remember it vaguely, but I''ve always considered it to be a myth. So, a thousand years ago, the denizens of Hustuaburg banded together to form a Holy Union tobat the deadly manyer tribe. The Reby family was the leader of the Holy Union, and 5 of their sons were sacrificed in the war against the deadly tribe. After the crusade, the people wanted to thank the Reby family for their contributions, so they crafted 5 elemental badges: Earth, Air, Water, Fire, and Metal, to honor the generations of the 5 heroes. Whenever they find themselves in need, everyone in the Holy Union is obligated to help them out.¡± The group were left in a daze after having heard such a fantasy-like story. Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. Preston looked at Edwin with his eyebrows raised. "Did you just imply... that Nicole is the sessor of the fire crest?" "Yeah! I heard that those crests were once stolen by a bunch of scums so that they could use them to order the members of the union around a few centuries ago. After they had wreaked enough havoc, the Reby family probably retrieved and destroyed them. After that, they weren''t seen anymore... Now, one of them has reappeared and found itself an owner¡± ¡°And that''s Nicole?¡± Er asked, finally having understood everything. Edwin nodded strongly. "Dang, you just knew?" ¡®What? Why is the Riddle family hiding things from their own people?¡¯ Just when he was about to say something, a sharp, feminine voice red out behind them. "What fire crest? It''s nothing but a myth! No one believes in that crap!" Raine had just walked in with Gary when she heard Edwin spouting what she considered to be hogwash. The moment she saw Gary staring at Nicole, she became livid. She would never believe in a lore that contrived. "Only an idiot would doubt it! Why are there so many people here in your house today? They''re obviously here to pay the sessor of the fire crest a visit!" Edwin red at Raine, as he had always found her to be an imbecile! Gary''s look of admiration grew even more intense when he stared at Nicole. He finally understood why his family had brought him here to attend the banquet. In a short span of time, Nicole had be a figure inmand of all the historical families. She was just like an overlord in one of those fantasy novels. Previously, Gary had truly underestimated Nicole, and as a result, waves of regret began to fill his heart as he downed another ss of wine. Raine became even more jealous of Nicole as she quickly grabbed Gary by the arm. "Gary, let''s head over there, shall we?¡± "Piss off!¡± Gary yelled, havingpletely lost his patience. Without extending her any courtesy, he flung her hand away. Raine was left feelingpletely awkward. At this juncture, she could not bear to see anyone any longer, and so, she buried her face in her hands and ran off. Chapter 1531 Chapter 1531 "Serve you right." Er poked his tongue out at her. Serve her right for trying to mock Nicole.¡¯ Emery pulled him aside, signaling Er to not be so brazen in his act, but thetter ignored him anyway. At that moment, Snow heard everything and was left feeling extremely shocked. Such was why Nicole was being given the attention she had been receiving, and that was also why Uncle Daniel and his family would witness a meteoric rise in their fortune. With that said, there was no longer a ce left for Uncle Damien or her parents in their ranks. She balled her hands into a fist. Even if Nicole had helped her out by retrieving her pink diamond, Snow was still extremely jealous, as the former had stolen her thunder, taking all of the attention away from her within the Riddle family. Yet, as far as she was concerned, she could watch as Nicole stood in the limelight. When she saw Harvey and Mr. Ellison handing their precious gifts to Nicole, as the former sported a cheeky look on his face, she had little choice but to believe the rumors with a heavy heart that felt as though it was being crushed with a boulder. Nicole had been standing there, receiving gifts for close to half an hour now. Her legs were feeling numb, and so was her jaw, which was still locked in a smile. Yet, Mr. Riddle Sr. continued to hold onto her tightly, not allowing her to leave. Mr. Riddle Sr. and her parents on the other hand, were getting into the groove, and their smiles were growing brighter and brighter with each passing second. Witnessing this, Nicole could not help but sh them a smile out of joy. ¡®Regardless of what, the Riddle family has been restored to its former glory. Well, as long as grandpa, mom and dad are happy, I guess.¡¯ Just as she was thinking about that, a familiar voice suddenly red out. "Congrattions, Nicole.¡± Fiore walked over as she mouthed her titudes, though she was very jealous deep down. Every single person who was lining up to give Nicole gifts was among the creme de creme of the elites in the country. Although the Fisher family was a distinguished family in San Joto, their status did them little favors. Even in the gift giving session alone, they were one of thest in the list. It took a fair while before it was their turn, and Fiore, who was already nursing a grudge beforehand, could not help but to use a peculiar tone of voice when speaking to Nicole. Colton immediately pulled his daughter aside and said to Nicole, "Forgive my daughter''s impudence, Miss Riddle.Here is my gift for you. I hope you''ll like it." Colton had always had a regal air about him at the office and would stand tall whenever he conversed, even within the elite circles in San Joto. Yet, it was a humiliating sight for him to be so self-effacing to Nicole today. "Dad! What are you doing!?" Fiore yelled, her expression changing as she felt that she had been embarrassed. Colton was deep in regret. He had been too busy lining up to give Nicole her gift moments ago that he had not given Fiore a clear exnation as to what Nicole''s current position was. He was really furious upon seeing how rude Fiore was to Nicole. Unable to hold back anymore, Colton yelled, "Silence!" He then grabbed Fiore and pulled her aside, with Mrs. Fisher hurrying forward to put herself between Fiore and Nicole, motioning to her daughter to stop talking. Nicole looked at Colton, and then at the incensed Fiore, whereupon she subconsciously nced at Jared. Jared noted the hint she was giving and his expression changed to one indicating indulgence. The meaning of his gesture was clear. ''Do as you please.¡¯ Seeing that, Nicole turned back to Colton, and with her eyes beaming, she asked. "Thank you, but have we been acquainted before?" Colton Fisher was the head of the Fisher family, the president of the Fisher Group, and he was considered one of the most famous figures in San Joto. It would have been fine if Nicole did not know him. After all, she had probably never met anyone who was present at the dinner event before. Yet, she was obviously trying to put him in the spot by querying him in front of everyone. However, it was his own daughter who had gone out of her way to irritate Nicole first, and with so many distinguished families present at the scene, Colton stifled his anger, not allowing his temper to re up even if he wanted do. With this in mind, he responded with a smile. "Indeed, we''ve not met before, but I do know Mr. Riddle Sr. I''m the current chairman of the Fisher Group. If you have anything that you require, please feel free to contact me.¡± Although Colton was introducing himself in a very humble manner, he was also attempting to regain some of his dignity through his act. Nicole shed him a wry smile. "Ah, you''re Miss Fiore¡¯s father. I may not be familiar with you, but I''m very familiar with Miss Fiore, am I not?" Nicole''s eyes ranged over Mrs. Fisher and stopped at Fiore, leaving both Colton and his wife stunned as they turned to their daughter. "You know Miss Riddle?"N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. Chapter 1532 Chapter 1532 Based on Mrs. Fisher''s knowledge, her daughter had known of Nicole''s name because of Nicole''s engagement to Jared, not because of some bad blood. ¡®Since when the both of them acquainted with one another?¡¯ Fiore''s expression soured by a little. As Nicole had humiliated her father before everyone, and she would now even the score. "Somewhat, I guess. While Miss Riddle was abroad, I was the one taking care of Jared when he was hospitalized," Fiore blurted to everyone, wanting to take charge and control the narrative. Jared''s expression changed at once. ¡®Fiore, you sure have no situational awareness. I can''t believe she actually revealed this to the public.¡¯ By now, everyone could tell there was a storm brewing.¡¯ Were these two love rivals?¡¯ But... is Fiore Fisher an idiot?¡¯ Look who Nicole is now, and she still dares to grind her ax with the latter right in front of everyone here?¡¯ Colton was terrified as his face nched. "Fiore... when did this happen? Why didn''t you tell me about this?" If he had known that his daughter was after Nicole''s man, he would never have brought her here today. Fiore looked at her father''s face and while she felt that something was not right, she was far too aggrieved to bother with that, so she smiled and said, "It''s something between two adults fully capable of consent, so what is there to tell you?" The moment Colton heard her wording her response in such a vague and shameless manner, he became so furious that he was on the verge of passing out due to how livid he was." You... shut your mouth, right this instant!" And just when everyone thought that Nicole would fly off the handle at being mocked like this, she looked at Fiore quietly. "I''m quite ¡®familiar¡¯ with Miss Fiore. She has even given me quite the gift this morning, hasn''t she?¡± Nicole''s gaze instantly became piercing. It was also so frosty that it was terrifying to look at. Fiore''s heart sank for a moment as she thought of the man she had hired. ¡®He has not replied to me yet, and his phone has been turned off...¡¯ She had thought that the man had just fled with the money, but she totally had not expected Nicole to know about this.¡¯ That means the guy must''ve struck but...he failed! N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. As she thought about it, Fiore''s expression became grim.¡¯ That useless piece of sh*t! He couldn''t even take a woman out?¡¯ Fiore''s eyes narrowed as she bitterly replied, ¡°Indeed, I¡¯ve sent you a great gift, Miss Riddle. You''re wee." There was nothing for her to hide. If she was unhappy, she would show everyone that she was indeed unhappy. Nicole was impressed by this trait of Fiore''s; she had the temerity to act on her words and bear the consequences of her actions. Looking at her, Nicole''s smiled grew even wider. "It''ll be rude to only be receiving gifts. Since you''ve given me a big one, let me return the favor." After that, Nicole whispered a few words in Alfred''s ears, after which thetter left. Fiore was perplexed. "What are you trying to do?" Everyone turned over, wanting to know what sort of gift Nicole would give to her in return. Yet, no one expected that the massive screen at the center of the Riddle residence hall would suddenly light up. Immediately after that, a video recording of a person being held down by the police began to y. "Spare me, please... I really didn''t do anything to that woman! I told you everything already! It''s that Flynn Monroe guy from Fisher Group who had hired me to do this!" Chapter 1533 Chapter 1533 But just as he was saying that, the police shoved him into their car and took him away. Nicole looked at the screen and darted Jared a nce. He would never allow someone who had dared to harm his fiancee get away with it that easily. Although she had freed the man, he had still called the cops on him. On top of that, us had obtained the recording, and so, Nicole used it to her advantage. The instant everyone had seen that which had happened on screen, all of them cast their grim gazes at Fiore. ¡®So, the gift that this woman was musing about...was hiring someone to kill Nicole?¡¯ ¡®And she dared to admit it so boldly? Is this woman out of her mind?¡¯ one of the folks in the crowd thought. Fiore had failed to anticipate that the man had not only failed in his assault, but had also been caught in the process. The cherry on top of it all was, he had even sold her out. ¡®Hiring someone to harm another person is a crime that carries prison time!¡¯ In spite of it all, Fiore did not back down. "So that was why the person I''ve sent d id not reply to me. Turns out that you''re already waiting for me here. Miss Riddle. What a schemer.¡± Indeed, she actually had the nerve to bark back with a snide remark. At this moment, Colton, who had already had enough of his daughter''s antics, raised his hand and pped her. "Shut up!" Fiore, who had never been beaten by her father before, suddenly took a p to the face and was sent tumbling onto the floor. The impact of her father''s p was so strong that her ears were left ringing as blood seeped out of the corner of her lips. Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. ¡®I was speaking up for Dad! I was standing up to her for the honor of the Fishers. Why the hell did Dad hit me?! she seethed. "You... hit me, Dad?" Fiore looked at Colton in shock. She had never seen her father with such a menacing look on his face. "The person I''m hitting is a foolish, pigheaded daughter! You dare to attack Miss Nicole, have you grown tired of living?!" he bellowed. Fiore¡¯s actions might very well have made the Fisher family enemies of the Riddle family along with all of the other great families present. Indeed, she was extremely, extremely foolish, to have done what she did. "Why... why can''t I screw with her? She''s just the daughter of a third-rate family who picked her up from the streets! How is sheparable to me?! Fiore argued. Jared being not attracted to her notwithstanding, she could not understand why her own father too, was defending Nicole before everyone else. ¡®What sort of charm has this vixen cast on everyone here?!¡¯ she thought. "Miss Fisher, I think you got it backward. How are youparable to Nicole?" At that moment, Preston stepped forward to defend Nicole''s honor, no longer willing to see her being picked on. He did not know back then, but now that Nicole was the bearer of the Fire Crest, he too would get to bask in its glory. Therefore, there was no way he would allow anyone to screw with his cousin sister. "That''s right! Who do you think you are? Comparing yourself to Nicole?" Er said, stepping forward to defend Nicole too. The rest of Nicole''s brothers and cousins then stepped forth to defend her too. Sean looked down at Fiore from up high, and said, "It matters not whether you are the daughter of the Fisher family, or the vice president of the Fisher Group. If you dare harm my sister, the Riddle family will not just roll over and take it lying down!" "You sure don''t know your ce. You''re just a Fisher and you think the Riddles are people you can simply trifle with?¡± Steve red at Colton. Fiore sat on the ground, looking a little confused. Are the Riddle brothers out of their minds or what?¡¯ They are willing to antagonize the Fisher family just to defend Nicole?¡¯ What was even stranger was that Colton was apologizing to Sean and Steve. "Miss Nicole, Mister Sean and Mister Steve, please stay calm. My daughter only did what she did out of impulse! Since Miss Nicole is unharmed, please let my daughter go!" he pleaded. Even though Mrs. Fisher had no idea as to what was going on, she immediately apologized to him after her husband.¡± Yes! It''s my daughter''s naivety and ignorance that led her to assault Miss Nicole. It is my failure as a mother that I didn''t raise her right. I apologize on her behalf!" "Dad! Mom! Are you guys insane?¡± Fiore yelled. ¡®Nicole is just a daughter of the Riddle family. Why must my parents lick her boots? Why would they forsake the honor of the Fisher family?¡¯ "Shut up!¡± Colton red at her. "If you dare utter another word, I''ll see to it that I no longer have a daughter by the name of Fiore Fisher!" He was done holding back against that imbecile of a daughter of his running her mouth. If the old man back was to find out what she had done back home, she would be expelled from the family. Chapter 1534 Chapter 1534 Fiore had not expected that her father would sever his rtionship with her just because of Nicole. The hatred in her heart reached its boiling point as she screamed and got up. "You dare to humiliate me and my family! Die!" As she yelled, she grabbed one of the steak knives on the table and charged at Nicole. "No!" Colton and Mrs. Fisher screamed, but it was already toote. Nicole''s eyes became frosty. ¡®She really does not know her limits. Hell, she''s even charging at me!¡¯ However, before Fiore could even get close to her, Samuel tackled the former and tossed her onto the ground before folding her arms behind her back. "Think you can hurt my little sister?! Over my dead body!" Spencer then stepped forward to hold her down. Nicole could not help the warm feeling within as she saw her brothers stepping up for her. Both Samuel and Spencer had never learned any martial arts and yet, neither of them hesitated to protect her. ¡®Oh, these stooges...¡¯ she thought as a surge of warmth radiated in her heart. Being cared for by her elder brothers like this sure felt nice. Meanwhile, Jared was already feeling extremely sullen as he looked at Colton. "Mr. Fisher, do you still think that your daughter is acting out of impulse?" At this point, it was utter madness for an adult to strike at a high schooler right in front of everyone. Madness! It seemed that Fiore¡¯s parents had indulged her far too much to the point of incorrigibility. ¡®Mr. Johnston...I..." Colton''s face became pale as sheet, fearful and at a loss on what to do. ¡°Let me go!" Fiore was still screaming. Jared looked at her imposingly. "Miss Fisher, I could turn a blind eye to how persistent you were at bothering me, but now that you''ve hired someone harm a person I care about, I will not be med for being tough on you." After he had said that, Max walked in with a few police officers who were already standing by. ¡°Take her to the station," Jared ordered. "Got it!" Max nodded and said to the police, "Officers, if you will.¡± Several police officers immediately stepped forward to arrest her. Seeing that her daughter was about to be taken away, Mrs. Fisher held onto Fiore as she looked at Colton. ¡°Dear! Save our daughter!" Colton too was looking at Fiore, seemingly at a loss, with no one knowing what he was thinking. Jared simply let out a sneer. "Mr. Fisher, I implore you to think about the consequences. Will you be able to survive if you make an enemy out of the Johnston Group?¡± That sentence sent a chill down Colton''s spine. N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material. ¡®Ifm to defend Fiore now, I won''t just be crossing the Johnston family. I''ll also be crossing all of the families that are bound by oath to the Riddles!" he thought. Gritting his teeth, he had to arrive at a final decision for the well-being of his family. ¡°It is her own obstinacy, and it has nothing to do with me! From today onwards, she is no longer my daughter, and she is no longer a daughter of the Fisher family, nor is she the vice president of Fisher Group!" His voice thundered across the room. Fiore only felt her mind nk. ¡®What does that mean? Is Dad really going to sever our father- daughter rtionship? And is he also kicking me out of the house... and stripping me of the position of vice president?¡¯ Chapter 1535 Chapter 1535 ¡®How can that be...?¡¯ "Dad! Why would you do this to me! I''m just protecting our family¡¯s honor! Why must you do this to me!?¡± she cried. Not only did he not protect her, he even disowned her and evicted her from her home. ¡®What happened to the father who had always loved me? Why is the entire world protecting Nicole?¡¯ Fiore thought, feeling that she was about to lose her mind. Mrs. Fisher too was taken aback at this moment as she did not expect her husband to be so merciless toward his own daughter. But before she could even react, the police had already cuffed Fiore and were taking her away. ¡°Let me go! Let me go! Do you know who I am?!¡± Having her pride ripped to shreds before everyone here, Fiore was almost about to lose her sanity. She had never thought that such a thing would happen to her! "Fiore... Fiore..." Seeing her daughter in the state she was in, Mrs. Fisher could not help but burst into tears. Of the three members of the Fishers, only Colton was left at this moment. His face was pale as sheet with cold sweat beading his forehead, looking as though he no longer knew what to do Seeing this, Nicole said to Colton, "Thank you for your thoughtful gift, Mr. Fisher. Don''t worry, I''m not that sort of person. I won''t purposefully put a target on the Fisher Group just because of Fiore.¡± As Colton had finally found amnesty, he quickly wiped the sweat off his head away and said, "Thank you, Miss Riddle.¡± However, even then, everyone was still giving the Fishers hostile looks. Sensing that he could not stay here any longer, he said," Miss Riddle, I''ve delivered my gift but I''m quite exhausted now. So I''ll take my leave first and pay you another visit next time.¡± "You''re wee.¡± Nicole nodded, not wanting to keep him around any longer. Upon hearing that, Colton hurriedly left. And following his exit, the entire fiasco ended. Then, Mr. Riddle Sr. stood up and said. "Let''s put that unsightly scene behind us. Today, the Riddle family have prepared a feast for everyone. Please enjoy!¡± Everyone looked away as soon as they heard that and began to have their desserts. This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org. Mr. Riddle Sr. then hurriedly said to Daniel, Sean, and the rest, "Go tend to our guests. Grab any opportunity that can be of use to us." Now that he could use Nicole''s prestige, and with the fact that he could now cooperate with these great families, Mr. Riddle Sr. naturally did not want to pass on the opportunity. ¡°Alright.¡± Daniel, Sean and Steve immediately left. Damien, standing by the side, was extremely envious. ¡°Dad, I''ll go help out as well.¡± Noticing how enthusiastic Damien was, Mr. Riddle Sr. knew that everyone present only wished to talk to Nicole''s parents and siblings, but he nodded nheless. "Remember to introduce yourself as Nicole''s uncle when you head over there.¡± Damien was taken aback and could not suppress the curiosity within him as he whispered, ¡°Dad, what''s going on? Why do I even have to mention Nicole?" He was next in line for the position of the patriarch of the family, and he was also the heir to the company for the longest time, so it made little sense to him as to why he too had to use his niece¡¯s name to get ahead with the guests. Realizing that Damien, Dillon and their wives were staring at him, Mr. Riddle Sr. could not help but to say, "Nicole, is now the heritor of the Fire Crest.¡± "The Fire Crest?" The four of them were stunned. Karen and Miley had no idea about this, but the Rogers family too, was an ancient family, so she had an inkling as to what it was but she could not put a finger on where she had seen the name, Fire Crest. In the end, it was Damien who was the first to recall it." Dad... you mean the Fire Crest of the five crests of the Reby family in the preface of our family''s genealogy?" The moment Damien had stated it, Dillon too began to remember. "The Reby Family Crest?" ¡®It can''t be right? That thing actually exist in this world?¡¯ ¡®And Nicole got her hands on it?¡¯ Chapter 1536 Chapter 1536 ording to legends, it was a treasure that could bestow upon its bearermand all of the great, ancient families. "Yes." Mr. Riddle Sr. said, suppressing the excitement within as he tried his best to put on a calm front. "Go then. Hurry up. Take the opportunity to find out those who still wish to cooperate with us, as well as those who no longer wish to act in ordance with their ancestor''s wishes." After all, some of the great families had long since vanished without a trace. Some of the families had lost their genealogies, and while some of the other families might still have them, their descendants or heirs might not be willing to subject themselves to another. Such was why Mr. Riddle Sr. needed to be sure "I, I got it..." Damien said in disbelief, and though he stumbled, he hurriedly left nheless. Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. Dillon, on the other hand, was wearing a grim expression on his face as he stared at Daniel with envy. ¡®What the hell is with Daniel''s luck?" he thought. ¡®The daughter he had adopted isn''t just a schr. She also knows medicine, and is in good terms with Governor Wyance. And now, she even got her hands on the Fire Crest?! Looks like, from now on, Daniel''s side of the family will be at the forefront, while both Damien and I would have to stand aside!¡¯ Noticing that Dillon was still standing there in a daze, Mr. Riddle Sr. could not help but to urge him. "What are you doing, just standing there? Even Dexter had already gone off to help, so stop lollygagging!" ¡®These two are not as skilled as Dexter when ites to reading the room. Dexter had already brought his sons out to greet the guests, and that too without even asking,¡¯ Mr. Riddle Sr. thought. "Got it..." Dillon snapped back to reality and pulled Karen over, so that they could get their children to greet the guests right away. Meanwhile, Preston was already in the groove, and Edwin, using Preston''s name, got in touch with a few online merchants they had long nned to cooperate with. Everyone in the Riddle family were extremely busy. Many more had initially wanted to hold extended conversations with Nicole, but Jared''s gaze scared them all away. Then, Jared tenderly turned to Nicole, who had been standing for close to an hour now. "Do they hurt?" Noting Jared''s look of concern, Nicole smiled. "Of course, but I cannot be stepping away to catch my break now, can I?" Out the blue, Jared suddenly grabbed, holding her waist tight against him and propping her up by a slight bit, thus easing the stress off of them. She was wearing a long skirt that covered her feet, and because of this, others could not see that her feet were close to being off the ground. Nicole could feel his body against hers, and felt that the two of them were being given strange stares by everyone who were present. "Let me go..." She whispered in admonition, though her voice sounded more like a yful squeak. "If you resist, just understand that I won''t mind carrying you up altogether,¡± Jared replied. "Don''t you dare..." Nicole red at him. ''Gosh, why is this guy so brazen?¡¯ Holding her up, Jared quickly brought her to where Mr. Riddle Sr. and Mr. Johnston Sr. were seated and quickly sat down. Mr. Johnston Sr. saw the two sitting down and broke into a smile. "The two of you sure are glued together." Nicole blushed in awkwardness at being teased by Mr. Johnston Sr. in that manner. Yet, Jared proceeded to react by shing a yful smile. "Of course. There are so many wolves out here. I''ve got to keep an eye on her." It was then that Nicole noticed that many rich scions were all looking at her. ¡®Still, they might not be harboring any sort of intentions with me, right?¡¯ "Can you not see green for no good reason?" She rolled his eyes at Jared, thinking that he was just being way too imaginative. Jared curled his lips as he said, "Well, as far as you''re concerned, it''s impossible for me to not see green." Chapter 1537 Chapter 1537 His words were so bold and brazen that he had made Nicole feel embarrassed. ¡°Shut up.¡± Jared smiled yfully. He loved Nicole''s bashful look like this. He looked at the people who were present, as Mr. Johnston Sr. was surrounded by guests, happily greeting some of the members of the elite families. He then turned to Nicole. "Seems like I''ll have an easy life ahead." Hearing this, Nicole issued a sigh. "Can you stop patronizing me?¡± Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. Despite the fact that she knew what Jared was capable of doing, she believed that what she had witnessed was not the full extent of his capabilities. "I''ll cut myself off that system sooner orter," she said. Once she had discovered the person behind this and resolved the crisis, she would never not wish to lay a finger on the Reby Family Crest ever again. "If you want, you can just leave it be. I''ll protect you,¡± Jared''s offered with a look of determination in his eyes. Nicole''s heart skipped a beat; she knew all too well that Jared was being serious. "But I don''t want to be the center of attention of these people for my entire life," she argued. Even as she looked at the crowd inside the residence, Nicole could feel that her head was about to explode. She would definitely lose her mind if she was to mingle with these people for the rest of her life. Awry smile crossed Jared''s face. "Many have their eyes on the power and the benefits thate with this crest. You are the only one who is not concerned about it at all.¡± "I don''t need another person''s power to make me stronger. I just hope that they don''t end up being used by people with sinister intent,¡± she replied tly. Jared''s love for her grew even stronger upon observing her righteous demeanor. The two then rested as they took sips of red wine. Suddenly, a wave of whispers emanated from the front door, prompting Nicole to nce over, and that was when she saw Chloe. The moment Uncle Damien and Aunt Miley brought her back yesterday, she had already figured that they were not happy with the fact that Chloe''s name had been removed from the family register. And so, they brought Chloe back the instant they found out that Mr. Riddle Sr. was ill. However, she did not anticipate that Nicole would so brazenly make an appearance during such an important asion today. Mr. Riddle Sr. would definitely be furious at the sight. And sure enough, Mr. Riddle Sr.¡¯s expression darkened as soon as he saw her. He immediately looked at Damien and Miley as he grumbled, "What''s the meaning of this? Why did you bring her here?" Seeing the granddaughter who had already been struck off the family register at present made Mr. Riddle Sr. very angry as a grimace crossed his face. Noticing this, Miley immediately put on an act meant to elicit pity. "Dad, you were suddenly sick two days ago and we did not know what was happening, so we thought..." Damien red at her, shutting Miley up, before he took charge of the conversation. "It was just that, if anything were to happen to you, we can''t have Chloe not being able to see you for onest time. In view of that, I brought her back. Besides, it''s our family banquet today, and I was afraid that someone might ask about her..." ¡®What a clever way to put things, as if everything they are doing is for the honor of the Riddle family,¡¯ Nicole observed. However, Nicole also knew that Mr. Riddle Sr. did not want to air his dirtyundry to the public, and so, he would definitely not disown this granddaughter of his before everyone here. At that moment, Mr. Riddle Sr. could only suppress his rage as he watched Chloe walking upto him. Noticing that Mr. Riddle Sr. had not flown off the handle, Chloe knew that her parent''s n must have worked. With that in mind, she quickly put on the mask of a filial granddaughter. ¡°Grandpa.¡± She came up to Mr. Riddle Sr. and her eyes immediately reddened. ¡°It''s good to see you in great health.¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. did not want outsiders to find out about the drama pertaining to his family, and thus, he could only say, "Stop crying. Since you''re already here, go out there and entertain the guests." ted, Chloe immediately replied, "Thank you, Grandpa." Nicole could not resist from staring at Damien and Dillon. Her uncles were no fools and had taken this opportunity to bring Chloe back. Chapter 1538 Chapter 1538 After today, Mr. Riddle Sr. would probably mellow down. Chloe was, after all, still a star actress in the entertainment circle, and although she had been ced in the backburner during this period of time, she was still recognized by many and was quickly surrounded by those who did. Seeing that Chloe was still of some value to the Riddle family, Mr. Riddle Sr. could not say much, but the instant he saw Nicole staring at Chloe, he came up to Nicole''s side. "Nicole, you won''t be ming Grandpa for this right?¡± he asked. He knew very well that he was too softhearted, and too concerned about the honor of the family. "I won''t," Nicole said. After all, no grandfather would be so merciless and unforgiving toward their own granddaughters. Nicole had already expected that Mr. Riddle Sr. would not ignore her plight should she get herself into trouble now orter, given his kindness. "Grandpa, I just want you to be happy," she continued. After all, aside from her parents and her siblings, Mr. Riddle Sr. was the one Nicole cared the most about within the family Mr. Riddle Sr. gave Nicole a look as if to tell her that he was touched by her words. He knew that she was a really sensible and understanding person, and he could hardly express the warmth in his heart. It was then that more people came over to strike a conversation with Mr. Riddle Sr., while others approached Jared, wishing to have a chat with him. Nicole was almost done resting, and through her periphery, she saw Lloyd walking to the balcony to drink and drown his sorrows. His gaze was fixed on her as she was doing so. She pondered for a moment; although she really did not want to have anything more to do with him, he might be the only person who could find out about a certain something for her. After all, the Holder family''swork of information was the most extensive. The Holder could prosper for so many years without getting involved in any major industries due to their monopoly of the exclusive information of many great families. The fact that they had all of the dirt on these families made them nigh untouchable. Theirwork spanned across various nations and was second only to the Interpol in terms of significance and resources. Now that she had left the Interpol, he was her only option if she wanted to get some information about the ck market or even the dark web. Thinking about this, she slowly got up and walked to the corner. Even though everyone present wanted to talk to her, they decided not to approach her upon seeing that she had gone off to the balcony, thinking that she wanted to get some fresh air. Only Lloyd knew that Nicole was walking toward him and with this in mind, his heart began racing. He had finally found the girl who had saved him so many years back... However, because of Harvey''s deliberate obfuscation, he did not recognize her, and due to the fact that his family had kept this matter hidden from him, he had only just learned that the reason Jared was standing with her was because...they were engaged! At that moment, he began to hate himself for having listened to his mother and flying off for his movie abroad. Had he not done that, he would have stood a chance, as slim as the chance was. Though she was already standing before him, Lloyd was still looking at her in a stupor. Nicole could not help but ask, ¡°Is there something on my face?" It was only then that Lloyd snapped back to reality and he cleared his throat with a look of distress on his face before asking her the question he had meant to ask, ¡°Why didn''t you tell me that you''ve gotten engaged?" N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material. Nicole raised an eyebrow. "It''s because we are not even friends, I suppose.¡± As per the rules of the organization, whenever anyone left the organization, they should part ways regardless of who they were. Should they meet again in the future, they would bepelled to act as if they did not know one another, even if the person was their erstwhile partner. Yet, Lloyd was left wounded by this remark. They had fought side by side together before, and just because he had been taken home by the Holder family before he parted ways with Nicole, it did not mean that their connection meant nothing to him. Chapter 1539 Chapter 1539 At this moment, he could not help but to beat himself up for it. If he had not ran home just because he was unable to withstand the pressure, he might very well be the person standing beside Nicole today. "We... are indeed, not even friends." Berating himself, Lloyd lifted his ss and took a swig. Seeing this, Nicole could only issue a sigh. ¡®Why is Lloyd so obsessed with our rtionship?¡¯ "Lloyd, you should know the organization''s rules. Whether it''s the Interpol or Zane¡¯s Organization, the rules are all the same. We have never met before, and now, we''re meeting for the first time.¡± Nicole''s words were clear and concise. However, it was then that a gleam appeared in Lloyd''s eyes. "That means, we can start over again, right?" Frustrated with him, she thought, ''Do I need to spell everything out for him just so he would get it? Taking a deep breath, Nicole proffered her hand. "Greetings, I''m Nicole Riddle." Lloyd looked at Nicole¡¯s outstretched hand and was delighted. He had not think that Nicole had meant this when she had rejected him time and time again back then. Tm such a fool, to think that I called her S before everyone...¡¯ Finally understanding Nicole''s intentions, Lloyd stretched his hand out." Hello, I''m Lloyd Holder.¡± The two tacitly knew that they were starting over again. Everything that had happened prior, was nothing but a dream in a life long gone. "Hello, Mr. Holder. I''vee to you with a business proposal." Even though they were partners before this, Nicole was still intent on drawing that line, and though she needed his help, she did not want to owe him a favor. "A business proposal? Just tell me what you need done,¡± Lloyd said, not liking Nicole''s rather distant and formal tone. She sighed. ¡°It is a business proposal. If you do not agree to it, there''s no reason for me to tell you." "You!" Lloyd panicked a little before letting out a sigh. "I get it, I get it. I''ll agree to that. But... I''ll have to ask, what sort of business are we doing?" "Sure." Nicole agreed, knowing that she could do whatever Lloyd wanted her to do. "In that case, I''ll cut to the chase." She did not want to draw attention to herself, so she thought of getting this done as quickly as possible. Noticing how serious Nicole was, Lloyd responded in kind. "Okay." ¡®Zane''s Organization had lost a group of Braves at Lanningbourg. The ship carrying them went missing after it had entered the high seas. I need someone from the ck market and the dark web to look for clues of its whereabouts..." Nicole stated candidly. Lloyd was stunned. Only a few in San Joto knew about the Holder family''s rtionship with the ck market and the dark web. ¡®How long has Nicole been in San Joto?'' ''How did she know of our rtionship with the ck market?¡¯ he thought. Noting Lloyd keeping silent, Nicole raised her eyebrow. "Are there any difficulties?¡± ¡®This should be easy enough for the Holder family.¡¯ As expected, Lloyd shook his head. "It won''t be difficult, but I''m just curious, how did you learn of my family''s connection with the members of the dark web?" Nicole shot him a nce and replied, "The Holder family is well-known among the Hunters." Lloyd was taken aback. "You''re... a Hunter?" This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org. ¡®The Hunters, were something of a guild for hackers!" he thought. ¡®Only professionals could crack the URL to enter the website and create an ount! Nicole''s a Hunter?¡¯ ¡°I''m Lucifer." Nicole swirled her ss of wine, her eyes wild. Lloyd suddenly trembled as his eyes began darting. "You''re... Lucifer?!" Chapter 1540 Chapter 1540 ¡®The Holders are all too famous!¡¯ ¡®Lucifer is a hacker who has helped the Holder family in dealing with several major crises! If she really is Lucifer, she must also know about the Holders¡¯ underground transactions.¡¯ ¡®But what I didn''t seeing was that after Nicole had left Interpol and allied herself with Zane Spears, she had be a hacker herself? What is she not capable of?!¡¯ he thought. Nicole caught sight of Lloyd''s expression of disbelief as she took a sip of her red wine, "I''ve already revealed my identity. There''s no need for you to hide anything anymore.¡± Lloyd breathed a long and deep sigh. "I was beginning to wonder why you weren''t surprised by the fact that I''m here. I''m not sure what you were up to all these years, but I''m sure you know that I''ve always been in San Joto, right?" Nicole did not deny. "Yes." In response, Lloyd drew a deep breath. "Forget it, I''ll help you out and dig out as much as I can about this matter, but once things have reached the ck market, it''ll be difficult for me to investigate any further. I''m just worried that it''ll need more time.¡± Nicole nodded her head. "I know. Here, these are the information you''ll need." She then reached out and handed the sh drive over to Lloyd. ¡®As a hacker, all the clues I could find have been handed over to Lloyd. I hope that it''ll be of great help to him,¡¯ she thought. Lloyd immediately ced the sh drive away carefully. "Understood. I will update you once there''s news.¡± Nicole nodded. "I''ve already told you about me. Now, tell me how I can return the favor." ¡®Initially, I wanted to do something for him, but since he has an idea to propose, I might as well let him have at it!¡¯ she thought. Lloyd looked at Nicole. ''l don''t need anything at all, and I do not want her to do anything for me. All I want is to spend more time with her. Even though she''s Jared''s fianc¨¦e, I still stand a chance as long as they aren''t married!¡¯ Lloyd stood there, frozen, lost in his thoughts before replying, "I don''t need anything, and I don''t need you to do anything for me either. But if there''s anything I need help with, it is directing my mother''s new drama." Nicole frowned, "I''m afraid I can''t help you with the matters in the entertainment industry." ¡®If I could, I would be a character in the y and make a deal with him. Butpared to curing the sick, which is something I could handle easily, the entertainment industry is something I''m not quite familiar with, she pondered. N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. "Yes, you can help me out. We still need an actress for the role of the heroine in this drama. Will you fill that role?¡± Lloyd asked, his eyes zing with determination as he had a lot of faith in Nicole''s skills. Nicole frowned, "You''re telling me that you can''t find a single actress in the entire industry who is suitable for the role and you''d let me, an amateur, act?¡± Lloyd hesitated for a while before confidently saying, "I showed my agent your contact details. She also thinks that you''d be a great fit for the role. It''s just acting. Besides, when you look back at it years after, you''ll realize that it was a good experience.¡± Lloyd''s words left Nicole dumbfounded. ¡®I used to act, but only as an undercover agent toplete my mission. Though my acting skills were passable, the thought of utilizing my skills for this very purpose makes me very ufortable.¡¯ "How else could I have be the best actor?" Lloydughed at himself shamelessly. After he had left the organization, he realized that he knew very little, and was good at nothing except killing and deceiving people. Thus, he ended up venturing into the entertainment industry. Nicole was left taken aback by Lloyd''s words. "You really are remarkable." ¡®I can''t believe that he''s got me sold on this," she thought. "Well, since it''s not too difficult, I''ll do it," she agreed. ¡®I guess I''ll just do it, as I don¡¯t like to owe anybody any favors. Besides, it''s just a role in a drama. I''m already used to getting into real life-and-death situations with real swords and guns, and that''s just the tip of the iceberg. I guess the entertainment industry won''t pose much of a challenge for me,¡¯ she concluded. "You agree to it?!" Lloyd asked, surprised as he did not expect Nicole to agree to y the role. Chapter 1541 Chapter 1541 Nicole observed Lloyd''s look of surprise, and was unable to hold herself back from raising her brows. "Are you that happy...?¡± "Yes!'' Lloyd pursed his lips, as there was a feeling of indescribable excitement in his heart. ¡®At the very least, this shows that Nicole doesn''t really hate me!¡¯ "Then it''s a deal. I hope you won''t turn your back on the promise.¡± Lloyd stared at Nicole deeply, as if he was afraid that she would go back on her word. Nicole nodded. "Of course, I am a person of my words.¡± Lloyd was all too familiar with Nicole''s stubbornness and determination as well. ¡®She will definitely do as she has said or else, she won''t be at ease.¡¯ ¡®Don''t worry. I''ll return the things you''ve entrusted to me, and more as soon as possible,¡± he said. Nicole nodded and replied, "Okay." After she had spoken, she raised her wine ss in a gesture of toast. "What were you guys talking about?¡± Harvey asked, appearing out of nowhere as he scrutinized both Nicole and Lloyd. Now that Lloyd was aware of Nicole''s identity, it might not be that easy for him to get close to Nicole. Lloyd then turned to Harvey, noticing that he had a frosty glint in his eyes. He had been hiding Nicole''s real identity from Lloyd, which was a selfish move on his part. "You probably won''t be interested in what we''re talking about, Mr. Ellison,¡± Lloyd said in a tone indicating that he did not wish to continue the conversation. Harvey was not bothered by Lloyd¡¯s words, as he then raised his brows and said, "I''m interested in whatever you''re interested in, Lloyd. Care to share?" ¡®He came over just to eavesdrop on what Nicole had promised me,'' Lloyd thought, his schemes running deep as he was worried that Nicole would fall for Harvey''s tricks. "If you wish to know that badly, you might as well ask Nicole about it.¡± After he had spoken, Lloyd turned around and left, not wanting to bother with Harvey anymore, but not before shooting Harvey a look as if to say," Keep dreaming.¡± Harvey clenched his fists, feeling deep loathing for Lloyd as he watched thetter leave. Nicole did not wish to be seen having an interaction with Harvey in public, and thus, she spoke promptly. ¡°Did youe over to have a view of the scenery, Mr. Ellison? I''ll leave the balcony to you." Harvey could not help but feel a little depressed as Nicole walked pass. He proceeded to grab her hand. "Nicole..." he uttered but stopped as he did not know what else to say. Nicole frowned and loosened his grip on her hand. "Mr. Ellison, this is the Riddle''s residence. Please behave yourself.¡± It was only then Harvey came to his senses. ¡°Sorry, I got too excited." Although Nicole was a little dissatisfied with his apology, she epted it, nheless. "What were you chatting about with Lloyd just now? He''s not a simple dude. " Harvey got down to business, as he had long gotten used to Nicole''s indifferent attitude toward him. Nicole raised her eyebrows. "He''s not that simple? What makes you think you are, Harvey Ellison?" Harvey was rendered speechless, and his eyes darkened as soon as he was asked that question. ''Yeah, am I simple? I don''t know, but at least I''m not two-faced and I don¡¯t harbor any ill intentions toward Nicole...¡¯ "I''m very grateful that you''ve provided Martin a ce, but Harvey, you ought to stay out of my business. It''ll be even better if you stay out of it in the future,¡± she said. Harvey''s eyes froze for a moment, with hurt written all over his face. ¡®What does she mean by that? Is this because the Ellison family is not worthy of being associated with her anymore, or am I the one who isn''t worthy anymore?¡¯ he wondered. Nicole saw Harvey''s pained expression and instantly knew that he had misunderstood her. Still, she would rather he misunderstood her than to allow him to get too close. She left Harvey standing alone on the balcony, feeling uneasy. There, a sardonic smile crossed his face. This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org. ¡®Turns out I am nothing to her after all...¡¯ Chapter 1542 Chapter 1542 Back at the venue, Nicole''s brothers were as busy as bees but when Spencer and Samuel saw Nicole approaching, they quickly went up to her. "Nicole... heard from Er and Preston that you''ve gotten the legendary Fire Crest! Is that true?¡± The five brothers were already amazed by Nicole, who was already valued by so many people, but after they had heard what Preston had to say about her, they could not stifle their admiration for her any longer. Meanwhile, Nicole knew that she would not be able to hide her identity after the event today, and thus, she confessed, "Yeah." "Goodness! I thought it was a myth, but you really got it!¡¯ Samuel said, his face brimming with surprise. "Can you show me what it looks like?" But before Samuel could finish talking, Stanley smacked him. "Hey, who hit me?¡± he asked. He then turned around to see that it was Stanley. Stanley gave Samuel a nk look while thinking that his younger brother was truly an idiot. "That''s a really important crest, not something you could casually ask to see. Read the room." "Oh..." Samuel scratched his head, realizing now that what he did moments ago was reckless. Meanwhile, Steve, who was chatting with the guests saw that his brothers had gathered. He walked over with a ss of wine in hand before he raised it in a toast to his sister. "Nicole, you''ve really brought glory to our family. Congrats!" Nicole looked at Steve smiling, grabbed a ss of red wine, and joined him in the toast. Her four brothers could not help themselves from smiling as they all looked at Nicole in awe, with all of them thinking about how beautiful Nicole''s dress was today. It was then that Sean walked over. "Excuse me, but why are you all ogling your sister like that?" Upon hearing that, some of the Riddle brothers came to their senses. "Don''t you think our sister looks exceptionally beautiful today? I think so too,¡± Preston said as he came cover. Annoyed, Spencer and Samuel immediately fended him off. "What''s the matter with you?" "Nicole is my sister too!" Preston said while frowning. "Get out. Since when has a cousin been considered a brother?" Samuel said, giving Sean a nk look. It was at this time that Er unexpectedly showed up. "If her older cousins are not considered brothers, are her younger cousins not considered brothers either?¡¯¡¯ "Don''t listen to their hogwash." Dexter, Nicole''s third uncle, and his wife were walking over to them. They shared a good rtionship with Er and the rest. Preston began to feel even less happy. "Why is he considered a brother and I''m not?" They were bickering with one another, some talking and othersughing. As they did so, many people shot envious nces at Nicole''s general direction. Each of the Riddle brothers created a lovely scene while they stood around Nicole, making her look like a princess surrounded by knights in shining armors. Among everyone in the crowd, Nicole stood out like a sore thumb because of her eye-catching beauty that had entrapped the attention of the attendees. Her beauty was tremendously alluring and it felt picturesque. She stood there watching her brothers and cousins talking,ughing, and enjoying the presence of a lively family reunion. Then, a person suddenly appeared behind her, wrapping their hands around her slim waist. Thedies from the crowd could not help but to release muffled shrieks from the gesture. The one to whom the hands belonged was none other than Jared, who had suddenly appeared and seized Nicole by the waist. ¡®¡®Handsome men and beautiful women together. Now that''s a match made in heaven! Such a sight for sore eyes.¡¯¡¯ "What are you doing...?" Nicole blushed. ¡®What is Jared doing in front of my brothers?¡¯ "I don''t like it when my woman is surrounded by other men," Jared said with an obvious glint of discontent in his eyes. "They''re my brothers!¡± Nicole protested. ¡®This guy gets jealous too easily.¡¯ N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material. "No can do.¡± Jared assertively wrapped his arms around Nicole after he was done speaking and spun around in the opposite direction to leave. "Hey! Nicole!" "Nicole!" The brothers tried to stop them from leaving as they watched Nicole being taken away. Chapter 1543 Chapter 1543 And yet, Jared refused to let go of Nicole. Meanwhile, Spencer and Samuel attempted to chase after her, but Sean stood in the way, blocking them. "Chill. Let her go. She must be tired. Let her go and get some rest." There were one too many guests at the banquet, and as of now, Jared was the only one who could protect Nicole from being harassed. Therefore, Sean had allowed her go with him. There were only a few of them who were hesitant to let them go, and because of this, they could only agree. Reluctant, Chloe watched as Jared dragged Nicole away. ''l can''t be as stubborn as I''ve been before. This time around, I will bide my time and wait for an opportunity!¡± The evening breeze was gentle, as Jared drove Nicole along the bridge over the river, passing the night-time scenery. The crisp air began to sober Nicole up, for she was slightly drunk before this. "The air outside is certainly better and I really hate socializing." Nicole said, as she felt suffocated when she was at the banquet earlier. "So, I''ve done my part and helped you in every way I could." Jared shed her a smile as he drove. "What did you do?" Nicole raised her eyebrows. N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. Nicole was really upied with the banquet earlier; she was so focused on putting up a bold front that she did not have the time to think about anything else. "Most of the people who came today are those who do follow the teachings passed down by their ancestors and will obey the orders of the Fire Crest bearer. I''ve asked Max to register them all and their names should''ve been sent to your email by now. As for those families who didn''t attend, I''ve also asked him to make a mental note of them,¡± Jared said. ¡®Wow, I really did not expect Jared to gather all of the information after the banquet,¡¯ she thought. Nicole, with a yful smile on her face, then flicked her watch on and checked her email. "You''re amazingly helpful," Nicole said to him with a beaming smile in her eyes. "It''s my honor.¡± Jared pursed his lips. Nicole then happily browsed through the list of families that was given to her. She was familiar with some of the families, while there were also many that she did not know about. Everything was clear to her as she kept on scrolling. "Max''s managing abilities are excellent. These are all very helpful.¡± Though Nicole knew that she could have also collected these materials herself, the speed at which Max had done so wasmendable. "Whenever you need him, he is at your disposal,¡± he said. ¡®Wow, even Max can be given as a gift.¡± Nicole raised her eyebrows and smiled, thinking that Jared had be more pleasing to the eyes as of recent. Linder the influence of alcohol, Nicole leaned forward and nted a kiss on his cheek. "Your reward.¡± However, just as she was about to back off, Jared switched the autopilot on, grabbed the back of her head, and said, "That''s not enough.¡± Then, he nted a deep kiss on her lips. Nicole was taken aback for a moment, after which she returned the kiss. As Jared made out with her, the buzz from the alcohol earlier made Nicole''s head spin, and slowly but surely, the world around them engulfed them. In the distance, a cruise ship with fireworks sailed forth, crossing the bridge from down under. The skies then lit up in a bright disy of colors as Nicole smooched on, bing addicted to the kiss that kept getting deeper. The next day, at Jared''s vi, Nicole was starving. Just as she was about to leave, a hand suddenly reached out and a pair of eyes centered its gaze on her. "Where are you going?¡± Jared asked, his smile wicked and charming. Her heart proceeded to race as she beheld his handsome visage. ¡®I''m neither a slut, nor have I ever seen such a good-looking man before. His eyes are just all too seductive, I''ve got to admit,¡¯ she thought. "Let me go, I¡¯m hungry..." Nicole relented. "I''m hungry too,¡± Jared said, looking up at her. "Well, let''s get up and have breakfast together,¡± Nicole quickly suggested, wanting to leave. However, Jared did not let go of her hand, ¡°I want to stay a little longer." As Nicole had gone abroad for a period of time, the two of them were finally spending some quality time together. "How long has it been since you''ve been discharged? Your body needs to recover, and you need to have your breakfast on time." Nicole nagged. "Thanks to the Beacon, my body is getting better every day,¡± he said. Nicole was left speechless, ¡®It''s a therapeutic device meant for saving lives. How could he use it for such a purpose?¡¯ Indeed, Nicole was unhappy toward how Jared was misusing The Beacon for such purposes. Though Jared had stated that he did not wish to get up, he was worried that Nicole might be really famished, so he got out of bed and made his way downstairs. At the dining area, the housekeeper had already prepared breakfast for them. Nicole had also changed into a fresh pair of clothes,pletely disregarding the notion that the housekeeper was judging her from her looks. ¡®I''ve embarrassed myself countless times before, so it doesn''t matter what they think of me,¡¯ she thought. Jared sat directly across from Nicole, who was eating. Seeing that she was angry, he gave her a yful look. Then, he poured her a ss of milk, before wiping her mouth gently. "Okay, stop looking at me like that,¡± she said. ¡®¡®Jared seems to have some sort of supernatural ability. His stare alone can overwhelm you. I can''t stand him when he looks at me with those eyes. I feel as though I''m going to melt!¡¯ she thought. Chapter 1544 Chapter 1544 Nicole''s coyness made him even more fascinated in her. "I haven''t seen you for a while, Nicole. Why do I feel that you''d be a little shy every time you see me these days? Is this a case of the famous saying that states, absence makes the heart grow fonder?" Nicole red at him. "Shut up.¡± ¡®¡¯This guy is getting even more sporadic with his teasing, as of recent,¡¯¡¯ she thought. "How about...we consider getting married?" Jared suggested with a solemn look on his face. Nicole was taken aback for a moment. "Jared, I have just be of age. I am still yet to reach the legal age for marriage.¡± ¡®What is this b*stard thinking? I really wish I could pry open his brains sometimes to see what''s inside,¡¯ Nicole thought. "It''s okay, we can host the wedding first,¡± he said. "And then?" Nicole raised her eyebrows, already able to guess that he must have something to say. "And then, no one can stop us from living together,¡± Jared said as though it was a matter of fact without a hint of embarrassment. "Enough is enough," she protested. ¡®What is he trying to do? Scare my grandma to death?¡¯ "No, none of it is enough.¡± Jared wrapped his arm around her slender waist and brought himself closer to her face, their breaths almost fusing together. Unable to take this anymore, she suddenly stood up. "I''m full. It''s best that I get going!¡± she cried. ¡®¡®If I stick around any longer, I''d surely summon a wicked creature out of him!¡¯¡¯ Nicole thought to herself. Jared noticed that Nicole, who had always been fearless, was squirming away from him, attempting to run away. Jared propped his chin with one hand in wicked fashion as he watched her leave yfully. ¡®¡®I meant each and every word I''ve said earlier. I just want her tied to me as soon as possible. There are way too many people coveting her. Now that she has the Fire Crest, I''m worried there''ll be even more rivals in the future. My girlfriend is too outstanding, and that has gotten us into a fair bit of trouble,¡¯¡¯ he thought. After Nicole had left Jared''s vi, she did not head home directly, as she knew that there might still be many guests that had yet to leave, hoping to get a glimpse of her. Nicole was still not in the mood to socialize. ¡®¡®Should I go pay Kelly a visit? Forget it. School is about to start soon. I ought to handle all of these matters before the new term begins,¡¯¡¯ Nicole thought to herself as she got out of her car and walked into the Golden Coast Building. It had since been a long time since Kelly had seen Nicole, and as she knew that Nicole wasing, she had been waiting for her downstairs. She watched as Nicole''s car halted, after which she immediately stepped forward. "Nicole! You''re finally here!" Due to the fact that Kelly had not been able to contact Nicole for days, she was worried sick about her. "What''s the matter?" Nicole had only been abroad for a short period of time and Kelly had begun to hint that something significant had happened. "Oh, nothing messed up. I''ve got nothing but good news! Our R&D has made progress!¡¯ Hearing this, Nicole raised her brows and smiled. "Great! Has Terry made any progress?" During her trip abroad, she had gotten some inspiration from the Curley Corporation''s base of operations. Perhaps she could fuse the current technology with the ideas she had in mind. "Come on, I''ll bring you in to have a look." Kelly smiled and led the way. Nicole responded in kind and trailed behind Kelly. ¡®¡®Harvey might not be in the office yet. Good thing I''vee just in time,¡¯¡¯ Nicole thought. As they entered the elevator, Nicole said, "Since the R&D division has made some progress, let''s move to the new base over the next few days.¡± Tve made it clear to Harveyst night that I can no longer owe him any favors,¡¯ Nicole thought to herself. Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. "Huh? Oh...okay." Kelly was taken aback for a moment, as she thought that she could no longer work at the Golden Coast Building anymore. The visage of a person then shed before Kelly''s mind, making her feel a little disappointed. "What''s the matter?" Nicole asked, noticing that Kelly seemed a little crestfallen. Chapter 1545 Chapter 1545 Kelly cheered up at once. "It''s nothing.It''s just that I''ve gotten used to working here." ¡®She must be...it''s certainly not because of anyone,'' Nicole assured herself. Without taking the matter seriously, she said, "Don''t worry.The new ce will certainly be better." "Okay!" Kelly nodded, fully believing in what Nicole had said. The two of them got off the elevator and walked into the R&D office. At that moment, Terry was leading a team as they conducted a series of tests on the chip of the manned flying car. This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org. Nicole was shocked, spectating without a word as she did not expect that it would have entered the testing stage. The manned flying car quickly started, the engine of the car igniting before the vehicle slowly rose into the air. This marked the first time Nicole had ever seen a manned flying car that they had developed roaring into action. After all, when she was introduced to this R&D project, the project was only halfplete. Indeed, Nicole had not expected that Terry would perfect this project in such a short span of time. ¡®He really lived up to Jared''s expectation,'' she thought. "Start sending outmands," Terry ordered the driver on the other end of theputer. The driver swallowed and nervously instructed, "Commence." Right away, the car began moving along at a steady speed at the Belton racetrack with multiple obstacles set up along the way. The driver was extremely nervous as he watched the first obstacle approaching. To his surprise, the manned flying car maneuvered past the obstacles ahead and evaded the simted cars interspersed throughout the course. There were several cars ahead that were arranged in a challenging formation, and with its computational analysis, the manned flying car overtook them without a hitch. "Nicole...I think we are going to seed!" Kelly was overjoyed. Nicole was also stunned by the sight. ''It seems that I don''t need to worry about the things here" However, as soon as Nicole was set to make up her mind, a variable changed. The final course of the test drive was set into motion in order to test whether the vehicle could grind to a smooth halt when encountering a pedestrian who would abruptly dash onto the road. The car crashed into the dummy, sending it flying into the air. The driver was also taken aback. Fortunately, the braking system worked, allowing the car to stop at once. Terry, who was watching this scene, couldn''t help but muster a deep frown. "What''s going on? Why didn''t it stop?" "I...don''t know.There are obviously no problems in the system." The other researchers were looking at each other, unable to put their finger on where the problem had come from. Kelly too, was a little disappointed. "I wasn''t expecting it to fail at the very end." Meanwhile, Nicole shook her head and said, "This is all normal.Don''t worry.I came back just to solve this matter." And with that said, she pushed the door open and entered the R&D testing room. Terry was caught by surprise.He ced his microphone down and walked out as soon as he saw Nicoleing. "Miss Riddle, you''re here." Nicole nodded. "I saw your test drive moments ago.It was quite sessful." Terry''s expression hinted at his mixed feelings as he said, "It still failed at the veryst moment." To him, the process was not important; the results were "It''s not a failure.Just leave that to me," Nicole said. After she had spoken, Nicole walked into the R&D testing room and signaled the programmer in front of theputer to move aside. The programmer in charge was dumbfounded, for he had never heard that Nicole could write codes. After exchanging several nces with each other, and after some thought, Terry motioned the programmer to get up from his seat. Nicole sat down at once, whereupon she quickly switched the autopilot system on. Then, her fingers quickly darted over the letters of the keyboard, leaving everyone in the office in awe. Chapter 1546 Chapter 1546 As Terry saw what Nicole was doing, a glint of shock crossed his eyes.He was utterly surprised by the fact that Nicole even knew coding at all. And on top of that, she was proficient at it. As he observed Nicole''s speed, in which she was far faster than his most professional programmers, the look in Terry''s eyes turned from shock to admiration. ¡®She''s only eighteen years old, and yet she''s so good at it. What would she be in the future?¡¯ he wondered. While Terry was deep in thought, Nicole had whipped a sh drive out after typing a bunch of codes in. Then, a new interface opened. When Terry saw those codes, he was left rooted in ce. "I-is this themand code for robots?" he asked. There was already a limited number of local groups who were researching on robots. Such technology only existed in top research institutes in foreign countries. With the notion that no one would publish any information about such a confidential system, he could not help but think where and how Nicole had gotten her hands on it. "Yeah, I got this code from my friend. If I apply this to the manned flying cars, it will speed our process of research up," she said. As she spoke, Nicole had already modified themand code, making its formatpatible for the car''s system.She was so quick at it that it was shocking. At the same time, it was also scary for those around her to witness this side of her. An eighteen year-old girl mastering a skill that significant was truly a sight to behold. As everyone was shocked and speechless, Nicole had already pressed the ''Enter'' key, cing the code in sessfully. "Unfortunately, I am the only one who can install modifications to the technology.No one else has ess to it.Still, everything seems perfect and there isn''t any issue for now," Nicole replied calmly. Everyone was staring at each other. Even a programmer with twenty years of experience would dare not guarantee perfection. For Nicole, however, she had earned the privilege to do so. The look on her face gave everyone the confidence to believe in her.It was as if there were no mistakes at all. "Let''s switch it on and give it a try." Nicole said in a low voice. Terry was the first toe back to his senses. Then, he looked at everyone. "Get into your positions.Let''s try again." "Noted!" The rest of them did as they were told, got to their stations quickly, and prepared for another trial run, which began thereafter. The driver switched the system on, after which the voice of a woman emanated from the speakers. "Wee aboard, master.Where are you headed to? Please state the location and give your instructions." When the artificial intelligence''s voice red out, everyone was left stunned by what they had just heard, for the current system they were operating was leagues beyond the one they had moments ago. With just a few tweaks, it had already been upgraded to something much more superior. Naturally, the price for the car would also double twofold with this system installed. Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. "Go right ahead and start." The driver, who was very excited, gulped and ordered. "Okay," The system replied and drove ahead at moderate speed, though at a speed faster than before. Everyone watching was nervous. The technology was state of the art indeed, but they were concerned that it would be dangerous to drive past obstacles and avoid cars at such a high speed. The car soon arrived at the first testing point, and without the driver having to give any instructions, the vehicle got around all of the obstacles. Then, it quickly dodged the cars in front without needing to slow down at all. This left everyone in a state of amazement. "Oh my God! It would take the greatest of experts to create a system like this!" the programmers cried. Indeed, even with their abilities, they would never reach this level. Terry''s eyes were wide in shock too. ¡®Where did Nicole even acquire this system? It''s really an unusual one!'' As the car neared the third checkpoint, everyone began to feel nervous, for a mannequin suddenly appeared, blocking the way in front of the car. However, the manned flying car did not slow down. Seeing that, everyone gasped. Chapter 1547 Chapter 1547 "Oh no, it''s going to fail!" But at the very next second, the car dodged the mannequin simply by flying over it. Witnessing this scene, the crowd was stunned.They could hardly process what was going on. The car, upon encountering an obstacle, had evaded it by going over it. As the crowd was left in a state of confusion, the system sounded, "Master, there was a mannequin in the way.We have safely dodged it.Please do not panic." "It can even detect mannequins?" one of the men asked. At that point, the experiment team waspletely stunned. If they could, they would press their faces against the ss pane to catch a view of the whole scene from the floor-to-ceiling window. "Understood," the driver replied excitedly. Then, he instructed the car to drive to the end point, which it did before finally halting. Following that, everyone immediately rushed over and hugged the driver. Kelly, who was exceedingly ted, rushed over and hugged Nicole as well. "Nicole! We''ve seeded! You are our savior!" These words prompted everyone to turn their attention to Nicole.It was true. If Nicole had not brought such an advanced system to the table, they most probably would have to burn the midnight oil for a few more nights just to discover the root cause of the issue, and even then, the system which they would develop would never be as good as the artificial intelligence which she had installed. With that said, what they had now was simply thebination of a manned flying car and artificial intelligence, and once the product appeared on the market, the price would be exuberant. Nicole looked at Kelly calmly and smiled. "Thank you guys for all your hard work all this while." Kelly smiled, "We didn''t do much! Not much at all!" And that was when it dawned upon her why Nicole wanted to leave this ce soon.She had shown up with a trump card. When artificial intelligence and manned flying cars werebined, their research woulde to an end. They would no longer need a research base anymore. Instead, they would have to switch to a production factory! "Everyone gets a holiday.After the holidays, we''ll start mass- producing the cars," Nicole announced. Kelly nodded vigorously and quickly ordered everyone to take a break. It was then that Terry approached them. "Miss Riddle, may I ask...where did you get the AI?" Terry was obsessed with research, and because of the fact that he was a mechanical engineer, he was really eager to find out which had team worked on that project. However, Nicole shook her head. "I can''t share it with you, but if you''re interested, I can borrow you the system for research purposes." After all, she was once involved in the creation of the system. Most of it the codes were written by her as well. Thanks to that, no one could say anything about who she showed it to. "Really?" Terry looked at Nicole in surprise, unable to believe that she really was going to hand him such a valuable thing. "Yeah.I''ve encrypted it so you can only view it.You won''t be able to copy or edit it.Hope this helps," she added. Terry was extremely thankful, and he agreed to it. Nicole then said, "You''ll be in charge of all future research.Now that I''m handing the artificial intelligence system to you, I''ve got nothing else to worry about." Terry, who felt touched, quickly promised, "Do not worry, Miss Riddle.I will do my part and not go against my conscience." N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material. Nicole nodded. "It''s not that big a deal, really.Anyway, you guys should continue, and I''ll make a move." The manned flying car''s system wasplete, with artificial intelligence being an added bonus to it. Even if Scott''s team was also researching on manned flying cars, she would not have to worry about anyone or anything once her product, which hadbined both technologies, appeared on the market. Chapter 1548 Chapter 1548 But the instant Nicole thought of Scott, she let out a sigh. Prior to this, she had left him just like that. Scott might not be aware of it yet, but the coboration between them would have to end soon. There was little to be gained in forcing the both of them to work together any longer. Without thinking too much into it, Nicole left the Golden Coast Building. But just as she reached the lower floor and stepped out of the elevator, she bumped into Harvey, who was on his way in. Harvey did not seem to be in a good condition.He looked like he had not slept for the entire night as he walked forward with therge, heavy bags under his eyes. However, a fleeting glimpse of light shed in his tired eyes as soon as he saw her. Nicole proceeded to ignore the look on his face, even if she had noticed it. Harvey then went up to her, and in a faint voice, he asked, "You''re here this early?" During the night before, Harvey had not been able to sleep because of her.But when they met again that morning, he did not have the heart to ignore her. "Yes."'' Nicole nodded. Instantly, a sharp pain radiated across his eyes. Nicole noticed the look in his eyes and began to feel a little ufortable. In response to that, she simply said, "Thank you for the help you''ve given Kelly and the rest.Our research has ended today, so we''ll be moving out in three days." ¡®She was serious about what she said yesterday,'' Harvey thought, his expression turning stiff.His heart was heavy and aching, as if a rock was pressing against it. However, his pride prevented him from pleading to her. All he replied was, "Okay." "That''s all.I''m leaving." As soon as Nicole had spoken, she turned around and left. Having seen how merciless Nicole was to him, Harvey knew he could not stand her treatment toward him anymore.He turned around the left in anger.He did not want Nicole to think of him as a worthless person by bugging her. Meanwhile, Nicole had just walked out of the building when she saw a text from Zeke on her phone. Remembering that Karlo was still in bad shape, she began to wonder how he was doing. Perhaps, she should pay them a visit. And visit them she did, when she turned the car around and headed straight to the Guzman family manor. The Guzman family was a military family, and so, it would make sense that their family manor was located at the very top of the row of vis belonging to members of the army. After Nicole''s car had passed the first curve, she saw a checkpoint.N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. Having guessed that Zeke had prepared for this, Nicole announced her name, "Nicole Riddle." Once the guard had heard her name, he removed the barricade, allowing her to enter. After passing through seven checkpoints in total, Nicole finally arrived at the entrance of the Guzman family manor. The servant of the Guzman family had been at the entrance, waiting for hours. Upon noticing her arrival, the servant weed her politely, and with poise, he said, "Follow me, Miss Riddle." Judging from the servant''s straight posture and meticulous bodily movements, Nicole could tell that he was a soldier too. Even the guards on the road were of military background. With that said, regr people would never be able to enter the Guzman family manor with ease. Even if Nicole and Carl were to sneak into that ce, they might not be able to escape. Soon after, the servant brought her past the open-air corridor to a three-story building which was well hidden within the backyard. Nicole nced over, instantly knowing that the exterior of the building was patrolled by countless security details and guards. '' So, the manor in the middle is actually the Guzman family''s real house. After she had entered the hall, the servant led her into an elevator, which brought them up to the hall at the highest level. In contrast to the exterior where soldiers and guards were on high alert, the interior was not as intense. The ce was no longer lined with watchful eyes like how it was out there. Instead, the atmosphere within seemed a lot more home-like. "Nicole!" Chapter 1549 Chapter 1549 Zeke was already there waiting for her. Once he saw Nicoleing down from the elevator, he immediately got up from the sofa and weed her. Sighting that Zeke had a look of joy on his face, Nicole asked, "Is your dad awake?¡± "Yes!" Zeke nodded vigorously. "It was my dad who wanted me to text you. He wanted to thank you personally." If it were not for that, Zeke would have really forgotten to contact Nicole during his time back here. Every day, for the past week, he was hoping that his father would wake up soon. "I see," she said. If Nicole had known earlier that Zeke had purposely called her over just so that his dad could thank her, she would not havee over. But as she was there already, she could not just leave like that. She had no choice but to follow Zeke into the room. As Zeke opened the door, Nicole saw Karlo leaning on the headboard in that wide bedroom. It seemed to Nicole that Karlo had indeed been waiting for her. On the other end, Mr. Guzman Sr. was sitting there with a cane in hand while waiting for Nicole. When Zeke entered, he introduced them to each other, "Grandpa, this is Nicole Riddle. Dad, you''ve met her before." Karlo nodded and smiled at Nicole, "It has been a while, Miss Riddle." Thest time they met, he could already tell that she was not an average Jane. This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org. Previously, Mr. Johnston Sr. had invited Karlo over to the Rogers family where they were on a mission to rescue the Riddles. Although he had not seen Nicole there, he knew that Nicole and Mr. Johnston Sr. had a conflict. It was only when Nicole and Jared were engaged that he found out that they were a couple. Such was why Mr. Johnston Sr. had no interest in Zeke. What he did not know was that, Nicole was the one who had rescued them. It was Nicole who had saved Karlo and his son, Zeke, back at Lanningbourg. In fact, she was the one who had performed the surgery on him. ¡®Who on earth is thisdy, Nicole Riddle?¡¯ he thought. He heard from two of his servants that the person who had taken Karlo and Zeke away was someone from the Turmann family. They even went to the Curley Corporation''s base of productions. If the word was to spread, all of these big names would intimidate and deter anyone who would seek to harm them. However, Nicole was able to walk among them. Therefore, Karlo had not dared to underestimate Nicole. Instead, he had caller her over in an effort to thank her in person. "You''re wee. How are you feeling now Mr. Guzman?" Nicole noticed that Karlo did not seem well as he frowned. Even though her operation was sessful, with Karlo having finally woken up too, the situation post- surgery was important too. She was uncertain as to how skillful the doctors of the Guzman family are. "I''m fine, all thanks to you for your help at Lanningbourg,¡¯ he said. While Karlo had always been a person who had never mince his words, he disyed a rather polite approach as he was talking to Nicole. This left Zeke feeling surprised. ¡®Why does it feel like dad is showing Nicole a lot of respect and courtesy?¡¯ "It''s nothing. After all, Zeke is my friend." Nicole replied calmly, much to Karlo''s honor. ¡®My son has hit the jackpot. He has actually met a friend who is pretty powerful,¡¯ he thought. ¡®If he had not, we would have died at Lanningbourg.¡¯ Meanwhile, Mr. Guzman Sr. was sizing Nicole up. After hearing much that his own son had said, Mr. Guzman Sr. let out a light cough and said, "Miss Riddle? The actual reason as to why I''ve asked Zeke to bring you here is because I need your help with a few things.¡± Nicole''s gaze shifted toward Mr. Guzman Sr., who had been quiet for the whole time. Seeing him in his ripe, old age, Nicole became a lot more serious. "Sir, please go ahead." Mr. Guzman Sr. slowly got up, approached Nicole, and said, ¡°Outside my manor, there are quite a few people who are not from the military. It seems to me that they are protecting me secretly. Was it you who sent them?" Upon hearing those words, Karlo and Zeke fell silent. Although Zeke was privy to what was going on, Karlo did not. At the same time, he would also like to rify why there were so many people out there who were trying to protect them. Facing the old man''s question, Nicole chose not to lie. Instead, she calmly replied, "Yes." Mr. Guzman Sr.''s pupil narrowed. For an eighteen-year-old girl to send an entire battalion''s worth of men was really shocking. However, as she was the one who had done so, it was easier for them to understand why that was. Chapter 1550 Chapter 1550 As soon as Nicole had responded, Mr. Guzman Sr. deepened his voice and said in a serious tone, "I heard that the Riddle family had a banquet yesterday, and it was announced in front of everyone present that you are the sessor of the Fire Crest.¡¯ Hearing this, Karlo was taken aback. "Dad, what are you talking about? What Fire Crest?¡± he asked. Mr. Guzman Sr. turned to Karlo and said, "It''s the Reby Family Crest written in the preface of our family¡¯s records. The Fire Crest is one of crests." Karlo was appalled. To a man as pragmatic and serious as he was, those things sounded like nothing but fairytales. N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. ¡®Who would''ve thought that this little brat here is going to be the sessor of the Fire Crest?¡¯ he wondered. "Yes." Nicole uttered, neither humble nor proud of it. However, Zeke then began to panic. ¡®If grandpa and dad find out that I was involved, they would want to kill me, wouldn''t they?¡¯ Up until that moment, Zeke had not told them the truth. ¡®So, grandpa and dad had asked me to bring Nicole over so that they could question her about something?¡¯ Surely enough, Mr. Guzman Sr. could already tell that Zeke was feeling guilty about something, and so, he questioned his grandson at once. ¡°Zeke, are you still trying to hide it? Did those assassinse after you because of the Fire Crest?¡¯ Zeke was so caught off guard that his legs began to feel wobbly and weak. ¡°This is it. Grandpa really knew everything!" Zeke''s face instantly nched and he was rendered speechless for a moment. Nicole immediately understood the situation, having surmised that it was a trap. "Mr. Guzman Sr. had probably known it all from the get go. After all, the crest was written in the Guzman family''s records. They must be one of the century-old families as well,¡¯ she concluded. ording to rumors, Mr. Guzman Sr. had been in the military government for two consecutive terms throughout his entire life. He had never been bowed down to anyone. Because of this, he might not give in to Nicole as easily. Although Nicole knew that the situation would be a tough one to deal with, she still stood in front of Zeke and shielded him. "About this whole thing, Zeke was dragged into it. He was the one who was roped into all of this.¡± Mr. Guzman Sr. did not expect Nicole to be so daring. Suppressing his anger, he turned to Nicole and asked, "What on earth is going on? Please make things clear. I want to know why my son got hurt? My grandson was the one who had found the Fire Crest, so how did it fall into your hands?" ¡®After all, the Fire Crest is a very significant artifact which was once in the possession of a Guzman. However, this good-for- nothing Zeke had failed to guard it, and now it has fallen into Nicole''s hands. I suspect that this pretty little brat has bewitched my grandson with her looks!¡¯ he thought. Nicole obviously knew what Mr. Guzman Sr. was thinking about. As she did not n to keep it a secret anymore, she immediately told him the whole story, from how Zeke had gotten involved in the case, to the part where they were trying to hide before being found by Karlo, to them discovered and saved by her, to the way Zeke had found himself incapable of handling the crest, and to the transfer of ownership of the crest to her. Initially, Mr. Guzman Sr. felt nothing but anxiety and pity for his own grandson. However, after hearing about how he single handedly passed the crest over to Nicole, Mr. Guzman Sr. became furious. "Nonsense! Do you know what being the head of the Reby family signifies? How could you easily give the position to this person?" he roared. Although he knew that Nicole was the one who had saved Karlo, he also knew that she was a superb hacker. Mr. Guzman Sr. became even more furious the instant he thought about how the Riddle family had risen to the top of the list just because of the Fire Crest, and that the Guzman family would have to be courteous and subservient to them in the foreseeable future. ¡®Grandpa...Nicole is not an ordinary woman!" Zeke shouted after he had mustered up the courage to do so, as he saw how mad and upset Mr. Guzman Sr. was. Chapter 1551 Chapter 1551 Mr. Guzman Sr. was taken aback by Zeke''s reaction. "How dare you talk back to me? Even if she is an outstanding practitioner in the field of medicine, and a capable hacker who could procure the Fire Crest, think about the Riddle family. They''re just a third-grade family! Even your men wouldn''t look up to her! Can the Riddle family deal with that?" Strangely, Nicole began to feel warm, knowing that Mr. Guzman Sr. was also concerned about her. Although Mr. Guzman Sr. appeared to be arrogant, he was not a bad person at all. At that moment, Karlo, who had been silent thus far, chimed in, in a deep tone of voice, "Don''t worry about it, dad. Nicole is Mr.Johnston Sr.''s rightful granddaughter-inw. She and Jared are already engaged.¡± Mr. Guzman Sr. narrowed his eyes.He had been out of touch with the outside world for a few years. Thus, he did not know that Nicole was Jared''s fiancee. However, Mr. Guzman Sr. still took a deep breath and said, "Even with the Johnston family¡¯s protection, the people out there will still look down upon you. For them to betray the Riddle family or the Johnston family will not be a difficult decision!" In response, Zeke immediately argued, "That was why I gave the Fire Crest to Nicole. Now, all the families would gather around to protect her. Isn''t that enough?" Hearing that ced Mr. Guzman Sr. on the verge of fainting. "You ignorant brat! How dare you put forth such a senseless argument? Do you know that if the Fire Crest is in our possession, it would make our family even more powerful!? Now, it has fallen into the hands of another, and you still have the nerve to spew that kind of hogwash?¡± As he was speaking, Mr. Guzman Sr. grabbed his stick and lurched forward, attempting to hit Zeke. But before the sticknded on Zeke, Nicole grabbed and firmed her grip on it. "You!" Mr. Guzman Sr. exerted some force to retrieve his stick, but to no avail. Mr. Guzman Sr. was taken aback. When he was younger, he participated in martial arts too. If his stick landed as he intended, Zeke would not be able to defend against it. Yet, Nicole had managed to grab it. ¡®It seems that this girl has quite some skills," he observed. "Mr. Guzman Sr., how did you know that if it fell into my hands, we would all be worse off than the Guzman family?¡± Nicoleughed. However, thatugh of hers had a hint of frenzy in it. "What do you mean?" Mr. Guzman Sr. asked, somewhat uncertain of what she meant. Nicole immediately released the stick, and in a flippant manner, she replied, "Mr. Guzman Sr., it''s because Karlo has woken up today that you feel as though the Fire Crest will be useful if it is in your hands instead of mine. But on the day Zeke passed the Fire Crest to me, no one knew when and if Karlo would wake up. Have you ever thought how much pressure it would be for Zeke if he became the owner of the Fire Crest? If Karlo doesn''t wake up, would you and Zeke be able to manage these families?¡± As soon as those words were spoken, Mr. Guzman Sr. gulped. She was right. After all, the agreement between the families were made about a thousand years back. At present, he could not be sure if those families would still listen to them. If Karlo did not wake up, Zeke and Mr. Guzman Sr.''s power and positions alone might not be sufficient to get the other families to take them seriously. "So, I had also taken Zeke''s situation into consideration before deciding to ept this Fire Crest. Other than that...¡± Nicole looked at Mr. Guzman Sr. with deep set eyes. "You don''t have to worry about me. Not only do I have the Johnston family''s support. Do you remember which organization rescued Karlo about three years ago?" As she was speaking, Nicole turned her electronic watch on, and the letter¡¯ F'' projected from it. Upon seeing that letter, Zeke suddenly recalled that it was the time when his dad was about to be amputated. A ne with the logo ''F'' then took Karlo away; the same that had brought him back here after the surgery. As he stared at the unique letter, Mr. Guzman Sr.''s eyes widened. Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. "Y-you are part of the Zane Spears¡¯ Organization?¡± Suddenly, he lost grip of his stick and with a thud, it dropped onto the floor. Mr. Guzman Sr. staggered. Fortunately, there was a sandalwood chair behind him. Nicole did not deny it. To add to that, she said, "Code name, Niki.¡± Chapter 1552 Chapter 1552 Karlo and Zeke immediately looked at each other, both appalled and speechless. The Zane Spears Organization was a secret organization that the Interpol had once formed to investigate institutions and governments of different countries back then. Its person in charge, Zane Spears, was a leading figure in the Interpol. It was said that every person in the organization was trained in secret ever since they were young. Lucifer, whosebat and medical skills were exceptional, was one of the two most outstanding personnel that worked for him. However, the old man had only heard of the name, and had never met Lucifer in person. ¡®¡®Is it possible that... Nicole and Lucifer are the same person?¡¯¡¯ he wondered. Mr. Guzman Sr. drew a few deep breaths before he could recollect himself. Then, his gaze darkened, "Kid, you better not be messing with me. I''ve never heard that Lucifer is the heiress of the Riddle family!¡± He figured that the Riddles would never keep quiet about it if that was true. They would spread the news anywhere they could if they knew about it. Then, with an honest and confident look on his face, Nicole exined, ¡°That''s because I''ve yet to tell my grandpa about this. Feel free to ask Mr. Spears yourself if you don''t believe me." Nicole took her other phone out as she spoke before switching it on. Then, she dialed a number on it. Mr. Guzman Sr. became nervous at once, because that very same phone had an F logo emzoned on it. He had only met Zane by coincidence once about more than ten years in spite of his rank, and in that same encounter, they had not even spoken to one another. However, he could not help but wonder if he would finally get to talk to Zane through Nicole, who was still a kid to him. The call connected when he was still in shock. Then, Nicole turned the loudspeaker on. Zane''s voice could be heard ring out of the speakers. ¡°What''s wrong, Nicole? Didn''t you say that you were going to keep the Fire Crest a secret first? Why did you publicize the fact? The organization is ina mess now and even Interpol has called us up for validation! Do you think I have a lot of free time to clean your mess up?" In spite of Zane''s tone, Nicole remained calm. "I''m sorry, Mr. Spears. Something happened, and I couldn''t hide it anymore.¡± "What happened?" Zane asked, bing anxious. "You could''ve at least told me beforehand if you couldn''t keep it a secret anymore, so I could be prepared. The entire Zane Spears Organization has turned into a mess today because of you! We''re literally turning into a call center! Everybody wants to know if you''re Lucifer. Are you nning to let everybody know about this as well?¡¯ Zane continued to chew Nicole out, and everything he said shocked Mr. Guzman Sr., Karlo, and Zeke to the very core. Zeke had been Nicole''s partner for a very long time, and yet, he had no idea that she was a part of the Zane Spears Organization. ¡®She kept a low profile even though she¡¯s such a big shot!¡¯ Zeke connected the dots as he thought to himself. ¡®¡¯Now I know why she''s so good at medicine! She''s Lucifer!" Nicole dug her ears helplessly as Zane ceaselesslyunched usation after usation at her. Then, she said, "Mr. Spears, Mr. Guzman Sr. needs to verify something with you." Zane paused. "You''re with somebody else?!" ¡®Gosh, why didn''t she tell me earlier? I just exposed her real identity! Darn, I''m pissed!¡¯ he fumed. N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. ¡±Yeah," Nicole said calmly. Mr. Guzman Sr.''s face became as pale as sheet, and he was left speechless. ¡®What should I do now? That person on the phone really does sound like Zane Spears!¡¯ he panicked. He did not even have the right to talk to Zane, and yet, here he was, about to question him about the identity of one of his best helpers. ¡®¡®Wouldn''t it be utterly disrespectful of me?¡¯'' he pondered. Chapter 1553 Chapter 1553 Karlo had be so shocked following Mr. Guzman Sr.''s discovery about Nicole''s real identity that he was at a loss for words. Then, he awkwardly said, "Mr. Spears, my name is Karlo Guzman. I would like to take this opportunity to express my deepest gratitude to you and Nicole for saving me back in Lanningbourg.¡± Zane attempted to recall who Karlo was after hearing his name, and after a minute, he remembered. ¡°Oh, it''s you. How''s your leg now?" Zane asked. Karlo was sent to the base for treatment a few years ago. His leg was really close to being amputated, but fortunately, Nicole had managed to spare him from that fate. Karlo did not expect that Zane would remember everything that had happened to him at all, and because of this, he said, "It has recovered a long time ago. All thanks to the doctors in the Zane Spears Organization.¡± In response, Zane coldly replied, "There''s no need to thank me. The person who saved you back there is standing right in front of you." Karlo became even more surprised upon hearing that. He was anesthetized right after he had been wheeled into the operation theater and as a result, he was not able to see the person who had saved his life. He had never thought that the person who had treated him was actually Nicole. To add to that, he could not believe that he had underestimated Nicole when they first met. Because of this, Karlo could not help but feel that he had been ignorant. "I didn''t know that the surgeon was Miss Riddle!" he said. ¡®Indeed. She''s Ghost Hand, the person who possesses the best medical skills in the base. She was the one who operated on my leg too. Why didn''t I think of this at all!?¡¯ Nicole looked at Karlo. She thought that he looked familiar when they first met too, but she could only confirm that he was Karlo after she had gone back to the base to look him up. Karlo became even more grateful for Nicole and Zane as he said in a low voice, "Miss Riddle, I must thank you for saving me twice. I''m so sorry for having offended you today. It was all Mr. Guzman Sr.''s fault for being so obsessed with power. Otherwise, he would not have been bothered by the fact that his grandson had given the crest away. After Karlo had discovered Nicole''s real identity, he knew that the Guzman family was nothing compared to her. "You''re too kind.¡± Nicole took her phone back after she had said that. Then, Zane began to question her again. ¡°What''s wrong with you? Why did you call me for such a tiny matter?¡± Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. ¡®¡®Does she think that I have a lot of free time on my hands?¡¯'' Zane thought. The look on Karlo and Mr. Guzman Sr.''s faces suddenly changed, as they felt uneasy. They knew very well that even though they had quite a reputation to their names in the country, they were nowhere close to being on par with a person like Zane. Besides, Zane would not even care if they thanked him or not. Nicole smiled and turned the loudspeaker off. "I knew that you would go all out on me if I call you. See, you''re so much calmer now that I''ve diverted your attention.¡± It was then that Zane became so furious that the veins on his temple bulged. ''Did Nicole just get someone to be her scapegoat because she knew I''d be angry?¡¯ Mr. Guzman Sr. and Karlo looked at each other simultaneously. ¡®God, we''re the descendants of the Guzman family. We''re so well-respected, and yet we¡¯ve just been used as shields.¡¯ To make matters worse, Nicole had tantly told Zane that she was using them to shift his attention. They were mad, but they did not have the guts to say anything about it. In fact, they did not even have the guts to get mad at her. Zeke had never seen his unyielding father and grandfather being so submissive before. He could not help but find it funny as he struggled to hold hisughter in. He only kept hisughter in after Karlo had glowered at him. However, he still had the urge to burst into a fit. "You better not switch your phone off ever again. I must be able to reach you immediately if anything happens,¡± Zane warned. "Got it.¡± Nicole nodded before hanging up. Then, she turned around. Obviously, Mr. Guzman Sr. did not look as hostile as he was before. Chapter 1554 Chapter 1554 Nicole did not make things hard for him. "Are you satisfied?¡± Mr. Guzman Sr. quickly shook his head. "Hey now, I didn¡¯t mean it that way. Don''t mock me, Miss Riddle.¡± Nicole put her phone away and smiled. "No, I think you''re right to be suspicious, Mr. Guzman Sr. Don''t worry though. The Fire Crest is with the Zane Spear''s organization now. When we''ve sessfully tracked the people who had stolen the Fire Crest in their attempt to gain ownership of it, we will seal the crest once again. You don''t have to worry too much, Mr. Guzman Sr." N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material. Mr. Guzman Sr. grew anxious. ¡®I see. Nicole had temporarily imed the crest just to use it to crack the case.¡¯ He was worried that his grandson might also be subjected to investigation by the Zane Spears''s organization if Zeke had be the owner. ¡®Thank God Zeke gave Nicole the crest. Otherwise, the Guzman family might be subjected to an investigation, and our history would''ve been dug up.¡¯ Mr. Guzman Sr. wiped off the sweat on his forehead and forced out a smile. "Oh, not at all. I misunderstood you, Miss Nicole.¡± Nicole stopped putting Zeke into a tough spot when she saw that Mr. Guzman Sr. was relieved. "Great, but please keep my Lucifer identity a secret, Mr. Guzman Sr.¡± If her Lucifer identity was exposed too early, her enemy might get frightened and go into hiding. If that happened, Nicole would not be able to do anything anymore. "Sure... Do you want to stay for some tea, Miss Riddle?" Mr. Guzman Sr. offered, seemingly treating Nicole in apletely different manner than before. Zeke had never seen this happening before. "It''s okay, but I''ll need to borrow Zeke for a bit. I might need his help during the investigation these days.¡± Nicole looked at Zeke, figuring that he might be useful to her. "Sure, but don''t say that you''re borrowing him. It''s his honor to be able to help you, so do as you please. Miss Riddle," Karlo said, being extra nice to Nicole too. Zeke immediately thought that it was unfair. It felt like his dad was treating him as though he was an object. It felt as though he could be freely given to Nicole whenever she needed him. Even though being with Nicole was fine, his father''s gesture really dide off as weird. "Okay then, follow me." Nicole seized the back of Zeke''s cor and pulled him outside. "Hey, slow down! I''m going to fall!" Zeke struggled. But Karlo and Mr. Guzman Sr. did not say anything when they saw their dearest Zeke being dragged away. In fact, they even felt a little proud. Zeke looked at the prideful expression on their faces and began to wonder if they were the same people who had reprimanded him for spewing hogwash. The door then closed. Realizing that his back was drenched in sweat, Mr. Guzman Sr. wiped them off with his shaking hand. "God bless our family. Thankfully, Zeke gave the Fire Crest to the Zane Spears¡¯s Organization. Otherwise, our family would''ve gotten into big trouble.¡± A family with decades of history was bound to have some ugly past. If everything were to be brought up in the investigation, their name would be tarnished. "Zeke is such a fortunate fe! I''ve always found the girl decent. I didn''t expect her to be under Zane Spear''s organization," Mr. Guzman Sr. said. Indeed, she was also Zeke''s savior. ¡®lf Zeke had managed to win Nicole over from the start, the Johnstons would be nothing,¡¯ he thought. ¡®It''s a pity that I''ve lost such a good daughter- inw.¡¯¡¯ "Yeah, he should''ve told us sooner..." Mr. Guzman Sr. was still stuck in the past, as he realized that he almost crossed someone that he should not. "Dad, you should control your temper from now on..." Karlo advised. Chapter 1555 Chapter 1555 Mr, Guzman Sr. nodded for the first time. ¡®¡®Yeah, I almost got into trouble this time.¡¯ Meanwhile, Zeke had already been dragged out by Nicole. "H-hey... let go of me, Nicole..." Zeke pleaded. Nicole only released him when they were outside. Then, she crossed her arms and asked him, "Why didn''t you tell your family about what you did? Why did you drag me into it?" Zeke lowered his shoulders. "I... wanted to hide it from them, but I didn''t expect my grandpa would know." "Idiot." Nicole rolled her eyes. "Your grandfather will obviously question the cause of your father''s injury. It''s impossible to hide it from them," she said. Zeke nodded. "I know, but you''ve seen my grandpa¡¯s attitude. If I told him, I might actually get beaten to death." His grandfather really treasured the Fire Crest, and that was why he almost crossed her when he did not know who she was. Nicole eyed Zeke with a look of defeat. "Forget it. Consider us even because you''ve given me the Fire Crest." "Yeah... Thank you!" Zeke, who found the exchange worth it,ughed. Nicole looked at the time and said, "It''s noon time now. Is there anything good nearby? I''m hungry." She nned to head home after her lunch as she wanted to get ready for school. "You''re hungry? I''ll buy you lunch! Come on, I''ll bring you somewhere amazing!" Zeke said, as he would grab every opportunity to treat Nicole to a meal. Nicole frowned and replied, "I don''t need you to treat me." "Come on, you saved my father twice. I have to treat you to something, so let''s go,¡± he insisted. Nicole could tell that that he was sincere, so she followed him. Zeke then asked his driver to use a regr vehicle. Together, they left the area and arrived at a simple French restaurant. The food here is great. I love this ce, so please give it a try," Zeke mused. ¡°Okay.¡± Nicole nodded and began to observe her surroundings. The restaurant had a gothic theme, which was a rarity in the central business district. This was something that could only be found near the military region. Soon, the food Zeke ordered was served. There were not many people around, so Zeke helped Nicole with the setup of the table while he asked, "I heard that your family publicized your identity. They even organized a banquet. Is that true?" His grandfather had probably known about the Fire Crest, and that was why they did not leave the housest night or attend the banquet. If his grandfather had not told him about it, he would not have known a thing. N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. "Yeah, I guess," she said. "Why? Isn''t it better to hide your identity? Your family will be in danger.¡± Zeke foolishly asked. Nicole recalled Jared''s words and looked at Zeke. ¡®¡®As expected, not everyone has Jared''s depth of insight,¡¯ she wondered. Then, she exined, "Well, even if I don''t expose myself, those people would still find me one way or another. It''d be a problem for me if that happens, as they will have an advantage against us. However, now that we''ve contacted almost everyone who could help us, people would have to think twice about hurting us, especially with my identity being made known to the public." Chapter 1556 Chapter 1556 "You''re right.¡± Zeke agreed, as he came to the realization. ¡°School''s starting soon. Your family is always busy. Will they be in danger?¡± "Don''t worry, I''ve already gotten a bunch of people to protect them in secret,¡± she said. "Good, just let me know if you need help. Judging by the reaction of my father and my grandpa, I believe they''ll try their best to help you if you need anything.¡± Zeke chuckled as he thought it was an honor to help Nicole. Nicole smiled. ¡°Yeah. After all, the Guzman family is bound by oath to the Reby family. They''ll have to listen to and obey themands of the crest bearer." "True." Zeke nodded. "Does that mean that... you''re my superior now?" Nicole liked the sound of that. ¡°You''re right. I''m going to call you Little Zeke from now on." Unfortunately, Zeke was extremely ufortable with this new name. ¡°Nah, I''m not your servant, okay?¡± he retorted. Unable to hold it in, she burst outughing. Then, the both of them ate their lunch. As they were at it, Zeke did not ask her much and just chatted with her casually. Naturally, he was just trying to compliment Nicole. The afternoon then went on with jokes andughter. Meanwhile, Fiore was finally bailed out from the San Joto police station. She walked out of the police station, but much to her chagrin, she could not see her family''s car. All she saw was a ck sedan. She got into the car and her eyes darkened when she saw the butler.¡±N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material. Where''re my parents? Why didn''t theye?" The butler sighed and looked at her. "Miss Fiore, Mr. Fisher has already stated that he had severed all ties with youst night. I''m only here to send you to your personal home." Fiore was stumped. She had already had a hard time in the police station before she was bailed out, but it turned out that her father was still furious at her. He even wanted to send her to her private house. Unable to take it anymore, she immediately called her father. Soon, her father''s voice was heard yelling at her from the speakers. ¡°How dare you call me, you brat?!" Fiore was about tosh out at her father, but she was not expecting her father to beat her to it, and was instantly left feeling upset as a result. "Dad, I don''t mind you noting to pick me up, but scolding me? Do you really want to sever ties with me?¡± ¡°I''m not your father! I don''t have a daughter as crappy as you are! Do you know that ourpany is in a critical state because of you?! Everypany that had partnered with us is pulling out! And this only happened because you pissed Nicole off! You wronged the entire Riddle family!" he roared. Her father had been stressing out about it for the entire night. His eyes were bloodshot and his voice was hoarse. "Huh?" Fiore was shocked. ¡®¡®All I did was get into a petty argument with Nicolest night, and it affected our partnership with the otherpanies?¡¯ "Why is this happening?! What does my issue with Nicole have anything to do with them? Why did it affect ourpany?¡± Fiore asked, unable to understand any of this. She also could not understand the way everyone treated Nicole yesterday, as well as her father¡¯s special treatment of thetter. "Why? It''s because Nicole imed the Fire Crest! She is the bearer of the Reby Family Crest! All of the historical families have to treat her as theirmander! The families that went to the banquetst night were all there to see Nicole!" he bellowed. ¡°What?!¡± Fiore was beyond shocked. Though she did not remember the details, the preface of her family''s records did mention something about the Reby Family Crest. "Isn''t that just a myth? Besides, the crest was nowhere to be seen for centuries!¡± she argued. Fiore was stunned. She did not expect that the mythical item would appear, and she sure as hell could not believe that Nicole had obtained it. "Who said it was a myth?! It is with Nicole right now!¡± Fiore''s father was livid. Chapter 1557 Chapter 1557 Actually, Nicole had already agreed to let him off the hook. However, those otherpanies did not wish to risk crossing Nicole and her family. They were afraid that they would be dragged into the dirt with the Fishers, so they quickly revoked their partnership with them. "Because of you, ourpany is in a crisis. Many projects are now on hold, so we won''t be having any ie anymore!" Fiore¡¯s father grabbed a tuft of his hair and wrenched it, as he did not know what to do. Fiore finally pulled herself together, as she began to grow anxious. "So, that was why my dad was being extra nice to Nicole.However, I was foolish enough to go and stand up against Nicole in front of everybody...¡¯ ¡®But even if he does sever ties with me, there''s no way we could rebuild ourpany,¡¯ she thought. "It''s all Nicole''s fault! She''s definitely picking on us! I''m going to kill her!" Fiore hung up as she went on to dere war on Nicole. "Hello?! Fiore!" her father yelled, but he realized toote that Fiore had already ended the call. He then tried calling her back, but to no avail. ¡®¡¯Sh*t! Fiore doesn''t know that Nicole has already agreed to let our family go.That is why she''s so set on the idea that Nicole is picking on us! God damn it!¡¯¡¯ N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. As soon as he thought about the things that Fiore was going to do to Nicole, his knees went weak. Nicole could forgive their family once, but what about the next time? ¡®¡¯If Fiore tries to do anything funny again, it''s going to be our family''s undoing!¡¯¡¯ he panicked. With no time to think, he rushed out of the house to stop Fiore...However, Fiore had already ordered her aide to trace Nicole''s whereabouts. The butler, who had heard her call, advised her, "Miss Fiore, I think it''s best if you stop crossing her. We can''t afford to piss her off now." Fiore rolled her eyes. "Please, do you think she will let my family go even if I was in good terms with her? Our family is going bankrupt! She treated us like s*it, and I will not let it slide!¡± ¡®She had already taken Jared away, and now she wants to send my family into bankruptcy! How can I turn a blind eye to this?!" she fumed. After an hour, Nicole and Zeke were finally done with their meal. Then, Nicole followed Zeke, who was too full to even walk, out of the restaurant and looked at him. "Nicole, how could you eat so little? The food is great here!" Zeke asked as he patted his stomach happily. Nicole replied, "You can''t eat too much good food. Look at you, you can''t eat dinner anymore, right?¡± Zeke chuckled. "My dad doesn''t let me eat out, so it''s only natural for me to eat as much as I can when I''m out here with you." Nicole shook her head in defeat. "Why would a rich kid from the military be so pitiful?¡¯ ¡°Alright, I''m leaving now. You should go home,¡± she said. Zeke nodded before standing up abruptly. "Right, didn''t you drag me out here because you needed my help?" Nicole remembered the excuse she had used back there, so she waved it off and said, "It''s just an excuse to take you out. If you had stayed there after I left, your father and your grandpa would definitely have taught you a lesson...¡± After all, she had just embarrassed Mr. Guzman Sr. himself. If she had left Zeke behind, he might be using crutches to walk the next time she saw him. Zeke''s eyes became teary in an instant. "Nicole... You''re too good to be true! You''re a saint!¡± Chapter 1558 Chapter 1558 While Nicole had thought about it, Zeke had not thought about this at all. She only took him out just to save him from a world of pain. "Okay, cut the sweet talk.¡± Nicole scoffed when she saw Zeke¡¯s pathetic expression. ¡®This kid should grow up a little.¡¯ "Roger that!" Zeke nodded as he watched her get into her car. "Honestly though, just hit me up if you need me." "Sure." Nicole got into her Lamborghini and drove off. He was still extremely touched as he watched Nicole leave. Nicole is just too kind.¡¯ Even if he went home now, his father and grandfather would not make things hard for him. They must be thinking that he had gone out to do Nicole a huge favor. They couldn''t even help him aid Nicole, so they had reason to reprimand him any longer. Zeke was over the moon when he thought about the better treatment that he was going to receive back at home. Indeed, Nicole had been his lucky star. Meanwhile, Nicole had reached the highway in an instant. At that moment, her phone rang. Noticing that Jared had called, she began to think about the incident that had happened in the morning as her cheeks grew hot. ¡®Why is this guy calling me right now?¡¯ After she hesitated for a moment, she answered his call. "Yes?" Jared¡¯s voice was heard. "Were you eating lunch with Zeke?" Nicole frowned as she thought, ¡®How does this guy even know that I ate lunch with Zeke?¡¯ ¡°You sent someone to spy on me," Nicole asked, upset. "Not to spy on you, but to protect you. This is a critical time, so everyone in the Riddle family must be protected, and that includes you,¡± Jared replied, not thinking that he was invading Nicole''s privacy at all. "What a nice excuse." Nicole rolled her eyes. Jared acted like he had been wronged. "Seems like no one is going to have lunch with me today. My girlfriend went out to have a meal with another guy." Feeling resigned, she replied, "You''re on your own, and do yourself a favor. Stop seeing green.¡± Indeed, Jared had been bing more jealous these days. "A kid like him doesn''t bother me," Jared lied. Nicole proceeded to tease him, ¡°Is that so? Then why did you call me?" Annoyed, Jared replied, "I just wanted to tell you not to have lunch with anybody but me. You do know that a lot of men have their eyes on you, ever since your identity has been made public, right?¡± That was Jared''s truth. He used to be full of confidence. Lately however, he had begun to feel insecure, and even threatened. "Tsk... do you feel threatened now, Mr. Johnston?¡± Nicole teased, surmising that such was why Jared was really clingyst night. "No, there are plenty of women who are after me,¡± he retorted. "You should be the one who feeling threatened." Nicole yed along and said, "Yes, you do have way more admirers than me, Mr. Johnston." Suddenly, Nicole began to perceive a very strange feeling in her gut as she heard a piercing ring in her ears. Acar had sped against the traffic and driven up the highway. There were two cars in front of her, which had managed to evade the iing vehicle. Now, all Nicole could see was a ck sedan speeding toward her with no license tes attached. N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material. "Damn it!" Nicole yelled and turned her steering wheel abruptly. She barely managed to dodge the ck car, but it was then that she mmed into the divider with such force that the barrier the particr section of the barrier was destroyed, with the front of her car jutting out, hanging off the highway. The airbag popped out and buffered the impact, which was the only reason Nicole was spared from having her head dashed against the wheel. Chapter 1559 Chapter 1559 Nicole rubbed the back of her neck and looked up to have a good look of her surroundings. When she saw that the first half of her car was hanging off the bridge, she immediately held her breath and stopped moving. Jared could already hear that something was wrong, so he yelled through Nicole''s earphones. "Nicole! What''s wrong?!" Nicole moved her neck around and said, "I got into an ident on the highway across the river." "What?!" Jared left his office at once the moment he heard that Nicole had gotten into an ident. "Wait for me!" "Sure." Nicole nodded, but it was at that moment that she suddenly heard a loud screech from the tires of a car. She whirled around and saw the ck sedan that she had avoided. The car had actually turned around and charged toward her again. With a deafening bang, it struck the door next to the seat that she was. If she took her time, the car door wouldpletely cave in. Though she had avoided the crash, her car was now on the edge of a cliff, and following a creak, her vehicle plummeted. Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. "F*CK!" Nicole yelled, quickly trying to open her car door. "Nicole!" Jared was lost when he heard the loud crash. Immediately, he asked her what was going on, but Nicole was not able to respond to him anymore. With a ssh, Nicole''s car plunged into the water. Unfortunately, she had not opened the car door in time. "Son of a b*tch!" Nicole cursed as she tried her best to escape. However, a part of her car was already trapped in the water, and as a result, it was almost impossible for her to open the door no matter how strong she was. Despair began to set in the moment she saw that the water levels were rising. Though she could wait until her car was fully submerged in the water to open her door, she was afraid that her car would already be deep in the river by then. She had no idea whether she could escape this in one piece. "Nicole! What''s wrong?! Say something!" Jared''s voice rang in her ears. For a second there, she felt a sense of assurance. The water level had already risen above her knees, so she drew a deep breath. "Jared, my car fell into the river." "What?!" Jared sprinted to the car park, going crazy as soon as he had heard the news. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, my men have been around you. They''ll definitely save you!" Nicole tightened her grip as she looked at the highway that was drifting further and further away from her. "Even if they do jump down from the bridge, they won''t be able to open the car door. The car will be completely submerged in under a minute, and I don''t even know if I can swim up to the surface...¡± Though Nicole was skilled, she still could not hold her breath for that long... "Don''t give up, you can do it! You have to stay alive!" he pleaded. Jared could not bear to lose her. After all, their good life together had just begun. "I will... But if anything happens to me...¡± "Nothing''s going to happen to you!" Jared shouted. "I won''t allow you to leave me, Nicole!" "I know... I just want you to remember... No matter what happens... I love you." It was the first time Nicole had confessed her love to Jared when she was in danger. Jared¡¯s heart sank. ¡°I love you too...¡± ¡°Yeah, and that¡¯s all I need. I''ll try my best to fight for my life, just for you." Nicole stared at the water, which had already risen to her chest. "Keep your word. I''ll be right there!¡± Jared hurried out of the car park as he yelled. He sped through multiple red lights and raced his way toward the highway across the river. Chapter 1560 Chapter 1560 The water was already at Nicole''s neck by then. She attempted to kick the door open, but she just could not do it. Seeing that, she had no other choice but to stick her face close to the roof of the car and draw a few deep breaths as she waited for herst chance. And when she noticed that her earpiece would soon be submerged in water, Nicole murmured, "Jared, I''ll see youter.¡± "Definitely!" Jared nodded as he heard the sound of water rushing in. Jared could only imagine what Nicole was going through. However, the only thing he could do now was to floor the pedal. Yet, that would not be able to get him next to her in time. With the entire car being filled with water by now, Nicole took a deep breath and dived into the water, and at the veryst second, she managed to throw the door open. Then, she immediately began to swim to the surface of the water with all her might. The car sunk to the bottom shortly after, but Nicole tried her best to escape the water with just the one breath that she had drawn in the car anyway. However, the speed at which she was swimming upward was way slower than the speed in which the car had fallen. One stroke became two, two became thirty, and thirty became forty. Her lungs were running out of oxygen, but all she could do was keep swimming. However, no matter how much she swam, she just could not get out of the water, even though she could see the light shining through the surface. Then, as she felt herself being asphyxiated, she let out a cough. As soon as she did so, she choked, though she continued to hold her breath. At this rate, she might really die of drowning. Her range of motion began to decrease, and so did the speed at which she was rising. After a few second, she realized that she could hold it in anymore. She opened her mouth, and that was when she choked again. This time, however, she gave in, and just like that, water rushed into her lungs, causing her to feel as if they were burning as she began to sink. With that, her vision began to be blurry. All she could see was a ray of light beaming down onto her. This is it... And sadly, this could really be it for her, but what about Jared? She swore that she would keep herself safe. They had also promised each other that they would never live alone if either of them died. Nicole struggled for onest time as her consciousness began to fade, but the surface was simply too far away. Her vision slowly became dark. ¡®¡®Jared. JTn afraid that I''d have to break my promise...¡¯¡¯ Suddenly, Nicole heard someone jumping into the water with a ssh. She forced herself to lift her head up and that was when she saw a figure swimming toward her. However, she could not see that person''s face at all. She felt a familiarrge hand reaching out and grabbing her arm right before she was about to sumb to the water. Then, her world around her turned dark, and she lost consciousness. As expected, the bridge and the shore were crowded with people. "A car just fell into the water!¡± "I saw a man jumping into the water too!" ¡°Hey! The man is right there! He has someone in his arms too!¡± The crowd was chattering and yelling about. N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. "Mr. Johnston, the doctor''s here!¡± One of his bodyguards rushed forward. They had called an ambnce right after Nicole had fallen into the water and had already arranged for a team to take a speedboat over to Nicole. However, Jared had arrived at the highway much earlier and had dived into the water first. It was a long jump, and so, the impact must have been great. Yet, Jared still took it in stride and saved Nicole. Jared was drenched in water, but he would still not let go of her. He took her to the shore and ced her on a soft mat. "CPR!" The doctor quickly went to Nicole''s aid. Jared could only watch from a side. Nicole''s face had turnedpletely white, and she had already stopped breathing. Jared had never seen Nicole in such a state before. "Save her now! If not, you''re all going to die with her!" Jared screeched. Everyone there knew who Jared was. If they could not save thisdy, they would all have to shut their hospitals down. Chapter 1561 Chapter 1561 The doctor hurriedly performed CPR on Nicole as he tried to force the water out of her lungs. Ten, twenty, fifty! As time slowly passed, everyone began to lose hope that she would be able to make it out alive. Someone in the crowd then said, "It looks like she has drowned." This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org. "Yeah, she was in the water for a good few minutes...,¡± another stated. Jared starred at the doctor intently, his hands were trembling. ¡°No...¡®¡¯ he panicked. "I cannot lose Nicole! I cannot lose her! Nicole, if you dare die on me, I''ll being with you!¡± They had made a promise, which he would never allow himself to break. At this moment, the doctor did a few morepressions in quick session. Suddenly, Nicole reacted with a series of coughs, before spitting out a mouthful of water. "She''s regained consciousness!" The crowd eximed as the doctor finally heaved a sigh of relief. Jared knelt down by Nicole''s side at once. ¡°Nicole!¡± Hearing Jared''s voice, Nicole gradually began to recover from her daze. "Why... are you here...¡± She had only just called him about a few minutes ago, and he had actually rushed all the way here. Looking at his sodden clothes, she whispered. "You saved me?" Those bodyguards who were secretly protecting her had not dared to jump into the water to save her. And yet, Jared had risked his life the way he did, just for her... For that she felt a surge of warmth and pain in her heart at the same time. ¡®¡®This man, to put himself in harm''s way for me? What a schmuck,'' she thought. "Who else? Am I supposed to stand and watch as my girl die?¡± he said, before sparing no time to order, "Take her to the hospital. I want a full checkup!¡± "Yes, sir.¡± The doctor and the bodyguards immediatelyplied. The doctor lifted Nicole and ced her onto the stretcher as she frowned. "Jared, there¡¯s no need for this.¡± She too was a doctor herself. She was fine, having only choked on water. "Don''t make me worry.¡± Jared''s brow furrowed. Nicole could only keep quiet as she did not want Jared to worry about her. Thus, she allowed them to take her into the ambnce as Jared climbed in too. After the doctors had done a preliminary checkup on her, Jared asked, in a low voice, "What happened? How did you fall off the bridge?¡± Nicole pondered for a moment, and with a frosty glint in her eyes, she said, "A car was rushing at me, probably on purpose.¡± "On purpose?¡± Jared frowned. The Riddle family had held their banquet yesterday and everyone now knew about Nicole''s identity. There were so many people protecting her in secret, and yet, there were still people who were ignorant and foolish enough toe after her. "Were they the goons who had attacked you at Lanningbourg?¡± Jared asked, having only thought of the men who were after the crest. However, Nicole shook her head. ¡°If it was them. They would have showed up in bigger numbers.¡± ¡®¡®Those people had even used aircrafts during ourst encounter. Why would they just be sending a car without a license te this time?¡¯ she pondered. Jared''s expression turned grim. ¡°It''ll be much easier if it wasn''t them. I''ll get my men to investigate, and we''ll get to the bottom of this in no time." ¡°Alright.¡± Nicole said, feeling a lot more rxed. With Jared handling the matter for her, she had nothing to worry about. Soon, the ambnce arrived at the hospital. Jared watched as she underwent a series of examinations before they sent her back to her ward unit. Nicole wore a look of helplessness on her face. "I had just fallen into the water, and I''m fine now. I don''t need a hospital stay." The overbearing love from an overbearing man of status was really suffocating for her. Chapter 1562 Chapter 1562 "Stick around for a night of observation.¡± Jared said, his tone forceful and resolute. Unable to resist, Nicole just yed along. "But what if my family finds out about it? They''ll think something had happened to me." Aglint appeared in Jared''s eyes. "They won''t. I''ll just tell them that you''re staying with me tonight." Blushing, Nicole was immediately reminded of everything that had urred yesterday. "Even if you don''t feel embarrassed, just know that I do. How can I stay at your ce day after day?" ¡®What would my parents think of me?¡¯ she thought. "Don''t worry. They''d be happy to know that you''re with me," Jared smiled as he took a sip of coffee. He had this much confidence at the very least. Hearing that, Nicole was bbergasted. ¡®''Why does it feel like Jared''s skin is getting thicker and thicker by the day? He''s getting increasingly stubborn and harder to deal with.¡¯ Letting out a sigh, Nicole suddenly felt a little hungry. After three long hours of medical examination, it was already dinnertime. "I want to eat something,¡± she said. Jared smiled. "I''ve already had it prepared." As he said that, Max walked over with a bag of food in hand. It seemed that Jared had already known that she was fine and so, he did not restrict her from eating anything for dinner. Seeing that all of the food were stuff she liked to eat, Nicole¡¯s mood got better. Just as she sat down and was prepared to have a good meal, Jared''s behavior took a sudden, strange turn. "I had to eat alone in the afternoon, and now, I can only have a meal with a certain someone in a hospital ward," he said as he took a bite. Nicole red at him. "I went over to the Guzman residence in the afternoon. Zeke wanted to thank me, so he treated me to a meal." Even though Jared knew where she was, his tone became stern upon hearing that she had made her way to the Guzman residence. "I know you went to the Guzman residence, but they live in an important military zone. Why would you go there, all of a sudden?" "Mr. Guzman Sr. and his son, Karlo, invited me over,¡± Nicole said tly. "Why though?" he asked, knowing that the old patriarch of the Guzman family had made a name for himself as a grouchy figure. "Karlo is a brute, and he won''t call you over to his ce just to thank you. There''s something behind this, isn''t there?" Jared furrowed his brows, his face stern and unsmiling, as if he had already seen through everything. Realizing that she could not hide it any longer, Nicole sighed. "Fine, you win." Jared broke into a smile upon hearing her admission. "I suppose the old man wanted to force you to hand the crest over, right?¡± Nicole rolled her. "He wanted to, but after I gave Mr. Spears a call, he stopped." That had really taken her for a fool. She knew that she would definitely not be getting the crest back if she had handed it over to him. "You called Zane Spears?¡± Jared raised his eyebrow. ''Only this woman could think of something like this. I suppose that old Guzman is probably scared sh*tless now, isn¡¯t he?¡¯ He suddenly had the urge to see what the look on that grouchy old Guzman''s face was, after thetter was made aware of Nicole''s rtionship with Zane Spears. N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. "Looks like I missed out on some fun.¡± Jared pouted, his tone sounded rather disappointed. Hearing this, she shot him a nce. "So, you are just after some fun. I''ll bring you along next time, then." Jared kept mum and fed Nicole a spoonful of food. Not too long after, Jared''s phone rang. Upon seeing that it was a call from us, he answered it. "Hello? Yeah, okay. Got it." He quickly hung up, but it was then that Nicole noticed that he had a grim look on his face. "What did us find? Is it about the car?¡± she asked. After all, us was very skilled when ites to investigations like these. Chapter 1563 Chapter 1563 Jared ced the phone away and mustered a grunt of acknowledgment. "The vehicle may have fled the scene, but it had already been found in the outskirts. We''ve not discovered who the driver was, though. He came prepared and avoided all of the cameras." Nicole''s brow furrowed. "Oh?" Indeed, the perpetrator had really taken the trouble to kill her. "I suppose they''d be really bitter if they were to know I survived," she said. Jared''s eyes darkened. "Don''t worry. I''ll send word of you being well and alive.¡± In response, Nicole grinned. "Then we''ll just wait for the fox to slip up." The two looked at each other with a wicked grin as they waited for their prey to fall into their trap. At that very evening, Fiore was staying in the hotel when she saw the news of Nicole having survived after falling off the bridge. "Useless piece of sh¡¯t!" she yelled. She had spent a lot of money hiring a professional killer to deal with Nicole. To take her out quickly without leaving any traces or alerting the bodyguards was the firm assurance that the hitman had given Fiore, and yet, Nicole was still alive and kicking And it was said on TV that she was totally unscathed. She blew her top. ¡®¡¯What did I spend all of that money for?!" Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. Fiore was taken aback by this, as the butler was the only person who knew she was living here. Instinctively, she got up and went up to the door, only to find that it was suddenly opened from the outside with an ess card. As soon as it had swung open, Colton rushed into the room. "Girl! You were actually hiding here! If the butler hadn''t told me, I wouldn''t have known where to find you!" He had been looking for Fiore for a long time, but his daughter had ordered the butler to not reveal her whereabouts. If he had not used coercion, he would not have been able to find her today. "Why are you looking for me? Didn''t you say that you no longer have a daughter?¡± Upon thinking of the incident yesterday, Fiore''s chest began to ache. Her father, who had loved and doted on her since she was a baby, had never subjected her to so much humiliation in public before. "You think I wanted to do that? I did what I did to protect the Fisher Group! Well, everything has gone to sh*t now, hasn''t it!?" Colton roared at Fiore, his eyes bloodshot. N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. Unable to stand it anymore, Fiore snapped. "Why am I the one at fault for destroying the Fisher Group? It''s Nicole, who had targeted us on purpose! Did you actually think she''d let us go just because you licked her boots and severed your rtionship with me? Dream on!" Colton was stunned for a moment after having been chastised by his daughter. "Who told you Nicole was targeting us on purpose? She made a promisest night that she would not touch us!¡± "What good is her promise? Haven''t our partners terminated their contracts with us today? Why do you think they did so, if they weren''t afraid of her? She was just putting on a show of mercy and you actually believed her?" Fiore yelled, having never seen her father being this foolish before. It was then that Colton fell silent. He could not deny the fact that all of thosepanies that had terminated their contracts with his organization had done so because they were afraid of being associated with the Fishers, offending Nicole in the process. "Dad! As things stand, groveling to her will do you no good! How about we ally ourselves with a few other families that are against Nicole and fight her! We might have a shot at survival!¡± she continued. She refused to believe that every family in existence would submit themselves to a girl from a third-rate family. As long as the Fisher Group was willing to, they could still look for allies. "But we can''t just go against the orders from our ancestors!" Colton was conflicted, for he had always recognized the rules and was not about to turn his back on them. "Ancestral wishes at this day and age? To hell with it! I believe that there are many others who would hate to listen to a b*tch like her. We are definitely not alone in this!" Fiore said in an attempt to convince her father. Chapter 1564 Chapter 1564 Colton was left dumbstruck by Fiore''s barrage of words. Yet he also had this inexplicable feeling that his daughter had a point... After all, the Fisher Group was stuck in crisis which could not be resolved by bowing down to the Riddle family. If he wanted to resolve this crisis for a chance at survival, he could only ally with those who did not wish to work with the Riddle family. "You''re right... We cannot count on the Riddle family to save the Fisher Group,¡± he said. Seeing that she had convinced her father, Fiore beganughing on the inside as she added fuel to the mes. "If it weren''t for the Reby Family Crest, what would the Riddle family be?" Fiore spat fiercely. A look of jealousy soon appeared in Colton''s eyes. "I suppose there would be plenty who harbor such thoughts. Not everyone would listen to the Riddle family! They can dream on if they wish to take the Fisher family down!¡¯ Then, her eyes became even darker as she said, "Dad, leave this to me. I''ll be able to source people who are willing to work with us within three days! And we''ll battle against the Riddle family together!¡± Even though Nicole was now the master of the Fire Crest, with many who had decided to follow her, it was also a fact that many others did not wish to bow down to the Riddle family. If Fiore wanted to, she could definitely find someone who was fearful of the Riddle family''s unparalleled strength! Thinking of this, Fiore''s eyes narrowed with contempt.¡¯ Just you wait, Nicole! Anyone who dares cross Fiore Fisher will never have another peaceful day for the rest of their lives! Indeed, she would never let go of Nicole. N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. The sun outside was particrly bright. By afternoon, Nicole could no longer stand the boredom of having to stay in the hospital, and had used every way she could think of to convince Jared to send her home. During this period of time, she would be eyed by all sides, and since her identity as part of the Riddle family had already been exposed, she might as well return to the Riddles and stay with them so as to not expose Mrs. Wace Sr.''s position. She did not have much with her, so there was no need to pack as she got Jared to send her home straightaway. And just as her car arrived at the side of the gate, she saw her parents and her brothers alling out to greet her. Aside from them, there were also Uncle Damien, Uncle Dillon and their families. Nicole looked at Jared and raised her eyebrow. "That''s quite the crowd." She was really annoyed at these rtives of hers and had totally not expected to see Uncle Damien and Uncle Dillon when she returned to her parent''s home. "They''ve recently just found out about you and the Fire Crest at the banquet. Because of that, I guess they wanted to ask you about it today." Jared stated. And indeed, Damien and Dillon were the type to get to the bottom of things. "How cumbersome.¡± Nicole sighed again. At this moment, the car grinded to a halt. Spencer and Samuel were the first to greet them. "Nicole! You''re alright!" they said. Nicole frowned as she nced at Jared. Jared immediately signaled with his eyes. ¡®This has nothing to do with me.'' He had listened to her and had not told her family about the incident. Nicole was puzzled and as soon as she got down from the car, she asked Samuel and Spencer a probing question without giving anything away. "You guys... already know about it?" Innocently, Samuel replied, "Of course, we know! Falling off a bridge is something that will make the headlines! I saw your car at first nce!" Chapter 1565 Chapter 1565 "We couldn''t get through your phone so we could onlye back and tell Mom and Dad. We only just found out which hospital you were at and were just about to visit you," Samuel continued. It was only then that Nicole remember that her smart phone was submerged in the water when she fell off the bridge, and she did not have the time to buy a new one. ¡°I''m fine. I''ve already done a full body checkup," she said without going into details. Jared nced at her with a look of pain in his eyes. ¡®¡¯This silly girl refuses to mention the fact she almost drowned earlier and here she is, understating the matter of life and death so nonchntly.¡¯ Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. He could not help but to wonder if her previous missions were all so perilous. For some reason, Nicole¡¯s physique made him feel as though she was inexplicably fragile, driving his desire to protect her with all his might. At that moment, Gloria stepped forward and held Nicole in a tight embrace, checking if thetter was alright. "Nicole, are you really alright? Mom was worried sick.¡± Fortunately, she had used the Beacon and the minor wounds from the collision had healed quickly, leaving only some a few abrasions. ¡°I''m fine, Mom. Just some minor injuries,¡± Nicoleforted Gloria. It was only then that Daniel heaved a sigh of relief. "It''s good that you''re unharmed. Your mother almost passed out earlier from shock." Stanley too nodded his head. "As long as you''re fine, Nicole. Moments ago, we were really worried." Both Sean and Steve looked at each other. They did not speak but there was a loving and doting look in their eyes. Getting into a car ident and falling off a bridge was no trivial matter. Any other person might not be able to even withstand that sort of horrid experience. Yet, Nicole was so adept at making it look as if it was not an issue at all, that they could not even begin toprehend this at all. They could not help but be impressed and anxious for her at the same time. "Stop worrying. Jared had rushed to the scene immediately and sent me to the hospital. I''ve already done a full body checkup,¡± Nicole said, quickly bringing Jared into the picture. Only then did everyone see Jareding out from the driver''s seat. Sean took a deep breath before proffering his hand to Jared. "Mr. Johnston, thank you for looking after my little sister." Jared returned the handshake and said, "You''re wee. Nicole is my fiancee after all. It is my duty." Jared''s words caused Chloe to look at him with eyes brimming with jealousy. If it were not for her parents wanting to make a show of kindness to Nicole, she would definitely not have followed them here. At this instant, she could not hold her disdain for Nicole in anymore. Yet, she would not dare to be as brazen as she was before, so she smiled and said, "Nicole, why were you so careless when driving. You made us all worry.¡± Nicole could not resist rolling her eyes at her. ''So, Grandpa forgave her, and here she is, taking advantage of that and pretending as if the past never happened.¡¯ Nicole gave her a frosty nce in response. ¡°You don''t have to worry about me." There was no respect in her tone at all. Chloe then found herself in an awkward spot, but she knew that Nicole''s position was not the same as she was before, so she could only take it on the chin and force a smile as she replied, "You''re wee." Nicole snorted coldly within. ¡®Who even asked you?" At this moment, Damien, who felt that he should say something, stepped forward and uttered, It''s good that you''ve done a full checkup. You''re now the treasure of the Riddle family. Please take good care of yourself.¡± Even if he was unhappy that Daniel''s family was now in the limelight, he still benefited from his association with Nicolest night, managing to secure several coborations with it. Due to this, his attitude toward Nicole changed a little. Seeing that her husband had lowered his voice when speaking to Nicole, Miley could only force out an awkward smile. "Your Uncle Damien is right. You ought to take good care of yourself.¡± Having noticed their facade of concern, Nicole yed along. ¡°I will. Thank you, Uncle Damien and Aunt Miley foring to see me. You must''ve spent a lot, haven''t you?¡± As soon as she had said that, both Damien and Miley became embarrassed. They had only intended toe over to show their faces and had not thought about preparing gifts. But now, with Nicole''s current status, it would not look good for them if they did not prepare anything for her. ¡®I''ve got to get something for her... and I cannot just screw around like before. It has to be expensive!¡¯ he thought. But now that Nicole had asked them straight to the face, Damien could only sheepishly respond, ¡°No, no. I did prepare something, but as we came in a hurry, they are still on the way." Chapter 1566 Chapter 1566 Without calling them out on their lies, Nicole yed along." That''s fine. Thank you, Uncle Damien and Aunt Miley." Steve watched Nicole''s shrewdness at y, in which she actually got Damien and Miley to choke on their words. He felt so good deep within that he could not help but snigger. "Steve? What are youughing about?" Samuel asked with a silly look on his face, not knowing what Steve wasughing at. Then, an idea dawned upon Steve as he immediately replied, "I''m being happy for Nicole of course. With Uncle Damien and Aunt Miley being so generous with their gifts, I''m sure Uncle Dillon and Aunt Karen too must''ve spent a lot. N Upon being put on the spot by Steve like that, both Dillon and Karen found themselves in an awkward situation. Karen rolled her eyes, absolutely not wanting to buy anything for Nicole. And just as she was about to say, "I didn''t..." "Yes, we''ve prepared it. It''s on the way too!¡± Dillon interrupted her before she could evenplete her sentence. Damien had already made an obvious show to befriend Daniel''s family, and so, how could he not follow suit? "You..." Karen''s eyes widened, thinking that her husband had lost his mind. Both Snow and Raine''s eyes widened as well. Every year during Christmas, it would be Uncle Daniel''s family preparing gifts for them as their father was the eldest son. Thus, they had to only prepare gifts for Uncle Damien. ¡®What''s happening now?¡¯ they thought, baffled at the notion of their parents sending to Nicole, a member of the younger generation, gifts just because of a hospital checkup. Raine became so angry and jealous that she whispered," Shameless." Preston rolled his eyes at her. "Shut up already. Even now, Mom and Dad has to speak to Uncle Daniel''s family nicely. Just wait and see how Dad deals with you if you mess things up even further." Hearing this, Raine became so frightened that she immediately kept quiet. Snow then gave Preston a nce, just to receive an eye roll in return. Up until now, Snow had no idea what sort of charm Nicole had ced on her brother for him to take her side the way he did. Now that Nicole was in the limelight, even Uncle Daniel''s family got to bask in the fame and prestige alongside her. The day her grandpa favored Uncle Daniel, with Uncle Damien being up there as well, there would be no ce for their family at all. They were both daughters of the Riddle family, and the treatment Nicole got yesterday was something Snow and Raine had never gotten themselves. She was so envious that she could not sleepst night. ¡®No, I cannot let Nicole hog the limelight like this. I need to find a way to take her down a notch!¡¯ she thought. At that moment, Nicole decided that she no longer had the mood to entertain these rtives of hers, and so, she turned to her parents and said, "Mom, Dad, I''m tired. Let''s head in first." ¡°Alright, alright. We''ll talk inside," Gloria said as she held onto Nicole. Nicole then turned and looked at Jared. "You can go home. Thanks for today." Jared did not want to leave, but he also knew that he could not get in the way of their family reunion any longer. ¡°Alright. Give me a call at night then,¡± Jared stated in a gentle voice. The instant Chloe heard that, her heart ached. ¡®Such gentleness should¡¯ve been mine.¡¯ Unfortunately for her, Nicole had taken Jared''s heart away, so much so that a once-popr movie star like her did not even register in his eyes, and that pissed her off. "Yeah." Nicole answered bashfully as she blushed with her head lowered, before entering the house with her mother. Jared curled his lips. He loved it whenever she was shy. Sean then led the rest of the people behind Nicole into the house. Daniel, on the other hand, did not forget to thank Jared." Thanks again, Jared." "You''re wee. I''ll be heading off first then.¡± Jared nodded slightly. ¡°Alright. Drive safe,¡± Daniel said, giving Jared a gentle smile. Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. "Yeah." Jared nodded, giving a short answer as he turned around and left. Chapter 1567 Chapter 1567 Only after the car had left that Daniel turned around and Headed inside. In a hall, after Nicole had taken a seat, her brothers flocked over one another as they brought her drinks and desserts. Chloe, Snow and Raine were all green with envy as they watched the Riddle brothers doting on her to the extreme. They would give her everything she wanted, but what about their own brothers? Everett was useless, and with Preston on Nicole''s side, it pissed them off to no end. Meanwhile, Nicole held a cup of coffee as she tasted the sweets. Gloria and Daniel, on the other hand, were seated beside her, eyeing with concern. Sitting directly across them were Damien and Dillon and their wives, who had been waiting for the opportunity to ask questions. Unfortunately for Chloe, Snow and Raine, there were no seats left for them at the front, so they could only sit on a small couch at the back. Nicole ate about three to four snacks in an instant and drank two cups of coffee before taking at the look at the quarter seated opposite of her out of courtesy. At that moment, Damien immediately seized the opportunity and asked, "Were they good?" Seeing that it was almost time, Nicole then ced her cup of coffee down as she asked, "Uncle Damien, why are you still here? Is there something you want from me?" She posed the question in such a way that it implied that he should have left a long time ago. Having never been questioned like this before, Damien''s face immediately flushed a bright red. However, he could only stifle his anger as he said, Nicole, you sure surprised us. You didn''t even inform us that you''ve gotten your hands on the Fire Crest. I only learned about it yesterday, and that''s why I thought of asking you today about where you''ve gotten it." Nicole looked at Damien. ''He sure is curious as to where I got it." Still, it was clear that he had a hidden agenda. In response, she shed him a smile, pretending as if she was being naive, and asked, "Why are you asking this, Uncle Damien? Are you nning to look for the other crests?" Everyone knew that there were five Reby Family Crests. Now that she had gotten one of them, Daniel''s ce in the Riddle family had skyrocketed to the top before the old man''s eyes. Moreover, the Riddle Corporation was so powerful now that the prices of its shares had risen several times over. Damien must have been afraid that the position of heir would be taken by Daniel, and that was why he wanted the crest so badly. Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. With Nicole seeing through his intentions in such fashion, the smile on Damien''s face faded. Even Dillon''s expression changed as he looked at his elder brother. He had onlye over after he heard that Damien had gone over to Daniel''s ce, and he had done so mainly to see how Damien would react to Nicole. ¡®Ooh, so that old fox is actually plotting this? Why did I not think of that? Nicole can only act as if she is some big shot because she has the Fire Crest with her. If I get one myself, then won''t I, Dillon Riddle, be respected too?'' he wondered. As he thought about it, Dillon''s expression changed and he mocked, "Damien, you sure have a clever n, don''t you? If you are getting a Reby Family Crest too, then the Riddle family will have two crests, and when that timees, who will dare go against you, and the Riddle family, right?" Dillon''s change of tune was ironic, and yet, it caused the look on Daniel, Sean and the rest of the family''s faces to turn grim. ¡®So, Damien is here for this. And here we thought that he was worried about Nicole!'' "Damiennnn, if you are here just for this, please leave. Nicole had only just suffered an ident and is need of respite," Daniel chided. This was the first time Daniel showed utter disregard for Damien, wanting to only protect his daughter. "You..." Damien began, but stopped short of uttering another word. He was furious that his younger brother, whom he had always been on top of, had reprimanded to him, but he could note up with a retort. Chapter 1568 Chapter 1568 Everet, who had been keeping to himself all this while, could not hold back any longer as he stepped forward and said, "Uncle Daniel, my father came here because he really is concerned about Nicole. After all, aside from Grandpa, he is the eldest member of the house. It isn''t too much for him to ask a question here and there, is it?" Everett rarely spoke, but as soon as he opened his mouth, every word that came out of it made an impact. He immediately reminded everyone of Damien''s position, telling everyone that no matter how powerful Nicole was today, and no matter how celebrated Daniel''s family was, his father, Damien Riddle was still the primary heir to Mr. Riddle Sr.''s position. Nicole could not help herself from shooting Everett a nce. ''This Everett. He sure was ying coy back then, and was simply just overshadowed and mistreated by Chloe.'' And now, he has the opportunity to reveal what he is capable of. Damien was taken aback by the fact that Everett would defend him like that, with every word spoken being very reasonable. Damien, who had never given this son of his proper look before, could not help but to set his sights at Everett again. ¡®Since when has this son of mine be so reliable?'' he thought. In response, Nicole nced at both Damien and Everett. This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org. ¡®You want to throw your weight around here? Very well. The gloves are off." Nicole shed them an indifferent smile as she ced her cup down and looked at Everett. "To be the next master of the house requires strength andpetence. Has Grandpa announced to everyone here that Uncle Damien is next in line as the master of the house?" She then swept her gaze at everyone present without even pulling any punches. At this instant, Damien became purple with rage. He felt that he was like a b of meat on the chopping block to be messed about by Daniel and his family today. Miley was a little glum...... ''Even if Nicole is the bearer of the Fire Crest, she wouldn''t be so defiantly arrogant, would she?'' Unable to hold back, she snorted, "Isn''t that a foregone conclusion? Your grandpa had always tacitly allowed your Uncle Damien to manage thepany. Doesn''t that mean that the position of master of the house is his? What, are you thinking that it''ll be yours?" ¡®This brat actually disregarded Damien! Seems that she has gotten more guts after we became nicer to her, huh,'' Miley thought. Seeing that Miley was wagging her tongue, trying to find a way to reinforce her position, a wry smile crossed Nicole''s face. "Is that so? From what I can see, all Grandpa did was give Uncle Damien an opportunity to manage the company. Yet, what has he achieved in the past ten years? I''m sure everyone here could see it for themselves." These words struck Damien like a barrage of ps to the face, but he had no way to refute that because she was telling the truth. When Mr. Riddle Sr. was still at the helm of the Riddle Corporation, the Riddle family was still considered a first-ss family. Even after Mr. Riddle Sr. had be powerless in the end, the Riddle family had still not fallen off the list of first-ss families. It was only until when Damien took over that thepany suffered grievously during the first three years of his tenure, causing the Riddle family to be a second-rate family, and eventually, in the past two years, a third-rate family. If it was not for the fact that Nicole had gotten her hands on the Fire Crest, who knew when the Riddle family would be restored to its former glory? Chapter 1569 Chapter 1569 "It was only after Grandpa had gotten Sean to take over the main business that thepany has Thrived. Our stock prices have risen dramatically over the past two days too. None of these seem to have anything to do with Uncle Damien, right?" Nicole''s gaze was proud and icy, causing everyone to inexplicably feel a sense of pressure. Everett stared at Nicole. He did not think that Nicole, who was just a high schooler, would have such a powerful presence about her, and so much so that even he was sweating as he stood before her. ¡°Wow, you sure know how to toot your own horn, Nicole." Chloe growled, having lost her patience. "What did you mean when you said that the rise in stock prices has nothing to do with my dad? Most of thepany''s businesses were managed by my dad." Sean nced at Chloe. ''You''re nothing but a woman shameless enough to show her face after being kicked out of the family, and you dare mock my little sister?" As he thought about it, Sean tossed all of his regard for Chloe out of the window. "Keep quiet if you''re not aware of everything that has been going on in thepany. The rise in stock prices within the past two days is because we''ve sessfully secured a business with the royal house of Yamenia. It has nothing to do with Uncle Damien''s earlier businesses." "You!" Chloe red fiercely at Sean, but she had no way to refute his statements, as everything he had said was true. Everett gnashed his teeth, and even if he wanted to speak up for his parents, the truth was that they had achieved very little. He really hated how poor his father''s capabilities were, causing him to be criticized wherever he went. Seeing how Nicole had ridiculed Damien, Dillon felt good within, but upon realizing how strong Daniel''s family was, he began to feel that he was in a crisis too. After some thought, he stood up and said, "Daniel, what is your daughter trying to imply here? She''s talking as if the seat of the master of the family would be yours! The old man is still alive and you''re already trying to fight for the position? Why don''t you ask him for his opinion instead?" ¡°Daniel did not mean that..." Gloria panicked, fearing that her husband would bebeled as an impious son. Hearing that, Nicole red at Dillon. "We did not mention that at all, but it seems that you''ve thought of that, haven''t you, Uncle Dillon? If you really want to know what Grandpa is nning, you can ask him yourself instead ofing to me here today, don''t you think?" Dillon did not expect Nicole to have such a sharp wit, which she utilized to lob the entire question back to him in just a few words. He was livid. "You''re spewing hogwash! Since when have I ever said that I wanted to know?!" he bellowed. "Oh?" Nicole raised her eyebrow. "You didn''t want to know, Uncle Dillon? You mean you''re not interested in the seat of the master of the house?" "1..." Dillon was at a loss for words as he realized that he had fallen into her trap. "I mean, it''s good that you''re not interested. With your capabilities, I don''t think Grandpa will even consider you as a candidate fit to take the Riddle Corporation over. At least you possess a degree of self-awareness," she mocked. "Nicole!" Dillon grew belligerent. After all, he was an elder of the family, and for Nicole to look down upon him like that was something he found unbearable. Even Karen too was pissed. "Mind your words. So what about your Uncle Dillon''s capabilities? Why can''t he take over the Riddle Corporation?" Seeing that Karen too was miffed, Nicole''s smile grew even wider. ¡°Wake up, Aunt Karen. If Uncle Dillon was capable enough, he would''ve been managing more importantpany matters long before I got the Fire Crest. He had nothing then, and was only tasked to assist Uncle Damien. What more can he do now?" The moment Nicole shot back, Karen was left dumbstruck. ''Yeah, before Nicole even got the Fire Crest, and before Daniel''s family even joined thepany, Dillon could still have been a VP in thepany. But once Daniel''s family rose, and once his sons had joined thepany, Preston had since not been called by the old man, and Dillon himself did not have any important projects under his management...'' ¡®Is it possible that the old man is about to throw them out?" she wondered. Catching sight of her mother''s face turning pale, Raine immediately held Karen. Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. "Mom! Don''t listen to her rambles! She''s just spouting hogwash! Grandpa must have us in his mind!" While Raine was still building castles in the sky, Snow already knew that what Nicole had just said was the truth, and in response, she yelled, "Stop blowing your own horn, Nicole. The entire reason why Grandpa is taking notice of you now is because of the Fire Crest. You''re nothing without it, nothing! Chapter 1570 Chapter 1570 Snow Riddle usually stayed at home, obsessing over her image, but today, with her parents being ridiculed in public like this, she was put to the test. Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. Nicole noticed that Snow''s eyes were brimming with jealousy...... She previously had helped her out by finding one of her diamonds. In spite of that however, both Snow and Raine were Still ungrateful for the kindness Nicole had shown. Ever since then, Nicole had not bothered to interact with them. Nicole coldly snorted before shing them a grin. "I don''t have the Fire Crest. In all honesty, it''s really nothing, but if you guys have the skills, why don''t you get the earth and water crests too?" As soon as these words left Nicole''s mouth, everyone was taken aback. No matter how skeptical they were of Nicole''s achievements, none of them had the ability to find any of the badges. Steve and Sean looked at each other, noticing the silence that had fallen upon them all. ¡®Our younger sister is really influential. We didn''t need to say much, and yet, her presence alone was able to shut these two families up. These two families were most notable for looking down on our family, and now, look at how the tables have turned!¡¯ ¡®She''s really the lucky star of the family!'' Meanwhile, Spencer and Samuel looked at Nicole with their eyes filled with admiration. Noticing that everyone had stopped talking, Nicole yawned, "I''m exhausted. I''m going to head upstairs to catch some rest. I''ve got nothing to say regarding the questions asked by Damien, but Ido hope that you''ll be able to get another crest as soon as possible. Maybe then, Grandpa will consider letting you manage thepany again." After saying that, she shed them all a bright smile before turning around and heading upstairs, leaving Damien behind with his blood boiling. "Dad!" Chloe and Everett rushed forward to keep him from falling. Damien, who was embarrassed by the situation Nicole had thrown him into, then roared, "Let''s go home!" Damien wanted to leave at once, as he no longer had any dignity left in him to face everyone, while Miley red at Daniel and Gloria before turning her head and leaving with Damien. Dillon, who noticed that Damien had left due to embarrassment, gritted his teeth in hatred and said, "Daniel, you''re despicable. You just wait!" Dillon and his family proceeded to also leave in a hurry. Preston looked at Daniel and Sean in embarrassment, before giving them a nod and leaving with an apologetic look in his eyes. Daniel could not help but sigh at Dillon''s family. Preston was an obedient child, and thus, he did not want to put them in a difficult position either. Once both of the families had left, the Riddle family finally calmed down. Samuel spat, ¡°What nonsense were they spewing, iming to care about Nicole. All they came here to do was to know more about the crest." ¡°What gives them the right to obtain the other crests? They don''t even bother to check and see if they are fit to obtain one," Spencer sarcastically added. ¡°Alright, calm down you two,'' Stanley said and red at his brothers as he noticed how tired their parents'' faces were. "Dad, why do you look so pale? Are you okay?" Samuel and Spencer looked over at their father and asked. Daniel just shook his head. "It''s just, I thought your uncles would only look down upon your mother and I. What I didn''t expect was that they now want to torment Nicole too." ¡®If [ have to give it all I''ve got to fight them, I will. I''ll never let both Damien and Dillon put Nicole down again,'' Daniel thought. Steve looked at Daniel with concern and exined, "Dad, don''t worry. You''ve seen how powerful Nicole is. We didn''t even need to speak up and they''ve all made fools of themselves." ¡®In the past, Mom and Dad have always kept their heads low in front of them, but they mistook their kindness as weakness, and used it against them. Now, our family has never been more ted that our little sister has helped us restore some of the glory we''ve lost,'' Steve thought. Chapter 1571 Chapter 1571 "Yeah, Daniel, don''t worry about it anymore.Nicole can handle these sort of situations well enough," Gloriaforted him. Daniel, who could not even muster a smile, looked toward the door, "It''s just that, in the future, our rtionship with them will be over." Sean knew exactly what his father was concerned about.He stepped forward, and in a solemn tone of voice, he said, "It''s okay.Since they''ve never cared about us anyway, from now onwards, there''s no need for us to be associated with them." Daniel looked at Sean and thought, ''My eldest son has always been calm and considerate of every situation.Perhaps what he said was right.Maybe I really have done nothing wrong" "That''s right.We don''t need to take any orders from anyone anymore.We were wronged for the longest time ever." Daniel''s eyes became firm. "In the future, I will not ever let my wife and children be looked down upon again." ¡®If we had not defended ourselves the way we did, it would be a waste for all the effort Nicole has put in" he concluded. "Yes, we must also protect our little sister from being picked on!" Sean said. ''For the sake of Nicole, our family has to support ourselves, and we won''t let others push us around like that anymore!'' At the corner of the stairs, Nicole was looking at her parents and brothers who had made up their minds, the corner of her mouth lifting slightly. ¡®It seems that I no longer need to worry about our family" Nicole thought, relieved as she went straight back to her room to get some rest. School was about to start, and so, she decided to rx for the next few days. Nicole then gave Mrs.Wace Sr.a call, telling her that she would not be back until school started before getting a good night''s sleep... Until she received news from Carl, she ought to enjoy this peaceful time... Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. In a blink of an eye, a week had passed. Things were booming everywhere in the Riddle household, and that was because of Sean. After noticing him, manypany leaders had hoped to cooperate with the Riddle family, and even Steve''s financialpany had attracted a substantial amount of attention. Sean had gotten so busy, that Mr.Riddle Sr.had to personally call Daniel to get him back to work at the office. Initially, Daniel only had some shares in thepany, and had never had any real power in the company.He asionally went to thepany headquarters to get his dividends and attend shareholders¡¯ meetings.He did not have any substantive businesses or projects that he had to handle before. But now that Sean was swarmed with work, Mr.Riddle Sr.offered him a position simr to Dillon''s as the vice president. Though he held the position of a vice president, he would discuss business with Sean every other day, and was content to be one of the top leaders of thepany. "You must know that Dad and Sean are the busiest people at thepany right now.Nobody goes to Dillon''s office anymore!" Steve gossiped to his brothers and Nicole before their meal. Then, Spencer and Samuel looked at each other and smiled, "I really wish to see the looks on our uncle''s faces! I bet they''re all green with envy." "Maybe they''ve turned purple," Samuel sneered mercilessly. At this moment, Daniel and Sean came downstairs to see the two brothersughing while Stanley was eating and reading at the same time, but not before they caught each other''s eyes. "Stanley," Daniel said after he had sat down. Stanley ced his book down and nced at Daniel, "What''s up, Dad?" Daniel looked at Sean before saying, "Ourpany is overly packed right now and you''re in your second semester of junior year.You''ll begin your internship during your senior year, so I would like to ask you if you''d like to start your internship this semester." "Me? Intern? But where?" Stanley was stunned. Chapter 1572 Chapter 1572 Nicole watched as the usually calm andposed Stanley became confused. "Of course you can.You can do it in our family''spany.Stanley, you''re the president of the student council.Has your brain gone haywire after the break?" Stanley''s eyes widened immediately, "You''re allowing to be an intern at thepany?" Before this, only Sean was allowed to be an intern at thepany by Mr.Riddle Sr. Even Daniel was an insignificant shareholder, and thus, Stanley had never imagined that he would be able to work at the Riddle family''spany. ¡®Grandpa hand-picked me to join him at thepany?'' Stanley was a little surprised, his eyes filled with disbelief. "Stanley! What are you standing there for? Hurry up and agree to it!" Samuel pushed him. It was only then Stanley came back to his senses, "Can I really work at thepany?" Daniel smiled. Sean is busy with a number of things. After talking to your grandpa, he has promised to let you join thepany." Gloria was overjoyed when she heard that Stanley was also allowed to join thepany, "Really? That''s really great! You have my full support!" With the support of his mother, Stanley nodded, "I will go.As long as Sean needs me, I''ll go." Sean smiled. "Grandpa didn''t ask you to help me out.Instead, he has asked you to be in charge of several projects, as project Manager." "You get to be the manager as soon as you join thepany?" Spencer and Samuel asked, bing envious right away. ¡®¡®This is not a job for an intern, it looks no different than a formal job at my family''spany" Stanley thought. Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. Stanley, who has always been calm, was filled with surprise, "Really?" Unable to help himself, Steve patted Stanley on the shoulder "Of course.As of now the family is responsible for taking on important projects, and they''ve hand-picked Sean and Daniel to be in charge of it.They''re too busy and said that they''ll leave it to their sons.If we don''t allow you to go, who else will be willing to take your ce?" Damien and Dillon had long been excluded from participating in anything, barring the few projects they had originally secured. Aside from that, no one cared about what went on with them. Both Damien and Dillon watched as these profitable projects fell into the hands of Daniel and his two sons, Sean, and Stanley. Other than staring angrily at thetter every now and again, they could not do anything about it, as their business partners had discovered that Nicole was Daniel''s biological daughter. "I know, I''ll definitely not let you down!" Stanley ced his book down with an unwavering expression on his face. Sean smiled, "Don''t sweat it.Our partners have a pretty good view of us, so the only thing you really need to pay attention at is to safeguard our efforts from certain people..." Although Sean did not mention who these people were, the entire family instantly knew who he was mentioning. Daniel, who would not allow Sean to exin thoroughly then turned to look at Nicole. ¡®¡®Although I feel that it''s still quite early, but.." Daniel interrupted his thoughts and said, "Nicole, the annual meeting of thepany and our partners will be held next week.Your grandpa has hosted it for many years, and this time, he hopes that you will be able to attend it and host it alongside him." Nicole paused while eating breakfast, for she did not expect that it woulde so soon. ¡®Many people have flocked over to do business with us, and it was more or less due to me being the bearer of the Fire Crest.Grandpa knows well enough that I am still a high school student who just became of age.So, even if he urges me to keep me from showing up, there will always be times when my attendance is needed to support the event" she surmised. "Alright, but school starts next Monday.I don''t know what the school has nned yet," Nicole replied. Though studying was not a challenge for Nicole, there should be many things to be busy with at the beginning of the school year as soon as it started. "I''m the president of the student council, and I will exin the situation to Mr.Ellison That way, you''ll be able toe to the event without any worries," Stanley said. "Oh..." Nicole uttered, noticing that all of her brothers were fully supportive of her. "Well then, how could I not go?'' Spencer and Samuel both looked on in envy.Among all of the siblings, they were the only ones who had zero involvement in thepany... Chapter 1573 Chapter 1573 ¡®¡®I really wish that I could enter junior and senior year as soon as possible so that I''ll be able to intern at thepany" Samuel and Spencer looked on with envy written all over their faces. Sean coughed lightly. "It''s not just Nicole.The two of you should also prepare yourselves.You''re attending the annual meeting together with her too." "Huh?" Samuel pointed to himself in surprise. "I''m also included?" Spencer was overjoyed, "Thank you Sean!" "You should thank you Nicole," Steve chuckled. "If it was not for Nicole, our uncles would still be in the limelight, and our family wouldn''t be able to participate." Steve''s sentence made everyone emotional as it was true that their family had been invisible to Mr.Riddle Sr.throughout the years, during which they would always be forgotten and excluded from the annual meetings. Daniel would sometimes hear the news and bring Gloria with him to participate and even then, they were not allowed to use their identity as the Riddles. However, this time around, all of the staff members were permitted to take part in it, which was an honorable thing to do. "This year''s annual meeting will definitely be attracting a lot of attention," Spencer smiled gleefully. Samuel slyly joined in, "And a few people are probably going to be very angry." "Hurry up and eat." Gloria looked at her sons, not want them to gloat too much. The family continued eating in silence, with the meal being so scrumptious that it left everyone in a good mood. They were almost done with breakfast, until their house butler walked in. "Sir, Madam..." Alfred nced at Nicole, seemingly hesitant to speak. Daniel and Gloria then looked at each other and asked, "What''s wrong Alfred?" The house butler was still feeling a little too embarrassed to speak up. However he took a deep breath and told them the truth nheless. Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. "Sir, Madam...Norah is here." "Norah?" Steve murmured, suspicious of her. In truth, there had been no news pertaining to Norah as of recent, and the entire Riddle family had forgotten about her existence entirely. Steve subconsciously nced at Nicole, surprised to see that she was not reacting at all. Instead, she continued to drink her milk gracefully. Noticing that Nicole was not bothered by it either, Daniel proceeded to ask their house butler, "Did she say anything?" Gloria felt hesitant to ask Norah toe in after seeing Daniel''s reaction. After all, thest time Norah was at the Riddle residence, her parents were hospitalized.Her presence here had caused much friction in their rtionship. Ever since then, Nicole had felt that she should keep a distance from her parents so that they could live in peace. Their house butler sighed and said, "Miss Norah had brought her luggage with her.She said that her parents had drowned while they were abroad, and that now, she''ll be homeless..." "What?'' Gloria''s heart sank upon hearing that Norah''s parents had suddenly passed away. "How did this happen?" Norah was raised by Gloria and Daniel for so many years. Anyone who heard the news would feel sorry that she had to go through such misfortune, especially if the person in question was one they had deeply cherished. Nicole''s face became sullen. ¡®''A while ago, I heard that Norah had traveled abroad with her ssmates, but I didn''t hear anything about her bringing her parents with her.Why would she suddenlye back here and say that her parents had passed away?¡¯'' "Daniel...it''s Norah...we can''t just turn a blind eye to this sort of situation..." Chapter 1574 Chapter 1574 Gloria''spassionate nature prompted her to be concerned about the situation, but she still asked for Daniel''s opinion nheless. However, it was then that Daniel nced at Nicole''s direction, almost as though he wanted to know what she wanted to do. Nicole returned her father''s nce, and with a cool smile, she said, "We''ve got a guest.We can''t let them stand outside for too long, especially if they''re homeless.If we keep them out with our front door, people might think that the Riddle family are a bunch of cold -blooded and ruthless people." Norah had chosen the perfect time to visit the Riddle''s residence. Obviously, she had gotten wind of how influential they were now and would temporarily take her in as one of their own for the sake of their reputation. Though Daniel knew that even if this was the case, he would not want Gloria to pay too much attention to Norah. "Okay.Alfred, let Norahe in." ¡®¡®This brat Norah has been gone for so long, and yet, she still finds a way toe back.It seers to me that it''s impossible to stop her this time" he thought. Sean looked at Nicole remorsefully, knowing that due to their family''s situation, they should not allow any bad rumors to spread. All they could do now was throw Nicole under the bus for the time being and think about how to deal with Norahter. Soon, the house butler brought Norah in. "Godmother..." As soon as Norah walked in, her eyes were bloodshot. "Norah..." Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. Though Gloria was not close with Norah, seeing her distraught and in such a mess was enough to prompt the olddy to approach her. "Norah, what happened? How did your parents..." The instant Gloria mentioned her parents, Norah''s face immediately turned pale, after which she became dizzy and fainted in Gloria''s arms. "Norah!" Gloria eximed Seeing this, Spencer quickly helped Gloria as they hoisted Norah up. "What''s wrong, Norah?" Samuel looked at Norah in surprise. Spencer sighed and thought, ¡®¡¯Because she is no longer a part of this family, she has no right toe back here.Then again, we ought to have somepassion as she used to be a part of the family" "Perhaps she''s too heartbroken...," Spencer said in a low voice. At that moment, Nicole secretly smiled and feigned surprise. "I see that she isn''t looking too well.I think it''s because she has been too stricken by grief recently and became dizzy just moments ago." Norah did not expect Nicole to assist her in her act, so she nodded vigorously. "Maybe I just haven''t been eating and resting right...which is why I''m feeling a little weak..." However, before Norah could finish her sentence, Nicole deliberately said, "It''s okay, I''ll make you feel a little better with my needle techniques.Otherwise, you''ll faint again, and we''ll have to send you to the hospital." After she had spoken, Nicole got up and took her set of needles from the small bag on the side of her thigh. Then, Samuel chimed in, "Yeah, Nicole is an expert when ites to her needle techniques.Come now, Norah.Take a seat and let Nicole show you." "Nee- Needle technique?" Norah''s face nched at once. "How long has it been since I left the Riddle''s, and when did she even learn these needle techniques?!'' she panicked. Norah watched as Nicole inched closer, her face pale as sheet. ''''No, I''m afraid of needles..." ¡®¡®If I let her prick me with those needs, I might really need to go to the hospital!¡¯'' she thought. "Don''t worry, Norah.Nicole really knows her needle technique well.Mr.Riddle Sr.was in aa before and it was Nicole who woke him up," Gloria said, aggravating Norah even more. ¡®¡®Does she really know how to do it? Can I still get away?" It was at that moment that she regretted pretending to be in the state she was in. Indeed she had underestimated Nicole, who she did not know would have such a trick up her sleeve. Norah cursed Nicole in her heart, as she forced herself to say, "Really? Thank you then..." Nicole mentally sneered, though the expression on her face disyed nothing but kindness. "You''re wee." Then, without such much as a warning, she jabbed a needle into Norah''s hand. Chapter 1575 Chapter 1575 Feeling a stabbing, searing pain in her hand, Norah let out a scream at once. ¡®''Goodness this hurts like hell!'' "Don''t be so nervous.The tenser you are, the more it hurts.You''ll feel better if you rx a little." Nicole raised her eyebrows, pretending to be calm. Only Nicole knew where the most painful points were, and she pierced them well enough to make Norah''s hand numb. ¡®''Don''t me me for being cruel, since you have the guts toe back and disrupt our family''s harmony by acting all pitiful!¡¯ "Another needle should do the trick just fine." Nicole continued to smile gently, seemingly harmless to everyone and everything but to Norah, who was in so much pain that she struggled to even breathe. "No, no there''s no need to! One is enough!" Norah pleaded. ¡®One more needle, and she definitely will pass out for sure!'' Nicole thought. "Norah, please.Be a good girl." Gloria frowned and looked at Norah, he genuinely concerned about her.She then took Norah''s hand and gave it to Nicole. "Here you go, Nicole." "Okay." Nicole smiled but it was then that Norah saw right through her smile and noticed the bone-chilling coldness. ¡®With this needle, I might kill her" Nicole thought. Norah watched as Nicole raised the shing cold needle glistening under the sun rays of the sun and decided that she could not take it anymore. She was so frightened to the point that she shoved Gloria away. "I don''t want to be pricked anymore!" Gloria staggered after she was pushed by Norah, and though Samuel was stunned, he was fortunately able to keep his mother supported just in time. "Mom? Are you okay?" Samuel frowned and red at Norah. ¡®''What is she doing? Nicole is kind enough to help her feel better.She doesn''t know how to be grateful and she even pushed mom, who cares about her the most right now!¡± Then, the atmosphere in the room changed. Everyone in the family looked at Norah, feeling that she was going too far. Nicole''s face turned frosty, as she stepped forward to keep Gloria supported. "Mom, are you okay?" Gloria has a soft nature and a very delicate body. Such a push must have startled her. And surely enough, Gloria''splexion turned pale.She held onto Nicole and said, "I''m fine...just a little shocked." Instinctively, Nicole felt for Gloria''s pulse, after which she gave her mother a prick with the needle. "It''s okay mom.You were startled, and your heart is racing, so I gave you a needle.You''ll be fine soon." "Okay, okay..." Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. Gloria stroked her chest and sat down again. Soon after, she began to feel much better. For a moment, everyone stared at Norah with hatred in their eyes. "Norah, our mom cares so much about you.How could you push her like that?" Stanley lost his temper.It was only then that Norah realized her actions had caused a domino effect, which had caused an outrage within the family. Her heart wrenched in pain. ¡®''Before this, I was the princess of this family.No matter what I did, my brothers would always forgive me.But now? I identally pushed her and everyone is ring at me with such hatred" Seeing this, Norah could not help but to shoot Nicole a re. ¡®It was her who had taken all my brother''s love for me.She is the reason as to why they have started to treat me like this!''¡¯ However, knowing that she no longer had the right to burst out in anger, she could only whimper and force a tear out from her eyes. "I''m sorry...I''m really fine now.I got too nervous a moment ago, godmother.I''m truly sorry..." Chapter 1576 Chapter 1576 Pathetically, Norah knelt in front of Gloria, and in a low voice, she said, "It''s my fault.I know that I am no longer a part of the Riddle family, but I really have nowhere else to go, no home to return to.I know that in this world, there''s only one person who still cares for me.And it''s you, my godmother..." If these words were uttered long ago, Gloria would have given in to Norah easily. However, that shove had made here back to her senses, and while she said that she was not feeling well, her strength did not seem to have waned. Before this, she had always taken their rtionship into consideration and had taken care of Norah. Gloria even agreed to let Norah stay at her ce thest time thetter asked. Later, however, Daniel and Nicole had told Gloria that Norah''s parents had already been discharged a long time ago. It was at that moment that the olddy realized that the current Norah was not the same person as before. Gloria knew that she had made the wrong choice thest time. And now, she could not sideline Nicole for Norah anymore. With that in mind, Gloria bit her lips and tried her best to remain rational. "Norah, I really do pity you and your parent''s situation.How about you take a rest for a while as I speak to your dad on what we can do to help you?" Hearing that, Norah was stunned. It had taken her so much to get rid of those two leeches and return to Gloria''s side and Norah had expected Gloria to back her up like she had done before. Unexpectedly, however, Gloria''s attitude had already turned cold in just a short span of time. ¡®What a mean witch Nicole is! What power does she possess that has made these people who had been living with me over the past decade side with her?" she fumed. "Are you not worried about me anymore, Godmom?" Norah pinched her thigh, and tears began to flow from her bloodshot eyes. "I really have nowhere to go now.My parents'' bodies are still nowhere to be found.I don''t even know where else I could go now... Seeing that Norah was still putting on a show, Nicole snorted coldly in her heart. As it stood, everyone in the family already knew that Norah was acting. Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. They could not help but wonder if she really thought that her acting skills were still good. However, Gloria was able to remain calm and logical, and that was what Norah had never expected. Seeing that Gloria was not willing to take her in, Nicole deliberately said in a questioning tone, "Your parents'' bodies are nowhere to be found.In that case, why did you rush here? Those who don''t know might think that you''re dying to return to the Riddle family." That sentence caused everyone present to feel the chillness in Nicole''s words as they turned their gaze at her. Sean and Steve were the first few who had made that observation with a degree of suspicion. They looked at her as their eyes became frosty as well. Meanwhile, Stanley was the one who believed Nicole, as her analysis was quite logical. At that moment, even Samuel and Spencer fell silent. Norah never thought that Nicole would be this mean to her and expose her in front of everyone. Unfortunately, there truly was no way out for her. ¡®''l finally escaped from those two by risking my life and bing a murderer.No matter what happens, I must stay here at the Riddle family manor!'' Norah fumed. With that thought in mind, Norah immediately cried. "I did not! Nicole, how could you nder me like that? You are the precious daughter of the Riddle family.Everyone knows about this.No one cares about me.Even brother, mom, and Dad cares a great deal about you.All I want is just a temporary ce to stay in.Can''t you be a little more merciful?" Although it seemed that Norah was crying her heart out, she had actually ced the me on Nicole with just a few words, framing the entire situation as if Nicole was nursing a deep hatred for her. If this had happened long ago, Norah knew that the family would be guilt-stricken by those words. Even Samuel would stand up for her. But at that moment, Samuel stood in front of Nicole and said to Norah, "Norah, how could you say this about Nicole? If she really is merciless toward you, why would she even bother trying to relieve your pain?" "That''s right, Norah.You don''t have to watch what you eat, but you have to watch what you say,"'' Samuel finished, his gaze sharp and piercing. Chapter 1577 Chapter 1577 It had been really annoying to see Norah sobbing and crying in the way she was, and in fact, the family were dumbfounded, unable to figure out when she had started behaving like that. "You really should not have said that about Nicole," Sean said in a deep voice. As for Stanley and Spencer, they were just sitting there, staring at Norah coldly. They too, thought that it was unfair for Nicole. Seeing that all her brothers that used to protect her were protecting and standing on Nicole''s side instead, Norah''s heart began brimming with jealousy. ¡®¡®Why? It has only been a few days.Why are they treating me like I''m an enemy? I could still ept it if they were just ignoring me and shielding Nicole a little.But now, I don''t even have the right to tell Nicole off?!'' she seethed. It was at that moment that Norah realized that she no longer held the same degree of significance in the heart of the Riddle family. Even her veryst defender, Gloria, could not protect her anymore. At that point, Norah was leftpletely perplexed. On the other hand, Nicole was extremely grateful to her brothers for stepping up.She seldom spoke to them about anything that had happened previously. But whenever someone targeted her, the brothers would protect her once they found out about it. The feeling of being protected by her brothers was exceedingly warm and touching. As Nicole came back to her senses, she decided that she was already tired of dealing with Norah. "Dad, Norah is a Riddle too.As she is facing a unique situation, let''s arrange a hotel for her to stay in.That way, if anyone spreads any rumors, they''d know we have already shown kindness and mercy.Once the truth is out and if Norah needs any help, we''ll think about it then." Hearing Nicole''s stand, Daniel decided to let down his guard down. "Alright, we''ll do as you say." "Godpa!" Norah yelled, having never thought that Nicole''s words would carry some weight. ''Even Daniel listens to her now?" ¡®That''s not right.When she came back, I heard that the family had organized a banquet. Mr.Riddle Sr.has also begun to look highly upon Daniel and the family now. Shouldn''t Daniel be carrying himself with greater dignity in the eyes Mr.Riddle Sr.? Why are they still listening to Nicole?¡¯ Norah wondered. Daniel frowned and looked at Norah. "Norah, we will help you take care of the issue concerning your parents¡¯. But, this is the Riddle family. With your identity, it''s not really suitable for you to stay here. For now, you should follow Alfred to the hotel and stay there. As for the rest, well, I must say, although we were your adoptive parents, we hope that you''ll not call us godmom or god pa in public anymore.Just call us Aunt Gloria and Uncle Daniel." Daniel had wanted to say these words during Norah''s previous stay. It was just that Norah had already left. Since Norah had returned on her own volition, she could not me Daniel for being mean. "Godpa..." Norah''s face turned pale. It was just a term of endearment, and yet, Daniel no longer allowed her to use it. "Daniel..." Gloria uttered, feeling that Daniel was being a little too cruel. It was then that Sean spoke, ''Mom, leave this to me.I''ll see to it that Norah''s parents are found in the flesh, regardless of whether they are dead or alive." Hearing those words, Norah subconsciously shivered. ¡®Why does Sean''s presence feel so scary?¡¯ she thought. This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org. After eyeing Norah''s guilty look, Sean and Steve looked at each other. Then, Steve told Norah, "Don''t worry.After all, we are your brothers.We''ll be sure to conduct a thorough investigation.Who knows, your parents might still be alive.Don''t you think so?" Chapter 1578 Chapter 1578 Another doubt instantly came to mind after Daniel had heard Steve''sment.He looked at Norah with even greater hostility. Alfred, bring Norah to the hotel." "Understood," The butler nodded and turned to Norah. "Miss Norah, please follow me." Norah stared at the butler nkly and turned back to look at the rest of the household. Although she was reluctant to leave, she had no other choice upon noticing how heartless they were.She bit her lips and her eyes darkened. "Alright, thank you...Uncle Daniel and Aunt Gloria.I''ll make a move..." After that, she bowed her head, turned around and followed the butler. From her rear, she looked pathetic and weak. Deep down, Gloria could no longer take it anymore. Now that things had ended up as such, Gloria knew that it was all that she could do for Norah. As the whole chaos had finally ended, Daniel brought Sean and Steve to work. With Stanley also going to the headquarters to familiarize himself with thepany. This left Gloria, Nicole, Samuel, and Spencer at home. After Nicole had apanied Gloria back to her room for some rest, Nicole found Samuel and Spencer staring at her from the outside. "Is there anything?" Nicole asked in an inquiring tone of voice. Spencer pondered for a moment and said, "Nicole, do you know anything about Norah?" The two boys had been staying with Nicole for quite some time. Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. They knew that she would never behave the way she did today: voluntarily performing needle techniques for someone and allowing Norah to stay at the hotel at her expense. Previously, she would never care about Norah. Nicole shed them a cheeky smile. "It seems that the both of you have been growing up." Nicole had been through a lot, so her mental age was much greater aspared to her physical age. Usually, she would be the wiser one aspared to Spencer and Samuel. However, she noticed that Spencer and Samuel had been maturing well as of recent. The boys looked at each other and said, "You''ve grown so much, of course we should do the same ourselves too.That way, we can stand up for you in the future." When Nicole heard that Samuel and Spencer wanted to look out for her, she felt touched. She could tell that, throughout all this time, the boys had be more caring toward her. They treated her well and knew how to pamper her. Perhaps she had been looking out for herself a little too much in the past, especially as she did not believe that any of her brothers could do much for her. All she wanted was to protect them on her own. But now, she knew that the Riddle brothers were not weak at all. In fact, they were just not given a chance to shine as Daniel had always been rather forbearing. In Nicole''s heart, she trusted Samuel and Spencer a little. So, she put on a more serious look as she said, "I think there''s something fishy about the death of Norah''s parents." Nicole''s words shocked the two boys, "Fishy...?" The both of them had an idea, but they did not dare to open that can of worms. After all, they were a family before this. The boys did not want Norah to be that person. "Let''s wait for Sean to investigate and find the truth," she said. If this was before, Nicole would definitely have ventured out and investigated the issue on her own, but now, she was learning to trust her elder brothers. "Understood." Spencer nodded slowly. Nicole nced at her watch. Then, she looked up to the two boys and said, "School is reopening soon.I''m going out to buy some necessities.Do you guys want to follow?" Although bringing these handsome twins out would catch people''s attention, Nicole could tell that they were getting bored. "Of course! There''s nothing much for us to do today." "Me too.You can help us pick our outfits for thepany''s annual dinner too!" "That''s right.Dad had asked us to prepare since we''ve never joined.We don''t have any suits in our wardrobes either." Asmile crossed her face. "Alright, let''s go together then." Chapter 1579 Chapter 1579 Then, the three siblings headed out for shopping. Spencer and Samuel had never gone on a shopping session with women before. Throughout their journey, they slowed their gaits for fear of tiring Nicole. In the entire mall, everyone could see a pretty woman in between a pair of handsome twins, walking forward side by side. A lot of thedies were secretly admiring them too. "Wow, such a handsome man...¡± "Yeah, and they''re twins too...¡± "That girl is really fortunate to hang out with two handsome men.¡± "I can''t tell how they''re rted." Many were looking at Nicole with envy, and even though Nicole had heard them, she did not take their words to heart. After Nicole had bought a few of her usual stationaries and books, she went up to the counter to pay. However, Samuel was fighting to get the bill. "How could I allow ady to pay?¡± "That''s right." Spencer smiled, and in a cheeky move, left the items that he wanted on the counter. "Samuel, pay for all of these too." Samuel instantly turned pale. "Dude, go away! Where are your own allowances?" After he had spoken, he took Nicole''s items and brought them to the cashier. "HI pay for these only.¡± "What a miser!¡± Spencer red at Samuel and took his own wallet out. Then, he turned to Nicole and said, "He has always been this stingy. You''re the only person he has been generous with." Samuel rolled his eyes. "Stop talking smack about me!" Spencer chuckled. "I''m telling the truth.¡± "I think you''re asking for trouble!¡± Samuel turned around, about to hit Spencer after he was done paying. Spencer grabbed Nicole''s shoulders and took cover behind her. "You better be careful. Don''t hit Nicole!" "You!" Samuel muttered, having had it up to Spencer''s tricks. However, this scene of the three siblings messing around was like a movie to the public''s eye. It attracted the attention of several cashiers as they gathered to watch the three siblings. Indeed, the presence of two handsome men and a beautiful woman together was a rare sight for all of them. At that moment, everyone began to imagine how Nicole must be feeling. Being surrounded by two handsome guys must have made her feel ted. However, Nicole''s face was dark. Then, she gave Samuel a slight kick to his ankle, ¡°Stop screwing around." "Ouch!" Samuel acted like his ankle was about to be bruised, even though she had only given him a light tap. "That''s really painful! Please be gentler, little sis!¡± ¡®Oh, she''s actually the younger sister.¡¯ Those who were watching from the sides observed, bing even more envious of her. What a great life it was, for her to have such handsome brothers. After the three of them then stepped out of the shop, with Samuel was still grinning. As they were walking, they suddenly heard someone calling out to Nicole. "Nicole!" The twins turned around and saw a tall man rushing toward them before running up to Nicole. "Nicole! It''s been a while!¡± Seeing that the man was approaching her, Samuel quickly raised his hand and grabbed onto the man''s face. He was keeping the man at a distance of about three feet away. Bradley could not react in time to push his hand away. His body was still rushing forward while Samuel''s hand was pushing against his face. The entire scene was hrious. Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. ¡°Who are you?¡± Samuel raised his eyebrows and stared at Bradley. Bradley never thought that Nicole would be hanging out with a famous figure in the basketball field. He immediately straightened himself, "S-Samuel? You''re our senior, Samuel!" "You know me?¡± Samuel frowned. Bradley''s face had shock written all over it. ¡®Who wouldn''t know him? I''m not the only one. All of the Riddle boys are outstanding on their own merits in school. So, it''s impossible that others wouldn''t know them.¡¯ "Bradley Robertson! Why are you running?¡± At that moment, two other people appeared behind Bradley, panting. Chapter 1580 Chapter 1580 Once Nicole had taken a closer look, she saw June and Lulu. "Lulu? June?" Nicole asked, having not seen them in a long while. As Nicole did not expect to see them here, she was quite taken aback. "Nicole?" Lulu rushed over happily and hugged Nicole. "Long time no see!" After Nicole had gotten engaged, they had never met throughout the entire holiday, and a few days ago, there were still talking about Nicole "It really has been quite a while.¡± Nicole happily smiled and returned Lulu''s hug. June nced at Samuel. Then, she greeted Nicole, "It truly has been some time since west met. You look a lot prettier now. I heard that the Riddle family held a banquet a few days ago but...the Wace family was not invited." June had actually heard about the banquet, but she did not know what the asion was. Besides, the Wace family was also a third-rate family, and while they could still attend some regr gatherings, they did not have the right to join the much grander ones. "The banquet was ast-minute decision by my grandpa. I didn''t have enough time to send the invitations out,¡± Nicole replied remorsefully. However, due to the situation at that time, it was better that June and the family had not attended. Nicole did not want too many people from her school to find out about the matter. Otherwise, June and the rest would distance themselves from her. "No worries." June smiled. At that point, Samuel finally recognized June and Lulu. It was only then that he withdrew his hand, which was till on Bradley''s face. Then, Samuel finally remembered a few things about Bradley. "Oh, you''re Nicole''s ssmate." Bradley rubbed his face in embarrassment. "Sorry for offending you." Samuel lifted his chin, and the look on his face signaled, ''Of course you did.¡± At that moment, Lulu saw the items in Nicole''s hands andughed, "You''re here to buy stuff for the new semester too? June and I also came over together. Then, we bumped into Bradley. Bradley touched his nose. "This is the biggest mall in the city. Of course, I would be here." Therefore, it was not really a coincidence as either. "Since we''ve bumped into each other, why don''t we have lunch together?" Lulu suggested to Nicole as she noticed that June was sneaking nces at Samuel. Nicole smiled, as she understood Lulu''s intention. "Sure, let''s go together.¡± Spencer and Samuel were not against it either, but it was then that Spencer said, "I know of a nice restaurant around here. Let''s head over there.¡± "Sure!" Lulu said with a wide smile on her face. Spencer looked at Lulu. He could not help but return the smile, which prompted Lulu to blush. Naturally, very few would be able to resist the charm of a handsome man''s smile, and it was also normal for Lulu''s heart to skip a beat. Then, she let out a cough and quickly regainedposure. However, Nicole had noticed everything. ¡®Lulu blushing upon seeing Spencer. Huh, that is not the first time, isn''t it?¡¯ Soon after, they arrived at a French cuisine restaurant near the shopping mall, and once Spencer had entered, he pulled a chair for Nicole to sit on. "Nicole, have a seat." ¡°Okay.¡± Nicole nodded and sat down. Samuel immediately followed up by pouring ss of water for Nicole. "Have some water." Watching how Nicole was being taken care of by her brothers, June and Lulu began to envy and admire Nicole. "It''s great to have an elder brother.¡± Lulumented, fawning over Nicole to the point that she was about to drool. Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. Unable to hold herself back, June said, "Yeah, Nicole has five elder brothers. I only have a sister at home. It''s so annoying!" Nicole smiled. This time around, she felt like all of her brothers were pampering her a little too much. Indeed, their gestures could be excessive at times. "Let''s order.¡± Nicole motioned Lulu and the rest to order first. Lulu and June were sharing one menu while Spencer and Samuel made Nicole read the menu on their side of the table. "Nicole! You''ll love this! And this too!" Chapter 1581 Chapter 1581 Order one of these for Nicole too." The twins were fighting to order something for Nicole. N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material. Nicole''s face darkened at once. ¡°Enough. These are enough for me. The both of you should order something that you guys like." "Sure." Samuel smiled and finally gave in. As Bradley witnessed the whole situation, he admired Nicole, "Your brothers treat you very well.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Nicole smiled, but deep down, she was feeling a little worried. She had never been used to people being so caring and nice to her, with the exception of one person... The instant she thought about Jared, Nicole began to blush. Over the past few days, the Johnston family had received a lot of coborations because of the Riddle family. Naturally, Jared had been busy every single day, but no matter how busy he was, he would always give Nicole a call at night. The only time Nicole did not feel ufortable when showered with care and love was when Jared was the person doing it. It was really strange to her. Soon, the dishes were served. While they were eating, Lulu suddenly thought about something to gossip about. "Nicole, did you know that Lloyd Holder''s agency had found a female lead? The news was released today but it was quite secretive. They did not announce the name of the female lead." "It''s been an entire holiday season and the guy had just found his female lead? I bet that this director really does have high requirements.¡± Bradley frowned. On the other hand, June was unhappy about it. "Initially, his team wasing to my school to watch a y. Isn''t there a rumor saying that they might select potential candidates in our school to be the female lead?" ¡°Rumors are just rumors. How could we believe any of them? " Bradley asked, unable to resist the act of discouraging them. Lulu looked at Nicole and sighed. "What a pity. At that time, Nicole acted really well and Mr. Holder even hugged her...¡± In response, Samuel coughed. The moment they began discussing about the topic, he became a little put off. "It''s just some drama within the entertainment industry. What''s so great about it? He better stay far away from my sister.¡± Samuel''s words made Spencer nod his head too. "Yeah, I don''t think he is a good dude, to be honest." Lulu and June rolled their eyes at once. ¡®This is how straight guys act. What else would they understand?¡¯ As they were thinking, someone suddenly approached their table: a beautifuldy dressed in business wear. Thedy''s eyes were fixed on Nicole, prompting her to wonder, ¡®Do I know any pretty businessdies?" "Hello, you must be Miss Nicole Riddle, right?" the woman asked. Thedy then walked to the front, whereupon she took her sunsses off to make sure that she was not asking the wrong person. When everyone saw that thisdy knew Nicole, they were shocked. "Nicole, do you know her?¡± Samuel asked, straightening himself upon seeing ady with both beauty and brains. When June, who was sitting directly across from Samuel, noticed that Samuel preferred this sort of women, her face immediately stiffened. "I don''t know." Nicole shook her head and replied candidly. Anna smiled. "It''s understandable that you don''t know me, but I know you. Lloyd Holder showed me a picture of you.¡± At the mention of Lloyd Holder, everyone there was stunned. ¡®What does thisdy have to do with Lloyd Holder?¡¯ "You know Lloyd Holder?" Nicole raised her eyebrows slightly. At that moment, Anna took a name card out from her purse and left it on the table. "I''m Lloyd''s manager. You may call me Anna.¡± Upon hearing those words, Lulu and the rest were bbergasted. "Lloyd Holder''s manager?" "It seems that she''s here to look for Nicole..." Bradley mumbled in a low voice. Anna shed them a friendly smile. "I am indeed here to look for Nicole. I heard that you''ve agreed to be the female lead of ''Lukewarm''¡¯. I''ve also drafted the contract. Initially, I was thinking of signing the agreement with you elsewhere but I did not expect to bump into you here.¡± ¡°Lukewarm?"¡± "Female lead?" Chapter 1582 Chapter 1582 Everyone was stunned, with Lulu looking at Nicole and asking, "Could it be the Lukewarm drama that we were talking about?" Nicole looked at Anna in defeat. ¡®¡®Just my luck. I can''t believe I bumped into Lloyd''s manager,¡¯ Nicole thought. Nicole had not told her family about it yet, but she figured that there was no way of hiding it anymore, and so, she just epted Anna''s business card. "What a coincidence.¡± Anna smiled at Nicole. She found Nicole pretty when she saw her picture, but now that she had seen her in the flesh, she realized that Nicole was incredibly charming. ''17 to 18 is the best age to have a debut in the entertainment industry.¡¯ She finally understood why Lloyd had insisted that Nicole yed the role the moment she saw Nicole''s charm and spirit. She also knew why Nachelle had immediately agreed to the pick when she heard that it was Nicole. Anna then produced a contract from her bag. "I know this is weird, but I''m going to hand you the contract now. You can have a look at it when you''re free and hit me up if you have any questions. And one more thing. Lloyd asked me to tell you that he has checked it for you already." Nicole gave Anna a nce before looking down at the contract. She was unclear of the messy details regarding the industry, but she figured that Lloyd was indirectly telling her that he had helped out by writing off the things that she did not want to do. Then, she took a pen out from her shirt and signed it on the spot. "That''s alright. You can bring it back to Lloyd." "Wow. Are you sure?" Anna was surprised as she thought,¡¯ This gal sure is bold!¡¯ She proceeded to look at Nicole, who did not seem as though she was a high school student. Indeed, Anna found that there was something very mature about her and her gaze. And after Nicole had signed the papers, she took a seat. Anna quickly snapped out of her thoughts and kept the contract in her bag. "Just add my number when you''re free. Give me your email too, so that I can send you the script. Well start the shoot in 15 days or so.¡± "Sure." Nicole nodded, giving Anna a clear disy of boldness and confidence. Everyone else finally registered everything that was happening after Anna had left. They looked at Nicole, their gazes bright with admiration." Oh my god, Nicole. That''s Lloyd''s manager! Why aren''t you nervous at all?" "Why would I be?¡± she asked. After all, Lloyd was the one who had begged her to star in the drama. She was not the one who requested the role. After a few seconds, Spencer pulled himself back to the present and asked, "What''s going on, Nicole? Why are you the female lead in Lukewarm?" So many things were happening at home, and no one knew that she would join the entertainment industry. Nicole looked at them, and in a casual tone of voice, she replied, "I¡¯m just doing it for fun because I''m interested in the script." Lulu and June grew sour upon hearing Nicole''s remark. It was said that no one in the industry had caught the director''s eye when she was looking for a female lead in Lukewarm, and yet, Nicole was graced with that opportunity. However, she was so nonchnt about it and actually said that she only did it for the fun of it. ¡®Nicole is the only one who''d think this way. If this goes out to the public, every female star in the industry would be jealous of Nicole!¡¯ Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. "Seems like Lloyd really went to our school to find himself a female lead!¡± "That makes sense!" Lulu and Bradly stated, finally arriving at a realization. Nicole was speechless. ¡®They do know how to connect the dots. But I didn''t think of starring in a movie at all, let alone joining the entertainment industry. I''m just going to consider this as my token of gratitude for Lloyd. Studying is pretty boring too, so finding something else to do won''t hurt.¡¯ "Here, let''s have a toast to congratte Nicole for starring in Lukewarm!" June raised her ss proudly as she was really happy for Nicole. Though Spencer and Samuel were shocked, they did not say anything. They raised their sses to congratte Nicole for the time being, but they exchanged looks as they had decided to tell their brothers when they got home. Chapter 1583 Chapter 1583 It was rare for Nicole to be able to rx, so she smiled and raised her ss before chugging her beverage down with them. Then, June and Lulu began chatting up to Nicole, and though Nicole listened more than she spoke, she still responded to theirments. Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. Spencer and Samuel had hardly seen Nicole behaving like this. In their family, most of them were males, and that was probably why Nicole would only show her girly side when she was with her female ssmates. After their lunch, Nicole bade them farewell and took Spencer and Samuel away to try on some clothes. Then, they went back home in the evening. Gloria asked Spencer and Samuel to help her out as she looked at Nicole with adoration. "You must be tired. Get some rest. I have your brothers helping me.¡± ¡°Huh? I''m tired too, mom." Samuelined. In response, Gloria pinched his ears. "You wish. Come help me out!" Spencer looked at Nicole helplessly. "You''re the only one who gets to enjoy this privilege, Nicole." Then, he went to the kitchen and joined his brother. Nicole smiled. She really liked her life the way it was; peaceful and calm. After lingering for a moment, she headed upstairs. The phone that she used to contact Zane was damaged when it got into the water. Fortunately, she had found someone to fix it for her and was finally able to get it back today. Though she knew that there would be a lot of spam calls, she still switched her phone on. As expected, her phone started to vibrate ceaselessly as countless messages and notifications flooded in. She could tell that Zane was losing his mind. Nicole was considering whether she should give Zane her personal number as she thought, ¡®If this continues, Zane will probably go nuts soon.¡¯ After she had read through all of the messages, she gave Zane a call, which was immediately answered. "Nicole! What happened to you?! Is your phone just a decoration? How could you switch it off for so long? You must leave your phone on every night, as per the organization''s rules. Don''t you remember?" Nicole pulled the phone away from her ears before putting it back after she could no longer hear Zane''s voice. "I fell off a bridge and my phone got into the water." Zane then remembered something important. "I was calling you about this too. How did you fall off a bridge? I didn''t get any news about other organizationsing here, so they are probably not the ones who attacked you." "Yeah, there''s probably someone else. I don''t think it was that same group of people fromst time." Even if it was, they would not have done it in such simple fashion. "Who?" Zane asked. "Someone who hates me, I guess." Nicole''s gaze sharpened. "But don''t worry. Jared is already investigating it for me. Let''s just continue searching for the Braves." They had to know who was pulling the strings, and that was why she did not tell the organization. She did not want them to help her with the investigation. "The Holders are looking into the case too,¡± Zane said. Nicole understood what he was trying to say. "I got Lloyd to help me out." Zane, who had already figured it out, nodded. ¡°They probably have a much greater advantage over us. Those people might be avoiding us." Chapter 1584 Chapter 1584 "Yeah, we''re getting an update soon. Anyway, how''s Carl?¡± she asked. In a deep voice, he said, "We looked into the bullets that were fired. I believe they''ve already found the manufacturer of the weapon and the bullets, but they still have yet to find out who distributed it." "That''s good to hear.¡± Nicole issued a sigh of relief. But it was then that Zane sighed as well. "But we''re a little toote. You''ve already exposed your identity, so you''ve got to really take care of your family.¡± "I will. Don''t worry. I''ll use the crest if I need to,¡± she replied. "Good." Zane was relieved to hear that. He then told Nicole a few more things before ending the call. Once the call was over, Nicole put the phone away andid down. Not only had she exposed her identity, she had also joined the entertainment industry. ¡®Zane is probably going to lose it if he knows that I did this as a trade with the Holder family.¡¯ She let out a sigh again. She did not have any choice but to hide it from Zane for now. Then, she added Anna''s number and sent Anna her email address. Receiving the script almost immediately, she clicked on it to read it. Not long after, she began to get bored, and that was when Jared gave her a call. "What ¡®cha doing?" Though Jared sounded tired, his voice still hinted that he missed Nicole. "I''m looking at the script.¡± Nicole said, not hiding it from him. "Script? Are you going to act in a movie?¡± Jared frowned. ¡®I didn''t know about this,¡¯ he thought. "Yeah, I needed the Holder family to find the answers that I am looking for, so I agreed to star in a movie for him," she replied. Jared immediately tightened his brows. "With Lloyd?" ¡®Now, Lloyd is aplicated man.¡¯ Jared thought, having noticed how persistent Lloyd was in pursuing Nicole. "I think so. Judging from the script, he''s probably the male lead,¡± she stated. Jared became upset in an instant. "Over my dead body." Jared got depressed as soon as he thought about Nicole ying a role with Lloyd. "It won''t be long, so don''t worry.¡± Nicole scanned through the script, which added up with what Lloyd had told her. During Nicole''s brief stint as an undercover agent, she yed a simr role as well. However, she was doing it with Carl, so ying it with another guy would not be a difficult task for Nicole. She looked at the remarks written at the back and found out that the filming period was going to be three months. She smiled indifferently as she knew that she couldnd a role like this done in just under a month. "No way. I can already tell what that man is up to.¡± As a man himself, Jared could see through the intentions that every man had for Nicole. Nicole frowned. "We''re going to get married anyway. What are you worried about?" She did not think that Lloyd still had this inappropriate ambition to pursue her, as she was going to marry Jared. She thought that there would be a limit to all of that confidence within. Jared paused and kept quiet for a second before he said,¡± Are you saying that you agree to get married sooner?" Nicole choked. She was not thinking properly when she said that while she was reading the script. ''Gosh, why would I say something like that?¡¯ "T-That''s not what I meant.¡± Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. However, Jared did not let it slip. "I heard what you said, and I''ll remember it. That''s it, I''ll get it done as soon as possible.¡± Lloyd was a celebrity, and he would not get in the way of somebody else''s rtionship to spare himself from trouble. That is, if Jared made it official with Nicole. Nicole sighed upon noticing that Jared was starting to behave in a shameless manner again. "Whatever." She knew that arguing with him was not going to help their situation. Chapter 1585 Chapter 1585 However, it was going to happen sooner orter anyway. She could do her own things in peace after it had been taken care of. Then, as if he had felt something, Jared softly said, "Okay, well stick to this n then. I''ll tell Zane to let you go after we''ve gotten married." He had already made this decision for her when he went to save her at the airport. He just could not allow Nicole to do anything too perilous anymore. Nicole''s heart melted, but the mixed feeling flooded in thereafter. "Jared... do you want me to quit?" she asked. It was possible for her to do so in the Interpol, but she was not old enough to do that. Therefore, she did not know if Jared wanted her to retire after getting married. "I just don''t want you to put yourself in danger anymore. And... I don''t want to see you covered in blood ever again,¡± he asserted. Nicole became silent after she had heard Jared''s heartfelt confession. Suddenly, her heart started pounding as she became overjoyed. She could even hear Jared''s voice trembling when he said that. Nicole had never been afraid of death. She kept growing in strength and resilience after she had met Zane when she was younger, and that was also when taking care of her grandmother became her responsibility. She had never done anything to disobey Zane or the organization because she wanted to repay Zane for having given her an opportunity, as well as guidance throughout the years. However, she began to feel a sense of fear after she had met Jared. She was afraid that she might never be able to see him again. Still, quitting the organization was something that had never crossed her mind. Nicole took a deep breath and said, "I''ll think about it." She had only been able to live this long because of Zane and the organization. There was just no way she could leave the organization with just a simple letter of resignation. "Sure, but I won''t change my mind.¡± Jared asserted, sounding very bossy. "You¡¯re mine now, and I want the best for you." His affectionate voice emanated through the phone, making Nicole feel that she was genuinely loved as her heart started racing. "Okay, stop being so cheesy. I need to read the script now.¡± Nicole hung up as her face grew hot. Jared heard the beeping sound in his phone, but he was not mad at all as he already knew that Nicole was just being shy. Indeed, Nicole would only behave like a meek woman in front of him. Jared was in a good mood when he ced his phone down. However, the look on his face darkened as soon as he thought about Lloyd. ¡®How bold of that idiot to ask Nicole to apany him. I guess I''ll have to teach him a lesson,¡¯ he said to himself. He pressed the call button on his phone, and that was when Max came inside. "Mr. Johnston, how may I assist you?"Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. Jared smiled faintly. "Find out which show Nicole is working on now, and... invest in their production team.¡± Jared figured that he should not be a gentleman anymore, as Lloyd had resorted to using dirty tricks. "Yes, sir.¡± Max obliged, ying it cool in spite of the fact that he too was surprised by the notion that Nicole was going to act in a drama series. Suddenly, he was reminded of something. "Mr. Johnston, the driver who struck Miss Riddle in the car without the license te has been found. He fled the country, but he''s getting escorted back now." "Oh?" Jared''s lifted his brows, his gaze sharp. "What about the mastermind?" Max''s gaze turned dark. "I''m sure that we''ll know who that is after some interrogation." An eerie smile shed across Jared''s face. "There''s no need to bring him back if that¡¯s the case. Just make him suffer a little at the border." Max immediately understood what Jared was trying to say because the border was not governed by anyw... ¡®I guess that person is going to experience hell.'' "Yes, sir. I''ll find out who did that in under three days. And if I might add..." Max hesitated as if he had something else to say. "What is it?" Chapter 1586 Chapter 1586 Max took a deep breath before he took a few pieces of paper out. "The Fisher Group hasn''t been doing well recently. A lot ofpanies terminated their contracts with them because they did not want to cross the Riddle family. We''re also getting ready to terminate our contract with them as you ordered. I''m now looking for anotherpany to take over for the green energy project.¡± "Okay, just forget about them and let them rot," Jared said. "However, the Fishers are up to something... They''re trying to form an alliance with families and enterprises that don''t support the Riddle family..." Max''s expression became a lot more serious as he exined. Jared''s eyes darkened as soon as he heard that. He was not expecting the Fisher family to do something like that. However, it did not sound like something that Colton and the old man would do. "What about Fiore?¡± He squinted and asked. Max''s expression became even more solemn. "I heard that she was the one who was representing the Fisher family in their negotiations with those people.¡± "Hmm! Seems like Colton did not raise his child right,¡± Jared fumed. The Fisher family could only be where they were because Mr. Fisher Sr. was a scheming and despicable person. Though Colton was slightly better than that, he would still resort to some dirty tricks to get what he wanted. Such was why the Johnston family did not want to associate themselves with the Fishers for the longest time. Jared would never have had any interactions with the Fishers if Henry had not coborated with them for the green energy project. "Keep an eye out on Fiore and her family. Take any actions when necessary," Jared ordered. "Yes, sir.¡± Max nodded dutifully. Then, he grabbed his stuff and left. Jared''s eyes fell on theputer. He opened a name list that he had given to Nicole on his new phone. He had already listed down the people who supported her and the people who did not have any ns of working together with the Riddle family... It seemed that he had something nned all along. The weekend ended very soon, and the school finally reopened on Monday. Naturally, Nicole, Spencer, and Samuel got into the car and went straight to their school early in the morning. While in the car, Samuelined, "Mr. Ellison is kind enough to let Stanley skip the first day of school.¡± "Yeah. His results are just too good. Mr. Ellison said he just has to sit for the few main exams.¡± Spencer replied. "That''s wonderful. I guess having good results could really get you anything.¡± Samuel sighed. Spencer replied with a degree of sourness as well. "Yeah. I wonder when we can be as good as him and finally do something that we like.¡±N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material. Samuel was very good at basketball, and he just could not concentrate on his studies. Even though his academic results were pretty good, he had never gotten first ce in his batch. Spencer, on the other hand, was a musical genius, and he would always participate inpetitions. Although he was always in the top ten in his culture ss, it was still difficult for him to leave school and pursue his passion. "It''s okay. Both of you are good at different things. Just focus on those.¡± Nicole smiled as she consoled them. Not expecting their little sister tofort them, big smiles crossed their faces. "You''re right!" "Yeah!" Nicole''s smile also became warmer after seeing how bright the smiles were on her brothers¡¯ faces. And just like that, they arrived at the school in a good mood. As soon as they arrived, however, there was somebody waiting for them at the entrance. Samuel saw Norah the second he stepped out of the car, while thetter stood there as if she was really just waiting for them. They only went forward to greet her after they had looked at Nicole and saw that she was not bothered by this. "Why are you here, Norah Riddle?¡± Norah was choking with rage when she heard Samuel calling her by her full name.She had been staying in the hotel for the past few days, and her family seemed to have already forgotten about her. Chapter 1587 Chapter 1587 None of them cared about her or even asked her if she was okay. ¡®Are they nning to leave me here?'' Norah thought to herself. However, she did not dare to call Daniel and Sean. She also had no idea as to why Gloria had blocked her number, but she highly suspected that Nicole was the culprit. The only thing she could do was wait for her brother at the school to find out what was happening. Norah took a deep breath and forced out a smile. "I figured that my brothers would be here on the first day of school, so I came to wait for you guys.¡± Samuel''s expression became even more awkward, for Norah had addressed him as her brother, even when there were many people around them. Unable to feelfortable with what she had done, he said. "Norah, Dad has already said that you shouldn''t call me your brother anymore. Just call me Samuel." Norah''s smile froze after she heard what Samuel had just said. She would have pped him if he was somebody else. Fortunately, she held herself back. Instead, she stopped smiling and wore a pitiful grimace instead, "Okay, Samuel..." It was only then that Spencer and Samuel felt morefortable. Nicole, on the other hand, was amused by the way Norah acted. Sean had been busy, and he had not told his family about the results of the investigation. However, Norah was the one who could not wait, and that was why she hade to look for Samuel and Spencer. Nicole only ignored her because she had been living with the Riddles for so many years and she did not want to put Gloria on the spot. However, the Riddle family had made their stance clear to her, so there was no reason for Nicole to keep enabling her. Nicole took a step forward, and in an icy voice, she said," Norah, please put that pitiful look away. Other people would think that our family is mistreating you if they see you like this." Spencer and Samuel only began to realize that what Nicole said was very true after hearing that. They would probably get wind from the outsiders, saying that the heartless Riddle brothers had turned against their older sister again. Spencer''s tone became stern as he asked, ¡°Norah, just tell us why you came here." "Yeah. You should avoiding here to look for us in the future,¡± Samuel added. The brothers sounded really stern. They were neither too soft nor too loud, and the passersby could hear what they were saying. Norah gave off the look which implied that she would not stop pestering Nicole, and her face was burning as if she had just been pped. "Isn''t that Norah Riddle?¡± one of the people in the crowd asked. "I heard that she was chased out of the house after the Riddle family found their real daughter..." "What? She even boasted that she lived in the Riddle residence justst semester...¡± N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material. The bystanders buzzed about. Norah could not bear the humiliation anymore as she angrily yelled, "Do you think I want to be here? I''m homeless now, and yet all of you just left me at the hotel. Are you guys trying to mess with...?" With a loud smack, Nicole pped Norah before she could even finish her sentence. At this point, Norah was just trying to tarnish the Riddle family''s reputation, the very same family which had raised her for so many years. Not only did she not appreciate what they had done for her, she had also defamed them publicly. Norah was left in a daze after Nicole had pped her. There was blood on the edge of her lips, the coppery tang of which she could even taste. That p was simply too powerful, and Norah had never been pped like that before. To add salt to the wound, Nicole had done that in front of everyone. Norah widened her eyes and looked at Nicole in shock. "Did you... just p me?" Chapter 1588 Chapter 1588 "Yeah, and I''ve been wanting to do this for a very long time.¡± Nicole stretched her wrist and took a step forward. "That p was to remind you not to forget the fact that my family raised you. As for this one, it''s to teach you a lesson for asking my mom for money and lying to all of us!" Norah helplessly looked on as Nicole raised her hand again. She wanted to flee, but much to her misfortune, Nicole was faster than her. And just like that, she took another smack to the face. That p was so hard, that her ears began to ring. She slumped to the floor and her ponytail tumbled out. Samuel and Spencer did not expect that Nicole would hit Norah. However, they felt that Norah deserved it after hearing what Nicole had said. The Riddle family were the ones who had raised her for so many years, yet she had never made any mentions about it. Daniel and Gloria even gave Norah''s biological parents some money when she left the Riddle family. However, she had secretly approached Gloria to ask for more money. They did not confront her about everything that had happened previously, but as she was still dead set on messing with their family after her biological parents had died, their tolerance for her actions dissipated. "How dare you! I''m going to kill you!¡± she cried. Both sides of Norah''s cheeks were swollen. However, she came prepared. She took a fruit knife out from the side of her bag and charged at Nicole. "Watch out!" Samuel grabbed Nicole and wrested her away upon seeing what Norah was doing. However, his own arm was gashed in the process. Seeing that, Nicole''s eyes turned red, and her re became murderous. "You''re dead!" She broke free from Samuel''s protection. Then, she grabbed Norah''s hand which was holding the knife and twisted it. With a crack, Norah''s wrist gave in. "Ah!" Norah yelled out of pain! She did not anticipate that Nicole would be so ruthless that she would be willing to break her wrist. As her joint popped out of its socket, Norah was in so much pain that she copsed and rolled on the ground with her face all scrunched up. "It hurts! She''s a murderer... Call the cops! Call the cops now!" Norah screamed for help from the bystanders, her hair wild and messy. Nicole looked down at her and stomped on her other hand before yelling, "Cops? You tried to harm me, and I was just protecting myself. You''re the one that the cops will be arresting once they¡¯re here.¡± Nicole''s vicious gaze scared Norah so much that she even stopped yelling. ¡®She''s terrifying... Her eyes really do make her look like a demon,¡¯ she panicked. ¡®Why do I feel like she could crush me anytime and kill me!?¡¯ "I''m sorry... Please forgive me. I''m sorry!" Norah''s fear made her kneel and plead for forgiveness. However, Nicole''s eyes were nk. "Tell that to the cops!" She withdrew her foot and returned to Samuel, after which she examined his wound and yelled at Norah again, "You''re not going to get away with this!¡± Then, she helped Samuel up. "I''ll get you to the infirmary now." She had to stitch the cut as soon as possible. Otherwise, Samuel would be left with a scar. "Okay..." Samuel nodded and walked off with Nicole while enduring the searing pain. N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material. Spencer turned around and look at Norah, who was lying on the ground. His eyes were filled with hatred and disappointment. ¡®Is she the same sister that we used to love? Why did she be like this? Or were we wrong about her true colors from the start?¡¯ he pondered. Norah could only think straight after they had left.It was then that someone called the cops, causing Norah to panic. ¡®Are the cops really going to arrest me?¡¯ Chapter 1589 Chapter 1589 Norah did not even bother iming her backpack anymore the second she thought about that. Then, she left while enduring the pain in her wrist. Nicole did not waste any time. The school doctor''s widened at once when he saw Samuel''s wound once Nicole had brought him in. "It''s a deep cut. You''ve got to bring him to a hospital to stitch it up and get a tetanus shot..." Nicole took her Beacon out after seeing how profuse Samuel''s bleeding was. Then, she wrapped it around his arm, ¡°The bleeding will stop soon. It has the same ingredient as a tetanus shot. Don''t worry." The eyes of the school doctor lit up as soon as he saw the device. "Is that a Beacon? This is something that we can''t even buy now. How did you get it?¡± Nicole ignored him and swept her nce across the room, spotting the medical equipment needed to stitch Samuel up, whereupon she said to the school doctor, "I''m going to stitch him up. Would you mind waiting outside?" "What?" The school doctor paused as he was taken aback. He was a doctor, and that was where he worked. Thus the notion that a student had said those words to him dide off as absurd. "Hey, listen to me... This is an infirmary, not a hospital. A wound like this needs to be treated in the hospital..." Spencer became impatient as he told the school doctor," My sister is a very good doctor. Just keep quiet and listen to her." The school doctor choked after hearing what Spencer had said. However, he knew who Spencer was. He shifted his gaze to Nicole''s face right away and recognized that she was the poprdy from the last semester. He knew that Nicole was a genius, but he had no idea that she knew anything about medicine. ¡®She''s just a high school student, isn''t she?¡¯ he wondered. However, Nicole had already administered a local anesthetic to Samuel before stitching him up. As expected, the school doctor was shocked to see what Nicole was doing. He figured that it was foolish of him to doubt her after looking at how polished Nicole''s procedures were. She was just as good as the doctor working in arge hospital. Hell, she could even outss his mentor at this point. ¡®Is this kid really just a high school student?! he wondered again. The doctor felt humiliated and useless in her presence. He even began thinking that he did not deserve to work as the school''s doctor when a high school student could actually do a better job than him. Soon after, Nicole took care of Samuel''s wound. She ced a bandage on it before ring at Samuel. "Why did you rush over to protect me? Have you forgotten that I know martial arts?" Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. Unable to stomach the fact that Nicole knew martial arts as well, the doctor left. "I''ll get you guys a ss of water..." Samuel scratched his head in embarrassment after the doctor had left. "I forgot about it because I was afraid that she might hurt you. I only did what I did out of instinct." Spencer then added. ¡°Isn''t it perfectly justified for a brother to protect his little sister? I''m sure that he didn¡¯t think much when he acted out of his instinct just now.¡± Samuel nodded. "Yeah. All I wanted to do was to keep you safe." Nicole''s reproachful eyes turned gentle. Even though it felt good to be protected by a brother of hers, she did not want anyone around her to get hurt. However, she could not pin the me on them as Norah was the reason why everything had happened. "Spencer, you should head to ss with Samuel right now. I have something else to take care of." Nicole then left the infirmary with a grim look on her face. Spencer somehow felt relieved after his sister had left." Nicole looked really terrifying when she was mad...¡± Chapter 1590 Chapter 1590 ¡°Yeah. Sometimes, I feel like our little sister is more mature than us..." Even Spencer needed Nicole to take care of him, and that made him feel guilty. "However, she''s still our sister and we''ve got to protect and give her the very best the world has to offer," Spencer passionately said. "Of course." Samuel nodded, not regretting what he had done for Nicole at all. Nicole, who had already left the infirmary by now, proceeded to dial Sean''s number right away. Concurrently, Sean was having a meeting with his subordinates when his phone suddenly rang. Everyone there knew how meticulous Sean was in his work and that he would never pick his phone up during a meeting. In addition, he had gotten even more serious in his work as of recent. He looked at his phone after a few rings. To their surprise, he gestured for everyone to keep quiet and answered the call by the window. "Hello? Nicole?" His gentle voice made him look as though he was apletely different man to the one who would reprimand his employees. Everyone was confused... Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. ¡®Who''s that person on the phone? ¡®Could it be Mr. Riddle''s girlfriend? I have no idea that he had one.¡¯ However, nobody dared to speak a word as they perked their ears up to listen to their conversation. Sean heard Nicole''s solemn voice from the other side of the phone. "Sean, did you manage to dig up anything about Norah''s parents?¡± Sean paused. He had a meeting in the morning, and so, he had left early. That was why he did not tell Nicole about what he had found out. "Yeah, but I haven''t read the report yet. Do you want me to forward it to you first?" Sean asked in a caring tone of voice, which left everyone shocked. "Sure. Thank you so much.¡± Nicole nodded. She knew that Sean was very busy, so she added a soft," Sorry for disturbing you." Sean smiled. "Don''t talk to me like I''m some stranger." Their stern-looking boss actually smiled. Everyone there looked at each other in utter disbelief. ¡®Who''s the person on the phone? How did that person manage to make Mr. Riddle smile so gently?¡¯ one of the men thought. "Okay, thanks Sean. I''ll hang up now. Bye.¡± Nicole thanked him and hung up. As soon as he ced his phone away, he realized that everyone in the conference room was staring at him. Just like that, his gentle gaze turned into a frown again.¡± What are you looking at? Carry on!¡± "Yes, sir!¡± One of the managers that were reporting to him stood up and continued as if everything that had happened moments before was nothing but a dream. Mr. Riddle would never be so gentle.¡¯ ¡°I''m sure that it was just an illusion!¡¯ Nicole received an email seconds after she had hung up. Then, she started reading it. Indeed, Sean had acted very quickly. ¡®He probably spent a lot of money and leveraged a number of his connections. He actually found the bodies of Norah''s parents too.¡¯ The detailed report showed that Norah and her parents had traveled to an ind for vacation some time ago, but they were caught in a thunderstorm three days into their trip. As a result, their boat was stranded and unable to return to the shore. For some reason, Norah''s parents had insisted on going to the ind, and they had even bought an overpriced boat to sail out. That was how they got into that ident. Nicole read the final result and that was when her eyes darkened. Her gut feeling was right. She was certain that there was more to the death of Norah''s parents. Otherwise, there was little reason as to why they would suddenly buy a boat abroad just to go to that ind with all that they could afford. Nicole just could not figure out why they would risk their lives to do that under such terrible weather. Then, an assumption came to mind. Chapter 1591 Chapter 1591 She clenched her hands tightly. ¡®That''s two lives gone... and they are both her own biological parents." ¡®lf Norah was really that ruthless, I will not let this slide!" she seethed. With that in mind, she instantly proceeded to give a few familiar folks a call, getting the local police force tounch an investigation. Even though Sean would most definitely be investigating on his end, information would definitely arrive in a timelier fashion and in greater uracy from those under the pressure of Interpol. After hanging up, Nicole looked at Norah''s ss with a grim look in her eyes. "Norah... if all this is true, then you''ve truly brought this upon yourself." And as Nicole made her way back to her ssroom seething with murderous intent, the sun was suddenly obscured by dark, gray clouds looming above them. Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. The day soon passed, and once school was over, Samuel and Spencer stood at the school gate, waiting for Nicole. She saw the rather anxious expressions of their faces and quizzically, they asked, "What''s the matter? Why the long face?" Samuel looked at Nicole with worry written all over his face. "Someone had called the police in the morning, and I don''t know what Norah told the police, but it seems that the officers had gone to our house. Mom and Dad gave us a call moments ago, and they asked us to go home as soon as possible. Mom''s worried about you." Nicole''s eyes darkened a little, for she had not even gone after Norah, and yet, thetter had already brought the police to her house. Fortunately, it just so happened she had already gotten the information she wanted. ¡®So let''s send Norah to where she truly belongs today then!¡¯ "If that''s the case, let''s go then." Nicole calmly looked at the twins. Samuel pulled Nicole over. "Wait, Nicole... I heard that Norah even brought awyer to sue you for causing deliberate harm to her." "Yeah... Although she had attempted to hurt you, what you did to her wrist was..." The two brothers began discussing about the issue. However, they were now students and did not know which one of the problems was more serious. They could only fear that they would drag Nicole down with them. Nicole let out a wry smile in response. "Responsibilities aside. Who do you think dares to detain me now?" Everyone in San Joto knew about her current status, except for blue-cored folks like Norah, who did not even know who she was and yet had dared to stir the pot. Every notable person would need to consider the Riddle family''s prestige, as well as the influence of the Fire Crest. Therefore, she was not afraid at all. Moreover, none of them knew thew, while she did. Thus, even if Norah attempted to distort the facts, it would be an exercise in futility. "Come, let''s go home. The truth will reveal itself there." Nicole said as she got into the car first. Seeing Nicole''s attitude, both Samuel and Spencer inexplicably found a sliver of confidence within. ¡®If Nicole''s not afraid, we have no reason to be either!'' they thought. The three then got into the car, and their chauffeur quickly drove them back to the Riddle family''s residence. Upon entering the house, the first thing Nicole heard was Norah''s cry. "She''s not back even at this hour, she must be afraid! You cannot just sit by after what she did to my arm!" This was the first time she heard Norah throwing such a tantrum at the Riddle''s residence, and it looked like she was going all out. Nicole sneered as she walked in. ¡°What''s the talk about me not daring toe back home?" The instant she heard Nicole''s voice, Norah''s body instinctively trembled. She subconsciously turned her head around, thinking she would catch sight of Nicole''s look of fear due to her calling the police. However, what Norah saw was an expression of nonchnce with an added sneer on it. "Norah, I totally did not expect this. Was the lesson in the morning not enough? And now you''re here causing a ruckus at my home?" Nicole said. The words ''my home'' stabbed deep into Norah''s heart. ¡®This was originally my home! If Nicole hadn''t returned, I would''ve been the daughter of the Riddle family, living worry- free for the rest of my life! It''s all because of Nicole! She''s the one who took everything away from me! She took the life that was originally mine!¡¯ Norah raged. Chapter 1592 Chapter 1592 With that in mind, Norah''s fear quickly dissipated, reced by nothing but roiling hatred. The Riddle family had left her in a hotel, having no longer cared about her. She was left with no one now. However, even if she could not return to the Riddle residence as a family member anymore, she was determined to extract a king''s bounty from them before she left. Mustering her courage, Norah stood up as she tried to find the ferocity that she had disyed earlier. "Why wouldn''t I dare? You broke my wrist at the school entrance, and many had caught that on tape! I''ve called awyer over and if this is not settled to my satisfaction by today, prepare for it to go viral tomorrow!" She had concluded that the Riddles would not want to cause a massive scene, due to how much they cared about their reputation, regardless of who was the more culpable party in that fracas back at the school. Having seen through Norah''s intentions, Nicole smirked. ncing at thewyer whom Norah had brought with her, Nicole''s lips lifted smugly. ¡°Is that so? I see you''ve brought awyer here too, haven''t you? Did yourwyer know that you were the one who struck first, and that there''s a wound on my brother''s hand as proof of that!? The moment Nicole had uttered those words, Gloria, who was worried about Nicole, became even more anxious." What happened? Did Samuel and Spencer get hurt as well?" Norah''s wrist had already been tended to, but the ster cast over her hand was shocking enough for her. When she thought of the wound on her son''s arm, her heart bled. Hearing that, Samuel immediately stepped aside. ¡°I''m fine. Mom. Just a small cut. Nicole has already stitched the wound up." "Stitched the wound up? How big of a cut was that to need sutures?¡± Gloria''s eyes reddened. She had never thought that the daughter she had raised for so many years, the obedient girl in the Riddle''s residence many years back, would do something like that to the men whom she used to call brothers. ¡®She had broken her own wrist and Samuel got wounded as well?¡¯ Gloria wondered. Although Nicole pitied Gloria, she could no longer bother to hold back due to the sorry state of affairs; she had to make Gloria witness Norah''s true colors. "Norah wanted to stab me with a knife, and Samuel got hurt trying to protect me. The wound took four whole stitches to have it sewn shut." "How... could that be..." Gloria buried her mouth in her hands. Daniel looked at Norah once again, and his eyes, which initially had traces of guilt in it, darkened. ¡°I knew it. Nicole would not break your wrist for no reason. How could you do that to Samuel? He was your brother!" As he had already had it up to here with Norah, Daniel flew off the handle, for he was utterly disappointed in Norah. Noticing that the parents who had once doted on her now ring at her with looks of disappointment and hatred, Norah finally lost it. "You''re now telling me that we were once family? What of it when my parents died? You people left me in a hotel and had no ns to take me back in! If it weren''t for that cold shoulder you''ve given me, I wouldn''t have been forced to stop them at the entrance of the school! Norah''s eyes reddened as she howled with her fists clenched, angrily chastising Daniel and Gloria''s attitude of indifference toward her. Unable to just stand and watch anymore, Steve stepped forward and bellowed, "Is it our fault that your parents died? Not too long ago, we''ve done all we could to help you find your parents, and here you are, being an ungrateful twat!" Norah then turned to Steve as she sneered, her expression bing menacing as she wailed, "What? Am I supposed to thank you for finding my biological parents? It looks more to me like you people couldn''t wait to get rid of me. It''s a sham that you helped me look for my parents! Don''t you go around pretending to be some saint!" Gloria had never thought that a daughter she had raised would turn out to be the way she was today; to think that she was that ungrateful, to think that she harbored such hatred toward them. Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. Unable to stomach the abuse any longer, Gloria raised her hand and pped Norah. ¡°Norah, you disappoint me!" Norah was stunned. Thest thing she had expected was for a meek character like Gloria to actually hit her. There, the hatred in her heart churned and swelled even more violently. However, everyone who saw the p knew that, although Gloria had pped Norah, she had not used any force at all. Chapter 1593 Chapter 1593 That p however caused Norah to shoot Gloria a maniacal re. "Since I''m no longer a member of the Riddle family, what right you have to hit me? Tell me, what right do you have?" As she said that, Norah raised her hand to shove Gloria in retaliation. Nicole reacted quickly, and just as Norah was about to strike, she twisted her other arm and pressed it against thetter''s back, causing Norah to double over before everyone around her. ¡°Let me go, damn you!¡± Norah thrashed around in a frenzy, but as her other arm was broken, she was totally helpless. Watching as Nicole subdued Norah, both Samuel and Spencer felt that her movements were too well tactical and precise, like a police officer restraining a criminal. "You think I''ll still allow you to hurt my family?" Nicole questioned, whereupon a crack was heard. Nicole exerted more force, causing Norah to feel a sharp pain on her shoulder. "You... Let me go!" The pain of having her wrist broken by Nicole was still fresh in her mind as Norah struggled in terror. Yet, as Nicole held her down in ce, she could only looked at herwyer who was left perplexed. ¡°Damn you! What are you standing there for? Help me out!" "Ah? Oh...¡± Thewyer sprang to his feet in shock. Then, Norah suddenly thought of an idea. "Record this! Record this entire thing as evidence! I want to sue the Riddle family to bankruptcy for doing this to me!" As soon as everyone heard Norah''s maddening ramble, a sense of iciness descended upon the room. At this same moment however, Nicole sneered. "No need for that. Just call the police. We''re also about to call the cops to arrest a murderer!" The instant the word, ''murderer'', came out of Nicole''s mouth, Norah was startled. Sensing the fear and astonishment in Norah, Nicole''s eyes dimmed as she pushed forward with force, causing Norah to crash onto the ground. She fell over beside where thewyer stood, causing thetter to take a reflexive step backward. Norah sat up with her hair totally frizzled and wild as she turned and looked at Nicole. "Nonsense! There''s no murderer here. If there''s anyone who should be calling the calling the police, it''s ME!" Nicole gave Norah a condescending look as she took her phone out and shed her call log to Norah. In a single nce, Norah became stunned as the call log was lined full of her own phone calls. From the time stamp, it could be seen that those calls were made before her parents set off for the ind. Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. At that moment, her face turned pale. Noticing Norah''s reaction, Sean nced at Nicole''s phone as he quizzically asked, "Whose call recording is that?" Nicole looked at her parents and back at Norah before saying, "These are the call records of Norah''s father. As you can see, they were talking to her before tragedy struck.¡± As they heard what Nicole was saying, Daniel and Gloria looked at each other, feeling that something was not right. Samuel and Spencer, on the other hand, immediately understood what Nicole had meant. She had told them that there was something strange with the circumstances surrounding the death of Norah''s parents¡¯. Now that a recording had been procured, Norah must have been yed a role in their demise. Chapter 1594 Chapter 1594 In spite of the fact that there was already proof, Norah still tried to talk her way out of her predicament. "It''s just a call log. It doesn''t prove anything! Don''t you try to change the topic, I''m not here to listen to your hogwash!" Even as Norah attempted to regain the upper hand, the Riddles were no fools. Sean coldly whipped his phone out and called the police.¡± Hello, 911..." Achill radiated across Norah''s heart at that instant as she red at Nicole. "Even if you do not wish to compensate me, you don''t need to besmirch me like this!" ¡°Compensation? You still have the nerve to ask forpensation?¡± Nicole sneered as she mocked Norah. "Do you think the Riddle family is some pushover? Fine! Since gratitude is a foreign concept to you, don''t me me for what I''m about to do today, Norah. I''ll make you spit out every single penny that you''ve taken from Mom back then." Norah instantly panicked, struggling to maintain herposure as she hissed, "Fine... You don''t want to pay up, huh?! In that case, we''ll meet in court! Let''s go, Mr. Mack!" Ignoring the pain on her knees, Norah forced herself up and turned around to leave. Before she could, however, Nicole stood in her path, blocking her. ¡°Oh, thinking of leaving, are you? Toote. You won''t be going back to the hotel we''ve arranged for you. A person like you are only fit to be...in prison!" "Nicole!!" Norah released a hysterical scream, having lost it." Don''t you spout another word of nonsense! I¡¯m not a fool! What can a call log even prove?!" Seeing that Norah still refused to give up, Nicole sneered." Of course, a call log can''t prove anything, but your father had identally pressed on the record button before he died. Want to hear the recording?" The smile on Nicole¡¯s face was cold, confident, and malicious, shattering everything that Norah had in her world of make-believe, and before Norah could even protest, Nicole had already clicked on the recording and yed it in front of everyone. Then, Norah''s voice immediately emanated from the phone''s speakers. "Mom, Dad... when are you coming to the ind? I''m in trouble! I need you to save me!" "Norah, there''s a storming and there are no boats! Quick, find yourself a shelter first!" her parents yelled. "Buy one then! You won''t be able to see me again otherwise..." Norah cried, as if she had run into danger. As soon as Norah''s parents had heard that, they panicked, and afterforting her for a bit, they gritted their teeth and agreed. "Wait for us Norah. We''lle and save you right now! Dad will definitely be by your side today!" After that, the call ended. Upon hearing that, a realization dawned upon everyone present in the house. Sean''s eyes became downcast as he said, ¡°It was not an ident at all. lt was Norah who insisted on them going out to sea during a storm..." Those words instantly cleared all the doubts they had in mind. In addition, they had left Gloria utterly stunned. ¡°Impossible. They are Norah''s birth parents.¡± She then looked at Norah in shock and disbelief. ¡®What kind of daughter would she need to be to force her parents to go out to sea during a storm onto the ind to look for her?¡¯ However, even under such scrutiny, Norah still attempted to lie her way out. "I did not! I... really ran into trouble! I was robbed! That''s why I begged them to save me!" N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material. "You''re still trying to lie your way out at this juncture?¡± Nicole looked at Norah, feeling that thetter was an utter dunce for the first time. If she could find Norah''s call records, as well as the call records in the waterlogged phone of her deceased father, what made Norah think that she would not be able to find out if she was really being robbed? Norah red at Nicole, and upon witnessing the glint of confidence in thetter''s eyes, a sense of foreboding began to swell within her. Chapter 1595 Chapter 1595 And surely enough, Nicole pulled another recording out. "Norah was acting strange that day and was hiding in the hotel all day long. She was calling someone, asking them to look for her. Then, I heard news of her parent''s death at sea. It¡¯s so scary.¡± That sentence caused Norah to despair at once. That sentence caused Norah to despair at once. ¡®Shit!¡¯ Norah panicked, as she had never thought that Nicole could get the testimony of her ssmates. ''She was prepared! That was why she coulde home so confidently, and even asked her family to call the police!¡¯ It was then that the Riddle family became aware of Norah''s true colors. Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. Gloria turned to Norah and felt that she was looking at a terrifying monster. She was just a young woman, and yet, she had done something so despicable toward her own biological parents. On the other hand, Sean, Steve, and the others looked at her with a look of hatred and disgust. ¡®Is she that little sister we had back then?¡¯ ¡®Was her cute and kind nature all an act?¡¯ ¡®It''s terrifying to have a little sister like this!¡¯ At this moment, the butler walked in. "Sir, Madam? The district police is here.¡± The second she heard that the police were here, Norah trembled in terror. With the evidence presented before her, she knew that this was a one-way ticket into prison, so she bit her lips and started begging for mercy. ¡®No! I don''t want to meet the cops! Mom... Dad... You won''t see me go to jail, won''t you?¡± she wailed. "We are not your mom and dad!¡± Daniel yelled. ¡®She had just severed the veryst vestiges of ties with the Riddle family, and now, she is calling them Mom and Dad again! Disgusting, truly disgusting!¡¯ When she saw that Daniel was giving her the cold shoulder, Norah turned to grovel before her brothers. "Sean, Steve, Stanley, Spencer, Samuel, anyone of you! Please, don''t let me go to jail. I''m your little sister. We''ve been together for so long now...¡± Sean and Steve responded with looks of disgust in their eyes, while Stanley, Soencer and Samuel bore looks of disappointment. They had never thought that Norah was a figure of pure wickedness who would still have the cheek to call herself their little sister. At this point, they could only wish that everything that happened in the past was nothing but a nightmare. "Norah, you brought all this upon yourself. Now, bear the consequences of your own action,¡± Sean said icily, with nary a hint of pity. Once those were uttered, Norah became deted, bereft of any hope and life left within her. All she did was watch as the police who were brought in approached her. Then, she burst out into a sudden and maniacalughing fit." Fine, fine. You Riddles are sure in the business of being fond of the new and tire of the old, huh. Now you have a new daughter, you cast me aside like I''m a torn sock!" Stanley frowned. "Since when have we ever done that? We''ve done our part for you. We''ve sent you back to your parents, given you enough money for you to live infort for the rest of your life, and yet, all of our love and effort had gone toward a wretched ingrate!" As Stanley said that, Sean''s eyes darkened. ¡°And don''t think I don''t know what you were secretly doing toward Nicole back then at home and at school. It was just that Nicole had kept everything under wraps." The moment those words were uttered, everyone was stunned. Then, Nicole looked at Sean with her eyes slightly narrowed.¡¯ Could it be that Sean knew everything that Norah had done?¡¯ Sean darted Nicole a nce, a fleeting glint of distress shing in his eyes for a moment. "I''ve been protecting Nicole in secret, but she had always managed to deal with all of the problems, so much so that it boggles me. However, Norah had always been targeting Nicole, and had done a lot of things to cause misunderstandings between Mom and her." Chapter 1596 Chapter 1596 Although he did not have clear cut answers about everything, he had gotten Er to help him take note of everything that had transpired after he had caught wind that Norah had been abusive to Nicole. As they studied in the same high school, Er had reported everything he had heard to Sean. "Nicole..." Gloria looked at Nicole with a look of extreme remorse. There, it became clear as to why Nicole had previously attempted in vain to dissuade her, only for Gloria to repeatedly defend Norah following another one of her pity parties, hurting Nicole in the process. ''How hurt must this child feel, I wonder?¡¯ ¡®It''s fine, Mom. Water under the bridge,¡± Nicole said, not bothering with all of the wrongs in the past as she did not want to make things difficult for her mother. Still, although she had never thought of telling Gloria about Norah''s abuse of her to prevent her from being ridden with guilt, she did not expect Sean to know about it. Yet, that was no longer an issue, as everyone in the Riddle family now knew who Norah really was. "Come with us, Norah Riddle. We suspect that you are involved in the deliberate murder of your biological parents.¡± The officers went up to Norah with handcuffs brandished. It was then that Norah''s eyes turned from sullen to murderous. ¡®Why can this family be all smiles as I head to prison? No! I''ll make them regret this for the rest of their lives! With that thought in mind, she instantly grabbed the pistol she saw bolstered at the waist of the police officer and took aim at Gloria and Daniel. ¡°Think you lot can enjoy a family reunion while I go to prison? Dream on! I''ll make you feel so much pain that you''d wished you were dead, Nicole!" As losing a loved one was leagues more painful than one dying themselves, Norah wanted Nicole to suffer for the rest of her life. "Stop!" Daniel, Sean and the others cried out! But it was already toote, Norah had already disengaged the safety lock and was already prepared to shoot. Daniel instinctively shielded Gloria with his body, and with a loud bang, a deafening gunshot echoed across the room. Everyone was stunned, and even the butler was on the verge of doubling over in terror. The faces of the police officers nched; they had not expected a shooting to happen. All content is ? N0velDrama.Org. And just as everyone thought that Gloria had been shot, Norah''s scream suddenly rang out. "AAARGHHH!" Her scream jolted everyone back to their senses. Samuel and Spencer were the first to look at Norah, only to see a stream of blood gushing out from her arm! It seemed that she had been shot in the shoulder artery. Her pistol then fell off her hand as she tumbled onto the ground and cried out in pain. "It hurts! It hurts! Somebody, help me!" Norah''s screams echoed across the mansion. Then, everyone began to wonder if it was the police who had shot Norah. But when they turned to the other officer, they realized that thetter had not even drawn his gun at all. At that moment, Steve sensed that something was not right, and as he subconsciously turned around, he saw... that Nicole was holding a pistol herself. ¡®Was she the one who fired the shot just now?!¡¯ "Nicole... why do you have a gun?" Steve''s face turned pale, for it was illegal for citizens to bear arms. Moreover, Nicole was just a high-schooler, and so, they could only wonder where she had gotten the gun from. At that moment, everyone turned their attention to Nicole. Catching the look of shock on their faces, she sighed and calmly put the pistol away. ¡°Don''t worry, my firearm is legal." As she said that, she turned her digital watch on as an image of her ID card appeared before the police. The two police officers were dumbfounded the moment they saw it. Sighing, Nicole supposed they had not seen such a thing before. Chapter 1597 Chapter 1597 Then, she said, "I''m a former Interpol officer, call sign S. I''m now serving under Spears¡¯ Group of the Interpol Intelligence Service. Once you report this back to the station, someone will call me for verification." The moment those words were uttered, the two young officers looked at each other. ¡®This girl just looks like a high- schooler.'' It was already shocking enough for them when she said she was an Interpol officer, let alone an intelligence agent overseeing the Interpol. They had never seen this document before, so there was no way for them to verify it. However, they dared not arrest her straight away while one of the officers immediately made a call. In a split second, Nicole received a call too, and after a few brief exnations, the officers seemed to have been notified as well. Under the gaze of everyone in the Riddle family, they apologetically said to Nicole, "Sorry for the trouble. We''ll be taking her back to the station then." Not expecting that Nicole would still be fine after shooting her in the arm, Norah furiously roared, "Why are you only arresting me? She had shot me! She should be arrested too!" ¡®What Interpol? These two cowards must''ve been afraid to arrest a member of the Riddle family! she thought. However, the police officers proceeded to cuff her before they hissed, "Go make it viral then! I dare you! She''s an Interpol officer doing her duty, and you''re just a criminal. Now, move!" It was only then that Norah knew she had been totally defeated. She had thought that the two officers were merely ying along with Nicole for fear of offending the Riddle family, but she had never anticipated that Nicole could really be an Interpol officer. Seeing that Norah was still in disbelief, Nicole smiled. "So now you know why I could dig out your entire dirt sheet?" In an instant, Norah understood everything. ¡®The reason why Nicole could find out about all that had happened abroad so quickly is simply because she is in this field!" ¡®How am I supposed to fight her when she is of this sort of background?¡¯ ''It is like throwing straw against the wind! She is armed and if she had wanted, she could have killed me many times over,¡¯ she concluded. Once again, her fear gripped her. Norah said no more as she gritted her teeth while the officers took her away with a look of humiliation and agony on her face. And just like that, peace finally returned to the Riddle''s residence. Thewyer Norah had brought over fled with shaky legs. Meanwhile, the butler¡¯s heart began to race upon seeing the bloodstains on the ground. He immediately ordered the servants to clean the stains up as he went to a corner and took a fast-acting chest pain medication. Even after the servants had left, Gloria''s face was still as pale as a sheet. She was clearly in shock but at the same time, she was moved that Daniel had protected her by standing between her and the gun. ¡®If Nicole had not brandished a pistol moments ago... Daniel would''ve...¡¯ Soon, Daniel arrived at the realization too, and took a deep breath to calm himself down. His voice was still trembling as he asked, "Nicole... you''re... an Interpol officer?" "My goodness...Who is my daughter exactly? She excels academically, she''s a skilled medical practitioner, and it was already surprising enough for us that she is the bearer of the Fire Crest. But to think that she¡¯s also a member of the Interpol?!" he pondered. "Former Interpol officer," Nicole reminded them with a whisper. All content is ? N0velDrama.Org. She did not want to scare them so she had left the details out. But Sean knew everything, and so, he was still a little bbergasted. After taking a deep breath, Nicole said to Daniel. "The Spears '' Group, is a supervisory organization to the Interpol. I''ma special agent of the Federal Intelligence Service, in charge of intelligence as well as the safety of some heads of states. The second the words ¡®special agent'' left her mouth, everyone fell silent. Both Samuel and Spencer, in particr, were so shocked they did not dare to take another breath. ¡®¡®So, this is why Nicole is so skilled, as if she had undergone some sort of training...¡¯ ¡®¡®As it turns out, it is because she was a special agent!" Chapter 1598 Chapter 1598 ¡°Yo, this is way too cool!¡¯¡¯ ¡°But Nicole had never brought this up with anyone before!¡¯¡¯ ¡®¡®But since she''s an Interpol officer, she must be capable of just about everything right? ¡®¡¯But everyone thought she was a loser during the initial semester!¡¯¡¯ Now that they thought about it, they realized they were literally too blind to recognize greatness. They did not know that Nicole was indeed a special agent. ¡®A special agent would definitely know everything. The Math Olympiad is nothing to them!" At that very instant, Stanley snapped back to reality as he wiped the sweat off his brow. Then, with a whisper, he asked her, "When was this... Why didn''t you tell us?" Nicole took a deep breath. "Our duties are ssified and our identities are to be kept secret from our friends and family. It is for your safety that I stayed at school." With the way things were now, Nicole was afraid that they would be too worried about her bearing arms illegally, so Nicole decided to reveal the truth to them. And the instant her family heard that the reason as to why she stayed in the dormitories was to protect them, everyone felt an aching pain in their heart. "You should''ve told us sooner. There''s nothing a family cannot weather through together," Steve then said with a serious look. "Yeah, isn''t it more dangerous for you to stay in the dormitory because of this?" Spencer looked at Nicole with concern. The fact that she had survived the previous semester truly left him puzzled. ¡®¡®To think a genius like her is forced to go to school with us.¡¯¡¯ "It''s okay. I''ve rarely ever had time to enjoy such an idyllic school life. This is a good time to experience it if ever,¡± Nicole answered. For a moment, the brothers were at a loss for words. ¡®To think that Nicole being so low-key at school was just so that she could experience a peaceful school life...¡¯ Indeed, the elites were in school just to experience life. Realizing how an understanding of a girl Nicole was, Daniel was pleased. "We didn''t even know we had such a good daughter in you... When did you join the Spears Organization?¡± ¡®I have no way of getting in touch with such a high-level organization myself, and Nicole is just a high- schooler. This truly defies belief,¡¯ he thought. Seeing that the servants had cleaned the bloodstains on the floor, Nicole sat down and looked at her parents. "This tale will be quite long, so I''ll make it short..." In truth, Nicole was not the best when it came to recounting her past, and she just wanted to simply gloss over it. However, Gloria stared at her with bloodshot eyes. "No, I want to hear everything... I want to know all about your past." ¡®She is my daughter, but even after her return, I still don''t know who she truly is. I don¡¯t know what she had been through, what she had experienced. I''m... such a failure of a mother,¡¯ Gloria agonized. When Nicole saw the sincerity in her mother''s eyes, her gaze softened.Her brothers too took their seats, wanting to hear everything about Nicole. Nicole''s eyes grew distant as she recalled her past. "When I was eight, I released a child who was being held by human traffickers for his organs, and that was when they captured me. It was Zane and his men who showed up and saved me..." It was also that year when she met Lloyd, who could not locate his family due to his amnesia, so Zane had to bring the two along with him. "That person got injured trying to save me, so he stayed with Grandma and me for a period of time. He then taught me some martial arts to defend myself, but he also found out that I had some innate talent in it. So,ter on, he decided to take me, along with another child into the organization''s youth training base,¡± she said. It was also then that she had be partners with Lloyd for several years until he was discovered by his family and was taken away. Due to her outstanding abilities, she became Zane''s right-hand woman after he had established the Spear''s Organization. She had tried to keep things short and simple, but her experience made her family both emotional and distressed. Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. They were saddened that she had suffered so much out there and were left aghast at how she had weathered through everything on her own. Even up until now, she was the one protecting them. It was simply a stroke of fortune for them to be able to get such a good daughter back. Chapter 1599 Chapter 1599 And yet, they had still wronged her gravely, and with both Damien and Dillon thinking that her academic results would bring shame to the family, they had also failed to defend her due to the fact that their rtionship with her wasn''t strong at all. Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. At this moment, Daniel''s guilt wracked him. "Nicole, Mom and Dad have really done you dirty...¡± Both Sean and Steve too looked at Nicole. "It''s because we did not have much time together, and we didn''t get to know you better..." The time that should have been spent with Nicole back then was stolen by Norah. They were unable to understand Nicole better, and they did not spend nearly enough time together for the past 6 months either, and that made them feel extremely guilty. Nicole looked at the disy of guilt on the faces of her parents and brothers, and for the first time, she felt quite conflicted. When she returned home to this family, she knew that they were blood-rted. However, she had never expected herself to be as close to them as family members who had grown up together since they were children. After all, they had been separated for so many years, and were like strangers who just got to know each other again. Thus, even she could not directly open her heart to them, much less to these few adult men. However, Stanley, Spencer and Samuel had tried their best to help her in school already. Both Sean and Steve had graduated but would treat her well every time they saw her, and she really felt that the Riddles owed her nothing. Taking a deep breath, Nicole said, with a serious look on her face, "I''ve never med anyone for this. I need time to blend into the family, and all of you needed time to understand me too. Everything that had happened was normal. If you want to pin the me onto something, then me the time stolen away by Norah." She too had secretly thought of the time that Norah had taken from them. However, it was also because of the mistakes back then that had molded her into a strong individual today. That was why she could not me anyone for it. Thest words Nicole said moved Daniel and the rest of the family. ¡®Yeah, if we had not mistaken Norah for Nicole back then, we would have definitely continued to look for her.¡¯ If she hade home a little earlier, everyone would have treated her like a princess. It was just that all of the love and enthusiasm they had was misced on Norah instead. As such, they needed time to know and better understand Nicole, and work hard to integrate her into the family. Smiling, Sean got up. ¡°You''re right. We finally know all that we need to know about you, and from today onwards, no matter what sort of danger you''ll face in the future, you have this big brother standing by your side.¡± Although Nicole was strong, the danger she faced was something they could never expect. ¡®I must protect Nicole.¡¯ "Me too! You don''t need to live in campus this semester. Well have your back.¡± Steve added with a serious look as he kept his gaze at Nicole. "Yeah, I don''t think you should stay in campus.¡± Stanley piled on. "We''ll move back home to keep you guarded as well!¡± Samuel and Spencer decided at once. Seeing that her five brothers were intending to protect her, unafraid of the danger that mighte, Nicole felt warm and conflicted at the same time. She had never felt something quite like this before. ''So, this is what it feels like to have a family, a bond...¡¯ Chapter 1600 Chapter 1600 Nicole suddenly felt that she was in constant danger and had brought harm to them all by extension. "Nicole, please promise me this. If there''s anything that you need, we will help you. We are a family. All of us will help you,¡± Daniel said as he eyed Nicole''s look of embarrassment, trying tofort her. ¡®¡®I wasn''t aware of her situation before, but now that I know, how could I let her live by herself?¡¯¡¯ he thought. "Yes, bring Mrs. Wace Sr. over and keep her protected as well,¡± Gloria said. Nicole was not only an agent, but she was also the bearer of the Fire Crest. Thus, it was inevitable that she would be the target of many others. Because of this, being at the Riddle residence would somewhat be the safer option. Still, Nicole could not believe that her parents had thought of Mrs. Wace Sr. "Okay, thanks Mom and Dad," she said. It was not until today that Nicole felt that she had an actual spot in the family. "Don''t be silly. You don''t have to thank us." Daniel frowned, pretending to be offended. "Now that we have gotten it all settled, we will protect you no matter what from now on. To us, you''re still that little girl of ours, and we will not allow you to face anything perilous on your own in the future. Do you understand?" Gloria said while wiping her tears away. "Understood...," Nicole nodded as she looked at Gloria, feeling unspeakably moved in her heart. But upon beholding her mother¡¯splexion, she could not help but whisper, "Mom, I''m sorry. I must''ve scared you when I fired the shot...¡± Gloria shook her head quickly, "You didn''t scare me. Your mother isn''t that weak. It was Norah...I was afraid she would take a shot at your father. Fortunately, you...¡± Gloria choked up and her eyes became red as she attempted to speak. "Let''s not talk about it anymore...I''m going to go upstairs and calm down for a bit. You guys can get Albert to prepare dinner." ¡®It seems that she no longer has any strength to make dinner tonight,¡¯ Nicole thought. Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. "Okay." Nicole nodded her head. Daniel helped Gloria up the stairs as he noticed that she was still terrified. As they were going up the stairs, Gloria beganining," You idiot... You almost died!" The Riddle children watched as their parents went up the stairs while bickering. They all looked at each other and smiled. Nicole had also joined along, which was a rare sight to see. As night approached, Nicoleid down with a sigh of relief after taking a shower. It was then that Jared called her, his voice a little lower than usual. "Did Norah shoot you today?" As it was totally unexpected for Jared to have heard of this news so soon, Nicole issued another sigh. "No, but it would''ve be much worse if she had pointed the gun at me, or else, I wouldn''t have opened fire.¡± Though Nicole did not mention who was in the right and wrong, Jared had already guessed that something significant must have transpired. Otherwise, she would not have shot Norah in front of her whole family. "Don''t worry, I won''t be going easy on her. Until the murder charges are set, I will let her rot in prison and let her feel what it''s like to be living in a hellhole," Jared said, his voice stern. Jared was the sort of person who would not let anyone get away with hurting those around him. He was definitely determined to make Norah''s life a living hell. Nicole had not expected that Jared would be so determined to prove Norah''s crime in a single day, so much so that she was impressed that he had done this. "Thank you." Nicole thanked him in a low voice, knowing that Jared must have spent a lot of time and effort. However, Jared was frustrated by her word of thanks.¡± Boyfriends are not for thanking, but for kissing. You owe me three kisses." "Since when do I owe?" ¡®What kind of nonsense is this guy talking about?¡¯ she wondered. "Didn''t you say you wanted to thank me? I don''t take verbal thanks. Tangible actions are required. Three kisses, no less than that," Jared demanded. This left Nicole dumbfounded. ¡®For a kiss this guy really went all out.¡¯ A helpless smile crossed her face as she agreed. "Okay, I''ll give you five the next time we meet." Chapter 1601 Chapter 1601 ¡®Okay, now she''s being too generous" "It''s a deal." Jared''s mood improved tremendously. The smile at the corner of Nicole''s mouth widened as the two of them continued to sweet talk one another throughout the night. During the next day itself, Nicole had packed their belongings and moved back to the Riddle residence along with Samuel and Spencer, who had done the same. When Nicole arrived home, she noticed that Sean had brought Mrs.Wace Sr.to the Riddle residence. There, she saw that her parents were chatting with Mrs.Wace Sr. "Nicole, your brother suddenly came to my ce and brought me over here asking me to live here.Is everything alright with you?" Mrs.Wace Sr.asked. She had been living with Tia at the Sea View Vi, and though she felt lonely, she had already gotten used to the peace and tranquility. Thus, she knew something was up when Nicole suggested that she moved in with them. Nicole looked at Mrs.Wace Sr.and couldn''t help but smile. "I''m fine, Grandma.It''s my parents who wanted me to move back here.They''re not allowing me to live alone anymore, which is why I have to bring you here for a while." "Oh..."'' Mrs.Wace Sr. sighed in relief.She truly missed her granddaughter, and now that Nicole had found her family, she was more than grateful that Nicole was willing to stay over at her ce for a few days a month. It went without mentioning that it was Nicole who had bought her the mansion by the sea. ¡®I never would''ve dreamt of having to live with Nicole and her family.."Mrs.Wace Sr.thought. "Won''t it be a hassle to have me here..." she asked. "Nonsense," Gloria said with a smile on her face. "You''ve raised Nicole for so many years now.You''re her grandma, and you''re considered an elder.You living here would be of no problem at all.Please don''t feel that you''ll be a burden to us." The moment Mrs.Wace Sr.noticed the sincerity on Gloria''s face, her heart began to surge with warmth. She turned to look at Nicole and said, "You''re just like your mother, both kind-hearted and understanding.The both of you share such wonderful traits." Gloria''s face flushed red the second she heard the praise from Mrs.Wace Sr. "You''re ttering me.I have arranged a room for you on the first floor so that it''ll be convenient for you to move around.If there''s anything else that you need, please feel free to tell me." "No, no, everything''s fine.The Riddle family is very lively.Aspared to before, I lived alone, and everything just felt deserted, " the old woman said. "True, arge family like this will surely be lively in the future." Gloria smiled. Seeing that Mrs.Wace Sr.and Gloria had gotten along very well, Nicole then nced at Tia, who was beside her. "I apologize for all the trouble, but you would have toe here to take care of her from now onwards." Though Tia would be staying at the Riddle residence, taking care of Mrs.Wace Sr.would here would pose a challenge for her. "Don''t worry, Nicole.I will do my utmost best to take care of Mrs.Wace Sr." Tia promised with a solemn look on her face, to which Nicole nodded in satisfaction. ¡®The entire family is now here" Nicole breathed a sigh of relief deep within. ''Now that they are all here, it''ll easier to protect them, and it''s also much more convenient for the people that Jared had hired to protect them" It was like killing two birds with a stone. Otherwise she would not have agreed to have Mrs.Wace Sr.moving in with them. Sean walked over to Nicole from the side and said, "Dad''s asking us to go to his study." "Oh." Nicole nodded her head, whereupon she followed her brother to the study. As the two of them entered, Nicole noticed that Steve was also in the study. "Nicole is here." Nicole noticed the expression on both Daniel and Steve''s faces, prompting her to ask, "What happened?" Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. Daniel remained silent, and instead, Steve got up and said, "It''s Norah...she attempted suicide at the detention centerst night." Nicole narrowed her eyes. ''Norah, suicide? How could someone like hermit suicide?" "Perhaps it was because she was given a life sentence yesterday, and she couldn''t bear the consequences and so, she attempted suicide.It was fortunate that she was discovered just in time, but her injuries were quite serious.Her trachea was cut, and now, she can''t breathe on her own.She''s in the Critical Care Unit as of now." Chapter 1602 Chapter 1602 Nicole raised her eyebrows slightly, ''I did not expect her to be so courageous by shing her throat and committing suicide...but then again, she didn''t die, so it''s very likely that it was just another one of her tricks" She then looked at Daniel and Steve before asking, "Well then, why did you ask me toe here?" ¡®I am not interested in Norah''s affairs, and I don''t even wish to pay attention to any of it" she thought. Daniel sighed. "Norah may be out of prison for now, but we''re afraid that once she gets discharged, she might think of ways to hurt you again..." Not expecting her father to have so much care for her, Nicole beamed, unable to hide the smile any longer. "It''s okay, she won''t be out of jail for long," she replied. ¡®Though it was one of Norah''s diabolical ns, she had underestimated what Jared was capable of.But to think of such petty ways to escape being imprisoned? That''s clever of how.I''ve got to give her that" Nicole thought. "Really?" Steve was taken aback by Nicole''s sudden burst of confidence, and had a hard time believing what she had said. "Don''t worry, within five days, she''ll definitely return to prison," Nicole stated with absolute confidence. Sean saw right through Nicole and understood what she meant right away. "As long as we know what''s going on with Norah, what we need to discuss is the next big thing." As soon as Sean had spoken, he handed Nicole a folder. Within the folder, Nicole caught sight of various information about the Fisher family. It was updated with all of the recent crises suffered by the Fishers. That was when her eyes glinted with understanding of the situation. Nicole had not contacted the Fishers because she had already guessed that they would not be good business partners. As of now, everyone was eager to cooperate with the Riddle family and would be more than willing to terminate their coborations with the Fishers. Nicole''s eyes narrowed slightly as she continued to peruse all that was within the folder. ''Interesting.." The Fisher family was in a crisis, and yet, they had nned to unite a few new families and some businesses that were at odds with the Riddle family. These new families andpanies were the ones that did not have much of ahistorical background, were not a part of the alliance formed due to the Reby Family Crest, and were they controlled by it. In addition, there were a few century-old families who did not care about their ancestral decrees, and had not attended the banquet that the Riddles had hosted. Nicole analyzed what each of those families were capable of, and found that they were not weak. Yet, she would be overwhelmed if she were to unite them under the Riddle family. "Don''t worry about it.We can think of other ways to deal with themter," Nicole said, calm and without a hint of being flustered. Steve was impressed by Nicole. "I think so too, but then...since you''re not perturbed by it.Do you perhaps know a thing or two about business management?" During the time Nicole had spent at home, her identity was continuously exposed, and so, it was no surprise that she did not know a lot about business management. Nicole shook her head. "I haven''t learned much on the business side of things." Sean felt what she said made sense. After all, Nicole was sent to receive special training from a young age. "However, due to some requirements at work, I could only understand the discrepancies in the reports.After all, we had to monitor a fewpanies in secret," she said. As soon as those words were uttered, Sean and Steve shared a look. Based on their previous experiences, they felt that Nicole was not as simple as she made herself out to be.Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. ¡®If she can monitor any abnormalities within thepanies, she can definitely notice any problems with the ounts and other materials in a nce" Daniel knew deep down that his daughter''s skills should not be underestimated, but he said nheless, "Though it is a bit too early for me to say this, you ought to know that there are many people with their eyes on you, your identity, and everything right now.Even if you''re busy with school, you should go and learn more about thepany during your free time and help your brothers out.Learn a thing or two about business management." Nicole was the holder of the Fire Crest after all. The value she possessed influenced those who cooperated with the Riddle family. Sooner orter, Nicole herself would join thepany. Hence, it was only right for her to learn about thepany affairs as soon as she could. "Okay, I understand." Nicole nodded her head, ''I ought to listen to my parents'' advice." Chapter 1603 Chapter 1603 ¡®However, I''ve been thinking about what happens after I retire, and if I could, I''ll definitely be of help to the Riddle family" Nicole thought as she was dumbfounded for a moment. ¡®Once, Jared had mentioned about it before, and here I am, thinking about retirement...Men are indeed toxic." After the meeting at Daniel''s study had ended, Nicole headed downstairs where the Riddle family proceeded to eat in peace. The family then discussed about thepany''s annual meeting, which would be held on the weekend. Spencer and Samuel were both in a pickle. "The clothes for the annual meeting are ready, but our plus one..." Stanley, who was seated beside them, sighed. "How are you two? It''s totally normal for people your age to not have any plus ones." "Who said so? Stanley, it would be embarrassing if you show up without a plus one." Once these words were uttered, Stanley''s expression turned sour, "Who told you that I''m not bringing a plus one?" As those words left his mouth, everyone around the table looked at him, with Spencer smirking at him. "Stanley, you''ve already found your plus one?" The second he was asked, Stanley immediately paused, irritated at himself for not being able to contain his emotions well as he saw the whole family staring at him with anticipation. Then, he looked at Tia who had been silent for the entire time as she sat next to Mrs.Wace Sr. "Here, isn''t this already out of the box?" A sudden mention by Stanley took Tia by surprise, "Mr.Stanley, are you talking about me?" Indeed, Tia did not expect that Stanley would call out to her. Nicole would not have guessed that Stanley would have Tia as his plus one, so she shed them a yful smile and continued to watch the scene unfolding before her. Stanley nodded earnestly, and as he noticed that Tia was a little taken aback, his voice softened. "Well, do you want to be my plus one?" Gloria and Daniel looked at Stanley directly before exchanging nces, having arrived at an understanding. Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. ¡®Our son is old enough to make his own decisions" "I...Can I go? Nicole?" Tia hesitated for a moment, and proceeded to ask Nicole for permission. Though she was not a servant of the Riddle family, with Mrs.Wace Sr. not regarding her as one either, she still did not feel that she was qualified to attend any asions rted to the Riddle family. "My brother invited you.If he thinks that you can, then you can." Nicole smiled, attempting to reassure Tia. And in a tone showing that he felt discouraged, Samuel said, "It''s over.We should not even have asked.The three of us should have taken the lead.We''ve forgotten that there''s a cute girl living in our house." Nicole looked at Samuel who seemed dejected, and that was when an idea came to mind. "Spencer and Samuel, I can help you solve your plus one concerns." "Really?'' Spencer asked, taking a sudden interest in the conversation. "Who is it? Do we know each other?" Samuel added, bing curious as well. In response, Nicole yfully mentioned, "June Wace and Lulu Barrera." Spencer and Samuel were stunned for a moment. They had previously met for a couple of times, and although their interactions were limited, they were not problematic individuals. With that said, the twins did not really have any choice left, as they did not know anyone who would be reliable enough for the role. Though there were a lot of girls in their school to choose from, both Lulu and June were known to be the only mindless fanatics who would swoon over them. "Sure, why not!" The two of them agreed at once, fearing that they would lose the opportunity if they did not take it, and that they would have to worry about this again. "Okay! " ''This is not only troublesome, but June and Lulu will be ecstatic once they find out.." Chapter 1604 Chapter 1604 Steve could not help but click his tongue. "It seems to me the three of you are all grown up." In response, Stanley looked at Steve and joked, "Oh, you''re too kind, but we''re not like you.For you, plus ones are never in short supply." Stanley''s words were so abrupt that Steve almost choked on the water he was drinking. "Stanley, stop spewing hogwash, will you?" Steve said. At that moment, something came to mind and Samuel joined in on the joke. "Yeah! I heard that Steve always has different women as his plus ones for every event." Steve eyed his father''s expression with a hint of guilt on his face, after which he red at Samuel. "Shut up.Enough with the nonsense.They''re my colleagues from mypany," Steve argued. However, the way Gloria had interpreted it, sounded like something entirely different. Then, she gave Steve a friendly smile. "Steve is getting old as we speak.You are now at the age when you''re supposed to get your own girlfriend now.If there''s a person you like, you can bring her home and introduce her to us." "Mom, stop teasing me"'' Steve protested. "I''m a career- orientated person.Besides, I have Sean as an older brother.How can I have a girlfriend before he does?" The words that left Steve''s mouth shifted the attention to Sean, who then shot Steve a death stare, shutting him up at once. However, Gloria was already nodding along. "Yeah, Sean! You''ve been busy at the office all day.Have you gotten yourself a girl? You can bring her to the event meeting." Sean sighed. "Mom, you know that I''m a busy person. How am I even supposed to find the time to date someone?" Gloria shook her head immediately, and looked back at Nicole, "You should learn a thing or two from Nicole.She''s busy with both her work and her studies, and yet, she''s soon to settle down with marriage in the talks.Come to think of it, I was engaged to your father as soon as I turned 18, but you guys..." After Gloria had spoken to all of the young Riddles, everyone looked at Nicole with their eyes narrowed. A look of helplessness washed over her face at an instant. ''Why was I brought into this? Now, I''ve be the butt of the joke" Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. Spencer spoke up and said, "Yes, there''s no need to worry about Nicole, she''s definitely going to attend the event with Jared as her plus one, and they sure won''t let you down on that." "Yeah, I''m also envious." Samuel nodded his head. Sensing the envy from everyone around her, Nicole''s face turned bright red from embarrassment. Then, she took a deep breath and said, "If you are all jealous of me, how about I help you out and get you all girlfriends?" As soon as these words exited her mouth, the Riddle brothers immediately fell silent. Steve quickly shook his head, "Forget it.I still want to be single for a few more years.I want to enjoy the freedom of being single." Stanley also shook his head, "I just want to focus on my studies, and I still need to learn more about thepany." Noticing that both Steve and Stanley were embarrassed, Spencer could not help but burst into a laughing fit. "Wow, Steve and Stanley are scared!" Indeed, it was a rare sight to see, and in retaliation, Steve frowned. "If you''re not a coward, let Nicole get you a girlfriend!" Spencer''s smirk suddenly froze, and with a smile, Nicole said, "It''s a deal." Nicole sipped on her tea before Samuel spoke up, beating Spencer to it, "I...I want one too!" "Sure." Nicole smiled, Samuel''s wish mighte true soon enough, for there was no need for Nicole to search long and hard. Spencer suddenly sighed before he yelled, "Shut up!" ¡®Does this fe really think I want a girlfriend?" Chapter 1605 Chapter 1605 Samuel had gotten the wrong idea. "Why should I shut up? We''re twins. If you''re the only one to have a girlfriend, then others wouldugh at me. How could I be left behind!?" "You!" Spencer uttered, and was left speechless soon after. ¡®His brain cells are literally close to none!" Gloria was amused, and Daniel covered his mouth in a fit of pigeonughter, entertained by the silliness disyed by Samuel. Meanwhile, Sean and Steve, who could no longer holdughter back, busted out in a fresh gale, leading the entire family to burst into aughing fit, leaving a confused Samuel at loss. "What? Did I say something wrong?" He joined them in merriment as he watched his family guffawing away at him. The Riddle family on Daniel''s side were filled withughter, but at Damien Riddle''s residence, it was dark and gloomy. All content is ? N0velDrama.Org. "Damien, what''s been going on recently? There were rumors in that b*tch''s circle that the fourth son of the Riddle family is now in charge of thepany. Do you know how they''re treating me right now?" Miley asked. The Rogers family had been removed from the list of top ten most influential families after the incident. Miley had initially regained power by relying on the Riddle family. She was thriving with the recent recovery of Mr. Rogers Sr., who was totally counting on her. However, everything was cut short as the news of Damien having no real power at thepany spread, which left Miley being outcast once more. ¡®How can he be so calm?¡¯ she wondered. Damien had a prickly expression on his face, "What are you screaming about? Do you think I wanted this? It was those big influential families that wanted to work with Daniel. They didn''t contact me at all. Daniel is now managing all the new projects." The golden era had finally dawned upon the Riddle family, but sadly, none of those major projects landed in Damien''s hands. ¡®It seems to me that I''m the nominal director and president of thepany now, with no real power!¡¯ Damien began to worry that after all this while, Mr. Riddle Sr. would cast him aside just like how the old man had done to Daniel before. "How can you sit around? You''re the boss! Aside from Mr. Riddle Sr., you''re the person with the biggest percentage of shares in thepany. He won''t kick you to the curb now, will he?" she asked. Damien''s eyes darted toward Everett. He had his attention on him ever since he defended Damien''s family. Though he was often sidelined, Damien noticed that his son was still under Sean''spany, making progress, and not just idling around like he was. "Everett, you''re working under Sean''spany as the branch manager, right? Therefore, you should know his business well, don''t you?" Though Damien spoke vaguely, Everett instantly knew that his father had queried him the way he did to test if there was a turning point in their given situation. Everett had long waited for this day; the day when his father would pay attention to him. He opened his mouth and calmly said, "I very much do. Daniel has six major projects under his belt, all of which are tremendously profitable with an estimated revenue of more than 500 million dors." "That much?!" Damien''s eyes widened, as both him and his wife were left perplexed. Damien had managed thepany for so many years, and yet, the highest in revenue per annum. ¡®The Riddle family is going to change! Even with such massive profits, they won''t get any benefit from it as they''ll just be paid a dividend at the end of the year. This is really infuriating, to just sit around and be unable to do anything" "This does not include the four major projects in their hands. There are seven or eight more minor projects on the side altogether. I''m afraid it''ll be around three to four billion in revenue as Stanley had recently joined thepany," Everett continued. "Enough." Damien interrupted, his head dizzy upon hearing the news. Miley too, was stunned. "Two of their four sons have joined thepany?!" Three years ago, Mr. Riddle Sr. had allowed his grandchildren to join thepany, during which only Sean and Everett were allowed, as they were the eldest in their family. And because Everett had not managed to graduate with a management degree when he first joined thepany, Sean was already working as his superior. As a result, Everett had to work under Sean, which got Miley feeling very distressed. To top that off, it was unforeseen to them that Stanley had been selected to join the company. Chapter 1606 Chapter 1606 This was something which the other three families did not have. "Mr. Riddle Sr., how could you do that? Stanley hasn''t graduated yet! Even if we had not provided you a grandson, there''s Preston from your second son and Emery from your third son! Why did you have to favor your fourth son?" Miley''s face turned red, and she could not resist from throwing a tantrum. Everett seemed to be used to seeing his mother''s shouts, as he only stood there and calmly watched. On the other hand, Damien was getting annoyed. "Enough! Gloria was fertile. Not only did she give birth to five sons, her daughter is alsopetitive. She''s nothing like you!" Miley was left utterly bbergasted by the sudden reprimand, as Damien would usually pamper her. Deep down, she could not help but wonder if he hated her now. Chloe, who had been sitting at the corner in silence, went off on her father after witnessing Miley getting an earful. "Dad! How could you use such mean words against Mom? If Nicole had not gotten the Fire Crest, how would Uncle Daniel and his family get promoted so quickly? Didn''t you go around looking for other crests? Is there even any news yet?" Damien smashed his mug upon being questioned in such fashion by his daughter. With a loud pang, the mug shattered into several pieces, frightening Chloe to the point that she backed away. Damien suddenly stood up angrily. "What position are you in toment about these things in the family? What right do you have to question me?" ¡®Does she think that I''m not interested in looking for it? I''ve spent a fortune on investigators, and yet, there are no leads at all. That thing is simply impossible to find! God knows where Nicole got it from?¡¯ he fumed. Chloe felt depressed after being yelled at. When she was doing well in the film industry previously, her parents would support and pamper her wholeheartedly, but now, Damien had actually treated her in such a cruel manner. Biting her lips, Chloe turned around sadly and left, and as she did, she knew that he had to regain her position in order to not allow anyone to pick on her ever again. As Chloe left, Miley''s eyes began to well up, during which she turned back and stared at Damien. "What right do you have to talk to Chloe like that? What right do you have to say that about me? If you think that Gloria is the best, why don''t you live with her?" Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. As soon as Miley had blurted those words, she quickly turned around and hurried upstairs for fear of being beaten. In the midst of it all, Damien looked haggard, as if he had justpeted in a wrestling match. Indeed, he had been drained Noticing how sad Damien was, Everett knew that it was his chance. He slowly moved forward and said, "Dad, about the search for the Crest, why don''t you leave it to me? Perhaps I have some ideas on how to do it." After all, Damien was old. There were many ways to get things done in the ck market which Damien had no knowledge about. Thus, it would be better for Everett to do it. "You have ideas?" Damien¡¯s eyes lit up instantly, feeling that his own son had been behaving really well these days. "I can try other ways. Perhaps we might find something there." Everett nodded, though he dared not promise him anything either. "Oh well, the only person who can share my burden in this house is you. Go ahead. It doesn''t matter if you can''t find anything, I''ll ept the results whatever they may be." Damien patted Everett''s shoulder affectionately. Feeling that his own father had finally recognized him, a sense of fulfillment grew in Everett''s heart. ¡®So, this is how it feels like to be recognized by my own parents. I''ll make sure to find the rest of the crests, and if I really can''t find any, I''ll steal it from Nicole! Everett thought. As soon as night had fallen, Nicole began to research on the Fire Crest''s system and the ways in which to crack the code. Once the problem had been solved, she would immediately sever her ties to the Fire Crest and pass it to Zane. However, the system was tooplicated. During herst attempt at cracking it, it took up a lot of her time. It seemed like cracking such a high- level security system would take her forever. After an hour''s worth of research, Nicole decided to get some information from The Hunters. Surprisingly however, once Nicole logged into the page, she saw ament from Zeke for her. It seemed that Zeke had spotted a mission, which required Nicole''s attention. Much to her surprise, Nicole saw a mission online that pertained to searching for the other crests of the Reby Family. Additionally, there were no limited number of intakes. The more people who took up the job, the better. Whoever found some lead would receive a cash prize. Seeing this, Nicole could not help but frown. Chapter 1607 Chapter 1607 ¡®I did not expect these people to start hunting for the Crest. To add to that, this person knows about the existence of The Hunter. He or she must not be an average Jane or Joe" Nicole pondered, as she observed that a number of hackers had enquired about the mission. Nicole could not help but grow curious about who that person was. She attempted to track the sender''s IP address. However, the sender in question seemed careful as well. There was no specific IP address avable. She could only get a hold on the general location, and as it turned out, the person was located at San Joto. "San Joto..." Things were getting more interesting. Nicole really wanted to know who the person hunting for the other Crest was. As she was thinking, a notification tone emanated from her phone. It was a video call. Nicole raised her eyebrows, ¡®Oh gosh, it''s that brat, Jared again. He''s starting to do video calls" After giving it some thought, she ended up answering the call. All content is ? N0velDrama.Org. "Why are you video calling me today?" she asked. ¡®This dude rarely video calls since he''s either in a meeting or outside" she thought. Jared looked at Nicole through the screen and shed her a devilish smile. "I miss you." He had a hoarse voice and was garbed in a white robe. At an instant, Nicole could tell that he had just come out of the shower. And to top it off, he was actually seducing her, being the shameless man he was. "Your parents took Grandma away," he said. Furthermore, it was not a question, but a statement. There were also hints of annoyance in his voice. "What happened?" Nicole raised her eyebrows, "Isn''t that great? It would be easier for your people to focus on one area and do their job." "It isn''t great." Jared snorted unhappily, "I wanted to stay at your ce tonight." "And yet, all this girl wants to do is stay at home" he sulked. It would not be appropriate for Jared to act in the way he did at the Riddle family manor, and that was, by using grandpa''s illness as an excuse to stay over. Theer of Nicole''s lips twitched, for all that man wanted was to kiss her. "You better not think about it for the next few weeks," she reprimanded. Nicole needed to recover. Thest time they met, she almost broke her back. "Don''t you miss me?" Jared''s voice became deep and sultry all of a sudden. His gaze even became seductive. Nicole''s cheeks began to flush. "Oh, stop it, you idiot!" ¡®Why is he bing increasingly cheekier as of recent?¡¯¡¯ she asked herself. Seeing that Nicole was blushing and too shy to even look at him, Jared coquettishly curled his lips. "Don''t worry. We''ll meet soon." Then, he shed her a bright and handsome smile. Nicole took a deep breath, "When?" "The banquet. I''m your partner." Jared propped his head on the pillow andid in bed yfully. Nicole could not help but rebuke him, for Jared really knew how to show his charm. Every move that he made would get the hearts of many racing at an instant, and if it were any other woman, they would have fallen head over heels for Jared. Fortunately for Nicole, she had a very strong sense of self-control. "When did I say I wanted you to be my partner?" Nicole rolled her eyes and grilled him for his narcissistic remark. "You don¡¯t want me? Then who would you go there with? Harvey? Or Lloyd? " Jared''s gaze darkened. It seemed that he had taken her words seriously. Nicole immediately gulped and said, "Have you been bing greener with each passing day?" Nicole had not met Harvey for many days now. Even after school had reopened, she had not seen him. As for Lloyd, she could not fathom how Lloyd had fallen into Jared''s list of potential enemies. "What''s wrong with that?" he asked. ¡®This woman has been bing more kittenish as of recent" Chapter 1608 Chapter 1608 Nicole rolled her eyes, "It seems to me that Mr. Jared Johnston hasn''t been that confident these days." Jared remained silent for a moment. Then, the corner of his lips lifted slyly. "Thisdy really has a way of riling me up these days" he thought. "Why would I? I don''t really care about them. The only person I care about is you and you only." Jared''s eyes deepened, almost capturing Nicole''s eyes and heart. "Fine. I''ll let you be my partner for the night. Stop fooling around." Nicole looked away in annoyance. Jared had seeded in doing what he had set out to do, and so, he gave her a devilish smile and remained quiet. Nicole finally heaved a sigh of relief. "Alright then, I''m going to take a shower now." As she spoke, Nicole was ready to hang up. However, Jared observed her for a moment. "Okay...I''ve already allowed you to see me after I''ve exited the shower. After you''re done..." "Don''t even think about it! You pervert!" she shouted. And with a bam, she hung up at once, after which she took a deep breath, worried that she would burst out in anger. Jared stared at the ck screen while a smile crossed his face. Then, he sent her a voice message. "I was just saying that you should video call me after you''re done showering. What are you mad about?" When Nicole saw that Jared still had the nerve to send her a voice message, she became fired up, ready to tell him off after she had heard the message. Much to her surprise, Nicole''s face flushed right after she had listened to the message. ¡®You''re such a b¡¯*stard! You deliberately said some really misleading things!" As it turned out, Nicole had misunderstood him, but instead of replying, she threw her phone aside and headed straight to the bathroom. By nightfall, the Riddle family manor returned to its usual state of peace and quietude. The next morning, Nicole arrived at school. This semester, she hade to school prepared with some foundation from the previous semester. Thus, no one would dare to disturb her anymore. Nheless, Austin and the rest still fawned over and idolized her. As usual, they followed her loyally and respectfully from behind. In the morning, after bidding goodbye to Spencer and Samuel, Nicole went back to her ssroom just to realize that all of her ssmates in the room were staring at her. They were also looking at their phones from time to time. Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. Nicole was curious as to what had happened. At that moment, Lulu and June walked into the ssroom. Once they saw Nicole, they immediately approached her. "Nicole! You''ve be a celebrity in our school!" Nicole raised her eyebrows as she did not understand them. Lulu knew Nicole well enough to surmise that she had not been filled in on the gossips. So, she quickly whipped her phone out and showed it to Nicole. "Take a look! The production team of Lukewarm'' has made an announcement! You''re the female lead!" "Oh my god! This is too exciting. Are you going to be the best actress in the future? Quick, give me your signature first!" As June was talking, she took her notebook out and passed it to Nicole. Chapter 1609 Chapter 1609 Hearing this, Bradley quickly ran over and joined the group,¡± I want your signature too!" Initially, Nicole had half the mind to give them the signature. However, those who were not as close to Nicole, and who had not dared to approach her, soon began to flock over. Those who were closer to Bradley stood up in excitement." Nicole, can you give me an autograph as well? I''m worried I can''t ask for it anymore once you''ve made it big...¡± One piled in after another, and in an instant, the entire ssroom erupted in a pandemonium, with almost everyoneing forward and asking Nicole for an autograph. Nicole instantly felt annoyed. Her biggest fear was being surrounded by these clueless people. Facing the books which were stacking up on her table, Nicole''s face twitched, as if she was about to lose her temper. At that very moment, the school bell rang, and Ms. Emerson walked in to see Nicole being surrounded by that entire group of people. Thinking that something had happened, she immediately shouted, "What are you guys doing? Get back to your seats right now!¡± It was only then that Nicole managed to heave a sigh of relief. Lulu and June had gotten their signatures first, so they went back to their seats happily. As for Bradley and the rest, they could only return with crestfallen looks on their faces. However, their eyes, which were still fixed on Nicole, were still filled with hope. Initially, Ms. Emerson thought that these people were targeting Nicole. However, as soon as she saw that Nicole was fine, and that everyone had a notebook in hand, she concluded that they were asking Nicole about homework. At that, Ms. Emerson felt relieved. Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. "I understand that everyone is passionate about studying. But don''t flock toward the ss president for just about any questions. It''ll be quite a burden for them,¡± she said. Everyone immediately knew that Ms. Emerson had misunderstood the situation. Yet, no one had bothered to rify it to her. Nicole, on the other hand, felt touched that Ms. Emerson knew about her problem. She did not expect Lloyd to announce the news before she could even begin acting. It was truly troubling her. However, things had already happened, and now, all Nicole could do was to ept it. Ms. Emerson then began to teach and the entire ss fell silent. No one noticed that Gary had been staring at Nicole. With school finally reopening, Gary could see Nicole again. However, all he could do now was to stare at her from behind, for there was nothing else he could do to interact with her. Recalling thest semester, Gary had indeed acted like a fool. He still wanted to help Nicole and remind her about things she might have missed, but now, he no longer had the right to even get close to her. That feeling was extremely suffocating. Soon, lunch break came around, and Ms. Emerson made an announcement. "This year, our country will be organizing apetition inputer science. A few famous universities from San Joto will be sending some top students from the field ofputer science to participate. As for our senior level students, we don''t have anyputer science course, but I know there are some of you in this ss who are proficient in it. So, the school will be providing everyone a chance to register voluntarily. Each ss will have three representatives. If anyone is interested, you may sign up with me.¡± As soon as the word was out, everyone looked at Gary. The Finley family owned the biggest Information Technology firm in San Joto. Gary''s brother, Ryder, was the top student in theputer science course in the university. As for Gary, he was the most famousputer guy among the seniors. Even the teachers would look for Gary regarding anything aboutputers in the advanced level. Furthermore, surveince cameras from all around were also provided by the Finley family. It was not a secret at all. "Brother, school has just reopened, and you have the chance to show what you''re capable of.¡± In Mathematics Olympiad during the previous semester, Nicole had stolen the show. This time around, however, Gary would be made known again. He must regain his status this semester. ¡°Of course, Gary will have to join, there''s no question about that. The only issue is that each ss must send three representatives. Are there other students who are interested in apetition inputer science?" Ms. Emerson looked at everyone with a smile, though she had nothing butints, deep down. Previously, when the district organized aputer sciencepetition, every ss was only required to send one student. Thus, Gary would just participate. The rest of the students were not interested in thesepetitions at all. After all, senior year students would prioritize their academics. They were soon to be final year students. Everyone was upied with their students. Therefore, how would they find the time to participate in a computer science Competition? However, this year''spetition was at the national level. Thus, every ss must send three representatives. Other than Gary, Ms. Emerson really did now know who else was knowledgeable enough in such a field. Even if she were to arbitrarily appoint someone, she did not know who to appoint. As expected, the entire ss fell into pin drop silence after Ms. Emerson had raised the question. Vivian murmured in a soft voice, "Ms... We''re only high school students. And none of us major in computers.Usually, we would only useputers for our studies and nothing more. How could we participate in thepetition? I even heard that you''ll have to create codes during thepetition and design a software as well...If we can''t do any of that while we''re participating, it''ll be really embarrassing.¡± "That''s right...¡± The rest of the girls also began to murmur. In an instance, the whole ss became silent. Other than Gary, there really was no talk about anyone being an expert in regards toputers. Chapter 1610 Chapter 1610 Ms. Emerson looked at the entire ss, her face growing stiff from smiling. Noticing how troubled Ms. Emerson looked, Nicole sighed. Although it was just a soft sigh, Ms. Emerson had taken notice of it, giving her a glimmer of hope. "Nicole...do you know anything aboutputers?" Nicole''s performance in the previous semester had prompted Ms. Emerson to notice her. It seemed to her that Nicole was an all-rounder who knew a little about everything. The only thing Ms. Emerson was not sure about, was whether Nicole possessed any skills when it came toputers. At that moment, everyone''s eyes were fixed on Nicole. Nicole could not decline Ms. Emerson in front of everyone, so she nodded her head lightly. "Yeah, a little." ¡®If it''s just for a nationalpetition, I don''t think I need to do much. Just a little demonstration of what I know will do, I suppose,¡¯ she inferred. Once Nicole had replied, Ms. Emerson immediately breathed a sigh of relief. "That''s great. That''s great. All of you don''t have to feel the pressure. Even though each ss has to send three representatives, you don''t have to be exceptional. It''s good enough if you could just represent the school, attend the preliminary round, and gain a certificate of participation.¡± In truth, Ms. Emerson did not have high expectations for anyone. She was happy as long as there were people willing to join the event. ¡®I definitely made the right decision appointing Nicole as the ss president. No matter what, she would be willing to cooperate with me,¡¯ Ms. Emerson thought/ After hearing Ms. Emerson mentioning that all they had to do was to attend thepetition and gain a certificate of participation, Bradley became interested too. After all, he liked to y withputers as well. "Ms. Emerson, if you do not mind, I''ll fill up the empty slot and join the team. But I don''t really know much. I usually y games only...¡± Jack could not resist kicking Bradley from behind. "And yet you have the nerve to join thispetition? If it''s just about ying video games, I know how to do that as well.¡± On the other side of the room, Wayne chimed in as soon as he heard that they could y video games while joining thepetition. "You''re going with our boss? Well, sign me up as well!¡± Wayne had done so, as he felt that she should not be looked down upon by other people. With this three more students wanting to join thepetition. Ms. Emerson was pleasantly surprised. "Alright then, all of you may go together. The principal will be happy to have more representatives in the team too.¡± Conversely, Nicole rolled her eyes at Bradley. ¡®If he wanted to join thepetition, why didn''t he say so earlier? He could bring Wayne and the two big lugs along. They did not need me to fill the spot up at all.¡¯ However, now that Ms. Emerson had appointed the five of them to join thepetition, it seemed like there was no way out anymore. Bradley broke into cold sweat once he received a stare from Nicole. ¡®What did I do? I was just cooperating with Ms. Emerson and Nicole. I even pulled two more people in with us. Why is Nicole so unhappy?¡¯ Once he saw that Ms. Emerson had left, Bradley quickly asked Nicole in a low voice, "Nicole, did I do anything wrong? Why were you staring at me?" Nicole responded to him with a nk look. "Nothing. You did well. Extremely well...¡± Nicole balled her hands into fists as she uttered thosest few words. Bradley was so frightened that the hairs on his back began to stand on end. At that moment, Bradley began to feel a strong urge to urinate. ¡°I-I''m going to the washroom." Indeed, Bradley was such a wuss that he had almost wet himself. But then again, Nicole''s presence could be truly frightening at times. Watching as Bradley escaped in a hurry, Lulu became confused. "Nicole, what happened? Are you unhappy?" In response, Nicole grunted. "I''m pissed at that copycat, Bradley! If he wanted to join, he could have said it earlier.¡± Lulu and June did not understand Nicole. They looked at each other with their faces brimming with confusion. N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material. The air between the three of them was not pleasant at all. However, Gary, who was seated right behind, was inexplicably happy. ¡®Finally! I get to join apetition with Nicole again!¡¯ It did not matter whatpetition it was. As long as he could be with Nicole and show his strengths to her, Gary would be very happy. When Wayne spotted his ssmate''s rare smile, he teased Gary, "Boss, why are you suddenly in such a good mood?" Chapter 1611 Chapter 1611 Gary rolled his eyes at Wayne. "It''s none of your business. However, Jack had managed to see what was on Gary''s mind. Then, sighed and looked at Nicole. "Brother, although the both of you can join thepetition together, it''s better for you to not put so much effort into someone, especially when that someone already belongs to someone else." Those words pierced Gary''s heart like a de to the chest, prompting him to give Wayne a death stare. "No one would think you''re mute if you keep your mouth shut!" Jack fell silent at once, not daring to put another word in. Deep down, however, he knew that Gary would not give up this easily. After school, Gary saw Nicole carrying her bag and left. Then, he quickly chased after her and initiated a conversation. "Nicole, this is a great book about computer science. You can ask me if you have any questions." Gary was behaving very differently from the previous semester, in which he would approach Nicole with an air of arrogance about him. Now, Gary would look at Nicole with gentle kindness. As soon as Nicole saw the book, however, her lips twitched.'' Computer 101, and it covers the most basic of stuff!" Nicole had already read it from cover to cover when she was just ten. "It''s fine. I won''t be needing it. You can keep it.¡± Nicole walked past, not wanting to waste any time on that. Gary immediately froze, while Wayne and Jack were stunned as well. ¡®What is Nicole trying to do? Our big boss took the initiative to give her a book, and yet, she gave him the cold shoulder.¡¯ ¡®Isn''t she thepetitive type? Or is she really considering just joining and getting a certificate of participation?¡¯ "Hey, wait up, Nicole.¡± Gary quickly came back to his senses and chased after Nicole again. Jack and Wayne looked at each other. They felt that their boss would lose his charm whenever he faced Nicole... ¡®Love does drive people crazy,¡¯ they thought. Gary kept pursuing her until he had stepped out of the academic block, and when everyone noticed that Gary was chasing after her, all of them began to look at him. Such was because Nicole had be a famous figure in the school that day. Coupled with Gary''s fame in the school, they immediately attracted the crowd''s attention. Nicole did not like to be noticed by the people around her, so she hastened. Concurrently, Gary also took bigger steps, which allowed him to catch up to her. "Nicole, I am sincere about helping you. I won''t act like how I was before, being self-centered and all that. This time around, I will give you a helping hand as long as it is within my abilities to do so," he said. Last semester, Gary was so arrogant and condescending that he wanted Nicole to lower herself before him and beg for his help. Currently however, he was sincere about helping her on his own volition. As long as he could spend more time with her, Gary was fine with it. Nicole had been listening to Gary''s rambling for a long time, and when she finally could not stand him anymore, she halted. "Gary, do you think that what you''re doing now isn''t a disy of condescension? What a joke." ¡®He doesn''t even know me well. And yet, he''s telling me that he wants to help me. He has no clue about whether I need help or not. Still, he has the nerve to decide that I needed it anyway,¡¯ Nicole fumed. "W-when was I being condescending?" Gary was bbergasted. He had already approached her with much humility, and could not understand what else she was expecting from him. "You thought that I needed your help. You thought that I needed you to teach me. That is being condescending!¡± Nicole frowned, her tone getting harsher. Looking at how persistent Nicole was in declining him, Gary felt a little hurt. ¡°I was sincere about helping you. After all, I really do know more aboutputers than you do..." Nicole looked at how confident Gary was with himself and snorted. ¡°There''s no need for any of that." Those words inexplicably made Gary''s heart sink. He felt that Nicole was trying to imply something else. Seeing that Gary had finally toned down, Nicole replied coldly, ¡°So what if you know a lot about computers? You don''t know me at all.¡± If Gary really knew her well, he would not have pestered her and behaved in such a condescending manner.Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. Chapter 1612 Chapter 1612 Then, she walked out of the school and got into her driver''s car. Gary could only watch her from afar as his expression shifted from disappointment to hurt. ¡®Why? Why wouldn''t Nicole treat me like this? I''ve tried talking to her humbly. I''ve even given her some friendly advice, but no matter what I do, she just wouldn''t take my help.¡¯ At that moment, a downpour descended upon the school. Gary looked up in a daze as he let the raindrops fall on his face, his heart heavy and hurt. Raine, who had seen everything from afar, was immediately filled with anger and jealousy. She was jealous because Gary had never really paid attention to her, and that had driven her up the wall. ¡®Gary is someone who is way out of my league. Who is Nicole to hurt him like this?! What right does she have to make him so depressed?!¡¯ she seethed. Enough was enough for her. So what if Nicole obtained the Fire Crest? So what if she was Jared''s wife?! Nicole had hurt someone Raine loved, and for that reason, she deserved to suffer and rot. It was raining the entire time, even after Nicole, Samuel, and Spencer had arrived back home. When they got down from the car, the brothers simultaneously took their coats off and draped them over Nicole''s head to shield her from the rain. When their hands touched, they immediately red at each other. "I can help Nicole myself!" "Shut up and get inside!" Spencer rolled his eyes at Samuel and dashed into the house with Nicole and him. Nicole watched as her brothers shielded her from the rain on each side, and her heart was instantly filled with bliss.¡¯ Being coddled sure feels nice.¡¯ Dinner was nearly ready when they entered the house, so Nicole went upstairs to get a change of clothes. When she got downstairs, Daniel and Sean were already home too. The moment Sean saw her, he murmured, "Nicole... You were right about something.¡± Nicole arched her brows, and finally understood what he had meant after thinking about it. "Norah doesn''t have a suspended sentence, right?" All content is ? N0velDrama.Org. "Yeah, someone found the best doctor to treat her. She''s now in prison, and someone will be there to keep an eye on her so she can''tmit suicide anymore.¡± Nicole squinted her eyes as she thought to herself, ¡®Who else could it be, other than Jared?¡¯ Indeed, Jared would never let Norah die; he would just make her life a living hell. ¡°Let''s not talk about her anymore... She has to face the consequences of her actions." Daniel glumly said. "Don''t tell your mom about this.¡± Nicole and Sean nodded as they decided not to make any mentions of Norah in this house anymore. While Sean and Daniel went up put on some fresh clothes, Nicole was walking down the stairs. At the same time, Alfred was ushering a guest into the house. Nicole turned to have a look. ¡®What?! Jared?!" ¡®Why is this guy in my house?¡¯ she freaked out. Gloria was over the moon when she saw Jared. She quickly walked up to him to wee him. "Oh, Jared. You''re a busy man, why did youe all the way here? Come, join us for dinner.¡± He looked toward the stairway where Nicole was, and once he saw her, his heart became full. He had not seen Nicole for a few days, and because of that, he missed her very much. He just continued staring at her as he could not find it in himself to take his eyes off her. Nicole walked up to him and in an awkward tone, she asked, "Why are you here?" Jared shed her a wicked smile. ¡°I''m here to deliver you some clothes." Nicole was stunned as she watched us cing a bag on their coffee table. ¡°Huh...?" "You looked great in that gown the other day, so I ordered something better for you, one tailor-made just for you.¡± Gloria smiled from ear to ear when she saw how considerate Jared was. Chapter 1613 Chapter 1613 "Oh, Jared. You''re such a nice man. You''ve forgotten about the gown, haven''t you, Nicole?" Gloria commented. Spencer and Samuel had been preparing excitedly these days, but Nicole did not need any preparations at all, no matter how hard Gloria tried to convince her to do so. ¡®I see that it''s because she has Jared to take care of it for her.¡¯ Nicole looked at Jared helplessly. "You didn''t have to order one for me. This is too much." ¡®The previous gown already cost a fortune. Doesn''t it mean that this tailor- made gown is even more expensive?¡¯ she asked herself. Though Nicole had the money, she did not like to waste it. In response, Jared chuckled yfully. "Nothing is too much when ites to you." In just a single line, Jared had made Gloria, Tia, and Mrs. Wace Sr. relieved. ¡®Nicole has great taste in men. Jared is such a gentleman! However, Spencer and Samuel did not look like they were happy at all.¡¯ Does this guy have to be so cheesy?¡¯ Nicole was feeling shy too, so she quickly pulled him over to the couch." Shush! I''ll take the gown, okay?" Jared smiled. He loved how Nicole looked when she was shy. Tia then put the gown away for Nicole, who was looking at Jared awkwardly as she did not know what to say to him. Meanwhile Gloria had already finished serving all the dishes on the dining table, and with both Daniel and Sean in the living room too, Gloria said," Come on. Let''s head to the dining area. You must eat more tonight, Jared." "Sure, thank you." Jared smiled politely. Gloria smiled lovingly when she looked at Jared, who was holding Nicole''s hand during the entire time. Mrs. Wace Sr. had also grown fonder of Jared as she gave him a kind smile. She had always found him polite ever since the first time she met him. But at one point, Harvey was always seen with Nicole, so Mrs. Wace Sr. had a little misunderstanding about the status of their rtionship for a while. Still, Jared and Nicole were like a match made in heaven. The whole family sat down, with Jared and Nicole sitting together while her brothers sat across from her. Sean and Steve were fine with it, but Spencer and Samuel looked ufortable. ¡®Though Jared is already engaged with Nicole, isn''t it too much for him to visit Nicole so often?¡¯ Samuel thought. While everyone was eating dinner, Daniel and Gloria were extremely happy with Jared as they chatted with smiles on their faces from time to time. Meanwhile, Nicole looked like her mind was somewhere else, and Samuel had noticed it too, so he scooped some sd up and ced them on her te. "Nicole, this is your favorite. Eat more." "Sure." Nicole nodded. Jared saw what Samuel did and looked over at him, his eyes stern as if he was warning Samuel. Samuel was taken aback. ¡®What did I do?'' Then, he saw Jared scooping another dish for Nicole. ¡°Eat up, you''re too slim." That was when he instantly understood what was going on. Jared was warning them that Nicole¡¯s boyfriend was the only one who should be scooping dishes for her. Seeing that, Spencer could not help but look at Samuel. ¡®Nicole is not even married to him yet, and we''re already being reprimanded by our future brother-in- law!¡¯ Spencer observed. N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material. Samuel looked resigned. ¡°You''re not married yet, so why can''t I scoop dishes for my sister?" Jared squinted as he did not expect Samuel to blurt this out in front of their elders. Stanley sighed as he looked at Samuel with a frown. ¡®Why is this idiot saying this now?'' Stanley thought. ¡°That''s enough from you. Just eat your dinner." "Stanley, I-" Samuel was about to respond. However, Jared interrupted him. ¡°Actually, I''m here to talk about this." Chapter 1614 Chapter 1614 Jared''s statement prompted everyone to ce their cutlery down and look at him. Daniel smiled kindly. ¡°Just say whatever you want, Jared.¡± Jared looked at Daniel gently. "I''m already engaged with Nicole, and I think we should put our wedding on the agenda now.¡± "What?!" All five of Nicole''s brothers were perplexed. ¡®Why is this guy in such a rush to get married?!" ¡®We just found Nicole not long ago! It''s not easy for US to be this close with Nicole.¡¯ ¡®We don¡¯t mind their engagement, but he wants to get married now? And take our sister away from US?! Even Gloria and Daniel were in shock. Mrs. Wace Sr. was confused as well, but she knew that Jared and Nicole had special identities, so she did not say anything. Samuel was the first one who voiced his disagreement. "I object! It hasn''t even been a year since Nicole came back to us! I''m not done spending time with her yet!" ¡®If they get married, Jared will definitely take Nicole away,¡¯ he thought. Spencer was not happy about it either, but he was calm. "Even if we do agree, Nicole is not at the age of marriage yet. It''s pointless to rush it, Mr. Johnston." Jared looked at Samuel and Spencer cheekily as he said in a challenging tone. "We can get married in Panem.¡± ¡°"Panem?!" Everyone was stumped when they heard it. Spencer and Samuel did not expect Jared to y that card. They exchanged looks as if they did not know what Jared was trying to do. But Sean looked at Jared, intrigued. "Sure, you''re very sincere, Mr. Johnston. The legal age to marry in Panem is 16, but you won''t ever be able to divorce Nicole once you get married. Are you sure about that?¡± The legal age to marry in Panem was 16, but getting a divorce was illegal. Samuel and Spencer were surprised, as were Gloria and Mrs. Wace Sr. However, they were surprised at the loyalty Jared had for Nicole. He had never considered divorcing her at all. Both Gloria and Mrs. Wace Sr. were moved... "Jared, I didn''t know you''d do so much for Nicole." Though Gloria thought that Nicole was too young to marry, she still found it very touching. Daniel was also shocked at the fact that Jared would think of doing something like this just to get married to Nicole earlier. Jared could tell that Daniel was hesitating, so he said, "Don''t worry, Mr. and Mrs. Riddle. I will take responsibility for Nicole for the rest of my life. I will never let her down, and I will treat her the best I can." Nicole did not expect Jared to have this idea as well. On top of that, she did not expect him to make such a promise before her family. Aplicated feeling arose in her heart... Jared''s love felt heavy and warm at the same time, filling her with a sense offort. She had never thought that she would meet a man like him, who would vow to her family that he would treat her well. Her parents were there, Mrs. Wace was there, and her brothers were there too. Nicole wanted to remember this moment for the rest of her life. Her heart was full. Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. Daniel eyed Jared''s look of seriousness and took a deep breath. "I know you''ve been great to Nicole, Mr. Johnston. However, we can only give our blessings to you. Ultimately, the decision is Nicole¡¯s to make..." Daniel looked at Nicole. He knew that she had her own opinions and that she did not need anyone to decide for her. He would support her regardless of her decision. Sean looked at Nicole as if he was already missing her. "Nicole, what do you think?" He even sounded like he was missing her already. Nicole could feel that Sean and the rest of her brothers were looking at her with a sense of longing, as they did not want her to leave the house too soon... Chapter 1615 Chapter 1615 Jared is such a tyrant!¡¯ Nicole took a deep breath in and said, I just came back, so I''d like to spend more time with my family..." Jared understood what Nicole was thinking, so he did not me her for any of it. "I know, that''s why I bought the estate next to your house. When we get married, we''ll live next door. That way, you can come back whenever you want. Dad, Mom, and Grandma can visit US whenever they want as well." ¡°What?!¡± Everyone became shocked again. The estate next to their house was not cheap. Besides, it had been sold to someone else a long time ago. The Riddles would not be able to afford it even if they wanted to. The estate next to their house was also a lotrger than theirs, and it was upied too. At that juncture, they could not help but wonder what Jared had done to acquire it, and how he had gotten their neighbor to give their property up for him and Nicole. Even Nicole was stunned. ¡®Jared has been doing so much in silence these days! other than dealing with Norah, he still has the time to buy thend?! Nicole was stupefied and resigned at the same time. ¡®That punk is doing whatever he can...¡¯ Jared looked at Nicole, cheeky and yet determined. Samuel and Spencer were speechless as well. They looked at Nicole innocently and put on a pitiful expressions, hoping that she could find a way to go about this matter. However, Nicole knew very well that once Jared had made his decision, there was nothing that she would be able to do to stop him. She fell for an overbearing man, so there was no escape. ¡®Whatever, we have to get married sooner orter anyway,¡¯ she concluded. She drew a deep breath as her heart started to race. Then, she looked down shyly and said, "All right, I do..." Jared¡¯s heart stopped the second he heard what Nicole had said. Her brothers'' hearts sank as well. ¡®Our sister is going to be whisked away just like that!¡¯ ¡®We won''t be able to see our sister in this house anymore! Samuel''s expression darkened as he looked at everyone else with downcast eyes. Spencer was speechless as well; all he did was drink his ss of water with his head hung low. Stanley and Steve were not entirely happy about it as well, as they had, unfortunately, spent the least amount of time with Nicole. All content is ? N0velDrama.Org. Even if she lived close by, they would not be able to see her all the time as well. Sean inhaled deeply and epted it. ¡®It''s Nicole''s decision, so I''ll support her no matter what.¡¯He smiled and looked at Jared. "Well then, Mr. Johnston, please take good care of my sister from now on.¡± "Sure, I definitely will.¡± Jared nodded affirmatively. It was settled between the men, but it was then that someone began choking on her tears. Daniel turned around and saw his wife sobbing, so he quickly put his arms around her and asked, "What''s wrong, Gloria? Why are you crying?¡± Daniel loved his wife to bits, so he could never stand to watch her cry. "I¡¯m fine... I''m very touched. I didn¡¯t expect Nicole to get married to Mr. Johnston so soon...¡± But her tone turned sad toward the end when she continued, "It''s just... I didn''t get to spend much time with Nicole. And yet, she''s already getting married...¡± Chapter 1616 Chapter 1616 Daniel looked helpless as he tried tofort his wife. "Didn''t Jared purchase the estate next door? You can see Nicole just about any time you want." "Yeah, I know..." All content is ? N0velDrama.Org. Even though Gloria knew that visiting Nicole would not be a problem, she felt awful knowing the fact that her precious daughter would belong to somebody else right aftering back to her for just a while. Nicole glowered at Jared upon seeing how sorrowful her mother was. ¡®I guess he''s happy now. I agreed to marry him, but I''ve...¡¯ Jared smiled wordlessly and he was not bothered by the discontent Nicole had for him. Nicole had no idea how to console Gloria either, so she just watched as Daniel did so. ¡°Anyway, this marriage is great news to both the Johnston and the Riddle Family, and I''ll tell the old man about this tomorrow. Let''s just consider this meal an early celebration,¡± Daniel said as he raised his ss. Sean took a deep breath and did the same. "Nicole, Mr. Johnston, congrattions.¡± Jared raised his ss happily. ¡°Thank you.¡± Everybody else raised their sses in unison and congratted Nicole, even though they did not feel like doing so. Nicole looked at her brothers, parents, and grandmother emotionally. She felt ted that she had gotten all of her family member''s blessings. It was simply wonderful, and Nicole would never forget that meal. After that, Nicole walked Jared to the door, as she reproached him. "You should''ve asked for my permission before you said those things moments ago.¡± Jared smiled. "Well, you said yes anyway, didn''t you?" Nicole choked. "Gross." Jared stretched his arm out and grabbed her skinny waist. "I''d do anything as long as you''ll agree to be together with me. It''s worth it, even though I''ve said something insensitive and offensive to my brothers-inw.¡± Nicole lifted her brows. ¡°You''re aware of that too, hun? Why are you still so hasty then? Wouldn''t it be better for US to get married when I reach the local legal age?¡± Jared looked at her with a serious look on his face. "You''re just too perfect. I can''t wait anymore.¡± And just like that, Jared''s words shut her uppletely. She felt a little angry, but she could not deny that his words made her feel that she was loved. "That''s enough. You should get going now,¡± she said, unable to bear with his bossy and cheesy demeanor any longer. Jared suddenly lifted his brows. "Are you really going to let me leave like that?¡± "Huh?" Nicole was confused. "What do you want from me?" ¡®To kick your a*s?'' she thought. Jared figured that she did not understand what he was trying to say. So, he swept his gaze across the inside of the mansion before he bent forward and gave her a peck on the lips. Nicole''s face felt very hot as she subconsciously took a step back. "Are you out of your mind? We''re at my house!¡± ¡®What if my parents or brothers saw this? How inappropriate would it be?!¡¯ she panicked. Jared smiled cheekily as he wore a scious expression on his handsome visage. "Well, I have no choice but to kiss you goodbye since you won''t do it to me.¡± Then, he got into the car. "Goodbye, wifey.¡± "Who are you calling wifey?!" Nicole blushed even harder and the urge to punch him in the face arose. However, Jared had ordered his driver to leave the ce as soon as he had gotten into the car. Nicole had no choice but to suppress her anger and shyness. Then, she took a deep breath and went back inside. Her parents had already gone upstairs after she had gotten back in, and Mrs. Wace Sr. had also returned to her room too. However, her brothers were still waiting for her in the living room. Chapter 1617 Chapter 1617 As soon as he saw Nicoleing in, Samuel said, "Nicole, are you really going to marry him so soon?" "Yeah... you just came back home, and we won''t be sharing thest name very soon." Spencer added, looking very disappointed. Stanley looked at them, grabbed them by the back of their necks, and pulled them back. "That''s enough. Stop harassing Nicole. Are you two not going to have your own family in the future?" Samuel slumped over in his seat. "It''s not that... I just didn¡¯t expect Nicole to marry so soon when Sean and Steve don''t even have a girlfriend..." Sean''s face darkened. "Why did you have to drag me into this? Are you tired of breathing?" Samuel immediately corrected himself, "N-No... I was saying that Nicole had her life all figured out, and yet, none of us are catching up to her at all." Five of them were all older than Nicole, but none of them had a girlfriend. The fact that Nicole was going to get married before they would was simply humiliating Nicole looked at Samuel''s face and shed him a smirk." Samuel, you sound like you''re very desperate for a girlfriend." All of a sudden, Samuel became very awkward. "What? How? "Youined that you didn''t have a female partner not long ago, and now you''re jealous that I''m getting married. Tsk, tsk. Samuel, are you going through puberty right now?"N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material. ¡°Pfft.¡± Steveughed and the coffee that he was drinking spurted out of his nose "Ha-ha! I thought so too!¡± The atmosphere became a lot happier after Nicole had made fun of Samuel. "Samuel, many girls in school have written love letters to you, and yet, none of them are good enough?¡± Stanley joined his siblings to mock Samuel. Then, Spencer added, "Somebody just gave him another one at the basketball court two days ago... She looked kind of pretty too." "Shut up!" Samuel stood up, annoyed. He then pinned Spencer down, trying to shut him up. Nicole lifted her brows. "Spencer and Samuel are really popr. Looks like I''ve got to get it done quicker. Her words stunned everybody. However, Nicole had gone upstairs before they could interpret what her words meant. This caused Sean and Steve to look at each other. "What did Nicole say?" "Something about... getting something done quicker...?" The five brothers then look at each other simultaneously, though none of them knew what Nicole was talking about. Soon, the sky turned dark, and a Rolls-Royce was seen coasting on the freeway. It drove past the cross-river bridge, and Jared saw the part of the bridge where the ident had happened, and had been recently repaired. His eyes became extremely frosty as he called Janus on the phone.Max had ordered him to take care of the driver which had fled at the border and he figured that he might have talked already. Very soon, the call connected, and Jared heard Janus''s voice." ¡°Hello, Mr. Johnston.¡± Jared then spoke in a deep, low voice. ¡°Any updates?" Janus paused for a moment as he looked at the person who was in aplete mess after he had interrogated him. "This man is a professional hitman, and he''s working for an organization. He just wouldn''t say a word." Janus was starting to lose his patience after it had taken him close to a week to settle something that was supposed to be done within just three days. Jared''s gaze turned ruthless and cold. "Bury him alive then.¡± Janus had put Jared on speaker when they were conversing. Marked for death, the hired gun, who was covered in blood shuddered upon hearing what Jared had said. ¡®I guess my time is up...¡¯ A vicious look suddenly shed across Janus''s face. "Okay. I''ll give him onest chance..." After that, he hung up. Jared did not bother ask any more questions, but he knew that the way Janus in which dealt with the other professional killers was just as brutal as the methods employed by those during the medieval times. Chapter 1618 Chapter 1618 Because of that, Jared believed that the person would speak. And true enough, once he had arrived home, he received a text from Janus. [He''s spoken. It''s the heiress of the Fisher Group, Fiore Fisher.] Jared''s eyes lit up in a ze thereafter. ¡®Fiore Fisher! I guess she hasn''t learned her lesson after everything that had happened at the banquet. I can''t believe the nerve she has in trying to hurt and kill Nicole! Well, there''ll be consequences to her actions...¡¯ After that, Jared dialed Max''s number at once. In their residence, the Fisher family was busy entertaining a few big families and the directors of some huge corporations that they had spent so much effort trying to establish a rtionship with. Fiore was dressed in a revealing and enchanting outfit, and she was feeling veryfortable among the elites. It made her feel a lot better after she had been rejected and humiliated in front of everybody in the banquet, and now, she just somehow felt very good about herself. She had regained her confidence after socializing and exchanging toasts with those in the crowd. A big fat man was talking shop with Fiore when he grabbed her hand tipsily. He then caressed her hand while ogling her. ¡°It''s a deal then, Miss Fisher. You''d better make sure nothing goes wrong." "Rest assured, Mr. Gordon. I''ll handle this personally. There¡¯s nothing to be worried about...¡± Fiore said, trying to hide how disgusted she was. She was doing everything she could to appease these people, but deep down, she desperately wanted to push that man away. Colton was entertaining his guests in the crowd too. He felt very ufortable when he saw someone taking advantage of his daughter, and was about to walk over when he heard a loud st from outside the house. "Boom!" Everybody was startled, and even the fat man who was caressing Fiore''s hand flinched, before he turned his gaze to the yard. "W-What was that?!" Fiore was shocked too. They had security and bodyguards out there, and so, she could not figure out what that st could possibly be. And before she knew it, she saw a curtain of mes outside the window. At the very next second, the guards outside shouted, "This is bad! There''s a fire!" "Put it out! Call 911 now!¡± The shouts scared everyone in the mansion, and they all began panicking. "There''s a fire! Run!" A few of the rich women began scattering into different directions, and other big shots began to sober up too as they hurried outside in a desperate attempt to flee. "Fiore! Darling! Run!¡± Colton immediately rushed over to his daughter and wife. All content is ? N0velDrama.Org. Then, he grabbed their hands and began running out of the house. He saw a huge me burning as soon as he was outside. Apparently, somebody had doused his yard in gasoline, and the ze was heading toward them. As it turned out, the explosion moments ago had "We''re doomed! We can''t get out of here! Turn around!" Hugo yelled as everybody backed up. Fiore got so scared, that she retreated too. Everyone in the house was trapped. The only thing they could do was head inside and wait for the guards to put the fire out. Hugo looked at Colton and Fiore angrily, "Mr. Fisher! What is the meaning of this? Are you trying to murder us all?!" There were so many influential people in the house, and now, a fire had broken out. To make matters worse, all of them had nowhere else to go. "No! Stay calm! I''ve called the fire department! The fire will be taken care of in no time!¡± Colton shouted, trying to keep everyone calm. However, Fiore was too frightened. She just could not figure out who would do such a thing to her in San Joto other than Jared and Nicole. Then, she figured that they must already have found out that she was the one who had nned to send Nicole off the bridge now that they had gotten to her. ¡®They''re going to kill me today!¡¯ she thought to herself. "I can¡¯t die here... Let me out!" she yelled. Then, Fiore grabbed the tail end of her dress and rushed outside as if she had lost her mind, while Colton could not stop Fiore in time as Hugo would just not stop pestering him. Chapter 1619 Chapter 1619 Colton was baffled as he watched helplessly, while his stark raving mad daughter dashed out. "Fiore!" He turned around in an attempt to grab hold of her, but unfortunately, he could only manage to grab a piece of her dress. Fiore sprinted out into the open anyway, forgetting that she was wearing ace dress, and that there was gasoline under her feet. She thought there was just a bit of it, and that she could easily get past after sprinting away. However, she waspletely engulfed in mes as soon as she stepped into the yard. "Argh!!!" The mes covered her, devouring her gown, and the searing sensation caused her to shriek in pain. There, shepletely forgot about the reason why she had ran out and immediately fell onto the ground, which was covered inrge puddles of gasoline. "Miss Fiore!!¡± Shocked, her bodyguards immediately ran up to her with fire extinguishers in hand to put the mes out. And though the fire was soon extinguished, it took a few bodyguards to do so and bring her out of the area. N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. By then, the mes had rendered Fiore naked. Her skin was charred, and her hair was in a great mess, emanating from it a stench most dreadful. At that moment, she looked just like a vagabond. The excruciating pain that she felt traumatized her to the extent that she did not even care about the fact that she was naked anymore. All she did was curl up on the ground and yelled, "It hurts... Call the ambnce!" "Fiore!" As soon as her mother heard her cries, she was prepared to run out as well. However, Colton stopped her. "Are you crazy? Do you want to get injured too?!" ¡°But Fiore..." Mrs. Fisher then calmed down. Though she was heartbroken, she did not give into her impulse. Soon after, the fire brigade and the ambnce arrived. At that point, the fire had already reached the house, and the firemen rushed in at once. Fortunately for the Fishers, Colton and the rest of them were hiding in the furthest washroom in the house, and thus, none of them were harmed. The only one who had been wounded was Fiore, and she was already being carried into the ambnce. The second her parents reached her, she was barely recognizable anymore... "Fiore..." Her mother was so shocked that she passed out. Colton grabbed her and entered the ambnce, taking his wife and his daughter to the hospital. And just like that, on that dark and faithful night, the Fisher family was destined for doom, with the news spreading during the very next morning itself. ording to the news, there was a massive ze, which had scorched half of their mansion. The heiress, Fiore Fisher, was critically injured and had been taken to the hospital. The instant Daniel saw the report, he stared at his children in shock. ¡°This happened to the Fishers?!" Both Daniel and Sean were worried that the Fishers would plot to do something dastardly to them. However, in just one night, a tragedy had struck the Fishers. Nicole was slightly shocked as well. After all, who would do such a thing to the Fishers at a time like this? Besides, judging by the scene, it seems that there were a lot of big shots over there too. It''s pretty obvious that it was nned...¡¯ Nicole pondered hard and came to a conclusion, that the only possible culprit was Jared. But he didn''t have to be so brutal, did he?" Fiore was obsessed her physical appearance. If she was that badly burned, there would almost be no chance of recovery. There was an 80% chance that she was going to be disfigured... ¡®Fiore must be going crazy now, isn''t she?¡¯ Nicole thought. "I''m done eating, so I''ll be heading to school now." Nicole took her bag once she was done with her breakfast. "Hey, me too!" Samuel wanted to run after her, but as he was not done eating, he was a little toote. Nicole took this time to give Jared a call outside. Right as Jared answered her call, Nicole asked, "Was Fiore the person behind the incident at the bridge?" Chapter 1620 Chapter 1620 Other than his desire to exact vengeance upon Fiore, Nicole did not think that Jared had any other reason to do this to them. Jared was slightly taken aback as he did not expect Nicole to be able to make the correct guess so soon. He smiled. "As I''d thought, my wife is really smart." "That''s enough, don''t call me that." Nicole warned, not liking what he had said as title did not suit a young woman like her at all. "My lover?" Jared teased her. "Shut up. I''m hanging up,¡± Nicole finished, for all she wanted was a confirmation for her suspicions. Then, she immediately hung up without saying another word. After that, Samuel and Spencer ran up to her. ¡°Nicole, you ate too fast, man." To follow Nicole''s pace was indeed tiring for them both. To add to that, Samuel still had a sandwich in his hand. "You just eat too much," Nicole retorted. "Me?!" Samuel was at a loss for words, but he could not deny it, as what Nicole said was a fact. Spencerughed. "Yes, someone finally said it.¡± "Zip it!" Samuel shoved Spencer aside and got into the car. Spencer followed suit and the trio went to school happily. They spent the morning peacefully as nothing much happened, but when afternoon arrived, Nicole received a call to attend physical education. Everyone scattered excitedly as they went out to y, and that was because they only had one physical education ss every week. For that reason, everyone was enjoying themselves. Some of them yed basketball, and some yed ser. The girls, however, were doing physical training with their teacher. As Nicole was paying attention to her teacher, she felt something flying toward them. N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. Being the agile woman she was, she could dodge the object on time. However, the teacher wasn''t as fortunate, as it then went straight toward his head. "Damn it! Who did it?!" the teacher yelled. Everyone fell silent at once. They looked toward their teacher and realized that he had a volleyball in his hand. "Sorry, sir! We didn¡¯t know how to y, so we missed!" Raine walked over and apologized to the teacher. It was then that the students realized that Raine¡¯s ss was having volleyball training on the other side of the field. Nicole''s gaze turned dark. That ball was hurled with force, so it was nothing not just a case of a ball being thrown by mere ident. The teacher saw Raine and realized that a girl had thrown it, and thus, he chose to let it slide. "Be careful when you y! What do you think is going to happen if you hurt someone?" "Got it." Raine nodded as she mentally cursed. ¡®F*cking Nicole! I got lectured by this teacher because she dodged it!¡¯ Indeed, it had made her livid. Noticing that Nicole''s ss was just doing some simple exercises, Raine quickly came up with an idea. "Sir, there aren''t a lot of girls in my ss. Can we merge with yours for our volleyball training? ying volleyball is a form of exercise anyway." Raine acted cute as she held the ball, and though neither Raine nor Snow were the prettiest girls in school any longer, the male teacher still bought into Raine¡¯s act. He looked over at his ss awkwardly and asked, ¡°Are you girls up for it?" It was hard to think that anyone would be up for it. The school volleyball team consisted mostly of senior girls. Even if the juniors joined the team, they would only be benched as not many of them knew how to y volleyball. "Don''t be afraid. We''ll teach them, so you can rx a little, sir. After all, it''s normal to merge sses like this," Raine added In their school, many sses would merge for activities, so it was not something out of the ordinary. The teacher agreed. "Fine, there really aren''t a lot of girls in your ss anyway. Well then, your ss will be a team, and my ss another. Let''s y a friendly match." "Huh?" Lulu and the rest of them immediately wore a painful expression. Chapter 1621 Chapter 1621 Aside from the fact that they were ying volleyball, they had to y against twelfth graders. It was obvious that this was bullying. Even Vivian could feel her confidence waning. At this moment, she looked at Nicole and whispered, ¡°Nicole, they have ill intentions. Raine is clearly coming after you. Please don''t bring any of US down together with you...¡± Nicole rolled her eyes and said, ¡®Don¡¯t worry, I won''t drag any of you down with me.¡± It was only then did Vivian piped down somewhat. However, the teacher was dead set in his ways. "You girls, form a group. Have a set with your seniors first." The teacher then pointed at Nicole, the ss representative, Lulu, June and Vivian''s general direction. At that instant, Vivian''s expression changed. ¡°It can''t be right. I''m in too?" She did not y volleyball at all. "Of course. Hurry up,¡¯ the teacher said, and called another girl over to create a team of five before sending them into the court. Seeing Nicole on the court, Raine became very excited. She had been rearing to challenge Nicole and did not expect the teacher to be so amodating by sending Nicole in for the first game. She would definitely not miss this golden opportunity to make a fool out of Nicole! Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. Now in the court, Raine shed them a fake smile. "Don''t worry, we''ll go easy on you.¡± Nicole looked at Raine and spat back coldly, ¡°I won''t be so certain as to who''s going to go easy on who.¡± When Raine heard that, her expression darkened. "Come and try then!" As she said that, she leaped up high andunched the ball directly at Nicole. "Watch out!¡± Seeing that Raine had spiked the ball with great strength, Lulu shot Nicole a look of worry. Yet, thetter was totally unfazed as she held her own and gathered her strength, sending the ball straight back into the air. The ball immediately bounce upwards and was at an unusually high height! "Oh my, she has quite the strength!¡± the teacher yelled, for he was taken aback. Even Raine''s friends were stunned, but it was then that the ball plummeted toward Nicole''s side of the court. Raine sneered. ¡®So what if she possesses great strength? What use is it if the ball fails tond on the opposing side?¡¯ She wanted to let Gary see for himself who was the better person today. And just as Raine was remained conceited, Nicole suddenly leaped up. She took aim at the ball that then fell before her and spiked it hard, getting everyone to hear a loud bang. Before Raine could even react, the trajectory of the ball changed and cannonballed toward Raine''s face. What followed was a shrill scream. "AHHH!!" This prompted everyone at the court to turn their heads around. Then, what they saw was the ball smashing right into Raine''s face, and as her eyes rolled into the back of her skull, blood spurted out of her nose. She then crashed onto the ground with much force. Due to the power of the spike, the volleyball rebounded into the before falling to the ground with a thud, after which there was deafening silence. No one had expected her move to be so powerful. And what was even less expected was the fact that Raine¡¯s eyes had rolled back after she had fallen onto the ground as sheid there motionless with a bleeding nose... The atmosphere froze for a good few seconds before the crowd rushed over and surrounded Raine. ¡°Raine! Raine, are you alright?!" Raine¡¯s clique hurried over. However, she was already unconscious by then. The teacher too was appalled as he ran over and carried Raine up. "To the infirmary!" Chapter 1622 Chapter 1622 At that moment, both Lulu and June were left dumbstruck. Bradley rushed over to Nicole''s side. "Holy moly, Nicole! That was awesome! Your spike was far better than theirs!" That was the twelfth-grade women''s volleyball team that had represented the school in many games. No one expected Nicole would knock Raine out with just a single spike. At that point, it was clear that she outssed her opponents in terms of skill. Yet, all Nicole did was put her hands in her pocket as her demeanor turned cold. "I don''t know how to y volleyball. I just learned that on the spot." "Eh?" "Nah, that can''t be right." The instant they heard that Nicole did not know how to y volleyball, Lulu, Bradley and the others were all taken aback. But you just..." Bradley said in surprise. But before he could finish the sentence, Nicole shot him a nce. ¡°It''s just a move I''ve picked up from Raine. Well, at least this set is done now." She really did not know how to y volleyball, nor did she wish to. Moreover, she never wanted to rope Lulu and the rest of them into this mess. Thus, the best way out of that predicament was to take Raine out of action in a single move, which she managed to pull off. Then, Nicole turned around and headed back to ss. "Let''s go back to ss." Seeing that, all of the boys in the ss looked at Nicole and instinctively took a step back. Meanwhile, Jack looked on in astonishment as Nicole led Lulu and her cohort past them. "Boss... did you see that just now? Nicole''s strength is out of this world, don''t you think?" N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. "Yeah, she''s even so good, even at volleyball. Damn, she''s scary. Is there anything she can''t do?¡± Waynemented in shock. The two then looked back at Gary, who was silent. ¡®Nicole never ceases to surprise me. She seems to be capable of anything..." He suddenly recalled her words the other day, and that was when he realized that he might really not understand her at all. Although the odds were tiny, there might be a possibility that Nicole did not need his help with computers to begin with. Shaking his head, Gary left the court with a glum look on his face. And just like that, the little fracas during PE ss was over. By the afternoon, however, the school forum was flooded with pictures of Raine''s bloodied face after the volleyball had smashed into it, and Nicole''s name once again caused an uproar in school. With Raine being made to look like a fool, Snow was affected as well, with many peopleing to ask her about the incident. So, Snow had to make her way to the infirmary to ask Raine about everything that had happened. Raine''s nose was swollen and wrapped in gauze, her face looking totally miserable. The moment she saw Snow, Raine flew into a tirade. "Snow! Nicole bullied the hell out of me! You must get back at her for me!" She had just wanted to teach Nicole a lesson today, but unfortunately for her, she ended up at the receiving end of one. She was utterly humiliated. "What''s the matter with you? Weren''t we warned not to mess with her at school?" Who is Nicole now? That''s right. Grandpa''s favorite granddaughter. Even Uncle Damien''s family needs to kowtow to Uncle Daniel''s family now, and so do we.¡¯ "I... [just couldn''t stand seeing her hurt Gary,¡¯ Raine said as a pained look appeared in her eyes. In response, Snow snorted. ¡°It''s time to wake up, silly. When has Gary set eyes on you ever since Nicole made an appearance? Are you still pining over him?" "That''s because Nicole tried to seduce Gary by joining thepetition with him!¡± Raine hissed. "I don''t care! I''ll make Nicole pay for this!" ¡®So what if everyone is kissing up to her now? It''ll be fine if no one sees me,¡¯ she thought. Snow proceeded to give Raine a look of defeat. "You are hopeless. Do what you want. Just don''t get me involved!" After saying that, Snow turned around and left, leaving Raine to stand there in a daze. ¡®Even Snow doesn''t care about me now!¡¯ she seethed. Chapter 1623 Chapter 1623 ¡®It''s all Nicole''s fault! I''ll kill her if that''s thest thing I do!1 After school, Nicole, Lulu and June walked out of the ssroom and went descended the flight of steps to head home. As she thought about how Nicole was about to catch her ride home soon, Lulumented, "I really miss the days when you stayed in the dormitory with us. It''s just the two of US this semester. It''s so lonely." Although no one dared to bully them anymore because of their friendship with Nicole, they felt very lonely without Nicole around. "It''s better to be lonely. Thest semester has been nothing but chaotic.¡± Nicole replied, knowing that most of the chaos was because of her, and that the two of them would do much better this semester. "It is, but we do miss you a lot.¡± June smiled as she looked at Nicole with an expression of sincerity. "I''ll go to the dorm to look for you two when I have the time.¡± Nicole relented in an attempt tofort them. By then, the three of them had walked out of the ss building. Lulu then waved at Nicole. "That''s a promise. Go on home now!¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Nicole nodded and turned toward away. And just then, she suddenly sensed that something was falling from above. She instinctively looked up and that was when she saw a flower pot plummeting toward Lulu. ¡°Lulu!¡± Nicole eximed. Lulu turned around, and before she could even react, Nicole shoved her aside. The falling flower pot struck Nicole square on the shoulder, prompting her to let out a muffled grunt as she rolled onto the ground together with Lulu.¡± Ugh!" June was shocked, and when she saw Nicole falling she immediately rushed toward her. "Nicole! Lulu! Are you alright?!" She then looked up, just to see no one on the second to the seventh floor. "Who did that?¡± June roared. "Show yourself, coward!" Lulu, who noticed that Nicole was not looking right, said, "June, Nicole is probably hurt. Let''s get to the infirmary?" Nicole, however, shook her head as she moved her shoulder. ¡°Just a minor injury. I''ll deal with it back at home.¡± "Huh? No can''t do, that''s a flower pot you know...?" Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. ¡°Yeah, we don''t know which floor it had fallen from either..." If it was any other person, their shoulder would be in so much pain that they would not be able to do much after that at all. However, Nicole just shook her head as though the pot had barely done any sort of damage to her. "It''s fine. I''ll go home first. Take care on your way back.¡± She did not want them to get hurt again. "Okay, don''t worry about us,¡± Lulu said. ¡°Right.¡± Nicole nodded and walked out of school, pretending as though nothing had happened. No matter who the culprit was, she would not find anything even if she headed up there now. It would be wiser if she headed home and hacked into the school''sputer system to discover who was behind that assault. Just when Spencer and Samuel saw Nicole walking out from school, they immediately waved at her. '' Nicole! Over here!" Nicole took a deep breath, not wanting her family to know about anything that had happened just now. Then, she quietly activated the Beacon, hoping that it could relieve the pain and heal her up quickly. However, just as Nicole was about to enter the car, Samuel pulled her arm. ¡°Hurry up and get in! Get dressed and get yourself dolled up. Don''t bete for the dinner!" Nicole endured the stinging pain, but it was then that her face turned a little pale. Noticing that something was not right with Nicole, Spencer immediately told Samuel, "Let Nicole go. Something is wrong with her." Samuel was stunned for a few seconds, whereupon he turned around and looked at Nicole. "What''s the matter?" Nicole took a deep breath. ¡°I''m fine. Just feeling a little unwell." She chose to not tell them the truth, as she did not want her brothers to get all worried over something she considered trivial. Chapter 1624 Chapter 1624 Noticing that Nicole was indeed feeling unwell, Samuel and Spencer gently helped her into the car in a hurry. As for Nicole, she avoided any contact and movements with her shoulder, nning to treat it once she got home. Deep down, however, she was cursing at the predicament she was in. * Crap, I''ve forgotten that the dinner is today. If there''s a bruise, how am I supposed to wear a dress?" After Samuel and Spencer had gotten into the car, the driver quickly drove back them to the Riddle residence, where everyone at was busy dressing up. Upon arrival, Samuel and Spencer scattered to get their own change of clothes. Meanwhile, Nicole went straight upstairs after greeting her parents. There was not much time left for her to check the school''s surveince cameras, and so, she could only find a way to deal with her wound first. The second she took her coat off, she noticed that her shoulder was swollen and severely bruised. Even though the Beacon could speed her recovery up, it would be impossible to remove all traces of the bruise, for the dinner would begin in two hours. Nicole pondered for a bit before grabbing the dress that Jared had given here, deciding to make some last-minute adjustments by stitching up the parts which would leave her shoulder exposed. N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. Although it looked a little less sexy, it could cover the bruise well enough while maintaining the air of dignity. After she had taken care of that, the stylist her family had hired came upstairs to help her out with her hair, and when she went back to the living room downstairs, everyone stared at her. Even though Nicole was always beautiful, there would always be something different about it in each and every single asion, and that was what drew the admiration of everyone around her. "You''re really beautiful, Nicole." "Yeah, if only Nicole was mypanion for tonight..." Spencer sighed. "Dream on." Samuel rolled his eyes at him. The entire family broke into a fit ofughter. Samuel suddenly remembered something. "Nicole, what about ourpanions? Have you forgotten about it?¡± This was a big deal for them. Their brothers all had their ownpanions and it would be quite unsightly if they did not have one themselves. The second Nicole saw the look of anticipation on Samuel and Spencer''s faces, she smiled awkwardly. "I... really did forget about it..." This was the truth. She had intended to tell Lulu and June about this during PE ss, but she had forgotten about it after the incident with Raine. "Huh? You''ve got to be kidding me!" Spencer cried. "How can you forget something so important?" Samuel gave Nicole a distressed look. When Nicole saw the look of disappointment on their faces, she sniggered. ¡°Don''t worry, I did forget about it, but I''ve just sent a message to my ssmates. They are preparing right now and will be there to meet US at the headquarters of Riddle Corporation." She had contacted both Lulu and June when the stylist was doing her hair. The two of them were so shocked they almost fell off their beds as they rushed off to their own homes to prepare. Judging by the hour they were in, they would be on a tight schedule, but there should be enough time for them to get themselves ready for the event. Upon hearing that, both Samuel and Spencer heaved a sigh of relief. "That''s good. At least we won''t look so out of ce," Samuel said. Stanley then looked at twins as if to tease them. "Fortunately, I was quick." As he said that, he darted his eyes at Tia, who was walking down from the first floor. Stanley had carefully chosen a dress for Tia. Although it was nothing expensive, it suited Tia very well. Moreover, with Tia''s air of purity and innocence, she looked quitedylike in the garb. "How gorgeous.¡± Gloria praised as she beamed. "Tia, you sure are pretty. You look absolutely gorgeous after having put your make-up on." Nicole looked at Tia in surprise as well. "You should doll up like this more often." Tia was blushing under the gaze of Nicole and the men of the Riddle Family. "Don''t tease me like that, Miss Nicole.¡± She was just an orphan whom Nicole had hired to take care of Mrs. Wace Sr., and she felt honored enough for that. She had never expected that she would be given an opportunity to wear such dresses and be thepanion of a young scion in an important banquet. ¡°I''m not teasing you. You look really gorgeous." Nicole smiled warmly. It was only then that Tia felt that the praise was genuine as she shed them a bashful smile. ¡°Thank you, Miss Nicole, and also to Mr. Stanley for preparing this dress for me..." Chapter 1625 Chapter 1625 If it were not for Stanley, she really would not have been given the opportunity to wear such a dress. "You''re too kind. Being mypanion is a far harder ask, in my opinion." Stanley smiled and thanked her gently. Seeing that Stanley''spanion was already present, Samuel pouted. He only felt a tad bit better when he noticed that Sean and Steve''spanions were yet to be here. "If all of you are ready, let''s go.¡± Daniel looked at his watch and slowly got up. ¡°Alright.¡± Gloria nodded as she walked forward while holding Daniel with their arms linked. Sean and Steve led the way in making way for their parents, with Nicole, Stanley, Samuel, and Spencer following along with Tia in tow. N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. When Mrs. Wace Sr. saw the family leaving in such a grand disy of regality, she could not help but feel very happy for them. The night lights shone bright. At the ground level of the Riddle Corporation building, luxury cars were driving in one after another, with all of them stopping to drop their passengers before leaving. Although this was just an annual meeting, many individuals from respected families, regardless of whether they had cooperative ties with the Riddle Family or not, attended in hopes of getting an opportunity to forge partnerships with the Riddle Corporation due to the current status of the Riddles. As soon as the cars ferrying the Riddle Family stopped, many in the crowd eximed in hushed voices. ¡°Look! That''s the car of the daughter of the Riddle Family, Nicole!" Everyone looked over, only to see a Lincoln limousine halting. The first to step out were Sean and Steve, and when the two handsome young men had gotten out of the car, manydies eximed, "Wow, how fetchingly handsome...¡± "I heard that they are Nicole''s brothers, and she has five of them. All of her brothers are outstanding individuals..." As the crowd gossiped among themselves, Daniel and Gloria got out with the help of Sean and Steve. The moment the crowd saw the middle-aged yet dashing Daniel, and Gloria, who had an air of elegance about her, everyone was taken aback.¡± So, that''s why the sons are so handsome. The parents are equally as good looking...¡± As they said that, Samuel and Spencer got out of the car one after another. They were as suave as their elder brothers and their appearance immediately drew quite a lot of screams from the crowd. "My goodness! The Riddle brothers are all absolute babes!" "They are so handsome!¡± "I Know right?¡± This was the first time Samuel and Spencer had attended this asion, and when they heard the comments, they felt pumped up. ¡®Thank goodness we''re handsome and haven''t done anything particrly disgraceful. Not bad. Not bad at all!" After that, Nicole began to step out of the car. Her beautiful visage, even with just minute amounts of make-up applied, was enough to stun everyone present. At that instant, the men were not the only ones gawking at her, for even thedies began to join in as well. "That''s Nicole Riddle? She''s too pretty...!" "Yeah, she''s so gorgeous!" Unfortunately, when Nicole got out of the car, she identally lost her bnce. When Spencer and Samuel saw that, they immediately propped her up with their hands on both sides while Stanley spun around and gave her a look of concern. Even Sean and Steve took a step back to help her out. "You alright?" With all of her brother''s eyes on her, Nicole was a little flustered "Can I not be?¡± However, it was then that all of the women around them began to jeer and scream out of envy at once. ¡°Woah... being doted on by so many handsome men? I''m so jealous!¡± "Yeah, I want to have many handsome brothers too!¡± Chapter 1626 Chapter 1626 These voices streamed in one after another, and everyone began to feel jealous of Nicole. Nicole ignored the voices, looked at her brothers, and shook her head. ¡®I''m fine. I''m just not used to wearing high heels." It was only then that her brothers heaved a sigh of relief. Samuel then smiled. ¡®Hold onto me then." As expected, that smile from him brought forth another wave of shrill squeals from the women around him. "So handsome..." "What a bright smile.¡± Seeing that, Samuel could only feel proud of himself. Nicole instantly knew what he was thinking and rolled her eyes. ¡°There''s no need forthat. Tia can help me." At that moment, Tia got out of the car, and when she heard what Nicole had said, she immediately rushed over. "Yes, Miss Nicole can hold onto me, Mr. Samuel." "Oh...¡¯ Samuel said, suddenly looking a little dejected. It would be really cool if he could go in together with Nicole. Spencer rolled his eyes at Samuel at that instant. "You can keep dreaming on about going in with Nicole." Right after that, he grabbed Samuel and the twins left the ce together. When Nicole saw the two acting the way they were, she could hardly withhold her snigger. Soon after, the Riddle Family stepped into the banquet hall together, under the gaze of everyone present. Although it was an annual meeting, the Riddle Corporation had anticipated arge number of attendees, so the preparations were exceedinglyvish and decadent. The venue in question was even much grander than the banquet at the Riddle''s residence, with all kinds of ssmps, fresh flowers, desserts and the likes. Within the banquet, many individuals from the various great families, as well as elites from the major businesses were already gathered there. It would not be frowned upon for them to discuss business in the banquet, as everyone came here with benefits in mind. Because of this, everyone was dressed to the nines, for fear of losing out to others. Both Damien and Dillon''s family, after such a long period of underestimating Daniel''s family, and fearing that they would lose out whenpared to thetter, were dressed even more decadently. Damien, in particr, did so as if he wanted to unt his status, to tell everyone that he was the interim chairman of the corporation. Yet, just as he was chatting up to the VVIPs in the room, a suddenmotion erupted at the entrance. As soon as that urred, the person he was talking to said. ¡°Excuse me, Mr. Damien. I''ll head over there for a bit." Damien instinctively turned around to look over, and that was when he saw Daniel appearing at the entrance with his family. At that point, his calm eyes could no longer hide the jealousy within him as a storm of envy and anger brewed. Miley quipped. "Look at Daniel''s family. Before this, they did not even have the right to attend events like these, and now he brings his entire family! This is a tant provocation!" This time, however, Damien did not admonish Miley. And the VVIP who had just ignored him so abruptly earlier had gone off to shake hands with Daniel and Sean. His fists were clenched tight at the sight of that. Noticing his father''s furious look, Everett came up to his side and whispered. "Dad, don''t get agitated. Grandpa still needs you to mingle around with the folks near him." It was only then that Damien regained some degree of rity, and when he saw a crowd around Mr. Riddle Sr., he left that WIP behind, rposed himself, and apanied the old man. Even if no one recognized him now, the old man was here, and as the person in charge of the company, Damien could not afford to lose the trust of the old man at this juncture. Over on the other side, Dillon and his wife too were being ignored. When they saw Nicole and her family members being surrounded by the socialites and business elites, they were pissed off. Karen, in particr, spat angrily, "Do you see how gleeful Gloria is? If you don''t think of a way, you''ll really be nothing in thispany!"N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. Chapter 1627 Chapter 1627 In response, Dillon growled. "You think I don¡¯t want to? It was a shame that you couldn''t give birth to more. All of their sons are talented people. You think we can challenge them with our two girls? Preston isn''t even in the same boat as us! Karen was at a loss for words in the face of Dillon''s tirade, and at that exact moment, she saw, from her periphery, that Preston had walked over to greet Nicole. ¡®That brat! Does he even consider us family? It¡¯s as if Nicole is his own sister!¡¯ ¡®Argh, that really pisses me off!¡¯ Snow and Raine were even more livid. They could only see that Nicole''s brothers were doting on her, and that Preston had decided to join in as well. At that point, they could not help but wonder if Preston was their own brother. Preston brought a beautiful woman up to Nicole as he deliberately teased, ¡°Nicole, don''t you have a partner tonight?¡± In response, she smiled back. "Of course I do, he''s just not here yet.¡± With Preston''s reminder, Samuel and Spencer immediately turned to Nicole. "Nicole, what about our companions?" Nicole let out a yful smirk before turning her head to face Lulu and June''s general direction. The two were pushing each other shyly, wanting the other to go over first. So, when she saw Nicole looking over, Lulu could only bite the bullet and bring June over. The moment Spencer and Samuel saw June and Lulu, the two boys were stunned. Thest time they met was when they had lunch together at the mall, and they had never thought that the two girls would be so beautiful after a round of dolling up, and they were no lesser than the otherdies present. ¡®Nicole''s taste sure is exquisite!¡¯ Seeing that Lulu and June were standing before her, not knowing what to say, Nicole smiled. ¡°June, I''ll leave Samuel in your care today, and Lulu, I''ll leave Spencer to you." The way she spoke was as if she was their wing-woman. June immediately bloomed within as she could not help but think, ¡®Atta girl, Nicole!¡¯ The second Lulu saw Spencer, she became a little nervous and looked down shyly. ¡°Got it. I''ll be in your care today.¡± Spencer was very gentlemanly. ¡°I''ll be in your care today too. Samuel then happily said to June, "Come, let''s go get something to eat.¡± He did not want to just stand here awkwardly, so he decided that it would be better if they found something to do. "Ah... okay...¡± June immediately followed after him, after which the pair ambled off to get some desserts together. Noticing that the duo had walked off to get something to eat, Spencer could not help but tease, "Weirdly enough, the both of them do look like a couple. You sure have good taste, Nicole." Nicole smiled yfully. "I sure do. You and Lulu are a fitting pair too.¡± Once those words were uttered, Lulu became so embarrassed that her face turned purple. "Nicole, don¡¯t make fun of me..." Spencer too was a little bashful. He then coughed and said," Let''s go then. I''ll get a drink for you." "Oh, okay,¡± Lulu replied, after which she gave Nicole an awkward look before leaving with Spencer. When Preston saw Nicole''s arrangement, he shed her a knowing smile. "Woo, these two girls are interested in Samuel and Spencer? You aren''t thinking of..." Nicole turned around and red at Preston, saying, "A wise man sees through things but speaks none of it.¡± Preston immediately understood what she meant and shut his mouth. In the meantime, Sean, Steve and Stanley were surrounded by thepany''s clients, and their parents too were busy entertaining the guests. Nicole had initially wanted to find a ce to catch a breather, but her keen ears soon registered another smallmotion at the entrance. N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. Instinctively, she turned around, and sure enough, it was Jared. Chapter 1628 Chapter 1628 It was really not a good idea for a man to be too handsome, as he would attract the attention of many women wherever he was, every single time. And as always, he would saunter toward her under the gaze of everyone present, dialing the jealousy and hostility those women had toward her to eleven. As expected, Jared came up to her a few secondster, whereupon he took her hand and kissed it. "Sorry I''mte, honey." Thest word that came out of his mouth sent shivers down Nicole''s spine. ¡®This b*stard! It has been either wifey or honey ofte! This is so embarrassing!¡¯ "You''re not allowed to call me that,¡± she said. "Got it, wifey." Jared relented as he lowered his voice. Nicole rolled her eyes at once. "Forget it. Go with the first one then." ¡®At least it''s better than being called wifey,'' she thought. With that said, Jared grabbed Nicole by the waist as he nodded at Daniel, Sean and the others. ¡°I''m sorry, Mr. Daniel, for beingte.¡± "It''s alright." Daniel smiled without a hint of dissatisfaction toward Jared. Concurrently, Mr. Johnston Sr. too came in from the entrance and made a beeline for Mr. Riddle Sr. Mr. Riddle Sr. immediately greeted him. "Oh my, this is just our annual meeting. You don''t have to attend this." Although everyone here was a VIP, it was still, after all, the Riddle Corporation''s annual meeting, so most of those who had attended were from the younger generation. No one had expected Mr. Johnston Sr. to honor the hosts like that. "This is just basic courtesy. I too miss seeing my inws." Mr. Johnston Sr. smiled at Mr. Riddle Sr. as he brought thetter to one of the seats. When he saw Damien standing by Mr. Riddle Sr.''s side, Mr. Johnston Sr. was quite surprised. "That granddaughter of yours, Nicole, is currently a rising star. Why don''t you keep her by your side?" Damien''s pride took another beating upon hearing Mr. Johnston Sr.''s words, but he could not afford to show his dismay, so he gave them an awkward smile. "Nicole and Mr. Jared are always together, so I''m handing things over here." Seeing that Damien knew his ce, Mr. Johnston Sr. remained silent, knowing that what Damien said made sense as well. At that instant, Nicole and Jared were surrounded by many who wanted to form coborations with them. As one was the head of the Johnston Group, and the other was the daughter of the Riddle Family and bearer of the Fire Crest, they became the object of everyone''s pursuit. Nicole had never dealt with so many people before, and because of that, she became a little anxious. Seeing that, Sean and Daniel came over to help her out. Nicole then told Jared. "Go deal with them." After she had said that, she snuck off to the side to grab herself a few bites of food. At the same time, Tia was having a meal with Stanley. Nicole approached her as Stanley was handing thetter a champagne. "Give it a taste." "Okay." Tia uttered, ttered by the gesture. Seeing Stanley being so considerate, Nicole could not resist raising an eyebrow. "Stanley is rarely so gentle with people." Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. This embarrassed Stanley, who said, ¡°Nothing like that. This is the first time Tia is attending such an event and she''s just too nervous. Some alcohol will calm her nerves." Nicole simply just smiled, and that was when she saw Martin walking in together with Kelly. She had forgotten that Martin and Kelly would definitely attend such business- rted banquets. Martin walked over and was stunned the moment he saw Nicole. However, Kelly was even quicker to react. "My goodness, Nicole! You''re looking way too gorgeous. You look so good in every style. How do you do that? I''m so jealous." Nicole took the praise as she looked at Kelly''s elegant ck dress and said. "You look really good too. Matches Martin pretty well." When Tia heard that, her expression became a little sour as she subconsciously nced at Martin again. Chapter 1629 Chapter 1629 "Mr. Wyance, it has been a while.¡± Stanley walked up to Martin and greeted him. Martin nodded. "Yeah, it has indeed been some time." After shaking hands with Stanley, Martin saw Tia standing next to him and could not help but be taken aback. Martin had only met Tia a few times, but this time, she had be Stanley''spanion, and was so elegantly dressed that the sight had managed to even stun him. When Kelly noticed that, she elbowed him. "What are you doing, staring at another man''spanion like that?" It was only then that Martin snapped back to reality as he quickly said, "It''s nothing. I just feel that Tia looks really beautiful today." Tia immediately blushed a little when she heard that." Thank... thank you...¡± Nicole looked at Martin and swirled her wine ss. ¡°What''s with the smooth talk today?" In the past, Martin would never have said such things to women. So, Nicole could not help herself from giving the two a strange nce. Finding himself in an awkward position, Martin said, "No such thing. I always have been a smooth operator.¡± The few were chatting when they saw Harvey walking in from the entrance. After all, Harvey had business with the Riddle Corporation, so it made sense that he would definitely attend the annual meeting of the Riddle Corporation. However, he did not even look at Nicole as he went straight to Sean after stepping into the venue. When Nicole noticed that, she breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed that he had finally gotten her words into his head. Yet, for all she knew, the moment she turned around to take a seat, Harvey immediately cast his gaze over to her. He had only known how he had been in the past few days. He had been absent since the start of the semester and thought that Nicole would be somewhat concerned about him. Yet, she had not even given him a call. When he finally realized that he had no ce in a certain someone''s heart, that feeling drove him crazy. Sean felt uneasy looking at his gaze. "Mr. Ellison, what are you looking at?¡± Harvey shifted his gaze as he smiled self-deprecatingly. ¡ã Nothing.¡± His smile was still warm and courteous, but Sean could register a certain darkness in Harvey''s eyes. For a long time, he had felt that Harvey was not as simple as he turned out to be, and he had always felt that there was a storm brewing under his humble and polite facade. It was only because he was often with Nicole that this inexplicable darkness could not be felt. But in that instant, he could see a beast in Harvey''s eyes, rearing to break out of its cage. That feeling made Sean perturbed.All content is ? N0velDrama.Org. ¡°Now that the Riddle Corporation is hot and blooming, I suppose you can look forward to a promotion soon, Mr. Sean,¡± Harveymented Harvey had already gotten wind of how prominent Daniel and Sean had been in the Riddle Corporation ofte, and he felt that this year''s annual meeting would not be that simple. Sean shed him a light smirk before he politely replied," That''s up to Grandpa. I just make sure that I do a good job." He was no Harvey Ellison but he had heard, by chance, that Harvey had done many things behind Mr. Ellison''s back... Harvey let out a coy smile. ¡°I''m impressed by your levelheadedness, Mr. Sean. Please remember to buy me a drink when you''ve snagged that promotion.¡± "Sure." Sean nodded. Harvey could see Sean''s subtle dismissal of him, so he turned to look elsewhere. "Excuse me then." After that, Harvey walked off to greet Mr. Riddle Sr. Sean could not help but to nce at Harvey a few more times. He felt that Harvey had returned to his previous state of inscrutability, and that the darkness he had always carried was even more pronounced than before. Chapter 1630 Chapter 1630 The annual meeting''s banquet hade to its climax as Jared coolly stood by Nicole''s side the entire time. All eyes were on them. Meanwhile, Daniel''s family was busy focusing on the banquet''s attendees, with countless of people swarming them. The annual meeting was almosting to an end, and Mr. Riddle Sr. was due to give his concluding speech. All eyes were on Mr. Riddle Sr. as he walked up the stage. It was everyone''s assumption that this year¡¯s annual meeting was no different from the previous years. Mr. Riddle Sr. paused for a moment before he said, ¡°At the end of tonight''s annual meeting, I would like to make an important announcement to everyone." His steady tone of voice attracted everyone''s attention at once. Damien''s heart skipped a beat as Miley hurriedly asked,¡± What''s going on? What is he going to announce? Did he tell you anything in advance?" "No..." Damien said as his face brimmed with bitterness. Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. Miley became unsettled, as an inexplicable feeling of dread began to flood her heart. At this time, Dillon went up to them, and in a tone of urgency, he asked, "Damien, what''s he going to announce? Do you know? Why haven''t I heard anything about it?¡± Damien was immediately annoyed. ¡°How am I supposed to know?!¡± Taken aback by the sudden outburst, Dillon fell silent, with Karen not daring to utter a word even if she wanted to. Then, Mr. Riddle Sr. took a nce at the four of his sons, whereupon his eyes fell on Daniel. "Daniel,e up here,¡± he said. Daniel was stunned for a moment, and quickly, he scrambled up onto the stage, prompting everyone to turn their attention to him. Gloria and her sons sensed that something was going to happen, as they looked at Daniel with eyes full of hope. Nicole was also a little surprised too, but due to the fact that she had guessed Mr. Riddle Sr.''s intention, a smile broke out on the corner of her lips. "I¡¯ve never thought that he would prepare such a grand surprise,¡± shemented. Jared raised his eyebrows, "It seems that it''s going to be a very big one.¡± And sure enough, after Mr. Riddle Sr. had patted Daniel on his shoulder, he said, "I''m announcing to you that, starting from today, my fourth son, Daniel Riddle, will be the new chairman of the company!¡± As soon as these words came out, the audience was taken aback, and not long after, a thunderous round of apuse erupted. Everyone at the event knew that the fourth son of the Riddle Family had gotten lucky due the help from their daughter. When Daniel assumed the position of chairman, the potential of attracting more bigpanies would berger. The apuse was deafening, and the expression on the faces of Damien and Miley were as cold as their hearts. Their eyes were bulging like a deer caught in headlights. "What did he mean by that? Is he going to dismiss you?" Miley asked. ¡®I haven''t stepped down as chairman, and now there''s a new one?! What the hell is this supposed to mean?¡¯ Damien fumed. Dillon did not see thising either: the annual meeting turning into Daniel''s inauguration ceremony. I''ve been in thepany for so long and I''m just a general manager on the same level as Sean! How did he, who yed nothing but a minor role in thepany, get to be the chairman overnight? What''s the difference between the making him chairman and announcing that he will be the sessor of the Riddle Corporation in the future!?¡¯ Dillon seethed. It was the most depressing piece of news for both Damien and Dillon, but it did not take Mr. Riddle Sr. long to ask everyone to stop apuding. ¡°In addition, I would also like to announce that my grandson, Sean, will also be promoted from general manager to thepany''s president!" Chapter 1631 Chapter 1631 The audience were appalled by the second announcement that Mr. Riddle Sr. had made. ¡®The fourth son to Mr. Riddle Sr. has been promoted to chairman, and now, his grandson has been promoted to president!?¡¯ The chairman position had been vacant for all long while now, and Damien, who was the interim chairman, had not even gotten to achieve this position, which would grant him more power. Nevertheless, Mr. Riddle Sr. had given Daniel the position just like that, which showed how much he valued his fourth son. "Sean! Congrattions!" Spencer and Samuel were the first to react by congratting Sean. "Congrats Sean!" Sean was still surprised, as he did not expect that he would be promoted alongside his father. "This is great, Sean!" Stanley yelled in excitement. However, before he could say another word, Mr. Riddle Sr. spoke again. "Although Stanley has only been with us for a short time, his capabilities are obvious to all of us. Both he and Sean have cooperated in excellent fashion to manage the recent projects, so Stanley too will be promoted to the position of general manager." Gloria was so excited that she almost cried. ¡®After so many years of hardship, my husband finally has gotten a position in thepany! Our sons too have be crucial figures in thepany! We won''t have to be afraid anymore, not even of Damien.¡¯ One after another, all the attendees present at the event were stunned by the announcements made. Nicole could not foresee that her grandfather would promote her father and brothers all at once. Instinctively, she darted a nce at Damien and Dillon, and that was when she noticed that their faces had turned extremely pale. All the promotions made were basically done to rece their positions in thepany. ¡®It seems to me that all the announcements made have just made things clear. We, Damien and Dillon, are nothing more than acting directors and general managers in thepany! ¡®they seethed. As the apuse was about to heighten once more, Mr. Riddle Sr. raised his hand up, signaling everyone to wait; it seemed that there was still more toe. "It seems to me that he is going all out tonight, and there''s a blockbuster waiting to unravel.¡± Jared took a look at Nicole and sighed. Nicole raised her eyebrows as she looked at Jared. She felt that Jared had probably gotten a hint of something. Then, she looked up at Mr. Riddle Sr. again and that was when he noticed that he was looking right at her. "I announce that from today onwards, 26% of the shares under my name will be transferred to my granddaughter, Nicole!¡± Mr. Riddle Sr.''s sonorous and forceful voice echoed throughout the room. This time, it was not the sound of apuses that filled the room, but the sound of gasps from everyone present in the banquet. "My goodness...26% of the shares..." "Such a young woman gets to own that many shares in thepany...¡± "As expected of the bearer of the Fire Crest. She now owns the most shares in thepany!" "Yeah! Mr. Riddle Sr.''s total share is 51% in total? Thebinations of the other four sons are only 36%...¡± "Doesn''t that make her the biggest director in thepany?" Following the discussion among the crowd, everyone came to a conclusion and looked at Nicole with a mixture of both surprise and astonishment. On the other hand, Nicole had never been stared at by so many people in her life. ¡®It''s so ufortable.¡¯ In the past, Nicole had always preferred to be as discreet as possible. In order to elude any problems that she feared she would attract, she would rather be recognized as a country bumpkin. However, now that Mr. Riddle Sr. had given her the most shares, making the most important director in thepany at just 18 years of age, it had be a massive joke that not everyone could pull. N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. Once Nicole''s brothers had returned to their senses, they were left in a state of disbelief. "Nicole... you have be thergest shareholder of ourpany..." Chapter 1632 Chapter 1632 "You have been given more shares than our father..." Spencer and Samuel were so surprised that they started to tell Nicole things she was not aware of. Hearing that, a headache began to set in for Nicole. ¡®Why did you give me so many unwarranted shares? I''m not short on cash. This is drawing so much unwanted attention to myself! I Deep down, she wanted to reach out by signaling to Mr. Riddle Sr. that she had something to say to him, but unfortunately for her, he seemed to have known her thoughts, and so, he added, "However, since she''s still in school, so she will not be participating in thepany affairs for the time being. As for now, allpany affairs will be managed by Daniel and Sean. She''ll join us once she reaches 20 years of age." Nicole could not even muster up a single word to voice her refusal. Mr. Riddle Sr. understood very well that he had not given Nicole any chance to decline, and once again, the crowd erupted into thunderous apuse. As for Daniel, he had never experienced such a moment before. It was the truly peak of his entire career. Daniel helped Mr. Riddle Sr. down the stage, his face beaming with uncontroble joy as he felt a little dizzy. After the announcement, the energy that was supposed to die down was ignited once more. Both Sean and Stanley were surrounded by guests handing their business cards to them. Meanwhile, Daniel was helping Mr. Riddle Sr. over to Nicole. Nicole looked at him and said in a low voice, "Grandpa, why didn''t you discuss it with me beforehand? Why did you announce that you would give me the shares?¡± Indeed, Nicole had too many things on her te, and would have no time to deal withpany affairs. In response, Mr. Riddle Sr. smiled. ¡°If I had told you in advance, would you have epted it?¡± Nicole was rendered speechless upon hearing this. Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. "Right, so I could only resort to doing this. I''m getting old and these shares, sooner orter will be split between all of you guys," he said. Nicole then took a deep breath. "But because you''ve given me so many shares, others may have other ideas." Knowing who Nicole was talking about at an instant, the old man''s face darkened and he deliberately raised his voice as he said, ¡°Compare the state of thepany in the past ten years and the state of it now. Anyone could tell who is more suited to manage thepany. This matter cannot be discussed by others as I have already decided!" Damien and Dillon, who were not far away, overheard this, and as soon as they did, they quickly lost the courage to ask why. It was because of their management of thepany over the past ten years that the Riddle Family continued to decline in power and reputation. As such, they could only me themselves and their ipetence. Unable to take it anymore, Damien shouted, "Let''s go!¡± Naturally, Miley trailed behind him and left. Dillon was also livid, but he did not have the nerve to leave. On the other hand, Karen was unable to deal with the humiliation anymore, and proceeded to pull Dillon along with her, saying, "Damien had already left. What are you still doing, standing here? Do you want to continue to embarrass yourself?¡± Without waiting for Dillon to respond, she immediately dragged him away. Mr. Riddle Sr. shook his head as he watched the two families¡¯ departure. Tve given the both of them ten years¡¯ worth of opportunities and none of them had taken it. Now, the only person I could trust is Daniel,¡¯ he thought. "I''m tired. I''ll leave the banquet in your hands now. I''ll be going back to the Riddle residence.¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. shot Daniel a nce. "Got it." Daniel hurriedly nodded, after which he sent Mr. Riddle Sr. off. "I''m tired too, let''s leave together.¡± Mr. Johnston Sr. suddenly appeared, wanting to leave the banquet together with Mr. Riddle Sr. Nicole looked at Jared. "Go send your grandpa off." "Okay." Jared nodded, whereupon he helped his grandfather and Mr. Riddle Sr. out the venue. Though the two of them had left, people spared no time to seize every drop of alcohol. Nicole, who was also a little tired, decided to go to the bathroom before leaving. However, she did not notice that someone was following her as she was on her way out. Chapter 1633 Chapter 1633 Nicole had just exited the bathroom when she felt that someone was approaching her from behind. Instinctively, she timed her punch in an attempt to strike him in his face, but he seemed to be well prepared. He grabbed Nicole''s arm at once, matching her strength, and twisted them behind her back before turning around like a tease, pushing Nicole up against the wall. ''l can''t move with my hands behind me!¡¯ Nicole subconsciously raised her leg to knee him in the groin, but he was far too quick, as he grabbed her leg just in time. The posture they were in was obscene and this immediately caused her to raise her head in anger, ¡®Who is this guy! How shameless can he be?! Unexpectedly, the person turned out to be Harvey. It was at this moment that Nicole noticed his entire body reeked of alcohol. It was obvious that he had had too much to drink. "Harvey? What are you going to do? Let me go right now, or I''ll beat the hell out of you," she said, her face stern and impatient. In response, Harvey gave her a creepy smile, "If I don''t let you go, what will you do with me?¡± Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. Before Nicole could react, he sloppily kissed her on the lips. With her eyes widened, she instinctively turned her head to avoid him. Then, Harvey stretched his hands out, grabbed her chin with one, and prepared to kiss her. At that moment, she lost all of her patience. Disregarding the history between them, she used all of the strength she could muster and punched him hard on his chin. Harvey''s world went ck for a moment before he tumbled onto the ground with a loud thud, hitting his head in the process. He let out a hiss, and though he had not shown it before, thest thing he had expected was to be knocked down by Nicole with such ease. The excruciating pain he felt began to sober him up, during which he tried tough the incident off. Nicole frowned. ''He must''ve nuts, or perhaps this is who he really is under that mask...¡¯ Harvey''s deliriousughter drew the attention of everyone around him. At the same time, Jared was looking around for Nicole, and when he heard Harvey''sughter, he rushed over. That was when he saw Nicole standing by the wall, rubbing her wrist as Harveyid on the floor. He instantly knew that Harvey had tried something on her. Otherwise, she would not have attacked him. "What did he do?" Jared asked, sprinting up to Nicole. ¡®If this b*stard had done anything to Nicole, I will not spare him!'' he thought. Nicole shook her head and lowered her wrist, "It''s okay. Just him alone. He''s not capable of doing anything to me.¡± Her statement alone had made Jared feel more at ease. Without having to bother with talking to Harvey, he grabbed Nicole and said, "Let''s get you out of here." Nicole nodded her head, not wanting to pay any attention to Harvey anymore. However, it was also then that Harvey slowly propped himself up and roared, ¡°Jared Johnston!" Jared stopped in his tracks when he heard his name being called. He looked at Harvey from the side, his eyes frosty and stern. Harvey had a glint of eye in his eyes too, an expression that separated him from his usual self. Unfazed by that, Jared snorted and mocked, "What? Have you not exposed your true colors for the world to see, Mr. Ellison?" Chapter 1634 Chapter 1634 Harvey''s eyes flickered with an evil smile on the corner of his mouth. Then, he reached out and wiped the blood away from his mouth. "It seems that Mr. Johnston knows me well,¡± he said. The social circle in San Joto was very small, and Harvey had avoided him as he knew that Jared could see right through him. With that out of the way, Harvey did not even bother to fake it anymore. "Or should I say that we''re of the same breed?" His smile was sinister and smug, making Nicole fidget in a state of difort. She had a hunch before that Harvey had only helped her to make her forget that he had such a side to him. "Ignore him, let''s go." Jared said, not wanting to waste his time on him. Simrly, Nicole frowned and was prepared to leave when Harvey stopped her. Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. "Nicole, what do you even like about him?¡± Harvey asked. Nicole paused, it was only then she understood the reason for Harvey''s current breakdown and his state of madness.¡¯ Turns out that he hasn''t figured it out yet. Nicole took a deep breath and turned around. "I like everything about him, and at the very least, he doesn''t have two personalities.¡± At that instant, Harvey began to feel conflicted. ¡®Nicole has long found out about my dual personalities. It''s been a while since this violent side has emerged.¡¯ Harvey looked at Nicole and Jared standing side by side, and was on the verge of losing his mind. Staring at Nicole, he burst into a fit of hystericalughter." Really? But the more you hate me, the more I like you. What should I do?" Nicole began to cringe, as this side of Harvey disgusted her. "That''s your business. It has nothing to do with me." Harvey might be a hopeless state of affairs, but Nicole wanted nothing more than to get out of there quickly. Then, Harvey staggered as he got up on his feet. "It seems to have to do a lot with you! From today onwards, I will prove to you that I am so much better than Jared...and I will definitely snatch you back from him!" ¡®No matter who she loves, I know that I can¡¯t live without her! If she can''t fall in love with me, and if she insists on staying with him, then I will do everything it takes to ruin him. Only I can have her! If she tries to run, I will imprison her! I must have her for myself!¡¯ he thought. "Nicole! You''re destined to be mine!" Harvey roared violently with his eyes bloodshot. Unable to stand around and watch anymore, Jared stepped in front of Nicole. "Harvey, I have received your deration of war. I have to remind you that Nicole is my fiancee and my future wife." After he finished speaking, he pulled Nicole into his arms and asserted his dominance over Harvey. Harvey was fuming mad as he rushed toward Nicole, "Let her go! She''s mine!" Jared raised his foot as Harvey approached, kicking him right in the gut. Harvey took a step back and fell onto the floor. This scene unfolding had garnered the attention of the people from afar. Harvey clutched his stomach and knelt on the ground with one knee, holding on to prevent himself from falling over. Jared stood upright, staring down at Harvey scornfully. " You? You''re not worthy enough." ¡®Nicole won''t be his today, tomorrow, or ever!¡¯ Chapter 1635 Chapter 1635 As soon as the words had left his mouth, Jared quickly wrapped his arms around Nicole and left the banquet proudly and gracefully. Harvey then attempted to get up but was sent back squatting in pain. ¡®Damn him and his kick. I might have broken a few ribs!" "Jared Johnston! You just wait!" he roared. ''This one kick, I will return it tenfold and more!¡¯ After exiting the hall of the banquet, Nicole began to feel a gust of cold wind. Naturally, Jared took his coat and draped it over her shoulders, and that sudden surge of warmth made Nicole feel much better. After that, she looked up at Jared¡¯s stern face and said, ¡°I''m sorry about earlier.¡± Tve caused Jared to openly attack Harvey. They mighte head-to-head in the future,¡¯ she thought. "Don''t be sorry. Even without you in the picture, he and I would still be enemies. It''s just the matter of time," Jared replied, as he had foreseen this. Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. ¡°Huh? Why?" Nicole narrowed her eyes. ¡°Aren''t you still working with Mr. Ellison?¡± Jared raised his eyebrows. "Yes, I have worked with Mr. Ellison but not Harvey. Ever since Mr. Ellison had handed things over to Harvey, everything has been brought to a halt.¡± Seeing that Jared hade prepared, her eyes darkened a little. "What did he ever do to cross you?" ¡®He must''ve done something. Otherwise, Jared would not have been so triggered about him.¡¯ Jared shed her a sheepish smile. ¡°He has always been the sort of person who is too dangerous to be around. He kept himself restrained a little while ago whenever he is around you and now, I''m afraid that it has backfired.¡± Jared was well aware of Harvey''s acts of kindness, and though thetter had done much to contribute to Nicole''s well-being, his actions were nothing but a facade created to mask his true self. "He''s a predatory person, but for you, he had to change who he was for a while. Still, he couldn''t change the nature of who he is," Jared added. The affairs of the Ellison family were tooplicated for him to discuss in a meaningful way. However, Nicole knew that Jared did not say much because he did not want her to worry about it anymore. Thus, she did not press on with more questions. Instead, she decided that she would obtain more information through her connections. Max soon drove Jared''s car over, after which Jared opened the door for Nicole to enter. She then removed Jared''s coat and gave it to him upon entering the car that was noticeably warmer. "By the way, I wanted to ask you at the banquet earlier. Why the change of dress style?¡± Jared asked. Nicole paused, and with her forehead creased, she replied,¡± Weren''t you the one who hated it when I wear revealing dresses?¡± Sensing that something was wrong, Jared frowned. He nced over at her shoulder and, and that was when he noticed a small bruise. Before Nicole could react, he immediately reached over. Nicole dodged his hands as soon as she felt him approaching, but unfortunately, there was nowhere for her to go with the car door beside her. And just like that, Jared had removed the cover from her shoulders before she could react. Upon unveiling her shoulders, Jared was appalled and his eyes turned frosty at an instant. "What happened here?¡± Max could not resist ncing at the rearview mirror, and what he saw shocked him; Nicole had a serious injury, and yet, she had not said a word about it throughout the duration of the entire banquet. ¡®Just how much can she endure?¡¯ In visible difort, Nicole pulled the sleeves back onto her shoulder, and in a strangely, "Don¡¯t make such a huge fuss about it. It''s just a minor scratch?" "Minor scratch?" Jaredughed, though he was livid. ¡°There is major swelling on the wound area, and you think it''s a minor scratch?¡¯ "Max, go to the hospital and call Martin,¡± Jared said while his eyes were downcast. "Yes, sir.¡± Max nodded. Nicole hurriedly stopped him ¡°I can take care of this myself. I don''t need any treatment from Martin!" Chapter 1636 Chapter 1636 "This idiot, Jared Johnston. It''s just a minor injury, and he had to call Martin. He''s really making a fuss out of nothing!¡¯ Nicole thought. "You are well versed in medicine, but have you taken care of the wound yourself? You just simply cleaned it and went to attend the banquet," Jared retorted. He had hugged Nicole several times that night, and during that few times, he felt that her body was stiff. Now that he thought about it, his touch must have caused her a lot of pain. "I cleaned it using the Beacon. The swelling will definitely subside tomorrow. There''s no need to go to the hospital. I''m exhausted now. If you really care about me, just send me home so that I can get some rest.¡± Nicole frowned and stared at Jared. Jared gazed into her eyes, but after being red at by Nicole for a few good seconds, Jared could not help but take a deep breath. "Send her home.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± Max nodded, after which he made a U-turn. Seeing that, Nicole heaved a sigh of relief. Jared felt that this issue was not as simple as described, prompting him to continue questioning her. "I can send you home, but you must tell me clearly how you got hurt. Can you do that?¡± Although Jared''s men were guarding Nicole in secret, they could not enter the schoolpound. After all, that was Mr. Ellison''s territory. Security was not an issue there. Jared initially thought it would be good enough if his men guarded the outside. Much to his chagrin, however, Nicole had been injured several times over the past few days. In reply to that, she briefly said, ¡°A flowerpot from one of the upper floors fell and almost struck Lulu. I identally injured myself while I was pushing Lulu away." "A flowerpot?¡± Jared frowned, "Royal Creek Institute would not simply ce their flowerpots in precarious positions like that." Jared had been to Royal Creek Institute before. Security and amenities were not an issue. There was near zero chance that a flowerpot was ced in a spot that would ce the students in danger. Nicole shot him a nce. ¡®This fe is smart. There''s nothing I can hide from him.¡¯ As such, she could only tell him the truth. "I guess it was done by someone on purpose. Once I hack into the school¡¯s CCTV tonight, I''ll be able to get to the bottom of this." Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. Jared''s gaze instantly darkened. ¡®This person must be a student, judging from how they are employing such childish and amateurish tricks.¡¯ "Have you offended anyone as of recent?" Jared looked at her, his gaze stern and intense. Nicole smiled. ¡°Just today itself, I''ve offended someone." Thinking about how Raine had beenughed at on the forum, Nicole did not even bother with the fact that she had pissed anyone off. "Don''t take it lightly. You''ve dodged a bullet this time. But what if you did not...and that person wants you dead?" Jared asked, his gaze frosty. Nicole could not help but raise her eyebrows. She had never thought about that. She felt that it was just a childish act and that she only had to check the cameras to find out what the truth was. Now that she thought about it, the perpetrator had made a move on Lulu without knowing what Nicole was capable of. They were obviously targeting Nicole. ¡®This person is really evil,¡¯ she thought. ''If it really was Raine, I''ll not let her off the hook easily.¡¯ "Should I take care of this?" Jared raised his eyebrows. He had a strong feeling that Nicole had a rough idea as to who the criminal was. As expected, Nicole shook her head. ¡°It''s fine. It''s best for you to not get involved with the affairs of the Riddle Family.¡± Jared immediately understood Nicole''s intention. "I can stay out of this, but I will never allow anyone to hurt my girl. You must make them pay for what they have done tenfold. Do you understand?¡± Jared asked, knowing that as long as Nicole wanted payback, she would have the ability to do so. "Don''t worry. This time around...I''ll make sure she gets kicked out of this school forever," Nicole replied. It was only then that Jared felt satisfied. Soon after, their ride arrived at the entrance of the Riddle Family manor. Nicole''s parents and elder brothers were not home yet, so Jared immediately stepped into Nicole''s house freely. Mrs. Wace Sr. was already sleeping at that hour. The only ones left in the living room were the butler and the servants. Once inside, Jared immediately ordered the butler to bring a first aid kit over. In response, Nicole frowned and looked at him. "What are you doing?" Chapter 1637 Chapter 1637 "I''d like to redress your wound." Jared looked at Nicole and said. ¡°I''m still worried about you." ¡®This woman is always looking out for others, but she would always put herselfst and not take anything about herself seriously. I don''t trust her at all," Jared thought. Nicole initially wanted to decline his help, but after noticing how serious he was, she could only listen to him. Deep down, she wanted to fly into a tirade at him, for he was like a mind reader. He even knew that Nicole had simply dressed her wound. After all, Nicole had suffered all types of injuries when she was on her ndestine missions. To her, this was just a minor injury, and with the Beacon at her disposal, an injury like that was not a cause for concern. Jared received the first aid kit. Then, he stretched his hands out and pulled down Nicole''s shirt off from her shoulders. As the act itself was a little sensual, her face flushed at once. The entire room became quiet. Under the light from themp and with a serious look on his face, Jared took a cotton swab and a medicinal concoction that promoted blood cirction. Then, he applied it on Nicole. After all, Nicole had suffered all types of injuries when she was on her ndestine missions. To her, this was just a minor injury, and with the Beacon at her disposal, an injury like that was not a cause for concern. Jared received the first aid kit. Then, he stretched his hands out and pulled down Nicole''s shirt off from her shoulders. As the act itself was a little sensual, her face flushed at once. The entire room became quiet. Under the light from themp and with a serious look on his face, Jared took a cotton swab and a medicinal concoction that promoted blood cirction. Then, he applied it on Nicole. As Nicole felt the gentle touch from the cotton swab which Jared was holding, she felt a surge of warmth in her heart. Although her elder brothers and parents did care her, she could never show them this side of her, even if she was hurt. However, Jared knew everything about her. Even though she was injured, she did not have to put on a tough facade whenever she was with him. Jared''s hands were extremely gentle. It was as if he was handling a precious piece of treasure as he was treating her wound, worrying that he would cause her more pain. At the sight of that, Nicole could not help but to assure him,¡± It''s fine. This is just a minor wound. I don''t feel pain.¡± Seeing how Nicole was taking her injury lightly again, Jared became annoyed. "I love everything about you, except for this." Nicole was stunned as soon as she heard that. "What do you hate me for?¡± Then, she stopped and pondered about what he hated about her. "I hate that you always put up a tough front, and how you don''t take any of your injuries seriously," Jared replied, his hoarse and husky voice carrying within it hints of sadness and understanding. Nicole''s heart skipped a beat. "When did I? I still take care of myself when I''m badly injured, you know?¡± Nicole''s words made Jared''s hand freeze. "From now on, I won''t let you suffer from such major injuries anymore,¡± Jared uttered, his voice domineering and assertive. Nicole sighed. ¡°But I have yet to retire.¡± "Then talk to Zane as soon as you can." Jared firmed his gaze. ¡°If you''re too afraid to tell him, I will do it for you.¡± Nicole''s expression became solemn at that instant. "The current situation is very difficult for Zane to manage, you know? And yet, you''re asking me to desert them? To leave Zane and the organization?" Jared''s gaze became solemn too. "That was not my intention. But other than that, what other ways do I have to keep you out of danger?¡± Hearing that, Nicole immediately fell silent. She knew that Jared was speaking the truth. As long as she was still a part of the organization, there was no way in which she could preclude herself from getting into harm''s way. But once Nicole thought about how Jared would risk his life to save her, even when he was not in the best of states, Nicole felt bad. Thest time the issue of her retirement was brought up, Nicole had been considering this option as well. Nicole took a deep breath and replied, "I promise you that once this matter has been settled, and once I''ve chop the assassin''s hands off, I''ll talk to Zane about retiring from the organization." Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. Jared noted the firm look in Nicole''s eyes, and that was when he knew that she would keep her promise. Nicole had only thought about it for a few days, and yet, she could arrive at a decision already. This made Jared really happy. Withdrawing his gaze, Jared continued to dress Nicole''s wound, and after he was done with it, he said, "Fine. I''ll help you out with this issue." After all, those people had injured Nicole not too long ago, and because of that, Jared would not let them get away with it that easily. Eventually, he would want to bring them out of their holes. Chapter 1638 Chapter 1638 Nicole nodded, as she felt touched. "Okay." With Jared by her side, she felt safe. After he had dressed her wound and bandaged it carefully, Jared nced at the time. Realizing that it was quitete already, he got up and said,¡± You should get some rest. I''ll go home now." Due to the fact that she was injured, Jared did not wish to keep her from getting the rest she needed. ¡°Alright, let me walk you out," she offered. In response, Jared teased, "It''s fine. If you really want to send me off, give me a kiss." Those flirtatious words immediately prompted the butler and the other servants to look away. Nicole rolled her eyes at him. "What a joke. Quick, go home! I don''t want to send you off anymore." Jared was teasing, but it was then that he threw himself forward, quickly stole a kiss from her lips, and moved away at once. Nicole''s face instantly became bright red, and she quickly shot the butler a nce. Luckily, they had turned away and were not looking at the couple. Seeing this, Nicole yfully punched Jared. "Drive safe." Jared smiled. "Don¡¯t miss me too much." Then, Jared left. As Nicole watched Jared leave, she felt the heat on her shoulders, and her heart began to register a sense of sadness and longing. That was the first time Nicole felt something like this. She could not understand why she had even began to feel sad about being separated from Jared. After taking a deep breath, she brushed those feelings off. Then, Nicole turned around and headed upstairs. After she had freshened up and put on a fresh set of clothes, Nicole took a seat in front of her computer, wanting to settle some school matters. However, the first thing that caught her eyes was the news about the Fisher family. There, it was confirmed that Fiore Fisher had suffered burns on seventy percent of her body. In other words, she would be permanently disfigured. Nicole forgot to ask Jared about the Fishers when he was still around here. Although she had a clear answer in her heart already, she still wanted a double confirmation. After all, Jared had really gotten into a huge conflict with the Fisher family because of her. Nicole then took a deep breath and closed the webpage, preparing to hack into the school¡¯s CCTV. At the Finley family¡¯s side of the city, Gary was helping Ryder with the managing of the system of the company''s partners. He wanted to use this as an opportunity to hone his skills in IT. However, at that moment, there was a warning of a breach in the school¡¯s server.All content is ? N0velDrama.Org. Gary''s eyes began to narrow. The Finley family''s security system was the best in San Joto. That was why all of the localpanies were willing to work with them. Although it was just the school¡¯s security system, it was a product of the Ellison Group. Their security was also considered to be among the best, but during thest time, someone had sessfully hacked into the school''s system. Furthermore, it was the top hacker, Lucifer, who had done it. He knew that Lucifer was a member of the school, but he had yet to find out who that person was. And just like that, someone was trying to hack into the school system again. "I''ve long waited for your arrival!" Gary did not manage to catch that person thest time. This time around, he was determined to do so. "Who knows? It might be Lucifer again!¡¯ he thought. On Nicole''s side, she was browsing through the school''s system when she quickly found the camera recording which she had been looking for. At that moment, she felt that someone had noticed her hacking. She pursed her lips in a yful manner. ''l never knew that San Joto has a person talented enough to notice my hacking.¡¯ However, Nicole was not bothered by that. She simply typed a few lines of code and created a countermeasure at an instant. Then, she continued checking the CCTV footage. Gary, on the other hand, immediately began to feel the pressure mounting on him because of the few lines of code which Nicole had typed. Chapter 1639 Chapter 1639 Surely enough, it was Lucifer who had executed such a bold move. It was one thing for her to sign off with her name. This time around, she even inserted a message between thoseplicated lines of code on the interface, which read, ''Do not disturb.¡¯ ¡°Even if you''re Lucifer, I won''t give up!" Gary said as he proceeded to type a few codes in to remove that wall. However, he soon realized that he could not break the code, even after several attempts in a row. "Damn it! Is he actually that good? Is it really Lucifer?¡± Indeed, it was just a countermeasure with a few lines keyed in, and yet, Gary could not solve it after several tries. Gary began to feel annoyed. But if his opponent really was Lucifer, then it would be a once in a lifetime opportunity to test his skills. If he could breach the wall set up by Lucifer, that would be an achievement worth noting. When Gary thought of this, he concentrated even more on cracking the code. In just a few minutes, he was sweating all over. At that moment, Nicole was watching the surveince footage without a hint of stress. She was cupping her cheeks as if watching a movie. Soon after, she reached the timeline of the footage past the school hours. It was a clip taken in the corridor of the academic block''s upper floor. Once that part began to y, Nicole watched the video over and over again. As expected, she spotted two figures on the fourth floor. Those two individuals were lifting the flowerpot which was ced at the window ledge and were waiting for the right time to make a move. After a few minutes, one of them threw the pot down in a hurry. Then, the duo immediately turned around and left. The moment they turned around, Nicole pressed the pause button. She could immediately see those two people¡¯s faces. As it turned out, they were members of the volleyball team. It seemed to Nicole that they had received an order to do what they had done from Raine. In fact, it made sense too. Raine had lost her reputation in that very morning, and because of that, she definitely would make a move on Nicole. This was what Nicole had expected, but she truly did not expect them to have thrown the pot at Lulu by mistake. If it was plummeting toward Nicole, she would have been able to dodge it. But because it was close to hitting Lulu, Nicole could not ignore it. That was why she had gotten hurt in the first ce. As Nicole was watching this, her eyes darkened a little, and without giving it much of a thought, Nicole immediately copied the video. Concurrently, Gary had sessfully broken through Nicole''s wall, and when she noticed that, a hint of excitement grew in her eyes. It seemed to her that there was someone at San Joto who was on par with Zeke in terms of capabilities. Gary was ted by the fact that he had actually broken through Lucifer¡¯s wall. This was something wilder than his wildest imagination. Without hesitation, Gary activated the tracking system at once, wanting to track the Nicole''s IP address. Then, Nicole looked at the system that her opponent was using, and that was when she sighed. "Although his technique is good, his tracking system is outdated.¡± As she thought about it, Nicole typed a line of code at an instant, and her IP address vanished in less than a second. Gary saw that he had one more second until he could track the person down. Unfortunately for him, he was a second toote, causing him to m his fist on the table with a loud bang. "Damn it! Just one more second!" he yelled. Nicole was the only one who knew that the problem did not solely lie in the fact that he was a second toote. With that sort of system, he would not even be able to track Zeke down, let alone Nicole. However, her curiosity for the person grew. As he liked to solve problems, Nicole would take the chance to mess around with him. With that in mind, Nicole added another firewall onto the school''s system, and once that was installed, Royal Creek Institute''s security system went haywire at once. Gary was stunned as soon as he saw that which had transpired. ¡®Does Lucifer know that I was tracking him? So, is that why he got angry and messed with the school¡¯s security system?¡¯ "Damn it...¡± As this was not a trivial matter, Gary must recover the system before the sun rose. However, the interface that popped up soon after showed that it was an even moreplex wall than before. Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. Seeing this, Gary realized that he would not be able to crack it in a few hours. "B*stard! Lucifer, you better not let me catch you! Otherwise, I''ll get to the bottom of this!" Gary was furious, but deep down, he knew that Lucifer might have already escaped. Chapter 1640 Chapter 1640 And indeed, Nicole immediately went offline after she had gotten what she wanted. Because she had gotten the evidence she was after, she did not wish to waste any more time. It was ratherte already, and Nicole could also hear the voices of her parents and elder brothers downstairs. They were back. Then, sheid down and got some shuteye. She had a good sleep, but for Gary, he had a sleepless night as he was busybating the system. He only managed to breach the wall once the sun was beginning to rise. Seeing that the security system had reverted to its usual state, Gary heaved a sigh of relief. However, he was thoroughly exhausted and dizzy by that point. ¡®Who on earth is this talented b*stard? He could produce so many walls that are incredibly difficult to breach,¡¯ he thought. After Gary had dealt with the system, he looked at the coding interface again. Then, he suddenly realized that a sentence had appeared on the interface itself: [ Congrattions.] Gary''s face turned sour at an instant. He felt that Lucifer had yed him like a fiddle. And just as he was about to shut theputer down, he suddenly noticed the signature at the bottom right of the screen. It was the same signature as before: [Justsingasong. ] "It is Lucifer!" he yelled. ¡®But if it really was Lucifer who had repeatedly hacked into the Royal Creek Institute''s system, what was their purpose for doing so?" Previously, Gary had suspected that Lucifer was someone from the Royal Creek Institute. But he had never managed to identify who theputer expert in school was. If there really was someone like Lucifer, he would have be famous quickly. A semester had passed, and yet, there was no one who fitted the bill. In the meantime, Gary had thought that his previous guess was incorrect. But now, he was confused. ¡®If it was not someone from school, why would he hack into the school''s system repeatedly?¡¯ he pondered. Gary''s gaze swept through, and he suddenly noticed the letter ''S'' in sing and song. Both letters in question were written in capital. "..." As the letter was extremely familiar to him, a scene shed across Gary''s mind. It seemed like a signature on someone''s book which he had seen before. The only issue was that he could not recall who it was because his head was dizzy. As such, he could only take a rest before thinking about it again. After he had thought about all that had urred, Gary could not even bother to look at the time anymore. Right away, he went to his bed and fell asleep. During the next morning, Nicole left for school early. She entered the ss once she had arrived, and soon, the teacher came in to take their attendance. Everyone was present, except for Gary. Jack and Wayne were confused. They did not get word from Gary that he was nning to take a leave of absence today. Then, they sneakily called and messaged him, but there was no reply. Therefore, they could only give up. During recess, Nicole was surrounded by the duo of Lulu and June. The both of them were still dwelling on the happenings of the previous night. "Nicole, you did not inform us earlier that we were going to be the plus ones for your brothers. Do you know how much of a rush you had put us in?¡± June said. "That''s right. We did not even have the time to get our outfits tailored. We were just wearing our old ones,¡± Lulu added, feeling rather bitter. Last night, it was a glorious moment for them as thepanions of three famous figures in school. And yet, they did not dress up elegantly enough. "No, you girls looked beautiful. My brothers were satisfied." Nicole teased. Indeed, earlier in the morning, Spencer and Samuel had wanted to thank her when they were having breakfast. "Really?" June blushed, for she was concerned about Samuel''s opinion. N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. Nicole nodded in response. "Yeah. They even said that if the both of you do not mind, they want you girls to be their partners for any future events." One could only imagine how happy the boys were with June and Lulu. "Gosh... That would be such a pleasure!¡± Lulu said, almost feeling dizzy. If the entire school knew that the both of them had Spencer and Samuel''s partners, they would be thoroughly envied by every single person around them. "Seize the opportunity while you can." Nicoleughed, secretly finding the notion of June being so shy amusing. If the both of them could be her sisters-inw in the future, her life would be a lot more interesting... Chapter 1641 Chapter 1641 At that moment, Bradley overheard the girls'' conversation and sauntered over in envy. "You girls attended a banquet together? Why didn''t you bring me along?" Nicole rolled her eyes at him. "You''re a man and you want to be someone guy''s partner?" "Bradley, could you be bothered to take an initiative?¡± Lulu told him off, unable to stand him anymore. June also seemed annoyed. Hearing this, Bradley nodded. "That''s right, I don''t take initiatives. But it''ll be great too if I get to be Nicole''s plus one. N "In your dreams!" The both of them stared at him in unison. However, Bradley was still smiling foolishly. At that point, Bradley realized that Gary''s desk was empty, while Wayne and Jack were still phoning him. Unable to help it, he softly asked, "Gary is rarely absent from school. The new semester has just started, and he''s skipping sses without applying for leave already?" "Yeah, could he be facing an emergency?¡± Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. At that moment, Lulu instantly thought of something she had known and said, "I''m not sure, but this morning, I got word from the warden that the surveince cameras were not functioning yesterday. The Finley family is also in charge of the school''s security system. Perhaps Gary was also busy with that?¡¯ When Nicole heard that, she turned her gaze toward Gary''s desk once more. She knew that theputers and essories in school were all from the Finley family. However, she did not know that the school had gotten the security system from them too. If Gary was in charge of the school''s security system, the person she had engaged withst night was... At that thought, Nicole''s face turned dark. ¡®If that was really the case, it would exin Gary''s absence,¡¯ she thought. ''He probably only managed to remove the wall in the morning.¡¯ If she had known, she would not have set such a difficult one up for him. It was only in the afternoon that Gary finally attended ss with dark and heavy bags under his eyes. Although he had slept through the entire morning, he was still yawning away. When Wayne and Jack saw him, they immediately went up to him and bombarded him with questions. "Boss, what happened? Why did you skip ss this morning? You did not pick up your phone either." In reply, Gary yawned and said, "I overslept and forgot to apply for leave.¡± Once he had spoken, he rested his body on the table in exhaustion. This prompted Nicole to shoot him a casual nce. Noticing that Nicole was staring at him, Gary began blinking as though he had found something suspicious. Usually, Nicole would ignore him, and so, it would make no sense for her to even nce at him. However, her glimpse was fleeting, for she then turned away about a secondter. Noticing this, Gary shook his head and told himself not to think too much about it. But at that moment, Wayne approached Gary, and in a low voice, he said, ¡°Boss, something major happened in the afternoon. Someone had spread a video clip from one of the surveince footages. It seems that the senior year students had Purposely thrown a flowerpot from one of the upper floors. Someone even got hit and the video has been leaked." "There were leaked footages from a surveince camera?¡± Gary was stunned. ¡®Is it coincidental? The school''s system was hackedst night and a surveince footage has been leaked today! I suppose Lucifer had hacked into the system just to get this particr video!¡¯ he inferred. At that thought, Gary immediately browsed through the school''s forum. He wanted to find out who the person who had uploaded the video was, but when he clicked the profile, he only found a ghost ount. "I don¡¯t care who you are, I must find you!" Gary''s eyes were filled with rage as he gritted his teeth. That person had caused him to lose an entire night of sleep, and for that he would never let that person off the hook easily. He was determined to discover who Lucifer truly was. With that thought in mind, he stood up and walked into theputerb. He wanted to use the school¡¯s computer to trace the person''s IP address. Wayne and Jack heard Gary mumbling and felt that something was off, so they followed after Gary to find out about what had happened. Chapter 1642 Chapter 1642 Nicole''s gaze turned deep and dark when she saw Gary walking away from her. She could already guess what Gary was about to do. ''l guess he''ll be disappointed again.¡¯ Indeed, Gary was attempting to track her IP address down after going to theputer room. However, Nicole had erased all traces of her online presence, leaving Gary with nothing at all. As expected, Gary came back with his head bowed, feeling devastated. Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. Everybody in the school then heard that the two girls who had deliberately thrown the flowerpot down were given severe punishments before school ended. Nicole decided to leave early because she had something else to do. Meanwhile Lulu and June were making their way downstairs while Gary, Wayne, and Jack happened to be just behind them. Suddenly, June spoke, "Lulu, I heard the two girls who got severe punishments are from the twelfth grade and they''re in the same volleyball team as Nicole too..." "Yeah. I watched the video, and it was probably them who had thrown the pot from the fourth floor yesterday," Lulu said without thinking. "A flowerpot? Could it be... the flowerpot that almost hit you? " June was shocked as she looked at Lulu. It was only then that Lulu remembered everything that had happened yesterday. "Oh, yeah! I almost forgot about that. Nicole saved me!" "Yeah, and she was hurt too..." Gary frowned after he heard that Nicole had been injured, and instinctively, he hastened his gait. "Did you say that Nicole got hurt yesterday?¡± Lulu and June fell silent after their conversation had been interrupted. They turned around and were stunned as soon as they saw the three guys. Wayne took a step forward and asked, "Why are you just standing there? Answer him." June paused, while Lulu answered Gary as she thought that he was just worried about Nicole. "Yes... the flowerpot fell on her because she tried to save me yesterday after school." Gary''s heart sank. He had been very tired, and he did not notice that anything was wrong with Nicole. Then, something came to mind. ''The surveince system was hackedst night, and the video of somebody throwing the flowerpot down was leaked today. Even though I couldn''t track that hacker down... I didn''t know that Nicole was the victim!¡¯ Gary was appalled as soon as he thought about that, and suddenly, he remembered that he had seen the same signature on another object...which was Nicole''s book! ¡®Is Nicole...Lucifer?!" he asked himself as he wobbled a little. Fortunately, Wayne acted in time and grabbed him. "Gary, are you okay?¡± Wayne looked at Gary with concern as he thought that he was exhausted. Gary shook his head. "I''m fine..." He was simply overwhelmed, but he was able to calm down soon after. ¡®That''s impossible. No matter how smart Nicole is...she''s only eighteen years old. How could she be one of the best hackers in the world? Besides, she also said that she only participated in theputing competition because the teacher had no other candidates in mind. She had no ns to be a part of it at all. It can¡¯t be. No way,¡¯ he told himself. Eventually, he regained hisposure by forcing himself to think differently. "Okay, that''s all I needed to know. I was just curious," he said. Lulu nodded. Then, she grabbed June''s arm and was about to leave when she abruptly turned around and said to Gary," You look very feeble. You should take more supplements." Chapter 1643 Chapter 1643 Then, Lulu left the school with June. After a while, Jack realized what Lulu had said. "What did she mean? Was she implying that you''re weak and impotent? Gary red at him. "You''re the weak one, not me!" Jack became very confused after Gary had shouted at him." Hey, why did you say that about me? Lulu was the one who made fun of you, not me!" In response, Gary ignored him and stormed off. Wayne rolled his eyes at Jack. "You''re so stupid. That''s not what she meant at all!" And just like that, Jack was flooded with embarrassment. "I- I guess I misheard" Then, Wayne shook his head in defeat and followed Gary from behind. "Hey, guys! Wait for me!" Jack yelled, after which they left the school noisily. After leaving the school, June looked in the direction of the three and shook her head. "They used to be the school bullies, but they''ve be nothing but stooges now." "Yeah..." Luluughed. N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. Then, June beganughing at them too. Nicole had left the school before they did because she had received a text from Anna, telling her to make her way to Holder Entertainment. She was not avable in the morning, so she proceeded to go there after school, and soon after, she arrived at the headquarters. Nicole lifted her eyebrows upon seeing how huge the building before her eyes was. The Holder family had earned most of their wealth from doing underground businesses. Based on what she knew, the sole purpose for which the Holders had established Holder Entertainment was Lloyd. Nachelle was both the chairman and the director, and Llyod was both the CEO and the star of the company. Other important roles in thepany were held by other members of the Holder family. Thus, the Holders got to make every decision in thepany. As soon as Nicole arrived at the reception counter, Anna went to bring her upstairs. Then, she brought Nicole to Lloyd''s office. Nicole was a little surprised when she saw Llyod weing her personally. "I only came here to report myself. Shouldn''t I be meeting with my colleagues? Why are you here to see me personally?" Llyod looked at Nicole, trying not to show her how much he missed her and pretended to be calm. "We¡¯ve got some updates, so I thought that it''d be better for us to talk in person." Nicole''s gaze darkened when she heard what Llyod had said. "What did you get?" She had been waiting for Lloyd''s update for the past few days, and had expected that the news would arrive sooner. Llyod poured her a cup of coffee and slowly sat down across from her. "It''s probably the same group of people who attacked you and stole the Braves away. Even though I don''t have enough evidence, rumor has it that they might be brothers," Lloyd exined. "Brothers." Nicole frowned. There were plenty of secret organizations across the globe, but not many of them were operated by siblings. "Yeah. However, it is off the record, and I don''t think anybody out there knows about this." Lloyd''s gaze darkened. "These two individuals are very unpredictable. Nicole, are you sure you want to make enemies out of them?" Nicole''s eyes darkened. "I''m not trying to be their enemy, but they''re a threat to world peace. The Zane Organization has got to do something as the international police." Even though she had managed to secure the crest this time, her enemies had gotten their hands on the Braves. The consequences would be unimaginable if the Braves were used with ill intentions. That was why she had to find out where the Braves were and retrieve Carl''s possessions. Llyod took a deep breath, and a look of worry appeared on his face. He did not want Nicole to put herself in danger at all. However, he would do anything he could to fulfill all of Nicole''s requests. After all, she had saved him before and there was really not much that he could do to return the favor. "I understand. I''ll help you." Llyod switched the monitor in his office on to show Nicole some pictures. "If I''m not mistaken, you once helped the Curley Corporation out by dealing with someone by the name of Cara in Lanningbourg, right?" he asked. Chapter 1644 Chapter 1644 Nicole knew very well what Lloyd was capable of, and he would be able to find out just about anything if he wanted to. Thus, she did not deny it. "Yes, I did." "This organization is called the Raven, and I figured that you''ve already heard of them since you¡¯ve crossed paths with them." Nicole''s gaze darkened. She did not expect that Lloyd would even know about that. ''The Holder family knows what the international police is up to. They''re really something else...¡¯ she thought. "However, they''ve only sent someckeys to the Brave conference. There''s a different group of people who are ganging up on Curly now. They''re the four titans of the Raven. Other than Cara, there is also Ara, Bara, and Dara." Nicole squinted. She could even guess that Cara was just one of the many leaders in the Raven. "I guess that your team couldn''t find anything about this because all of the cameras along the road were destroyed and the system was corrupted. My men had spent a great deal of effort before we could even get the footage from a car''s dashcam. We got these images from them, and they''ve been enhanced to a higher definition..." Nicole looked at the trio''s faces, and with a glum expression on her face, she asked, "Are these the other three leaders?" "Yes, they are. They had brought the other men and robbed all of the Braves," Lloyd said. Nicole clenched her fists tight. "The Raven deployed all of its members for our Braves. They really do have high expectations of us, huh?" "Clearly, they have been plotting to acquire the Braves for some time. In addition, they had nned their routes very carefully too. We can''t track them at all in the open seas, so we have no idea where the Braves had gone to..." Lloyd said, sounding a little disappointed. Nicole did not me him at all. "You''ve done a lot. My team couldn''t find out exactly where the Braves are either." Then, Lloyd shook his head. "But my men have discovered a little something about them on an ind in the open sea and we even got a geographer to anticipate their route." After that, Lloyd unfolded a map and highlighted three routes on it. "If they''ve arrived at this ind, and intend to return to Hustuaburg without anybody knowing, their only option is to head to the extrajudicial region. So, these three ports would be to best spots for them to disembark," he continued. A look of surprise shed across Nicole''s face. She was not expecting the Holder family to be so powerful and resourceful. ''They even know so much about the extrajudicial regions!'' she thought. Then, her gaze darkened as soon as she looked at Lloyd again. Nicole realized that the Holder family was way more capable than she had thought. ''I''m afraid that Zane would consider the Holders as a threat if he knew about this...'' However, Nicole was actually impressed by Lloyd because of how much effort he had put in to help her. On the other hand, Lloyd was happy after he noticed the look on Nicole''s face, in which she spaced out while staring at him. ''I can finally get Nicole''s attention after so long,'' he thought. He could not help but to further the discussion about the Raven. He told Nicole that they had been stealing cutting edge artillery and war weapons before selling them to the mafias and other underground organizations, making themselves an enemy of the international government. "How could such a dangerous organization go unnoticed after such a long time? Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. I guess the international police would never find out how big of a threat they are if they didn''t catch our attention." Nicole took a deep breath. She had made a big mistake by thinking that only individuals who would shoot and kill were the threat, failing to notice that they were just a bunch of pawns. ''These people who''ve been hiding behind the scenes while stirring the pot are the worst criminals!'' she surmised. "What about those people who attacked me?" she asked. They were not from the Raven, and Nicole could not figure out who it could be. "They''re from an organization called The Crow. Rumor has it that the head of this organization is the brother of the founder of the Raven. However, The Crow has never publicly revealed their rtionship with the Raven, and I only found out about this after sacrificing the lives of two of my informants," he said. Chapter 1645 Chapter 1645 Nicole immediately furrowed her brows. Shepletely did not expect that Lloyd would put in this much effort. Then, she apologetically said, Tm so sorry... I didn''t know you''d do so much for me. I''ll return this favor." Lloyd shook his head and smiled. "Consider it returned if you''d just agree to star in this drama." Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. Nicole''s heart felt very heavy. ''How could that everpare to two human lives?'' "There''s nothing to be worried about. My informants only did that for the money. They''ve expected the worst to happen since the day they chose this path," Lloyd gently consoled upon seeing the solemn look on her face. Nicole looked at Lloyd, and could not help but think that she was probably the only person to have seen this ruthless side of him. Then, they chatted for a while more, after which Lloyd said," That''s all for now. It won''t be safe for my men to validate those three locations. I''m afraid that the international police will have to do it personally." In spite of how much he wanted to help Nicole, he knew very well what he ought to do, and what he ought not. "Sure." Nicole nodded, for the Holder had already done her a huge favor by giving her so much information. Then, she looked down and transferred arge sum of money to Lloyd with her smartwatch. Lloyd received a notification of that transaction, and he was very shocked to know that Nicole knew his ount number. However, he had looked into Nicole''s history, and he knew that she was a verypetent hacker. Even though it was not surprising that Nicole could do that, he curiously asked her anyway, "What''s the money for?" He was very wealthy, and he was sure that Nicole was not paying him for what he had done. "Would you give it to the informants'' family aspensation?" Nicole asked, wanting to thank them. Lloyd knew Nicole very well, and that she would never feel at ease if he did not agree to help her. Therefore, he nodded. "Sure, I''ll do that." "Okay." Nicole nodded in kind. Lloyd switched the screen off before handing her a USB drive. "There are some other information in here for your reference. I hope that they''ll be useful for you." "Thanks." Nicole grabbed it, preparing to report her findings to Zane. Lloyd said after Nicole packed her things up, "Have you read the script?" Nicole lifted her brows and smiled. "Of course, I even finished it. I memorized a few lines too. Do you want to test me?" Lloyd smirked. "That won''t be necessary. I believe in you, so I''ve scheduled your first filming session for this Saturday. Is that okay?" Nicole smiled after seeing how thoughtful he was. "Sure, but I''ll probably being here a lot less often once my school starts." Lloyd smiled. "I believe in you. I''ve told the stage supervisor to ce your part on the weekends, and we can shoot the remaining parts every day after school. Would that be okay?" Nicole could not help but lift her brows. "The filming progress will probably be dyed because of me if that''s the arrangement, don''t you think?" However, Lloyd looked like he was not bothered at all. "It''s fine. I''m already very happy that I get to see you every week." Chapter 1646 Chapter 1646 He would not mind even if it took longer. Nicole looked down and took a sip of coffee as she was notfortable with Lloyd staring at her. Then she asked, "I remember the time now, so is there anything else I should know?" It was her first time being involved in activities like these, so she did not know what the procedures were. "Nah. You just have to remember that we share the same manager. Anna will pick you up after school every day," Lloyd exined. "The same manager?" Nicole asked, as suspicions began to flood her mind. After all, Lloyd was an A-list celebrity. ''His manager is probably a big shot as well. Is he really sharing her with me?¡¯ "Of course, but Anna is rather harsh with her words," Lloyd added. Nicole figured that it was a good thing, so she responded," Got it." "Okay." Lloyd nodded, feeling slightly disappointed. He really wanted to spend more time with Nicole, but sadly, they barely talked. Then, he got up and said, "Anna will pick you up from your house at 8pm this Saturday. What do you think?" He just could not wait to see Nicole again. "Sure." Nicole nodded. Lloyd smiled with relief. "Let me send you off." Nicole got up. "It''s okay. You''re busy. I can leave on my own." In response, Lloyd looked at his watch. "It''s fine. I''m usually done with work around this time. Do you want to... grab something to eat together?" Nicole looked at his sincere gaze and was about to decline his offer when she remembered how much of a help he was to her for the past few days, so she figured that it was only natural for her to treat him to a hearty meal. "Sure, but it''s my treat. Deal?" Nicole asked generously. Lloyd knew her character, so he responded, "Of course." He was over the moon. ''Nicole is buying me a meal! This is the first time I get to hang out with her without the team around us!'' "But I get to choose the location. After all, I''m a celebrity. It''s not really ideal to be in public," he said, shing her a cheeky smile. Nicole returned the gesture with a gentle smile. "Okay, I don''t want to get any unnecessary attention either." "Let''s go then." Lloyd happily opened the door for her. Nicole walked out gracefully, and Lloyd followed behind her. When they had made their way downstairs, Lloyd drove his Bugatti Veyron over to her, whereupon she got into the car. On the other side, Jared suddenly received a message from us. "Sir, Miss Nicole has gone out to have a meal with that A- Lister..." Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. Jared''s face darkened at once. Without even bothering to continue the meeting anymore, he said, "The meeting ends here. You can all go back to work." Max was stunned as he did not know what had happened. But as soon as Jared got up, he bellowed, "Max, get the car ready!" "Understood." Maxplied and ran to the car. However, he had a bad feeling in his stomach. ''A storm ising...'' Lloyd quickly took Nicole to a private, yet stylish restaurant. Nicole was surprised as she did not expect a restaurant like that to exist in this area. "This ce is very suitable for doing trades." Lloyd was stumped as he awkwardly said, "Uh... Let''s head inside." He was slightly worried though, as he had a habit of bringing his important guests here to talk business. ''Nicole is just too observant...'' Chapter 1647 Chapter 1647 When they had walked into the restaurant, they noticed that it was rather empty. There, Nicole immediately knew that it was not easy to get a table at this restaurant. For that reason, Lloyd proudly brought Nicole over to a table. The waiter came over to hand them the menu thereafter, and Nicole casually took a look at it before asking, "Your family owns this ce, right?" ¡®If that''s not the case, why would everyone be gone as soon as Lloyd is here?¡¯ she wondered. Lloyd arched his brows, but he did not deny it. "Yeah, you cane as you wish. There is a private room upstairs, but the view here is better." Then, he gestured for Nicole to look out. Though that ce was secluded, it was still located at a much higher ne, allowing them to get a view of the sea. They could also see the forest, whose green contrasted beautifully with the ocean''s blue. "You have good taste. This is a very good location." Nicole smiled as she already knew that Lloyd was the owner of that restaurant. Hearing that, Lloyd became a little shy. "Really? Well, as long as you like it." Then, Nicole nodded and proceeded to order a few delicious items from the menu, while Lloyd ordered a number of signature dishes as well. "I think you''d like these." Without taking his words to heart, Nicole shed him a courteous smile. After that, Lloyd looked at Nicole andmented, ¡°I didn''t expect that we could have a chance to eat together like this, without the team." Nicole took a deep breath in. "Yeah, me neither." She had never thought that she would be a daughter of the Riddle Family, who had a history with the Holder family too. That was why she had never thought that she would meet Lloyd again. "This shows that we''re fated to meet again." Lloyd stared at Nicole and harkened back to the training he had gone through and the times in which they went on missions together. Back then, they were still young people who worked with Zane and the adults. Still, Nicole¡¯s performance was outstanding, and she had helped him a lot. However, what he did not know was... Nicole was the little girl who had saved him that year. Nicole noted his deep gaze. She did not know what he was thinking, so she did not keep the conversation going. This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org. Soon, the waiter served them their food. With style, Lloyd scooped some dishes up for Nicole. "Try some, I like these." Nicole nodded and that was when she saw a type of cookie. They were in a French restaurant, so that cookie was very out of ce, but she found it to be oddly familiar, almost as if she used to eat it when she was younger. When Lloyd saw Nicole locking at the cookie in confusion, he yfully asked, "Familiar, isn''t it? You ate this when you were younger, right?" Nicole was shocked. She really did enjoy that cookie when she was younger. However, Nicole had only met Lloyd in the organization, and the cookie was not sold in the foreign country that they were deployed to. Therefore, Lloyd would not be able to know if Nicole liked that cookie. That was when her mind clicked as she asked, "You liked this when you were younger too?¡± Lloyd paused for a moment before smiling. "Yeah, I loved it. I still love it though, that''s why I added it to the menu.¡± "Oh." Nicole believed him. But Lloyd seemed sad. ¡®She had really forgotten everything, just as I had expected.¡¯ She was bringing these cookies around with her when Lloyd first met her, and she had given them to him, who had been starving for days. That was why he would always remembered the taste of it and would still eat the cookies that she would give him. Unfortunately, she had forgotten it herself. It was as if she had not been eating it for years as well. Though Lloyd was disappointed, he was happy when he saw how satisfied Nicole looked when she ate the cookie. "How is it?¡± he asked. "Does it still taste the same?" Nicole chuckled. "Yeah, I miss it a lot. It''s been a long time since I ate one of these.¡± "Take some away with you if you like it." Lloyd smiled sincerely. "Sure." Nicole epted, as she really did like the cookie. Lloyd stared at Nicole deeply, enjoying the moment that they were sharing. However, it was then that a voice was heard at the entrance of the restaurant. "Sorry, no entry." Chapter 1648 Chapter 1648 But Jared''s voice was low and cold as he responded,¡± There''s nowhere in San Joto that I cannot enter.¡± Then, Max walked up to them and pushed the security''s arm aside. The security detail was stunned, but he would not back down without a fight. So, he retaliated and engaged Max in a fisticuff. Both of their arms began shing against each other''s, with neither of them wanting to give in. Seeing that, Lloyd''s gaze darkened at once. ¡®That damn Jared sure is fast.¡¯ Nicole had heard Jared''s voice too, so she was shocked when she turned around and saw both Jared''s and Max''s faces. "Why is he here?!" Then, she remembered that Jared''s men had been following her wherever she went, and hence, it was not surprising for them to know her whereabouts. ¡®He''s such a jealous man. He definitely came here on purpose because he knew I''m here to have a meal with Lloyd,¡¯ she thought. Nicole''s expression soured as soon as she thought of that. However, Lloyd was exceptionally generous. "Mr. Johnston is a VIP. Let him in." After having heard Lloyd from afar, the security detail stepped aside. Jared nced at the security guards at the entrance. ''How dare they touch Max?! Seems like these two guards aren''t just security guards. This is definitely a very private restaurant.¡¯ Jared refused to believe that Lloyd did not have any other intentions when he took Nicole to a ce like this. He walked to their table with pride and looked at Lloyd. "Mr. A-Lister Lloyd, why didn''t you invite me when you asked my fiancee out for a meal?¡± It was the first time Lloyd was met with Jared''s strong presence. However, he did not seem to care. Instead, he just smiled and replied, "Nicole is my old friend, and we go a long way back. Naturally, it would be really out of ce for someone else to join us.¡± He immediatelybeled Jared as "someone else¡±, which was very courageous of him. Jared''s eyes turned icy as he took a seat beside Nicole and wrapped his arm around her shoulder. "Ah, same here. To us, you''re someone else as well, Mr. Lloyd." Lloyd''s expression darkened. He was dying to push Jared''s arm away from Nicole, but he still kept his cool. "Fair enough. If you don''t mind, you can order whatever you want, Mr. Johnston.¡± Jared purposely looked around and said, ¡°It''s alright, I''ll just have whatever my fiancee is having." It was painfully obvious that he was implying that there was nothing on that menu that was deserving of his appetite. Furthermore, by using the word "fiancee", he was reminding Lloyd that Nicole belonged to him. Hearing that, Lloyd sneered. "Suit yourself.¡± Jared''s gaze darkened when he saw that Lloyd was unaffected by anything he had said. ¡®This guy has some tricks up his sleeve. He''s not trying to stand against me at all, as if he had already expected this to happen.¡¯ At that point, all Jared wanted was to take Nicole away from there, so he looked at her. "You probably don''t like this ce, do you?" He knew Nicole very well, so he knew what she liked to eat. It was obvious that the taste of the food in that restaurant was too intense. She took a deep breath and said, "It''s edible. You should eat some too." Then, she stuffed a piece of steak that she had sliced into Jared''s mouth to shut him up. However, Lloyd had already heard what she said. ¡®It''s edible..." ¡®That means she doesn''t like the food here. It''s just edible to her.¡¯ Lloyd did not look too good at that point, and his expression was solemn. "It''s okay. If you don''t like the food here, I can take you to other ces next time.¡± "No, this is good enough already,¡± Nicole replied, not wanting Lloyd to overthink. Jared scoffed. "Mr. Lloyd, you''re not an ordinary person. You can''t just take any female friends out for a meal now, can you?¡± ¡®Take Nicole out for another meal next time? Over my dead body!¡¯ Jared seethed.Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. Chapter 1649 Chapter 1649 Lloyd responded tly, "Thank you for your concern, Mr. Johnston. It''s true that I can''t take my female friends out for meals, but if Nicole doesn''t mind, she can eat at my ce." Jared scowled as he was not expecting Lloyd to think of taking Nicole back to his ce. ¡®He has a death wish!¡¯ Nicole noticed the change in Jared''s expression, and was afraid that he would utter something offensive, so she lowered her voice and said, "Ah, I''ll pass on that. I like my mom''s cooking, so I don''t really fancy eating anything else.¡± Jared felt a great deal better after Nicole had declined Lloyd¡¯s offer, so he looked at her and said, ¡°Yeah, mom makes great food.¡± Nicole immediately rolled her eyes at him. ''Who said that I''m sharing my mother with him? This guy is living in his own world.¡¯ However, this had made Lloyd upset. He did not care about anything. The only thing he cared about was the fact that he had met Nicole a little toote. If he could meet Nicole a little earlier after he had left the organization, he would probably be in Jared''s shoes now. He was deeply saddened as he thought about this, for he was the one who had met Nicole first. Then, he smirked and looked at Nicole. "Mr. Johnston, you got to know Nicole after she had returned to the Riddle Family, right?¡± Jared arched his brows, and in a cold and haughty manner, he asked, "So what if I did?" Lloyd responded, "I''ve known Nicole for a very long time. However, I left the organization after some time. You probably won''t understand the sort of rtionship I have with myrade, Nicole, right now.¡± Jared''s gaze became even darker as soon as those words reached his ears. ''What? Is he seriously unting the fact that he knew Nicole earlier?¡¯ He scoffed and looked at Lloyd from the corner of his eye.¡± Is that so? But Nicole has never mentioned arade like you throughout the time I''ve been with her.¡± Nicole could not help but re at Jared. ¡®This a*shole. He knew that everything pertaining to the organization is ssified, so I would never bring it up for anything. Yet, he¡¯s using this to provoke him.¡¯ But Lloyd was unaffected by that remark. "That''s just because everything that revolves around the organization is ssified. You''re an outsider, Mr. Johnston, so it''s only natural that Nicole did not tell you." They were going back and forth with each other, so it was impossible for them to eat anymore. With that in mind, Nicole ced her cutlery down and said,¡± Let the past stay in the past." ¡®Are they done?¡¯ Then, the tension in the room diffused. Max and the security guards were also stunned. No one had treated their bosses like that, ever. "But thisdy has just shut two big shots up! ¡°I''m really hungry, and I just want to eat in peace. If you''re going to argue, I''m not going to eat anymore,¡± she added. All Lloyd wanted was to spend more time with Nicole, so he could only stop arguing. Meanwhile, Jared looked at Nicole, heartbroken. ¡®Oh, this girl is hungry. So that was why she''s eating here." "Sure, eat some for now. I''ll take you to eat your favorite restaurantter," Jared said. Nicole red at Jared, and he immediately kept quiet. Yet, he was not the only one, for it was also then that the restaurant became eerily silent. Jared then ordered something to drink to keep Nicolepany, and while Lloyd did not say anything, he was enjoying the opportunity to watch Nicole eat. And finally, once Nicole was done, she tapped on her watch. "Though this is your restaurant, I''ve already said that it''s my treat. I''ve already transferred the money to your ount.¡± Lloyd did not expect Nicole to do that. ¡°Honestly, it''s fine..." N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. ¡°Well then, I''ll make a move now." Nicole shed them an awkward smile and pulled Jared up. ¡°Let''s go." ''I''ve got to take this jealous bag of bones away. Or else, I''ll be getting an indigestion! she thought. Chapter 1650 Chapter 1650 "Sure." Jared said, d that Nicole was finally leaving. However, before he stood up, he said to Lloyd, "Mr. Holder, I suggest you pick somewhere with better lighting if you were to meet someone else next time. A dimly lit ce like this will reflect how dark the host''s inner heart is.¡± Lloyd''s eyes became murderous as soon as he heard what Jared had said. However, Jared was not bothered at all, as he turned around and left the ce with Nicole. Lloyd watched them leave with a gloomy look on his face. At that very moment, he actually felt that Jared had actually seen through him. ¡®But... how is that possible? I''m the best actor alive...¡¯ he wondered. Jared proceeded to order Max to drive them to Nicole''s favorite restaurant right after they had gotten into the car. She did feel a little better after Jared had done so. Still, she could not help butin about how ruthless Jared was moments ago, "You''re starting to get jealous at everything now." Jared lifted his brows. "Am I?" Indeed, he did not wish to admit it. "Yes, you are." Nicole took a deep breath. "I know your men are following me, but I don''t like to have my privacy invaded." Jared shed her a grimace as soon as she said that. "Is eating with Lloyd a part of your privacy?" Nicole shook her head after seeing how unreasonable he was. "I only treated him to a meal because I wanted to thank him for giving me this.¡± She handed Jared the USB as she spoke. "Is this the information you needed?¡± Jared asked, having guessed what was in there right off the bat. "Yes, it is very detailed, and he even anticipated three locations that the Braves may be at right now.¡± Nicole''s eyes sparkled. "However, the international police are being watched closely now. I''m afraid that we''ll expose ourselves if we were to conduct a search now." This piqued Jared''s interest. "So, are you saying that you want my help, wifey?¡± Jared felt very great that Nicole needed his help. "Don''t tter yourself." Nicole said, for she would never ask for his help if she had other options. After all, it was a very risky favor that might even get the entirety of the Johnston family involved. "It''s my pleasure to have the opportunity to help the ever-so- capable Miss Riddle.¡± Jared smiled proudly. Nicole sighed inwardly upon seeing how he had failed to realize the severity of the situation. "You''ve got to think this through. Your family may be involved if we so much as make the slightest mistake." Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. Jared smirked coldly. "My family was already involved the moment I went to save you." There were already a lot of people with their eyes on him, but he kept quiet about it because he did not want Nicole to be worried. Nicole thought what Jared said made sense. She knew that she had to annihte her adversaries if she wanted her family, as well as the Johnston family to be safe. "Well, you can have this then. I''ve already made a copy when I was in the car just now,¡± she said. "Sure." Jared kept the sh drive. Then, he ordered some food for Nicole, hoping that she could have a good meal. As she ate, she decided to ask him about the Fishers. "It was you who did that to Fiore, right?" Jared knew that she was going to ask him about, and that it was just a matter of time before she did. However, he did not answer her question directly, "She deserves it after doing something that she¡¯s not supposed to.¡± Nicole lifted her brows. "What is it?" Jared was not someone who would do something so brutal to an innocent person. Hence, Nicole wanted to know what Fiore had done. Jared stared at Nicole, and the expression on his face turned solemn as he thought about the day when he almost lost her. "I''ve found the person who made you fall off that bridge. It was her,¡± he replied. Chapter 1651 Chapter 1651 Nicole''s pupils shrank by a little. Although she knew that Fiore had done some truly outrageous things, she totally did not expect that the incident at the bridge was her doing. But now that she could thoroughly think about it, the notion of the dark organization havingmitted the atrocity against her was one that was far-fetched. Therefore, the only person who could spend such a fortune just to make an attempt on her life was Fiore. "She had the nerve to hurt my woman, so it''s only natural that I did whatever I could to ensure that she did not get away with it," Jared said with a sullen expression on his face. Nicole squinted her eyes. "I wouldn''t have allowed her to get away with it if I knew it was her, either. But you actually destroyed her face. That''s really brutal." This revtion somewhat surprise her, for Jared should not have gone as far as he did. "T was the one who lit the fire, but she was the one who burned her own face." Jared replied. He had heard everything that had happened and felt that the woman was extremely foolish. Nicole had a dumbfounded look on her face too. "Well, in that case, she really is a shmuck." ¡®It was just a fire on the outside, and she somehow managed to disfigure herself. She is really an idiot,¡¯ Nicole thought. Concurrently, in the hospital, Colton and the others were waiting for Fiore to wake up. All content is ? N0velDrama.Org. The doctor had said that it would be a major problem for her if she did not regain her consciousness today. They had been waiting for over two hours now, and eventually, Mrs. Fisher caught sight of a few twitches on Fiore''s hand. "Her hand is twitching!" "Call the doctor!" Colton ordered at once. Mrs. Fisher ran out to summon the doctor upon hearing that. At this instant, Fiore''s eyes too began to twitch as she slowly opened her mouth. When the doctor had arrived in the room, he quickly performed on her a series of inspections before heaving a sigh of relief. "She''s fine now. Her condition has stabilized. You might want to discuss the matter of skin grafting with your family." After he had said that, the doctor shook his head and strode out of the ward. Fiore, who had just woken up, began to react when she heard the words, ''skin grafting¡¯. "Skin grafting... what skin grafting?" she asked, her voice weak and hoarse. Mrs. Fisher immediately poured her a ss of water. "My dear, have a drink first before you speak." Fiore took on a few slow sips of water, and that was when she felt a searing pain at the top of her lips. It was at this very instant that she realized that she was wrapped up like amummy. She then suddenly recalled everything that had happened before: the mes around her, and her skin scorched to the point where her face was beyond recognition... This left her stunned. "Mom, Dad, what happened to me? Why am I wrapped up like this?" "Fiore... don''t get agitated..." Mrs. Fisher held onto Fiore as her eyes reddened, not knowing what to say. As Colton saw his daughter in the state she was, he could only sigh and say, ''''Fiore, I need you to calm down before I tell you about your current condition. Otherwise... it won''t be good for your body. Ww Seeing how her parents were attempting to keep her calm, she could already guess what had happened. In a quivering voice, she asked, "Mom, Dad, I''m disfigured, right? RIGHT?!" Much of her skin had been burned away, and she was inplete agony. She could even feel the searing pain in her face as of now. ''I must''ve been disfigured! '' Noticing that her daughter had realized everything that had transpired, Colton could only nod with an aching pain in his heart, unable to utter a word. Fiore was stunned as if she was hit by a bolt from the blue, and with a screech, she went berserk. "No!!!" Fortunately, Mrs. Fisher had alreadytched onto her before she could move around. "Please don''t do that, honey! Your wounds had only just healed! What if you rip them open again thrashing around like this?!" It was only then that Fiore ceased struggling as she grabbed onto her mother. "Mom, how can I not panic? I''m disfigured... And no matter how good a cosmetic surgeon is, I can never go back to looking like how I used to be!" Indeed, even if there was a skin transnt, her entire body had alreadypletely festered away. Chapter 1652 Chapter 1652 The current medical procedures would still leave a trace behind even if the skin grafting was sessful. In addition, she did not want a face with stic imnted into it. ¡°Why did you even rush out? If you had just hid in the house with us, you wouldn''t have ended up like this. At most, the manor would be up in mes," Colton scolded. Fiore was taken aback and she immediately thought of the perpetrator behind the fire. ''Mom, have you gotten any evidence? It is Jared! It must be him. He was the one who must have set our house on fire!" Colton immediately frowned. "They left no tracks at all. We don''t even know where the gasoline came from! Furthermore, the surveince cameras around the manor had been disabled, so we have no proof at all." Fiore''s eyes were bloodshot. "You''re saying that you have no way of getting back at him for me?" ¡®Jared did this to me, and I''ve no way of getting my revenge?!'' she seethed. "We don''t even know who started the fire, so how are we even supposed to get back at the person?" Colton asked. Although Fiore was suspecting Jared, her father thought that Jared would not stoop to that level just to do that to her. ¡°Huh? It is Jared Johnston! He must have found out that I was the one behind Nicole''s ident at the bridge! That was why he torched our manor, trying to burn me to death!" Fiore let out a bloodcurdling roar, her voice hoarse with fury. As soon as he heard that, Colton was appalled. "You... were behind the incident where Nicole fell off the bridge?" He had somewhat known about that incident and he had even derived a sense of schadenfreude from it, but he had never thought that Fiore was the mastermind behind the entire operation. ¡®Isn''t that just asking for trouble?" he wondered. ''And trouble did find her, so much so that she is now disfigured!'' ¡°How can you be so foolish?!" Colton stood up in rage. "How can you strike out against Nicole before we''ve even gotten those against her on our side?" Fiore''s eyes widened. "You... You''re ming me?"" She had suffered such a grievous injury and not only did her father not hate Jared for that; he was also casting doubts on her. ¡°How can I not me you? If you hadn''t made an attempt on her life, our ten- million-dor manor wouldn''t have gone up in mes! And you wouldn''t have been disfigured!" Colton''s shouted, his heart aching as he uttered those words. Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. He had really been driven to tears due to her idiocy. The Fisher Manor was an old building that had stood erect for more than two hundred years and was worth tens of millions. No one had expected it to be burned down by a fire just like that. Now it was nothing more than a pile of rubble, ruined and utterly beyond repair. Initially, he had felt sorry for his daughter and had temporarily forgotten about the fact that his home was now gone. But now that he had discovered that the source of all of his troubles was the result of his daughter''s idiocy, he wanted nothing more than to strangle her. "Did you know that your grandfather has fallen ill out of anger after he found out that the manor has been burned to ash? ! It is also because of this, that a third of the shareholders that had originally wanted to coborate with us, had decided to withdraw because of our poor show of hospitality!" Colton continued. Initially, the n was to gather enough allies in an effort to team up against the Riddles and the Johnstons. ¡®Well, now great! Everything has now been destroyed by the fire! Talking about all of our ns going up in mes!¡¯ To add salt to the wound, Fiore did not anticipate that those shareholders who had already agreed to coborate with her would turn their backs on her now. The pain in her eyes were so intense that she was on the verge of crying blood. "Jared Johnston... Nicole Riddle... I''ll take the two of you down even if it''s thest thing I do!" she cried. ''Just you wait, I''ll definitely send the two of you together to your deaths!" Noticing that his daughter was still raving like a lunatic, Colton got up angrily. "Don''t you try to do anything stupid! Just stay in the hospital and heal up from the skin graft! Also, you won''t need to bother with thepany anymore!¡± If he had known that this would happen, he would have just kept Fiore out of the family after he had disowned her. ¡®She''s literally the source of all my woes!'' Colton turned around and stormed off without looking at Fiore. "Dear!" Mrs. Fisher was frozen for a moment. Thest thing she expected of her husband was for him to stomp out of the room in anger just like that, and so much so that he no longer even bothered with his daughter any longer. ¡°Don''t call him back! He''s not my father!" Fiore roared as she looked at the door in a frenzy. "He had already severed his ties with me when I ran into troublest time. With how he is treating me now, I''l] have you know that I have no father!" Chapter 1653 Chapter 1653 ¡®Coward! You do not even have the balls to tread on Jared and Nicole''s toes! I don''t have such a father!'' Fiore fumed. When Mrs. Fisher saw her daughter behaving in the way she was, she burst into tears at once. ¡®My daughter has been disfigured by the fire, and my family is about toe apart. What is happening to my family?¡¯ she asked herself. After Jared and Nicole had eaten their dinner, it was already seven in the evening. Regardless of how reluctant Jared was, he could only send Nicole back home. Seeing that the filming was about to start, Nicole decided that it would best for her to start making arrangements for her other projects. "I''ve gotten word from Kelly at the dinner that you''ve secured the new spot for the factory. I suppose they are almost done moving?" She had not asked about the progress of the factory for the past few days. All she knew was that things were going well. However, she totally did not foresee that things would go so smoothly. "Yeah, Terry has ced the finishing touches on the flying car tech." Jared grabbed Nicole''s hand. "Thanks for the effort you''ve been putting in. I''ve heard that you were the one who had brought the key AI tech back from abroad." Nicole shook her head. "I mean, I didn''t really go out of my way to procure it. The tech was originally extracted from the Braves. I did Not expect it to be sopatible with the flying car." In reply, Jared yfully said, "It even raised the bar for the flying car by several notches. This will be worth millions as soon as it goes on sale." After shooting his grin a nce, Nicole teased, "Ah, a true-blue capitalist, always thinking of making money." Jared smiled. "Of course. I''ve got to save up for my son''s expenses. Ww ¡°Hush you! We are not even married yet. What son?" Nicole rolled her eyes while her face became bright red. Meanwhile, Max was seated there like a statue, ignoring all that was going on around him and stopping himself from reacting to all that was transpiring around him. "It''ll be soon enough. Once we get married, we can have one at any time we want." Jared suddenly leaned into Nicole and whispered into her ears. She pushed him away at once. "No! I''m still young!" ¡®Being free is good! Why would I want a child?¡¯ she asked herself. Then, Jared looked at her with a devilish smile. ''That is my decision, not yours...'' Not wanting to engage him in senseless banter any longer, Nicole said, "Get trusted men to protect the technology, and don''t allow it to fall into the hands of any military or armed groups. If groups with devious intent get their hands on it, it''ll cause a world of sh*t. Ww The theft of the Brave was such an example, and they had no idea where the robots are, at the moment. This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org. If the terrorists were to modify the system, it would definitely cause plenty of chaos. "Got it. Don''t worry about it." Jared replied, knowing what she was concerned about. "I''ll find the Braves and get them back for us as soon as possible." "Yeah, I''ll leave that to you." She nodded in kind. Soon, the car arrived at the Riddle''s residence, and before Nicole could even react, Jared pecked her on the forehead. "Good night. Rest well.¡± Nicole''s face flushed a little as she sneaked a nce at Max. Thankfully, Max seemed to be used to this, as he did not even bother to return the nce. Embarrassed, Nicole quickly got out of the car, not wanting Jared to mess around with her any longer. As she closed the door, Jared coyly lowered the car window. Not wanting to tango with him any longer, she hissed at him. "Go. "W Jared lifted the corner of his lips. Got it. Remember to think of me. Now, go on in." ¡°Why would I?" Nicole stuck her tongue out as she turned around and walked into her house. ¡®This dude is getting more and more narcissistic!¡¯ she thought. Chapter 1654 Chapter 1654 Jared kept his eyes on Nicole''s figure as she walked off, his eyes filled with loving tenderness. It was only after he had seen her enter the manor that he ordered Max to drive away. As for Max, he truly felt that his boss was bing a man who was distinct aspared to who he was. With Nicole around, his employer was really getting increasingly more...human. ¡®To think that my employer would one day be reluctant to see someone go, to y coy, to y hard to get. Damn!" he thought. When Nicole got into the house, everyone was already done with dinner. Knowing that her father, Sean, and Stanley would definitely be busy in the study, she did not bother them. Instead, she went and joined her mother at the couch. Gloria''s favorite program to watch on weekdays was the gossip news channel, during which her eyes would be glued to the TV with much engrossment. Seeing that Nicole hade to apany her, she happily pushed all of the snacks on the coffee table to Nicole. ¡°Have some, my dear. All of these are rare snacks. They were gifts given to us during the previous banquet," she said. "Oh...'''' Nicole nced at the snacks, observing that the Riddle family was no longer how it used to be. Now, her mother would always be watching the gossip news channel, and the table would constantly be filled with particrly expensive snacks... Nicole casually picked one that she liked and ate it. It was at this moment that she heard thetest gossip on TV. "The role of the main heroine for Lukewarm had been left hanging for quite some time now, and news just broke a few days ago that the role has been cast. However, this mysterious female lead has never shown her face, and tonight''s Entertainment News journalist has managed to catch Lloyd going out for a meal with a beautiful woman. We originally thought that she was his girlfriend, but Lloyd''s manager has since rified that she is the person ying the heroine of Lukewarm..." On the side of the news broadcast, the screen showed a picture taken by a paparazzi. Nicole was shocked, for she had only just gone out for a meal with Lloyd and they had already been photographed by a paparazzi. And during the hour when she was out on a date with Jared, she had already been suspected to be Lloyd''s girlfriend. Fortunately, Lloyd had stepped in to clear the air, or else, she would have to look for him and give him an earful. It was only at this moment that Gloria noticed that something was amiss as she held the snacks and stared at the TV screen nkly. Then, she darted Nicole a nce before fixing her eyes back on the TV. All of a sudden, she yelped, "EHHHH!!!" Nicole was shocked, and even Samuel and Spencer, who were gaming in their room, were jolted into action as they rushed out of their room. ¡°What happened, Mom!?" ¡°What happened?" Stanley, who was the first to rush his way down, asked. Immediately after, Sean and Daniel emerged from the study as well. "What''s the matter, Gloria?" It was only then that Gloria realize that she had overreacted, scaring everyone. In response, she immediately pointed at the television. "Ni...Nicolel!" Seeing this, Nicole could not help but to react. ''Ah sh*t, the cat is out of the bag! Expectedly, everyone hurried over and formed a circle around Gloria as they looked at the TV with widened eyes. "Isn''t that Lloyd, the famous actor?" Samuel asked, recognizing the man on the screen. Surprised, Spencer answered. "Yeah... All content is ? N0velDrama.Org. and the person beside him is..." "Nicole?!" Everyone yelled her name in unison. After all, the woman on the screen was dressed in the same manner as Nicole right now. It was evident that everything on the news had happened a mere few hours ago. Nicole squeezed her forehead as her temples began to ache. She really regretted going out for a meal with Lloyd today. She totally did not expect the two of them to be photographed the moment they stepped out of the office. It was truly troubling for her. "Nicole, what''s going on? Why were you with Lloyd?" "Is the news report true? You''re the main female lead for Lukewarm?" Chapter 1655 Chapter 1655 Both Gloria and Spencer became curious as everyone gave Nicole an inquisitive look. Left with no recourse, Nicole could only give them an awkward nod. "Yes..." ¡°HUH?!" Gloria uttered in shock. "For real?" Spencer asked in utter surprise. ¡°When did this happen?" Steve asked, as he was a little puzzled and wanted to know when that had happened. Nicole could only sigh as she told them the truth. "Lloyd gave me an invitation during thest banquet." She did not want to bring up matters regarding Lloyd, so Nicole kept things sinct. "I just found it interesting, so I agreed." "Interesting?" Sean frowned, for he knew very well that Nicole was not that sort of person. Moreover, when Lloyd first met Nicole at the banquet, he was so rude to her, so it made little sense as to how Nicole could agree to star in the film just because she was interested. Steve too felt that something was clearly off. In his understanding, Nicole was not the type of person who liked attention from the masses. "Nicole, are you hiding anything else from us?" Steve inquired, going straight for the jugr. Nicole could sense the keen gaze from her two brothers, but she could not divulge any information regarding the organization, so she could only shake her head. "I''m not. I''m just really interested in the script." Sean could see that Nicole was not able to tell them the truth with ease, so he gave Steve a nce, hinting that there might have been a myriad of reasons stopping her from doing so. Thus, all they could do was watch. Gloria, however, was extremely excited. "Oh my goodness! My daughter is entering the entertainment business! Our family too will have a movie star!" The moment the term, ''movie star'' was mentioned, everyone thought of Chloe. Back then, when Chloe was a movie star, Damien was also in the limelight, and he even managed to secure a number of businesses by riding on her fame. Now that Chloe had fallen by the wayside, Nicole had been chosen by the production team. N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. To top it all off, she was invited to join the production team by Lloyd himself. That, in of itself, was simply amazing. Seeing that Gloria was feeling very ecstatic, Nicole helplessly said, "Mom, you don''t have to be THAT excited..." ¡°Why wouldn''t I? You must''ve been a far better actress aspared to Chloe! Otherwise, how could Lloyd have chosen you to star alongside him the moment you entered the business?" Indeed, he was a superstar, and countless actors had been lining up to have a chance to film with him. Yet, Nicole, a fledgling actress, would have all that honor to herself, and when this went out to the press, she would absolutely be the object of envy of others. Seeing how excited his wife was, Daniel held her down. "Alright, calm down. Don''t go scare Nicole now." It was only then that Gloria''s excitement tapered off a little as she tried to rpose herself. The moment Samuel heard his mother''s words however, he felt that she was right. "It seems that I''ll need to get a few copies of Nicole''s autograph first. Once the show is aired, it''ll skyrocket in value!" Spencer rolled his eyes at him. "You''re trying to earn a quick buck using Nicole''s autograph?" "Yeah." Samuel red at him. "So what?" Spencer gritted his teeth before giving Nicole a ttering smile. " Nicole, give me thirty autographs, please..." Nicole was dumbfounded. ''Spencer''s tune changed faster than flipping a page." Then, Stanley grabbed the twins and dragged them aside. "Stand aside, you two. Leave Nicole alone." Both Samuel and Spencer immediately scowled at Stanley. "Party pooper." Sean was the one who was much calmer as he said, "You should''ve told us something this significant in advance, so that we could help you with bettering the n and strategizing Steve then added to the chorus. "Yeah, entering the entertainment industry is like entering a den of snakes." When they heard that, the others were taken aback. Hearing that, Samuel immediately said, ''''What''s there to be afraid of? At most we get Nicole to join in with some kind of investment. We cannot allow her to get bullied." "Yeah!" Spencer added. Chapter 1656 Chapter 1656 Nicole immediately said, There''s no need for that. Don''t worry. No one will pick on me. Lloyd''s the one who personally invited me after all." Even if Lloyd was not the one who had invited her, she would not be afraid of anything either. As Nicole had a point, her family nodded. Daniel, however, was a little worried. "You''re right, but aren''t you still studying? Time wise..." Nicole shook her head. Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. "I''ve already discussed this with Lloyd. The filming of all of my parts will take ce either after ss or during the weekends." "oh?" Daniel said, feeling a little surprised. Although he did not understand much about the entertainment industry, it would almost be impossible for Lloyd to schedule the filming sessions to amodate Nicole''s time in order to get her to join the production. At that point, even Sean''s eyes began to darken. But Steve immediately thought of the reason behind it. "It''s nothing really. Nicole''s the bearer of the Fire Crest. There''re plenty of people who wish to befriend her." Steve''s statement gave Daniel somewhat of a reassurance. ¡®Right, now that the Riddle family is unlike what it was before, it would make sense for Lloyd to want to continue working with the Riddle family.'' "So when does the filming start?" Samuel asked, feeling a little excited. Can we go to the set to observe?" Nicole sighed. "Filming starts this weekend. I''ll let you know if you can be allowed to observe on set." "Nice!" Samuel nodded. ¡°You''re the best, Nicole!" Seeing that everything was almost settled, all Nicole wanted was to flee her way upstairs. "I''ll go upstairs to get some rest first." Knowing that Nicole must be tired, Gloria said, "Okay, go and get some rest." "Okay." Nicole nodded as she hurried upstairs. Even as they watched Nicole rushing up the flight of steps, her family still found it difficult to reeompose themselves. Sean nced at the top of the steps and decided that he would pop into the set once in a while to keep an eye on Nicole... After going she had gone to her bedroom, Nicole gave herself a rinse andid on the bed, unable to help herself from looking through her phone. And sure enough, when the paparazzi first exposed her photo, everyone began to develop theories and suspicions about her rtionship with Lloyd. Thankfully, the production team hade forward to rify the matter. ¡®Seems to me that Lloyd did that as ast resort,¡¯ she thought. As that thought lingered, Nicole''s phone rang, and upon taking a nce, she saw that it was Lloyd. The moment she epted the call, Lloyd immediately apologized. "I''m sorry, Nicole. You''ve seen the news, haven''t you?" "Yeah, I''ve seen it already," Nicole nodded. Her voice was extremely monotonous, bereft of any emotions, prompting Lloyd to think that she was unhappy, and so, he quickly exined, "I did not know that there would be a paparazzi at the entrance of the headquarters. To avoid any misunderstandings, I had to reveal your role as the heroine. Sorry, I know you hate this sort of attention." Hearing the sincerity in Lloyd''s words, Nicole responded. "It''s okay. Even though I''m not in the entertainment circle, I know the paparazzi are like mites. They can literally be anywhere and everywhere. It''s not like we can just kill them like we do terrorists. "W "Um..."" Lloyd choked on his words. He knew that Nicole was speaking the truth but her use of the word ''kill'' was a little too shocking. "It''s fine. The cast of the female lead will be exposed sooner orter. Since I''ve already decided to help you, I can''t say that I haven''t seen thising," she said. Ever since she returned to San Joto, things about her started to inadvertently reveal themselves one after another One by one, her secrets were exposed and now, as helpless as she was, she was beginning to get used to it already. ¡°That''s good... Thanks for understanding." Lloyd took a deep breath. "Sorry for having to stop the meal so abruptly." Chapter 1657 Chapter 1657 Nicole felt a little helpless upon hearing that. "You loved to apologize back then too. There''s no need for that, really." Lloyd was taken aback. He did not expect Nicole to remember the times when the two of them were out on their missions. Although he was a little older than her, Nicole was such a prodigy that even a well-trained agent such as he had to follow her lead. During several instances, he had almost be dead weight for Nicole, and that soon became a habit. Now, even after he had be the scion of the Holder family, and even when he had not uttered a word of apology to anyone since, he would still retain this particr habit with Nicole. "But I do not want this news to stay trending, and I do not wish to attract too much of an attention. I''ll leave that to you." Nicole said, knowing what Lloyd should do to get the furor to die down. ¡°Alright. Don''t worry, I''ll get someone to settle it ASAP. Havea good sleep," he replied. "will do." Nicole nodded before hanging up. Lloyd pressed the red icon, and proceeded to fix his eyes on the scene outside the window. ''So... she actually still remembers some of the things in the past..." His lips lifted as he let out a happy smile. During the very next morning, as soon as Nicole arrived at school, she had already guessed that many would be surprised to see her, and that the chatter among them would soon ensue. However, she did not know that it would be even worse this time. Indeed, there were already more than a dozen of students waiting for her at the entrance of the school. Nicole got out of the car and her frown became instant as she looked at the crowd standing by the gate. Samuel grinned. "Look, Nicole, you''re famous now. The news of the school having a superstar was trending in the school''s forumst night and some said they wanted an autograph from you. I didn''t think they''d really camp at the gate for you." Nicole was instantly bbergasted. ''When did that happen? Why didn''t I know about it?" And on second thought, she did not even bother to browse through the school forum much to begin with. Staring the crowd before her, Nicole was at loss as to how she was supposed to get into school. If they were a bunch of criminals, she would have just kicked them aside and entered, but the sad truth to her was, all these people here were just students. Just when she was at her wit''s end, Austin suddenly appeared with Sammey and the gang in tow. "Make way, make way! Don''t harass Nicole!" ¡°Move it, you lot! How is our boss supposed to enter the gate with you fools crowding around here!?" Seeing that the school bully was here, everyone there hoping for Nicole''s autograph could only take a step back. Those who had been cordoned off by the gang dared not take another further step forward. Samuel and Spencerughed out loud in astonishment. This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org. "Nicole, your underlings here are surely useful." Austin being Nicole''s underling was already an open secret at school. Because of this, naturally, Samuel and Spencer knew about it too. "Yeah. I never felt him being so useful before." Nicole raised a brow, feeling that Austin was quite the sight for sore eyes today. As soon as Austin noticed that Nicole was looking toward the direction from which she hade, he immediately ran over. " Boss, I''ll be here to send you in! Don''t you worry. With me around, No one will dare to harass you!" Nicole shed Austin a faint smile. "Good work." Nicole rarely ever smiled at him, and this smile was so radiant that it felt as though it could light the sun up as well. That made Austin''s heart skip a beat, enchanting him for a moment. ¡°Austin, bro..." Noticing Austin standing there like a statue, Sammey elbowed him by reflex. It was only then that Austin snapped back into reality as he shook his head and gave Nicole a gesture of invitation. Boss!" Immediately after, Nicole swaggered into school under the protection of a bunch of her underlings. Chapter 1658 Chapter 1658 Many had looks of jealousy on their faces as Nicole sauntered into the ssroom block. "What you''re staring at? Have you never seen a pretty girl before?" "That''s right! Stop crowding around here! Get back to ss!" Austin, Sammey and the gang guarded Nicole while yelling at everyone to leave her alone. Those who had wanted to see Nicole''s face, or even those who had brought a notebook for Nicole to sign had to give up as soon as they saw that Nicole waspletely surrounded, making it so that there was no way for them to get an autograph. Still, everyone from the tenth to twelfth grade had seen how Nicole had walked into her ssroom with such swagger. Raine was extremely jealous at the sight of that. Neither she nor her sister had ever received such treatment when they were the school beauties. As of now, Nicole was not only the school beauty, for she was also making a debut in the entertainment industry with Lloyd in her very first gig, making things for her all the more astonishing. All content is ? N0velDrama.Org. Raine, on the other hand, was almost driven to madness by her jealousy. ''If only that flower pot had fallen on Nicole that day, she wouldn''t have been able to act! Screw those two bozos!¡¯ Gritting her teeth, she could not resist herself from sneering when Nicole walked past her ssroom. "Instead of studying, what is a student doing in the filming industry? Where are your priorities?" Raine mocked. The second Nicole heard Raine''s voice, she paused for a moment. If it was before, Nicole would have just ignored Raine, but as of recent, Raine had proven herself to be a piece of work, and as such, there was no longer a need for Nicole to treat her with kids'' gloves. "As far as I recall, my academic results are far better than yours, so what right do you have to pass judgment on any of my activities?" Nicole retorted. The moment she said that, everyone fixed their gaze on Raine at once. Although Raine''s grades were decent, they were not remotely evenparable to the top dog''s that was Nicole''s. Even if they were not of the same grade, Nicole would almost always pass with perfect grades and with flying colors every time, which was something Raine had never achieved before. "You! uy "You what? Cat got your tongue? Or are you feeling a little ashamed with those academic result of yours?" Nicole sneered back. W I ! W "I what? Have you not been subjected to enough humiliation after the volleyball got your face last week?" Nicole mockingly brought up the incident from before. This instantly drew a sea of sniggers from the crowd. Thest time Raine went about trending on the forum was because of that picture with her eyes rolled backward. It was truly hrious. Seeing that she had be the object of ridicule by everyone, Raine was red with embarrassment. She stomped her feet and leered. "Hmph! Just you wait, Nicole! " After that, she ran into her ssroom to hide. Austin, Samuel and Spencer were quite surprised. Nicole would normally remain low-key and her icy temperament meant that she could not even be bothered to suffer fools like Raine. As it turned out, she was just being merciful. ¡®If she really wants to grill someone, the other party would stand no chance against her at all!¡¯ "Boss, you''re amazing!" Austin said, tooting her horn on her behalf. In reply, Nicole shot him a nce and said, "She asked for it." "Yes, yes! You''re right, Boss!" Austin guffawed. Nicole remained silent as she walked straight into her ssroom. Noticing that Austin was escorting Nicole into the ssroom, the entire ss, which had been waiting to get Nicole''s autograph, all returned to their seats. The moment Nicole sat down, Austin nced at everyone in ss. He then gave them a warning look as he raised his voice. "Nicole is here to study, so let me make this clear. No one is allowed to harass her for any autographs or selfies, or else, you can forget about going back hometer!" This warning caused everyone to cower a little. Gary, Jack and Wayne were the only one who did not react. After all, they did not want Nicole''s autograph to begin with. Seeing that his threat had worked, Austin turned to Nicole and said, "Boss, ss is almost starting. I''ll head off first." Chapter 1659 Chapter 1659 ¡°Okay. Thanks, and sorry for all the trouble." Nicole looked up as she gave him a gentle praise. "Not at all! It''s no trouble at all! It''s my privilege to serve you, boss!" After he had spoken, Austin quickly left Nicole''s ssroom. Although the entire school knew that Austin idolized Nicole, they had never seen him being so partial and protective of her; he was like an alpha wolf to the others, and an obedient dog to her. Their dynamic was truly difficult to exin in words. Yet, no one could afford to offend and anger Austin, so they could only bear with it. As expected of them, they all ced their books away. Bradley tucked his book away as well before he whispered, " Nicole... You''re just too damn awesome." ¡®She actually got Austin to help clear the way for her. Who would dare to surround Nicole now?'' he thought. This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org. ¡°Yeah, Austin''s threatening demeanor earlier was really scary." Lulu looked out of the door in fear. Nicole nced at the three of them. "He''s just threatening the others. That has nothing to do with you three." Lulu and June were both good friends of hers, so Austin would nevery his hands on them. Bradley, however, immediately perked up as soon as he heard that. "Does that mean...you can give me an autograph?" Nicole instantly rolled her eyes at him with Lulu following suit. Even June shook her head, thinking that Bradley was totally hopeless... ¡®Nicole will not give anyone an autograph, and that dude seriously thought he would get one?'' Bradley scratched his head in embarrassment. "Why are you guys looking at me like that...?" He really had no idea what was going on. Nicole could not be bothered with him anymore, so she turned around and prepared for ss. Behind her, Gary had been staring at Nicole, and the dark circles under his eyes were even more pronounced. He had stayed up all night the day before to crack the protection, and with the thought that Nicole might very well be Lucifer, he could not sleep at all. Even now, he had the urge to rush over and ask if Nicole was Lucifer. However, Lucifer was among the best of hackers and it was not something one could ask in public... ¡®It seems to me that I can only find an opportunity to test her...'' he schemed. With Austin''s threat, Nicole had a veryfortable day in ss. Even the seniors dared not find trouble with her. After the afternoon self-study session, Lulu immediately came to Nicole after ss. "Nicole, do you know that the two girls who threw the flower pot down has been given a major infraction?" Nicole nodded. "I''ve heard about it." Deep down, however, Nicole knew that this was too light a punishment. Her real goal was not to just get them a major infraction, but to lure Raine, the mastermind behind this whole incident, out. Lulu leaned in even closer this time as she whispered, "I heard that the parents of the two girls came to school in the morning, iming that their daughters were being ordered to do that against their will.¡± ¡°Oh? The parents got involved?" Nicole raised her eyebrow. She had thought that the two girls would look for the school authorities to reveal the true culprit, but she did not expect that their parents would show up too. It seemed to her that the two girls were still adamant about saving Raine''s rear, but their parents had not approved of that. The corner of Nicole''s lips lifted as she smiled, for things were about to get more interesting. She then feigned ignorance and asked, "Say, who was the one behind all this?" The moment Nicole brought that up, Lulu became angry. "I heard that it was Raine, but someone was keeping the news under wraps and were trying their best to keep it from spreading! I just happened to walk past the volleyball team room and overheard that, and it seems that the school has invited the parents over for a talkter." Upon hearing that Raine''s parents had been summoned, Nicole''s smile widened. For some reason, when Lulu saw Nicole''s smile, she an inexplicable chill running down her spine. ¡°How about we go and have a look for ourselves?" Nicole shed Lulu a wicked smile, knowing that Lulu loved gossips. Chapter 1660 Chapter 1660 Lulu was taken aback. This is from N?velDrama.Org. "Huh? But you...Don''t you hate listening to gossip?" ¡®What''s up with Nicole today? Wasn''t it her who had the initiative to bring me here to see the fun?¡¯ Lulu asked herself. ¡°Who''s the one who should be indemnified? She almost hit you!" Nicole''s eyes narrowed. If Nicole had not given Lulu a little nudge, she would not have struck out at Raine so ruthlessly. It was then that Lulu realized that she had gone a little too far. '' Nicole won''t ever let her stay in this school in peace!'' Lulu was left feeling overwhelmed when she found out that Nicole had transferred to her school so that she could take good care of her. "I''ve heard that the principal was already notified about it. Even if we go there, we won''t be able to catch a glimpse of anything..." Lulu said. Though Lulu wanted to have a peek of whatever was happening, she knew she did not have the authority to enter the ce. "It''s okay, I''ll take you in." Nicole rose to her feet. "Hey! Nicole!" Though the next period was a self-study ss, it was still nota good idea for them to just get up and leave. In spite of this, Nicole threw all of her care out of the window and walked out of the ssroom anyway, with Lulu gritting her teeth as she follow Nicole out. Lulu was aware of Nicole''s position in all of this. If she said that she could get them both in, they would definitely be able to. Soon, they arrived at the front of the principal''s office and stood still by the door, listening to vague voices of usation from the other side. "It was not easy for our daughter to get into Royal Creek. She has been forced into this. How can she be given a severe punishment while the culprits get away with it? It''s not fair to us!" a voice belted out, and at that instant, Nicole and Lulu knew it was the voice of the mother of one of the two girls. ¡°How many times have I said this? It wasn''t my daughter who had instigated this! They did this on their own volition!" a familiar voice argued. Karen was still as arrogant and domineering as ever, even in Royal Creek. In the past, she might have been terrified of Mr. Ellison, but now that the Riddle family had given Karen the recognition and credit, she had developed a sense of bravado, allowing her to yell in front of Mr. Ellison''s face. Seeing this, Nicole''s eyes darkened. "Ms. Riddle, please calm down...," Mr. Ellison said. Nicole''s grimace became even more pronounced. If it was not for her reputation, Mr. Ellison would have called Karen Ms. Marquez. However, Karen was still intent on abuse her power by bullying and embarrassing others. ''How can I just tolerate this?¡¯ With that in mind, Nicole kicked the principal''s door open with a loud bang, flinging it wide open. This stunned everyone in the room, especially Mr. Ellison. Throughout his entire tenure, there was not a single student who had dared to kick his door. Mr. Ellison was about to fly off the handle, bit when he realized that the person who kicked his door was Nicole, he choked on his words, gasping for breath before stiffly forcing himself to change the look on his face. ¡°Nicole? Why are you here? Come inside quickly..." Mr. Ellison gently said to Nicole. Everyone in the room saw how quickly Mr. Ellison''s expression changed as they stared nkly at the door. Karen had not expected Nicole to show up, as she had only made her way to school on the behalf of her daughter, Raine. Chapter 1661 Chapter 1661 Everyone was speechless as Mr. Ellison''s demeanor underwent a 360-degree shift when Nicole appeared. The atmosphere in the room was now awkward where all but one had inexplicably be a little timid. The parents of the other two students were not from distinct families, so it made sense that neither of them knew who Nicole was. Still, they were perplexed to have Mr. Ellison addressing Nicole the way he did. ¡®Is it possible that she is also from the Riddle family? Karen was difficult enough to deal with and now, we have another that Mr. Ellison knows well too. It is hard enough for us to prove our daughter''s innocence.'' Nicole looked at the couple who were eyeing one another and with frosty eyes, she asked, "Are you the two girls who had thrown the pots at us?" The other party was nothing more than just a student, though she realized that her identity might presumably be unusual. The father of one of the students stepped forward and unconvincingly, he said, ''So what if my daughter had lost grip of the flowerpot? She forced them into it!" As he spoke, he pointed at Karen''s back with righteous indignation. Raine raised her chin and looked at the other student''s parents with an expression of disbelief. ''Don''t spout nonsense if you don''t have a shred of evidence!" ¡°What kind of evidence do you want!? These two students here are the witnesses!" The father of the other student argued, fearing that Nicole would not give them a chance to prove themselves. Mr. Ellison interrupted them and in an icy tone, he said, "Enough. What kind of ce do you think this is? It''s not a market for you to negotiate, let alone debate. All of you will be expelled!" After hearing Mr. Ellison''s words, the parents of the two girls kept mum, not daring to utter another word. Noticing that Mr. Ellison was talking to her, Karen immediately got excited and perked up, "Mr. Ellison, I didn''t want to attend this meeting today, but since the matter has been cleared up, I will leave." Mr. Ellison was having a headache, but upon seeing that Nicole hade to support her family members, he could only grit his teeth and let the matter go. However, before he could open his mouth to say another word, Nicole sat down across from him and said, "I didn''t get the chance to exin this matter clearly, but I was the one who had been hit by the pot, so that should count right?" As soon as these words left her mouth, everyone present in the room was stunned. Mr. Ellison was dumbfounded too, and it took some time for him to react. "Hit..." He immediately looked at Lulu who had followed Nicole here. "Are you the one who was hit by the flowerpot?" Lulu had never spoken to Mr. Ellison before, and so, she was nervous. Racked by anxiety, she awkwardly stated, "I should have been the one that the pot had fallen on...but Nicole saved me, and her shoulders got hurt because of it..." When everyone heard that Nicole had been struck by the falling flowerpot, they all gasped, with Raine secretly feeling a gush of pride at her victory. ''I thought those two did not manage to hit her, but I didn''t know that she got hurt trying to protect Lulu! Serves her right.'' Nicole noticed the nonchnt expression on Raine''s face, and her eyes narrowed slightly. ''She is still unwilling to repent. This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org. I ought to teach her a lesson today!'' Then, Nicole crossed her legs and looked at everyone. "I''ve seen the video. The one who had thrown the flowerpot was your daughter, am I right?" The parents noticed that there was a chance for them to plead their innocence, and thus, they immediately responded, " Although the video has proven that it was our daughters'' doing, it was her who had forced them into it! Raine was the one who had forced them. There were other people present too. They could all testify!" The moment Karen heard that, she became livid. "The principal had sent someone to look for witnesses, but no one came forward to testify. Stop spouting baseless usations!" Raine added on with a cold expression, "Exactly! Spewing nonsense without evidence? Be careful or I''ll sue you for ndering!" Nicole could not stop herself from squinting her eyes upon noticing how arrogant Raine was. "Raine, I don''t care what other people say. I just want to ask you, was it you who had coerced someone into throw a flowerpot at me?" Raine did not foresee that Nicole would target her so suddenly. She was stunned, and it took her a moment before she could even react. She wanted to deny the usation, but upon staring into Nicole''s eyes, she stuttered, "I...I...It wasn''t me!" Chapter 1662 Chapter 1662 Though Raine had finally summoned the courage to deny it, the truth had be clear when she stuttered. Karen had learned about this incident on her way to Royal Creed, so she immediately stepped up to defend her daughter. "Nicole, what do you mean? Are you going to trust the words from outsiders more than your own cousin?" ''This damn girl, Nicole! Does she know the meaning of ''blood is thicker than water''? Just look at her watching those people uttering nonsense!'' Nicole shot Karen a piercing re. "I was asking her, not you!" Karen''s heart froze, and she stood there, riveted to the ground for amoment. ''When did this brat develop such an attitude?!¡¯ It was only then that Mr. Ellison realized that Nicole''s intention was not to protect another member of the Riddle family. ording to his assessment, Raine was a bit of a shmuck, for out of everyone she could''ve picked on, she had chosen to pick on Nicole. As such, she ought to know what Nicole was capable of if someone offended her, and that she would not be merciful toward them, not even if they were her own blood rtives. Mr. Ellison broke the tension with an awkward cough, and in an icy tone, he said, "Raine, you have to think clearly about this. I can get someone to investigate this matter and if everyone on the volleyball team points out that you''ve done it, you won''t be given achance to repent for your wrongdoings!" Raine totally did not expect that Mr. Ellison would side with Nicole. She began to feel a little hurt in her heart, but then again, the people on the volleyball team were hers, so she had nothing to be afraid of. "Do whatever you like. I''m not afraid of you!" Raine held her breath and attempted to defy them. And as Nicole was not expecting Raine toe clean, she shed her a cold smile. ''''Why is there still a need to ask the people around us?" Nicole''s words immediately caught Mr. Ellison''s attention, and he gave Nicole a nce. "There''s no need for it?" The parents in the room were confused as they did not understand why Mr. Ellison would look at Nicole in the eye. Even Karen and Raine were confused, not knowing what to make of the energy in the room. ¡®In the past the Riddle family had to beg Mr. Ellison, and now, things have changed. He is now nothing but respectful to Nicole. The Riddle family has never experienced this sort of treatment before! '' Nicole coldly nced at the parents, and then at Raine, after which she said, "Those girls never had any grievances or hostility with me. It''s impossible for them to target me on purpose, and when I was ying yesterday, I made a mistake and knocked Raine out, so it would make perfect sense that she wanted revenge. W Without warning, Nicole directly pointed the finger at herself without summoning any witnesses, causing Raine to be rmed. "Don''t go around spewing nonsense!" Raine yelled. Nicole coldly sneered. "Whether I am spewing hogwash or not, you know the truth deep down. This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org. Yesterday, I just happened to look up and you were obviously there, yesterday!" Raine, who was taken aback, stepped forward angrily, " Impossible! When they dropped the flowerpot, I was watching you from the ssroom, you couldn''t have seen me at all!" As soon as these words exited her mouth, everyone in the office became silent. It was not long before the father of one of the students came to his senses. "Well, would you look at that? She admitted it! She was watching from the ssroom!" he said. "You ordered them to do it!" In an instant, Raine became the target of the parents in the office. It was only then that she realized she had been tricked by Nicole into exposing herself in front of everyone. Chapter 1663 Chapter 1663 Karen was not expecting her daughter to be so foolish that all it took was a few words from Nicole to get her to expose her crimes. "You stupid girl! What kind of crap are you spewing?" Karen jabbed Raine''s head angrily, but it was already toote, for the damage had been done. As Raine had told them the full ount of her actions, Mr. Ellison could not turn a blind eye on this matter. "It seems to me that the truth has been unveiled. Raine, do you have anything else to say?" Mr. Ellison coughed, prompting everyone to fall silent again. "Mr. Ellison, it was a mistake. I didn''t think before I said what I said! No, I saw them throwing the flowerpots but I didn''t instruct them to do so!" Raine''s face nched as she tried to convince Mr. Ellison her innocence. It was then that Lulu became sick of the liesing out of Raine''s mouth. "At that time, school was over for a while, and those who wanted to leave had already left! If you weren''t the one who started this, how could you be in the ssroom with them?" ¡®Who are you trying to kid?¡¯ "Shut up!" Raine was flustered as she did not expect that Lulu would dare to question her. "The only person that needs to shut up is you!"'' Nicole suddenly stood in front of Lulu and shoved Raine away. ¡°As a senior student, you''re awfully petty. If you''ve lost the game fair and square, you should wait for the next game to make up for the loss. This is not an excuse for you to coerce your ssmates into engaging in criminal activity. If the flowerpot had hit someone else, the school would be held ountable! People like you should not be in school!" Nicole yelled, spelling out all of Raine''s crimes. Mr. Ellison was stunned for a moment; he had thought of other serious punishable offenses, but he did not foresee that Nicole would attempt to get her cousin expelled. "Nicole! What do you mean! Do you wish to have your cousin expelled!?'' Karen shouted, anxious to protect Raine. "Don''t forget that we are a family. What good wille out of you using your own family members?!" Nicole snorted coldly. "It won''t be good for me, but it''ll good for Mr. Ellison, won''t it Mr. Ellison?" She nced at an appalled Mr. Ellison. He looked at Nicole, who was waiting for him to express his opinions on this issue. Now that the Riddle family was in full swing, it was safe to say that he could only take this opportunity to be on their good side, and to keep the connection between them neutral. Mr. Ellison had also kept in mind that the Riddle family had relied on Nicole in this situation, and therefore, if Nicole wanted to have Raine expelled, he could only... Mr. Ellison gritted his teeth and said, "Royal Creed would never keep a student of morally questionable character. At such a young age, she has already coerced her ssmates into hurting others. Fortunately, nothing tragic happened this time. If something had happened, the school would be held responsible for it, and what would that do to the school''s reputation? You all know this." Karen''s heart sank the instant she heard Mr. Ellison''s words. "Mr. Ellison, what do you mean? You don''t really want to expel Raine, do you? You and my father-in- law..." "Shut up! Don''t embarrass Mr. Riddle Sr.!" he interrupted. Nicole knew that Karen would do something without thinking it through by ying the emotional card. "If he knew that Raine was acting like this in school, he wouldn''t have just stood by and allowed her to bring shame to the family name like that. You might as well go home and tell him all about it and see how he''ll deal with her!" This time, Raine''s face turned pale with fright. "Don''t... All content is ? N0velDrama.Org. don''t tell grandpa." Mr. Riddle Sr. had always been known to be strict, but now, things had changed as he truly doted on Nicole. If he was clued in on the happenings at school, he would punish Raine severely. Karen began to choke, and she bit her lower lip before saying, " Very well, Nicole. I guess you''re using your grandfather''s name to silence me now, huh?!" In reply, Nicole snorted coldly. "So what?" Mr. Ellison had never witnessed Nicole being so ruthless and unreasonable. ''It seems that this matter has hit the bottom line this time.'' "Enough! Go and settle your family affairs back home. This is Royal Creed. I''ve said enough. Royal Creed will not have such a student. Starting from tomorrow, she won''t be a student here anymore!" Mr. Ellison mmed the table violently. Chapter 1664 Chapter 1664 Karen suddenly burst into tears, "Mr. Ellison, you can''t do this to us!" Raine and Snow were both students at Royal Creed, and everyone in the family looked up to them. If Raine got expelled, what good would it bring to their reputation? "Get out of my office now, or else I''ll get security." "Mr. Ellison, please don''t. I know what I did was wrong, but can you not expel me?" Raine pleaded. It was only when it was toote that Raine realized that she had messed up and hurriedly begged Mr. Ellison for mercy. "It''s toote now. If you had admitted to the truth earlier, I would have been more lenient. Now, please leave my office." Mr. Ellison urged both Karen and Raine to leave his office immediately, having lost his patience with them. The parents of the two other students breathed sighs of relief knowing that Raine had been expelled. All content is ? N0velDrama.Org. ¡°Yeah! Hurry up and leave! Don''t embarrass yourselves further!" "That''s right! If Royal Creed kept a student like you, it would tarnish the school''s image entirely! Please leave!" ¡°you! Shut your mouths!" Karen shrieked. It was the first time Karen had reacted so disrespectfully in the public eye, so much so that her face had turned green. Nicole shot Karen a frosty nce. ''Why aren''t you leaving? Are you waiting for Mr. Ellison to get the security to escort you out?" "You!!'' Karen was fuming mad, baring her teeth while staring at Nicole furiously. "Nicole, I will make you regret this. I won''t let this slide so easily!" Nicole gave her a nk stare and said, "You''re wee to try anytime." Karen noticed that she could not win this battle against Nicole, so she turned around and stormed off. She decided to head home and think of other alternatives with Damien. Raine too did not expect her mother to give in so easily. Seeing that Karen was leaving, she followed her mother out the door. "Mom! Mom, don''t ignore me!" From a distance, Karen could be heard yelling, "Don''t call me your mother! I don''t have a daughter as embarrassing as yourself! "W Once the mother and daughter duo had left, Mr. Ellison took a nce at the other parents. "Are you satisfied now? Raine has been expelled, and your daughters who had done the deed has been absolved. Is there anything else you want?" Noticing Mr. Ellison''s assertiveness, they hurriedly said, "No, no. We are really pleased with how it was handled." "Yeah, we thank you so much, Mr. Ellison," they said. The other parents quickly left after they had spoken. The office then became quiet, after which Mr. Ellison looked at Nicole and sighed. "I didn''t know that you were the one who had been attacked by Raine. Otherwise, I wouldn''t have spared her so lightly." Nicole nodded and gratefully stated, "I was the one who had taken the liberty of bothering you about the issue today anyway." Mr. Ellison noticed Nicole''s polite demeanor and smiled. "It seems that she has tested your limits. Otherwise you wouldn''t have brought your grandfather''s reputation into it and insisted on expelling her." Nicole smiled, knowing that Mr. Ellison was one of her confidants. He really knew her well. "Yes, she almost got my friend hurt." Lulu was moved by the words Nicole had said. Nicole had brought her here because of her, not because of Nicole herself. ¡®If Raine wasn''t on the verge of hurting me, she would not have gotten Mr. Ellison to expel Raine. She didn''t really have to do this, as she was the one who had gotten hurt.'' Lulu thought of how serious Nicole''s injuries were and began to feel an inexplicable sense of guilt. "Nicole, you were the one who got hurt but... you''re so considerate of me..." Nicole shook her head. "It''s okay. Anyway, it''s almost time to go. Let''s not bother Mr. Ellison anymore." Lulu nodded and said, "Thank you Mr. Ellison." Mr. Ellison nodded and took another look at Lulu. ''I didn''t expect Nicole to cherish this ordinary student. I can''t overlook what''s toe in the future.¡¯ "You''re wee, now off you go to your sses," he said. "Okay." Nicole nodded, whereupon she left Mr. Ellison''s office with Lulu. After closing the door behind them, Lulu spoke with mixed feelings in her head. "Nicole, I think it''s a bit too much for you to sever your rtionship with your cousin..." Nicole shook her head. "It''s not because of you. Raine had never considered me as a cousin, and she had continuously screwed with me in school. Even if this never happened, I would have found ways to make her leave this school sooner orter." Chapter 1665 Chapter 1665 Lulu nodded; she knew that Nicole had said this to make her feel better. "No matter what, I still have to thank you Nicole." Lulu looked at her sincerely. In return, Nicole smiled. "Let''s go. Don''t take it so formal. We have to go back to do some self-studying.¡± "Let''s go!" The two of them went back to ss together, but as soon as they arrived, they bumped into Ms. Emerson. "Nicole, where have you been?" Ms. Emerson hade to check on the self-study ss and found that Nicole was nowhere to be found, and the ss the Vivian was managing was an utter mess. Nicole proceeded to give her an honest answer. "I went to the principal''s office." "The principal was looking for you?'' Ms. Emerson was surprised but did not press on further. "In that case, off you go. All content is ? N0velDrama.Org. Hurry up and go back to your ss. It''s a mess without you." "Okay." Nicole nodded and walked into the ssroom while Ms. Emerson issued a sigh of relief, as she could not do anything without Nicole''s help. As soon as Nicole entered the ss, everyone began to quiet down. As expected, Nicole''s presence alone managed to curb everyone''s incorrigibility. Then, Ms. Emerson walked in as Nicole and Lulu returned to their seats. "Nicole...your presence is more impactful than the teacher''s. No wonder she wanted you to go in first. These people won''t dare to cause a ruckus when they see you," Lulu said in a low whisper. Nicole raised her eyebrows. ''Is that so? I didn''t think this was possible...I thought everyone preferred to keep to themselves now? But then again, they are quiet when I''m around anyway...'' In a blink of an eye, the school day had finally ended. The students got up, packed their things, and left. Nicole was still in her seat packing her things up, but it was at this time that Gary walked up to Nicole and handed her a bag. "Here, it''s for you." Gary''s face was red with embarrassment, and he did not know where to look. Nicole raised her eyebrows and asked, "What is this?" ¡®It can''t be another book on learning how to program, can it?'' she wondered. Gary rubbed his nose and lowered his voice, ''I heard you were injured, so I got you some medicine that''s very useful.¡± Gary had spent a lot of money to purchase the best medicine engineered to promote blood cirction and remove blood clots. Nicole was stunned for a moment there. She did not expect him to know that she had been injured, and thus, she coldly refused. ''''There''s no need for that, I''m almost well." Nicole had The Beacon, which was leagues beyond any medicinal drug on the market. However, Gary brushed her dismissal aside and ced the bag on her table anyway. "Just keep it, it''s not expensive." After he had spoken, he walked away with his hands in his pockets. Jack and Wayne, who had happened to witness it, quickly followed Gary and together, they left the ce. Both of them gave Gary a secret thumbs up, and whispered as he walked out, "That was very smooth!!" Hearing that, Nicole began to mentallyin, ¡®Smooth my ass!! Do they really think that giving a woman a gift is all it takes to be smooth?'' Bradley noticed the icon on the bag, and his eyes widened. "This medicine is quite hard to get. He must''ve really put his heart into it..." After he had spoken, he felt that something was amiss. "Nicole, Gary has..." Chapter 1666 Chapter 1666 Lulu and June rolled their eyes at him. ''He just knew this? How dense could he be!?" "You''re so thick in the head! Stop bbering if you don''t know crap." Bradley gave them an innocent stare in return. "I-I was just guessing..." ¡°Let''s go, Nicole." June left the school with Nicole as she did not want to talk to Bradley anymore. But Bradley was still confused as he thought, ''I''ll never understand girls.¡¯ Then, Nicole bade Lulu and June farewell before walking to the school entrance. Meanwhile, Spencer and Samuel were already waiting for Nicole anxiously over there. Nicole saw how worried they were and asked, "What happened?" Spencer gave Samuel a look of defeat. "I have no idea. Mom called us and she sounded very worried when she told us to take you back home once we''re done with school. I think it has something to do with Uncle Dillion..." Nicole immediately understood what was going on when she heard that; Karen had caused a scene. Nicole did not expect Karen to be so shameless that she wouldin to Mr. Riddle Sr. "It''s nothing. Come on, let''s go." Nicole said without borating any further and got into the car. The brothers exchanged looks and got into the car as well. After they had hurriedly taken a seat, Spencer had a hunch that Nicole knew something. "Nicole, you look so calm. You know something, don''t you? What is so serious that we have to go home? 1 Nicole did not have anything to hide, so she said, "Raine got expelled." ¡°Huh?! Why?" Spencer was shocked. Samuel was stunned as well. N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. "The principal is friends with grandpa, and he was the one who got Raine into our school. He wouldn''t expel her, would he?" Nicole looked at them from the rear-view mirror. "I was the one who made it happen." "What?!" Spencer''s eyes widened. "What happened?" Samuel quickly asked. "Was Raine giving you a hard time again?" Nicole knew that they were concerned about her, but she did not say much. "You''ll know once we get home." "Okay, but if she dares to pick on you, I''ll teach her a lesson myself!" Samuel dered. ¡°Same here," Spencer added through gritted teeth as well. Nicole felt loved when she saw how protective her brothers were of her, but she was not one to be messed with either. Their chauffeur arrived at the Riddle family manor in a short span of time, after which the three of them got off and walked into the house with the butler. As soon as they stepped foot in the house, they could hear Karen whining. "Dad! You''ve got to say something for us! Nicole has be very disrespectful now! She was threatening me and talking back to me in public! You have to do something about Raine being expelled too!" Mr. Riddle Sr. was getting a headache from her moaning. "That''s enough. I''ll ask Nicole when shees home." Chapter 1667 Chapter 1667 At that moment, Nicole had already walked into the living hall." Grandpa, I''m home." Mr. Riddle Sr. looked much calmer when he saw Nicole. "Aw, you''re back! Come, have a seat!" "Dad, how could you let this girl sit down?! She did such terrible things to Raine and I today! She deserves to stand on her feet as punishment!" Karen pointed at Nicole and scowled. However, Nicole immediately sat down the moment she heard Karen saying that. She looked at Karen with her chin up and asked, "Aunt Karen, can you please tell us what I did that was so terrible that grandpa has to punish me?" The arrogant look on her face seemed nothing like the sort of expression that a guilty soul would show. Dillion was livid when he saw Nicole acting like that. "Don''t you know what you did?! You went to the principal''s office to tell on Raine, didn''t you?! You got her expelled!" Gloria and Daniel had not arrived yet, so when Spencer and Samuel saw how Dillion and Karen were ganging up on Nicole, they quickly defended her. "Uncle Dillion, Aunt Karen, we still don''t know what had happened yet. You''re both adults. It''s not appropriate to point your fingers at my sister like that, don''t you think?" Dillion did not expect these kiddos to go against him, so he went off at Samuel. "Shut it! Who are you?! How dare you talk back to me?!" Nicole''s expression darkened when Dillion yelled at Samuel. " Uncle Dillion, don''t you think you''re a hypocrite? You can be disrespectful and yell at us, but we aren''t allowed to fight back?" "Disrespectful?!" Dillion red at Nicole, desperately wanting to kill her. Mr. Riddle Sr. was not having it anymore. "Okay, that''s enough from all of you!" Dillion finally calmed down a little. After all, they wanted Mr. Riddle Sr. to be partial to them, so they could not afford to anger him. Mr. Riddle Sr. turned to Nicole when the situation had cooled down. "Nicole, what happened exactly?" "Dad!" Karen yelled. She had already told him everything when they came over, so she did not think that he would still give Nicole a chance to speak. This is from N?velDrama.Org. Nicole looked over at Karen and said, "J think Aunt Karen had already told you the story, but I don''t know if she told you that Raine got expelled because she ordered two students to drop a flowerpot on me." Karen squinted as she already thought of what to say before she came. "Stop exaggerating things here! Okay, even if Raine foolishly got someone to drop a flowerpot on you, you were still the one who had knocked her out with a volleyball first!" Raine began to throw a pity party upon hearing that. Yeah, look, grandpa. My pictures are still online too. Nicole really did smash my face in with a volleyball." Mr. Riddle Sr. looked at the picture where Raine was on the ground with her eyes at the back of her head. Then, he quickly turned to Nicole in shock. "Nicole, you really..." "Yeah, but it''s normal to get hurt inpetitions, isn''t it? I didn''t pick on Raine. After all, she was the one who insisted that the teacher allowed us to get into volleyball match. Can''t bear losing now, can you?" Nicole argued. "You''re twisting the story! You were evidently picking on me!" Raine fought back angrily. Nicole scoffed at her. "Everyone who was present at that time can attest to the fact that you''re the one who served the ball. You''re the one who was targeting me. You directed the ball at me. If you didn''t, I wouldn''t have struck back!" ¡°Why you!" Raine''s face turned pale. She did not expect Nicole to be so good at arguing! She felt that Nicole had just been ying dumb in the past. Karen gritted her teeth when she saw that her daughter had been defeated in that argument. "Well, you still yed foul! Even if Raine did impulsively get someone to throw a flowerpot at you, you''re still standing here all fine, aren''t you?! How could you run to Mr. Ellison and get your cousin expelled?!" Nicole scoffed. Who said that I wasn''t injured?" She immediately pulled her cor open and exposed a worrying bruise. "If this isn''t an injury, then what is?!" Chapter 1668 Chapter 1668 Karen and Dillion were stumped. Though Nicole had mentioned that she was hurt, she did not show anyone the injury in the principal''s office, so they all thought that the injury was minor. None of them knew that Nicole was so badly hurt. At that moment, Mr. Riddle Sr. This is from N?velDrama.Org. decided that he could not bear to watch any further. Raine, what do you have to say for yourself?!" The moment her grandfather yelled at her, Raine immediately knelt down. ''G-Grandpa..." She herself was not aware that Nicole was suffering such a serious injury as thetter still looked fine and dandy. She was able to argue her case with much conviction too. Karen''s heart broke the instant she saw her daughter kneeling down. "Dad, Raine didn''t know that Nicole was so badly injured... Please forgive her..." ¡°Did grandpa not forgive her, or were you and your daughter just trying to argue about who''s right and who is wrong, Aunt Karen?" Nicole scoffed. ''Now you''re backing down? Too little toote!¡¯ Mr. Riddle Sr. had lost all his patience for Raine as well. "You''re in the wrong, yet you still came here to whine? How did your parents raise you?!" In a single sentence, Mr. Riddle Sr. had lectured Raine and humiliated both Dillion and Karen! It was as if he was saying that Raine was not raised right. Karen''s grimace turned ugly, but she still held her tongue. After all, she still needed Mr. Riddle Sr.''s help. "Dad, I admit that I have not taught her well, but you can''t just sit and watch as your granddaughter get expelled, right?"'' Karen gritted her teeth. She just wanted Mr. Riddle Sr. to help Raine out. Unfortunately for her, Nicole saw through her act. "Aunt Karen, hasn''t Mr. Ellison made it clear? A student like Raine would only tarnish our school''s name! Do you really want her to stay in school and embarrass our family?" "Nicole, you better shut it!" Dillion yelled, knowing that Nicole did not want Raine to attend the Royal Creek Institute anymore. ¡®This damned gir] is just too evil!" he thought. "I sure can, but this is a fact. You can''t just get grandpa to talk to Mr. Ellison, can you? If this goes out to the public, grandpa is going to be humiliated! People would think that our family is making things difficult for Mr. Ellison!" Nicole argued. Nicole''s words reached into Mr. Riddle Sr.''s heart. ¡®Yeah, the Riddle family is not the same anymore. We''re making a name for ourselves now, so people will definitely think that 1am pushing Mr. Ellison to a corner if I go and talk to him!'' It was then that Mr. Riddle Sr. made up his mind. "This is settled then! I will not consult Mr. Ellison. She should face the consequence of her own actions! Get someone to find her another school!" "Dad!!!" Karen was stunned, unable toprehend how Nicole could make Mr. Riddle Sr. give up on Raine with just a few words. "Grandpa, no! If I get expelled, no schools in San Joto would ept me!" Raine cried. It was an ultimate embarrassment to be kicked out of Royal Creek Institute, so no prestigious school in San Joto would ept her anymore. Nicole saw that Raine was already sobbing, but she still said ina cold voice, "Hey, if you knew this would happen, why would you even do that in the first ce? At the end of the day, you put yourself in this situation. You''re an adult, so it¡¯s time for you to face the consequences yourself now." Mr. Riddle Sr. immediately stood up after Nicole said that. " Consider this settled! If no schools in San Joto would take you, just go to some second-tier cities!" "Grandpa!" Raine was stunned, for she did not expect her grandfather, who used to be so proud of her and her sister, to be so cruel to her! She quickly grabbed Mr. Riddle Sr. by the foot when he was about to walk away. However, Mr. Riddle Sr. was already able to elude her. "Get lost!" He roared and headed upstairs. Spencer and Samuel were extremely relieved when they saw this unfold! ''How dare she hurt Nicole?! She deserves it!'' At that moment, Karen already knew that despair was all that awaited her daughter, so all she could do was re at Nicole furiously. Chapter 1669 Chapter 1669 "Nicole Riddle! I''m going to kill you!" Karen shrieked. However, before she could dash to Nicole, Samuel blocked her by pushing her away. "Watch yourself, Aunt Karen!" Samuel was strong. Though he was just 20 years old, he was a foot taller than Karen, and so, Karen immediately staggered when he shoved her. "Darling!" Thankfully, Dillion managed to catch his wife in time. It was the first time Karen was treated like this in the Riddle family, and therefore, she red at Samuel angrily. "You! How dare you push me?!" Nicole did not think that Samuel would protect her too. She then stood in front of Karen. Though Karen could never hurt Nicole one bit, Samuel''s actions warmed Nicole''s heart. "So what if I did? With me around here, no one can hurt my sister! " he argued. Raine''s act of hurting Nicole had already left Samuel''s heart broken. Now, if Karen would do so too, he would not tolerate it. "You''re asking for it at this point!" Dillion''s blood boiled as he raised his arm, ready to hit Samuel. But before he could do so, Spencer grabbed his hand. "Uncle Dillion, my sister got hurt because of your daughter. Grandpa was already kind enough to not punish your family, and yet, you still wish to hit Samuel? Do you really want me to get grandpa down here again?" Spencer was not an impulsive guy, and his eyes were filled with dignity. This made Dillion calm down a little. In addition, Mr. Riddle Sr. was furious enough today. If Spencer really did get him toe down again, Dillion would be on the receiving end of a lecture. His position in theirpany was already unstable, so he absolutely could not attempt to raise the ire of Mr. Riddle Sr. So, he threw Spencer''s hand away and grinded his teeth. "Good! Daniel thinks he''s so powerful in this family now, huh? You don''t even respect your uncle anymore! Just you wait!" He was about to leave when he helped his wife up after he had thrown Nicole and her brothers that spiteful remark. Before he walked off, he whirled around to re at Raine, who was still kneeling on the ground. "What are you still doing there?! Do you want to embarrass yourself further?!" Raine then wiped her tears and hobbled off in sorrow. The butler went up to Nicole and her brothers after that difficult family had left. "Young masters, are you going to stay for dinner?" The butler believed that Mr. Riddle Sr. would love to be with them. After all, Mr. Riddle Sr. loved Daniel''s family the most now. "That''s alright, our parents are still waiting for us at home." Samuel shook his head as he wanted to go home as soon as possible. "Okay, I''ll pass this on to Mr. Riddle Sr.," the butler said respectfully. "Sure, we''ll make a move now then." Spencer smiled and left the ce with Nicole and Samuel. The trio breathed a sigh of relief once they had stepped out of the manor. "Raine is so shameless! How could she stille here and whine about it? If I were here, I''d be too embarrassed to even show up!" Spencer said angrily while he opened the car door for Nicole. Samuel scoffed. N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. "She has always been this ridiculous. Oh, but Snow didn''te over today." Nicole smirked. After all, the smartest person in Dillion''s family was Snow. Snow knew that she was going to be lectured, so she would never even bother to show up, even if she had to pretend that she was sick. Chapter 1670 Chapter 1670 "Let''s go home. Mom and dad are probably worried about Nicole," Spencer softly said as they got into the car. When they had arrived back home, they realized that their whole family was in the living room, as if they were waiting in anticipation for any updates. Gloria immediately stood up when she saw Nicole walking in. " Nicole, Samuel, and Spencer. Are you all okay? Did Dillion make things difficult for you?" Nicole quickly smiled when she saw Gloria''s worried look. Sheforted her and said, "No, grandpa protected us. We came back right after it was over." Seeing that Nicole was not lying, Daniel was relieved. "So, what happened? Why did Dillion go to your grandpa?" They wanted to make their way to Mr. Riddle Sr.''s manor as well, but as Mr. Riddle Sr. had only requested Nicole''s presence, they were worried that Nicole was going to get bullied. Nicole wanted to get it over with by giving them a brief exnation. However, Samuel was not able to hold it in. "It''s all because of that vicious vixen, Raine! She caused a mess, and yet, she pointed her fingers at Nicole.This is from N?velDrama.Org. She even got Uncle Dillion to talk to grandpa! "W "Raine?" Gloria quickly turned to Nicole when she heard that Raine was involved. "Did she bully you in school?" Raine and Snow never got along with Nicole, and Sean had told them about Raine''s wrongdoings in school as well. That was why Gloria was worried that they had bullied Nicole in school. "It''s fine. Raine has already been expelled by Mr. Ellison, so she won''t be finding trouble with me anymore." "Expelled?!" Everyone''s eyes widened. Daniel was very shocked too. "No wonder your uncle was ina rush to see your grandpa..." This is a major issue within the family. All of the Riddle children were studying in Royal Creek Institute, which was the best school in San Joto. Raine and Snow had gone through a great deal to get themselves enrolled into that school, just for Raine to be expelled now. ¡®Dillion must be going crazy now. I guess he''d probably want to sever ties with me after this,¡¯ Daniel thought. "She deserves to be expelled! She hurt Nicole in school! A vile person like her shouldn''t even stay in our family!" Samuel was livid. "Samuel..." Nicole wanted to stop him, but it was already toote. Gloria''s eyes immediately widened when she heard that Nicole was hurt. "You''re hurt?! Where? Let me have a look!" "I''m fine, mom..." Nicole said in defeat. ¡°You''re fine? No, your shoulders are badly injured! How could you just keep quiet about it? If they didn''t go to grandpa''s ce today, you probably wouldn''t even bother to tell us about it, right?" Spencer protested with a look of concern. When Gloria heard that Nicole''s shoulders were injured, she quickly pulled her cor aside and checked. Though the swelling had subsided, the bruising was still rather ring. "Gosh... How could you say that it doesn''t hurt when you''re injured so badly?" Her eyes immediately started to water. "Raine is just too much! How could she do such a thing?!" Daniel became really angry when he saw that his daughter had been bruised. "Dillion is ridiculous! How could he me Nicole after Raine had done such a terrible thing?!" Stanley was furious too. "How did grandpa go about this? Did he just dismiss it?" Spencer sighed. "Aunt Karen went to see grandpa because she wanted to use Nicole and get grandpa to help Raine back into Royal Creek Institute. But grandpa said that this was the consequence of Raine''s actions, so he won''t be doing anything about this. About Nicole''s injury though... Grandpa didn''t do anything to punish Raine..." "Ridiculous!" Steve''s expression darkened. ¡°Even if Raine had been expelled, we couldn''t just let this slide!" Sean''s gaze darkened as well, and he thought to himself before saying, "Leave this to me. I believe Uncle Dillion wouldn''t just stop here. We might as well just... go all out." Chapter 1671 Chapter 1671 Sean initially wanted to keep Dillion in thepany for a while, but now that things had be sour, he figured that there was no need for that anymore. Nicole saw that Sean had really gotten sick of it this time, so she figured that he had an idea. She just wanted Raine to be expelled for what she had done, but in the end of the day, they could not just let Dillion''s family get away easily. Otherwise, they might find trouble with Daniel and Sean. However, she could not do much to help with thepany, so she said, "Well, I''ll leave this to you then, Sean. I''m worried that Uncle Dillion will do something to hurt you and dad. I think he should be..." Nicole did notplete her sentence, but her family understood what she was trying to say. "Don''t worry, I''ll keep an eye out for them." Sean smiled. "Just focus on your studies." Nicole nodded and looked back at her mother. "Don''t worry, mom. I''ma doctor myself. I''ve already treated my bruise. Don''t worry too much." Gloria nodded, but her eyes were teary. "It''s my fault. You''re hurt, but I didn''t even know about it..." "No. You''ve been nothing but kind to me. I''m very blessed to have parents who love me, and brothers who protect me." Nicole looked back at her brothers with a feeling of bliss in her heart. Sean and Steve looked at her lovingly. "The same goes to us too..." Having Nicole back was the best thing to happen to their family... At night, their family ate their dinner happily and the house was filled with warmth. And just like that, Nicole finally started to feel dependent on her family. In the blink of an eye, it was already the weekend. Today was the day of the film crew''s opening ceremony. Gloria went upstairs with great excitement to pick out clothes for Nicole first thing in the morning. She had bought a number of new clothes for Nicole, as if she was worried that Nicole might be looked down upon by the production crew. "Mom, it¡¯s the opening ceremony today. I don''t think we''re going to shoot anything, so there''s no need for such formal attire," she said. "Says who? You should be formally dressed, especially for the opening ceremony! Hurry up, get dressed, and doll yourself up so that they won''t give you the stink eye," Gloria argued. Nicole was speechless. "Fine." Then, she put on an off-shoulder dress. Her bruise was already gone, and there was no scarring at all. In fact, she was looking even more beautiful in this dress. "Look at how pretty you are in that dress! You should be wearing skirts more often." Gloriauded as she dressed her daughter up. Nicole sighed. ''Man, it feels too cold down there when I wear skirts outside. If I ever meet someone who seeks to screw with me, I wouldn''t even dare to kick him.'' But there was nothing Nicole could do about it. Gloria was too persistent and immediately sat her down, doing her makeup before pushing her out of the house. Anna had already parked her car outside of Nicole''s manor at that moment. When she saw Nicole walking out with light makeup, she was surprised. "Goodness me, you''re gorgeous when you dress up! Ww She had always found Nicole beautiful, but now that she had makeup on, she was breath-taking. ¡°Thank you," Nicole replied with a look of embarrassment. N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. She hardly ever wore makeup and would only put on some foundation when she attended banquets. Back in the house, Gloria had put on some eyeliner and mascara when she was doing Nicole''s makeup. There was a lot of it, but Nicole did not even have the time to look at herself before going downstairs. Chapter 1672 Chapter 1672 "Come on, get in the car.'''' Anna opened the door for Nicole. Gloria was over the moon when she saw her daughter getting into the car. "Hurry in, dear. Send a picture to me when you''re there." "Got it."" Nicole took a deep breath. She knew that Gloria wanted to see the production crew, and so, she did not decline the request. Anna got into the car and their chauffeur began making his way toward their destination. Anna asked Nicole, ''''We have an opening ceremony in the morning, but since you''re only free on the weekends, you''ll have to go for a trial shoot for some scenes today. I''ve sent you the script yesterday. Did you memorize your lines?" Nicole looked at her coldly. "I''ve done it a long time ago." Anna was surprised. "You''ve already memorized it before I''ve even told you which scene we''re filming?" ¡®We have to shoot three scenes today, and I''ve just told Nicole about it yesterday...'' Anna thought. Nicole responded tly by saying, "Yeah, I memorized half of the script when I was bored, and these three scenes happen to bein the first half of the script." "Huh?!" Anna began to ponder. ''What the heck? What kind of photographic memory is this? How did she even memorize half of the script in such a short amount of time?!'' Anna was shocked, but Nicole would not entertain her anymore and continued reading the script. Anna was confused when she watched Nicole turning the pages of the script. This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org. ''Isn''t she going too fast? Even a professional actor wouldn''t have memorizing skills that are as good as hers.'' Anna then gulped and calmed herself down. ''Perhaps she can only remember parts of it and not the exact lines...'' Soon, their car arrived at the filming location outside of the town. This particr venue in San Joto was the biggest local filming set in the city. 80% of the local films were shot in this very venue, and there were many celebrities there. There was also countless staff who were present in that area. Anna received a call as soon as she got down from the car. "Nicole, head inside and look for the staff in Lot 3. They''re all from our team." Nicole nodded and walked toward Lot 3. Soon, she entered Lot 3 and saw how spacious the filming set was. She was shocked as she thought, ''So this is what a filming set looks like. Feels kind of surreal looking at that many filming sets next to each other.¡¯ A staff who had seen Nicole immediately ran toward her. "Hey! Who are you to barge in like that? Please leave if you''re an outsider. We''re going to start filming soon!" Nicole looked at the nametag on the staff, which had "Lukewarm" written on it. She nodded lightly. "I''m one of the actresses in this film." The security was in disbelief as he looked at Nicole from head to her toe. Today was the opening ceremony, and therefore, only those ying the main characters would show up. The security detail looked at Nicole and thought, ''Well, she doesn''t look like those smug celebrities. She looks like she''s from a rich family who just wants to see what''s going on.'' Then, in a low voice, he immediately said, "Who are you fooling? Don''t go around thinking you''re a star just because you look pretty! How old are you even? You look like you''re just in high school. Please leave. You''re just a rich kid trying to act like a celebrity to get autographs from our A- Lists celebrities. I won''t be fooled by you!" Nicole did not think that the security would doubt her, so she scoffed. "I''m Nicole Riddle. If you don''t believe me, you can ask someone else." "Nicole Riddle?" The security was stunned. "Everyone in the country knows our female lead''s name. Do you think you can imitate her just like that?!" Nicole sneered when she realized that the security was just an ignorant idiot. "Suit yourself. You won''t believe anything that I have to say anyway." After all, Anna was going to be here soon, so Nicole was not ina rush. ''I''ll just wait for a minute or two.'' Chapter 1673 Chapter 1673 Suddenly, noises were heard from behind. "Mr. Lloyd is here!" After hearing that, the security guard immediately lifted his head and gazed off at the direction from which Lloyd wasing. "Did you see that? Mr. Lloyd is here. Move out of the way now!" However, by the time he had spoken, Lloyd had already made his way there, surrounded by the team. He removed his sunsses upon spotting Nicole, who was standing beside the security guard. "Nicole, I was not expecting you to be here before me." Nicole nodded at Lloyd. "It was only possible because Anna was punctual." The security suddenly felt like something bad was going to happen when he saw how Lloyd stopped just to talk with Nicole. As expected, after noticing where Nicole was standing, Lloyd curiously asked, "Why didn''t you go inside? What are you doing at the entrance?" Nicole swept her gaze across the security guard. N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. "This security guard here takes his job very seriously. He stopped me from entering because I don''t look like an actress to him." Lloyd''s face immediately darkened as he eyed the security guard with a murderous re. It was then that the security guard realized that he had messed up! With that in mind, he immediately apologized to Nicole and Lloyd. "I''m so sorry! Please forgive my ignorance! This way, please!" Nicole shook her head and strutted into the set. The security was drenched in sweat as he watched Nicole walk inside. He thought that Lloyd would follow behind her and that everything would be over. However, as soon as Lloyd walked past, he dered, "You''re fired. "W "What? No, please! I-I didn''t mean to do that," the guard pleaded in an attempt to exin himself. However, the people who were in close proximity were already dragging him away. Lloyd quickly caught up to Nicole. "I''m sorry." Nicole shook her head. "What was that for? It wasn''t your fault anyway." Lloyd smirked. "The Holder family owns this production crew, so Thad to apologize on the behalf of my family.¡± Nicole sighed in defeat. ''''Whatever. Where''s my dressing room?" "Gwendolyn, bring Nicole there," Lloyd ordered one of his assistants. "Sure.'''' Gwendolyn stepped forward and politely led Nicole to her dressing room. "This way. It''s right around this corner," Gwendolyn said and led the way when she saw the dressing room in front of her. Unfortunately, she bumped into someone upon rounding the corner. ¡°Ouch! Are you blind?! Watch where you''re going!" Nicole heard a very familiar voice. Her gaze darkened as she walked forward and saw someone that she hated. Realizing that the person was Chloe, Gwendolyn immediately bowed her head and apologized, "I''m so sorry! I didn''t see you there because I was moving too fast!" Chloe was about to give the poor assistant a verbalshing, but when she lifted her head, she saw Nicole. ¡®What a small world. I just came over and here she is,'' Chloe thought. She shifted her gaze back to Gwendolyn, and thinking that she was Nicole''s manager, sheshed out at her, "Is apologizing going to solve anything? You''re so unprofessional and you don''t even deserve to be here!" ¡®An inexperienced actress with an inexperienced manager! I''m going to teach them a lesson!¡¯ Chloe fumed. Gwendolyn was stunned. ''What did she mean by that? Does she want to fire me?¡¯ Even though Chloe was once the best actress, she was not as famous as she used to be anymore. A lot of directors had ditched her. She had only returned to Hustuaburg after having worked abroad for more than a month. Rumor had it that she only gota supporting role in this show because she paid a lot of money. It was just shocking for one to see how she was behaving like a diva wanting to fire somebody who was working there. Chapter 1674 Chapter 1674 Gwendolyn suddenly gave her an awkward look. Nicole, who had noticed that, said, "Gwendolyn, did you hear that? That superstar is about to fire you. Are you going to tell your boss, Mr. Lloyd about it?" Upon hearing that, Chloe became embarrassed. "Do you work for Lloyd Holder?" The Holder family was the biggest investor in this show, and its director was none other than Nachelle Holder. Chloe had spent so much effort and money just to get herself a supporting role in this show. Thest thing she expected was to meet Lloyd''s assistant right aftering into the set. As everyone in the production crew worked for Lloyd, she was in no position to make things difficult for Lloyd''s assistant. The grimace on Chloe''s face had turned really ugly, as if she had just made the biggest mistake in her life. Nicole stood at the side, waiting to see that which would soon unfold. However, Gwendolyn just nodded humbly. "Yes. I was leading the way for Miss Riddle. I''m so sorry for getting in your way." With an exit in sight, Chloe immediately seized the opportunity to escape the situation. "It''s fine. I thought you were just a reckless manager who had shown up with some amateurs. N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. It''s just a misunderstanding, as you really do work for Mr. Holder..." Gwendolyn shed Chloe an awkward smile, but she did not know what else to say other than, "Miss Riddle, let''s go." Chloe thought that Gwendolyn was talking to her, so she quickly nodded. However, she only started to realize that Gwendolyn was looking at Nicole when she was about to start walking... Previously, there was only one Miss Riddle in the set, and it was Chloe Riddle. But now, there were two of them. To add salt to the wound, Nicole was getting better treatment from the crew than her. This made her furious. She would not have lost her fame if the news of the Riddle family disowning her had not gotten out, which caused the directors to lose interest in her. ¡®I''m still one of the best actresses even if I''m not famous anymore! Nicole has achieved nothing!¡¯ she seethed. Chloe took a step forward and stood in Nicole''s way as she thought about that. Then, as if nothing had happened, she said, "Oops, I''m sorry. I thought she was talking to me. I almost forgot that we share the samest name." It was only then that Gwendolyn realized that both Chloe and Nicole were Riddles, prompting her to apologize. "I''m so sorry. Miss Nicole, please forgive me..." Before Nicole could utter a word, Chloe looked at Gwendolyn and said, "It''s fine. Nicole and I are cousins. You can just address her as Miss Riddle and me as the best actress from now on." "1..." Gwendolyn stared at Chloe awkwardly. "Okay then..." However, she was very surprised that Nicole and Chloe were cousins. Then, she managed to figure out why they shared the samest name and had be a part of the show together. Nicole knew that Chloe was trying to buddy up to her, so she swept her cold gaze across thetter. "Are you done?" Chloe''s heart skipped a beat after Nicole had uttered those words. Then, she frowned and said, "Yeah." "Step aside then. A good dog would never get in somebody else''s way. Have you heard about that?" Nicole insulted her without holding back at all. Gwendolyn was shocked. She initially thought that they had a good rtionship with each other, but she was provenpletely wrong. Chloe''s face turned sour as she became furious at an instant. " Who are you calling a dog?" "Whoever''s standing in the way? Isn''t that obvious enough?" Nicole scoffed. "Nicole Riddle!" Chloe exploded with anger. She raised her arm and was about to p Nicole when thetter grabbed her arm and violently flung it away from her. "Ah!" Chloe staggered out of Nicole''s way. Chapter 1675 Chapter 1675 Nicole ignored her and retorted, ''''The next time you get in my way, I won''t let you get away this easily." Then, she strode off into her green room. "stop!" Chloe yelled, still wanting to pester Nicole. Gwendolyn quickly followed after Nicole to escape the ce, whereupon she closed the door to the green room behind her. Chloe''s manager immediately advised her, "It''s fine, Miss Chloe. Mr. Lloyd had personally invited this female lead himself. It''s best not to provoke her." Nicole could not help herself from rolling her eyes. Ever since the day Chloe flew abroad, a new manager had been assigned to her. This manager, in particr, did not know anything about her family. She knew nothing about Nicole and Chloe''s feud either. Her only concern at that instant was to prevent Chloe from causing a scene. ¡°Am I the one who provoked her? Didn''t you hear what she had just said?!" Chloe shouted. Chloe was so angered that she did not even want to continue the conversation. She stormed into her own green room, and after she had entered, she threw her handbag away in a fit of rage. "Nicole Riddle! You better watch out. I''ll see to it that you leave the production on your own volition and give up on the role of female lead!" The manager was so scared that she swallowed. "Miss Chloe? Did you put in much of your effort to join the production just so that you couldnd the role of female lead?" After putting a great deal of effort into it, being able to get the second supporting female role was already an achievement on its own. ¡°Of course. That role was supposed to be mine..." Chloe answered. Although Nachelle had rejected her for that role earlier on, Chloe still believed that Nachelle would never have been able to find anyone suitable enough for the role if Lloyd had not brought Nicole in. If that were the case, Nachelle would then ask Chloe to take on that particr role in Lukewarm again. After all, when they were abroad, the team had already begun filming. This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org. If it were not Luke who had caused a mess with Nicole, and the diamond incident that had prompted Nachelle to find her disappointing, Chloe would not have been chased out of the production. However, Nachelle never made do with whatever was avable. That was why the female lead position had been empty up until this point. It was only after Nicole had won Lloyd''s heart that the female lead role was given to her, and even if Chloe had tried her absolute best, Nachelle only assign her a supporting role. Once Chloe remembered that Nicole was the one who had catalyzed two of her past failures, she gritted her teeth out of rage. The manager silently gulped when she saw Chloe''s expression. Deep down, she thought, ''Isn''t it good enough for us to just hit our current role out of the park? No, please do not act up...'' Nicole was getting her makeup done in the green room. Once theunching ceremony was done, they would begin shooting. After Nicole had sent a few photos to her mom, she received a few replies. She was replying to a few questions enthusiastically when all of a sudden, Jared sent her a text. (How are you holding up? Is everything going smoothly?) When Nicole saw Jared''s profile picture, the corner of her lips rose. [Don''t worry. Everything''s fine.] [That''s great. I''ll visit you if I''m freeter in the afternoon.] Although Nicole was not sure if visitors were allowed, she was sure that Jared would be able to find out about it before turning up. Therefore, she immediately agreed. "Sure." Watching Nicole smiling warmly at her phone, Gwendolyn reacted with a smile of her own. ''Do you have a boyfriend, Miss Nicole?" Nicole came back to her senses, restrained her smile and instantly confirmed, "Yes." Gwendolyn shed her a smirk. "In that case, you better not reveal it. If your fans find out, it''ll affect your poprity in the future." Nicole pondered before saying, "I don''t really care." ¡°Huh? Why is that so?" Gwendolyn and the makeup artist were stunned. "Aren''t you nning to make a debut in this series?" Nicole pursed her lips. "No, I''m only doing Lloyd a favor by acting in this series." Hearing this, Gwendolyn and the makeup artist were appalled. They never expected Nicole to only be doing a Lloyd a favor with this role which everyone had been fighting to get. Chapter 1676 Chapter 1676 When Nicole saw that reaction from the two women, she asked, " Is there anything wrong?" "N-no...''" Gwendolyn immediately shook her head. "I just thought that it''s such a waste. You look so pretty. You''ll definitely have a lot of fans once you have made your debut. You''ll definitely be sessful if you remain in the entertainment industry." Nicole shook her head. "It''s fine. I don''t want to be famous." Nicole had offended many people in the past. The more famous she became, the more danger she would be putting her family in. Although she was not worried, she did not wish to invite more trouble for Jared and the Riddles. Gwendolyn and the makeup artist were in even greater shock when they heard that there were people who did not wish to be famous. Just like that, the entire room was filled with silence. Soon after, Nicole was done with her makeup, and so, she followed Gwendolyn back to theunching ceremony. At that point, almost all members of the cast had arrived, with Nicole being one of thest to arrive. Hearing that the female lead had arrived, everyone raised their heads, wanting to get a good look of the woman who had gone viral with Lloyd on the inte. However, they were all attracted to Nicole as soon as they took a nce. The set, costume and makeup were remarkably simple, but the makeup and the charisma truly matched her, the very regal charisma thatplimented her beauty. "She really is the perfect pick for this role." Nachelle stepped forward and looked at Nicole with her eyes widened. Previously, she had already thought that Nicole looked pretty, and that she exhibited traits which she wanted in the character. However, she did not expect her to be so flexible. After putting some makeup on, Nicole looked as if she was born out of a script. Once those words were spoken, everyone echoed it. "Yes, Nachelle really has a good eye." Nachelle seemed proud of himself, thinking that her son had inherited the ability to pick well from her. Whether she was going to be an actress or her daughter-inw, Nachelle felt that Nicole was very pleasing to the eye. Noticing that Nicole was grabbing so much attention, Chloe was on the verge of exploding. ''These people are such sycophants. N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. They also said the same thing about me!'' Now, all of those words were now uttered to Nicole, and it was just because Lloyd had rmended Nicole. Chloe was intent on not listening to the hogwash they were spewing At that moment, Nachelle pulled Nicole to her side to prepare for theunching ceremony, and though Chloe had already taken the center position, Nachelle pushed her to the side, sandwiching Nicole between Nachelle and Lloyd in the process. Chloe was so angry at that sight that her face close to being ossified. Ka-chick. And just like that, the photo shooting session was over, after which the host announced loudly, "The ribbon cutting ceremony begins!" Nachelle received the scissors and cut the ribbon asunder while facing the audience. This entire scene was captured by the cameras all over. Since the cameras were focusing on Nachelle, they would have to ce their shots in Nicole''s direction. Meanwhile, Chloe was annoyed that she could not squeeze into the frame. She was extremely furious. After the ribbon cutting ceremony had ended, theunching ceremony was officiated. Nachelle engaged the crew in some pep talk, whereupon the team began their production. Chloe only had one scene. But, once she had heard that Nicole had three to four scenes, she immediately understood what it meant. "Was this shooting schedule arranged to amodate Nicole?" The assistant immediately felt embarrassed. She could only reply with, "I heard that...she is only avable during the weekends. So, the weekends are reserved for the shooting of her scenes." Once Chloe heard that, she became purple with rage. "What right does she have? Even if she is the female lead, I''m still the best actress! It''s one thing for me to y a supporting role! Now, the shooting schedule has to be arranged ording to her schedule? This is too much!" Chapter 1677 Chapter 1677 They were both daughters of the Riddle family. Because of that, she could not understand why the Holder family would treat Chloe as such. "Calm down, Miss Chloe. It wasn''t easy for you to join the production this time around. You better not get your panties ina twist over such a petty matter..." The assistant reminded her out of concern. After all, they had been kicked out before. Being able to get the second supporting role was not easy, so they better not be making any demands. After being reminded by her manager, Chloe suppressed her emotions. ¡®Right, I''ve already faced the consequences once before. It happened because I could not keep my cool and lost it,'' she thought. After that incident, Chloe definitely had to remain calm. After cing the timetable down, Chloe calmed down significantly. "Forget it, let''s just make do with this for now. You can go and make the arrangements." The waiting time might have been long, but it was fine. Even if Chloe had only one scene that day, she must outperform Nicole. And at that moment, Nicole was already ready for the shoot outside of the green room, and her very first scene was with Lloyd. Lloyd had been waiting for this moment for a long time. Being able to act alongside Nicole was something which he had never dared to dream of. "Are you ready, Nicole?" Lloyd looked at Nicole gently, worried that she was not prepared. "Don''t worry, I''ve memorized the script. Let''s start right away." Nicole shed him a calm smile. On the other hand, Lloyd was very awkward. He did not know how to convey to Nicole that acting was not just about memorizing her lines. However, he still decided to give Nicole a shot. ¡°Alright then, let''s begin." Nachelle received Lloyd''s response and immediately ordered the cameras to begin rolling. Although Nachelle was excited to see Nicole''s performance, she was still level headed about it. It was Nicole''s first time acting, so she should not be expected to act perfectly. Surprisingly, once Nicole spoke, her speech was articted with perfect rity and tone. Furthermore, her gaze quickly matched her character. "Anson, I did not expect you to be such a person," Nicole delivered, her eyes filled with despair from betrayal. Although her face was cold, it was heart-breaking to watch. Her acting was not as great as those of experienced professionals, but it was still believable. Those expressions were her most genuine performance. "Nachelle...this acting technique..." The assistant director was so stunned that he was at a loss for words. "Don''t stop. Continue filming." Nachelle looked at Nicole in surprise, unable to turn her gaze away. At that moment, Nicole was already very much into the character. As the best cast members could motivate the others, Lloyd got into the character too and replied, "What''s wrong with that? You should have known it from the start. There''s no one in my heart, not even you." Lloyd''s face was icy and he performed well as the prodigal son he was. Nicole stared at Lloyd and bit her lips. Then, she uttered her lines again. Every word, and every sentence were all uttered clearly with the appropriate intonations that everyone present could not help but admire her skills. Just like that, Nicole continued to perform well! Initially, the scene was one that required the development of emotions. But to Nicole, it was so easy that she could immediatelyplete all of it in a single take. On top of that, that particr take was approved by the directors. This is from N?velDrama.Org. When Nicole resolutely turned around and walked off, Nachelle shouted with satisfaction, "Cut!" However, in an instant, the look of despair that belonged to the character had disappeared from Nicole''s eyes. It had turned nk. It seemed to everyone that she did not even have to shake herself out of the character, and proceeded to walk out of the frame calmly. Lloyd walked over with a look of surprise on his face. "Nicole! Your performance was superb!" He thought that after the test shot, he would have to exin the movie to her. However, he did not expect Nicole to pass during the very first shot itself. Nicole nced over coldly. "What''s so hard about that? Have we not gotten enough practice back in the day?" Indeed, back in the day, their lives would be in danger if they failed in putting up an act. Thus, Nicole was well-trained in such a craft. It was nothing to be surprised of. Chapter 1678 Chapter 1678 Lloyd was stunned. When Lloyd attempted to advise Nicole all those years ago, those were the exact same words which he had uttered. "That''s true. After all, we''re long-time partners," he said as he thought about how the movies they had acted in previously were a lot moreplex than this. "Don''t worry, I''ve watched quite a number of soap operas as of recent, but I''ve taken care to remove those exaggerations. It should look a lot more natural." Nicole replied seriously. Lloyd did not expect Nicole to put in the effort to study the techniques. That was the reason as to why she could handle it well. "It was definitely natural." Nicole''s acting was extremely natural. Who knows, perhaps once the series had been aired, her techniques would be a trend. ¡°We''re done with this scene, right? I''ll go and catch a break now." She waved Lloyd goodbye and walked to her green room. Her room was remarkably close to Nachelle''s, and when they met, Nachelle could not help butugh. "Nicole, is this really your first time acting? You acted very well.¡± Nicole gave Nachelle a polite smile in response. "Thank you for yourpliment. That is part of my job." Since Nicole had agreed to help, she would put in the effort. Her acting was not the issue. The hardest part were the lines. However, Nicole had learned quite a few things in that period of time. She was just testing the waters with some of her skills. To her surprise, the oue turned out really well. If she was given a bit more time, it would have been even better. What Nicole did not know was that everyone else was shocked by her acting skills. At that point, they understood why Lloyd had brought someone new in for the role. As expected, skills were important. Nachelle looked at the time and said, "You can film really fast. Later on, I''ll ask them to add a few more scenes for you so that we can get more done today." "Alright." Nicole nodded. After all, getting more done would mean that they would be able to end the production earlier, something which she did not mind at all. Chloe had been waiting until the sun had set, and yet, no one hade to call her. The fact that an award-winning actress had been sidelined and abandoned by others did not bode well. Unable to stand the wait any longer, she asked, "What happened? Isn''t Nicole supposed to have two scenes only? Is she not done yet? ¡®Her acting skills must have been so bad that it dragged on up until this point,'' she thought. Unexpectedly, the assistant replied, "I''ve just checked. I heard that Nicole''s acting was so good that most of the scenes werepleted in just one take. So, the director at thest minute added a few more scenes for her." ¡°What? They actually added scenes for Nicole. If that''s the case, I''ll have to continue sitting here and waiting?" she asked. Unable to stomach it anymore, so left the room to check things out. "I''ll go and take a peek." "Okay." The assistant made way and followed Chloe out of the room from behind. As expected, when Chloe went out, Nicole was already filming a scene with Lloyd. Watching as Nicole touch Lloyd''s face as the both of them leaned in close to each other, Chloe could not help but raise her brows. Good things really dide knocking her door when she least expected it. Chloe was thinking of ways to mess around with Nicole, and a window of opportunity had just opened itself up for her. At that thought, Chloe immediately took a picture of the moment when the both of them were faking a kiss. Then, she sent it anonymously to Jared... ¡°You''re screwed. The show is just about to begin." Chloe smiled smugly and pocketed her phone. At that moment, it just so happened that Nachelle saw Chloe. Then, she was reminded that Chloe had been waiting and that her scene was yet to be shot. Coincidentally, the scene of Nicole was over within one take, prompting Nachelle to call out for Chloe. ¡°Chloe, you came at the right time. The next scene will be between you and Nicole." Upon hearing that, Chloe became excited, and Nachelle went on to mind her. A grin crossed Chloe''s face. "Of course. I''ll go and prepare immediately." Chloe left the side of the set to get a touch up for her makeup. At that moment, Nicole had just walked past her, and when they locked eyes, Chloe seized the opportunity to coldly say, "When we''re filming our scenester, you better learn something from me." Nicole''s eyes narrowed and she asked, "You''re an award-winning actress who is obsolete. Where did you find the confidence to teach me?" Once those words exited Nicole''s mouth, Chloe became so enraged that she did not know how to respond. ¡°Who says that I''m obsolete?" Previously, she had only gone out to have fun. Her fans would not forget her that easily. ¡°T said it. Are you deaf?" Nicole mocked in a low voice.This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org. Chapter 1679 Chapter 1679 Chloe''s face turned pale in an instant. She really wanted to scream and strangle Nicole. However, she could not do so. One thing to consider was that they would be filming a scer. With that in mind, Chloe said, "Just you wait. I''ll make you sufferter." The uing scene involved the supporting character pping and scolding the female lead, and because of that, Chloe was given the means to teach Nicole a lesson. Yet, Nicole did not seem to care. Watching as Nicole left to get her makeup done, Chloe snorted. She believed that as long as she and Nicole were put together, Nachelle would know who the better fit for the role of female lead was. Finally, everything was ready, and Chloe and Nicole stood next to each other. After Nachelle had ordered the cameras to roll, the both of them quickly got into character. Initially, everyone thought that Nicole would seem less talented when put together with Chloe, no matter how good Nicole was. But this time around, Nicole got into character a few seconds quicker than Chloe did, causing a hint of approval to appear in Nachelle''s eyes at once. In a few seconds, Chloe switched and took on the hostile demeanor that was expected of her character. "Do you know how much Anson has sacrificed for you? He loves you so much, and what have you done for him?" Every step that Chloe took was extremely aggressive. Nicole followed the script. Her eyes were filled with remorse as she stepped back slowly, showing an expression of denial. Chloe delivered a huge chunk of her line, and just as she was about to perform the next action, Nachelle suddenly shouted, "Cut!" Then, she turned to Chloe and yelled, "Chloe, your emotions came in too slow in this scene. You better gather yourself for a while and enter that state of mind quickly in the next take. And here''s another issue. Your pronunciation for the second line was not urate. Pay attention." Chloe was stunned. She thought that if she acted with Nicole, the one who would cause an issue would be thetter. In spite of this, Chloe was still nning to gloat from the side. To her surprise, however, Nachelle did not say anything bad about Nicole. Instead, she criticized Chloe''s performance. By right, it was impossible for Chloe to do worse than a newbie, but judging by the reactions of those present, they were extremely dissatisfied with Chloe too. Earlier on, Nicole had shot six to seven scenes in a row, and they were allpleted in one single take. Yet, there were forced to cut once Chloe began her scene. "Let''s restart again." Nachelle ordered withoutment further and immediately restarted the entire shoot. Chloe red at Nicole. If Nachelle had not stopped her, Chloe would have given Nicole a p as written in the script. This time around, she was determined not to make any mistakes. However, the more nervous Chloe was, the more twisted her tongue became, culminating in her getting cut off again at the veryst line. "Chloe, what is wrong with you? What are you thinking about? Can you focus a little bit more?" Nachelle yelled. Nachelle was far from happy with her performance, for the momentum had now been destroyed because of Chloe''s choppy lines. This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org. "I''m sorry, Nachelle...I was too nervous just now." Chloe felt so guilty that she quickly admitted her mistakes. Yet, she did not fee] good losing to Nicole. It was due to the fact that she wanted to p Nicole so badly that she got distracted. "Let''s start from the top!" Nachelle said grumpily. Chloe immediately got into character. This time around, she did not rush into it. She read her lines ordingly and entered the character''s state of mind. But Nicole''s eyes seemed so innocent that Chloe could not find fault in Nicole''s acting. Chapter 1680 Chapter 1680 However, Nicole was just a high school student, and she had never acted before. How could she possess such excellent acting skills? The jealousy in Chloe''s heart caused her to raise her hands to p Nicole after she was done saying her lines. And so, the hands headed straight toward Nicole''s cheeks. Nicole noticed the height of Chloe''s hands and her eyes froze. ¡®This little b*tch wants to take this opportunity to give me a real p?'' she wondered. Without giving it much thought, Nicole grabbed onto Chloe''s hand and retaliated with a p of her own. N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. With a loud smack, the air became still. This left Chloe stunned, as well as everyone who was present, for it was not written in the script. Unexpectedly, Nicole changed the lines and looked at Chloe with downcast eyes. "That is between me and him. What right do you have to interfere? Nina, please know your ce! You have no right to tell me off!" The powerful aura and the restrained sadness were perfectly depicted through her acting, so much so that everyone present was convinced about that story. Nachelle was also stunned. Initially, she wanted the female lead to receive a p as some sort of wake-up call. To her surprise, with Nicole''s sudden flipping of the script, it somehow managed to add ayer of strength and arrogance to the female lead Moreover, it also added one more conflict to the story. The editor at the side also praised her in a daze. "Wonderful...1 think Lte''s character wascking such uniqueness. Such arrogance is really attractive to the audience!¡± At that moment, Chloe, who had just received a p, came back to her senses. She looked at Nicole in shock, "H-how dare you hit me?" Chloe was supposed to be the one to hit Nicole in that scene and Nicole was only supposed to receive the beating. Yet, Nicole had changed the script and made a move on Chloe. At that thought, Chloeughed; Nachelle hated it the most when someone changed her script. As such, Nicole would most definitely receive a reprimand for having done so. However, Nicole did not stop. Instead, she continued acting and responded to Chloe''s question. "So what if I hit you? Do you think I''m blind? I know all about the ways you''ve used to seduce Anson in the office. Don''t forget, you''re just his assistant. Even if I did not exist, a b*tch like you would never have the chance!" In an instant, Nicole''s charisma skyrocketed to the point that even Nachelle could not help but feel fascinated. With Nicole''s aura and personality, her acting chops became all the more enchanting. At that point, Nachelle was sure that a female lead like this would definitely be popr. Chloe did not expect Nicole to continue acting, and as she did not wish to cooperate, she spun around to look at the camera. " Nachelle! Nicole changed the script without permission! What is this!?" Nachelle was perplexed. She wanted to watch the two of them proceed, but with Chloe suddenly asking her to stop the scene, she had no choice but to do so. With her patience wearing thin, Nachelle immediately shouted. " Cut! Chloe, what''s the matter with you? Did I ask you to stop? Why did you turn back?" Chloe''s eyes widened at once. ''What the hell is this!? Nicole was clearly the one who flipped the script and pped me in the face. And yet, I''m the one getting reprimanded?'' "Nachelle, it wasn''t me..." Chloe attempted to exin but Nachelle was not having any of it. "Do you know who the director is? I''m the only one who can shout cut or for the film to stop! You''ve disrupted all of Nicole''s mojo!" Chloe waspletely dumbfounded. Nicole had changed the script without permission, but Nachelle did not only let Nicole off the hook. She had also med Chloe for stopping the shoot and for throwing Nicolepletely off. "I''m sorry Nachelle. Miss Chloe was just shocked that the script has been changed suddenly...Sorry. Sorry." The manager immediately came over and apologized as she was worried that Chloe would spew venom out of anger. Nachelle stared at Chloe''s manager angrily and yelled, "Let''s start again!" Then, Nachelle walked toward Nicole and in a gentle tone, she said, "Nicole, what do you think? I think the improvised scene was excellent. Furthermore, it gave the female lead a distinctive character." Nicoleughed. "Did it? The idea came all of a sudden. It''s good that you liked it." Chapter 1681 Chapter 1681 If it was not for her astute observation on how strong Chloe was, she would not have gotten that idea. However, she had not expected her idea smite Nachelle''s heart. "Of course, I love it.Screenwriter, pleasee over here and change this scene ording to what Nicole had said," Nachelle ordered. "Okay!" The screenwriter quickly came over to cross check the lines with Nicole while Chloe was still left perplexed. ¡®what does this even mean? Her action scenes just changed...just like that? And now...she has to beat me up?!" she panicked. Chloe was traumatized at the thought of reshooting the scene again.Her face still burned from the p earlier. "Let''s go and get your face touched up, Miss Chloe." Chloe''s manager hurried her to have her makeup done upon noticing the mark of the palm on her face. Nicole looked at Chloe''s figure as thetter retreated, and the corner of her lips lifted by a little. ¡®Fight me? She''s too immature" Nicole thought. Twenty minutester, the screenwriter had implemented the minor changes in the script, and Chloe had finished the touch ups to her face. At this moment, Chloe felt a little uneasy when she saw Nicole. Nicole smiled at Chloe. "Chloe, don''t be so nervous.I''ll go easy on you.No worries." Chloe looked at Nicole with an icy cold glint in her eyes. She then lowered her voice and threatened Nicole, "Just you wait and see.I''ll get back at you for this." Nicole paused in her movements when she heard this remark. "I just said I would be gentle, but since my lovely cousin here has decided to just threaten me like that, why don''t you...hit me now and call it even?" "How dare you?!" Chloe roared angrily. Unexpectedly, Nicole did not hesitate and went straight up for another p to Chloe''s face. "Do you think I don''t?" The sound of the p caused everyone''s head to turn around. Chloe''s eyes widened in horror, taken aback by Nicole''s sudden smack on her cheek before the filming had even started.N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. Chloe was about to burst into tears, but before she could, Nicole said, "Chloe, you should hurry up and file aint so that Nachelle can fire you on your first day.Then, you and I can stop.Don''t you think?" Chloe bit her lip. She knew that Nachelle was already impatient with her and if she proceeded with aint now, she might really be fired. In spite of how much Chloe hated Nicole, she could not risk getting fired.She wanted to get her position back.She had to already squeeze her way back into the filming crew, so she could not give up no matter what. At that time, Nachelle, who sensed that the atmosphere was a bit off, asked in a low voice, "What''s wrong with you two?" Nicole looked at Nachelle and smiled, "It''s nothing.We both were rehearsing a little." "Oh." Nachelle tilted her head indifferently, as if she had bought Nicole''s lies. It then dawned upon Chloe that no one in the filming crew was on her side and could support her. She looked at Nicole with a grimace on her face. When the filming started, Nicole delivered a few of her lines, got her sentences right, and gave Nicole a powerful p on the face. Her palmnded on Chloe''s face with a thwack, causing thetter''s vision to blur. ¡®Why does it feel like this p is more powerful than thest? Why does my face feel like it has swollen up?'' Chloe gritted her teeth, but she did not stop. She knew that if she stopped, Nicole would hit her again, so she did her best to cooperate and uttered her two lines, but all of a sudden, Nicole halted. "Sorry, Nachelle! I forgot my lines. Can I start over?" Chapter 1682 Chapter 1682 Nicole''s expression disyed nothing but sincerity. Due to her exceptional acting earlier, everyone on set had no doubt that she had not done it on purpose. Gently and kindly, Nachelle said, "It''s okay.Since the script has been modified, you should get yourselves familiarized with it.Then, we''ll go ahead and do another round." "Okay" Nicole nodded with a smile and turned to look at Chloe as that same smile vanished, reced with a yful smirk. "What do you think? Chloe, can you handle it?" she asked. Chloe gritted her teeth in hatred. "You did it on purpose!" Nicole beamed, and candidly confessed, "Yeah, of course I did it on purpose." At this moment, Chloe really wanted to rip Nicole''s hair out, but she knew that if she did that, no one here would be on her side. Thus, she gritted her teeth and swallowed down her anger. "Nicole, are you ready?" Nachelle shouted from behind. "Ready!" Nicole smiled and flexed her wrists. Chloe felt her heart quivering, and after receiving tworge ps, Chloe was already traumatized. "Wait, wait a minute!" Chloe shouted, unable to withstand the smacks anymore. She then raised her voice and shouted, "Nachelle...I need a stunt double!"" Nachelle immediately became angry. "A stunt double? This is a modern -day drama, not an action scene.How could you still want a double stunt for things like this?" Chloe was terrified when she was stared down by Nachelle, butpared to Nicole''s ps earlier, the reprimands felt numbing. This is from N?velDrama.Org. Chloe knew that if she was to be pped by Nicole again, her face would be swollen for the next three days. "Nachelle...my face is swollen, and I have to follow-up on the shootingter on..." "It''s only realistic when it''s swollen, Chloe.Hurry up and get the shoot over with.I promise that this will be quick." Nicole smiled innocently. Meanwhile, Chloe had mentally given up. And before Chloe could even protest, Nachelle shouted, "Start from the p! Action!" Chloe''s eyes widened at once; she could only wait for Nicole''s p to approach her.She was trembling with fear, and soon enough, Nicole pped her hard, and the thwack echoed through the room. Chloe stumbled and took a step back before falling onto the ground. The corners of her mouth then began to bleed. Everyone on the set was surprised when they saw that Chloe''s mouth was bleeding. The cameraman immediately panned to a close up of Chloe''s face. By now, her face was numb from the pain. However she had to hold back and maintain her current stance. ¡®I have endured too much to film this sickening scene" After the filming had ended, a cacophony of apuses erupted. "Nicole''s acting skills are pretty good! Yeah, Chloe''s not a bad actress either.The scene looked too real!" "Yeah! The fear on her face, and the blood at the corner of her mouth were truly believable!" "When did the prop artist give you the fake blood? It looks too real. W Everyone was buzzing about and giving apuses to them both. Seeing this, Nicole could not help but to give Chloe a smile. "Chloe, your acting skills are phenomenal.Everyone here is praising how well you are doing." Chloe took a look at Nicole''s pompous expression, which slowly faded into a devilish smile. "Nicole...you, just you wait!" Chloe gritted her teeth and wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth, whereupon she hurriedly got up and lowered her head to prevent others from seeing her red swollen face. Then, she quickly turned around and left. "Chloe!" Chloe''s manager, who had seen her, quickly followed. Nicole looked at Chloe''s figure as she left, and mustered a cold smile. ''She still dares to talk back to me? Just you wait Chloe.You''ll know who''s waiting" After filming was over, it was alreadyte. Nachelle went on to announce that the filming was over, but before she left, she told Nicole, Your acting skills are phenomenal. Lloyd was right about you.The progress is much faster than I had anticipated.I will ask someone to arrange a few more scenes for you tomorrow, and then, we can restructure our progress." Chapter 1683 Chapter 1683 "Okay, thank you, Nachelle." Nicole nodded and watched as the director left the scene. The filming crew had also begun to pack their things. After that, Lloyd came over and asked, "How are you? Tired?" It was only then that Nicole realized Lloyd had been observing the filming on set. There were a few scenes in which she and Lloyd were together, and she never thought that he had not left after his scenes were done. "I''m not tired.I think it was quite fun, but why are you still here at this hour?" Nicole asked. Lloyd smiled. "I just wanted to stay back and watch you film for a while." Nicole looked into his passionate eyes and attempted to avoid further eye contact. "Oh well, I''m going to leave first if there''s nothing else." It waste, and Jared had said that he woulde for a visit after he had finished his work. "Let''s go together." Lloyd walked beside her with pursed lips.He had intentions to invite Nicole out for dinner again to make up for the mishap that had happened previously. Nicole was not aware of his intentions, so she just trotted along beside him, feeling quite indifferent about it. The two of them ambled out of the filming set, but just as he was about to invite Nicole out for dinner, her eyes lit up as a Rolls- Rovee rolled up in front of ther Nicole turned her head around and said, "This one is mine.I''ll be off now." "Oh...Okay."" N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. Lloyd was stunned for a moment as he swallowed his words. He could only watch as Nicole quickly scrambled onto the car. The car door opened, revealing Jared who was sitting at the back seat. Both men then exchanged looks with each other, with Lloyd not being shy about it either. After that, Nicole closed the car door and the vehicle drove off, leaving Lloyd standing there as they sped off into the distance. Jared eyed him through the rearview mirror and snorted. "wittingly pretending to be affectionate now, is he?" Nicole raised her eyebrows, "Huh?" Jared turned, saw Nicole''s look of innocence, and sighed. ''Nicole is a natural at everything she does, but she''s too chill. She''s always oblivious to the feelings that men have toward her" "why does your face look like that" she asked. ¡®why does he have the look of a father worrying about his teenage daughter?'' Nicole thought. Jared said helplessly. Nicole shank her head, "Twill came with yau after the tilming is done god after I''ve cought the person who has stoleu the Brave." Jared frowned. "But what if you can''t find time? You don''t want to get married, then?" Nicole frowned, thinking of the data she had provided him during thest meeting, and with her brows raised, she asked, "Why? What''s wrong? Was it difficult for you to look into?" Jared''s eyes prew dark, "No, we''ve found some leads already, Lut you can''t just hop right into the enemies den and spook them. I''ve sent some men to fallow them." Nicole knew that Jared had always been a cautious person, so she nodded discreetly. "Which one of the three routes here is the real one?" m sure he already has discovered the whereabouts of the Brave" she thought. "Mykoro." ""hat''s pond to hear. We''ve fot our men over there." "Your people don''t have to do anything, us now.Our enemies are too sneaky." Jared was now trying to fish a shark out of a tank. "Got it," Nicole said with a slight smile on her face. "I feel much better with you by my side." Nicole''s reliance on Jared was ratherforting to him, as he was more than d that he could be of service to her. "That''s good to hear," he said. "I heard that you were almost beaten to a pulp during filming today?" Chapter 1684 Chapter 1684 Nicole raised her eyebrows. "Right.You''d be the one to know everything." "Of course.You''re my number one priority.I''d like to know everything about you as soon as possible," Jared said in an assertive tone of voice. Nicole smiled. "Don''t worry.It wasn''t me who got beaten to pulp.It was Chloe. Her face should still be hurting right now." Jared smiled, though he was struck with a pang of regret, as he did not get to witness it due to work holding him back, which had led to him waiting for her outside of the filming set. "It must''ve been very interesting." "It was very natural." Nicole curled up her lips. Jared casually wrapped his arms around her. "Since it''s the weekend, doe over and stay at my ce." Nicole was alerted. "No, I''m very exhausted today and I have to film tomorrow too..." ¡®Every time I go to his ce, I would be eaten alive.I would rather go home and get some well- deserved rest" she thought. "But I miss you very much.You''ve been heading straight to the filming set after school recently.What can I do?" Jared looked at Nicole with a set of pitiful eyes. And in the end, Nicole caved in. "Okay, have it your way.You may drop the act now. I''ll just go..." In exchange for peace, it was all Nicole could offer. Meanwhile, the crew had already been long gone as Chloe proceeded to leave the set. Her face was swollen, and she had thickyers of makeup on before she could walk out in public. shbacks of the incident that happened earlier in the day came back to her, and that was when her eyes darkened. Chloe had checked tomorrow''s airport scene, and though she had just two to three scenes with Nicole, she wanted to use that opportunity to get revenge. She motioned for her manager as she thought about it. "Go.Hurry up and do as I say!" ¡®I will get my revenge on you! I''ve suffered enough of your bullying today!'' ¡®Chloe, you really wanted to do this?¡¯ Her manager looked at her with uncertainty in her eyes as Ce spoke to herself. "Of course! Do tnk like a person who will let others pull me hy the strings?¡¯ Chloe red at her manager. "As long as she''s gone from this team, I''ll be able to make aeback." Hearing that, her manager had no choice but to abide by hermands and find a cuple uf staff members du gel the job done. "Just you wait, Nicole.I''ll let you know the taste of your medicine tomorrow.I''ll get rid of you once and for all!" she yelled. At night, Nicole and Jared were swirling their wine sses as they discussed the whereabouts of the Brave and the progress of their investigation. After dinner, the two of them were engaged in some forey before falling asleep in each other''s embrace. The next day, Jared reluctantly dropped Nicole off at the set early in the morning. "I''m free today.Are you sure you don''t want me to watch?" Jared asked, as he really wanted to watch Nicole filming, but Nicole shook her head. "It would be hard for me to act with you around on set," she replied. Jared raised his eyebrows, "Are you shy? I thought you were not afraid of anything." N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. In response, Nicole gave him a nk look. "I just don''t want you to distract me.I''m leaving." "Okay." Jared nodded and walked her to the door. Then, Max turned around and asked, "Mr.Johnston, where are we going?" Jared smiled. "I''m not going anywhere, I''m going to go watch her film." Jared would feel uneasy if he did not enter the building to observe her while she was filming her scenes.He was worried that Lloyd might pull some moves on her. "I thought Miss Riddle didn''t want you to go in?" Max asked, as Jared had agreed that he would not go. "I can go in if I want to," Jared argued. He was, after all, one of the investors of this drama series, and so as long as he wanted to, no one would be able to stop him. With that said, Jared got out of the car as soon as he had spoken. Max then proceeded to park the car and followed behind Jared''s footsteps. Nicole had just arrived at the dressing room and was putting on some makeup when her phone rang. Chapter 1685 Chapter 1685 Nicole answered the call through her Bluetooth earphone. "Hello? Nicole?" the voiced asked. This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org. "Tkee" It had since been a long time since Nicole had gotten a call from Ike, and yet, she instantly recognized his voice. "Hello, Miss Busy.Do you still remember me? I heard not too long ago that you''ve entered the entertainment industry now." Ike said on the other end of the phone, teasing Nicole with his feet propped up on his desk. "I''m just helping a friend out with a favor. How are you doing?" Nicole asked. "What else can I do? I''m continuing with the research after you''ve left, now that Scott Harmon has ced all the burden onto my shoulders," he replied. "I''m sorry." Nicole sighed. She had no reason to stay there. "There''s nothing to be sorry about.Scott was tremendously apologetic.When he came back and found out that you''ve quit, he fired two of the employees that had given you a hard time," he exined. "Such a thing happened?" Nicole asked, not knowing that Scott had gone back and fired those two employees. "Well, it seems that Scott was a little too ashamed of himself to contact you personally, so he got me to do the honors instead," Ike said. Nicole nodded. "I understand. No hard feelings. Tell him that I''m not really bothered by the issue anymore." Nicole was quite grateful. Had it not been for the meddling of the two employees, she would not have returned to San Joto so soon and they would probably still have been stuck there trying toplete the project. "However, Scott has heard that your research on manned flying cars is almostplete. Is it also equipped with an AI system?" Ike went straight for the throat as he got serious.Nicole narrowed her eyes.How did you know?" ¡®Logically speaking, none of the manned flying cars have beenunched into the market yet, and the temporary addition of the AI system has been subject to constant changes, so¡­ how did he find out?'' she pondered. On the other end of the phone, Ike was stunned. "Scott told me that he was very concerned with the pace of your development, and you know for a fact that my speed is nowhere near to beingparable to yours..." Nicole was kind of hurt when she heard that Scott had found out about her progress. ''Is it possible that he sent someone to spy on my work and progress?" A suspicious feeling arose in her gut, but as far as she knew, Scott was not that the sort of person who would do that. In addition, there was no likelihood that Ike would tell her lies. Her trust for them was the only thing that offered her relief at the moment. "It doesn''t matter. Scott''s worry is valid. After all, if it goes public here it will affect his products down the line," she said. "Yeah...but I still would like to have a look at your new product. When will you be hosting theunch?" Ike asked. Nicole hesitated for a moment when she heard that Ike was eager toe along. "Why? Will it be an inconvenience? I can promise that I only want to see your product, and not copy them." Ike instantly exined when he noticed Nicole''s hesitation. Nicole noticed that Ike had thought that she did not want him toe due to the concern of giarism of her products, and so, she shook her head. "No" Nicole was not afraid that her technology would be stolen, as what she had in store only continue to develop. "Forget it, you cane if you want. I''ll send you the exact time and dateter on." Ike was also a researcher himself, and as such, it was normal for him to be intrigued by things like these. "That''s really great! Thank you, Nicole! I''ll see you when I get back!" Nicole nodded and hung up. She stared nkly at her phone for a while before storing it away, her heart filled with minor doubts. At this time, the makeup artist, who had done makeup, said, "Miss Riddle, you''re gorgeous..." "Yeah, the makeup today looks really good," Gwendolyn, who was standing at the side, said. Nicole took a nce at herself in the mirror, and realized that she was looking better than ever. "Thank you!" "No problem!" The makeup artist smiled. Gwendolyn then guided Nicole onto the set to prepare for the filming of the next scene. Lloyd was smitten by Nicole''s beauty the instant he cast his eyes on her. Nicole, you look amazing." Chapter 1686 Chapter 1686 His brazen praise was heard by the few people surrounding them. Many averted their gaze, but most of them were blown away by Nicole''s beauty.Her makeup today suited her well. "Thanks." Nicole sat down calmly, after which she waited for the filming to start. At that moment, the screenwriter approached her and asked, "Miss Nicole.Do you have any thoughts on the script today?" Nicole shook her head, thinking, ''Does she think that I would want to change the scene every day?¡¯ Chloe, who was spectating from the back, noticed the special treatment Nicole was getting. Though furious, she could only watch on helplessly. Chloe was nothing more than a third lead actor who neither the director nor the crew would pay attention to. Nicole sighed as she read that there were intimate physical scenes. '' It''s a good thing that Jared didn''te over today.Otherwise, it would not sit well with his possessive nature.If Lloyd and I were to hug, he would not sit still..." It was not long before the lights dimmed, and both Nicole and Lloyd proceeded to the set. Then, Nachelle yelled, announcing for themencement of the filming today whereupon both Lloyd and Nicole began getting into character. From afar, Jared was standing in the shadows, observing Nicole. At that moment, he understood Nicole''s strong refusal to have him on set today; it was not because she was shy but it was because of the role she had to y today. Jared was livid, his expression was dark, and his fists were clenched tightly. Max, who was beside him, heard the sounds of his knuckles cracking, and he said, "Mr.Johnson...please calm down.It''s only for the filming." Max was concerned that Jared would not be able to keep himself restrained and would rush up into the scene to beat Lloyd toa pulp. Jared''s eyes softened for a moment, after which he convinced himself, "It''s just for the filming."It''s okay.It''s just a simple gesture.This will only require one go" Jared said to himself, trying his best not to punch anyone until the scene waspleted. Then, Lloyd suddenly turned around and said, "Sorry, I wasn''t in the right frame of mind.Can we do it again?" In an instant, Jared lost his temper. ''That b*stard! He''s taking advantage of her!¡¯ "You jack*ss!" Unable to deal with the scene anymore, he walked onto the set. "Mr.Johnston!" Max hurriedly tried to reach out to hold him back, but to no avail. Nachelle was about to agree to Lloyd''s request for another retake when a voice sounded from behind. "Nachelle, it''s been a long time." Jared''s voice stunned Nachelle for a moment, prompting her to turn around stiffly. "Mr.Johnston, what brings you here?" This drama cost a lot of money, and the Holder family had never invested in a business that would lose, and hence, in order to share the risks, they had brought investors in, with Jared unexpectedly being one of them. Jared had only agreed to invest based on the pattern of the Holders family in regards to avoiding huge risks. Nachelle did not expect that Jared woulde over for a visit on the second day of shooting itself... Nachelle nced over at Nicole''s direction and soon understood that he hade over to support her, and that the investment was probably for her sake too. "I''m one of the investors here.I happened to have some time off during the weekend and so, I''ve decided toe over for a visit." Jared swaggered in and sat down on the armchair next to Nachelle. Everyone on the set had gone silent due to Jared''s overbearing presence. N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. Having heard his words clearly, Nicole was taken aback. Chapter 1687 Chapter 1687 ¡®Investor? When did this guy be an investor in this drama? He didn''t even tell me! Besides, didn''t I ask him not toe? Look at him now! Walking in like he owns this ce! He''s even inspecting our progress here! What the heck is going on?!" she thought. Nachelle could only smile and bear with Jared''s attitude. "Of course. As an investor, it''s only natural for you to want to know what''s going on." It was nothing out of the ordinary for the production crew, so Nachelle just continued on with her work calmly. But when she was about to turn to Lloyd, Jared said, "Mr. Lloyd is the best actor alive. Why would he need to do a second take?" Nachelle''s and Lloyd''s faces soured the instant Jared said that. Nicole was taken aback as she came to a realization as well. Indeed, Lloyd''s acting was good enough in that scene. There was absolutely no need for them to do a second take. Lloyd became awkward as Jared had seen through his intentions. If he insisted for a second take, people would definitely start to doubt his acting skills. "That was a good take, but I just wanted another take just to be safe." Nachelle wanted to chime in as well, but Jared immediately said, " I don''t think that''s necessary. As the best actor alive, you can definitelyplete that scene in one take." Though Jared sounded as though he believed in Lloyd''s skills, he was actually being sarcastic. And true enough, Lloyd would seem like a failure if he could not do it. Lloyd could not help but grit his teeth as he looked at Jared. ''This bastard is obviously afraid that I''ll move in on Nicole!¡¯ But he could only wave this off and through gritted teeth, he said, "Since the investor is happy with this shot, there''s no need for a second take. Let''s move on to the next scene." Then, Lloyd turned around and left. Nicole watched as Lloyd left while the staff went on to prepare for the next scene. She then looked at Jared in defeat. ¡®Is this guy just here to cause trouble?¡¯ she thought. But Jared just looked at Nicole and smiled silently. Soon, the next scene began. Lloyd walked up again, and much to Jared''s chagrin, it was a scene where the male lead hugged the female lead from the back. Jared was on the verge of blowing his top when he heard about the details of the scene. He was imagining Lloyd hugging Nicole from the back. ''That''s something only I can do!'' Even though it was just an act, Jared could still not tolerate someone doing that with Nicole. Unable to help himself, he stated, "I think this scene is unnecessary. They hugged just now. We should just carry on with the plot.¡± The screenwriter looked at Nachelle with an awkward expression on his face. But Nachelle just looked at Jared, intrigued. Though he was an investor, he was too young to be talking here, and so, Nachelle argued, "Mr. Johnston, you''re unfamiliar with this. This scene is to strengthen the rtionship between the male and female leads..." "Regardless of the reason..." Jared turned to Nachelle with a determined look on his face. "My woman can''t be hugged by just anyone." He did not even bother to hide it, and his words stunned everyone. Jared was not worried about people seeing his jealousy at all. He even had the temerity im that Nicole was his woman in public, which was insane. Chloe was burning with hatred in a corner, for Nicole had already gotten the limelight, and yet, she could still make Jared and Lloyd fight for her. ''She''s hogging all of the attention! What a b*tch!''N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. Chapter 1688 Chapter 1688 Unbeknownst to Chloe, Nicole did not want any attention. If anything, Nicole actually hated the feeling of people watching her. ¡®Jared, you punk! Gosh, can he just stop talking?!'' Nicole fumed. However, Jared still insisted. "You''re one of the greatest directors in the industry, so you can''t be so inflexible that you can''t change the script, can you?" Jared was also deliberately provoking Nachelle, causing her expression to turn ugly at once. If she agreed, she would have to change the script, but if she did not, she would be discredited... ¡®Jared is far too cunning,¡¯ she thought. Thus, she could only respond through gritted teeth, "Whatever you say!" Though she wanted to create more opportunities for Lloyd to be together with Nicole, she could not risk her reputation for it. After all, antagonizing the Johnston family would not do the Holder family any good. ¡°Come and change the script!" Nachelle was annoyed as she called the screenwriter over, and the filming came to a halt. Nicole walked over to Jared, feeling resigned. ¡°Are you here to observe or affect my work?" she asked. Indeed, all she wanted was to get it over with as soon as possible. '' Great, everything''s dyed now, and it''s all because of this guy.'' "I''m here to protect my girlfriend. I don''t want anyone preying on you repeatedly." Jared looked in Lloyd''s direction coldly as he spoke. Nicole could not resist herself from frowning. "That''s enough. We''re just doing it because it was necessary." "Still ano from me. Whatever I say goes.'''' Jared looked like a tyrant. Nicole felt defeated. "Okay, you''re an investor, after all. But don''t dy my progress." Jared smiled. "Don''t worry, I won''t." As long as he was there, Lloyd would not be free to make a move on Nicole any time he wanted, and because of that, Nicole would be done in a jiffy. On the other hand, Lloyd was looking at Jared and Nicole, and his eyes were filled with hatred as he red at Jared. ¡®How dare this jerk change my script?" he fumed. Usually, he was the one who would do such a thing. However, Nachelle was there, and she would always take the Holder family into consideration. Gritting his teeth, Lloyd could only tolerate this. ''Jared wouldn''t be here every day anyway...'' For the next few scenes, Lloyd and Nicole were progressing just fine, and the scenes were mostly done in one take. The screenwriter had also taken the liberty to remove some flirtatious scenes, which made Jared extremely happy. When it was time for thest scene, everyone decided to change locations and film in the outdoors. It was then that Nachelle asked Jared on purpose. "Mr. Johnston, we''re going to shoot outside. Are you joining us?" Jared looked at Nicole. "Sure. I''m here to keep my fianc¨¦epany today." In other words, Jared was saying that he was only joining Nicole; not the rest of them. Nachelle was left slightly upset by the remark, but she could only stifle her anger and walk out with him. Soon, everyone arrived at the destination in over ten minutes. This is from N?velDrama.Org. It was a scene where Nicole got hit by the car, and thus, the prop car was already prepared. The car would stop before it actually hit Nicole, and they would film Nicole falling separately before they wrap their work up. Nachelle initially thought that it was going to be difficult to film, but Nicole already knew what to do after she briefly exined it to her. Jared looked at Nicole with admiration as she was preparing for that scene with utmost seriousness. Chapter 1689 Chapter 1689 It was Jared''s first time seeing hisdy working with such seriousness, and she looked amazing while she was at it. Nachelle yelled "action", and Nicole walked forward in ordance with Nachelle''s orders. A look of surprise shed across her face when she saw the car speeding toward her. Everyone was expecting the car to stop, but it was then that the actor in the car shouted, "Move! The brakes aren''t working!" The staff around Nicole quickly retreated in shock. Jared did not expect the car to malfunction, so he quickly lunged forward. However, Nicole was way beyond his reach. Nicole watched as the car careened toward her, and she reacted by performing a front flip before landing on one knee in stylish disy. A loud bang was then heard behind her. As it turned out, the car had crashed into another vehicle belonging to the production crew. If Nicole had not dodged it, she would have been smashed between two cars, and the resulting scene would be too dreadful to even imagine. N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. Jared was the first to rush to Nicole''s side. "Are you alright?" ¡®Thank God Nicole dodged it. It was just too dangerous.¡¯ "I''m fine." Nicole seemed to be used to things like this happening. When she was on missions back then, incidents like this were nothing umon. Besides, the prop car was not too fast, so Nicole still had time to react. Lloyd ran up to Nicole at that moment too. "Nicole! Are you okay?! " Nicole shook her head. "I''m fine. The car wasn''t too fast." Nicole was a forgiving person, but Jared was not, and his face darkened at once. "Mr. Lloyd. You personally invited my fianc¨¦e to act in this drama, but this is the degree of safety your crew can offer?" Lloyd was dismayed when Jared questioned him like that. He quickly looked at the driver who was being carried down from the car. Though the car was not too fast, the car had still crashed, and the powerful impact was still enough to disorient him. Lloyd walked up to him and asked, ''''What happened back there? Do you know that you almost hit someone?!" The driver immediately sobered up and said, "I-I don''t know. But the brakes... The brakes really stopped working..." Hearing that, Nicole instantly knew that something fishy was going on. Lloyd could tell that the driver was not lying as well. "Check and see what is going on!" Though Nicole was not hurt, an ident like this was too dangerous. Lloyd needed to know what really happened... Very quickly, the staff who inspected the prop car reported to Nachelle, "I think someone got into the car. The brake line was cut!" Jared''s face turned eerily dark when he heard that. "Seriously, Miss Nachelle? Did someone from your crew do something to the car?¡± ¡®Even in the production crew, Nicole was not safe. How can I let her work here without worrying?¡¯ Nachelle was visibly upset when Jared condemned her, during which she yelled, "Check the surveince cameras! Find out who''s behind this!" "On it!" The staff quickly sped off to investigate. However, Jared did not have an ounce of faith in them, so he said to Max, "You. Investigate this and find out who''s behind the crash. "W "Yes, sir." Max nodded and proceeded to investigate the crash secretly. The staff then came back and reported, "The surveince camera... was broken after we left the cest night... Up until just now..." "What?!" Nachelle yelled, as did not expect that the surveince cameras would be down at this time. It was obvious that someone had a bone to pick with Nicole. On top of that, they hade prepared, and there was no way for the crew to determine who they were. The look on Nachelle''s face was terrible. To top it off, Nicole saw that Jared was still going to cause a scene, so she said, "It''s fine, Nachelle. I''m fine, so let''s just forget about this." "No way!" Lloyd was upset as well. "Don''t worry. I''ll find who the culprit is!" Chapter 1690 Chapter 1690 Nicole was the person Jared cared about the most, and hence, it was just impossible for him to stand by and do nothing. Then, Nachelle said, "Don''t worry, Nicole. I won''t let this slide and I''ll find out exactly what happened. " In response, Jared frowned. ''''How are you going to do that? I suggest you stop filming since you can''t guarantee the safety of your set. We''ll talk about it again after you''ve discovered what happened. " "T... "'' Nachelle was rendered speechless. ''Jared is clearly just taking the opportunity to give me problems. '' After that, Lloyd chimed in, "Rest assured, Nicole can leave now. I''ll find out who did this in three days. She can return to the set after that. After all, that was thest scene they had to film for the day. "Sure," Jared said as he looked into Lloyd''s determined eyes. "Mr. Lloyd, I hope that you''re going to keep your word.N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. " Then, he turned to Nicole and said, "That''s it for today. Let''s go." Nicole quickly nodded. "I''ll leave now then." "Sure,'''' Lloyd responded with a smile and watched as Nicole walked off. Nachelle did the same while everyone else sent the driver to the hospital. Then, Nachelle sighed. "Lloyd, even though Nicole''s acting skills are surprisingly good, I''m afraid that this production won''t go very smoothly..." she stated. Lloyd knew that this was going to happen when he insisted that Nicole participate in this production. However, he wanted to spend more time with her. In truth, the show was nothing but an excuse for him to do so. Still, Lloyd had spent too much effort and time on it; effort which Nachelle thought was not worth. "It''s fine. I wouldn''t mind doing anything as long as I could spend more time with her..." Lloyd mumbled while his gaze darkened. Nachelle sighed upon seeing how stubborn her son was. Lloyd was her only child, and not too long ago, she had lost him, subjecting him to much suffering in the process. Thus, she would try her best to give him anything he wanted. She was willing to give Nicole a chance so that Lloyd could spend more time with her. She was also more than willing to snatch her away from Jared if that meant that Lloyd would be able to get her. She would not mind doing anything as long as Lloyd could be happy. However, things began to look moreplicated... On the other side, Chloe had been waiting at home for the entire morning. She could not stop imagining the car crashing into Nicole, and how the production crew would ask her to take Nicole''s ce. However, she had not gotten any news, even as of now. About 30 minutester, the call she had been anticipating from her manager finally arrived. "Did it work? How badly injured is Nicole?" She asked excitedly after picking her phone up. She was dying to hear about Nicole having broken a few ribs, or possibly even disfigured. However, her manager was stuttering, unable to form a coherent sentence. "Um..." ¡°Say something!" Chloe yelled. Her manager took a deep breath and told her the truth. "Nothing happened to Nicole. I heard that she dodged it before the car could even crash into her. " ¡°What? Are you serious?!" Chloe widened her eyes in disbelief. ¡®How is that possible? I''m sure that most people would not be able to dodge it, and she''s just a girl! How could she have dodged it?'' Chloe wondered. "Yeah. I heard that she dodged it with a front flip too. The director even changed the script because she thought that the scene looked very cool. . . " "Front flip?" Chloe asked inplete disbelief. ''Nicole can even perform a front flip?! That''s unbelievable!'' "Chloe? Are you still there?" her manager asked. Chloe clenched her teeth angrily. "I don''t care! Think of something else since it didn''t work! I want her out of the set as soon as possible!" Chapter 1691 Chapter 1691 "I''m afraid that it won''t be possible now." The manager changed his tone and began to sound timid. "I heard that the crew is already in the midst of investigating who had cut the brake cable... "W ¡°What are you scared of? We erased all the camera footage, didn''t we?" Chloe said, thinking that they would not be able to find anything. "You just have to act like nothing''s happened. Don''t get me into trouble, do you understand?" All she wanted to do was to get her role back. N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. However, she would be doomed if anybody ever found out that she had deliberately ordered an ident. "Okay..." The manager nodded. Chloe hung up and her gaze darkened at once. ¡®Damn it. How could she be so lucky...?'' she thought. ''Now that I won''t be able to do anything on the set anymore, I have no choice but to find another way!'' She switched herputer on as she thought about that... Both Jared and Nicole had already left the set by then. Jared was still angry, and he did not speak on their way back. Nicole lifted her brows and said, "Come on, it''s nothing serious. I wasn''t hurt at all. Why are you so mad?" Jared swept his gaze across her in annoyance. "When will you ever start caring for yourself?" The only reason that Jared got angry was because Nicole never took herself seriously. "Don''t worry. I can keep myself safe. Besides, what could happen on the set?" Nicole lifted her brows. "There was just something wrong with the prop." Jared looked at her coldly. "Something was evidently wrong with the prop. You would''ve been hurt if you were someone else." In response, Nicole yfully said, "Too bad, I''m not." Jared shot Max, who was sitting in front, a frosty nce. "Max, did you get anything?" Max then answered, "The surveince cameras were sabotaged, but I got some professionals to collect some fingerprints. I''m sure that the person who had cut the brake line would leave a trace." "Okay, let me know the result as soon as possible." Jared nodded satisfactorily. Nicole admired Max''s intelligence very much. However, she could already guess who had done that. Still, she needed evidence if she were to expose that person. Nicole went on to cease thinking about it. She had a long day, and all she wanted was to get some rest. Noticing how tired she was, Jared decided to send her back home. As such, Nicole came home earlier than Gloria expected. In utmost surprise, Gloria asked, "Nicole, why did youe home so early today?" And... she came back with Jared too. Nicole smiled. "The session went very well today, so it ended early. "W Gloria became very happy upon hearing that. "Wow. I''m so proud of you. You managed to wrap it up early!" Then, she dragged Nicole into the house and looked at Jared with a warm and weing gaze. She knew that Jared liked coffee, so she said, "I''ll make you guys a cup of coffee. Have a seat." "Thank you, Mrs. Riddle." Jared nodded and sat down. Then, he sighed. "I guess that''s it for our weekend." Before this, Nicole would always spend the weekend with him. Nicole raised her brows. ''We kind of spent the weekend with each other too. Be grateful that we did." ¡®This guy followed me to the set. What more does he want?¡¯ she thought. Jared inched closer to her. "I want more." Then, he gave her a peck on the forehead. "We didn''t get intimate at all." ¡®This guy is getting more and more reckless! How could he do this at my home!?'' she wondered. Chapter 1692 Chapter 1692 And in a low voice, he whispered into Nicole''s ear, "You belong to me no matter where we are." Gloria came outside right after Jared had said that and shed them a cheeky smile when she saw Nicole blushing. However, she did not say anything about it. ¡°Jared, you should spend the night here since you have the time today," Gloria said. Nicole''s family was already used to the rtionship between Jared and Nicole, so it would not be a big deal for him to sleep over asionally. "Mom, no..." Nicole figured that Jared was already very reckless, and what Gloria did would only enable him. "Sure, Mrs. Riddle. How could I reject such a generous offer?" Jared said, being more than happy to spend the weekend with Nicole at her house. "It''s settled then. There''s something important going on today too." Gloria went to get prepared happily. Jared watched Gloria leave, but he did not look like he was surprised at all. However, Nicole was a little confused. ''Why would mom suddenly ask Jared to stay for dinner? And weirdly enough, Jared agreed to stay without any hesitation at all...'' Nicole just did not feel right, but she kept it to herself because Gloria had already made the decision. Still, she warned Jared, "You better leave right after dinner. You''re not spending the night here.¡± Nicole felt that it was weird for him to sleep over at her home so frequently before they had even gotten married. Jared smiled. "That depends on howte it would be after dinner is done." Nicole frowned. "What do you mean?" ¡®Why do I feel like something''s not right with this guy?'' she asked herself. "Nothing. You should get some rest. Do you want to take a bath upstairs?" he asked, changing the subject at once. Nicole furrowed her brows. ''What''s up with this guy? Why is he being so kind to me?¡¯ However, Nicole had not even changed her clothes aftering back home. So, she nodded and said, "I''ll go upstairs now then. Stay here and don''t say anything stupid." Then, Nicole stood up and headed up to her room. Jared watched Nicole going up and smiled gently. Then, he shifted his gaze to Max... Nicole had a long day, so she spent a while longer in the bathtub, and by the time she had returned to the living room with a fresh change of clothes, an hour had already passed. The sky had turned pitch ck too. She thought that Gloria would have the dinner ready by then. However, the entire house was inplete darkness when she returned downstairs. ¡°What''s going on?" she asked. Nicole figured that her father and brothers would be home at that time. ''Why is the house so empty? ¡®Besides, where''s Jared and mom? Did they go out together?" she wondered. Nicole continued walking down the stairs in confusion. ¡®This is strange. It''s already nighttime and the house shouldn''t be so dark. Mom loves the light. It was impossible for her to not switch them on at night...'' she continued. Suddenly, she felt somebody approaching her from behind. Instinctively, she grabbed that person''s hand, prompting them to yell out of pain. "It hurts!"This is from N?velDrama.Org. Chapter 1693 Chapter 1693 Nicole immediately turned around after hearing a familiar voice. Then, she saw Samuel''s face. "Samuel?!" Nicole had no idea what was going on. Then, she saw everyone elseing out of the dark. Gloria was pushing a cart with a cake on it while her family, as well as Jared surrounded her. Then, in unison, they all said to her, "Happy Birthday, Nicole." Nicole paused and released Samuel''s hand. "What..." Samuel could not help but roast Nicole after seeing her reaction. " Yeah. It''s your birthday today, and we wanted to give youa surprise..." Samuel did not expect that Nicole would attempt to break his wrist. Nicole immediately looked at Samuel apologetically. ''''Samuel, I''m so sorry..." She only did that to him because it was so dark, and because he had abruptly tapped on her shoulder. Gloria had already pushed the cart out in front of Nicole by then. Gloria looked at Nicole with her gentle gaze, and under the illumination of the candles, she said, "Nicole, you''ve been away from home for so many years, and Mrs. Wace Sr. said that you didn''t even know your exact birthday. I''ve been waiting for this day toe. I can finally celebrate your birthday with you. I really want to say this to you in person. Happy Birthday, my dear daughter." Nicole''s heart melted upon hearing Gloria''s warm words. She did not expect her parents to remember her birthday at all. She had returned to them for so long, but none of them had ever asked her about her birthday. However, it was something that they had never forgotten. Mrs. Wace Sr., who was standing at the side, wiped her tears away. She looked at Nicole with much emotion and tenderly, she said, " Silly girl, go ahead and blow the candles. What are you waiting for? Mrs. Wace Sr. was not very rich, and she could never provide Nicole with a proper birthday celebration back in her home. However, Nicole was very sensible, and she would never talk about it. Fortunately, Nicole could finally return to her family and spend her birthday with them... Nicole wanted to step forward, but she actually felt hesitant to blow the candle off as she looked at the shimmering mes.This is from N?velDrama.Org. She wanted to have a birthday celebration very badly when she was younger, but her foster parents never really cared about her. Then, she ditched that childish idea after she joined the organization. However, everyone in her family was there to celebrate her birthday with her. She suddenly felt a lump in her throat. Strangely enough, she did not feel like blowing the candle off, and wanted to look at it for a while longer. Jared went up to her as he noticed how touched she was. "We''ll show you your birthday gift now if you don''t feel like blowing the candles off just yet." Nicole nodded unwittingly, and she finally realized why Jared had agreed to stay behind without a hint of hesitation. She figured that he had probably nned this with Gloria beforehand, for he had even prepared a gift for her... ''How considerate of him.'' Jared smiled faintly and took a box out before slowly opening it in front of Nicole. Jared''s red velvet box caught everyone''s attention. He opened the box under the astonished nces of everyone, and a ray of sparkling light came out of the box. The sapphire shone under the illumination of the candlelight, and everybody found out that it was a ne; a ne with the one and only sapphire of its kind in the world! Nicole''s expression changed as soon as she saw the ne. Then, she gave Jared a look of approval. "How generous of you, Mr. Johnston. You actually managed to get the one and only Ocean Heart... " "Ocean Heart?" Nicole''s brothers were shocked. Somebody once said that it was the most expensive ne in the world. The sapphire was the purest of its ss, and it was paired with the finest craftsmanship of a world- renowned designer. That ne was the only one in the world, and it cost a fortune... None of them was expecting to see it on such a casual asion, and for Jared to gift it to Nicole in such a casual way either. Of course, Nicole had heard about Ocean Heart too. It had been stolen a few times throughout the years before it finally became a part of the collection of a very famous antiquarian. ''The price of this thing. It''s actually priceless. There''s no way the collector would sell it... How did Jared manage to get his hands on it? ¡°What''s wrong? You don''t like it?" Jared smiled and asked after seeing how Nicole was just standing there, looking at it. "It''s not that. I just couldn''t believe that I''ve received such an expensive gift on my birthday." Indeed, Nicole truly felt that way. Chapter 1694 Chapter 1694 "It''s worth it because this is the first birthday celebration in your life." Jared smiled. Then, he took the ne out and put it on for Nicole. Nicole felt very touched. She bowed her head and epted the gift. The weighty ne fell between her corbones, and Nicole felt so touched that she did not know how to react. All she could do was indulge herself in her family''spanionship and her lover''s gift. That was the warmest day that she had ever had in her life, so much so that it felt like a dream. "Thank you..." Nicole thanked him softly. As of now, the feistiness she had was finally gone. She was so gentle that she looked just like another girl. Seeing that, Samuel and Spencer immediately said, "Oh well. After seeing Mr. Johnston had gifted you, we''re too embarrassed to give you what we''ve gotten you now..." Nicole looked at him. "Don''t say that. What did you get for me?" She had everything she needed. She only asked that because she did not want to disappoint her brothers. Samuel immediately took a box out after hearing what Nicole had said. "Here! This is thetest gaming console. We can y it together during the holidays." Even though it was an expensive gift, Spencer gave him a disdainful look after seeing that. ¡°Samuel, how old are you? A console? You actually splurged on this thing?" he asked. In retrospect, he should not have trusted Samuel, and he regretted not going out to choose Nicole''s gift with him. Samuel was surprised after seeing how disappointed Spencer was. ¡°What''s wrong with it?" Even though Nicole knew that she would not have a lot of time to y it, she smiled and took it from Samuel anyway. "Thank you, Samuel. I love it. I''ve never yed anything like this. I''ll give it a try someday." Samuel felt very proud after hearing what Nicole had said. Then, he lifted his chin and said to Spencer, "Look, it''s not as bad as you think it is." Spencer ignored him because he knew Nicole had only said those words because she did not want to hurt his feelings. This is from N?velDrama.Org. After that, he took his present out, with, Stanley, Steve, and Sean following suit. All of them had prepared something very expensive, and seeing that, both Tia and Mrs. Wace Sr. were shocked. Tia hesitated for some time before she took a tiny box out. "Miss Nicole, I don''t have a lot of money, so I personally made a bracelet for you..." Nicole looked at Tia''s gift and mustered a polite, ''''Thank you." Mrs. Wace Sr. also handed Nicole a sweater that she had knitted for her. "My eyesight''s getting worse, so I can''t knit as well as I could before anymore. Nicole, I hope you''d still like it." "Of course, I will. Thanks, grandma," Nicole said with a smile before hugging her. Tears welled up in Gloria''s eyes when she saw everyone else giving Nicole their blessings. Then, she exchanged a nce with Jared before she said, "Nicole, we know you have everything you need, so we''ve prepared something very unique for you." Then, the butler came over while pushing another cart topped with heaps of cardboard boxes on it. Gloria went to one of the boxes and took a dress out of it. It looked unworn and in good condition. However, it was a little out of style. Gloria looked at the dress and wept, "These are all the gifts that I''ve been preparing for you every year on your birthday since I lost you. I nned to give them all to you on the day I could finally see you again to tell you that you''ve always been in my heart..." Perhaps it had something to do with the connection between a mother and her child. Even though she was with Norah, she had never shown Norah anything in those boxes. That was the very first time Gloria had taken them out with guilt, and it was because Nicole could finally spend a birthday with her. Seeing Gloria''s teary eyes, Nicole was extremely moved. Chapter 1695 Chapter 1695 Nicole used to suspect that Gloria and Daniel had abandoned her on purpose. N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. However, she turned out to be very wrong.Her parents still loved her a lot. "I can finally give them to you now..." Gloria showed her every piece of item in the boxes before wiping her tears.Nicole stepped forward and gave her a hug. "Thank you, mom.I''m beyond grateful to have you in my life." Gloria immediately burst out crying after hearing what Nicole had said. The guilt that had been bothering her all those years was finally gone. Nicole was so sensible that she felt very sorry. "Come on, let''s not be sad.We should eat some cake now." Daniel wistfully said as he could not wait for the celebration to begin. Nicole did not hesitate anymore.She went straight for the cake, but it was then that someone grabbed her. "Hold on, Nicole.You''ve got to make a wish first!" Spencer quickly reminded her. Nicole nodded before making a wish. Jared looked at Nicole dotingly and desperately hoped that her wish had something to do with him. Then, Nicole opened her eyes and blew the candles off. The butler switched the lights on, after which everyone got seated and started eating the cake and their dinner. Nicole sat beside Jared and whispered, "Hey, why didn''t you tell me about this earlier?" ¡®Clearly, he knew about this before.How could he hide it from me?" she asked herself. "It wouldn''t be a surprise if I did." Jared smiled faintly and clinked his ss against Nicole''s. Nicole then downed the ss of wine angrily. Nicole did not know if she was just too happy or if it had something to do with Daniel''s wine.She actually felt a little tipsy when she eventually began to unwind. Jared noticed that Nicole had finished eating and that her cheeks had be very reddish too. Thus, he smiled and said, "Mr.and Mrs.Riddle? I''ll bring Nicole upstairs.I think she''s drunk." "I''m not." Nicole shook her head, though she did indeed look a little tipsy. Daniel quickly said. "Sure, go on." Meanwhile, Mrs.Wace Sr. was also there, and Gloria was happily chatting away with her. "Okay," Jared said and helped Nicole up the flight of steps. Nicole got so close to Jared, that she could feel the warmth in his body when they were walking in the corridor. She looked up, beamed at him, and said, "Jared, you smell pretty good." That was Jared''s first time seeing how drunk and carefree Nicole was.He was intrigued as he looked at her even more affectionately. "Do you like it? I''ll spend the night with you in your room if you do..." he joked, knowing that Nicole would just throw him out. Unexpectedly, Nicole grabbed him by his tie and dragged him inside when they had walked up to her room. "Sure..." She mumbled before closing her distance with Jared. Then, she raised her chin and kissed Jared on his lips! Nicole had never acted in such ascivious manner before. The lower part of Jared''s body then tightened, and he felt very nervous. He kissed her back unwittingly and only bothered to pull his lips away after a very long time. "That''s enough, Nicole.Don''t y with fire..." Even though he wanted to stay in her room very badly, he was not trying to do anything else in the house... Besides, Nicole was behaving too wildly that night, and he was worried that her family would hear everything if he lost control of himself. However, Nicole could not stop herself anymore as she chuckled. "I thought you wanted to stay here, hmm? Are you regretting it now? It''s toote." She held Jared''s chin and teased him, "Tonight¡­ you''re not going anywhere." Chapter 1696 Chapter 1696 When she domineeringly raised her chin, Jared shed her a yful frown. ¡®So, this little woman is actually a domineering one within, '' Jared thought. As that was the case, he was not to me for what he was about to do. "You said it yourself.Don''t you regret it now!" With that in mind, he grabbed her hand at once and locked the door behind him.He then hugged her waist as the two turned around and fell directly onto the bed.His kisses struck again and again, like a raging beast, kissing her until she was out of breath. Nicole too responded with full force as the passion between the two lit up like kindle to the mes... This night, Jared witnessed Nicole''s initiative and passion, allowing him to see this young woman''s other side... By the time Nicole returned to her senses, it was already morning. The wet dream she hadst night seemed so real that Nicole suddenly jolted up as she sat up straight. To her horror, she found that her clothes had been torn apart... The passionate night she shared with Jared was still fresh in her mind and that left her perplexed. "It was not a dream?" Not only it was not a dream, it also seemed that she was the one who had taken the initiative to ask Jared to stay the night! She allowed him to sleep in her room, sharing a night of passion in the process. Suddenly, Nicole felt like the world was about to copse. Thankfully, Jared did not seem to be around, and Nicole heaved a sigh of relief. In any case, if Jared was not here, she would be a little morefortable. As she tried to get up, Nicole endured the pain in her waist as she went off to get a change of clothes. As things were, she needed to get used to her waist and hip hurting from now on. After putting on some fresh clothes, Nicole quietly went out of her room and found that no one was on the second floor. She issued a quiet sigh of relief before slowly making her way downstairs. Her ears caught the voices of Samuel and Spencer talking and so, Nicole raised her hand to greet them. "Mom, Dad, Spencer, Samuel." At this hour, Sean, Steve and Stanley had already left for the office, so there should only be the four of them left at home.But unexpectedly, she immediately caught sight of another figure. ¡®Jared! He''s still here!'' she panicked. Nicole''s legs almost became wobbly as she descended the flight of steps and she had totch onto the handrail to keep herself steady. Seeing what Nicole was doing, Jared smiled yfully. "Morning." ¡®This woman.She''s way too cute" he thought. "Morning..." Nicole endured the embarrassment as she went and sat beside Jared. But she was so embarrassed that her legs were twitching incessantly. At this moment, both Samuel and Spencer gave the two a grin, causing the atmosphere to be even more awkward that it already was. This is from N?velDrama.Org. Nicole could not help but to feel appalled, as Samuel and Spencer''s rooms were rtively close to hers. ¡®They didn''t hear anythingst night, right...? Damn it! It''s all Jared''s fault for insisting on staying the night. How embarrassing!'' Daniel looked at Samuel and Spencer who were winking at one another and let out a dry cough. "Ahem, table manners." Both Samuel and Spencer immediately lowered their gazes to continue with their meals, but the grin did not leave their faces. At this moment, Gloria looked at Jared and asked, "Did you sleep wellst night, Mr.Johnston?" Although Jared had slept in Nicole''s roomst night, both parties were already talking about marriage now. Therefore, the elders should not be interfering. Then, Jared picked the ss of milk up and said, "It was good." Those were only three simple words but Nicole could hear the hidden meaning between those lines. Nicole was totally bbergasted, not daring to utter another word. '' What does the satisfaction in his voice even mean?'' Seeing how embarrassed her daughter was, Gloria did not press on with more questions. She only got them to eat up and go to school. After finishing his meal, Jared said, "Nicole is taking my car to school today." "Eh?" Samuel uttered, feeling a little reluctant to leave for school without his little sister together with them. But it was then that Spencer dragged him away at once. "Sure! We''ll head off first then!" Spencer immediately grab their bags and hurried away with Samuel in tow. Gloria looked at both Jared and Nicole, after which she stated, "I''ll leave Nicole in your good hands then, Mr.Jared." "Don''t worry about it." After he had said that, Jared left the Riddle residence together with Nicole. Nicole did not want to get into his car, and when she thought of the atmosphere that was present, she wanted to flee. "Uh, about that, I''ll go to school with my brothers..." Who knew Jared seemed to have read her mind as he teased, "I''m afraid it''ll be even more awkward sitting with your brothers.They must''ve heard youst night..." "Shut up!" Nicole roared as she punched him in the chest. Jared immediately grunted at the blow. "Ugh." But Nicole ignored him as she sheepishly opened the car door and got into the car. It seemed that she had given up. Jared could not help but smile as he massaged his chest and got into the car as well. Max was inside the car, so the two of them suddenly became very awkward. Nicole did not know what to say and could only lookdown at her knees with her head bowed. Jared smiled. "What? Are you feeling embarrassed now? You were so proactivest night." Nicole nced at Max before turning around to re at Jared. "No one would think you''re a mute if you don''t go around running your mouth, you know!" In response, Jared leaned over yfully. "If I don''t run my mouth, I''m afraid you might kiss me." ¡®This woman was way too proactivest night" he thought. "You! You shameless jerk!" ¡®This b*stard over here.How can he say something like that to me? ¡®she thought. Then, she immediately punched him in the chin. His jaw began pulsing with pain as he was left in a daze. "Hey...you don''t have to hit me that hard!" ¡®I can''t believe this woman.I gave her a nest night and she gave me two punches one after another today.Don''t she know how strong she is? It bloody hurts!'' "Serve you right, you jerk!" After that, Nicole took her earphones out and put them on, fearing that his teasing would really make her temper fly again. Seeing that she had crossed her hand before her chest with a furious look on her face, Jared smiled and ceased with the teasing. Soon, the car arrived at school. Once the car had halted, Nicole did not say anything to him as she quickly got out. "Bye.I was really satisfiedst night." Jared yfully teased her again. Nicole instantly red up. "You''re not allowed to bring up what you didst night ever again!" To Nicole, he had to forget all of it, and she did as well. Jared did not say anything, however, and when she noticed that she had no way ofmunicating with him now, she could only scamper and scurry away. Upon seeing how flustered the usually calm and collected Nicole was, Jared''s smile became even wider.He then ordered Max to start the car as the two slowly left. As Nicole walked into the school, she was still muttering. "As*hat! I knew that he was deliberately teasing me.AHH, I''m so embarrassed." With the encroaching thought of all of her brothers having heard her voice that night, she grew depressed. ''Why did I allow myself to drink so muchst night? Asking him to say the night notwithstanding, why was I so proactive?¡¯ Nicole tried to sweep her garbled thoughts aside as she rushed into ss with her head lowered. Suddenly, she bumped into someone. "Ugh!" the person groaned. Nicole quickly looked up as well. "Gary?" As soon as she saw him, Nicole recalled what Gary had gifted her, and she had not returned the favor yet. Chapter 1697 Chapter 1697 "Oh, you''re here.Good morning." Gary said in an awkward tone of voice. Nicole looked at Gary''s dodgy eyes, and in a monotonous voice, she replied, "Good morning." Gary watched as Nicole walked into the ssroom, after which he turned around and followed her to her seat. "How''s your wound?" Nicole looked at Gary, and upon noticing that he seemed to be genuinely worried about her, her attitude toward him mellowed a little. "Don''t worry.It''s much better now." Seeing that Nicole actually spoke to him, Gary, for some reason, became cheerful. "That''s good.I heard that Raine got expelled as well.You can rest easy knowing that no one wille and find trouble with you from now on," he said. Gary had heard about Raine. Perhaps he would have felt sorry for her back then. But when he heard that she had coerced someone else to drop the flower pot on Nicole, he lost all sympathy for her, in addition to feeling that she had gotten her just desserts. Nicole raised her eyebrow as she looked at Gary. "Isn''t she your girlfriend? Aren''t you bothered by that? Gary immediately furrowed his brows. ''Who said she''s my girlfriend?" Although he had never told Nicole about this, he had never actually considered Raine to be his girlfriend at all. "You''re not? The whole school thought that you were a couple." Nicole raised a brow with surprise. After all, the main reason as to why Raine had always given Nicole a hard time was because of Gary. Hearing that, he instantly retorted, "That''s what they think.It has nothing to do with me." Nicole could not help herself from shooting Gary a nce. She had an inexplicable feeling that he looked a lot less unpleasant today. ¡®Perhaps the reason I hated him before was partly due to Raine, I guess" Not wanting to talk about Raine, Gary said. "After ss, the participants of theputerpetition will be meeting at the lecture hall.Should we go there together?" "Okay." Nicole casually nodded. However, that was like a beam of sunshinencing through a nket of storm clouds for Gary. "That''s a promise." After that, Gary returned to his seat. Both Jack and Wayne could not help but to look at each other. ''How long has it been since our bossughed like this?¡¯ ¡®Strangely enough, only Nicole can make him smile like this" ¡®But she already has a boyfriend, does she not?! "Our boss has be a really soulful one..." Jackmented, feeling a little impressed by Gary. Wayne nodded in agreement. "Yeah..." When Gary saw the two getting excited for nothing as he got back to his seat, he red at them and hissed. "Stop acting like clowns." After the end of the day''s lessons, all of the participants in theputerpetition gathered at the lecture hall. Everyone, be they from the university department or the high school department, all had congregated at that particr location. The moment Nicole stepped into the ce, she saw Harvey. She had not seen him for quite a few days since thest time they met. It seemed to her that he had not been attending school during this period as well, but Nicole was not concerned about that. Instead, it was Harvey whose gaze was locked onto Nicole. Other than him, Snow too, was staring at Nicole. Her little sister had been expelled just like that, causing her parents to be so restless at home over the weekend that she too was affected. Now that she had seen Nicole, she felt really aggrieved. Raine had been sent to a school in a neighboring city to pursue her studies, and before she left, she had asked Snow to exact revenge on her behalf. N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. ¡®But Nicole is the spotlight.What can I even do to her?" she wondered. She only wanted to avoid her and up until now, she had not expected that the two would meet again so soon. ''Nicole has signed up for theputerpetition as well?" In addition to being the bearer of the Fire Crest, she was an expert in medicine and was also a top student. It was hard to believe that she had decided to join theputerpetition now as well. Chapter 1698 Chapter 1698 At that moment, Nicole happened to walk past her Snow pretended to probe Nicole. "Ah, I didn''t expect you to join theputerpetition, Nicole.You did very well during the Math Olympiad previously.You must be very confident in this too, aren''t you?" Snow''s words might sound likepliments, but she had ced Nicole upon such a pedestal that if she messed up and knew nothing, she would be aughing stock. Gary frowned a little. "What does that have to do with you?" Snow and Raine were sisters, and since Raine had been expelled because of Nicole, he surmised that Snow must be plotting something. Snow was taken aback by that remark, after which she awkwardly said, "I''m just concerned for Nicole." Nicole gave Snow''s false look of concern a nce, and seeing the curious gazes that had been cast over by everyone around them, she lifted her lips a little. "I''m indeed very confident.I wonder how your coding skills are, Snow." Unexpectedly, Nicole did not even bother to humble herself this time and she threw the question back at Snow instead. Snow''s expression changed a little but she still smiled and said."I''m definitely not as smart as you are, Nicole.You''re proficient in everything.I''m just here to make up for the numbers as no one in ss wanted to participate.I thought it was the same for you, but if you are good at it, please teach me what you know." This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org. Snow once again seemed to beplimenting Nicole, but she was actually waiting for an opportunity to humiliate thetter. In response, Nicole shed her a yful smile. "What do you want me to teach you, really? From the basics? I wonder if you prefer to use Java or PHP?" Nicole''s words surprised some of those who were watching the drama unfold. ¡®For Nicole to be able to name the codingnguage, it seems that there is a real difference between her and Snow." Snow did not expect Nicole, a country bumpkin in her opinion, to know those codingnguages, and in an awkward tone, she replied, "Just teach me whatever you know..." Nicole however sneered back at her. "These twonguages are just the basics, and I know the both of them, alongside a few more niche codingnguages.If you don''t know the difference,e and ask me again once you''ve gone through some idiot''s guide or something." After she had said her piece, Nicole returned to her seat, unwilling to deal with Snow any longer. However, those words were enough to shock the others. Aside from knowing the two main programmingnguages in the country, she even knew a few other codingnguages that are not asmon as well! That''s really amazing! '' Gary''s eyes dimmed as he looked at Nicole. ''From what I can tell...she''s a pro at this...Lucifer...With that in mind, Gary could not help but to take another nce at Nicole. "It seems that I really don''t have to worry about you.When did you learn all these?" Nicole shot him a nce over her shoulder. "About eight or nine I guess?" They had started learning all of these codingnguages the moment they joined the organization.She was very interested in it at that time, preferring to code quietly rather than training, so she had gotten into the groove much faster than anyone else. "Eight or nine?" Gary was taken aback, for that was way earlier than even an InfoTech scion like him. ¡®It seems that Nicole''s skills in coding may very well be above mine, ¡®he surmised. Soon, the teacher arrived. Beside the teacher was another person, Gary''s brother, Ryder Finley. As a senior of the university department with excellent coding skills, he was brought in as a teaching assistant. "It''s Gary''s elder brother." "Yeah, he''s quite the looker too!" "I heard that he''s a tech wiz, and he''s representing the school this time too!" "I heard that in thestpetition, the two brothers got first and second ce respectively.Amazing!" When Nicole heard the introduction, she turned and shot Gary a nce. "Your brother?" "Yeah." Gary nodded back. "Is he good?" Nicole raised her eyebrow. Feeling a little awkward and not knowing what else to say, Gary stammered, "Uh, I guess..." His brother was indeed a tech wiz, but if Nicole was really Lucifer, how would he even begin to consider himself and his brother to be on equal footing with her? Chapter 1699 Chapter 1699 Nicole began to size Ryder up. Suddenly, she felt the seat beside her moving. Her eyes darted sideways and she immediately saw Preston and Edwin. "Nicole! You''re here too?" Preston asked, feeling quite excited when he saw Nicole. The school''sputerpetition was usually conducted through the simple process of drafting a few unlucky souls in ss to make up the numbers. It was only until the city-levelpetition, in which the wheat had been separated from the chaff, that the pros would duke it out. However, for Nicole''s identity and level of skill, participating in a nationalpetition in a developing country was truly a disservice to her talents. Nicole too wore a helpless look on her face. "Yeah, no one in ss registered for this." That was why the teacher had picked her. "But your ss has quite a few capable folks, right?" Preston nced at the general direction of Bradley, Wayne and Jack. The mention of this reminded her that she was still a little mad at Bradley. "If that bugger had raised his hand earlier I wouldn''t have needed toe. Long story short. Meh." Preston smiled coyly. "It''s alright. Just think of it as a game." When Gary heard that, he felt as if Preston seemed to know something. ''Is it possible that he knows Nicole''s identity?! Thinking that perhaps he was the one who had known nothing all along, Gary could not help but feel deted, feeling like an absolute fool. "So be it. I want to see how a pro does it." After she had said that, Nicole nced at Ryder on the stage. Gary was suddenly sweating profusely. ''Sh*t, Ryder probably ran into a brick wall this time." At that moment, the teacher had already gotten Ryder tomence with the briefing of today''s test. What people love the most when ites to tech, is cracking. So I''vee up with a question for all of you today. If you can crack the code in this test, then I shall believe that you will have no issues acing the city-level tests." As he said that, Ryder tapped on hisptop and sent aption of viruses to everyone''s computer. ¡°Eh? We''re tasked to crack a virus?" they asked. "It can''t be right. Ryder''s own questions?!" "Doesn''t that mean we''ll be stuck here cracking it until the sun goes down?" Most of them were just rich scions who only knew how to y games. Cracking a virus was totally beyond their range of capabilities. Nicole saw the virus and felt a little intrigued as she raised her hand asked. "Did you program this virus yourself?" Ryder gave Nicole a look of surprise. He had met her a few times before but had never spoken to her. Seeing that she was seated beside Gary, and considering the fact that the both of them were ssmates, he replied with a, "Yes." Nicole let out a yful smile. "Not bad. Seems like it''ll be quite challenging." The thought process and methodology that Ryder had employed were a little different from the others. His skills and capabilities were obviously leagues above Gary''s, which made it surprisingly interesting for her. To Nicole, this was definitely far more interesting than just sitting in ss. "This is the only requirement. You must use a specific codingnguage to do this. The time starts now, and let''s see who will be the first to crack my virus," Ryder announced. Yet, just as Ryder''s confident voice began to trail away, the massive screen looming above them suddenly showed that PC 30 had managed to crack the code and neutralize the virus. Everyone saw PC 30''s icon turning green and everyone in the hall looked over.This is from N?velDrama.Org. "Goodness, someone had already cracked it!" Even Harvey could not help but to nce to the back. Much to their surprise, PC 30 was Nicole''sputer. This made his eyes gleam with interest. He knew that Nicole was skilled. Back when they were at the Golden Coast Building, she had also showcased her ability in this field. But what Ryder had shown them earlier was more like a hacker''s virus. Anyone who knew even a little aboutputers would know that countermeasure techniques like these were more akin to a duel between hackers. Chapter 1700 Chapter 1700 No one, however, had foreseen that someone would be able to crack it so quickly. At that moment, Ryder''s expression changed. He had not expected someone to crack and neutralize his virus so quickly. He looked at PC 30 in surprise and when he discovered that it was Nicole, a trace of astonishment appeared in his eyes. That was a virus courseware that he had spent an entire night to make, and he did not expect Nicole to be able to crack it insucha short span of time. But when he saw Gary sitting beside Nicole, he was taken aback for amoment. ¡®Is it possible that Gary had let her in on how to crack it?'' he asked himself. After all, he and his little brother had always tested one another in this field, and Gary was the one who understood his habits and loopholes best. Yet, little did he know that Gary too was bbergasted. Although he knew that Nicole was exceptionally skilled, he was amazed, as she was able to crack his brother''s code of virus in mere seconds. Jack and Wayne too gawked with their eyes wide open. "My goodness... is this what Nicole is truly capable of?¡± ¡°Could it be that she is another secret tech whiz?" They had already thought that she was amazing when she showcased her skills at the Math Olympiad back then. They had also thought that there was no woman in the world who would be capable of everything. Hence, they thought and assumed that she was just here to fill a seat. Indeed, no one had expected her to crack that tech whiz''s virus in just a blink of an eye. ''She''s just too amazing!'' The calmest of the lot were of course, Preston and Edwin. Both of them had bear witness to Nicole''s capabilities long ago, and this virus was a piece of cake to her. Suddenly, someone beneath the stage jeered. "Hey, is our school''s tech whiz being challenged here?" "Ryder, your code got broken so easily. Are you for real?" Those who had not had a favorable view of Ryder all started heaping jeers upon him one after another. Ryder''s expression darkened, and even the teacher could no longer hold things at bay. He should not have been allowed to manage a boot camp of this sort, as he knew nothing about computers at all. It was also why he had gotten Ryder to stand in and help him out. Much to his chagrin, however, Ryder''s code had somewhat been cracked by a student from the eleventh grade in an instant. The teacher coughed softly as he walked up to Ryder. "Hey, do you have any other testing methods?¡± Seeing that, Ryder looked at Nicole with his brows furrowed as he raised his voice. "It''s normal for our school to have pros in our midst. Her sess in cracking my code aside, have you guys managed to crack it yet?" Ryder''s voice immediately caused everyone to pipe down. Snow then added, "Yeah, perhaps it''s just by chance? Let''s give it a try, everyone." As she said that, she login into theputer. In fact, she knew very little about coding and was here because she could spend time with Harvey, but she also wished that someone would crack the virus code quickly to prove that Nicole was just a fake. However, even after fifteen minutes had passed, there was still no one else who had managed to crack it. It was then that everyone was stunned. ''So, it''s not that Ryder is ipetent... ¡®The virus he had programmed is really difficult to reveal and neutralize! It is not something you can solve in a whim!¡¯ It was not until a few minutester when Gary cracked the virus code,ing close in second ce. Immediately afterwards, Preston and Edwin managed to crack the virus code as well. As soon as these few individuals hadpleted the task, everyone else were left in greater shock. All of them were famousputer experts in school.This is from N?velDrama.Org. Not to mention that Gary, as Ryder''s little brother, must have known his brother''s coding habits. After all, Preston and Edwin, with the support of their family, had started aputerpany as partners at such a young age. Chapter 1701 Chapter 1701 However, all of these people had only managed to break the code long after Nicole had done so, and each of them had taken nearly twenty minutes, which showed that Ryder was no pushover. At this moment, everyone was excited, for Nicole was truly an expert. However, Nicole did not care about how the others perceived her at all as she quietly worked on the computer. When it seemed as if no one would be able to pass the test, Ryder attempted to regain some standing as he said, "Take this back as a homework. If you can break into the code, you''ll definitely make it into the provincial-level elimination round." Upon noticing Ryder''s look of satisfaction, everyone could only take his word for what it was. However, it was then that the disy of the massive screen behind him changed. N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. All of a sudden, hisptop that was connected to the sma screen seemed to have been hijacked as a virus made its way into it. ¡°Whoa! Looks like Ryder''sptop is being hacked!" one of the students eximed. Ryder too realized that something was amiss when the files in hisptop opened by themselves one after another. Even his encrypted ssified documents were being exposed. "Blood hell, what''s going on?" Ryder immediately started typing but after a few futile attempts, he was so angry that he began yelling. "Who did that?!" Nicole stood up yfully as she looked at Ryder. "You''ve given us a homework, Ryder, and I happened to be bored just now, so I''ve decided to give you one as well. Do remember to share with us once you''ve managed to crack it.¡± After saying that, Nicole got up proudly as she left her seat and returned to her ss. Ryder totally did not expect that Nicole would design a virus that would attack hisptop in the twenty minutes worth of free time she had just now. What was more infuriating was that no matter what he did, his attempts were futile. Hisputer was dead in the water and had been overtaken. ¡°Damn it!" he cursed. Not having the time to bother with Nicole, he could only allow her to leave just like that. Aseries of jeers soon exploded in the room. ¡°Woo, the school beauty has struck!" ¡°A pro versus pro situation! Damn!" "I wonder who is better." Seeing that Ryder had been blindsided, the teacher instantly rushed forward and announced, "Alright, alright, those who have managed to crack the virus code can leave now, and those who haven''t can do it at home." He then walked over to check on Ryder. Ryder was totally stumped and could only muster, "I''m sorry, sir. I really must go home first." He had plenty of data and information in hisputer, and thus, he would be screwed if it was bricked. "Alright." The teacher nodded and allowed Ryder to leave. Upon noticing that, Gary chased after him at once. "Ryder! Are you alright?" Ryder turned around and red at Gary. "What''s the deal with your friend? She actually hacked myputer!" An awkward look soon appeared on Gary''s face. ''''I did not see thating either. Perhaps she was bored." Indeed, when Gary was cracking Ryder''s virus code earlier, Nicole had muttered something about being bored. "Bored?" Ryder was so pissed off that heughed. "So she made a virus to hack me out of boredom? Who is she, actually?" No ordinary person would be able to devise such a powerful virus in just a span of twenty minutes. Awkwardly, Gary then asked, "Can you let me see the virus code she made?" Helpless, Ryder could only show it to Gary. Gary quickly went through the code and that was when she found Nicole''s signature. ¡®Sure enough, the person who had engaged mest time...was Nicole!'' he concluded. ''She''s Lucifer!'' Chapter 1702 Chapter 1702 "Did you manage to find something? Whose signature is that?" Ryder asked Gary. However, Gary did not know how to exin this to his brother at that time. ¡®If he learns that Nicole is Lucifer, he''ll probably fall into despair. It''s hard enough to rescue hisptop as it is...'' he thought. ¡®Nothing. Good luck, Ryder." Gary coyly patted Ryder on the back of his shoulder. ¡°What do you mean?" Ryder asked, as he seemed to have sensed something. Without the courage to borate further, Gary could only say, "I''ll head off first and study about that virus of yours." Seeing that Gary had fled, Ryder''s instincts informed him that something was not right. When he saw the pop-ups that kept appearing on hisptop screen, his brain gave way, and he hurriedly left the school. He did not believe that he would lose to a girl in high school. When Preston and Edwin saw that the two brothers had left, they could not help but to sigh. "It seems that Ryder has collided into a steel wall this time." "Yeah, if he knew Nicole is Lucifer, he''ll definitely despair..." Just through their imagination alone, they could already imagine how Ryder''s expression would look like, and they broke into aughing fit. The incident of Nicole snagging the limelight at the lecture hall then went viral in the school forum right after ss. No one had thought that she would reveal her fangs long before theputerpetition had even started after such a grand showing in the Mathematics Olympiad. N?velDrama.Org holds ? this. And for her to give Ryder such a difficult problem to solve was something no one in school would dare to do. Yet, Ryder had been snared, and they heard that he had hurried home after he was done with his duties as an assistant. It was said that hisptop contained many important documents within it. At that time, Bradley was still hyping up what Nicole had done in the lecture hall. "Did you know that Nicole only spent a minute to crack the code Ryder had given us for practice? Even Gary needed ten odd minutes to do so!" ¡°Woah! Nicole''s amazing!" Everyone then proceeded to give Nicole a look of surprise. Nicole, as usual, continued to wear that look of indifference on her face. On the other hand, both Lulu and June werepletely stupefied. They had seen Nicole hacking into the school''s surveince system before, but they had never thought that Nicole would be skilled enough to stand above both the Finley brothers. "Later on, Nicole even gave Ryder a problem to solve after she hacked hisptop and told him to go home to break the code." Bradley continued to wax lyrical. Everyone immediately gave Nicole a look of admiration. Seeing that, both Wayne and Jack could not help themselves from asking Gary, "Boss, is Nicole much more skillful than you are?" After all, Nicole''s act of cracking Ryder''s code in an instant was something that all had witnessed. Gary choked on his words for a bit before rolling his eyes and letting out a grunt in tacit admission. Thinking back at the time when Gary decided to offer Nicole a guide book, and the 360-degree shift at present, they asked, " When did you discover that she''s a much better hacker than you, boss?" Gary was a person who would rarely admit to his weakness, and yet, he had to say, "A few days ago, I suppose." When the recording of the two girls throwing the flower pot appeared, he had already guessed that Nicole was Lucifer. And today, she had proven herself to be even more skillful than Ryder. His brother''s achievements and prowess were already rather well- known in the Hunters'' web, and there were very few that could surpass him. ¡®But for Nicole to be leagues beyond me in terms of skill...means she''s Lucifer for sure.'' Thinking about it, his idol was just sitting right beside him, and there he was, acting like a fool, thinking that Nicole was nothing but a poor student. It was only then that he realized that she was an absolute genius. Furthermore, she was also the idol he had always wanted to meet. ¡®This is so exciting!'' Chapter 1703 Chapter 1703 Noticing that Gary was more ted than upset, both Jack and Wayne thought that their boss might have gotten his brain fried. Yet, they did not dare to utter a word, and so, they turned around and prepared for ss. Very soon, after school, Ms. Emerson strolled into the ss. " Nicole, please stay back for a bit." After everyone had left, Nicole walked up to the teacher. "Ms. Emerson, is there anything that mattered?" 1 Ms. Emerson then proceeded to ask her in a tone of surprise and excitement. "I heard that you''re aputer whiz?" She had only heard from the teacher in charge of the training talking about Nicole when school was almost over. She totally did not expect Nicole to stump Ryder! Seeing that Ms. Emerson had already discovered the truth, Nicole decided that she had no reason to hide it either. ''''Yes. I used to even enjoy it back then." Ms. Emerson was ted. "Why didn''t you say so earlier? I thought you were just there to make up the numbers. I can finally be relieved about this!" ¡®Nicole is amazing and she brings nothing but glory to the ss, '' Ms. Emerson thought. "I totally did not expect you to be an expert. If you need any help, you must tell me, okay?" "Got it, Ms. Emerson." Nicole nodded in reply. Before leaving, Ms. Emerson did not forget to add, "Oh right, Ryder''s teacher was rather unhappy with you in the teacher''s office today. Let me know if he gives you grief." Ms. Emerson was no longer the trainee teacher whom she once was. Both the head teacher and the principal held her in high regard, and thus, she was not afraid of anyone and would not allow anyone to bully Nicole. Nicole felt a surge of warmth upon hearing that. "Don''t worry, Ms. Emerson." After that, Nicole bade Ms. Emerson goodbye and walked out of the ss. As the production crew had not gotten to the bottom of the matter, Nicole did not need to show up for filming today, and so, she nned to go home early. But as she walked out of school, she ran into an unexpected figure. "Ike, what are you doing here?" she asked in surprise. ¡®And he is even waiting for me outside of the school''s entrance?¡¯ Ike smiled at Nicole. "Didn''t you agree to bring me to the press conference of the manned flying car''sunch?" Nicole was taken aback. "The press conference hasn''t even been scheduled yet." This was a coboration with Jared, and the press conference was under Jared''s purview. If the press conference was to take ce, he would have informed her in advance. Ike raised his eyebrow. "You don''t know? It''s set for three dayster. But you''ve been so busy at school that I wonder if you even have time to go there.¡± Nicole frowned slightly. ''Yeah, I might not have the time to go there.¡¯ "So, how about you show me a glimpse of your masterpiece. If you don''t mind, you can take me to the factory or something for a visit. "W Nicole stared at Ike and suddenly fell silent. Ike was slightly surprised. This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org. "What''s the matter? Is it confidential? If it''s too troublesome... forget about it then.¡± Seeing that Ike looked a little disappointed, and knowing that he was very passionate about inventions, she could only agree. " Come, let''s go. It''s nothing anyway." Coincidentally, she had not visited the base after Jared hadpleted it. She also nned to ask him why she was not informed of when the announcement date was set. After that, she got into Ike''s car, and the two headed to the address Jared had left her. Soon, the two arrived at the base. Nicole did not anticipate that Jared had actually built such a magnificent factory for Kelly and the others. Still, the manned flying car now had an Al installed and would undergo mass production after it had beenunched. A factory of this size was indeed necessary, or else, it would be toote for any expansions when the time came. "I totally did not foresee the scale of your development to be so much bigger than what Mr. Scott had." Ikemented, his eyes green with envy. "I wish to work at a ce like this too." Nicole shot him a nce. "Well, you''re shutting down your workshop, then?" Ike then sniggered. "I can just move my workshop over here with me, can''t I?" Nicole raised her eyebrow. "Dream on." As the two conversed, they arrived at the entrance. After dering her identity, Nicole brought Ike into the ce. Soon, Kelly got the news of them arriving, and proceeded to greet her. Seeing that Nicole had brought someone else into the premise, she was slightly taken aback, and when she saw that it was Ike, she immediately rushed forward. "Nicole, why did you bring him here?" Nicole raised her eyebrow. "He wanted to see the final product of the flying passenger car.¡± Kelly pouted a little as she came up to Nicole''s side and whispered, "Nicole, we are no longer working with Mr. Harmon already. Won''t he return and leak this to himter?" Nicole raised her eyebrow. "Nah, don''t worry. No one can steal our tech." Ike wore an awkward look on his face. "I can hear what you two were whispering about, you know. Nicole, however, calmly turned around and said, "She has the right to be suspicious. You''re after all still coborating with Mr. Harmon." Tke was helpless. "But we are friends, right? And since you guys already have the lead, what are you afraid of?" Kelly was taken aback. "He... has a point..." In any case, with the progress of science and technology, anything would be developed eventually, so it the question of who could develop it first was far more important. Nicole darted her eyes at Kelly. "You''re convinced now?" It was only then that Kelly realized that Nicole was concerned that she would worry too much about this, so she quickly said. "I... actually do not have an opinion on this. If you want to bring him inside, juste on in, Nicole." She believed that Ike and Nicole were friends, and so, he would not backstab her. Ike''s eyes immediately lit up as he looked at Nicole. ''''See, she agreed." Nicole gave him a nce and a coy smile in response. "Let''s go." Ike nodded and excitedly followed Nicole into the factory grounds. Seeing that Ike was like a child who had been given candy, she did not mind hispany, as he was indeed a tech enthusiast. Soon, the two came to the manned flying car''s testing department, where Terry was already in the final stages of testing. Unlike the previous ones, the current test were mainly improvements of some minute features, as there were no longer any major issues. The manned flying car was rising into the air repeatedly and entering the test track through the ss, and when Ike saw the Al system at work, he could not help but be amazed. "Goodness. Although I''ve fantasized about how it would have looked like, it is another thing to see it with my own eyes. Nicole, did you develop that AI system yourself?" Nicole shook her head. "No, I got it from a friend." Carl''s family and the Curley Corporation''s joint technology was no pushover after all. "Yes, this is really good. It is already difficult enough to build a manned flying car, but I totally did not expect you to install an AI system into it. This is likepleting two research projects at once. If this is revealed, you''ll be winning awards." However, she shook her head. "I''m not interested in all of that. The awards that wille with this research will all go to Terry." She was already a high-profile figure already, and she just wanted to be a student in peace. ¡°Huh? What the heck? Why didn''t you ask me toe along?" Chapter 1704 Chapter 1704 Ike gave Terry an envious look, brimming with indescribable jealous. Hearing that, Nicole rolled her eyes. "Don''t you have enough research to your name already?" Ike poked his tongue out and said nothing as he continued to watch Terry as thetter was performing the final tests. Staring at the manned flying car slowly rose and jetted off on its own, it was concluded that the minor problem at the final turn had been resolved. Tke''s eyes were filled with amazement. "Whoa! Not bad! Can I give it a whirl myself?" Nicole''s brows furrowed as soon as Ike had made that request. In truth, it would be unwise to allow the same researcher to touch the project. However, Ike was really testing her limits today. "I just want to give it a whirl and be the first person to drive a car like this. It''s good pub talk material." Ike wore an innocent look on his face, which was not unlike that of a silly teenager''s. "You sure don''t know how to be shy today, huh?" Back then, Ike would be very attentive to issues like this. Ike was taken aback. "Do I need to? Aren''t we good friends?" They had only been separated for a while and yet, Nicole was already being distant. With a feeling of defeat, Ike said, "Nicole, we''ve not seen each other for just a while and you''re already giving me the cold shoulder. Back then, I was the one who had brought you around to participate in the flying car expo. Nicole could not be bothered to listen to his rambling, and responded by saying, "Go ahead if you want to. Don''t y the friendship card." Ike immediately broke into a smile. "Alright!" After that, Ike walked into theb. Seeing that Nicole had brought someone in, Terry frowned and shot Nicole a nce while she gave him a quiet nod. Terry then went on to do his research, allowing Ike to get into close proximity with the flying car. After the test staff had gotten out of the vehicle, he immediately climbed into it. He then mimicked what he had seen the test staff had done, and drove the car into the test track. Nicole watched Ike as she crossed her arms around her chest. Unable to resist it, Kelly asked, ¡®Nicole, you''re letting him drive like that?" "Let him be. Even if he tries to copy our work, I won''t be afraid," Nicole replied in turn. After all, she would be doing nothing more than helping Mr. Harmon progress a little faster. ¡®Alright.¡± Kelly nodded. Soon, Ike, who had gotten his fill of fun, got off the car. He then made a beeline for Nicole and cried, "Bloody hell. That was fun! Once this goes on sale, both you and Jared will be swimming in cash!" Nicole rolled her eyes at him. "That has nothing to do with you." "Of course it doesn''t. You''re Mr. Jared''s fianc¨¦e, and what he earns is already yours," he replied. "Shut up." Nicole red at him, asking him to keep his mouth shut. However, Ike sniggered back at her in response. At that moment, he felt a sharp gaze staring at him, and as he turned around by reflex, he saw Jared. N?velDrama.Org holds ? this. ¡®Goodness! That is why the air became so chilly. It was because this dude has shown up.'' Ike immediately let out an awkwardugh. "It''s been a while, Mr. Johnston." Jared frowned as he looked at Ike. "When did youe back? And what are you doing here?" Sheepishly, Ike began to exin, ''''I just landed today and wanted to see the fruits of your research." Jared red at him icily. "Do we need you to see the fruits of our research?" Chapter 1705 Chapter 1705 LIke was rendered speechless in an instant... He could only scratch his head awkwardly. "Um, I''m just here to check it out." Jared withdrew his frosty gaze and strutted toward Nicole, "Don''t just bring any random strangers here." Nicole smiled, "Got it." Ike''s face immediately dropped, for Jared had called him a random stranger, making Nicoleugh in the process. This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org. As expected, Nicole had been changed by Jared, but Ike did not reserve the right to talk about it. "Regardless, thank you Mr. Johnston and Nicole for allowing me to have a look at your advanced technology and learn about it. Since I''m back for a while, I''d like to treat you guys to a meal." Seeing how generous Ike was, Jared became repulsed. "You wish to treat us? How much is your annual ie?" Ike was stunned, for he did not know what Jared was implying. Were they going to eat a meal that would cost him a year''s worth of his sry? Hearing that, Ike could not help but shiver. Nicole noticed how awkward he was and said, "It''s fine. I''ll treat everyone to that meal. After all, Ike is a friend of mine." Jared darted his eyes at Nicole, apparently unhappy to see her regard Ike as a friend. Nicole raised her eyebrows. Although their friendship was not that strong, he was still a good friend who had worked with her on the research project. It was only right that she bought him a meal. "Let''s go." Jared nodded while staring at Ike. Because of Ike, Jared''s dating opportunity had been dashed away just like that. Ike was feelingpletely awkward, and he felt even worse to have Nicole treating him. Then, Jared drove the car and brought them to the restaurant. The three of them quickly took a seat, after which Nicole looked at Ike and asked, "You did note back just to see the manned flying car, did you?" Otherwise, Ike would not have stayed for a meal with them. Ike smiled when he realized that he had been exposed by Nicole. " If I tell you the truth, you''ll have to let me pay for this meal." Nicole raised her eyebrows and eyed him. "What is it? Spill." Ike knew all too well that Nicole hated beating around the bush. Therefore, he could only tell her the truth. "I ran into a bottleneck at the Aegis Corporation. Without the artificial intelligence system, our invention will just be a stock flying car even if we manage to produce one. It is no match for the manned flying car which all of you are creating.¡± Nicole knew that Ike was speaking the truth, and so, she continue listening. "One should always move toward greater heights, and I was serious about what I''ve said today. Mr. Johnston, do you still have any vacancies avable?¡± As Ike was speaking, he grinned at them. Nicole raised her brows. Initially, he thought that Ike was just joking. But it seemed to her that he really wanted to join thepany and work under Jared. Jared looked at Ike with a brow raised. "You wish to join thepany?" "Yeah. The only thing I''m good at are manned flying cars among other high technology rted projects. If you don''t mind me, I''m willing to devote myself to thepany until I can no longer work, " Ike promised while sitting up straight. Nicole looked at Ike and it seemed to her that he really wanted to do so. Then, she asked, "Have you talked to Scott and made things clear? W Ike immediately nodded. He knew that if Nicole asked such questions, it would mean that she was about to ept him. After that, he followed up by saying, "Of course, the current project I''m working on will bepleted soon. It''s impossible for me to invent an artificial intelligence system. So, I''ll leave once this project is done." ¡°Why would you want to join our project now?" Jared squinted at him. The research for the project was close topletion, and if Ike joined the team, he could only work on the post-research process andplete the final touch ups. Ike then looked at Jared and replied, "I''m really interested in the artificial intelligence technology of manned flying cars. You can think of me as a workaholic when ites to research. Give mea chance. I believe I can bring out a better result on top of the current technology." Jared nced at Nicole. His intention of approaching Nicole during thest time was too apparent, and as such, Jared still suspected that Ike had other intentions. However, Nicole proceeded to give it some thought and said, "We will have to do mass production at the end of the project. I''m afraid Terry would not be able to manage everything on his own. Since Ike is also an expert in this field, we could consider him." Chapter 1706 Chapter 1706 When Jared saw Nicole approaching him to discuss the matter, he felt a lot better. He could tell that Nicole had no feelings for Ike, and thus, he epted the request. "Alright. Since Nicole had agreed, I have no furtherments." Ike was overjoyed. "Thank you, Mr. Johnston. Thank you, Nicole!" Yet, it was then that Nicole began to scrutinize Ike. He used to enjoy his freedom, and no matter how many investors approached him, he would never sway. This time around, he actually made a request on his own to join Jared''s team. Although something smelled fishy, Nicole still needed such talent. Throughout the whole meal, Ike enjoyed it happily. He even discussed the issue of artificial intelligence with Nicole from time to time. This is from N?velDrama.Org. This made Jared jealous in the process. "Let''s not talk about work while eating." "O-okay..." Ike agreed, whereupon he quickly finished his meal. Soon, dinner was done. Ike waved and bade both Nicole and Jared goodbye. The both of them watched as Ike drove away in his car before they got into their own. Jared then added, "He actually requested to join us. That isn''t his usual self, is it?" Nicole was silent for a moment. "But he''s a research maniac. Therefore, I understand him too. Just take that as a reference I suppose." "Yeah." Jared uttered, and did notment further. The both of them were enjoying theirst moment for the day together, and soon, Jared said to Max ina soft voice, "Bring us to the beach for a night drive." "Got it." Max nodded and drove to the beachside. Soon, the car arrived at the coastline, and Max opened the hood thoughtfully, allowing the gentle sea breeze to blow into the car. Nicole felt rxed upon being caressed by the wind. That feeling one got whenever they went for a drive with their lover was indeed amazing. Looking at how rxed Nicole was, Jared smiled affectionately. " So, do you like it?" "I do. It''s so rare for me to be this rxed." Nicole beam while the ne she was wearing revealed itself. Jared smiled in kind. "You look good in it." Nicole nodded. "I guess we should say that you have a good eye." Jared looked at Nicole and hugged her lovingly. Then, they enjoyed the night-time scenery in the night breeze. Then, they went for a hug and a kiss, whichsted for a long time. After their night drive by the beach, Nicole suddenly had the urge to race, which prompted Jared to bring Nicole to a private racecourse. It had been a while since they had gone there, and the ce had been renovated. As the owner of the ce, Jared had contributed a lot to its refurbishment, making Nicole smile. "Did you renovate this ce ording to my liking?" Jared nodded and beamed. "You could tell? Yes, I did." Nicole then looked at him with a sweet expression on her face. " Thank you." Then, just as she was about to drive Jared''s racing car over, Jared had already ordered his men to send it over. A ck racing car halted in front of her, glittering under the night sky, and capturing everyone''s attention. "This is for you." ¡°Another gift?" Nicole was shocked, for he had just gifted her a ne the night before. This car was custom made, and hence, it must have cost a fortune. "Yes." Jared smiled. "Go on and give it a spin." "Okay." Nicole said. She quickly changed into her racing uniform and climbed into the car with much pride. ¡®Vroom vroom.'' The engine roared as everyone''s eyes were on her. ¡°Wow! That car is so cool!" Chapter 1707 Chapter 1707 ¡°Yes! It looks like a pair next to Mr. Jared¡¯s car. ¡°Yes. Yes. I can tell the price is really high,¡± thedies at the side of the driving course eximed one by one. A number of young men also looked over with envy in their eyes. Nicole drove the car into the distance with all their eyes fixed on her. After she had taken to the road for a certain distance, she made a heroic drift and zoomed her way back to the end point. With the car buzzing, everyone erupted into loud cheers and apuses. ¡°Wow! That¡¯s such a cool car!¡± ¡°Yeah! That car is impressive!¡± Seeing how everyone was looking at Nicole with much envy, Jared smirked. Then, he got into the other car, passed them the money, and prepared himself for a drive on the course with Nicole. Previously, Nicole was the one who had driven his car. When she was on the race course, Jared was not able to get in either. This time round, they could finally drive together. Nicole was in the car, and she darted Jared, who was beside her, a nce. One of his hands was on the wheel, while the other was hanging out of the window. His stance made him look really stylish. Nicole smiled and asked, ¡°Shall wepete today?¡± Jared smiled back. ¡°I think it¡¯s better for me to just follow you.¡± Seeing that Jared had no desire topete with her, she looked at the prettydy in front who was waving the g. Following the signal, Nicole floored the elerator and sped off. Jared mustered a sly smile, floored the elerator as well, and followed suit. Both of their cars were well equipped, and in less than a second, they had left the crowd behind. It had been a long while since Nicole had gotten to speed like this. Since there was no one on the mountain road, Nicole began to speed up even more, wanting to test out the car¡¯s limits. When Jared noticed that Nicole was driving crazily, he stepped onto the elerator and followed her closely behind. Just like that, the both of them quickly reached the roundabout and went down the hill by going in spiraling circles. On their way down, they saw an obstacle blocking the road. However, Jared had mimicked the design of the racing tracks from foreign countries and had made some modifications to make thepetition even harder. Looking at those obstacles, Nicole was so overjoyed that she wanted to scream. The excitement it brought to Nicole was indescribable. Nicole immediately drove up to the tform. Then, her car flew, wheeled into the air, and quickly landed with a thud. Just as Nicole was enjoying all of that fury and energy, she could feel that her right rear tire had almost detached uponnding. Luckily, she was vignt and skillful enough to quickly stabilize the car in time. This is from N?velDrama.Org. However, it was then that the artificial intelligence in the car said, ¡°The right rear tire is faulty.¡± Nicole did not expect an artificial intelligence to be in her car. Although it was not as advanced as the artificial intelligence she had installed on the manned flying car, it was still an amazing feature to have that a car in this country. ¡°Slow down. Stop the car to check for faults!¡± Nicole ordered. The car immediately replied, ¡°Noted. Please beware of the obstacle in the front.¡± It was only then that Nicole realized that there was another obstacle in front, which would only allow her to stop after she had crossed it. Otherwise, Jared would knock into her if he could not see her. With that in mind, Nicole could only grit her teeth and fly into the air once again. This time round, the tform was much higher than the previous one, and instead of flooring the gas pedal, Nicole allowed the car tond on its own. At the exact moment when shended, there was a loud bang at the right tire to the rear, and the bearing shattered, causing the tire to drop at once. After that, her car skidded to the right side and veered toward patches of turf unpaved with tarmac. ¡°D*mn it!¡± Nicole attempted to hold onto the steering wheel, but it was of no use, as the car proceeded to careen downhill at the roadside. ¡°Nicole!¡± After Jared had crossed the obstacles, he saw Nicole¡¯s car spinning of . With widened eyes, he immediately chased her down the hill. There was a steep slope below, and the car would most likely flip and fall over down there. Seeing that it was toote to stop the car, Jared stepped onto the elerator and knocked on Nicole¡¯s from the back. Chapter 1708 Chapter 1708 Nicole¡¯s car was already on the verge of going downhill. But after it had collided with Jared¡¯s, it steered back to the main road. It continued spinning for two more rounds, and after countless sparks released, the car finally came to a stop. ¡°The car has been sessfully parked,¡± the artificial intelligence responded. Nicole heaved a sigh of relief, for it seemed that the car had finally stopped, but if Jared had not reacted soon enough, she would have been in deep trouble. As soon as Nicole thought of Jared, she immediately came back to her senses. She had been knocked from the side, and that was still fine, but Jared had been struck right at the front. With that thought in mind, Nicole quickly got out of her car. ¡°Jared! Are you okay?¡± She instantly went to the side of Jared¡¯s car. As expected, Jared had fainted, but after being shaken by Nicole a few times, he slowly opened his eyes. Fortunately, he wore a helmet. Jared removed it, shook his head, and came back to his senses. Then, he looked at Nicole with concern, ¡°Are you fine?¡± Nicole nodded, ¡°That car¡¯s security system is quite good. You better worry about yourself. How do you feel?¡± As Nicole was speaking, she entered the passenger seat and checked on Jared¡¯s pulse. Fortunately, there were no major issues. It was only then that Nicole breathed a sigh of relief. ¡°I¡¯m fine too.¡± Jared said, though he felt sad as he looked at the car he had gifted to Nicole. His eyes became downcast. ¡°Why would the car malfunction?¡± It was a custom-built car and he had specially assigned someone to take care of it. At this rate, he could not help but wonder if someone had sabotaged it. ¡°We¡¯ll check it once we¡¯re back. Let¡¯s get out of here first.¡± After Nicole had spoken, she got into Jared¡¯s car. Jared exined the situation briefly through the walkie- talkie. He then asked the other participants to turn around while they drove down the hill. Although they were not hurt, Jared went on to grill all of the people in charge of the driving circuit. He had also fired all those he thought he should fire. Max then investigated the entire process of the car¡¯s journey, from the customs until it reached the circuit. However, he did not find any problems. ¡°There¡¯s only one possibility, and that is someone had tampered with the car before thepetition even began.¡± Nicole frowned. N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. Indeed, the only chance someone would get was when the valet drove the car over to the circuit. At that moment, Jared was reminded of something. ¡°Where is that racing driver?¡± Max shook his head, ¡°I¡¯m not sure. I checked the CCTV and this person had never removed his helmet. He was not someone working in the circuit either. He is quite suspicious, n Nicole¡¯s eyes darkened. ¡°Let¡¯s begin the investigation by looking into his uniform. It should be limited edition.¡± A sh of light appeared in Max¡¯s eyes. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll work on that now.¡± After Max had left, Nicole looked at Jared and observed that he was not feeling well. ¡°Let¡¯s go. We¡¯re going to the hospital to give you a full body check-up. Jared had just recovered not long ago. Now that he had received a hit at high velocity, Nicole was worried that he had sustained internal injuries once again. ¡°Alright, but you should be the one getting a full body checkup.¡± Jared was saving her, and thus, he was prepared to face the collision. As for Nicole, it was unexpected. The both of them were looking at each other sympathy and tenderness. Then, they left the driving circuit. What they did not notice were a pair of eyes staring at them in the dark, and those eyes were Everett¡¯s. He was ring at Nicole fiercely. ¡®She¡¯s just lucky that she can¡¯t even die with him,¡¯ he fumed. His first order of business was to take away the Crest. However, it seemed that he had to wait for the next opportunity. After Nicole and Jared were done with their check-up at the hospital, Martin looked at the both of them and reported with relief, ¡°The both of you are fine. Except that Mr. Jared here has a concussion. You should go home and get some good rest.¡± Nicole nodded. ¡°Thank you.¡± Martin was a little worried about Nicole. ¡°Please be careful these days. I feel like you¡¯re always in danger.¡± Indeed, the Crest was a dangerous item for her to bear. And with much solemnness, Nicole replied. ¡°I understand. Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± Chapter 1709 Chapter 1709 Soon, Jared and Nicole left the hospital, got into the car, and went back home. Jared looked at Nicole and yfully, he said, ¡°I don¡¯t feel well. I think you¡¯ll need to apany me to my ce.¡± As Jared spoke, he held his forehead as if he was suffering from a headache. Nicole sighed upon seeing that. ¡°I¡¯ve seen the report. It¡¯s just a minor concussion. You¡¯ll be fine after you get some sleep. If I apany you, I think you won¡¯t be sleeping at all.¡± For his own sake, Nicole could not go to his ce. Otherwise, this man¡¯s mind will be filled with all the different ways on how he could mess with her. Realizing how serious Nicole was, Jared sighed. ¡°Okay, fine. In that case, I¡¯ll send you back first.¡± ¡°No, I¡¯ll send you back tonight.¡± Nicole asserted. Hearing that, Jared could only agree. ¡°Okay then.¡± Facing Nicole¡¯s insistence, Jared leaned back on his seat and closed his eyes to get some shuteye. Nicole could tell that he was not feeling well. When they arrived at the destination, Nicole apanied Jared upstairs, not leaving until he had lied down on his bed. Jared felt warm as he experienced the gentle care of Nicole. ¡°That¡¯s enough. Don¡¯t look at me with those eyes. I¡¯ll be fine tomorrow.¡± ¡°Yeah, I know. Get some rest.¡± Nicole poured a ss of water for him and ced it on his bedside table. Jared smiled and watched her as she left. After walking out of the room, Nicole¡¯s gaze darkened. Thest time Jared had gotten hurt, he was helping her in dealing with Fiore. This time, Jared suffered from a concussion because he was trying to protect her. With these thoughts in mind, Nicole would never let go of the perpetrator that easily. ¡®Tonight, I must find out who is toying with me!¡¯ Nicole walked out, entered the car and said, ¡°Max, send me back to the racing circuit.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Max was stunned. But it¡¯s already thiste in the night¡­¡¯ It was almost nine o¡¯clock, and usually, Nicole would be home already at this time. ¡°I want to personally get to the bottom of everything, and I want to know who the person behind the ident is,¡± Nicole asserted, as she would never allow the perpetrator who had injured Jared to get away with what they had done. ¡°Alright, I got it.¡± Max nodded. On the way back, Max sent the racing driver¡¯s purchase records to Nicole. ¡°The buyer is an anonymous buyer. Because of this, we can¡¯t check his personal information¡­¡± Nicole then turned to Max, and said, ¡°Lend me yourptop.¡± Max nodded and while the traffic light was still red, he passed theptop to Nicole. Nicole quickly plugged her sh drive in and began tapping away on the keyboard. Max looked at Nicole¡¯s cold gaze and asked, ¡°Miss Riddle, will you be able to extract any information about that person?¡± Nicole snorted. ¡°All I have to do is enter the emerce tform and check the customer information.¡± Max was stunned, ¡°Enter the emerce tform¡­you mean, hacking the server?¡± Although he had heard Jared mentioning that Nicole¡¯s hacking skills were superb, that huge e- commerce tform was created by San Joto¡¯s best inte server provider. As such, it would make sense that they had an anti-hacking software installed. ¡°Arent you worried about being exposed?¡± Max wiped the cold sweat off his forehead. He would never do such a thing himself. Nicoleughed. ¡°As long as you are good enough to evade notice, there won¡¯t be an issue.¡± Max immediately broke into cold sweat again. ¡®How good would that be?¡¯ This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org. Soon, they arrived at the racing circuit. However, after the incident, everyone had already left the ce by this hour. At that moment, Nicole immediately closed theptop and passed it back to Max. Then, Max received an email on his smart watch at once. ¡°I¡¯ve found the person¡¯s information. I¡¯ll leave the rest to you. I¡¯m heading off now,¡± she said. ¡°Huh? Oh¡­¡± That was really fast. Nicole had managed to acquire information which he would take him more than three days¡¯ worth of investigation. Chapter 1710 Chapter 1710 At this moment, Nicole had already gotten down from the car. Under Max¡¯s watchful eye, they entered the garage in which the car was kept. This entire time when Nicole had returned home, she had not been investigating. But she did not forget the basics. Once she had entered the garage, she began to look for traces of evidence. The damaged car had been towed back there. Although it was in a terrible condition, there were still some clues to be found. Max had never seen this side of Nicole. After they had entered the garage, they had examined the footprints on the floor and the car¡¯s body. While she was at it, she really looked as though she was professional policewoman in the midst of an investigation in a crime scene. ¡°Miss Riddle, you¡¯re amazing.¡± Max always felt that he was very meticulous when he conducted his investigation, but most of it was done through CCTV. Nicole¡¯s methods, however, were simr to that of a police officer¡¯s. ¡°Usually, I won¡¯t use such methods. But I¡¯m in quite a rush this time,¡± she said. If someone else were to hurt her, she would usually have the patience to wait and lure them out. But since the person had gotten Jared injured instead, she could not bear to wait. Soon after, Nicole passed the fingerprints she had managed to collect to Max. ¡°Go and find the identities of all who had touched this car. There must be someone suspicious.¡± Even if the driver wore gloves, the one who had tampered with the tire would leave some prints. ¡°Alright!¡± After doing all these, Nicole looked at the time, and realized that it was already ten. After much consideration, she asked Max to send her to Jared¡¯s ce. At that time, Jared had already fallen asleep, so Nicole went on to sleep in the adjacent room. The next morning, when Jared headed downstairs, Max told him that Nicole had stayed the night. Jared was caught by surprise, for the woman had insisted that would not spend the night there. Yet, she was still worried about him, and came back anyway. With a gentle smile, Jared made a cup of coffee for Nicole. Then, he asked the kitchen staff to make Nicole¡¯s favorite breakfast. While waiting for Nicole toe down, Jared was already sitting on the dining table with a beaming smile on his face. ¡°You¡¯re up?¡± Jared was wearing casual clothes, but he exuded a rxing presence which made his handsome face look even friendlier. Nicole smirked. ¡°You¡¯re feeling better now?¡± N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. As soon as she had uttered those words, she sat down next to Jared. Then, she took the te of special breakfast and coffee from Jared¡¯s hands. After taking a sip, she noticed that the coffee tasted rich and fragrant. As expected, Jared¡¯s coffee suited her taste buds the most. Jared nodded. ¡°With such a beautiful woman taking care of me, of course I¡¯d feel better. You should¡¯ve leftst night, so why did youe back?¡± Nicole raised her eyebrows. ¡°I went and checked the fingerprints at the circuit. After that, I came back.¡± Jared could not help but eye her when she said that.¡± Previously, when you were in trouble, I did not see you investigate so quickly.¡± Jared had always known how efficient Nicole was, but never had she ever been in a rush to make a move. Nicole shot him a nce. ¡°This time round, I can¡¯t wait any longer. Not when my man has gotten hurt.¡± ¡®My man¡¯. Indeed, those words were delivered with much dominance and assertiveness. Suddenly, Jaredughed out loud. ¡°I didn¡¯t know that I held such a special ce in your heart.¡± ¡°Nonsense!¡± Nicole rolled her eyes at Jared bashfully. ¡®This guy is clearly talking smack on purpose.¡¯ Jared smiled and wiped the coffee stains off the corner of her lips. ¡°Very good. Please, do keep it up.¡± As he spoke, he could not resist from raising his hand to stroke Nicole¡¯s hair. Nicole was stiff when she felt his gentle touch. However, she did not p his hand off. Instead, she allowed him to continue. Then, Nicolepleted her meal and got ready for school. Before she left, Jared reeled her in and gave her a deep, passionate kiss. Chapter 1711 Chapter 1711 Nicole''s heart skipped a beat when she felt her lips brushing against Jared''s sexy lips. "Bye now!" Nicole spun around. Jared smiled with satisfaction as he watched her leave. Then, Max stood before him and said, "Mr. Johnston, Miss Nicole found a few fingerprintsst night, and I''ve identified two of them..." Jared''s eyes darkened. "Get every single one of those scums." "Yes, sir." Max nodded, knowing that both Jared and Nicole meant business this time. This is from N?velDrama.Org. Nicole arrived at school just then, but her brothers were already waiting for her. "Nicole, why didn''t youe home yesterday?" Samuel looked at Nicole with a worried expression on his face. In reply, Nicole whispered, "Jared got into some trouble, so I had to take care of him." Spencer then looked at Samuel. "See, I knew it. Dad and Mom definitely got a call from Nicole. That''s why they weren''t worried." Samuel shed them a look of embarrassment. "Nicole, do give me a call next time if you''re noting back home. Otherwise, I''ll be worried too." Nicole shot him a nce with resignation, knowing that Samuel was a nervous wreck. "Fine." Then, they sauntered into their school together, bumping into Ryder in front of one of the buildings. Ryder was surrounded by a few seniors. Though he looked sharp, the dark circles under his eyes were heavy. It was obvious that he had pulled an all-nighterst night. Spencer and Samuel immediately thought about the rumor that they had heard yesterday the instant they saw that Ryder had gotten a bunch of people to block their way. ''I think Nicole hacked Ryder''sptop. Is he looking to get back at us now?" With that in mind, Spencer and Samuel immediately stood before Nicole. "Ryder! Why did you get so many people to stop my sister from entering her ss?" In response, Ryder yelled, "Why?! You should ask your sister that question!" He had attempted to crack Nicole''s virus throughout the night but to no avail. Hisptop was practically useless to him now, and the virus had corrupted much of the files on hisputer as well, costing him millions. Nicole looked at him nonchntly. "Hmm? You don''t have what it takes? So, it''s fine for you to create a virus for us to crack, but it''s not okay when I do it to you?" Ryder was stunned for a bit as Nicole had made it sound like he was A sore loser. "That''s not true!" He then tried to defend himself by saying, "I created a virus for you to crack, and it''s all done on the school''sputers. But you hacked myptop, and there are a lot of things in there! Do you know how much trouble you''ve given me?" Hispany''s project was still sitting on hisptop as he did not have the time to work on it. ''Nicole is truly evil!¡¯ Nicole went on to scoff at that remark. "So, what you''re saying is that you can''t crack the homework that I''ve sent you, right?" Nicole''s smug expression infuriated Ryder even further. Still, he could not deny that he was not capable of wiping the virus, and so, through gritted teeth, he said, "Yes! I spent the whole night cracking it, but I just can''t! You''re a pro! Are you happy now?! "Ryder''s friends were shocked when they heard him. Ryder had always been prideful in school and had never lowered himself before anyone. Besides, Nicole was their junior. "Are you alright, Ryder?" his friends asked. "Do you want us to teach her a lesson?" Ryder rolled his eyes at them. He had only called them over to give Nicole a little scare, so he had no reason to hurt her. In addition, he did not wish to get expelled. Then, he clenched his jaw and said to Nicole, "I''m asking you how we''re going to go about this now! The stuff in myptop are worth millions! How are you going to pay me back?!" He just wanted to resolve this issue as soon as possible. Nicole mustered a charming smile when she saw the look of anxiety on his face. "Oh, so you''re just worried about the documents? Easy then. As long as you crack the virus, yourptop will be as good as new!" "You don''t say?! Would I evene to you if I could do that?!" he roared. ¡®She''s doing this on purpose, isn''t she?! '' he thought. Chapter 1712 Chapter 1712 Nicole then smirked. Then you''ve found the right person. You can''t crack it, but I can." Nicole managed to stun Ryder through that remark, as most people would not be able to crack the virus they had created. N?velDrama.Org holds ? this. ''This girl can develop a virus and crack it herself?! Isn''t it a virus code that she had casually made yesterday?" That was the moment Ryder realized that he might have underestimated Nicole. ''Who is this girl?!'' Unable to help it, he asked, "You can crack it?" Nicoleughed. "Obviously. Ever heard of the saying, ''we should always solve the problems we create¡¯? I created the virus, so naturally, I should be able to crack it. Don''t you think so?" However, her response served to embarrass Ryder even further. '' She can crack her own virus, but as a senior, I failed to do that even after staying up all night.How can I even call myself San Joto''sputer expert?¡¯ He desperately wanted to push Nicole aside and leave. He did not want to give her the satisfaction, and he did not wish to subject himself to further humiliation either. Still, he could only give in when he thought about the expensive data on hisptop. "Well, send me the antivirus software!" Ryder then extended his arm before her like a tyrant. Nicole looked at his palm and responded, "Are you begging for my help?" Ryder was stunned. "Who''s begging you?!" "No? Are you asking for a favor, then?" Nicole sneered. "I''m not that kind..." Ryder was livid when he saw how b*tchy Nicole was being. "What are you trying to say?" "What I''m trying to say is that I might be able to lend you the antivirus software if you beg me for it. Asking for it as if it''s a favor just won''t cut it." Nicole was about to walk past Ryder. Ryder''s eyes widened. ''The temerity she has to dismiss me and ask me to beg her for help!'' "Stop right there!" Ryder reached out, attempting to grab her by the arm. Unfortunately for him, Nicole turned and dodged his grapple before sticking her foot out to trip him. Ryder immediately fell onto the ground with a loud thud. "Ryder!" His friends quickly rushed over to help him up. However, Ryder had already injured his nose as blood began to cascade down his nostrils. "Sh*t! You tripped me!" Ryder had never been treated like that in school before, so he felt extremely humiliated. The people around them covered their mouths as theyughed because they had never seen Ryder being caught in such an embarrassing situation before. Nicole looked down at her watch and swept her nce across Samuel and Spencer, who turned a blind eye to what she did. "ss is starting soon.Let''s go." Samuel and Spencer stifled theirughter when they witnessed Ryder''s sorry state of affairs. "Sure, let''s go." Ryder got up with the help of his friends before he pointed at Nicole angrily. "You''ll remember this day, Nicole!" Nicole, on the other hand, found it funny when she heard Ryder''s whining. Then, Samuel and Spencer walked her to her ss. When she entered her ss, she saw Gary by the window, resting his forehead on his palm. Gary looked in Nicole''s direction as a wave of headache struck him. As she was passing him, she asked, "Yes? Do you feel sorry for your brother?" He shook his head. "Nah, I''m just sad that he overreached himself." Chapter 1713 Chapter 1713 Gary thought that his brother was exactly just like his past self. '' He''s really underestimated her. Look at her. She even picked a fight with him.'' Gary had a little background in martial arts, and yet, he was still afraid of Nicole. Ryder, on the other hand, had only focused on coding, and so, he did not have any experience when it came to martial arts at all. ''Of course he''d get tripped..." Nicole ced her bag down and looked at Gary with an arched brow.She had started to find him more pleasant these days. "I can''t believe that you don''t feel sorry for your brother." He scoffed. "He used to hit me a lot when we were younger, so why would I feel sorry for him?" Nicole found it interesting as she took a seat. Yet, Gary still went up to her and asked, "But can you really destroy that virus? Does that mean that my brother''sptop can still be fixed?" This is from N?velDrama.Org. "I thought you didn''t feel sorry for him.Why do you ask?" Nicole furrowed her brows. Giving an honest opinion of his brother, Gary stated, "I just feel sorry for the data on hisptop.Actually, my brother is pretty good.He has a lot of inventions in hisptop, and they will definitely benefit society if they getunched in the future." After thinking about it, Nicole said, "Well, it depends on his attitude now.I''ve never really liked being threatened." Gary instantly understood what she meant; Nicole just wanted Ryder to disy some integrity. After all, Ryder was a little too arrogant for his own good when he was giving Nicole tasks yesterday, and now he suffered the consequence. "Got it.If he asks me, I''ll lead him to the right path." Gary chuckled as he now had a hold over his brother. The day went on without any issues, and in the afternoon, the student union held a meeting. Nicole took her stuff and strutted off to the student union. Stanley was busy with thepany and had to proceed with his internship sooner, so it was said that he had already left the student union. Nicole did not wish to attend the meeting as her brother was not going to be there, but it was the first meeting, the purpose of which was to elect the new president. Thus, as one of the voters, she had to be there. But Harvey sitting at the president''s seat when she entered the student union''s meeting room was what she did not seeing. Her brows tightened as soon as she saw him. ¡®As the principal''s grandson, this guy didn''t even join the election to avoid any unnecessary disputes, but once Stanley is gone, he actually sat at the president''s seat?! What the heck?'' she thought. Harvey remained seated when he saw Nicole. ''''Take a seat." And thus, Nicole sat down quietly. Edwin quickly went up to Nicole''s seat and whispered, "Stanley rarelyes to school these days.The student union needs a person in charge, so Harvey is going to conduct the meeting for today." Nicole nodded as she thought, ''Ah, so he''s just filling in. Never mind then.'' After some time, more people came in, and Harveymenced the meeting. "The purpose of today''s meeting is to elect anew president of the student union.Please submit your names if you wish to join the election campaign." There were people who could not wait to be crowned as president, so they immediately raised their hands after Harvey had made that statement. But it was then that Harvey shed them a smile and proceeded to write his name on the board. "For your information, I''ll be one of the contenders this time." Everyone fell silent after he had said that. The people who raised their hands gradually lowered their hands, feeling utterly perplexed by that gesture, If Harvey wanted to run for president, what was the point of them joining the election campaign anyway? He was the principal''s grandson. If he did not wish to give his presidential position up, who would dare to argue with him? As expected, when Harvey turned around to face the crowd once more, no one was raising their hands anymore. "Huh? No one''s joining?" Harvey looked at them and asked, even though he already knew why.He ced both of his hands on the desk and nced at everyone. "Don''t mind me.Just raise your hand if you want to.After all, all of you have the right to vote." Harvey was smiling, but his eyes were ice cold. Chapter 1714 Chapter 1714 Nicole looked at Harvey''s smile and knew that he no longer wanted to act as though he was a goody two shoes. This was who he truly was. ¡®But why does he want to be the president?'' she asked herself. Nicole was annoyed when she thought about the things that Harvey would do to her once he was elected as the president. Then, she stood up, not caring if the other people wanted to join the election or not. "I''ll be contending too." Her act of standing up shocked everyone. The older students looked at her with their foreheads creased. "The student union''s president has always been a university student.A high-schooler has never been one of the candidates..." Nicole looked at them and with much pride in her tone, she said, "The rules are set by people.It''s fine as long as 1 am capable, don''t you think so? Besides, the former president is my brother.Won''t it be easier for him to work with me?" The room was dead silent after she had said that. ¡®She''s right.Stanley is Nicole''s brother.Even if he doesn''t show up anymore, Nicole will be seeing him when she goes home every day. Naturally, things will run smoothly with her since she has Stanley to guide her,'' one of them pondered. ¡®This is definitely a bonus point. Nicole being president will reduce the possibility of us having our responsibilities doubled just to amodate the new president.'' Harvey did not expect the quiet Nicole to run for president, so his eyes were filled with joy. "Sure.Since I''m running the meeting today, I''ll agree with Nicole Riddle being one of the candidates.What about the rest of you? Anyone else wants to join in?" Harvey''s tone made everyone nervous. N?velDrama.Org holds ? this. Even if they wanted to, no one would dare to respond because of his tone. ¡®He''s too intimidating...Hence, they could only give Harvey a subtle gesture to show that that they did not want to join anymore. Seeing that no one was raising their hands anymore, Harvey smiled. "Okay.If that''s the case, let''s start voting.It''s Nicole versus me.Please cast your vote." He believed that no one would dare to not vote for him as he was the principal''s grandson. Nicoleughed. "Hey, don''t we need to make a speech before the election?" Harvey looked at Nicole with a frivolous gaze. "There''s no need for that.They can just vote now.I believe in their judgment." Nicole stood up. "Well then, I hope everyone can vote fairly.Don''t vote for someone just because of their status.I suggest we vote anonymously, what does everyone think?" Everyone''s eyes lit up. "I agree!" Edwin was the first to support Nicole, causing Harvey to roll his eyes. ''Does this guy know who his friend is?" Edwin only realized what he had done and bit his tongue when Harvey red at him... But the rest of them were sold, and began vocalizing their support for Nicole. "We agree with Nicole too." After all, Nicole was a hot topic in school now, and no one would dare to offend her. Edwin then took the voting box and distributed papers to every member of the council for them to fill in their votes. At that moment, Nicole stood up and looked at them. "Mr.Ellison has always been a just man and he has been nothing but friendly to me.So, no matter whom you vote for, he will understand.Please don''t bring any personal emotions into this when you vote.Besides, if I am nominated as president, I will maintain my brother''s standards, and I promise that I won''t be making too many changes to your responsibilities." She believed that no one wanted their positions and their job scope to change, so this was her promise to them. When the members heard her, they immediately leaned toward her. Chapter 1715 Chapter 1715 But Harvey looked at her with a sneer. "Nicole is really going all out to be nominated as president." Nicole nced over at him. "Well, it''s definitely better than some creepy guy who throws his weight around." Harvey knew that Nicole was talking about him. His expression turned even darker, but his smile, which was exceedingly intimidating, remained. However, everyone could already rte to Nicole after she had delivered that speech. ''If Harvey bes president, he''s going to talk to us like this all the time...'' Then, their hearts settled, and they made their decision. Edwin then started counting the votes and soon, the results were clear: 60% of the members had voted for Nicole. Harvey''s face darkened for a split second when he saw the voting results on the board, but his expression was soon reced with fascination. "Not bad, not bad indeed...Since that''s what you want, Nicole is now the president of the student union." ¡®Seems like there are a lot of people who are afraid of me,'' he thought. But Nicole was not afraid of Harvey at all, as she immediately walked up to the president''s seat and said, "Well then, excuse me, interim president." Nicole looked down at him, stunning him for a second.He then got so angry that he could onlyugh. "Nice, real nice..." This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org. ¡®Nicole sure knows how to break someone''s heart,'' he fumed. Then, Harvey walked out of the meeting room with frustration, not wanting to attend the meeting anymore. "I-I''ll go after him!" Edwin quickly went to check on him. Nicole, who was unbothered, then turned to thank the members. During the meeting, she expressed that the status quo would remain and that nothing would be changed. As soon as they heard that, they were over the moon. Harvey was the only one who was upset. He stormed off to theke in the campus and threw a rock into theke in rage. "ARGH!" he yelled in an attempt to release his pent-up emotions. Soon, Edwin hurried up to him. "Harvey! It''s just a presidential position! It''s not worth it! I thought you couldn''t care less about thisst time!" Harvey suddenly turned and red at him, and with that gaze, Edwin felt like he had never really known Harvey at all. "Why are you looking at me like that...? It''s scary."But Harvey could not be bothered to hide the frustration in his eyes. "I was, but now, I want everything.I don''t want to lose to anyone." Besides, if he became the president, he could proudly spend more time with Nicole and make her join more student union activities. However, it seemed that Nicole had figured it all out already, which was why she had fought for it.He just did not expect things to turn out this way, since he had the upper hand prior to that. ¡®Why did so many people vote for Nicole?" he asked himself. "Why didn''t you say so? I thought you didn''t care about it by the look on your face..." Edwin looked at Harvey awkwardly. "So? Who did you vote for?" Harvey''s eyes turned dark. Edwin was stunned. "I...voted for Nicole." He thought Harvey did not care about it at all. Besides, he owed Nicole a favor, and so, he... "Even you chose Nicole?" Harvey blew his top. "Edwin, did you forget who your friend is?" The only person he had ever bothered to acknowledge was Edwin, but as it turned out, even Edwin had betrayed him. Chapter 1716 Chapter 1716 Edwin was left frightened when Harvey red at him. "I-I thought she wouldn''t win, and I didn''t want her to be embarrassed, and that''s why I voted for her.I didn''t expect her to win.But even if I voted for you, you wouldn''t win either, don''t you think?" Indeed, he really did not think that Nicole would win... ¡®Honestly, Harvey looks even ghastlier than he wasst semester.'' Harvey red at Edwin with fury, but he knew that he was just stating facts. He did not lose just by one vote. He had really underestimated Nicole''s position in their hearts. She was a mere high-schooler, and yet, everyone truly believed in her. "But why do you suddenly want to be the president? Didn''t you stay out of this because you didn''t want the criticism?" Edwin asked. As Harvey was the principal''s grandson, he did not join much of the activities to avoid unnecessary disputes. He only joined the student union because he was the ss representative. He rolled his eyes at Edwin and after some time, he responded, "Because of someone..." It was at that point that a realization dawned upon Edwin. This is from N?velDrama.Org. Judging from the way he acted, Harvey clearly had feelings for Nicole. ¡®Does he want to be a president because of Nicole?'' Edwin asked himself. After thinking about it, Edwin said, "If you''re doing it because of someone, wouldn''t it be better if she is the president? You stepping aside will make her happy..." Harvey fell silent and sneered. "Would she really be happy?" ''No, even if she is happy, it''s because I didn''t get to be the president,'' he thought. However, Edwin persisted. "Definitely.Besides, if she bes the president, you will have a lot of chances to interact with her, don''t you think? No matter who bes the president, you''ll both inevitably be seeing a lot of each other. She''ll definitelye to you for help." Harvey arched his brows as he found Edwin''s words rather pleasant to the ears. Edwin was relieved when he saw Harvey''s expression softening. "Alright, let''s head back.School just started, so the sses will definitely have a lot of things to trouble the student union president with." Edwin looked at Harvey with his brows arched. Harvey seemed to buy what Edwin was saying, and coldly, he responded, "Okay,e on." "Sure!" Edwin nodded and followed Harvey to the student union headquarters. At that moment, Nicole was already listening to the representatives of the many sses and had decided to ask Stanley about it when she went home. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Harveying back. However, she did not bat an eye at him. Harvey could not help but clench his teeth. ''What a heartless woman.She''s nice to everyone but me.Why is she so cruel?" They were once like friends, and so, it made no sense as to why she would start avoiding him like a gue after he had confessed his feelings to her. ¡®Did all my efforts go to waste?'' he asked himself. However, he could not ask her this question, at least not at that moment. "Take a seat, vice president." Edwin''s said, his words shocking the members. ¡®Right, we elected a new president, but what about the vice president?" The current vice president then quickly said, "I am actually going to step down from my position this semester.Harvey is a capable guy, so he''ll be a good candidate." No one dared to displease Harvey, so he quickly found an excuse. Edwin took the chance and continued, "Yeah, I think so too.Since both of them had joined the election, and Harvey''s votes weren''t that low, the results would be the same if we were to hold another round of elections for the vice president.So, I think we should just let Harvey be the vice president." Subsequently, the voting was dismissed, and as the members could not do anything about it, they started pping. Nicole''s face turned blue at that instant. ''What is Edwin up to?" Chapter 1717 Chapter 1717 ¡®Why did he be Harvey''s pawn after he had gone out?" Nicole wondered. However, Edwin smiled at Nicole innocently, and because of this she could not condemn him. After all, he had no idea about what happened between her and Harvey. Back then, Harvey was nice at times, and she even thought that they could be friends. But now, they truly could not go back to the way it used to be. Even though that was the case, she could not stop the members from finalizing the decision, so she said, "Well then, ording to your assessments, Harvey Ellison will be the vice president.Whatever the former president had not managed toplete, please discuss it with me.As for the new tasks, please hand them over to Harvey for now." "Okay!" everyone said in unison. Still, Harvey was sharp enough to recognize that Nicole was implying that they would be minding their own business, and would therefore not be working with each other. ''What a nice n, but I won''t let her seed." "Yeah, but this year is our school''s anniversary.I''m afraid the president has to work on some of the school anniversary- rted tasks too.Let''s do it together," he argued. Nicole was caught off guard, as she did not expect him to make a move so soon. ''He wants to work on things and spend time with me now? Over my dead body!¡¯ ¡®I reply, Nicole stated, "Never mind that.I just joined the school this year, so I didn''t get to attend the ceremony for the previous year.Everyone here must be more experienced than I am, so the vice president will handle it fully.He will work with the university student union members." N?velDrama.Org holds ? this. Harvey''s expression darkened as he did not expect Nicole to be so cunning.She actually declined the opportunity to work with him again, with Edwin not saying much about it either. However, Nicole was not afraid of anything and continued to look into the other issues that needed sorting out. She quickly assigned the tasks to the right people and ended the meeting before leaving. Though the other members were still busy with their discussions, Harvey packed his things and left either way. By then, Nicole was about to round a corner when she felt an arm reaching out toward her. Without hesitating, she grabbed and twisted it at once, producing a loud crack as she was on the verge of breaking. Harvey doubled over and fell on one knee on the ground at that instant, but instead of uttering a sound, he just red at her in response. "What do you want?" Nicole threw his arm and looked at him with a nk expression on her face. ''How dare he follow me? If I was more forceful, he would''ve broken his arm!" Harvey shook his aching arm and smiled. "You''re really cruel to me.We''re friends, and grandma likes me a lot.Don''t you feel sorry for treating me like this now?" He bent over while he was talking, trying to move closer to her. But Nicole took a step back as she cast an icy gaze over him. "Harvey, I have told you from the very beginning that I hate you.Don''t get me wrong.I''m really thankful for the help you''ve given me.However...you''ve crossed the line." Harvey''s expression darkened. "You know I''ve never wanted to just be friends with you." He only befriended her because he wanted to be more than just that to her, but it was also then that she got engaged to Jared. That very thought would always drive him to the verge of insanity. Nicole stared at Harvey emotionlessly and said, "And that is the reason.If you didn''t have other intentions, we can honestly still be friends." Chapter 1718 Chapter 1718 If Nicole had not realized that his intentions were dangerous and would put him in a frenzy from time to time, she would not have been this harsh to him too. "But I don''t just want us to be friends!" he bellowed. Rather than being friends forever, he could¡­ steal her from Jared and keep her by his side. Nicole''s eyes darkened at once. ''Fine, this is your choice.Suit yourself.Stop annoying me, or else...I won''t be this nice to you next time!" He hadmitted a truly egregious act in the banquet merely days ago, and if they were not in the school, Nicole would have already beaten him up. Yet, even as Nicole turned around to walk away from him, Harvey still followed from behind. "Do you hate me that much? You don''t even want to work with me?" "Yes," Nicole responded quickly, breaking his heart along the way. "What am I to you?" Harvey asked with a look of sorrow on his face. Nicole did not have time for his feelings, and so, she uttered, "Nothing." That was the only way for Harvey to stop imagining the impossible and unrealistic scenarios he had in mind "Stop following me.We''ve reached the high school building.You don''t want to be seen, do you?" Nicole asked coldly. Yet, in response, Harvey smiled.This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org. "For you, I can''t be bothered to give a damn about anything.You don''t want me to follow you, but I''m going to do just that." Nicole rolled her eyes at him. "Harvey, when have you be so childish?" "So what if I''m a little childish when I''m with you?" Harvey furrowed his brow. He loved seeing Nicole being angry at him. To him, it was better than seeing her being emotionless toward him. Unable to put up with Harvey anymore, Nicole stomped on his foot. "Ugh!" Harvey groaned, for it was the first time he had ever been stomped on so hard in his life. It was so painful that it felt like his bones were broken, and so much so that he could not even raise his foot. And without even looking at him, she proceeded to trip him over. Harvey fell over on his rear at that instant, looking as humiliated as ever. After that, Nicole looked down at him and said, "This is what you get for being childish." Then, she turned and left right away, leaving Harvey to deal with the pain on his foot.He was on the verge of tears as she watched on. Still he would be happy, for as long as he got to be in close proximity with Nicole, even if that meant she was hitting him. "Interesting...It''s too darn interesting...Nicole, what should I do? I''m falling harder for you." Nicole suddenly sneezed as she was walking. She arrived at her ss shortly after, and once the self-study ss had ended, everyone was prepared to leave. Nicole ced her things back on her table and took her bag, ready to leave as well.But it was then that Gary stopped her. "Nicole.Uh, my brother wants to see you." "Your brother wants to see me?" Nicole arched her brows. "I''m not close to him." Gary scratched his head awkwardly.He knew that Ryder''s n would not seed. After all, Nicole would not even be courteous to him, so why would she be to Ryder. "But..." Gary wanted to continue. However, she cut him short before he could even do so. "No buts.Just ask him to see me himself if he needs to." As it turned out, Gary did not really mean much to Nicole still. "Okay then..." Gary gave in and called Ryder. Nicole then turned and left the room with Lulu and June. Lulu looked at Nicole and anxiously, she said, "Nicole, Ryder is Gary''s brother.It''s not a good idea for you to upset him like that, don''t you think?" Chapter 1719 Chapter 1719 Nicole scoffed. "I can''t see any sincerity in him at all.How could he send his little brother to talk to me?" Besides, Ryder was pretty skillful himself, and Nicole wanted to know more about him because he mighte in handy. Nheless, she stopped thinking about that and went downstairs to exit the building, and that was when she heard someone shouting at her before they could even make their way to the school gate. "Nicole, stand right there!" Nicole knew that it was Ryder judging by his voice. However, she ignored him and kept walking. Ryder got so mad that he came off his high horse as a senior and rushed up to her to stand in her way. "Stop!" Other students who were still on campus shifted their gaze at them at that instant. They probably knew how embarrassed Ryder was in the morning, but they were not expecting to find Ryder with a band-aid on his nose bridge. Worse still, the band-aid really did make him look funny. Nicole looked at him coldly, after which, she lifted her chin and asked, "Yes? Can I help you?" "Don''t act stupid!" Ryder yelled, unable to hold himself back. Nicole lifted her brows unhappily. "Your attitude is scaring me.I want to go home." Then, she attempted to get past Ryder again, and that was when she noticed that she was not afraid of him at all. Worse still, she did not even want to talk to him. "That''s enough! I-I''ll be more polite, okay?" Then, he stretched his arm out to stop her from leaving before taking a deep breath to calm himself down. "You said that you can remove the virus earlier.Is that true?" He was close to breaking down.He needed to use the information tomorrow and he would be doomed if he could not get it fixed by today. "M-hmm," Nicole replied. Ryder''s eyes sparkled upon hearing that, but it was also then that his dignity got the better of him. "Tell me, how can I get you to help me?" "I told you about that this morning, didn''t I? Why are you such a forgetful person?" Nicole feigned naivet¨¦ as she widened her eyes and looked at Ryder. Ryder felt extremely frustrated. "Do you really want me to beg you? I''m older than you...Not to mention the number of people around us." He then decided to settle on apromise and invited her to a caf¨¦, but she turned him down. Nicole lifted her brows. "I''m leaving now if you''re not willing to do that." Nicole figured that she needed to be more resolute if she were to teach an arrogant person like him a lesson. Ryder gritted his teeth as he could not stand it anymore. "Fine! I- I''ll beg you!" N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. He was really desperate, and yet, Nicole just had to take pleasure in his desperation.He would have choked Nicole to death if she could not save hisputer. Nicole looked at Ryder yfully. "I don''t think that''s how you should be begging others." Nicole continued with the teasing, driving him to the edge of giving up. In addition, more and more people had begun to surround them, and the ensuing embarrassment he felt was simply too unbearable for him. "Nicole...I''ve begged you.What more do you want?" He lowered his voice in an attempt to attract less attention. "It''s really urgent.I need your help! I''ll do whatever you say if you''d just help me!" Nicole smiled as she was amused. ''Seems like he''s pretty sensible" "Your words, not mine," she said. Ryder would be really useful to her in the future, so getting him to owe her a favor was highly beneficial for her.He quickly nodded. "My words, yes! I won''t go back on my word." Nicole smiled. "Alright, I''ll help you." Nicole then produced a sh drive that she had already prepared and passed it to him. "What''s this?" Ryder was taken aback. ''Isn''t she going to remove the virus? Why would she hand me this USB drive?¡¯ "The solution is in that USB drive.It will automatically run when you plug it into yourputer." Nicole looked at him with an arched brow. Chapter 1720 Chapter 1720 Ryder took the USB drive and his eyes immediately widened. "Automatic operation?" ¡®She isn''t sh*tting me, right?" This is from N?velDrama.Org. ¡®How can an antivirus program work automatically once it''s inserted into a USB slot?! "Don''t believe me? Give it back then," Nicole said as she reached to take the USB drive back. But Ryder immediately pulled his hand back. "I believe you!" He was absolutely desperate already. "Alright, I''ll be heading off first then.Remember, you owe me one.And you can''t refuse me if I need your help in the future." Nicole gave him a yful nce. Ryder could only sigh. "Got it." ¡®This Nicole, she''s a total vixen.She set this virus up on me and now, in exchange, she wants me to help her in undoing the damage. But for the project data he had inside hisptop, he could only agree to that. Without thinking about it any further, Ryder hurriedly left the school, got into his car and left. Looking at Ryder seemingly scampering away, Nicole could not help but snigger. "The pro got owned and is running away." "Yeah, Nicole, you''re amazing! Even the school''s tech whiz will need to call you master soon."Nicole really knew a lot of things.She was just incredible! "Let''s go.I''m hungry.I''m gonna head back home to eat," Nicole said in a yful tone. Then she bade the two farewell. Lulu and June watched from a distance as Nicole met up with Spencer and Samuel who then reluctantly went back to their dorm. The siblings went home happily. They thought that Gloria would be waiting for them when they got inside. Yet, the moment they stepped into the house, the atmosphere was a little different that day. "Why is Grandpa, Uncle Damien, Uncle Dillon, and Uncle Dexter here?" Spencer whispered. Samuel was perplexed. "What happened? Uncle Damien and Uncle Dillon rarely ever visit our ce, and why is Grandpa here as well?" Nicole was very puzzled too, feeling as if something had happened. The three walked in quietly and immediately heard Dillon kicking up a fuss with Daniel. "Look, this is Daniel and also Nicole''s doing, going against the Fisher family! Now the Fishers have gathered an alliance to fight us, and our days won''t be easy anymore,"ined Dillon. Damien too gave Daniel a slight stink eye but still tried to keep up a righteous facade. "Daniel, how do you exin this? Now both mine and Dillon''s projects are affected, and it''s indeed due to the conflict between you and the Fisher family." When Mr.Riddle Sr.saw how Damien and Dillon behaved, his expression became somber as he said angrily, "I didn''t expect the Fisher family to gather so many other families to target us with such hostility." So it turned out that Fisher had been lying dormant just to wait for a chance to strike a blow at them! Daniel then said with a low voice, "Although I already know this, I can''t stop them.Moreover, many of our partners had terminated their coboration with the Fisher family to work with us.So they would originally be tethering on the edge...so I never thought about targeting them..." Chapter 1721 Chapter 1721 "You''ve never thought of targeting them, but you didn''t think letting them have allowed them to get stronger? Now even we are being affected by that!" Dillon growled. "What do you n to do about this? My project got taken away by the Fisher family and I''ve lost close to a million! Damien lost even more." When Dillon said that, he did not forget to use Damien as ammunition as well. Seeing that the two were clearly here to cause trouble, Sean hissed somewhat angrily, "There''s always ups and downs in business. My father hadn''t anticipated this and you''re now pushing the me on him, Uncle Dillon?" When Dillon heard that, he blew his top. "What do you mean by that? You''re saying I''m pushing my responsibility to him?" Karen, who had followed Dillon here, initially did not want to speak, but seeing that her husband was on the back foot, she could not help but interject. "Who''s actually pushing their responsibility aside is still up in the air! If you two weren''t butting heads with the Fisher family, we wouldn''t have been affected by your conflict! In the end, it''s all your fault!" When she saw Karen pointing her finger at her father and brother, berating them, Nicole walked up and hissed, "Your mouth sure is something, Aunt Karen. Turning facts upside down with just a few words, shifting your own ipetence as other''s faults." The moment Nicole spoke, everyone immediately turned to look at her. When Mr. Riddle Sr. saw Nicole, his eyes widened. ¡°Nicole, you''re back." "Yes." Nicole nodded before saying to Mr. Riddle Sr., "Grandpa, who brought you here today? For someone to disturb your rest over something so trivial repeatedly, I wonder what that person''s thinking.¡± In a sentence, Nicole had managed to paint Karen''s excuse as being totally unreasonable. Mr. Riddle Sr. too was annoyed as he rumbled, "It''s your Uncle Dillon and Aunt Karen who brought me here themselves." Upon hearing what Mr. Riddle Sr. had to say, Dillon quickly chimed in. "Dad, this isn''t some trivial matter. Of course I needed to bring you here." "Yes, this girl has no idea how to do business. How can losing a million-dor business be something trivial?" Karen panicked too. Nicole immediately looked up and red at Karen. And seeing that re, Karen immediately shut up. Nicole looked at her icily before turning to her father and eldest brother. "Dad, Sean, what''s the projected profit during this business quarter?" Sean was taken aback by the question. Nicole had never asked about the number, so why was she asking this now? Although he was confused, he still trusted Nicole and answered honestly. "The projected profit for our current projects is about a billion, five times more than the Riddle Corporation''s previous financial year profit." Nicole immediately raised her eyebrow. "You heard that, Grandpa? The corporation is already earning about a billion in profit. There are always wins and losses in the field of business. We''ve already won a billion, so why care about that lost million? The moment she said that, Mr. Riddle Sr. felt very relieved inside. " You''re right. The Riddle Corporation''s fortune is unlike ever before, and I''m very satisfied with it." As he said that, Mr. Riddle Sr. turned to Damien and Dillon. " Damien, Dillon, let it go. Don''t dwell too much on the losses." Seeing that Mr. Riddle Sr. was about to dismiss this matter as trivial, Karen was the first to panic. "Don''t dwell on it? Why? Why can their projects profit while ours take a beating? Dad! Dillon has given so much to thepany. Youneed to speak up for him!" N?velDrama.Org holds ? this. Noticing that Karen was unwilling to let go, Mr. Riddle Sr. was a little displeased. Nicole sneered and decided to do away with any pleasantries. "I''m curious as well about your question, Aunt Karen. Why are the projects managed by my father and brothers making a profit while both Uncle Dillon and Uncle Damien''s projects are making a loss? You said they''ve put in so much work, but where are the results?" As soon as the words came out, everyone was stunned into silence. No one had expected Nicole totch onto the loophole in Karen''s words and turned it against her! Chapter 1722 Chapter 1722 Immediately, everyone realized that Nicole had a point! ¡®Yeah, they suffered losses because of their own ipetence, and now they''re ming it on us?¡¯ Damien noticed his name being dragged into the mud and could not stay silent. He said coldly, "Nicole, you don''t understand what''s going on in thepany. The Fisher family had recently contacted our partners leading to their turn. And all in all, the one in conflict with the Fisher family is your family, and both your Uncle Dillon and I suffered coteral damage. This you can''t deny." When Damien put it that way, Dillon poured more fuel into the fire. "Damien''s right. If you didn''t make enemies out of the Fisher family, our projects would''ve been intact! Why are your family''s issues affecting us?" N?velDrama.Org holds ? this. As soon as those words came out, Nicole''s eyes turned dark as her entire aura caused the air in the room to turn icy. Sensing that Nicole was displeased, Mr. Riddle Sr. could only sigh. " Enough. What are you arguing for? You''re all brothers. What, you lot want to split the family up now?" Those words reminded Nicole of something as she broke into a smile. "Uncle Damien and Uncle Dillon have been going on and on about ''your family¡¯. They''ve already drawn such a clear line that the family should split." When Damien and Dillon heard that, they sensed something was not right, but before they could even react, Nicole let out a contemptuous sneer. "It so happens that I too think it''s unfair. My father and brothers are putting in the most time and effort into all of these projects we have now, yet Uncle Damien and Uncle Dillon are still collecting their share dividends as usual, and we even have to share in their losses. So, we might as well split the family up!" Her voice thundered across the room. And both Damien and Dillon felt like they had been struck by lightning. None of them expected this. They had only wanted to use this as a pretext to get something out of Daniel, but they ended up pissing off Nicole and she now wanted to split the family up! Although they too had been in the Riddle Corporation over these years, the dividends were only a few million each. This year''s profit was five to six times that of the previous year, and it may even rise to ten times by year''s end. And this girl was now talking about splitting the family up?! Wouldn''t they lose out on a lot? "We... We didn''t mean that..." Dillon felt a tinge of guilt and wanted to back out on his words. Yet, Nicole continued, "You didn''t mean that? Then why are you two trying to find fault here? So what now? Hounding us when there''s a problem, and you want a share of my father and brother''s hard- earned profit at year''s end too?" Being seen through like that, Karen lost all standing so she could only try to shout Nicole down. "What nonsense are you babbling about? Is this how you speak to your elders? Remember that when Daniel didn''t work at thepany, it was your Uncle Damien and Uncle Dillon who kept him fed!" When that was said, Steve could no longer hold back. "If I remember correctly, when Uncle Damien and Uncle Dillon had many projects at hand, not all of the profits went into thepany''s coffers right? The dividend my father had gotten was no more than two million, and did we make a sound back then? Now that our profit''s in the billions, I don''t think you don''t know how much you''d get." "Uncle Damien, Uncle Dillon, this is way overboard!" Sean stared at them, the mes of anger burning in his eyes. Seeing that Daniel''s entire family was angry, Damien could not help but soften his tone. "This is thepany''s system. I also admit that it''s Daniel''s family who''s working hard for thepany right now, but I don''t agree in splitting the family up. We''re a family after all." Damien tried to readjust his position and appear righteous. Nicole, however, snorted coldly. ''''So we''re a family now? Toote for that, Uncle Damien.¡± When she said thest four words, a sudden chill descended upon everyone. Chapter 1723 Chapter 1723 It was especially true for Damien and Dillon. Dexter, who had been listening by the side and not speaking, had no intention to participate in this skirmish. But when he heard about splitting the family up, it was a huge matter and he could not help but stand up. "Nicole, you''re still young, you must be calm when dealing with trouble..." Nicole looked at Dexter. Thetter''s family was always fair toward her family and had never bullied her parents, but there were some things that even they could not help. Nicole lowered her tone as she looked at Dexter. "I won''t force you if you don''t want to split up, Uncle Dexter, but today, I''ll represent my parents in asking to split away from Uncle Damien and Uncle Dillon. Each family shall only deal and profit from their projects, and no longer have anything to do with one another henceforth." Mr. Riddle Sr. was slightly taken aback. He never thought that this little girl could be so stubborn and decide upon such an important matter just like that! He had lived for so many years now and this was the first time he felt that his position as head of the Riddle family was just for show! Yet, Nicole was now the wielder of the Fire Crest, and all of the family''s businesses increased because of her, so, no matter how she wanted to allocate things, he was powerless to stop her. Seeing Mr. Riddle Sr. keeping quiet, Karen got anxious. "Dad! You''re the head of the house! Nicole is literally stepping all over you! You can''t just listen to her like that!" But Mr. Riddle Sr. only felt worn out when he looked at Karen. "I''ve already given Nicole my shares. Moreover, thepany''s being managed by Daniel and Sean right now. So, I''ll leave the call to them." His heart knew very well that when Damien and Dillon were managing thepany, Daniel never once took more than what he was entitled. Even when he had shares, Daniel never took the full amount of dividends due to his guilty conscience. Now that the tables had turned, Damien and Dillon wanted to take advantage of him. He could not turn a blind eye to this. "Dad!" Karen waspletely bbergasted. She totally did not expect the old man to leave them to their own devices just like that! "Dad, you can''t do this..." Damien did not expect this either. He had thought that he had the upper hand and to end up like this, even the image of calmness that he had cultivated for so many years quickly came apart. Nicole saw that Mr. Riddle Sr. was conflicted and yet, he still handed her the right to make the decision. She took a deep breath. She was still very grateful for his love for her, but if she were to soften her stance now, it would only serve to give Damien and Dillon more opportunities to cause trouble in the future. So, she decided to get rid of the root of the problem. "Don''t worry, Uncle Damien, Uncle Dillon. Since you said that today''s issue was because of us, then we''ll take over all of the loss-making projects and hereinafter, any losses will be borne by us. We''ll pay you your fair share ording to the original agreements signed with the partners. But simrly, after this, all of the projects managed by my father and brothers no longer have anything to do with the two of you. Both of you shall no longer enjoy any profits or dividends from any of their projects." Nicole''s voice was calm, the logic of her words crisp and precise. Sean did not expect that Nicole, who was just a college student, seemed to have a thorough understanding aboutpany contracts. "No!" Karen panicked. "Who do you think you are? Who are you to dictate terms in this family?!" As she said that, Karen attempted to shove Nicole. But Nicole deftly dodged to the side and Karen, losing her bnce, staggered and fell onto the ground!N?velDrama.Org holds ? this. Chapter 1724 Chapter 1724 Karen crashed straight onto the coffee table, toppling it over! N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. In an instant, all of the cups on the tabletop fell to the ground and shattered! And Karen, by a stroke of fate, knelt straight onto the shattered fragments! "AHHHH!!!" Karen screeched in pain as the blood from her cut knees was smeared all over the floor! "Karen!" Dillon immediately rushed to help Karen up and sat her on the sofa before ring angrily at Nicole. "What have you done?! Nicole rolled her eyes at him. "Are you blind, Uncle Dillon? Aunt Karen was the one who wanted to hit me just now. Serves her right! " Since they were already being so absolutely shameless, there was no need for her to hold back any longer! "You! Looks like you''re in need of a p!"'' Dillon was so pissed off, he raised his hand and pped Nicole! Who knew that Nicole was already nning not to let them go easily today? Nicole immediately grabbed Dillon''s hand, and a loud crack rang out. Dillon screamed in pain. "ARGH!!! What are you doing?!" Before he could even finish screaming, Nicole kicked him straight in the calf bone! With a crack, Dillon too fell on the fragmented shards on the floor! "ARGH!" As Dillon screamed, his knees bled as well! The scene stunned everyone who witnessed it. Damien and Dexter were also shocked by the scene, starting to have cold sweats. Daniel, on the other hand, had already covered Gloria''s eyes and stopped her from looking at the scene. But he, Sean and the rest were all staring at Nicole one after another... None of them had expected that Nicole would strike against Dillon and his wife. But since the two struck first, it really served them right! "Did you see that, Dad?! Nicole''s a total feral mutt!" Dillon hugged his knees as heid on the ground, Karen now thest thing on his mind! Nicole turned to Mr. Riddle Sr. at this moment and said, "Grandpa, you saw them strike first, and every single time there''s a problem, Uncle Dillon would always ask you to preside over things, and then use you to throw all sorts of tantrums. He even dared hit me this time! If you side with him again, he''ll only get worse!" Even Mr. Riddle Sr. was shocked. He totally did not expect Nicole to know martial arts... Back then he just condoned whatever that Dillon did, but thetter had been taking advantage of that time and time again! And now Dillon dared try to strike Nicole in front of him! ¡®This husband-and-wife pair is beyond saving! ¡°Hmph, serves you right! You''re an elder and you dare strike the young so nilly-willy. Have you forgotten Nicole''s status now? Everything we Riddles have today is because of Nicole, so what in damnation are you lot quarreling for?" Mr. Riddle Sr. stared at both Damien and Dillon angrily. At this moment, Damien had already turned pale, knowing that he will not be able to achieve what he came for today. Even worse, the entire thing had backfired on him! Sure enough, Nicole seized the opportunity and said, "We''ll be splitting this family up for sure. Our feelings for you will never change, Grandpa, so please don''t worry. Sean, please send Grandpa home." She did not want to agitate the old man too much. He had only recently recovered and could not afford to get angry, so Nicole asked Sean to send him home. Strangely enough, Sean, the CEO of thepany, actually listened to his little sister. "Got it. Grandpa, I''ll send you home?" Mr. Riddle Sr. nodded. He already had a headache from the ruckus and only wanted to leave this ce as soon as possible. Chapter 1725 Chapter 1725 "Dad! You can''t just leave!" Dillon was still screaming for Mr. Riddle Sr. Yet, the old man only nced at him before walking away, feeling dour. ¡®He''s always so ungrateful. It''s high time to teach him a lesson,'' he thought. Seeing that Mr. Riddle Sr. had left just like that, Dillon despaired. He then turned to Damien and yelled, "Damien, say something, damn you!" However, at this moment, Damien saw that things had already passed the point of no return as he said with a pale face. "Dillon, Dad has already agreed to that... and I''m powerless. I''ll call an ambnce for you." The only thing he could do now was help Dillon call an ambnce to take him away from this ce. ¡°WHAT?!" Dillon was totally stunned. Even Damien no longer nned to help him! The sight caused Dexter to feel ill. As someone with hemophobia, he felt a little sick. "Daniel, I''m feeling sick from the sight of blood, I''ll be heading off first. I''ll leave the final decision of this matter to you all." He was simr to Daniel, and only collected dividends from thepany. He, however, would take a little bit more every year and did not feel as guilty as Daniel did. He had no opinion against anyone in the family and treated everyone equally as he did not want to participate in any disputes at all. ¡°Alright, take care." Daniel gave Dexter a grateful look. Every time when Damien and Dillon mistreated him, Dexter would often speak up for him, and he still remembered this clearly. "Yeah." Dexter nodded as he waved and bade Daniel''s family goodbye. Damien on the other hand did not return after he went out to make a call. Daniel, out of the kindness of his heart, called the family doctor and housekeeper to give Dillon and his wife emergency treatment. The two, however, ungratefully refused them. "Get lost! Don''t touch me. Who knows what you lot are plotting!" "Daniel, remember this! I won''t let you off so easily for treating us like this!" The husband and wife continued to make a ruckus. Nicole, already at her limits, hissed at them. "Shut up! The two of you want me to shove those shards into your mouth to shut you up?" The two immediately fell silent. Nicole was more than willing to see them bleed... Shoving shards into their mouths was not impossible for her... Karen could not help but lower her voice, but she still begrudgingly hissed, "Don''t think you''ve won today, Nicole... we won''t let this lie!" "Up to you, but you better watch out. If you piss me off again, just be aware that Uncle Dillon''s shares in thepany... Let''s just say don''t me me when he receives nothing during the dividend payout." "You dare threaten me?!" Karen''s face was flushed in anger. " Those shares were given to us by your grandfather. You think you can just take that away?" Nicole only let out a sneer in response. "That''s none of your business. But I can totally reduce those shares of yours into ash and cinder." Nicole''s gaze was like a chill wind, biting deep into Karen''s bones, causing fear to well up within her. For some reason, she felt that this eighteen-year-old girl here would see to whatever she said done... After all, she was now the inheritor of the Fire Crest. This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org. She won''t destroy her own family''s business right? As she thought that, the ambnce Damien called arrived. The ambnce crew immediately helped them up onto the stretchers. Before Dillon was helped, he even tried to be menacing. "Daniel, you dare do this to me... You''ll regret this!" If it were before, Daniel would not have known how to respond to them and would even feel pity out of brotherhoad. But when Dillon tried to strike Daniel''s daughter just now, Daniel had totally given up on the former. He said impassively to Dillon, "I won''t." Chapter 1726 Chapter 1726 At this instant, Dillon found himself speechless as he was carried away. Calm finally returned to the house after everyone had left. Gloria''s face was pale and seeing that she was not doing so well, Daniel helped her upstairs to rest. Steve, on the other hand, heaved a sigh of relief. "Awesome work there, Nicole. Thank goodness you came back in time." Otherwise, their parents would have just been toyed about by Uncle Damien and Uncle Dillon. "Yeah, I totally didn''t expect you to use this opportunity to seek a split of the family." Stanley also had a look of admiration on his face. He had recently felt things were very unfair. He, his father and elder brothers were breaking their backs at work and yet when it came to the yearly dividends, they still needed to give Damien and Dillon a big piece of the pie. Their greed knew no bounds and today, they got theireuppance! "If we didn''t split up the family, are we supposed to continue letting them leech from us?" Nicole had lost all patience. Back then, she would give them face out of concern for her grandfather. But now that he knew what she was doing, there was no longer any need to hide. She would only do what was good for the family and will never endanger the Riddle family. So that was why Mr. Riddle Sr. allowed her to do as she pleased. N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. Thinking of this, she felt warm inside. The feeling of being trusted by Grandpa felt really good.. Samuel and Spencer on the other hand sat down feeling pleased with the oue. "Nicole''s right. We can''t keep such people in the family!" ¡°But, Uncle Dillon''s a vengeful person. He''ll definitely find a way to seek revenge." Nicole snorted coldly. "Don''t worry.. He''s nothing to be afraid of. The one that we need to keep an eye out for is another person..." Sean and Steve looked at each other and could already guess who Nicole was talking about. At this moment, Damien had already arrived home and as soon as he walked through the door, he was smashing things left and right! Miley and Chloe were shocked by the loud noise and quickly came downstairs. "Dad, what happened?" "Dear, what has gotten into you? Don''t smash that! It''s expensive! " Miley immediately walked forward to stop him, fearing that he would smash the most valuable antique vase in the house! But it worked and Damien actually stopped his rampage. He panted hard as he loosened his tie and flopped weakly onto the sofa. It was only then did Mileye to his side. "What''s the matter, dear? Didn''t you and Dillon go to Daniel''s ce to pick a fight? What happened?" Damien roared, "Dillon, that imbecile! Not only did we not manage to get anypensatory projects from Daniel''s family, but he also allowed that brat Nicole to even bring up the idea of splitting the family up!" ¡°What, splitting the family up?" Miley''s eyes widened. They had always gotten a decent chunk of dividends from the Riddle Corporation every year, but this year''s dividend should be the most as Daniel and his family had gotten so many projects in their hands. Those were profits worth billions! And now Nicole proposed the splitting up of the family at this juncture? ¡°Wait, why was it Nicole who gave that idea? Who does she think she is?" Miley spat angrily. ''''Does she think she''s a big deal now, with that Fire Crest of hers?" Damien snorted coldly. "Yeah, she''s a big deal now! Dad''s literally allowing her to do as she pleases and has already agreed to split the family up!" "Huh?" Miley was stunned. "Then... does that mean we won''t be getting our millions in dividends at year''s end?" When she heard that such arge amount of money had slipped out of their hands, even Chloe was stunned as she said agitatedly, "How could she make that decision? She''s not the decision maker of this family! The company''s affairs aren''t hers tomand!" Damien red at Chloe. "All of the glory this family has now is because of Nicole! She''s already thergest shareholder in the company! Your grandfather had nned all this!" ¡®Come to think of it, that old man had yed all of us for fools!'' ¡®The old man had already expected such a day woulde!" ¡®So that''s why he had given Nicole most of the shares a long time ago, and even handed her the authority at such a critical juncture!¡¯ Chapter 1727 Chapter 1727 ¡®I have no ce in thispany at all!'' "No... No... Dad won''t do this to us..." Miley was still trembling, her face in disbelief. Damien, however, let out a frenziedugh. "What sort of father is he? He got me to manage thepany when it wasn''t doing well, and now that business is booming, he handed it to Daniel instead! That old coot!" Damien had always respected Mr. Riddle Sr. and had never been so angry before! ¡°My love, you have an idea on how to deal with this, right?" Miley grabbed onto Damien''s hand. "We can''t split the family up... It''ll be over for us if that happens..." All of their projects were affected now and they will most likely not be able to secure any good projects from now on, with all of the best projects going to Daniel and his family. He did not want to just be parasites that only get a few million a year at the mercy of others! Damien''s eyes turned gloomy as he looked outside the window. " It''s not like I don''t have an idea... Worsees to worst, we''ll be fighting all out." He snorted coldly as an idea formed in his mind. Chloe had never seen her father looking so terrifying before, but how she wished her father had taken a harsher stance earlier and struck against Nicole! ¡®That bitch should just die already!'' Everett heard all of this from upstairs but did not head down. ¡®It looks like the n needs to be expedited..." The next day, Nicole went to school as usual but her father and brothers had gone to thepany to start the process of distinguishing thepany''s various departments and performances. It was imperative that they split the family up, and they needed to be quick and decisive. With trouble brewing at home, Nicole did not think that it would be brewing at school as well. Just as she got to the ssroom block, arge bucket of water was poured down from upstairs. Thankfully, Nicole deftly dodged it. Yet, when she looked up, there was no one at all. On the way to the library, someone tried to snipe her with a slingshot too! These sort of tricks were nothing to Nicole as she tilted her head sideways and dodged the shot! Before she left, she hissed coldly, "Amateurs, childish!" The few people hiding in the dark suddenly panicked. When it was the afternoon self-study session, when both Nicole and Gary were on their way to the training ss, there was water on the ground and when Nicole saw it, she deftly leaped over it. Gary was not as lucky and did not see it at all. He had already stepped into the water by the time he saw Nicole jumping over it. Before he could even react, Gary felt like he was being electrocuted the next moment! And he immediately fell, kneeling on the ground! "Ugh! WwW It was only when Gary grunted in pain that Nicole realized something was not right! When she turned back, she saw him kneeling stiffly on the ground. And he was about to copse! ¡°Damn you! You got electrocuted!" Nicole did not have time to dither as she quickly looked for the nearby switch. Sure enough, she saw the water dispenser nearby had a leakage and quickly unplugged it. It was only then that Gary was saved and his body immediately rxed. His hair on the other hand, all stood up because of the electricity. "Gary! Are you alright?" Nicole helped Gary up as she said witha helpless look on her face. "How are you so stupid? Didn''t you see water on the floor?" Gary shook his head, trembling. "I didn''t..." Nicole did not have time to think as she immediately lifted Gary by the shoulder and said, "Hang in there. I''ll take you to the infirmary right away!"N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. Chapter 1728 Chapter 1728 Gary felt Nicole''s support and close proximity to him, and suddenly felt very warm inside... But the paralyzing pain surging across his body made it very hard for him to enjoy this moment of tenderness as he staggered to the infirmary, helped by Nicole. Thankfully, Gary was fine. Nicole gave him a checkup and a few needle technique prickster, Gary''splexion improved somewhat. The school doctor already knew Nicole''s medical skills and only stood aside. After pulling out the needles, Gary turned to Nicole. "Did you know the water was electrified so you leaped over it?" Nicole shook her head. "There were a lot of pranks today, so I was on guard, but I did not expect these were not pranks..." ¡®This is horrible. Don''t they know that electric shocks could kill?¡¯ Gary looked miserable. "If only I was a little more alert. Fortunately for me, you were around. Otherwise there''ll be no one there just now and I''ll be dead..." Nicole''s face turned gloomy. If she was passing by herself, no one would have saved her. Thinking of this made her angry. So she said to Gary, "You should have the key to the school surveince, right? Let''s check who the culprit behind this is." Gary nodded and after a while, got out of bed and went to the surveince room with Nicole''s help. But this time, the perpetrators were well prepared and did not leave any trace behind at all! "Those few spots happen to be the blind spots...'''' Gary gave Nicole a grim look. "It looks like these people did this on purpose." Nicole''s expression was simrly dark. She suddenly thought of something as she smirked. "No matter. I have a way to draw these people out... As long as you cooperate." "Cooperate how?" Gary gave Nicole a perplexed look. And a scheming smile soon spread across Nicole''s face. Ten minutester, the ambnce came. All of the students in school were in an uproar as they could no longer focus on their ss and quickly gathered along the corridor. They then saw Gary being carried up into the ambnce before being driven away. Everyone stretched their necks out, wanting to find out what had happened. At this moment, Ryder managed to push his way out of the crowd and saw Nicole standing in the center of the crowd. N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. He immediately went to her and asked. "What happened to Gary?" Nicole looked at Ryder with an aggrieved look as she said, "Gary... He was electrocuted..." Ryder could not help but be taken aback. The first shock was Gary being electrocuted, and the second shock... Why did the usually stoic Nicole suddenly pretend to be pitiful? His instincts told him something was not right, but he still asked, "How did that happen?" Nicole replied with a pained tone, "He tried to save me just now. We were going to theputer room just now and the water dispenser had a leakage. Gary noticed it and pushed me away, and got electrocuted himself..." When Ryder heard that, he fumed. "How can the water dispenser have a leakage? The Royal Creek Institute''s facilities would never have such a problem!" Nicole acted even more pitifully when she was questioned. "I don''t know... but it seemed like someone had deliberately cut the water dispenser''s wire and sshed water on the ground. Gary''s in a serious condition right now..." When Ryder heard that his brother was in a serious condition, he immediately lost it as he roared at the crowd. "Who did that?! Show yourself, NOW!" That roar instantly frightened many present. All of them started to whisper to one another. "Pissing off the Finleys is like stubbing your own foot against a steel te..." "Yeah, the Finley family is San Joto''srgest inte conglomerate..." "Sh*t, sh*t..." Ryder yelled in fury. "If you show yourself now, I''ll be calling the police!" Chapter 1729 Chapter 1729 While speaking, Ryder had already whipped out his phone and made a call. At that moment, a voice came from upstairs. "No.Please, no..." Everyone lifted their heads and noticed a little girl crying out of fear at the university section. "Who''s that?" "I don''t know her..." There were a lot of eyes on her. However, Nicole had already recognized who that girl was.It''s the girl who follows Snow around every day!'' True enough, once that girl spoke, Snow rushed over. "Alverlyn! Stop spitting nonsense!" However, that girl panicked so much that she began to tear up. "Snow...you''re not afraid of the Finley family, but my family has a partnership with them.If my parents found out that I framed one of the Finley family members, they''d kill me!" The girl cried loudly as she spoke those words. Ryder was furious.He immediately rushed up the stairs. Nicole did not expect the culprit to be exposed this soon. Initially, she thought that someone would only call Ryderter. However, Ryder wanted to call the cops immediately. That was amazing! At that thought, Nicole leisurely followed upstairs. Soon, Ryder stood in front of Snow and that girl. "The both of you, exin clearly! What''s going on?" When Snow saw that Ryder hade up, she got furious and immediately pushed the other girl. "What nonsense were you saying just now? It''s none of my business whether your family is partnering with the Finley family." That girl could tell that Snow was trying to pass the buck. Just as she was about to refute, Snow red at her. N?velDrama.Org holds ? this. "Alverlyn Wyatt! You should settle your own matters.Don''t speak nonsense and drag me into your issues!" At that moment, Alverlyn''s face turned paler. She did not know what to do as she looked at Ryder. All she could do was to quickly apologize. "I''m sorry.I''m sorry...It was all my fault.I destroyed the water dispenser and spilled water all over.All this is my fault! Ryder, please don''t call the cops!" As Ryder watched Alverlyn kneeling on the floor and sping her hands together to beg him, he felt annoyed and disgusted. Anyone could tell that Alverlyn was simple-minded. Based on what was said, Snow seemed suspicious. However, she just stood there and watched the wholemotion. Ryder could not help but reply angrily, "How could I forgive you when you''ve put my brother on a hospital bed? But if you could tell me who instructed you to do it, I won''t call the cops.I could also settle this matter as a case within the school itself.It won''t affect our parent''s partnership." Alverlyn hesitated for a moment. She was flustered for an instance, and discreetly nced at Snow. Snow''s gaze immediately turned so fierce that Alverlyn did not dare look at Snow again. "I-I really did it on my own.Please do not call the cops on me!" Nicole was standing behind Ryder and she witnessed everything clearly. Deep down, it was clear to her that Alverlyn did not dare offend Snow. As Nicole thought about the incident that day and the series of events which were all done by Snow, her face turned extremely cold. "It seemed like she''s here to avenge her sister and parents. "In that case, I won''t be giving way!'' Taking a step forward, Nicole stepped right beside Ryder and spoke to Alverlyn. "You can speak out bravely.As long as you tell us the truth on who was the one that instructed you, I promise you, that person will disappear from San Joto and leave Royal Creek Institute! That person won''t be able to threaten you anymore!" As he felt Nicole''s aura, Ryder immediately moved aside. ¡®Nicole Riddle.She''s not an ordinary person.How does she dare make such a huge request? ¡®Also, she and Snow are cousins, right? ¡®why does she seem to loathe Snow a lot?¡¯ Chapter 1730 Chapter 1730 At that moment, Snow was also terrified by Nicole''s gaze. She could no longer bear it and began saying, "Nicole! What do you mean? Are you trying to lead Alverlyn to me someone else for what she did?" "Whether I''m leading her or not, you have the answer in your heart," replied Nicole coldly. Then, she turned toward Alverlyn. "If I''m not wrong, the reason you deliberately caused an electricity leakage was not to get rid of Gary, right?" Alverlyn immediately nodded. "Yes! I really didn''t target Gary! Ryder, you have to believe me!" Ryder was stunned. "Then, who were you targeting?" Alverlyn subconsciously turned to Nicole. "I-it was Nicole." Nicole smiled. "But we don''t have any feud or disagreements between.There''s no reason for you to hurt me.Isn''t that so?" Hearing Nicole''s persuasive tone when speaking to Alverlyn, Snow became anxious. "What are you trying to say? Are you implying that I have beef against you?" Nicole broke intoughter. ''I never said that.You said it yourself." "You¡ª" Snow''s face immediately reddened. However, she still tried to regain her senses. "All this is just empty talk! You have to bring evidence to the table if you want to use something!" "Isn''t our eyewitness standing right over here? Why are you panicking? Alverlyn, tell us.If someone really did order you to do things, Mr.Ellison will definitely take care of that person the way he did with Raine." Those words immediately reminded Alverlyn of something. ¡®That''s right! Raine was Snow''s sister, but Raine got expelled because she instructed people to hurt Nicole!¡¯ There was no reason for Alverlyn to be scared of Snow anymore! At that thought, Alverlyn immediately nodded her head. This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org. "Yes! It was Snow who ordered me to do this..." "Alverlyn Wyatt! You wench!" Snow did not expect her follower to turn against her so quickly. Snow lifted her leg andnded it on Alverlyn''s shoulder. Then, she kicked Alverlyn down to the floor! "ahh! Help!" Alverlyn screamed and soon rolled on the floor. Nicole saw that Snow was about to kick again. So, Nicole immediately grabbed onto Snow''s neck forcefully. Snow was pushed two steps back because of Nicole''s powerful strength. She reached the railing of the corridor, and Nicole''s strength almost pushed Snow over the railing. "W-what are you trying to do?" Snow could feel the wind from below, and her eyes widened in terror! Snow grabbed onto Nicole''s arm tightly and she did not dare let go. Snow was worried that if she let go, she would fall over the railing. "What am I trying to do? Snow Riddle, you almost got me in danger by faking an electricity leakage.I''m trying to get my revenge now!" As she spoke, Nicole put on more force. And Snow bent backward even more that her waist was cracking! At that, Snow panicked. "No! Don''t! I-If you kill me, you''ll turn into a murderer!" Nicole chuckled. "With this height, you won''t die if you drop.But you''ll definitely be disabled.If I get a goodwyer, the worst I''ll get is justmunity service...As for you? You will be disabled for life! I think this is a fair exchange, no?" Snow was so terrified by Nicole''s words that she was trembling. "No! No! I don''t want to be disabled!" Nicole snorted. "Then did you think this through when you tried to hurt me? If it was bad, I would be electrocuted to death.If not, I''ll be disabled.You weren''t scared of turning into a murderer when you tried to hurt me.Why should I be scared now?" While speaking, Nicole put on more force and caused Snow''s legs to hang in the air! "No!" Snow held onto Nicole''s arms tightly. "I was wrong! I was wrong! Please forgive me! I won''t do it again! I promise I won''t get in your way anymore.E-Even if you want me to quit this school, I''ll do it! Please!" Nicole sneered. "Did you really think you could still stay at the Royal Creek Institute after doing such a thing? It''s not just the school, you won''t even be able to stay at San Joto anymore!" As soon as she finished speaking, Nicole put on more force, grabbed Snow back in, and threw her to the ground! After aloud thud, Snow immediately knelt on the floor. She was rattled! She found it hard to regain her senses after receiving such a huge shock. On the other hand, Nicole turned behind her and spoke to Ryder. "'' The truth has been revealed." Chapter 1731 Chapter 1731 However, Ryder still seemed furious. "She had hurt my brother! I can''t forgive her that easily!" ''Did you really think that the Finley family is one you can toy with?! Nicoleughed and replied to Ryder, "Gary''s fine.He was putting on a show just now.I think he should be sent back here by the ambnce soon." Sure enough, as soon as Nicole finished speaking, an ambnce siren came from the school''s gate and drove in. Gary got down from the ambnce with ir. Then, he looked up to the third floor and saw Nicole standing there with Ryder.He shouted, "Have you caught the culprit?" After he said those words, Snow finally came to a realization. "All...all of you purposely lured Alverlyn to confess just now! Gary''s fine! Nicole nced at Snow. "I guess you''re not that dumb after all.However, it''s toote for that.Go, pack your things, and leave quietly!" These two sisters, Nicole had given them way too many second chances! And yet they did not appreciate any of it, so no one could call her cruel. "Nicole...What a bitch! Did you think you''ll be fine after chasing me out? For someone like you, there will definitely be people who''ll get rid of you in the future!" Snow was yelling on the floor crazily. However, Nicole was unbothered. She leisurely walked downstairs. Ryder also nced at Snow coldly. Since his brother was fine, he would not deal with her anymore. Then, Ryder followed after Nicole and murmured, "I did not expect you to be so good at this." Just now, Nicole''s act of pushing Snow beyond the railing was terrifying. Even a man like Ryder would not dare do such things. "They were the ones who went overboard with their bullying.They''ve mistaken my kindness as opportunities to be crueler." Nicole lifted her chin and nced at Ryder. "You should go back.I''ll go to the principal''s office to report this matter." "Oh, okay..." Ryder was a prefect, and yet he had to listen to Nicole. Seeing that Nicole had gone downstairs, Ryder walked toward Gary and smiled at him.He was in a daze. It was not until Nicole brought Gary to the school''s office that Ryder regained his senses. He shook his head and went back to his ss. While walking back, the more he thought about it, the stranger he felt. ¡®Hold on, Gary''s fine.But the one that stepped up was me. ¡®After going around the bush, I was toyed around by Nicole! '' At that thought, Ryder felt sad. But inexplicably, it also felt good to be toyed by her. "Ryder, have you gone mad?" While muttering, Ryder gave himself two ps to wake himself up. This is from N?velDrama.Org. In the blink of an eye, school had ended. As Nicole stepped out of school, Samuel and Spencer were waiting eagerly. "Nicole! We heard what happened! Snow has been expelled!" "You''re amazing! I saw the video of you pushing Snow up the railing!" "Yeah, Nicole, you''re so cool!" Samuel could not contain his excitement. Nicoleughed shyly. "She went overboard with her bullying." ''She thought of electrocuting me to death and actually had the intention of killing me.I couldn''t let go of her easily." "Mr.Ellison had personally issued an order to expel Snow and to never ept her anymore! She''s been cklisted!" Spencer was also excited. "Who asked them to be so prideful? Now, they''ve even lost a seat in this school!" ¡®Well, let''s see if they dare to act this ruthlessly again!'' Chapter 1732 Chapter 1732 "There''s more to it." Nicole said coldly. "I''ve also told Grandpa about what she did to Gary.I guess Snow would precede Raine and be driven out of San Joto." A family member like this would ruin the Riddle family''s image. Mr.Riddle Sr.would never keep them by his side! When Spencer and Samuel found out that those two evil girls, Raine and Snow, might be sent away, they felt a huge sense of relief. "For people like them, they deserve to be sent away as far as possible!" Nicole leaned on the chair, rxed. "I agree.Now, their family should tone down a little already." Soon, Nicole had arrived at home. When the family members found out about Snow''s incident, they began to discuss and question. Once they heard that Snow wanted to hurt Nicole, they were enraged. "How could Uncle Dillon have such an evil pair of daughters? They even thought of electrocuting Nicole to death?" Stanley''s face was fuming. "This is too much...We''re already being too nice to them by just sending them out of San Joto!" Steve felt that they spared them a little too easily. Sean nced at Nicole. "Are you really fine?" He knew that Nicole had always loved to be independent.He was worried that Nicole purposely hid it from them. "Yeah, I''m fine.Really.This time around, Gary suffered on behalf of me." "Gary? He''s Ryder''s younger brother?" Stanley knew who that was. "Yeah, she almost involved both of the Finley brothers in the matter." Nicole nodded. Sean added, "Those two boys aren''t good people.You better stay away from them." Nicole smiled gently. "We''re not close either.It''s just that we''re joining aputerpetition together." "Computerpetition? You''ve registered?" Steve was a little surprised. Speaking about it, Samuel and Spencer got excited. "Nicole''s such a genius. Of course she should join thepetition! " Samuel stood up proudly. "All of you are unaware of it but Nicole''s skills are way above the Finley brothers! She even humiliated Ryder in ss!" "Now, everyone knows that our sister''s the master of hacking!" At that moment, everyone was stunned. Nicole...was even a master hacker? "Nicole, are the boys telling the truth?" Steve looked at Nicole hopefully. Nicole could not help but nce at Samuel and Spencer in annoyance. ¡®These two big mouths! They literally spill everything to the public. Nicole could only reply awkwardly, "I just love to research it, so I only know some things about it." Steveughed aloud. N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. "If you say that you only know some things about it, you''re being too humble.I believe you''re much better than that!" Nicole looked at Steve awkwardly. "I''m just alright." It felt like Steve was so happy, as if he had found gold. "Well, Nicole, if you''re really good at hacking, I would need your talent since I''m in the finance industry.Are you free to investigate a few things for me?" Steve''s handsome face seemed evil and he was rubbing his palms nervously. Nicole immediately raised her eyebrows. "I''m not interested." Seeing that Nicole did not reject entirely but mention that she had no interest, Steve could sense that Nicole probably had a way to get it! "Nicole, this concerns the Riddle family''s profit.Also, the other party had been crossing the line.They had ced people around to spy on me and myst two bargain prices were all revealed.If you don''t help me, mypany''s partnership with the Riddle Corporation''s first partnership would be ruined.When that timees, Grandpa won''t think about me anymore." Steve purposely spoke in a pitiful tone. Nicole raised her eyebrows. "There''s such an incident?" As Sean witnessed how Steve had begged Nicole, he could only tell the truth. ''''You know that the Fisher Group would work with brands and businesses despite them carrying a bad reputation.They did all this just to sustain themselves and not go bankrupt.These people love to use such sly methods.Other than snatching away a few of Uncle Damien and Uncle Dillon''s cases, they''re now trying to interfere with Steve''s project." Chapter 1733 Chapter 1733 Stanley, who was beside,mented, "Although the other party has great interest in working with the Riddle Corporation,our lowest offer had been exposed during thest two biddings.Then, the other party would offer a higher price than us.Even if others would like to choose us, they''d consider the cost too." Nicole immediately fell into deep thought. "So there was such a situation.Why didn''t you tell me earlier?" Daniel let out a deep sigh. "You''re still studying and busy with shooting as well.You''re quite busy already.Also, your grandpa had already mentioned that when ites to thepany''s matters, you''ll only get involved after you''ve graduated and entered thepany.For now, we''re still around to take care of it." Nicole could tell that her father and brothers were protecting her and trying to not make her worry. It was only then that Nicole let out a sigh. "But this kind of matter is a piece of cake for me.Give me theirpany''s name and I''ll be able to find out their database.I''ll help you find out their third lowest price." N?velDrama.Org holds ? this. Since the other party was unkind, Nicole would have to take even more unkind steps. "Really?" Steve was stunned. ''From the way Nicole put it, this is an easy thing for her." Sean was a little surprised. "Nicole, you should be careful with such things.If you miss something and leave a piece of evidence for them, they could sue us..." However, Nicole smiled. "Sean, don''t worry about it.If I say it can be done, I''ll make sure there are no traces left behind." What a joke! This was Lucifer. The world''s top hacker. Not just the lowest price, even if it was the whole project''s data, Nicole would be able to get it as long as it was stored in aputer. Except, Nicole was not that mean. "Nicole, are you sure you can do it? Don''t force yourself." Gloria was worried about her own daughter. However, Nicole shook her head. "Dad, mom, don''t worry.I won''t take on anything I''m unsure of." Samuel was also encouraging them from the side. "Hey, don''t worry about her.Mom, Dad, Nicole''s really an expert in this! That Finley boy is San Joto''s bestputer expert, but Nicole''s skills had made Garye crawling and begging for help to solve the virus!" Samuel''s words surprised the whole family. "God...so much has happened in the school.Why didn''t I hear any of you mention it before?" Gloria looked at Spencer and Samuel in disbelief. Their eyes were filled with astonishment. But Sean believed in their words even more this time. It seemed like Nicole was really a genius when it came toputer stuff. But this did note as a surprise to them. They had already known that their sister was a genius.So, he should not be surprised to find that she knew a lot of things. "Then I guess we''ll go on with it." Sean nodded. "Let''s have our dinner.After eating, we''ll give it a try." "So soon?" Nicole raised her eyebrows and looked at Sean. Steve nodded. "Of course! We have already dragged the situation until now as we couldn''t think of other solutions! The third bidding is in two days'' time!"Nicole thought things through. "Alright, let''s settle it tonight." As they were speaking, the brothers began to eat. Samuel and Spencer ate the fastest. They also wanted to witness Nicole at work. However, Sean and Steve stopped the two little ones after they had finished eating. "The study room is quite small.It''s best if the both of you could just stay here." "Huh? We also want to see Nicole''s skills," Samuel said, annoyed. Steve pushed them aside. "The both of you are too noisy.Stay here! " Chapter 1734 Chapter 1734 Spencer and Samuel froze immediately. Daniel added, "The two of you, don''t disturb the adults working." Then, the two younger ones looked at Nicole. ''But Nicole''s obviously younger than us.." Nheless, they could only stare at Nicole sadly and remain silent. This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org. The both of them would dare topare themselves to everyone else, but they would not dare to compare themselves to Nicole. At that point, Nicole was almost done with her meal. She slowly got up and said, "Let''s head upstairs." And just like that, Sean and Steve brought Nicole to the study room. On the other hand, Daniel was slowly enjoying his meal with Gloria. Stanley looked at Spencer and Samuel who were angry and said, "The two of you should behave yourselves.Don''t disturb your sister at work." Samuel seemed frustrated. "Even Nicole could help out with the family business.We''re the only two that are students now." Spencer also cupped his chin. "Yeah, we''re also influential people in the school...Now we''re good for nothing because of Nicole." When Stanley heard what the both of them had said, he smiled. "It''s not just the both of you.I''m also slowly feeling I{ke I''m not as good as Nicole already." The three brothers looked at each other empathetically. However, deep down they know that no one could match up to Nicole''s strengths. It was their honor to have Nicole as their sister! At that point, Nicole had already reached the study room. Sean passed their rivalpany''s details to Nicole. Although Nicole hesitated for a while, she thought of the family and decisively essed The Hunters'' server. When Steve saw The Hunters'' webpage, he blinked his eyes once. For a moment, he thought he had seen something wrong. It was until Nicole logged in to her ount, entered the page, began checking thosepanies'' secrets, and received information that Steve became shocked. "Nicole, y-you''re a hacker of The Hunters?" He knew that Nicole might be even better than how she had described herself. But he did not expect her to be a professional hacker! "Yeah." At that moment, Steve also noticed Nicole''s profile picture.He could not help but murmur. "Lucifer?" ''This name seems familiar!'' Steve immediately came to a realization... "Lucifer.It''s the number one hacker on The Hunter''s ranking list!" "Nicole...You''re Lucifer?" The two brothers were surprised. However, Nicole seemed calm. "Yeah." At that moment, Steve''s sses almost dropped so he quickly tucked it back up his nose. On the other hand, Sean poured a ss of water for Steve. The both of them tried to calm down. No wonder Nicole spoke so confidently that she would not leave any trace behind... Lucifer was the best hacker in the country! If she left any trace or mark behind, how good could other hackers be? The reason why she could be the best was because of how good she was. In the virtual world, she coulde and go without being noticed at all! In that moment, Steve did not dare blink his eyes at all. He stood very still behind Nicole and watched as she worked. She collected some dark secrets and information about the core figures¡¯ names on The Hunters. She also invaded the rivalpany''sputer system. Although the boys did not understand anything, they saw how fast Nicole''s fingers were running through the keyboard. Their faces were filled with shock. Nicole invaded the other party''s security system with ease and murmured, "Even though they''re using thetest security system, it''s the most superficially clever one.There isn''t any challenge at all." Then, Nicole quickly located the higher management''sputers. At that moment, in the office building opposite, theirputers began to light up and the monitors were flickering. However, the office was empty, and no one noticed it at all. After searching through the higher management''sputers, Nicole did not manage to find the lowest price. She began to seem annoyed. "It seems like these people did set up some defense mechanisms.Who''s the main person in charge of this project?" Nicole asked Sean. Chapter 1735 Chapter 1735 Sean mentioned a name, and Nicole easily narrowed down her search, swiftly obtaining the person''s IP address before hacking into their system.It was not long until they found the project file that they had wanted to get their hands on. However, the other party was clever, for they had encrypted the file. Sean sighed when he saw the encrypted file, "They''ve encrypted it.Seems like they''re afraid of hackers." N?velDrama.Org holds ? this. "Nicole, can you break the code?" Steve asked, looking a little disappointed, though he still had a little faith in Nicole''s abilities. Nicole looked at her two older brothers and smirked. "If I can''t crack minor things like these, it would be embarrassing for me to hold the title as San Joto''s number one hacker." With that said, Nicole plugged a USB sh drive that she designed to break the file encryption. The devices were being screened, and as time passed, Sean began to lose hope. However, it was at that moment when the screen shed, indicating that they had seeded. "Oh, my goodness! We did it!'' Steve was impressed. "You didn''t even do anything, and this USB just decrypted the file on its own?!" "I''ve installed a decryption software in this sh drive.There are multiple algorithms that can be calcted, even if the files areyered with multiple encryptions, so there''s no issue." Sean breathed a sigh of relief. "Let''s look into it before someone notices us." ''If the other party finds out, the market price might change." Nicole nodded her head and immediately opened the documents, finding within the pile a reserved price document that was signed for a low price. Sean and Steve were instantly overwhelmed with excitement. "This is it!" Nicole raised her eyebrows. "What are you still doing? Quick, take a picture!" "Oh yeah!" Steve quickly whipped his phone out and took a picture. Once they had gotten everything they needed, Sean said, "Okay, let''s get out of here." Nicole smiled. "We''ve been attacked twice, though we have treated them the same way.I guess we ought to save the best forst." With that said, Nicole sifted through some of the ount documents from the person''sputer. "All thepany''s ounts will be a little filthy, but they should be the correct versions that have not been submitted to the tax bureau.Sean, you should keep a copy of this," Nicole added. Sean was a little impressed, as he did not expect Nicole to remove his bill, though given how despicable the other party was, he should not be too courteous and kind. "Okay." Nicole snorted coldly then erased all her traces before exiting the person''sputer interface. Nicole turned around and said to Sean, "If the other party still refuses to give in at the end, this bill will y a definite role.However, if we win the way we want to and they decide to cause ruckus then, this wille in handy." ¡®It would be of great use for self-defense" he thought. Sean looked at Nicole''s sly expression, and his eyes instantly brimmed with adoration, though Nicole was young but she was filled with knowledge and was very well-versed in business and its strategies. "Nicole really knows her way around those sly old men" Sean thought. Sean had expectations of getting Nicole to join thepany sooner as he believed that she was better than everyone else. "Alright, I''ll be heading home to get some rest now.I look forward to your good news!"Nicole smiled and bade them goodbye. "Okay." Sean nodded. "You''ve worked hard, Nicole." Steve waved to Nicole as she left. The two brothers looked at the closed door before ncing at each other. "How many hidden identities does she have? Each time, she disys a different talent.Honestly, I''ve got to say that it''s a miraculous surprise." Chapter 1736 Chapter 1736 "Who knows..." Sean took a deep breath. "But it''s an honor to have a sister such as herself." "Yeah, that''s true" Steve smiled and said with a sigh of relief. "I wish to head home and get some rest too.I believe things will go smoothly from here on out." "Yeah, it will be." Sean smiled as he walked out alongside Steve. In the meantime, Samuel and Spencer had heard Nicole''s voice echoing from upstairs, only to find Sean and Steve walking out. "How was it? Sean? Steve?" they asked. "Nicole should never be underestimated!" The looks on the faces of the brothers were to be expected, as they had hoped to get the scoop on everything that had happened. Steve could not help himself from shooting a nce at Sean as he put on a show of deliberate vagueness in front of both Samuel and Spencer. "She''s really brilliant! The problem was a piece of cake.You two don''t have to worry about anything." "How did you solve it? Tell me everything about it!" Samuel bombarded, as he really wanted to hear about the details. "It was nothing, you won''t even understand what we did even if we tell you about it.Let''s go." Steve said while hooking his arm around Samuel''s shoulders, leading them toward their rooms. "No! I want to hear it!" Samuel yelled, struggling under Steve''s grasp. Meanwhile, Spencer looked at Sean. "Sean...are you also nning not to tell me?" Sean smiled, "There''s really nothing much to tell, honestly." Nicole herself had not talked much about her own identity, and thus, she had not truly given Sean the right to tell others about it, especially to Samuel and Spencer, who were known to gossip around, and who might leak valuable information to others. "Alright then, I won''t waste my time.I''ll ask her myself." As soon as the words had left his mouth, Spencer walked away with a look of disappointment. Sean then returned back to his room with a smile on his face. Nicole, on the other hand, was already back in her room, ready to take a shower. Soon after, Nicole stepped out of the shower, whereupon her phone beeped. It was a text message from Anna. (The crew has found out some hints, they are due to return tomorrow.) (OK.] Nicole replied, but before she was able to put her phone down, her phone suddenly rang. It was a call from Lloyd. "Nicole, how...um, have you been resting well?" Lloyd was surprised for a moment there when Nicole answered his call.He did not expect Nicole to answer his call so instantaneously. "I''m great, have you found out much about the matter?" Nicole raised her eyebrows. Lloyd nodded his head. "Yeah, we''ve discovered the truth.I''ll bring that perpetrator over when youe back tomorrow, so that they can apologize to you in person." "Okay." Nicole nodded. ''It was good that things yed out the way I wanted them to be.I don''t want Jared to get all worried about me" The phone call dropped into a dead silence with Lloyd not uttering a word. This prompted Nicole to speak up. "Is there anything else you need?" "No...I''m just worried about you.Don''t worry about the follow up scenes.I will definitely conduct an on- site inspection," Lloyd said in an attempt to reassure Nicole. "No worries. I''m not some princess who can''t handle some hups here and there.There are things that we can and cannot control," she replied. N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. Nicole was clear about her motives when she asserted that she did not require anyone''s protection or owe anyone favors. "Okay then...get it.Good night." Lloyd said. He was reluctant to hang up, but he could not think of any other topic about which he could converse anymore. "Yeah, you too." Nicole nodded and hung up.She thenid down on her bed and sent Jared a message. ''He seems to be very busy today.He hasn''t gotten back to me even after I''ve sent him two texts in a row.." Nicole thought, after which she turned her phone off and went to sleep. Meanwhile, the party hade to an end as Jared walked out of it to see that Nicole had sent him texts that left him grinning from ear to ear. ¡®Wow, now this is progress.Her taking the initiative to speak to me.Without thinking twice, he then called Nicole. Chapter 1737 Chapter 1737 "The number you dialed is unreachable..." Jared''s smile froze and his heart plummeted. ''This woman knows that I''ve missed her, and yet she does this to me by turning off her phone" Jared hung up, feeling depressed, and whispered, "I''ll deal with you tomorrow..." The next day, Raine and Snow''s dismissal from the school caused a ruckus. The two ''IT'' girls, as it seemed, had gotten expelled with such rtive ease at the start of the semester that Dillon''s family had be theughingstock. With Snow''s dismissal from Royal Creekpleted, he did not even have the guts to show up in person. Nicole knew that both of their knees had not healed due to all the kneeling they had to do to beg for forgiveness, and that they would not be appearing in public anymore. Otherwise, judging from Karen''s brash and ruthless personality, she would make a beeline for Nicole in an attempt to start a fight with her. Royal Creed without both Raine and Snow was eerily silent, and this made Nicole extremely content. However, the only thing that was making her a little unhappy was Jared. ¡®Today''s another regr meeting at the student union to discuss the school''s celebration" Nicole checked the details of the school celebration carefully, noticing that their celebration was different from their centennial celebration that had previously been held at their school''s founding celebrationst semester. ''This celebration seems to be more akin to a campus funfair in that it''s open to the public.Each ss would have to contribute to the activities to rake some profits in" Nicole had her fair share of school festivals and funfairs in Janlizeka before, and thus, she had no such desire for an open school celebration.She really wanted nothing to do with the event and above that, she wanted nothing to do with Harvey. However, as soon as she noted that Harvey was overseeing the student council meeting and was talking freely from his seat, Nicole was instantly displeased.She suppressed her impatience and listened on; not expecting Harvey to suddenly call her name. "I don''t know, perhaps the president of the student council would like to give her input for the ideas I''ve suggested to the sses?" he asked. Nicole nced at Harvey. ''All his ideas are worthless and giarizing.He''s tantly copying ideas from the Japanese schools" "It''spletely up to you.I''ll leave this matter for the vice president to handle" In response, Harvey smirked. "The president here seems to have agreed with the things I have said earlier, right?" Nicole raised her eyebrows. In truth, she had not paid any attention to what he had said earlier. Because of this, he absentmindedly replied, "Yeah." Noticing that Nicole had given him a response, he immediately smiled. "Alright then.The Royal Creed department will be handed over to Preston and Edwin whereas the student unionmittee members will take charge of implementing these projects. n.ovelebook The president, Nicole, who just started her role.She and I will be working together as we overlook the projects for each ss," he announced. As soon as the words were said, Nicole was stunned. ''Damn it! When did Harvey even mention that he would be in the same group as me?! Harvey grinned as he noticed Nicole''s paleplexion. "Since the president has personally agreed, everything''s settled.Let''s end the meeting here." Before Nicole could react, the meeting had ended. Everyone in the meeting room stood up in pairs and trios, whereupon they left the room together. Seeing that, Nicole could not resist herself from cursing out mentally. N?velDrama.Org holds ? this. ''These b*stards! Don''t they know who the president is!? I''ve not even dismissed this meeting and they''ve all left! All of this is the fault of that damned Harvey! If it''s not for his grandfather, and his status as vice president, nobody would even listen to what he has to say!'' Nicole was helpless.She did not want to interact with Harvey, and so, she walked out with her notebook in her hands. Harvey followed behind with a smile. "Wow, I really did not expect you to agree to be in the same group as me." Chapter 1738 Chapter 1738 Unwilling to bother with Harvey, Nicole said, "I''ve never intended to be in the same group as you.I didn''t catch what you said earlier." ''This vile person knew that I had not heard him at all" she thought. "It doesn''t matter anyway since we''re both the president and vice president.It''s expected that we are both to handle the school affairs together.You ought to start getting used to it." Harvey said with a smile, and emphasized thest few words. Nicole red at him, "It seems to me that you do not remember anything that had happenedst time." ¡®I was a little too easy on him" she thought. Harvey smirked before giving her an arrogant smile. "Enough.I''ve suffered enough, so much so that I''ve been left limping for two days.I couldn''t even give him a proper answer when my grandpa asked me what had happened!" Harvey''s eyes were brimming with diabolical intentions when Nicole noticed that he was using his grandfather as a shield. "Don''t think that you''ll be able to weasel your way out, even if you pull your grandfather''s card."It was Mr.Ellison who had admitted Nicole into Royal Creed as a favor to her for having saved his life before this.Nicole was never indebted to anyone. "Well then, spare me no mercy.In the worst-case scenario, you can just beat me to death, but as long as I am still alive and well, I''ll not stop pestering you until the day I die!" As Harvey was speaking, he inched closer to Nicole and caressed her hand. Nicole immediately withdrew her hand in disgust, "Harvey! Are you crazy?" Harvey looked at Nicole and smiled with his eyes, during which the atmosphere became a tad bit chilly. "Yeah.Like I said before, I will make you mine at all costs..." Nicole looked at him coldly. N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. "Do you think you''ll ever seed?" Harvey shed her a slight smile in response. "It seems to me that you don''t know me well enough.As for Jared? He''ll soon be nothing." Nicole''s heart sank. "What do you mean? What did you do to him?" Harvey saw the tense expression on Nicole''s face, and his heart felt like it had been stabbed a thousand times over, leaving it in a state of inexplicable pain. "As expected, it is only Jared that could get you to react like this." Harvey was still smiling but the curve on the corner of his mouth suddenly made his smile wicked. Noticing his anger, Nicole bluntly said, "He''s my fianc¨¦e.Of course I would care about him." Though Harvey''s heart was aching from those words, his eyes became determined. "Okay, the more you care about him, the more determined I''ll be to bring him down!" Nicole snorted coldly. ''''I would like to see you try and we''ll see who ends up losing!" ¡®Jared is my man and not just some random dude who is easily receable.Harvey is too deluded if he thinks that I would sway" she fumed. Harveyughed at Nicole''s reaction of disbelief. "It''s okay.You will know soon enough.However, the work here still needs to be done, n.ovelebookor are you afraid that you''ll catch feelings after working long hours with me?" All Harvey could ever envision day and night was the two of them getting along nicely. He refused to believe that there was not one moment where Nicole was attracted to him. Nicole on the other hand, was particrly determined. "Sometimes I really admire your determination.Where did you get such a powerful imagination from? Even if you stand here buck naked in front of me, I would not even be tempted." After uttering those words, Nicole spun around and left, leaving Harvey in a daze. ¡®What did she just say? Even if I strip down naked, she won''t be tempted? I can''t believe it.Those words actually came out of her mouth!" Unable to contain himself, he startedughing out of anger. "It seems that Nicole really hates me, to the point she is able to say such things so casually.She must be really pissed" he surmised. Chapter 1739 Chapter 1739 ¡®However, I still loved the way she had responded to me.Yes, I still love it, in spite of the fact that she''s furious at me" While he was thinking about this, he instinctively trailed behind Nicole once more. He followed her around the campus, and even with her cold temperament, he still followed her around while giving her exnations about the school festivals. When school was finally over, Nicole turned her phone on and gave Jared a call. On the other end, Jared, who had waited for her call, answered it with displeasure in his voice. "What why? I guess it''s only now that you bother to return my call.Someone left me two messagesst night and fell asleep without awaiting my reply," he said. Nicole issued a sigh of relief as she heard his voice, and her heart calmed down almost immediately as she smiled. "Why? Are you not happy?" ''This dude is getting more and more clingy, and he''s getting better at teasing too" she thought. "Of course.Back then, whenever I found myself unable to contact you, your phone would not even be switched off.I''ve waited the entire night for your reply," he responded. ¡®Not bad" Nicole thought as she assessed her fianc¨¦. She then took a deep breath and said, "Alright, I won''t turn off my phone at night from now on.I just didn''t want others to interrupt my rest at night." Nicole had hoped that she would be able to get a well-rested night without disruptions from others. As for Jared, he became quiet as soon as he had heard Nicole''s thoughts out loud. He understood her perspective and where she wasing from. "I understand now.Listen, I will get separate phones for us both, and we''ll be the only ones to know about them." Nicole felt butterflies in her stomach as she replied, "Okay!'' It was only after Nicole had agreed that Jared felt better. "How''s yourpany these days? Have you encountered any problems?" Nicole asked, as she could not get Harvey''s words out of her mind. After all, Harvey was not the sort of person who would just bark, and not bite. Jared was silent for a while as he realized that Nicole might have discovered something.He pondered for a while before responding with a smile. "Yeah, everything''s going well.There are some unscrupulous characters trying to pull some dirty tricks on me, but don''t worry about them.Don''t stress it though.I''vee prepared." Nicole immediately understood who Jared was mentioning about. "That b*stard actually pulled some tricks on you! ?" she eximed. "I should''ve beat him to pulp when I had the chance to.That scum really is asking for it," she seethed. Jared smiled.This is from N?velDrama.Org. "Back at the Riddle banquet, what he said were notplete lies.I''ve been long prepared for things like these, so don''t worry too much about it.n.ovelebookHe won''t be able toy a finger on me and on top of it all, he might help me make more money from it, inadvertently of course." Jared''s tone was filled with confidence, and this made Nicole feel relieved. "Really?" "Yeah, don''t worry much about it, okay? Just worry about yourself.I''m concerned that he will stir some crap for you in school," he replied. Nicole shook her head. "He won''t dare to.Mr.Ellison is still the principal of Royal Creed.He won''t have the guts to cross me." At this point, it was a certainty that Mr.Ellison would try his best not to offend her as she now had the Fire Crest in her possession. "Though Harvey is not aware of who you really are and the many identities you hold, you ought to be careful about them."Jared was concerned that Harvey would be cornered by him, which would not bring any good for Nicole. "It''s okay, don''t worry about it." Nicole smiled and said in an attempt to reassure him. "Do you want to have a date night?" Jared looked at his watch, reckoning that he would be getting off work by seven. In response, Nicole shook her head. "Lloyd called mest night to tell me that we are going to start filming again tonight.He had already found the guy." "Oh?" Jared raised his eyebrows. "He has really found the person who had done this? Legit?" Jared had gotten Max to investigate. However, there were no findings on his end. It was truly sketchy to him that Lloyd had found the person before they even could. "It doesn''t matter.I should do the stuff I''ve promised sooner orter, don''t you think? It''s impossible to keep pushing this back," she said. Indeed, Nicole had already foreseen iting. "But what''s more is that, whether Lloyd is being truthful or not, only he himself would know about it.He wouldn''t keep things like this from me." Chapter 1740 Chapter 1740 "Okay, I''ll go ahead and let Max know about this.He might''ve pushed this issue aside due to some individual pulling tricks on us for the past few days." "Sure, I''ll wait for your updates." Nicole nodded. ''Even if Lloyd had lied to me, I know that Jared will not ever lie.He would get to the bottom of the issue just to see if it''s the same person" "Well, that''s good to hear.Since you''re busy and can''t have a date night today, we can arrange it for another night." Jared took a deep breath; his tone filled with disappointment, and his heart filled with yearning for her. "Okay." Nicole nodded again. It was at this time that Nicole noticed the crew''s car driving over. Fortunately, Nicole had already informed Samuel and Spencer beforehand that they would not be going home together. With that in mind, Nicole immediately hopped onto the van where Anna was sat. "Shouldn''t you be with Lloyd?" Nicole asked, feeling slightly surprised. It was kind of rare for Anna to pick Nicole up, as she had only done so once before. "Mr.Holder had asked me toe and pick you up personally today, as a token of his apology,"Anna said with a gentle smile on her face. "He''s really sorry for everything that had happened before." Nicole withdrew her gaze and responded tly, "It''s actually nothing to be sorry about.I didn''t get hurt or anything." Nicole had not paid much attention to this matter before but for once, Jared was right.n.ovelebookShe ought to find out for herself who this person was, or else, they might continue to give Nicole hell in the foreseeable future. "This is the crew''s mistake, so it is only right that I must give you a proper exnation regarding this matter." Anna nodded, before telling the chauffeur to drive. Soon after, both Anna and Nicole arrived at the set. Anna personally guided Nicole to the set before sending her to the dressing room to get ready. "You should go ahead and get yourself ready.The person we''ve caught has yet to arrive.I''ll bring him overter." N?velDrama.Org holds ? this. Anna whispered in Nicole''s ear. "Okay." Nicole nodded, as she was not expecting Lloyd to personally arrest someone in front of her. ''This ought to be fun to witness" Nicole thought. After 20 minutes, Nicolepleted her makeup routine and walked out of the dressing room where most of the crew had already arrived. Nicole then took a seat while going through the script. Both Lloyd and Anna noticed that the time was getting nearer, and that was when thetter walked up to the middle of the set. "About the prop car ident from before, we''ve discovered that someone had deliberately tampered with the brakes! Though the on-site surveince cameras have been deactivated, we''ve examined the car and found the real culprit!" she announced. As soon as the words left Anna''s mouth, everyone on the set fell silent. The manager who was standing next to Chloe was so frightened that he spilled Chloe''s coffee. "What are you doing!?" Chloe yelled once she noticed the spilled coffee on the small table.Her manager hurriedly apologized, "I''m sorry, I''m sorry..." Then, he hurriedly got paper towels and began to wipe the table down in fear that the coffee would drip onto Chloe''s clothes. Lloyd and Anna''s eyes immediately dimmed as they watched the manager''s flustered action. Anna then stepped up and said, "You don''t need to clean this up anymore.Follow me." The manager, who waspletely terrified, quickly looked up. "No...It wasn''t me!" Chapter 1741 Chapter 1741 He had asked someone else to do the deed. How did Anna find out that it was tempered with? But Anna wore a look of certainty. "Whether it''s you or not, we''ll talk about it when you arrive at the station. Your partner has already admitted to his crime, by the way! Causing deliberate harm, even if unsessful, is against thew! Security, take him out!" "Yes, ma''am!" The security staff waiting by the side immediately rushed forward to apprehend the manager. Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org. The manager was scared out of his wits! This means a guilty verdict is already certain! I won''t see the light of day again!'' "No! No! Help me, Chloe! You''ve got to help me!" Chloe saw his hand outstretched to grab onto her and dodged to the side in disgust. "Get lost, you!" Such a minor character was nothing to her! It would be better if he was just taken away and did not drag her down with him! However, she did not expect her simple act of disdain to stun the manager. "How can you do this to me? You''re the one who instigated it and got me to look for someone to work on the car! How can you just abandon me like that?!" Chloe was taken aback. She had already given the manager a huge sum of money and they had agreed that he would take care of everything alone. Unexpectedly, when push came to shove, he actually dragged her into the quagmire as well! Gnashing her teeth, she hissed. ''''What nonsense are you spouting? What does that have to do with me? I have no idea what you''ve done at all!" At this moment, Lloyd and Anna could not help but look at each other. Both of them recognized that the manager bore no grudge against Nicole, so why would he strike against Nicole just like that? When Chloe noticed Anna''s gaze, she immediately said, "I did not! Really! I''ve used so much effort to get the director to retain me in staff. Why would I do something like this? All these managers and agents are just trying to get mea chance at fame. I really don''t know anything... Ms. Holder, you can''t believe them!" Chloe sobbed as she spoke, bawling her eyes out. Even Nicole almost believed her act. But she knew very well that aside from Chloe, no one in the production crew would target her like this. It was just that she did not expect her cousin to be so vicious. Chloe actually tampered with her car and if it were not for her quick reaction, she would have been either dead or at the very least, crippled. Thinking of this, Nicole stood up. "Stop crying, Chloe. Seeing you cry like this hurts a lot." Chloe had originally thought that her bawling would get Nachelle to take pity on her, but who knew that the first to speak was Nicole instead? Chloe''s lips froze for a moment, but she could only continue the act. "Nicole, I really didn''t do this... Please believe me. We''re family after all. Even if we have our conflicts, I still wouldn''t want you dead." Yet, deep inside, Chloe wished that she could directly kill Nicole in that crash! It was just that the prop car was not fast enough, and she originally thought that Nicole would need to relinquish the rule due to injury. Yet, for all she knew, Nicole was so resilient that she escaped unscathed. And that made her blood boil! Seeing Chloe''s hypocritical nature on full disy, Nicole got fired up. "Yeah, I don''t think you''re that vicious of a person. The manager''s a viin and not only did he unnecessarily scheme for you and screw himself over, but he also even tried to drag you down with him. So how would any other production team dare get into the team?" Nicole smiled coyly as she said something that sent a chill down Chloe''s spine. "It took you so much effort to rebuild after being chased out of the country by Grandpa. Getting this opportunity isn''t easy, right? But with your manager being in jail, your reputation will suffer as well... And our production team will also be dragged down by your reputation." Chloe was stunned when Nicole said that. She was still wondering why Nicole would be so kind as to speak up for her. It turned out that she was simply taking silent stabs at her! "T won''t! I''ll cancel my contract with him right away! His matters are his own, and mine are mine! I won''t affect the filming of this show!" Chapter 1742 Chapter 1742 Chloe looked at Lloyd with an assured look on her face. "I''ve already shot a few scenes... If we change the cast now, all of the previous shots will be for nothing... Please give me another chance. "W But Lloyd only gave her a nce before looking at Nicole, as if waiting for Nicole to decide. He was not stupid, and he could feel that Nicole probably knew the truth! As for him, he wanted to fire Chloe just now! But since Nicole stood up, perhaps she might have other ns. Sure enough, Nicole suddenly smiled menacingly at Chloe''s side. " You want to stay in the production team at all costs?" Chloe was taken aback and felt that Nicole''s words were slightly odd, but she still nodded. "Yes!" "I will not give up this role!¡¯ "I have to drive Nicole away and make aeback again!¡¯ Yet, Nicole simply smiled. "Fine then. You can stay in the crew, but keep an eye out for your own safety from now on... Don''t almost get identally hurt like me, as you''re not as physically capable like me." As she said that, Nicole patted Chloe on the shoulder, with a look of ''you should know what''s good for you''. This is from N?velDrama.Org. Those words instantly sent chills down Chloe''s spine. ¡®What''s this? Nicole''s threatening me now? And if I stay, something simr will happen to me?'' Chloe turned around and looked at Nicole. "I won''t leave, no matter what!" ¡®If a bitch like Nicole can stay here, why should I leave?!'' Nicole then gave Chloe a sideway nce. "Sure. This is your choice. You can stay then." The final few words were meant for Lloyd. Although Lloyd was curious why Nicole wanted to retain Chloe, since he was a long-time partner of Nicole, he would unconditionally obey her decisions. After that, he told Anna, "Send this manager to the police for investigation. As for Chloe, let her stay for now." ¡°Got it!" Anna nodded as she cast a nce at the security staff, motioning them to drag the manager out. The manager''s face was ashen pale as he continued to scream. " She was the one who ordered me! You have to believe me!" But Lloyd had already left with Nicole. Chloe stood there and heaved a secret sigh of relief before going to have a cup of water to calm herself down. Lloyd had managed to catch up to Nicole and could not help but ask, "The manager''s probably telling the truth. Why do you still want to keep Chloe around?" Nicole nced at him. "You guys didn''t actually find any evidence in the car, and you were just bluffing right?" When Lloyd heard that, he suddenly fell silent. After some thought, he said, "We''ve asked the crew on the ground and although we don''t have many clues to start with, Gwendolyn did say that only Chloe had conflict with you in the past. So, I started to suspect her and bluffed that we''ve caught the culprit. But it''s true that Chloe ordered her manager to do that." Nicole knew that Lloyd would do that only after he was certain, but she still shook her head. "Even if the manager gets thrown into lockup, we won''t be able to provide any evidence at all. Also, since he surrendered himself, and the attempt was unsessful, the punishment would be very light." Lloyd immediately understood what she meant. "You mean to say, even if he implicates Chloe, it''s only a failed attempt at causing deliberate harm.¡± ¡°Yeah, the most you can do is to get her to leave the production team, but that... isn''t nearly enough." Nicole''s eyes were dark. Chloe''s return this time was clearly aimed at her, and she even tried to kill her. That was something she could not tolerate! ¡°Do you have any ns, Nicole?" Nicole grinned slightly, her expression impassive. "If you go on the offensive, then you need to give them no chance to fight back." Lloyd immediately understood Nicole''s intentions as he said with determination, ''''No matter what you do, I''ll support you." Nicole raised her eyebrow. "You don''t have to do anything. She''ll expose herself soon enough." Chapter 1743 Chapter 1743 But Nicole pondered for a bit before adding, ''I remember thetter part of the next scene. We have a scene of the heroine being pushed off the building by the third female lead?" Lloyd was taken aback but after some recalling, he said, "Yeah." "To avoid any losses to you, let''s film that today...'''' Once Chloe was taken care of, all of the previous scenes with her in it would have been for nothing. Nicole did not want Lloyd to lose out too much. Lloyd smiled. "No matter. It''s just a matter of a few days of filming. The Holder Group doesn''t really mind it, and at most, we just need to look for a new third female lead." This show was originally meant for him to get close to Nicole, and as long as she was happy, he would do anything for her. Seeing that Lloyd looked like he was troubled, Nicole smiled at him. "How about I help you look for the third female lead?" ¡°You have a suitable person in mind?" Lloyd raised his eyebrow. "I dare not say whether she''s suitable or not. But you can have a look." "Alright." Lloyd nodded with a smile. After the two were done talking, Nicole returned to her ce to read the script. Lloyd, on the other hand, told Nachelle that the wire scene would be moved to today. Although Nachelle was taken aback, when she heard that Chloe''s manager was arrested, she immediately understood why... The filming of Nicole''s scene in the morning went very smoothly. Chloe, on the other hand, was out of sorts, and made all kinds of mistakes during her turn. It was only because her mind was focused on the props at the film set... Nicole''s threat in the morning had made her almost neurotic, fearing that the props would have been tampered with... During the afternoon break, Chloe was suddenly notified that there was a wire scene being brought forward. She saw the crew was preparing the wire suits and a cold glint appeared in her eyes. She had seen Nicole at work before, and the girl was a woman of her words! Moreover, her manager had already been brought to the police station, and if the police were to summon her, she would be kicked off the crew by Nachelle at any given time! Thinking of this, her eyes turned gloomy. ¡®Rather than sitting still here, I might as well strike first!¡¯ ¡®Otherwise, I''ll be under the shadow of Nicole''s threats this entire day.¡¯ However, she had no helpers right now! But at this moment, there were only a few people on set and only two crew members were working on the wire suits. Chloe pondered a little before walking forward and pretending to ask, "Are these wire suits safe?" The two crew members looked at each other. "Of course, it''s safe. You''re the third female protagonist, right?¡± Seeing that the crew recognized her, Chloe immediately latched on. "Yeah, the next scene is with me and the female lead. We have a scene where we chase each other from the top of the building. I was wondering if the wires are sturdy or not." ¡°Don''t worry! You can have a look yourself if you don''t believe me. Here, this is yours. This is the heroine''s one." The crew member took no precautions and just gave her the two wire suits. Chloe totally did not think this opportunity woulde so easily! ¡°Sure, I''ll give them a thorough inspection then!" As she said that, she checked her own wire suit. The wire was marked with yellow while the other was marked with red. N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. After checking her own wire, she looked at the red-marked wire suit. "I''ll check for my colleague as well." As she said that, she deliberately touched it. The two crew members looked at each other but then looked away from Chloe. Seeing that no one was looking at her, Chloe took the opportunity to use a knife and made a deep cut on the wire suit''s waist belt! Chapter 1744 Chapter 1744 Chloe quickly turned around and said, "That''s fine. They look pretty safe. Thanks." As she said that, Chloe left gleefully. If the waist strap broke in the afternoon scene, Nicole would definitely be in trouble! At that time, the entire film would be done for, and Lloyd will cover for her! If worse came to worst, even if the manager were to divulge everything to the cops and Chloe could not be a part of this show anymore, Nicole was still done for! When that happened, Chloe could consider herself avenged! Chloe was already so full of herself that when she left, she did not notice the minute actions the two crew members took... Soon, lunch break was over. All of the staff and filming crew returned to the set and prepared to shoot. All of the green screens had also been set up. In the next scene, the third female lead would push the heroine off the building, but the heroine would pull her along and fall into the pool. But this was just a scene on the first floor and the bottom was a foam mattress as safety, while the pool would be added in post-production. Nicole and Chloe quickly arrived at the rooftop. Although this was a special effects scene, the building was still four to five stories high as they needed to take close-up and slow- motion shots.Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org. Both Chloe and Nicole wore their wire suits and when Chloe saw Nicole wearing the red suit, she felt extremely triumphant as she looked icily at Nicole. "This is your first time using a wire suit, right? Be careful." Nicole only gave her a faint nce and said, "You better save the concern for yourself. You''ve done so many bad things after all. Beware of divine retribution..." Chloe suddenly panicked when Nicole said that, but she was sure that Nicole was wearing the one marked red! She had already checked hers and it was impossible for someone else to have tampered with it! Thinking of this, Chloe smiled. "When will you change your habit of intimidating others, Nicole? I''m not one to cower from mere threats." Nicole nced at her. ¡°You''ll soon find out if I''m just intimidating you or not." Chloe''s heart thumped hard when she heard that. ¡®Could it be that Nicole noticed something?" She then tried tofort herself. ''No, that''s impossible. How could she know?¡¯ As she pondered that, Nachelle suddenly called out from below. " Alright, perk up everyone. Prepare to shoot!" The two at once got into form and when Nachelle shouted "Action! " Nicole immediately got into her role with an innocent expression on her face. Chloe, on the other hand, enjoyed this scene very much! After shouting at Nicole, she followed the script and lunged at Nicole with force! "AHHH!" As Nicole screamed, she fell from the side of the balcony! Being pulled on by Nicole, Chloe fell as well! She suddenly heard the sound of the waist strap being ripped and Chloe let out a gleeful smile. Die, Nicole!" At such a height, even with a sponge mat at the bottom, Nicole would still be seriously injured! Thinking of Nicole''s end, Chloe felt triumphant! The next second, Nicole''s wire suit stopped all of a sudden! Chloe''s own wire suit too stopped abruptly. She was taken aback as Nicole had stopped normally. ''That shouldn''t be, the waist strap should''ve been ripped apart the moment she stopped! Yet, at this moment, she clearly heard the sound of a strap ripping, but it was from her own suit! Chloe was stunned! "NO!!!" She screamed as she reflexively tried to grab onto Nicole. Latching on to nothing, she further lost her bnce! RIP! The waist strap instantly tore apart! The two straps that were meant to support her legs clearly could not bear her bodyweight and she fell straight down! CRASH! A loud crash rang across the entire film set! In unison, everyone immediately looked toward the direction! ¡°Oh crap! An ident!" Chapter 1745 Chapter 1745 "It''s Chloe!" "Something went wrong with her wire suit!" "Call the ambnce, now!" Everyone quickly rushed over! Chloe was already lying unmoving on the ground, a mouthful of blood gushed out from the sides of her mouth... She finally understood everything at this moment... ¡®Nicole was not just intimidating me, she has indeed done something against me...'' ¡®But when did she swap the two wire suits around?! Nicole looked at Chloe from above her, her eyes a surge of darkness. Chloe was such a fool. Nicole only needed to toy with her a little and thetter immediately got fooled. ''I''ve really overestimated her.'' Soon, the ambnce came, and Nicole walked down from upstairs. As she watched Chloe being carried up the stretcher, she let out an evil grin. "Chloe, it seems like you''ll be dying before me." This was her response to the curse Chloe shouted before she fell. Chloe could no longer feel her lower body at this moment, and only felt extreme pain. But the hatred in her heart caused her to swallow the blood in her mouth as she used Nicole... "You... you set me up..." Her eyes were filled with anguished hatred, but her voice was extremely weak. Nicole gave her a mocking nce. "I''ve already told you before. You reap what evil deeds you''ve sown." After she said that, Nicole no longer paid any mind to Chloe as she turned around and went back to the lounge. Chloe red at Nicole but no longer had the strength to speak. She could only allow herself to be carried into the ambnce by the EMT... One would think that such an incident would affect the filming schedule, but the director did not seem to be affected at all. As if she was prepared for this, she went straight ahead to film the other scenes. Nicole''s filming went extremely smoothly, and when Lloyd saw that Nicole was in such a good mood, he felt that everything was worth it. When the filming finally ended, Lloyd came forward. "It looks like you''re in the zone this afternoon." "Yeah, with the troublemaker aside, it''s easier to get into the role. Lloyd smiled. "As long as you like it." Nicole did not forget to remind him, "Did you save the footage? Reveal it when the time is right to avoid the production team needing to battle gossip andpensation ims." Whatever she did, she would never cause too much trouble for Lloyd. "Don''t worry. Her leaving the cast only means a few wasted footage. The production team won''t give her a single cent inpensation." Chloe had done so many disgusting things in the team, and she still wantedpensation? Dream on. Nicole nodded. "That''s good then. I won''t feel like I owe you for something like this." Lloyd smiled deeply. "You''re still afraid of owing someone a favor like before." Nicole curled her lips and did not say anything else. She instead looked at the time and thought it was about time to leave. N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. However, Lloyd quickly said, "The production team has ns to have supper together. Are you going?" Nicole originally wanted to decline, but Lloyd added, "Many of the crew still don''t know you yet. Let''s go together to say hi." Nicole immediately understood that this was part of her job. "Alright." Nicole immediately agreed. Since it was just a brief thing, it could be settled within half an hour. Lloyd was extremely happy when she agreed. "Then let''s take my car. We''ll head over first." Nicole hesitated a little. "It won''t be good if we''re photographed together." However, Lloyd said, "My mother will be joining us as well." Chapter 1746 Chapter 1746 Nicole dithered for a little, but since there would be an elder being present, she agreed. After getting into the car, she saw Nachelle on the phone. ¡°Hurry up and terminate Chloe''s contract with us. The mess between her and her manager has nothing to do with us." "No need to foot the medical fees either. Let her kick and scream as she likes." "As for the media report, ignore it for now. Use it to drive attention for a bit before rifying the matter." When Nicole heard that, she felt that Nachelle was a wily schemer. Chloe was about to get terminated and the trending news of her fall was still being used to drive traffic and attention to the show... She was a pitiful one, really. She had done everything to get into the cast, and yet she did not appreciate the opportunity. Nachelle would definitely take back something from the time she had wasted on Chloe. After hanging up, Nachelle looked at Nicole. "Chloe''s still your cousin, after all. You won''t get mad with what I said about her, right?" Nicole, however, shook her head. "She brought all of this upon herself." She had indeed set the trap up with the crew, allowing Chloe a chance to strike against her. But if Chloe had a shred of regret and refrained from doing that, she would not have ended up like she did today. "I never thought that she would be so vicious." Nachelle''s eyes were dark. She would never allow such a person to stay in the team. ¡®To think that she would strike against her own cousin, which meant that she would definitely do simr things to other actors out of envy. Such a person is a ticking time bomb.'' After some thought, Nachelle gave Nicole a pleased look. "I did not expect you to be so clever." She had heard from Lloyd about Nicole''s identity as an Interpol officer, but she never thought that on top of being so brave and intelligent at such a young age, she was also an able schemer in how she dealt with Chloe. "You tter me, Miss Nachelle."'' Nicole nodded. Nachelle then sighed suddenly. "I''m not blessed by a lucky star. Otherwise, it would''ve been nice to have a daughter-inw like you." Nachelle pretended to sigh again. Nicole''s expression turned icy when she heard that, not knowing how to answer. Lloyd immediately interjected with a smile. "Stop joking, Mom. Nicole and I are friends now, and I''m very happy with that." Nachelle quickly tried to brush the awkwardness aside. "Yes, I just hope the two of you can get to know each other better." Catching the meaning between Nachelle''s words, Nicole said seriously, We have been friends for many years and know each other very well. So, there''s no need for that. Moreover... I''m already engaged with a fianc¨¦e. I need to avoid gossip and suspicions." Nicole''s single sentence shut both mother and son down. Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org. Nachelle could not help but to feel a little displeased. She liked and treated Nicole so well because Lloyd liked Nicole, and it was also because Nicole had saved Lloyd''s life many years ago. But she did not expect the girl to be so ungrateful. "Ah, whatever, as long as you youngsters are happy. But... things are never constant, so don''t put a full stop on things just like that. " Nachelle said what she wanted and then looked outside. Nicole did not respond and instead turned her head and looked out of the window on the other side. She knew very well inside that there would be no others for her and Jared. Soon, the car came to a stop and the three got down as the other actors and the main production staff all came inside. With Nachelle, Lloyd and Nicole in the main seats, the rest took theirs. Everyone seemed to be in good spirits. And Nicole could not help but sigh a little. Chloe had obviously had an ident today, but everyone in the production team seemed to be in a celebratory mood. ¡®How poor is her character, really?! "Nicole, just order whatever you like." Chapter 1747 Chapter 1747 "Okay." Nicole nodded her head and lowered her head to look at the menu. The fourthdy by her side peered over, watching the scene before her as she helped herself to a snicker. "Lloyd, it''s a rare sight for you to be so courteous to others. Is Nicole a woman with a special ce in your heart?" "Oh yeah! Lloyd has always been afraid of getting into scandals with the female leads and keeps them at arm''s length." As thements from everyone piled in, Nicole''s difort gradually grew, but Lloyd, on the other hand, was inexplicably pleased. Everyone knew why and so did Nicole. As expected, Lloyd was very happy that everyone was discussing about Nicole and him being together. As Nicole noticed that Lloyd did not refute any of their ims, she spoke up, and in an icy tone, she said, "Guys, please don''t make jokes like these too casually." Nicole was young in age, but all of her features possessed an inexplicably captivating quality about them. Her daring eyebrows and eyes were filled with courage powerful enough to stun everyone in the vicinity. "O-okay. I understand." The fifthdy nodded quickly. In response to that, Nicole softened her expression and exined, "Lloyd and I have known each other for years now, so we might appear to be close. Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org. However, I have a fianc¨¦, so I hope that none of you will make jokes of that sort again." After Nicole had asserted herself with such solemnness at the dinner table, the atmosphere instantly became awkward, with Nachelle giving Nicole a look of disapproval. Her mind was ina constant loop with the word ''fiance'' ever since it came out of Nicole''s mouth. ¡®How could Jared be any better than my son? How dare she disregard my son''s feelings for her in front of everyone and publicize her rtionship so brazenly like that!?" At the same time, the look on Lloyd''s face soured, and as he tried to suppress the bitterness in his heart, and exined with a dry smile, "Yeah, Nicole and I are just friends. I hope nobody will go around spreading rumors which would tarnish her reputation." And after he had spoken, he took a sip of wine out of his ss in frustration. Even as he did, Nachelle had never seen her son looking so miserable before. A grimace crossed Nachelle''s face at once, and she looked over at Nicole. "Okay, let''s not talk about this anymore, at least not before the show starts airing. Otherwise, it''ll just reduce the poprity of the show." Nicole shot Nachelle a nce and gave her a light smile. ¡®I have a feeling that she''s trying to fool herself. Our engagement party was one of the biggest in town. All of the renowned families were present at the party and all of them are aware of my rtionship with Jared. Perhaps it was because I did not have much to do with the media that not many knew about it. I bet that once the drama has aired, more people will find out about our engagement,'' Nicole thought as she kept her silence, for she was toozy to speak up. However, Nicole did not forget that she had spared half an hour to join everyone here for dinner. She proceeded to order her meal quickly before going back to interacting with the screenwriters and her other fellow actors. When the dishes came, Lloyd who did not fear the judgment and prying eyes of others, filled up Nicole''s te with a variety of dishes. Everyone was surprised by Lloyd''s sudden gesture toward Nicole, especially after everything she had said earlier. In spite of this, nobody dared to ask questions. Nicole frowned when she saw Lloyd filling her te up with a variety of dishes. ''Dang. Does this guy not know when to quit? Does he not know how to avoid arousing the public''s suspicion?'' ¡®If I eat this, it''d be even more difficult for me to clear my name.'' Nicole pushed the te in front of her away before telling the waiter to give her a new one. When that happened, everyone around them became embarrassed. Lloyd himself was also taken aback, as well as some of the actresses. ¡®How many women would have killed to have their dishes picked out and ced onto their tes by Lloyd!?'' ¡®Nicole, what are you doing?¡¯ ¡®Did she just express her rejection for Lloyd?" Chapter 1748 Chapter 1748 The atmosphere became intensely awkward at that instant. However, it seemed that Nicole was the only one who had not been able to sense it. After receiving a new te from the waiter, she turned to smile at Lloyd and said, "Sorry about that. I''m a bit of a clean freak." A pang of shock surged through everyone present in the room. Everyone was utterly taken aback with the notion that Nicole would express her disgust with the best actor, Lloyd Holder! Everyone in the room was all the more appalled when Nicole said that she was a clean freak, which was the reason for her disgust toward Lloyd. Furthermore, Lloyd had not expected that Nicole would be so brazen with her rejection of him in public. He had thought that Nicole would at least not make him look bad in public, given their many years of friendship between them. Lloyd fell silent once Nicole had embarrassed him in public. He could not help himself from clenching his fork in his hand. Then, he forced a stiff smile and said, "My apologies. I took the liberty." "Lloyd," Nachelle uttered, unable to sit still as she watched her son suffer that humiliation. "You''re too..." Lloyd reached out and ced his hand on his mothers'' to reassure her. Though Nachelle was burning with rage on the behalf of her son, she had to suppress her anger to save everyone from any further embarrassment. At that moment, Lloyd picked his ss of wine up and tried to ease the awkward tension. "Come on. This is our first dinner together since we started filming. Let''s have toast together, especially after we''ve gotten to the bottom of the person who had tampered with the prop car. Cheers!" "Okay!" Everyone hurriedly agreed, all wanting to put the issue in the back burner. Nicole watched as everyone toasted, after which she also took a sip herself. The atmosphere had lightened up as everyone began to take a bite of their own food. However, Nachelle was still stewing in resentment at Nicole. ¡®Before all this happened, I thought Nicole was an excellent girl, perfect in all aspects. Her background and everything was a perfect match for Lloyd. With the addition of the Fire Crest, it was picture perfect, and it posed no harm to our Holder family. Now, she''s got my son wrapped around her finger! Ever since Nachelle and Lloyd had gotten back, she had doted on him to an excessive degree. Whatever Lloyd wanted to do, she would support him in his endeavors. ¡®What did he even do to her to deserve this sort of humiliation in public?¡¯ Nachelle took a few sips of wine to suppress her discontent. "Nicole, you seem to have a very unique personality. You ought to change it if you wish to stay in the entertainment industry. Otherwise you won''t get far.¡± Nicole immediately understood the connotation in Nachelle''s words, and in a show of indifference, she replied, "I don''t expect to go far in the entertainment industry." Nachelle choked the instant she heard Nicole''s words. ''She really knows how to talk her way out. What a smart *ss.'' Hearing that, Nachelle immediately looked for grounds to refute Nicole. "That''s right, if it wasn''t for Lloyd who had decided to recruit, you wouldn''t have had a chance to enter this industry." Nicole raised her eyebrows. ''Did she get confused about the chronology of everything that had happened? It was obvious that Lloyd had begged me to join, but from the looks of it, Iam made to look like I''m the one who had begged to be allowed in." However, after having seen the look on Lloyd''s face, Nicole decided to let it go to avoid giving him further embarrassment. Then, in a strange tone to Nachelle, Nicole said, Yeah, I''m nothing but grateful that Lloyd was kind enough to recruit me." Nachelle was a renowned director in the entertainment industry and currently, a director of the drama. Everyone had nothing butpliments and sweet words for her. Even investors would show her respect wherever she went. However, for a legendary figure like Nachelle to give Nicole such an attitude was unprecedented. Everyone in the room could not resist from breaking out in cold sweat for Nicole as they witnessed the scene unfolding before them. Nachelle was so furious that she wanted nothing but tosh out, but at that very moment, Nicole had already stood up. "The food isn''t really appealing. I''m almost done here, so I''ll be heading out first."Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org. Chapter 1749 Chapter 1749 The overall time Nicole had spent, including the waiting time it took for the food to be served, as well as the time she had spent interacting with others, did not exceed 20 minutes. Nachelle was left perplexed for a moment as she was the director and the host for the night. She was taken aback by the fact that Nicole had made suchments about the food and would attempt to leave just like that. N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. Lloyd, who was looking at Nicole, felt a surge of pain in his temples. ''Nicole has always been like this. In the past, no matter how important the person was, she would just walk out on them if they piss her off. My mother had employed an aggressive tone when talking to Nicole. She must''ve been fed up with it.'' "Okay, let me see you off," Lloyd said. "Lloyd Holder!!!" Nachelle belted, unable to believe her eyes and ears as she watched her son offering to see Nicole off. ¡®How shameless of him!'' she fumed. "Mom, please take your time to enjoy your meal. I''m almost done with mine, so I''ll go and see Nicole out." After Lloyd had spoken, he went up to Nicole and said, "Let''s go." Nicole wanted to refuse but when she noticed that Lloyd was anxious to lead her out of the room, she decided to hold her displeasure in for his sake. After all, Lloyd had helped her, so she did not think much about it. ¡°Alright, let''s get going," Nicole said indifferently. With that, Nachelle''s original dinner n to get the two of them to spend more time together resulted in them both leaving her alone. Everyone in the room was staring at her, causing Nachelle to yell, "Carry on eating!" Hearing that, everyone immediately lowered their heads and hurriedly ate their food up. No one dared to muster a sound after that. The atmosphere of the entire dinner party went downhill quickly. Nachelle was soon downing ss after ss of wine as she thought about the attitude Nicole had given her earlier. ¡®IT had allowed my precious son to fall into her hands, and she dared to disrespect me! This woman is spoiled to the core. If she''s ever going to enter our family in the future, I will have to train her from the basics..." On the other hand, Nicole and Lloyd had already walked out of the restaurant, whereupon Nicole took a step back, keeping a distance from Lloyd, and said, "You don''t need to see me off. I can take a cab home." "How can I let you do that, letting a woman get on a taxi by herselfte at night?" Lloyd frowned. ¡°Are you afraid that I''ll be in danger?'' Nicole snorted coldly. "I think it should be the other way around." Lloyd immediately fell silent. "I know you''re very strong...but still Tam worried about you. There are many eyes on you now, and your safety is definitely a priority." Nicole did not mention that Jared''s guards were always around watching and protecting her from afar. ''How can I refuse his offer? AS Nicole was thinking about how to decline Lloyd''s offer, a Rolls Royce rolled up at the driveway. Nicole immediately smiled as she recognized the car. However, Lloyd, who recognized the car too, was livid as he followed her gaze and noticed her smile that was all too familiar when she saw Jared. The car steadily halted in front of the two of them. Jared then got out of the car proudly, strutted up to Nicole and Lloyd with his long legs, and pulled Nicole to him by her waist, bringing her into a hug. It was as if he wanted to dere his dominance. "It''ste now. Why aren''t you going home?" Jared had concluded his meetings when Max informed him that Nicole was having dinner with the filming crew. He knew that it must have been one of Lloyd''s tricks, and thus, he had immediately driven to the restaurant himself. "The rest of the crew are having dinner. I was about to leave after I decided I was done with all of the courtesies," Nicole said in alow voice. Jared noticed that Lloyd was clenching his fists, and turning a blind eye to it, he proceeded to say, ''''Mr. Holder. My fianc¨¦e here already has a hard time showing up for filming right after schoo] every day. I hope you won''t arrange anymore of these frivolous dinners for her in the future." "It was in fact meaningless and frivolous, as Lloyd had arranged it to satiate his contempt and greed.'' Chapter 1750 Chapter 1750 Lloyd looked at Jared before mustering up his courage to speak. " This is a part of the job. Besides, it''ste. I was worried that she might be hungry." Jared smiled, There''s no need for you to worry about whether my fianc¨¦ is hungry or not. I will bring her out when she''s hungry.'' Jared went on to bop Nicole''s nose and give her an Eskimo''s kiss. " Next time, when you''re hungry, please tell me. I''ll bring something delicious for you." Nicole smiled as she thought, ''He''s jealous, but then again, he looks kind of cute.¡¯ "Let us go. Bye Lloyd." Not wanting to linger, Nicole quickly bade farewell to Lloyd. Once again, Lloyd could only stand there helplessly as he watched Nicole and Jared driving off together. His eyes darkened. ¡®I''ve put in so much effort just so Nicole could notice me but...up until now, Nicole has never viewed me as a man. She only has her eyes on him. Perhaps it''s because we haven''t seen each other ina long time, and that was what led them into meeting each other. Though we have spent much time apart, we are both still much like who were. If one day, she realizes my presence and reminisces about the times we''ve spent together, I''ll make her fall in love with me. However, up until this point, she still doesn''t feel that way and tonight, her bold rejection of me in front of my mother has never been clearer.'' Lloyd looked on as Nicole left with Jared on her arm, knowing that the gesture said it all. Lloyd clenched his hands tightly as he watched Nicole leave. He turned his head slightly before storming off, his heart filled with hatred. ¡®Jared Johnston, just you wait and see!¡¯ Jared and Nicole were sitting in the backseat, with the former refusing to let go of Nicole''s hands. Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org. "Every time I find myself able to rx, someone would be up to no good. This kind of feeling is frustrating.¡¯ Jared''s eyes were dark, as he was ufortable at the thought of Lloyd. "How long do you still need to film?" "This is just the beginning, but don''t worry about it. I have exined everything to Lloyd. I won''t be giving him any chances, " Nicole reassured with a smile. Jared was unconvinced as he nced at her solemnly, though he was able to fee] somewhat at ease. "Well, that''s good but the filming ought to bepleted early, or else there will be more admirers trying to woo you." ¡°Alright, I''ll promise that, starting from tomorrow, I will try toplete everything in a single take." Ever since today''s filming session, Nicole had discovered that, in the absence if Chloe''s shenanigans, she was able to film her scenes in one take. "I hope other people will be able to keep up with your pace," Jared sighed as he knew that Nicole was competent in everything she did but the people around her would suffer. "Don''t worry. I came here specifically just to get to know the screenwriter, and I''ve asked them to reduce the number of fighting scenes from time to time," Nicole stated. "Oh?" Jared raised his eyebrows. It was only then that Jared understood why Nicole had agreed to have dinner with Lloyd. ''It seems to me she already has things nned out just well.'' "In the future, I will try my utmost best to avoid having any dinner parties or events with the filming crew, so don''t get too stressed out about it," Nicole reassured Jared. Jared looked at Nicole, thinking that she looked cute, and pulled her into his arms. In an instant, the tip of their noses touched, during which Nicole looked up at him shyly and asked, "What..." "I miss you." Jared kissed her after he had spoken. Max, who noticed them in the act, quickly created a barrier by drawing the partition down. Jared, who had been busy with his work, rarely spent time with Nicole. The only time when he could meet with her was when he showed up to pick her up. As such, the both of them had to cherish their limited time together... Chapter 1751 Chapter 1751 Jared would not let go of Nicole until she had arrived at the entrance of the Riddle''s residence. When they had arrived, Nicole''s hair was a little messy, and her lipstick had been smudged. Jared helped her out by wiping the smudges on the corners of her mouth before nting another kiss on her forehead. "I''ll stay in the house next to yours tonight," Jared said. "Huh? What do you mean?" Nicole was taken aback. "I''ve moved into our new home." Upon saying that, Jared motioned Nicole to take a look at the house they had nned to live in after their wedding. The lights at the house were already on. This is from N?velDrama.Org. Nicole felt a surge of warmth radiating through her chest as she thought, ''We''re one step closer.." "If you have not eaten dinner...would have asked you out for supper." Jared pouted coquettishly. Nicole had never seen Jared acting this way, perhaps except when he was asleep, during which he would look like a baby. "I didn''t eat much earlier, I just nibbled on some food." Catching the hint that Nicole wanted to visit their new home, Jared instantly smiled and said, "Okay, I''ll send you hometer.Max, let''s head to our new house." "Yes, sir!" Max nodded, as if he was happy for Jared too. Then, Max reversed the car and drove in the opposite direction toward their new home where the lights shone brightly. Jared got out of the car before helping Nicole out by opening the door. He took Nicole by her hand as they walked toward their new home together. When the two of them arrived at the door, she thought that Jared would just open the door. However, unexpectedly, a camera appeared at the door at that instant. After the facial recognition and artificial intelligence voice recognition system had booted up, it said, "Wee home, Mr.and Mrs.Johnston." Nicole was amused that in such a short span of time, Jared had already finished touching up their new home. On top of that, all of the decorations were her favorites. Jared then led Nicole into the house with a smile. "What do you think? Do you like being the owner of the house?" "I love it!" Nicole smiled. Nicole absolutely adored the advanced technology that installed in the house. It gave the ce a genuine touch that she had not seen in a long time, given that she did not have the luxury of convenience in regards to research when she went to school. As they pair entered the house, there was an automatic shoe- changing system by the door. Both of them took their shoes off and two pairs of slippers were immediately brought to them. "I picked it out myself, I hope you like it." Jared looked at Nicole dotingly. Nicole''s heart instantly warmed as she was pampered by Jared. ¡®Jared is very busy nowadays, and yet he finds the time to pick these things out personally" Nicole thought as this sort of care and attention made her feel inexplicably grateful. "Thank you." "It''s nothing.Come on.Let''s go in and take a look," Jared said. Nicole nodded and followed Jared into the hall. The motion-sensor equipped lights turned on in an instant, followed by the air conditioner and the air filter. The windows facing the swimming pools and back garden turned transparent thereafter, showing them the scenery from the inside. Two robotic servants then came out from the kitchen, bringing along two cups of strong coffee for them. "Mr.Johnston, here, have a cup of coffee." The voice of the robot was soft and pleasant.Its appearance was very experimental with bionic skin on its face.It gave them a cute look, which Nicole liked. "This...Is this thetest robot developed by the Turmann family?" Aside from the weaponry, a part of the robot factory that Carl had taken over had begun to produce household robots. Before this, Carl had asked Nicole for advice on the drawings and modifications of the faces, and to her surprise, the servant robots were exactly based on Nicole''s suggestions. ''I didn''t expect Carl to really make it happen" Nicole thought as she wondered how Jared had already gotten his hands on the product before it had even reached the market. "I had asked Carl to send two of them over once after they have reached the stage of market testing," Jared said. "Carl sent this?" Nicole raised her eyebrows. Chapter 1752 Chapter 1752 "Since when has he be so generous?" she asked. "No, I bought this for my girlfriend. Why should I let other people pay for it?" Jared arrogantly said. Even if the two robots were Carl''s pretentious wedding gift for the two of them, Jared would not have agreed to the proposal so easily. Nicole smiled wryly. ''This dude really is full of himself, but I like it" After all, Nicole had gotten used to Jared''s arrogance by now. The two of them sat down while sipping on the coffee brought over by the robot. Nicole took a sip on the coffee and to her surprise, ''It tastes exactly like the coffee Jared makes for me!'' "How does it taste like? Does it taste like the coffee I always brew? " he asked. This is from N?velDrama.Org. Nicole raised her eyebrows. "The taste is very simr!" Jared pursed his lips proudly. "Of course it''s simr, I have keyed in all of the ratios." Nicole smiled. "This way, we''ll both be able to sit down and have coffee together in the future." "Yeah," Jared said before taking another sip, enjoying the moment of peace. "Mr.Johnston, dinner is ready. Please head on to the dining room, " one of the robots said. "I''m tired. I''ll just eat here," Jared stated. Nicole raised her eyebrows. ''How could he do this to a robot?'' However, just as Nicole was about to get out of her seat, the robot unexpectedly replied, "Yes, sir." "Start lifting the tables and chairs and start a romantic dinner," Jared then added. After he had made his orders clear, the couch that Nicole and Jared were sitting on automatically shifted in shape before elevating, and so did the coffee table, both running into a dining table and a set of dining chairs respectively.. A holographic image was activated a few meters away, ying one of the most recent popr songs. The rity of the holographic image was surreal, so much so that it was like a live performance. Indeed, the experience was unique. Though Nicole did not pay much attention to the male singer, she did notice that it was a magnificent scene nheless. Soon enough, the robot brought the food in from the dining room, with the dining table equipped with an automatic heating function that kept the food warm. "Come on, eat up.It''s your favorite.Medium rare," Jared smiled. Nicole proceeded to eat her steak without as much as a word. Jared, on the other hand, felt that all his worries had disappeared as he spent time with Nicole. The two of them had a warm and soothing dinner surrounded by state-of-the-art technology. After their meal, Jared hugged Nicole as theyid back on the couch while staring up at the stars projected on the ceiling. They were both enjoying each other''s presence. Jared then noticed that time had passed, and that it was eleven o'' clock. "Why don''t you stay for the night?" Jared suggested. "I can''t..." Nicole shook her head. This was their new home, and they would not be allowed to stay here until they got married.It was a tradition they wanted to uphold. Understanding what Nicole had meant, Jared sighed and replied, " Alright, I''ll bear with it for a while longer. However, from today onwards, you''ll be able to see me from your balcony." "Really?" Nicole raised her eyebrows. "Well, our bedrooms are facing each other...," Jared responded thoughtfully while reaching out to caress her hair. Nicole did not expect Jared to have it all so well nned out, and she would have to lie to say that she was not touched by his gestures. At this moment, she tilted her head upwards and gave Jared a kiss. Seeing this, Jared seized the opportunity by grabbing the back of her head and deepening the kiss. However, just as he wanted to press her down a little further, Nicole hurriedly pulled away, stretching her hands out, and pushed him in the chest. "Okay...let''s stop here.I''ll head home now.Rest well," she said. Chapter 1753 Chapter 1753 Jared''s expression showed obvious disappointment, but he knew that Nicole must have been exhausted, and thus, he replied, "Okay.I''ll send you to school from now on." Nicole hesitated for a moment.However, after noting that her brothers would probably not mind this, she smiled sweetly and said, "Okay." Jared got up contentedly and walked Nicole out the door. Though their mansions were right next to each other, with their vis located adjacent to one another''s, the distance between them was still quite far. The sides of the road were patched over with the front gardens of the two mansions, and the lighting on the street was very bright too. The two of them walked took a stroll on the pavement like a couple, hand in hand. Nicole noticed that the scenery in front of their house was breathtaking and magnificent, and as they arrived at the Riddle Residence, Nicole felt that the walk home was far too short. She looked at Jared with reluctance and said, "You should get back home quickly.You must be tired too." "Yeah." Jared pulled her into a hug. "See you tomorrow." "Okay." Nicole nodded. After Jared had released her, she spun around and walked into the house. He then stood there, watching Nicole as she entered the house before walking back to his. The entire household of the Riddles was already sound asleep once Nicole had already gotten in. After talking to the butler, she breathed a sigh of relief and went upstairs. Upon arriving at her room, she walked over to her balcony to see if she could catch a glimpse of Jared from there. N?velDrama.Org holds ? this. Coincidentally, as Nicole was peering out her balcony, Jared had just entered his room and turned the light on. A slender figure appeared on his balcony, though the backlight made it difficult for her to make it out in clear detail. Seeing this, he waved her hands frantically. Jared, who noticed her, waved back in response. Just like that, the two of them gazed at each other quietly under the moonlight until Nicole eventually returned to her room. Nicole went to her bed, lying on her back with her heart pounding against her chest. At that moment, she hadpletely forgotten that she was a savage detective, a ruthless hacker, and a strong and independent woman. As it turned out, she was also a girl who had been spoiled by her boyfriend... Nicole hugged her quilt shyly as her face flushed a shade of deep red. It was the first time she felt this way after being pampered. On the other hand, Jared was still gazing at her window, and would continue doing so for a very long time... The next morning, Nicole got up early to eat breakfast and was ready to leave for school. When Spencer and Samuel came downstairs, they noticed that Nicole was already done eating her fill. "Nicole! Why did you finish eating so quickly?" Samuel asked curiously. "Yeah! Why didn''t you wait for us?" Spencer asked. In response, Nicole smiled and said, ''"From today onwards, someone will be sending me to school, so I won''t be following you guys." "Huh? Who?" Samuel asked, feeling a little displeased at this sudden change. "Who could be taking our little sister away?¡¯ "Jared. He has already moved in next to us," Nicole said as she put on her shoes with her backpack on her back. "That soon?" Spencer asked in surprise. ¡®That guy just wants Nicole all for himself" he thought. "I''m going now. You can tell our parents about itter." Not wanting to converse any longer, she opened the door and left. Spencer and Samuel stood there looking at each other while shaking their heads in disappointment. To them, it seemed that they are going to be alone again. "What are you looking at? I don''t want to go to school with you either," Samuel said before he went to eat his breakfast with a cloud of gloom lingering above him. "Yeah? Guess what? I don''t want to go with you either.It''s depressing that the two of us are going to school together without her!" Spencerined. Chapter 1754 Chapter 1754 Due to the circumstances at hand, Stanley needed to use one of the cars at home, leaving only one car in the house, which was Nicole''s car. Unfortunately, they could not drive their younger sister''s car to school. At that moment, Nicole was already waiting for Jared outside. It did take him a while to drive out, but as soon as he did, Nicole immediately got into the car. Jared became a little suspicious as to why Nicole was already up so early. "Why did youe out so early?" "I was looking forward to seeing you," Nicole replied with a sweet smile, having no intention to hide her feelings. Noticing Nicole acting so cutely, Jared could not resist himself. "Okay.In that case, I''lle over earlier to wait for you tomorrow. "No, it''s okay.You''re really busy every day and you often go to bed veryte at night.You can sleep in for a bit," Nicole said thoughtfully. "Sleep is not as important as you are." Jared replied after thinking long and hard. ''As long as I can spend more time with her, it doesn''t matter if I don''t get enough sleep." "Ugh, how cheesy can you be?" Nicole yfully pushed him, her face flushing red again as she avoided eye contact. Jared smiled, and as he drove the car, he started a conversation about something which had transpired yesterday. "Last night would have been utterly perfect if it wasn''t for a certain someone who had decided to ruin it." Hearing that, Nicole immediately knew who he was referring to. "You want to ask about the scene Chloe caused, right?" Jared raised his eyebrows. "It wasn''t a question.The fingerprints on the prop car had been taken and sent to the police yesterday.It matched the fingerprints of one of the workers.His confession, however, was made by Chloe''s manager, and Max had sent that information to the police.After he arrived at the station, both of them would be charged for the failed attempted murder and the hiring of a worker to injure an innocent person.Their charges will start from three years in prison." Nicole raised her eyebrows, ''''I knew I could depend on you.You''ve even caught the guy who is responsible for all of this." "I''ve told you that I won''t let anyone hurt you, and that includes Chloe." Jared''s eyes darkened for a moment. "Anyway, the manager should''ve confessed that Chloe had ordered them to do it and even if she has denied it, I''ll still find a way to corner her." Nicole knew for certain that Jared would find a hundreds of ways to make things go the way he wanted it to be.However, what she wanted was far worse. "Just send her into the mmer.It''s a little too cheap for us to let her off the hook so easily." Nicole darted Jared a nce, after which she took her phone out. Jared had woken up early to ask Max for thetest update. Much to his surprise, Chloe had reached the trending searches. Apparently, she had gotten herself into an ident in which she had fallen from an area of high elevation from the wires, copsing her lumbar vertebrae and paralyzing her from the waist down. Jared''s eyes darkened at once. "Did you cause this?" He had never seen the cruel and merciless side of Nicole prior to this. Nicole nced ahead with an expression that spelled that which was unsaid. "She made me do it.I only predicted what would happen and switched our wires around." In an instant, Jared''s eyes became bloodshot. ''That pathetic excuse of a human! How dare she do this to Nicole?¡¯ "If it wasn''t for her, I think that none of us would have decided to harm her deliberately," Nicole issued a huge sigh of relief. "Up until the veryst moment, she was still void of any humanity and ethics.Instead she cursed me out, telling me to die," Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org. Nicolemented. As soon as Nicole thought of the scene, she began to feel a little distraught. ''Raine, Snow, and now Chloe.These are all the cousins whom I''ve just met, but why are they so violent and spiteful to me aspared to the others? It was obvious that I didn''t really care about what they thought I did, and yet, they just wouldn''t stoping at me repeatedly.Each attempt they''ve made was worse than thest, and they''ve progressed to the point where they wanted to kill me" Under Nicole''s cold and unemotional facade was a strange mixture of loneliness and sadness, and when he noticed this, Jared leaned forward with his arms open and hugged her. "It''s their own narrow -mindedness and pettiness.Family members like them are not worth keeping around." Nicole''s heart was once more soothed thanks to the warm words from Jared as she began leaning on his shoulder. "Yesterday, while I was watching Chloe fall from a great height, spurting blood out while ring at me, I felt sorrowful.Not sure if it was for me or for her.It was not until I reached home that I started to ponder...whether I had done the right thing or not," she said. "Of course, you did the right thing." Jared frowned. "In any case, you have loving parents and brothers who love you and cherish you very much.You don''t have to dwell on the thought of what your family thinks about you." Chapter 1755 Chapter 1755 Nicole turned to look at Jared. ''Do I really not have to care about what they think?" Jared thought about his uncles and cousins, and that was when he burst out ina fit of mockingughter. "Of course. The more you care, the more tired you will be. So, why bother caring that much? It''s lonely when you''ve reached the highest point of sess with no real friends around, anyway. Thing crumble easily at that point. Upon hearing Jared talking about his experiences, Nicole''s heart immediately felt at ease. ¡®If one wants to achieve their best capabilities, one must be strong enough to undertake the challenges by themselves, head on,'' Nicole thought, as she was already ustomed to this sort of life "Thank you," Nicole said, and let out a huge sigh of relief. She was grateful that Jared had helped her with sorting her concerns out. "You''re wee." Jared stroked her hair, making her feel even more rxed than she was. After that, the pair remained silent until they arrived at the school gate. "Even if Chloe bes a paraplegic, she still has to bear the legal consequences for what she had done," Jared stated. Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org. Nicole knew that Jared would not let Chloe off the hook so easily, as it was her fault to begin with. Because of this, all Nicole did was say, "Okay." Jared nodded and nted a kiss on her forehead before waving goodbye to her. She stood by the sidewalk as she watched his car speeding away, her fingers touching the spot where Jared had just kissed before sauntering into the camps with a smile on her face. Lulu rushed up to Nicole as soon as she saw her. "Nicole, are you okay!" Lulu asked as she grabbed Nicole. Both June and Lulu grabbed Nicole''s arms and legs, inspecting them carefully before noticing that she was fine. ¡°What could happen to me?" Nicole gave the duo strange looks before cing her backpack down. Hearing that, Lulu issued a sigh of relief and said, "Thank goodness you''re okay. I read on the trending news this morning that something had happened on the set you were filming in. It seems that Chloe had an ident..." "Yeah, me too! I saw the pictures from the filming set. It seemed that the both of you were filming a fight scene. Were your wires working fine?" June asked, as she was also as worried as Lulu was. "Of course, everything is fine. It was her who did not inspect her wires carefully," Nicole said icily as she sat down. At that time, all Chloe could think of were ways to harm Nicole. If she had paid attention to checking her wires, she would not have ended up in this situation. "That''s good to hear. I knew you would be okay, but Lulu here begs to differ." June patted her chest in relief. In response, Lulu red at June. "Weren''t you as worried as I was earlier?" June pouted. "But I wasn''t that agitated as you were!" Nicole looked at the two in resignation, and just as she was about to speak up, Bradley came rushing in. "Nicole! Are you okay!" Bradley shouted, prompting everyone in ss to spin around and look at Nicole at once. The people who were secretly eavesdropping into their conversation earlier had turned their heads over. "Hey, Bradley! Why did you have to scream so loudly! ?" Lulu yelled while ring at him. "I can''t believe he''s even more worked up than I was!'' she thought. Chapter 1756 Chapter 1756 "I- Uhh... I-" Bradley was still out of breath, but he quickly checked on Nicole. Seeing that she was fine, he heaved a sigh of relief. "Thank god you''re fine..." When Lulu and June noticed how panicked Bradley was, they nced at each other. ¡°Bradley, you seem strange..." Lulu raised her eyebrows, full of doubt. It was as if she made a huge discovery. It was only then that Bradley realized he had lost hisposure. So, he immediately said, "I''m not. I''m just genuinely worried about Nicole." As he finished speaking, Bradley walked past Lulu while panicking and returned to his seat. Lulu and June could not help butugh. However, Nicole did not bother about them. She looked at all three of them seriously. ¡°Anyways, thank you all for caring about me but I''m really fine. It was Chloe who got into trouble." Lulu nodded. "That''s great. For amoment, we thought that if our award-winning actress got into trouble, you would be affected too. "Thank God you''re fine. But it seems like luck really isn''t on the production team''s side. Previously, they couldn''t find a suitable female lead. Now that they finally found Nicole and started shooting, such a terrible thing happened." Lulu carefully said, "Based on the family tree, Chloe''s your cousin, right?" Nicole could tell that Lulu was worried of hurting her. She smiled. "I guess so, but we''re not close." Then, the two of them let out a sigh of relief. "That''s good to hear. We just don''t want to see you feel sad or get hurt.¡± The two girls looked at each other and smiled. They could finally be at peace. There were times where Nicole would question if it was good to have friends like these. These two girls would always put her first. The morning passed by just like that. In the afternoon, when they were eating together at the cafeteria, Lulu was busy swiping through social media when she noticed something huge. "Hey, it seems like Chloe''s seekingpensation from the production team. However, the team''s official ount had announced that they refuse to do so. What''s going on?" "Is the team trying to get bashed?" June seemed surprised. "For such cases, shouldn''t theypensate immediately?" "I''m not sure about that, but it seems like the production team is saying that Chloe made all of this up." ¡°How''s that possible? Why would someone hurt themselves intentionally?" June was in doubt. Nicole muttered, "Sometimes, we can''t judge a book by its cover." June was shocked. Then, she whispered, "Nicole, what do you mean? Are you trying to say... that Chloe really staged this herself? " Nicole did not answer her question. "Soon, the both of you will find out. Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. I''ve signed a non-disclosure agreement, so I can''t say much." "Oh..." Seeing this, the two girls did not dare question further. However, they still followed the news closely online. At that moment, Chloe was crying in pain at the hospital ward. Miley was also in tears with Chloe. Damien''s gaze was dark, but he stood by the window without uttering a word. On the other hand, Everett was leaning against the door, not knowing what to say. Chapter 1757 Chapter 1757 Deep down, Everett knew very well that Miley only cared about Chloe. Miley had been crying the whole morning while holding Chloe''s hand. At that moment, her eyes were so puffy that it almost looked like a walnut. ¡°My dear daughter, how are you going to live for the rest of your life?" They had found the best specialists in San Joto for Chloe. But after looking through the records, they all said that there was no cure for it. ¡°why don''t we ask the Wyance family? The mayor''s son is a first- ss doctor, right?" Looking at how Miley hadid her eyes on the Wyance family, Everett said, "Mom, it''s hard to reach Martin for his services." Miley immediately turned back and red at him. "Isn''t he best friends with Nicole? If she can reach him immediately, why can''t we?" The machine which Nicole had was from Martin. She had to be close to him. However, at the mention of Nicole, Chloe immediately acted up. " Nicole, that bitch! I don''t want her friend''s help! It''s because of her that I''m here right now!" Just as she finished speaking, Damien turned around fiercely. " You better shut your mouth! The reason why you''re here is your own fault! And yet, you''re still being stubborn! If you hadn''t tried to hurt Nicole, would you have suffered yourself?" Chloe looked at Damien angrily. Sure enough, her own dad did not care about her anymore. Previously, when she was chased out of the country, Damien did not help her. Now that she was going to be disabled, she would not be of any good use to him. He would not eveny an eye on her! Gritting her teeth, Chloe shouted, "It was Nicole who snatched the role of the fernale lead from me! She also chased my manager away! All I''m doing is getting back what belongs to me. What''s wrong with that?" At this, Damien yelled, "You fool! With Nicole''s status, she could destroy our whole family. She''s been eyeing me and Uncle Dillon. Who are you to offend her?" It was not that Damien was not worried about Chloe, but she had disappointed him with her actions. Damien had spent a fortune on Chloe ever since she was young to nurture her into an award-winning actress. However, after she met Nicole, Chloe had lost to Nicole time and time again. Now, Chloe had already lost the rest of her life to Nicole. Chloe did not understand Damien''s disappointment. She bit her lip and red at Damien. "You''re right. In your eyes, I''m not Chloe Riddle, the award-winning actress anymore.N?velDrama.Org holds ? this. I''m not of use to you anymore! So, you think I''m not worthy of fighting for things that I want, right?" Looking at how unreasonable Chloe was being, Damien became angrier. "Go ahead! Do as you please. You''ll have to bear the consequences of your own actions!" Damien had already split things up with Daniel. Thepany was also facing some issues. Of course, he hated Nicole a lot! However, he had to take a step back and look at the big picture. Otherwise, he would not be able to pay for Chloe''s medical fees! "T''ll bear everything on my own! Even if I''m disabled, I don''t need your money!" Chloe red at Damien with anger as she spoke those words. Damien onlyughed in response. "You don''t need my money? Are you counting on the production team? From the get-go, the team had alreadye clear with everything! This means that it was not their fault! Perhaps, they know everything that you''ve done!" At that moment, Chloe''s face turned pale. "T-That''s impossible! How would they know?" Damien chuckled. "Even Nicole knows about it. Did you think she would keep it to herself? Furthermore, from what we know of Lloyd and Gloria, did you think they''ll let you receive a hugepensation? They''re untouchable!" Even if they were willing to give, the current Damien would not dare receive. ¡°That''s impossible... No, the production team wouldn''t do this to me!" For her post-treatment fee, if she wanted the best treatment, she would need at least ten million and above. If the production team would not do anything, how was Chloe going to get her treatment? Her commission from previous projects had been used up... She was incapable of handling such a huge fee. When Miley heard this, she understood the whole situation. Then, she quickly begged Damien, "Honey, do we really have no way out of this? Are we really going to see Chloe turn into a disabled person for the rest of her life?" Chapter 1758 Chapter 1758 Damien snorted. "What other ways could we think of right now? The best specialist has already spoken. That''s it." Damien seemed helpless. "Thepany had been split by Daniel and most of my partnerships had been affected. Now, there''s another huge issue to solve here. If you all want to live a good life in the future, you better behave yourself. Don''t disturb or anger Nicole again!" At this moment, Damien was clear that no one should ever anger Nicole and her family anymore! As Everett looked at Damien, he felt a deep sense of disappointment. "Is this the Damien I know, who is a man of his own words?'' Everett used to have a respectful image of Damien in his heart. And now, he was actually afraid of a high schooler. ¡®If Uncle Daniel and his family had climbed to a higher status, so what? "My father''s such a loser.'' Everett''s gaze turned darker. Just at that moment, Damien turned around and noticed that Everett didn''t seem normal. Damien frowned and asked, "What are you thinking about?" Everett immediately regained his composure. "Nothing, I was just thinking that you''re smart." Damien nodded lightly. He thought that his son would not be thinking about other things. However, his gaze was really dark... Damien shook his head to stop himself from thinking about those issues. He turned to Miley and said, ''''You should take care of Chloe. I''ll continue to contact specialists from other cities. There''s some work left at the office. I''ll get going." ¡®Useless ones would always remain useless." Everett understood this. He was a useless person himself, so his dad would never look at him. Now, Chloe would not bring him any benefit. Instead, she was bing a burden. She definitely lost her value in Damien''s heart. So, it was normal that Damien would leave her aside. Then, Everett left with Damien. Chloe watched as Damien left. Then, she said mockingly, "My own father... is really cruel. I''m useless to him now, right?" Miley immediately wiped away her tears and said, "Don''t overthink. Your dad really has work to do in the office. These days, Uncle Daniel and his family have been keeping an eye on your dad. If he doesn''t do his job well, he might be chased out of thepany. Then, no one would help you with your medical fees." Chloe smiled bitterly. She never thought that one day she would be this stressed out about medical fees. She looked at the ceiling with hatred in her eyes. Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org. Then, she gritted her teeth and said, "All this is because of Nicole... She caused me to be like this! I''ll never leave her alone, even in the afterlife!" Miley also clenched her fist tightly, full of hate. "Isn''t this all Nicole''s fault?! Now that our family has lost our status, their family is in charge of the Riddle family. They also took away a huge part of your grandpa''s share! And now, she has caused you to be lying in bed! She deserves to die!" Hearing her own mother''s words, Chloe nced at Miley. "You''re right. She deserves to die! "Mom, we must not let her continue walking around with her arrogance!" Chloe said with an evil tone. "You mean..." Chloe pursed her lips and spoke into her mom''s ear to tell of her idea. Miley immediately nodded. "Don''t worry. I''ll pull it off perfectly with no trace! I''ll let her die a graveless death!" "Mom, I''m counting on you..." Chloe purposely said that to boost Miley''s excitement. Chapter 1759 Chapter 1759 Miley''s expression turned more and more evil. "I''ve always wanted to teach that bitch a lesson... N?velDrama.Org holds ? this. Don''t worry. I won''t let her go so easily! She caused you this pain. I''ll make her pay tenfold!" It was as if Chloe had finally found someone to lean on. She slowly held onto her mother''s hands as she felt touched. Throughout her whole life, this was the moment where she realized that the only person who loved her was her mom. "Also, I won''t let the production team escape from their responsibility. I''ll look for Lloyd and Nachelle today! They have to give me an exnation!" "Yes. For such a famous team, they have to be afraid of any negative news. They would definitely pay if they don''t want this to go viral." ¡°That''s right. I won''t be like your dad, just epting whatever they say. I don''t care whatever it takes. I''ll ask for all that money!" The mother and daughter duo were indulging in wishful thinking. In the blink of an eye, school ended. Nicole sat in the sprinter van and went to the shooting location. Without Chloe around, their shoot for that day was extremely smooth. The only thing was that Lloyd did not seem to be in the mood. He did not approach Nicole or even spoke to her when they were waiting together. Nachelle also seemed cold to Nicole that day. The reason? Nicole had already guessed it, but she was happy for things to result in this. That distance with everyone whilepleting the shoot was what Nicole wanted. She did not want to get too close to Lloyd. After all, she was just returning a favor by participating in the shoot. She did not want him to think otherwise. After waiting for a while, Nachelle got ready for the shoot. Just at that moment, there was a loud noiseing from the entrance. Then, the noise got nearer and nearer. "Let me in!" "I''m sorry, madam. You''re not allowed to enter without a pass." "Get out of my way!" That person was very arrogant. It seemed like she had brought someone else, and the security guards present could not control her. Nicole felt that the voice sounded familiar. She nced over and saw Miley taking big steps into the studio. Miley wore an expensive dress, high heels and carried a backpack. When Nachelle noticed that someone had caused a hugemotion to enter the ce, she immediately walked out, looking unhappy and said, "What''s going on?" As Miley saw Nachelle, she immediately smiled. "Ms. Lloyd, it''s great that you''re here. I''m here to seek justice for my daughter, Chloe." Once Nachelle heard that the person was here to seek justice for Chloe, she immediately remembered who Miley was. Nachelle could not help but snort. "I was wondering who it was. It turns out to be the Rogers family who had been kicked out of San Joto''s list of families." Miley felt embarrassed as soon as she heard Nachelle mention the Rogers family being kicked out of the country. "Although the Rogers family had fallen, I''m the daughter-inw of the Riddle family!" Nicole looked at the way Miley used the Riddle family''s name. She could not help butugh sarcastically. The Riddle family was thriving off Nicole''s family. Damien had nothing to do with it! Nachelle did not care about it. "As far as I know, the most famous daughter-inw of the Riddle family is Gloria Holder. Who are you?" Those sharp words instantly pped Miley in the face! She did not realize that her status now was way behind Gloria''s. Seeing that she was at a disadvantage, Miley raised her voice to regain some power. "Stop talking nonsense! I''m here today to get justice for my daughter! What did you mean by your response on the official social media ount? My daughter got hurt at the shooting location, and yet you said that you''ve investigated but the production team isn''t responsible for it. How dare you say such words! Where''s your conscience? If it wasn''t your fault, then is it my daughter''s own fault?" Miley spoke a lot because she was afraid that if Nachelle interrupted her, she would not be able to say those words again. However, Nachelle onlyughed mockingly as she heard all that nonsense. "Those words came out from your mouth, not mine. Why? Did your daughter tell you so? That it was her own fault?" | Chapter 1760 Chapter 1760 Miley was stunned in an instance. Although Chloe had described the whole incident to her, she could not admit it, especially with so many people present. Miley wanted the team topensate them. ¡°What nonsense are you talking about? My daughter was hurt at the shoot. The team has to pay! And ording to the agreement, thepensation should be tripled!" Nachelle was not someone to be offended. Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org. She would not let Miley cause a scene. So, she immediately shouted, "If you''re trying to cause a scene with me, you should first see what kind of a person your daughter is." While speaking, Nachelle whipped out her phone and yed a video recording. Nicole did not have to see to know what it was. Perhaps, Nachelle had expected that someone woulde knocking on her door. She probably saved a video in her phone of Chloe sabotaging the scene. "What''s this? I don''t want to look at it!" Miley was still trying to cause a scene. However, Nachelle replied, "It''s fine if you choose not to watch it, but I''ve already handed this video over to the police. This is your own daughter sabotaging the wire and causing herself to get hurt in the video. The police will release this to the public soon!" "What?" Miley was stunned. She did not expect Nachelle to have a video of Chloe sabotaging. Miley could not believe it. She quickly took the phone and looked closely. It really was Chloe cutting the safety harness'' wire in the video! "H-how is this possible?" If they had the video, it was obvious they knew that Chloe had been sabotaging the wires from the get-go. And yet, they allowed her to continue filming! ¡°Are you done?" Nachelle saw that Miley had frozen. She immediately took back her phone. "If you''re done, please get out of this ce. Stop interrupting our shoot." It was only then that Miley came to her senses. She still did not give up. "No! Even if that''s the case, all of you have to pay! It was because of you guys... it was all of you. You knew that she did it, and still allowed her to get on it! Otherwise... otherwise, why would you have this video?" Miley was still trying to find a reason to me the production team. At that moment, Nicole could not help but burst intoughter. When Miley heard someoneughing, she turned around to look at Nicole. She had almost forgotten that bitch was still at the filming location! "What are youughing at? It was all because of you that Chloe''s in trouble! And you still have the guts tough!" Nicole looked at her coldly. Her smile was getting crueler. "You already have the guts toe here, put the me on others and ask forpensation. Why would I not have the guts tough?" "who says I''m ming others?" Miley ran toward Nicole angrily. "It was you, right? You did this on purpose! You probably ordered the production team to do so. You must''ve known about this earlier..." "So what if I knew about this earlier?" Nicole looked back at her coldly. A murderous look shed across her eyes. It made the whole shooting location feel dark. Miley was frightened by Nicole''s aura. ¡°Aunty Miley, you have to show evidence when iming something. Just like how the production team has evidence that Chloe brought this upon herself. Do you have evidence that the production team was targeting her? It could be possible that we only found this photo after the incident... As for the rest, we had no clue about it. And yet, you''re asking forpensation from the production team? The situation was created by Chloe herself, and she hurt herself, causing a huge interruption to the shoot. She should be the one topensate everyone threefold." "You! You''re lying!" Miley was frightened by Nicole''s proximity that she almost fell to the ground while stepping backward. " Nicole! We''re all from the Riddle family! How could you side with others and demand your own cousin topensate the team? Don''t you have a conscience?" Nicole snorted as she looked at Miley''s dark and hopeless gaze. She said jokingly, "When my cousin sabotaged the wire, did she ever think about how I''m from the Riddle family too? When Uncle Damien came to my parents and caused trouble, did he think of us as a family? Previously, you were always mean to me. Did you see me as a Riddle? And now, you''re saying that we''re a family. I''m sorry. Myst name is Riddle and yours, the Roger family." "you!" Unexpectedly, Nicole was good with her words. One line after another, it all refuted Miley that she could not speak anymore. All she felt was a huge pain of embarrassment to her face! Gwendolyn, Anna, and the rest of the people there had witnessed this scene. All of them began to respect and admire Nicole. Chapter 1761 Chapter 1761 Even though Nachelle was unhappy with Nicole the day before, she still could not resist and felt admiration for Nicole. The way Nicole was strong and independent, it suited her very much. At this, Nachelle walked forward and continued speaking to Miley. ¡°Nicole''s right. After the police make their judgment, we''ll sue Chloe soon and ask for triplepensation. Please pass on the message to her." ¡°N-NO!" Miley was immediately stunned. "W-where''s Chloe going to get so much money?" The earnings Chloe was getting from this project was large. Previously, when Miley had found out about the amount, she was ted. Naturally, she knew how much triplepensation would amount to! Even if Miley were to take out all her personal savings, it would not be enough to save Chloe. If Damien found out that Miley had met the production team and brought back such a huge problem, he would definitely scold her! Perhaps, he mighty his hands on her too. "That''s your problem. Guards, please get her out of here!" Nachelle had no patience left to deal with Miley. "No! You can''t! You can''t do this to me!" Seeing that Nachelle called more guards to chase them out, Miley knew that the two bodyguards she brought along would not overpower them. She was extremely upset. Nachelle nced at Miley. "I can''t? Who are you to tell me what to and not to do?" Miley immediately lost all hope. She always thought that even if she had lost her status from the Rogers family, she was still Damien Riddle''s wife. Now that the Riddle family was gaining some fame and attention, outsiders would give way to her. Unexpectedly, she was good for nothing in other people''s eyes. Nicole coldly watched as Miley was dragged out. The expression on Nicole''s face was extremely cold. Miley really dug her own grave to have ended up like this. At that moment, Nachelle stood beside Nicole. "You''re really smart to have reminded me about the triplepensation. That would''vepensated for the loss we suffered these few days." Although Nicole was cold to her son, Nachelle still admired her decisive character. She liked it even more that Nicole could be this decisive when facing her own family members. Nicoleughed lightly. "You tter me, Nachelle. After all, it was my family that caused you trouble. It''s only right for us topensate you." Nachelle smiled yfully. "Alright. Let''s not waste any more time. We''ll begin shooting now." "Alright." Nicole knew that Nachelle was not as annoyed with her anymore. So, she tried her best to cooperate. N?velDrama.Org holds ? this. With Miley causing a scene just now, the production team seem to havee alive. Nachelle''s attitude toward Nicole returned to being warm again. Although Lloyd was still silent, he seemed to be in a better state than the day before. In fact, the shoot which would initially take five hours toplete was settled in just three hours. Most of it waspleted in just one shot by the both of them. After the shoot had finished, Lloyd did not say anything and left immediately. Nicole let out a sigh of relief. Just as she was about to leave, Nachelle called out to her. "Nicole, please wait for a while." Chapter 1762 Chapter 1762 Nicole looked back and looked at Nachelle indifferently. " Anything else, Nachelle?" Nachelle paused and called Nicole aside. "You''re aware of Lloyd''s behavior today, right?" She had already tried her best to change his mind, but he just would not listen to her. Now, the only person who could do that was Nicole. Nicole arched her eyebrow. "I think he''s acting the same. He''s always been like that." Back when they were on missions, Lloyd would return home and ignore her for a few days if she came off too strong and made Lloyd upset. Nachelle did not expect Nicole to find this normal when she thought it was something serious. She could not help but look a little awkward. "That was when he was younger. Now that he''s back home, we''ve always treated him like our precious baby, so he''s rarely this upset. Nicole smiled. "That proves that you''re not close with him." Nachelle was stunned... ¡®who on earth would tell a mother that she''s not close with her own son?! But she was at a loss for words when she looked into Nicole''s affirmative gaze. And that was because... Though she found Lloyd, she was not with him during the most crucial point of his life¡ªhis character developmental stage. For that reason, Nicole might be right. She was the one who was always by his side during those times. Nicole lowered her voice nicely after noticing that Nachelle was deep in her thoughts. "Don''t worry, Nachelle. Though your son likes to split hairs, he''s capable of sorting it out himself. Give it three days. He''ll return to the usual Lloyd by then. He just hasn''t got his thoughts sorted out yet." Funnily, Nachelle was slightly relieved after Nicole comforted her. "For real?" she asked. "Yeah. If he still hasn''t returned to normal after three days, you cane to me.¡± Then, Nicole turned and left with confidence. Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org. In a daze, Nachelle wanted to call out to her, but she did not. ¡®Nicole might be right.¡¯ Nachelle wanted to warn Nicole not to make her son sad anymore. ¡®But why did she get the upper hand in the end?¡¯ Nachelle sighed and left. She was skeptical. Though she did not like the way Nicole treated her son, she admired Nicole''s character. ''How frustrating.'' "Start the car." Nachelle ordered the driver to leave that ce after she got into the car. Meanwhile, Nicole had also left the crew. Jared had already received her message and was waiting for her at the entrance. She rarely finished early, so she immediately got into the car. " Where are we going?" Jared looked at her happy expression. "You''re done early today. Is that why you''re so happy?" "Obviously. I don''t like feeling busy." She really did not like going for her shoot right after ss. It was really busy. "Get it done as soon as possible if you don''t like it." "Sure. I did some nning. The remaining scenes will probably be done in a month." Jared was shocked when he heard that. It was impossible for a TV show to finish filming in 3 months unless the actors involved can finish every scene in one take. Chapter 1763 Chapter 1763 ''How powerful is Nicole?" "But we still have to see who we''re dealing with.Fortunately, the Holder family''s crew is rich.Everyone''s experienced, so their acting skills are okay." Nicole smiled. "But I might be stopping somebody from earning money by ending the filming soon, so I don''t know if they''d cooperate with me." Jared smiled coldly. "I''m one of the investors, so if there''s a chance to speed up the process, I''ll definitely try my best to do it." "Yes.You''re my biggest investor." Nicole arched her eyebrow, looking extremely pleased. At that moment, Max had already started driving to a seafood restaurant.Nicole pouted when she saw the restaurant. "Actually, I''d prefer going to the new house." ¡®There''s probably a lot of functions that I haven''t discovered there" Jared could tell that she was curious, but he just smiled and said, "We still have to keep the new house mysterious." Resigned, Nicole could onlyply.So, Jared walked into the fancy restaurant with her. There was an elevator right at the entrance, and the pair got into the elevator to go to the lower-ground restaurant. The next thing that they saw stunned them in awe. The whole restaurant was shaped like a globe as it had curved ss for walls. On the other side of the ss, there were actual sea animals! There were various kinds of fish, and it looked incredibly stunning. There was even a glowing jellyfish swimming in the middle! It was nothing but beautiful.Nicole raised her eyebrows. "How did you find such a nice restaurant?" Jared looked at her. "Do you like it?" "Of course." He then smiled in delight. "It''s yours if you like it." Nicole was shocked when she finally realized what he meant. "You own this restaurant?!" ''No wonder I''ve never seen such a nice restaurant." ¡®Come to think of it, if a nice ce like this existed before, Jared would''ve taken me here a long time ago" "Yeah, my mom created this design before she passed away, and I''ve started working on it ever since I got back here.Today is its first day of business." Nicole was both excited and shocked. This restaurant had such sentimental value to Jared, and he came with her on the opening day. Around them were a few pairs of couples, and the whole ce felt extremely cozy. "It''s too beautiful..." Nicole had been to many high-end ces, but this was her first time being in such a heavenly ce. "Was your mom a designer?" "Yeah." Jared nodded and pulled out the chair for Nicole like a gentleman. Nicole sat down excitedly. The food that was served to them was different types of seafood, including abalone, sea cucumber, shark fin and more... Nicole arched an eyebrow. "This feels...a little cruel." Jared smiled. "Is it? It''s all rted to the sea.Don''t you think it''s nice?" "Well, you''re not wrong..." Nicole thought that most people would agree with Jared. But she was different. N?velDrama.Org ? content. Jared was already used to her uniqueness, so he did not mind.He then poured her a warm special beverage. Nicole took a sip of it. ''It tastes woody" Jared swirled his drink as well. "This is a tea that is specially brewed to warm you up.It has a unique aromatic scent to it, but it''s actually brewed with herbs." Nicole arched her brows as she was familiar with herbs. ''Turning herbs into drinks...What an interesting idea" "Not bad.I like it very much." She really enjoyed artistic ces like this. Nicole spoke as she ate. "This is a huge restaurant.It must''ve cost a lot, right? It''s not easy to get this location too." "Yeah." Jared smiled. "200 million dors." Nicole was in awe. ''The rich sure are powerful.No one else would spend 200 million dors just to open a restaurant" "The seats are fully booked until half a yearter.The customers today are normal people who won a lucky draw, so you don''t have to worry about them recognizing us." Chapter 1764 Chapter 1764 That was why he was not afraid to let Nicole dine in today. A ce like this needed more people to feel cozy.He was worried that she might feel a sense of emptiness if there were not many people present in the location. "What a relief." Nicole smiled and continued eating. Jared then began a conversations about matters which were more serious in nature while he was drinking. "The police have taken care of Chloe, and her manager''s identification has been taken.Chloe will be sued for intentional assault on two asions tomorrow." Nicole arched her brows. "Including this time?" "Yeah.Nachelle has the footage, and she has sent it to me already."Jared nodded with a serious look on his face. Nicole did not think that Nachelle would send it to Jared, but then again, since Jared was one of the investors, he had every right to know. Due to that, Nicole did not have to think about it any further. '' Chloe should take responsibility for her actions.She should ept the legal repercussions of her actions, no matter how heavy they are" "I''m guessing she''s hopeless now." Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org. Nicole lifted her brows, her eyes void of all emotions. Indeed, Chloe deserved it. "She will have to pay an expensive fine and go to prison on top of suffering a grievous injury.The entertainment industry wouldn''t want someone with that sort of dirt attached to their name, like ever." As such, Chloe waspletely done for. "I think Damien''s family detests me now." Nicole looked at Jared as she said, though there was no fear in her tone at all.In response, Jared smiled and scoffed. "He got himself into this situation, so he definitely deserved it." The dumbest thing Chloe had ever done was pick a fight with Nicole. Otherwise, a top-tier star like her would not have been caught in a situation like that. "Yeah, they''re shmucks." Nicole''s gaze darkened as her expression grew smug.She had been tolerating for long enough, and this was her breaking point. In fact, she was probably too kind to them, which in turn made them think that she was soft and vulnerable. "Speaking of Damien, Everett is his eldest son, right?" Jared''s gaze darkened. Nicole frowned. "Why did you bring him up out of nowhere?" Everett was a creepy figure and had always kept to himself, but when he said what he had said weeks ago in defense of Damien, Nicole knew that he was neither a simpleton nor a pushover.Jared''s grew even darker. "The fingerprint that you''ve gotten from the race car belonged to his men." Nicole did not expect Max to give Jared the investigation results first.She looked at Max, who was standing in a corner, and that was when he shrank in awkwardness. After all, Jared was his boss, so it was natural for him to give Jared his updates once he had discovered something. Nicole took a deep breath.She had nned to take care of this when Max told her the culprit. ¡®But whatever.I have to tell Jared sooner orter anyway, so it''s fine" Still she was curious. "I don''t know Everett very well, and he...actually did this to my race car?" They did not really have cause to get into scuffles with each other. Nicole could understand if Chloe had done it, but why would Everett do it? "He''s fine when he doesn''t do anything, but when he does, he''s lethal.You should be careful of people like him." Nicole frowned. "Did you call the cops?" Jared''s gaze darkened. "Yeah, but hisckey cooperated and turned himself in within an hour before I could even report to the police.Even if he gets sued, his sentence will most probably be lightened as well.Besides, he has a lawyer, and is dead set on not meeting anyone." Even if Jared wanted to force him to expose the main culprit, he could not do so. After all, thew existed, and even if Jared wanted the police to enforce it, he needed sufficient evidence. Chapter 1765 Chapter 1765 "He has already admitted to the crime and has taken the me." Jared''s gaze became murderous. "The person who had hired him sure had everything thought out." It was then that Nicole thought about Everett''s nonchnt gaze.She had never paid much attention to Everett as his parents did not seem like they cared much about their son as well. "Maybe he''s doing it for his family." Nicole scoffed. After all, she had really done a number on Damien, and Chloe was suffering from severe paraplegia.Jared shook his head sternly. "No.Damien being separated from the family and Chloe being paralyzed happened recently.But Everett had already begun targeting you before Chloe was even admitted into the hospital..." A sudden realization then dawned upon Nicole as her pupils contracted. "So, what you''re saying is that...he has other motives?" "Of course.If that is not the case, why would he immediately want you dead?" he asked. Nicole quickly recalled what Damien had said. "I think Damien wants to find the other crests." Jared immediately understood the entire situation after Nicole reminded him of it. "Only five Reby Family crests exist, but only one was found hundreds of yearster.Where would he find them? Unless..." Nicole''s eyes widened as she said through gritted teeth, "They kill me." The Raven had this in mind, and Nicole''s family wanted to kill her because of the crest as well.To add to that, Damien''s son was actually willing to kill someone just so that his father could get the crest. "Your rtives...are all snakes." Jared sneered. The people in the Riddle family were all much more wicked that anyone else around them. Mr.Riddle Sr"s generation was great, but things began to go south in Damien''s generation. This was not because they were ipetent, but it was because they all had ill intentions, so much so that they would even set their family up. "Yeah.I didn''t expect the person who rarely spoke to me to be the most dangerous one of the lot." Nicole squinted and her eyes turned ice cold the instant she thought of Everett. "Well, I want to see what he''s going to do to me!" Even The Raven failed to kill her, so what chance did Everett have? He was nothing. "What''s your n?" Jared became curious when he saw Nicole''s fighting spirit. "I hold grudges.Let''s just say that I''ll give him a taste of his own medicine," Nicole said casually as if she was just talking about the weather. "Same here.I''ve already sent my men over." Jared looked at Nicole and smiled. "That''s my woman.We''re so simr andpatible with one another." Nicole did not expect Jared to think that way as well, and so, the n of action had been decided upon.She swirled her drink and looked at Jared flirtatiously. "I''m d that you''re my man too.We''re always on the same wavelength." Jared instantly chuckled when he saw her enchanting gaze. "Haha! We''re a match made in heaven, indeed!"Hearing that, Nicole broke outughing too. "The perfect couple." "Cheers to us!" Jared raised his ss with a smile, and Nicole struck her ss against his.Then, they both downed their sses of wine happily. Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org. On the other hand, Everett was sitting in the backseat of the car after work, listening to his assistant''s updates. "Everett, Cam is most likely going to stay in prison.Mr.Fox can only help lighten his sentence, but Cam said that he won''t drag you into it.I took care of his family today, so there''s nothing for you to worry about." Chapter 1766 Chapter 1766 Everett opened his eyes in exhaustion. In the dark, they were cold and emotionless. "Okay." Dick looked at Everett''s eyes from the rear-view mirror, searching for any emotions Everett had for Cam, who was Everett''s close friend for 7 years.However, there was nothing in Everett''s eyes. The way it looked, he did not miss Cam at all.It was as if the man who had shouldered all the me for him was nothing but an acquaintance to him. Dick issued a mental sigh at that thought.He initially thought that Everett would still be kind to his friends, even though he was a cold, calcting person. But now, Dick felt like he had never known Everett as a person. Everett rolled the window down, feeling more energetic now. "I didn''t expect that Jared would be able to trace me.Interesting." Everett did not feel like he had failed. Instead, he began smirking in intrigue. "Jared sure is something," he said. It seemed like he could not hide anymore.Dick said, "Everett, you''ve been holding back for so long.I''m worried that you won''t be able to hide after going against Jared." Everett smiled. "There''s no need for that anymore.No one in my family can hold me back anymore." Back then, Damien was still useful to him, and that was why he still respected andmitted to favors for him. However, Damien had no ce in the family anymore, and thus, the only person Everett was left to fight for was himself. "That''s good.I don''t want to see you suffering anymore, either." Dick tightened his grip on the steering wheel.He had waited for this day for too long.It was then that Everett smiled. "I don''t have to suffer, but our enemies are Jared and Nicole.It''s not easy to go up against those two." "I know.But we''re not Jared''s only enemy..." Dick said mockingly as he handed Everett a file. "I heard Harvey tweaked the contract between them, and Jared is not on good terms with him...Maybe this is our chance." "Oh? Seems like we have an aplice." Everett chuckled and opened the file.His smile turned brighter after looking at Harvey''s picture. "I''m very impressed with this guy," he said, as Harvey was simr to him in some respects. Though many were not able to see through Harvey''s facade, like- minded people like Everett could see through everything... "Perhaps we can work together," Dick suggested. Everett then wore a domineering look "We can consider that.Look into Harvey''s history for me.Find something nasty that''s useful for me." Dick immediately knew what he meant, after which he said, "Got it. Everett always knew how to work with someone, and that was to have a stranglehold on their dirty laundry. That way, the other party would not object. Then, Everett browsed through Harvey''s information which was obviously tweaked by himself, so it had no issues in it. Soon after, their car arrived at Damien''s house. "We''re here, Everett." Dick halted the car. "Okay." Everett nodded and waited for Dick to open the door for him before getting down. Dick then mmed the door shut once Everett had gotten down. But from that m, Dick noticed that his car had a weird ringing sound emanating from within. "watch out!!!" He immediately lunged forward and held Everett down. Boom!!! A surge of mes burst forth, and with it, a loud bang whereupon the temperatures rose abruptly. Dick''s back was hurting badly, but he did not let Everett go. The side of Everett''s face could feel the burning heat as well, but before he could react, he was already flying across the street with Dick holding onto him. And with a bang, his back mmed onto the ground with great impact. Due to the loud explosion, he could not hear anything either. He felt dizzy, and all he could see were mes dancing about. Damien''s family immediately rushed out after hearing such aloudmotion, but all they could see was Everett being held down by his assistant. "Everett! What happened?!" Damien rushed over with the butler. The butler quickly moved Dick away after seeing that he wasying atop Everett. "Mr.Cruz?" Dick had already passed out, and the back of his shirt was scorched, so much so that his flesh could be seen. Damien helped Everett up and allowed him to lean on him. "Everett! Are you okay?!" Damien had never cared about Everett this much before, and therefore, Everett felt warm in his embrace.He attempted to get a hold of himself while battling to stifle the swirling images in his head. "Dad...I''m fine..." He was still alive, but his ears were ringing, his vision was unstable, and he was nauseous. "Mr.Damien, Mr.Everett''s face has been wounded.Send him to the hospital!" The butler quickly told Damien upon noticing Damien''s face. "Call an ambnce!" Damien yelled at the staff, who quickly phoned the hospital. Miley was taking care of Chloe in the hospital, and Damien was the only one at home, so he got into the ambnce with Everett. After ten minutes or so, Everett was finally sent to the hospital for immediate medical attention. Damien could finally feel relieved. The doctor then inspected him and said, "He has a minor concussion. Mostly minor injuries, but his face has been severely bummed." Then, the doctor quickly treated him, which left him grinding his teeth in pain. In the midst of it all, his heart was filled with hatred. ''F*ck..My face!" He would definitely not let the person who injured him off the hook. When the doctor was done treating Everett''s wounds, Damien asked, "Everett, what happened? Why would your car explode?" Everett looked at Damien and feigned innocence. "I think...It''s Jared Johnston." "Jared?" Damien frowned. "What do you mean? Are you saying that he did something to your car? Why?" ¡®Everett and Jared did not have beef with one other, so why would Jared do this to him?'' Seeing this, Everett continued his act. "I wanted to get the fire crest for you...So, I did something to Nicole''s car...This is probably Jared''s way of exacting revenge." "what?!" Damien was shocked. "You did something to Nicole? When was this? Why don''t I know about this?" Everett maintained his look of innocence. "I didn''t want to drag you down, so I did it myself.Getting caught was not something I had seen coming." Damien''s gaze immediately turned cold. "Still, he can''t do this to you! Nicole just paralyzed my daughter, and Jared wants to kill my son now?!" Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. Even if he wanted to maintain his tolerance ande up with a better n, his daughter was paralyzed and his son had almost died. With that in mind, Damien was not able to hold his anger back anymore. Chapter 1767 Chapter 1767 ¡°I¡¯ve taken care of the police. I thought I could wash my hands after my friend had taken the me for me, but I didn¡¯t think stop to think that Jared was this brave¡­¡± Damien¡¯s gaze turned dark. ¡°An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth! He definitely left traces!¡± Everett felt warm when he saw his father defending him, but he knew that Jared was way more ruthless than he was. ¡°My car is a wreck, so how can we find traces? Dad, don¡¯t waste your time,¡± he said. He did not want his father to waste his time, but Damien was through the roof when he heard that. ¡°Son of a b*tch!n He kicked a trash can to blow some steam off. Everett then picked himself up a little. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, dad. I will get the fire crest for you¡­ Since we¡¯re openly against each other now, I¡¯m no longer afraid of anyone!¡± Seeing how persistent his son was in getting the fire crest, Damien was touched to know that his son had taken his words seriously. However, he could not help but sigh when he thought of the person they were dealing with. ¡°Stay out of this. Look at Chloe now. I don¡¯t want the same to happen to you. I¡¯ll take care of this!¡± Damien clenched his fists and walked out. Everett knew that Damien was just strong and tough on the outside. However, he remained silent anyways. He had his own ns, and he did not need to tell his father. Under his father¡¯s arrangement, Everett felt his father¡¯s concern and stayed in the hospital to recover from his injuries. Even as Damien left the hospital, he was filled with rage. ¡®This is all because of Daniel¡¯s daughter!¡¯ His son had almost died, and his daughter was paralyzed. Because of this, he could not just sit and wait. As Mr. Riddle Sr. would not help him, he was not dead set on destroying the entire Riddle family! He then got into the car without turning back. Everett watched as his father got into the car from his hospital room¡¯s window. He then called Dick¡¯s number. ¡°Hello, Everett? Are you okay?¡± Dick sounded weak, but from the tone of his voice, he was still concerned about Everett. ¡°I¡¯m fine, and it¡¯s because you¡¯ve protected me.¡± Indeed, if Dick had not reacted quickly enough, Everett would have suffered even graver injuries. ¡°How are you?¡± Everett asked. And though he sounded like he was very worried, there was absolutely no warmth in his eyes. Dick was surprised, for Everett was more concerned about him inparison to Cam. Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org. ¡°I¡¯m fine¡­ My back is badly burned though¡­¡± he said, as he could only sleep on his stomach now. ¡°Take your time to recover. The medical bill and your wages will be taken care of. Just get some rest for now.¡± He needed time for his face to recover as well, and it did not look like he would be able to go out in the open for the time being. ¡®Jared¡­ He¡¯s fine when he doesn¡¯t do anything, but when he does, he¡¯s brutal,¡¯ Everett surmised. Still, they were cut from the same cloth. Everett had been cruel to Nicole too. It was just that he had underestimated Jared¡¯s love for his fiancee¡­ ¡°Got it. Thank you, Everett.¡± Dick thanked him. Everett then nodded and hung up. Chapter 1768 Chapter 1768 He was facing the window, but his eyes were fixated on his own reflection¡­ His charming face now had a bandage over it, and he looked utterly disheveled. ¡°Just wait and see. I will return these wounds to you.¡± ¡®Just you wait, Jared Johnston.¡¯ And thus, it was now a battle between Jared, the bold lion, and Everett, the cunning fox. Everything hade to light, and so, Nicole had been living happily for the past few days. She did not have any problems with her schoolwork and would show up to film after sses. The recent scenes Nicole had shot rarely involved Lloyd, and so, she was mainly working with the other actors. All of it ran smoothly and the production pace increased tremendously. It was said that Chloe still refused to back down, and wanted to file awsuit against the Holder family¡¯s crew. However, with the surveince footage firmly in their hands, winning was an impossibility for her. Chloe had not been discharged from the hospital yet, but she was already going around asking for money to fund herpany. While all of that was in motion, Nicole was just waiting for Jared and Lloyd¡¯s investigation to be completed, so that she could sit back and reap the benefits. She fell deep into her thoughts after talking to Zane on the phone. On the other end, things were running smoothly for Jared as well. He had already found the key person and could already gain a rough estimation of where the Brave was located. When all of the locations were finalized, he would contact Zane andmence his operation. If they seeded, they might even be able to retrieve all of the Braves. When Nicole had figured it out, she went downstairs for breakfast. It was the weekend, and so, her family was at home. Nicole had gotten the weekends off because she had sped through the shooting of all of her scenes for the past few days. Samuel and Spencer were stunned when they saw Nicole walking down the stairs in carefree fashion. ¡°Don¡¯t you need to film today?¡± Nicole shook her head. ¡°Nah, I¡¯m done with the scenes that were scheduled on the weekends, so I can rest.¡± ¡°Damn¡­ You¡¯re such a pro! I heard it¡¯s hard to be an actress, and many of them tend to drag the production on. You¡¯re awesome!¡± ¡°Yeah, they shot my scenes first because they did not want to take more of my time. So, my scenes are back-to-back, and it¡¯s more convenient for me since I¡¯m the one who¡¯s in control,¡± she exined, as it was obvious that the production process would be quicker if there were no mistakes on her part. ¡°I¡¯ll be working with other actorster, so I probably won¡¯t be able to keep this pace anymore,¡± she added. She would not even know whether she would have free time to spare on the weekends. ¡°That¡¯s great. We¡¯ve missed you.¡± Samuel looked at Nicole with deep longing in his eyes. ¡°Ever since Mr. Johnston started taking you to and back from school, we¡¯ve rarely seen you.¡± Nicole always got home after 10 pm, when they were already fast asleep. ¡°Me too,¡± Nicole lied. She did not miss the noisy twins at all. Spencer chuckled and pulled out a seat next to him for Nicole. ¡°Take a seat. Let¡¯s have breakfast together.¡± The trio continued conversing as Stanley came downstairs, scratching his head. His hair was in a mess, and it seemed that he had been working untilte at night. He had probably even gone to bed without taking a shower. ¡°Stanley, your dark eye circles are bing even more prominent,¡± Spencermented as he thought that Stanley looked ghoulish. N?velDrama.Org ? content. Samuel too saw how disheveled he looked and with a sigh, he teased,¡± Yeah. You¡¯re still at a healthy age, so don¡¯t push yourself too hard. I fear that you might damage your kidneys.¡± ¡°Shut up! Even if they¡¯re damaged, they still won¡¯t be as bad as yours.¡± Stanley barked back after Samuel had ribbed him. ¡°Pfft! Want to duke it out? I¡¯m the basketball team captain. What makes you think I¡¯ll lose to a nerd such as yourself?¡± Samuel said, looking unconvinced. Seeing this, Spencer added fuel to the fire. ¡°Good idea, but how are you going topare your kidneys? Only your girlfriends can do that for you.¡± Suddenly, Samuel and Stanley threw stare daggers at him as they bellowed, in unison, ¡°Keep your mouth shut!¡± He was rubbing salt into the wound, as none of them had girlfriends, and Spencer wasughing so hard that he began tearing up. Samuel and Stanley¡¯s faces turned red when they realized that Nicole was there too. Unable to stand it any longer, Samuel got up and smacked Spencer on the back of the head. ¡°Shut up! I¡¯ll beat you up!¡± Chapter 1769 Chapter 1769 Though Stanley did not hit Spencer, he was cheering Samuel on. ¡°Nice! He deserved it!¡± The dining area was noisy, with Gloria and Daniel being able to hear them before they had even gotten downstairs. ¡°What are you talking about? You¡¯re all so cheery in the morning.¡± Gloria walked over with a smile. The twins got their act together the instant they saw their mother. Samuel then rolled his eyes at Spencer. ¡°This jerk was saying nasty things in front of Nicole.¡± Gloria¡¯s expression changed immediately. ¡°Spencer, how could you do that? Hearing that, Spencer became dispirited and turned to re at Samuel.¡± Snitch.¡± Once Gloria and Daniel had sat down, the three brothers started to behave. Sean and Steve were thest to join them, but they had been working in their study room long before they made their way downstairs. They were very well-dressed too, looking as if they had ns forter. ¡°Sean and Steve, why are you dressed in such fancy clothing?¡± ¡°Are you going out?¡± Samuel and Spencer asked. Sean nodded. ¡°Yeah, Steve and I won the tender. The partneringpany is holding a banquet today, and everyone who participated in the bid has to join the banquet, so that they may have a chance to work together in the future.¡± ¡°You won?¡± Spencerughed. ¡°Is it because Nicole has found their reserve price?¡± Steve chuckled and looked at Nicole with admiration. ¡± Not only that, but Nicole also discovered that they will cheat. They even threatened us when we won the bid, and¡­ that was when we put the document that Nicole had given us to good use.¡± When Daniel saw that Steve was smirking, he asked, ¡°What document? I¡¯ve been curious these days too. When Howdy Corporation came to you the other day, they probably did note in peace. So, how and why did they leave in such a state of disgrace?¡± Steve went on to reveal the truth when he saw how curious his father was.¡± Nicole found their core ount when she hacked into theirputer. In other words, we have evidence of themmitting to tax evasion. If we expose them, they¡¯re going to jail!¡± And when Daniel finally understood what was going on, he was shocked. ¡°Nicole¡­ You actually got your hands on their ounts?¡± That was a ssified document of apany, and thus, everypany would do their utmost to protect theirs. They would even use the best system to secure it, and yet, Nicole was still able to ess it. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s nothing,¡± Nicole said coolly, which served to shock them even more. Something that easy for her would be an arduous task for every hacker and Network Security Officer in theirpany. Still, it was just a walk in the park for her. ¡°Nicole¡­ Will you be caught?¡± Gloria asked, worried as she looked at Nicole. The other party got a hold of their reserve price through despicable means and had done their bidding with malice not once, but twice. All Nicole had done was give them a taste of their own medicine, and everyone in her family agreed that it was a reasonable thing to do. Still, they did not want her to get into hot soup for it. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, mom.¡± Nicoleforted Gloria. ¡°I didn¡¯t leave any traces behind, so they¡¯re still probably oblivious to who had leaked their ounts.¡± Everyone was relieved when she said that, but they were still in awe of her. N?velDrama.Org holds ? this. ¡°Nicole. Where did you acquire your hacking skills? From your organization? Are they that good?¡± Chapter 1770 Chapter 1770 Nicole nodded. ¡°Yeah. When I¡¯m not out on missions, I¡¯ll be in charge of protecting the system and software. The enemies are all professionals from different countries, so I had to be the best.¡± To her, perfecting everything was nothing but normal. N?velDrama.Org holds ? this. But Spencer and Samuel were even more excited. ¡°Nicole¡­ No wonder you don¡¯t even care about Ryder!¡± ¡°You¡¯re on the same level as the top professional hackers!¡± Sean and Steve exchanged looks. ¡®These fools still don¡¯t know that their sister is the greatest hacker in the world.¡¯ But Daniel had too many shocking things happen these days, so Sean and Steve decided not to announce this secret. They then talked about serious matters. ¡°But after that, ourpany¡¯s system received a lot of attacks. I think the Howdy Corporation is desperately trying to counterattack.¡± Nicole looked at Sean and responded, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll create a firewall after I¡¯m done eating.¡± Whoever wanted to mess with her family had to go through her first! Saen smiled at Nicole¡¯s response. A firewall that was set up by a professional like Nicole was impossible for the local hackers to break, which was why he was relieved. The family ate their breakfast happily while Spencer and Samuel started talking about school. ¡°Without Raine and Snow, the school has been nothing but heaven.¡± When Raine got expelled, Karen could not even get Mr. Riddle Sr. to help her. So, when Snow got expelled this time, none of them went to Mr. Riddle Sr. for help. Daniel and Gloria knew that Nicole would never bully someone, so Snow and Raine got what they deserved. But Gloria suddenly remembered someone. ¡°Nicole, I went online and saw that Chloe got into trouble¡­ Do you know what happened? She was in the ¡®Lukewarm¡¯ drama too.¡± She did not follow the entertainment industry, and Nicole had been very low -key. Nicole and Lloyd went viral once, which was why Gloria remembered the name ¡®Lukewarm¡¯. But the court case of Chloe versus ¡®Lukewarm¡¯ was already spreading internationally. ¡°I¡¯ve seen the news. Chloe is paralyzed, but the production crew doesn¡¯t want topensate her. They even demanded she pay the production crew three times more¡­ What¡¯s going on?¡± Nicole knew that her family was bound to find out about this. But since they were all busy, none of them paid attention to it. But she did not want Gloria to worry too much, so she said briefly, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. The production crew isn¡¯t rejecting a debt. Chloe vited the safety measures and injured herself. That¡¯s why they wanted her to pay them.¡± Gloria felt better. ¡°I see. I¡¯m d to hear that.¡± She was relieved when she knew that her daughter was fine in the production crew. ¡°Chloe went to your production crew? When was this?¡± Steve arched his eyebrow. ¡®Chloe probably had some bad intentions when she joined Nicole¡¯s production crew. She was always eyeing Nicole.¡¯ ¡°I have no idea. I saw her when the drama started filming. But it¡¯s not important now. She doesn¡¯t have the chance to go there anymore,¡± Nicole replied tly as she did not want to talk about this further. Sean frowned when he saw Nicole¡¯s reaction. He knew in his gut that something likely happened between Chloe and Nicole. Chapter 1771 Chapter 1771 But their parents were there, and Nicole did not want to worry them. So, Sean nudged Steve, signaling him to stop asking questions. Steve immediately understood his message and changed the subject. "She''s really unlucky, yeah? She shouldn''t have joined the production. If she hadn''t, she wouldn''t end up like this... Being paralyzed can''t be treated right?" Gloria sighed. "I''m not close with their family, so it''s inappropriate for me to ask them. I heard about it from others and they said she can''t be treated locally. Your uncle is now trying to contact specialists from other countries, and I think a doctor called James Dade might be able to treat her." Nicole''s hands froze when she heard his name. Sean saw her reaction, but Nicole returned to normal the very next second and continued eating. Sean could not help but squint his eyes in suspicion... ¡®Nicole reacted to his name. Does she know him?" "James Dade... I heard that it''s really hard to get in touch with this doctor. He has a weird character and has left the medical field already," Steve said as he remembered this doctor. ¡°Yeah, but he has an apprentice here, but no one knows who and where that person is..." Gloria sighed again. Daniel smiled as he looked at the worried look on her face. "You''re too kind. Miley has always been a pain to you, but you''re still worried about Chloe..." "She''s still a child and she had a bright future ahead of her," Gloria continued pitifully. "If we could reach Dr. James Dade or his apprentice and help Chloe, we''d have done something nice for her. " Nicole looked at the sincerity on Gloria''s face. The kindest person she had met in her life was Gloria. No matter how others treated her, Gloria still would not hold a grudge against them. N?velDrama.Org ? content. At that moment, Daniel said, "Yeah. Actually, Damien hasn''t given me too much trouble these years. The money we got from thepany was mostly his hard-earned money. It''s a pity that his daughter ended up like this... Why don''t we pay them a visit when we''re free?" Nicole started to feel guilty after seeing her father feeling sorry for Chloe. It was a fact that Damien did not treat her father too poorly. But Chloe wanted to kill Nicole. And Nicole could not just let that slide. ¡°Mom, Dad, you should give them a call first. What if they don''t want to meet us? After all... thepany''s ount just got split," Stanley reminded him. Thepany had already amodated the family''s split, and the four families all had independent ounts now. Damien and Dillion did not show up at thepany for the past few days, so it was safe to assume that they were not keen on meeting Daniel''s family. "That''s right... We''ll see what we can do after the phone call.¡± Daniel nodded. Gloria sighed once more. "Well, we can still help them even if they don''t want to meet us. We can try our best to contact Dr. James Wade or his apprentice." "Sure, we''ll try to help." Steve and Stanley nodded. But Sean remained silent and looked at Nicole. Nicole could not help but sigh. ¡®This family is too nice...'' But she really was not that kind to want to save Chloe, unless... Chloe really learned from her mistakes and apologized sincerely to her. Maybe Nicole will change her mind then. But from what she was seeing, the possibility of Chloe learning from her mistakes was way too small... "Let''s not talk about them and continue eating.¡± Daniel did not want to talk about stressful things like this, so he put some food on Gloria''s te. "Eat up." "Okay." Gloria continued eating happily. But Nicole was deep in her thoughts and remained silent throughout the whole meal. Chapter 1772 Chapter 1772 Chapter 1772 Sean noticed Nicole''s silence. Gloria and Daniel went upstairs after breakfast, nning to call Damien. Samuel and Spencer went for their extra-curricr sses, and Stanley and Steve went upstairs as they wanted to take some rest over the weekend. Sean was the only one who stayed back and looked at Nicole. " Nicole, did Chloe do something to you?" Nicole could only look back at him. The smartest person in their family was probably Sean. He had always been sharp and would always catch Nicole''s subtle reactions. So, Nicole admitted and said, "Yeah, she did something to my stunt cable. But I knew it would happen, so I switched our cables." She talked about it briefly as she did not want Sean to worry too much. But how could he not be worried? Though he guessed that Chloe had done something to Nicole, he did not expect her to do such a horrible thing! If Nicole had not known about it and acted upon it, the paralyzed person in the hospital would be Nicole! After all these years, they finally found their biological sister. But Raine, Snow, and Chloe were all doing whatever they can to harm Nicole! Sean clenched his fists and said angrily, "Chloe... deserves to die!" Chloe did such a thing to Nicole, but Daniel and Gloria still wanted to save her. ¡°Death is too easy for her. Being paralyzed is probably the best punishment." God had made the decision to paralyze her, which was much harder than being dead. "You''re right. This is the best punishment for her. No one should save her." Even if his parents wanted to, he would not allow it. Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org. He would not let anyone help a person who hurt his sister. Nicole''s heart was warm as she looked at Sean. Her parents did not know about this, so they could not be med. But when Sean knew about it and reacted like this, Nicole really felt that she was being understood. ¡°Thank you, Sean," Nicole thanked him softly, feeling relieved. But Sean responded, "Don''t thank me... I haven''t been able to take care of you all this while, and I almost failed at that... If something happens to you, I''ll me myself for the rest of my life. So, you should thank yourself for protecting yourself." Sean brushed Nicole''s hair as he spoke. It was the first time Sean had acted so intimately with Nicole. Nicole thought she would be ufortable with it, but she did not. "From now on, just give your bullies hell. I''l] take on the responsibility with you, regardless of the consequences. Got it?" Nicole''s heart stilled as she was very touched. "Got it." Sean was relieved and stopped brushing her hair. "Do you know James Dade?" Nicole was surprised. "How did you know?" ¡°You looked awkward when Dad and Mom mentioned him," Sean said. She did not expect Sean to notice everything. Nicole smiled wryly. "I can''t hide anything from you, can I? Yeah, I know him... He''s my mentor." Chapter 1773 Chapter 1773 Nicole paused and told him the truth. Though Sean had already guessed that Nicole knew the doctor, he did not expect that... ¡°You''re his apprentice?!" "No wonder Nicole''s so skilled. She knows everything in the medical field! Turns out, she''s the apprentice of that famous doctor! '' ¡°Does this mean that... only you and your mentor can treat Chloe? " Sean was carefully subtle. What did Chloe do in her past life to deserve this? She actually crossed the only person that could save her. How unlucky was she? ¡°It''s possible, but we can only decide after looking at her," Nicole responded tly. Nicole was never a boastful person. But her skills were definitely above all of the local doctors... Since her mentor could treat paralyzed patients, it was very likely that she could do so as well. Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. ¡°Whatever. Forget about them. She did this to herself." Sean shook his head, not wanting to think about Chloe anymore. At the same time, he felt relieved. "I''ll keep this a secret from Dad and Mom. I don''t want you to save her." Nicole smiled as she looked at Sean''s petty expression. "Sure. Thank you, Sean." She did not want her identity to be exposed as well. She would be extremely busy if a swarm of people went to her for help, no? Sean quickly moved on to talk about a serious matter. "Let''s go upstairs and strengthen thepany''s software. It''s better to get it done sooner thanter." "Okay." Nicole nodded and went to the study room with him. When Nicole and Sean went upstairs... Daniel walked out of his room, not looking too good. Sean noticed it and asked, "Dad, what''s wrong? Did the call go south?" Daniel sighed, embarrassed. "Yeah, your uncle doesn''t want to say a single word to me. Let''s just forget it.¡± "Oh." Sean put on an apologetic look, but he was scoffing in his head. ¡®Uncle Damien''s family is just digging their own graves.'' They were still being disrespectful to Daniel at times like this. If they knew that Nicole was the only one who could save Chloe, they would definitely be filled with anguish. "It''s okay. Your mother and I decided to not go anymore." Daniel sighed and walked into the study room with them. "You''re taking Nicole to strengthen thepany''s software, right?" "That''s right." Sean nodded and walked into the room with his father. Daniel said to them, "Carry on then. I''ll look at some documents." "Okay." Sean nodded and let Nicole take a seat. Nicole sat down gracefully and turned on theputer. Soon, she essed thepany''s software under Sean''s guidance and took a USB drive from her keyholder. She plugged it into theputer and started typing on the keyboard. The crisp keyboard noises caught Daniel''s attention, who turned and saw his daughter working on the computer seriously. Chapter 1774 Chapter 1774 Sean was watching Nicole curiously. Though he did not really know what she was doing, he still loved watching his sister opening dialog boxes and keying in codes. Daniel was drawn to Nicole as well. He could not help but walk toward Nicole and stand behind her. Nicole did not mind them and continued strengthening the firewall and perfecting thepany''s software. "Whatpany developed ourpany''swork security software?" Nicole asked without looking up. Sean replied calmly, "All of our software is from the Finley family. Their software''s the best in San Joto. Is there a problem?" Nicole sighed. "This is definitely not their best. From what I know, Gary and Ryder can do a lot better than this." Samuel and Spencer said something about Nicole making Ryder suffer a few days ago. It was obvious that Nicole was better than the Finley brothers, so she was definitely not wrong. "The developers of this software aren''t the Finley brothers. It''s a very experienced engineer from theirpany," Sean answered truthfully. Nicole chuckled flippantly. "Then you can terminate our contract with them, Sean. With software like this, the Finley brothers can easily hack us if they wanted to. Ourpany doesn''t need their software from now on. We''ll just use ours." Daniel was stunned when he heard what Nicole said. ¡°Ourpany doesn''t have our own software." They spent a lot to partner with the Finley family. How could they stop using their software before looking for alternative antivirus software? Nicole looked at her father. "I do. It''s one of a kind. And I can guarantee that no one can crack it." Daniel was shocked to hear that. "Nicole... You actually have software for apany? Don''t you need a group of people to develop it?" Nicole smiled faintly as she exined to her father patiently, "I developed this software myself, so no one has to intervene. Not only is it user-friendly, but it''s also very safe. It will update itself automatically as well. Interpol is using antivirus software like this, and I''ve already developed a third version. But ourpany can just use the first version as the third one needs a very big server." Sean''s eyes sparkled when he heard what the goodness of software had done. "Wow. We''re using the same software as Interpol. This is awesome." Though Daniel did not understand Nicole, he understood Sean... ¡®So, Nicole''s giving us software that''s used by Interpol..." "That''s great. Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org. This way, we can save a lot on the maintenance fees. W Nicole nodded. "Most importantly, we don''t have to worry about people hacking us anymore. When someone tries to hack us, my software will automatically send a virus to theirputer... If they''re foolish... They''ll learn their lesson." Sean was extremely shocked to hear about such an amazing function. Nicole was their family''s lucky star! "You''re amazing, Nicole." Though he was always calm, Sean could not help but admire Nicole. Nicole smiled. "That''s the least I can do. After all, it''s my family''spany." Daniel also said, "Thank God for you, Nicole. No one expected you to be so good in everything you do. You''re even in charge of Interpol''s security software." What did his daughter not know? Nicole did not want to take credit for it, so she smiled calmly. "The organization needs it, so I have to know a little about it." But both Daniel and Sean knew that she knew more than just ¡®a little¡¯. If her knowledge was equivalent to ¡®a little¡¯, then everyone else was simply an idiot! Nicole saw that the software was almost done installing, so she started tweaking it ording to thepany''s needs. "Thepany needs software that''s simpler than Interpol, so it''ll be easier to use after I make some changes." Then, Nicole started to make some improvements. Daniel suddenly remembered something. "I forgot. Dillion was the one who partnered with the Finley family. If we terminate the contract, I''m afraid Dillion would..." Chapter 1775 Chapter 1775 After what happened between him, Damien, and Dillion, he did not want to be involved in things like this anymore. Nicole swept her gaze across to Daniel. She thought to herself for a moment before she started tapping on the keyboard. Then, she gained ess to Dillion''sputer. After that, she pondered for a while again before she went to look into Damien''sputer... Then, she retrieved two documents from theirputers. "Dad, keep these in case of emergencies." Sean immediately noticed something after reminding himself of how Nicole helped them with their ounts. "Nicole, what..." Nicole moved her gaze to Sean. "This is the information of every ongoing project that Damien and Dillion have now, but I haven''t looked at them yet. However, I''m sure that these documents wille in handy if theye looking for trouble again. I don''t really know anything about business, so you guys should look at it yourself." Nicole knew that Damien and Dillion were dishonest people. She figured that there would undoubtedly be something fishy going on in those documents without having to look at them. "T-this doesn''t seem right." Daniel looked at Nicole hesitantly. Sean figured that Nicole would only do such a thing because she was sure that Dillion would do something bad. "Dad, listen to Nicole. Let''s keep it, just in case." Nicole was rightst time, so Daniel obviously would listen to her this time. "Sure." Daniel saw that his son had made his decision, so he agreed. N?velDrama.Org holds ? this. ''''We''ll use this as thest resort. I won''t look at it, and neither should you." "Okay," Sean responded, knowing that his father was a man with principles. Then, Nicole continued installing the software and said, We can just leave theputer here. The instation will be done in two hours." ¡°All right." Sean nodded. At that moment, Nicole''s software beeped. Nicole immediately looked at theputer and her eyes lit up. "What happened?" Sean asked as he noticed something was not right. Nicole chuckled. "Someone tried to bypass the firewall while I was changing the software." Sean watched as Nicole calmly poured herself a cup of water, not doing anything else. He asked with shock, "Isn''t it aconcern?"¡± Nicole shook her head. "Even if the software isn''t done installing, it can still trace that person and attack them. Don''t worry." "Can we see who the hacker is?" Sean asked. Nicole arched her eyebrows. "Of course. Their IP address is exposed, and it''s an old hacker that we met before." ¡°Howdy Corporation?" Sean smirked. "Thank God you changed the software. If not, they''ll hack us again." "It''s their turn to be in a bad fix." Nicole drank her water calmly. Sean was more than happy to know that the hacker under Howdy Corporation was battered at the moment. At the same time, the person in charge of Howdy Corporation was stirring his drink with Colton in front of theputer, looking delighted. "Sean yed dirty and won the bid. He even threatened me. I''m going to teach them a lesson today!" Colton raised her eyebrows as she looked at the hackers that were hired by him. "Are these the best hackers that you found on the Hunters?" ¡°Obviously. They''re among the top 10 hackers, so they should be able to take care of the Riddle Corporation.¡± Colton squinted. She was aware that it cost millions to hire the top 10 hackers on the Hunters. It seemed like Mr. Howde had gone all out this time. He hired two hackers and a few amateur hackers. ¡°| just want to get my hands on the Riddle Corporation''s ounts! Not only am I going to threaten them with it, but I''l] also send it to the tax bureau! There''s got to be a problem with their ounts!" Chapter 1776 Chapter 1776 Everypany had its dirtyundry. The Riddles will definitely be in trouble after the Howdy Corporation exposed them and informed the relevant departments about it! ¡®Even if the Riddle family has the Fire Crest, it wouldn''t matter anymore!'' Colton and Mr. Howde were overjoyed as they thought about that. Colton said happily, "Here''s to tearing the Riddle Corporation down!" "A toast!" Mr. Howde clinked sses with Colton. They felt very good because they thought that the expert hackers that they hired would get through the Riddle Corporation''s cybersecurity system. However, the two hackers who were sitting behind them shouted out of nowhere. "Damn it! What''s going on?!" "They just modified their security system!" Colton and Mr. Howde were shocked after they heard them. Then, they looked over. Then, the rm on the hackers''puter went off. "Sh*t! We''re getting tracked!" "They''re countering us with a trojan!" "This isn''t good!" ¡°Myputer!" The hackers yelled one after another. They tried their best, smacking on their keyboards, but both of theirputer screens wentpletely dark in less than two minutes anyway! ¡°F*ck! Myputer!" "Oh, no! Everything''s gone!" They were professional hackers, and theirputer setup could easily be worth more than ten thousand dors. So, theirputers were the most precious thing in the world to them! They did not expect that this job would cost them so much! Other than them, the other amateur hackers were experiencing bluescreens too! Their windows kept moving uncontrobly as if the person on the other side of theputer was making fun of their ipetence! ¡°What''s wrong?!" Colton asked after noticing that something was not right. Mr. Howde was aware of that too. He immediately put down his ss and walked over to the hackers. "What''s going on? What''s happening to yourputers?" Even though he was not a hacker, he knew what a bluescreen and ck screen indicated. The two main hackers¡¯ screens werepletely dark. All of their helpers had bluescreens, and their windows were moving uncontrobly while some unknown symbols kept popping up. One of the hackers got anxious as he turned around and yelled at Mr. Howde, "Your men told us that they''re using the same security system as the Finley Group, but that''s not the case at all! Their internal system is way more advanced! "Only the officials could use such a system! It''s not something we can crack!" "The officials?" Even though Colton did not really understand what the hacker was saying, he knew what he meant by the officials. "Are you saying that the Riddle Corporation changed their system, and the system... Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org. belongs to the officials?" ¡®How''s that possible? The Riddle Corporation is just a business organization. They don''t work for the country! How can they get their hands on the officials'' cybersecurity system?¡¯ "That''s right! And they''re using a very sophisticated defense system too! All of ourputers were hacked and can''t be used anymore!" That hacker shifted his gaze to his ownputer, and his heart shattered. ''''This is all your fault! Pay for my loss!" ¡°Mine too! You''ve got topensate us for intentionally concealing the truth from us!" "That''s right! Pay us back!" All the other hackers stood up and demanded compensation from them. Mr. Howde was blue in the face. "Nonsense! Our men found that they were using the same system as the one Finley Group! How could you me me for your own mistake?!" Colton did not dare talk back anymore after seeing how big of a trouble Mr. Howde got himself into. Colton quickly tried to calm him down. "They''re all hackers. You''d better not mess with them or the confidential information of yourpany..." Chapter 1777 Chapter 1777 It was only then did the CEO of Howdy Corporation realize that he had met his match. Hiring such help was easy, getting rid of them was another matter altogether! He could not afford to piss these hackers off and could only say, " Just tell my secretary how much the equipment cost. I''llpensate you lot that much!" It was only then did the rancor die down as they said, rather honorably, ''''We only needpensation for our equipment. Since we''ve failed this mission, we won''t take a cent from you for that." The expression on CEO of Howdy Corporation mellowed somewhat, but his imagination was still running wild. "I can get you new equipment, but no matter what sort of system they''ve changed to, I want you to break into it and get me what I want!" The two hackers let out a snide sneer. "We can''t help you with that. Aside from the top three hackers, no one would dare try to hack the government''s security system." Both Colton''s and the CEO''s expressions changed. "Daniel, that fox, where did they get that governmental system?" It had cost them millions to hire these two hackers. Hiring the top three hackers may very well cost them tens of millions! ¡°Also, this person''s skill isn''t something we can go up against. Please get someone much more skilled than us." The two hackers sighed. They had originally invited Mr. Colton to watch them perform but instead they made a joke out of themselves. The CEO suddenly smashed a ss! "Get lost! All of you! You lot are utterly useless and you still dare to waste my time?!" The few hackers'' expressions instantly turned gloomy. They were all well-known figures and had never been humiliated like this before. Yet, their opponent this time was too strong and they could only pack up and leave... Just before he left, the hacker saw a flickering signature on his assistant''s bluescreen next to him... An extremely surprised look soon overtook him. "Lucifer..." His colleagues too heard his murmuring and everyone soon gathered around. When they saw the signature, they were all stunned! ¡°What the heck?!" ¡®The person the Riddle Corporation hired... is Lucifer?¡¯ ¡®No wonder the system suddenly changed!¡¯ ¡®And even we could never break through that!¡¯ But at this moment, no one dared to say anything, fearing that the CEO of Howdy Corporation would not reimburse their lost equipment if he learned the truth. They whispered among themselves. "Shut up and let''s leave.¡± Colton noticed the strange expressions on their faces and wanted to ask. Yet, Mr. Howde was still yelling. "Get lost! And don''t ever let me see you again!" This really pissed him off. His ownpany secrets were held in their hands and he could not do anything against them. For some reason, he could not find any cracks in their shield! Silence returned to the office as Colton said, "It''s pointless to get mad. We still need to get this done. Otherwise, Mr. Howde, your stuff will still be in the Riddle Corporation''s hands, and yourpany will need to continue groveling to them." The Howdy Corporation was now the Fisher Group''s most capable right-hand right now. In the past, they were totally unprincipled louts and it was this very reason Colton did not want to cooperate with them in the first ce as the Fisher Group too was quite underhanded. But now, he no longer cared who they were. N?velDrama.Org holds ? this. He would pull them into his alliance as long as they would stand against the Riddle Corporation. Yet, he did not expect the Howdy Corporation to run intoa roadblock so soon. He needed to give them a further push. Chapter 1778 Chapter 1778 "Also... You''ve already touched the Riddle Corporation''swork and they must already know about it. What if they panic and send all of the information to the prosecution tomorrow?" A sinister glint appeared in Colton''s eyes. Mr. Howde, who had been drinking, instantly exploded when he heard that! "Those damn Riddles! No matter how much money I spend today, I''ll definitely skin that Daniel Riddle alive!" As he said that, he turned to his secretary. "Go, summon the number one hacker to me! Get them to take this mission. I don''t believe I can''t drive the Riddle Corporation into the ground!" ¡°Yes, sir!" The secretary nodded and immediately pulled out herptop as she sent a mission to the number one hacker on the Hunters website with a reward worth ten million. At this moment, a notification rang out on Nicole''s watch. Sean gave her a nce. ''''You''ve got mail.¡± Nicole had nothing to hide and she tapped on the watch''s screen and the content immediately appeared as a 3D projection. Both Sean and Daniel could see the content too. Yet... they did not expect the content to have something to do with the Riddle Corporation! ¡°What... what is this? Why did someone offer a reward of ten million... to attack our system?" Daniel''s face turned pale when he saw the content. N?velDrama.Org ? content. Sean too was surprised but he saw the email''s signature and could tel] that it came from the Hunters. "Nicole, did he send the mission directly to you?" Nicole nodded as she smiled somewhat enthusiastically. "Yeah, the Howdy Corporation is quite the interesting one. It seems like the people they hired earlier were also through the Hunters website. They''re probably panicking now and actually sent the top hacker a mission invitation." She had not expected them to actually invite her to attack the Riddle Corporation. If Mr. Howde were to find out that he had spent ten million to hire Nicole... his face would probably turn blue from those bursting veins, right? Daniel was now extremely curious. "Why the top hacker? Why would Howdy Corp hire Nicole to attack us?" ¡®Are they stupid or what?" Seeing that Daniel was totally confused, Sean felt sorry for his father and could not help but exin. "Dad, the Hunters is the nation''srgest website for hackers, and all of the hackers take their missions from here. Some of the big corporations would often post their bounties here. The reason Nicole got the mission notification was because Howdy had sent her a mission invitation through the Hunters website." It was only then did Daniel understand what was going on, but he was still shocked. "The best hacker on the Hunter''swork is... Nicole... She''s the top hacker?!" ¡®My goodness! What''s going on? Doesn''t that mean the world''s greatest hacker is my own daughter?¡¯ Although he could tell that Nicole was extraordinary after thest time... He did not expect that she was so extraordinary that everyone else was simply left in the dust! "Yes, but the Howdy Corporation doesn''t know Nicole''s true identity, so they''ve given her this mission." Sean sniggered as he said that. "If Howdy ever finds out the person they''re asking to hack our systems is the person who had been working against them, I wonder what their expressions would be..." "Yeah." Tickled by Sean''s words, Nicole too could not help but to imagine that scene. This was just soical. ¡°What should we do now?" Daniel looked at the bounty post and asked. Nicole said yfully. "If I don''t take it, someone else will. So, I''ll naturally ept the mission." Seeing the evil grin on Nicole''s face, Sean knew that she already had a n in mind. Daniel, however, was worried. "Can you fight against yourself after you ept this mission?" "Of course not. But we cannot let this ten million go just like that. He''s caused us so much trouble earlier, and wasted so much of our precious time. This would serve well aspensation for that." Chapter 1779 Chapter 1779 Seeing that Nicole was smiling like a little fox, Sean could not help but to light a candle in pity for the Howdy Corporation in his heart. ¡®You dare provoke my little sister, just wait until her hammer falls on you, Howdy Corp... Sean did not bother Nicole any longer as he went to check the documents with Daniel. Nicole logged into the Hunter''s website and epted the mission. Mr. Howde''s secretary did not expect Lucifer to ept the task just like that. ¡°Mr. Howde, the top hacker has epted the mission!" "So soon?" Mr. Howde was extremely happy. The secretary quickly showed Mr. Howde the chat window, and Colton took a peek as well. Seeing that Lucifer had epted the mission, he was somewhat relieved. "It seems like you have a handle on this, Mr. Howde. I''ll take my leave for now." "Sure, sure, sure. Just go back and wait for my good news, Mr. Colton!" Colton smiled gleefully. "If you get your hands on key Riddle Corporation information, remember to share them with me, Mr. Howde." ¡°Of course, of course." Mr. Howde was quite tipsy and had gotten a little excited. "You must." Colton nodded as he turned around and left. Mr. Howde turned to his secretary. "Tell that hacker I want all of Riddle Corp''s internal documents! Copy all of them! I don''t believe I can''t find anythingpromising!" ¡°Yes, sir!" The secretary immediately replied to Nicole. Seeing the request, Nicole could not help but to let out a coy smile as she replied with an ''Okay.¡¯ Since they wanted things to be soprehensive, then she would humor them as much... The morning soon passed in a blink of an eye. The Riddle Corporation''swork had been fully upgraded and the Howdy Corporation mission too was completed as she waited for them to wire the huge bounty over. After lunch, she had originally wanted to take a good nap, but Jared suddenly called her. "Did you forget that today''s theunch conference for the manned flying car?" Nicole was taken aback. She had felt that she had seemingly forgotten something, and it turned out to be this. "I''m sorry... I had really forgotten about it. Has it started yet?" It seemed like the conference was supposed to start in the morning, but she had totally forgotten about it. "Yes, but I was busy in the morning as well, so I didn''t go over. Kelly said that there are a few big customers there now and she needs us to be present." Nicole nodded. "Alright. I''l] change right now." "Yeah, I''ll wait for you downstairs in fifteen." Jared smiled. Nicole then hung up the call. She soon got dressed up. When she went downstairs, Samuel and Spencer had juste home from school and saw her about to go out. ¡°Nicole, you''re leaving just as we get home?" They had wanted to ask Nicole about the oue of the system she had made. "Yeah, I need to attend the manned flying carunch conference." This was a very important matter and she had to attend in person. "A manned flying car?" Samuel and Spencer were taken aback. " The Johnston Group''s uing product?" They had heard about it but as they were spending more time at school, they had no idea about its progress at all. They only knew that Nicole''s fianc¨¦ seemed to be developing this technology. Neither of them had expected theunch toe so soon! "Yeah, I''ll head off first." Nicole did not say much and left after she put on her shoes. N?velDrama.Org ? content. Spencer nced at Samuel. "Want to go have a look?" "Sure!" Samuel beamed with excitement. The two threw their school bags aside and rushed out without even bothering to have their lunch. Chapter 1780 Chapter 1780 Nicole had already gotten into Jared''s car by then, so the two brothers could only ask the chauffeur to drive them there. In the car in front, Nicole quickly tied her hair into a bun after she got into the car. N?velDrama.Org ? content. Seeing her rather flustered appearance, Jared could tell that she had really forgotten about the press conference. "You even asked me why I didn''t tell you about the press conference, but when you knew about it, you actually missed it." Nicole nced at Jared and said, "I had something on in the morning, and I took on a mission while I was at it." ¡°What mission?" Jared raised an eyebrow. "It''s a secret," Nicole said coyly. Seeing her cute expression, Jared could not help himself as he stretched a hand out to touch her. "What''s the secret that you can''t even share with your hubby?" Nicole could feel his cologne overwhelming her senses and she blushed. "Hush you, who''s your wife?" Seeing Nicole refuse to y along, Jared frowned. "Well, who do you think it is then?" Nicole looked away. "I don''t know. Go ask whoever''s hubby for all T care." Jared could not help but pinch her face and forced her to look at him. "You heartless girl. I''ll show you whose hubby I am." As he said that, he kissed Nicole on the lips. His sexy thin lips softly kissed hers. Nicole was taken aback as she pushed him away. "You... brute!" ¡®This bastard, he always treats Max like he''s a dummy and totally doesn''t care about him at all.'' Max seemed to be used to this already as he continued to drive without looking back. Jared gave Nicole a gleeful nce. "A husband kissing his wife is a very normal thing to do. Who would call me a brute for that?" Nicole felt that he was being more and more unrestrained. "Jared, you sure don''t hold yourself back before me, huh?" Jared smiled sinisterly. "Who asked you... to be so stubborn!" Every time she tried to argue with him, he would want to tease her even more. Nicole rolled her eyes at him and could not be bothered to talk to him anymore. Yet, Jared still held her hand and refused to let go. Soon, the two arrived at the venue of the manned flying car''sunch. Nicole did not expect it to be done in the lobby of the Johnston Group headquarters. The pomp and circumstance was grand. "You sure have put a lot of money into this." Nicole raised her eyebrow as she looked at Jared. If it were not for the fact that he wanted to put this on sale so badly, he would not have made such a big deal of it. "Of course. It''s no longer a simple manned flying car. It also nowes with a super AI system. I''ve already assigned this as the gship product for this year." Nicole totally did not expect her by-the- way gesture would be taken so seriously by Jared, and he even invested heavily in it. "Yeah, with such a product sold solely by the Johnston Group, it can indeed be thepany''s gship product after the inclusion of the AI system. But the factory output..." Although the current factory was quiterge, with such a grandunch, the demand will very quickly outstrip supply. Jared smiled. "Don''t worry. I''m already in the midst of looking for parts to build a factory in Eperon." Nicole totally did not expect Jared to have thought so far ahead. But all these series of back-to-back maneuvers caused Nicole to furrow her eyebrows. "Launching the manned flying car so suddenly, and setting up another factory so quickly... Tell me, Jared, did thepany encounter something?" She could not help but recall Harvey''s words in her mind. She was not worried about any other person, but Harvey was not the type to y by the rules. If he really decided to go against Jared, he would definitely be a tough foe to beat. "Don''t worry. Mr. Ellison''s standing between me and him, so we won''t be going into open conflict that easily. As for his other probing moves, I''m prepared for them," Jared said casually, as if everything was within his control. Chapter 1781 Chapter 1781 As she entered the venue with Jared, it was only then did Nicole feel somewhat at ease. Behind them, Samuel and Spencer had arrived at the venue too and they followed closely behind the couple. After Nicole and Jared walked into the venue, they saw the luxurious venue. For theunch of this manned flying car, the venue was set up using a particrly avant-garde technological concept. In the center of the crowd, Terry was briefing everyone and testing the manned flying car''s various functions and abilities. Many CEOs were gathered before the stage and they watched carefully with a look of awe in their eyes. And Kelly was apanying a CEO, whispering a few words with him from time to time. Max walked up and whispered to Jared, "The man beside Kelly is the CEO of the biggest car manufacturer in Mercadia." N?velDrama.Org ? content. Nicole could also see the embarrassment on Kelly''s face, and it seemed like thetter had been asking her a lot of strange questions. Nicole was just about to go over when suddenly, a figure unexpectedly walked over to Kelly''s side first. Jared and Nicole looked at each other and there was a hint of surprise in Nicole''s eyes.nove.l.e.book She knew that Ike would definitely attend theunch press conference. But at this moment, Ike was wearing the uniform of a Johnston Group staff! Nicole raised her eyebrow and asked Jared, "When did you let him into thepany?" "Didn''t we already agree to that at dinnerst time? So, he got his team to join thepany two days ago," Jared said somewhat nonchntly. Nicole frowned. "You don''t suspect anything when he wanted to join this project so proactively?" She knew Ike somewhat, and while he was a science maniac, for him to abandon his job at Mr.Harmon''s side and to join Jared''s project just like that...It felt...wrong. Ike was a man of honor who would stand by his morals and principles.So it was extremely strange. "I''ve investigated, and his team had a conflict with the two who were trying to make things difficult for you.Since his team was being stepped on, he chose to leave." Naturally, Jared was suspicious so he had this investigated first. Nicole was silent.She too had left because of those two back then. ¡®So, it''s not impossible for Ike either.." Letting out a sigh, Nicole did not say anything else. "Got it, but be on guard." Although Ike was not a bad person, she always felt uneasy for some reason. "Don''t worry.I know that.I won''t allow him to touch any core tech for the time being." Nicole nodded. It seemed like Jared knew what she was concerned about. The two then looked at the rich businessman and seeing that Ike managed to answer his questions so quickly, nove.l.e.book the CEO''s expression turned somewhat approving. Jared could not help butugh. "It looks like he still has some use." Nicole''s gaze was calcting. "Ike''s capabilities aren''t limited to this." Those words caused Jared to feel a little jealous. "You seem to admire him." Nicole sensed that this guy found an opportunity to be jealous, so she quickly added, "No, I never admired any other man.Don''t twist my words." Jared smiled and felt a little better.The two of them originally thought that they did not need to go over to speak with the CEO over there. Chapter 1782 Chapter 1782 Yet, unexpectedly, the CEO''s femalepanion took notice of Jared at that very moment.It was just an instant, but the woman seemed to have recognized him.She then smiled toward him as she walked over. Nicole looked at the woman, dressed in an eye-catching red dress with ck high heels and silver earrings, walking toward them with an aloof aura all over her.Her gaze then sharpened somewhat. The woman''s toned lines told Nicole that this woman was not any ordinary person, and it seemed like she had...some martial ability to her. Thedy walked toward Jared and Nicole with bright eyes and stood firmly before Jared as she proffered her hand. "If I''m not mistaken, you''re Mr.Jared Johnston, right? I''ve heard many good things about you." Jared nced at thedy and stretched his hand out indifferently. "Yes, I''m him.You''re..." "The CEO of Karfeldt Incorporated.My name is Mona Mohr, and that''s my father, Kyle Mohr." Thedy was extremely polite, her demeanor graceful as she exuded an air of nobility. Nicole had quite an impression of the name Mohr and asked. "You''re from Deinnd?" Mona could not help but nce at Nicole as she said with a smile, "Yes.How did you know?" Nicole responded slowly with an icy look. "Thergest car manufacturer in Mercadia, the name Mohr, that only naturally means you''re from the royal house nove.l.e.book of Deinnd, House Montferrat." Mona did not expect Nicole to know the identity of their house and her gaze sharpened somewhat. "Not many know the house we belong to.May I get your name?" Nicole smiled. "Inparison to House Montferrat, the Riddle family is nothing." Mona pondered for a bit and immediately realized her target. "Ah, so you''re Mr.Johnston''s fianc¨¦e.A daughter of the Riddle Corporation, the bearer of the Fire Crest." For some reason, when Mona uttered thest few words, Nicole could sense a tinge of murderous intent in her eyes.But as it was a fleeting one, so she paid it no mind. After all, there was no one in this world that did not want to get their hands on the Fire Crest. "I did not think I''d meet both Mr.Johnston and the inheritor of the Fire Crest today at this press conference.My father''s very interested in the manned flying car and would like to coborate with your company.I wonder if we can talk further on this?" Although Mona now Inew Nicole''s identity, her eyes still looked in Jared''s direction. It was clear that she had a firm goal in mind and that was to speak with the person in charge of the Johnston Group. Jared, however, smiled. Sure, but my fianc¨¦ is the lead developer of the manned flying car''s AI system.I won''t be able to answer a lot of questions if she''s not around.Let''s meet in the guest room in ten minutes." Mona was surprised that Nicole was the lead developer of the AI system, but she did not say anything as she smiled and replied nove.l.e.book, "Most definitely.I''ll go and inform my father.See you in a moment. After that, Mona turned around and walked to Kyle''s side to whisper a few words to him. Kyle then turned his head in Jared''s direction and the two exchanged nods. Seeing that the other party had agreed, Jared walked with Nicole to the guest room. Nicole nced at Mona one more time before turning around. Sensing Nicole''s silence, Jared teased her, "What are you thinking? Nicole nced at him. "This father-daughter pair are not ordinary people.You should be careful if you work with them." N?velDrama.Org holds ? this. Jared curled his lips yfully. "You very rarely worry about my affairs." Nicole had never interfered in his affairs, so he had no idea how much Nicole knew about the field of business, but he would always take her words into consideration. "I was never worried about your ability." Nicole gazed meaningfully at Jared. "That''s why I never asked anything about yourpany, but the Montferrat family is an ancient and massive family in Deinnd.Back then...some of myrades died because of them..." Nicole''s eyes suddenly became forlorn, and Jared immediately realized that Nicole may have had a confrontation with the Montferrat family before. Chapter 1783 Chapter 1783 Jared grabbed her hand. "Though I don''t know what''s going on, you should know that if you don''t like them or if you''re ufortable, we don''t have to work together." The Mercadia market was quite important to Jared. However, it could not rece Nicole''s importance.He will not do anything that would make her unhappy. Nicole nced at Jared.She was touched by his gesture.She shook her head. "If they''re thergest car manufacturer in Mercadia, it''s vital for you to work with them.My matters have nothing to do with you and getting partnerships." Jared looked at her with seriousness in his eyes. "Don''t worry.I''ll look over the details of the other party first before anything else.nove.l.e.book What''s more important now is that youe first, and if you have anything you want to say, you can tell me." Nicole knew that Jared cared a lot about her.However, it is because of this that he would put a halt to his ns. "It''s okay.It happened long ago.It''s long forgotten, so it''s okay.No hard feelings." Jared surrendered, knowing that Nicole would not emphasize too much on the issue. So he did not press on further. The two of them entered the guest room while Kelly was showing both Mona and Kyle Mohr to the office. "Mr.Johnston, I have long admired you.It''s a pleasure to meet you in person." "The pleasure''s mine.Please have a seat, Mr.and Ms.Mohr." Jared invited them both to take a seat. Kyle began to speak after he settled down. "I saw yourpany''s manned flying car technology earlier today.I have to admit that the technology would expand worldwide and a coboration between us would make that happen.That said, our car manufacturingpany is one of the finest in the world and has over seventy percent of Mercadia''s market.If you would consider partnering up, yourpany would be even more influential than it is now." The corner of Jared''s mouth twitched as he continued listening to Kyle''s words. ''Does he think we will just provide the technology to our cars?" "I thoroughly understand your desire to coborate with us, but you have to know that we have our own market too.It has just expanded into Eperon.Thus we would like to not just cooperate on the technical side." "Technical support? Do they think we''re some sort of charity case? This pair is really something" Kyle had thought far that seeking for technical cooperation would not be achieved quite so smoothly. "I heard the Johnston Group has its own manned flying car factory, but if it were to build its own factory in Mercadia, the cost alone would be too expensive.You could use our factory for processing, provided you can provide for your own team and core technology. nove.l.e.book After the productunch, we can have about 30% of the profits." N?velDrama.Org holds ? this. Though Nicole has very limited knowledge of shopping malls, knowing that the Johnston family owns the technology of the manned flying cars and asking for 30% of the total profits, it was safe to say that the Mohrs were being shameless about it. Nicole did not speak up as it was Jared''s field of expertise. Jared took a sip of water calmly and said, "Mr.Mohr, if you really want us to cooperate with you, you ought to show us some kind of sincerity.I think you know I have a lot of people lining up to work with me.With the conditions you are proposing right now, I don''t think we''re seeing eye-to-eye." Jared emphasized hisst few words, directly mocking him. Kyle immediately felt embarrassed. Jared was younger.It was expected for him to treat Kyle with some respect. Jared ignored Kylepletely. "An honest person doesn''t beat around the bush.My time is very valuable.There''s only one condition that we can make to coborate with you.We get to have our own team, the project funds will be funded jointly with ourpany having 60% of the profits.You can consider this offer and let me know." Nicole nced at Jared appreciatively, admiring how Jared spoke assertively without nonsense. Kyle, on the other hand, was overwhelmed by Jared''s assertive aura. Mona, who sensed that the atmosphere was a bit tense, spoke up. "Mr.Johnston, partnerships and coborations are all about negotiations.These conditions can be amended, right?" Mona smiled at Jared.Her eyes were a bit charming. Jared nced at her and ignored her all at once and said, "Johnston''s conditions are not negotiable." Chapter 1784 Chapter 1784 Both the father and daughter fell silent for a moment. Mona''s expression was a little stiff, noting that Jared was the first person ever to not give her attention or leave any space for her to back into. Mona took a deep breath and smiled. "Alright then, we hear your words and the conditions you''veid out for us.We''ll get back to you soon after we hold a shareholders meeting." Nicole snorted mentally as she watched from the sidelines. ''These were all expedient measures.For apany like the Mohr, they themselves would have the final say.The other shareholders wouldn''t have any right to dictate them what to do" As it had nothing to do with her, Nicole kept silent. Kyle immediately understood what his daughter meant.He added, "We''ll give you a solid answer after three days." "Sure.By the way, you should be quick.Otherwise, other people would approach me with better conditions during these three days and the potential coboration with Karfeldt would be dissolved." Mona''s expression stiffened as she saw how unwavering Jared was. On the other hand, Kyle could only bite the bullet and agree. "Got it." Mona''s eyes trailed to Nicole.She thought about what Jared had mentioned about the technical problems earlier. Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org. "Mr.Johnston, I would like to know that if we agree to your conditions, will your technical team be led by Ms.Riddle?" The sudden question had made Jared narrow his eyes at her. Nicole raised her eyebrows and nced at Mona. Mona seemed to have touched a weak spot. "You mentioned that artificial intelligence was a part of the development of the manned flying car which was Ms.Riddle''s area of expertise nove.l.e.book .If you''re willing to let Ms.Riddle lead the technical team, then we would feel more at ease when we work together." Jared did not expect Mona to target Nicole.His eyes darkened as Mona continued looking at Nicole with sharp eyes as if she was waiting for the two of them to decide. Jared thought about Nicole and how he could find a yielding solution for them both. On the other hand, Nicole had enough and saw right through Mona''s scheme. Nicole smiled with her lips curled. "If I were to lead the team, then will Ms.Mohr agree to Mr.Johnston''s conditions?" Mona was taken aback for a moment, knowing that Jared''s fianc¨¦ was still in school and there was no way he would let her go abroad while she was still a student. Mona just wanted to pressure Jared into giving in, not expecting that nove.l.e.book Nicole would step in to intervene. Jared had wanted to refuse and did not expect Nicole to respond to Mona. Immediately, Jared understood what Nicole meant and asked Mona, "Is that what you meant, Ms.Mohr?" The sudden bombardment of questions toward Mona, left her feeling suffocated. Mona''s expression turned a little green and Kyle''s face became extremely sour. ''The Mohr family is one of the biggest and most influential families in Mercadia! It would be too much for them to give up 60 % of the total profit all because of the manned flying car''s technology! If they can''t get their hands on their opponent''s technology, they could only abide" Both the Mohrs were in a dilemma, unable toe to a decision. Chapter 1785 Chapter 1785 Kyle turned to look at his daughter. His daughter was a graduate from the International School of Business, the entire Karfeldt Incorporated had relied on her for many things in the past two years. Mona saw her father''s firm look and could only grit her teeth. "Of course, that''s what I meant.As long as Mr.Johnston is able to agree to us today, then we shall seal the deal right here and then." Mona had gone all out, she did not believe that Jared would bepletely brazen about his abrupt decision making. N?velDrama.Org holds ? this. After all, she was very dear to him.However, Nicole burst outughing and took the lead. "Okay then.Congrattions to the two of you on a sessful partnership." Mona''s face froze upon hearing the sentence. "You...agree?" ¡®Nicole...was she testing me earlier?" "Of course." Nicole raised her eyebrows and nodded with a chic look on her face. Jared had also felt that Nicole had worked hard recently and felt that she seemed to be slowly inching her way into his world. Jared cooperated calmly. "Since thedy of honor has spoken, I have nothing to say but thank you in advance for your cooperation."Jared stretched out his hand in a gentleman manner which pushed Mona into the corner with no way of backing out on this agreement.She could only stretch out her hand stiffly to shake Jared''srge palm. "We look forward to working with you..." Mona''s heart stopped as she said those words. ''This is less than the initial profit we pitched for.Talk about unexpected!'' As Mona thought about it, she could not help ring at Nicole. It''s all her fault! If it weren''t for her tricks I wouldn''t have agreed so easily! Does she think she''s that important? I bet she doesn''t know anything about artificial intelligence at all.She probably bought it all! She won''t gain an inch of advantage.Instead she''ll end up worse! Let''s see how long she''ll be able to hold out" ¡®Though the profit made from this is the bare minimum, I can''t lose out on this piece of technology to her.I''ll have to find my way and look for an opportunity to negotiate with Jared" Kyle looked at his daughter who had agreed to the terms.He assured himself that Mona had other ns in store. Kyle''s face was sullen as he agreed along. "Since we''ve all agreed, Mr.Johnston, why don''t you prepare the contract? My daughter and I will be in the country for the next three days.We can sign the contract within those dates." "Okay," Jared agreed frankly. The entire negotiation waspletely unexpected.Due to Nicole''s presence, the negotiation had been concluded easily. "Now that that''s settled, we shall be off now." Kyle did not want to stay there any longer.He was eager to question Mona about what was going through her brain. "Take care.Bye." Jared did not bother to send them off, so he asked Kelly to send them off as an act of courtesy.Kyle''s complexion was terrible, but he had to endure it until after they left. Mona did not miss the chance to look at Nicole with menacing eyes. Nicole looked at the father and daughter duo and smiled yfully. "It''s quite relieving to see them so burned out." Jared, who noticed Nicole was happy, felt ted and yed along. "As long as it makes you happy." Jared had wanted to stretch out some flexibility in his conditions, noting that Nicole did not favor the Mohr much. Thus, Jared was firm on refusing to let Nicole go to lead the team in Mercadia when Mona proposed so.It was surprising that Mona had agreed to their terms. "Mona is one smartdy, she knew I was your weakness." Nicole gave Jared a cold look. Jared smiled triumphantly. "But she isn''t as smart as you are.So tell me, why did you agree to her condition?" ¡®Nicole was still in school.She definitely could not keep going back and forth between two countries." Nicole smiled. "Have you heard of stereoscopic images?" Chapter 1786 Chapter 1786 Jared raised his brows in surprise. "Of course! Not only is the technology still in its developmental stage, there are also only a small percentage of countries that are able to use it.On top of it all, there are quite too many restrictions involved." "Come to think of it, we can try and break these restrictions," she said. "What kind of calction is this? Before this, none of them were usable, and on top of that, the Dodge Tomahawk was my creation" Nicole pondered. "Carl already has this technology in his grasp.It''s just that I haven''t gotten around to helping him with perfecting it." It was through sheer luck that the Turmanns were not directly involved in this line of technological work Instead, they specialized in mechanical technology, and this gave Nicole a peace of mind. "So that was why you were so confident when she asked you to lead the team, but then again, she didn''t say you couldn''t use stereoscopic images," Jared said. Nicole shed him a cunning smile. "Not to mention, I have to personally show up and lead the team myself.After all, there is actually nothing much to work on, aside from monitoring the system." Jared himself knew that most of the tasks were done by machines, and thus, there was no real need for anyone to show up in order to do it in person. With that said, both Nicole and Jared knew that it was just an excuse for Mona to embarrass them. "However, we''ve sessfully locked the deal! That father and daughter duo will probably be very dismayed that most of the profits will be given to the Johnston Group.We must still be on guard," Nicole added. N?velDrama.Org ? content. "Don''t worry about it" Jared looked at Nicole yfully and stated with a smile. "You are gradually assuming the role of the missus of the Johnston family." Hearing that, Nicole suddenly felt embarrassed. "Cut the crap and let''s go.There should be tons of people waiting outside for you." ¡®The press conference this time is not intended to attract the Montferrat family" she thought. "Yes, my missus.You''ll have the final say to everything," Jared said, after which he got up and wrapped his arms around Nicole''s waist. Nicole wanted to push him away as soon as he did that. However, he was way too strong, so she stopped resisting and just allowed him to do so anyway. The two of them entered the hall, by which time the exnation was already over, with only a small crowd continuing to watch the product video discussing the technical aspects featuring Terry and Ike. Noticing Jared and Nicole''s presence, most of the audience began to surround them, handing out business cards to express their willingness to cooperate. Jared left his card with one of the few major enterprises while Nicole stayed by his side, watching him while he dealt with those people. Nicole was in awe as she found a Jared who was busy with his work to be really charming. Nicole was at a loss for words as she watched on, feeling at peace while being by his side. Suddenly, Nicole felt that the atmosphere had be odd.She whirled her head around and noticed a sniper rifle perched atop the corridor of the second-floor hall. Before Nicole coulde to her senses, she had already instinctively rushed toward Jared. "Be careful!" Jared had no time to react before he was thrown down by Nicole. The crowd that was once surrounding them had started speaking in hushed tones.It was mere seconds before the bullet grazed the floor inches away from both Nicole and Jared. The crowd were in shock when they saw the two of them on the ground with two-gunshots as the silenced bullets struck the ground near their feet. The crowd then scattered, screaming as they dispersed. "Oh, my goodness!" "RUN!" the attendees of the press conference yelled. Nicole knew that the assassin would not stop until Jared had been shot.She pulled Jared along and they rolled all the way to one of the pirs before stopping. Jared then pulled Nicole up and ced her against the pir to protect her. Nicole frowned. "Those people are here for you! Why are you protecting me?!" "You are the most important thing to me," Jared said. Chapter 1787 Chapter 1787 Nicole was touched by his words. "What''s more important now is, how do you know that they''re here for me? What if they''re members of the Crow?" he asked. Nicole frowned, thinking that it was impossible, but then, her pupils shrank in an instant. "If it really is the Crow, they won''t just be targeting me alone!" "What do you mean?'' Jared became stunned for a moment, beforeing to his senses. "Wait, the manned flying car?!" Nicole nodded. "Call the bodyguards in to help! We must protect the data of the manned flying car!" "Got it." Jared immediately gave Max a call. As soon as Max picked the phone up, Jared could hear the chaos over at the other end of the phone. "Mr.Johnston, our people...we''re under attack!" At that very moment, Nicole had also heard that there seemed to be a shootout outside thepany building. Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org. "It''ll be impossible for Max and the others to hold their ground! The enemy is an illegal organization, and they''vee prepared for this ambush.Max and the others are of no match to them!'' "Damn it" Nicole, who sensed that things would not be easy to deal with, whipped her encrypted phone and pressed a button in an effort to call for help "Let them hold out for a while longer.Men from our organization will arrive soon!" she yelled. "Okay!'' Jared nodded and exined to Max, before pulling Nicole along with him, "We should get some cover first!" ''The enemy has outnumbered us, and with the snipers all over the ce, it will be very risky for us to hide in the hall for long" he thought. It was at this moment that Nicole remembered that Kelly was with them earlier, and was found squatting in a corner with Terry''s arms around her. "Kelly! Go and hide.Quick!" Kelly was paralyzed for a while before she came back to her senses.She then grabbed Terry and made a run for it. "Run, let''s run!" Terry had never witnessed such a havoc of a scene before, and as such, he could onlyply with the orders when was told to do so. Nicole on the other hand had led Jared to the stairs. They were then followed by Kelly and Terry. A group of bullets pelted at them right that instant. Terry felt the bullets whizzing right past him, hitting the ground before ricocheting back up and hitting his leg. Seeing this, Terry quickened his pace to avoid being struck. After rushing into the staircase, Nicole quickly locked the door before ordering, "Kelly, get the security to call the police and stop all the elevators as well as the gate!" "Okay, I got it," Kelly replied. Nicole shot Jared a nce. "Let''s head upstairs to the R&D.It''s important that we stay there to protect the main data!" ''The Brave had already fallen into their hands and if we let this fall into their hands too, the consequences would be unfathomable.I can''t let this happen again!'' "Okay." Jared nodded, after which he took Nicole to the private elevator. Soon after, Terry and Kelly arrived with both Nicole and Jared to the R&D facility. "I must encrypt the system on the factory''s side, but without Terry and Kelly''s authorization, no one can unlock theputer and steal the data.The only ce where they can do it is at the IT department.That''s the onlyputer that carries the entirety of the data of the manned flying car," Nicole exined. The look on Jared''s face became even more serious as Nicole was speaking. ''It seems that the Crow has already nned it out thoroughly.We thought it was an internal issue.Who could''ve thought that they have nned an attack like this?¡¯ The four of them got off the elevator hurriedly and rushed over to the IT department.It coincided with Kelly''s act of telling the security to stop all the elevators and close as many electronic doors as possible.However, on the first floor, the sounds of someone breaking through the door could still be heard! Chapter 1788 Chapter 1788 Nicole nced out of the ss window and toward the corridor. Apparently, the police had already rushed in to back them up, and the enemy forces were no match to the police. "We can only wait for the police and Interpol to arrive" she thought. There was a loud crash that sounded as if someone had smashed some ss. "Sh*t! Someone just broke in!" Nicole yelled. She did not have a second to spare for Kelly to arrive with the key, and thus, she fired at the door and broke it with aloud bang. In the room next to the main chamber, Ike was lying on the floor strewn with broken ss with his face all wounded. Therge transparent ss window of the IT department had already shattered, with a ck rope that extended from the other side of the building. "D*mn it! Chase after him!" Nicole did not have time to hoist a badly injured Ike up, and so, she whipped a belt out that served as a zip line in an effort to chase after the perpetrator. In the nick of time, however, the enemy had cut the rope from the other side, rendering Nicole unable to pursue them. "B*stard! Jared, get someone to block all the exits on the opposite building.Don''t let him escape!" she yelled. "Okay." Jared nodded his head and immediately called Max. "Nicole..." Ike called out in a weak voice. Noticing that Ike was seriously injured, Nicole rushed over to feel for his pulse and fortunately, his injuries were only skin deep. "What are you doing here?" Nicole vividly remembered that Ike was with them on the first floor, but when she had recovered after the shock, only Kelly and Terry were left downstairs. "Something happened downstairs, I was worried something might happen to our data, so I came up here.I didn''t expect to be a second toote," Ikemented. Ike held onto his belly and coughed. At that sight, Nicole noticed that he must have been punched several times, and so, she kindly helped him up. "It''s okay, even if you weren''tte, you wouldn''t have been able to fight him," she said. Nicole knew that Ike was no slouch, but the enemy had practicalbat skills, aspared to Ike''s mboyant ones.Knowing that Nicole was right, he helplessly wiped the blood away from the corners of his mouth. Then, Nicole nced at him, feeling that something was off. "What''s wrong? Is there something on my face?" Ike asked as Nicole looked at him with hints of suspicion in her eyes. Nicole shook her head. "No, I just think that it''s a little strange for you to receive this punch." N?velDrama.Org holds ? this. Ike was taken aback momentarily, not understanding Nicole''s meaning. "What''s strange?" Instead of giving him a forting reply, she turned to look at theputer and its data to verify that it had been stolen. Then, Nicole mmed her fists hard onto the table. "They have indeed stolen everything! We must find this person at all costs!" Jared nodded his head. "Why do they even need this for?" In response, Nicole frowned and said, "The Brave shares the same artificial intelligence system as the manned flying car.Soon, after the Braves have left the base, they''ll be piloted remotely by the Curley Corporation.Then, they will be set into standby mode.It''s only possible to awaken them if we can reinstall the system." It was because she had installed that very same system into the manned flying cars that the enemies had been given an opportunity to strike again.Now that the Braves were no longer to be found, and with the system in the hands of the enemy, it was a huge loss for Nicole. Jared looked at Nicole with his brows furrowed.He knew that this was very important to her. And after giving it some thought, he carefully said, "Let''s try our best to find it.If we can''t, then there''s nothing else we can do." Nicole frowned. ¡®Jared''s not a person who would give up so easily" After a while of thinking, a realization dawned on Nicole. "You mean..." Jared smiled. "I have other ns." The conversation between the couple had made the others around them wonder in confusion. Ike, who could not understand what the two of them were going on about, anxiously asked, "What are you guys talking about?" Chapter 1789 Chapter 1789 Nicole nced at him, and in an icy tone, she replied, "Nothing. This is beyond description." After she had spoken, Nicole calmed down a little and ced her handgun away. "As our enemies have gotten what they wanted, the people downstairs should have retreated already. Let''s go there." "Alright." Jared nodded. Then, the both of them strutted off and left the ce leisurely. Seeing this, Kelly could not help shooting Ike and Terry nces. "Moments ago, Nicole was in a rush to retrieve the data. What did Mr. Jared say to the two of them for them to be this calm andposed?" "I''m not sure either..." Terry replied, not listening to anything at all as he was still in shock. As for Ike, he was deep in his thoughts. ''Jared...what did he mean?'' At that moment, Nicole and Jared had entered the exclusive elevator, where he said, "Do you think there''s something odd?" Nicole looked at him. "There definitely is something fishy. Ike actually predicted the enemy''s movements." Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. Without rebuking any of Nicole''s ims, he replied, "I''ve been tracking down the Braves'' location and I''ve finally determined their final route. However, after they had reached an open space, the signals were all cut off. I am guessing that there is an underground base there. It''s just that my men...they can''t enter." Nicole nodded. "So, that was why you were not in a hurry? You wanted to use that enemy to enter the base?" As of a few minutes ago, Nicole had already understood that, and that was why she yed along with Jared. "You''re smart, and that''s one of the reasons why you''re my partner." Jared pursed his lips. "Let me handle this person first. I''ll make sure to find them for you." Nicole smiled, feeling a lot more rxed now. "Alright, I believe in you." Soon, the both of them reached the ground floor, and sure enough, the cacophony was gone. Nicole heaved a sigh of relief. "It seems that they only dared to steal things in our country. They don''t have the balls to kill people in broad daylight." Jared looked at Nicole. "Or perhaps, your support arrived a little too quickly." It was only then that Nicole looked out of the entrance. The Interpol had already sent a unit over. Nicole immediately walked out, and once Rowan noticed her, he approached her. "Are you fine?" Now that Nicole had be the sessor of the Fire Crest, it was no longer a secret anymore. Everyone knew that she was the key person being protected by the organization. Nicole nodded in response. "I''m fine. These people are just here to rob us of a few things." "What did they get? The organization''s top secrets?" Rowan asked with a stern expression on his face. Nicole shook her head. "Although those are not the organization''s secrets, they are important data." Rowan frowned. "Then, what should we do? Should we work to retrieve it?" Nicole darted her eyes at Jared. "Leave it to me. Our organization should not reappear again." Thest thing Nicole wanted was to alert the enemy and tip them off. Terry sighed. "I got it." At that moment, Max walked up to Jared''s side. Noticing that Max''s arm was wounded, Nicole frowned. "Did you get hurt?" Max replied, "I was worried they would hurt you or Mr. Jared when they broke into the office. So, we tried our best to stop them. Some of the men had suffered from minor injuries as well." Nicole could not help but feel touched. The men were not allowed to bring weapons, and yet, they had fended off those armed men for so long. Max''s capabilities were truly out of this world. "Thank you, Max. Quickly send all the men to the hospital." Nicole looked at Max affectionately. Jared then added, "Go ahead. Thepany will cover all the expenses. And one more thing, please compensate them and their families well." "Noted." Max nodded. With the help of the bodyguards, Max made his way to the ambnce which had just arrived. Nicole looked at Max andmented, "Max is really loyal to you." "Of course," Jared replied. "This is exactly what I like about him." Nicole looked at the chaotic mess in front of her and sighed. "It''s really frustrating to see a joyous press conference turn into this." Initially, she thought that she could morously attract arge amount of people for partnership opportunities. Yet, it had all ended in a mess. Jared, on the other hand,ughed. "Sometimes, misfortunes can be actual blessings. With this, more people will know that our products are so good that even international criminal organizations are eyeing on it. We will surely gain more partnership opportunities." "Really?" Nicole raised her eyebrows, feeling that Jared was too optimistic about the situation. "Of course." Jared turned to Nicole. "Anyway, let''s go. I''ll have to arrange for some of my men to manage some important matters." Nicole knew what Jared was talking about, and deep down, she was feeling excited. She wanted to find the Braves as soon as possible again. Otherwise, she would not be at peace, so long as they were in the hands of the wicked men. Nicole went on to assign Terry to take care of the situation. Then, she got into the car with Jared and left the ce. Before Jared went to his office, he sent Nicole back to the Riddle family manor. At that point, the Riddle family was already in a mess because Samuel and Spencer had followed Nicole to the press conference. However, they had not managed to get in. While they were waiting outside, they came across the assault and were quickly frightened off. "Mom, Nicole is still inside. What should we do?" "Yes, Mom. There were a lot of people attacking the Johnston Group. Let''s think of a solution!" It was hard enough for them to escape and return home, and they had no clue as to what had happened after they had left. When Gloria heard about this, she almost fainted out of shock. "Daniel, what should we do? Please think of a way..." At that moment, Daniel was also flustered. Throughout his life, he had never witnessed a gunfight. The last time Nicole took out a handgun, he was already terrified, and this time around, Nicole was actually met with armed people... "Let''s lodge a police report first. Then, gather all our guards. We''ll try and save Nicole!" They thought that, perhaps after they had reached the scene, they could help Nicole out as well. "Alright, I''ll call them immediately," Sean said with a stern look on his face, ready for a fight. Steve added, "I want to follow!" "Me too." Stanley was persistent. Samuel and Spencer were still in shock, but when they saw their elder brothers getting into the action, they gritted their teeth, "We''lle along and protect Nicole!" When Nicole heard her bunch of brothers wanting to save her in spite of the fact that she was totally unharmed, she began to think they were being ridiculous, though she was touched as well. "It''s okay. I''m fine." Hearing Nicole''s voice, everyone turned their head around. "Nicole!" "You''re back!" "Nicole!" As soon as Gloria saw Nicole, she immediately rushed over to check on her. "Did you get hurt?" Seeing her own mother''s caring gaze, Nicoleforted her, "I''m fine. We quickly hid and the police managed to arrive on time. Thanks to that, our enemies had retreated." "Retreated?" Daniel asked. "They did not manage to catch any of them?" Nicole issued a quiet sigh. ''How are your run off the mill policemen supposed to capture those from The Raven?'' "They seemed to be prepared for this, so we could not catch them," she said. Registering the exhaustion in Nicole''s face, Sean made Nicole sit down and poured her a ss of water. "Who are those people? Why did they attack the Johnston Group?" Without hiding anything, Nicole said. "Today''s press conference is for the manned flying car. Perhaps, someone has been eyeing on this technology." "What?" Chapter 1790 Chapter 1790 Once they heard that there were people who had their eyes on the technology, Sean and Steve''s faces darkened. "How is Jared? Did he get hurt?" Nicole shook her head, "He''s fine too. It''s just that the technology has been stolen by those people." N?velDrama.Org ? content. "What?" Samuel and Spencer were shocked. "It really got stolen!?" "Who are they? They had actually caused such a massive scene just to steal something?" Spencer said, terrified as he had never witnessed such a scenario before. "I guess they are from The Raven, but we''re still in the midst of verifying that." Although Nicole knew very well that it was The Raven''s doings, she did not confirm it. Daniel breathed a sigh of relief. "Regardless, what matters the most is that all of you are safe. We''ll try our best to retrieve it." "Yeah, Jared will find a way." Nicole said confidently. When the family saw that Nicole was unbothered, they did not continue asking. At that instant, Nicole saw how bad Samuel and Spencer looked and proceeded to question them. "Why are you guys looking like that? And also, how did you guys know that I was in trouble?" The case was still under investigation by the police so there should not be any news about it yet. That was why it puzzled her as to how they had found out. Samuel and Spencer froze for a moment, after which they awkwardly replied, "Actually, we wanted to have a look at the technology of the manned flying car but the guards did not let us in no matter what." "Then, I heard the shootout and quickly ran away." As Spencer was exining himself, he was still terrified by the incident. Nicole had no idea that those two had followed her there without gaining entry to the ce. They had almost gotten involved in a gunfight. How perilous would it be if they were truly caught in the crossfire? With that in mind, Nicole became furious. "Spencer, Samuel, if you guys wanted to go, why didn''t you inform me? I could''ve brought the both of you in. But with today''s situation, do you know how dangerous it is?" Spencer and Samuel instantly felt guilty. "We did not expect things to turn out this way...Nicole, please don''t get mad at us." Stanley saw how terrified the two boys were, and that was when he interfered and begged, "Nicole, they are already in shock by the incident. Please, let it slide." Nicole sighed. "I''ll just take this as a lesson for the both of you. I will let it slide this time around. Do not follow me ever again." "Okay," they said, as they had expected to get into trouble of this scale during their first time tailing her. Nicole then remained quiet, during which Tia wheeled Mrs. Wace Sr. out of her room. Seeing that the whole family was surrounding Nicole, Mrs. Wace Sr. could not help but ask, "What happened?" Everyone looked at Nicole, who immediately caught on with a smile, "Grandma, there''s nothing going on. I''m taking a break today, so we were discussing what to eat for dinner tonight." "Really?" Mrs. Wace Sr. smiled, "In that case, I won''t join the discussion. I want Tia to bring me out for a walk. "Alright." Nicole heaved a sigh of relief. Although Mrs. Wace Sr. had settled into the Riddle family manor, Nicole had been busy throughout the entire time. During the day, she had no time to spend with her grandmother, and at night, Mrs. Wace Sr. would sleep early. After that, Gloria pulled Nicole over and caressed her cheeks. "Nicole, you can''t get into any more trouble. You must protect yourself." "Don''t worry, Mom. I will," Nicoleforted. Then, the whole family decided to let Nicole off so that she could get some rest in her room. In the meantime, Spencer and Samuel were still in shock, so they returned to their rooms as well. After Nicole had showered, she received a message on her phone. As it turned out, Howdy Corporation had finally transferred the money to her. Nicole could not help butugh, as she really did not expect that she would be able to scam Howdy of their money with such ease. All she had to do was to give them some information, and they had already sent the money to Nicole. In truth, they would probably crumble into tears once they realized how useless that information was. Chapter 1791 Chapter 1791 Nicole found it hrious when she thought about it, and after taking a shower, she went downstairs. Seeing that the servants were about to prepare dinner, Nicole smiled and said to Gloria, "Mom, let''s eat out tonight." Gloria, who was shocked, went on to ask, "Why?" Nicole''s gaze turned to Sean who was sitting directly across. "Because I''ve earned a huge amount of money today. I''ll treat everyone." Sean immediately understood what Nicole had meant, to which he ced his notebook down and replied, "Are you referring to...Howdy Corporation''s ten million dors?" Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. "Bingo!" Nicole smiled. "You''re a smart cookie." Sean did not foresee that Nicole would sessfully scam Howdy Corporation of their money in such a short span of time. "Ten million?" Gloria asked. She did not have the slightest idea about anything that had transpired in thepany, and she did not know what kind ofpany Howdy Corporation was either. But when she heard the words, ''ten million dors'', she was shocked. "Nicole...you were the one who got it?" ''She is still a high-schooler. How did she earn such a huge sum?'' Gloria wondered. With just a small thing, she had already procured ten million dors. In return, Nicole smiled. "Yeah, I''ve received some tasks from my work as a hacker. I did think that I had earned a fortune. Anyway, let''s go. I''d like to reward my brothers, and at the same time, relief Spencer and Samuel of their shock." Gloria became excited at once. "Being a hacker could actually earn you so much money..." She knew that Nicole had added a firewall for thepany, but she definitely did not expect Nicole to be this smart and earn them so much money. "If that''s the case, we really should celebrate! I''ll go ahead and ask Steve as well as Stanley," Gloria said as she headed upstairs to find the boys. Meanwhile, Sean remained and stared at Nicole in admiration. "Nicole, you really do live up to your own words." "It would be a waste not to receive that which is god sent," Nicole smiled slyly. Then, Sean asked. "Aren''t you scared that they would cause a scene when they realize how useless that information is?" In a yful tone, she replied, "Honestly? I''d be more worried if they don''te and find me." Upon hearing that, Sean became annoyed that his own sister would be so daring. "That''s true. If he finds you and realizes that you are the God that he has been praying to, he''ll definitely fall apart." Nicole then shed Sean another yful smile. "Of course." After half an hour, the Riddle family appeared at San Joto''s most extravagant restaurant. They had booked the VIP private room and were already prepared to feast. Although Spencer and Samuel were still in a daze, they definitely felt better at being able to dine in. After everyone had taken their seats, they began to make their orders. Daniel, on the other hand, was looking at Nicole. He was riding in the same car with Sean on the way there, so he had heard about it. "Howdy reacting so quickly is something that I did not anticipate. They actually paid you really soon," hemented. Nicole smiled. "Yeah, I did not see thating either." ''They did not even bother to check if those items were usable. Honestly, I can''t tell if they were too confident with themselves, or if were they counting on this God they have been praying to,'' she thought. But just as Nicole was about to order something, amotion manifested just outside of the door. "Sir, you can''t go in! This room is already upied!" the server said. "I want to see who the person who had taken my private room is! Get off!" The man pushed the door aggressively, and barged in. Steve and Sean felt that the voice sounded familiar. They turned around to get a good look, and unexpectedly, it was Mr. Howde of the Howdy Corporation. ''W-what a small world, really.'' Chapter 1792 Chapter 1792 Obviously, thest thing Mr. Howde had expected was to meet the Riddles here. He took a nce, and it seemed to him that the entire unit was there for a family dinner. When he remembered that the Riddle family''s data was in his hands, he knew he would soon dredge some dark secrets up that would send them into bankruptcy. As of now, they were still in the mood to gather for a family dinner leisurely. It was a scene that Mr. Howde was happy to witness. "I was still wondering who it would be, and it turns out to be Mr. Daniel and Miss Nicole. From the looks of it, you''re having a family dinner?" Mr. Howde looked at them weirdly. At that moment, Colton appeared from behind. Mr. Howde had initially wanted to treat his hacker to a meal, as he had sessfullypleted their mission. But when Mr. Howde arrived, he noticed that his usual room had been given to other people about five minutes ago. As such, Mr. Howde had rushed over to see who was upying it. Unexpectedly, it was Daniel and his family! Watching the entire family which had caused his own to suffer a reputational disaster gathering together for dinner made Colton furious. But, the moment he saw Nicole, he was frightened. Thus, all he could do was stand behind Mr. Howde, waiting and observing. Still, they managed to convince themselves that they had, in their possession, dirt against the Riddle family. Due to this, there was no reason for the two to be scared of them, or so they thought. With this in mind, Colton straightened his body. As Steve watched Mr. Howde strutting into the room arrogantly, he was filled with disgust. His words were brimming with impatience as well. "Mr. Howde, are you blind? You''ve seen what you wanted to see already. Aren''t you going to leave?" N?velDrama.Org ? content. Mr. Howde became really unhappy at that moment. He used to be terrified of the brothers, but now, he seemed to have found a new sense of confidence to stand against them. "Mr. Steve, you really have a bad temper. Do you really think that I won''t dare to do anything to you because you have something on me?" After finishing his sentence, Mr. Howde''s eyes darkened. "From today onwards, all of you should be wary of me!" Sean became dumbfounded when he saw how arrogant and vain Mr. Howde was. Nheless, he snorted and pretended to y along, "Oh? What do you mean by that? Why should we be wary of you?" Looking at how curious Sean was, Mr. Howde cackled. "Hah! You really thought that we''d just roll over and take it lying down after you''ve hired a hacker to break into our ounts? Let me tell you, it''s not just yourpany''s ounts. Yourpany''s core documents are all in my hands now!" Mr. Howde was so proud that his eyes had reddened. Nicole looked at him and thought he resembled a clown. Samuel and Spencer were disgusted as they looked at Mr. Howde, and could not resist themselves from mocking him coldly. "Are you drunk?" "I think it looks more like he''s daydreaming." They all knew that Nicole had just installed a firewall to thepany''s system today, and they were confident in Nicole''s capabilities. As such, it made little sense as to how this man could steal their company''s important documents. "You don''t believe me?" While speaking, Mr. Howde whipped his phone out and opened a file for Sean to see. "Look! Are these yourpany''s ounts?" He had opened two documents and saved it in his phone in case he needed it. Mr. Howde was sure that when Sean and the rest saw it, they would be scared to death. However, Sean proceeded to grab the phone calmly and peruse the contents. Then, he yed along and feigned surprise. "H-how did you get this?" Seeing that Sean was frowning, Mr. Howde really thought that he had scared Sean, and therefore, he replied, "Haha! You did not see thising, did you? I''ve contacted the world''s best hacker on the Hunters! Lucifer! He had hacked into yourpany''s system! Now, I have a copy of all of your company''s documents!" Once Mr. Howde had announced that, everyone became shocked. Gloria, Samuel and Spencer were not informed about it, and thus, they seemed nervous. But after they saw how confident and calm Daniel, Sean and Steve were, they roughly guessed that things were not as serious as they seemed. Chapter 1793 Chapter 1793 Colton could also feel that something weird was going on. ''What is going on? Why does Daniel and Nicole seem to be so calm? It''s as if...they knew what wasing.'' "It must have been no easy feat. No wonder ourpany''s server got invaded earlier this morning. So, it was you who did it." Sean looked at Mr. Howde grimly while his hands were still on the phone. When Mr. Howde heard that they had faced a breach this morning, he became even smugger about it. "That''s right, it was me! Now, mypany has a copy of all of your vital information! Sean, Steve, I''ll justy it out right here, and right now, even though you''ve won the biddingst time. If you''d like to keep the business for the Riddle Corporation running, you better back out and return the project to us!" They did not expect Mr. Howde to fantasize about getting the project back for himself. Hearing this, Steve could not help butugh. "Fools show up every year, but as of this year, we seem to be getting a lot of them. Mr. Howde? Do you actually think you have what it takes to threaten the Riddle Corporation? I suggest you return home and reflect on yourself!" Mr. Howde''s face turned dark, "How dare you pick a fight with me? You better be careful. I''ll send your ounts to the tax bureau tomorrow!" Spencer and Samuel instantly panicked upon hearing that. At that point, Sean was already too tired to continue ying along with Mr. Howde, and so, he smirked. "Mr. Howde, you''re really an interesting person. You''re actually interested in ounts done by an intern." "What are you talking about?" Mr. Howde was stunned, as he seemingly had not caught what Sean was talking about. However, Colton had already sensed that something was off. Sean''s expression turned icy as he continued, "Take a look at the ount statement you showed me. Has it been stamped by thepany''sw ountant? That is just a practice statement done by an intern who is learning how to manage the ounts. All the numbers have been filled in randomly. Can''t you tell?" "What? How is that possible?" Mr. Howde was shocked. He quickly zoomed into the picture on his phone, and sure enough, there was no stamp on it! ''But, how is that possible?'' Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. If it was something that the world''s best hacker had dredged up, it should be the most useful one! However, Mr. Howde had gone through everything and these two documents were indeed the most detailed ones. Therefore, it made little sense as to why they were not stamped. "It does not matter whether it''s possible or not. What matters the most is that there isn''t any stamp on it. Even if you manage to send it to any of the relevant authorities, we could im that you''ve forged these." Sean yfully got up and looked at Mr. Howde, thinking that the expression on Mr. Howde''s face seemed musing that day. "You!" Mr. Howde was so angry that he was rendered speechless. Knowing that he might have been fooled, Mr. Howde quickly went through the other documents. However, none of them were stamped either. It was at that moment that he knew that he had been fooled! "D*mn it! I was fooled!" Mr. Howde turned around and looked at Colton. "That hacker gave me useless information!" "How could it be? How about your money?" Colton asked in utter surprise. Indeed, the price to hire hackers was not cheap, and yet, he had received a bunch of garbage. That was unfair! Nicole had never expected to witness Mr. Howde and Colton''s interesting expressions with her own eyes. "The money, I''ve already transferred it an hour ago..." Mr. Howde''s face turned pale. He never thought that he would meet a scammer on an international hackers'' tform. Chapter 1794 Chapter 1794 Colton was appalled. "Huh?" He did not expect Mr. Howde, who was a calctive person, to fall into such a trap. The cherry on top was, he had actually transferred the money immediately. Witnessing this, the Riddle family could not help butugh, with Spencer and Samuel doing so hysterically. "With this level of IQ, you dream ofpeting with us? I guess the actual problem is not thepany''s performance, but your brain!" "That''s right!'' Being ridiculed by the Riddle family''s boys, Mr. Howde panicked and yelled, "Who are you talking about?" And just after he had uttered thest word, he wanted to grab Samuel. However, Samuel managed to send Mr. Howde away with a shove. "You want toy your hands on me? Do you think you could fight me? You old man!" Samuel coldly shook his wrist. Although he was not as much of a fighter as Nicole, he was still capable enough to teach this old man a lesson. Then, Spencer stood up, and Stanley followed suit. Seeing that Daniel had so many sons, Mr. Howde knew that he was no match for them and gritted his teeth out of hatred. Colton noticed the situation and quickly pulled Mr. Howde away. "Mr. Howde, this is an emergency. It''s best for you to contact the hacker and retrieve the money that you''ve been scammed!" Mr. Howde came back to his senses, and with a look of annoyance on his face, he said, "Right, this whole thing was caused by the hacker! I must get back my money! Otherwise, I''ll expose her on the Hunter!" "What a naive man. Do you really think that people will buy into your crap just because of a few words?" Nicole abruptly asked. Mr. Howde was stunned. He looked back and stared at Nicole who had remained silent the whole time. At that moment, he could tell that she was mocking him through her frosty gaze. "It''s none of your business! You''re just a child. Shut up!" He did not care if Nicole was the sessor of the Fire Crest. All Mr. Howde wanted was to kill each and every single member of the Riddle family. Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. "Of course it is her business." Sean looked at Mr. Howde yfully, secretly rearing to know what Mr. Howde''s reaction would be when he discovered Nicole''s actual identity. Mr. Howde was dumbfounded by that statement. "What are you talking about?" Then, he snapped back to reality. "Is it possible that you''ve bribed the hacker?" ''It must be. Otherwise, why would the famous hacker on the Hunter scam us without caring about his own reputation?'' he thought. As Nicole saw how riled up Mr. Howde was, herugh became even more diabolical. "We did not spend a single penny." When Mr. Howde heard it, he became even more furious. "How is that possible? That hacker had charged me ten million dors!" Hearing the word ''ten million'', Gloria froze for a moment, after which she turned to Nicole and said, "Nicole, you mentioned that you received a hacking task and earned ten million bucks. Is it...?" Sean did not expect the bomb which he had wanted to drop to be revealed by Gloria first. At that moment, all eyes were on Nicole... Samuel and Spencer were surprised too. "Huh? Nicole, you said that you''ve earned a huge sum of money and wanted to treat us to a meal. That money, was Mr. Howde''s?" ''D*mn! This is interesting!'' The one that had been scammed was standing right in front of them, watching the scammer use his money to have avish meal! At this rate, Mr. Howde was leftpletely speechless. Colton was also shocked. "Wh-What is going on?" Even Steve, who was in the blur, could tell what was going on. He then revealed the truth with a wicked smile on his face. "Don''t you understand? The hacker which Mr. Howde had hired is right in our midst!" While speaking, Steve looked at Nicole. At that moment, everyone had a definitive answer in their heart. Chapter 1795 Chapter 1795 "No freaking way! This is just insane!" Spencer eximed, gawking at Nicole. And he was true, for the whole thing was utterly absurd. They were dining on money stolen from the very people who had now walked right into their trap, only to be humiliated. When Mr. Howde finally realized the truth, his face turned a sickly shade of green. "No way! I hired the Hunters, the best freaking hackers in the world! How could it be her?" Mr. Howde asked himself, unable to believe that this young girl could be the legendary hacker he was after. Nicole saw his disbelief and decided to drop the act. "Mr. Howde, you wired me ten million this afternoon. Want me to recite your ount number for you?" At this juncture, Mr. Howde and Colton could not deny it any longer¡ªshe even knew Mr. Howde''s ount number, and thus, she had to be the real deal. "You! You scam artist! Give me back my money!" Mr. Howde roared, charging at Nicole. However, it was then that Samuel and Spencer, like two bouncers, blocked his path. The two hulking, five foot ten menpletely dwarfed Mr. Howde, who could barely even see Nicole now. Furious, he stomped his foot. "Move! Give me my money back or I''ll expose you all and call the police!" Nicole could not help butugh at Mr. Howde''s naive and empty threat. "You hired a hacker to break into someone''s system and you''re going to call the police? Really? If anything, they''ll arrest you for stealing corporate secrets." Mr. Howde nched, realizing his mistake. Nheless, even though calling the police was not an option, he still threatened. "Don''t think I can''t take you down, girl! I''ll ruin your reputation as the number one hacker!" Nicole scoffed. "The job you posted online was to get data from the Riddle Corporation''sputers. I did that for you. The job''s done, and there''s nothing wrong with it. If you expose me, everyone will see Howdy Corporation as the bad guys, and no one will work for you ever again." She secretly hoped he would expose her. All her fellow hackers would unite against Mr. Howde, refusing to take his jobs, and the world would be a better ce without his dirty tactics when it came to stealing secrets. "You! You!" Mr. Howde had never been cornered like this before. As both of his options were exhausted, blood rushed to his head in an instant. His eyes rolled back, and that was when he passed out cold. "Mr. Howde!" Colton gasped, catching the unconscious man. Mr. Howde had finally cked out. Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org. Outnumbered and outwitted, Colton had no choice but to call for help. "Hey, what are you waiting for? Help me carry him out!" The servers finally rushed over, stumbling over themselves as they carried Mr. Howde away. Colton, feeling embarrassed, straightened his clothes and tried to save whatever dignity he had left as he shot Daniel a nce. "Miss Riddle, you''re good. You win this round." In response, Stanley coldly said, "Drop the ''round.'' When you win, you win." Choked, Colton could not utter a word. He turned on his heel, huffed, and stormed off. Finally, with the unwee guests gone, the group burst intoughter. Steve could not help but say, "Haha! That Mr. Howde always loved ying games and bossing people around. Never thought he''d be so humiliated by Nicole that he''d pass out." "I didn''t expect it either. He''s so weak." Sean smirked with satisfaction. Nicole looked at Sean. "You''re getting devious, purposely revealing my identity just to rile him up." Sean grinned mischievously. "Of course. Seeing his face when he found out who you were was just too satisfying." Chapter 1796 Chapter 1796 The Riddle family had suffered enough in Howde''s hands, and were always avoiding confrontations with him. But after this incident, Howde would likely think twice before messing with the Riddles again. Noticing Sean and Steve''s excitement, Daniel could not help but join in. "Now that we''ve crippled Colton''s right-hand man, Howdy Corporation is in for a world of pain. I bet Colton must have been working behind Mr. Howde''s back. I do think that Mr. Howde won''t be keen on working with Colton once hees to his senses." Hearing this, Stanley breathed a sigh of relief. "Without Mr. Howde, otherpanies working with Fisher Group will think twice before taking on Riddle Corporation. This is a huge win for us." Samuel and Spencer, pumped up, praised Nicole. "Nicole, you''re incredible!" "Who would''ve thought the money you treated us with came from scamming Mr. Howde?" Steve raised an eyebrow. "Hey, wrong choice of words! Scamming? Nicole worked for it, didn''t she? He wanted everything, but he never specifically asked for negative info on the Riddle family. So, Nicole didn''t break the contract. Mr. Howde was just schmuck. Anyway, enough of that. Let''s order our meal! I''m going all out tonight!" Indeed, they should enjoy as much as they could on their enemy''s dime. "Me too!" Spencer chimed in, as he and Samuel began browsing the menu. Nicole smiled and told her family members, "Go ahead, everyone. Enjoy a hearty meal tonight." "Absolutely!" Steveughed. Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org. The family then proceeded to order their food in high spirits. Soon, Mrs. Wace Sr. and Tia, who had stepped out earlier, returned to the restaurant, and the room became even merrier as they all enjoyed their meal together. Over at Damien''s home, an eerie silence hung heavily in the air. Miley was sitting beside him, too scared to even breathe. Damien was staring at the TV screen, trembling with rage as he saw the news of Miley suing the Holder Entertainment''s production crew. "Honey, say something. Don''t make yourself sick with anger," Miley urged. In a sh, Damien''s fury erupted, and he hurled his ss across the room, shattering it into pieces upon impact. "What do you want me to say? Are you out of your mind? As if I''m not struggling enough already, you''ve gone ahead and made me an enemy!" ''This foolish woman has sued the Holder Entertainment for a petty sum, stirring up a storm in the process. My position in thepany has plummeted, and I''ve already lost more than half of my clients. Now, she has the nerve to antagonize the Holder family, whose connections still includes a few of my remaining clients. Is she trying to destroy me?'' he seethed. "I... I didn''t mean to make us enemies. It''s Chloe. She needs the money for her treatment. Our finances are tight, and I was just trying to stand up for her," Miley exined. "Stand up for what? I have very few clients left, and if they find out that I''m at odds with the Holder family, do you think they''ll continue working with me? You... you''re unbelievably stupid!" Damien bellowed, unable to believe this. Without the support of the Rogers family, Miley was nothing but a clueless woman. Hurt by Damien''s harsh words, Miley was no longer able to hold her tears back. "I didn''t know about thepany''s situation, and I didn''t know it would turn out like this. How could you say such things to me? I was just trying to help Chloe." "Chloe, Chloe... Haven''t I told you I wouldn''t abandon her? Why do you have to meddle in that which you shouldn''t? I''ve already been arranging for treatment with the best doctors! What more do you want?" Damien clenched his fists, struggling to control his temper, fearing he''d lose it and p Miley across the face. Chapter 1797 Chapter 1797 Hearing that Damien was looking for a doctor, Miley felt a hint of gratitude. She knew he would not abandon Chloe. "Is there really a doctor who can cure Chloe, given the condition she is in?" Damien took a deep breath and said, "Of course there is. I''ve heard of a renowned doctor, James Dade, who has cured patients with severe paralysis. Chloe has only just been paralyzed as of recent, so there might be hope. And at this crucial moment, you''re stirring the pot for me!" He had been swamped with work every single day, and not only could Miley not help, she had also added to the chaos, driving him up the wall. "How was I supposed to know you were looking for a doctor? But this famous doctor, I''ve heard he''s elusive and not many can find him. It''s better for us to just get the money." What Miley said was true, for their dividends had dwindled significantly, and they had to consider Chloe''s ongoing treatment expenses on top of that. N?velDrama.Org ? content. "What do you know? James Dade has an apprentice who is said to reside in our country. As long as we get to find her, there''s hope. Stop messing around. At this critical moment, we can''t afford to offend anyone. Tomorrow, you''ll withdraw from thewsuit. Do you understand?" Damien said. He knew the background of the Holder family, something which Miley was clueless about. If the Holder family managed to dredge his dark secrets up, he might not be able to stand his ground in San Joto ever again. "I..." Miley paused, not ready to give up. Damien red at her fiercely. "If you don''te to your senses, I''ll cut ties with you. You don''t know the true nature of the Holder family. Don''t create another mess for me to deal with." Miley shrank back, suddenly understanding Damien''s point: the Holder family was probably more complicated than she had thought. "I understand. I''ll withdraw thewsuit tomorrow." She had no choice but to agree. Without the Rogers family to rely on, she would be finished if she angered him enough to divorce her. Only then did Damien breathe a sigh of relief. Miley noticed Damien''s mood improving and quickly made him a cup of tea. "Honey, can you really find the famous doctor or his apprentice to get Chloe cured?" Chloe was her only daughter, her pride and joy, and she could not bear to see her suffer. "I''ve gotten some leads. I heard James Dade''s apprentice used to live in Great Oak, but had moved to San Jototer on. It''ll take a few days to find out exactly where she is." Damien suppressed his anger, took a sip of tea, and felt a little better. "Great Oak?" Miley hesitated, feeling a sense of familiarity. "Why does this ce sound so familiar?" She thought it was unlikely she had ever been to such a small vige, and that she must be overthinking it. Damien did not give it much thought either and just said, "In the current situation,ying low is our biggest priority. Besides, Everett has been hospitalized as well. He''s our kid too, so keep an eye on him. Don''t focus all your attention on Chloe." Miley was taken aback. "Everett''s hospitalized? When did that happen?" Damien could not help but be frustrated by Miley''sck of concern for Everett. She had been a star when she was young and had focused all her attention on Chloe. "Go ask Everett yourself. I''ve realized now that having a son is more important. We''ve been focusing on the wrong person. From now on, treat Everett well. He''s our hope for the future," he demanded. Chapter 1798 Chapter 1798 Miley felt a moment of embarrassment at that instant. She had not been involved in her son''s life and did not know him well, and had always created a distance between them. But with Damien''s words and Chloe''s situation, she realized someone had to take care of them when they grew old. "I understand. I''ll be kinder to Everett." It was only after she had spoken that Damien was satisfied. He then proceeded to give her a few more instructions before heading upstairs. Miley watched Damien leave and could not help but sigh with relief. ''When did my life be all about pleasing others? When will it end?'' she asked herself. After the weekend, Nicole resumed her normal routine, going to school during the day, and heading to filming in the evening. Upon seeing Nicole, Nachelle whispered, "You really do understand Lloyd. As you have predicted, his mood has improved significantly today." Nicole allowed herself a tiny smile. "That''s good. You don''t have to worry about him anymore." Nachelle then sighed. "As much as I hate to admit it, you''re right. I don''t understand Lloyd as well as you do." Due to the fact that Lloyd had been kidnapped at a young age, they had not spent much time together, leading very few people in the Holder family to know him well. As for Nachelle, she could only give him what he asked for. Staring at Nicole, she suddenly felt emotional. "Perhaps you''re the only one who truly understands Lloyd. I think that''s why he''s so attached to you." Nicole fell silent. She could sense Lloyd''s feelings for her, but she had already made her stance clear to both Lloyd and Nachelle. This time, however, she did not feel the need to exin anything any further. After all, Nachelle was just expressing her thoughts. "Nicole, don''t me me for saying this, but sometimes, I really wish you could be with Lloyd. Even if... you and Jared annul your marriage or separate. Regardless of your reputation or other people''s opinions, I just want Lloyd to be with the person he loves." Not expecting Nachelle to be so bold and straightforward, Nicole sighed, and in a serious tone, she replied, "Thank you for your kind intentions, but my heart belongs to someone else. I can''t leave Jared. I want to be with the person I love too." Her words left Nachelle speechless. After all, who would not want to be with the person they loved? With that said, Nachelle''s gaze grew heavy, as she realized her son''s chances were slim. "Let''s just focus on filming. At least allow Lloyd to make some fond memories with you," she said with a touch of sadness in her voice. "At least, in this story, give him a perfect ending, alright?" Understanding Nachelle''s genuine feelings, Nicole felt a sense of empathy for her love for Lloyd, and decided to cooperate wholeheartedly with the mother and son duo. "I''ll give it my all." Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org. With Nicole''s promise, Nachelle felt reassured. "I''ll get ready then," she said and left. Nicole headed to the makeup room to get ready. By the time she emerged, Lloyd was done with his makeup too. They were informed that today''s scenes would feature just the two of them. As they prepared for the cameras to roll, Lloyd noticed Nicole still rehearsing her lines and offered, "Do you want to run through the lines together?" Nicole smirked. "There''s no need for that. In the worst case, we''ll have a NG." She was confident that they would only require one or two takes to get the scene right. Lloyd looked at her, impressed. "You''re still so confident." Whether it waspleting tasks or acting, Nicole had always exuded a sense of security. "Of course. To be able to act alongside a movie star, I''ll need to have the skills," she said. As a neer, repeatedly prompting NGs might attract criticism, and that was not how she would go about it. Chapter 1799 Chapter 1799 Thus, whenever there was free time, Nicole would observe how others shot their scenes. Another advantage was that her acting skills as an undercover agent were top-notch. Upon receiving Nicole''s praise, Lloyd shed a slight smile. "You''re too kind. As a neer, your acting is on par with mine, and everyone admires it." Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org. "Thanks for the encouragement," Nicole modestly replied, shaking her head. Lloyd did not say much more, choosing to gaze at Nicole fondly instead. He had been feeling a little frustrated, but after not seeing her for a day, he missed her terribly and could not help but strike up a conversation. Fortunately for him, Nicole was gracious and had not held anything against him. With that thought, he felt more at ease. Soon, the two began rehearsing their lines, and after a few regr scenes, they moved on to a breakup scene. Unexpectedly, as Nicole was turning to leave, Lloyd suddenly grabbed her, taking her aback. Due to Jared''s pressure, the production team had already changed their scenes, limiting their physical contact to hand-holding. But then, Lloyd had altered the scene today by embracing her. Nicole wanted to resist, but the cameras were still rolling and nobody seemed to want to stop. Therefore, she gritted her teeth and kept acting. "Let me go." In return, Lloyd held her tighter. "No, I can''t lose you. Wendy, I misunderstood you. Please forgive me onest time." As he uttered the lines, his grip tightened, and his heart pounded. It was the first time he had held Nicole so passionately from behind, inhaling her scent and feeling her soft body. His longing was overwhelming, stirring restless emotions within. It was then that Nicole lost her patience and forcefully broke free from Lloyd''s grasp. "Let me go! I will never forgive you!" Lloyd hesitated, feeling taken aback. They had been partners before, and he knew Nicole''s capabilities surpassed his own. In spite of this, he had no choice but to continue acting. "Do you really hate me that much?" Seeing that everyone was carrying on, Nicole had no choice but to continue as well. "Yes, and it''s impossible. Never again." With that, she turned and walked away. "Cut!" Nachelle yelled, ending the scene. Nicole stopped in her tracks, exhaling with relief. She initially thought that Nachelle would question Lloyd about the change to the script, but instead, Nachelle praised them. "That was great. It should be performed like that. Some emotional scenes had been limited due to certain reasons. This scene was supposed to be this way, full of emotion," Nachelle said. Nachelle''s words stopped Nicole from voicing her concerns. It seemed that the original script had featured this scene, and that Jared had removed it. She was disgusted by the feeling, wondering why they had to follow the original script for a scene that had already been cut. However, everyone else seemed to ept it, moving on to prepare for the next shoot already. With that, she had no choice but to endure it for now. After all, it was just a hug, which was something common in TV dramas. Still, the thought of being held by Lloyd made her inexplicably ufortable. Chapter 1800 Chapter 1800 Quickly changing their clothes and makeup, Nicole and Lloyd moved on to the next scene. In this scene, the female lead would be caught in the rain and would be brought home by the male lead to get a change of clothes. Nicole, following the script, emerged from the bathroom wearing only one of the male lead''srge T-shirts. Catching sight of Nicole in the ck T-shirt, Lloyd could not help but pause. He knew ck suited her well, but it was her exposed thighs which stirred his imagination. Swallowing hard, Lloyd felt a possessive urge toward Nicole, not wanting the other actors to see her in the way she was. Thinking fast, he tossed her a towel. "Wrap it around your legs." Everyone hesitated for a moment, but Nachelle, seemingly used to Lloyd''s improvisations, did not call for a cut and allowed the scene to continue. Nicole, also ufortable with the outfit, took the opportunity to wrap the towel around her slender waist, tying it into a knot. As she walked, the side slit of the towel revealed glimpses of her legs, which made them even more enticing than before. Wanting to get through the scene quickly, Nicole continued with her lines. "Once the rain stops, I''ll leave. Thanks for the clothes; I''ll wash and return them to youter." Lloyd''s eyes darkened as he approached Nicole. "Are you really that eager to cut ties with me?" "Of course." Nicole lifted her chin defiantly. Seeing Nicole''s delicate face so close to his own, Lloyd struggled to control himself. Unable to resist any longer, he suddenly reached out, wrapping his arm around Nicole''s waist while his other hand gripped the back of her head, preparing to kiss her. Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org. Nicole froze for a moment before her brain caught up to what he was doing, and instinctively, she turned her face away. "What are you doing?" Her question was not a part of the script, but still, no one on set called for a stop. At that point, she was furious and was subconsciously ready to fight Lloyd off already. However, as Nicole''s partner, Lloyd knew her patterns well, and quickly grabbed her wrist before she could attack. "I''m sorry," he murmured, and much to her surprise, he leaned in to attempt another kiss again. Nicole, restrained by him, struggled angrily. However, this genuine reaction was exactly what Nachelle wanted as she greedily continued with the filming of the scene. As everyone watched the drama unfolding with much attention, a figure suddenly lurched out of the shadows. Before anyone could react, the person rushed over and kicked Lloyd. With a loud bang, Lloyd was sent crashing into a ss coffee table nearby. The ss shattered into a million pieces on the floor and Lloyd groaned in pain. "Ugh... damn it..." It was only then that Nicole snapped out of her daze and realized that she had been saved. Eyeing the man standing in front of Lloyd, she felt a surge of warmth in her heart. "What are you doing here?" ''Has Jared actually showed up?'' The moment she saw Jared, her entire heart began to settle. At this point, Jared had no interest in dealing with Lloyd anymore. Instead, he made a beeline straight for his lover. "Are you okay?" ''That damned Lloyd tried to take advantage of Nicole when I wasn''t around!'' he fumed. Chapter 1801 Chapter 1801 ''How am I supposed to stomach this?'' Then, he immediately rushed forward and gave Lloyd a kick. ''Thank goodness I came in time!'' he thought. The panic Nicole was feeling as she was held by Lloyd slowly dissipated the instant she allowed Jared to hug her. After that, she whispered, "I''m fine. Your timing was perfect." As of a minute ago, Lloyd was behaving as if he had lost his mind. ''He actually tried to take advantage of the scene to force a kiss upon me?!'' Nicole thought in disbelief. To make matters worse, Nachelle knew all about this, and yet, she had allowed her son to do as he pleased without calling for a cut to the scene at all. Lloyd knew all too well how Nicole operated and how she would react. In fact, she nearly fell victim to his tricks. The humiliation she had been given made her furious. It was then that Nachelle rushed over with her crew to help Lloyd up. "Lloyd, are you alright?" She was appalled to see her son lying in a pile of broken ss with his back bleeding. "Are you hurt?! Oh god, you''re bleeding!" Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org. The crew member by the side immediately yelled as soon as he saw that. "I''ll call the ambnce!" When everyone else heard that Lloyd had been injured, they scrambled over to help him up. Nachelle became livid at that instant as she red at Jared. "Mr. Johnston! This is the Holder''s film set! How can you just barge in like that!? Aside from interrupting our shoot, you''ve even struck an actor of ours!" Lloyd was her darling baby, and ever since he returned home, she had given him everything he wanted while not allowing any harm or grievances to befall him. Yet, after his reunion with Nicole, he had been subjected to countless humiliations and rejections. To top it all off, Jared had now struck her son! Jared could see that Nachelle was angry, but this did not bother him at all. "So what? This may be your crew, but don''t you forget, I''m the investor here!" He had spent a great deal of money just to have a firm say on things and yet, Nachelle had attempted to weasel out of the deal and turn it against him. She had previously agreed not to arrange too many scenes involving intimate contact for Nicole, and yet, she had allowed Lloyd tomit this very travesty today. If he was a moment toote, Lloyd would have defiled her. Even as of now, Jared wanted to gut him standing. ''That kick wasn''t as powerful as it should be!'' he thought, "So, what if you''re an investor! You think the Holders are short on money? We can cancel the contract right now if that''s the case!" Nachelle yelled, determined that she would use the scorched earth approach on anyone who would dare to hurt her son regardless of who they were. Jared sneered as soon as he heard that. "Sure. Pay me fivefold inpensation, then." Even if everyone in the country feared the Holder family, he did not. He had already included that use in the contract as he feared that the old wily fox would attempt to pull a stunt like this somewhere down the line. "You!" Although the Holder family could ce influential people in chokeholds by using their dark secrets against them, they were always short on liquid money. Otherwise, Nachelle would not have agreed to Jared''s investment. Still, she had failed to foresee that this decision alone would halt the entire production. That very same decision had resulted in Jared hurting her son, and now, all she wanted to do was to ruin the Johnston group right there and then. "Of course, we can alsoe to a peaceful dissolution of the contract, under the condition that Nicole gets to leave the production team from today onwards!" Jared stated, for he already had enough of this farce. Nachelle was a fox, and so was Lloyd. Both of them had utilized favors to get Nicole to stay in the production team, and both had also schemed to take her away from him. The only reason he had allowed Nicole to be a part of it was because he trusted her. However, this did not mean that he would allow anyone to mistreat her the way they did. "Don''t... even think..." Lloyd, who had gotten up, hissed as he shot Jared a murderous re. He had finally gotten the chance to have more contact with Nicole, and even if he had to do so through the film, he wanted to make more good memories with her. ''And Jared wants to ruin all of that?!'' Lloyd fumed. At that moment, Nicole, who was totally disappointed with Lloyd, walked over and said, "This, I''m afraid, is not your call to make." Dejection appeared in Nicole''s eyes as Lloyd was at a loss for words. He had seen such a look in Nicole''s eyes before, and he knew that the very moment she gave him that look, it meant that she would definitely not change her mind. Chapter 1802 Chapter 1802 "Lloyd, I''ve only agreed to do all of this because you''ve aided me back then. However, you''ve made me extremely ufortable today, and I''ve decided to stop the shoot for now. Don''t worry, I''ll repay you what I owe, but in another way," she said. Indeed, it was not like Lloyd''s intelligence could not be bought with money. It was just that she had no need for them before. As of now, she no longer wished to cooperate with this insatiable mother-and- son duo. If anyone else could provide her with the intel she needed for a price, she would pay even more money to get it done. At that instant, Lloyd felt a wave of numbing coldness radiating from within. "Nicole..." he uttered, still wanting to say something. However, Nicole had already lost her patience. "Let''s go. Take me away from here." She was really tired and only wanted to leave this ce. Seeing that, Jared held onto Nicole and walked her out in domineering fashion, and as he did so, no one dared to try to stop him, not even Nachelle. The mother-and-son duo could only watch as the two made their exit. Noticing that the crew was staring at Lloyd''s sorry state, Nachelle fumed. "Why are you just standing there!? Hurry up and send Lloyd to the hospital!" It was only then that everyone snapped back to reality and hurried over to help Lloyd out of the set. The ambnce had already arrived by then, so they did what they were supposed to, and helped him onto it. Concurrently, Lloyd could no longer feel the pain on his body, and his eyes had totally lost their luster. His heart was pining for Nicole, and he really could not help what he had done. He then recalled how Nicole had reacted to him. He truly could not understand what hecked inparison to Jared. It made little sense to him as to why Nicole would be so repulsed by him. With his heart ripped to shreds, he could only close his eyes and allow the pain in his heart to fester. ''I hate this... I hate this so much. If Jared is no longer around, will Nicole give me a chance?'' Inside Jared''s vehicle, Nicole leaned against the car window in exhaustion as she looked out with downcast eyes. Noticing that, Jared could not help himself from pulling her over and letting her rest her head against his chest. Hearing Jared''s heartbeat, she felt an inexplicable sense of relief. "Thank you..." She closed her eyes and whispered softly. Back then, she was the one taking care of others, and never once had she ever been caught in such a situation before. It was because of Lloyd and her history with him in the past that had caused her to be careless. It was only after they had fought that she realized that Lloyd had never forsaken his training. The amount of strength and the sort of techniques he had employed against her earlier made her realize that he was much stronger than before. Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. It was because of these factors that she was rendered immobile at that time. ''I''ve really underestimated Lloyd. He is no longer that sidekick who would just follow behind me,'' she surmised. ''Yeah, for the Holders to control the lifeblood of information, they must possess exceptional skills in order to defend themselves,'' she continued. ''Still, why would he ck on his training?'' Sensing that Nicole was a little exhausted, Jared asked, "Is it because of Lloyd? You look... a little sad." He had many rivals, and Lloyd was just another one to him. Yet, it was only today that he realized the essential difference between Lloyd and Harvey: there was a history between Nicole and Lloyd that he did not know about. Chapter 1803 Chapter 1803 Sensing that Nicole was a little dejected at that moment, Jared took a deep breath. "Perhaps. I don''t know what this feeling is. I just feel... very disappointed... in him," she said. She had already made her rejection clear to Lloyd, thinking that he would care about her feelings, and not have any more delusions about her. Yet, what he had done earlier had thoroughly disappointed her. To think that Lloyd would do something like that to her was just painful. Back then, Lloyd was the one who understood her best, as he was her partner since a very young age before Carl even joined. Back then, Lloyd would take note of her feelings, and would never do anything that would make her ufortable. But now he had changed... Jared hugged her even harder. "Your disappointment means you have too high a hope for this person. I won''t allow you to care about another man." Nicole raised her head in helplessness. "I care about him, but not because of love. In fact, it''s not... not even because of friendship." Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org. Her rtionship with Lloyd could perhaps only be described asrade-in-arms who had been through life and death situations together. "However, it doesn''t matter any longer. I will not get anywhere close to him anymore," she said, for the Lloyd now was no longer the Lloyd she knew. This Lloyd was both familiar yet foreign to her. "Still, I''m afraid that Lloyd will not be providing me any further information," she said, though there was not a trace of concern in her voice as she knew she still had Jared. "Don''t worry. The person we''ve released is almost back there. We''ll find that group soon enough," Jared assured. Nicole nodded, and in a tired tone of voice, she said, "Alright. Anyway, I don''t n to show up on set ever again. As for the other stuff, do as you see fit." Jared had invested in the show because of her, and if she wanted to leave, he could solve that issue in whichever way he wanted. "Alright. The Holder family may not have enough cash flowing in, so they will definitely not choose to pay thepensation in fivefold. They''ll definitely allow you to leave," Jared stated. Hearing this, Nicole felt much more reassured. "Thankfully, you''ve seen thising." Jared had always been one to strategize and n ahead. "I knew that the two were scheming." Jared''s eyes darkened. To be fair, Nicole was not there, and as such, she did not know how the Holders truly were, and as a result, had trusted them blindly. Nicole nodded. "It looks like your sixth sense is pretty on point, Mr. Jared." She had agreed to their terms on the basis that she had to acquire the intelligence needed to track the Braves, thinking that it was just a trivial matter. "Now that you know, you''ll do well to listen to me next time," Jared stated with a satisfied smile. In the foreseeable future, he would never allow Nicole to do something as stupid as that ever again. As the filming had halted prematurely and the day was still young, Jared brought Nicole to a restaurant with a view of the night for a meal tofort her. It was only after Nicole began to feel better that he sent her home. Jared then looked at Nicole. "You said that we''ll go ahead and register for our marriage once the filming is done. Now that it is done, when do we get married?" Nicole noted the sincerity in Jared''s eyes, and this time, her heart softened. "Any time," she said. After receiving that answer, a spark of joy appeared in Jared''s eyes. Recently, Jared had been acting like an innocent child before her. "Alright, once I''ve helped you with the Braves and what''s left of the contract with the film crew, we''ll head to Panem," he said. "Alright." Nicole nodded. Her heart fluttered when she saw Jared behaving the way he did. Then, she leaned over and kissed him on the forehead. But a kiss on the forehead was nowhere near enough and just as Nicole was about to pull away, Jared immediately kissed her on the lips before deepening it. In fact, the pair were so engrossed in their kiss that they had forgotten they were right at the front gate of the house. Not far away, Sean and Steve stopped the car in embarrassment as they looked at each other, finding it too awkward to get off the car now. Although that was the case, Steve did not forget to tease Sean. "Heh, Nicole is already settling down and some of us haven''t even shared a kiss with someone yet." Sean tensed up a little. "Steve, no one would think you''re mute if you kept quiet." Chapter 1804 Chapter 1804 "Always has been." Steve burst out intoughter. Sean was extremely embarrassed and was about to give Steve a punch when Steve telegraphed the hit and quickly got out of the car. The thud of the closing door surprised both Nicole and Jared as they spun around and looked over. Jared was unperturbed but Nicole was blushing hard as she fumbled, "Uh... I''ll be heading in first." "Alright." Jared curled his lips gleefully as he watched Nicole speeding off. Seeing that Nicole had left, Steve walked over. "Mr. Jared, your progress is exceptional." Jared raised his eyebrow. "Of course. Mr. Steve, you should learn from me. Be a little more focused and you can get married sooner as well." Hearing that, Steve suddenly felt embarrassed. At the same time, Sean had gotten out of the car and happened to hear that. After he had walked up to Steve, he elbowed his younger brother at the side and said, "Heard that? If you could actually be serious for once, you can be like Mr. Jared too." Steve''s face turned green at once. "Get lost." Immediately after, he turned around and strode into the house. Jared then looked at Sean and said, "I''ll be going off then." Sean smiled coyly. "Alright." He then watched as Jared got into the car and drove toward the manor next to the Riddle family''s residence. At the juncture, he had to admit that Jared''s method of pursuing his wife was something theds of the Riddle family should learn from. Meanwhile, just as Nicole had entered the house, everyone had already finished their meals and was sitting in the living room. Seeing that Nicole had returned, Gloria smiled and asked, "Why are you back so early today?" Not wanting to say much, Nicole simply exined, "The filming ended earlier today, so I came home right away." "Have you eaten already?" Gloria asked, worried that her daughter had not eaten because she had returned at such an early hour. Nicole nodded. "Yeah, I''ve eaten already." Steve then walked in from outside, and after having been taunted by Jared, he could not help himself from teasing Nicole. "Mr. Jared had already taken Nicole out for a meal, and he even dropped her at the door." When Gloria heard that, a look of joy appeared on her face. "Ever since Mr. Jared moved into the area, he has consistently been driving Nicole to and from school. How nice." Nicole shot Steve a nce, and realizing that her mischievous brother had purposefully brought Jared up, she shot back yfully. "Mom, did you hear that? Steve is envious of me now. How about you arrange a partner for him?" The moment she uttered those words, Steve almost bit his tongue. "I... I did not mean that at all." Gloria, however, was overjoyed. "What an excellent idea!" At that moment, Sean walked in, prompting Gloria to say, "Let''s arrange one for Sean as well. At the very least, Steve has had a girlfriend before, Sean still doesn''t have a partner up until now!" Finding himself catching a stray bullet just as he entered the ce, Sean said, in a bashful tone, "Mom, can you not tell Nicole everything?" N?velDrama.Org ? content. He had just been so busy with work that he did not have the mood or the time to get himself a girlfriend. As such, it puzzled him as to why his mother was implying that he was incapable of finding himself a woman. "What''s there not to tell? If I had known that the five of you would have difficulty finding a partner, I would''ve set you all up for arranged marriages. At the very least, not all of you would still be single, unlike how you are now," Gloria argued. Samuel and Spencer, who were seated on the sofa squirmed awkwardly. "Mom... It''s fine that you want to fuss about Sean and Steve, but can you leave us out of this?" "Yeah, we''re still students." In response, Gloria rolled her eyes at the twins. "And Nicole isn''t? Don''t look for excuses just because you can''t be bothered to put in the effort." After she had said that, Gloria turned to her daughter and continued, "Nicole, think of something for your poor brothers. The girls you''ve hooked Samuel and Spencer with for the banquet seem to be decent folks. Are they your schoolmates?" Feeling extremely embarrassed, Samuel and Spencer said, "Stop it, Mom..." Chapter 1805 Chapter 1805 Yet, Samuel could not help himself from thinking about June, who was really well dressed that night. Spencer too thought of Lulu and it seemed that he was not opposed to the idea. "Stop what? Let''s organize a family barbeque this weekend. Nicole, bring those two girls over. Sean and Steve? Invite your previouspanions over as well." At that moment, a surge of instant regret flooded Steve. ''Me and my big mouth.'' Sean began to feel awkward too, and in resignation, he said, "Mom, Nicole still has filming to do during the weekends." Nicole, however, smiled. "I don''t need to film this weekend. If it''s for your future, I''ll definitely return home for it." The second she said that, all five of her elder brothers looked at her helplessly. In an attempt to steer the conversation, Samuel looked at Stanley and said, "Mom, why are you worried about us and not Stanley?" In reply, Stanley rolled his eyes at them. "My partner is already living here." He had no need to invite anyone. Tia was like family, and because of that, he was totally unfazed. Seeing that, both Samuel and Spencer felt a pang of jealousy for Stanley. Tia was always at home taking care of Mrs. Wace Sr., and was just like a younger sister to them, so it was natural for them to get along without any sort of awkwardness. "Good, that settles things then. I want to see who is the least capable of you lot this weekend. At least one of you won''t be able to bring a girlfriend back," Gloria said. After provoking her sons in deliberate fashion, Gloria smiled as she went upstairs, with Nicole following right behind. Behind her, the brothers began arguing with each other in the living room, cursing out andmenting among one another because of Steve''s big mouth. Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org. Steve really wanted to give himself a proper p or two, but it would not help things as it stood. The next day, Lulu and June saw Nicole arriving at school, and in a tone of concern, they asked. "Nicole, why is it that there are always problems with your filming crew? I heard a paparazzi saying that Lloyd got injured as well?" Nicole looked at Lulu and replied, "You sure get your news fast." Hearing that, Lulu suddenly found herself in an awkward spot. "Heh, I''m a Lloydite, and I''m also a member of his fan club. Although it''s not been officially announced yet, the fan club has gotten someone to scout things out, and they said that they saw Lloyd being carried into the ambnce. What happened exactly?" Not wanting to talk about what happened yesterday, Nicole said, "He got cut by the table ss. Nothing too serious." "Oh? Just that?" Lulu was surprised, thinking that it was a major piece of news. Nicole nodded. "Of course. Why? You sound a little disappointed." Lulu quickly shook her head. "No, no. Why would I be? It''s good that Lloyd is alright." She was after all his fan, so it made no sense as to why she would want him to be injured. Seeing that both June and Lulu had calmed down, Nicole then said, "Are the two of you free this weekend? My mom is inviting the both of you to my ce." "Huh? She''s inviting us..." "As guests?!" Nicole raised her eyebrow. "Yeah. Will the two of you be avable?" The two were stunned for a good moment before they sputtered, "Yes!" "Of course!" June eximed, feeling extremely excited. The thought of having the opportunity to visit the Riddle''s residence and meet Samuel during the weekends sent her heart fluttering in an inexplicable way. "But, why would she invite us..." Lulu asked. Although she was ted, she was curious about the reason nheless. A glint appeared in Nicole''s eyes as she smiled and said, "My mom is urging my brothers to get themselves girlfriends, and she''s inviting their partners during thepany''s annual dinner for the weekend party." "Huh, are you for real?" Chapter 1806 Chapter 1806 "Of course." Nicole raised her eyebrow. "This is your chance. You better be well-prepared for this weekend." The news made Lulu very excited, though she attempted to remain poised anyway. "I... I will..." Nicole could see that the two of them were serious about their feelings for Spencer and Samuel, and due to that, it would be nice if there was an opportunity for her to pair all of them up. However, it was then that Nicole received a message from Sean. "Nicole, my previouspanion was my assistant. Mom just loves ying match-up a little too much. I don''t want things to be awkward in the officeter on. Help me out and find me a partner to even the count, if you would." Nicole raised her eyebrow the second she had read that. ''Sean is truly a shmuck.'' Although she had not paid much attention to Sean''spanion during the dinner, that assistant of his was both considerate and well-mannered. Moreover, she was almost a little too submissive toward him. For a workaholic like Sean, a considerate and caring assistant like her was the perfect fit for him, and here he was, voicing his dissatisfaction. Initially, Nicole did not wish to get involved in this entire matchmaking fiasco, but after some thought, she replied, "Okay." And just like that, she had agreed to find him apanion, but as for who thatpanion would be, she had the final say. RING--- The school bell rang and very quickly, Ms. Emerson walked into the ssroom. Everyone quiet down and looked at her. At this moment, Ms. Emerson smiled and said, "We have a new student who has been transferred to our ss today. Let''s wee her." The news went on to surprise everyone. It was strange to think that there was another student aside from Nicole who had been transferred to the school this semester, and it was even stranger to think that the both of them had ended up in the same ss. There was a faint apuse in the chamber, but Nicole was totally indifferent as she looked at the door. Yet, unexpectedly, the person walking through the door was someone she recognized, and had almost forgotten the name of. At that moment, the girl walked up onto the rostrum with her chin held high as she pompously introduced herself to everyone. "Hello, I''m Regina Wynn and I''ve been transferred from Great Oak High School. I hope we can get along." When they heard that Regina was from Great Oak High School, both Lulu and June darted their eyes at Nicole. Although the rest of the students did not know much about this, the two of them knew that Nicole too had transferred over from Great Oak, and it was said that there was only one high school in Great Oak... When they saw that Nicole was being totally indifferent, they thought that she might not know who the new student was, and perhaps they had hailed from the same school, but not from the same ss. But after Regina had introduced herself, she suddenly said, "The reason I''ve transferred over because there was a student from Great Oak who had transferred over recently too." The moment those words were uttered, everyone was taken aback as they subconsciously turned their gaze toward Nicole. After all, she was the only one who had transferred overst semester. As it turned out, the two of them were ssmates. At this moment, everyone looked at Regina with even more apparent looks surprise. Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org. ''So, that''s why she wishes to join this ss. Nicole''s here to cover her back!'' Nicole looked at Regina, wondering where she had found the gall to say what she had said. Back in the days of Great Oak, Regina would pester her incessantly, and due to her being a carefree individual, she would not even bother to waste her time and energy on a runt like Regina. Yet, she totally did not expect that thetter would try to worm her way into the Royal Creek Institute. As she looked at Regina with nonchnce, Nicole remained silent and irresponsive. Ms. Emerson knew that Regina had tried many ways and could not get into the institute. It was only after the teacher at the admissions office told Mr. Ellison that she both Nicole and Regina were acquainted that Mr. Ellison allowed her to enroll. Noticing that Regina was so eager in trying to form rtionships and connections the moment she got into the institute, Ms. Emerson could not help sneaking a nce at Nicole. Yet, Nicole remained expressionless throughout the entire period, making it so that no one could tell what she was thinking. However, as the two of them knew each other, Ms. Emerson made some casual arrangements either way. "If that''s the case, Regina, you can take a seat beside the ss representative." Bradley was seated behind Nicole, and to her right was Lulu, and behind Lulu was June. The only remaining empty spot was to the left, and no one had foreseen that Ms. Emerson would give that spot to Regina. When Regina heard that, she thought, ''Wow, am I that lucky?'' Chapter 1807 Chapter 1807 Regina had just entered the ssroom, and yet, she was already assigned to sit next to the ss representative. Ms. Emerson was too fond of her. All of a sudden, a wide smile formed on Regina''s face. "Thank you very much, madam. I would like to ask, who is the ss president?" She turned around to look at her ssmates, hoping to find the aforementioned ss president. Much to her surprise, everyone proceeded to turn their heads toward Nicole. Vivian noticed the dumbfounded look on Regina''s face right away. She was already trying to get on Nicole''s good side as soon as she joined the ss, and yet, she did not know that the ss president was none other than Nicole. Remembering that she was ssmates with Nicole previously, Vivian stifled her anger for Nicole and directed it to Regina instead. "You''ve just joined the ss, and yet, you''ve tried to suck up to Nicole. And now, you''re saying that you don''t know who the ss president is? In the entire ss, she''s the only one with an empty seat on her left. I wonder if you''re dumb or blind." Once those words had exited Vivian''s mouth, Regina was taken aback. ''What is she trying to say?'' Ms. Emerson, who had overheard that, nced at Vivian and said, "Vivian, mind yournguage." Then, Ms. Emerson turned to Regina. "Nicole is the ss president. As the both of you are familiar with each other, you could ask her anything. She will help you." "What?" Regina asked in shock. Even minutes ago, Regina could already sense that everyone''s eyes were on Nicole. She just found it unbelievable that Nicole, who had made her way to San Joto a mere few months earlier than her, hadN?velDrama.Org ? content. actually be one of the ss presidents at Royal Creek Institute. ''H-how is this possible?'' she wondered. Although Regina knew that Nicole''s academic results had always been better than hers, Regina could have be the ss president for a long time because her dad was one of the directors. Even if Nicole''s scores were exceptional at Great Oak, she was unchallenged at San Joto. ''Why is she the ss president?'' Regina asked herself. "Alright, have a seat." Ms. Emerson ordered, beginning to get annoyed. Seeing this, Regina could only suppress her emotions. She walked toward Nicole and sat down beside her, after which she began to size Nicole up as her eyes reeked of jealousy. However, Nicole did not even turn to look at her, and just like that, an entire period went by. After lunch break, Ms. Emerson summoned Nicole over to her. At that moment, the girls in the ss came over and surrounded Regina. "Hey, were you really ssmates with Nicole?" "Uh...Yeah." Regina replied, thinking that a country bumpkin like Nicole would not live a good life at San Joto. To her chagrin, however, Nicole had even be the ss president. Seeing that she herself was surrounded by many of the people around her, Regina felt that she had made an absolute fool out of herself now. "You''re so fortunate. With Nicole shielding you, no one would dare to pick on you anymore." "No wonder you transferred to Royal Creek Institute. If it were me, I would do the same too," the crowd took turnsmenting, which left Regina in a state of shock. ''What do they mean when they said that no one would pick on me with Nicole shielding me?'' she wondered. ''It''s as if I came here just to be under her care! Why would I need help from a country bumpkin? This is simply impossible!'' Chapter 1808 Chapter 1808 Based on thements from her ssmates, it seemed to her that Nicole had been leading a good life thus far, a reality which Regina had a hard time swallowing. Concurrently, Nicole had just returned to the ssroom too. Unable to stomach the truth anymore, she walked up to Nicole and said sarcastically, "I did not expect you to be leading such a good life here at San Joto. You even made it to the position of president." In Regina''s point of view, Nicole had always been a ss below her. On top of that, she thought that Nicole had nothing in her skill set that would qualify her for the position of ss president at Royal Creek Institute. In response, Nicole shot Regina a nce. "Why? Are you jealous?" Those two lines infuriated Regina at once. "Who is jealous? I''m just shocked with San Joto''s standards when ites to appointing a ss monitor. If someone like you can be the ss monitor, I could too!" Once those words had left Regina''s mouth, the entire ss was taken aback. They initially thought that Regina and Nicole had a good rtionship, and that Regina had specifically requested to be here just so that she could get into Nicole''s good graces. In an act that defied expectations, Regina had already gotten into a quarrel with Nicole on her first day, leaving many to question her intelligence. As Nicole was thest person anyone would want to offend in San Joto, they could not tell if Regina was really unaware of the situation or was she just in stupid. Nicole nced at Regina coldly. "Are you thinking of ying the same tricks like you once did? Your dad is not the school''s director here. You won''t be able to bribe the teachers here either. If I were you, I''d be good, study hard and stay out of trouble. Otherwise, you''ll never know how you''ll die." After uttering thest words, Nicole''s gaze turned dark. Everyone could then sense the iciness in the atmosphere, with nobody daring to speak up. At the same time, Regina felt it too, and she was shocked by it. ''How long has it been since this bumpkin moved here? How did she get so powerful?'' she wondered. However, in Regina''s heart, Nicole would always be that bumpkin who would never be able to contest her. Thinking of this, Regina snorted. "Although my dad is not the director here, he has a partnership going with the Fisher Group. Have you heard of them before? They are so much bigger than the Riddle Corporation! With your position, you dare to threaten me? Do you really think I''d be scared of you?" Nicole raised her eyebrows. She was still wondering if Regina had been demoted from her position as ss president, or that the Wynn family had been chased out of the school''s board of directors. It was inconceivable as to why she had made her way to San Joto. What was even surprising was the fact that the Wynn family had already established connections with the Fisher Group, although the Wynns must be blind to the current situation at San Joto. As it stood, the Fisher Group''s biggest rival was the Riddle Corporation. Moreover, the Fishers were now smaller in size and scale, and had immense difficulty in even challenging the partners of the Riddle Corporation. Perhaps the Wynn family, who just entered San Joto''s market, was the only one who though that they hadnded themselves a gold mine and a protector of sorts. Nicole was on the verge of bursting out intoughter upon hearing that. Her only thought was that Regina was extremely foolish, as in truth, Regina''s news was really outdated. She probably had no clue that the Riddle Corporation had surpassed the Fisher Group''s status in just a matter of months. "Hah! I really did not expect the Wynn family to establish connections with the Fisher Group. It is no wonder that you are speaking to me in such a manner." Nicole looked at Regina coldly, suppressing the urge tough out loud. And while they were staring each other down, Regina still thought that Nicole was surprised by the Wynn family''s progress. She then crossed her arms and snorted. "You''re scared now? That''s toote. Let me tell you, as long as you''re in the same space as me, I will make sure that you go down. You better enjoy your final moments of being a ss president!" To Regina, this position was soon going to be hers. After she had spoken, Regina kept her arms crossed before her chest and walked out arrogantly. Unexpectedly, the entire ss burst out into fits of hystericalughter after Regina had walked out. Even Nicole, who rarely smiled, began to let loose in a fresh gale of chuckles because of Regina''s show of idiocy. Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org. Lulu wasughing so hard that she mmed the table. "Haha! Which vige did thisdye from? Who is she to challenge Nicole?" "Interesting. That''s really interesting! She actually thinks that she can be the ss president?" Juneughed as tears streamed down her face. "This is such a rare sight to see!" Bradley eximed. Indeed, there were still people running around the earth with such an astounding degree of blind confidence. It was amusing. As of now, the entire ss was taking turns mocking Regina. Regina, who was in the corridor, overheard theughter. Unable to help it, she turned around out of curiosity. Chapter 1809 Chapter 1809 ''What is going on? Were these people surprised to know who I am? Why are theyughing like that?'' she wondered. Based on Regina''s foolishness alone, she would never understand the true reason. After an entire day of sses, there were no further interactions between Nicole and Regina. Initially, Regina was confident about bing the ss president, but after a few periods of lessons, she began to lose hope. The pace at the Royal Creek Institute was too fast, and Regina could not catch up at all. Soon, she began to grow curious as to how Nicole could be so calm and rxed. After every lesson, Nicole would be reading reference books, prompting Regina to be furious. If she really wanted to be the ss monitor, she had to better manage her own studies first. During self-revision time, Regina was sweating buckets while studying. On the other hand, Nicole had already stood up, ready to walk out with Bradley, Gary and the rest quickly following suit. Seeing that Nicole did not even bother with the self-revision period and had left with a group of boys, Regina raised her eyebrows, turned to the person in front of her, and asked, "Where did they go? Why aren''t they doing their revision?" The person sitting in front replied, "Don''t you know? Nicole and the rest are participating in aputer competition. That is why they would go to theputerb for training during self-revision periods." Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org. Regina could not help herself from widening her eyes upon hearing that. "Computerpetition? Her?" To her, Nicole was nothing but a country bumpkin. At Great Oak, she was known as the girl who could only live with her grandmother that wore an old hat. How would she have known how to use computers? Yet, in spite of Regina''s aspersions, Nicole had indeed joined aputerpetition. Regina gritted her teeth and spat, "If she can join, I can as well!" The students sitting in front watched how overconfident Regina was, after which they burst out laughing. ''This kid is truly of a different breed.'' "Alright then, you may look for Ms. Emerson to register. Thepetition has not started yet. You might still be able to register," they said, eager to see how this vige bumpkin would create a name for herself. "Really? I''ll head over now!" Regina stood up, left the ssroom and headed straight to find Ms. Emerson and sign up for the contest. Lulu and June, who had been quiet, clearly overheard Regina''s conversation with those sitting in front, whereupon the former turned around and looked at Joyce, "This girl, is she right in the head?" She actually thought ofpeting with Nicole on herputer skills? The entire school knew that Nicole was aputer genius! "Interesting. Should we go to theputerb and see if anything happens?" June wickedly asked. All the other students became excited upon hearing that. "Sure, let''s go and see..." After a short discussion, everyone sneaked out of the ssroom. Concurrently, Regina had already registered herself with Ms. Emerson. Although Ms. Emerson found it weird that a newly transferred student would register for aputerpetition, she remembered that Regina might be trying her best to gain approval from the students by making the whole ss proud. Thus, she agreed to it. After Regina had gotten the green light, she immediately discovered where theputerb was at. Then, she pushed the door and entered. Seeing that there were students who were stilling in, everyone was shocked. When Bradley noticed that it was Regina, he could not help himself from raising his brows and mocking, "Why is that ignoramus here in the first ce?" Chapter 1810 Chapter 1810 Nicole nced over and noticed Regina strutting in arrogantly, during which she mocked, "It seems that someone can''t wait to be humiliated again." Gary, Jack and Wayne turned over to check out what was going on, and they could already predict that there would be another drama soon. Outside of theputerb, Lulu and the rest were peeking through the window, waiting to witness the drama. Regina could feel those eyes watching her, and she still thought that everyone was staring at her because of her beauty. So, she unconsciously lifted her chin and greeted the teacher. She then mentioned that she was the new student who had just registered before taking a seat. However, her gaze was directed at Nicole throughout the entire time. Deep down, she wasparing herself to Nicole. At that moment, Ryder stepped onto the podium. "For today, I''ll still be assigning tasks to all of you on behalf of the teacher. Everyone, please hurry up to solve the question. Those who manage to solve it may go home early." Regina looked at the handsome Ryder who was standing on the podium, and found him irresistible. There was no one as handsome as he was at Great Oak. For Regina, she had just been at Royal Creek for a day, and she had already seen quite a number of handsome guys. There were a few other good-looking ones in ss, but they were mostly sitting around Nicole. Perhaps, it was because of her position as ss president that those guys were trying to get close to her. And now, a well-dressed, handsome man was standing right in front of her, one who could very well be the teacher''s assistant. Such a senior was very impressive to her, so much so that her eyes were glimmering as she was staring at Ryder. At that moment, theputer vibrated, and Ryder nced at the crowd before announcing, "Today''s topic has been sent out, try and solve it as soon as possible." It was at this moment that Regina noticed a wall of codes appearing on herputer screen, causing her to freeze. ''Didn''t I sign up for aputerpetition, so that I can learn? Why is myputer down?'' At that thought, Regina instinctively raised her hand. "Excuse me, m-myputer is broken." Regina turned her gaze to Ryder while her nerves racked her. However, she also felt a little excited at being able to catch Ryder''s attention. Ryder darted his eyes at Regina, clearly remembering that she was the one who had joined a little later. He frowned and looked over. "That''s impossible." Then, Ryder approached Regina, noting the ck screen filled with coding. He could not help but raise his eyebrows, and in a tone indicating annoyance, he said, "This is the topic I''ve sent to the lot of you. You''ll have to solve it. Why? Do you not know how?" Regina became bbergasted as soon as he had given her his answer. "Huh? You want me...to solve...this?" Her eyes widened as she did not know what to do at that moment. Her knowledge ofputers was only limited to surfing the inte and watching dramas. How would she know how to solve something thisplex? "Of course." Ryder stared at her with a frown. Regina instantly blushed out of embarrassment. She did not want Ryder to look down on her, so she immediately replied, "I-I got it. I''ll try." As those words sounded like they were void of confidence, Bradley mocked, "Based on such a response, I guess you don''t know anything about it. Who gave her the confidence to even register for thispetition?" Wayne and Jack, who were on the other side, burst into fresh gales ofughter. Meanwhile, Nicole responded with sardonicughter and looked down at herputer. Everyone else was focused on solving the problem, and yet, Nicole was sipping her on drink while looking rxed. Gary took a look at Nicole''sputer. "My brother gave us different sets of questions aspared to the rest. This is a lot harder." In response, Nicole looked at him. "You find it hard?" After being questioned in that manner, Gary broke into cold sweat. ''Nicole thinks that these questions are easy?'' he panicked. N?velDrama.Org ? content. After everything that had transpired in the previous session, Ryder had since been waiting for this session so that he could square off with Nicole. He had spent days on his preparation to create a virus for Nicole to solve, and aforementioned virus had been sent to Nicole just then. Gary had watched Ryder in that process of creation, and such was why he would know how to solve it. However, he still found it difficult. To see Nicole being so calm puzzled Gary, and on top of that, he was beginning to worry about Ryder. Chapter 1811 Chapter 1811 "Of course...a little." Gary embarrassedly replied. Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org. Nicole put on a wicked smile, remained silent, and continued sipping on her coffee. At that point, Ryder was standing next to Nicole. Noticing that Nicole was taking sip after sip of her drink, Ryder thought that he had finally challenged her. Thus, he purposely teased her, "Why? Is the question too difficult today?" Hearing that Nicole was finding it difficult to solve the question made Regina smirk. Initially, she thought that Nicole would be leagues above her. Yet, it seemed that she was in the same position as Regina. What Regina did not know was that Nicole''s question was a lot more difficult than hers. Nicole noticed how provocative Ryder was, and so, she yfully smiled. "It''s not hard. I don''t even have the urge to solve it." Once those words exited her mouth, the whole room fell silent in shock. Previously, everyone had witnessed Nicole''s ability with their own eyes, so much so that even Ryder could not defeat her. However, Ryder was the teacher''s assistant, as well as a senior. With his reputation at stake, he could only force himself toe up with more difficult questions for Nicole. What they did not seeing, however, was that Nicole would be so candid and tactless with Ryder. This, in turn, made Ryder feel really embarrassed. Seeing that his crush was being bullied, Regina became furious. ''Nicole is such a shameless person! It''s obvious that she doesn''t know how to solve it, and yet she''s being all smug about it.'' With that in mind, Regina had to help herself to a sarcastic remark. "If you don''t know how to do it, just admit it. Bragging will only lead one to embarrassment." Thatment proceeded to shock everyone even further. ''Who is she?'' ''Is she out of her mind?'' ''How dare she challenge a genius like Nicole?'' Nicole fixed her eyes on Regina with a smirk. She did not wish to start an argument with thetter, but as of now, she had to wonder if Regina was trying to y the role of the white knight. With a snort, Nicole mocked, "I think those words would better apply to you. You don''t even know what coding is, and yet, you had the temerity to register for aputerpetition. Who gave you such courage? Was it Celine Dion?" The instant those words left Nicole''s mouth, everyone looked at Regina and erupted into a fit of hystericalughter. "Who is she?" "I heard she''s the new kid.'' As everyone had begun chattering about her, Regina became furious and replied, "If I don''t know, what makes you think that you do?" Ryder frowned and looked at Regina, ''This girl is new here. No wonder she has no clue about what Nicole is capable of.'' At that moment, Bradley decided that he would no longer tolerate the aspersions from Regina. "Nicole is theputer genius of the school! Of course she would know. You, on the other hand, most likely came from some backwater town. So, it is better for you to sit down. Don''t embarrass yourself." Sarcastically, Wayne added, "That''s right. Why are you appearing at every corner?" This new kid was not only brainless; she was also ruthless. Regina did not expect anyone to stand up for Nicole, let alone refer to her as the puter genius''. She could not bring herself to believe any of those words. At this point, the teacher could not stand it anymore. "Enough. What is there to argue about? Quickly solve your questions and get out of here." Seeing this, Regina could only behave herself and turn around. Not wanting to beat around the bush anymore, Nicole coldly said to Ryder, "Although you''ve put in quite a lot of effort in creating this virus, they all seem pretentious." After she had said her peace, Nicole plugged her own USB in. In an instant, theputer virus had been cleared off. "D*mn!" Jack eximed, having witnessed the entire scene as he was behind Nicole the entire time. He was taken aback at once. "Gosh! She actually wiped the virus out in a second!" "That''s out of this world!" Wayne was surprised too. Chapter 1812 Chapter 1812 Gary instinctively pinched his forehead, for his prediction hade to life, as expected. At that moment, Ryder''s face was brimming with embarrassment and shock, "H-how is that possible?" Nicole stood up in an instant. "Senior. Can you please set a harder question for me the next time?" Then, she raised her hands and said to the teacher, "Maam, I''vepleted my task. I''m leaving now." Not expect Nicole toplete the assignment quicker than she had during thest session, the teacher frowned at Ryder in annoyance. ''He''s a senior, and yet, he could not even give his junior a run for her money,'' the teacher though, wondering if she should ask Nicole to set the questions for the training program instead. Seeing that Nicole had just walked out, the entire ss was shocked, with Regina so taken aback that her jaw dropped. ''That b*tch, Nicole Riddle! She could actually solve such aplex task?'' she asked herself. ''Were they really telling the truth when they referred to Nicole as theputer genius?'' Before Regina could get the answers to her questions, Nicole had already left. Regina was left sitting there, stupidly staring at the symbols on theputer screen. She did not know what to do. Bradley, who was sitting two rows behind, mocked Regina, "Why? Weren''t you the loudest just now? If you''re so capable, why don''t you sort your code out and quickly leave? Nicole''s task was a lot harder than ours!" Regina became embarrassed at once. What was she supposed to solve? She did not even understand a thing! It was then that Regina regretted registering for such a thing. She had truly ruined her family name! Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org. ''That b*tch, Nicole Riddle!'' she seethed. ''So, she has been hiding her skills this whole time! No wonder these people are so fond of her.'' However, in Regina''s eyes, those were merelyputer skills. She was confident that if she had been at San Joto for two months, she could do the same with a little bit of learning. At that thought, Regina calmed down significantly. "She entered Royal Creek before I did and she had already learned these things longer than I have. I''ll definitely reach her level of proficiency within a few months of learning!" It was totally normal for people to meet a confident person, but no one had ever met one as shameless as Regina herself. With that said, Gary could not help himself from giving Regina a few more nces. ''How could such a foolish person exist on earth? Nicole is the world''s best hacker. Does she really think that she would be able to reach her level in one- or two-months'' time?'' "What a shameless individual." Wayne looked at Regina, thinking she must be crazy. Jack followed up by throwing a nce at Wayne and Gary. "She can''t be this dumb, right?" The boys then chuckled. Bradley could not help butugh out loud as well, after which the other boys around them began to guffaw hysterically. The second Regina heard them, she was on the verge of finding a hole to hide in. She had only been there for a day, and everyone had already treated her like a fool. "H-how dare you look down on me!" she yelled. Regina was so furious that she stomped her feet and left theputerb immediately. The teacher could tell that Regina would not be able to solve the question even if she had stayed. Therefore, the teacher did not stop her. Instead, she spoke to Gary. "She''s the new kid from your ss, right? Go back and tell Ms. Emerson that she need not pull any random kid in to fill in the slots. Your ss has got enough representatives already." Chapter 1813 Chapter 1813 "Alright," Gary nodded in agreement. With gloomy expressions on their faces, Wayne and Jack said, "How could this b*stard drag Ms. Emerson down? She''s ruining our ss reputation." "Exactly! I have never seen someone so irritating before!" Gary did not react well to this situation at all, since it was his own ss being raked over the coals. He was not pleased that such a person had ruined his reputation. Unfortunately, they had to endure it, as they had sworn not to abuse women. Nicole walked out of theputerb and spotted the duo of Lulu and June with a bunch of other students who were standing at the door, watching the drama. Nicole frowned at the sight right away. "What are you doing here? Shouldn''t you be in ss?" Lulu chuckled while covering her mouth. "Nicole, We all saw what happened. You were amazing!" "That''s right. You even solve Ryder''s task!" Initially, they were all there to witness Regina''s failure. Who would have known that they were able to watch such a scene with Nicole in the picture? Nicole raised her eyebrows. "Yeah, he sucks." The crowd could not help but look at her in a different light. Everyone knew that the Finley brothers were very talented in regards toputer systems. They were the ones in charge of the school''s forum and security cameras. Yet, Nicole''s rightfulment about how mediocre Ryder''s skills were was a testament to how talented she was in turn. Not wanting to dwell on the topic, she said to them, "Hurry up. Go back. ss is about to start. Aren''t you scared of being caught by the teacher standing here?" Juneughed. "Can you believe that the rube went to meet the teacher to register for thepetition? We couldn''t resist the urge to follow her and see what she could do." Lulu chimed in, "I didn''t expect her to be so shamelessly confident. She really thought that her computer was broken moments ago. Hahaha!" Apparently, everyone saw everything that had happened just now. Nicole recalled the scene where Regina was fumbling with herputer and found it interesting too. Ryder might have never encountered such a person before, as his face had turned green from frustration. "Alright, you''ve seen enough of the drama. Let''s go back," Nicole said. Just as the crowd was about to leave, they heard theputerb door swinging open and Regina rushing out. There was still loudughter emanating from inside theb. Lulu and the others outside immediately realized that Regina was escaping the mockery she was being subjected to. "Oh look, isn''t that ourputer genius?" Lulu sarcastically remarked. Then, June chimed in at the side. "I wonder, who was the shmuck who thought herputer had broken down? Hahaha!" Regina was already subjected to a great deal of ridicule inside theb, but now, she was mocked again as she came out. Unable to take it anymore, she angrily turned to Nicole. "Nicole Wace! Were you the one who said something to them!?" Nicole narrowed her brows. No one here had ever called her by that name before.Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org. At that point, her voice instantly deepened. "Regina, you were the one who embarrassed yourself by overestimating your abilities. Don''t make a fuss here." Refusing to heed Nicole, Regina retorted, "I''m the one making a fuss? You know what I think? You''re singling me out! You''re doing that because I used to be better than you in every conceivable way!" As soon as Regina said this, the crowd''s expressions were marred with confusion and anger. "Pfft hahaha!" Lulu was the first who erupted into a fit ofughter. "Hey, girl. This is your first day. We initially wanted to cut you some ck, but aren''t you a little too full of yourself? You, a country bumpkin, who couldn''t even understandputers, dare topare yourself to Nicole?" June, who could not bear to listen any longer, stepped forward. "Our ss president is truly talented. She achieves full marks in every exam. She''s the well-deserved top student in our grade. Last semester, she even got first ce in the Math Olympiad. She''s elected as the student council''s president this semester! How dare youpare yourself to her?!" June''s every word struck her like thunder, leaving Regina in shock. "First ce in the grade... president of the student council...?" Regina said slowly. ''How is that possible? She was just here a few months earlier than me. Although I knew she had good results, I didn''t know she was good enough to get first ce in Royal Creek Institute,'' Regina thought. Chapter 1814 Chapter 1814 "In addition to that, Nicole is the school babe. She was also chosen as the lead actress for the production crew of Lukewarm and has acted alongside Lloyd, the movie star! Who gave you the confidence topare yourself to her!?" N?velDrama.Org ? content. Regina''s expression turned pale white after those words had been uttered, and she looked at Nicole in shock. It was only after a while that she could muster enough courage to say, "How is that possible? I-I don''t believe it..." However, Nicole had no intention of engaging with her. She stepped forward with a cool expression and in nonchnt fashion, she said, "It matters not whether you believe those ims or not. One thing is true, and that is, you better behave. Or else, I''ll crush irritating people like you in no time." Regina began sweating profusely, as she had never seen Nicole with such a scary expression on her face. Nicole fell bored at the sight of a frightened Regina at once. ''With all that false bravado, why would she even bother to create a mess for me to deal with?" Nicole turned away, tired of bullying the weak. "Let''s go back to ss." Everyone obediently followed Nicole by marching off to their ssroom while Regina kept staring at Nicole''s back as thetter led the other students away. She snapped back to reality after a while, shocked and in utter disbelief of how powerful Nicole had be. Indeed, the students in Royal Creek Institution were all sons and daughters of well-known figures, and yet, they were all following Nicole''s lead. ''I have no choice but to buy what they''ve said! I waited so long to prove myself against Nicole, but I did not know she has already surpassed me by miles. And gosh, I''ve stupidly offended the ss president, the school babe, and the president of the student council on my very first day of school! I feel like I''ve made aplete a*s out of myself!'' Regina gritted her teeth and hurried to catch up with the others, afraid of being left behind. In her heart, she was wondering about her future. ''I offended someone I shouldn''t have offended on the first day. Dad is going to kill me if he finds out. It''s unfair how Nicole is doing so well in spite of the fact that the both of us came from the same high school in Great Oak. I have to work hard as well. I can''t let Nicole surpass me. Wait till I work my way up again. I''ll definitely get my revenge on Nicole.'' In the blink of an eye, school was over. Jared was busy today, so he did not show up to pick Nicole up. Meanwhile, Samuel and Spencer were waiting at the school entrance for Nicole since they knew she was going home with them today. "Nicole!" Both of them waved their hands when they saw her. Having spotted them, Nicole walked over with a smile. Behind her, Regina watched as she entered the car with two handsome guys surrounding her. Regina''s eyes widened in surprise at that sight. Just this evening, Regina was so afraid of Nicole that she did not dare to say a word after the self-study ss. She was thinking about what to do in the future, hoping that she would be able to get some dirt on Nicole. One of thest things she had expected was that, as soon as Nicole finished school, she would get into a luxury car with two guys. ''Nicole has such a big appetite. She''s actually seducing twin brothers!'' she thought. With that in mind, Regina took a picture, nning to post it on the school forum. However, it was then that Lulu stepped forward and snatched her phone. "What are you doing?" Regina panicked after seeing Lulu. She had already realized today that Lulu and June were Nicole''s confidantes and followers. Chapter 1815 Chapter 1815 ''Things would not go well if they catch me!'' Regina thought. "It''s none of your business! Give me back my phone!" In response, Lulu snapped in anger. "Don''t you know that you''re viting the person''s right to privacy by secretly taking pictures without their consent?" "That''s right! Delete it right now!" June added. "No way! Give me back my phone!" Nicole and her brothers overheard themotion as they were waiting for Lulu and June, and that was when they turned to look at the scene. Noticing that Regina was there, Nicole walked back around and asked, "What happened, Lulu?" Lulu immediately took Regina''s phone out and replied, "She secretly took a picture of you!" Nicole narrowed her brows. Seeing the angle and gesture captured by Regina''s camera, it seemed that there was an ambiguous, romantic atmosphere when Samuel was helping her out by carrying her backpack. Nicole instantly understood what Regina was trying to do. "Regina. It seems to me that you have not learned how to behave." With that, Nicole angrily took the phone and smashed it onto the ground, shattering it into pieces. "Hey! What did you do?! You owe me an Apple phone!" Regina cried out. When Regina saw that the Apple phone that her father had bought for her in order to uphold her reputation in Royal Creek had been destroyed, she was on the verge of breaking down in tears. Sadly, Nicole paid no attention to her, and in an effort to rub salt into the wound, she stomped on the phone with her foot a few more times until it waspletely destroyed. Nicole withdrew her feet only after she was certain that the phone could not be fixed. "Regina, I can let you off for secretly taking a picture of me. But, you should not have brought my family into this. I''m not that forgiving." "F-Family?" Regina froze with tears in her eyes. She could not process what Nicole had just said. Lulu sneered. "Or else? You took that ambiguous romantic picture just now, but you didn''t even know what their rtionship was? These two people are Nicole''s fourth and fifth brothers! Even the entire school knows it! It would be useless even if you had taken those kinds of pictures and spread them everywhere. It would only make you look like a fool!" Regina''s expression instantly turned green with shock. She initially thought that she had gotten hold of some of Nicole''s dirt. She had never expected those two handsome men to be her brothers. Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org. As she was processing the revtion, she thought, ''Even though Nicole is back in the Riddle family, she was still a country bumpkin, and no one would have cared about her! Who knew that both of her brothers are extremely good-looking dudes who cared so much that they refused to let her carry her own bag?!'' This realization made her green with jealousy. At this moment, Samuel and Spencer realized what Regina was about to do. Not only had she taken pictures of Nicole and them; she even wanted to use the aforementioned pictures to nder them. Samuel looked at Regina with a hint of disgust. "Who is this troglodyte? Why have I never seen her before in school?" "She dared to screw with us? Does she even know who we are?" Spencer sneered with mockery in his expression, thinking that Regina was quite dense. June proceeded to exin. "She''s new here. I think she was in the same high school as Nicole back in Great Oak." Lulu snorted. "She thought that Nicole was still the same old Nicole back in Great Oak. However, the current Nicole is way out of her league!" Every word from them felt like ps in Regina''s face, making her cheeks burn red hot. "Enough! You are all taking Nicole''s side! She''s the real country bumpkin back in Great Oak!" During that time, Regina was the Wynn family''s princess while Nicole was the orphan raised by her grandmother. But as the tables had now turned, Nicole had now be the center of attention, while Regina remained the country bumpkin, theughter stock for others. With that said, Regina was in denial, refusing to ept the truth for what it was. Samuel and Spencer had never seen such an evil person before, someone who would nder Nicole like this. Just as they were about to speak, a bucket of water came pouring from above. "Ahhh!!!" Regina let out a scream of horror. Chapter 1816 Chapter 1816 Lulu and June were shocked and they stepped back to avoid the poured water, but Regina was completely drenched. Her phone was smashed prior, and now, she was sshed by water too. Regina was about to go crazy as she cried out, "Who did it?" On the floor above, Austin and his friendsughed and made fun of Regina, "Haha! Look at the drowned rat!" "Serves you right! Who told you to have such a foul mouth and ndered our boss!" Regina was stunned into silence. She thought to herself, ''These people are the school bully for sure! I could never afford to offend them!'' She immediately softened her tone when she saw Austin, "W-Why did you pour water on me? I don''t even know you, and I have never offended you either!" Austin said coldly, "You didn''t offend us, but no one is allowed to bully our boss!" Regina was even more surprised. She would never offend them, let alone their boss. "It seems to be a misunderstanding! I have no idea who your boss is, let alone offend him!" Upon seeing this scene, Lulu could not resist butughed, ''Regina had no idea who Nicole was yet she dared to provoke her!'' "Regina, don''t tell me you didn''t know that their boss was Nicole?" Lulu said. "Huh?" Regina widened her eyes. She had suffered too much shock in a day. The titles of the ss monitor, the school babe, and the student council''s president were already shocking enough to be attached to Nicole. She did not expect her to be these school bullies'' boss as well.Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org. ''How is that even possible? We''re both from the countryside. What made Nicole so special to be the boss of these school bullies?'' "Why her? What abilities does she have?!" Regina felt like everyone was ying tricks on her today. Nicole was attributed with so many titles by everyone, which seemed impossible in Regina''s opinion. Regina thought, ''How powerful is she to be able to get so many titles? If she was really that talented, why didn''t I notice it back then?'' Austin was offended by Regina''s words and raised his voice angrily, "Our boss has the best agility! We could not beat her even if we gang up on her yet you dare to ask what ability she has?" "Agility? S-She knows martial arts?!" Regina was shocked. ''H-How is that possible?'' Regina strongly suspected the Nicole she knew was not the same person in front of her. She could not believe Nicole knew martial arts and even defeated the school bullies. Nicole shook her head helplessly with a bitter smile as Regina''s expression turned unpleasant and surprised. It seemed that she pretended too hard as a country girl back then, which made Regina thought she was a doormat. Stepping forward, Nicole''s aura condensed and she looked coldly at Regina in the eye, "Regina, I just didn''t want to scare my grandma back then. Besides, I had no intention of talking with a stupid fool like you, so I didn''t bother with you. Did you really think I''m a sick weakling you can manipte?" Nicole''s voice was so cold and sharp that made Regina feel inexplicably chilly all over her body. "Let me tell you this. I''m not as patient as I was back then. You better avoid provoking me again or else I won''t spare anyone. I don''t mean just you but the entire Wynn family. You better look out for yourself." Thest few words had Regina''s legs go weak that she dropped and sat directly on the ground. Nicole was like a demon, towering above her. It made her scared and fearful. Chapter 1817 Chapter 1817 Nicole left Regina alone as she curled up into a ball before she led Lulu and June away, saying, "Let''s go. We still have an event to attend." It was not worth wasting so much time on Regina. "Alright!" Lulu happily followed suit and June stopped paying attention to Regina and left with Nicole. Austin, still on the floor above them, heard about the event and delightfully asked, "Boss, there''s an event? Can we go?" Nicole gave him a disdainful nce, "Go home and study. There''s a monthly testing up." Austin felt inexplicably aggrieved when Nicole did not want to bring him along, but he nodded at her instructions, "Alright..." Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. Austin took his underlings back home in frustration while the students in the institution gradually dispersed and ignored Regina. Regina sat on the ground for a long time, unable to calm down. ''The Nicole today is no longer an attainable or provokable existence for me.'' Regina looked at her smashed phone that was stepped on but hesitated to ask Nicole for compensation. She picked up her phone and ran home, deciding to figure things outter. Inside the Lincoln car that drove away into the distance, Lulu and June were still indignant. "Regina was so scared just now that her face turned green." "She should have been put in her ce a long time ago. I can''t stand looking at her," June added, looking frustrated. Samuel slowly turned to Nicole. "Nicole, were you really ssmates with her back then?" Nicole nodded. "That''s right." Samuel''s eyes turned icy cold. "It seems that she used to bully you a lot. She probably thought you were still an easy target now." Nicole could sense Samuel''s worry, so sheforted him, "She didn''t bully me. She had just, at most, showed off her family''s wealth and bribed the teachers." Samuel was furious after hearing this. "People like her deserve to be taught a lesson." Nicoleughed, "Don''t worry. I had always made her bedridden for a few days when she upsets me although she didn''t know I was the mastermind." Regina had horrible stomachaches every now and then since tenth grade. Besides that, she could not move for several days as she would be suddenly hit by a stone that would injure her knee and ankle. Until this day, Regina had no idea why all these situations happened. Spencer pitied Regina for a moment, knowing Nicole was capable of doing those things. "It seems like she doesn''t know it was you or she would have never dared to provoke you. She''s really going further from the path of self-destruction." "Haha, to think Nicole had toy on the bed for several days makes me feel so satisfied," Samuel said, feeling much better. Looking at the charming smile of the two brothers, Lulu and June fell silent and watched them sneakily. Nicole could not help but tease Lulu, "Lulu, why are you so quiet? Why are you staring nkly at Spencer?" Lulu''s expression instantly turned awkward after being exposed by Nicole. "S-Says who? I just thought what they said made sense." June was afraid of being exposed so she quickly added, "That''s right." Nicole smirked and looked toward her two brothers. They were both acting a little more constrained after she teased Lulu and June. Spencer cleared his throat and said, "Um, thank you for being my partner previously." Lulu blushed a little while looking at Spencer. "I-It''s nothing. If it weren''t for you, I would have never attended Riddle Corporation''s event. The food there was amazing." When Lulu mentioned this, Spencer recalled how Lulu loved to eat. "I recall you seem to have a love for sweets. I''ll ask the servants to prepare some. You can try them when youe to my houseter." Lulu was awed and delighted that Spencer actually remembered what she liked. Chapter 1818 Chapter 1818 June could not resist herself but felt envious of the scene. Samuel unexpectedly spoke up, "I remember that you liked milk tea. I''ve had the servants prepare it today too." In Samuel''s heart, he was thinking, ''What a joke. How could I possibly lose to Spencer?'' Samuel naturally overheard Spencer''s conversation when he called the servants, so he asked them to prepare something as well. They had rejected thousands of love letters before and had no ns of having a girlfriend but if Spencer was nning to pursue Nicole''s ssmate, Samuel had no intentions of backing down. Spencer lowered his voice and asked Samuel after noticing his intentions while Lulu and June were chatting excitedly with Nicole, "What are you trying to do?" Samuel put on a fake smile, "What do you think? I won''t let you beat me." "I wasn''tpeting with you," Spencer felt ridiculous. "Aren''t you? If I hadn''t noticed you secretly trying to impress the girl, I''d be theughing stock for being single when you have a girlfriend." Previously, Samuel would often be left behind by Spencer on many things, but he had learned to be more attentive and vignt this time. "Why you..." Spencer was absurd in his behavior. Nicole saw the both of them whispering and jokingly said, "Spencer, Samuel, what are you talking about?" They came back to their senses and awkwardly replied, "I-it was nothing. I wasplimenting Samuel for being so attentive this time." Understanding Spencer''s mockery, Samuel retorted, "I thought Spencer had also put in some effort this time." Nicole smiled yfully, ''Are they helping each other out?'' She continued, "That''s right. Both of you did put quite some effort into this. I had never seen you prepare these things for other girls." Lulu and June were even more embarrassed as their faces slightly flushed after Nicole teased them. "Nicole..." Spencer was so awkward that he did not know what to do. Nicole smiled teasingly and stayed silent. Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org. Soon, the car arrived at the entrance of the house. Sean was waiting for Nicole at the doorstep. He was a little disappointed when he saw Nicole bring two friends home. He pulled Nicole aside as Spencer and Samuel took Lulu and June inside. He asked in a low voice, "Nicole, did you not receive my message?" Sean was trying to find someone to help him out. Nicole replied, "I got the message, but Mom said this was to give thanks to all of the brother''s partners, so I called your secretary." Sean''s expression suddenly turned awkward, "Y-You called her?" Judging by Sean''s expression, Nicole figured that Sean might have some feelings for his secretary. Otherwise, he should not be scared of his secretarying over. "That''s right. She said she would arrive on time. You could stay here and wait for her." "Erm..." Sean instantly narrowed his brows. Nicole had never seen the cold andposed Sean this nervous before. She teased him, "Sean, I have never seen you so nervous for a woman before. Is Miss Brito not good enough?" Sean suddenly turned embarrassed, but he tried to y it cool. "That''s not it... Whatever. I''ll wait for her since you already called her here." Nicole said yfully, "Alright then." Nicole left Sean undisturbed and entered the house alone. She left Sean alone while he looked into the distance, waiting for that person to arrive. The butler informed her that everyone was in the backyard barbecuing as Nicole walked through the front door. She headed in that direction and saw the backyard radiate a warm andfortable atmosphere. Her parents sat affectionately at the side, sipping coffee while waiting for Stanley to serve them food. Tia was standing nearby, looking a little nervous as she helped him out. Chapter 1819 Chapter 1819 "Tia, be careful. It''s hot!" Stanley gently alerted Tia to move aside. The caring look on Stanley''s face made Nicole burst intoughter. "Stanley is being so oddly gentle." Stanley, who was made fun of by Nicole, was embarrassed. "Of course. Who would have the heart to let a girl do all these?" Tia looked at Stanley and felt warm in her chest, but her mind kept wandering back to the person from the hospital, ''It was a pity that person no longer appeared since then.'' Tia was really grateful for Stanley''s kindness, "Then let me help you with the seasoning." "Sure," Stanley smiled at Tia''s help, not believing his ears. Spencer had handed over the milk tea to June while Lulu passed over her pastries that were prepared for June. The two of them giggled sweetly. Nicole could not help but wonder what her three brothers were up to before noticing her mother was standing in a corner with a smile on her face. Mrs. Riddle was asionally whispering a few words to Mrs. Wace Sr. Nicole looked around before asking suspiciously, "Is Steve not here yet?" "I''m not sure," Samuel said, "He said he often frequents the bar when he finished work at night. Maybe he''s dining with a prettydy." N?velDrama.Org ? content. Spencer was afraid that their mother would catch on, "You bastard. Aren''t you scared that our mother would hear this and give Steve an earful? If he knew you were going around talking about him like this, he would definitely teach you a lesson." At that moment, it was already toote for Samuel as he turned deadly silent when Steve walked in drunkenly. "Samuel, do you have a death wish going around talking about me like that?" Steve''s voice rang out loudly. Samuel was terrified, "I... I didn''t..." "No?" Steve snorted, "Do you think I am deaf?" At this time, Gloria noticed the tipsy Steve, "Steve, have you been drinking? You haven''t reached home and you''re already drunk?" Steve replied awkwardly, "Yes..." Gloria frowned, "You haven''t taken your dinner and you''re already out drinking?" Steve scratched his head awkwardly and said, "Drinking can help one muster up some courage..." When Nicole heard this, she interrupted him, "Why do you still need to muster up the courage? Why do you still need alcohol to help you be brave when you are brave enough to do everything?" Steve went silent for a moment and stared at the door. Spencer and Samuel were silent too. Nicole turned her head to the doorway they were looking at and ady was standing there in a blue dress. She looked extremely gentle and beautiful. The awkward silence that filled the room made Nicole realize that her entire family seemed to know her. "Sally?!" Gloria eximed in surprise. The girl named Sally was a little embarrassed, but she still approached Gloria with a smile. "Hello, Mrs. Riddle." "It''s been such a long time. Have you returned for good?" Gloria looked at Sally dotingly. Sally nodded gently, "Yes, I''ve been back for a while now..." Sally had also been wondering whether or not to get back into contact with Steve now that she had returned. Considering the years Sally had spent abroad and how they have lost touch with one another, Sally had not expected Steve to reach out to her today and asked her to attend his family''s banquet. Sally was taken aback and hesitant as they were no longer lovers. "It''s good that you''re back. Come sit down quickly and let me take a good look at you," Gloria pulled Sally toward the sofa to sit down before beginning to talk about family matters. Nicole could not help but nce at Steve and said, "Steve, you really hit the jackpot this time. Others brought theirpanions but, you... you brought back a beauty." It was at that moment Nicole understood what Samuel had meant when he said that Steve would not go out with the same woman twice. Chapter 1820 Chapter 1820 Steve looked at Nicole in embarrassment. "I''m not considerate enough to bring those people here. The only person I''ll ever bring home is her..." Steve''s eyes look far away with a little hint of resentment. Stanley stood at the side, noticed Nicole''s doubts, and talked in a low voice, "In case you didn''t know, Sally is Steve''s ex-girlfriend. Three years ago, she suddenly had to go abroad to further her studies. Steve got mad and broke up with her... I didn''t expect that he would invite her upon her return..." Stanley could not help but burst into fits ofughter as he finished talking. Steve gave Stanley a hard look, "Shut up. Don''t gloat so much!" Nicole nced at Steve''s embarrassment and could not help but add fuel to the fire, "It seems that you''re also lovesick. Three years have gone by and you still haven''t forgotten about her. You even brought her here to meet our parents as soon as she returned home..." Steve was terribly embarrassed, but he had no heart to resent his only sister and replied, "I didn''t mean it like that. It''s just that our parents had been wanting me to bring back a woman and she happened to have returned home. Of course, our mother would be delighted to see her again. So, what''s the problem with bringing her here?" Steve kept making excuses for himself that Spencer and Samuel could not help but continue teasing him about it. "There''s no problem with it at all. Nope, no problem! Sally is more pleasing to the eyes than your other women. Our parents would be sh*t mad if you had brought them back!" Steve could not bear the teasing anymore and directly strangled the necks of both Spencer and Samuel with his hands. "Enough already! You have spoken too much today!" "Steve! Steve, I can''t breathe!" "Steve! I was wrong!" Both Spencer and Samuel immediately confessed their wrong-doings, but Steve did not let go of his grip on them. Sally and Gloria wereughing happily as they watched the three brothers mess around with one another. It was not long before Sean walked in with someone in tow. Daniel smiled and nodded when he recognized it was Jane, "Miss Brito is here." Jane nodded awkwardly, "Thank you for the invitation, Mr. and Mrs. Riddle. I''ve brought some gifts along with me today. I hope you like them," with that said, she whipped out the gifts she brought along with her. ''I must admit, her management abilities are top-notch. She had gotten everyone''s favorite sorted out. All the gifts given were very thoughtful.'' "Thank you, Miss Brito!'' Gloria was extremely happy with the gifts given by Sean''s subordinate. "You brought Miss Brito here for a reason. Do you care to share why? You even had her bring gifts too!" Sean was a little embarrassed, not expecting Jane to be so thorough and polite, "I didn''t expect her to be so attentive." Nicole looked at Sean, who looked like he was being taken advantage of yet a little shy, and could not help smiling, ''It seems Sean likes the meticulous Miss Brito though he is still stressed about her overly thoughtful character. He really doesn''t know how blessed he is right now.'' After Daniel and Gloria had gotten their gifts, Jane walked over to where Nicole and her brothers were standing. "Nicole, you looked stunning thest time I saw you at the banquet. I thought you wouldn''t be someone who likes too manyplicated essories, so I prepared a pair of earrings for you," Nicole was surprised, not knowing Jane had gotten to know her preferences well. Nicole epted her gift with a smile. Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org. "Thank you. I really don''t like things that are tooplicated." Jane smiled sweetly, "I hope you like this pair of earrings." Nicole opened it and took a peek inside. The earrings were ck and minimalistic. It was small and exquisite yet emitted an elegant feel. Nicole giggled, "I like them very much, thank you." Jane was overjoyed and looked back at Sean, "It seems that your sister likes it very much." Sean looked head over heels at Jane''s bright smile. "Yeah... you picked them out well." Nicole observed carefully, then smiled at Jane, "Jane, you''re so considerate of others. Do you have many admirers?" Chapter 1821 Chapter 1821 As soon as the words came out, Sean''s face turned red with embarrassment. Jane was also a little embarrassed by the question. "Not really...Someone sent me flowers in the office, but...I already have someone I like," Jane could not help sneaking a look at Sean and the answer was already obvious. Everyone was crystal clear about this except for Sean who was confused. Sean''s face turned gloomy after hearing it. Nicole sighed, ''It''s so hard to make someone as dense and stubborn as Sean enter a rtionship.'' Nicole could not help but assist Jane on this matter, "Is the person you like around 185cm tall and likes to drink caramel coffee with milk?" As soon as these words came out, both Jane and Sean were stunned for a moment. Jane had not expected Nicole to be able to understand her hints at such a young age. Jane had a crush on her superior for the longest time ever and when someone gifted her flowers at the office, it got rid of her hopes of ever getting close to him. On the other hand, Sean had noticed what Nicole hinted about, ''I-Is it me?'' He turned to look at Jane once more, anticipating an answer from her. Jane knew that if she missed the opportunity now, she would not have the opportunity again to express her thoughts. She took a deep breath, and bravely said, "Yes..." That single answer alone had made Sean''s heart race. "I-I''m going to the bathroom!" Jane said shyly. ''She''s so shy,'' Sean thought to himself as he watched Jane run away. Nicole looked at Sean, "Sean, the person Jane likes seems to be among us..." ''No matter how dumb Sean is, he should understand the obvious answer to this.'' Sean was a little shy, but he kept his calm, "I''ll go check on her so she doesn''t get lost." He walked away awkwardly after speaking. Steve who realized everything could not help but teased Sean behind his back, "It looks like springtime is about to arrive for the dense willow in our family!" Stanley could not hide his smile, "It''s all thanks to Nicole''s guidance!" Jane and Sean had known each other for two to three years and she had liked Sean for the longest time ever. Stanley had even noticed it not long after he joined thepany. Neither of the two had confessed their feelings and it made the bystanders anxious just watching them. N?velDrama.Org ? content. Stanley nced at Nicole appreciatively, "I didn''t realize you were such a rtionship expert..." He could not believe that she could easily matchmake the ever-sprouting love between Sean and Jane and it was mind-blowing. "I guess she got it from experience, right?" Spencer added. Nicole red at him, "Watch and learn or you''ll lose out to Samuel." She turned to look in Samuel''s direction when she said his name. Samuel and June were chatting while sipping on boba and eating the cake Spencer had prepared for Lulu. Spencer''s expression turned sour, "Hey, whose pastries are you eating?!" He rolled up his sleeves and walked over, picked up the snack, and said, "Was this even prepared for you? How could you simply consume it like that?" Samuel was talking to June before they were interrupted. Samuel froze for a moment before frowning and said, "Isn''t this for human consumption? When have you gotten so stingy?" Chapter 1822 Chapter 1822 ''Why could Lulu let June have it yet I can''t?'' "I''d obviously be stingy with you! These are prepared for the girls, not for you!" After he finished saying, Spencer replenished the pastries and brought them over to Lulu directly. Lulu was embarrassed but her heart was inexplicably touched by the warm gesture, having never seen Spencer angry before, and it was over her favorite pastry at that. ''This feels like a dream,'' Lulu thought to herself. Samuel frowned, "Fine, I won''t eat it. Why do you have to get so mad over this?" Samuel rolled his eyes and saw the barbecue Stanley and Tia who were in charge of was almost ready. "Let''s go over to the barbeque," Samuel said to June. "Alright," said June who looked happy. As long as it was with Samuel, anything they did would make her feel contented. Spencer, on the other hand, saw the both of them leave and realized that he had gone a little overboard. Lulu turned to look at him and said, "Thank you for preparing those for me albeit a bit too much... It''s alright to have shared with them." Spencer suddenly became stubborn, "I prepared them for you, so they are yours and yours only. Spare nothing for Samuel even if you should bring the rest home." ''This damn guy wants topete with me on everything I do. I''ll be damned if I ever were to give him anything to eat,'' thought Spencer. Lulu could not help butugh, having never seen such a childish side to Spencer before, "Alright, I won''t share any of it with them next time and bring home those I can''t finish." Spencer grinned from ear to ear when he heard Lulu say this, not able to stop himself from looking at Lulu more. Under the sunlight, Lulu''s gentle eyes made Spencer''s heart pound faster. ''Lulu is such a beauty with a lively and cheerful personality. Her bright and beautiful eyes are so alluring.'' Spencer could not help but look away quickly out of embarrassment. "I''ll get you something to drink." "Okay," Lulu nodded obediently. Nicole, who had been spectating everything on the sideline, noticed that things were progressing fairly well for her brothers except Steve who kept sneaking looks at Sally from a distance. "As soon as you called her out, Sally woulde here right away. I bet she hasn''t forgotten about you either after all these years." Nicole''s words made Steve''s expression tough to express into words. "If you can''t forget her, why don''t you get back with her? We''re all adults here, so why are you hesitating?" reminded Nicole. Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org. Steve looked back at Nicole and said, "It''s not easy as you say...She decided to study abroad without asking how I would have felt. I still can''t let go of the void and pain in my heart. I am still wondering what I am to her even at this moment." "Since you want answers, why not ask her yourself,'' Nicole said with an aura of maturity. "She will never know if you don''t tell her what you felt. Go and talk things out, clear out the misunderstandings between the two of you. Who knows if it will go back to the way you were before? Won''t you two feel better after lifting the weight off your chests?" It was no surprise to say that Nicole saw through the situation that immediately eased Steve''s heart. ''You know what, Nicole''s right. What am I afraid of? Things can''t get any worse than it is now anyway.'' Nicole said no more as she noticed Steve''s eyes brighten. It was as if he hade to a realization. ''My brothers may be a bit dense when ites to rtionships, but with a little bit of push and encouragement, they should be able to do it,'' Nicole thought to herself. On the other side, the chefs had started to help out with the barbeque while Nicole found a spot to sit on. She felt that someone approached her and raised her head subconsciously, only toe across a familiar pair of eyes. "What are you doing here?" Nicole stared at Jared with a surprised look on her face. Nicole did not inform nor invite Jared to this, ''How did hee here?'' "Your father notified me about this saying that your brothers had brought some guests over. Why didn''t you tell me?" Daniel thought Nicole had invited Jared and called to remind him to arrive earlier. Chapter 1823 Chapter 1823 Nicole could not help being shy, "My brothers had brought back their female friends over to express their thanks and to let our mother do some matchmaking. Why are you here?" Both Nicole and Jared are eventually bing husband and wife, so there was no need for them to meet up for this asion. "Oh, so you are aware that you''re going to be wed soon...," said Jared before he walked toward Gloria and Daniel. "Hi, Mr. & Mrs. Riddle." Gloria was happily chatting with Sally before she turned around to see Jared. Gloria beamed with joy, "Oh my, Jared is here! Come and have a seat." "Thank you, Mrs. Riddle," Jared smiled. Nicole trailed along behind Jared and sat down on the opposite side of her mother. This was the very first time Sally had seen Jared, she was a little taken aback, "This is..." Gloria immediately introduced, "This is Nicole''s fianc¨¦, Jared." Sally was taken aback, and recalled, "I think I''ve heard this name before, the president of the Johnston Group, right?" Steve, noticing Sally''s eyes lit up when she saw Jared, was engulfed in sadness and silently sat closer to her. Sally, sensing Steve sitting closer next to her, lowered her head to hide her blushing face. Nicole could tell that Steve was jealous. She smiled, curled her lips, pretended to be nonchnt, and said to Jared, "This is Steve''s girlfriend, Sally Kane." "Oh," Jared nodded his head lightly. Steve nearly had a heart attack when he heard Nicole''s words. Steve was flustered yet felt mentally relieved. Sally, who was sitting beside him, was a little awkward, "That...I''m...not..." Steve cut her off, "Let me grandly reintroduce my sister and my future brother-inw." His intimate attitude and eyes instantly made Sally''s heart flutter. Sally, finding herself speechless, could only stiffly nod, "Oh..." Nicole was satisfied when she saw Steve and Sally interact with one another, ''It seems to me that Sally doesn''t have a boyfriend. Otherwise, she would hurriedly try to clear things up.'' Gloria who had also noticed the interaction between the two of them, dotingly grinned, "Oh dear, what are you youngsters still apanying us for? Go and have some barbecue, have fun, and get to know each other more." Steve understood what Gloria meant, nodded, got up, and stretched his hand out to Sally, "Let''s go." Sally looked at the outstretched hand, surprised at the sudden invitation, but with Nicole, Jared, and Gloria looking at her, she could only endure the embarrassment and ce her hand in Steve''s. He grabbed it instantly and pulled Sally up. She could not help herself from having her face flushed bright red. As she held his hand, she recalled her time with Steve three years ago. ''After all these years without contact, I thought everything would have changed, yet it seems that nothing has changed.'' Gloria''s grin grew wider when she watched Steve and Sally walk away while holding each other''s hands. "You see that? My idea was brilliant after all. If your brother was not forced to do it, he won''t even know how to invite someone home."N?velDrama.Org ? content. Nicole raised her eyebrows subconsciously, "Mother, you organized this whole thing mainly to reunite Steve and Sally?" It was only a few days after Sally had returned to San Joto when Gloria asked everyone to invite their femalepanions. Nicole could not help but ponder, ''This must have been organized deliberately. Otherwise, how would things be so coincidental?'' Chapter 1824 Chapter 1824 "You''re right. I don''t have to worry much about Spencer and Samuel since they''re still so young. I''m only worried for both Sean and Steve. One of them is too blind to notice what''s right in front of him and the other still dares to be self-conflicted even when she had already returned. Merely looking at their predicament made me anxious. Your assistance was a nice touch," Gloria noticed Nicole''s intentions and felt relieved. "Only you truly understand how I felt." Nicole smiled brightly, Jared noticed how worried she was for her brothers and was a little jealous, "You care so much about others'' affairs, but when will you care as much about our affairs?" Nicole was suddenly embarrassed, "Didn''t I already make a promise..." Jared raised his eyebrows, "You promised, but when will you start making it happen?" N?velDrama.Org ? content. Nicole noticed Jared''s eagerness to take their rtionship to the next level. Gloria overheard their conversation and her eyes lit up, "I, too, think you should start making the preparations. Once you get your marriage registration, then the wedding reception can be held anytime you wish. No rush, of course." "Mom...," Nicole looked awkwardly at Gloria. Gloria was a little reluctant to part ways with Nicole before, but after knowing that Nicole would still be living close by, her perception changed entirely. Gloria hesitated a little before reminding Nicole, "I''m doing this for your own good. Mr. Johnston here is such a nice young man... many people dream to have someone like him, you should marry him as early as you can." Jared grinned ear to ear, "Look, even Mrs. Riddle agreed to our marriage. Why don''t you take this chance before others snatch me away?" Nicole''s eyes suddenly became determined, "I like to see who would dare to." Nicole''s true intentions from her sudden gesture made her look away in embarrassment for a moment while Jared and Gloriaughed at her. Gloria nudged Daniel. "Since your mother had said her piece, then you two should go and prepare a little. Since our family is now the talk of the town, the news of you two getting wed will be more exciting," Daniel said. Jared raised his eyebrows and thanked Mr. Riddle. Nicole on the other hand was too embarrassed to talk, suddenly not knowing what to say. Jared nced at her proudly and said, "Mr. and Mrs. Riddle, thank you for supporting us. If you have the time tomorrow night, my family would like to cordially invite you for a dinner together." Gloria noticed that Jared had arranged a meeting with his family and wasted no time agreeing, "Okay, Mr. Riddle and I are avable. So tomorrow night it is!" "Mom..." Nicole did not expect Jared to be so hasty and straightaway suggested a dinner tomorrow night. ''The scariest thing about this is that my own mother had even agreed!'' At this moment, Spencer and Samuel walked over, "What''s happening tomorrow? Why is Mom so excited?" Gloria gave them a nk stare when she heard them asking, "It''s none of your business, go eat!" Spencer and Samuel acted flirtatiously, "Come on, Mom. Please tell us what''s going on. What''s the good news?" Jared took a look at both Spencer and Samuel and said in a friendly tone, "The marriage between Nicole and I is on the agenda and I''ve invited both Mr. and Mrs. Riddle over to formally meet with my grandfather tomorrow." As soon as he spoke, the smiles on both Spencer and Samuel''s faces froze. When Jared proposed to Nicole prior, they were both very reluctant and now that Jared was going to have both sides of the family meet one another, it meant their marriage is imminent. "Isn''t my sister still busy with the drama filming?" "Yeah, didn''t she say she''ll get married only after she finished filming her show?" The both of them protested, hoping they can still hog their sister to themselves for at least a few more months. Jared smiled proudly, "The filming for the drama had finished early." Chapter 1825 Chapter 1825 "What?" Samuel was shocked, "When?" Spencer was surprised too, "Why? Has the filming ended?" Jared raised his brows as he looked at the brothers delightedly, "I invested in this drama, and the production ended early." "What?!" Samuel and Spencer did not know that Jared would do such a thing just to marry Nicole as soon as he can! "Isn''t this... too much?" Samuel said, annoyed. "Nicole likes it. How could you decide by yourself?" "He''s right! Did you really do it just for the marriage?" Spencer looked upset as well. Gloria was a little confused, "What''s going on, Nicole?" Nicole did not want to hide it anymore, "The production crew did not follow the script, so I refused to continue filming with them." The two brothers were stunned when they heard what Nicole had said, "You rejected them?" Spencer found it unbelievable, "Did something happen, Nicole? Did someone bully you?" Samuel frowned, "Is it because of some nasty unspoken rules?" Gloria immediately red at him, "Stop your nonsense!" ''Jared was still here. How could he say such a thing?'' Jared could tell that the brothers were really concerned about Nicole, so he coldly said, "They wouldn''t dare to do such things, but they did not follow the script and went against Nicole, so I stepped up andN?velDrama.Org ? content. resolved this issue for Nicole." Jared knew Nicole did not want to worry her family, so he willingly took all the me. Nicole looked at him, filled with gratitude. She knew very well that he had nothing to do with it at all. Daniel could see Jared''s love for Nicole and was relieved when he knew that everything had been taken care of, "I''m d that it''s been settled. We''re lucky you were there to help her, Mr. Johnston." If Jared had not invested in this production, it would be hard for Nicole to leave. Even though no one dared to cross the Riddle family now, the existence of the contract will still make it hard for Nicole to withdraw herself. "It''s my pleasure. After all, Nicole is my fianc¨¦e. Besides, her not being in the production is just what I wanted. If she didn''t join the show, we''d being back from Panem." This statement was for Samuel and Spencer, who kept quiet even if they did not want Nicole to leave. After all, Jared had been waiting for a long time. "That''s right. Now that Nicole doesn''t have to film, you can start nning the wedding now. I''ll contact the weddingpanies for Nicole tomorrow and order everything you''ll need for the wedding." "Mom... it''s too soon," Nicole said, embarrassed. Jared said, "No, it''s not. We''ll fly to Panem over the weekends and get a marriage certificate before flying back here to get married." Nicole looked at him, both angry and shy. ''Why is he in such a rush to marry me?!'' ''If I didn''t meet him, I''d have a few years of freedom to myself.'' "That''s the n," Jared did not wait for her to respond and decided in front of her parents. Nicole could only stare in silence andply. Spencer and Samuel looked as if they did not want Nicole to leave and were feeling extremely sad. Stanley noticed it and walked over, "What''s up with the both of you?" Samuel looked at him with a sorrowful gaze, "Stanley... Nicole is really getting married now." Chapter 1826 Chapter 1826 Stanley was surprised, "Why?" He was a tad bitte, so he had no idea why Samuel said that. Daniel frowned as he looked at Samuel, "Your friend is waiting for you. Why don''t you keep her company?" Samuel turned and saw that June had been waiting for him. He started to feel embarrassed and said, "Okay." Spencer looked at Lulu as well, who seemed to be waiting for him too. The pair then walked over with their heads hanging low. Stanley was amused by the way they left and left himself. Jared then started talking to Gloria and Daniel about tomorrow''s agenda. Nicole watched as they decided on things together and felt that she had no say in anything! But still, she felt a sense of bliss. After knowing that she will be living next door after getting married, she did not feel like she was leaving her family anymore. Instead, she feltforted. ''Whatever. I won''t be leaving my family anyway. How is getting married going to change anything?'' So, she left everything in Jared and Gloria''s hands. Her heart was warmed when she saw how detailed Jared was about the wedding. She felt loved and excited, even. The barbeque dinner ended peacefully. The sky was getting darker. Daniel did not want Gloria to catch a cold, so he walked her back. Sally was done eating too, and Steve offered to send her home. Miss Brito was looking after Sean, asking him to eat more, which made him uneasy. When it ended, Miss Brito left in a hurry, saying that she needed to take care of some documents for Sean. There was aplicated look in Sean''s eyes. He continued staring in the same direction after Miss Brito left. Samuel and Spencer could not help but tease him, "Sean, Miss Brito is pretty cool, isn''t she? She knows so much about you." "Yeah. She puts in a lot of effort for you," Spencer chimed in as well. Sean rolled his eyes at them, "I don''t need your nonsense. You should take care of your plus-ones first." Samuel felt shy when he looked at June, who looked slightly tipsy, "What? We''re just friends..." Spencer said sarcastically, "Is that so? Didn''t someone say that he wanted to beat me in getting a girlfriend first?" Samuel rolled his eyes, "Hah. I knew you wanted topete with me. I will not lose to you!" Then, he immediately walked toward June and went to find a ce to rest with her. Spencer felt awkward, "I didn''t mean it that way..."Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. But Samuel could not hear him anymore. Sean could not help but nce over at Lulu, who had been eating and looking at Spencer from time to time. "You''re both the same. There''s no need topete," Sean then left for his study. Spencer was taken aback, "I''m the same as Samuel...?" At that moment, Lulu walked over. "June had too much to drink, and Samuel said that he''d send her home. I didn''t want to disturb them... Well, I''ll be leaving now. I ate quite a lot, so I''m not taking any food home with me." Lulu smiled brightly, and her smile was filled with sincerity. Spencer saw that Lulu''s clothes were not thick enough, and it was pretty cold that night. He could not help but ask, "How are you going back?" Lulu and June came in his driver''s car. Chapter 1827 Chapter 1827 "I''ll ask my driver to pick me upter... but the traffic is probably going to be bad at this hour," Lulu looked at her watch and said innocently. Spencer heard it and immediately said, "The traffic is definitely going to be terrible. I should drive you home instead." N?velDrama.Org ? content. He put down his cup while speaking as he got ready to send her back. "What? It doesn''t sound like a good idea ..." Lulu was a little shy because she would be spending time with Spencer alone for the first time. Suddenly, Nicole appeared out of nowhere, "Why not? Even June has somebody to drive her home. You''ve got to get home safely too. Spencer, make sure to take good care of Lulu." "Nicole..." Lulu knew Nicole was trying to help her, but she was way too shy. "Come on, get going now," Nicole lifted her brows and stopped her from speaking. Then, Lulu left with Spencer without having the opportunity to express her gratitude for Nicole. Jared watched them leave and lifted his brows, "You have good eyes. They actually make a nice couple." Nicole responded yfully, "Of course. I wouldn''t have matched them together otherwise." Lulu and June were the only people who made friends with her without knowing her real identity. So, she knew they were not materialistic or ill-intentioned people. Samuel and Spencer were both very outspoken, so they would be a great match with innocent girls like Lulu and June. "We''re still a better couple than them though," Jared shifted the topic and put on an arrogant look. Nicole glowered at him, "You''re getting more and more shameless these days." "Really?" Jared chuckled and wrapped his arm around her skinny waist, "Why don''t you stay at my ce tonight so I can be shameless one more time?" Nicole''s heart skipped a beat as she immediately shifted her gaze to Stanley and Tia, who had not left yet. Then, she pushed him away furtively, "Cut it off. Stanley''s still here." Nicole would not normally act so shyly, so Jared smiled, "I don''t care. We''re going to get married soon anyway." Nicole red at him, "I know but can''t you just wait for a few more days? Be patient." Jared gulped. Even though he was overwhelmed by his temptations after listening to Nicole''s bashful scolding, he said, "Fine. I''ll... just... hold it in..." Jared said thest three words in an extremely seductive tone and Nicole knew exactly what he was referring to. Her cheeks immediately turned reddish, "You pervert! I don''t want to talk to you anymore!" Then, she turned around and walked away. Jared smiled and followed behind her. Stanley and Tia began packing with the helpers as they watched them leave. Stanley noticed how diligent Tia was as he said, "Tia, you''re our guest, not a helper. You don''t have to do this." Tia shook her head, "Taking care of grandma is my duty, and it''s only right for me to take care of her grandsons while they''re here." She went to put away the baking pan as she spoke. However, her mind wandered, and she felt a burning sensation in her hand, "Ouch!" Stanley immediately stopped what he was doing and went to her as soon as he saw what happened, "What''s wrong?" Tia furrowed her brows, "I-I was scalded." Stanley grabbed Tia''s hand and he saw how red her fingers became. He immediately grabbed the cup of water at the side and soaked her fingers in it, "Come on, I''ll get it treated for you now!" He brought Tia to the living room as he spoke. Tia had never been treated like that before, so she felt very nervous, "Mr. Riddle, it''s fine..." "Don''t move," Stanley frowned as he spoke. Then, he took out the petrtum jelly from the medical kit before applying it on Tia''s fingers. Chapter 1828 Chapter 1828 Suddenly, the living room turned silent. Tia became so sensitive to her surroundings that she could actually hear her own heartbeat, "Mr. Riddle..." She wanted to speak, but she had no idea what to say. Stanley carefully looked at the blisters on her fingers and mumbled under his breath, "We''ve got to take care of this as soon as possible. Otherwise, it''s going to hurt a lot." "Okay...ouch," Tia nodded but she frowned when Stanley touched her wound with the cotton swab. "I''ll be gentler," Stanley''s voice sounded so warm, that it instantly calmed Tia down. ''What''s going on... I already have somebody else on my mind... But why is my heart beating like crazy now that Mr. Riddle cares for me?'' Tia felt very awkward. She did not dare to speak, and she even almost stopped breathing. She only opened her mouth after Stanley applied the gel to her fingers and patched her up, "Thank you, Mr. Riddle." Stanley shook his head, "Don''t mention it. You''re like my little sister. It''s only right for us to take good care of you." Tia immediately nodded and she was relieved. ''Ah, Mr. Riddle is only treating me as his little sister. I''m so d." "I''ll go back to the room now then. I guess grandma is going to sleep soon." "Sure," Stanley nodded and watched Tia leave. Stanley got a little worried as he looked at Tia''s back... He wondered to himself, ''What''s up with me? Was I doing too much....?'' At night, Nicole took a shower and went to her bed. She had no idea why, but she felt a little nervous when she thought about how her family was finally going to meet with Jared''s family tomorrow even though everything was already nned. She just could not help but feel perturbed when she was about to get married for real. Then, she received a call from Lloyd. Nicole hesitated, but she did not answer it. She received an apology text on WhatsApp from Lloyd very soon after that. Lloyd sounded very sincere, but Nicole did not budge at all. Nicole knew that she had to toughen up, or she would only get his expectations up. She figured the best thing to do was to not give him any hope. Lloyd gave her another call sometimeter and Nicole took her time to answer the call. Lloyd heaved a sigh of relief after hearing the call connected. "Nicole, I''m sorry," Even though he said sorry through WhatsApp, he still wanted to express his deepest apologies to Nicole properly. "Forget it," Nicole thought that he should be responsible for his actions. Lloyd kept quiet for a while before he nodded and said, "Okay. After all, you helped me this time, but I ruined everything myself... You don''t owe me anything." He would feel very awful whenever he thought about how Nicole said that she was going to compensate him in some other way. He did not want Nicole to treat him like a stranger again. Nicole kept quiet. Lloyd continued, "The production team agreed to let Jared pull out his investment and they''re fine with you not participating in the show anymore, but..." Lloyd stuck on thest word he said and sighed, "To me, Lukewarm only has one female lead, and that''s you. So, I''m not going to erase any scenes that you''ve filmed. Even though the length won''t be long enough to produce a television series, Lukewarm will be aired as a movie instead." Nicole frowned as she was not expecting Lloyd to be so stubborn. Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org. "I want to keep the good memories we had in this show. You won''t me me for doing this, right?" Lloyd asked fondly. Nicole responded indifferently, "Whatever." Lloyd''s heart sank, ''I guess what I did hurt Nicole very deeply but... I really love her, and I just couldn''t help myself. Am I wrong for being in love?'' He forced a smile by suppressing his sadness, "Thank you. I''m still going to email you whatever I found out recently... Don''t worry." Nicole shook her head, "It''s fine. Jared is already on it." Lloyd gave her some useful leads before, but Nicole believed that Jared could take care of the rest. "B-but..." Llyod still wanted to say something. Chapter 1829 Chapter 1829 Nicole said, "I''ll hang up now if there''s nothing else." Lloyd was stupefied as he tightened his grip on his phone. All he could do was just smile bitterly, "Okay..." He knew that was probably going to be hisst time calling Nicole, but he had no other choice but to hang up even if that was the case. "Bye," he said. Nicole hung up and stared into space. She could not help but remind herself about the times she went on missions with Lloyd. He used to be a very stubborn young man who would never submit to anything. However, after not meeting him for a few years, Nicole could not figure out why he would be someone like this. She also had no idea when he started caring so much for her. "What are you thinking about?" Suddenly, she heard someone talking behind her. Nicole turned around and subconsciously raised up her fist, but that person immediately grabbed her fist and pinned her down on the bed. Nicole noticed a familiar scent and she was stunned, "Why are you here?" Jared looked at her yfully, "I missed you. I decided toe to your ce since you won''t go to mine." After all, that was not his first time sneaking into her house. Nicole frowned, "This is trespassing." Jared smirked, "Call the cops on me then." Nicole blushed as she said angrily, "Jerk." Jared smiled yfully and hugged her close, "I have no choice. I just can''t stop myself from missing you." He felt veryfortable whenever he was around Nicole, "That''s why I want us to get married as soon as possible so we can be together." Nicole could feel Jared''s sincerity and could not stop herself from hugging him back, "Okay..." She did not reject him this time and he was overwhelmed with joy as he bowed his head down and kissed Nicole''s lips. The room slowly felt hotter, and Jared began to lose control of himself. Nicoley on the bed and allowed Jared to do whatever he wanted to her. The next morning, someone knocked on Nicole''s door and woke her up. "Nicole? Nicole, are you awake?" Samuel sounded a little confused as he asked from behind the door. Nicole would always wake up early to exercise and rarely slept in though Samuel had no idea why Nicole had not woken up at this time. He knocked on the door again and heard Nicole''s voiceing out from inside, "Cing." Samuel only knew that Nicole was still in the house. "Oh... okay. Take your time..." Then, he went downstairs awkwardly. Spencer was downstairs when he asked, "Is Nicole in her room? Did she leave already?" "No. She sounded like she just woke up..." Samuel looked at Spencer strangely. "Are you sure? Why would she wake up sote?" Spencer was very confused. "Did she have too much funst night?" Samuel scratched his head and said, "I think I heard... somebody else in her room." "How is that possible?" Spencer got even more surprised. "I''m sure that you heard wrongly. Who would be in her room?" "You''re right. I must''ve heard wrongly..." Samuel felt like he was wrong too. They looked at the time and figured that they would definitely bete today. However, that was also the reason why they could not leave Nicole alone. Nicole came downstairs hurriedly. "I''m sorry," she said as she thought to herself, ''It''s all Jared''s fault. Last night was just too exhausting...''Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org. Chapter 1830 Chapter 1830 ''I overslept, but he still did not wake me!'' ''Ugh, he even asked me for a goodbye kiss just now!'' "It''s okay, we''re not always on time too. Let''s go," Spencer said thoughtfully. "Okay," Nicole nodded helplessly as she thought, ''Thank God they''re so understanding.'' "I got your breakfast, so you can have it in the car," Samuel was worried that she did not eat her breakfast. "Thank you, Samuel," Nicole''s heart was warm because of Samuel''s kind gesture. She was exhausted and famished. The trio then went downstairs and got into the car, but no one noticed that Jared was standing on her room''s balcony, watching her hurry into the car adorably. ''This version of Nicole is too cute...'' Nicole arrived at her school in a short amount of time though no one in her ss dared to condemn her for her tardiness. The revision ss went on as usual, but Regina was absent. Lulu said, "Seems like Regina is scared, huh?" "She didn''t evene today," June looked amused. It did not bother Nicole as Regina''s presence was none of her business. At that moment, Lulu said softly, "Nicole, are you getting married...?" Nicole stopped what she was doing, "You heard itst night?" They were therest night, and Jared had not been hiding the fact, so Lulu must have heard it. "Obviously! This is great news! How could I miss it?" "So it''s true! Congrattions in advance!" June eximed. "Seems like we have to prepare your wedding present now." Nicole looked at them. "There''s no need for that. You can be the presents yourselves." "Huh?" Lulu was stunned, not knowing what Nicole meant. "Last night, my mom said I needed bridesmaids in my wedding, and you''re both fit for it," Nicole heard most of her mom and Jared''s conversation, so she told Lulu and June about it. "Eh? Bridesmaids? That sounds fantastic..." June was excited, "Your wedding must be extremely grand, right? It''s nice that you want us to be your bridesmaids." Lulu was excited as well, "Yeah. Nicole... I''m so touched that you actually want us to be your bridesmaids." Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org. Nicole smiled and looked at Lulu, not expecting them to be so moved, "Who else would I get? You''re my best friends at Royal Creek." Lulu felt even more touched when she heard that. "Nicole... I really didn''t expect to be such an important person to you," Lulu looked as if she was going to burst into tears. June''s eyes watered as well, "Yeah... Me neither." Nicole said yfully, "You should have confidence. Okay, it''s all set then. You must both be present." "Of course!" They nodded. Sitting behind them was Bradley, who quickly said, "Nicole... What about me? Can I be the best man or something?" Bradley tried to tter her, but she frowned, "Do you have a femalepanion? Thesedies here... have their own male partners." Both Lulu and June''s cheeks flushed... They knew that Nicole was talking about Samuel and Spencer when she said that. Bradley felt extremely awkward, "Well... No." Then he continued dejectedly, "Seems like I won''t have a part in your wedding now. I''ll just be a waiter there." Lulu chuckled, "At least you''re quite self-aware about this." Then, the four of them joked around with each other. Not far from them were Gary, Wayne, and Jack, who were all shocked when they heard their conversation. "Nicole... Is getting married?" "I know they''re engaged, but this is normal in this circle. After all, wealthy families tend to n their marriages in advance to consolidate power. However, I didn''t expect Nicole to marry so soon!" Gary did not look too happy but there was nothing that he could do. Ever since he realized that Nicole was Lucifer, she had be his idol though he knew that he was not good enough for her, to him, neither was Jared! He was frustrated whenever he thought about Nicole and Jared''s marriage. "Don''t be sad... This is inevitable. After all, other than Jared, no one else deserves to fall for Nicole," Wayne suddenly said mindlessly. Jack immediately widened his eyes, "What are you talking about? Are you saying that Gary isn''t good enough for her?" Wayne only realized that he said something wrong after hearing what Jack said, "That''s not what I meant..." However, Gary already got mad as he said to Wayne, "Keep your stinky mouth shut." Wayne stopped speaking and kept quiet. The revision ss ended shortly after. Miss Emerson came inside the ssroom and said before she began teaching, "Theputing contest will be held three days from now. Whoever is participating has got to start practicing harder now." She did not know that Nicole was very good withputers yet, so she looked at her worriedly, "There''s no need to push yourself too hard if you''re really not very good atputing. Every participant of this contest also will be awarded a certificate." Nicole knew that Miss Emerson was trying to make her feel better, but she only nodded. The morning passed and it was recess time. Lulu took her phone out and showed Nicole something, "Nicole! Look, the production crew of Lukewarm said that they''re going to turn it into a movie instead of airing it as a television series!" "What''s going on? Doesn''t that mean the storyline will be very short?" June sighed, "I was looking forward to seeing Nicole on television." Nicole smiled, "It doesn''t matter if it''s going to be a series or movie. I won''t want to be a part of showbiz either way." To her, she preferred Lukewarm to not be released at all, but she knew how stubborn Lloyd could be and he would definitely find a way to put Lukewarm on screen. Lulu and June stopped talking about it as they knew different people wanted different things in life. Then, they said softly, "Nicole, why did they suddenly halt the production? Does this have something to do with Lloyd''s injury? Was it very bad?" Nicole knew they were big fans of Lloyd, so she sighed, "Why do you two still care about another man so much? Are my brothers not good enough for you guys?" Both of them blushed after hearing how Nicole teased them... "W-why did you bring them up..." "Yeah. We just wanted to know how he is..." Nicole said yfully, "Instead of spending your time on an irrelevant person, why don''t you think about your own future?" Lulu and June were speechless. Then, they said, "I don''t want to talk to you anymore... you''re so annoying." "You just won''t stop teasing us. Hmph." Then, they turned around shyly and went to get some rest. Nicole looked at them and smiled. Then, her eyes turned serious. She honestly did not want to talk about anything that had to do with Lloyd anymore. The school soon ended before she realized it. Even though Samuel and Spencer were still waiting for Nicole at the school gate, they looked very dejected. "What''s wrong with you guys?" Nicole looked at them curiously, "Did something happen because I was late to school today?" Chapter 1831 Chapter 1831 Samuel and Spencer both shook their heads. "That''s nothing. No one would dare to say a word even if we''rete." Nicole raised her eyebrow. "That''s because..." Samuel, in a somewhat miffed tone, said, "We don''t want you to get married to Jared so soon." Thinking that the two of them had decided things over a meal, the two brothers were not very happy about it. Nicole smiled yfully. "Being jealous now? Then the two of you can consider getting married early too." With Nicole twisting their words against them, the two of them found themselves at a disadvantage. "We... didn''t mean that..." Samuel was embarrassed. However, Nicole continued to tease them. "But you''re all adults now and should be thinking about your future. Hurry up and find yourselves a girlfriend." As she said that, Nicole opened the door and got into the car. Samuel and Spencer awkwardly followed her into the car. "We want to, but we don''t want to just make up the numbers." Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org. Nicole raised her eyebrow. "To me, Lulu and June are pretty fine girls, no?" Both Samuel and Spencer blushed. But when they thought of the two girls, neither of them felt any repulsion... "If you like them, then seize the chance. Both Lulu and June are beautiful and have ss. You won''t have that much time to see each other once you get into the university division." The moment Nicole reminded them, the twins looked sheepishly at each other and did not say a word. Seeing that the two were no longer downcast, Nicole smiled slightly. Soon, the car arrived at the Riddle family residence. As this was a discussion about their marriage, the location was set at the family residence. Once Mr. Riddle Sr. had learned about it, he had been busying himself the whole day. And now, he was waiting for the arrival of Mr. Johnston Sr. By the time Nicole arrived, her parents and brothers were already there. Perhaps because he feared discord, Mr. Riddle Sr. seemed like he did not intend to invite all of her uncles to this asion. Nicole''s parents had Mrs. Wace Sr. over as well, and she was now chatting with Mr. Riddle Sr. When they saw Nicole arrive, both Mr. Riddle Sr. and Mrs. Wace Sr. smiled brightly. "You''re here, Nicole. Come, have a seat." "Okay." Nicole smiled and sat between Mrs. Wace Sr. and Gloria. "Thank you, Grandma." It did not sit right with her to trouble Mrs. Wace Sr. for her affairs. "What''s there to thank me for? I''m staying at your ce right now, and your parents are taking care of me. It''s no trouble at all." Today was a big day and she was naturally very ted. Mr. Riddle Sr. looked at Mrs. Wace Sr. and said somewhat emotionally, "You''re like Nicole''s own grandmother. You have to be present on such great asions like today. " Mrs. Wace Sr. did not think that the Riddle family would revere her like that, and could not help but let out a genial smile. "Thank you, Mr. Riddle Sr., for your kind treatment." She would have never thought that she would one day sit at the same table with VVIPs like Mr. Riddle Sr. and Mr. Johnston Sr. "Of course. I''ve always been thankful to you. If you hadn''t raised Nicole up so well, I wouldn''t have such a good granddaughter." It was Nicole who had revitalized the Riddle Corporation, and she was brought up by Mrs. Wace Sr., so he was naturally grateful to thetter. Mrs. Wace Sr. was a little embarrassed by the attention Mr. Riddle Sr. had given her and said somewhat awkwardly, "You tter me, Mr. Riddle Sr. Nicole is also my granddaughter, so it''s only right that I love and dote on her..." It was only then did Mr. Riddle Sr. realize that his gaze was a little too fiery and he immediately picked up a ss. "Have a try. This is a prized Earl Grey that I''ve kept for a long time now." "Alright..." Mrs. Wace Sr. nodded, slightly embarrassed. Seeing how the two interacted, Nicole could not help but sense something but she chose to say nothing. Soon, a voice came from the door. Chapter 1832 Chapter 1832 Alfred then led Jared and Mr. Johnston Sr. into the manor. The moment he stepped through the door, Mr. Johnston Sr. eximed, "Mr. Riddle Sr., the day has finallye!" Mr. Riddle Sr. quickly got up. "Indeed. The feeling is mutual!" Mr. Johnston Sr. looked at Mr. Riddle Sr. and smiled happily. "We didn''t arrange this marriage for nothing, so I came here bearing a grand gift." Mr. Riddle Sr. did not expect Mr. Johnston Sr. to jump straight to gift giving the moment he stepped into the house. He found himself in an awkward situation. "Oh no, you didn''t have to." "Why not? It''s an honor for my grandson to be able to marry a girl like Nicole! So, as his grandfather, I must of course have something to show for!" As he said that, Mr. Johnston Sr. motioned to a follower behind him to bring something forward. When the big object covered in red cloth was brought over, everyone could not help but turn to look at it. Mr. Johnston Sr. smiled happily as he pulled the red cloth away. A brilliant emerald stone soon appeared before everyone. Nicole''s gaze suddenly deepened. She was a gemologist, and could tell the authenticity of such a brilliant emerald at a nce. She did not expect that Mr. Johnston Sr. would have such arge emerald with him. Although the carving was simple, it was very lifelike which showed that it was the work of a grandmaster! "The Verdant Brilliance by Graf Wittgenstein." There was no trace of doubt in Nicole''s voice, only confidence. Mr. Johnston Sr. did not expect that the person who would be able to tell the name of the piece would be Nicole! "You could tell whose work this is with just a nce,ss?" Mr. Johnston Sr.''s gaze toward Nicole filled with even more admiration. It was very rare for someone to have such keen eyes and knowledge at such a young age. Everyone looked at Nicole one after another. It was only then did Nicole realize that she had subconsciously blurted out the gem''s name in her surprise. With this as it was, she could say, "I did some light research on Graf Wittgenstein''s work before." The Interpol had investigated many major international treasure cases, so it was natural for her to learn how to inspect treasures from a young age in the organization. However, she only learned the basics there andter on focused on the masterpieces of a few famous grandmasters. There were plenty of treasures whose authenticity was difficult to ascertain that were inspected by her. But as time went on, she could tell the authenticity and workmanship of these collection pieces with just a nce. "Some light research?" Mr. Johnston Sr smiled. "For you to be able to tell who the grandmaster was behind this piece, this is an ability of a professional gemologist. You''re being too humble,ss." The moment he said that, everyone looked at Nicole again. They knew that Nicole liked to be humble, and so after what was said, they too felt Nicole was definitely much more skilled than she let on to be. Yet, they did not expect Mr. Johnston Sr. to view her so highly. Seeing that she was unable to keep that hidden anymore, she could only divert the topic. "It''s just your fine collection, sir." "And you''re still calling me sir. Time to call me Grandpa now." Mr. Johnston Sr. smiled at Nicole. Nicole could not help but blush a little... but she could only sputter the word out in embarrassment. "Grandpa..." "Good! Hahaha, this is so worth it. Mr. Riddle Sr. Please ept the gift!" "Alright, alright!" Mr. Riddle Sr. did not dare refuse the gift and quickly asked the servant to receive the gift. Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org. At this moment, Mr. Johnston Sr. went to Nicole. "You have a keen eye,ss. If you have time in the next two days,e to my ce and help me identify some other precious gems I have." He was a little frustrated that he could not find someone reliable to inspect his gems. He did not expect Nicole to be a gemologist and that was an unexpected pleasant surprise. Nicole did not refuse. "Alright." Seeing this, Jared could not help but raise his eyebrows. ''How many more things does this girl know?'' ''I''ve really got myself a gem.'' Chapter 1833 Chapter 1833 After epting the gift, Mr. Riddle Sr. led Mr. Johnston Sr. and Jared to the dining hall. At that moment, the chef and servants had already prepared avish feast. Seeing that, Mr. Johnston Sr. could not help but say, "Oh, you didn''t have to do this, Mr. Riddle Sr." Mr. Riddle Sr. smiled genially. "Think nothing of it. You''ve prepared such a big gift for us. This is only natural." The two elderly men politely bowed to each other and took their seats. Mrs. Wace Sr. was arranged by Daniel to sit beside Mr. Riddle Sr. Mr. Johnston Sr. gave Mrs. Wace Sr. a nce. "Is this... your missus?" After some hesitation, this was the guess Mr. Johnston Sr. made. However, Mr. Riddle Sr.''s wife had passed away a long time ago. When did he take a new wife? Mrs. Wace Sr. suddenly found herself in an awkward spot. She had never encountered such a situation before and did not know what to say. Yet, Mr. Riddle Sr. smiled. "She isn''t my wife, but this is Mrs. Wace Sr. who had raised Nicole since young, so she''s naturally a part of our family." Mr. Johnston Sr immediately knew that he had misunderstood things andughed. "Ah, so she''s the lady who raised Nicole. My bad, my bad." Mrs. Wace Sr. smiled embarrassedly, looking a little bashful. Mr. Johnston Sr. looked at Mrs. Wace Sr.''s graceful and gentle face and could not help but nce at Mr. Riddle Sr. "However, Mrs. Wace Sr.''s face is indeed extraordinary. It''s easy to cause a misunderstanding like this." Mrs. Wace Sr. found it even harder to respond and so Nicole grabbed onto her arm and said, "Of course. Grandma has always been taking good care of herself, so she looks very young." Mr. Johnston Sr. smiled. "Indeed. With such a temperament, Mrs. Wace Sr. must''ve been a beauty during her younger days." "Mr. Johnston Sr. you tter me..." After receiving one praise after another, Mrs. Wace Sr. could only respond shyly. Mr. Johnston Sr. then took his seat and the rest of the family also sat down. Mr. Riddle Sr. ordered the servants to serve the food and pour the wine. After some chatter, everyone ate as they went straight into the heart of the matter. Mr. Johnston Sr. spoke first. "Nicole is, after all, marrying Jared. As Jared''s grandfather, I cannot be stingy. So, I''ve decided to cede ten percent of the shares under my name in the Johnston Group to Nicole." The moment he said that, everyone else was stunned. They really did not expect Mr. Johnston Sr. to regard Nicole so highly that he would even transfer a part of the shares under his name to her! Even if it was just ten percent, it was still tens of billions in assets! N?velDrama.Org ? content. Both Daniel and Gloria were stunned. Both Sean and Steve too were surprised as they did not expect Mr. Johnston Sr. to be so generous. "Also, I have prepared gifts for Nicole''s parents and brothers. I''m having them sent to their residence." Upon hearing that they were to receive gifts as well, Daniel felt ttered. "Mr. Johnston Sr., you don''t have to go through the trouble for us..." "Yes, we''ve received your kindness already, and I''ll be d as long as we can get the matters between the two young ones settled." However, Mr. Johnston Sr. waved off his concerns. "How can that be? The Johnstons won''t do injustice by ady marrying into the family, nor by her family. So, consider this matter settled." Seeing that Mr. Johnston Sr. was so determined, Daniel could not say anything else. Jared smiled as he looked at Nicole. "This is just Grandpa''s gift. I have prepared another set of my own. Don''t worry. Shabby isn''t how I do things." She did not expect Jared to make other preparations in addition to this. This grandfather and grandson sure werevish with their gifts. Mr. Riddle Sr. could not help but be ttered as he said, "I''ll also allocate some of my assets as Nicole''s dowry. Let it never be said that I treat Jared shabbily." Yet, Mr. Johnston Sr. shook his head. "No need for that. It''s the Johnstons who are taking a wife, so there''s no need for the talk of dowry. As long as Nicole herself is willing to marry into the family, it''s the fortune of us Johnstons." Chapter 1834 Chapter 1834 Seeing that Mr. Johnston Sr. regarded Nicole so highly, the entire Riddle family was moved beyond words. It was an absolute blessing for Nicole to be able to find such inws. But they also knew that Nicole''s brilliance and excellence was the thing that made Mr. Johnston Sr. hold her in such high regard. Even if the five brothers could not bear to see their little sister marry out of the family, upon seeing how sincere Mr. Johnston Sr. and Jared were, they could only give her their blessings. The meal was a very harmonious one. When it came to determining the date, everyone looked at Jared. Jared looked at Nicole in the eyes and said, "I can''t wait to marry Nicole and I n to go to Panem with Nicole to register our marriage. Then our wedding will be held half a monthter at Bailey Ind." When she heard that Jared was nning the wedding at such a romantic ce, Gloria was touched. "Jared, you sure have it all nned out." N?velDrama.Org ? content. But Nicole''s focus was not on that. "So, the wedding is in half a month''s time?" ''How impatient is this man?'' Jared nodded. "Of course. Unless you want it to be held earlier?" "..." Nicole suddenly found herself at a loss for words. Mr. Johnston Sr. then guffawed. "That settles it then!" Since Mr. Johnston Sr. had said so, no one had anything else to add. And thus, the matter was settled. Nicole could not help but sigh. The Brave had not been found yet, the issue with the Raven had yet to be resolved and there were still so many things to do... Yet, this guy did not care about all of that and nned to get married in half a month''s time. However, when she saw Jared''s happy face, she could not bring herself to say anything more. ''Ah, forget it. Let''s deal with that bit by bitter.'' The meal then ended in a pleasant atmosphere. By then, it was alreadyte, and while Mr. Johnston Sr. was bidding farewell to Mr. Riddle Sr., Jared sneaked a nce at Nicole. "I''ll send Grandpa back first then I''lle to look for you." Nicole returned the nce and said, "No need. We''ll see each other during the weekends anyway." Jared, however, sounded reluctant as he lowered his voice. "I want to see you every day though." Nicole blushed a little and said nothing else. Jared and Mr. Johnston Sr. left the manor together and got into the car after saying goodbye. It was only then did Mr. Riddle Sr. heave a sigh of relief as he looked at Daniel, Gloria and Nicole with a look of surprise. "Oh dear, I really didn''t expect Mr. Johnston Sr. toe bearing so many things. It really surprised me." Daniel nodded in agreement. "Yeah, Mr. Johnston Sr. and Jared really went all out." The whole family was amazed as they returned to the living room. In the living room, the Verdant Brilliance sitting on the table was particrly eye-catching. Mr. Riddle Sr. could not help but sigh. "How much does this cost? For Mr. Johnston Sr. to give it away like that..." Nicole pondered for a bit before saying, "It''s almost invaluable. Mr. Johnston Sr. probably used a lot of money and influence to get it. The value of this emerald isn''t measurable by money alone." When Mr. Riddle Sr. heard that, he was dumbfounded. "It''s all thanks to you, or else Grandpa would never have had the opportunity to see such a collection piece in my lifetime." Nicole shook her head. "It''s your own fortune, Grandpa." Mr. Riddle Sr. immediately got the servants to carefully bring the treasure to the study. Steve looked at Nicole and said, "I didn''t expect you to be such an appraiser... How many other things do you know that we don''t know about yet?" Chapter 1835 Chapter 1835 "Yeah Nicole, you''re just so multi-talented!" Samuel was surprised. However, Nicole shook her head. "It''s just something I picked up in the organization. Everyone there knows it." The more she tried to understate things, the more they felt Nicole was more than she let on. Daniel looked at the time and saw that it was alreadyte and they should be going back. "Alright, Grandpa''s tired too. Let''s go back first. We''ll be very busy for theing days." "Yes. After this, all of you must help out with Nicole''s wedding. No one''s allowed to ck off." "Don''t worry about it." Samuel nodded. Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. "Yeah, just tell us what we need to do, Mom," Spencer added. It was only then that Gloria felt relieved. "Good." The family chatted with one another as they prepared to bid Mr. Riddle Sr. goodbye. Yet, unexpectedly, Damien suddenly entered through the front door. When he saw that Daniel and the rest were about to leave, his expression was dark. He had only heard that the Johnston and Riddle family were about to discuss their marriage, and Mr. Riddle Sr. did not even inform him, the eldest son, of such an important matter. He only involved Daniel''s family and the Johnston family. When he arrived just now, his car happened to pass by Jared''s car. And that reaffirmed the matter. He had been holding everything in for all these days. His daughter being disabled, his son injured, he endured it all for the sake of his position in thepany. But today, he now understoodpletely that he no longer had a ce in this family! His position in thepany was now in a precarious position too! So, he could bear that no longer and rushed over directly. When he saw Damien, Daniel asked. "Damien, why are you here?" When Mr. Riddle Sr. saw Damien, he too was a little taken aback. He had not told Damien toe to the family residence, so why was Damien here now? Damien stared at Mr. Riddle Sr. and said, "Dad, this eldest son of yours seems to have less and less standing in your mind nowadays. You didn''t inform me about this important matter of discussing marriage with the Johnston family!" Mr. Riddle Sr.''s expression turned a little grim as he said, "I heard that an ident befell both Chloe and Everett, so I didn''t want to disturb you." Seeing that his father was being questioned, Daniel responded in a somewhat miffed tone. "Today''s marriage matter is between my daughter and Mr. Jared, so it''s normal for just the parents to be present. Your presence wouldn''t have affected anything." Damien immediately blew his top. "Doesn''t affect anything, huh? Back then, I would be present for every matter, big or small. Since when did just your presence alone suffice, huh, Daniel? If my absence in family matters doesn''t affect anything, will my absence inpany matters not matter anymore in the future then?" Seeing that Damien was dissatisfied because Mr. Riddle Sr. had not informed him about this, Mr. Riddle Sr. looked somewhat irritable. ''Damien is getting more and more difficult and irascibletely.'' Mr. Riddle Sr. could not help but say, "Damien, when you were managing thepany, did Daniel say anything? Now all of thepany''s businesses rely upon Daniel''s family. How can you be so dissatisfied?" Chapter 1836 Chapter 1836 Damien totally did not expect Mr. Riddle Sr. to be so frank with him. Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org. Although Damien was a little taken by surprise, he decided to be frank as well. "I''ll readily admit that the reason thepany''s doing so well right now is because of Daniel''s family. But the reason we survived this long is because of me breaking my back running thepany. You shouldn''t just discard my past contributions just like that..." Mr. Riddle Sr. frowned. "Since when did I discard your past contributions? I just want you to make way for your betters. The Riddle family isn''t yours alone. Only when the family and thepany is in a good spot will everyone in the family enjoy its benefits. Thepany should be run by those who are most capable. You, of all people, should know this logic best." When he heard the words ''make way for your betters'', Damien clenched his fist tightly. He could not help but to say mockingly, "So, father, you feel that I''m just hogging the position and doing minor work, like an extra, so you want me to make way for someone else, right?" Mr. Riddle Sr. was surprised. "Damien, the reason I got you to manage thepany back then was because you were the calmest andposed among the four brothers. Why are you being so difficult now?" "It''s because you''re being biased!" Damien roared angrily. "Don''t forget, the only reason Daniel''s family is on the rise is because Nicole happened to be the inheritor of the Fire Crest! Yet, you''ve been using the excuse of not having enough manpower to get Sean, Steve and even Stanley, who hasn''t even finished university into thepany! What sort of position are you putting me and Dillon in? As mere window dressing in thepany?" "You!!!" Mr. Riddle Sr. was so angered he staggered a little. Seeing that something was not right, Nicole immediately held Mr. Riddle Sr. as she spat angrily at Damien. "Uncle Damien, this isn''t something Grandpa said, but you yourself! It looks like you at least have some self-awareness." Having Nicole talk back to him, Damien was even more furious. "You have no ce to speak here!" However, Nicole sneered back at him. "Don''t forget, Uncle Damien, I hold the majority of the shares in thepany. Of course, I have a say!" Nicole''s words caused Damien to choke on his for a moment, but he immediately spat back. "Hah, so this is father''s most beloved granddaughter, being so insolent after getting her hands on the shares. She''s outright disrespectful to her elders now." Seeing that Damien was mocking Mr. Riddle Sr., Nicole snapped back. "I wonder who''s the one disrespecting their elders. Me, or you, Uncle Damien? Where''s your respect for Grandpa?" "You!" Damien was extremely frustrated, but he knew that he was unable to out-argue Nicole, so he could only yell. "You''re good at twisting words!" Nicole only sneered coldly in return. "You can mock me however you want, Uncle Damien, but you shouldn''t be like that to Grandpa. It''s not like he didn''t give you a chance, butparing thepany you''ve managed in the past ten years to thepany under my father now, don''t you have any awareness of your own capabilities?" Once again, Damien had his capabilities made fun of by Nicole and was furious. "What do you mean by that? Are you saying that I''m incapable?!" Nicole was indifferent. "Ah, so you could figure that out. Good, it seems like you''re not terminally foolish, at the very least." "Nicole!!!" Damien was thoroughly enraged and wanted to step forward to hit her. However, Daniel went and stood between Damien and Nicole as he grabbed Damien''s hand. "Damien, no matter how overboard you went against me, I didn''t mind it. But Nicole is my daughter, and it''s not up to you to punish her." As he said that, Daniel pushed Damien''s hand away forcefully. Damien could not help but be shocked. ''Is this the same Daniel that I used to boss around before?'' He was pissed. "Hahaha! Fine, Daniel, fine. I couldn''t tell at all that you have such strength. So you''ve been ying meek all along, waiting for the right moment to strike. Now that you''ve made it big, I''m nothing to you now!" Seeing that Damien was still trying to spew nonsense, Nicole frowned and said, "If you want to be something in someone''s eyes, you should have either ability or honor. Tell me, Uncle Damien, which do you have right now?" Damien red at Nicole and yelled. "Don''t you dare try to mock me! You think you have the right to talk about me after Grandpa gave you those shares? You''re nothing if it weren''t for the Fire Crest or Jared. Nothing!" Chapter 1837 Chapter 1837 "It''s true that I don''t have much. But for these two things, you can take it if you dare." Nicole sarcastically said, "Being able to depend on others is also an ability. I guess you don''t even have that ability. Do you only know how to be unreasonable like your wife?" Those words came one after another. Damien was speechless at Nicole''s sarcasm. "What a great show, Nicole. I can''t fight you now, but you better remember this, good tunese from an old fiddle. It won''t be good for you once you offend me." Damien gave Nicole a death stare. His gaze was like a wolf''s scowl. N?velDrama.Org ? content. Nicole could sense the threatening tone in Damien''s voice. She turned around, nced at Mr. Riddle Sr., and said, "Grandpa, it seems like the Riddle family is separated now. Previously, we only separated the shares. Now that we have to protect thepany, I guess we''ll have to split up thepany too. Since Uncle Damien''s so confident, he can just lead his own department as an individual division. That way, he won''t feel as if he''s in my father''s shadow." Damien could not help but tremble. ''Nicole is such a cunning brat! ''She''s actually tricking that old man into separating thepany''s operations!'' Previously, Damien could at least receive some dividends at the end of the year. If thepany were to be split up... thepany''s performance would not have anything to do with him anymore! "Dad..." Damien wanted toment further. However, Mr. Riddle Sr. was already exhausted. "Now that Nicole is thepany''s biggest shareholder, she can decide." "Dad!" Damien was stunned. He did not expect Mr. Riddle Sr. to support Nicole. "I''m already old. My own son disregards my opinions. In the future, don''t ask me anything about the company or the family! All of you can settle it on your own!" As soon as he finished speaking, Mr. Riddle Sr. angrily walked up the stairs. Damien did not expect such an oue. Initially, he thought that his appearance was entirely reasonable. However, Nicole turned the tables with just a few words. Instead, he himself turned into an unfilial son! "Uncle Damien, stop looking. Grandpa had already spoken. Tomorrow, you, and Uncle Dillon can get ready to open a branch office. It''s better for you to leave the head office. That way, we won''t burden you either. This way, you would be able to see your own ability clearly as well. Isn''t that right?" Nicole sarcastically said to Uncle Damien. ''He wants to fight Nicole? There''s no chance!'' Damien was so angry that his whole body was trembling. His heart stuttered, and he gritted his teeth. "Nicole... Daniel Riddle, all of you are evil! Just wait and see!" After he finished speaking, Damien turned around and left hurriedly. He was worried that he would not be able to control his anger and faint. Seeing that Damien had finally left, everyone let out a sigh of relief. Gloria was a little worried. "Nicole... by doing this, aren''t you chasing Damien and Dillon out of the company? That''s not good, right?" Nicole''s gaze was getting darker. "I''m also being cautious, in case someone tries to y dirty tricks in thepany. If that happens, ourpany would suffer a huge loss. I''d rather ourpany splits up. That way we can maintain ourpany." Daniel and Sean seemed to agree as well. "Even if we didn''t split, Uncle Damien''s mood isn''t something we can manage in just a few days. Leaving him here would only cause future issues." "Nicole did the right thing. I don''t even have your determination." Daniel could not help but sigh. Nicole smiled. "You''ll get used to it." Daniel nodded. Everything was settled now, and Mr. Riddle Sr. had already gone upstairs to rest. Nicole left the Riddle family manor with her parents and brothers. When they reached home, Nicole waited for a while, but Jared did not appear. This guy, he even said that he wanted to find her. He kept Nicole waiting until ten something. Nicole decided not to wait anymore. Unexpectedly, when she opened the door, she could tell that someone was inside. "Who''s in there?" Nicole frowned. Sure enough, she saw Jared appear beside her. Jared immediately hugged her. "What took you so long?" Nicole looked at Jared and said, "Why did you break into a private property again?" Jared smiled. "Obviously, it''s because I missed you. I want to hug you to sleep tonight." Nicole frowned. "How dare you say that! Who was the one that caused me to bete this morning? You can''t sleep here tonight!" Chapter 1838 Chapter 1838 The burden she had to face for not getting a good night''s rest, the back pain she had to suffer when she went to school... Nicole did not want him to stay anymore. She wanted to rest at night. "After the weekend, we''ll be husband and wife legally. What''s so bad about living together a few days earlier?" Nicole looked at him with a firm gaze. "Of course it''s a bad thing! My back is in pain!" Jared immediately understood what she meant and smiled wickedly. "Then, for tonight, I''ll be a little gentler." "Shut up, you brute! I won''t let you touch me even once tonight!" This guy really had no self-control. Nicole could not let Jared have his way. Jared pursed his lips. "You don''t have a say... Come, let''s take a shower first." As soon as he finished talking, Jared carried Nicole in his arms. "You! Let go of me!" Nicole was blushing while wriggling. However, Jared raised his eyebrows proudly. "You could scream louder... I don''t mind it if mom and dad hear you." "You!" This nasty fellow... Nicole could only suppress all that she wanted to say. She did not dare utter another word. That night, she was destined to be yed by Jared as he pleased. The next few days, Jared would sneak into her house every night. That was the very first time Nicole felt it was a bad thing for her to live nearby. However, she became even more worried about life after marriage. They would have to be together every day. How was she going to manage his energetic body? N?velDrama.Org ? content. For three days in a row, Nicole was not in the best condition. She kept yawning in ss. Coincidentally, Nicole was also having aputerpetition. Early in the morning, Lulu had already noticed Nicole''s appearance. She could not help but worry about Nicole. "Nicole, you don''t seem good these few days... Did you not get enough rest?" "You don''t need to go for any shoots after school, right? Why are you still tired? You evene to school on the dot." Lulu and June''s faces were filled with doubt. A top student like Nicole was rarelyte for school. What was going on? After praying to Jared''s ancestors deep down in Nicole''s heart, she forced a smile. "To prepare for this competition, I''ve been burning the midnight oil." "No wonder. Don''t worry. With your skills, I''m sure you''ll be fine." "That''s right. If even you can''t get first ce, everyone else would have it worse." As the two girls were trying tofort Nicole, they noticed Regina. "After that incident, she looked for the teacher and withdrew from thepetition." "What an embarrassment." "No one has been talking to her these days." Nicole nced at Regina''s pitiful backside. ''She probably didn''t expect this. She tried her best to transfer to San Joto, just so that she could compete with me. And yet now, she has be a nobody in ss.'' "She even bought a lot of things for our ssmates. However, no one took her bribe." "For someone like this. It''s better for them to transfer schools." Lulu and Joyce were genuinely giving suggestions for Regina. However, Nicole replied, "Ignore her. You reap what you sow. She would most definitely have to take ountability for what she did." Regina was too high key. She had already offended Nicole on the first day of school. Anyone who did not dare offend Nicole in school would mostly stay away from Regina. No matter how much she struggled, it would be useless. At that point, some stranger walked past Regina. With a loud stomp, she stepped on Regina''s foot. "Ah! What are you doing!" Regina instantly got angry and yelled. Chapter 1839 Chapter 1839 That student rolled her eyes at Regina. "A bumpkin will always be a bumpkin. It was just a tiny step on the leg and she''s already creating a scene." "Who are you calling a bumpkin?" Regina had never beenbeled a bumpkin her whole life. She immediately got mad and stood up angrily. "Did your parents not teach you manners?" Every student at San Joto came from a good family background. That student did not bother about Regina but squinted her eyes and threatened Regina. "Aren''t you acting a little too arrogant for a neer? Do you need some lessons on how to behave?" Regina''s eyes widened at the threat But after Regina went home thest time, her dad had told her about Nicole''s real identity. He also warned Regina that there are many people in San Joto which she should never offend. So, Regina could only grit her teeth and hold back. "I''m in no mood to deal with you! You better watch yourself the next time." Regina found an excuse for herself and returned to her seat quietly. When Lulu saw what happened, she could not help butugh. "Haha! Regina has finally learned how to behave." Joyce replied, "Yeah, she had already offended the wrong person on her first day of school. She better learn how to behave." Nicole ignored Regina. If Regina were to offend Nicole, someone in school would naturally take care of it. Sure enough, Regina was not only being treated as an outcast during recess, but also other times. However, Regina could only keep it in. She was jealous that Nicole was being surrounded by people at every minute. In the afternoon, theputerpetition was about to begin. The teacher had arranged for a big bus to fetch the students. When Nicole and the others stood up, the whole ss wished them good luck. They were hoping that Nicole and the team would bring back some good news. Deep down, Regina was annoyed. Nicole had snatched away such an opportunity to show off. If Regina knew, she would have learned more aboutputers before. It was a pity that the teacher would not give Regina such an opportunity anymore. She could only sit there helplessly while watching Nicole and the boys walk out of the ss. "Hmph! I don''t believe that you''ll win anything," Regina muttered. Deep in her heart, she was hoping for the worst for Nicole. Soon, Nicole and the team boarded the bus. In the bus, Ryder and Gary were the leaders. Preston and Edwin were sitting in front while the rest were seated behind. When Nicole got on the bus, Preston waved to her. Although Snow and Raine had been expelled, Preston knew that those girls brought it upon themselves. So, even if he felt sad about it, he never resented Nicole for it. Nicole nodded without uttering a word. Then, she walked behind with Bradley and the rest. Looking at how humble Nicole was to sit at the back, everyone felt unsettled. Fortunately, the car moved quickly. After half an hour or so, they arrived at the venue of the competition. Thispetition was at national level. All the schools had sent their best elites. Naturally, Nicole saw Northon Institute''s team present. Zeke was the one heading the team. At that moment, Zeke''s teacher was happily leading the team. He wore a red sash. It was inscribed with the words ''Reigning Champions''. As for Zeke, the previous championship''s medal was hanging around his neck. Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org. Zeke seemed to be annoyed. He stood there while smiling embarrassedly. However, his teacher seemed to be enjoying the attention they were getting. Quite a number of colleagues stopped and said to him, "Mr. Hardy, Zeke is representing your school again this year?" "Of course! Zeke is our school''s ace! If he''s not here, then who would be?" Mr. Hardy lifted his chin and patted Zeke''s shoulders. The other teacher sighed, "Zeke''s skills are onlyparable to a hacker. The only people who could compete with him are the Finley brothers from Royal Creek Institute. Let alone our team..." When Mr. Hardy heard that, he replied happily, "Zeke''s skills have been advancing very quickly every year. The Finley brothers were no match for himst year. It would be even more impossible for them to beat Zeke this year." Chapter 1840 Chapter 1840 Those words sounded particrly harsh when Ryder''s homeroom teacher who was leading the team heard it. At that moment, he could not take it in anymore and immediately approached Mr. Hardy. "Mr. Hardy, what a wonderful sight to see. It was just one championship and you''re already criticizing people behind their backs. That''s not nice, isn''t it?" When Mr. Hardy saw Mr. Zach, heughed. Over the past few years, they always went head-to-head in thepetition. Before Zeke appeared, the Finley brothers always won the championship. But since Zeke entered Northon Institute, Mr. Hardy could finally stand proudly. "I did not criticize you behind your back. Aren''t you standing right here? No matter how many championships you''ve won, I''m sure you''ve heard the saying ''each new generation exceeds thest one'', right? Last year, Zeke was the best of the best. Even the Finley brothers could onlyst about 20 minutes before losing to him. His skills are beyond that of the Finley brothers." Although it had been a year, the Finley brothers would have improved their skills, but Zeke would have done so too. In Mr. Hardy''s opinion, no one could defeat Zeke. The Finley brothers were already defeated. It was impossible for them to fight Zeke! At that moment, Ryder and Gary did not look good. They seemed to be bursting in anger. However, Zeke was really skillful. When they were facing Zeke duringst year''s finals, the Finley brothers lost to Zeke badly. His hacking skills were definitely superb. However, Zeke was not worried about the Finley brothers at that moment. His gaze shifted to the team and was locked on Nicole who slowly stepped forward. Instantly, Zeke''s face turned pale. ''Nicole? What''s she doing here?'' At that moment, Nicole was also looking at Zeke and pursed her lips. ''Zeke is also participating in thispetition? Then, I guess it''s going to be an interesting one.'' Nicole did not bother about anyone else there. But for Lucifer and Specter, as old partners, they were also ranked as the top one and top two hackers on The Hunters. If the two of them were topete, who would win? Zeke''s skills were better than Gary''s. However, Nicole had never thought ofpeting with Zeke. Instead, they became partners. So, they had neverpeted with each other before. In an instant, Nicole became interested in the idea ofpeting with Zeke. It would be interesting. However, Zeke did not seem to be happy when he saw Nicole. Gosh! Gary would ratherpete with both Finley brothers at the same time, instead ofpeting with Nicole. Gary could tell that Zeke did not look good. He suddenly remembered that Zeke had appeared at the Royal Creek Institute''s field before. He vaguely remembered that Nicole brought Zeke for a jog. ''Do the two of them know each other from before?'' The two teachers were still arguing with each other when Gary questioned Nicole, who had just arrived beside him. "You and Zeke knew each other before this, right?" Nicole did not look at Gary, but she did not deny it. Gary immediately knew the answer. The both of them must have known each other. When Gary recalled Zeke''s performance in the previouspetition, Gary immediately thought of something... Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org. Subconsciously, he murmured to Nicole, "Is he also a hacker on The Hunters?" Nicole''s gaze darkened. She squinted her eyes and looked at Gary. The air was covered with a nket of silence. It was only then that Gary came back to his senses. He realized that he had just thought out loud. "Uh, I mean, I was just guessing... because you..." Nicole frowned. "You know who I am?" Chapter 1841 Chapter 1841 Being stared at, Gary immediately felt awkward. He turned his gaze and said, "Uh, I was just guessing." Nicole looked at Gary worriedly and suddenly moved closer to him. Instantly, Gary''s heart started beating rapidly. He could faintly smell the perfume on Nicole. "W-what are you doing?" Gary was a little nervous. Nicole lowered her voice and asked, "How did you guess it?" Gary could not escape anymore. He then replied softly, "Lucifer''s my idol. I''ve carefully studied her coding pattern and signature. Thest time you stole the school''s CCTV recording, I was guarding the server..." Obviously, Nicole could tell he was that person the other day. Gary actually looked up to Lucifer as his idol and even studied her signature and coding pattern? Nicole curled her lips in annoyance. "I knew it was you. You''re not stupid either, since you could guess that it was me." Seeing that Nicole was not angry, Gary scratched his head sheepishly. "Hehe. I spent quite an amount of effort on it too. I didn''t expect my idol to be someone around me." Gary shamelessly expressed his admiration and changed his attitude. At that moment, he seemed like a big fanboy. Nicole did not pay it any mind. She turned her faze toward Zeke and said, "I''m not sure if Specter is your idol too." Hearing Nicole mention Specter and look at Zeke, Gary was even more shocked. "Are you saying... that brat is Specter?" Gary could not control his reaction and spoke a little louder. Nicole immediately covered his mouth. "Are you nning to let the whole world know about it?" Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. Gary nodded, signaling for Nicole to remove her hands. Then, Gary said in a low but surprised tone, "Gosh! Then, aren''t both of you partners?" Nicole smiled and looked at him yfully. "Yes, but we''ve neverpeted with each other." Gary subconsciously gulped. ''Oh my God! What a unique scene!'' This nationalpetition actually brought together two of the country''s experts topete! Gary was so excited that his heart was thumping! He could not suppress his feelings and he really wanted to reveal the truth to everyone present! This is a god-level match! At that moment, Ryder walked over. Looking at how excited Gary was, Ryder could not help but question, "What happened? Why are you so excited?" Gary looked at his brother, extremely excited. However, Gary did not dare utter a word as Nicole was present. But Ryder was also a fan of Lucifer and Specter. Gary felt conflicted. He could only drop a small hint. "Ryder, you must pay attention to today''spetition." Ryder could not help but roll his eyes at him. "What do you mean ''pay attention''? We''ll have to fight as well. I don''t want to lose to that brat again!" Last year''s defeat was Ryder''s limit. "If I were to lose again, how am I going to join The Hunters? How am I supposed to fight those big hackers on the ranking list?" Ryder was still fired up. Gary was screaming inside. ''The top two hackers on the list are standing right in front of you! ''What are you fighting for? Your skills will never be better than theirs! ''Just sit down and watch thepetition!'' Looking at how Ryder was still in the dark, Gary felt pity for him. However, Gary did not care about Ryder anymore. His gaze was going back and forth between Nicole and Zeke. They were all about the same age, but how could these two be so skillful? Chapter 1842 Chapter 1842 If he had the chance, Gary should really learn from them! While Gary was admiring Nicole and Zeke, Mr. Hardy and Mr. Zach had just finished their intense argument. Mr. Hardy saw how angry Mr. Zach was, and he proudly said, "Mr. Zach, don''t look at me like that. You''d better ask your team members to do better." Mr. Zach was so angry that his face had reddened, and he turned speechless. Zeke, who was standing beside Mr. Hardy, watched how arrogant he was and felt a little timid. "Mr. Hardy, I think it''s best if we kept things lowkey." Zeke was not sure what Nicole was there for. If she were to join thepetition... Then, Zeke would lose his reputation right there. However, Mr. Hardy still seemed proud. "Zeke, why are you being so humble? I believe in you. Don''t be nervous!" From afar, Steve and Edwin were the only ones who knew the truth. Embarrassed, they whispered, "This teacher is a little too arrogant. Although that kid''s quite skillful, he''s still not as good as Nicole, right?" Both of them had sought Zeke''s help before. In the end, Zeke had to ask Nicole to save the day. Therefore, it was obvious who the winner would be. Preston said yfully, "I thought we were just here topete. I didn''t expect to watch such a grand scenario." The experts of The Hunters going against each other head-to-head. That would be an amazing show to watch. "That''s right. I didn''t expect toe across such a scene. Typically, the match between them should be televised, right?" "Yeah, that would be a great show." The both of them were chattering and getting excited for an amazing show. Finally, all the teams from schools had arrived. The ten famous universities of San Joto. Each school had sent about twenty students to participate in thepetition. It was obvious that thispetition was an important one. After the students had been seated, the organizer got on the stage and spoke. They even invited a distinguished guest. All they heard from the host was, "Let us invite Mr. Sebastian Wyance up on stage to give his speech!" Nicole narrowed her eyes a little. She did not expect Sebastian to be present at the opening ceremony. Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org. It was obvious how much the people of San Joto revered thispetition. Sebastian walked up the stage elegantly. When he took a nce at the crowd, he immediately spotted Nicole. Because of his mayor election, Sebastian had not contacted Nicole in a while. He did not expect Nicole to participate in thatpetition. What a coincidence! Nicole nodded to Sebastian who was on stage to acknowledge him. Then, Sebastian continued speaking. After giving an eloquent speech, he officiated thepetition. Gary noticed Sebastian''s gaze. It was as if Sebastian was looking in Nicole''s direction. So, Gary questioned hesitantly, "Do you know Mr. Sebastian personally?" Nicole did not try to hide it. She nodded indifferently. Gary could not help but exim mentally. ''Is there anyone on earth who Nicole doesn''t know? She''s the inheritor of the Fire Crest. And now that the new mayor has been nominated, he''s probably very nice to Nicole. ''The only concern is that Mr. Sebastian will be watching the wholepetition. This would be of significant help to Nicole.'' Just by the thought of it, Gary was ted. "Alright. Let us begin thepetition. May all the participants get into groups of four ording to the numbers?" The first round was rtively easy. However, the elimination ratio was four to one. The first round would filter out about three-quarters of the yers. It seemed like the organizers knew that there were participants who were not serious about participating in thepetition. After half an hour, Nicole, Gary, Ryder, Preston, and the others made it into the next round. And, as expected, Bradley, Jack and Wayne were eliminated. "Hey, we at least have some basic knowledge. And yet, we didn''t pass the first round. This is too embarrassing." Chapter 1843 Chapter 1843 "That''s right. This year''spetition feels more professional," Wayneined. Bradley tagged along as an extra and said indifferently, "It doesn''t matter if we win or lose. I''m fine as long as we get to see Nicolepete." Nicole''s skill was obviously better than Ryder''s. It was up to Nicole whether they could beat Northon Institute. He said, "Hopefully Nicole could help Royal Creek Institute win first ce." Every student defeated by Northon Institute had the same anticipation. At this moment, the rest of the participants entered the second round of thepetition. Three-quarters of the contestants were eliminated in the first round of thepetition. There were only thirty-plus people left for the second round. Thepetition format was a one-to-one battle. Two peoplepeted to see who was quicker to break through the program created by the organizer. These kinds ofpetitions were rather worth watching. After all, the judge of this round was the one who designed the program. "The programmer for today is the director of the International Hackers'' Alliance. He''s also the webmaster of thergest hacking website locally and internationally, The Hunters. Let''s wee him as the judge of ourpetition!" Everyone familiar withputers shot admiring nces once they heard that it was the webmaster of The Hunters. It was a known fact that the webmaster of The Hunters was a top-notch hacker, ranked fifth on The Hunters'' international leaderboard. This international hackingpetition was indeed extraordinary. The organizers even got an international-level judge to host thepetition. Ryder''s eyes were sparkling. It had been Gary and his lifelong wish to enter the top ten international hacker leaderboard. They both have an ount on The Hunters, but their ranking was not even in the top hundred. Ryder was thrilled to be able to meet the fifth-ranked top yer. "I never expected to meet the webmaster of The Hunters here. The fifth-ranked top hacker! This competition is worth the trip," Ryder eximed. Gary felt embarrassed as Ryder stared at the fifth-ranked top yer intently. He thought, ''Would Ryder pass out from excitement if he knew the number one yer on the international hacker leaderboard was right beside him? Besides that, he has personally given out topics to her before.'' Ryder did not know Gary''s thoughts and thought, ''I have to perform wellter to get his attention.'' Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org. Gary coughed dryly and muttered under his breath, "I don''t need him to notice me..." It was already good that Nicole had noticed him. At this time, the host had finished his opening speech. The participants paired up and sat face-to-face in front of theputers. Zeke sat at the table next to Nicole. Before thepetition started, Zeke could not resist asking Nicole, "I never expected you to attend this competition." It was merely apetition for high school and university students, but Nicole attended it. She should not be interested in it at all. Nicole smiled and replied, "You didn''te here by choice either, right?" Zeke instantly understood her. It seemed like Nicole''s teacher had forced her to join. During his first time, he was forced to attend as no one in the ss was willing to participate. However, he became the center of attention after being in a match against the Finley brothers. Otherwise, he would have never exposed his identity. He had no advantages after his identity was exposed since he offended quite a few people during the past missions. "Aren''t you scared of being exposed?" Zeke looked at Nicole worriedly. Nicole smiled, "The truth wille to light sooner orter." Nicole was rather optimistic about it. Although she wanted to hide her identity, she was also prepared to be exposed. "I''m here today to represent the school. I have no intention of exposing too much. Let''s just take it easy." Chapter 1844 Chapter 1844 Upon hearing Nicole''s reply, Zeke let out a sigh of relief. If Nicole was not taking it seriously, he could still survive this. With that in mind, Zeke rxed a lot. At this time, the timer went off, and Zeke happily immersed himself in decoding. It had to be said that the fifth-ranked top yer in The Hunters was really skilled as the program was hard to break. A lot of contestants were stuck. Zeke sneered. "Cheets loves to show off as always. He set up such a hard program for a university- levelpetition. It''s obvious that he''s ying with us." Nicole''s expression had a hint of mockery. "It is a little too much." Not far away, Preston and Edwin were also caught in a stalemate. It was evident that the webmaster''s program was difficult. Even Gary and Ryder put off their usual rxed expressions and became serious. "Watch me teach him a lesson for showing off," Zeke said, taking a small USB drive he carried and inserting it into theputer. He then quickly typed away. On the disy screen, Zeke''s progress bar in cracking the program skyrocketed. The host realized and eximed, "Who would have known that ourpetition was filled with hidden talents? Someone had already cracked half of the program! It''s 60 percent cracked now!" Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org. The webmaster of The Hunters thought this program would stump everyone. He could have taken the spotlight when they were at their wit''s end and asked him for help. He never expected there would be someone among a bunch of high school and university students who could solve it so quickly. He turned his head unconsciously and saw Number 24''s progress bar was indeed speeding up. It was now 80 percent cracked, going straight to fully cracking it. "Let me take a look at Number 24''s screen. Is number 24 cheating?" The webmaster instinctively suspected. Zeke could not help but sneer. Only people whock talent would suspect others of using hacks, but he did not mind showing off his abilities. When the camera came to film his screen, he was still decoding the program at rapid speed and continued typing on his keyboard. Zeke''s ability and typing speed immediately stunned the webmaster of The Hunters. The webmaster thought, ''T-This is a professional hacker! This teen''s typing speed is even faster than my own!'' The host noticed Zeke''s skills and said, "No wonder he was the champion ofst year''s International Computer Competition! His skills really sharpened this year! He could even crack Master Lynch''s program so quickly!" "Zeke?" Rowdon Lynch, the fifth-ranked top hacker, was a little stunned when he heard this name. ''Why does this name sound so familiar? I might''ve seen this person in The Hunters'' database before.'' The host, who was not afraid of causing trouble, questioned Rowdon after seeing his expression change. "Master Lynch, this was our champion forst year''spetition. His skills this year improved so much that he cracked your program so quickly. Does this imply that his ability couldpete with yours?" Rowdon''s expression turned dark. ''A mere high schr wants topete with me? What a joke.'' Chapter 1845 Chapter 1845 "His skills are indeed amazing, but we''ll have to wait till the next round to find out about his abilities," Rowdon said. For the sake of showmanship, the host continued, "Are you going topete in the next round?" The corner of Rowdon''s mouth twitched. He naturally wanted to say no. He was, after all, a ''master'' in computers. It would be ridiculous to lower himself topete with a student. However, his eyes suddenly saw the judges off stage and the newly appointed governor. He could not resist smiling, thinking this was his chance to impress the governor. "Alright, if he could defeat me, I''ll let him advance directly!" Rowdon said with confidence. Nicole was rubbernecking beside Zeke. She could not help butugh at him. "It looks like someone''s picking a fight with you." This was the disadvantage of showing off. The reason Nicole had still not started was that she did not want to attract attention. Winning by just the right amount was good enough. Zeke snorted. "I''m not scared of him. I''ve been irritated with him for a long time. I''ll teach him a lesson today." As a webmaster, this person had not once taken a cut from the missions they both epted without contributing anything. Zeke had disliked him for a long time. Nicole did not care either. "Well, this kind of person does deserve to be taught a lesson." Nicole was supportive of Zeke''s actions. However, she was still slowly typing in each character, though her speed of decoding was still rather quick. N?velDrama.Org ? content. Ryder was already sweating at this point. He had cracked up to 60 percent. He lifted his head and never expected to see Nicole with the same percentage. He thought, ''Sure enough, even Nicole could not handle Master Lynch.'' With that thought in mind, Ryder became even more serious. On the contrary, Gary still looked rxed, as he was only hoping for a showdown between the two masters at the end. He did not care about other matters. He was fine to get top five this year. At the next second, Zeke finished cracking the program. The arena suddenly erupted with cheers and thunderous apuse. Mr. Hardy and the students from Northon Institute were cheering loudly off the stage. "First ce is Zeke!" "Zeke''s the best!" Zeke smiled at Mr. Hardy as he found the pride he once felt before after sensing the enthusiasm of the students of Northon Institute cheering for him. On the Royal Creek Institute side, Mr. Zach stared seriously and nervously at the Finley brothers, hoping they would soon crack the program. However, he soon noticed another student was keeping pace with Ryder''s speed. He looked at the name on the progress bar and saw Nicole''s name. Mr. Zach remembered the teacher''s words from the earlierputer training ss. The teacher informed him that a student named Nicole was rather talented and seemingly on par with Ryder. He had almost forgotten about her. But judging by the process bar, she was still a little slower than Ryder. He could not help but sigh, hoping these three would hurry up and decode the program. On stage, the host was already congratting Zeke. "This round was truly exciting. Zeke had once again showcased his abilities. Do you have the confidence to win the next round if your opponent is Master Lynch?" Zeke looked at Rowdon with a hint of arrogance, not even putting the fifth-ranked hacker on The Hunters'' leaderboard in his eyes. "Him? He''s not qualified to be my opponent." In Zeke''s eyes, only Nicole was a worthy opponent. Rowdon was nothingpared to him. The whole crowd was stunned at his arrogance. Everyone thought that he was too proud. "My God... Even though he was the championst year, that was too arrogant." "I know, right? Rowdon is the fifth-ranked hacker on The Hunters'' international leaderboard." Chapter 1846 Chapter 1846 "A mere high school student. This student from Northon Institute is truly a conceited one," the crowd discussed among themselves. Mr. Hardy flew into a rage. "What''s wrong with having a high-schooler? Everyone has witnessed Zeke is capable of. It''s still early too decide who the conceited one is!" The crowd went silent after Mr. Hardy, a teacher from the Northon Institute,shed out at them, after which Mr. Hardy sat down triumphantly. Mr. Zach, who was beside him, rolled his eyes. "Even if Zeke is skilled, you shouldn''t be too confident. How do you think it would look if he fails?" Mr. Hardy turned to re at Mr. Zach and mocked, "You''re just jealous. Rather than worrying about me, you should worry about the losers in your school. They''re not even done cracking the program. At this point, I''m not even certain if they could enter the next round. Hmph!" In turn, Mr. Hardy''s words rendered Mr. Zach speechless. "Why you!" On the side, Bradley held Mr. Zach off. "Just ignore him, Mr. Zach. Rest assured, we will certainly win this year." N?velDrama.Org ? content. Mr. Zach became skeptical as he saw the look of confidence on Bradley''s face. ''Why is this child so sure?'' Nheless, the thought of Bradleyforting him made him sigh. "It''s alright. I''ll ept every oue. I''m just hoping that someone could bring honor to the school." And upon noticing that Mr. Zach understood that he was trying tofort him, Bradley smiled. "Have faith in Nicole." Mr. Zach could not help but narrow his brows. ''Bradley asked me to put my faith in Nicole, but not Ryder or Gary.'' It was only then that Mr. Zach looked at Nicole differently, noticing that she was rather chilled, as compared to Gary and Ryder. She seemed to have a well-thought-out n and was typing really slowly, as if she had figured a way to decode the program; unlike Ryder, who was nervous and was repeatedly double-checking his work. ''If that''s the case, why is she typing so slowly?'' he wondered. In addition, no one expected that Nicole had been typing so slowly because she was bored of decoding this pointless program. ''This dude might just have outed himself as a nipoop. This program is trash.'' She was afraid that she would crack it in a second and attract unwanted attention if she tried a little harder. As for whether she wanted to get first ce or not, it would depend on her mood in the final round. She yawned and unconsciously typed two more lines of code, but that was when she heard a sudden, "Ding!" "The second student who has cracked the program is here! Number 13, Nicole from the Royal Creek Institute!" The host''s resonant voice red out. Nicole raised her brows and stared down at her own hands. ''Gosh, I guess old habits die hard. All I did was type a few more lines of code when I was rxing, and vo, program cracked. Who knew I would have surpassed Ryder for second ce? I''m afraid that he will be depressedter on.'' Unsurprisingly, Ryder''s expression changed. However, he could not stop. With a grim expression, he continued typing away. Ten minutester, he finally cracked the program, though he was sweating profusely. He looked up and turned to Nicole, his face brimming with resentment. Nicole sighed. She had deliberately nned to give the former champion a quarter and not steal his limelight. Yet, fate had a different n. "What are you looking at? Be quicker next time. I don''t have all day." Nicole rolled her eyes and left her seat. Ryder frowned. Sensing that something was odd, he turned to look at Gary, "What did she mean by that?" ''Is it possible that she was purposely waiting for me? She had cracked it earlier?'' Ryder asked himself. Chapter 1847 Chapter 1847 Gary looked at his brother with sympathy in his eyes. His brother still believed that he and Nicole were evenly matched in their capabilities. In fact, he had even conceived of the possibility of defeating Nicole. On the other hand, Gary thought that his brother was rather pitiful. With a sigh, he cracked the program, stood up, and patted Ryder in the shoulder. "Rest in peace." Ryder froze, not understanding what Gary had meant. Off stage, Mr. Zach watched as they all entered the next round and issued a sigh of relief. This was the first time he noticed Nicole, and as they were exiting the stage, he walked over to them and said, "It''s great that you''re able to enter the next round. Good luck! Don''t give up!" Nicole looked at Mr. Zach. ''This teacher is from the university department, and he''s probably Stanley''s homeroom teacher.'' She had a favorable impression of his friendly demeanor. "Thank you, sir." In response, Mr. Zach smiled. "No worries. That''s the least I can do for you." At the same time, Mr. Hardy also walked over to wee Zeke, and as he had overheard the conversation between them, chuckled, "Well, aren''t you self-aware? A teacher like you won''t be able to create any good students." Mr. Zach''s expression darkened, after which he spun around and red at Mr. Hardy. "Why are you everywhere?!" Mr. Zach had no intention of arguing with this rogue, but then, thetter had approached him for a jibe on his own volition anyway. Nicole''s expression quickly took a turn for the gloomy as well. Seeing that Mr. Zach was defenseless against Mr. Hardy, she coldly retorted, "Mr. Zach is our school''s honored teacher. The president of the student council and the student who always gets first ce in the entire grade is from his ss. Can you say the same for your ss, Mr. Hardy?" Mr. Hardy was stunned. Being dissed by a student was thest thing he could seeing. He instinctively wanted to fight back. However, he was also forced to realize that his ss had no extraordinary students. That was why he cared so much for Zeke. As a gifted student, Zeke had made quite a name for himself. Nicole had already guessed what the situation was from the get go. A teacher from Northon Institute who was so concerned about apetition such as this had likely exposed the fact that his students could not shine in their main subjects. Therefore, he had to take a different approach. "What the matter? Are you too perplexed to speak up?" Nicole sneered. "Every man has his merits. Take Mr. Zach for example. He is an excellent teacher, but not a great debater. You, on the other hand, seem to all bark and no bite." N?velDrama.Org ? content. "Who are you talking about?" Mr. Hardy red at Nicole in fury. "Why are there students as rude as you are at Royal Creek Institute?" In reply, Nicole mocked, "If I was rude, what does that make you? A teacher who was shouting in public? Isn''t that the mark of an ill-bred person?" "Why you!!" Nicole''s words left Mr. Hardy speechless. "Fine, let''s see how long you can keep up with all that smack talk! I''ve seen plenty of students like you with big mouths! I''m afraid you won''t even be able to enter the finals!" Mr. Hardy had witnessed Nicole''s performance moments ago and felt that she was inferior to Zeke. Nicole''s expression darkened. ''It seems to me that Mr. Hardy has to learn a lesson today. Or else he is never going to let this matter slide.'' "What if I make it into the finals? Are you going to kneel for me in front of everyone?" Nicole proudly crossed her arms on her chest. Mr. Zach had never expected this cold-looking girl to possess such a fierce demeanor; she had refused to back down against Mr. Hardy. He was secretly pleased with the sight of Mr. Hardy being humiliated. However, his good manners prompted him to impart his advice on Nicole anyway. "Let it go. Don''t bother lowering yourself down to his level for the sake of an argument. We are here to participate in the competition, not engage in shouting matches with dogs." With that said, Mr. Zach took Nicole and the Finley brothers away. Mr. Hardy took a moment to realize what was said, and that was when he shouted at them, "Who are you calling a dog?!" He could not believe that Mr. Zach, who was so inept when it came to arguments, knew how to call him names after having a student had shown up to back him up. This made him furious. Zeke made his way down the stage and saw Mr. Hardy as he was walking pass Mr. Zach, who had a smug look on his face. He quickly asked, "Mr. Hardy. What happened again?" This time, Nicole was present, and Zeke really hoped that Mr. Hardy had not done anything to provoke her. In response, Mr. Hardy red at Nicole and bellowed, "That student is so detestable with that sharp tongue of hers! When you go up against herter, be sure to teach her a lesson! Do you understand?" Zeke followed his gaze and saw Nicole. There, he could not help but shudder as he asked, "D-Did you offend her just now?" Chapter 1848 Chapter 1848 Mr. Hardy frowned and looked at Zeke. "Did I offend her?! She was the one who offended me! Anyway, regardless of who offended who, don''t go easy on her! Do you hear me?!" Mr. Hardy stormed off, missing Zeke''s pale face along the way. ''I''m the one in trouble if I encounter her! It''s hard to predict who will be the one showing mercy to the other! Nicole initially had no intentions of squaring off against me! Yet, Mr. Hardy had taken the liberty to screw it up for me! Ugh! This really pisses me off!'' Zeke thought. N?velDrama.Org ? content. Nicole and Mr. Zach had returned to their seat by then, with thetter saying to Nicole, "Thank you for earlier. Don''t let this affect youter. Go and get yourself ready for the next round." Ryder nodded his head. "Alright." Nicole only nodded lightly, showing that she had heard him. Mr. Zach felt that Nicole was even more mysterious. The next round was in full preparation, and everyone was anticipating the duel between Zeke and Rowdon. This was essentially apetition between the sitting champion and a famous hacker, an intense match that nobody had expected to witness when they came to participate in the competition. The crowd was rubbing their hands together in anticipation. While the organizer was preparing professional equipment for Rowdon on stage, other participants had also taken their seats. Mr. Hardy led Zeke to his position, not forgetting to remind him. "Good luck! You''ll bring glory to the school if you defeat that famous hacker and enter the finals directly!" Mr. Hardy would never pass up the opportunity for Zeke to make a name for himself. Then, Zeke looked at Rowdon coldly, and calmly replied to Mr. Hardy, "Don''t worry. I''ll definitely skip the semi-finals and advance to the finals." Zeke would never miss the chance to save some time if he could. At that point, Rowdon looked at Zeke with mockery in his eyes. "Well, don''t you have a big mouth? Still, I do admire your bravery. You''re not even flustered at the thought of facing a professional hacker like me. After thepetition ends, I might consider letting you join The Hunters." Zeke sneered. "Wait till you know who I am before you say those things." Rowdon was left bbergasted at Zeke''s arrogant behavior. ''Who could he be? Who could this high- schooler even be?'' Rowdon''s eye''s then turned cold as he suspected Zeke was just bluffing. He would not let Zeke pass this time, for this was his month-long effort. After all, the duel had everything to do with his reputation. ''As the webmaster of The Hunters, ranking fifth in the international hacker''s leaderboard, wouldn''t it be a joke if I lose to a high schr? I would be theughingstock of everyone around me,'' Rowdon thought to himself as he began to prepare for thepetition. The match was a head-to-headpetition. The previous round depended on the speed by which they could crack the master-level programs. Now it was a direct confrontation between the two, to see who could hack into the opponent''s CPU first. It was a ratherpetitive match, and everyone was paying close attention to it. On the other hand, Nicole was up against Edwin, who could not resist himself fromining, "Ugh! How did we end up together?" Nicole shot him a yful look. "What''s wrong? Are you not happy with that?" Chapter 1849 Chapter 1849 "Well, that''s not true,'' Edwin Bradford smiled wryly. "It''s just that I''m also one of the members of this entourage, and if we don''t make it into the semi-finals, it would be far too embarrassing..." ''If I had not met Nicole, I bet I would be able to enter the semi-finals,'' he thought. "It''s okay. Preston should be able to crack it easily. You''re a part of ourpany, and we should have the pride of being so," Nicole replied. Edwin sighed. ''How can any of this be the same? This match is doomed from the start.'' Nicole noted Edwin''s look of discouragement, and thought for a moment before saying, "How about I give you a ten-minute head start. How ''bout that?" Edwin immediately raised his eyebrows. "Really?" Though Edwin had made Nicole feel very uneasy, it was also the only way in which he could secure a better chance at winning. He could not help wanting to try his best. "Yeah,e on!" After the exchange had ended, Nicole leisurely took a sip of her drink and leaned back on the chair. On the other side, both Gary and Ryder were rxed. Gary''s eyes were filled with admiration and respect while Ryder''s face was filled with disgust. "How can this be apetition? Even if she''s better, you can''t underestimate Edwin." After all, they were also operating ITpanies, and thus, none of them should be underestimated. Out of earshot of their conversation, Nicole kicked back as she continued taking sips of her drink. At that moment, the countdown began and three secondster, everyone proceeded to get busy and the cking of keyboards filled the room. Everyone in the audience held their breath as they spectated on the big screen. Zeke and Rowdon werepeting against each other. The only people who had been paying attention to Nicole from time to time were Bradley and Director Monroe. It was Director Monroe who had noticed Nicole drinking leisurely when she was up against Edwin, a gesture which left him confused. "What is Nicole doing?" Director Monroe asked Bradley. Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org. "I''m not sure what she''s doing. She''s just sitting around drinking tea there," Bradley said confidently as he knew that Nicole''s behavior was not a cause for concern. Director Monroe was stunned. "But this is apetition. She''s up against Edwin, who''s pretty famous in the entirety of his university''s faculty! His skills are pretty admirable too." Bradley smiled and thought, ''Though Edwin is good, he couldn''t even go toe to toe with Ryder. Not to mention, Nicole didn''t even break when she battled Ryder, so I reckon Edwin isn''t even in the same league.'' While Bradley was enjoying himself, Director Monroe, on the other hand, was breaking into cold sweat. He did not want Nicole to be eliminated at such an early stage in thepetition. After ten long minutes, Nicole slowly ced her drink down before typing away on her keyboard, changing her stance from rxed to serious in a matter of seconds. And just as everyone thought that Edwin was about to break into the firewall of Nicole''sputer, a sudden counterattack thwarted his attempt at once. "Damn it, what kind of code is this?" he asked. ''Goodness, this girl is really good...'' Edwin could not believe his eyes, as he had never seen such a good countermeasure on a firewall program. "It''s something new I''ve developed. Isn''t it fun?" Nicole teased. Edwin could not help suppressing hisughter. He then tried to poke around hisputer, but to no avail. Seeing this, he gave up with a sigh. "Forget it. I give up." ''I can''t win anyway, so why bother?'' he thought. Nicole pondered for a while, and that was when she said, "Okay." Chapter 1850 Chapter 1850 Edwin mmed the ''defeat'' button at once. At that juncture, Nicole immediately became the first person to secure a victory in the first round. This surprised the audience, who nced at Zeke before turning back to look at Nicole. "Who is she?" "I don''t know...but one thing is for sure, she''s really good. Her opponent seems to be Edwin Bradford." Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org. "Yeah, he got fifth cest year." "I think so, but why did he admit defeat so easily?" People were talking among themselves; they could not shake off how amazing Nicole was, and some even went as far as to think that Edwin might have regressed. Yet, nobody present was aware that Edwin''s technology and skill had progressed to great heights. He had thought that if he could secure a winning spot in thispetition, he would be able to attract enough attention to promote hispany and recruit fresh graduates along the way. He had not foreseen the idea that he would be crossing paths with Nicole and getting himself eliminated at such an early stage in thepetition. Edwin went over to Nicole before leaving the stage, "Thepany''s reputation solely depends on you now." Nicole gave him a helpless look. "Gotcha." ''To be up against Nicole, anyone pitted against her stands no chance. I should just consider myself unlucky,'' he thought. Director Monroe had breathed a sigh of relief as Nicole sauntered off the stage. Edwin was also a student at Royal Creek Institute, but Director Monroe had inexplicably thrown most of her support at Nicole. Between the two of them, Director Monroe had directed the bulk of her attention to Nicole due to the fact she was only a high-schooler. Director Monroe then waited for the two of them toe back, after which sheforted Edwin before asking Nicole, "Why did youunch your counterattack after ten minutes?" "I allowed him to have a head start," Nicole said inly. "Huh." Edwin was ashamed. With just a single sentence from Nicole, he felt as though he had been yed like a fiddle. Director Monroe then realized that Nicole had gone easy on Edwin. ''She...she really is that formidable of apetitor. Otherwise, how could she keep herposure at a time like this, right?'' At that moment, Zeke and Rowdon were up,peting against each other on stage. The both of them were in the state of having each other in deadlocks, both starting off strong, attempting to suppress one another. Rowdon had attempted to take Zeke down from the very beginning and had utilized every professional method in the book to hold Zeke down. As the audience spectated thepetition, they were frowning in anticipation. "This is disrespectful, bullying high school kids with professional techniques..." "Yeah! Even if Zeke is a professional hacker, this can be way too challenging for him, especially because he is facing a real hacker." "Maybe... let''s keep watching..." the audience murmured while sharing disapproving nces. On the stage, Rowdon did not bother with what others had to say. All he wanted was to finish what he had started, which was to teach Zeke a lesson. However, at this moment, Zeke was scrutinizing and testing Rowdon''s strategies carefully. It was not long before the thought of victory entered Rowdon''s mind, and he cockily typed into his keyboard, saying, "Kid, what''s the matter? Are you too much of a coward now that you''re faced with a professional hacker? Weren''t you running around trying to show your skills off earlier? I guess it''s nothing but a fa?ade, huh?" Zeke nced at Rowdon indifferently, capturing Rowdon''s w just in time, and that was when he smirked. "Dude, you haven''t changed one bit. The stuff you''ve ced here are not much of a challenge, and your ability to attack my firewall is still as weak as before. It''s teeming with loopholes!" After Zeke had spoken, he darted his fingers across his keyboard. While Rowdon had broken through 60% of Zeke''s firewall, Zeke was able to turn the tables around instantly, dwarfing Rowdon''s speed by a wide margin. As it turned out, Zeke had swiftly prated Rowdon''s weakest code before expanding his range of attack to erase Rowdon''s firewall easily, removing oneyer after another in a fashion akin to peeling onions. "D*mn it!" Rowdon screamed, scrambling to fix the damage caused by the attacks. Chapter 1851 Chapter 1851 Nobody had thought that the opposition wouldunch a counterattack on Rowdon so suddenly, and with such impressive speed that the second wave was unleashed shortly after the first, making it impossible for Rowdon to respond or recuperate. "It''s the same as before. You''re still too slow in bringing up the defenses," Zeke sneered coldly, as he proceeded to roll out the third wave of attack. His movements were light, as if he had already made his mind up on what he was going to do. At that instant, a thought dawned upon Rowdon''s mind, ''This...this attack...it seems familiar...'' "You''re...you''re Specter?!" Rowdon''s eyes widened in astonishment as he screamed Zeke''s pseudonym. In return, Zeke frowned; he had never expected Rowdon to expose his pseudonym so loudly in public. His eyes suddenly darkened. "Cheets, as a webmaster, you''ve vited the customer agreement and disclosed customer information." It was only then that Rowdon came to his senses, realizing that he had loudly shouted Zeke''s hacker name in public, effectively breaching the contract and exposing clientele secrets. "I-I was only guessing.'' Rowdon''s attitude toward Zeke changed drastically. "I never thought...you, you were him!" Rowdon said in surprise. Prior to this, Rowdon had gone against Specter once before, where the two of them took on the mission of two rivalpanies. Rowdon had lost to Specter, and the way in which Specter had denounced him was of the same as Zeke was doing. Ever since then, Rowdon had been steering clear of Specter, as thetter had partnered with Lucifer. The two of them paired together we''re invincible, and Rowdon was careful enough to keep them at a respectful distance. It was beyond his imagination to even think that he would bump into them today. ''Even the heavens are turning a blind eye to me, forcing me to go head-to-head with Specter! Give me a break!'' he agonized. At that juncture, the expression on Rowdon''s face was a mixture of shock and terror, and viting the customer agreement was the least of his worries now. Meanwhile, Zeke was silently hoping that nobody had heard his name being called out earlier. Unfortunately, his hopes went down the drain as the sharp-eared host had heard them loud and clear. As soon as the host had heard Rowdon addressing Zeke as Specter, he immediately came over. "Rowdon, earlier you mentioned the name, Specter. Were you referring to the second-best hacker of the same name?" ''Wow, it seems that the host this year knows his stuff about the talents in this industry.'' Rowdon noticed that he could not hide the matter anymore, and so, he admitted in embarrassment, "Yes..." ''What can I do? I was forced to! How embarrassing would it be if I had not exposed his identity? I''d have to live as the guy who got ousted by a high-schooler, will I not?! Now that everyone knows he''s the second most renowned hacker in the world, I''ll have nothing to be ashamed of,'' Rowdon thought to himself, before sighing in relief. ''And viting the customer agreement? Please. I''m the owner of the website. What is there to be afraid of!?'' he added. Zeke''s face turned sour as he watched Rowdon openly expose his identity, ''I''m done for...I''ve kept my identity secret for such a long time. I guess I can''t hide it forever, but, being exposed during such a lamepetition for high-schoolers is definitely not worth it!'' At this time, the audience were in an uproar. "Specter?" "Is he really the second-best hacker, Specter?!" "Goodness, he''s just a high school kid!" "It''s no wonder he is so good at it. He easily defeated the fifth ranking hacker!" "You go Specter!!" Everyone at the event who knew a thing or two about Specter cheered him on. Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. ''I didn''t expect thating to participate in apetition would result in me being pitted against such experts! This is bing way too cool!'' Chapter 1852 Chapter 1852 Nicole raised her eyebrows as she looked at themotion on the stage. ''Zeke is being way too careless with his effort in keeping his identity a secret. His life will not be peaceful in the near future.'' Zeke''splexion became very pale as the host excitedly trotted over. As of now, Zeke was expressionless. "It''s no wonder Zeke here was so brilliant tonight! He''s none other than one of the most well-known hackers in the international stage! This must be an easypetition for you, don''t you think? Are you aiming to win first ce?" The host bombarded him withpliments without missing a beat, while the other contestants sitting in the audience were demotivated by the sudden realization that Specter was in thepetition. Director Monroe, on the other hand, had a ubiquitous expression on her face. In spite of the fact that she knew how capable Zeke was, there was no way in which she could have foreseen that he was one of the greatest hackers. ''Come to think of it, both Ryder and Nicole were already prodigies, but they are still far from bing professional hackers. From the looks of it, the loss Ryder had sufferedst year was not aplete loss. This year, however...'' Director Monroe sighed as she thought about the situation. "It seems that we don''t have much hope of winning the championships this year...," Director Monroe remarked with a look of helplessness of her face, as if she was ready to admit defeat. Sitting just a few seats away was Mr. Hardy, who could not sit still as he was shouting, "Did you all see that!! That''s my student right there!" N?velDrama.Org ? content. Mr. Hardy then proceeded to attract more attention. "My student is a hacking expert!!" Nicole, meanwhile, was utterly revolted by the actions of Mr. Hardy. ''I can''t believe Zeke has such a teacher leading his team.'' In a twist turn of events, Mr. Hardy clumsily stumbled onto Director Monroe''s feet before scrambling onto the stage after he was done boasting about Zeke, just so that he could bask in the limelight as well. "Sh*t!" Mr. Hardy was too overwhelmed to stand up straight and fell sprawling onto the ground. His face became stained with dirt. It was just in the nick of time for the cameras to capture the moment. A mere secondter, the entire venue erupted intoughter. "My goodness! How embarrassing!" "That person is Specter''s coach?" "Did you see the way he was hopping around? A true clown is what he is..." the audience mocked. Mr. Hardy became furious for a while before admitting that he had messed up. He got up and turned around to notice that it was Director Monroe who had tripped him. "You did this on purpose, didn''t you!? You were jealous of my student! You just didn''t want to ept the fact," Mr. Hardy vented angrily at Director Monroe. As soon as these words were spoken, everyone looked at Director Monroe. The audience immediately recognized her for who she was. "Isn''t that the coach from Royal Creek?" "Weren''t the students from that school the ones who had won the championshipst year?" "No wonder she tripped him...it''s so pathetic." Director Monroe stared at Mr. Hardy with a look of innocence on her face. "Don''t point fingers at me. It was obvious that you had tripped over my feet!" Director Monroe was too caught up with her thoughts to have noticed a frantically scrambling Mr. Hardy, who had tripped over feet before he went on to spew his hogwash. Mr. Hardy, on the other hand, strongly believed that Director Monroe had done it on purpose. Otherwise, she would not have embarrassed him in front of so many people. "Point fingers? It''s obvious that you have ill intentions here. A teacher with a morality like yours? How can you produce good students!?" he yelled. The expression on the students of Royal Creek immediately became cold as they heard their teacher was being ndered. This prompted Ryder to yell, "Mr. Hardy, don''t you think it''s a bit too much for you to talk to her like that?! Director Monroe is one of the best teachers in our school. We won''t tolerate nderous remarks like this." Mr. Hardy saw how daring Ryder was, and that was when he stood up, pointed at the boy, and cursed. "You lost, so what right do you have to speak to me? First, it was the teacher without manners, and now, we have students without manners as well. How can a school like yours even think about winning the championship? Get lost!" Chapter 1853 Chapter 1853 "You!!" Ryder was bbergasted as he did not expect Mr. Hardy to speak so harshly. He had to restrain himself while none of the others dared to step forward. Nicole raised her eyebrows and rubbed her ears before retorting, "This teacher here is swearing like a sailor. Talking much about keeping the rights of a quality a teacher should have and what not. He must be really shameless considering that he is one himself." N?velDrama.Org ? content. Nicole''s voice was not loud, but it was clear enough for everyone in the audience to hear it. When Mr. Hardy noticed that it was Nicole, he bellowed, "What right do you have to speak to me? This is all about skills. The Finley brothers have none, and you should remember that!" Zeke, who was still onstage, noticed that Mr. Hardy was going to provoke Nicole once more. He quickly rushed off the stage without an ounce of care for what the host wanted to say. "Mr. Hardy!" Noticing that Zeke wasing toward him, Mr. Hardy''s pride swelled to astronomical proportions. "Do you see that? That''s my student. The champion of the previouspetition, and second in the world! You should be ashamed of yourselves if you can''t even enter the top ten! Don''t embarrass yourself any further, and just go home!" Zeke noticed the smug look on Mr. Hardy''s face, and he looked at Nicole apologetically as if begging her not to make things worse. At that moment, Nicole calmed down and said, "Your student is a master, but what are you? Why are you being so cocky? As* kisser." Nicole''s words were like knives piercing through Mr. Hardy''s pride. The students of Royal Creek busted outughing. Ryder too could not help himself from shooting Nicole a nce. He did not expect her to have such disdain for Mr. Hardy. It was all but cruel. "Who are you calling an *ss kisser!" Mr. Hardy became furious, and instinctively attempted to rush over, but was stopped by Director Monroe who blocked him. "That''s enough! You can create as muchmotion as you''d like but leave my students alone or I''ll make you pay for it," she warned. Mr. Hardy was stunned for a moment, before noticing that Gary, Ryder, and the others had stood up. He immediately felt timid at that sight. Then, he red at Nicole and said, "For their sake, I''ll let you have this one for free!" Mr. Hardy had wanted to utter harsher words, but was stopped by Nicole''s snorting. "I''ll leave it up to you," Nicole''s voice became icy in an instant. "However, I''ll make sure you leave this ce crying today." Nicole''s expression was grim, as if she was dering war on Mr. Hardy, which made him nervous. ''I can''t fathom how and where did this high school kid find her confidence,'' Mr. Hardy thought to himself, and just as he was about to muster aeback, he noticed the looks given to him by the Finley brothers. "Keep boasting! I''ll see who gets thestugh." "Mr. Hardy! Stop talking!" Zeke yelled, trying to get Mr. Hardy out of the sticky situation as he realized that Nicole was serious. Nicole watched as Zeke left, and the nk expression on her face remained. ''I guess it is destined that I am not to go easy on Zeke today.'' At that time, Ryder came over and patted Nicole on the shoulder. "It''s okay. Don''t be so anxious. I know that you''re here to make aeback. Even if you lose to him, it''s not something to be embarrassed about, okay?" Nicole looked at Ryder indifferently. "I just said that I won''t lose, and that means I won''t lose." Nicole sat down after she had made her statement loud and clear, leaving Ryder standing there in embarrassment while looking at Director Monroe. Director Monroe was also upset, and had gone over to sit down, trying to avoid overthinking about the situation. ''I''m d that one of us was able to talk our way out and save our school''s reputation,'' Director Monroe thought to herself while considering how difficult it was for them to win thepetition now. Chapter 1854 Chapter 1854 While the students of Royal Creek were bummed out, the students of Northon Institute were celebrating. Everyone gathered around Zeke when he returned to his seat. "Zeke, why didn''t you tell us you were Specter!?" "That was one crazypetition!" "I heard you''ve partnered with the number one hacker!" "Have you met her in person?" Many in Zeke''s entourage bombarded him with question after question. The barrage left him with a headache, and he silently looked at Nicole''s direction. ''These people are already excited to know that I''m ranked second. If they knew that Nicole is here, wouldn''t they all sh*t their pants? I guess Mr. Hardy will be in for itter, Nicole seems to be seething...,'' Zeke thought to himself. Thepetition progressed on, followed up by contestantspleting their turns, with more than half being eliminated. On the main seat, Sebastian was spectating the entirepetition where he often peered over to look at Nicole from time to time. ''This girl seems to be holding herself back in the first two rounds. Nobody in thepetition knows for sure what her actual strengths are. But it can be considered a good thing, a hidden ace in the deck,'' Sebastian thought to himself. Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org. Nicole did not seem to be looking at Sebastian''s direction, and she did not seem to be requesting for him either. After all, Sebastian was just a spectator watching as thepetition progressed. It was not long until the semi-finals of thepetition was announced, with the trio of Nicole, Gary, and Ryder having made it, while Zeke had skipped it and entered the finals as he had defeated Rowdon. The next match was a three vs. three. For Royal Creek, only Nicole, Ryder, Gary, and Preston were left standing, prompting Director Monroe to quickly choose. "Gary, Ryder, you two are to be in a team together. The tacit cooperation between the two of you can increase our chances of winning. Nicole and Preston, which one of you is sure to secure a win to bring glory to our school?" Preston smiled and looked at Nicole. "Without a doubt, it would be Nicole." ''What kind of sick joke is this? How can Nicole be any better than Preston? Should we pick the one who is more worthy?'' Director Monroe hesitated. ''Both Ryder and Gary are of university standards and to pick Nicole...it would be a bit too much for her to enter the finals since she''s still a kid. They might not make it into the finals anyway, so I guess it doesn''t make much of a difference who goes and who doesn''t.'' "In that case, let''s have Nicole on the team. Preston, you can find other people to team up with. Just try to keep yourself in thepetition and enter the finals," Director Monroe concluded. "Okay, don''t worry," Preston smiled. He could easily form a team with others, and if he did note head-to-head with Nicole and Zeke, the possibility of him entering the finals would still be in the n. "Then it''s settled," Director Monroe decided before turning to Nicole tofort her. "For a person of your age, it''s okay to be nervous, but don''t be afraid. Both you and Ryder are of the same ss, so don''t worry too much about it." Nicole noticed that Director Monroe was attempting tofort her, but the words that came out did not sound reassuring at all; it was a mixture of awkwardness and honesty. In reply, Nicole said, "I know." Director Monroe watched as they went up to the stage together. This round was a team effort, each representing the school in a teampetition. If they won, they would advance to the next stage and if they lost, they would all be eliminated. Ryder became extremely nervous as he sat down on his chair, and Gary, who noticed this, tried to comfort him. "It''s okay, Ryder. Don''t be nervous. We can still win this." Ryder noticed that his brother was being unusually rxed, so he frowned, "You were more nervous than I was earlier. Is it your turn to give me all that pep talk now?" Gary smiled and looked at Nicole, thinking, ''It''s because I''m teaming up with Nicole, which is a lifelong dream of mine! Being in the same team with the best hacker of all time, and to have her lead us into an easy victory ought to be a dreame true!'' Chapter 1855 Chapter 1855 "Won''t you just look at who''s on my team?" Gary said from the bottom of his heart. Ryder thought that Gary was talking about him, and so, he mustered an affectionate smile. "You jerk. You''ve finallye to your senses. Don''t you worry, I''ll do my best to bring you guys to the next round." Gary was stunned as he realized that Ryder had misunderstood what he just said. He was about to exin himself, but Ryder had already put on his pair of earphones, prompting Gary to shake his head and give up on the idea. ''I guess it''s good for him to regain some of his confidence first,'' he thought to himself. Nicole was already by then, casually waiting for the contest to begin. Then, Ryder said, "Even though our opponents aren''t from Northon Institute, they''re still very capable. So, we can''t underestimate them. I''m going to be very aggressive in the beginning. All you guys have to do is support me." Gary looked at Nicole awkwardly. ''It''s sad that Ryder still doesn''t know what''s going on.'' However, he figured that it was not his ce to tell Ryder about Nicole''s real identity, and thus, he said, "Okay." Ryder thought that Nicole agreed with him, as she was just keeping mom. Then, she looked away from her. Shortly after, their opponents came over and sat directly across them. There were no rules in forming a team, so every contestant who wanted to win could chose the people who were good atputing to be a part of their team. There were neen contestants who had made it to the semi-final. Zeke had already advanced into the next stage, and half of the remaining contestants were going to be eliminated from the contest. Nicole, Ryder, and Gary were from the same school. Simrly, their opponents had formed teams with their own schoolmates to maximize their chances of winning. Nicole studied her opponents from head to toe. They saw her and began gossiping about her in mocking fashion. "Ryder is the best among them. The Finley brothers truly are something, but they have a rookie among them. I guess our chances of winning are pretty high." "Come on. I''m all set to take this victory," the three people sitting opposite her tittered and jeered. A grimace appeared on Ryder''s face as he jabbed, "Teasing a girl like this is such a shameless thing to do." In response, Nicole looked at Ryder, and in a t tone of voice, she said, "I don''t need you to stand up for me." Ryder frowned slightly. ''Why is she so arrogant?'' Their opponent could not help but chuckle. "Ryder, did you hear that? She doesn''t appreciate your help at all. You should just keep your kindness to yourself. You can''t be... in love with her, right?" "S-shut up!" Ryder was suddenly filled with rage. Gary wanted to step in for his brother, but he noticed a strangely guilty look on Ryder''s face. "Hahaha. Look at how nervous he became. I guess what I said is right," his opponent continued in an effort to make fun of him. Ryder''s face blushed a shade of deep red, but it was then that Nicole retorted with a smile on her face. "Seems like your team is really good at running your mouths, don''t you think? I wonder what your performance is going to be liketer on. You better not cry for your mom when you lose." Their faces immediately darkened. "We''re not going to lose to a rookie like you! You probably don''t know who we are! We were the champions before Ryder ever was!" "We''re the best in team games!" Nicole sneered after she had heard what they had to say. "Well, why weren''t you able to beat Ryder and Zeke in the past two years if you''re so good at this?" Their faces suddenly turned deep red after hearing what Nicole had said. Gary could not help but look at Nicole in admiration. ''She doesn''t speak very often, but no one can ever stomp her in a verbal spat once she opens her mouth!'' At that point, their opponents still had things to say, but the host went on to announce that the contest had begun! Then, the timer started running. "We didn''t win in the past two years because we''ve beenpeting alone! Since we''re working in the same team this year, we''re not going to lose. You and your team are going to be out of this contest before you know it!" their opponents uttered boldly and started the battle. This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org. Nicole sneered. ''Do they really think they can beat me?'' "I''ll have to disappoint you then. You''re not going to beat me even if there were ten of you, let alone three," she retorted. Nicole chuckled after saying that and began getting busy too. Chapter 1856 Chapter 1856 Ryder was all set to begin his invasion as he was about to signal Nicole and Gary to back him up. However, it was then that he realized that Nicole was already a few steps ahead of him! Suddenly, Nicole had taken the lead! Ryder was shocked. "Nicole! What are you doing? Don''t act rashly!" Gary looked at him awkwardly and thought to himself. ''Does he still think that he''s the best among us?'' Nicole swept her gaze across Ryder. "I don''t really like these three people. Just sit there and catch a break." "What?!" Ryder was stunned. ''What does she mean? Did she just ask us to do nothing in this team battle?'' However, Gary did not listen to her. He could not just sit there and do nothing when he finally had the chance to work with his idol. "No way. Nicole, please tell me what to do. I''d like to help you!" he protested. Hearing that, Ryder had no idea what was going on. "Gary, what are you doing?" ''Is he cracking a joke? Why does he wish to back Nicole up?!'' he wondered. Gary looked at Ryder in resignation. "Bro, Nicole is actually better than you back in school." Ryder frowned, stared at his brother, and in a tone of frustration, he said, "I know. She may be better than me, but she has never participated in a contest like this! This is a team battle. It''s not the time for her to show her abilities off!" Ryder figured that Nicole''s skills and her ability to win in a team battle were two different things, regardless of how good she was. He had only acted so cautiously because he wanted them to stay in the contest for as long as they could. Nicole messing up his n was thest thing he would want. Gary gave his brother, who appeared to be very tense, a look of resignation. "So, sit down and back Nicole up!" He was worried that his brother would regret not doing his best today if he ever found out about Nicole''s real identity. Then, after the exchange had ended, he began doing what he was supposed to. Ryder could not help but frown as he looked at Gary. ''Gary is acting so strangely today!'' However, he figured that he needed to do something after noticing how focused his opponents were. So, he sat down and got back into the battle. Nicole''s attack was so aggressive that she dominated her opponents, and had the entire battle under her control in just three minutes after the contest had begun. This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org. Ryder was shocked. ''Nicole is definitely not new to this! It does not look like it''s her first timepeting at all! In fact, she looks like an expert!'' Ryder changed his initial n after noticing how Nicole had taken the lead from him. He immediately began supporting her alongside Gary to speed the attack up. Nicole looked at her screen and realized how much fun Gary was having when he and Ryder were helping her out. Therefore, she slowed herself down, even though she did not need their help. Besides, she wanted to teach Gary some new things as well. As expected, Gary managed to figure out what Nicole was up to after a split second. Then, he immediately did as Nicole wanted! Ryder was very surprised. ''Why does Gary look like he knows Nicole''s habits very well?'' Suddenly, he realized that Nicole''s style was very simr to a person he might know. ''I-Is this a coincidence?'' Ryder was stunned as he thought about it. He turned around, and there, he saw the joyful look on Gary''s face. Seeing that, he could not help but ask in a low voice, "Gary, do you know something that I don''t?" Without looking at him, Gary murmured, "What?" He was having a lot of fun counter-attacking their opponents'' invasion under Nicole''s lead! "Nicole... her style is so simr to a master''s. Who exactly is she?" Ryder asked. Chapter 1857 Chapter 1857 Ryder asked with a curious look on his face without stopping what he was doing. He began cooperating with Nicole, using the data from his analysis of the master hacker''s style, and... it actually worked! ''God, what''s happening!?'' he asked himself. Gary turned around and looked at Ryder. "Have you only gotten to know about this now? How dim- witted of you." Ryder widened his eyes as soon as he heard what Gary had said. "No way... H-how is this possible?" As it turned out, Ryder and Gary had been looking up to the same person. They had also been trying very hard to learn and analyze their techniques, and that person...was one of the best hackers in the world! Ryder could not believe that the person in question was in their school, let alone sitting beside them. "I thought so too. I feel like I''m dreaming!" Gary mused as he supported Nicole passionately. Ryder could not help but look at Nicole curiously after noting the excited look on Gary''s face. Suddenly, he felt as though he could see a ray of holy light beaming down on Nicole! ''Is she really the idol we''ve been looking up to?'' Ryder just could not believe it even though the answer was right in front of him. However, the ever- familiar hacking style and coding habits were disyed right in front of them! He could not be wrong! With that in mind, a surge of excitement overwhelmed Ryder. He figured that he had to perform well as he finally had the opportunity to work together with his idol! Casting all restraints aside, he began synergizing with Nicole as he thought about it! Their opponents were stunned! The contest had onlysted for a few minutes, and yet, Nicole had already managed to dominate them all by herself! In addition, Ryder and Gary had also begun invading them, making it as if they had entered a frenzy. N?velDrama.Org ? content. "My God! That girl... is unstoppable!" "Isn''t she a rookie? How could she be so good?!" "Hang in there! We can''t lose to her!" The leader of the group yelled, wishing to prolong the duel for a little longer. However, Nicole had already secured the victory. She pressed the enter key and stopped whatever she was doing. Mr. Zach saw Nicole stopping at the most crucial time and thought that she had done everything she could as a support. However, it was then that she said, "We''ve won. I''ll give you two a chance to learn something. Gary, you''re going to back Ryder up now. The two of you alone are enough to defeat them." "Roger that!" Gary enthusiastically did as Nicole had said. The audience were left in a state of shock upon witnessing everything that was transpiring. "What''s going on? Shouldn''t the formal champion from Royal Creek Institute be leading the group?" "It doesn''t look like it... Isn''t she a rookie? She''s a girl too!" "Yeah... The Finley brothers are following her lead!" While there were a slow of discussions happening among the audience, both Ryder and Gary were having a st on the stage! As Nicole had already paved the way for them, they did not have to be as cautious anymore! All they had to do was attack and go in for the kill! Three minutester, the both of them secured the victory with their amazing teamwork. Ring! The bell rang at once, and the progress bar on the massive screen showed that Royal Creek Institute had annihted their opponents! In a booming voice, the host announced, "The Royal Creek Institute is the winner of the first matchup of the semi-final! They''ll be advancing to the finals!" "Woo-hoo!" Everybody from Royal Creek Institute cheered! Chapter 1858 Chapter 1858 Gary and Ryder looked very thrilled. Ryder thought that they could only win by way of a meticulous n, but unexpectedly, Nicole had actually secured the victory for them in just about ten minutes. By then, he was even more convinced of who she was. ''Nicole... is Lucifer!'' He looked at Nicole as he thought about that, and his eyes lit up a little. However, the only thing Nicole did was look at them and said, "Not bad." Gary smiled. "Won''t you look at who our leader is!?" It was then that Ryder finally realized that Gary''s praise was for Nicole, not him. He could not believe that he had actually thought that he was better than Nicole. Scratching his head awkwardly, he asked, "Gary, why didn''t you tell me about her real identity earlier?!" Ryder felt extremely humiliated as he had repeatedly embarrassed himself, and it was all because Gary had concealed the truth from him. Gary smiled. "I only knew about it today. Nicole''s identity is a secret. I couldn''t tell you about it if she doesn''t want you to know. So, I figured that it''s best for you to find out about it on your own." Ryder rolled his eyes at him. "You''re such a traitor." Ryder seemed angry, but there was also a look of guilt on him as he turned to Nicole. "I''m sorry. I didn''t know who you were. I shouldn''t have told you to not act rashly." Nicole lifted his brows and asked, "Do you know who I am now?" Ryder nodded. "Of course. You''re our idol. Gary and I have spent a lot of time analyzing your coding habits and hacking skills. The methods you employ are so unique, that I could recognize you right away." Nicole could not help but narrow her eyes. ''Ah, so they''ve been studying me. No wonder they knew exactly what I needed them to do." "Forget it. I''m not nning to let anyone in school know about this yet. Keep it a secret." Nicole turned around and left after saying that. Ryder felt somehow weird as he watched Nicole''s back receding from view. He could not believe that he had treated her as a rookie before today, just to be struck with the revtion that she was his idol all along. He never expected that someone he had been looking up to for so many years was actually a junior that was a few years younger than him. It was embarrassing for him. Still, Nicole''s presence was overpowering. He was blown away by it, so much so that he could not help but look forward to everything that would happen between them in the finals! It would be like a dreame true for him! Mr. Zach had only realized that Nicole was the leader among them after they had returned to their seats, and that impressed him. "I thought Ryder was going to take the lead. You surprised me. Nicole... I didn''t know you were actually that outstanding." Ryder was a man brimming with pride and ego, and Mr. Zach knew that he would never give in to Nicole unless she was capable enough. Nicole nodded casually at him. "It''s them who did a good job supporting me." She did not want any credit or steal the spotlight from someone else. However, Mr. Zach could already tell that Nicole was simply being humble. "Alright, have a seat. Be prepared for the next round. The final''sing up," Mr. Zach reminded. Nicole nodded and sat down leisurely as the contest did not worry her at all. However, she thought that the final would be a good opportunity for her topete with Zeke directly. Zeke could not help but feel a little worried after learning how ruthless Nicole was on the stage. If he were to face Nicole in the next round, he would probably be doomed. So, he crossed his fingers, hoping that she would go easy on him considering that he was Nicole''s partner. Mr. Hardy did not notice how nervous Zeke was at all. N?velDrama.Org ? content. His eyes were filled with hatred as he watched Nicole walking down the stage proudly. "She''s so lucky. How did she make it to the finals? However, it may be a good thing. Zeke, you''ve got to teach her a lessonter, okay? You''re going to make this the veryst contest she''d ever want to participate in!" "Mr. Hardy..." Zeke uttered, resisting the urge to tell Mr. Hardy the truth. However, Mr. Hardy suddenly turned around and said, "I know what you want to say, but we can''t be merciful to anyone. Do you remember how arrogant these people from Royal Creek were? We''vee such a long way to finally be where we are today! I can''t imagine how embarrassed Northon Institute will be if you lose to them!" Chapter 1859 Chapter 1859 Zeke was at a loss for words, and there, he gave up on the idea of telling Mr. Hardy the truth. Even though he knew that his chances of winning were not high, Mr. Hardy was right. He was representing Northon Institute. ''It seems that I''ve got to be serious this time,'' he concluded. "I got it, Mr. Hardy," Zeke said. Mr. Hardy heaved a sigh of relief when he had finally received some reassurance from Zeke''s eyes. "Do your best if that''s the case. Don''t let me down." However, Zeke sighed after hearing Mr. Hardy''s words. Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org. He had started out hacking for fun, and he was not expecting pressure like this at all. Undoubtedly, Nicole had gained a lot of attention after her performance at the semi-finals, so much so that even Rowdon became a little curious. ''The way she codes looks really familiar...'' However, he did not dare to think any further than that. He had already met a master in Zeke, and he could not afford to go up against another genius in this contest. Rowdon then took a deep breath before he got into an interview with the host to break Nicole''s coding style down. "Even though her style was very aggressive, it was very effective at the same time. However, it was very risky as it required a lot of skills and speed. Other than her, the other person who likes to code like this is the hacker who''s on top of The Hunters'' leaderboard... Lucifer." Everybody was shocked as soon as they heard the name Lucifer. None of them expected that she would mimic the coding style of the best hacker on the leaderboard. "No wonder she''s so good. It turns out she''s imitating the best hacker ever." "Yeah, but it means that her typing speed is just as fast as Lucifer''s..." The area was filled with discussions when the host remarked with augh, "Looks like this student here is a big fan of Lucifer." Zeke sighed inwardly. ''These people are so foolish. How in the hell could there be such a perfect imitator? She''s Lucifer herself!'' Ryder and Gary could hardly contain theirughter after hearing that. They figured that everybody there would have their jaws drop to the ground if they found out that Nicole was indeed Lucifer, since all of them thought that she was just an imitator. However, Nicole seemed calmer than ever, as if she did not want to prove anything to anyone. The venue was reset after the host had analyzed everything that had happen along with Rowdon. "All right. We have nine finalists now! Coming up next, we''re going to begin thest part of this contest! Finalists, please make your way up to the stage!" The nine finalists stood up slowly, with Ryder and Gary feeling very honored while standing beside Nicole. The nine finalists, including Zeke, then went up to the stage together. The challengers who had lost to them could only watch as the finalists got all the attention, no matter how frustrated they felt. "Well, the rules will be the same as the previous year. Every contestant will be on their own. Thest person standing after every other contestant''s defense have been destroyed will be the champion!" "Woo-hoo!" The crowd cheered like it was the final battle that they had all been anticipating! Nicole, however, did not expect this contest to bore her to such a degree. ''Well, it seems like this is just aputing contest that tries very hard to present itself as a hackingpetition. It''s nothing professional, and it keeps creating conflicts to attract viewers.'' However, she did not care about that at all. She was just there to have some fun. "Everyone, please take a seat." The host made them sit in a circle ofputers before making the announcement passionately. "Let the final roundmence!" With a ring, the timer went off, and everyone on the stage darted their fingers across their keyboards at once. Chapter 1860 Chapter 1860 Zeke did not look asid-back asst year anymore. Instead, he became very serious. On the contrary... Nicole was smiling faintly without moving her hands, looking very unperturbed. Mr. Zach''s heart dropped upon seeing that. "Nicole... hurry up!" he reminded Nicole softly. However, Nicole was not feeling nervous at all. Instead, she began observing her opponents'' progress. Ryder and Gary, who were working in peace, had switched to the mode of attacking their opponents aggressively. Because they knew who Nicole was, they decided to give the battle their all. Even though they could never be a match for her, it was an honor for them to be able topete alongside their idol! Nicole swept her gaze across them and teased, "You guys are too slow." A cold chuckle issued from her, and that was when she started typing away on her keyboard. Lines of codes began appearing on her screen, and the flow of the game changed at an instant. The nine finalists were supposed to be battling one other, but eight of them, barring Nicole, appeared to be ganging up on her now! The host felt that something was amiss upon seeing that. "Mr. Lynch, would you care to tell us what''s happening now? Why is everybody attacking one contestant?" Rowdon was aghast when he saw what was transpiring. "They''re not attacking her. She''s the one attacking all eight of them at the same time! Nobody could figure out who that girl was and how she could do what she was doing. She had only started typing less than a minute ago, and yet, she had decided tounch assaults on all of her opponents rashly without having a game n. This meant that the other eight contestants were attempting to fend her off at the same time! The strangest thing to them was, even though the eight contestants were retaliating, Nicole still had the advantage over all of them! "Oh my God... Sh-She''s a genius!" Even Rowdon was doubtful as to whether he could take on eight people at once. After all, her opponents were not just random Joes. Only the contestants who were truly capable could make it this far! The host was stunned too as he watched the matchup nervously. "But she''s going against an expert such as Specter himself. Is she really that confident?" Rowdon was left surprised after hearing what the host had said. ''Yeah! Zeke is in the contest too! Isn''t she afraid? How could she still be so aggressive?!'' he wondered. However, Rowdon soon discovered that Zeke looked strangely nervous aspared to how calm Nicole was. ''W-what''s going on?!'' The host was dumbfounded. "Mr. Lynch, is this just an illusion? Why do I feel as if the girl is rather rxed aspared to Specter himself?" Zeke''s face darkened as he silentlyined, ''F*ck. I wonder if you guys would be nervous if you''re pitted against Nicole!'' However, he had no time to say that at all! He had to do something while Nicole was still busy dealing with the other people. Otherwise, he would have no chance of winningter in the contest. One of the contestants'' screens suddenly went ck while he was stilling up with a n to strike back. N?velDrama.Org ? content. "Damn it!" That person yelled in a fit of rage, but he still could not escape the fate of being eliminated. But his defeat was not thest, for another contestant was eliminated shortly after. Meanwhile, Preston was feeling as though he was already at his limit. This was his first time battling with Nicole, and it was only then that he understood how powerful she actually was! Her skills were just out of this world and no ordinary person would be able to take her head on! Finally, as there were still five contestants left, Preston raised his g of surrender. His hand moved away from the keyboard, and his screen went dark. Chapter 1861 Chapter 1861 Such an invasion had left her opponent no way to fight back. Even the host had never seen such an intensepetition before. "In our pastpetitions, most people just crashed their opponents'' computers. This is the first time someone has cked out their opponent''sputer directly." The atmosphere was exhrating! Just as the host and the crowd were cheering, Gary could not hold on any longer and shouted, "I can''t take it anymore!" Immediately, hisputer cked out. However, unlike others, his face showed no sense of defeat. Instead, he felt a sense of satisfaction. "Sheesh! This match was spectacr!" Gary eximed. He finally fulfilled his long-awaited dream topete until he was worn out while taking on his idol. Wiping the sweat on his forehead, Gary turned to look at Ryder. Ryder was typing very intensely and quickly on the keyboard. His forehead was littered with sweat too. However, he was doomed to failure with no power to turn the tables. After two minutes, Ryder could not take it and gave up. His screen instantly cked out. Ryder breathed a sigh of relief, and he could feel the fatigue in his hands. Gary noticed and handed him a bottle of water, smiling. "So? Was it exciting?" However, Ryder was staring at Nicole. "It was. She''s indeed powerful. We still have a long way to go." Ryder has always been working hard to catch up with the idol in their hearts. They thought they were getting closer to her skills, but they found out today that they were still too naive. Nicole had probably not shown her true strength until now. The host excitedly announced, "Let me announce this year''s third ce goes to Ryder Finley!" "Woohoo!" Loud cheers rang out continuously. The people from Royal Creek Institute were feeling rather proud of Ryder. Mr. Zach was in high spirits. "Way to go, Ryder!" Although Ryder lost to Zeke, he still got third ce. Besides that, Preston and Gary were fourth and fifth ce, which were pretty good results. To his surprise, the one on stagepeting with Zeke was Nicole. Looking at the big screen, even Mr. Zach as ayman could see that Nicole was not in a vulnerable situation. Her attacks seemed more aggressive than Zeke''s. This was simply a pleasant surprise! Nicole was unquestionably the dark horse in thispetition. Everyone was in awe of Nicole''s capabilities. "Oh my gosh. No wonder the people in Royal Creek choose her as their leader in this team match! She could even resist Specter''s attacks for so long! This is amazing!" "I know, right? She was up against eight people at once just now. She has mad skills!" "Look! She''s typing so quickly on her keyboard!" The crowd was increasingly excited, watching Nicole compete, thinking this match was thrilling. Having someone like Zeke take part was exciting enough, but there was also a genius who couldpete with him. At this moment, Zeke had no time to worry about the opinions of others. Without the other seven contestants to cover him, Nicole was now focused on taking him down! Although he had once fantasized about exchanging blows with Nicole, he never thought it would be under such circumstances, even betting on the school''s reputation. He did not want to lose to Nicole now. With that in mind, he gritted his teeth and continued. Nicole saw the seriousness in Zeke''s eyes and smiled teasingly. "Yes? Do you want me to y seriously?" Zeke''s expression was awkward. He sighed. "I can''t help it. The school''s honor is at stake. I can''t easily admit defeat." Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org. Nicole replied to him yfully, "Winning is winning, while losing is long. There''s no need to go easy." Zeke felt a little relieved after hearing Nicole''s words. "That''s right. After being partners for so long, it''s time topete to our heart''s content." Nicole smirked. "I was thinking the same thing." ''The only interesting thing that happened today was meeting Zeke. Why not let loose and have some fun?'' Nicole thought. "Alright,e on. Let''s see if the second-ranked hacker on the leaderboard can defeat the first-ranked hacker!" With that said, Zeke took out his USB andunched a fierce attack. Chapter 1862 Chapter 1862 They had no idea that Rowdon and the host had heard their entire conversation. Both of them were dumbstruck. "Master Lynch. Did I hear that right?" The host looked at Rowdon, stunned. ''Did Zeke say he was trying to beat the first-ranked yer on the international hacker leaderboard?'' "Could that girl be...?" "Lucifer?!" Rowdon and the host eximed in unison. The crowd was in an uproar. "Lucifer?" "Did the host just say that the girl was Lucifer?" "No way?! The Lucifer that''s on the international hacker leaderboard?" "It must be her! Zeke just said that himself! He said he was going to try and beat the first-ranked yer!" "Oh my gosh! It''s really Lucifer!" The crowd was in a frenzy, with some people even standing up. "Oh, my God! The first and second-ranked top hackers are battling here?!" "This is a scene not even money could buy!" "Unbelievable! The first and second-ranked top hackers are high schoolers?" The shouts of surprise and cheers came one after another! "Come on, Lucifer!" "Lucifer! You''re the best!" At this moment, Mr. Zach and Mr. Hardy werepletely stunned! Mr. Zach never expected the underdog in his team to be the first-ranked top hacker on the international hacker leaderboard. Mr. Hardy finally understood why Zeke always seemed like he had something to say. He too understood why the female student was acting so arrogantly and did not even take him seriously. It turned out that she was the world''s most powerful hacker! The only one in the world who could defeat Zeke! And by happenstance, she was also participating in thispetition! The realization made Mr. Hardy''s face turn pale and his legs shaky. However, his brain was still thinking at lightning speed. He was trying to find his voice and shouted at Zeke. "Zeke! You must beat her!" ''So what, if she ranks first in the hacker leaderboard? Zeke will be a legend if he wins against her today!'' Mr. Hardy thought, feeling confident. He had no way out! He could only hope the heavens would have mercy on him. He prayed that his student would triumph for one more year, allowing him to enjoy the spotlight. On stage, Zeke was going all out topete with Nicole. However, after five minutes, he no longer had the upper hand. "Hang in there." Nicole was still cheering for Zeke in a rxed tone as if she was teasing him. This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org. Zeke was a little frustrated, so he tried to make aeback. Nicole seemed to anticipate his every move and took on his attacks. Nicole''s typing speed was truly fast, and even he could not surpass it. All his attacks failed, and it made Zeke lose patience. However, Zeke was not the only one who became impatient, as Nicole was as well. "You''re too nervous today." Nicole watched as Zeke became so nervous that he could not keep up with the speed. She sighed. "Since that''s the case, let''s just end this quickly." With that said, a cold light shed in Nicole''s eyes, and she began quickly typing on the keyboard. At that moment, Zeke''s face was ashen. He thought, ''Nicole was going easy on me before. I''m powerless now that she''s attacking me with full force!'' Chapter 1863 Chapter 1863 Zeke tried to fight back. But then, with a swish, hisputer screen went ck. Zeke was stunned into silence. He had lost so thoroughly with no room to maneuver. He tried so hard, yet he still lost to her. After all this while, after he had put so much effort into improving himself, he still had a long way to go to catch up to Nicole. At that moment, the crowd went silent for a brief moment before erupting in cheers. "She won!" "Lucifer won!" "As expected for the top hacker on the leaderboard! That was amazing!" "Incredible!" Everyone could not help but cheer for Nicole. Meanwhile, Royal Creek Institute students were all jumping excitedly. "Nicole won!" "We''ve taken back the championship!" Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org. Even Mr. Zach was emotional, with tears in his eyes. He led the students and rushed over to Nicole. "Congrattions, Nicole!" Nicole never expected Mr. Zach to be so excited as it was just apetition to her. She felt a little helpless at the sight of her ssmates looking up to her. Although she did not care about the competition, it seemed that everyone in Royal Creek Institute wanted to win after losingst year. That was the reason why they were all so excited. "Nicole, that was amazing!" Bradley hurried over and congratted her. Gary could not help but admire her. "That was quite a show." Ryder remained silent, but his eyes were full of admiration. He had been observing both of their situations. Unlike Zeke, who was nervous, Nicole was calm andposed. Even though they were the first and second-ranked hackers on the leaderboard, there was still arge gap between them. The host ran over and shouted, "Alright! We have our champion! Nicole Riddle from Royal Creek Institute! The first runner-up is Zeke Guzman! And the second runner-up is Ryder Finley!" The people from Royal Cheek Institute were cheering, while the students in the audience cheered at the sight of this god-levelpetition. Only the people from Northon Institute looked defeated. Coming to thepetition, everyone was upbeat and confident that Zeke would win. They thought they were on the cusp of victory when they found out Zeke was ranked second on the hacker''s leaderboard. They never expected their final ending would be losing thepetition. Mr. Hardy was the most devastated. At this point, he was dumbstruck. He felt too embarrassed to get on stage. Zeke watched as everyone congratted Nicole. He collected his emotions, took a deep breath, stood up, and walked toward Nicole. He extended his hand to congratte her. "Congrattions." Zeke looked at Nicole calmly. Although he was a little upset, he was still proud and happy for Nicole. They were partners, after all. If Nicole won, he could still congratte her fully at ease. "Congrattions to you too." Nicole smiled. "You''re my only opponent. Keep it up." Nicole''s affirmation made everyone look at Zeke. Such high praise led everyone to feel envious of Zeke. Zeke himself was also thrilled. "I got it. I''ll definitely win against you next time." "I''ll be waiting," Nicole said, smirking. Zeke had nothing to feel bad about, since Nicole was like his teacher. Nicole, Zeke, and Ryder remained on stage with the host, proceeding with the award ceremony. Shortly after, Sebastian walked up the stage. As the highest-status person in the entire crowd, Sebastian was in charge of presenting the award. Seeing Nicole, Sebastian smiled. "You did well." Nicole once more astounded the entire crowd. They had not seen each other in so many days. Chapter 1864 Chapter 1864 No one had expected Nicole to be a top hacker. If Sebastian had known, he would have called her to help with things in the Wyance family. Nicole smiled. "Thank you." Sebastian then presented the awards to Zeke and Ryder. A loud bang sounded as the confetti cannons went off, raining glittering papers down on them. The teachers went on stage to take pictures with the winners. Mr. Zach instantly came over to Nicole. He took a picture with Nicole and Ryder proudly. Mr. Hardy approached Zeke with a gloomy expression while enviously ncing at Mr. Zach. His once enthusiastic-expression to Zeke was nowhere to be seen. However, Zeke did not care. The people in school had no idea about his real identity, so it was normal for the teachers to treat him this way. It was better for him now that Mr. Hardy would not bother him anymore. Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org. After taking the pictures, the people from Royal Creek Institute wanted to leave. Mr. Hardy suddenly thought of the things Mr. Zach had done to him and got angry. As Mr. Zach was walking down the stairs, Mr. Hardy pushed him. "Ahh!" Mr. Zach cried out in surprise. He knelt down from the third step, and hit the ground with a loud bang. He then fell down and rolled over. "Mr. Zach!" The people from Royal Creek Institute saw what happened and quickly ran over to help him. Mr. Zach, however, crashed till he was immobile. "Don''t touch me!" The crowd was stunned for a moment, not knowing what to do. At the side, Mr. Hardy was making sarcasticments. "Give a thief enough rope and he''ll hang himself. You tripped me earlier, and now this is karma." Listening to Mr. Hardy''s harsh words, Ryder was furious. "Karma? I think you did it intentionally." Ryder stood next to Mr. Zach during the pictures, and he could clearly feel someone pushing him. The one standing next to Mr. Zach was Mr. Hardy. Mr. Hardy snorted. "It has nothing to do with me. Stop talking nonsense!" "What should we do? I think Mr. Zach twisted and dislocated something!" "It might be a bone fracture." Bradley and the others did not dare move Mr. Zach. Nicole looked at Mr. Zach and said solemnly, "Step aside, please." Everyone was confused, not knowing what Nicole meant. Zeke suddenly shouted, "Make way, everyone! Nicole has medical skills." Everyone was even more surprised after hearing what Zeke said. It was unbelievable that Nicole had medical skills. They eximed mentally. ''How could a hacker genius know medicine? What kind of genius is she?'' Mr. Hardy was stunned as well, his face full of disbelief. ''What''s her age? How could she possibly know medicine?'' The crowd had made way for Nicole, and she squatted next to Mr. Zach. Looking at his injured knee, she lifted her hand, and with a forceful push, there was a crisp cracking sound, followed by Mr. Zach''s muffled groan. Nicole corrected the twisted area. "It''s fine now. Just a sprain. Help him down the stairs. You''ll be fine after resting for a few days," Nicole instructed after finishing the bone-setting. Everyone now only looked at Mr. Zach. "Mr. Zach. How are you feeling now?" "Should I help you down now?" Gary asked worriedly. Mr. Zach really felt that his knee and leg were not in as much pain as before, so he weakly nodded. The crowd quickly stepped forward and helped Mr. Zach up. Mr. Zach had not yet recovered from the shock. So, his students supported him and left. Only then did Nicole turn back and stare at Mr. Hardy. "Are you aware there are legal consequences after intentionally hurting someone?" Mr. Hardy was panic-stricken by Nicole''s stare. But then, he thought, ''How could she possibly have seen anything?'' Chapter 1865 Chapter 1865 With that thought in mind, Mr. Hardy straightened up and said firmly, "There''s a defamationw as well!" Nicole saw that he was incorrigible and said coldly, "Don''t worry. There are many surveince cameras on the scene. We could definitely check if I defamed you or not." Mr. Hardy now panicked. He only thought of dealing with Mr. Zach just now and forgot that there were surveince cameras. "There were so many people on stage just now. Are you sure the surveince camera from afar could have gotten any footage?" Mr. Hardy tried to argue, hoping to weasel his way out. Nicole chuckled at his actions. "Even though the surveince cameras are far away, did you forget there are cameras everywhere?" Nicole said while ncing at the audience. Only then did Mr. Hardy realize that the cameras might have captured his every move. At this moment, Sebastian, who was ready to present his closing speech on stage, walked up to them. He narrowed his brows. "What happened?" Just now he saw a teacher from Royal Creek Institute fall and that Nicole helped him. He did not expect that there would be an argument happening as well. Everyone was paying attention to them after seeing Sebastian go over. Mr. Hardy was dumbfounded. He was voiceless while facing the new governor. The host noticed the situation. He intervened to exin to Sebastian, "Just now, a teacher from Royal Creek Institute fell, and Nicole said Mr. Hardy was the culprit. However, no one on site saw it happen." Ryder''s voice turned cold when the host tried to downy the incident. "Aren''t there cameras on site? We''ll just find out by reying the footage." "Well, this..." The host looked awkwardly at Ryder. Although thepetition did need some gimmicks, it did not need idents. The organizer would not have wanted things to escte. Sebastian looked at Nicole, asking her, "Are you sure?" Nicole gazed at Sebastian and nodded seriously. "I''m sure." "Alright, I believe in you." Everyone was rather surprised that the new governor cared so much for a little girl. He even said he believed in her as if they knew each other. Sebastian gave instructions to the director, who rushed over to ask about the situation. "Get the footage from the camera and y them back now. Check if there was someone intentionally hurting others." After Sebastian spoke, the director did not dare neglect his orders. The director asked the cameraman to upload the video. Now, Mr. Hardy waspletely confused! He thought, ''What''s going on? I thought I could just get away with it. I''ll be doomed if the governor personally asks for the footage.'' After a few minutes, the footage of Mr. Zach falling was yed, and everyone saw Mr. Hardy''s every move. "He was the one who pushed Mr. Zach!" "That''s intentional assault!" Now not only the students from Royal Creek Institute but all the students in the audience reproached his actions. Content provided by N?velDrama.Org. "That''s despicable!" "That''s too much! He yed dirty!" "He has no code of morality. How can he be a teacher?" The crowd''s usations had Mr. Hardy attacked on all sides. Sebastian''s expression turned dark. "It seems like you''re really not suited to be a teacher!" Mr. Hardy''s legs went weak after hearing the governor say that about him. He fell to the ground and clung to Sebastian''s legs. "I-I was wrong! I was just too angry just now. Plus, he tripped me earlier too!" Nicole sneered. "You just tripped on Mr. Zach''s foot after being carried away. And now you''re even making false usations, intentional assault, and defamation! That''s enough to get you detained in custody." "No!!!" Mr. Hardy did not have the guts to deal with Nicole now. Chapter 1866 Chapter 1866 ''If I knew that little girl knew the governor, I would''ve never opposed her!'' Mr. Hardy thought. "Let the police handle the case. We cannot tolerate such people," Sebastian ordered coldly. The director immediately instructed, "Security! Get him out of here! Report to the police when you''re on the way." "Yes, sir!" The security guards went straight up to Mr. Hardy and took him away. Mr. Hardy gave a horrible shriek. "No! I was wrong! Don''t treat me like this!" This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org. Northon Institute cared about reputation the most! If he was sent to the police during thepetition, he would definitely lose his job! However, no one was paying attention to him. Even Zeke and the students at Northon Institute thought he had brought shame to the school. After this incident passed, the host hurriedly resumed and let Sebastian begin his closing speech. The crowd continued to cooperate behind him. Under the director''smands, the shooting of the competition finally ended. After everyone left, Zeke told Nicole, "My apologies. My teacher has caused trouble for you." Nicole shook her head. "It was him, not you. You don''t have to apologize for anything." Zeke breathed a sigh of relief. "Alright then. I''ll be going on my way now." "Okay, go ahead." Nicole smiled. The rtionship between them remained the same. Zeke then went on his way. He would be forever grateful to her as Nicole had saved his father''s life before. It was just apetition. It was not a big deal as he could just let Nicole guide himter on. After thepetition ended, everyone got in their cars and left the venue. On the way back, Nicole became the center of attention once again. Bradley was looking at her with admiration the entire way back. "Nicole, I didn''t expect you to know medicine!" Even Jack and Wayne were impressed by Nicole''s skills. "I know, right? You were so cool when you helped Mr. Zach in the bone-setting." "And the moment you won by defeating everyone! It was incredible!" Gary looked at his two underlings, who were admiring Nicole, and wondered whose underlings they were. Gary cleared his throat audibly. Only then did Jack and Wayne notice, and they restrained themselves. They even looked back at Gary obsequiously. "But Gary was obviously great today too." "Yep! He got fourth ce even with two masters participating in thepetition. It was amazing," Jack echoed. However, Gary was not happy one bit, listening to their words. After all, he was in third cest year. All these years, he had never dropped off the top three positions. This year was his first time. Luckily, it was a dreame true since he coborated with Nicole. That thought brought him some sce. Though Gary never expected Nicole to be so skilled and even know medicine. He looked at Nicole with a deep gaze. Ryder shot a nce at Gary and elbowed him. He lowered his voice to a whisper. "What was with that stare? Tone it down." Gary only then realized he had lost hisposure, so he hurriedly turned his gaze away. Ryder noticed his brother''s abnormal behavior and whispered, "Do you have feelings for Nicole?" Gary instantly tensed up and subconsciously covered Ryder''s mouth. They grew up together, so there were a lot of things that he could not hide from Ryder. However, he did not want Nicole to overhear! Chapter 1867 Chapter 1867 As he watched Gary''s movements, Ryder understood everything... He immediately nodded and motioned for Gary to let go, indicating that he will not speak about it. It was only then did Gary awkwardly let go. Ryder smiled as he shoved Gary a little. "Sure. I think she''s a pretty good girl..." He said that earnestly. Back in school, Nicole was very famous, but she was in the high school division while he was in the university division, so they had no interactions before, but now... Now he knew Nicole was the godlike hacker they worshiped and, moreover, she had medical skills and was academically excellent. Furthermore, the Riddle family was recently on the rise, and he wondered if the Finley family could ever reach their level. Yet, Gary rolled his eyes at him. "Ryder, how ill-informed can you be? Nicole is Jared''s fiancee. The two of them had their engagement ceremony some time ago, and I went there on your behalf..." When Gary mentioned this, Ryder was taken aback for a moment as he seemed to recall this matter. Suddenly, he felt extremely lost for a moment. "So, she''s Jared Johnston''s fiancee?" ''Ah... so she''s already engaged.'' Inexplicably, the bitterness in Ryder''s heart was far more than when he heard that his baby brother liked Nicole. Gary smiled bitterly. "Yeah... I heard they''re getting married soon." Ryder fell silent as he patted his brother on the shoulder. "Ah well, a good girl will definitely have many excellent men around her." They im to be excellent themselves, but whenpared to Jared, they were like heaven and earth. "Yeah..." Gary let out a sigh as he looked at Nicole dejectedly. The two brothers then said nothing else. When Nicole returned to school, the school had already learned that the Royal Creek Institute had snagged the championship. The self-study ss was pretty much abandoned as all of the students gathered at the school gate, waiting to wee the participating students back. Mr. Ellison was at the front and when he saw them get out of the car, he stepped forward and said, "Good work, all of you." Those words were said while he looked at Nicole. The crowd immediately made way for Gary and Ryder. The pros of the previous year could only be Nicole''s foil this time around. "Winning glory for school is only natural," Nicole said. Mr. Ellison then smiled from ear to ear. He had always been butting heads with that old coot in Northon Institute, and the two had been hostile to one another for many years now. It had always been Royal Creek Institute hogging the championship but Northon Institute unexpectedly wonst year''spetition, so the entire school was upset about it. Yet, it was said that the boy from Northon Institute was very good and Royal Creek Institute''s teacher in charge did not have much confidence at all this year.nov.ele.book Somehow, the moment Nicole showed up, they won the championship back. ''What can''t Nicole do, really?'' Recruiting Nicole into the school was the best decision he had made. "Congrattions, on behalf of the school," Mr. Ellison said. Behind him, a group of students already pulled up a banner. Just as Mr. Ellison said his piece, Lulu and June led the crowd as they cheered. "Nicole! Nicole! Invincible!" When Nicole heard that cheer chorus, she turned and looked at Lulu and June helplessly. These two girls must havee up with this cheer. It was just really blowing things out of proportion. But everyone actually shouted along and they were very enthusiastic and energetic at it. It was only until Ms. Emerson said, "Alright, alright. Nicole is probably tired now. Let''s gather in the hall." "Yes, Ms. Emerson!" Everyone nodded as they turned around and walked to the school hall. In order to celebrate the victory of the Royal Creek Institute, all sses took a break from ss and gathered in the hall to watch thepetition broadcast. Nicole raised an eyebrow and asked Gary beside her, "Are the broadcasts always that fast?" Gary nodded. "It''s always been like this. After all, thispetition is one of the bigger ones in the country. I heard they wanted to do a live broadcast, but due to fear of mishaps, they dyed the broadcast by two hours and will only y it after editing." Nicole raised her eyebrows. That was still very fast. And she could not help but feel a little regretful. ''Does that mean my identity as Lucifer can no longer be hidden?'' Ever since she came to San Joto, her hidden identities had been exposed one after another at record speed. "I won''t be joining you guys. Watching myself is just so awkward." Nicole did not want to experience the shock of everyone finding out who she was live. "Eh? Why?" Lulu immediately came over. "Let''s go. This is the school celebrating for you, you know!" As she was pulled along by Lulu, Nicole felt very embarrassed. Yet, she could not very well refuse that, so she had to follow the crowd to the hall. The big screen in the hall was ready to broadcast. After everyone took their seats, the broadcast began. Nicole sighed as she followed everyone and looked at the screen. Sure enough, her earlier slothful appearance was on full disy. "Woah, Nicole looked so casual before thepetition." "Yeah, she looked like she was rxing or something." "I know, right? She was even captaining Ryder and Gary too." "So cool!" Thepliments made Nicole squirm. Halfway through the broadcast, she took the opportunity to go to the toilet, but in reality, she wanted to flee and not go back. Yet, just as she was about to step out, she ran into Harvey. He seemed to have something to do so he camete. As he happened to run into Nicole, he let out a coy smile. "Congrattions, president. I heard you won theputerpetition." Nicole''s face was icy cold and she tried to walk around him... Yet, Harvey stood in her way and as he looked at thepetition broadcast on the screen behind her, he instantly understood what was going on. "Why? Embarrassed to look at yourself? Want to get a drink?" Seeing that Harvey was not letting her go, Nicole hissed icily. "No need. I''m fine." After that, she turned around and went back to her seat. When Lulu saw her, she asked. "Why are you back again?" Harvey just happened to walk past her as she said coldly, "Ran into a prick." When Harvey heard that, he was not only not angry, he even sat down at the empty seat behind her. Nicole suddenly felt ufortable. However, Harvey was indifferent, watching the screen as Nicole soon appeared a little. novelebook At the end, when the host revealed Nicole''s identity, everyone was stunned. "My goodness, Nicole is Lucifer?" "That inte god?" "Oh my god... What does Nicole NOT know?" Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org. Ever since Nicole joined the Royal Creek Institute, she had subverted everyone''s expectations time and time again, creating miracle after miracle as her identity was exposed one after another. It was really just shocking. Harvey was surprised too. He knew Nicole was skilled with aputer, but he did not expect her to be THAT skilled... and for her to be the number one hacker in the world! ''Nicole, Nicole, how many more identities are you hiding from me?'' He clenched his fist tightly, really wanting to get his hands on Nicole right there and then. ''Soon, soon...'' Holding his fist tightly, he slowly approached Nicole and whispered to her from behind with a voice only the two of them could hear. "Nicole... I really, really want to make you mine." Chapter 1868 Chapter 1868 Nicole turned around in disgust as she red at Harvey. "Stop dreaming." She really regretted it now. She knew Harvey was a person with a split personality. Perhaps she should not have gotten close to him back then as he was now a constant source of annoyance for her. So much so that she did not want to be anywhere near him for even a minute. Yet, Harvey only chuckled as he saw her look of disgust. "You''ll find out whether I''m dreaming or not soon enough.novelebook When the timees, you''ll be begging for me." He looked at Nicole with assured certainty, fantasizing about that scene that was toe. Nicole only snorted. "You''re only building castles in the air." As she said that, she was no longer in any mood to talk to him and got up. Yet, the crowd immediately turned around and started pping for Nicole. "You''re so awesome, Nicole!" "Nicole! We love you!" Listening to her fellow student''s exaggerated promations, Nicole could only ept them bashfully. How she wished this embarrassing celebration would end quickly... At the end, Mr. Ellison spoke once again. "The celebration will end here. Once again, the school congrattes Miss Nicole Riddle." The apuse was thunderous, and Nicole could only ept it. Immediately after, the teachers got up and led their students back to ss. Along the way, Lulu, June and the others were still congratting Nicole, and they were all overjoyed. Only Regina, who was tailing behind the crowd, looked miffed. Even when she recently found out that Nicole was held in high regard at school, she still hoped that Nicole would make a fool of herself during thepetition, but unexpectedly, Nicole emerged victorious! And it turned out that she was some hacking god! ''Is this Nicole the same person I knew from back then?'' ''How is she so talented?'' ''Could it be that Nicole was just ying the fool back then?'' She really did not understand what was going on now... At this moment, someone bumped into her. "Eh? What are you staring at the ss rep for?" "Are you jealous she won the championship?" Content provided by N?velDrama.Org. Regina immediately shrank to the side. "I''m not! Don''t put words in my mouth!" She was really jealous, but she could not admit it! In the past few days, there were students who were trying to find fault with her, and she was afraid of them. If this continued, she would be the object of bullying! "Hah, don''t think you have the guts anyway!" The few students were in a good mood and when they saw her recoil like that, they did not bother her any longer. Everyone then followed Nicole back into ss. Regina was extremely bitter but she could not do anything to Nicole at all. At this moment, a figure suddenly appeared beside her. Regina subconsciously looked up and immediately saw a handsome face. Even if she had only been here for a short while, she knew Mr. Ellison''s grandson when she saw him! When she saw him approach her, Regina was ecstatic. ''Why would Harvey take notice of me?'' "You''re the neer in their ss?" Harvey took measure of Regina and felt only disgust at the slightly plump girl. nove.l.eboo.k Although she may be wearing a proper school uniform, she gave out a slovenly air about her. ''This person was once Nicole''s ssmate?'' ''Yes..." At this moment, Regina was about to faint from joy. She had only arrived not too long ago in school and she had already caught Harvey''s attention! ''Luck is still on my side!'' But before she could feel gleeful about her fortune,novelebook Harvey suddenly asked, "I heard you don''t get along with Nicole?" She had heard this sentence way too often recently. Chapter 1869 Chapter 1869 Everyone was picking a fight with her as she did not get along with Nicole, and the joy in Regina''s heart instantly disappeared as fear took its ce. "I... I had some misunderstandings with her in the past..." If anyone else tried to bother her, she could still bear with it, but if Harvey was standing on Nicole''s side, then she was done for! Harvey looked at Regina''s fearful look with a gaze full of mockery as he said,novelebook "I don''t care what sort of grievances the two of you have, but from today onwards... help me keep an eye on Nicole. Report to me if anything happens." He needed someone to keep an eye out on Nicole but almost everyone was already enraptured by Nicole, so only this person may perhaps be useful. "Eh?" Regina was taken aback, not quite understanding what he meant. Yet, she still nodded by reflex. "Oh...Got it." Harvey snorted and then said, "Give me your phone." Regina immediately handed her phone over in a daze. Harvey quickly typed his phone number in. "This is my number. You''ll report to me Nicole''s location and general situation at any moment." He was soon about to achieve his goal on the Johnston Group side... If Nicole was really the number one hacker, then it may be a little troublesome, so he needed someone to keep an eye on her.Content provided by N?velDrama.Org. "Okay..." ''Oh my goodness! I actually got Harvey''s number out of nowhere?!'' Even though she was just asked to keep an eye on Nicole, this was a very good thing indeed! At the very least, she now had Harvey''s contact number! nov.eleb.ook And now she knew Harvey as well! ''Wasn''t this what Father wanted?'' Thinking of this, Regina was overjoyed! Even when she knew Harvey had left, she still clutched her phone in excitement... "Nice! When Dad learns about this, he''ll definitely praise me!" As she thought of this, she gleefully went back to ss. With Harvey''s support, she would not have to suffer any bullying anymore! ''Nicole, you''re not having a good time, aren''t you?'' It seemed like Harvey had something against Nicole and Regina would have anotherrade in the future! Thinking this, she was ted. She then secretly kept her eye on Nicole to send any information to Harvey at any moment. School was soon over in a blink of an eye. And as always, Jared came to pick Nicole up. When Nicole got into the car, she looked exhausted. Jared smiled as he leaned close. "Thepetition was exhausting?" Nicole nced back at him. "No, dealing with people was far more tiring." Until after school, her ssmates'' enthusiasm overwhelmed her. Back then, they were afraid of her coldness but today, they did not care about it any longer. Some even tried to ask for her autograph and that was extremely embarrassing. "You''re now the school''s star, yeah? Miss Lucifer." Jared curled his lips and looked totally unsurprised. Nicole raised an eyebrow. "You saw thepetition?" Jared smiled yfully. "Of course. It''s my fiance''spetition after all. Naturally, I would watch it." "At least you know what''s right." Nicole then said with satisfaction. "However, they probably didn''t broadcast the most exciting part. The teacher in charge is still in the hospital." Nicole nced at Jared. "I can''t hide anything from you." Jared then said, "I''ve dealt with that teacher from Northon Institute. He''s been fired and sent away." He will get rid of anyone who dared to disrespect his woman. "Can you not be so fast?" She really felt that she would be spoiled rotten if he kept on spoiling her like this. "It''s nothing. He''s a blind fool who dared displease my woman. novelebook It''s already a mercy I didn''t chase him out of Hustuaburg." Nicole could not help but smile. "Yeah, a person like that is nothing but an eyesore anyway." Chapter 1870 Chapter 1870 Seeing Nicole''s mood improve, Jared could not help but stretch his hand out and hug her. Nicoley in his arms and was at ease. Yet, when she thought of Harvey, she felt inexplicably uneasy. "Harvey''s acting really strangetely. You better be on alert on yourpany''s side." Jared took a deep breath. "He''s indeed acting very strangely ofte." Nicole raised her eyebrow. "You''ve never broached the topic of yourpany with me before." He knew everything about her, but he had rarely mentioned anything about hispany recently. Jared could see Nicole''s concern and said, "Thepany''s fine.novelebook There are many people who want to work with the Riddle family, and the Johnston Group also profited by association." Nicole knew that Jared only wanted to reassure her, and the whole matter of profiting by association was just a reassurance. In fact, the Johnston Group had no need to rely on others at all, but Jared was just being humble. Seeing that Nicole was still worried, he then said, "Harvey did indeed try to cause some trouble in the past few days, but I found out in advance, so his schemes failed. Don''t worry." Nicole nodded "But he most likely won''t give up just like that." "Yeah, but he had been inconspicuously quiet for the past few days and it''s a little strange." Jared was suspicious too. Nicole raised an eyebrow. "I wonder what scheme he''s concocting now. How about we get someone to keep an eye on him?" Jared curled his lips. "Mr. Ellison is still around, so I don''t want to rm him." If Jared were to keep an eye on Harvey, Mr. Ellison would be the first to be rmed. "Also, if you want to catch the snake, you need to beat it whole. Harvey has yet to make any big moves, and even if I tell Grandpa, he''ll just warn him at most..." nov,el,e,book Jared''s eyes were dark, yet brilliant. "And I... like to remove the root of the problem when I do things..." Even if he were to suffer losses, he would thoroughly eliminate his foe to feel at ease. Seeing Jared''s scheming look, Nicole knew he had ns ready. "Fine, as long as he doesn''t cause you trouble." But for some reason, Nicole still felt a little uneasy. ''Harvey''s also a very meticulous person. He wouldn''t just cause some minor trouble after saying what he did. I''m just afraid that this is but a smokescreen..." At this moment, in a secret private room in the Empyrean Hotel... Harvey was in the main seat, waiting for a guest. Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org. A knock finally rang out on the door as a figure soon walked in. When Harvey saw the person, he frowned a little. "I didn''t expect the person who invited me to be you." He had received a mysterious email iming that the author knew about the Riddle family''s internal matters. Here he was wondering who it was, and unexpectedly... it was Everett. ''This young master of the Riddle family seems to be neglected, and he dares to call me out?'' "I didn''t expect to meet you one day too, Mr. Harvey. But now, both of us have amon enemy, so we will be great partners." Everett got rid of his usual gentle facade as he sat down with a dark look in his eyes. When Harvey saw Everett like this, he suddenly felt like he was looking at himself. "So, it seems like you''re the two-faced person hidden inside the Riddle family, Mr. Everett." To hide oneself and put on a docile facade, lying dormant in the family just to get everything he wanted... Only those of the same kind as him could understand such a feeling. Everett then smiled. "Ah, so Mr. Harvey, you''re the same kind of person as me..." Harvey looked at Everett, and found thetter particrly charismatic. "Speak. How do you n to work with me, and what sort of value are you bringing to the table?" Harvey gave Everett a chance. Everett absolutely hated Harvey''s haughtiness, but thetter was indeed far more capable than him now.novelebook Moreover, he needed Harvey as a stepping stone to fight against Jared. Thinking this, he let out a sinister smile. "You''ve been sparring in the shadows with Jared, but I think you''ve already noticed, Mr. Harvey, that Jared Johnston is no pushover. Facing him head-on is definitely not the best idea." Chapter 1871 Chapter 1871 Harvey squinted a little. ''Everett does have a n.'' Moreover, Everett even understood how Harvey worked. ''Interesting.'' "Go on." Everett curled his lips and continued. "Jared has his business overseas as well, so what he actually cares about isn''t the Johnston Group... Since we want to move against him, we naturally need to aim for his weak spot..." Harvey immediately understood what he meant. "Nicole?" He naturally knew that Nicole was Jared''s weakness, but she was also Harvey''s weakness at the same time... The reason he was at such a disadvantage was because he did not want to touch Nicole. The two feints earlier were just him testing Jared''s limits. Everett smiled. "I know what you''re thinking, Mr. Harvey. Nicole is Jared''s weakness and she is yours too. I won''t touch her, but... the Riddle family is Nicole''s weakness..." As soon as Everett said that, Harvey immediately understood him. Everett continued to smile sinisterly. "When we grasp his weakness'' weakness... do you think Jared would leave the Riddle Corporation to fend for itself? And I know the internal secrets of the Riddle Corporation and cracks within it. With just the right amount of prodding..." Everett had stated his value and that exactly was what Harvey needed now. He only cared about Nicole, and had no regard for the Riddle Corporation! Moreover, the Riddle family was in such an astronomical rise that it was about to catch up to the Ellison family. If he could take down the Riddle Corporation, that means the Ellison family would have one less enemy, so why not? "Not bad, but what''s your n?" Harvey''s words signified that he had agreed to take this cooperation further. Everett was extremely gleeful as his lips curled slightly. ''Harvey''s already hooked...'' "Then let''s just go into detail about the n. As long as we work together, even behemoths like the Riddle Corporation and the Johnston Group can be brought down..." A sinister glint appeared in Everett''s eyes as he slowly went through his n with Harvey. Harvey listened as his eyes turned gloomy and a sneer appeared across his face. ''I never thought that the Riddle family would have such an evil person hiding inside it... ''His years of dormancy has now be a tool for his counterattack... ''Not bad... ''Jared Johnston, just you wait. I''ll soon have you kneeling and begging as you hand Nicole over to me with your own two hands!'' Back at the Riddle''s residence, Samuel and Spencer had already sent word about Nicole''s victory back home, so everyone decided toe back earlier to celebrate the asion. Nicole did not expect her family to want to celebrate what she thought was just another victory in a competition. And Jared also showed no signs of wanting to leave. So, the family sat together and had a very happy dinner. As Gloria watched Jared dote on Nicole, feeding her this and that, Gloria could not help but ask, "Aren''t the two of you going to Panem soon? Have you booked your flight tickets yet?" "Mom..." Nicole totally did not want to talk about it but Gloria had brought it up. She really did not want to face this problem so soon. Content provided by N?velDrama.Org. Yet, Jared responded to this. "It''s done. The flight is at nine in the morning on Saturday." Nicole''s eyes could not help but widen. ''Can this person not be so fast?'' Chapter 1872 Chapter 1872 When Samuel and Spencer heard that, they raised their heads, looking a little miffed. "Can you not be so hasty?" "So early on a Saturday morning. You''re that impatient, Mr. Jared?" Jared did not mind that as he pretended not to see their displeasure. He then slowly lifted Nicole''s hand up. "Of course. It''s something I''ve been looking forward to, so the sooner the better." Nicole looked at Jared''s deep gaze and felt a little embarrassed. This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org. ''This guy, he''s getting more and more clingy in front of others recently.'' Gloria, however, was very pleased. "Good. I''ll help Nicole pack up then. The two of you will depart on Saturday morning!" At this point, Nicole had already mostly epted her fate. In any case, her parents really wanted to marry her off. "Thanks, Aunt Gloria." Jared let out a satisfied smile. Nicole red at him, and this time, he was really happy. Gloria then continued to ask if Jared needed anything else to be settled. As the two talked, the matter of the wedding was broached and even Sean and Steve got involved... Nicole could not help but be impressed. ''Since when did Jared have almost everyone in my family wrapped around his finger?'' The dinner was finally done and when Nicole sent Jared away, she could not help but rib at him. "You have so many things to do at work but you still have enough time to look into marriage. It looks like you''re not busy at all." Jared smiled as he pulled her hand and kissed it. "I''m busy, but nothing is more important than you." Nicole''s fingers felt numb as she awkwardly pulled her hand back. "Stop being so cheesy." Jared smiled. "Is that so? You need to get used to it then." Nicole rolled her eyes at him. "No way in hell." He then teased her, "We''re about to get married, and once we''re married, we''ll be together every day like this." Seeing Jared''s serious look, Nicole''s cheeks felt a little flushed. "You sure have thick skin. Get going already." Jared smiled with satisfaction but he then said, "Alright, I''ll be leaving now. See youter tonight." Nicole was absolutely embarrassed. "No way!" Ever since thest time, Jared would always sneak into her bedroom. It was getting really clear that it was not a good thing for the two of them to live so close. ''If this goes on, my waist will definitely break.'' "Hehe, that depends on my mood." As he said that, he left, not giving Nicole a chance to retort. Nicole watched as he walked back to the manor next door and felt gloomy. ''This guy... We''re already getting married soon. Can''t he just wait a little?'' She would need to put on extra locks on the window tonight. Nicole no longer wanted to dwell on this and returned to the living room. In the hall, her father and eldest brother seemed to be discussing something about the Colton family. After dealing with Mr. Howde, many felt that following the Colton family was not beneficial in the long term, and some still wanted to work with the Riddle family. Daniel was a little hesitant to ept these people. After overhearing that, Nicole walked forward and said, "It''s fine if you just ept them. After all, anyone who isn''t an enemy on the battlefield is a friend. epting them is far better than them siding with the Colton family again." When he heard Nicole''s words, Daniel''s doubts were dispelled. "Yeah, makes sense." Sean smiled as he looked at Nicole. He too had such intentions but his father was a worrywart, so it was fortunate that his little sister came over to help. Chapter 1873 Chapter 1873 "The Fisher family has recently be less and less influential, it seems that they''ll only weaken in the future," Sean said to Nicole, in hopes that she would feel better. "I thought so. Ever since they''ve been partnering up with those people, it would be odd if they don''t suffer any bacsh. I guess now they''re just idling there." Nicole had viewed the Fisher family as a threat to the Riddles before. "However, I heard that Fiore has been discharged from the hospital. Her burns are quite severe and she''s nning to go abroad to have them treated with stic surgery." Nicole snorted coldly. "It''s her own fault. It has nothing to do with me." Sean was worried. "Fiore is one of the most ruthless members of the Fisher family. I''m worried she mighte after you again." With cold eyes, Nicole replied, "If she dares to even try, I''ll make herpany go under with zero chances of recovering." ''From the looks of it, I doubt Fiore would have any chances of seeding,'' Nicole thought. "I believe you can take good care of yourself." Sean looked at Nicole in relief, knowing that Nicole was not afraid of anything. "Right now, you can get married without any worries. You can leave the rest to us." Nicole nodded. ''The problems at home are almost resolved. Now there''s only The Brave left...'' While Nicole was thinking, she suddenly heard Spencer and Samuel trotting in, bringing durians into the living room. The pungent smell made Nicole feel queasy. Before Nicole could get the words out of her mouth, she subconsciously covered her nose and rushed into the toilet. Spencer and Samuel were stunned as they looked in the direction Nicole had dashed before awkwardly asking, "What''s wrong with her?" Sean could not help casting a nk look at the two of them. "It must be the horrendous smell of the durian. It''s killing people." Samuel immediately med himself. "Huh? I thought she would like it..." Content provided by N?velDrama.Org. "Yeah, I''ve never heard of her not liking durian," Spencer said as he had thought to share a piece with Nicole, but she had yet toe back. Nicole found herself not having the urge to vomit anymore. The feeling was quite bizarre as she had never experienced something like it before. ''I used to like durian but now smelling it led me to have this reaction?'' Just thinking of durian had made Nicole avoid the living room area and went straight back to her room. It was not long until this matter waspletely forgotten. The next day, the school''s festival was finally onto its final stage. The university campus hadpleted their set up while the high school campus was under Nicole and Harvey''s management. Due to reducing contact with Harvey, Nicole had sent out topic selections for each of the sses to have them handle it. To her surprise, she did not expect that Harvey had done nothing to contribute. Nicole would rather single-handedly manage the entire event herself than interact with Harvey. Nicole had called on Spencer, Samuel, Lulu, and June over for instructions. The five of them started working over from the first ss. Nicole went to check how things were progressing while Spencer and Samuel went over to oversee the need for further arrangement and guided the guys to work. Then June and Lulu taught the girls to customize clothes and dye fabric. After working all morning, several people were exhausted. Nicole invited everyone over to the cafeteria to have lunch together. Spencer and Samuel focused their attention entirely on the consuming food. On the other hand, June could not helpining, "Did the university campus do it on purpose? In previous years, the university campus would take on the supervision and management, but why did they change it this year?" Nicole said coldly, "It''s because of the high school president that spoke up, so it''s normal that they aren''t in charge of anything." Nicole had not participated in the previous years, so she had no idea that events like this had always been under the university campus'' management. Thus, she just brushed it off. As Nicole was immersed in her thoughts, a sarcastic voice suddenly came behind her. "Well, well, well, if it isn''t the president of the student council! I heard the president went to supervise the preparations for the festival this morning. It''s hard work, isn''t it?" Chapter 1874 Chapter 1874 The sarcastic tone instantly made Nicole''s face turn ice cold, and she did not have to turn her head to know who it was. Harvey walked around her table and nced at the people around her. He had not expected Nicole to avoid him to this extent. ''It seems like she would rather suffer alone than be by my presence.'' Harvey had assumed that she would ultimately give up when she was swamped with work, not expecting that she was capable of handling so many things at once, including the festival preparation at the university campus. Nicole saw that he was testing her patience, not wanting to leave. She replied indifferently, "Well, without the vice president''s hard work and participation, am assuming you were super busy with the university campus'' preparations? The high school campus only took one day to have everything prepared,pared to the geniuses over at the university campus. You must''ve worked so hard." Nicole had said this with the implication to mock Harvey''s ability. Harvey was neither annoyed or angry. Instead he responded with a smile on his lips, "Of course. For the president''s rity, procrastinating can be a good thing as long as it doesn''t create any trouble before the big day. After all, if something goes wrong during the festival then the one losing reputation is Royal Creek." Nicole red at Harvey''s pompousness. She could not help but sarcastically say, "If we go ording to your perspective, the vice president cares so much about our school. Then why didn''t you help out the rest? Now that I''m mentioning it, isn''t it a bit toote?" Nicole did not give him a chance to refute. She shook her head. "The president of the student council does have a way with words. Whatever you''ve said is right. We''re just normal student councils. Do we still need to be supervised so heavily? The school festival is in two days. Don''t mess it up." After hearing that, Harvey immediately turned around and walked away fuming. "Two-faced dick." Lulu rolled her eyes at Harvey. "He was so nice to you before. Why has he be a new person entirely?" Nicole stayed silent for a moment. "Perhaps because I stole the president position from him." Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org. Spencer and Samuel overheard what Nicole said and were fuming. "Has he always been that stingy? Over a silly campaign, was it necessary?" Samuel could not help being angry. Nicole did not say anymore. Everyone at the table knew that as of now, Harvey was not one of her friends now. After finishing their meal, everyone continued working and improving their work throughout the afternoon. Nicole did not want Harvey to be breathing down her neck, so she did every job thoroughly. Two dayster, on a Friday, Royal Creek''s festival began. It happened yearly, where they open their gates to the public, to attract the public and let them learn more about Royal Creek. The festival was very lively. Many media outlets came to report on the day itself. Attendees had to register themselves through a QR code given at the gate for admission before they could enter the school and enjoy various fun-filled activities. The university students were well knowledgeable of what to do, while the high school students were able to cope with attending to the attendees. Due to Nicole''s advance preparation, they did it with ease. Mr. Ellison was walking around the field with both Nicole and Harvey in tow, his face filled with satisfaction of the activity booths that were set up by both campuses. "This year''s festival has really saved a lot of money on the resources, and it''s even more lively than the previous years. You two have done well. Good job!" Mr. Ellison looked at the results with pride, paying more attention to Nicole. Before, when Stanley did not have the time to take care of the school internal affairs, he would mostly leave it to Harvey to handle the affairs. Stanley was afraid that Harvey might be busy too, so Nicole coming to help in the participation in the election had really won Mr. Ellison''s favor. "It''s nothing," Nicole responded nonchntly. The ideas for the school festival were all Harvey''s ideas and by right, the credit should be given to Harvey. Harvey smiled and looked at his grandfather. "Nicole and I have cooperated very well this time which is why we achieved such brilliant results." Mr. Ellison had known that Harvey and Nicole had a rough patch, but he was happy to see them cooperating well for the school festival. ''If Nicole weren''t engaged to Jared, they would be a good match.'' Mr. Ellison faked his smile. "Yes, it seems like you both have great teamwork together. You should help each other out more in the future." With a calm smile, Harvey said, "Yeah, we know." Chapter 1875 Chapter 1875 Nicole nced at Harvey. ''This guy doesn''t even bat an eysh when he lies through his teeth.'' Nicole nodded her head indifferently, and said, "Yeah." Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org. Mr. Elliot and the teachers went around to make sure there were no issues before heading back to their office. The school''s festival was managed by the main members of the student union which Nicole was a part of. Harvey did not leave Nicole''s side and walked side-by-side with her toward the sea of students. Nicole did not speak up and he enjoyed the moment of being by her side. There were limited days that he would be able to enjoy being beside her. Nicole quickened her pace as she tried to expand the distance from Harvey. However, Harvey was quick to notice and kept close. The two of them walking around had raised questions among passersby. "Woah, the school''s ''it'' girl and guy, walking together side by side..." "They''re such a good match..." "Right?! They look so good together." Everyone around them was discussing them. Harvey looked smug, while Nicole looked distressed. ''These people must be blind, if they think this is right,'' Nicole thought. "I''m going to keep an eye on the high school students. Vice President, I''m afraid I''ll have to trouble you to keep an eye on the university students." Harvey noticed that Nicole was finding ways to shoo him away. He did not fret. Instead he called Edwin and two other people over. "You guys go ahead. I''ll follow our president here since it''s her first year handling this event." "Alright then..." Edwin felt that something was off with Harvey. He could not put his thumb on what it was, neither did he have the position to refute. Edwin could only nod and leave with the others. Nicole, who noticed Harvey was being unreasonably shameless, sneered. "Since the Vice President gives so much care and attention to the school''s festival, you can take charge of it. I''m a little tired so I''ll be heading home to have a rest." Harvey felt his eye bags get darker. "Well, it''s definitely not a problem. However, if there were any problems, I won''t be able to solve them immediately..." "You..." ''This guy is so darn devious,'' Nicole thought. Since there was no other way around this, Nicole turned around to leave, walking around to supervise the festival. Walking behind her was Harvey who was as proud as a peacock. Harvey did not care whether Nicole hated him or not. He just wanted the feeling of contentment around her. Just like that, Nicole was followed around by Harvey until noon. Nicole was very tired. She wanted to have a rest and eat some Chinese food. "President, the ss representatives of the student unions are exhausted. Why don''t we stop and have lunch together?" suggested Harvey. ''This bastard is now making lunch an excuse to stay together longer?'' "Sorry, it''s just that I feel sick to my stomach whenever I see a certain someone''s face. You can go eat with them in my stead." After saying that, Nicole did not give Harvey a chance to refute. She turned around and left. Harvey followed behind Nicole closely in a calm manner. "In that case, how about you and I go get some Chinese food together?" Nicole could not help ring at him through the side of her eyes. ''Is he not aware that he''s the one making me sick?'' Chapter 1876 Chapter 1876 "There''s no need to. I feel like I''m going to puke everything out." After having seen a restroom, Nicole became silent and made an immediate beeline for the women''s restroom. ''I doubt he''ll still be able to follow me this time!'' she thought. Harvey nced at the icon on the women''s restroom, shaking his head. ''It seems that I''m not going to seed this time. I''ll let her go for her lunch,'' Harvey thought as he turned around to leave the ce. Nicole came out of the restroom after a while, and just as she was about to leave, she bumped into the duo of Ryder and Gary who had just exited the men''s bathroom. The eyes of the two brothers lit up the instant they saw Nicole. "Nicole? What are you doing here?" Nicole shot them each a nce and asked, "You two. Do you always go to the restroom together?" The two brothers looked at each other in embarrassment. "Um, we happened to bump into each other by coincidence..." Nicole gave them both a look with one of her brows raised. "I''m guessing that the both of you did not wish to participate in the school''s festival and had deliberately came here to get away.'' Nicole then frowned. "As the president of the student council, I must criticize the both of you. The other students are out there trying their best to amodate the guests and recruit more students for the school event, while you two are here. You''re both students here too, so how can you just hide in the bathroom and do nothing?" Once again, the brothers looked at each other in embarrassment. "I mean, even though we are also the sons of the Finley family?" "Many of the people who came here today know us well..." The guests that had attended the festival today were also carefully selected, and most were upstanding model students as well as children of distinguished families. However, the entire festival had be an absolute chore for the Finley brothers. Nicole raised her eyebrows, realizing that they were both telling the truth. She took a deep breath, unable to rte. "Forget it. Since it''s lunch break, you can have a rest. However, you must go back to your sses and help out with the participation." "Okay." The Finley brothers nodded dejectedly. Passersby could not believe their eyes when they saw that the Finley brothers were obeying Nicole Riddle. After much careful observation, they noticed the red armband on her arm, and that was when they realized she was the president of the student council. "I''ll be off now. I''m going to go grab a meal, you guys can go ahead." Nicole nodded and began walking off without another word. She just wanted to grab her lunch and catch a little break. As soon as they heard that Nicole was going off to have her lunch, the duo of Ryder and Gary looked at each other and said, "We''re going to eat too. Why don''t we have lunch together?" Nicole nced at the two of them. "I want to go grab a drink from the cafe opposite of our school." Though Jared did not go to the cafe often, Nicole still liked grabbing a cup of coffee from that ce whenever she was free. "We were nning to go there too," Gary said almost immediately. Ryder was stunned for a moment before returning to his senses. ''They didn''t mention where they were heading to earlier, but I guess that''s okay. The cafe there serves delicious food.'' Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org. "Since it''s on the way, let''s go there together," Ryder invited. Nicole did not want to go anywhere else. ''If they want to go there too, sure. Why not?'' Soon, the three of them were on their way to the cafe together. ''I haven''t seen us in such a long time,'' Nicole thought. Nicole''s eyes lit up as she locked eyes with us, who was there. "Ms. Riddle! What brings you here?" he asked. "Yeah! I''ll have the usual." Nicole said, easily finding a ce to sit down after she had ordered. "Okay," us nodded, before turning to Ryder and Gary. "What are you drinking?" us asked. He could not help being a little cold toward the Finley brothers. Though us was aware that they were the Finley brothers, he did not take much of a liking for them. "Two cups oftte," Ryder causally ordered. "Three servings of steak," Gary said. Chapter 1877 Chapter 1877 us frowned when he noticed that Gary had ordered a steak for Nicole. He had been ordered to keep an eye out for Nicole, to prevent any of the other men from making any advances on her. ''This kid even ordered food for Nicole?'' us thought about it and looked at Nicole with a haughty expression. "Miss Riddle. Do you want the steak?" Nicole shook her head. "No, just give me some pasta and some desserts after." "Okay!'' us said loudly, after which he repeated the order. "Two steaks, one pasta, three coffees, and two desserts. I''ll be right back!" Then, us turned around and left. Ryder and Gary could not help but look at each other with their brows raised in suspicion after that interaction. "What''s the matter with that guy?" "Shouldn''t he be giving us what we want after we''ve made our order? Why did he ask Nicole about it so specifically before removing one of our orders?" "I''m a regr customer here, he knows what I want and what I don''t want. You guys don''t have to worry about it," Nicole said. "Oh..." Ryder and Gary nodded and took their seats opposite of Nicole. Gary noticed Nicole''s tiredplexion and asked, "I see you''ve been making rounds to the sses today. Are you tired?" Nicole shot Gary a nce and sighed. "Yeah." Having to organize these sorts of festivals was more tiring than delegating duties to others, and there were way too many people for Nicole to manage. Slowly but surely, she was beginning to regret her choice of running for president of the student council. "I know you''ve been busy with Spencer, Samuel, and Lulu the day before. If you require additional manpower, you can let us know," Gary sincerely offered. Ryder looked at Gary. He had never seen his brother being so proactive in his life prior to this. ''I guess he is willing to make an exception for Nicole.'' Nicole nodded as she noted Gary''s sincerity. "I know, but there''s no need for that. After today, it''ll be over for good." Nicole desperately wanted to end this sort of student activity quickly so that she could take a long rest. ''Tomorrow''s...a Saturday. I''ve got a flight at nine in the morning,'' Nicole sighed as she recalled her schedule. As it turned out, there were now even more things that necessitated a rush. "There are still plenty of things to be done after the festival has ended. Some items require recycling after, so you can leave them to us," Gary offered, as he noticed that Nicole was exhausted. Nicole raised her eyebrows. "Recycled?" ''Why does a school event have to be this exhausting?'' "Of course. I participated in the student union in high school before, so I know these procedures well." Ever since he entered university, Gary had no time to participate in student councils anymore, solely concentrating his time on studyingputers. However, he had not forgotten about the procedures concerning school events. Then again, it would be shameless of Nicole to bother Spencer and Samuel once more, especially after they had been helping her out for two days straight. ''They must be dead tired.'' As Ryder and Gary had offered to help, Nicole simply agreed. "Okay. In that case, I''ll leave the work to you guys after the festival has ended." ''It''s better to leave this to them than to trouble my brothers again,'' she thought. "Don''t mention it." Gary immediately nodded in agreement, with a happy expression on his face. He was d that he was able to help Nicole out. Ryder, on the other hand was watching, anticipating how things would pan out for Garyter upon seeing that he was excited to return to running errands for the student union. Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org. ''If it was not for him, I would not have agreed,'' Ryder thought as he was d he was able to lighten Nicole''s burden. It did not take long for the waiter to bring them their coffee and their lunch. Nicole took a sip of her coffee with a satisfied expression on her face. Sure enough, it was only Jared''s coffee that could temporarily provide her temporary ease, relieving her of all her worries and troubles, even if just for a moment. "The coffee here is really good,'' Rydermented with a smile on his face. "I''ve been frequenting this ce ever since it opened, but I still don''t know who the owner of this joint is. Before this, no one was allowed to set up a cafe directly facing Royal Creek." Gary became embarrassed for a moment, whereupon he turned to his brother and said, "This cafe belongs to the Johnston Group." If it was not for Jared who had informed Gary about it in person, he would have never have found out about it either. Ryder was taken aback. "The Johnstons?" Chapter 1878 Chapter 1878 Gary nodded and darted his eyes at Nicole''s direction. Then, something clicked in Ryder''s mind. ''Is it possible that the owner of this cafe is Jared?! In which case, wouldn''t Nicole be the proprietress of this ce?!'' The thought that was racing across his mind almost made Ryder spit his mouthful of coffee out. Still, he forced himself to swallow the coffee before coughing out loud. "Really?" Gary nodded with a serious look on his face. "So, that''s why you know the store manager so well," Ryder said awkwardly. ''It would be weird if he didn''t know the taste and preferences of his boss'' wife well. It won''t be wise for him to mix it all up,'' he thought. Nicole noticed the weird behavior among the two brothers, and that was when she guessed that Ryder knew about her rtionship with Jared. This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org. Therefore, she did not deny it. "Yeah." Ryder looked at Nicole in embarrassment, not expecting her to answer it so inly. ''If this were someone else, they would be over the moon to own such a huge cafe,'' Ryder thought to himself. Ryder then stopped talking, as he felt that us had been staring at him. He lowered his head and continued eating. Nicole had her coffee and lunch in peace. Soon after, the three of them had finished their lunch, and were eating the dessert that Nicole had shared with them. ''I had never dreamed of the day when my idol shares her desserts with me.'' The two brothers were overjoyed. With that in mind, Ryder could not help but say, "This is on me." ''To be able to buy my idol lunch is a dreame true,'' Ryder thought. Nicole shook her head, "There''s no need for that. I don''t pay when I eat here." This implied that, since the duo had followed her to the cafe, there was no need for them to pay for the meal. Gary nced at Ryder before the two of them understood what that meant at once, with the two of them almost forgetting that it belonged to Jared. Then, as they were both thinking, they felt a strong gust of wind behind them. The Finley brothers spun around and saw a man in a windbreaker jacket making his entrance through the door. His gaze was strong and stern as he stared at the two of them before he made a beeline for their table. Gary looked at Jared and thought, ''Never have I thought I''d see Jared for lunch...'' On the other hand, Ryder seemed to have sensed that things were not going to be so simple. Jared''s battered appearance indicated that he had made his way here on purpose. Nicole was also very surprised as she had not expected Jared to turn up at the cafe during lunch hour. "What are you doing here?" Nicole looked at Jared with a gentle smile. The smile in question was something both Ryder and Gary had never seen before, in that it was something so pure. Both Gary and Ryder turned to look at each other. ''It seems that Nicole would only show her vulnerable side to Jared.'' Seeing that, both Gary and Ryder felt an abrupt surge of jealousy as they watched Nicole smile at Jared. Jared instantly recognized the Finley brothers and his voice turned cold. "Aren''t these two gentlemen from the Finley family? Are you close to my fiancee?" ''If us had not given me a heads up, I wouldn''t have known that Nicole was having lunch with these guys. I mean, it''s okay to have lunch, but with these two? Thisdy can''t seem to give me a break!'' Jared thought to himself. Chapter 1879 Chapter 1879 As they were being stared at by Jared, Gary and Ryder felt the overwhelming presence looming over them. However, Gary tried his best to resist Jared''s presence nheless, and in a tone indicative of his dissatisfaction, he replied, "Nicole and I are ssmates. Isn''t it normal for us to know each other well?" Seeing how headstrong Gary was, Jared looked at Ryder and mocked, "Then, is Ryder ssmates with Nicole too?" Ryder did not know how to exin himself, and as such, he could only reply awkwardly, "We joined a competition a few days back. I guess we can be considered as teammates." After all, the three of them were in a team. This, it was not wrong for him to refer to himself as one of Nicole''s teammates. However, Jared felt as though the two of them were simply giving excuses. This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org. The Finley brothers were really timid people. It was obvious that both of them had feelings for Nicole, and yet, they could have a meal with Nicole together. This made others wonder what their actual feelings were. At that moment, Nicole could tell that Jared was unhappy. Initially, Nicole was quite surprised to see him, but it puzzled her as to why he would see green so suddenly the instant he arrived. Seeing that Ryder and Gary were done with their meal, Nicole said, "The both of you can head back first. I''d like some time alone with my fianc¨¦. Is that fine?" Nicole''s words made the Finley brothers feel sad. Once her fianc¨¦ appeared, she had be totally unavable to them. Yet, Ryder could still find it in himself to be cordial about it. "Sure, we''ll leave the both of you alone." Then, he turned around and dragged Gary out without giving him a chance to speak. Jared watched them leave. Then, he turned back and looked at Nicole unhappily. "It''s one thing for you to have lunch without me. However, you just had to string those two stalkers along?" Nicole raised her eyebrows. "Jared Johnston, you b*stard! You''re getting better and better at being jealous now. They''re just my schoolmates, and it was a coincidence that they wanted to dine in here too. Wouldn''t it be even weirder if we split tables?" Jared knew that Nicole did not have such intentions. But to Jared, the feelings the two men had for her were clear as day. "Fortunately, we''re getting registered tomorrow. Otherwise, I will never be at peace for the rest of my life," he said. Jared was not at ease, knowing that his own woman was perfect in every way, and that countless eyes were on her. At the mention of tomorrow, the look on Nicole''s face darkened. "How dare you mention it? You booked such an early flight. I thought of sleeping in a littleter." In fact, Nicole did not intend to get registered so soon. However, Jared replied with a smile, "Don''t worry, I can stay in your room tonight and be your personal rm." "Go away!" Nicole yelled, not giving him any opportunity to have another sleepover in her room anymore. "I''m telling you, I''ve changed the locks for the balcony door. You won''t be able toe in anymore. Don''t bother trying." Jared suddenly whipped a key out. "I know. I''ve cracked it open with this key." "You!" Indeed, he was a truly shameless man. If anything, it seemed that Jared had secretly taken Nicole''s key when they were together and duplicated it. "So, you better wake up on time tomorrow. Otherwise, I''lle over tonight," Jared whispered into Nicole''s ear in a threatening tone. Nicole could not help but bite her lower lip. "You filthy man! Hmph!" ''Forget it! I''ll just wake up by myself. It''s a lot better than being woken up by him,'' she thought. "I''m only filthy when I''m with you." Jared smiled. At that moment, us, who had been attentive from the get go, served Jared a lunch tter and a cup of coffee. Nicole was stunned, "You haven''t had lunch?" "Of course. My fiancee was busy having lunch with others but not me," Jared replied yfully. Hearing that, Nicole was at a loss for words. "Fine. I''ll keep youpany right now." Jared pursed his lips. Happy atst, he began eating his lunch. As the two of them had not had lunch together for a while, that meal was extremely satisfying for Jared. After lunch, Jared reluctantly sent Nicole back to the school''s entrance. Nicole also felt sad having to part with Jared. "Okay. Drive safe." "Will do." Jared nodded. Then, he kissed Nicole on the forehead without an ounce of care as to where they were. Chapter 1880 Chapter 1880 "Hey! This is a school!" Indeed, it was, but Jared had paid it no mind and had gone in for a kiss just like that. "So what? You''re going to be my wife soon. Do I have to bother about what other people think when I kiss my wife?" Jared asked, feeling unbothered. Hearing that, Nicole was almost rendered speechless. "That''s enough. I''m not in the mood to talk to you." Then, she walked into the school, looking crestfallen. ''This b*stard always acts like that. I''ll have to be wary of him next time.'' Noticing how skittish Nicole was, Jared got into the car happily. "Let''s head to the office." "Alright." Max replied and started the car engine. Soon, however, Max received a call. "Mr. Johnston, it seems that there''s an issue at the Riddle Corporation." Jared frowned a little. "Turn around and make our way to the Riddle Corporation." Since Max had mentioned to Jared that there was a problem, Jared must not take the matter lightly and brush it off. "Noted." Max nodded, after which he immediately turned around and went straight to the Riddle Corporation. That long day consisting of celebrations for the school''s anniversary had finallye to an end. After school was dismissed, everyone got busy again. Luckily, Gary and Ryder kept their promise and showed up to help. Furthermore, Samuel and Spencer were with Nicole the entire time too. Therefore, the job was made a lot easier for Nicole. However, it was already past seven by the time they were done with everything. The sun had already set when they reached home. Samuel massaged his back after he got down from the car. "Today was such a tiring day." Spencer heaved a sigh. "It was the same for me too. I do not wish to participate in the school''s anniversary celebrations anymore. Not even next year." Looking at how tired her two brothers were, Nicole said, "Thank you Samuel and Spencer. I''ll repay the both of you properly when I''m back during the weekend." Hearing that, Samuel hurriedly replied, "That was not what I meant. You''re the one who worked the hardest today. We were just there to assist you." Samuel was genuinely worried about Nicole, as she was extremely busy that day. Nicole could tell that her brothers were genuinely concerned about her, and so, she smiled. "Don''t worry, it''s just one day. You''ll be fine after a resting up for the weekend." "Yeah." Spencer nodded. However, when he recalled that Nicole and Jared were getting married the next day, his face darkened. "But you''ll have to go to Panem this weekend. You''re going to be so tired." ''It was all Jared''s fault for rushing everything this time. Did he have to be in such a rush to marry Nicole?'' Spencer wondered. Whenever Nicole thought of the matter, she would feel a sense of heaviness in her heart. Although she really liked Jared, the thought of getting married would give her this strange feeling. This had led her to think that she might have a fear of marriage. It seemed to her that something would change after they got married. "Let''s go and have our dinner first." After Nicole had spoken, she brought her two brothers in. But once she entered the house, the vibe in the living room felt heavy. Something just felt...off. The butler came over and asked, "Ms. Nicole, have you had dinner?" In response, Nicole said, "Not yet. You may prepare something." "Alright, I''ll get the kitchen to prepare some." Nicole nodded. Then, she brought the brothers into the living room. "Mom, dad, what happened? Why are the both of you looking so moody?" Nicole approached her parents and asked in a low voice. Gloria was not in the position to say much, and so, she only replied, "There was an issue at the company, and we almost got into trouble today." Nicole frowned. "What happened?" Daniel sighed and said, "Because of the split, the tax bureau came and went through our ounts. Since we''re going through the process of separation, Uncle Dillon''s department ounts were found to have not been cleared. So, the head office was affected too." An issue with the ounts was not a matter of minor significance. Nicole had already known earlier on that Dillon''s ounts had some ring problems. That was the reason as to why she wanted the company to split up. Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org. Yet, she did not expect the tax bureau to pay them a visit before they could split up. "Why did they suddenlye over for an inspection?" Nicole asked, confident with her sixth sense that something was fishy about this incident. Chapter 1881 Chapter 1881 "I''m not really sure either. But thankfully, Jared came over today. Otherwise, things would have gotten worse." Daniel issued a sigh of relief. "Jared came over?" Nicole asked, not expecting Jared to have gone all the way there to help. "Yeah, it was a good thing that Jared was calm. We managed to provide evidence that thepany is going through the procedures of splitting. We also provided evidence that Dillon''s department is independent from thepany," Daniel said. Nicole gradually breathed a sigh of relief. "That way, thepany won''t be fined, right?" "Yes. After that, the tax bureau went through the head office''s ounts and found no issues. So, they called it a day. However, Sean and Steve are still working at the office. They want examine all the ounts in thorough detail." Daniel sighed again, his facing. Nicole nodded. "It seems that the splitting process must be expedited. We can''t allow ourpany to be affected again." "Yes. Stanley is working on the follow up." Daniel heaved another sigh. "It was good that you suggested for the split. Otherwise, the entire corporation will be in hot soup by now." Nicole frowned. "Uncle Damien and Uncle Dillon are bloodthirsty. Individuals like these would bring harm to thepany, sooner orter." Therefore, Nicole had been harboring the idea of splitting for a while now. "But we must still look into the cause of this sudden investigation by the tax bureau. Usually, if there are no reports, they would not be sudden visits," she reminded. ''Who did Uncle Dillon offend for them to do such a thing?'' she asked herself. "Jared said the same thing. It''s just that we have no clue yet. Uncle Dillon is also facing some consequences on his side, so he''s not in the mood to investigate yet. I''m afraid we''ll have to wait till next week." "Alright. Thank god for you and Jared. Otherwise, I can''t imagine how badly things would have turned out," Daniel said, feeling sincerely grateful for Nicole and Jared. Nicole smiled. "Dad, the fortunate will be taken care of by the heavens. Everything is fine." With Nicole''s words offort, Gloria and Daniel''s mood lightened up a lot. At that moment, Samuel alsomented, "That''s right. I believe in your ability to manage this crisis, dad." "I think so too. Our family has always been lucky. We won''t be affected by it," Daniel said. The atmosphere lightened up exponentially right after, and all of a sudden, Gloria remembered something. "None of you have eaten, right? Why did youe home thiste?" In a hurry, Samuel replied, "Yeah, we have not eaten anything. We''re exhausted already." This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org. "That''s true. I''m so tired that I can''t even lift my arms," Spencer added, taking the opportunity to act like a kid. Hearing that, Gloria immediately said, "Quickly have some food, then. I''ll go ahead and prepare something for all of you." "It''s fine, mom. We''ll get them ourselves. The kitchen has already prepared us what we need." Nicole smiled, asking Gloria to stay with Daniel. "Alright then. Go ahead and have your dinner now," Gloria ordered. Nicole smiled, after which she brought her brothers over to get their food. At the dining table, Samuel whispered, "I did not see thising, but Jared really is something." "Thank God for his help today." The two brothers were dismayed at the notion that Jared was going to take their sister away soon. However, this incident had forced them to change their views on Jared. "Well, it seems that he''s not useless after all." Samuel continued teasing. Nicole did not bother to dignify that with a response. She only shook her head in annoyance. ''These two fellows had epted Jared into the family long ago. And yet, they''re still acting as if they''re not,'' she thought. ''As for the incident, I must find out who was the one toying with the Riddle Corporation.'' After dinner, Nicole headed upstairs. Just as she entered, she could tell that someone was in the room. After breathing a sigh, she said, "You really did as you said. You actually came into my room and waited for me." The new lock was truly useless after all. "I thought you might miss me today, so I came." Jaredid down in bedfortably, posing in an enchanting posture. Chapter 1882 Chapter 1882 Nicole rolled her eyes at him. "Who said I missed you?" They had just met earlier in the day, and Nicole was not the clingy type. However, Jared teased her, "You don''t miss me? I''ll leave then." As he uttered those words, Jared got up, ready to walk out. Seeing that, Nicole had no choice but to reply, "Fine, quit that act. Tell me, what happened at Riddle Corporation today?" Even if she did not feel like seeing Jared, Nicole still wanted to discover the truth of the situation from him. Jared pursed his lips, looked at her, and purposely said, "A minute ago, you were chasing me away. And now, you''re asking me to stay? Aren''t you being a little insincere?" Nicole could tell that Jared was just messing around, so she walked over and gave him a peck on the cheek. "Is that enough?" Nicole blushed as she did so. She was still not used to it. Jared did not continue to annoy her. Instead, he hugged her and said, "It''s enough." As soon as had spoken, he pulled Nicole into his arms, locked her in a tight embrace, andid in bed. "We''ll lie down and continue this conversation." Nicole looked at his flirty eyes and smacked Jared''s hands. "You hold a conversation with your mouth, not your hands." Jared could not help it. He looked at Nicole and continued in a serious tone, "I did some investigation on my part, and all I could find was an anonymous letter. But there was something strange about this letter in that it could pinpoint all of the problems in Dillon''spany. So, I suspect that..." Nicole finished his sentence calmly. "It was from someone from within thepany." "That''s right." Jared nodded. "Other than thepany''s staff members, no one could hit the nail on the head like this." Nicole''s gaze turned a little cold, "It seems that we cannot let our guard down on all the internal and external matters yet, even though thepany has grown stronger than ever." Although Nicole was not in charge of thepany, most of the shares were in her hands. Thus, she had the responsibility to safeguard thepany. "Good thing you''ve asked Dillon to separate his operations from the main office." Jared pursed his lips. "It was a lot easier for me to take matters into my own hands. Those inspectors are all about evidence. As long as we can present any form of solid evidence, there wouldn''t be much problems. You should tell your dad not to worry about it." "Got it." Nicole curled her lips. Her gaze, whichnded on Jared, softened a little. "I did not expect you to go over to the Riddle Corporation and help me solve this matter. Thank you." Jared felt at ease upon hearing it from her. "How are you going to thank me?" Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org. As he spoke, Jared''s palmnded on Nicole''s waist again. Nicole frowned. "Aren''t we getting married tomorrow? Initially, I was a little hesitant. But now, I''m absolutely certain of my decision." After all, for such an attentive person, what was Nicole hesitant about? "Hesitant?" Jared raised his eyebrows. "I''m the perfect man for you, and yet you''re still hesitant?" As he was speaking, Jared pressed himself onto Nicole''s body in domineering fashion. "You deserve to be punished." Nicole dodged Jared''s kiss in annoyance, but no matter how hard she tried, she failed in the end. Night passed, and the next day came in the blink of an eye. Jared did not sleep in. Instead, he woke Nicole up in the wee hours of the morning. Then, he walked out of her room. Nicole proceeded to pack everything up and had breakfast with the family. After that, she carried a light luggage and left the house. Gloria and Daniel, as well as Nicole''s brothers, then sent her off at the entrance. Gloria, in particr, seemed to be reluctant to let Nicole go. "Pleasee back soon." "I will." Nicole nodded. She still had sses on Monday, so she definitely had to return early. Jared smiled and said to Gloria, "The both of us wille back as soon as we can, but I''m thinking of going for a honeymoon straightaway." Gloria did not expect Jared to have nned everything thoroughly. After all, marriage was a once in a lifetime milestone. Not wanting to pressure her daughter, she said, "In that case, you guys can n things out. If you can''t come back in time, I''ll help you apply for a leave of absence for the school''s side of things." "Mom..." Nicole''s eyes widened, not expecting that Gloria would allow, let alone suggest for her to be absent from school. Chapter 1883 Chapter 1883 Gloria could not help butugh. "Hey, you don''t have any issues with your academic performance. You shouldn''t burden yourself." While speaking, Gloria grabbed Nicole by the shoulders and marched her into Jared''s embrace. "Go ahead and have fun. Leave matters rted to school to us." "Thank you, Aunt Gloria." Jared smiled happily. His mother-inw was so supportive that all he could do was ept it. Unable to do much about it, Nicole followed Jared into the car. There were hints of sadness in the eyes of Nicole''s brothers. However, they had always hoped that Nicole would find the right, forever partner to live with. Either way, they could only watch as Nicole took a seat in Jared''s car and left. Happily, Gloria remarked, "This boy is still calling me Aunt. He should switch to using a different term when he''s back." Danielughed. "Yeah, hopefully they''ll be back soon." The journey was smooth, and once they arrived at the airport, they boarded the ne. Nicole looked at Jared in shock. She did not expect Jared to book a private jet just for the two of them. "This, and you said that you had to book a flight?" It was not even a usual flight in any sense. It was a private jet! Jared smiled while he poured a ss of red wine for Nicole. "Did you think that one does not have to set a flight time for private jets?" That one sentence made Nicole speechless, prompting her to just grab the wine ss and utter, "Whatever." In the midst of the conversation, Nicole was about to take a sip of red wine when she suddenly registered a sharp scent out of nowhere. Instinctively, she ced her ss of wine down and covered her nose in difort. "What happened?" Jared asked. Nicole could only offer a frown in response. This was not the first time she had be so sensitive to distinct smells. After taking a deep breath, she said, "I''m not sure. I''ve been very sensitive to smells for the past few days. Sometimes, I''ll feel nauseous. Once Jared had heard that, he froze for a moment. Then, he replied in shock, "Really? Have you...had your period recently?" Upon hearing that, Nicole''s face darkened. "What do you mean?" yfully, Jared answered, "What do you think I''m talking about?" Nicole understood what he had said in an instant. "Nonsense! That''s impossible!" Nicole had just reached adulthood. Therefore, it puzzled her as to why this could happen. "You''re a doctor. Measure your pulse, and you''ll find out," Jared implored, knowing that Nicole could measure pulses. Then, he looked at Nicole and said, "Quick. Let''s see if I''m going to be a dad soon." Jared''s face was filled with anticipation and his eyes were brimming with joy. The look of Nicole''s face became tense. She was actually afraid to measure her pulse. She knew very well what the symptoms of pregnancy were. However, she did not dare to think much about it. After all, she was just about to get married. "Don''t be afraid. No matter what the oue is, I''ll be here." Jared smiled, attempting tofort her as he could tell that she was feeling the weight on her heart. "Besides, we''re getting married soon. We''ll have kids sooner orter." Nicole felt a lot calmer after that, but she rolled her eyes at him nheless. "What a nice way to put it. All of this is because of you!" Jared had been sleeping over at Nicole''s ce. That was the reason as to why an ident like this would happen! If she knew, she would not have allowed him to have his way. At that thought, Nicole braved herself, stretched her hands out, and measured her pulse. Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org. Jared eyed the heavy look on Nicole''s face. After a while, Nicole ced her hand down. Jared could not tell what was going on from her expression, and therefore, he could only ask, "How is it?" Nicole was feeling flustered, annoyed, and crestfallen. Still, she did not want Jared to find out about it. Thus, she pretended to be calm and replied, "Cut that crap. It''s just gastroenteritis. I''ll feel better after taking some medicine." Chapter 1884 Chapter 1884 Jared choked. It was obvious that he did not believe her. However, Nicole refused to look at him anymore. She was feeling a little unhappy as well. ''Forget it. Once wend, I''ll find a hospital and bring her in for a check-up,'' he concluded. Nicole did not wish to admit it. She did not want to bother Jared about it either, so she turned to look at the other side without uttering a word. Jared thoughtfully switched her drink to some milk and allowed her get some good rest. After all, he had made her work hard all night. Paying Jared no mind, she closed her eyes and took a nap. However, her brain was filled with messy thoughts. She was horrified that she had been knocked up, and she did not know what would happen next. All the way there, Nicole did not utter a word, with Jared assuming that she was just tired. And so, he left her alone to lie down and get herself some much-needed rest. Soon after, the couple arrived at their destination. But uponnding, Jared received a call from Max as soon as he turned his phone on. Jared proceeded to grab Nicole''s hands and walked out of the airport while talking on the phone. "Are you sure that the Braves are there?" he asked, his words suddenly alerting Nicole. Jared''s gaze turned to Nicole and the expression on his face seemed tense. "Alright, got it." Seeing that Jared had hung up, Nicole asked, "Has he discovered anything new?" Jared nodded. "The person who had returned to the base has revealed his whereabouts. Sure enough, he was the one who had stolen the Braves and the artificial intelligence system." Nicole snorted. "I see. Have our men uncovered his location?" Jared frowned. "Yes. It''s very near to Panem." It was then Nicole recalled, that the previous location which Lloyd had marked was near to that ce. "It''s at Ramania." Nicole frowned. "Okay. I''ll inform Zane immediately." However, Jared proceeded to stop her and said, "Let''s wait for my men to arrive first. I''m afraid that there are some undercover agents from Interpol. If they find out, I''m afraid our stuff might go missing by the time we arrive there." "Okay." Nicole nodded. "Why don''t we head over there once we are done with the registration?" Nicole would never be at ease until the Braves had been retrieved. Jared looked at Nicole with a stern and serious expression on his face. He really did not want Nicole to put herself in harm''s way anymore, but Nicole did not seem to be messing around either. Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org. As such, Jared could only reply, "We''ll just be there to monitor the situation. You''re not to do anything else, do you understand?" Indeed, the only thing he cared about was Nicole''s safety, and he would do his utmost to protect her. "Alright." Nicole nodded in approval. Now that she had a ticking time bomb in her tummy waiting to be checked on, Nicole could not simply move around anymore. Hence, she could only listen to Jared''s instructions. "Come, let''s get registered." Jared smiled. He proceeded to put this matter at the back of his mind for now and take care of the important things first. On the other hand, Nicole seemed a little annoyed. But once she saw the look of anticipation on Jared''s face, she could not help but be swayed by it to some degree too. Nicole allowed him to pull her hand and lead her around as he pleased, after which the two of them got into the car in romantic fashion. Then, the driver sent them to the Civil Administration office where they had made an appointment. Jared had already prepared all the necessary procedures for Nicole. Moreover, the officers there were very attentive to Jared and Nicole. Right as the both of them stepped in, a blonde officer weed them warmly. The trantor assisted them by handing the information over, whereupon the blonde officer ced the documents he had prepared in front for the couple so that they could sign them. Nicole stared at those Panemian letters. Although she had learned the Panemiannguage in the organization years ago, the sight of the letters still managed to daze her. Chapter 1885 Chapter 1885 Noticing that, Jared could not help but ask, "Why? What''s on your mind?" Nicole arched her brows as she replied, "Thew here doesn''t allow for divorces. Are you sure that... you want to be with me forever?" She initially thought that Jared wanted to get married in Panem because of her age, but now that she had seen thew here, she figured that Jared might have had something else in mind. Jared could tell that she was confused, and so, he smirked and asked, "Do you really think I didn''t know?" Nicole began to get nervous after noting the emotional glint in his eyes. Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org. She was actually afraid of losing him. "Are you sure? What if you change your mind in the future?" Jared responded affirmatively. "I will never change my mind. My heart is certain. I want no one else but you." Upon hearing those words, Nicole''s heart was filled with warmth. She knew that Jared loved her, but she had never wished for eternal love. Yet, it was a promise that Jared had given her; he would never divorce her, and that sense of security made her heart firm. At that moment, she slowly said, "M-Me too..." Though those were just two simple words, Nicole had never made him any promises. Thus, Jared was over the moon once they were uttered. Nicole rarely expressed her love, but in a strange twist, she actually made such a promise today. With that in mind, Jared''s heart was filled, and he immediately gave her a peck on her forehead. "It''s a deal then. We''re going to be together forever." He then signed his name on the document. Nicole nodded, cheeks flushed, and went on to sign her name too. The staff watched them with a look of admiration on her face and stamped the papers in an instant. "Happy wedding to the both of you," she said in the Panemiannguage. Nicole smiled and replied in Panemian as well, "Thank you." Jared was slightly shocked as he did not expect Nicole to know the Panemiannguage. In a tone indicative of surprise, he asked, "Just how many things do you know? You know what, just tell me everything now." yfully, Nicole answered, "We''ll be together for a long time, so you''ll find out yourself." Jared held her hands and eyed her with a gentle gaze. "Okay, I''ll find out throughout the rest of my life." The couple then kept their marriage certificate and walked out, hand-in-hand. However, Nicole''s identity had shifted, distinct from the one she had when she stepped into the office. "From today onwards, you''re Mrs. Johnston." Jared dered, not letting go of Nicole''s hand. "Let''s go. I''ve got the day nned, and let''s celebrate our marriage first." "Okay." Nicole agreed, having nowhere to go. Since Jared had already nned the day, Nicole just went along with him. Jared was like a happy child today. He brought Nicole to participate in the local activities, watching the locals sing and dance. They even took a ferry to the sea and enjoyed the beautiful scenery. Nicole had never felt so rxed before. She just enjoyed herself in Jared''s lovelypany and forgot about all her problems. The couple yed around until it was dark. Then, they sat on the beach and watched the bonfire while they enjoyed their seaside dinner, winding down for the day. "Are you tired?" Jared asked, concerned as he saw how much fun Nicole was having. "Nope. I''m very happy," she replied. She had hardly ever let herself go, so she got a little carried away today. "I''m d you''re happy. From now on, we''re going to be as happy as we are today for every day. I''ll go wherever you want to go," he said. Hearing that, Nicole teased, "You don''t care about yourpany? Are you not going to focus on earning anything anymore?" ''How much time can this busy man have to spend time with me out there?'' she asked herself. "I can forget about those things now. You''re my top priority," he said sincerely. Nicole had heard too much of his sweet talks today and was worried that she would drown in them, so she said, "That''s enough... I''m going to snore on you if you continue with these lines." Chapter 1886 Chapter 1886 Jared smiled adoringly as he watched her exaggerated expressions. "Let''s eat." The local food were teeming with unique vors, so he was worried that she would not be used to it. "We''ll eat something else if it''s not to your taste." "Sure." Nicole nodded and continued eating gracefully. At that moment, she smelled something she did not like again, causing her to pinch her nose and turn away. Jared was certain of his gut feeling when he saw her doing that again. However, he was more concerned about her health. "Which dish do you not like? I''ll get them to take it away." Nicole quickly pointed at the fish, prompting Jared to summon the waiter and order him to remove it. As soon as that was done, Nicole finally felt better. The instant he noticed that she was feeling better, he teased, "Seems like my baby doesn''t like fish." Nicole''s cheeks flushed. "That''s nonsense!" However, he could tell that she retained a look of guilt on her face. Jared was too observant, and she was afraid that she would not be able to conceal the truth anymore. "Whether it''s nonsense or not, you know best." Jared looked at her steadily. ''Thisdy is a doctor. She definitely knows what''s up. She just doesn''t want to admit it now.'' "It''s great that I''ve brought the wedding forward. That way, no one will notice." Jared stated, delighted as he thought that it was the best decision that he had made. "I''m still in high school. Do you think it''ll be okay for me to get married and be a mother at this instant?" Nicole asked, worried about going back to school. Jared lifted his brows. "With your learning abilities, it''s probably okay for you to skip a grade or two, don''t you think?" Nicole was speechless. ''This guy''s brain is on a whole other level,'' she thought. Though she was capable of skipping grades as he had suggested, she just wanted to grow up like a normal person. "I don''t want you to wear yourself out, so I''ll help you skip a grade when we''re back. You''ll be entering university next year and starting your internship. Mr. Ellison would be very happy with that idea," he said. Nicole did not know what to say. "Don''t just arrange these things willy-nilly." Jared frowned. "Well, do you want to take our baby to ss? I won''t object to it, but you probably won''t be able to fit into your uniform during yourst trimester..." "Shut up," Nicole fumed, not wanting to listen to him anymore. ''What a jerk!'' This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org. Jared was ecstatic, but he toned it down as soon as he saw that Nicole was not having it. "I just don''t want you to burn out. You''re a genius, and you should have graduated and moved on with your life a long time ago." Nicole stifled the urge to hit him and pinched his ear instead. "Jared Johnston? Who do I have to thank for this? Don''t act as if you''re innocent after you''ve gotten what you wanted!" It was the first time Jared got his ears pulled by someone, but he was not mad about it at all. In fact, he even found her extremely adorable. "We look even more like a married couple like this." "Ugh! Just eat your food." Nicole finished. ''This man is way too cheeky for his own good.'' Nicole then fell silent and ate her food angrily. Still, she knew that she would not be able to go to school like any normal person after getting pregnant. ''Graduating early is the only option now.'' Soon, they finished their meal and took a walk by the sea while enjoying the view. After that, they returned to the hotel. Right when Nicole stepped into their room, she saw the floor-to-ceiling window and the transparent ceiling that showcased the stars in the sky. "This is beautiful," she whispered. She thought that she was different from the other women, but as it turned out, she still could not help but marvel at such a breathtaking view. "Do you like it?" Jared walked up to her and hugged her from behind. Though it was a huge window, they had their privacy as there was no one living around them. Nicole nodded. "Yeah, I do." "If that''s the case, I''ll bring you here every year." After all, this ce had be one of special significance to them. Because of this, they could pay it a visit every year. "Sure." Nicole nodded with a smile. Chapter 1887 Chapter 1887 Jared pulled her to the bed andid down with her as they gazed at the stars. Nicole had never felt so at ease before. She felt as if they were the only people left in the world. Jared closed his eyes and held her in his arms as soon as he saw how rxed she was. "From now on, you''re mine and mine alone." Nicole looked up at him. "Haven''t I always been yours?" Jared opened his eyes and said, in a slightly sulky tone, "You''re mine, but there will always be pesky flies around you. From today onwards, they are nothing to us." Jared was as happy as a child when he thought about this. This prompted Nicole to look at him affectionately. "You love seeing green, don''t you?" Jared looked deep into her eyes. "I only get jealous because of you." He then kissed her slowly, an act which she did not resist. With bright stars in the sky and waves in the sea, it was destined to be a romantic night for them. During the next day, Nicole woke up in the afternoon. Although Jared had attempted to control himself as he suspected that she was pregnant, they still slept in. Overall, the night was a pleasant one. "You''re up?" Jared asked, having already prepared breakfast in the living room. Nicole nodded and sat down to eat. She had run out of energy, and above it all, she was famished Jared brought her some milk when he saw her scarfing her food down. "Hey, don''t eat too fast." Nicole nodded and slowed down. After taking a sip of the milk, she asked, "When are we going to Ramania?" To her, rxing for a day was more than enough; they ought to start taking care of the Braves now. Jared''s expression turned cold. "We should enjoy our honeymoon. Let''s take care of thister on." Nicole shook her head. "I don''t know what they''re capable of. If they manage to crack the system, things are going to go south." Jared knew that. But he had a lot of activities nned just so that Nicole could enjoy their honeymoon with a peace of mind. He did not want her to feel the weight of the world at this instant. Nicoleforted him when she saw that he was upset. "Don''t worry. We''ll resolve this issue and get back to our honeymoon. After all, I''ve decided to skip grades and graduate when we get back. We''ll have plenty of time together." "Will you be okay with that?" Jared lifted his brows. ''Thisdy is finally on the same page with me for once.'' This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org. "Yeah. Besides, the real honeymoon starts after our wedding. There''s no need to rush now." Nicole stated, having been aware of this. Jared smiled. "I n to take you around the world after our wedding." Nicole almost choked. "Okay. That''s not funny. How are we going to have the time to do that?" In response, he smiled. "Well, why do you think I work my butt off all the time? I just want to make time for you." Jared had been extremely busy with his work as of recent, and Nicole did not reckon that Jared had been doing it all, just to make time for her. Though she was touched, she was still upset. "I don''t like seeing you being so tired. There''s no need for us to travel the world. A two-week honeymoon is going to make me happy enough." Jared had a lot on his te, so she felt as though it was wrong for her to take up so much of his time. "I''ve already decided on this, so you have no say in the matter," Jared said in an assertive tone, unwilling to budge. Chapter 1888 Chapter 1888 Nicole knew that she could not change his mind, and thus, she stopped talking about it. And in a gentle tone of voice, Jared added, "However, since you''ve been behaving so well today, I''ll give in." Nicole smiled. "Good." Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org. Jared felt great when he saw that Nicole was happy. He hadpletely given his heart to this young woman, and he would be happy as long as she was happy. After their breakfast, Jared began nning their trip to Ramania. This time, they made their way to a heliport and took a helicopter straight to Ramania. The journey from Panem to Ramania featured amazing sceneries. Naturally, Nicole and Jared looked out of the window and enjoyed the view until dusk descended upon them. Theynded in Ramania only at night. As for Ramania, it was a country that was usually busy at night, and so, the nightlife scene had just begun when the couple arrived. Jared looked at her. "This is not the honeymoon that I had nned. But since we''re here, let''s experience the nightlife." Nicole looked at him helplessly. "Shouldn''t we meet your men first?" Jared smirked. "Aren''t we going alert our enemies if we act so rashly? We just got married, so it''s nice for us to continue enjoying our honeymoon." "You''re doing this on purpose." Nicole remarked with a look of defeat. Nevertheless, she allowed Jared take her to the famous spots in Ramania anyway, with the most famous ce being the Sky Castle. This particrndmark was also one of the tallest buildings in Ramania. It was located in the capital of Ramania, which was the state featuring the greatest amount of excitements in the country. The Sky Castle was a club that was so decadent that it had everything in it; anyone can enjoy food, drinks, and entertainment, all in one ce. Nicole had never been to a ce like that, let alone imagined Jared taking her to a ce that wild. Nicole frowned as she looked at the sexy men and women who were dancing together. "What''s wrong? You don''t like ces like these?" Jared smirked at Nicole as he teased. Nicole frowned. "Of course. You probably don''t like it either." "But this ce has got a nice view," he replied before taking Nicole to the top floor. As soon as they had made their way there, the noise below could not be heard anymore. The top floor was spacious. Besides, there was no one in sight, which gave it apletely different vibe aspared to downstairs. They could see the night view of the entire city from afar. There was also a coast on the far right, and the gentle sea breeze was extremely pleasing. Nicole looked around and figured that the top floor was a ce that had restricted ess. "It must cost a fortune to book the entire floor," she remarked. Jared arched his brows. "You''re very observant. 7 digits for a night." "You''re the only person who would waste your money like this." Nicole rolled her eyes at him. ''This dude has too much to spend''. In response, Jared teased, "We just got married and you''re already trying to be a possessive wife? I''ll give you mypany''s ount book tomorrow." Nicole darted her eyes at him. "It''s okay. I don''t have time for that." Jared proceeded to pull her into a loving embrace. "That''s right. You''re carrying a baby now, and I don''t want to see you exhausting yourself." Nicole furrowed her brows as she thought, ''This man just loves teasing me.'' They then took a seat and had their dinner with some wine. "Not bad," Nicole said as she found that the food in Ramania tasted pretty good. Jared looked at her gently and smiled. "It has been rather easy to please you for the past two days." In response, she tly said, "It just happens to suit my taste." "In which case, I''ll have to thank my appreciative queen." Chapter 1889 Chapter 1889 Nicole was pleased to see Jaredplimenting her like that. Content provided by N?velDrama.Org. She thought their rtionship would change after they had been married, and indeed, it had evolved to be even cheesier. However, she had also managed to pick something up. While eating, she asked, "You have something else in minding here, don''t you?" Even if they were just going there for a meal, Jared would not have chosen such an ostentatious ce. Jared looked at with a deep-set gaze. "Oh, my wife knows me too well." He did not go there just because of the meal. He wanted to meet someone too. While he was thinking about it, someone showed up on the floor, with the staff members showing him the way at once. Both Nicole and Jared turned to see the approaching guest. The man was in a suit and had sunsses on. He gradually took his sunsses off when he saw Jared, exposing his pair of sapphire blue eyes. "Are you the CEO of the Johnston Group?" he asked in the Ramaniannguage fluently. The man looked shocked, as if he was in utter disbelief. "Yes, it''s Jared Johnston speaking." Jared nodded gracefully. Seeing that Jared was legitimate, the man took a seat on the couch directly opposite their table. The man was acting like a local tyrant, so Nicole immediately knew that he was not an average Joe. She figured that this man might be useful to them. Jared did not say much either. He got up and walked to the couch as he signaled the bodyguard to bring a cigar over for the man. The man epted it, and in a t tone of voice, he said, "Mr. Johnston, you asked for me the minute younded in Ramania. What''s the issue?" The man was wild and unruly, but he was probably obligated toe just because Jared had requested for his presence. "Mr. Lawrence, I lost a shipment in Ramania and I need you to help me find it." Lawrence squinted as he was not happy to see that Jared was ordering him around like he was the latter''s subordinate. If Jared was someone else, he would have already flipped the table and left. However, Jared''s international status was not to be taken lightly. He cut to the chase and asked, "Since you need a favor from me, you''ve got to give me something in return, don''t you think, Mr. Johnston?" Nicole frowned. She knew that these people would always put their interests first. "Of course. As long as you can find it, all of Johnston Group and JJ Johnston''s industries will be Vitta Group''s to partner with." The instant Vitta Group was brought up, Lawrence turned green. None of the outsiders had known that the Vitta Group belonged to him. Nicole squinted as well. She did not expect Lawrence to be the person behind thergest sea,nd, and air logisticspany in the world. On the other hand, Johnston Group and JJ Johnston were two of the biggestpanies in the southern side of the world. If they allowed the Vitta Group to take care of all of their logistic business, it would rack the Vitta Group a fortune! "Are you serious about this?" Lawrence asked. He had witnessed a great deal of things in his lifetime, but he still could not hide his excitement over the deal that had been proposed. "Yes. Partnering is a win-win for both of us." Jared swirled his wine and smirked. Nicole admired the intelligent look on Jared''s face. ''He made a great move.'' With the Johnston Group and JJ Johnston Group''s status now, they would have to cooperate with Lawrence sooner orter. But leveraging this partnership beforehand to get Lawrence to agree in helping them to find the Braves was simply a brilliant move. Such was why Jared had maintained a steady and sessful career. With a local bigwig like Lawrence helping them with the investigation, they would not alert the enemies. Furthermore, they would even be more familiar with the local situation, which would prove to be much more beneficial and efficient. Chapter 1890 Chapter 1890 "Well then, nice working with you in advance." Lawrence raised his ss and chuckled. Lawrence then looked at Nicole, suddenly finding her familiar. "And this is..." Jared smiled. "My wife." Lawrence averted his gaze and responded, "I see. You''re a young and promising man, and your wife is extremely beautiful. What a match made in heaven." However, Jared did not really like how Lawrence looked at Nicole. "Thanks," he responded tly. Judging by the coldness in Jared''s response, Lawrence could tell that he did not want to talk about Nicole any further. As such, he reverted to talking about business. "What do you need me to find?" Jared turned to him with a serious look and said, "The Braves that were produced by the Curley Group." Lawrence''s hands jerked upon hearing that. It was obvious that Jared had asked the right person. He knew that some of the local big shots probably had a hand in the operation when he could not find any traces of the Braves. He would not have known about this internal clue unless he had personally met the mastermind behind the scenes. Nicole could see that Lawrence knew about the Braves, so her expression darkened. ''No wonder the Lloyd family couldn''t locate the Braves. It''s obviously strange.'' Lawrence took some time to calm down and said, "You are..." Nicole watched as he looked at them curiously and said, "I''m the designer of the Braves." "Designer?" Lawrence asked in surprise. ''How is this possible? The Brave is an advanced weapon. How can its designer be a woman? Besides, this girl looks like she has just hit 18!'' Nicole could tell that he did not believe her, so calmly said, "The Curley Group developed the Braves based on the Turmann family''s blueprints. And 60% of the Turmann family''s advanced weapons designs are created by me." And just like that, Lawrence finally realized why Nicole looked familiar... "The Turmann family, Carl... You''ve attended their banquet before, haven''t you!?" Lawrence eximed. ''No wonder you look so familiar!'' He was present at the Turmann family''s banquet too, and as such, he had definitely met Nicole before. Nicole did not remember him at all, but she had indeed gone to a few of the Turmann family''s banquets. "You''ve seen me before?" "Of course, but I didn''t know you''re the secret weapons designer of the Turmann family." He was just curious about Nicole, but he totally did not expect that she would be the Turmann family''s arms designer, making them the top dogs of the weapons industry. At that moment, Lawrence''s gaze was brimming but admiration as he looked at Nicole. "I heard you designed Dodge Tomahawk as well." Everyone had flocked to Dodge Tomahawk. It had an amazing design, hence everyone wanted to meet the designer. However, nobody was able to trace Nicole. If Nicole did not reveal her identity, who would have guessed that the designer of Dodge Tomahawk was a high school student? "Well then, I''m going to help you, for sure." Lawrence stated without even bothering about the benefits of doing so anymore. The designer was there, and she wanted to retrieve her creation. It was in his first nature to help her. Besides, if a genius like Nicole could help him design something that he could utilize for the rest of his life, he had to befriend someone like her. Once again, Jared began to see green the moment he saw Lawrence staring at Nicole, so he got up to block his view. "Well, I''ll hand this over to you then." Lawrence responded in a more respectful manner toward Jared as well. "It''s my honor." Content provided by N?velDrama.Org. Then, he got up and left the top floor, not wishing to linger any longer. However, he did not forget to turn around to get a good look at Nicole before he left... ''Jared sure has good taste. Not only is she pretty. She also has the brains. Who wouldn''t want to marry such a genius?'' he thought. Chapter 1891 Chapter 1891 ''Sadly, there''s only one of her in this world.'' Lawrence turned as he breathed an inaudible sigh.. Feeling very upset, Jared held Nicole in his arms as he looked toward Lawrence''s direction. "Stay away from that man." Nicole looked at him in response. "Can you stop being so jealous for no reason?" ''This is our first meeting with him, and Jared is seeing green already?!'' she thought. "I don''t like the way he looks at you." Jared replied, knowing that gaze far too well. Lawrence was concealing his desire to have Nicole to himself. Besides, to see through Lawrence''s intentions was no easy feat. "Well, we''ll leave right after he has located the Braves for us, and we won''t ever have to see him again," she said. Nicole just thought that Jared was simply being paranoid. "Okay. I think he''ll give us an answer by tomorrow," he replied. As long as Lawrence wished to coborate with the Johnston Group and not upset Nicole, he would get everything done to their satisfaction. "Alrighty then. Now that we''re done with our meal and our business, let''s go." Nicole finished, feeling extremely out of ce there. "I knew you wouldn''t like it here, so I''m going to take you somewhere," Jared said. Nicole yawned. "Nah, I''m tired already." She was already drainedst night, and as she had been on a flight for the entire afternoon, she really felt really exhausted. Upon noticing how knackered Nicole was, Jared instantly felt a pang of guilt for his inability to control himselfst night. "Fine, let''s rest up tonight." Furthermore, Nicole was pregnant, and therefore, her getting exhausted with such ease was a normal urrence. After that, Jared quickly left the ce with Nicole in tow, whereupon they headed straight to their hotel... When they had arrived at their room, Nicole decided that she would go right to sleep after she had taken her shower. Meanwhile, Jared washed up and was about to bed down on the couch in the living room when Nicole frowned at him. "What are you doing?" she asked. Confused, Jared said, "I''m worried that I won''t be able to control myself, so I''m going to sleep outside." Nicole burst outughing after hearing that. "Is it really necessary?" This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org. ''This man used to hold me while we slept without getting into any funny business. Yet, he can''t do it now?'' she asked herself. "Of course. Now, you''re just way too tempting for me. So much so that it''s excruciating." Indeed, whenever they were in close proximity, he would want to hold her in his arms as he smelled the lovely fragrance in her hair. But as soon as he hugged her, he would start wanting more... Even at that moment, Jared could feel a burning sensation in his lower abdomen. "Forget it. I''m heading out." He just could not bear to think about it anymore. He needed to give Nicole the rest she needed that night. Nicole noted the pitiful look on his face and issued a sigh in resignation. "We''re married now. Don''t you think it''s weird for a normal married couple to sleep separately?" Jared stopped in his tracks and turned toward her. "What''s your n?" He was the CEO of apany, and yet, this entire episode had stumped him. "You have to train yourself." She smiled. "You can''t just sleep in another room, can you? You have to get some self-control in." Jared''s thirst for her grew the instant he saw her bright smile. ''This woman doesn''t know how attractive she is, does she?'' "I guess I won''t be able to do it for the rest of my life." He frowned. At the very next second, he leaned toward Nicole. There, he changed his mind, deciding not to sleep in the living room anymore... Nicole smiled when she saw him leaning over. Right away, she pulled him by the arm to the bed and reached under her pillow. Then, she whipped a pair of handcuffs out! Chapter 1892 Chapter 1892 "You..." Jared felt something cold on his wrist. "What are you doing?" "Giving you a hand in the art of self-control." Nicole smiled devilishly. "These are the handcuffs that I always carry with me wherever I go. It''s been some time since I used it, and it just so happens that it wille in handy for your training." Then, she looped the handcuffs around the bedframe and cuffed both of Jared''s hands before pulling a nket over him. "Hey, Nicole, don''t you think this is too much?" ''How could this woman think of such a way to keep me under control?!'' ''This is torture!'' "This is nothingpared to the beast in you that I''ve had to deal with every night." Nicole then yawned andid next to him, slowly caressing his chest with the hand! Still able to feel her touch through his pajamas, Jared clenched his jaw as his heart burned with desire. "You won''t let me touch you, and yet you''re touching me?" Jared protested, unable to hold it in anymore. Nicole chuckled. "Of course. You''re my pillow tonight. Good night." Then, she tucked the both of them in and switched the lights off. "Nicole!" Jared felt her face leaning toward him as the scent of her hair filled his lungs. His body tensed up at once. "Go to sleep." Nicole forced his eyes shut, not wanting to talk anymore. Jared could only let her do this to him as he fought his desires... That night, Nicole slept soundly while it was a battle for Jared. His body would kindle with lust whenever Nicole moved, but his arms, which were still cuffed above his head, would start to grow numb and sore, reminding him not to act on his desires. "You''re a demon." It was a long, stressful night, but Jared finally fell asleep after hours of torture. On the next day, the sun pierced through the drapes, which were swaying gently by the window, painting a beautiful and serene picture. Nicole stretchedzily as she sat up. She wanted to see how Jared was holding up. However, as soon as she did, Jared was up, staring right at her. "You''re up." He smiled at Nicole with dark circles under his eyes. "Did you... stay up all night?" ''Why didn''t he sleep?'' she wondered. Jared scoffed. "There''s a cheeky little devil who kept teasing me the entire night. If you were in my position, would you be able to sleep?" Nicole felt a surge of embarrassment for a second. "No, I didn''t." "Yes, you did." He was suffering as he held himself back, so he only slept for a good two hours, but was jolted awake as soon as Nicole started moving around in the morning... "Your training is useless. Uncuff me right now." He threatened Nicole through gritted teeth as he was already on the verge of erupting. Being cuffed like that was killing his arms and he was done with it. Nicole quickly released him when she saw it. With his arms now freed, Jared immediately flipped over and pinned her down as he kissed her all over. "I''m going to teach you a lesson for making me suffer for no good reason." He then kissed her neck, hard. "No!" Nicole protested, feeling a little too shy. "We still have people to meet today!" "It''s toote. You need to be punished for your mistakes." Jared said as he kissed her harder. This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org. Almost immediately, two hickeys appeared on Nicole''s neck. Chapter 1893 Chapter 1893 Jared saw his work of art on her neck and that was when he became satisfied, so he let her go. Nicole was furious. "Jerk!" She did not fight back because she did not want to put any strain on her abdomen, but Jared still left her with two hickeys nheless. "If youe up with crazy ideas like this again, I won''t go easy on you." Jared then quickly got down from the bed. Above anything, he was worried that he would act on his impulses again. Nicole noticed something as she watched Jared strutting off to take a shower. ''How is this man so energetic?'' She sighed and went off to freshen up as well. Then, the both of them shared breakfast together in front of a floor-to-ceiling window. While they were thinking about when they would receive updates from Lawrence, Jared''s phone rang. "Mr. Johnston, I''ve sent you what you''ve asked for. Check your phone." Delighted to hear that, Jared said, "Okay, thanks." Lawrence nodded. "My pleasure. But you don''t have much time. They seem to be rather cautious around my people. Starting from now, you only have five hours... to retrieve what''s yours." Jared''s expression darkened as he looked at his watch. "That''s good enough." Lawrence was not surprised to see how assured Jared was. He knew that Jared was a figure of great power and significance. He was also close to being the richest man on earth. Above all, Jared was not afraid of shady businesses like this. ''How powerful is he...?'' Lawrence wondered. "I have one more request." Jared continued with a frown, "For these five hours, no one in Ramania can get in my way. Judging by the influence you have in these parts, you should be able to do it for me, shouldn''t you, Lawrence?" Lawrence did not expect Jared toe off so strong. His expression changed. Though it was not an easy task, he still agreed to help Jared nheless. "Sure." He took a deep breath. "I can also protect you and Mrs. Johnston. My men are probably on the way to pick you up. They''ll take you there themselves." Jared frowned as he did not expect Lawrence to send his men out to help them. He totally did not see thising. However, he was rather ufortable with the notion of Lawrence being so proactive.. Still, he smiled and said, "Thanks." With all things said, Jared was in someone else''s country. Though he had already enlisted Janus to bring some men over, it was always better to have more allies. "No worries. Take care." Lawrence hung up, not continuing the conversation anymore. Jared looked at his phone, his eyes stern and serious, after their call had ended. Seeing that, Nicole asked, "What happened?" "Lawrence found their exact coordinates," he replied. Jared''s men had managed to track the people who stole the AI system down, but their findings only led them to the suburbs outside of the capital. Thus, Lawrence was still needed to provide them the exact coordinates of the location. Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org. "He has even sent his men over to work with us," Jared added with a look of worry on his face.. Nicole was confused when she heard that too. "We''re not close friends of his. Even if he''s doing this for his own gain, providing us with the coordinates is good enough already. Why send his crew over to help us?" This was crazy. Jared took a deep breath in. "Well, it''s already happening, so let''s just wait and see." Nicole nodded. "Okay." Then, Jared''s doorbell rang after some time. He opened the door to see Janus''s men standing before him. "Mr. Johnston. Our special forces are here." Nicole had met Janus before, so she knew that he was Jared''s right-hand man. But she was not aware that Jared had a unit of special force soldiers serving him. Chapter 1894 Chapter 1894 "Okay. Lawrence''s men wille over to join us too. We''ll leave after that." "Sure." Janus nodded and left. Nicole looked at Jared. "I didn''t know you had troops. Who exactly is Janus?" Nicole had never asked him about this before, but since she did, Jared decided not to hide it from her. "He''s my mercenary." Nicole frowned as she did not expect Jared to have a mercenary in his payroll. Jared noticed her confusion, so he calmly exined, "It''s difficult to work abroad. Before I had Janus, goods belonging to the Johnston Group and JJ Johnston were always getting stolen in shady areas. We had no other choice but to hire my distant cousin to be our mercenary..." Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org. Hearing that, Nicole finally understood perfectly what was going on. The JJ Johnston Group was involved in many industries, so it was not surprising that their goods had been illegally targeted by certain entities. To ensure the safety of the goods and staff in international waters, some countries would form their band of troops, business associations, and mercenaries. "I see." Johnston was a rarest name, so Janus definitely belonged to Jared''s father''s side of the family. "Good." Jared smiled as he looked at her. Soon after, Janus called. "Mr. Johnston, they''re here. We can leave now." "Sure." Jared ended the call and looked at Nicole, starting to get worried. "You should stay out of this." There was a chance that a fierce war would be ignited in order for them to retrieve the Braves. Nicole looked at him. "I won''t stop worrying, not until I get to see the Braves being taken back with my own eyes. I must go." Jared noted the persistence in her gaze and knew that she would follow him even if he did not bring her along. "Okay, but you need to stick with me. Got it?" he asked. He would do his utmost to Nicole, even if it meant losing his life. "Yeah, I know what my current situation is. I''ll just have a look. I don''t want idents to happen," she said. Jared understood her concern. "Sure. Let''s go." Then, the duo made their way downstairs, where a bulletproof jeep was parked, waiting for them. Janus looked around vigntly when he saw theming down. He opened the door for them once they were near and helped them into the car. When they left, Nicole saw more than ten ck cars following them from behind . Janus noted what she was looking at and exined, "Ten of the cars belong to us, the other seven belong to Lawrence." Jared smirked. "I didn''t expect Lawrence to send so many of his men over." He thought Lawrence was just being courteous, so he was not expecting this many people. "This is a pleasant surprise." A smile grew across Janus''s handsome face. However, Jared proceeded to say, "But we must still trust our men." "Of course. Don''t worry, Mr. Johnston." Janus nodded as he knew what Jared was worried about. This mission had to be executed with utmost care. There was a car leading the way in front of their jeep, taking them to the outskirts of the capital. Then, they continued to head North. After three hours, they arrived at a canyon area. "There''s no signal here, Mr. Johnston." Janus immediately looked around when they arrived. Jared nodded and turned to Nicole. "Stay in the car. I''m going to have a look." Nicole looked at him, worried. "Take care, please." "Sure." Jared got down from the car and there, he realized that they were at a high ground, and there was a canyon not far up ahead. At that moment, someone got down from the car that was leading them and approached Jared upon seeing him. Chapter 1895 Chapter 1895 "Mr. Johnston, this is the location. The canyon is the entrance," the guide exined to Jared in Esperian. Jared followed his gaze and set his own at the canyon. ''It really looks like something is there. What a hidden location." This was why his people could not find what they were looking for. This area was out of the range of any coverage. Without the guide, it was impossible for them to find it. "Okay, got it." Jared ended the conversation and turned to Janus. "Get ready to enter. If we find out the exact whereabouts of the Braves, there will be fewer casualties." "Copied." Janus nodded and brought his men along to inspect the area, looking for ways to enter. Nicole saw Janus''s men leaving and got down from the car when it looked safe. Jared frowned when he saw her. "Why are you out here?" In response, she said, "It looks safe here. Don''t worry." Jared sighed the moment he heard her reply, but he remained silent otherwise. Then, Janus and two of his teams slowly entered the canyon after inspecting the surroundings. Lawrence''s men were leading the way, and they seem to be very familiar with this area. Noticing that, Nicolemented, "Seems like Lawrence and the mastermind of this whole operation know each other. In fact... they might even have been here before." Nicole''s expression darkened. "Would they... sell us out?" Upon hearing that, Jared tly said, "No."Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org. Lawrence had already given them the coordinates, so it was clear that he did not care about the mastermind anymore. "No matter what, I will get the Braves for you today. Just wait for me in the car, okay?" Jared promised. Nicole nodded, but it was then that she realized something. "Are you going too?" Jared replied, "There''s no signal here, so we can onlymunicate on the walkie-talkie. We''re too far from Janus now." This was a dangerous mission that might require a deployment at any time, so Jared must be close by. Knowing what his intentions were, she said, "Okay, you take care." "Yeah. Just wait for me here. If something happens, just leave. Got it?" Jared ordered sternly. Nicole hesitated upon hearing those words. How could she just up and leave when he was in trouble? Still, she half-heartedly agreed. "Okay." Jared felt relieved as soon as she had agreed to his terms and proceeded to leave with thest squad. Nicole watched as he strode off with the team. She was touched when she remembered that he had left fifteen people behind just to protect her. However, she could not take the risk as she was carrying a life within her... All she could do was watch as Jared sneaked into the base, praying for his safety, and praying that he woulde back in one piece. Meanwhile, Jared had already entered the base, but he did not anticipate the sight of such a vast space in the canyon; an area sorge that it could house an entire base. Furthermore, there were fortresses, elevations, and drone surveince in the area. However, each and every one of them were professional mercenaries. Hiding from surveince cameras, drones, andsers were their most basic skills. Jared held the gun, finding a concealed area to hide in. Then, he spoke to Janus on the walkie-talkie. "Mr. Johnston, the Braves are under tight security. There are three areas in this base ¨C the center, which looks more like amand post; the entrance, where Lawrence''s men had already wiped the bodyguards out and swapped them with our men beautifully; andstly, there''s an underground passage just below the rear end of the canyon." Jared furrowed his brows. "Send someone over to check it out." Chapter 1896 Chapter 1896 Though they might alert the enemies, that was the most suspicious area in the entire base. "Okay." Janus then ordered his men to enter that area. Soon, the sound of hand-to-handbat could be heard, but Janus''s men still prevailed, sessfully entering the passageway thereafter. Meanwhile, Jared was standing outside, waiting for updates. After twenty minutes, Janus reported, "Mr. Johnston, it''s in here." Jared''s eyes lit up. "Look at the chips and see if they''ve been removed before." "On it." Janus proceeded to do so and responded after a while. "Not for now. But five of them are missing, and their whereabouts are unclear." With that said, Jared figured that the mastermind had obtained the new system and was perhaps experimenting on it. "ording to Nicole, if you activate the droids, they will return to their manufacturer." These robots were not produced yet, so the system that had been imnted in them served as a failsafe that would make them return to their manufacturing location as soon as they were activated. "Got it." Janus nodded and signaled his men to switch the robots on. Then, Jared ordered, "When the robots leave and all hell breaks loose, just take the chance to flee with them." If they seeded, most of them would be able to make it out of here unscathed. Janus nodded. After over ten minutes, rumbling noises emanated from the passageway. Jared could hear the robot''s footfalls against the ground, which assured him that the Braves had been activated. "Everyone, watch out! When the robotse out, we''ll need to protect Janus and make our escape." "Roger that!" On the other hand, at themand post, a man was watching as all of the scientific researchers conducted a system rewrite on five of the Braves. They were already 60% there when someone barged in and yelled, "Chief! Bad news!" The man''s expression grew cold. The man next to him immediately ran over and grabbed theckey by his cor. "What are you yapping about?! Don''t you know that this is a critical moment?!" "B-but... The Braves..." Content provided by N?velDrama.Org. Upon hearing about the Braves, the chief spoke, "Let him go, Ara. Let him speak." Ara, the strong man, then released the subordinate of his. Then, the subordinate immediately fell to his knees. "Chief! The Braves that were hidden in the warehouse! Someone activated them and they''re now leaving the passageway!" "What?!" Ara was shocked to his core. Bara, who was standing next to the chief, said, "Chief, we''ll check and see what''s wrong!" The look on the chief''s face was ugly, but the process of rewriting the code of the five Braves was extremely important, and thus, he could not leave. "Go. None of the robots shall leave the ce!" Things had progressed to this point, and he was about to deliver the robots, so he could absolutely not afford any trouble at this critical moment! "Yes, chief!" Ara and Bara, the most significant henchmen of his, said in unison before leaving in a hurry. The chief looked at them and thought, ''Cara was in in Lanningbourg. These two are my most trusted subordinates now. They can''t get themselves into trouble. Who had the temerity to sneak into the base and activate the Braves?! Whatever. They''re digging their own graves!'' Themand center was already under tight security, and all of the armed militants had rushed out. When they saw the Braces emerging from underground, they were in disbelief and had no idea how to respond. The Braves seemed to be inspecting the base as well. At that moment, most of the Braves stated in unison, "Anti-theft mode activated. Returning to production site." Chapter 1897 Chapter 1897 Those words left everybody perplexed. These robots were returning to their ce of origin! "Don''t move, or we''ll shoot!" The henchmen stood in front of the robots to stop them from leaving as they knew how important they were to their boss. However, one of the Braves stepped forward and broke the henchman''s gun into two pieces. "Firearm detected. Initiate emergency response system if safety ispromised to neutralize the threat." As soon as the Brave had uttered those words, its eyes instantly emitted a ray of red light as if it had activatedbat mode! It was then that Ara and Bara arrived on the scene, and were shocked by what they had seen. They could not believe that the Brave had activatedbat mode! "What should we do?" Bara looked at Ara in shock. Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org. Ara gritted his teeth and said, "Do you know how important these robots are to the chief? We can''t let them leave!" After saying that, Ara turned to his men and ordered, "The switch is behind their necks! Turn them off!" Once the henchmen heard what Ara had said, they rushed toward the Braves. "On it!" Jared was not expecting these people to actually attempt to stop the robots. He watched the henchmen running in the Braves'' direction! Even though the robots had activated combat mode, they were not equipped with any offensive weapons. In no time, the henchmen had surrounded around two to three Braves, whereupon they shut them down. Seeing that, Jared instantly said, "Everybody, make sure that the Braves are able to leave this ce in one piece! Prepare to attack!" "Yes, sir!" Janus and the others replied, ready to ambush them in the secret passage! Jared saw that the Brave robots could not get past them, and that was when he yelled, "Attack!" Janus and his men rushed outside at once while Jared and Lawrence''s men emerged from their hiding spots to surround their enemies from three separate directions! Ara and Bara were shocked to see so many people appearing at once! Their base was so well-hidden, and they just could not figure out how so many people had managed to sneak into the area without their knowledge! Ara was already seeing red. "It has got to be these people! Kill them all!" The crowd responded angrily. Some of the henchmen went on to deal with the Braves while the others proceeded to deal with their invaders. There were about three hundred people defending the base! However, there were less than a hundred people in Jared''s entourage. Their enemies even had weapons and ammunition, and because of that, Jared''s team just could not gain an advantage over them! Meanwhile, Nicole had already heard the gunshots from outside. She and Jared made some ns when they were having breakfast earlier, and she figured that a shootout would only ur after the Braves had been activated. So, she tapped on her watch in an instant. Then, she opened a file in her electronic watch and sent it out! All of a sudden, the Braves in the base received some sort of signal. "Protect the invaders and activate weapon mode!" All of the Braves uttered in unison.. Then, their hands and legs transformed into saw des, the sight of which left the henchmen in shock and terror. They did not know that the Braves had hidden weapons on them! The saw des on the Braves began spinning before the henchmen could realize what was happening. The Braves then turned themselves into spinning des and proceeded to whirl around like cyclones. "Ah!" "It cut my arm in two!" Chapter 1898 Chapter 1898 The henchmen began shouting. Some of them who had climbed on top of the Braves were left severely injured by the spinning des! Some of their arms had been cut off, and some of their legs had been shed in half! The sound of them wailing echoed across the whole base! Ara and Bara were shocked when they saw the weapons on the Braves. They ceased worrying about the robots at once as they were desperate to save their men! "Open fire! Open fire!" At that moment, as the enemies were focusing on attacking the robots, Jared gave an order. "Janus, bring your men in and reboot the robots that had been switched off. Take cover behind the robots and get out of here with them!" "Got it!" Janus immediately hid between the robots as soon as he had received the order. The Braves received Nicole''s signal and shifted their priorities to protecting the invaders. With that directive in their system, they bolted for the main entrance of the base. The chief in themand post had also heard the noise outside. He stood by the window and that was when he found that the Braves were killing his men as they were making their way out. They had marched past themand post and were rushing toward the main entrance! And to top it all off, there was also a team of mercenaries taking cover in the middle of the robots! The chief''s gaze suddenly darkened. "Damn it! I didn''t know these robots had hidden weapons!" After hearing what he had said, the man who was working on the robots paused and hesitated. "I''ll check for it." The man was wearing a half mask, and he had a voice altering device beside his mouth. The chief red at him, and with a dark, ugly look on his face, he said, "Professor, how long will it take for the new system to go online?!" His men were sacrificing their lives fighting against robots that were invulnerable to conventional firearms, and yet, he could not use the tanks to destroy them! Thus, he could only put his hopes in those five remaining units. The man who was referred to as a professor by the chief looked at the progress bar. "Three more minutes. Tell them to hang in there." The bar was already ny percent full. He did not anticipate that he had to decrypt its internal system after stealing it. Otherwise, he would not have flown all the way here from abroad. "Have you found out who''s attacking your base?" The professor asked with a dark expression as he went to search for the Braves'' weapons. The chief looked at the man who was leading the mercenaries. Even though he did not look familiar to him, that person was known across the globe, and that was when he recognized him in just a nce. "Janus, he''s from the Johnston Group!" The look on the chief''s face turned into a murderous grimace. "I can''t believe it! The Johnston Group just won''t stop ruining our ns!" The professor could not help but shiver and his hand shook when he heard the name, Johnston Group, being uttered. Indeed, he was caught off guard. He was not expecting the Johnston Group to be there at all! However, he knew that there was no turning back now. He had already found the hidden weapons in the Braves. "I''m going to activate their weapon mode and let them fight." He rewrote the program andmanded its artificial intelligence system to operate in stationless mode as he spoke. Then, he confidently said, "Somebody has improvised the system. It''s going to make these robots a lot smarter than the ones out there. They can probably stop them from leaving." Content provided by N?velDrama.Org. The chief mustered a wicked smirk after hearing that. "Well, thank you so much then, professor." He had enlisted the professor to take care of the Brave''s system. However, thetter had been behaving very mysteriously and thus, the chief did not really trust him. However, the chief could not deny that he was actually really capable. The five robots'' programs had beenpletely rewritten by the time the professor had entered the weaponmand. Suddenly, the robots were turned on, their eyes glowing with an eerie, red hue. The chief was thrilled as an excited look appeared on his face. "Not bad! It''s finally done!" The professor nodded and gave an order. "Protect our members in ck uniforms and stop the other Brave units from leaving. As for the others... execute them without mercy!" The lights in the robots'' eyes flickered and they responded, "Orders received!" Then, they started moving and jumped right out of the window behind the chief. Chapter 1899 Chapter 1899 Shattered ss flew everywhere at that instant, with the chief''s subordinates immediately shielding him from the ss. However, the chief was very excited. "Haha. Good! This is fantastic! I''m curious to see how intelligent they can be!" Meanwhile, there was a chaotic battle going on outside themand center! Jared was waiting for Janus at the entrance. He thought Janus and the robots would arrive at the entrance and his mission would be over soon. However, it was then that he noticed five robots plummeting down from the sky before rushing toward Janus and his men! "Take cover!" Janus ordered upon noticing it. His men immediately hid under the robots. However, as soon as the five robotsnded, they began behaving as though they knew where Janus''s men were hiding. The robots dragged them out and threw them violently on the ground! "Ah!" "Puh!" Content provided by N?velDrama.Org. Janus watched as his screaming men were hurled onto walls and cars. Blood came spurting out of their mouths and they were all soon rendered immobile. This left Janus stunned. "Mr. Johnston. These five units seem to be more intelligent than the other robots!" Jared frowned and noticed that the five robots had likely been reprogrammed by his enemies! Nicole had previously rewritten the program as an improvise on the old system, and they were much more advanced than the very first version of Braves. "Damn it!" Jared did not have time to think, but he knew that they had to do something, or they would all die. Left with no choice, he said, "Everybody, back Janus and his men up!" Then, he ignored his own safety and rushed into the fray with his team. The moment Lawrence''s men heard his orders, they hurried into the scene as well. However, they had no idea on how to deal with the robots. Not only were the five robots tossing the invaders out, they were also battling the other robots while attempting to switch them off! Clearly, the masterminds behind this entire operation still did not wish to destroy the robots! However, everybody in the Johnston Group had be sitting ducks at this juncture. Jared could not bear to sit as his men were picked off one by one like that, so he rushed right into the battlefield. At the same time, Nicole began to feel somewhat ufortable. She instinctively made a beeline for the valley''s entrance, trying to get nearer to it, but soon, someone stood in front of her, blocking her. "Miss Nicole, Mr. Johnston has given us the order to stop you from getting near the entrance." In response, Nicole argued, "Didn''t you hear them shouting? What if they''re in trouble?" The man who stood in her way became hesitant. "I''m not going alone! Let''s go in there and help them together!" she yelled. Then, Nicole walked past him and made a dash for Jared''s direction. "Miss Nicole!" As he could not stop Nicole, the man had no choice but to bring his men along to see what was happening. Nicole then bent down and quickly ran to the base''s entrance. The defenses at the entrance had already copsed by then, and there were no guards. However, there was unbridled chaos inside. Nicole put her own safety aside and stood at a high elevation to watch what was happening inside. To her surprise, she saw five robots ying people from the Johnston Group in the middle of the Braves, and several of them were ughtered in just a moment. Then, she saw Jared and his team rushing over to save them. However, there were still other terrorists in the base surrounding them from the outer perimeter! Chapter 1900 Chapter 1900 They were being attacked in all directions! "Damn it." It was obvious that the five robots had been reprogrammed, and the new program that she had installed did not receive any signals at all. Clearly, the person who had done this had blocked remote ess to the robots. This meant that the five robots had to be terminated. Nicole switched her electronic watch on again and activated its optical keyboard. Then, she began typing in the air. The few big men standing beside her were shocked. Even though they had no idea what she was doing, they could tell that it was something very important. Nicole made some modifications, and in no time, she installed a newnguage into the units that she could still gain control of! Jared was about to be surrounded by the terrorists from the outside when, all of a sudden, the Braves around them paused for three seconds before they uttered, as if they were sentient, "There are five rogue robots! Destroy them!" Every unit under her control then began attacking the five reprogrammed robots as soon as they had spoken. Even though those five robots had been improvised and upgraded, they were not able to do anything when two of the same robots ganged up on them. Those five robots were programmed not to harm the other robots, and yet the robots that Nicole had modified did not hesitate to thrust their arms through their bodies and destroy them. With a loud bang, several robots rushed forward and crushed the heads of two of the reprogrammed robots and tore them into pieces. Janus and his men were relieved. "Guys! Let''s get out of here!" Jared was not expecting to see that at all. However, it was then that he immediately thought of something... ''This is not the first time the robots have made an impromptu response. The only person who can alter the robots''mand is Nicole!'' he surmised. He subconsciously turned around as soon as he thought about it. ''Damn it. Why is she here?!'' he thought. But he could not afford to care about these things at that moment. As he did not want his enemies to discover that there was someone else outside, he shouted, "Retaliate now! Do your best to get as many Braves as you can out of there!" "Yes, sir!" Jared''s men shouted unanimously. They were on a killing spree at that point as they began firing wildly at the terrorists, who were utterly frightened by the robots that had gone berserk again! The chief, who was standing in themand post, became furious after catching sight of it. "What''s going on?! Why did those robots begin tearing ours into pieces all of a sudden?!" Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org. The professor did not see thating at all as he widened his gaze and watched all that was transpiring before him, "This is impossible. These robots should never be able to defeat the reprogrammed units! Unless...." He was suddenly rendered speechless. "Unless what?" The chief angrily asked with a deadpan expression on his face. "Unless... somebody''s here to modify their program!" The professor expressed his assumption in disbelief as he could not believe what was happening at all. "Only the person who had invented the robots can modify their programs at will. However, a person like this should never be here..." ''Does that mean that she''s here?!'' The professor''s face turned pale as he thought about it. "I don''t care about that! We only have three robots left! If we don''t do something, we''re going to lose all of them!" the chief roared. The professor was aware of the importance of those robots to the person who had hired him, and he knew they had to act quickly. The chief''s words knocked some sense into him, and he rushed to hisputer at once. "I can''t let these robots leave. Otherwise, that dude isn''t going to show any mercy... not even to me! The professor quickly sat down and attempted to rewrite the program of those three robots as he thought about it.. Chapter 1901 Chapter 1901 Suddenly, the other Bravesunched an assault on the three modified units. They went out of control as they were about to be torn apart! "Change ofmand! Attack all belligerents!" The three robots began destroying other robots recklessly upon receiving the order. However, one of the three robots already had its arm torn off, and the other two units had sustained severe damage on different parts as well. Still, the professor could not afford to worry that much, as he could still fix them if they were just broken; novelebook he would not be able to do anything if the robots werepletely destroyed. It was then that Nicole saw what was happening from afar. She was surprised to learn that the enemy had a genius in robotics like that too. She did not anticipate that they had hired a person who could rewrite the robots'' program on the spot! Then, she modified hermand script again. Ten robots then proceeded tounch a counterattack. "Work together and destroy the rogue robots!" However, one of the three robots was reprogrammed at that instant again! "Capture the enemy leader!" The robot left its brethren to be torn apart by the other robots and quickly zoned in on Jared. "The CEO of Johnston Group, target locked!" The robot shouted and suddenly charged in Jared''s direction! "Mr. Johnston!" Janus yelled, as he noticed that something was wrong. Jared was quick to notice that the droid was charging at him. Instantly, he led his men to flee the scene, leaving the other robots behind! Fortunately, the robot was not equipped with any guns, only saw des. He ran off in time and was able to find temporary safety in a secluded spot. Content provided by N?velDrama.Org. However, Nicole''s heart dropped when she saw that. ''Damn it. How dare they try to hurt Jared!'' To her, that was thest straw. Her eyes turned cold as she thought about it. After seeing the other two robots immobilized, she immediately took action and gave all the robots a newmand, "Destroy the base and capture the leader hiding in themand center alive!" The people fighting on her side were roused into a frenzy as they repeatedly shouted Nicole''s command. Ara and Bara were stunned. "T-They''re going to destroy the base!? My God! We only have one robot left and they still have more than thirty units! And all of them are going to tear our base down!? We''re doomed!'' At that moment, the chief hiding in themand center was left in a state of shock upon hearing that. novelebook "Damn it! They''re going to... destroy this ce!?" He found out that there was only one of his five robots left, and that all the other units were going berserk on his men! The robots were initially supposed to just leave this ce, but they were going to destroy it now! The chief was unable to sit still anymore as he looked at the professor and said, "Figure something out now!" Wide-eyed, the professor did not expect that Nicole would issue such an order! It seemed to him that she had been pushed to her limit. Just like that, he could not help but regret his actions. Perhaps, he should not have issued the command to capture Jared earlier on, but it was toote for regrets now. Nicole being willing to sacrifice the robots for Jared was something he did not seeing. "You are responsible for this!" The chief red at the professor, who looked like he was stumped and hopeless. Then, the chief grabbed a submachine gun and yelled at them, n.ov.e.le.bo.ok "Well, we don''t have to care about the robots now! Let''s kill them all!" Even though he would earn arge sum of money if he handed these robots over to the buyer, his life was still more important than the trade. Chapter 1902 Chapter 1902 The professor was stunned. "No!" If the Braves were destroyed, all of his hard work would just go to waste. However, the chief could not be bothered to give a damn any longer. He had poured his blood and sweat into this base for over a decade. If this ce ceased to exist, then it would all be over for him. Not caring about the professor anymore, the chief immediately bolted out of the room with some of his men in tow. The professor panicked. He quickly ran to theputer and attempted to crack the system of the other robots to gain control over them. However, there was nothing but pandemonium out there. The robots were attacking mercilessly, and damaging the base severely. novelebook As of now, the command post was already strewn with countless corpses. When the chief ran out, Ara and Bara hurried over and said, "Chief! These robots have gone rogue! What should we do?!" In response, the chief yelled, "What else can we do?! We destroy them! Protect the base!" "Yes, chief!" Ara and Bara concurred and rushed off to the tank with some men. "Take these robots down!" Through her pair of binocrs, Nicole saw them revving up their tanks at once. They had the barrel of the turrets aimed at the robots too! Sadly, the Braves were born out of the hard work of the Turmann family and the Curley Corporation. Each unit was worth millions of dors. It would be a shame if they were destroyed here, but they could not afford to take any risks, no matter how small. With that in mind, Nicole altered themand script once more, prompting the remaining units to hurtle toward the tanks. They even broke the chains! Ara and Bara''s team had three tanks speeding toward them! Foolishly assuming that someone was controlling the robots, both Ara and Bara yelled, "Take the robots down and the! Kill them all!" Three of the tanks immediately charged toward the robots! One of the robots could not dodge in time and was crushed into pieces! "F*ck!" Jared roared when he saw the unfortunate Brave being grounded to bits Content provided by N?velDrama.Org. Then, at that very moment, Nicole connected to his walkie-talkie and said, "Jared, even though it is important for us to retrieve the Brave, human lives are still the priority. Try making an escape during the battle, and I''ll try my best to pilot the robots out of this ce." Jared was moved when he heard Nicole''s voice. Nicole did not want him to take the risk, so she took control of the robots in close proximity. Looking at his fallen brothers, Jared responded, "Okay." Since they had already lost one of the robots, they could not afford to lose more human lives. Then, Jared shouted, "Missionpleted! The robots will cover us while we escape! Team 1, you''ll be leaving first. The rest of you will provide cover and file out respectively!" "Roger that!" Janus said. He and the rest of them could tell that the robots were on their side, so they carried the orders out and evacuated while the Braves continued on their rampage. "They''re escaping!" The person next to the chief noticed. Hearing that, the chief yelled, "Trying to escape after destroying my base?! Kill them all! Every single one of them!" "Yes, chief!" Upon hearing the chief, the men directed their attacks on Janus and his men. Unfortunately for them, Jared and his troops had surrounded them from the outside and were attacking from both sides! novelebook Over ten of the chief''s men were killed at an instant, causing the rest of them to hesitate, wondering if they should proceed or not. "Useless!" The chief bellowed with rage before giving Ara an order through his headphones. "Crush them!" Ara then came to the realization that Janus and his men were escaping after receiving the chief''s order. Thus, he immediately resorted to crushing Janus and his men. "Janus! Get out of there!" Jared yelled when he saw how dangerous it was bing. no..vel..eb.ook Janus quickly ran forward with his men! Through the binocrs, Nicole saw that they were running like their lives depended on it while the tanks careened toward them. She quicklymanded the robots around the area to help them out. Chapter 1903 Chapter 1903 In the face of something as powerful as the force of a tank, we''ll be crushed if we rush over!" one of Nicole''s men anxiously yelled. "We must stop him!" Nicole knew this fact all too well, but it was not an easy feat to stop a tank. Charging over recklessly would only damage their robots further. She made an attempt by instructing some of the robots to cut the tank''s chain with an electric saw. However, the tank, careening wildly, proceeded to break their des in two. "Damn it!" Nicole gritted her teeth. ncing over at the robots that were already on the top of the tank, as well as the barrels nearby, novelebookan idea dawned upon her at once. At that exact moment, Ara spotted the enemy reinforcements at the base gate through the camera. "There are enemies at the gate! Fire the cannon!" Ara instructed. "Yes, sir!" Ara''s subordinates loaded the shell, while he aimed the cannon at Jared. Janus saw the situation clearly and screamed over the radio, "Run, Mr. Johnston!" However, there was no other way for Jared to escape, as he would just back himself into the base''s narrow entrance after turning around. As the cannonball was about to discharge, the robots threw themselves on it, bending the barrel. "Nice!" Nicole nodded pleasantly. She did not expect the robots to be so powerful and intelligent. Fortunately, they were designed with excellent arm strength in mind. "Boss! Don''t press the button!" Inside the tank, Ara''s subordinates appeared to notice that something was wrong. However, Ara was only focused on the aiming device. He did not know that the loud sound moments hade from the barrel that was no longer functional or safe. So, he pressed the button tounch the artillery shell. "No!" one of his subordinates shouted, but it was toote, as they then heard a loud st. The tank''s internal ammunition had exploded. Ara''s tank halted with a loud thud at once. The few robots that had thrown themselves on novelebook top of the tank were also shaken off, whereupon they fell to the ground. Thankfully, they quickly got back up on one knee. Nicole breathed a sigh of relief and smiled. "Fantastic!" "Alright! We took out a tank!" Nicole''s subordinates cheered, ted. "Go get the car and get ready to run for it!" Nicole ordered. "Yes!" Her subordinates shouted, convinced of Nicole''s leadership skills. Then, they hurried off to get their vehicles ready while Nicole turned her attention to Jared and the others, watching them anxiously. Bara was outraged when he saw Ara''s tank explode, and in an instant, his eyes turned red with rage. "B*stard! They killed my brother!" Ignoring the fact that he still had to protect his leader, Bara drove another tank off and went after Janus and his men. In Bara''s case, he was so fast that even the robots could not keep up. Nicole understood that she could not stop all of her enemies and was pressed for time. Taking advantage of the fact that there were very few people around her, she sprinted to the canyon and joined Jared. Jared was taken aback as he felt someone rushing over. He became distressed when he turned back to see Nicole making a beeline for him. "Why are you here?" ''It''s already dangerous for her to wait outside at the entrance. I can''t believe that she has entered the ce,'' Jared thought. As soon as she had reached him, she said, "Let Janus man the tank!" She had noticed a tank parked right before Janus and the others a moment ago. They could definitely retaliate if Janus and his team could get into the tank. "Got it!" Jared said, not wasting a moment as he proceeded to instruct Janus over the radio. Janus then came to the immediate realization that there was no,,ve,leb,ook a tank in front of them. Right off the bat, he told his team, "Get in the tank!" Upon receiving the order, everyone instantly made a headlong rush for the tank. However, Bara was already mad with rage. "You even dare to use our tank? Dream on! Reload!" "Yes!" his subordinates proceeded to load the artillery shells into the turret basket This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org. Then, Bara pressed the button and fired a shell in Janus'' direction. Chapter 1904 Chapter 1904 At this point, Nicole swiftly maneuvered a robot into the path of the iing strike, blocking the shell. With a loud st, the projectile blew the robot into pieces. Jared was stunned, as he did not expect Nicole to sacrifice a robot in order to buy Janus and the others some time. Knowing what to do, Janus did as he was expected to and got into the tank. "Load ''em up!" Janus then aimed the muzzle of the cannon in Bara''s direction, while his team scrambled to novelebook reload the ammunition on time. "Hurry up!" Bara instantly tensed up upon seeing Janus'' cannon aimed right at him. And when his subordinate had hastily loaded the next shell, he pushed the button,unching another st. Janus then pressed the button without batting an eye, yelling, "Duck!" He and the men behind him immediately clung together. At the very next second, they heard a loud boom. The two shells collided with each other, producing a violent explosion. The people around them were blown away, wounded and bloodied. "Load it again!" Janus reacted immediately, this time helping to load the shell in. Shortly after, he pressed the button again. Meanwhile, before Bara could realize what had happened, he saw a second shell fired. "Holy sh*t!" Bara''s first reaction was to shield his body, though it was toote. With another loud bang, Bara lost consciousness in an instant. The leader choked with rage when he saw the second tank destroyed and the sight of his capable assistant in grave peril. "B*stard! No one is leaving here alive today! Dispatch all our tanks and airnes! Kill them all!" "Yes, sir!" His henchmen scrambled to get their armaments upon receiving the order. Nicole knew the opposite side was about tounch a counter-offensive, and that was when she sneered, "How naive." As expected, when the leader''s men had made their way toward the tanks, they found the threads were all novelebook broken and the nes were all damaged. The doors to the cockpit of the nes were all mangled and could not open no matter how hard they tried. "Let''s go," Nicole ordered. Their important weapons were mostly destroyed, and as such, there was enough downtime for all of them to catch their breaths. "Alright," Jared replied, understanding what Nicole meant. Jared had nothing to worry about as he saw Janus driving the tank in and bringing his team back to the base. "The second team retreats first, while the third team provides cover. Follow Janus and his team." "Yes, sir!" The subordinates did as they were told, all alert andbat-ready. And because Nicole was present, Jared immediately led the second team to prepare for the retreat. However, just when they thought they had won the battle, Nicole''s electronic watch suddenly sounded an rm. Jared narrowed his brows, asking, "What''s wrong?" Nicole''s expression was solemn, but there was also a hint of wry amusement in it. "There''s someone trying to modify my robotmands." Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org. Surprisingly, the person in question had sessfully hacked into her system. As it turned out, her opponent was not a pushover. Concurrently, two robots behind Janus and his team suddenly went rogue and charged toward Janus'' tank, pouncing on it. The professor was standing by the window with hisptop, typing with one hand, but he was smiling. nove.le.b.ook After a long wait, he finally seeded in invading Nicole''s system. As long as he could maintain his hold over one unit, he could hack the other Braves in session. There, he thought, ''It''s not an impossibility to have all these robots remain here!'' With that in mind, the professor swelled up with pride for himself. Meanwhile Janus was left fighting to shake the robots off. Angrily, he asked, "What happened, Mr. Johnston?!" In a serious and urgent tone of voice, Jared replied, "Someone has modified the robot''smand code. Leave now!" At this point, they could care less about the robots. If their enemies seeded in manipting their robots, they would all die here today. Chapter 1905 Chapter 1905 Then, Nicole said, ¡°Let them leave first. I¡¯ll take care of things here.¡± Nicole believed that as long as the robots were still present, she would never lose the battle. ¡°I¡¯ll stay with you!¡± Jared eximed, unwilling to leave Nicole behind alone. Nicole nodded, knowing Jared would never abandon her. They immediately found a safe zone and settled there. Then, Nicole turned her electronic watch and virtual keyboard on to start coding at once. At that exact moment, the chief watched as the robots assailed the invaders, one after another. He turned to look at themand center, where the professor was typing on his keyboard. The sight of the professoring in handy pleased him tremendously. ¡°He¡¯s finally of some use!¡± ¡°Brothers! The robots will soon be our allies! Charge ahead and kill the invaders!¡± he bellowed. ¡°Yes!¡± Theckeys, who were previously in despair, were suddenly filled with morale as if they had just received a shot of adrenaline. ¡°Alright!!¡± With a roar, the crowd charged into the fray with their guns zing. Seeing that, the professor¡¯s face turned green. ¡°It¡¯s too early!¡± The professor had notpletely overwritten the robot¡¯s program and felt that these men were too eager for blood. As expected, the few people that had gone out first became the robot¡¯s target. However, they seemed to not be cognizant of the situation, only wishing to kill Jared¡¯s people. The professor could only tamper with the robot¡¯s program as he was wracked with anxiety. However, Nicole would not even give him a chance at another attempt. Knowing that he had already altered the system programming of seven robots, Nicole immediately added multipleyers of defenses to the systems of other robots. As expected, the professor¡¯s progress was immediately halted. ¡°Damn it!¡± Then, he panicked. ¡®Nicole is too fast! I¡¯m no match for her!¡¯ However, Nicole was not quite done yet. The seven Braves which had been tampered still had their original programs intact. As such, Nicole could fix them with a little more time. Meanwhile, Janus was aware of the fact that there were out- of-control robots on top of the tank, making it hard for them to escape. Still, he was afraid that the robots would attack Jared, so he had no choice but to steer the tank in a different direction. As soon as he did that, the tank crashed into a wall and sent two units crashing to the ground with a loud bang. Nicole seized this opportunity andmanded the other Braves to subdue the two which were haywire, and with the other five being restrained by several of the functional counterparts surrounding them, Nicole used this chance to quickly restore their system. Jared saw Janus and his teaming over and instructed the third team to go ahead and rescue them at once. Ever since the collision, Janus was left feeling disoriented. He was still in a bit of a daze as the third team rescued him. After that, Jared instructed, ¡°Take him away!¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± The third team nodded, protecting Janus and his team as they withdrew from the scene. Jared anxiously at Nicole, who was still coding. ¡°How much longer do you need?!¡± At this point, the terrorists in the base looked as if they were doped up, and were no longer afraid of death. They had already begun charging at Jared and his men. In response, Nicole muttered, ¡°I cant give up on my Braves! You guys go first!¡± If Nicole was too far away from the robots, the signal would not reach them, and she would inevitably lose the robots. ¡°I can¡¯t just leave you behind! You have toe with me!¡± Jared shouted. Ignoring her words, he lifted her off her feet and began carrying her away the way a groom would carry a bride. ¡°Jared! Let me go!¡± Nicole yelled, attempting to wriggle her way out of his arms. Jared, however, was insistent, ¡°You have a baby in your belly. Do you want to put your life at risk as well as his?¡± Nicole fell silent and gritted her teeth. ¡°Fine, you may carry me off. I can definitely fix these robots in a minute!¡± ¡°You better!¡± Jared agreed and carried her away. Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org. While in his arms, Nicole continued to dart her fingers across her keyboard. Chapter 1906 Chapter 1906 At this moment, the other robots stopped fighting the terrorists and quickly escaped. The seven knocked-down robots got back on their feet and started to chase after the other robots. Their distance was just right for Nicole to connect to their signal, providing easier ess for Nicole to the program. In themand center, the professor saw this situation. He instantly grabbed hisptop and ran out. He had to keep up a certain distance to continue controlling the robots. Being too far away from the robots would allow Nicole to reprogram them. Even though he could not control all the robots, he still wanted to save as many as he could. With that in mind, the professor rushed along, battling against Nicole¡¯s defense system on hisptop. Jared and the others got into the car. He looked at the minions, who were having an adrenaline rush to take them out, and plowed through the gang, charging out of the base. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Jared ordered everyone to get into the cars and leave. All the cars turned around and left in formation. The leader behind them also got into an armored vehicle and headed out. ¡°Leave the robots to the professor! We have to kill these invaders, or else our base will be exposed. ¡± The leader gave orders to kill the invaders first before dealing with the robots. ¡°Yes, sir!¡± The others immediately obeyed and drove past the robots to deal with the intruders. The professor had now also gotten in the armored vehicle and joined the pursuit. However, his progress bar to control the robots was getting smaller. Nicole was too good at this. The professor had no other way to solve this situation, but he was sure of one thing. As the professor thought of it, hemunicated with the leader through the radio. ¡°There¡¯s a woman in their car. She¡¯s the creator of the robots. I can haveplete control over the robots if you kill her.¡± The leader had never noticed that there was such a person on the enemy¡¯s side. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t leave any of them alive!¡± The leader hung up the call andunched a pursuit. In the canyon bands, more than ten ck unmarked cars sped forward and drove surrounding a bulletproof jeep. Behind them, the armored cars were also catching up and chasing hard. The leader spotted the jeep in front of them immediately. ¡°Destroy the leader, and the gang will copse. Take out that jeep!¡± The subordinates stood on top of the armored car and fired shots at the cars in front of them. However, every single car in front of them was bulletproof. Only thest car was hit on the tire and crashed into a nearby rock. However, no one stopped and continued to escape! The armored car was also chasing after them desperately. Nicole was at the point where she was very close to going out of range of the robot¡¯s signal. Finally, shepletely reprogrammed all the robot systems. They were all back at the base, and she added more defense systems to prevent people hacking into them. At this moment, Nicole was atst rxed. Even if God himself came, he would not be able to break through her defense, and the robots would definitely get back to Lanningbourg. Content provided by N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Let¡¯s go. We should escape from here as soon as possible,¡± Nicole said, turning off her watch. She then picked up her phone to call Zane. Jared whispered, ¡°Who are you contacting?¡± Nicole narrowed her eyebrows. ¡°Since we found what we wanted, we don¡¯t have to be afraid of giving the game away. Zane¡¯s people are just around the corner.¡± Although she could not tell Zane what happened, she could let the internal informants pass on the message. Nicole had other ways to get Zane to deploy on this side of the area. Jared never expected Nicole toe up with a backup n. He immediately felt relieved. ¡°In that case, let¡¯s not let any of these people go. They should all get arrested.¡± Chapter 1907 Chapter 1907 ¡®It would be great to eliminate them. I wouldn¡¯t need to worry about them hurting Nicole,¡¯ thought Jared. However, Nicole¡¯s expression was gloomy. ¡°Hopefully.¡± Nicole could sense that the people who stole Brave were not the same people who attacked her at Lanningbourg¡¯s portst time. However, she was unsure if the two groups were rted. Nicole sent her coordinates to Zane. Jared ordered his people to stop running and instead engage in combat, dying the time for reinforcements. At this moment, Zane replied to Nicole. [Ten minutes.] Jared saw the message and said, ¡°We need to hold out for these ten minutes.¡± Nicole could sense Jared¡¯s helplessness and smiled. ¡°You can do it, Mr. Johnston.¡± Jared felt Nicole¡¯sfort. He smirked and pulled her into his arms. ¡°Since my wife had helped me to this extent, of course, I had to cheer up.¡± Suddenly, they felt their car get hit by a barrage of gunfire and bullets. Almost all the machine guns were aiming at them. ¡°It seems like this car is too conspicuous,¡± Jared said, ncing back and spotting some cracks in the bulletproof ss. Nicole asked, ¡°Should I drive instead?¡± This driver was not skilled at driving. Jared could tell Nicole was self-assured with her driving skills. ¡°Sure, but be careful with your stomach.¡± ¡°No problem.¡± Nicole nodded in agreement and quickly moved to the passenger seat. This car was specially modified so that the passenger seat had a steering wheel. In case of emergencies, the drivers could switch seats. Nicole fastened her seatbelt and switched the driving system. After that, Nicole went straight into race car mode. Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org. The driver realized the moment Nicole took over. She ignored the formation and stepped on the pedal. She then elerated and dodged left and right to evade the pursuing vehicles. The speed that she was going was jaw-dropping. Behind them, Janus and the others were amazed to see the drastic improvement in Jared¡¯s driver¡¯s skills. Janus instructed the others to follow suit. The technique in breaking their car formation and dodging left and right had daunted the armored car behind them. Even if the people from the armored car aimed quickly, the opponent could still avoid their hits in an instant. The leader was starting to be impatient. ¡°Just shoot with everything you¡¯ve got! Kill them!¡± Once the order was given, almost every car opened fire on the cars in front of them without distinction. While facing such a fierce attack, a few cars behind had fallen. Some cars went out of control and hit the side by dodging too fast. Even two Lawrence Royce collided with each other. With a loud band, the car exploded, shooting mes up into the sky. But the others did not dare to stop and went faster. Seeing that they were about to escape the desert, the leader eximed, ¡°Use the cannon! That jeep has to be taken down! n The leader believed the person the professor wanted to kill was inside that jeep. By killing her, they could definitely keep the robots. The leader was now running on blood lust. He personally stood on the roof of the car, took over the cannon gun, and aimed at Nicole. Janus, at the back, was the first to notice this scene. He immediately alerted Jared with his headset. ¡°Mr. Johnston! There¡¯s a cannon gun aiming right at your car from behind!¡± Even if it was a bulletproof car, the car would probably flip over if hit by such a shot. Chapter 1908 Chapter 1908 Jared immediately cautioned Nicole. ¡°Be careful of the shells!¡± Nicole made a sharp turn and happened to catch a glimpse of a tall, muscr man holding a cannon gun on the other car through the rearview mirror. Nicole¡¯s lips curled up slightly as she snorted. ¡°Hmph! Is that all you got?¡± She then gracefully turned the car and left the others behind. The leader did not expect a sudden turn, and the driver almost made him throw his cannon out. ¡°Sh*t! Drive steadily, would you?!¡± The leader¡¯s roar instantly made his underling decrease in speed, stabilizing the car. However, they were never going to catch up with Nicole at this speed, so he aimed the cannon gun at a random ck car. It hit one of the cars belonging to Janus¡¯ subordinates directly and the car flew up into the air, emitting sparks with a loud boom. Janus¡¯ heart ached at the sight, as his bestrades were on board the vehicle. Janus could not let them die in vain. The others continued to speed away, dodging left and right. Nicole¡¯s expression darkened, seeing the others hit by the canon. ¡°They are despicable!¡± Hence, she slowed down her speed. Jared frowned. ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°I¡¯m buying time!¡± Nicole coldly responded to him. As expected, the leader saw Nicole¡¯s car slow down and ignored the others to aim in her direction. Jared¡¯s expression instantly darkened. ¡°You¡¯re using yourself as bait!¡± Nicole replied, ¡°Was I supposed to just watch people sacrifice for me?¡± It was the basis of the International Criminal Police to protectrades. It had also been Nicole¡¯s habit all these years. She could not just stand by and watch others sacrifice themselves in vain. Jared knew his advice would go nowhere while Nicole was in this situation. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll stay with you.¡± No matter what Nicole decided, Jared would always be with her. Nicole looked at Jared through the rearview mirror with gratitude and full of emotion. ¡°I won¡¯t let you die.¡± Nicole cared for others, but she was even more concerned for Jared. She would not let anything happen to him. Jared nodded. He always had faith in her. At this moment, the cannon gun reloaded. Nicole saw the iing shell and immediately dodged it. Jared was mentally prepared, so he avoided hitting the ss. With a loud bang, the cannon exploded at the previous location! The leader was furious when he missed and wasted a shot. ¡°I don¡¯t believe I can¡¯t take you down!¡± With that, he fired another shot! However, Nicole was long prepared and dodged it again. The leader was pissed to learn that the opponent was skilled. After a few sessive shots, he thought he could outwit his opponent. But the opponent seemed to predict his every move and dodged all of the shots! Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org. In the rear, the professor¡¯s car stayed close behind. He was so tense as he watched the leader fire the shots. The robots were already escaping the base and following. Before he could modify the robot¡¯s system, he had to see Nicole blowing out. However, deep down in his heart, he was inexplicably concerned about her. He did not want her to die. He was watching the front scene with suchplicated emotions. However, he became nervous as he saw the leader order two cars to leave their guns and bring out the cannon guns. ¡°Nicole, there are now three canons!¡± Jared nervously looked at Nicole. ¡°We don¡¯t have time. Let¡¯s go!¡± Chapter 1909 Chapter 1909 If Jared was alone in the car, he would do the same to stall time with the enemies. However, Nicole was a different case! Nicole could not afford to take the risk, especially with the baby in her stomach. "Fine!" Nicole said. Despite her training in driving and dodging bullets, three cannons were no joke. Besides that, eight minutes have passed since Zane sent the message. Zane would definitely show up in two more minutes. With that in mind, Nicole left the battlefield and elerated away. But the three cars with cannon guns continued to pursue and attack her relentlessly, all aiming at her. BANG! BANG! One after another, the shells exploded behind her, creating a thick cloud of smoke that blocked her view of the cars. Nicole lost sight and could only blindly dodge. Then, she heard another shelling and quickly dodged it. However, she felt the rear wheel burst in the next instant! BANG! BANG! BANG! The wheel hub was damaged, and the tire pressure rapidly dissipated, making a loud noise every time Nicole moved forward. Nicole''s car speed slowed down. "Mr. Johnston!" Seeing this scene, Janus wanted to stop the car to save Jared. However, Jared had already spotted a ck spot gradually approaching at a distance. "Don''t mind us! Leave first!" Jared said. Help had arrived, so there was no need to add casualties. "But what about you?!" Janus was anxious. Janus could never leave Jared in the lurch. "Don''t worry. He won''t kill us!" Jared exined. The opponent must be curious about who they were, so they would figure it out before killing them. "Alright!" Janus gritted his teeth, obeying Jared''s orders and leading everyone to overtake their car and escape. After seeing the jeep stop with smoke, the leader said proudly, "Let''s see where you''re going to escape now!" He ordered his subordinates to stop in front of the jeep. At the back, the professor''s car arrived. The professor got out, looking nervous as he saw Nicole''s car forced to stop. Seeing the professor approach, the leader immediately eximed, "Professor, over here. Check and see whether the person you were talking about is here! The rest of you continue chasing the cars in front!" "Yes!" The other vehicles quickly passed them and continued to chase after Janus and the others. The leader got closer to the jeep with the professor. The professor walked in heavy steps to the jeep. The leader aimed his gun at the handle of the door and said, "Get out of the car now if you don''t want to die!" Behind the leader was a cannon gun pointed at the car, seemingly ready to fire if no one got out. Nicole also saw the ck spot from afar. She calmly nced at Jared. "It is what it is. Let''s meet them." Although the mission this time was to bring back the robots, it would also be a pleasant surprise if they could figure out who these people were. Jared could sense Nicole''s intentions and said worriedly, "You should stay in the car. I''ll go." With that, Jared got out of the car. Nicole knew Jared worried about the child. She wanted to get out too, but thinking of the baby inside her, she decided to stay in the car and observe the situation first. Outside the car, the leader was shocked to see Jared get out. "Y-You''re Jared Johnston!" Jared smirked. "You know me? But why don''t I know you?" Jared''s words were extremely arrogant, which made the leader''s expression dark. His aura dimmed in a sh. "I don''t care who you are! You stole something from me, so today is the day you die!" ''This bastard! He not only ruined my business but also nearly destroyed the base! So what, if he''s from JJ Johnston Group? I''ll make sure he dies without a burial ce to avenge my brothers!'' the leader thought.This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org. Chapter 1910 Chapter 1910 Jared sneered, "What, you?" The contempt in Jared''s eyes had made the leader''s expression ugly. "Yes, me!" The professor stepped forward. He ignored Jared and asked, using a voice changer, "Hand over the person controlling the robots!" The robots would run farther away if they did not capture Nicole and let her modify the system. The leader remembered the real deal, and took out his handgun, pointing it at Jared''s temple. "That''s right. Hand them over!" Inside the car, Nicole saw the professor''s figure through the brown ss. She felt he seemed extremely familiar. Seeing Jared held at gunpoint, she immediately got out of the car. "You must be an expert to know that I was controlling the robots," Nicole said calmly, showing no fear in her eyes. Her sharp gazended on the professor, continuously scrutinizing him. Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org. Even though the professor wore a mask, he felt guilty, as if Nicole could see through him. But with just that one evasive nce from the professor, Nicole identified him. "Ike. I never expected to see you here." Nicole squinted her eyes and called the professor''s name. At that moment, the professor''s body trembled. He always thought Nicole''s eyes only focused on Jared. He could not have imagined that Nicole would recognize him with just one nce. It was useless to hide his identity, even though he wore a mask with a voice changer. With this in mind, he took his mask off and revealed the handsome face beneath. Ike smirked. "I can''t believe you recognized me." Jared''s expression was extremely dark. He thought, ''No wonder I felt something fishy when the intelligence system was stolen.'' Nicole snorted. "Seems like the person who brought the USB here was you. No wonder you were on site when it was stolen that day." At this moment, everything that did not make sense before suddenly made perfect sense. Before this, she only wondered if it was too coincidental that Ike was there. Besides that, he was injured in a rather weird way. "Come to think of it. You must have caused your own injuries back then. After all, which of your subordinates would dare to hurt you?" Nicole was aware of Ike''s skills. With his abilities, he could hack into the system and take the intelligence system away. And his performance just now... "I never thought that you would thoroughly study Brave and even be able to re-modify their system..." All these years, besides Zeke, no one was a match for Nicole. In the past, Nicole did not think of Ike as her match. But she found out now that he had been hiding his true strength. Ike suppressed his emotions with an icy expression after being exposed by Nicole. "Thank you for your compliment," Ike said, pretending to misinterpret Nicole''s sarcasm. He replied coldly, "But I''m not as powerful as you. You even added a defense system on the robots at thest minute. Nicole, you should shut down the defense system, modify their system and make the robotse back. Or else..." "Or else what? Are you going to kill me?" Nicole narrowed her eyes with a fake smile. In her heart, Nicole was truly disappointed in Ike. She had once suspected his sudden appearance but gradually came to trust him. However, she did not expect him to be an ingrate. Ike hesitated when Nicole asked him this question. Deep down, he did not want to kill her. But he did not have a choice. Chapter 1911 Chapter 1911 Ike could only reply, "Nicole, you shouldn''t havee today." If Nicole had note, she would not need to die. Nicole understood his underlying meaning. In the end, they were not even friends. Nicole sneered. "Could you at least let me die with clear understanding? Who are you?" Nicole had to figure out Ike''s identity, and the person behind him. "I''m sorry, no can do," Ike replied with a cold and prating gaze. He was not a fool who talked too much. He would not expose a thing even if the other side were dead. Nicole smirked. ''Ike sure is airtight.'' At this moment, she saw the drones discreetly getting closer. She could not help but smile sarcastically. "In that case, don''t me meter on." With that said, Nicole stepped forward, drew a gun from somewhere, and aimed it at Ike''s temple. The leader was stunned. "Let him go!" The professor was an important person! The leader would be in trouble if the professor died here. Nicole chuckled coldly. "If you don''t talk here, you''ll have to suffer the consequences." She slowly brought Ike back to the car step by step. "Get in the car!" Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org. Ike gritted his teeth. He had no choice but toply and got in the car, still snorting. "Nicole, your car''s damaged. You can''t escape!" Nicole replied, "Let''s see!" She gave Jared a look. He immediately opened the passenger seat and got in the car. "Do you think hiding there would be of any use?!" The leader was furious. "I could just blow you all up with a single shot!" The leader was cornered, thinking that Nicole and Jared were treating him like a fool. He had no idea why they hid inside the car. All of a sudden, there was a burst of gunfire behind them. "Boss! A drone!" a subordinate called out upon spotting it. There was a drone with a machine gun coming straight in their direction, opening fire on them as it approached. "Take cover!" the leader bellowed. Immediately after telling everyone to take cover, he also jumped in the car. However, the number of drones was increasing outside, surrounding their car! The slow runners were all shot to death! Even those who got in the armored car had varying degrees of injuries. Ike was dumbstruck. He had no clue where these drones with machine guns appeared from unexpectedly, surrounding them. No wonder Nicole took him to the car. He was still thinking about why Nicole took him into hiding. Unexpectedly, Nicole had known that her reinforcements were here to help her. Ike realized that she had tricked him. If he was captured by her people, the consequences were far more than just suffering. With that in mind, he wanted to bite his tongue and die. However, Nicole seemed to notice and gave him a strike to the back of his neck with the edge of her hand. Ike''s eyes widened and he passed out. Jared let out a sigh of relief after seeing Nicole''s swift movements. He was relieved as he looked out the window, seeing the terrorists under attack. "Zane came just in time." Nicole smiled. "Duh. Zane has never let me down." As the two talked, the ck fleet in the distance stopped the gun fire. All of the terrorists were dragged out of the cars and forced to kneel on the ground! Chapter 1912 Chapter 1912 The leader''s arm had been injured from the shooting before. He endured his pain after being caught and said defiantly, "Do you know who I am?! How dare youy a hand on me! I won''t let you live another day!" Zane calmly emerged from his car, sporting a ck windbreaker and an air of authority. "So who are you? I really want to know, considering you had the nerve to touch one of mine." The leader''s eyes widened in recognition. "Impossible. Why are you here?" Zane smirked. "Looks like your people haven''t sent you the message." The leader''s expression changed. "Y-You captured my men?" Zane replied pleasantly, "What do you think?" If they had not caught the mole before leaving, their n to support Nicole would have been exposed. Nicole had now stepped out of the car, her lips curved slightly as she heard Zane had caught the mole. She knew Zane must have been busy catching them. Thankfully, they made it in time. Zane saw Nicole unharmed and said, "You did a great job." Nicole shook her head. "Fortunately, you guys came in time. I''ll leave him to you." Nicole gestured for Zane to look at Ike inside the car. Zane nodded, he did not recognize the person, but he would find out more when he investigatedter. "Take them away," ordered Zane. His subordinates approached and captured everyone, including the leader and Ike. The leader stared at Zane with hate. "You''ll see! Do you think this is the end? No way! That person will definitely avenge me!" Zane''s expression darkened. Nicole looked at the leader. "Is that person a male who wears a ck mask?" The leader''s expression changed slightly after hearing Nicole''s words. But he refused to say anything and left a crypticment. "You''ll find out soon enough." The leader and others were taken away. Nicole felt unsettled as she looked at the leader''s expression. Zane asked, "What''s wrong?" Nicole spoke slowly. "I think maybe the ck-clothed man isn''t the mastermind behind this." Although the leader''s expression seemed stunned with a bit of worry, it did not have a hint of panic. "Zane, you should go check out who the masked man who attacked me at the port was. He may have connections with the one behind this." "Alright, I will." Zane nodded. "I''ll go find out. But if the mastermind was someone else, it could be troublesome for us." That only meant that the person behind these two was a stronger and more powerful existence. "To be able to have two strong forces work for him... This person must be more powerful than them. The worst thing is that we have no leads," said Zane. Nicole looked at Zane. "Well, it''s not that we have nothing now." Her eyes stared at Ike, who was being taken away. "The one I knocked out appeared by my side a long time ago. I just didn''t realize that he was one of them. Maybe the mastermind is an enemy we came across before." Upon hearing this, Zane''s expression turned grave. "I''ll make hime clean." Nicole shook her head. "He won''t, but you can try. No matter what happens, spare his life." They were friends, after all. This was herst benevolent act to him. Zane could tell that Nicole was no stranger to this man. He remained silent and simply agreed with a calm "Okay." Content provided by N?velDrama.Org. Nicole was tired after finally letting loose. Just then, Jared came over and held her. "How are you feeling? Are you alright?" Nicole nodded. "Yes. I''m fine. Let''s go back." The robots had been rescued and would return to Lanningbourg on their own. Zane would be helping them too. This matter had finallye to an end. "Alright." Jared nodded and said to Zane, "I''ll leave this to you. We''ll go rest, back at the hotel." Chapter 1913 Chapter 1913 "Go ahead. Thank you for your hard work," said Zane. He noticed that Nicole did not look fine, so he just let them go. As Jared supported Nicole to turn around, he suddenly remembered something. "Zane. If you have time, let''s talk at night." Nicole was pregnant, and there were some things that Jared had to be clear about with Zane. Zane looked at Jared''s serious expression and sensed that he wanted to talk about things he did not want to hear. Yet he still nodded at his request. "Sure, I''ll invite you out once I finish up." "Alright." Jared nodded. He then took Nicole to a car driven by Janus. After getting in the car, Nicole asked Jared, "What are you going to talk about with Zane?" Jared raised an eyebrow. "What do you think?" Nicole sighed. "Is it about retiring?" Jared had talked about this before, but Nicole nned to tell Zane after the mission waspleted. novelebookHowever, now that she was pregnant before the mission waspleted, she knew they needed to talk to Zane about it. Jared replied, "Of course. Do you think you and your child could wait?" Jared could never allow his wife to bring his kid on missions to capture criminals. "But the mission isn''tplete." Nicole sighed. Jared replied, "It''s halfway done. Plus, I''ll help Zane." Jared''s only wish was for Nicole to rest. He would not just ignore Zane. Seeing Jared''s sincerity, Nicole could onlypromise. "Alright, we''ll talk when we meet up with Zane later." Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org. Nicole believed Zane would have his own considerations, so they could discuss it tonight. "Yes." Jared nodded in agreement. His only thought now was to bring Nicole back to the hotel and let her rest properly. Soon, they reached the hotel. Jared got out of the car first and went to Nicole''s side. As Nicole was about to get out of the car, Jared bent down and picked her up in his arms. This sudden embrace left Nicole in an awkward position. Many guests in the lobby were looking at her. Nicole said in embarrassment, "Let me go... This is too humiliating." Jared said, "I don''t feel ashamed at all." Jared continued to carry Nicole in his embrace until they got in the elevator. Only then did Nicole''s blush lessen. Jaredughed at the sight. "You''ll have to get used to it." Jared was thinking of carrying her out whenever they went out. "I''m not going to allow this weird habit. I''m pregnant, not disabled." Nicole rolled her eyes, thinking Jared was being too dramatic. "If you dare toe out for a risky adventure in the future, be prepared to be carried around by me. novelebookOtherwise, I won''t let you take the risk ever again." Nicole was dumbfounded. "Why you! You''re being a scoundrel." Jared teased. "So what, if I was a scoundrel? Are you going to bite me?" Nicole ignored him until Jared got her back in the hotel room,ying her gently on the bed. He then poured her a ss of water. "You must be tired. Have some water." Nicole felt a little better and took a break while drinking some water. Meanwhile, Janus called Jared to report on the situation. "Lawrence''s people had already left. Zane searched the entire base, taking away all the pieces of information, and looking for clues." Chapter 1914 Chapter 1914 "Alright, no one from the base should stay. Don''t let the information leak out." "Yes, sir." Janus nodded and hung up the call. Meanwhile, Nicole was looking at theputer screen. The robots had been guided by Zane''s people to the ship''s cabin, on its way back to Lanningbourg. Nicole finally felt at ease and left Carl a message. This matter hade to an end. Feeling tired, Nicole yawned. Jared took a pillow for her and smiled. "Are you sleepy? You''ll start to feel drowsy at the initial stage of pregnancy, so you need to rest more." Nicole sighed. "There''s no need for you to say it. I''ll sleep anyway." She rolled her eyes and went to sleep. Jared watched as shey down and could not help buty down next to her, gently holding her in his arms. With Nicole in his arms, he finally rxed. "I was so afraid when you appeared at the entrance of the base. I was really scared that something might happen to you." The old Jared used to fear nothing. But after Nicole appeared in his life, he now had his Achilles'' heel. novelebookNicole noticed Jared seemed to be enduring something all this time, but she now only realized that he was worried and scared back then. Nicole patted his hand. "I was too. How could I ignore you when you were in danger inside?" Content provided by N?velDrama.Org. Nicole was concerned about her baby, but she could not resist going over and helping out. "How could I let our man do something so risky for my sake?" Jared only wanted to help Nicole in this entire situation. Nicole could not just let him go. Jared now knew Nicole''s thoughts and instantly hugged her tight. "I promise you, I won''t be put in such risky situations in the future anymore. But you have to do the same. Can you?" Previously, he did not mind if he was injured. But today, he desperately escaped from that ce for her. He knew that he had to protect himself to protect her. Nicole could feel Jared''s heart, so she promised him, "Alright... I''ll promise you too. Neither of us should take any more risks." Although she still had worries about retiring, for Jared''s sake, if Zane agreed, she would quit. To be frank, for Jared''s and the baby''s sake, she would stop putting herself at risk. "Pinky promise," Jared whispered childishly in her eyes. Nicole nodded cozily. Jared stopped talking, and hugged Nicole tightly, rxing and falling asleep. Nicole also went off to dreand, surrounded by Jared''s warm embrace and falling asleep. When Nicole woke up, the sky was dark. Nicole nced at her side to find Jared gone.novelebook She hesitated, but did not overthink it and thought he must have things to do. She got up and walked out of the living room. Nicole''s stomach was rumbling, so she wanted to order dinner. But she suddenly noticed a note on the table. [I went to meet Zane at the first-floor restaurant, Presidential Suite.] Nicole pondered for a moment, knowing Jared would not object to her presence. She too wanted to know Zane''s thoughts, so she simply went downstairs. Inside the first-floor restaurant''s Presidential Suite, Jared and Zane were sipping wine and enjoying the scenery. Chapter 1915 Chapter 1915 Zane showed his respects to Jared. "Thank you. Without your help this time I wouldn''t be able to complete my task this easily, nor would I have been able to catch the double agent doing this." Jared smiled. "As long as we''re able to find out who the double agent was." Zane had hoped that Interpol would have some conscience and not threaten Nicole. He noticed that Jared had wanted to say something. "Mr. Johnston, I''m not quite sure why you''ve invited me here. Was there something important you wanted to tell me?" Zane continued. Jared noted Zane''s question and knew that he had not much time left. Thus, he cut straight to the point. "Nicole and I have already registered our marriage. We''re going to host a wedding reception soon, and we want to cordially invite you to attend." A smile crept across Zane''s face. "So soon?" Zane was well aware of Nicole and Jared''s love story, but he had not foreseen that their wedding would happen so soon. On top of that, Nicole had not made a peep about it. "It''s been happening quite fast since..." Jared pondered for a moment before continuing, "Nicole is already pregnant." ''Though Nicole has yet to have her prenatal visits back at San Joto, the chances of being pregnant is more than 90%.'' At this moment, Zane was stunned, he never would have thought Nicole would be pregnant. "She''s pregnant?!" "Yeah," Jared said, not withholding any information from Zane. "That''s why we can''t hold off the wedding any longer. We hope you understand." Zane went silent, noticing that there was something wrong with Jared''s voice. He spoke up and said, novelebook"If I had known she was pregnant, then I wouldn''t have involved her in such a dangerous task..." Zane was ming himself. He was regretting his choices as he had always treated Nicole like his daughter. He had brought up Nicole since she was a child, he knew how much she had contributed to the organization and the countless risks she had experienced before... However when Zane thought about a pregnant Nicole, his heart ached. "Why didn''t you talk her out of it?" Jared saw that Zane really cared about Nicole. He took a deep breath and said, "She told me that she nned to tell you about withdrawing from the organization after the mission''s over." "Withdrawing..." Zane had roughly guessed what Jared wanted to ask him but when he heard those wordsing from Jared, Zane felt lost for once. "Yes, she''s not a baby anymore. She''s not the girl she once used to be. How could she forever stay by my side and live out a life like this?" Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org. ''It''s happened before. When Lloyd found out about this background and identity, he quickly left the organization. But for Nicole, she had since gone home to her family, not caring about any wealth or riches but not withdrawing from the organization all this while. It must''ve been really hard for her to come to this decision.'' Jared noticed the look on Zane''s face. ''I guess that he had always been prepared for this moment,'''' Jared guessed. "Since you already know, I''ll say it directly. When do you n to tell Nicole to withdraw?" Zane fell silent for a moment when Jared questioned him. Though there were a number of people working at the organization, there was only Nicole who couldplete her tasks so well. Zane smiled wryly. "Nicole''s irreceable." Jared instantly knew how much Zane valued Nicole. he could not help sighing. "I''ll continue to help you but as for Nicole... novelebookI can''t let her continue to keep taking risks like this." ''Why can''t he understand this?'' "I know... she had done a lot for the organization.'' Zane looked away, looking a bit lost. "That''s why I feel even more reluctant to let her go because we need her, but I don''t want her to continue sacrificing herself to the organization anymore." Zane sighed deeply, as if he had made his decision. "If she wants toe back, I''ll wee her back with open arms, but of course... I''ll send her my blessing." ''Nicole had been with me for so long. It''s about time I gave her back her freedom.'' "Zane..." a gentle voice suddenly called from behind. Chapter 1916 Chapter 1916 Zane turned around instinctively. He had not expected Nicole to be already there standing by the door. This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org. Nicole had been thinking of how to break the news to Zane when she was walking, but to her relief she heard such words from Zane as soon as she pried the doors open. Zane looked at Nicole like a father looking at his daughter. "Nicole, what are you doing here?" Jared looked at Nicole as if he had been expecting her. ''I knew she woulde personally.'' Jared walked up to Nicole, and supported her before turning to Zane and saying, "Then I''ll take you on Nicole''s behalf." Nicole looked up at Jared. ''He''s just gotten Zane''s approval and couldn''t even hold his horses.'' Nicole noticed Zane''s embarrassment. She could not bring herself to speak. "I''m sorry, Zane," Nicole bbered out abruptly, finding herself apologizing. Zane immediately shook his head. "No, don''t be. I''m sorry I didn''t let you go sooner." Zane had long since contemted this issue when Nicole had returned to her family. He had been reluctant about it but now with Nicole being pregnant, it was inevitable. novelebookZane could not let Nicole take any more risks. "You should''ve told me earlier," Zane said as he nced at Nicole''s stomach. Nicole was immediately shy and looked back at Jared. "Did you break the news to him?" Jared smiled. "Joyous asions should be shared. After all, he can be considered the child''s god- grandfather." As soon as these words were said, Zane''s expression softened. "Yeah, I can be the child''s god- grandfather." Through the eyes of everyone, they knew that Nicole and Zane had more than a subordinate-superior rtionship. Zane treated Nicole like his own daughter. ''But isn''t saying her child is like my own god- grandson a bit too much?'' Nicole looked at Jared. ''This guy is smart! Zane was already sad to have me go but turning the tables to have Zane be the god-grandfather had lightened up his mood.'' Nicole nced at Zane who was in a better mood. She gave him a gentle smile. "Of course, you have all the rights to that." Zane immediately called Nicole over and said, "Come sit down. We''ll have dinner together. It''s on me. No one can talk me out of this." Jared smiled as Zane offered to buy them dinner. "Sure." Nicole sat down with Jared''s help, joining Zane. Zane enjoyed the dinner together with the couple and he kept giving his blessing to them. It was not long until the meal was over. Zane had to head back to the base and thus he bid farewell to Nicole. Upon reaching the door, Zane said, "From now on, your withdrawal from the organization is effective. The future missions are the least of your worries now." Nicole''s eyes became gloomy. "Oh... I see...'' Nicole was reluctant to let that side of her go, but for the sake of her child, she had to let go of it temporarily. "But if there''s anything you need, both Jared and I will help you out." Nicole stared at Zane.novelebook The sudden reassurance made him feel more at ease. "I know." Zane smiled. He was d that Nicole had proposed this to him. He got in the organization''s car and drove away. Nicole watched as Zane drove away. ''I never thought I would leave the organization this way...'' Jared noticed Nicole''s miserable look, and he brought her into a hug. "Don''t worry about it. I can help Zane with the missions now." Nicole nodded. "I understand that. It''s just... I never expected myself to leave Zane and the organization so early. I feel like it''s all my fault." Nicole used to dream about following in the footsteps of Zane. Even her return to the Riddle family had not given her thoughts to give up. But given the circumstances, Nicole had no choice but to give up both Zane and the organization which were dear to her heart. ''This kind of feeling is like I''m abandoning Zane to fight this battle alone.'' Nicole was ufortable as she thought about it. Chapter 1917 Chapter 1917 Jared noticed Nicole''s unwillingness to let go. He did not bring her directly back to the hotel. "Let''s go on a walk. I''ll lead the way." Nicole nodded, as she let Jared take the lead. The nightlife in Ramania was bustling. However, none of it lightened Nicole''s mood. The couple walked until they reached a fountain where they watched the colored lights of the fountain change and the water bursting into the sky, some getting caught by the wind, before falling. The sight before them was soothing. Nicole''s focus shifted a little. "No one can be separated forever. In fact, Zane had been prepared for this for the longest time. He has the capability to ept all these changes," said Jared. Nicole nodded. "I know. It''s just that when he was leaving in his car earlier, I saw a trace of his hair turning gray..." ''For the longest time, Zane was a fighter who had never lost to young contenders challenging him. But when did he turn old?'' "The organization really needs people. If we all were to leave eventually, then Zane would really be left alone." Jared raised his eyebrow. "Isn''t Carl with him?" Nicole shook her head. "The Turmann family wanted Carl back. He''s been procrastinating about it.novelebook He didn''t want to inherit his family''s business." It was unexpected that Nicole had left the organization before Carl did. Jared sighed. "Since you''re so reluctant to part ways with Zane, I''ll do my part and persuade him to retire earlier." As soon as these words came out, Nicole could not help giving Jared a nk look. ''Is this guy''s brain fried? How could he even think of such things like this?'' However, talking about this had bizarrely improved Nicole''s mood. She nodded subconsciously. "I suggest you look into itter." Jared smiled. "Okay." Their moods improved significantly as Jared held Nicole''s hand as they walked back to their hotel. ''This trip to Ramania is officially over.'' The next day, the both of them were prepared to return back to San Joto on a private ne. Jared, on the other hand, was a little dissatisfied that his honeymoon was cut short. ''Our honeymoon turned into an execution mission,'' Jared thought. "Are you sure you want to go home like this?" Jared looked at Nicole with dissatisfaction written all over his face. "Of course," Nicole replied, eating her fruit while looking out the window contentedly. "Are you in a hurry to go back to school?" Jared looked even more dissatisfied. His facial expression was bitter. "It''s just for the wedding preparations, alright?" said Nicole, helplessly. ''I didn''t have the time to think about these things before. Since Jared had dered I were to quit the organization, then of course, I have more than enough time to participate in this marriage preparation.'' "You think?" Jared was in disbelief. "Of course, I have left the work to my mother and brothers before this, but now that I have some free time in my hands,novelebook I want to pick the hotel and my own wedding dress myself. This is normal, right?" Jared smiled as he heard that Nicole wanted to make her own decisions. "You''re finally starting to care about our wedding." ''Before this, Nicole had always resisted any initiative, but now seeing her taking the initiative...'' Jared smiled as he thought about it. Content provided by N?velDrama.Org. "I thought you didn''t care much about it, but the good thing is I have your wedding dress prepared." Chapter 1918 Chapter 1918 Nicole raised an eyebrow. "Even if I don''t care, you would have it ready anyway." Jared pondered for a moment. "I just can''t help myself; you know?" From the engagement dress to the reception dress, Jared had been fretting over it in her stead. "Who knew my wife would not care about things like these?" Nicole raised her eyebrows helplessly, and flipped her hair. "That''s because my natural beauty makes me look good in whatever I wear. So why should I even bother, right?" This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org. It was very unexpected for Nicole to speak such egotistical words. Jared stifled hisugh. "I really didn''t expect my beloved wife to be so confident about her appearance." Nicole heard Jared''s sarcasm and began to ponder. "Of course, there are many things that I''m proud of." Jared curled his lips into a smile. "Since you''re preparing for the wedding, I won''t be mad at you, but you have to take care of your body." "Okay, don''t worry about it," Nicole agreed. However at this moment, Janus''s frantic voice suddenly filled the cabin. "Mr. Johnston, there are other nes approaching us!" Jared frowned. "Which direction is iting from?" No country would want to mess with them. Even if they were to approach, they would be detected on the radar. "I''m not sure. It''s a in ck helicopter," said Janus. Upon hearing that, Nicole immediately thought of the ck helicopter at the port of Lanningbourg. Nicole''s expression immediately changed, knowing that there could be only one possibility. ''Perhaps... maybe they''vee to avenge their leader? If that''s the case, then it''s quite impossible for them to bring no back up.'' "Jared, how many people do you have with us? Tell them toe out here to help us!" Jared frowned. "We''ve already left Ramania''s borders. Even if they were to fly here, it''d bepletely impossible!" Nicole gritted her teeth. She knew the truth, yet she knew she had to act anyway. "Let Janus change the direction and head back to Ramania." ''We can at least be safe in Ramania under Zane''s protection. They should be able to help us.'' Jared read Nicole''s expression and instantly knew something was wrong. He did not speak up but instead gave instructions to Janus. "Janus, turn around and go back to Ramania immediately!" "Yes, sir!" Soon, their private jet changed its direction. Nicole and Jared could see all the ck spots of the helicopters behind them. novelebook The number of helicopters in the sky waspletely remarkable. Jared immediately frowned. "Why are there so many nes?" "It seems like I guessed right. The man in the face mask was a part of the same terrorist group we just took out." ''But then again, our whereabouts are kept confidential. There''s no way they knew that we would be flying back to San Joto today,'' Nicole thought. "Are they here to get revenge?" Nicole looked at Jared. "Not only that... but also this." Nicole tapped on her watch and the Fire Crest appeared. "They failed to get it from me before, and ever since then, they hadn''t made any advances. I was concerned that they''ve been waiting for an opportunity." ''Situations where both Jared and I arepletely helpless are of advantage to them,'' Nicole thought. While she was speaking, she whipped out her phone and pressed the emergency button to send out their coordinates. Nicole took a deep breath before speaking calmly.novelebook "We''ve been flying out for about an hour now. If we can make it back in 20 minutes, Zane will definitely be able to pick us up... Otherwise, we''ll be in danger." Jared stretched out his hand to hold Nicole''s hand. "We will make it back in time." At this moment, Jared''s eyes became determined. Chapter 1919 Chapter 1919 ''No matter what happens, I''ll do my utmost to protect Nicole.'' At this time, the ck helicopters caught a glimpse of their ne turning around. They did not waste time, chasing after them. The masked man, who had one ear, had a face filled with hatred. "You dare try to escape?! Nicole, I''ll kill you today!" ''For my ears... and my brother''s life. I''ll get my revenge on her!'' Janus noticed the ck helicopters had sped up. He increased their speed, putting aside the safety in the cabin which caused a minor turbulence due to the airflow. Nicole felt a little nauseous. ''Pregnancy really made me so fragile that I can''t even go through with minor turbulence without feeling sick.'' Jared noticed Nicole''splexion was not looking too well and came to her side. "What''s the matter? Nauseous?" This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org. Nicole shook her head. "It''s just a little ufortable." Jared looked at Nicole with a distressed look, instantly regretting bringing her out for a trip. novelebook ''Never would I have thought that The Raven would be here.'' "The people I sent for areing by jets too. We''ll be okay. If you''re feeling unwell, just lean on me." "Okay." Nicole nodded and leaned toward Jared. They managed to shake The Raven off their tail. The masked man was annoyed. "Hurry up and chase them! I don''t care if we have to chase them till the end. Get close enough and shoot them down!" The masked man had everything figured out. As long as Nicole died and the Fire Crest was in his hands, he would give up everything. ''I won''t let a chance go by, not for her to live another day.'' "But sir, the sea is too vast..." "No more excuses! Even if we die, we can''t let them escape!" ''We''re getting closer to the coastline, which gives them a bigger chance of escaping. I''ve waited so long for this opportunity. I can''t have them escape again!'' "Yes, sir!" Everyone on board could only agree. Some started to zoom forward regardless of the wind speed, bumps in the air making them slow down. Helicopters were much slower than passenger nes. "Sir! We can''t catch up to them!" one of the helicopters reported. "They''re heading for Ramania! Change the route now! Get someone to intercept them!" "Yes, sir!" Immediately, the helicopters changed their course and tried to intercept the ne. At this time, Nicole whipped out herptop and was trying to hack into their electromaic waves and positioning system. It did not take Nicole long to hack into their system. A wave of helicopters turning around to the coastlines of Ramania were shown on her screen. Nicole''s face became distressed. "Their choppers are equipped heavily with weapons. If we were to be shot by them, we''d lose control... Even if they want to intercept us, this will be very dangerous." Jared stared at theptop screen and said with a cold expression, "Look up and see what type of machinery they have." Nicole raised her eyebrows as soon as she heard Jared''s instructions. "What do you mean?" Jared smiled. "My nes are all modified with rockets. As long as they''re below C-level we can withstand them. B-level rockets are fine too as long as they don''t hurt the engine, novelebook and A-level rockets can''t bring us down immediately with just a single shot." Nicole had not expected Jared to have modified the defense measures on their jet. "I didn''t expect you to have such an impressive backup n." Jared smiled. "It''s not only that. This jet has a missile defense radar system, but it hasn''t been perfected yet so it can''t be used." Nicole was taken aback when she heard this. "There''s a missile defense radar?" "Yeah, but the cost is quite high," said Jared helplessly. "Since the technology hasn''t been perfected." Nicole smiled brightly. "Give me the key, I''ll go have a look at it." Jared''s eyes brightened, ''Of course! Why hadn''t I thought of that! Nicole might be able to perfect this system!'' Chapter 1920 Chapter 1920 "Okay." Jared pursed his lips, before handing the key over to Nicole. Content provided by N?velDrama.Org. Nicole quickly entered the aircraft''s system. Nicole''s face brightened as she entered the missile defense radar system. "This system is brilliant! All thetest versions!" "Yes, the locating of missiles is quite urate, but for the time being, this jet has yet to pass the legalization of weapons instation. So, it''s quite useless now since it has yet to be perfected for the later phase." Nicole raised her eyebrows and smiled. "I bet you don''t know that even if you can''t have weapons legally installed, things like radar have various uses." Jared pondered for a moment. "What uses?" He was perked up, trying to listen intently to what Nicole was about to tell him. "Those rockets on The Raven were all smuggled from the military. In other words, though their rockets don''t have a radar system, novelebook they doe with radar functions..." "What do you mean?" Jared seemed to have caught on to what Nicole had said. "What I mean is... they have the artillery shells of missiles, but for us, we have the system to control it. If we can crack the radar system inside their rockets..." Jared understood instantly, his face turning happy. "Then their rockets are ours!" "Yes!" Nicole sneered, she felt like the heavens were helping her. "I''ll try it now to see if I can hack into their systems." Nicole used the aircraft locator. ''As long as they don''tunch these rockets, I still have time to modify their course.'' Nicole sped up as she thought this. Jared stared at Nicole. Confidence filled her face before she peered out the window with a solemn expression. No less than ten minutester, Janus'' voice sounded through the inte. "Mr. Johnston, there are enemy nes ahead of us. We''re about to be outnumbered." Jared''s face expression hardened. "Go straight to them." Jared was determined to try and bet on what level the opponent''s rocket firepower was. "Yes, sir." Janus nodded. Jared pulled Nicole into a hug. "This might get a little bumpy. Brace yourself." "Okay." Nicole nodded her head. While being protected by Jared, she continued cracking the system with ease. The other party noticed that Jared''s jet did not slow down. ''This fe must be crazy!'' "Sir, we''ve sessfully intercepted them, but... their ne doesn''t seem to be slowing down!" one reported to the man in the face mask. The man in the face mask rolled his eyes. "What are you waiting for?! Shoot them down!" ''Thest time this happened, she killed so many of my men but this time, I''ll kill all of hers! I can''t lose any more brothers of mine. novelebook Otherwise, I''d have nothing left,'' the man in the face mask thought to himself. "Yes, sir!" Everyone started to prepare their rocketunchers. It was not long before three to four rockets were fired toward Jared''s jet. "Mr. Johnston! They''ve fired a rocket!" Jared immediately pulled Nicole into a hug. Two loud booms. ''It seems like we were hit by two rockets.'' Jared''s jet trembled violently twice, before the smoke and dust dissipated. Nothing happened to them. Jared smiled. "It seems their rockets are nothing more than just shells." Nicole also let out a huge sigh in relief. "Don''t becent. I haven''t cracked into their system yet. How long do you think our jet can withstand the attack?" Jared knew but he could only solemnly say, "I can only try to dy the time." "Endure for a while. I''ll try it when theyunch the next time," said Nicole. Chapter 1921 Chapter 1921 Nicole felt bad about making Jared''s ne the target. But she had no other choice. Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org. "So, what you''re saying is, the more they shoot, the better results you get." Jared already understood what Nicole was trying to do. Though it was dangerous, he was still willing to cooperate. "Something like that, yeah." Nicole grinned brightly and looked at him with an innocent expression. "Sure. Whatever you say goes." Jared wrapped Nicole in his arms lovingly. Nicole looked at him, embarrassed. But she did not stop him. "Janus, charge. Let''s get them to fire at us." "Huh?" Janus was shocked as he did not get what Jared was trying to do. ''But Jared always has a reason for his actions,'' Janus thought. He then charged toward the enemies! The ck helicopter grew anxious when they saw that the three shots that had been fired had little to no effect on them! All they could do now was fire again! But Jared''s ne was rock solid, and the bazooka only left a dent! The ne swayed a little, but it was still flying straight! "Boss! Their ne has been modified beforehand!" the subordinates reported. The man in the face mask was livid when he saw that. "Increase the firepower! If C-grade doesn''t work, switch to B-grade ammunition!" "Yes, sir!" However, Jared''s ne had already broken through the encirclement and flown through their midst. "Get them!" The ck aircraft fell behind once more and could only try to keep itself within a firing range! "Fire the B-grade ammunition!" the masked man ordered. In a blink of an eye, the helicopter fired two shots with B-grade ammunition rapidly. "Mr. Johnston, it''s B-grade ammo!" Janus yelled and tried to dodge it as swiftly as he could. Their ne plummeted a little, and Nicole had to grab on to herptop before it fell to the ground. But the ne was just too big! Even if they managed to dodge the shot so it did not hit their engine, their ne shook momentarily. "Seems like they came prepared." Jared smirked. Fortunately, Jared spent a lot of money on the aircraft modifications. Otherwise, they would have been shot down by now. "Yeah." Nicole looked at herputer screen calmly. "We''ve got to hold on a little longer... We failed this time, but I tweaked it a little. It''ll probably work the next time!" Jared smiled wryly. "What if the next shot uses A-grade ammunition?" ''Does my wife think my ne is indestructible?'' Nicole said sheepishly, "I can guarantee that it''ll most probably work this time." "You''re guaranteeing something that is just ''most probably'' sessful?" Jared smiled bitterly. "Whatever. I''m going to trust you." Other than getting Janus to speed up, there was nothing else that they could do. They might be able to dodge a few blows, but not for long. If Nicole coulde up with the results after one more hit, they would be able to use their ammunition! Magnificent! Jared was excited when he thought that. At that moment, Janus asked, "Mr. Johnston, should we speed up to lose them?!" Jared replied, "Keep maneuvering for a bit." "Okay..." Janus knew that it was extremely dangerous, but he had to trust Jared. But unbeknownst to him, Jared trusted Nicole fully. The enemies saw that the B-grade ammunition did nothing to them and that Jared''s ne was even flying out of their firing range. The masked man yelled, "Fucking Jared! I didn''t expect him to modify his aircraft to such an extent!" Chapter 1922 Chapter 1922 ''Jared must''ve spent tens of millions of dors to fully reinforce the aircraft armor. I can''t believe he actually put in so much effort!'' ''Clearly, he cares a lot about Nicole!'' But for that exact reason, he wanted to split them up more! "All of you, listen to me! Just fire everything we have!" Jared''s ne would escape if it was too far from the firing range! This was not the time for them to save their ammunition! "Yes, sir!" Though they found it slightly wasteful, none of them wanted to go against theirmander. Suddenly, all the nes with rocketunchers were aiming at Jared''s ne! "Fire!" the masked man yelled. At that moment, thirty missiles were fired! "My God!" Janus gasped in shock. "Not good, Mr. Johnston! There are over twenty missiles fired at us! There are also 4 A-grade ones!" Jared''s expression darkened for a second. ''Seems like they''ve been pushed to the brink!'' Even if those were B-grade ammunition, they could not dodge twenty missiles anyway. As soon as their engine got hit, they would start plummeting! But he did not hurry Nicole at all! As for Nicole, she lifted her hand and pushed the enter key. "Fire!" Suddenly, all of the heads of the missiles turned red. At the very next second, they changed course in mid-air and headed toward the ck helicopter! Everyone in the Raven was stunned! No one would have thought that their missiles would make a U-turn. Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org. The missiles had turned into tracking missiles. On top of that, those missiles were targeting them! "Retreat!" the Ravens yelled. But it was already toote for them to make an abrupt turn. One after another, five helicopters were hit by the missiles. They exploded in the air and plummeted to the sea. The man in the face mask was stupefied. "What happened?! Why did our missiles attack us?!" "I-I have no idea myself!" The subordinate who was questioned was stunned. The man in the face mask felt incredulous! But before he could calm down, the tracking missiles made a turn. The airnes that managed to dodge the missiles were immediately shot down. Suddenly, they had lost over half of their team! The rest of the airnes did not attack anymore, so they only followed. Janus was dumbfounded as well. "Mr. Johnston, the fired missiles turned back! They even hit a lot of their aircraft!" Jared was also looking outside the window. He saw that Nicole had really done it. She really got rid of half of the enemy''s aircraft in a situation where they had no weapons to themselves! This was something that could only be done by Nicole. "You did it, Nicole!" Jared pecked her on her forehead happily. Nicole looked embarrassed, but she was relieved. "Thank God, I made it in time, so we didn''t get riddled with bullets." Jared smiled. "Yeah, and it''s all thanks to you." Chapter 1923 Chapter 1923 If Nicole had not been there, he would really be in danger. Nicole calmed down as well. "Well, guess we have weapons now. They''re just not here with us." Jared smirked. "Yeaah." Using the enemies'' ammunition to attack them was just like hitting two birds with one stone. This was amazing! As she looked at Jared''s delighted expression, Nicole said, "I just don''t know if they''ll use missiles again." Jared responded, "They will, unless they want us to escape." As expected, the enemy was already close to giving up. "Janus, slow down. We don''t have to escape anymore." With this move, they might even be able to take down their enemies! Nicole agreed. She could not help but smirk when Jared made his decision. "Are you thinking what I''m thinking?" Jared arched his eyebrows. "Since he''s getting revenge for the terrorists who stole the Braves, it only means that the both of them wanted to threaten the world together. How could I marry you without taking down people like them?" He had always been worried about the Raven doing something bad to Nicole while they were here. Now that he had the chance to get rid of the Raven, he can finally be at peace in the future. "Got it, Mr. Johnston." Janus was filled with confidence as well. He still kept a safe distance from the enemies though, allowing them to follow him from a distance. But all Raven''s nes stayed alert. ''They were just dodging our attacks a few minutes ago, but they seem so steady now... They probably came up with an attack n already...'' ''Will they be able to control our missiles if we fire again?!'' At that moment, none of the ck airnes acted rashly anymore. The man in the face mask modified his missiles just to destroy Nicole and Jared on their return. But he did not expect his n to backfire so badly. If he continued to fire, there was a chance that the missiles would attack them instead! But if he did not fire, they could only follow behind them. If they entered Ramania, Nicole and Jared''s support troops will help them! Either way, the Ravens will fail! The man in the mask panicked. "Can someone exin what happened with the missiles?!" At that moment, the co-pilot received a call. "Sir! Our missiles were originally designed as ballistic missiles, but they probably have a system that can modify the mechanism of the missiles." "F*ck! Why did this happen?!" The masked man grew even more anxious. "Come on, think of a n! They''ll reach Ramania in 10 minutes! Their support troop will be there in no time!" "I''ve tried to crack it! But I''ll hide our radar signals first! That way, even if the other side can control the missiles, they won''t be able to locate us." The masked man lit up. "Really?" "Never try, never know!" the co-pilot replied. The masked man immediately ordered, "Everyone, hide your radar signal!" Even if their own men could not track them, it would not matter! Most of them were within their line of sight anyway! "Got it!" On the other hand, all of the marks on Nicole''s radar disappeared. Nicole was intrigued. "Do these losers think it''s helpful to turn off their radar signal?" The radar signal was very important as it could affect her control over the missiles. Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org. "Seems like it, yeah," Jared smirked. He knew that Nicole had a n just by looking at her expression. Nicole smiled yfully. "This is good too..." They can bait them out again! As expected, the Raven quickly ordered, "Fire the A-grade ammunition! Knock them down!" Chapter 1924 Chapter 1924 At the very next moment, all of the helicopters with A-grade ammunition fired at Jared''s ne! Nicole looked murderous. "How quaint! Let me teach you a lesson!" Then, she immediately hacked into the Raven''s system and activated their radar! She managed to switch the missile''s target back to them! "This is bad, boss! Our radar was switched on!" The co-pilot was shocked. He did not expect them to hack into the helicopter''s system! They could even reactivate the programs that they had shut down! "No!!!" The cries from the crew rang in their ears! BOOM! CRASH! Eight other airnes crashed in the sky. Some of them were even flipping mid-air, bringing theirpanions'' nes down with them. The masked man was through the roof. "Jared Johnston!!!" ''Who the hell is on the ne?! How could that person have such expert skills?! How did they even manage to control the missiles?!'' He had gone insane as he lost more than half of his man. "Get them, all of you! Even if it means using our guns, shoot down their ne!" "Yes, sir!" The remaining men looked murderous as well. Losing so many of their men had made them all furious! The remaining airnes opened their doors. They set up their heavy machine guns and chased after Jared''s ne! Nicole saw that they were speeding up and immediately knew that they were going to attack from close range. Jared also saw the ck airnes flying toward them. "They don''t know their ce. We''re not even afraid of their missiles. Do they think we''ll be scared of their machine guns?" They had really underestimated Jared. Nicole looked stern. "We still have to stay away from them. If our engine andnding gear get hit, we''ll be in big trouble." It was tough to battle in the sky. "Don''t worry. Janus knows." Jared looked at her affirmatively. Nicole looked at her phone. Zane had already replied to her, stating that his men will be with them in ten minutes'' time. "Zane''s troops will be here soon. It''ll be nice to take them down, but I don''t want you to take the risk." "Okay." Jared was touched. The old Nicole would risk it all just to get the culprit. But now, with him by her side, she had weaknesses and concerns. For Nicole, Jared was desperate to get rid of the Raven. But he did not want Nicole to worry. Nicole was relieved when Jaredplied. At that moment, Jared sped up. Without their missiles, the ck nes were nothing! "Boss, I think our n is going to fail." The co-pilot was upset, but they did not seem to have a better solution to this. The masked man touched his ear as he thought about his younger brother. If he missed this opportunity, he might not have the chance to avenge his brother, ever! Hence, he responded, "Just do it! Nicole has to die today, no matter what! thuy Even if... it costs us our lives! Call in the jets! Take them down!" He still wanted to call in the jets. Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org. "Boss... We only have five jets..." They were already flying along the coastline in case anything bad happened. ''Isn''t this too much for a single ne?!'' "What else can we do?! Can you get her?! We can''t retreat anymore. We''ve lost too many of our men!" The co-pilot thought it made sense. They had suffered too many casualties. If they failed this time, Jared and Nicole will definitely be on guard. Besides, they could not call in more troops now. In other words, other than this round of attack, they do not seem to have any other choice anymore! Chapter 1925 Chapter 1925 This time, no one objected. The jets that were ced on the coastline got the orders and ascended at top speed. They were nothing less than fighter jets! Soon, Janus realized that there were aircrafting at them at full speed through his radar! "Dang it! Mr. Johnston, there are aircrafting at us at top speed! It''s most probably... deadly!" Nicole''s gaze darkened in an instant. "I didn''t expect them toe prepared." Jared looked serious as well. "How long will Zane''s men take?" Nicole frowned. "7 minutes." At that moment, her radar picked up the jet''s signal. "But the enemies seem to be faster." It seemed like the jets were ced by the coastline, so the jets will reach them before they could reach Ramania! Jared said, "We have to go for it. I''ll just get Janus to speed up." Nicole nodded. "Not now. Give me some time. Let me think of something..." She already cracked the Raven''s helicopter''s system. If they still have the missiles, Nicole might be able to put them to good use when the jets attack! Jared seemed to understand Nicole''s intention, so he did not give the order to Janus. Nicole quickly tried to hack into the system again, trying to take control of the weapons! Subconsciously, Janus still flew the ne faster. He knew that the enemies were fast, so even if he sped up, the jets might still be able to catch up to them. They were just waiting for Nicole to create a miracle. Nicole might even be able to control the jets. At the same time, Nicole was trying to crack the helicopter''s system. The Ravens were d to see their men joining them. "This time, they''re not going to escape!" After a minute, they can finally see the jets. As expected, their money was put to good use. Five of these jets would definitely take Nicole down. Even if they did not have the Braves, obtaining the fire crest was good enough. He could still take over the economy! The masked man was over the moon when he thought about that. He just wanted to kill Nicole! But he did not realize that Nicole had already hacked into their system. Just when the jets passed right by them, Nicole pressed a button. Suddenly, two ck nes fired two B-grade missiles! They immediately hit the first jet that was flying toward them. The jet waspletely unprepared when it got knocked down by itsrade. The first jet immediately lost control and turned to dust in the blink of an eye. This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org. The four jets behind it were shocked and quickly maintained a safe distance from the first jet. But no one knew what was going on. The masked man was stupefied. "What happened?! Those are our men! Have you lost your mind?! How could you fire at our own men?!" The subordinates from the two nes exined, "We didn''t do that, sir! Our ne seems to be under someone''s control!" At that moment, the man in the face mask was shocked. Their missiles had already been taken over. But in just a few minutes, even their helicopter''s system was taken over too! Chapter 1926 Chapter 1926 It was clear that there was a top hacker on the ne! Otherwise, they would never have been able to hack into their system. What was the use of their nes now? They were nothing but Jared''s weapons! "Stay away from the jets!" The masked man wanted to protect his jets, so he quickly ordered them to retreat. He wanted to keep a distance from Jared''s ne so they would not be able to control their weapons. At that moment, the remaining four jets had already caught up to Jared''s ne. BANG! One of the jets fired a missile at Jared''s ne. Due to the high speed, Nicole was still unable to crack the jet''s positioning system. But she still pressed the button! The ck helicopter that could not retreat in time suddenly fired four missiles. It immediately intercepted the missiles fired by the fighter jets. BANG! The sky was filled with sparks. The missiles got intercepted! "Fuck! Retreat!" the masked man ordered hurriedly. But Nicole did not want to give them the chance to do so. "Retreating? You''ll have to go through me first!" Nicole scoffed. Their system was already under Nicole''s control. So, the helicopters basically belonged to her. She was the one in charge! At the same time, the masked man noticed that his ne was under someone''s control as well. Nothing was under his or his subordinates'' control! He panicked. "Turn off the systems! Switch to manual!" This was the only n that he could think of. The jets were clueless now, they immediately asked through the radio, "Sir, what on earth is happening? Why did you intercept us?!" This was friendly fire! All their previous missions had gone to waste! "Someone hacked into our system! Don''t care about us! Shoot down the Johnston Group''s airne at all costs!" "Yes, sir!" After getting their boss''s assurance, the four jets maneuvered mid-air for a bit before charging toward Jared''s ne. Nicole watched. It was the most important moment. She clenched her jaw and waited for them to inch closer. As long as they were close enough, she would be able to take them down. Two of the jets were charging toward them. Nicole immediately pressed the button. A few ck helicopters fired their missiles. Two of the missiles intercepted the jet''s missiles. And the other missiles were directed at the other two jets at the back. One of the jets could not dodge it in time. It was directly hit! The other jet was shocked and quickly turned away. The jet barely dodged the blow. Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org. But Nicole taunted, "You think you dodged it? You wish! That''s a tracking missile!" As expected, though that jet managed to dodge the first blow, the tracking missile made a turn and charged toward it once more. The jet was terrified as it quickly flew low to shake off the missiles. But the missiles continued to trail the jet. There were two other jets remaining. Nicole smiled when she saw how effective it was. "It''s working." Jared was enjoying it as well. It was a losing battle, but they managed to turn the tables because of Nicole. ''Thank God, I brought my wife with me this time.'' Otherwise, it would definitely be an ugly battle. Two of the jets were gone just like that. One of the jets was still being targeted by a missile. The masked man was losing his mind! Chapter 1927 Chapter 1927 The masked man immediately gave orders to the remaining three jets. "Fire together! They can''t dodge all of the missiles!" The helicopters were almost out of missiles, so Nicole will not have much to use. If the jets fired together, the chances of hitting them would definitely increase! The jets obviously knew that things were turning ugly now. They listened to his orders and fired about seven missiles in one shot. Janus was stunned when he saw the number of missiles charging toward them. "Mr. and Mrs. Johnston! There are too many missiles!" Nicole was murderous at this point. "If that''s the case, let''s feast our eyes!" She quickly pressed the button,manding all helicopters to fire. Suddenly, every ck helicopter was firing all of its missiles. The remaining five or six A-grade missiles were targeting thest three jets. As for the B and C-grade missiles, they targeted themselves! Soon, the sky was filled with fire and smoke. All of the ck nes and jets did not know who the target was. CRASH! BOOM! The ck helicopters were hit one after another. Smoke filled the sky in an instant. The masked man heard the co-pilot yelling, "Boss, leave!" Then, the co-pilot''s ne charged in his direction, taking the blows from the missiles that were originally directed toward the masked man. BANG! The masked man watched as the co-pilot''s ne crashed before his eyes. His eyes turned bloodshot. "Jared! Nicole! I''m going to kill the two of you!" His little brother was locked up in an Interpol prison. His men were mostly dead. Even if he died, he was determined to take Nicole and Jared with him! Jared and Nicole looked out the window calmly. Most of the ck helicopters were destroyed. One after another, they blew up in red mes and fell from the sky. The remaining three jets were also flying around as they were targeted by the missiles. Janus was excited. "Sir... We won!" Jared squinted. He did not want Nicole to see such a gory scene anymore. Since they had won, there was no need for them to stay there. "Janus, speed up and leave this ce." "Sure." Janus nodded and continued, "Look up front! Our troops are probably here! I can see Interpol''s logo!" Nicole let out a sigh of relief. "Zane''s here. He can get these peopleter." She felt guilty for resigning yesterday, but now that she had helped Zane with two major issues, she felt that she had done her part. "Yeah." While they were talking, two of the jets were hit in the sky. Thest jet was flying around as he was still being targeted by the missiles. It was bound to lose. Jared and Nicole thought they were finally at peace. But the man in the face mask had gone berserk. "Everyone that survived, let''s avenge our brothers! Let''s die with that ne!!!" The subordinates did not expect their boss to make such an order. But the remaining pilot in the jet knew that he was going to die, regardless of what he did. Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org. So, he yelled through gritted teeth, "I''m going in!" Chapter 1928 Chapter 1928 The masked man gritted his teeth and switched to manual mode, chasing after Jared''s ne. He wanted to die with them! However, his speed was no match for theirs. Janus could sense the danger. "Mr. Johnston! That jet is flying toward us!" Nicole and Jared frowned. "Dodge it!" "We can''t do it!" The size of their ne was too big. It was impossible for them to dodge it. At the same time, Nicole realized that they had no ammunition left. Jared immediately knew that the danger was not over yet. "Mr. Johnston! We''re going to crash into the jet!" Without thinking, Jared immediately wrapped his arms around Nicole when he heard Janus''s cry. In a split second, a crash was heard! The jet directly crashed into their ne. Janus tried to quickly dodge the blow but their engine was hit. "The ne is out of control!" Janus reported as he tried to fly the ne. Jared was just desperately trying to protect Nicole. After a violent spin, their ne was hit again with a loud crash. BANG! Both Nicole and Jared cked out as they were devoured by the sea... But Jared still tried to hold onto Nicole''s hand. Until he hadpletely fallen into the darkness, unconscious... His dream was abnormally lengthy. In his dream, he was searching for Nicole. He felt a lot of regrets. He should not have taken Nicole out of the country. But suddenly, he was brought back to the day they signed their marriage certificate... Jared was holding Nicole''s hand, and Nicole was caressing her tummy lovingly. He blinked again, and he saw a child. The child ran toward him and called him father. Jared smiled gently. Until he heard someone calling for him... "Jared... Jared..." It was his grandfather''s voice. Jared was shocked. ''Why is grandpa here?'' ''Aren''t I supposed to be in Ramania with Nicole?'' "Are you awake, Jared?" Mr. Johnston Sr. saw Jared waking up. He immediately got teary and said to Max, "Get the doctor! Jared''s awake!" "Yes, sir!" Max was shocked as well. He then quickly called the doctor over. Jared gradually regained consciousness. Soon, the doctor rushed over and inspected Jared. "You''re really awake, Mr. Johnston! This means you''re not in a critical condition anymore. You''re stable now, but you still have to take care of yourself. I''ll check on you in a few days," the doctor said excitedly. "Sure, thank you, doc," Max said. The doctor left the room after instructing the nurse to do the IV. Jared could not hold it in anymore. He immediately asked, "Grandpa... Where''s Nicole?" His voice was extremely hoarse. It had been days since hest spoke. His grandfather was taken aback when he heard Jared asking about Nicole. But he still smiled and responded, "Nicole''s fine. She''s taking a rest next door... You have to rest for now." Jared felt heavy and utterly unwell. It was like he was run over by a car, and he was feeling incredibly dizzy as well. But he still insisted, "I want to see Nicole..." Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org. However, he felt light-headed right after he managed to say that. Mr. Johnston Sr. could tell that he was exhausted. "Won''t Nicole worry if she sees you like this? Just take care of yourself. You can see her after you''re feeling better, okay?" Jared was silent. He did not want Nicole to worry, but he missed her deeply. He could only feel at peace if he saw her. But he could only give in when he saw his grandfather''s expression. Once again, he felt heavy and started to drift to sleep. Chapter 1929 Chapter 1929 For the next two days, Jared was in a constant state of going in and out of consciousness. When he regained rity on the third day, he finally realized something was off. If Nicole was fine... She would have visited him! He immediately wanted to get down from his bed. At the same time, Max entered the room. "Mr. Johnston, what are you doing?!" Jared frowned at him. "I want to see Nicole." Max was stunned, but he did not know how to start. Jared knew something was not right. "What happened?!" Max knew that he could never hide it from him forever, but Mr. Johnston Sr. ordered him to hide it from Jared as long as possible. So, he said, "Mr. Johnston. I think it''s best if Mr. Johnston Sr. told you..." He really did not know how to tell Jared. Jared froze. "What happened? Tell me! Now!" Jared got dizzy as soon as he was agitated, so he quicklyid down on the bed. Max knew that he could not hide it anymore. At the same time, Mr. Johnston Sr walked in. Following behind him were Nicole''s parents. Jared immediately felt that something was wrong when he saw Gloria and Daniel. Gloria''s eyes watered when she saw Jared. "Jared... You''re alright?" Jared tried his best to stay awake when he saw how emotional Gloria was. "Mrs. Riddle, what brings you here...?" he asked. Gloria looked at Mr. Johnston Sr. When he nodded, she gradually started exining, "I''m just here to ask... What happened when you and Nicole fell from the airne?" Jared frowned. "Why are you asking this? What happened?!" Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org. Daniel looked at Jared, pained. He did not hide it from him and said, "Nicole is... missing." Jared''s mind went nk. His instincts told him that his grandfather was hiding something from him. But he did not expect it to be Nicole being missing! At that moment, his heart shattered into pieces. "No, it can''t be. Nicole would never..." He and Nicole... They won. Even if their ne crashed, he survived! How could Nicole go missing? Daniel could not bear to see Jared being in so much shock. "I find it hard to believe too... But it has been two weeks. Zane had already sent people out to the sea to search for her but to no avail." Daniel would never lie. But what shocked Jared was... The fact that he was unconscious for two weeks. The amount of time he was unconscious was the amount of time Nicole was missing! "Impossible!" Jared could not hold himself back anymore. He was going to get down from his bed. "It''s impossible! I''m going to find Nicole!" Mr. Johnston Sr. quickly got Max to hold Jared down when he saw that Jared had lost control. "Mr. Johnston! The Marines are on the search! They couldn''t find her!" With this line, Jaredpletely froze. ''Even the Marines couldn''t find Nicole?'' ''How is this possible?'' "I have to see her body to believe she''s dead!" Jared roared through gritted teeth. Mr. Johnston Sr. felt the same. "I agree, that''s why Mr. Riddle and I have never stopped searching for her. But we couldn''t find anything... Mrs. Gloria has been waiting for you to regain consciousness so she can get something out of you when you''re in a more stable state." Chapter 1930 Chapter 1930 At this moment, Jared had no other choice but to believe what they said. Suddenly, he lost all his strength andid on the bed helplessly as his pupils lost focus. "No. No way..." Jared murmured weakly. Thest moment he had with Nicole kept ying over and over again in his head, yet he could not recall what happened after he fell into the water. His chest throbbed in pain as he forced himself to be calm. Then, he asked Max, "What about Janus? Have you talked to him?" Max suddenly kept quiet. At that moment, Jared realized something. Mr. Johnston Sr. saw what happened and spoke slowly, "Janus had sacrificed himself..." Nicole went missing and Janus sacrificed himself. Jared was so shocked that he could hardly catch his breath. Suddenly, he felt his head spinning and the expression on his face turned extremely unpleasant. "Mr. Johnston! Do you need a doctor?" Max went to check on Jared worriedly. Mr. Johnston Sr., Daniel, and Gloria stepped forward too. Gloria''s heart broke when she looked at Jared. "Jared, calm down. Nicole already went missing... I can''t lose you as well..." Jared was already like a son to them, and they would be devastated if anything bad happened to him too. Jared looked at Gloria''s eyes which were red from crying. Then, he tried tofort her while suppressing his own emotions. "Mrs. Riddle, I promise I''ll find Nicole. Don''t worry..." Gloria knew that Jared was just trying tofort her, but it worked anyway. "What exactly happened to you guys? Zane personally sent his men to escort you back here and he also got a lot of people to keep you protected." There were many reasons that led Mr. Johnston Sr. into thinking that something very serious happened to Jared and Nicole when they were aboard. Jared looked at Daniel and Gloria, and he knew that he had to give them an exnation. So, he told them every single thing that had happened. He told them about how the Raven''s nes attacked them, and they tried their best to escape... But they crashed anyway. Gloria cried as soon as she heard that. "Nicole... my child..." Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org. Tears welled up in Daniel''s eyes too. He would never expect that fate would trick Nicole like this after she decided to retire and return to her family. And now she was missing... Jared looked at their depressed eyes. His heart felt like it was getting stabbed, painful and torturous. He looked at Max. "Book a flight for this evening. I''ll go to Ramania to look for her myself!" Max had updated him about thetest situation. Zane began searching for them as soon as he arrived at the scene. Although the ne had crashed, there was a certain amount of air inside that slowed it down from sinking into the water after the crash. That was also the reason why Zane''s men could still get Jared out of there. However, strangely enough, Nicole was not next to Jared. Between Jared and the other bodyguards, only the people who stayed at the back section of the ne managed to survive. As for Janus... Janus and the bodyguards who were stationed at the other section were all crushed to death under the impact. The battle was tragic. However, Jared was able to ept all of it. But he just could not understand why God had to take Nicole away from him at this time. She was already pregnant with his baby, and they were going to get married soon! His heart hurt so much that he struggled to breathe. The only thing that he wanted to do was to go back to the scene and look for Nicole. Max looked at Jared and said downheartedly, "Mr. Spears has not been resting for several days, trying to locate Miss Riddle. He even personally led a diving team to search for her. They went looking for her in the nearby waters, and she''s still nowhere to be found..." Chapter 1931 Chapter 1931 Max was trying to tell that it would be almost impossible for him to find Nicole even if he went there. "I''m going there, no matter what!" Jared needed to see her body even if she was dead. He could not just give up on her like that! His grandfather patted the back of his hand sadly. "I know this is difficult for you to ept, but it is the reality. Zane has consulted with the experts, and Nicole... may have already died, and her body was probably washed away by the water..." They initially thought that Jared would be able to recall some of his memories, but their hope gradually fell apart as days passed... "I don''t care. I''ve got to go...." He refused to believe that Nicole would leave him. Nicole had been such a tough person, and she could always find a solution to everything. Jared thought to himself, ''This is impossible. We''re going to get married... ''Yet she left me?'' Jared could not believe it. Daniel realized that Jared was not able to recall anything as he looked at Gloria, who had been weak for a few days, and said, "Gloria, let''s leave the rest to Jared... We should head back and give him some space." Gloria was extremely reluctant, but she knew staying was not going to change anything. So, she bit her lip and said to Jared and Mr. Johnston Sr., "Jared, Mr. Johnston Sr., Nicole is now in your hands..." Even though they knew that the chances of finding her were slim, they still held onto a glimmer of hope. "Sure." Mr. Johnston Sr. sighed as he did not have the heart to reject such a desperate favor from Gloria. Then, Daniel left with Gloria. Mr. Johnston Sr. frowned and looked at Jared. "How could you not tell me about this earlier? novelebook Why did you make such a risky move?" Jared looked back at him. "I just wanted to give Nicole some reassurance, so that she could marry me without having to worry about anything..." However, he would never have expected that very decision to cause him to lose Nicole forever. Mr. Johnston Sr.''s eyes turned cold as he said tly, "I''ve sent people to search for Nicole too, and I''ve talked to the Riddle family about it. We''re looking for clues along the coast of Ramania, but we couldn''t get anything so far." Jared noticed that something was not right. "At least her body isn''t found yet." To some extent, that was considered good news to him. "Yeah..." Mr. Johnston Sr. heaved a long sigh before he continued talking to Jared. However, he knew that it was impossible to change Jared''s mind, so he agreed with him to go to Ramania. Jared boarded the ne. He had high hopes that he would see Nicole again. However, he was not expecting that the search would take him five years. Five yearster... A graceful and imposing woman got out of the ne with an air of arrogance at the airport of San Joto. She was approached by a man as soon as she stepped outside. "Miss Niki!" Niki looked over and saw the man who would follow her every time she went aboard, novelebookIan Neal. Niki was not expecting that Leo would send him to pick her up at all. Content provided by N?velDrama.Org. "Miss Niki, the car''s over there." Niki nodded and went into the car with Ian. Ian started the car and reported to Niki, "I''ve located where the little man is. He''s here for a hacking contest, but his entry was rejected because he''s too young. He''s at Lance Hotel now." "How dare this little brat sneak out behind my back! I''m going to teach him a lesson when I see him later." Chapter 1932 Chapter 1932 Niki had no idea what sin shemitted that led to her having such a wicked child. Her son actually tricked a newly hired nanny to bring him here. Leo told her that she had enemies here and that she should not step onto thend of Hustuaburg without any specific reason. However, she had toe here for that little brat because she knew very well that only she would be able to take him away. She had no other choice. "We only have two hours to get him out of here." "Yes, Miss Niki." Ian nodded seriously. Very soon, they arrived at Lance Hotel. Ian looked at the GPS tracker on his phone and led Niki to a room. Then, Ian knocked on the door. However, there was no sound at all inside. "Nana." He called out to the nanny. But there was no one in the room. Ian noticed that something was wrong, so he immediately called the front desk. However, Niki already knew what was happening at that time. "Save it. I''m sure that the little brat found out about the GPS and left his phone here." Then, she turned on her electronic watch. Nike was not surprised that he did that. He was her son, after all. And at that time, Niki had already located where the nanny''s phone was. "Where''s this ce?" Niki zoomed into the map and showed it to Ian. Ian was stunned. "This is the contest venue." Ian could not figure out why Niki''s son would still be there after his entry was denied! Niki''s gaze darkened. "He would definitely watch the contest even if he couldn''t participate in it! novelebookDid you think that he''d just wait here?" It was all her fault for hacking every day during her pregnancy. She was the reason her son was so talented and could start coding at just the age of two. Also, her son had made exceptional progress in the past two years which made him known among the Hunters. His biggest dream at that time was to squeeze himself into the top ten on the leaderboard so that he could catch up to Niki who was ranked sixth. Niki was surprised that her son would utilize his knowledge to use it against her! It was not easy, being a mother! "Let''s get going now." Half an hour had passed, and she needed to leave thisnd within two hours. "Sure." Ian nodded and quickly took Niki to the contest venue. There were many types of hacking contests, but the most prestigious one would always be held in San Joto, Hustuaburg. Rumor had it that many remarkable hackers appeared in this hacking contest here. It was even said that two hackers who ranked first and second on the leaderboard once battled each other here five years ago... Unfortunately... she had lost all memories from five years ago. She had never been to or witnessed such a grand event, but she used to imagine taking part in this contest throughout the five years. However, she was ambushed right on the first year she came to participate, and lucky enough, Leo''s men made it here just in time to save her. She only found out that she had a lot of enemies in Hustuaburg, so she never set foot in thisnd ever since and had been living on an ind near the border of Ramania. She would never have returned here if it was not to bring the little brat back. She would never have... witnessed such a grand event too! Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org. She was somewhat stunned when she looked at the contest venue that could fit several thousand in the audience.novelebook ''The economic capability of Hustuaburg is impressive... ''To be organizing a hacking contest on this scale!'' Niki put on a pair of sunsses and a jacket before entering the venue in a low-key manner. She could not help but be amazed by the magnificent scene before her eyes. For some reason, she felt like staying a little longer. Ian looked at Niki and said, "Miss Niki, wait for me here. I''ll go look for the little man." Chapter 1933 Chapter 1933 "Oh... Alright then," Niki responded. Niki initially wanted to find her son, but she found it difficult to move away from the exciting duel in the center of the arena. ''Is it d¨¦j¨¤ vu? Why is this scene so familiar?'' she wondered. Niki could not help but stand still, somewhat dazed, but with a sense of familiarity. Afraid of blocking others'' view, she found a ce and gradually sat down. In the middle of the arena, it seemed that they had reached the final stage of thepetition. People were discussing thepetition.novelebook "Preston seems powerful. He''s ranked tenth on The Hunter''s leaderboard now." "It''s no use. Zeke is in first ce. Thest time he lost was five years ago, and to the previous first ce, Lucifer." Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org. Unexinably, the name Lucifer struck a chord in Niki''s heart. This name shed a scene of memories in her mind for a fleeting moment. Niki felt short of breath and turned to look at the people on stage. The big screen zoomed in on the face of the two duelists. Niki felt that these two faces seemed all too familiar. ''What''s going on?'' Just as she was lost in thought, a little guy suddenly clung to her leg. "Mommy! You''re here to watch thepetition too?!" Nn pouted cutely while clinging to her leg mischievously. Niki''s attention instantly shifted to Nn, clearing all her difort. She turned a blind eye to Nn wooing and flicked his forehead. "You dare smile!" With a thud, Nn felt a bump on his head. "Ouch! Mommy, that hurts!" Nn pouted his cute mouth, pretending to be upset. Most people would be reluctant to continue hitting such a cute child. However, Niki knew his appearance did not match his mischievous nature. Even if he was adorable on the outside, he was a devilish kid on the inside. "Cut that out! You dare take Nana away and take her everywhere with you?! It''s dangerous outside!" Nn could not help but pout. "I have Mommy and stepdaddy. Even if I get in danger, I know you''ll come and save me!" Niki''s expression turned mncholy as she squatted down and whispered to him, "Nn, we''re already causing a lot of trouble for your stepdad. You can''t be willful and make him so worried about you." Nn widened his innocent, big eyes. Now that his mother has found him, he would only get punished if he talked back. So, he nodded. "Alright, I get it. I only wanted topete in thispetition." "You''re still young. You''ll have plenty of chances in the future," Niki said. Her manner rxed slightly. After being at the arena personally, she realized that Nn was not the only one longing for this competition. "I''m sorry, Mommy. I was wrong. But since I''m already here, can I finish watching the rest of the competition? This is the finals,"novelebook Nn begged with a pitiful act. Niki looked at him with a face of helplessness. Checking the time, she noticed they still had an hour, while thepetition was going to finish in half an hour. So, she might as well stay and watch. "Alright, just half an hour. After that, we have to leave. Your sister is still waiting for us at home." Niki agreed to his request. Despite feeling bad about leaving her daughter alone for the previous two days, she was happy to fulfill her son''s request this time. Nn quickly jumped for joy and eximed, "Yay! Thank you, Mommy!" Chapter 1934 Chapter 1934 At this moment, Ian hesitatingly said, "Ms. Niki. Mr. Leo has learned that you''re in Hustuaburg and told us to leave when we find Nn." "Just half an hour more. Let him finish watching thepetition. He might not have a chance toe to Hustuaburg anymore," Niki said. Ian could not bear to refuse her request and held back his concerns. "Okay, I shall wait for you at the side." With that, he went to the back, allowing Niki to resume watching the match with Nn. At this moment, thepetition on stage had entered a stalemate. Niki observed the moves of the first- ranked yer and mentally simted how she would approach the opponent. Nn eagerly asked, "Mommy, are these two really the top ten masters on the leaderboard? Why are their skills so mediocre?" Two audience members in the front were instantly agitated upon hearing Nn''sment. "What do you know, kid? Don''t talk nonsense if you don''t know what''s happening." "I know, right? These two are the best of the best. Their skills are incredible!" Aggrieved by their reproach, Nn retorted, "You call this incredible? My mom is a million times better than them!" Content provided by N?velDrama.Org. In Nn''s heart, he felt that he did not even need to mention his mother. He believed that even he could easily deal with them, without taking so long. "Whose spoiled brat are you? Where''s your mother?" "Is it the one beside him?" The two audiences looked at Niki, a young woman in her twenties wearing a coat and sunsses. She did not look like a top hacker at all. Niki did not expect Nn, who said he just wanted to watch the game, would piss people off with just a few words. novelebookShe subconsciously wanted to say something, but Nn turned more heated. "That''s right! She''s my mom! My mom''s in sixth ce on the leaderboard!" Nn cried out. The people surrounding them were stunned by his words. "She''s sixth ce on the leaderboard?" "Is there another master here?" "Is it really true? Then why didn''t shepete in thepetition?" Many people were in high spirits, hearing that the sixth ce on the leaderboard was present. Everyone wanted to witness the showdown between the gods of hacking. As if sensing the audience''smotion, the camera unexpectedly turned toward Niki and Nn. "There seems to be amotion in the audience section over there! I hear that another god hase in person!" the host announced aloud, without minding making things worse. All attention was focused on the audience section. Niki did not anticipate the camera''s sudden focus on her and subconsciously tried to dodge it. However, the camera still captured her face on the big screen. At that moment, Zeke and Preston on stage saw that zoomed-in face. Even if she was wearing sunsses, no one could forget her, that face everyone yearned for. "N-Nicole?!" Preston stood up abruptly, forgetting about thepetition. Gary and Ryder, who were in the spectator stand, were also stunned. They were thinking whether it was a coincidence that someone looked so alike to Nicole''s face. At that very moment, Niki sensed something odd. Many people were watching her, and her face was exposed on the big screen.novelebook Fearing that her enemies woulde knocking on her door, she knew she could no longer stay there. "Nn, let''s go!" Without a second thought, Niki turned around and ran with her child. Ian sensed the urgency too and hurried to escort them out. Preston was the first to jump off the stage and directly ran in Niki''s direction without caring about the competition. Zeke also realized something was up and hurriedly followed. Now, the organizers and hosts panicked. "Where are you going?! Thepetition is still going on!" Chapter 1935 Chapter 1935 However, Preston and Zeke no longer paid attention to what the host and organizers were shouting about. That person had been missing for five years. Even if it was just a lookalike, they wanted to verify whether it was Nicole. Unfortunately, Niki''s car sped down the road when Preston got out. He could only stop to catch his breath. Zeke caught up and asked, "Did you get a better look? Was it Nicole?" Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org. Preston replied, "Very simr! But she got into a car and left." Preston had no idea where to find her. Zeke froze for a while, but then quickly thought of someone. "There''s one person who could definitely find her!" Preston knew who Zeke was referring to. He took out his phone and called that person. novelebookAfter twenty minutes, Niki arrived at the airport. She had been in a panic and scolding Nn all along the journey. Nn felt sullen. "I-I just thought... that Mommy''s really good." Niki sighed. She noticed that she understood their strategies better than they did, and she knew how to block their attacks. She was very eager to try it out because she felt in charge. That was why, when Nn began to argue with the other audience members, she did not respond in time. "Let it go. It''s in the past now. We''re leaving soon." Ian had bought their tickets in advance, so they could leave once they smoothly boarded. Niki waited at the terminal with Nn while Ian helped them get their boarding passes. However, her mind was still thinking about thepetition. Niki felt a sense of familiarity with thispetition and the people involved. Her memory did not fully recover after all these years. It was useless no matter how many ways she tried to regain it. But today, for the first time in five years, familiar scenes shed through her mind. ''Are these people my enemies? Maybe that''s why I remember them,'' Niki thought. She did not dare dwell on it, though inexplicably, she did not want to leave this ce. She was afraid that her enemies might find her. It was alright if she was alone, but she had to consider the safety of her children. "Ms. Niki, here''s your boarding pass. Everything''s settled. This way, please," Ian guided, already back to her side. Nicole stopped pondering over the matter and took Nn to the security checkpoint. She and Nn did not have much luggage and soon passed through security. Her heart started beating faster as she got closer to the boarding gate. When they reached the queue at the boarding gate, the uneasy feeling in her intensified. "Ms. Niki. It''s our turn." Ian gestured as it was their turn. Niki took Nn''s hand and approached the ticket inspector. The ticket inspector verified their identities and information. novelebookAll of a sudden, she felt a sharp gaze fixated on her. The feeling of being caught and stared at by a predator pierced through her heart. Niki subconsciously turned her head, and her eyes met that piercing gaze. In that instant, Niki trembled as if her heart was stuck by something. She stood still, unable to move. She watched as that tall man rushed over with a dozen men in ck toward her direction. The tall man shouted, "Nicole!" Chapter 1936 Chapter 1936 ''Nicole? What a familiar name. Was that my original name? Mr. Leo once said he had helped change my documents and household registration to avoid recognition. Maybe that''s why this name seems so familiar. But who is this person in front of me? With so many men in ck with him, is he my enemy?'' Niki thought. The memory of the previous attack made Niki''s face turn pale. Instinctively, she ced herself in front of Nn, shielding him. Wide-eyed, Nn backed away in fear as the tall man approached. The look on Ian, who had already passed the ticker check, changed as soon as he saw Jared. Without so much as a thought, he tried to pull Niki away. novelebook"Ms. Niki. We have to go!" However, Jared had made his way to Niki and was forcefully pulling her into his embrace. Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org. "Ms. Niki!" Ian proceeded to rush over, but Jared''s men arrived and seized Ian. They then bent Ian''s arm and kept it held behind his back. The sudden turn of events roused within Niki the urge to resist and subdue Jared. Jared was left feeling a little perplexed by her response. He had never expected the person he had desperately been searching for in the past five years to look at him in fear, even wanting to attack him. Jared was all too familiar with Nicole''s moves. He immobilized her, pinning her arms behind her back. ''Her moves are still the same, but when ites to strength, she seems so much weaker than she used to be,'' Jared thought. As Jared was still left in a state of confusion, he felt a sudden jolt of pain in his leg, and when he looked down, he saw that a child with delicate features had bitten him. "Bad man! Let go of my Mommy!" Jared looked at the little rascal and noticed the familiarity in his features. ''Could this be our son? Come to think about it, she was indeed pregnant when I lost her five years ago!'' In high spirits, he turned to Max and ordered, "Take this little brat back with us!" "Alright!" Max nodded and lifted Nn into his arms. "Nn! You let go of my boy!" Niki yelled, now registering Jared as her enemy, her eyes filled with hatred. A glint of pain shed across Jared''s eyes as he stared into hers which were full of animosity that was directed at him. It had been five years since Nicole had gone missing, but Jared had never stopped searching for her. More than once, he had even dreamed of their reunion and fantasized about how it would turn out. He had never, not even once, anticipated that Nicole would look at him with such hatred. His expression turned cold. He remained silent, and forcefully dragged Nicole off, bringing her away. Ian was struggling as well, but his efforts were in vain. He could only wait for the chance to notify Mr. Leo about itter. Inside the car, Niki and Jared were sitting side by side. The atmosphere was extremely tense. Meanwhile, Niki was deep in thought, brainstorming for ways to escape with Nn. ''This enemy is not easy,'' thought Niki. Jared merely stared at her, his eyes still icy and distant. novelebookNiki could sense that he was looking at her with an assortment of emotions ying out across his face and his eyes. However, as soon as she thought of Nn, she decided that she could not afford to care or think about the man''s repressed feelings. Her only desire was to get away. Seeing that the man was not restraining her, she seized the chance and tapped her electronic watch, sending a distress signal to Mr. Leo, who would soon dispatch his man to rescue her once he received the signal. Throughout the journey, nobody said anything until they reached a luxurious mansion. Chapter 1937 Chapter 1937 For some unknown reason, Niki felt an intense feeling of familiarity washing over her as soon as she stepped out of the car, and in her mind, there were even more blurry memories drifting around. She involuntarily gazed off at the house located next to the mansion. ''Why do I feel as if I''m familiar with both of the houses? What is going on?'' Jared''s eyes lit up with suspicion as he observed the look of confusion on Niki''s face, which made it seem as if this was her first time here. Soon, Nn got out of the car behind them and threw himself into Niki''s arms. Content provided by N?velDrama.Org. "Mommy! He didn''t hurt you, right?" Nn red at Jared. Niki, fearing that Nn would raise his ire, immediately lifted the former into her embrace. "He did not. You can keep your worries at bay." Nn finally settled down after her words of reassurance. Jared, on the other hand, had felt an inexplicable sense of anguish when Nn directed his hostile gaze at him. Nheless, he still spoke to them gently. "Let''s get in." Niki did not dare to offend him recklessly, so she followed him inside. Ian was not present here, so she had to find a way to make this man let go of him. novelebookTo soothe his emotions, she apanied him into the living room. However, the closer she got to the living room, the stronger that sense of familiarity became. At this point, Niki began to believe Mr. Leo, who had stated that she had once lived in Hustuaburg. Perhaps that was why she felt such an overwhelming sense of familiarity with this ce. Jared slowly walked over as Niki surveyed her surroundings with a strange expression on her face. He then took his coat off and made a cup of coffee for her. Niki regarded Jared with some suspicion as she looked at the mug of coffee. ''Why is this guy so kind? He even made me a cup of coffee." Jared nced at her, asking, "What is it? Are you afraid that I''ve poisoned it?" Niki''s eyes dimmed slightly, knowing full well that this was a tactic to provoke her. It was then that Nn chimed in. "You are a bad guy! We cannot drink your stuff!" At that moment, Niki gave him a cold sneer. "It''s only natural that I''m scared. Since you''ve brought me here, there must be something you want to say. However, as a guest, I should be afraid of nothing." With that said, Niki took the cup and took a sip of the coffee. The rich vor profile of the coffee froze her for a moment as she sat holding the cup in her hand. This made me think, ''This is such a great coffee.'' She savored it slowly, as each note washed over her pte with a sense of familiarity. At that moment, she inexplicably found Jared to be more pleasing to the eyes. Noting Niki''s preference for the coffee, Jared could not help but feel a surge of satisfaction. "Your taste did not change one bit." Although she was still ring at him with hostility at the airport, this preference was unique to Nicole; Jared confirmed that Niki was indeed Nicole. Thinking about this, Jared tightened his grip on the cup. The eagerness in his eyes was obvious as he looked at Nicole. Niki was feeling uneasy under Jared''s intense gaze, and that was when she slowly set her coffee cup down. She then broached the subject by asking, "I don''t know who you are. We must have some connection since you''ve gone out of your way to capture me, right?" Niki deliberately did not reveal their enmity and continued smiling, "I lost my memories five years ago, so I can''t remember you. I''m sorry.novelebook But judging by how you''ve treated us, I don''t think you''re a bad person. Are you?" Nikiid the dynamic of the rtionship bare for Jared, hoping he would not confront her so soon. However, Jared had noticed Nicole''s foxy demeanor, and was thus able to confirm once again what her identity was. The Niki in front of him was indeed Nicole, but one who could no longer recognize him. The joy of reunion was tinged with sadness and mncholy in his eyes. And yet, it exined the reason as to why Nicole had not returned to him during the past five years. Chapter 1938 Chapter 1938 At that moment, Jared felt at peace. This situation was far more preferable in contrast to his restless nights of dreaming and longing for Nicole over the past five years. As long as he had found her, it would not matter if he needed to reestablish their rtionship. With that thought in mind, he chuckled. "Well, if that''s the case, let''s get to know each other again." Jared''s smile was full of charm. However, to Niki, his smile contained within it a feeling that was unfathomable to her. ''This is interesting! An enemy wants to get to know me again! What''s the meaning of this? Does this mean he is willing to let go of the past and start over again?'' As she was thinking about this, Niki breathed a sigh of relief. No matter what happened, it was best to appease this man to protect her child and ensure her own safety. "Emm... Could you perhaps release mypanion?" Niki asked. She and Nn were safe now, but Niki could not predict how Jared would treat Ian. novelebookHowever, Jared was naturally willing to amodate any of her requests. "Sure. However, he can''t stay by your side," Jared cautiously informed, squinting his eyes. Nicole had disappeared for five years without a trace, and Jared could not find her no matter what he did. Yet, she had apanion by her side the moment she reappeared. Therefore, Jared had to confirm his suspicions about that person''s background. "That''s fine. As long as you let him leave in peace," Niki replied. After all, Ian would undoubtedly get Mr. Leo to extract her once he returned. Therefore, it was only a matter of time before they left this ce. Jared observed Niki, unable to put a finger on what she was nning. He then looked at Nn''s vignt eyes. Not wanting to frighten him, Jared turned to Niki, "You should get some rest first. We can talkter after you and the child have rested." "Thank you." Niki sighed once Jared had gotten off her back. The servants led Niki and Nn to the room upstairs, while Jared watched her until her room door had closed. Max went on to inform Jared, "Mr. Johnston. Did Miss Nicole lose her memories?" Max was just rejoicing, happy for Jared, as he had finally found her. However, to his surprise, Nicole had lost her memories. Jared was still smiling, seemingly in a very good mood. "That doesn''t matter. You should look into the guy who was with her. Check where she lived for these past five years. Oh, and one more thing. Try to check that little boy''s DNA." Max was left feeling a little confused by that request. "Are you suspecting something?" N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. Jared brushed off Max''s question. He was the only one who knew that Nicole had left while she was still pregnant at that time. Judging by the little guy''s age and the simrities between the boy''s eyebrows and his own, Jared trusted his intuition. Upstairs, the mother and son duo proceeded to take a rest in the bedroom.novelebook As she walked into the clean bedroom, Niki had a hunch that it had been meticulously taken care of. However, she was utterly confused, and did not understand the reason as to why the man would let her live in such a room. Nn saw aputer in the room and climbed up on the chair to turn it on. In response, Niki frowned at Nn''s actions. "Why did you turn theputer on?" Nn replied, "To inform stepdad, of course! Besides, I can also find out who this guy is!" In his mind, Nn was wondering, ''I have to figure out who this guy is, since he dared to capture Mommy and I!'' Niki smiled. "Not bad. Well then, you can take the job. I''ll just take a break." Chapter 1939 Chapter 1939 ''It''s nice to have such a clever son,'' Niki thought as she leaned on the bed frame, knowing she had nothing to worry about. Then, she closed her eyes and reyed the scene where she had met Jared at the airport. Her eyes widened at an instant. ''Was this an illusion?'' Niki''s eyes were filled with shock and hurt. Furthermore, it did not take Nn long to glean and uncover some information about Jared. "No wonder Dillion had the guts to arrest him! He''s a business giant in San Joto and a well-known figure in both the dark web and in the real world!" At that moment, Niki could not help but open her eyes while murmuring, "No wonder your godfather mentioned that he wouldn''t let me return to Hustuaburg! I didn''t think they''d be this powerful..." Niki could recall Leo saying, ''If they hunt her down, it will most likely be his doing.'' ''For a person who wants me gone, he can''t be this merciless to someone who has suffered amnesia and is carrying a child. But who knows when he might turn against us again. For now...I guess running away is all we can do...'' As he heard his mom''s words, Nn said, "Mommy, if the enemy is so powerful, aren''t you done for?" Niki gave him a nk look in return. "You rascal. Shut up. Stop jinxing it." Deep down, Nicole knew that the situation was a sticky one, but she had to remain calm nheless. "Jinxing? Well, jinxing it is, then. It''s a good thing you brought me along, I can help you teach that guy a lesson!" Nn quickly mmed the ''enter'' key once he had spoken. Having a terrible feeling about this, Niki turned to probe Nn at once. "Nn Riddle! What did you do!?" By the time Niki reached theputer, it was already toote. She looked at it, noticing that Nn had done something to quickly invade the system. She was taken aback by that, and quickly pushed Nn to the side, whereupon she started to recall their steps. "It''s pointless. By the time you unlock it, it''ll already be over as the system will bepletely unusable." Nn smiled. Niki became extremely anxious. ''How could he be doing stupid things like this to start a fight with the demons!?'' "Nn Riddle! Are you insane? Do you even know that we are in the hands of the devil right now? Do you have a death wish? How dare you provoke him?" she yelled. However, the boy was still unapologetic. "I was just teaching him a lesson! So don''t worry about him finding out about it." Nn then pursed his lips proudly. Not wanting to further the argument, she attempted to breach Nn''s defense system before shutting his offensive protocols down. ''It''s indeed such a shame...Even the mighty Johnston Group''s system has copsed with no hope of restoration...'' Niki said, feeling her wrinkles deepening. ''This d*mn son! I have spoiled him too much. I cannot believe he would do such a d*mn thing. Lord, how could I make this up?'' she asked herself. An hourter, at the Johnston Group headquarters, Jared hurried over, asking, "What''s going on! Why did our system crash!?" The entire IT department lowered their heads, before the leaderpelled himself to speak up. novelebook"Mr. Johnston...we have encountered an unprecedented hacker attack. We''ve never witnessed such an untraceable attack before, the scale of which can bepared to the one from five years ago. This time around it''s even more disastrous." Jared''s heart sank when the mention of the event from five years ago was brought to light. Five years ago, Nicole was the reason why the Johnston Group''s system had been breached. Ever since then, the Johnston Group had been using the defense system Nicole had made, which nobody was able to crack. However, today was the day someone managed to do it. ''Was this a coincidence? It''s also the same day she came back...'' he wondered. Once Jared had thought about it, he immediatelymanded, "Let''s head out. I''ll find someone who can reformat the entire system, while you guys can just keep the system up for the time being until we can get the new one online." "Yes, sir." The entire IT department scrambled to their feet and left. Max then asked Jared, "Mr. Johnston, do you want me to call Preston and Zeke over?" "Yeah, let theme over and help me deal with it first." Jared rubbed his forehead to ease his headache, his mind brimming with thoughts about Nicole. "I''ll leave it to you. I''ll head back first." Jared said, wanting to return home and set the record straight once and for all.Content provided by N?velDrama.Org. Chapter 1940 Chapter 1940 Niki was praying that the ''devil'' would note after her, but at that moment, as if he had heard her prayers, her doorbell rang. This made her very nervous. She calmly walked over and opened the door, unable to stop herself from giving Jared a gentle smile the second they saw one another. "Mr. Johnston, what can I do for you?" Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org. Jared stared at Nicole, and all of his concerns immediately went out of the window the instant he caught sight of her face. ''How can I get mad at her after five years of not seeing her?'' Jared peeked at theptop on the table behind Nicole, and pretended to be calm. "There was an attack on mypany''s system earlier. Do you... happen to know about this?" Niki immediately shot her sleeping son a nce. ''That little b*stard has really caused a great deal of trouble. Look at him, sleeping so peacefully after stuffing himself full and leaving me, his mother, to deal with the mess he has made!'' Niki felt a sense of despair knowing that Jared hade all the way to find her. Even if she were to stall, Jared could still get someone to track the IP address down. Thus, Niki gritted her teeth and said, "It was me..." ''I can''t say this was done by my son now, can I?'' she thought. Jared frowned. "So it really was you." ''Other than Nicole, there is nobody else capable of cracking her own system.'' Jared sighed, unable to stop himself from asking, "Why?" Then, he unconsciously took a step forward, approaching Nicole with an intimidating presence. The sudden move prompted Niki to instinctually back away until she was cornered. ''This dude is way too...intimidating.'' "It''s a misunderstanding...I...I will find a way to fix it. I''ll make you a new system, if you don''t mind...," Niki blurted out. ''I guess I can only use this way to appease the devil himself. I mustn''t do anything to piss him off,'' she strategized. However, at this time, Jared was already so close to Nicole that he could catch the scent of her hair on his nose. ''She still uses the same shampoo as before. The fragrance on her entire body. Gosh, I''ve missed it so much for the past five years,novelebook'' Jared thought to himself, unable to restrain himself. Then, he ced his hands on the wall behind her, locking her in position. "So, is that it? How do you think you can make up for the losses I''ve suffered today?" Jared asked in a low voice. Seeing this, Niki felt that she was damned. ''This b*stard is so damn charming! I must be going crazy. How can I find my adversary so attractive!? Though I can''t remember what beef I had with him before...I can''t allow him to harass me like this.'' With that thought in mind, she instinctively raised her knee, driving it up onto his crotch. "Ouch!'' Jared roared in pain, not expecting Nicole to do such a thing to him. His face immediately turned red. "YOU!!" ''I can''t believe this girl would hit me,'' he fumed. Niki quickly took the opportunity to duck away from him, before turning around and saying, "How much is your loss? I''ll...I''ll wire you the money." ''Though Niki loved her money very much, she would not easily give it away like that.'' Meanwhile, Jared was bright red, cowering in pain with both hands on his crotch. "Do you think I am strapped for cash?!" ''Does she really think that I am asking her for money?'' he thought. "Well, then it''s impossible that you don''t have women fawning over you!" she argued. ''I mean he''s a desirable bachelor anyway, so how can he not have women fawning over him?'' she asked herself. "Who said I have women fawning over me!" Jared was angry as he red at her/ ''After five long years, I''ve never thought she would be able to say such things to me.'' Niki was taken aback. ''What is happening? Does that mean he doesn''t have women pursuing him? No...it can''t be...'' Chapter 1941 Chapter 1941 ''I''ve been raising a child on my own, so how could he have feelings for me? Is it possible...that he likes women with children? Gah, I must stop thinking too much in that context.'' Appalled, Niki scrambled onto the seat in front of herptop and said, "I''ll figure out a way to fix your company''s system. Then, I''ll try to make up for your losses..." As Nicole typed away at the keyboard, Jared suppressed his pain, trying to relive his memories.novelebook ''I just want to hold her in my embrace and teach her a lesson, but...now I''m just a stranger to her.'' Gritting his teeth, he took a seat and stared at Nicole who was on herptop. Niki could sense his gaze. She bit her lips while pretending to repair the system. Meanwhile, Jared took several deep breaths, trying to calm himself down. At that moment, his phone rang. It was a call from Max, which Jared answered after he got up and left the room. "Mr. Johnston, thepany''s systems are being repaired at a very quick pace. Did you find someone to do it?" Max asked. "It''s Nicole. It should be up and running soon," Jared replied calmly. Max breathed a sigh of relief. "That''s good to know. By the way, the current information about Miss Riddle has been sent to your email address. There''s not much, but you should go take a look." "Okay." Jared nodded and hung up before opening his email to view Nicole''s information. ''Her name has been changed...to Niki...'' ''For the past five years, she''s been living on a small ind in Ramania.'' Jared thought, confused. ''I''ve been to Ramania several times before and I''ve even hired some locals to search the ind in exchange for a reward, but to no avail.'' Jared continued browsing through her personal details. ''It seems like she''s acting like apletely new person without any traces of her past. She made it look like she had no connections to Nicole, whatsoever.'' ''Even if I were to see both of them with my own eyes, it would be hard for me to put my finger on this. Even after scouring the inte for photos of Nicole, nothing has been sessful,'' Jared thought to himself, suspecting that someone might have deliberately sabotaged his search. As he was thinking about it, he opened the door, hoping to get an answer from Nicole herself. Niki heard the sound of her front door opening and issued a sigh of relief. "Okay, I''ve reset the system for you. I promise you that your system now is better than ever...but there''s a small part of your old system that''s still there. It''s quite sturdy. It was probably made by someone who has extensive knowledge in this area." Niki frowned as she was briefing Jared about her analysis, feeling that the system coding was all too familiar. However, she could still not ascertain anything. N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. Ever since Niki returned to San Joto, she had been getting a feeling that everything was very familiar. Prior to this, she was afraid to return because of Jared, but now that she was living in her enemy''s house, she might as well make the most out of it. ''I suppose I''ll try and make the most of it to recover my memory. Besides, this man doesn''t really hate me as much anymore.'' Jared stared at Nicole and mustered an inaudible sigh. ''She really can''t remember anything from before. She doesn''t even recognize her own system. What can I do?'' Jared stared at Nicole affectionately, which effectively crept her out, ''What is wrong with this guy? Why does he keep staring at me like this?'' Chapter 1942 Chapter 1942 "Um...can you calcte how much you''ve lost? I''llpensate you generously. It''s just that you''re a wealthy guy and it''s not easy for an orphan and a widow like me to make up for all the offense I''ve caused. I hope you have it in you to forgive me for all the stuff I''ve done," Niki suggested to avoid sullying her image in front of him any further. N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. Jared initially thought that she was referring to the affairs that happened today, but as it turned out, she had morphed into an entirely new person. She was more passive and coquettish in nature. "That depends on how well you perform now," Jared deliberately teased. Niki mentally sighed. ''As expected, this guy is not easy to fool.'' Wanting to cut to the chase, Jared said, "For the past five years, you''ve been living on the Crescent Ind near Ramania, haven''t you?" Niki was momentarily taken aback before she got her guard up again. ''This guy has been investigating me. Is this why I have been running and hiding from this guy? Leo has been helping me with my escape, so I can''t rat him out now, can I?'' After pondering for a moment, she dodged the question and replied lightly, "Yeah, my ne crashed into that ce. I was saved by a fisherman." Jared stared into Nicole''s eyes to confirm that she was not lying to him, and that her timeline and alibi added up. "You know, if a person has amnesia, they can easily retrieve their identity as long as they go to the police. I went to one and got your information checked. For the past five years, your record has been squeaky clean. It''s obvious that there were strings pulled to give you this new identity," he said. It would otherwise be impossible for Jared to trace Nicole down if she had not changed her identity. On the other hand, Niki had not foreseen the fact that Jared would be so meticulous when it came to his analyses and deductions. However, Niki had no intention of exposing Leo, and thus she said, "I hacked into the local registration system because I had to register my son''s birth into the system..." Niki feigned pity and avoided eye contact as she spoke, afraid that she would be caught lying. Jared looked at Nicole with an inexplicable surge of pain in his heart. novelebookHe could not fathom the thought of her giving birth to a child alone at the hospital without him by her side. Not wanting to press on any further, he said, "I see..." To Jared, it seemed logical for Nicole to be capable of creating a fake identity for herself. Even if she had forgotten all of her memories, her skills had still been retained. ''It is not impossible for her to do all of this, but there''s not much information leading to how she had been able to live on that ind with her son for five years. Besides, no one knew what she was doing for a living, assuming that she was still a hacker then. Otherwise, she wouldn''t have offered to compensate me so easily,'' he pondered. "So now, you''re a part of the Hunters in the dark web?" Jared asked directly. He knew Max had discovered that Nicole had been a hunter, and that was why he did not insist on furthering the investigation. Niki had also demonstrated her skills earlier, and so, she frankly admitted, "Yeah...I''m ranked seven." Niki then feigned modesty and smiled, "It''s not easy raising a child." Jared looked at Nicole helplessly, not knowing that Nicole had registered a new ount with the rank of seven in the leaderboard. ''If she knew that she was ranked number one, she would be stunned.'' Jared smiled and encouragingly said, "That''s amazing." Niki was embarrassed, not knowing how to react to her enemy''s suddenpliment. Jared then turned his attention and gaze to the child sleeping on the bed and deliberately asked, "Who''s the child''s father?" Niki''s eyes darkened as she did not see the questioning. She had lost all of her memories from before and did not know who the father of her child was. Leo had told her that the father of her child had abandoned them, and thus, she had since foregone any intention to find out who that person was. Niki smiled bitterly. "I''ve forgotten who it was, but my child has a godfather." As soon as these words exited her mouth, Jared''s expression turned icy. "Godfather?" The corner of his mouth twitched. ''For the past five years, I''ve been missing her. I''ve desperately searched for her everyday but she has instead found a godfather for her kid?'' Chapter 1943 Chapter 1943 Nicole could immediately sense a sort of palpable tension in the air, so she steered the direction of the conversation away. "He''s too young to know anything...He recognized him as a fatherly figure." Niki said it lightly, knowing that it was true that her son had realized that he did not have a father once he was old enough to go to kindergarten at the age of three. Thus, Leo became his fatherly figure and, ever since then, Nn had been calling him his godfather. Furthermore, everyone even thought that Leo was his real father. "Oh?" Jared grimaced, still displeased at the thought before switching his focus on Nn. ''This brat bit me when we first met. I still have his teeth marks on my legs. I can''t believe he easily trusted a random guy enough to call him his godfather!'' he fumed. Nn, who felt that he was being stared at, suddenly opened his eyes and screamed, "Godfather! Help me!" Hearing the screams of her son, she hurried over and hugged him. "Nn! What''s wrong with you?" It was only then that Nn realized it was all a dream, and quickly hugged Niki. "Mommy, I had a nightmare...I dreamed that the big viin came to bully us...,'' But before Nn could finish his sentence, he saw a pair of slender legs standing in front of him. Nn looked up and was startled. "Why is the big viin here!" Jared was about to lose his cool, ''How could he call a random guy his godfather, and me a big viin!'' "Kid, who told you I was a bad guy?" Jared suppressed his emotions and asked in a cold voice. Feeling intimidated by Jared, the young boy ignored his words and argued, "You kidnapped both me and my mommy! If you''re not a bad guy, then what are you!?" Jared''s heart froze for a moment. He did not know that his actions at the airport would scare them. Moreover, it had caused Nicole to think that he was a bad person, prompting her to attack his company''s system. At this juncture, Jared could not grasp the idea that he was a bad guy from a child''s perspective. It was in that moment that he regretted his impulsive actions ''How could I have made such a terrible first impression on a child like this?'' Jared thought, feeling very ufortable under Nn''s hateful stare. N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. Not wishing to make matters worse, he said, "You mayfort him first. I''ll be outside." Jared left the room, with Niki feeling strangely confused by the fact that Jared had a grimace on his face. ''Is this an illusion?'' At that moment, Nn got out of Niki''s grasp and examined her body for wounds, "Mommy, did he bully you?" Nicole shook her head. "No, He just asked us for some information..." Then, something clicked in Niki''s mind. ''Is this guy really my enemy?'' Outside the room, Jared had gone downstairs and gotten himself a cup of coffee. There was a solemn grimace on his face. It did not take long for a knock to emanate from the door, whereupon the butler let the person in. It was Preston. As soon as he entered through the door, Preston excitedly asked, "Did you really find her?!" Jared remained silent for a while. This agitated Preston, who yelled, "Talk man!! Did you find her or did you not? Or have we mistaken her for someone else?" At the time they focused their gaze on that person, it really looked like Nicole. However, they did not get a close look of her. Jared looked at Preston anxiously, ced his cup of coffee down, and responded, "You didn''t mistake her for someone else" Preston immediately became thrilled. "It really is Nicole! She''s alive!" Chapter 1944 Chapter 1944 Witnessing Preston''s expression of surprise, he became even more depressed. Preston, who could sense that something was wrong, warily asked, "Why do you have that look on your face? Is there something wrong?" "I''m afraid we can''t notify your parents yet," Jared said. "Why?" ''Nicole''s home, shouldn''t informing our parents be our first order of business?'' Preston asked himself. Jared''s eyes became downcast. "Nicole has lost all of her memories." Preston''s face took on a crestfallen expression at once. "Amnesia?!" It took a while for him toe back to his senses, as he then came to the realization as to why Nicole had fled after seeing them. ''But why does she seem to be intimidated by us? I bet that if she sees her family, she''ll be even more afraid...'' "Then what should we do?" Preston asked, unable to wait to tell Daniel the good news. "Did you tell the others?" Jared asked. Preston shook his head. "I wasn''tpletely sure if it was Nicole, and I was afraid to get Daniel''s hopes up, so I just kept it to myself and my ssmates who also saw her. They''re also waiting for the news." Jared took a deep breath. "Let''s not tell them yet. Give me some time. I''ll figure things out." ''The best way to help Nicole now is to aid her in recovering her memories. If it gets worse, I can only help her ept her family step by step,'' Jared thought. "Okay, I got it.'' Preston could only keep this piece of huge news to himself, with his mouth zipped shut. ''It will be bad news for Nicole if the others find out.'' "What are you going to do next? Help her regain her memories?" Preston questioned. He was not good at keeping secrets, and because of that, Jared was worried he would not be able to keep his mouth shut for long. "What else can I do? I''ve got to find out what she has gone through for the past five years," Jared said. Jared was suspicious of what Nicole had gone through during her time hiding at Crescent Ind. Judging by her abilities, she would not be one to have any difficulties tracing her own identity. ''I ought to have this investigated thoroughly,'' he thought. Preston looked at Jared''s serious expression, knowing that the issue was not as simple as they thought it would be. "Well then, I''ll help you keep it a secret for now..." Preston sighed, knowing that Nicole would regard him as a stranger. Preston then excused himself, aware that there was not much he could do to help out. Jared looked out of the windows as he patiently waited for Max''s update. As the night slowly rolled in, Niki and Nn became hungry. Niki slowly pushed the door open to check if there was anything for them to eat. Unexpectedly, she saw Jared sitting at the dining table, as if he had been there waiting for them. "Hungry?" Jared looked at her with a sense of longing in his eyes. Niki was embarrassed but she still admitted, "Well...yeah. Nn''s hungry too." Jared nodded, after which he waved his hands, signaling the butler to serve the food to Nn who was upstairs. Content provided by N?velDrama.Org. "Let them feed him. You can eat here in peace." Jared reached out and patted the seat beside him. Niki went stiff, harkening back to the moment when he said he did not have a shortage of women pining over him. ''This guy isn''t going to force me to sell my body to pay off my debt, is he? But sleeping with a woman who has a child? Isn''t this a bit too much?'' Niki pondered as she went and sat across from him. Jared was slightly disappointed. However, he was ready to ept this reality wholeheartedly, ''As long as she is still alive and is present in front of me, I won''t ask too much from her.'' Jared watched Nicole as she ate her favorite side dishes. After several bites, Niki realized, ''Strangely, this guy seems to know my preferences really well!'' Chapter 1945 Chapter 1945 With so many creepy urrences repeating themselves over and over, Niki decided that she could not take it anymore. She lifted her head and looked at Jared awkwardly. "Uh...You know that I''ve lost my memories. I''m sorry to ask but what kind of beef did we have before?" Jared raised his brows by a little. "Rivalry?" ''What is this girl thinking about?'' Jared had been waiting for her for five years. He could not wait to shower her with all his love, so it made no sense as to why she would regard him as an enemy. "If that''s not the case, why did you make such a huge scene and abduct us at the airport?" With the appearance of his entire crew earlier that day, anyone who had witnessed it would have thought that they were enemies too. In response, the corner of Jared''s lips lifted in a funny way. Strangely, it was then that Niki actually thought that he looked...handsome. She must have been insane to have found herself being attracted to the man for his looks multiple times. "To put it into words, I''m the creditor who has been waiting for you for five years." Niki had owed him five years'' worth of waiting and yearning. When Jared had finally found her, he wanted nothing more than to lock her in a tight embrace. However, he was worried that he would frighten Niki. Therefore, Jared had to patiently wait for a little longer. After all, this woman truly was Jared''s treasure. "Creditor?" Niki raised her brows in doubt. She could not tell if it was a joke or not, so she gritted her teeth, "Uh, I have saved some money over the past five years. Can you tell me how much I owe you? I can pay it back...including today''s." Regardless of what, Niki did not wish to cross a big shot like Jared. Jared raised his eyebrows. "Do you think that I''m short of money?" He had mentioned before that he was not concerned about the pittance. ''Oh no...'' Niki shuddered. ''I knew it. This man is weird.'' "You''re not short of money...but I''m only capable of paying the money back to you. You can''t possibly ask me to pay you back with something else, right?" Niki replied with a look of hurt. Then, she instinctively wrapped her arms around her chest. Right away, Jared noted the signs. ''This girl even thought of paying me back with her body?'' With that in mind, Jared grinned. "This is not a bad idea at all..." But in Niki''s mind, she was not familiar with Jared yet. To Jared, however, it was a good reason for him to keep her around. "No!" Niki disyed a X in front of her chest at once. "Don''t you dare imagine it! I-I''m already married!" Noticing her blush, Jared smiled. "Oh really? But based on my investigation, you''ve never been married." "I-" Niki lowered her head in shame. Then, she replied, "It''s just that I''ve not found the time to get married, but I-I have a boyfriend!" ''I''m sorry Leo! If I''m left with no choice, I''ll have to use you as my shield!'' she panicked. Unwittingly, Nicole''s argument caused Jared''s eyes to turn cold. Content provided by N?velDrama.Org. The atmosphere at the dining hall took a turn for the worse, and Niki instantly felt a chill running down her spine. "Did you just say that you have a boyfriend?" he asked. Jared slowly got up. With one hand propping himself up, his other shot out, grabbing Niki by the chin. Niki was about to dodge the hand, but at the very next second, Jared had already nted a kiss on her lips. He had even bitten into it. "Tsk!" A jolt of pain struck her lips, causing her to wonder if she was bleeding. Niki reeled in an instant. Sure enough, she could taste some blood. "W-what are you doing!?" she yelled. ''This scumbag! How dare he make a move on me!?'' Niki grabbed a paper towel and wiped her mouth in disgust. She did not even bother about the wound at the corner of her lips. Jared then stood up and stared at her domineeringly. "nting my seal." Jared stared at her coldly, though the words that came out from his mouth were extremely juvenile. Chapter 1946 Chapter 1946 "Nicole, let me tell you this. Regardless of whether you''ve lost your memory or not, you''ll be mine for the rest of your life. You belong to Jared Johnston! If you even dare to think about another man, your lips won''t be the next thing to hurt." As soon as he had spoken, he studied Nicole from top to toe. Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org. Niki began sweating profusely at once. She could not help but feel that Jared had gained aplete understanding of her body. "You rascal!" That feeling of being sized up made Nicole feel insulted. Having lost her appetite, she got up and was about to leave when Jared grabbed her hand, pulling her back and pinning her to her seat. "If you do not want me to do it again, you better sit down and finish your meal!" he roared. "You-" she stopped, thinking he was unbelievable. Niki looked at Jared sadly. Although she knew some self-defense techniques, the injury she had sustained from that ne crash was a major one. Her body was heavily wounded, and because of that, she could not fight him head on. Gritting her teeth, Niki continued eating. However, she was still dismayed as she muttered, "My name is not Nicole. I''m Niki." Seeing that Nicole had sat back down to resume eating, Jared returned to his seat once again. Then, he passed the document, which he had prepared earlier, to Nicole. "The current you, who has lost her memory, does not get to decide what your name is. Only the old you gets to do that. Here is some information about you before you lost all of your memories. It includes your family, friends and other information. I''ve written everything in there. If you''d like to know more, you can take a look," he exined. Niki nced at him with doubt and suspicion in her eyes. Deep down, she was dead curious about it. However, she did not want to read it in front of him. "Leave it there. I''ll read it when I''m free," she said. Noticing how stubborn she was, Jared remained silent. He knew her well enough to know that she would definitely read it. Jared was trying his best to suppress his desire to force Nicole to regain her memories in a short span of time. But as long as she read the information given to her, her attitude toward him would change. If the document could help Nicole regain her old memories, even if just a tiny fraction of it, Jared would be happy. Under Jared''s pressure, Niki finally finished her meal. Then, she quickly left. Before she walked off, she realized she had forgotten about her documents, so she quickly spun around to grab the documents, ring at him while she was doing so. Jared remained silent nheless. He would just wait for her to peruse the materials, confident that Nicole would look for him on her own ord. Suppressing her heartbeat, Niki ran upstairs. Once she had entered the room, she leaned against the door and panted. ''Since when did this dude be so imposing?'' she thought. "Mom, what happened?" When Nn noticed how odd Niki was acting, he could not help but frown and ask, "Did that bad guy bully you again?" Niki immediately collected herself. "No..." Yet, her head was still focused on that kiss, and in an unconscious move, she licked her lips. However, it was then that Nn noticed that Niki''s lips were gashed. "Mommy, what happened to your lips?" Worried that her own son would see it, Niki quickly looked away. "Nothing, I identally bit it while eating. Don''t worry about me. Have you had your meal already?" When they were abroad, Niki used to apany her own child during meals. As such, she was not sure if Nn was used to eating alone yet. It was only then that Nn calmed down. "I''ve finished eating already. The dishes were quite ptable." Niki raised her brows. "My little one. Aren''t you a picky eater, usually? You were never fine with Ramania''s best restaurants, but today, you actually said the food here is ptable?" Niki had never heard him uttering those words before. Nn scratched his head awkwardly, "I''m not sure why but it was just ptable...Perhaps, it''s western cuisine?" Western food wasmonly found abroad, but Ramania had never offered authentic ones. "There was a dish called Garlic Butter Fish. It''s delicious," he said, remembering the name of the dish. Niki raised her brows again, noting that this little kid of her really loved to eat. Otherwise, he would not remember the name of the dish. However, she could still not brain how Jared knew her and her son''s preferences. Chapter 1947 Chapter 1947 After thinking about it for a second, Niki could not help but stare at the folder. Meanwhile, Nn had also noticed the document she had brought in. "Mommy, what is this?" Niki took a deep breath and patiently went on to exin what it was to her son. "That devil knows that I''ve lost my memory. So, he passed me some information about the old me. I guess he''s trying to make me recall my debt from the past," she said. Niki''s sixth sense informed her that there must be some unpleasant news contained within the document. The instant Nn heard Niki''s reply, he snatched the document away at once, "If that''s the case, let''s not look at it! Godpa has said this before, that he does not want you to regain your memory. Living a carefree life like the one we have now is the best!" This stunned Niki, who was not expecting Nn to mention what Leo had said before. For the past five years, Niki had thought of regaining her memories. She had even tried to look for any information about herself on the inte. But every time Leo found out about it, he would tell Niki that her past consisted of a lot of unhappy memories. This made her consider if she should just leave the people and incidents in the past. So, from that point onwards, Niki had not attempted to rediscover who she was, not even after she had a peaceful childbirth. This was because Niki did not want her own child and her peaceful life to be disrupted. But this time around, she felt a strong sense of familiarity the moment she returned, and just like that, the urge to regain her memories was revived. At that thought, Niki slowly replied, "Nn, your Godpa was just concerned about me. However, I have the right to know my past, don''t I? That way, I''ll know what kind of rivalry I had with that devil. I''ll also know how to pay him back, so that the both of us can leave this ce. What do you think?" Niki was genuinely concerned about this. In spite of that, Nn pouted. "Don''t worry! Just ignore that demon. After all, Godpa wille and rescue us. We won''t be here for long, so there''s no need for us to know these things." Grandpa used to tell Nn a lot of things. ''To take good care of Mommy, you must always make her happy!'' ''You must not let Mommy regain her memories!'' This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org. That was Nn''s agreement with his godfather, one he would not dare to breach. With that in mind, Nn immediately threw the document out of the window. "Hey! Nn!" Niki instinctively tried to grab the document, but s, she was too slow. All she saw was the document flying off the window and plummeting into the swimming pool. "Oh no!" Niki yelled, having not seen any of it yet. If she knew this would happen, she would have read it earlier. That was free information from her captor, and as such, it must have been very detailed. "You little brat!" Niki grabbed onto Nn and was about to hit him. However, before she could do so, Nn had run off. "It''s all for your own good!" Niki was left feeling annoyed. All she could do was watch as her own son ran back to bed and hid under the sheets. She stood at the balcony, looking at the papers in the pool, and heaved a sigh of defeat. In the middle of the night, the butler knocked on the door of the study room, whereupon Jared coldly allowed him in. The butler brought a stack of wet documents in. Although he had dried them halfway, it was obvious that the documents had once been soaked in water. The words on it were already fading. "Sir, this was found at the swimming pool. Judging by the location, it seems that Miss Niki had thrown it into the pool." Jared frowned. "She...threw the document?" He had not gone to sleep at that hour because he was waiting for Nicole toe over and talk to him. Unexpectedly, the answer he had been waiting for had returned with a document tossed into the pool. If she had read it, she would know that Jared had personally organized the document himself. It included everything from her family to every memory she had shared with him. ''Is she really that reluctant to remember her past? Or is it possible...that she already has another man in her life?'' Chapter 1948 Chapter 1948 At that thought, Jared began fuming as he was on the verge of erupting out of jealousy. He immediately called Max on the phone, "I want you to glean every single detail about Nicole over the past five years. Also, pay close attention to signs of other guys by her side." Max immediately understood what Jared meant, and so, he solemnly replied, "I will definitely find out!" It was only then that Jared ended the call. N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. Then, he looked up at the butler and heaved a long sigh. "Throw it away." The butler looked at Jared in distress. Ever since Nicole had gone missing, Jared had been suffering from insomnia. He thought that he could finally get some good sleep, now that Nicole had returned. But that night would most probably be another sleepless one as well. "Sir, get some rest," the butler said, took those papers with him, and left. Jared was left alone in the room as he pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to relieve his headache. In the blink of an eye, two days had passed. Niki had been eating and drinking during those two days at the vi. She had even received news from Ian that he had just returned to Ramania and would soon find a way to save her. But within the two-day period, the demon, Jared, had note to find her. This made her wonder why. ''I''m not sure if he''s doing so to continue holding me hostage. Or is he actually waiting for me to be mentally ready and then make me...pay the debt with my body? No! I won''t let him. He can keep dreaming!'' she thought. Lying on the bed, Niki could not help but mutter, "I really regret this. If I had read that document, I might be able to regain some of my memories." For the past two days, she had been attempting to search on the inte for any information about herself. But for some reason, she could not find anything in rtion to the name, ''Nicole Riddle''. It was as if someone had deliberately hidden that name... Since she could not find out about anything, Niki could only y with theputer out of boredom. On the other hand, Nn had been using the otherptop to ept more tasks in an effort to level up on The Hunter. As for Niki, she could only use the previous system provided to her by Leo. She had heard that there was a useful electronic badge there. The only problem was that someone had locked the system. Initially, Leo had hired people to crack the system. However, no one was able to sessfully crack it. Therefore, Niki was the only one left who could give it a shot, and she knew full well how important that thing was to Leo. As to why she wished to do so, Niki had always wanted to repay Leo for the care she had been receiving from him over the years. That was why she had epted the task. As long as she managed to crack it, she would be able to fulfill her obligations to him. As she thought about it, Niki continued to work on cracking the system. Before long, she decided to take a break, during which she stood at the balcony with a cup of coffee in hand. She had to admit that the demon, Jared''s, coffee was delicious. It was just the way she liked it. All of a sudden, Niki''s gazended on a big house outside of the manor, the sight of which left her hypnotized. ''This should be that house which looked familiar from the entrance, right? Why does it seem even more familiar from the back? It''s as if I''ve lived there before. T-that''s impossible!'' Niki was left in a state of shock at her own thoughts. Unable to resist, she took a closer look at the backyard of that house. Previously, it seemed as though there was ady sitting in a daze at the garden with a grandma beside her. The two of them seemed to be apanying each other in silence. Chapter 1949 Chapter 1949 Niki was unable to determine why a cloud of sadness was hovering over her as she watched those ladies. Then, her nose began to itch. ''What is going on? Do I... know those twodies?'' "Mommy, why are you crying?" Nn asked, his voice ring out beside her. It was only then that Niki realized that tears were streaming down her cheeks. "Don''t worry. I think the sun is too bright for my eyes." After she had spoken, Niki quickly carried her cup of coffee into the room. Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org. When Nn noticed her mom crying, he quicklyforted, "Mommy, are you afraid? Don''t be afraid. That big bad wolf would not do anything to us." Niki turned around and looked at his son in relief. Fortunately, Nn was there with her, ensuring that she would not be lonely. "Mommy is not afraid. I have you with me. What should I be scared of?" she answered, deriving her strength from both of her children. But the thought of Lana being left at home made Niki worried. Although her daughter was quite clingy, she had stayed at Leo''s house for two or three days with no issues before. However, it would take longer for her to return this time. As such, she was unsure of how the little girl was doing. She did not dare to give Lana a video call, either. She was worried that she might make Lana cry. What stuck out to her was that Leo knew about her situation, and yet, he had not bothered to call her. Perhaps Leo knew who Jared was just trying to be careful. Additionally, Niki could not afford to expose his identity as well. "That''s great, then. Don''t worry Mommy. I''ll make sure to bring you out of here." Nn looked at Niki with a wicked smile on his face.. Niki raised her eyebrows, sensing that something was off. "What did you do again?" In response, Nn said, "I''ve hacked into the security camera system, and studied every corner of the house. "We''ll wait till night-time...and escape then," he finished with a whisper. Niki could not help but frown. "You naughty boy. Don''t you think we''re already in a precarious state? Do you think that kingpin will let us off the hook so easily?" There was little point in escaping unless they could immediately get on their private jet as soon as they stepped out anyway. Even then, the man could instruct an airline to turn the flight around if he had the power and influence to do so. "As long as Godpa is here, he has to let us go!" Nn proudly said. "I''ve done my research. Although this guy is very powerful, Godpa is now the most powerful person in Mecrounia. All we have to do is to prepare ourselves. After we''ve escaped, Godpa will be there to fetch us. What can this big bad wolf do?" Niki remained silent. ''What Nn said does make sense.'' However, she felt guilty as soon as she thought about how Leo would have to trouble himself just to rescue the both of them. "Don''t make a move yet. We''ll wait for your Godpa to call and decide on this. If possible, try to prevent him from getting into a direct confrontation with that demon. Your Godpa has done a lot for us, I don''t want to owe him anything else." Niki sighed, feeling extremely conflicted. Suddenly, Nn smiled. "If you really do not want to owe Godpa anything, you can just ept him and be his girlfriend." Noticing how Nn was smiling, Niki rolled her eyes. "You don''t understand anything!" Indeed, how could they date each other without having any feelings for each other in the first ce? Although Niki was very grateful to Leo, there would always be a barrier between the both of them. Consciously, she had always distanced herself from him, and she was not sure as to why that had happened. "Godpa is a nice person. He''s nice to me and Lana, so I''m not sure what you are hesitant about," Nn added. Ever since Nn was old enough to remember things, he had been enamored of his Godpa, and whenever he went to kindergarten, he would ask his Godpa to act as his real father. He always felt that it would be great if his Godpa could actually be his father. Therefore, he had always taken every opportunity to bring his mom and his Godpa together. Still, he was not sure why his mom would never develop feelings for his Godpa. "Did you just state what I am hesitant about?" she replied. "Yeah, your Godpa has all the good traits. So, why would he marry a person like me with two extra burdens? With his qualities, he can easily find an even better person." On top of that, Niki was not sure who her kid belonged to. Because of that, it would be too unfair for Leo. Chapter 1950 Chapter 1950 "We are not burdens!" Nn yelled, unhappy that he wasbeled as a burden. "Godpa loves me and Lana a lot! The two of us are your best allies! If we didn''t work together, Godpa would have been seduced by that red shirtdy already!" Niki felt dizzy as Nn bombarded her with all of that information. "Alright, stop talking nonsense now. What do you mean allies or seduce? Nn, you better stop watching the eight o''clock shows!" As it turned out, the boy had already learned all of those negative influences. "I am not talking nonsense! Godpa likes you so much! Why did you have to reject him!" Nn got angrier as he spoke, wanting to understand what Niki''s thoughts were. It was then that they heard a loud bang, and the room door swung open. Standing at the doorway was a slender and tall figure with a cold presence. Then, the man tucked one of his hands in his pocket and walked in sternly. "Let me tell you why." Once the guy had spoken, he immediately went up to Niki, hugged her tight in his arms, looked down, and kissed her. Niki did not have the time to react, though she attempted to push him by the chest once she had returned to her senses. Unfortunately for her, he grabbed her arms before she could, giving her the impression that he had already predicted her every move. With his other hand, he sped the back of her head, restraining her range of movements With a man who she had barely known going all out on her lips, Niki''s eyes widened, and she began struggling with all her might. But for some reason, an image then flitted across her nk mind. It seemed to be a scene in which she was kissing the man as well. ''H-how is that possible? I''ve kissed this guy before?'' That shocking memory made Niki freeze. She widened her eyes even more and carefully looked at the handsome face up close, as the sh of memories became ever more vivid in her head. "Let go of my mom!" The kid suddenly yelled. This snapped Niki out of her trance, whereupon she saw Nn rushing over to hit Jared. In response, Jared released Niki temporarily. Then, he picked Nn up! "You naughty boy! I think you''re looking to get a beating," he said. Right away, he subdued Nn and spanked him in the butt multiple times. Niki was stunned for a moment before she came to the realization that her son was being beaten. She was not sure if she was losing her sanity. In fact, she actually felt that the scene she was witnessing was akin to a father teaching his son a lesson. Furthermore, she had also noticed that Nn''s brows were somewhat simr to Jared''s! "No! I must be losing my mind!" With a loud cry, Niki immediately snatched Nn back. "If you hold any grudges with me, you deal with me! Don''t hit my kid! This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org. Seeing the way Niki hugged Nn in her arms, Jared calmed down a little. "Deal with you? Then tell me, how did you teach your son? So much so that he actually pushed his own mother to abandon his father, just so that he could get her together with his Godpa!" Jared almost laughed out of anger. The day before, Jared had already received the paternity test result. He was actually trying to process the happy news without scaring them. However, when he arrived at the door, he did not expect to hear that brat urging Nicole to get together with that man! "What father and Godpa? What are you talking about?" Niki was just about to offer a rebuttal to him when she realized that there was another implication in his words. "See it for yourself." Initially, Jared had wanted to exin the situation to her in a gentler manner. But at that moment, he did not have any patience left in. He instantly produced the result slip that was nicely folded from his pocket and threw it onto the bed. "What is this?" Nicole''s heart began racing. However, she was worried that she would miss out on the chance to read it again like thest time. So, she quickly picked it up and read it. The moment she opened it, the expression on her face froze. "Mommy, what is this?" Nn hurried over, able to tell that there was something unusual about his mother''s expression. Chapter 1951 Chapter 1951 Then, Jared sardonically remarked, "This is the paternity test we''ve done with the traces of your saliva left over from the meal." "Paternity test?" Nn blinked as he searched his mind for answers to what it was. "Ah... It''s the test that can prove if a child is rted to a parent!" Jared snorted at Nn''s clever yet mischievous character. "You know your stuff." Nn red at him. "Why did you take this test with me? There''s no way I could be your child!" Indeed, Nn would be anyone''s son but Jared''s. "You have no say in that matter." Jared scoffed as he anticipated Nn''s breakdown upon seeing the results. As expected, the moment Nn noticed how quiet Niki was, he climbed onto the bed to see the results for himself. Though he was just five years old, he could already understand Hustuaburgian. And when he saw that they were a perfect match, his jaw dropped. "H-How is this possible?!" he asked, wondering how he could be the son of that big ol'' meanie. Jared smirked in satisfaction when he saw the looks of shock on Niki and Nn''s faces. "Are you not happy with it? Well, we can do the test again." Niki''s suspicions were confirmed when she saw the look of confidence on Jared''s face. ''He is definitely not lying!'' As it turned out, the resemnce between the two was not just an illusion! Jared was truly her son''s father! And with this revtion, Niki felt as if she had been struck by lightning. She was left feeling overwhelmed and utterly shocked! "Y-You knew all along, didn''t you?" Niki figured. ''That''s why he insisted on keeping me by his side! I think that...when he said he was indebted, it had nothing to do with money! It was an emotional debt! Goodness me!'' Jared was brimming with satisfaction when he saw Niki''s expression shifting from shock to fear and guilt. At that moment, he bent over and brought his face closer to hers. He was so close that he was almost breathing on her face, his eyes locking with hers. "You were pregnant with my kid when you went missing five years ago. It''s only natural that I was able to make the correct guess. Besides... Don''t you think this little thing looks a lot like me?" he asked. ''How slow is she? It''s been three days. How has she not noticed the resemnce between us?'' he thought. And just like that, Niki''s reality shattered once again. ''Who said I didn''t?! I just noticed it back there! It''s just that... you have never been seen together with Nn before. Oh crap! This is one hell of a debt! I actually ran away while I was pregnant five years ago! Who made me this brave? Sara Bareilles?!'' At that moment, Nn finally responded by yelling, "I don''t want to look like you!" He would never want to resemble a demon who had the audacity to bully his mother. "This test result is definitely fabricated!" Nn strongly denied. Jared chuckled. "It doesn''t matter whether you believe it or not. What''s important is whether your mommy believes it or not." Then, he turned to Nicole. Expectedly, Nicole was at a loss for words. "Mommy! Don''t believe him..." Nn said in an attempt to persuade Nicole. However, it was then that Nicole decided that she could not sit on it anymore. "Let''s talk outside!" This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org. She did not want to frighten her son, so she dragged Jared out of the room. Nn watched as her mother walked away with Jared the bully, gritting his teeth in defiance. "I would never acknowledge a meanie like you as my father!" he shouted. ''Come quick, Godpa! Mommy''s being taken away!'' Chapter 1952 Chapter 1952 Niki yanked Jared through the doorway, only to realize she had no clue where to go. To her surprise, Jared took charge and wrapped his arm around her waist, guiding her straight into the study. Then, he pressed her against the door panel. "Y-You don''t have to get so close to me!" Niki cursed in her mind. ''Seriously, I came here to discuss business with him! Why does he keep flirting with me all the time?'' Jared lowered his head, locking his gaze with hers, his eyes prating. "What''s the matter? Are you feeling nervous?" As Niki once again sensed his overwhelming presence, her body involuntarily tensed up, particrly when she thought about their previous kiss and the memories it invoked. She couldn''t help but wonder if they had truly shared an intimate moment. The thought caused her face to flush with heat! "Take it easy," Niki couldn''t take it anymore. She pressed her hand against his chest, mustering her courage and meeting his gaze. "Even if... even if there was something between us in the past, I''ve changed. That''s not who I am anymore." Her eyes shimmered with determination and a hint of pleading. Niki needed time to process this information. She also wanted to figure out what exactly had happened between them in the past and why he was her child''s father. A flicker of hurt crossed Jared''s face as he observed the distant expression in her eyes. "What do you mean?" In his mind, whether it was the past version of her or the present, she was his wife¡ªthe person he cherished most. Yet she had just said, ''That''s not who I am anymore.'' Niki paused, taking a moment topose herself before speaking in a calm tone. "It''s simple... Even if there was something between us in the past, we''ve been apart for five years. During that time, I''ve built my own life, and you can''t keep me tied to you in this ambiguous state." She could endure these three days, but she couldn''t continue to linger by his side with such ambiguity. "Ambiguous?" Jared''s eyebrows shot up, and anger flickered in his eyes. Abruptly, he released her and forcefully pulled open a drawer, retrieving two Panem marriage certificates. "Take a good look, we''re legally married!" Niki blinked, slightly confused, and instinctively opened the two small booklets. She felt surprised that she could actually read Panemian. She could evenprehend it, and indeed, they were genuine Panem marriage certificates! Being well aware of Panem''sws, she knew how difficult divorce could be, prompting many people to seek marriage there as a means of providing security for their partners. She hadn''t expected that she had actually tied knot with this man in Panem! Internally, she eximed, ''Oh my God! This news is too overwhelming, I can''t process it!'' Turning to Jared, she asked, "Are you absolutely certain we''re legally married? I wasn''t... coerced or anything, right?" Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org. Otherwise, Niki couldn''t fathom why she would have gone to a country like Panem with a man to register their marriage! How deeply must she have loved him to make such a decision? Yet, the imposing figure standing before her also evoked a sense of fear... "Coerced?" Jared nearly burst intoughter. He really wanted to pry open this woman''s mind and see what she was thinking! Seeing Jared''s increasingly displeased expression, Niki swiftly understood the gravity of the situation and said, "I was just joking..." She and her child were still under his control, and she couldn''t afford to provoke him. "But I do need time to process this information and thoroughly investigate my past..." Upon hearing that she wanted to investigate, Jared sarcastically remarked, "If you really wanted to know, why did you throw away the information from that day?" When Nicole had disappeared, along with the Fire Crest, Jared had feared that someone might find Nicole before him and cause her harm. Chapter 1953 Chapter 1953 For the past five years, Jared had instructed Zeke, Preston, and others to erase all traces of Nicole. In Hustuaburg, nobody could find any information about Nicole. Even if investigations were conducted overseas, those involved would only discover scattered remnants. So, even if Nicole attempted to investigate on her own, she wouldn''t uncover much. Niki let out a sigh and said, "I didn''t lose the information from that day. My son identally dropped it out of the window." She didn''t want to provide further exnation, so she could only attribute it to an ident. However, Jared still sensed her unease. ''identally?'' he thought, ''That brat must have done it on purpose!'' Just the mere thought of Nn, who had been trying to set Nicole up with his so-called "godpa," made Jared feel the urge to give him a good beating! "Well... if you don''t mind, could you give me another copy?" Niki pondered that this time, she would thoroughly examine the information. Jared looked at Nicole intently and suddenly changed his mind. "I don''t have another copy." Feeling impatient at his refusal, Niki grew frustrated. "How is it possible that you don''t have a copy?" she cursed in her mind. "Don''t be so childish. Just give me another copy quickly. Otherwise, how am I supposed to find out about my own past..." She genuinely felt curious about her own history. Despite having offended many people in the past, she couldn''t afford to care about that now. After all, her child''s father stood right in front of her, and she needed to address this matter! "Want to know about your past?" Jared replied, his tone slightly challenging. "Then stick with me, and I''ll personally fill you in." Niki blinked in surprise. "What do you mean?" Jared''s eyes narrowed slightly. "I mean, if you leave me, no one will ever be able to tell you about your past because... I''ve already had someone erase everything rted to you from the inte." "You had someone erase it?" She had suspected something fishy all along. As someone as prominent as Jared, his wife should have been well-known, but Niki couldn''t find any connection between the name Nicole and him, no matter how extensively she searched. "For the sake of your safety, it was necessary," he said, his gaze suddenly deepening. Niki fell into silence, a strange sense of belief in his words washing over her. However, she couldn''t fully ept it and reluctantly voiced her concerns, "So, you''re saying that whatever you tell me is the truth, and I have no way to argue if you''re lying." Content provided by N?velDrama.Org. Jared saw Nicole pouting and let out a coldugh. "Whether you believe it or not is up to you. My responsibility is to fill you in." Resigned, Niki sighed but could only agree, "Understood..." After a brief silence, she had a sudden thought and asked, "Who lives in the neighboring estate? Do I... know them?" Since Jared had promised to reveal the past to her, Niki decided to seize the opportunity and inquire about anything she vaguely remembered. However, she didn''t expect Jared''s gaze to darken suddenly. "To find out about that, you''ll have to hear it directly from them," he replied. Jared couldn''t reveal every single detail about the Riddle family to her, so it would be better to let her hear from them in person. "They will tell me?" Niki was taken aback, instinctively feeling a strong connection with that family. Perhaps she was even intimately acquainted with them! "If you want to know that badly, thene with me," Jared replied. With those words, he simply took hold of her hand and pulled her out of the study. "Hey! Where are you taking me?" Niki struggled in the hallway. Jared remained indifferent and didn''t respond. Hearing themotion, Nn peeked out and immediately grew concerned when he saw his mother being forcefully taken away. Ignoring everything else, he hurriedly followed, trying to catch up. Chapter 1954 Chapter 1954 A few minutester, Jared brought Nicole to the front door of the Riddle residence, Then, he rang the doorbell without giving Nicole any time to react. Niki was shocked as she widened her eyes. "What are you doing? I didn''t say I wanted to go inside!" She figured that it would be inappropriate for her to show up uninvited at the home of the people she did not know anymore. "But they''ve been thinking about you every day." Jared argued. He had tried to dy this meeting for three days now, thinking that Nicole would have more time to prepare herself mentally. However, he and the Riddles had been dying to see her for the longest time. Niki widened her eyes, not knowing what he was talking about. All of a sudden, a butler with a headful of white hair came outside, and as soon as he saw Nicole, he stood there, rooted in disbelief. The butler was shocked to see Nicole as he quickly opened the door and rubbed his eyes, afraid that he was just hallucinating. "M-Miss Nicole? Is that you? Is that really you?!" "I..." Niki did not know what to say, but she felt a sense of familiarity andfort the moment she caught sight of the butler''s face. ''He just called me Miss Nicole...'' Perplexed, Niki asked, "Jared, is this... my home?!" They went inside, and there, Nicole took a close look at the building in front of her. Suddenly, she felt a searing pain in her temple, causing her to reach for her head and hold it. "Ugh..." Jared held onto her as soon as he saw that. "Are you okay?" He frowned and eyed Nicole with a look of concern as he quietly med himself for having done something so hasty. "I''m fine..." Nicole took a few deep breaths, finally regaining some of her memories. "Do you still want to go inside?" he asked. The only reason as to why he had not informed the Riddles about her return was because he was worried that they would bombard her with a ton of questions and overwhelm her by forcibly attempting to help her regain her memories. He would not have made the impulsive decision to bring Nicole here if it was not for the little brat. When he saw how much pain Nicole was in, he felt an instant pang of regret. However, Niki nodded with a stern expression on her face. "If this is really my home, I''ve got to go inside..." She regained her bnce and looked at the building with mixed feelings. She gathered her courage and finally, she decided to have a look inside. After seeing the look of determination in her eyes, Jared calmed down as well. "Okay. Let''s go then. I''ll walk with you," he said, his hand still holding onto hers. For some strange reason, she felt a sense of security while she was with him. Then, the two of them entered the Riddle residence. Meanwhile, the butler quickened his steps and went into the house to inform the Riddles about what he had just seen. "Sir, madam! Miss Nicole is back!" It had been five years, and during that period of time, the entire house had been awash in nothing but sadness. But when the announcement had been made, the air around them seemed to freeze for a moment, and the eyes of the dispirited woman, who was sitting on the sofa, suddenly sparkled. "Nicole... Did you just say Nicole?!" Gloria stood up wearily, her legs so weak that she almost tipped over as soon as she was on her feet. Fortunately, Daniel acted swiftly. "You''ve just recovered not long ago. Sit still." Gloria had not been eating well for as long as she missed Nicole. She even had a difficult time consuming food in the past year, and malnutrition had taken such a toll on her that she could not even walk properly... In fact, it was a miracle that she could suddenly get on her feet... "Nicole... I want to see Nicole!" she shouted. That was the only thing Gloria cared about at that very moment. She had waited for five long years, and Nicole was finally back! Thus, it would be impossible for her to just sit still! At that moment, everyone from the top floor had heard themotion too. Sean and Steve hurriedly came down. "Mom, Dad, what''s happening?" Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org. Then, Samuel and Spencer immediately got out of their bedroom on the first floor as well. "Mom, Dad, is everything all right?" After that, Stanley made his way downstairs and curiously asked, "What''s going on?" Chapter 1955 Chapter 1955 It was then that they suddenly saw two figuresing inside, the sight of which left the five men dumbfounded. "Stanley, a-am I seeing this correctly? I think I saw Nicole!" Samuel widened his eyes, thinking that it was all just an illusion. Spencer stuttered. "I-I saw her too!" Shocked, Stanley sputtered, "It''s real! It''s really her!" Sean and Steve, who were stunned too, were both at a loss for words. Nicole had been missing for five years, and thest thing they had ever expected was to see her again. However, Jared had never given up on searching for her, and at longst, he found her! "It''s really Nicole!" Gloria was overwhelmed with excitement as tears began streaming down her face. She could not help but cry out loud upon finally seeing the person she had been yearning for after so long. "My daughter! You''re finally back!" N?velDrama.Org owns this. She had been away from home for so many years, and just a year after she had returned, she was caught in a ne crash, causing the separation tost for another five years. Once again, Gloria had gone through the pain of losing her beloved child. Every single day in the past five years felt like eternal torment to her. Meanwhile, Niki had seen Gloria''s tearful eyes and heard her saddening cry. Suddenly, she felt a tearing sensation in her heart and a lump in her throat. Even though she had no memories of her mother, the feelings within her felt so real. As it turned out, Jared had not lied to her: this ce was truly her home. Gloria then reached out to Niki, who instinctively walked toward her, allowing Gloria to hold her as she did not want that olddy to fall over again. Her movements were so natural, but her nk mind made it impossible for her to say anything to them... At that exact second, Tia pushed Mrs. Wace Sr. out in a wheelchair from behind the crowd. Mrs. Wace Sr. ''s eyes turned red as soon as she saw Nicole. "Nicole, you''re really back... Where have you been all these years?" Tears welled up in Tia''s eyes too as she quickly pushed Mrs. Wace Sr. closer toward Nicole, and that was when thetter grabbed Nicole''s hand, refusing to let go. Tia and Mrs. Wace Sr. were right next to each other, and they were the exact people she had seen on the balcony earlier. Soon enough, Nicole realized that they were indeed her family, and she finally knew why she felt sad just by looking at them from afar... Sean knew that something was wrong when he saw how quiet Nicole was. Then, he looked at Jared and asked, "Mr. Johnston...erm, when did you find my sister?" Jared knew that he could not hide the truth from him, so he gave them an honest answer, "Three days ago. Preston was the one who had found her in a hacker contest first." "Three days ago? Then why did you bring her back now?" Steve asked, feeling a little upset. ''He knew very well that our mother had been living in pain all this while, and yet he hid Nicole from us. How could he do that?!'' Steve thought. Jared looked at Steve, and with downcast eyes, he replied, "She has lost her memories. I was worried that it would be too overwhelming for her if I brought her back rashly." "Lost her memories?!" Samuel and Spencer repeated after Jared in unison. Sean and the others were shocked too. However, Jared was right, for Nicole had been looking at him as if they were strangers as soon as she came inside. "I see. Now I know why she hasn''t said a word since she came back here." Stanley said, having noticed that something was not right too as he began to feel bad for Nicole. As Niki had heard everything they were talking about, she said, "It''s true that I''ve lost my memories. I can''t recognize any of you..." She was afraid that she would upset them more if she addressed them wrongly. Gloria and Mrs. Wace Sr. burst out crying upon hearing that Nicole had lost her memories. "She has lost her memories!? Oh, God! How could you be so cruel to my daughter..." Now, they finally knew why she never came home, and with that in mind, they began to wonder about what she had gone through while she was living away from home alone.... Upon noticing the look of sorrow on Gloria''s face, Niki exined, "Don''t worry. I''ve been doing fine in the past five years, and I have friends who took good care of me. Even though I have kids, I''m able to support us as a family. I haven''t really faced any hardships." It was in her intention to console and assure them, but everyone''s eyes widened as soon as they heard the word, kids. "Kids? What kids?" Samuel and Spencer exchanged nces. Chapter 1956 Chapter 1956 It was then that Niki realized that she had said something wrong. "Uh... I gave birth to a pair of twins five years ago." "A pair of twins?" Samuel and Spencer eximed, bing even more surprised as Nicole''s children were twins, just like them! In addition, Jared was just as surprised as the rest of them, for he did not have one child, but two! Nike scratched her head. "Yeah... a boy and a girl." It was her first time reuniting with her family and she felt weird sharing this kind of information with them. However, she figured that it would not be right for her to withhold it after seeing the happy faces of her family. "How wonderful!" Daniel, who had been silent all this while, said after taking a deep breath. He was feeling so emotional moments ago that he could not find the right words to utter. Then, after knowing that Nicole was already a mother of two, he heaved a sigh of relief. N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. However it was then that Samuel noticed something peculiar. Feeling uneasy, he instinctively shifted his gaze to Jared as he asked, "Wait... You weren''t pregnant five years ago. Who''s their father?" His question had caught his brothers'' attention too. ''Jared and Nicole had been separated over the past five years... ''Yet Nicole has given birth to a pair of twins. Is it possible that...their father is someone else?'' Suddenly, Samuel and Spencer began to look at Jared with sympathetic eyes. Jared was annoyed as he looked at them. They were eyeing him as if suggesting that he had been cheated on. Frustrated, he said, "We''ve already suspected that Nicole was already pregnant five years ago when we wereing back. The children are mine. There''s no doubt about it!" Jared then shot them a cold re, clearing their baseless doubts. It was only then that they wiped the sympathetic looks of their faces and shifted their attention back to Nicole. "So you were pregnant five years ago!" "We had no idea!" the twin brothers eximed, feeling very excited. Faced with her family''s warm affection, she did not know what to do. Gloria and Mrs. Wace Sr. quickly wiped the tears off their faces and asked, "What about your children? Where are they now?" After five years apart, Nicole had finally returned with her children. As such, the family had to meet them. "The children..." Nicole was about to speak when she suddenly heard a racket from the entrance. "Let go of me! I''ll call the cops on you!" Nicole knew that it was Nn the instant she heard the adorable and confident voice. "Nn?" Nicole shifted her gaze to the door and saw the butlering inside with the little guy in his grasp. When the butler noticed that Nicole knew him, he steadily ced him down on his feet at once. "This child tried to sneak in just now. Miss Nicole, do you know him?" Nn stretched his tiny legs out and ran toward Nicole. "She''s my mommy!" The Riddles were shocked upon hearing that. They were just talking about him, and there he was! His physiognomy was abination of Jared and Nicole''s best features. Indeed, he looked extremely adorable! "Nicole, is this your child?" Gloria''s eyes sparkled when she spotted Nn, feeling both surprised and delighted. Nn immediately protested after hearing the name they had used to refer to his mother. "My mommy''s name is not Nicole. Her name is Niki!" Suddenly, the Riddles fell silent. Chapter 1957 Chapter 1957 Noticing how incorrigible the little guy was, Jared grabbed him by his cor and lifted him off the ground. "That''s just a temporary name your mother has been using for the past five years. This is her home, and now that she''s back, she''ll be called by her real name, Nicole!" ''How dare you try to change my wife''s name, you little brat? That''s not your decision to make!'' he fumed. "My other daddy gave Mommy that name. You can''t change it!" Nn swung his little arms at Jared, though he could not hit him. Jared''s gaze darkened as soon as Nn had uttered those words. "Little brat! Your mother and I are legally married! I''ll decide what her name is!" Noticing the tension building up between them, Nicole stepped up and took the kid away from Jared. "That''s enough. Why are you arguing with a child? It''s just a name anyway. I''ll change it when I return home," she said. "Mommy!" Nn looked at Nicole with a pout. "How could you change your name?" Nicole smiled at Nn. "Silly Nn. It''s just that I''ve forgotten what my real name was. Now that I''ve found my parents and my family, it''s only right that I reim my real name..." "Mommy''s parents?" Nn scratched his head and looked around, whereupon he spotted a middle- aged couple, "Them?" Nn pointed at them. Nicole quickly grabbed his finger. "They''re your grandparents and you shouldn''t point at them like that. It''s impolite." But after he heard the word "grandparents," Nn quickly became silent. In his kindergarten, everyone had their grandparents to love them in addition to their parents. He had always wanted to meet his own grandparents, but as he was not expecting to see them here, he felt somewhat shy! Nicole had never seen him acting like this. He proceeded to hide behind Nicole, peeking his head out to observe Daniel and Gloria. N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. Nicole could not help but giggle before she held him up. "It''s okay. Your grandparents are not going to hurt you." Then, Nn went on to say, "I know that they won''t hurt me, but... are they going to get me any gifts? My friends from kindergarten told me that their grandparents would always give them presents... and I''ve never received any." Nn sounded a little sullen as he uttered thest few words. Previously, he had never dared to say these things to his mother because he was worried that it would make Nicole sad. As soon as Daniel and Gloria heard Nn mentioning gifts, they immediately said, "Of course there are gifts! We''ve prepared a lot of gifts for you, Nn! We''ll make up for the past five years, okay?" Sean shed a warm smile the moment he saw the anticipatory look on Nn''s face. "I''ll do the same too." Steve then bent down and added after hearing what Sean had said. "Me too." "Well, count me in. Just tell me what you like." Stanley smiled at Nn. "You should tell me instead! I''ll buy you anything in this world!" Spencer squatted down, attempting to cheer Nn up. Samuel could not contain his excitement anymore after hearing what his brothers had offered, novelebook"I''ll give you a basketball signed by Kobe Bryant himself and a pair of limited-edition sneakers! You can have as many as you want!" Nn was stunned. He was already delighted that his grandparents were going to give him presents. But unexpectedly, his five uncles wanted to do the same too! At this point, he simply could not imagine how many presents he would be getting. In fact, he was already thinking about how to show them off to his friends at kindergarten! And while it might be true that everybody had grandparents, none of them had as many uncles as him! Happily, Nn said, "Thank you, my dear uncles!" Nicole felt extremely embarrassed upon realizing how many presents Nn was going to get just because of his few words. "Hey you guys. Don''t listen to his nonsense. Save your money..." ''How could this little brat ask for so many presents during his first meeting with them? This is so embarrassing,'' she thought. Chapter 1958 Chapter 1958 "I don''t mind spending money on Nn at all." Samuel eagerly said. "If Nn had grown up with us, we would definitely have given him more! These gifts are nothing!" "That''s right. It''s only right for me to spoil my nephew," Spencer rightfully stated. Nicole looked at them, feeling embarrassed and at a loss for words. Then, she subtly glowered at Nn. ''I can''t stand this little brat at all!'' she fumed. However, Nn did not seem to be bothered at all, even when he realized that his mother was ring at him. Instead, he was delighted. It was only then that he realized how wonderful it felt to be loved by so many elders! Nicole kept her eyes on the gleeful expression on Nn''s face as if he hadpletely forgotten about his resistance toward Jared. Then, she grabbed his arm and said, "Do you realize how inappropriate this is, you little brat? How could you ask for gifts when you''ve just met them? This is a very impolite thing to do." Nn chuckled, and mischievously, he began to speak as if he was an adult. "They said they want to make up for all the years lost. It''ll be even more impolite to refuse their kindness." Daniel was somewhat intrigued. "He''s right. We''re willing to do that for him. Here, Nn, let me hold you." Even though Nn was not very familiar with Daniel, he stepped forward and allowed Daniel to hold him for the sake of the presents anyway. He even said, in a sweet voice, "Hello, Grandpa." "Hah!" Daniel was delighted, unable to contain his happiness after reuniting with his grandson whom he had not met for years. Mrs. Wace Sr. quietly wiped the tears from her eyes, "How wonderful... Not only did you return safely.novelebook You''ve brought your son with you too. Thank God." Nicole looked at Mrs. Wace Sr., who had white hair all over her head. Even though she had no memories of her, she still patted her hand tenderly and assured, "Don''t cry. I''m here now..." "Yes, yes... I won''t cry." Mrs. Wace Sr. replied, not wanting her tears to ruin everybody else''s mood. Once she had met everyone briefly, Nicole began to have a rough idea of who they were to her. After that, everyone sat down, with Jared taking a seat beside Nicole. Nn suddenly widened his eyes. "Don''t get so close to my mommy." Then, he forcefully squeezed himself between them. Everyone else felt very strange after seeing how Nn seemed more resistant toward Jaredpared to anyone else there. "Nn, it''s normal for your daddy and mommy to sit together. Come here, let me hold you." Stanley comforted, noticing that something was wrong. However, Nn did not give in this time, and remained seated between them. Then, he stared at Jared with a determined look on his face, "Just because you''ve brought Mommy home, it doesn''t mean that I''ll start liking you!" He still could not forget the time when Jared startled his mother at the airport. Besides, his godfather was the one who had been taking care of his mother for the past five years, and there was just no way he would betray him. Arge number of men had been chasing after Nicole, and he would never let any of them seed. N?velDrama.Org owns this. Even though he badly wanted to find out who his birth father was, his desire to meet him notwithstanding, he had to keep his word. After all, his godfather was the one who had been keeping himpany when his real father was nowhere to be found. It was just impossible for him to allow a person who had bullied his mother to be his father. Jared looked at Nn''s hostile gaze and his gaze darkened. He ignored Nn, after which he went to the other side and sat down beside Nicole. This time, he did not give Nicole any chance to move away as wrapped his arm around her. "W-what are you doing?" Nicole blushed after noticing what Jared was doing in front of everyone. Jared then said in a low voice, "We always did this." Nicole felt shy, wondering if she should believe him or not... ''Is it true that we had always been very affectionate in front of them? Well, they seemed to be very used to this...'' she thought. Chapter 1959 Chapter 1959 With that in mind, Nicole did not resist. However, Nn responded by puffing his cheeks up angrily. "Nicole, where have you been staying for the past two days? Were you staying in your new house with Jared?" Gloria asked. ''My new house?'' Nicole asked herself. Taken aback and not knowing what to say, Nicole remained silent. But it was then that Jared smiled and said, "Yeah. She has been staying in our manortely. I had decorated the master bedroom years ago, and nothing has changed." Though he had uttered those words affectionately, Nicole was still shocked. ''God! The ce that I''ve been staying in was the bedroom for him and his wife! It''s so strange that I haven''t noticed that at all...'' "That''s good. After all, you guys are married... and it''s only right for you two to stay together," Gloria agreed, although her eyes still betrayed hints of reluctance. Having noticed that, Jared smiled and said, "Don''t worry. If Nicole wants toe back for the uing days, she''s free to do so..." Nicole immediately agreed upon hearing that. "I do want toe back and live here. ''He had forcibly kissed me twice now,'' she thought. ''It''s too dangerous for me to stay under the same roof as this man. I''ve got to seize the opportunity and move out of that house.'' Besides, Nicole really wanted to spend some time with her family. Even though Jared felt a little unhappy that she had made that decision without any hesitation, he was not going to go back on his word, "Sure. I''ll move in here with you, then." He would never leave Nicole again no matter what. Nicole was just about to turn him down when she suddenly heard Gloria saying, "Good! That settles it. Alfred, would you please clean the biggest bedroom on the second floor for Nicole and her husband?" "I''m on it!" Alfred responded and headed upstairs with a servant at once. Nicole was shocked. ''What''s going on? Why did Gloria tell him to clean one room only? Come on. I only came to live here because I wanted to get rid of him! How wonderful. Now my own mother wants me to stay in the same room as him.'' "Uhm... I..." Nicole uttered, wanting to request a room just for herself. However, Jared had already predicted what she would say. He quickly interrupted her and said to Gloria, "Thank you, Mom. Please prepare a room for Nn too." Upon hearing that, Gloria replied, "That''s for sure. We''ve turned the remaining two guest rooms into nurseries. We''ll have it cleaned up for Nn!" Mrs. Wace Sr. and Tia had been staying with them while Sean and Steve had both gotten married in the past two years, novelebookso they had converted the two extra rooms into two individual nurseries. However, their wives had not been pregnant yet, and no one was expecting that Nicole would be the first person to use one of the rooms. Gloria was absolutely delighted by this. When Nicole heard that... she knew that there were no extra rooms left for her. So, she swallowed the words she was about to say. ''Whatever. It''s no big deal. There''s probably a couch in there. I''ll just sleep on that,'' she concluded. Noticing that something was not right, Nn immediately said, "I want to sleep with Mommy!" He was not going to let that bad guy, Jared, sleep with his mother! He figured that his foster father would not have a chance with his mother anymore if he were to let that happen! However, Jared taunted him with a look of indifference on his face. "You''ve grown up and you don''t have to sleep with your mother anymore. She''s my wife, and she''ll be sleeping with me." Then, he hugged Nicole even tighter as if he was doing that deliberately just to provoke Nn. Content provided by N?velDrama.Org. "Hey!" Nn got angry, ready to say something. Chapter 1960 Chapter 1960 Samuel noticed something was not right and immediately held Nn up. "Hey, let''s not meddle with your parents'' affairs. Come on, I''ll show you my basketball that has Kobe Bryant''s autograph on it!" "No..." Nn struggled. However, Spencer proceeded to follow them and block his view. And just like that, Nn was taken away by two of Nicole''s brothers. For some reason, Nicole was relieved after Nn had left. She really did not want the father and son to argue in front of her family anymore... After that, they continued to chat. Daniel and Gloria went on to ask where Nicole had been living all these years and what she had gone through, during which Nicole would answer them while avoiding the heavier topics. Meanwhile, throughout it all, Jared listened quietly at the side as if he was looking for some clues. At night, the family had a reunion dinner together. Nn got tired soon after, whereupon the nanny took him to the nursery upstairs to get some sleep. Nicole''s brothers noticed that it was gettingte, and not wanting to take up Nicole and Jared''s time together anymore, Stanley walked them to their room and left... With the room door shut, Nicole finally had the chance to ask Jared, "Your house is just next door and there are so many empty rooms there. Did you really have to squeeze in here with me?" ''This is my first day reuniting with my family, and yet he just wouldn''t give me some time alone with them. He''s even forcing me to sleep on the sofa. How heartless of him,'' she thought. "We''re a married couple to your parents, after all. They might be worried if we were to live separately, don''t you think?" He lifted his brows and asked, his words leaving Nicole speechless. Even though it was just her first time seeing her parents, she could tell how much her disappearance all those years had affected them, judging by the exhausted looks on their faces. So, Nicole figured that she should avoid adding to their emotional burdens. N?velDrama.Org is the owner. However, she rolled her eyes at Jared anyway. "Quit making excuses." She was left with no choice, so she pushed the door open and went inside. Indeed, the room was spacious, and the bed was huge. However, there were no couches in the room! "No couches?!" Nicole panicked. There, she discovered that her n had been ruined. Jared turned around and saw the disappointed expression on Nicole''s face, and that was when he figured out what she was nning to do. He smirked at her, and yfully, he said, "Huh? Were you nning to sleep on the sofa?" Nicole glowered at him. "What are the other options?" It was just impossible for her to not think of a way to sleep in a separate space from the guy who would forcibly kiss her. "Unfortunately, there''s no couch. But the bed is pretty big." Jared was pleased. He was d that Nicole had chosen to stay here. Otherwise, he would not know when he would have the chance to share a bed with her. Nicole looked at him in annoyance, and deep down, she was fighting the urge to tell him that she was not going to share a bed with him no matter how big it was. However, the bedroom had a modern design to it, and there was no carpet at all.novelebook So, she would not even be able to sleep on the floor. Then, she stepped forward angrily and drew a line on the bed with the nket. "You''ll sleep on that side, and I''ll sleep on this side. Don''t cross the line!" she warned. Jared could not help but chuckle after seeing that familiar gesture; Nicole had done the exact same thing when he had sneaked into her house to sleep with her years ago. Nicole was stunned after seeing the warm and gentle smile that had suddenly crossed Jared''s face. ''What''s going on? Why is he looking at me and smiling like that?'' "Why are you smiling?" She collected herself and asked as her heart raced. "Because of you. You did the same thing back then, but it never worked on me," he replied. Then, after uttering those words, he suddenly pushed Nicole onto the bed. Before Nicole could react, she was already pinned down on the bed. Jared then sped both of her hands above her head. "Jared Johnston! What are you doing?!" she shouted. Chapter 1961 Chapter 1961 ''What a jerk! I knew nothing good was going to happen if I shared a room with him! Still, I did not expect him to be so aggressive!'' She did not believe that Jared would do anything to her in her own house. And despite the look of resistance on Nicole''s face, Jared still looked at her affectionately. He then took a deep breath and said, "If I really wanted to do something to you, I wouldn''t have waited until now." He did not like Nicole being afraid of him. Nicole calmed down a little, but she still angrily asked, "Why did you pin me down like this then?" Jared''s eyes were like a whirlpool, rearing to suck her in. All of a sudden, he released her hands and hugged her tightly. He rested his chin on her shoulder and laid beside her. In a sh, their position switched to one where he embraced her. Nicole''s breath seemed to stop at that moment, and all she could smell was the faint fragrance of cologne lingering on his person. N?velDrama.Org is the owner. ''I''m going crazy. I''ve only met him a few times, but I think he.... smells amazing!'' she thought. Even though Nicole was shocked, she did not resist. Jared then drew a deep breath as if he wanted to fully embrace Nicole''s entire existence. "You''re finally back... It''s been five years, and I''ve not stopped thinking about the feeling of hugging you," he said. Indeed, he had really missed moments like these. However, he never had the chance to rify things with her or get close to her. novelebookBut today, Nicole finally got to learn about their rtionship prior to her memory loss, and this made him feel a lot better. The Jared that Nicole had seen in the past few days was always ruthless and scheming, but the current version of him seemed to be gued by loneliness and longing. Nicole felt sorry for him, but she pushed him away anyway. "Even though this might make you feel very bad... I really have no memories of us. What you''re doing now is making me feel really ufortable." Jared shed a bitter smile after noticing the serious expression on Nicole''s face. Then, he slowly let go of her, "Okay. I promise that I won''t touch you again tonight. You can sleep in peace." For a moment, Nicole was not expecting things to go so smoothly at all. "However, the condition is we have to share the nket and sleep together." He smirked. His words might have sounded perverted, but a triumphant smile appeared on his face like he was a little boy who had gotten away with something. Nicole was left speechless at that moment, and with that, she allowed him to drape the nket over them both. To get the man''s promise was of utmost importance, and she believed that Jared would be a man of his word. Still, Nicole did not take a shower, and above all, she did not have the courage to remove her clothes with him around. Overwhelmed by exhaustion, she fell asleep shortly after. However, she did not know that Jared had been looking at her all the time. He did not dare to sleep at all, for he was afraid that he would lose her again once he closed his eyes. As the night progressed, Nicole had a dream, one she had consistently been having for the past five years. There, she was surrounded by water, desperately dragging someone along in order to swim out of the cabin. Finally, she saw daylight as she dragged the person onto the water''s surface. Then, she ced him on a piece of debris. By that point, however, she was drained, and that was when she slowly sank back down into the depths. The suffocating sensation woke her up, and suddenly, she saw a handsome face mere inches away from hers, taking her aback. It had been five years and she had never managed to catch a clear look of that man in her dream. When she saw Jared''s face, however, she realized that the shapes of their faces were perfectly identical. ''Could he be the man that I have been trying to save in my dream?'' she asked herself. ''Was I not alone in that ne crash five years ago, but with him?!'' Chapter 1962 Chapter 1962 At that moment, Nicole could not concentrate, but she also noticed how close Jared was to her. She stared at him in shock and realized that her arm was wrapped around his waist without her knowing that she was doing just that. Furthermore, Jared''s arm was resting on her shoulder too! "Damn it!" Nicole instinctively shoved Jared away. Little did she know that Jared was already on the edge of the bed, and after she pushed him, he fell off onto the floor. "Ugh!" Jared groaned, feeling disoriented after being woken up from a deep sleep. He suddenly widened his eyes and looked at Nicole. "What are you doing?!" "I... I, You! Why did youe so close to me?" Nicole pointed at him and pointed back to herself as she stuttered. With a look of defeat on his face, he replied, "Look closely. You were the one who crossed the line and hugged me first." ''This woman was sleeping like a kitten mere seconds ago. Look at her now, bing all heartless once she was woken up. She had the nerve to shove me away after using me! How absurd!'' he thought. "How could I possibly do that?" Nicole asked in disbelief. However, when she looked down, she realized that she had indeed upied two-thirds of the bed. ''My goodness! Did I really hug him firstst night? And gosh, I pushed him off the bed after I woke up! novelebookThat''s sort of uneptable,'' she thought. With that, she became so embarrassed that she covered her face and said, "I-I''m going to take a shower!" Unable to stomach the feeling of shame anymore, she fled the scene. Following the fall, Jared''s waist ached as he stood up slowly. However, when he saw Nicole running away, he shook his head affectionately. Out of all the people in the world, she was the only one who would dare treat him like that. Soon after, it was breakfast time. Nicole and Jared awkwardly headed downstairs with each other, while the rest of the family were already at the table. "Nicole,e over and have your breakfast." Gloria beckoned, looking a lot more energetic today.. Nicole walked over, and naturally, Jared sat beside her again. And as usual, Nn was not happy with that. "I want to sit with Mommy!" He was about to stir the pot again when Gloria quickly stopped him. "Sure. Nn,e here and sit between me and Mommy, okay?" She was not going to let him squeeze her son-inw away. Nn got upset when he heard that Gloria was offering to give her seat up instead of asking Jared to move. Then, he said, "It''s okay, grandma. Your legs are hurting, and you should avoid moving around too much." Earlier, Nn noticed that Gloria had trouble walking, and that someone had to help her down the flight of stairs earlier. And as he was a very sensible kid, he did not insist. Now delighted, Jared continued to have his breakfast with Nicole. Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org. They were done with their meal in short order, and that was when Daniel said, "I''m nning to go back to the family manor and tell your grandpa about this great news. However, the old man will probably want us to stay in the family manor at night to do something for Nicole. Please be prepared." He shifted his gaze to Nicole as if to ask her opinion on that. Nicole was surprised. She did not anticipate that she would meet her grandpa and other people after just reuniting with her parents yesterday. To her, it was a bit too much to process. Then, Daniel sighed and continued before Nicole could respond. "Your grandpa fell sickst night, and earlier this year, he even became bedridden. However, he hasn''t stopped thinking about you. I''m afraid that he''ll pass away anytime now...and that too without knowing that you''ve returned." Nicole was at a loss for words after hearing how sorrowful Daniel sounded. She had no idea that her grandfather was in such a critical condition. Chapter 1963 Chapter 1963 "Alright, I''ll get ready then. I''ll be heading there tonight." Nicole agreed. "It''s settled, then. Jared, please take care of Nicole," Gloria said, leaving it all to Jared, as she was not in the mood to worry about these things. "Alright, I got it." After all, it would be great for Nicole to attend family gatherings. Even if it was just a minor gathering, Jared would arrange the outfits for her, as well as a slew of other things to be prepared. However, Nicole looked doubtful. ''I''m just going home. What is there to prepare?'' At that moment, Sean said, "It''s gettingte. Mom and dad? I''ll head to the office for work now." "Alright." Gloria nodded. Steve and the rest then took turns bidding their goodbyes before leaving for work. Before he stepped out, Samuel said to Nn, "Nn, I am giving you permission to y myputer games when I''m not around. However, you must take good care of your eyes, alright?" "I got it. Thank you, Uncle Samuel." Nn nodded and smiled. N?velDrama.Org is the owner. One could tell that Nn was extremely fond of Samuel. Hearing that, Nicole muttered, "You''re too young to y games." In response, Nn snorted. "Video games are some. I prefer hacking..." A look of bafflement appeared on Nicole''s face at once. Sure enough, she could not speak to her kid the way she could other kids his age. There were times when Nicole would suspect that Nn was a teenager living in the body of a 5-year-old. His thinking was so much more mature than hers. Now that Nicole''s brothers had all left, Gloria watched as Nicole and Jared sipped on their coffee. Then, she said, "Although Nicole has lost her memories, both of you had prepared a wedding reception five years ago.novelebook Everything had been prepared. Perhaps, the both of you should think of a suitable time and decide on the date." Nicole had not returned after she left the house five years ago. Because of that incident, Gloria had since been filled with regret. ''I should have held the wedding first. That way, I would not have felt sorry for anything.'' Now that Nicole had returned, Gloria wanted to make up for all the regrets from that year. "Wedding?" Nicole asked, surprised. ''I''ve only known this man for a few days, and they''re talking about marriage already? Okay, even if that decision had been made by him and the old me, I still find it hard to ept this reality,'' she thought. "About that...mum..." Nicole paused. She was still not ustomed to calling Gloria mom, so those words came out of her mouth rather awkwardly. Gloria immediately turned toward Nicole. "Nicole, what''s wrong?" Nicole looked at Gloria awkwardly, after which she mustered the courage to say, "Mom, I don''t remember a lot of things from the past. I can''t get married to him just like that. At least not before I regain my memories." The recent events were all just too much for Nicole to take in. She did not know how to address any of the issues. Gloria stared at Nicole. ''I''m well aware that Nicole has lost her memory, but to me, she is still my child. Still, I think I might have ignored Nicole''s feelings.'' At that thought, Gloria tapped Nicole''s hands, "I understand. You can take your time to recover your memories, but Jared. Well, Jared has been waiting for you for five years now." While speaking, Gloria turned to look at Jared affectionately. "When you were gone for thest five years, your dad and I were totally devastated. All of your brothers were also distracted in their work and studies. But then, Jared took care of everything at home. He was always there, helping with a lot of things in ourpany. At that time, we were all in despair, and none of us thought that you would ever return. However, he has never given up on you. He never gave up on us either." When Nicole heard this, she remained silent. She had been thinking that Jared was her creditor, a demon, and a viin of sorts. She had never expected him to have done so much for her over the past five years. At that moment, Nicole felt conflicted. ''It''s true. For a man who is so close to perfection, he actually stayed single and waited for me for five years. Rtionships like these are rare.'' Chapter 1964 Chapter 1964 But all of these things were too sudden for her. "I understand. Mom, please give me a month''s time. At least allow me and my kid to adjust to life here. And if I decide to settle down here, I''ll have to bring Lana over as well." Gloria nodded. "That''s right, I''ve only seen my grandson, not my granddaughter yet. So, when are you going to bring her over?" Nicole noticed how excited Gloria was. Although their misunderstanding had been resolved, and that the demon in the form of Jared would not restrict her movements anymore, Nicole had not decided whether to migrate here in such a hurry or not After all, Leo had once mentioned that he had rivals in this country. As such, she could not but wonder if that would invite trouble to the family. Noticing that Nicole was silent, Jared butted in and said, "Mom, leave this to me. Within three days, Nicole and I will bring her back." "Alright, we''ll help the both of you by taking care of Nn," Gloria immediately agreed. Nicole could not help but widen her eyes. She had not uttered a word, and yet, the two had already made that decision for her. But when Nicole looked at Gloria, she could only nod and agree. "Alright then." Previously, Nicole had foolishly requested help from Leo. Now that she could return on her own, she would be able to exin things to Leo. Gloria then began bugging Nicole about the citizenship of the little ones and school. Nicole had never thought this far yet, but after giving it some thought, she definitely would have to send her kids to a good school if she decided to migrate. After Gloria had gone upstairs, Jared noticed that Nicole was in a daze, and this prompted her to ask, "What''s wrong?" Nicole sighed. "So, this is how it feels to have parents by my side." Previously, Nicole had to think on her own. As a first-time mother, she stillcked the wisdom and experiences in more areas than one.novelebook Thus, she had never thought about it, let alone nned anything for the long run.. "Adults naturally think more about the future of their kids." Understanding what Nicole meant, Jared replied, "Don''t worry, you can leave these things to me. As long as the kids can be brought over, I''ll arrange their education." Jared''s gaze made Nicole a little shy. Even if Nicole could not talk things through with her parents, she should at least be able tomunicate with Jared about her concerns. "Jared? Although the adults are in a hurry, you know about my situation too. With the current state of our rtionship, I really don''t think I could ignore everything and just marry you in an instant," she exined. Jared looked at Nicole. She had emphasized this before, and it seemed to him that this would impose upon her a sort of pressure she would not be able to deal with. With a sigh, Jared approached her and said, "Don''t worry, I''ll help you regain your memory. I''ll help you remember how much you used to love me." That seductive voice caused Nicole to hold her breath. "I-I did not mean it that way." "Well, what do you mean, then? You wish to separate from me and raise those two kids as a single mother?" he asked. Jared''s words left Nicole speechless. "I¨C" ''Which mother would ever want their kids to grow up without a father?'' "Or are you considering that person named ''Godpa''?" Jared''s gaze turned dark and a grimace appeared on his face. "Don''t spout that kind of hogwash..." While it was understandable that children would utter nonsensical propositions from time to time, there was no reason as to why Jared should do so. "If that''s not the case, then consider the first proposal." Jared''s face rxed a little. "Since you''ve forgotten everything, we''ll take baby steps and help you remember the past bit by bit." Jared''s gaze became more and more affectionate as he looked at Nicole. All of a sudden, Nicole felt relieved. She could tell that Jared''s feelings for her were sincere. Furthermore, her parents also seemed to trust him. Thus, it did not matter whether Nicole did it for her kids or her parents. She was willing to open herself up to Jared and attempt to get along with him. After all, she had just returned, and though she had only been around for a few days, she had already recover a few of her memories. Perhaps, after some time, she might be able to recall something even more significant. N?velDrama.Org is the owner. "All I can say is that I''ll try. But what if I can''t regain my memories?" Nicole looked at Jared solemnly. Chapter 1965 Chapter 1965 Though Jared had noted Nicole''s expression, he remained steadfast and resolute nheless. "If you can''t regain your memory, I''ll make you fall in love with me once more." Jared''s cocky words made Nicole''s heart skip a beat, though she proceeded to roll her eyes at him at the very next second anyway. "What a narcissist." Hearing that, Jared yed along. "You can give it a try." Nicole looked at him awkwardly, for she was itching to ask, ''What if I don''t fall in love with you?'' Yet, those words remained unspoken in the end. Instead, she took a deep breath and made a decision. "Alright, let''s make a deal. In two months, if I can''t regain my memory or fall in love with you, you can''t interfere with my life anymore. Would you agree to it?" she asked. Nicole was not the kind of person to flirt with others. She was also not the type to get married without a rtionship built on a solid foundation. Therefore, she wanted to make things clear. At that moment, Jared remained silent. This was because Jared had never had to think about such an option ever since he found Nicole. Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org. Looking at the way Nicole was waiting for an answer, Jared hesitated. But then again, regardless of what and who he had to give up on, he would never be able to give up on Nicole. "I can''t do it. Even if you can''t fall in love with me, I won''t let go of you." Jared got up and left, unable to agree to the terms or answer her request. Nicole stared at Jared from the back and sighed. Even though Jared had disagreed, Nicole had already made her decision. She believed that as time went by, Jared would understand and wish her well. With that in mind, she forewent the thought of forcing an answer out of him. Instead, she went off to apany her child. In the afternoon, Jared brought her clothes over. After all, she would be meeting her rtives and friends when she returned home. Therefore, she could not be too casual in her dressing. However, it was not a banquet, so she could not be overdressed either. Fortunately, Jared had prepared a simple and elegant zer paired with a knee length skirt for Nicole. The whole fit looked clean and formal. And most importantly, Jared knew all of Nicole''s body measurements. "How did you know my measurements?" Nicole asked, suspecting that Gloria was the one who had told him. In response, Jaredughed. "I''ve remembered your measurements since the first time we slept together." As soon as those words left his mouth, Nicole felt so appalled that she quickly stepped forward to cover his mouth.novelebook "Why do you talk about everything so openly?" Even though she was not sure if Jared was telling the truth or not, as she did not have any memories of the past, the remark still made her angry. Jared put her hands down and signaled her to have a look at their surroundings. "The servants are not here. Mom and dad are already back at the family manor. What are you scared of?" It was only then that Nicole heaved a sigh of relief. "But you can''t simply talk about things like this!" ''Jared is so boorish. How could he simply blurt those words out willy-nilly?'' she fumed. Although Nicole could not recall their first time sleeping together, her face would blush as she attempted to summon the memory of it. ''What was I blinded by, to the point where I can share an intimate moment with such a guy?'' she thought. Jared noticed that her neck was flushing, and he could not help but tease her, "What are you thinking about?" Jared''s breath caressed the back of Nicole''s neck, and he was so close that Nicole had to take a step forward. "Stay away from me!" ''This guy is so seductive. He''s a dangerous one!'' she thought. Chapter 1966 Chapter 1966 Looking at Nicole''s reaction, Jared wanted to tease her even more. "Why are you so afraid of me getting this close to you? Is your heart... beating wildly?" Jared stared at Nicole in the mirror and his eyes were seductive. Nicole shivered under Jared''s stare. She could not take it anymore, so she quickly turned to the side and took a sip of water. She dared not turn back to Jared''s side. "I think it''s almost time. Let''s go." Jared smiled, and did not continue disturbing her. "Yeah, let''s go." Nicole nodded and her gaze shifted to the kid''s room. "What about Nn? Should we bring him along?" Jared shook his head. "I don''t think we should. You''ll need some getting used to the ce. There''s no need to bring the kids along to experience an unfamiliar ce yet. We''ll bring him next time." Nicole knew that what Jared said made sense. Afterall, Nn had been ying with Tia the whole day and they seemed to get along well. There was nothing for Nicole to be worried about. So, she got into the car with Jared. The car slowly drove out of the house. Nicole stared at the scenery outside and emotions filled her. Leo only knew that Nicole had an enemy in that country, but he did not know that her family was also there. She only went to the country once, and she had been back to the Riddle family already. That was such an unexpected fate. Thinking of her enemy, Nicole looked at Jared. If Jared was not her enemy... Then, who could it be? After giving it some thought, Nicole asked, "Do I have any enemies here?" Jared raised his eyebrow slightly and looked at her. "Why do you say so?" Nicole did not intend to hide anything, so she tried to recall her memories and said, "Five years ago, I visited here in an attempt to regain my memory. However, I was attacked by someone. After that, for my kid''s sake, I had never returned." Jared''s eyes filled with emotion. That year, he could not find any trace of Nicole. How could anyone else have found her? But Jared still answered her question. "You definitely have a few enemies." Nicole immediately choked. After a while, she said, "It''s not just one?" "Of course." She was the owner of the Crest. On top of that, she killed one of The Raven''s members before she went missing. It was possible that they were still seeking revenge. "I see." Nicole remained silent. She did not know what else to ask. "Don''t worry. Now that I know about this, I''ll make sure to find out who attacked you five years ago and teach them a lesson." The expression on Jared''s face obviously implied that he was trying to find someone''s fault. Nicole felt touched by it. "I don''t really care if that person was taught a lesson. I just want to know who they are. Furthermore, if I were to return here with my kids in the future, I''d want to ensure that they''re safe." As a mother, this was the biggest worry Nicole had. Jared stared at Nicole. "Don''t worry. I''ll send my men to protect you wherever you go. I won''t allow anyone to hurt you or the kids." Nicole looked at Jared and felt a lot more rxed in her heart. ''I have to admit that Jared is a responsible man. He''s nice to the kids too. ''Forget it. What am I thinking about? ''I should take care of important things first.'' Soon, they had arrived at the Riddle family manor. When Nicole got out of the car, she noticed that there were quite a number of cars at the house. It seemed like there were quite a lot of people there. As Jared led Nicole in, he exined, "You have three uncles. For such asions, your uncles, aunties and cousins would all be here." "Oh." Nicole nodded. Then, she hurriedly asked, "How was my rtionship with them?" Jared paused for a moment and smiled. "Barely great." Nicole was a smart cookie. She immediately understood what Jared meant. From the looks of it, they might be her rtives, but they were not really close. Unexpectedly, Jared added, "Five years ago, you were the one who suggested to split up thepany shares and also separate thepany''s operations. You even sent two of your female cousins abroad. Another female cousin also turned into a paraplegic after shooting a movie with you-" "Hold up! Hold up!" When Nicole heard what Jared had said, she was shocked. "Oh my God. Everything you just said, did I really do all those things?" Jared teased her, "Of course. Now, those two cousins you sent abroad had already gotten married. And it seems like that paraplegic cousin ising back today." "What?!" ''What kind of family gathering is this? This is more like a trap! ''Those who are here are all my enemies!'' At that moment, she finally understood what Jared meant when he said that she had a few enemies. She had practically offended everyone. "Was I... like, really short-tempered before?" Other than this, Nicole had no idea why she did all those things. Jared could tell that Nicole was worried. He smiled and held her hand. "No, they were in the wrong." Those simple words actually had the power to calm Nicole down. Even if she could not believe in those words fully, it still gave her somefort. ''Hopefully, the old me really did not harm people on purpose.'' Soon, the both of them entered the living room. As expected, all the members of the Riddle family were there when they reached the living room. Once Damien saw Nicole, he was stunned... It had been five years. He really thought that Nicole would be dead by now. But she actually came back! "How''s this possible?" Miley stared at Nicole with wide eyes. At the side, Karen alsomented, "She looks exactly the same..." Initially, Karen thought that Daniel had found someone to act as Nicole.novelebook But unexpectedly, it really was Nicole! Dillon was also surprised, and he seemed to be in disbelief. "This is impossible..." When Nicole went missing, herpany shares were temporarily returned to Mr. Riddle Sr. The Riddle brothers thought they could get some of the shares once Mr. Riddle Sr. died. But Nicole actually returned at such a crucial time. If it was the real Nicole, then what share would they even get? Only Aunt Emma approached Nicole. "Nicole, it''s really you! It''s been five years. We all thought that something happened to you. It''s great to have you back!" "That''s right. Our family is finally reunited again." Dexter was nodding on one side. Nicole could tell that this couple were nice people. N?velDrama.Org is the owner. At that moment, Preston and Alex also ran up and approached Nicole. "Nicole! You''re really back!" "Yes! This is great news!" Preston smiled happily and nced at Jared. He initially thought that Jared would keep it a secret for a while. It was unexpected for Jared to make such a move. Luckily, Mr. Riddle Sr. survived. Otherwise, Nicole would have regretted it her whole life. At that moment, a mean voice came from one side. "Brother, are you actually stupid or are you just pretending to be? All this while she had never returned, and yet, she appeared at such a crucial time. Isn''t she here just to get some shares?" Raine was putting on lipstick while saying those words coldly. Beside her was a handsome man. At one nce, one would know that he was her husband. Sure enough, that man echoed Raine''s words. "That''s right! For someone who had never appeared over the past five years, she chose to appear at this time. She must have something up her sleeves." Chapter 1967 Chapter 1967 Nicole nced at the both of them. Although she could not remember them, they should be the two female cousins which Jared had mentioned just now. Nicole did not give way. "This is my family too. I''m back for the allocation of family shares, so are the both of you back for that too?" Once those words came out of her mouth, Raine who was shocked almost choked. "Quit talking nonsense! The shares you had previously were given by Grandpa. They were already returned to him during the past five years when you went missing. Don''t you dare think about getting them back!" Nicole could not help but raise her eyes and look at Jared. ''So, there was such a thing. No wonder this family feels threatened by me.'' She did not bother to exin whether she had lost her memory or not. Instead, she teased them. "So, there was such an incident. No wonder you''re so worked up right now. But don''t you know a thing about thew? What was mine will be returned back to me once I return. You want a share of it? Beg me then. I might just give you a thing or two if I''m in a good mood." Although Nicole had lost her memory, her words were still as sharp as ever. It made Raine freeze. Snow had already known that Raine was no match for Nicole. But five years had passed. They used to bicker and fight a lot, but now they were already married women. It was true that Snow came back to see if she could inherit anything. Snow did not want to utter a word. Instead, she looked at Raine coldly. "If you can''t win over her, then there''s no use arguing. Everything will be decided by Grandpa. What''s the use of arguing with her?" In other words, Nicole had no say in anything as well. At that moment, Karen could finally speak again. "That''s right, we''ll see what Grandpa has to sayter." At that moment, the butler had just appeared and addressed the crowd. "The master has woken up. novelebookHe''s in a better state now. All of you maye upstairs." It was only then that the four Riddle brothers brought their families upstairs. N?velDrama.Org is the owner. In that huge room, Mr. Riddle Sr. was lying in bed while looking weak. Once Nicole entered the room, she noticed that Mr. Riddle Sr. was unusually pale. She could not help but frown. Deep down, she felt uneasy. Once Mr. Riddle Sr. saw everyonee in, he scanned through the crowd. When he saw Nicole, his eyes lit up. "Nicole... Come, let me have a look at you." Being able to see Nicole again in this life was good news to him. Looking at the way Nicole was treated by Mr. Riddle Sr. as soon as she returned, Damien, Dillon and the rest looked unhappy. At one corner, Everett was witnessing the scene and his gaze turned gloomy. It had been five years, and he thought that Nicole would have been long gone by then. Unexpectedly, she was so lucky to be able toe back alive. Nicole went to the bedside respectfully. She stretched out her hands and held Mr. Riddle Sr.''s hands. Mr. Riddle Sr. looked at Nicole excitedly. "This is great... When your parents told me that you came back, I couldn''t believe it. Thank God for your safe return..." During the period of time when Nicole was around, the Riddle family was very influential. In the following years, the Riddle family also managed to grow and receive clients because of Nicole''s reputation with the Fire Crest. However, in the recent two years, their weaknesses began to show and they were slowly losing their poprity. It was unexpected for Nicole to return... Nicole nodded. She did not utter a word. Instead, she was secretly measuring her grandfather''s pulse under her fingers. Mr. Riddle Sr. was looking haggard, and his body was weak. However, his gaze seemed bright. He did not seem like a frail person. After measuring his pulse, Nicole''s face darkened a little. Mr. Riddle Sr. seemed to notice Nicole''s actions. He looked at her heavy expression and sighed. "You used to take care of me whenever I was sick, but this time around... I guess I can''t survive it anymore." Chapter 1968 Chapter 1968 Mr. Riddle Sr. had been sick for two to three years now and it had been getting worse recently. It seemed like he would not be able to withstand it any longer. Nicole knew that she had some medical skills, but she did not expect herself to be this good at it. ''So, I used to take care of Grandpa?'' At that thought, Nicole slowly said, "Grandpa, don''t think too much. Your body seems strange. I''ll bring someone to do a body check on you tomorrow and we''ll see from there." As Nicole said that, Mr. Riddle Sr. was stunned. "Are you saying that I still have some hope to live?" Nicole nced at everyone around her and remained silent. Mr. Riddle Sr. immediately understood and sighed loudly on purpose. "We''ll leave it to fate to decide. You shouldn''t worry too much either." "Alright." Nicole seemed to be calm as she nodded. The rest did not notice it, but Jared could tell from Nicole''s interaction with her grandpa that something was off. After they had finished talking about Mr. Riddle Sr.''s condition, Karen got impatient. "Dad, the butler said that your body is getting weaker day by day. Dillon, Damien and Dexter had been managing the company over the past two to three years. Perhaps it''s also time for you to hand over your shares." Once Karen spoke, Damien instantly red at her. ''This wench only cares about the shares!'' Sure enough, Mr. Riddle Sr. got angry too. "I''m not dead yet, and you''re eying my shares already! Do you have no conscience?" Previously, whenever Karen got scolded, she would just show dissatisfaction on her face. This time, she replied to Mr. Riddle Sr. disdainfully,novelebook "Well, I know your body is still strong. But we should all prepare for the worst, right?" "Shut your mouth!" Dillon immediately yelled at Karen as he could not bear to hear her offending people anymore. It was only then did Karen stop talking. However, she still red at Dillon with dissatisfaction. At this moment, Damien said, "Dad, the branch office has been doing well. You can just focus on your recovery." Although Damien had his own goals as well, he was not in a hurry. He dared not anger Mr. Riddle Sr. On the other hand, Dillon stopped Karen but deep down, he was actually anxious. "Damien, I don''t think you''re right. There are so many members of the family. If we don''t prepare for the worst, the family will never be in harmony. Of course we''d want dad to live a long life, but isn''t it better to make a will?" Even though he stopped Karen, he still wanted some sort of security. "Y-you unfilial child!" Mr. Riddle Sr. was angered by Dillon''s words. A surge of anger instantly rose in his chest, and he coughed aggressively. "Cough! Cough!" Nicole immediately took out a few silver needles which she had and poked it into a few meridian points. Then, Mr. Riddle Sr. could finally take a breath. Daniel and the rest let out a sigh of relief. Sure enough, as long as Nicole was around, the whole family would be at peace. Although Nicole wanted to keep it a secret, she was agitated by the way Dillon was forcing things. So, she immediately said, "Don''t worry. With me here, Grandpa won''t die anytime soon. He could live for 10 or 20 more years. Please keep that greed within yourself." As soon as those words came out of Nicole''s mouth, the whole family was stunned. "W-what nonsense are you talking about now?" "Who do you think you are? Even if you have medical skills, you''re not a doctor. A few days back, the doctor had already asked us to prepare for the worst..." Miley responded in the heat of the moment. N?velDrama.Org owns this. Once those words came out of her mouth, Mr. Riddle Sr. was shocked. "What did you just say?" ''So, the actual reason behind why they''ve been visiting me so diligently is because they knew that I was going to die soon?'' Seeing that everything was being revealed, Damien quickly shot a look at Miley. But at that moment, he could only tell the truth. "Dad, a few days back, the doctor had already informed us. I''m afraid you don''t have much time left..." Chapter 1969 Chapter 1969 When he realized that his family was hoping for his death, the shame made Mr. Riddle Sr. angry. "I won''t believe any of you, excluding Nicole. Nicole, tell me honestly, how much longer do I have?" Mr. Riddle Sr. had alreadye to terms with the idea of death due to his old age. However, he never once thought these ungrateful bastards were praying for his death. Instantly, anger surged within him, and he was determined to stay alive to spite them all. The indignant expression on Mr. Riddle Sr.''s face made Nicole smile. "Grandpa, you''ll be fine. I''ll cure you, so you''ll live as long as you want." Upon Nicole''s promise, Mr. Riddle Sr. regained his confidence and chuckled. "Alright, I believe in you! I''ll get better and live my life!" Karen and the others turned green in envy as Nicole brought encouragement to Mr. Riddle Sr. He even seemed to have a betterplexion after hearing Nicole''s supportive words. It had been five years since Mr. Riddle Sr. took back the shares he had given to Nicole. Since then, everyone had been waiting for him to redistribute the shares. No one anticipated Nicole''s return, since it posed a problem to them. The situation worsened because if Nicole did not want the shares now, Mr. Riddle Sr. would not give the shares to Nicole in the short term. If Mr. Riddle Sr. was willing to make a will, or even without one, Karen and the others would undoubtedly receive something. However, by the looks of it, the shares would go back to Nicole if Mr. Riddle Sr. did not pass away. As expected, after taking a few breaths, Mr. Riddle Sr. announced, "Don''t pretend like I don''t know what you''re after. You''re just coveting the shares I took back from Nicole, right? Well, let me tell you this. I''ll give Nicole her shares back now that she''s returned since I gave them to her when she was here! Don''t you even think about it!" As opposed to Dexter and Daniel, who preferred a quiet life, Mr. Riddle Sr. had now realized that Dillion and Damien''s families were nothing more than wolves in sheep''s clothing. N?velDrama.Org is the owner. Raine was on edge as soon as she heard this, eximing, "Grandpa! How could you be so biased toward her?!" Mr. Riddle Sr. had already been biased toward Nicole five years ago. Raine did not receive any shares when she got married, so she thought she would get a part this time. However, it turned out that Mr. Riddle Sr. was going to give it to Nicole anyway. "I can give the shares to anyone I want since they''re mine. Get out if you can''t bear this situation!" Mr. Riddle Sr. was slowly losing his patience. Nicole quickly tried to calm him down in a silky tone. "Grandpa, don''t get so worked up." Mr. Riddle Sr. calmed down slightly after Nicole''s reassurance. At this moment, Daniel''s expression turned grim. He said while looking at Dillion, Damien, and their wives. "You should step out first to let Dad calm down." Dillion, feeling resentful, reluctantly went out with his family. They believed they would have gotten some substantial benefits today, but they left empty-handed. Despite having no recollections of them, Nicole had a general idea of the family''s dynamics, judging by today''s situation. After the other families departed, Mr. Riddle Sr. looked at Nicole. "Hang in there, child. I know my body''s condition is failing. novelebookBut, your words earlier gave me some peace of mind." Now, Damien and Dillion would probably stop rushing Mr. Riddle Sr. anymore. Nicole shook her head as she realized Mr. Riddle Sr. thought she was joking about saving him. "Grandpa, I wasn''t just reassuring you. I truly have confidence in curing you." Nicole had no memory of learning medicine, but she indeed had knowledge of it. Besides, she had confidence in curing her grandfather''s condition. Jared knew Nicole''s abilities, so naturally he believed in her. Mr. Riddle Sr.''s spirit brightened. He replied, "Are you telling the truth?" He initially thought Nicole was merely trying to protect him by putting on a show. He did not expect her to have genuine confidence in his survival. Chapter 1970 Chapter 1970 "Emm... Your symptoms are rather weird, to be honest. Grandpa, have you been taking any medications regrly before you got sick?" Nicole asked. Mr. Riddle Sr. set his gaze on his butler after Nicole''s reminder. His butler thought for a moment before taking out a bottle of medication from the table''s drawer. "Mr. Riddle Sr. has been taking medications for his cerebrovascr condition for the past two years. Even after falling ill, the doctor continued the prescription." Nicole frowned and took the bottle of medication. She poured out a pill and crushed it. When she sniffed it, she sensed something amiss.novelebook "I''ll take this away. I believe ab test will reveal something." The butler and Mr. Riddle Sr. were slightly taken aback. "There''s something wrong with this medication?" Nicole nodded. "I''m sure of it, though I can''t tell the exactposition. After identifying the composition, I''m confident I can cure Grandpa." N?velDrama.Org owns this. The family members found sce in Nicole''s words. Nicole was their beacon of hope. Their family was once again filled with hope now that she was back. "Nicole, where have you been for the past five years?" Mr. Riddle Sr. asked. He missed her a lot over the years. After the Riddle family returned under his control, things gradually lost the former glory that Nicole brought. The situation would have been worse if not for Jared''s assistance. Mr. Riddle Sr. thought there was no more hope left in his life. Realizing his anticipation of her, Nicole felt guilty. Sean could not stand seeing Nicole burdened. So he stepped forwards, saying, "Grandpa, the inders rescued Nicole after the ne crash. However, she hadn''te home all this time because she suffered from amnesia." Mr. Riddle Sr. was stunned. "Amnesia?" ''What was that possible? From the moment Nicole entered the room, she seemed just as she was before,'' Mr. Riddle Sr. thought. Nicole nodded her head with a helpless expression. "That''s right. I forgot all my memories. However, the feeling of being with family can''t be wrong." It was instinctual for her to protect her family. Even though she felt like this was her first meeting with Mr. Riddle Sr., she could not help but defend him. Mr. Riddle Sr. never expected Nicole to lose all her memories, as she had not disyed any signs of memory loss since she entered the room. In his eyes, she was still theposed Nicole from before. Pondering over this, Mr. Riddle Sr. asked, "Who else knows about Nicole''s memory loss?" Daniel understood Mr. Riddle Sr.''s meaning and whispered, "The matter hasn''t been revealed to anyone else. Apart from my family, neither Damien nor Dillion is aware." Mr. Riddle nodded. "That''s good. You guys should go and take care of this matter these two days and return the shares to Nicole as soon as possible." Nicole was taken aback. "Grandpa, um... That doesn''t seem appropriate, right?" Even though she owned thepany''s shares in the past, it had been five years since shest returned. Along with that, she did not remember anything. It was impossible for her to manage the company again. "Why not? Five years ago, we separated thepanies on your advice. That was how the headquarters managed to survive for these few years, without the subsidiarypanies dragging us down. I''m well aware of your abilities in this area. You''re all grown up now. You should hurry up and take over thepany since you''ve finally returned." Five years ago, Mr. Riddle had been anticipating Nicole''s graduation and her days of managing the company. However, Nicole went missing. Now that she was back, Mr. Riddle Sr. could not wait any longer for her to take over thepany. Chapter 1971 Chapter 1971 "But, Grandpa, I don''t know anything about business management," Nicole voiced her insecurities. Sean and Steve looked at her. Steve said, "Nicole, where did your confidence go? You used to be decisive and capable during your high school days. Despite yourck of business management expertise, every choice you made prevented crises for thepany. Now that you''re back, it''s time to take over. Sean and I can teach you if you need help." "That''s right. Everyone has been hoping for your return," Stanley added with a smile. After all, when it came to dealing with their uncles, novelebookneither of them possessed Nicole''s decisiveness. They had been stifled by restriction all these years. Nicole felt overwhelmed by everything that had happened these few days. It felt like a dream. ''I just met this family, and now they want me to inherit apany? I hadn''t given my true identity a thought in the past five years of wandering the streets. I had no idea I was a multimillionaire heiress with an inheritance.'' Feeling immense pressure, Nicole replied, "I had just only gotten back. Let me think about it first." N?velDrama.Org owns this. Noticing Nicole''s stress, Gloria heartily chimed in, "Dad, Nicole just only reunited with her family. Let her take some time before discussing this matter." Mr. Riddle Sr. did not want to push Nicole too hard andpromised. "Alright. If that''s the case, you should take a week off. We''ll discuss this next week." Mr. Riddle Sr. had no choice but to give Nicole a week''s time to think about this matter. Nicole remained silent as she could sense the urgency in her grandfather''s tone. The two families before were not easy to deal with, and thepany had always been in a difficult situation. "I got it, Grandpa. Wait till I work out what''s going on in thepany. I''ll make my way there as soon as possible." If Mr. Riddle Sr. and her family trusted her, she would not let them down. Jared watched Nicole closely. Even though she had lost her memories, she was still his confident and strong-willed woman. "Don''t worry. I''ll help you out," Jared reassured. He held her hand, soothing her. Nicole nced at Jared by her side, unexpectedly finding somefort in his words. After visiting Mr. Riddle Sr., everyone went downstairs as he grew tired. After they got downstairs, Janus took the bottle of medication from Nicole''s hand and went to have it tested. Nicole did not stop him. With Jared''s connections in the country, his approach would be faster than her personally going to the hospital for testing. Daniel looked worriedly at Nicole. "Nicole, these few days may be tough for you if you''re returning to thepany next week. Besides understanding thepany''s situation and knowing the business partners, you should also..." Nicole turned to look at Daniel after hisst sentence. "Is there something else going on?" Daniel replied, "To be frank, in the five years you were missing, we announced to the outside world that Jared was protecting you and you would not be managing thepany. Many suspected your absence, wondering if you were missing or in trouble. Thepany''s partners has gradually decreased as well. So before you take over next week, you should host a banquet and announce your return, emphasizing that you''ll inherit and take over thepany." The Riddle family had been looking forward to this day for far too long. Nicole never expected a banquet, as she was bad at socializing. "This... I''m not good at this." Jared interjected, "Uncle, rest assured and make the arrangements. I''ll go with Nicole and make sure she doesn''t slip up." Jared understood Daniel''s intentions, and he did not want Nicole to encounter any problems. Daniel breathed a sigh of relief. "Good to hear. Thank you for your hard work, Jared." Nicole watched as the two of them finished their ns and kept her thoughts to herself. Chapter 1972 Chapter 1972 Nicole''s gaze naturallynded on Jared. Her problems did not seem as daunting when he was around. For the first time, she figured having a man around was not that awful. Initially, Mr. Riddle Sr. prepared a wee banquet for Nicole and the whole family to dine. However, Damien and Dillion''s family left in anger, leaving only Dexter and his family behind. Nicole and the others, along with Dexter, Emma, Emery, and Er had a meal together. At the dinner table, Er and Nicole seemed to get along well. Jared whispered in Nicole''s ear asionally, reminding her how to handle things and not reveal traces of her memory loss. The two families enjoyed a pleasant time during the meal. After dinner, Dexter looked difited while facing Nicole and Daniel. "Daniel, ourpany''s performance this month is still not promising. If we continue at this rate, we might really struggle to keep thepany going." Dexter initially opposed the idea of breaking up the family and separating thepanies. The other three siblings supported the n, though.novelebook Therefore his department was also divided into a subsidiary business. Dexter was not skilled in negotiating partnerships, so he struggled the most in managing the business among the four siblings. Over the past two years, they managed to survive by relying on the coborations from the headquarters. Dexter was quite concerned because this year''s HQ coborations were down 30%. N?velDrama.Org is the owner. "Don''t worry, Dexter. Now that Nicole''s back, we would definitely secure more partnerships at the headquarters. Like before, you can select some projects yourpany can handle and take over," said Daniel. Dexter let out a sigh of relief, grateful for Daniel''s support and generosity. "Thank you, Daniel. I must have put you in a difficult ce while relying on the headquarters'' support these few years." Dexter knew he had been a burden on Daniel and his family, but it would be too embarrassing to shut down his business. "It''s nothing. We''re family, it''spletely normal," Daniel said magnanimously. His reaction put Dexter and Emma at ease. Nicole, who had been silent all along, cast a grateful and kind nce at Dexter and his family. She could tell that Dexter and his family were not bad people, and had a pretty close rtionship with her parents. She spoke slowly. "Uncle Dexter, if you don''t mind, try organizing your business''s financial statements and documents. Perhaps we can help you identify the problem." Riddle Corporation was financially strong. Dexter, after all, came from the third branch of the Riddle family. Nicole believed his situation should not be like this, and there must be some oversight somewhere. "Yes, definitely! You even know how to manage businesses, Nicole?" Dexter seemed to glimpse a glimmer of hope. However, this question left Nicole speechless. Jared chuckled. "Nicole does have some knowledge of managing business. Both of us will discuss and help you." Dexter was pleasantly surprised that Jared offered to help. "That''s great! I''ll get someone to prepare and send it to you tomorrow!" "Fine by me." Nicole nodded and spoke no further, though she felt relieved in her heart. It was rather nice to have Jared as a shield. Nicole did not understand business management. She had simply spoken out earlier because she felt that something was amiss. Maybe they could really find out something from it. After finishing the meal, Sean and Daniel wanted to stay back to discuss some matters with Mr. Riddle Sr. Thus, they headed back first. Gloria, Samuel, and Spencer went home together in one car. Jared, on the other hand, took Nicole with him. Noticing her silence, he asked, "What are you thinking?" Nicole sighed. "I only thought I had many enemies here, but I never expected my own family was waiting for my return. Besides, there''s apany waiting for me to manage it." Nicole missed out on so much in the past five years. "To be frank, I came back here once when I was pregnant five years ago. However, my enemies hunted me down, and I almost had a miscarriage. Since then, I never once set foot in Hustuaburg, for the sake of my children." Chapter 1973 Chapter 1973 If Nn had not returned to Hustuaburg, Nicole might have never returned until her kids were grown up. Her parents would have grown older by then, and she would have had no idea how the business would be doing. Jared''s expression instantly grew cold, but he looked at Nicole tenderly. "Someone attacked you?" Hearing Nicole mention she almost had a miscarriage, Jared''s eyes turned red. "Did you figure out who it was?" Nicole shook her head. "I lost my memories. How could I possibly know?" N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. Jared''s gaze became downcast. The Raven had been dealt with, and the matters overseas hade to an end after retrieving Brave. Jared wondered who could have attacked Nicole. With that thought in mind, he asked about a more pressing matter. "Is the Fire Crest still with you?" Nicole replied with her eyebrows raised. "Fire Crest? What''s that?" As Jared expected, it seemed like the Fire Chest was lost. Turning back and looking into Nicole''s innocent eyes, he decided not to bring the matter up again. Since Nicole had already forgotten about it, he did not want to burden her by telling her now. "Why aren''t you saying anything?" Nicole looked at him curiously. Jared simply shook his head, saying, "There''s no need. You don''t even know about it, so it must be missing. If it''s lost, then let it be." After all, Jared always thought that the Crest was dangerous. Maybe the people who attacked Nicole five years ago were after Fire Crest. It was better now that it was gone. He would investigate its whereabouts and whether it had changed hands before bringing this matter up again. Nicole did not press Jared further as she observed Jared''s peculiar expression. Mr. Riddle Sr. had given Nicole a week''s time to prepare. Thus, Nicole nned to bring Lana back from Romania the next day. However, she did not expect someone to ring the doorbell of the Riddle family''s house early the next morning.novelebook The people having breakfast exchanged skeptical nces before Daniel instructed the butler to bring the person in. To their surprise, a pretty little girl dressed in a pink gown burst into the room. Upon seeing the little girl, Nn was the first to react. "Lana!" He instantly slid off his chair and rushed toward his younger sister. "Lana, how did you get here?" Lana looked at her brother and red at him with a pout. "What do you think?! Mommy did note to pick me up because you brought her back here!" Nn was reduced to silence by Lana''s retort. Although Nn had no fears, he dreaded Lana''s tears. And true enough, Lana''s eyes welled up with an anguished look at this precise time. "H-Hey! Don''t cry! I didn''t do it on purpose. I just wanted to watch the hacker''spetition..." "So you''ll let me wait for Mommy alone overseas? I waited so long..." Lana''s innocent voice filled with pity. The more she spoke, the sadder she became. Nicole''s heart melted as she hurriedly picked up Lana,forting her. "I''m so sorry, Lana. Mommy let you down. I broke my promise since I didn''t go pick you up in three days." This was the first time that Nicole had been separated from Lana for so many days. Lana hugged Nicole''s neck tightly, her voice so sweet and childish. "I missed you so much, Mommy!" With a teardrop, like a falling pearl, everyone''s heart was instantly melted by her behavior. Jared felt his heart melt as he stared at the beautifully delicate little girl. Chapter 1974 Chapter 1974 ''Is this the little princess Nicole gave birth to? She''s so adorable,'' Jared thought. He stepped forward and got closer to them. Sensing a stranger approaching, Lana looked over at Jared. Just one look and her big eyes lit up. "Who''s this handsome uncle?" Hearing Lana call him handsome, Jared could not contain his joy and his mouth curved into a smile. "I''m your..." Just as Jared was about to say he was her father, Nicole suddenly interrupted him. "You should not call him a handsome uncle. You''re talking nonsense again. Call him Uncle Jared." Everyone at the table exchanged looks upon hearing Nicole ask her daughter to call Jared ''uncle''. But no one said anything about it. Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org. Jared''s expression turned ugly, thinking, ''I''m the father of the child. How could she call me uncle?'' At the side, Nn said pleasantly, "That''s right. He''s Uncle Jared." Jared had a disapproving look on his face. Lana, on the other hand, shed a brilliant smile. "Hi! Handsome Uncle Jared!" Indeed, daughters would always be Daddy''s sweetheart. Jared''s darkened expression softened instantly. "Hello. Even if you call me uncle, it sounds so nice." How could Jared still be unhappy? Nicole was a little awkward, looking at Jared''s behavior. ''Why is he so happy when she called him uncle?'' Putting her thoughts aside, Nicole asked Lana, "Lana, How did youe here? Who brought you here?" "Uncle Ian!" Lana pointed in the door''s direction. Ian was waiting at the entrance. Nicole felt relieved upon seeing Ian. "Thank you, Ian." Jared''s expression turned sour as he saw Nicole being so friendly toward the other man. After all, Ian was the one who was going to take Nicole away at the airport. Since then, Ian was an eyesore to Jared. "You''re too polite, Niki. Leo ordered me to send Lana here," Ian replied. Hearing this, Nicole raised her eyebrow. "Leo? He''s here too?" Nn''s eyes lit up when he heard Leo was present. "Is Godpa here too?" After a brief period of embarrassment, Nicole was suddenly relieved to learn that Leo was present.novelebook "Why didn''t Leoe in since he''s here?" Jared''s eyes became downcast when he heard Leo''s name. This codename gave him an inexplicable sense of familiarity. Ian pretended to be in a difficult spot and looked at Nicole. "Mr. Leo said he knows you are in safe hands and didn''t want to disturb your reunion with your family." "He won''t be disturbing anyone! I want to see Godpa!" Nn said. He thought, ''If Godpa doesn''te soon, Mommy would be taken away.'' With that in mind, Nn rushed out. "Nn!" Nicole called out to her child, but Nn had already rushed out. Nicole could only put Lana down to chase after Nn. However, Jared grabbed her and said, "Since he''s here, why don''t you introduce me to Nn''s Godfather?" Nicole could feel Jared emanating a powerful aura, chilling the room. Jared''s aura was too strong, and Nicole feared the gentle Leo could not handle him. Soon, Nn brought Leo in. All eyes turned to see a man with blue eyes and gold-rimmed sses walking into the house. He wore a white suit, exuding a pure aura, and had an unmistakable sense of nobility. Jared''s eyes immediately squinted suspiciously when he saw Leo. His information previously was urate, but he had some doubts about it. After really meeting the person, Jared found that the man he investigated was indeed Lawrence. Chapter 1975 Chapter 1975 At this time, Lawrence acted unfamiliar to Jared. He walked over and stretched out his hand. "Mr. Johnston, it''s been a while." Jared''s face hardened. He did not extend his hand. Nicole was surprised when she noticed the tension. "You guys know each other?" N?velDrama.Org owns this. ''For the past five years, Leo had been taking care of me, but did they know each other?'' Jared''s expression was stone cold. He smiled cruelly. "We''re not just acquainted. He once helped me transport some things back to San Joto before... novelebookand now that my wife had gone missing, it was him who found her back for me." ''Jared''s wife?'' Nicole looked at Lawrence suspiciously, thinking that he would be taken aback but Lawrence looked calm. "I''m afraid that there''s been some misunderstanding between us two. Why don''t we have a talk about it?" Everyone in the room was stunned to see Lawrence and hearing what Jared had said, everyone left their food untouched. The butler cleared up the table and everyone moved to the living room and sat down. Jared sat across from Lawrence. With an unpleasant expression, he asked, "Now can we talk about it?" ''Nicole had been missing for five long years, it''s so obvious that he had kept her hidden for this long. I want to see what kind of excuse he could make up this time...'' At this moment, Nicole, Daniel, and the others were listening to the conversation, waiting for Lawrence to tell them the truth. Lawrence calmly took a sip of his coffee before speaking. "When Ms. Riddle disappeared back then, I had sent out people to help you find her. But under the circumstances of the ne crash and that she was missing for so many days, I was beginning to think that she had died. It wasn''t until muchter that I found someone on an ind with a child. I thought that she looked just like Nicole, but I didn''t dare think much further as she might be a wife to someone else. So, that''s why I hadn''t been giving any unnecessary feedback to you, Mr. Johnston, to save you from further false hope." Lawrence had made it sound like he was concerned about Jared''s wellbeing, but to Jared''s ears it was all rubbish. Lawrence peered at Jared''s gloomy face, not giving one thought about him before looking at Nicole. "To me, when I saw Nicole back then, it was love at first sight. I fell in love with her, thought she looked like her, and she was carrying a child. I didn''t mind, and I just wanted to protect and take care of her." Nicole was in shock at Lawrence''s words. ''What''s going on? Was this the reason he was good to me? He fell in love with me at first sight. Everything makes sense now, how he treated me so well, wanting nothing in return.'' "Even if she was carrying a child, shouldn''t the first thing you do be reporting to me?" When Jared left Ramania, he had assigned Lawrence to the matter. It was unexpected that Lawrence had stabbed him in the back like this. ''He''s the reason why Nicole and I were separated for five years!'' Lawrence was silent for a moment before speaking up. "Mr. Johnston, do you know how powerful Ms. Riddle was back then? But now, Niki is just a normal single mother. Of course, by right, I wouldn''t want her to be with someone who is unable to protect her. I have to admit I am a tad bit selfish." As soon as these words came out, all of Jared''s ws were brought to light. Jared reminisced on his past regrets of not protecting Nicole well enough. The pain and regret went deep into his bones, like a wound that would not heal, and to have it picked on by Lawrence, the pain was unbearable. Chapter 1976 Chapter 1976 Lawrence noticed Jared''s pained expression, and continued speaking. "But don''t you think that amnesia is a good thing? At least it is for Nicole. She can forget how ipetent you were in protecting her, and all the terrible things from before. Now, she can live her life peacefully with her kid leading a normal life. I don''t think that there was a need to tell you all this as I worry that you would find someone who looks like her to be her substitute. I don''t want to ruin this for her." Lawrence was sincere in his words. Nicole looked in his eyes and her heart felt inexplicably conflicted. ''Lawrence was a guy that helped me through thick and thin for the past five years. I have no right to not believe his words, but to have me separated from my family for five years... this is....'' "Shut up. It''s between Nicole and I. You have no right to interfere with this!" Jared''s eyes instantly turned cold. novelebookJared knew that although he failed to protect Nicole before, he knew that she was a strong woman and did not ever need to stand or require anyone''s protection. Sean, who had been staring at Lawrence for a while now, noticed that Lawrence was a powerful guy. From his expression and gestures, no ws were found. ''It seems that he''s really sincere about Nicole, no wicked intentions or anything... He''s not an easy feat.'' Lawrence sighed. "I know I''m not qualified enough to talk to you about things like these, but it''s been five years. I''ve been by her side, taking care of her and her children. Also, the rtionship between both Nicole and I, I hope that Mr. Johnston won''te in between and meddle with it." Lawrence had deliberately said it with a provocative smile on his face. Jared''s expression had gotten darker before smiling coldly. "I won''t mind your five-year rtionship. After all, nothing will change. Legally Nicole is still my wife." ''As long as we have a marriage certificate despite having to date for less than a year... These five years wasted with Lawrence are nothing. At the end of the day, I''m still her legal husband.'' Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org. "You''re too kind, Mr. Johnston." Lawrence did not seem to be bothered and responded with a smile. "Then, I won''t be too mean by caring who Nicole''s legal husband is. I will only care who her heart belongs to." As soon as these words came out, it seemed that both Nicole and Lawrence had agreed secretly of their feelings for each other, though the vague flirting had made Nicole embarrassed. ''What''s he doing? I''ve never given him any reaction to his flirting before... Why is he speaking like we have something going on?'' At this moment, the entire Riddle family looked at Nicole withplicated expressions before looking at Jared with sympathy. Jared was furious as he felt like he had been cheated on. "Her heart is naturally mine! It can only be mine!" ''Nicole''s heart, Nicole''s body, they''re all mine. This is one thing that''ll never change!'' Lawrence was rather thrilled to see Jared''s huge reaction. "Mr. Johnston, you''re too domineering. Nicole isn''t a thing for you to own and have. You only spent a year together with her, but we''ve spent five years together. I respect her choices and decisions. I hope that in the future you can respect them too." Jared''s face hardened. ''How dare hepare our time spent together!'' Chapter 1977 Chapter 1977 ''Bullshit, respect!'' "Don''t use this nonsense to corner me. She''s someone I love. How can I let her go so easily?" ''Nicole, I won''t ever let go, not ever.'' Lawrence was overjoyed to see Jared''s emotionsing to the surface. He could not help but smile wider. "It''s your choice to make. I won''t mind it anyway, but you should know that the prettiest looking fruits won''t end up being the sweetest." Jared''s face darkened. The entire Riddle family were looking at the two of them. Daniel looked at Lawrence with discontent. Everyone in the room was aware that Lawrence wanted to separate Jared and Nicole, not wanting them to have any chance of reconciliation. With a cold face, Daniel spoke up. "Everyone in this family agreed with this marriage. Coming as an outsider, you have no right to talk about this. I''d like to know from this gentleman here, what right did you have to keep my daughter hostage abroad for so many years, and five years at that? Letting her be unable to be reunited with her family for so long?" It was unexpected that Daniel spoke up and questioned Lawrence. Nicole sighed helplessly. "Dad..." Though Nicole was conflicted with her emotions between Lawrence''s care for the past five years, she had no right to refuse his kindness. Lawrence did not seem bothered by the usation. "I understand what you''re feeling, but I have never, in my intentions, kept her hostage. It was Mr. Johnston who gave up searching, and no one had been to that ind. Thus, I''ve always respected her choice and since she wanted toe back after five years, I supported her to go home, but..." Lawrence paused before looking at Nicole. Nicole had no choice but to help him out. "Five years ago, after I had given birth, I dide back to San Joto once. It''s just that after I had landed, I was attacked..." At the time, Nicole''s body was still frail and was still healing from her pregnancy. Nicole did not continue to speak afterwards. Lawrence continued, speaking with stern eyes. "I wasn''t sure if she was Ms. Riddle at the time but because of her looks there were countless people in this country that had their eye out for her.novelebook They fired four shots at her. Her arms and legs were shot. If someone hadn''t sent her to the hospital, she would''ve been long gone." "What?!" Gloria''s heart tightened as she heard the news. She could not help gasping, "Oh my goodness... Nicole, just what did you have to go through alone? Why didn''t you talk to me when you came home?" At this moment, Nicole could not help staring at Lawrence. She wanted to avoid telling the important bits of the story but instead, he told them all on purpose. Jared''s eyes were full of shock, he could not help but look at Nicole. It was at that moment Jared understood why Nicole''s strength had gotten so weak. "Why didn''t you tell me about this?" Jared''s voice was filled with worry and guilt. ''She''s mine. No one cany a finger on her. I won''t let any one of them go! But, from the way she''d been treating me like a stranger and kept this from me... this feeling of alienation is quite depressing.'' "I just didn''t want you guys to worry..." ''Before, I wasn''t that close with them, so I didn''t tell them, but now that I am, I''m worried that they''ll be worried about me since that happened a long time ago and caused me psychological trauma. I didn''t want any of them to go through what I went through.'' Jared and the Riddle family fell silent. Lawrence took a deep breath. "I''m not here to use anyone of anything. It''s just that I''ve seen her being hurt so badly with my two eyes. I don''t have the power to protect her here in San Joto, thus I didn''t let here back as soon as possible." Jared stared at Lawrence. "But you could''ve handed her over to me." Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org. ''I can and of course will protect my own woman! This guy is too self-righteous.'' Lawrence noticed Jared''s cold look, before making a big move. "Really? But what if she wasn''t the person you were looking for? Would you still protect her? But even if you did find her and find out she''s the person you''ve been searching for, she had already died twice. If you really had the ability to truly protect her, she wouldn''t have gone through any of that." Lawrence''s words pierced through Jared''s heart like a knife. Chapter 1978 Chapter 1978 For the past five years, Jared had been hating himself for not protecting Nicole well enough, and to the extent of ming himself for letting the jet crash. It was one of his deepest regrets that left him living in pain every day. Jared had a clear conscience when it came to everyone else he had to deal with. However, when it came to Nicole, the guilt ate him up entirely knowing that he owed her a lot. Jared did not speak for a while, his eyes were filled with sadness. Nicole could not bear to look at him. On the other hand, Lawrence continued to attack Jared with his words that were sharp as knives. "I gave her the power to decide for herself when she woke up.novelebook I asked her if she wanted toe back here, but because of her son, she had to survive. She hadn''te back here for the past five years and for all these years, I was the one protecting her, not letting her get hurt even slightly." Thest sentence Lawrence uttered out seemed to be him showing off of how well of a job he had donepared to the time Jared and Nicole had spent together which had brought Nicole to the brink of death. The Riddle family fell silent. They realized that it was not just Jared who was incapable of keeping Nicole safe. The entire Riddle family were to me too. After a long silence, Sean took a deep breath before walking out. "Anyway, thank you for taking care of my sister for the past five years, Lawrence." Both the Riddle family and Jared had failed to do what Lawrence had aplished. Lawrence smiled. "You''re utmost wee." The sudden confession from Lawrence had now made him the benefactor of the Riddle family. Sean could not help narrowing his eyes at Lawrence. ''He speaks way too eloquently for me to find any ws in him. He''s one mysteriously sketchy guy.'' Daniel had also restrained his anger. "Forget it. Lawrence, since you''re considerate and you respect Nicole, and it''s indeed our fault that we were unable to protect Nicole properly. We must thank you for taking care of Nicole and her child for the past five years. Why don''t you stay and have lunch with us?" Upon hearing his grandparent''s extended invitation to Lawrence, Nn was thrilled, rushing up to hug Lawrence''s legs. "Godfather! Please stay. I missed you so much!" Lawrence looked at Nn and smiled gently before speaking affectionately, "Okay, you''re the man. You call the shots." Jared stared at Nn. ''How dare they be this intimate with each other! The way Nn called to him, they almost seem to be the actual father and son.'' Spencer and Samuel were giving each other looks with the feeling of something was wrong, yet did not know how to put their finger on it. It was when they could not keep up with the bullshit going on that spoke to the butler. "Alfred, prepare some dishes for lunch today. We''ve got guests." "Godpa, let me show you around the house! Grandpa and grandma''s house is huge!" Nn had wanted this to be an excuse, so he''d have some one-on-one time with Lawrence. N?velDrama.Org is the owner. Lawrence understood immediately and agreed. "Sure, let''s go." Chapter 1979 Chapter 1979 Gloria and Daniel rxed when they saw Nn was taking the initiative to take Lawrence around for a house tour. Lawrence took a nce at Nicole before he left. "You don''t mind if I apany him for a while, do you?" Noticing Lawrence''s modest and polite manner; Nicole nodded in agreement. For the past five years, Lawrence would ensure that he asked her for her permission and would never force things on her that would make her ufortable. "Go ahead. Nn has been missing you these past few days." Nicole smiled at Lawrence, as if the two of them had an unspoken understanding. Onlookers would misjudge them as husband and wife. Jared, who was looking at this scene, felt even worse and directly blocked Lawrence from his sight. Jared grabbed Nicole by her arm and said, "Let''s go back to our room." Jared emphasized on going back to their room on purpose, ensuring that Lawrence had heard him loud and clear, before leaving with Nicole. "Oh yeah... Leo, feel free to do what you like. I''lle find you after I''ve got Lana settled down," Nicole exined awkwardly to Lawrence, with Lana in her arms. Lawrence watched as the family of three walked upstairs before disappearing. ''Five years...'' Lawrence had always been an optimistic person, who had been inching toward Nicole slowly over time. ''In just a few days'' time she had reconnected with Jared... To see them as a family of three is such an eye sore...''N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. Lawrence looked away and found that Steve had been staring at him. He quickly gave Steve a smile. "Steve, is there something you want to say?" Steve slightly raised his eyebrows and replied, "No." ''He didn''t avoid eye contact at all. He''s quite a... dangerous guy. I''m worried he might''vee here prepared. Otherwise, how could he have all our names right on the first try?'' novelebookSteve kept his spections to himself before deciding to investigate this matter with Seanter. Upstairs, Nicole carried Lana into the room and Jared trailed along behind them. Jared noticed the rtionship between the mother and daughter duo were close. He could not hide his smile. "Mom, why does this handsome uncle have to live with you?" Nicole was speechless and did not know how to exin. Jared on the other hand, who was still feeling resentful about what Lawrence had said and done earlier, spoke directly to Lana. "I''m your birth father. No one can live with your mom except for me." "Birth father?'' Lana was stunned, before speaking with watery eyes, "Oh my God! The handsome guy is my birth father!" Lana stretched out her fleshy tiny arms toward Jared. "Birth father, I want a hug!" Compared to Nn, seeing Lana being this excited had lifted up some of the weight off his chest. Jared reached out and brought Lana into his arms. Nicole was stunned at the suddenness of seeing Lana, who was often sensitive, easily ept Jared. ''Lana would''ve never let Lawrence hug her usually, yet she allowed Jared to hug her? I guess this is the miracle of blood rtions, huh?'' Jared held Lana in his arms before proudly looking at Nicole. "You should''ve let us meet sooner." ''Compared to that brat Nn, Lana is much cuter.'' Nicole did not speak, yet she watched as Jared enjoyed his time coaxing Lana to sleep. She could not help but feel a little helpless. "You better hug her tight. Lana usually wouldn''t let others hug her." A smile instantly spread across his face as he heard this before he turned to look at his daughter. "She''s my daughter. That''s how it should be." Lana smiled happily. "Handsome man, you''re really my birth father?" Lana looked like she had been looking forward to having a father for a long time. On the other hand, her brother was fond of his godfather. Now, Lana only wanted her father. ''I guess from now on I can be like other kids. I have a birth father who wille to my sports events.'' Chapter 1980 Chapter 1980 "Of course." Jared nodded his head, eyes full of confidence. Lana smiled brightly. "Then, birth father, do you have money?" This sudden question stunned Nicole. ''Nn and Lana are twins. They''re both smart.'' Jared raised his eyebrows and said nonchntly, "Yes." "Then... birth father, do you have a big house?" Lana asked innocently, staring at Jared with her big eyes. Jared grinned confidently and replied, "Of course!" Jared carried Lana over to the balcony, before pointing to the manor next door. "That''s the house I bought for your mother." "Wow!" Lana had her mouth agape, trying to maintain herposure. "Then... do you know kung fu?" Jared nodded. "Of course. Your father is an all-rounder in civil and military affairs." Lana smiled. "That''s amazing!!! All the kids at kindergarten will be jealous that I have such an amazing father!" When Jared heard Lana''s exnation, he could not help butugh. ''How can a kid this young know how to show off? Kids these days are really keeping in trend.'' After a while of chattering, Lana got out from Jared''s grasp and waddled over to Nicole''s side with her short legs. "Mom, I think father''s traits are quite good. You can consider him!" It was at this moment that Jared realized that Lana was not asking childish questions at all. All her questions were thoughtful toward Nicole. novelebookLana had done a background check on her own father to check if he was a suitable fit for her mother. ''These two kids are really a handful.'' Lana looked up at the two of them and said, "Mom, I want to go visit my uncles. You and my birth father can have a chat." As soon as she said that, Lana shot Jared a wink, as if she was trying to match them, before leaving with a smile on her lips. Nicole felt distressed as she watched Lana leave, waddling with her short legs. Lana was usually well- behaved and sensible like a little adult who hoped that her mother could find her birth father. Lana could not hold back her excitement when she met with her birth father, yet she was able to maintain her rationality and decision-making to make considerations for her mother. Nicole watched as her daughter left, filled with mixed feelings. In that time, Jared hade to her side and he brought her into a hug from behind. The sudden intimate gesture made Nicole tense up. "You, what do you think you''re doing? Let me go..." Nicole said hurriedly. Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org. ''What the hell is wrong with this guy, suddenly hugging me?'' Nicole thought, feeling extremely ufortable. "I''m sorry." Jared had never apologized to anyone, but for Nicole, all he felt was guilt and sadness. Nicole was taken aback for a moment before saying, "Don''t be..." "I hate Lawrence, but him saying all those things... He''s right, it''s me who failed to take care of you," Jared said in a low voice as his mind thought of the scene of Nicole being shot in her arms and legs when she returned to San Joto five years ago. ''What excruciating pain did she have to go through?'' At this moment, Jared''s hand was inching closer to Nicole, bringing her into a half hug. "I swear that from now on, I''ll protect you and the kids with all I''ve got, and I''ll make those who hurt you pay!" ''No matter who had hurt her, I would never let them go. I''ll hunt them down one by one.'' As she felt Jared''s trembling hands, Nicole felt her heart beat faster. It was like she could feel his sincerity. However, she could not fathom that Lawrence''s words could affect Jared so much. Chapter 1981 Chapter 1981 Nicole reached out and patted the back of his hand. "It''s all in the past." Nicole did not care if anyone around her was concerned about the matter. "It''s not." Jared slowly let go of her, pulling her wrists away and checking her wrists to see the scar on the tendon of her arm. "Before this, you were able to do anything. Even I couldn''ty a finger on you, but now... you''re much weaker in strength..." Jared looked at Nicole with a troubled look, before reaching out and tucking her hair behind her ear. Jared''s action was so natural which caused Nicole to blush, but she did not shy away from it. Nicole felt relief in her heart, knowing that she did not jerk away from his touch. "It''s okay. It doesn''t matter anymore. I''m at the age where I don''t have to bother using any strength. Plus, now that I''m home, novelebookI doubt there''d be anyone who''d dare bully me." Jared had a dead set expression. "Whoever dares to hurt you again, I''ll let them suffer the consequences." The serious look on Jared''s face sent cold chills down Nicole''s spine. Mentally, Nicole knew that Jared meant every word he said. Soon enough, it was noon. The Riddle family had prepared avish lunch for Lawrence. The table was filled with various dishes. Jared pulled a chair for Nicole to sit on and Lawrence sat directly on the side of Nicole. Nn followed en suite and sat next to Lawrence, as if he was dering his support by standing by Lawrence''s side. Lana went and sat next to Nn, her face wearing an irritated expression. "Nn, you''re really annoying." Nn''s eyes widened in shock. "Me? Annoying?" Nn was known to take care of Lana well. He cared for Lana, and did his best to keep his sister happy. ''What did I do to make her so angry?'' Lana peeked at her mother''s awkward expression, immediately feeling unhappy. "You made our mother upset! I hate you!" Lana then turned her head away after she finished speaking. Nn seemed to have understood Lana''s meaning and decided to stand his ground. ''Now I finally understand. So what, if he''s my birth father? He didn''t even take care of our mother and let her go through so much pain and suffering! Compared to him, my godpa had been taking care of us for the past five years! My godpa always shows up every time we''re in need. The only person suitable for my mom is my godpa. He will be and always will be!'' The squabble between the two children was unrecognized by the adults as Daniel and Gloria were still getting everyone to their seats. Nicole was in an ufortable position, unable to muster out the courage to speak up. The moment Lawrence sat down beside her, Jared had tensed up. The air in the room became tense. Nicole could not help looking at Jared in embarrassment. "Don''t you think the room''s a bit cold?" ''Stop acting so cold!'' With a nonchnt smile, Jared said, "Is it?" ''She brought a random guy home to meet her parents and she''s afraid of such confrontation?'' Nicole was embarrassed to the point where she did not know how to refute. At the same time, Daniel spoke up to break the tension. "This meal here today is dedicated to Mr. Lawrence, to thank him for taking care of Nicole. Here''s a toast to you." N?velDrama.Org owns this. Lawrence immediately replied, "Mr. Riddle, there''s no need for a toast. Let''s cheer." After saying that, Lawrence reached out his ss to clink his ss with Daniel''s. Daniel nodded before motioning for everyone to dig in. Nicole let out a sigh of relief, thinking that she could finally eat. But just as she picked up her utensil, Jared suddenly ced a shrimp onto her te. "Eat up." Chapter 1982 Chapter 1982 Jared''s actions were smooth like butter. Nicole had almost believed that they were an old married couple. Lawrence noticed Jared''s actions and copied them. He poured a ss of warm water for Nicole. "You should eat less of the raw food. It''s not good for your health." Jared and Lawrence both looked at each other. If they were in aic, one would see thesers zapping out from their eye contact. Nicole wished the earth would open up and swallow her to get her away from all the embarrassment. "Thanks, guys," Nicole said before lowering her head in embarrassment. However, the battle between these two men was not over yet. Jared served Nicole a bowl of soup. "Here, have some soup. It''s more nutritious than water." Lawrence ignored Jared and gave Nicole a smile before putting some vegetables onto her te. "Don''t drink too much soup. Here, have some veggies." The jealousy between the two men made Nicole extremely ufortable. Jared was unwilling to admit defeat. He noticed a grain of rice on the corner of Nicole''s mouth. Jared reached out his hand and wiped it off for her. Nicole blushed instantly and hid her face. Witnessing Jared wiping off the grain of rice, Lawrence''s facial expression changed instantly. He quickly grabbed a ply of tissue and wiped the corner of Nicole''s mouth. Nicole, who had enough of the two men projecting their childish rivalry onto her, stood up abruptly. "Enough!'' The sudden outburst led the entire room to quiet down. Nicole could not bear it anymore. "I just want to eat my meal in peace.novelebook Could you two let me do that?" The feeling of having two childish menpeting on either side of her had made Nicole queasy and unable to eat peacefully! Jared and Lawrence both turned to look at Nicole before looking at each other, bothining about one another. In the end, Jared pulled Nicole down to her seat. "Alright. Sit down and eat." Jared was unhappy that Lawrence was present, but Nicole being his priority, he did not want her to feel ufortable. The feeling was mutual for Lawrence, he did not say anything and just smiled. "I didn''t mean to offend." Nicole was helpless, not knowing how to exin to Lawrence regarding the situation. Thus she could only lower head to eat. On the other hand, Lana was shooting res at her brother. ''It''s all this stinky guy''s fault!'' Nn had not repented on his actions and even red at Jared. ''It''s all that guy''s fault! My mom has never been angry with my godpa before. But now she even yelled at him! This birth father can''t be trusted!'' Though everyone still had their own concerns, the meal went on without any further conflict. After the meal, Lawrence and Nicole sat down together in the living room. "I''m sorry that my presence during lunch has caused you trouble," Lawrence apologized. "No... You''re my friend and you just came over to eat with us. It''s my job to make sure you feel at home," Nicole said while shaking her head. Nicole made sure her words were not directly aimed at people. However, Lawrence lost his breath when he noticed Nicole''s annoyed look. He smiled gratefully. "I know you didn''t mean it. There''s no need to feel sorry about it." While speaking, Lawrence reached out and patted Nicole on the head. Jared, who happened to witness the scene, immediately became angry and pulled Nicole into his arms. With a smile on his face, Jared said, "Mr. Royce, you do know that if one has caused trouble for other people, it''s a cue for them to leave." Jared had enough of this. He could not bear to see other people touching and getting friendly with Nicole. Nicole, who noticed this, broke free from his grasp and said, "Lawrence is my guest. You have no right to drive him away like this." The way Nicole had treated Lawrence today was already enough. She did not want to hurt Lawrence''s feelings anymore. However, Nicole''s words had hurt Jared tremendously. His face became gloomy.N?velDrama.Org owns this. Chapter 1983 Chapter 1983 Jared stared at the arm Nicole had broken away from. At that moment, he felt like he was the third wheel. Jared faked a smile and said, "In that case, you treat your guest well. I shall leave." After the words fell, Jared turned around and left. Seeing this, Lana started screaming, "Dad! Are you leaving?" Lana''s aggrieved look made Jared and her uncles feel distressed when they saw her. Even if Jared was upset, he could only say, novelebook"I''ll be right next door. You cane visit me if you want to, Lana." "Okay..." Lana nodded and pursed her mouth in an angry manner. Though Jared by nature was soft-hearted, the situation had forced him to leave temporarily. He needed time to sort out his emotions. Nicole watched Jared leave, thinking that she would be feeling relieved, but her heart was inexplicably heavy. Nicole stared at Jared with some reluctance in her eyes while Lawrence''s eyes were filled with glee. Smiling, he said, "I''m sorry I made you guys fight about me." N?velDrama.Org is the owner. Nicole shook her head. "No, it has nothing to do with you." ''It''s Jared who cares too much about her... However, Nicole understands that she''s important to him. He''s been missing her for five years and trying to make up for the loss for his wife. Watching her treat her husband as nothing more than a stranger, it seems like she really doesn''t know him well enough. And to have him be this disappointed...'' Nicole could not help sighing before perking up and saying, "Anyway, I have to thank you for bringing Lana to me personally... anding over to see me in person." Now that Nicole had recovered her real identity, there was an indescribable awkwardness between her and Lawrence. "It''s nothing." Lawrence took a deep breath before continuing to speak. "You know, when I found out you were the daughter of the Riddle family, I was surprised and also very sorry. Perhaps if I knew you were from this family, I would''ve persuaded you toe home sooner... That way, you wouldn''t have been separated from your family for so long." Nicol saw the sincerity and regret in Lawrence''s eyes. It was true that Lawrence did try to convince her to go home and offered to help but after thinking over all the options, Nicole chose to stay there for the sake of her children. Her children had never had a father. If something were to happen to her children, what would she do? On top of it all, Lawrence had strongly opposed her going back to San Joto before. Nicole did not dare take risks as she was unsure if she really had family in San Joto. After gathering her thoughts together, Nicole let out a sigh of relief. "Actually, it''s not really your fault. It was my choice from the very beginning, so I still want to thank you for all your help and care over the years..." Lawrence listened as Nicole said her goodbyes, and added, "Not only in the past. In the future, I''ll take good care of you too." Nicole was taken aback and looked up at him. Lawrence continued to smile as he spoke. "In all honesty, I''ve been thinking of letting youe back to San Joto as soon as possible. I needed time to expand my influence here, and now it''s almost ready. My work''s going to be temporarily based here until I win the market over." Lawrence''s eyes were filled with ambition, but his words were full of considerations for Nicole. "I was thinking that when I win the market over, the children would be old enough to move back here. Then I would bring you back here to find your lost family. I don''t mind if you''re the daughter of the Riddle family, but if you''re willing, I can also live with you in Hustuaburg. However, from the looks of it now, it seems like you don''t need it..." Lawrence ended his sentence with disappointment which made Nicole feel awfully depressed. ''It seems like he had this nned all along. Now it''s me who seems like the bad guy who took advantage of his good will and feelings...'' Chapter 1984 Chapter 1984 There was a hint of skepticism when Lawrence deliberately refused Nicole returning to the country. The excuse of him not having enough power and influence in San Joto was suspicious enough. Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org. ''Lawrence was a very cautious person to begin with. He never does things he''s unsure of.'' Nicole took a deep breath, as if to organize her thoughts. She stretched out her hand to Lawrence. "Thank you so much for always being considerate of me. But don''t you worry. Now that I''m home, you''re still my friend and it won''t ever change. I must congratte you for getting into Hustuaburg though if there''s anything you need help with. Don''t be afraid to ask me for help." novelebookNicole smiled brightly. Her face was filled with sincerity. Lawrence''s mood somewhat eased a little after listening to Nicole''s words. ''It seems like she believes me, which is enough for me.'' Lawrence reached out his hand to shake Nicole''s, smiling. "Alright, I should congratte you too, CEO of the Riddle Corporation." Nicole was taken aback. She blinked before replying, "How did you find out about this?" Lawrence smiled calmly. "It''s no secret actually. Your grandfather gave you all his shares. Everyone knows that the moment you''re back, you are to fulfill his wishes." Nicole sighed. ''Everyone seems to have epted this as reality. I guess it''s only me who feels like the responsibility is a huge burden.'' "I''ve never managed apany before, so I''m not sure if I''m the right fit. This is such a huge responsibility for me." Nicole just wants to take care of her children without having to deal with suchplicated affairs. "Don''t worry about it. If you have any questions, you can ask me anytime." Lawrence''s gentle look and reassurance made Nicole feel more at ease. "Okay." The two of them chatted for a little while more before Nicole saw Lawrence out. Sean and Steve had been watching both Lawrence and Nicole from the balcony since earlier. Steve smiled and asked, "Sean, what kind of person do you think he is?" "I don''t want toment on that. I have to check him out." Sean''s expression was serious. He felt like he should run a background check on Lawrence. "How much do you think you can trust his words?" Steve was still recalling the perfectly curated words Lawrence had said earlier. Steve was concerned if he had any ulterior motives. "It''s toote for nothing. I only believe half of his words," Sean said mercilessly. Steve looked at Nicole''s back and said, "But looking at Nicole. It seems like she really believed him." Sean smiled. "Don''t worry about it. She''s a smart person. You can''t hide the truth. It''s bound to be revealed sooner orter." Steve nodded, agreeing with Sean. Knowing Nicole''s intelligence, even if she temporarily believed him as she was the benefactor, it would not be long until she notices a problem. After Nicole had sent Lawrence off, Lana rushed to hug Nicole''s leg. "Mommy, is Daddy upset? He looked so sad when he left..." Nicole nced at her daughter pitifully before carrying her in her arms. "It''s okay. There''s nothing to worry about. Your dad is thick-skinned and wille back in no time." "Really?" Lana was a little skeptical. At the side, Noah joined in coaxing her. "Of course it''s true. He definitely won''t give up on Mommy like this." After Nn finished speaking, he could not help but to feel a little regretful. "Ugh... I don''t hope he''ll come back... Godpa is better than him." Nicole watched as her two children expressed their different opinions. She could not help but to feel a little dizzy. "You two. If you sputter anymore nonsense, I''ll ignore you both." Chapter 1985 Chapter 1985 Lana hugged Nicole''s neck affectionately and said sweetly, "Mommy, I really like Daddy. Can you not ignore him?" N?velDrama.Org is the owner. Nicole was startled. Unable to control her expression, she did not expect Lana to disy such affection toward Jared in a short amount of time. ''I guess it''s the biological bonding at work.'' Nn was angry at Lana''s words and could not help frowning. He did not want to argue with his sister nor make her cry at this time. Nn knew that he would support his godfather until the very end, especially since he made a secret promise with his godfather. He believed that his godfather was the only person fit for his mother. Nicole came back to reality shortly after. She did not know how to respond to Lana, so instead she changed the topic.novelebook "Okay. Since lunch is over, it''s nap time for the two of you." "Okay." Nn obediently climbed onto his bed. Nicole was taken aback by his obedience. ''Why is he being so obedient? It''s weird...'' Nicole watched as Nn shut his eyes. Thus she did not think much of it and tucked Lana into bed. After the two of them had fallen asleep, Nicole let out a sigh of relief before walking toward the window. Nicole originally went to take in the scenery from outside, but to her surprise, her eyes were met with Jared''s eyes from the opposite manor. His eyes darkened unhappily. Unconsciously Nicole recalled the moment from earlier. The lonely figure of Jared had left an inexplicably dull sting in Nicole''s heart, as if there was a void that was unfilled. In Jared''s manor, he hade back and entered his study. Jared''s eyes were dark, a restless feeling in his heart. The arrival of Lawrence and Lawrence saving Nicole from a life-threatening situation, himself not being able to be by her side, and her enduring all the pain and suffering by herself... Jared''s eyes suddenly became extremely cold. A hint of darkness shone in his eyes as he picked up his phone and dialed Max''s number. "Go and find out what happened five years ago..." ''I want to find out for sure what exactly had happened to Nicole when she resurfaced five years ago. Who attacked her, and how did he know of Nicole''s whereabouts when I could not find a speck of news about her? On top of that, tracking her down and the point of even wanting to have Nicole killed.'' Jared put the phone down. His pupils had shrunk as he sunk into his thoughts. ''How could he spend five years with Nicole? She''s my woman. No one can take her away from me.'' The next day, the sun shone brightly. Nicole got up from her bed, not in good spirits. Her facial complexion was gloomy. She could not help but frown. Maybe I didn''t sleep wellst night,'' Nicole thought as she examined herself in the mirror. "Mommy, are you awake?" Nicole heard the voices of Nn and Lana. She responded, "Yeah, I''m awake." After cleaning herself up, Nicole came out of the bathroom and saw both Nn and Lana waiting for her. She could not help but smile at them. "Come on, guys. Let''s head downstairs." It was quite unexpected for both Nn and Lana to have adapted so quickly to the Riddle home. When they first came, they could not bring themselves to sleep in their own rooms. Nicole held their hands as they walked downstairs. Gloria saw them and waved them over. "Come and have breakfast." "Good morning, Grandpa, grandma, and uncles!" Nn and Lana greeted with respect. The hearts of the entire family melted. The smiles on everyone''s faces were very doting. Chapter 1986 Chapter 1986 "Come and sit by grandma." Gloria waved the two children over, wanting to hold the both of them in her arms. Everyone else wanted to do the same but did not dare fight Gloria for it. After all, for the past five years since Nicole''s disappearance, their mother had notughed at all. It was a rare scene for everyone to see. "Let''s dig in!" Gloria did not mind her sons'' wishful thinking of wanting to hold their niece and nephew. Daniel gave their sons a look that said, ''Not a chance. Don''t even think about it.'' "Okay," Spencer and Samuel agreed in unison, tacitly knowing what their father was referring to. Nicole watched as she observed the actions of her parents and older brothers. The corners of her lips curled into a slight smile. Her heart was warm, feeling content. Though she could not recall her memory, seeing her family being together again was an irreceable feeling. Nicole was just about to lower head to take a bite of her food when suddenly, a shadow appeared behind her. novelebookShe raised her head, only to be engulfed by a slender figure. "Daddy!" Lana''s eyes lit up instantly when she saw Jared. She ran over with her short legs and threw herself into Jared''s arms. Jared hugged Lana immediately and doted on her. "Did you miss me?" "Yeah." Lana nodded vigorously. Then, sounding a little aggrieved, she said, "Daddy, please don''t leave me and my mommy in the future. Lana and Mommy will be sad." The corner of Nicole''s lips twitched subtly. ''What on earth is this girl going on about? What''s she sad about?'' Jared could not help being startled. He rubbed Lana''s head while saying, "Daddy won''t abandon you guys." "Okay." Lana instantly smiled brightly. Her small hands wrapped tightly around Jared''s neck with no intention of letting go. "Jared, you haven''t eaten, have you? Come sit down and join us," Daniel said to Jared. "Yes." Jared carried Lana as he took a seat next to Nicole, as if nothing had happened the day before. Jared took care of Lana''s meal, giving her favorite dishes to her and refilling her te from time to time. Nicole stared at her te, feeling uneasy as she faced Jared. Aplicated emotion arose in her heart. ''Why am I suddenly feeling depressed when he showed up? Is it because of his appearance?'' Nicole bit her lip, thinking of how ridiculous the situation was. ''But how can this be? It''s probably because I didn''t rest wellst night. How could a person like him affect me, right?'' The air in the dining room was awkward once more. The men from the Riddle family had all gone off to work. Gloria had taken both Nn and Lana away, with the excuse that they were going to visit Mrs. Wace Sr. N?velDrama.Org owns this. Only Jared and Nicole were left. They sat in the living room after breakfast was finished. Nicole suddenly felt a little unnatural and panicked. "You were sad?" Jared looked at Nicole with a yful look in his eye. Cheeks flushed, Nicole gritted her teeth and said, "Kids speak without thinking. Don''t mind what Lana said." "Really?" Jared approached Nicole suddenly. Nicole''s body froze subconsciously, failing to dodge him. A hint of satisfaction glistened in Jared''s eyes. ''At least now she''s not hiding from me, right?'' Jared knew that the process to get Nicole to not flinch or dodge him was not easy. Thus he did not force her and maintained the current distance. Jared looked at Nicole with raised eyebrows and said, "The drug test results are out." Chapter 1987 Chapter 1987 Jared''s sudden closeness had Nicole''s heart fluttering faster than usual. She took a while to process what he had said. When she did, her pupils dted. "What are the results?" Nicole did not expect him to tell her this information. His speedy resolution of the situation was commendable. She could tell there was something odd with Mr. Riddle Sr.''s medicine. However, she needed to identify the exact issue using professionalboratory tests to curate a remedy to the case. Jared''s eyes darkened, and his voice revealed a hint of coldness. "Mr. Riddle Sr.''s medicine is specially formted. There were toxic ingredients added to the original nutrient neurovascr formtion. It was hard to detect the toxic ingredient and with prolonged use..." "Chronic poisoning. Something that couldn''t be detected medically." Nicole instantly understood. novelebookHer eyes turned cold. If Mr. Riddle Sr. continued the prescription, he would die of organ failure, and no one would have discovered the poison. "That''s right," Jared replied solemnly. Nicole bit her lip, wondering, ''Who could it be? Who could be so ruthless?'' The family members of the Riddle family crossed her mind, but she did not dare dwell on it. Only the Riddle family knew about her grandfather''s condition, so only they could have the opportunity and motive to act. But Mr. Riddle Sr. was their father, and Nicole could not imagine who would do such a thing. As if Jared read her thoughts, he gently held her hand and said, "I have sent Janus to investigate that doctor." "Grandpa''s doctor." Nicole nodded slightly, knowing this was the only lead. Mr. Riddle Sr.''s health had been under the care of a personal doctor for thest few years. Despite his declining health, the butler pointed out that the doctor had not advised stopping the prescription. That seemed suspicious in and of itself. Furthermore, an average person could not meet the level of professionalism involved. If it were not for Nicole''s medical knowledge, she would never have been able to notice that the medicine was odd. If that were the case, then Mr. Riddle Sr. would have... Without further thought, Nicole folded her hands subconsciously. Her eyes had a touch of determination. She had to expose the person behind all this. The shock and anger from knowing about Mr. Riddle Sr.''s situation made Nicole miss the fact that Jared was so close to her. However, she did not feel awkward and ufortable. On the contrary, she felt safe and empowered with him by her side. "Mommy, did you reconcile with Daddy?" a sweet voice sounded. Soon, a little bundle of joy with chubby legs came over and smiled with glee as she saw the two individuals resting against each other. Nicole''s face instantly turned red. Only then did she notice they had gotten so close as they discussed Mr. Riddle Sr.''s case. Nicole had be less guarded around Jared. Nn let out a discontented grunt at this scene. He went over and squeezed between Jared and Nicole, not wanting them to be this close to each other. Nn had promised his godfather that he would help him watch Nicole. Nicole could not help but smile dumbfoundedly at the two kids'' actions. She patted Nn''s butt and said, "Go y with your sister. Mommy still has things to deal with." Nn pouted, unsatisfied. "What do you have to deal with, Mommy? Why don''t we find Godpa? He could help us." Nn was determined not to give his father a chance to prove himself. If anyone should have a chance, it should be his godfather. His mother should only see the good in his godfather. N?velDrama.Org owns this. Nicole''s expression became serious. "Nn, I really have something to take care of. We can''t trouble your godfather for every single thing." They had already troubled Leo a lot in the past. Even though she had not regained her memories, she realized her identity and responsibilities. Therefore, she had to rely on herself and not be a burden to Leo anymore. Seeing the determination in Nicole''s eyes, Nn could only reluctantly respond, "Alright." Chapter 1988 Chapter 1988 "Go find your grandmother. Mommy is going to Great Grandpa''s house," Nicole said as she got up to go upstairs and change. "I''ll go with you," Jared said, watching Nicole preparing to go out. He stood up and followed. Nicole frowned with a hesitant look, but Jared seemed to see through her. Before he could reject him, he said meaningfully, "Could you manage if others were present?" Understanding what he was implying, Nicole sighed and grudgingly agreed. "Let''s go then." Jared had a point. If she encountered other members of the Riddle family, she might identally expose the fact of her memory loss.novelebook That would be an issue for her future ns. Lana was extremely joyous when Nicole went out with Jared. Nn, however, narrowed his eyebrows with displeasure. But then a light bulb lit up in his head. He ran back to his room and called Leo. He figured he had to inform Leo, or else Leo would not get another chance to prove himself. Jared and Nicole got in the car and headed to the Riddle family manor. Watching as she went directly to the Riddle manor, Jared asked curiously, "Do you have a solution for this?" N?velDrama.Org is the owner. Even if Nicole knew thepositions of the toxin, finding a solution would still take time. Yet, she was going straight to Mr. Riddle Sr.''s house to find him. "Yes," Nicole replied simply, a hint of coldness radiating from her aura. Although she could not recall her memories, she could still feel who had been sincerely good to her. Thus, she did not want to dy her grandfather''s matter. Soon, they reached the Riddle family manor and went straight to Mr. Riddle Sr.''s room. The old man had stopped taking his medicine, following Nicole''s advice. Within two days, his physique had improved greatly. "You''re here." Seeing Nicole and Jared, Mr. Riddle Sr.''s eyes lit up. "Grandpa." Nicole made her way to the bedside. "We''ve finished looking into your medication. Someone has indeed been tampering with your medicine." The light in Mr. Riddle Sr.''s eyes faded, and his face turned pale. Although Nicole''s words were clear, Mr. Riddle Sr. had been contemting these two days about this matter. He believed Nicole would never suspect his medications for no reason, so he was not surprised by the result. Besides that, it also urred to Mr. Riddle Sr. that if there was a problem with the medicine, only a handful of people could have done it. Thinking of the person who gave him the medication, he felt chills run down his spine. Nicole saw the sorrow in Mr. Riddle Sr. and figured he probably understood the situation. So she remained silent, thinking there was no point in consoling him. Besides, he had weathered many storms in his life. He would have no problem oveing the setbacks he faced. He just needed time to digest it. Shortly, Mr. Riddle Sr.''s expression returned to normal. He looked at Nicole and Jared, saying, "I''ll leave this matter in your hands." Nicole nodded, and responded gravely, "We''re on it." "Good." Mr. Riddle Sr. did not seem surprised, knowing that the investigation would end with a result. So he turned to ask, "You have a way to cure the poison?" Chapter 1989 Chapter 1989 "Yes," Nicole confirmed and took out a silver needle. "First, I''ll acupuncture you to detoxify your body. I''ll have the prepared medicine sent over. You just need to take it on time." "How long would it take to recover?" Mr. Riddle Sr. was confident in Nicole, so he asked directly. Nicole replied with confidence, "One week is sufficient." After a moment of silence, Mr. Riddle Sr.''s eyes filled with determination. "Alright, one week would do. We''ll host your weing banquet one weekter. I''ll show up and announce that you''re taking over as the chairman of Riddle Corporation." Nicole''s hand paused for a moment while holding the needle. But she quickly regained herposure and nodded. "Alright." She understood Mr. Riddle Sr.''s eagerness. It was hard for her to take over thepany now, but settling everything as soon as possible might be the best solution. That way, people would stop targeting Mr. Riddle Sr., since everything would be in her hands. Nicole finished the acupuncture for her grandfather and gave him some instructions before leaving the Riddle family manor. The car gradually drove away from the manor, and Nicole''s expression slowly turned grave. novelebookShe had to continue investigating who harmed Mr. Riddle Sr. She agreed to take over thepany, so all she had to do now was face it. Determination gleamed in Nicole''s eyes as she looked at Jared. "Send me to Riddle Corporation." To take over thepany, Nicole must first learn about thepany''s situation. Her time was tight as the banquet was one week away. She could not waste time now. Understanding her intentions, Jared sent her to the headquarters of Riddle Corporation. N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. Getting out of the car, Nicole told Jared, "I''ll just go up myself." Jared frowned, seemingly concerned. Nicole stated frankly, "I''d have to face this alone eventually. Plus, my dad and brothers are there too." Nicole knew Riddle Corporation had been divided, with only her father and brothers remaining. There should not be any issues for her. Upon hearing her words, Jared hesitantly agreed. "Alright. I''ll pick you up after work." "It''s alright. I''ll go back with Dad," Nicole added, not wanting to burden Jared. She genuinely thought it was more convenient to leave work with her father. Jared did not insist further and nodded. "I''ll be waiting at home." Jared wasfortable with the idea of Nicole going back with Daniel. "Okay," Nicole replied. She felt a weird sensation and even a hint of happiness upon hearing Jared said he would wait for her at home. Noticing her unusual thoughts, Nicole turned around and briskly headed into the building. As Nicole''s figure disappeared through the entrance, Jared withdrew his gaze. "Let''s go." The car left Riddle Corporation and went in the direction of Johnston Group. Only the Riddle family members knew about Nicole''s return, so the employees were all shocked to see her in thepany. They even forgot to react, standing frozen as if they were immobilized. Nicole smoothly went to Daniel''s office, where Sean was also present. Daniel was surprised at Nicole''s appearance. "Nicole, why are you here?" After briefly exining Mr. Riddle Sr.''s situation, Nicole continued to say, "I want to take over the affairs of thepany as soon as possible. So I thought I''d check in first." "I''ve got the documents prepared and was nning to give them to you after work at home. Since you''re here, you should take a look at it first. I''ll have someone send it to your officeter," Sean said. His expression was gloomy as he was stunned about his grandfather''s matter. "Alright, thank you." Nicole nodded. Seeing that her brother had prepared an office, Nicole figured it was good to have her own office as she needed space. "You haven''t regained your memories yet. Take it slow. If you have any questions, you can always ask Sean and Steve," Daniel admonished Nicole with affection. Chapter 1990 Chapter 1990 "Don''t worry, Dad," Nicole reassured Daniel, knowing he was concerned about her. "Come on. I''ll take you to your office," Sean said while guiding Nicole to her office. "We kept this ce for you ever since the setup." They never expected this room to be retained for five years as they did not even know if Nicole would ever return. Nicole felt a lump rise in her throat, understanding Sean''s meaning. This ce was empty for five years, yet immacte in appearance.novelebook There was probably someone who cleaned it every day. "Sean, I-I..." Nicole was at a loss for words, feeling sorrowful. If she had known the whole situation, she would havee back earlier, not letting her family suffer five years of torment. Sean smiled gently. "You''re back, and that''s all that matters." Three knocks sounded on the door. The secretary''s voice came through. "Mr. Riddle, the documents are here." "Bring them in," Sean ordered. The secretary came in, put the documents on the table, and left. Sean briefly exined the content of the documents and left after seeing Nicole already engrossed in reading. Strangely, although Nicole did not understand business, these documents were not hard to comprehend. Before she knew it, it was evening time. Nicole was deeply engrossed in the documents when her phone suddenly rang. Seeing the caller ID, she answered, "Yes, Leo?" "Nicole, are you not going to get off work?" Leo''s voice sounded. Surprise shed in her eyes. "Pardon?" ''How did he know I was in my office and hadn''t finished work yet?'' Nicole wondered. "I''m at the entrance of yourpany. Let''s have dinner together," Leo said directly. Nicole was a little hesitant. "Leo, I''m getting off work, but..." Nicole wanted to tell that she had promised to get off work with her dad, but Leo persisted. "In that case, I''ll wait for you downstairs. I have something to tell you." N?velDrama.Org is the owner. Nicole could only agree to his request. "Alright then." Nicole had a feeling that she would not be able to leave with Daniel, so she informed him and left her office. Downstairs, Leo was waiting for her. Nicole could not help but feel puzzled. "How did you know I was here?" It was ast-minute decision that Nicole made toe to the headquarters. She wondered how Leo found out she was here. "Isn''t it weird if I didn''t know?" Leo replied with a yful tone, posing a counter-question. With that, Nicole shrugged her shoulders. Leo even knew that she would be the new chairman of Riddle Corporation. It was not surprising that he knew she would be here. Without further hesitance, she asked Leo, "You said you had something to tell me. What is it?" "It''s going to be time for dinner. Let''s talk over a meal," Leo suggested, opening the car door like a gentleman and waiting for Nicole to get in. Knowing Leo would not bother her without a good reason, Nicole got into the car. After all, she had already informed her father, so her family would not be worried about her. Chapter 1991 Chapter 1991 Nicole and Leo soon arrived at a Western restaurant. Leo chose an inconspicuous but well-positioned table ording to Nicole''s preferences, and sat down with her. Nicole was not surprised that Leo knew what she preferred. She sat down and ordered their meal. While waiting for their meal, Nicole asked again, "So, what is it?" "If I said I''m here to seek a coboration with Riddle Corporation''s chairman, would you be interested?" Leo said with a hint of a smile. "Coboration?!" Nicole was stunned. She never expected Leo to find her for this matter. Although she had not officially taken over thepany, she knew the chairman Leo meant was her. Leo was hoping to coborate with Riddle Corporation. Seeing that Nicole was too stunned to speak, Leo smirked. He handed her a document, saying, "This is the letter of intent of coboration. Take it back and have a look. I''ll wait for your reply." "Alright." Nicole took the document. When it came to business, she knew Riddle Corporation needed better project coborations. Leo was reliable, so she would not worry about the project. Her job now was to check the suitability of the project for Riddle Corporation. If suitable, they could definitely coborate. Leo secretly breathed a sigh of relief upon Nicole''s agreement. He was worried Nicole would reject him. "Your food is served." The waiter came over and put their dinner on the table. "Let''s eat." Leo gestured to the food. Nicoleplied and chatted with Leo. "Well, aren''t you quick to take action? I just arrived here, and now I have to start a project." That was in line with Leo''s usual speed demon self. It was also evident that he had made adequate preparations before showing up. "You''re not slow either," Leo replied with a hint of depression. If he was slow to action, Jared might have stolen a march on him. It had just been a few days since Nicole returned to the country. But, Leo could clearly sense that she had already embraced everything here, even without her memories. This change made him feel perturbed. He wanted to get closer to her, and not as a friend. Nicole misunderstood Leo''s meaning, thinking he was just talking about the time she took to take over Riddle Corporation. Nicole replied helplessly, "It''s my responsibility after all. I just feel a great deal of pressure." Not only did Nicole not have any knowledge of the past, but she was alsopletely clueless about business. She did not know whether it was a blessing or a curse to take over Riddle Corporation, but she knew she had no way back. N?velDrama.Org is the owner. "Don''t worry. I''ll help you." Sensing her stress, Leoforted her. "No need to trouble yourself, Mr. Royce. I''ll naturally assist my wife," a displeased voice interrupted, causing Nicole to feel a chilling aura surround her. "Jared?! What are you doing here?" Nicole eximed in surprise at Jared''s sudden appearance. "I wanted to stay at home, waiting for you," Jared said, but it seemed like it was impossible. Jared had gotten off work and returned to the Riddle family manor. However, he came home to find infuriating news from Daniel that Nicole went out to have a meal with Lawrence. Jared almost burst into fury as he remembered how Nicole had asked him not to pick her up from work but now, she had gone out to dinner with Lawrence. After hearing his poignant remark, Nicole unintentionally felt guilty and said, "I was discussing some matters with Leo." Chapter 1992 Chapter 1992 Looking at Jared''s resentful expression, Nicole felt as though she had truly done something to wrong him. She wanted to exin things clearly and hoped he would not be angry about this misunderstanding. However, Lawrence said indifferently, "Mr. Johnston, even though she''s your wife, she should have the freedom to make friends. Besides that, she doesn''t even remember you." This was a reminder to Jared not to unterally call Nicole his wife. Nobody knew how things would turn out as Nicole had not acknowledged their rtionship. It was a tant provocation. A darkness shed in Jared''s eyes as he coldly replied, "But she''s Nicole." Jared did not mind that Nicole had no memories of their rtionship because he would make her remember. Even if she failed to regain her memories, he believed they were fated to be together. He would pursue her again and make her fall in love with him. Lawrence''s pupils were pitch ck. He could tell Jared was staking his im on Nicole. However, Lawrence did not mind. It was unknown who would emerge the victor. He was determined to fight until the very end. "Leo, I''ll head back first," Nicole said as she watched the tense confrontation between the two. She felt it would be better for them to separate. Leo smiled gently. "Alright, but I hope you''ll consider my proposal seriously." With that, Leo pushed the document toward Nicole. Nicole took the document, thinking, ''If it''s suitable for Riddle Corporation, I''ll consider it properly.'' Nicole stood up and left the restaurant with the document in hand. Jared''s gaze darkened when he nced at Lawrence, and soon caught up with Nicole. Looking at Nicole''s figure, a determined looked shed in Lawrence''s eyes. Soon, Jared and Nicole got in the car. After ncing at the document in Nicole''s hand, Jared asked about it. "Leo''s letter of intent for coboration," Nicole revealed bluntly. "Are you going to cooperate?" Jared''s pupils constricted, and a cold light flickered in his eyes. "I haven''t read it yet. If it''s suitable after I review it, why not?" Nicole replied naturally. She had no reason to decline if it would benefit both parties. Jared looked at the documents meaningfully and thought, ''Lawrence''s intentions are rather obvious. Now that Nicole''s back in business, he sends a letter of intent for coboration.'' Jared raised his hand and closed the document when he saw Nicole already engrossed in reading it. He frowned. "Don''t read in the car. You could have motion sickness." "Hey!" Nicole narrowed her eyebrows at Jared, displeased that someone suddenly took her document away. Jared suppressed the urge to throw the document out the window and said gravely, "Read it when you get back." Nicole rolled her eyes at Jared, feeling irritated, and looked out the window. She knew Jared would not return the document to her. It was fortunate enough that he did not throw it out the window. Jared felt a sense of satisfaction at Nicole''spliance. No matter how angry he was before, the resentment in his heart was gone since she was heading home with him now. Bitterly shaking his head, Jared felt helpless at their unique way of interacting. It was like God was punishing him. Nicole was looking out the car window the entire journey and paid no attention to Jared''s expression. Seeing that they returned to Riddle family manor, she waited for the car to stop and got out. N?velDrama.Org owns this. Jared followed suit and handed Nicole the document. To Nicole''s surprise, there were two documents, instead of one. She thought, ''What''s the extra one for?'' Chapter 1993 Chapter 1993 "Some external development information about Riddle Corporation''s headquarters." Jared knew she went to the office and probably learned about thepany''s situation. Since he promised to help her, it was only natural for him to consider everything for her. The Riddle Corporation had not been doing well while she was gone. Jared had given a lot of support to Riddle Corporation, which was why he had some understanding of their situation. He believed Sean would provide him with internal information, so he gathered and recorded aption of information that was beneficial for the future development of the Riddle Corporation in a file. Nicole knew what the file was, and she fell into a daze as she stared at it. She had already seen some information about Riddle Corporation today, and while she was about to find further information, Jared had already provided her with that. This shocked her, but it also warmed her heart. "Mommy!" a voice rang out, and two small figures excitedly rushed over. Nicole wrapped her arms around Nn and Lana before looking down at them. "What brings you here?" "Mommy, didn''t Godpae?" Nn looked up at her and asked. ''I''ve already called Godpa and told him that Mommy went to work. Besides, didn''t Godpa go on a date with Mommyst night? Why didn''t he take Mommy back home? Instead, Mommy came back with this annoying guy!'' "Are you stupid? Our real father went to pick Mommy up, so why would Mommy need Godpa to take her home?" Lana raised her chin and said disdainfully. Nn used to tease her for being dumb all the time, but she finally got the chance to turn the tables now. "You''re the stupid one." Nn scoffed as he thought, ''Godpa treats us and Mommy way better than this big old meanie!'' "You''re stupid." Lana stood her ground and stuck out her tongue at Nn. She then opened her arms to Jared and said, "Up, Daddy!" "Of course." Jared held her lovingly as he thought, ''Daughters are the best. Unlike that selfish little rascal.'' When Nn saw Lana being held by Jared, who was looking at him disdainfully, Nn said defiantly, "Mommy, up!" ''Hmph! So what? I still have Mommy to hold me.'' Unexpectedly, Jared held Nicole''s hand and walked away before saying, "Your mommy is tired after working the whole day. You can walk yourself." Nn frowned angrily as he watched the trio walking away. ''What an annoying guy! He''s taking Mommy away from me and godpa! I''ll never agree to this. Just you wait and see!'' Though he was upset, he remembered that Nicole had been working a lot, so he just ran up to them and did not pester Nicole to hold him anymore. Jared arched his eyebrow ever so slightly when he noticed this. ''Even though this rascal always throws a fit, he''s still very thoughtful to his mother.'' N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content. When they entered Nicole''s family''s home, Daniel and Gloria were in the living room. They were relieved to see them back as they said with a smile, "You''re back." When they were having dinner earlier, Jared had left abruptly when he realized that Nicole would not being home because she was out with Lawrence. Daniel and Gloria were fairly worried that they might fight. For that reason, they were relieved to see theming home together, not looking like they had been in an argument. "Mom, Dad, why aren''t you sleeping yet? Did something happen?" Nicole asked as she did not know what happened. "Nah, we were just about to go to bed. Have you both eaten at all?" Gloria looked at Jared in concern. Though it seemed like she was asking casually, she was actually questioning Jared. After all, Nicole was supposedly going to have dinner with Lawrence. And Jared left before he could eat anything. Nicole realized something and looked at Jared, asking, "Haven''t you eaten your dinner?" Chapter 1994 Chapter 1994 Nicole figured that Gloria asked that because she knew that Jared had not eaten his dinner. And they went home after Jared went to see her, so he obviously had not eaten anything. Gloria realized that Jared had not eaten dinner as well, so she reminded her daughter, "Nicole, we''ve all had dinner already. You should have dinner with Jared." "But I''ve had dinner too." Nicole hesitated, but she did not stand her ground. Though she did not intend to do it, the reason Jared had not eaten anything for dinner was because of her. "Hurry up, then. It''s Nn and Lana''s bedtime too. Just leave them to me." Gloria arched her eyebrows at Nicole. It was obvious. She was creating some alone time for Jared and Nicole. After being separated for five years, they were reunited but with different identities. Gloria was really worried about them and hoped that they could make up with each other as soon as possible, so they could finally live happily ever after. "I''m not tired. I want to stay with Mommy." Nn did not want to leave. In contrast, Lana was delighted. She held Nn''s hand and said, "You don''t want to sleep. You''re a naughty kid!" This was good timing. They obviously should not disturb their parents. Nicole was speechless when she knew what each of the cheeky duo was doing. ''They''re acting up already.'' "Nn, it''s gettingte. Let''s go to bed. Grandma will stay with you," Gloria said gently. Lana held Nn''s hand and said, "Well, I''m tired. Let''s go to bed." "Here. Let grandpa hold you," Daniel said as he carried Nn in his arms. Helplessly, Nn could only allow Daniel to take him away. After all, hecked the strength. He really missed his godfather. ''If Godpa were here, he''d definitely be on my side.'' Soon, only Jared and Nicole were left in the living room. Jared looked at Nicole deeply before walking out of the living room, delighted. Nicole red at him, but all she could do was follow him to the dining room. She knew what Gloria was doing, but she was wistful. Though she did not resist Jared as much now, she still could not envision him as her romantic partner. Besides, she had not retrieved her memories yet. That was why she did not want to consider her personal romantic rtionship first. She wanted to focus on the Riddle Corporation. The wheels in her head kept turning, and she did not notice that Jared had been staring at her while he was eating his dinner. "Are you thinking about the Riddle Corporation?" Jared seemed to have seen through her. Though he was asking her, it sounded like he already knew the answer. "Yeah," Nicole responded as she was still in a daze. When she snapped back into reality, she looked at Jared. "How did you know?" ''Was I thinking out loud just now?'' "I mean, what else would you be thinking about?" Jared answered her with another question.N?velDrama.Org is the owner. Though Nicole had lost her memories, some things were just embedded in her bones. For example, her character and the way she treated people. Since she had already agreed to take over the Riddle Corporation, she had already decided to take up the responsibility. So, there was just one thing on her mind for now, and that was to give her utmost effort to do her best in the matter at hand. Chapter 1995 Chapter 1995 Nicole''s expression appeared to be a little uneasy as she looked at Jared''s teasing gaze. Although he managed to guess her thoughts, she understood the hidden meaning behind his words too, implying that she could miss him. Her heart beat faster, and she subconsciously looked away, avoiding direct eye contact with Jared. ''It could get really difficult to deal with this guy sometimes,'' she thought to herself. Seeing how nervous Nicole got, Jared subtly curved his lips. Although he was eating dinner alone, the food tasted unusually good. After finishing his meal, Jared followed Nicole back to the room. N?velDrama.Org is the owner. Nicole frowned with resentment. "Actually, you don''t have to stay here with me." The estate was so near and so much bigger, yet Jared would still cramp into a room with her. Nicole just did not feelfortable with it. However, Jared did not want to let any opportunity to be alone with her slip away. So he said confidently, "It''s livelier here." Of course, Jared would be wherever Nicole was, and he did not want to leave her, not even for a single moment. Nicole rolled her eyes at Jared and grabbed a nket before throwing it at him. "This is yours. Remember, do not cross the line." Upon saying that, Nicole pulled her own nket over and wrapped herself up, lying with her back facing Jared. She genuinely did not want Jared to get close to her. Jared looked a little helpless after he had been brushed aside. However, he was d that he was not chased out of the room. He had no other choice but to ept his fate andy down. Although the person he had been thinking about for nights and days was right before his eyes, all he could do was sleep while hugging the nket. It was simply frustrating for him as he wondered to himself, ''When will days like this evere to an end?'' Very soon, he heard gentle breathing fill the room. So, he sighed and slowly shut his eyes. On the next day, the rising sun awakened a new day. Nicole woke up and saw the huge face in front of her. She found herself clinging onto Jared like an octopus and her face immediately turned red and hot. She immediately pulled her hand back as if she was electrified, but it was already toote. Jared grabbed her hand and put it back on his waist as he looked at her yfully. "You''re the one who broke the rules now. Don''t you have anything to say to me?" "I''m going to the office. I have a lot of work to do." Nicole panicked and looked away as she tried to shift the topic. She was asleep, and she had no idea how that happened. She just wanted to get out of this awkward situation now. Nicole was about to get out of bed after saying that, attempting to flee the scene. However, she failed to do so. After grabbing her arm, Jared flipped them over and pinned her down on the bed as he forced several kisses on her. "Hey, get off..." Nicole struggled in panic, yet her words were all engulfed by Jared. Although Jared was extremely reluctant to do so, his rationality overcame his impulse anyway. Then, after getting a taste of Nicole, he let her go. Nicole was stunned for a while and her mind was nk after suddenly regaining the freedom to breathe. Jared dotingly rubbed her soft hair and said, "Get freshened up. I''ll drive you to the office after having breakfast." "Okay," Nicole replied like a robot. Then, she got out of bed and walked toward the bathroom. However, she came to an abrupt stop halfway before turning around and glowering at Jared. She gritted her teeth and shouted, "Jared Johnston!" ''I almost fell into this cunning man''s trap! How could he do that to me?!'' Jared smirked and slowly walked toward Nicole. Then, he lowered his gaze and looked at her. "How can I help you?" Chapter 1996 Chapter 1996 Nicole was on the verge of losing herself in the face of Jared''s captivating smile. Her final sliver of sanity was reminding her that she should be reacting with anger, but when she looked at Jared, she just could not shake the idea of letting her guard down. Feeling shameful and frustrated within, she gritted her teeth and yelled, "You''re moving back to the estate from today onwards!" She could not allow him to linger here anymore because he was simply too dangerous for her. Before she could regain her memories, she had to keep a distance from him. "Freshen up." Jared dragged her to the bathroom, having changed the subject smoothly. This left Nicole confused. ''What does this mean? Did he agree to it or not?'' She got freshened up and changed her clothes in a daze before leaving the room with Jared. "Daddy." Lana''s adorable voice echoed across the hallway as her tiny legs carried on a sprint toward Jared. "Hey, Lana." Jared held Lana up with a doting look on his face, loving this thoughtful angel to the bone. The edge of Nicole''s mouth twitched. ''When did this little one like Jared more than she likes me? She greeted him and did not even bother to acknowledge my existence.'' Nn too felt very frustrated after he saw how Lana had switched sidespletely. ''What''s so good about Jared? How did Lana ept him so quickly?'' "Let''s go eat," Nicole suggested, not about to get mad at Lana. Then, she grabbed Nn''s hand and went downstairs. The two siblings never had a father, and they had always wished to have one. That was why Nn called Lawrence his godfather. Still, Lana had never disyed any sort of affection toward Lawrence. Jared was the only person Lana would do all these things to thus far. "Mommy, I didn''t get to ask you this yesterday. How did your date with Godpa? Did you have a good time?" Nn intentionally raised his voice, making it louder when he uttered the word, "date". It had taken him much effort to give out the information to Lawrence, and Lawrence had cooperated with him and taken action too. He really hoped that Nicole and Lawrence could be together as he wished. "Don''t spout nonsense. We just had some work-rted matters to discuss." Nicole said. ''What date is he talking about? Nn is getting more and more outrageous.'' "Yeah. Mommy will only go on a date with Daddy." Lana unhappily said. She could not understand why her brother had to act like this when it was clear that it was better for them to have their biological father. Indeed, she had been longing to reunite with Jared. "What do you know?" Nn became a little frustrated as he thought to himself. ''Godfather is the best.'' "Hmph. I know everything." Lana scoffed haughtily and shifted her gaze to Jared. "Daddy, would you go on a date with Mommy too?" Lana thought that it would only be right for Jared and Nicole to date. That was something that she wanted to see too. N?velDrama.Org is the owner. "Sure." Jared agreed and he was delighted to have a thoughtful daughter like Lana. In response, Nicole glowered at Jared. ''Sure? How could he agree with her without even giving it any thought? Is he not going to ask for my opinion at least?'' Having seen through her thoughts, Jared deliberately said, "I''m sorry, Lana. I don''t think your Mommy wants to do that." "Mommy, please go on a date with Daddy." Lana pleaded, feeling so disappointed that she looked as if she was about to cry. Seeing this, Nicole became so furious that she gritted her teeth. ''Jared is such a despicable man for pulling this trick on me.'' Chapter 1997 Chapter 1997 "Mommy!" Lana''s eyes turned red, indicating that she would cry at any second if Nicole said no. The entire family would be heartbroken as soon as Lana cried, and knowing this, Nn suddenly felt a headache. Then, he immediately convinced Lana that, "Sis, Mommy is very busy with work. She doesn''t have time for a date." "That''s why she needs a date to rx," Lana confidently said as if there was nothing wrong with what was stated. "Right, Mommy?" A subtle smile appeared on Jared''s face as his affection for Lana grew even deeper. He was not expecting that to happen at all. ''Lana must be an angel gifted to me,'' he thought to himself. Nicole did not know what to do. As far as her current rtionship status with Jared was concerned, they were miles from reaching the stage in which they would consider dating each other. They were merely closer than strangers; they were not even friends with each other. However, her heart ached when she saw the disappointed and sullen look on Lana''s face. "Come on, Mommy. Just say yes." Lana grabbed Nicole''s sleeve and said in a coquettish tone of voice. "Yeah, Mommy. Please make Lana''s wishe true," Nn butted in. This left Nicole in a state of surprise. ''Why did Nn''s attitude take such a big turn so suddenly?'' Jared shifted his gaze to Nn too, cognizant that something was not right. ''This little brat was never on my side. I wonder why he is supporting me now.'' In reply, Jared put on a knowing look and said, "Don''t worry. We''ll go on a date once Mommy is done with her work." "Yeah!" Lana became ted, her smile shining brighter than the sun. On the other hand, Nn was not cheering at all, signaling that he was secretly plotting something. Jared noticed it and knew that the little brat would not be on his side if he did not have an ulterior motive. "Come on, let''s go eat." Jared looked away and walked toward the restaurant while carrying Lana. "Good morning, Grandpa, Grandma, and uncles," she greeted. Lana''s baby voice echoed across the restaurant while Nn stood there in ce, pondering to himself, ''I''ll tell Godpa about this, so that he can go there too. I''m sure that Mommy will know that he is her best option if he has a chance to prove himself.'' After finishing breakfast, Nicole left Nn and Lana at home so that Gloria could take care of them. Then, the other members of the family followed suit, leaving the Riddle residence one after another. Jared drove Nicole to the Riddle Corporation without mentioning anything about the date again on their way there. Instead, he handed Nicole a folder and said, "This is the info detailing a few kindergartens in San Joto. Have a look." He had not made any decision on the spot; instead, he had selected a few of the best options as he figured that he should seek Nicole''s opinion first. After all, she was the one who had spent the past five years with the kids, and thus, would understand them better than him. Nicole''s mind wandered as she looked at the folder. She could not believe that Jared had already begun nning for their children''s future. What surprised her even more was that he had prepared everything, just to leave the final decision to her. Nicole found what he did very heartwarming. Although Jared might appear to be domineering at times, he still showed her a lot of respect. Multiple times in the past, she would only need to tell him about something in brief detail, and before she knew it, he would get it done. N?velDrama.Org is the owner. "Thank you," Nicole slowly said, thanking him not for just the information he had prepared, but also the respect he had shown her, which made her feel somewhat at ease. Jared was sharp enough to pick that up. He knew exactly what she meant. However, to him, that was the way their rtionship should be. After that, he shifted the topic. "That doctor has disappeared." "Doctor?" Nicole paused for a moment before she could realize who he was talking about. Then, her face darkened as she asked, "Grandpa''s doctor? How did it happen?" ''He acted so quickly. Has he found out that we''re investigating him?'' she thought. "He''s probably just afraid of getting exposed, so he ran away before anything happened. Max has sent a lot of people out in the past few days, but they haven''t found any traces of him," Jared said as a malicious glint shed in his eyes. Chapter 1998 Chapter 1998 Max had already acted very promptly, and yet, the people he had sent ended uping back empty- handed anyway. The doctor was nowhere to be found, and he had probably fled during midnight. In addition, he had not left any clues at his home, and no one knew how he had left or where he had gone. After knowing what had happened, Nicole''s pupils contracted slightly. "If that''s the case, could he already be murdered?" "It''s possible," he replied, as they were all thinking that too. Nicole bit her lip lightly, as though she was lost in thought. Upon noticing Nicole''s silence, Jared left her be, as he knew that she needed time to calm down. After some time, the car slowly came to a halt as they had already arrived at the headquarters of the Riddle Corporation. Nicole got out of the car, and was about to say something when Jared beat her to it. "I''lle to pick you up after work." She paused for a moment before agreeing, "Sure." A satisfied look shed across Jared''s face. He watched as Nicole entered the building and left. Nicole went to the top level of the building where the highest-ranking officers worked and that was when she spotted Sean and Steve. They could not help but feel sorry for Nicole upon noticing the amount of documents she was holding. "You just started working. There''s no need to push yourself so hard. Take it easy." "I..." Nicole looked at the documents in her hands. "Not all of them are rted to work." To be specific, only one of them was about work, and it was the letter of intent on cooperation that Lawrence had given her. The other two were given to her by Jared; one was the information about the partners of the Riddle Corporation and the other featured the details about Nn and Lana''s future kindergarten. "Hey guys, I have something to tell you," Nicole said with a stern expression without divulging more about the documents in her hands. The look on Sean and Steve''s faces became solemn too after hearing that. "Let''s go to your office then," Sean said. "Sure." Soon after, the three of them stepped foot into Nicole''s office. "About what happened to Grandpa, something went wrong with the investigation. The doctor has gone missing," Nicole briefly informed. "What? What happened?" Sean and Steve asked, feeling a little shocked. Nobody else was supposed to know that they were investigating their grandfather''s medication, so they were not expecting anyone to be alerted by their actions. "I don''t know." Nicole shook her head. Although she had thought of several possibilities, she did not have any evidence to back them up. "Now that the doctor is gone, there''s no way we can find out who''s behind everything that has transpired," Steve said in frustration. The doctor had no reason to harm their grandfather unless he had been bribed. After all, he was just a pawn, and discovering who the mastermind behind it all was the biggest priority. N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content. "You''re right," Sean said, agreeing that it would be very difficult for them to trace the person behind everything, as the doctor had disappeared into the night. "Since there''s nothing we can do now, let''s just report the doctor to the police. As for the mastermind..." A hint of profound coldness shed in Nicole''s eyes before she continued. "The person who can benefit most from this is the most suspicious. We just have to be prepared." Sean and Steve exchanged nces upon hearing that, knowing what to do at once. Indeed, if something horrible had really happened to their grandfather, the person who could benefit the most would have the highest degree of suspicion. Of course, it did not mean that they were going to exclude any other individuals who could gain something from it too. Chapter 1999 Chapter 1999 "Let''s just do as Nicole said," Sean quickly decided. There were more important things waiting for them to do, so they did not wish to waste any more effort on this matter, especially after considering the things that had happened to Nicole. Even as of now, they were yet to unravel the mystery and neutralize the threats around Nicole. As such, they had to be very cautious. "Sure," Steve said before proceeding to remind his sister. "Nicole, the reunion banquet will be held soon. After that, you''ll officially be back in thepany. Don''t shoulder everything on your own. You can alwayse to me and Sean when you have any problems." "Okay." Nicole nodded lightly as her heart was filled with warmth. ''It feels so good to be back with my family." "Alright, carry on with your work. We''ll leave now." "Let''s have lunch together." "Sure." Upon hearing that Nicole would be joining them for lunch, Sean and Steve turned around and left. Now alone in the office, Nicole sighed quietly. ''San Joto is indeed full of dangers everywhere. Fortunately, I have my family, who has given me the courage and strength to face everything.'' Her gaze fell on the documents on her desk as a hint of soft light flickered in her eyes. Then, she thought of Jared. N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content. Her legal husband had appeared out of nowhere, shocking her and leaving her utterly perplexed, and yet, she realized that she had stopped resisting him after she had gotten to know him better. She had even started to ept him. She slowly opened the documents Jared had handed her. Indeed, it was something she needed very much at that time. She had to know more about the background and other information about the various enterprises and families in San Joto, especially those who had formed partnerships with the Riddle Corporation. She had to understand them better because they would still be working together in the future. On the other side, Steve had followed Sean to his office after leaving. "Bro, did you see what documents Nicole was holding?" Steve''s gaze darkened. "Yeah." Sean nodded, as the documents were too ring for him to not notice. "Lawrence is really efficient. Thepany has just been established, and he has already delivered the letter to Nicole," Steve said eloquently. Steve''s eyes became even darker. "How''s the investigation on Lawrence going? Any new progress?" "Nope. Like what we''ve discovered before, we still can''t find anything wrong with him." Although they did not have anything substantial enough to prove their assumptions, they still could not fully trust Lawrence. "It''s just strange that he possesses such a perfect record. Also, all of us had been trying to find Nicole as soon as she went missing. There''s just no way we couldn''t find a single trace of her if there wasn''t anyone standing in our way." They figured that if Lawrence was able to erase all of Nicole''s information and give her a new identity so seamlessly, it would not be easy for them to glean anything particrly suspicious about him. "I guess he has genuine feelings for Nicole, but his methods..." Steve scoffed. Even though Lawrence had painted a beautiful picture, Steve was not entirely convinced. Instead, he felt that what Lawrence had done was done in order to mislead and deceive others. "Regardless, he was the one who had rescued Nicole and taken care of her for five years. We must keep an eye on him. As long as he doesn''t do anything to harm Nicole, we can leave the rest to her." They figured that it would be inappropriate for them to get in the way of their personal rtionship, and as Nicole''s brothers, they should support every decision she made. "Understood. I''ll do that." Although they were going to cease their investigation of him, it did not mean that they would let their guard down. After all, Lawrence was simply too mysterious. As the sun set, Nicole left the office to see that Jared had already been waiting for her outside. It seemed that he had been there for a while. The setting sun cast a golden glow on Jared, providing a warm contrast to his frosty and haughty presence. Jared put on a gentle smile when he saw hering out. Seeing that, Nicole was stunned, finding herself lost in his smile. ''How could this guy be so enchanting? A single smile of his is enough to make me feel so vulnerable.'' Chapter 2000 Chapter 2000 Nicole''s heart was beating uncontrobly; she could even feel it thumping. Her cheeks were faintly flushed too. "Come here," Jared said with a subtle smile when he saw her standing in ce. It was only then that Nicole came to realize that she had been staring at him the entire time without even noticing that she had stopped walking. She could not help but feel a little uneasy. "Let''s go." Jared grabbed her delicate hands and led her into the car after she had finallye to him. The car started moving, and when Nicole noticed that they were not heading toward their home, she asked curiously, "Where are we going?" N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. "To a date," Jared said. Hearing that, Nicole was shocked. "I didn''t agree to go on a date with you!" ''I haven''t remembered anything about us yet. It''d be so weird for us to go out on a date!'' she thought to herself. "But you promised Lana yesterday," Jared smugly said. "Don''t get me wrong. I was just trying tofort Lana at that time. There''s no need for us to actually go on a date," Nicole sulked as she rolled her eyes at Jared. She refused to believe that Jared did not understand what she had truly meant. "I disagree. I believe there is definitely a need." Jared became unusually serious. In truth, he really needed a date with Nicole. If Nicole could not regain her memories for now, they would need to start over and fall in love again. He did not mind giving her time, and he respected the situation she was in as well. However, he had to stay by her side and make sure that she would not leave him anymore. He had to keep her safe no matter what. Nicole seemed to notice the sadness in his eyes, and she somehow felt a twinge of pain in her heart. Then, she swallowed her words and stopped with her tant rejection of him. ''If what he said is true, he has been living in tremendous pain over the past five years. Even though I don''t have any memories of us, I can imagine how heartbroken he must have felt,'' she thought. The car slowly came to a halt as they arrived at the restaurant. It was a very new restaurant that was decorated in Nicole''s favorite style, serving the cuisines she loved the most. Upon entering the restaurant, Nicole noticed that there were not many people inside, and among those who were present, all of them looked like waiters. Seeing that, she could not help but ask in confusion, "Isn''t it dinner time now?" ''Why is there no one here during this time?'' she wondered. "We''ll be their only customers for tonight." After all, this was their first time going on a real date following their reunion. Jared did not wish for anybody else to disturb them. He just wanted to look at her, spend some time with her, and savor this moment that he had been yearning for. However, Nicole did not know how to feel about Jared reserving the entire ce for her. ''This is a little too formal, isn''t it?'' They sat down at the only table with utensils arranged, and the waiter began serving the dishes. Soon after, the table was filled with various delicacies. Nicole felt a surge of warmth in her heart when she saw that everything which had been served was her favorite food. She knew that Jared truly loved and cared for her. As the music yed in the background of the meticulously decorated dining environment, Nicole strangely felt blessed, even though it was merely a dinner. "Mr. Johnston." Nicole uttered, deciding to address Jared that way after thinking about it for the entire day. "Call me Jared," he said, feeling a little upset. He just could not get used to Nicole calling him from such a distance. Nicole then scrambled to find another way to address him after noticing how persistent he was. "Jared Johnston." Chapter 2001 Chapter 2001 Everything around them fell into silence for a moment, with Jared frowning and telling himself, ''Don''t push her too hard. Jared Johnston is better than Mr. Johnston.'' N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. So, he nodded and agreed, "I''m listening." "Uh." Nicole paused, suddenly forgetting about what she wanted to say. She had already felt as if the atmosphere of their dinner together was a little awkward, but she felt even more ufortable now that she was about to say something. This marked the first time Nicole was actually bothered by the fact that she had lost her memories. She initially thought that she would just ept the fact that things would never be the same again, and focus on raising her two children. However, she wanted to remember what things were like before the present time, so that she could free herself from this struggle. "Why are you not saying anything?" Jared asked, noticing a hint of hesitation in Nicole''s eyes as if there was something bothering her. "Forget it." Nicole shook her head, figuring that it would be better to just let things happen instead of forcing them. Putting their past rtionship aside, Jared was still the father of her two children. Therefore, it would be inevitable for them to meet in the future no matter what. Nicole was relieved after thinking about that. She had returned to the Riddle family and figured that she would probably be living in San Joto for a long time. Because of that, she did not have to worry about those unnecessary things any longer. Nicole subconsciously smiled after the sense of rxation took over her. Then, she lowered her head and started eating happily. The notion of whether the entire dinner was a date or not no longer bothered her, and all she wanted was to do was fill her stomach. Jared watched every change in her expression as he subtly raised his brows. Even though he had no idea what she was thinking about, he could sense her emotions fluctuating. "Try some of this." Jared put some food on Nicole''s te without asking any more questions. Both of them carefully avoided any mentions about the subject as if nothing had happened. However, it was obvious that they were in a better mood than before. After finishing their meal, Nicole requested to return to the Riddle residence. Jared had initially nned to bring Nicole out on a night cruise, but Nicole was too worried about her children. So, heplied and did as he was asked. Then, he promised himself that he would bring the children along on their next date. They arrived at the gate of the Riddle residence, and there, they saw another car parked there, prompting them to halt behind it. Nicole was left feeling a little surprised after recognizing that it was Lawrence''s car. ''Why is Lawrence here at this hour? Did something happen?'' Unexpectedly, Lawrence got out of the car, with Nn following right behind him. "Nn!" Nicole yelled, bing even more shocked. Then, she opened the car door and stepped outside. "Nn, where did you go?" She did not know how to feel about Lawrence taking Nn out. ''Is something wrong with Nn? If that''s the case, why didn''t anyone tell me about it?" "Mommy!" Nn ran toward Nicole and threw himself into her arms as soon as he saw her. Then, Lawrence walked over and smiled at Nicole. "You''re back." "Where did you guys go?" Nicole asked, feeling a little worried still. "We..." Lawrence patted Nn''s head and spoke before the boy could finish his sentence. "I didn''t have anything to do today. I figured that you would probably be busy with work, so I took Nn out to have some fun." "To have some fun?" Nicole frowned. Even though Lawrence would bring her children out asionally, he would never leave Lana behind. With that in mind, Nicole could not help but wonder, ''Why isn''t Lana with them today?'' And as if he could read Nicole''s mind, Lawrence exined, "Lana said that she wanted to spend some time with her grandmother, so I only took Nn out." Chapter 2002 Chapter 2002 Nicole shifted her gaze to Nn as if she was asking, ''Is that true?'' Nn nodded. "Yeah. I''ve never been around San Joto, so I got curious and asked Godpa to bring me around." Nicole felt relieved after hearing that. "That''s good. I thought that Nn fell sick or got into some kind of trouble again." In the past, Nn had a penchant for asking Lawrence to clean his mess up. "Don''t worry. If there''s anything wrong, I would''ve notified you as soon as possible," Lawrence said with a smile. "It''s gettingte. We''ll go inside now." Nicole said without inviting Lawrence, knowing that did not n to go in since he had parked his car outside. "Sure," Lawrence nodded. "I''ll go back now then." After Lawrence had gotten into his car and moved it aside, he watched as Nicole brought Nn into Jared''s car before it slowly wheeled into the driveway of the Riddle residence. Then, he saw the trio of Jared, Nicole, and Nn entering the house together. Lawrence''s dark gaze remained fixed on them as his aura turned cold. While it was true that he had brought Nn out to y, they had only decided to spend some time with each other as they could not find Nicole anywhere. When Nn called him in secret and told him to pick him up at home, he had no idea what Nn was nning to do. As it turned out, Nn wanted to look for Jared and Nicole together with him, and he even imed that he would take his mother away from Jared during their date. Unfortunately for them, they could not find the couple anywhere. Although Nn might not be aware of this, Lawrence knew very well that Jared had made some special arrangements to stop anyone from disrupting their date. He squinted his cold eyes as the aura around him took on a gloomier form. ''I''m never going to let her go so easily.'' Inside the house, the living room was filled with noises, with everyone asking Nn about his day, and with the boy telling them about his adventure in detail. "Nn, just let me know whenever you feel like going out next time. I''lle with you." Samuel patted his chest and said enthusiastically. "Yeah. No one knows San Joto better than us," Spencer added. "Sure," Nn replied. N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content. He was very much looking forward to that. Even though he had learned a lot about San Joto on the inte previously, experiencing it in person was apletely different thing altogether. "Lana, why didn''t you tag along?" Nicole asked Lana softly as Jared held her in his arms. "I wanted to go with Mommy and Daddy." Lana replied, her adorable voice melting everyone''s heart. "Mommy and I will take you out someday, I promise," Jared promptly agreed as he had been thinking about the same thing. "Thank you, Daddy." Lana was delighted. When she was in kindergarten, her ssmates'' parents would take their kids out whenever there was a holiday, and yet, she and Nn never had the opportunity to experience that at all. So, it had always been her wish to go out with her parents. "Oh, you... Haha." "Don''t worry. From now on, you''ll always have someone to take you wherever you want to go," Jared finished. Everyone there was so amused by Lana''s innocent words that they could not help but look at her with love and affection. However, Nicole was the only person feeling a little bitter. She knew exactly what her children were thinking, and it was true that she was not able to provide them with the warmth of a family when they were living abroad. Sill, Nn and Lana were very sensible kids. They had never said anything that would hurt her feelings, but that did not mean that they did not have any wishes of a proper family Chapter 2003 Chapter 2003 "Daddy and Mommy will take you guys out to y when we have the time," Nicole said dejectedly. "Mommy is the best!" Lana cheered. Meanwhile, Nn nced at Jared, revealing a hint of reluctance deep within. Needless to say, he preferred going out with Lawrence. Jared noticed the look on Nn''s face and felt a little helpless within. ''This little brat can never measure up to my baby angel. Daughters are truly the best!'' N?velDrama.Org is the owner. The family chatted happily for a while after that, and when it was gettingte, they went back to their rooms to sleep. After putting Nn and Lana to bed, Nicole returned to her room, where she saw Jared looking out the window as if he was thinking about something. He only turned to Nicole after he had heard some noises. "Are they asleep?" "Yeah," Nicole said in a tone of defeat. "They got too excited just now and it took them some time to fall asleep." "You should go to bed now too," Jared advised, figuring that Nicole must have been exhausted following her abrupt return to the Riddle Corporation. "Sure." Nicole nodded. Then, she asked, "What about you? Are you not going to sleep?" But after uttering those words, she felt an instant pang of regret. ''What did I just say? It sounded as if I was asking him to sleep with me.'' A subtle smile appeared on Jared''s face as he yfully said, "I''m waiting for mydy''s consent." Feeling very embarrassed, she red at Jared in annoyance. "Who''s yourdy? And what makes you think I care if you''re going to sleep or not? I''m going to bed now." After saying that, Nicoleid down on the bed and pulled the nket over to wrap herself tightly like a burrito. Seeing that, Jared could not help butugh. ''Look at how shy she became.'' He walked to his own bed, worried that cracking another joke at this moment would make her angrier, after which he pulled the nket over and lied down on the bed too. He was already d that Nicole''s attitude toward him had changed. So, he had to appreciate it and not mess it up. He was in a rather good mood, and with that, he fell asleep very soon after. However, that was not the case for Nicole. Thinking about what happened earlier, Nicole felt her heart thumping uncontrobly as her cheeks were burning hot. ''What was wrong with me?'' Although she had decided to go with the flow, she was still surprised by how differently she had begun to treat Jared in such a short span of time. Her mind was in a mess. She tossed and turned, and her gaze coincidentally fell on Jared, who had fallen asleep. Nicole looked at him, unable to help herself from biting her lip lightly. Although she could not remember him or recall their past, she had started to trust him a little bit more after having spent a few days with him. The next morning, the rays of sunlight filtered in through the window. Nicole had slept a littletest night, and Jared was already up by the time she was awake. "You''re awake." Nicole heard a gentle voice, and before she could realize what was happening, she could feel a light kiss on her lips. It was just a gentle peck, one that Nicole could not even react to, and before she knew it, Jared had already pulled her out of the bed. "Freshen up. Everyone''s probably waiting for you to have breakfast," Jared ordered, doing everything so smoothly as if it was perfectly natural for him. Before she could realize it, Jared had already pulled her into the bathroom. Having allowed him to steal a kiss from her frustrated her, as she did not manage to give Jared a warning about it. She hurriedly washed her face and brushed her teeth. When she got changed, she realized that Jared was still there waiting for her. In response, she walked up to him and in a serious tone of voice, she said, "Don''t ever do that again." "Do what?" Jared lifted his brows, looking a little mischievous. Although she had a stern look on her face, Jared could tell that she was just faking it, and was not outraged by what he had done. Chapter 2004 Chapter 2004 Nicole red at Jared the second he asked her that question. He was obviously ying dumb, and she did not believe that he did not know what she meant. "You''re well aware of that," she said through gritted teeth. "Like this?" Jared extended his long arms and pulled her in by her waist, before nting a kiss on her lips. This time, he did not just give her a peck. His domineering presence was so strong that it felt as though he was going to devour her. Nicole attempted to break free, but Jared had already locked her in his arms, denying her the chance to escape. Then, they heard a knock at the door. "Are you awake, Mommy?" an adorable voice asked in concern. Nicole recollected herself and pushed Jared away. While Jared was distracted, Nicole had already backed away by a few steps. Her heart was racing, but she did not have the time to calm down. She simply righted her clothes and opened the door when she saw her darling children outside. "Mommy, it''s time for breakfast. Everyone''s waiting for you," Nn reminded her as he looked up. "Alright, let''s eat." Nicole said, her heart still pounding in her chest, though she was trying her best to not show it. Jared, who was ready to toss all restraint out of the window a few seconds ago, calmed down as well. His self-control was nowhere to be found whenever he was with Nicole. "Daddy, aren''t you joining us?" Lana asked. ''Mommy and Nn have already left, but why is Daddy still here? He looks like he has something on his mind.'' Jared''s heart melted when he saw how considerate Lana was. N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. He held her up and said, "Okay, let''s go now." "Sure." Lana wrapped her arms around his neck lovingly as she nodded. Jared took Lana downstairs to the dining room, where everyone had already gathered. They had left a spot for Jared next to Nicole, and that was where he took a seat. His sudden approach gave Nicole a panic attack for a minute there, as she tried her best to avoid any eye contact with him. She knew exactly what had happened just now, and there was a moment when she found her heart and mind spiraling out of control. ''Nope. Jared should move back to the estate. Every second with him is dangerous. If this continues, I''m afraid I won''t be able to control myself, even before I regain all of my memories,'' she concluded. But the instant she thought of what her parents'' reaction to Jared leaving would be, especially her mother''s, Nicole became hesitant. Jared''s eyes lit up when he saw how she acted around him. She was afraid to look at him. ''What is she hiding? Is she shy?'' After their breakfast, everyone returned to their own lives. "Dad, I''ll go with you today," Nicole called out the moment she saw him leaving. "What''s wrong?" Daniel asked, a little taken aback as his eyes wandered to Jared. ''Jared usually takes Nicole to work, so why is she asking to join me today? Did something happen between them?'' Daniel asked himself. "It''s about Uncle Dexter''spany. I want to talk to you about it." Nicole exined,ing up with a random excuse to dispel everyone''s assumptions before they could even be uttered. Then, Daniel nodded and replied, "Alright. He''s waiting for your updates too." "Let''s go then." Nicole said, eager to leave as soon as her father had agreed. It was apelling and legitimate reason, so no one gave it much of a thought. However, Jared was cognizant of what was going on as he stared at Nicole without exposing her. He knew that Dexter needed some help with hispany. ''But even if it has something to do with work, can''t they talk about it in the office? Do they really have to talk about it on their way to work?'' Chapter 2005 Chapter 2005 It was obvious that Nicole was avoiding him. But the second he thought of how embarrassing the situation was for her, Jared decided to let it all slide. He wanted to give her some time and space. Otherwise, it would be a pity for him if his impatience pushed her further away from him. Soon after, each of the cars left the house one after another, and while Nicole was carpooling with Daniel, she went on to discuss about Dexter. N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. It was only right for Nicole to keep the act going. Furthermore, Dexter and the family were kind. They had a good rtionship with Daniel as well. "Dad, what is your opinion on Uncle Dexter''s matter?" Nicole candidly asked. Daniel shook his head. "Dexter''spany has always relied on the head office''s support to sustain itself. But because the head office''s position isn''t as great as it was before, they''ll have to suffer as well." The both of them had tried their best, and had even considered a multitude of possibilities. In the end, they still agreed that none of Dexter''s immediate family members were skilled enough in business management. "I''ve done my investigation and it is true that Uncle Dextercks awareness of business trends. He does not have any capable assistants around too. Emery''s interest does not lie in the field of business management; and Er has just graduated as well. Even if Er is interested, he is inexperienced and time is definitely needed for him to receive the training he needs," Nicole said as she analyzed the situation carefully. Daniel nodded in agreement as what Nicole had said was on point. "Dad, although Uncle Dexter''spany is relying on the head office, they should be able to survive. However, I still think we should solve the chief issue and tackle it from the management itself," Nicole concluded. "Yes. After all, it''ll be better for them to seed on their own. They can''t operate under the shadow of the head office forever," Daniel also agreed. It was not that Daniel was unwilling to help Dexter. Daniel just felt that he should help Dexter and the rest grow and stand out on their own. After all, it made no sense as to why they would want to be at the sidelines forever. "Since you''ve agreed to it, I''ll let you talk to Uncle Dexter about this matter. As for the proposal, I''ll discuss it with Sean," Nicole replied solemnly. Seeing how Nicole could calmly talk about work casually even though she no longer had any of her past memories, Daniel could not help but feel emotional, "You''ve worked really hard." ''She has just returned, and she does not know much about any of these things. Yet, she has to shoulder all of these responsibilities. As your father, I owe you a lot,'' he thought. Nicole shook her head lightly andforted Daniel, "No, it''s just that I waste.'' Previously, when Nicole was assailed and close to losing her life, she did not dare to return because of her kids. If she knew that there was a family which loved her so immensely here, and that they were suffering from their loss of her, Nicole would have given herself the courage to return. "Nicole, your safety is still at risk. You must always be careful." Daniel warned. And indeed, the entire family could not bear the thought of Nicole getting hurt anymore. "I will protect myself." Nicole firmed her gaze, swearing that she would protect everyone too. Soon after, they arrived at the headquarters of the Riddle Corporation, and the car came to a halt. After the two of them had gotten down from the car, they strode into the building, with Nicole heading straight to Sean''s office. "What was the final decision?" Sean asked without mincing words. "I have discussed this with dad and we''d like to hear your opinion on this." Nicole briefly exined. "Alright, leave it to me." Sean nodded in agreement as he was fully supportive of their decision, no matter what it would be. "Okay, I''ll return to my office now." Nicole turned around, about to leave. However, it was then that Sean stopped her. "Hold on." "Anything else?" Nicole asked in a soft voice. "It''s more of a personal matter." Sean looked at Nicole and his eyes narrowed in seriousness. "What happened to you and Jared?" Nicole was taken aback, and knowing that she could not hide it from Sean, she awkwardly replied, "Nothing much. It''s just that I have yet to regain my memories, so I''m still not used to certain things." Chapter 2006 Chapter 2006 "Certain things?" Sean asked, his eyes filled with doubt. ''Did I just ask her about something I should not know about? Staring directly at Sean''s eyes, Nicole came back to her senses at once. She could not help but blush as she tried to defend herself. "No, that was not what I meant. It''s just that it feels weird to have someone I barely know as my legal husband by my side." "Yeah, I wasn''t thinking about anything else. Don''t get all nervous," Sean assured, able to tell that Nicole was panicking. He was also sure that he had asked her the wrong question. Nicole twitched her lips. ''This seems like something I can''t really describe. Forget it, the more I exin, the messier it gets. I should just stay silent. It''s up to Sean to think whatever he wants to think.'' While trying her best to stayposed, Nicole replied, "I''ll leave the assignment of staff members to you. I''ll head out now." "Okay." Sean regained his poise as if he was talking business, not wanting Nicole to feel embarrassed. Then, Nicole turned around and left for her office. When she recalled that messy answer she gave, Nicole''s cheeks began flushing. Sean must have misunderstood her words, but then again, these are not the sort of things she could easily exin. Thus, she could only leave it as it was. ''D*mn it, Jared Johnston. This is all your fault! I think I should just get you to move back home. As for mom, I''ll have to find a way to persuade her. After all, I can''t allow mom to worry about me, at least not more than she already is,'' she thought. Just as Nicole was about to be buried in her thoughts, her phone rang. Seeing that it was a call from Lawrence, Nicole picked it up. "Hello." "How was my suggestion? Is Chairwoman Riddle interested in partnering with me?" Lawrence''s happy voice asked through her phone. "I see that you are starting to joke around with me now. Are you sure you''d want to continue calling me by that title?" Nicole replied whileughing. "Of course not. I just want to remind you that you will be shouldering even more responsibilities in the future," Lawrence said, his voice carrying a hint of sadness. If Nicole had not returned, she would not have to worry about all these. She could take care of Nn and Lana while living a simple and happy life. That was Lawrence''s wish for her from the get-go anyway. "I understand." Nicole replied. Since the responsibility was hers, she would not abdicate. Then, Lawrence hesitated for a moment before speaking again. "Can Ie upstairs?" "You''re downstairs?" Nicole asked, shocked and wondering why Lawrence would appear at her office. "Yes. If you think that the partnership proposal is satisfactory, we could discuss the details. I gave it some thought and decided it''s best for me toe over," he replied. In truth, Lawrence did not wish to pass up any opportunity he could get to meet Nicole. "I''ll send someone to bring you up." "Alright." After Nicole had hung up, she ordered the secretary to bring Lawrence upstairs. As soon as Lawrence entered Nicole''s office, he looked at the room and praised, "This really is from the Riddle family." "Have a seat." Nicole signaled the secretary. "Two cups of coffee, please." "Noted." The secretary replied and walked out. Nicole and Lawrence took their seats on the couch, whereupon Nicole went straight to the point. "I''ve read the proposal and there are no objections from my side. You can prepare the contract." N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. "As long as you''re satisfied with it," Lawrence replied, not surprised in the slightest. After all, he knew Nicole very well. Work matters would have to be dealt with via the official way; if he were to mix work and personal matters up, Nicole would reject it instead. "I''d have to thank you for this," she stated. Although the partnership was done in a professional manner, Nicole knew that Lawrence was doing her a favor by partnering with the Riddle Corporation during such a time. Chapter 2007 Chapter 2007 "It''s a win-win situation." Lawrence smiled. "Here''s your coffee." The secretary entered the room, ced the coffee on the table, and left. Lawrence held his mug up and took a sip. Then, he casually remarked, "The Riddle family has been preparing a banquet to celebrate your return. It seems like a grand one." "Yeah. In the end, this is not just about my return. It is mainly for thepany," she replied. If it was just for Nicole''s return, a celebration with her parents and brothers would be more than enough. "In that case, would I get the honor of receiving an invitation?" Lawrence asked. He was rarely this serious, and the banquet was the reason as to why he had personally showed up today. "You want toe?" Nicole asked as she gave it some thought. All the distinguished politicians and businessmen would be invited, especially the business tycoons who had a coborative rtionship with the Riddle Corporation. It would most definitely be a good networking opportunity. "Alright, I''ll arrange one to be sent out to you." Nicole promised. "Thank you." Lawrence happily said. "But I might not be able to entertain you on the day itself." Nicole said, as there would be a lot of guests that day. One could only imagine how busy Nicole would be. N?velDrama.Org is the owner. "No worries, I can take care of myself," Lawrence replied. He was fine as long as he could be there to watch her. He also understood that Nicole would not have any more energy to entertain him. It was more than enough if she could handle the whole crowd on her own. After that, Lawrence looked at the time and said, "It''s almost noon. Let''s have lunch together as a pre- celebration for the sess of our partnership. Nicole looked up at the wall clock. ''I did not realize it''s already thiste.'' "Sure, we''ll just find somewhere nearby." Nicole agreed and sauntered out of the office with Lawrence. "Nicole?" It was then that they bumped into Steve. Seeing that Lawrence was around, Steve could not help but ask, "The both of you are heading out?" "It''s almost lunch time, we''re heading out to grab something to eat," Nicole replied. "I was just about to ask you to go out for lunch too. Why don''t we go together? Is that fine?" Steve asked with an intention to test them. "Of course it''s fine," Nicole replied, finding the question funny. ''Why would it not be fine?'' Hearing this, Lawrence could only echo, "Of course, we''re just heading out for a meal since it''s lunch time." "Let''s go," Steve uttered, still pretending as if they had bumped into each other for lunch. Before they entered the elevator, Steve followed Nicole closely, tracking her every move. However, he still maintained a considerable distance, so that his act would not seem too obvious. However, Lawrence raised his brows in suspicion either way. At that moment, his eyes were brimming with suspicion. ''Did I do anything wrong? Why does Steve seem to be so protective? All I''ve ever talked about is work. I''ve never had the chance to ask Nicole about anything personal.'' After a simple lunch, Lawrence bade them goodbye and left the ce. Since the office was nearby, the duo of Nicole and Steve took a stroll back to the office. "Steve, do you have an issue with Lawrence?" Nicole casually asked. Although Steve was more than well-behaved, Nicole knew that he was not the kind to mingle around with other people in general. It was unusual for him to take the initiative and join others for lunch. Steve sighed and shook his head. "As expected, I''m not good at hiding." Lawrence had not said anything, but his presence reeked with ulterior motives. Even Nicole felt as though she would not want to meet up with Lawrence anymore after that. Chapter 2008 Chapter 2008 "What''s wrong with Lawrence?" Nicole asked, believing that Steve was not one to be wary of someone for no reason. "Nothing''s wrong. No matter what, he is still considered a stranger to all of us," he replied. Even though he was the one who had saved Nicole, they could not take him as a close friend. They were of course grateful to him. Hearing this, Nicole hesitantly nodded. "Understood." Steve''s attitude toward Lawrence was reasonable. Other than Nicole, Nn, and Lana, it was possible that everyone else had the same thoughts as Steve too. "Nicole, there are certain things in life which can only be felt from the heart. That which can be seen might not be the truth in its entirety. This is especially true for those who are good at putting on a mask. Their real intentions are the hardest to ascertain," Steve exined. Nicole frowned a little. She felt that Steve was trying to remind her about something else. But when she turned over, Steve had already walked ahead with a calm look on his face. It was as if he had spoken those words casually. Although Nicole could not fullyprehend it, she knew that Steve''s words were uttered with genuine intentions. Therefore, she replied, "Don''t worry Steve. I will be wary." Since it was a reminder, Steve would naturally be referring to the things or people around her. After all, San Joto was still considered as a dangerous ce for Nicole. Other than her family members, she could not afford to trust anyone else easily. "Your homing banquet is happening soon. Don''t be too nervous on that day. We will be there and we''ll help you out." Steve changed the topic, not wanting Nicole to dwell on his words. A surge of warmth inundated Nicole''s heart, and her eyes gleamed with joy. Nodding, she said, "Got it." As long as her family was always there to apany her, Nicole would not be nervous or scared anymore. N?velDrama.Org owns this. The sun was setting, and soon, dusk descended upon them. After she had ended a day''s work, Nicole ambled out of the office building. "Mommy!" The two little cutie pies ran over with their tiny legs carrying them. Nicole was surprised as she was not aware that Nn and Lana would be there. "Nn! Lana! What are you guys doing here?" "Daddy brought us here." As Lana was pointing away with her chunky fingers, Jared got out of the car and approached them. "Why did you bring them out?" Nicole asked in confusion. "I promised them that I''ll bring them out to y. So, how could I go back on my word?" Jared replied confidently. Nicole could not resist from rolling her eyes after she heard that. ''It''s true that he promised them, but the promise never included the part where it must be done right away, did it?'' "Mommy, Daddy said he''s going to bring us to a night cruise. We can watch the night view at San Joto!" Lana eagerly. Noticing how excited Lana and everyone else present were, Nicole could only pinch Lana''s chubby cheeks and mutter, "You naughty one." "Hehe, this is what a family trip is. Everyone at school has been in at least one, except for Nn and I." Now, Lana could finally tell the other kids that her parents had brought her out on a family trip. "What do you mean you never had one? Has Godpa never brought you out?" Nn asked, unable to forget about Lawrence. "Godfather is not my real dad. So of course, that doesn''t count," Lana said mischievously. In her heart, Jared is her only daddy, so much so that even her godfather did not qualify. "Let''s go. We''ll have a meal before going on the cruise." Jared reminded while he was thoroughly ted by what Lana had said. After that, he carried Lana up and asked her, "Lana, what do you want to eat?" "I want to have a hamburger." After those words had left Lana''s mouth, she sneakily looked at Nicole as she wanted to see what her mother''s reaction would be. Seeing how Lana was acting, Nicole knew what that little was thinking about at once. This made her feel a little helpless. ''This little one is growing up to be a monkey soon. She clearly knows that I don''t allow her to eat those things, so she asks from her dad.'' Chapter 2009 Chapter 2009 Of course, Jared had to fulfill Lana''s request, so he immediately agreed to it. "Sure." Jared then strode toward the car while pulling Nicole by the hand. And as he had not forgotten about Nn, he said, "You better catch up if you''d like to have some too." Initially, Nn wanted to rebel and say that he did not want any of it. However, there would be no way for him to observe them if he did not join them. He wanted to keep an eye on the annoying man and prevent him from stealing his godfather''s position. The family of four arrived at a hamburger restaurant not long after, and once they were seated, Jared went to the counter and queued up. Among the crowd that was queuing, Jared, being extremely eye-catching, was the one who stood out. In fact, everyone could not help but look at him more than twice. "Mommy, Daddy actually went and queued up on his own." Lana looked at Jared with gleaming eyes. ''It really feels good to have a daddy.'' Indeed, that slender figure was so attractive that people in crowd could not take their eyes off him. Nicole did not expect Jared to humble himself and queue up on his own. This was probably the very first time he had done something like this throughout his life. "Hmph! All these years, it was Godpa who''d helped Mommy take care of us." Nnined with a tone of dismay, feeling that Lawrence was better. "That was because Daddy couldn''t find us," Lana argued, refusing to back down. She believed that if they had stayed with Jared over the past five years, they would have lived a better life. The two little ones began to argue, and after a while, Nicole got annoyed and warned, "Keep quiet. Otherwise, we''re going home." They were not too loud, but not too soft either. This caused everyone around them to dart their eyes at the family, giving them weird nces. Just at that very moment, Jared returned with trays of food which he had ordered in his hands. "That''s a lot!" Nicole clicked her tongue as she stared at the mound of food atop the tray. "We''ll eat this together." The kids loved to eat them, and besides there were two adults. As such, Jared had to buy more. This prompted Nicole to look at them in confusion. "You''re eating this too?" Jared''s eyes lit up, and carefully, he asked, "Should I not eat them?" It was true that Jared did not eat food such as these. But as he was hanging out with Nicole and the kids, he did not really mind. However, there was a strange glint in Nicole''s eyes, making him wonder if she had recalled something. Nicole choked for a moment. She frowned and thought hard about it. She did not know if Jared ate this kind of food or not, but she could almost remember a detail which made her feel that Jared did not. But when she tried even harder to think, her mind went nk. As he noted Nicole''s expression, Jared knew that he had thought too much. Nicole had not regained another memory. However, Jared did not feel disappointed at all. In fact, he was surprised by the urrence, as that meant the memories buried under Nicole''s subconscious mind were still active. Perhaps one day, she might even remember everything. "Mommy, Daddy? You guys should eat too." Lana offered, holding a hamburger in hand before passing it to Jared and Nicole. "Alright, you should have some too." Nicole lifted her hands and grabbed it. Then, she patted Lana''s head gently. The two little ones became silent as they ate their hamburgers, and so were their parents, who did not continue with their conversation. Nicole did not notice that the corner of her lips was smudged with sd dressing. When Jared saw it, he could not help but smile. Then, he lifted his hand and wiped the sauce off from her lips in a loving gesture. That sudden action made Nicole freeze. It was as if that soft and gentle touch was lingering on her lips, even after he had stopped. Her heart could not stop racing.N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content. Chapter 2010 Chapter 2010 "Wow, you''re so lucky. Your kids are already at this age and yet, the both of you are still so loving." "This family looks so beautiful! All four of them are good-looking!" Whispers were surrounding them. From time to time, there would be looks of envy shot at their general direction too. Nicole''s cheeks began to flush, and she could only stare at Jared in annoyance, signaling him to watch his actions. "We are a family after all," Jared said, not taking her seriously. Instead, he felt that what those people had said were right and that they had a keen eye. "That''s right, Mommy. The happiness we share as a family of four should be the kind that is envied by others," Lanamented with a huge smile on her face. "Lana?" Nicole gestured to Lana to stop spouting nonsense as her embarrassment grew. "It''s true Mommy. When I go back to school, I must tell my friends that I have a daddy too. My daddy is a tall and handsome man, and he treats us well. Everyone will admire me." Lana spoke her mind out loud with an innocent demeanor. Nicole opened her mouth but remained tight-lipped anyway. Her biggest regret was that she was not able to provide aplete family unit for her kids. "Lana, do you want to go back to the ind?" Jared frowned after learning that they wanted to go back to school. ''Are they really nning to go back?'' "Yes. Nn and I will still have to go to school," Lana replied naturally. Hearing this, Jared tried to test her further. "What if you could go to school in San Joto?" "Is it really possible?" Lana''s eyes lit up. If she could stay, that would be the best thing ever. That way, she would not be separated from her daddy. N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. "Of course, I have passed the information to your mommy. After Mommy has made her decision, both of you can go to school. What do you think?" Jared asked, his gaze tender and his heart at ease. "Then, will you be able to send me to school, Daddy?" Lana blinked her big round eyes and asked eagerly. "Of course I can." Jared promised immediately. Lana became overjoyed at that very instant. She finally had a daddy who would pick her up and send her to school. On top of that, she would not be looked down on by any of the other kids anymore. Nn bit his lips, as he actually looked forward to it. When they were at the ind, all of the other kids would have their moms and dads to pick them up and send them to and from school. Lana and Nn were the only ones without. That was why Nn always asked his godfather to pick them up. He even told the other kids that Lawrence was their dad so that the kids would stopughing at them. When Jared noticed Nn''s eyes lighting up even though he was remaining quiet, Jared''s eyes darkened. He actually pitied them. Jared understood Nn''s behavior and attitude toward him, and he knew it was definitely because of the hardships they had to endure at such a young age. That was why they would lean toward Lawrence more often than not. After all, Lawrence was the only person who could make them feel warm. That was also why Nn remained resistant toward Jared. However, Nn still had a yearning for a father''s love, and it was obvious that Jared owed it to him. The little ones should have grown up happily, and without any worries. If Jared had been able to locate them earlier, perhaps the oue would have been different at this moment. "Daddy, what does the school look like at San Joto? Are they like the ones on the ind?" Lana''s questioned, bringing Jared back to reality. "You''ll find out when you go. The both of you will like it." Jared lifted Lana and brought her into his arms. His love for this affectionate daughter grew even more with each second spent with her "Mommy, when are you choosing a school for us?" Nn asked in a low voice. In the future, they would have to stay in San Joto. Because of this, everything would have to be moved there. Naturally, they would have to attend school here too, but Nn still wished to share about his life with his godfather. Chapter 2011 Chapter 2011 "Three days," Nicole replied as she handed over the information. The other party epted it. The files held both Nn and Lana''s information that Nicole had sorted out regarding their identities on Crescent Ind. Nicole, however, had kept the real identity of Nn and Lana a secret. Once they were exposed, things would get dangerous real fast. Ever since Nicole''s return to San Joto, she had attracted enough attention from enemies. Nicole''s decision to protect her children''s identities was the best she could do as a mother to provide them an ordinary life. "It''s almost time. Let''s go." Jared had already stood up, carrying Lana in his arms. "Yeah, let''s go," Nicole agreed, pulling Nn along to board the cruise ship. "Wow, it''s so beautiful!" Lana shouted, waving her little hands around. "There''s no way the sea is this big," said Nn with a disgusted look, unimpressed with the view. "But the night view here isn''t as good as it is at Crescent Ind," Lana said in awe, knowing that the ind would soon be pitch ck as the sun sets. "Stop acting like you''ve never seen it," Nn spat in dissatisfaction to Lana, displeased with how close she was with Jared. Lana stuck her tongue out and asked, "Didn''t you ask your beloved Godpa to take you out to y yesterday?" ''It''s so weird for him to act this way when he went out to enjoy himself yesterday.'' Nn, who was suddenly exposed by Lana, could not help but to feel a little dejected. It was not that Nn did not like the city life, but it was who had brought them to live there that he disliked. "You two, stop arguing," Nicole said helplessly. "It''s his fault for showing attitude!" scoffed Lana, turning her head around. "It''s because you''re stupid! You change your mind so easily," Nn said. Lana rolled her eyes at Nn and said, "You''re dumb." Lana kicked her legs to signal Jared to let her down to which Jared did not object to. Lana came toward Nn and said, "I know you like your Godpa but it''s no use. Only whoever Mommy likes will matter." ''If Mommy likes Godpa, she would have gotten together with him a long time ago. So how could she just be friends with him after so long? Nn''s smart but how can he be this stupid when ites to this?'' Lana thought to herself. Nn was speechless. He hesitated before saying, "That''s because Mommy only pays attention to us. If Mommy notices Godpa, she''d like him!" ''Yes, that has to be it, so that Mommy can realize what Godpa has done for Mommy. Mommy will definitely like Godpa.'' "You two. Come take a look at the scenery." Nicole had all her energy depleted, listening to the two of them argue. N?velDrama.Org is the owner. Jared, on the other hand, was over the moon as he heard Lana''s praise and thought, ''Yeah, so what, if he stayed with her for the past three years? In the end it was an unfruitful pursuit anyway.'' Jared walked in front of Nicole. With a wicked smile on his lips, he said, "If you don''t have feelings for anyone, you can consider me." Nicole''s cheeks went bright red. Pretending to be mad, she looked into Jared''s eyes and said, "I don''t have to like anyone." Chapter 2012 Chapter 2012 Though Jared was rejected by Nicole, he still felt really good about himself as he considered that Nicole''s sullen look was strangely cute. "Haha." Jared let out a sarcasticugh before letting out a lowugh. Feeling a little hot, Nicole''s cheeks became even redder, and her heartbeat quickened. As the cool night breeze blew through her hair, Nicole did not dare to make eye contact with Jared. Nicole was scared to meet his eyes, afraid that she would get lost in them. "Tell me about your stay at Crescent Ind," Jared requested as he gentlybed Nicole''s hair. Jared felt regretful he was unable to be by Nicole''s side, but he wanted to know how they lived. "It''s nothing special. I asionally do my missions, while the rest of my time is spent taking care of Nn and Lana," Nicole said lightly. Though Nicole said it like it was nothing, Jared knew that it must have been very tough for her to live alone with two children. "In the future, it won''t be as hard anymore." Jared gently hugged Nicole''s shoulders, vowing to himself that he would share the burden with Nicole and not let her go through it alone. The weight of Jared''s arms made it hard to breathe, but the warmth filled Nicole''s heart. It was as if she magically gained certainty from the hug. Nicole turned to look at Jared, staring into his deep eyes that were once mysterious but now were filled with reassurance, making her feel safe. Nicole curled her lips. She did not respond to Jared''s words. Instead, she felt more at peace by being next to him. As the night rolled in, Jared and Nicole brought the twins back to the Riddle residence. They were already fast asleep. After settling the twins down, Jared and Nicole slipped into bed. "Those two rascals are very excited. They don''t want to go home until they tire themselves out." Nicole felt helpless, unable to control both Nn and Lana''s eagerness to y. "Visiting the capital is quite something. It''s quite refreshing to say, but since they like it so much, why don''t we bring them out more often?" Jared offered, wanting to try and make up for the time lost. "They''ll be heading to kindergarten soon. Let them get their rest first," said Nicole as she remembered that her children would be starting kindergarten over the next three days. ''I wonder if they''ll be able to adapt,'' Nicole wondered. N?velDrama.Org is the owner. "Don''t worry about it. I''ll arrange for someone to take care of them." Jaredforted Nicole. He knew that Nicole had signed up Nn and Lana with ordinary identities to protect them. However, Jared was still worried. ''I need to send someone out to keep an eye out for them, just in case anything happens.'' "Okay." Nicole nodded, thinking Jared''s arrangement to be very thoughtful. "It''s gettingte. Let''s head to bed," said Jared, as he pushed Nicole into the bathroom and handed her pajamas before closing the bathroom door. Nicole stood there in shock, holding her pajamas in her hand. She could not help but feel a little dumbstruck before shaking her head and sighing, turning on the faucet. Jared turned to look out the window as he heard the sound of the water running in the bathroom. He stared out looking at the distant night sky. For the past five years, Jared had been staring at the night sky for countless nights as if staring hard enough would bring Nicole back to his side. ''She finally came back to me and this time, I won''t ever lose her again.'' Time came and went. After being upied for so long, the day of celebrating Nicole''s return hade. On this day, political, businesspeople, celebrities, and merchants of the capital gathered to wee Nicole''s return which had been talked about worldwide. As soon as the lights were switched on, the crowd stood in front of the hotel and there was an endless stream of people entering the venue. Chapter 2013 Chapter 2013 Those who had heard of Nicole''s return, and those who were affiliated with the Riddle family and those who were not affiliated were finding various ways to create a rtionship with the Riddles. Everyone was eager to find out how a person who mysteriously disappeared five years ago had suddenly returned. For the past five years, the Riddle family and Jared had been iming that Nicole was away to take care of her health abroad. Since Nicole had never made a public appearance, the public had doubts about Nicole''s whereabouts. The news of Nicole''s return had gripped public interest. After all, Nicole''s return to the capital might change everything. While there were some who were thrilled about the news of Nicole''s return, others were worried. "Tell me, is this Ms. Riddle really going to be leading the Riddle Corporation?" "Of course. Everything was set in stone five years ago by Mr. Riddle Sr. It was unexpected that she got into an ident and disappeared for five years." "Really? Now that she''s back of course, things will go ording to n." N?velDrama.Org owns this. "I don''t think so. It''s been five years. So many things have changed." "Do you think the Riddle family would treat Ms. Riddle differently?" "Um..." People had gathered around, chatting with great interest, all looking forward to catching a glimpse of Nicole. Amidst themotion, the door of the banquet hall finally opened. Jared and Nicole walked hand in hand, everyone had their eyes on them as they were the main event of the night. Nicole''s low-key appearance had surprised everyone. Her ck fall evening dress elegantly reached her ankle, paired with a ck high-heeled stiletto. The spotlight followed her with every step she took. Her sleek dress, with one shoulder, her hair tied back which brought up her temperament. Jared, on the other hand, wore a ck custom-made suit which highlighted his aloof and arrogant aura. Nicole walked beside him, yet she was not blocked from the limelight. The two of themplemented one another, as they walked together slowly. The scene was breathtaking. They were like the ''it'' couple. Some from the crowd were envious while some were happy as they watched the pair approach the front of the stage. About Nicole''s return, now all the doubts that filled their heart before slowly dissipated. Those who were impatient and those who saw, their expressions darkened. "Hello, everyone. First, I wee you all tonight to join us today for Nicole''s return. On behalf of Nicole, I''d like to thank everyone here today for expressing your concern for the past five years. Nicole has now fully recovered and returned. We''d like to express our genuine blessings to Nicole!" As the host''s voice fell, there was a roaring apuse from the crowd. "Next..." However, nobody in the crowd knew why Nicole was not given the chance to speak and had the host do it for her which he had done professionally. Jared nced at Nicole and said in a low voice, "Don''t be nervous. I''ve read all the information that I''ve given you. You should be able to recognize them. If there''s an emergency, I''ll help you out." "Okay." Nicole took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. Nicole had no former memory of any of these people. She was thankful for the information Jared had given her which was thoroughly detailed. Jared, who stood by her side the entire time, gave her enough confidence and assurance. Chapter 2014 Chapter 2014 "Ms. Riddle, you''re finally back. Do you know how much all of us here have been waiting for you to come back?" "Yeah! At first, we thought you and Mr. Johnston had almost died during the ident. We were all very worried about you." Nicole watched as people started to swarm around them, moving closer, pushing overwhelming questions of how Nicole was doing and expressing their concerns. "Mr. Riddle Sr. has arrived!" one shouted from the crowd. Everyone in the room instantly fell silent. There were rumors going around iming that Mr. Riddle Sr. was bedridden and had passed on. The news of Mr. Riddle Sr.''s presence had taken everyone aback. Though no one in the room spoke up, deep down they knew the truth. N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. Everyone watched as Mr. Riddle Sr. slowly approached the doors of the banquet hall. ''Didn''t the rumors say the old man is preparing for his funeral? How can it be? He''s here looking fine as ever!'' Mr. Riddle Sr. had stopped all his medications, had Nicole do needle techniques on him and he took the detoxification medicine Nicole prescribed him with. Mr. Riddle Sr. now was almost fully recovered, all thanks to Nicole and her return. Everyone gave way for Mr. Riddle Sr. to pass by. Soon enough, he reached where Nicole and Jared were standing. "Grandpa." Nicole nodded, greeting Mr. Riddle Sr. before shing him a smile. After prescribing Mr. Riddle Sr. with the medication, Nicole had been busy taking over the role and responsibilities of the Riddle Corporation, to the point of not being able to make time to visit him. Mr. Riddle Sr. gave Nicole a loving look before turning around to look at the crowd. The atmosphere of the crowd was calm, and everyone fell silent. "Dad!" Several sons and daughters-inw of Mr. Riddle Sr. called out as they approached. "You''re all here. I might as well take this opportunity to make an announcement," Mr. Riddle Sr. said indifferently. "Dad. Nicole had just returned not long ago. I think it''s better if..." Karen could not help but feel a little relieved at the idea of Mr. Riddle Sr. giving an announcement. Mr. Riddle Sr. gave Karen a cold nce which shut her up immediately. Mr. Riddle Sr. did not trust any of the people there. ''They''re all here hoping that I''ll die sooner, or they won''t stand a chance to get what they want.'' Karen was offended by Mr. Riddle Sr.''s cold nce, which naturally led the others being afraid to speak up. They settled themselves down. It was only then did Mr. Riddle Sr. turn around to the crowd and say, "It''s been a while since Nicole returned. The affairs of the Riddle Corporation have been handed over to Nicole, so today I''m going to announce two things." Mr. Riddle Sr. paused for a moment, looking at the crowd''s reaction before continuing to speak. "First is that I will give all my shares to Nicole. During her absence, I managed them on my own but now that she''s back, I will be returning this to her. "Also, because of her position as the Chairperson of the Riddle Corporation, the future of thepany is in her hands. All of the affairs will be entirely dealt with by her." Everyone in the crowd had known about this five years ago during his first initial announcement. Yet, hearing it again, they were still shocked to hear the news. "She just came back and now she''s going to take over the Riddle Corporation. It''s five years of absence. Can she really do this?" "Did you not hear? She came back a long time ago. She probably knows the ropes to manage the Riddle Corporation well." Chapter 2015 Chapter 2015 "Besides, she''s a prodigy. I think even after a five-year gap, she would''vee back stronger." For Nicole to take on the role as the Chairperson for the Riddle Corporation, there would be more people that are in support of it, due to Nicole''s sudden reappearance. Those against it fell silent. The situation was that there were a number of people who were rushing to acquire business deals with Nicole and would want to terminate them if Nicole was not present, but they would reconsider if Nicole came back. "Congrattions on being the Chairperson, Ms. Riddle." Whether it was sincere or not, everyone said their congrattions. Nicole''s eyes scanned the sea of people as they went by her one by one. She responded to each and every one of them politely, silently identifying them based on the information Jared had provided her with which helped her to deal with the current situation swiftly. N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content. ''As long as there are no emergencies, the banquet should be a breeze.'' "Grandpa is clearly biased. Why didn''t we get anything?" Raine''s eyes were dark and had a deadly look. ''Of course Nicole had toe back at this time. He even recovered when she returned. If it weren''t for her, those shares would''ve been mine. Why did shee back? Why didn''t she die? It''s been five years. Why is she back?'' "What do you even understand from this? As long as Nicole is here, we can''t even get anything." Snow snorted coldly. ''After all these years of acting dumb, it''s useless.'' Raine''s face turned blue as she heard this. She looked at Nicole with more resentment. Raine was fuming the longer she stared at Nicole. "I won''t let her have her way this easily," said Raine as she gritted her teeth. Snow raised her eyebrows slightly. Then her eyes shone as if she got an idea. "You two, stop standing here. Go and socialize," Karen told both Raine and Snow. It was a great opportunity not to be wasted. Snow nodded obediently before turning around and walking toward the crowd as she did not want to lose the chance to build connections. Raine, on the other hand, yanked her husband in one hand before walking toward the crowd. Meanwhile, Daniel and Dexter were busy making small talk with guests while Dillon and Damien were left with their spouses. "Damien, why does Mr. Riddle Sr. look so lively? It can''t be the reflection from the lighting, can it?" Karen said in a low voice. ''The old guy wasn''t looking good before. How can he be looking this lively now? Could it be that Nicole was telling the truth? Maybe he was fine after all...'' Karen turned to look at Dillon. Dillon, who noticed his wife was looking at him hesitantly, gave her a hard look and said, "He recovered well." ''This woman can''t keep her mouth shut. What''s she doing now? Does she think others would suspect them?'' Karen felt Dillon''s gaze and changed her expression. She replied in embarrassment, "It was what the doctor said, for us to start preparing for our final goodbyes." "True. His physical condition before was dreadful. Howe when Nicole came back, he''s fine as day. Did Nicole do something?" Miley muttered in a low voice, hinting suspicion. "As long as he''s recovered, it''s in our favor that our father is healthy and fine." Damien''s voice was condensed, as if he was wishing his father well, but the words were lofty sounding. Both Dillon and Karen understood the hidden meaning, they could not help but nod along. "You''re right." Chapter 2016 Chapter 2016 ''If he had died earlier, we would''ve been able to get some of the inheritance. But now he''s given everything to Nicole. If he dies now, we''d really be left with nothing. There''s no way Nicole would give even a piece of inheritance to us. But as long as he''s alive, we might be able to have some inheritance left.'' Dillon and Damien looked at each other tacitly, as if they mentally understood everything, despite not mentioning the situation verbally. The banquet was attended by many influential individuals. The members of the Riddle family were busy amodating it. On the other hand, Mr. Riddle Sr. was surrounded by his friends. Some were envious he had such a filial granddaughter which made Mr. Riddle Sr. even more proud. The Riddle family put their problems aside and focused on socializing. Jared and Nicole were much more rxedpared to the others. Only the most important individuals were allowed to get close to them. Due to Jared''s dominating presence, not many people dared bother them nor approach them. "Go and have a rest if you''re feeling tired," Jared told Nicole softly. Ever since Jared had toe socialize with Nicole, though she performed decently, it was quite evident that she tired herself out. ''I guess her previous injury had really taken a toll on her physical condition. It''s not as good as it was before.'' "No, it''s okay. I''m fine." Nicole shook her head lightly, saying that she could still endure for a little while longer. After all she was the star of the show tonight, so she could not simply leave the banquet. "Congrattions, Nicole," a male voice sounded. Then, a bouquet of flowers was ced in front of Nicole''s face. The fragrant and delicate scent of the flowers immediately enveloped Nicole. After epting the flowers subconsciously, she realized that it was Lawrence who was hiding behind the bouquet. "Leo!" Nicole was a little surprised. She did not expect Lawrence to give her flowers. "I apologize for beingte." Lawrence smiled apologetically. Nicole shook the bouquet in her hand. "Don''t be!" Nicole still could not wrap her head around the thought of Lawrence gifting her a bouquet. "A beautiful girl isn''tplete without a bouquet of flowers," Lawrence said as a matter of fact. "There''s no need for flowers. Since you''re here, do help yourself. The dance is about to start." Jared took the bouquet from Nicole and handed it over to Max before taking Nicole''s hand and led her over to the dance floor. Lawrence frowned. As he looked at Jared''s figure, his eyes darkened. "Hey, what do you think you''re doing?" Nicole whined in a low voice, after being dragged away by Jared. "Do you like the flowers he gave you so much?" Jared asked, a little depressed at Nicole''s comining. N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content. "You not liking the flowers isn''t a problem, but Lawrence is my guest. How can you just leave him there like that?" Nicole felt it was a little rude to have left Lawrence hanging there. "He just established his own group and businessmunication is still quite challenging for him." Jared''s eyes went slightly cold hearing Nicole talk about this. ''Lawrence is preparing to gain a foothold here. He''s preparing tomence his business over the next few days,'' Jared thought as he remembered what Lawrence had said before. For the past five years, Lawrence had been thinking of ways to expand his business here for the sake of protecting Nicole when she returned. Nicole was upset. "For the past five years, he had been very helpful to me," Nicole murmured in a low voice. Chapter 2017 Chapter 2017 Nicole had no right to ask Jared to be grateful for Lawrence''s lifesaving help, but she would never forget it. "I understand." Jared held Nicole''s hand tight. Feelings were not a bargaining chip for repayment, especially since Nicole did not like Lawrence in that way. "Ripple Corporation would have more coborations with Genesis Group in the future. For either personal or professional gain, I''d have to keep in touch with him," Nicole exined, biting her lower lip while looking at Jared. Nicole wanted to exin this situation clearly, in hopes that Jared would understand. Jared was originally depressed when Lawrence showed up with a bouquet of flowers for Nicole, but now he was relieved. With his eyebrows raised, Jared''s eyes sparkled with a mischievous glint. "I''ll reluctantly promise to let him go since you care so much about me." Nicole''s face had a shade of red and she gave Jared a slightly vexed nce. "Who cares about you? Stop being so presumptuous." "Am I being presumptuous? Or are you unaware of your own feelings?" Jared had a devilish grin on his face. Nicole''s exnation showed that she cared about him and did not want him to imagine things. Although he still felt moody, not wanting anyone to covet her, he understood her reasoning. In both personal and professional aspects, Nicole would have toe in contact with Lawrence. However, at least she was willing to exin, showing that he was important in her heart. "Stop it with your nonsense," Nicole said, embarrassed. ''This man is unbelievable. How did it turn into me being the one with feelings?'' Nicole shook off Jared''s hand. As she was about to turn around and leave, Lawrence approached her. "Do you not have a suitable dance partner? If that''s the case, could I have the honor to take that ce?" Lawrence bowed gracefully, preparing to invite Nicole to dance. Ever since Jared left with Nicole just now, Lawrence had been observing them. Although he could not hear what they were talking about, their expressions made him feel uneasy. ''Since when did Nicole start to rely so much on Jared? The way they looked at each other resembled a loving married couple. If I wasn''t sure Nicole hadn''t recovered her memories, I almost would''ve thought she remembered everything,'' Lawrence wondered. Looking at Lawrence''s outstretched hand, Nicole''s eyes showed a hint of hesitation and thrill. Before she could respond to Lawrence''s invitation, someone grabbed her hand. With a spin, she was bought into the dance floor. When Nicole realized what had happened, Jared''s handsome face was right in front of her. Along with that, she was faced with deep and captivating eyes. Nicole could not help but roll her eyes, feeling speechless at his behavior. "Who was the one who promised not to mind him?" Nicole teased. N?velDrama.Org owns this. Jared confidently replied, "In business, your interactions are strictly professional. In personal matters, you could only be friends. Dancing is breaking the rules." With Jared still here, how could he possibly let Nicole dance with someone with ulterior motives? "Lame excuse." Nicole once again rolled her eyes at Jared. As the music began to y, the two danced gracefully across the dance floor. At the side, Lawrence emanated an icy aura with his darkened expression. Sensing someoneing, Lawrence regained hisposure and nced sideways, his pupils narrowing. Preston, Er, Gary, and Ryder... Chapter 2018 Chapter 2018 Apart from Nicole''s brother, her past suitors and Lawrence were all depressed at the scene of Jared and her dancing. After the song ended, cheers and apuse erupted in the venue. Spotlights focused on Jared and Nicole. Jared hugged Nicole''s waist with a perfect ending pose. Under the spotlight, they were enveloped in a halo of light, making them shine. After finishing their dance, Jared and Nicole stood in position, nodded to the surrounding crowd, and left the dance floor. "Nicole, I finally get to see you." Just as they stepped off the dance floor, a crowd surrounded Nicole. Nicole''s expression stiffened slightly upon their approach. Besides Preston and Er, who she had seen before in the Riddle family manor, Nicole had never seen the others. However, judging by their eager expressions, Nicole could feel they were sincerely happy to see her with no bad intentions. It was just that she did not remember any of them and did not know how to react. Sensing Nicole''s uneasiness, Jared held her hand tight and said solemnly to others, "Let''s talk about thister. Nicole''s tired. She needs some rest." Preston was aware of Nicole''s memory loss and naturally understood Jared''s intentions. So he chimed in, "She just came back and is still adjusting. You''ll have plenty of chances to meet her since she''s back now." "Alright then." The crowd was a little disappointed but showed understanding. "Settle down. You''re here not to only see Nicole. Go and tend to your own matters." Preston waved them off to leave. "We''re here to see Nicole. What other matters would we have?" They were all not interested in the family business and had their own pursuits. "Fine, you got me. Why don''t we move over there and sit?" Preston offered while looking at Jared. Then he took the others to sit in another area. Seeing that the others had left, Nicole was a little more relieved and sighed. "That''s Gary and Ryder, and that''s..." Jared whispered in Nicole''s ears, introducing the people to her. "I know. I just can''t seem to know how to interact with them." The information Jared once provided her naturally included these people. Nicole remembered the content. It was just that she was somewhat unfamiliar when actually meeting them. "Take it easy. If you can''t handle it, just ignore them," Jared suggested, his expression calm and natural. Nicole frowned, looking at Jared with confusion. ''Why do I feel strange about ignoring these people?'' N?velDrama.Org is the owner. "Well, isn''t Mr. Johnston a nip in the bud?" Lawrence chuckled, his tone meaningful. "It''s just some unimportant people." Jared''s gaze darkened slightly. He scanned the people surrounding them just now and his eyes rested on Lawrence. Jared made his meaning clear¡ªLawrence was in the group of unimportant people. Lawrence was speechless, but he maintained a decent smile. "Whether these people are important or not, it''s Nicole''s call. Mr. Johnston has no right to help her decide." "Hmph, that''s none of your concern," Jared finished and took Nicole away. Lawrence''s lips curved upwards meaningfully as he watched the couple leave, his gaze icy cold. The grand banquet finally came to an end near midnight. After bidding farewell to the guests, the Riddle family gathered in the hall. Chapter 2019 Chapter 2019 Everyone had varied expressions, but due to Mr. Riddle Sr.''s presence, they did not dare show their dissatisfaction. "It''s almost time. You should all head back." Mr. Riddle Sr. made a final call, preparing to dismiss the crowd. "Dad, it''s gettingte. I''ll send you back. Your health is more important," Damien said in concern. Mr. Riddle Sr. rolled his eyes disdainfully. "You don''t need to worry about me." Damien was taken aback, and his face turned pale. Knowing that Mr. Riddle Sr. was still disappointed over the previous issue of the will, he did not dare say anything else. He lowered his head, admitting defeat. "If that''s the case, we''ll get going first." Dillion submitted to the circumstances, knowing it was useless to talk further. "Alright." Mr. Riddle Sr.''s expression rxed a little after seeing their departure. Dillion and Karen left with Snow and Raine, and they did not forget to re at Nicole with resentment before leaving. Nicole snorted coldly. She was toozy to deal with her cousin on such asions while knowing her brainless nature. "Dad, we''ll also return home." After Dillion left, Damien said his goodbyes and left with his family. "Grandpa, let''s get you home." Nicole felt warm while looking at her grandfather. She did not expect him to stay the entire night for her weing banquet. "I''ll go back on my own. You should head home soon." Mr. Riddle Sr. insisted. N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. Mr. Riddle Sr. was originally restless until he watched Dillion and Damien leave. Only then could he be leaving at ease. He knew Dillion and Damien would be unsatisfied with his announcement today. They would not dare make a fuss when he was present, but if he was not, Nicole would be in a bad spot. Mr. Riddle Sr. feared that Nicole could not handle them, since she had juste back. "I''ll take you home, Dad." Daniel and the butler assisted Mr. Riddle Sr. to leave the venue slowly. "Let''s get going too. There''s still plenty of chances to meet next time," Nicole reminded the crowd, seeing that they were a little reluctant to leave. "Yes, it''s gettingte. Let''s all go home," someone agreed. The crowd gradually left, leaving the five brothers of the Riddle family. They all turned to Nicole with concern, asking, "You must be tired. We never expected everyone to get so hyped up for your return and end this banquet thiste." "It''s alright. I''ve got it. I''m not tired," Nicole''s lips curved upwards. Everyone had a tough day since they all worked hard for tonight. "Sean, let''s not stand here and talk. We''ll get going first. Nicole needs some rest," Jared voiced out softly. "Oh, right. Let''s go. Mom is probably worried at home," Stanley chimed in. Gloria did not attend the banquet, so that she could take care of Nn and Lana at home. She was ufortable leaving the two children with the nanny and worried they would be bored. The family soon left the hotel and went straight home. Nicole sat in Jared''s car, looking a little weary. "You must be tired." Jared gently rubbed Nicole''s temples. "Close your eyes and rest for a while." Chapter 2020 Chapter 2020 "I''m fine," Nicole muttered, shaking her head. "I just didn''t think there''d be such a big crowd. I''ve only interacted with some of the coboration partners. I didn''t even have time to greet their plus-ones." "There''s no need for that. You''ll meet the people you need to meet at the end," Jared answered. It was unnecessary to meet unimportant people. N?velDrama.Org owns this. "Who knew that I had so many connections in San Joto? But how many of my enemies showed up today?" Nicole slightly narrowed her brows. No one held any hostility toward her today, not any that she could feel. His eyes darkening, Jared said solemnly, "Don''t dwell in the past. From now onwards, you''re the Chairman of Riddle Corporation. Just do things as you please. There are no permanent friends or enemies." That one enemy who wanted to take Nicole''s life was currently not in San Joto. He disappeared from sight after he and Nicole suffered heavy injuries five years ago. As for the case where Nicole got attacked when she came back, Jared had Janus investigate it. However, they did not find any useful information. It was likely the remnants of power from Nicole''s enemy, which had probably depleted over the past five years. Understanding Jared''s meaning, Nicole raised her brows and blurted out, "It seems to me you''re trying to say that everyone does not matter. Then why would you prepare so much for me previously?" Jared could have told her to ignore those who are not important. "They''re indeed unimportant to me. Because in my heart, you''re the only one that matters," Jared confessed. Nicole was the only one Jared really cared for. His eyes would only focus on her, ignoring everyone else. Nicole''s mouth twitched. ''Here we go again. That wasn''t what I meant.'' "Everything will fall into ce. Even if you can''t remember, you''ll know who''s important and who''s not." Jared held her hand, thinking that he would be the only one Nicole cared for. Nicole could not help but roll her eyes at Jared, sighing. "I still need to regain my memories." After all, Nicole still had to remember the past. The feeling of not knowing or remembering anything had her feeling unpleasant, and even anxious at times. Jared''s eyes were downcast, notmenting on Nicole''s response. He wanted Nicole to gain her memories back, but as soon as her memories recovered a little, Nicole would have a terrible headache. Therefore, he did not rush to let her interact with people or events from the past, not even going on dates to familiar ces. Jared was fine if Nicole never regained her memories as long as she was fine. It waste when they got back home. Gloria was waiting for them in the living room while Nn and Lana had fallen asleep. Seeing that everyone was back, she asked with concern, "So? How was it? Did everything go smoothly?" "Yes, don''t worry. Nicole handled the situation very well and exposed nothing." This was themon worry for everyone, that the news of Nicole''s memory loss was spread. If that happened, Nicole would be in a difficult spot. "That''s good." Gloria''s heart ached for Nicole while looking at her. "It''ll only get harder once you take over thepany." Nicole sat down next to Gloria. "That''s fine. It''s better to have something to do. I can''t stay at home forever, right?" "As your mother, I really hope you''ll stay at home with me every day." Gloria smiled lovingly and patted Nicole''s hand. "Mom, Nicole will get bored and unhappy if she stays in the house all day. She should be free outside," Samuel said with a proud look. Nicole''s abilities should be admired by everyone. Chapter 2021 Chapter 2021 "I get it. But the outside world is full of danger." Gloria murmured, and her eyes turned red. If it were not for the dangers outside, Nicole would have never left home for five years with no news. They did not even know if she was still alive or not. Gloria''s words made the atmosphere grow heavy. Nicole''s disappearance was truly a pain in the entire family''s heart, causing them an indescribable wound. "Aunty, we''ll take good care of her this time," Jared imed, his aura determined. Jared would not allow anyone to harm Nicole anymore. "Mom, we''ll protect her too." The few brothers had the same conviction. Daniel came home at this moment and heard their deration. Heforted Gloria. "Take it easy. Let''s give the kids a chance. Plus, we can''t lock Nicole up in the house." The family loved Nicole. It was only natural to give her space and freedom to grow. If Nicole wanted to stay at home, they would support her decision. If Nicole rather went out into the world, they would never be an obstruction in her path. Nicole''s eyes had a hint of bliss, but she felt a tingling sensation in her nose. Her family gave her an immense amount of strength. For them, Nicole had the courage to face the future. "Don''t worry about me. I''ll take care of myself." Nicole noticed, even though she had lost her memories, her skills did not disappear with them. She would find ways to protect herself, not putting herself in danger. "You must take good care of yourself." Gloria understood it was impossible to let Nicole stay home all day, doing nothing. She then looked at the boys and added seriously, "You must protect her." "Rest assured. We''ll protect her," Nicole''s five brothers replied in unison. They knew the waters seemed peaceful when Nicole just returned, but that was because her identity was not exposed. Today''s banquet was an announcement to the world that Nicole was back. The risks of following up would only increase, so they had to be careful. "That''s enough for tonight. Good job, everyone. It''s time to go back and rest," Daniel cued. "Are you staying back?" Gloria looked at Sean and Steve. The two of them lived on their own after marriage, asionally visiting them. However, Gloria hoped they would stay back since it was rather late. "We are," Sean and Steve replied, not wanting to deal with any more hassle at this hour. "Alright then, go rest." Soon, everyone got back to their rooms to rest. Jared and Nicole returned to their room and prepared to sleep after a quick freshening up. Leaning on the bedside, Nicole slowly moved her feet and felt the soreness from wearing high heels. "Do your feet hurt?" Jared came over and sat on the bedside. His hand wrapped around her feet, slowly messaging them after observing her actions. "Don''t." Nicole subconsciously wanted to retreat her foot, but Jared held on even tighter. He said, "Don''t move." Jared took a pain-relieving spray from the medical box and sprayed it on Nicole''s feet. Then he continued to massage and rx her feet. Watching his natural look, Nicole''s cheeks flushed, and she felt a little hot. "It needs to be relieved properly. Otherwise, you''ll be sore from walking tomorrow," Jared said worriedly. Today''s socializing went on for too long. "I''m not used to it since it''s been such a long time since I wore them." Nicole sighed. She had no idea how she was in the past, but while raising the kids in these past five years, she rarely wore high heels.N?velDrama.Org owns this. Chapter 2022 Chapter 2022 "You don''t have to wear them to work," Jared reassured calmly. Herfort was the most important to him. Nicole nodded, thinking, ''I avoid wearing them to work. Though I have to wear them during important asions.'' The small talk during the massage made Nicole''s uneasiness gradually fade away. She felt Jared''s tenderness, as if a feather brushed across her heart, making her heartthrob. Nicole looked at Jared''s soft eyes and gentle movement. Even though he was helping her massage to relieve the soreness on her feet, his expression was as if he was taking care of something precious to him. She bit her lip and whispered, "Thank you." Jared looked up and met Nicole''s eyes, but she averted her gaze, unable to maintain eye contact. Her face blushed even redder. Her blushed face and shy demeanor made Jared smirk meaningfully. He had a bad n in mind. "That''s all I get? If you really wanted to thank me, shouldn''t you be more sincere?" "Sincere?" Nicole frowned. She was grateful to him. What else did she need to do to express her gratitude? She directed her confused gaze toward Jared and saw him staring at her lips. Nicole''s cheeks burned and rolled her eyes at Jared. "I''m going to sleep now." Nicoley down and pulled the nket over her. She even moved toward the bedside in that wrapped position, wanting to stay farther away from Jared. Jared could not help but chuckle at Nicole''s adorable gesture. Hearing hisughter, Nicole uncovered the nket and red at Jared, embarrassed. "You should go to sleep too." "Alright, let''s sleep," Jared agreed with a smile. He wanted to lift Nicole''s nket to join her, but Nicole clutched on the nket tightly, not allowing Jared to join her. Thus, Jared embraced Nicole through the nket. "Let me go!" Nicole protested, feeling exasperated. Jared was doing this on purpose. "Why don''t we sleep together? I could sleep with you in my arms." Jared did notpromise. He had no intention of being under the nket alone anymore. He would be satisfied just by embracing Nicole. After struggling in vain, Nicole epted that she could not move, so she gritted her teeth and warned, "Alright then, but you''re not allowed to move." Nicole had no other choice. If they kept debating like this, neither of them would not be able to sleep tonight. Jared instantly pulled up the nket and extended his arms to hug Nicole. He almost lost his cool when a lovely scent drifted to his nose. "Hey!" Nicole protested, wanting to break free. However, Jared stopped moving after holding her. Only then was Nicole at ease. "Go on and sleep." Jared rested his chin on Nicole''s neck. He was fully content with Nicole in his arms. Time passed slowly, and the both of them soon fell asleep after a tiring day. As the sun began to rise, a new day arrived. After the weing banquet, all of San Joto knew of Nicole''s return. Nicole, on the other hand, naturally became the Chairperson of the Riddle Corporation''s headquarters. All the shares under Mr. Riddle Sr.''s name were transferred to her. In the boardroom of Riddle Corporation, Nicole sat at the head of the table. Sean and Steve sat on her left and right side, while the other directors were seated in turn. With Nicole''s return and her role as the Chairperson, Daniel as the acting chairman was now able to rest at home, enjoying his time with Gloria. N?velDrama.Org is the owner. Nicole had not regained her memories after taking over thepany and had no idea about business management. However, she did not feel unfamiliar, thanks to the previous information she read. Hence, she did not show any signs of guilt while sitting at the head of the table. Chapter 2023 Chapter 2023 "It''s best if thepany can operate ording to the n I executed previously. We''d have to rectify anything that could not be previously achieved." Nicole''s gaze was extremely cold. The aura surrounding her was heavy and pressuring to others. "Chairman." Someone interrupted her and said kindly, "After all, you haven''t been around for the past five years. Thepany''s situation isn''t the same as it was five years ago. So, I don''t think we should follow through with the n that was made five years ago." Nicole frowned a little. Those words sounded like kind words, but in actual fact, they were doubting her. Five years back, Nicole had already known that she was going to take over thepany. Therefore, she had made some ns for thepany''s development. Over the past few days, she had seen the state of thepany and found it to be progressing well. However, there were some parts which were not satisfactory. Nicole also admitted that five years had been a long time and there were some parts which needed change. But she had gone through all the details and found that the problem was not with the direction they were heading toward. It was on the implementation. "Mr. Walker, I think we should let Nicole decide if it''s necessary or not." Sean nced at Mr. Walker coldly. There was a threat in his eyes. Although Mr. Walker was a senior in thepany, his contribution had not been helpful to thepany over the years. Instead, there were signs of inactivity. Sean did not look into it as a sign of respect toward his seniority. And yet, Mr. Walker dared to publicly question Nicole. Nicole nced at him. It was just a quick nce, so she could not read Mr. Walker''s reaction. However, that made Mr. Walker conscious and he tried to escape from making eye contact. ''She hasn''t been around for five years. Why does it feel like this brat has gotten a lot more imposing than before?'' "We''ll think about whether it''s necessary or not. If anyone isn''t involved in management, you should just follow the instructions given to you." After Nicole had finished speaking, she rposed herself and continued assigning other work. Soon, the meeting ended. Following Nicole''s instructions to wrap up, everyone involved in the meeting got up and left the room. They were all discussing in groups. "No wonder she''s Mr. Riddle Sr. ''s target sessor. Even if it took five years of waiting, he would''ve to wait for her to return." "Such a bold and decisive style is really admirable!" "I think the Riddle Corporation finally has some hope." Hearing everyone''sments, Mr. Walker''s gaze turned darker. He grabbed his phone tightly and quietly walked to the stairs. However, he did not realize that there were people watching every single move of his. N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. The directors had all left. The ones left in the meeting room were Nicole, Sean and Steve. "Sean, have you never doubted Mr. Walker?" Nicole asked solemnly. She felt that with Sean''s ability, he would not leave Mr. Walker alone. "At that time you went missing, we weren''t in the mood to think about thepany. We just tried to maintain our operations as usual. After that, when we slowly went back to work, Mr. Walker did not cross any boundaries. So, we did not bother much," Sean exined. Steve snorted. "I just didn''t expect him to make a move this quickly, as soon as you came back. I thought that he had the patience to hold it in, but it seems like it was just because he didn''t feel a sense of urgency to make a move." ''Now that Nicole had just returned, he quickly made a move. Did he really think he could get what he wanted in one day?'' "That''s still fine. If someone else makes a move, that''d be even weirder." Afterall, it was not only one person who had been eying on the Riddle Corporation. It would be odd or even more dangerous if things were too quiet. "There would be someone watching him. You don''t have to worry about the rest either." A hint of coldness shed through Sean''s eyes. In his eyes, no one should ever try to disturb Nicole. Nicole turned to Steve and spoke to him. "Steve, I''ll leave the new contract to you." "Don''t worry. It''s not a big issue for me to handle. I love this type of work," Steve replied happily. "It''s been five years and you''re still the same as before. In fact, it''s even worse than before," Nicole could not help but tease. Chapter 2024 Chapter 2024 One unique thing about Steve was that he loved money. As long as it was something rted to earning money, he would be interested in it. It was the right move to turn him into the person in charge of the new contract. Hearing Nicole''s words, Sean and Steve widened their eyes in astonishment. Steve almost became speechless. "W-what did you just say? You remember everything?" ''It''s true, right? She remembers everything, right? Otherwise, why would she have said those words?'' Nicole was also caught by surprise. But after a while she shook her head and regretfully said, "No. I don''t remember anything. It''s just that very moment, this sentence crossed my mind, and I said it out loud." Nicole did not understand what was going on either. However, she was very sure that she did not recall anything. Seeing Nicole''s expression, Seanposed himself andforted her. "Although you don''t remember it, the fact that you had such a reaction proves that your brain is active again. You''ll be able to recall everything one day, don''t rush into it." Worried that Nicole would be sad about it, Steve echoed, "That''s right. Don''t rush into it. Even if you can''t recall it, it''s fine as it wouldn''t affect anything." Nicole forced a smile on her face and said, "Yeah, I understand." Afterall, no one could force things to happen. All Nicole could do was to wait and hope for a miracle to happen. Although it seemed like not being able to recall her memory had no effect on her life and work, Nicole still wished to remember all those things from the past. Especially those memories about Jared and her. Jared''s handsome face appeared in her mind and Nicole could not help but bite her lip. If they really were so in love as others had described, Nicole would not want to forget those moments from the past. Nicole took a deep breath and regained herposure. With a firm tone, she said, "Alright, let''s all get back to work." "Let''s go." Sean and Steve followed Nicole out of the meeting room, and everyone headed back to their own office. As she returned to her office and sat down, Nicole''s gaze turned dark. At some point, she really wondered if she had actually regained her memory. If she could recall anything from the past, perhaps the way she interacted with Jared would be different. Meanwhile, at Johnston Group, Jared was leaning on his office chair while going through the materials which Max had just sent over. "Sir, there''s still no news about what happened five years ago." Max did not seem to be in good shape. He did not expect the investigation to be this difficult. "Keep searching." When Jared thought about how Nicole had returned once and almost lost her life, his eyes turned cold. "Noted," Max replied obediently. "Have you found anything about the Genesis Group?" Jared asked in a slightly stern tone. Lawrence had hidden Nicole for five years. And once Nicole returned to San Joto, he had followed as well. On top of that, he expanded his business to San Joto too. What a tricky man. Jared had to be wary of Lawrence. Although they used to be friends, Jared just realized that he did not know much about Lawrence. In fact, one could say that he did not know a thing about Lawrence. Lawrence''s appearance at San Joto this time around seemed fishy to Jared. Jared could not pinpoint what was wrong. "I''ve investigated and it seems like Lawrence is a greedy man. The nning for Genesis Group is clear and there are some fringe industries on the side. However, their partnership with the Riddle Corporation is formal," Max replied truthfully.N?velDrama.Org owns this. Chapter 2025 Chapter 2025 "Get the men to continue watching." Jared gave his order with narrowed eyes. "Noted." After Max nodded, he left the office. Jared''s eyes darkened a little. The reason he was cautious about Lawrence was not just because he liked Nicole. It was also because he had an inexplicable sixth sense toward Lawrence. He always felt that Lawrence was hiding a secret and it was about Nicole. The sun has set, and night has fallen. Nicole walked out of the Riddle Corporation and saw Jared''s car parked by the roadside waiting. The corners of her mouth slightly lifted as she walked over slowly. But before she could reach Jared''s car, two more cars drove over and stopped beside her. She could tell that those were Samuel and Spencer''s cars. She was surprised to see them there. But after the cars came to a halt, two girls got out and ran toward Nicole. "Nicole, did you reallye back?" "Why didn''t you contact us? We only found out after we saw the news!" The two girls who suddenly appeared hugged Nicole tightly. Nicole was a little surprised and almost wanted to push them aside instinctively. However, she sensed a familiar feeling and resisted her instincts. She just froze and let those two girls hug her while bawling. "That''s enough. It''s good news that Nicole is back! Why are you girls crying?" "That''s right. The both of you have been crying to meet her. Isn''t she here right now?" Samuel and Spencer wereforting Lulu and June. It was heartbreaking to see them cry. The two girls hugged Nicole and cried for a long while before letting go. While sizing Nicole up, they questioned, "It seems like you haven''t changed at all. Where have you been over the past five years? Why didn''t you contact us?" Facing a series of questions, Nicole sighed internally and tried to calm herself down. "I ran into some problems but all that has passed." Nicole knew that these two girls were Lulu and June, her best friends from Royal Creek Institute. It was mentioned in the materials which Jared had given Nicole. She knew that these two girls were trustworthy. However, Nicole did not n to tell them about her incident. For one thing, it was better if less people knew about her problem. Another was that Nicole did not want the girls to worry about her after seeing how nervous they were. On the other hand, Lulu and June could tell that Nicole did not want to talk about what happened in the past five years. So, they did not press Nicole with more questions. That was the chemistry they''ve built over the years. When it came to anything rted to Nicole, they would not ask if she did not want to talk about it. "Since you''re back, you won''t leave anymore. Right?" Lulu asked the question bluntly. June nced at Lulu and said while shaking her head, "She''s already taken over the Riddle Corporation. How could she leave?" Lulu stuck out her tongue. She was dwelling in the heat of the moment, so she did not think through it. But as soon as she knew that Nicole would not be leaving, Lulu was genuinely happy about it. She carefully asked, "Then, can we have dinner together tonight?"N?velDrama.Org is the owner. "Why don''t we schedule another day?" Nicole replied hesitantly. After all, she had no memory of them. All she knew were their identities only, and that would make it hard for her to connect with them. Nicole needed more time to process and ept things. She was also clear that she could not treat these two girls coldly just as how she did to others. Yet, Nicole could not force herself to be close with them. "She must be tired since she had just taken over thepany. Why don''t the both of you wait till she has adjusted herself to the environment? Then we''ll have a good meal together." Samuel attempted to save Nicole out of that situation. The boys were not sure about Nicole''s decision on her loss of memory. Therefore, they did not tell June and Lulu about it. But looking at how Nicole was acting, they roughly guessed that Nicole did not want to reveal it. With that, the boys could only remain silent about the matter. It was only then that Lulu and June realized something. They turned to Samuel and Spencer, and said, "The both of you had already known about Nicole''s return and yet you guys kept it a secret from us?" Chapter 2026 Chapter 2026 What they had done was a bit too much. The girls had been worried sick every day because of the ident which Nicole had been involved in. And now, even after Nicole had returned, the boys still kept it from the girls. Spencer and Samuel looked at each other and began crying on the inside. They could only y along and take the me. "I''m sorry, but we could not reveal the news of Nicole''s return to anyone because of certain reasons." "Oh, so we''re just anyone to you now?" the girls asked, feeling very upset after the double whammy. "Of course not," Samuel replied, suddenly realizing that he had uttered a number of inappropriate words. N?velDrama.Org owns this. Spencer rolled his eyes at Samuel and made the wise choice to remain silent. Observing the reactions of everyone around her, Nicole frowned a little and interrupted, "All of you..." Hearing this, June and Lulu froze and began to blush. At that sight, Nicole acquired a clearer idea of what the situation was. As it turned out, it was Samuel and Spencer who had brought them over. That would make more sense. Nicole had no memory of being a matchmaker, but she was happy to be in the middle of the situation between her two brothers and her best friends. Seeing that Nicole had been chatting with the rest for a long time already, Jared came over, trying to bring her away. "Let''s go." "Bye Nicole," the two girls said. June and Lulu were a little reluctant to let Nicole go, but when they thought about the fact that the responsibilities in the Riddle Corporation fell squarely on Nicole''s shoulders, they figured that Nicole must be very busy. Therefore, the girls could not do anything but allow it. "See you next time." Nicole bade, feeling a lot closer to those two girls who were her best friends and potential sisters-inw. The two girls smiled in satisfaction after Nicole had made them the promise. They were at peace, knowing that they would still meet Nicole soon. Nicole walked away with Jared while Lulu and June breathed a huge sigh. "After all these years, everyone was close to losing hope. But fortunately, she came back. Cautiously, Samuel and Spencer replied, "All of that is now in the past. There will be nothing but good things in the future." "I hope she will get through all of her predicaments," June and Lulu prayed, their eyes gleaming with hope. Although Nicole had not mentioned anything to them, one could already tell that life was not easy when she had to live away from home for five years. "Come on, I''ll treat all of you to something as a token of apology," Samuel suggested, attempting to change the topic. "I don''t n to forgive you, not even after the meal." Lulu snorted angrily. Yet, she still turned around and got into Spencer''s car. After June had followed Samuel into the car, the rest of them followed suit and left. On the other hand, Jared and Nicole were heading to the Riddle family. "How are you?" Jared asked out of concern. Even though Nicole had been at thepany for several days now, she was only there to understand thepany''s situation. What she had been doing was still distinct from the actual job scope of a chairman. With that in mind, Jared was not sure how Nicole was coping with it. "With Sean and Steve around, everything has been running smoothly," Nicole replied without much thought. "Good to know that everything is going well." Jared smirked a little. Although Nicole had retained none of her memories, these things were not a challenge to her at all, and her capabilities were as surprising as they used to be. "Nn and Lana are going to preschool tomorrow." Nicole reminded Jared. "Yeah, I''ll be there to send them." Jared nodded and promised. He would never miss such an event. Nicole bit her lips lightly. Jared was such a showoff. Nicole did not really want him to appear for fear of catching people''s attention. But once she thought about how excited Lana would be, Nicole concluded that she could not stop Jared. Chapter 2027 Chapter 2027 And as if Jared could read Nicole''s mind, he held her hands and said in a gentle voice, "Don''t worry. The school you''ve chosen for Nn and Lana is perfect for them. I''ve already arranged everything. No one would be suspicious of their identities." Jared had done all the necessary preparations and precautions. Even if he made an appearance, no news about it would leak out. The kids would have to attend school, but it went without saying that they should not be put in any danger. Hearing this, Nicole felt a sense of peace and replied, "Alright. As long as everything is in ce." It was appropriate for Jared to be ready. Even if there were no issues with the information, the two of them would have toe in contact with their kids, one way or another. If any unscrupulous individuals were to happen upon it, they would put the kids in danger. That was thest thing Jared wanted to witness and deal with. By the time they arrived at the Riddle family manor, Samuel and Spencer had not returned, and the only ones at home were Daniel, Gloria and Stanley. They were all apanying Nn and Lana, helping them with the pile of presents on the coffee table. "Mommy! You''re back!" Nn ran over happily. Then, Lana followed closely from behind and hurried into Jared''s arms. "Daddy!" Carrying Lana up, Jared promptly asked, "What are you guys doing?" "We''re going to school tomorrow. These are the presents which grandpa, grandma and Uncle gave us," Lana said, waving her chubby hands while pointing at the coffee table. A slight twitch crossed Nicole''s lips as she heard that. "That''s a little too much." "It''s not much. These are all things which the kids would need, or perhaps like." Gloria shed a loving smile. ''These are not even enough for the kids,'' the old woman thought. "Mommy, Daddy, how about the both of you? Did you prepare any presents for us?" Lana blinked her eyes in anticipation. ''If there are presents, Mommy and Daddy would prepare some for us too, right?'' she wondered. N?velDrama.Org is the owner. Nicole pinched Nn''s nose lovingly and said, "You greedy one! Are you not satisfied with this amount of gifts already?" "I guess that means there are no presents." Lana pouted, looking as if she was really disappointed. "Lana, what present do you want?" Jared instantly felt guilty, evoking his desire to fulfill all of Lana''s requests. "I want..." Lana paused, feeling too perplexed to offer aplete response. What sort of present could she possibly desire? As things stood, it seemed that Lana did not need anything else. It was just that everyone else had given her a gift, so her parents should each give her one too. Nicole was trying hard not tough as she took Lana away from Jared. She ced the little one down on the couch, sat down together and smiled. "We do not have any presents, but we will send you both to the kindergarten ourselves. Is that okay?" "Didn''t you promise us that long ago? This does not count!" Lana protested, not wanting to give in. Nicole could not help but massage her forehead. ''This girl is such a cheeky one. Who did she take after?'' A smile shed across Jared''s eyes, after which he said, "I will promise you one thing. The moment you''ve thought of the gift that you want, you will tell me then. Is that fine?" It was only then that Lana happily replied, "Sure. It''s a deal. Pinky promise!" After Jared had sealed the deal by hooking his pinky finger with Lana''s, she continued unboxing her presents joyfully. Nn watched the entire scene as it yed out before him and pursed his lips. Then, he quietly unboxed his presents. He had to control himself. At the end of the day, it was just a request. He could surely ask for it from his godfather. Keeping a close eye at Nn''s movements, Jared raised his eyebrows subtly. ''This pretentious little one.'' In the blink of an eye, the next day arrived. Early in the morning, Nn and Lana had woken up feeling totally ecstatic of going to school. It was not just because they could go to school; most importantly, they finally had their parents to send them there. From now onwards, they would not be questioned or ridiculed by the other kids. When Nicole and Jared headed downstairs, the two cuties were already sitting at the couch, waiting with bags on their back. "Don''t tell me that the both of you are nning to skip breakfast and go to school right away," Nicole remarked, bing instantly crossed. "Even if we eat, we''ll have to carry these bags behind our back," Lana replied as she zipped her bag straps up. It was as if she was worried that others would take it away from her. Chapter 2028 Chapter 2028 "The both of them have been here waiting since they came down early in the morning." Gloria smiled, her eyes brimming with affection. Then, she greeted Nicole and Jared. "Get ready for breakfast. I don''t think these kids can wait to go to school already." "Alright," Nicole answered, after which she brought Nn and Lana to the dining room. Once everyone in the family was seated, they began to eat, and when everyone had finished their meal, Nn and Lana impatiently pulled Jared and Nicole out. "These kids." Gloriaughed, unable to resist it. "Going to school will definitely be a lot more interesting than staying at home with old people like us," Daniel said in an effort to deprecate himself. "Mom, dad. The both of you are not even old, and you have grandchildren already. Perhaps in the next two years, you''ll get to have another grandchild. So, you must take good care of your body." Samuel laughed. "Another grandchild? What do you mean?" Gloria raised her eyebrows and looked at Samuel. "Don''t look at me. I''m referring to Sean and Steve. It is still way too early for me." Samuel passed the buck to Sean and Steve, bing nervous upon being questioned that way. "Mom, we''re leaving now." Spencer left after he had spoken, almost as though he did not want to carpool with Samuel. "Wait! Wait for me!" Samuel sprinted after him as if he was being pursued. "Hey, didn''t you mention that you''re dating someone. Why aren''t you introducing her to the family? What is going on?" Gloria could tell that the twins were trying to weasel their way out of the conversation, so she let out a sigh. N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. "Perhaps, these kids are not ready yet. After all, they are already adults. It''s not our right to worry about them too much anymore," Danielforted. "They are all grown up and have their own opinions now," Gloria said in defeat, though she still felt conflicted. "Mom, dad, we''re leaving too," Stanley said, bidding them goodbye once he saw that everyone had left the house. He had gone upstairs to grab some things before that, Then, Gloria got up and said, ''Lana and Nn are going to preschool. I wonder if they can adapt to the ce?" Gloria thought that Nn and Lana were cute and lovable, unlike the boys who no longer needed her after they had all grown up. "They can. Those two kids are smart and quick-witted. Furthermore, they are just so adorable. I''m sure they''ll do well in school. The teachers will really love them too," Daniel finished. On the other hand, Jared and Nicole had sent Nn and Lana to the school. Nicole had given it some thought and chosen a school that was nearer to the Riddle family manor. Although it was not one of the top kindergartens in San Joto, the facilities and all other aspects were pretty well-covered. Most importantly, it was closer in proximity to their residence. If the kids were to ever find themselves in an emergency, the family could help take care of them. Aside from that, the school was not as appealing as the rest in As they reached the school, they saw that the teachers were already at the entrance, weing the students. "Good morning, teacher." Nn and Lana stood in line and politely greeted the teacher. "Good morning, everyone," the teacher replied, instantly in love with the two cuties. "Teacher, are these the new kids?" a chubby girl, who had also arrived, curiously asked when she saw Nn and Lana. "Yes, I''m Lana and this is my brother, Nn. How about you?" Lana greeted, engaging in the conversation. "My name is Nona," the chubby girl replied. "Nona, please bring Lana and Nn inside," the teacher ordered. "Noted," Nona agreed as she pulled Lana by the hand, but the moment she reached out to pull Nn''s, he evaded her grasp and walked in on his own. He did not need a younger person to take care of him. Chapter 2029 Chapter 2029 "Daddy, Mommy, remember to pick us up after school." Lana waved to them before walking in with Nona. "Wow, both of your parents came to drop you off. You''re so lucky! Only my mom came with me," Nona said in jealousy and admiration. Lana puffed up her chest smugly and responded, "Yeah, they''reing to pick us upter too!" Seeing this, Nicole was left feeling really amused by Lana''s behavior. ''So this is how she is when she gets what she wants. She just wants to rub it in everyone''s face. She''s just a little kid, after all.'' "Let''s go," Jared said. N?velDrama.Org owns this. And after they had dropped the kids off, they left the ce for work. When they arrived at the headquarters of the Riddle Corporation, Nicole strode into her office and the secretary left after handing Nicole a file. Her gaze darkened and she frowned when she looked at the documents. As expected, Mr. Walker was restless for a reason. He had secretly been in contact with Damien, but Nicole should have thought about it sooner, nheless. Damien was previously the one who was in charge of thepany, so it was only natural for him to have his people around. Though Nicole''s uncles each had their ownpanies to run, they might still deploy some of their personnel to keep an eye on the headquarters. During her absence in the past few years, Mr. Walker had been rather well-behaved, but now that she was back, and with the fact that she had acquired both her grandfather''s shares and position as the CEO of the Riddle Corporation had definitely ced him on edge. Unfortunately, though Damien had hidden his agendas and intentions well, tucking them where nobody would suspect anything, he had gotten himself a useless ally. ''It was just too obvious. Were they not expecting me to get all suspicious?'' she wondered. Nicole smiled coldly as she closed the file. Both Damien and Dillion were suspected of harming Mr. Riddle Sr. Though the doctor was nowhere to be found, Nicole still believed that both her uncles would eventually unveil their true colors, and now was a good time for her to give them a nudge. ''Let''s put this Mr. Walker to good use,'' she thought. In the evening. Nicole and Jared went to the kindergarten to pick their kids up, but it was then that they discovered someone else had taken both Nn and Lana. At the same time, Lawrence was standing by the road with both of the little ones. Nn was looking up and saying something to Lawrence. Judging by the smile on his face, he was probably talking about something good that had happened in the kindergarten on that day. "Nn, Lana." Nicole got down from the car and called out to her children as she made her way toward them. "Mommy!" Lana opened her arms, as though asking for a hug, and ran up to Nicole. Jared was walking behind Nicole, and after Lana had hugged Nicole, she leaped into Jared''s arms at once. "Daddy!" Jared held her up and stared at Lawrence. At that moment, the warm love in his eyes froze over. It was Nn and Lana''s first day at preschool today, but Lawrence had already picked them up after they were done with their sses. It seemed that he was pretty well-informed about Nicole and her kids. Lawrence shrugged when he noted Jared''s gaze. "I heard the kids were going to preschool, so I paid them a visit." "It seems to me that you''re not busy with your Genesis Group, Mr. Royce. That exins why you''re so free to show up anytime, eh?" Jared remarked, sounding as though he was warning Lawrence. Though Lawrence had imed that he was just Nicole''s friend, there were still boundaries that should not be crossed. He did not have the right to pay this much attention to Nicole. In fact, it could even be argued that he was monitoring them. If no one was watching Nicole every day, it would be impossible for Lawrence to get such detailed information about her and the children. Lawrence knew what Jared was trying to say, but he ignored it anyway. He was adamant about getting his hands on Nicole, and for that reason, he was not going to back down. Chapter 2030 Chapter 2030 "Nicole, I''d like to invite you, Lana, and Nn out for dinner today. Just take it as a celebration, for them having found a preschool that they like." Lawrence looked at Jared before asking Nicole out. Feeling challenged, Jared''s gaze became even frostier. N?velDrama.Org owns this. His tone was menacing as he said, "It''s a father''s responsibility to find a school that''s the best for them. It''s nothing worth celebrating." "Don''t stress it, Mr. Johnston. While you were not present in their lives, Nicole and I have been treating them well too," Lawrence calmly said, though every word uttered was extremely provocative. Jared''s expression darkened. Lawrence had hit the nail on the head, for this was indeed Jared''s regret. Nevertheless, it was still not Lawrence''s ce to say something like that. "Right. Since you''re their godfather, it''s only reasonable for you to look after them a little," Jared retorted. At the end of the day, Lawrence was just their godfather. He had no blood rtions with either of the children at all. Lawrence clenched his jaw after Jared had put him in his ce. Indeed, he was just their godfather, a position he was not happy with; he wanted to be their father. And due to their argument, a headache was beginning to set in for Nicole. "The kids had dinner in their school already. Let''s do it on the weekends. The kids can have some time to rx as well." If they went out to eat today, Nicole might experience indigestion again. However, she could not reject Lawrence''s invitation as he was their godfather. Besides, he genuinely cared for them as well. "Mommy," Nn protested. He truly missed Lawrence, as it had been some time since hest saw him. "On the weekend it is. Daddy can join us too." Lana epted the invitation and included Jared in the arrangement herself. Jared looked at her, his eyes brimming with affection. ''She''s just so thoughtful. What an angel.'' Nicole''s lips twitched while she smiled. She did not want to invite Jared, as she was the only one who would be affected whenever Jared and Lawrence were in the same room together. She was already getting a headache just thinking about it. "Sure." Lawrence brushed Lana''s head affectionately. He agreed to the arrangement pretty quickly, as if he was happy as long as the children were happy. "Let''s go home." Jared nced over at Lawrence, held Lana up, and proceeded to walk to the car. Lana did as she was supposed to right away and waved at Lawrence. "Bye-bye, godfather." Lawrence smiled dotingly and nodded to Lana as well. "See ya." "Godpa, why don''t youe over to our grandma''s house?" Nn tugged on Lawrence''s shirt as he did not want to leave him. Nicole instantly knew what Nn was cooking up in his head, prompting her to pat his head and say, "Don''t disturb him. Let''s go home." ''I know why he''s so close to Lawrence, and I know how he feels about him. But I just can''t bring myself to give Lawrence anything,'' she thought. She had remained friends with Lawrence throughout the five years she was on the ind. Now that she was back here, there was simply no reason for her to take their rtionship to the next level. For that reason alone, she was not going to allow Nn to fool around anymore. Lawrence''s gaze darkened when he saw Nicole stopping Nn. ''Though she had lost her memories, she is still willing to get close to Jared. But why!? Why can''t she just give me a chance?'' Nicole did not notice the change in Lawrence''s expression as her eyes were on Nn. She then looked at him with a smile and said, "Well, let''s meet on the weekend." "Sure, see you then," Lawrence responded gently. "See you, godfather," Nn said. The boy knew that he could not change anything, so he left with his mother with a cloud of gloom over his head. But before he could go, Lawrence patted his shoulder and said, "You''re a man. When godfather is not around, be sure to take care of Mommy." Chapter 2031 Chapter 2031 "Okay." Nn nodded affirmatively. "We''re leaving." Nicole smiled, touched by Nn''s behavior. After the family had left, Lawrence''s gaze turned cold, and his expression darkened. "Mr. Royce, even though Miss Nicole has not regained any of her memories, she seems to have epted her family very quickly," Ianmented aftering over. Perhaps blood ties and family rtionships were so strong and solid that none of the predicaments could affect them for long. Lawrence red at Ian, and that was when thetter quickly realized that he had misspoken. Then, he quickly lowered his head. Lawrence turned and got into the car with a grimace. Though the Riddle family had bonded with Nicole, and there was nothing he could do to stop that, he would never allow Jared to take Nicole away. Back in the car, the atmosphere was nothing short of strange. Lana was hugging Jared tightly as she rambled to him about the happy things that happened to her in school, especially about Nona, whom she had met in the morning. They had already be best friends as it seemed. Jared was actively listening, nodding happily from time to time. He would also encourage her and add a word or two in between her impassioned outpour. However, Nn was grinding his teeth. He was frowning, furious as he watched Jared and Lana. He could have gone out with Lawrence, but his wish was not granted. He just could not understand why Lana would care so much about Jared. ''Our godfather is the one who has been with us for the past five years. We should be with him instead!'' Nicole hugged him gently. She did not know how long it would take for Nn to understand that nothing significant would develop between her and Lawrence. However, this would not change the fact that Lawrence was her friend. It would not stop Lawrence from treating them well either. After all, they had been together for five years, and she had witnessed how sincere Lawrence was to her children. Lawrence had really loved them, so this would not change anything. When they returned to the Riddle residence, they realized that everyone was already there because it was Nn and Lana''s first day in school. Even Sean and Steve, who had both moved out, were back home. After greeting all of their elders, Nn and Lana went up to their grandparents. Gloria and Daniel loved them to bits, and as expected, they could not stop asking them about their preschool experiences. "I''ve already gotten the chef to cook us a feast. Everyone''s back home today, so let''s have a good time together." Steve looked at Nicole and smiled. Nicole was amused. "They went to preschool when they were on the ind as well. It''s easy for them to adapt, so you don''t have to worry so much about them." She was dumbfounded by the fact that everyone was so excited about Nn and Lana''s first day. ''I wonder if the kids will change after being spoiled by so many people.'' "It''s okay. Even if they''ve been to school before, this is San Joto. We have to make it special." Sean said, whereupon he turned to the children. "Just tell me what you need." N?velDrama.Org owns this. "Not just Uncle Sean. You can tell any of us too," Spencer added. Chapter 2032 Chapter 2032 Nicole could not help but smile when she saw how well everyone was treating Nn and Lana. She suddenly felt a sense of familiarity. It felt as if she was once treated the same way as well; spoiled by everyone in her family. Nicole froze when that thought flitted in her head. Then, she tried her very best to recall the incident but to no avail. Instead, the more she thought about it, her headache worsened and her face nched. "Stop thinking. Just take things as theye," Jared said softly. He seemed to have noticed that Nicole was struggling with something, so he held her soft hand in an attempt tofort her. His gentle voice brought her thoughts to a halt, and once she redirected her focus back to the present, her headache gradually began to taper off. The warmth from Jared''s palm was giving her a sense of security as well. However, Jared''s remark had prompted everyone to notice the odd look on Nicole''s face. "What''s wrong with Nicole?" "I suddenly got a headache, but I''m fine now," Nicole casually remarked, as she did not want to tell them that she was trying to recall her memories. "You''ve probably overworked yourself. Take a rest. I''ll get someone to call you when it''s time for dinner," Gloria said with concern. "Jared, take Nicole up please," Daniel requested as he believed that Jared could take care of her. "Sure," Jared replied, after which he brought Nicole upstairs. Initially, Nicole did not want to go anywhere. Not thinking was all she had to do if she wanted her headache to stop. But when she saw how concerned her family was, she decided to go upstairs with Jared; she did not want them to worry about her. When they got back to their room, Jared helped Nicole to the bed and gestured for her to lie down. However, Nicole did not want to do so. "I''m fine. That scene back there just felt so familiar to me, so I tried to summon my memories of the past. Unfortunately, I still couldn''t remember anything." Not only could she not remember anything. That attempt of hers ended up giving her a persistent headache, which left her feeling disheartened. Feeling heartbroken on Nicole''s behalf, Jared brushed her hair with hisrge palms as heforted her. "There''s no rush. You might be able to retrieve all of your memories one day." He did not want to expose her to too much of her past because he was worried that something like this would happen again. Not only did Nicole not regain her memories, but she was also suffering. "Jared Johnston, I really want to remember everything." Regardless of the nature of everything that had happened in the past, Nicole had the right to know about it. This stood in contrast to her current state, where she could not recall anything. Now more than ever, she needed people to tell her everything that she was supposed to know, and it was not a pleasant feeling. "I know." Jared wrapped Nicole in his arms as he rested his chin on her head. Then, he began patting her back gently to ease her emotions.N?velDrama.Org owns this. Nicole could not help but wrap her arms around his waist as she buried her face in his chest. It felt as if she finally had someone to vent to. Though she did not say anything, it was obvious that Nicole was feeling extremely vulnerable. "Everything will be okay. You''ll be okay. The kids will be okay. And us...we''ll be okay too." Jared stroked her hair gently as heforted her in a soft voice. Nicole was so stressed out that she was leftpletely drained. However, embracing Jared like that made her feel safe and hopeful. This man, whom she had pegged as her enemy when he had abducted her from the airport, turned out to be her legal husband and her children''s biological father. He was the man who had given her the greatest support when she returned to her family. She suddenly realized that she was starting to get used to Jared being by her side and supporting her. "I''m really sorry, Jared Johnston. If I can get my memories back, maybe we''d..." Indeed, if she could retrieve her memories, their rtionship would perhaps return to how it used to be, but she could not promise him anything now. Chapter 2033 Chapter 2033 Jared''s lips curled up into a warm smile. "Don''t apologize. You''re doing great already. Didn''t you say you were going to follow your heart? It seems that your heart is telling you toe to me." Though he was frustrated that someone else was pursuing Nicole, Nicole''s attitude toward Lawrence did not drive him into sorrow or madness. She had made the right choice by following her heart, and the results were very satisfactory to Jared. They might not be as fervent in their romance as they were before, but Jared was more than happy to give her space and time. He was willing to wait for her, and he believed that she would not disappoint him. At that moment, Nicole was pulled back into reality and realized that she was hugging Jared. Her face immediately flushed as she pushed him away, creating a distance between them. She could not believe that she had actually let her guard down and hugged Jared moments ago. ''It''s so embarrassing. I feel like I''m going to die.'' Jared shed her a devilish smile when he saw how flustered she looked. "Are you trying to tell me that nothing happened seconds ago?" "What happened just now? Nothing happened at all," Nicole exined, her cheeks turning a rosy shade of red. "Well, you hugged me on your own ord." Jared paused before inching closer to Nicole. "Or maybe, you had something else in mind. Did you want something else to happen?" "Of course not." Nicole''s face flushed an even deeper shade of red. ''This jerk is teasing me!'' "No?" Jared asked, getting so close to her that she could feel his breath. Nicole could not help but hold her breath. She quickly tried to distance herself, but as she was too aggressive about it, she lost her bnce and ended up falling over. "Oh!" Nicole let out a cry before extending her arm to grab something. She did not know what she had caught onto, but she held onto it tightly anyway. "Oof." Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org. Unfortunately, the object she was holding onto was Jared''s necktie. She had pulled Jared down with her, causing him to fall as well. The both of them fell onto the bed, with Jared now lying on top of Nicole. "Hm, not bad at all. You can do a better job at lighting the spark, actually." Jared smirked. Though he knew that she did not mean to do it, he just could not help but tease her as he wanted to see her panicked expression. "Stop fooling around and get off of me," Nicole''s face burned red. Then, she forcefully pushed him away, feeling too embarrassed. "Woah!" the kids eximed in unison once the door had swung open. The kids barging in was thest thing that Nicole had seening. Utterly embarrassed now, Nicole quickly sat up after pushing Jared away. In the meantime, he yed along and stopped teasing her as he stood by the bed. "Mommy, are you kissing Daddy?" Lana widened her innocent eyes. This raised a desperate urge in Nicole to erase that memory in Lana''s head. ''Why on earth is this little girl saying such a thing?!'' "Nonsense! Mommy''s not feeling well," Nn said with a frown. He did not want to acknowledge what he had just seen. ''It''s not like the people on TV. It''s definitely not.'' "No? But Mommy doesn''t look sick," Lana responded. Nicole''s lips twitched as she calmly exined, "Mommy was feeling a little dizzy, so I fell over." "Did Daddy fall too?" Lana continued. ''I saw what happened. But why is Mommy denying it?'' Nicole was at a loss for words. How was she going to answer that? ''Should I just say that Jared fell because I pulled him down with me when I tipped over?'' Chapter 2034 Chapter 2034 "Come here, Lana." Jared waved to Lana, who teetered toward him obediently. "Hey, Daddy." Holding her up, Jared gently asked, "Why did youe here with your brother?" "Oh, we''re here to get you and Mommy down to have dinner." Their grandmother had initially gotten the servants to call Jared and Nicole, but as Lana and Nn were worried about Nicole, they had volunteered to go upstairs. "Well, then let''s go down for dinner, shall we?" Jared smiled. "Of course." Lana wrapped her arms around his neck. "Let''s eat!" Jared shot a nce at Nicole before walking out of the room with Lana, leaving Nicole behind with questions in her head. ''Did they just leave it at that?!'' It was Lana''s first time giving up before getting the answer she needed. This would not have happened in the past. ''How did Jared do that? Why is Lana so obedient when he''s around?!'' Nicole asked herself. Nicole suddenly felt that Lana was ying favorites. Back then, she always had a hard time answering Lana''s questions. In fact, none of her tactics had worked when she attempted to divert Lana''s attention. "Mommy, did you really fall because you were dizzy?" Nn went up to Nicole and asked in a sad tone of voice. N?velDrama.Org is the owner. "I really fell by ident." Nicole stroked his head and exined patiently. "It was just an ident." Even in the event that she managed to rekindle her rtionship with Jared, they could still not kiss in front of their kids. "Mommy, have you forgiven him already?" Nn asked as he bit his lips. He wanted to know if his effort worked at all. ''What''s not to like about godfather?'' "It''s not about forgiveness. Although Mommy has already forgotten about the past, Mommy believes that he did not do anything wrong to us," Nicole exined, deciding to tell Nn as he was more mature than Lana. "But godfather said that Jared did not protect you," Nn replied. ''And that''s why Mommy was all alone in another country. If godfather didn''t help Mommy, our lives would have been terrible.'' "Lawrence told you that?" Nicole frowned, her expression turning stern. She thought that Lawrence should not speak to the kids about these things. After all, she did not know what exactly had happened in the past. Nn shook his head. "Godfather said that when he came over the other day." He had heard everything, which was why he thought that Jared did not deserve his mother. To him, only his godfather could protect his mom. Nicole was slightly relieved. "Though it''s a fact, it isn''t the full picture. Do you understand?" Nn raised a brow, looking a little confused. No matter how high his IQ was, he was still a 5-year-old kid. It was not easy for him to understandplicated matters. However, that did not mean that he did not understand what Nicole was trying to say. In summary, it was not Jared''s fault, but Nn still believed that Jared was not good enough for his mother. Though he was grinding his teeth, he did not continue the conversation with Nicole. Instead, he just held Nicole''s hand and said, "Let''s have our dinner, Mommy." Chapter 2035 Chapter 2035 "Sure," Nicole responded. She did not further the conversation either, as she thought Nn had understood her. When they got downstairs, everyone in the family had already sat down and was waiting for Nicole. Everyone was concerned about her, so they were relieved when they saw that she was looking better than before. "Nicole, if work is getting too overwhelming for you, just tell Sean and Steve. They can share the workload with you," Gloria reminded her. She had undergone way too many hardships before she finally got Nicole back. All she wanted now was for Nicole to have peace and happiness. She did not really care much about anything else, as nothing was close to being as important as Nicole. "Don''t worry, mom. I''m fine," Nicole smiled as sheforted Gloria. "Nicole''s doing very well, and we''ll look after her," Sean and Steve promised. Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org. "Okay, pay more attention to your sister," Gloria reminded them. They chatted away while they ate, and in a blink of an eye, dinner was done. As they did not want Nicole to feel unwell, Gloria quickly got Nicole to hurry back to her room after thest dish had been cleared. Jared naturally followed Nicole upstairs, but as soon as Nicole saw the bed, she was brought back to the memory of the moment a few hours back, causing her face to flush once again. "I''m taking a shower." She rushed off to the bathroom, as she could not stand being in the same room as him. But once she had gotten in, she began to regret it. ''Why does this feel so much weirder?'' "Go ahead. I''ll take a shower after you''re done." Jared replied. His tone sounded as if he was teasing her and smiling at the same time. "Please stop talking!" Nicole roared as she was still frustrated and embarrassed. ''This guy is getting on my nerves.'' Jared burst outughing. ''She''s still so cute when she''s mad.'' The next morning, the sun cast a radiant glow while a gentle breeze swept through the serene clouds. Jared left for work after dropping the kids off at school, and Nicole off at the headquarters of the Riddle Corporation. Nicole entered her office as soon as she arrived. "Miss Nicole, this is the feedback from the marketing department." The secretary ced the file on Nicole''s desk. "Okay," Nicole responded, after which the secretary walked out of her room. She flipped through the documents and frowned as her gaze darkened. Dialing the extension number, Nicole''s voice took on a dry and cold tone as she said, "Inform the Human Resources department to draft a termination contract. Then, hand it over to the head of the Marketing department and let him know that he can leave thepany already." "Yes, Miss Nicole," the secretary responded. Nicole squinted a little. ording to Sean''s findings, Mr. Walker was one of Damien''sckeys, and the head of the Marketing department was under Mr. Walker. With thepany''s nned reforms now in motion, the department that required the most significant adjustments was the marketing department. Fortunately, they did not disappoint Nicole as they had really attempted conducting their shady operations behind closed doors. She had already given them a chance, but since the man had refused to seize it, she was left with no choice. For apany that had been operating smoothly, the sudden recement of the head of the Marketing department was a significant event. The news quickly spread throughout thepany, which naturally reached Mr. Walker. Chapter 2036 Chapter 2036 Fuming with anger, Mr. Walker stormed into Nicole''s office and eximed, "Although you are the CEO, you should still act reasonably. How can you dismiss an employee without any solid reasons? Are you trying to eliminate dissenters?" In response to Mr. Walker''s act of questioning her, a frosty glint flitted in Nicole''s eyes as her voice became icy. "Are you implying that he''s the dissenter? Or are you the dissenter?" "What?! I-" he asked, not expecting to face such an usation. In contrast, Nicole was not panicking; she had even turned the tables on him. ''Why is this happening? In such a situation, shouldn''t she try to calm others down to elude any difficulties in the future? Why did she shift the me back to me? What am I even supposed to say now? Every reply I''ve got might as well be the wrong answer,'' he thought. He could not admit that he had ulterior motives, and he could not say the same about the head of the Marketing department either. But by doing so, it meant that he was tacitly acknowledging that all of his usations were baseless and false. Then, he instantly realized that he had been trapped with no way out. And just like that, Mr. Walker''s face turned from pale to purple. "Mr. Walker, we''ve been very lenient with you, since you''ve been working in ourpany for a long time. But you should know what my grandfather hates the most." Sean walked in, his tone chillingly cold. They knew that Mr. Walker was not going to back down easily, but no one had expected that he would cause a scene in Nicole''s office. "Mr. Riddle, is thepany now firing employees without following even the most basic procedures?" Mr. Walker replied, feeling somewhat intimidated when he saw Sean. However, since the state of affairs had arrived to such a sorry state, he had no way out. "The documents were acquired from the Human Resources department and were signed by the chairman. All subsequent procedures will be followed in ordance with thew. What do you think is lacking in the process?" Steve added, his voice equally icy, exposing Mr. Walker''s baseless arguments in the process. ''Does he think he can easily bully our sister?'' "Well, you fired the head of the Marketing department. Don''t you need the board''s unanimous decision for this?" Mr. Walker argued, refusing to give up. This was hisst and remaining leverage. If he was dismissed, he would be rendered powerless. "The board?" Sean smirked with a hint of amusement. "The Chairman, CEO, and President are all present. Do you think there is a need for a board meeting of any sort?" No one would dare to object if all three of them had agreed to a decision. Mr. Walker was immediately silenced, his face turning pale once again. If the trio of Sean, Steve, and Nicole wanted someone out of thepany, the individual in question would not be able to hold onto their position anymore. "Mr. Walker, you''re free to leave thepany as well. As for the shares you hold, thepany will repurchase them at market value." Nicole shot a nce at Mr. Walker as she spoke in a calm and unassable tone. "Nicole, you''ve gone too far!" Mr. Walker yelled, instantly pumped with rage, for he had never expected that his n would backfire. Raising an eyebrow, Nicole said, "If you don''t want to leave with your dignity intact, we can always find another way." Then, she threw a document at Mr. Walker, making a crisp, crumpling sound as itnded. Mr. Walker''s heart skipped a beat. He hesitated as he looked at the papers, unsure if he should open them. "Take a look. I believe you''ll make the right decision, Mr. Walker." Nicole finished, her smile oozing with a chilling undertone that sent shivers down his spine. Mr. Walker trembled slightly as he opened the documents with much reluctance. His face immediately nched, as if all of his strength had been drained from his body. He had spent thest five years at the headquarters without causing any trouble. But as soon as Nicole had returned, she had exposed all of his deeds and blocked every perceivable route through which he could escape,pletely catching him off guard. Suddenly, he realized that Nicole might have desired to create a scene by dismissing the head of the Marketing department. She had been waiting for him to fall into her trap, which he foolishly did. Both the head of the Marketing department and Mr. Walker had been dismissed. Mr. Walker figured that Damien''s scheme had probably been discovered by the three siblings. It was just that the former still believed that they were doing everything covertly, and with great hubris too.N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content. Chapter 2037 Chapter 2037 "Please leave. After all that has been said and done, it''s best not to allow negative sentiments about the Riddle family to proliferate at this time." Nicole concluded, unable to bother with Mr. Walker anymore. As her words dropped, Mr. Walker stumbled back. They had chosen to let him leave with grace not because they wanted to spare him some dignity, but because he was a senior in theirpany. It had all been done for the sake of the Riddle family. Mr. Walker felt as if he had fallen into an icy abyss. His body stiffened, and he had no strength left to struggle. After collecting the documents, he left Nicole''s office with a dejected look. "Pathetic," Steve muttered in frustration. They had all given Mr. Walker a chance, but as he did not know how to seize it, this was what he deserved. "It''s alright. Let''s get back to work," Sean''s gaze darkened as well. They had gotten wind that Mr. Walker was going to create a mess, so they were worried that he might harm Nicole. Fortunately though, nothing had happened. "Hey, Sean, Steve? Uncle Damien might take action anytime soon. Keep your wits about you," Nicole sternly said. "Got it. We''ll be prepared for that," Sean and Steve replied as their expressions turned solemn. Damien had final hisst chess piece with the recent firing of Mr. Walker. Therefore, anything could happen if Damien acted out of desperation. Soon, the news of Mr. Walker and the head of the Marketing department leaving thepany began spreading internally within the Riddle Corporation. Discussions were already in full swing, but that new bombshell was instantly at the forefront of all gossips. "Really? That''s impossible!" "Everyone has a chance? I must be dreaming!" "Don''t get too excited. There''spetition within thepany, and you might not even stand a chance." N?velDrama.Org is the owner. "Well, if I never try, I''ll never know." The topic of discussion shifted from gossip about the dismissal of the two employees to the internal, yet openpetition for the position of the head of the Marketing Department. The entirety of Riddle Corporation was filled with excitement for quite a while. Some joined in the commotion while others were eager to participate. It was a rare urrence for thepany to be this lively after all these years. "Nicole, you''ve really killed two birds with one stone with this n of yours," Steve praised. Stability was what the Riddle Corporation needed the most at this juncture, and thus, any rumors would be detrimental. By announcing an openpetition for the aforementioned position, they could begin screening for talents while putting an end to all the gossip about Mr. Walker. "It must be fair, and we need capable individuals for the position." Needless to say, the marketing department was a crucial department, one they could not afford to be careless with. "Don''t worry, I''ve already given the necessary instructions to the Human Resources department," Steve said confidently. "Good. We shall wait for the news then," Nicole muttered, expressing her satisfaction. With everything in ce and well-arranged, the rest would be determined by the results. "Right. The show hase to an end. It''s time for us to leave," Sean and Steven exchanged nces and left Nicole''s office. On the other hand, Mr. Walker had gone over to Damien after leaving the Riddle Corporation. "Mr. Riddle, we have been exposed," Mr. Walker said with a look of defeat written on his face. Eyeing his crestfallen appearance, Damien furrowed his brows. "What do you mean?" Mr. Walker exined the entire situation in detail as he gritted his teeth in frustration. "I didn''t expect Nicole to be so formidable. She had nned everything out as soon as she returned, and had used her schemes to oust me from the Riddle Corporation." As a veteran, it was utterly humiliating for him to be expelled in the fashion he was. "You''re useless," Damien snorted coldly as his face turned green. Mr. Walker felt wronged, but still, he did not dare to argue. "What do we do now?" he asked. Chapter 2038 Chapter 2038 "Mr. Walker, you may leave now. I''ll get my secretary to give you an office. Do get some rest." Everett came inside and said in a seemingly kind manner. However, his eyes werepletely void of emotions. "Sure," Mr. Walker said and exited the room. "What''s wrong?" Damien curiously asked, as he could tell that Everett was deliberately driving him away. "Dad, it''s not necessary for him to know our next course of action. After all, he has been kicked out, and might have been turned into a bait to lure us," Everett replied. His identity had been exposed, yet he still came crawling back to them. It was hard to believe that Nicole would not send someone over to track them, so Everett figured that Mr. Walker had be someone they had to be careful of. They could not trust him anymore. Upon hearing that, Damien realized what was happening and nodded in agreement. "You''re right. We can''t let him know about anything important." They would be the next to get into serious trouble if anything got leaked, and that was thest thing they needed. "Dad, don''t you think that there''s something strange with Nicole?" Everett asked softly. "What do you mean?" Damien asked, a little confused. To him, Nicole was still as difficult to deal with as before. "It''s hard to exin, but I just feel like...something is not right. Anyway, I''ll get someone to look into it." Everett shook his head. It was just his gut feeling, and he could not tell what exactly was wrong with Nicole. "Go ahead and do that if you''re suspicious of her. It would be in our best interest to find something which we can threaten her with. That way, we won''t have to be afraid of her anymore." Damien''s eyes shed with a sinister glint as he spoke. "I''ve got it," Everett said, and walked out. Damien leaned back on his chair with a hint of discontent in his eyes. However, all he could do was grit his teeth in frustration. ''It''s been five years, and yet Nicole has be even more difficult to deal with.'' Soon after, the sun set, and the birds returned to their nests. Jared came to pick Nicole up after work, but this time, he did not take her home right away. Unable to help herself from being puzzled, she asked, "Where are we going?" "I haven''t decided yet." Jared held Nicole''s hand gently as he said. "We haven''t picked Nn and Lana up yet," Nicole replied, feeling a little upset. ''How could he forget about our kids?'' In return, Jared smiled and exined, "Your parents went to pick them up. They said they were too bored at home, and wanted to pick them up, so I agreed." Otherwise, Jared would not have taken her out, neglecting the little ones in the process. Nicole was relieved upon hearing that. ''Ah, my parents went to pick them up. No wonder he was so calm about it.'' "So, where are we going?" Nicole asked again, as she had not gotten the answers she wanted earlier. Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org. She still had enemies in San Joto, and she was uncertain as to whether it was safe for her to travel around like that or not. "Don''t worry. Everything has been taken care of," Jared replied as if he knew what Nicole was thinking. "Besides, your enemies are probably not capable of harming you anymore now." Nicole frowned and thought about what he said. Then, with a hint of doubt in her voice, she asked, "Are you saying that my uncles are my only enemies now?" ''I guess not, right? My uncles just don''t look like the kind who''de after me. Could it be possible that they hired a hitman? When I returned here previously, were the people who tried to harm me working for them?'' she wondered. Jared shrugged his shoulders and said indifferently. "I guess you can say that." To Jared at least, not a single person in San Joto could hurt him. The only people bothering him were the ones who had attempted to harm Nicole when she returned to the country back then. In addition, he also believed that none of the people in San Joto were capable enough to obtain any information earlier than him. Because of that, he could not figure out why those people could be so close to ending Nicole''s life as soon as she returned. Chapter 2039 Chapter 2039 Thus, Jared was led to believe that those people were not from San Joto, but rather they were folks based in other countries, who would also like to see Nicole dead. Other than the organization that they had dismantled, he could not think of anybody else. He had not managed to discover anything about them yet, so the only thing he could do was to keep her safe while quietly searching for clues. Nicole shot Jared a nce, as she felt as though he was not taking it seriously, making her feel conflicted. ''Is he not concerned at all?'' The car came to a halt when they were still in the midst of the conversation, snapping Nicole out of her thoughts. She looked outside the window and there, she saw an elegant courtyard located just outside. N?velDrama.Org is the owner. This confused her. "What is this ce?" "You''ll know once we''re inside." Jared grabbed Nicole''s hand and led her out of the car. They ambled through a stone path into the courtyard while enjoying the fragrant scent along the way. Nicole observed the area that waspletely strange to her. Although she was utterly unfamiliar with the ce, she developed somewhat of a liking for it and felt no resistance toward it at all. They stopped at the front door of a mansion, which coincidentally opened from the inside. Then, a casually dressed young man, who seemed to be around her age, appeared before her eyes. "Nicole, you''re here." Martin smiled warmly. Even though Nicole could not remember who he was, his presence did not make her feel tense at all. "Hello, Martin," Nicole greeted and nodded courteously. "What?!" The surprise in Martin''s eyes suddenly disappeared. When Nicole uttered his name, he thought for a moment that Nicole had regained her memories. However, by looking at Nicole''s eyes, he could tell that it was not the case, and that was when he understood that he had overreacted. "Let''s talk inside." Martin stood aside, making way for Jared and Nicole so that they could enter his house. Even though Nicole did not remember Martin, the information that Jared had given her had included details about him. Thus, Nicole knew who he was and the reason as to why Jared had brought her there. Martin had quite a few achievements in the medical field, and he was already a medical professor at that time. Hence, Nicole figured that Martin had to be an excellent medical practitioner. With all of this in mind, Nicole guessed that Jared had probably brought her here so that Martin could examine her condition. However, she did not have high hopes of getting cured. That was not because she did not trust Martin. She had seen way too many doctors in the past five years, and yet, none of them could help her. Furthermore, she had a little medical knowledge to her name, but she could not do anything about her condition either. This was why Nicole felt that, even if Martin was an exceptional medical practitioner, he might not necessarily have a solution for her. But in spite of all that, Nicole still found what Jared was doing for her very heartwarming. After they had sat down, Martin poured them a ss of water each and sat down across from them. Then, he studied Nicole from head to toe. "You still look the same. How have you been for the past five years?" "Let''s begin," Nicole said nonchntly as she did not feel like catching up. In response, Martin mustered a bitter smile and replied, "Okay then." Although Nicole could not recognize him, her attitude toward him was still as cold as ever after all these years. After that, Martin brought some of his examination equipment out and conducted a checkup on Nicole with a solemn expression on his face. The living room fell into pin-drop silence, with Martin not uttering a word and Nicole just sitting there quietly without a hint of impatience. She acted as if she already knew the results, and that she could face everything calmly, even if she turned out to be wrong. Jared gently held Nicole''s hand as if he was trying tofort her. Jared believed that there was hope as long as they tried. They could seek help from someone else if Martin could not help them, and that there would always be a way. Chapter 2040 Chapter 2040 After a while, Martin looked at Nicole and said, "You tried to treat yourself." "I''ve seen some doctors and I''ve tried to do it myself too." Even though she had no idea how she knew about medicine, she was very well aware that she had some capabilities in that field. "Even Ghost Hand could not cure this. It is indeed difficult to deal with. I''ve recorded your condition and I''ll start studying itter," Martin replied, not sounding very surprised by his inability to cure Nicole. He had already expected this when Jared informed him about Nicole''s condition, but he agreed to help her out anyway. Perhaps he believed that he would eventually find a solution by working together with Nicole. After all, he had high hopes in Nicole''s capabilities as Ghost Hand, along with the knowledge he had gathered from working in the field for so many years. "Sure," Nicole said without hesitating. Even though she could not remember who Martin was, she still trusted Jared. The Riddle family had hidden Nicole''s incident of memory loss from everyone else except a few close friends. The fact that Jared had sought Martin''s help indicated that Martin could be depended on, and that he would not do anything to hurt her. As they stood up and left, Martin walked them to the door. He was about to say something to Nicole but then, he felt as if he just could not get a word out of his mouth. So, he gave up the idea and thought to himself, ''Getting to see her again is good enough, I guess.'' After Nicole and Jared had disappeared from his sight, he issued a sigh and retired into the mansion. Once he was back inside, he leaned back on the couch and read Nicole''s examination report again. Then, he furrowed his brow because her condition was indeed veryplicated to deal with. Closing the report abruptly, he stood up and went to the study room upstairs. After that, he rummaged through the huge bookshelf in the room and began to peruse a few of the ancient medical archives, hoping to find a solution to aid Nicole. On the other side, Jared was already on the road with Nicole. "What''s Ghost Hand?" Nicole finally asked. She became curious about it when Martin brought it up moments ago, but she had tried her best not to ask. Now she had the opportunity to do so. "Your medical skills were considered to be among the best in the world," Jared replied truthfully before proceeding to tell her that she was once the apprentice of James Dade, a world-renowned doctor. This left Nicole in a state of shock. ''Was I really that good?'' After she had lost her memories, she could only remember tiny bits of her medical knowledge, but she had no idea how she had obtained them. She did not expect that she had such a prominent mentor either. "Why didn''t we call him? Perhaps he could help me." Nicole stated, her eyes sparkling with a glimmer of hope. Jared looked at Nicole with a wry face. "He has retired, and I''m afraid that you''re the only person who can reach him." Of course, he was referring to the old Nicole who had not lost her memories. Nicole did not even remember who James Dade was, let alone know how to reach him. The light on Nicole''s face faded as a sense of helplessness flooded her. She had no memories of James at all. The hope that had just been built up waspletely torn down in an instant. She was devastated. "It''s fine. Your medical skills are still with you even though you can''t remember him. I''m sure that you can work something out with Martin''s help," Jared encouraged. Besides, they were in no rush to regain her memories, and because of that, they could just go with the flow. Soon after, the car came to a halt. Nicole looked out of the window and saw a restaurant. There, she could not help but blink in confusion. ''Aren''t we going home? Why are we here?'' N?velDrama.Org owns this. "Everyone at home would already be done with dinner by the time we get back. Besides, they''d be suspicious if we were to go home with empty stomachs," Jared exined to Nicole, as if he could read her thoughts. Then, he brought her out of the car. Chapter 2041 Chapter 2041 ''What Jared said makes sense,'' Nicole thought to herself as she epted the reality of the situation and followed Jared into the restaurant. The restaurant''s ambience instantly rxed Nicole as she allowed herself to sink into the atmosphere. As soon as Jared sat down, he heard someone calling out to him in a tone of surprise. "Mr. Johnston!" Soon, an attractive looking woman stood before them. Jared shot her a nce before taking a look at the menu and handing it to Nicole. "Order whatever you feel like eating. The dishes here should fit your pte," Jared said. Nicole flipped through the menu, though she could not keep her mind from wandering off to the thought of the woman she had just met. ''Who is the girl? It seems that they are pretty close to each other, but she isn''t in his list of contacts. There''s no reason as to why that is, unless she''s not important.'' "Mr. Johnston, who is this?" the woman asked, noticing that Jared seemed to be really concerned about the woman sitting in front of him. ''I''ve been around Jared quite frequently for the past five years, but never have I seen another woman like her around him, let alone one whom he would disy so much affection to. This is interesting,'' the woman thought. "My wife," Jared coldly replied. N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content. "You''re married? How was I not aware of that?" she asked, her startled voice bing louder. In response, Jared frowned, and a hint of irritation crossed his eyes. "Just do your job properly. There''s no need for you to poke your nose into my personal affairs." The woman quickly snapped out of it, and with her face as pale as a sheet, she apologized, "I''m sorry, I was just a little perplexed earlier. I shall excuse myself now." After she had spoken, the woman quickly turned around and left, not wanting to stay in the room for a second longer in fear of provoking Jared''s ire. The woman was in shock when she discovered the truth about Jared being married, hence her inability to keep herselfposed, leading her to blurt the question out by ident. Jared had never permitted anyone to discuss the matters of his personal life, not even in private. It had be an unspoken rule, which had seen unanimous understanding among the employees at Johnston Group. ''I''ve been in thispany for five years, and I''ve been by his side for the longest time. Yet, I have never seen him with a woman by his side or heard mentions of him being married. He didn''t even have a girlfriend, so where did this ''wife'' of hise from?'' the woman thought to herself. As she reached for the door, she turned back and nced at Nicole while gritting her teeth. Then, she left. After Nicole had finished ordering, she gave Jared a slight nce, "Admirer?" "Administrative secretary," Jared exined. ''Iris is great at her job. Doesn''t talk much and has worked for us for quite some time now, but to be my admirer¡­?'' Jared thought to himself. He was uncertain if it was true, but he did not put it to heart, as he was over the moon upon noting Nicole''s jealousy. A hint of yfulness was present in Jared''s eyes as he asked in a deep voice, "Why? Are you jealous?" Nicole looked away awkwardly. "Who? Me? Jealous? As if." "Really?" Jared raised his eyebrows a little. A yful glint was present in his eye as he looked at her. Nicole felt shy as Jared had seen right through her. She lowered her head and stared at the menu while muttering, "Well, your business has nothing to do with me." "Nothing to do with you? You''re my wife. Though it''s possible that she''s one of my admirers, aren''t you supposed to tell them to knock it off?" Jared chuckled, noticing that Nicole was avoiding any attempts to discuss the topic. "Stop. Don''t go around telling people that I''m your wife when this matter has yet to be resolved," said Nicole. ''Until my memories have been fully recovered, there will be no definite way of telling what''s toe,'' Nicole thought. "We have a marriage certificate, so you are my legal wife," Jared smiled. ''And this will never change.'' Chapter 2042 Chapter 2042 "That''s just your opinion." Nicole''s cheeks flushed a deep shade of red, unable to muster an appropriate response to Jared''s words. She was afraid that he would continue to tease her. Nicole had noticed the stare of the woman when her eyes were on Jared, inferring that they did not share an ordinary superior and subordinate rtionship. Nicole was ufortable about it, and that was why she had brought it up to question. However, Nicole did not anticipate that Jared wouldugh at her and use her of being jealous, a charge which had left her feeling embarrassed. ''Perhaps I''ll be able to validate the truth of our rtionship the day I recover my memories, but then again, I don''t really care about these things. Until then, I can help him lessen his number of admirers,'' Nicole thought. Jared, on the other hand, was in a good mood even after dinner was over. ''Though Nicole did not directly admit that she was jealous, I can see that she still has feelings for me. So far so good. Looks like we''re making progress,'' Jared thought. The two of them then returned to Riddle''s residence. "Mommy, did you go on a date with daddy?" Lana joyfully rushed over at full speed as soon as Nicole entered the living room. Noticing that her parents were watching TV with both Nn and Lana, Nicole asked, "Mom, Dad? Why are you guys still awake?" "Nn and Lana wanted to wait for you guys toe home. It''s still early so we decided to watch some TV to kill time while we wait for you guys toe home," Gloria replied with a smile. "Mommy, how was the date with daddy?" Lana raised her head. She was the one who had insisted on waiting for her parents toe home. Nicole patted Lana on her head and corrected her. "It''s not a date. Mommy and daddy had adult things to deal with, so we had toe home a littlete." Lana, being the clever girl she was, turned to ask Jared, "Daddy, did you and mommy go on a date? Mommy doesn''t want to admit it." N?velDrama.Org owns this. The corners of Nicole''s lip twitched a little as she helplessly warned, "Lana?" ''This girl is getting more and more out of control,'' Nicole thought. Jared smiled and nodded as he agreed, "Yeah." Satisfied, Lana smugly raised her chin. "I knew it." "You don''t know anything, stupid." Nn snorted in dismay before trotting his way upstairs. Nicole sighed when she saw Nn reacting that way. She then gave Jared a nk look, hoping that Jared would be more considerate toward Nn''s feelings. ''There are things that can only be epted with the passing of time. On top of that, he told the kids that we went on a real date instead of a casual dinner together,'' she thought. "He will have to ept it sooner orter." Jared frowned, feeling that he should not be hiding this from them. ''The kids have the right to know. Not to mention I am their father, and we will be living together from now on anyway,'' he thought. "Mommy, I''m not stupid. Nn is." Lana pouted. ''Mommy should be with daddy. He is stupid for being angry,'' Lana thought. "Alright, it''s almost time. Since you guys are back, you can put the kids to bed." Gloria said, signaling Nicole to go ahead and console the young boy. She felt sorry for Nn, but she also agreed with Jared''s reasoning. After that, Jared carried Lana in his arms and said, "Right. Off we go to bed." Chapter 2043 Chapter 2043 Nicole watched as Jared brought Lana upstairs in his arms. She bit her lip before following them up from behind. Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org. After everyone had left, Gloria sighed and worriedly asked, "Will Nn be alright?" "No," Danielforted. "But he''ll eventually realize that it is best to have both of his parents together." Gloria nodded a little, not expecting Nn to have such strong feelings of rejection toward Jared. "Let''s not think about it anymore. Let''s go to bed," Daniel suggested. "Okay, let''s go." Daniel and Gloria then went upstairs to get their rest. The once lively atmosphere had suddenly be gloomy. Daniel had noticed that Gloria was upset, and that was why he had changed the subject in an attempt to calm her down. The next day, the sun shone bright and high in the sky. The members of the Riddle family were awake and had gathered in the dining room for breakfast. Nn seemed to be feeling much better too, which was a relief for Gloria. After breakfast was over, both Nicole and Jared sent the twins to kindergarten. "Bye mommy! Bye daddy!" Lana bade her parents farewell with an affectionate tone in her voice. "Bye mommy! Bye Uncle Jared." Nn followed suit, though he deliberately addressed Jared by the title of ''uncle'', and in a louder volume than usual too. Jared frowned at him. ''This little brat.'' Overall, Jared was quite relieved that Nn was being respectful. However, he found his action a little worrying. After sending the kids off to kindergarten, Jared dropped Nicole off at the Riddle Corporation. He watched her as she walked in, the smile in his eyes gradually dissolving before his poker face returned. "Mr. Johnston, there''s someone tailing Mrs. Johnston," Max reported in a low voice. Jared''s eyes narrowed, and his voice became icy as he asked, "Who is it?" "I''ve checked, and though there was no concrete evidence to determine who it was, all of the clues point to Everett. I am certain that it was him who had given the orders," Max replied. Jared was not surprised. After all, Mr. Walker had just been sacked by Nicole, severing Damien''s influence at the HQpletely. It would be impossible for them to go down in shame and without a fight. "Keep an eye out on them. Make sure they don''ty a finger on Nicole." Jared''s eyes became icy, almost as though they could freeze hell over. "No worries, Mr. Johnston. I''ll get right on it," Max said. The car revved and Jared made his way to the Johnston Group''s head office. As soon as he arrived, Iris, his administrative secretary, was already there waiting for him with all of the meeting materials prepared. Iris knew that Jared would not lie about things like that. However she still felt curious about Nicole, who had appeared out of nowhere. For the past five years, Iris was the only woman who had been by Jared''s side. She had done her utmost to work alongside Jared in hopes of bing his mostpetent subordinate so that he would notice her and allow her to stay by his side forever. In the years thus far, there was no one around who was able to disce the synergy and bond that they had both shared, but the sudden appearance of Mrs. Johnston had caused Iris to feel out of ce. "Miss Brown? Let''s go," a voice suddenly uttered, derailing Iris'' train of thought before she realized that Jared had walked far up ahead. She immediately lowered her head and followed him from behind. Max nced at Iris and frowned. ''She''s been working with us for five years and has never made such mistakes. What''s wrong with her today?'' Chapter 2044 Chapter 2044 Jared had not paid any attention to the incident outside of the building and had walked in the meeting room fully prepared. At the Riddle Corporation however, Nicole was leaning against her office chair, staring at the door where the secretary once stood. She bit her lip as she recalled the incident involving the secretary from the night before. Nicole was certain that her instincts were on point, as all it had taken her was one look to discover that the secretary''s intentions toward Jared were devious. ''Or¡­perhaps Jared already knew about it¡­'' Nicole was feeling disturbed as she attempted to piece all that was running through her head. But it was then that her phone rang, interrupting her train of thought. It was Lawrence. Seeing this, Nicole answered the call. "Leo." "Mom, it''s me," Nn greeted over the phone. "Nn!" Nicole was bewildered. ''How can Nn call me on Lawrence''s phone?'' "Mom, my tummy hurts so I''ve asked godfather to get me. You cane pick me up at the restaurant during lunch. We''ll send you the addresster," Nn quickly said, and hung up so that Nicole could not protest. "Hello¡­.?" Nicole shook her head as she was left with the beeping of the phone on the other end, ''This brat.'' ''No wonder he was so perkyst night. After his tantrum, he went to bed obediently. During the morning too, I thought he had epted the reality of things but who could have expected that it was all an act to get me to let my guard down. Who knew that brat had called Lawrence as soon as he arrived at kindergarten,'' she concluded. Nicole ced her phone down and sighed, before typing up a message to Lawrence, in which she asked them where they were so that she could rush over. Nicole then received Lawrence''s reply, and that was when she saw that they were actually at the amusement park. ''Didn''t this brat say that he had a stomachache? Amusement parks are more effective than seeing doctors now, huh?'' Nicole left the Riddle Corporation for the amusement park after she had settled her work. She saw Nn''s cheerful and smiling face and could not help but feel a little sorry for him. After all, the recent happenings were all on her. ''I''ve never seen him smiling so genuinely since our return.'' "Mommy, you''re here!" Nn jumped up happily as soon as he had gotten off the pirate ship. Nicole poked Nn''s forehead, and warned, "You are not allowed to lie to me again in the future, do you hear me? Don''t you know how worried everyone was about you?" "When mommy wasn''t around, I really had a bad tummy ache," Nn argued. "Why didn''t you go to the doctors instead ofing to the amusement park, then?" Nicole retorted. "I took him there. He had one too many cold drinks. The doctor told him to be more careful in the future and that he should not be given too many cold drinks," Lawrence butted in with a smile. "Cold drinks?" Nicole said with a look of puzzlement. ''How can he drink cold beverages? They''re all strictly limited at home,'' she wondered. Nn scratched his head in guilt. "I got upst night and snacked a little." Nicole gave Nn the side eye, suspecting that Nn had done it on purpose. Nicole knew that Nn was well-aware that he could not drink cold beverages. Thus he had snuck his way down in the middle of the night to indulge in copious amounts of cold, canned drinks, causing his tummy to hurt. Nicole was a little upset that Nn had not sought her, Jared or even her parents. Instead, he had gone to Lawrence. This gave her mixed emotions as she turned to look at Nn. "I''ll let you go this time, but I need to know that there won''t be a next time," Nicole sternly said. Nicole was well-aware of the lengths Nn had gone just to see Lawrence. Above all, she was concerned that he had ced his health at risk in order to achieve that. It was something Nicole would not allow to repeat. "I know, mommy." Nn obediently agreed upon noticing the seriousness on his mother''s face and resolved not to behave so recklessly in the future again. "Since you''re all fine, let''s head back to kindergarten," Nicole said as she was ready to send him back. Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org. Though Nn was reluctant to return to the kindergarten, he did not dare to defy his mother, as he had seen the degree of seriousness on her face. So, he lowered his head and half-heartedly followed her. Chapter 2045 Chapter 2045 Lawrence was also unwilling to see Nn go, but when he remembered that they had made a promise with one another. Lawrence spoke up. "Why not let him y for a while to his heart''s content, I mean, since we''re already here, we can go for lunch too; I''ve already made reservations. If he can''t go, it''ll just be the two of us." Lawrence''s sudden statement caused Nicole to hesitate. ''In situations like these, especially if he and I were to go out for a meal, it would be best for Nn to be there.'' "Alright then." Nicole agreed in defeat. "Yay!" Nn cheered, instantly looking happier. Nicole shook her head and issued a soft sigh before walking alongside Lawrence to bring Nn back to the amusement park again. "He hasn''t looked this happy in such a long time." Lawrence sighed as he saw the look of joy on Nn''s face. "Before this, all I ever wanted to do was to protect them. I didn''t want to put them in danger. However, what I didn''t consider was that Nn would go behind my back to participate in the hacking competition. Things spiraled beyond my control when that happened, and ever since then, there has been no turning back. I can only ept things as theye," Nicole solemnly said. Nicole understood Lawrence''s intentions, and that his remark was not intended just for Nn. It also stood as a reminder that living on Crescent Ind was more suitable andfortable for them. It was a ce where they were able to live free from all constraints. Beforeing back to San Joto, Nicole was not aware of anything at all; she had no idea about the different lives she could have and had been, but now that she knew, there was no going back. The responsibilities and obligations Nicole had acquired following her return were indications that she could no longer shy away from it. All her friends and family that were here had created anchors of attachment for Nicole that were almost impossible for her to ignore and disregard. "I know that once you''ve made a decision, there''s no going back, but I just want to remind you that you''re always wee toe to me anytime if there''s anything you need, even here in San Joto, I''ll lend you a hand whenever you need it," Lawrence solemnly replied in consideration of what Nicole had just stated. "Thank you so much for your constant help and care for all those years, Leo. I hope these things won''t hold you back from getting married and having children of your own. Besides, there is a lot to take in whenever onees to San Joto, and there are definitely things to deal with, but for me, I''ll be fine," Nicole said as her expression darkened. ''As for the constant changes, I best be tackling them one by one,'' she thought. Lawrence could not help but feel helpless as he reminisced the times in which he had helped her with her children on the ind. ''Her attitude toward me now is so cold. Though she had thanked me for saving her life, she had done so out of courtesy as a friend. Perhaps she could''ve been mine if I waited out a little longer but now, the distance between us is getting wider. I guess this is what I have been afraid of. The end results that I''ve least hoped for.'' "Mommy, godfather. Let''s go!" Nn happily ran over to the two of them after a while of ying. "Come on, it''s almost time for lunch anyway. Nn, you must be hungry from all the running, right?" Lawrence suggested. N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content. Nn nodded his head vigorously. "Yeah, I''m starving." "How could you still y if you''re starving?" Nicole said, feeling helpless. "It''s rare for both mommy and godfather to bring me out to y," Nn giggled, grinning ear to ear. It was evident that Nn had epted Lawrence more as the father figure in his life. Nicole bit her lips lightly as she understood where Nn wasing from, but she did not respond in fear of dragging this topic longer than she desired to. ''I don''t know why this brat said it out loud. He has really put me on the spot.'' Nicole fastened Nn to the car seat, and before long, they were on their way to the restaurant. Once they arrived, they were quickly ushered to their seats as Lawrence had made reservations. Their meals were served in the same fashion too. "Wow. This is delicious." Nn''s eyes lit up as he watched the food being served. He was starving from all the running in the morning. "Dig in." Lawrence smiled affectionately as he gestured at the boy to help himself. Chapter 2046 Chapter 2046 "Mommy, godfather. Let''s dig in." Nn said before he began scarfing down his food. Nicole watched as Nn devoured his food. She couldn''t help but to tell him to slow down. Nn, who was too busy indulging his food, nodded in agreement, mumbling a few unintelligible words before continuing to eat his food. Nicole ced vegetables into his bowl and a ss of fruit juice in front of him, to which he took a sip with his eyes closed, as he had a tough time swallowing the food he was scarfing down. "Nicole, you can have a bite." Lawrence went on to ce Nicole''s favorite dishes in front of her for her convenience. "Yeah, let''s dig in." Nicole nodded before signaling Lawrence to eat too. "Mommy, godfather? Can we bring Lana together with us next time? The four of us haven''t been out together in a long time," Nn asked after swallowing the food in his mouth as he looked at Lawrence eagerly. Nn did not look at his mother as he knew she would chew him out, which made him anxious. "Of course." Lawrence readily agreed, knowing Nn was on his side. "Nn, focus on eating if you will." Though Nicole did not object to the n, her tone and expression said everything, the meaning of which Nn understood clearly. "Mommy." Nn bit his lip, wanting to protest, but the warning look from Nicole discouraged him, making him lower his head. "Nicole, to be fair I was the closest person you had on Crescent Ind, so for a child, it''s normal to have such attachment and thoughts," Lawrence exined, not wanting Nicole to me Nn for spouting what she imed was hogwash. After issuing a sigh, Nicole said, "I''m not ming him for this. I am just reminding him not to talk nonsense." Lawrence and Nicole could only be friends, but if Nn persisted in shipping them together through his wanton use of misleading words, it would put a strain on their friendship, and this was not something Nicole wanted. N?velDrama.Org is the owner. Noticing how determined Nicole was in her decision, Lawrence''s eyes gradually darkened as he avoided eye contact with her, minding nothing and nobody but Nn, who was eating. Nicole bit her lip and sighed. ''Nn still needs some time to adjust.'' The atmosphere at the dining became inexplicably chilly, and it remained that way until someone came over to their table, bringing with them the beautiful sound of the violins. The melodies of the harmony were meant to express love. "Sorry, we didn''t¡­." Nicole said, thinking that the performer had made a mistake. She wanted to tell them they had not requested for their service. Nn suddenly spoke up. "Mommy, this sounds really good. Godfather has prepared this specifically for you. You have to listen carefully." Nicole raised her eyebrows and looked at Lawrence. After a moment of awkwardness, Lawrence nodded and said, "Music has its own temperament, I suppose." Hearing this, Nicole understood the situation immediately. ''This must be the work of Nn. That brat and Lawrence''s brief moment of confusion proved me right. This brat is a real handful. I can''t believe he won''t give up on shipping Lawrence and I together.'' "Change the genre. I think one that represents friendship is more appropriate," a cold voice suddenly ordered behind Nicole as she felt a shadow looming over her head. Chapter 2047 Chapter 2047 Nicole was utterly shocked when realized what had happened. ''Why on earth is Jared here?!'' She looked up slowly, feeling a little guilty as she forced a smile out. "Hey, what a coincidence. You''re here for lunch too, huh?" "What a coincidence indeed," Jared responded as he looked at Lawrence and Nn coldly. ''Why are they here together? Where''s Lana? Is she still in pre-school?'' Jared asked himself. N?velDrama.Org owns this. "Nn had a tummy ache, so¡­" Nicole said, trying to exin the situation to Jared. She did not know why but she just did not want Jared to misunderstand them. But before she could do any damage control, Nn raised his chin up and said smugly, "I wanted to go to the theme park, so godfather and Mommy brought me there. We got tired from ying, so we''re eating lunch now." "You?" Jared frowned deeply as he looked at them. Having figured Nn''s scheme out with ease, he thought, ''This little guy sure knows how to get on my nerves. He''s trying to get Nicole and Lawrence on a date, isn''t he?'' "Yup!" Nn raised his head as if to say, "That''s right. It''s me!" "So you made a mistake, and you don''t see a problem with it?" Jared narrowed his eyes. They had taken Nn to school in the morning, and even if Nn wanted to visit the theme park, he could do so over the weekend. ''This is outrageous. Nn needs to be taught a lesson,'' Jared thought. "What mistake?" Nn asked, not having it. ''I didn''t sneak out to y by myself anyway.'' "Is today a weekend?" Jared asked with a stern look on his face. Nn was taken aback. He shook his head, and in a quiet voice, he said, "No." "Mr. Johnston, the kid just wants to y. Besides, he just went to school, so you don''t have to be so strict on him." Lawrence looked upset when he saw how strict Jared was. "I''m his father, so I have the responsibility and the right to teach my kid. Even if you''re his godfather, I must ask that you do not coddle him too much. It''s not good for him," Jared said coldly with a piercing gaze. Noticing how tense the situation was, Nicole stepped up to stop them. "Jared, Leo." "You think he should spoil Nn too?" Jared narrowed his eyes, feeling extremely frustrated. "No, but this happened for a reason." Nicole took Nn by the hand and stood up, not wanting to borate further. "Besides, we just got done eating and were just about to leave." Then, she looked at Lawrence and continued, "Leo, I''m taking Nn back home. It''s gettingte, and it''s time for Nn''s afternoon nap." "Sure, go home then." Lawrence smiled warmly. Jared finally felt better when he saw Nicole leaving the ce. "Let''s go." "Mr. Johnston, you¡­" Max looked upstairs for a while. "Go on my behalf." Jared then carried Nn in his arms and left hand-in-hand with Nicole. Lawrence''s gaze darkened. He was aware that Nn was trying to create more chances for them, but now that Jared had shown up, he had ruined everything again. It was the happiest day in San Joto for Lawrence. When he was ying around with Nicole and Nn in the theme park, everything truly felt surreal, as if life should always be like this. Now, as he watched Nn and Nicole being taken away like that, he suddenly felt as though something had been taken away from him, which made his heart hurt. Chapter 2048 Chapter 2048 He watched as the trio walked further away, eventually disappearing at the entrance, well away from sight. The air was cold around Lawrence, and he kept quiet, with nobody able to tell what was on his mind. Concurrently, Jared got into the car with Nicole and Nn outside of the restaurant. N?velDrama.Org owns this. Nn quickly scooted over to the furthest end of the seat after Jared had released him, looking slightly awkward. ''It''s such a weird feeling. I kind of hate this guy, but I felt something that I cannot exin when he was carrying me just now.'' Nicole bit her lips when she saw Jared igniting the engine. "Do you have someone or something to tend to? I can take Nn home myself, actually." He had probably left Max behind because he needed Max to take his ce in a meeting. At the same time, Nicole became cognizant of why Jared had showed up at the restaurant. Mixed feelings arose within her when she realized that Jared had pushed his work aside just to take her and Nn back home. "Nn had one too many cold drinks yesterday, so he ended up with an upset stomach when he was at school. He contacted Lawrence. Well, he''s probably just used to it because he would contact Lawrence whenever something happened back then." Nicole bit her lips again. She figured that she should offer Jared an exnation, but she carefully kept Nn''s n a secret. Jared and Nn did not have the best father and son rtionship, so she did not want to create more conflicts between the two of them. "There won''t be any cold drinks or food in the house from now on," Jared responded. Since the kids should not be consuming them, there was no reason for cold food and drinks to exist in the house. It would be impossible for the kids to resist the temptation. Nicole''s lips twitched as she did not expect Jared to do such a thing. Nn put on a pitiful look as well. ''It''s not like I can''t eat them at all, I just can''t eat too much of it! There goes my happiness.'' Jared looked really upset at that time, so all of them remained silent and kept to themselves. Jared shot them a nce through the rear-view mirror, squinting his eyes. He believed that Nicole was speaking the truth, although it was a far cry from the full story. However, he understood what Nicole was trying to do, so he chose to let Nn off the hook. When they got home, Gloria and Daniel were shocked to see Nn, who had returned all of a sudden. "Why is Nn back so early? Where''s Lana? Why have you only taken Nn home?" "He''s not feeling well, so we took him home to get some rest. We''ll pick Lana up from school when she''s done with her sses." Jared said, maintaining hisposure. Still, Gloria was worried. "Which part is hurting, Nn? Come and let Grandma have a look." "Grandma, I''m fine now." Nn bowed his head andforted Gloria when he noticed how worried Gloria was. He did not expect this to happen. He just wanted his godfather and his mother''s date to be a sess. He figured that his godfather would emerge victorious if he could win Nicole over. However, he did not expect so many people to be worried about him. "We can''t take this lightly. Let''s get a doctor to check on him," Gloria said, about to contact a doctor. "Mom, we''ve already taken him to a doctor. The doctor said he will be fine if he gets some rest. It''s time for his nap now too, so let''s just give him some time to rest," Nicole reassured. Gloria then agreed, and replied, "Okay then, let him get some sleep." "Sure, I''ll take him upstairs." Nicole then left the living room with Nn. "Jared, if Nn and Lana need help next time, just let us know. We know you''re both extremely busy with work, so just leave them to us," Daniel offered, feeling bad for both Jared and Nicole. They had to work and take care of their children at the same time, which was really taxing. "Sure, we will ask for your help if we can''t handle it." Jared agreed as he knew that they would feel worse if he did not. Chapter 2049 Chapter 2049 "Jared, is there really no way to help Nicole regain her memories?" Gloria asked as tears began to well up in her eyes. Daniel chimed in as well. "I remember a famous doctor called James Dade. Can we contact him?" "No one knows where he is." Jared shook his head. Indeed, the only person who knew James had lost her memory, so it was impossible for them to reach that man. "Doesn''t he have an apprentice? Someone by the name of Ghost Hand, I think," Daniel responded. ''If we can''t get a hold of that doctor, contacting his apprentice should be good enough. It''s not impossible to reach that apprentice of his, right?'' Daniel wondered. "How do you know so much?" Jared replied to Daniel with a question of his own instead. In truth, Nicole was Ghost Hand, but even she could not treat herself. "I heard my brothers talking about this before," Daniel answered candidly. If he had not overheard their conversation, he would not have known this much either. Jared realized that Damien had tried his best to give Chloe the best treatment, though he had not been able to reach James or Ghost Hand. ''How would they react if they knew that Nicole is Ghost Hand?'' "Does that mean we have no other choice now?" Gloria''s face nched. Even Damien had not been able to find them after all these years, which meant that it would be utterly impossible for them to do so too. "We''re thinking of a way, so don''t worry about it for now. I believe Nicole will remember everything," Jaredforted her. "Actually, we aren''t really concerned about that. But you see, she''s the president of the Riddle Corporation now, so the loss of her memories would present a ton of challenges for her," Daniel said sternly. As parents, they were happy to get their daughter back. In fact, they did not wish for more, even if they could. However, Nicole was shouldering a lot of responsibility now, and above all, there were many individuals of devious character who had their eyes on her, which was why her parents were so worried about her. "Don''t worry, I will protect her," Jared said in a serious tone as he had sworn to never allow anyone or anything to hurt Nicole again. "Mom? Dad?" Nicole came downstairs after she had put Nn to sleep. They exchanged looks as they collectively ended the conversation. They did not want to burden Nicole because they were worried that it was detrimental to her health. "Are you heading out again?" Gloria asked when she saw that Nicole was still in her work attire. Nicole nodded. "I still have to take care of something in the office, and I''ll pick Lana up from school when I''m done with work." "Let''s go." Jared said, ready to leave as well. "Mom, dad, please take care of Nn for me," Nicole reminded. Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org. In response, they said, "Don''t worry, we''ll take good care of him." Relieved, Jared and Nicole got into the car. Jared then drove her to the headquarters of Riddle Corporation. "Everett is investigating you. I don''t know what''s going on in his head, but I''ve made sure that he would not be able to get any information about you," Jared informed Nicole softly. "Did I expose myself?" Nicole asked, not understanding why Everett was investigating her. Jared shook his head as he did not see anything weird going on with Everett as well. ''Maybe he just finds Nicole''s sudden return weird,'' Jared thought. "Got it." Nicole''s gaze darkened after she had heard Jared. Now that they had fired Mr. Walker and his man, Damien had probably grown even antsier. They figured that Damien might start taking action now. Nicole killed her thoughts when the car came to a halt, realizing that they were already at the headquarters of the Riddle Corporation. "Thank you. I''ll head upstairs now," Nicole said, opening the car door, and ready to leave. Jared pulled her back and grabbed her hand as he softly said, "I''ll take care of Everett, so don''t engage him too aggressively." "Okay, just the usual businesspetition," Nicole said with a smirk. She would not take the initiative to make a move on him, but she would definitely not sit idly by either. Even if she took no action, Damien''s side would not be sitting quietly, so it was expected that Everett would be on guard. Chapter 2050 Chapter 2050 "Run along then. I''ll pick you up after work." Jared smiled, as he knew that Nicole already had a n in mind. Even though she had lost her memories, she still had some aces up her sleeves. It was safe to say that anyone foolish enough to mess with her would not live a good life. Nicole''s cheeks flushed as she got down from the car. She only turned around to enter the office building after Jared had driven away. "Hey, Sean." Nicole greeted Sean right after she had gotten out of the elevator. "I was just looking for you. Come to my office with me," Sean said as he made a beeline for his office. Nicole could tell that Sean was serious, so she followed him. Steve entered Sean''s office a few minutester and joined them after they had gotten in. "What happened? Why do you want me to cancel the project?" Steve asked, clearly upset. ''This is money! It''s our loss if we don''t go through with it.'' "Take a look at this." Sean threw a file on the table. Steve flipped it open as Nicole scanned the documents. All of a sudden, her eyes widened. "What?! This is outrageous!" Steve widened his eyes in disbelief too. "What a professional trap, huh?" Nicole snorted. If Sean had not gotten someone in his ranks to take a closer look, they would have suffered a great loss. "What should we do now? Admit defeat?" Steve asked in frustration. "This is why I''ve called you two here. Let''s have a seat." Sean then sat down on the couch as Nicole and Steve followed suit. "Any ns, Sean?" Steve asked with a solemn look on his face. In response, Nicole said, "Sean is nning to roll with the punches." N?velDrama.Org ? 2024. Sean smirked. "Bingo." "You''ve got a n ready yet?" Nicole asked. "Have a look at this." Sean pulled another file out. "Not bad! This is a good n," Steve eximed in admiration, already feeling the eagerness to give it a try. Sean then looked at Nicole. "What do you think?" Nicole frowned. "Not bad, but I think you should improve on certain areas like here and here¡­" "See?" Sean smiled at Steve after he had heard Nicole''s suggestion. Steve scratched his head and chuckled, "Nicole is really thorough, alright." "I''m not thorough. It''s just that you''ve forgotten about someone." Nicole''s gaze darkened as her tone turned cold. Sean and Steve looked at each other before asking, "Everett?" "Yes." Nicole nodded fervently. "He doesn''t really have much of a presence. That''s why we don''t really take him into ount," Steve solemnly said. "That''s why he''s dangerous." Quiet people like him are more likely to turn the tables at the most crucial moment. As he thought about it, Sean stated, "We''ll go with your suggestions, and I''ll send someone to keep an eye on Everett. He won''t get the chance to cause us too much trouble." "Jared''s already tailing him, so I guess he won''t cause any trouble for now. But we still have to be careful of him," Nicole replied. She did not tell them about Everett investigating her as she simply wanted to remind Sean and Steve that they should keep their guard up against both Damien and Everett. Chapter 2051 Chapter 2051 "Mr. Johnston''s investigating him|? Did something happen?" Sean''s eyes widened. In an instant, he had figured that things were not as simple as Nicole had described. "Can you not be so astute?" Nicole shed him a helpless smile. All she had given him was a vague reminder, and yet, he had managed to intuit theplexity of this case. However, she really did not want to burden her brother by getting him tangled in her own issues. Jared being on the case was good enough. "I''m right, then. But since you don''t want to talk about it, I''m going to stop asking. Still, I must ask that you do not hide it from us if you ever find yourself in danger," Sean offered, understanding Nicole''s intentions. "Sure." Nicole replied as she felt the warmth in her heart. "Well then, let''s start ording to the n," Sean said affirmatively. Having reached an agreement, Nicole and Steve left Sean''s office. Once they were outside, Steve gave Nicole a reassuring look and stated, "Don''t worry. Things will go smoothly if we follow your n. Our uncles won''t gain anything, no matter how hard they try to take advantage of us." Nicole''s lips lifted with confidence as she nodded. "Yeah." Following the division of the Riddle family into multiple factions, all of her brothers had been managing their own businesses each, allowing the Riddle Corporation to remain a legitimate entity to this day. For that reason, Nicole would never allow anyone to jeopardize the foundation of the Riddle family, not even her uncles. After parting ways, Nicole and Steve returned to their respective offices. Knowing that Sean and Steve were busy resolving the issue concerning their uncles, Nicole rxed, took some of her documents out, and tended to those other tasks. Hours passed in a blink, and with evening upon them, it was time for her to leave. The second Nicole stepped out of thepany building, she saw Jared''s car. She quickly strode over to it and got in. "Come on, Lana''s waiting for us." Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org. Nn was not in school with her today, so they could not help but wonder if Lana felt awkward being alone. By the time they arrived, ss had ended, and the kids were all lining up already. "Mommy!" Lana ran to Nicole when she saw her. Nicole lifted her up and asked, "Nn wasn''t with you today. Were you afraid?" "Nope." Lana shook her head. "My best friend, Nona, was with me the entire day today." Nicole was relieved when she heard that. She was d that Lana had made herself a good friend even though she had just started her sses here. After Nicole had gotten into the car with her, Lana leaped into Jared''s arms and greeted, "Daddy!" "Good girl." Jared brushed her hair lovingly as he eyed her with a gentle gaze. "Let''s go home. Your brother is waiting for you." Nicole sat down,pletely relieved when she saw that Lana was doing fine. "When did Nn go home?" Lana asked as she widened her eyes. "This afternoon," Nicole responded. Lana was shocked. "He went to see our godfather. Why is he back so early?" Lana thought Nn would still be with Lawrence at this hour. "How did you know?" Nicole was surprised. ''How did Lana know that Nn went to see Lawrence?'' "Nn said his tummy hurt, so our teacher brought him to the office to call our parents. After that, I saw our godfather taking Nn away, so I know he definitely called him," she replied. Then, Lana continued in a matter-of-fact tone. "Obviously, Nn just wanted to see our godfather." ''Otherwise, why would Nn call him? He could''ve called Daddy and Mommy, or even Grandpa and Grandma!'' she thought. Nicole''s smile twitched when she realized how level-headed Lana was. ''These two are cheeky rascals. They''re giving me a headache.'' Chapter 2052 Chapter 2052 "It''s okay. Nn can hang out with his godfather if he wants. But he has toe home after visiting him." Jared smiled. ''This girl looks innocent and cute on the outside, but she''s actually really clever. Looks like she won''t be easily fooled by nasty boys when she grows up,'' he thought. "Nn misses godfather very much nowadays." Lana shrugged with a disdainful look on her face. ''I mean, is there anyone who couldn''t tell what Nn is thinking? It''s painfully obvious. Nn is a smart boy. He could even do what Mommy does as a hacker. I just don''t get why he can''t understand this.'' ''If Mommy and Godpa were meant to be, they would have been together a long time ago. Why would they wait until now? Why can''t he just try to get Daddy and Mommy back together instead? Daddy is handsome and rich! Most importantly, he is very loyal to Mommy. How nice!'' Lana wondered. Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org. Lana issued a sigh as she dwelled in her thoughts. ''Did Nn put all his intelligence into hacking? Is that why he doesn''t have the intelligence to consider other things? Maybe Nn is just a dumb boy when ites to love. That''s why he''s so dense!'' "What''s wrong?" Nicole became confused when she heard Lana''s sigh. ''Is it because Nn went to see Lawrence?'' Nicole wondered. Lana had said it herself as well, so Nicole was a little worried that Nn would starting up with excuses just to see Lawrence. "Nothing." Lana looked up and smiled sweetly. ''I better not share this with Mommy. She''s going to be embarrassed,'' she thought. When they got home, everyone was already back and were all happily chatting away in the living room. "Hello, Grandpa, Grandma, and my uncles." Lana ran over to the couch with her tiny legs. "Aw, you''re home, Lana." Gloria held her up and sat her on the couch. Lana looked at Nn while she leaned on Gloria. "Does your tummy still hurt, Nn?" "Not anymore," the kid replied. For whatever reason, Nn felt guilty when Lana became genuinely concerned about him. "That''s good to hear." Lana nodded. After all, she had a great deal of concern for brother''s health. "Since everyone''s back now, let''s eat," Samuel dered. "Let''s go." Daniel stood up, prompting everyone to follow him to the dining room. Though Lana wasing along as well, she said, "I''ve eaten a lot in school, so I''m really full now. I won''t be eating anymore." "Not even a little?" Gloria asked. Lana shook her head. "You can eat. I''ll just sit with all of you." "Okay then." Everyone then began tucking in without waiting when they were informed that Lana was not hungry. Then, Samuel asked Nn and Lana, "Where do you want to go on the weekend? I''ll take you there." "Don''t you have to go on a date?" Lana looked up and asked innocently. Samuel''s eyes widened when Lana threw a question like that at him. "How old are you exactly, Lana?" ''What a cheeky girl. She''s so young, yet she''s already sticking her nose into matters like these!'' he thought. Everyone at the table burst outughing after Lana had asked him that question. "That means you do. But don''t worry, Uncle Samuel. Daddy and Mommy will take us out." Lana then looked at Nicole. "Right, mommy?" Nicole was speechless. ''This kid just set me up, didn''t she?'' "Nicole, you should take the kids out to y if they want to," Daniel advised when he noticed her hesitating. He did not want Lana to be disappointed. Chapter 2053 Chapter 2053 "Yeah, take them outside. It''s the weekend after all," Gloria chimed in. Nicole gave in when she saw Stanley and Spencer looking at her. "Okay. I''ll take the two of you out to y." As expected, Lana was satisfied. She then looked at Jared and said, "You have to start preparing, Daddy!" Jared arched his brow when he heard Lana''s remark. Then, he turned to Nicole, who rolled her eyes at him in response. After dinner, everyone chatted away in the living room for a while before they retired to their rooms. Nicole and Jared left the kids'' room after the twins had fallen asleep. Taken aback, they simultaneously uttered, "He''s asleep." "She''s asleep." "Yeah, Lana fell asleep pretty quickly," Jared responded. Nicole looked at Nn''s room andmented, "Nn seems to have something on his mind, but he has fallen asleep too." "It probably has something to do with Lawrence." Jared''s gaze darkened. He knew what Nn was thinking, but he could not understand why Nn was so persistent about Lawrence. ''What is it about me that didn''t meet his expectations?'' "Perhaps he just needs time to adjust." Nicole sighed. Jared raised his brow as he responded in a yful tone, "Are you trying tofort me?" Nicole paused as her cheeks flushed. "No." She quickly went to their room, and Jared smiled as he followed her from behind. When they were in their room, Jared grabbed Nicole and pinned her against the wall. Then, he held her soft hand and ced it on his chest where the heart was. "My son doesn''t acknowledge me, and it really hurts. Shouldn''t you beforting me?" Nicole was at a loss for words. She did not know how to respond to Jared. All she could feel was the pounding of his heart on her palm. Then, her own heart gradually began to race uncontrobly, causing her to panic. While Nicole was lost in her thoughts, Jared inched closer, his breath growing heavier. Nicole''s scent became more intoxicating to him, and his eyes darkened. He was going to lose control of himself. Suddenly, he kissed her on the lips, an act which brought Nicole back to reality. She wanted to push him away, but as none of her attempts were of any avail, she gave in. After a long, deep kiss, Nicole''s sense of rationality gradually returned. She looked at Jared''s deep, profound eyes, her cheeks burning as she blushed hard. "You should go to bed. I''m going to take a shower." Nicole panicked and pushed him away before running to the bathroom. Watching her flee, a wicked smile grew on Jared''s face, and his gaze softened. The next day, the sun shone high and bright, the sky shaded a rose red at dawn. Nicole arrived at the headquarters of the Riddle Corporation as usual. When she sat down, someone suddenly knocked on her door. "Come in," Nicole said. N?velDrama.Org is the owner. Once the door opened, Steve walked in. "It''s a sess!" Hearing that, Nicole smiled. "Congrattions, Steve." "Why me? It''s your n that seeded." Steve shook his head as he looked at Nicole with admiration. "But you''re the one who benefited from it. You''re going to be really busy with this project from now on," Nicole replied. As the CEO of thepany, Steve was the one who was in charge of the Project Department. Thus, it was naturally his responsibility, and by extension, the responsibility of his department to ensure that such a major project waspleted well. With that in mind, Steve boasted, "You''re right, this is a significant achievement for the Project Department." "You''re really modest, Steve," Nicole chuckled. ''He is in love with money.'' "Oh, that''s not necessary. Thepany is ours now. As long as we work hard, make our parents proud, and not let Grandpa down, that''s good enough." Steve shrugged as he felt that there was no need for false modesty. Chapter 2054 Chapter 2054 Nicole smiled and agreed. "You''re right." "Okay, I''m just here to bring you this piece of good news. I''m leaving now." Steve waved and left. Nicole was in a good mood as the n was going smoothly. She felt a lot more rxed when she looked at the documents too. On the other hand, the air in Damien''s office was extremely oppressive. "What happened?! Somebody tell me what happened!" Damien roared as ck thoughts raced through his mind. ''How did they f*ck this up?!'' "Uh¡­" Someone stuttered. It was toote for them to say anything at this point. "You can all leave now," Everett told them in a cold voice. They then nced at Damien, waiting for his permission. "Piss off." Damien waved his hand in annoyance. They immediately scrambled out of the ce as if their lives had just been spared. After everyone had left, Damien''s voice deepened, and he asked Everett, "What do you want to say?" He knew that Everett would not get them to leave without a good reason, so he probably had something important to say. N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content. Everett''s eyes dimmed as he replied, "I got someone to investigate this. This was a deliberate n against us." Damien frowned. "Who did it?!" ''How dare they plot against us?! They sure have the guts. Who in San Joto has the audacity to do this?!'' he fumed. "Steve," Everett said slowly. "Him?!" Damien asked, feeling very skeptical. "Other than making money, he''s actually ying mind games now?!" ''Something''s not right. Steve didn''t know about our n. How could he act against us?'' he pondered. "There''s a high chance that it''s Nicole." Even though Damien had not discovered any evidence as of yet, the secretive nature of their initial n did not seem to be something that Steve would be able to notice. For that reason alone, he suspected that it was Nicole who had exposed and retaliated against them. After all, when Nicole was gone for the past five years, they had been given the opportunities to pull some strings for their own gain behind closed doors, even though their operations were nowhere as sessful as the headquarters. But ever since Nicole''s return, they had been suffering crushing defeats. Because of this, he could not help but have doubts about who the perpetrator was. "That girl." Damien gritted his teeth in anger, for Nicole had ruined his n once again. "Dad, Nicole and Sean have found out about this, so we can''t use it anymore. We have to think of other ways." Everett''s eyes darkened. After all, building a reliable and mutually beneficial line of cooperation was not something that could be aplished overnight. "Fine." Damien nodded with frustration. "What a shame. We''ve been using Harmon Trading for years. It has secured us several major projects in recent years." What they did not expect was that Nicole would disrupt their connection with Harmon Trading as soon as she returned. "Yeah. Harmon Trading was our affiliatedpany in secret. No one knew about this. It really is a shame," Everett agreed. Besides, Nicole and her brothers might not fall for their trap if they employed the same methods again. This meant that they could not establish any other shadowpanies, and therefore, they had to think of other ways. "Let''s see if we cane up with other options," Damien said through gritted teeth, feeling helpless and upset. "Okay." Everett nodded. Then, Damien frowned and asked, "You said you were going to investigate Nicole. Any updates on that?" "I haven''t discovered anything unusual, but I just find it¡­strange." Everett furrowed his brows. Though his investigation yielded nothing out of the ordinary, he just could not help but feel that something was off. As to what it was, he could not put a finger on it. Chapter 2055 Chapter 2055 "Forget it, then. She has already made a move against us, so we can''t just sit back and do nothing. From now on, let''s just focus on managing thepany," Damien said. Damien believed that if there was no evidence, it meant that there was nothing wrong. In the end of the day, the conclusion was still the same ¨C they could not allow Nicole and her family to be the ones with the upper hand. All of them had the right to inherit the Riddle family''s wealth and power. Damien squinted as he thought about the inheritance, revealing a sinister glint in his eyes. They were so close to seeding when Mr. Riddle Sr. was at his limits, but Nicole just had to return and treat him. ''How infuriating!'' "Got it," Everett responded. However, he did not wish to give up. He had a feeling that Nicole was shrouded in a veil of mystery, and whatever it was that lied behind that veil was crucial for them and their sess. Leaving the office, Everett ordered his assistant, "Continue the investigation. As for Harmon Trading, just let them take care of it themselves. They shouldn''t being to me anymore. I don''t need idiots." "Yes, sir," the assistant responded respectfully. Everett then strode into his own office with an eerily gloomy expression on his face. The sun was bright in the afternoon, and Nicole was taking a power nap on the couch in her office after eating her lunch. It was then that two knocks on the door were heard, prompting her tozily respond by saying, "Come in." The door opened, and her secretary appeared standing at the door. "Miss Nicole, Mr. Lawrence is here." "Leo?" Nicole snapped out of her thoughts as she was surprised to see Lawrence there all of a sudden. "Sorry to disturb your rest." Lawrence entered with a smile. "Not at all. Please have a seat," Nicole replied as she gestured for her secretary to prepare some coffee. N?velDrama.Org ? 2024. Lawrence took a seat, whereupon a curious Nicole asked, "What brings you here all of a sudden?" "I''m afraid you will never invite me over if I didn''te," Lawrence yfully said. Feeling a little awkward, Nicole tried to exin herself, "Our coboration has been going smoothly, so there really isn''t anything in particr for us to discuss." She also thought they were rather busy with their lives, so the act of reaching out without a specific reason might only serve to disrupt or affect Lawrence''s work. There was a slight hint of darkness in Lawrence''s eyes as he paused for a second. "I remember you said that we''re friends. Is work all we have to talk about, and nothing else?" "Of course, we''re friends." Nicole smiled as she knew that this was a fact that would never change. "Your coffee, Miss Nicole." The secretary ced the coffee on the table before exiting the room. Nicole gestured for Lawrence to have his coffee and in a casual tone of voice, she asked, "Did you really juste for a chat?" "Not really." Lawrence smiled. "I''m interested in a project by Interster International. However, they have stated that they want a thirdpany to coborate with us." "Why?" Nicole asked, puzzled. Interster International was powerful, and it was safe to say that Lawrence was no slouch himself, in spite of the fact that he had only been in San Joto for a short amount of time. Therefore, she could not help but wonder why they would want a thirdpany to coborate with them. Chapter 2056 Chapter 2056 In a helpless tone, Lawrence said, "Interster is an internationalpany, and its main market isn''t here. Besides, I''m new here, so they want a strong localpany from the capital to be involved. It''s something like a guarantee." Nicole nodded upon hearing this. "They have a point." She bit her lip and pondered for a moment. "Ask Ian to send me the details. I''ll talk with my brothers and give you an answer after we review it." "Okay." Lawrence smiled and continued, "I thought you would agree right away." After all, Interster International was really good. Besides, Lawrence found that it really suited the development of the Riddle Company. "I really don''t know much about business, so I''m actually relying on my instincts for everything. That''s why I still prefer to discuss things with my brothers when ites to important decisions." Nicole did not hide anything from Lawrence. Lawrence shook his head and sighed. "Nicole, even though you haven''t been back for long, you''ve changed." "Changed? Really?" Nicole furrowed her eyebrows as she did not notice it herself. "You were always alone when you were on the ind, not interacting with people or making friends. You just focused on taking care of Nn and Lana. Even when ites to making decisions, you relied entirely on your instincts and rarely consulted with others," said Lawrence. No one could decide anything for her, including him. "I had to be cautious on the ind. My enemies coulde after me, so I obviously had my guard up against everyone," Nicole replied calmly. She lived like a recluse during that time, but it was just a form of self-protection. "What about now? You''re even closer to your enemies here. You could bump into them any time, not knowing that they''re your enemies." It was shocking that Nicole would trust the people around her in such a dangerous environment. "I have a family now, after all. I have my parents and my brothers. I guess I feel a bit more secure, so I can rx a little." Nicole shrugged, thinking that it was probably the case. "If I knew that you''d be like this after reuniting with your family, I would''ve taken you back here back then." Lawrence smiled. Nicole tilted her head ever so slightly. "Why do you say that? You knew my family?" Lawrence''s gaze turned dark for a second. It was a slip of the tongue. He looked carefully at Nicole before saying calmly, "I didn''t know, but I would''ve helped you find them." He could not admit the fact that he did not bring her back even though he knew who her family was, even if it was for her and her children''s safety. She despised deceit, especially sensitive to the matter because of her amnesia. If she found out that Lawrence had lied to her, she might not ever forgive him. Noticing Lawrence''s hesitation, Nicole squinted. It seemed slightly unnatural. She tried studying him, but she did not discover anything. Besides, he was right. If she needed help finding her family, he would definitely have helped her. She was the one who decided not toe back for the sake of her children''s safety. She was worried that her enemies might have their eyes on her children. "I still feel pretty lucky to have found my family." Nicole''s gaze turned gentle. Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org. Lawrence had a conflicted look on his face. When Nicole was willing to share her thoughts with him, it made him feel like they were back on the ind. But he was fully aware that nothing was the same anymore, ever since they came back here. "Let''s not talk about this anymore. I''ll contact you once I''ve made a decision about Interster International." Nicole chuckled as she realized that she had shared too much personal information when they were initially talking about work. Lawrence responded, "Sure, I''ll wait for your response then." "It''s a good project. If the coboration is sessful, I''ll treat you to a meal as a token of appreciation." Nicole smiled as she knew that Lawrence was helping her. After all, Interster International had never specifically requested to work with the Riddle Corporation. There were many capable localpanies in San Joto as well. Chapter 2057 Chapter 2057 "It''s a deal." Lawrence then said with a bright smile, "I''ll be looking forward to that feast." "Sure. You can choose the time and ce," Nicole happily agreed. Lawrence had helped her, and it was right for her to thank him with a meal. "Okay then, I won''t disturb your work any longer." Lawrence said his goodbye as he stood up. Nicole stood up too. She watched Lawrence leave before returning to her desk and sitting down. Sometimeter, Nicole received an email from Ian. She opened it and read it, nodding approvingly. "It''s a very good project, indeed." After reading it, Nicole forwarded the email to Sean and asked him to consider the coboration project. After Sean told her that he had received it, Nicole then closed the document and attended to other tasks. With this project from Interster International, the Riddle Corporation could finally make a breakthrough after getting stuck in expanding the business. During the five years Nicole was away, Stanley and Sean did a pretty decent job of managing their nned projects for thepany. However, the families they had a long history with began to think of terminating their partnerships with the Riddle Corporation because of Nicole''s absence. "The Fire Crest," Nicole mumbled under her breath. ''What is that? Why do the families care so much about it?'' When Nicole thought about how the families wanted to terminate their partnerships just because the Fire Crest was missing, she could not help but frown even deeper. ''Will everything be resolved once I find the Fire Crest? But where can I find it?'' Nicole pondered with a serious look on her face and suddenly felt an intense headache. She instinctively massaged her temples and thought to herself, ''Why does my head hurt so much the minute I think about the Fire Crest? Does it have anything to do with me? I guess not¡­'' "Nicole." Suddenly, someone knocked on the door and entered the room. Sean saw the stressed look on Nicole''s face and froze. Then, he walked briskly to her desk and asked, "What''s wrong?" "It''s nothing." Nicole shook her head and felt a little better. Then, she looked at Sean and said, "What brings you here, Sean?" "It''s about the Interster project. I think we can work something out, so I came to ask for your opinion," Sean said. However, he was still a little worried about Nicole as he looked at her with a serious expression. "I think so too. If you have no problem with it, we should get someone to arrange a meeting." Nicole''s face looked a little better when talking about work. However, Sean was still worried about her, so he said, "I''ll handle that. You don''t look like you''re feeling very well. You should take the day off." "It''s okay. I''m feeling better now." The headache she felt seemed to go away after not thinking about the Fire Crest. "No, you''ve got to go back." Sean, for once, spoke firmly. Nicole indeed looked like she was not feeling well, and he clearly saw how much pain she was in when he came in earlier. Seeing how insistent Sean was, Nicole had no choice but to leave the office and go home. Gloria was surprised to see Nicole home so early. "Why did youe home early today? Did anything happen?" Nicole answered evasively because she did not want Gloria to worry. "I felt a little tired, so Sean told me toe back and rest." "Hm, your brother did the right thing. You should rest if you''re feeling tired." Gloria agreed with Sean''s decision. Nicole could not help but smile internally as she felt a warmth filling her heart. She was always the most important thing to her family, not even thepany coulde close. Nicole sat beside Gloria and hugged her arm. Then, she leaned on Gloria''s shoulder and said, "Yeah, I rarely get to have time off and spend some time with you." "You don''t have to do that. Just go and rest." Even though Gloria was filled with joy, she was still concerned about Nicole and wanted her to rest. N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content. Nicole felt helpless and said in a coquettish tone, "I''m already resting whenever I''m not at work." She did not listen to Gloria and insisted on staying with her. Then, she swept her gaze across the house and asked curiously, "Where''s Dad?" Chapter 2058 Chapter 2058 "He''s going to visit Grandpa," Gloria said. Nicole frowned. "Is Grandpa not feeling well again?" ''Grandpa should be fine now that he''s taking the right medications and receiving needle technique treatment.'' With a smile, Gloria replied, "Don''t worry. Grandpa''s fine. Your dad is simply going to see him." "Oh." Nicole felt relieved after hearing that and suggested, "I''ve been so busy sinceing back, so I didn''t really get a chance to talk to Grandma. Mom, would you like to see her with me?" "Sure. She''s been asking about youtely," Gloria said as she went to Mrs. Wace Sr.''s room with Nicole. "Eh? Why is no one here?" Nicole was a little surprised. ''Where is she?'' Gloria looked at the time and made a guess. "She''s probably on the balcony, getting some sun." So, Nicole and Gloria went to the balcony and saw Mrs. Wace Sr. there with Tia. "Grandma." Nicole walked over and saw the radiant look on Mrs. Wace Sr.''s face. Then, she smiled in relief. Although Nicole had no memories of her, she found out a little about what happened in the past. She knew that her grandmother was a very important person in her life. Nicole was so busy, but since she had the day off, she decided to visit Mrs. Wace Sr. Mrs. Wace Sr. smiled amiably upon seeing her granddaughter. "Nicole, you''re here. Why didn''t you go to the office today?" "I had the day off, so I came to visit you." Nicole held Mrs. Wace Sr.''s hand and looked at her. Although she did not remember who Mrs. Wace Sr. was at all, Nicole always felt veryfortable around her. Time flew by as Nicole chatted away with Mrs. Wace Sr., and it was soon evening time. "Grandma, it''s almost time for me to pick Nn and Lana up." Nicole then reluctantly said goodbye to Mrs. Wace Sr. "Sure, go on." The smile on Mrs. Wace Sr.''s face became even brighter when she thought about the adorable pair. "Grandma, you''ve been out for some time. You should go back and get some rest," Nicole said. Tia pushed the wheelchair over and said, "Yeah, it''s time for Grandma to go back now. I''ll push her." So, the four of them left the balcony and arrived in the hallway of the second floor. Coincidentally, Stanley came home then, and he was a little surprised to see them there. "What are you ¡ª" "I had the day off, so I came to spend some time with Grandma," Nicole exined. "Oh, I see. I was wondering why you would be home at this hour." Stanley looked at Tia after saying that, and subconsciously Tia lowered her head. "Ouch!" Tia yelped. In her nervousness, she identally hit her foot on the wheelchair''s wheel. N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. "Are you okay?" Everybody asked unanimously, worried for her. However, Nicole was a little surprised when she heard Stanley''s voice among them. "I''m fine," Tia exined awkwardly. "It was just an ident. Don''t worry about me." Tia pushed Mrs. Wace Sr. to the room after saying that. Chapter 2059 Chapter 2059 Nicole could tell that Tia was trying to endure the pain while walking. She frowned a little. But before Nicole could make a move, someone was one step ahead of her. That person approached Tia, took hold of the wheelchair, and said, "Let me do it." "Master Stanley..." Tia wanted to reject him, but Stanley had already pushed Mrs. Wace Sr. away. Tia slightly bit her lip and followed after them. Staring at the backs of those two, Nicole''s eyes narrowed. A strange feeling crossed her heart. N?velDrama.Org ? 2024. "Let''s head down first. You need to pick Nn and Lana upter," Gloria reminded Nicole. Looking at how casually Gloria acted toward the situation, Nicole felt a lot more at peace. Then, she headed downstairs with her mother. "Mummy!" Unexpectedly, just as she reached downstairs, Nn and Lana ran toward her. "Why are you guys back so early?" Nicole was surprised. She looked up and saw Jared walking in. "I heard you''re not feeling well?" Jared immediately questioned as soon as he entered. His eyes were fixed on Nicole with worry. "I took some rest this afternoon, so I''m feeling fine now." Nicole scratched her head in a guilty manner. She had forgotten to tell Jared of her return. He must have gone to the office to pick her up but did not find her there. "Mummy, why are you not feeling well?" Nn and Lana surrounded Nicole worriedly and questioned her. "I was just tired, but I''m fine now." Nicole patted the heads of the two little ones lovingly. Nn and Lana pulled their mother and said, "Mummy, you''re tired. You should sit." They went to the sofa and sat down. Then, Jared followed after them. Seeing that Nicole seemed better, he was more at ease. Jared had finished his work for the day earlier, so he wanted to visit Nicole at the Riddle Corporation and wait for her to get off work. But when he arrived there, he found out that Nicole had gone back in the afternoon because she was not feeling well. Jared felt worried. So, he immediately picked Nn and Lana up, and went back home. He felt a lot more rxed after seeing Nicole. Noticing Jared''s gaze, Nicole felt uneasy. ''Why does it feel like I''ve done something wrong?'' "I''m really fine. I was just thinking about certain things and got a headache. Sean happened to see me and thought that I wasn''t feeling well. He insisted I go home to rest." Nicole could only tell the truth to Jared. "What were you thinking about?" Jared''s gaze darkened. Did something trigger Nicole''s memories? "I wasn''t thinking about anything in particr. Leo had sent over a proposal for coboration. Sean and I think it''ll be beneficial for ourpany. I was thinking about somepany matters, and then I recalled something about the Fire Crest," Nicole reported truthfully. For one thing, she knew that she could not hide things from Jared. Other than that, she wanted to test Jared and see if he knew anything about the Fire Crest. Jared''s gaze turned even darker when he heard the words ''Fire Crest''ing out of her mouth. She actually recalled the Fire Crest! "What did you remember about it?" Jared acted calm as he questioned her. Nicole shook her head. "Before I could recall anything, I had a headache." "You want the Fire Crest?" Jared frowned as he felt confused in his heart. No one knew about the whereabouts of the Fire Crest. Even Nicole herself had no knowledge about it. In an instance, Jared was not sure if he should tell Nicole about it. Unexpectedly, Nicole replied to him indifferently, "I don''t really want to, but I felt like if I could find the Fire Crest, perhaps those families would want to continue working with the Riddle Corporation." Jared decided to avoid the main issue andment on a lighter matter. "As long as you''re back, they''ll be willing to work with the Riddle Corporation." Chapter 2060 Chapter 2060 Jared decided not to tell her at the moment, about her ownership of the Fire Crest. Nicole had no memory of it. Even if she were to know about it, it would be another burden for her. Not many were aware that the Fire Crest had gone missing, so most people would still assume that Nicole was the owner. After hearing Jared''s words, Nicole raised her eyebrows slightly and said with a smile, "You have such confidence in me." She dared not guarantee that those families would continue partnering with the Riddle Corporation. And yet, Jared was quite confident. "Because it''s you." Jared''s gaze softened as he spoke to Nicole. In the past, Nicole had surprised him unexpectedly. He believed that even with a loss of memory, she was still the same old Nicole. "Thank you for your kind words." Nicole smiled. Although she was unsure of how things would turn out, Nicole was exactly how Jared had described her to be. She had decided to fight for all the deals with all her might. A hint of tenderness shed across Jared''s eyes. He believed that things would go smoothly for Nicole. While they were speaking, the Riddle family had returned home. All of them rxed after they saw that Nicole was fine. After having a happy dinner, everyone went back to their respective rooms to rest. The next day, the sun shone brightly. Jared sent Nicole to the office as usual. Just as Nicole was about to open the car door and get out, Jared held her back. Before Nicole could react, Jared sneakily kissed her. Nicole red at Jared. Then, Nicole got out of the car with a blush on her face. She scanned her surroundings first. After seeing that there were less people around, she quickly strode into the office building. Looking at the way Nicole ran away, Jared could not help the smile that formed on his face. "Sir, Interster International''s proposal is very good. On top of that, Lawrence''s intention should be purely just to help out. There aren''t any tricks detected." Max reported his findings thoroughly. "Alright." Jared replied with a cold look in his eyes. The day before, when Jared heard that Lawrence had sent a proposal to Nicole for a partnership, he ordered Max to look into it. He knew that Lawrence was nning something against Nicole, so Jared had to be on guard toward Lawrence. Even if they were just coborating, Jared had to be wary in case Lawrence trapped the Riddle Corporation. He would not allow Nicole to be harmed or tricked. Leaning on the car seat, Jared said in a low voice, "Let''s go." "Yes, sir," Max replied. He started the car engine and drove off. They were headed to the Johnston Group office. After Nicole reached the office, she recalled the kiss she just had, and her heart began to thump uncontrobly. The secretary sent in some documents. Then, Nicole opened the documents and tried her best to focus on her work. She was trying to stop herself from recalling what had happened in the morning.N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. In the blink of an eye, it was noon. Nicole had justpleted her work when she heard a knock on the door from her secretary. "Ms. Nicole, the front desk called. Lulu Barrera and June Wace want to see you." "Lulu. June." Nicole was a little stunned. These two were her best friends, but the only problem was that she could not remember them. After giving it some consideration, Nicole ordered her secretary, "Inform the front desk for them to wait for me downstairs." Thest time they met was when Spencer and Samuel brought them over. They had never contacted each other after that. The two girls should be impatient, and that was why they came by to look for Nicole. Although Nicole had no memory of the girls yet, it was clear that Lulu and June are people whom she could trust. So, there was no reason for her to treat them coldly. From the looks of it, they were about to be family as well. Chapter 2061 Chapter 2061 After making up her mind, Nicole got up and headed downstairs. Soon, she reached the lobby. "Nicole!" Lulu and June waved their hands enthusiastically when they spotted Nicole. "Lulu! June!" When she reached the girls, Nicole smiled. "Since it''s lunch time, let''s have lunch together." "Sure! We were thinking of treating you to a meal too." It was an opportunity for them to get together as well. It had been five years. There had not been any news about Nicole for five years and the girls were worried sick. Nicole brought them to a restaurant near the office building. They found a table somewhat hidden from view and sat down. After they had ordered, Lulu asked impatiently, "Nicole, what have you been through in the past five years? Why didn''t you return for so long?" "I ran into some problems." Nicole thought twice and still decided not to tell Lulu and June the truth. Nicole did not know how to break the news to the two girls. She was not sure if they could ept the things which she would say. Therefore, she decided to keep it a secret. "What kind of problem?" June could tell that Nicole was struggling to say what she wanted. So, June lowered her volume a little. "The Riddle family had always been saying that you were in danger, so Jared hid you to protect you." Lulu spected based on the clues she knew. Then, she seemed to recall something. There was a huge change to her expression. "You met a bad guy!" On top of that, it must be one that was difficult to deal with. Otherwise, why would Nicole hide for five years and only decide to return now? "You could say so." Nicole followed suit and agreed to Lulu''s guess. Although it did not really fit the exact situation, the cause was simr. "Then, are you safe now?" Lulu scanned their surroundings subconsciously, as if there could be bad people around them. Nicole could not help butugh at the way Lulu was acting. Nicole reassured her, "Yeah, I''m safe now." Although Nicole still had enemies at San Joto, she still considered herself safe at that moment. "That''s great." Lulu heaved an obvious sigh of relief. June''s pale face also regained some color. She could not help but remind Nicole, "Although it might seem like everything is fine at the moment, prevention is better than cure. It''s best for you to be careful whenever you''re out." "Don''t worry. I can take care of myself," Nicole replied happily. Deep down, she felt touched. Although she could not remember them, they gave her a sense of kindness andfort. Soon, the food was served. All three of them began to enjoy their food while chatting. After Nicole had briefly talked about her own problems, she began to ask about Lulu and June''s updates. N?velDrama.Org ? 2024. "June''s doing alright. I''m the unlucky one." Luluined to Nicole all about her challenges at work and her miserable life at the moment. "Don''t bother. I''ve already advised her to quit her job and develop elsewhere a long time ago. But she doesn''t listen. And now, she''sining that she''s being bullied by her manager," June said while shaking her head. "It''s easy for you to say! It isn''t easy to find such a high-paying job." Lulu sighed. She wanted to switch jobs too, but there was no way she could quit just like that. "You want to switch jobs?" Nicole raised her eyebrow slightly as she questioned Lulu. Lulu sighed, rested her head on the table and said, "It''s easy to talk about it, but it''s difficult to put it into action. After all, reality is too harsh." "If your life is so miserable, doesn''t my brother care about that?" Nicole frowned. ''That''s too much!'' The expression on Lulu''s face changed instantly, and she warned Nicole in a stern voice, "You can''t tell Spencer!" Lulu was too embarrassed to talk about such things. Spencer was already a professional violinist, and yet Lulu had not achieved anything. Therefore, she wanted to make herself into someone worthy of Spencer through her own efforts. Chapter 2062 Chapter 2062 Hearing this, Nicole seemed to have a thought. She asked Lulu, "If you really want to switch jobs, would you be willing to jump ship and work for ourpany?" "Riddle Corporation?" Lulu was so stunned that her mouth gaped wide open. This was something she dared not even dream of. "If you want, you can report to work at our office on Monday. But if you don''t want to, I won''t force you either. You can make this decision yourself." Nicole shrugged her shoulders and spoke calmly. "Alright, I''ll think about it carefully," Lulu answered solemnly. June rolled her eyes at Lulu in annoyance. "You''re only thinking about it?" The Riddle Corporation was not apany where anyone could just join. Now that Nicole had given the invitation, Lulu should have just epted it. She was actually going to think about it first? Lulu scratched her head awkwardly. "I just thought of going through some professional bookster when I head back. If I see any potential in this, then I''ll go for it. Otherwise, I won''t take it on. At the end of the day, I can''t tarnish Nicole''s name, right?" It turns out that Lulu did have a n. Nicole could not help butugh out loud, and she shook her head. "Don''t be nervous or put so much pressure on yourself. I believe you can do it." "That''s right. I think you''ve lost your self-confidence because of that bald manager''s grooming. When you get backter, throw a resignation letter to him and tell him that you''re leaving. That way, you won''t have to see that ugly face anymore." June patted Lulu''s shoulder and persuaded her. "Hahaha! Okay, I''ll take your advice," Lulu agreed immediately. "You should''ve done so long ago," June spoke as if she exasperated. Then, she turned to Nicole and said, "You have no idea about this but ever since she graduated, she found this job and had compromised herself for it." "Hehe," Luluughed innocently. "She must have her own considerations. The impact reality has on us will always force us to sumb to certain things." Nicole''s gaze was calm, but her words carried a strong meaning. "I remember the time when we were still in school. That was such a wonderful time," June said sentimentally. She understood what Nicole meant. The years after their graduation, everyone had been going through a lot of things. But they were growing a lot as well. N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content. At the mention of their schooling days, Nicole could only smile and listen. After all, she could not remember anything. But by how excited June and Lulu''s conversation was when they talked about interesting things from the past, Nicole''s smile became wider. Even after they had finished lunch, they were not done with their conversations yet. "I have to get back now, but I really hate to leave the both of you," Lulu said while tugging Nicole reluctantly. "Soon you''d be able to follow Nicole daily," June said jokingly. Lulu regained her spirits instantly. "That''s true. I''ll resign when I head back." "Let''s go." The three girls left the restaurant and went their own ways. June went back to her office and continued to work. Lulu was in high spirits to resign. Nicole was the only one heading back to the office calmly. Although her expression was stern, there were hints of excitement in her eyes. She might not remember her best friends, but the feeling she felt while they were together could not be a lie. Nicole was already looking forward to Lulu joining her. Time flew by quickly. In a blink of an eye, it was already the weekend. Previously, Lana had made a deal with Nicole and Jared to hangout during the weekend. Lana was already anticipating it earlier on. Finally, the time had arrived, and she woke up early in the morning. "Daddy, mommy! It''s the weekend!" Lana ran into Nicole and Jared''s room. Then, she climbed onto their bed with her tiny legs and sandwiched herself between Nicole and Jared. Chapter 2063 Chapter 2063 It was still early. Nicole was a little reluctant when she was woken up by her daughter. "Lana, it''s too early." This little one would stay in bed when she had to go to school, but she could wake up this early during the weekends. "But I''m so excited that I can''t sleep anymore!" Lana did not feel any sense of guilt. In fact, she was determined. Jared got up and carried Lana up. "Alright, I''ll help you get ready. We''ll let mommy sleep for a bit more. Is that okay?" "Okay," Lana agreed happily. She was extremely satisfied. Nicole''s lips twitched. ''This little one did note here for me at all.'' However, Nicole really did not have a good sleep, and it was too early in the morning. After Jared had carried Lana out of the room, Nicole pulled the nket over herself and continued sleeping. When Nicole woke up once again, she found the two little ones staring at her while resting their chins in their palms. Nicole was instantly tickled with joy by that sight. She could not help it and said, "When did you guys get here?" "We''ve been waiting for you for a long time, mommy." Lana pouted and said, "Mommy, the sun is asking you to wake up. Hurry, get up!" Nicole was stunned. Those were the words which she usually said to Lana, and now, this little one used it on her. Nicole sat up and peeked at the time. It was already nine o''clock. She definitely slept for a little too long. "Where''s daddy?" While getting out of bed, Nicole casually questioned them. She remembered that Jared had brought Lana out of the room and helped her get ready earlier. The only thing was that Nicole did not realize how natural her tone and expression was when she asked that question. It was as if the four of them had been living together as a family for a long time. "Daddy''s downstairs. He only allowed us to stay here when we promised not to wake you up." Lana blinked her eyes yfully and smiled. "Daddy really cares about you, mommy. You really picked a good deal when fishing." Being teased by the little one, Nicole blushed and chased them out. "The both of you can wait downstairs first. I''ll be there with all of you soon." "Okay, mommy. Please be quick!" Lana ran out happily. Nn nced and hesitated for a moment. Then, he followed Lana out. After Nicole had washed up and changed, she headed downstairs. Everyone else in the house had gone out. Gloria, Daniel, and Jared were the only ones left, watching over the two kids. N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content. "You should eat something before we head out." Jared got up and ushered Nicole to the dining room. Soon, the maids served breakfast. After Nicole finished eating, she went to the living room. "Mom, dad, since the both of you are free today, why don''t the both of you join us?" Nicole suggested. "You guys go ahead. We''ll pass." Gloria smiled. This was a good opportunity for Jared and Nicole to bond. She was hoping that the two of them would develop feelings for each other again. The wedding had been postponed for five years. Gloria was already impatient. "Alright then." Nicole seemed a little uneasy as she understood the meaning behind Gloria''s smile. She knew that Gloria and Daniel would not join them no matter what, so she could only resign herself to it. Soon, Jared and Nicole brought the two little kids out of the house. "Where are we going?" asked Nicole. Jared was the one who nned the agenda. She was unaware of the details. "We''re going for a pic," he replied. "''Yeah! Daddy and I had prepared a lot of yummy food," Lana said with a wide smile on her face. Because she was too excited and had woken up really early, she and Jared had a lot of time to prepare everything. "You prepared these?" Nicole was a little shocked. Afterall, this little one was still very young. "Yeah!" Lana nodded vigorously. Then, Nicole patted Lana''s head happily. "Lana is such a grown up now. She can prepare her own meal now." Chapter 2064 Chapter 2064 "I did it with daddy too!" Lana was very happy to be praised. She hugged Jared''s arm to emphasize that point. She seemed to be waiting for Nicole to praise Jared as well. Nicole wasughing while covering her face. She could only utter a word of gratitude. "Thank you." N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content. She really did not know what to praise Jared for. It seemed no matter what she said, it would seem weird. "It''s my job. You''re wee." Jared looked at Nicole and gave a devilish smile. Nicole rolled her eyes at Jared. ''Can''t this guy speak normally?'' Lana covered her mouth and giggled. She secretly sneaked a wink to Jared. It was as if she was saying, ''Go, daddy, go!'' Jared looked at Lana lovingly. Then, he lifted his hand and patted Lana on the head. Nn could not help but roll his eyes at Lana. He crossed his arms in front of his chest with an angry look on his face, as if he was a little adult. Unsatisfied, Lana looked at Nn and raised her chin at him. After that, she proceeded to hug Jared''s arm tighter. Nicole was a little speechless upon witnessing the interaction between the two kids. However, Jared curled his lips and smiled. Lana was cute, and Nn''s actions did not anger him at all. Jared knew that one day, Nn would ept him. The car came to a halt. They had reached their pic spot. Although the n was to have an outdoor activity, Jared did not bring them to a deste ce out of town. In fact, he chose a park in the suburbs. The park he chose featured nature. All the scenery consisted of natural wildlife, and it made them feel like they were in paradise. "It''s so beautiful here!" Lana fell in love with that ce at first sight. There were mountains, rivers, fields, and waterfalls. That view would make anyone desire to be in that ce. "It''s beautiful indeed." Nicole also liked the ce a lot. Jared curled his lips and smiled. "It''s good that you like it." This was a ce which Jared had specifically chosen. He knew that Nicole would love it. "Nicole." Just as they were about to walk around and admire the scenery, a familiar voice sounded. Jared turned around to look and found Lawrence approaching them. A cold look shed across Jared''s eyes. If someone were to tell him that this was a coincidence, Jared would not have believed it. But how did Lawrence know that Jared was going to bring Nicole to this ce? Jared had never told anyone about it before. Nicole was a little shocked as well. She could not help but frown and questioned doubtfully, "Why are you here?" "I guess it''s fate." Lawrence knew that no one would believe him if he said that it was a coincidence. Therefore, he chose to give an inconclusive reply. Hearing this, Nicole seemed to have thought of something. She turned to look at Nn. Nn seemed to be avoiding Nicole''s gaze, so he quickly looked down. Nicole instantly came to a realization. The reason Lawrence could follow her all the way there and appear at such a time was because Nn had switched on Nicole''s location tracking on her phone. So, Lawrence could track her. Looking at Nicole and Nn, Jared also understood it. ''This little brat¡­ Were we enemies in our past life? Is that why he''s here to destroy all of my good things?'' "Mr. Lawrence, are you hanging out at this ce alone?" Jared purposely questioned as if he did not notice anything. Lawrence understood the implicit meaning behind Jared''s question, so he replied straightforwardly, "I was. But since I''ve bumped into them, I''m thinking of hanging out with them." Knowing that Lawrence was referring to Nicole and the kids, Jared nodded. "That''s a good idea. Then, let''s go together." Lawrence was taken aback by the reply. Nicole was also surprised. ''He actually agreed to it so quickly?'' Chapter 2065 Chapter 2065 "Go get the bag." Jared held Nicole''s hand and took the bag they had prepared out of the car. He then walked toward the garden with Nicole. "Since you want to spend time with the kids, I''m going to leave them in your hands." Jared walked past Lawrence and left him this remark before leaving with Nicole. Lawrence immediately turned into stone. ''So he became a nice guy because he wanted me to look after the kids?!'' Nicole also realized this and could not help but look at Jared. "Jared, you''re the father of Nn and Lana," she whispered. ''Is it really okay to leave the responsibility to Lawrence like this?'' "He is also their Godpa," Jared said nonchntly. Besides, Lawrence said that he would apany the children as well. Jared casually left out Lawrence''s mention of "them", which, most importantly, included Nicole. "Jared, I never knew you were so petty," Nicole said. She was rather speechless as she shot him a disdainful look. "Actually, I''ve always been petty, you just don''t remember," Jared whispered in her ear in a low voice. Due to his slightly seductive tone, Nicole''s cheek turned pink. His dominance had made her heart pound uncontrobly. N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. Lawrence''s gaze darkened as he watched their interaction before his eyes. Though he knew that Jared was doing it on purpose, he could not refute it. "Let''s go, Godpa," Nn pulled Lawrence, wanting to catch up with Jared and Nicole. He secretly informed his Godpa toe over as he could not miss the opportunity to give his Godpa the chance to win his mother over. "I''ming too." Lana followed them as she knew what was going on. Of course, Lana would not disappoint her father. The group entered the park with their own thoughts. Jared and Nicole walked ahead,pletely immersed in the joy of sightseeing. Nicole felt a bit resentful as she found it awkward. ''We should all be together as a family and not just leave our kids behind with Lawrence.'' On the other hand, Nn was pulling Lawrence with him, trying to catch up with Jared and Nicole. Meanwhile, Lana was ying around and stopping from time to time, making it impossible for them to walk faster. Nn and Lawrence could not leave Lana behind, so they had to slow down for her. All five of them had extremely good looks and the dynamic between them was rather strange, which caused passersby to nce back a few times. When they were finally tired, Jared took Nicole to rest in a small pavilion. Lawrence and the children finally caught up with them. His eyes darkened when he saw Jared''s indifferent gaze. In fact, he even regretted it a little. He wondered if he should even be out here today. ''Not only did my original n fail, but I also had to watch them being so affectionate with each other!'' Lawrence was not having it at all. ''Is it true that Jared is someone that you can''t offend? Because it really seems like it.'' However, Lawrence looked at Nicole and thought, ''But there are certain things that could not be easily put to an end once it started.'' Nicole happened to look up and saw theplicated look in his eyes. She could not help but bite her lip and say, "You can go back first, Lawrence." She felt that it was strange to ask Lawrence to take care of their children, and she did not want to burden him any further. "It''s okay. Today is a weekend. Mr. Lawrence shouldn''t have anything else to do," Jared said as he was rather satisfied with how he was manipting everyone. Nicole rolled her eyes at him, signaling him to stop talking. Although Lawrence was there for a reason, he still was not freebor. All she had to do was to reject Lawrence clearly. There was no need to put him through this, and she felt ufortable with him following them too. Chapter 2066 Chapter 2066 "Mommy, I want to y with Godpa." Nn saw that Nicole wanted Lawrence to leave, but he did not want Lawrence to go. "Nn." Nicole felt defeated as he pulled them together. ''Godpa also has his own things to do." "Daddy just said that Godpa is resting too," Lana said innocently. Nicole''s lips twitched slightly. ''Does Lana want Lawrence to stay as well?'' She could not help but shake her head when she happened to catch a glimpse of Lana smiling brightly at Jared. ''This little girl is too cheeky. Did she inherit Jared''s deviousness?'' "Go home, Lawrence. We''ll take care of the kids." Nicole made a firm decision. Regardless of Nn and Lana''s intentions, she had to make Lawrence leave. This was the only way she could ensure that no one would have any ulterior motives. Looking at Nicole''s gaze, Lawrence understood that he had no other choice but to agree. "Sure." ''There''s probably no point in staying here now. I''ll just find another chance next time.'' With a smile, he said, "I won''t disturb you anymore then. But please remember the big meal you promised me." He deliberately nced at Jared after saying this and saw Jared''s expression darken. With that, Lawrence was finally satisfied, and he walked away. ''He just had to provoke me.'' Jared''s gaze turned cold as he looked at Lawrence. "A big meal?" Jared''s lips curled up involuntarily as he looked at Nicole. "Mommy, are you going on a date with Godpa?" Nn''s eyes instantly lit up. Lana frowned disapprovingly. "Nn, stop saying nonsense. Friends can also eat together. We were like that on the ind too." Everything would be fine if Lana did not say anything. But once she had made that remark, Nicole was at a loss for words as she thought, ''Are you really helping me out?'' "I''m hungry. Let''s find a ce for a pic." Nicole took the big bag with her, leaving abruptly. All she wanted to do was escape. Seeing her obviously guilty behavior, Jared narrowed his eyes. He then took Lana and Nn by their hands and said, "Let''s go for a pic." Lana did not understand, but she followed him obediently anyway. Nn looked up at Jared, feeling somewhat proud. "When we were on the ind, Godpa always took us out to y. We would eat together quite often too. One time, Mommy got sick, and Godpa took care of us." Jared looked down and warned him with a nce. "Your Godpa might not have gone far. Maybe you can ask him to take you back with him." Nn immediately fell silent. ''I can''t go back. Godpa left, so who''s going to keep an eye on this jerk? Lana is useless, so I''m the only one in charge.'' Jared knew that Nn was trying to provoke him, so Jared gave a warning. When he saw that Nn kept quiet obediently, he did not ask further as well.N?velDrama.Org ? 2024. Looking up, he saw that Nicole had already found an open space with shade from a big tree. It was a good spot for a pic. He then walked over with the children and prepared for the pic with Nicole. Afterying out the pic mat, everyone took out the prepared food and ced it on the mat. They sat down on the mat, and Nn and Lana could no longer wait and started eating. They were famished and tired after walking a distance. Chapter 2067 Chapter 2067 Watching the two children eat happily, a trace of amusement shed in Jared''s eyes as he handed a fruit box to Nicole. "Have some." Nicole felt inexplicably guilty because of what happened earlier. Though she knew that there was nothing wrong with having a meal with a friend, she could not help but feel nervous in front of Jared. "Daddy, why didn''t you find us earlier? If you had found us earlier, we could''ve yed on the ind together," Lana said while eating, not forgetting to question Jared. ''If Daddy had found us earlier, he could''ve taken us out to y and enjoy some delicious food. That would''ve been awesome.'' Jared''s mood was already gloomy because of Lawrence, but he had no reason to me Nicole. After all, she did not remember him. However, Lana''s words made his heart ache. "I''ve been looking for you all this time." Jared''s gaze dimmed and his voice became hoarse. He had never given up searching for them for thest five years, but Nicole seemed to have vanished from the face of the earth without a single trace of her existence. However, unbeknownst to him, someone had erased all traces of Nicole, which was why Jared was always unsessful in searching for Nicole. He knew that Nicole had done it for the sake of the safety of their children, but Jared figured that Lawrence must have had a hand in it as well, and his intentions might not be as pure as Nicole''s. Lawrence''s exnation seemed reasonable on the day Jared and he met, but Jared did not fully believe it. Even if their country was dangerous, Lawrence could have told him, and he could have gone abroad to find Nicole. Besides, Lawrence had even given Nicole a new identity. Perhaps from the beginning, Lawrence never wanted her to be Nicole again. If Jared had known that seeking Lawrence''s help would lead to five years of separation from Nicole, he would rather do things the hard way than seek Lawrence for help. Suddenly, the air around Jared turned cold. Nicole looked at him and caught a glimpse of heartbreak and destion in his eyes. It left her heart aching. Even without her memories, Nicole knew from what her family had told her that Jared had put in a lot of effort in thest five years. But his attempts would always yield no results. ''It must be really difficult to bear such pain.'' Nicole bit her lip and took the fruit box from him, casually opening it and eating. Her expression seemed indifferent as she said, "I almost died when I came back to San Joto. Lawrence saved me and it took nearly half a year for me to recover and be able to move freely. After that, I was afraid toe back for the sake of the children. So, it''s understandable that you couldn''t find us." Jared raised an eyebrow and asked, "Are youforting me?" "I just hope you can see the reality of things and not me yourself so much." Nicole rolled her eyes at him. ''I shouldn''t have been moved by him just now. I fell into his trap again.'' Jared''s eyes darkened slightly. "Everything''s in the past. You''re back now." "Daddy¡ª" When Lana was about to speak, Nicole immediately shoved some fruit into her mouth as she did not want her to speak. She was worried that she could not handle it. N?velDrama.Org ? 2024. With her mouth full of fruit, Lana could only swallow back her words and eat the fruit. "Try this. I made it myself." Jared handed a dessert to Nicole. Nicole looked at him with a confused look. "You know how to make these?" "Are you doubting my skills?" Jared gestured with his eyes, suggesting that Nicole should try it to find out. "There''s coffee in this!" Nicole smelled it and could not contain her surprise. Jared smiled. They could not bring coffee with them, so he used coffee powder to make the dessert as he figured that she would like it. Nicole took a bite and nodded in satisfaction almost instantly. "It''s heavenly." Just moments ago, she was regretting not being able to drink coffee, and now there was a dessert that was made with coffee powder. It immediately satisfied her taste buds, and a warm feeling filled her heart. She did not expect him to be so thoughtful. "I''m d you like it." Jared smiled as if her satisfaction was his biggest motivation. Chapter 2068 Chapter 2068 "Daddy spent a long time doing this, but I helped too," Lana said proudly when she saw how much Nicole was enjoying it. Nicole patted Lana''s head affectionately. "Thank you so much." "But Daddy did most of the work. Aren''t you going to thank him too?" Lana asked with a smile. Nicole felt a little helpless as she thought inwardly. ''I should''ve never given Lana a chance to speak.'' "It''s fine. I enjoy cooking for Mommy very much." Jared handed the dessert without coffee powder to Nn and Lana and said, "This is yours." "Thank you, Daddy," Lana said and lifted her chin toward Nicole as if to say, ''Mommy, this is how you do it.'' "Thank you, Uncle Jared." Nn was very irritated, so he deliberately said the word ''uncle'' loudly. Everyone paused for a moment. Then, Nicole softly bit her lip, trying to suppress herughter. ''I guess Jared is both happy and frustrated to have these two children.'' "Why are you smiling?" Jared leaned closer to Nicole and said in an enchanting voice as if he could read her mind. "N-nothing." Nicole tried her best to notugh because she knew that Jared would give her hell if she laughed out loud. Although she managed to hold it in, her restrained expression gave her away. Jared''s gaze turned darker as he spoke in a slightly low tone, "Are you happy that your son called me uncle?" "I''m not." Nicole immediately shook her head as she put on a straight face andforted Jared. "Look, Lana has already epted you. Just give Nn a little more time." Jared looked at Lana and felt slightly better. ''My daughter is more considerate. I''m actually starting to hate this son of mine now.'' Nn noticed how Jared looked at him and he lifted his chin arrogantly at Jared as if to challenge him. Jared held Lana in his arms and asked in a gentle voice, "What else do you feel like eating?" "Thanks, Daddy, but I''m already full." N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. "Go y then." "Okay!" Nn looked away awkwardly after seeing the affectionate interaction between Jared and Lana. "Jared, how old are you?" Nicole red at Jared, annoyed. She could not believe that Jared was actually being so petty with a child, a child of his own. Jared smirked without saying anything. He just wanted to teach that little brat a lesson. Feeling defeated, Nicole rolled her eyes at him and began cleaning up. Then, Nn and Lana helped her. Everything was put away very quickly, and they continued walking forward. Jared''s mood got noticeably better without Lawrence''s presence. A family trip was meant to be for family only. Lawrence''s presence was simply unnecessary. On the other hand, after leaving, Lawrence went back to the city. Chapter 2069 Chapter 2069 "Mr. Lawrence, are you heading to the Genesis Group?" Ian asked in a quiet voice. "I''m going to Happiness Trading," Lawrence replied in a cold tone. Ian paused. "Happiness Trading? Aren''t they in a conflict with the Johnston Group?" ''Why does he want to go there now?'' "Well, only the strong ones will prevail in businesspetitions." A hint of darkness shed across Lawrence''s eyes as he spoke. Since Jared loved to ruin his ns so much, he would take away Jared''s ability to do that. "Got it," Ian said. He drove toward the office of Happiness Trading. The setting sun cast a warm glow in the sky. After Jared, Nicole, Nn, and Lana spent the entire day outside, they went back to the Riddle residence happily. As they entered the house, they found out that Daniel and Gloria were not there. Only Stanley, Samuel, and Spencer were present. Nicole could not help but ask curiously, "Where''s Mom and Dad?" "Grandpa suddenly wanted to see them," Stanley replied. Nicole widened her gaze, shocked. "Did anything happen to Grandpa?" "I''m not sure." Samuel shook his head. "They left in a hurry and didn''t get to tell us anything. They said that our uncles were already there, so they went to see what was happening." For some reason, Nicole felt like something bad had happened. She frowned and said, "Please take care of Nn and Lana. I''ll go check it out." Nicole figured that it would not just be a simple gathering after how her grandfather suddenly summoned not only her parents but her uncles too. "Let''s just wait for them toe back first," Spencer suggested. After all, Nicole might not necessarily be able to solve anything with her current situation. "I''ll go with you." Although Jared knew what Stanley was worried about, he also knew that Nicole would not change her mind after making a decision. He figured that they would probably be able to help if there was really a problem, and it would be too late if they were to wait for Daniel and Gloria''s return. N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. "Sure," Nicole agreed. She felt a sense of reassurance when Jared said that he would go with her. After hearing what Jared said, the Riddle brothers did not object to Nicole''s decision anymore. Then, they carried Nn and Lana in their arms. Although Nn and Lana did not know what was happening, they knew that they had to be obedient and not cause any more problems for their mother. So, they stayed with their uncles and patiently waited for their parents and grandparents to return. Nicole and Jared arrived at the Riddle family manor in a short amount of time. The spacious living room was bustling. Damien, Dillon, Dexter, and Daniel were all there with their wives. However, Raine and her husband were the only younger generation there when Nicole arrived with Jared. "Nicole, why are you here?" Daniel and Gloria were a little surprised to see Nicole and Jared there. "It''s the weekend. Jared and I wanted to pay Grandpa a visit after finishing our work." Nicole smiled and swept her gaze across everyone there. Then, she pretended to be shocked and said, "But I wasn''t expecting everyone here to do the same. It looks like we''re going to have a feast today." When Nicole noticed that only his father''s brothers were there, she knew that her grandfather did not want the younger generation to be there. So, she could only pretend that she came by coincidence. However, when Nicole''s gaze fell on Raine and her husband, a knowing look shes across her face. ''I wonder what Raine heard that made here up with an excuse toe here too.'' Chapter 2070 Chapter 2070 Karen looked at Nicole and sneered. "We''re having a meeting, and you chose this specific time to visit your Grandpa. What a coincidence, huh?" "Why didn''t anyone notify me about this meeting?" Nicole pretended to be confused. "Don''t you see that it''s only among the elders? You''re young, so you don''t have to join us." Karen scoffed. Nicole''s gaze fell onto Raine. "So did Raine join on your behalf because your memory is deteriorating?" "Why, you!" Karen was speechless and unable to refute. All she could do was re at Nicole fiercely. She had already told Raine to wait at home, but Raine had insisted oning along, which was why she was in a difficult position now. "I came to visit Grandpa too. I didn''t expect to encounter the elders having a meeting. Why don''t we go out for a walk, Nicole?" Raine disyed a clever and understanding demeanor. She even used morality to pressure Nicole and make her leave. Nicole''s lips curled with a hint of amusement. "Have you seen Grandpa already?" "Yes, I''ve paid my respects and chatted with him for a while," Raine replied. She was confused but had no choice but to answer. "In that case, you can leave first, Raine. After all, I just arrived and I still want to talk with Grandpa," Nicole said as took a seat with Jared. Raine was furious as her face turned pale. She was outsmarted by Nicole once again. ''After all these years, Nicole is still sharp-tongued and quick-witted.'' ''What should I do now? I won''t be able to hear anything if I leave, but I can''t stay after saying those things earlier.'' "Raine, since Nicole decided to stay, let''s stay as well. It might be awkward if they''re the only younger ones present," Raine''s husband, James, mediated immediately. Karen quickly took the chance to agree. "Yes, let''s all stay." After all, it also concerned their interests. Having two more people listen would bring in more ideas. Nicole sneered as she shrugged casually, looking unaffected. It was like their decision had nothing to do with her at all. She then turned her gaze toward the sofa where Mr. Riddle Sr. was sitting and observing everyone with a cold gaze. "You seem a bit unwell, Grandpa. Have you not been taking care of yourself properly?" Nicole frowned discontentedly. "Is it because of these unfilial children that your health is suffering?" "Hmph. With these unfilial children around, how can I ever be in good health?" Mr. Riddle Sr. snorted in dissatisfaction. N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content. Damien and Dillion''s faces turned grim. They could only force themselves to say, "Father, we''re only doing this for the good of the Riddle family." "Grandpa, what''s made you so angry?" Nicole squinted slightly as she realized that her rtives'' return was not purely for benevolent reasons. "Hmph!" Mr. Riddle Sr huffed in anger before looking at Nicole. "These people are coveting the properties that are under our family''s name." "Properties?" Nicole was puzzled. Thepany and assets had already been divided among the branches, and her grandfather''s shares had been given to her. What else was there to be divided? Mr. Riddle Sr. swept his sharp gaze over Damien and Dillion before saying in a stern voice, "I''m telling you. The immovable properties under our family name are off-limits to all of you." "Grandpa, you can''t give it to Nicole again. Can you not be so biased?" Raine panicked when she heard that. She had already married into a second-rate family, and her husband had no status within the family. If she could not gain anything from the Riddle family, how was she going to live her life in the future? "Whether I give it to Nicole or not is all dependent on Nicole''s abilities," Mr. Riddle Sr. said firmly. "Father, what do you mean by this?" Dillion asked in confusion. ''Even though Father favored Nicole so much, he''s saying that there''s no guarantee that she would inherit the wealth of the Riddle family. Who else has a chance then?'' Chapter 2071 Chapter 2071 ¡°The Riddle family had never chosen their heir or heiress based on seniority, but ability. So, the most capable person will naturally be the heir of this family.¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. swept his gaze across everyone there sternly before he looked at Nicole. Of course, deep down, he knew very well that Nicole was the most capable and qualified person to inherit the family¡¯s wealth. However, he also knew that it was not the right time to say that out loud. Nicole thought about it and realized that the Riddle family had a rule like that instead of always letting the eldest person be the heir. After a moment of thinking, Nicole¡¯s face still looked very indifferent as if that had nothing to do with her at all. She genuinely thought so because if the inheritance was based on capabilities, she felt like her eldest brother would be the most suitable candidate. After all, she was going to get married sooner orter and she would have more responsibilities and concerns in the future. After looking at Nicole¡¯s reaction, Mr. Riddle Sr. felt even more satisfied, and it strengthened his decision even more. The others¡¯ eyes sparkled like a wolf eyeing its prey. Nicole was the only calm one, exuding an air of a leader and the attitude of the head of a family. Nicole had no idea that her grandfather had already started to treat her as his heir. She simply felt like this matter had nothing to do with them and she did not want to look at those greedy faces anymore. So, she looked at Daniel and Gloria. ¡°Dad, Mom, we¡¯re heading back now. What about you?¡± she asked. ¡°Oh, we¡¯re going back now too,¡± the couple said, reading between the lines. ¡°Grandpa, we¡¯ll leave now. It looks like today¡¯s not a good day to visit you. Welle here again some other day.¡± Nicole stood up and said goodbye. Daniel and Gloria followed suit. Then, Dexter and Emma did the same, having no interest to stay there any longer. After they left, Mr. Riddle Sr. looked at his two sons that were still there, wearing an unpleasant expression. ¡°Dad, we also think that it¡¯d be better for us to divide our family¡¯s wealth in advance since Nicole had gone missing for five years and she knows nothing about San Joto aftering back here all of a sudden. If anything were to happen to thepany, we can offer some help. It¡¯ll be better than all of us getting into trouble together,¡± Karen exined with a smile. She was worried that Mr. Riddle Sr. would put the me on them on that matter. She had no idea the Riddle family had a rule like that. If she had known earlier, she would not have convinced everyone toe here and force Mr. Riddle Sr. to give up his throne and put herself in such a passive position. N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content. ¡°Now that thepany has been divided, just focus on doing your own part. Don¡¯t think about helping. It¡¯d be good enough if you don¡¯t cause any trouble.¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. was implying that they should just mind their own business since their ownpanies were not even doing well. Karen¡¯s face turned pale after hearing that, but she dared not retort. So, she lowered her head and replied softly, ¡°Okay. " ¡°Leave now if you have nothing else to say. Stop bothering me.¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. was starting to get impatient with them. ¡°Well leave now then. Take care, Dad,¡± Damien said to his father. Mr. Riddle Sr. scoffed. ¡°There¡¯s no need to worry about me. I¡¯m perfectly healthy.¡± Damien paused, feeling somewhat helpless. He could not figure out why his father still hated them after he did everything that the doctor said. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go. Dad needs to rest,¡± Dillon chimed in to smooth things out. After everyone left, the butler handed Mr. Riddle Sr. a cup of hot tea. ¡°Sir, have some tea to calm your mind.¡± ¡°What a bunch of unfilial children,¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. grumbled as he took a sip of tea. ¡°At least two of your youngest sons are good. Besides, Miss Nicole has already met all your expectations. It¡¯s not worth getting angry over these things andpromising your health,¡± the butler consoled Mr. Riddle Sr. ¡°Daniel and his family are the least I have to worry about.¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. looked more rxed, his eyes revealing a sense of affection as soon as he thought about Daniel and especially Nicole. ¡°Sir, I suppose you¡¯re going to make Miss Nicole your heir, right?¡± the butler said with a hint of teasing in his tone as he already knew what Mr. Riddle Sr. had in mind. Chapter 2072 Chapter 2072 ¡°That girl¡¯s mind isn¡¯t focused on this matter at all, unlike the others.¡± First, they wanted to get their hands on the shares, and now they wanted to target the ancestral properties of the Riddle family. ¡®What a bunch of selfish wolves.¡¯ ¡°What do you mean, sir?¡± The butler was a bit puzzled. If the inheritance did not go to Nicole, who did Mr. Riddle Sr. have in mind? N?velDrama.Org ? 2024. Mr. Riddle Sr. smiled proudly and said meaningfully, ¡°The rule of the Riddle family is that those who are capable shall get the inheritance.¡± The butler instantly understood. If Nicole had exceptional abilities, it would naturally be handed over to her. Even if Nicole had no intention to inherit, she was a responsible person who would not shirk away. After all, this was not just mere wealth. It represented the legacy of the Riddle family. Eventually, Nicole would definitely agree as well. ¡°You¡¯re extremely meticulous, sir.¡± The butler sighed. ¡°Come, let¡¯s have a meal.¡± Mr. Riddle Sr.¡¯s mood had improved. He was in a bad mood because of the actions of two of his eldest sons, but everything became better when he saw Nicole. At this moment in the courtyard, Damien and Dillion exchanged hesitant looks. ¡°Hey, will Dad really give it to whoever is most capable?¡± Dillion finally said. ¡°I¡¯ve never been able to understand his intentions. But since he said so, let¡¯s strive for it. Let Dad see our strength, and naturally, he¡¯ll have nothing to say,¡± Damien responded, preparing to roll up his sleeves and work hard. Dillion sneered in his heart but nodded on the surface.¡± You¡¯re right. Well, everything¡¯s settled now, so I¡¯ll head home first.¡± ¡°Alright, same here,¡± Damien agreed. With that, the two of them headed toward their respective cars with their families. After getting into the car, Miley asked Damien in a low voice, ¡°Do you think Dad will be biased toward Nicole and secretly help her?¡± After all, everyone could see the favoritism Mr. Riddle Sr. showed toward Nicole. Damien furrowed his eyebrows slightly and looked at her. Miley immediately choked on her words and felt a little uneasy, wondering if she had said something wrong. ¡°What you said makes sense.¡± Damien¡¯s eyes shed with a cold light. Perhaps, he should get someone to keep an eye on things. Hearing him agree, Miley let out a sigh of relief. After the defeat of her own family, Damien had been cold to her. Now, things seemed to be easing up a bit. On the other hand, Dillion red at Karen and said, ¡°You should speak less from now on. Don¡¯t you understand that the more you talk, the more mistakes you make?¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. already disliked them, but Karen just kept running into trouble. ¡°I¡¯m doing it all for us. If we don¡¯t speak up, Dad might just give everything to Nicole. Now that he knows we¡¯re watching, he¡¯ll restrain himself,¡± Karen said, unwilling to admit defeat. ¡°Dad, Mom does make sense. Look, as soon as Nicole appeared today, Grandpa¡¯s expression changed. He doesn¡¯t treat her with the same cold face. I can see that Grandpa is heavily biased toward Nicole,¡± Raine said bitterly, feeling jealous. ¡®That damned Nicole¡­ Why didn¡¯t she die while she was away? If she had died, we wouldn¡¯t have any problems. But she came back, and as soon as she did, she cured Grandpa. Otherwise, we would¡¯ve already obtained the shares.¡¯ Chapter 2073 Chapter 2073 ¡°Tch, you just had to tag along even though we told you not to. If you weren¡¯t there, Nicole wouldn¡¯t have heard anything. You¡¯re the sole reason Nicole had a reason to stay behind.¡± Dillion red at Raine. ¡°Nicole would¡¯ve stayed if Grandpa wanted her to. Could you have driven her away?¡± Raine retorted, sounding offended. ¡°Raine.¡± James gently tugged on Raine¡¯s arm, signaling her to stop talking. Dillion grunted disdainfully. ¡°She¡¯s useless.¡± After saying that, Dillion stormed toward his car, and Karen could only follow along. Raine, who had been scolded continuously, became red with anger. She resented why she always had bad luck whenever Nicole was involved! ¡°Raine, you heard Grandpa just now.¡± Now that everyone had left, James discarded his previous timid demeanor, and his scheming eyes lit up. ¡°So what, if I heard it?¡± Raine replied angrily. What did it have to do with her? She came back just because she heard that they were dividing the family¡¯s assets and she wanted to get her share as well. ¡°If you¡¯re capable, you can take it. Don¡¯t you want to obtain that huge wealth and the inheritance from the Riddle family? ¡± James said in a meaningful tone, trying to induce her. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Raine seemed to understand James¡¯s meaning but was hesitant to fully comprehend them. James noticed Raine¡¯s expression and went all out. ¡°Since Nicole is eligible as well, you can also be that capable person.¡± He initially thought that the daughters of the Riddle family were not eligible, but he clearly saw that Mr. Riddle Sr. favored Nicole. If that was the case, then Raine naturally had the same eligibility. ¡°But how can I be that person?¡± Raine asked, realizing that she would need achievements, which could not be attained solely by talking. Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org. ¡°I suggest you join thepany first. After all, your brother doesn¡¯t n to help in thepany, and your father always needs reliable people. If you can assist him, then¡­¡± James tactfully guided Raine along his train of thought. Raine quickly understood and could not help but grit her teeth. ¡°That¡¯s a good idea. Why didn¡¯t I think of it before?¡± The Harlow family was only a second-rate family, and James did not hold much power within the family. This left Raine with limited rights. However, if she could join her own family¡¯spany, everything would be different. Regardless of the performance of the subsidiary they managed, it was still a top-notchpany, stronger than the Harlow family. If she could achieve sess and prove that she was better than Nicole, then everything belonging to Nicole would be hers. When the time came, she would make sure to take Nicole down ruthlessly. Seeing that Raine had fully understood his n, James took the opportunity to say, ¡°When the time comes, I can also join thepany and help you. I¡¯ll assist you in obtaining everything from the Riddle family.¡± Raine, feeling triumphant, readily agreed. ¡°Good. I¡¯ll talk to Dad about it.¡± Once the two of them entered thepany, sooner orter, she would surpass Nicole. While these two were envisioning and scheming, Nicole and Jared had already returned to Nicole¡¯s family. Seeing only Nicole and Jared, Samuel and the others asked with concern, ¡°Where are Mom and Dad?¡± ¡°When we were leaving, Uncle Dexter called Dad for a discussion, so we came back first. They should be arriving soon,¡± Nicole exined. Upon hearing this, everyone felt a bit relieved and waited for Nicole and Jared to sit down before asking, ¡°What happened with the ancestral home?¡± Nicole shook her head in frustration. ¡°Uncle Damien and Uncle Dillion are causing trouble again.¡± ¡°What are they up to this time?¡± Samuel eximed irritably. Chapter 2074 Chapter 2074 ¡°They want to divide the family assets,¡± Nicole said slowly and disdainfully. The news shocked not only Samuel but also Spencer and Stanley. ¡°Are they insane?¡± ¡®Grandpa is still alive and well, yet they want to divide the family assets. Moreover, aside from diving thepanies, it seems that it¡¯s not something that can be done easily.¡¯ ¡°Yeah,¡± Nicole scoffed. ¡°If they weren¡¯t crazy, how could they do such a brainless thing? It seems like my return has driven them mad.¡± ¡°What did Grandpa say about it?¡± Samuel curiously asked. ¡°No matter the generation or seniority, only capable individuals are eligible to inherit the family assets,¡± Nicole revealed calmly. ¡°Capable individuals?¡± The three of them looked at Nicole simultaneously. Nicole immediately shook her head. ¡°Don¡¯t look at me. I¡¯m not interested.¡± ¡°Not you? Then is it us?¡± the three of them asked in unison. They did not even bother to get involved in thepany, so inheriting the Riddle family assets was even less appealing to them. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. We still have Sean and Steve.¡± Nicole smirked. She knew very well that these three brothers of hers were less capable than her. They were not even willing to participate inpany matters. ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Spencer agreed. ¡°Steve only loves money, so he probably isn¡¯t interested in inheriting the Riddle fortune. After all, there¡¯s a sense of responsibility here. As for our eldest brother¡­¡± The group then agreed unanimously that Sean was the most suitable candidate. Nicole also believed that Sean was the best choice, and she had already made up her mind to help him obtain the inheritance rights. The legacy of the Riddle family could not fall into the hands of someone with ulterior motives. She had also discussed this with Jared on the way home, and he agreed with her decision and respected it. Daniel and Gloria entered the room, coincidentally overhearing their conversation, and they felt relieved. N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. Dexter and Emma called them over, and they were discussing the same matter. Given the current situation, Daniel¡¯s children had a greater chance of obtaining the inheritance rights. But with five sons and one daughter, how would they ultimately decide? Would there be a fierce internal struggle? That was not a scene they wanted to see. However, they did not expect that their worries were unnecessary. These young ones were actually pushing responsibility onto each other, none of them was willing to shoulder it, and they unanimously pushed it onto Sean, who was not present. What others would schematically calcte to obtain, seemed to be despised by them instead, leaving their parents amused. ¡°Mom, Dad, you¡¯re back.¡± Samuel noticed Daniel and Gloria and greeted them with joy. The couple smiled gently and sat down on the sofa. ¡°We¡¯re back.¡± ¡°As for the matter of the inheritance rights, don¡¯t think too much about it. After all, Grandpa is still healthy. This matter doesn¡¯t need to be rushed,¡± Daniel reassured them. He did not want the children to feel too pressured. ¡°It¡¯s fine. We¡¯re not under pressure,¡± Samuel said with a mischievous smile, knowing that the pressure had already been shifted to their eldest brother. ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± the others chimed in, afraid of being called back to thepany to immediately take on official roles. ¡°You lot¡­¡± Gloria couldn¡¯t help butugh. ¡°Even though you¡¯re pushing everything onto your eldest brother, shouldn¡¯t you also lend him a hand here and there?¡± They were all her children, and she cared for each one of them. If they all pushed the responsibility onto Sean, he probably would not be able to handle it. ¡°We have Nicole, and Sean also has someone who takes care of the internal and external matters for him. We have faith in him,¡± Samuel said genuinely. He was truly afraid that once he entered the company, he would have no freedom left, and he was certain he would not be able bear it. Chapter 2075 Chapter 2075 Spencer and Stanley nodded in agreement. They were fine as long as they did not join thepany. Gloria waspletely speechless. While other siblings would fight fiercely, her family¡¯s situation would attract envy and resentment if it became known to others. ¡°Mom, don¡¯t worry. Dad also said that Grandpa is in good health,¡± Nicole reassured Gloria. ¡°Besides, both Steve and I can help Sean in thepany, along with Jane. She¡¯s a capable assistant to him.¡± Although Nicole had only met her sister-inw a few times since returning and had not had a chance to communicate much, she still had some understanding of her. She felt that Sean was fortunate to have her. ¡°Then you also need to take care of yourself.¡± Gloria expressed her concern, not wanting Nicole to overwork herself. ¡°I¡¯m fine, really. Don¡¯t worry,¡± Nicole reassured her. ¡°Rest assured. In thepany, Sean and Steve won¡¯t let her work too hard,¡± Jared said, holding Nicole¡¯s soft hand. Gloria nodded in agreement. ¡°Jared¡¯s right. I¡¯ve been overly worried.¡± Nicole could not help but be amazed. ¡°Mom, I¡¯m your biological daughter, right?¡± Why was it that my earnest advice couldn¡¯t evenpare to a single sentence from Jared?¡± ¡°You silly child, why are you jealous of your own husband?¡± Gloria could not help butugh. Nicole pretended to be aggrieved and said, ¡°We haven¡¯t had a formal wedding yet, and besides, my last name is Riddle.¡± ¡°If you want a wedding, we can have one right away.¡± Jared¡¯s eyes shed with a hint of mischief. ¡°Who said anything about having a wedding?¡± Nicole scolded Jared yfully, but her cheeks involuntarily turned slightly red. ¡°Hahaha!¡± The Riddle family burst outughing. Nicole felt even more embarrassed and stood up. ¡°I¡¯m going to check on Nn and Lana.¡±¡® ¡°They¡¯ve already fallen asleep. I put them to bed,¡± Samuel boasted, proud of his achievement. Nicole could not help but roll her eyes. ¡°Then I¡¯ll go and see if they¡¯ve kicked off their nkets.¡± As Nicole walked upstairs in big strides, theughter in the living room grew louder. Jared¡¯s lips curled up slightly, and then he followed her upstairs. The living room became even more lively as they discussed Nicole and Jared¡¯s wedding, wondering if they should start nning for it. Aftering out of the children¡¯s room, Nicole happened to overhear their discussion. She could not help but face-palm as she thought, ¡®These are my closest family, but why were they so eager for me to get married?¡¯ ¡°It was just like thisst time,¡± Nicole murmured to herself unintentionally. After saying that, she paused for a moment.¡¯ What did I just say?¡¯ But when she tried to recall it carefully, she could not remember anything. All she knew was that what she had just said must have been about something that had happened before. However, no matter how hard she tried, she just could not recall the exact incident or details. Jared noticed that Nicole had note back and found her standing in the corridor, lost in thought. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°I think I remembered something just now, but when I tried to recall it more carefully, I couldn¡¯t remember anything.¡± Nicole did not hide anything from Jared and exined what had just happened. ¡°Do you have a headache?¡± Jared asked softly, as he noticed that her reaction to thinking about things was different this time. ¡°No.¡± Nicole shook her head. She found it strange as well.¡¯ Why didn¡¯t I have a headache this time?¡¯ ¡°Perhaps it¡¯s a good sign.¡± Jared¡¯s pupils slightly contracted. Nicole was experiencing some recovery in her memories, yet she did not have a headache. Perhaps, she would regain her memories very soon. Nicole bit her lip softly and whispered, ¡°But I still can¡¯t remember anything.¡±N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content. Chapter 2076 Chapter 2076 Although Nicole did not have a headache, her memory was a nk te. Everything that just happened felt familiar, yet it did not seem like a sign of memory recovery. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯ll contact Martin and discuss it with him,¡± Jared reassured Nicole, holding her delicate hand gently. N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. His broad palm and warm touch instantly dissipated Nicole¡¯s feelings of anxiety and loss, and she suddenly felt at ease. Looking up at Jared, Nicole slightly bit her lip and whispered, ¡°Thank you for being by my side all this time.¡± Ever since she returned to San Joto and regained her identity, she would feel reassured as long as Jared was with her whenever something happened. Jared gently stroked her silky hair and softly said, ¡°No need to thank me. I should be the one thanking you for finallying back to me.¡± If she had not returned, his future would still be bleak, devoid of any color. Nicole¡¯s heart skipped a beat, deeply moved by his words. She could imagine how he had spent the last five years and could not help but feel sorry for him. Biting her lip lightly, Nicole did not know how tofort Jared, as the root of his pain was her. Jared seemed to see through her dilemma and smiled slyly. ¡°So, you owe me something.¡± Nicole blinked in surprise. ¡°How should I make it up to you?¡± Jared smirked, gently holding Nicole¡¯s delicate chin. Her cheeks instantly turned red, and she instinctively wanted to dodge, but she heard Jared say, ¡°Do it¡­ by never leaving me again.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Nicole suddenly froze. Her mouth was slightly agape as she blinked in confusion. ¡®That¡¯s all?¡¯ A wicked smile tugged at the corner of Jared¡¯s lips.¡± Judging by your expression, it seems that what I want and what you expected are not quite the same.¡± Nicole mechanically nodded. Suddenly realizing that something was off, she hurriedly shook her head. Then she felt that was not the right response either, so she nodded again, and then shook her head, ultimately getting herself in a mess. Jared smiled, his lips curling seductively. He slowly leaned toward Nicole, his captivating voice echoing in her ear,¡± What were you thinking?¡± Her breath hitched, and she felt extremely embarrassed. Though his words were not explicit, his actions already revealed what he had in mind. She had indeed misunderstood Jared¡¯s intentions just now. Clearly, he was teasing her, and now she felt both embarrassed and guilty. ¡°Nothing. I wasn¡¯t thinking anything.¡± Nicole felt her cheeks burning, and she broke free from Jared¡¯s grip, turning around and quickly heading toward the room. Watching her flee in such a panic, a hint of amusement shed in Jared¡¯s eyes as he followed her steps. Back in the room, Jared saw that Nicole had already entered the bathroom. He waited for a while, but she did note out. He shook his head, chuckling softly, and approached the bathroom door. ¡°Are you still not finished?¡± Jared asked in a low voice. ¡°Not yet.¡± Nicole¡¯s somewhat reluctant voice echoed from inside the bathroom. ¡°But you¡¯ve been in there for a while now.¡± He worried that she might faint from soaking too long. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m done,¡± Nicole reluctantly replied, mustering up the courage to face him. She had actually finished a while ago, but she did not know how to face him, so she had been lingering in the bathroom, not wanting toe out. ¡°Thene out,¡± Jared urged. She had been in the bathroom for so long, it was time to get some fresh air. There was no response from inside, but there seemed to be faint sounds. Jared guessed that Nicole was probably getting ready toe out. ¡°Ah!¡± Suddenly, a cry of surprise echoed from inside. Startled, Jared quickly opened the door and rushed into the bathroom. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Chapter 2077 Chapter 2077 The two pairs of eyes met. Both of them were speechless and the atmosphere was extremely awkward. A gush of cold wind blew over and Nicole came back to her senses. She aggressively pulled the bathrobe to cover her body while yelling in a panic, ¡°I¡¯m fine! G-get out!¡± Jared did not leave. Instead, he pulled Nicole into his arms and carried her out of the bathroom. ¡°I can walk on my own. Put me down!¡± Nicole grabbed her bathrobe tightly, feeling nervous. N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content. She had just stepped out of the bathtub when she slipped and fell down. Unexpectedly, her fully naked body was seen by Jared. She was already embarrassed as it was, and yet Jared carried her out in that manner. Nicole could not wait to dig a hole for herself. On top of that, this would signify that she had revealed her full self to Jared. The next thing would be¡­ The more Nicole thought about it, the more scared she felt. At that moment, the only thought in her head was to get away from Jared as soon as possible. The both of them needed time and distance. Otherwise, things would escte. ¡°Jared Johnston, listen to me,¡± Nicole said, trying to make Jarede back to his senses. However, Jared had already ced her on the bed. He questioned her in a low voice, ¡°Where does it hurt? Did you get injured?¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡± Nicole had thought up a long list of arguments just now. But all of a sudden, it became useless. The words caught in her throat. ¡®Why is this different from what I imagined?¡¯ ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Seeing Nicole remain silent, Jared became even more worried. He could not help but frown. ¡°I¡¯ll call the doctor.¡± Hearing the word ¡®doctor¡¯, Nicole came back to her senses and grabbed onto Jared. ¡°Don¡¯t! I¡¯m fine. I just identally fell down.¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± Seeing that Nicole¡¯splexion was better, Jared wanted to make sure of it. ¡°Yes.¡± Nicole nodded hurriedly. It seemed like she was trying to prove that she was not hurt, and Jared was just overreacting. As it seemed like Nicole was really fine, Jared rxed a little. ¡°At least you¡¯re okay.¡± His gaze was fixed on her. Although Nicole¡¯s body was covered by the bathrobe, her exquisite figure was still vaguely visible. Jared unconsciously recalled the scene when Nicole was lying on the ground in the bathroom. Then, his gaze darkened, and heat pooled in his stomach. Jared continued staring at Nicole, without saying a word. That made Nicole feel embarrassed and her cheeks began to flush. ¡°Uh, l-l¡¯m going to sleep.¡± Nicole bit her lip, pulled the nket over, tucked herself in and turned over to face away from Jared. ¡°You can sleep first. I¡¯ll shower.¡± After Jared finished speaking, he turned around and strode to the bathroom. Nicole noticed the hoarseness in Jared¡¯s voice. Her heart suddenly tightened, and her breathing became shallow. She knew that Jared was clearly trying to control himself and that confused Nicole. After Jared went into the bathroom, he turned on the cold water and the icy water poured down. It was at this moment that Jared felt sane again. Embarrassed, he shook his head and sighed. Jared could onlyugh at himself quietly. The both of them were a legally married couple, and yet he could only take a cold shower. There was nothing he could do. After all, Nicole had yet to recover her memory. Jared was worried that Nicole would feel scared or that he would hurt her. So, he decided to give her more time. The next day, the sun rose and the clouds and wind swept lightly across the sky. After breakfast, all the members of the Riddle family left for their respective duties. Jared sent Nicole to the Riddle Corporation after he dropped Nn and Lana off at school. Just as Nicole was about to open the door and get down from the car, Jared grabbed onto her. Then, his cold lipsnded on Nicole¡¯s. Nicole¡¯s eyes widened in shock and her mind went nk. When she came back to her senses, Jared had already let go of her. Chapter 2078 Chapter 2078 Looking at Nicole¡¯s stunned yet cute look, Jared smiled and gently patted her head. ¡°You may go now. I¡¯ll pick you up after work.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Nicole replied briefly. Then, she opened the door and got out of the car. After that, Nicole realized that something was off. Why was she being so obedient? He had just sneakily kissed her. How could he react so calmly? The car¡¯s window rolled down and Jared said with a smile, ¡°I actually prefer this type ofpensation.¡± ¡°Jared Johnston!¡± Nicole¡¯s cheeks were blushing rapidly. She stared at Jared angrily. ¡®This reckless man!¡¯ ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll leave now.¡± Jared quickly ordered the driver to drive off before Nicole could explode in anger. Looking at Jared¡¯s car leaving, Nicole gritted her teeth in annoyance. She wished that she could blow the car up with her re. This guy was really getting harder to satisfy by the day. However, Nicole could not do much but take it in. ¡°Nicole, what are you doing, standing here?¡± Sean approached her and took a look at their surroundings in confusion. Nicole came back to her senses and replied to Sean, ¡°I was just about to head upstairs.¡± Sean nodded. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Nicole turned around and looked at Jane who was standing beside Sean, all dressed up like a secretary. Nicole greeted her with a smile. ¡°Jane.¡± Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org. Jane was stunned for a moment. Then, she nodded in a friendly manner. ¡°Chairman.¡± ¡°Jane, I don¡¯t think that¡¯s suitable.¡± Nicole was a little taken aback that Jane would refer to her with such formality. ¡°It¡¯s up to her. She calls me Mr. Sean at work too,¡± Sean exined on behalf of Jane, exasperated. Hearing this, Nicole raised her eyebrow a little, as if she was surprised by it. However, the look on her face carried some sense of pride as well. Jane was Sean¡¯s secretary, but now she was the wife of the Riddle Corporation Head Office¡¯s CEO. One could imagine how much criticism Jane had received from others. It was rare to have someone like Jane with such thoughtfulness and tolerance. The love Jane had for Sean must be true love. Curling her lips slightly, Nicole said affectionately, ¡°Jane and Sean, you guys really are a match made in heaven.¡± After they finished the conversation, Nicole entered the office building first. Sean nced at Jane and followed after Nicole. Jane froze, left feeling stunned. She did not expect Nicole to say such a thing. But at that moment, Jane understood why Nicole was well-liked by everyone in the Riddle family. And that was because she was so lovable. Although Jane did not show it through words or actions, Nicole understood Jane¡¯s position. Nicole even gave her some reassurance, and that made Jane feel warm inside. For someone like Jane, being in a rtionship with Sean in her position was not easy. It did not matter whether it was from a ce of jealousy, righteousness, or other reasons. People would always talk behind their backs. Especially since Jane decided to stay in thepany after the marriage and continue holding the position of Sean¡¯s secretary. All this was because she loved Sean for who he was. Taking a deep breath, Jane slowly walked into the office building. Only those who were observant could tell that Jane was acting a little differently than usual. With her head held up high and her back straight, Jane was filled with confidence from head to toe. It was not the coldness and unapproachable stance which Jane had forced herself to carry before. After entering the elevator, Nicole nced at Jane and curled her lips into a smile. She understood why Jane managed to win Sean¡¯s heart. Jane was definitely worth Sean¡¯s heart. ¡°Jane, since you¡¯re only willing to be recognized as a secretary in the office, why don¡¯t youe over for dinner some time?¡± Nicole extended an invitation. Since at home, Jane would just be her sister-in- law. Jane replied, full of gratitude, ¡°Sure.¡± Nicole nodded her head. Then, she turned to look at Sean and smiled yfully. ¡°Sean, I have bad news for you.¡± Chapter 2079 Chapter 2079 Sean¡¯s gaze turned cold. ¡°What dirty tricks are Uncle Damien and Uncle Dillon up to now?¡± After Nicole briefly mentioned the splitting of the family¡¯s assets, she raised her eyebrow and said, ¡°The problem is, this bad news is rted to you.¡± ¡°Me?¡± Sean was confused. What did the family¡¯s assets have to do with him? ¡°Grandpa said you have the ability to inherit, and everyone agreed that you¡¯re the perfect choice for this,¡± Nicole reported truthfully. ¡°When you say ¡®everyone¡¯, who¡¯s included?¡± Sean found it weird that he did not know anything about it. N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. Nicole shrugged her shoulders innocently and threw her brothers under the bus. ¡°Stanley, Spencer and Samuel.¡± Sean was startled at first, but then he let out augh which scared people. ¡°These brats. They¡¯ve be so daring now. n They actually passed such a huge responsibility onto him. They deserved a beating. ¡°Sean, I honestly think you¡¯re the perfect choice. So, I hope you¡¯ll take this into consideration,¡± Nicole said with aforting and sympathetic tone. ¡°Are you sure?¡± Sean raised his eyebrows and smiled wryly. Nicole nodded. ¡°Yes.¡± After they finished the conversation, Nicole turned to Jane and said, ¡°Jane, all the best!¡± Once Sean inherited the Riddle family¡¯s assets, the burden on Jane¡¯s shoulders would naturally be heavier. Jane understood what Nicole meant. However, she had not recovered from such huge news. The look she gave Nicole seemed to carry a hint of defiance. Therefore, she did not dare promise Nicole anything at that moment. To Jane, Sean would make all the decisions, and she would unconditionally support him. Then, she would assist and back him up without any hesitation. The doors of the elevator opened, and Nicole stepped out first. Although the final decision would not be made anytime soon, Nicole still felt the need to tell Sean so that he could be prepared. Furthermore, inheriting all of the Riddle family¡¯s assets was not an easy thing. They might face some obstacles. Naturally, precautions were necessary. Nicole¡¯s gaze darkened, and the aura surrounding turned cold. She remembered all that had happened at the Riddle family manor the night before. Those greedy wolves would need a solid lesson for them to realize their ce. Sean and Jane walked out of the elevator as well. After ncing at each other, the look in their eyes was dense and full of emotions. ¡°Mr. Sean, are you going to¡­ ept it?¡± ¡°I guess Nicole has no interest in inheriting it anymore.¡± Sean understood that their grandpa¡¯s wish was for Nicole to inherit them. But from the looks of it, Nicole had no interest in it. If Nicole was not interested, it would be normal for the brothers to suggest his name. After all, those boys were not willing to step foot in thepany. The only one who helped out was Steve. In fact, Steve was only in for the money. He was not interested in managing thepany at all. ¡°I¡¯ll respect your decision, no matter what it is.¡± Jane had a firm gaze. If her husband really decided to take over everything, Jane understood the burden she would have to carry on her shoulders. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. You can do it,¡± Sean reassured his wife. He was very sure of Jane¡¯s skills. Jane nodded slightly, and Sean smiled. As long as Sean would be by her side, that was more than enough for Jane. ¡°Sean, it¡¯s such a rare sight to see you and Jane interacting so lovingly.¡± Steve walked over and could not help but tease when he saw Sean and Jane. Sean rolled his eyes in annoyance at Steve and said, ¡°You should bring Sally home one day.¡± As soon as he finished his sentence, Sean walked off with Jane in tow. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Steve could sense that something was off with Sean. He could not help but scratch his head, confused. However, that couple was now far away from Steve. So, Steve could onlye back to his senses and walked to his own office. On the other hand, Jared had arrived at Johnston Group. Chapter 2080 Chapter 2080 Iris was waiting in front of Jared¡¯s office. ¡°Sir, there are some issues with Happiness Trading.¡± The look on Iris was heavy. Jared¡¯s gaze darkened as he questioned coldly, ¡°What issue? w Iris gave a brief summary of the situation. ¡°Previously, we were at the stage of negotiating a contract. But this morning, they contacted us to terminate the coboration.¡± Jared¡¯s pupils narrowed slightly. ¡°Terminate?¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve done some research, and it seems like they¡¯ve found a newpany to work with,¡± Iris replied a little awkwardly. Jared turned his gaze toward Max. Instantly, Max understood what Jared wanted and he left. ¡°Got it.¡± Jared opened the door and entered his office. Iris knew that Jared meant that she could leave after she was done reporting. But she hesitated for a moment. Then, she gritted her teeth and followed Jared into the office. She had already found out about Nicole¡¯s situation. ording to her sources, Nicole had a contractual marriage with Jared. The only issue was that Nicole suddenly disappeared for five years. Although she had returned, Jared had no intention to hold a wedding yet. Perhaps, things had changed between the two of them. After all, no one knew what had happened over the past five years. At that thought, Iris felt that she should grab hold of this opportunity. Perhaps, she could win Jared¡¯s heart. In that case, Jared would not have to marry someone he did not love. Iris was sure that Jared did not love Nicole that much. Otherwise, they would have gotten married earlier. So, Iris felt that this was herst shot. In fact, it was her one and only chance. Iris took a deep breath, gathered some courage, and stood in front of Jared¡¯s desk. Jared frowned a little. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°Sir, I wanted to ask if you have some time after work?¡± Iris asked in a soft voice. ¡°No.¡± Jared replied with a deep voice. Iris¡¯ face immediately froze. She could only reply through gritted teeth, ¡°Oh, it¡¯s just that I¡¯ve made an appointment with the CEO of Happiness Trading. I was hoping to see if there¡¯s any way we could solve this issue. And if you could show up, the oue might be even better.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need for that. Get out.¡± After Jared finished speaking, he picked up the documents beside him and ignored Iris. Iris¡¯ face turned pale, and yet she could only give a reply in a quiet voice, ¡°Noted.¡± She nced at Jared. Then she reluctantly turned around and left. Jared quickly took care of the documents on his desk. It was as if he did not care about what had just happened. KNOCK, KNOCK! After knocking on the door, Max entered the office and said with a low voice, ¡°Sir, I¡¯ve looked into it. It¡¯s Lawrence¡¯s doing.¡± Hearing this name, Jared¡¯s busy hands froze. Then, he snorted. ¡°Why am I not surprised?¡± After all, there were fewpanies in San Joto that could snatch projects from Johnston Group or even have the guts to do so. Lawrence was one of the rare ones. ¡°Sir, what are we going to do?¡± Max asked with a dull look on his face. He could not believe Lawrence really had such nerve. Jared gave it some thought. Then, his lips curled into a devilish smile. ¡°Give up on Happiness Trading. You should try contacting Radiance Commerce.¡± Jared wanted to see what other tricks Lawrence would y to mess with Jared¡¯s projects. At the same time, Jared wanted to see if Lawrence had the ability toplete them. Max understood that Jared was getting ready to fight back.¡± Noted.¡± After Max left, Jared continued to work. It was as if he was not affected by anything. Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org. Time flew by quickly and in the blink of an eye, it was time to get off work. When Jared left thepany, he did not notice the figure who just came out of the door. Chapter 2081 Chapter 2081 Iris clenched her teeth, unsatisfied. She had overheard Jared and Max¡¯s conversation and it made her feel wronged. She had tried her very best to arrange an appointment with the CEO of Happiness Trading. And yet, Jared did not bother to even consider it. It was the perfect opportunity for her to perform well in front of Jared. In the end, her n failed. No way! I can¡¯t give up this easily. After all, I might not have much time left. I¡¯ve been waiting silently for five years, and I had never imagined the day I would lose Jared.¡¯ After Jared left Johnston Group¡¯s office, he soon arrived at the Riddle Corporation. At the same time, Nicole had just stepped out of the building. When she saw Jared¡¯s car, she hurried over and got into the car. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s pick Nn and Lana up.¡± Nicole leaned into the seat. ¡°I¡¯ve asked your mom and dad to pick them up. We¡¯re going to Martin¡¯s ce.¡± Jared nced at Nicole out the side of his eye. Her situation with her memory the night before was very different. Perhaps, one could say it was ground-breaking. Nicole bit her lip and a gush of warmth shed through her heart. Nicole never bothered about it, but Jared was still patient enough to check on Nicole¡¯s situation. Even if there was a small incident, Jared would be concerned. Soon, the two of them had reached Martin¡¯s vi. It was obvious that Martin had been waiting for their arrival. When he saw them enter, he poured water for them. After everyone sat down, Nicole described the situation from the night before to Martin. Then, she shared what she thought. Martin frowned slightly, gave it some thought and shook his head. ¡°On the contrary, I don¡¯t think this is a sign of you recalling your memory.¡± Nicole was disappointed for a moment. But then, she quickly returned to normal. Deep down, she was comforting herself. Since she had faced such a result multiple times, she should be used to it by now. ¡°However, we can¡¯t definitely say that there was no effectiveness to it. At least it proved one thing to us, that you are less resistant toward familiar things. Hence, you¡¯re not experiencing headaches,¡± Martin exined. The only issue was that this was still very far from recovering her memory. ¡°Alright.¡± Nicole nodded. She felt that this could be considered as good news as well. ¡°Is there anything else?¡± Jared asked in a slightly low voice. ¡°Not at the moment.¡± After Martin finished speaking, he whipped out a document and said, ¡°This is the treatment n I¡¯vee up with. Please have a look.¡± Martin passed the document to Nicole. He waited for Nicole to read the materials and express her opinion. After Nicole took the file, she flipped through it and seriously looked at the contents. Then, she frowned. ¡°I¡¯ve tried all these methods before. They¡¯re useless.¡± Martin could not help but shake his head. ¡°Your situation is quite an emergency. We¡¯re running out of time and there hasn¡¯t been anything to trigger your memory from the past. The conventional treatment n does have a low percentage of effectiveness. However, it would be even more stable, and the risk is low.¡± That was the best treatment n he could think of. If it did not turn out the way it should, everyone would go manic. ¡°Do you have other proposals?¡± Nicole¡¯s eyes narrowed as she understood the implicit meaning behind Martin¡¯s words. N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content. He mentioned that the conventional treatment would be stable, and the risks are low. That also meant that Martin had other theories, but the risks were too high. Martin hesitated. Tm sure he does, but he seemed to be kind of worried.¡¯ Chapter 2082 Chapter 2082 ¡°You can exin them first. As for the decision, we¡¯ll think about it seriously.¡± Nicole noticed Martin¡¯s hesitation. However, she felt that she should at least understand the options. In the end, they were opportunities. ¡°The risks are definitely higher,¡± Martin continued to remind her carefully. ¡°Just exin them to us. We¡¯ll think about the restter.¡± Jared understood what Nicole meant, and he felt that they should at least understand what type of treatments were possible. Seeing that the both of them were persistent, Martin sighed and said, ¡°Do you remember The Beacon?¡± After Martin uttered those words, he realized his mistake. How could he have forgotten about Nicole¡¯s memory loss? Of course, she would not remember what he was talking about. So, Martin turned and looked at Jared. ¡°What is it about The Beacon?¡± Jared was curious. ording to his memory, the device did not have the ability to treat memory loss. ¡°Actually, over the past five years, I¡¯ve developed a copy of The Beacon¡¯s system.¡± Martin subconsciously nced at Nicole as he spoke. ¡°A copy?¡± Jared¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡®Is it a skill enhancement, or is it a technical advancement? Can it help Nicole to recover her memory?¡¯ While Nicole was listening to their conversation, she could not recall any memory of The Beacon. Therefore, she was quite curious about it. ¡°What are you guystalking about?¡± asked Nicole. She thought the name sounded like a great thing. It must be a device. Martin looked at Nicole and handed her a tiny device. From the appearance, it seemed like a delicate pendant. It was the size of a coin, and there was a slightly protruding part on top of it. ¡°Is this the switch?¡± Nicole made a guess and lightly triggered it with her finger. An Al projected disy immediately appeared in the air, and it remained there. The functions were all laid out on the disy. Amazed at such advanced technology, Nicole reacted out of shock. ¡°This was designed by you? The functions are quiteprehensive!¡± ¡°I made some improvements ording to The Beacon,¡± Martin replied honestly. Then, he exined to Nicole and Jared, ¡°Other than the original functions of The Beacon, I¡¯ve also developed and added a brain damage recovery function. But¡­¡± Martin hesitated. Hearing that it could recover brain damage, Nicole¡¯s eyes shined. ¡°But what?¡± Perhaps this newly upgraded product could really help her regain her memory. If there was a possibility, she was willing to give it a try. ¡°But the initial intention of developing this function was targeted toward external injuries which caused brain damage. Your condition doesn¡¯t belong to this category. Another thing is that this is only at the initial stage of production. We don¡¯t have actual research results to prove its effectiveness.¡± Therefore, Martin dared not to let Nicole use it rashly. If there were any issues, he would regret it. Nicole finally understood the reason Martin was hesitant. She turned to Jared. ¡°How much do you know about The Beacon?¡± She totally had no memory of it. But looking at the upgraded prototype, she could tell that it was a powerful medical device. ¡°The main function of The Beacon is to quickly treat any external injuries and detoxify the body. It was developed by Martin, and you assisted him a lotst time. Then, I established The Beacon Company,¡± Jared briefly exined to Nicole. Nicole¡¯s eyes widened. She used to be involved in the project! Of course, Nicole was shocked by the information. She knew that Jared would never lie to her, so she continued to question, ¡°If that¡¯s the case, I think I can give it a try. What do you think?¡± If The Beacon was so powerful, Nicole believed that the upgraded version would not be bad. N?velDrama.Org ? 2024. ¡°But this isn¡¯t the finished version. I¡¯m worried¡­¡± Martin still felt uneasy about it. He could not help but clench his teeth and advise, ¡°Why don¡¯t we wait a little longer? At least until more experiments are done and more data is gathered. Then we cane to a decision.¡± Martin was genuinely worried that if he failed, Nicole¡¯s injury would worsen. Therefore, he felt that they should be patient and wait it out. Chapter 2083 Chapter 2083 Jared¡¯s eyebrows narrowed slightly, and he hesitated. The Beacon was reliable, but it now had upgraded functions and it could treat Nicole¡¯s brain. Jared was afraid of the possibility of it failing to do its job and causing severe damage to Nicole¡¯s brain. ¡°Never mind. You should have aboratory for this, right? I¡¯ll go analyze the data with you there. If the sess rate is high and the risk is low, we could try it out.¡± Nicole felt this was a chance that she did not want to miss. Nicole had tried many ways, but everything had failed. She really hoped this would be able to help her. Jared looked at Nicole with his forehead creased tightly. He hoped for Nicole to regain her memories, but he did not want her to suffer from any damage. Martin had the same hesitation. He remained silent, not agreeing to Nicole¡¯s request. Nicole, on the other hand, did not want to waste any more time. So, she decided and said, ¡°Send me yourboratory¡¯s address. I¡¯ll get there when I have time.¡± With that, Nicole stood and took the newest system Martin had given her. She said, ¡°I¡¯ll take this and check it out. I¡¯ll return it to you when I go to yourboratory.¡± Seeing that Nicole had her heart set on this, Martin reluctantly agreed. ¡°Alright then.¡± Knowing he could not stop her, Jared got up too and prepared to leave with Nicole. After a simple agreement, Nicole left with Jared. With a conflicted expression, Martin watched as the two left. Although Nicole had lost her memories, she was still the same old Nicole he once knew, always determined and not afraid to take charge. Nicole and Jared got in the car after leaving the mansion. After they had settled into their seats, the car started. ¡°The Beacon sounds impressive. It must have a good market,¡± Nicole was rather interested in the device. She never expected she had once participated in its making. On top of that, Jared was the sponsor, establishing apany for production and sales. ¡°Yes,¡± Jared replied, eyes downcast. Nicole¡¯s interest in The Beacon was not only about thetest technological innovation. It was also for the sake of Zane and the others. Zane had never stopped searching for Nicole these few days but to no avail. Now that Nicole had returned, Jared felt conflicted about whether to tell her about Zane and the organization. Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org. He contacted Zane, but Zane expressed that since Nicole had lost her memories, it would be better for her to stay away. She had quit the organization, so she did not need to remember those things. It was better for her to live a peaceful life. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Nicole blinked in confusion, noticing that Jared seemed desperate to tell her something. ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± Gathering his thoughts, Jared regained hisposure. He decided to respect Zane¡¯s wish and not tell Nicole about the organization for the time being. Nicole did not dwell on Jared¡¯s answer and continued, ¡± About the upgrade for The Beacon, how confident are you?¡± Jared¡¯s expression darkened. ¡°I obviously have faith in Martin¡¯s design. However, his expertise is more toward treating external injuries or trauma caused by external forces. Amnesia is a different case altogether.¡± After all, that was not their initial intention, and Nicole¡¯s case was rare. It was simply impossible to predict the oue. ¡°Although the situation is different, perhaps we can still achieve the same goal if we just give it a try.¡± Nicole felt that it was worth a try after hearing Jared¡¯s exnation. Jared furrowed his eyebrows and pondered for a moment. He looked at Nicole seriously. ¡°To be frank, whether you regain your memory or not, it doesn¡¯t really matter to me. It¡¯s fine the way it is now.¡± To Jared, it was alright since Nicole came back safe and sound. Although Nicole could not remember their time together, he was satisfied with the situation because she was safe now. Chapter 2084 Chapter 2084 ¡°But I always feel like I¡¯m missing something.¡± Nicole always believed that she should regain her memories. N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content. ¡°It¡¯s just a trial. It might not have the desired oue you want. If something goes wrong during the treatment¡­¡± Jared trailed off. This was not something Jared would want to experience. He believed no member of the Riddle family would be able to bear this pain. ¡°There¡¯s always a chance, but it¡¯s impossible if I don¡¯t try.¡± Nicole tried to convince Jared, hoping to gain his full support. She knew Jared would let her if she insisted on it. However, Nicole wanted him to have no doubts and be firmly supportive of her, or in other words, help her. She felt that getting Jared¡¯s support would help her have the courage to face everything. Nicole did not notice that, unknowingly, she had already developed a sense of reliance on Jared. Jared looked at her deeply and said, ¡°All we want is for you to be safe and sound. That¡¯s enough.¡± Nicole understood that Jared was referring to the Riddle family, her blood rtives. However, that was the sole reason she wanted to regain her memories. She wanted to remember her past for them. Especially for Jared, as they even got married and had Nn and Lana. They must have loved each other and had a great past together. Nicole did not want to forget that. Besides, not remembering those past memories made her feel ufortable deep inside, and she could not help but judge the idea of their marriage. Biting her lip, Nicole said solemnly, ¡°I understand, but I still think I should regain my memories since I¡¯ve been given a chance. Don¡¯t you want me to remember our past?¡± Jared was taken aback, and helplessly said, ¡°Of course, I want that. I¡¯m just worried your body will get hurt if this fails.¡± A trace of warmth entered Nicole¡¯s heart. She thought a bit before saying, ¡®TH do my best not to get hurt and recover my memory.¡± Once Nicole remembered everything, perhaps all problems would be solved. Nicole thought that since they loved each other, their past should not be forgotten. Jared¡¯s pupils constricted slightly, and he agreed through gritted teeth. ¡°Alright, but don¡¯t bite more than you can chew. If ¡°Deal.¡± Nicole smiled. Getting his approval really made her feel at ease. Upon returning to the Riddle family manor, the family had just finished dinner. Everyone was in the living room watching TV with Nn and Lana. ¡°Daddy! Mommy!¡± Lana was the first to run over once Nicole and Jared entered the house. Jared affectionately picked Lana up and sat down on the sofa with her. ¡°Mommy, Uncle Jared,¡± said Nn, deliberately raising his voice and emphasizing on the word ¡®Uncle¡¯. He looked at Lana with a slight annoyance. He thought, ¡®Look at her acting all smug.¡¯ Lana proudly stuck her tongue out toward her brother, and thought in her heart, ¡®Nn¡¯s just being jealous.¡¯ ¡®Hmph!¡¯ Nn looked away, not wanting to bother with his now-bribed sister. Noticing the ¡®battle¡¯ between the two children, Nicole shook her head helplessly. ¡°We haven¡¯t had dinner yet. Let¡¯s go eat, and you two can continue watching TV.¡± ¡°How have you two still not had dinner? Hurry over to eat then.¡± Gloria instantly instructed the maids to prepare dinner for them once she knew they had not eaten dinner yet. She then ushered Nicole and Jared to the dining table. Chapter 2085 Chapter 2085 Soon, the maids had prepared dinner, and Nicole and Jared started to eat. ¡°What were they doing? Why did they skip their meal?¡± Gloria whispered to Daniel, her eyes filling with concern as she wondered if something had happened to the couple. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. The kids know what they¡¯re doing.¡± Daniel, on the other hand, felt that since Jared and Nicole had not mentioned anything, they should not pry. He trusted that they could handle it themselves. Gloria nced at them and still felt uneasy. At the same time, looking at them eating in harmony, she could not bear to disturb them. So she gave up on asking them. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Grandma. Mommy is super awesome! She¡¯ll be fine,¡± Lana reassured Gloria. In Lana¡¯s heart, she felt Jared looked impressive and powerful too. ¡°Even if she really has something going on, Godpa would help Mommy too,¡± Nn chimed in, taking the opportunity to earn brownie points for Lawrence. Otherwise, Lawrence would not stand a chance against Jared. Daniel and Gloria exchanged nces. They noticed earlier that Nn called Jared ¡®Uncle¡¯, and it felt a little awkward. They thought they should take some time to teach the child, but this seemed like a different case. ¡®It seems like Nn doesn¡¯t want to ept Jared,¡¯ Gloria mouthed. ¡®Maybe that¡¯s normal? Since Jared wasn¡¯t there when he grew up,¡¯ Daniel mouthed back. ¡®How¡¯s this normal? Why don¡¯t you look at Lana? She¡¯s extremely close with Jared,¡¯ Gloria responded. In a few nces, Daniel and Gloria exchanged thoughts and reached a consensus. They both looked at Nn. Nn seemed to be very resistant to Jared. Even though Jared was not there during his childhood, Nn had been back for quite some time. He should be familiar with Jared already. Yet, it was odd that the boy still rejected Jared like this. They wondered if it was because of Lawrence. Speaking of Lawrence, Daniel and Gloria had discussed his situation before. Lawrence had indeed saved Nicole, and they should be grateful. However, they had never heard any news about Nicole for five years, so they still held reservations about him. ¡°Nn, is San Joto better than the ind?¡± After thinking about it, Gloria decided to take a gradual approach, afraid that being too direct would upset the boy. Little did she know that Nn was very sharp. He pretended to be naive and tilted his head, saying, ¡°San Joto is nice. Grandma, Grandpa, and uncles are here. It¡¯s even better now that Godpa is here.¡± Looking at Nn¡¯s content expression, Gloria was speechless, not knowing how to continue. She did not expect Nn to be so attached to Lawrence. ¡°I think San Joto is better, ¡¯cause Daddy¡¯s here. That means our family reunited,¡± said Lana, raising her chin at Nn to provoke him. In her heart, she thought, ¡®Grandpa and Grandma might not know, but I know how scheming Nn is!¡¯ To Lana, she really liked Jared. Therefore, she was not going to let Nn have his way. Moreover, she was convinced Nicole did not like Lawrence that way. At most, Lawrence was an important friend to her, not a lover. Listening to the children bicker, Gloria¡¯s expression became conflicted. Looking at the two innocent and beautiful faces, she really could not connect their childish words to mature conversations. In the end, she concluded they were just being childish. Nicole and Jared finished their dinner and headed to the living room. Hearing the words of the two little ones, the corner of Nicole¡¯s lips twitched. She thought, ¡®Mom and Dad might not know how quirky these two are, but I¡¯m well aware. I ¡°Nn, Lana, don¡¯t get involved in the adults¡¯ problems. N?velDrama.Org ? 2024. We¡¯ll solve it ourselves,¡± Nicole said, formally addressing this issue with the kids for the first time. Although she understood their thoughts, she considered them mere childish musings that would not affect anything. However, during their weekend outing, Nn had turned on the GPS on Nicole¡¯s phone and allowed Lawrence to follow them. Nicole was afraid that if she did not put a stop to it, things would get out of control. ¡°Mommy!¡± Nn instantly understood Nicole¡¯s intentions and was unwilling toply yet did not reject it outright either. ¡°Nn, do you want me to confiscate your ount?¡± Nicole threatened. Chapter 2086 Chapter 2086 Nicole always knew Nn was born a clever cookie, and much more mature and wiser than the other children of his age. Therefore, she had allowed him to pursue hacking, with her rarely denying his requests. However, she could not allow him free rein this time; Nicole knew very well that if she did not control Nn, things might get out of hand. This situation was already something she did not want to see. ¡°Alright, I get it,¡± Nn said, as he was forced to agree. ¡°Remember, no sneaky moves,¡± Nicole warned. Looking at the stern expression on Nicole¡¯s face, Nn could only nod sullenly. However, deep down, he knew there was a loophole. Nicole had only warned him against sneaky moves, not his penchant for providing information to his godfather. ¡°And remember, Lana. No speaking out of turn either,¡± Nicole reminded, able to tell that Lana was singing a different tune on purpose. ¡°Alright, Mommy. I got it,¡± Lana softly answered. As long as Nn did not spout any sort of hogwash, she would be more than happy. Gloria, on the other hand, had never seen Nicole being so stern to anyone else, so she advised with a hint of concern,¡± The kids are still young. You have to teach them slowly.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Well, look at the time. We should bring the kids to sleep,¡± Daniel chimed in. Nicole looked at her parents and signaled Nn and Lana off with a sharp gaze before agreeing, ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll take them to bed.¡± ¡°Good night, Grandpa and Grandma,¡± Nn and Lana simultaneously said, and followed Nicole upstairs. ¡°Jared, the children are probably having a hard time adjusting. Don¡¯t worry too much,¡± Gloria comforted. Calmly, Jared replied, ¡°Oh, it¡¯s nothing. They are still young, after all.¡± However, Jared hade upon the realization that Nn was not an ordinary five-year-old child. In regard to the hacker ount, his mind jumped right into the idea that Nn was the one using Nicole¡¯s ount. This could only mean that Nn was a hacker. Then, he suddenly realized that on the day he took the two of them back home, thepany system had malfunctioned, necessitating someone to come over and fix it. At that time, Nicole had admitted that it was her. But now that Jared came to think of it, Nn might be the one who had done all the damage. A trace of amusement flickered in Jared¡¯s eyes for everything just seemed to fall into ce all of a sudden. ¡®So that is why Nn has always behaved differently from the other kids. I¡¯ve mistaken his antics for mischievousness, but it seems to me that Nn is more precocious than I¡¯ve cared to give him credit for.¡¯ Gloria and Daniel became relieved when they saw Jared¡¯s nonchnt reaction. After a moment, they went upstairs to get some shuteye too. At around the same time, Nicole walked out of the kid¡¯s room. ¡°Are they asleep?¡± Jared asked. ¡°Lana is, while Nn said he will sleep after a moment,¡± Nicole vaguely said, not knowing how to tell Jared about Nn¡¯s hacking activities. ¡°Is he taking on tasks?¡± Jared candidly asked after observing Nicole¡¯s look of hesitancy. Nicole looked up at Jared, her eyes brimming with surprise.¡± When did you find out?¡± Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org. ¡°Just now. Downstairs,¡± Jared replied. Then, he grabbed Nicole¡¯s hand and took her back to their room. Nicole soon realized that Jared had known because she said she was going to confiscate Nn¡¯s ount. And that tiny bit of information was what led Jared to think of it. With that said, Nicole had to admit that Jared was very astute in his observation. With just one keyword, he was able to deduce that Nn was a hacker and was taking on tasks. Chapter 2087 Chapter 2087 ¡°Nn has demonstrated much skill and talent in this field since childhood, and he¡¯s also shown great interest in it. When I noticed his interest, I allowed him to use my ount to take on some minor tasks. We came to San Joto because he secretly wants topete in a hackingpetition. If not, I¡¯d never know when we coulde back,¡± Nicole exined. Perhaps she would after she regained her memories, or else she would have never voluntarily set foot in San Joto. ¡°Very well. I suppose I can help arrange a fake identity for him so that he can have his own ount,¡± Jared offered. This way, Nn would not need to use Nicole¡¯s ount anymore. With a new identity, Nn could practice with his own ount. ¡°You¡¯re okay with him being a hacker?¡± Nicole asked in surprise, never expecting Jared to agree. ¡°As long as he likes it,¡± Jared replied, knowing that this would give Nn better things to do, thus drawing his attention away from them. Nicole nodded in agreement. ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s create an identity for him then.¡± Due to Nn¡¯s young age, he was always unsessful in his attempts of creating his own ount. If he could have his own, there¡¯s no doubt that he would be ted. It was one of his greatest wishes, and often, heined about growing up too slowly. ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s rest,¡± Jared suggested, not wanting to ask too many questions. Afterying down, Nicole found herself unable to fall asleep. Ever since she returned, she had gradually gotten used to Jared¡¯s presence and his asional devilish charms. It was somewhat shocking for her to learn of Jared¡¯s attitude toward Nn today too. Nicole did not expect Jared to know that Nn could hack. He might already have known that Nn was the one who had caused Johnston Group to suffer losses. Yet, he had not mentioned a word about it and was willing to help Nn by letting him have his own ount, on top of that. She thought that Jared would at least have ordered Nn to never hack again. It was a usual urrence for Jared to dote on Lana, but toward Nn, he was rather cold. However, a father¡¯s deep love for his children would inadvertently show itself in one way or another. With that in mind, an unconscious smile tugged at the corner of Nicole¡¯s lips as she felt a sense of relief. The next day dawned with bright sunshine on the horizon. Once they have had their breakfast, Nicole and Jared left the Riddle manor with Nn and Lana. And after sending them to kindergarten, Jared turned to Nicole and remarked, ¡°Well, you seem to be in a good mood. If Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org. ¡°Yep,¡± Nicole replied. ¡°I have an appointment with Mr. Harmon from Harmon Trading. We are going to discuss the details of the coboration.¡± ¡°Is it about the development project in Westborough?¡± Jared raised an eyebrow slightly, expressing some admiration.¡± Impressive, you managed to negotiate it so quickly.¡± ¡°We¡¯re still going over the terms of discussion. We have not signed the contract yet,¡± Nicole said. After all, there would be no certainty as to whether there would be a coboration until it had truly been finalized. ¡°It will go fine,¡± Jared¡¯s eyes gleamed with a hint of excitement. He believed that the partnership between Harmon Trading and Riddle Corporation would benefit both parties. It would surely seed if both sides worked together. Nicole lifted the corner of her lips. ¡°I¡¯ll take your word for it.¡± ¡°Just remember to treat me to dinner,¡± Jared teased. In reply, Nicole rolled her eyes and muttered, ¡°Why does everyone want me to treat them?¡± Nicole had only just returned. Although she had taken Riddle Corporation over, she had been spending all her savings from the past few years. First, Lawrence had asked her to treat him to a meal, and now Jared wanted her to buy him dinner as well. Inparison, they were the ones with deep pockets. ¡°What did you say?¡± Jared narrowed his brows slightly. Although he had not grasped Nicole¡¯s words clearly, he had heard Nicole saying something about needing to treat everyone. ¡°It was nothing.¡± Nicole returned to her senses and shook her head. Regardless of whether she had uttered those words because of the dissatisfaction resulting from the notion of buying Jared or Lawrence a meal, Nicole cleverly chose to not tell Jared about it. It would only complicate matters if he found out. Jared¡¯s pupils dted, as he sensed that there were things left unsaid. He wanted to inquire further, but Nicole had turned her head to look out the car window by then. Chapter 2088 Chapter 2088 Noticing the look of guilt in Nicole¡¯s eyes, Jared¡¯s eyes glinted with shrewdness. ¡®So, she was indeed comining just now. Is there someone else who wants her to treat them to a meal?¡¯ N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. Before Jared had time to dwell on it, the car halted. ¡°I¡¯ve arrived!¡± Nicole eximed, hurriedly getting out of the car as if Jared would interrogate her if she lingered for another second. ¡°Nicole!¡± A voice tinged with excitement cut through the air before she saw a figure fluttering toward her like a butterfly. ¡°Lulu?¡± Nicole asked, surprised to see her here. Once he had noticed Lulu, Jared¡¯s eyes regained their usual coldness. ¡°I¡¯ll be back to pick you up from work.¡± Then, he drove off. ¡°Woah, that¡¯s so sweet. You have someone to send and pick you up every day,¡± Lulu teased, looking all gossipy. Nicole issued a sigh of relief after Jared had left. Although Jared had not said a word, she could feel the overwhelming pressure when he was around. She felt better now that he was gone. ¡°Stop staring, he¡¯s gone. Don¡¯t worry! Mr. Johnston said he was going to pick you up from workter,¡± Lulu teased mischievously. Nicole rolled her eyes at Lulu and changed the subject. ¡°Why are you here?¡± ¡°For induction!¡± Lulu shook the offer letter in her hand, smiling proudly. Nicole was taken by surprise. ¡°You applied for the job?¡± ¡®I thought I told her to join thepany, but why did she apply and interview for the position? So that was why I didn¡¯t see her yesterday. I thought she hadn¡¯t resigned from her old job,¡¯ Nicole thought. ¡°I got home and gave it a lot of thought. I think it¡¯s better to not use your name and join thepany directly. So, I applied for the job,¡± Lulu honestly admitted. She was grateful for Nicole¡¯s help, but she did not want to cause any problems for her. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. Why can¡¯t I, the chairwoman, appoint a secretary by myself?¡± Nicole beamed and teased. ¡°Well, of course. You can, since you¡¯re the chairman. But I¡¯m after all¡­¡± Lulu paused, after which her eyes widened. ¡°Wait, what? What did you just say?¡± she continued. Lulu felt it was like a dream to work at Riddle Corporation, and to top it all off, Nicole even wanted her to be her secretary. In response, Nicole¡¯s lips lifted. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Oh, alright,¡± Lulu followed Nicole upstairs to her office in a daze. ¡°Nicole, do you really want me to be your secretary?¡± Lulu asked again in disbelief, feeling that it was all too good to be true. ¡°Yes, of course. Have I ever deceived you?¡± Nicole asked back in bemusement. In response, Lulu shook her head and thought, ¡®Nicole would never lie to me. This is just unbelievable. I became the secretary for the chairman of Riddle Corporation. This feels like a soaring achievement.¡¯ ¡°Alright then, let¡¯s get to work,¡± Nicole shook her head while smiling. Nicole had no intention to start Lulu¡¯s career at the bottom of thedder at Riddle Corporation. She believed that this was a win-win situation. After all, Lulu had just changed her job, and she needed someone trustworthy by her side all the while, which was something Jared would not be able to do. The truth was, even if Jared was willing to do so, Nicole would never burden him. Chapter 2089 Chapter 2089 Ever since Nicole had reunited with Lulu, things had gotten much easier for her, as she could now face things with much ease. Lulu too knew that her role had been set in stone, and that was when her face assumed a solemn look, ¡°Okay, but what exactly am I doing?¡± Lulu had just started her job here, so she was unsure of what exactly her role was. ¡°You can go to the assistant¡¯s office and ask him to hand you some stuff,¡± Nicole replied. Nicole had decided that Lulu was to join her at the Riddle Corporation from the get-go, she had briefed Wayne on Lulu¡¯s addition to the team. As such, he would know what to do. ¡°Okay!¡± Lulu agreed before turning around to leave. Nicole was smiling with satisfaction, as Lulu was able to adapt very quickly. ¡®I think us joining forces will be something for others to look out for in the future.¡¯ After a while, Lulu came into the office with an uneasy look on her face and a document in her hand. ¡°Are we heading over there now?¡± Lulu had just joined thepany, and right off the bat, she had be Nicole¡¯s secretary and was about to be whisked away to a negotiation on a business deal. Because of this, she was all over the ce, unprepared for what was toe. ¡°Don¡¯t be nervous. I¡¯ll be there with you. Come on.¡± Nicole got up and proceeded to walk off. ¡®There was no requirement to prepare any materials as the meeting was set up just to finalize the deal,¡¯ Nicole thought Lulu gritted her teeth nervously as she followed Nicole from behind. It was not long until they reached the ce where they were supposed to conduct that meeting with Mr. Harmon. Unexpectedly Raine and James Harlow were present. Feeling that this meeting was going to drag on, sheposed herself and looked at Mr. Harmon. ¡°Greetings Mr. Harmon, I¡¯m Nicole.¡± ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet you, Miss Riddle.¡± Mr. Harmon got up from his seat and happily shook hands with Nicole. Sensing a hint of embarrassment from him, Nicole narrowed her eyes a little before sitting down, acting as if nothing was wrong. Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org. ¡°You¡¯rete. How are you so entitled? This is embarrassing for the family name,¡± Raine remarked while giving Nicole a long face. ¡°Stop sputtering nonsense. We had an appointment at nine. There¡¯s still five minutes to go,¡± Lulu argued, clearly pissed off at Raine who was deliberately picking a fight with them ¡°Don¡¯t you know that arriving early is basic courtesy?¡± Raine argued, unable to stomach Lulu¡¯s reply. ¡°Coming from a graduate from an unknown university, you sure have lots of free time on your hands. Nicole is a very busy person, and every second is precious. So, for her to arrive five minutes earlier has already demonstrated respect and sincerity toward Mr. Harmon,¡± Lulu retorted. ¡°You!¡± Raine was rendered speechless, her face as pale as a sheet. Nicole was also taken aback by Lulu¡¯s sharpeback.¡¯ How did she learn to be so quick witted? I can¡¯t recall how she was like before, but this clearly wasn¡¯t stated in the information that was given to me?¡¯ ¡°Raine. We¡¯re here to discuss our business deal with Mr. Harmon. We ought to be friendly and courteous toward one another. Everyone¡¯s time is precious,¡± James butted in as he attempted to be the peacemaker, while low-key implying the fault was Nicole¡¯s. Nicole raised her eyebrows, and spoke profoundly, ¡°Being bogged down by unnecessary trivialities is not on my agenda. I¡¯m here to discuss serious business matters¡­¡± Chapter 2090 Chapter 2090 Nicole paused for a moment before turning to look at Mr. Harmon and nodding politely, ¡°Everyone¡¯s time is precious, so why don¡¯t we start?¡± Just like that, Nicole had made it clear that she was the target of all that harassment and nonsense instead of the one who had caused it. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s begin.¡¯ Mr. Harmon nodded in satisfaction. ¡°It¡¯s an honor to have youing here in person.¡± James¡¯ face suddenly turned dark, and he could not help but grit his teeth. ¡®This girl is not easy to deal with.¡¯ Raine was also anxious when she heard Mr. Harmon speaking up. It was only recently that Raine had joined the Riddle Corporation. She had wanted to torpedo Mr. Harmon and Nicole¡¯s n, not thinking it would fail. Her face turned extremely pale as her n to kill two birds with one stone backfired there and then. ¡°Mr. Harmon, I think we should carefully assess what we¡¯ve discussed earlier. After all¡­¡± Raine said, feeling terribly anxious, and was on the verge of exposing herself for luring Mr. Harmon here to meet her and James before Nicole. Mr. Harmon interrupted Raine, his face instantly scrunching up into a sour grimace, and in a cold voice, he said, ¡°Please be careful of your words, Miss Riddle. It was your presence today that disrupted our meeting. I think you can go.¡± ¡®This brainless woman had just promised me huge benefits without even thinking it through. It would greatly be beneficial for me, but no way would I consider having this business deal with anyone other than with Nicole. After all, the nature of deals like this are extremelyplicated,¡¯ he thought. Raine had not expected that Mr. Harmon would turn her impressive business proposition down, and just like that, she was handicapped in front of Nicole. ¡°Mr. Harmon, no. Please listen to what I have to say¡­ Just now, we¡­¡± Raine said, eagerly wanting to persuade Mr. Harmon but James stopped her just in time before she could further embarrass herself. James turned to look at Mr. Harmon politely. ¡°Mr. Harmon, if you could please excuse us.¡± Then, after he had spoken, he turned to look at Nicole. ¡°We were the ones who had interrupted you, Nicole, so we¡¯ll leave first.¡± James forcefully dragged Raine away, with Nicole squinting her eyes as she watched the figures of James and Raine slowly recede from view. ¡®For someone who¡¯s so addle-brained, she certainly has found a very thoughtful husband,¡¯ Nicole thought. Nicole noted how well James was at apologizing after Raine had created a scene. ¡®He must¡¯ve bitten a bullet when he dragged her away with us.¡¯ ¡°Miss Riddle, let us continue.¡± Mr. Harmon¡¯s voice pulled Nicole out from her thoughts. Nicole then snapped back to reality, after which she proceeded to discuss the business deal with Mr. Harmon. N?velDrama.Org ? 2024. Outside, Raine was fuming and wasshing out at James.¡± Why did you drag me out here? It¡¯s him who didn¡¯t keep his word and went back on our agreement!¡± ¡®If it wasn¡¯t for Nicole¡¯s stupid appearance, he would have not wavered! He would have agreed to work with us!¡¯ she thought. ¡°I know it¡¯s his fault for going back on his word, but we can¡¯t expose him like that. We must still leave a good impression since he still owes us a favor. It might be beneficial for us the next time we see him. We can utilize him for other projects in the future, just not this one,¡± James earnestly persuaded. ¡°I can¡¯t control my anger when I see that b*tch Nicole being so cocky.¡± Raine gritted her teeth. ¡°You can¡¯t defeat an enemy easily overnight. You just joined thepany so it¡¯s understandable. Get yourself familiarized with thepany first. We can¡¯t afford to make more enemies. We must get them on our side first,¡± James continued in an attempt to talk some sense into his wife. Chapter 2091 Chapter 2091 ¡°But I can¡¯t just let this go. Raine¡¯s anger had subsided a little, but she was still fuming mad. ¡®If it was a failure on my part, I would not have such a hard time epting this. But losing to Nicole? Right in front of her face too? It¡¯s a direct p to my face,¡¯ Raine thought. ¡°Alright, alright. We ought to bear this burden of humiliation but remember, it¡¯s all for our future,¡± James continued through gritted teeth. ¡°Sooner orter, I¡¯ll bring her down.¡¯ ¡°Let¡¯s go home.¡± James dragged Raine into the car after he noticed she had finally calmed down, whereupon they left the ce. On the other hand, it did not take long for Nicole and Lulu to conclude their business meeting and get into the car. ¡°Nicole, I didn¡¯t expect it would go so smoothly,¡± Lulu remarked, feeling very impressed by herself when shended the project with Mr. Harmon. It was also her very first project after joining Riddle Corporation. Therefore, it filled her with excitement just thinking about it. ¡°I told you not to worry,¡¯ Nicole smiled. ¡°But then, I must admit, yourebacks have gotten better.¡± Nicole recalled Raine¡¯s perplexed expression as she was rendered speechless and was intrigued by it. In reply, Lulu shed her a bashful smile and scratched her head. ¡°Would you believe me if I told you I¡¯ve gotten training through my previouspany?¡± ¡°I do.¡± Nicole nodded, finally understanding why June had persuaded Lulu to resign from her previous job. ¡°Nicole, do you know that it¡¯s great that you¡¯re finally back!?¡¯ Lulu brought Nicole into a tight embrace in excitement. ¡°I¡¯ve gone through so much in the past five years, but ever since you came back, things have gotten much better.¡± This did not simply mark the end to Lulu¡¯s series of predicaments; in the end, she had also gotten a better job. With that, Lulu¡¯s drive to do better at her job had been ignited. Now more than ever, she was determined to work harder to live up to Nicole¡¯s expectations of her. Back at the Riddle Corporation, both Nicole and Lulu went their separate ways. Lulu was determined to spend her time learning and picking up the ropes, which Nicole was more than happy to let her do. Soon after, Nicole heard an unexpected knock on her door, and Steve suddenly came striding in with an anxious look on his face. ¡°Steve, what¡¯s the matter?¡± Nicole asked as she looked at Steve in confusion. Steve carefully studied Nicole from top to toe. ¡®Oh thank God. She doesn¡¯t seem to be hurt anywhere.¡¯ Then, he breathed a sigh of relief before saying, ¡°Thank goodness you¡¯re alright. I heard that you went out for a business meeting earlier and bumped into Raine and James. I was worried for a moment there.¡± ¡°Steve, don¡¯t worry about it. I¡¯m fine, see?¡± ¡®Raine isn¡¯t even capable ofying a finger on me,¡¯ Nicole thought. ¡°Then what happened earlier today? How did you bump into them?¡± Steve asked, feeling a little puzzled. The corner of Nicole¡¯s mouth twitched in glee. ¡°Someone got a little too ambitious and couldn¡¯t keep their greed under wraps.¡± ¡°Ambitious?¡± Steve was at loss. ¡®Who was trying to be too ambitious? Raine?¡¯ ¡°Yeah. There¡¯s something I have been keeping from you.¡± Nicole then cautiously told Steve about everything that had happened when she returned to visit the Riddle mansion, including the undisputed decision of the family afterwards. Steve nodded his head in agreement. ¡°Well, Sean can technically do that.¡± ¡°Yeah, because of what Sean had said about us being heartless. But please, don¡¯t make it too obvious that you know about this,¡± Nicole told Steve, who was a little dumbfounded. ¡®If everyone were to act as if they¡¯re oblivious to this situation, won¡¯t it make things worse?¡¯ Steve thought. Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org. Steve gasped. ¡°I think that¡¯s why he wanted me to bring Sally home for dinner.¡± ¡°Not entirely.¡± Nicole said, feeling that it was for the sake of her sister-inw. ¡°Let¡¯s forget it. We can talk about this another time, but what did you mention earlier about Raine being ambitious?¡¯ she asked in surprise. ¡°Could it be that she wants some of the inheritance? Could it?¡± Chapter 2092 Chapter 2092 ¡®There were many people before her who wanted the inheritance too. It would be almost impossible for her to wait until it was her turn. Who was next in life after me?¡¯ ¡°She can¡¯t but there could be someone who is willing to let her have it.1 An icy glint shed in Nicole¡¯s eyes. ¡°James is not an easy person to deal with.¡± Nicole was unfamiliar with James, but after the fiasco that had urred earlier today, Nicole was certain that James was brilliant in scheming. ¡®People from the less influential families are not favored by our family as they have no status nor power, but it¡¯s a certainty that James harbors lofty ambitions. It¡¯s just that he is much better at hiding it,¡¯ Nicole thought. ¡°I really underestimated that fe.¡± Steve scoffed, having been swayed by Nicole¡¯s words. ¡®Now, with Raine¡¯s brilliant mind and abilities, how could she possibly join the working team in the company and expect to inherit the Riddle Corporation? She¡¯s known to be reluctant and powerless. However, with James¡¯ involvement, this has be a serious problem,¡¯ Steve pondered. ¡°For the time being, we can¡¯t make any ring moves, or we¡¯ll have to deal with them a little more often than we want to.¡± ¡®No matter how thoughtful and scheming they are, they have nothing to do with us as long as they don¡¯t step into the headquarters.¡¯ ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll assign some of my folks to get some intel.¡± ¡®The idea is that everything will be fine as long as Raine and James stay in the other branch office without stepping foot into HQ,¡¯ Steve thought. Nicole nodded in agreement. ¡°Okay then, I¡¯ll get going.¡± Steve turned around and walked off. Nicole leaned back against her seat as contempt shed across her eyes. ¡®Dillon¡¯spany is already filled with so many problems. They¡¯re barely surviving and now, even with Raine in the team, I don¡¯t think that she¡¯ll have the skills to improve the situation of their branch,¡¯ Nicole thought, before getting back to work. Soon it was lunch time, Nicole was still deciding on what to have for lunch before her phone rang, derailing her train of thought. It was a call from Lawrence. N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. ¡°Leo.¡± ¡°You promised to buy me a meal sometime. Can you fulfill that promise now?¡± Lawrence said with a smile. ¡°Are you downstairs?¡± Nicole asked hesitantly. She knew that Lawrence would not casually ask her to go out for lunch without an ulterior motive. Smiling, she replied, ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll head down now.¡± After hanging up, Nicole left her office and headed downstairs. She had promised Lawrence a while ago that she would treat him to a meal. ¡®I guess that it¡¯s better to fulfill what I¡¯ve promised him rather than to stay indebted.¡¯ Soon Nicole arrived downstairs where she saw Lawrence, who was waiting for her. ¡°What do you want to have?¡± Nicole asked right off the bat, since she was just doing this to thank him. ¡°It¡¯s up to you, you can decide,¡± Lawrence replied, hoping that Nicole could decide on something that would suit her taste buds more. Then, Nicole nced at the restaurant across the street and said, ¡°Why not go there?¡± ¡°Yeah, sure.¡± Lawrence instinctively agreed. Soon enough, the two of them arrived at the restaurant across the street and picked a spot that was quiet. After they had ordered their food, Lawrence casually started, ¡°Has it been busy for you recently?¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡¯ Nicole responded politely. ¡°Nn epted some missions again yesterday,¡± Lawrence said, changing the topic upon noticing that Nicole was reluctant to talk about work. Nicole nodded. ¡°Nn was a little bored so he epted a small mission to pass time.¡± Nicole knew that anything rted to Nn would not get past him. If her code name had any progress, Lawrence would know. From there, he would be able to monitor them and tell whether Nn or Nicole had epted the mission or not. Chapter 2093 Chapter 2093 -¡°Yeah, he also called to chat with me for a bit.¡± Lawrence looked at Nicole with eyes beaming with hope as Nn had given him some pep talk to work harder during the night prior. Otherwise, someone else might just whisk her away. Lawrence came to approach Nicole for that exact reason, as his masculine senses had informed him that it was a crisis. Before this, Nn had contacted Lawrence to help him find asions and circumstances in which he could set them both up. Nn had been urging Lawrence to work hard to woo his mother, adding that he would not stand a chance if he did not. Though Lawrence had attempted to gather some information from Nn regarding his desperate desire to get him to pursue his mother, there was no sess, as he could not discover anything. All he could tell was that something must have happened. Nicole¡¯s pupils shrank slightly; she understood that Nn must have said something to Lawrence, prompting him toe over for a visit today. ¡°Leo, the kids have a thing with yful banters. There are certain things we don¡¯t have to take seriously,¡± she exined. Nicole had made that clear to Lawrence once before and ever since returning to San Joto. It was evident that something within Lawrence had changed a little. ¡°Pretty sure I can tell a truth and a lie apart,¡± he said. ¡®Regardless of whether it was Nn¡¯s childish words or my own, my objective and goal is clear, especially what my heart wants. For five years, I have been silently giving her everything she wanted and how she wanted them. I gave her space, and I did not push into doing things she did not want to do. Never have I imagined that I would be on the verge of losing her because of an ident, and now, we¡¯re drifting further and further away from one another,¡¯ he thought as he became uneasy with the knowledge that things were not heading the way he wanted them to be. ¡°Leo, I think you have to understand that, between the two of us, we¡¯re just friends.¡± Nicole frowned, reminding him of their previous conversation. Lawrence proceeded to interrupt her. ¡°You also said that you weren¡¯t going toe back here.¡± ¡°The world is evolving each day, and there are things that are beyond our control. Now that I¡¯ve returned, I have to do what I should be doing,¡± she replied. Initially, Nicole did not want to return to San Joto at all because she wanted to elude her enemies and keep her children safe. Perhaps it was fate that brought me back here. It¡¯s not something I can run from forever.¡¯ ¡°Yeah, there are things we can¡¯t control but there are things we definitely can control,¡¯ he helplessly argued. It was uncertain as to whether it was Lawrence¡¯s love for Nicole that had prompted him to work so hard to prevent her from returning to San Joto or it was because she had no recollection of San Joto. But to his dismay, their rtionship had changed as they got more and more distant with one another, a situation which Lawrence was dying to fix. ¡°Leo.¡± A tinge of embarrassment shed in her eyes at once. N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. She knew what Lawrence meant but she had not expected such determination from him, making her feel powerless. Nicole knew that she had stated very clearly that the two of them could only be friends, a proposition to which Lawrence had respected. However, his perception on this had changed. ¡°Let¡¯s eat,¡± Lawrence said as he stifled the mental breakdown within, not wanting to press on further as he was worried that Nicole would sever allmunication with him. Nicole paused for a moment before hesitating. Meanwhile, Lawrence had already dug in while helping her with her food. ¡°I can do it myself,¡± she said. Lawrence quickly changed the subject of conversation. He avoided all mentions of the issue earlier and about Nn entirely. From then on, he stuck to discussions about work matters. Nicole on the other hand was amenable to having discussions about the partnership fortheir business together. ¡®I guess we can discuss this further in detail next time,¡¯ Nicole thought. After lunch was over, the awkwardness and friction between the two of them hadpletely disappeared, with both of them looking much more rxed. ¡°I¡¯ll send you back.¡± Lawrence got up and left the restaurant with Nicole. Soon, the two of them arrived at the entrance of the Riddle Corporation. They went their separate ways as Nicole walked into the office and Lawrence got into his car. ¡°Mr. Royce,¡± Ian greeted, noting that Lawrence was looking a little pale. ¡°You don¡¯t look too good. Did something happen?¡± Ian asked. Chapter 2094 Chapter 2094 Lawrence shot a cold look at Ian. ¡°How are things going with Holder Entertainment?¡± ¡°Everything¡¯s good. The Johnston Group has not given a response afterwards. It seems like they¡¯re admitting defeat and are letting us have the project,¡± Ian said gleefully. ¡°It was that easy?¡± Lawrence¡¯s eyes squinted, not believing that it would be this easy. ¡®Something is wrong here.¡¯ ¡°Yeah. We¡¯ve been keeping an eye on Holder Entertainment for a while now. It wouldn¡¯t be much of a problem,¡± Ian promised. Lawrence nodded his head. ¡°Okay. Keep a close eye on them.¡± ¡®Jared is not an easy person to deal with. I know for sure I cannot afford to be unprepared when it comes to him. I can¡¯t rx until we¡¯ve secured our deal.¡¯ Ian nodded his head in response. ¡°Yes, Mr. Royce. You can leave it to me.¡± Then, Lawrence leaned back against his seat and pondered,¡¯ Today¡¯s persuasion had made one thing clear. Though Nicole has not fully recovered her memories and there is little to no progress between Jared and Nicole, her heart has still been swayed.¡¯ Lawrence felt restless as he stared out the car window, his eyes glinting as he went deep in thought. At the office, Nicole issued a sigh of defeat and shook her head, not knowing that such a day in which she was faced with this sort of situation woulde. Nicole had always taken Lawrence as her own friend. He had saved her life before and helped her get back onto her feet, but s, she had done nothing to repay him for his good deeds. Nicole sat down at her desk, as she bit her lip and opened a server that she never thought she would open again. Nicole was very well aware that the server was very dear to Lawrence. ¡®I guess I can consider this as a repayment for all that he has done to help me for the past five years.¡¯ Soon the sun began to set, with Nicole having spent her entire afternoon trying to decipher and crack the server, but to no avail. By then, she looked very annoyed and unkempt. She walked out of her office, unconsciously covering her eyes with her arm as if she was not used to the light from the outside, which blinded her for a brief moment. Jared got out of his car and jogged over to her, and with a tone of concern, he asked, ¡°What happened? Was work too demanding for you today?¡± Nicole shook her head. ¡°It was fine.¡± Nicole did not tell anyone that she was in the midst of cracking the server, as it was something that was very dear to Lawrence. Not even Lana and Nn knew, and Nicole N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. had no intentions of telling Jared either. Afterall, it was Lawrence¡¯s secret, and she would just be returning a favor once she seeded. Nicole genuinely thought that once the job had beenpleted, her ties with Lawrence would then end. ¡°Let¡¯s go home.¡± Jared helped her into the car upon noticing that herplexion was poor. After they had picked Nn and Lana from the kindergarten, they all returned to the Riddle residence. Jared then informed both the children that their mother was too tired from work and pleaded with the two of them to be quiet, to which they both cooperated really well. Nn and Lana obediently went on to watch TV after they had reached home. In the meantime, Jared took Nicole back to their room. Chapter 2095 Chapter 2095 Nicole was at a loss on how to respond and so, she said,¡± Don¡¯t sweat it. I feel much better now.¡± She was too focused on cracking the system during the evening and had forgotten to catch a break. However, she was all good now. ¡°You must rest, or I will make you,¡± Jared threatened, noticing that Nicole had no intentions of resting. Nicole froze, smoothed her hair awkwardly, and averted her gaze. In all her shrewdness, Nicole did not ask Jared about the methods he would employ to make her rest. She could already feel that his answer would put her in an awkward position. Helpless, Nicole did as she was told; sheid down and began to get some shuteye. This was the safest option for her. Seeing that Nicole had settled down, Jared nodded in satisfaction and pulled the nket over her. ¡°Just stay here. I¡¯ll be back soon.¡± After Jared had left, Nicole breathed a sigh of relief. ¡®Why do I feel so nervous when Jaredes near me?¡¯ Staring at the ceiling, Nicole got lost in her thoughts. When Jared arrived downstairs, Daniel and Gloria asked with concern, ¡°How¡¯s Nicole?¡± ¡°She¡¯s a little tired from work. She¡¯ll be fine after some rest,¡± Jared briefly exined. ¡°Ah well, Nicole has always been self-sufficient,¡± Gloria said, her eyes welling up with tears. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Gloria. It¡¯s just that Dillion has been up to no good recently. That¡¯s why she was a little stressed out,¡± Jared reassured. ¡°She¡¯ll be fine soon.¡± ¡°What about Dillion?¡± Daniel furrowed his brows, his expression turning grim. ¡°Not much. He¡¯s just interested in the inheritance and assets of the Riddle family,¡± Jared snorted coldly and walked toward the kitchen. N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. Jared knew about the meeting Nicole had with Mr. Harmon today. When he saw Nicole in a bad mood after work, he had figured that it was probably because of that. Noting Jared¡¯s reluctance to discuss the matter any further, Daniel and Gloria exchanged nces and stopped asking. ¡°Oh well,¡± Gloria sighed, feeling speechless and helpless in the face of Dillion and Damien¡¯s actions. ¡°I¡¯ll inform Sean to take better care of Nicole,¡± Daniel said, cing his hopes on Sean. After all, in terms of skill andpetence, Sean was miles ahead of everyone else. ¡°Don¡¯t forget Steve. He¡¯s in thepany too. Let them take care of their sister,¡± Gloria added. ¡°Mom, Dad? Don¡¯t worry too much. If Nicole didn¡¯t possess the capabilities, how could she possibly secure the position of chairman? She¡¯s just probably still not used to it,¡± Stanley said, having entered the room and overheard the conversation. ¡°That¡¯s easy for you to say. You don¡¯t even care about your sister,¡± Gloria red at Stanley with dismay written all over her face. Hearing that, Stanley immediately felt aggrieved. ¡°How can I not worry about her? With everything we¡¯re capable of, Nicole will have no worries if she stays at home all day, doing nothing. But do you think she would be happy with that?¡± If they were worried about Nicole, the best way was to not let her work. However, they all understood that was not the life Nicole wanted. After all, Nicole had taken over thepany without any reluctance, even though she had not regained her memories yet. It meant that, deep down, she was still the same Nicole as before. Daniel and Gloria exchanged nces, feeling even more heartbroken for Nicole because they knew what Stanley said made sense. At that moment, Jared walked out of the kitchen with a tray of light but nutritious dishes. He then went upstairs, taking big steps along the way. ¡°I¡¯m back,¡± Spencer, who entered the house, announced. Then, when he saw Jared going upstairs, he curiously asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with Mr. Johnston? Why¡¯d he take his dinner upstairs?¡± ¡°Nicole¡¯s not feeling well,¡± Gloria exined the situation briefly. Hearing that, Spencer expressed his concern. ¡°Can she handle eating?¡± ¡°Mr. Johnston said she just needed some rest,¡± Stanley exined. Chapter 2096 Chapter 2096 ¡°Well, the current situation is still a little too much for Nicole to handle. It would have been better if she had recovered her memories,¡± Spencer sighed. He felt that if Nicole had regained her memories first, these things would not be much of a challenge to her. ¡°Well, this¡­ Ugh.¡± Everyone breathed a collective sigh. Although they did hope that Nicole could regain her memories sooner thanter, all of them understood that it was not easy. Otherwise, Nicole would not have gone for five years without recovering any of her memories. ¡°Dinner is ready,¡± the butler came over and said. ¡°Come on, Mom. Let¡¯s eat first,¡± Regardless of what happened, they still had to pull themselves together. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s eat,¡± Gloria agreed. She then looked at the two kids and said, Nn, Lana? Do you want to eat some more?¡± Both of them shook their heads together and replied, ¡°No thanks, Grandma. We¡¯ve eaten enough in kindergarten.¡± ¡°Alright then, you guys be good and watch TV. We are going to have our dinner,¡± Spencer admonished them. Nn and Lana nodded their heads and watched as the adults entered the dining room. Then, they lifted their heads and looked upstairs. ¡°Mommy isn¡¯t really sick, is she?¡± Lana asked, feeling a little worried. ¡°She¡¯s not. Mommy¡¯s just tired,¡± Nnforted. Still, Lana sniffled. ¡°Those are bad guys! They are bullying Mommy!¡± The two little ones had overheard the adults¡¯ entire conversation and from that, they knew someone was bullying their mother. That was the reason as to why their mother was feeling so tired and unwell. Nn¡¯s expression turned grim as well. Then, he narrowed his brows, and said, ¡°I¡¯ll go upstairs first.¡± ¡°Me too,¡± Lana knew what Nn intended to do as soon as that expression crossed his face, so she followed him upstairs. Once they had entered their room, Nn turned hisputer on and began working on what he had nned out. N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. ¡°Nn, do you know who they are?¡± Lana asked. She knew Nn was going to seek revenge on behalf of Nicole, but it went without saying that he should at least have a target. ¡°I have no idea. But I can find out,¡± Nn said confidently. ¡°Huh? How?¡± Lana knew that both Nn and Nicole were very impressive in terms of their skills with theputer, but she could not understand what Nn meant. ¡°Moments ago, Grandpa mentioned the names, Dillion and Damien. So I should start by checking Grandpa¡¯s information, ¡± Nn exined while his tiny hands rapidly darted across the keyboard. Once they had discovered who Dillion and Damien were, everything would naturally fall into ce. After dinner, Gloria noticed Nn and Lana¡¯s absence and hurriedly went upstairs. Seeing that the kids were in the room, she breathed a sigh of relief, ¡°So you were upstairs all along?¡± ¡°Oh, yep. We felt that the TV programs were too boring, so we came upto y,¡± Nn replied, making up a random excuse out of thin air. ¡°Well, aren¡¯t you well-behaved? You know Mommy¡¯s not feeling well, so you¡¯re taking care of yourself,¡± Gloria expressed her relief. She felt that the two kids were a little quiet today, although it astounded her that they did not need the adults to worry forthem. ¡°Grandma, you should get some rest too. We¡¯ll go to sleep soon,¡± Nn said. He was at a very crucial moment of finding out who his adversaries were, and so, he wanted to continue his work. ¡°Don¡¯t you want Grandma to tuck you in?¡± Gloria hesitated. Although they were well-behaved, she doubted that they could sleep on their own. ¡°Grandma, I¡¯m not sleepy yet. I want to y a little longer. I¡¯ll sleep in a bit,¡± Nn insisted. He could not sleep now anyway, so there was no need for anyone to tuck him into bed. If anything, he was rather busy now. Chapter 2097 Chapter 2097 ¡°Well, the current situation is still a little too much for Nicole to handle. It would have been better if she had recovered her memories,¡± Spencer sighed. He felt that if Nicole had regained her memories first, these things would not be much of a challenge to her. ¡°Well, this¡­ Ugh.¡± Everyone breathed a collective sigh. Although they did hope that Nicole could regain her memories sooner thanter, all of them understood that it was not easy. Otherwise, Nicole would not have gone for five years without recovering any of her memories. ¡°Dinner is ready,¡± the butler came over and said. ¡°Come on, Mom. Let¡¯s eat first,¡± Regardless of what happened, they still had to pull themselves together. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s eat,¡± Gloria agreed. She then looked at the two kids and said, Nn, Lana? Do you want to eat some more?¡± Both of them shook their heads together and replied, ¡°No thanks, Grandma. We¡¯ve eaten enough in kindergarten.¡± ¡°Alright then, you guys be good and watch TV. We are going to have our dinner,¡± Spencer admonished them. Nn and Lana nodded their heads and watched as the adults entered the dining room. Then, they lifted their heads and looked upstairs. ¡°Mommy isn¡¯t really sick, is she?¡± Lana asked, feeling a little worried. ¡°She¡¯s not. Mommy¡¯s just tired,¡± Nnforted. Still, Lana sniffled. ¡°Those are bad guys! They are bullying Mommy!¡± The two little ones had overheard the adults¡¯ entire conversation and from that, they knew someone was bullying their mother. That was the reason as to why their mother was feeling so tired and unwell. Nn¡¯s expression turned grim as well. Then, he narrowed his brows, and said, ¡°I¡¯ll go upstairs first.¡± ¡°Me too,¡± Lana knew what Nn intended to do as soon as that expression crossed his face, so she followed him upstairs. Once they had entered their room, Nn turned hisputer on and began working on what he had nned out. ¡°Nn, do you know who they are?¡± Lana asked. She knew Nn was going to seek revenge on behalf of Nicole, but it went without saying that he should at least have a target. ¡°I have no idea. But I can find out,¡± Nn said confidently. ¡°Huh? How?¡± Lana knew that both Nn and Nicole were very impressive in terms of their skills with theputer, but she could not understand what Nn meant. ¡°Moments ago, Grandpa mentioned the names, Dillion and Damien. So I should start by checking Grandpa¡¯s information, ¡± Nn exined while his tiny hands rapidly darted across the keyboard. Once they had discovered who Dillion and Damien were, everything would naturally fall into ce. N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. After dinner, Gloria noticed Nn and Lana¡¯s absence and hurriedly went upstairs. Seeing that the kids were in the room, she breathed a sigh of relief, ¡°So you were upstairs all along?¡± ¡°Oh, yep. We felt that the TV programs were too boring, so we came upto y,¡± Nn replied, making up a random excuse out of thin air. ¡°Well, aren¡¯t you well-behaved? You know Mommy¡¯s not feeling well, so you¡¯re taking care of yourself,¡± Gloria expressed her relief. She felt that the two kids were a little quiet today, although it astounded her that they did not need the adults to worry forthem. ¡°Grandma, you should get some rest too. We¡¯ll go to sleep soon,¡± Nn said. He was at a very crucial moment of finding out who his adversaries were, and so, he wanted to continue his work. ¡°Don¡¯t you want Grandma to tuck you in?¡± Gloria hesitated. Although they were well-behaved, she doubted that they could sleep on their own. ¡°Grandma, I¡¯m not sleepy yet. I want to y a little longer. I¡¯ll sleep in a bit,¡± Nn insisted. He could not sleep now anyway, so there was no need for anyone to tuck him into bed. If anything, he was rather busy now. Chapter 2098 Chapter 2098 ¡°Grandma, I want to sleep. Why don¡¯t you tuck me in?¡± Lana softly pleaded with Gloria, having understood what her brother was trying to do. ¡°Alright, Grandma will stay with you,¡± Gloria¡¯s eyes wrinkled with a smile. Lana had her ways of touching people¡¯s hearts. As Gloria led Lana away, thetter signaled Nn with a nce, to which he nodded his head. Only then did she walk off with a smug sense of satisfaction. Although Lana could not understand what Nn was doing, she knew he wanted to avenge their Mommy. That was enough for Lana, as the bad guys should be taught a lesson. After Gloria had taken Lana away, Nn continued typing away on hisputer. Soon, he raised his chin in triumph and keyed onest line in. He then closed hisputer in contentment, happy at the masterpiece he had created. After giving himself a rinse, he climbed into bed, covered himself with a nket, and slept. Nicole, who knew nothing about anything, simply ate dinner and prepared herself for some good rest, with Jared joining her in finishing their meal. He waited for the maids to ce all the tableware away, after which he followed Nicole to bed. Jared saw Nicole¡¯splexion return to normal as heid down, feeling relieved. ¡°You don¡¯t have to work so hard. They can¡¯t hurt you. They¡¯re not capable of it.¡± Nicole froze for a moment, carefully pondering about his statement before understanding that Jared was talking about Damien and Dillion. She also understood why Jared had assumed that her exhaustion was due to the issue of inheritance. ¡°I know,¡± Nicole bit her lips. Deep down, she felt that there was no better candidate than Sean. Jared reached out to embrace Nicole in his arms. ¡°Since you¡¯re aware of it, don¡¯t bother about any unnecessary things in the future.¡± Jared knew these jobs were not enough to make Nicole so stressed out. It was the people and the issues surrounding them that had affected her mood. As she was being held by Jared, Nicole¡¯s heartbeat quickened, and her breathing became sporadic. ¡°It¡¯s really nothing. I was too focused on work this evening and forgot to rest,¡¯ Nicole exined, trying to struggle out of Jared¡¯s embrace. She was simply unable to sleep in this position. Jared saw through Nicole¡¯s intentions and subtly tightened his embrace, ensuring it would not constrict her, or allow her to escape from his embrace. Nicole noticed that the more she struggled, the tighter his embrace was. She rolled her eyes in frustration, thinking,¡¯ This guy did it on purpose. But I don¡¯t have enough strength to break free from his arms.¡¯ Thus, she decisively chose to give up. Nicole could not afford to struggle anymore. The fact was that there was still some space between them now. If she continued to struggle, Jared¡¯s embrace would only get tighter, and there would be little to no space left between them. With a sigh of frustration, Nicole decided to cease moving. She closed her eyes and went to sleep. Unexpectedly, Nicole¡¯s panicked heartbeat somehow calmed, and soon, she became drowsy and fell asleep. Hearing Nicole¡¯s even breathing as she was sound asleep, Jared¡¯s gaze softened, and a slight smile appeared. The sunlight rose, casting its rays through the curtains into the room. Feeling the re of the lights through her eyelids, Nicole frowned and instinctively raised her hand to shield her eyes. Then, she slowly opened them. As the lights went through the gaps of her finger, Nicole¡¯s momentary confusion faded, and she quickly returned to her senses. ¡°You¡¯re awake,¡± Jared¡¯s voice red out, and Nicole turned to face him, her lips inadvertently brushing against Jared¡¯s cheeks. Jared¡¯s pupils contracted abruptly, and his gaze darkened a little, exuding a vibe that hinted at danger. Instantly feeling the change in the aura around her, she rolled off the bed and hurried into the bathroom. Watching Nicole¡¯s fleeing figure, Jared shook his head lightly with a helpless smile. Then, he wondered, ¡®When will she get used to me? Do I really have to wait for her to regain all of her memories?¡± N?velDrama.Org ? 2024. In the bathroom, Nicole sshed her face with cold water a few times before bingpletely awake. She could not help but blush with embarrassment. Deep within, she was thinking, ¡®Nicole. Oh, Nicole. That was an ident. But that ident was just so embarrassing. Why can¡¯t I just disappear on the spot?¡¯ Chapter 2099 Chapter 2099 ¡°Are you done?¡± Jared¡¯s voice sounded out outside the bathroom door. Hearing that, Nicole instantly tensed up and she stammered, ¡°E-Em yes. I¡¯m ready.¡± After dawdling for a while, Nicole came out of the bathroom with the intention of leaving it for Jared. While he was at it, she would seize the opportunity to hurry downstairs. However, to her surprise, she ran directly into a sturdy embrace and was forcefully kissed the instant she stepped out of the bathroom. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Nicole was about to protest, but then, her dy in reaction gave Jared a chance to take control right away as his sense of rationality began to slip. After a passionate kiss, Jared released Nicole with a satisfied smile. ¡°Wait for me.¡± With that, Jared went into the bathroom, leaving a dazed Nicole to snap back to reality and grit her teeth in frustration. ¡°Jared!¡± A low, softugh came from inside the bathroom, making Nicole even more frustrated and helpless. ¡°Mommy,¡± The room door opened, and Nn and Lana poked their little heads in. When Nicole saw the two cuties, her expression instantly changed, and she smiled, ¡°You¡¯re up already,¡± Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org. ¡°Yep, is Mommy ready too?¡± Lana asked as she opened the door and came in. Holding Lana¡¯s soft hands, Nicole said, ¡°Let¡¯s go downstairs.¡± ¡°What about Daddy?¡± Lana asked when she did not find Jared after looking around. ¡°He¡¯s washing up. We can wait for him downstairs,¡± Nicole replied. She was still embarrassed about everything that had happened with Jared just now and wanted to leave the room as quickly as possible. ¡°Alright,¡± Lana answered and followed Nicole out of the room. Noticing the unusual look on Nn¡¯s face, Nicole asked,¡± Nn, what¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Oh, nothing,¡± Nn responded without allowing his gaze to meet Nicole¡¯s. ¡°Mommy, there¡¯s really nothing going on. Let¡¯s go down,¡± Lana butted in, helping Nn to shift the focus away from the question. It was then that Nicole raised her eyebrows a little. It seemed to her that Nn had done something with Lana¡¯s knowledge. This surprised her a little, and she could not help but wonder what Nn had done to gain Lana¡¯s support. The two children looked very guilty after Nicole had stared at them, almost as if they were going to surrender and reveal everything they had done. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Jared¡¯s voice echoed through the room. ¡°Daddy!¡± Lana jumped into Jared¡¯s embrace as if she found her savior. With a loving gaze, Jared picked Lana up. ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Upon being asked that question by Jared, Lana instinctively nced at Nn, who found a random excuse to elude the conversation. ¡°Let¡¯s go downstairs and eat.¡± Lana pouted her lip, but echoed Nn¡¯s words anyway. ¡°Yep, we should eat.¡± ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go then,¡± Jared trusted Lana¡¯s word without any doubts and walked out, carrying her in his arms. Nicole¡¯s mouth twitched. ¡®Why have I never realized how easy it is to deceive Jared? I could see that the two children were hiding something, but for some reason, Jared hasn¡¯t noticed it.¡¯ Chapter 2100 Chapter 2100 As she stared at Jared¡¯s figure in the front, Nicole shook her head and thought, ¡®Lana sure is daddy¡¯s daughter. He might have noticed it, but he is choosing not to acknowledge it.¡¯ ¡°Okay,¡± Nicole uttered, deciding to drop the matter. She figured that no matter how naughty Nn was, he would never drag Lana along into something dangerous. After they had gotten downstairs, the others slowly came down too. ¡°Mom, Dad.¡± ¡°Grandma, Grandpa.¡± After greeting one another, Gloria could not help but ask,¡± You worked till it was sote yesterday. Why did you get up so early today?¡± Gloria thought Nicole would have slept in until noon, not expecting her to be up this early. ¡°I heard about thepany¡¯s situation, so what¡¯s going on?¡± Samuel asked, looking at Nicole with a mix of concern and guilt. However, before he could finish what he was about to say, Nicole spoke first. ¡°Don¡¯t overthink it. Sean, Steve, and I can handle it.¡± Nicole understood what Samuel wanted to ask. She was not in a good state yesterday, and everyone had assumed that it was due to the issues in thepany. However, she could not reveal the true reason to anyone. Therefore, she had to rely on this excuse in order to ay their concerns. ¡°We are all worried about her, but I feel like the only help we can provide her is our support to her every decision. As for the others, we should just leave them. We are practically useless even if we were to show up at thepany anyways,¡± Stanley advised. They were not interested in managing thepany, so it was better not to interfere. ¡°But even if we fetch and carry everything for her, it¡¯s still our attitude,¡± Samuel said, feeling that if someone could take care of Nicole, perhaps she would not be so exhausted. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, someone¡¯s taking care of me,¡± Nicole said and looked at Spencer. Feeling a little baffled, Spencer asked, ¡°Are you talking about me?¡± Indeed, if Nicole wanted him to go to thepany, he would agree. ¡°It¡¯s not you, but I think she can represent you.¡± Nicole raised her eyebrows. ¡°What?¡± Spencer was still confused, not understanding what Nicole was talking about. ¡°She¡¯s talking about Lulu. She¡¯s Nicole¡¯s special assistant now.¡± Samuelughed, causing everyone to rubberneck at him. Spencer¡¯s expression stiffened, and he frowned. ¡°She went to Riddle Corporation?! How did you know?¡± ¡°June told me!¡± Samuel naturally replied. Knowing that what Samuel said was not a lie, Spencer looked at Nicole, dumbfounded, and asked, ¡°How did she do it?¡± ¡°Initially, I had arranged for her a position, but since she had gone to the HR Department and passed the interview, I just brought her over,¡± Nicole exined. She had intended to let Lulu into herpany, hoping that Lulu could aid her. However, she had not anticipated that Lulu would apply for a position and start from the bottom. ¡°As long as you¡¯re satisfied with the situation,¡± Spencer frankly said. As for what Nicole was nning, he did not further inquire. He trusted that Nicole had her own ns. However, he also felt that Nicole needed someone she could trust by her side. After all, no one could be around her constantly. Having Lulu assist her at work was a great choice for Nicole. ¡°Spencer, when are you going to bring her back and introduce her to our parents?¡± Nicole yfully asked. Feeling a little nervous, Spencer tried to change the subject. ¡°Erm. It¡¯s gettingte. We should eat first.¡± ¡°Just answer the question. Mom and Dad must be curious too,¡± Samuel joined in on the gossip. Daniel and Gloria were in fact looking at Spencer with anxious looks on their faces, wanting to know if what everyone had said was true. They were rather curious to know if Spencer really did have a girlfriend. They had heard the siblings mention it asionally before, but Spencer had never admitted it. Being stared at so eagerly by his parents, Spencer could not help but re at Nicole. ¡°She coulde with June.¡±N?velDrama.Org ? 2024. Chapter 2101 Chapter 2101 Since they had set a trap for Spencer, no one shall be spared from being dragged down by him. ¡°No, wait? What¡¯s going on?¡± Gloria asked Samuel, having caught the keyword at once. ¡°Nothing. Nothing¡¯s going on. Let¡¯s eat,¡± Samuel said, wanting to shift the attention away from himself, as he did not dare to admit it. ¡°Why, you two b*stards! What is going on?¡± Gloria anxiously asked. Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org. Spencer and Samuel then exchanged nces and reached an unspoken consensus. ¡°Oh wait, I suddenly remembered that there are still some details to go over for today¡¯s press conference. I¡¯ll skip breakfast. You guys go ahead,¡± Spencer said and left in a hurry. ¡°Wait for me. I just remembered that I have a sudden training session too,¡± Samuel followed Spencer out,pletely ignoring the fact that he was still wearing his pajamas. ¡°These two are really¡­¡± Gloria felt frustrated. Whenever they got around to touching this topic, they would always flee from it. Gloria really did not understand why they were avoiding it like they were avoiding the gue. ¡°Rx. They know what they¡¯re doing,¡± Nicoleforted Gloria, not expecting them to run away either. ¡°Exactly. They¡¯ve been like this for the past few years. Let them be,¡± Daniel advised. Gloria sighed, knowing there was no other way around it.¡± Ugh. Alright, let¡¯s go eat our breakfast.¡± The family headed toward the dining table thereafter. However, Nicole could not help but to feel puzzled. ¡®Spencer with Lulu and Samuel with June seem to be in great rtionships. But why have they not made it public, or introduced them to our parents?¡¯ After everyone had been seated at the dining table, everyone started eating. Their conversation topic had changed, so Nicole made no mentions about the subject again. However, deep down, she was still wondering what was going on with them. After breakfast, Jared and Nicole left the ce with Nn and Lana. Noticing how preupied Nicole looked, Jared whispered,¡± What¡¯s on your mind?¡± ¡°Nothing much. I just find it a little strange,¡± Nicole responded casually, still feeling curious. ¡°Because of Spencer and Samuel?¡± Jared pointed out. Nicole nodded, ¡°Yeah. Their rtionships seem to be going on fine.¡± ¡°They have their own things to consider,¡± Jared said ndly, thinking it was better to leave them to work things out on their own. ¡°I understand, it¡¯s just that¡­¡± Nicole suddenly recalled something and frowned. ¡°Could it be because of our identities?¡± One was a violinist, while the other was a basketball star. Both were now very famous. Could they be maintaining the image of being single for the sake of their fame? Thinking about this, Nicole¡¯s face soured. She would be very pissed if Spencer and Samuel really had such ideas. ¡®How could they be like this?¡¯ Noticing Nicole¡¯s sudden change of emotions, Jared gently held her hand and said, ¡°Don¡¯t overthink it. They won¡¯t.¡± Spencer and Samuel were upstanding individuals with good personalities. There must be other reasons prompting them to behave the way they did. ¡°Hmm, yeah.¡± Nicole nodded. Her emotions began to calm a little once she thought that it was probably not the case. She must have misunderstood them. After sending Nn and Lana to the kindergarten, they reached Riddle Corporation. By then, Nicole had already regained herposure. She then bade her farewell to Jared and got out of the car. As for the issue with Spencer and Samuel, she figured that it would be best for her to wait and trust that they would solve it well. Chapter 2102 Chapter 2102 Once he saw that Nicole had entered thepany building, Jared¡¯s soft and gentle gaze darkened. ¡°Are the export orders from Radiance Commerce settled?¡± Jared asked with a hint of coldness. ¡°The permission from customs has been obtained. Everything went smoothly,¡± Max replied respectfully. ¡°Alright. Export the orders as soon as possible,¡± Jared said with a trace of contempt in his voice. Lawrence wanted to create problems for Jared, so he had sabotaged the contract that Jared was negotiating with Happiness Trading. However, this did not matter to Jared, as he had no problem contacting Radiance Commerce. If they were quick enough, it would give Lawrence a surprise. And as his eyes turned cold, the air around Jared became icy as well. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mr. Johnston. We have already arranged the shipments,¡± Max reassured. He understood they needed to buy time and take control of the situation. The car then gradually drove away, leaving behind a trail of fading smoke. In the meantime, Nicole had already arrived at the office. ¡°Ms. Riddle,¡± Lulu greeted with a slight nod as she stood at the office entrance. Rolling her eyes, Nicole said, ¡°Just call me by my name. I¡¯m not used to it.¡± ¡°Hehe,¡± Lulu chuckled cheekily. ¡°This is thepany, after all. We still ought to follow the rules.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need for that. You don¡¯t have to worry about what other people think. Besides, no one would be here to give you a hard time,¡± Nicole said, easing Lulu¡¯s concerns. Lulu bit her lips lightly in response to Nicole¡¯s insistence. She hesitated before smiling with relief. ¡°Okay then.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the way,¡± Nicole nodded in satisfaction. Then, Lulu pushed the office door open and waited for Nicole to enter before she followed from behind. ¡°Harmon Trading has sent the contract over. I¡¯ve confirmed there are no problems with it, so you can sign here,¡± Lulu reported her work professionally, demonstrating herpetence and ease with which she handled her task. ¡°Good,¡± Nicole nodded in response while listening to the series of work arrangements. ¡°There¡¯s also a statement from the third branchpany,¡± Lulu said while putting the statement down on the table. ¡°Third branch? Dexter?¡± Nicole asked in confusion. ¡®Why did Dexter send a statement over?¡¯ She grabbed the statement, and that was when she found that it was the financial statement of the branchpany that Dexter was in charge of. It was the statement for the current month too. However, she wondered why Dexter had sent her the financial statement of theirpany when it had been operating independently from the headquarters. ¡°Nicole, what does this mean?¡± Lulu asked, feeling puzzled by what Dexter had done, as she had a little knowledge as to what was going on within the Riddle family. ¡°I¡¯ll ask,¡± Nicole sighed and called Dexter. ¡°Hi, Nicole. Is there something I can help you with?¡± Dexter answered courteously. Getting straight to the point, Nicole asked, ¡°Dexter, I¡¯m calling to ask why a copy of the financial statement of the branchpany is sent to my office?¡± ¡°Oh. I just thought that I should thank you for your help. Thepany is running so much better than before. We¡¯re not even struggling anymore. So, I just wanted to send you the statement and share the joy,¡± Dexter exined with a smile. Thanks to Nicole, they could finally develop in a positive direction without relying on the headquarters. ¡°Dexter, regardless of whether it is for the sake of personal or public gains, I believe I should help you. So, you didn¡¯t have to do this,¡± Nicole replied, thinking that Dexter¡¯s reasoning was amusing. N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. ¡°It¡¯s fine. You don¡¯t have to be pressured at all. I really just wanted to share the joy. After a few days, Emma and I are going to visit you and express our gratitude,¡± Dexter said with excitement. Although the progress and development of the branchpany he was in charge of was miles behind aspared to that of the headquarters, Dexter was now quite confident about its growth. All of this was all thanks to Nicole. If Nicole had not discovered the problems pertaining to the management of the branchpany and found a solution for them, Dexter would not have gotten out of the woods so quickly. At that point in time, it was even uncertain if the branchpany would have been able to continue supporting itself and survive. Chapter 2103 Chapter 2103 Nicole thought they were attributing too much importance on her when she heard that Dexter was coming over to convey their gratitude. She could not help butugh. ¡°Dexter, you don¡¯t have to thank me.¡± If they were merelying over for a visit, Nicole would be happy to have them. However, she would be unable to deal with the pressure if they did show up to personally thank her. ¡°You don¡¯t have to be so polite to Emma and me. You can treat it as if it¡¯s just a family gathering,¡± Dexter said, remaining very adamant. With that, Nicole had no choice but to ept his demand.¡± Alright then. I¡¯ll just think of it as a family gathering.¡± ¡°Well then, that¡¯s a deal,¡± Dexter happily agreed. ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll inform Mom and Dad to prepare for your arrival,¡± Nicole promised. Dexter immediately admonished, ¡°There¡¯s no need for that. We¡¯re family, so you don¡¯t have to prepare anything,¡± N?velDrama.Org ? 2024. ¡°It¡¯s alright. We¡¯ll be waiting for your arrival,¡± Nicole said. ¡°We¡¯ll be on time,¡± Dexter replied. After ending the phone call, Nicole shook her head and chuckled, feeling that Dexter was being too polite. However, with the knowledge that Dexter and Emma woulde over in mind, Nicole thought of something else. Her eyes automatically darted towards Lulu. ¡°Hey, are you dating Spencer?¡± Not expecting Nicole to be so straightforward, Lulu¡¯s cheeks instantly flushed, and in embarrassment, she said, ¡°Let¡¯s not discuss it during work hours.¡± Lulu just could not believe how the topic had suddenly shifted towards her rtionship with Spencer. ¡°The work session is done,¡± Nicole shrugged and said with a beam. Lulu hugged the documents tightly on her chest and proceeded to weasel her way out. ¡°Em, yes. I¡¯m done reporting the details of the day to you, so I shall go out first.¡± With that, Lulu whirled around and skedaddled, causing Nicole to chuckle. ¡®Lulu¡¯s shy. Though, by the looks of Spencer and her, they seem to be just fine. Besides, Samuel was the one who mentioned June first, and the two of them didn¡¯t sound like they were having any issues. Perhaps the timing just wasn¡¯t right,¡¯ Putting her mind at ease, Nicole decided to wait for the good news. Perhaps Spencer and Samuel did have their own ns. After perusing the documents on the table, Nicole put her thoughts aside and began working. Before Nicole knew it, it was already lunch break. So, she left the office to grab a bite with Lulu, bumping into Steve along the way. ¡°Going out for lunch?¡± Steve asked while looking at the pair who were ready to go out. ¡°Yep,¡± Nicole answered. ¡°Let¡¯s go together, then. I have something to tell you,¡± Steve invited. This piqued Nicole¡¯s interest, who asked, ¡°What¡¯s that, exactly?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s talk about it over lunch. It¡¯ll go well with lunch,¡± Steve exined and entered the elevator car with Nicole and Lulu. This made Nicole even more curious as she wondered,¡¯ What would go well with lunch? Maybe it¡¯s some good news? I Factoring Steve¡¯s single-minded character, which focused on nothing but the pursuit of money and generation of profits, Nicole guessed that they had secured a major project. Arriving at the restaurant, they ordered the business lunch set and began their discussion over their meal. ¡°Steve, you can spill the beans now,¡± Nicole said. He had been making Nicole guess throughout the whole journey. Now, it was time for him to reveal the answer. Chapter 2104 Chapter 2104 ¡°Hehe,¡± Steve chuckled. ¡°I heard something has been going on with Damien and Dillion, and you¡¯re currently in a terrible fix.¡± ¡°Something¡¯s going on?¡± Nicole asked in confusion. Indeed, it was a little coincidental that both of theirpanies were experiencing issues at the same time. Steve shrugged, acting as if he was enjoying the scene.¡± That¡¯s right. I heard there were sudden fluctuations in their stock prices. They will suffer significant losses if they can¡¯t stabilize the stock prices quickly enough.¡± An inexplicable feeling crossed Nicole¡¯s heart at that instant. It was normal for stock prices to fluctuate in most cases, but the sudden emergence of abnormal fluctuations was a rare scenario. As such, if the issue was not a direct result of thepany¡¯s operational mistakes, it would mean that someone was engaged in sabotaging them with due diligence. The word ¡®hacker¡¯ suddenly crossed Nicole¡¯s mind. She began to wear aplex expression on her face as her mind wandered straight to Nn who had demonstrated a rather weird behavior along with Lana in the morning. ¡°Nicole, what¡¯s wrong with you?¡± Steve asked, noticing she was lost in her thoughts. Nicole faked a smile aftering back to her senses and said, ¡°Oh, it¡¯s nothing. I¡¯m just thinking about something.¡± ¡°Oh, alright then. Let¡¯s eat.¡± Steve gestured for Nicole to start the meal without asking more questions. After talking about the situation guing Damien¡¯s and Dillion¡¯spanies, Nicole and Steve went on to discuss some of their ownpany projects. And once the meal was over, they all went back to the headquarters. ¡°Nicole, something happened as soon as Raine joined thepany. Well, let¡¯s see if she still dares to be all cocky next time!¡± Lulu curled her lips with a disgusted look on her face. Nicole raised her eyebrows. She did not remember who Raine was. But judging by how Raine had always been at odds with her, Nicole was quite certain that she was not a well-mannered person. N?velDrama.Org ? 2024. Back to the office, Lulu went to work, while Nicole leaned back against her seat, her eyes darkening. The more she thought about it, the more curious she became. Unable to sit still, Nicole switched her computer on and typed a series of codes in. Theputer interface changed thereafter, bing something other than a regr workputer. Nicole quickly typed away on the keyboard, her fingers racing across it, and in a jiffy, she sessively entered both Damien¡¯s and Dillion¡¯spany systems. ¡°Nn!¡± Nicole eximed and shook her head in defeat. As it turned out, all of this was indeed Nn¡¯s doing. To make matters worse, Lana was also aware of it, and had helped him cover it up. The two children had really given her a headache. They were actually bold enough to create a mess for others to deal with. Meanwhile, Dillion¡¯spany was filled with a suffocating miasma, the air surrounding it dark and depressive. In the manager¡¯s office, Raine¡¯s face was pale white, and she was ring at James in utter discontentment. ¡°What on earth is going on? Why did something like this happen as soon as we joined thepany? How am I supposed to stay here from this point onwards?¡± It had taken Raine a lot of effort to convince her father to allow her to join thepany and help out. Who would have thought that such a thing would happen upon her arrival? Raine was worried that she would be implicated. ¡°Calm down. Don¡¯t panic. You¡¯re just a small manager who just joined thepany. This incident has nothing to do with you. However, I think you might as well think of something and help thepany solve the problem at hand. That way, your dad would see you in a different light,¡± James said, his words hinting at something implicit. Still feeling a little depressed, Raine said, ¡°Do you think I don¡¯t want to?¡± However, the problem was, Raine was incapable of helping thepany. She did not even know what the problem was, let alone how to help. ¡°You might not know, but someone else does,¡± James whispered. ¡°Don¡¯t forget you still have Preston.¡± ¡°Preston won¡¯t show up to help when ites topany matters,¡± Raine said. Moreover, if Preston dide over, she would have another rival who would battle her for a chunk of the family inheritance. Chapter 2105 Chapter 2105 Whatever Nn did, none of it had escaped Preston¡¯s notice, even if others did not know anything about it. After all, he was a hacker too. Besides, his sudden appearance at Nicole¡¯s office had rendered her unable to figure out his intentions. ¡°Nicole? Please, don¡¯t freak out. I know you don¡¯t remember me. I came here with no other intentions. I¡¯m just here to remind your kid to behave. His skills have not reached the level where his activities can go unnoticed,¡± Preston gently exined. Understanding that Nicole had lost her memory and would have concerns about his abrupt appearance, Preston tried to be as calm and gentle as possible. Raising her eyebrow by a little, Nicole was surprised to learn that Preston knew about her amnesia. Aside from a few trusted individuals, Nicole had never told anyone else about her condition, not even Lulu and June. Noticing Nicole¡¯s look of surprise, Preston told her about the day when she was found and how he was the one who had tipped Jared off in their efforts to find her. Nicole¡¯s guard lowered after knowing Preston had such connections with Jared. She believed the people Jared was willing to stay in contact with must be different from the likes of Damien and Dillion. Hearing his exnation, Nicole¡¯s expression eased a little, and she asked calmly, ¡°In that case, why are you here today? r? Nicole could tell that Preston was giving her a show of goodwill with no intentions of wanting to be on her bad side. But if that was the case, Nicole could not understand his reason for exposing Nn¡¯s actions today. Preston shook his head for a bit. ¡°Would you believe me if I say I am here purely to see you?¡±. He was the first to know of her return, yet he never had the chance to meet her. Initially, Preston had discovered that the abnormal fluctuations in hispany¡¯s stock prices were a hacker¡¯s doing. However, his emotions were mixed after he had tracked the location of the IP address. Preston knew Nicole would never do such a thing, but the IP address was clearly leading back to her. After careful analysis, he had managed to identify that this was not Nicole¡¯s usual method of hacking. If anything, the method employed was rather juvenile, which led him to think of Nn. That was the reason for his visit; to meet and remind her of it. Nn¡¯s behavior was inappropriate and easy to catch, and because of this, he might create a lot of trouble for everyone involved in the future. Remaining silent, Nicole did not issue a response to Preston. Instead, she quietly looked at him. While she understood he hade in peace, she still felt ufortable with the fact that he was just here to visit her. ¡°Alright then, I¡¯ll take my leave first,¡± Preston said with a hint of regret, bidding farewell to her with a hint of resignation. ¡°Mhmm, alright,¡± Nicole responded ndly. Preston then got up and shot her onest nce at Nicole before leaving. ¡°About Nn, I¡¯ve taken care of the matter. No one will find out, and I won¡¯t tell anyone.¡± Preston was well aware of Nicole¡¯s situation. She had lost her memories, and therefore, she would be wary of anyone and anything she considered unfamiliar around her. As for Nn and Lana, she had not introduced them to the public, seemingly wanting to protect them. Thus, he decided to cooperate with her and take a fraction of the load off her shoulders. Hearing Preston¡¯s promise, Nicole bit her lips, after which she hesitated before saying, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I¡­¡± Nicole realized that Preston was not going to harm her, but without her memories of him or anyone else in ce, Nicole did not know how to get along with him. Deep down, it made her feel a little ufortable. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I got you.¡± Preston smiled warmly, able to read what she was trying to say. ¡°It¡¯s great to have you back. We have a long time ahead. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll remember us and return to your former life.¡± ¡°Thank you for handling Nn¡¯s situation,¡± Nn expressed her gratitude. As Preston had settled the fallout of the issue, Nicole knew no one would find out about it anymore. ¡°You¡¯re wee. Though I must say, that kid really does take after you!¡± Preston eximed. He genuinely believed that Nn¡¯s future achievements would be no less than Nicole¡¯s. Hearing this, Nicole shed him a wry smile. ¡°I¡¯ve never expected him to disy his talent in this area at such a young age.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine as long as he likes it.¡± Prestonughed. Just like that, the distance between them felt as if they had been bridged. After a casual conversation, Preston left, feeling content. He was relieved when he saw that she was having a good time, even though she had not recovered her memories. As for when Nicole could recover them, everyone had decided to just go with the flow. And if she ended up never recovering any of them, that would be fine too, as everyone believed Nicole would still be Nicole. After Preston had left, Lulu poked her head in. ¡°Nicole, is everything okay?¡±N?velDrama.Org ? 2024. Chapter 2106 Chapter 2106 ¡°Yep, everything¡¯s fine,¡± Nicole smiled warmly, knowing that Lulu was concerned. ¡°I thought so too. Although Preston is Raine¡¯s brother, he has treated you quite well during your school days,¡± Lulu stuck her tongue out. She was worried for a moment because of everything that had happened recently involving Raine and the branchpany¡¯s stock price fluctuations. Nicole chuckled. She could feel that Preston meant no harm, as he did help her and Nn. ¡°Well, if there¡¯s nothing wrong, I¡¯ll get back to work,¡± Lulu said. ¡°Go ahead.¡± Lulu closed the door and left, leaving Nicole back in her office to get busy with her busy work. Soon, it was time to get off work. When Nicole came out of thepany building, Jared was already there waiting for her. ¡°Preston was here,¡± Jared said candidly when he saw Nicole. ¡°How did you know?¡± Nicole asked in surprise, wondering if Jared had arranged a spy to stay on her side. ¡°I know Nn got into trouble,¡± Jared said with a hint of contempt in his words, but the expression on his face did not indicate any displeasure otherwise. Nicole figured that Jared had learned about the incident involving both Dillion¡¯s and Damien¡¯spany. With Jared¡¯s keen eye and intellect, it was expected that he had discovered what Nn had done. And to add to that, Preston¡¯s action thereafter did not escape his notice either. ¡°Yep. Preston has solved it already,¡± Nicole briefly exined. Then, Jared held Nicole¡¯s hand and said in a soft tone,¡± Don¡¯t worry. It¡¯ll be fine.¡± Jared would not let any one of them get her into trouble. Even if Preston did not manage to work things out, Jared would step in to take care of the fallout either way. After all had been stated, Nicole looked at Jared, the corner of her lips curving upwards. It seemed to her that everyone was not surprised about what Nn had done. After they had both buckled up, Jared drove off and arrived at the kindergarten in short order. By that time, the teacher had already brought Nn and Lana out. The family left the kindergarten after picking the kids up. ¡°This is for you,¡± Jared gave Nn a document bag. Frowning in confusion, Nn asked, ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± ¡°Just open it and see for yourself,¡± Jared said calmly. Taken aback for a moment, Nn opened the file bag. After he had seen what was inside, his eyes widened in surprise. ¡°Is this really for me?¡± ¡°Yep,¡± Jared confirmed. As it turned out, Jared had given Nn a set of identity information, which caused him to wrinkle his little face, feeling conflicted. ¡®Why did he give me my identity information? Did he find out what I did?¡¯ Nn wondered. ¡°You can use this identity to register your own ount. You may also wait till you turn into an adult to change it back to your real information,¡± Jared exined. Though Jared did not mention anything remotely rted to hacking, everyone understood what he was trying to say as soon as they heard it.N?velDrama.Org ? 2024. Chapter 2107 Chapter 2107 Nn was holding the document tightly in his hands, feeling ever more conflicted; he had longed to have his very own ount, but for it to be gifted by Jared was something he found difficult to ept. Nn sat there, torn between wanting to ept his gift or reject it. ¡°You don¡¯t like it?¡± Jared looked at Nn¡¯s look of indecisiveness as he raised his eyebrows. ¡°Of course he likes it.¡¯ Lana tilted her head smugly, blowing the whistle on her brother without hesitation. ¡°He likes it very much.¡± ¡°Cut the crap.¡± Nn red at Lana in embarrassment, not wanting to admit he liked Jared¡¯s gift. Lana, however, did not back down from Nn¡¯s re. ¡°Well, if you don¡¯t like it, just give it back to daddy.¡± This prompted Nn to throw the document back to Jared.¡± I¡¯ll just return it. I don¡¯t like it anyway.¡± However, it was evident that Nn was lying, as his eyes were fixed on the document he had just thrown at Jared. Nicole shook her head in defeat, reaching out to grab the document file before handing it back to Nn. ¡°This is for you, and for you only. No one else can use this. Got it? Didn¡¯t you always want to have your own ount?¡± ¡°But¡­¡± Nn lowered his head, not wanting to ept the reality that Jared had gifted this to him, and that it would be difficult for him to face Jared in the future. ¡°If you don¡¯t like it, you can throw it away. I don¡¯t take back the things I¡¯ve given out,¡± Jared coldly said before looking away from Nn. Jared was concerned that if he paid too much attention to Nn, it would scare him away, making their rtionship even more awkward. Nn held the piece of document in his hands, hesitating for a while before stuffing it into his bag. Lana, who saw it, then snickered. Seeing this, Nicole gave her a warning look, telling her to not make fun of him. Then, Lana poked her tongue out mischievously. ¡°How can you not like what Daddy¡¯s given you? If it was me, I would want it.¡± ¡°Here, take it. You don¡¯t even know how to use it,¡± Nn said, shooting Lana a dismayed look. ¡®What is wrong with her? She¡¯s bing more and more of a nuisance,¡¯ he thought. Lana thought that Nn did not understand that she was mocking him, so she stuck her tongue out at him. It was then that Jared came in and scooped Lana up into his arms, before asking softly, ¡°What do you want to have?¡± ¡°I want ice cream.¡± Lana smiled innocently, not wanting to know what her brother¡¯s interests were. ¡®Of course, ice cream is better than anything.¡¯ ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go get some ice cream,¡± Jared said. Soon, the car stopped. Max stepped out to buy ice creams for the two of them, one for each of the twins. As soon as the treat arrived, they instantly forgot about their quarrel from before and ate in silence. Suddenly, the interior of the car dimmed, and Nicole could not help but frown as she noticed that a set of drapes had been drawn over the windows and windshields. ¡°It¡¯s Everett¡¯s car,¡± Max said. Instantly, Nicole understood why Max had done so. ¡®If he finds out about the twins, this will raise his suspicions.¡¯ Thanks Max,¡± she said, feeling grateful for how thoughtful Max was. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s nothing, Miss Riddle,¡± Max replied courteously. Soon, the shades were lifted, though the twins were so focused on devouring their ice cream that they had not noticed anything that had happened earlier. Nicole was concerned for both Nn and Lana as the both of them were rather smart for their age. The environment they were living in had forced them to be more mature than those of their age. Jared¡¯s heart sank as he saw the two of them and pulled Lana closer into his arms. Nn and Lana. These two had gone through what most kids their age had not gone through.¡¯ N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. ¡°Daddy?¡± Lana suddenly looked up at Jared. ¡°Yes?¡± Jared responded softly. With a mischievous smile, she asked, ¡°At Mommy and Daddy¡¯s wedding, can Nn and I be the flower girl?¡± Jared was taken aback, as he did not expect Lana to bring this up so suddenly. Chapter 2108 Chapter 2108 Shocked by the sudden remark, Nicole tried to stop Lana at once. ¡°Lana, that¡¯s enough with the nonsense.¡± Though Nicole had recently begun to get along with Jared, things regarding the wedding were still too early for Nicole to consider for discussion. At this point, Jared and she had not officially confirmed the status of their rtionship. ¡°Sure.¡± Jared agreed without hesitation. Then, Lana eagerly asked, ¡°When will Mommy and Daddy have the wedding?¡± Jared shot a nce at Nicole and noticed she was already panicking. ¡°Well, it¡¯s up to your mommy.¡± Nicole was taken aback for a moment, and when she locked eyes with Jared, she noticed that he was indeed serious. This prompted her to bite her lips, as she did not know what to do. ¡®Is he really going to consider my opinion in its entirety?¡¯ Nicole¡¯s mind raced. ¡°Are you not happy with that?¡± Jared¡¯s eyes shed with mischief. ¡°Or would you like to have it earlier? I won¡¯t have any problems with it.¡± ¡°Quicker seems better,¡± Lana said, seizing the opportunity to back Jared up. ¡°No.¡± Nn refused right off the bat, his ice cream no longer being the core of his attention as the topic of conversation had piqued his interest. Jared looked at Nicole and shrugged, ¡°It¡¯s all up to my wife.¡± ¡®Of course, I¡¯m eager to wed her, but right now, her memory has not been fully restored. There are still several things yet to be answered and solved. I must uncover the identities of those who had injured her before and find them. Even Nn and Lana¡¯s identities are to be kept a secret right now. Wedding? I guess I¡¯ll just have to wait.¡¯ Nicole¡¯s heart skipped a beat when she heard Jared calling her, ¡®his wife.¡¯ Then, she shyly looked away and said, ¡°There¡¯s no wedding.¡± Jared chuckled upon seeing how bashful and skittish she was. ¡°What are youughing at?¡± Nicole¡¯s cheeks turned bright red, feeling a little hot. Jared¡¯s grin became even wider as he watched her fiddle and shift around in her seat. This only made her stare out the window to avoid eye contact with Jared while her heart was still racing. Soon after, the car came to a halt as they arrived at the Riddle residence. Nn scrambled out of the car, unable to wait to get back into his room. Nicole knew that nothing could stop Nn, so all she did was sh him a loving smile. ¡°What¡¯s up with him?¡± Gloria asked, feeling a little concerned. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. He¡¯s probably feeling a little tired. That¡¯s all.¡± Nicole casually found an excuse, not wanting her mom to get worried. ¡°Grandma!¡± Lana cutely tottered over into Gloria¡¯s embrace. Gloria was immediately left smiling from ear to ear as she looked at Lana who was in her arms. Just like that, her attention was immediately redirected.N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. Jared and Nicole, on the other hand, were sitting on the couch, getting some rest before it was dinner time. Shortly after, Stanley, Spencer, and Samuel arrived home from work. ¡°Mom, dad,¡± the three of them greeted as they entered. ¡°Come, let¡¯s eat,¡± Daniel said upon noting that everyone in the family had arrived home from work. Lana had already had her dinner at the kindergarten. Therefore, she quietly sat and watched TV in the living room alone without bothering anyone, including Nn, who was in his room. As they sat down in the dining room, Daniel took at Nicole and said, ¡°The issues concerning your uncles at thepany seem to have been resolved.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Nicole replied. ¡°Though I still lost some.¡± Chapter 2109 Chapter 2109 ¡°Well, it can¡¯t be helped,¡± said Daniel indifferently, for there would be inevitable losses even if the issue had been resolved. ¡°Yeah,¡± said Nicole coolly, as if she genuinely did not care about the affairs of the other twopanies. Daniel felt much more relieved as he noticed that his daughter was showing no signs of distress. And so, he did not press on with further questions. ¡°Dad, let¡¯s dig in.¡± Samuel said, not wanting to hear all the yapper about Dillion and Damien. Instead he was quite content knowing that the two families could handle their affairs on their own. This meant that they would not be having the time to meddle with their family. ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s all dig in.¡± Daniel said, urging everyone to start eating. Once dinner was over, everyone returned to their respective rooms. Nicole, meanwhile, went over to Nn¡¯s room to see that he was still busy. She sat down next to him and said, ¡°Whatever you did yesterday, don¡¯t do it again.¡± ¡°Who told them to bully my mommy?¡± said Nn assertively. Nicole gently patted Nn¡¯s head, ¡°Alright, your Excellency. You obviously have your own way of thinking now. Even at the mall, you¡¯ve turned to hacking as a way to vent your anger to get back at them.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± Nn nced at Nicole hesitantly. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, okay. No one is going to bully me. I have ns of my own.¡± Nicoleforted him with a gentle smile. Nn nodded in response. ¡°Okay, mommy.¡± ¡°Alright, don¡¯t stay up toote now.¡± Nicole said as she turned around to leave. Nn stared at his screen, ¡®Now that I have my own ount, I can ept missions whenever I like. I can rank up too!1 Nn got excited as he thought about it, as it was his dreame true. However¡­. Nn had carefully considered not telling Lawrence about his new ount. After all, he was unsure about how to break the news to his godfather regarding the fact that he had epted this gift from Jared. ¡®Why do I feel like I¡¯m betraying my godfather?¡¯ At the same time, at Dillon¡¯s residence. Dillon had a grimace on his face as he looked over at Raine and James. ¡°Dad, I was too hasty. I asked Preston for help.¡± Raine lowered her head as she spoke cautiously. ¡°Dad, it was fortunate that Preston came over to help us out. Otherwise we would have suffered an even greater loss,¡± James chimed in. ¡°Did you mention that it was a hacker attack?¡± Dillon frowned. What did Preston even help with?¡¯ ¡°Yeah. Preston said that there were no traces of us being hacked and that our system needed an upgrade. So, Preston helped us by upgrading it, and after that our stock prices began to stabilize. That saved us from a lot of losses,¡± Raine continued. ¡°Dad, since the matter has been resolved, let¡¯s think about the next big thing. We had our losses, so we should find a way to make up for it.¡± James added as he helped Raine to persuade Dillon, who continued frowning. Karen, feeling a little dismayed, spoke up, ¡°Our kids willingly joined you to help out at thepany. Quit being such a pessimist.¡± N?velDrama.Org ? 2024. ¡°I just think everything that has happened this time is way too strange.¡± Dillon¡¯s expression was sour and gloomy. He had asked someone to check things through, but it yielded no results. ¡°You know what¡¯s strange? We were not the only ones having this problem. Damien did too.¡± Karen gritted her teeth bitterly. Both of ourpanies suddenly experienced the same problems. Both suffered significant losses. It would be odd if this doesn¡¯t piss anyone off. If it was a coordinated attack however, Damien had also suffered the same. I guess we were both unlucky.¡¯ ¡°Well, well, well, what do you know? Damien had the same problem as we did, but Dexter and Daniel had no problems at all! Don¡¯t you think this is suspicious?!¡± Dillon roared. Surprised and dismayed by his sudden reaction, Karen asked, ¡°Why are you shouting!? Can¡¯t you speak properly?!¡± Chapter 2110 Chapter 2110 Karen was also worried about thepany too, and thest thing she expected was to be yelled at by Dillon. ¡°Dad, do you have any ideas?¡± Snow suddenly spoke up, asking Dillon in a low voice. ¡°No. It¡¯s just very strange to me.¡± Dillon said, feeling drained and dispirited. ¡®If I could think of something, I wouldn¡¯t be this frustrated.¡¯ Snow then frowned and said, ¡°Since the problem only affected us and Damien, whilst sparing both Dexter and Daniel, it does seem suspicious.¡± ¡°Are you suggesting that they joined hands to mess with us? ¡± Karen raised her voice. Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org. ¡®This woman is so frustrating,¡¯ Dillon thought. ¡°If you have nothing to do, you can go back to your room,¡± Dillion coldly said to Karen. ¡°Am I wrong?¡± Karen was fuming and was ready to yell at Dillon before Snow stepped up to stop her. ¡°Dad, I think what mom said makes sense. Otherwise, it would be difficult to exin.¡± ¡°Preston works at theirpany, right? Did he notice anything that was off?¡± Raine frowned. ¡®Something feels very odd here. If there really was a problem at theirpany, Preston would surely be able to pick it off.¡¯ ¡°Just because nobody noticed anything, that doesn¡¯t mean the problem doesn¡¯t exist.¡± Snow¡¯s voice became even lower. ¡®Whether it was real or not, I will make sure it¡¯s linked to Nicole. When the timees, I¡¯ll make sure grandpa knows Nicole is deliberately targeting all the other branchpanies. I¡¯ll see how he¡¯ll try to protect her,¡¯ she thought. ¡°Um¡­¡± Raine remained silent, not quite getting what Snow was referring to. ¡°Even if there is, we don¡¯t have evidence.¡± Dillon felt lost, his eyes bing darker as he understood what Snow meant. ¡®The idea is good, but not having evidence is a pity indeed,¡¯ Dillon thought. ¡°We can just look for the evidence.¡± Snow¡¯s face lit up, knowing that her father had caught onto her idea. ¡°Look¡­¡± Dillion repeated, though his words trailed off after the first syble had been uttered. nces were shared among the table, with Dillon bing silent and seemingly lost in thought. After a long while, he got up and retired to his study, leaving those at the dining table with looks of confusion on their faces. ¡°Mom, is dad¡­¡± ¡®What does he mean?¡¯ ¡°Don¡¯t ask me. I know nothing,¡± Karen seethed. Raine turned to look at James, only to see that James was staring at Snow, his eyes filled with longing. James had understood what Snow and Dillon had meant. He had also noticed, for the first time ever, how beautiful Snow was. ¡®It seems that she¡¯s not naive.¡¯ Snow shot James a cold look before turning around to go upstairs, having sessfully achieved her goal. My father believed me. Now, I can just wait for good news.¡¯ The next day, the sun radiated brilliantly in the sky. Nicole made her customary arrival at the Riddle Corporation, with Lulu trailing behind her. ¡°Nicole, you appear unwell,¡± Lulu noted. ¡°It¡¯s nothing,¡± Nicole dismissed, shaking her head and anxiously biting her lip, feigningposure. Nicole knew that it would be embarrassing to tell Lulu that she did not rest well the night before due to the dream she was having, which was all about Jared. On top of that, it was a dream about their wedding. As Nicole reminisced about the dream¡¯s vivid details, she could feel her cheeks growing hot with embarrassment. Chapter 2111 Chapter 2111 ¡°Are you sure everything¡¯s alright? Why¡¯s your face so red?¡± Lulu asked, stretching her hand out in an effort to feel Nicole¡¯s forehead for a fever. After ducking away from Lulu¡¯s hand, Nicole replied, ¡°I¡¯m fine, really. It¡¯s a little hot today.¡± ¡°Hot?¡± Lulu looked over at the thermostat, through which the temperature for the air conditioner had been set to the lowest. Nicole then followed Lulu¡¯s gaze. ¡®How could I find such ame excuse!?¡¯ ¡°Nicole, you¡¯re not feeling hot. Are you¡­shy?¡± Lulu discovered in surprise, seeming to understand why Nicole looked a little off. Overwhelmed by an instant surge of embarrassment, Nicole went ahead and protested, ¡°No, why would I be shy?¡± ¡°Oh.¡¯ Lulu frowned, thinking for a while before nodding.¡± You¡¯re right.¡± Finally, Nicole heaved a mental sigh of relief as she saw that Lulu did not press on with any further questions. ¡°Okay. There¡¯s nothing wrong with me, you can go do your work.¡± ¡°Okay, then I¡¯ll be off now¡± Lulu turned around and left the office. Once again, Nicole unconsciously recalled her dream from the night before, and when she did, her face flushed a deep shade of red once more. That train of thought was only derailed when she heard a knock on the door, allowing her to snap out of it and say,¡± Come in.¡± Lulu opened the door and entered before cing a document on Nicole¡¯s desk with a serious expression on her face. ¡°There seems to be a problem.¡± ¡°Where?¡± Nicole opened the document suspiciously, skimming through the contents with her eyebrows furrowed. ¡°Nicole, what¡¯s the problem? I was called over by the president¡¯s secretary. The look on her face was a little weird when she said this is for you. So, I brought this over immediately.¡± Lulu¡¯s face was twisted in a panic, as she could sense that things were not right from the look on the president¡¯s secretary¡¯s face. An icy glint suddenly shed in Nicole¡¯s eyes, ¡°Someone is deliberately causing us trouble again.¡± ¡°Trouble?¡± Lulu became puzzled, but in less than a second, she understood that Nicole was referring to Dillon and Damien. ¡°Damien.¡± Nicole uttered slowly as her eyes became even frostier. ¡°What did he do?¡± Lulu¡¯s expression changed immediately.¡¯ Is it because of yesterday¡¯s stock fluctuations? But it didn¡¯t harm the branchpany, so why is he starting a fight in an empty house?¡¯ Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org. ¡°He reported us to the police.¡± The corner of Nicole¡¯s mouth curled up as she snickered. ¡®Only he would think of something as devious as this.¡¯ Lulu¡¯s eyes widened in shock. ¡°He reported you?!¡± ¡®What are we going to do? Why did he report her?¡¯ Lulu panicked. ¡°It¡¯s okay. You may return to your work,¡± said Nicoleposedly. ¡®Since he wants to take it out on the main branch, I¡¯d like to see him try to obtain any solid evidence.¡¯ However, Lulu was still worried as she asked, ¡°Are you sure everything¡¯s okay?¡± ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s all nonsense, anyway.¡± Nicole ced the document down after she had read its contents, paying it little to no mind. ¡®If Dillion had discovered that it was Nn¡¯s fault, I would have to think of someone who has appeared to be morepetent than Preston seems to be. But now, he¡¯s suspecting that the main office has messed with his stocks. It¡¯spletely absurd. Not even I would use this silly method to deal with them,¡¯ she thought. Relieved when she saw how confident Nicole was, Lulu nodded and agreed, ¡°Okay, if you need anything, do let me know.¡± Nicole watched as Lulu left. Then, she nced at the document once more, sneered, and picked the phone up to make a call. ¡°Steve.¡± ¡°I saw the document,¡± Steve said, cutting to the chase. Chapter 2112 Chapter 2112 ¡°Yeah,¡± Nicole replied with a hint of amusement in her voice. ¡°Where did they get the fake evidence from?¡± ¡°Well, since it¡¯s fake, they probably forged it themselves.¡± Steve said in a nonchnt tone, knowing that Damien and Dillion just wanted to shift the me to the main office. ¡°But since they have reported us, don¡¯t you think it¡¯s a little over the top?¡± Nicole asked, feeling a little puzzled with their actions. ¡®They even dare to report us to the police after fabricating evidence.¡¯ ¡°Um¡­¡± Steve hesitated for a while before responding. ¡°I fail to understand how they¡¯ve gotten a secretary to give you that document. I¡¯d like to know how they¡¯ve pulled it off too.¡± Indeed, Steve felt that something was wrong. ¡®Why would Dillon dig a grave for himself?¡¯ ¡°Steve, do you think someone has leaked the news to them? ¡± Nicole suddenly thought of a possibility. ¡°You mean that they have gotten someone to investigate and found some actual, solid evidence¡­?¡± ¡®If this is the case, then this is the only reasonable exnation I can think of. I know Dillon is suspicious of us, but to dig and actually possess evidence against us? He really isn¡¯t letting us off the hook, by the looks of it.¡¯ ¡°Probably.¡± Nicole sighed, feeling a little distressed. ¡°Does grandpa know about this?¡± It was a certainty that Nicole was not afraid of anything, but for these issues to reach the ears of her grandfather would be a little too much for the old man to swallow. After all, it was a battle between his sons and grandchildren. ¡°It¡¯s a rather huge piece of news, so I doubt it¡¯s impossible for him not to know.¡± Steve¡¯s voice became low and heavy, as he too understood what Nicole meant. Nicole knew what Steve said was right. ¡°Okay, since things have already boiled over, let¡¯s just wait for the oue.¡± ¡°So, what are you going to do now?¡± Steve asked. Nicole hesitated for a second, before narrowing her eyes and saying, ¡°Let¡¯s just wait and see.¡± ¡®Since Dillon is so determined to raise hell out of this issue, I can¡¯t let him off the hook so easily,¡¯ she thought. ¡°Okay then, we shall wait and see,¡± Steve said cheekily. ¡®Of course, who wouldn¡¯t want to watch some dramas unfold, right?¡¯ Soon after they both hung up. Now, Nicole knew Dillion¡¯s bag of tricks all too well, but still, she could not help to ponder, ¡°What evidence does Dillion have against us? What¡¯s the purpose of his n? Is it for me, or for himself?¡± The unanswered questions swarmed Nicole¡¯s mind, making her even more confused as to what Dillon¡¯s intention was. It was not long before she let out a huge sigh. ¡®Without my memories intact, it¡¯s definitely hard for me to endure life here in San Joto.¡¯ Nicole rubbed her temples, and after contemting for a while, she got up and walked out of her office. ¡°Nicole, are you heading out?¡± Lulu politely asked when she saw Nicole striding out of her office room. ¡°I¡¯m going to head out for a bit,¡± Nicole replied. ¡°Do you need me to apany you?¡± Lulu offered, hesitant to allow Nicole to go out on her own. Nicole shook her head. ¡°No, I¡¯m heading out to sort some private matters out.¡± N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. Lulu did not press on with any further questions after this. She could only watch as Nicole disappeared, her heart filled with worry. After she had reached the ground floor, Nicole took thepany¡¯s car and drove over to Martin¡¯sb. Prior to this, Martin had sent Nicole his address in advance, having decided that she coulde over whenever she had the time. However, Martin was still surprised to see Nicoleing over to visit him at theb without giving a heads up. ¡°You¡¯re here!¡± ¡°Yeah, I wanted to try your improved version of the Beacon.¡± Nicole stated, determined to try harder to restore her memories as soon as possible. Martin instinctively peeked behind her. ¡°Did youe alone? It ¡°Of course,¡± Nicole responded casually. Chapter 2113 Chapter 2113 Martin wore a conflicted expression on his face. Then, he frowned and asked, ¡°Mr. Johnston isn¡¯t going to apany you?¡± ¡°I did not tell him about it,¡± Nicole replied, feeling that there was no need to bother Jared over such a trivial matter. Moreover, Jared had his own things to take care of. There was no way Nicole could request for his care and protection 24/7. ¡°But the treatment process will be tough. Are you sure you do not need Mr. Johnston to apany you?¡± Martin asked, wanting to reconfirm. He felt that it would be heart-breaking if Nicole had to go through everything alone. Nicole bit her lips. That was the exact reason as to why she did not want to tell Jared about this. She knew that it was going to be tough, so she did not want him by her side, where he had to bear witness of all of her pain. Jared would most probably be left heartbroken in the process. After taking a deep breath, Nicole said with a firm look, ¡°It¡¯s fine. Let¡¯s begin.¡± Seeing how determined she was, Martin could not help but do as he was asked. ¡°Alright then. However, you must signal me to stop if it gets too agonizing.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Nicole nodded in agreement. After that, Martin led Nicole to theb and prepared her for the treatment. After having studied about The Beacon, Nicole knew that the upgraded version was different from the previous version. Still, she casually asked, ¡°Have you thought of a name for this one?¡± It would make no sense for them to simply name it as ¡°The Upgraded version¡± once it was released. Therefore, Nicole felt that it would be better to give it a new name. Martin lifted his lips into a smile and replied, ¡°The previous version was named by you. Why don¡¯t you come up with a name for this version too?¡± ¡°Me?¡± Nicole asked, feeling taken aback. Then, she shook her head. ¡°Nah, you should name it this time.¡± After all, this version had nothing to do with her. Martin could tell that Nicole was against the idea of naming it, so he just stared at her and smiled. ¡°Let¡¯s call it The Moon. r? Nicole would always be that moon which Martin could never reach. However, this would remain a secret which nobody would ever know of. Nicole blinked. She could tell that there was something odd about Martin¡¯s gaze. But when she was trying to observe him even more carefully, Martin had already looked away. By then, he was preparing for Nicole¡¯s treatment. ¡°Rx yourself. If you can¡¯t take it, we must stop.¡± Martin reminded once again. Nodding, Nicole replied, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m here for treatment, not for torture.¡± Seeing that Nicole was still in the mood to joke around, Martin shook his head with a wry smile. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s begin.¡± After all, the treatment would be administered via external pain. Nicole knew that the treatment process would be painful, but when it did begin, she realized that it was even stronger than she had imagined. Soon, Nicole¡¯s face nched. Martin, who had been staring at her, noticed her pale face. He could not help but feel worried. Yet, Nicole did not ask him to stop. This ced him at a loss for a moment, as he was unsure of what to do. Gradually, Nicole¡¯s face shifted. Not only was she pale, but her head was also in sweat, and her eyes were shut tight. It seemed that she was in a lot of pain. Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org. ¡°We can¡¯t continue anymore. We have to stop.¡± Seeing that Nicole was still pushing herself without any desire to stop, Martin raised his hands and ceased the treatment there and then. As the pain gradually eased, Nicole suddenly opened her eyes, her vision blurry and muddled. ¡°Nicole.¡± Martin softly called out to her. Nicole slowly turned her head towards the direction of the voice. Then, the focus in her eyes gradually returned, allowing her to see Martin¡¯s face clearly. ¡°Are you feeling fine?¡± Martin asked, his eyes brimming with concern. Nicole nodded her head and said with a hoarse voice, ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Martin then took a ss of warm water and handed it to Nicole. ¡°Have some water and take a rest. Let¡¯s take it easy.¡± Chapter 2114 Chapter 2114 ¡°Alright.¡± Nicole held the ss in her hand and took two sips of water. She could already feel that the pain was slowly fading. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Even if it works, it¡¯ll have to be done step by step,¡± Martin said, trying tofort Nicole. Nicole nodded. ¡°I understand. It¡¯s just that I felt that there was a wall of fog in front of me just now, so I thought I wanted to open it up and look inside. However, I couldn¡¯t do it at all.¡± N?velDrama.Org ? 2024. Just as she wanted to continue trying, Martin had pulled the brakes on the treatment session. ¡°That might have been an illusion. If you persisted, you might have gotten yourself into trouble.¡± Martin answered with a hint of fear in his voice. ¡°But I felt like if I persevered, I might be able to see it.¡± Nicole bowed her head. And though that was what she felt, she was unsure of the actual results. After careful consideration, Martin reminded Nicole, ¡°The Moon can provide you with some external stimtion and treatment. But I¡¯d rmend giving needle techniques a go for better effect.¡± ¡°I thought of the same as well.¡± Nicole agreed, deciding to take some medicine to supplement the process as well. It was true that her body was too weak, and that her tolerance for pain should not be this low. Although she could not clearly put a finger on what was going on, she had a gut feeling that that was what it was. ¡°I guess we should call it a day. Remember to get adequate rest and take care of yourself when you head back.¡± Martin advised. After Nicole had ced the ss down, she got up and replied, ¡°I got it.¡± Knowing that Nicole was getting ready to leave, Martin walked her out. ¡°I¡¯ll walk you out.¡± After Martin had seen her depart, a hint of gentleness shed across his gaze. ¡®I will try my best to help her regain her memories. If this is what she wants, I will try my best to help her.¡¯ After Nicole had left the ce, she immediately hurried back to the Riddle Corporation. ¡°You¡¯re back.¡± Lulu strode over and approached Nicole. However, when she noticed that Nicole¡¯splexion looked a little sickly, she began to feel worried. ¡°Why do you look so ill? Are you feeling sick?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine. Let¡¯s head to the office first.¡± After Nicole had spoken, she brought Lulu into the office. ¡°Did something happen?¡± Lulu asked in concern. ¡®Why does she look so sick after stepping out for a while?¡¯ ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I can take care of myself.¡± Nicole smiled andforted Lulu, not wanting Lulu to worry about her. ¡°Well, have you settled the issues at the branch office?¡± Lulu suddenly queried in a low voice. She thought that Nicole had left the office to deal with that problem. ¡°Wait for my news.¡± Nicole shrugged as if nothing would happen. This left Lulu confused. Why is it that things always seem so easy to Nicole?¡¯ Seeing how puzzled Lulu was, Nicole smiled. ¡°What are you worried about? Do you think I am a weak person?¡± ¡°How is that possible? You¡¯re the most powerful and smartest person I know of. There is no one else,¡± she argued. Though Lulu looked as if she was worshipping Nicole, one should know that Nicole, a powerful woman, was the only person in Lulu¡¯s life who possessed characteristics that made her so. ¡°That is more than enough. That¡¯s why you really shouldn¡¯t worry about it.¡± Nicole patted Lulu¡¯s shoulder. ¡°You just have to trust me.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Lulu nodded vigorously as if she had always believed in it. As long as she believed in Nicole, there would not be any issues. Chapter 2115 Chapter 2115 ¡°It¡¯s almost lunch break. Let¡¯s have lunch together.¡± Nicole said after she had gotten a glimpse at the time. Lulu replied, ¡°Sure.¡± After working for a while, lunch break arrived, and the two women went out for a meal together. Nothing particrly eventful urred while they were at it, and once they had eaten theirst bite, the both of them continued focusing on their work. In the blink of an eye, it was evening. But when Nicole was about to leave the office, she noticed that Sean and Steve were still there. ¡°Are you guys waiting for me?¡± Nicole smiled. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± The three of them sauntered into the elevator, after which Nicole shrugged. ¡°Sean, Steve? Have you guys thought of how you¡¯re going tofort grandpa?¡± Steve turned towards Nicole and pouted his lips. ¡°With you around, grandpa would not require any words offort.¡± Sean nodded in agreement. As long as Mr. Riddle Sr. got to see Nicole, he would naturally lighten up. He would not think about things that would make him unhappy. Nicole rolled her eyes at the two of them in annoyance. ¡°So, all the pressure falls on me now?¡± Since no one was willing to help, Nicole wondered if she was the only grandchild of Mr. Riddle Sr. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. As long as you are there, grandpa will smile.¡± Steve said with a grin. In their eyes, Mr. Riddle Sr. would be satisfied with anything as long as he had Nicole by his side. Although Sean did not say anything, he nodded with smiling eyes, rendering Nicole speechless at that moment. In response, she could only shake her head in annoyance. After they had stepped out of the office building, Nicole noticed that Jared¡¯s car was already parked outside. ¡°We¡¯ll meet you at grandpa¡¯s house.¡± Sean and Steve turned around and walked to their respective cars. Nicole arrived in front of Jared¡¯s car, ¡°You¡¯ll fetch Nn and Lana today. I¡¯ll have to drop by grandpa¡¯s house.¡± ¡°It must be about the issue with Dillion, right? We¡¯ll talk about it in the car.¡± Jared signaled Nicole to enter the car. Nicole was not surprised that Jared had found out about that incident, so she inly asked, ¡°Are you thinking of going with me?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Jared replied. He was still hesitant about allowing Nicole to deal with that particr bunch of people. After all, she had not regained her memories yet. Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org. ¡°What about the kids?¡± Nicole frowned, for if the both of them were gone, who would take care of the kids? ¡°I¡¯ve fetched them. Mrs. Wace Sr. will help us take care of them.¡± Jared replied gently. After all, Gloria and Daniel would also be present for the matter. Therefore, he could only ask Mrs. Wace Sr. to look after the kids. Knowing that the kids were well taken care of, Nicole felt at peace. ¡°Alright then.¡± The car sped through the heavy evening traffic, and soon, they reached the Riddle family manor, the compound of which was filled with park cars. From the looks of it, everyone should have arrived already. After Nicole and Jared had gotten down, they ambled into the house. As expected, the living room was very busy. Mr. Riddle Sr.¡¯s four sons had brought almost all of their family members along. The only ones absent were Chloe, who had be a paraplegic, and Preston. The rest were all present. Nicole swept her nce over everyone in the house. Then, her gaze finallynded on Mr. Riddle Sr. ¡®s face. Chapter 2116 Chapter 2116 ¡°Grandpa,¡± Nicole said softly. Then, she walked to the sofa with Jared. ¡°You¡¯re here.¡± As expected, Mr. Riddle Sr.¡¯s gloomy face instantly brightened up at the sight of Nicole. Nicole seemed to have heard Steve¡¯s lowugh. She could not help but roll her eyes at Steve. Then, Nicole sat down beside her grandfather and went straight to the point. ¡°Grandpa, you don¡¯t have to worry about this matter. The police will give us the justice we deserve.¡± ¡°Yes, I believe in all of you.¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. had faith that Nicole would never do such a thing. After all, that trick was done clumsily. If it were Nicole, she would never let anyone catch her. Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org. After Mr. Riddle Sr. had finished speaking, he nced at Damien and Dillon unhappily. The two sons¡¯ faces immediately turned sour, especially Dillon¡¯s. He gritted his teeth and said woefully, ¡°Dad, you can¡¯t side with her indiscriminately. We¡¯re the real victims here.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, Dad. Both of ourpanies had suffered quite a huge loss as well,¡± Damien added pitifully. ¡°That¡¯s because youck the skills.¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. did not seem to show any empathy towards them. Some of those seated were happy, and some were distressed. Finally, Karen could not hold it in anymore, so she spoke up while looking crossed. ¡°Dad, if you say this, does that mean we could bully others as we please if we¡¯re skilled enough?¡± ¡°You¡¯re threatening me!¡± Mr. Riddle Sr.¡¯s anger grew. Karen flinched. However, she stubbornly said, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t dare. We just want things to be fair.¡± ¡°Fair?¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. snorted coldly. ¡°Then, you should try ording to your skills and ability.¡± Nicole had not even used her strengths. If they really were toy their hands on Nicole, they would be at a loss. ¡°I¡ª¡± Karen¡¯s face instantly turned pale. She understood what Mr. Riddle Sr. meant. She also knew that if sheid her hands on Nicole, her family would not be able to gain the upper hand. Seeing Karen remain silent, Dillon red at her unhappily. She was more of a hindrance than help. Karen gritted her teeth and looked down sadly. Snow gently hugged Karen¡¯s arm, as if she wasforting Karen. However, Snow¡¯s gaze was on Mr. Riddle Sr. as she said, ¡°Grandpa, Dad was actually shocked when he found out about this incident. He refused to believe it. But since it has caused some losses to thepany, we just want to find out the truth.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. That was our intention.¡± Snow had found a perfect excuse, and Dillon as well as Damien fully agreed and admitted to it. ¡°We don¡¯t have to discuss this anymore. The police get to the bottom of this.¡± Mr. Riddle Sr.¡¯s mind was set. He did not allow anyone to bring up this matter anymore. The reason why they made such a hugemotion and asked everyone to return home was to use and nder Nicole. At that thought, Mr. Riddle Sr. was angry. These people could never let him rx. ¡°Hmph. You guys made a police report first. And now, you¡¯re saying that you don¡¯t believe these things were done by us. You¡¯re acting like hypocrites right now. You¡¯re pretty good at your own game.¡± Samuel snorted, expression angry. Why are they both the hero and viin in this story? Such two -faced people. Do they really think we¡¯re stupid?¡¯ ¡°Samuel.¡± Daniel frowned and stopped Samuel from speaking nonsense. ¡°I didn¡¯t say anything wrong,¡± Samuel mumbled and closed his mouth bitterly. Seeing that Samuel had stopped talking, Daniel turned to the other direction and suggested, ¡°Dad, the issue has reached this point. I think it¡¯s best to let the police handle it. Well let go of it and stop discussing it.¡± He was actually trying tofort his father. He knew that with the current situation, Mr. Riddle Sr. would be the most upset. Therefore, he suggested everyone to not discuss it and wait for the result quietly. ¡°Daniel, what¡¯s wrong with you? The reason we came back is for dad to make a decision. And yet, you¡¯re stopping us from discussing the matter.¡± Damien, who had just been insulted, released all his anger on Damien. ¡°Uncle Damien, are you saying that you don¡¯t trust the police¡¯s abilities? Or are you not willing to follow grandpa¡¯s instructions?¡± Nicole¡¯s face darkened a little. Her tone had also turned cold. ¡®How dare he yell at dad! That was too much.¡¯ 1 ¡°Nicole¡¯s right. Since we¡¯ve lodged a police report, we shall wait for the result. In that case, you don¡¯t have to bring this matter up to me anymore.¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. had decided. Chapter 2117 Chapter 2117 Mr. Riddle Sr. trusted Nicole. Even if Dillon and Damien said they had evidence, they would not have anything against Nicole. ¡°Grandpa, we¡¯re the ones suffering a loss here. Why can¡¯t you put yourself in our shoes?¡± Raine was so angry that her face turned pale as she spoke. ¡®I thought that by gathering everyone, Grandpa would be fair. And yet, he¡¯s still siding with Nicole. All the evidence is pointing towards Nicole. Why is he still siding with her?¡¯ ¡°Raine, I remember that when the branch office was in trouble, you asked Preston to return and help out. Why isn¡¯t he here today? What did he say at that time? Could you repeat it for everyone here?¡± Sean nced at Raine coldly. His calm tone gave a kind of pressure through them. Raine¡¯s face turned even paler. It was because Preston said that there was no other problem except that a loophole existed in thepany¡¯s system. Therefore, they did not inform Preston about the gathering. They knew that his words would be a disadvantage to them. However, Raine did not expect Sean to know that she had approached Preston. Based on Sean¡¯s tone, he must have known Preston¡¯s final judgement on the matter. ¡°There was such a thing?¡± Mr. Riddle Sr.¡¯s pupils narrowed and looked towards Raine with a stern look. Raine¡¯s face instantly turned pale again. She did not know how to handle the situation at that moment. N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. Obviously, Preston¡¯s final conclusion was a thorn in their side. Raine could never reveal it. But if she did not reveal it, what was she supposed to do now? Dillon red at Raine unhappily and said, ¡°You better shut up. No one will think you¡¯re dumb if you keep quiet.¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. had already been siding with Nicole. And yet, Raine decided to talk about the matter at this moment. The rest were out of words. Were they really going to say that Preston thought there was no issue? They knew that they would not gain anything from Mr. Riddle Sr. that day. But when Dillon thought of the evidence gathered, a firm look appeared in his eyes. Since it was the only way to go, they will wait for the result from the police.1 Let¡¯s see what dad will have to say when the timees.¡¯ Dillon did not seem to be happy, and Raine dared not utter another word. She looked down with her pale face to avoid any attention on her. ¡°Dad, it¡¯s such a rare moment where everyone¡¯s back. It¡¯s almost dinner time too. Why don¡¯t we start eating?¡± Dexter could tell that the atmosphere was tense, so he made a suggestion with the intention of easing the mood. ¡°Hmph! We¡¯re not eating anymore. My stomach is full of anger from all of you. Get out!¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. waved his hands and began to chase everyone out. ¡®All of them have beenining about Nicole as soon as they arrived here. Do they really think I¡¯m blind and incapable of making judgments? Everyone only thinks about gaining that small bit of advantage for themselves.¡¯ ¡®Dad, calm down. We¡¯ll leave now and visit you another day.¡± Dillon was the first to stand up and leave. ¡°Please don¡¯t visit me often, so I can live longer,¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. said angrily. Dillon¡¯s expression froze. Then he turned around and left. Karen could only follow after him and leave. Snow, Raine and James had no reason to stay either. Seeing this, Damien also brought Miley and Everett out of the house. ¡°Dad, we¡¯re leaving too.¡± Dexter did not want to anger Mr. Riddle Sr. as well. Chapter 2118 Chapter 2118 -¡°Alex.¡± Dexter felt a little annoyed. He could only pretend to be strict and alert Alex. ¡°Don¡¯t you see that grandpa isn¡¯t in a good mood? And yet, you¡¯re requesting to stay?¡± ¡°It was Uncle Dillon and Uncle Damien who angered grandpa, not us.¡± Alex shrugged as if he had not done anything wrong. He seemed to be questioning why he should leave. Dexter¡¯s face darkened drastically, and he added with an even more stern voice, ¡°Don¡¯t speak nonsense.¡± ¡°Enough. Let¡¯s eat,¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. said. Alex immediately turned happy again. He looked at Nicole nkly. ¡°Nicole, I need your help on a few things.¡± ¡°What are they?¡± Nicole was curious. What would Alex want her to teach him? Alex scratched his head awkwardly. ¡°I¡¯ve just joined thepany, right? But I just graduated not long ago, and I don¡¯t have any experience in management. So-¡° He has always admired Nicole¡¯s abilities, and he respected her a lot. Therefore, he had set Nicole as his target. He wanted to work towards bing at the same level as Nicole. ¡°I heard you¡¯re doing quite well right now.¡± Nicole curled her lips into a smile. She knew that Alex joined Dexter¡¯s ¡°But I want to do better.¡± Alex seemed to be waiting for something. ¡°That¡¯s true. He had been saying that you¡¯re his inspiration to work harder. Actually, the previous time I mentioned thanking you personally was partly because of Alex as well.¡± Since the conversation had reached this point, Dexter revealed everything. It was only then that Nicole finally understood why Dexter insisted on thanking her. Initially, she thought that Dexter was being very polite. So, this was the actual reason. ¡°I¡¯m not good at managing apany. Emery¡¯s focus is on games, so Alex is my only hope. Coincidentally, he has an interest in it as well. So, I hope to see if he can improve in this area.¡± After all, Dexter would not have the ability to teach Alex. So, he wished that Alex could learn from Nicole, and he was more than happy to have that arrangement. ¡°I see. It¡¯s good that you¡¯re self-motivated.¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. nodded happily. He feltforted that his youngest grandchild had the heart to join in thepany¡¯s management. This was unlike the rest of his grandchildren. Mr. Riddle Sr.¡¯s gaze scanned across Stanley, Spencer, Samuel, and Emery and these boys subconsciously looked down. They were pretending as if they had not heard anything. After all, Mr. Riddle Sr¡¯s threatening gaze was quite scary. They were indeed uninterested in managing thepany, as they only want to do the things they like. Other than that, they think that they were quite sessful already, so naturally they did not want to go home and suffer. ¡°Dad, it¡¯s a good thing that the kids have their own opinions. Let them be.¡± Danielforted Mr. Riddle Sr. as he spoke. Each kid had their own achievements and that was good too. After all, there was only onepany and one Riddle family. It would be better to have this than have everyone fighting for thepany. Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org. It seemed like Mr. Riddle Sr. understood Daniel¡¯s words, so he let out a sigh. ¡°Grandpa, I¡¯m hungry. Let¡¯s eat.¡± Noticing her grandfather¡¯s sadness and mncholy, Nicole diverted his attention. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s eat.¡± Hearing that Nicole was hungry, Mr. Riddle Sr. immediately ordered the other two families to eat at the dining room. During dinner, the men discussed work while Gloria and Emma chatted about family matters. Everyone was having a satisfying meal. ¡°Grandpa, I¡¯ll take care of the incident. So, you don¡¯t have to worry about anything. You don¡¯t have to bother about it as well. If you think it¡¯s too boring to stay at home, you could visit the office,¡± Nicole advised Mr. Riddle Sr. in hopes that he would let go of the matter. ¡°Alright, I trust you.¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. still valued Nicole a lot. He did not believe that Nicole would do such a thing. And Chapter 2119 Chapter 2119 After they were done with dinner, they left the Riddle residence ordingly. In the car, Nicole turned and looked at Jared. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you say anything?¡± Jared was as quiet as a shadow that day. He was just sitting next to her without uttering a single word, but he still somehow gave her a sense of security. Jared looked down at her and said, ¡°You did an amazing job. r? In fact, even if he was not present that day, Nicole would have also done a tremendous job by herself. Nicole shrugged. ¡°These people only have one goal anyway.¡± In short, they only had their eyes on the benefits, which was not unusual. ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right.¡± Jared nodded. ¡®Nicole has already seen through those people.¡¯ ¡°But where do you think they got their so-called evidence?¡± Nicole frowned slightly. She recalled that Dillion looked confident in himself as well. ¡°Everett gave it to them,¡± Jared answered steadily with a cold look in his eyes. ¡°Everett? How?!¡± She was shocked and wondered, ¡®On top that, how does Jared know about this?¡¯ She was both shocked and confused. Jared held her hand gently. ¡°It might be a coincidence,¡± Jared exined softly. Nicole finally understood now. ¡°So¡­ he tried to follow us after we saw him the other day.¡± Thankfully, Jared had sent someone to stop him. Otherwise, Everett might have already found out about Nn and Lana. After this incident, Jared also sent people to keep an eye on Everett, which was when he found out about Everett¡¯s n. ¡°Dillon initially had this in mind as well, but Everett noticed his n. So, he deliberately let Dillon ¡®find out¡¯ about the evidence that he prepared, misleading him into thinking that there was something fishy about you.¡± Jared¡¯s gaze was cold. ¡°What a scheming guy, that Everett,¡± Nicole scoffed. ¡®If Dillon seeded, Everett would gain from it too. But if Dillon failed, Everett would not be caught in the me.¡¯ ¡°He¡¯s smart, alright.¡± Unlike Dillon, Everett knew how toy low. Nicole smirked and said, ¡°Unfortunately for him though, you¡¯re in the picture.¡± Everett would have never expected Jared to find out about his n. This only meant one thing-his n was going to end before it even began. ¡°Between those two, you should be more alert about Everett, ¡± Jared reminded her. ¡°Yeah.¡± Nicole nodded seriously. She initially thought that they were all on the same level. But after this incident, she realized that Everett was not as simple as she thought he was. At the same time, somewhere else, Dillon¡¯s family had already returned home. Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org. As soon as he stepped into their house, he went crazy. ¡°What¡¯s the point ofshing out at us? You know how Dad is biased toward that freaking Nicole,¡± Karen fired back. ¡°Dad, didn¡¯t you get the evidence already? Grandpa won¡¯t be able to side with Nicole this time,¡± Snow consoled Dillon with a gentle tone. ¡°Yeah, Dad. Let¡¯se up with a n to destroy Nicole forever. That way, everything will finally be ours,¡± Raine chimed in, delighted. She did not expect Nicole to do something like that. She even got caught by them now too! ¡®Let¡¯s see what she¡¯s going to do this time. Nicole, be prepared to hand us the shares!¡¯ ¡°But there¡¯s nothing wrong with the evidence, right? Why isn¡¯t Nicole panicking at all?¡± Karen asked in concern. Chapter 2120 Chapter 2120 If it were someone else, that person would already be freaking out by now. But Nicole being so calm just did not sit right with Karen. ¡°It¡¯s obviously because she has Grandpa on her side. That¡¯s why she isn¡¯t worried at all. I¡¯m just going to sit back and watch how Grandpa will favor her after the police are done with the investigation,¡± Raine said through her teeth bitterly. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m not going to let her off the hook so easily this time.¡± Dillon¡¯s gaze turned dark. ¡®I finally got this chance, and I¡¯m not going to blow it.¡¯ Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org. ¡°Dad, are you going to send someone to keep an eye on them?¡± Raine asked softly, slightly concerned. Dillon squinted as he nodded. ¡°You¡¯re right, I¡¯ll send someone to do that.¡± ¡°Okay, we didn¡¯t get to eat anything even though we went to the Riddle residence. Let¡¯s eat now,¡± Karen said gloomily. ¡°Let¡¯s eat,¡± Dillon agreed. They then went to a restaurant without Snow. The determined look she had on her face was nowhere to be seen. Her smile turned to a scheming smirk as she thought,1 Nicole, it¡¯s finally your turn to be unlucky.¡¯ Time flew by and three days had passed. The police had no sess in Nicole¡¯s case, and the rumors about her were always being shut down by someone. Jared and Nicole lived normally. They worked and went home as usual, as if nothing had happened. ¡°It¡¯s about time now, huh?¡± Nicole leaned against her seat, looking intrigued. ¡°They probably can¡¯t wait any longer,¡± Jared¡¯s gaze was dark. Nicole nodded in agreement as she thought, ¡®Unlike what Dillon expected, he didn¡¯t get any reaction from us. They¡¯re probably going insane from their anxiousness by now, so they¡¯re probably taking action anytime now.¡¯ Jared looked down at her with a smile. Nicole looked up and asked, ¡°Why are you looking at me like that?¡± ¡°I just think you look even more like a chairman now,¡± Jared responded with a smile. Nicole rolled her eyes at him. ¡°Are you poking fun at me?¡± ¡°Nope.¡± Jared¡¯s eyes darkened. Little did Nicole know she was simply irresistible to Jared when she acted coquettish. He slowly inched closer to her as he said deviously, ¡°I¡¯m being sincere.¡± Nicole started to panic as she held her breath when she could feel Jared¡¯s breath against her cheeks. ¡®Why do I feel like there¡¯s another meaning behind those three words?¡¯ Nicole¡¯s heart pounded against her chest. Unexpectedly, Jared just kept getting closer until he finally pressed her against the seat. In the very next second, a gentle kiss fell on Nicole¡¯s lips, locking in whatever she was about to say. The car stopped, and Nicole finally pulled herself back into reality. She realized that they were in front of the Riddle Corporation, so she quickly pushed Jared away, her cheeks flushed. ¡°I-I¡¯m going down.¡± Nicole brushed her hair and fixed her clothes before getting down from the car, disoriented. Jared smiled unknowingly as he watched how shy she was. However, he felt helpless as he thought, ¡®We¡¯rewfully married¡­¡¯ He watched as she went into her office and left after she disappeared from the entrance. The tender gaze in his eyes was gone as soon as the car drove away, and the air turned cold. ¡°Mr. Johnston, Radiance Commerce¡¯s goods have sessfully reached Mecrounia and have taken the lead in capturing the market share. Contrastingly, Happiness Trading was just a little toote, and their profits were significantly lower than what they had expected,¡± Max reported. Chapter 2121 Chapter 2121 ¡°Okay,¡± Jared responded lightly. His expression remained cold as if he was not excited about this oue. Perhaps, this had always been the oue he expected. ¡°As for Lawrence, I¡¯ve already sent people over to Happiness Trading. It¡¯s probably a lose-lose situation over there.¡± Max sounded pleased. ¡®You¡¯ve taken away our partnership, so we¡¯ll show you now that some things shouldn¡¯t be meddled with.¡¯ ¡°Let¡¯s renew the contract with Radiance Commerce,¡± Jared ordered. He leaned back in his seat with a cold gaze, pondering something. Max responded to him and continued driving without disturbing Jared anymore. On the other hand. Ian hurriedly returned to thepany. ¡°Boss, Happiness Trading is very upset with us. They¡¯re disappointed and expressed that they no longer want to work with us,¡± Ian reported in a muffled voice, his face turning pale. ¡°Hmph, do they think Jared would want to work with them still?¡± Lawrence scoffed. ¡¯How could Jared tolerate the betrayal? When Happiness Trading chose us, there was no turning back anymore.¡¯ ¡°What should we do?¡± Ian asked. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, they¡¯lle to us. If they don¡¯t want to coborate with us, we can just find someone else,¡± Lawrence replied nonchntly. Compared to this issue with Happiness Trading, he was more bothered about the fact that they had lost so disgracefully. ¡°What about the Johnston Group?¡± Lawrence asked through gritted teeth. ¡°Nothing from them. Perhaps¡­¡± Ian¡¯s voice lowered slightly as he continued, ¡°Perhaps they don¡¯t really care about this matter.¡± A chill ran down his spine after he said that, and he buried his head even lower. But Jared and the Johnston Group really did give off that impression. Ever since the beginning, Ian had never noticed any particr response from the Johnston Group. It was as if they had simply switched to anotherpany after Happiness Trading rejected to work with them. And somehow, things turned out this way in the end. It was as if they were the only ones who were desperately trying to provoke Jared, but Jared did not give them any response whatsoever. They thought that Jared would be afraid, but at the end of the day, Jared just could not care less. They had ultimately realized that they had clowned themselves. ¡°You can leave now,¡± Lawrence¡¯s voice turned heavy, but he suppressed the frustration in his heart. ¡°Yes, boss,¡± Ian responded and turned to leave. The office fell into silence, and the air around Lawrence started to change. He clenched his fists slightly as his gaze darkened. He was feeling increasingly uneasy. He had devised a n to trouble Jared, hoping to distract him and gain more alone time with Nicole. However, he was taken aback when Jared unexpectedly turned the tables on him. N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. ¡°Hah,¡± Lawrence chuckled softly, hisughter sending shivers down the spine. ¡®Jared truly lives up to his reputation. After five years, he has grown even stronger. I clearly underestimated him. Nevertheless, there¡¯s still a long journey ahead, and I will ultimately win Nicole¡¯s heart.¡¯ His eyes fixated on the desk as he delved into his thoughts. After some time, he rose from his seat and exited the office. ¡°Are you heading to Riddle Corporation?¡± Ian promptly approached him. ¡°Get the car ready,¡± Lawrence left him a simple instruction and headed towards the elevator. Ian quickly followed suit, notifying the people in charge to prepare a car for Lawrence. Soon, Lawrence got in the car and left thepany. ¡°Boss, are you going to Riddle Corporation?¡± Confused, Ian asked to get a confirmation once more. Why is he going to Riddle Corporation now? Shouldn¡¯t he be figuring out how to resolve the issue with Happiness Trading and the loss of ourpany?¡¯ Chapter 2122 Chapter 2122 -Lawrence nced at Ian with an annoyed expression which ultimately shut him up. After some time, they arrived at the Riddle Corporation. They greeted the receptionist and walked into the elevator to get to Nicole¡¯s office. The receptionist had already notified Nicole, so she knew that Lawrence wasing. When Nicole heard someone knocking on her door, she immediately said, ¡°Come in.¡± Lawrence opened the door, and Nicole smiled. ¡°What brings you here? Work?¡± Since Lawrence had always brought coboration projects whenever he visited her, Nicole assumed that Lawrence must be here for work this time. But unexpectedly, Lawrence calmly sat down on the couch and said, ¡°I¡¯m not busy today, so I thought I¡¯de and see you.¡± Nicole was both amused and defeated. ¡°You¡¯re not busy?¡± The Genesis Group had just entered San Joto and was currently in a vigorous development stage, so she thought Lawrence should be busy. ¡°Of course, I¡¯m not made of iron.¡± Lawrence pushed the me onto his body instead of admitting that he had less work. ¡°Well, let¡¯s just assume you¡¯re here to rest.¡± Nicole knew there were some questions she could not ask too explicitly, so she changed the topic. ¡°But you¡¯re not just going to sit in my office, are you?¡± Even if he wanted to rest, he should have somewhere else to go instead of wasting time here. ¡°Just for a while,¡± Lawrence knew he could not stay here indefinitely, and Nicole would not agree to it either. Besides, it was a workce, and it was inappropriate for him to stay for too long. Nicole felt helpless upon hearing this. ¡°You¡¯re not in any trouble, are you?¡± Lawrence¡¯s gaze slightly flickered. But he quickly returned to normal and smiled. ¡°Just some minor work troubles.¡± Knock, knock. After the sound of knocking, Lulu pushed the door open.¡± Coffee.¡± Nicole arched her brows, wondering why Lulu was the one bringing the coffee. Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org. Lulu ced the coffee down and nced discreetly at Lawrence. She inexplicably felt cautious toward this unfamiliar man. Nicole sighed in silence as she reminded Lulu, ¡°It¡¯s fine. You can leave now.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Lulu nodded and left. ¡°Your secretary.¡± Lawrence squinted slightly. Lulu¡¯s actions back there did not escape his eyes. ¡°Yeah.¡± Nicole did not exin any further. She did not remember anything about the past, so she did not want to say much about it either. Lawrence was a little curious, though. ¡°When did you get a new secretary?¡± ¡°She¡¯s not really a recement; just an addition,¡± Nicole exined. Upon hearing this, Lawrence did not ask any further and took a few sips of his coffee. ¡°Are you doing well recently?¡± Lawrence casually asked. ¡°Not bad. Why do you ask?¡± Nicole was a bit puzzled, suddenly feeling that Lawrence was acting a bit strange today. Lawrence smiled slightly, seemingly relieved. ¡°It seems like you¡¯ve adapted well to life in San Joto.¡± ¡°Well, not exactly adapted, but I know that some things are my responsibility, so it¡¯s easier for me to ept,¡± Nicole shrugged. In fact, thinking about her life after returning, Nicole found that it was smoother than she had anticipated. ¡°That¡¯s good,¡± Lawrence appeared quite reassured. Chapter 2123 Chapter 2123 Nicole squinted slightly and asked, ¡°Why do you ask?¡± ¡°I¡¯m nning to return to the ind soon, and I figured that you probably don¡¯t have time toe with me. That¡¯s why I¡¯m here to ask if you want anything from the ind,¡± Lawrence exined with a smile. ¡°You¡¯re going back to Crescent Ind?!¡± Nicole was shocked. ¡®Why is he going back all of a sudden?¡¯ She had decided to settle in San Joto and had already taken care of everything on Crescent Ind. Lawrence had also made all the necessary arrangements beforeing to San Joto and even expanded his business here. Forthat reason, she did not expect Lawrence to suddenly want to go back. ¡°I have some urgent matters to attend to back there, but I¡¯ll be back soon,¡± Lawrence said. ¡°Oh.¡± Nicole didn¡¯t inquire further and just told Lawrence, ¡°I don¡¯t have anything I want from there.¡± ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll be back as soon as possible.¡± Lawrence got up and prepared to leave. Nicole raised an eyebrow and asked, ¡°Are you leaving now?¡± ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m going back to pack up and I¡¯ll head to the airport right after.¡± Lawrence looked at Nicole and ultimately swallowed the words of asking her to send him off at the airport. ¡®Nicole probably won¡¯t go.¡¯ ¡°Well, if there¡¯s anything you need help with, feel free to contact me.¡± Nicole was willing to help him if she could. Previously, Lawrence had always been the one helping her, but now that she had the ability, she was more than willing to assist him too. Though Lawrence did not mention his reasons, Nicole knew that his sudden departure must mean that he had encountered some trouble. ¡°Thank you.¡± Lawrence smiled with satisfaction. ¡®At least she still cares about me.¡¯ After Nicole had seen Lawrence off, Lulu entered the office and asked, ¡°That¡¯s the CEO of Genesis Group, right? But why wasn¡¯t he here to discuss work?¡± ¡°Do you know him?¡± Nicole was puzzled. ¡®How did Lulu know Lawrence¡¯s identity?¡¯ ¡°I just found out,¡± Lulu smirked and scratched her head. Nicole found it amusing. ¡°Why are you so interested in him?¡± ¡°Because of you, duh! Don¡¯t you think there¡¯s something strange about him? He gives off a mysterious vibe,¡± Lulu genuinely reminded Nicole. N?velDrama.Org ? 2024. Although she only took a quick nce, Lawrence really did give her that kind of impression. Nicole arched her brows as she wondered, ¡®Lawrence did have multiple identities, but I¡¯m surprised that Lulu could sense it just from a brief encounter.¡¯ Unbeknownst to Nicole, Lulu found Lawrence strange not because of his identity, but due to her intuition. Since Nicole had some understanding of Lawrence¡¯s situation, she naturally assumed that Lulu was talking about Lawrence¡¯s identity. Indeed, Lawrence¡¯s identity was more mysterious to others, but it was also a form of self-protection. So, Nicole did not think that there was anything wrong with it. Nicole bit her lips and looked at Lulu, ¡°He is my friend, and he saved my life back then. During thest five years, he has helped me and taken care of me a lot.¡± ¡°Oh, I see.¡± Lulu came to a realization. ¡®No wonder Lawrence¡¯s attitude toward Nicole seemed different. He¡¯s a savior!¡¯ ¡°What¡¯s with that expression? What did you think it was?¡± Nicole could not help but roll her eyes when she saw Lulu¡¯s failed attempt at gossip. ¡°It¡¯s nothing, I just suddenly feel like I gained another benefactor.¡± Lulu¡¯s eyes gleamed with sincerity as she expressed her gratitude. Chapter 2124 Chapter 2124 ¡°Benefactor?¡± Nicole was confused. Lulu nodded earnestly. ¡°If he hadn¡¯t saved you, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to see you again.¡± Slightly taken aback, Nicole smiled at Lulu as a sense of warmth filled in her heart. They were friends, and Lulu genuinely cared about her. ¡°Nicole, how did you get by in thest five years? Why did you onlye back to us now?¡± Lulu rested her chin on her palm as she leaned on Nicole¡¯s desk with a puzzled expression. ¡°Well, I was injured and couldn¡¯te back,¡± Nicole exined lightly, avoiding the terrifying details. She did not want Lulu to know about those horrifying experiences. ¡°Oh, no wonder Mr. Johnston and the Riddle family kept you protected.¡± Lulu¡¯s face turned pale as she found it hard to imagine what kind of danger Nicole had encountered. Knowing that Lulu genuinely cared about her, Nicole stared at Lulu. Suddenly, she remembered that Sean and Steve would bring their wives home in a few days. It would be nice to invite Lulu and June as well. N?velDrama.Org ? 2024. With the thought in mind, Nicole smiled and arched an eyebrow. ¡®¡±Lulu, we¡¯re having a family banquet in a few days. You shoulde too.¡± ¡°Ah?¡± Lulu was instantly dumbfounded. ¡®A f-family banquet? Can I even attend that?¡¯ ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Don¡¯t you want toe?¡± Nicole raised an eyebrow and teased her. ¡°Even an ugly daughter-inw has to meet her parents-inw, and what¡¯s more, you¡¯re a gorgeous daughter-inw.¡± Lulu blushed instantly, feeling embarrassed. ¡°No, don¡¯t say that. It¡¯s not like that.¡± ¡°Not like that?¡± Nicole was slightly surprised, widening her eyes. ¡°Are you and Spencer still not in a rtionship?!¡± If that was the case, it would truly be shocking. Nicole thought the two of them should have already progressed further. How could they still be in the flirting stage?! Lulu blushed and nodded before shaking her head, leaving Nicole even more confused. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± She thought Lulu was already her future sister-inw. Did she misunderstand something? Under Nicole¡¯s persistent questioning, Lulu blushed and said shyly, ¡°We¡¯re considered a couple, but I don¡¯t want it to go public yet.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Nicole waspletely surprised. ¡®So Spencer didn¡¯t tell us because of Lulu.¡¯ Lulu bit her lip and looked somewhat ashamed. ¡°I want to work harder and be worthy of him.¡± Upon hearing this, Nicole was momentarily speechless, feeling a mix of shock and heartache. Lulu genuinely loved Spencer, which was why she had such thoughts. ¡°You don¡¯t need to do this. You¡¯re already good enough. Spencer choosing and approving you, is already the greatest approval you could get. You don¡¯t need to feel inferior or put too much pressure on yourself.¡± Nicole wanted to console Lulu as Lulu should not have such thoughts. Lulu nodded. ¡°I understand, but I still want to stand by his side with confidence.¡± She might be more sessful if she worked a little harder. Then, she would be more deserving of standing by his side. ¡°Why? You¡¯re already the Chief Secretary of the Riddle Corporation¡¯s chairman. Why would you still feel unworthy to stand next to a shareholder who doesn¡¯t participate in thepany¡¯s management?¡± Nicole could not help but tease her. ¡°No, it¡¯s not because of that. Spencer is already a famous violinist, but his girlfriend is just an unknown person. That¡¯s why I¡¯ll always feel some degree of pressure.¡± Lulu smiled innocently. She did not feel wronged. In fact, it motivated her to move forward. Chapter 2125 Chapter 2125 Nicole shook her head and chuckled. She kind of understood why Lulu had endured extensive mistreatment at her previouspany without resigning and changing jobs. Given the power of her previouspany, Lulu would indeed achieve a sense of aplishment if she had achieved results. ¡°Since this is your decision, I won¡¯t insist anymore. But you should stille to the family banquet. After all, only our family members will be there. Just don¡¯t announce your rtionship with Spencer.¡± Nicole made the decision for Lulu, but she was slightly worried that Lulu was still not going to attend, so she added, ¡°June will also be there.¡± Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org. ¡°She agreed ?!¡± Lulu¡¯s eyes widened in surprise. Nicole instantly understood that Samuel and June must also have their reasons for not making their rtionship public. ¡°Okay.¡± Lulu nodded in agreement. Nicole did not tell Lulu that she had not informed June yet, but she will make sure June showed up. Lulu did not think much of it and assumed that June had already agreed to attend, so she could only nod hesitantly. A faint smile appeared on Nicole¡¯s lips. She then sent Lulu away after arranging some tasks for her. Soon after, Nicole called June and used the same method to get her to agree to join the family banquet. With the mission aplished, Nicole smiled triumphantly and started working in a good mood. In the afternoon, after having lunch with Lulu, Nicole went back to the office with her when she received a call from the investigation department. After Dillon reported the case to the police, using the HQ of the Riddle Corporation of maliciously manipting the stock market, the police transferred the case to the relevant department for investigation. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll be right there,¡± Nicole said before hanging up the phone. ¡°I¡¯ll go with you,¡± Lulu said with a serious expression as she was concerned. Nicole nodded in agreement. ¡°Okay.¡± Soon, the two of them left Riddle Corporation and arrived at the investigation department. Upon entering the room that she was directed to, Nicole noticed that it looked simr to a conference room. Not only were the investigators present, but Dillon and the others were there as well. Seeing Nicole enter, Dillon put on a high and mighty posture and said, ¡°Nicole, I¡¯m not forcing you because I¡¯m your uncle. After all, this involved the entire Riddle family, and I still have to consider the best interest of the family.¡± ¡°Ah, you didn¡¯t have to worry, Uncle Dillon,¡± Nicole said politely. However, her eyes were cold, giving people an eerie feeling. Dillon¡¯s expression stiffened. He was not expecting Nicole to have such an attitude. ¡®Does she really not care about anything?¡¯ They had been waiting for the investigation results for the past few days and had also been keeping an eye on Nicole¡¯s actions. They found that Nicole had taken no action at all as if this matter had nothing to do with her. On the contrary, they were the ones who were anxious because they did not get any results from the investigation. When they finally got them, they hurriedly rushed over. But how could Nicole be so calm? ¡°Nicole, if you had just admitted in front of Grandpa, we wouldn¡¯t have ended up like this.¡± Raine put on a concerned expression. Nicole sneered in her head but maintained a calm expression. She then raised an eyebrow and said lightly, ¡°Let the investigators give us a fair and just answer. That¡¯s what¡¯s truly best for the Riddle family.¡± Looking at Nicole¡¯s demeanor, Raine suddenly felt a sense of unease. ¡®Why do I feel like we¡¯ve wrongly used her?¡¯ ¡®Wait, no. We¡¯re the ones with the evidence.¡¯ Upon realizing this, Raine felt even more resentful. ¡®Why am I doubting because of Nicole¡¯s maniptive remarks? It¡¯s clearly her fault.¡¯ ¡°Quiet.¡± Finally, the investigators spoke up to stop the back- and-forth between them. Chapter 2126 Chapter 2126 Dillon looked at the investigators and nodded politely. ¡°So, it¡¯s been several days since this case started. Can you give us the results now?¡± The investigator nced at Dillon and said, ¡°The investigation results are now avable.¡± A sh of satisfaction crossed Dillon¡¯s eyes, but it quickly turned into anguish as he looked at Nicole. It seemed as though once the investigators announced the results, he would take action against her. Seeing through Dillon¡¯s thoughts, Nicole expressed a trace of disdain in her eyes. She returned his gaze with a mocking smile on her lips. ¡°Regarding the case presented by Riddle Corporation¡¯s subsidiary against Riddle Corporation¡¯s main company for manipting the stock market with malicious intent, the case has been dismissed due to insufficient evidence,¡± the investigator said as he looked at Dillon. ¡°Nicole¡­¡± Dillon¡¯s words almost slipped out, but he suddenly realized that something was wrong. It felt as though he had been struck by lightning. ¡®What¡¯s happening?!¡¯ ¡®The case has been dismissed? How could it be dismissed?!¡¯ Raine also found it unbelievable and blurted out without thinking, ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re not mistaken?¡± With a cold expression, the investigator continued, ¡°On the other hand, due to your fabrication of evidence, Mr. Dillon Riddle, you are now under arrest for false usations. The investigation is pending.¡± ¡°What?!¡± Dillon felt a wave of dizziness. Raine¡¯s face turned pale as a sheet as well. Soon, two uniformed individuals entered, ready to detain Dillon. Dillon truly panicked this time and could not help but shout,¡± No, this isn¡¯t right! I don¡¯t ept it!¡± ¡°ept it or not, it depends on the investigation results,¡± the investigator said sternly. ¡°W-Wait a minute, we want bail,¡± Raine shouted in a panic, trying to prevent Dillon from being taken away. ¡°We don¡¯t handle bails here. You¡¯ll have to talk to the police.¡± The investigator waved his hand, and Dillon was taken away. Raine suddenly felt weak all over and was close to stumbling. ¡°Watch out.¡± James supported Raine to help her regain her bnce. With a face filled with resentment, Raine red at Nicole and said through her teeth, ¡°You¡¯re heartlessly cruel, Nicole.¡± ¡®She must¡¯ve nned this. That¡¯s why she has been so calm all this while.¡¯ ¡°Ah, I¡¯m nothingpared to you.¡± Nicole¡¯s gaze became as chilling as a sharp sword. ¡°You¡­¡± Raine was at a loss for words. She even started to tremble. N?velDrama.Org ? 2024. Jamesforted her in a low voice, ¡°Let¡¯s check on Dad first.¡± Raine clenched her hands tightly. In the end, she could only grit her teeth and say, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll help you,¡± James agreed and helped Raine leave quickly. He knew very well that Dillon could not afford any mishaps at this time. Otherwise, the situation would be even more disadvantageous forthem. Nicole¡¯s gaze was cold as she watched the two of them hurry away. ¡°Nicole, what¡¯s going on?¡± Lulu was stupefied. Although Nicole had told her before that it was nothing, the fact that this case had rmed the police and resulted in an investigation was still rather shocking for Lulu. ¡°Their methods were clumsy, so they exposed themselves,¡± Nicole¡¯s eyes shed with disdain. ¡®They just shot themselves in the foot.¡¯ Lulu then asked carefully, ¡°Well then¡­ Can we leave now?¡± It still felt surreal for her. Chapter 2127 Chapter 2127 Nicole nodded with a smile. ¡°Yeah, we can leave now.¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s go.¡± Lulu just wanted to leave. To her, it will only feel like it was over once they stepped out of there. Nicole found her reaction amusing. Afterpleting the necessary procedures, she left with Lulu. Once they were in the car, Lulu finally felt like she could breathe normally again. She could not help but pat her chest and say, ¡°Oh my, I couldn¡¯t even take a deep breath in there.¡± ¡°Then you didn¡¯t have toe with me.¡± Nicole shook her head gently. ¡°Hey, I was worried about you.¡± Lulu stuck out her tongue to Nicole. She was nervous, but she would still apany Nicole even if it meant oveing the psychological distress she felt. Nicole smiled warmly. ¡°Everything¡¯s fine now, so you can rx.¡± ¡°But what exactly happened earlier? Why did Dillon end up getting arrested?¡± Lulu was confused. ¡®Weren¡¯t those pieces of evidence against Nicole?¡¯ ¡°Dillon did get hold of some evidence, but he didn¡¯t know that the evidence was given to him by Everett. He thought he had found evidence against me and was going to report me. He used me of bribing the fund manager and N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. manipting the stock market with malicious intent. He even had all sorts of evidence prepared.¡± Nicole shook her head, feeling resigned. She could not even be bothered to do such a thing. Besides, even if she did it, there would be no evidence left behind. ¡°Oh, so Dillon was set up by Everett,¡± Lulu realized. If the evidence was fake, the police would naturally discover that he had fabricated evidence when they looked into this case, which ultimately led to his arrest. ¡°You can say that Everett is sitting back and reaping the benefits quietly,¡± Nicole exined. No matter who got into trouble, Everett would still benefit from it. ¡°He¡¯s really taking advantage of the situation. How despicable!¡± Lulu sighed disdainfully. ¡°He¡¯s cunning indeed.¡± A glint of determination shed in Nicole¡¯s eyes as she continued, ¡°But I¡¯m not that easy to manipte.¡± If Everett wanted to benefit from the situation, he still had to go through her. Lulu¡¯s curiosity was piqued as her eyes widened. ¡°What do you have in mind?¡± ¡°Dillon isn¡¯t someone who would willingly take a loss,¡± Nicole said. If Dillon found out that Everett tricked him, there might be an interesting show to watch. Lulu also understood what Nicole was trying to say. ¡°Then we¡¯ll watch the dogs bite each other.¡± She could not help but smirk. Excited the whole time, Lulu noticed that the car had finally stopped, and they had arrived back at the Riddle residence. After getting out of the car, they made their way to the top floor. Just as they stepped out of the elevator, they ran into Sean and Steve. Seeing Nicole return, they looked visibly rxed and asked, ¡°Are you okay?¡± Noticing their slightly concerned expressions, Nicole understood that they must have known that she was called in for questioning. ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Nicole exined with a smile. ¡°I didn¡¯t want to disturb you when I left because you were in a meeting.¡± ¡°From now on, no matter what happens, you have to inform us immediately,¡± Sean responded sternly. When they were done with the meeting, they were shocked to hearthat Nicole had been summoned by the investigative department. They were extremely worried that something might happen to Nicole. Knowing that they were worried about her, Nicole reassured Sean and Steve, saying, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I know what I¡¯m doing.¡± ¡°So tell us what happened. How did it go?¡± Steve asked in a deep voice. Since Nicole had returned, it probably meant that she was fine. But what about Dillon? After Nicole briefly exined the situation, Sean and Steve finally felt relieved. Chapter 2128 Chapter 2128 ¡°Sean, Steve, you just finished the meeting, and there must be a lot of work to do. So, go and take care of it. I¡¯m not alone anyway, so don¡¯t worry about me. If something really happens, Lulu will ask for your help.¡± Nicole pushed Lulu forward, hoping that Sean and Steve would not worry about her so much. In fact, she could handle many things on her own. Besides, they were all terribly busy, and they should not be distracted by her affairs. ¡°Our matters are not more important than yours,¡± Sean reminded Nicole. ¡°We won¡¯t be able to bear it if something happens to you again.¡± ¡°Rest assured, even if it¡¯s for the sake of all of you, I won¡¯t let anything happen to me,¡± Nicole responded warmly. She knew that these people cared deeply about her, and ever since she returned, she had developed a true bond with her family despite losing her memories. Knowing that Nicole was fine, Sean and Steve finally settled down and went back to work. N?velDrama.Org ? 2024. Nicole also returned to her office to handle the new tasks that had been assigned to her. On the other hand, Raine and James had already arranged bail for Dillon, and the three of them had juste out of the police station. Dillon seemed to have aged significantly in a brief period of time, and his whole demeanor was deste. ¡°Dad, is it possible that we were tricked by Nicole?¡± Raine gritted her teeth in anger. ¡°Let¡¯s go home first.¡± Dillon¡¯s gaze turned cold, and his voice was chilling. He had already thought about it and found out that the evidence he possessed was actually a double- edged sword that stabbed him. The testimonies were retracted, and the physical evidence had turned into proof of his forgery. It was difficult for him to prove his innocence. He was confused as he wondered, ¡®Everything went smoothly before, and I didn¡¯t fabricate anything, I truly got it after investigating, so why did everything change all of a sudden? Was Raine right? Did we just get set up by Nicole?¡¯ ¡°Dad, we need to find a way to uncover the truth behind this. We can¡¯t just silently bear this loss,¡± James said indignantly. Dillon nced at James before nodding. ¡°You¡¯re right. We should investigate.¡± He was well aware that something was amiss in this matter, and no matter who was behind it, he had to find that person. Leaning against the seat, Dillon immediately called his assistant and ordered, ¡°Find out who¡¯s behind all this now!¡± He will make that person pay! ¡°Dad, let us take you home to rest. You don¡¯t have to worry about thepany. We¡¯ll keep an eye on it,¡± Raine reassured Dillon in a low voice. ¡°Okay,¡± Dillon grunted in response. Knowing that her father¡¯s trust in her had increased a little more, Raine was secretly delighted. However, she still remained humble and cautious on the surface. After sending Dillon home, Raine and James headed for thepany. ¡°Do you really think Nicole is behind this?¡± James asked Raine in a low voice. ¡°Hmph, who else could it be?¡± Raine snorted arrogantly. She actually felt slightly excited as she continued delightedly.¡± Once Dad finds the evidence, Nicole will have no ce in the Riddle family anymore.¡± ¡®As long as I drive Nicole away, everything in the Riddle family would eventually belong to me.¡¯ James understood Raine¡¯s intention as a meaningful smile grew on his face. Meanwhile, at home. Karen approached Dillon when she saw how exhausted he looked as he entered the house. ¡°What happened to you?¡± she asked. Chapter 2129 Chapter 2129 ¡°Don¡¯t get me started.¡± Dillon briefly exined the situation with a dejected tone, feeling increasingly unlucky, as things were not going well. ¡°Why did it end up like this?¡± Snow¡¯s face turned pale upon hearing the oue, feeling utterly frustrated. She had been eagerly awaiting a favorable result for Nicole¡¯s arrest, but why did it turn out like this? ¡°How could that wretched Nicole be so smart? How did she escape?¡± Karen gnashed her teeth in frustration. Dillon¡¯s eyes turned cold as he said, ¡°Let¡¯s see how long she canst.¡± ¡°Dad, do you have a n?¡± Snow¡¯s eyes lit up with a glimmer of hope. ¡°Why ask when you won¡¯t be of any use to us? Just stay out of trouble for now.¡± Dillon left with these words as he took big strides upstairs. He was already feeling annoyed, yet everyone still kept bombarding him with questions, making him even more agitated. Karen and Snow exchanged nces. Their expressions grew serious, but they did not dare ask any further. As the sun set, it cast a golden glow over the horizon. Nicole came out of thepany and saw Jared waiting for her. She approached him quickly with a smile and said, ¡°Have you been waiting for long?¡± Normally, he would be sitting in the car. But today, he had gotten out, so she guessed that he had arrived early. ¡°No, I haven¡¯t.¡± Jared gently raised his hand to stroke Nicole¡¯s hair. Under the setting sun, the shadow of the couple was stretched out on the ground. Their shadows met each other at one point, creating a beautiful and romantic image. ¡°You seem to be in an exceptionally good mood today.¡± Jared looked at Nicole, his eyes filled with tenderness. ¡°The n seeded, so I obviously have to be happy.¡± Nicole knew that Jared must have already known everything, so there was no need to hide anything. He smiled indulgently and asked, ¡°Is it because the n seeded, or because you have a new n?¡± Nicole could not help but roll her eyes at Jared. She said,¡± You know about that too, huh? I seriously suspect that you¡¯ve nted spies around me.¡± ¡°I just understand you.¡± Jared¡¯s lips curled up as he held her delicate hand with a gentle smile. Nicole pouted as she thought, ¡®Since he knows me so well, there¡¯s nothing surprising about me anymore.¡¯ Jared could not help but chuckle when he saw her frustrated expression. He raised his hand to stroke her hair and said, ¡°When you regain your memories, you¡¯ll know that you understand me just as well.¡± Nicole bit her lip. But I can¡¯t experience the feeling he¡¯s talking about without my memories.¡¯ Seemingly understanding her thoughts, Jared suggested,¡± Then I won¡¯t mention it anymore. I¡¯ll just wait for you to tell me.¡± ¡°Your words, not mine.¡± Nicole raised her head, as she searched for reassurance in Jared¡¯s eyes. Looking at her raised chin and the enticing shade of her red lips, Jared lowered his head and gently pecked her lips before promising her dotingly, ¡°Of course.¡± Nicole¡¯s cheeks instantly flushed when she felt an electrifying sensation rushing through her lips. N?velDrama.Org ? 2024. ¡°Just talk to me, and stop being so touchy,¡± Nicole scolded Jared with a re, looking all shy and coquettish. Jared¡¯s eyes darkened for a moment before he dominatingly wrapped his arms around her and started kissing her¡­ When Nicole was finally released from his hold, her mind was still in a daze. After graduallying back to her senses, her pink cheeks became even more flushed. Chapter 2130 Chapter 2130 Nicole''s cheeks were already burning with embarrassment after being surrounded by people watching them make out on the street. She pulled Jared into the car as she thought, '' This guy is really bing more and more outrageous. Doesn''t he take his surroundings into consideration?¡¯ She should be thankful that the employees had already left at this time. Otherwise, she would have been thoroughly embarrassed. Jared could not help but smile when he saw her trying to mescape. "Don''t be nervous. We''re legally married,¡± he reminded her. ¡°Even if we''re legally married, we should still consider the asion,¡± Nicoleined through gritted teeth. ''He actually had the audacity to justify himself.¡¯ A trace of mischief shed in Jared''s eyes as he leaned closer to Nicole and asked in a low voice, "So, Mrs. Johnston, what kind of asion do you think is appropriate? Shall we go home?¡± Nicole''s lips twitched fiercely. ¡®Why am I hearing a different meaning from his ¡®shall we go home¡¯ remark? Why did my thoughts start going astray? Is this disorder contagious?¡¯ The more she thought about it, the more annoyed she became. Nicole pushed Jared away and sat as far away from him as possible, clearly drawing a boundary. ¡°Well, Mrs. Johnston, if you don''t like being at home, where do you like?" Jared deliberately teased her. ¡°I don''t want to be anywhere." Nicole gnashed her teeth. Shereally wanted to zip Jared''s lips together. ¡®Why do I go weak when he speaks?¡¯ ¡°Haha.¡± Jared burst outughing as he found that teasing her was really amusing. She used to be shy a few years back. And now, after five years, she had just be even more shy. N?velDrama.Org ? 2024. "What the hell is heughing at?! Nicole red at Jared with resentment. She was grinding her teeth hard as she thought, '' Why am I so irritated?¡¯ Jared restrained himself a little when he felt that he might be pushing her too far. He then pulled Nicole back, not doing anything to make her feel flustered or embarrassed anymore. The car stopped when they arrived at the pre-school. ¡°Mommy, why are youte today?" Nn asked with a frown. Lana also asked Jared, "Yeah, Dad. We''re the only ones left in school.¡± Nicole cast a subtle re at Jared. ¡®It was all his fault that we werete in picking up the children.¡¯ But she obviously could not tell the children about this, so she had toe up with an excuse. "Mommy was dyed with some work. I promise to be on time from now on, okay? ¡°Okay!¡± Nn and Lana replied in unison. Nicole smiled and happily led their two adorable kids into the car. The car started again, heading towards Nicole''s home. ¡°Mommy, our school¡¯s going to have a parent-child sports event. Can you and Dade with us?" Lana tilted his little head expectantly. ¡°A parent-child sports event? When is it?" Nicole asked hesitantly. Of course, she wanted to participate in the children''s parent- child activities, but did she really have to go with Jared? She concealed their true identities to ensure their safety. So, the section for the children''s father was left nk, meaning that they only had her as a parent. ¡®Will Jared cause any unnecessary trouble if he attended?¡¯ ¡°Sure.¡± Seeing Nicole''s hesitation, Jared understood her concerns and answered aloud. "But..." Nicole''s eyes widened in surprise as she looked at Jared. ¡®If he were to attend and someone saw him...¡¯ "It''s okay, I''ll take care of it." Jared gently squeezed Nicole''s hand as he reassured her in a soft voice, "Don''t worry. Nothing will happen. Besides, the children want us to go." ¡°Come on, Mommy," Lana said, looking at Nicole with anticipation. Chapter 2131 Chapter 2131 ¡°Why don''t we let Godpa go?" Nn said, raising his eyebrows. He really hoped Lawrence would go, since Lawrence had been the one to attend these activities when they were on the ind. ¡°That''s not right. We have Dad.¡± Lana pouted, firmly rejecting the idea. ¡°Godpa has been doing it anyways. What does it matter?¡± Nn reminded Lana meaningfully. Lana insisted, "It''s different now that we have our real Dad. Mommy and Daddy should be the ones who join us for parent-child activities.¡± Jared patted Lana''s shoulder, saying, "Alright, Mommy and Daddy will both go.¡± ¡°Yay, I knew Daddy was the best!" Lana smiled brightly while nodding her head. ¡°Stupid.¡± Nn rolled his eyes at his sister in frustration. "No, you''re the stupid one. You''re the dumbest!¡± Lana stuck out her tongue at Nn. Nicole looked at the children and smiled wryly. ¡°Alright now. We''ll be attending your parent-child event.¡± "Hooray!" Lana cheered with excitement, while her brother bit his lip sadly. Nn said, "I''ll inform Godpa and let hime too.¡± "He can''te,¡± Jared said, frankly. Unconvinced, Nn frowned. "He''lle if I want him to.And you can''t stop him.¡± ¡°He''s gone to Mecrounia,¡± Jared informed. He was not stopping Lawrence from attending. It was simply a fact that Lawrence could not show up. Nicole''s eyes widened in surprise as she looked at Jared. '' N?velDrama.Org ? 2024. Mecrounia? But Lawrence clearly said he was going to Crescent Ind,¡¯ Nicole thought. Jared exchanged nces with Nicole. Although he did not speak, Nicole could understand his thoughts by reading his eyes. Nicole wondered the reason why Lawrence lied to her. Nicole did not continue the topic any further in front of the kids. Dropping his head, Nn wilted a bit when he heard Lawrence had left. He thought, ¡®It''s such a great opportunity, but Godpa isn''t here. So is there any parent-child activity I could join if he''s not here? No one wants to apany me.¡¯ Sensing Nn''s depressed state, Nicoleforted him. " Lawrence has his own things to take care of. He has his own life.¡± They could not rely too much on Lawrence. They could be friends but never a family. Nn tilted his head at Nicole, hesitated, and bit his lip. Lawrence once told him that it was his dream to be able to apany them for life. ¡°Nn, there are things that you''ll only understand once you grow up.¡± Nicole stroked her son''s head soothingly. She understood Nn''s dependence on Lawrence, but some things were impossible to change. Even if they had not returned to San Joto and reconciled with Jared, Nicole and Lawrence would have still stayed friends. ¡°Nn.¡± Lana gently tugged on her brother''s sleeve, her voice gentle. "Nn, we have Daddy now. We don''t need someone else to be our father." Uneasy, Nn did not respond to Lana''s words. So he turned his head to look out the car window. Lana knew Nn must be in a bad mood and wanted to lean over tofort him. Nicole held the girl back and shook her head, signaling Lana to leave Nn alone. Nn was a perceptive child. So, he must have understood what Nicole implied. She figured Nn only needed some time to reorganize his thoughts. Nn nibbled on his lips and obediently settled down. Although the siblings quarreled often, Lana was rather upset when Nn was upset. She only hoped her brother would get better soon. After a while, the car drove into the Riddle family residence. The family got out of the car and headed to the living room. Chapter 2132 Chapter 2132 ¡°Grandpa, Grandma!¡± Nn and Lana cheered, walking toward the sofa. Daniel and Gloria could not hide their smiles. ¡°Our darlings came home.¡± Nicole came over and when she did not see the others, she asked casually, ¡°Dad, Mom, where are my brothers?¡± ¡°Stanley has an academic symposium. Spencer and Samuel said they had something going on and won¡¯t being back today,¡± Gloria replied. ¡°What are they doing? Are they going on a date?¡± Lana asked curiously, blinking her big eyes. Gloria could not help butugh. ¡°No, sweetheart, it¡¯s work.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± Lana muttered. ¡°I thought they went on a date.¡± Lana¡¯s disappointed tone amused everyone, and they burst intoughter. However, Nn wore a gloomy expression, lowering his head listlessly. Sensing his grandson¡¯s unusual behavior, Daniel asked softly, ¡°Nn, what¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine, Grandpa.¡± Nn shook his head lightly and stood up. ¡°I¡¯ll head back to my room first.¡± Nn finished and went upstairs alone, clearly in a sad mood. Daniel could not help but worry. ¡¯¡¯What¡¯s gotten into him?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Just let him rest,¡± Nicole said evasively, not mentioning Lawrence. ¡°Grandpa, Grandma, I¡¯ll go upstairs too,¡± Lana said. She was still worried about her brother, so she followed him upstairs. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to have dinner with us?¡± ¡°I ate enough in kindergarten,¡± Lana said and disappeared around the corner of the stairs. ¡°She ran off so quickly.¡± Gloria was relieved when she saw Lana was alright. ¡°Mom, Dad, Let¡¯s eat,¡± Nicole said. There was no need to wait for the others since they were not returning. So, it was just the four of them. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s eat. We should check on the kids after we finish dinner,¡± Gloria suggested. Although the kids were okay, Gloria still felt uneasy, thinking of Nn with his heavy expression. ¡°Yeah,¡± Nicole agreed, and they entered the dining room. After dinner, everyone went their respective ways. Gloria was the first who went upstairs and entered Nn¡¯s room. ¡°Nicole, did the boy encounter something bad in kindergarten?¡± Daniel asked. ¡°The kindergarten is having a parent-child day. We promised him we¡¯ll attend it. Don¡¯t worry, Dad,¡± Nicole reassured her father without telling the whole truth. Nn had to figure this out on his own. No one else could help him. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s best if you could participate. Don¡¯t let the kid feel lonely when others have their parents, but they don¡¯t,¡± Daniel admonished Nicole, feeling relieved. ¡°Yup, don¡¯t worry about it,¡± Nicole dly agreed. She did have some concerns before, but Jared told her to forget them as he would handle them. So she genuinely believed everything would be fine.N?velDrama.Org ? 2024. They talked while going upstairs. Knowing Gloria had checked on the kids, Nicole and Jared entered their room. ¡°How did you know about Lawrence¡¯s situation?¡± Nicole questioned as soon as they got in their room. She had been curious before but held back the urge to ask since the kids were present. ¡°He didn¡¯t tell you?¡± Jared¡¯s eyes flickered with a meaningful glint. Nicole narrowed her eyebrows and replied, ¡°He dide to mypany today, but how did you know?¡± Chapter 2133 Chapter 2133 Jared always knew what was happening in Nicole¡¯s life, which gave her an unusual feeling, as if she was living under his nose. ¡°I happened to pass by when he went in,¡± Jared exined ndly. Even if he did not encounter Lawrence, he could deduce the situation. Due to the situation of Happiness Trading, Genesis Group had indeed suffered a certain impact. To repair the damage, Lawrence had to personally step into the situation. Why did he not tell Nicole he was leaving San Joto? Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org. ¡°But he told me¡­¡± Nicole suddenly stopped talking, her expression conflicted. She thought, ¡®Lawrence clearly said he was going to Crescent Ind, but Jared said he went to Mecrounia. And for some reason, I believe in Jared. Why did Lawrence lie to me? There¡¯s nothing wrong with going to Mecrounia. It would be better if Lawrence didn¡¯t tell me anything. His lies just make me feel ufortable.¡¯ ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. As you said, he has his own life.¡± Seeing Nicole¡¯s uneasiness, Jaredforted her while gently stroking her hair. He had no ill intentions by telling her these things. He just felt she should have known. As for what decisions she made, Jared believed she could handle it. This would at least let her know that not everyone is worth trusting. Nicole bit her lip and nodded faintly. No matter why Lawrence lied, she knew she had no right to ask about his personal matters. Lawrence might be dealing with things he could not reveal. After Nicole calmed down, she regained her usualposure and looked at Jared. ¡°Well, don¡¯t you know too well about Lawrence¡¯s situation?¡± Nicole thought, ¡®Jared knew about Lawrence¡¯s situation more than me, his actual friend. Is Jared spying on him?¡¯ Jared¡¯s gaze darkened, and said meaningfully, ¡°Know your enemies and yourself.¡± Nicole raised her eyebrow slightly, thinking, ¡®Why does he need to make it like a war? s, what¡¯s there to do about it? If they don¡¯t vibe with each other, they can¡¯t get along well.¡¯ Helplessly, Nicole shook her head and stopped asking. She shifted the topic, saying, ¡°We should go separately to the parent-child day.¡± Nicole thought as long as they both appeared at different times, they would not gain too much attention. As for when the parent-child activities start, no one would be able to see them from outside. So, it would not create any problems. Besides, Jared said he would take care of it and make arrangements. Jared frowned in dissatisfaction. He did not understand why, as the children¡¯s parents, they had to split up. Nicole never considered the possibility of Jared¡¯s refusal, so she went to the bathroom to take a shower. Watching as Nicole left, Jared¡¯s gaze darkened. As she came out of her shower, Nicole stumbled into Jared¡¯s embrace. Subconsciously, she raised her head, and Jared took the opportunity to kiss her. ¡°Mmm¡­¡± Nicole could not react in time, and her brain simply shut down. Overwhelmed by the fragrance of her hair, Jared fell for Nicole even more, and his kiss intensified. On the other hand, Nicole¡¯s sanitypletely crumbled. She only snapped back to reality when she felt a trace of coldness on her shoulders. Her bathrobe was starting to slip, and Jared¡¯s hands had already slid under the fabric. ¡°W-Wait a minute.¡± Nicole panicked and hurriedly adjusted her bathrobe, quickly backing away to a safe distance. Jared¡¯s gaze deepened, looking at Nicole¡¯s flustered appearance. He could feel his body heating up, so he controlled himself to stop from leaning forward. Otherwise, he might not be able to restrain himself. Nicole¡¯s cheeks were flushing red, and her heart was pounding wildly. She felt the awkwardness and was at a loss. ¡°I- Y-You should take a shower. I¡¯ll sleep first.¡± Nicole wrapped the bathrobe around her body tightly and quickly walked to the bed. After lying down, she pulled over the nkets and covered herself. Jared was smiling, amused at Nicole¡¯s wrapped-up position. Knowing she was nervous, he turned around and went into the bathroom. Chapter 2134 Chapter 2134 Hearing the sound of running watering from the bathroom, Nicole¡¯s thudding heart slowly settled down. The situation almost got out of control, so Nicole¡¯s feelings were all over the ce. She frequently lost herself in Jared, convinced she had no defenses against his presence. Although they were legally married, Nicole still had not remembered the memories with Jared. She should be able to treat him sensibly, but she could not. Her thoughts were all tangled up and complicated, so she had a sleepless night. The next day, the sun shone brightly. Nicole woke up with dark circles under her eyes. She felt helpless when she realized that even makeup could not hide the ck circles. Nicole stepped out of the bathroom with her clothes changed to see Jared prepared. Seeing Nicole ready, Jared said gently, ¡°Come on, let¡¯s head down.¡± Nicole uncontrobly averted her gaze, unable to meet Jared¡¯s eyes. She felt that she would lose her presence of mind otherwise. A glint of understanding crossed Jared¡¯s eyes. Without putting any pressure on Nicole, he held her hand and led her out of the room. ¡°Daddy, Mommy!¡± Lana, who just left her room, ran to them joyfully. Nicole turned to see Lana followed by Nn, a few steps behind. Looking at Nn¡¯s calm appearance, he seemed fine already. Nicole heaved a silent sigh. She hoped Nn sorted out his thoughts and epted what she said. N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. ¡°Mommy,¡± Nn whispered, feeling embarrassed at Nicole¡¯s stare. He was a little emotional yesterday. He understood there were things he could not decide, but he could still make his own choices. Although his mother and Lawrence could not be together, Nicole said that Lawrence was her good friend. That meant that Lawrence would always be their godfather. Nicole raised an eyebrow. She smiled, seemingly to see through her son¡¯s behavior. ¡°Daddy, let¡¯s have breakfast.¡± Lana tugged at Jared¡¯s shirt. In response, Jared picked Lana up and cuddled her. ¡°Alright, breakfast, it is.¡± The four of them went downstairs together and entered the dining room. ¡°Good morning, everyone,¡± Nn and Lana greeted sweetly. ¡°Morning, dear. Come, sit down here.¡± Gloria smiled lovingly as she greeted the two cuties. ¡°Alright.¡± The family sat down and started to eat, chatting while they did. Breakfast was soon over, and everyone left separately. ¡°Nicole, about things over at the branchpany¡­¡± Daniel hesitated. As soon as Nicole realized what Daniel was getting at, she set her lips and said, ¡°Sean and I will take care of it. Don¡¯t worry, Dad.¡± Chapter 2135 Chapter 2135 ¡°Damien and Dillon aren¡¯t worth your sympathy. Let the kids handle it,¡± Gloria said tofort Daniel. ¡°I get it. I feel it¡¯s too much on the kids. They¡¯re forced to deal with their ill-intentioned uncles,¡± Daniel said. He was a little chagrined, not understanding why his older brothers acted like this. ¡°After so many years of enduring, how did it end up like this? ¡± Gloria responded. They were still oppressed and looked down upon by their brothers. Now that their children were doing great, they finally gained some dignity. ¡°I know.¡± Daniel nodded. He was not sympathetic to Damien and Dillon. He just thought they were family and it would be best if everyone worked together. Unfortunately, not everyone had the same goal in mind. Jared dropped off Nicole at the entrance the Riddle Corporation building. He watched Nicole go inside before instructing Max, ¡°Drive.¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Max obeyed and started the car. He then reported, ¡°Mr. Johnston, Lawrence disappeared the moment he reached Mecrounia, leaving his assistant Ian to settle things. I¡¯m afraid¡­¡± ¡°Search for his old subordinates,¡± Jared said with a calm expression. If Lawrence¡¯s intention to go to Mecrounia was not to recover the losses, it only would mean he was secretly plotting something. And toplete his n, he had to find some trusted people to help him. Max¡¯s expression turned grave. ¡°Mr. Johnston, isn¡¯t he an adverse to you?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll have always been a sting in his eyes,¡± Jared replied. From the moment Lawrence stepped foot in San Joto, they were destined to be each other¡¯s rivals. Lawrence was not only obsessed with Nicole, but he was also a power-control freak who wanted to take over San Joto. Determination crossed Max¡¯s eyes. ¡°I¡¯ll arrange for someone to find out his whereabouts.¡± ¡°Forget it. Finding out won¡¯t change a thing. Why not take advantage of this chance to prepare another surprise for him?¡± Jared said, his gaze turning cold. Having an ambition was fine, but Lawrence had to prove that his abilities matched his ambition. Max was stunned, but he soon understood Jared¡¯s intentions. He asked cautiously, ¡°What do you intend to do, Mr. Johnston?¡± Jared¡¯s eyes narrowed, his voice turning icy. ¡°Ask someone to make contact with thendmark project that Genesis Group is negotiating.¡± Max instantly understood Jared¡¯s point, and his eyes lit up.¡± Yes, sir.¡± Thendmark project was a crucial project for Genesis Group, which had just entered San Joto¡¯s industrial market. Losing this project would be a significant setback for them. N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. The car drove away, kicking up a cloud of dust. Upstairs at the Riddle Corporation building, just as Nicole entered her office, Lulu knocked on her door. ¡°Did you hear the news?¡± Lulu asked with a mysterious look. Raising her eyebrow, Nicole asked, ¡°What news?¡± Nicole had not had time to pay attention to the news this morning. She wondered what could have happened. ¡°Geez, how could you not know about something so important?¡± Lulu smiled. ¡°It¡¯s rted to you.¡± ¡°Me?¡± Nicole was even more confused. ¡®What is it?¡¯ Lulu rolled her eyes helplessly at Nicole before revealing,¡± It¡¯s about Damien and Dillon.¡± ¡°What about them?¡± Nicole asked, wondering how her uncles made it to the news. ¡°It was the case that overturned a few days ago. I¡¯m not sure who leaked the news, but it¡¯s unsurpassable now. They¡¯re in the eye of the storm,¡± Lulu exined. The twopanies were the subject of public scrutiny and condemnation after the information was made public. Chapter 2136 Chapter 2136 ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± Nicole replied calmly. Lulu widened her eyes in disbelief. ¡°Isn¡¯t it enough? It¡¯s not just a fluctuation in their stock prices this time. Their stock prices plummeted. It won¡¯t be long till it hits the limit.¡± The losses were not ordinary. This would lose how much money? But the more Lulu thought about it, the more excited she was. Nicole¡¯s gaze darkened. ¡®These alone aren¡¯t enough. Was there something they missed on Dillon¡¯s side? This speed was disappointing. Are they quiet quitting or simply not investigating at all?¡± ¡°Nicole?¡± Lulu softly called out, noticing Nicole¡¯s silence and increasingly gloomy expression. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Let¡¯s wait a little longer. There should be updates,¡± Nicole said. She could only conclude that Dillon was actually ipetent if there was no other news. Observing Nicole¡¯sposed demeanor, Lulu chuckled and shook her head, admiring her friend¡¯s composure. ¡°If there¡¯s nothing else, I¡¯ll get back to work.¡± Lulu calmed down. While she enjoyed watching the show, she knew it was someone else¡¯s business. She should focus her energy on her own work instead. Watching Lulu turn around and leave, Nicole breathed a sigh of relief. She took a document and started working. Meanwhile, at the branchpany Dillon was in charge of, DillCorp, Dillon had a gloomy face in the president¡¯s office. He gritted his teeth and red at the results in his hands. His assistant looked at Dillon nervously, his forehead filled with beads of sweat. ¡°Mr. Dillon, you see¡­¡± SNAP! Dillon angrily mmed the document on the desk with a crisp, snapping sound. ¡°Damien, what a good show you put on. First, you got me to do your dirty work. Then, you benefit from the tussle.¡± Dillon gnashed his teeth, his face turning ashen. He never expected it, even after countless investigations. Nicole was not the one who outsmarted him. The reality was that Damien yed him and Nicole. Everett got people to make fabricated evidence to deliberately let him find out. It was to make him believe he could finally keep Nicole from bouncing back. However, Nicole remained unscathed. Dillon was the one who got into trouble. No matter what happened, Damien would be thest one standing. KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK. A knock sounded on the door, and Raine pushed the door open. ¡°Dad.¡± Casting an annoyed nce at his daughter, Dillon gritted his teeth and ordered, ¡°Come in.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± Raine responded and walked toward the desk. Dillon signaled his assistant with a nce, saying, ¡°Leave us. If ¡°Yes, sir.¡± His assistantplied and left the room. N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. ¡°Dad, how are things looking? Why do you look so angry?¡± Raine asked, eyes full of concern. ¡°Hmph,¡± Dillon grunted with an angry face. He was practically foaming at the mouth. ¡°Look at what your Uncle Damien did!¡± Raine¡¯s eyes widened in surprise. ¡°Uncle Damien?¡± She thought, ¡°How could it be Uncle Damien? Isn¡¯t Nicole the one behind this?¡¯ ¡°The evidence was fabricated. Everett purposely leaked it to us. And it must have been Damien¡¯s intention,¡± Dillon said through clenched teeth, a hint of maliciousness shing in his eyes. Never expecting Damien and Everett to be the culprits, Raine¡¯s expression turned pale white. Deep down, she had the same hatred toward them. Nicole was already a big nuisance, but Damien had actually turned against them. ¡°Dad, what should we do about this?¡± Raine asked in a frustrated tone. Chapter 2137 Chapter 2137 Dillon nced at Raine with displeasure and said, ¡°What else is there to do? I¡¯m not going to jail.¡± ¡°No, I didn¡¯t mean that,¡± Raine exined. ¡°I meant that we can¡¯t just let Damien take advantage of us.¡± Since they knew Damien was the one behind this, they could let Damien suffer the consequences. ¡°There¡¯s no evidence,¡± Dillon said in a depressed tone. He found out Everett was the one who did it, but he did not have direct evidence against him. He could not convict Everett of the crime. Worst-case scenario, Everett might even make a false counterchange and im he was making him false usations, causing more trouble. ¡°Are we just going to be forced into silence?¡± Raine choked with rage, and her teeth clenched in anger. N?velDrama.Org ? 2024. Dillon narrowed his eyes. How could he lose? Even though he did not have any evidence in this matter, he had no intention of taking the fall for Damien. ¡°You should leave.¡± Dillon waved his hand, signaling Raine to get out. Raine furrowed her eyebrows but left after thinking about James¡¯ words. At this time, all she needed to do was show her concern to Dillon and let Dillon take care of the matter. After Raine left, Dillon looked at the materials in his hands, and his eyes darkened. Raine returned to her own office. ¡°So, how was it?¡± James asked anxiously after a long wait. Raine gritted her teeth in distress and said, ¡°Hmph, we were being yed by Damien.¡± James was too stunned to speak. ¡°Did you just say that this was Damien¡¯s doing?¡± ¡°Yup. Dad found out Damien was doing something behind his back and wanted to reap the benefits.¡± Raine¡¯s expression turned red from anger. She never expected Damien and Everett would do such a thing to them. James, on the other hand, was moreposed and said meaningfully, ¡°Eventually, everyone will be your enemy. n ¡°You mean to say¡­¡± Raine pondered for a moment, understanding James¡¯ meaning. She thought, ¡®He¡¯s right. There¡¯s only one heir to the Riddle family business. Before the heir is decided, everyone would have the right to it, but I¡¯ll be thest one.¡¯ Raine¡¯s eyes crossed a touch of determination. She looked at James and said, ¡°Honey, you always have good ideas. My future depends on you.¡± If James had not been pointing out and directing Raine, she would still be whining about the situation, and jealous of others. She lived a hopeless life in the past, but now she was full of confidence. Wait till the day when everything belongs to her! Others would naturally bow down and look up to her. Nicole, you¡¯ll see. One day, I¡¯ll definitely crush you beneath my feet.¡¯ As the sun set, the evening sky turned golden. A new piece of news quickly dominated the headlines of major news outlets. The mastermind behind DillCorp¡¯s crisis has been found and detained by the authorities after false usations were made against the Riddle Corporation¡¯s headquarters. Since the offender was discovered, Dillon Riddle, the first suspect, was proven innocent. Lulu¡¯s fury could be heard outside the chairman¡¯s office of Riddle Corporation. ¡°Why, Nicole?! This is just absurd!¡± Lulu could not believe Dillon got away with everything. ¡°He put all the charges on his department manager. Even the final piece of evidence was directed to the department manager. So, he was, of course, innocent.¡± Nicole¡¯s eyes flickered with a touch of coldness. Dillon was indeed a ruthless person, for him to find someone to take the me for him. Chapter 2138 Chapter 2138 Luluined in defiance, ¡°He should still be sentenced for poor supervision. He¡¯s the president of thepany.¡± ¡°At most, he¡¯d be fined.¡± Nicole shrugged. If Dillon was willing to go to jail, he would not have put the charge on someone else. ¡°Well, we let him off easy this time,¡± Lulu said depressingly. Though Dillon was obviously at fault, it was upsetting that he was able to avoid punishment. Nicole remained indifferent. ¡°It¡¯s alright. The show has just begun.¡± ¡°What?¡± Lulu blinked her eyes in bewilderment. The case seemed to be closed, awaiting trial and judgment. Seeing Lulu¡¯s confusion, Nicole replied cryptically, ¡°We should just sit back and watch the show unfold without getting involved.¡± Lulu blinked her eyes and quickly reacted, ¡°Oh, yeah, I almost forgot about this.¡± Previously, Damien tried to trick Dillon and them. But since Dillon found out about it, how could he let this matter rest? ¡°It¡¯s time to clock out. Let¡¯s go.¡± Nicole got up calmly. ¡°I have other things to do.¡± ¡®Are you really going back to the Riddle family manor?¡± Lulu asked instinctively. She knew that Nicole had received a call from the manor. They wanted her to return after work, presumably for reasons rted to this matter. ¡°Of course, I¡¯m going back. They¡¯ve put on such a good show, ¡± Nicole smirked. Things hade to an end. Mr. Riddle Sr. calling her back probably had something to do with Damien and Dillon¡¯s matter. Deep down, she knew this was the result she wanted for this situation. Even if Dillon was caught this time, he would not be locked up for long, and there must be a day when he came out. At that time, Dillon would not turn over a new leaf. Instead, he would turn more aggressive. If so, Nicole might as well save him, to get rid of everything once and for all. N?velDrama.Org ? 2024. Leaving the office, Nicole saw Sean and Steve downstairs in the lobby. ¡°Sean, Steve.¡± The two looked at Nicole with concern. ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t want us to follow you?¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need for that. The reception tonight is also very important for us. You guys should just go attend it. I¡¯ll head back to the manor on my own.¡± Nicole smirked as she answered. ¡°What if they¡­¡± Steve frowned. He was worried for Nicole and scared the people there would make things difficult for Nicole. ¡°This time, they won¡¯t have the energy to deal with me.¡± Nicole¡¯s gaze carried a hint of disdain. Dillon and Damien were not long from a quarrel. Seanpromised. ¡°Okay then. If somethinges up, call us.¡± ¡°Will do.¡± Nicole watched Sean and Steve leave before getting into her own car. She informed Jared to pick up the kids as she decided to go back to the Riddle family residence on her own. Soon, Nicole arrived at the Riddle family manor. Few people came. Only Damien, Dillon, Daniel, and Dexter were present. Seeing that she was the only junior present, Nicole awkwardly touched her nose. ¡®Grandpa actually informed me toe back alone. Is this really a good idea?¡± Seeing Nicole¡¯s arrival, a smile rose on Mr. Riddle Sr.¡¯s face.¡± Nicole is back.¡± ¡°Grandpa,¡± Nicole greeted softly as she slowly walked toward the old man. ¡°Sit down,¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. gestured for Nicole to sit beside him. Nicole hesitated but sat down at Mr. Riddle Sr.¡¯s insistence. She was not afraid of them. She just felt she should not be too shy at the moment. Chapter 2139 Chapter 2139 ¡°Dad, why did you call us here today? Did something happen?¡± Dexter asked directly after sensing everyone¡¯s silence. To be frank, everyone had more or less heard the rumors. But Dexter did not understand why Mr. Riddle Sr. called them back, seemingly wanting to say something after things had alreadye to an end. ¡°I have no idea either. Let Dillon speak.¡± Mr. Riddle Sr.¡¯s expression turned gloomy as he nced at Dillon. ¡°Dillon?¡± Dexter and Daniel turned their gaze to Dillon, realizing he was the one who gathered them here today. N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. Nicole too realized this fact just now. ¡®Seems like Dillon has yet to say anything. He must¡¯ve wanted to directly address Damien in front of everyone. As for me, maybe Grandpa decided to call me back at the last minute, and it had nothing to do with Dillon.¡¯ Dillon did not expect Mr. Riddle Sr. to call Nicole back to the Riddle family manor. But since the story had yed out like this, he had no choice but to bite the bullet and talk. Gritting his teeth, Dillon got hot under his cor as he handed a document to Mr. Riddle Sr. ¡°Actually, I intended to ask Dad and my few brothers to sit in judgment for me,¡± ¡°Sit in judgment for you?¡± Damien raised his eyebrow slightly. He said meaningfully, ¡°Dillon, what do you mean by this? Are you in trouble?¡± Damien already knew Dillon had found someone to take the me. Therefore, he did not understand what his intentions were by summoning everyone gathered here today. Dillon¡¯s expression turned even angrier. He red at Damien with hate. ¡°Damien, stop pretending. Do you still think I¡¯m clueless?¡± ¡°What¡¯s this about?¡± Damien frowned. Deep down, he felt a vague sense of unease. He felt that Dillon was targeting him today. ¡°Hmph!¡± Dillon grunted in exasperation. He once again turned his gaze to Mr. Riddle Sr. ¡°Dad. I bought up and reported the headquarters¡¯ maniption of the branchpanies¡¯ stock values, but now I realized I was set up by Damien. Here¡¯s the proof I found. Take a look,¡± Dillon mmed the documents on the table while disying anguish and outrage. ¡°Dad, you have to back me up. He¡¯s my brother, yet he tricked me.¡± Nicole¡¯s mouth twitched. She thought, ¡®Wow, Dillon is going all out with this act!¡¯ Mr. Riddle Sr. calmly picked up the document and opened it to read the content. He then looked at Damien, saying,¡± What Dillon is saying is that the evidence he found against Nicole was deliberately revealed to him by Everett. Is that true?¡± Looking at Mr. Riddle Sr.¡¯s unruffled demeanor, Damien unconsciously clenched his hand. He tried to suppress his uneasiness and acted calm. ¡°Dad, I¡¯m afraid there must be a misunderstanding. Everett has no reason to do so.¡± ¡°He has no reason, but if you ordered him to, could he refuse it?¡± Mr. Riddle Sr.mented. What was more, these two were birds of the same feather. No one would believe that Damien did not instruct Everett to do so. ¡°Damien, Dillon, y-you guys. Is this perhaps a misunderstanding?¡± Dexter asked in confusion. He was still a little bewildered and could not understand what was happening. ¡°If there¡¯s a problem, it¡¯s best to investigate it thoroughly,¡± Daniel voiced out solemnly. He needed to know if Damien actually had done it or not, but it was not because he wanted to widen the gap between Damien and Dillon. If Damien really had done it, he would only be bitterly disappointed in him and feel more heartbroken for Nicole. Chapter 2140 Chapter 2140 ¡°Dad, why don¡¯t you let Grandpa be the judge of it.¡± Nicole nodded toward Daniel. She understood Daniel was doing it for her. However, Nicole had long been aware of the situation, so she did not feel aggrieved. Receiving Nicole¡¯s message, Daniel gritted his teeth andpromised with a sigh. After Nicole finished, the others shifted their attention to Mr. Riddle Sr., waiting for his decision. ¡°Dillon, what do you want me to do?¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. had read all the documents. He still looked calm andposed, so no one could tell his true thoughts on this matter. ¡°Dad, Damien has gone too far. Not only did he want to harm me, but he also even wanted to ruin Nicole. If I hadn¡¯t got the evidence, I would¡¯ve never ryed this matter to the headquarters. In that case, I would¡¯ve not ended up in this situation,¡± Dillon said with a look of remorse and anger. Nicole sneered with a hint of mockery. ¡®Dillon was quite skilled in shifting the me to others, attempting to whitewash himself and put all the me on Damien. Did he really think everyone else was stupid? The question was, if this wasn¡¯t the information he wanted, he would¡¯ve never trusted it so easily. He was yed by Everett, but now he¡¯s iming to be framed by him. It was impressive how he could turn the situation around.¡¯ Shifting her gaze to Mr. Riddle Sr., Nicole¡¯s eyes had a spark of amusement. ¡®It seemed like Grandpa does not fully trust Dillon¡¯s words.¡¯ ¡°Dillon, stop your nonsense. I did not harm anyone. Who knows where all your evidence came from? You used Nicole before, and now you¡¯re using me?¡± Damien looked righteously angry and aggrieved, not admitting to anything Dillon had said. ¡°Evidence? No, this is the truth!¡± Dillon was hitting the ceiling. He did not expect even at this point. Damien could turn the tables and use him instead. He felt that Damien was shameless. Nicole too was impressed by how Damien could carry on saying all these without a change of expression. With her eyebrow raised, Nicole looked at Damien in a different light.¡¯ No wonder he was able to manipte things in the dark. He must have the confidence to distance himself from it, even when the truthes out.¡¯ A tinge of darkness flickered in Nicole¡¯s eyes as she spoke softly, ¡°Uncle Dillon. Since this is the truth, why did you not report it to the police?¡± Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org. ¡°These are the skeletons in the closet. I didn¡¯t report it for the sake of the Riddle family,¡± Dillon exined. He then looked at Mr. Riddle Sr. expectantly. ¡°Dad, I only wished for you to be fair.¡± ¡°Hmm,¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. hummed softly, not showing his intent of whether he was going to intervene in this matter or not. ¡°Dad. The culprit is already locked up in the police station, admitted everything, and said it had nothing to do with others. You can¡¯t trust Dillon after just listening to him,¡± Damien said anxiously. Damien was indeed the person who did it, and his escape route nned ahead. Even if Dillon made a ruckus, he could not do anything to him. The only thing he did not anticipate was Dillon¡¯s decision to tattle to Mr. Riddle Sr. instead of exposing him by reporting to the police. If Mr. Riddle Sr. believed him, it would be a disadvantage for Damien and Everett. One word from Mr. Riddle Sr. would be enough to make them suffer extreme losses in the future. And that was not what Damien wanted to happen. ¡°I had no choice then. Do you know how much it cost me to let someone go off the hook?¡± Chapter 2141 Chapter 2141 ¡°That¡¯s your business. If you hadn¡¯t framed others, why would your man be in lockup? He¡¯s taking the me for you. This is the sacrifice you have to make. What does it have to do with us?¡± ¡°Well, aren¡¯t you simply heartless and malicious? You wanted to kill two birds with one stone, so now you¡¯re saying I shot myself in the foot.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that the truth?¡± ¡°Why, you!¡± Damien and Dillon¡¯s argument slowly heated up. They even seemed like they were going to start fighting physically the next second. Mr. Riddle Sr.¡¯s expression turned gloomy, and he could not endure it any longer. ¡°Shut up! Am I invisible to you?!¡± The living room was instantly silent. Only Damien and Dillon¡¯s rapid breathing could be heard from the early quarrel. Mr. Riddle Sr. nced at them with displease, thinking, ¡®They¡¯re both simply unfilial bastards. They said they wanted me to administer justice, but both were clearly at fault. What did they want me to do? Punish them each by pping them eighty times?¡¯ ¡°Calm down, Dad. Your healthes first,¡± Daniel worriedly advised after looking at Mr. Riddle Sr.¡¯s increasingly pale face. Dexter also chimed in, ¡°Dad, what¡¯s done is done. Let¡¯s see if there is any way to solve this.¡± They could not just leave the two people to continue arguing. ¡°Grandpa, I think this matter should end here. In fact, I think it¡¯s meaningless to continue the discussion,¡± Nicole proposed in a low tone. She felt that the uproar had gotten out of hand after having witnessed enough of it. She didn¡¯t want to listen to their disagreement; she wanted to go home and be with her two cuties. ¡°No way!¡± Dillon was the first to object. How could they just forget about it? Nicole raised her eyebrows. ¡°What else do you want?¡± Dillon was caught offguard by Nicole¡¯s question. He could not possibly say what he wanted out loud. ¡°That¡¯s right. Are you going to drag other people down with your fabricated evidence?¡± Damien took the chance to taunt Dillon. Dillon¡¯s expression once again turned gloomy. Gritting his teeth, he stared at Damien with hate. ¡°You were the one who gave me this evidence.¡± Damien sneered and hummed at him. ¡®So what if I did it? Dillon has no evidence against me. His speech alone was not enough to pose a threat to me,¡¯ ¡°Listen to Nicole. This ends now. Leave, I¡¯m tired,¡± Mr. N?velDrama.Org ? 2024. Riddle Sr. ordered. His head hurts from all their arguments, feeling mentally exhausted. ¡°Dad!¡± Dillon almost jumped up in agitation. He could not believe things would end so rashly. Did no one even care about him? Mr. Riddle Sr. waved his hands, signaling Dillon to stop his nonsense. He really did not want to hear anything from him now. Dillon suddenly came home today, iming to have something important to discuss with everyone. He even insisted all his brothers be present. So Mr. Riddle Sr. called them all back. After some thought, Mr. Riddle Sr. also took the initiative to call Nicole back. Though, he never expected Dillon to discuss this matter. Mr. Riddle Sr. initially thought Dillon was the victim. Turned out, Nicole was the only victim in this situation, where his two eldest sons were all ill- intentioned. Not wanting to hear their nonsense, Mr. Riddle Sr. directly instructed, ¡°Alfred, get them out of here.¡± Mr. Riddle Sr.¡¯s order was almost equivalent to kicking them out. Dillon¡¯s face turned purple with rage, feeling suffocated. ¡°Dad, take care. I¡¯ll leave first.¡± Damien was the first to bid farewell. At this point, it was pointless to stay back. Only Dillon, the fool, would continue to pester here. After Damien left, Dexter also stood up. ¡°Dad, if there¡¯s nothing left. I¡¯ll head back too.¡± Chapter 2142 Chapter 2142 ¡°Alright.¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. raised his head to look at his third son. Daniel wanted to leave, but Nicole shook her head toward him. So Daniel sat back down again. In the end, Dillon had no choice but to leave reluctantly. After everyone was gone, Nicole advised Mr. Riddle Sr. with a smooth tone. ¡°Grandpa, you should really leave this matter alone.¡± ¡°How can I not worry? They think they¡¯re clever clogs and try to deceive others like fools.¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. was in a horrible mood. Two of his disappointing sons added up were not even as clear-headed as his granddaughter. Mr. Riddle Sr. knew very well that they were intrigued with each other, and tricking Nicole, his precious granddaughter. This knowledge made him so furious that he wanted to kick them out of the house. ¡°Grandpa, don¡¯t worry. No matter what they do, I¡¯m not a fool, ¡± Nicole said with a pouty look, comforting Mr. Riddle Sr. The older man was originally in an irritating mood, but Nicole¡¯s words uplifted him. ¡°Dad, are you really going to let them go for this matter?¡± Daniel asked tentatively. Deep down, he was rather furious by his brother¡¯s actions, but he was even more distressed for Nicole. Mr. Riddle Sr. chuckled. ¡°Your decision to retire was a correct choice,¡± ¡°What?¡± Daniel did not expect his father to blurt out this sentence. ¡®What did he mean? What has this matter got to do with my retirement?¡¯ Daniel thought. ¡®TH let Nicole exin.¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. sighed helplessly.¡¯ Daniel was too kind-hearted, and his personality doesn¡¯t suit the business industry.¡¯ Daniel still looked confused, but Mr. Riddle Sr. stood up and said, ¡°Come, eat dinner with me.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± Nicole agreed. She stood up and helped Mr. Riddle Sr. to the dining room. Shaking his head with a chuckle, Daniel followed them. The family had a simple dinner. During the dinner, no one mentioned Damien and Dillon, only casually chit-chatting about the matters of the headquarters. ¡°Well, what do you know? We needed you to manage Riddle Corporation after all.¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. nodded in satisfaction. ¡°Grandpa, Sean¡¯s doing a great job too.¡± Nicole smiled with a bright face. Mr. Riddle Sr. was stunned and soon N?velDrama.Org ? 2024. understood Nicole¡¯s meaning. He could not help but tease her. ¡°You cheeky girl. Are you nning to ck off?¡± ¡°I could assist Sean,¡± Nicole said naturally. Seeing that Nicole had made up her mind, Mr. Riddle Sr. pondered before saying, ¡°Sean is indeed suitable.¡± In Mr. Riddle Sr.¡¯s heart, his best candidate was no doubt, Nicole. Yet, if Nicole did not want to inherit the Riddle family, Sean would be the strongest and most capable person to take charge among others. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Grandpa. You once said you would give the inheritance to the one who is most capable. Sean naturally got it with his skills,¡± Nicole said, her eyes full of confidence. They had to make it evident that it was based on merit and allow others to embrace it voluntarily since they could not leave their opponents with an excuse. Strength and capability were the sole eptable qualification for achieving it. ¡°Sean does have the capability, but¡­¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. paused and said hesitantly, ¡°You already made such a decision to step off the position, so why did you leave everyone else to misunderstand you?¡± If Nicole clearly stated that she was not interested in the inheritance, the others would definitely not find any trouble for her. Nicole shrugged indifferently. ¡°It¡¯s the same. Are you saying I should stay out of it by shifting the attention to Sean?¡± Chapter 2143 Chapter 2143 ¡°I won¡¯t. No matter who it was among us, or who would continue the family name. We would help each other in time of need instead of going against each other.¡± But then again, having to fool everyone wasn¡¯t a nice move as I¡¯m not exactly the most favored by everyone here. Realizing how Sean came out to help me, the chances of winning are now higher than ever.¡¯ To Nicole, the Riddle family could live up to their names due to her and her brothers. Other than that, she could not envision what the Riddle family would turn out to be if it were to fall into the hands of others. Mr. Riddle Sr. looked at Nicole in satisfaction, with a hint of regret in his eyes. ¡®Only someone like her could pass down the family name. This is a blessing to our family. It¡¯s a shame she doesn¡¯t see the glory in it.¡¯ ¡°Dad, since the kids are still young and you¡¯re still in tip top shape, it¡¯s still too early to put things into perspective. We can discuss this in the future.¡± Danielforted Mr. Riddle Sr. Everyone in the room understood that Nicole was his favorite, but they also knew that Nicole was unwilling to bear all these burdens of responsibilities, and wanted to live her life as she wishes to. ¡°Whether it¡¯s now orter, it¡¯s not up for you to decide.¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. sighed helplessly, oblivious to the others who had already initiated their plots. Mr. Riddle Sr. turned to nce at Nicole, his face filled with some unsaid worry. Nicole looked at Mr. Riddle Sr. with a calm look. ¡°Don¡¯t worry Grandpa, I can protect myself well enough. Also, I have so many people taking care of me.¡± Nicole was not afraid of anything, the attention of her uncles had entirely shifted to her, which brought out a stronger advantage for Nicole. She wanted to see the reactions of her uncles when they heard that Sean would inherit the family business. ¡°Jared can protect you too,¡± said Mr. Riddle Sr. Nicole was already used to people mentioning Jared¡¯s name around her, so it was natural for Mr. Riddle Sr. to mention his too. The corners of Nicole¡¯s lips twitched. ¡®I meant to say the brothers of mine¡­ but something tells me that I should keep my mouth shut and it isn¡¯t something to be easily exined. Otherwise, another round of misunderstandings could happen again.¡¯ Nicole had not announced her memory loss to the world. Only her family knew about it so in the public eye, both Jared and her were still the loving couple they hade to know of. Only Nicole herself was aware of the reality of things behind closed doors. ¡°Dad, it¡¯s gettingte. We¡¯re going to head back now. You should rest.¡± Daniel could not wait to get out of there, eager to set things straight with Nicole. Mr. Riddle Sr. immediately understood Daniel and watched as they left. ¡°It¡¯s fortunate that there¡¯s one with brains,¡± said Mr. Riddle Sr. with a smile. ¡°Mr. Riddle Sr., it¡¯s obvious that Ms. Riddle¡¯s capable of handling thepany.¡± Alfred¡¯s voice echoed. ¡°Especially since she has the Fire Crest, herpetence is certainly unmatched by others.¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. went upstairs to rest with a peace of mind. Meanwhile, Daniel and Nicole left in a car together. ¡°Nicole, what happened to your uncles? What did your grandpa mean?¡± Daniel asked, not able to withstand his curiosity. Nicole confessed, ¡°What Grandpa meant was to ignore this issue. Since both Damien and Dillon had already ruined their own reputations, they won¡¯t stop doing so¡­¡± Til only stop if they stop.¡¯ Daniel heard Nicole¡¯s exnation and immediately understood the situation. And just like that, the matter was pushed behind the back of their minds, where neither of them had the need to bring it back up. Daniel thought, ¡®Damien and Dillon both should know the weight and cost of their actions.¡¯ N?velDrama.Org ? 2024. ¡°I was beginning to wonder why Grandpa said retiring was a good idea,¡± said Daniel in a sigh of relief. In their minds, Nicole was a more suitable fit to run thepany more than anyone else in the family. Chapter 2144 Chapter 2144 ¡°I¡¯m not saying that I¡¯m ipetent, but sometimes, your dad here is a little too soft-hearted.¡± ¡®When a person is too kind-hearted, it bes a weakness where other people can easily manipte and step over.¡¯ Meanwhile, Damien had returned to his residence. Everett had received a call earlier from Mr. Riddle Sr., which gave her the idea that her grandpa knew something regarding the matter. Everett saw her father had returned and said, ¡°Dad, why did Grandpa call us over? Is there something going on?¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t Grandpa. It was your Uncle Dillon.¡± Damien¡¯s face turned dark when he mentioned Dillon¡¯s name. Everett was confused. ¡°Uncle Dillon?¡± Damien was fuming, his eyes turned darker as he talked about Dillon¡¯s problems. ¡°He was caught red handed?¡± Dillon hadpleted everything cautiously, nobody even knew what he was up to, even Damien was unable toy his hands on Nicole. So, the matter now appears to be not as easy as it seems though Damien had not done anything. N?velDrama.Org ? 2024. ¡°I only know what¡¯s happening. I saw him take out the so- called evidence, I don¡¯t know if he had obtained it illegally or not. So, for as long as we don¡¯t admit to it, it has nothing to do with us.¡± Damien snorted. ¡°Dad, why do I feel like this is a bit weird?¡± Everett frowned involuntarily. Her eyes gradually became darker. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Damien asked, immediately bing wary. ¡°I can¡¯t put it. I just feel a little strange about this¡­ I¡¯ll have someone to check regarding this matter.¡± ¡°You have to be careful about this. Your uncle could be keeping tabs on you,¡± Damien told his daughter, 1 Damien thought, ¡®I think Dillon might have caught onto something. Otherwise how would he have noticed Everett¡¯s movements? I think we should be more cautious in making moves in the future.¡¯ Everette agreed. ¡°I know. Ever since this matter, our family and Uncle Dillon¡¯s family have been underfire.¡± ¡®I wonder what everyone¡¯s thinking about right now. I wonder if we all know what the other person is already thinking of, yet we¡¯re being more cautious of each other. Our original ns of killing two birds with one stone went down the drain. Nicole ended up unscathed and so did Dillon, but I ended up being the target of the public. The more I think, the odder it is now that the direction of the n has been redirected¡­¡¯ Dillon¡¯s eyes darkened as he thought about it. At the Riddle Residence, both Nicole and her father had arrived home. The members of the Riddle family were waiting for them in the living room. Nicole noticed that Jared, Nn, and Lana were not present. ¡®They must be upstairs.¡¯ ¡°They¡¯re back!¡± Gloria breathed out a sigh of relief when she saw Nicole and Daniel walk in. ¡°Grandpa asked us to stay over for dinner, so that¡¯s why we¡¯rete today,¡± exined Nicole, as both Nicole and her father took a seat on the sofa. ¡°How was it?¡± Samuel asked, looking at Nicole worriedly. ¡°It¡¯s no biggie. There¡¯s nothing for you to worry about anymore,¡± said Daniel as he took a good look at his sons. Chapter 2145 Chapter 2145 ¡°It¡¯s nothing. It¡¯s regarding your Uncle Damien and Dillon. Both Dad and I just went over to have dinner with Grandpa,¡± Nicole exined to her whole family, to reassure them. Nicole felt that it would be better to leave out the important parts, just so everyone could have a peace of mind and save herself from all theplicated exnations. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s a relief.¡± ¡°Thank goodness it was nothing serious.¡± A few of them let out a sigh of relief, all thinking the same thing. ¡®As long as Nicole is okay, nothing else matters.¡¯ ¡°It¡¯ste now. Let¡¯s all go to bed,¡± announced Daniel as he looked at Gloria, ushering her to go with him. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Gloria followed her husband upstairs. Once their parents had left, Stanley turned to look at Nicole to confirm that there was nothing seriously wrong with Nicole before speaking up, ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go too.¡± Soon everyone had made their way up the stairs and into their respective rooms. Nicole went over to Nn¡¯s room and saw that he was busy on hisputer while Jared was ying with Lana with her Barbie dolls. Being such a cold guy himself and seeing him like this, helping Lana choose a hairpin for her Barbie doll that were no bigger than his fingertips,¡¯ Nicole thought to herself as she watched the Barbie dolls being ced in her palm which gave her a sentimental feeling. ¡°Daddy, I want the pink one,¡± Lana said in a cute voice. Jared obediently handed a pink hairpin over to Lana, not withdrawing his caring look away from Lana dressing up her Barbie doll. It was an unusual sight. A smile shed before Nicole¡¯s eyes. ¡°Mommy.¡± Nn called out, being the first to notice Nicole¡¯s presence, before reaching out to turn off hisputer and walked toward Nicole. Nicole rubbed Nn¡¯s head before smiling. ¡°Are you doing your missions?¡± ¡°No, I was just browsing.¡± Nn looked up and said proudly, ¡°My rank has improved a lot.¡± Nicole looked at Nn adoringly. ¡°Okay, I know. I believe you¡¯ll soon surpass me.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll work harder!¡± Nn vigorously nodded his head, looking determined. ¡°Mommy, I also want to be like Nn. I want to catch up to Mommy too,¡± said Lana as she walked over. ¡°Alright, both of you can work hard and make both Mommy and Daddy proud.¡± Nicole smiled happily while thinking,¡¯ These two are one of the greatest gifts life has ever given me.¡¯ Jared soon came over to see Nicole with their two children, he also could not help but feel blessed to have all of them gathered, safe and sound. ¡°Mommy, I¡¯m tired,¡± said Lana in a tired voice as she rubbed her eyes. ¡°Let¡¯s get you in bed.¡± Jared picked up Lana in his arms and brought her to her room. Nicole looked down at Nn and Nn understood immediately. ¡°I¡¯m going to sleep too. Good night, Mommy.¡± Nicole helped to tuck Nn into bed, waiting for him to fall asleep. Once Nn was asleep, Nicole turned off the lights before she left the room. Coincidentally, Lana had also fallen asleep at the same time. Both Jared and Nicole came out of their rooms at the same time. They looked at each other. Nicole smiled unconsciously. Jared walked over and held Nicole¡¯s hand. ¡°Let¡¯s get some rest. The kids have a parent-child sports day tomorrow. You promised you¡¯d go.¡± ¡°Yeah, I know.¡± Nicole did not forget her promise with the twins. She did not want to disappoint them. Soon, they arrived at the door of their bedroom, and Nicole suddenly stopped in her tracks. Jared turned to look at her and smirked. Without hesitation, he pulled her into the room. Nicole was still nervous about the incident yesterday. Jared, on the other hand, did not expect for the scene to go out of control, making a mental note to keep things in control the next time. Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org. ¡®I keep forgetting that she has no recollection of what we were before. I can¡¯t be too hasty and scare her,¡¯ thought Jared. After entering the room, Jared reassured Nicole. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I will try my best to control myself this time,¡± said Jared with a hint of tease in his voice. Chapter 2146 Chapter 2146 Nicole was rendered speechless by his antics. ¡®Did he do this on purpose? Is this how heforts others?¡¯ Jared looked at Nicole with feigned innocence, before reaching out to smoothen her hair. ¡°Let¡¯s get some rest.¡± Appalled, Nicole widened her eyes at him. ¡®Why do I feel like he¡¯s saying this on purpose with some hidden intention underneath?¡¯ Nicole walked over to the bed alone, deep in thought, and brushing Jared¡¯s words away without any feelings of unease. Sheid down to sleep, but that was when Jared stretched his long arms out and pulled Nicole into his embrace. Just like that, the both of themid there without moving. Nicole then tried to wriggle out of his grasp, but before long, she sumbed to his grip. It was not long until she gave up and fell asleep. Hearing her faint snores, Jared opened his eyes and stared at her face, after which a smile crossed his face. The next morning, the sun rose, casting the sky in a golden hue. Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. ¡°Mommy!¡± ¡°Daddy!¡± The twins invaded Nicole and Jared¡¯s room. They had woken up much earlier than the adults. Nicole mumbled as she heard her kids rushing into the room. And when she opened her eyes, she saw them. ¡°Mommy, wake up. Today¡¯s sports day for parents and kids.¡± ¡°It¡¯s still too early.¡± Nicole patted Nn¡¯s head. Dumbfounded, he turned to look at Jared, and that was when saw that his father was already up and hugging Lana. ¡°Daddy,e on we have to go,¡± Lana demanded. Jared smiled and agreed, ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go have our breakfast, and after that, we can leave.¡± ¡°Yay,¡± Lana cheered. After that, Nicole sat up and told both her kids, ¡°You guys can go down, I¡¯ll be right there with you in a sec.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± The two kids nodded in unison and ran out happily. A smile appeared on Nicole¡¯s face as she saw the excitement of the twins. Nicole slowly got up and got ready with Jared. Soon after, they went downstairs d in sports attire, one entirely in ck and another entirely in white. ¡°Woah, Daddy¡¯s so handsome. And Mommy looks pretty!¡± Lana cheered and pped her hands like a seal, unable to take her eyes off her parents¡¯ attire. Nicole, however, was unsure of what to feel. ¡°Hurry up and eat your breakfast.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Lana said, and quickly dug into her food. Once breakfast was over, Gloria handed a lunch bag to Nicole and said, ¡°I¡¯ve prepared some food for the kids. There are fruits and other things in it.¡± ¡°Thanks mom.¡± Nicole beamed and epted it from Gloria. The family of four soon left and headed over to the kindergarten. As they were approaching the kindergarten, Nicole noticed that the car had made a U-turn and gone off in the opposite direction. Nicole turned to look at Jared in confusion. ¡°Where are we going?¡± ¡°The back,¡± Jared replied calmly. Nicole then realized that if they were to enter through the back entrance, they would not have to be separated. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go.¡± Jared scanned the area, noticing that there were few people around. The four of them strolled through the campus before arriving at the track and field area. Tiny stools were already set up on the field. Some children had already arrived with their parents while some were still looking for seats. Meanwhile, the teachers had already made themselves present, and were weing all of the parents, finalizing the preparation phase of the event. Chapter 2147 Chapter 2147 ¡°Lana! Nn!¡± Nicole was searching for seats for herself and the kids when she heard someone calling out for them. Naturally, they turned around. Upon seeing who that person was, Lana immediately smiled and waved. ¡°Nona!¡± Nona came over quickly to their side when she noticed Nicole and Jared, she respectfully greeted, ¡°Hi, Mr. and Mrs. Johnston.¡± ¡°Hello,¡± Nicole replied with a smile. ¡°Mrs. Johnston? Can Lana and Nne y with me and the others?¡± Nona asked cautiously. Hearing that, Nicole enthusiastically agreed, ¡°Of course, you can.¡± ¡®Kids should be allowed to y. Nn and Lana in particr should make more friends,¡± Nicole thought. As the kids went to join their friends, Nicole and Jared found a seat and sat down, watching the kids from afar. ¡°Mr. Johnston, there¡¯s someone at the main gate asking to meet you. It seems quite urgent,¡± one of the teachers in charge of weing parents came over and informed in a low voice. Jared frowned and raised his eyebrows as he looked toward the direction of the main gate. There, he noticed that the person in question was Iris, who was holding a piece of document in her hand with an anxious look on her face. ¡°Let her in,¡± Jared softly said to the teacher. ¡°Alright.¡± The teacher then left, and not long after, Iris came over to Jared and stammered, ¡°I apologize for this Mr. Johnston, but¡­but this document is quite urgently needed.¡± Jared snatched the document from Iris¡¯s hands. He quickly opened it up, scanned the details, and signed it in rapid session. In no time, the document was returned to Iris, whose heart sank, knowing that her time was up, as she would have to go back to the office there and then. ¡°I¡¯m not jealous. Whatever you do out there has nothing to do with me.¡± Nicole looked away, not wanting to admit to Jared that she was ufortable with what just happened. N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. Instead, Jared adoringly shed Nicole a smile and said,¡± Alright. But even though our Mrs. Johnston here isn¡¯t jealous, I still have to tell you about it.¡± Chapter 2148 Chapter 2148 ¡°Don¡¯t call me Mrs. Johnston.¡± Nicole¡¯s cheeks flushed and burned as Jared addressed her as Mrs. Johnston. ¡°Mommy.¡± The kids returned, as the event was about to begin. With everyone seated, the sports day event was about to start. It was the first ever sports day event that Nn and Lana had participated in with both of their parents in attendance. As such, they were more than eager to participate in all the games and events. Meanwhile, Iris, who was standing outside the kindergarten, was spectating the sports day event. She was experiencing the shock of her lifetime when she noticed that Jared was participating in the asion instead ofing into the office. ¡®I¡¯ve been by his side for so long, yet I¡¯ve never even once heard about Jared joining kindergarten events,¡¯ Iris thought to herself, and the harder into the rabbit hole she dove into, the weirder it felt. The document she had brought with her was an excuse with which to sate her curiosity once and for all, as he had been feeling all giddy on the inside. However, what she did not expect was that Nicole would be here today. ¡®So, this is the woman Mr. Johnston has chosen to marry? Why did he choose a woman with children already? What¡¯s so good about this woman?¡¯ she wondered. Iris continued standing outside the kindergarten, staring at Jared and Nicole with their two children, the resentment in her heart growing with each passing second. Never before had she ever witnessed the tenderness and look of affection on Jared¡¯s face. The barrage of information was too much for Iris to stomach, and as a result, she became restless as though she was on the verge of a nervous breakdown. ¡°Miss Brown, weren¡¯t you in a hurry with the document earlier?¡± Max¡¯s voice red out, shattering her train of thoughts. Iris returned to her senses at once, the growing sense of panic in her eyes vanishing. Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. With a smile, she turned around and regained herposure. ¡°I¡¯m about to head back to thepany. Do you have any arrangements?¡± ¡°No,¡¯ Max replied calmly. ¡°Anyway, here is a gentle reminder that Mr. Johnston would not have the time for matters like these in the future. Instead, you may approach me directly if there¡¯s ever a need for it.¡± Iris¡¯ smile vanished, before she boldly replied, ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll keep that in mind next time.¡± Max¡¯s words had once again caught her off guard. ¡®Mr. Johnston has always been too busy, but now he¡¯s apanying other people¡¯s children? It seems that they¡¯re more important than work.¡¯ ¡®The Jared Johnston I knew would never act like this. Is it because I¡¯ve never figured out what Mr. Johnston was really like? Or is this Nicole person so talented that he just couldn¡¯t resist her? No¡­ I can¡¯t let them go on like this.¡¯ Max scrutinized Iris and frowned, not understanding the strange behavior of hers. ¡®She would not be as short- tempered as this, usually.¡¯ Without thinking too much into the context of the issue, he watched as Iris got into her car and left. Then, he too entered the kindergarten shortly after. Soon, it was lunch time, and the sun was ring down at them. Just like that, sports day was over, and both Nicole and Jared were already bringing the twins home. On the ride home, Nicole looked at Nn¡¯s and Lana¡¯s which had been flushed red. She reached over to help wipe the sweat off their faces with a ply of tissue. ¡°Look at you guys. You¡¯re all sweaty,¡± Nicole remarked with a smile. ¡°It was fun.¡¯ Lana wrapped her arms around Jared¡¯s arm. Then, she cutely pleaded, ¡°Daddy, will youe with me to events next time?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Jared responded dotingly. ¡°Daddy is the best!¡± Lana cheered as she threw herself into Jared¡¯s arms and nted a kiss on his cheek. Jared and Nicole were both stunned by Lana¡¯s actions, whereupon they broke out into smiles. Then, Jared¡¯s eyes softened as he embraced Lana in his arms. ¡®I will make up for the past five years of their lives. I will be there whenever they need me,¡¯ he thought. Lana rested against Jared¡¯s arms, grinning contentedly. Chapter 2149 Chapter 2149 Lana loved having both her parents join school events with her. That way, she would not feel lonely anymore, and none of the other kids would ask her things like, ¡°Why isn¡¯t your father here? Do you not have a father?¡± After taking the children back home, Jared and Nicole prepared themselves to head to their office. ¡°Bad news, Mr. Johnston,¡± Max said while they were on the road. ¡°Pictures of you, Mrs. Johnston, and the kids in the event were posted online. It went viral almost instantly, and more people are clicking on the post with each passing second.¡± ¡°How?!¡± Nicole¡¯s face nched. ¡®The kids cannot be exposed. They¡¯ll be in danger!¡¯ ¡°Shut it all down.¡± Jared¡¯s gaze turned cold. ¡°I¡¯ve sent people to take care of it, but a lot of people have stumbled upon those pictures already. I¡¯m worried that more people might find out about you,¡± Max said in concern. After all, both Jared and Nicole wanted to keep the identities of their children a secret. Now that it had been exposed and had gotten viral, people who had ill intentions toward Nicole and Jared-especially since the Riddle family had been gued with endless infighting for a while now-might seize this opportunity to give them hell. The air in the car was tense, and everyone was stressed out. ¡°No, we should clear this up publicly.¡± Nicole frowned, her tone low and icy. People would naturally be making wild assumptions the instant they saw the pictures, but if Nicole and Jared were to shut the post down without offering any exnations, it might only fuel the public¡¯s suspicions. Jared looked at her. ¡°What do you have in mind?¡± Nicole drew a deep breath and said through gritted teeth,¡± We can only say that we¡¯re about to sponsor the preschools, and that we¡¯ve been invited to join the event today.¡± ¡°Good idea,¡± Max said. ¡®That way, the public will not gossip about this anymore.¡¯ Jared frowned when he heard this. He knew what Nicole was trying to do, but he still asked,¡± Are you sure?¡± Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org. ¡°Yeah.¡± Nicole nodded. She was well aware that she had to be more careful with Nn and Lana after this incident. She would even have to avoid showing up with them in public, so no one could take pictures of them together anymore. ¡°What are you going to do with Lana and Nn?¡± Jared asked softly when he knew that Nicole had already made her decision. Since they could not take Nn and Lana to and from school now, they had to get someone reliable and trustworthy enough to do it for them. Otherwise, they would be worried. Nicole paused before saying, ¡°It¡¯s probably not okay to get my parents to do it. If they ever get seen with the kids, more gossip will follow. As for the others¡­¡± However, Nicole did not have anyone in mind for now, so she continued, ¡®Til think about it. About the exnation though, I think we should do it personally.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Jared nodded as he thought that this was the best way to resolve the issue. He then turned to Max and ordered, ¡°Have it arranged.¡± ¡°Yes. Don¡¯t worry, Mr. Johnston,¡± Max replied respectfully. ¡°Also, don¡¯t forget to investigate the reason behind this entire ordeal.¡± Jared¡¯s eyes became frosty. He had already ordered Max to take care of this event, so there were few people who did know about him attending the event. Thus, it puzzled him as to who had taken those pictures. ¡°Of course.¡± Max¡¯s gaze darkened. ¡®This entire thing does seem suspicious.¡¯ Chapter 2150 Chapter 2150 Able to see the headquarters of the Riddle Corporation when the car halted, Nicole got down from the car. She watched as Jared left and made a turn for the office before walking in with a stern look on her face. ¡°What happened, Nicole?¡± Lulu was concerned as she sensed that Nicole was upset. ¡°Nothing.¡± Nicole forced out a smile and acted like nothing had happened. Still, Lulu felt bad for her. ¡°Nothing? You¡¯re stressed out about the news huh? Ignore thements. Besides, I couldn¡¯t find those pictures anymore.¡± Nicole had just returned to San Joto, but people had already started speaking ill about her and Jared. Therefore, it was only natural for her to be upset. ¡°Nah, I¡¯m just a little tired. That issue is going to be resolved very soon anyway,¡± Nicole exined, not wanting Lulu to be upset as well. It was then that Lulu became curious. ¡°But why did you and Mr. Johnston go to that pre-school?¡± She had already found it strange when she saw the news. She would have already believed the news if she was not Nicole¡¯s friend. ¡°We were actually going to sponsor some teaching supplies to that school, and it just so happened that they had an event today, so they invited us. I found the kids rather cute, so I just yed with them,¡± Nicole briefly exined, having agreed upon this with Jared. Although Lulu was not an outsider, she did not tell her as they were still in the office. Til just wait for the banquet. Lulu and June will be there, so I¡¯ll tell them then.¡¯ Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org. ¡°There¡¯s nothing serious about it anyway. It¡¯s not illegal to go to pre-schools. In fact, I think this news is really weird. It¡¯s like the perpetrator was targeting you and the kids. They were even saying things like you¡¯re a single mother. I think they were just trying to say that you don¡¯t go well with Mr. Johnston.¡± Lulu poked her tongue out with disdain. ¡°This paparazzi is probably an idiot. You and Mr. Johnston are legally married. How could you be ipatible?¡± she continued. In her opinion, no coupleplimented each other the way Nicole and Jared did. Upon hearing what Lulu had said, Nicole squinted her eyes.¡¯ Hm¡­ Iris came to the event today.¡¯ With Jared¡¯s degree ofpetency, it was impossible for this piece of news to spread to the public if he had made the necessary arrangements. Thus, it made little sense as to how the pictures had been taken and disseminated online at such a pace. That thought shed in her head as her eyes turned cold. ¡®If it really is Iris, Jared will probably take care of it¡­¡¯ In the evening, Jared picked Nicole up and headed home. As they were on the way, Nicole leaned her back against the seat and frowned. ¡°You found out what happened?¡± ¡°It was pretty straightforward,¡± Jared responded coldly, his gaze chilling. ¡°What are you going to do about it? Nicole smirked. ¡®Turns out, it really is Iris¡¯s doing. I wonder what Jared is nning to do.¡¯ ¡°She has already left thepany.¡± Jared¡¯s eyes glinted with iciness. He would never allow someone of such character to stay in hispany. Nicole shrugged, seemingly very satisfied with the way he had handled it. ¡°I¡¯m d you don¡¯t miss her.¡± This prompted Jared to bow his head and look at her. ¡°Why would I miss her?¡± he asked, intrigued. Chapter 2151 Chapter 2151 ¡°Beats me.¡± Nicole looked away as if she was guilty of some crime. ¡°You don¡¯t know?¡± Jared inched closer, his breath brushing against her ear, forcing her to hold her breath. Things took a turn for the flirtatious all of a sudden, and Nicole quickly red at him. ¡°That¡¯s your business. I don¡¯t want to know.¡± Then, she scooted over to the side to distance herself from him. ¡¯This jerk teases me whenever he can.¡¯ Much to her chagrin, however, Jared then extended his long arm and pulled her back toward him as soon as she moved. He locked her in his embrace and rested his chin on her shoulder. Then, he acted as if he was wronged and said, ¡°My wife doesn¡¯t care about me.¡± Nicole¡¯s lips twitched. ¡®Jared Johnston, are you sure you want to do this?¡¯ She squirmed awkwardly as she tried to break free, but it was then that Jared warned, ¡°Don¡¯t squirm when you¡¯re in a man¡¯s arms. It¡¯s dangerous.¡± Nicole froze in an instant, after which she red at him and said through gritted teeth, ¡°Jerk!¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t say anything. What were you thinking about?¡± Jared asked deviously. ¡®What?! So I¡¯m the one who¡¯s overthinking?!¡¯ Nicole was immediately overwhelmed with frustration, as Jared had fooled her once more. Clenching her jaw, Nicole said, ¡°I¡¯m thinking that I should have my own car now.¡± ¡®I¡¯m not going to hitch a ride in his car anymore. He¡¯d just bully me.¡¯ Jared smiled in defeat upon hearing this. ¡°Running away from the problem is not the best solution.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not running away,¡± she argued. ¡®I just don¡¯t want to talk to you.¡¯ ¡°I¡¯m not giving you the chance.¡± Jared persisted. Ever since her return, he had not gotten much time to interact with her, so he could not just let her go to and from work on her own. Besides, he had still found no clues about the people who were trying to hurt her. Thus, how could he afford to becent? Nicole let out a long sigh after rolling her eyes at him. Holding her hand gently, Jared reminded her, ¡°Actually, you can consider falling in love with me again. Even though you¡¯ve lost your memories, we can still start over. That way, you won¡¯t reject my attempts at intimacy anymore.¡± Nicole bit her lips as she frowned, feeling conflicted within. She had forgotten him, but he still remembered her. In his eyes, she was his wife, and he was willing to tease her and fool around with her. At the end of the day, he was just expressing his affection to get more of her attention. This begged the question: would everything change once she regained her memories? Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org. Jared¡¯s eyes turned soft as he watched her expression shift. He hugged her gently and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, just follow your heart.¡± Biting her lips, Nicole paused and nodded. Jared then kissed her forehead and shed her a happy smile. The car halted only when Nicole and Jared had already arrived home, whereupon they got off and made a beeline for the living room. Everyone was there, including Sean and Steve. Knowing that they were home because of Nn and Lana, Nicole smiled from the bottom of her heart and walked over to the couch. ¡°Everything¡¯s been taken care of, right?¡± Daniel asked as he noticed how calm Jared and Nicole looked. Nicole looked at the concerned expressions on everyone¡¯s faces and nodded. ¡°Yeah. But we won¡¯t be able to send them off or pick them up from school anymore.¡± Chapter 2152 Chapter 2152 For the sake of their children¡¯s safety, this was their only choice. Gloria immediately responded, ¡°It¡¯s okay, we can do it.¡± ¡°Mom, you and Dad can¡¯t do it either.¡± Nicole shook her head. The couple were being watched now, denoting that the people who were rted to them would also be under the spying eyes of others. ¡°In that case¡­¡± Samuel continued in defeat. ¡°I don¡¯t think we can help either.¡± The brothers exchanged nces. Everyone knew that they were Nicole¡¯s brothers. If they went to pick the kids up or drop them off at school, it would only create more material for the public to gossip about. ¡°What should we do?¡± Gloria became stressed. ¡°It¡¯s okay, we can go to school by ourselves,¡± Nn responded like a grown man. ¡°Besides, I can and will take good care of Lana.¡± ¡°Yeah, we can look after each other. Besides, I will be obedient and listen to Nn,¡± Lana asserted, acting as if she was an adult as well. The children¡¯s antics made everyoneugh. Still, they had toe up with a n as they could not let the kids go to school by themselves. ¡°Miss Nicole, I¡­¡± A frail voice was heard, and everyone turned to her. ¡°Yes, Tia?¡± Nicole asked with a brow raised. Tia walked to her and pinched the edge of her shirt as she said softly, ¡°Miss Nicole, can I take them to and back from school?¡± ¡°You!?¡± The Riddle family lit up in an instant. Tia¡¯s voice became even softer as she thought they were objecting to the idea. ¡°I just wanted to help. It¡¯s okay if that¡¯s inappropriate. I¡¯ll go to Mrs. Wace Sr. now.¡± Then, she bowed her head and was about to leave when Nicole called out to her. ¡°Wait a minute. Are you really okay with taking them to school?¡± ¡®It would be great if Tia can do it. She¡¯s not a part of the Riddle family, so no one would notice her.¡¯ ¡°Of course I am.¡± Tia looked up, her eyes sincere. ¡°Then I¡¯ll leave them to you now. Nn and Lana are a little cheeky, so just let me know if you¡¯re having a hard time dealing with them.¡± Nicole warned. She would just think of another solution if that were to happen. Tia, however, quickly shook her head. ¡°No, Master Nnd and Miss Lana are good kids. They¡¯re adorable too. Besides, I¡¯m very happy to be able to help you, so I won¡¯t be having a hard time.¡± Nicole nodded. ¡°Sure, they¡¯re in your hands now.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Tia became delighted. ¡°Also, just call them Nn and Lana,¡± Nicole reminded. She had never viewed Tia as a servant, so she did not want her to act like she was one. ¡°I¡­¡± Tia was hesitant. ¡°Aunt Tia, just call us by our names. Besides, if you call us Master and Miss, people will find it weird.¡± Nn reasoned, knowing what Tia¡¯s worries were. ¡°Ah, I didn¡¯t think of the full picture.¡± Tia immediately agreed. N?velDrama.Org ? 2024. After she had agreed to it, Nn raised his brows at Nicole, who found it hrious. She then looked at him with an approving gaze. Nn smiled as he puffed his chest up proudly. Even though he did not know the entire story, he knew that something serious had happened, which had thus caused his mother to make such a decision. Whatever it was, he had to work with his mother and not give her any trouble. Nicole felt content when she saw Nn¡¯s reaction. Though he was mischievous at times, he was still a sharp and bright little kid. Chapter 2153 Chapter 2153 Everyone proceeded to eat their dinner once everything was settled. ¡°Sean, Steve, are you sure you¡¯re going to bring your wives along tomorrow?¡± Nicole asked, wanting to reconfirm with them. ¡°Yeah.¡± Sean looked at her. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Nothing. I just wanted to confirm the time because I want to invite two of my friends,¡± Nicole responded. ¡°Who?¡± Steve became curious. ¡°It¡¯s a family banquet, and Nicole has lost her memories. Who is she going to invite?¡± ¡°Lulu and June.¡± Nicole nonchntly said as if it was all too natural to her. ¡°Pfft¡­¡± Samuel and Spencer choked. This prompted everyone to turn their gazes to them. ¡°Why are they acting up?¡± Unable to bear with the awkwardness anymore, Samuel asked, ¡°Really? She agreed toe?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Nicole shrugged. ¡®With me around, nothing is impossible.¡± Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org. ¡°What about Lulu? What did she say?¡± Spencer asked, as he could not contain himself anymore. ¡°She¡¯sing too.¡± Nicole arched her brows. Samuel and Spencer had never announced their rtionship statuses to anyone, so they were probably unable to wait any longer. ¡°Sorry, but why are the both of you so excited about Nicole¡¯s friendsing?¡± Stanley nced over at them. Taken aback for a moment, Samuel responded, ¡°Nothing much.¡± He then quickly lowered his head and continued eating, his actions so rapid that it looked as though someone was going to steal his food. Meanwhile, Spencer continued gobbling up his food as though nothing had happened. But after he was done, he immediately dered, ¡°I¡¯m full, so I¡¯m heading back to my room.¡± He then hurried away with Samuel in tow. In a blink of an eye, two seats were emptied at the dining table. ¡°Nicole, what¡¯s going on?¡± Gloria cautiously asked, appearing to have understood what was happening. ¡°Mom, I think it¡¯s best if you hear it first from them,¡± Nicole responded, avoiding her question. Samuel and Spencer had not publicized their rtionship due to personal reasons. She already knew what Lulu¡¯s situation was, but she did not get to ask June about it. Besides, Nicole would always respect their decisions no matter what. Forthat reason, Nicole figured that she should hold her tongue and allow them to say it themselves. After hearing Nicole¡¯s response, Gloria became even more certain of her assumptions, which made her feel uneasy. ¡®If they are in a rtionship, why won¡¯t they let us know? Or is it because their girlfriends don¡¯t want to let us know? If that¡¯s the case, what should I do?¡¯ Everyone went back to their respective rooms after dinner, with Nicole and Jared putting their kids to bed before retiring to their bedroom as well. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll send someone to protect them,¡± Jaredforted Nicole as he knew that she was worried about Nn and Lana. ¡°With Tia¡¯s help, they probably won¡¯t be getting too much attention. But it¡¯s always safer if you send someone to keep an eye on them.¡± Nicole nodded. Massaging her temples, Nicole felt that she had really been in a shock today. Jared could tell that she was tired, so he pulled her to the bed and massaged her head for her. ¡°Your n is perfect. Besides, I¡¯ve taken care of mypany, so this will be over very soon.¡± As long as they exercised greater caution in the future, their children would be safe. Nicole looked at him after issuing a sigh of relief. ¡°What¡¯s going to happen to your work after you¡¯ve fired Iris?¡± Chapter 2154 Chapter 2154 As Iris had been working with Jared for such a long time, this meant that she was a capable and competent worker. It was probably not easy for Jared to find an immediate recement in such a short amount of time. ¡°You care about me,¡± Jared said with a mischievous smile. Nicole could not help but shoot Jared a disdainful nce.¡± Do you think I have nothing better to do?¡± After saying that, Nicole got up, wanting to go to the bathroom. ¡®I¡¯m not going to poke my nose in his business anymore. He can probably handle it himself.¡¯ Much to her chagrin, Jared reeled her back and pinned her to the bed before kissing her in the lips. They could no longer control their breaths, and it was only then that Jared released Nicole, who red at him reproachfully. Jared smirked as he stroked her hair. ¡°Go take a shower and get ready for bed.¡± Nicole¡¯s lips twitched slightly. ¡®How did this guy manage to remain soposed?¡¯ On the other side of things, a woman dressed in an elegant and seductive outfit was sitting by the bar. She was holding a ss of liquor, gulping down one quart after another. ¡°Give me another one,¡± Iris said as she ced the empty ss down, already feeling slightly intoxicated. Looking at her, the bartender remarked, ¡°Miss, you¡¯ve had enough to drink.¡± ¡°Shut up. Am I not paying you?¡± Iris asked, pushing the ss forward. The bartender then decided that he would stop trying to advise her and proceeded to pour her another drink. ¡°Why are you drinking alone? Is there something troubling you?¡± A man sitting next to Iris asked in a concerned tone of voice. In response, Iris red at the man in dismay. ¡°Don¡¯t approach me. It¡¯s pointless.¡± Then, she continued drinking on her own. She was just drinking to relieve herself of her depression, so she did not want to talk to anyone. If anything, it was best if no one paid her any attention. ¡°What if I told you I know why you¡¯re sad and that I can help you?¡± The man kindly said, not appearing to be discouraged at all. This time, Iris looked at the man directly, but soon, she became annoyed and said, ¡°Go away.¡± ¡®Who would know why I¡¯m sad, let alone help me? No one can help me,¡¯ she thought. She had worked for Jared for five years, and she never expected him to heartlessly fire her for a woman who already had children. Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org. ¡®Am I not good enough? How is Nicole better than me? I¡¯m so much better than her in every single way. I can help Jared with his work. Who is this Nicole, who appeared out of nowhere, to take everything away from me?¡¯ she fumed. The more Iris thought about it, the more her heart ached. She finished a ss of strong liquor in one shot. Her eyes then began to water, but she was unsure if it was due to her broken heart or the strong alcohol. ¡°There¡¯s no need to be so guarded. We share amon goal.¡± The man refilled Iris¡¯s empty ss and poured one for himself. Raising his own ss, the man looked at Iris and introduced, ¡°My name is Lawrence. I might be able to help you get what you want.¡± After saying that, Lawrence ced a business card on the table and said, ¡°Come to my office tomorrow. Let¡¯s talk.¡± Frowning, Iris looked at the man in front of her with her brows raised in suspicion. ¡°What do you want?¡± ¡°I can help you get Jared. If you¡¯re interested,e see me tomorrow.¡± Lawrence then walked away, leaving nothing but his words behind. Iris, who was slightly tipsy, was left shocked by Lawrence¡¯s words. She sobered up in an instant. Just from that sentence alone, Iris was very certain that Lawrence knew everything about her situation, and that he understood it well. That was why he appeared right here at this very moment; to tell her that he could help her. But why would he want to help her? That was the question. Chapter 2155 Chapter 2155 Looking at the business card, Iris¡¯s gaze eventually fell on the two words, ¡°Genesis Group¡±. ¡®This¡­¡¯ Outside the bar. Lawrence got into the car, whereupon Ian started the engine and drove away. ¡°Mr. Royce, did she go with it?¡± Ian asked in a low voice. ¡°She will,¡± Lawrence snorted lightly. ¡®People are easily persuaded as long as they have desires.¡¯ Hesitating for a moment, Ian asked, ¡°Will she agree to your n?¡± He never expected this to happen. While he was dealing with the follow-up issues of Happiness Trading, Lawrence contacted his former subordinate, and everything was going smoothly. Suddenly, he received news from San Joto, which was where the most important project to Lawrence was taking ce, stating that the negotiations had failed, and that the project had fallen into the hands of Jared. As a result, Lawrence and Ian hurried back, but by then, it was already toote to win the project back. However, as soon as they got off the ne, they heard that Nn and Lana¡¯s identities were almost exposed. After some careful investigation, they finally discovered this woman. And while Lawrence believed that Iris could be useful to him, he did not know if she would cooperate with them. Leaning against the seat, Lawrence¡¯s eyes darkened. He had only been away for a few days, but a major change had urred in San Joto. ¡®Jared is smart, indeed. He intercepted my project while I was away.¡¯ That project was very important to Lawrence as it could have established a name for him in San Joto. ¡®Well Jared, I¡¯ll give you a taste of your own medicine,¡¯ he fumed. ¡®You think you can beat me like this? You¡¯ve really underestimated me¡­¡¯ The next day, the sun shone bright and high. After getting up early and having breakfast, the entire family scrambled, preparing to leave. Today, Lana and Nn would be apanied by Tia and their chauffeur, who would drive them to school. ¡°Mommy, goodbye.¡± Nn and Lana hugged Nicole and bade her farewell. After kissing their little cheeks, Nicoleforted them,¡± Aunt Tia is going to take you to school. Mommy will be back when I¡¯m done with work, and I¡¯ll see the both of you when Ie home.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Nn and Lana obediently agreed. Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. ¡°Miss Riddle, Mr. Johnston? I¡¯m leaving with them now.¡± After greeting them, Tia took Nn and Lana with her and got into the car. Watching as the car receded from view, Nicole felt a sense of loss in her heart, almost as if there was something she did not wish to let go. Jared then held her soft hand and whispered, ¡°This is for their safety.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Nicole responded softly, her tone a little dull. She was aware of the fact, and that it was her decision to go forward with the n, but she just missed them. ¡°I have already gotten Max to investigate the matter. I hope to find that person as soon as possible so that Nn and Lana won¡¯t need to hide anymore,¡± Jared said with darkened eyes. Nicole¡¯s heart was warm. ¡®Turns out, Jared has been secretly investigating as well.¡¯ She had also been doing some investigating on her own online, but she had not found any leads. She hoped that he would make some progress on his side. Then, they got in the car and headed toward the Riddle Corporation. When they arrived, Nicole was about to get out of the car when Jared suddenly stopped her. ¡°Yes?¡± Nicole turned to look at him. ¡°Did you forget something?¡± Jared asked, his words hiding an implicit connotation. ¡°Huh?¡± Nicole felt a little confused. ¡°What did I forget?¡¯ Jared¡¯s gaze shifted downward and paused on Nicole¡¯s lips. ¡°You didn¡¯t just leave like this when you were saying goodbye to our kids.¡± ¡®Our kids?¡¯ Chapter 2156 Chapter 2156 Nicole furrowed her brows. Then, when she realized what he was trying to say, she immediately rolled her eyes and said, ¡°Stop fooling around and let go of me.¡± She even swung her arm in an attempt to free herself from Jared¡¯s grip. Nevertheless, Jared refused to let go of her, and a mischievous smile crossed his face as he said, ¡°Or perhaps I can give you a farewell kiss myself.¡± His lips were about to touch Nicole¡¯s when she immediately eximed, ¡°Stop¡­ Fine, I¡¯ll do it.¡± A hint of amusement shed in Jared¡¯s eyes as he raised an eyebrow, waiting for Nicole to take the initiative to kiss him. Nicole bit her lip. With Jared¡¯s dashing face in close proximity, she could feel her heart pounding uncontrobly. Finally, she gritted her teeth and nted a quick kiss on Jared¡¯s cheek. She then turned around, hurriedly got out of the car, strode toward thepany building, hearing the beats of her heart in her ear. It was beating rapidly, and her cheeks were flushed and burning. ¡®This jerk is just too much! Why is heparing himself with the kids?!¡¯ she fumed. Watching as Nicole scuttled away, Jared¡¯s smile grew wider. He could still feel the softness of her lips on his cheek, and unable to help himself, he raised his thumb to feel that spot she had just kissed. Max nced at Jared through the rearview mirror and hesitated for a moment, not asking Jared if he should start driving. Seemingly able to sense what Max was doing, Jared leaned back in his seat and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Max started the car and drove away. The entrance of the Riddle Corporation became quiet, and no one had noticed the carthat was parked nearby. As it turned out, Lawrence had witnessed everything that had just happened, filling his eyes with dark malice. ¡®At the end of the day, even if she didn¡¯t remember Jared, she still fell in love with him all over again, didn¡¯t she?¡¯ he thought. ¡°Mr. Lawrence, are you¡­ still going in?¡± Ian asked hesitantly. At this juncture, he did not even know if he shouldfort Lawrence about the incident that just happened moments ago. ¡°Yeah,¡± Lawrence grunted softly as he opened the car door to get out. Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org. He had returned yesterday but had note to visit Nicole as he was busy. With that said, he had decided to show up today instead, just to be met with this scene, which broke his heart a little. However, he could not simply give up like this. After all, he had protected her for five years, and he could not just let go of his feelings. After regaining hisposure, Lawrence entered the Riddle Corporation building and went to Nicole¡¯s office. ¡°Mr. Lawrence,¡± Lulu politely greeted him when she saw him. ¡°Hey,¡± Lawrence responded politely. Lulu then picked some of her documents up and nodded in acknowledgment before leaving. Nicole smiled and stood up. ¡°You¡¯re back.¡± ¡°I came back yesterday, but I was busy, so I didn¡¯te to say hello,¡± Lawrence casually replied. Thinking about yesterday¡¯s incident, Nicole shed him a wry smile and said, ¡°Even if you came, I might not have had the time to meet you.¡± After pausing for a moment, Lawrence asked, ¡°Has everything been resolved?¡± Nicole was not surprised by his question. Since he had returned, he must have known about the incident yesterday. Nicole nodded and said indifferently, ¡°Yes, it¡¯s been taken care of.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± Lawrence said, disying hints of regret as he carried on. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I couldn¡¯t help you at this time.¡± ¡°No, I know you¡¯re busy, I can handle it myself anyway.¡± Nicole smiled, though her tone sounded somewhat distant. For some reason, she felt that they had grown apart. It felt as if the distance between them had suddenly grown, making him feel as if he was a stranger to her without any particr reason. Chapter 2157 Chapter 2157 Nicole was well aware that she and Lawrence had and would always just be friends. Lawrence, on the other hand, was bing more reserved and had started to hide things from her, so she did not feel the need to ask about his affairs. Although she was curious as to why he had lied about his whereabouts, she did not want to rify anything with him. She did not feel the need to anyway. Lawrence squinted as she sensed that something was off with Nicole. He had only been away for a few days, yet it felt as if Nicole had changed, bing somewhat of a stranger that he could not read. Thinking about what he had just witnessed earlier, Lawrence felt a knot forming in his heart. ¡®Is it because of Jared?¡¯ ¡°Leo?¡± Nicole called out to Lawrence, snapping him out of his stupor. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± he asked. ¡°Nothing. You must be busy since you¡¯ve juste back, so I just wanted to ask if you need anything else.¡± Nicole asked with a frown. ¡®Why was he staring into space just now?¡¯ It was rather obvious that Nicole was indirectly asking him to leave, which caused Lawrence¡¯s expression to stiffen. Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. ¡°Nah, I just came to see you.¡± Lawrence could only continue saying, ¡°All good now, so I¡¯ll be making a move.¡± Nicole frowned as she looked at Lawrence. ¡®Why did he seem so absent-minded just now?¡¯ ¡°Alright, you can always give me a call if you need anything,¡± Nicole said, standing up to see Lawrence off. At the door, however, Lawrence said, ¡°I¡¯ll head off on my own. You¡¯re busy with work anyway.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Nicole nodded in acknowledgment and watched as Lawrence left before returning to her seat. Nicole¡¯s gaze deepened as she bit her lip again. For some reason, she could not shake the feeling that Lawrence was acting strangely back there. However, she just could not put her finger on what it was and why. ¡®Did something happen when he was abroad? Did he get into some trouble or something?¡¯ Even after giving it plenty of thought, Nicole still had no answers, so she had no choice but to give up and focus on her work. That was when she picked the documents up and got busy with them. Meanwhile, Lawrence had already left the Riddle Corporation. ¡°Mr. Lawrence,¡± Ian opened the car door for him. Lawrence sat down and leaned back against the seat, his voice low as he said, ¡°Let¡¯s head straight to thepany.¡± ¡°Yes, sir,¡± Ian responded before driving away. During the ride, Lawrence remained silent, the tension in the air around him palpable. Ian too could sense that he was clearly upset, which made him feel somewhat uneasy. Soon after, they arrived at Genesis Group. ¡°Mr. Lawrence, a youngdy said she had an appointment with you,¡± the receptionist respectfully informed him. Lawrence swept his gaze over and saw Iris sitting in the lounge area. She stood up when she spotted him, but Lawrence did not pay her any attention. Instead, he simply instructed the receptionist, Let her up.¡± Then, he walked away. Iris furrowed her brows, feeling a tinge of annoyance.¡¯ What¡¯s his deal?¡¯ The receptionist approached Iris and guided her toward the elevator. ¡°Miss Brown? Mr. Lawrence asked you to go upstairs.¡± Taking a deep breath. Iris stifled the urge tosh out as she followed the receptionist to his office upstairs. Tm already here, so I might as well see how big of a shot this smug guy is.¡¯ She found the CEO¡¯s office when she was upstairs. She knocked on the door and when she heard the voice of someone telling her to enter, she opened the door and stepped inside. ¡°Mr. Lawrence,¡± Iris greeted politely as if he had not been acting coldly toward her at all. Lawrence squinted as a trace of satisfaction flickered in his eyes. ¡®She sure is a wise and tolerant woman.¡¯ Chapter 2158 Chapter 2158 ¡°Take a seat,¡± Lawrence¡¯s expression softened slightly as he gestured for Iris to take a seat. Iris nced at him and gracefully took a seat next to the couch. Then she went straight to the point, stating, ¡°Mr. Lawrence, I assume you remember what happened last night. So, let¡¯s talk about what you need me to do and what you can offer me in return.¡± ¡°Do you want Jared or his empire?¡± Lawrence asked candidly, not hiding his intentions. Iris raised an eyebrow. ¡°What¡¯s the difference?¡± ¡°It¡¯s obvious. If Jared retains his current position, you¡¯ll never have him. So¡­¡± Leaving the sentence hanging, he thought to himself, ¡®You should understand what I mean, right?¡¯ Iris bit her lip, disying signs of being conflicted within. She obviously wanted Jared, but¡­ Then, she looked at Lawrence and asked again, ¡°What do you want me to do?¡± Clearly, Lawrence wanted Jared to lose everything. If she had to choose between the two, she would choose Jared, but Lawrence was not a fool either. He would not help her for nothing if she was not of any use to him. Thus, she needed to assess whether she could pull it and whether she could wipe her hands clean thereafter. She did not want to end up with nothing in the end: with no money and a great deal of resentment from Jared. ¡°Hah, no wonder you were able to stay by Jared¡¯s side for five years.¡± Lawrence suddenlyughed, realizing that there was intelligence behind that pretty face of hers. Iris shook her head. ¡°You don¡¯t need to tter me. We both have our own interests. I just need to know if my efforts will be proportional to the rewards.¡± ¡°For having been by his side for so long, you are the person who knows Jared and the Johnston family best. You know what I want from you. It justes down to whether you¡¯re willing to do it or not,¡± Lawrence replied. He believed she was a clever woman who understood what he wanted very well. ¡°What can I get in return, then?¡± Iris asked, not beating around the bush since they had seen through each other. ¡°Isn¡¯t Jared enough?¡± Lawrence countered. Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org. Iris smiled. ¡°If we seed, absolutely. But in case we don¡¯t, I can¡¯t end up with nothing.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Lawrence squinted, realizing that Iris was hungry for more. ¡°If we seed, I will leave San Joto with Jared and nevere back. If we fail, you¡¯ll have to give me a sum of money that will ensure that I will be stress free for the rest of my life,¡± Iris stated directly. ¡°If we fail, do you think I will still be able to look out for you?¡± Lawrence¡¯s gaze shed with a hint of menace. Iris, however, was not afraid. ¡°I believe you can, and you will.¡± Although she did not know the person sitting before her, she had a strong intuition that he was a complicated man, one whom he did not wish to know more about. She would just work with him for her goal this time. Regardless of the oue of the n, she would never get herself involved with Lawrence ever again. Lawrence fell silent. He looked at Iris¡¯s fearless and calm demeanor and felt somewhat concerned deep down. Iris was smarter than he had expected, and he liked this sort of intelligence. ¡°Okay,¡± Lawrence agreed. Iris nodded with satisfaction. ¡°Then I wish us a pleasant cooperation.¡± ¡°Ian, see our guest off,¡± Lawrence called out. Soon, Ian came in and escorted Iris out. Lawrence leaned back against his chair, his eyes deep and dark¡­ The sun was scorching in the afternoon. After having lunch together, Nicole and Lulu returned to the headquarters of the Riddle Corporation. ¡°Hey, have you heard? DillCorp and NandoCorp are fighting over a project. It¡¯s pretty fierce too,¡± Lulu said in a low voice. Nicole, however, found her gloating amusing. ¡°Try and guess who will win,¡± Nicole said. ¡®Lulu sure knows how to gossip.¡¯ Chapter 2159 Chapter 2159 ¡°I can¡¯t, but I hope NandoCorp wins.¡± Lulu shrugged, looking as if she was just enjoying the show. Nicole raised an eyebrow. ¡°Why do you want Damien to win?¡± ¡°Because I want Raine to lose,¡± Lulu said confidently. Although Damien and his family were ridiculous people, Lulu just felt that it would be more entertaining to witness Raine¡¯s misfortune. And to top it off, it was a reason that Nicole could get behind. Either way, it was a very solid reason. If Damien won, it could further broaden the rift between him and Dillon, which would in turn be beneficial for Nicole. Moreover, the person she was most concerned with was Everett. If the battle progressed, there would be more opportunities for her to get to know him, which was indeed crucial for her. Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. ¡°What do you think Raine will look like if she loses?¡± Lulu fantasized happily, as seeing Raine lose would definitely make her feel great. Nicole smiled, realizing that they had formed an unbreakable bond. ¡°About them, you will automatically know the oue when it¡¯s determined. Instead of that, why don¡¯t you take some time to think about what you need to prepare for tonight¡¯s family banquet?¡± Nicole calmly looked at Lulu. ¡°What? It¡¯s happening today?!¡± Lulu¡¯s smile instantly froze, as she was not ready for it yet. Nicole nodded. ¡°Yes, I think Spencer wille to pick you up after work.¡± Lulu¡¯s face fell at once. ¡°Oh no, what should I do?¡± ¡°What are you afraid of?¡± Nicole asked in curiosity. ¡°I¡¯m not afraid, but it¡¯s only understandable for me to feel nervous, right? Weren¡¯t you nervous when you met Mr. Johnston¡¯s rtives for the first time?¡± Lulu asked in return, wanting to seek some advice. Nicole awkwardly averted her gaze as she could not remember any of it. ¡°I probably wasn¡¯t too nervous,¡± Nicole responded with much uncertainty. Although she could not remember anything, she believed that she was not nervous. ¡°Of course, there¡¯s no need for you to be nervous,¡± Lulu stated with a look of disappointment. ¡®But I am different.¡¯ Nicole smiled faintly. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s just a family dinner.¡± Still feeling nervous, Lulu vigorously rubbed her cheeks while she motivated herself. ¡°C¡¯mon, I should really start preparing.¡± Nicole could not help but chuckle when she saw Lulu scurrying away. ¡®If this can make Lulu less nervous, I¡¯ll just let her be.¡¯ In a sh, office hours ended, and Nicole and Lulu left thepany building together. Lulu had changed out of her professional attire and was wearing an elegant dress, giving off an image of the girl next door. Seeing this, Nicole smiled and praised her, ¡°It suits you so well.¡± Lulu blushed and tugged at her dress, lowering her head shyly in response. ¡°Nicole, Lulu?¡± Spencer¡¯s voice red out as he approached the two. Raising an eyebrow, Nicole teased, ¡°Hey Spencer, are you here to pick Lulu up?¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m taking her there,¡± Spencer responded candidly. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll leave her to you then.¡± ¡°Sure, see you at home.¡± Then, Nicole walked to Jared¡¯s car after Spencer had taken Lulu away. Sean and Steve would be bringing their wives to the family banquet today, and that was why she had invited Lulu and June. After all, that was what a real family banquet should look like. Getting in the car, Nicole shot a nce at Jared and asked,¡± Have you been waiting long?¡± Chapter 2160 Chapter 2160 ¡°Nope.¡± Jared gently held Nicole¡¯s soft hand. Noticing that Jared seemed a little tired, Nicole tilted her head slightly and asked, ¡°You seem a little exhausted. Is work piling up?¡± ¡°It¡¯s manageable.¡± Jared tightened his grip on her hand, after which he instructed Max, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± The engine roared to life, and together, they headed toward the Riddle residence. Soon, they arrived at the Riddle family estate, where the courtyard was filled with parked cars. ¡°Looks like everyone¡¯s here.¡± Nicole nced around andmented. ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s go inside.¡± Jared held onto Nicole¡¯s hand as they entered the mansion together. Laughter and joy filled the living room, creating a lively atmosphere. ¡°Mommy!¡± Nn and Lana noticed Nicole¡¯s return and happily ran toward her. Nicole stroked their heads and smiled. ¡¯ Did you listen to Aunt Tia today?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Lana responded sweetly as she nodded. ¡°Mommy, the family banquet today is so lively.¡± Nn grabbed Nicole¡¯s hand and looked around the room.Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org. ¡°Yes, and that¡¯s because all of your uncles and aunts have returned. Of course it¡¯s lively,¡± Nicole exined with a smile. Lana looked up with curiosity in her eyes and asked, ¡°Are Aunt June and Aunt Lulu also our aunts?¡± Her voice was neither loud nor soft. Naturally, everyone in the room heard her and that was when the living room instantly fell into awkward silence. June and Lulu blushed, feeling embarrassed as the atmosphere had be somewhat tense. For her kids to ask such a question was something that Nicole did not seeing, so she could only smile and reply, ¡°Well, you might need to ask your uncles, Aunt June, or Aunt Lulu about that.¡± There was no way she could answer the question for them, but since they were already attending the family banquet, it was rather clear. ¡°Okay.¡± Lana agreed. Then, she looked at the duo of Lulu and June, and said,¡± Aunt June¡­¡± But before she could finish her sentence, Nn interrupted,¡± You better not ask. They might still be our aunts now, but once you ask, they might not be our aunts anymore.¡± ¡°Eh, why?¡± Lana was a bit confused. ¡®Are they or are they not? I ¡°To put it simply, just don¡¯t ask anything regarding our uncles ¡® personal lives.¡± Nn lectured Lana with a mature look on his face. The innocent conversation between the two children caused everyone to burst intoughter, and the tension in the atmosphere instantly eased. ¡°Now that everyone¡¯s here, let¡¯s go and take a seat,¡± Gloria called out to everyone. ¡°Sure.¡± They all agreed, whereupon the entire family moved to the dining room. After everyone had taken their seats, the dining room became lively. ¡°June, Lulu, please don¡¯t be strangers. Treat this ce as your own home.¡± Gloria said, weing June and Lulu warmly. ¡°Thank you, Mrs. Riddle,¡± the two of them responded politely. ¡°There¡¯s no need for formalities.¡± Gloria smirked and turned to Spencer and Samuel. ¡°Take good care of them.¡± In turn, Spencer and Samuel nodded and said, ¡°Got it, Mom.¡± ¡°Sally and Jane? Eat up too.¡± Gloria looked at her two daughters-inw. ¡°Mom, you should go ahead and help yourself. We can take care of ourselves.¡± Jane and Sally responded. ¡°Sally, Jane, this is the first time I¡¯ve had a meal together with you since I¡¯ve returned.¡± Nicole looked at the two of them with a smile and a nod as a greeting. ¡°Yes, we ll being back more often from now on,¡± Sally said, smiling at Nicole. She did not say continue the conversation, as Steve had already informed her about Nicole¡¯s amnesia. She figured that there was no need to dwell in the past. For everyone in the Riddle family, Nicole¡¯s return was already more than enough. Chapter 2161 Chapter 2161 Jane also nodded in approval and her eyes were filled with joy. She genuinely found Nicole likable as well. The whole family had their meal happily. The sound of chatter andughter filled the room. Stanley was the only one who was eating alone, in silence and with his head down. One would wonder what he was thinking about, or if he was just focused on eating his dinner. ¡°Stanley, both Spencer and Samuel have their own girlfriends already. Isn¡¯t it time you put some thought into your personal life? You can¡¯t get left behind,¡± Nicole teased, raising an eyebrow at Stanley. Stanley replied calmly, ¡°If Mom wants a daughter inw, Spencer and Samuel will give her one soon. If she wants grandchildren, she can ask Sean and Steve. There¡¯s no rush for me.¡± Nicole could not help but roll her eyes at Stanley. ¡°That¡¯s their business. It has nothing to do with you.¡± Then, she thought, ¡®When did this be a checklist? They¡¯re really treating it like a task from Mom.1 ¡°Stanley, I think you should hurry up. Who knows, you might be the first one among us to raise kids,¡± Sean added calmly. If it was about having kids, Sean would not have the energy for it at the moment. So, it was better not to expect anything from him. As soon as he finished speaking, Sean looked at Jane. She had expressed her intention in prioritizing work first. Therefore, they were not in a rush to build a family. Especially with the current situation of the Riddle family, Sean and Jane were not in the right state to consider this matter. Perhaps, they would have to wait till everything was settled. Steve echoed his brother. ¡°That¡¯s right. Whether I want to have kids or not, it¡¯s up to me. You only have to worry about yourself.¡± Internally, he thought, ¡®You don¡¯t even have a girlfriend yet. Quit being so cocky here.¡¯ Unexpectedly, the room then heard Sally¡¯s voice. ¡°Actually, if we could have kids like Nn and Lana, it¡¯d be a dream.¡± While speaking, Sally¡¯s gazended on Nn and Lana. Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. She had heard Steve mention these two kids before. They were indeed the product of Jared and Nicole. In fact, they inherited their parents¡¯ good genes. The both of them were not only smart and cute, but also good looking. If Sally could have such cute babies, her life would beplete. ¡°Steve.¡± Stanley turned to Steve with a wide smile and raised his eyebrows. It was as if he was trying to say that the duty was in Steve¡¯s hands. Steve red at Stanley unhappily. But as he turned his gaze to Sally, he softened his gaze. ¡°As long as our future kids take after you, they¡¯d definitely be beautiful.¡± A reddish shade formed on Sally¡¯s cheeks. She replied shyly, ¡°Nonsense.¡± ¡®There are so many people around, this is so embarrassing,¡¯ she thought. Steve did not care about those around him. He said confidently, ¡°I¡¯m telling the truth!¡± ¡°Stop it!¡± Sally blushed. So, she quickly served some food to him in hopes of shutting his mouth. ¡°Sally, he¡¯s spitting facts.¡± Jane joked with a smile on her face. That made Sally even more embarrassed. Looking at how the Riddle family were gathering and getting along with one another harmoniously, Lulu and June nced at each other. They unconsciously felt relieved. Although they had experienced being around the Riddle family in the past, their status was different. This was the first time they were invited as a plus one. Furthermore, they were there to attend a family banquet. They were both filled anxiety. But now, they seemed to be calmer. In fact, they yearned for such an atmosphere. Noticing Lulu and June¡¯s expressions, Nicole smiled a little bit. So, the reason they did not want to make things official was not because of rtionship problems. In fact, one could tell that they were close with each other. Lulu felt that she should be a better person, so that she could proudly stand next to her husband. Chapter 2162 Chapter 2162 Nicole turned her gaze to June. ¡®She must have a simr reason.¡¯ Before they knew it, dinner was almost over, and the time was gettingte. Sean left with Jane, and Steve with Sally. Gloria and Daniel went to put Nn and Lana to sleep. Stanley watched the couples and did not want to be the odd one out, so he left too. N?velDrama.Org ? 2024. In the living room, Nicole had some fruits while she chatted with Lulu and June. Without the older rtives around, Lulu and June seemed to be a lot more rxed. ¡°So you don¡¯t remember us, Nicole? No wonder I¡¯ve always had a weird feeling. It felt like you seemed a little different when you returned, but I couldn¡¯t figure out why.¡± Lulu observed Nicole carefully. ¡®She could handle everything well, even without her memory. There¡¯s really nothing Nicole can¡¯t do.¡¯ Nicole replied apologetically, ¡°I didn¡¯t let you know initially because I had to keep this a secret. Also, I never found the right time to talk about it.¡± The right time presented itself that day, so Nicole decided to rify things to her friends. ¡°It¡¯s fine. We understand,¡± said June. Then, she eximed,¡± But the fact that you have your own kids was a huge surprise!¡± That news was even more shocking to them,pared to the news of Nicole¡¯s memory loss. ¡°Yeah,¡± Lulu replied. ¡°So, when you were seen together with Jared at the preschool¡¯s Family Day, it was for the twins?¡± ¡°Yes. But it was for a special reason, so we didn¡¯t announce anything about Nn and Lana,¡± Nicole exined. She could only announce it to everyone once everything was settled. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s better to be careful. After all, they¡¯re very young. If anything were to happen, it¡¯d traumatize them.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Protecting them was the right move.¡± Looking at the two girls supporting her decision, Nicole smiled warmly. Although she had no memory of the past, she could still feel the genuine friendship between them. With a smile on her face, Nicole turned to June and said,¡± Are you having any concerns about you and Samuel?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± June was stunned. She did not expect Nicole to ask such a question abruptly. Looking at June¡¯s reaction, Nicole knew that she had guessed right. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you have the same reason as Lulu.¡± ¡°No!¡± June shook her head. Her cheeks were flushed as she added, ¡°I just feel that Samuel is at the peak of his career. I don¡¯t want to hold him back.¡± June felt that she could wait for a few more years. After all, she had faith in Samuel. Nicole could not help but tease, ¡°You¡¯re setting up Samuel to be single. I don¡¯t think he needs that, right?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need it,¡± Samuel replied sternly. ¡°But no matter what, he would be distracted when he has his own family,¡± June exined. It was not really about social status. She simply felt that without the burden of building a family, Samuel would not have as many worries. Nicoleughed and replied with a question, ¡°Don¡¯t you think that he¡¯d have less worries if he has both a career and a family?¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± June hesitated. Her friend was not wrong, but that opinion varied from person to person. Knowing June and Lulu¡¯s thoughts, Nicole smiled and shook her head. ¡®These two girls truly care for Spencer and Samuel. They¡¯re actually putting their men first.¡¯ Chapter 2163 Chapter 2163 Nicole looked at Samuel and Spencer. In turn, the two girls looked at Nicole, feeling bashful. It was not the boys who were unwilling to announce their rtionship, but the girls. It seemed like both couples had agreed on it earlier on. Neither of them would talk about it, so the boys had no choice but to remain silent as they waited for approval from thedies. In fact, the boys also felt aggrieved. They had girlfriends and yet, their rtionship remained a secret. ¡°Well, it all depends on you two.¡± Nicole shrugged her shoulders, seemingly helpless. Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org. Since this was June and Lulu¡¯s decision, Samuel and Spencer could only try to move thedies¡¯ hearts with their actions and sincerity. After all, one could tell that thedies cared about Samuel and Spencer a lot. As long as the two boys were sincere and determined enough, they could get thedies to agree. Samuel and Spencer sighed. Without Nicole¡¯s help, the boys would have to go a long way to achieve that. Nicole shot a pointed look at the two boys. ¡°It¡¯s gettingte. You guys should send June and Lulu home now.¡± ¡°Alright then. You should get some rest too.¡± June and Lulu got ready to leave. Samuel and Spencer followed the twodies out. Looking at the four of them, Nicole smiled. ¡°There¡¯s no need to worry about them. They can handle themselves,¡± said Jared, holding Nicole¡¯s hand and bringing her upstairs. Nicole frowned as she muttered, ¡°What about Stanley? Are you saying he¡¯s hopeless?¡± Although everyone was at different stages in life, everyone had found their own happiness, except for Stanley. The image of Stanley and Tia together shed across Nicole¡¯s mind. Somehow, that image felt wholesome. In fact, which was the first time Nicole had seen such a gentle side from Stanley. Jared lowered his gaze, looked at her and said solemnly,¡± Instead of caring about other people¡¯s business, why don¡¯t you think about me instead?¡± ¡°You? Since when you needed attention?¡± Something shed in Jared¡¯s eyes. Nicole cared about everyone else except him. Jared felt that it was unfair. ¡°You haven¡¯t recovered your memory, but you¡¯ve epted your parents. You¡¯ve epted your brothers. You¡¯ve even acknowledged your best friends. Why are you choosing to not ept me? We even have a marriage certificate.¡± His face was filled with grief as heined. Nicole shook her head andughed. ¡¯Jared, aren¡¯t you acting a little too childish? Are you jealous of them?¡± She had heard of people being jealous of their rivals in love. But this was the first time she heard of someone getting jealous of the partner¡¯s family. ¡°What if I said yes?¡± Jared¡¯s gaze darkened. All he wanted was to be treated fairly. He was also an important person in her heart. It was one thing for her to not remember him, but it was another for her to not acknowledge him. ¡°Fine, you¡¯re different from them,¡± Nicole answered, sounding annoyed. ¡°If you could act normal with me like my family can, I¡¯ll acknowledge you as well.¡± ¡°Normal?¡± Jared frowned. What about him was not normal? Nicole bit her lip slightly and exined, ¡°Just maintain a certain distance. Don¡¯t get too close to me.¡± ¡°This is normal for a married couple. Other than that, I¡¯ve never had¡ª¡± Feeling panicked, Nicole reached out to cover Jared¡¯s mouth with her hands to stop him from finishing his sentence. Does he not know how to control himself? How can he talk about these things so casually?¡¯ ¡°Don¡¯t say anything ridiculous,¡± Nicole warned Jared as he looked at her. What she did not know was that her cheeks were flushed red. A hint of mischief lit up Jared¡¯s eyes. He pulled Nicole¡¯s hands away and replied in a meaningful tone, ¡°Did I say something wrong?¡± Chapter 2164 Chapter 2164 ¡°Of course you did,¡± Nicole replied, upset. Jared was persistent. ¡°You¡¯re my wife. I don¡¯t think there¡¯s a problem with me saying such things.¡± Nicole gritted her teeth and red at him. ¡°But you should at least mind where we are, shouldn¡¯t you?¡± Jared looked left and right. Then, he replied, ¡°I definitely should¡¯ve been more careful. Let¡¯s take this conversation to our room.¡± As soon as he finished speaking, Jared lifted Nicole into his arms and strode toward the room. Nicole was so flustered that her cheeks felt like they were on fire. However, she did not want to make any noise as it would only bring her more embarrassment. ¡°Put me down,¡± Nicole said in a low voice through her gritted teeth. ¡°Sure.¡± Jared¡¯s eyes were smug as he spoke. He had already entered the room. Arriving at the bedside, Jared ced Nicole on the bed and said in a seductive tone, ¡°I guess I don¡¯t have to mind where we are anymore.¡± Nicole¡¯s heart was thumping hard, and her cheeks were bright red. That was not what she had meant, but why did things turn out this way? Staring at the handsome man in front of her, Nicole was nervous and confused. Jared¡¯s eyes were dark with lust. She gulped nervously. Then, Nicole continued staring at Jared as she lowered her voice. ¡°Jared, listen to me. That was not what I meant just now.¡± Jared¡¯s lips curled into an evil smile. He pretended not to understand and replied, ¡°Then, what did you mean?¡± ¡°I was trying to say that, I don¡¯t want to acknowledge you. But you¡¯re different from others, so¡­¡± Nicole bit her lip lightly. Her eyes looked serious. ¡°I¡¯m not sure how else I should treat you.¡± Nicole was also unsure of her own feelings toward Jared. She clearly knew that they werewfully married, and that they were once in love. But if she had to be close to Jared, Nicole would still feel awkward. Content is property of N?velDrama.Org. Jared¡¯s eyes darkened. Initially, he just wanted to tease her. But soon, he could not bear it anymore. He quickly organized his thoughts to gain some rationality. He knew how insecure Nicole was without her memory, so he did not want to scare her. He took a deep breath and stroked her beautiful hair. ¡°Since you¡¯ve acknowledged that we¡¯rewfully married, you can onlyy your eyes on me and me alone. As for everything else, I¡¯ll give you some time to think about it.¡± Hearing those arrogant yet warm words from Jared, a smile began to form on Nicole¡¯s face. She calmed her heart, looked up and promised, ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll onlyy my eyes on you.¡± After all, Jared had such a good-looking face. Nicole had never met anyone that looked even close to how handsome he was. Looking into her shining eyes, Jared squinted slightly. He could tell what she was thinking, and it made himugh. ¡°So, should I be grateful for having such a good-looking face?¡± Nicole only agreed to what he said because of his looks. At that thought, Jared felt a little sad. Immediately, Nicole smiled wide. ¡°Of course not. You can think of it as a bonus.¡± After all, if she had to look at something, it would be best to look at something nice. Jared was amused. Then, he pulled Nicole to her feet and said, ¡°Go and shower. Get ready for bed.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Nicole felt relieved. Then, she took off her pajamas and walked into the bathroom. Jared sat down on the bed and thought of the way Nicole was acting. His eyes softened. He felt a lot happier, seeing Nicole¡¯s rxed smile. Chapter 2165 Chapter 2165 In the courtyard of the Riddle¡¯s home, Spencer and Samuel had returned after sending Lulu and June home. After they got out of the car, the two brothers looked at each other. ¡°How are things for you?¡± they asked in unison. The both of them seemed to have understood that things were not going well for either of them. ¡°What do we do now?¡± Samuel was quite worried. He never knew that June was such a stubborn person. Spencer shrugged his shoulders and replied helplessly, ¡°You think I know?¡± If he had a way out, he would not be acting like this anymore. ¡°Forget it. Well just ask Nicole tomorrow.¡± Samuel felt that their sister would definitely have a good idea. Spencer nodded in agreement. ¡°Alright then.¡± N?velDrama.Org ? 2024. After all, they were out of ideas. The only thing they could do was to wait. The next morning, the sun shone brightly. Nicole was getting ready to leave after breakfast, but Samuel and Spencer stopped her. Looking at them, Nicole was a little puzzled. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°Nicole, everyone knows about what happened to us. I just want to ask, what can I do to make June say yes?¡± Samuel said in a mncholic tone. Nicole could not help butugh. ¡°Why? Aren¡¯t you the most eligible guy in school?¡± Before this, Samuel was so proud of it. And now, he could not handle his own girlfriend who used to be his admirer. Samuel scratched his head awkwardly. ¡°That¡¯s different. I didn¡¯t really know those people in the past. But June¡¯s my girlfriend now. Her status is different, so of course she has to be given special treatment.¡± ¡°You know very well the kind of person June is. Actually, it¡¯s easy to make her say yes. After all, everything she does is for you,¡± Nicole said, raising an eyebrow. Then, Nicole turned to Spencer. ¡°The same goes for Lulu. She only wants to be confident enough to be a right partner for you, and you can be the one to give her that confidence.¡± Lulu was trying her best. And after Lulu started working at the Riddle Corporation, Nicole realized how capable her friend was. The only thing was that Lulu cared too much about her surroundings, so she had a mild inferiorityplex. ¡°Okay, understood,¡± said Spencer, giving a nod. Shocked, Samuel scoffed and quickly questioned, ¡°What do you understand?¡± Seeing Spencer walk away, Samuel ran after him. *1 didn¡¯t understand a thing.¡¯ Nicole watched the pair¡¯s retreating backs and shook her head. ¡®The rest is in their own hands.¡¯ Later, Nicole got into the car with Jared, and he sent her to the Riddle Corporation. After watching Nicole enter the building, Jared ordered Max, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Noted.¡± Starting the engine, Max said, ¡°There haven¡¯t been any weird movements after Lawrence returned. But I find it fishy.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Jared¡¯s eyes darkened. ¡®There¡¯s definitely something wrong with this.¡¯ There was no way Lawrence would be this calm after losing an important project. Or could it be that the other thing he left to take care of was not doing well either? ¡°I¡¯ve ordered a few people to investigate overseas. The ones at San Joto will also continue monitoring him.¡± Max¡¯s tone was heavy as he spoke. The quieter their target was, the darker the secret. They would have to be a lot more careful. Jared¡¯s cold and dark gaze made him hard to predict. No one knew what he was thinking¡­ Chapter 2166 Chapter 2166 After Nicole entered her office, Lulu followed in after her. ¡°I have good news!¡± Lulu smiled widely. Looking up, Nicole nced at her friend and said calmly,¡± Raine lost.¡± Lulu looked shocked. ¡°How did you know?¡± After all, the news was just released. Pursing her lips, Nicole replied casually, ¡°I could guess it just by looking at your expression.¡± Apart from this matter, there was nothing else which could make Lulu this excited in thepany. ¡°Oh.¡± Lulu let out a sigh. ¡°I wanted you to celebrate this with me, but you guessed it right away. Where¡¯s the fun in it now?¡± Nicole was amused. ¡°There¡¯s no need to celebrate over someone¡¯s loss. In the end, it¡¯s predictable for Raine to lose to Everett.¡± Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org. Although Everett appeared to be mature and honest, there was much more than that underneath the surface. Raine was no match for him. Lulu shrugged her shoulders. ¡°That¡¯s true. It would be weird if Everett was the one who lost.¡± She raised an eyebrow and looked at Nicole. ¡°What¡¯s your n? Everett got the project, but it contradicts with the new project which we just signed.¡± Nicole let out a sigh and furrowed her brows. This project definitely put them in apetition. They would have to see who could dominate the market first. Nicole smiled and said seriously, ¡°Since Everett got the project, we should at least congratte him.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Lulu¡¯s eyes widened, ears perked. ¡°Send this document over to the development team and tell them toplete this project before NandoCorp does,¡± Nicole said as she handed a document over to Lulu. Lulu took over the document and nodded. ¡°Alright, noted.¡± ¡°Go on.¡± There was a glint in Nicole¡¯s eyes. ¡®This is the fate of someone with limited vision.¡¯ ¡°Okay.¡± Lulu turned around and left. Nicole calmly took the document on her desk and began to work. Meanwhile, in the manager¡¯s office at DillCorp, Raine looked gloomy. ¡°That bastard Everett! How dare you ruin my things!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± Jamesforted Raine and ced a cup of coffee beside her. ¡°Hmph! How could I not?¡± Raine raised her hand angrily and swept that cup of coffee off the desk. The cup fell to the ground and shattered, coffee spilling across the floor. Something dark shed in James¡¯ eyes but it disappeared just as quickly. He turned to Raine and spoke patiently. ¡°In business, there¡¯s no win or lose. Not to mention, this time around, it was Uncle Damien and the rest targeting us. And yet, they didn¡¯t want to admit it. Dad must¡¯ve argued and broken ties with Uncle Damien already.¡± ¡°It was their fault. How could he me us?¡± Raine gritted her teeth in anger. ¡°Also, Everett¡¯s a useless person! If his evidence had been used, Nicole would¡¯ve lost everything.¡± ¡°And that¡¯s why you don¡¯t have to get angry. At least, we know that Everett has the same opinion about Nicole as we do. All we have to do is sit still and watch thempete with each other,¡± James reminded Raine in a low voice. ¡°You¡¯re saying that¡­¡± Raine seemed to havee back to her senses. In an instant, her anger turned into joy. Her eyes shone. ¡°No matter what, Everett will go against Nicole, and I¡¯m sure Nicole won¡¯t sit still. What are we nervous about?¡± James replied happily. Raine nodded in agreement. ¡°That¡¯s right. You¡¯re absolutely right.¡± So, this loss could be regarded as a blessing in disguise. When the time came, both Everett and Nicole would lose. Raine would be the only victor. Chapter 2167 Chapter 2167 Raine felt relieved in an instant. She looked at James and smiled. ¡°James, without you, I wouldn¡¯t know what to do.¡± Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll be by your side forever and always. I¡¯ll take care of you.¡± James squeezed her hand gently. Raine blushed and smiled, showing a rare feminine side to her. In the afternoon, the sun zed brightly. Nicole had just finished handling all the documents when she heard a knock on the door. ¡°Come in.¡± Nicole looked up toward the entrance. The door opened, and Er entered. He smiled brightly and said, ¡°Hey, Nicole.¡± Nicole was rather surprised to see him. ¡°Why are you here?¡± ¡°I was on my way to discuss a project and happened to pass by, so I came up to see you,¡± Er said as he sat down on the couch. ¡°Is everything going smoothly at the BayCorp?¡± Nicole asked with concern. BayCorp, like DillCorp and NandoCorp, was one of the branchpanies under the Riddle Corporation. Previously, Nicole only provided some ideas and nning to Dexter, meaning that future developments depended entirely on them. Some adjustments might have to be made if things did not go well. ¡°It¡¯s going fine. With me there, you won¡¯t be disappointed, Nicole.¡± Er raised his chin proudly. Nicoleughed, encouraging Er. ¡°Good, we believe in you. We know you can do it.¡± ¡°Heh¡­¡± Er felt a little shy after Nicole praised him. Scratching his head, he lowered his voice and continued,¡± Actually, I need you to have a look at the project I¡¯m currently negotiating.¡± Looking at Er¡¯s coy demeanor, Nicole smiled and said,¡± Sure. What project is it and how is it progressing?¡± ¡°It¡¯s with Dunk Corporation. Things are going well, but I¡¯m just worried.¡± Er then ced the documents on Nicole¡¯s desk. Nicole did not open them, but thoughtfully said, ¡°You¡¯re worried about BayCorp¡¯s ability, and that they can¡¯t undertake this project fully.¡± ¡°Yeah! You¡¯re sharp, alright. You guessed it right away,¡± Er said with admiration. ¡°It¡¯s simple. Since your negotiations are going smoothly, it means the problem isn¡¯t with the project itself.¡± This implied that the issue lied with either Dunk Corporation or BayCorp. Dunk Corporation was strongerpared to BayCorp, so it was only natural for Er to feel anxious about BayCorp¡¯s capabilities. ¡°Ah, I¡¯m really worried.¡± After all, this was the first project that he had undertaken independently, so he hoped that everything could go smoothly. Nicole thought for a moment and then said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Dunk Corporation wouldn¡¯t just choose any company to work with. They must¡¯ve seen potential in you and BayCorp. Just do your best.¡± ¡°But what if things don¡¯t work out?¡± ¡°We have each other. Sean, Steve, and I will all help you. If there¡¯s really a problem, HQ won¡¯t just sit and watch,¡± Nicole reassured him, genuine. Er hesitated. ¡®Will this drag the whole Riddle Corporation down?¡¯ He came here to find someone to talk to. In the end, he still had to give it his all, and he figured that it would be good if he could get some guidance from Nicole. He did not expect that Nicole would directly back him up with the support of the headquarters, which left him both surprised and touched. Noticing Er¡¯s silence, Nicole seemed to understand his thoughts and reassured him, ¡°Be bold and just do it. We believe in you.¡± Er gritted his teeth and replied, ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll do my best.¡± Chapter 2168 Chapter 2168 Delighted, Nicole smiled and said, ¡°Keep up the good work. ¡°If I seed, I¡¯ll treat you to a big feast,¡± Er promised excitedly. ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll be waiting forthat feast!¡± Nicole agreed. Er got up and was about to leave when he suddenly stopped in his tracks. He lowered his voice and said mysteriously, ¡°By the way, Nicole, I discovered something.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Nicole tried to read Er¡¯s expression, feeling a bit puzzled. ¡°It¡¯s about James. There¡¯s something strange about him. I saw him sneaking into a club yesterday with a woman I¡¯ve never seen before.¡± Er paused, blinking. ¡°Do you think¡­ he might be having an affair?¡± ¡°Are you sure it was him?¡± Nicole¡¯s pupils contracted, a hint of darkness shing in her eyes. ¡°Absolutely, but I didn¡¯t follow them inside, so I don¡¯t know what happened next.¡± Er shrugged. As he did not catch them in the act, he might just be jumping to conclusions. ¡°Let¡¯s just forget it if you¡¯re unsure. You don¡¯t need to concern yourself with this matter,¡± Nicole advised. ¡°Ah, I know. I couldn¡¯t care less about Raine¡¯s problems anyway.¡± He just wanted to casually mention the incident to Nicole. ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± Seeing that Er knew his boundaries, Nicole felt relieved. ¡°I¡¯ll be going then.¡± Then, Er bid farewell and left. After Er left, Nicole¡¯s eyes turned cold. ¡®If James really has a scandal, we could use it against him¡­¡¯ The sun was setting, casting a warm glow in the aftermath of the day. Nicole and Lulu were both busy throughout the day and at the end of the day, apanied by the sunset, they walked out of Riddle Corporation. Seeing Spencer outside the building, Lulu¡¯s eyes widened in surprise. ¡°Why are you here?¡± ¡°To pick you up from work.¡± Spencer walked up to Lulu, smiling upto his eyes. ¡°To¡­ pick me up?¡± Lulu was stunned and did not know how to react, instinctively looking around. Her colleagues had juste out, and passersby were also ncing at them. After all, Spencer, a famous violinist, was highly praised by the public. So, many people recognized him. Initially, it would not be strange for Spencer to appear at the entrance of the Riddle Corporation building, but it was evident that Spencer was not there to see Nicole. So, it naturally sparked curiosity. On top of that, the people around them could clearly hear him say that he was there to pick up Lulu, which immediately stirred up some whispers. Feeling nervous, Lulu¡¯s palms released sweat. She whispered, ¡°You should leave first. Let¡¯s meet at our usual ce.¡± Spencer¡¯s gaze darkened when he saw his girlfriend being avoidant. He simply reached for Lulu¡¯s hand and said, ¡°I¡¯m already here, so how can I let you go alone?¡± Holding her hand, Spencer took her to his car. Lulu wanted to free herself from Spencer¡¯s grip, but he held on tighter. In the end, she had no choice but to follow Content is property of N?velDrama.Org. Spencer and get into the car with him. Watching the car drive away, Nicole smiled faintly. ¡®They grow up so fast.¡¯ ¡°Are you done enjoying the show? Shall we leave now?¡± A devious voice rang in her ears. Nicole turned to see Jared behind her. She shrugged. ¡°Of course.¡± The two of them got into the car, and Nicole sighed.¡± Everything seems to be going well on Spencer¡¯s side. I wonder how things are for Samuel?¡± Chapter 2169 Chapter 2169 Jared seemed somewhat dissatisfied and said, ¡°They¡¯re the ones who should be concerned about their love life, not you. If they can¡¯t get the girl, they shouldn¡¯t get married.¡¯ ¡®Hmph. Spencer and Samuel couldn¡¯t take care of themselves, so now Nicole has to burden herself with their issues.¡¯ ¡°They¡¯re my brothers.¡± Nicole rolled her eyes at Jared. Moreover, June and Lulu were also her good friends, people that she should care about. If they could find happiness, she would certainly be happy for them. Jared¡¯s expression showed a trace of annoyance, but he did not say anything further. After all, he was just concerned about Nicole. Sensing that something seemed off with Jared¡¯s behavior, Nicole tilted her head slightly and looked at him. ¡°Are you upset?¡± Jared¡¯s gaze turned sharp as he asked meaningfully, ¡°If I say yes, how do you n to make it up to me?¡± ¡°Make it up to you?¡± Nicole widened her eyes in astonishment. Tm just asking out of courtesy. Why do I have to make it up to him?¡¯ ¡°I¡¯m upset because of you,¡± Jared said with a righteous look. Nicole found it hrious. ¡°Jared, are you bing more and more jealous?¡± ¡®Is he seriously jealous of my brothers too?¡¯ ¡°I don¡¯t think so,¡± Jared said calmly, looking like he was waiting for Nicole tofort him. Resigned, Nicole bit her lip and asked, ¡°Jared, are you a three -year-old?¡± Jared stared at Nicole, which made her feel uneasy. ¡®What a jerk. I didn¡¯t know he was such a good actor!¡¯ She did not know that Jared was not really angry. He was just pretending to be pitiful with her. Taking a deep breath, Nicole raised her hand and patted Jared¡¯s head. ¡°Fine. Don¡¯t be angry. Be a good boy, okay?¡± Jared smirked, barely noticeable. ¡®Is she trying tofort me?¡¯ Content is property of N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Do you really think I¡¯m a three-year-old child?¡± Jared sounded dejected. Nicole shrugged. ¡°Well, when Nn and Lana throw a tantrum, this is how Ifort them.¡± Jared could not be much older with his recent behavior. Seeing Nicole¡¯s serious expression, Jaredughed. ¡®I can never resist this woman.¡¯ Raising his hand, Jared imitated her and patted Nicole¡¯s head. ¡°Alright, then I¡¯llfort you like this in the future too.¡± ¡°Tch, I don¡¯t care,¡± Nicole said with a touch of pride. ¡°Don¡¯t try tofort me. You won¡¯t do a good job.¡± Jared looked at her, adoration in his eyes. ¡°My wife needs to beforted when she¡¯s angry. If this method doesn¡¯t work, I¡¯ll think of other ways.¡± ¡°What other ways?¡± Nicole casually asked, but she immediately regretted it. She noticed that Jared¡¯s gaze was now fixed on her lips. He did not have to put it in words as his motives were already pretty obvious. Blushing slightly, Nicole red at Jared in reproach. ¡®Does he really think that he canfort me like that?¡¯ Knowing that Nicole had figured out his motives, Jared smiled. This smile was just as beautiful and enchanting, making Nicole a little infatuated. ¡®This man is too handsome. He looks even more attractive when he smiles.¡¯ Suddenly, his handsome face got closer. Nicole froze and she blinked in confusion. Jared squinted slightly when he saw that Nicole did not avoid him. He quickly kissed her lips. It was just a light peck, and by the time Nicole reacted, Jared had already controlled himself and sat back in his seat. Biting her lip, Nicole looked at Jared. She could feel that her cheeks were getting even hotter. However, she was tongue-tied at this moment. What was she going to do? Interrogate him and ask why he kissed her? Nicole figured that these oues were going to make her even more flustered than she was now. Chapter 2170 Chapter 2170 Nicole turned to look outside the car window as she struggled to control her pounding heart. She could not help but think, ¡®Nicole, you¡¯re bing more and more hopeless.¡¯ Seeing her shy behavior, Jared felt amused, and his mood brightened tremendously. Back at the Riddle family home, Tia had just picked up Nn and Lana. After getting out of the car, Nicole saw not only them, but also Stanley. With a raised eyebrow, she looked at Stanley with a teasing gaze as if asking, ¡®What¡¯s going on?¡¯ Stanley remained calm andposed. ¡°We happened to meet, so we came back together.¡± Nicole blinked and continued to stare at Stanley. She had a look on her face that said. ¡°Do you think I believe you?¡± ¡®Happened to meet¡­ How did that happen? They weren¡¯ting from the same direction, and where¡¯s Stanley¡¯s car?¡¯ ¡®Who¡¯s going to believe him? This is obviously a nned encounter.¡¯ ¡°Yes, Miss Nicole. When I went to pick up Nn and Lana, I happened to run into Mr. Stanley, so we came back together, ¡°Tia exined. Nicole¡¯s lip twitched. ¡®Okay, I¡¯ll retract my thoughts. Happy?¡¯ ¡°Let¡¯s head inside.¡± Feeling slightly ufortable under Nicole¡¯s gaze, Stanley changed the topic. ¡°Okay,¡± Nicole agreed and did not pay any more attention to the two of them. She could not figure out Stanley¡¯s thoughts. She had always felt that he cared about Tia, but when Nicole looked at Tia, she felt that their rtionship was normal. Bah, it¡¯s just my assumption. I don¡¯t have any evidence, so I shouldn¡¯t say anything.¡¯ They then entered the living room, and both Daniel and Gloria were there. ¡°Grandpa, Grandma,¡± Nn and Lana greeted obediently. ¡°Mom, Dad,¡± Nicole and Stanley also greeted them. Gloria smiled as she patted the children¡¯s heads. She then looked at Stanley in surprise and asked, ¡°Why did youe back so early today?¡± Stanley sighed inwardly and exined, ¡°I didn¡¯t have anything to do, so I came back early.¡± ¡®Am I acting weird? Why is everyone reacting like I did something unusual?¡¯ ¡°Oh.¡± Hearing Stanley¡¯s exnation, Gloria did not think much about it. Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. ¡°Mr. and Mrs. Riddle, I¡¯m leaving now,¡± Tia said, preparing to leave. Gloria nodded. ¡°Okay, thank you for your hard work.¡± ¡°No need to thank me, Mrs. Riddle. It¡¯s my pleasure.¡± Tia nodded. ¡°Go on home, Tia. It¡¯s time for Mrs. Wace Sr. to have dinner,¡± Nicole reminded Tia. ¡°Sure, Miss Nicole.¡± Tia then walked over to Mrs. Wace Sr.¡¯ s room. The family sat down and waited, but Spencer and Samuel did note back. Gloria frowned. ¡°What are those boys doing?¡± Thinking that Spencer took Lulu out, Nicole calmly said,¡± They¡¯re probably on a date. We don¡¯t have to wait for them.¡± Gloria¡¯s eyes brightened. ¡°Hmm, that¡¯s a good thing. Let¡¯s not wait then.¡± ¡°Mom, it won¡¯t be long before we have a happy event in our family. You might as well start preparing now.¡± Nicole smiled. Gloria looked at Nicole and said, ¡°Speaking of happy events, they¡¯re not in a hurry. As for you though, what about your wedding with Jared? When is it going to be?¡± This was the wedding Gloria had been looking forward to for five years. Now that Nicole had returned, it should be nned. Chapter 2171 Chapter 2171 Nicole was speechless. ¡°Mom, weren¡¯t we talking about Spencer and Samuel? Why are we suddenly talking about me now?¡± ¡°Your wedding should¡¯ve taken ce five years ago. Is it still too early now?¡± Gloria answered her with another question. The edge of Nicole¡¯s mouth twitched. ¡®Is timing the problem here? The main issue is that I¡¯ve lost my memories. That¡¯s why I¡¯m not prepared yet.¡¯ Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. ¡°I actually think Mom has a point.¡± Stanley nodded. Nicole red at him in frustration. She suspected that he was seeking revenge because she doubted him earlier outside. ¡®How could a brother do this?¡¯ Stanley shook his head as he was amused by Nicole¡¯s frustrated expression. He had admitted defeat and remained silent. Nicole was satisfied and turned her gaze to Gloria. ¡°Mom, let¡¯s eat. I¡¯m hungry.¡± At this moment, there was no other choice but to change the subject, which was the most appropriate decision. Understanding Nicole¡¯s intention, Gloria resigned. She still wanted to say something but was interrupted by her husband. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s eat.¡± Gloria turned her gaze to Daniel, slightly frowning in pleasure. ¡°The kids will handle their own matters,¡± Daniel reassured Gloria. ¡°How long do I have to wait until they handle it?¡± Gloria sighed. ¡°Grandma, Mommy still has her own thoughts. You should give her more time,¡± Nn tactfully advised. Gloria looked at Nn, who appeared mature beyond his years. ¡°Alright, we¡¯ll all listen to Nn and give your Mommy more time.¡± Gloria smiled lovingly. ¡°Thank you, Grandma! Grandma is the best!¡± Nn hugged Gloria¡¯s arm and eximed, making Gloria burst intoughter. Lana scrunched her nose secretly and went over to hug Jared¡¯s neck,forting him. ¡°Daddy, even though Grandma agreed with Nn, don¡¯t feel down. Mommy will definitely marry you.¡± Jared smiled. He obviously would not allow Nicole to marry someone else, but his daughter¡¯s words melted his heart. Daniel also found Lana adorable and teased her. ¡°Why do you say that, Lana?¡± ¡°Because I only want my real daddy to be my Daddy. No one else is allowed,¡± Lana stated matter-of- factly. ¡°Mommy¡¯s marrying someone, not finding you a father. It¡¯s Mommy¡¯s decision to make,¡± Nn retorted, dissatisfied. Lana confidently replied, ¡°How is it different? If Mommy wanted to marry someone, she would¡¯ve. It¡¯s just because she hasn¡¯t found the person she wants to marry.¡± ¡®Daddy is definitely the person Mommy wants to marry. Otherwise, Nn and I wouldn¡¯t exist, right?¡¯ Hearing such profound words from the kids, Daniel and Gloria were somewhat astonished and speechless for a moment. But they ultimately agreed with Lana, saying,¡± Lana¡¯s right.¡± Nicole and Jared seemed ustomed to Lana¡¯s surprising remarks and remained calm. ¡°Mom, let¡¯s eat.¡± Nicole decided to eat dinner once again. It was awkward to be forced into marriage like this. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s.¡± Gloria seemed much more epting now. Her daughter was unwilling, so she had no choice but to go along with their wishes. The family sat down in the dining room and began to eat. Nn and Lana had eaten their fill at preschool and were watching TV in the living room. They waited for Nicole and Jared to finish dinner before following Nicole upstairs to their rooms. ¡°Mommy, Godpa invited us to his house to y this weekend,¡± Nn whispered after hesitating for a while. Chapter 2172 Chapter 2172 Nicole was somewhat surprised. ¡°When did this happen?¡± ¡®Why didn¡¯t Lawrence tell me about it? The invitation came from Nn instead.¡¯ ¡°Oh, I chatted with Godpa online for a whilest night,¡± Nn replied truthfully. ¡°Do you want to go?¡± Nicole frowned, seeming hesitant. Nn nodded. ¡°Yes, I haven¡¯t been to Godpa¡¯s house ever since we came to San Joto.¡± When they were on the ind, he used to visit Lawrence¡¯s house frequently. But now that they were in San Joto, they did not have as much freedom as before. ¡°Alright.¡± Nicole agreed, looking at Nn¡¯s eager expression. Nn was delighted. ¡°Thanks, Mommy!¡± ¡°I want to go too, Mommy.¡± Lana tugged at Nicole¡¯s clothes, looking like she was anticipating. Nicole smiled and replied, ¡°Of course, Lana, you¡¯ll join them too.¡± After the kids had turned off their lights and went to sleep, Nicole returned to her own room. But she was confused when she found that the room was empty. ¡®Where¡¯s Jared?¡¯ ¡°Jared?¡± Nicole called out tentatively. ¡°Over here.¡± Jared s voice came from the balcony. Nicole went to the balcony and looked at her husband.¡± What are you doing here?¡± she asked softly. ¡°Just enjoying the breeze.¡± Jared pulled Nicole closer and held her hand. ¡°Is it cold? You are feeling chilly?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Nicole stood beside Jared as she looked at the night sky. ¡°What are you thinking about?¡± She figured that he might have something on his mind, which was why he was here enjoying the breeze. Jared gently embraced Nicole and responded with a question, ¡°Can you tell me about your time on the ind?¡± ¡°Do you want to hear about it?¡± Nicole looked at Jared. She thought that it was just an ordinary life without anything special. ¡°Yeah.¡± Jared nodded, agreeing softly. ¡°It¡¯s really nothing special. The people on that ind are very simple. I took care of Nn and Lana, and we didn¡¯t experience any particrly bad things. I took on missions on The Hunters website to support the three of us. Later on, when Nn grew older, he showed a talent for hacking, so I started teaching him¡­¡± Nicole casually talked about her life on the ind, but Jared listened attentively. It was like he was memorizing everything just to feel like he was a part of it. Holding Nicole tighter, Jared knew deep down that although Nicole spoke casually, raising two children on her own could not have been as easy as she described. Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org. Suddenly, the two fell silent. The gentle breeze brushed against them, whispering in their ears. Leaning into Jared¡¯s embrace, Nicole bit her lip slightly. She mustered up her courage and said, ¡°Jared, about our wedding¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s no rush. I can wait for you.¡± Jared gently kissed her temple. When everyone was discussing their wedding back there, he did not show any reaction as he believed that he should respect Nicole¡¯s decisions. Even though she no longer resisted him, epting that they were a married couple and proceeding with the wedding would still put some pressure on her. So, he did not want her to have any burdens. ¡¯ ¡°Why would you¡­¡± Nicole looked up at him in surprise as she thought he would want to have the wedding as soon as possible. However, before she could finish her sentence, their lips coincidentally brushed against each other. Nicole was momentarily stunned, and her mind went nk. Chapter 2173 Chapter 2173 Jared¡¯s lips were pretty cold, but they somehow managed to warm Nicole¡¯s heart, causing her heart to pound rapidly. Jared¡¯s gaze darkened slightly, and the very next moment, their lips met once again. Amidst the cool night breeze, the two kissed passionately¡­ After a few busy days, the weekend arrived in the blink of an eye. Content is property of N?velDrama.Org. Nn and Lana got up early in the morning and went to Nicole¡¯s room. ¡°You two are up so early,¡± Nicole said helplessly, finding them extremely excited. ¡°We promised Godpa, and I don¡¯t want to bete,¡± Nn said earnestly. Nicole smiled and said, ¡°Alright, head downstairs first.¡± Once the children left, Nicole changed her clothes and prepared to go downstairs. After Jared finished washing up in the bathroom, he realized that Nicole had already gone out and felt defeated. He was aware that the children hade inside, but none of them waited for him. He changed his clothes and went downstairs, where everyone was already in the dining room. ¡°Dad,e and eat!¡± Lana waved his small hand at Jared. ¡°Let¡¯s dig in,¡± Daniel said upon seeing Jared¡¯s arrival. After sitting down, Jared nced at Nicole and said, ¡®Til drop you offter.¡± Nicole had informed him that she would be taking the children to Lawrence¡¯s ce today, and he happened to have some matters to attend to. It was only convenient for him to drop them off along the way. ¡°You¡¯ll take us there?!¡± Nicole looked at him, somewhat bewildered, as she was shocked by his willingness. ¡®Is he really okay with that? Something feels off¡­¡¯ ¡°What¡¯s that look for?¡± Jared asked, arching an eyebrow. ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± Nicole immediatelyposed herself. She looked down and continued eating silently. ¡®Regardless of his intentions, it¡¯s impossible not to let him take them.¡¯ Soon, they were done with their breakfast. Nicole then took Nn and Lana with her and followed Jared. After arriving at Lawrence¡¯s mansion, Jared watched them get out of the car and reminded them, ¡°I¡¯ll come to pick you up in the afternoon.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Nicole agreed, understanding his intentions. She was going to Lawrence¡¯s ce, but he was chauffeuring them back and forth. This served as a warning to Lawrence. Nicole found it both funny and exasperating. She then watched Jared leave before pressing the doorbell to Lawrence¡¯s mansion with Nn and Lana by her side. Very soon, Lawrence came out to greet them and invited them inside. Upon entering the mansion, Nicole was surprised when she saw that Lawrence had decorated it exactly like his house on the ind. ¡°Why did you decorate it this way?¡± Lawrence smiled faintly. ¡°So that you wouldn¡¯t feel ufortable when you came.¡± After all, it still resembled the way it used to be, and they would definitely be reminded of the old times when they looked at it. Nicole couldn¡¯t help but sigh as she looked at the decorations. ¡¯I never knew you were so sentimental.¡± ¡°You¡¯lle to know with time,¡± Lawrence said meaningfully, looking at Nicole. Nicole bit her lip and averted her gaze. She could not respond to Lawrence¡¯s words, so she looked at Nn and Lana instead. ¡°You¡¯ve been moring toe to your Godpa¡¯s house to y. Now your wish hase true, right?¡± Chapter 2174 Chapter 2174 ¡°Mhm.¡± Nn had already climbed onto the sofa. He automatically turned on the TV and picked up the game controller. ¡°Nn, you should spend some time with your Godpa while you¡¯re here.¡± Nicole was speechless when she saw Nn about to y games. ¡®Are the games at home not fun enough?¡¯ Nn looked up and said matter-of-factly, ¡°This is what I didst time.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. You can rx and do whatever you want here,¡± Lawrence said, voice full of affection. ¡°Mommy, let¡¯s spend time with Godpa!¡± Lana pulled Nicole¡¯s arm and sat down next to the sofa. Lawrence smiled gently and asked, ¡°Then tell me, Lana, what would you like to do with Godpa?¡± ¡°Godpa, you¡¯re the one who invited us over, so what do you want to do?¡± Lana smiled sweetly. Lawrence chuckled and took out a beautiful little box from under the coffee table. ¡°This is for you.¡± ¡°Durian pancakes!¡± Lana¡¯s eyes lit up at the sight of her favorite food. Seeing Lana¡¯s expression, Lawrence smiled softly and said,¡± Go on, eat some.¡± Lana took the box, opened it, and started eating it in small bites. Her face was filled with satisfaction. Lawrence¡¯s eyes softened as he watched the kids, one ying games and the other eating pancakes. It was as if they were back on the ind, living a peaceful life. ¡°Lawrence, you seem quite busytely. Are things not going smoothly since you arrived in San Joto?¡± Nicole asked softly. For some reason, she felt that Lawrence seemed different since arriving in San Joto, but she just could not pinpoint exactly what had changed. ¡°It¡¯s alright, things are going well.¡± Lawrence avoided her gaze somewhat and changed the subject. ¡°Today¡¯s the weekend, so let¡¯s not talk about work. Let¡¯s rx with the children.¡± ¡°Godpa, didn¡¯t you say you wanted to take us to see a movie? Why don¡¯t we do it today?¡± Nn turned his head and asked before turning back to continue his game. ¡°Sure.¡± Lawrence readily agreed and looked at Nicole with a hint of anticipation. Nicole bit her lip, feeling a bit conflicted. If they went to see a movie, they might not have before Jared came to pick them up. But if they did not go, she was worried that Nn would be disappointed. ¡°It¡¯s okay. Daddy said that he woulde pick us up after lunch,¡± Lana said in a serious tone. ¡°You¡¯re going back at noon?¡± Lawrence¡¯s brows furrowed N?velDrama.Org ? 2024. slightly. He had thought they would stay the entire day at the very least. ¡°Ah, well¡­¡± Nicole had not finished speaking when Lana proudly interjected. ¡°That¡¯s right! Daddy said he¡¯lle pick us up.¡± Lawrence looked at Lana and said, ¡°It seems Mr. Johnston dotes on you all very much.¡± ¡°Of course! Daddy¡¯s very good to us and Mommy. Yesterday, Grandma even said that she wants Daddy and Mommy to have a wedding soon,¡± Lana said with an expectant smile. Lawrence¡¯s eyes narrowed. His movements slowed down as he looked at Nicole. ¡°A wedding?¡± Nicole did not expect Lana to suddenly bring this up, so she awkwardly tried to exin, ¡°Actually¡­¡± Her mother did bring it up, but she had already made an agreement with Jared to give her some more time. Nicole had not seriously considered it herself. In fact, her hesitation was already an answer. If she really did not want to, she would have directly refused without any hesitation. But Lana had already responded for Nicole. ¡°Godpa, Nn and I want to be the ring bearer and the flower girl when Daddy and Mommy get married. What do you think, Godpa?¡± Lawrence¡¯s gentle gaze froze, and he struggled to keep up the expression. ¡°Godpa?¡± Lana called out softly, furrowing her eyebrows at Lawrence¡¯s silence. ¡°Oh, as long as you want to, it¡¯s great,¡± Lawrence reluctantly agreed, feeling a suffocating weight on his heart. He was shocked. Nicole and Jared were actually getting married. Was he really going to lose Nicole? Did all his efforts mean nothing? Chapter 2175 Chapter 2175 Staring at Nicole, Lawrence felt a deep pain in his heart, and his eyes revealed a faint hint of sadness. Nicole¡¯s eyebrows furrowed slightly. She did not know if she should exin anything at this moment. After all, she and Jared had not really nned to have a wedding. But if this would make Lawrence realize that they could only be friends, she chose to remain silent. Nn seemed to sense Lawrence¡¯s burden and came to his rescue. ¡°Why don¡¯t youe and y games with me, God pa?¡± ¡°Oh, sure.¡± Lawrence agreed and went to Nn¡¯s side, ying games with him. But because his mind was elsewhere, he quickly lost each round. Simrly, Nn suffered the same fate and quickly got defeated as well. ¡°Godpa, you need to concentrate,¡± Nn said helplessly. ¡°Sorry.¡± Lawrence patted Nn¡¯s head, feeling a bit embarrassed. It was not that he did not want to concentrate, but his mind was truly in turmoil, making it impossible to focus. Putting down the game controller, Nn sighed and lowered his voice to a whisper. ¡°Godpa, you can¡¯t just give up like that.¡± Lawrence nced at Nn and smiled faintly. Obviously, he would not give needed some time to digest it. Content is property of N?velDrama.Org. He had been persistent for five years. How could he easily let go now? ¡°Godpa, will youe to the wedding?¡± Lana asked curiously, blinking her big eyes. Lawrence looked at Lana and smiled faintly. ¡°That depends on your mother, whether she¡¯s inviting me or not.¡± ¡°Of course she¡¯ll invite you. Godpa, you¡¯re an important person to us,¡± Lana said. Although she was not as close to him as her brother was, she knew that Lawrence was important and special to them. The only difference was that in her heart, Lawrence could only be her godfather and could never rece her father, especially since she had found her real father, who could not be reced by anyone. ¡°Okay, then I¡¯ll definitelye,¡± Lawrence agreed before turning his gaze to Nicole. ¡°Has the date been set?¡± ¡°No, not yet.¡± Nicole did not expect Lawrence to ask this, so she could only answer vaguely. But in reality, they had yet to decide on whether the wedding would even happen or not. However, seeing Lawrence ept it so calmly, Nicole thought that Lawrence had finally understood, so she did not exin further. She thought it was fine this way. ¡°y with the kids for now. I¡¯ll go prepare lunch.¡± Lawrence then got up and left. Nicole watched Lawrence¡¯s figure. She could not exin why, but she felt like Lawrence had suddenly be unreadable to her. ¡°Mommy, I think you should seriously consider it. Daddy¡¯s a good man, and he¡¯s devoted to you. Don¡¯t lose him,¡± Lana urged, blinking her big eyes. Nicole smiled wryly and lightly tapped Lana¡¯s forehead.¡± You¡¯re a little girl. Don¡¯t involve yourself in adult matters. We¡¯ll know how to handle it ourselves.¡± Lana pouted. ¡°You didn¡¯te back because you didn¡¯t remember Daddy, but Daddy remembers you. He waited for you for five years. Isn¡¯t his love obvious?¡± ¡°You cheeky girl, where did you learn all this?¡± Nicole could not help butugh. She was no match for her daughter. ¡°Hehe, I didn¡¯t learn them! I¡¯m just observant,¡± Lana said proudly, lifting her chin. ¡°Don¡¯t watch too many dramas.¡± Nn came over with a look of disdain. Lana pouted. ¡°Isn¡¯t that what Mommy says to you all the time?¡± And he was calling her out now. This was just the pot calling the kettle ck. ¡°We¡¯re not the same. I¡¯m older than you,¡± Nn proudly dered. ¡°You¡¯re only two minutes older than me.¡± Lana stuck out her tongue, unwilling to ept defeat. Nn was only slightly older, yet he wanted to lecture her like an older brother. Not likely! Chapter 2176 Chapter 2176 Hearing the argument between her kids again, Nicole shook her head helplessly. ¡°Alright, go wash your hands and get ready for dinner.¡± Nicole interrupted them, diverting their attention. ¡°Okay.¡± Lana and Nn walked toward the restroom together. On the way, they appeared harmonious and friendly with each other, as if they had not just had a heated argument. Nicole then watched her two children with a gentle gaze, her heart softening at once. Harkening back to the past, she felt that life was always full of joy and hope no matter how difficult things were, so long as Nn and Lana were there. ¡°Let¡¯s get ready for dinner.¡± Lawrence approached her. ¡°Okay.¡± Nicole stood up in agreement and prepared to head toward the dining room. ¡°Nikki,¡± Lawrence called out to her. Nicole paused and turned to look at Lawrence. After returning to San Joto, she had reimed her true identity, and Lawrence had stopped calling her that. As such, it made her wonder as to why he would suddenly use that name again. ¡°Leo, that name doesn¡¯t mean much to me anymore.¡± Nicole smiled. ¡°Just call me Nicole.¡± ¡°I just said it unintentionally. Don¡¯t mind it,¡± Lawrence exined. ¡°Why would I? Do you think I¡¯m that petty?¡± Nicole asked, finding it amusing. She just felt that there was no need to mention the name Nikki anymore. Now that she had returned to being Nicole, everything about her was just Nicole. ¡°Of course not.¡± Lawrence smiled and changed the topic.¡± Come on, let¡¯s go see the children.¡± Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. ¡°Yeah.¡± Nicole agreed and followed Lawrence to find Nn and Lana. Lawrence fell behind Nicole and squinted at her figure.¡¯ She¡¯s so close, yet so far.¡¯ He was calling her Nikki on purpose, and her reaction had indeed made his heart grow cold. He did not expect that Nicole hadpletely severed her connection with the five years they had spent on the ind together and had fully returned to being her true self. ¡®Aren¡¯t her memories still buried?¡¯ ¡°Leo¡­¡± Nicole suddenly turned her gaze to Lawrence, but her words came to a sudden halt when she saw Lawrence¡¯s expression. ¡®What was that? Lawrence¡¯s eyes looked so dark. Was I imagining things?¡¯ she wondered. Lawrence had not anticipated that she would suddenly whirl around, so he was taken aback for a moment. However, he managed to regain hisposure in a split second. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Lawrence asked with concern in his eyes. In that instant, Lawrence had once again be the Lawrence that she was familiar with, so much so that she even wondered if she had seen wrongly just now. ¡°Godfather, Mommy, hurry over!¡± the kids yelled. ¡°Oh,ing.¡± Hearing the children calling out for her, Nicole responded by making a beeline for the dining room. Meanwhile, Lawrence clenched his teeth in frustration and followed her from behind. Nn and Lana were already seated, and upon seeing the two of them, they immediately greeted, ¡°Godfather, Mommy, we¡¯re ready to eat!¡± ¡°Great.¡± Nicole and Lawrence then sat down. ¡°What did you want to say just now?¡± Lawrence poured a ss of juice for Nicole and casually asked. Chapter 2177 Chapter 2177 ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± Nicole grabbed the ss of juice. ¡°Let¡¯s eat.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Lawrence did not pursue further, though he was still looking at Nicole sentimentally. Nicole seemed to be oblivious to the peculiar expressions on Lawrence¡¯s face, as she was focused on taking care of Nn and Lana while they were eating. However, deep down, Nicole felt that Lawrence had been acting strangely. In the afternoon, Jared came to pick Nicole and the children up- After bidding farewell to Lawrence, Nicole left Lawrence¡¯s mansion with Nn and Lana, before following him into the vehicle. Watching as the car drove away, Lawrence¡¯s gaze grew even darker and colder. Jared and Nicole were about to get married, and this news had done nothing but driven him crazy. Besides, Nicole¡¯s obvious infatuation with Jared had made it even harder for him to ept this. With that in mind, he could absolutely not allow such a thing to happen. To him, Nicole must never be allowed to marry Jared. ¡°Mr. Royce, they¡¯ve already left. You should go back.¡± Ian reminded him in a low voice. Lawrence shot a nce at Ian and gritted his teeth, his voice cold and deep. ¡°Tell Iris to act swiftly, or else she¡¯ll have to attend Jared and Nicole¡¯s wedding.¡± ¡°Yes, sir,¡± Ian respectfully agreed. Lawrence then turned around and entered the mansion, while Ian followed his instructions and messaged Iris. To that. Iris replied, [We¡¯ll have results soon.] He then pocketed his phone and strode into the mansion to report the situation¡­ On the other side, Jared was on a steady journey home. ¡°Is there something on your mind?¡± Jared asked softly as he noticed that Nicole seemed to be contemting something. ¡°No.¡± Nicole shook her head, not mentioning her doubts about Lawrence. She felt that she had not figured things out for herself just yet, so she should not throw this topic around casually for now. Jared¡¯s eyes narrowed a little. He had a gut feeling that something was bothering Nicole, but she did not seem inclined to talk about it. Lowering his gaze to her, Jared¡¯s eyes glinted with solemness. What is it that she does not want to say? Is it about Lawrence?¡¯ Suddenly, Max¡¯s phone rang. He answered it via Bluetooth, and after a moment, Max¡¯s expression became grave. After hanging up, he shot a bullet of a nce at Jared through the rearview mirror. Without saying anything, he gritted his teeth and floored the elerator. Jared squinted a little as he observed Max¡¯s actions, and before long, they arrived at the Riddle residence. After Nicole and the children had gotten out of the car, Jared remained still and told Nicole, ¡°There are some matters at thepany that I need to tend to. I¡¯ll go to HQ first.¡± Feeling a strange heaviness in the air, Nicole did not inquire further and simply agreed. ¡°Alright, go ahead.¡± After a slight nod, Jared instructed Max, ¡°Drive.¡± Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Max acknowledged and brought the engine to life. After passing through the gate, Max¡¯s expression became grim. ¡°Mr. Johnston, there¡¯s a problem with the project we were discussing. Mr. Dalton said that the data we provided was incorrect, leading to significant errors in their subsequent operations. The losses this time are pretty bad, and Mr. Dalton wants an exnation from us.¡± ¡°How could the data be incorrect?¡± A cold gleam shed in Jared¡¯s eyes. ¡°I¡¯m not sure. Normally, the data would not have been wrong. We¡¯ve already verified it on our end,¡± Max replied, expressing his confusion. He was familiar with the data and genuinely believed that there should not be any issues. ¡°Get someone to investigate and find out.¡± Jared ordered in an icy tone of voice. If Max was certain that there could not be any issues, yet problems still arose, it could only mean one thing ¨C something must have happened in between. ¡°I¡¯ve already assigned people to investigate, but we have not received any results yet,¡± Max replied. Chapter 2178 Chapter 2178 ¡°Let¡¯s go to the office first.¡± Jared¡¯s pupils slightly narrowed. His gaze was so dark that it was impossible to discern his thoughts. Meanwhile, at the Riddle residence, Nicole had already entered the living room with Nn and Lana. ¡°Mom?¡± ¡°Grandma!¡± The three of them greeted Gloria and plonked themselves on the couch. ¡°You¡¯re back.¡± Gloria¡¯s eyes narrowed into a smile. ¡°I thought you would stay until the evening.¡± ¡°We came back after having lunch.¡± Nicole sat down and proceeded to express her concern for Gloria. ¡°Why are you sitting here instead of resting upstairs?¡± ¡°I suddenly felt restless and could not sleep, so I sat here for a while.¡± Gloria then shot a nce at the window. ¡°Jared brought you back just now, didn¡¯t he? Why did he note in?¡± ¡°He has something to do at work, so he went off to deal with them,¡± Nicole exined. ¡°He has something to tend to on a weekend?¡± Gloria asked, surprised. Nicole nodded. ¡°There might have been an emergency.¡± She had overheard Max receiving an important call earlier. Though she did not know the details, she could sense the subtle solemness in the atmosphere afterward. Gloria was puzzled. ¡°What sort of unexpected urrence could the Johnston Group be forced to deal with?¡± Moreover, Jared went there personally. Could it be something serious?¡¯ she asked herself. Hearing that, Nicole¡¯s eyebrows furrowed involuntarily. She also found it strange, and now that she thought about it. Max¡¯s expression at that time seemed somewhat troubled. Nicole could not understand the feelings brewing within her, but she simply had the urge to help Jared out. ¡°Mom, I¡¯m going to my room.¡± ¡°Go ahead, I¡¯ll take care of Nn and Lana,¡± Gloria nodded, thinking that Nicole also had something to attend to. Nicole quickly went upstairs to her room and turned herputer on. After assessing the system files of the Johnston Group, she became puzzled, as she did not find anything unusual. ¡®Everything seems fine, so why did Max¡¯s demeanor feel off? If it¡¯s not because of the ongoing project, could it be a problem with the project they were discussing?¡¯ she wondered. Suddenly, upon arriving at a realization, Nicole quickly worked on theputer, and retrieved Max¡¯s call records. Nicole squinted after she had understood the contents, her eyes bing dark and cold. Questions then began to arise. The project was going to be a sess, so what problems did it have? How could a project that had been running smoothly encounter issues that had caused direct financial losses to the otherpany? How could Max make such a rookie mistake? And how would Jared handle this matter?Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org. The night fell silent, with nary a chirp from the outside. Everyone in the Riddle residence had gone to sleep, but the light in Nicole¡¯s room was still on. When Jared returned home and saw that glimmer of light, his gloomy expression instantly eased, and his eyes turned gentle. It felt good to know that someone had kept a warm light on for him. He went upstairs to his room and was somewhat surprised to find Nicole still awake. There, he could not help but ask,¡± Why are you still up at this hour?¡± ¡°I was waiting for you.¡± Nicole looked up at him and closed theptop in her hands. Jared raised an eyebrow the instant he heard that. ¡°What were you busy with?¡± Instead of answering the question, Nicole put theptop away and asked, ¡°How did it go?¡± She already had a rough idea of the situation, but she did not know how he nned to resolve it. She had just been trying to find a solution online, hoping to help him in some way, but he had returned before she could make any progress. Chapter 2179 Chapter 2179 Jared immediately understood Nicole¡¯s intentions when he heard her asking him these questions, but then, he could not help but brush it off. ¡°I think it might take a while.¡± ¡°Can you think of an idea to solve this?¡± Nicole asked. Jared nodded. ¡°There are quite a number of solutions to this but they¡¯re notpletely effective as we¡¯re still researching them.¡± ¡®Every solution has its own set of pros and cons, and the final one has yet to be determined,¡¯ he thought. ¡°Well, it¡¯s best to have a solution when things go awry.¡± Nicole issued a huge sigh of relief. ¡®This won¡¯t affect the Johnstons much.¡¯ ¡°Yeah, don¡¯t worry about it.¡± Gentleness shed across Jared¡¯s eyes as his hand caressed Nicole¡¯s hair. Then, he spun around and made a beeline for the bathroom. Nicole set herptop aside while waiting for Jared toe out from the shower. Nicole had been focusing oning up with a solution the entire night. She was relieved when she could finally get some shuteye, as she was beginning to feel a little tired. Nicole¡¯s heart skipped a beat when she felt Jared¡¯s concern over her. It was the first time she had noticed any traces of warmth in his eyes. The next day, the sun shone brightly, and each member of the Riddle family left the residence after they had eaten their breakfast. Nicole and Jared too were about to leave the house when Daniel stopped them. ¡°Jared, I heard that you were having some problems with your projects. How¡¯s it going now? Is it going to be tough?¡± ¡°They¡¯re fine for now. We¡¯re just looking for solutions.¡± Jared calmly responded. ¡°That¡¯s good to hear.¡± Daniel then turned to look at Nicole.¡± You don¡¯t look too good. Don¡¯t strain yourself too much.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, Dad. I¡¯m okay.¡± ¡®It¡¯s probably because I overworked myselfst night. I¡¯m feeling great though,¡¯ Nicole thought to herself. After they had bade their goodbyes to Daniel, both Jared and Nicole left the Riddle residence. On the other hand, Tia had brought the twins, Nn and Lana, with her and were about to hop onto Stanley¡¯s car. N?velDrama.Org ? 2024. ¡°Mom.¡± The twins called out to their mother in their cute, little voices. This prompted Nicole to walk over and look at Tia and Stanley. ¡°Is it¡­ convenient for the two of you?¡± ¡°Stanley said there¡¯s something he wants to do, and it so happens that he will be passing by the kindergarten, so it¡¯s okay,¡± Tia exined in a low voice. Nicole raised her eyebrows and looked at Stanley, ¡®Oh? How coincidental.¡¯ ¡°There¡¯s a seminar,¡± Stanley said in a calm voice. ¡°Well, okay then. Off you guys go. Don¡¯t let me hold you back, ¡± Nicole said. Nicole, however, could not shake the thought of Stanley¡¯s expression looking a little off-putting, though it had since returned to normal. ¡°Well, it¡¯s almost time for us too.¡± ¡°Mommy, we¡¯re leaving.¡± The twins called out to their mother when they heard they were about to drive off. ¡°Miss Riddle? It¡¯s best that I get going now.¡± Tia nodded and got into the car. Nicole genuinely believed that Stanley was in the area to drop the twins off, so she hurried them off, not wanting to hold Stanley back, as she knew it would not be appropriate to bete. ¡°Okay, off you guys go.¡± Nicole watched as the car left, the corners of her lips twitching involuntarily. A glint then shed across her eyes. ¡®Stanley and Tia look a bit off¡­¡¯ ¡°Hop in!¡± Jared called out as he eyed the curiosity on Nicole¡¯s face. With his brows raised, he grabbed her arm and buckled her in before bringing the engine to life. Nicole leaned into her seat, continuing to think about Stanley and Tia¡¯s odd behavior when her phone rang out of the blue, derailing her train of thought. She frowned upon seeing that Lulu was the caller. Tm almost at the office though. She knows this, so why is she calling me? Is there an emergency?¡¯ she wondered. Chapter 2180 Chapter 2180 Nicole answered the phone, ¡°Lulu? What¡¯s the matter?¡¯ ¡°Nicole, I thought our meeting with Sky Corporation regarding Al development went well. They phoned me just now, saying that they¡¯re backing out of the deal, so I¡¯ve decided to call you to tell you about this.¡± Lulu anxiously stated. Nicole¡¯s eyes narrowed, her expression turning cold. ¡®They¡¯re not going to sign the contract with us?¡¯ Unconsciously, Nicole turned to look at Jared. ¡®Why are things not going our way? Could someone be plotting against us?¡¯ ¡°Okay, I got it,¡± Nicole finished, hanging up as she bit her lip. Then, she pocketed her phone, fuarrowed her eyebrows, and thought, ¡®Something definitely smells fishy.¡¯ Soon, the car came to a halt, with Jared turning over to look at Nicole. ¡°If there¡¯s anything you need, you can call me.¡± Though Nicole was unsure of what exactly went wrong, she could sense that there was inevitable trouble heading her way. With that, she gave Jared a faint smile. ¡°I can handle it.¡± ¡®He has his fair share of problems to deal with, I better solve my own problems myself,¡¯ she thought to herself. Nicole pushed the door open and got out of the car. Nicole only walked into the office after she had seen his car speeding away. In the car, Jared¡¯s eyes darkened, as his voice became low and gravelly. ¡°Is there any progress?¡± ¡°The nning department was working overtimest night, and they hade up with the most appropriate solution,¡± Max replied in a low voice. ¡°Well, let us just settle the problems from the project first.¡± Jared¡¯s eyes narrowed, ¡®This has been dealt with, and now, there are other pressing matters I need to look into.¡¯ Things were indeed happening a little too fast for Jared to wrap his head around them, ¡®I guess all we can do now is to solve it. As for the other things, we can put them on the back burner for now.¡¯ In the midst of the mess, Jared was clear about the notion that the things happening recently were not as simple as it seemed. ¡®The data crisis must¡¯ve had some minor error that was overlooked. I must see to that matter for myself.¡¯ Max nodded in agreement with a somber look on his face.¡± Yes, sir. After I¡¯m done arranging the matters here, I¡¯ll get a team to further our investigation.¡± Max understood Jared clearly, as he himself also felt that this was an issue thatmanded proper care and attention, for it was not one that could be easily resolved andid to rest. Jared¡¯s eyes darkened a little as he leaned into his seat, his gaze darting out the window as if he was deep in thought. On the other side, Nicole had just entered the office when she was osted by Lulu, who was already waiting for her in the lobby with a stack of documents in her arms. ¡°I feel that this issue is very odd. It¡¯s as if someone had pulled some strings.¡± Lulu¡¯s expression became solemn, unable to pinpoint the core of the matter. ¡°Yeah.¡± Nicole nodded. ¡®I¡¯m certain that something doesn¡¯t add up.¡¯ Nicole opened the document Lulu had given her, and a grimace instantly crossed her face. ¡°Sky Corporation is going to work with NandoCorp?¡± Nicole gritted her teeth in silence. ¡®So it is the doing of Damien and Everett.¡¯ ¡°Though they have yet to announce it to the public, I happened toe across this by luck,¡± Lulu said, feeling a little dejected. ¡®Sky Corporation is being a little strange. Why would they give up on working with us and choose to form a partnership with NandoCorp instead?¡¯ Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. ¡°I know. Since that¡¯s the nature of the issue, we can give up on this project.¡± Nicole¡¯s eyes darkened, turning frosty in an instant. Hearing this, Lulu was taken aback. ¡°Give up?¡± ¡°Yeah, go sort out the paperwork for this.¡± Nicole closed the document in her hand, indicating she had no interest in reading it any further. Lulu immediately got up and took the documents off her hands. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll do it right away.¡± After Lulu had left, Nicole¡¯s eyes narrowed as her thoughts engulfed her. ¡®Is this another one of Damien¡¯s stunts or is NandoCorp so capable that they can go head-to-head with us when ites to duking it out for projects?¡¯ A knock on the door interrupted her thoughts, and less than a second after, Steve walked in withrge strides. Chapter 2181 Chapter 2181 ¡°Damien made his move?¡± Steve¡¯s expression was very stern and somber. The project with Sky Corporation was very dear to him, and he was at the brink of questioning his entire existence to figure out how Damien had acquired their project. ¡°I think so.¡± Nicole shrugged, not aware of what was happening. ¡°You think so?¡± Steve was at loss due to Nicole¡¯s response.1 What does she even mean?¡¯ Steve bit his lip before hesitating for a moment. Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. Then, Nicole looked Steve in the eye and said, ¡°It just feels a little strange.¡± ¡®Even if Damien has what it takes to stand against us, this wouldn¡¯t be the time he has shown us how capable he is. One thing is clear for sure. They were being way too obvious. On top of that, how could Everette to be this calm in this, out of all situations? Theynded themselves this major project. How could they be this calm?¡¯ she pondered. Steve, on the other hand, was unable to remain calm, so he muttered, ¡°Do you think someone deliberately set this up to pit the head office against NandoCorp?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t rule this possibility out.¡± Nicole¡¯s mind singled one particr individual out at once, a mischievous look crossing her face. ¡®Since when has Raine gotten so smart, or was it James¡¯ idea?¡¯ Steve noticed the smirk on Nicole¡¯s face and asked, ¡°You have an idea, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°We can give up on this project with Sky Corporation. I would like to see what Everett can do.¡± Nicole¡¯s eyes glinted with mischief, as she hoped to see if the person messing with them was Raine or not. ¡°Okay, then we shall follow your n. I too want to see what good Everett can do. Besides, you¡¯re the one holding the Fire Crest,¡± Steve said with a sneer. ¡°The Fire Crest?¡± Nicole looked at Steve nkly. ¡°What is that?¡¯ Steve looked at Nicole and patted her on the head. ¡°I got too excited for a while there and forgot you don¡¯t have all your memories back.¡± ¡°Steve, did you just say I¡¯m the owner of the Fire Crest?¡± Nicole frowned a little. ¡®I don¡¯t even know what the Fire Crest is and now I¡¯m the owner?¡¯ she wondered. ¡°Back in the day¡­¡± Steve then carefully told Nicole about the legend of the Fire Crest, with Nicole nodding hesitantly as she listened on. ¡®Oh, so I happen to own a century-old crest that¡¯s powerful enough to rally everyone to my cause. It¡¯s a pity that I can¡¯t remember any of this. Besides, I can¡¯t even recall where my crest is now. It would be useless now, I¡¯m afraid,¡¯ she thought. ¡°Well, it doesn¡¯t matter if you have the crest or not. I believe that Everett is no match for you,¡± Steve assured. Nicole could not help but smile upon hearing that. ¡°Thanks Steve. It wouldn¡¯t be any better even if we possessed the crest.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true. We can¡¯t force things. Perhaps one day you¡¯ll be able to recall all your memories and retrace your footsteps.¡± Steve stated, being of the opinion that there was no need to discourage Nicole from regaining her memories. Nicole nodded and agreed, ¡°Yeah.¡± Still, Nicole was unable to brush aside the fact that she was unable to regain her memories, a predicament which left her frustrated. ¡°Perhaps I can get someone to investigate the Fire Crest itself?¡¯ ¡°Well, in this case, if there¡¯s any updates, I¡¯ll share it with you and Sean,¡± she said. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll wait for your good news.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Nicole smiled, with Steve nodding and leaving thereafter. Nicole bit her lip as she frowned in confusion at not being able to wrap her head around where to begin her investigation on the Fire Crest. ¡®Where should I even start investigating? If I seek for Jared¡¯s help, it would just be a bother, as he could be too busy¡­,¡¯ Nicole thought to herself, before deciding to forget about it until she had thoroughly made her mind up about it. Chapter 2183 Chapter 2183 Nicole then felt as if she was taking a dive into her memories, her brain filled with random fragments of events she had experienced in the past. However, she could not get a grasp on any of those fragments. No matter how hard Nicole tried, she could not get a clear picture of what it was. ¡°Ouch.¡± Nicole finally opened her eyes, trying to regain her senses after being rendered unconscious. ¡°Are you okay?¡± Martin, who was in shock, asked in concern. Nicole¡¯s cognizance gradually returned. She turned to look at Martin and shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± he reassured. Martin then poured a ss of water and handed it to Nicole. ¡°Drink up and take some rest.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Nicole took The Moon off her head and grabbed the ss of water. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, you are worrying too much about this. It won¡¯t help you at all,¡± Martin said in an attempt to convince Nicole. In response, Nicole nodded. ¡°I understand. It¡¯s just that I saw a lot of fragments just now, and I couldn¡¯t see them clearly no matter how hard I tried. It was useless.¡± On the contrary, Martin was a little surprised. ¡°Really?! You can recall some fragments of your past!?¡± ¡®Even if she can¡¯t see them clearly, it is at least a good sign! Her memories might stand a chance at recovery after all!¡¯ he thought. ¡°Well, it¡¯s a shame it didn¡¯t work out in the end,¡± Nicole sighed. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if we seed now or not. I believe that we will, eventually.¡± Martin¡¯s confidence level skyrocketed. Upon hearing that, Nicole¡¯s eyes brimmed with determination. ¡®I will get my memories back no matter how difficult it might be.¡¯ After downing a ss of water, Nicole felt better and proceeded to request for another round of treatment there and then. However, Martin stopped her just in time. ¡°We can stop here. I¡¯m afraid if we were to go on, we might not yield any results.¡± Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. Martin was worried about Nicole. He wanted her to rx and adjust herself for the time being before coming back another time. After giving it some thought, she agreed, ¡°Alright then.¡± ¡®What he said made sense,¡¯ she thought, having understood Martin¡¯s words. After that, Martin nced at the time. ¡°It¡¯s noon. Let¡¯s grab some lunch?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Nicole agreed, reasoning that it would be fine for the two of them to have lunch together. Soon, the two of them left the R&D Lab and settled down in a restaurant. The both of them ordered their meal and began chatting about the avability of treatment options. ¡°I will have to readjust the treatment n after I get back.¡± Martin smiled softly, hoping that Nicole would recover as soon as possible. ¡°Alright. I¡¯lle back right after you have made those adjustments,¡± Nicole replied after a moment of consideration. Martin nodded in agreement. ¡°I¡¯ll definitely call you when the timees.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Both chatted casually, and soon, when lunch was served, they dug in. In an unfortunate turn of events, Nicole had not noticed a woman who was sitting at the corner of the restaurant, ring at her menacingly. Iris had not expected that she would bump into Nicole here either. On top of that, to see Nicole having lunch with another man as she enjoyed herself. Iris was uncertain as to who the man was but one thing for sure; their rtionship was not as simple as it seemed. She gritted her teeth as she whipped her phone out and discreetly took a photo of the two of them, deliberately capturing them in strange angles to make them seem more intimate. Iris stared at the screen of her phone, snorting coldly before switching to an anonymous ount to send the pictures to Jared¡¯s inbox. Nicole, I would like to have Mr. Johnston see what exactly your true colors are. I doubt Mr. Johnston will be easily fooled by your antics this time.¡¯ Chapter 2184 Chapter 2184 Meanwhile, at the Johnston Group headquarters, Jared was working at his desk when an email from an unknown sender popped into his inbox. He raised an eyebrow as he stared at the anonymous message, hesitating for a while before clicking it. Jared¡¯s eyes narrowed as he stared at the contents of the email. ¡°Max,¡± Jared called out with obvious hints of displeasure in his voice. Max quickly entered the room. ¡°Mr. Johnston.¡± ¡°Get someone to keep an eye on Nicole. There¡¯s someone tailing her,¡± he ordered as the atmosphere in the room became as cold as ice. Max quicklyplied. ¡°I had assigned a bunch of guards to keep a lookout for her prior to this. They should be in close proximity to her. I¡¯ll be in contact with them.¡± Max quickly conveyed the message to the team of guards who were watching over Nicole, and naturally, it did not take long for them to receive the message. ¡°Mr. Johnston, they¡¯re heading there now. They¡¯ll be responsible for the safety of Ms. Riddle,¡± Max reported. ¡°Okay.¡± Jared issued a sigh of relief. ¡°Mr. Johnston, do you think Ms. Riddle is being targeted?¡± Max asked with a hint of doubt in his voice. Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org. ¡°Someone sent a photo of Nicole and Martin having lunch together. I¡¯m assuming that this individual must be in the restaurant too. Try and find out who they are,¡± Jared posited. Not only did they take pictures of Nicole, but they had the guts to send it to me. Who the hell does that?¡¯ he fumed. ¡°Okay,¡¯ Max agreed. ¡°I think it¡¯s best if I go there myself.¡± The group of guards had already arrived and was watching over Nicole in secrecy. Their main objective was to go undercover and prevent themselves from being exposed unless they happened to be dealing with specific situations where extra security measures were required. Although the guards Max had sent out were already guarding Nicole to ensure her safety, Max was still restless, and was determined to go out there and check the scene out himself. Soon after Max had left, Jared¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡®There have been an increasing number of incidents recently. I feel like someone is monitoring our every move, as if they¡¯re waiting for an opportunity and the right time to attack both Nicole and I.¡¯ Meanwhile, at the restaurant, Nicole and Martin had parted ways after lunch with Nicole returning to her office. The guards that had been called over ensured Nicole was not in danger. However, no one had noticed a dark figure hiding in their car. Iris pushed the edge of her hat down, and watched as Nicole left the ce. She scanned the area before feeling relieved. As soon as she had seen Max walking into the restaurant earlier, she scrambled and skedaddled out of there. Iris was unsure of what happened after Max had entered the restaurant. The atmosphere there had be so strange that it triggered within her a reluctance to leave. Instead, she stayed to monitor everything that had happened. Then, Iris followed Nicole all the way to the headquarters of the Riddle Corporation, in which, much to her chagrin, she found nothing. Iris gritted her teeth. ¡®I¡¯ve already sent the photo to him, but then Max appeared. This means he has already seen the email. Why does he seem so unbothered? Is it because he doesn¡¯t care at all?¡¯ The more Iris thought about this, the more agitated she became in the parking lot of the Riddle Corporation where she was. She stayed right outside thepany, killing hour after hour until office hours were over, after which she watched as the employees left in waves. Nicole, however, did not leave the office until hourster. Iris was surprised to see Jared¡¯s car rolling up to the driveway as soon as Nicole had exited the building. She watched as Nicole got into the car and left. Iris was left in shock as she tried to process all of this. Chapter 2185 Chapter 2185 ¡®Why? Why does it seem like it didn¡¯t affect him at all?! He has obviously seen my email, and Max even came to the restaurant. It¡¯s obvious that my n was a sess, but how is this the oue?!¡¯ N?velDrama.Org ? 2024. Iris racked her brain, unable to understand the reason as to why Jared was unfazed. This made her boil as she gritted her teeth. ¡®I¡¯ve waited here all afternoon like an idiot, and this is the oue of my n?! Why does he care so much about her?! What tricks did Nicole have up her sleeve?!¡¯ she fumed. Iris¡¯ eyes became even darker as she continued gritting her teeth in anger. Meanwhile, Jared and Nicole were heading toward the Riddle residence. ¡°Max went to the restaurant where I was having lunch. Did something happen?¡± Nicole asked, her voice filled with curiosity. The moment Nicole saw Max, her first instincts informed her that something had happened. Seeing that Max did not take the time to greet her and just happened to be busy looking for something, however, Nicole had brushed it off. However, now that Nicole was with Jared, she was puzzled over the entire incident earlier during lunch. ¡°Someone was tailing you at the restaurant. I had asked Max to go over to check it out.¡± Jared¡¯s eyes turned frosty. ¡°Tailing me?¡± Nicole was shocked. ¡®Could it be my enemy? I didn¡¯t sense that there was anything off then¡­¡¯ ¡°Someone took a photo of you eating with Martin and sent it to me.¡± Jared replied without mentioning the other half of the story as he believed that Nicole could connect the dots. Nicole, who was quick to understand, frowned. ¡°It couldn¡¯t be the paparazzi, could it? I guess they wanted to extort a little bit of cash from you.¡± ¡®Who in the right mind would have the time of the day to take garbage pictures of Nicole having lunch with Martin?¡¯ he thought. ¡°Perhaps Max arrived a littlete, and so, he couldn¡¯t find any suspicious characters there.¡± Jared¡¯s eyes glinted with ice. ¡®I will find this person and deal with them once and for all. I can¡¯t risk this person being near Nicole in the future. Nobody¡¯s going to get away with this again.¡¯ ¡°Since the culprit was at the restaurant earlier, I¡¯m sure they had left a trace or two.¡± Nicole furrowed her eyebrows and whipped herptop out. With that gesture, Jared understood what Nicole was up to. In no time, Nicole had already hacked into the restaurant¡¯s surveince system. There were quite a number of patrons eating at the restaurant at the exact same time when they were having lunch. Nicole scanned through the surveince clips but was unable to identify anyone suspicious. Still, there was a hint of skepticism in Nicole¡¯s eyes as she turned to look at Jared. ¡°Are you sure that person was in the restaurant?¡± ¡°The phone came from that perspective¡­,¡¯ Jared pointed out as he took a nce at herptop screen. ¡°It should be in that direction.¡± Nicole quickly zoomed in on the surveince footage and took a good look at the guests sitting at the tables in the corner. ¡®All of them seem to be eating and chatting as they normally should. None of them were looking in my direction¡­ except¡­1 Nicole reyed the surveince quickly and found a woman sitting in the corner. However, the moment Max entered, the woman had quickly gotten up and rushed toward the bathroom withouting out later on. Nicole stared at the woman¡¯s figure. She could not put her finger on who the woman was, but she did look oddly familiar. The woman was wearing a huge pair of sunsses too, so Nicole could not get to identify her facial features properly. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect it to be a woman¡­,¡± Nicole snorted. ¡®Now everything seems to make sense as to why she did this. The woman bolted when she saw Max enter the restaurant. For a dimly lit restaurant, she was wearing a pair of sunsses worth around two to three hundred dors.¡¯ Jared frowned. ¡®How is it a woman? Who could this be? Max! I ¡®Right. When she saw Max, she immediately left. This person must be acquainted with Max. That rules out the idea that she was a paparazzi. It must be someone close to Jared,¡¯ Nicole thought to herself. Chapter 2186 Chapter 2186 Not only does the person know Jared well, but they also know his email address and Max¡¯s too. This person must be an employee of the Johnston Group.¡¯ ¡°Send this clip to Max and ask for him to arrange someone tounch an investigation,¡± Jared ordered. ¡°Okay.¡± Max agreed almost immediately. ¡®It was weird enough that I wasn¡¯t able to catch anyone on the scene. Who would have known that the culprit ran away as soon as they saw me enter. What could that person possibly be thinking? Was it done to create a rift between Mr. Johnston and Ms. Riddle? Talk about being ridiculous,¡¯ Max pondered. The car came to a halt, and Nicole realized they had already arrived. She got out of the car, with Jared in tow. Max drove away once after they had both disembarked. ¡°Come on let¡¯s go,¡± Nicole sighed,pletely drained after everything that had happened today. Jared looked at Nicole, and noticed she was a little tired. He grabbed her by the arm and brought her home. Inside, Gloria was ying with Lana in the living room. Strangely enough, the residence seemed a little emptier than usual. ¡°Mommy.¡± Lana waved her tiny arms as she rushed toward Nicole. Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org. Nicole patted Lana on the head, whereupon Lana turned to look at Jared. ¡°Daddy.¡± Jared bent down and picked Lana up, before the three of them went to the living room and sat down on the couch. ¡°Where are the others?¡± Nicole asked casually. ¡°Your dad took Nn upstairs. He said he was going to do something. Spencer and Samuel called, saying they won¡¯t be back for dinner, while I think Stanley¡¯s in the study,¡± Gloria exined. Seeing that Spencer and Samuel were not home yet, Nicole could not help but snicker. ¡®It seems that their love lives are going well. On the other hand, Stanley spends most of his time in the study. When will he get a girlfriend?¡¯ ¡°What¡¯s up with Nn? Do you want to go up and check on him? I¡¯m worried that he¡¯s sick,¡± Gloria said. After all, Gloria was the only worrywart when it came to Nn. ¡°I think he¡¯ll be fine,¡± Nicole reassured. She was well aware that Nn had gone upstairs to check on his ranking. He had been doing his desire to increase his ranking that had gotten him parked in his roomtely. ¡°Yes!!!¡± A scream red out from Nn¡¯s room. Not only does the person know Jared well, but they also know his email address and Max¡¯s too. This person must be an employee of the Johnston Group.¡¯ ¡°Send this clip to Max and ask for him to arrange someone tounch an investigation,¡± Jared ordered. ¡°Okay.¡± Max agreed almost immediately. ¡®It was weird enough that I wasn¡¯t able to catch anyone on the scene. Who would have known that the culprit ran away as soon as they saw me enter. What could that person possibly be thinking? Was it done to create a rift between Mr. Johnston and Ms. Riddle? Talk about being ridiculous,¡¯ Max pondered. The car came to a halt, and Nicole realized they had already arrived. She got out of the car, with Jared in tow. Max drove away once after they had both disembarked. ¡°Come on let¡¯s go,¡± Nicole sighed,pletely drained after everything that had happened today. Jared looked at Nicole, and noticed she was a little tired. He grabbed her by the arm and brought her home. Inside, Gloria was ying with Lana in the living room. Strangely enough, the residence seemed a little emptier than usual. ¡°Mommy.¡± Lana waved her tiny arms as she rushed toward Nicole. Nicole patted Lana on the head, whereupon Lana turned to look at Jared. ¡°Daddy.¡± Jared bent down and picked Lana up, before the three of them went to the living room and sat down on the couch. ¡°Where are the others?¡± Nicole asked casually. ¡°Your dad took Nn upstairs. He said he was going to do something. Spencer and Samuel called, saying they won¡¯t be back for dinner, while I think Stanley¡¯s in the study,¡± Gloria exined. Seeing that Spencer and Samuel were not home yet, Nicole could not help but snicker. ¡®It seems that their love lives are going well. On the other hand, Stanley spends most of his time in the study. When will he get a girlfriend?¡¯ ¡°What¡¯s up with Nn? Do you want to go up and check on him? I¡¯m worried that he¡¯s sick,¡± Gloria said. After all, Gloria was the only worrywart when it came to Nn. ¡°I think he¡¯ll be fine,¡± Nicole reassured. She was well aware that Nn had gone upstairs to check on his ranking. He had been doing his desire to increase his ranking that had gotten him parked in his roomtely. ¡°Yes!!!¡± A scream red out from Nn¡¯s room. The others did not know what the ruckus was; none except for Jared and Nicole. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Daniel and Stanley¡¯s nervous voices emanated from upstairs. ¡°It¡¯s nothing, grandpa and Uncle Stanley. You guys can go ahead. I will y for a little while longer,¡± Nn said, signaling that he had won his game. Shortly after, Daniel and Stanley came downstairs. They all ate their dinner together, though the atmosphere around the table was not as lively as usual. After dinner was over, Lana went off to watch TV for a while, not content with going to bed just yet. Gloria too joined Lana, insisting that she was not tired. Meanwhile, Nicole went upstairs to get some rest. She was utterly exhausted, and to top it off, she had a lot on her mind. After arriving in her room, Nicole quickly turned herputer on to check Nn¡¯s ranking. To her surprise, Nn had been promoted by three tiers. This filled her eyes with admiration. ¡®He¡¯s quite good.¡¯ The others did not know what the ruckus was; none except for Jared and Nicole. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Daniel and Stanley¡¯s nervous voices emanated from upstairs. ¡°It¡¯s nothing, grandpa and Uncle Stanley. You guys can go ahead. I will y for a little while longer,¡± Nn said, signaling that he had won his game. Shortly after, Daniel and Stanley came downstairs. They all ate their dinner together, though the atmosphere around the table was not as lively as usual. After dinner was over, Lana went off to watch TV for a while, not content with going to bed just yet. Gloria too joined Lana, insisting that she was not tired. Meanwhile, Nicole went upstairs to get some rest. She was utterly exhausted, and to top it off, she had a lot on her mind. After arriving in her room, Nicole quickly turned herputer on to check Nn¡¯s ranking. To her surprise, Nn had been promoted by three tiers. This filled her eyes with admiration. ¡®He¡¯s quite good.¡¯ Chapter 2187 Chapter 2187 Nicole clicked on a link, bringing her to The Hunter web, whereupon the mission interface appeared. It was a little different than it was before. Before this, Nicole had only epted missions. This interface, on the other hand, was for sending missions out. Soon, after creating a new nickname for herself, effectively making her untraceable, Nicole posted the search for the five crests. She was wise enough to not post directly under the Crest Forum. After all, it would be too direct, and everyone could easily guess it right off the bat and ultimately, know it was rted to her. ¡®Who would let anyone know that the Fire Crest is in my hands? Who would even bother with the reward at this point when they cane right at me.¡¯ After the post had been uploaded, Nicole switched herputer off. She was very well aware that it was a challenging task for anyone to take on. Indeed, she was just testing her luck, as her options were pretty much limited. ¡®Instead of waiting, I guess the better way to do it is to think of other alternatives,¡¯ she thought. ¡°It¡¯s going to be hard to find.¡± Jared¡¯s voice red out from behind. Jared saw Nicole¡¯s post on the mission interface and immediately knew that Nicole was on the search for the Fire Crest. Back when Jared was searching for Nicole, he had used the Fire Crest as a marker to search for her, knowing that Nicole had it in her possession. Finding the Fire Crest would be equivalent to finding Nicole. However, none of them both could be found, for there were no leads to begin with. Hence, it became a never-ending cycle for Jared. ¡°We can¡¯t give up like this,¡± Nicole sighed. ¡®I have to get it back no matter what,¡¯ she thought. Jared sat down next to Nicole. ¡°What made you think of finding the Fire Crest out of the blue? Was it the treatment today that made you recall something about it?¡± ¡°No.¡¯ Nicole shook her head. ¡°Steve told me all about it earlier.¡± Upon hearing it, Jared¡¯s eyes darkened for a moment. ¡®It might be quite the issue if I must be honest. Everything can remain as it is, even if she can¡¯t regain her memories. However, all of these revtions would be too much for her to ept.¡¯ ¡°Let¡¯s look for it slowly. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be able to get your answers.¡± Jared said, not pressuring her by asking what she could recall from her treatment earlier. Instead, he gentlyforted Nicole, as she leaned on his shoulders. Nicole sighed. ¡°I really want to regain my memories as quickly as possible. My memories, the Fire Crest¡­¡± These were Nicole¡¯s top priorities, yet none of them were in he patted her lightly on the back tofort her. It was then Nicole realized that she had unconsciously leaned into his arms, and in an instant, she started flushing red from the embarrassment. ¡°I¡¯m going to go take a shower.¡± Nicole quickly stood up in a panic and scrambled into the bathroom. This gave Jared a good chuckle. Nicole¡¯s proactive response toward Jared had made him realize that there was a healthy amount of progress in their rtionship. The next day, the sun shone brightly on Nicole¡¯s office, which, in spite of that, remained gloomy. Sean and Steve were both there, having a discussion with her. ¡°There¡¯s some form of connection with Raine. Since when she has gotten the smarts for this,¡± Steveined with a sour grimace.Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. ¡°She doesn¡¯t have it. She just found someone who has,¡± Nicole stated with a smirk on her face. ¡°Nicole, since it¡¯s Raine who¡¯s been ying tricks, do you have any ideas?¡± Steve asked with a pessimistic look. Nicole bit her lip as she squinted her eyes. ¡°I¡¯m sure she just wants to watch Everett and I go against each other while she sits there and watches the drama unfold. I can¡¯t let that happen.¡± ¡®These were all tricks that she had used before. How could I fall for petty tricks like these?¡¯ ¡°But if we do this, won¡¯t they be proud of themselves?¡± Steve said, clenching his teeth. A sinister smile crossed Nicole¡¯s face at that instant. ¡°Then let¡¯s make sure neither of them gets a chance.¡± Chapter 2188 Chapter 2188 She would not give anyone the chance to see her make a fool of herself and profit from it. ¡°That¡¯s a great idea,¡± Sean nodded in agreement and admiration. Even if Everett and Raine banded together, none of the Riddles would be afraid of them. This went without mentioning that their coboration was not even official, so they were even less of a concern, let alone a genuine threat. ¡°So what n have youe up with?¡± Steve asked without anyints, seeing that Nicole and Sean had reached an agreement. Instead, he began looking forward to taking action. ¡°Let¡¯s start with Sky Corporation,¡± Nicole said meaningfully as she looked at both Sean and Steve, whereupon she exined her n in detail. ¡°Alright, that¡¯s it,¡± Steve agreed, already eager to try it out. Sean nodded as well. ¡°I¡¯m fine with that. Let¡¯s go ording to your n.¡± ¡°Great, then we should start preparing for it,¡± Nicole smirked, before beaming brightly. Soon, after Steven and Sean had left, Lulu came into the room. have severed the cooperation, and they¡¯ll soon sign the contract with NandoCorp,¡± Lulu mumbled. N?velDrama.Org ? 2024. ¡°Alright,¡± Nicole looked at Lulu. ¡°Now, go over to Mr. Bet and agree to his proposal.¡± ¡°You¡¯re going to coborate with Mr. Bet? Doesn¡¯t that mean?¡± Lulu¡¯s eyes widened. The direction and category of Mr. Bet¡¯s partnership proposal was simr to that of Sky Corporation. However, they had reached an agreement with Sky Corporation first, and thus, they had declined Mr. Bet¡¯s. But now that the understanding between the former had been rendered null and void, they acquired a second chance, one that was precious. If they epted the partnership proposal from Mr. Bet and acted quickly, they could get ahead of NandoCorp andplete their design so that they could enter the market earlier. That would put NandoCorp at a disadvantage. The more Lulu thought about it, the more excited she became. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll go get it settled now.¡± Lulu turned around and strode away, causing Nicole to chuckle while shaking her head. Leaning back against her seat, Nicole turned theputer on. She was going to personally design and develop the project. At the same time, in the Johnston Group headquarters, Jared was sitting in front of his desk, his eyes darkening while he was deep in thought. His train of thought was only derailed by three knocks on the door. Max opened the door and came in thereafter. ¡°Mr.Johnston? Mr. Dalton just approved the new proposal. He will begin to remedy on his end ordingly. As for the others, he said he would await our results.¡± Understanding Mr. Dalton¡¯s intentions, Jared narrowed his eyes. ¡®Results, huh?¡¯ ¡°Mr. Johnston, there are clues pertaining to the investigation as well/ Max paused. He then lowered his tone, and continued, ¡°The entire issue may have something to do with Lawrence.¡± Darkness flitted in Jared¡¯s eyes for but a split second. As it turned out, Lawrence had begun to take his revenge on him. Jared would be surprised if Lawrence did not react, as thetter was not the kind to take losses lying down. Lawrence could not possibly act as if nothing had happened after losing a project he valued the most. ¡°Is there anything else?¡± Jared said, his voice carrying a hint ofcoldness. In reply, Max hesitated before saying, ¡°That¡¯s all for the time being. I just find it a little suspicious.¡± Jared looked at Max, and Max continued, My point is, even though Lawrence is exacting his revenge on us, how did he get a hold of our confidential information?¡± Chapter 2189 Chapter 2189 How did Lawrence manage to tamper with the data of the Johnston Group? After all, only the people who had sifted through it would know, and only a minority of people in thepany were a part of the process. The only usible exnation was that someone had leaked thepany¡¯s confidential information. Max, however, was of the opinion that none of thepany¡¯s employees had a motive to betray them. Other than that, nobody was seen behaving in an unusual manner. ¡°Arrange for a thorough investigation,¡± Jared instructed, his eyes glinting with frost. They had to find out if it was an insider¡¯s doing, as thepany could not afford to keep a rat in their midst. ¡°Yes,¡± Max agreed with a somber expression. Indeed, thepany could never keep and tolerate such moles who would stab them in the back. ¡°What¡¯s going on over at Riddle Cooperation,¡± Jared asked. ¡°There is indeed a slight issue over at Mrs. Johnston¡¯s ce. But she has already made the necessary adjustments. There¡¯s no saying who would be the unfortunate er on, though it would definitely not be Mrs. Johnston,¡± Max gloated. Some people just could not seem to learn. None of them were remotely even in the same league as Nicole in the past. Even after five long years, they had not made any significant, tangible progress. Knowing that Nicole was fine, Jared felt more at ease.¡± Alright, get back to work.¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Max obliged, turned, and left in a stride. Thinking about Nicole, Jared smiled, and his dreary mood lightened a little. On the other side, Nicole suddenly sneezed as she was busy with her work. ¡°Achoo!¡± After rubbing her nose, Nicole blinked her eyes and continued her work. ¡°Nicole, Mr. Johnston is probably thinking about you. Aren¡¯t Luluughed, teasing Nicole. ¡°Nonsense, it was probably just the cold from the air conditioner,¡± Nicole yfully red at Lulu, her cheeks flushed a shade of rosy red. ¡°Hehe,¡± Lulu approached and leaned against Nicole¡¯s desk. With one hand propping her chin up, she asked with an expression befitting of her gossipy nature. ¡°So Nicole, when is your wedding with Jared? I bet it must be a grand one!¡± Raising her eyebrows at Lulu, Nicole said meaningfully, ¡°I¡¯m the youngest in my family. Thus, my brothers should get married first.¡± Not expecting Nicole to take control of the narrative, Lulu blushed at once. ¡°Hey! We were clearly talking about you. Why are you dragging me into this now? Besides, we are not in a hurry.¡± ¡°Actually, you can be in a hurry,¡± Nicole smirked and teased. This caused Lulu to shake her head vigorously. ¡°No, we¡¯re not. We are really not in a hurry.¡± Seeing that Lulu had fallen for the bait, Nicole decided not to let her off the hook. With a curious look, Nicole asked, ¡°How¡¯s it going with you and Spencer? I¡¯ve noticed he¡¯s been picking you up from work recently.¡± Nicole thought that the couple should have made significant progress in were still at a standstill. Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org. ¡°W-We¡¯re doing fine,¡± Lulu¡¯s cheeks flushed an even darker shade of red. Nicole raised her eyebrows, a knowing look shing in her eyes. It seemed to her that good news would be just around the corner. ¡°It¡¯s almost time for lunch. Let¡¯s go,¡± Nicole stood up and stopped with the teasing. ¡°Let¡¯s go then,¡± Lulu breathed an internal sigh of relief. Being queried about her rtionship with Spencer did indeed make her panic, and her heart, unbeknownst to her, was racing. The twodies walked out of the headquarters and headed for a meal at the restaurant near the company. After ordering a meal, they got busy chit-chatting, when they suddenly heard a melodious violin duet. ¡°Woah, isn¡¯t that Spencer?¡± Someonemented from a seat not far away. ¡°He¡¯s so handsome. He¡¯s simply a fluttering gentleman,¡± another person chimed in. ¡°Wait, hasn¡¯t he always yed solo before? Why would he be in a duet today?¡± Chapter 2190 Chapter 2190 ¡°Who¡¯s that girl? She¡¯s so pretty! Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org. Having overheard the discussions around them, Nicole and Lulu shifted their attention to the big sma screen. It was disying a musical concert, and Spencer, as a special guest, was performing in it. Lulu knew the fact that he was participating in the concert, but she was unaware of the fact that he would be sharing the stage with another person. Lulu had never seen or heard from Spencer about the girl who was performing with him. ¡°It¡¯s just a performance,¡± Nicoleforted Lulu softly after noticing how crestfallen she was. ¡°I know. He did inform me about his performance today,¡± Lulu shed a beaming smile in response. Lulu did not mind the notion of Spencer performing with someone else. But as she looked at the dazzling Spencer, she felt a pang of insecurity deep down. What made it worse was that he was standing beside such a beautiful girl, leading Lulu to believe that this was originally how Spencer¡¯s future should have been. Feeling a sense of bitterness deep within, Lulu shifted her attention, not daring to continue watching the performance. Noticing Lulu¡¯s despondency, Nicole gently patted her hand, saying, ¡°Don¡¯t think too much about it.¡± Lulu paused and smiled a little just as the waiter served them their meals. ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s eat.¡± Nicole shook her head lightly as she noted Lulu¡¯s fake smile and ceased all mentions of the subject altogether. After lunch, Nicole and Lulu left the restaurant. To distract Lulu from her listlessness, Nicole suggested.¡± Come with me to Mr. Bet¡¯s ce this afternoon.¡± Taken aback by the proposition, Lulu eximed, ¡°You¡¯vepleted the preliminary design!¡± ¡°Yep, let¡¯s discuss it with Mr. Bet when we meet,¡± Nicole replied. In truth, there was no need for Nicole to personally meet Mr. Bet. She just wanted to bring Lulu out to unwind, hence the suggestion of them both going out together. Sure enough, with something on her hand to keep her away from the devil¡¯s yground, Lulu¡¯s mood improved, and she followed Nicole¡¯s busy schedule until the end of the day. ¡°Mr. Bet wasvish with his praise for the designs. He even said that, with you taking charge, he was even more confident in the coboration,¡± Lulu remarked with eyes brimming with joy. Nicole smiled in response. ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± ¡°He said to leave the rest to him. He will definitely guarantee your satisfaction,¡± Lulu added. Nicole¡¯s eyes narrowed, bing downcast soon after. ¡®It¡¯s best this way.¡¯ After tidying up their desk, they left thepany, but just as they were leaving, someone called out, ¡°Lulu.¡± Turning her gaze to the voice, she saw Spencer who had just gotten down from the car and was waving at her. ¡°You¡¯re here,¡± Lulu smiled, walking over to Spencer. Nicole took a sweeping nce and followed her from behind. ¡°I saw the musical concert you were performing in today.¡± ¡°Oh really?¡± Spencer seemed a little surprised. He then turned to look at Lulu. ¡°I wanted to invite you to the scene, but something came upst minute. That¡¯s why I couldn¡¯t call you.¡± ¡°That¡¯s alright. We saw it during lunch,¡± Lulu exined with a smile. ¡°Spencer, weren¡¯t you always used to performing solo? Why was it a duet today?¡± Nicole asked Spencer with a curious look on her face. Hearing Nicole¡¯s question, Lulu instantly put on a somber look. She strained her ears, wanting to find out more regarding the situation. Nicole raised her brows. She knew Lulu was curious about the question too. However, Lulu would never bring it up to Spencer if Nicole did not ask first. Chapter 2191 Chapter 2191 ¡°She¡¯s the fresh face in ourpany. We had to add her performance into the list today at thest minute for the rehearsal at thepany. That¡¯s why I didn¡¯t have time to pick Lulu up to see the show,¡± Spencer exined frankly. ¡°So that¡¯s why,¡± Nicole responded, her eyes fixed on Lulu. And as if Nicole had read her mind, Lulu felt an inexplicable sense of embarrassment. ¡°Alright then, you two can go ahead. I won¡¯t disturb your date,¡± Nicole waved her hand, signaling both to leave. ¡°Okay,¡± Spencer said. He was also aware that Jared¡¯s car was just parked ahead and did not want to hold the couple up longer than he needed to. ¡°Spencer, just bring Lulu home if you have nothing to do. Don¡¯t always go out on dates,¡± Nicole teased and turned around to search for Jared. ¡°Spencer?¡± A sweet female voice red out, causing Nicole to abruptly pause and whirl around. The few people in the scene turned their attention to the girling toward them in unison. It was the same girl who had made an appearance on TV today together with Spencer; she must be the new girl Spencer had mentioned. ¡°Hi, what are you here?¡± Spencer asked in confusion. The girl then looked at Nicole and Lulu, before replying, ¡°I was passing by and saw you. So I got out of the car to take a look.¡± The junior saw Spencer with these two women and wondered about his rtionship with them. She asked curiously, ¡°Are these your friends?¡± ¡°Let me introduce them to you,¡± Spencer said and looked at Nicole. ¡°This is my junior whom I just told you about. Her name is Icyln.¡± Nicole nodded toward Icyln. ¡°I¡¯m Nicole, Spencer¡¯s sister.¡± Upon hearing that Nicole was Spencer¡¯s sister, a smile crossed Icyln¡¯s face. ¡°Hi.¡± Content is property of N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Lulu, Nicole¡¯s secretary,¡± Lulu followed and introduced herself. Nicole raised her brows slightly, wondering why Lulu had introduced herself as her secretary. ¡°Lulu¡¯s my girlfriend,¡± Spencer was discontented with Lulu¡¯s introduction and pulled her to his side. He thought, ¡®Why did she say she was Nicole¡¯s secretary? Was it so difficult to say that she was my girlfriend?¡¯ This surprised Lulu, who then stared at Spencer. She had never expected him to introduce her to someone so seriously. ¡°Girlfriend?!¡± Icyln was taken aback, unable to help herself from stealing a nce at Lulu. ¡°Yes,¡± Spencer nodded in affirmation. In response, Icyln¡¯s expression stiffened. ¡®Spencer actually has a girlfriend? But this girlfriend of his seems so mediocre. Biting her lips discreetly, Icyln nodded at Lulu before ignoring her on purpose, after which she looked at Spencer and said, ¡°Hey, I¡¯m new to San Joto, so I¡¯m not familiar with this ce. Can you show me around?¡± ¡°Yea, alright,¡± Spencer agreed. After all, he had already promised his teacher that he would look after Icyln. Icyln reached out and took Spencer¡¯s arm happily. ¡°What are we waiting for? Let¡¯s go then.¡± Spencer unknowingly withdrew from her grasp. ¡°Not now. Maybe tomorrow. If there¡¯s nothing going on in thepany tomorrow, I will show you around.¡± Spencer would keep his promise to his teacher, as expected. However, this was his only time alone, and he already had ns with Lulu long ago. He did not want to cancel his date just because of a neer. As for Icyln¡¯s desire to explore San Joto, he believed it could be done tomorrow during work hours. In a tone hinting at her being aggrieved, Icyln said, ¡°Spencer, I just came here. It¡¯s so lonely being on my own. Can¡¯t you stay with me?¡± i ¡°I don¡¯t think your choice toe to San Joto is a good one, since you are still so dependent on the company of others. Isn¡¯t it better to stay in your own familiar environment?¡± Nicole looked at Icyln with eyes brimming with curiosity, her voice filled with concern. Chapter 2192 Chapter 2192 Icy In¡¯s expression froze, and her face nched in frustration. However, Nicole was Spencer¡¯s sister, so Icyln could only grit her teeth and put on a fake smile. ¡°Exactly, I¡¯m not satisfied with the way I am, so I wanted to get out of myfort zone and train myself.¡± ¡°Oh, I see,¡± Nicole nodded in understanding. She proceeded to encourage Icyln, ¡°In that case, I think you should adapt to being alone as soon as possible. Otherwise, your trip here wouldn¡¯t be meaningful, or even enjoyable.¡± Nicole then looked at Spencer, saying, ¡°Isn¡¯t that right, Spencer?¡± ¡°Exactly,¡± Spencer replied, backing his sister up. He too felt that if Icyln was not prepared, she should not have left home ande to San Joto on her own. Icyln¡¯s smile froze, unable to hold it together at this point, and in a troubled tone, she could only agree, ¡°Alright then. So you wille to thepany tomorrow, right?¡± ¡°Of course,¡± Spencer ndly responded, for it was a certainty that he would go to thepany if he did not have any performances arranged. ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll wait for you at thepany tomorrow,¡± Icyln agreed, her voice feeble as if giving the impression of helplessness. Nicole¡¯s pupils contracted, and she turned to look at Lulu. She noticed Lulu¡¯s face had nched as well, and that was where she realized she was not the only one with this odd feeling. She noticed that something was off from the very beginning. Even though Spencer had clearly introduced Lulu as his girlfriend, Icyln had ignored the fact nheless. Icyln had even grabbed Spencer¡¯s arm and acted cute with him, an act which Nicole had found to be rather irksome. Naturally, Lulu was on guard as Icyln¡¯s actions had made her ufortable. Noting Lulu¡¯s paleplexion, Spencer asked in concern,¡± Are you alright?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Lulu shook her head. ¡°Are you tired of standing? We¡¯ll get going first,¡± Spencer replied, worried that Lulu was tired. He looked at Nicole thereafter, and said, ¡°We¡¯ll go first.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± Nicole agreed without hesitation. Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. Spencer then turned to Icyln. ¡°See you tomorrow at thepany.¡± With that, Spencer got in the car with Lulu and left. Watching as the vehicle barreled away, Nicole smirked,¡± Icyln? Until we meet again.¡± Nicole believed they would meet each other quite often in the future. If Icyln was smart enough, she would know how to behave. ¡°Goodbye,¡± Icyln politely bade her farewell, whereupon Nicole nodded in response and walked away. Just like that, the lively scene died down, leaving Icyln alone. The smile on her face gradually faded, and her eyes reeked with resignation as she looked in the direction where Spencer¡¯s car had driven away. On the other hand, Spencer saw Lulu leaning against the seat, looking rather deted. His eyes were full of concern as he asked, ¡°If you¡¯re really too tired, we can cancel the n. I¡¯ll send you home first, or you cane to mine. We¡¯ll eat at my ce, so that you wouldn¡¯t have to go home with an empty stomach.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go home first,¡± Lulu bit her lip and answered. She understood Spencer had considered everything carefully. However, she was not in the mood to go to his house. Besides, she was in a terrible state of mind. As such, she did not want to affect other people as well by going to his house. ¡°Alright then,¡± Spencer agreed, slowly pulling the car over into a parking space. In surprise, Lulu asked, ¡°Why did you stop the car?¡± ¡®This isn¡¯t my house. Didn¡¯t Spencer say he was going to take me home?¡¯ Lulu wondered. Chapter 2193 Chapter 2193 Lulu really needed some time to figure things out herself, having been overwhelmed by the incidents she had experienced today. She needed her own space to calm down. Spencer pushed the car door open and got out. ¡°Come on. There¡¯s a supermarket in front. Let¡¯s go grocery shopping first.¡± Worried that Lulu would not eat properly when she headed home, Spencer decided to buy some ingredients so that they could whip up a meal at her houseter. ¡°G-Grocery shopping?¡± Lulu asked in surprise. ¡°What for?¡± At that moment, Lulu had no appetite to eat as she just wanted to go home. ¡°We¡¯re eating at your house tonight, so we need to buy some ingredients. Otherwise, we¡¯ll have to settle with eating pot noodlester,¡± Spencer teased Lulu. He then came over to open the car door on the passenger side, pulling Lulu out. Lulu reacted ordingly, knowing that Spencer wanted to go home and share a meal with her. He had probably known that she was not going to eat, and that it would lead up to the situation where she could not stand the hunger and settle for pot noodles. Amid the cocktail of emotions, Lulu was touched by his actions. Concurrently, however, she was heartbroken. ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Spencer held Lulu¡¯s hand and led her toward the supermarket. Lulu was half a step behind Spencer, looking up at his tall and elegant figure. He was so outstanding, and she had always thought that as long as she worked hard, she would be qualified to stand by his side. But today¡¯s incident made her question herself. Today had made her wonder if she could really do it, or work things out with him. She was lost in her thoughts as she suddenly lost all the confidence she had been building all this while. Noticing Lulu¡¯s silence and preupied look, Spencer asked. ¡°What are you thinking about?¡± Lulu bit her lips and pretended as if nothing was going on, saying, ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I was just a little curious about that junior of yours. I¡¯ve never heard you mention her before.¡± In regard to Icyln, Lulu could not deny the fact that she did not mind her. After all, Icyln was such a stunning girl, making her impossible to ignore. ¡°Icyln is from Siathern. She used to study under my teacher, so he had asked me to keep an eye out for her when she came to San Joto,¡± Spencer exined. ¡°And she¡¯s now in yourpany. Will she stay here?¡± Lulu asked, gritting her teeth a little. ¡°I¡¯m not sure about that. That¡¯s apany matter. Besides, we don¡¯t work under the same agent, so I¡¯m not certain of her future developments,¡± Spencer answered truthfully. What¡¯s more, Spencer did not care much about Icyln¡¯s affairs. He had only promised his teacher to look after her. As for Icyln¡¯s career or developments in life, it was beyond his considerations. Lulu wanted to remind Spencer that Icyln seemed to like San Joto and might even stay here. She chewed her lips and hesitated because she feared Spencer might not understand what she actually meant. Just as they reached the entrance of the supermarket, Lulu brushed her thoughts aside and followed Spencer to shop for ingredients. Since he was staying for dinner, Lulu had to prepare dishes he liked to eat. The couple shopped for ingredients together, discussing what they wanted for dinner. The sweetContent is property of N?velDrama.Org. and loving atmosphere resembling that of a real married couple began to show, and Lulu¡¯s mood gradually improved. Night fell soon after, and Nicole noticed Samuel being a little crestfallen and depressed in the dining room. She raised her eyebrows with a smirk and asked, ¡°What¡¯s with that expression? Did you just get dumped or something?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not far from that,¡± Samuel helplessly heaved a sigh. Looking at his lifeless demeanor, Nicole could not help butugh. ¡°Well work hard then, or else you might lose to Spencer.¡± ¡°Ugh,¡± Samuel heaved another sigh and buried his face in his te, directing his grief onto the food. Having registered her son¡¯s current state of mind, Gloria asked, ¡°What happened? Why don¡¯t you share it with us? We can help you out.¡± Chapter 2194 Chapter 2194 ¡°There¡¯s no need forthat,¡± Samuel shook his head, as having others around to assist him in solving problems of this sort was embarrassing to say the least. ¡°Mom, forget it. Just wait for the good news,¡± Nicole smiled and advised. After all, no one could help another with rtionship matters. ¡°That¡¯s right. Let the kids handle their own affairs,¡± Daniel said while serving his wife some food. ¡°I¡¯m finished. You guys take your time,¡± Samuel said while putting his empty bowl down. He then got up and went upstairs, each step heavy and loud. ¡°Why would he¡­¡± Gloria shook her head helplessly. Nicole looked at Samuel¡¯s figure, and a hint of amusement crossed her eyes. She was certain June and Samuel did not have a fight. If anything, June would never have the heart to fight with him, while Samuel would definitely not pick on June either. It was probably because June had been too anxious about Samuel¡¯s pursuit and might have spewed some harsh words as a result. Still, it did not really matter, as the two of them obviously cared for each other. Therefore, Nicole had no doubt that their rtionship would not be in trouble. After dinner, Jared and Nicole went upstairs and entered Nn¡¯s room. ¡°Daddy, Mommy,¡± Lana shouted joyfully when she saw her parents. ¡°Hi Lana, you¡¯re in your brother¡¯s room as well,¡± Nicole smiled, not expecting Lana to be here. ¡°What are you doing?¡±Content is property of N?velDrama.Org. ¡°I¡¯m building blocks, and Nn seems to be taking up a task, ¡± Lana nced in Nn¡¯s direction, where he was busy at hisputer desk. Lana got bored in her room alone, so she hade to y with Nn. However, Nn seemed busy, so she had to y with herself. Still, her being forced to y alone in her brother¡¯spany was better than doing so in a room all on her own. Jared lowered his gaze to look at Lana¡¯s blocks and asked,¡± What are you building, Lana?¡± ¡°A castle,¡± Lana smiled sweetly and tugged at sems of Jared¡¯s jacket. ¡°Daddy, will youe to y with me?¡± ¡°Why, of course,¡± Jared sat down and yed with Lana. Looking at Jared¡¯s big figure sitting on the mat, ying with blocks, Nicole¡¯s eyes shed with a hint of amusement. This scene did not feel out of ce; instead, it felt heartwarming. This felt like an act of compensation for the five years he had missed with the children. With joy in her eyes, Nicole looked at Nn, who seemed to be totally engrossed in his task. Raising her eyebrows, she curiously approached him from behind. ¡®Why is he so serious today? It is as if he is dealing with an enemy. Well, this is a first. I have never seen him being so serious before. Could it be that he has taken on a difficult task?¡¯ After getting a clear look at the screen, Nicole¡¯s pupils contracted in shock, and she asked, ¡°Nn, what are you tracking?¡± ¡°Oh, it¡¯s the mission you¡¯ve posted before about the five major crests. I saw someone had epted it but backed out rather quickly. So, I wanted to find out who it was. I wanted to know who had taken the mission and backed out, ¡± Nn answered without stopping what he was doing even for a second. ¡°Stop what you¡¯re doing right away,¡± Nicole¡¯s tone became stern. ¡°Oh, alright,¡± Nn immediately stopped, halting the tracking process. Although he did not understand why, he habitually listened to Nicole whenever the act of hacking was concerned. After the system had returned to its default settings, Nn asked Nicole in curiosity, ¡°Mom, why can¡¯t I continue tracking?¡± Chapter 2195 Chapter 2195 ¡°That person took the mission and backed outter on. There are only two possibilities. First, he found out that he could notplete the mission. Either that, or he was testing us to get an idea of what our identities are,¡± Nicole exined to Nn. Nn blinked his big eyes twice, seemingly having understood what she was saying. ¡°So, that means he might not have a clue about any of the crests, but he wanted to find out who was interested in searching forthem?¡± Nicole stroked Nn¡¯s hair in relief. ¡°Let¡¯s not rule out this possibility,¡± If anything, Nicole felt this was the most likely reason as to why that individual had backed out. ¡°That was close,¡± Nn sighed as he almost got Nicole in trouble, ¡°In the future, don¡¯t do anything risky at random. All you need to care about now is your ranking. As you hone your abilities, your ranking will naturally get higher,¡± Nicole said with a hint of gentleness in her eyes. At the end of the day, Nicole wanted to protect Nn, and improve his skills in a proper way. ¡°Alright, I get it. If I encounter any problems again, I will inform you first,¡± Nn promised, his gaze filled with the determination of an adult. ¡°Good,¡± Nicole agreed with a delighted smile. N?velDrama.Org ? 2024. ¡°This is Daddy¡¯s study. This is Mommy¡¯s and Nn¡¯s¡­¡± Looking at Lana¡¯s chubby fingers pointing at every part of the castle with a beaming smile, Nicole felt a surge of warmth in her heart. The sky became darker thereafter, and the couple returned to their room once they had checked on their kids. ¡°You can go ahead and take a shower first. I still have things to take care of,¡± Nicole said while taking herptop out, her expression solemn and unsmiling. Knowing what Nicole was going to do, Jared¡¯s pupils contracted. Instead of entering the bathroom, he sat down and stayed beside her. Nicole operated theputer and quickly essed an interface, tracing a certain cyber trail with utmost caution. After a while, she logged out from the interface. ¡°It was indeed a trap,¡± Nicole said with a sigh. Just as Nicole had suspected, the other person was trying to uncover her identity. If she had not stopped Nn, Nn¡¯s IP address would have been discovered by the other party. This would expose his identity, along with hers. ¡°Who was it?¡± Jared asked, a cold glint shing in his eyes. ¡°I¡¯m not sure. The other person had an anonymous ount, so nothing can be found,¡± Nicole exined. Knowing what her enemy was doing, Nicole did not dare to perform a thorough check. She did not want to alert the other party, as that would make it difficult for her to detect them in the future. After logging out of the system, Nicole shut herputer down. All she had to do was sit tight and lead her adversary into believing that she had not found anything about them. That way, she might still have a chance when they gradually let their guard down. In any case, Nicole was more than curious about who the person was. She believed that they would not just disappear into the night. She was also convinced that she would be able to find them. To do so, she would have to start out by discovering some clues. ¡°Add a firewall to your and Nn¡¯sputer,¡± Jared said as his eyes darkened. Although they were both very careful and skilled at what they were doing, it was better to be safe than sorry. Nicole bit her lips and agreed, ¡°Deal, I will.¡± Nn¡¯s actions today were indeed reckless. There were no adverse consequences this time, but there was no guarantee that he would be as fortunate next time. Therefore, they had to n ahead. Upon hearing Nicole¡¯s promise, Jared felt more at ease. ¡°It¡¯s gettingte. Let¡¯s go to sleep.¡± ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s get some,¡± Nicole got up to put theptop away before heading off to the bathroom. When she came back, they bothid down and fell asleep on the bed. In the blink of an eye, the next day arrived. Chapter 2196 Chapter 2196 The new day seemed to be full of hope. After breakfast, everyone was ready to start their busy day. ¡°Hi, Nicole. I¡¯m here to pick Nn and Lana up,¡± Tia arrived, ready to take Nn and Lana to kindergarten. ¡°Hi, Aunt Tia,¡± Nn and Lana grabbed their school bags, greeted Tia, and left the house with her. ¡°Go on. Be good, alright?¡± Nicole reminded them. Then, Nn and Lana waved their hands at Nicole. ¡°Bye-bye, Mommy.¡± ¡°Nicole, well leave first,¡± Tia walked away with the twins in tow. Just as she turned around, she almost bumped into someone¡¯s arm, and in shock, she abruptly stopped in her tracks. Recognizing the person, Tia whispered, ¡°Mr. Stanley. Is there something up?¡± ¡°I was just about to leave. Let¡¯s go together,¡± Stanley said, turned around, and walked away. Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org. Tia stared at his figure skeptically. She was puzzled as Stanley seemed to be busy nowadays. He was always the one who left earliest and came back thetest, which was unlike his usual routine. ¡°Let¡¯s go, Aunt Tia,¡± Nn went over to Stanley¡¯s car with a shrewd look on his face. Tia froze for a moment, ¡°Huh?¡± After that, Lana pulled Tia to the car, saying, ¡°Aunt Tia, let¡¯s hurry up. Otherwise, well bete.¡± ¡°Oh, okay,¡± Tia instantly picked up her pace as she heard Lana mentioning about beingte. After they had all gotten in, the car drove off. Nicole¡¯s eyes narrowed into a meaningful smile as she watched the entire situation. Stanley indeed had special feelings for Tia, after all. ¡°Let¡¯s leave too,¡± Jared¡¯s voice emanated from next to Nicole, causing her to snap back to reality and follow him to the car. Soon, Jared sent Nicole to Riddle Corporation. Just as she had gotten down from the car, she heard someone calling out to her when she was ready to enter the building. Nicole turned around to discover that it was Lawrence, prompting her to be surprised. ¡°Leo? Why are you here?¡± ¡°I was passing by, so I figured I might as well pay you a visit. So, how are you doingtely?¡± Lawrence said with a beaming smile. ¡°Just the same old. Let¡¯s go up,¡± Nicole smiled and took Lawrence up to the office building. At the office, the secretary quickly brought coffee for them before exiting not long after. ¡°Have a seat,¡± Nicole said. After they had both sauntered to the couch and taken their seats, Lawrence asked in a seemingly casual manner, ¡°You seem busytely.¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright. It¡¯s all work stuff, they¡¯re manageable,¡± Nicole smiled, feeling that it was better for her to be upied. In an apparent tone of concern, Lawrence advised, ¡°You¡¯ve still not recovered entirely. Remember not to overwork yourself. Your health should be your top priority.¡± Nicoleughed in response. ¡°I understand, though I really don¡¯t find it exhausting.¡± Lawrence nodded a little, and with a reassuring look, he casually added, ¡°Nn has not been taking up any mission, hasn¡¯t he? I¡¯ve not noticed any activity from himtely.¡± Nicole was taken aback for a moment, but before long, she collected herself and exined, ¡°Well, he does y around asionally.¡± Lawrence nodded with understanding. ¡°No wonder I¡¯ve rarely seen him being active. Though, he does often leave me messages.¡± ¡°Nn left you messages again?¡± Nicole asked in defeat. Nn was indeed quite attached to Lawrence. ¡°Yep,¡± Lawrence smiled. ¡°He mentioned a few days ago that he wants to go to the amusement park when he has free time. I promised I would take him when I¡¯m free.¡± Chapter 2197 Chapter 2197 ¡°This kid,¡± Nicole shook her head helplessly. ¡°Don¡¯t bother with him. I¡¯ll take him and Lana out when I have the time,¡± ¡°Hey, it¡¯s fine. I like bringing them out,¡± Lawrence said with a beam. Nicole changed the topic, not wanting to trouble Lawrence too much. Times were different from when they were on Crescent Ind. In addition, Lawrence had juste to San Joto too, and thus, he must be busy with other issues. ¡°Seeing that you¡¯vee all the way to meet me personally, is there something else?¡± Nicole asked softly. Lawrence sighed without another mention about bringing the kids out on the weekend. ¡°Nothing important. I just wanted to know if there is any progress with the electronic badge you¡¯ve once helped me decipher?¡± i Nicole shook her head, feeling somewhat shameful. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Not yet.¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s alright. I was just asking anyways,¡± Lawrenceforted Nicole as he noticed her downcast eyes. ¡°I¡¯m still trying. I will let you know when there is progress,¡± Nicole said, her gaze glinting with a touch of determination. Nicole knew the value of the electronic badge to Lawrence. Lawrence had aided her so much in the past, so she had always reminded herself that she had to help Lawrence decipher this electronic badge. However, up until now, there had been zero progress. This made her determined to work harder. ¡°It really doesn¡¯t matter. Don¡¯t put too much pressure on yourself,¡± Lawrenceforted. Although he wanted results, he did not mean to rush her. If she could not crack it now, all he could do was wait. ¡°Alright,¡± Nicole nodded gently, deciding to decipher and obtain the badge for him as soon as possible. ¡°Nicole, you¡­¡± Lulu entered Nicole¡¯s office and paused midsentence when she saw Lawrence. Lawrence shot a nce at Lulu, stood up, and said, ¡°It seems that you have work to do. Well, I¡¯ll get going first.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± Nicole replied, aware that Lulu hade in to report something. Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org. After sending Lawrence away, Lulu asked Nicole, ¡°When did Mr. Roycee in? I didn¡¯t even notice. Did he want to talk to you about something?¡± ¡°He was just passing by,¡± Nicole answered, avoiding the details of the conversation. ¡°What were you going to report about?¡± ¡°Oh,¡± Lulu instantly regained herposure. ¡°June just called me. She told me that Samuel got hurt in a match and is being rushed to the hospital.¡± ¡°What?!¡± Nicole¡¯s eyes widened, and her face nched. ¡°I wanted to head to the hospital, so I came over to tell you,¡± Lulu stated, wanting to apany June as she knew that thetter was panicking right now. Nicole bit her lip, after which she said, ¡°We¡¯ll go together.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± Lulu agreed. Then, Nicole hurriedly exined the situation to Sean and Steve through a phone call and left the company building with Lulu. Soon, they arrived at the hospital. June was already there, standing outside the emergency room, anxiously looking inside. Although she could not see anything, doing so calmed her a little. ¡°June,¡± Lulu called out. Turning her eyes to see Nicole and Lulu present, June¡¯s calm facade, which she had been maintaining for a while, crumbled. ¡°You¡¯re here,¡± she wept. ¡°How¡¯s the situation inside?¡± Nicole asked with a furrowed brow. In response, June shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s still unknown. All we know is that he injured his leg.¡± Chapter 2198 Chapter 2198 June was one of those among the audience watching Samuel¡¯s game. The ident had apparently happened in a sh, prompting the doctor on duty to instantly carry Samuel off the ying field. June had not met or spoken to Samuel after they had all turned up. ¡°It seems like all we could do is wait,¡± Nicole bit her lips. By the looks of it, Samuel seemed to have sustained a serious injury, or else they would have treated it on the spot, instead of sending him to the hospital. ¡°I wonder how long it would take. I just want to know how¡­ how badly injured he is.¡± June stammered, looking as though she would rush into the emergency room to check on him in a heartbeat. Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. Lulu held June back and gentlyforted her. ¡°Calm down. Maybe he¡¯ll be out in a second.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go over and sit down,¡± Nicole took them to the row of seats. If Samuel¡¯s injury was indeed serious, she feared there would be a long wait. Still, all they could do was wait patiently. ¡°Yes, let¡¯s go over there and take a seat. Later on, when Samueles out, he¡¯ll need someone strong enough to take care of him,¡± Lulu advised. With that, Junepromised and sat down, though her eyes were still fixed on the emergency room¡¯s door. Time passed by, and just as everyone was growing sick of waiting, the emergency door opened, and a doctor walked out. June was the first to react to his appearance. Withrge, heavy steps, she walked up to the doctor. ¡°Doctor, how is the patient?¡± she anxiously asked. ¡°He sprained his ankle, and there¡¯s a fracture in the lower leg. He needs at least three months of rest. As for the recovery, it will depend on the progress of his rehabilitation.¡± And after advising them on a few precautions they should implement, the doctor left. Soon, Samuel came out in a wheelchair, and upon noticing that Nicole and Lulu were present too, Samuel was taken aback. ¡°Woah, you¡¯re here too!¡± Samuel knew June would be here, as she was at the scene and must have been the first to know the news. ¡°The doctor said you needed to rest. Let¡¯s head to the ward first,¡± June welled up looking at Samuel¡¯s leg in a cast. Nicoleforted June affectionately, ¡°He¡¯s going to be fine. It¡¯s just a minor injury. He will heal soon.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not as simple as you think. The doctor said he needs to rest for three months. Might I add, it has to be total andplete rest,¡± June¡¯s tone became stern and serious, reminding Samuel to be cautious and not to take this matter lightly. ¡°Three months? It¡¯s not that serious!¡± A grimace crossed his face at once. As it turned out, he would have to spend the next three months without exercising. He could already imagine how dreadful and miserable the following three months would be. ¡°You should follow the doctor¡¯s orders. If your recovery does not go well, you won¡¯t even have to think about touching your ball again. You might as well just retire,¡± Nicole rained on his parade upon noticing how sullen he looked. Hearing that, Samuel could only ept his fate. ¡°I get it.¡± Although the next three months were going to be difficult, he felt that it was a more bearable alternative to the possibility of never being able to y basketball ever again. Soon, the nurses ced Samuel in a ward. Right after they had all settled in, Spencer¡¯s voice red out from outside the ward. ¡°He¡¯s here?¡± ¡°Yes, just go in,¡± Stanley¡¯s voice replied. Then, the door pushed open, and both Spencer and Stanley entered. ¡°Spencer! Stanley! You guys came to see me,¡± Samuel acted hurt when he saw his two brothers. Spencer could not help but roll his eyes in disdain. ¡°Why are you so careless? Well, you deserve to be properly bedridden for the next few months.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t want it to happen either,¡± Samuel rolled his eyes. Chapter 2199 Chapter 2199 ¡°What¡¯s up with you really?¡± Stanley asked. ¡°I had a collision during the game. The injury was idental, ¡± Samuel exined, giving them a general description of everything that had urred during the game. Hearing that, everyoneforted him. ¡°Rest well.¡± ¡°What other choice do I have?¡± Samuel grimaced, for he could not move even if he wanted to now. Content is property of N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Mom and Dad have no idea yet. Since you¡¯re not seriously hurt, we¡¯ll go back and inform them about your injury,¡± Stanley stated. The siblings knew about Samuel¡¯s situation, but since the medical examination results were not out yet, they had all decided to hide his injury from Gloria and Daniel. But now that they had discovered that it was not as big a deal, they had to inform their parents. Samuel was after all going to be hospitalized for a while, and the family had the right to know about it. ¡°Oh, yeah. Tell Mom and Dad not to worry about me. I just need some rest,¡± Samuel replied, knowing it was impossible to hide the news from them. ¡°Sean and Steve are going back at night. They will inform and reassure Mom and Dad,¡± Steve added. ¡°Good enough,¡± Samuel uttered, not wanting his parents to worry about him. ¡°You¡¯re going to need someone to take care of you for the night. I¡¯ll hire a caregiver for you,¡± Stanley said while looking at Samuel. By the looks of it, Samuel would not be able to manage on his own and needed someone to take care of him. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I can do it. I even have a wheelchair,¡± Samuel felt that the situation was not dire enough to the point where he was unable to take care of himself. If anything, it would be rather inconvenient and excessive to have a caregiver here to take care of him. ¡°Oh, we still have June. June could take care of him,¡± Lulu pushed June forward. June would not be at ease if someone else were to take care of Samuel. Hearing that the Riddle family wanted to find a caregiver for Samuel, June became too embarrassed to volunteer herself. June shot Lulu a grateful look, as she did not have the heart to leave Samuel alone. With utmost sincerity, she wanted to stay back and look after him. ¡°Why, sister-inw. That¡¯s not what I meant. I know you¡¯re worried and feel heartbroken for Samuel. That¡¯s the main reason why we wanted to hire a caregiver for him,¡± Stanley exined, not meaning to exclude June in the process. The word ¡®Sister-inw¡¯ made June¡¯s cheeks red and rosy, forcing her to wear a poker face and say, ¡°I don¡¯t mind.¡± Samuel¡¯s injury was one that necessitated tending to, so June was rather willing to take on the job. She did not find the notion of being there for him exhausting at all. ¡°Are you sure?¡± Samuel became a little worried. His concern was that if June stayed back for the night to take care of him just to depart for work during the day, she would not be able to take it. June shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m really okay with it. I¡¯ve already taken a long leave of absence from my company.¡± June had indeed taken a three-month leave to take care of Samuel until he recovered. She just could not leave him to face this on his own. Samuel¡¯s eyes widened in surprise, for he was shocked by June¡¯s decision. She had actually taken a long leave for the entire duration of his recovery period. Touched by June¡¯s gesture, Samuel looked at June. ¡°Thank you.¡± Samuel knew how serious June was when it came to her job, but in a strange twist, she was willing to take a leave from herpany just to take care of him. Deep down, he was really touched. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it?¡± June¡¯s cheeks turned maroon with embarrassment. ¡°Well then, we should go,¡± Lulu patted June¡¯s hand. ¡°If you need anything, just hit us up.¡± ¡°Okay, I will,¡± June replied in relief. After a few more words of advice to Samuel and June, the rest of the family finally left the ward. Then, Nicole looked at Spencer and Stanley, asking, ¡°Are you going home?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be going in a bit,¡± Spencer said while looking at Lulu. His intentions were clear as he wanted to send Lulu home before going home himself. Nicole and Stanley instantly understood what he was trying to do, so Stanley smiled at Nicole and said, ¡°Seems like you¡¯re going back with me.¡± Chapter 2200 Chapter 2200 ¡°Spencer, Stanley and I will head back first.¡± Nicole readily agreed. After all, Spencer still had to be the man for his woman, and Nicole was in no position to ruin their fun at all. ¡°I¡¯ll be going home soon too,¡± Spencer responded calmly. After all, a misfortune had befallen Samuel today. Both Sean and Steve had returned home as well, so he had to go home after seeing Lulu off. ¡°I can actually go home on my own,¡± Lulu contested. Understanding the current situation, Lulu felt that there was no need to trouble Spencer with keeping herpany. She could go home by herself. However, by then, Spencer had already taken her hand and said, ¡°C¡¯mon, I¡¯ll take you home first.¡± He could simply not allow her to go home on her own. Besides, the situation was stable now, so there was no need to rush. Content is property of N?velDrama.Org. Hearing that, Lulu bit her lip and followed Spencer with no further issue, and after they had left the hospital, the two cars went in separate directions. Soon, Nicole and Stanley returned to the Riddle family. Sean and Steve had already arrived, and it was obvious that Daniel and Gloria had already gotten to know about the incident today. Seeing the return of her two children, Gloria anxiously asked, ¡°How is Samuel?¡± ¡°Mom, he injured his leg, and he needs to rest. We¡¯ve arranged for him to stay in the hospital, and June is taking care of him.¡± Stanley briefly exined. Gloria felt relieved when she knew that Samuel was not in any form of severe danger. ¡°That¡¯s good to know.¡± ¡°How did this happen?¡± Daniel furrowed his brows a little, expressing his concern. ¡°Samuel said it was an ident, and that his injury is not really serious. He just needs some good rest for a while.¡± Stanley exined again, hoping that their parents would not worry too much. Then, Nicole also stepped in tofort them. ¡°We just came back from the hospital, and Samuel seemed to be in good condition. Furthermore, June is looking after him, so you don¡¯t have to worry too much.¡± ¡°I trust June to take care of him, but can she handle it?¡± Gloria asked, feeling a little sorry for June. After all, this was not a minor injury that would recover in a day or two. ¡°June said she has taken a long leave of absence from thepany. As for whether she can handle it¡­¡± Nicole hesitated. Indeed, it would definitely be hard work, but she believed that June would not feel burdened no matter how difficult it was. ¡°Mom, Dad, you don¡¯t have to worry about Samuel. We will also arrange for others to help.¡± Sean said calmly. Although June was taking care of him, they could not allow them to bear too much of the burden. They felt that June¡¯spany alone was enough to help Samuel and put him at ease. ¡°Yeah, we¡¯ll visit them when we¡¯re free.¡± Daniel nodded in agreement. They had a big family, so the going would not be tough, as everyone in the family would scramble to help each other. ¡°We¡¯ll also go to the hospital to visit Uncle Samuel.¡± Nn and Lana raised their little heads as they dered firmly. ¡°Of course, Nn and Lana will definitely be there to visit Uncle Samuel.¡± Gloria smiled lovingly and caressed their heads. All of a sudden, noises emanated from the entrance, and everyone turned around to see Jareding back. ¡°Daddy!¡± Lana happily waved and ran toward Jared. Jared picked Lana up and looked at her chubby little face before saying, ¡°Did you miss Daddy?¡± ¡°Yes, I missed you!¡± Lana nodded vigorously, trying her best to prove her love for her father. In return, Jared smiled affectionately, and carried Lana to the couch. ¡°Samuel is fine, yeah?¡± Jared asked. He was aware of Samuel¡¯s incident, having also read the room when he saw the whole family gathered together. Chapter 2201 Chapter 2201 ¡°He¡¯ll be fine after a sufficient period of rest,¡± Nicole responded. ¡°Well, since Jared is back, let¡¯s have dinner,¡± Daniel said once he saw that everyone was present. ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s eat,¡± Gloria agreed. Just as they had taken their seats, Spencer entered the room. Seeing that dinner had begun, he sat down in the dining room and joined everyone for the meal. ¡°How is Lulu?¡± Gloria asked with concern, knowing that Spencer had just sent Lulu home. ¡°She¡¯s fine, Mom. Don¡¯t worry,¡± Spencer replied. Gloria nodded. ¡°Well, Lulu and June are both good girls. You and Samuel must cherish them.¡± ¡°Rest assured, Mom, we will.¡± Spencer¡¯s eyes shed with seriousness as he had really been dedicating a great deal of effort to their rtionship. Recently, the desire to settle down and get married had been growing in him. He had also been longing for a married life. ¡°Okay.¡± Gloria was about to remind Spencer to start eating when his phone suddenly rang. Spencer nced at the number and answered the call in confusion. ¡°Icyln?¡± ¡°Uh¡­ Spencer, can youe to the hotel? I¡¯m scared¡­ Ahhhhh!¡± Icyln¡¯s trembling cries red out. Spencer furrowed his brows and asked, ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°Hurry, Spencer! I¡¯m really scared!¡± Icyln yelled, seemingly so frightened that she could not exin anything. All she kept doing was crying and saying that she was scared. This left Spencer with no other option than tofort her,¡± Don¡¯t panic, I¡¯ll be there in a second.¡± After saying that, Spencer hung up and looked at Daniel and Gloria. ¡°Mom, Dad, something might have happened to Icyln. I¡¯m going to check on her now.¡± Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. ¡°Go ahead, do you want your Stanley toe with you?¡± Gloria asked, worried that Spencer might need help. ¡°Nah, I¡¯ll go and see for myself ande back shortly.¡± He then left the house quickly. Gloria sighed as she looked at Spencer¡¯s untouched dinner, but she also knew that Icyln was someone whom his teacher had entrusted him to take care of, so Spencer could not just sit back and do nothing. After themotion, the rest of them simply continued eating and chatting about the recent events and developments. ¡°Mom, Dad, you should visit Grandpa tomorrow. Grandpa might also know about Samuel¡¯s situation. You should go andfort Grandpa so that he doesn¡¯t get himself all worried sick.¡± Nicole reminded Daniel and Gloria. ¡°Ah, thanks for reminding us, or else we would have forgotten.¡± Daniel responded, feeling a little remorseful. ¡°We¡¯ll go to the hospital first thing tomorrow, then the family manor.¡± Gloria agreed. It was then that Sean nced at Nicole and said, ¡°Why don¡¯t you go home for a visit too? Grandpa tends to feel more at ease with you around.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± Nicole began, wanting to say that she still had work to do in the office. Before she could, however, Steve butted in. ¡°Yes, you should pay Grandpa a visit before going to the office. We¡¯ll be there anyway.¡± Daniel and Gloria both looked at Nicole, hoping that she would agree. With the consensus reached, Nicole could not help but smile and agree, ¡°Well, okay.¡± ¡°Join us tomorrow, then,¡± Daniel added. ¡°Sure,¡± Nicole responded. She would first head to the hospital, and the family manor thereafter. And if everything was fine, she would head to the office. After everyone had discussed with one another, their dinner came to an end. Chapter 2202 Chapter 2202 Sean and Steve left soon after and returned to their own homes, while the others went upstairs to their rooms, one after another. Meanwhile, Spencer had arrived at the hotel and there, he saw Icyln crying and trembling in a corner, her face drenched in tears. The sight left him in shock. ¡°Icyln, what happened?¡± Spencer quickly approached Icyln and asked her. Upon hearing Spencer¡¯s voice, Icyln looked up, and when she confirmed that it was indeed Spencer, she abruptly got up and threw herself into his arms. ¡°Ahhhhhh, why did youe sote, Spencer? I was so scared!¡± Icyln wailed. ¡°What happened? Please tell me slowly.¡± Spencer attempted to push Icyln away, but she held onto him even tighter. ¡°Hurry up, it¡¯s right here.¡± ¡°Hey, isn¡¯t that Spencer, the violinist?¡± ¡°What¡¯s going on between him and Icyln?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t just stand there. Quick, take some photos. This is definitely going to make for some spicy news.¡± The clicking of camera shutters emanated as the reporters snapped photos of them, and it was only then that Spencer and Icyln snapped back to reality. Spencer pushed Icyln away, and with a stern gaze, he coldly asked the paparazzi, ¡°Why are you here at this time?¡± They were not just a few ragtag, ordinary reporters. They were a group of journalists with cameras and microphones. Seeing this, Spencer had a feeling that this was not an ordinary sneak shot. Besides, Icyln had just arrived in San Joto. If this incident were to leak out into the public sphere, it would only damage her reputation. If that happened, how would he exin it to his teacher? The sudden coldness from Spencer startled the reporters. They had never seen him like this before. He usually had a gentle andid-back, artist-like demeanor when he appeared on camera or in public. This was the first time he exuded an intimidating aura, something which stood in stark contrast to what he usually disyed in the past. Icyln was shocked as well, for she did not expect Spencer to have such a side to him. Her infatuation for him became even stronger after that. N?velDrama.Org ? 2024. ¡°Spencer,¡± Icyln weakly called out. She hid half of herself behind Spencer, looking like she had been traumatized. Everyone had already misunderstood the rtionship between the two, and now, with the sight of Icyln behaving in such a way, their curiosity, which had seconds before been suppressed by Spencer¡¯s imposing presence, began to stir again. Spencer¡¯s gaze turned cold and sharp when he saw some people sneakily raising their cameras again. ¡°Stop taking photos.¡± ¡°Is it because you¡¯re guilty, Mr. Spencer?¡± someone finally spoke up. They had been tipped off about there being a quarrel or even a fight involving a celebrity at the hotel they were staying at, and so, they naturally hade to check it out. Anything involving a celebrity would be significant news and could make the headlines of the entertainment section. However, what they did not expect was that they would be able to capture a piece of news like this, which was likely even more explosive than what they had originally anticipated. Moreover, now that they had seen Spencer trying to hide and prevent the incident from being exposed, they began to have even more spections about the rtionship between the two. ¡°What did you just say?¡± Spencer¡¯s eyes shed with coldness. He did not engage in anything shameful or disgraceful with Icyln, so what was there to feel guilty about? As there was nothing to report, Spencer did not want these people to create false narratives. He was also concerned about the potential impact this would have on Icyln. If that happened, he would not know how to exin it to his teacher. ¡°Spencer.¡± Seeing how furious Spencer was, Icyln gently tugged at his arm. ¡°Let¡¯s forget about it.¡± Seeing that she seemed really frightened, Spencerforted Icyln, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I promised our teacher that I would take care of you, so nothing¡¯s going to happen to you.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± Icyln¡¯s face turned pale, seemingly panicking as she nced at the crowd of reporters at the door. She had not expected that so many reporters would show up. ¡®However, if we are going to be photographed and exposed¡­¡¯ In a strange twist of events, it would not be a major issue for her. In fact, it would actually suit her preferences. Chapter 2203 Chapter 2203 MY WIFE IS A HACKER CHAPTER 2203-¡°Don¡¯t worry, everything will be fine.¡± Spencer stated, advising Icyln to go back to her room as he would take care of this. Icyln hesitated for a moment, but when she saw the look of persistence on his face, she could only agree, ¡°Okay.¡± After Icyln had returned to her room, Spencer turned to the reporters and asked, ¡°Who told you toe and take photos?¡± ring at the huge group of paparazzi, his intuition informed him that someone had deliberately nned this. ¡°We heard about a possible fight involving a celebrity here, so we came to check it out,¡± someone replied. However, they had inadvertently happened upon and captured something that could spark a thousand more spections in the process. ¡°A fight?¡± Spencer furrowed his brows, finally understanding the reason behind Icyln¡¯s frightened phone call. After a brief moment of contemtion, Spencer shot the reporters a nce and said, ¡°There was no fight here. You can leave.¡± Some reporters even nced into the room, not wanting to give up. However, Spencer¡¯s sharp gaze made them leave, albeit with much reluctance. Once the reporters were gone, Spencer sighed and went off to ask the hotel manager about what had happened. He also reminded the manager to strengthen security. Then, once Icyln had calmed down, he finally left the hotel. The sky hadpletely darkened by that point, and Spencer looked up at the starry sky. He massaged his temples and got into the car, but instead of going home, he headed toward Lulu¡¯s house. As the sun rose, it awakened the sleeping denizens of the earth. The Riddle family house became lively as everyone woke up. They discussed Samuel¡¯s condition and talked about business matters, finishing their breakfast before they even knew it. ¡°Mommy, we¡¯re off to school now.¡± Nn and Lana carried their little backpacks, ready to go. ¡°Okay, listen to Aunt Tia,¡± Nicole reminded them. ¡°Okay, goodbye.¡± After she had watched Tia taking Nn and Lana off to school, Nicole turned back and said, ¡°Mom, Dad, let¡¯s go too. n ¡°Sure, let¡¯s go to the hospital to see Samuel before visiting Grandpa. He even called us early in the morning,¡± Daniel said. For all that it was worth, the issue just could not be kept as a secret. Nicole nodded and looked at Jared. ¡°We¡¯re leaving, Jared.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll pick you up after work,¡± Jared said calmly. ¡°Okay.¡± Nicole agreed and left the house with Daniel and Gloria. Not long after the car had departed, they arrived at the hospital. Inside the ward, June was helping Samuel wipe his hands. It seemed like he had just finished breakfast. Samuel looked up when he saw someone entering. Surprised, he asked, ¡°Mom, Dad, why are you here?¡± ¡°We came to see you.¡± Daniel and Gloria sauntered over to the bedside, and once they had seen the thick ster cast on Samuel¡¯s leg, their hearts began aching at once. ¡°I¡¯m fine. The doctor said I just need to rest for a while, so I¡¯m just going to take it as a vacation,¡± Samuel smiled and reassured his parents. Seeing that he still had the mood to joke, Gloria could not help but give Samuel a stern look. ¡°You¡¯re spouting nonsense even after sustaining such a serious injury.¡± ¡°Heh, I¡¯m really fine,¡± Samuel chuckled. ¡°June, you might have to take care of him during this time.¡± Gloria then looked at June with a grateful expression. Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org. She knew that Samuel could restfortably thanks to June¡¯s care andpanionship. Feeling a little embarrassed, June said, ¡°Mrs. Riddle, you¡¯re being too polite.¡± Taking care of Samuel was something she volunteered for. Besides, she would not be at ease if she could not watch over him. Chapter 2204 Chapter 2204 MY WIFE IS A HACKER CHAPTER 2204-¡°Mom, let¡¯s all sit down and talk.¡± Nicole smiled as she noticed everyone standing. ¡°Oh, right. Let¡¯s sit down.¡± N?velDrama.Org ? 2024. Soon, they all took their seats and talked about Samuel¡¯s injury and casually chatted about other topics. Before they knew it, time flitted by, and it was almost noon. It was only then that they remembered that Mr. Riddle Sr. was waiting for them, so they stood up and left. When Samuel heard that they were going back to the family manor, he instructed, ¡°Dad, tell Grandpa that I¡¯ll be discharged in a few days.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s wait until you can actually leave the hospital before telling him,¡± Daniel differed. Although he knew that Samuel did not want Mr. Riddle Sr. to worry, Daniel also knew that he could not be easily fooled, so they had to tell him the truth. Samuel opened his mouth and issued a sigh of helplessness. He wanted to leave as well, but the doctor would not allow it. After they had left, June could not help butfort him when she had noted Samuel¡¯s somewhat listless appearance. ¡°The doctor said your injuries aren¡¯t severe, but you must rest well to avoid any complications. You have to follow the doctor¡¯s advice.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Samuel nodded. However, the thought of lying down like this for a long period of time made him feel weak all over. June shook her head with a wry smile. She then picked an orange up and started peeling it for Samuel. ¡°Here.¡± June said, ready to hand the peeled orange to Samuel. ¡°Oops, I suddenly lost all the strength in my hands.¡± Samuel teased her mischievously. June red at him, but she went on to feed him the orange slice after slice anyway. Samuel ate it with a beaming smile on his face, and even reminded June to eat some herself too. The two of them went on to have more interactions in a sweet and affectionate manner, creating a particrly warm atmosphere in the room. On the other hand, Nicole, Daniel, and Gloria had arrived at the family manor. ¡°Father.¡± ¡°Grandpa.¡± Upon seeing the group¡¯s arrival, Mr. Riddle Sr. nodded.¡± You¡¯re all back.¡± ¡°Yes, we just came from the hospital,¡± Daniel replied as they took a seat on the couch. ¡°How is Samuel?¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. asked with his brows arched. After giving his father a brief update, Daniel reassured Mr. Riddle Sr., and said, ¡°He just needs some rest to recover. Dad. Don¡¯t worry.¡± ¡°Well, let him rest properly then.¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. paused for a moment. ¡°By the way, it¡¯s about time he settles the marriage and returns to thepany.¡± ¡°Dad¡­¡± Daniel hesitated. He could agree to other things but not Samuel returning to thepany. Even if he did not object to it, Samuel would never agree to it. ¡°Can he y basketball for his whole life?¡± Mr. Riddle Sr.¡¯s forehead became even more creased. At a loss for what to say now, Daniel turned to look at Nicole. Nicole found it amusing as she knew what everyone wanted her to do. ¡°Grandpa,¡± Nicole called out to Mr. Riddle Sr. and directly addressed the issue. ¡°Regarding basketball, let¡¯s leave the decision to Samuel.¡± If Samuel wanted it, everyone should support him. But if Samuel did not want to do it, it would never be toote for him to return to thepany. Mr. Riddle Sr.¡¯s eyes darkened as he said, ¡°The situation isplicated right now, and having more people around will help you put my mind at ease.¡± After much consideration, Nicole decided that it would be best for Nicole to lean on her elder brothers for help, which would be much more reliable andforting. Hearing this, a warm feeling surged within Nicole. ¡®Grandpa is just considering me and thepany¡¯s interests.¡¯ With a smile on her lips, Nicole yfully said, ¡°Oh Grandpa, if you really care about me and my brothers, please respect our decisions, hmm? Samuel really doesn¡¯t need to return to thepany.¡± Chapter 2205 Chapter 2205 MY WIFE IS A HACKER CHAPTER 2205-No matter how tough it got, she could rely on Sean, so there was absolutely no need for Samuel to sacrifice his dreams and passion for her sake. ¡°You cheeky girl,¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. felt a little helpless, for there was nothing he could do but agree. ¡°Dad, did you say that the situation isplicated?¡± Suddenly realizing that something seemed off, Daniel looked at Nicole with a worried expression. Nicole shed a faint smile and pursed her lips. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Thepany has been quite busy recently.¡± ¡°If thepany is so busy, why do you still have the time toe here and chat with Grandpa?¡± a sarcastic voice echoed from the doorway. A frown came over Nicole¡¯s face as she looked toward the door. Raine and James were walking side by side, and after giving Nicole a smug, meaningful nce, Raine turned to Mr. Riddle Sr. and greeted, ¡°Grandpa.¡± ¡°Why did youe back?¡± Mr. Riddle Sr.¡¯s expression instantly turned cold. Raine¡¯s smile almost vanished, so she forced another and exined, ¡°We were discussing a contract and we just so happen to pass by the family manor, so we wanted toe in and see you, Grandpa.¡± ¡°Hmph, I don¡¯t need your concern.¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. said in an unpleasant tone of voice, as he did not have a good impression of Damien and Dillon¡¯s family. ¡°Grandpa, how can you say that? We really care about you.¡± Raine immediately defended herself. Why does Nicole have the freedom toe whenever she likes, but I have to be on the receiving end of a scolding when I visit him? We¡¯re both his granddaughters!¡¯ she thought. Thinking of Damien and Dillon¡¯s family who were concerned about their share of the inheritance, Mr. Riddle Sr.¡¯s grimace became even more sour. ¡°You only care to know who will inherit my assets after I die!¡± Raine wanted to argue, but James stopped her in the nick of time. He shook his head, indicating that he wanted her to hold it back. Reluctant, she gritted her teeth and ultimately calmed down. ¡°Grandpa, we were passing by your house. That¡¯s why we came to visit you. We didn¡¯t know Uncle Daniel and his family were here too. Perhaps, we came at the wrong time and disturbed you by ident,¡± James carefully exined with a feigned look of guilt on his face. ¡°You¡¯re alright, sit down.¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. said, remaining indifferent though he was no longer angered. James and Raine sat down together, and James asked Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org. Daniel about Samuel¡¯s condition, appearing to be concerned too. Nicole squinted her eyes at that sight. James was truly skilled at pretending. If nothing happened after he and Raine had joined DillCorp, perhaps everyone would have been deceived by this unfavored outcast from a mediocre family. ¡°Grandpa, it¡¯s about time for me to leave.¡± Nicole decided, as she was no longer interested in tolerating James and Raine¡¯s pretenses. After all, she hadpleted her objective ofing over today. It would make more sense for her to return to thepany and do something productive. Mr. Riddle Sr. nced at the time. It was almost noon, and he did not want Nicole to leave yet, so he said, ¡°I¡¯ve arranged for someone to prepare lunch. Let¡¯s eat before you go.¡± ¡°Nicole, there¡¯s no rush.¡± Daniel shook his head at Nicole. Seeing the look of reluctance on her grandfather¡¯s face, Nicole smiled and agreed, ¡°If there¡¯s good food, of course, I¡¯ll stay.¡± ¡°Ho ho,¡± Mr. Riddle Sr.ughed, seeing how mischievous his granddaughter was. ¡°Father, let me give you a hand.¡± Daniel helped Mr. Riddle Sr. up- ¡°Let¡¯s eat.¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. said and made his way toward the dining room with Gloria and Nicole in tow, while Raine and James exchanged nces before following suit. They were not there to eat but to see Nicole. ¡®They visited Grandpa out of the blue. What¡¯s their motive?¡¯ At that moment, they were busy wondering about Nicole¡¯s motives for the visit, so they could not simply let their guard down. Chapter 2206 Chapter 2206 MY WIFE IS A HACKER CHAPTER 2206-They sat down in the dining room, and the servants quickly served lunch. Mr. Riddle Sr. had many questions he wanted to ask Nicole, but with Raine and James present, he suppressed his curiosity. They casually talked about family matters, and Nicole naturally yed along, maintaining an enjoyable atmosphere. After finishing lunch, Nicole prepared to bid farewell and leave. ¡°Nicole, are you leaving already?¡± Raine appeared reluctant to see Nicole go. Nicole raised an eyebrow and asked, ¡°Is there something you need, Raine?¡± She had been wanting to leave for a while now. She only stayed because her grandfather asked her to have lunch. Now that they had finished lunch, she obviously wanted to leave. Did they expect her to stay and keep thempany? ¡°I don¡¯t need anything in particr, but I figured that you should spend more time with Grandpa as you rarely visit,¡± said Raine, with a caring expression. Nicole understood well enough that Raine and James¡¯s sudden appearance here was not a coincidence. They were probably suspicious of her and her parents¡¯ purpose foring back, so they wanted to gather some information. Unfortunately forthem, Nicole had no ulterior motives, and even if she did, she would never let Raine find out. With a subtle smirk, Nicole pretended to hesitate and then said, ¡°I have some things to take care of in thepany. If you don¡¯t have anything to do, why not stay and keep Grandpapany?¡± ¡®If you care about Grandpa, prove it with your actions, instead of pretending.¡¯ Raine froze. Nicole was leaving, so how could she stay behind? Besides, who said she had nothing to do? Nicole was clearly mocking her! ¡°Raine, let¡¯s not disturb Grandpa. We can visit him next time. ¡± James timely intervened to defuse the situation. Raine immediately responded, ¡°Yes, I have a contract to discuss. It seems that I can¡¯t stay today.¡± ¡°Alright, if you have something to do, hurry up and leave,¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. grumbled, showing no intention of keeping Raine. ¡°Well then, Grandpa, we¡¯ll take our leave,¡± Raine said with a wry smile. She prepared to leave. Nicole¡¯s eyes glinted as she sat back down, looking like she was in no hurry to leave. Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. Seeing this, Raine¡¯s face paled slightly. ¡®Is Nicole toying with me?¡¯ However, she had already made up an excuse, so she could not just say that she was not leaving anymore. Gnashing her teeth in frustration, Raine red daggers at Nicole. ¡®That damned Nicole, she¡¯s making a fool of me!¡¯ Nicole smirked, her eyes cold as she looked at Raine. Nicole had done it intentionally. She was willing to bet that Raine would not be able to rest easy for the next few days. Seeing Raine standing still, Mr. Riddle Sr. voiced his displeasure. ¡°You just mentioned having a contract to discuss. Why are you just standing there?¡± ¡°Oh, we¡¯re leaving now,¡± Raine agreed reluctantly, still brimming with frustration. Watching Raine and James leave, Nicole smirked triumphantly. Then, she turned to Mr. Riddle Sr. and said,¡± Grandpa, I¡¯m leaving too.¡± ¡°Okay, go on now.¡± Knowing that thepany was busytely, Mr. Riddle Sr. did not insist on keeping Nicole any longer. Chapter 2207 Chapter 2207 MY WIFE IS A HACKER CHAPTER 2207-¡°I¡¯m leaving too,¡± said Daniel. He had something on his mind that he needed to rify with Nicole. Sensing his intentions, Nicole reassured him, ¡°Dad, you should stay and apany Grandpa. I can¡¯t say everything¡¯s fine with thepany, but I can assure you that my brothers and I can manage.¡± At this moment, even if she had said everything was fine with thepany, her father would not believe it. It was better to be honest and alleviate her father¡¯s worries. ¡°Make sure you take care of yourselves. If it bes too much to handle,e back and let us know so we can find a solution together,¡± Gloria advised her daughter, concerned. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mom. It¡¯s nothing serious. We can handle it.¡± Confidently, Nicole waved them goodbye and left. Seeing Nicole¡¯s confident attitude, Mr. Riddle Sr.¡¯s eyes filled with admiration. ¡°Not bad. That¡¯s how the descendants of the Riddle family should be.¡± ¡°Yes, the kids have all grown up. They can handle things on their own now.¡± Daniel and Gloria nodded, satisfied. After Nicole left, she went directly to the Riddle Corporation. Nicole called out to the secretary before entering her own office, ¡°Lulu,e to my office.¡± After a while, Lulu slowly entered the room with her head down. ¡°Nicole, is there something you need?¡± she asked. Hearing the hoarseness in her friend¡¯s voice, Nicole looked at her with a frown. It was then she noticed that Lulu had been keeping her head down. ¡°What happened to you?¡± Nicole asked, eyes full of confusion. Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. ¡°I¡¯m fine. Just give me something to work on,¡± Lulu said, still refusing to lift her head. Nicole asked, ¡°What happened? Did you cry?¡± Lulu¡¯s voice sounded strange, and she refused to make eye contact. Nicole instinctively felt that something was wrong. ¡°I¡¯m fine, really,¡± Lulu insisted. But Nicole was already standing before Lulu, which startled her. She looked up. ¡°Why are your eyes so red?¡± It looked pretty swollen too. Now, Nicole was certain that something had happened, and she started to get worried. ¡°Nicole, you don¡¯t need to ask any further.¡± Lulu lightly bit her lip and lowered her head again. ¡°Exin it clearly.¡± Nicole rarely became serious, but how could she ignore the situation? Lulu weakly said, ¡°It¡¯s a personal matter, and I can handle it myself.¡± She did not want to bring personal matters into work, and she was currently feeling panicked and confused, which was why she needed time to calm down. ¡°A personal matter?¡± Nicole quickly understood. She couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Is it rted to Spencer?¡± She knew Lulu¡¯s personal matters, and there would not be anyone else except Spencer. Under Nicole¡¯s persistent questioning, Lulu finally exined the situation. ¡°Pictures of Spencer hugging Icyln made it to the headlines!¡± She then wondered, ¡®How is that possible? Why would Spencer hug Icyln?¡¯ ¡°I find it unbelievable too. Spencer went to my house yesterday and had dinner there. He said Icyln was in trouble, and he went to help. After that, he came to my ce and stayed for a while.¡± Lulu found it all incredibly unbelievable. Spencer hade to see her yesterday and acted as if nothing had happened. But what was the truth behind him and Icyln? She did not want to believe it, but the photo was right there. If she were to believe it, she just could not imagine Spencer doing such a thing. So, she had been feeling conflicted and uncertain about what to do. Chapter 2208 Chapter 2208 MY WIFE IS A HACKER CHAPTER 2208-Nicole¡¯s pupils constricted upon hearing what Lulu said. It was true that Spencer received a call from Icyln when they were having dinner at homest night, but Nicole did not know what happened exactly. Spencer only told everyone that he was going to check things out at the hotel. Then, everyone went to sleep, and no one knew what time Spencer actually got home. They only saw him again in the morning, so none of them knew that so much had taken ce in the previous night. ¡®Why would Spencer and Icyln get caught by the reporters? What are the odds? Spencer only went to the hotel once and his pictures were taken. It was even photos of the hugging.¡¯ Feeling that something was off, Nicole frowned. ¡°Have you called Spencer?¡± ¡°No.¡± Lulu shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t know what to say to him.¡± Lulu did not know if asking Spencer about it would mean that she did not trust him. She wondered if it would make him upset. On the other hand, she would not know what to do if she did ask and Spencer told her that everything was real. Her thoughts were aplete mess, and she felt utterly lost. ¡°Okay, I got it.¡± Nicole sighed. ¡°We¡¯ll just wait for Spencer¡¯s exnation now that the photos have been spread.¡± Nicole refused to believe that there was something going on between Spencer and Icyln, so she figured the best thing to do was to wait for his exnation.Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. ¡°Okay.¡± Lulu nodded in agreement as she did not have the courage to ask Spencer about it anyway. Nicole patted Lulu¡¯s shoulder and said, ¡°Do you want to go back and get some rest?¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. I can handle this.¡± Lulu¡¯s mood got a little better after talking to Nicole about it, but she was also a little embarrassed. ¡°Okay then. You can get back to work now.¡± Nicole told Lulu to go back to her office. Nicole figured that it would be best for Lulu to stay. Otherwise, going home would easily lead to overthinking. After all, Spencer was the only person who knew the truth. ¡°Okay,¡± Lulu responded and left. Nicole went back to her desk and shook her head helplessly. How could Spencer be so careless?¡¯ Meanwhile, Raine and James had already returned to DillCorp. Right after entering the office, Raine angrily mmed the files onto the desk. ¡°I¡¯m so mad. Nicole¡¯s getting more and more cunning.¡± Raine gritted her teeth. They heard that Daniel and Gloria were going back to the old manor with Nicole, so they hurried over because they were worried that they would be up to something again. However, not only that they could not get any information, but they were even tricked by Nicole, causing them to leave early. ¡°Calm down. If they¡¯re really nning something, we¡¯ll know about it sooner orter,¡± James said to Raine softly. ¡°I¡¯m afraid that it¡¯ll be toote by the time we find out.¡± A sinister glint flickered in Raine¡¯s eyes. Everyone in the Riddle family was coveting the inheritance rights of the family. ¡°It¡¯s fine. We¡¯re not the only people worried about this now,¡± James said eloquently. Raine thought about it for a while and realized what James meant. ¡°Are you referring to Uncle Damien? ¡°Of course.¡± James lifted his brows triumphantly. He figured that Damien and his family would have probably known about this, and he could also find a way to inform them if they had not. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll let you handle this then,¡± Raine said after understanding what James meant. She figured that she could not be the only person feeling angry and frustrated about this. So, she wanted to spread it and share the feelings of dread with everyone else. Chapter 2209 Chapter 2209 MY WIFE IS A HACKER CHAPTER 2209-Raine figured that she might even ruin Nicole¡¯s n unintentionally. She felt a surge of anger thinking that she had yet to find out what Nicole was up to. She desperately hoped that Nicole could be in trouble right now. That would make her feel better. Content is property of N?velDrama.Org. The sun was setting, and it cast a golden glow over the afternoon sky. It was time to get off work, and people began leaving the office one after another. When Nicole and Lulu exited the building, most of their colleagues had already left. Standing in the light of the setting sun, they saw two cars parked by the roadside. Spencer got out of one car as soon as he saw them and walked in Lulu¡¯s direction. ¡°Lulu, I didn¡¯t know things would turn out this way. Would you let me exin?¡± Spencer said in a worried tone. He had a rehearsal that day and it only ended not long ago. That was when he found out that the photos of him and Icyln were leaked. So, he immediately came to pick up Lulu, hoping that she would give him a chance to exin. Lulu lifted her gaze to look at him and asked calmly, ¡°What do you have to exin?¡± She had indeed calmed herself down after a whole afternoon, and she would believe Spencer if he was willing to exin everything to her. ¡°Icyln got scared because there were people fighting in the room beside hers yesterday, so she called me. She was probably too frightened by it, so she threw herself at me when I went over tofort her, which was the exact moment the reporters took the photos.¡± As he spoke, Spencer saw Lulu¡¯s face turning paler, he was both heartbroken and regretful. If he had known that things would end up like this, he would have told Stanley to go with him. Lulu felt a twinge of pain in her heart upon knowing that the photos were real, but she gritted her teeth and asked, ¡°Is there anything else?¡± ¡°I already told the reporters that it was all just a misunderstanding, and they agreed to take the photos down. ¡± Spencer knew that doing that would not mean much anymore, but he still could not let those photos get published everywhere. Lulu looked at Spencer. ¡°Have you exined it to Ms. Icyln?¡± Spencer could not help but pause. ¡°It has always been a misunderstanding, and Icyln had already rified it with the reporters too.¡± Although Spencer had no idea why Lulu asked that question, he answered her truthfully anyway. ¡°Okay.¡± Lulu nodded and epted Spencer¡¯s apology. Spencer watched Lulu walking forward with her head down, and he could not help but think to himself, ¡®What¡¯s wrong? Is she not forgiving me?¡± ¡°Spencer, go and talk to her. Girls are very sensitive about things like this,¡± Nicole reminded him. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll catch youter.¡± Spencer was truly heartbroken upon seeing Lulu acting like that. He went to chase after Lulu after talking to Nicole. Then, Spencer left with Lulu in a car. Nicole sighed and walked toward Jared. Jared got out of the car and spoke to Nicole. ¡°Is it settled?¡± ¡°I guess so.¡± Nicole was not sure, but she was pretty confident in the rtionship between Spencer and Lulu. Jared said softly while holding her hand. ¡°Let¡¯s go home.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Nicole smiled and got into the car with Jared. She had no idea when it started, but she seemed to have be very used to Jared¡¯s presence now. Although she had no memories of the past, she felt like the way she interacted with Jared was very natural. It made her feel veryfortable and secure as if they were really a married couple. She nced at Jared and a faint smile appeared on her face. ¡°Why are you smiling?¡± Jared lifted his brows and asked curiously. Nicole shook her head. ¡°I just suddenly realized that life now seems pretty good too.¡± Chapter 2210 Chapter 2210 MY WIFE IS A HACKER CHAPTER 2210-She had family, friends, and¡­ him. Nicole felt like that was how normal life should be, unlike in the past five years where she had to hide on the ind with her children while not even knowing her true identity. A gentle look appeared on Jared¡¯s face as he said softly,¡± It¡¯ll get better.¡± ¡°I think so too.¡± Nicole lifted her eyebrow, looking a little yful. After all, she was happy with everything she had, and she would do anything to protect it all. Jared embraced her in his arms dotingly. He sniffed the fragrance from her hair, and his eyes looked at ease. He had been waiting for a life like this for five years. Finally, his wife hade back. Time flew by and three days had passed. Everything seemed to have returned to normal, yet it felt like there was a storm hiding somewhere in the calm. However, there was some good news on Nicole¡¯s side. The Al project that she sent to Mr. Bet¡¯s team to develop had already beenpleted, and the initial program had already made some progress. ¡°Nicole, Mr. Bet is currently conducting internal testing. If everything goes well, we mightunch a partial public beta, ¡± Lulu shared excitedly. If they receive good feedback, they could then consider a full -scale beta test, and proceed with the officialunch after. ¡°I¡¯m d that everything¡¯s going well.¡± Nicole was very satisfied with Mr. Bet¡¯s efficiency. Lulu could not help but let her imagination run wild as she said, ¡°I wonder how Everette and Raine would react when we go public and dominate the market.¡± Nicole could not resist teasing her best friend. ¡°It seems like you and Spencer have gotten back on good terms. Look at how happy you are!¡± Lulu immediately blushed and said, ¡°Stop teasing me.¡± ¡°How is that teasing you? I¡¯m genuinely happy for you and Spencer,¡± Nicole said with a smile. ¡°Hm, I¡¯ve already understood everything that happened that day, and it was indeed just a misunderstanding.¡± Lulu was frank as she knew that Nicole really cared for her. ¡°That¡¯s good. I don¡¯t want to lose a good sister-inw just because of some misunderstanding,¡± Nicole lamented pretentiously. Lulu got awkward and blushed. ¡°We can still be good friends if I¡¯m not your sister-inw.¡± Why are we talking about Spencer again? Besides, nothing can ever change the fact that we¡¯re best friends, and we always will be.¡¯ Nicole teased her again, ¡°Aren¡¯t you worried that my brother would be sad if he heard that?¡± ¡°He won¡¯t,¡± Lulu said proudly. ¡°Who would be jealous of their younger sister?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll have to ask him about that some other day,¡± Nicole said in a serious manner. ¡°Why would you do that?¡± Lulu panicked. She did not know what to say if Spencer really found out about this conversation. Nicole could not help but smile after looking at how shy Lulu was. ¡°So that my brother can marry you as soon as possible, of course.¡± ¡°Hey, why are you bringing that up again?¡± Lulu¡¯s cheeks turned even redder, and she could feel a surge of warmth spreading across her face. Nicole chuckled. Lulu pouted at Nicole. ¡°You just won¡¯t stop making fun of me! I¡¯m leaving now.¡± After that, Lulu left as if she was fleeing the scene. A faint smile grew across Nicole¡¯s face as she watched Lulu run away. N?velDrama.Org ? 2024. She was d that it was just a misunderstanding and that everything was over now. ¡®However, Icyln seems a little bit strange, huh?¡¯ Chapter 2211 Chapter 2211 MY WIFE IS A HACKER CHAPTER 2211-The afternoon sun was shining brightly. After having lunch together, Nicole, Sean, and Steve returned to the office. ¡°Sean, Everette has been unusually quiet recently. We should keep our guards up,¡± said Nicole, gaze darkening. She knew why Raine and James suddenly showed up at the Riddle family manor back then. However, she figured that Raine would never just sit back and do nothing after not acquiring any information she wanted. That was why she found a way to leak the information to her father. Raine had been quite active recently, yet Everette remained still. That was why Nicole felt a little uneasy. ¡°Sure, I got it,¡± Sean responded seriously. ¡°Steve, is everything going well with the recent projects?¡± Nicole asked. N?velDrama.Org ? 2024. ¡°Yeah, everything¡¯s going smoothly.¡± Steve nodded. ¡°Okay.¡± Nicole felt relieved knowing that at least everything in thepany was running smoothly. ¡°By the way, I heard that there¡¯s a spy in the Johnston Group. How¡¯s that going?¡± Sean asked casually. Nicole¡¯s gaze slightly widened. ¡°A spy?¡± ¡®Is Sean talking about what happened in the group a few days ago?¡¯ Jared had told Nicole that it had been taken care of, so she did not pay much attention to that. The Johnston Group only suffered losses because there was a spy who messed their operations up. Sean nodded after seeing how clueless Nicole was. ¡°It was said that an employee leaked information about thepany. However, the Johnston Group stopped their employees from talking about it, so nobody knew.¡± Nicole thought that the Johnston Group was perfectly reasonable for doing so. ¡°Well, it¡¯s not something to be proud of.¡± ¡°Sean, I¡¯m sure Mr. Johnston can handle this. Don¡¯t worry,¡± Steve said, sounding confident. Sean agreed. ¡°I know. I was simply asking.¡± However, to his surprise, Nicole actually knew nothing about it. So, Sean figured that the incident had probably been taken care of. As they spoke, they quickly arrived at the top floor. Then, they headed toward their respective rooms after gesturing to each other. Nicole sat back in her chair after arriving at her office. Her pupils constricted slightly as she thought to herself, ¡®I can¡¯t believe there¡¯s a spy in the Johnston Group.¡¯ ¡®Who could it be? What could be the motivation for that person to betray thepany?¡¯ In the Johnston Group, Max went into Jared¡¯s office after knocking on the door. ¡°Mr. Johnston, we investigated everyone in thepany and haven¡¯t found anyone suspicious.¡± The look on Max¡¯s face was a littleplicated. Logically speaking, they should be happy with this oue because it indicated that the internal operations of Johnston Group were notpromised. However, they could not figure out why the data would be leaked if there was nothing wrong within the company. Was the investigation going in the wrong direction or was it because the spy was too good for them to trace? Jared squinted, and his eyes were filled with darkness. ¡®If it isn¡¯t someone from thepany, could it be that someone else hacked into thepany¡¯s system and stole the data?¡¯ ¡®Thepany¡¯s firewall system was designed by Nicole. Although Nn breached it when she just returned, she had already improved it after that. Is it possible for someone else to hack into the system so easily again?¡¯ ¡°Mr. Johnston.¡± Upon seeing Jared¡¯s silence, Max¡¯s face darkened as he gritted his teeth and said, ¡°Should I get the team to conduct a deeper investigation?¡± ¡°No,¡± Jared spoke in a cold voice. ¡°There¡¯s no need to create panic. Just let it be if nothing¡¯s wrong.¡± Chapter 2212 Chapter 2212 ¡°But¡­¡± This case was not over yet, and a threat remained. Jared frowned, deep in thought. ¡°I¡¯ll let Preston troubleshoot the issue, and check whether there was a hacker breach.¡± ¡°Why not have Mrs. Johnston¡­¡± Max paused before he could finish his sentence. He remembered Nicole was still in the dark, thinking thepany¡¯s matter has been resolved. Jared worried about Nicole as she had too many things going on recently, so it was right for Preston to look into the case. ¡°Yes, sir,¡± Maxplied and left. Soon, Preston arrived at Jared¡¯s office after Jared contacted him. ¡°What¡¯s up? You sounded so serious on the phone,¡± Preston asked solemnly after walking into Jared¡¯s office. Preston was aware that Jared would only contact him for something important. ¡°Help me check if someone hacked thepany¡¯s software defense system,¡± Jared said, and a glint of coldness crossed his eyes. ¡°Someone hacked into this ce! I wonder who had the guts he took out hisptop and turned it on. N?velDrama.Org ? 2024. After a while, Preston got in Johnston¡¯s Group system. ¡°I couldn¡¯t find anything,¡± Preston said after checking for quite some time. He then sighed, ¡°I couldn¡¯t find any traces. Maybe the other party was too powerful.¡± ¡°No, that¡¯s unlikely,¡± Jared said in a cold voice. Confused, Preston asked, ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± ¡°Nicole designed the system, even maintaining and upgrading it after she came back. It would be challenging to hack into the system, let alone without a trace,¡± Jared replied. ¡°If it wasn¡¯t a hacker, what could it be?¡± Preston frowned. ¡°There are no issues with thepany nor the system. But what means are there to get Johnston¡¯s Group data undetected by the outside world?¡± Max could not figure it out, feeling staggering. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me that the people on the outside of Johnston Group can obtain the private information of the Group,¡± Preston murmured, feeling this was the only logical reason. Max jerked his head to look at Preston and widened his eyes as he felt what Preston said made sense. ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like that. I was just saying things,¡± Preston exined, feeling flustered by Max¡¯s stare. ¡°Mr. Johnston, what he said makes sense. I¡¯ll arrange someone on it,¡± said Max, waiting for his approval. Jared nodded, giving Max the go-ahead. Looking at Jared¡¯s expression, Max noticed Jared also seemed to think that this was theirst direction of investigation. After Mac left, Preston looked at Jared, probing, ¡°Do you have a suspect in mind?¡± Faintly sweeping a nce at Preston, Jared nomittally said, ¡°Thanks foring over. We¡¯re fine now.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t mention it.¡± Moved by Jared¡¯s gratitude, Preston turned and left after bidding his farewell. Jared got up and walked to the French window. His dark gaze made it impossible for people to figure out his thoughts. At dusk, Nicole and Lulu took care of all the documents and left thepany. Just as they got out, Lulu¡¯s smile faded while Nicole frowned. ¡°Lulu!¡± Spencer waved at Lulu, walking toward them in huge strides. Chapter 2213 Chapter 2213 Spencer¡¯s arrival should have been a joyful asion for Lulu. The thing was, Icyln was right beside Spencer, making Lulu still depressed. ¡°What¡¯s going on between you two?¡± Nicole was quite upset with Spencer¡¯s decision to bring Icyln along. ¡®Had she not caused enough trouble before?¡¯ Sensing Nicole¡¯s emotions, Spencer exined helplessly,¡¯ We bumped into each other just now.¡± Spencer was here to pick up Lulu, and there was no way he would bring Icyln along with him. However, he had no choice but to take Icyln with him since she asked him for help. Content is property of N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Well, isn¡¯t that a coincidence,¡± Lulu snorted. ¡°If I¡¯m not mistaken, Ms. Icyln¡¯s hotel is not in the same direction as Riddle Corporation.¡± Who would believe in encountering each other twice like this? As if the photo incident was not enough, Lulu might have let this case slide as Preston promised his teacher to take care of Icyln. However, she could not overlook it now. Not expecting Lulu to snap, Icyln¡¯s face turned pale, and she apologized in shame. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry! I¡¯m trying to find a ce to stay. As I looked around, I passed by and coincidentally bumped into Preston.¡± Icyln¡¯s aggrieved look annoyed Lulu. Lulu thought, ¡®I didn¡¯t even say anything harsh. Why was she looking aggrieved? Shouldn¡¯t it be the other way around?¡¯ ¡°Lulu, Icyln is looking at houses around this area. She¡¯s going to buy an apartment and stop living in the hotel.¡± Spencer gently held Lulu¡¯s hand. ¡°Let¡¯s go now that you¡¯re off work.¡± ¡°Go?¡± Lulu said with confusion. So Spencer was telling her all this just to exin and not to defend Icyln? For some reason, Lulu could not control herself and smiled at his actions. Nicole chuckled at the sight of Lulu unable to contain her joy and smile. ¡°Preston, I¡¯m not familiar with this area. Could youe along to check out the apartment with me?¡± Icyln asked pitifully and grabbed Spencer¡¯s sleeve, sensing Spencer was going to leave with Lulu. Spencer withdrew from her hold. He said awkwardly, ¡°You won¡¯t get to see any apartments as most of the agencies are off duty by this time. Honestly speaking, I¡¯m not familiar with the area either. Why don¡¯t you find anyone else in thepany to apany you tomorrow?¡± ¡°But I really don¡¯t want to stay in the hotel. I¡¯m scared,¡± Icyln said, her eyes welled up with tears. Lulu¡¯s expression turned sour at Icyln¡¯s look of innocence.¡± Ms. Icyln wants to find since I¡¯m experienced?¡± Lulu asked with a look of concern, as if she really wanted to help Icyln. Icyln¡¯s expression stiffened, caught in a difficult position. Whether she epted or rejected Lulu¡¯s assistance, she could not get her way anymore. Her intent was to be in touch with Spencer. If she really found a new ce to stay, she wanted to invite Spencer over. She had never imagined that things would turn out as they were now. Not to mention, she never expected Lulu to offer her help, reckoning Lulu¡¯s kindness. ¡°Aren¡¯t you in a hurry to find a ce to stay? Or you just don¡¯t need help anymore?¡± Lulu inquired again, seemingly confused at Icyln¡¯s expression and silence. ¡°Oh, honestly, it¡¯s not that urgent,¡± Icyln said while gritting her teeth, giving a fake smile. ¡°Since Preston doesn¡¯t have the time today, I¡¯ll find someone else to help tomorrow at thepany. There¡¯s no need to trouble you, Lulu.¡± ¡°In that case, do as you wished,¡± Lulu smiled and showed respect for Icyln¡¯s decision. Icyln felt a surge of suppressed anger. She was caught in a predicament, unable to advance or retreat. Chapter 2214 Chapter 2214 ¡°Come on, Spencer. Let¡¯s go.¡± Lulu took Spencer¡¯s arm and smiled. ¡°Alright.¡± Spencer nodded to Icyln and walked away with Lulu. N?velDrama.Org ? 2024. Looking at the couple walking side by side, holding each other¡¯s hands tightly, Icyln clenched her teeth, trying to restrain herst shred of sanity. ¡®Lulu¡¯s not good enough for Spencer. How dare she stand beside Spencer! I disapprove.¡± Ms. Icyln, if there¡¯s nothing else, you should head home and rest,¡± Nicole swept a nce at Icyln and walked toward Jared¡¯s car. Once in the car, Nicole rubbed her temples. Then another pair of hands took over, gently pressing and rubbing for her. Jared observed her tired face before saying with concern, ¡°It must¡¯ve been tough.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Nicole leaned against the seat. ¡°I¡¯m just a little speechless by Icyln¡¯s little act just now.¡± Even Lulu, the slow-witted one, noticed something was off with Icyln, let alone the others. Lulu¡¯s actions shocked Nicole. She felt Lulu should have asserted Spencer was taken earlier. That way, she would not get bullied by Icyln before. Looking at Nicole¡¯s sudden mix of depression and relieved expression, Jared shook his head. ¡°Let them handle it on their own. You should take better care of yourself,¡± Jared seemingly scolded her, but his tone was concerned, pampering Nicole. ¡°I have nothing going on.¡± Nicole shrugged her shoulder, feeling everything was fine. Jared reminded, ¡°You haven¡¯t regained your memories. Besides, we still have no clue about the Major Five Crests, especially the mysterious person fromst time. Oh, and don¡¯t forget about DillCorp and NandoCorp.¡± Nicole was required to tend to every one of these matters. And she dared to say she had nothing to do. ¡°These can¡¯t be rushed.¡± Nicole helplessly shrugged her shoulders. If things could go and immediately have results, she sure hoped these things could be resolved quickly. Jared responded softly, ¡°Things are going to work out,¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Nicole smiled at Jared with hope. She believed it would not be long before everything had an answer Seeing Nicole¡¯s radiant smile, Jared¡¯s gaze darkened for a moment. He leaned down and kissed her gently on the lips. Nicole paused for a moment. By the time she reacted, Jared had already sat back calmly as if he had not stolen a kiss from her. Nicole glowered a re of resentment at Jared. She felt speechless at Jared¡¯s often attempts of sneaking up on her. Lowering his gaze to meet Nicole¡¯s gaze, Jared smiled, his eyes full of love. ¡°What are youughing at?¡± Nicole rolled her eyes. Jared gently replied, ¡°I feel satisfied just by looking at you.¡± In a good mood, Jared wanted to be with Nicole like this forever. Nicole blushed at Jared¡¯s words, never expecting Jared to say such things with a straight face. So the rumors were true, it was hard to resist when a cold and stern man spoke sweet things. Chapter 2215 Chapter 2215 As they were talking, Nicole¡¯s phone rang. Seeing that it was Tia¡¯s number, Nicole¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°Tia.¡± Nicole answered the call, her voice slightly subdued. Tia was supposed to pick up Nn and Lana now, so Nicole wondered why Tia called her at this time. Nicole, Mr. Lawrence came to pick up Nn and Lana, wanting to go out with them. Nn wants to go. I have no idea what to do. That¡¯s why I called you,¡± Tia said in distress. ¡°Leo?¡± Nicole frowned. ¡®Leo went to pick up Nn at this time?* ¡°Mummy, Godpa is bringing us ice cream. We¡¯re going with him. You can pick us upter at Godpa¡¯s!¡± Nn shouted into the phone, seemingly worried that Nicole would disagree with their n. ¡°Nn!¡± Nicole screamed, but Nn did not respond. Tia¡¯s voice sounded, ¡°Nicole, Nn has already gone with Mr. Lawrence!¡± ¡®This little bastard!1 Nicole was at a loss with Nn¡¯s behavior. She continued to ask, ¡°What about Lana?¡± ¡°Lana wants to go home,¡± Tia responded. ¡°Alright then. You take Lana home first. I¡¯ll pick Nn upter,¡± Nicole instructed. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll take Lana home then.¡± After ending the call, Nicole sighed in frustration. Nn was bing more and more of a headache. ¡°Nn left with Lawrence. If you picked him up now, he might not be willing to go. Just let him eat ice cream first,¡± Jared whispered. They should give Nn some time with Lawrence. Knowing Jared¡¯s words made sense, Nicole agreed. ¡°Fine, well head home first.¡± ¡°Nope, we¡¯re going to eat first,¡± Jared said with indifference. They¡¯re going to eat if they head home. So why not eat out, that way they could straight away pick Nn up when they¡¯re done. Nicole looked at Jared, inexplicably feeling like Jared was hiding his scheme behind his calmness. When Nicole looked carefully, Jared¡¯s expression remained calm. Nicole frowned, wondering if she had gotten the wrong idea. Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org. Soon, Jared took Nicole to eat dinner at a restaurant. After a romantic candlelight dinner, Jared used the excuse that Nn must not have had enough fun with Lawrence and took Nicole for a movie before picking Nn up. Upon reaching Lawrence¡¯s mansion, Nn looked at Nicole with a sad expression. ¡°Mummy, what took you so long to pick me up?¡± Nn thought Nicole would havee to get him sooner, but she made him wait for so long. ¡°You seemed to really want to go out and y. Hence, we¡¯ve given you extra time.¡± Jared looked at Nn with indifference. ¡°I do want to go and y, but this was too long,¡± Nn gritted his teeth while looking at Jared. He strongly suspected Jared, the meanie, stopped Nicole from picking him up. ¡°Nicole, did you and Mr. Johnstone from home?¡± Lawrence asked, seemingly in a casual manner while looking at Nicole. ¡°Nope.¡± Jared held Nicole¡¯s hands. He said nonchntly,¡± We went out for a candlelight dinner and watched a movie afterward.¡± ¡°You went on a date!¡± Nn instantly raised his voice, with a chagrined look. ¡®How could this be? I followed Godpa home in hopes that Mummy would pick me up as soon as possible. That way, they¡¯ll have the chance to spend more time together. How knew this meanie took Mummy on a date.¡¯ Jared¡¯s gaze was serious while looking at Nn. He knew what this little b*stard was up to all along. Nn felt a little guilty under Jared¡¯s stare, so he shifted his gaze and swallowed nervously. Chapter 2216 Chapter 2216 ¡®Oh no. Why do I get the feeling that Jared could see through me?¡¯ Watching the interaction between father and son, Nicole felt frustrated. She noticed that Nn inherited his cunning behavior from his father, and it was not because of his early intelligence. She was afraid his deviousness might rival Jared¡¯s when he grew up. With a sigh, Nicole rolled her eyes at Jared. ¡®Who would get so calcting with his son.¡¯ Jared remained calm because he felt Nn deserved the lesson. ¡®Let¡¯s see if Nn would dare to y these little tricks again next time. He actually wanted to steal my wife away and matchmake her with someone else. This kid needs a good beating.¡¯ Meanwhile, Nicole could not really argue with Jared, knowing his intentions. She could only sigh and turn her gaze toward Nn. ¡°So, Mommy is here to pick you up. Do you want to go home?¡± ¡°Of course, I want to go home,¡± Nn said in a huff. ¡®If I don¡¯t go back now, who knows where this meanie is going to take Mommy again?¡¯ Gritting his teeth, Nn waved at Lawrence. ¡°I¡¯m going home, Godpa.¡± Lawrence smiled faintly. ¡°It¡¯s gettingte. Hurry home and rest.¡± ¡°Yep,¡± Nn replied and went over to hold Nicole¡¯s hand.¡± Let¡¯s go, Mommy.¡± Nn intentionally did not mention Jared. He pulled Nicole to walk in big strides as if he wanted to leave Jared behind. Jared chuckled at Nn¡¯s actions. He turned to Lawrence, pretending to be polite. ¡°Thank you for taking care of Nn on behalf of us. We¡¯ll take him back now.¡± Immediately, Lawrence¡¯s expression became dark. That was a backhanded remark. Although it sounded normal, he clearly understood the hidden message. Jared was not only scheming, but his sharp tongue also often left people defenseless. ¡°No worries, Mr. Johnston,¡± Lawrence responded, holding on to hisst shred of sanity. Jared smirked and left, only this time, his expression cold the moment he turned away. From the investigation, they had gotten their findings. Although there was no direct evidence, Max found out Iris contacted Lawrence when she left the company. Besides that, Iris had even been to Genesis Group before. The two did not seem to have any interactions after that, but everything seemed to fall into ce if the both of them were working together. Iris had made a deal with Lawrence, doing things that were detrimental to Johnston Group. ¡®Did she really think my tolerance had no limits?¡¯ Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. ¡°Max, make adjustments to all the unfinished projects that Iris has handled,¡± Jared said with an icy tone. ¡°Why¡­ Mr. Johnston, she wouldn¡¯t possibly dare!¡± Max eximed. He believed if Iris had not gone insane, she should not have done anything so excessive. ¡°She¡¯s already done it,¡± Jared said coldly. Max was too stunned to speak. He lowered his head in agreement. ¡°Alright.¡± Indeed, Iris had already done it. Even though she did not seed this time, it did not mean Iris would stop there. They had to be on guard. Back in the car, the group headed to the Riddle family manor. Meanwhile, inside the mansion, Lawrence¡¯s gaze darkened as the car drove away. Gritting his teeth, Lawrence said with malice, ¡°Jared Johnston, do you think you¡¯ve won?¡± There were things that were still yet to be revealed, no one can be certain of the final result. ¡°Mr. Leo,¡± Ian whispered. ¡°This matter had not caused any substantial damage to Johnston Group. Should we think of other ways?¡± Chapter 2217 Chapter 2217 ¡°Let¡¯s stay put first. Iris will do the job,¡± Lawrence said coldly. Iris would have to y her role well enough after bing his ally. ¡°She did say she was taking the next step. But why do I feel like she has already aroused suspicion? Should we act more carefully?¡± Ian asked worriedly with a frown. Recently, the search for the outsider has been on-going in Johnston Group. But the search gradually died down, so Ian felt it was suspiciously quiet. Lawrence swept a cold nce at Ian. ¡°So what, if he suspects us? Does he have any evidence against us?¡± ¡®If there was evidence against them, with Jared¡¯s personality, he would have not been so calm. Even if they discovered Iris was the traitor, it¡¯s difficult to track her actions. Iris was fired from thepany, so who would even remember this invisible one? Moreover, even if they found out about Iris, it has nothing to do with me since Iris did all the dirty work,¡¯ Lawrence thought. A hint of indifference crossed Lawrence¡¯s eyes, and Lawrence revealed a calctive expression. Meanwhile, inside the car, Nn was tightly hugging Nicole¡¯s arms. His eyes were full of fury while staring at Jared. ¡®This meanie! He¡¯s gone too far in bullying me! Not only did he avoid Mommy picking me up, but he also even used this chance to take Mommy on a date. I feel suffocated by even thinking about this.¡¯ Seeing Nn¡¯s expression, Jared faintly looked at him and asked, ¡°So, did you have fun with your Godpa?¡± ¡°Hmph!¡± Nn grunted in dissatisfaction and turned his head away, not wanting tomunicate with Jared. ¡°Honestly, I think you could totally y with him more often if you¡¯d like it,¡± Jared suggested tolerantly, seeming to have the impression that it was better for Nn toe out and y- ¡°I don¡¯t want to,¡± Nn huffed. Tm not going to fall for that meanie¡¯s trick. Jared¡¯s going to use me as an excuse and go on dates with Mommy,¡¯ Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org. Jared¡¯s eyes crossed a hint of joy and stopped teasing Nn. Nicole shook her head helplessly while looking at the interaction between father and son. Truly, they were like enemies without a father-son rtionship. Back at home, Gloria and Daniel were waiting for them in the living room with Lana. ¡°Daddy, Mommy, Nn!¡± Lana ran over cheerfully upon their return. Jared scooped Lana up and said, ¡°You must¡¯ve been worried sick, Lana.¡± ¡°I was,¡± Lana wrapped her arms around Jared¡¯s neck and smiled. Gently tapping Lana¡¯s nose, Jared¡¯s eyes filled with affection. ¡°Sugar-coated bomb,¡± Nn muttered, dissatisfied. ¡°What did you say, Nn?¡± Lana lowered her head and asked with confusion. ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± Nn shook his head. Nn felt that Jared hadpletely won over Lana, and Lana was not like her usual self. Nicole softly patted Nn¡¯s shoulder. ¡°It¡¯s gettingte. Go to bed.¡± ¡°Daddy, I¡¯m also going to bed now.¡± Lana pouted while she still had her arms around Jared¡¯s neck. ¡°Alright.¡± Jared¡¯s eyes were full of tenderness as he took Lana upstairs in his arms. Meanwhile, Nn lowered his head, heading toward the stairs. ¡°Mommy, I¡¯m going to bed.¡± Nicole frowned slightly. ¡®Tile with you.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine, Mommy. I can do it myself.¡± Nn went upstairs in a dispirited mood. Worried, Gloria asked, ¡°What¡¯s happened to Nn? He doesn¡¯t look so happy. Did something happen to him?¡± ¡°He¡¯s fine, Mom. He¡¯s probably just tired. He¡¯ll be fine after resting,¡± Nicoleforted Gloria. Even if something had upset Nn, it was caused by his own father. Nicole could not possibly tell her parents that Nn was upset because he lost the father-sonpetition. ¡°As long as he¡¯s fine,¡± Daniel said. He then advised, ¡°You should go check on Nn.¡± Chapter 2218 Chapter 2218 ¡°Yep, sure,¡± Nicole responded and went upstairs. ¡°Is Nn okay?¡± Gloria still did not feel quite at ease. Daniel reassured her. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Nicole will take care of it. n They obviously could see Nn was upset. However, Nicole said he was fine, and they trusted Nicole. Gloria looked in the direction of the room upstairs and said,¡± Fine, then let¡¯s discuss it tomorrow morning.¡± ¡°It¡¯s gettingte. We should rest? ¡°Yes.¡± The two stood up and walked toward their room. In the dead of the night, Nicole and Jared returned to their room after making sure the kids were asleep. Finally having the chance to discuss Nn¡¯s issue, Nicole asked Jared helplessly, ¡°Are you really going to be so harsh on the child?¡± Jared said seriously, ¡°I¡¯m fine with everything else, except for this.¡± Jared could let go of anything Nn did, but matchmaking his wife with another person was a matter he could never let someone off the hook, even if it¡¯s his son. ¡°Woah, you really are enemies.¡± Nicole rolled her eyes at Jared, feeling speechless.Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. Jared pulled Nicole into his embrace and hugged her tightly. He then said with aggrieving, ¡°You can¡¯t indulge him just because he¡¯s your son. It would hurt me.¡± ¡°Jared Johnston, how old are you?¡± Nicole rolled her eyes secretly. ¡®Is he really seekingfort through petnce and whining?¡¯ ¡°This has nothing to do with age. Plus what that b*stard did wasn¡¯t something a five-year-old could¡¯ve done,¡± Jared retorted. He seemed determined topete with Nn for Nicole¡¯s favor. Nicole shook her head helplessly. ¡°Jared, you¡¯re really¡­¡± Before Nicole could finish her sentence, her lips were sealed by Jared¡¯s. Jared¡¯s domineering kiss made Nicole powerless to fight back. Nicole unconsciously sank into his kiss, her gaze a little hazy. A hint of desire shed in Jared¡¯s eyes as he reached out and undid the buttons of Nicole¡¯s blouse. The night passed, and the sun began to rise. Sunlight seeped into the couple¡¯s room through the curtains. Nicole frowned and slowly opened her eyes. Nicole could feel pain all over her body. She felt like her waist was going to break from Jared¡¯s tossing and turning. Gritting her teeth, she red at the person beside her. Unexpectedly, Jared had a bright smile, looking back at Nicole. His eyes were full of affection. ¡°If you¡¯re too tired, just take the day off.¡± Jared knew he lost control yesterday and knew Nicole must have been exhausted. Nicole red at Jared, but it had no real heat. ¡®Does he want the entire world to know I needed a day off for this? That¡¯s so shameless!¡¯ ¡°There¡¯s no need for that,¡± Nicole said. She lifted the covers and got out of bed. ¡°Oh!¡± In an instant, Nicole shrieked and returned to the bed. She pulled the covers to wrap around herself. Her cheeks were burning red. She was too angry just now that she forgot she waspletely naked. Jared chuckled. ¡°Why are you shy? I¡¯ve seen it all before.¡± ¡°Shut up! I don¡¯t want to hear a word from you.¡± Nicole threw a pillow at Jared. The pillow hit him without pain, so Jared did not even bother to dodge her attack. As long as she vented her frustrations, it was fine by Jared. Putting on a bathrobe, Jared wrapped Nicole in the nket and carried her into the bathroom. Nicole struggled and kicked him in embarrassment. ¡°Put me down! I can walk on my own.¡± Chapter 2219 Chapter 2219 Jared set Nicole down at the sink and smirked. ¡°If you¡¯re not tired, I don¡¯t mind continuing-¡° ¡°In your dreams!¡± Nicole interrupted, stuffing a toothbrush in Jared¡¯s mouth. ¡°Go brush your teeth and stop talking.¡± Jared let out a low chuckle affectionately. Nicole shot him a warning re, signaling that her patience was wearing thin if he keptughing at her. Jared gently ran his fingers through Nicole¡¯s hair. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll brush.¡± After a peaceful morning routine, Jared pulled Nicole and stole a kiss from her when she wanted to change her clothes in the wardrobe. He then walked into the wardrobe before her, leaving her standing alone with flushed cheeks. ¡®What¡¯s going on? How did we suddenly just do the deed? I was indeed gradually getting used to him and our identity as husband and wife. But are we just going to resume our true husband-and-wife identities?¡¯ Nicole thought. ¡®The situation feels so surreal. Clearly, I had not regained my memories. So did I fall in love with Jared again?¡¯ This thought shed through Nicole¡¯s mind, causing her heartbeat to quicken. Nicole felt her heart pounding uncontrobly. ¡°Are you up, Mommy?¡± Nn and Lana suddenly sounded from outside the door. Nicole snapped back to her senses and quickly walked into the wardrobe. Jared had already gotten dressed and left the room when he heard the children. Before the kids could enter the room, Jared blocked them at the entrance. ¡°Daddy, why won¡¯t you let us in?¡± Lana tilted her head in confusion. Jared picked Lana up, exining, ¡°Mommy will be out in a sec. Let¡¯s wait for her downstairs.¡± ¡°Oh, okay.¡± Lana obediently agreed without asking further questions. Nn, however, frowned. ¡°You guys go ahead. I¡¯ll wait for Mommy.¡± N?velDrama.Org ? 2024. Jared looked at Nn but did not call him to follow. Nicole walked out of the wardrobe and saw Nn standing in the room after changing her clothes. She then asked,¡± Why are you standing here?¡± ¡°I¡¯m waiting for you,¡± Nn said straightforwardly. Nicole ruffled Nn¡¯s hair and said softly, ¡°Let¡¯s go then.¡± Nn held Nicole¡¯s hand and followed her downstairs. At the dining table, everyone was already seated. However, they had not started eating as they were waiting for Nicole and Nn. After both of them were seated, Daniel announced, ¡°Let¡¯s eat.¡± Everyone started to eat after Daniel¡¯s signal. During the meal, Daniel and Gloria kept looking toward Nn. Making sure he was fine and back to his original self, only then did the two grandparents feel truly at ease. After breakfast, the family prepared to leave for their respective duties. Tia came over slightlyter than usual today. She apologized guiltily. ¡°Nicole, Mrs. Wace Sr. wasn¡¯t feeling alright today. I had to watch her take her medicine beforeing over, hence why I¡¯m a little late.¡± ¡°Mrs. Wace Sr. isn¡¯t feeling well?¡± The whole family heard Tia, and all had serious expressions. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with her?¡± ¡°How is she now?¡± In response to everyone¡¯s concern, Tia exined, ¡°She might have caught a cold. She has already taken medicine and slept. I¡¯ll continue to keep an eye on her condition when I return from sending Nn and Lana to kindergarten.¡± ¡°Alright, go ahead. I¡¯ll watch over Mrs. Wace Sr. in the meantime,¡± Gloria said. Chapter 2220 Chapter 2220 ¡°Oh. Thank you so much, Mrs. Riddle.¡± Honestly, Tia was quite worried about Mrs. Wace Sr.¡¯s condition, but she had to send the kids to kindergarten. ¡°No worries. Send the kids to kindergarten first,¡± Gloria said, preparing to visit Mrs. Wace Sr. Daniel responded, ¡°I¡¯ll get the doctors over. After all, she¡¯s old. It¡¯s better to be safe than sorry.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a good idea.¡± Nicole nodded, feeling it was more prudent to seek professional help. ¡°I¡¯ll leave Mrs. Wace Sr. in your hands. I¡¯ll take the kids to kindergarten first,¡± Tia informed and left with the kids as time was running out. ¡°I¡¯ll send you guys off,¡± Stanley said and followed them. Tia was stunned, but she remained silent and followed him. Watching their figures fade into the distance, Nicole raised her eyebrow, wondering about their situation. ¡°You should stay back and check how Mrs. Wace Sr. is doing. As for thepany matters, I¡¯ll talk to Sean,¡± Jared informed. He knew Nicole would be anxious about Mrs. Wace Sr.¡¯s condition, so he urged her to stay. Nicole nodded gently. ¡°Alright then. I¡¯ll wait for the doctor¡¯s arrival.¡± They would wait for the doctor¡¯s assessment of Mrs. Wace Sr.¡¯s condition. It would be best if her condition was fine. However, if she was not, they would have to make other arrangements. Jared turned and left, while Nicole apanied Gloria to visit Mrs. Wace Sr. Daniel informed their house butler to contact the family doctor, and the family became busy with their own tasks. Seeing the suddenly empty living room, Spencer hesitated before he muttered to himself, ¡°Well, I think I¡¯m left to check on Samuel.¡± Soon, Spencer also left the house, and the living room fell intoplete silence. Nicole and Gloria came to Mrs. Wace Sr.¡¯s room. They saw her sleeping, but it was clearly not a comfortable and peaceful sleep. They felt a little distressed about her situation. ¡°How did she catch a cold?¡± Nicole pondered with a slight frown. ¡°Let¡¯s wait for the doctor to check her condition first,¡± Gloria said worriedly. Shortly, the doctor arrived and examined Mrs. Wace Sr. The doctor confirmed it was just a cold caused by catching a chill, and there were no otherplications. With that, the others felt relieved. At this time, Tia and Stanley arrived. Tia welled up with tears upon hearing Mrs. Wace Sr. was only catching a cold and would be fine after medication and rest. She said, ¡°That¡¯s good. Luckily, she¡¯s okay.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. She¡¯ll recover soon.¡± Nicoleforted her. In response, Tia nodded. ¡°That¡¯s right, she¡¯ll be fine.¡± ¡°Let her rest. We better not disturb her.¡± Gloria signaled everyone to leave when she saw Mrs. Wace Sr. still in her deep sleep. Gloria and Nicole exchanged gazes and went out first. Stanley noticed Tia¡¯s forlorn expression, sitting on the edge of the bed, and softlyforted her. ¡°Hey, don¡¯t worry. After taking the medicine, she¡¯ll be right back on her feet.¡± Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. Tia lowered her head, whispering, ¡°Thanks for sending me, Mr. Stanley.¡± Tia knew Stanley¡¯s act of sending her to the kindergarten and back to the hospital had saved her a lot of time. However, at the same time, she was bothering Stanley. ¡°There¡¯s no need to thank me. I was passing by,¡± Stanley said calmly. ¡°I have nothing scheduled today and I¡¯ll be staying at home all day. If you need anything, feel free toe find me.¡± Tia bit her lip in hesitation but agreed. ¡°Alright. Thank you, Mr. Stanley.¡± Stanley discreetly sighed and departed. He had repeatedly told Tia to drop the formality, but she never listened. Hearing her call him ¡°Mr.¡± always made him feel awkward, yet she remained resistant to change. Chapter 2221 Chapter 2221 Nicole and Gloria arrived in the front yard of the living room. Nicole looked at the time and said, ¡°Mom, it¡¯s still early, so I¡¯m going to thepany.¡± ¡°Go ahead. Remember not to overwork yourself. You look pale,¡± Gloria advised. Nicole¡¯s cheeks instantly blushed. ¡°Got it.¡± With that, Nicole left the house and had the driver send her to Riddle Corporation. Meanwhile, Jared stood facing thepany¡¯s French window, his expression cold. ¡°Is the news urate?¡± Jared asked. It had been such a long time since they started the investigation. So long that he thought there was nothing left to be found, but now there was actually a clue. ¡°Positive,¡± Max said with a grave expression. ¡°That year when Mrs. Johnston came back to San Joto, there was indeed a mysterious entity that followed her. We suspect that group of people was the one who harmed Mrs. Johnston. As for their identity, we¡¯re still working on finding that out.¡± ¡°Give this information to Zane. Get him to find a way to investigate this group,¡± Jared said solemnly with an icy tone. He not only wanted to find this mysterious group, but he also knew Zane could use his organization¡¯s connections and power to investigate. That way, they might get to the bottom of this quicker. ¡°Yes, sir,¡± Max replied and left. Jared¡¯s gaze moved towards the window as his expression darkened. ¡®Five years ago, Nicole was targeted by this group, and she even almost lost her life when she came back to San Joto. The person responsible forthat incident is already buried at the bottom of the sea, so he wouldn¡¯t be the one who attacked Nicole. But if it wasn¡¯t him, who? Who were the ones who wanted to kill Nicole? And for what?¡¯ Jared was lost in his thoughts, feeling confused. He had no idea how to solve this puzzle and could only wait for the investigation¡¯s result. Jared exuded a chilling aura. No matter what, Jared was determined to find out who attacked Nicole. KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK. The secretary knocked on the door and came in to put down a document. ¡°Mr. Johnston, the new work n has been modified ording to your instructions.¡± Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org. ¡°Leave it there.¡± Jared turned around and returned to his desk. Then his secretary left his office. Looking at the documents on his desk, Jared¡¯s expression became darker, it would send shivers down one¡¯s spine. Midday, during lunch break, Lulu and Nicole ordered food and ate lunch in the office. ¡°Woah, this looks so good. I¡¯m so blessed,¡± Lulu said with a look of anticipation. Nicole smiled wryly. ¡°As if I¡¯ve been torturing you all this while.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not it! With this weather, to just sit in the office and enjoy the food with the air conditioning on, no sun. It¡¯s pure luxury.¡± Lulu stuck her tongue out and thenughed. ¡°Fine, enjoy it then.¡± Nicoleughed and handed Lulu the cutleries. ¡°You too.¡± Lulu took the cutleries. She waited for Nicole to settle down before they both started eating. ¡°Nicole, I heard Snow is moring to get into DillCorp now. I really can¡¯t understand her. Didn¡¯t she always want to marry into a wealthy family? Why is she suddenly interested in her career?¡± Lulu gossiped while eating. Nicole asked back curiously, ¡°How did you know?¡± ¡°The person who kept an eye on Snow found out.¡± Lulu pursed her lips. ¡°They say Dillion has yet to make up his mind, though Snow has already entered thepany and doesn¡¯t own any position yet.¡± Chapter 2222 Chapter 2222 Lulu thought that Snow¡¯s position would not possibly be lower ranking than Raine¡¯s. There were sisters, after all. Nicole frowned slightly. ¡°It is quite weird that she¡¯s suddenly focused on her career.¡± ¡°I know, right? This seems off.¡± Lulu nodded. She would believe it if there were rumors of Snow setting her sights on a young heir from a wealthy family. However, Lulu could never believe Snow was interested in positions and work at DillCorp. Nicole bit her lip lightly, wondering about the possibilities.¡¯ What¡¯s Snow up to now? She can¡¯t possibly be interested to be the Riddle family¡¯s heir, right? Or have pigs learned to fly?¡¯ ¡°Oh, about that. I heard that DillCorp seems to be in discussion for a major project. If theynd the deal, they might even rise to be a first-tierpany,¡± Lulu said, shifting from gossip to a serious tone. Nicole raised her eyebrow. ¡°Why are you so well aware of what¡¯s happening in DillCorp?¡± Lulu was simply a small gossip news hub, favoring the news of DillCorp. She looked smug as she replied, ¡°Hmph, Raine always causes trouble going to keep a close eye on her.¡± Lulu was going to block any of Raine¡¯s attempts to bring Nicole trouble. Hearing that, Nicole could not help but feel touched by Lulu¡¯s actions. A warm feeling washed over her. She knew Lulu was doing all these things for her. ¡°Lulu, it¡¯s fine for you to keep an eye on her. But remember to inform me if there¡¯s anything going on. Never act on your own,¡± Nicole reminded. Although Lulu¡¯s intention was to help her, Nicole did not want her friend to get into unnecessary trouble. ¡°Yeah, I got it.¡± Lulu nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll let you know.¡± With that reply, Nicole felt more at ease and smiled. The two continued their lunch while chatting and laughing. After cleaning everything up after themselves, Lulu left the office. ncing at the time, Nicole returned to her desk. ¡®Is Snow really nning to join DillCorp? It all seems unreal. What could her true intentions be? Lulu did say DillCorp is currently trying to get a big project.¡¯ Suddenly, a thought crossed Nicole¡¯s mind. But when she concentrated on it, her thoughts became unclear. Shaking her head with a sigh, Nicole did not waste her time thinking about it. She would sooner orter find out the reason anyway. However, Nicole did feel like the subsidiary had been lively these days. She wondered what Dillion was doing right now. Meanwhile, at DillCorp, Dillion looked at Snow with a hint of doubt. ¡°Are you sure you want to join the company?¡± ¡°Dad, Raine¡¯s helping out in thepany. I hope I can contribute to thepany too,¡± Snow pleaded softly, seemingly genuine. ¡°It¡¯s fine if you really want to help. It¡¯s just that you¡¯ve never been involved in management at all. What could you even do at thepany?¡± Dillion said, feeling a little hesitant. ¡°If Raine can do it, so can I,¡± Snow assured desperately. Dillion frowned in response. ¡°Raine has James¡¯ assistance. You don¡¯t.¡±Content is property of N?velDrama.Org. Hearing this, Snow¡¯s expression paled. Deep down, she felt a little resentful. It was her own choice to not marry until now. She did not want to be like Raine who married into a second- rate family. She could not afford to humiliate herself like that. If she had to marry, she would marry a first-rate family. This time, Snow had finally found a great opportunity to marry the person she had been longing for all these years. That was the reason she wanted to enter thepany; this was the only way to get close to that person again. Chapter 2223 Chapter 2223 For all these years, Snow had remained single while the people she longed to marry passed her by. Moreover, the person she liked was even more dashing than he used to be. If she could rekindle their rtionship, no one would dare look down on her anymore. With these thoughts, a triumphant smile spread across Snow¡¯s face. She even started to envision a brighter future. Gritting her teeth, Snow went back to her usual innocent and harmless demeanor. She pleaded softly, ¡°I can learn.¡± Seeing that Snow had made up her mind, Dillion hesitated but agreed, ¡°Alright then.¡± Dillion had no choice since his only son was not interested in thepany and spent all his days hacking. Dillion needed someone reliable to help him now. Since his daughter was willing to learn, it was better than relying on outsiders. Snow nodded with delight. ¡°Thanks, Dad!¡± ¡°When you¡¯re ready,e report for work. I¡¯ll arrange an assistant for you,¡± Dillion said. After all, Snow did not have much experience in the working world, so she would need someone capable of assisting her. Snow nodded firmly and promised, ¡°I¡¯ll try my best.¡± ¡°Alright then, run along.¡± Dillion waved his hand, gesturing for his daughter to leave. Snow acknowledged it with a nod and left the office. Once Snow was out of the office, hercent smile immediately appeared. ¡®Finally, it¡¯s time to turn the tables. From now on, no one would dare look down on me. As for Nicole, her appearance was the sole reason my love life was ruined. She was the one who prevented me from getting married. I¡¯ll make her pay. ¡®I¡¯ll take back everything that originally belongs to me. Nicole was never worthy of being my competition. Hmph, just wait, Nicole!¡¯ As the sun set, Nicole left the building of Riddle Corporation. ¡°Nicole.¡± Hearing a familiar voice, Nicole turned her gaze. ¡°Lawrence? What brings you here?¡± she asked in surprise. ¡°I just finished signing a contract. I spotted you so I decided toe over.¡± Lawrence approached Nicole inrge strides. Nicole smiled. ¡°Signing another contract, I see. Seems like Genesis Group is doing better than I imagined.¡± ¡°Fortunately.¡± Lawrence¡¯s smile shed a hint of unease. If Jared was not in the way, Genesis Group could have been doing even better. Lawrence then looked at the time. ¡°Since I¡¯m free, I¡¯ll buy you dinner.¡± Nicole hesitated. If Lawrence asked earlier, it would have been fine. However, Lawrence showed up by surprise, and Jared wasing overter. Nicole was having a headache at the thought of the two meeting. Lawrence did not rush Nicole for an answer. He smiled at Nicole as if he was sure Nicole would ept his invitation.Content is property of N?velDrama.Org. In a sudden moment of silence, Nicole¡¯s phone rang. Seeing Jared had called, the corner of Nicole¡¯s lips twitched. She then answered the phone. Jared¡¯s voice came through, his tone serious. ¡°Something¡¯s up at thepany. I had Max go over to pick you up and send you home. I¡¯ll be working overtime today.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need for it. Let Max stay back and help you. I¡¯ll¡­¡± After a slight pause, Nicole nced at Lawrence and informed Jared truthfully, ¡°I bumped into Lawrence. I¡¯ll eat dinner with him before going back.¡± ¡°Nicole¡­¡± Jared¡¯s voice carried a hint of wariness. He did not like Nicole having any interactions with Lawrence. At the same time, he understood it was impossible for them to not interact at all. So he was rather depressed and irritated. ¡°Nicole, why haven¡¯t you left yet? Oh uh¡­ Mr. Leo,¡± Lulu¡¯s loud voice interrupted as she approached Nicole, but she faltered upon seeing Lawrence with her. Nicole responded to Jared on the phone, ¡°That¡¯s it for now. You go ahead.¡± After hanging up the call, Nicole asked Lulu, ¡°I didn¡¯t see you when I came out of the office and thought you¡¯d left.¡± Chapter 2224 Chapter 2224 ¡°I went to the restroom,¡± Lulu answered Nicole softly. Then, she asked, ¡°What are you still doing here? Are you waiting for Jared?¡± ¡°No. I bumped into Lawrence, and we¡¯re going to go for dinner.¡± As soon as she finished her sentence, Nicole scanned her surroundings. ¡°Is Spencer here yet?¡± ¡°He¡¯s noting today.¡± Lulu shrugged her shoulders, and a glimpse of sadness shed in her eyes. Nicole frowned a little. ¡®Is Spencer upied today? Why isn¡¯t he here to pick up Lulu?¡¯ Looking at how sad Lulu was, Nicole smiled and said, ¡°Since you don¡¯t have a date tonight, join us for dinner!¡± ¡°Huh? Wouldn¡¯t I be a bother?¡± Lulu replied in shock. Nicole rolled her eyes at Lulu. ¡°No way. Leo and I are just friends.¡± ¡°Oh, right.¡± Lulu scratched her head as if she was the one who was overthinking it. Then, she turned to look at Lawrence. Her gaze seemed to be full of doubt. Although Nicole did not mind it, Lulu was not close to Lawrence. Therefore, she wanted to hear from him. Lawrence nced at Nicole. He knew that he had no other choice but to agree to it. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± While speaking, Lawrence started walking towards his car. Nicole dragged Lulu along, and they spoke in whispers to each other. ¡°Jared¡¯s noting?¡± Lulu asked. ¡°It seems like something came up at the Johnston Group. He¡¯ll have to work overtime,¡± Nicole replied calmly. ¡°What a coincidence.¡± Lulu locked eyes with her friend. The reply Nicole gave sounded suspicious to her. Looking at Lulu¡¯s expression, Nicole immediately understood what Lulu meant. Then, Nicole subconsciously nced at Lawrence. However, Nicole immediately brushed away that thought from her mind. ¡®It¡¯s impossible. Lawrence wouldn¡¯t do such a thing! There¡¯s no reason for him to do so.¡¯ Nicole shook her head and chuckled. ¡°Stop thinking about this nonsense. Let¡¯s go!¡± Giggling, Lulu smiled innocently. It definitely was strange. Lawrence came over and asked Nicole out for dinner when Jared was in trouble. This was too odd to be a coincidence. Either way, Nicole and Jared had gotten their marriage certificate. They even had two kids. Lawrence was well aware of that. So, perhaps Lulu really was overthinking it. After all, Nicole had said they were just friends. At that moment in the Johnston Group, after Jared put his phone away, his eyes were as cold as ice. Lawrence had the guts to go to Riddle Corporation and ask Nicole out for dinner. ¡°Sir, I¡¯ll send some people to tail after Ms. Nicole. She¡¯ll be safe. I¡¯ve just received a message that Ms. Nicole had invited Ms. Lulu to follow along,¡± Max reported. Jared raised his eyebrow subtly. The annoyance he felt reduced a little. ¡°Okay,¡± Jared said in acknowledgement. He felt at ease when he knew that someone was protecting Nicole. Seeing that Jared had calmed down, Max asked, ¡°As expected, Iris has made a move. We¡¯re in the midst of ying along with her n. When do you n to capture her?¡± N?velDrama.Org ? 2024. Jared¡¯s eyes darkened and he spoke with a cold tone, ¡°Wait a little longer.¡± Now that everything was in their control, they could not let go of such a good opportunity to counterattack. Chapter 2225 Chapter 2225 ¡°I¡¯m not sure if well be able to bait Lawrence this time around.¡± Max¡¯s eyes were also cold. They knew that Lawrence was the once behind everything. The worst part was that Lawrence was very cunning, so there was no clear evidence. Even if things were exposed, Lawrence would seemingly have nothing to do with it. Jared¡¯s gaze darkened. This was the exact reason why he was waiting to make a move. Perhaps they could try. If not, they would have to chase Iris out and harm the Johnston Group. ¡°Ask them to be on their guard. When the timees, we could let go of some opportunities.¡± If there was not enough bait, Lawrence would not fall for it. ¡°Noted,¡± Max replied solemnly, understanding what Jared meant. Jared then flipped open the document beside him. Max retreated, leaving the room. On the other hand, at the restaurant, Nicole, Lawrence and Lulu had just taken their seats. After ordering their meals, they chatted casually. Lulu asked about what happened at Crescent Ind. She had always been curious about it, but never had the opportunity to ask. Now that Lawrence was present, she wanted to know a little about it. ¡°There¡¯s nothing much about it. It¡¯s a pretty normal life,¡± Lawrence replied casually. ¡°That¡¯s true. The ind is filled with fishermen. They¡¯re just living a life of working in the morning, sleeping at night. Although it¡¯s a very ordinary life, it¡¯s quitefortable too.¡± Seeing that Lulu was very curious, Nicole roughly described the experience to her. ¡°Come to think of it, it must be hard for you at that time.¡± Even though Nicole made it sound easy, one could imagine how hard that life would be. ¡°It¡¯s no wonder Nicole said you¡¯re an important friend of hers. Thank you for saving her and helping her out after,¡± Lulu said sincerely to Lawrence. Lawrence nodded and smiled politely. But deep down, he felt a little disappointed. What he wanted was not to be just her friend. No matter how important of a friend he was, there would always be boundaries which he could not cross. That was not what he wanted. ¡°Nicole, I remember you told me previously-¡± Lulu suddenly froze and stared at two people who had just entered the restaurant. Her mind went nk instantly. ¡°What?¡± Confused, Nicole traced her friend¡¯s line of sight. She frowned. Why were Spencer and Icyln together? What were they doing here? It was obvious that the pair did not expect to bump into Nicole or Lulu there either. Their expressions froze. ¡°Nicole, Lulu, Mr. Lawrence.¡± Spencer was the first toe back to his senses. He walked over and greeted everyone. ¡°Are you guys here for dinner?¡± Lulu nced at Icyln. Lulu¡¯s tone was calm, and her expression was even calmer. ¡°Icyln found an apartment. She just moved in today. There were too many things, and she couldn¡¯t get any help. So, I went to help her out. Seeing that it¡¯s dinner time, we came out to eat,¡± Spencer exined. ¡°Oh. Go ahead then.¡± After Lulu had finished talking, she looked down as if she was not in the mood for conversation. Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org. Spencer frowned slightly and hesitated. He really was there to only have dinner with Icyln. He did not expect to bump into Lulu. In fact, he did think of inviting Lulu to join them, but he felt that she was ignoring him recently. Seeing Spencer standing still and staring at Lulu, Icyln begged, ¡°Spencer, I¡¯m a little hungry. Why don¡¯t we go and make our order?¡± ¡°Lulu, why don¡¯t you join us?¡± Spencer still chose to say those words through gritted teeth. He still wished that Lulu could join him. Lulu immediately rejected him. ¡°No, thank you. I won¡¯t bother the both of you. I¡¯m fine with Nicole here.¡± In actual fact, she knew that it would be best for her to take on that offer at that moment. But she was still feeling confused. So, in the end, she decided to prioritize herself and not interrupt Spencer and Icyln¡¯s dinner. ¡°Why don¡¯t we eat together? We still have enough seats here, ¡± Lawrence suggested. Looking at the situation, Lawrence roughly understood what was going on. He could tell that Nicole was not happy already, so he decided to make them stay. He did not want to see Nicole unhappy again. Chapter 2226 Chapter 2226 Nicole raised her eyebrow slightly and added to Lawrence¡¯s invite. ¡°The more the merrier. What do you think, Spencer?¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Of course, Spencer would agree to it. Seeing that Lulu had refused to go with him, he could not bear to leave her behind. That was a good offer. Since Lulu did not want to leave, he just had to stay. Icyln¡¯s face turned sour after hearing Spencer¡¯s reply. Yet, she could only put on a smile and say, ¡°Sorry for interrupting. R ¡°No worries. Have a seat,¡± Nicole offered politely, but her gaze was cold. After they sat down, their food was served so everyone began to eat. Spencer noticed that Lulu kept her head down throughout the meal and she did not utter a word. It was obvious that she was in a bad mood. He served Lulu some of the dishes while whispering into her ear. It seemed like both of them were exchanging secrets and they looked sweet. Icyln narrowed her eyes. Her gaze seemed malicious as jealousy grew in her heart. ¡®Everything was going well before this. Why is it that once we bumped into Lulu, everything changed. Spencer did not even look at me once!¡¯ Gritting her teeth tightly, Icyln fixed her gaze on the shrimp on the serving te. She took one and ced it on her te. She was peeling the shrimp when she suddenly shouted, ¡°Ah! That hurt!¡± Spencer turned around and looked at her. ¡°What happened?¡± Icyln raised her finger and said pitifully, ¡°Spencer, I As she was speaking, tears welled up in her eyes. She seemed like a weeping beauty. A crossed look immediately formed on Lulu¡¯s Nicole narrowed her eyes. She had lost her appetite and was in no mood to continue eating. ¡°Excuse me.¡± Spencer raised his hand to signal for the waiter. ¡°Sir, how may I help you?¡± The waiter came over and asked. ¡°Please bring a pair of d isposable gloves for thisdy here.¡± Spencer nced at Icyln and spoke. Icyln felt as if thunder had sounded, ¡®G-gloves?¡¯ ¡°But, Spencer, my hands are really in pain.¡± Icyln continued to act pitiful. ¡®Why would I need gloves?¡¯ ¡°Then¡­¡± Spencer hesitated for a while. Then, he ordered the waiter, ¡°Give us another te of shelled shrimp.¡± N?velDrama.Org owns ? this. ¡°Alright, just a moment.¡± The waiter turned around and left. Icyln froze like a stone. That was not the oue she wanted, but she had no other way to refute. ¡°Lulu, you love shrimp, right? Have some.¡¯ Nicole ced the dish in front of Lulu. ¡°Thank you.¡± Lulu frowned. Then, she picked up a shrimp to peel. However, Spencer stopped her. ¡°Let¡¯s wait for the shelled shrimpter. Otherwise, you¡¯ll hurt yourself.¡± After all, he had just witnessed Icyln cut her fingers with it. He was a little worried about Lulu. Chapter 2227 Chapter 2227 ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m not that weak.¡± Lulu was not feeling happy, so she indirectly directed herments towards Icyln. ¡°Listen to me,¡± Spencer urged gently. Lulu, who was feeling annoyed, could not take in any advice. She picked up the shrimp and began to peel. Spencer felt slightly annoyed. So, he put the shrimp on his te and de-shelled it for Lulu. After shelling it, he ced it on Lulu¡¯s te. Lulu stared at the shelled shrimp and blinked her eyes. Her brain went nk for a second. Then, two shrimps, three shrimps appeared. Spencer had filled Lulu¡¯s te with shrimp which he had shelled. Spencer smiled and said in a gentle tone, ¡°Eat them.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Lulu could tell that she was still in a daze. So, she could only give a response nkly. She slowly picked up the shelled shrimp and ate it. ¡°The shrimp are really sweet today! It tastes amazing!¡± N?velDrama.Org owns ? this. Icyln¡¯s face instantly looked crossed. It was as if her face was burning, and it had a hint of pain. ¡°Here are your shelled shrimps, miss.¡± The waiter ced a te of freshly cooked shelled shrimps in front of Icyln. Staring at the steaming hot te of shelled shrimps, Icyln¡¯s shrimps was mocking her. ¡°Spencer, my fingers are really in pain. I¡¯ll head back first to treat it.¡± Icyln could not take it anymore, so she got up and left. ¡°Is she fine on her own?¡± Nicole asked simply. After all, Spencer would have to face the teacher. If anything were to happen, he would not be able to give a reasonable exnation. ¡°It¡¯s fine. She lives nearby,¡± Spencer replied calmly. ¡°Oh.¡± Nicole immediately understood. ¡®No wonder we The rest of them continued having dinner. After dinner, they were getting ready to leave. ¡°I¡¯ll send Lulu back. As for Nicole¡­¡± Spencer wanted to ask Nicole if she wanted to follow him. Nicole understood what he wanted and smiled. ¡°Leo will send me back. The both of you can go ahead.¡± How could she be a third wheel at such a moment? Although Lulu was not as angry as before, she still felt Spencer looked at Lawrence and spoke politely, ¡°I¡¯ll leave my sister to you then.¡± Lawrence smiled and replied, ¡°No worries. It¡¯s my pleasure.¡± Soon, Spencer brought Lulu out. Nicole and Lawrence also left the restaurant. The moon was up in the sky. Looking at the night view, Lawrence casually said, ¡°The moon here is quite different from the one at Crescent Ind. Actually, I still miss life at the ind, even when I¡¯m here at San Joto.¡± ¡°No matter how great Crescent Ind is, it¡¯s not my home.¡± Nicole¡¯s reply seemed to carry a deeper meaning. To her, Crescent Ind contains a part of her life, but it will never be her final destination. She hoped that Lawrence could understand that. She was Nicole Riddle. Everything at San Joto is where she belonged. Even if she had to bear responsibility for certain things, that was what her heart wished for. A sh of disappointment flitted across Lawrence¡¯s eyes. Soon, it returned to normal, and he smiled gently. ¡°Of course, San Joto has its pros. But with Genesis, this would be my future home.¡± Knowing how much time and effort Lawrence poured into Genesis Group, Nicole eximed, ¡°It¡¯s good that you like it." ¡°Of course I like it.¡± Lawrence looked at Nicole affectionately. Nicole looked away and did not notice the look on Lawrence¡¯s face. ¡°Let¡¯s go. It¡¯s gettingte.¡± While speaking, Nicole was walking towards the car. Lawrence shook his head indifferently and followed after Nicole¡¯s footsteps. Chapter 2228 Chapter 2228 The night was inching closer. Jared had just returned home and noticed light wasing from Nicole¡¯s study. ¡®I think she left it on for me.¡¯ Jared nced at Nicole sleeping on her bed, a sh of softness filled his eyes. He quietly slipped out of the room and took a shower before changing into a pair of fresh pajamas. Jared slipped into bed and was about to sleep when Nicole suddenly turned over andid in his arms. It was as if she had felt his presence. Unconsciously, she patted her hand on his chest. Jared looked down at Nicole, his eyes softened as he saw Nicole was fast asleep. He could not help but to feel powerless when Nicole did this to him. He pulled the sheets over them both, pulling her tighter into his embrace before falling asleep. Jared¡¯s exhaustion and worries were immediately swept away the moment he saw Nicoleying in his arms. The next day, Nicole¡¯s eyes fluttered open and immediately, the first thing she saw was Jared¡¯s cheek. Jared was still fast asleep, Nicole was confused as to when and what time Jared had reached home last night. ¡®I guess he got home quitetest night.¡¯ Nicole gently attempted to pry away from Jared¡¯s grasp, not wanting to wake him up. Unfortunately, Nicole failed. The moment she moved his arm away, Jared woke up and opened his eyes. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I woke you up.¡± Nicole felt guilty waking Jared up. She wanted to let him rest a little while longer. ¡°You want to get out of bed?¡± Jared asked, frowning slightly. ¡°Yeah, you should rest for a little while more,¡± said Jared tightened his grasp on Nicole and hugged her tightly.¡± Join me,¡± said Jared in a husky voice. ¡°Don¡¯t mess around. I have to get up.¡± Nicole¡¯s cheeks flushed red. She shot him a look. Jared hugged her tighter and buried his face into the N?velDrama.Org owns ? this. Nicole felt distraught as she heard the tiredness let me go? I can¡¯t breathe.¡± Jared¡¯s eyes shed a glint of mischief, a smirk on his face.¡± I¡¯ll help you breathe.¡± And before Nicole could react, Jared nted a long kiss directly onto Nicole¡¯s lips before letting go. Jared looked at Nicole with satisfaction before closing his eyes again. Nicole¡¯s cheeks were burning red as she watched Jared fall asleep, knowing that he was tired. She quietly apanied him as she looked intently at his attractive face. Nicole stared at his features. ¡®His eyes are so deep, his straight nose¡­¡¯ Her gaze stopped when it fell on Jared¡¯s lips. The image of them kissing unconsciously reyed in her mind. Nicole¡¯s face flushed red once more. Ever since Nicole had returned, her memory had beening with warmness. Five years ago, Nicole and Jared had gotten married and pregnant at Panem. It had been exactly five years since she had disappeared. Nicole could notprehend how and what Jared had gone through for the past five years without her. Nicole bit her lip as she raised her hand and gently caressed Jared¡¯s eyebrows, soothing his furrowed skin. Nicole pursed her lips before murmuring softly, ¡°Maybe I never had anywhere to escape to.¡± ¡®Even without any of my memories back, one thing for sure is that I¡¯m falling for him. ¡® The sound of feet patting the ground was soon heard.¡± Mummy, are you awake?¡± A voice echoed behind the bedroom door after a faint knock. The voices of Nn and Lana were echoing. ¡°I¡¯ming,¡± Nicole responded subconsciously, before turning her head around to look at Jared who was still asleep. Nicole gently slipped out of bed and walked to open the bedroom door. ¡°Daddy¡¯s still sleeping. You guys can head downstairs. Mommy has to get changed first.¡± Nicole signaled Nn and Lana in case they be fussy and directed them to head downstairs to wait. Chapter 2229 Chapter 2229 ¡°Okay,¡± Lana agreed. Nn frowned and furrowed his eyebrows. ¡®Why is mommy calling that evil man those names?¡¯ ¡°Nn,e on!¡± Lana said as she tugged on Nn to follow her. Nn followed obediently. He could not help but frown, feeling something was off. Nicole quickly went back into the room once she saw the twins leave. She quickly washed up and changed into a set of fresh clothes. Jared was still fast asleep by the time Nicole had finished getting ready. Nicole silently slipped out of the room, closing the door gently behind her. Nicole headed downstairs where everyone was already in the dining room. Nicole went over to join everyone for breakfast. ¡°Nicole, why didn¡¯t you call Jared to join us?¡± Gloria asked, noticing Nicole hade downstairs alone. ¡°He came back verytest night. I thought he could use some rest,¡± replied Nicole. ¡°Oh¡­¡± Everyone in the dining room heard it and became conscious by lowering down their voices. Once breakfast was over, everyone left to do their own ¡°Is there something going on with the Johnston ¡°Probably,¡± Daniel agreed. ¡°We can¡¯t help them much, but we can probably tell Nicole to look after Jared a little bit more.¡¯ ¡°I¡¯m sure she will. I believe Jared will sort out his manners soon too,¡± said Daniel profoundly. ¡®If Jared can¡¯t solve this matter easily, none of us could,¡¯ Daniel thought to himself. Daniel and Gloria headed upstairs as they talked. Meanwhile, Nicole had made a beeline to the office in the Riddle Residence. Lulu also happened to have arrived at the same time. N?velDrama.Org owns ? this. She waved at Nicole happily. ¡°Nicole!¡± ¡°Come on. Let¡¯s go inside,¡± said Nicole. They both entered the building. ¡°It looks like it was nothing after all,¡± joked Nicole, noticing that Lulu was apparently happy. Lulu¡¯s cheeks flushed red. Embarrassed, she admitted, ¡°Of course it was nothing.¡± ¡°Really?¡¯ Nicole asked, raising her eyebrows. A yful look shed in Nicole¡¯s eyes. ¡°Someone seemed very down in the dumps yesterday.¡± Lulu was embarrassed and could not help but deny. ¡°No, I wasn¡¯t.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t say it was you,¡± teased Nicole. Lulu¡¯s face was flushed red, knowing Nicole was pushing the right buttons. ¡°Stop teasing me or I¡¯ll ignore you.¡± Nicoleughed cheerfully as Lulu became more embarrassed. Soon, they reached the office. Nicole nced at the pile of documents on her desk before snapping back to reality. Lulu had also recovered and started to help Nicole sort out the documents before starting to work. Meanwhile, at the Riddle Residence. Jared had just fluttered his eyes open. He looked at the time and got up from bed. Jared was awake when Nicole left. He could not help but admire Nicole acting all wary in fear of waking him up. Jared quickly washed up, changed into a pair of fresh clothes, and left the Riddle residence. Chapter 2230 Chapter 2230 Max picked Jared up from the Riddle residence. ¡°Mr. Johnston, the Genesis Group has been oddly silent. Do you think they might¡¯ve picked up on something?¡± Max said with a dignified expression. ¡°It¡¯s probably nothing. Tell them to have a little more patience.¡± Jared¡¯s eyes were gloomy. ¡®Hunters should have more patience if they want to seed.¡¯ ¡°Yes, sir,¡± Max replied. Jared leaned back into his seat, his eyes were cold and nk. ¡®This time I¡¯ll set Lawrence back into his ce. I¡¯m not the one to be messed with.¡¯ The sun was scorching hot in the afternoon. Nicole had just gotten back from lunch and felt a little drowsy. She plopped down on the sofa to have a short nap. Nicole frowned as she heard a knock on the door. She opened her eyes slightly and called out, ¡°Come in.¡± ¡°Nicole!¡± Lulu came rushing in, agitated as if she had heard news. Nicole could not help but smile when she saw Lulu¡¯s excited appearance. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Why are you so excited?¡± ¡°I have big news.¡± Lulu said with a huge grin on her face. ¡± Guess who won the big project of DillCorp?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Nicole shook her head, trying to figure out how to take such a wild guess. Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org. ¡°It¡¯s Harvey.¡± Lulu said in a low voice, as she slowly spelled out his name. Nicole blinked. ¡°So?¡± Nicole knew that Harvey was leading San Joto¡¯s with his business and was living up to his family name. Lulu¡¯s strange excitement for Harvey had made Nicole question her a little. ¡®Even if DillCorp and Ellison Group had coborated, why is she being like this?¡¯ Lulu noticed Nicole¡¯s unbothered expression. She reached out and felt Nicole¡¯s forehead. ¡°How can I help you with your amnesia-¡° Lulu cut herself off, turning to look around to check for anything unusual before lowering her voice and said,¡± There¡¯s a long story between you and Snow. It¡¯s all because of this man¡­¡± Lulu exined to Nicole about all that has happened between her, Harvey, and Snow. Lulu then pursed her lips in disgust. ¡°Before, I thought he was the most handsome guy ever. Ever since that incident, I feel like he¡¯s the worst person alive. His behavior doesn¡¯t give justice to his looks.¡± Nicole sat there stunned as she slowly digested all the details Lulu had shared with her. ¡®I never imagined having so much bad blood between the three of us. This guy is quite cunning to y such dirty tricks on me.¡¯ Nicole¡¯s face turned blue as she listened to Lulu telling her about Harvey¡¯s endless plot and stalking. ¡®What kind of scumbag is he? He surely is a match for Snow.¡¯ Nicole had gotten the basic understanding from Lulu, and too she could not help but sneer, ¡°So Snow suddenly joined DillCorp because of Harvey?¡± ¡®She¡¯s still infatuated with him. She tried so hard for so many years now yet she¡¯s unable to get close with him. Does she have the brain size of a pea? Can¡¯t she understand that if he really liked her, this wouldn¡¯t be the situation now?¡¯ Nicole thought to herself. Lulu was excited to see Nicole to have caught up with the gossip. ¡°Do you think those two will ever be a thing?¡± Both Snow and Harvey are still bachelors, so I guess as long as they are able to see eye to eye, perhaps maybe they could stand a chance with each other. ¡®But then again, DillCorp and Ellison Group are two powerfulpanies. Why had they joined hands together? Snow joining DillCorp so she could handle this project with Ellison Group might be her only ticket to get close to Harvey,¡¯ thought Nicole to herself. She bit her lip and raised her eyebrows as she looked at Lulu. ¡°Can you arrange someone to keep an eye on Snow?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Lulu agreed, blinking her eyes. ¡°Keep an eye on them, especially on the projects,¡± urged Nicole. ¡°How did you know that Snow would be handling this¡­¡± Lulu suddenly had an epiphany before nodding, ¡°Don¡¯t worry and leave it to me. I¡¯ll have someone keep an eye on those two.¡± Chapter 2231 Chapter 2231 It was evident that Nicole was not really interested to get to know how Snow and Harvey¡¯s rtionship was progressing. Instead, she was interested to know about their coboration together. Nicole understood clearly that if DillCorp took the project, the head office would more or less receive some impact. ¡®I suspect that DillCorp eyed this project purposely, knowing that if I were to participate too, they won¡¯t have much luck securing this opportunity.¡¯ ¡°Okay, that¡¯s enough for today. Let¡¯s get back to work,¡± said Nicole, feeling refreshed after their mini gossip session. Lulu hesitated for a while before speaking up in a muffled voice. ¡°Nicole, what would you do if you were to meet Harvey?¡± ¡®Should this be considered an old friend reunion, or an old nemesis gathering?¡¯ Nicole thought to herself. ¡°What can I do? Hit him?¡± Nicole retorted. ¡®If I can¡¯t hit him, then what¡¯s the point? I¡¯ll treat him like a stranger if all else fails.¡¯ Lulu busted out inughter. ¡°Well, that¡¯s an idea. I¡¯ll help you beat him up.¡± Lulu knew Nicole was joking. There was no way Nicole would hit Harvey unless he asked for it by provoking her. Lulu was proud that she had received such big news to share with Nicole. Lulu looked satisfied with her job well done. Nicole shook her head and chuckled. ¡®This girl is really something.¡¯ Nicole went back to her desk and started going through her files. Meanwhile, at DillCorp. Snow sat at her desk going through the project folder in her hands. The expression on her face exposed her excitement. Tve finally gotten my hands on this project. Now, I¡¯ll finally have the chance to get closer to Harvey. If it weren¡¯t for that b*tch Nicole that changed everything and took what belonged to me¡­¡¯ Snow gritted her teeth. She was dead set on winning Harvey¡¯s heart. ¡®Once I be his wife, I¡¯ll no longer be looked down on by everyone else. I¡¯ll make Nicole pay for everything that she¡¯s done to me.¡¯ An assistant of Snow¡¯s entered the room and informed, ¡°Ms. Riddle, the project partner has sent someone over for the meeting.¡± Content is property of N?velDrama.Org. Snow¡¯s eyes lit up. She stood up immediately and said, ¡°Let him in.¡± ¡°Yes, Ms. Riddle.¡± The assistant turned around to let the guest in. Soon after, a young and beautiful looking woman stepped in the room. Snow could not help but frown. ¡°Who are you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m Mr. Ellison¡¯s secretary. I¡¯m here to discuss the project details with you.¡± She ced a piece of document onto the table and proudly said, ¡°Mr. Ellison had made some minor changes to the project ns. This is the revised version. Mr. Ellison hopes that we can proceed with this version as soon as possible.¡± ¡°Where¡¯s Harvey?¡± Snow refused to ept that Harvey had not gone to her personally. Mr. Ellison¡¯s secretary gave Snow a side eye and said,¡± Please, doing your part is sufficient for us. The affairs of Mr. Ellison aren¡¯t something for you to question about.¡± After she finished speaking, she turned around and walked away in swaying strides. Snow fumed. She gritted her teeth as she red at the back of the secretary¡¯s head, feeling humiliated. ¡®How dare a low life secretary treat me like this! When I be your boss¡¯s wife, the first thing I¡¯ll do is to fire you!¡¯ ¡°Ms. Riddle, this project is very important to ourpany. We should quickly n and align on this and revert it back to them as soon as possible.¡± Snow¡¯s assistant urged after noticing that Snow had been silent for a while. ¡°I know,¡± Snow said with a tone of disapproval. This project was equally important to Snow. It was her last shot to get closer to Harvey. Snow frowned as she opened the revised ns. Then, she tossed the document at her assistant. ¡°Take care of this ording to their requirements.¡± ¡°Yes, Ms. Riddle,¡± said the assistant, taking the file. Snow sulked. ¡®He didn¡¯te here personally. I have to find a way to meet him in person. Otherwise, my chances will be gone.¡¯ Chapter 2232 Chapter 2232 The sun was setting in the horizon when Jared arrived at Riddle Corporation to pick Nicole up. Nicole just happened to step out of the office then. Jared got out of the car and opened the door for Nicole. ¡°You¡¯re here.¡± Seeing him, Nicole started walking towards Jared with a smile on her face. ¡°Nicole, I¡¯ll get going now,¡± Lulu said with a smile. She gave them a teasing look and ran off. Nicole rolled her eyes at Lulu and shouted, ¡°Don¡¯t you worry! Spencer will pick you upter!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t make fun of me!¡± After Lulu left, Nicole turned around and followed Jared into the car. ¡°I have to go to the hospital first,¡± she said. Jared nodded and replied, ¡°Sure.¡± Jared knew how much Nicole wanted to visit Samuel. Soon, they both arrived at the hospital. Samuel was unable to move by himself, but he was allowed to move around using a wheelchair. Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. At that time, Samuel was having dinner with June in his hospital room. Both of them were surprised to see Nicole and Jared walk in. ¡°What brings you guys here?¡± ¡°To see you, of course.¡± Nicole ced the fruit basket she was holding down and noted, ¡°You look much better now.¡± ¡°Yeah, I think I¡¯ll be able to get discharged in a few days¡¯ time,¡± said Samuel, smiling. ¡°That¡¯s great news! Mom will be relieved when she hears this.¡± ¡®Living in the hospital feels like things are serious. I to go home,¡¯ thought Samuel. ¡°I¡¯ll get discharged as soon as possible. Tell her not to worry so much about me,¡± Samuel said without hesitation. He knew that he would only worry his family by staying too long in the hospital. On top of that, June had been staying by his side taking care of him. ¡®Once I get discharged, June won¡¯t have to take June nced at Samuel before biting her lip, suddenly falling silent. She furrowed her eyebrows, before something shed in her eyes as if she understood something. ¡°It¡¯s great to be able to leave the hospital but you would still need someone to take care of you when you¡¯re home. Who will take care of you then?¡± Nicole asked suggestively. ¡°Don¡¯t we have Alfred at home? I don¡¯t need anyone to specially take care of me when I¡¯m at home. I can handle it myself,¡± said Samuel, without much thought. ¡°The doctor specifically said that you should rest and take care of your injury for the next three months.¡± Nicole shot Samuel a look, but he seemed to not catch her meaning, giving her a nk expression. ¡®Such a good opportunity for him¡­ How can he not grab this opportunity? Can¡¯t he see that June is obviously worried sick about him and all that she wants to do is to take care of him? ¡®If June takes this opportunity to take care of Samuel, I bet by the end of it all, they¡¯d get together and then marriage would soon be on the table. This is a foolproof n, but this idiot is too oblivious.¡¯ ¡°I¡¯ll just go back home andy around.¡± Samuel had no intention of having a caretaker, and still insisted he did not need one. Nicole was fuming in frustration, to the point of giving up on helping him. ¡®He can live alone in old age for all I care. I¡¯ve helped him enough. He¡¯s too dense.¡¯ Chapter 2233 Chapter 2233 ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, Nicole. I can take care of him,¡± June said, finally speaking up. June was over the moon when she heard that Samuel was going to get discharged soon. She was happy for him but at the same time she worried about him. ¡®If no one can take care of Samuel by then, knowing his restless personality, he¡¯s bound to get into trouble if anything were to happen,¡¯ she thought. ¡°I¡¯m sorry we have to trouble you with babysitting him,¡± said Nicole. She did not have high hopes for Samuel, so she agreed on his behalf. ¡°But, if she has to take care of me, where will she stay?¡± Samuel frowned, feeling a little difort. ¡®This is what I was afraid of. Tension in the air.¡¯ Nicole mentally cussed out Samuel in her mind. ¡®Why is he so stupid? Why can¡¯t he just agree, instead of asking questions like these? June has a two-bedroom apartment. Why is he concerned about this?¡¯ Knowing the current situation at the Riddle¡¯s, June answered after pondering a while, ¡°Then we can stay at my ce.¡± ¡°I think that¡¯s fine with us,¡± Nicole agreed, knowing that June was a trustworthy person. Mentally, she let out a huge sigh of relief. ¡®Thank goodness we have one with brains. I don¡¯t know how he does it, having her stick by his side. They must be destined.¡¯ Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org. After staying with Samuel and June for a while, Nicole and Jared left the hospital, got in the car, and headed towards the Riddle residence. ¡°You know they can and could stay at the Riddle residence. We can always go back to our ce,¡± Jared said. Looking at Nicole, his eyes darkened a little. Ever since Nicole had returned, they had been living at the Riddle residence ever since. Jared had been wanting to have some alone time with Nicole and his little family. Nicole shook her head. ¡°This matter is between Nn and Lana who have yet to get ustomed to this ce. If they want to live with us, then if they get seen, it would be problematic for all of us.¡± It was impossible for Nicole to leave the twins at the Riddle residence alone. They had to live with Nicole. Jared raised his eyebrow subtly, a smile shing across his face. ¡®She didn¡¯t refuse when I said we ought to return to living at our ce. She only contemted our kids as a factor. Which means that she¡¯s already epted us living together.¡¯ ¡°Once it¡¯s done, we can move back in at our own ce,¡± said Jared hopefully with a subtle smile. Nicole¡¯s cheeks flushed red as she rolled her eyes at Jared.¡± Who wants to go back with you? Go by yourself.¡± ¡°Of course, by right, my wife should being back with me, ¡± Jared said as he held Nicole tightly in an embrace, not wanting to let her go. Nicole tried to break free from his grasp but failed. She suddenly stopped struggling and looked up at Jared. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that it¡¯ll be after the matter is done? Why are you so prepared for it?¡± The thought of Nn and Lana being exposed to the public had made Nicole panic. Nicole had assigned Tia to help send and pick up the kids from school, to ensure that no one picks up the idea that Nicole and Jared had children. Ever since then, Nicole had never appeared at the kindergarten again as she waited for the matter to die down. She had to go through a lot of trouble to ensure that nobody would pay any attention to both Nn and Lana. As a mother, it was heart-wrenching for her to keep her kids a secret. Being unable to send and pick her kids up from school had already taken a toll on her. Additionally, Jared¡¯s input earlier had made her think that Jared was done living in istion from the public eye. Jared¡¯s lips twitched slightly. ¡°You¡¯ll know very soon.¡± Nicole was surprised. ¡°Why are you being so mysterious? What exactly are you nning?¡± ¡®This is a little frustrating to deal with. What¡¯s he nning to do?¡¯ Jared softly pinched her arm and said in a gentle voice, ¡°It¡¯s a surprise, so I can¡¯t tell you.¡± Nicole scoffed, shooting Jared a nk look. Nicole was sure that Jared would not joke about the kids. Thus she was more curious than worried. Nicole did not pursue an answer, knowing that it would go nowhere. Soon, three days went by in a blink of an eye. Chapter 2234 Chapter 2234 In the midst of the hustle, everything still seemed normal and progressed slowly. As usual, the whole city was bustling, and the people on the streets were all rushing to their own destinations. Jared sent Nicole to the Riddle Corporation as per routine. Just as Nicole got out of the car, Lawrence¡¯s car appeared and came to a halt beside them. Nicole looked at Lawrence with shock. ¡°Leo, what are you doing here? Is something going on?¡± It was supposed to be working hours, so why would Lawrence appear there at that moment? ¡°rm here to see you.¡± Lawrence¡¯s tone was calm, as if there was nothing going on. But when he turned his gaze to Jared, it was dark. In fact, Lawrence was actually in a bad mood. So, he wanted to find a ce and take a breather. But the only ce he could go was where Nicole was. ¡°Let¡¯s head up then.¡± Nicole did not give it much thought and invited Lawrence to her office. Then, she turned back to Jared and said, ¡°I¡¯ll head up now. Bye.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll pick you up when you¡¯re done,¡± Jared reminded gently. Then, he turned his gaze to Lawrence, and it turned cold in an instant. After ncing at Lawrence, Jared ordered Max, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Max started the car engine and left. Seeing that the car had left, Nicole gestured to Lawrence.¡± Let¡¯s go.¡± However, she noticed that Lawrence¡¯s gaze was fixed on Jared¡¯s car. He did not even react when Nicole called out to him. ¡°Leo?¡± Nicole raised her voice a little. Lawrence came back to his senses and smiled. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± After that, he walked into the office building first, acting as if he was not the one who was staring intently at Jared. In a daze, Nicole blinked. ¡®Why does it feel like something¡¯s off? But looking at Lawrence, it seems like everything¡¯s fine?¡¯ Seeing Lawrence enter the building, Nicole put the thought away and followed after him. Soon, both of them had reached the top floor. Coincidentally, they bumped into Sean and Steve there. ¡°Steve, Sean,¡± Nicole greeted them. Both of them looked at Nicole. Then, they turned their gaze to Lawrence and questioned, ¡°Do we have any recent partnership to discuss with Genesis Group?¡± ¡°No. Leo was just around the block and thought of visiting,¡± Nicole exined, smiling. ¡°Oh. We¡¯re headed for our meeting then.¡± Steve nced at Lawrence. Then, he walked off with Sean. Nicole frowned a little as she stared at Sean and Steve who were leaving. ¡®Why do I feel like something¡¯s not right with them?¡¯ ¡°Am I holding you up?¡± Lawrence questioned doubtfully. ¡°No. That meeting doesn¡¯t involve me.¡± Nicole came back to her senses and invited Lawrence into her office. Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org. The secretary brought in their coffees. Then, Nicole gestured to Lawrence to drink some. ¡°You seem to have a liking for coffee since you came back here.¡± Lawrence took a sip and praised Nicole¡¯s coffee. ¡°I¡¯ve always loved coffee, but there was none I really loved while I was on the ind.¡± Nicole held her coffee cup and sipped on it. She recalled the day when Jared had just caught her. That day, Jared gave her a cup of coffee and mentioned that Nicole¡¯s taste buds were still the same. Nicole¡¯s eyes softened as she smiled unconsciously. Chapter 2235 Chapter 2235 This coffee was specially prepared for her by Jared. In fact, Jared had also mentioned that all the coffees she drank previously were brewed by him. Therefore, Nicole¡¯s taste buds had been pampered with the best. How could she take in normal coffee anymore? Hearing Nicole¡¯s response, Lawrence narrowed his eyes and a hint of gloom shed across his eyes. He suddenly recalled Lana mentioning Jared and Nicole getting ready for their wedding. Lawrence felt even more annoyed. He had tried his best to stop Nicole from returning to San Joto, and all of it failed. And now, they were already in such a situation. ¡°Nicole.¡± Lawrence¡¯s voice was hoarse. Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. ¡°Yes?¡± Noticing that Lawrence was not in a good mood, Nicole raised her eyebrow and looked at him questionably.¡¯ Did anything happen? Why is he acting weird today?¡¯ Lawrence smiled and asked casually, ¡°I noticed that you¡¯ve been really close to Jared these days. So, I¡¯m curious if you¡¯ve recalled anything from the past.¡± Nicole shook her head, feeling shy. ¡°No.¡± She definitely did feel closer to Jared recently. Although her memory had not recovered, a lot of things seemed to be less important already. After all, there was no way she could reject Jared if she were to follow her heart¡¯s desire. Lawrence felt as if a knife stabbed into his heart. His gaze turned cold briefly. Sure enough, even without her memory, Nicole would still choose Jared. At the end of the day, Lawrence would not be able to gain anything. Lawrence did not want to hear any more stories about the couple, so his eyes turned gloomy as he said, ¡°Actually, I¡¯m here to ask for your help.¡± Hearing this, Nicole looked up at Lawrence. ¡°Tell me.¡± If there was him, she would be more than happy to do so. ¡°I¡¯ve taken over a project, but I¡¯m facing some challenges recently. So, I may need some help. I¡¯m not sure if yourpany could help me.¡± Lawrence spoke with a choke in his throat. ¡°What project is this?¡± Nicole became serious. If there was any project Lawrence, the problem must be a challenging one. ¡°Actually, it¡¯s an overseas project. But I¡¯ve been putting all my attention on Genesis Group, so I had no time to attend to that project. When I realized the problem, the capital source had been cut off. So, I¡¯m in need of an investment partner now and I don¡¯t really have many people who I could trust now.¡± Lawrence looked at Nicole and his eager gaze seemed to say that Nicole was the only trusted person. Nicole bit her lip and paused for a moment before responding, ¡°Well, if you¡¯re just looking for investors, I could put some investment through my personal ount. In the meantime, you can forget about asking thepany to invest.¡± If it was just to help him, Nicole felt that there was no need to use the Riddle Corporation¡¯s fund. She could help him on her own ord. When Lawrence sessfully resolved this problem, she would not require any dividend. She could just take this as paying back for Lawrence¡¯s help towards her in the past. ¡°Uh¡­¡± Lawrence narrowed his eyes. His initial intention was to pull the Riddle Corporation in. Nicole smiled yfully. ¡°What? You think that I¡¯m not capable of helping you on my own ord?¡± ¡°Of course not.¡± Seeing that Nicole had made her decision, Lawrence could only ept it gratefully. ¡°Alright then. If I can solve this problem, I¡¯ll be sure to repay you.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need for that. After all, you¡¯ve helped me a ton in the past.¡± Nicole smiled politely. Lawrence gritted his teeth discreetly. He felt a sting in his heart again. ¡®So, the reason why she agreed to help me is just because she wanted to return the favor.¡¯ ¡°Leo, you can ask Ian to contact me directly. I¡¯ll get Lulu to transfer the money over,¡± Nicole told Lawrence, without noticing how he felt. Lawrence instantly regained hisposure in a split second and replied, ¡°Alright.¡± After sitting for a while, Lawrence got up and left. Nicole did not give it much thought and soon shifted her focus to her work. At that moment, Sean and Steve returned from their meeting. Chapter 2236 Chapter 2236 ¡°Sean, why do I feel like there¡¯s something off with Lawrence?¡± Steve mumbled with a frown. At the same time, Sean¡¯s eyes darkened. ¡°Yes, there¡¯s something sinister about him today.¡± Although he still looked the same as before, the gaze from his eyes had left everyone around him feeling perturbed. ¡°Why did he look for Nicole?¡± Steve frowned again, worried that Lawrence would harm Nicole. Sean hesitated for a moment, after which he decided, ¡°Let¡¯s check on Nicole.¡± That feeling was inexplicable, and the only thing Steve knew was that he felt uneasy about it; the version of Lawrence he had seen today had put him on guard. ¡°Sure.¡± Steve agreed. Naturally, he was willing to do so, as he felt really anxious for Nicole. When the both of them arrived at Nicole¡¯s office, Nicole was taken aback. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡®They should have concluded their meeting already. And since the both of them came over together, I guess it might be something about thepany which requires my decision,¡¯ she thought. ¡°Why was Lawrence here? He came so early in the morning. I don¡¯t think he¡¯s just here to catch up.¡± Steve replied,ying everything out. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s nothing. We were just discussing work rted matters.¡± Nicole briefly responded without telling them that she was going to invest in Lawrence¡¯s project. She felt that everything she would fork out would be from personal ount and not thepany¡¯s. She had enough money on her person to pull this off as well. Moreover, she was just doing him a favor. She would not be raking in any profits from it. So, she did not want the boys to think that she had made that decision on pure impulse. At the end of the day, there were things which she would need to find a delicate bnce for. After all, she could not just stand idly by while Lawrence was in trouble. She did not want to drag thepany in over such a small matter either. Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. If it was something that benefited the Riddle Corporation, she would do it. Otherwise, she would not want to ce any additional burdens on thepany. The boys could tell that Nicole was quite reserved in her answer, and it did not seem to be an issue of special significance to her. After exchanging nces, they replied, ¡°Good to know that everything¡¯s fine.¡± Nicole smiled. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, if anything happens, I¡¯ll talk to you guys.¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Just that, we felt that Lawrence seemed a little odd today. So, we thought of asking you.¡± Steve exined in hopes that Nicole would not think that they were overstepping their boundaries. Hearing this, Nicole furrowed her brows a little. She also felt that there was something off with Lawrence. But after some thought, she surmised that it might just be because his project abroad was not going as well as it should be. Nicole spared herself any further thought and proceeded to reassure Sean and Steve. And after the both of them had left, Nicole continued working again. ¡°Sean, nothing will happen, right?¡± Steve asked, wanting to rify with Sean once more. ¡°Nothing will. Have some faith in Nicole.¡± Sean replied calmly. ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± Steve nodded, certain of Nicole¡¯s capabilities. After gaining some reassurances, Sean and Steve went ahead and continued working respectively. On the other hand, Lawrence had gotten into his car. With narrowed eyes, he leaned back against his seat and said, ¡°It¡¯s done. We¡¯ll act ording to n.¡± Ian hesitated for a while, but he finally gritted his teeth and replied, ¡°Understood.¡± Although he did not understand why everything had changed once they moved to San Joto, he was certain that Nicole and Lawrence would never return to how they were before. Chapter 2237 Chapter 2237 Lawrence looked out of the window, and his gaze became even darker. Jared was really adept at pulling tricks and maneuvers, while Lawrence had been extremely careful and cautious with every move he made. And yet, once Jared had shifted the pieces to his favor, the tides turned. Lawrence even assumed that if he simply allowed Iris to do her job, Jared would only find out about her when he investigates. But Io and behold, Jared was able to connect the dots, traced it back to Lawrence, and used it as an opportunity to retaliate. Lawrence had poured a lot of effort into the project abroad. If he could not solve this issue, he would suffer major losses. Fortunately for him, he had noticed that something iffy was going on. At present, Lawrence wanted to see if Jared would continue ying the same card, now that Nicole had been dragged into it. In the Johnston Group headquarters, Max followed Jared into the office and with a heavy look on his face, he reported, ¡°Lawrence went and met with Miss Nicole. Could he be scheming something?¡± After all, the oue of the entire n was about toe to fruition even before the final step had been executed. Yet, Lawrence could remain calm. A cool and mocking look shed across Jared¡¯s face, and in smug fashion, he said, ¡°Inform the bank and order them to control all personal assets under Nicole¡¯s name. Every transaction is to be released three dayster.¡± Max could not help but widen his eyes, ¡°What you¡¯re trying to say is that Lawrence met up with Miss Nicole to ask for investment funds?¡± ¡®It¡¯s obvious that if Lawrence had sought help from Miss Nicole, she would definitely oblige. But how can I exin this to Miss Nicole? I can¡¯t possibly say that Lawrence is at the receiving end of retaliation after he failed to trick Mr. Johnston,¡¯ Max thought. A streak of light crossed Jared¡¯s eyes. ¡°Do you really think he¡¯d be in the mood to catch up with Nicole at such a time?¡± It was just an excuse for him. Lawrence¡¯s motive would still be the same. ¡°If Miss Nicole really did him a favor¡­¡± Max¡¯s face turned pale, as Jared¡¯s n would definitely be affected. After all, Jared would not ignore her role in this situation. Confidently, Jared said, ¡°I won¡¯t give her the opportunity to do so.¡± N?velDrama.Org owns ? this. Although Jared was unsure about how Lawrence had exined his case to Nicole, he knew that she most definitely would trust Lawrence and aid him. The only thing Jared had to do was to stop Nicole in secret. ¡°I¡¯ll monitor this issue,¡¯ Max replied, having understood the seriousness of this issue. ¡°Alright.¡± Jared nodded. As long as he could stop Nicole from proceeding, there would not be a chance for Lawrence to yank the rug from under them. It would also be a lesson for Lawrence. Then, Max suggested, ¡°Sir, you can actually force Lawrence to leave San Joto and revoke the right of Genesis Group to remain here.¡± Max thought that this idea would help to settle everything once and for all. Otherwise, Lawrence might just cause more messes for Jared to deal with again in the future. Jared narrowed his eyes. ¡°As long as he does not harm Nicole, nothing else matters.¡± He was only concerned that Nicole might feel sad. As Nicole¡¯s heart, he would never be capable of doing that. Having understood Jared¡¯s intentions right away, Max nodded, ¡°I¡¯ll get them to keep their eyes on Lawrence.¡± As the state of affairs had reached such a point, they could only give Lawrence the easy way out. They hoped that after Lawrence had suffered from such a loss, he would learn to be smarter. Lawrence was never a match for Jared. So, it would be best if the former stayed in hisne. ¡°We must get all the dirt on Iris this time round,¡± Jared ordered with a cold glint in his eyes. He could tolerate Lawrence because of Nicole. But he would spare Iris any mercy. A traitor like her should never be granted clemency. Hearing that, Max replied, ¡°Understood.¡± Seeing that Jared had no other orders, Max turned around and left to begin his work. The entire office fell silent thereafter, with Jared¡¯s eyes bing darker still. ¡®Lawrence really would go to the ends of the earth for Nicole. But too bad, I will never give him a chance.¡± Indeed, a secret battle was urring in the dark, one that Nicole was not aware of. Chapter 2238 Chapter 2238 During afternoon break, Nicole and Lulu went to the hospital together. It was the final check-up for Samuel. Once they got the results and verified that everything was fine, Samuel would be discharged. By this time, the results should be out already, so Nicole and Lulu entered and asked, ¡°How are things?¡± ¡°The doctor says that he recovered well, and that he¡¯d be allowed to go home to rest. But he¡¯d have to be careful when he goes back¡­¡± June said, before she went on to exin everything they should take note of. Seeing how well June had remembered all of the finer details, Nicole teased her, ¡°You¡¯ve exined it so well, I think you can be a nurse already.¡± ¡°But you don¡¯t have to tell us, as long as you remember them clearly. After all, you¡¯re the one who¡¯s going to take care of him.¡± Lulu piled in. June instantly blushed and yelled, ¡°Stop teasing me! The reason as to why she had filled them in was because she wanted everyone to understand Samuel¡¯s situation. That way, they would not have to worry about him anymore. Nicole smiled and ceased with the teasing. ¡°Since he can be discharged, let¡¯s get ready.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve packed everything up. Once the ride is here, we can leave.¡± June pointed to the bags that had been packed. Seeing that there were no further issues, Nicole said, ¡°Let¡¯s go down first.¡± June held onto the wheelchair Samuel was on as she said,¡± Alright, the car is almost here.¡± Initially, she wanted to push Samuel out, but was stopped when he said, ¡°I¡¯ll do it myself.¡± ¡°Sit still. Don¡¯t move.¡± June red at Samuel. And as expected, Samuel did not dare to move. Nicole and Lulu nced at each other and winked. June¡¯s authority over him had definitely taken hold. ¡°Oh my! Why is there such a strong scent of love in the air?¡± Lulu asked, scrunching her face as if she had smelled something unpleasant. Then, she walked over, grabbed one of the bags, and said, ¡°I should leave now!¡± ¡°Lulu, you and Spencer are even more disgusting than we are!¡± June retorted. ¡®How dare that rascal tease me?¡¯ she fumed. However, Lulu had already fled the room, leaving June to stare at the doorway in anger. Nicole patted June¡¯s shoulder and said, ¡°We¡¯ll head down first. The both of you can take your time.¡± As soon as she had spoken, Nicole carried the remaining bags and left the ward. June could not help but roll her eyes. ¡®These two are such typical best friends.¡¯ N?velDrama.Org owns ? this. ¡°Ignore them, they¡¯re just jealous of us,¡± Samuel said in an effort tofort her. June rolled her eyes in response, this time at Samuel. ¡°What do you mean they¡¯re just jealous? They¡¯re using this as an opportunity to tease me! Which one of them is not in a loving rtionship? Why would they be jealous of us?¡± June could obviously tell that they were teasing her on purpose. Samuel tugged at June¡¯s hands and said, ¡°Are you saying that we¡¯re not as loving as they are? Or do you think that I don¡¯t love you enough?¡± ¡°Hey, that was not what I meant.¡± Her cheeks flushed. ¡°What is that supposed to mean then?¡± Samuel asked again, looking as if he was demanding answers from June. Hurriedly, she replied, ¡°It¡¯s not that you don¡¯t love me enough. It¡¯s not that we¡¯re not affectionate either. I¡¯m just not used to being teased.¡± Indeed, June would feel embarrassed when her best friends made fun of her. Chapter 2239 Chapter 2239 Samuel held June¡¯s hands and smiled, ¡°There¡¯s nothing to be shy about. Let them admire us.¡± And once again, she rolled her eyes at Samuel and said,¡± They don¡¯t need to admire us at all!¡± ¡®Those two are also in loving rtionships. Why should they admire us? Also, I believe we should be low key about our rtionship.¡¯ ¡°I¡¯ll make them admire us,¡± Samuel said meaningfully.¡¯ Especially Spencer! I must get married before he does!¡¯ Unsure of what was going on in Samuel¡¯s mind, June took Samuel¡¯s words as nothing, but a response based on impulse. Then, she pushed him out of the ward. By the time they reached downstairs, their ride had arrived. Spencer and Lulu ced the bags into the car and turned to June and Samuel, ¡°Come on! We¡¯re about to leave!¡± After Samuel had been wheeled over, the three of them worked together and pushed Samuel into the car. And after they had ced the ramps away, Nicole and Lulu walked over to their seats and got on. ¡°We¡¯ll meet at the apartment.¡± The both of them waved at June and Samuel. ¡°Alright.¡± June replied and ordered the driver to begin the journey. Soon, all of them had arrived at June¡¯s ce. After having considered all of the factors, they decided to let Samuel rest and recover at June¡¯s ce. So, they had sent him to her apartment immediately upon discharge. When June was done cleaning everything, she turned to Nicole and Lulu. ¡°You girls should stay tonight, we¡¯ll have dinner together.¡± ¡°Ask Spencer and Jared to join us too. The more the merrier. ¡± Samuel suggested. ¡°Sounds good. Samuel has just gotten discharged. We¡¯ll take it as a mini celebration of When he fully recovers, we¡¯ll go out and have a proper celebration.¡± Lulu happily agreed. After all, it was great news that the hospital had allowed Samuel to be discharged. It was a day everyone should be happy for. Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org. Naturally, it was an idea Nicole would not object to, so she agreed, ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll inform Jared.¡± ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll let Spencer know,¡± Lulu said, and sent a message to Spencer right away. In the afternoon, thedies forced Samuel to take Seeing that June was skinnier than before, Nicole care of Samuel, you should take care of yourself too.¡± ¡°I¡¯m still fine. Don¡¯t worry.¡± June answered with a smile. Furthermore, her attitude towards certain things had changed That feeling was inexplicable, and if anything, it mirrored an evesting sense of tranquility. As she thought about it, June felt that her rtionship with Samuel had never been this great. Previously, she had a crush on him. Later, they spoke for a span of time and became a couple. All throughout, June was concerned about Samuel¡¯s career, and thus, they had kept their rtionship on the down low. For the longest time, they never lived together, let alone took care of one another. During this period, June really had the illusion of an ordinary life, Samuel¡¯s injuries notwithstanding. It was as if the both of them had been married, and that their lives after marriage were marked by such peace and wholesomeness. A thought shed across June¡¯s mind. Her eyes softened and she unconsciously turned to look towards Samuel¡¯s room. ¡°Why? Are you moved? You want to marry him?¡± Lulu could not help but tease. June¡¯s face flushed, and she bit her lips. This was the first time she did not refute Lulu¡¯s words. Or perhaps, one should say that she never had that thought in mind before this. But after having spent some time together, she began to have such ideas. ¡°Just get married then!¡± Lulu said, unsmiling and serious. ¡®If this is the case, everyone would give them their blessings. Furthermore, Samuel never said that he did not want to get married. On the contrary, it was June who was always worried about interfering with Samuel¡¯s career. And that was why they have been keeping their rtionship on the down low,¡± she thought. Chapter 2240 Chapter 2240 June bit her lip and hesitated before saying, ¡°Let¡¯s wait for a few more years.¡± June had mixed feelings about this matter. She felt she needed time to consider everything. ¡°Hey, you¡­¡± Lulu said, wanting to persuade her, but before she could Nicole stopped her. Turning her attention to Nicole, Lulu¡¯s eyes began to fill with doubt, and she wondered why Nicole had stopped her. Nicole shook her head, signaling Lulu not to push the envelope any further. Ultimately, June had to figure this out on her own, and as her friends, they should not interfere with her life. A bit of advice here and there was more than fine, but the final decision should still be in June¡¯s hands. Understanding Nicole¡¯s intent. Lulu too shook her head and gave up on her attempt to persuade June, as the former was right. In the blink of an eye, work hours were over. The three prepared dinner and waited for Jared and Spencer to arrive. Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. ¡°I¡¯ll go check on Samuel,¡± June said and marched toward Samuel¡¯s room. At this moment, the doorbell rang, prompting Lulu to make her way to the entrance, saying, ¡°It should be Mr. Johnston and Spencer. I¡¯ll get the door.¡± Opening the door, she found Jared and Spencer outside. Lulu stepped aside and let them in before closing the door. June pushed Samuel out in the wheelchair, and everyone soon gathered around the dining table. What used to be a spacious dining room was now crowded due to the number of people present, but the atmosphere was getting livelier as well. ¡°Come on, cheers to Samuel¡¯s discharge from the hospital,¡± Nicole toasted, raising her ss. Lifting their sses as well, the group then enjoyed the lively atmosphere while they ate and drank. After a few sses of wine, June shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m done. If I get drunk, there¡¯ll be no one to look after Samuel.¡± Indeed, it would be an issue if June got drunk. Lulu then lowered her ss. ¡°Me too. I¡¯ll get drunk with a few more drinks.¡± ¡°Then stop drinking,¡± Spencer removed her ss of wine and reced it with a ss of juice as he looked at her face that had flushed a deep shade of red. Nicole was tipsy, and seeing that everyone hadid their drinks down, she followed. ¡°This is the first time I¡¯ve drank with my friends since I came back,¡± Nicole smiled, enjoying theplete state of rxation. Ever since she returned to San Joto, she had spent most of her time under pressure, and it was rare to have a chance to unwind. ¡°There¡¯s still plenty of chances,¡± Lulu patted her chest. ¡°You can call me anytime. I¡¯ll keep youpany till the very end.¡± It was evident that Lulu was already tipsy, but Nicole knew that every word from Lulu was uttered from the depths of her heart. So, she smiled and nodded. ¡°You said it.¡± ¡°And June too. Once Samuel heals, June will being too, ¡± Lulu said while pulling June over. In response, June concurred, ¡°Definitely.¡± Those words made Nicole feel all warm and fuzzy. Although she had not recovered her memories, she knew they were once her best friends, and still were. After a joyful dinner, Jared, Nicole, Spencer, and Lulu bade their farewells and left. Once she had sent them away, June cleaned the dishes up while Samuel watched her in his wheelchair. Seeing June getting busy, he thought she was truly ying the part of a host. Samuel smiled at the sight, his eyes filled with affection. Downstairs, Spencer took Lulu with him as he wanted to send her home. Chapter 2241 Chapter 2241 Nicole signaled Jared, ¡°Let¡¯s go too.¡± Holding her hand, Jared brought Nicole, who was feeling very tipsy, into the car. She leaned against the seat after getting in, looking dazed but happy nheless. Jared¡¯s gaze softened as he looked at her and smoothed her hair. ¡°Do you feel ufortable anywhere?¡± ¡°Nope, I¡¯m feeling alright,¡± Nicole denied, understanding that Jared was worried about her after all that carousing. She was feeling rather dizzy, though she was not drunk enough to feel ufortable. Jared chuckled in response. ¡°That¡¯s good. You should just go to bed once we get home.¡± Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org. Judging by the state Nicole was in, Jared figured she would fall asleep before they reached home. Sure enough, Nicole passed out before they were even home. Jared shook his head and chuckled, before carrying her out of the car and striding back to their room. Nicole suddenly opened her eyes and caressed Jared¡¯s face after Jared had set her down on the bed. She smiled as her eyes met his. ¡°Jared, why are you so handsome?¡± Clearly, Nicole was in a drunken stupor, with her wordsing out as incoherent. Holding her hand, Jared said, ¡°We¡¯re home. Sleep tight.¡± ¡°Nice,¡± Nicole coquettishly said as she wrapped her arms around Jared¡¯s neck. ¡°Lay down beside me.¡± Utterly sloshed, Nicole was exuding a deadly charm as she shed him a radiant smile, causing Jared¡¯s eyes to darken. The two locked gazes and that was when sparks flew. The sun rose during the very next morning, and the bright rays of sun filled the room. Nicole pinched her temples and slowly opened her eyes. Feeling sore all over, she flushed as she recalledst night¡¯s events. She could not believe how ludicrous she had been when she was drunk. ¡°You¡¯re awake,¡± Jared¡¯s voice red out, his arms circling her into his embrace. Nicole looked up and met Jared¡¯s deep set eyes. Feeling shy, she averted her gaze, unable to look him in the eyes. Jared¡¯s gaze softened, and he chuckled, ¡°Do you want to sleep a little longer?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m getting up,¡± Nicole replied. The atmosphere was now awkward, with Nicole struggling out of Jared¡¯s embrace. However, it was then that Jared carried her out of the bed. ¡°Hey!¡± Nicole blurted, taken aback and inadvertently wrapping her arms around Jared¡¯s neck. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. You won¡¯t fall.¡± Jared shed her a devilish smile. Frowning at him, Nicole responded, ¡°I can walk on my own.¡± Nicole could clearly walk on her own. It was just that Jared liked carrying her around. Sure enough, Jared had no intentions of letting Nicole go, and proceeded to bring her into the bathroom. Soon, the sshing of water emanated from the bathroom, followed by Nicole¡¯s gasp of exasperation. ¡°Jeez, Jared. Can you get out first?¡± ¡°Together,¡± Jared said in his voice hoarse. ¡°Hey, watch where your hand is¡­¡± When it was over, he carried her out from the bathroom, with her giving him a dejected re and a resentful look. ¡®Is he insatiable? We just did itst night, but just now¡­¡¯ Nicole was starting to worry about her petite physique. She could not help but wonder if she should just get Jared to return to his own ce. Looking at her saddened expression, Jarednded a gentle kiss on her cheek. In response, Nicole pushed him away, saying, ¡°Go away.¡± Chapter 2242 Chapter 2242 Jared¡¯s approach felt dangerous to Nicole, so she stopped allowing him to get in close proximity to her. Just as this thought shed through, Nicole wrapped herself in her bathrobe and ran for the wardrobe. Then, she quickly got dressed and left the room. Watching her series of actions, a smile crossed his face. He shook her head and made for the wardrobe as well. Outside the room, Nicole bumped into Nn and Lana. ¡°Mommy,¡± the children sweetly greeted. ¡°You¡¯re up,¡± Nicole¡¯s gaze softened and she pulled them towards her. ¡°Let¡¯s head down.¡± ¡°Where¡¯s daddy?¡± Lana asked with a look of doubt when she could not spot Jared¡¯s figure. With an odd look on her face, Nicole stiffly said, ¡°He¡¯ll be out soon. Let¡¯s go down first.¡± ¡°Oh, alright.¡± Lana followed Nicole downstairs. Downstairs, the family was already in the dining room. ¡°Grandpa, Grandma, and uncles,¡± Nn and Lana greeted. ¡°Come over and take a seat,¡± Gloria affectionately said. After Nicole and the kids had gotten themselves seated, Daniel asked, ¡°How is Samuel doing?¡± Nicole smiled andforted her parents, ¡°Well, he¡¯s doing great. You don¡¯t need to worry about him.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good,¡± Daniel stated. ¡°Oh, is that so?¡± Gloria asked, seeming a little hesitant. Curious, Nicole asked, ¡°Yes Mom? Something on your mind?¡± ¡°We wanted to pay Samuel a visit,¡± Gloria replied. Gloria was worried that they might disturb June and Samuel if they were to pay them a visit. Nicole smirked. ¡°If you have the time to visit Samuel, why don¡¯t you start thinking about their wedding preparations?¡± ¡°They¡¯re getting married?!¡± everyone in the room asked in surprise. Even Spencer was shocked, as he did not know this prior. ¡°They haven¡¯t announced it yet, but my gut feeling informs me that it¡¯s not too far ahead,¡± Nicole smirked. ¡°So I think you guys might as well start preparing. That way, when they do decide to get married, all they need to do is pick a date and arrange everything.¡± By doing that, they could save a lot of time. Gloria was always anxious about their rtionship too, so it was likely that she would be more than willing to prepare for these matters. And sure enough, Gloria went along with Nicole¡¯s suggestion. ¡°Alright then, I¡¯ll stay back to prepare for their wedding.¡± ¡°Fine by me. Let¡¯s prepare like Nicole said,¡± Daniel followed. Spencer shook his head. ¡°Well, this is a blessing in disguise for Samuel. If so, I reckon Samuel will be able to hold the wedding once he recovers. Good thingse in pairs perhaps. ¡°Pretty much,¡± Spencer finished, with everyone acknowledging his analysis, thinking it made perfect sense. ¡°In that case, can we ask to be the flower girl and boy in advance?¡± Lana tilted her head with a look of yearning. Hearing that, Nn frowned in disapproval. ¡°Do you have some kind of obsession with being a flower girl?¡± Once those words had been uttered, the family burst outughing and agreed, ¡°Sure, as long as Lana likes it.¡± ¡°Can I, Mommy?¡± Lana asked for Nicole¡¯s permission with utmost seriousness. Nicole then patted Lana¡¯s head, saying, ¡°Of course you can. Your Uncle Samuel would probably be begging for it.¡± N?velDrama.Org owns ? this. ¡°Yay, then I¡¯ll be the flower girl,¡± Lana nodded fervently, feeling very determined to follow through. Everyone watching her then burst out into another fit ofughter. Jared, who was making his way downstairs, heard their conversation. With that, he looked at Lana, saying, ¡°It¡¯s fine as long as you like it.¡± Chapter 2243 Chapter 2243 Upon hearing Jared¡¯s voice, Lana looked up and eximed,¡± Daddy!¡± Jared¡¯s gaze shed with a touch of softness; Lana¡¯s sweet voice made his heart melt. After sitting down, everyone enjoyed their breakfast before leaving for work. ¡°Daddy, can you send us to kindergarten today?¡± Lana tugged at the seams of Jared¡¯s shirt, begging him. It had been ages since Jared and Nicolest sent the kids to kindergarten, so Lana wanted them to do so today. With a smile, Jared promised, ¡°Sure thing.¡± Nicole frowned, not supportive of this decision. She was afraid that this would just cause unnecessary trouble. Understanding what her concern was, Jaredforted her while holding her hand. ¡°We can go over later.¡± If there were unscrupulous individuals keeping an eye on the kindergarten, they would probably leave after school hours. Hearing that, Nicole felt a little more at ease. ¡°Fine.¡± ¡°Oh yeah!¡± Lana was on cloud nine, waving her hands excitedly. As Jared brought the two kids to the car, Nicole looked over at Tia, who was walking over, and said, ¡°We¡¯re sending them today.¡± ¡°Alright, Nicole,¡± Tia nodded, able to tell how happy Lana was just now. ¡°You should head back and take care of grandma. She just recovered, some sunshine will be great for her,¡± Nicole advised. In return, Tia promised, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Nicole.¡± Tia walked back in once she saw the car driving off. Inside the car, Nicole chuckled at Lana¡¯s excitement. Jared was all smiles as well, and he could not believe that Lana would be so happy just because they had decided to send them to the kindergarten. Meanwhile, Nn was theplete opposite. He was rather quiet, seeming to have something on his mind. Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org. ¡°What¡¯s the matter, Nn?¡± Nicole asked. Looking at her, Nn bit his lips before he whispered.¡± Mommy, that ount has been rather inactive lately. Did it notice I was tracking it?¡± Nicole was shocked by this discovery. ¡°You¡¯re still tracking that ount?¡± ¡°Not actively, but I¡¯ve been monitoring it secretly. It¡¯s just that there¡¯s nothing much going on,¡± Nn said in puzzlement. Perhaps that had urred because he had been discovered, ruining his n entirely. Nicole¡¯s eyes darkened. ¡°Stay calm. He might be watching you too.¡± ¡°You mean that he¡¯s waiting for the perfect timing?¡± Nn asked, uncertain. ¡°That¡¯s a possibility,¡± Nicole replied, though it was just her spection. There were only two possibilities that would ount for the inactivity. The first would be that their enemy had gotten wind of some information but had not dared to take the plunge yet. The other reason might be that they had found no recent developments. The five crests in question belonged to a centuries-year-old family, so it would not be easy to get ahold of them at all. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, I will keep waiting,¡± Nn nodded in agreement. A glimmer of light shed in Nicole¡¯s eyes as she saw Nn¡¯s growing maturity. She figured this was perhaps good practice for Nn in the process of growing up. Nicole suddenly felt as though everything had been worthwhile, even though she had found no leads herself. Following that, Jared took the kids for dessert at a shop near the kindergarten before sending them in. After they had left the kindergarten, the couple arrived at the headquarters of Riddle Corporation, with Nicole waving goodbye to Jared as she got out of the car. ¡°Bye. I¡¯ll get going.¡± Chapter 2244 Chapter 2244 Jared¡¯s eyes glimmered with amusement as he nodded. Once Nicole had entered thepany building, Jared withdrew his gaze and ordered, ¡°Drive, Max.¡± And after he had begun driving, Max said, ¡°Mr. Johnston? We have gotten a lock on Iris.¡± ¡°Good,¡± Jared uttered, his voice cold and deep. N?velDrama.Org owns ? this. ¡°Meanwhile, the funds on Mrs. Johnston¡¯s side look like they¡¯ve been transferred, but the transaction won¡¯t go through,¡± Max added. Jared narrowed his eyes, ¡°How long till we can finalize all of this?¡± ¡°If everything goes well, tomorrow,¡± Max said with utmost certainty. ¡°Nice,¡± Jared leaned against his seat, his eyes carrying a meaningful expression. Meanwhile, Nicole had just arrived at her office. ¡°The money has been transferred, and the bank has responded,¡± Lulu informed Nicole in a whisper. ¡°Thank God,¡± Nicole breathed a sigh of relief. She was d she could help Lawrence this time instead of the other way around. ¡°Oh, by the way,¡± Lulu looked around, before she came closer to Nicole. ¡°I heard Genesis Group seems to be hitting a bump. Will this affect you?¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter,¡± Nicole responded nonchntly. ¡°Leo is indeed in trouble, but I¡¯m helping him in my personal capacity. Consider it a repayment of my debt. It¡¯ll be great if I¡¯ve helped him, but even if things don¡¯t work out, I won¡¯t be bothered about the trade-offs.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve got a point. But of course, there¡¯ll hopefully be no losses,¡± Lulu shrugged her shoulders. In response, Nicole teased, ¡°Well then, you better pray on that.¡± ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry. I will,¡± Lulu said, taking it seriously. Nicole could not help butugh at Lulu¡¯s sincerity as she herself was just joking. Tilting her head in curiosity, Lulu asked, ¡°Honestly, with what Lawrence is capable of, he usually doesn¡¯t need help. What trouble could he be in that he needs to seek your help?¡± Lulu always felt that people like Leo did not need help from anyone. If anything, he ought to be as strong as Jared, and that nothing could ever trouble them. Lulu even recalled that she had never seen Jared being bogged down by anything, not for a long time at least. Hearing Lulu¡¯s words, a thought came to mind, and a sh of doubt crossed Nicole. She had not inquired much from Leo about his situation. But Lulu¡¯s suspicions reminded her that Leo¡¯s strength was indeed not to be underestimated. For him to seek her help this time meant that the situation must be quite dire. Nicole frowned, her expression bing solemn. She felt conflicted, unsure as to whether she should ask Lawrence about his situation or if more help was needed from her to solve it. Seeing that Nicole had be silent, Lulu tilted her head and asked, ¡°What¡¯s up with you? Have you thought of something?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing,¡± Nicole came back to her senses and brushed the idea away. Since Lawrence had not made anything clear and had only stated that it was a break in funds, it could only mean that things were not as serious as she had thought. Believing that he could sort his own issues out, Nicole then shifted the topic by saying, ¡°Leo will deal with his own problems. It¡¯s none of our business. How are things going with Snow?¡± Hearing this, Lulu sneered. ¡°Well, she¡¯s obviously hitting roadblocks everywhere.¡± Nicole¡¯s eyes widened as she imagined Snow hitting snags. And upon noting Nicole¡¯s expression, Lulu excitedly spilled everything to her. Chapter 2245 Chapter 2245 ¡°So, during the first project seminar, Harvey was a no-show! Instead, he sent a secretary to represent him. But Snow wasn¡¯t one to back down easily. She tried every possible way to meet Harvey, but nothing worked. ¡°Undeterred, she decided to go straight to Harvey¡¯spany to find him. And you won¡¯t believe what happened next!¡± Nicole chuckled, amused by Lulu¡¯s enthusiasm. ¡°She ended up in a deadlock, didn¡¯t she?¡± Lulu looked disappointed that Nicole guessed it right away.¡± How did you know so quickly? It¡¯s no fun if you¡¯re not surprised.¡± ¡°Well,¡± Nicole replied calmly, ¡°you did mention she kept running into roadblocks.¡± Lulu couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Is there anything that can still surprise you?¡± ¡°We¡¯ll find out when you share the rest of the story,¡± Nicole said. Even if Nicole would not be surprised about that happen to Snow, it would still be good to hear about her misfortune. ¡°So here¡¯s the deal. Harvey didn¡¯t throw her out. Instead, he got the secretary to wee her. She was absolutely pissed, and still might be,¡± Lulu said smugly. Snow had been hitting a streak of rotten luck, but she deserved it. If anything, she was bold enough in her attempts to seduce Harvey. Lulu, however, had bet that Harvey would not even spare Snow a nce. Nicole said calmly, ¡°She won¡¯t give up.¡± Hitting a brick wall would not leave Snow feeling dejected for long. After all, Snow might have already anticipated this oue. Harvey was her only chance now, so there was no way Snow was letting go of it. Lulu smiled, ¡°Where¡¯s the point of this kind of self-inflicted obsession?¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need for a point, as long as there¡¯s a result to be desired,¡± Nicole said meaningfully. Harvey was Snow¡¯sst chance. If she could grab his attention, Snow would still get a chance to turn the tables. Otherwise, Snow would be stuck in her current situation. Now, she had two choices. Either she got herself married into a second-rate family, just like Raine had, or she could remain single and live with her parents, neither of which she was willing to settle with. Lulu rolled her eyes and continued, ¡°She is ambitious, but she isn¡¯t capable of a whole lot.¡± Nicole sneered. ¡°People are allowed to dream.¡± ¡°Her dreams are better left unfulfilled,¡± Lulu retorted, disagreeing with Nicole. Lulu had also thought about whether to remain single her entire life or find someone else, and for her, both decisions were much wiser than the one Snow was making now. Nicole did not reveal to Lulu that even if Snow had other options, she would never consider them as Nicole herself was back. All of the past grudges Snow had against her were now amplified, and Snow would neverpromise, not even by a little. Still, at the end of the day, all of these problems were Snow¡¯s, and Nicole had no intention of wasting her time on Snow. Nicole would be happy to ignore her as long as whatever DillCorp did would not affect the main office. N?velDrama.Org owns ? this. ¡°With all these failures, I wonder what Snow¡¯s next step would be,¡± Lulu shrugged, looking forward to the drama. Nicole smiled at Lulu¡¯s antics. ¡°Why don¡¯t you guess how long Harvey¡¯s going to put up with her?¡± After so many attempts from Snow to sabotage them, it seemed inconceivable for them all to fail unless Harvey was purposefully avoiding her. Nicole was quite curious about what Harvey had in mind. If he wanted to avoid Snow, he would have never coborated with DillCorp in the first ce. After all, there were plenty of betterpanies in San Joto. Nicole¡¯s eyes widened as she thought of something strange. Perhaps Harvey is really up to something.¡¯ Bing serious now, Nicole instructed, ¡°Keep an eye on Snow, especially her interactions with Harvey.¡± Nicole¡¯s solemn look made Lulu even more cautious about this matter as she asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Do you suspect that something is heading our way?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t quite put my finger on it, but something seems off,¡± Nicole said, feeling that she should pay more attention. ¡°Alright, I got it,¡± Lulu cautiously agreed. Chapter 2246 Chapter 2246 ¡°That¡¯s it,¡± Nicole nodded. Lulu turned around and left the office. Then, she picked the document on the table up and started working on it. Meanwhile, at DillCorp, Snow was wearing a sour grimace as she was sitting at her desk. She was frustrated, as she could not believe she had allowed such a good opportunity to go to waste. The more she thought about it, the more discontented she felt. With her fists clenched, she thought, ¡®No, this can¡¯t be it. It¡¯s not easy toe upon such a chance. I sure as hell can¡¯t give it up.¡¯ Snow gritted her teeth. She was determined to get Harvey to meet her even if he was reluctant to do so. In the afternoon, the warm rays of the sun poured into the room. After she had eaten her lunch, Nicole took a break, until there were three knocks on the door. Confused, Nicole dered, ¡°You may enter.¡± Nicole could not figure out who woulde knocking at this hour. It could not be Lulu, as she had just gone out. The door opened, and Lawrence entered with a smile on his face. N?velDrama.Org owns ? this. ¡°Leo! What brings you here?¡± Nicole was taken aback, not expecting it to be Lawrence. ¡°Will you thank me if I say I have news for you?¡± Lawrence sat on the couch, beaming. Nicole raised her eyebrows, for his words had piqued her curiosity. ¡°What news?¡± She then began wondering about what sort of news would be so significant that it could prompt Lawrence to tell her about it in person. ¡°It¡¯s about the Ellison Group,¡± Lawrence smirked. ¡°Wait? What Group? Johnston Group? Jared?!¡± Nicole tensed up. ¡®Has something happened to Jared?¡¯ Lawrence¡¯s expression darkened as he corrected her, ¡°No, it¡¯s Ellison. Harvey Ellison.¡± Upon hearing that it was Harvey, Nicole instantly regained herposure, feeling nothing but indifference towards the issues of others. ¡°Oh, alright. What about him?¡± Observing Nicole¡¯s expression, Lawrence felt a little depressed and disappointed. She seemed concerned when she thought that it was about Jared yet had regained her cool the instant she discovered that it was about Harvey. ¡°Leo?¡± Nicole raised her voice a little at Lawrence¡¯s silence. Lawrence snapped back to reality and wore his usual smile once again. ¡°It seems that Harvey has set his sights on DillCorp. Not sure whether this is good news or bad news for you.¡± Even though DillCorp existed as an entity separate from the headquarters, it was still part of the entirety of the Riddle family¡¯s assets. As such, Lawrence was unsure if she would see the buy-over of DillCorp by Harvey as good riddance for an adversary or a pitiful loss for the Riddle family. ¡°So that¡¯s why. I see what¡¯s going on now,¡± Nicole sneered. She had a feeling that Harvey might be up to something, and now, it seemed that he had set his sights on DillCorp. ¡°You knew about this?¡± Lawrence was taken aback. He too had stumbled upon this issue by ident, and that was why he hade to warn her about it. Little did he expect that she had already been informed about it. Nicole shook her head. ¡°It was just a hunch. But with you here, the truth has been confirmed.¡± Previously, she had no evidence, only doubts and spections. She had nned to wait and observe the situation for a moment beforeing to a conclusion, but now, she had gotten her answer. Chapter 2247 Chapter 2247 Lawrence shed her a sheepish smile. ¡°It seems to me that you won¡¯t be in any disadvantage.¡± Lawrence was worried that Harvey would not ept his requests and would even pose a threat to Riddle Corporation in the near future. ¡®Perhaps I¡¯m overthinking this. She does not have to go through me for whatever decision she is going to be making. I guess I¡¯ll have to put my trust in her,¡¯ Lawrence thought to himself. Nicole bit her lip and shot him a nce. ¡°I must still thank you for this.¡± ¡®With all said and done, he has personally shown up to provide me with such information just in time. I ought to thank him for this,¡¯ thought Nicole. ¡°There¡¯s no need to thank me for this. Just take it as a gesture of good will,¡± Lawrence replied with a smile. ¡°Cut the crap. Me helping you is how things should be now. You¡¯ve given me enough aid before this,¡± Nicole said as she returned the smile. ¡®There will be no end to it if we keep repaying each other¡¯s favors.¡¯ ¡°That¡¯s apletely different story. I told you before, whatever happened back then was done out of nothing but good will.¡± Lawrence¡¯s eyes darkened, not wanting Nicole to feel indebted to him. Nicole raised her eyebrows, and cautiously, she replied, ¡° Either way, it¡¯s not right for me to take advantage of that.¡± Nicole knew that even if Lawrence had done whatever had out of the kindness of his heart, she would still not take advantage of anyone. ¡°Nicole, there¡¯s really no need for you to do this. It makes things really awkward between us.¡± Lawrence¡¯s eyes shed with hurt and pain, indicating that their rtionship was strained, and that they were no longer as close as they used to be. Nicole bit her lips, and in a soft tone, she said, ¡°Leo. We¡¯ll always be friends.¡± Lawrence paused for a moment before issuing a sigh of defeat. ¡®Why can¡¯t she see that I want us to be more than friends?¡¯ ¡°Want some coffee? I¡¯ll have Lulu get some for us.¡± Nicole changed the subject. Lawrence¡¯s face became crestfallen, and that was when he suddenly stood up and said, ¡°There¡¯s no need forthat. I¡¯ve said what I needed to say, I¡¯ll be on my way.¡± Instead of keeping him around, Nicole stood up and bade him goodbye, ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll send you off.¡± After exiting Nicole¡¯s office, Lawrence took onest hesitant nce at Nicole before stepping out of the office. Nicole sighed mentally, as she bumped into Steve just when she was about to return to her office. ¡°Steve,¡¯ Nicole called out softly. ¡°Were you looking for me?¡± ¡°Yeah. There¡¯s something I need to talk to you about.¡± Steve turned to nce at Lawrence. ¡°What¡¯s his deal?¡± Raising her eyebrows in doubt, she asked, ¡°Steve, why do I feel like you have some kind of beef against Lawrence?¡± Nicole had never questioned Steve s belligerent attitude towards Lawrence prior to this, but having seen it twice by now, she was certain. ¡¯It¡¯s clear that Steve does not have a keen liking towards Lawrence¡­¡¯ ¡°Regardless of whether I have a grudge against him or not.¡± Steve lowered his voice before adding, ¡°The point is you have to be careful when you¡¯re around him.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Nicole frowned, knowing that Steve would be defensive whenever Lawrence was mentioned in a conversation. ¡°I can¡¯t fill you in on the exact details. Don¡¯t get me wrong, but that guy is not as simple and straightforward as he seems. Do not get all sentimental and soft-hearted just because he has helped you before.¡± Steve told Nicole. The more Nicole listened, the more confused she became.¡± Can you cut to the chase?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have concrete evidence so I can¡¯t prove anything just yet. I believe you know what I¡¯m talking about. You just need to pay more attention to things,¡± he finished. Steve and Sean had been working together to gather evidence against Lawrence, but neither of them had found any that could be used against him. His record was so squeaky clean that it had aroused the suspicion of both Steve and Sean. All they could do now was to get Nicole to be on the alert until they had secured the evidence.Content is property of N?velDrama.Org. Chapter 2248 Chapter 2248 After a moment of hesitation, Nicole solemnly agreed,¡± Alright, I know what to do.¡± Nicole was still in the mist on why Steve was being such a worry wart but knowing that he did indeed look out for her, she had promised him just so that he could be at ease. ¡°Just be alert, okay?¡± Steve reminded, knowing that he and Sean were not going to give up on their investigation easily. Nicole nodded and changed the subject, ¡°Okay, is there anything else?¡± ¡°Yeah, here.¡¯ Steve handed a document over to Nicole.¡± Sean has gotten his hands on some info about Everette. It seems that he has been getting closer to this unknown figure as of recent. We¡¯ve yet to find out who.¡± Nicole¡¯s eyes flickered back and forth from the document, after which she grabbed it. ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°Sean has gotten people to keep an eye on him. I think you should be the one to see this first. If you have any ideas, you cane to Sean and me,¡± he reminded. ¡°Okay.¡± Nicole nodded in agreement. Then, after seeing him off, she returned to her office. Nicole sauntered over to her desk for a seat before opening the document, its pages filled to the brim with information gathered during investigation on Everett. Seeing them, her eyes narrowed. ¡®It seems that he disappears once every few days. Nobody knows where he had gone or would go. Everett has not shown up for the past few days either. What is he up to that he has to be so secretive? And with who?¡¯ Nicole suddenly remembered that it was almost time for Mr. Bet to disclose his decision, ¡®I bet Everett is sitting on the edge of his seat. I¡¯ll give it to her if she can sit still after the announcement.¡¯ Nicole stashed the document away as her eyes darkened.¡¯ I¡¯d like to see who this figure together with Everett is.¡¯ The next day, the news had spread around like wildfire. ¡°What¡¯s happening? Yesterday, NandoCorp announced that they are releasing a Beta version, and now, Riddle Corporation is iming that they have released a joint product today!¡± ¡°It seems that NandoCorp is being crushed by Riddle Corporation.¡± ¡°One with a beta and another with a new product. These two are not from the same league to begin with.¡± People were buzzing with chatter,paring thetest products of the twopanies. Meanwhile, Nicole was sitting at her desk as she read the news in real time. ¡°Nicole, I think Everett must be really pissed this time!¡± Lulu eximed in triumph. ¡®This ought to set them straight for stealing our projects.¡¯ Nicole smiled without responding to Lulu. ¡®I don¡¯t want to know or care if he¡¯s fuming mad. But what I do know is that he has shown his true colors.¡¯ Nicole¡¯s eyes narrowed as she delivered a message Sean to remind him that they needed to employ extra measures against Everett. Sean replied in a split second, telling Nicole that he would provide her with the updates soon. A faint smile crossed her face as she ced her phone away. ¡®The news shoulde soon. This is the calm before the storm.¡¯ Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org. ¡°Nicole, are you hiding something from me?¡± Lulu asked in a low voice upon noting Nicole¡¯s expression. Nicole raised her eyebrows, and with a smirk, she asked,¡± How do you know?¡± ¡°I know you inside and out. I¡¯m guessing this person is going to be unfortunate,¡± Lulu dered. Chapter 2249 Chapter 2249 Nicole chuckled a little, after which she told Lulu, ¡°I don¡¯t know if they¡¯re going to be unfortunate, but what I do know is that I might have solved a mystery because of this.¡± ¡°Is it Everett or Snow?¡± Lulu asked, her eyes brimming with curiosity. Nicole shrugged. ¡°Everett.¡± ¡°She¡¯s just,¡± Lulu guffawed. The product Riddle Corporation had released had overtaken the beta version of the same item that his company had doled out. ¡®I discovered what he was up to in the nick of time. If and when he finds out, he will be pissed.¡¯ Meanwhile, at NandoCorp, Everett came rushing into the office in a panic, his face grim and sullen. ¡°Mr. Riddle? What should we do now?¡± his assistant anxiously asked. No one at the office had envisioned that this would happen, especially after they had bagged such a sessful project from the Riddle Corporation. ¡°What should we do? What can I even do?!¡± Everett shrieked, irritated at her assistant. Startled, his assistant lowered his head, and the rest of the office fell into deep silence. Eventually, Everett calmed down and ordered, ¡°Tell Sky Corporation to change the ns as soon as they can.¡± ¡°Change the ns? But we have already started experimenting.¡± At that point, it was already toote to make any changes, as their product was already in the phases of experimentation and finalization. ¡°Scrap everything! The beta version we released is useless.¡± Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org. There was no point in saving their beta project at this juncture. Even if they ced the PR and Marketing department on overdrive for this product, the market would still create an imitation of their beta version, and with ease too, unless they coulde up with something even more appealing. Everett did not want to waste any more time. ¡®I have to minimize the losses. Otherwise the only option I have is to scrap everything and start from scratch.¡¯ His assistant agreed. ¡°Yes, Mr. Riddle.¡± Everett was left utterly crestfallen as he contemted his next move, and he kept at it until his phone suddenly rang. Everett shot his phone a nce, and that was when his expression changed. ¡°You go ahead and sort things out.¡± ¡°Yes, Mr. Riddle.¡± His assistant left. Then, Everett took a deep breath before answering the call. ¡± Hello?¡± ¡°Everything is smooth sailing on my end, but yours seems¡­,¡± his correspondent coldly said over the phone. ¡°No, please listen to me. I can exin.¡± Everett broke out in cold sweat. ¡°Exining won¡¯t solve anything.¡± ¡°No¡­ hello? Hello?¡± Everett became annoyed when the other person hung up on him. He gritted his teeth, hurried out of the office, and drove away. Little did he know that a car was tailing him from behind. As night fell, the lights of Riddle¡¯s Residence came to live, with the Riddle family having dinner happily. ¡°Mom, were you busy the entire day today? How was it?¡± Stanley asked Gloria. ¡°I checked a few interior designpanies out, but I¡¯ve opted to leave the final decision to Samuel and June.¡± Gloria smiled. ¡°Now that marriage is in the talks, why do I feel like our mom¡¯s looking even happier?¡± Stanley said, cracking a joke at the sight of his mother being so ted. Chapter 2250 Chapter 2250 ¡°Of course, when you all get married, your mom and I can finally be at ease.¡± Daniel looked at Stanley and Spencer, as if to suggest that the both of them were the odd ones out. ¡°Don¡¯t look at me, you should be saying this to Stanley,¡± Spencer quickly protested, arguing that he had a girlfriend, and that Stanley was the only one among them who was still single. In a split second, Daniel redirected his nce to Stanley, who threw his arms up as if in surrender. ¡°Pretend I never said anything.¡± Stanley had always been a person who did not have a hoot to give about rtionships, let alone marriage. As such, he did not mind if his younger siblings got hitched way before he did. Daniel and Gloria both exchanged nces, after which they each issued a sigh of defeat. Both were praying that Stanley would soon understand where they both wereing from. Stanley quickly scarfed his food down to divert everyone¡¯s attention. ¡°Forget it. Let¡¯s dig in.¡± Daniel said, giving up on convincing Stanley. Gloria began to dig into her food too. ¡°Mom, Dad. Don¡¯t worry about things like these. Marriage isn¡¯t something we take lightly. Who knows that after Spencer gets married, perhaps Stanley might even get himself a girlfriend,¡± Nicole posited. Gloria nodded. ¡°Ah, at least Nicole understands.¡± Gloria nced at Stanley as she spoke, causing him to scarf his food down even faster. Not once did he lift his head up thereafter as he kept his eyes on the te. Having noticed Stanley¡¯s behavior, Gloria dropped the idea entirely. She shook her head and urged everyone to eat up, before proceeding to gush about Spencer and June¡¯s wedding as it was the only exciting news for her to look forward to. Once dinner was over, the Riddle family all sauntered over to the living room to lounge about. ¡°Mom, I¡¯ll be heading up first, I have to continue writing my thesis,¡± Stanley said, finding an excuse to flee from his parents¡¯ grasps. ¡°I¡¯m going to leave too. There¡¯s a new score I must study on, ¡± Spencer followed suit. He was afraid that after Stanley had left, he would be the next to be ced under the spotlight. Gloria wore a nk look on her face as she watched her two sons scrambled away. ¡®It is true when they say that daughters are more considerate than sons. Nicole¡¯s the youngest and she has never gotten me to worry about her. My sons on the other hand¡­¡¯ ¡°Mom, Dad. You can head up to bed. We can take care of Lana and Nn,¡± Nicole said to Daniel and Gloria. ¡°Alright, you guys better not stay up toote.¡± Soon after, the old couple left for their bedroom to get themselves some sleep. Nn and Lana were still engrossed with the TV show they were watching when Nicole went up to them. ¡°Nn, Lana? It¡¯s time for bed.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± The two of them quickly switched the TV off and headed upstairs with Nicole and Jared. Nn had just entered his room when he saw a pop-up on hisputer. In an instant, he hurried over and clicked on it a few times. To his surprise, however, there was no pop-up at all. ¡°Mommy, there¡¯s progress!¡± Nn shouted in enthusiasm. Nicole quickly rushed over to check on the mission she had posted, and that was when she noticed that someone had epted it. Her eyes widened in shock before a solemn look took over. Nn quickly climbed off his seat. Then, Nicole quickly sat down and waited for the updates from the person. However, there was none. ¡°Mommy, what does this mean? They epted the mission and they¡¯re not giving us any updates!¡± Nn yelled out in confusion. ¡®Mommy was the one who posted the mission. Why did they ept it without proceeding? It makes no sense unless they¡¯re clueless. But then, how could they simply ept the mission? Or are they prying for answers, just like they had donest time?¡¯ Nn pondered. Nicole quickly came over to assess the situation and that was when she saw that someone had epted her mission. Earlier, she had ensured that she had rerouted her IP address so that no one could track her down. All rights ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Mommy, do you think he epted it and had logged off to do some research?¡± Lana blinked her eyes as she asked. Jared picked Lana up into his arms. ¡°Lana is right.¡± ¡°Yes, I was right! I¡¯m smart!¡± Lana boasted. ¡®Daddy agreed to what I said, which means I¡¯m right! I can finally help them!¡¯ Chapter 2251 Chapter 2251 ¡°Very clever, indeed.¡± Jared bopped Lana¡¯s nose with a smile. In turn, Lana giggled with satisfaction. ¡°Mommy, should we continue to wait for him?¡± Nn asked, ncing at Lana before turning to look at Nicole. ¡°Let¡¯s wait for a while longer,¡± Nicole replied. ¡®This might be our only hope.¡¯ ¡°Okay.¡± Nn nodded obediently, not daring to make any decisions on his own. Then, Nicole softly caressed Nn¡¯s head. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go to bed.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Nn nodded in agreement. After that, Jared shot them onest nce and said, ¡°I¡¯ll go put Lana in bed.¡± ¡°Goodnight, Mommy. Goodnight, Nn.¡± Lana waved her tiny arms. ¡°Good night.¡± Nn waved back. ¡°Go take a shower and get ready for bed.¡± Nicole patted Nn on the back to usher him to the bathroom. Nn then grabbed his pajamas and waddled to the bathroom, and not long after, he emerged wearing them. Nicole watched as Nn climbed onto his bed, after which she tucked him in. ¡°Mommy, are you and godfather never going to be together? ¡± Nn asked through gritted teeth.All rights ? N?velDrama.Org. Nicole sighed, staring at him as her eyes brimmed with love. ¡°Nn, your godfather and I can only be friends.¡± ¡°Is it because of Daddy?¡± Nn said, trying his best to sputter out the word ¡®daddy¡¯. ¡°No,1 Nicole lowered her voice. ¡°Even if I didn¡¯te back here and meet your daddy, your godfather and I would only ever be friends.¡± Nicole had made it clear that even if these turns in her life had not urred, she and Lawrence would never be an item. Regardless of whether they were on the ind or not, Nicole¡¯s sole goal was to take good care of both her children. Lawrence had, and would never be a part of her n in life, even though she was eternally grateful for his help. Gritting his teeth, Nn groaned, ¡°Oh.¡± He thought, ¡®It didn¡¯t work!¡¯ Having noticed the grimace on his face, she gently patted his head. ¡°Nn, you¡¯re still too young to understand what Mommy is saying right now, but when you grow older, you will.¡± Nicole understood that Nn was still young andcked sufficient understanding of feelings and emotions. ¡®It is clear that Nn and Lawrence are inseparable, though we can¡¯t be together as a family. It is a certainty that Lawrence has yed arge part in his life, despite not being his birth father. Being his godfather is the next best thing for Nn, after all.¡¯ ¡°Alright, Mommy. I¡¯m going to sleep now. Goodnight,¡± he said. Hearing that, Nicole nted a kiss on Nn¡¯s cheek. ¡°Good night, baby.¡± Then, she switched the bedsidemp off before turning to leave Nn¡¯s room, but once she was out, she bumped right into a sturdy figure. ¡°Why are you out here standing and not in our room?¡± ¡°I¡¯m waiting for you.¡± Jared looked at Nicole before lifting her off her feet. ¡°Hey! What do you think you¡¯re doing?¡± Nicole lowered her voice, ring at Jared. ¡°Going back to our room.¡± As soon as Jared had spoken, he tookrge strides toward their room with Nicole in his arms. Following the gesture, Nicole could feel her heart pounding in her chest, her shaky hands inadvertently gripping onto the hem of Jared¡¯s clothes. Jared looked down at her, shed her a wicked smile, and made a beeline for their bed. Then, their fingers intertwined, and in a soft, coquettish voice, she called out, ¡°Jared Johnston.¡± Chapter 2252 Chapter 2252 Jared gently ced Nicole down on their bed, whereupon he smoothed her hair out and gave her a peck on her lips. With their breaths hitching as they both ascended to cloud nine, Nicole kissed back, sumbing to the heat of the moment. The couple then got lost in one another¡¯s presence as Jared deepened the kiss. The next day, the sun shone bright and warm as Nicole flickered her eyes open. She pecked Jared in the cheeks, which turned red at once. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s get up,¡± Nicole said, gently patting on Jared. In response, Jared curled his lips into a smile, ¡°Okay.¡± Soon after, the two of them got themselves ready and went downstairs for breakfast. And one after another, the entire family slowly came down and sauntered into the dining room. ¡°Steve, why are you here?¡± they asked, surprised to see Steve at the dining table having breakfast. ¡°Did you guys fight?¡± ¡°Did you do something to hurt her?¡± A barrage of questions struck Steve, who turned to re at Spencer and Stanley. ¡°Shut up. Don¡¯t screw with my image now.¡± ¡°What brings you here so early?¡± Nicole inquired calmly. ¡°There¡¯s something I need to tell you all. It¡¯s nothing urgent. My wife went to her mother¡¯s house and eating alone is kinda boring, so I came here.¡±Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org. Stanley did not live too far away, so it was convenient for him to pay the family visits every now and then. ¡°Oh,¡± Nicole nodded, having gotten the hint that there was news about Everett. ¡°Let¡¯s dig in,¡± Daniel dered as he ushered everyone to start eating. ¡°Let¡¯s eat!¡± With that, everyone quickly dug into their food. After breakfast was over, Spencer and Stanley were the first ones to leave, followed by Nn, Lana, and Tia. Nicole turned to look at Jared, ¡°You don¡¯t have to send me there today. I¡¯m following Steve to work.¡± Jared looked down at her, and in a low voice, he said, ¡°If there¡¯s anything you need, please make sure to tell me first.¡± Nicole raised her eyebrows, as it dawned upon her that Jared truly did know much about her. She nodded ¡°I know.¡± A smile appeared on her lips as Jared shot her another nce to ensure that she had gotten the message before he made his way out of the house. After Jared had driven off, Nicole turned around to look at Steve, ¡°Let¡¯s get going.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Both of them bade their parents their goodbyes before they too left the premises. After buckling up Nicole went straight to the point and asked, ¡°What did you find?¡± Steve¡¯s expression darkened as he replied, ¡°Sean told me that it is an enemy of ours.¡± Nicole narrowed her eyes, and slowly, she blurted an all too familiar name, ¡°Harvey Ellison.¡± Steve was impressed that Nicole had nailed her guess right off the bat. ¡°You¡¯ve been suspicious of him, haven¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Not really. I just think, based on what I can gather about the situation, there wouldn¡¯t be anyone else.¡± ¡®Since Steve had mentioned that it was an old friend, it has just confirmed my suspicions of him.¡¯ ¡°True. Everett went over in person to meet up with Harvey. It¡¯s quite surprising, at least for someone who¡¯s been silent for five years to be up to no good.¡± ¡®I bet that he thinks that he¡¯d seed this time around,¡¯ Nicole thought as she bit her lip. ¡°So, for the past five years since my disappearance, he hasn¡¯t been active or targeting ourpany?¡± she asked. ¡°Yeah, something like that.¡± A thought came to mind as Steve turned his face to look at Nicole with a strange expression on his face. Chapter 2253 Chapter 2253 ¡°Heh.¡± Nicole chuckled lightly. ¡®Since that¡¯s the case, let¡¯s settle everything at once.¡¯ ¡°Nicole, what do you think Harvey is nning to aplish by helping Everett deal with Uncle Dillon? And about Sky Corporation, do you think it could also be Harvey¡¯s doing?¡± Steve¡¯s gaze slightly darkened as he asked. Nicole coldly snorted. ¡°You¡¯re probably right.¡± She knew that Steve and Sean had guesses of their own already, and if anything, their thoughts might even be simr to hers. The only problem was that theycked the evidence to prove it for now. Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org. ¡°What do you n to do with Uncle Dillon?¡± Nicole asked, feeling a little conflicted. If she interfered, she felt that it would be hard for her to be fair and just as Dillon and his family had gone too far. But if she did not step in, it would result in a disgraceful situation, as an outsider would take DillCorp, which was ultimately still a part of the Riddle Family. ¡°We¡¯ll take action when the timees.¡± Nicole smiled with a look of confidence. And as they have already gotten to know about this, they could obviously not allow Harvey and Everett to seed. After thinking for a moment, Steve mustered a look of surprise and said, ¡°Are you saying that¡­?¡± After shrugging her shoulders, Nicole candidly said, ¡°If there are benefits involved, how can we let someone else take advantage of them?¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s exactly what I was thinking,¡± Steve agreed, thinking that it was time to strike back too. Nicole smiled and shook her head as she looked at Steve. She liked it when he would go around gloating like that. Soon, the two arrived at the Riddle Corporation headquarters. Just as they had gotten off the car, they happened upon Sean and Jane. ¡°Hey Sean, Jane,¡± they greeted, whereupon they entered the building together. In the elevator, Sean nced at Steve, who nodded, signaling an unspoken understanding between the two. Sean knew that Steve had already told Nicole everything, so he did not bring it up. They just needed to wait quietly for the results toe into fruition. After getting off the elevator, everyone headed to their respective offices. ¡°Nicole.¡± Lulu followed Nicole into the office as soon as she saw her. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Nicole raised an eyebrow and looked at her with a hint of amusement in her eyes. She had a rough idea of what Lulu wanted to talk about. After all, she had also paid attention to the news on her way here, but she was certain that Lulu, the queen of gossip, knew more. Seeing the expression on Nicole¡¯s face, Lulu realized that Nicole had already known, so she pouted and said, ¡°You already know about it.¡± ¡°Just a little,¡± Nicole nodded and admitted. She had only seen a tiny bit of the news online, and she was confident that she did not know as much as Lulu, aptlybeled the queen of gossip. Hearing this, Lulu beamed and began sharing the juicy details with Nicole. ¡°I really didn¡¯t expect that! Snow actually had the audacity to climb into someone else¡¯s bed! She must be utterly humiliated right now, hahaha¡­¡± Lulu burst intoughter. Nicole raised her eyebrow a little. When she saw the news, she was rather taken aback too. ¡°Not only did she offer her body, but she had also deliberately gotten it on camera too. She really shot herself in the foot this time.¡± Lulu scrunched her face up in disdain.¡± Say, how did she end up in the wrong room?¡± This was the biggest joke of the week among the upper ss elites in San Joto. If Snow could not marry Harvey, she would be deprived of a future. Now, the questions remained: would Harvey still want her? Nicole squinted as she asked, ¡°How did she know Harvey would be staying in that hotel?¡± This was San Joto, and the Ellison family had countless properties to their name. Did Harvey have nowhere to stay? Did Harvey really have to choose that hotel in particr? It was also too much of a coincidence that Snow happened to know about it. Lulu¡¯s eyes widened in surprise. ¡°You mean¡­ No way!¡± Chapter 2254 Chapter 2254 So, Harvey had nned everything out. But why did he do it? He had been avoiding Snow all along, and yet, he had allowed her to know where he was staying. When she approached him, he rejected her and stirred a scandal up. Even with the sequence of events in mind, Nicole could not understand Harvey¡¯s intentions. Her gaze turned cold as she said, ¡°For having endured a great deal, Snow is probably getting her compensation soon, n Harvey must have had his own reasons for doing this. She guessed that Snow had naively taken the bait, thinking that she had finally won Harvey¡¯s heart. Nicole guessed that Snow would finally get to see Harvey in person and receive words offort from him, and perhaps even aid. At that point, Snow had likely thrown her rationality to the wind. ¡°Things are getting fun at DillCorp,¡± Nicolemented with a touch of sarcasm. ¡°What about your n? Will it go smoothly?¡± Lulu asked, not concerned about anything else as she was just here for the drama. All she cared about was Nicole and her n. ¡°I will make sure it goes smoothly,¡± Nicole replied resolutely. She had already gotten an idea on how to deal with DillCorp, but now that Harvey had intervened, she decided to include him in her n as well. Seeing Nicole¡¯s confidence, Lulu gave her a nod of approval. ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± ¡°Alright, the show has been fun enough. Get back to work,¡± Nicole teased. ¡°Understood.¡± Lulu yfully poked her tongue out and walked off. Nicole shook her head and opened the documents that had been stacked up on her desk. Meanwhile, at DillCorp. Snow was staring wide-eyed at the news on the inte, her face nching as she gnashed her teeth in anger. ¡®Stupid paparazzi. I didn¡¯t pay them to capture this! How could they publicize such an embarrassing incident!¡¯ ¡°Miss Snow, I¡¯ve managed to suppress the news. It will disappear soon. But¡­¡± Her assistant hesitated. ¡°But what?¡± Snow frowned in displeasure, irritated by the slow response. In return, her assistant gritted her teeth and said, ¡°You should still apologize to Mr. Dillon.¡± Naturally, this incident had also affected thepany, making Dillon furious, and rightfully so. Things would be even more sour if Snow did not handle it properly. Snow¡¯s face turned even paler as nerves wracked her. She had not thought about how to exin this to her father. But there was no escaping it; she had to go and see him. Before she coulde up with an exnation, however, the secretary came striding in. ¡°Mr. Dillon wants to see you,¡± the secretary informed her. N?velDrama.Org owns ? this. ¡°Okay.¡± Snow had no choice but toply, and eventually, she made her way to Dillon¡¯s office. ¡°Dad, I¡­¡± Before Snow could utter another word of exnation, Dillon cut her off, ¡°Is this what you call helping?¡± He believed that Snow was only trying to fulfill her own n and was just using thepany as a steppingstone. ¡°Dad, please listen to me.¡± Snow panicked. ¡°I thought that having a closer rtionship with the Ellisons would be more beneficial for thepany.¡± ¡°Are you trying to help thepany or help yourself?¡± Dillon asked, evidently displeased. ¡°It¡¯s a two-way street. If I¡¯m doing well, thepany will too. Just like how I¡¯ll do well only if the company does well,¡± Snow timidly said, wearing a crestfallen expression on her face. Chapter 2255 Chapter 2255 As Snow¡¯s attitude seemed pleasant and amodating, Dillon¡¯s tone and volume softened a little as he said, ¡°Good that you¡¯re aware of that.¡± ¡°Dad, I made a mistake this time, but I won¡¯t give up. Once we have the Ellison family¡¯s support, it won¡¯t matter how capable Nicole is. We won¡¯t be any less powerful or influential than her, and Grandfather won¡¯t favor her blindly any longer.¡± Snow advised while observing Dillon¡¯s reaction. Although Dillon did not utter a word, it was evident that he was considering Snow¡¯s words. Her lips curled up slightly, and she felt relieved that her father was not scolding her. In addition, this meant that she could continue to stay in thepany. ¡°Dad!¡± Suddenly, Raine suddenly walked in, surprised to see Snow. A frown of displeasure came over his face at once. ¡°You¡¯re getting more and more impolite.¡± All rights ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°I¡¯m here to report something. I didn¡¯t expect Snow to be here too,¡± Raine quickly regained her composure, pretending to be meek and proper. Snow shot a nce at Dillon and, upon noticing that he was silent, she responded, ¡°I was just about to return to my office. You can go ahead and report away now.¡± She then left Dillon¡¯s office. His expression darkened a little after Snow had left, and that was when he asked, ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m about to sign the project I was talking about. So, I just wanted to ask you if there are any other conditions to be added,¡± Raine asked seriously. ¡°Nope,¡± he replied with a grimace on his face. ¡°You¡¯ve been in thepany for so long. Do you really have to ask me about things like these?¡± Raine¡¯s expression shifted a little, but she forced herself to remain calm as she said, This project is important to thepany, so I want to confirm it with you again. I don¡¯t want any mistakes.¡± ¡°Alright, you can leave now,¡± Dillon waved his hand, signaling for her to leave. He was still unsure about Snow¡¯s n, but he had somewhat agreed with her. If she could get close to Harvey, they would not have to worry about sucking up to Mr. Riddle Sr. anymore. Mr. Riddle Sr. would not put all his attention on Nicole anymore either, and that was when the old man would begin to notice them. Once Raine was out of the office, she quickly returned to her own office. ¡°How did it go?¡± James inquired the moment she stepped in. ¡°Hmm, she definitely had other motives when she joined thepany.¡± Raine gritted her teeth. She had only left to discuss a project, but things had undergone a drastic change upon her return. Not only did Snow join thepany, but she had also gotten herself involved with Harvey. It seemed to her that her father was not too bothered by Snow¡¯s scandal either, so they were probably still looking to enlist Harvey¡¯s help. If Snow really managed to rekindle her rtionship with Harvey, Raine would be the one left to face the humiliation alone. After all, she was not the only one who had gotten herself transferred to a second-rate university years ago. But today, she was the only one who had married into a second-rate family. ¡°We should be more cautious about this. If Harvey and Snow end up together, our position in both the company and the family will bepromised. Not to mention, the inheritance rights¡­¡± James paused midway. ¡°Do you think Harvey is targeting the Riddle family?!¡± he asked. After all, if Harvey really had feelings for Snow, he would not have allowed her to stay single for so many years, just to make a move now. Raine¡¯s face nched as well. ¡®How did I not think of that before?¡¯ ¡°What should we do now?¡± Raine began to panic. ¡°We should wait and observe while we gather evidence. We absolutely cannot let Harvey seed.¡± James¡¯s eyes darkened. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll follow your lead,¡± Raine said through gritted teeth. She was determined to take everything from the Riddle family. She could not bear to endure all the mistreatment alone. She would never ept it, not after those years. As night fell, the tired birds returned to their nests, and the busy day came to an end. During rush hour in the evening, the streets were filled with vehicles and pedestrians bustling about. Chapter 2256 Chapter 2256 ¡°Ah, did something happen to Mr. Johnston? He rarely misses the opportunity to pick you up.¡± Lulu furrowed her brows, puzzled. ¡°He has somepany matters to attend to,¡± Nicole replied calmly. She had nned to visit Samuel and June today anyway, so she did not need to trouble Jared with the task of picking her up. ¡°I see.¡± Lulu refrained from pressing on, as the issue was work-rted. Soon, the two arrived at June¡¯s apartment. After ringing the doorbell, June opened the door. ¡°Right on time. Dinner is ready.¡± June smiled and invited them inside. ¡°We¡¯re so excited to have some good food!¡± Lulu smirked and sat down at the dining table with Nicole. Looking at the scrumptious dinner June had prepared, Lulu eximed, ¡°Wow, you¡¯re such a good cook! You¡¯re the prime example of a perfect wife and loving mother.¡± Lulu then shot Samuel a nce and said, ¡°You¡¯re truly blessed.¡± Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org. ¡°Of course, my June is amazing.¡± Samuel proudly raised his chin, acknowledging June¡¯s excellence. ¡°Your June? Have you proposed yet?¡± Lulu teased, unable to help herself. Without avoiding the topic, Samuel candidly said, ¡°Not yet. When I¡¯ve fully recovered, I¡¯ll arrange a formal proposal ceremony.¡± He could not propose in his current state as he figured that it would be too half-hearted. Lulu was so astonished by Samuel¡¯s response that her jaw nearly dropped to the floor. ¡°Samuel, is it still a surprise? I mean, you¡¯ve basically said it.¡± Even if he did have such thoughts, Lulu thought that he should not say it out loud. Besides, she was just reminding him and was not actually asking for an answer. ¡°But of course, I do have surprises,¡± Samuel replied casually. ¡°I won¡¯t tell you the rest of the details, though.¡± He had only said that he would propose, but the timing and the nature of the proposal would be kept confidential. Hearing this, Lulu nodded with a smile and jokingly remarked, ¡°Well, at least you¡¯re not a typical dense male.¡± ¡°That¡¯s enough, Lulu.¡± June blushed and stopped Lulu, feeling embarrassed. ¡°Alright, I¡¯m zipping it. We¡¯ll just wait,¡± Lulu replied with a yful smirk on her face. ¡°Yes, you wait,¡± Samuel said, taking June¡¯s hand. ¡°Let¡¯s just stop talking about this and feast.¡± After everyone was seated, June asked Lulu, ¡°What about Spencer? Why isn¡¯t he here? Didn¡¯t you inform him?¡± ¡°Oh, he said he has a rehearsal today, so he didn¡¯t have the time toe,¡± Lulu exined. ¡°I see.¡± Upon hearing this, June ceased inquiring. ¡°Since both Mr. Johnston and Spencer are busy, it¡¯s just us for dinner.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± The group went on to engage in some happy chatter while they ate, creating a warm and lively atmosphere. After dinner, Nicole and Lulu stayed for a while before preparing to leave. ¡°Are you leaving already?¡± June asked, feeling a little reluctant to let them go. She wanted to chat with them a bit more. ¡°It¡¯s gettingte, and I have to go home to update my parents on Samuel¡¯s situation. You know, to ease their worries,¡± Nicole said. ¡°That¡¯s right, and Samuel still needs plenty of rest. We¡¯ll leave now so you can get some rest too.¡± Chapter 2257 Chapter 2257 Seeing that there was nothing she could do to keep the two around any longer, June said, ¡°Well then, you muste over when you¡¯re free.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, even though you have a boyfriend now, I¡¯ll stille and bother you as often as I can,¡± Lulu said with a hint of yfulness. June¡¯s face blushed again, and with a re, she scolded, ¡°In that case, you don¡¯t have toe anymore.¡± June was unaware that Lulu was just teasing her about her rtionship with Samuel. ¡°Hahaha¡­¡± Luluughed in triumph as she pulled Nicole away. June shook her head in defeat and smiled as she saw them off at the door. After they had left, June closed the door and said to Samuel, ¡°Tired? Let me push you back to your room to rest.¡± Samuel held onto June¡¯s hand and asked her to take a seat at the couch. He then shook his head and said, ¡°I¡¯m not tired. Stay with me a little longer.¡± He did not want to return to his room yet because he would not be able to see her there. Since she had refused to share a room with him, worried that she might identally kick him in the leg that had been injured, he tried to stay awake as long as possible just so that he could spend more time with her. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll wake you up earlier tomorrow, okay?¡± June said, feeling somewhat amused and exasperated. She understood what he meant. Although he was allowed to leave the hospital, his injuries had not fully recovered yet. That was why she was genuinely concerned about hurting him identally in the middle of the night. ¡°Just a little longer,¡± Samuel pleaded with a bitter smile, for he really did not want to go back to his room. Hearing this, June mustered a wry smile. ¡°It¡¯s time for you to rest. Look, I¡¯ll stay with you in your room until you fall asleep, okay?¡± Happily, Samuel agreed, ¡°Sure, let¡¯s go.¡± She could not help but roll her eyes at his instant change in expression. ¡®Couldn¡¯t he put a bit more effort into the acting part?¡¯ Indeed, thest thing June expected was for him to act like a child in private, when he looked so aggressive when he yed sports. Upon pushing Samuel back to his room, June stayed with him after he had lied down, mirroring a scene from a peaceful time. On the other hand, Nicole had agreed to allow Lulu to drive her home as Lulu had insisted. Soon, the car stopped in front of the Riddle residence, but just as Nicole was about to get out of the car, Lulu suddenly held her back.N?velDrama.Org owns ? this. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Nicole looked at Lulu and followed her gaze toward the front, and that was when he saw Spencer getting out of a cab with Icy In. Nicole squinted. ¡®Why did Spencer take a taxi back, and why is he with Icyln?¡¯ She nced at Lulu, wanting to get out of the car to see what was going on, but Lulu pulled her back again. ¡°Wait.¡± She wanted to see what was happening as questions arose in her mind¡­questions like what was Spencer and Icyln going to do next? Questions like, were they going home together? ¡°Oh no!¡± Icyln suddenly shouted and fell to the ground. Spencer instinctively reached out to support her, and Icyln took the opportunity to lean into Spencer¡¯s arms, looking frightened. Watching the two of them being so close, Lulu¡¯s face turned pale, and she bit her lip tightly. ¡°Nicole, you can go down first,¡± Lulu slowly said, trying hard to sound normal. With a frown, Nicole asked, ¡°Aren¡¯t you getting out of the car?¡± Chapter 2258 Chapter 2258 ¡°Nah, I want to go home,¡± Lulu said and lowered her head, not wanting Nicole to witness her sorrow. She initially had the impulse to get out of the car and question Spencer, but ultimately, she did not have the courage and gave up on the idea. Her heart was in turmoil now. She did not know what to do, and all she wanted to do was leave. ¡°Nicole, I want to go home.¡± Nicole wanted to persuade her again, but upon hearing Lulu choking up, she could only pat her shoulder in constion and then get out of the car. Watching the car drive away, Nicole¡¯s eyes dimmed as she strode toward Spencer and Icyln. ¡°Spencer, what¡¯s going on here?¡± Nicole put on a look of surprise as she watched the two of them. ¡°Icyln almost fell over just now,¡± Spencer pushed Icyln aside a bit and helped her regain her bnce. Seeing Spencer¡¯s expression of relief, a glimmer of coldness shed in Nicole¡¯s eyes. ¡°Is she here as a guest?¡± Nicole looked at Icyln and asked. ¡°Oh, we just finished our rehearsal and had dinner together with everyone. Everyone was in high spirits and had a few drinks. Icyln was worried about me, so she insisted on sending me back,¡± Spencer exined in a somewhat helpless tone of voice. He had a little alcohol in him and had no other issues except for driving. Moreover, there was no reason as to why he would need another woman to apany him.N?velDrama.Org owns ? this. ¡°I see,¡± Nicole nodded. ¡°Then let¡¯s head inside together, Spencer. It¡¯ste, Icyln, you should go home and get some sleep.¡± Icyln¡¯s face turned pale, and she could only force a smile and say, ¡°Oh, well, since I¡¯m here, I thought I should go in and see Mr. and Mrs. Riddle.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need forthat. My parents have already gone to bed.¡± Nicole said, rebuffing her once more. Icyln bit her lip, refusing to back down. ¡°That wouldn¡¯t be very nice of me, don¡¯t you think?¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine, my parents wouldn¡¯t mind. Lulu drove me back moments ago, and she didn¡¯t go in either,¡± Nicole said. ¡°Lulu!¡± Spencer¡¯s voice heightened. ¡°Where is she?¡± ¡°She just left.¡± Nicole darted him a sideways nce. ¡®And yes¡­it¡¯s because of you.¡¯ It was then that Spencer came to a realization. ¡°You mean in the cab just now?¡± ¡®So, Lulu saw me, but she just left without getting out of the car. Is she angry?¡¯ he wondered. Upon thinking that Lulu might have gotten upset after misunderstanding his actions, Spencer¡¯s expression changed. ¡°Nicole, tell Mom and Dad that I have something to do, and that I¡¯m heading out.¡± After saying that, Spencer hurriedly chased after Lulu. ¡°Spencer!¡± Icyln anxiously called out as she saw Spencer jetting off in a hurry. Unfortunately, Spencer was in no mood to bother about her at the moment. All he could think about was if Lulu had misunderstood them. ¡®Is she angry? Is she hurt?¡¯ Nicole rolled her eyes. ¡®Now you¡¯re anxious? Why didn¡¯t you pay more attention just now?¡¯ Returning her gaze, Nicole looked at the culprit and said,¡± Icyln, do you need someone to send you off?¡± Though she had asked, she had no intention of sending her off, and that the statement in question was essentially an invitation for her to leave. ¡°It¡¯s okay, I can manage,¡± Icyln replied, feigning meekness though she was infuriated deep down. ¡°Alright, be careful on your way,¡± Nicole said as she walked into her house, leaving Icyln standing there, feeling somewhat lost. Her face turned pale as she did not expect things to turn out this way. She wanted to go home with Spencer so that she could pay a visit to his parents. But now, she did not even get to enter their gates and was left all alone outside. Chapter 2259 Chapter 2259 ¡°Miss, are we still leaving?¡± The driver became a little impatient as he asked. Icyln gritted her teeth and reluctantly got into the car. After Nicole had entered the house, she saw that Daniel and Gloria were still watching TV with Nn and Lana. So, she figured that Jared had not returned yet. ¡°Mommy!¡± Nn and Lana ran happily toward her. ¡°Mom, Dad,¡± Nicole greeted her parents and led the kids back to the couch. After sitting down, Daniel nced outside and asked, ¡°Did I hear you talking to someone else outside just now?¡± ¡°Oh, I bumped into Spencer, but he had something to do, so he has gone out again,¡± Nicole replied. Daniel nodded upon hearing that, finally understanding what the noise was about. ¡°How¡¯s Samuel doing?¡± Gloria asked in concern. ¡°He¡¯s fine. Don¡¯t worry. He¡¯s recovering very well,¡± Nicole reassured Gloria. Gloria heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°That¡¯s good. But June must be having a hard time.¡± ¡°It¡¯s true but she seems to be enjoying Samuel¡¯s presence, so let¡¯s just allow him to stay there,¡± Nicole said with a faint smile. She could see that June seemed to be getting used to living with Spencer. At this point, she figured that they might even get married soon. ¡°Mommy, why hasn¡¯t Daddye back yet?¡± Lana looked outside, still unable to see Jared anywhere. ¡°Daddy is busy.¡± Nicole said, offering the little one a simple exnation, though she did not really know what exactly Jared was busy with. ¡°Oh.¡± Lana uttered without pressing further. ¡°Daddy is working so hard.¡± Nicole brushed Lana¡¯s head affectionately and smiled. It was perfectly normal for Jared to be busy managing such a hugepany, but¡­ It was then that Nicole furrowed her brows a little. It did seem to her that Jared had be more exhausted recently. In fact, she hardly saw him working overtime thiste in the past. ¡°It¡¯s gettingte. Let¡¯s take the kids to sleep first,¡± Gloria suggested. ¡°Okay.¡± Nicole patted Nn and Lana in the head. ¡°Let¡¯s go, it¡¯s time to go to bed.¡± Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org. ¡°Okay,¡± Nn and Lana replied and happily went upstairs. Daniel, Gloria, and Nicole then followed suit. Before they retired to their bedrooms, Gloria advised, ¡°There might be something going on at Johnston Corporation. You should keep an eye on Jared.¡± ¡°I will. Don¡¯t worry,¡± Nicole promised. Seeing her agreeing so readily, Gloria could not help but raise an eyebrow and say, ¡°I told you to take action, and not just respond for the sake of responding to me.¡± ¡°Mom, I didn¡¯t,¡± Nicole replied, feeling a little helpless as she really did not do so. ¡°Good.¡± Gloria nodded in relief. ¡°I know these past few years have been tough for you out there, but it hasn¡¯t been easy for Jared in San Joto either¡­not just for himself, but also for everything he has done for us. He has never given up on looking for you.¡± They, as Nicole¡¯s family, were on the verge of despair at that point. Jared was the only one who had never given up. Biting her lip, Nicole promised, ¡°Mom, eventhough I still don¡¯t remember the past, I have felt something during this period of time. I know what to do.¡± Gloria nodded with satisfaction. Hearing her daughter say this made her feel at ease. Even though nothing seemed to have changed between Nicole and Jared when they returned, Gloria could not help but feel that there was something different from before. Therefore, hearing her daughter say this had given her a sense of reassurance. After everyone had returned to their rooms, Nicole tucked Nn and Lana in before returning to her own room. It was quiet, making her feel an inexplicable sense of loneliness. Chapter 2260 Chapter 2260 The corners of Nicole¡¯s lips lifted as she shook her head lightly. ¡®As I had expected, as hard it was before to push him away, it is equally as hard to resist the temptation now.¡¯ Nicole changed into a fresh pair of pajamas beforeying down on her bed to get some shuteye. It was the first time Nicole hadid down in an empty bed without him as she looked at the empty space next to her. Nicole reached for her phone, wanting to give Jared a call. ¡®He might be busy. No, I should not bother him.¡¯ Nicole hesitated. Late in the night, Jared returned to the Riddle residence where he saw that Nicole was already fast asleep on the bed. Jared softened his movements, not wanting to wake Nicole up. Jared quickly showered up and got into bed with Nicole. He frowned when he saw that Nicole was fast asleep with her phone in her hand. He gently took her phone out of her grasp, and that was when the screen lit up, showing Jared¡¯s contact. Jared squinted his eyes as he stared at her phone, and soon, a sh of softness crossed his eyes. He reached out and gently caressed Nicole¡¯s cheek, ¡®Did she miss me and wanted to call me?1 Feeling warm and fuzzy, he pulled Nicole into his arms and hugged her tightly. As her eyes flickered open in confusion, she muttered,¡± You¡¯re back.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Jared whispered, whereupon Nicole leaned Jared stared at Nicole lovingly as she slept soundly. He let out a soft sigh as he slowly fell asleep. The next morning, the bright and warm sun rays beamed into the room. When Nicole opened her eyes, she saw that Jared was still fast asleep. She gently slipped out of bed, careful to not wake him up. However, Jared stirred as soon as Nicole moved. ¡°Sorry I woke you up,¡± she apologized, feeling guilty for waking Jared up. ¡°No, it¡¯s okay. It¡¯s time to get up anyway.¡± Jared smiled as he smoothened Nicole¡¯s hair, to which she raised her brows. ¡°You came home sote yesterday; you should get some rest.¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s okay. There¡¯s a meeting I need to attend,¡± Jared said as he sat up on the bed with Nicole in his arms. ¡°What have you been so busy withtely? Is there work?¡± Nicole asked, her eyes brimming with concern. Jared looked down at Nicole, his gaze wavering. ¡°It¡¯s nothing, it¡¯s all in the past. Nicole frowned a little, feeling confused, ¡®What does he mean when he said it¡¯s all in the past? Did he handle the issues alone?¡¯ Nicole wanted to press on for more information, but by then, Jared had already gotten out of bed. She bit her lip and got out of bed without any further questions. Both of them quickly washed up and changed into sets of fresh clothes before heading downstairs for breakfast. Nicole swept her nce across the dining table, and there, she noticed that Spencer was not present. This caused her to raise a brow. ¡®Spencer did note backst night. I wonder how they both are doing.¡¯ ¡°Daddy, try this. It¡¯s good.¡± Lana¡¯s voice red out, snapping Nicole back to reality. Then, Nicole watched as Lana passed a sunny side up to Jared. N?velDrama.Org owns ? this. A proud grin was present on Jared¡¯s face as he watched his daughter pass him the egg. ¡°Daddy has one already. You should eat it so you can grow stronger,¡± Jared softly said as he passed it back onto Lana¡¯s te. Chapter 2261 Chapter 2261 ¡°Jared, has work been alright for you?¡± Daniel asked, his face was filled with concern. ¡°Yeah. Everything¡¯s fine,¡± Jared replied. ¡°That¡¯s good to hear.¡± Daniel felt an immediate sense of relief upon hearing that everything was going smoothly for Jared. After breakfast was over, everyone left to go about their daily routine, with Jared dropping Nicole off at work. ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Jared told Max after Nicole had entered the building. ¡°Mr. Johnston, are you not going to tell your wife about this? ¡± Max asked hesitantly. ¡°No. I know for sure that she¡¯ll be worried,¡± Jared said, feeling indifferent about the situation. ¡°What if Lawrence beats you to it and tells her?¡± Max blurted out, worried on behalf of Jared if Nicole discovered the truth. A cold look shed across Jared¡¯s eyes, and in a cold voice, he replied, ¡°If he wants to tell her, then he can go ahead. I¡¯ll have to see how thick skinned he can be if he does.¡± Max paused for a moment before nodding in agreement. ¡¯He probably wouldn¡¯t want to embarrass himself either.¡¯ ¡°What¡¯s the update on Iris?¡± Jared asked, changing the subject. ¡°The police are on the lookout to arrest her,¡± Max responded. The biggest threat to the Johnston Group right now was Iris Brown. Even after they had dismissed her, she was still running around disclosingpany secrets and projects to others. This sort of betrayal waspletely hical and uneptable. As such, Iris ought to pay the price for her conduct. Jared leaned back against his seat as he looked out the window, for his mind had drifted off elsewhere. Meanwhile, Nicole had just entered the office with Lulu following in tow. ¡°Nicole, Mr. Royce has returned the money back into your ount.¡± ¡°Returned?¡¯ Nicole was astonished by the news. ¡®Why didn¡¯t he inform me?¡¯ ¡°Let me ask him.¡¯ Nicole dialed Lawrence¡¯s number. ¡°Leo.¡± Nicole immediately said after Lawrence had picked up- ¡°Is it because of the funds?¡± Lawrence cut right to the chase. ¡°Yeah, did something happen?¡± Nicole asked. ¡°No, for the time being I don¡¯t need it just yet. I¡¯ve been busy, I haven¡¯t had the time to inform you.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Nicole uttered, relieved that it was nothing serious. ¡°So the matter has been resolved?¡± Nicole asked with the knowledge that Lawrence was suffering a shortage of funds for this project. ¡°Yeah, pretty much.¡± Lawrence brushed it off like nothing had happened. With that said, Nicole was relieved to hear the news from Lawrence. ¡°Well, if there¡¯s anything you need. Don¡¯t be afraid to reach out to me.¡± N?velDrama.Org owns ? this. ¡°Okay,¡± Lawrence agreed, and soon, they hung up. Nicole looked at Lulu. ¡°It seems like he doesn¡¯t need the funds anymore.¡± ¡°How can it be?¡± Lulu had a puzzled expression on her face,¡¯ Are funding problems solved this easily?¡¯ ¡°I don¡¯t know the specifics of how he did it, but he did say that he¡¯ll be okay and won¡¯t be needing it.¡± Nicole knew that Lawrence was not a reckless man. Him asking her for funds was one thing, but to solve it easily in a time of urgency was indeed odd. ¡°I see¡­¡± Lulu said, and left it as it is. Chapter 2262 Chapter 2262 Nicole nced at Lulu, ¡°Spencer did note homest night. Did he stay at your ce?¡± Lulu¡¯s cheeks reddened, and she stuttered, ¡°He stayed in the guest room!¡± Nicole chuckled, and that was when she teased, ¡°I didn¡¯t ask about this. What I meant was, did you guys reconcile?¡± ¡°Nicole, stop teasing me!¡± Lulu¡¯s face became as red as tomato as Nicole gave her a yful look, knowing that she had done it on purpose. ¡°Are you¡­embarrassed?¡± Nicole teased. ¡°Of course not! He slept in the guest room,¡± Lulu squealed. ¡°Okay. Spencer slept in the guest room.1 Nicole repeated with a devilish smile. ¡°Have you guys made up or not?¡± ¡°Um¡­¡¯ Lulu bit her lips. ¡°We¡¯re okay.¡± Lulu was unsure of what to believe but she trusted that Spencer was telling the truth and went along with it. ¡°That¡¯s good to hear. It¡¯s obvious that Icyln had done it on purpose. Don¡¯t buy into any of her words. It¡¯s not worth it.¡± Nicole sighed. Nicole herself was unsure what Icyln had said to coax Spencer into sending her back home personally, let alone fall. ¡®If the incident was as he said, an ident, then Icyln¡¯s fall would be downright suspicious. I mean come on. Who would fall right into the arms of another person unless they¡¯re deliberately throwing themselves around. Does she think everyone is a fool?¡¯ Nicole wondered. Lulu nodded. ¡°I do know what her intention was, but it just feels ufortable to stand there and watch.¡± ¡°Did you tell Spencer about how you felt?¡± Nicole raised her eyebrows, looking at Lulu. Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org. ¡°No.¡± Lulu shook her head. Hearing this, Nicole could not help but respond with a hint of irritation in her voice. ¡°You have to tell him how you felt. Otherwise, how would he know how you were feeling?¡± Nicole went on to coach Lulu on how to deal with Icyln. If Lulu were to continue idling around at the sidelines, their rtionship with one another would be strained, sooner orter. ¡°I don¡¯t want to burden him¡­¡± Lulu lowered her head and murmured. ¡°So, is this what you¡¯re nning to do? Put all that burden on yourself to test how long you can endure all of this crap? Or are you going to go head on with this until everything falls apart?¡± Nicole. Lulu¡¯s face turned pale, whereupon she sullenly replied, ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡± Nicole could not help but roll her eyes at that point. ¡°I think the best solution for us now is that you two should get married as soon as possible. A double wedding should be nice.¡± ¡®Wedding?!¡¯ Lulu¡¯s eyes widened in shock at Nicole¡¯s brazen suggestion. Nicole mentally sighed as she saw Lulu¡¯s expression, ¡°Never mind about it. I think you should think about yourself first.¡± ¡®Perhaps she never thought of a solution to this yet, I¡¯ll give her some time to think things through.¡¯ ¡°Okay, then I¡¯ll go back to work.¡± Lulu left as soon as she finished speaking. Lulu had never considered marriage as a solution to her problems until Nicole brought it up. Tm just a mere secretary to the Riddle family. As his girlfriend, I am a bit too much of an Average Jane as compared to him.¡¯ Lulu was so distracted by the thought of it that she did not see the delivery maning over with a bouquet of flowers. She bumped right into him. ¡°Oh my.¡± Lulu¡¯s face nted right into the bouquet of flowers, her face engulfed by the scent of florals. ¡°Shit.¡± The delivery man got a mental breakdown right away as he saw the bouquet of flowers all messed up. Chapter 2263 Chapter 2263 ¡°I¡¯m so sorry,¡¯ Lulu apologized. ¡°Who is the flower for, may I ask? I¡¯ll apologize on your behalf or rece one for her.¡± The delivery man looked at the details before replying, ¡°Lulu Barrera.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Lulu¡¯s jaw dropped. ¡°Me? For ME?¡± The delivery man was taken aback by how coincidental it was. ¡°Who sent these?¡± Lulu wore a puzzled look on her face.1 Who would send me flowers?¡¯ As she spoke, Lulu grabbed the bouquet of flowers, before reaching out to take the card. As she read the card, a smile appeared on her face, ¡®Spencer sent these!¡¯ Lulu hugged the bouquet of flowers and went back to the office. She immediately ced the flowers into a vase. A silly smile appeared on her face as she stared at the flowers in front of her in a daze. Though it was not the first time Lulu had received flowers, she thought it was the most beautiful bouquet of flowers she had ever received. Suddenly, the office phone rang, and she snapped back to her senses. She quickly answered the call and went back to work afterwards. Then, Lulu took a quick nce at the bouquet of flowers once more before continuing her work. Meanwhile at Genesis Group, Lawrence leaned against his seat while he was in deep thought. There, he wondered about how he had lost his wife and his army. Iris had also failed at her job and even all the projects abroad had suffered tremendous losses. Lawrence had never thought that Jared would step in and block Nicole¡¯s transfer of funds, consequently halting all of his ns. ¡®If Nicole¡¯s money had been sessfully wired over, I don¡¯t think Jared would do such a thing, as Nicole, someone he cares so much about, but too bad¡­¡¯ Suddenly, Lawrence¡¯s phone rang, snapping him back in reality. He stared at the phone for a while before picking it up. ¡°Mr. Royce, please, you have to save me. I have nowhere to go.¡± Iris¡¯s panicked voice echoed over the speaker. ¡°If I help you, the things you¡¯ve promised me will not be fulfilled. How can I help you?¡± Lawrence said, his voice icy and deep. N?velDrama.Org owns ? this. ¡®If it was not for her stupid mistake, this should¡¯ve been aplished a long time ago and I would not have ended up like this,¡¯ he fumed. ¡°I ended up like this because of you. You can¡¯t just leave me stranded and defenseless.¡± Iris protested, not expecting Lawrence to brush her off like that. She panicked, ¡®If he doesn¡¯t help me, I am doomed.¡¯ ¡°We had a deal. You did not fulfill your promise. Our deal is over.¡± Lawrence hung up immediately after he had set things straight. ¡°Mr. Royce, I heard the police are looking for her. If she¡¯s caught¡­, won¡¯t we¡­.,¡± Ian hesitated. ¡®What if Iris betrays Mr. Royce?¡¯ Ian thought. ¡°She has no proof at all. Who would even consider her alibi credible?¡± Lawrence replied nonchntly. Ian issued a sigh of relief, ¡®As long as it doesn¡¯t mess with Mr. Royce, then all should be fine.¡¯ ¡°Have the international offices stay quiet for a few days. I¡¯ll find a way to recover our losses,¡± Lawrence said, as he did not want any sort of affiliation with Iris. ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll reach out to them as soon as possible.¡± Ian agreed before turning around to leave the office. The office immediately became silent after Ian had left. The sinister look in Lawrence¡¯s eyes as he thought, ¡®Countless hours of nning ended up in mes. Jared Johnston is not an easy feat and that idiot of a person, Iris Brown, caused this foolproof n to burn down in mes. ¡®Jared Johnston, I will not be defeated. I will not lose.¡¯ Chapter 2264 Chapter 2264 The police had not found any traces of Iris. This is odd. It¡¯s as if she had vanished into thin air. ¡°Mr. Johnston, do you think Lawrence had a hand in hiding her?¡± Max asked, his face disying hints of skepticism. ¡°No.¡± Jared remained calm, knowing that Lawrence had long washed his hands of Iris, and would not help her let alone hide her. Max frowned. ¡°Then where on earth could she be?¡± While San Joto was a huge ce, for the police to scour for her would not be that difficult of a task. ¡®But why is there no news about her at all?¡¯ Nevertheless, Jared was confident. ¡°She¡¯s bound to show up sooner orter.¡± ¡®Iris can keep hiding like this, but sooner orter, she will show up. I just have to wait for that moment.¡¯ Max agreed with a nod, understanding where Jared wasing from. ¡°I will have someone keep a lookout.¡± ¡°On the other hand, Lawrence¡¯s side seems awfully quiet these days.¡± Jared¡¯s eyes darkened with doubt. ¡°Yeah. They aren¡¯t doing anything. All they¡¯ve been doing is contacting their offices abroad. It¡¯s probably to cut their losses,¡± Max replied. Jared snorted. ¡°Cut? Oh there¡¯s no way he will recover from that.¡± ¡®How can he even think of backing off? Does he think everything will end when he flees?¡¯ ¡°Mr. Johnston, do you mean¡­¡± Jared cut Max off. ¡°Take all of their projects.¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Max said, his voice bordering on a yelp as he was unable to contain his happiness. He was eager to take Genesis Group down. The adrenaline from taking their enemies down were the little joys that gave Max the push to go on. After all, they were the ones who had initiated the fight. Soon, the car came to a stop, and when Jared saw Nicoleing out of the building, his gaze immediately softened up. Nicole jogged up to the car and got in, putting a smile on his face. ¡°Nice timing.¡¯ He reached out and pinched her cheek.¡± There¡¯s no need to rush, I¡¯ll always wait for you.¡± A yful look shed across Nicole¡¯s face ¡°Aren¡¯t you such a charmer. Did you do something wrong?¡± ¡°No,¡± Jared replied with a serious look. This stunned Nicole for a moment before she burst outughing. ¡°I was joking. Why are you taking it so seriously?¡± ¡°There¡¯s no joking in any of this.¡± Jared fondled her hair, showing his sincerity and seriousness in the conversation. A smile shed across Nicole¡¯s eyes, melting Jared¡¯s heart at once. ¡®She looks so cute!¡¯ ¡°How¡¯s thepany doing recently?¡± Jared looked down at Nicole and asked, changing the topic. ¡°It¡¯s going well.¡± Nicole shrugged before looking at Jared.¡± Why are you asking this?¡± ¡°Just asking.¡± Jared maintained the solemn look on his face as he was not asking the question lightly and was truly concerned about her. ¡°By the way. The other Riddles are quite busy. Snow joined DillCorp just to get closer to Harvey and Harvey was having a deal going on with Everett. I¡¯m just curious as to who will get to be paired up.¡± Nicole curled her lips into a smile as she enthused. ¡°You truly are something¡­¡± Jared shook his head yfully. N?velDrama.Org owns ? this. Taken aback by Jared¡¯s response, she gave him a nk look. ¡°I¡¯m talking about them.¡± Jared knew that all three of them were scheming and wanted control of everything. ¡°With you here, they can¡¯t ever have things go their way,¡± he replied. Chapter 2265 Chapter 2265 Jared was very protective of Nicole. He knew that Nicole did not care about the Riddle family as a corporate entity, knowing that Sean would be the one to eventually inherit everything. However, it did not stop the public from gossiping about it. Nicole shed a dazed smile at Jared as she listened on to his cocky remarks. ¡®How can he be so handsome? I love it when he¡¯s like this.¡¯ ¡°They have no chance of winning.¡± Though everything was going ording to Nicole¡¯s n, she was curious as to how things would end up between Harvey, Snow, and Everett. On one hand, she had totally given up hoping that Everett and Snow would put up a good fight, but on the other, James Harlow was a walking, ticking time bomb. Jared caressed Nicole¡¯s hair as she was deep in thought,¡± Office hours are over. You might want to stop thinking about work.¡± Though there were unsolved issues at work daily, Jared was a person who preferred to look at the end result than to ruminate over the trivial and unnecessary. ¡°Okay. I won¡¯t think too much about it. Martin told me that I shouldn¡¯t exert my brain too much.¡± Nicole nodded in agreement to Jared¡¯s advice. Jared looked at Nicole affectionately, though with a slight frown, ¡°How¡¯s the treatment going for you?¡± Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org. Jared was aware that Nicole had been going to Martin for treatments, and during each time, he would be upied and unable to leave work. As such, Jared felt guilty and apologetic that he could not be there with her. ¡°There¡¯s not much progresstely. We¡¯re focusing on the same treatment, but the good thing is, I don¡¯t feel as much pain as I did before.¡± Nicole shed him a faint smile. ¡®Perhaps things are gradually getting better. I¡¯ve gotten to build my pain tolerance too. Whatever the end result would be, I guess there are pros and cons,¡¯ Nicole thought. Jared¡¯s forehead creased in distress as he heard Nicole tell him about her progress. He was aware of how much effort she had put in to endure the painful treatment just to get her memories back. ¡®Tile with you in the future,¡± Jared said in a soft voice. ¡®If she was in that much pain, why didn¡¯t she let mee over to apany her?¡¯ Jared thought to herself. ¡°No. I think it¡¯s best I go alone since you¡¯re heavily involved with my memories. It might muddle up the lines between memory and reality if you¡¯re there,¡± Nicole declined. Nicole had seen some slight improvement in her treatment ns as she could now picture a few scenes out, though she was still unable to tell who was who. It was a major concern for Nicole that Jared would see her like that in that state. Jared felt helpless as he envisioned Nicole being in pain and refusing his help. Noticing that Jared was distraught, Nicole said, ¡°How about we make a deal? You¡¯ll be the first to know if I have recovered my memories. Cool?¡± Jared gave Nicole an affectionate stare before he breathed a sigh of defeat. ¡°Okay, we have a deal.¡± Nicole let out augh in response. ¡°Yay!¡± Jared¡¯s eyes finally softened up after seeing that Nicole was happy. Nicole too was d that Jared was not distressed anymore. Then, she leaned onto his shoulder with a look of contentment. Soon after, they reached the Riddle residence. Nn and Lana had just arrived home mere minutes before them. They both immediately ran up to their parents who had also just arrived. ¡°Daddy! Mommy!¡± Jared reached out and hoisted Lana up into his arms, before booping her tiny button nose. ¡°Have you been a good girl today?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Lana nodded. ¡°I know you¡¯re a good girl.¡± Jared sauntered into the house with Lana in his arms. Chapter 2266 Chapter 2266 Tia walked over. ¡°Nicole. In response, Nicole smiled. ¡°Thank you for your hard work.¡± ¡°It was nothing. It¡¯s easy to pick the kids up and drop them off,¡± Tia said, bashful as she did not feel like it was a big deal. ¡°Come on. Let¡¯s get in.¡± Nicole held Nn¡¯s hand and the group walked into the mansion. In the living room, Gloria and Daniel were with Stanley and Spencer. With so many people together, the house came alive with excitement and chatter. ¡°I¡¯ll go check on dinner. I¡¯ll have it sent to Grandma once it¡¯s ready,¡± Tia informed, about to head to the kitchen. ¡°Tia, bring your grandma over. Let¡¯s all eat together,¡± Nicole suggested. ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll go tell her. She¡¯d definitely join us if you¡¯re inviting her,¡± Tia said and went to the backyard. Mrs. Wace Sr. was quite old and had difficulty moving, so she rarely came to the front yard. She preferred to be left alone in the backyard, onlying to the front yard during festivals or important asions. Today was Nicole¡¯s idea, and Tia believed Mrs. Wace Sr. would agree toe over. Watching Tia go get Mrs. Wace Sr., Nicole smiled. It was not easy to get everyone to spend time together like this. Soon, Mrs. Wace Sr. was pushed over in a wheelchair by Tia, and the family was seated at the dining table. The atmosphere was lively and joyous while everyone enjoyed the food and chatted away. After dinner, Nicole pushed Mrs. Wace Sr. back to the backyard with Tia beside them. ¡°Nicole, when you returned to us, it felt like my prayers were answered,¡± Mrs. Wace Sr. could not help butment. ¡°I should¡¯vee back earlier.¡± Nicole sighed. Had she been aware of the warmth of her home, she would have brought Nn and Lana back to San Joto earlier. ¡°Regardless of the timing, it¡¯s good to have you back. We understand the hardships you endured out there.¡± She sounded heartbroken. Nicole bit her lip, thinking, ¡®Were those days tough? Maybe a little, but with the kids, it didn¡¯t feel as difficult. Anyway, it¡¯s all in the past.¡¯ All rights ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Next is your marriage, and once that¡¯s settled, I¡¯ll have one less worry,¡± Mrs. Wace Sr. said, patting Nicole¡¯s hand. ¡°About that, l-l¡¯ll think about it first.¡± Nicole wanted to express her desire to hold off on marriage, but she hesitated, not wanting to be too blunt. ¡°I know you¡¯ve always been strong, and Jared is great too. I¡¯m quite at ease for you two,¡± Mrs. Wace Sr. continued. Then she looked at Tia. ¡°Speaking of which. I¡¯ll probably only be worried about Tia.¡± ¡°Me?¡± Tia was a little surprised. She felt she was doing just fine. ¡°Yes. I¡¯m old, after all. When I leave¡­ I really hope you would¡¯ve found someone trustworthy.¡± Mrs. Wace Sr. sighed. For years, Tia had been taking care of Mrs. Wace Sr. and had be like family to her. As a result, Mrs. Wace Sr. was naturally concerned for Tia¡¯s future. Not expecting her to bring up the topic, Tia instantly blushed. She said hastily, ¡°Grandma, l-l don¡¯t need to think about these things yet.¡± ¡°Why not? You¡¯re a grown-up now, and you can¡¯t possibly stay with me forever!¡± Mrs. Wace Sr. eximed. Besides, she might leave this world at any time. ¡°Don¡¯t say that. I¡¯ll always be by your side,¡± Tia replied, her eyes starting to water with emotion. ¡°Silly girl.¡± Mrs. Wace Sr. smiled. She then turned to Nicole again. ¡® Nicole, please take care of Tia in the future.¡± Chapter 2267 Chapter 2267 ¡°Grandma, Tia¡¯s my family. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll take good care of her. But you¡¯re still energetic and hearty, so there¡¯s no need to talk about this yet,¡± Nicole reassured Mrs. Wace Sr. ¡°Lovely. That¡¯s great.¡± Mrs. Wace Sr. felt more at ease at Nicole¡¯s promise. They then settled Mrs. Wace Sr. in her room. Nicole made sure she wasfortable in bed and covered her with a nket. After leaving the room, Tia¡¯s face was pale. She asked worriedly, ¡°Is she alright, Nicole?¡± ¡°She¡¯s fine. She¡¯s just worried about us.¡± Nicole smiled reassuringly. Mrs. Wace Sr. was in good shape, so those words were just casual remarks. Nicole did not want Tia to get overly concerned. Tia seemed relieved at Nicole¡¯s exnation. ¡°Oh, I see.¡± ¡°But you should really think about what she said. Don¡¯t you have any guy you like?¡± Nicole asked meaningfully with her eyebrow raised. ¡°Nicole, not you too¡­¡¯ Tia blushed. ¡°Alright, I won¡¯t push it. You should think about it yourself.¡± Nicole smiled and left. Left alone, Tia stood there, all nervous and flustered. Nicole went back to the front yard, but everyone else had already returned to their rooms. Seeing the living room empty as well, Nicole headed upstairs to Nn¡¯s room. Sure enough, Jared was inside with the kids. Nn was quietly sitting in front of hisputer. His serious expression indicated he was focused. Meantime, Lana was pestering Jared to read her a story, so Jared started reading it to her. Nicole smiled at the sight, feeling warm. ¡°This is the feeling of home, being with my loved ones.¡¯ Jared looked up and saw Nicole. He smiled at her and then continued with his story. Nicole did not interrupt them. She sat beside them and took out a book to read. ¡°Oh yeah!¡± After a moment, Nn¡¯s shout of surprise gathered everyone¡¯s attention. ¡°He must be done.¡± Nicole knew it at a nce, and she smiled. Nn proudly raised his chin, announcing, ¡°Not only did Iplete the mission, but my ranking also rose.¡± ¡°Woah, you¡¯re so awesome!¡± Lana pped and cheered for her brother. N?velDrama.Org owns ? this. In response, Nn smiled smugly, ¡°You know it!¡± ¡°You¡¯re going to be more and more awesome in the future,¡± Lana said, looking proud. She knew her entire family was amazing at their job, and she was the luckiest person to be part of this family. Nn was embarrassed by his sister¡¯s words, so he said earnestly, ¡°I¡¯ll work hard.¡± As Nicole observed the two kids engrossed in their conversation, she could not help but feel a wave of warmth wash over her and satisfaction within her. Looking at the time, Nicole reminded the children, ¡°It¡¯s gettingte. You should get some rest.¡± ¡°Sure. I want Daddy to sleep in my room,¡± Lana said, opening her arms toward Jared. ¡°No problem.¡± Jared picked Lana up and left Nn¡¯s room in big strides, walking next door. Nicole waited for Nn to fall asleep before leaving the room. At the same time, Jared came out of Lana¡¯s room. ¡°What did you say to Nn earlier?¡± Jared whispered to her. ¡°When are you referring to?¡± ¡°Maybe a few days ago.¡± Jared was uncertain when it happened, but he could clearly sense the change in Nn. Chapter 2268 Chapter 2268 Nicole still did not understand what Jared was referring to, so she frowned in confusion. ¡°Why do you ask?¡± ¡°Have you noticed any changes in Nn¡¯s behaviortely?¡± Jared sensed that Nn was slowly warming up to him. Though Nn had not fully epted him, the young boy was less resistant. What more, Nn hardly brought up Lawrence when Jared was around. Upon hearing that, Nicole finally understood. She nodded.¡± Oh, it was nothing. Well, I told him that Lawrence and I would only be friends.¡± Otherwise, Nn would have kept ying matchmaker between them. Nicole was finding it hard to handle. ¡°Woah, he listened.¡± Jared was quite shocked. He felt it was not easy to change Nn¡¯s mindset. ¡°Let¡¯s just say he¡¯s trying.¡± Nicole still knew Nn better. If she set things straight, Nn would figure things out on his own. Now, it was evident that Nn had epted the fact, whether wholeheartedly or reluctantly. Jared held Nicole¡¯s hand tight. ¡°That¡¯s great. You should reject your suitors like that in the future too.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have suitors, alright?¡± Nicole rolled her eyes, finding his jealousy a little excessive. ¡°Who said that? You have so many suitors,¡± Jared said helplessly. It could not be helped since Nicole had an attractive charm. Nicole smiled wryly. ¡°I¡¯m sure you have more pursuers than I do.¡± Compared to Nicole, Jared should be the one who was more sought after. He was the perfect catch. Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org. ¡°Rest assured, I only have you in my heart,¡± Jared immediately replied. Nicole rolled her eyes at him again. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t worry either. There¡¯s no one in my heart.¡± Nicole would never fall for his trap. She was aware that Jared was deliberately leading her into confessing. Realizing his n was see-through, Jared did not show any embarrassment. ¡°I¡¯m just speaking from my heart.¡± That earned him yet another eye roll from Nicole, but he sensed a hint of shyness in her expression. He picked Nicole up and whispered, ¡°I can prove it.¡± Nicole thought to herself, ¡®Prove, my foot. Who needs you to prove such things?¡¯ Jared carried Nicole back to their room. By the time they reached their bedside, Nicole had been stripped bare by Jared and she felt heat spread through her body. Before she could protest, she was lost in Jared¡¯s domineering kiss. The next day, the sun shone brightly, and the breeze was gentle. Early in the morning, people were already on the way to start their day. Nicole arrived at thepany as usual, and just as she was about to enter the elevator, she heard a familiar voice. ¡°Hold the elevator!¡± Nicole pressed the open button for Lulu to enter the elevator before letting the doors close. As the elevator rose, Nicole noticed Lulu was panting.¡± What¡¯s the hurry?¡± ¡°I saw you, so I wanted to catch up.¡± Lulu smiled innocently. Nicole asked with a knowing look, ¡°Do you have good news for me?¡± ¡°Yup, breaking news!¡± Lulu said excitedly. ¡°Harvey met with Snow and even ate lunch together.¡± Although it was just a meal, it was rather significant for Snow. ¡°You have no idea how cocky she was, as if she was going to marry Harvey,¡± Lulu said with a hint of disdain. Chapter 2269 Chapter 2269 ¡°So you¡¯re saying Harvey¡¯s starting to make his move,¡± Nicole said with furrowed brows. After rejecting Snow so many times, Harvey was preparing to take action now. Lulu nodded, her expression serious. ¡°Looks like it. What are you going to do, Nicole?¡± ¡°I won¡¯t let him get his hands on DillCorp,¡± Nicole said coldly. If Harvey bought the subsidiary, it would be a huge loss for the Riddle family and the headquarters. Although DillCorp¡¯s performance was mediocre, it was still part of the Riddle Corporation, and Nicole was not going to let it fall into someone else¡¯s hands. Lulu lowered her voice. ¡°What should we do?¡± DING. Upon reaching their designated floor, the elevator door opened. The pair made their way toward Nicole¡¯s office. ¡°Lulu, I¡¯ve thought about it for a while. It¡¯s best if we don¡¯t do anything,¡± Nicole said seriously. If the headquarters took action now, it would be clear that DillCorp was under the headquarters¡¯ control. However, some people from Dillion¡¯s side had their sights set on DillCorp as well. Acting now might not lead to the best oue. ¡°Then who should do it?¡± Lulu felt a little troubled. They would be unable to do it themselves and if they entrusted it to someone else, the results could be unsatisfactory. Nicole said meaningfully, ¡°There¡¯s someone more suitable candidate than us. Raine.¡± ¡°Raine?!¡± Lulu eximed. ¡°You mean, let Raine ruin Harvey¡¯s n? But will she, though?¡± ¡°She has ambition.¡± Nicole snorted with contempt. Raine, abetted by James, already had the intention of obtaining all of the Riddle family¡¯s assets. So those two sisters were bound to turn against each other as Raine would not let anything stand in her way. ¡°Well, that¡¯s great for us. We could profit from their conflict,¡± Lulu said. ¡°In that case, let¡¯s help them out.¡± Nicole¡¯s eyes darkened.¡± Snow will surely find a way to expose all of her and Harvey¡¯s arrangements. Just let public opinion ferment quickly on the inte.¡± When that happened, Raine naturally could not sit still and would do whatever she needed to do to sabotage Snow. That would be where Nicole would step in and secretly offer Snow help in the dark. ¡°Got it,¡± Lulu happily agreed. She had always liked doing this kind of thing. ¡°Look at how happy you are!¡± Nicole teased. N?velDrama.Org owns ? this. ¡°Jeez, it¡¯s because you don¡¯t remember anything.¡± Lulu shrugged. ¡°Back when we were in school. Snow was always like that. She always tried to get close to Harvey and imed to be his girlfriend, only to get humiliated in the end. Thinking about it now, it¡¯s like she brought it upon herself.¡± Back that, Snow did not hesitate to use Harvey to create trouble for Nicole. Now, the tables had turned. It was their turn to cause trouble for Snow. Looking at Lulu¡¯s behavior, Nicole could not help but shake her head. ¡°Oh right. Should we be cautious with Everett?¡± Lulu warned. It seemed unpractical to just deal with Snow because Everett was the bigger viin. Nicole nodded. ¡°Sean will arrange for someone to keep an eye on him.¡± ¡°Alright, that¡¯s great,¡± Lulu said with ease. ¡°If there¡¯s nothing else, I¡¯ll go back to work.¡± ¡°Yeah, sure.¡± Nicole nodded again. After Lulu left, she started reading the document on her table. Meanwhile, in the Johnston Group, Jared sat at his desk, wearing a frown as he examined the data disyed on hisputer screen. ¡°Mr. Johnston, is there something wrong?¡± Max asked. Chapter 2270 Chapter 2270 ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing,¡± Jared said with dark eyes. This month¡¯s financial statement seemed normal, but it felt like something was wrong with it. ¡°Mr. Johnston, there¡¯s still no news on Iris,¡± Max said, disappointed. ¡°Was she always so good at hiding before?¡± Max considered it highly unlikely that Iris had already left San Joto unless she could fly. Despite the size of the city, there were few ces for Iris to hide. Where could she hide without being discovered? Jared¡¯s expression was gloomy. He did not expect that there would be no information about Iris¡¯s whereabouts. ¡°Should we call the team back?¡± Max probed. If the manhunt ckened, Iris might let down her guard and show herself. ¡°No. She¡¯ll lose patience eventually,¡± Jared replied. She could hide all she wanted, but there would be times she would need to show herself to survive. ¡°Yes, sir,¡± Max responded. ¡°I¡¯ll send in more manpower.¡± ¡°How is it on Lawrence?¡± Jared asked coldly. Compared to Iris, Jared felt Lawrence was a bigger thorn in his side. ¡°We¡¯ve been in contact with a few projects that have been negotiating with Genesis Group. But Lawrence did not make any further moves,¡± Max informed. They could not tell what Lawrence was nning as he was keeping a rather low profile. Jared¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°Let¡¯s not rush it and wait,¡± Jared said. Unless Lawrence conceded defeat, there was no way he would keep a low profile. ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Max then left the office. Jared shifted his attention to theputer screen again, his eyes deep and thoughtful. KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK. A series of sudden hasty knocks sounded on the door. ¡°Come in,¡± Jared answered coldly. Max reentered the office and announced seriously, ¡°Mr. Johnston, thepany¡¯s stock price suddenly went down.¡± This was an unusual case for Johnston Group unless someone was behind it. Jared could not think of anyone who could freely manipte the group¡¯s stock price. Jared instructed, ¡°Investigate the situation now.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve already got someone on it. It¡¯s just that there¡¯s not much news yet,¡± Max said with his face pale. ¡°Mr. Johnston, could Lawrence be behind this?¡± However, the investigation on Lawrence¡¯s side had not yielded any result, and it was uncertain that Lawrence had the ability to do such things. ¡°Have them investigate overseas as well,¡± Jared ordered. If it were Lawrence, he probably would not link the actions to Genesis Group. It was more probable that they were connected to his operations overseas. However, Lawrence¡¯s ability to jeopardize Johnston Group¡¯s standing in San Joto through his overseas operations indicated that his strength had increased considerably. ¡°Understood.¡± Max nodded and left the office again. Jared tapped a finger on his desk, something shing in his eyes. The news regarding the abnormal decline in Johnston Group¡¯s stock price was no secret to the major companies, including Nicole. In Riddle Corporation, Steve and Sean were both in Nicole¡¯s office, discussing it. ¡°Jared¡¯s facing a rough patch. He¡¯s been on edgetely, but this caught me off guard,¡± Steve remarked with a hint of sympathy, his brow creasing.Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org. Chapter 2271 Chapter 2271 ¡°What are you talking about, Steve?¡± Nicole asked. She thought everything was resolved at Johnston Group, so she was confused when Steve said things were restless there. ¡°Wait, you don¡¯t know? Did Jared not tell you?¡± Steve said in surprise. Nicole asked again, ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°Iris held a grudge after that incident with Jared and teamed up with Lawrence to get back at him. Her n backfired, and Iris is now wanted by the authorities, but they haven¡¯t caught her yet,¡± Steve exined. Assuming Jared did not want Nicole to worry, Steve told Nicole about the recent events. Nicole¡¯s face turned white. It was hard to believe the news.¡± With Lawrence?!¡± T-This can¡¯t be. How could this be real?!¡¯ Nicole thought. ¡°Didn¡¯t you lend some money to Lawrence before? He didn¡¯t actually need it. He just wanted to use you to threaten Jared. ¡± Sean sighed. Initially, he was oblivious to the situation. But upon discovering that Jared was searching for Iris, he was able to piece everything together. Nicole¡¯s face turned even more pale. She murmured, ¡°So Lawrence didn¡¯t actually need the money?¡± ¡°He didn¡¯t get it because Jared stopped your transfer and it failed on Lawrence¡¯s end,¡± Sean snorted. He was annoyed by the fact that Lawrence had lied to Nicole. The office fell silent as Sean and Steve looked at their sister, waiting for her to calm down. Nicole¡¯s voice trembled as she struggled to digest all the things she had been told. ¡°You¡¯re saying that Lawrence might be behind everything that happened?¡± Suspicion on Lawrence peaked during such a situation when something went wrong in Johnston Group. Sean shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s not certain yet. I¡¯m afraid things at Johnston Group are quite serious at the moment. I thought about it and figured you should know.¡± Sean believed Jared had the ability to get through this crisis. However, if this matter did not end well, it might destabilize Johnston Group¡¯s foundation. So they had to be prepared for the challenges. ¡°Alright, understood,¡± Nicole said, biting her lip lightly. After a moment of hesitation, she turned to her brothers. ¡°I¡¯ll leavepany matters in your hands for a few days. I¡¯ll be taking a trip to Johnston Group.¡± ¡°No problem. Don¡¯t worry about thepany,¡± Sean assured her. Steve reminded, ¡°Are you going alone? Why don¡¯t you bring Lulu with you?¡± All rights ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°There¡¯s no need for that. Lulu has her own things to do,¡± Nicole said. Then she left the office. Sean and Steve exchanged a nce. Steve asked, ¡°Do you think Lawrence is behind this?¡± It was no doubt that Lawrence was highly suspicious, but he should also know this fact. If Lawrence could not hit the nail on the head, failure was a likely oue for him. ¡°Maybe he¡¯s prepared for it,¡± Sean replied meaningfully. Shocked, Steve replied, ¡°Is he that tough?¡± They had once investigated Lawrence and knew he was nomon folk, but Lawrence being able to tantly deal with Jared seemed improbable. They began to question whether they had missed something in their initial investigation of Lawrence. ¡°Let¡¯s wait and see. This will all be over soon,¡± Sean said seriously, leaving Nicole¡¯s office. Steve nodded in agreement and followed after his brother. After leaving Riddle Corporation, Nicole soon arrived at Johnston Group. ¡°Why are you here?¡± Jared asked in surprise, not expecting to see Nicole here. Nicole frowned and said, dissatisfaction clear in her tone,¡± Why not? Can¡¯t I visit?¡± Noticing Nicole¡¯s unusual mood, Jared figured out the reason and said helplessly, ¡°You know about what happened. Chapter 2272 Chapter 2272 Judging from her expression, it seemed like Nicole already knew plenty about the situation. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me?¡± Nicole was a little upset, wondering if Jared did not trust her enough to tell her. Jared stretched out his hands and signaled her toe over. Nicole gave Jared a side eye and stood still. Her stance seemed to say, ¡®Don¡¯t bother calling me over if you¡¯re not willing to exin things.¡¯ Jared shook his head and sighed. Then, he approached Nicole and pulled her down to sit on the sofa beside him. ¡°It wasn¡¯t intentional. I just felt like it was unnecessary to bring it up.¡± As a matter of fact, Jared did not want to put Nicole in a difficult position. He did not expect her to still find out in the end. ¡°Johnston Group is about to be in trouble, and you think it¡¯s unnecessary for me to know?¡± Nicole got angrier. She thought, ¡®I see. So, he never thought of sharing his burden with me.¡¯ Jared grabbed her hands and said gently, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. No one has the power to ruin Johnston Group yet.¡± ¡°Even if it won¡¯t copse, this problem will cause a huge loss to thepany if immediate action isn¡¯t taken. How can you be this calm?¡± Nicole frowned. ¡®What¡¯s he trying to do?¡¯ Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org. ¡°I¡¯ve asked Max to handle it. It¡¯ll be taken care of soon.¡± Jared was calm and seemed to be confident about this whole matter. He hoped that Nicole would stay out of the problem, no matter how serious it was. If this were to involve Lawrence, how would Nicole take it? Nicole bit her lip and replied, sounding annoyed, ¡°Are you worried it¡¯ll put me in a difficult position?¡± Jared smiled. ¡°I think your presence here speaks loudly of your stance.¡± That made Jared feel touched and satisfied. At least, he knew that Nicole would stand by him, no matter how difficult the situation was. However, Jared was still of the opinion that Nicole should not get involved. Because no matter what, she would have to face Lawrence. Nicole nced at Jared angrily, but her cheeks were flushed at the same time. She pped Jared¡¯s hands away and stood up. ¡°Let me know the whole story first.¡± While speaking, Nicole got up and approached Jared¡¯s desk. Understanding what Nicole meant, Jared pulled a chair over. They both sat down. Nicole turned on theputer and quickly logged onto Johnston Group¡¯s management system. Then, she entered the finance¡¯s system, the security system¡­ KNOCK, KNOCK! ¡°Come in,¡± Jared said, his gaze still fixed on the monitor. Max opened the door and entered. Seeing Nicole there, Max froze for a moment. Then, he strode to the desk but remained silent. He did not report anything. ¡°Spill it,¡± Jared told him. ¡°Okay.¡± Max reported solemnly, ¡°This incident doesn¡¯t involve Lawrence. At the moment, there isn¡¯t any movement from his side. But I¡¯m sure he¡¯s waiting for the oue.¡± One thing to note was that Lawrence was not the only one who had been eyeing Johnston Group. This was based on Max¡¯s investigation. If Johnston Group failed to settle this incident properly, it was possible that many would take the opportunity to attack them. After all, it was a golden opportunity. Who would not want to jump on the train and catch it? ¡°Is there any other news?¡± Nicole¡¯s gaze was dark and sharp. Max hesitated and replied doubtfully, ¡°It does seem a little strange. Based on our information, this whole matter seems to have started from within ourpany instead of an external attack.¡± Chapter 2273 Chapter 2273 To put it in another way, the huge slide in Johnston Group¡¯s stock price was not caused by anyone but an internal system error. The strangest thing was that none of them detected anything weird in the system. There was no trace of being hacked at all. ¡°Yeah, that makes sense.¡± Nicole smirked. After going through the system, she definitely made some discoveries. And what she found matched Max¡¯s findings. Max widened his eyes in shock. ¡°Ms. Nicole, are you saying that there¡¯s something wrong with the management of ourpany?¡± He found it hard to ept his findings because he did not see any problem with the employees. After all, they had just gone through a thorough revamp. There were no suspicious people in there. Nicole nodded and exined, ¡°It¡¯s a problem with the management, but it doesn¡¯t concern the employees. It had something to do with the management system.¡± Max was shocked. ¡°There shouldn¡¯t be any problem with the system.¡± Johnston Group¡¯s management system was designed by Nicole herself. She had also revamped the system when she returned. By right, it should be durable and safe. Max, who had remained silent, was in a daze. So, Nicole questioned frankly, ¡°Who has the password to the system? I¡¯d like to meet them all.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Max said without any hesitation. ¡°There¡¯s no need for that.¡± Jared stopped Max. He turned to Nicole and said, ¡°Iris has it.¡± Instantly, the answer to the mystery was clearly. Nicole understood it, and so did Max. The answer was as clear as day. ¡°Iris must¡¯ve gone mad!¡± Max yelled angrily as soon as he processed the shocking news. Max processed the whole incident quietly. ¡®First, she helped Lawrence to go against them. And now, she actually messed with the system and caused the stock price to drop. Did she really want Johnston Group to lose all its capital? She clearly wants to destroy the group!¡¯ ¡°Have we found her yet?¡± Nicole narrowed her eyes coldly. N?velDrama.Org owns ? this. Max shook his head. ¡°Not at the moment.¡± ¡°We don¡¯t have to search for her anymore. Get everyone back.¡± Nicole was contemting and felt that there was no point in wasting resources on such a thing. ¡°You¡¯ve thought of a solution?¡± A glimpse of hope appeared in Max¡¯s eyes. If they could find Iris, it would solve the root of the problem. Nicole replied confidently, ¡°If she wants to control the system, she¡¯d need ess to the inte.¡± As long as Iris appeared in the system, she would leave a trace behind. From there, Nicole could easily track her location. ¡°Ask everyone toe back and be prepared for the next order of business,¡± Jared told Max sternly. ¡°Yes, sir,¡± Max replied and walked out. Nicole raised an eyebrow. ¡°It seems like we¡¯ll have to work overtime tonight.¡± Jared stretched his hands and wrapped her in his arms. He gave a warm smile and said, ¡°With you here, working extra hours is also a pleasure.¡± ¡°Stop it!¡± Nicole pushed Jared¡¯s hands away. Then, she stood up and said, ¡°She wouldn¡¯t dare make a move during the daytime. So, I guess we¡¯ll have to wait in the middle of the night.¡± Although Iris was a daring one, she would not dare make a move in front of everyone. After all, she was on the run. Nicole gave it some thought. ¡®It seems like Iris didn¡¯t repent at all. And she actually wants to see things through. But with me around, there¡¯s no way she could seed. Iris will have to pay the price of her actions.¡¯ A thought appeared in Nicole¡¯s mind, and she questioned Jared, ¡°How are things on Lawrence¡¯s side?¡± She knew that Jared was not the kind to give in. Since Lawrence dared to make a move, Jared would never let him go. ¡°Nothing much. He probably lost about three months of profit,¡± Jared said calmly. Nicole instantly felt sad. ¡®This isn¡¯t nothing much. This is serious damage.¡¯ Chapter 2274 Chapter 2274 However, Nicole was not going to express any opinion on this matter. After all, win or lose, it all depended on one¡¯s abilities. What made her feel angry was the fact that Lawrence would actually make a move on Jared. She never expected that to happen. Yet, she knew that this was not just businesspetition. ¡°If you help him, maybe he might lose a little less,¡± Jared said jokingly. Nicole could not help but roll her eyes at Jared. ¡°Are you mocking me?¡± ¡°If you knew about this, would you have helped him?¡± Jared questioned. ¡°You¡¯re being childish.¡± Nicole looked away and chose not to answer his question. If she had known earlier, she would definitely not give Lawrence a helping hand. In fact, she might advise Lawrence to stop. That way, Lawrence would not suffer such a huge loss as well. Looking at how Nicole reacted, Jared got the answer to his question. A smile formed on his face. Then, he tilted his head downwards and left a kiss on Nicole¡¯s forehead. With a wide smile, Jared said, ¡°This is your reward.¡± ¡°Who needs your reward?¡± Nicole discreetly gritted her teeth and red at Jared. ¡®What kind of reward is this? He must be ying around with me.1 Jared smiled dotingly and deliberately teased Nicole, ¡°If you¡¯re not satisfied with that, then we can¡­¡± Jared¡¯s gazended on Nicole¡¯s lips. However, Nicole immediately dodged him. She quickly reminded Jared,¡± We¡¯re at the office.¡± ¡®How can he be this ignorant about his surroundings? It¡¯d be so embarrassing if someone were to see us,¡¯ Nicole thought. Jared grabbed Nicole¡¯s hands and did not do anything else. He only brought her to the sofa, and they both sat down together. N?velDrama.Org owns ? this. In the blink of an eye, the sun had set. Everyone had gotten off work, while Jared¡¯s office was still lit. There, Jared and Nicole were having dinner. ¡°You should take a restter. I¡¯ll be watching over it here,¡± Jared said gently. Once they find the root of the problem, Jared could handle it himself. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I want to track her down.¡± Nicole¡¯s gaze was firm. ¡°I want to do it with my own hands.¡± All this while, she knew Iris was not faithful to the Johnston Group, and the reason was because of Nicole. However, she did not expect Iris to be this crazy. Iris did not repent at all even after getting fired. ¡°Are you being jealous? Or are you trying to save me?¡± Jared smiled. Seeing Nicole being protective over him, he felt loved. Nicole looked at Jared and said solemnly, ¡°Actually, you could just think of it as me taking responsibility.¡± After all, she was the cause of this whole incident. It would be fine for her to say that she was taking responsibility for her mistakes. Although Jared could tell that Nicole was avoiding the question, Jared did not get frustrated. Instead, he continued the topic. ¡°In that case, please take responsibility for me for the rest of my life.¡± Nicole¡¯s lips twitched. ¡°Is the big and mighty CEO of Johnston Group pouting right now?¡± Jared was not shy at all. In fact, he replied confidently. ¡°I won¡¯t argue if you¡¯d like to think that way. As long as it makes you happy, my darling wife.¡± Nicole could not help but roll her eyes at Jared. ¡°Who¡¯s your darling wife?¡± ¡°You.¡± Jared was quick and definite. Then, he immediately nted a kiss on Nicole¡¯s lips. ¡°It¡¯s sealed.¡± Looking at how childish Jared was being, Nicole could not help butugh. ¡®Does reverse growth apply to personalities? Please don¡¯t tell me this guy here acted like that when he was younger!¡¯ However, Nicole did not overthink it. She was the only person to have witnessed this version of Jared. And Jared would only put aside that cold personality in front of Nicole. Chapter 2275 Chapter 2275 DING! A notification came from theputer. Jared and Nicole instantly became serious. ¡°That¡¯s early. I didn¡¯t know she was such an impatient person.¡± Nicole gave a look of disdain. Initially, she thought that she would have to wait past midnight for Iris to make a move. ¡°She must have thought that no one had noticed her movements yet.¡± Something shed in Jared¡¯s eyes. This was the reason why he did not show any reaction to the matter during the day. He was also trying to make Iris lower her guard by doing so. Nicole nodded slightly as he understood Jared¡¯s intentions. However, Nicole wanted Johnston Group to return back to normal after this particr night. Standing in front of theputer, they could see that someone had entered the system. Since there were no warnings that popped up, they were sure that it was Iris who entered the system using the password. Nicole quickly went to work on theputer and searched for Iris¡¯s location. Max roughly heard some noise, so he knocked on the door and waited for the next order. Ten minutester, Nicole smiled. ¡°I guess she really has got the guts. She¡¯s in the storage room at our basement car park here.¡± Iris actually dared to hide in Johnston Group? Maybe she was not a smart cookie after all. ¡°Max, go and catch her,¡± Jared ordered. Then, Max quickly left the office and dashed straight to the basement carpark. Nicole quickly controlled the system as well, in order to prevent Iris from causing more damage. Then, she got up and said solemnly, ¡°Let¡¯s go and meet her as well.¡± Soon, Nicole and Jared arrived at the basement carpark. Max was leading a few guys who were dragging Iris out of the storage room. Iris was struggling to escape. ¡°Let go of me!¡± ¡°Stop shouting. We¡¯ve already called the police. They¡¯re on their way here,¡± Max said in a cold voice. They finally caught her after so long. How could they let her go? ¡°You better let go of me right now!¡± Knowing what could happen to her, Iris could not stay calm. She continued wriggling. However, her weak body failed her. She was tightly caught in the hands of the men and there was no way she could escape. After that, Iris was brought to face Nicole and Jared. ¡°S-sir.¡± Seeing Nicole and Jared, Iris¡¯s legs were numb. She could barely stand up straight. Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org. The furious stance she had a second ago instantly disappeared into thin air. Her whole body was shivering now. ¡°Why did you do that?¡± Jared¡¯s voice was emotionless, and it made people shudder. Iris¡¯s face turned pale. Her voice trembled uncontrobly. ¡± Sir, l-l¡­¡± After mumbling for a while, Iris could not utter a thing. The hatred she had bottled up could not be released from her mouth when she faced Jared. ¡°You did it because of me.¡± Nicole squinted at Iris, her voice was cold. Seeing how mighty Nicole seemed as she stood beside Jared, Iris casted a jealous yet ashamed look at her. ¡®It¡¯s all because of this wench! If it weren¡¯t for her, I would not be in this situation!¡¯ Iris quietly cursed at Nicole. ¡°That¡¯s right! It¡¯s because of you! How dare you remain by Jared¡¯s side?¡± Iris screamed through her gritted teeth. Nicole smirked. ¡°That¡¯s our business. Does our rtionship have anything to do with you?¡± Chapter 2276 Chapter 2276 It was not up to a secretary to talk about Nicole and Jared¡¯s affairs. ¡°You don¡¯t deserve to be with Jared!¡± Iris shouted furiously. ¡°I don¡¯t deserve to be with him?¡± Nicole snorted. Then, she calmly turned to Jared and said, ¡°It¡¯s a pity that we¡¯re getting married soon.¡± ¡°No! That can¡¯t happen! It¡¯s impossible!¡± Iris instantly broke down and shook her head like a madwoman. She refused to believe it. Nicole narrowed her eyes and spoke in a cold voice. ¡°These are none of your business. No matter what the reason is, they¡¯re not valid reasons for you to harm thepany. Especially if it¡¯s because of your one-sided feelings.¡± Jared did not wrong Iris. And yet, Iris took advantage of his kindness and wanted to ruin Johnston Grouppletely. That was simply unforgivable! Nicole¡¯s words caused Iris to tremble even more. Iris even looked at Jared instinctively. However, she did not expect Jared to ignore her totally. She did not even give Iris one nce. Iris gritted her teeth, and her heart was filled with hatred. She was on herst straw. ¡°What do you mean it¡¯s none of my business?¡± Iris red at Nicole bitterly. Then, she clenched her teeth and said, ¡°If you didn¡¯t appear, I¡¯d still be in thepany. I could stay at Jared¡¯s side forever. No one else could go near Jared, except me.¡± All this time, Iris thought of herself as a special person. But her fantasy was destroyed once Nicole appeared. Iris did not understand what was great about Nicole. Not to mention, Nicole already had two kids! ¡°If you manage to stay in thepany, you¡¯ll be a secretary forever and nothing more.¡± Nicole immediately got straight to the point. She knew that there would never be another possibility. If Jared were human, he would not remain single during those five years when Nicole was missing. Therefore, Nicole was sure that Iris would never have a chance. ¡°That¡¯s not true. If you had stayed missing, I¡¯d be able to get together with Jared!¡± Iris yelled. ¡°It¡¯s all because of you! N?velDrama.Org owns ? this. What spell did you cast on him? You have two kids and Jared is still obsessed with you!¡± Nicole nced at Iris coldly and teased, ¡°I guess I must¡¯ve been away for too long. There¡¯s actually someone in San Joto who doesn¡¯t know about me.¡± Previously, Nicole had always found it strange that Iris was so hostile to her. But now, everything was clear. ¡°Let me introduce myself,¡± Nicole said calmly. ¡°I¡¯m Nicole Riddle, the Chairperson of the Riddle Corporation. I¡¯m also Jared Johnston¡¯s wife. Five years ago, we got registered in Panem, but there was no wedding ceremony. As for those two kids you mentioned¡­¡± Nicole paused for a moment before she continued speaking, sounding casual, ¡°They¡¯re our kids.¡± It was as if thunder had struck. Iris widened her eyes in disbelief. ¡°What did you say?¡± ¡°Th-That¡¯s impossible! You¡¯ve to be lying! That¡¯s impossible!¡± Iris shook her head with all her might. She could not believe it. ¡°The reason why I told you all this is for you toe to your senses. Your one-sided love is a huge joke. It also shows how pathetic you are.¡± The love that Iris spoke about, did she really think that love equaled to ruin? ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Jared held Nicole¡¯s hand and spoke in a rare gentle voice. Nicole turned to him and smiled. ¡°Alright.¡± The reason she wanted toe over was just to see how crazy Iris was. But from the looks of it, it seemed like she was just an evil person. Seeing that Nicole and Jared were leaving, Iris began to panic. She took two steps forward and was ready to chase after Jared, but she was stopped by Max. ¡°Jared, please let me exin. I didn¡¯t know about this!¡± Iris was wriggling as she yelled. She wanted to exin and protect herself. However, there was no chance for her to do so. Jared held Nicole¡¯s hand and left. ¡°Sir, I¡¯m really sorry. Please give me one more chance!¡± Hearing Iris¡¯s bitter cry, Max frowned unhappily, ¡°Stop crying. You should¡¯ve thought about this day when you decided to work with Lawrence.¡± Chapter 2277 Chapter 2277 Iris was trembling badly, as if a basin of cold water had just poured on her head. It made sense. She had lost her chance and she made too many mistakes. It never urred to her that Nicole was already Jared¡¯s wife. By chance, Iris had heard that Jared had a wife in the past. But from what she understood, thedy was long gone. And now, she suddenly returned and was alive with two kids. The siren of the police car sounded in Iris¡¯s ears. She knew that everything was over for her. Her face turned pale. Iris remained silent the whole time when she was being brought onto the police car. She seemed to have lost the will and energy to live. Even her eyes looked as if she were in a daze. After watching the police car leave, Max ordered his men to leave. When he was finally alone, he heaved a sigh and shook his head. ¡®Iris is such a fool! Even if Ms. Nicole never returned, Iris would¡¯ve never had a chance,¡¯ Max thought. ¡®If Ms. Nicole never returned and disappeared forever, Mr. Jared would probably be single for the rest of her life.¡¯ While this was happening, Jared and Nicole were on their way back home already. Jared drove. And while driving, he kept smiling and ncing at Nicole from time to time. ¡°What are you smiling at?¡± Nicole could tell that there were some eyes gazing at her, so she could not help but re at Jared. ¡°You¡¯ve just publicly announced our rtionship.¡± Jared nced at Nicole, and he seemed to be saying, ¡®You can¡¯t escape from me anymore.¡¯ ¡°I was just reminding Iris of her position. It has nothing to do with you.¡± Nicole purposefully disyed a cold look. It was as if she was saying, ¡®Those were just in exnations to refute Iris. There was no need to take it to heart.¡¯ Jared seemed to understand Nicole¡¯s reaction, so he replied calmly, ¡°I heard it with my own ears, so it counts.¡± ¡°Hmph!¡± Nicole huffed, acting prideful. Jaredughed and pinched Nicole¡¯s hand. Then, he continued to focus on his driving. Leaning on the car seat, Nicole looked out of the window, and a smile formed on her face. The next morning, there was a hugemotion in the Riddle family because of the news. Everyone gradually gathered downstairs and began to discuss the news out of shock. ¡°Does that mean their rtionship is going to be official?¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t seem like it. This looks like paparazzi work.¡± ¡°Then what are they trying to do? Does this look like announcing their rtionship to the world or refuting rumors?¡± Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org. Nicole looked at how confused and worried everyone seemed. She smiled andforted them, ¡°Mom, Dad, let Samuel and June decide on their own.¡± In fact, Nicole felt that this would be good for Samuel and June. Both of them had been arguing for a long time. A little push like this might bring them closer. ¡°The problem is we can¡¯t tell what their decision is.¡± Gloria sighed. If Samuel and June could clearly state their stance on this matter, Gloria would have gotten a grandchild by now. ¡°But it¡¯s different this time. After all, they¡¯re being exposed already.¡± Nicoleughed. Hearing this, Gloria nodded. ¡°That¡¯s true. Well, I guess I should ask the wedding management company to speed up.¡± Initially, Gloria thought of making the necessary arrangements first. Once Samuel recovered, she would discuss the details with Samuel and June. Looking at the current situation, they would not have to wait much longer. They could hold the wedding as soon as Samuel recovered. ¡°I¡¯ll visit him after today¡¯s show,¡± Spencer volunteered. ¡°I¡¯ll go over after work too.¡± Nicole was also curious as to how the two of them would deal with being exposed. Chapter 2278 Chapter 2278 ¡°Alright, why don¡¯t you ask them when they¡¯re gonna get married? Tell them not to wait any longer,¡± said Gloria. They chatted while munching on their breakfast. N?velDrama.Org owns ? this. Lana, with a sparkle in her eyes, tilted her head and asked,¡± Mommy, can I go to Uncle¡¯s house tonight?¡± Nicole seemed unsure and replied, ¡°Are you really eager to go, sweetie?¡± ¡°Yeah, Daddy, Mommy¡­¡± Lana said with a hint of sadness.¡± Ever since you stopped picking us up, we haven¡¯t spent much time together with you.¡± Jared scooped up Lana and said, ¡°Alright, well all go together tonight.¡± ¡°Sounds good,¡± Nicole nodded. ¡°After work, you pick them up, and I¡¯ll head to June¡¯s ce on my own.¡± Tia thought it might be a hassle for them, so she chimed in,¡± I can take Nn and Lana there. Then I¡¯ll come back on my own.¡± Stanley said, Tia, we can juste back together.¡± Just as Tia was about to exin why she wanted toe back, Stanley surprised her by saying, ¡°I¡¯ll arrange for someone to take care of Mrs. Wace Sr.¡± Tia was amazed that Stanley understood her concern, something most people wouldn¡¯t think about. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s a rare chance, so you young folks should have some fun together. I¡¯ll take care of things here for Mrs. Wace Sr.,¡± Gloria offered. ¡°Okay. Thanks, Mom, for looking after Grandma,¡± Nicole agreed with a smile. Feeling a bit bashful, Tia didn¡¯t refuse their kindness. She nodded and murmured, ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t mention it,¡± Nicole replied with a smile, and then reminded everyone, ¡°Alright, it¡¯s almost time. Let¡¯s get going, n Before long, they all headed off in different directions, each immersed in their own tasks. When Nicole reached Riddle Corporation¡¯s headquarters. Lulu came over all excited, ready to spill some gossip. ¡°Hey, you heard about it, right?¡± ¡°Yeah, with such big news, I can¡¯t not know,¡± Nicole replied, finding it pretty funny. Lulu asked curiously, ¡°What do you think they¡¯ll decide?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know yet¡­ I¡¯ll ask after work,¡± Nicole said. ¡°Awesome, then I¡¯lle with you,¡± Lulu decided on the spot, wanting to be part of the fun. Nicole grinned. She knew she didn¡¯t have to invite Lulu; she would always be interested. ¡°Seriously, can you believe it? Samuel and June¡¯s news got all the attention, and poor Harvey and Snow got overshadowed,¡± Lulu said with a sarcastic sigh. Nicole raised an eyebrow, ¡°So what¡¯s the deal with Harvey and Snow?¡± Lately, Snow seemed determined to get attention in the news, making sure everyone knew about her and Harvey. It all began in school, but now the whole town of San Joto knew about it. Nicole wondered if Snow and Harvey would ever end up together and how Snow would handle it. Lulu sighed and rolled her eyes, ¡°Oh, they¡¯re just doing their usual stuff, showing up together at different events. I wish Snow would do something more interesting.¡± ¡°Be careful, things might be getting messy at DillCorp,¡± Nicole said, her expression turning serious. She thought,¡¯ Harvey doesn¡¯t even try to hide it. Those casual outings won¡¯t fool anyone who isn¡¯t as easily fooled as Snow.¡¯ ¡°Got it,¡± Lulu nodded, ¡°And you know what? Raine¡¯s been unusually quiet these days. I bet she¡¯s nning something.¡± ¡°Yeah, this time she¡¯s holding back a bit. Maybe being with James is making her wiser,¡± Nicole remarked, sounding a bit critical. Lulu scoffed, ¡°Well, she might be improving, but I wouldn¡¯t go as far as saying she¡¯s getting smarter.¡± all the attention, and poor Harvey and Snow got overshadowed,¡± Lulu said with a sarcastic sigh. Nicole raised an eyebrow, ¡°So what¡¯s the deal with Harvey and Snow?¡± Lately, Snow seemed determined to get attention in the news, making sure everyone knew about her and Harvey. It all began in school, but now the whole town of San Joto knew about it. Nicole wondered if Snow and Harvey would ever end up together and how Snow would handle it. Lulu sighed and rolled her eyes, ¡°Oh, they¡¯re just doing their usual stuff, showing up together at different events. I wish Snow would do something more interesting.¡± ¡°Be careful, things might be getting messy at DillCorp,¡± Nicole said, her expression turning serious. She thought,¡¯ Harvey doesn¡¯t even try to hide it. Those casual outings won¡¯t fool anyone who isn¡¯t as easily fooled as Snow.¡¯ ¡°Got it,¡± Lulu nodded, ¡°And you know what? Raine¡¯s been unusually quiet these days. I bet she¡¯s nning something.¡± ¡°Yeah, this time she¡¯s holding back a bit. Maybe being with James is making her wiser,¡± Nicole remarked, sounding a bit critical. Lulu scoffed, ¡¯¡¯Well, she might be improving, but I wouldn¡¯t go as far as saying she¡¯s getting smarter.¡± Chapter 2279 Chapter 2279 ¡°Hey,e on, it hasn¡¯t been easy for her,¡± Nicole said, her eyes showing a bit of coldness. ¡°Oh, by the way, didn¡¯t Er mention seeing James with some girl before? I think I saw them together that day too,¡± Lulu suddenly remembered, lowering her voice as if afraid someone might overhear. Nicole narrowed her eyes, thinking it was important to find out who this woman was and what she meant to James. ¡®Is James falling for someone else, or does he want to take over the whole Riddle family business?¡¯ ¡°Nicole, what¡¯s going on in your head?¡± Lulu whispered, noticing Nicole¡¯s silence. Nicole¡¯s face turned serious, ¡°Let¡¯s have someone thoroughly investigate this matter, leave no detail unchecked.¡± ¡°Sure, got it,¡± Lulu replied, her expression bing serious as well. The situation with James might have seemed like a coincidence once, but not twice. It was important to take it seriously. While waiting anxiously in the DillCorp¡¯s office, Raine couldn¡¯t help but pace back and forth until she heard the door open. When she saw James, she couldn¡¯t hide her displeasure, ¡°What took you so long?¡± ¡°The investigation took sometime, but I found something,¡± James replied, walking toward her. Raine¡¯s expression softened a bit. ¡°What did you find?¡± James handed over the information to Raine. ¡°Take a look.¡± As Raine read through the contents, her face turned pale with shock. ¡°Snow¡­ How could she?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think she realizes how serious it is. Love has blinded her judgment,¡± James reminded Raine in a hushed voice. Raineposed herself. ¡°You¡¯re right. Everett teaming up with Harvey toe after us is despicable.¡± If Everett and Harvey seeded, DillCorp would slip away from Raine¡¯s family, falling into the clutches of Everett and Damien, while Damien¡¯s group would gain the power to challenge the mighty Riddle Corporation. Raine¡¯s face flushed with anger. She clenched her teeth, feeling that the ambition of those schemers was ruthless. ¡°We can¡¯t let this news spread. We have to act carefully,¡± James warned Raine. N?velDrama.Org owns ? this. Frowning, Raine quickly realized, ¡°Right, we can¡¯t let Dad know yet.¡± After all, even with the evidence they had, there was no guarantee that Dillon would believe them. It might even tip off the perpetrators. ¡®TH keep an eye on this side. We need to find the perfect solution,¡± James said, his expression serious, as he couldn¡¯t afford to lose the prize. ¡°Do you have any ideas?¡± Raine asked James. After a brief pause, James pondered and replied, ¡°How about making Snow lose her real power? If Harvey¡¯s n fails, Everett won¡¯t get anything either.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a good idea. I¡¯ll try to talk to Dad about it,¡± Raine immediately understood James¡¯s intention, and it was indeed a brilliant n. She thought, ¡®I can persuade Dad to stop trusting Snow. When that happens, Harvey will also turn away from Snow, and everything will fall into ce naturally.¡¯ ¡°Alright,¡± James agreed, his gaze deepening. Completely unaware of James¡¯s thoughts, Raine leaned into his embrace with a smile and said, ¡°James, I wouldn¡¯t know what to do without you by my side.¡± Chapter 2280 Chapter 2280 ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll be with you all the time,¡± James reassured Raine, giving her a hug. Raine blushed and smiled, leaning on James. It didn¡¯t matter that he didn¡¯te from a fancy family. Right now, he was helping her, and that meant the world. As the sun went down, June¡¯s apartment was crowded. ¡°You guys really here to celebrate with me?¡± Samuel asked, looking a bit unsure as he nced at his brothers. He felt like they were teasing him. ¡°You¡¯ve got such a serious face, I bet your proposal didn¡¯t go well,¡± Spencer said, teasing Samuel. ¡°Ha! Don¡¯t act like you had better luck,¡± Samuel replied, giving Spencer a challenging look. ¡°You¡¯re not fooling anyone either.¡± Spencer was surprised for a moment, then he frowned at Samuel. ¡°Well, at least I didn¡¯t get caught by paparazzi while dating someone.¡± All rights ? N?velDrama.Org. There was no denying it. Samuel had indeed been caught red -handed, so now he had to make the most of the situation and propose. ¡°Did June not agree?¡± Stanley asked in a hushed voice. Samuel¡¯s face stiffened. Spencer shook his head. ¡°Looks like you guessed right, Stanley.¡± Meanwhile, Nicole and the ever-curious Lulu bombarded June with questions. ¡°Hey, it¡¯s not what you think,¡± June said. ¡°What is it then?¡± Lulu blinked her eyes, looking eager to know. ¡°Well, you see, yesterday the weather was nice, and after dinner, I thought it would be cool to take a walk with Samuel. But someone spotted us, and it seems like the paparazzi had their eyes on us for a while.¡± June sighed. ¡°It¡¯s not surprising that you guys got caught. I mean, everyone knows about his injury, and he didn¡¯t stay home to recover. People are curious,¡± Lulu thought being caught dating was normal and found it odd if they hadn¡¯t been caught. ¡°I never thought this apartment would attract attention,¡± June sighed again. ¡°Don¡¯t sigh. Getting caught is a good thing! It¡¯s like announcing your rtionship. Saves you from all that hesitation,¡± Lulu lightly bumped June¡¯s shoulder. ¡°I can tell Samuel can¡¯t wait any longer. You better hold onto him tight, or someone else might snatch him away.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t jinx me! Keep an eye on your Spencer,¡± June grumbled, giving Lulu an annoyed look. She wondered why she couldn¡¯t just wish her well. Lulu¡¯s expression froze for a moment, a hint of sadness shing in her eyes. Noticing Lulu¡¯s strange look, June widened her eyes in surprise. ¡°What¡¯s with that look? Don¡¯t tell me¡­¡± Lulu quickly denied it, not wanting June to keep guessing randomly. Unable to press further, June turned to look at Nicole, silently asking for some exnation. ¡°Today, we¡¯re here to talk about you and Samuel, so don¡¯t change the subject,¡± Nicole avoided addressing Lulu¡¯s situation directly. She thought Spencer and Lulu were okay, but it was that Icyln making troubles. However, this wasn¡¯t the right time to bring that up. Ding-dong. Just as June was full of suspicions, the doorbell rang. ¡°Who could it be?¡± June got up to answer the door. ¡°It¡¯s probably Tia and my kids,¡± Nicole replied. ¡°Little darlings are here!¡± June eximed happily and went to open the door. As expected, it was Nn and Lana. Chapter 2281 Chapter 2281 ¡°Hi, Aunt June!¡± Nn and Lana greeted as they saw June walking into the room. June was taken by surprise to see the little kids call her an aunt. The greeting had rendered her completely speechless. ¡°Aunt June! Are you not going to invite us in?¡± Lana asked, batting her eyshes innocently. It was only then that June snapped back to her senses, and clumsily invited them in, ¡°Yeah, erm,e in.¡± Then, Tia led both Nn and Lana into the house where the twins obediently went on to greet everyone who was present. ¡°Come and let me see you guys. I missed you guys so much! ¡± Samuel eximed, missing them as he had not seen the twins for several days now. Nn took a nce at Samuel¡¯s cast and asked, ¡°Uncle Samuel, does it hurt a lot?¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t hurt anymore now that I get to see you guys,¡± Samuel replied with a smile on his face. ¡°Can you get married now since it doesn¡¯t hurt anymore, Uncle Samuel? Can I be the flower girl?¡± Lana raised her eyebrows as she bombarded Samuel with questions. Awkwardness filled the room at once, before Samuel burst outughing. ¡°Lana, I can¡¯t make that decision. Why don¡¯t you go ask your Aunt June?¡± Samuel said, and ushered Lana over to June. June¡¯s face was as bright as a tomato after she had heard Samuel¡¯s words. ¡°Aunt June, if you don¡¯t mind¡­can I be your flower girl at your wedding?¡± Lana asked June with a solemn look on her face. In return, the corners of June¡¯s lips twitched. ¡®How can I give her an answer right now? Should I agree to it or not? I mean, it¡¯s not a question of whether she bes the flower girl or not¡­but marriage just isn¡¯t in the cards for me just yet.¡¯ June nced at Lana¡¯s eager look before mustering a hesitant reply. ¡°I can promise you that when I do get married, I will definitely ask you to be my flower girl, okay?¡± ¡°Aunt June, do you not like our Uncle Samuel?¡± Lana asked. She had noticed that June had not wholeheartedly agreed to her offer. The people around the room were now stifling theirughter. In the meantime, June was bright red in embarrassment, flustered and not knowing how to respond to Lana¡¯s question. ¡°Lana.¡± Samuel called out, diverting Lana¡¯s attention as he realized that June was now blushing. ¡®I must stop this brat from scaring June. Otherwise, she might really frighten her off.¡¯ ¡°Uncle Samuel.¡¯ Lana turned around. ¡°Uncle Samuel? Don¡¯t be discouraged, okay? You must keep going!¡± Samuel was torn between tears andughter as he found himself beingforted by his niece. ¡°Come and have some fruits!¡± Tia walked over with arge tray of fruits. ¡°Thanks for bringing us fruits! And you even cut them for us!? ¡± June eximed as she thanked Tia.Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I noticed that they were good, so I brought some over,¡± Tia remarked as she ced the tray down on the table. Everyone then grabbed a piece as they sat on the couch and chatted away. Stanley noticed Tia was standing at the corner alone, so he said, ¡°Come sit with us.¡± Then, he patted the seat next to him, signaling Tia toe over and upy it. ¡°Thank you, Mr. Riddle,¡± Tia politely said before sitting down. Chapter 2282 Chapter 2282 Stanley then moved one of the fruit bowls closer to Tia, and whispered, ¡°Have some.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Tia agreed with a nod before she picked a piece of fruit up and ate it. ¡°Hey, what¡¯s going on?¡± Lulu nudged Nicole upon noticing Stanley¡¯s treatment of Tia. ¡°Maybe¡­there¡¯s something. Let¡¯s just wait and see,¡± Nicole replied with a smirk. Nicole felt that there was something going on between Stanley and Tia. However, she could not put a finger on what it was. They were both locked in a constant game of tug and war, and neither of them were willing to make the first move. Lulu raised her eyebrows upon hearing that. ¡°So¡­ maybe¡­¡± Then, she snickered as she stared at Stanley and Tia. While everyone else was chatting away, June noticed that it was already dinner time, and so, she ushered everyone to the dining hall, where she had prepared fondue for everyone. Once they were all seated, they dug in. A round of wine was given to those who drank, and before they knew it, everyone was having a great time. ¡°Daddy, can I have some of that?¡± Lana asked, unable to reach some of the food on the table. ¡°Sure thing,¡± Jared replied and pinched Lana on her cheeks. He had also noticed that Nn was staring at them. Knowing that the dish was also his favorite, Jared ced some onto Nn¡¯s te. Unwilling to ept this gesture from Jared, he bit his tongue and poked it out. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Be careful, it¡¯s hot. You can tell me if you want to eat something you can¡¯t reach.¡± Jared smiled at Nn. ¡®Well, at least there¡¯s some progress.¡¯ All rights ? N?velDrama.Org. Meanwhile, Nicole had noticed how Jared looked at Nn. Indeed, his face had on it a fatherly look with hints of tenderness in his eyes. ¡®It¡¯s not easy to get to where we are now,¡¯ she thought. Noticing that Nicole was staring at him, Jared shed Nicole a few soft blinks, letting her know that he had been caught staring. ¡°I can handle it. Why don¡¯t you go ahead and focus on your meal,¡± Nicole murmured after noticing that Jared had been taking care of the twins while she was eating. Lulu nced over at Nicole and Jared, her eyes brimming with envy. ¡®These two have a great sense of synergy.¡¯ ¡°You have to eat too.¡± Spencer whispered into Lulu¡¯s ear as he ced a few pieces of meat onto her te. Though no one had uttered a word, Lulu felt that everyone was staring at her, so she quickly looked down and blushed. ¡°I can get them myself.¡± Lulu replied in a low voice. Lulu felt that she should not be disying too much affection to Spencer in public, especially around his family members. After all, they were still dating, and as of now, their future was still uncertain. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. I can give you whatever you want,¡± Spencer said in a low and husky voice. With her heart pounding, Lulu froze and turned to look at Spencer. ¡°Okay.¡± Lulu replied before she quickly lowered her head. Seeing this, Spencer could not help but smirk to himself.¡¯ Why is she being this shy in front of my family? We¡¯re all family¡­¡¯ And when she felt that Spencer was staring, her cheeks grew hot once more, her heart leaping beats into her ears. ¡°June, how are you going to deal with the pictures of you and Samuel together?¡± Lulu bit her lip as she turned to June, switching the topic in a jiffy. Lulu had decided that the issue involving Samuel and June was far more important as the matter had to be resolved with an end in mind. ¡®Are they willing to admit to it, rify the situation, or offer an exnation?¡¯ ¡°I actually have not thought about it,¡± June paused for a moment, stunned, as Lulu had abruptly brought this upon in the midst of the conversation. Chapter 2283 Chapter 2283 ¡®This is a problem, and she has still not figured out a solution to this?¡¯ After June had responded, Lulu stared at Samuel for a long while with her brows raised. ¡®If I ask him, will he think the same?¡¯ Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org. ¡°Since we¡¯ve been photographed together, of course we¡¯ll eventually have toe clean about it. I intend to make things clear with the team and have them announce it,¡± Samuel replied, thinking it was good news. Upon hearing Samuel¡¯s words, June looked up at him in surprise. ¡®He wants to announce it to the world?¡¯ Coincidentally, the two of them looked at each other as if in bafflement. ¡°Before this, I have always respected your decision of not disclosing the fact about us two, but now I feel that it¡¯s time for us to tell the world about it.¡± The photograph was taken at June¡¯s home when Samuel was still recovering. If they did not disclose their rtionship, June would be the one suffering the brunt of it from the public, which would pester with an endless stream of questions in the perceivable future. Samuel felt that he should step up and take this opportunity to get married and settle down. He had been thinking of settling down with June for the past five years now, but in her case, she had been adamant about keeping the fact that they were an item in the dark due to Samuel¡¯s basketball career. Samuel, on the other hand, did not care if the truth was discovered, as his basketball career had nothing to do with June. ¡°I support you.¡± Lulu nodded in agreement. ¡®If this isn¡¯t made public, how will they ever reveal the truth about their rtionship?¡¯ ¡°Lulu,¡± June called, signaling her not to press on any further. June was having a nervous breakdown as she had no idea how to address this issue, and to top it all off, Lulu was adding fuel to the fire. Samuel gently held June¡¯s hand, and in a soft but firm voice, he said, ¡°You can trust me. This time, we will do what I think it¡¯s right.¡± June¡¯s heart pounded in her chest, afraid to decline him. ¡°I¡­¡± June bit her lips. Then, Samuel caressed her cheeks, and with a hint of hesitation, he asked, ¡°Or do you have other things in mind? Is it because of the notion that my careeres first before anything?¡± Samuel did not care if June was worried about thetter, but he did not want to pressure her into doing things she was notfortable with. However, if it was something else, Samuel would want to talk it out to find amon ground in regard to what worked for the both of them. ¡°June, is it because Samuel has not given you a proper proposal?¡± Lulu raised her eyebrow as she saw June was reluctant to offer a response. ¡°Of course not.¡± June sputtered out, she did not care if Samuel gave her a proper proposal or not. It was just that she had a hard time epting such an abrupt change, for she had beenfortable in her own space for the longest time. Lulu smiled. ¡°Then there¡¯s nothing to worry about. I think this is something for you to really think about.¡± Lulu had given this piece of advice to June as she did not want her to go down a road where she would experience a great deal of regret. Right now, their happiness was the priority. ¡°June?¡± Samuel called out gently, reminding her that he was still waiting for her answer. He was feeling agitated as June withheld the response from him. Above it all, he did not want to pressure her into a role she was not ready for, and that he could wait. Then, eventually, June took a deep breath before locking eyes with Samuel. ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. I can wait¡­¡± Samuel gave a faint smile, shaking his head before realizing what she had just said. He was stunned as he struggled topute the reply that he had just received. ¡®Wait, what did she just say?!¡¯ Samuel was mentally prepared for June to reject him, so the news came off as a shocker. ¡®Did I hear this correctly?!¡¯ ¡°Uhm. Say it again.¡± Samuel looked at June with a perplexed expression on his face. June¡¯s cheeks flushed red once more as she feigned a stern look. ¡°Forget it if you didn¡¯t hear it.¡± ¡°I heard it! I heard it!¡± Samuel rejoiced loudly upon receiving his confirmation. Everyone cheered, and soon, congrattory messages began pouring out. ¡°Thank you.¡± Samuel became overjoyed. ¡®I finally have a family of my own.¡¯ In the midst of it all, Lulu looked at Lana with a smile. ¡°Lana, I think your wish came true.¡± Chapter 2284 Chapter 2284 ¡°She¡¯ll be my aunt-inw, right?¡± Lana asked. ¡°Yeah, Aunt June is going to be your aunt-inw,¡± Lulu responded. Then, Lana looked up and asked, ¡°What about you, Aunt Lulu? When will you be my aunt-inw?¡± Lulu became embarrassed, not expecting to be dragged into this. ¡°Hey, this is about Aunt June. Leave me out of this.¡± Everyone burst outughing the moment the remark was uttered. Lulu¡¯s cheeks turned even redder as the realization dawned upon her that, as the gossip queen, she had be the topic of gossip today. ¡°Let¡¯s have a toast!¡± Samuel raised his ss in high spirits. Though he was drinking juice, he downed his ss as though it was a shot of strong liquor, nheless. The dinner ended merrily, and everyone left feeling content. After seeing his family off, Samuel pulled June in and held her tightly in his arms and whispered, ¡°Let¡¯s get married once I¡¯ve recovered.¡± ¡°That soon?!¡± June eximed in shock. ¡°I find that it¡¯s way past due, honestly.¡± If she did not have any concerns and reservations, they might have even been married already. ¡®When I¡¯vepletely recovered, I¡¯m going to give her a formal marriage proposal and a grand wedding ceremony,¡¯ he thought. Meanwhile, everyone else downstairs was getting ready to go home. ¡°I¡¯ll take Lulu home now,¡± Spencer said to the others. ¡°Then we¡¯ll head home as well.¡± Nicole nodded in agreement. After Spencer and Lulu had driven away, Nicole and Jared got ready to get in the car with Nn and Lana. Tia hesitated for a moment but ultimately kept her silence. She could not possibly join the kids and hitch a ride in Jared¡¯s car, so she figured she would just go home on her own. Stanley, who seemed to have noticed her hesitation, whispered, ¡°Come with me.¡± Nicole raised her eyebrow when she heard Stanley. She waved goodbye to him before getting in the car with her kids to make her way home. ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Stanley said as he looked at Tia. ¡°Okay, thank you, Mr. Stanley.¡± Tia replied, wracked by nerves as she got in his car. However, she slipped just as she turned around and lost her bnce, whereupon she tipped over and tumbled to the ground. ¡°Watch out!¡± Stanley instinctively reached out and caught her by her waist, pulling her into his arms and preventing the worst from happening. All of a sudden, Tia was in his arms with her cheeks against his chest, listening to his heartbeat. For a moment there, Tia¡¯s mind went nk. ¡°Are you alright?¡± Stanley¡¯s concerned voice emanated from above. In a split second, Tia quickly came to her senses and lifted her head. Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org. Their eyes met, and their lips were on the verge of touching. Tia¡¯s heart raced as she pushed Stanley away in a panic. ¡°Thank you. I¡¯m fine,¡± she responded as she bowed her head, her heart thumping against her ribs. At that instant, Tia was flustered and could not think straight. Stanley¡¯s gaze darkened as he observed her anxious behavior. He then whirled around and made a beeline for the car as he said, ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go home.¡± Stanley knew that he had to keep a distance when he saw her shying away from him. Otherwise, she would only be even more flustered. Chapter 2285 Chapter 2285 Tia bit her lip lightly, took a deep breath, and attempted to suppress her nerves as she followed slowly from behind. After getting into the car, Tia kept her head down, feeling like a helpless child who had done something wrong. Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org. ¡°Is your foot feeling okay?¡± Stanley asked in a bid to take her attention away from the matter, making her understand that what happened earlier was just an ident. He could not simply ignore her when she was on the verge of falling. ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Tia moderated her tone, hoping it did not sound strange. ¡°You should visit a doctor if it hurts. Don¡¯t take it lightly,¡± Stanley reminded her, worried that she might have injured her ankle. Tia nodded. ¡°I know, Mr. Stanley.¡± He did not like being called Mr. Stanley, but she had never changed her way of addressing him over the years. With this in mind, he issued a mental sigh and shook his head. Putting his thoughts aside, Stanley continued driving to the Riddle residence while Tia sat quietly. Though she appeared calm, her mind was in total chaos. The scene from earlier would not stop reying in her mind, and the memory of her being in his embrace made her heart race uncontrobly. Feeling more nervous as she thought about it, Tia buried her head and avoided looking at Stanley. Noticing her movements, Stanley furrowed his brow slightly, though he acted as if he had seen nothing, focusing on his driving instead. He did not want things to be awkward between them, so he decided to give her more space. Arriving at the Riddle residence, Stanley tly said, ¡°We¡¯re here. Let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Tia replied softly. She then opened the door and headed straight to the backyard. Watching her scrambling away, Stanley let out another sigh and walked into the house. ¡°Why are you sote, Uncle Stanley? Where¡¯s Aunt Tia?¡± Lana asked in curiosity, blinking as she looked outside. ¡°She went to the backyard,¡± Stanley replied calmly. ¡°Huh?¡± Lana blinked her eyes, feeling a little puzzled. ¡®Can¡¯t they go to the backyard from here? Why did Aunt Tia go all the way from the front yard, which is even further away?¡¯ ¡°Nn, Lana, it¡¯s time for you to go to bed,¡± Nicole said, interrupting Lana¡¯s curiosity. Although Nicole did not know what happened, she knew that something must have transpired after they had left. ncing at Stanley and seeing that he seemed normal, Nicole decided not to query him and proceeded to lead Nn and Lana upstairs. With everyone gone, Gloria asked, ¡°Stanley, how is Samuel doing?¡± ¡°Samuel and June will probably prepare for the wedding once he haspleted his recovery. Mom, you can start nning the wedding with some peace of mind,¡± Stanley informed, easing her worries. Delighted, Gloria smiled and said, ¡°I¡¯ll visit them tomorrow and ask June if she has any ideas for the wedding. We can¡¯t just disregard her opinions about this, even though she doesn¡¯t have a family of her own.¡± Gloria was relieved now that everything was settled. She would focus on preparing for the wedding. Even though June did not have any family, Gloria did not want her to feel as if she was being left out, so she would go ahead and take care of both their guest lists. ¡°I¡¯ll go with you just to make it more formal,¡± Daniel suggested. ¡°Okay, we¡¯ll go there together. After everything has been finalized, we can also inform father to make him happier.¡± Gloria added, having already begun on the nning. Daniel smiled gently. ¡°Aw, my wife is just so thoughtful.¡± He had not thought about telling Mr. Riddle Sr. yet. This was indeed a joyous asion, and he should inform his father about it. Soon, the Riddle residence quieted down as everyone went to rest. Nicoleforted Nn and Lana before returning to her room. Chapter 2286 Chapter 2286 Jared was still awake, and when he saw her return, he closed hisptop and ced it aside. ¡°You¡¯re not asleep yet? Is there something important to work on?¡± Nicole casually asked as she took a nce at what he was doing. ¡°No, just looking at some details,¡± Jared replied as he reached out to pull Nicole over to the bed. After shooting him another nce, Nicole whispered, ¡°Just go to bed if there¡¯s nothing to do.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± he agreed and leaned over to kiss Nicole¡¯s forehead. Blushing a little, Nicole gently pushed Jared away and said,¡± Now, go to sleep.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to sleep; I want to sleep with¡­¡± Jared stared at her with darkened eyes. His intentions were obvious. Nicole returned his gaze with a look of disapproval and pushed him away. ¡°I¡¯m going to sleep.¡± After that, she pulled the nket over herself before moving away from him. What a jerk. Even if he¡¯s not tired, I am!¡¯ she thought. Jared found this very adorable. All rights ? N?velDrama.Org. He watched as she wrapped herself up in a cocoon, reached out, and hugged her. ¡°What I meant was that I want to hold you while I sleep.¡± This rendered her speechless. ¡®This jerk is fooling me!¡¯ ¡°No, thanks,¡± Nicole said from under the nket, her voice muffled. Ignoring her refusal, Jared tightened his hug, and when she could no longer bear the heat, she poked her head out. ¡°Are you trying to suffocate me?¡± sheined. ¡°I just want to hold you,¡± Jared said with a straight face, his eyes locking with Nicole¡¯s. Nicole red at Jared as she clenched her jaw. She wanted to refuse, but being held while she was all wrapped up would just make it stuffy, so she had no choice but topromise. Finally, she came out from under the nket. Feeling content, Jared embraced Nicole, but this time, he stayed put and just held her in total silence. Nicole let out a sigh of relief and soon fell asleep in his embrace. Listening to her gentle breathing, Jared shook his head and nted a light kiss on her cheek before falling asleep himself. During the next morning, the sun rose, and thend was clothed in light. After breakfast, everyone in the Riddle family got busy with their respective tasks. Nicole had just arrived at the Riddle Corporation when she ran into Lawrence once again. ¡°Lawrence, why are you here so early? Is there something you need?¡± ¡°Just here to see you,¡± Lawrence smiled. ¡°Oh,e on up and chill out for a while then,¡± Nicole said, leading Lawrence to her office without thinking much about it. After sitting down and chatting for a while, Lawrence casually asked, ¡°Any progress on that electronic badge system I got you to help me with?¡± ¡°Sorry, but no,¡± Nicole replied, her voice brimming with guilt. That system was truly peculiar. She had tried various methods and approaches, but she just could not crack it. This was something she had never encountered before. It felt as if the system was not locked from the outside. If anything, it seemed as though an internal failsafe had been activated, making it imprable. Lawrenceforted her when he saw the guilty look on her face. ¡°It¡¯s okay. With your abilities, you might be able to crack it one day if you keep trying.¡± After all, nobody would be able to ess the system if Nicole could not. Nicole squinted for a second before she calmly said, ¡°I will keep trying.¡± Chapter 2287 Chapter 2287 Although she genuinely wanted to help Lawrence by breaching the electronic badge system, she had already tried various methods, all of which in vain. She was frustrated with the oue, but today, Lawrence¡¯s mannerisms gave her a strange feeling. In the past, Lawrence would rarely ask her anything pertaining to her progress in cracking the system. Recently however, he had already inquired about it several times in a short window of time. He did not seem to be in a hurry, but if that was the case, it made no sense as to why he would keep urging her. Lawrence¡¯s behavior was indeed unusual today. Previously, when Nicole reported no progress, he would justfort her and tell her not to rush it. But today, of all days, he had urged her to try harder. She did not want to give him a long-winded exnation about the fact that she had not beenzy. In fact, she really wanted to crack it and repay him for the favors he had done her over the years. Still, his actions today gave her a strange feeling. She gritted her teeth and agreed, ¡°Okay, I will try again. If it really doesn¡¯t work, we can think of other ways or find someone else to help.¡± Although Lawrence had said that she was the only one who could crack it because she was the most skilled hacker, she was beginning to have doubts about whether she hadpletely misunderstood the system. Perhaps someone else with a different perspective might discover other possibilities. Lawrence¡¯s expression stiffened for a moment but the smile on his face quickly returned. ¡°It¡¯s alright. Just give it a try. There¡¯s no need to force it, and I don¡¯t n on finding anyone else. The only person I trust to do this is you.¡± He could only turn to Nicole for help with this system. Not only was she a skilled hacker; this system was also something that was highly confidential. Nicole nced at Lawrence. ¡°You said it¡¯s just an electronic crest, didn¡¯t you?¡± ¡®He just wants to find a way to ess the system and get the electronic crest. There shouldn¡¯t be any issues of trust involved, right?¡¯ she wondered. Lawrence unconsciously turned away, Nicole¡¯s eyes narrowed. She had already found Lawrence¡¯s behavior strange today, but at that moment, an inexplicable suspicion grew within her. Why was Lawrence avoiding her gaze? What was he worried about? However, when Nicole attempted to pry for Then, Lawrence looked at her gently as he about my private identities, so I prefer not to have anyone else involved.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± Nicole said, deciding against pushing the envelope. ¡°I will try again.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t stress yourself out,¡± he reminded her as he knew Nicole¡¯s tendency to go all out on her work. Nicole smiled faintly. Indeed, she wanted to crack it as soon as possible. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t wish to get in the way of your work, so I¡¯ll be leaving now.¡± Lawrence bade her farewell and left her office. After seeing Lawrence off, Nicole leaned back against her chair with a darkened gaze. She pulled out the electronic system, and the two words,¡± electronic crest¡±, shed in her mind, reminding her of the Five Crests for some reason. Her expression stiffened for a moment as she wondered,1 Could it be¡­¡¯ After some thought, Nicole shook her head. Apart from the one she had in her possession, the whereabouts of the other four crests were still unknown. So, Lawrence¡¯s crest could not possibly be one of them. Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org. After brushing her thoughts aside, Nicole connected the system to theputer again and began to work diligently. However, her attempt this time was a little different than before. During the decryption process, Nicole could not shake off the feeling of deja vu. She could not understand why she felt so familiar with it. Suddenly, a knock on the door interrupted Nicole¡¯s train of thought, and the feeling of familiarity vanished abruptly. Chapter 2288 Chapter 2288 ¡°Come in,¡± Nicole said, her gaze still fixed on the screen as a smile of relief crossed her face. She figured that the familiar feeling was due to her continuous efforts in cracking the system of the crest. ¡°Nicole, please sign this document.¡± Lulu approached her desk, noticing Nicole¡¯s absentmindedness. She snuck a nce at the screen and remarked, ¡°You¡¯re still working on this, huh?¡± Although she did not understand what it was, Lulu knew that Nicole would be engrossed in it whenever she found herself having some free time. In response, Nicole looked up at Lulu and replied, ¡°Just put it down.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Lulu ced the document down. ¡°Doesn¡¯t look like it¡¯s going well. Do you want me to get you a cup of coffee?¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± Nicole said, expressing her gratitude. Lulu widened her eyes in surprise. ¡°Why are you suddenly so polite? Things really aren¡¯t going well, huh?¡± ¡°Not exactly. It¡¯s always been like this anyway,¡± Nicole calmly exined. She had not fully recovered from the sense of familiarity she felt earlier. It felt so real, but when she tried to grasp it, it simply eluded her. ¡°I¡¯ll get you some coffee. You can take a break if you¡¯re tired, ¡± Lulu said with concern. She then prepared a cup of coffee for Nicole and ced it on her desk. Nicole loosened up after taking a sip of the coffee, I¡¯ve been working on this for too long. It actually feels familiar, somehow.¡± This was undoubtedly the most challenging task she had taken on. She had never encountered something that was so tough to crack prior to this. ¡°Maybe you¡¯re somehow destined for it. After all, in this world, no one else can crack it except for you. Just take it as a test of patience,¡± Lulu consoled Nicole with a smile. Nicole smiled. ¡°I¡¯ll take it as apliment.¡± N?velDrama.Org owns ? this. ¡°Of course! Don¡¯t you know how amazing you are? You¡¯re the creme de creme among the Hunters. Back then, even the geniuses from our school couldn¡¯tpete with you.¡± Lulu recalled the past competition with enthusiasm, her face filled with admiration. Nicole raised an eyebrow. ¡®Was I really ranked Number One in the Hunters?¡¯ ¡°What¡¯s with that look?¡± Lulu asked, realizing her mistake. Then, she tapped her forehead and said apologetically, ¡°Oh, I forgot that you haven¡¯t recovered your memories yet.¡± ¡°No matter how skilled I was back then, it¡¯s not helping now. I¡¯m still stuck,¡± Nicole said as she looked upon the insurmountable task, feeling a sense of helplessness that she had never experienced before. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, if you can¡¯t crack it, no one else will be able to.¡± Lulu shrugged. To her, there was no urgency in regard to this matter. Nicole could not help but feel amused. ¡°What kind of logic is that?¡± ¡°Heh, I¡¯m just stating a fact,¡± Lulu said confidently. Nicole gave her an exasperated look, signed the document, and handed it back to Lulu. ¡°Alright, here¡¯s the document. You can get back to work now.¡± If Lulu keptplimenting her like this, she might begin to lose the determination she had. After that, Lulu grabbed the document and sauntered off with a smile. Chapter 2289 Chapter 2289 Nicole smiled and shook her head. Then, her gaze fell back on theputer screen. Almost involuntarily, she found herself opening the Hunters website to check the tasks she had posted. The people who had epted the tasks before had not provided any updates, and no one else seemed interested in taking them on. Nicole squinted as she looked at the words, ¡°Five Crests¡±. N?velDrama.Org owns ? this. ¡®What do the Five Great Crests look like?¡± she wondered. Meanwhile, after leaving the Riddle Corporation, Lawrence returned to Genesis Group with a sour grimace on his face. ¡°Mr. Royce. There¡¯s no progress. What should we do next?¡± Ian asked in a low voice. With Iris¡¯ capture and her imprisonment, she had undoubtedly lost all the value she could possibly provide. Lawrence had not expected that what could have been a and a crushing defeat. ¡°Jared should not be underestimated!¡± Lawrence¡¯s eyes darkened at once. Still, he was determined not to give up easily. Now, all his hopesid on the electronic crest. able to stop him. ¡°Let go of all the ongoing negotiations,¡± Lawrence said with a calm look. Hearing this, Ian was shocked, ¡°You want to abandon all of them? Won¡¯t that cause even greater losses?¡± Lawrence gave Ian a frosty nce in return. ¡°What difference does it make if we don¡¯t give up? Jared is intercepting everypany that intends to cooperate with us. Any project that interests him will inevitably be imed by the Johnston Group. If we continue like this, we¡¯ll be the ones at a disadvantage.¡± He knew that this was Jared¡¯s warning, but he refused to ept it, nheless. Though he had lost this time, there would always be other opportunities. With that, Ian could only oblige. ¡°Yes, sir.¡± At this juncture, there really was no other choice but to give up. They could only acknowledge their loss, cut them, and move on. Ian turned and left after confirming that Lawrence had nothing for him to do. As Ian walked off, Lawrence leaned against his seat, his eyes as dark as an abyssal soon, everything would be resolved with great ease. Unfortunately¡­ Nicole still had not cracked that system. And if she could not do it, would there be anyone else in the world who could? Would the system be locked forever, thus causing such a tremendous fortune to go to waste? Time passed quickly, and soon, lunch hour came. ¡°Are you going out for lunch, or should I bring some back for you?¡± Lulu peeked in through the door. ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Nicole stood up. After all, she was feeling a little tired after all the work in the morning and wanted to get some fresh air. Soon, the two of them left the Riddle Corporation. ¡°I heard there¡¯s a new restaurant with great ambiance. Shall we go there?¡± Lulu proposed, sounding quite enthusiastic. ¡°Sure,¡± Nicole epted without much concern about what she wanted to eat. Chapter 2290 Chapter 2290 After arriving at the restaurant and cing their orders, Nicole and Lulu chatted while waiting for their food. ¡°June is getting married, and I¡¯m thinking about what wedding gift to give her.¡± Lulu propped her chin up with both hands, frowning in contemtion. As her best friend, she felt that she should do more than just give her something simple; she wanted to give her a gift that was more meaningful. Noting Lulu¡¯s dilemma, Nicole teased, ¡°Actually, you might as well consider having a double wedding. Wouldn¡¯t that be even more meaningful?¡± ¡°I¡­¡± Lulu sighed. ¡¯Forget it.¡± Even though Nicole had jokingly suggested it before, Lulu had seriously considered the idea and found it impractical. Her situation with Spencer was distinct from that of Samuel and June. ¡°You always overthink things,¡± Nicole said with a look of defeat. If two people loved each other deeply, a great deal of worries would automatically be rendered void. If Spencer really cared about Lulu¡¯s background, he would not have dated her in the first ce. And if Spencer had already chosen Lulu, she had every right to stand by his side. Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org. ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about me. Let¡¯s talk about June,¡± Lulu said in an attempt to change the subject. Seeing that Lulu did not want to discuss it further, Nicole decided not to push her. ¡°Let¡¯s go out and choose a gift some other day. There¡¯s no rush.¡± After all, Samuel¡¯s leg injury still needed more time to heal, which meant that there was more time to prepare for their wedding. Therefore, they had all the time in the world to select the perfect gift for June. Hearing this, Lulu agreed, ¡°Alright, let¡¯s hit the mall together one day.¡± As they were about to dig in after their food had arrived, they heard a familiar voice. ¡°Oh, this ce is great, Spencer. I heard the vibe and the food are unique, so we must try it.¡± Following the voice, Nicole and Lulu looked up to see Spencer and Icyln entering the restaurant. Icyln halted in her tracks as she was not expecting to bump into Lulu and Nicole, with Spencer following suit. The four of them exchanged nces, whereupon an awkward tension began creeping into the room. ¡°Let¡¯s eat, Nicole.¡± Lulu lowered her head as if nothing had happened and continued eating. Nicole was at a loss for words as she furrowed her brows. She believed that Spencer was maintaining a healthy, tonic rtionship with Icyln, but being caught in such situations repeatedly would inevitably create a rift between him and Lulu. ¡°Nicole, Lulu, you¡¯re here for lunch too, huh?¡± Spencer walked over to them, greeting them with delight. Thest thing he expected was to run into them during lunch. As he was about to pull a chair over and take a seat, Lulu said, ¡°This table is upied, so why don¡¯t you get another?¡± ¡°Lulu?¡± Spencer looked at Lulu with his brows raised. ¡®Why was she pretending as if she did not recognize me?¡¯ ¡°We just got done rehearsing and decided to find a ce for lunch. It¡¯s quite a coincidence that we bumped into you guys here.¡± Icyln approached them, her voice casual and calm, though the smugness in her tone was evident. ¡°We don¡¯t know each other well, and you don¡¯t need to act as if you¡¯re pleased to see me. Since we¡¯re all here to have a meal, just go ahead and upy another table.¡± Lulu shot Icyln an impatient nce, as if to say, ¡°Get out of my face and stop wasting our time.¡± Icyln¡¯s expression stiffened, and her face turned pale. ¡°Is there a misunderstanding? Spencer and I really just came for lunch. Nothing else.¡± Lulu stifled a cold snicker, finding Icyln¡¯s pretentiousness and attitude tedious to deal with. A person of her standing was not worth paying attention to, so Lulu went on to disregard her, not bothering to acknowledge her. Lulu lifted her brows, and with a stern look, she said, The thought of you and Spencer having any improper intentions never crossed my mind.¡± She really just did not want to see them. And because of Icyln, Lulu did not even want to see Spencer right now. Just thinking about them made her feel suffocated. Icyln¡¯s face turned even paler, and she looked somewhat wronged as she said, ¡°By saying that, you¡¯re stillying the me on me. You¡¯ve really misunderstood Spencer and I.¡± Chapter 2291 Chapter 2291 ¡°Well, you¡¯re just having lunch together during work hours, which is normal among colleagues. I don¡¯t have any misunderstandings, but Miss Icyln, have you misunderstood something? Or do you want me to misunderstand something?¡± Lulu finally retorted as she could not bear Icyln¡¯s antics anymore, essentially giving Icyln a taste of her own medicine. ¡°No, why would I think that way?¡± Icyln replied awkwardly, not expecting Lulu to be so straightforward. ¡°Lulu.¡± Spencer¡¯s voice sounded concerned as he could tell that Lulu was feeling off. Lulu raised an eyebrow and suddenly put on a beaming smile. ¡°Since you both seem so eager to join us at the same table, why don¡¯t we just eat together?¡± ¡°Waiter, can we have the menu, please?¡± After saying that, Lulu called the waiter over, acting as though she was genuinely happy to allow Spencer and Icyln to join them. Soon, the waiter brought the menu over, and Spencer ended up ordering something for lunch. Left with no other choice, Icyln followed suit. Once they were seated, the awkward tension between the four of them became palpable. ¡°Nicole, let¡¯s start eating. We need to rush back to thepany for a meetingter.¡± Lulu blinked at Nicole. ¡°Okay.¡± Nicole shrugged and dly yed along, smiling back at Lulu.Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org. Seeing Lulu¡¯s reaction, Nicole thought to herself, ¡®Icyln shouldn¡¯t have provoked Lulu. Soon, Icyln will realize how wrong she is for trying to create a rift between them.¡¯ ¡°Here, Spencer, try this. It¡¯s delicious.¡± Lulu fed Spencer a piece of steak. Though Spencer was delighted, he was somewhat taken aback and before he knew it, there was a piece of steak in his mouth. ¡°Tastes good, doesn¡¯t it?¡± Lulu smiled sweetly at Spencer. ¡°Not bad,¡± Spencer praised with a nod. ¡°This one is delicious too.¡± Lulu continued to feed Spencer, making them look like a sweet couple who were deeply in love. Nicole simply sat there, paying nothing but her food any Icyln with such tant and ring disys of affection. At that moment, Icyln was left feeling bitter, regretful, and annoyed. If she had known this would happen, she would have sat with Spencer at a different table. Now, all she could do was witness the lovey-dovey antics between Lulu and Spencer. When the dishes for Spencer and Icyln arrived, Lulu said,¡± Come on, dig in.¡± ¡°That looks really good. Can I try it?¡± Lulu asked, acting as if she was interested to give some of the food on Spencer¡¯s te a try. ¡°Of course, you can. I¡¯ll give you anything you like,¡± Spencer said lovingly. ¡°Feed me!¡± Lulu said coquettishly. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll feed you.¡± With eyes narrowed into a smile, Spencer fed Lulu. ¡°Is it good?¡± ¡°It¡¯s delicious,¡± Lulu nodded and pointed to another dish. ¡°I want to try that one too.¡± Suddenly, the scene changed, and now, Spencer was the one taking care of Lulu. At that point, the sweet disy between the pair was in full swing, which was too much even for Nicole herself, who thought, ¡®I think that¡¯s enough, Lulu¡­¡± Icyln¡¯s face scrunched up, bing sour and unpleasant. In addition, she had lost her appetite too. Then, Lulu sneakily nced over at Icyln, whose grimace became even uglier. She was over the moon as she thought,¡¯ Serves you right for messing with me!¡¯ By the time she was feeling better, her belly was full as well. So, she looked at Nicole and raised her eyebrows at her. Chapter 2292 Chapter 2292 Recognizing Lulu¡¯s signal, Nicole nodded. ¡°We¡¯re done eating, but do take your time,¡± Lulu said as she kissed Spencer on the cheek. ¡°Babe, remember toe to my ce after work for a candlelight dinner.¡± With that, Lulu stood up and left in big strides. Nicole suppressed herughter as she nodded at Spencer and Icyln before sauntering off as well. Spencer was still staring at Lulu¡¯s figure, lost in thought even after she had disappeared at the door. ¡°Spencer,¡± Icyln uttered, on the verge of erupting as she gritted her teeth in anger. Spencer nced at Icyln and said, ¡°Eat up. We have a rehearsal in the afternoon.¡± He then continued eating, though his mind was inundated with images of Lulu¡¯s every move, every smile, and especially thatst kiss. He suddenly felt that time was passing too slowly and wished that the workday would end already. Icyln¡¯s face nched as she furiously skewered She did not understand why Lulu was so hard to deal with.¡¯ Shouldn¡¯t others feel jealous and break out into a fight in this kind of situation? With Lulu, why is it that their rtionship seems to be even stronger?¡¯ She did not get it, but she could not do anything about it either. lose to Lulu. Outside the restaurant, Nicole and Lulu were already in the car. The lively and confident Lulu had now be sullen, much like a wilted flower. ¡°Your fighting spirit is gone almost instantly,¡± Nicole remarked with a wry smile. ¡°I didn¡¯t want to acknowledge them, but that scheming and make things difficult for me. How could I let her off easy?¡± Now, Lulu did not like to torture herself, but if they were other, everyone should be involved, with nobody getting away with anything. ¡°So, what¡¯s going on with you now? You look like a wife who just got cheated on.¡± Nicole said. All rights ? N?velDrama.Org. She found Lulu much more exciting moments ago. There was no need for her to suffer at the hands indeed, if anyone attempted to start a fight with her, she should, without a shadow of a doubt, strike back. Lulu sighed as her expression stiffened for a moment. ¡°Are you really angry at Spencer?¡± Nicole asked candidly. Lulu lowered her head. ¡°Not exactly angry, because I know he is just whom he can¡¯t turn his back on. But still, deep down, I feel really ufortable.¡± That feeling was not a pleasant one. If she was angry, she could throw a fit, quarrel about it, and feel better afterward. But now, the rational part of her had taken over. She knew how Spencer felt about Icyln, but watching them acting as though they were couples still made her feel ufortable and hurt. ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m telling you to get married soon. It¡¯ll naturally get rid of pesky flies like Icyln,¡± Nicole teased. Looking at Nicole with a tilted head, Lulu asked, ¡°Did Spencer bribe you into convincing me? Tell me, why have you been urging me to get married recently?¡± ¡°I just want you to get it over with once and for all.¡± To Nicole, everything would be settled, and all of their issues would be dealt with once they were married. ¡°I understand where you¡¯reing from, but I can¡¯t get past this feeling in my heart.¡± This was perhaps a result of her insecurities getting in her way. She wanted to work harder, be stronger and more deserving of him. ¡°Oh, you,¡± Nicole could not help but roll her eyes at Lulu.¡± You¡¯re really clever sometimes, but more often than not, you have a tendency of getting yourself stuck in a rut.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Lulu blinked her eyes, wondering if her way of thinking was wrong in the first ce. Hearing that, Nicole earnestly exined, ¡°Think about it. If you give up on Spencer and he ends up with someone like Icyln, do you really think they will be a good match?¡± Chapter 2293 Chapter 2293 Judging by their appearances, people would think that Icy In and Spencer were a good match. But Nicole and Lulu knew very well that a scheming woman like Icyln was not, and would never be a good match for Spencer. Lulu bit her lip and fell silent, lost in her thoughts. Nicole did not disrupt her train of thought. Earlier today, she thought it was best to respect Lulu¡¯s wishes and believed that she woulde to terms with it eventually. However, she suddenly felt like it might be a good idea to give them a little push, which would at least catalyze a new, much needed change in their rtionship. The car returned to the headquarters, and they both got off to busy themselves with their own tasks. Soon after, night fell, and the birds returned to their nests. The living room of the Riddle residence was lively as everyone was busy chatting away while they waited for their dinner to be ready. But when Spencer stepped into the entrance, the living room suddenly fell silent, and all eyes were on him. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Spencer raised his brows in confusion, wondering if something was wrong with him. ¡°Weren¡¯t you supposed to go to Lulu¡¯s ce?¡± Nicole became puzzled, wondering why he hade back. Finally understanding why they were surprised by his return, Spencer exined, ¡°She left me a message saying she had something to do tonight. I went to her apartment, but she wasn¡¯t there, and I couldn¡¯t reach her on her phone, so I came back.¡± ¡°Did she tell you what she was going to do?¡± Nicole frowned. ¡®Didn¡¯t she say that there would be a candlelit dinner?¡¯ Spencer shook his head, ¡°She just told me not to worry and that she had some personal matters to tend to.¡± Although he did not know what Lulu was up to, he was used to respecting her decisions. Besides, he was not able to reach her, so he could only wait and ask her about it tomorrow. ¡°It¡¯s about time for dinner. Since you¡¯re back, let¡¯s have dinner together,¡± Gloria said. ¡°Okay.¡± They all agreed, and the family headed toward the dining room. After dinner, Spencer and Stanley went upstairs. But Gloria and Daniel stopped Nicole as they had something to discuss with her. In the meantime, Jared took Nn and Lana upto their rooms. ¡°Mom? Dad? What¡¯s going on?¡± Nicole became puzzled as she looked at the solemn looks on her parents¡¯ faces. ¡°We went back to the family manor and your Grandpa said that the Ellison family has gotten themselves involved with our subsidiarypany. Is that true?¡± Daniel said, stern and unsmiling. For Harvey to cause trouble for Jared and the Riddle family was old the years in which Nicole had gone missing. But now that Nicole had returned, he had apparently resumed with his antics. Nicole sighed and truthfully told them everything since they were already aware of the issue. ¡°Everett is working together with Harvey to target DillCorp.¡± Nicole did not want either Harvey or Everett to take over DillCorp, so she was going to do everything in her power to stop them. ¡°It sounds like you already knew about it. Why didn¡¯t you tell us?¡± Daniel said with a hint of distress. In turn, Nicole smiled and assured, ¡°Dad, there¡¯s nothing to worry about. Sean, Steve, and I are all working together in thepany. You should just focus on spending more time with Mom. Do you want me to book a trip for the both of you?¡± Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org. She did not want her parents to worry about thepany anymore as she and her siblings would handle everything. ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Daniel shook his head, knowing that his daughter had good intentions. ¡°I believe in you all. Okay then, I won¡¯t ask about it anymore and wait for your good news.¡± It was impossible for him to enjoy a trip at a time like this, so he figured that he should just sit back and wait, since his daughter had made it clear to him that she did not want him to be worried. With that, he offered some advice to Nicole, who went on to give him more reassurance. Then, both Daniel and Gloria stopped with their queries. Nn and Lana were already asleep by the time Nicole went upstairs, and Jared was already waiting for her in the hallway. She ambled over toward him, and together, they went back into their room. ¡°You haven¡¯t taken any action in regard to what¡¯s happening to DillCorp yet. What are you waiting for?¡± Jared casually asked. Nicole was a little taken aback by the question. ¡°How did you know that my parents asked me about DillCorp?¡± Chapter 2294 Chapter 2294 ¡°They went back to the family manor today,¡± Jared said with a nonchnt expression. Since Nicole could not make it to the family manor, Daniel and Gloria had gone over there themselves. Thus, it was inevitable for her grandfather to ask them of her whereabouts. Nicole could not help but shake her head. ¡°I really cant hide anything from you, huh? Well, I don¡¯t want to waste any energy on Snow and Raine anymore, so I¡¯ll just let them duke it out among themselves first.¡± After all, neither of them was capable enough to be a threat to her, and because of this, Nicole was not bothered to do anything about them. ¡°It¡¯s true that they¡¯re not a threat to you, but you should be careful of the people behind them,¡± Jared said as his gaze darkened. ¡°I know. I got someone to keep an eye on them.¡± Nicole said, her face mirroring his solemness. Jared¡¯s gaze softened upon hearing that as he thought to himself, ¡®This is just the way she is ¨C always so cautious and never allowing room for mistakes.¡¯ It seemed to Jared that as long as her safety was ensured via the security detail he had hired to watch over her, there was nothing else for him to worry about. ¡°It¡¯s gettingte. Let¡¯s get some rest.¡± Jared lifted Nicole off the floor and made his way toward the bathroom. ¡°Jared Johnston, put me down.¡± Nicole patted Jared¡¯s shoulder with a hint of annoyance. ¡°We can save time by showering together,¡± Jared said as a mischievous smirk shed across his face. Nicole glowered at him. ¡°Are you sure that you just want to save time?¡± In spite of her protests, they ended up taking a long, hot shower that ended with Jared carrying her out of the bathroom. He ced her on the bed, and by then, Nicole was so but not before mumbling a few angry words. ¡°Jared, you¡¯re moving out tomorrow.¡± Jared¡¯s lips lifted, forming a gentle smile as he gently hugged her and patted her back. ¡°Goodnight.¡± Nicole, however, did not say anything in response, as she was clearly drained. The next morning¡­ Nicole slowly opened her eyes as the chirping of birds reached her ears. ¡°You¡¯re awake.¡± Hearing Jared¡¯s voice, she softly said, ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°You can sleep a while longer,¡± Jared gently said. Nicole rolled her eyes at him in spite. ¡°And you can actually live somewhere else.¡± Hearing that, Jared tightened his embrace on Nicole. ¡°I need to be wherever my wife is.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not your wife yet. Don¡¯t call me that.¡± Nicole yfully corrected him. ¡°We¡¯re legally married,¡± Jared retorted in righteous fashion.N?velDrama.Org owns ? this. ¡°The marriage is notplete without a proper ceremony.¡± Nicole lifted her chin pridefully as if she had gained the upper hand against Jared. Jared smiled. ¡°We can have that anytime my wife wants it. I¡¯ll call Max to get that done now.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Nicole¡¯s lips twitched, regretting what she had just said. ¡®Did I just dig a hole for myself?¡¯ The more Nicole thought about it, the more annoyed she got. Then, she threw the nket aside and stormed into the bathroom. ¡®Whatever. I¡¯ll just forget what I said earlier. It¡¯s not the best time to have a wedding ceremony now anyway. After all, there are still a lot of things to take care of. It¡¯s better to wait a little bit longer,¡¯ she concluded. Jared smiled faintly as he kept his eyes on her figure. Then, he lightly shook his head and chuckled. ¡®She¡¯s avoiding it again. I wonder when she¡¯ll stop avoiding it and finally face the reality of all of this.¡¯ Chapter 2295 Chapter 2295 Jared and Nicole, both gave themselves a thorough rinse before heading downstairs. After having breakfast, everyone left the house respectively to carry on with their routines. Nicole arrived at the Riddle Corporation, and Lulu immediately approached her with a nosy air about her. ¡°I have updates on DillCorp.¡± Hearing that, Nicole lifted her brows. ¡°Tell me about it inside. IV Then, once they were in the confines of the office, Lulu told Nicole everything. ¡°Are you saying that Snow secretly signed an agreement with Harvey?¡± Nicole furrowed her brows. ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s probably toote now if Snow really wishes to carry her n out.¡± Lulu¡¯s expression turned solemn as she softly said. ¡°Is that going to affect us?¡± ¡°Not for now,¡± Nicole replied in a low voice. She figured that Snow would not give in so easily, at least not for the moment. Lulu felt slightly relieved upon hearing this. ¡°Then I guess Snow will probably make another move soon.¡± She was sure that Snow would not just sit around and wait. ¡°Let¡¯s just keep waiting,¡± Nicole coolly remarked, knowing very well that Lulu was right. ¡°By the way, are you going to the charity banquet tomorrow? ¡± Lulu asked, having suddenly thought about it. ¡°I guess so. Why are you asking?¡± Lulu shrugged her shoulders and reminded, ¡°I just want to inform you that Harvey will most probably be there too.¡± Nicole¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡®Is that so?¡¯ ¡®Well, it¡¯s a highly anticipated event in San Joto, after all. Many business figures and representatives of wealthy families are going to be there.¡¯ Nicole¡¯s expression turned cold as she nonchntly said, ¡°I can¡¯t let him affect my life.¡± N?velDrama.Org owns ? this. Regardless of whether she was the chairman of the Riddle Corporation or the daughter of the Riddle family, her standing in society meant that she had to show up at an event like this. Besides, everyone knew about her rtionship with Jared, and there was just no way that she could miss it. ¡°There¡¯ll be a lot of people there. Will you be able to handle all of them?¡± Lulu asked in concern. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Jared will be there too,¡± Nicole said, knowing that she would have nothing to worry about as long as Jared was there with her. Lulu nodded in agreement. ¡°You¡¯re right. I¡¯m sure that Mr. Johnston will protect you.¡± Then, Nicole lifted her gaze, looked at Lulu, and said, ¡°You cane with me if you want to.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll pass.¡± Lulu shook her head. ¡®Is it appropriate for me to be there? Am I really going there as Nicole¡¯s assistant?¡¯ ¡°It¡¯s not a formal event. You can have a look if you¡¯re interested. Besides, you¡¯ll be attending lots of events like this once you and Spencer tie the knot.¡± Nicole teased with a faint smile on her face. Lulu could not help but blush as she looked away. Then, she bit her lip and said, ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about that now.¡± After all, nothing was confirmed between her and Spencer, at least not for now. ¡°Hehehe.¡± Nicole chuckled. ¡°You¡¯re not always this shy.¡± ¡®Just like that, she¡¯s getting all shy, huh? What a surprise!¡¯ Nicole thought. ¡°Well, I¡¯ve changed.¡± Lulu¡¯s cheeks turned even redder. Noticing that something was not right, Nicole asked, ¡°Are you hiding something from me?¡¯ ¡°I¡­¡± Lulu hesitated for a moment, after which she avoided the question anyway. ¡°Um, I have something else to do. See youter.¡± Then, she quickly ran off before Nicole could say anything. Seeing this, Nicole frowned and thought to herself, ¡®It seems like there¡¯s something going on.¡¯ Soon, it was time to head home. ¡°Nicole, I¡¯m leaving now,¡± Lulu said to Nicole, and was about to make her way out of the ce when Nicole stopped her. Chapter 2296 Chapter 2296 ¡°Hold up.¡± With a yful look, Nicole asked, ¡°Are you avoiding Spencer?¡± ¡®Justst night Spencer mentioned he was unable to reach Lulu and today he left right after work ended. It¡¯s obvious something happened between the two of them,¡¯ Nicole thought to herself. ¡°Not really.¡± Lulu scratched her head in embarrassment. ¡°Is it a yes or a no?¡± Nicole countered. She noticed how distressed Spencer was when he was unable to contact Lulu out of the blue, so she wanted to know what happened. ¡°I¡¯m avoiding him but it¡¯s not because we fought or anything. It¡¯s just that I need some space for myself to think straight,¡± Lulu said truthfully. Nicole frowned at Lulu. ¡°Alright, since you want space, I¡¯ll leave you be.¡± Then she smiled, respecting her friend¡¯s views. ¡°Thank you.¡± Lulu gave a warm smile before waving and leaving the office. Nicole packed up her things and also left the office shortly after. When Nicole reached the entrance of the building, she saw Spencer was standing there. All rights ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡®I guess I can only tell him the truth.¡¯ Nicole walked up to him. ¡°Lulu already left.¡± ¡°Left? Why didn¡¯t I see her?¡± Spencer¡¯s eyes widened. Hepletely missed Lulu leaving the office! Nicole shrugged. ¡®Of course he didn¡¯t see her. She was hiding from him.¡¯ ¡°Oh.¡± Spencer looked helpless and lost. Nicole watched as Spencer turned around to leave. ¡°Where are you going?¡± she asked casually. ¡°I¡¯m going to go to see if she¡¯s at home.¡± Nicole looked at Spencer¡¯s vulnerable expression and Spencer immediately became alert. ¡°Do you know something?¡± Nicole shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t know the details, but she said she wanted time alone to think things through.¡± ¡®Since Lulu wants space, I think it¡¯s best that Spencer stop, just until Lulu figures things out. Then they can meet up and talk.¡¯ Spencer frowned slightly, but he nodded. ¡°I see¡­¡± ¡®If this is what she wants, I¡¯ll give her space. I hope she doesn¡¯t take too long to think¡­¡¯ ¡°Okay. I¡¯m going to head over to Grandpa¡¯s ce. Want to tag along?¡± Nicole offered. ¡°Grandpa¡¯s ce?¡± Spencer¡¯s eyes filled with concern. ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± Nicole brushed him off. She did not want to burden Spencer with thepany¡¯s affairs. ¡°Since it¡¯s nothing, I guess you can go with Jared. I¡¯ll sit this one out.¡± Nicole nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll get going now.¡± ¡°Bye!¡± Spencer watched as Nicole hopped into the car and left. Then he heaved a huge sigh. He climbed into his own car and left as well. In the car, Nicole looked up at Jared and asked, ¡°Is the Iris issue resolved?¡± Nicole knew that the date of Iris¡¯ case was inching closer to a close, so she wanted to pry for some answers. ¡°Yeah, she admitted to everything. The legal procedures will be carried out ordingly.¡± Jared did not care what the process was. Once the case ended, it would no longer bother them as Iris would be paying the price for what she did. Chapter 2297 Chapter 2297 Nicole nodded her head in agreement. ¡®Thank goodness the case will finallye to a close.¡¯ Soon, she and Jared arrived at the Riddle family manor. When the pair entered, Mr. Riddle Sr. was already waiting for them in the living room. ¡°You¡¯re here! Come, sit down.¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. ushered them to sit. After they sat down, a smile spread across Nicole¡¯s face.¡± Grandpa, you look better now!¡± ¡°I do feel more alive than before. Thank you foring back to us. If not, I would¡¯ve died.¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. sighed. ¡°No, no. You¡¯ll definitely live a long life,¡± Nicoleforted him with a smile. Mr. Riddle Sr.ughed. ¡°I had dinner prepared, so please stay and eat before you leave.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± They both chatted for a while before Mr. Riddle Sr. asked,¡± Regarding the mansion and the vis, have you made any arrangements?¡± ¡°Grandpa, don¡¯t you worry. Both Sean and I are keeping an eye take advantage of it. ¡°I¡¯m not worried about your capabilities but I¡¯m afraid your uncles wille after you. If they¡¯re too ambitious¡­¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. was afraid that his sons would do excessive things to have their way. Nicole understood what her grandpa meant. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Grandpa. I know what to do.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good to hear.¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. was relieved, knowing that Nicole was a thorough person. ¡°Grandpa, if I ever doe into conflict with them during¡­¡± Nicole paused in hesitation. ¡°Just do as you wish.¡± Mr. Riddle Sr.¡¯s voice was firm and clear. He trusted Nicolepletely. She did things with thought and reason. The corner of Nicole¡¯s lips twitched. She was satisfied with how things turned out with her grandpa. Now she waspletely driven to finish this once and for all. ¡°For this manor, I think you ought to leave this forst since Damienes back often. He doesn¡¯t speak much but he¡¯s always here with me. I feel a bit unsettled when he¡¯s around. ¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. knew Damien like the back of his hand, and he was not one to show filial piety. Nicole¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡®Just how often does hee around and what¡¯s he up to?¡¯ Nicole gritted her teeth. ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll inform Sean about this.¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. nodded. He looked at the time and noticed it was gettingte. He slowly got up and said, ¡°Come, let¡¯s all go and have dinner.¡± Nicole apanied Mr. Riddle Sr. to the dining room, with Jared in tow. After dinner was over, they were heavily immersed in the conversation of discussing their family¡¯s assets. Soon after that, they both left the Riddle family mansion. In the car, Jared held Nicole in his arms. Nicole¡¯s face darkened as she recalled what was discussed about Damien. N?velDrama.Org owns ? this. ¡°I¡¯ll have Max investigate this matter,¡± Jared said in a low voice, as if he could read her mind. He turned his head to look at Nicole. Nicole bit her lip softly, her heart feeling woozy. With a tender look, Jared caressed her cheek. ¡°You can always tell me anything. Remember that, okay?¡± Jared knew that Nicole would not want to rely on anyone, in fear of bing a burden to them. Still, Jared wanted to try and be someone Nicole could rely on. He would be on her side, no matter what happens. Nicole hesitated for a while before responding, ¡°Okay.¡± Nicole knew that these were things she could easily solve herself. She wanted to take Jared¡¯s offer, but the feeling of being taken care of was all too strange for her. She feared that this feeling of greed would soon consume her if she let it be a habit. Chapter 2298 Chapter 2298 Jared pulled Nicole into his arms, nting a gentle kiss on her temple with utmost care. Nicole looked up at him and rolled her eyes. Jared smiled helplessly. ¡®She really knows how to press my buttons.¡¯ It was not long until they arrived home. ¡°Mommy!¡± Nn and Lana came rushing over as they saw their parents arrive home. Jared swooped Lana off her feet and brought her into a hug. ¡°I missed you, daddy!¡± Lana cheered,ughing. ¡°I missed you too.¡± Lana hugged her father¡¯s neck and smiled. Jared patted Lana¡¯s head and walked toward the sofa. Nicole looked at Nn and asked, ¡°Why are you guys still awake? Were you guys watching a movie?¡± ¡°I wanted to wait for mommy toe home so Grandma watched with us,¡± exined Nn. N?velDrama.Org owns ? this. Nicole held Nn¡¯s hand and they walked toward the living room. ¡°Mom.¡± ¡°You¡¯re back! Is your grandfather doing, ok?¡± Nicole nodded. ¡°He¡¯s doing fine. We discussed somepany matters and came straight back here after dinner.¡± She left out the details of them talking about her uncles. She did not want her mother to start worrying about nothing. ¡°It¡¯s gettingte. Go put the kids in bed.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Nicole helped her mother up from the sofa. ¡°Then I¡¯ll head up first.¡± Gloria went upstairs. Nicole and Jared followed suit, with Nn and Lana. ¡°Mommy, is there still no news about the mission you sent?¡± Nn asked as heid down in bed. ¡°Not yet. This isn¡¯t an easy task, so the results might note in as fast.¡± Nicole patted her son¡¯s head lightly as she exined. Nn nodded but had a somewhat dissatisfied look. Nicole chuckled as she watched her son being overly worried about a mission she sent out. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. I think they¡¯ll give us something soon,¡± said Nicole softly. ¡°I think so too.¡± Nn nodded his head vigorously, trusting his mother. Nicole quickly tucked Nn in. ¡°Good night.¡± Nn listened obediently and not long after, he fell asleep. After the twins were put to bed, Jared and Nicole returned to their room. ¡°You can go ahead and rest first. I have to go check on the Hunters,¡± said Nicole, taking out herptop. ¡°It¡¯s okay, I can wait,¡± Jared said gently. ¡°No, you go ahead. It might take a while.¡± ¡®If everything goes well, it might take quite some time but if it doesn¡¯t, it¡¯ll take even longer,¡¯ Nicole thought to herself. Jared shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯ll go through my documents as I wait.¡± Nicole mentally sighed as she watched Jared get hisptop out. After logging in to herptop, Nicole went to check on the progress of the mission she sent out. ¡®As expected, the other party didn¡¯tmunicate at all after epting the mission. I wonder if they took this as a joke,¡¯ Nicole thought. Chapter 2299 Chapter 2299 Nicole waited for a while but there was no response, so she decided to check on the other tasks on the taskbar. Suddenly, an unusual ount caught her attention. The Hunters ount seemed to be newly created and at a beginner level. However, the techniques used by the user felt strangely familiar to her. She furrowed her eyebrows and traced the ount but failed to find its IP address. Even the method used to hide the IP address seemed somewhat familiar. After some extensive thinking, she vaguely recalled that this method was quite simr to Lawrence¡¯s. Lawrence was not well-versed in hacking, but he was curious about it, so Nicole had taught him a few things. However, heter expressed that he had no talent for it and had given up on learning howto hack. That happened a long time ago, so her memory of the event was not very clear. ¡®Still, this technique does resemble Lawrence¡¯s. But if Lawrence wasn¡¯t interested, why would he log in to the Hunters¡¯ website?¡¯ she wondered. She started to feel conflicted and uncertain. She could not wrap her head around this matter. ¡°What are you thinking about?¡± a chilling and gentle voice sounded in her ear. Nicole looked up at Jared and bit her lip. But ultimately, she did not voice her doubts. After all, she was not sure of her guess. ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± She closed theptop and put it away. ¡°Let¡¯s go to sleep.¡± Jared also put away hisptop and replied, ¡°Okay.¡± He had clearly noticed that Nicole did not look too good, but since she did not want to talk about it, he was not going to press her for answers. After washing up, the two of themy down to rest. Holding the nket, Nicole looked at Jared with a nervous expression, feeling inexplicably conflicted. All rights ? N?velDrama.Org. Jared smiled wryly as he knew that she was feeling a bit down. ¡®It¡¯s probably because of something she saw on the Hunters,¡¯ he thought. He did not push her. Instead, he gently kissed her forehead and said, ¡°Good night, and sweet dreams.¡± Nicole bit her lip lightly, feeling a warm sensation in her heart. She knew Jared sensed that she was not feeling her best. She appreciated that he was not pushing for her to share her thoughts. Turning to the side, she hugged his arm and smiled. ¡°Good night, sweet dreams.¡± Jared lovingly tapped her forehead and teased, ¡°Hurry up and go to sleep, or I can¡¯t guarantee I¡¯ll be able to control myself.¡± ¡°Alright, I¡¯m sleeping now!¡± Nicole immediately closed her eyes tightly. Jared smiled and extended his arm to pull Nicole into his embrace, hoping that it could bring her some comfort. The next day, the grand charity banquet proceeded as scheduled. As night fell, the venue lit up brilliantly. The scene bustled with activity and the sound of people chatting. Each time a car arrived, a burst of camera shutters went off, and the shing lights kept flickering around the new arrivals. ¡°It¡¯s Mr. and Mrs. Johnston!¡± someone eximed. Sure enough, as the car stopped, Jared and Nicole stepped out. Jared wore a well-tailored ck tuxedo, exuding an air of elegance and dominance. Meanwhile, Nicole donned a floorlength white evening gown, looking graceful and striking. They walked hand in hand, like a beautiful couple straight out of a painting. Camera shutters clicked and shlights shed, making the entrance a lively and happening scene. As the couple entered the venue, the noisy venue immediately quieted down. Everyone¡¯s gaze was fixed on the couple as they walked hand in hand. Chapter 2300 Chapter 2300 At that very moment, the couple¡¯s radiance illuminated the entire ce, making it even more dazzling. ¡°Mr. and Mrs. Johnston!¡± Some familiar people approached and started chatting with Jared. Gradually, others also gathered around, surrounding Jared and Nicole in the middle. After listening to their small talk, which was mostly about business matters, Nicole gestured to Jared and quietly excused herself from the crowd. She let out a sigh of relief once she stepped out. She looked around the venue. However, she did not see anyone she knew, so she found a quiet spot and sat down. The charity banquet was attended by celebrities from all walks of life in San Joto. But since it was still early, everyone was mingling freely. Nicole, on the other hand, did not feel like engaging in conversation with anyone and wanted to sit quietly by herself, waiting for Jared to join herter. Suddenly, a shadow loomed over her. Nicole¡¯s eyebrows furrowed as she raised her head to see who it was. ¡°Leo!¡± she eximed in surprise. ¡°You¡¯re here for the event too?¡± ¡°Yes, I received an invitation,¡± Lawrence replied. He smiled as he sat beside Nicole. Curious, she asked, ¡°Alone?¡± ¡°Ian went to park the car,¡± Lawrence replied nonchntly. For some reason, Nicole felt unsure why, but there seemed to be a bit of tension between them. She suddenly recalled the ount she saw on the Huntersst night. She hesitated and frowned in confusion but decided not to ask about it. Lawrence began chatting with her, his smile carrying a hint of yfulness. ¡°All alone here, huh? I suppose you don¡¯t enjoy such lively events?¡± ¡°Probably because I don¡¯t really know anyone here,¡± Nicole replied, not thinking too much about it. She just did not want to talk to anyone since she was not acquainted with them. She did not even want to talk about work matters with those she had business rtions with. It was better to sit quietly by herself. ¡°Same here. Guess I¡¯ll just stick with someone I know.¡± Lawrence looked like he was going to stay for a while. Nicole could not help but smile defeatedly. ¡°You don¡¯t have to keep mepany. It¡¯s kind of necessary to socialize today.¡± She noticed that everyone was trying to get close to the people they wanted something from. Even if they could not discuss business projects today, building rtionships now would only make things go smoother in the future. Lawrence did not seem to care and replied, ¡°It¡¯s alright. Since it¡¯s a charity banquet, there¡¯s no harm in focusing on doing good.¡± As they chatted, Lawrence¡¯s gentle demeanor attracted some curious nces from others. Nicole narrowed her eyes as she sensed their impure gazes. After all, where there were people, there would be gossip. ¡°It¡¯s about time. Let¡¯s go to our seats.¡± Nicole figured that it was better to maintain a certain distance from Lawrence at this moment. Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org. As Jared¡¯s wife, it would be strange if she chatted with others and not with Jared. Seeing Nicole stand up, Lawrence understood her intentions and could onlyply with her decision. As they were about to move toward their seats, Nicole¡¯s eyes widened slightly as they met two people coming their way. It was Snow. So naturally, the person beside her must be Harvey. Nicole nced at Harvey discreetly. He was indeed the wealthy and handsome man who captivated Snow. But unfortunately, his heart was dark, and his good looks were meaningless. Chapter 2301 Chapter 2301 ¡°Wee back.¡± Harvey politely extended his right hand with a smile. ¡°I couldn¡¯t attend your wee banquetst time because I wasn¡¯t in San Joto.¡± Nicole nced coldly at Harvey and said, ¡°You don¡¯t have to exin yourself. Even if you were here, I wouldn¡¯t have sent you an invitation.¡± ¡°You¡¯re still the same after all these years.¡± Harvey withdrew his hand, somewhat disgruntled. ¡°I¡¯ve always treated people I dislike this way,¡± Nicole replied as she nced at Snow. Harvey knew that she was insulting him. Since he had broken up with Snow, it meant that he did not like her. But now, they were back together again, and she despised his actions. However, everything he did was for Nicole. He wanted to prove himself to her, so she would eventually see the actual powerful man that was worthy of her to entrust her life to. For five years, he thought she had vanished and would never see her again, so his feelings for her died along with that thought. That was until he heard that she had returned and was holding a grand wee banquet to formally celebrate her return to the Riddle Corporation. He hurriedly finished his overseas project and rushed back as quickly as possible. But even though he was back, he did not have a reasonable excuse to see her. At the end of the day, he decided to prove himself to her so she would see him eventually. Nicole frowned as she could sense Harvey¡¯s intense gaze on her, feeling extremely repulsed by his stare. ¡°Harvey, let¡¯s go to our seats,¡± Snow said softly. ¡°You go ahead.¡± Harvey had no intention of leaving after seeing Nicole. He just wanted to look at her closely. After all, she had disappeared for five years, and he had even thought she was no longer alive. Now, seeing her in person, Harvey felt like he hade back to life. Snow¡¯s face turned pale instantly, and she could not help but resent Nicole even more. ¡®Why did it have to be Nicole? Harvey and I were doing fine, but everything changed once she appeared. Why?!¡¯ Taking note of their expressions, Nicole¡¯s eyes narrowed in displeasure. She really disliked feeling like she was prey. With a cold gaze, Nicole said, ¡°Do as you please, but please don¡¯t block the way.¡± After speaking, Nicole walked around Harvey and headed toward her and Jared¡¯s seats. Harvey suddenly raised his voice. ¡°Grandpa misses you too!¡± Nicole continued walking without stopping. Why would his grandfather miss me? Why would he even come and tell me that? What¡¯s wrong with him?¡¯ Harvey squinted slightly when he saw Nicole unmoved.¡¯ Even if she did not want to acknowledge me, why was she suddenly so cold to Grandpa? Something¡¯s not right.¡¯ ¡°Mr. Ellison, it¡¯s better not to disturb other people¡¯s lives,¡± Lawrence reminded, not liking how Harvey looked at Nicole. ¡°Same to you,¡± Harvey replied calmly as if he knew Lawrence very well. Though he did not fully understand Lawrence¡¯s background, he was well aware of what Lawrence did after arriving in San Joto. As soon as Harvey returned, he thoroughly investigated Nicole¡¯s situation before deciding to target NandoCorp. Lawrence nced at Harvey with a heavy gaze, and Harvey met his eyes without flinching before turning away. Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org. ¡°Harvey.¡± Snow quickly followed after him, even though she was feeling very unhappy inside. She knew she had to stick closely to Harvey at this moment to make their rtionship clear. Lawrence¡¯s face darkened slightly as he watched Harvey walk away. He was well aware of Harvey¡¯s intentions toward Nicole. But if he had feelings for Nicole, why was he with Snow now? ¡°Mr. Lawrence.¡± Ian came over and stood beside Lawrence. Lawrence said coldly, ¡°I want all the information about Harvey and Nicole from the past.¡± Chapter 2302 Chapter 2302 Back there, it sounded like they had a history together. Although it did not sound pleasant, it was evident that they had a history. Ian respectfully replied, ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Looking over again, Lawrence saw that Jared had already sat down with Nicole. Lawrence narrowed his eyes and walked quickly to his own seat. Nicole saw Jared returning and asked softly, ¡°They finally let you go, huh?¡± ¡°They¡¯re not as important as my wife,¡± Jared whispered back. Nicole gave Jared a disdainful look and said, ¡°Behave properly when we¡¯re in public.¡± ¡°I am behaving properly,¡± Jared said confidently as he held Nicole¡¯s delicate hand. Behaving properly? If others hear that, their jaws will probably drop,¡¯ she thought. Gently squeezing Nicole¡¯s soft hand, Jared whispered, ¡°What did Harvey say?¡± ¡°Nothing, just reminiscing about the past,¡± Nicole replied nonchntly. Jared raised an eyebrow slightly. ¡°Do you have a past to reminisce about?¡± ¡°Lulu has already told me about our past.¡± Nicole¡¯s face darkened a bit. It seemed they indeed needed to not only reminisce about the past but also had to tally new and old ounts. Framing the Johnston family and plotting against her, conspiring with Everett to sabotage Riddle Corporation¡¯s headquarters, and now setting his sights on NandoCorp. Did he think she was an easy target? Sensing Nicole¡¯s coldness, Jared said softly, ¡°It¡¯s good that you know. We have time in the future, don¡¯t worry.¡± He was worried that Harvey¡¯s interaction might have revealed something, but thankfully, Lulu had already informed Nicole beforehand, so there should not be a problem. Nicole frowned slightly. ¡°But one thing is strange. When I arrived, he said his grandfather misses me.¡± ¡°How did you respond?¡± Jared¡¯s expression became serious. He had overlooked this aspect. ¡°I ignored him.¡± Nicole also sensed something was amiss and asked in a low voice, ¡°Should I know his grandfather?¡± ¡°Not only that, but you also had quite a close rtionship with him.¡± Jared had no choice but to be honest. Nicole furrowed her eyebrows when she heard about her past acquaintance with Mr. Ellison. ¡®I see. Could Harvey have suspected something from my reaction just now?¡¯ She subconsciously wanted to turn her head to take a look, but Jared stopped her and said, ¡°Don¡¯t turn your head. If you look at him now, he¡¯ll be suspicious.¡± Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org. ¡°So, you¡¯re saying that he¡¯s suspecting me?¡± Nicole wondered, ¡®Is that why he was testing me just now?¡¯ ¡°Perhaps he just wants to get closer to you. But if you turn around now, he might start suspecting,¡± Jared whispered to Nicole. Nicole immediately stopped her movement as she knew that Jared was right. Harvey might not have noticed anything substantial but, at most, he might be curious. However, if she were to pay attention to Harvey¡¯s actions now, with his suspicious nature, he would surely overthink it. Chapter 2303 Chapter 2303 Nicole then lowered her voice and said, ¡®Til visit Mr. Ellison another day.¡± ¡°It¡¯s better to invite him out.¡± Jared¡¯s expression became slightly somber, and his tone carried a hint of seriousness. Nicole furrowed her eyebrows. ¡¯ Why?¡± She felt that something was off. The Ellison Group was a first -rate corporation in the city, and Mr. Ellison¡¯s status was not to be underestimated. So why did Jared sound so uneasy when he talked about Mr. Ellison? All rights ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°For now, Mr. Ellison has stepped down from all positions in Ellison Group, except for the position of principal at the university. Also, all previous partnerships with me have been terminated. Now, Harvey is in full control of the Ellison family affairs,¡± Jared exined in a low voice. ¡°Has something happened?¡± Nicole was sharp, and she immediately thought of a possibility. ¡°Probably due to past events,¡± Jared said briefly, without giving detailed exnations. Back then, the Ellison Group always targeted the Johnston Corporation and the Riddle Corporation, up until Nicole¡¯s disappearance. Harvey had finally toned it down, but he still had his eyes set on the Ellison Group. After he took over the Ellison Group, Jared and Mr. Ellison¡¯s partnership gradually decreased before ultimately bing obsolete. However, he did not think it was appropriate to discuss this matter in such a setting. Nicole nodded slightly, not pressing further. She had a basic understanding of it anyway. As they spoke, the charity event had already begun. Nicole and Jared raised their heads to look at the stage. The host took the stage, and his deep voice filled the venue with opening remarks. Nicole listened attentively, not noticing that a few pairs of eyes were watching her. Lawrence¡¯s eyes had a hint of gloom as he observed Jared and Nicole. His profound gaze made it hard to discern what he was thinking. ¡°Mr. Lawrence, here¡¯s the information you wanted.¡± Ian returned and handed a document to Lawrence. Lawrence opened it, his eyes growing even darker after reading the contents. ¡®I can¡¯t believe Harvey actually had such a past connection with Nicole. No wonder he dared to approach her just now. How audacious.¡¯ ¡°Mr. Lawrence, do you need me to do anything?¡± Ian asked in a low voice. ¡°Not for now.¡± He could not act at the moment. But as soon as Nicole needed his help, he would be there. ¡°Yes, sir,¡± Ian replied respectfully. On the other side, Harvey was also paying attention to Nicole. He always felt an odd sensation when facing Nicole. Although her attitude was no different from before, he could not pinpoint what was strange. ¡°After Nicole¡¯s return, have you noticed anything different about herpared to before?¡± Harvey¡¯s voice was calm, and he did not even nce at Snow. But Snow knew he was asking her. ¡°No, she¡¯s the same as before,¡± Snow answered softly. ¡®She was still as annoying and as difficult to deal with as before.¡¯ Harvey finally looked at Raine, who remained meek and submissive, not showing any signs of suspicion. Soon, Harvey withdrew his gaze and looked at Nicole again. His strange feeling intensified, and his pupils involuntarily constricted. ¡°Harvey, the charity auction has begun,¡± Snow softly reminded Harvey. Chapter 2304 Chapter 2304 Harvey heard it, but he seemed unaffected, still pondering over what exactly made Nicole seem different from before. However, he could not find anything, and this frustrated him. Seeing Harvey continuously focusing on Nicole, Snow could not help but feel annoyed and suffocated. It was driving her crazy. ¡°Harvey, that diamond ne is called ¡®Heart of the Ocean ¡®. Legend has it that the person who obtains this ne will be happy for life,¡± Snow said through her teeth but she was still looking at Harvey sheepishly. ¡°Heart of the Ocean,¡± Harvey repeated, wondering if possessing it would bring happiness for life. ¡°Okay,¡± Harvey finally responded. Snow looked at him with anticipation. If he could win the Heart of the Ocean for her, did it mean that he still had feelings for her? ¡°The bidding for the Heart of the Ocean begins now, starting at five hundred thousand,¡± announced the auctioneer, and the venue immediately became lively. ¡°Six hundred thousand dors!¡± ¡°Seven hundred thousand dors!¡± ¡°One million dors!¡± With intensepetition, the bid for the Heart of the Ocean quickly reached three million dors. However, the voices of the bidders gradually quieted down because they noticed that the three who were still bidding were Jared, Lawrence, and Harvey. A strange atmosphere seemed to be in the air, and the attendees all fell silent, waiting to see who would eventually win. ¡°Four million dors.¡± Harvey raised the bid once more. Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org. ¡°Five million dors.¡± Lawrence was not willing to back down. ¡°Alright, five million dors, any more bids?¡± With the auctioneer¡¯s voice falling, the venue fell into silence. Everyone¡¯s gaze fell on Jared, wanting to know if he would give up or continue bidding. ¡°Jared, let it go,¡± Nicole advised Jared in a low voice, feeling that suchpetition had no meaning. The charity auction was meant to raise funds for a good cause, so as long as all the items were sold, the funds raised would be put to good use. Nicole believed that was the real purpose. Besides, it was clear that the three were not willing to give in to each other. Instead ofpeting like this, it would be better to wait for other items. As long as they bid on one thing to express their feelings, the rest did not matter. Jared looked at Nicole and replied meaningfully, ¡°This ne is meant for you.¡± ¡°Do you really believe that a ne can bring a lifetime of happiness? That¡¯s too easy.¡± She did not believe it. Happiness still needed to be earned through one¡¯s efforts. Jared gently held Nicole¡¯s delicate hand tofort her, then raised his bidder card and said calmly, ¡°Ten million dors.¡± ¡°What?!¡± The venue erupted into amotion. Three million was already far beyond the value of the ne itself, but in charity auctions, nobody cared about the actual value of the items. However, witnessing the fierce bidding from, especially Jared¡¯s one-time offer of ten million, was unprecedented. ¡°Ten million dors¡­ Going once¡­ Going twice¡­¡± The auctioneer waited, and if no one continued to bid, he would finalize the sale. He actually did not expect anyone to bid further, as this was already an astronomical price. Jared leaned back in his chair leisurely, gently holding Nicole¡¯s hand. He seemed certain of the oue, just waiting for the announcement. Lawrence¡¯s pupils constricted slightly. He understood that Jared had seen through his intentions, so tonight, no matter how much he offered, Jared would not let him seed. ncing at the ne on the auction stage, Lawrence tightened his bidder card and finally chose to give up. Chapter 2305 Chapter 2305 Originally, it was just a probe. Since Jared understood his intentions, there would be another chance. Harvey¡¯s face also darkened as he stared thoughtfully at the ne on the auction stage. A ne that represented happiness, would it hold a special meaning if he gave it to Nicole? However, it was evident that continuing the bidding would lead to no result. ¡°Harvey¡­¡± Snow looked at Harvey with aplex expression. She really hoped that he would win the ne for her, but ten million¡­ It seemed that Jared was unwilling to let go either. Harvey finally nced at Snow and put down his bidder card. He did consider bidding for the Heart of the Ocean to give to Nicole, as he wanted himself to be the only person to bring Nicole happiness. But Snow¡¯s reminder made him realize that it was not the best time. The issues at NandoCorp were not fully resolved, and he needed to remain calm. Seeing Harvey giving up on bidding, Snow felt disappointed, but she still consoled him maturely, ¡°It¡¯s just a ne, and I don¡¯t want it that much.¡± Harvey looked at Snow nomittally. Whether she wanted it or not was none of his business. ¡°One-time bid of ten million!¡± the auctioneer finally dered. ¡°Congrattions, Mr. Han!¡± Others congratted Jared as well. At the same time, they felt relieved. They were worried that this bidding war would never end. After all, it was Mr. Johnston, and they knew he would not go home empty-handed. Subsequently, the stewardess brought the Heart of the Ocean to the small table in front of Jared and Nicole. ¡°Let me put it on for you,¡± Jared said gently as he held the ne. Nicole epted the ne and kept it back in the box.¡± Forget it.¡± She had already felt the envious eyes of all thedies in the room. If she wore the ne, she might even get hated. She was not used to being scrutinized like that and was feeling extremely uneasy. She preferred being low-key. After putting the ne back into the box, Nicole looked at Jared and said seriously, ¡°Thank you.¡± She understood his intentions. Although a ne could not truly determine someone¡¯s happiness, it had good symbolism and represented good wishes and blessings. A devilish glint shed in Jared¡¯s eyes as he whispered in Nicole¡¯s ear. ¡°You can thank me in another way.¡± Oddly enough, Nicole understood his meaning, and her cheeks flushed. She scolded him yfully. ¡°Stop it! We¡¯re at a charity event.¡± ¡°Okay, then let¡¯s go home.¡± Jared smiled knowingly. Nicole¡¯s cheeks grew even warmer. She looked away and nced at the auction stage. ¡®This guy really is something¡­¡¯ The auction continued, and since Nicole and Jared did not participate, it progressed smoothly, and the charity auction items were sessfully sold one after another. ¡°Next, we have a high-quality jade peace buckle, with a diameter of twenty centimeters. The jade is translucent and wless¡­¡± As the auctioneer introduced the item, the red cloth covering the jade peace buckle was lifted, revealing a pure white jade peace buckle. Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org. ¡°Wow, it¡¯s really high-quality!¡± someone eximed. ¡°Three hundred thousand dors!¡± ¡°Three hundred and fifty thousand dors.¡± someone else quickly increased the bid. ¡°Fifty thousand.¡± Nicole raised her bidder card. Jared nced at her. ¡°Do you want it?¡± ¡°Since I¡¯m here, I should participate. I¡¯m now representing the Riddle Corporation.¡± Nicole smiled, thinking that if she won, she could take it home and give it to her grandfather. Chapter 2306 Chapter 2306 ¡°555 thousand dors,¡± another female voice rang out, and everyone instinctively looked at Snow. Nicole was no exception as she calmly nced at Snow. Snow had her chin tilted toward Nicole, a hint of provocation in her eyes. With a sarcastic smile, Nicole withdrew her gaze. Since Snow wanted the limelight, she could have it. ¡°560 thousand dors,¡± Nicole said, raising her bidder card again. ¡°600 thousand dors¡¯¡± Snow bid anxiously, afraid that Nicole would snatch the jade peace buckle from her. ¡°Six hundred and ten thousand.¡± Nicole calmly raised her card once more. N?velDrama.Org owns ? this. Seeing both of them interested in the peace buckle, others voluntarily refrained from bidding, leaving the opportunity to Nicole and Snow. However, curiosity arose. Who would ultimately get the peace buckle? As Snow¡¯s bids increased, Nicole followed with a mere ten thousand dors difference, not willing to give up. Snow¡¯s face turned somewhat purple. ¡®Nicole is clearly doing it on purpose,¡¯ she thought. She simply could not let Nicole have her way. She must get this jade peace buckle. After losing the ne just now, she could not afford to lose again, or she would lose all her dignity. However, as her father¡¯s budget had already reached the upper limit, Snow began to feel anxious. If Nicole continued to raise the bid, she would be in trouble. Biting her lip lightly, Snow looked at Harvey and asked softly, ¡°Harvey, this peace buckle has a good meaning, and I really like it. Do you like it?¡± She had to seek Harvey¡¯s help as she desperately wanted to win Nicole. Besides, she had already lost the ne just now, and if Harvey could win the jade peace buckle for her, it would not be in vain for her to apany him to the charity event. If she got the peace buckle from Harvey in front of all these celebrities in San Joto, it would be a recognition of her identity, and she could then confidently wait to be Mrs. Ellison. Harvey nced at Snow and calmly said, ¡°If you find it useful, bid for it. If not, let it go.¡± Snow¡¯s smile froze, unable to believe what she was hearing. So, she was rejected once again! Harvey had given up the ne earlier, and now he was refusing to help her with the peace buckle. What exactly was his deal? With a tinge of unwillingness, Snow bit her lip. Her face turned pale and then flushed as she grew more resentful. Her gaze shifted to Nicole, ring at her with bitterness. Why did bad luck always follow her whenever Nicole was around? Even Harvey, whom she had worked so hard to regain favor with, had be cold toward her. The more she thought about it, the angrier she got. Snow lost her rationality and raised her bidder card, saying, ¡°1.5 million dors!¡± ¡°1.501 million dors,¡± Nicole¡¯s voice sounded again. Snow¡¯s face turned red with anger. She no longer cared about anything else and raised her card again, shouting, ¡°2 million dors!¡± ¡°2.1 million dors.¡± Nicole lookedposed and rxed as if the peace buckle was already in her possession. Seeing that Nicole did not raise the bid by just one thousand but increased by a whole hundred thousand, Snow panicked and immediately shouted, ¡°3 million dors!¡± This time, she had reached her peak. She did not believe that Nicole would still be willing to raise the bid. Everyone looked at Nicole, waiting to see her next move. However, Nicole shrugged and put her bidder card on the small table, indicating that she was done for now. Chapter 2307 Chapter 2307 There was no lively scene to watch anymore, and everyone withdrew their gaze. Snow stared at Nicole in disbelief. Although she was determined to win, she felt no satisfaction in winning when she saw Nicole¡¯s expression. ¡°Miss, this is the peace buckle you bid for. Please settle the ount backstage after the event. Thank you for your contribution to the charity.¡± The hostess politely reminded Snow before leaving. Staring at the jade peace buckle, Snow felt like she had just woken up from a dream. How could she lose her sanity like that? She bid 3 million dors, but her father had only given her a budget of 2 million dors. How was she going to deal with the extra 1 million dors? Finally regaining herposure, Snow¡¯s face turned pale, showing a look of despair. ¡°Next, we will present another charity auction item¡­¡± N?velDrama.Org owns ? this. The charity event continued, but Snow could not focus on anything anymore. Her eyes were fixed on the peace buckle, and she was lost in her thoughts. Finally, the event ended, and the guests began to leave one after another, settling the ounts for the items they had bid on. Nicole and Jared settled the ount for the ne and returned to their seats. They found Snow still sitting there in a daze, and a smirk appeared on Nicole¡¯s lips. ¡°Did you expect that she didn¡¯t have enough money to settle the ount?¡± Lawrence¡¯s voice sounded in Nicole¡¯s ear. She turned to look at him with a smile. ¡°You¡¯re still here?¡± ¡°While I didn¡¯t win anything, I did make a donation,¡± Lawrence replied, indicating that he had juste backstage. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re leaving now,¡± Nicole said, not asking further. ¡°Yeah,¡± Lawrence said as he prepared to leave as well. Though Nicole did not answer his question, based on his understanding of Nicole, he knew that there must be a reason behind her giving up on the auction. Snow had probably fallen into Nicole¡¯s trap, and Nicole¡¯s decision to give up must be rted to that. Now, looking at Snow¡¯s lost expression, Lawrence thought he had probably guessed correctly. ¡°Let¡¯s go home,¡± Jared said, not liking Nicole¡¯s casual way of speaking with Lawrence. He took Nicole¡¯s hand and the pair left together. Lawrence¡¯s face darkened as he watched them leave. With everyone gone, including Harvey, Snow was still sitting in her seat, unable to go backstage to settle the ount. ¡°Miss, the backstage is waiting for you to settle the ount. Besides, the to close for the night,¡± the hostess reminded Snow Snow¡¯s face turned even paler, but she gritted her teeth and said, ¡°I know.¡± The hostess saw that Snow responded but was still not moving, so she could not help but ask, ¡°Miss, do you not like the peace buckle? If you really do not like it, you can abandon the bid.¡± Snow took a deep breath and stood up, saying, ¡°I¡¯ll go settle the ount now.¡± She could not possibly abandon the bid. That would make her theughingstock of all of San Joto. If she bid for an item at a charity auction and then abandoned it, it would be like telling everyone that she regretted it because she could not afford it. Even if she would get scolded by her father, she had to take the peace buckle home. Helpless, Snow made a call while walking, asking Dillon to transfer the money to her. After getting scolded, Snow ultimately got the money and left with the peace buckle. Outside, she looked at the dim night sky, clenching her teeth in anger. Aftering to her senses, Snow realized she had been fooled by Nicole. She had lost three million dors, and just thinking about it made her blood boil. If she had not been impulsive at that moment, she would not have suffered such a big loss. Now, even Harvey had abandoned her, leaving her feeling like she had lost everything. Chapter 2308 Chapter 2308 The next day at the Riddle Corporation, one could hear Lulu¡¯s heartyugh drifting from Nicole¡¯s office. Nicole could not help asking, ¡°Are you actually happy about this?¡± ¡°Of course! How dare Snow challenge you with that brain of hers!¡± Lulu responded with a scowl on her face. Just the thought of it made Lulu excited. On top of that, when Lulu found out that Nicole put Snow in a bad spot, she felt like she finally got her revenge. Looking at how Lulu acted, Nicole could not help but shake her head and smile. ¡°I heard Snow was seeking help from the family, so she was forced to own up to everything. When I think back on how arrogantly she acted in school, who would¡¯ve thought that one day she would be this desperate. Karma really got her this time.¡± Lulu was in such a good mood that she could not stop mocking Snow. When Lulu was done with her mocking, she turned to look at Nicole and gloated, ¡°Oh, I heard that Raine had made a move. Because of this incident, she¡¯s persuading Dillon not to give Snow any power.¡± Nicole raised her eyebrows and thought, ¡®Raine is quick to react. She really is on guard at all times.¡¯ ¡°We¡¯re gathering at the family manor tonight. I¡¯ll keep an eye out forthem.¡± Nicole¡¯s tone lowered a little. If what Lulu heard about was true, Harvey would have to speed up his n. ¡°That¡¯s good. Just make sure you don¡¯t let them out of your sight,¡± Lulu reminded Nicole, nodding.N?velDrama.Org owns ? this. Nicole made a mental note of it. Then, she looked up at Lulu and said, ¡°I see you¡¯re in a great mood today. What¡¯s going on? You¡¯ve decided on that matter?¡± Lulu blushed and nodded shyly to indicate she had made her final decision. Something shed across Nicole¡¯s eyes as she nced at Lulu. By judging her looks, Lulu seems very happy with her decision. Are they getting married soon?¡± Raising her eyebrow, Nicole carefully questioned, ¡°You weren¡¯t there at yesterday¡¯s charity ball. Were you on a date with Spencer? Or¡­¡± After pausing for a moment, Nicole smiled and made a wild guess. ¡°Did Spencer pop the question?¡± ¡°That did not happen. It¡¯s just that, I¡¯ve finally thought through the whole thing,¡± Lulu said shyly. ¡°I¡¯ve decided not to run away anymore and be brave.¡± Lulu had decided to spend the rest of her life with Spencer. She realized that those things which she insisted on previously wereughable. Therefore, she wanted to make it up to Spencer. Nicole nodded. ¡°I¡¯m d you¡¯ve thought about it thoroughly. I was worried you¡¯d beat around the bush again.¡± ¡°Oh, so you¡¯ve always thought of me as someone like that?¡± Lulu purposely teased. ¡°The more you care, the more you think. It¡¯s only because you care for him that you¡¯d act this way.¡± Lulu scratched her head in embarrassment. ¡°I never thought about it that way before.¡± Recent events made Lulu realize that she should seize the opportunity and hold onto the happiness she had. Otherwise, she would regret it for the rest of her life. ¡°Well, I¡¯m just d that you¡¯re over it. This is an early congrattions to you!¡± Nicole smiled. ¡®Spencer can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel now.¡¯ As both of them were chatting, Lulu¡¯s phone rang all of a sudden. Seeing that it was from Spencer, Lulu smiled and picked up the phone. ¡°Hello, Spencer.¡± Chapter 2309 Chapter 2309 Through the phone, Spencer¡¯s joy-filled tone rang through. ¡°I couldn¡¯t reply to your message just now because I was busy. What¡¯s up?¡± Lulu had finally contacted him first! He had a hard time over the past few days. All he cared about was to see her as soon as possible. ¡°Are you free tonight? I want to talk to you about something. ¡± Lulu blushed at her own words. ¡°I¡¯m free,¡± Spencer instantly agreed. ¡°I¡¯ll pick you up after work.¡± ¡°Alright, see youter.¡± Lulu hung up and smiled as if an idea had popped up in her mind. Nicole raised her an eyebrow. ¡®Why does it sound like there was something more behind Lulu¡¯s reply?¡¯ ¡°Lulu, are you hiding something?¡± Nicole asked out of curiosity. ¡°There¡¯s nothing.¡± Lulu quickly looked away as she did not dare to look Nicole in the eye. Nicole tilted her head a little and observed Lulu. It was obvious that something was going on with Lulu. ¡°Umm¡­ I¡¯ll head back to work now.¡± Feeling a sense of pressure on her, Lulu immediately escaped. Nicole shook her head slightly and smirked. She could tell that something was off at one nce. However, Lulu was reluctant to tell her. Nicole wanted to see how long Lulu would keep it a secret from her. After Lulu left, Nicole looked at her desk, flipped through the documents on it and began to work. In the blink of an eye, lunch break came and went. Nicole was resting in her office when a sudden knock came from her door. She replied doubtfully, ¡°Come in.¡± ¡®Who woulde over at this hour. It can¡¯t be Lulu. She just went out.1 When the door opened, Er walked in. Nicole responded out of shock, ¡°What are you doing here?¡± ¡°Nicole, I¡¯m here to see you.¡± Er ced a small box on the coffee table. ¡°This is a new product from the dessert shop at the corner of the street. Have some.¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± said Nicole, but she never opened the box. After all, she had just finished lunch and her stomach was still really full. ¡°Nicole, you don¡¯t have to be so formal with me.¡± Er sat down and smiled at Nicole. Nicole smiled back and replied, ¡°Alright, just leave it for now. I¡¯ll have it for teater.¡± Er¡¯s smile widened, satisfied. ¡°I¡¯m actually here to seek your opinion on a case.¡± N?velDrama.Org owns ? this. ¡°What case?¡± Nicole turned serious. She knew Er had been hardworking after he joined BayCorp. Moreover, BayCorp¡¯s sales were boosted after he joined them. BayCorp was no longer thepany struggling to make ends meet and relying on the head office to maintain its operations. Nicole was very satisfied with Er¡¯s efforts and skills. After all, Uncle Dexter and his family treated Nicole¡¯s family well. She hoped that his family would do well too. Er handed a document to Nicole. ¡°This is the one. I was quite uncertain about it for a while. I always had a hunch that something was missing from this proposal, but I can¡¯t put my finger on it.¡± Nicole took over and opened it. After she looked through the proposal, she fell into deep thought. Er did not bother her either. He just sat there and waited quietly. He trusted that Nicole would give him good advice when she was ready. After a while, Nicole held the document out to Er. She pointed at a few parts of the document and exined,¡± Here. I think there needs to be more resources needed in the publicity. The methods should be novel. As for the direction of this proposal¡­¡± Chapter 2310 Chapter 2310 After hearing what Nicole pointed out, Eliar beamed. ¡°What you said was amazing! I knew you¡¯d figure it out!¡± They had run through this proposal many times and made a lot of changes, but Er was never satisfied. He could not think of anything else to make it better, so he sought Nicole¡¯s help. On the other hand, he was also worried that he¡¯d interrupt Nicole at work. So, he purposely chose to find her during lunch break. Nicole returned the proposal to Er and said, ¡°It¡¯s nothing much. You don¡¯t have much experience in this, but you¡¯ll get better at it over time. Especially with your skills, I¡¯m sure it won¡¯t take long.¡± Er was extremely happy to be praised by Nicole. ¡°I¡¯ll work hard!¡± Nicole smiled and replied, ¡°We¡¯ve all seen the effort you put in.¡± At that moment, Er recalled the call he received from Dexter. ¡°Oh right, Nicole. Do you know why Uncle Damien is gathering everyone at the family manor?¡± ¡°He is?¡± Nicole was taken aback by the news. ¡°Yeah, he wants everyone to be there tonight. Uncle Damien, Uncle Dillon, your family and my family. All four of our families have to be there.¡± Er realized that Nicole had no clue about the meeting. Then, he mumbled, ¡°I wonder what he¡¯s gathering us for.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll find out when you¡¯re there,¡± Nicole responded, raising an eyebrow. Since Damien had gathered everyone, everything would be revealed soon. ¡°I don¡¯t know what Uncle Damien has up his sleeve, but I can tell that it¡¯s nothing great,¡± Er could not help but say. It had been a while since everyone gathered at the family manor. Ever since Nicole inherited the head office, everyone seemed to be avoiding each other. So, it was rare for everyone to meet each other at the same time. And now, Damien suddenly asked everyone to gather in that house. Something seemed off. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. With Grandpa around, Uncle Damien wouldn¡¯t dare to do anything.¡± Nicole shrugged, seemingly unbothered. Although Mr. Riddle Sr. and the rest were not sure what Damien was up to, Mr. Riddle Sr. had alerted Nicole about his frequent visits. This showed that Mr. Riddle Sr. was still cautious about Damien. With that, Nicole would have nothing to worry about. Seeing how calm Nicole was, Er nodded. ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± ¡°Alright. You should get back to work if there¡¯s nothing else you need. Your employees must be waiting for you to start the meeting,¡± Nicole reminded Er. ¡°How did you know?¡± Er said in surprise. Nicole nced at the proposal in Er¡¯s hands and thought,¡¯ They¡¯ve been working on this proposal for days and couldn¡¯t finalize it. Er had no choice but to find me immediately. That means he¡¯s in a hurry toplete the proposal.¡¯ Looking at Nicole¡¯s gaze, Er found the answer to his question. Feeling somewhat awkward, he scratched his head and smiled innocently. ¡°I¡¯ll head back now.¡± ¡°Alright, see you tonight.¡± Nicole gave a soft smile. ¡°Alright,¡± Er replied and walked out. After he left the room, Nicole leaned on the sofa and narrowed her eyes. Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org. ¡®What¡¯s Uncle Damien scheming that he¡¯s gathering everyone at the family manor? Grandpa did mention that Uncle Damien visits him frequently, but he was always alone. Why is he asking everyone to be there this time?¡¯ Nicole knew that something was off, but she had not found anything suspicious about Damien recently. She could not tell what Damien was nning to do next. In the blink of an eye, it was time to get off work. Nicole had just left the office when she bumped into Sean and Steve. ¡°Sean, Steve, let¡¯s go down together,¡± Nicole said in lieu of greeting them. Then, the three of them entered the elevator together. Chapter 2311 Chapter 2311 The atmosphere was unusually depressing. Steve could not help asking, ¡°Sean, did Uncle Damien really show no signs of motive?¡± Sean shook his head. ¡°We didn¡¯t find anything odd.¡± And it was exactly because they did not find anything odd that everything seemed fishy. ¡°Previously, Grandpa mentioned that Uncle Damien visits him frequently. Could Uncle Damien be eyeing the family manor?¡± Nicole guessed. Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org. After all, Miley and Karen had been eyeing Mr. Riddle Sr.¡¯s assets. They did not manage to get any of thepany¡¯s shares, nor any right of inheritance from the Riddle family. They must be yearning to get something. ¡°But what would Uncle Damien want from the family manor? Grandpa wouldn¡¯t allow it anyways.¡± Steve was still confused. Nicole frowned. ¡®It¡¯s true that there¡¯s nothing in the manor that Uncle Damien could easily take. If he really were aiming for something, it¡¯d be something which Mr. Riddle Sr. hadn¡¯t noticed. ¡®So, what would be something that Grandpa hasn¡¯t noticed? In family manor, there¡¯s-¡® All of a sudden, Nicole recalled something, and her eyes darkened. ¡°Thend certificate of the family manor,¡± Sean slowly uttered. Seeing that Sean hade to the same conclusion, Nicole nodded in agreement. ¡°That seems to be the most probable thing.¡± Steve gritted his teeth. ¡°He really has the guts to think about that!¡± Damien actually had his eye on the family manor. If everything went his He would most likely be angered and fall sick again. ¡°Their sight is only guided by money,¡± Nicole said coldly. ¡°But what would he do if he manages to get the family manor?¡± Nicole was still confused about that. Even though Damien was a greedy person, he would not make it obvious yet. ¡°Maybe Everett is going to make a move,¡± Nicole spected with a serious look. She turned to Sean. Then, Sean nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll ask my men to keep an eye on him.¡± ¡°What are they scheming now? Isn¡¯t it enough for them to partner with Harvey in targeting Uncle Dillon¡¯spany?¡± Steve was a little angered. ¡®These people are really annoying!¡¯ Nicole¡¯s gaze darkened as she spoke solemnly, ¡°They were bold enough to try and kill Grandpa. Did you think they¡¯d be satisfied with getting DillCorp only?¡± The whole room was quiet. They were clear that it was not enough for Damien. The elevator had reached the ground floor. After the three of them walked out, they headed for their cars. Since everyone was gathering at the family manor, Nicole had informed Jared not to pick her up. She asked Jared to apany Nn and Lana as she would be carpooling with Sean and Steve. ¡°Samuel won¡¯t be attending because he hasn¡¯t recovered yet. Mom and Dad should¡¯ve informed Stanley and Spencer about it. They¡¯ll head over on their own. I guess we can just go there straight away and meet them there.¡± Steve nced at the time as he spoke. ¡°I don¡¯t think Spencer will be there.¡± Nicole recalled that Lulu had a date with Spencer. The both of them must be having a romantic date at that moment. ¡°Is he busy?¡± Steve asked, furrowing his brows. ¡°If he¡¯s noting, then so be it. You never seem to care about him anyways,¡± Sean said calmly. After all, the gathering that night was not meant to be a reunion. Being rebutted by Sean, Steve shrugged his shoulders. ¡°I was just asking.¡± Although they knew that Damien was setting a trap for them, Steve felt it was clear that they were not there to fight. So, there was no use to gather a lot of people there. Chapter 2313 Chapter 2313 Before her niece could reject again, Gloria said, ¡°Nicole, you should visit Uncle Dexter when you¡¯re free.¡± After all, it would be ungracious not to ept one¡¯s kindness. Gloria felt that Dexter and his family had no ill intentions toward them, so of course they would have to build a good rtionship. At the end of the day, they were family. Hearing Gloria¡¯s advice, Nicole decided to ept the invite. ¡°Alright then. I¡¯ll bring my parents along with me.¡± ¡°Haha, sure! The more the merrier. Ask your brothers to join you as well!¡± Dexter responded with laughter. ¡°We¡¯re all here to visit Grandpa, and here you guys are causing amotion while ignoring Grandpa. What attitude is this?¡± Raine scoffed and scorned them. Nicole frowned a little and thought, ¡®Raine really loves to make things difficult for me. She¡¯ll even put on a show in front of Grandpa and act like she cares about him. I¡¯m afraid she¡¯ll only be able to fool herself with this show. Nicole shot a cold nce at Raine, and questioned, ¡°Aren¡¯t we gathered here because Uncle Damien wanted to announce something? So, we¡¯re actually here just to visit Grandpa?¡± ¡°Of course we¡¯re here to visit Grandpa. What other matters would there be?¡± As Raine spoke, she red at Damien and his family unsatisfactorily. The rtionship between both families had been determined. Therefore, Raine did not want to attend the gathering at all. Yet, she was worried that she would miss out on some news. So, she forced herself to attend and find it out. Everett naturally caught Raine¡¯s re. He narrowed his eyes but soon adjusted himself back to normal. ¡°Raine, I think it¡¯s best for us to hear it from Uncle Damien. After all, we¡¯re not quite sure what¡¯s going on.¡± Snow pretended to be considerate. She appeared to be saving Raine from being embarrassed, when in fact, she was also testing Damien. No matter what, Damien and his family were acting weird. They suddenly gathered the whole n but did not reveal the main reason. ¡°Heh! In fact, I gathered everyone here just to have some fun. It¡¯s just that, I think Dad might feel lonely from being alone for quite some time. That¡¯s why I suggested everyonee here,¡± Damien smiled as he spoke. He seemed to be doing this solely for the sake of Mr. Riddle Sr. A cold smirk formed on Nicole¡¯s face as she analyzed everyone¡¯s intentions. All rights ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡®These people¡­ Raine is purely here to provoke me. Snow isn¡¯t as pure as she pretends to be. As for Uncle Damien, I¡¯m even more sure that he gathered everyone for some other purpose.¡¯ Since everyone had arrived and Damien had not announced a single thing, there was only one possibility left. And that was to create a camouge. Damien intended to use these people as a cover-up. After all, it would be hard to manage the scene with so many people around. If they were nning to do something, this would create a perfect opportunity for them. And with so many people here, anyone could be easily turned into a scapegoat. It¡¯s really a good n.¡¯ Nicole let out a scorn. But unfortunately, she was not going to give them the chance to do it. Nicole turned and looked at Sean. Then, she lightly nodded her head. Sean responded once he understood the signal. Withdrawing her gaze, Nicole turned and looked at Raine as well as Snow. ¡®Since Uncle Damien is the mastermind, I should give him some chance to present his show.¡¯ Nicole suddenly turned over, and Raine turned pale. Raine regained herposure and said angrily, ¡°What are you looking at?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you feel left out just now? I thought you wanted to chat with me.¡± Nicole responded innocently. ¡°When did I say I want to chat with you?¡± Raine gave Nicole a hard stare. ¡°Then, what were you trying to say just now? You were trying to frame me?¡± Nicole questioned with an angry look. Raine¡¯s face turned pale again. She gritted her teeth and responded pitifully, ¡°I was just reminding you not to ignore Grandpa.¡± Chapter 2314 Chapter 2314 ¡°Since you care so much about Grandpa, I don¡¯t understand why you haven¡¯t visited him these days.¡± Nicole furrowed her brows thoughtfully. ¡°Hmph, I don¡¯t need their fake concern,¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. grumbled in dissatisfaction. Raine¡¯s face turned pale, and she could only exin with a stiff smile, ¡°Grandpa, it¡¯s just that I¡¯ve been busy with worktely and didn¡¯t have time toe.¡± ¡°You, a small branch, are busier than the headquarters?¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. said, expressing some disdain. He really did not need these people to visit him, so as not to anger him. But he disliked this fake concern even more. Under Mr. Riddle Sr.¡¯s stern questioning, Raine¡¯s face turned pale and flushed alternately. She felt like she was being burned, as if Mr. Riddle Sr. was saying that she was not as good as Nicole. ¡°Grandpa, it¡¯s precisely because we¡¯re not aspetent as Nicole that we have to work harder to gain more experience. I hope you won¡¯t be angry,¡± James exined in a humble manner. Mr. Riddle Sr. scoffed and refrained from saying anything further. James secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He knew that although Mr. Riddle Sr. did not say anything, he would not pursue the matter any further. As long as he praised Nicole, Mr. Riddle Sr. would be pleased. ¡°Why did you say that?¡± Raine asked James in a low voice. She could not help but feel unhappy. Not only did Mr. Riddle Sr. embarrass her in front of Nicole, but now James also belittled her. ¡°If I had not said that, Grandpa would¡¯ve never let you off with it,¡± James whispered, gently holding Raine¡¯s hand. Appearing as if he was consoling Raine, they looked like a loving couple. Others did not think much of it and did not pay any more attention to them. However, Nicole¡¯s eyes narrowed slightly as a touch of coldness shed in her eyes. Indeed, James was not to be underestimated. With just a few words, he appeased Mr. Riddle Sr., and the matter further. He did not even mind belittling himself, and such adaptability was surprising. ¡°Raine, Grandpa will understand that we¡¯re new to thepany, so he wont really hold it against us. I believe Grandpa will also understand that we can¡¯t visit him frequently due to work,¡± Jamesforted Raine before looking at Mr. Riddle Sr. Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org. ¡°Grandpa, it¡¯s indeed our fault. We¡¯lle to visit you more often from now on,¡± Snow softly said with a gentle and obedient demeanor. ¡°Just be busy with your work,¡± Mr. Riddle Sr.¡¯s tone remained indifferent. He did not say much. For him, perhaps noting back would be better. Raine did not feel the best when she saw her Grandpa¡¯sck of enthusiasm and cold demeanor. She could only persist and continue. ¡°In fact, even though we didn¡¯te, we¡¯re still concerned about you, and so are Mom and Dad.¡± ¡°Concerned, huh?¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. maintained an unmoved appearance. Knowing that they were concerned about him made him sleepless at night. Snow¡¯s face turned slightly pale, feeling a bit stifled as she bit her lip and looked at Dillon and Karen. She could not stand Nicole belittling her family, so she had spoken up for Raine. But now, things seemed like it was gettingplicated, and Mr. Riddle Sr. seemed to believe Nicole. Chapter 2315 Chapter 2315 ¡°Dad, what Snow said is right. If Damien hadn¡¯t asked us toe back today, we would¡¯ve nned to visit you in a few days,¡± Dillon echoed. Mr. Riddle Sr. snorted, not inclined to believe Dillon¡¯s words. He was content as long as they did not want to harm him. ¡°Grandpa, it¡¯s true that they¡¯re concerned about you,¡± Nicole suddenly spoke up. Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org. Everyone in the room looked at Nicole in surprise. They could not understand why she would speak up for Dillon¡¯s family. Mr. Riddle Sr. was also puzzled and looked at Nicole, asking, ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°Of course,¡± Nicole said calmly and confidently. Snow squinted her eyes in suspicion. What was Nicole trying to do now? Smiling lightly, Nicole continued, ¡°The other day at the charity event, I had my eyes on a peace buckle and nned to bid for it as a gift for you, Grandpa. But unexpectedly, Snow won the bid. I assume she wanted to give it to you too. it Sean saw Nicole¡¯s cunning expression and yed along. ¡°I remember thepetition for that peace buckle was quite intense. Turns out, it was you two who werepeting to give a gift to Grandpa.¡± ¡°I see. I was so confused that I was thinking to myself ¡®Why would people bid so hard for a peace buckle?''¡± Steve added before looking at Snow. ¡°Well, at the end of the day, you won. I think this means that you¡¯re the most filial grandchild in the Riddle family.¡± Snow was helpless as she responded with a smile, ¡°Y-Yeah. ¡°I thought that giving it to Grandpa would be the best choice, but I didn¡¯t know you also intended to do the same. If I had known, I would¡¯ve given it to you,¡± Snow said with a hint of guilt. ¡°I think it¡¯s also a great idea for you to give it to Grandpa. Uncle Dillon just said he¡¯s nning to visit so I believe you were nning to give it to Grandpa at that time, right?¡± Nicole said politely. Snow reluctantly agreed, ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right.¡± Nicole smiled as she saw how forced, reluctant, and heartbroken Snow was. Nicole had achieved her goal, so she did not want to bother with Dillon¡¯s family anymore. Feeling good, she turned her gaze back to chatting with Er. Dillon¡¯s family was upset after being fooled but all they could do was act calm. Dillon smiled at Mr. Riddle Sr. and said, ¡°Dad, I figured there were too many people around today, and it was a bit ostentatious. So, I thought of bringing it to you next time.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Mr. Riddle Sr.¡¯s expression remained indifferent. It seemed that he was not too pleased with the gifts they gave. Karen¡¯s face looked extremely unsightly as she red at Nicole. She could not help but think that Nicole had done it on purpose. ¡®It¡¯s 3 million dors! How could she do this?!¡¯ However, in such a situation, they could only swallow their anger. What can they do? Say that it was not for Mr. Riddle Sr.? That would be even more embarrassing. Besides, Mr. Riddle Sr. was upset and had his guard up against them. If they were reluctant to give him that peace buckle, things would only take a turn for the worse. ¡°Mr. Riddle Sr., dinner is ready,¡± the butler informed. After ncing at everyone, Mr. Riddle Sr. said, ¡°Let¡¯s eat.¡± Soon, the whole family gathered in the dining room, and the previously empty space suddenly became lively. After all the dishes were served, Mr. Riddle Sr. invited everyone to start eating. Chapter 2316 Chapter 2316 Even though they had a big family, everyone had their own thoughts, and the atmosphere at the table was not as rxed as it should be. asionally, someone would chat in a low voice, but most of the time, they ate in silence, creating a somewhat stifling atmosphere. ¡°Damien, you asked all of us toe back, but why aren¡¯t you saying anything?¡± Dillon felt pressured by Mr. Riddle Sr.¡¯s gaze, so he tried to shift everyone¡¯s attention. ¡°I¡¯ve beening back frequently these days and felt that the house still feels quite empty as I am alone. So, I wanted everyone toe back and liven things up,¡± Damien calmly responded, seeing through Dillon¡¯s thoughts. Dillon¡¯s expression froze for a moment, resenting the fact that Damien seemed determined to hold him ountable.¡¯ How annoying!¡¯ ¡°Let¡¯s eat,¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. said, not wanting to listen to their endless arguments. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s eat,¡± Dillon replied, deciding to stay silent from now on and act like he was invisible. With Dillon not speaking, Snow knew that she had made a mistake and did not dare to make a sound. Raine, feeling discouraged, was sulking. James, on the other hand, was taking care of her and trying to make her happy. Karen, feeling frustrated by the whole family¡¯s predicament, was fuming inside. She could not stand the fact that her family had to endure such humiliation. ¡®How could we be treated like this?¡¯ She clenched her teeth and her eyes shed. ¡®Ugh! Look at Daniel¡¯s family. They¡¯re basking in the limelight!¡¯ Her gaze ultimatelynded on Nicole. She figured that if would not be able to enjoy themselves, and that would make her feel much better. With a sinister scheme forming in her mind, Karen stood up and pretended to serve soup to everyone. ¡°I tasted this soup, and it¡¯s quite good. You should all give it a try,¡± she said, holding thedle and bowl, ready to serve everyone. She filled up a bowl and served it to Mr. Riddle Sr. As she was serving the second bowl, thedle slipped from her hand and she eximed, ¡°Oops!¡± ¡°Ow!¡± Instantly, Nicole clutched her wrist with a pained expression on her face. ¡°What happened?¡± Everyone turned their attention to Nicole, concerned. Karen appeared flustered and said, ¡°Did you burn yourself? It¡¯s all my fault for not holding thedle firmly. Let¡¯s call a doctor to take a look at it. Burns can leave scars.¡± ¡°Aunt Karen, why did you¡­¡± Steve wanted to expose Karen, but Nicole interrupted. ¡°Thank you for your concern, Aunt Karen, but there¡¯s no need to call a doctor. I¡¯ll just find a first-aid kit and take care of it myself.¡± Nicole¡¯s remark confirmed that it was indeed a burn, and Gloria¡¯s eyes watered as she said, ¡°Let me help you with it.¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright, Mom. You and Dad stay here and keep Grandpapany. It¡¯s not serious, and I can handle it myself,¡± Nicole assured them. ¡°No, I can¡¯t let you go alone,¡± Gloria insisted, wanting to go with her. ¡°Mom, I¡¯ll go with her.¡± Sean stood up and gestured for Gloria to stay. ¡°Okay, then. Sean, you¡¯lle with me, so Mom won¡¯t have to worry,¡± Nicole said, following Sean as they left. Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org. Gloria kept her eyes on Nicole¡¯s figure as she left while Danielforted her softly, ¡°The kids know what they¡¯re doing. If Nicole says it¡¯s not serious, then it must be not serious.¡± Gloria sighed helplessly and then turned to Karen. ¡°Karen, why don¡¯t you sit down? It seems like serving soup isn¡¯t something you can handle.¡± Chapter 2317 Chapter 2317 Karen knew Gloria was ming her and said displeasingly, ¡°I was just being nice. It¡¯s not like I did it on purpose.¡± ¡°Karen, no one said you did. But if you can¡¯t even hold a spoon steadily, why don¡¯t you let someone else do the job?¡± Daniel was irritated, annoyed that Karen could still act so righteous after she had burned someone. ¡°I¡¯ll do it.¡± Emma came to the rescue when she noticed the unsettled mood of the room. Everyone was together having a meal, and it would not look good if they argued in front of Mr. Riddle Sr. Emma began to serve the soup to everyone while the others calmed down. However, the atmosphere in the room was even more eerie. Gloria, face pale, worried about Nicole as Daniel softlyforted her. Deep down, Karen was quite satisfied with the situation now, but she did not dare to show it and pretended to look aggrieved. In fact, she had done it on purpose. Just as Nicole was about to refill her bowl, Karen had let go of her spoon to let it fall into the soup bowl. The sshing soup naturallynded on Nicole¡¯s arm. Even if the burning ssh did not scar, it would definitely hurt a bit. So Nicole and Sean went into a guest home upstairs. ¡°How is it? Is it bad?¡± Sean asked. Nicole let down the hand that she had been holding over her arm and said, ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Sean nced and realized that Nicole had no red marks on her. He was slightly surprised. ¡°It didn¡¯t burn you!¡± ¡°She wishes it was that easy to burn me,¡± Nicole sneered. ¡°You¡¯re really something¡­¡± Sean chuckled, seeing through Nicole¡¯s intentions. At first, he was worried for her, but he never expected it to be all a trick. Nicole was not scalded at all. ¡°I was actually wondering if Damien would strike even without a chance. Karen, on the other hand, gave us a perfect chance,¡± Nicole¡¯s gaze darkened as she said with a hint of sarcasm. Karen¡¯s attempt to scheme with Nicole ended up giving Nicole a chance to beat her at her own game. Sean nodded. ¡°Now that both of us are in the mix, Damien should be making a move soon.¡± After all, if something goes missing, Sean and Nicole would be under suspicion. This was the perfect time for Damien to frame and set them up. In that case, Damien could achieve his goals and stay out of trouble. ¡°Is everything arranged?¡± Nicole whispered. Sean responded, ¡°It¡¯s all set. Don¡¯t worry.¡± Nicole sat down and took out a first-aid kit from under the coffee table, opening it. She casually grabbed a roll of gauze to wrap around her arm. ¡°I¡¯ll help.¡± Sean sat down. It was for show, so they should at least make it look realistic. Once Sean finished wrapping her arm in gauze, Nicole checked the time and said, ¡°It should be about time.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go and check.¡± Sean stood up and gently pushed the room door a little. They had chosen this room for a purpose. It had a view of the study room food, but the study could not see this side clearly. At this moment, Sean saw two people sneakilye to the study room¡¯s door. One of them entered the room, while the other stood by the entrance, seemingly keeping watch. A hint of darkness flickered in Sean¡¯s eyes as he quietly watched them. Sean was caught off guard when the person who went in soon came out with something concealed in a bag in his cloth. They did it,¡± Sean said and closed the room door. Hearing the footsteps outside growing fainter and then eventually disappearing, they knew the two people had left.All rights ? N?velDrama.Org. Chapter 2318 Chapter 2318 ¡°We should go down too,¡± Sean said to Nicole calmly. Nicole shrugged, standing up. ¡°Let¡¯s go then.¡± It was best to leave discreetly after achieving their goals since the trap had already been set. Soon the two went downstairs and back to the dining table. ¡°Nicole, is your arm alright?¡± Gloria asked in concern. Nicole smirked andforted her, ¡°No big deal. I applied some ointment. It¡¯ll be better after a few days of rest.¡± Gloria continued to worry about Nicole. She decided to wait until they got home to ask again. She understood Nicole could not simply use Karen with so many people present. It was best to settle down for now. ¡°Since you¡¯re fine,e join us,¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. said while his gazended on Nicole¡¯s arm. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Grandpa. I¡¯m fine.¡± Nicole chuckled, deliberately moving her arms. ¡°Be careful. Don¡¯t move it around,¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. admonished with concern. Nicole then turned to the crowd, reassuring, ¡°There¡¯s no need to worry, guys. Let¡¯s eat.¡± ¡°Right,e on. Eat up.¡± Karen put on a polite smile. With a touch of servility, she added, ¡°I¡¯m just d you¡¯re okay. Otherwise, I would¡¯ve med myself to death.¡± ¡°Sorry to have troubled you.¡± Nicole nced at Karen meaningfully. Karen¡¯s smile faltered for a moment. She inexplicably felt as if Nicole had seen through her. Something shed in Nicole¡¯s eyes. Then she ignored Karen, nning to get even with herter. ¡°Mr. Riddle Sr.¡± The house butler came over. With a grim expression, he spoke softly into Mr. Riddle Sr.¡¯s ears, ¡°We have a break-in in the house. Something¡¯s missing in the study.¡± ¡°What happened?¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. was livid instantly, thinking,1 Who would¡¯ve dared to target the Riddle family?¡¯ ¡°I¡¯ve checked. The study was clearly rummaged through by someone. But it¡¯s still unclear what went missing,¡± The house butler said gravely. The house butler knew the study was filled with important items for Mr. Riddle Sr. ¡°I¡¯ll go to take a look.¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. went upstairs with big strides. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Although the house butler¡¯s voice was low, everyone could sense that something had happened. They were all quite puzzled at Mr. Riddle Sr.¡¯s sudden rush to go upstairs. ¡°We should take a look too,¡± Karen inexplicably felt this was something quite crucial for Mr. Riddle Sr., so she wanted to go and check the situation out. Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org. ¡°Karen, I think we should wait for Dad toe down,¡± Emma suggested softly. Emma felt like this was not the right time to intervene in the situation. If Mr. Riddle Sr. wanted them to know, they would naturally get hold of the information. On the contrary, Mr. Riddle Sr. would get displeased if they went over without his consent. ¡°What if it¡¯s important? We should help him out, you know,¡± Karen added, reluctant to give up. She then looked at Dillion, ¡°What do you think?¡± ¡°I¡¯m with Damien,¡± Dillion¡¯s gaze darkened. He had a feeling that they had to keep a low profile on this matter, and it would be better to follow the crowd. If the others were going, they would naturally follow. However, if the others were not going, they would be the subject of gossip if they went alone. Karen looked at him. ¡°Damien, Dad looked off. Why don¡¯t we go take a look?¡± Damien remained silent before saying, ¡°It¡¯s better to wait.¡± Since no one was going to disrupt Mr. Riddle Sr., Karen could only clench her teeth in anger. Chapter 2319 Chapter 2319 A smirk appeared on Nicole¡¯s lips when she noticed Karen¡¯s visibly agitated appearance. She genuinely hoped Karen would go up and check the situation. It¡¯s hard to even imagine how suspicious Karen would look once people start to notice how involved she was during the situation. The dining room fell into silence, everyone waiting quietly. All had the same thought in mind, thinking what could have happened. Finally, Mr. Riddle Sr. returned downstairs with heavy steps. ¡°Dad, what¡¯s wrong? You don¡¯t look well.¡± Daniel instantly got up, helping Mr. Riddle Sr. to sit on the couch. In such circumstances, no one was in the mood to enjoy their meal. Therefore, everyone gathered in the living room. ¡°Dad, did something bad happen?¡± Dexter asked with concern. ¡°Well¡­¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. sighed. ¡°Someone broke into the house.¡± ¡°Is anything missing?¡± Dillion asked, with an unusual expression. ¡®Damien gathered us all here today, and coincidentally there was a break-in at home? The Riddle manor had no incidents for many years, so why today?¡¯ ¡°Dad, what¡¯s lost? Judging by your expression, it must be something important?¡± Damien noticed Dillion¡¯s stare and subtly shifted his gaze away. All content is ? N0velDrama.Org. With Damien¡¯s question, the low murmurs that had been going on suddenly halted. Everyone was curious about what went missing. Mr. Riddle Sr. sighed. ¡°The Riddle manor¡¯s property deed is gone.¡± ¡°What?!¡± Everyone was utterly shocked. ¡°But what¡¯s the point of the thief taking the property deed of the house?¡± Stanley asked, puzzled. Having the property deed did not mean one had the to obtain the property deed. ¡°They probably thought that this old man wasn¡¯t going to live for long,¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. said meaningfully, and his gaze swept slowly over everyone. Mr. Riddle Sr. figured that the loss of the property deed might be rted to his unfilial descendants. ¡°Dad, how can you say that? You¡¯re in absolutely great shape, ¡± Daniel said, disagreeing tofort his father. ¡°That¡¯s right. Don¡¯t overthink it, Dad,¡± Dillion concurred.¡± Besides, the loss of the property deed has nothing to do with your health.¡± Regardless of Mr. Riddle Sr.¡¯s health, the property deed was useless to the person who took it. ¡°We should report the case. To at least get it back,¡± Dexter suggested. He figured it was best to capture the culprit, as other matters could be dealt withter. Just as Dexter finished, the living room grew even quieter. The four brothers looked at Mr. Riddle Sr. At this moment, none dared to speak out of turn as it was Mr. Riddle Sr.¡¯s decision. ¡°Grandpa, I don¡¯t think the police should be involved. If we report the case, the news will spread to all of San Joto. This news will have an impact on the Riddle family,¡± Nicole softly proposed. Mr. Riddle Sr. gave a gentle nod but did not immediately agree to Nicole¡¯s idea. He appeared to be deep in thought, considering her words. ¡°Nicole, are you against reporting to the police because you¡¯re feeling guilty?¡± Raine seized the opportunity to use Nicole. Chapter 2320 Chapter 2320 Nicole had humiliated Raine just a while ago, so there was no way Raine would let Nicole off the hook now. Nicole raised an eyebrow. ¡°Guilty? Did you see me do it?¡± ¡°Only Sean and you went upstairs just now, and now something has happened. Can you really me us for suspecting you?¡± Raine grew more convinced as she thought about it. At first, Raine just wanted to press Nicole¡¯s buttons, but now she realized only Sean and Nicole had gone upstairs. Hearing Raine¡¯s words, Karen immediately chimed in. ¡°Now that you¡¯ve mentioned it, there were indeed only you two who went upstairs.¡± Nicole moved her arms and said meaningfully, ¡°Have you forgotten why I went upstairs?¡± Karen turned stiff. It was a spur-of-the-moment decision to provoke Nicole. If she had not done it, Nicole would have had no reason to go upstairs. ¡°Maybe she hit your spot. If you hadn¡¯t been burned, you might have other excuses to go upstairs,¡± Raine said indignantly, convinced that something was wrong with Nicole. ¡°Alright, you¡¯re saying I¡¯m the culprit. But do you have her voice turned colder. ¡°If you can¡¯t provide evidence, I can sue vou for defamation.¡± ¡°Why I-¡± Raine instantly went silent, her face pale. She retorted weakly, ¡°We were just discussing. But you¡¯re indeed the prime suspect.¡± Sean and Nicole were the only ones who left the dining table. However, Raine also knew that even if Nicole was the culprit, Nicole would not leave any evidence behind. So, there was no evidence now. ¡°Enough arguing,¡± Mr. Riddle Sr.¡¯s voice rang out, and everyone instantly stopped talking. After ncing at the crowd, Mr. Riddle Sr. said, ¡°Let¡¯s forget about calling the police. But this matter can¡¯t be left unresolved. We must investigate thoroughly.¡± ¡°How can we investigate?¡± Dexter frowned, thinking it was impossible for them to handle it on their own. ¡°Everett, Preston, Steve, Er,¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. called out and instructed them, will be in charge and get to the bottom of this.¡± Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org. The four exchanged nces before reluctantly agreeing,¡± Okay.¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s settled. Everyone can leave now.¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. held his head wearily. ¡°Dad, get some rest. The kids will take care of this. All you have to worry about is your health,¡± Damien reassured. ¡°We¡¯ll take our leave now.¡± ¡°We¡¯re leaving too, Dad. You can wait for the news with peace of mind,¡± Dillion ensured. Dexter nodded at Daniel before bidding farewell to Mr. Riddle Sr. and leaving the Riddle manor. The living room quieted down. The butler brought a cup of tea and asked softly, ¡°Sir, are you really not considering reporting this to the police?¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. had already chosen one from the four families to investigate separately. Additionally, he avoided Sean, who was under suspicion. However, it was unlikely that these four would work together effectively during the investigation. In truth, all of them had be suspects in Mr. Riddle Sr.¡¯s eyes, and it was uncertain whether the truth would be revealed. Mr. Riddle Sr. took a sip of his tea, saying meaningfully,¡± Yes. After all, we have to wash your dirty linen at home.¡± It was clear that the thief who took the property deed was not present, but the mastermind could be among this group of people. Whether the situation was escted by involving the police or conducting a quiet investigation, the oue would be the same. The discovery of any information would depend solely on these four individuals. That was why Mr. Riddle Sr. decided to have people from the four families conduct their own investigations. ¡°You¡¯re going to great lengths, but¡­¡± The butler could not help but feel sorry for Mr. Riddle Sr. He felt that the old man¡¯s heart must be hurting the most right now as all of the suspects were his sons. Chapter 2321 Chapter 2321 ¡°Don¡¯t worry. It¡¯ll be back.¡¯ Mr. Riddle Sr. stood up. Seeing Mr. Riddle Sr. preparing to go back to his room, the butler asked, ¡°You haven¡¯t finished your dinner. Why don¡¯t you eat some more?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll pass. I have no appetite.¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. sighed. The butler helped Mr. Riddle Sr. up the stairs andforted him, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Nicole would never do such a thing. It must be a coincidence.¡± ¡°I know she didn¡¯t.¡± A thought shed through Mr. Riddle Sr.¡¯ s mind then. It seemed as if Nicole was giving that person a chance tomit the crime. Perhaps Nicole had already figured something out. Mr. Riddle Sr.¡¯s decision to have the four families investigate was merely apromise. The situation happened right under their nose when everyone was present. It was only natural to have everyone investigate it. No matter the result, the oue would be epted collectively. However, Mr. Riddle Sr. still held hope in Nicole, thinking she might know something. Meanwhile, Damien and Dillion had already left. Daniel and Dexter were in the courtyard discussing the matter,¡± Something doesn¡¯t feel right.¡± ¡°Let the kids handle the matter. We¡¯ll talk when the result is out.¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s all we can do for now.¡± They both sighed in unison, their mood growing heavier. ¡°Nicole, you have to help me with this,¡± Er begged. ¡°What?¡± Nicole blinked, feeling confused. ¡®What help does he want?¡¯ ¡°About the investigation, duh. It¡¯s not like I know anything about it,¡± Er said, with depressing and lifeless look. Sean nced at Er and remarked, ¡°Nicole and I need to avoid suspicion.¡± ¡°What for? There¡¯s no way you two did it. Only fools would take that deed,¡± Er quipped. ¡°Whoever did it must have lost their mind.¡± Nicole chuckled. ¡°Some things are useless to you, but it doesn¡¯t mean it¡¯s useless to others.¡± Although their actions had been a little foolish, that was only if they were caught. It would have been a smart move if this act went unnoticed. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Er blinked his eyes, looking puzzled. ¡°Nothing much. Focus on the investigation.¡± Dexter patted Er¡¯s shoulder. ¡°But Nicole really can¡¯t help you with this one.¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. did not include them in the investigation. He even selected Steve, who had no suspicion to investigate the matter. It showed that Mr. Riddle Sr. wanted to protect Nicole by avoiding any potential suspicion. Since that was the case, they should not involve Nicole, lest they fall into trouble. ¡°Oh.¡± Er lowered his head with a gloomy expression. ¡°You don¡¯t have to do it. You can just copy the information Steve found,¡± Preston¡¯s voice suddenly sounded, startling them. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you gone yet?¡± Er asked as he thought the people from Damien¡¯s family had all left a while ago. Preston rolled his eyes disdainfully at Er, saying, ¡°It¡¯s none of your business. I didn¡¯te to look for you.¡± Preston said to Steve, ¡°Hey, I¡¯m counting on you for this.¡± All rights ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°What is it?¡± Steve frowned, an unsettling feeling rising within him. ¡°The investigation of course,¡± Preston exined. ¡°You know I know nothing about this. Whatever you find out would be my result too. I just need a copy.¡± ¡°Scram!¡± Steve barked. He had no idea how to investigate either. Chapter 2322 Chapter 2322 ¡°Come on, you¡¯re the boss. I¡¯lle to get the result when the timees.¡± Preston was still happy after being scolded. He cheerfully got into the car and left. ¡°Hey, I didn¡¯t promise you anything.¡± Steve rolled his eyes in exasperation. This was not what he meant by asking Preston to leave. Er¡¯s expression lit up as he realized the cheat code and bowed toward Steve. ¡°Thank you, Steve. I¡¯ll also be leaving now.¡± Er then quickly pulled Dexter and Emma into the car and ran away, fearing that he had to stay back to investigate the matter. ¡°Hey! You guys have gone too far!¡± Steve fumed, anger boiling in him. ¡®How could they? They actually shifted all the responsibilities to me, and are waiting to take advantage of what I find!¡¯ Looking at the empty crowd, Steve rolled his eyes in frustration. ¡°Steve, you have to investigate this matter thoroughly. After all, it concerns your older brother and sister,¡± Gloria said with a worried look. Seeing Gloria¡¯s concern, Steve could only reluctantly promise, ¡°I know, Mom. Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± He only med Preston and Er for not being loyal, but he was definitely going to investigate regardless. ¡°Dad, Mom, Let¡¯s go,¡± Nicole said with a faint smile, unfazed by the situation. Gloria felt sorry and even a hint of regret foring to the Riddle manor today. Helping Gloria into the car, Nicole informed Daniel, ¡°Dad, you should go home with Mom. I¡¯m going with Sean.¡± ¡°No problem. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll talk to your mom,¡± Daniel promised, knowing the kids had other matters to discuss. After everyone got into the car, they soon left the Riddle manor. Nicole, Sean, and Steve sat at the back of the car, watching the others drive away. Nicole then asked, ¡°So Sean, what¡¯s the situation now?¡± Sean shook his head. ¡°There¡¯s no news back to me yet.¡± ¡°What¡¯s going on with you two?¡± Steve whispered. Although he had a hunch, the situation¡¯s development still surprised and bewildered him. ¡°Nicole created an opportunity for them to act. We¡¯ve already sent people to keep an still uncertain if they found anything yet,¡± Sean replied, his gaze slightly dark. ¡°But you guys¡­¡± Steve¡¯s eyes subconsciously darted to Nicole¡¯s arm. ¡°It¡¯s fake. I dodged it at the time. She didn¡¯t actually burn me. ¡± Nicole waved her arm,ughing. The pieces suddenly fell into ce for Steve. ¡°Oh, so that¡¯s how it is!¡± ¡°If we didn¡¯t create an opportunity for them, we wouldn¡¯t know when they would act. I was just going with the flow, saving them from finding another opportunity,¡± Nicole exined coldly, smirking. If Damien had the audacity to target the Riddle manor, Nicole would ensure that he never got a chance to possess it. ¡°Well, it seems like I can rx now,¡± Steve said, feeling the burden on his shoulders lighten. ¡°Yes, you can,¡± said Sean. Nicole smiled as she knew what Steve was up to. Leaning against his seat, Steve muttered with a carefree look, ¡°Looks like Everett is going to be the only one doing a proper investigation.¡± After all, Everett¡¯s family were the ones behind it. Everett had to investigate ¡®seriously¡¯ to at least divert their suspicion off the matter. All Steve had to do was to keep an eye on Everett to avoid him from tampering with the evidence. As for the rest of the investigation, Steve could just copy them exactly as they were. ¡°Don¡¯t make it too obvious and let Grandpa catch onto what you¡¯re doing,¡± Nicole reminded Steve with a re. ¡°He won¡¯t,¡± Steve assuredcently. ¡°I¡¯ll have to remind Preston and Er too.¡± Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org. Steve was not going to let those twozy bastards directly copy his work. Chapter 2323 Chapter 2323 As Nicole was thinking of Preston and Er, she helplessly shook her head and chuckled softly. She wondered if Mr. Riddle Sr. would be angry if he knew about Preston and Er¡¯s behavior when the property deeds for the Riddle family manor were lost. ¡®Even if they believed me, aren¡¯t they curious about who exactly took them?¡¯ Meanwhile, Damien had already returned home. ¡°Go upstairs and check on Chloe,¡± Damien said, ncing at Miley. ¡°Okay,¡± Miley replied and went upstairs. ¡°Dad, any updates?¡± Everett eagerly waited until Miley¡¯s figure disappeared at the top of the stairs before asking. Damien shook his head. ¡°No.¡± ¡°Why is it taking so long?¡± Everett furrowed his brows slightly as his expression turned solemn. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. The arrangements were made with trustworthy people. They won¡¯t have other intentions,¡± Damien whispered. Besides, those things were only useful in his hands, and not in anyone else¡¯s. ¡°I¡¯m just worried that dys may lead to moreplications.¡± Everett¡¯s tone he did trust the people his father chose. Damien fell silent for a moment as he wondered, ¡®He¡¯s right. It has been quite a while, but why hasn¡¯t any newse back yet?¡¯ After a brief hesitation, he decided to make a phone call, but no one answered the phone. ¡°Dad, could it be¡­¡± Everett¡¯s gaze slightly darkened. Damien¡¯s expression also turned grim. Why was his call unanswered? Could something have really happened? The butler came over, appearing hesitant with an unusual expression. ¡°Sir, two individuals have arrived outside, and it seems¡­¡± ¡°Speak clearly. Don¡¯t beat around the bush,¡± Damien said with a touch of displeasure. ¡°They¡¯re from the Riddle family manor. They¡¯re injured and said they want to see you,¡± the butler reported. Upon hearing this, Damien¡¯s face turned sour as he said through his teeth, ¡°Let them in.¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± The butler was about to leave when Damien added, ¡°Be careful, don¡¯t let anyone see them.¡± The butler paused for a moment and answered in a low voice, ¡°Understood.¡± Everett¡¯s gaze dimmed as he watched the butler leave. ¡°Why did those two idiotse here?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s hear what they have to say.¡± Damien also appeared displeased. ¡®Are they not afraid that others would be able to trace us?¡¯ After a while, the butler brought the two individuals in. Seeing their bruised and battered appearance, covered in bloodstains, Damien¡¯s and Everett¡¯s anger turned into shock. ¡°How did you end up like this?¡± They wondered, ¡®How could they look so battered?!¡¯ The two individuals hung their heads and looked somewhat dejected. ¡°Someone put sacks over our heads and beat us up.¡± Shortly after leaving the family manor, they were attacked and beaten while still in the sacks, so they had no idea who was behind the attack. They were dizzy for a long time and immediately rushed over as soon as they regained consciousness. ¡°Sacks?!¡± Damien¡¯s face turned ashen. Who¡¯d dare do this?!¡¯ ¡°Where are the items?¡± Suddenly, Everett¡¯s gaze darkened as he realized that something was amiss. ¡°Well¡­¡± The two individuals searched themselves thoroughly, their faces turning pale as they looked at Damien. ¡°They¡¯re gone,¡± they said in a quivering voice. Both Damien and Everett raised their voices in unison,¡± How?!¡± All content is ? N0velDrama.Org. Trembling, the two individuals stammered, ¡°W-We don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t know? Then what did you do?¡± Damien¡¯s face turned dark instantly as all of their efforts had gone to waste. Chapter 2324 Chapter 2324 ¡°We were knocked unconscious as soon as we left the Riddle family manor. We came here right after,¡± the two individuals stuttered as they recalled. They genuinely had no idea. Everett narrowed his eyes as he took out a card and handed it to them. ¡°Take the money and leave San Joto forever. Don¡¯te back, and don¡¯t let anyone find you. Otherwise, you can consider yourselves dead.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± The two individuals trembled as they epted the card, feeling a chill down their spines. ¡°Please.¡± Everett looked at the butler. ¡°Yes, sir.¡± The butler understood Everett¡¯s intention and led the two individuals to leave through the back door. After the two had left, Everett looked at Damien and said,¡± Dad, I¡¯m afraid we¡¯re in trouble.¡± ¡°We¡¯re the only ones who knew about this, so how did it get leaked?¡± Damien found it hard to ept such a possibility. ¡°The only exnation for a coincidence like this is that someone is targeting us.¡± Just as they had seeded, they were suddenly attacked and lost something important. It seemed too coincidental for things to unfold this way. Damien fell silent, his face now as dark as ink. Although he found it hard to believe, there really was no other reasonable exnation. ¡°We must find out who did this.¡± Damien gritted his teeth in anger. ¡®TH arrange for an investigation,¡± Everett said. Damien furrowed his brows and said, ¡°Also, about what your grandfather asked you to investigate, it has to be handled seamlessly too. Regardless of who took the items, the items were definitely not in the house anymore. Furthermore, Mr. Riddle Sr. would have discovered that two people were missing from the house by tomorrow morning. Naturally, suspicion would fall on those two individuals, so Damien and Everett can never let anyone find out that they were involved in this. Everett nced at Damien and asked, ¡°Dad, when you bought those two men over, were you discovered by anyone? If ¡°No,¡± Damien said with confidence. There was no way he could have been discovered doing such a thing. All content is ? N0velDrama.Org. ¡°Got it. Leave the rest to me,¡± Everett said. Damien responded, ¡°You have to investigate the property deeds as soon as you can too.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Everett then turned and left the house. Damien rubbed his temples and let out a tired sigh. After all the nning over these days, they ended up empty-handed.¡¯ What a waste! But who could¡¯ve done this?¡¯ he wondered. His gaze darkened slightly as he started to feel uneasy. Meanwhile at Nicole¡¯s house, a car stopped at the entrance. Sean looked at Nicole, who was still in the car. ¡°We got them.¡± ¡°Good. I¡¯ll return them to Grandpa secretly tomorrow. After this, no one will dare think about the property deeds for the Riddle family manor again.¡± After all, it was known to all that they had been lost. ¡°You go ahead and return them.¡± Sean smiled. It was indeed a better idea from Nicole. She had solved the problem once and for all. ¡°I think that¡¯ll work. Let Nicole handle it. Only she can do it without raising suspicions from Grandpa,¡± Steve chimed in. Nicole looked at the two of them defeatedly and said,¡± Alright, I¡¯ll go.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Grandpa probably already knows or at least has some idea about it,¡± Sean said calmly. ¡°Most probably.¡± Nicole nodded in agreement. She figured that Mr. Riddle Sr. surely had some thoughts about this matter. After opening the car door, Nicole said, ¡°I¡¯m heading home now. You guys should also go back early. Don¡¯t keep your wives waiting.¡± ¡°Sure. See you at the office tomorrow.¡± Steve waved. After getting out of the car, she entered the house. Steve chuckled mischievously as he watched Nicole disappear. ¡°Oh, what a shame we have to keep this from our uncles. I really want to see their expressions.¡± Chapter 2325 Chapter 2325 Sean nced at Steve and said, ¡°Just do what you need to do.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll keep an eye on Everett.¡± Whether it was the task given to them by Mr. Riddle Sr. or preventing Everett from tracing them, Steve was determined to keep an eye on Everett. Sean knew that Steve understood what needed to be done, so he looked away and instructed the driver to start the car. Soon, they left the Riddle family manor. After entering her house, Nicole found Daniel, Gloria, and Stanley in the living room. ¡°What exactly happened today?¡± They could not ask any questions back at the old house, so now they came bursting forth. Nicole smiled calmly. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Everything will be fine.¡± ¡°Do you know something?¡± Stanley furrowed his brows slightly. She briefly exined the situation and advised them, ¡°Just pretend need to worry about anything else. Sean and I will handle it.¡± ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then I¡¯m relieved.¡± Gloria let out a sigh of relief. Although Mr. Riddle Sr. had not said much at the time, how could Gloria not worry when it involved Nicole and Sean? ¡°You¡¯re smart, alright. You were able to figure out Uncle Damien¡¯s intentions in time. Otherwise, if the property deeds had fallen into his hands, he would¡¯ve manipted Grandpa into signing some contract.¡± Stanley was filled with disdain as he thought about Damien¡¯s scheme. It was clear that Damien¡¯s family hade up with this n. First, they would obtain the property deeds and then manipte Mr. Riddle Sr. into signing the documents. This way, the Riddle family manor would end up in their hands. But Mr. Riddle Sr. had clearly stated that whoever inherited the Riddle family¡¯s legacy would do so based on their own abilities. ¡°They¡¯re too cunning. We need to be cautious at all times.¡± Nicole¡¯s gaze slightly darkened. Actually, it was Mr. Riddle Sr. who had alerted her first. He had found Damien¡¯s behavior peculiar, which is why she paid attention to their actions. In the beginning, it was only spection, but they really took action. It seemed that Damien¡¯s family was truly desperate. Damien was concerned about the family manor, while Everett was colluding with Harvey. They were truly aiming for the Riddle family¡¯s assets. Unfortunately for them, if Nicole did not agree, they would never be able to achieve their goals easily. As far as Nicole was concerned, Sean was the most qualified to inherit the Riddle family¡¯s legacy. ¡°Ah, it¡¯s gettingte. Why hasn¡¯t Spencer returned yet?¡± Gloria nced outside, feeling a bit worried. It was already veryte. He skipped the family gathering, yet he still had not returned. ¡°Mom, let¡¯s rest for now. He¡¯ll probably be back soon,¡± Nicole reassured her. After all, he was on a date, and he might be reluctant to part so soon. Gloria stood up and said, ¡°You¡¯re right. My kids are all grown up. It¡¯s time for me to let go.¡± They went up and Nicole went to Nn¡¯s room as she wanted to see Jared and the kids. She wondered if they had spent some quality time together in the house. When she entered the room, Nicole grinned. Jared was ying building blocks with the kids. She walked up to them and asked gently, ¡°What are you building?¡± Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org. ¡°A castle, Mommy! Look, this room is for you and Daddy, this is Nn¡¯s room, and this is mine¡­¡± Nicole smiled as she listened to Lana. ¡°Can I help you out?¡± ¡°Of course! It¡¯s only our home if we build it together.¡± So, Nicole joined the family bonding session and built the castle with them. Chapter 2326 Chapter 2326 Meanwhile, most of the people had gradually returned home after having spent a considerable amount of time by the river. Only a few groups were left, and they were still enjoying the serene view of the flowing waters. Spencer and Lulu walked hand in hand along the embankment, where the wind would blow from time to time, making Lulu¡¯s hair flow ever so gracefully in the wind. ¡°Are you cold?¡± Spencer lowered his gaze, looking at her with concern. ¡°Not at all. The evening breeze feels quite nice.¡± Lulu smiled and shook her head gently. Fixing her hair, Spencer muttered, ¡°I¡¯m sorry for making you upset earlier. I¡¯ll be more careful in the future. I¡¯ll try to reduce the amount of time I spend with Icyln outside of work.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay, I understand that you¡¯re in a difficult position. I¡¯ve never med you for anything before.¡± Lulu said, understanding that Spencer was stuck between a rock and a hard ce. Besides, he had not done anything inappropriate, having only acted out of duty for a promise. ¡°Thank you for being so understanding,¡± Spencer replied, touched by Lulu¡¯s understanding. ¡°Although I understand, deep down, seeing you with her still makes me ufortable, especially when she¡¯s clinging on to you¡­¡± Lulu bit her lip, as she would feel uneasy whenever she saw Icyln hanging around Spencer. ¡°I get it. Rest assured; I won¡¯t spend time alone with her anymore. Even at work, we¡¯ll only discuss work-rted matters. Nothing else,¡± Spencer earnestly assured her. ¡°Before you get too worked up, I¡¯m not ming you for anything. It¡¯s just that I¡¯ve been thinking a lot these past few days, and I¡¯ve finally arrived at a few realizations.¡± Lulu stopped in her tracks and looked up at Spencer with a serious look on her face. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± he asked, his solemness matching hers. He felt that Lulu seemed a bit off. ¡®Why has she be so serious all of a sudden?¡¯ Seeing how anxious he had be, Lulu chuckled. ¡°Calm down and listen to me first.¡± ¡°Okay, go ahead.¡± Spencer quieted down, though Taking a deep breath, Lulu pensively looked at Spencer before she produced a small box from her pocket. ¡°This is¡­¡± Spencer¡¯s eyes widened and his face nched, recognizing the box for what it was. He obviously knew what this box was and what was in there. It was the one he had bought when he proposed to Lulu. However, she had not epted his proposal at that time. Still, as he had already decided not to marry anyone other than Lulu, he had left the ring with her. ¡®Why is she taking the ring out now? What does it mean? She took a few days to calm down and said that she doesn¡¯t me me. Is it because she has truly given up on me?¡¯ he panicked. ¡°Spencer, when you proposed to me earlier, I said I would only agree to your proposal after I have be a better person, someone worthy of you. Someone¡­deserving of being your partner in crime. You also said you would respect my decision. Now I have something to ask you, and I want you to answer honestly.¡± Lulu ced the small box down on her hand and looked at Spencer with a gentle gaze. ¡°What are you trying to say?¡± Spencer asked, his voice marred with caution, and his face brimming with a mix of concern and curiosity. And as she stared at him with utmost seriousness, Lulu opened the small box and softly asked, ¡°Spencer, will you marry me?¡± ¡°What?¡± Spencer¡¯s mind nked out, finding Lulu¡¯s words utterly surreal. Lulu could not help but chuckle when she saw the rare look of perplexity on Spencer¡¯s face, and yfully, she said, ¡°If you don¡¯t want to, let¡¯s just forget it.¡± Then, she pretended to stash the box, as well as the ring away. ¡°I want to, of course I want to.¡± Spencer snapped out of it, grabbing the ring from the box and sliding it onto Lulu¡¯s ring finger. Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org. He was genuinely shocked when he saw the ring moments ago, for he had never expected Lulu to propose to him. It was a strange twist of events. But now, all he could feel was immense joy and satisfaction. Chapter 2327 Chapter 2327 Looking at the ring wrapped around the finger of her left hand, Spencer gently embraced Lulu in his arms and whispered, ¡°Thank you, Lulu¡± ¡°I should be the one thanking you. You¡¯re so outstanding, and yet, you chose me in the end.¡± Lulu blushed as she bit her lip. Spencer lowered his voice as he brushed her hair and said,¡± You¡¯re exceptional too, and you¡¯re the only person I want to spend the rest of my life with.¡± Her heart skipped a beat, and her mind went nk as she looked Spencer in the eye. Then, Spencer lowered his head and lightly kissed Lulu in the lips. As the clock ticked, the sky became darker, with Nicole and Jared returning to their own room after tucking their children in. ¡°Did everything go smoothly at the family manor?¡± Jared asked in a hushed voice. ¡°We¡¯re fine, but some of them didn¡¯t have it easy,¡± Nicole said with a smirk ying on her lips. Jared raised an eyebrow. Though he did not know what had happened, it was evident that Nicole was in a good mood. On the contrary, it seemed that someone else was having a stroke of bad luck. After ruffling her hair, he softly said, ¡°Go freshen up and get ready for bed.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Nicole entered the bathroom, and soon the sound of running water emanated from within. After changing into his casual attire, Jared sat by the bedside and turned hisputer on. When Nicole emerged from the shower, her curiosity got the were going to sleep just now, but what are you doing now?¡± Her gazended on Jared¡¯s screen, the sight of which surprised her. ¡°Why are you logging into the Hunter?¡± ¡°epting a mission,¡± Jared calmly said, his hands rhythmically tapping on the keyboard. Nicole furrowed her brows when she saw him epting the mission she had assigned to others in search of the five crests. ¡°You can just let me know if you have any information. epting a mission¡­ Wait a minute.¡± It was then that something dawned on her, prompting her to turn her gaze to Jared and ask, ¡°Do you have a lead?¡± ¡°Yeah, kind of, but the person is quite cunning. I haven¡¯t been able to trace them.¡± Jared¡¯s gaze darkened. ¡°So you¡¯re trying to create some false leads to confuse them. ¡± Nicole said, having understood Jared¡¯s intention. ¡°Whether this person is genuine or fake, we¡¯ll know soon enough,¡± Jared said, typing thest letter in before closing theptop. Then, Nicole sat down and suggested, ¡°You should also put some information out there. I believe they won¡¯t be as rxed once they see it.¡± Agitating their adversaries would indeed increase the likelihood of them slipping up. The reasoning behind it was that the slightest inconsistency might make them suspicious, thus revealing their identity. In addition, Nicole wanted to see who this person really was and whether they truly knew the whereabouts of the five crests. ¡°No rush. The fish will eventually take the bait,¡± Jared said before grabbing a towel and drying Nicole¡¯s hair with it. ¡°I know. I¡¯m just curious about the person¡¯s identity. What if they¡¯re from one of the historical families? If they¡¯re not, what¡¯s their intention for epting the task?¡± Nicole pondered. Having wiped her hair dry, Jared ruffled it gently and said,¡± Let¡¯s get some sleep.¡± Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org. ¡°Sure.¡± Nicole turned andid down, pulling the nket over herself. Jared shot her a nce. Then, he got up and headed to the bathroom. After a quick, hot shower, he came out soon after. He pulled the covers andid down, and after extending his arm, he pulled Nicole into his embrace. The scent of her hair overwhelmed his senses as he buried his nose in it, and his eyes darkened as he fixed his gaze on her. Nicole shifted slightly, trying to find a morefortable position as she felt uneasy in the one prior. However, her movement seemed to have an unexpected effect on Jared, causing his eyes to darken even further. Chapter 2328 Chapter 2328 Lowering his head, Jared kissed Nicole¡¯s lips without giving her a window of escape. The next day, Nicole arrived at the headquarters of the Riddle Corporation as usual. ¡°Here are today¡¯s documents,¡± Lulu entered and ced the files on the desk. As Nicole¡¯s gaze swept over the documents, her eyes were immediately drawn to the ring on Lulu¡¯s hand. ¡°The ring! What¡¯s going on?¡± Nicole immediately questioned, sensing that something significant must have happenedst night. ncing at the ring, Lulu¡¯s cheeks flushed, and she coyly said, ¡°Oh, uh, we¡¯ve decided to get married.¡± ¡°More like you¡¯ve finally decided to marry Spencer,¡± Nicole teased. In response, Lulu bit her lip and nodded. ¡°I¡¯ve figured it out, so I proposed to him.¡± Nicole¡¯s eyes widened in surprise. She was amazed that Spencer had acted so quickly the fact that it was Lulu who had proposed. Caressing the ring, Lulu exined, ¡°He prepared this ring when he proposed to me months ago. I just wasn¡¯t sure at the time, so I¡¯ve been keeping it. Now that I¡¯ve made up my mind, I proposed to him.¡± ¡°Nicely done,¡± Nicole beamed. Then, she lifted her gaze and suggested, ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we celebrate? Let¡¯s all have a good time together.¡± This prompted Lulu to bite her lip again and reply, about we head to her apartmentter? Dinner is on me.¡± ¡°Alright then. Tonight it is,¡± Nicole dly agreed. ¡°I¡¯ll make a call,¡± Lulu took a few steps to the exit, before she paused and turned around again. ¡°How did things go at the Riddle family manor yesterday?¡± Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org. ¡°All is well. Don¡¯t worry about it,¡± Nicole replied, sparing Lulu the details. She thought that the issue was in the past, so there was no need for Lulu to concern herself with it. ¡°Good to hear.¡± Lulu smiled and strode away. A slight smile tugged at the corner of Nicole¡¯s lips, feeling genuine joy for Spencer and Lulu. Before long, three knocks were heard on the door, and Steve came sauntering into the room. Noticing the folder in Steve¡¯s hands, Nicole raised an eyebrow, ¡°You got the property deed back.¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Steve said, and ced it down on her desk. ¡°Last night, Everett made family manor have already left San Joto. No one knows where they¡¯ve gone.¡± ¡°Finding them doesn¡¯t matter anymore. Let it be,¡± Nicole said calmly. Steve nodded in agreement before advising, ¡°Make your way to Grandpa¡¯s ce early today. They¡¯d surely have discovered that those people are missing by the morning already. They had probably also suspected that it¡¯s rted to the property deed.¡± Agreeing with Steve¡¯s suggestion, Nicole shot him a nce and replied, ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll process these two documents and head over.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll leave it to you, then. If there¡¯s any new information about Everett, I¡¯ll let you know,¡± Steve reassured. He knew that as long as Nicole could clear the air by offering a sinct exnation, things should be fine on Mr. Riddle Sr.¡¯s end. After handling the documents, Nicole jetted off, arriving at the Riddle family manor soon after. Indeed, the atmosphere in the family manor was tense; everyone must have gotten wind of what had happened. ¡°Grandpa,¡± Nicole softly greeted as she approached the couch where Mr. Riddle Sr. was sitting, lost in thought. He looked up in surprise when he saw Nicole. ¡°Why are you here?¡± Nicole shot the housekeepers in the living room a nce, and that was when the old man realized why she had shown up. ¡°You can all head downstairs for now.¡± Chapter 2329 Chapter 2329 ¡°Yes, sir.¡± After the servants had left, Nicole handed the file to Mr. Riddle Sr. and said, ¡°I¡¯m here to deliver this, of course.¡± ¡°What is this?¡± He opened the file, and upon reading its contents, his eyes widened in astonishment. ¡°Nicole, this¡­¡± ¡°Well, thanks to your wise nning, we¡¯ve managed to retrieve the stolen items sessfully,¡± Nicole stated, believing that he would understand the intended meaning behind her words. Indeed, upon hearing Nicole¡¯s words, Mr. Riddle Sr.¡¯s face nched. He had tipped her off earlier, so Nicole¡¯s implication was that he had warned her about Damien¡¯s frequent visits to the house, prompting her to be vignt, and ultimately leading to the recovery of the property deed. As it turned out, Damien had a specific purpose for returning ¨C to bribe the two gardeners, seize the opportunity when everyone had gathered around, and steal the deed to the property. If the deed had ended up in Damien¡¯s hands, the consequences would have been dire. ¡°Thank you for your hard work.¡¯ Mr. Riddle Sr.¡¯s tone grew heavy. ¡°It¡¯s okay, Grandpa. You can leave it to us to investigate Everett. It¡¯s likely that he won¡¯t discover anything in the end, and I doubt anyone would guess that the deed is back in your hands. You can focus on keeping it safe after that. Don¡¯t worry,¡± Nicole said with a smile. Mr. Riddle Sr.¡¯s sullen mood improved, and that was when he shed his granddaughter a wry smile and said, ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll follow your advice.¡± Damien frequently feigned concern for him, an act which he found suspicious. Now, his true intentions had been revealed, and they were truly nothing short of despicable. Fortunately, Mr. Riddle Sr. had a smart, sensible, and capable granddaughter. He knew that as long as he entrusted things to Nicole, every issue would be perfectly resolved. All content is ? N0velDrama.Org. After giving her a nod of approval, Mr. Riddle Sr. advised,¡± Let¡¯s put an end to this discussion for now. Try and refrain from mentioning it in the future. If the information leaks out, Damien and the others might give you grief again.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Grandpa,¡± Nicole replied with a smile, showing him that he need not worry without expressing her agreement or disagreement to the matter. She would naturally think things through and gain a clear understanding of the issue at hand either way. Besides, she would never back down on what she needed to fight for. Still, she did not want Mr. Riddle Sr. to concern himself with these problems anymore, so she was determined to give him the best resolution she could find. Seeing how confident Nicole was, Mr. Riddle Sr. shed her a contented smile, having understood what she was thinking. And after chatting with him for a while, Nicole left the family manor. Once she was outside, she issued a sigh of relief. Thankfully, the issue had been n. Anything that woulde her way next would be left to the discretion of Damien and Everett. She understood her grandfather¡¯s concerns, but even if she were to quietly withdraw from the situation, Everett would eventually figure out that it was her, though he would not have the evidence needed against her. Furthermore, the conflict between Damien¡¯s family and hers would only intensify over time. She was fully aware that this conflict would just continue to escte and that there would be no end to it until a final resolution had been reached. With a darkened gaze, Nicole pondered on, knowing that she needed to keep an eye on the candidates eligible to be the next heir to the fortunes of the Riddle family. To her, no one else was qualified, apart from Sean. This is especially true in the case of Everett. If the Riddle family ended up in his hands, the other families would not have it easy. This would only lead to critical concerns about the future developments of the Riddle family. As the sun set and the afterglow lingered, everyone gathered in June¡¯s small apartment unit. ¡°Lulu, you¡¯re impressive! You¡¯ve quietly slipped in ahead of me. When are you nning to get married? Have you set a date?¡± June teased with augh. It was evident that she was genuinely happy for her friend. Lulu yfully red at June and said, ¡°You¡¯re bombarding me with questions all at once. Which one should I answer first?¡± Chapter 2330 Chapter 2330 ¡°Then let¡¯s take it one step at a time,¡± June persisted, showing her persistence in delving into every detail. ¡°We haven¡¯t really considered marriage yet,¡± Lulu said with her brows raised. ¡°Right now, we¡¯ve just decided to get engaged. Why do you seem more anxious than I am? You should focus on your own ns first.¡± June was worried about Lulu¡¯s wedding ns, even though none of her own had been finalized. Hearing Lulu¡¯s words, June sighed and said, ¡°I¡¯m really in a bind now. Ever since Samuel made our rtionship official to the public, fans on the inte have been arguing nonstop. It¡¯s gotten so bad that I¡¯m afraid to even go online. And now, I¡¯m even more uncertain about what to do.¡± She had been worried if it might affect Samuel, and now¡­ it had turned out just as she had expected. With that said, it had left her conflicted and unsure of what to do next. ¡°Just as you told me, don¡¯t overthink it. Pursue your own happiness with courage.¡± Lulu patted June¡¯s shoulder and smiled. ¡°You guys¡­ How about a joint wedding? After all, the family is already preparing for Samuel¡¯s wedding. Once he recovers from his injuries, we can pick a good day for it. Lulu, why not have your wedding together? It¡¯ll be a double celebration,¡± Nicole suggested as she listened on to their fruitless discussion. ¡°Together?!¡± June and Lulu exchanged nces, their minds frozen for a brief moment. ¡°I think it¡¯s a good idea,¡± Samuel responded before June and Lulu could even consider it. ¡°Me too,¡± Spencer agreed as well. While he and Lulu had only decided on marriage, they had not gotten anything nned out just yet. Thus, this idea seemed rather appealing to him. June and Lulu simultaneously turned their gazes toward Spencer and Samuel. ¡®Did they just agree to this? ¡°I was only suggesting,¡± Samuel quickly backpedaled. ¡°Me too,¡± Spencer nodded in agreement. June and Lulu could not help but suppress theirughter, for the twin brothers were acting as if they were being bullied. Biting her lip slightly, June was the first to agree. ¡°If Lulu doesn¡¯t mind, I¡¯m definitely all for it.¡± She decided to stop worrying. Since she was already prepared to get married, she might as well just proceed without hesitation. Everyone¡¯s gaze then shifted to Lulu, their eyes brimming with hope. Lulu, however, could not help but feel a little pressured as she pursed her lip, struggling to find the right words to say. ¡°It¡¯s okay. If you want to wait a little longer, we can have the weddingter. After all, you¡¯ve already agreed to my proposal. To me, you¡¯re already my wife,¡± Spencer comforted Lulu with a reassuring smile. He did not want to ce too much weight on her back as he thought that allowing things to develop naturally between them was a much better approach. Lulu looked up at Spencer, her heart filled with gratitude, for he had always been nothing short of gentle and amodating toward her. Feeling a sudden sense of relief, Lulu smiled and agreed,¡± Alright, let¡¯s have the wedding together.¡± All rights ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Are you sure about this?¡± Spencer¡¯s eyes lit up, asking Lulu again. ¡°Yes.¡± Lulu nodded with determination. And then, in a slightly softer tone, she added, ¡°Just¡­¡± ¡°Just what?¡± Spencer asked. Whatever her concerns were, he was going to address them. Chapter 2331 Chapter 2331 ¡°Mrs. Riddle is already upied with Samuel and June¡¯s wedding. Aren¡¯t we just going to add to her burden?¡± Lulu asked, feeling a little worried. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that,¡± Nicole said with a smile. ¡°First of all, there¡¯ll be people helping my mom with it, and secondly, I believe the news will only delight my mom. It¡¯s not going to be a burden to her at all.¡± ¡°Yeah, there¡¯s no doubt that she¡¯ll be happy. After all, it¡¯s not the first time she has rushed us to get married.¡± Samuel shrugged his shoulders, feeling a sense of relief as his family would never pressure him to get married from here on out. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect that guys like you, who have so much to offer, would be pressured to get married.¡± June lifted her brows, surprised that Spencer and Samuel, who possessed such qualities, as well as a reputable family, would face a problem like that. Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org. ¡°Although I don¡¯t know what they¡¯re thinking, I believe it is a nationwide phenomenon, and it has nothing to do with the individual.¡± Samuel shrugged his shoulders, harboring the thought that no child in the world could escape the fate of being urged into getting married. Ding-dong. The doorbell rang and Lulu immediately stood up. ¡°It¡¯s probably the dinner I ordered.¡± She quickly marched for the door as she spoke, and there, she saw that it was indeed the dinner she had ordered, so she brought it in. Very soon, all of them sat down in the dining room with dinner prepared on the table. ¡°We had initially nned to take everyone out for dinner, but we ditched the idea considering Samuel¡¯s current condition. ¡± Lulu stated. ¡°Is there anything else any of you would like to eat? I can order more.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. This is more than enough.¡± ¡°I¡¯m good. This is already a very decent meal.¡± Lulu smiled. Let¡¯s dig in then.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll eat here for tonight, and I¡¯ll treat everyone to a meal once my leg recovers.¡± Samuel promised confidently. ¡°Sure. We¡¯re going to have a feast then,¡± June chimed in, as she figured that Samuel¡¯s recovery could be a cause for celebration too. ¡°That¡¯s a good idea. We can invite more people and have a gathering,¡± Nicole agreed, knowing that it would be a joyous asion for the entire family. As they ate and chatted, they became so merry and joyful that they lost track of time. Suddenly, Nicole¡¯s phone rang, and when she took a look at it, she saw that Jared was calling. She swept her gaze across the time on the screen disy, and there, she realized howte it was getting. She answered the phone, and in an apologetic tone, she said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I lost track of time. We¡¯re almost done eating, and I¡¯ll be home soon. Can you put Nn and Lana to sleep first?¡± ¡°I¡¯m downstairs,¡± Jared calmly said. Nicole could not help but feel a little surprised. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Yeah. I just got done with work, so I came to pick you up,¡± Jared continued gently. ¡°Oh, I¡¯lle down now then,¡± Nicole replied, and hung up. Nicole knew that Jared had something else to do in thepany, but she was not expecting him to work tillte at night. If anything, she thought that he had already gone home. After that, Nicole looked at the rest of them apologetically.¡± Hey, I¡¯ll be heading back now. Carry on, guys.¡± ¡°Yeah, you should go home now since Mr. Johnston is already here to pick you up.¡± The others nodded in agreement. They felt at ease knowing that Jared hade over to take Nicole home. And with that, Nicole left the apartment and made her way downstairs. Sure enough, she saw Jared¡¯s car, but then, he was waiting for her outside of it. Jared walked toward her and gently stroked her hair. ¡°You look happy.¡± Jared could tell that she was in a very good mood and figured that they must have had a great chat. ¡°Yeah. Both of them have decided to hold a joint wedding. I¡¯m sure that Mom and Dad will be delighted to hear this news.¡± Nicole¡¯s eyes lit up as she said. She genuinely thought that it was a great piece of news. Not only had her best friends found happiness; both of her brothers had also finally found the love of their lives. It was something that would bring joy to the entire family. ¡°They¡¯re all getting married?¡± Jared frowned as he looked at Nicole, feeling a little frustrated deep down. Chapter 2332 Chapter 2332 ¡°Yeah. Hey, they¡¯re getting married, so what¡¯s with that look? ¡± Nicole looked at him in confusion. ¡®He¡¯s upset? Why wouldn¡¯t he be happy when others are getting married?¡¯ ¡°When are we getting married?¡± Jared suddenly stopped in his tracks, his face darkened as he looked at Nicole. He had been left feeling rather impatient for a while now, and it was frustrating for him to not only not be able to marry her but to also have to witness the wedding of others. Nicole¡¯s lips twitched as she wondered, ¡®Why are we talking about us now?¡¯ ¡°When are they getting married?¡± Jared continued asking after noticing their silence. Nicole looked up at him, seeming to understand what he was implying, and could not help but shake her head in defeat, ¡°Let¡¯s not join in on the festivities for now.¡± ¡°As long as you agree to marry me, we can do it anytime.¡± He had long been prepared for the asion, so for the wedding ceremony, they could hold it anytime. ¡°I know, but¡­ the entire family is celebrating Samuel and Spencer¡¯s weddings right now, and they need to prepare for various things. So, maybe it¡¯s not the best time for us to pile on to that,¡± Nicole exined. ¡°I don¡¯t.¡± The two of them bantered as they headed toward the car. Meanwhile, back in the apartment, the four of them had finished their meals it was gettingte, Spencer and Lulu got up, preparing to leave. ¡°We¡¯re heading back now,¡± they said, bidding the other couple farewell. ¡°Sure, let¡¯s meet up again some other day,¡± Soon, Lulu and Spencer left the apartment. After seeing everyone off, the only ones Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org. ¡°Why does it feel a little empty all of a sudden?¡± June shrugged, thinking about how merry it was just a moment ago. Chapter 2333 Chapter 2333 ¡°You should continue to rest properly.¡± June rolled her eyes. Although his condition had improved significantly, he still required more time toplete his recovery. After that, Samuel tightened his embrace around June and said, ¡°Well, I just can¡¯t wait to marry you and bring you home. n June¡¯s face turned red, and she yfully patted Samuel¡¯s shoulder, saying, ¡°Let go of me already.¡± She was genuinely concerned that it might strain his leg. Regardless of whether they were in a hurry to get married or not, she just wanted him to recover as soon as possible. June wriggled around, trying to break free and stand up, so Samuel had no choice but to release her from his grasp, albeit reluctantly. ¡°Give me a second, I¡¯ll clean this up and get you back to sleep,¡± June said as she began tidying up the dining table. Watching her getting all busy, Samuel¡¯s eyes began brimming with tender affection for her. He envisioned that their life after marriage would be like this ¨C a warm little home, a happy andfortable life, and perhaps their own children in the future. Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org. The more he thought about it, the sweeter it felt. A smile deepened in Samuel¡¯s eyes and lips, which were tinged with anticipation. Now more than ever, he felt truly impatient, longing for the days of happiness that belonged to them. After the table had been cleaned, June turned her gaze to Samuel. Seeing the dazed look on his face as he stared at her, she raised her brows and asked, ¡® What are you looking at?¡± ¡°You.¡± Samuel smiled, his eyes filled with her presence alone. June¡¯s cheeks reddened as she yfully shot Samuel a reproachful look. ¡°Go to sleep now.¡± Must have been a really special day. He¡¯s speaking so sweetly.¡¯ She walked over and pushed Samuel off in his wheelchair, guiding him toward their bedroom. Once they were inside the room, June helped Samuel lie down on the bed, and after he had been wiped down and tended to, she pulled the quilt over him, saying, ¡°Go to sleep.¡± Samuel reached out and held June¡¯s hand, begging, ¡°Stay with me.¡± In response, June pushed his hand away. ¡°You have a good rest.¡± If she stayed, he would not go to sleep, and proper rest was what he needed to expedite his recovery. Samuel pitifully furrowed his brows as if June had wronged him, waiting for her tofort him or compromise. Seeing through his intentions, June rolled her eyes and retorted, ¡°That trick won¡¯t work on me anymore.¡± He was always pretending to be pitiful like this, but she could not give in this time. ¡°Fine,¡± Samuel acquiesced in defeat. Then, he looked at June and said, ¡°Lower your head a bit.¡± ¡°Why?¡± June asked, puzzled. ¡°I have something to tell you,¡± Samuel said in a low voice. June leaned closer to Samuel, wanting to hear what he had to say as she was curious about the sudden air of mystery around him. Unexpectedly, Samuel nted a kiss on her cheek. June¡¯s cheeks flushed as she did not see that coming. ¡°Go to sleep.¡± June shot Samuel a re before turning to leave the room. She was worried that if she stayed, she might give in and stay even longer. For the sake of a speedy recovery, she decided that she should return to her own room as soon as possible. Samuel smiled adoringly as he watched her leave, feeling defeated and helpless. As June returned to her own room, her heart was still thumping wildly. Unconsciously, she bit her lip as a coy smile crossed her face. Chapter 2334 Chapter 2334 At this moment, downstairs. After Spencer and Lulu left, they called a driver which had been designated forthem. The aforementioned driver arrived after some time. Spencer handed the car keys over and informed him of Lulu¡¯s apartment address. Once they had gotten into the car, the chauffeur began taking them to Lulu¡¯s apartment. ¡°I will talk to my mom about our wedding as soon as I get back. Mom is already preparing for Samuel and June¡¯s wedding, so she has the experience. I think she should be able to prepare everything quickly.¡± Spencer looked at Lulu, his eyes brimming with tenderness. ¡°Okay,¡± Lulu blushed and nodded. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t I visit your parents first?¡± After all, she and Spencer had decided to get married in this sort of fashion. They had decided to hold a joint wedding with Samuel and June on their own, and this meant that they had not told their parents about it yet. Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org. ¡°Got it.¡± Spencer gently held Lulu¡¯s hand. ¡°I¡¯ll start nning. You should also give it some thought too. You can let me know if you have any requests or wishes, and we will definitely try to fulfill them.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have any special requests,¡± Lulu answered. For her, being able to marry him was probably her biggest wish granted already. In response, Spencer darted his eyes at Lulu and said, ¡°This is our wedding. Are you really not nning to share any ideas or suggestions?¡± Even though they were having a joint wedding with Samuel and June, they could still incorporate their own ideas into the event and express any wishes and desires they had for their future life. He would make sure she was satisfied regardless. ¡°I¡¯m really fine with it.¡± Lulu¡¯s cheeks turned red. After all, it was Spencer¡¯s parents who were organizing Seeing her reaction, Spencer agreed, ¡°Alright then, let¡¯s follow my family¡¯s arrangement for the wedding. And after our wedding, we can travel to a remote ind for our honeymoon. How do you feel about that?¡± Lulu¡¯s eyes widened in surprise. ¡® How did you know I¡­¡± This was indeed what she had been thinking, but she was worried that the Riddle family might not agree. After all, the Riddle family was also a prominent household in San Joto. If they chose such a location for their honeymoon, it might attract gossip and rumors. Spencer smirked. ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I know?¡± She had mentioned weeks prior that she wanted a ce where no one would know them, to enjoy a vacation without having to worry about the stares from others, to be free to walk the streets without being swarmed for autographs or photos. It would just be the two of them enjoying a moment of peace. Such was why he knew what she wanted. He had already nned it and wanted to choose a ce like that for their honeymoon. To top it off, they could also embark on vacations together like that every year. Lulu was extremely moved as she bit her lip a little and whispered, ¡°Thank you, Spencer.¡± ¡®Thank you for choosing me. Thank you for being so kind to me. I¡¯m truly grateful to have met you,¡¯ she continued in her thoughts. Spencer gently pinched her in the arm and said, ¡°Silly girl, I don¡¯t need your gratitude. You¡¯re already my wife. I¡¯m happy as long as you like what I¡¯ve prepared.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not your wife yet,¡± Lulu¡¯s cheeks turned even redder. Spencer¡¯s lips curled into a gentle smile as he extended his arm and embraced Lulu. ¡°Soon, you will be.¡± Resting in Spencer¡¯s arms, Lulu bit her lips with a smile, feeling an unusual sense of reassurance. Early in the morning on the next day, Nicole opened her eyes along to the sound of birds chirping. ¡°Hey, did you sleep well?¡± Jared¡¯s voice red out in her ears. He had woken up as soon as she moved. She smiled, sat up, and replied, ¡°Yes, I did. Let¡¯s get up.¡± They had returned quitete yesterday, and their family members were already asleep by then. Because of this, she did not have the chance to talk to her parents about Spencer and Samuel¡¯s decision yet. Spencer had returned eventer than her, so he had most likely not gotten the chance to say anything either. Still, it was a joyful asion, so it would be better for her to let her parents know about it as soon as possible. Chapter 2335 Chapter 2335 Nicole quickly washed up after getting up from bed before heading downstairs. Meanwhile, Gloria and Daniel were already seated in the dining room, chatting to Alfred. ¡°Mom, Dad.¡¯ Spencer greeted as he walked into the dining room. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re up! It¡¯s still quite early though. Why don¡¯t you go sleep for a little while longer, honey?¡± Gloria suggested with apprehension in her voice. Nicole curled her lips into a smile, ¡°One thing¡¯s for sure, he slept very well. We have some good news to tell you all.¡± ¡°What good news? You¡¯re beaming¡­¡± Gloria asked as Nicole took a seat at the table. ¡°It¡¯s about Spencer and Lulu. They¡¯ve decided to have a double wedding with Samuel and June! You guys might need to double down on the preparations for two couples now!¡± Nicoleughed. Gloria and Daniel, who were taken by surprise, raised their voices and belted out, ¡°Really? This is great news!¡± Both Gloria and Daniel were overjoyed with the news of their kids being married off one after another. Five years ago, the trio, Stanley, Spencer, and Samuel had sworn to never get married, but now, it seemed that they had eaten their words. Gloria was relieved that her immature sons, who would initially flee from the slightest mention of the word ¡®marriage¡¯, had finally matured. ¡°I knew Mom would be the happiest hearing the news, but this wedding will now be twice as grand. Will you be able to handle it?¡± Nicole asked with a smile. ¡°Of course! I¡¯m so excited!¡± Gloria said, being more than happy to organize a wedding for not just one but two of her sons. ¡°I think we ought to find someone to help you out since it¡¯s going to be quite hectic,¡± Daniel suggested with some concern in his voice. Gloria shook her head in disapproval and disagreement.¡± Why? I don¡¯t feel at ease with someone else in charge and helping me out.¡± After giving it some thought, Daniel suggested, ¡°How about we get Emma to help?¡± ¡°Sounds good to me!¡± Gloria immediately agreed. Everything wille in ce if Emma coulde by and help out,¡¯ Gloria thought to herself. ¡°Okay, you can contact herter today to ask.¡± Daniel finished, knowing that Gloria would have someone helping her out so that she would not exert herself too much. Then, Gloria nodded in agreement. ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll give her a call after breakfast.¡± They went on to converse among themselves as the rest of the family came in one after another. ¡°Mom, is it true? What you said just now?¡± Lana ran over with her stubby little legs, having overheard what her mom had said. Nicole gently pinched Lana¡¯s button nose and smiled. ¡°Yes. I think your dream of bing a flower girl is going toe true.¡± ¡°Can I call Lulu and June my aunts now?¡± Lana asked, feeling very excited for the wedding. ¡°Yes, you can,¡± Nicole replied, a little taken aback by how persistent Lana was. ¡°Mommy, now that Uncle Spencer and Samuel are getting married. When will you and Daddy get married?¡± Lana looked up at Nicole with her puppy eyes and asked. Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org. It was then that the corners of Nicole¡¯s lips twitched involuntarily. ¡®She is indeed Jared¡¯s child, without a shadow of a doubt.¡¯ Then, Jared pulled Lana in for a gentle hug and said, ¡°I think mommy and Daddy will have to wait for a little while longer.¡± Lana frowned. ¡°Wait? How long will I have to wait?¡¯ Chapter 2336 Chapter 2336 ¡°What are you in a rush for? Haven¡¯t you gotten your dream of being a flower girl fulfilled?¡± Nn snapped. Nn knew that his godfather, Lawrence, stood no chance with his mother at this rate, but when he heard that Jared was going to marry Nicole, he could not help but be on guard. ¡°Even if I don¡¯t get to be the flower girl, I still hope that mommy and Daddy will get married earlier,¡± Lana refuted, shooting a frown at Nn. ¡°They¡¯re not even in a hurry to get married, so why are you?¡± Nn pouted. In reply, Lana eximed, ¡°That is all the more why I should be!¡± ¡®If I¡¯m not worried about when mommy and Daddy will get married, then this wedding is going to take forever!¡¯ Lana thought to herself. ¡°Hey. Stop bickering and eat your breakfast.¡± Gloria stepped in, diverting the attention of the twins. Everyone wanted Nicole and Jared to hold their wedding as soon as possible, but at this very moment, no one dared to bring it up as it was up to them to decide. ¡°Come, let¡¯s all dig in.¡± Spencer and Stanley, who had just arrived, quickly sat down and began to eat. The Riddle family were all in attendance as they ate their breakfast in peace while chatting happily about Spencer and Samuel¡¯s wedding. After breakfast was over, everyone left to go about their daily routines. Meanwhile, Gloria picked the phone up and called Emma to ask if she wanted to help her n the wedding. Without hesitation, Emma agreed, ¡°This is double the fun. Okay, I¡¯lle over in a jiffy.¡± ¡°Okay then. I¡¯ll wait for you here.¡± Gloria grinned ear to ear as she hung up. Then, she shot a nce at Daniel. ¡°Emma agreed. She¡¯s going toe over in a bit.¡± Daniel nodded, feeling reassured. ¡°Okay. It¡¯s good to see that she wants to help out.¡± Gloria then began listing out the things she needed to do for the wedding. ¡°Samuel¡¯s injury might need upto two months to recoverpletely. I think it¡¯s enough time for us both to n and prepare for the wedding. You can inform Mr. Riddle Sr. of what¡¯s happening. Lulu and June have yet to meet him in person. We have to ask them if they would like to have dinner with him.¡± Hearing this, Daniel reminded, ¡°I think it is best if we refrain from intervening too much and get Spencer and Samuel to inform them directly. They might be embarrassed if we ask them to.¡± Gloria nodded before she hesitantly said, ¡°True. Then we¡¯ll leave this matter for them to settle. However, they will still have to pay him a visit at least once.¡± ¡°What?¡± Daniel asked in confusion. Gloria gave Daniel a nk look, ¡°We have to prepare some gifts for them. Consider it a token from our family.¡± ¡®They can¡¯t just get married without informing the family, I mean. It¡¯s rude to not visit the elders and host a wedding so abruptly,¡¯ Gloria thought. ¡°Oh. Yes! Why didn¡¯t I think of it!¡± Daniel snapped back to his senses after giving it some thought. Gloria shook her head. ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll sort these things out with Emma when she arrives. She¡¯ll be of much help aspared to you. Why don¡¯t you visit the family manor?¡± ¡°Sure. I¡¯ll leave this to you. If there¡¯s anything you need me to do, just holler!¡± Daniel finished. It was a family event, and thus, everyone had to be involved in one way or another. With that said, Gloria smiled. ¡°Okay.¡± Not long after, Daniel left to visit the family manor while Gloria continued her nning as she waited for Emma to arrive. Meanwhile, at the headquarters of the Riddle Corporation, Nicole had just arrived when Steve came striding into her office. ¡°I heard that there are some good things happening.¡± Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org. ¡°The news reached you quite quickly, huh? Did you install some surveince cameras at home or something?¡± Nicole teased. Chapter 2337 Chapter 2337 -In response, Steve shrugged, ¡°No, I actually bumped into Stanley earlier and he told me about it. I guess it¡¯s going to be quite busy for the entire family.¡± ¡°Yeah. Mom and Dad are over the moon right now.¡± Nicole sighed as she recalled the beaming smiles on her parents¡¯ faces. Steve nodded. ¡°If they haven¡¯t been putting this off, I think they should have been done with these wedding preparations early on.¡± ¡®It was not easy for them to put things on hold until now, given the circumstances,¡¯ Steve thought. Nicole darted her eyes at Steve. ¡°Did youe here to tell me this?¡± ¡°No, there are other things.¡± He smiled. Then, in a low voice, he said, ¡°Everett is really trying to investigate the family assets. He¡¯s covering it up by searching for two missing painters while he¡¯s going crazy just to acquire more information about the family¡¯s assets.¡± ¡°He won¡¯t find it. However, one thing is for sure. He will definitely mark us as the suspects,¡± Nicole replied with a frown. Sean had already removed each and every trace so that Everett would wind up in a dead end in his search for more information. However, Nicole was adamant that Everett and Damien would be able to dredge something out in the end. ¡°They can suspect us as much as they want. All I know is, they don¡¯t have any solid evidence toe at us,¡± Steve said, his voice icy and low. ¡°Apparently, there¡¯s nothing much but honestly, I¡¯m quite worried that they won¡¯t stop,¡± Nicole continued. ¡®I know Everett and Damien can be quite stubborn, but they definitely aren¡¯t the type to sit idly by and take it all lying down,¡¯ she thought. Steve smirked, ¡°For now, they don¡¯t have anything against us, but it¡¯s expected that Dillon will suffer a little.¡± Damien¡¯s circumstances might prove to be a disadvantage due to how limited his influence is. However, I¡¯m worried they might plot against Dillon to secure DillCorp just so that they can have another go at us,¡¯ Nicole thought. ¡°The situation over at Snow¡¯s side seems to be rather favorable.¡± Nicole¡¯s eyes darkened as DillCorp was brought up. ¡®Harvey had put the operations on hold for a while, but they should resume soon.¡¯ ¡°If they really are going to make a move, what should we do? ¡± Steve asked as DillCorp might be at risk of being lost to Ellison Group. Nicole smirked. ¡°Let¡¯s just wait and see what happens. Don¡¯t forget that we still have Raine.¡± We ought to get them to start a mess first. All we have to do is ensure that DillCorp does not end up in the hands of either Damien or Harvey,¡¯ Nicole thought. Steve shrugged in response. ¡°Okay. Let¡¯s watch and see how it ys out when they make their first move.¡± Then, Steve chatted with Nicole for a while longer before sauntering out of the office to get back to work. Nicole picked up the document on her desk and began working. Meanwhile, at DillCorp, Raine was leaning against her chair with a sullen look on her face, apparently lost in her thoughts. Suddenly, the door of her office busted open, and James Harlow came storming in. ¡°There¡¯s literally no news about the family manor,¡± James informed in a low voice. ¡°How is it that there¡¯s no news at all?¡± Raine was confused.1 This is a very important document. How can it just go missing with no traces left to be found. This is way too suspicious.¡¯ All content is ? N0velDrama.Org. James then continued with a frown, ¡°Oh yeah. Everett is also looking into this matter while the other three are not doing anything at all.¡± Chapter 2338 Chapter 2338 ¡°I¡¯m not sure.¡± James shook his head. ¡°I have no idea if they didn¡¯t care enough for it, or they stopped investigating, since they can¡¯t find anything.¡± Confused and pale, Raine asked. ¡°But how will they exin anything to Grandpa if they stopped investigating?¡± ¡°Steve is keeping an eye on Everett. Perhaps he¡¯ll present a set of results simr to Everett¡¯s. As for Preston and Er, they¡¯re all good for nothing,¡± James exined. However, he was still puzzled as he wondered what these people had in mind if they had chosen not to investigate the matter. All content is ? N0velDrama.Org. This caused Raine tosh out. ¡°How could they not do as they¡¯re told?¡± Feeling that it was a great opportunity to cause some havoc, James asked, ¡°Should we tell Grandpa?¡± ¡°No, not yet,¡± Raine shook her head. ¡°Damien is currently the biggest suspect. Maybe they cane across some discoveries by monitoring Everett.¡± Raine knew that Preston would be of no use, as well as Er. She thought that it would be best for them to do nothing and wait to see what would unfold. If she spilled the beans now, she might just end up stirring a beast into action. ¡°Alright then,¡± James agreed reluctantly after Raine had decided on their next course of action. ¡°We should wait for news from the Riddle manor,¡± Raine ended the topic, feeling miffed by the situation. Then, James paused and whispered, ¡°Snow might be up to something.¡± ¡°What have you heard?¡± Raine asked, her expression darkening. ¡°Snow has been making progress with Harvey. Both of them are often featured in the headlines of the news. Rumors have it that something great will happen,¡± James said with a meaningful glint in his eyes. ¡°Tsk. She¡¯s still so naive after all these years,¡± Raine scorned. In Raine¡¯s eyes, Snow was daydreaming. ¡®If Harvey really liked Snow, how is it that he had not acted in these past five years? Besides, I have not noticed any passionate enthusiasm from Harvey toward Snow. If anything, Snow seems to be the one who¡¯s clinging onto Harvey.¡¯ ¡°But with Harvey by her side, Snow had indeed attained a higher position in thepany. One can even argue that she overshadows you,¡± James said, feeling a little irritated. ¡°She has Harvey to back her up now, and a lot of people are still hoping to strike a deal with the Ellison Group,¡± he finished. At this juncture, DillCorp was still a second-ratepany due to its sorry state of affairs. Everyone in DillCorp had hoped that there would be projects from Ellison Group. That way, it could potentially move up by a tier or two. Raine gritted her teeth in resentment, her face nching. She was furious as she thought about the notion of losing everything she had worked so hard to gain to Snow. She gritted her teeth and said, ¡°No, I won¡¯t let this go her way.¡± All of them were influential figures during their days at Royal Creek Institute. Nicole was now with Jared, and Snow had found Harvey. Inparison, Raine was reduced to marrying an ill-esteemed outcast of a third rate family, something which she did not feel good about. Raine was still tolerant of the idea of Snow getting together with Harvey. After all, Snow was still her sister, and would help Raine when needed. However, now that Snow had also gotten into thepany, Raine would be left with nothing if the former managed to take over. The more Raine thought about it, the sourer her grimace became. She resented the current situation, and with that in mind, she decided that she would never allow Snow to take thepany over. ¡°What¡¯s in your mind?¡± James asked in a low voice after noticing Raine¡¯s silence. Chapter 2339 Chapter 2339 ¡°Get someone to keep an eye on Snow¡­¡± Raine said, suddenly interrupted as someone knocked on the door. That was when she turned her gaze to the door and announced, ¡°Come in.¡± The secretary entered, saying, ¡°There¡¯s mail for you, Miss Riddle.¡± ¡°A mail? Who sent it?¡± Raine asked while eyeing the envelope in her secretary¡¯s hand. Then, her secretary ced the mail down and exined,¡± There are no signatures or contact numbers on it.¡± The only information on the envelope was the name of the receiver: Raine. Apart from that, there was nothing else. Thus, the receptionist had initially hesitated before inquiring about Raine¡¯s secretary, worried that the envelope was of some measure of importance. Because of this, she had gotten someone to send it to Raine. ¡°Alright, you can leave,¡± Raine sent her secretary out, her mind filled with doubts. She could not ascertain what that mysterious envelope was all about. Until she could figure it out, she did not want anyone else to know. After picking it up, Raine carefully examined it, finding nothing but her name on it. All content is ? N0velDrama.Org. ¡°This wasn¡¯t mailed through a courier. Someone had sent it over directly,¡± James observed. ¡°The person wanted to remain anonymous,¡± Raine opened the envelope, having understood the sender¡¯s intentions. When she found a few documents inside, she proceeded to take them out. It was obvious that the sender had chosen this approach just so that they could maintain their privacy. Raine read the details on the documents and the look on her face shifted at an instant. Her shock was visible as her eyes widened. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± James asked, noticing Raine¡¯s expression. ¡°Harvey and Everett¡­are colluding,¡± Raine struggled to string together aplete sentence. The news shocked Raine greatly. This revtion had made her wonder how genuine Harvey and Snow¡¯s rtionship might be, as Harvey and Everett were working together instead. While Damien¡¯s family and Dillion¡¯s family had severed ties with one another on the surface as of recent, they had been at each other¡¯s throats for a long time now. With that said, Raine could only attempt to deduce the reason behind Harvey¡¯s action. ¡°Harvey approached Snow for DillCorp!¡± James eximed, realizing the seriousness of the matter. His face paled, finding it hard to believe the ambitions that Damien¡¯s family had. ¡°This can¡¯t be allowed to do that. I have to tell Dad,¡± Raine stood up, intent on looking for Dillion. However, James held her back and warned, ¡°Calm down. You might startle the enemy.¡± ¡°We can¡¯t afford to wait any longer. By then, it will be toote!¡± Raine was anxious, worried that Harvey had already made his move. ¡°Dad may not believe you if you confront him without any solid evidence. And if Harvey finds out about it, we will be rendered powerless in that situation,¡± James exined. He feared that they would not be able to stand against Harvey without an ace up his sleeve. Fortunately, James¡¯ analysis calmed Raine, who then asked, ¡°What then?¡± ¡°Since we¡¯ve received the news, it¡¯s up to us to find a solution,¡± James said, his eyes dark and cold. ¡°What solution?¡± Raine pressed. Without a proper n of action, Raine would not go out on a limb and act on pure impulse. ¡°Since Harvey and Everett have set their sights on DillCorp, why don¡¯t we¡­¡± After listening to James¡¯ n, Raine slowly settled down, and eventually, she shed him a smile. ¡°That¡¯s great. Let¡¯s do it your way. Sure enough, your ideas are always great.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll make the arrangements. All you have to do is pretend as if you¡¯re oblivious to the situation,¡± James exined. Raine nodded. ¡°I got it.¡± After the couple had worked out a n, James threw the envelope into the shredder. Chapter 2340 Chapter 2340 At three in the afternoon, the sun was scorching hot, and the summer heat had not abated in the slightest. Just then, Nicole came out of the office building of Riddle Corporation and got in the car with Lulu in tow. ¡°What made you want to visit Mr. Ellison?¡± Lulu asked. Nicole had yet to recover her memories, so technically, she should have no impression of Mr. Ellison. ¡°I met Harvey the other day, and he tested me,¡± Nicole exined, wanting to clear her suspicions by paying a visit to Mr. Ellison and talking to him. ¡°He¡¯s so cunning!¡± Lulu rolled her eyes and muttered in frustration. Nicole sighed in response. ¡°Well, you¡¯ve beaten me to it.¡± Harvey was no ordinary man. Nicole had always gotten a strange feeling from him. Harvey seemed normal on the outside, but Nicole felt there was a sense of malevolence in his eyes. Even when Harvey was smiling, it would seem nk, almost devoid of emotions. ¡°Lulu, what happened to the Ellison family in the past five years?¡± Nicole asked. N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content. ¡°I¡¯m not sure about the specifics. All I know is that Harvey has been crowned the head of the family. Now, he is also fully in charge of the Ellison Group. As for Mr. Ellison, he¡¯s just a principal now,¡± Lulu carefully recalled the sequence of events about Harvey. ¡°Harvey¡¯s journey of sess has been so effortless. He¡¯s now the head of his family andpany. Shouldn¡¯t he be happy?¡± Nicole wondered, unable to figure out the reason for the feeling of gloom she felt emanating from Harvey. ¡°Speaking of which, Harvey has indeed changed from the previous school hunk he used to be. It¡¯s hard to put into words. It¡¯s like you know this person, but there¡¯s an indescribable sense of strangeness. It¡¯s like you¡¯ve never really known him,¡± Lulu exined. Nicole agreed, as she had the exact feeling. Although she did not recognize Harvey, she could still tell that he did not convey a good impression. Thus, Nicole could understand what Lulu was saying. As they were talking, the car stopped, and Nicole gazed off at the cafe across Royal Creek Institute before taking Lulu out of the car with her. Upon entering the cafe, everything inside seemed to evoke a sense of familiarity. Although she could not remember anything, this ce somehow felt dear to her. ¡°Mr. Johnston hadn¡¯t visited this ce since the day you went missing. He had only arranged for someone to take care of it,¡± Lulu exined in a whisper. Thinking back, Jared had always made coffee for Nicole. He had even spent a great deal of time at this ce. Nicole and Lulu. The two then ordered coffee and waited for Mr. Ellison. Their appointment was at three-thirty, so Mr. Ellison should be arriving soon. ¡°You¡¯ve finally decided to remember this old man after you¡¯ve been back for so long,¡± an elderly man suddenly teased while approaching the table. Looking up, Nicole saw Mr. Ellison. Though weathered and aged, he still exuded a friendly and calm air about him. ¡°Mr. Ellison,¡± Nicole and Lulu greeted. ¡°Please, have a seat.¡± After sitting down, Mr. Ellison sized Nicole up. ¡°You haven¡¯t changed much.¡± ¡°Neither have you,¡± Nicole replied. ¡°We¡¯ve ordered you coffee, though I¡¯m not sure if your taste has changed or not.¡± ¡°Hahaha,¡± Mr. Ellison chuckled heartily. ¡°Old habits die hard. My taste won¡¯t change easily.¡± Mr. Ellison did not expect Nicole to remember the coffee he liked, and because of this, he felt a sense of warmth deep within. The Novel will be updated daily. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone! Chapter 2341 Chapter 2341 ¡°That¡¯s great.¡± Nicole smiled. She did not want to reveal that she had inquired Jared about Mr. Ellison¡¯s taste beforehand. Nicole heard from Jared who was an old acquaintance of Mr. Ellison. But he stopped all coboration with Mr. Ellison because of Harvey. Jared did not want any further ties with Mr. Ellison for personal gain. However, Jared¡¯s cafe at Royal Creek Institute remained open this whole time. Mr. Ellison continued to frequent it since the coffee was special and unavable elsewhere. Nicole did her homework when she decided to visit Mr. Ellison. She was quite close with him before; the slightest slip might give her away. That was the reason Nicole brought Lulu along, to cover for her. ¡°I¡¯m happy you came to see me. After all, that grandson of mine¡­ Haa, let¡¯s not talk about him,¡± Mr. Ellison said with distress. He never imagined Harvey to turn out the way he did. Mr. Ellison had to cease all coborations with Jared because of Harvey. With all the horrible things Harvey did to Nicole, Mr. Ellison thought Nicole would never be willing to see him again. ¡°I just had tons of things to deal with after I returned. Don¡¯t think too much about it,¡± Nicole reassured him. ¡°What¡¯s more, you¡¯re not even in charge of Ellison Group now, so there¡¯s no need to keep a distance.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t. I¡¯m just d you¡¯re safe and sound!¡± Mr. Ellison eximed. When Nicole disappeared, Jared announced that he was protecting her by keeping her out of public eyes. However, Mr. Ellison was still worried about her since there were still rumors circting about her disappearance. Mr. Ellison was genuinely happy when Nicole returned safely. ¡°Alright, enough with the past. I¡¯m here to visit you.¡± Nicole did not want to talk about her five-year disappearance. She had not recovered her memories, so even though she imed to visit Mr. Ellison, there was no past to reminisce. And with Harvey¡¯s involvement, Nicole did not want to expose too much about her situation to Mr. Ellison. Mr. Ellison guessed that Nicole might have been through something difficult, so he did not press further. Time passed quickly as they sipped coffee and casually discussed past and present school events. Seeing it was about time to go, Nicole bid her farewell to Mr. Ellison. ¡°We¡¯ll leave now and visit you when we have the chance.¡± ¡°Sure thing. Come over anytime when you¡¯re free,¡± Mr. Ellison readily agreed. He hoped Nicole coulde over more often. After all, he was practically a loner now, and he sometimes cravedpany. ¡°Goodbye, Mr. Ellison,¡± said Lulu. Nicole had a faint smile. ¡°We¡¯re off.¡± ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll head back as well,¡± Mr. Ellison said while leaving his seat. Leaving the cafe, Nicole noticed Mr. Ellison¡¯s forlorn figure walking back toward the campus. She frowned and said,¡± Mr. Ellison seems to have something on his mind.¡± ¡°Really? I don¡¯t think so.¡± Lulu nced over, not noticing anything. Nicole averted her gaze. Maybe she gave it too much thought. The two then got into the car and headed toward Riddle Corporation. They met Mr. Ellison in the afternoon, so surely Harvey had already gotten the news by now. Hopefully, this would have dispelled his suspicions about Nicole. All content is ? N0velDrama.Org. At Ellison Group, Harvey did receive the news of Nicole¡¯s visit. Slightly shocked, Harvey asked in a grave tone, ¡°What did they do?¡± ¡°They just sat at a cafe across from Royal Creek Institute. They were also apanied by Ms. Riddle¡¯s assistant,¡± Harvey¡¯s assistant replied. ¡°Lulu,¡± Harvey frowned. Chapter 2342 Chapter 2342 Nicole went to see Mr. Ellison with Lulu. Despite the fact that they were close, Harvey felt it was unnecessary for Lulu toe along. ¡°Mr. Ellison has gone back to Royal Creek Institute and Mrs. Johnston must¡¯ve returned to the Riddle Corporation. All rights ? N?velDrama.Org. Nothing seemed out of ce. It was an ordinary meetup,¡± Harvey¡¯s secretary said. ¡°You can leave.¡± Harvey gestured for his secretary to leave. His secretary acknowledged themand and left the office. Harvey leaned back in his seat, his gaze dark. Nicole really went to see Grandfather. Did I guess wrongly? Why did I have the feeling that Nicole had changed? It wasn¡¯t how she looked or her personality. Nicole seemed exactly the same but different from before. There was something off about the Nicole now. ¡®I didn¡¯t even feel this way when she used to avoid and detest me. What¡¯s going on now?¡¯ Harvey pondered. He gritted his teeth, puzzled. However, it was alright even if he could not figure it out as the truth would eventuallye to light. All Harvey had to do now was get Riddle Corporation in his hands as soon as possible, leaving Nicole no choice but to find him. That way, he would finally get to satisfy his unfulfilled desire from years ago. As the sun set, there was the lingering light of the twilight. When Nicole left the office, she was surprised to see Lawrence¡¯s car outside thepany. Lawrence got out of his car, striding toward her. ¡°Leo! What¡¯s up?¡± Nicole asked. She wondered why Lawrence came without contacting her or going into thepany to find her. ¡°I was waiting for you to get off work and treat you to dinner. Well, would you do me the honor?¡± Lawrence smiled. ¡°You¡¯re asking me now¡­¡± Nicole looked at the time. Lawrence frowned. ¡°Are you busy?¡± ¡°Not really.¡± Nicole shook her head and exined, ¡°I just want to go home.¡± ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll be frank. I do have something minor to discuss with you.¡± Lawrence looked around briefly and shrugged. ¡°But this isn¡¯t the right ce for it. We should talk over dinner.¡± Nicole bit her lip and contemted. ¡°Alright then.¡± If they were about to talk business, this was indeed not the right ce to do so. Nicole sent a message to Jared and left with Lawrence. Arriving at a restaurant, the two of them sat down and ordered their meal. While waiting for the meal, Nicole asked directly, ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°I¡¯m considering a joint trade venture. I¡¯m currently looking into a fewpanies, so I wanted to ask if you¡¯re interested in getting in on it,¡± Lawrence proposed with a gentle gaze. ¡°Joint trade venture, you say.¡± Nicole frowned. ¡°Tell me more.¡± Chapter 2343 Chapter 2343 ¡°I¡¯m thinking about twopanies at Mecrounia and threepanies here at San Joto. I¡¯ve already contacted SmithCore Enterprise, but all the otherpanies were far from satisfactory. After some consideration, Riddle Corporation seemed to fit the criteria, so I came to ask you. As for the joint trade¡­¡± Lawrence exined his conception and ideas seriously. Nicole nodded. ¡°The n¡¯s not bad. I¡¯m sure things would go smoothly at Mecrounia since it¡¯s your own ce.¡± After all, Genesis Group¡¯s recent projects were not doing well. Lawrence¡¯s current choice was suitable for Genesis Group¡¯s development. ¡°So you¡¯re in?¡± Lawrence was filled with anticipation. ¡°I¡¯ll have to sleep on it. I¡¯ll tell you tomorrow.¡± Nicole did not want to ept it immediately. The project proposal was decent, and it was well-suited for Riddle Corporation¡¯s development prospects. However, Nicole still wanted to discuss it with Sean and Steve before promising Lawrence. For some inexplicable reason, Nicole found herself unable to be as open with Lawrence as she used to be after the electronic badge incident. A fleeting thought crossed her mind and Nicole¡¯s expression stiffened slightly. The investigation into the electronic badge seemed to have stalled, with no progress at all. The badge system Nicole helped Lawrence decrypt also seemed to hit a dead end. ¡°What¡¯s on your mind?¡± Lawrence softly questioned, noticing that Nicole was deep in thought. Nicole snapped out of her thoughts and looked at Lawrence. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s nothing. I¡¯ll have Lulu inform Ian about my decision.¡± Lawrence was slightly confused as he felt that Nicole¡¯s mood was strange. He could not understand the sudden sense of distance from Nicole. She had always kept her distance from him, but never as distant as today. ¡®Did something happen without me knowing? I had indeed rarely visited Nicole nowadays after my company was suppressed by Jared. I had to lead my team and avoid Jared¡¯s attention to stay afloat. Only then did I have the time to meet up with Nicole.¡¯ Recently, Lawrence had carefully analyzed the reasons for his failure. He believed it was because his foundation in San Joto was not solid. So he wanted to contact his forces in Mecrounia to support Genesis Group. With Nicole involved, Lawrence was convinced it would be difficult for Jared to control him. The waiter interrupted to serve their meals. ¡°Excuse me, your dinner is served.¡± Then, neither of them brought up the previous topic. It was like an unspoken agreement, and Lawrence would wait for Nicole¡¯s decision. ¡°Let¡¯s eat.¡± Nicole¡¯s emotions had calmed. She gestured to Lawrence with a faint smile. Lawrence chuckled. ¡°You too, I¡¯ve ordered all your favorites. You should try them.¡± Nicole nodded. ¡°How are Nn and Lana doingtely?¡± Lawrence asked with concern. ¡°They¡¯re fine.¡± Nicole¡¯s demeanor turned soft at the mention of her twins. ¡°Spencer and Samuel are going to get married, and Lana is moring to be the flower girl.¡± Lawrence raised his eyebrows. ¡°Well, isn¡¯t that double the joy? Please congratte them on my behalf.¡± ¡°Sure thing,¡± Nicole said. ¡°Don¡¯t forget to send me an invitation when the timees. I¡¯lle and toast to their happiness.¡± Lawrence smiled. ¡°I will.¡± N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content. ¡°Lana could finally get what she wanted.¡± Lawrence¡¯s eyes held a hint of fondness. ¡°You should tell Lana that I¡¯ll have someone send the outfits for the flower girl and ring bearer.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not necessary. We¡¯ll prepare those,¡± Nicole refused. Chapter 2344 Chapter 2344 ¡°The one from home is their effort, but the one I¡¯ll preparees from my heart. Lana is such a pretty girl, so her flower girl dress must be the prettiest too. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll prepare it for her,¡± Lawrence said, proud. He was determined to prepare Lana and Nn¡¯s outfit. Nicole was left speechless. She could only reply, ¡°Thank you. Lana and Nn will be very happy.¡± ¡°I¡¯m their Godfather. You don¡¯t have to act so formal in front of me.¡± Lawrence waved a hand. He acted as if it was his duty to buy gifts for the kids, even if they were not the flower girl and page boy for the wedding. Nicole knew that Lawrence sincerely loved the kids. Her eyes softened. While chatting about the kids, they both finished their dinner. Looking at the time, Lawrence offered, ¡°I¡¯ll send you home.¡± ¡°Sure,¡± Nicole replied, standing up. Then, the pair walked to the car and left the restaurant. After a while, the car pulled up in front of Nicole¡¯s ce. ¡°It¡¯s still early. Can I go in and see the kids? It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve seen them. I kind of miss them,¡± Lawrence attempted to ask. Nicole could not reject him, so she replied, ¡°Sure.¡± They entered the house and in the living room, Gloria and Daniel were ying with wooden blocks with Lana and Nn. Hearing some noiseing from the door, all of them lifted their heads and looked at the entrance. When the kids saw Nicole and Lawrence appear, they could not help but scream and run over. ¡°Mommy! Godpa!¡± Seeing those two little cuties, Lawrence smiled and squatted down. He hugged Nn and Lana for a moment and then released them. Nn was reluctant to let go, so he pulled Lawrence¡¯s arms as he asked, ¡°Godpa, what are you doing here?¡± Lana had already taken a step back, but she also looked at Lawrence doubtfully. ¡°I¡¯ve been very busy. I thought of seeing both of you since I have some free time today. Did you miss me?¡± Lawrence asked, gently patting Nn¡¯s tiny head. ¡°Of course! If you didn¡¯t visit me, I was nning to meet you during the holidays,¡± Nn said seriously. ¡°Haha! I¡¯m happy to hear that! That means you still love me.¡± Lawrence smiled happily. ¡°Come and have a seat, Lawrence.¡± Gloria and Daniel stood up and weed Lawrence politely. Lawrence stood up and nodded at the two. ¡°Gloria, Daniel. Sorry for interrupting. It¡¯s just that I¡¯ve missed the kids a lot.¡± ¡°No worries. You saved Nicole years ago, so you¡¯re our savior. You¡¯re wee to visit anytime.¡± Daniel was still smiling politely. ¡°Take a seat and have a chat.¡± Nicole gestured for Lawrence to sit down. Lawrence and Nicole led the little kids to the sofa and sat down. Previously, Nicole had informed the family that she would not be home for dinner. Gloria and Daniel knew that Nicole would be eating out with Lawrence, and that they must have had some important matters to discuss. Seeing that both of them were seated, Daniel shot a look at Nicole as if he was confused. Then, Nicole shook her head to signal that nothing was going on.N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content. Chapter 2345 Chapter 2345 Seeing this, Daniel did not question further. He knew that Nicole must have her own reasons for her actions, so he did not want to bug her about it. Lawrence was casually chatting with everyone. He quickly got along with Nn and Lana. He was happily ying with the wooden blocks with them. The whole scene seemed as if Lawrence had done this countless times. N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content. ¡°We have a visitor.¡± All of a sudden, a cold voice sounded, and the atmosphere in the living room became heavy. ¡°Dad!¡± Lana happily ran toward Jared, opening her arms wide and falling into Jared¡¯s embrace. Jared lifted Lana into his arms and walked to the sofa. He nced coldly at Lawrence. ¡°Mr. Jared here seems to be a busy man,¡± Lawrence said, acting casual. ¡°I¡¯m not as free as you,¡± Jared responded in an unfriendly tone. ¡®This guy had already brought Nicole out for dinner. And now, he has the guts toe into the house. Isn¡¯t he a little too free?¡¯ ¡°I¡¯m no match for you, but life like this ain¡¯t that bad. I get to hang out with friends and y with the kids. Seems like a pretty good life to me.¡± Lawrence¡¯s tone sounded calm, but he was secretly trying to provoke Jared. ¡°As long as you¡¯re happy with your life.¡± Jared, who was carrying Lana, sat down beside Nicole as he shot Lawrence a cold look. Seeing that the two men were about to start another argument, Nicole rolled her eyes and said, ¡°Both of you are like friends who haven¡¯t seen each other for a long time. There¡¯s so much to talk about.¡± It was obvious that they were going head-to-head with each other, but they still pretended to be chatting pleasantly. It was really annoying to watch. Lana looked up and innocently pointed out, ¡°Mom, Dad and Godpa aren¡¯t chatting with each other. They¡¯re pretending to be polite.¡± The corner of Nicole¡¯s mouth twitched. She tried to suppress herugh. ¡®Even a little kid could tell. Aren¡¯t they embarrassed?¡¯ Jared looked at Lana and smiled with a doting look. He seemed to be proud that his daughter could read his mind. Nicole could not help but smirk. ¡®This angel is really different. I Jared¡¯s calm reaction naturally caused Lawrence to not feel embarrassed. In fact, Lawrence turned to Lana and smiled.¡± Lana, you¡¯ve be smarter now.¡± Lana giggled and smiled happily. Daniel and Gloria nced at each other. They found the scene to be funny. This little one was extremely adorable, so they just took Lana¡¯s words as a child¡¯s bber. ¡°Daniel, Gloria, it¡¯s gettingte. I should get going.¡± Lawrence got up, readying to leave. Daniel immediately called out to the house butler. ¡°Alfred, please see him out.¡± Lawrence patted Nn¡¯s head and said, ¡°I¡¯m going now. I¡¯lle and y with both of you next time.¡± ¡°Alright. Bye, Godpa.¡± Although Nn was reluctant to let Lawrence go, he knew there was no way he could make Lawrence stay. Lana echoed, ¡°Bye, Godpa!¡± ¡°Goodbye. Remember to obey your mom, you hear?¡± Lawrence advised. ¡°Got it!¡± Lana and Nn responded in unison. After watching the butler send Lawrence off, Nicole turned to her parents. ¡°Mom, Dad, it¡¯s gettingte. You guys should head upstairs and get some rest.¡± ¡°Alright, you all should head to bed soon too,¡± Gloria said. Then, she walked up the stairs with Daniel. Nicole turned to Nn and Lana. ¡°You guys should get ready for bed.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± While speaking, Nn and Lana pulled Jared and Nicole to the stairs, urging them to go to bed too. After tucking Nn and Lana in bed, Jared and Nicole went back to their room. Chapter 2346 Chapter 2346 ¡°You¡¯ve been pretty busy with work. Did something happen at thepany?¡± Nicole asked out of concern. Seeing that Jared had been working extra hours over the past few days, Nicole could not help but worry. ¡°We¡¯re preparing for a bidding and the timeline is pretty tight. So I had to work extra hours these days,¡± Jared exined in a gentle tone. He engulfed Nicole in his embrace. Nicole rxed. ¡°I see. Luckily, there isn¡¯t any problem with thepany.¡± ¡°If I could gain some care and attention from you, it wouldn¡¯t be a bad thing for thepany to have some problems too. ¡± Jared smirked. Annoyed, Nicole rolled her eyes. ¡°Hey, don¡¯t ask for it.¡± Who on Earth would think that a problem is a good thing?¡¯ she thought. Jared gently stroked Nicole¡¯s hair and said, ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll listen. Nothing will happen.¡± After that, Jared lowered his head and kissed Nicole on the lips. Meanwhile, after he left the Riddle¡¯s, Lawrence headed back to his vi. There, Ian gave him a report in a low voice. ¡°Sir, Ms. Nicole brought Ms. Lulu along when she met with Mr. Ellison. I¡¯ve looked into it, and it seems that Ms. Nicole hasn¡¯t regained her memory. The reason for her sudden visit was most probably Harvey.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± Lawrence replied. After meeting with Nicole, he felt that he might have been overthinking things. ¡°As for Harvey, he has gotten the news but has yet to make a move. I¡¯m guessing he¡¯s waiting for the results from DillCorp,¡± Ian continued. ¡°Ignore that. They¡¯re just fighting each other,¡± Lawrence said coldly. Because of Nicole, Lawrence paid attention to the happenings in DillCorp. However, it did not pique his interest at all. So, he did not want to get involved in their feud. After all, they were no match for Nicole. Nicole had definitely surprised Lawrence once she returned to San Joto. She had the guts to take over the Riddle Corporation¡¯s headquarters even without regaining her memory. On top of that, she also helped thepany grow. As for the rest of the Riddle family, they wereckluster in terms of managing a business. The only thing they were good at was stabbing people in the back. ¡°Noted.¡± Then, Ian carefully questioned again, ¡°Sir, about the Crest¡­¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t get a chance to find out about it today. I¡¯ll find another chance next time.¡± When he went over to the Riddle family¡¯s house, he was stuck in the living room. After Jared returned, he did not have a chance to dig any information out. The only way for him was to find another chance to visit again. It would be ideal if he could get into Nn¡¯s room. Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org. Lawrence knew that there was aputer in Nn¡¯s room. Although Nn was the only one using it, Lawrence had found some inte records tracing back to thatputer. So, thatputer might contain the information he had been looking for. ¡°It¡¯s quite challenging.¡± Ian was not enthusiastic about it. This was already a dangerous thing, and an opportunity to visit the house would note by easily. ¡°Even if it¡¯s challenging, we have to do it.¡± Lawrence¡¯s eyes turned dark. He was determined to get whatever he wanted. ¡°Yes, sir,¡± Ian replied respectfully. They had nned this for a long time. So, there was no way they would ept defeat. The consequences were clear as day if they lost. Lawrence leaned on the car seat with an evil look in his eyes. It seemed as if he was nning something in his head. The sun was now shining brightly, and the breeze was blowing gently. In the chairman¡¯s office in Riddle Corporation Headquarters, Lulu was carrying a stack of documents in her hands as she entered the office. After she ced it on Nicole¡¯s desk, she whispered, ¡°Have you heard the news? DillCorp is in trouble.¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t heard.¡± Nicole raised an eyebrow calmly and made a guess, ¡°Has Raine made a move?¡± Chapter 2347 Chapter 2347 ¡°Yeah. Who would¡¯ve thought the biological sisters would go against each other over greed. And a merciless fight, at that.¡± Lulu¡¯s lips twitched, her face showing a disdainful look. ¡°Fill me in.¡± Nicole leaned on her seat and smiled as she waited for Lulu to exin. ¡°It¡¯s unbelievable. Did you know? Snow betrayed DillCorpjustto get married into the Ellison family. Snow secretly signed an agreement with Harvey, and she basically sold off the wholepany to him. Thank God you arranged someone to secretly hint Raine about the matter. That was how Raine managed to save DillCorp at the veryst minute. I¡¯m telling you¡­¡± Nicole narrowed her eyes and spoke in a cold tone, ¡°It¡¯s been so many years, and yet she¡¯s still this naive.¡± ¡®Did Snow really think that as long as she agrees to all of Harvey¡¯s requests, he would marry her?¡¯ Nicole thought. Lulu nodded in agreement. ¡°I know, right? At least Raine has shown some improvement. Why is Snow acting so stupid?¡± ¡°Raine also did the same for James.¡¯ Nicole¡¯s gaze darkened. If it were not for James, Raine would not have this level of IQ. Lulu nodded aggressively again. ¡°You¡¯re right! As for James, Raine also brought it upon herself.¡± At the thought of all the bad things James had done, Lulu gritted her teeth.1 We really can¡¯t judge a book by its cover. We always thought that Raine had married a good-for-nothing outcast from a lower- ss family. But now, it seems like James was never actually stupid.¡¯ ¡°Now, Raine has to rely on James. Naturally, she won¡¯t notice any odd behavior from him.¡± From the looks of it, Raine would be more and more dependent on James. After all, Raine was not a calctive person. Tm afraid she won¡¯t realize it as a weird thing even when someone points it out to her. With a few words from James, Raine might even turn around and me anyone who tries to warn her. In the end, everyone else will be the bad guy.¡± ¡°You seem to know her very well.¡± Nicole¡¯s gaze was cold. If anyone were to tell Raine that James had an affair, Raine would get angry at that person or even think that they were trying to stir things up between the couple. N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content. Lulu shrugged her shoulders. ¡°Well, I¡¯ve known her for many years now.¡± A crossed look appeared in Nicole¡¯s eyes. ¡°These are their private matters. What I¡¯m worried about is that James¡¯ targets aren¡¯t these things.¡± ¡°That¡¯s impossible! What else would he be targeting?¡± Lulu blinked her eyes in shock. James had helped Raine own DillCorp. Not only that, Raine was very dependent on him as well. In other words, the power is in his hands. Nicole narrowed her eyes again and spoke solemnly, ¡°Not all humans can resist the temptation of power.¡± No matter how much faith Raine had on James, it would neverpare to having the power in one¡¯s own hands. Not to mention, James was not loving toward Raine anymore. Or perhaps, one should say that he had never loved Raine from the start. ¡°What you said makes sense.¡± A burdened look appeared on Lulu¡¯s face. Everyone knew very well the kind of person James was. Just like before, how would he easily let go of his goal? No one knew what the end result would be. The atmosphere in the office became heavy instantly. The air felt dense. KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK. After a few knocks came from the door, a slight opening formed in between. Steve peeked in and said, ¡°Have you heard?¡± Chapter 2348 Chapter 2348 Nicole looked over at the new visitor and asked in a soft voice, ¡°About what happened in DillCorp?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Steve opened the door and entered. Nicole nodded lightly. ¡°I¡¯ve gotten an idea of what happened. I¡¯m just worried about Harvey and Everett.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± Steve smiled and continued, ¡°Uncle Dillon isnt that slow. Now that this matter has been exposed, he¡¯ll know what to do.¡± ¡°Is he capable?¡± Nicole frowned. She had always thought that Uncle Dillon¡¯s management skills were mediocre. However, he was good at cheating people. Would he be good enough to face someone as powerful as Harvey? ¡°If he can¡¯t, then there¡¯s nothing much we can do. After all, there¡¯s no way out of this.¡± From Steve¡¯s tone, he did not seem to be worried at all. In fact, he seemed to be enjoying the drama. Nicole bit her lip and thought, ¡®That¡¯s true. Uncle Dillon doesn¡¯t have a way out of this anymore. The only thing left is for him to fight with all his might.¡¯ To add on, James was still involved. He would never let thepany fall after building thepany to where it was. From the looks of it, there was still a chance of winning. Nicole heaved a sigh of relief and nodded. ¡°Well, we¡¯ll leave it to them then. As long as they did not lose DillCorp, Nicole would just be a bystander. After all, she still saw those things as the Riddle family¡¯s belongings. If Dillon could handle it, Nicole would not spend her time and effort on them. If they could not handle it, she vowed to take it back on behalf of her grandpa. He would never let any of the Riddle Corporation¡¯s business fall into anyone outside of the Riddle family. As for Everett, even though he was greedy, Nicole would never give him a chance to gain anything. N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content. ¡°I guess we shall sit and wait,¡± said Lulu. The situation at the moment was unclear, the only thing they could do was watch from afar. Nicole nodded. ¡°Send some people to monitor closely.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± Lulu assured Nicole with a serious look. After she finished speaking, Lulu turned around and left. Steve nced at Nicole and was hesitant to speak. ¡°Steve, is there anything else?¡± Nicole was confused. ¡°Ever since the incident, Snow had been missing. No one knows where she went. She wouldn¡¯t do anything to harm herself, right?¡± Steve was a little worried. ¡°She wouldn¡¯t dare.¡± Nicole felt that Snow would only put the me on others. She would never realize her stupidity and idiotic side. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, where would she be now?¡± Steve¡¯s eyes darkened. Nicole narrowed her eyes and said, ¡°What are you worried about?¡± ¡°Initially, I was worried she might not be able to handle the truth. After all, this is the second time she would be getting rejected by Harvey. One could imagine how sad she would feel. But since you said she isn¡¯t that daring, I¡¯m now worried she might try to take her revenge on Harvey,¡± Steve said, as his analysis. Since she was not daring enough to hurt herself, she might hurt others instead. There was no way she would keep quiet and act as if nothing happened. ¡°That¡¯s possible.¡¯ Nicole sighed. If Snow were to tolerate this incident again, Snow¡¯s love for Harvey was truly blind. Chapter 2349 Chapter 2349 Steve noticed Nicole had no interest in Snow¡¯s affairs. ¡°I¡¯ll leave now if there¡¯s nothing else.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Once after Steve had left, Nicole leaned into her seat, deep in thought. ¡®The situation now in DillCorp is much more progressive than I anticipated. Things are still within my control. I¡¯ll ignore this for the time being.¡¯ Meanwhile at DillCorp, the atmosphere in Dillon¡¯s room was immensely tense. ¡°Dad. We still have to find a way to save this,¡± Raine persuaded in a low voice. ¡°Do you think I¡¯m not trying to?¡± Dillon gritted his teeth. ¡®Our n to takeover had really backfired. The initial n to marry into the Ellison family went down the drain. Who knew that darn Harvey had tricks up his sleeve. We almost lost our entirepany! ¡®Snow, this damn moron! She really thought someone like her could marry someone like him! If she had realized his ulterior motives sooner, we wouldn¡¯t be in this situation!¡¯ ¡°Dad, can we put this matter aside and solve what¡¯s important? Harvey won¡¯t leave ourpany alone. We can chit chat about thoseter when we settle ourpany¡¯s affairs.¡± James butted in, showing his dedication toward DillCorp. Dillon raised his eyebrow at James. ¡°Tell me. What ns do you have in mind?¡± Previously, James had partook in influencing Raine¡¯s decisions. Otherwise thepany before. Up until now, Dillon had not paid much attention to James. James took a nce at Raine before speaking. ¡°I think Ellison¡¯s n is to take over ourpany. I don¡¯t think he¡¯ll be the one who will take US down in one shot. We might still get a chance to fight back.¡± ¡°Go on.¡± Dillon frowned slightly as he ushered James to continue. His expression became serious. ¡°What I meant to say was, if Harvey really wants US to be broke, we need Raine to transfer away some of thepany¡¯s assets, otherwise when he takes over, we¡¯d be left with nothing. We just need to make sure that it seems like we have transferred our assets back, to make them have the impression that we have let our guard down¡­¡± When Harvey takes over thepany, he would realize that nothing was left, and the entirepany would be useless. Dillon was silent, a serious look on his face as he carefully analyzed what James had said. ¡°Dad, I think we can trust James¡¯s idea. If it weren¡¯t for him, we¡¯d be left with nothing.¡± Raine spoke up trying to persuade after realizing her father was not speaking. James nudged Raine. ¡°Don¡¯t be hasty. Let your father think things through. We¡¯ll execute it with careful considerations.¡± Raine immediately shut up and looked at her father. She was very anxious as she waited patiently for Dillon to speak up. Dillon finally managed to speak up after a while. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s do it like this. However¡­¡± ¡°However?¡± Raine anxiously pressed. ¡°However, it¡¯s not an easy task for US to aplish, let alone secretly,¡± Dillon said with a hint of uncertainty in his voice. ¡°If Harvey doesn¡¯t give up, he¡¯ll certainly pay more attention to ourpany. Our n seems to be pretty solid, yet if we were ever to be found out is another story.¡¯ ¡°What do you think?¡± James asked softly. Dillon looked at James, before hesitating, gritting his teeth. ¡°I¡¯ll leave this matter to you.¡±N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content. Chapter 2350 Chapter 2350 ¡°Me?!¡± James¡¯ eyes bulged out. He had not seen thising. ¡°Yes. Since you¡¯re not at the center of attention, leaving this job to you should be better. It¡¯d be difficult for anyone to find out.¡± It was there and then that Dillon realized the use of James in the family after Preston refused to join Dill Corp and with Snow being aplete idiot being head over heels with someone out of her league. Raine was Dillon¡¯sst and only hope to continue thepany. ¡®If James could help, it would be better than doing this alone.¡¯ Raine did not give James any time to consider. She quickly agreed on his behalf. ¨¬ think it¡¯s doable.¡± Raine knew that if this matter were to be left in James¡¯ hands, it would be much better. After all, the future of thepany would be in their hands. James gave a look of satisfaction to Raine. He could only nod along with Raine¡¯s decision, to move on without arousing suspicion. ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll leave this to you. DillCorp¡¯s future will be in your hands. When I retire, I can safely entrust this to you two.¡± Dillon nodded as if he trusted them both. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. We¡¯ll make sure everything works out just fine.¡¯ Raine and James nodded simultaneously. ¡°If you have anything, just tell US. We¡¯ll do our best to get it done.¡± Dillon nodded his head in agreement. ¡°Let¡¯s do this one by one. Let¡¯s save thepany first before we expand for the future.¡± Raine and James synchronized with one another, replying, ¡°Okay.¡± Both left the room shortly after. Raine turned to look at James with a smile I ¡°We¡¯re so lucky to have you. Now that we have his trust, the future of DillCorp will be in our hands.¡± ¡°I believe we can do it. It¡¯s all thanks to your hard work!¡± James looked at Raine dotingly. Raine smiled shyly, ¡®It¡¯s all your hard work too.¡¯ ¡°You can do well even with or without me,¡¯ said James modestly. Flirtatiously, Raine said, ¡°No. We¡¯re a team and we¡¯ll be together, always.¡± Raine did not like James before. However now that she had seen how useful James was, it had be an asset to her. Her ultimate secret weapon. All content is ? N0velDrama.Org. James nodded happily. Raine smiled as she walked toward her office. On the side she did not realize James¡¯ expression had changed. A look of disgust appeared on his face. ¡®When I get my hands on everything, I can do whatever I like. I can ditch this bitch once and for all,¡¯ thought James to himself. As the sun was setting, the nting rays of the sun gave a warm orange tinge to the sky. The streets were bustling with people rushing to get home after work. Nicole had just walked out of the office building when she saw Lulu standing on the curb of the road, anxiety was written all over her face. ¡°Lulu, why haven¡¯t you left?¡¯ Nicole called out to Lulu. ¡°Spencer hasn¡¯t arrived yet. I tried calling his phone but there was no answer.¡± Lulu sighed. She kept ncing at the busy road to catch a glimpse of Spencer, her eyes were full of worry. Spencer had promised to pick her up from work. However, Lulu had been waiting for him for a while now. He had not arrived and was unreachable. ¡®Did something happen to him?¡¯ thought Lulu. Nicole frowned. ¡®I don¡¯t think him being held back by something would cause him to be unreachable.¡¯ Chapter 2352 Chapter 2352 Lulu slowly nodded her head, not wanting to be the unsympathetic one in this situation. Nicole patted Lulu¡¯s shoulder to assure her to trust spencer and not beat herself up too much from overthinking. ¡°Are you guys¡­ alright?¡¯ Spencer looked at Nicole and Lulu, furrowing his eyebrows. He felt an eerie chill down his back as he stood between them two. Lulu turned to look at Spencer with a forced smile. ¡°We¡¯re great! How¡¯s Icyln doing?¡± ¡°The doctor said she¡¯s got hypoglycemia. She¡¯s getting an IV drip. She¡¯s going to be fine,¡± exined Spencer. He left when he saw her waking up, though she was weak at least, she was out of the woods. ¡°Oh. Are you going to leave or stay with her?¡± asked Lulu. N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content. ¡°I was about to call you to pick you up, but you¡¯re here¡­¡¯ Spencer thought that since he did not have to pick her up, he could bring her straight to dinner then send her home. Lulu looked at Spencer, waiting for his response. Suddenly, a nurse came and interrupted. ¡°Excuse me, sir. Your girlfriend told me she¡¯s not feeling too well. I think you should go have a look.¡± Lulu¡¯s face turned ugly when she realized that the nurse was referring to Icyln as his girlfriend. ¡°She¡¯s not my girlfriend. We¡¯re just colleagues,¡± Spencer rified. He turned to look at Lulu. ¡°Wait for me here. I¡¯ll go take a look, and thene back to send you home.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go with you.¡± Lulu smiled, holding Spencer¡¯s hand. Spencer hesitated for a while, but Lulu continued smiling. ¡°She¡¯s sick. Since I¡¯m here, I ought to pay her a visit, don¡¯t I?¡± Spencer scanned Lulu¡¯s face for any signs before agreeing, ¡°Alright then.¡± ¡°Nicole, you can head back first if you¡¯d like. I¡¯ll manage from here.¡± Lulu waved at Nicole with a smile. Nicole nodded and left the hospital. She was relieved that Lulu was able to manage the situation well. ¡®If I cyl n were ying tricks, it¡¯d reallye in handy if Lulu and Spencer would be fighting one another. It would not be worth being mad over. However, spencer handled it quite well with making the right decisions. I can imagine how Icyln would react when she sees them both appearing. She¡¯d be so devastated!¡¯ Nicole smirked as she walked out of the hospital. She did not see her car but instead Jared was there waiting for her. ¡°Why are you here?¡± Nicole was surprised and jogged up to Jared. Jared gently brushed her hair. ¡°Come, let¡¯s go home.¡± ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s go. Spencer isn¡¯t hurt or anything. It was Icyln, she fainted due to hypoglycemia. Lulu and Spencer went in to check on her when I left.¡± Nicole had zero interest to go check in on Icyln. However she had a hunch that Icyln was not lying about hypoglycemia as she had it herself too.¡¯ Shouldn¡¯t she be more careful and avoid it from happening?¡¯ Jared held her in his arms and softly said, ¡°Since everything¡¯s fine, let¡¯s head home.¡± Nicole readily agreed, ¡®Let¡¯s go.¡± She followed Jared into the car and left. Meanwhile, in the ward. Icyln was leaning against her bed frame while getting her IV drips. She had a very paleplexion. She heard the door opening and looked over. ¡°Hey, are you¡­¡± Icyln called out weakly. But before she could finish speaking. She saw Luluing in with Spencer. Her facial expression froze involuntarily. ¡°We had consulted the doctor just now. He said that your condition is stable, and you can either stay here for a night of observation or leave after your drip is done,¡± said Lulu in a monotonous voice. Chapter 2353 Chapter 2353 Icyln silently gritted her teeth. She was dying on the inside, yet she had to pretend she was fine and calm on the outside. Tm sorry my illness caused him to pick you upte. I apologize for the trouble I caused you and to have youe visit me in person.¡± Lulu walked over to I cyl n¡¯s bed and looked at her IV bag,¡± You¡¯re utmost wee. I ll be your sister- inw soon anyway. Your IV seems to be almost finished. Looks like you¡¯re going to be fine.¡± Icy In¡¯s heart was wrenching. She mustered up a smile.¡± Yeah, I feel better now.¡± Lulu snorted mentally. ¡®She just said she wasn¡¯t feeling well and asked the nurse to inform Spencer. What a joke, this two -faced bitch! The nurse clearly would not have misunderstood the situation if she had not inputted.¡¯ Once he knew that Icyln was fine, Spencer asked, ¡°Icyln, are you going to stay here for observation tonight or are you going back home to rest?¡± I¡­¡± Icyln gritted her teeth. Her initial n was to stay and ask Spencer to stay with her. She had not expected Lulu to have found them so fast. This bitch ruined all my ns! She even dared to introduce herself to be my soon-to-be sister-inw. What a joke. Does she really think she¡¯s worthy of being Spencer¡¯s wife?¡¯ ¡°If you¡¯re still worried about fainting, I think you can stay for the night to monitor your condition,¡± Spencer dered, after noticing how hesitant Icyln was. As soon as he finished speaking, Spencer nced at the nurse who just entered. ¡°Have her stay to be monitored for the night. Remember to check up on her on your rounds. HI go sort out the paperwork.¡± ¡°Thank you, Spencer,¡± said Icyln, her eyes lit up. ¡°You don¡¯t need to thank me. I¡¯ll head back with Lulu after we¡¯re done with the paperwork. If you need anything, just call for a nurse,¡± said Spencer to Icyln. The light in Icyln¡¯s eyes immediately became dark. She thought Spencer would offer to stay the night but who knew that he was going to leave her and go with Lulu? After sorting the paperwork, Spencer exchanged a few more words with the nurses before leaving with Lulu. Icyln, who appeared unaffected on the surface, had her heart filled with and curled her hands into a fist. What a bitch! Lulu, I didn¡¯t take you to be such an ass. Showing up and breaking up my moment with Spencer and now taking him away when I¡¯m here sick.1 Icyln scoffed mentally. ¡°Miss, yourplexion looks a little bad. Are you feeling ufortable anywhere?¡± the nurse asked cautiously. Icyln raised her eyebrow and gave the nurse a stern look in the eye, startling the nurse. The nurse thought to herself, ¡®Why does it feel like this patient has changed?¡¯ ¡°Pull out the needle,¡± Icyln ordered the nurse coldly. ¡°You¡¯re still in the middle of your treatment,¡± the nurse reminded Icyln. Icyln began to be impatient. ¡°I said, pull it out!¡± The nurse scrambled toply with her demand and quickly pulled out the needle. Icyln left the hospital shortly after despite the nurse s dissuasion. If Spencer isn¡¯t staying with me tonight, why would I even bother staying in this crappy hospital? Lulu Barrera, just you wait. You shall wait and see.¡¯ All content is ? N0velDrama.Org. Meanwhile, in the car, Lulu sneezed loudly. Did you catch a cold?¡± Spencer looked over at Lulu with concern written all over his face. Lulu rubbed her nose. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t we go home and eat instead?¡± Spencer suggested, worried that Lulu might have caught a cold. Lulu shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m craving for some fish.¡± Spencer smiled helplessly as he saw the look on her face. ¡± Okay.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Lulu smiled brightly and waved her hands in excitement. Spencer¡¯s eyes were filled with love as he started the car. Chapter 2354 Chapter 2354 At the Riddle¡¯s residence, Nicole and Jared had just reached home. ¡°Have you both eaten?¡± Gloria asked as she saw them walk through the door. ¡°Not yet,¡± replied Nicole. ¡°Spencer¡¯s junior, Icyln, had gotten sick. We went to the hospital to check on her and came back.¡± Gloria immediately called the butler. ¡°Alfred, can you get the cook to prepare dinner for them?¡± Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org. ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am.¡± Alfred quickly headed toward the kitchen as Nicole and Jared walked to the dining room. ¡°Mommy, we II apany you.¡± Nn and Lana turned off the TV and followed Nicole. Nicole pinched Lana¡¯s button nose and asked, ¡°Are you hungry?¡± ¡°No.1 Lana scratched her head. ¡°Can I get dessert?¡± ¡°You¡¯re so cheeky. Do you want dessert, or do you want to apany us?¡± asked Nicole. ¡°Of course, I want to apany mommy and daddy!¡± Lana nodded vigorously, hoping Nicole would buy it. Lana¡¯s actions made everyone burst intoughter. Gloria ordered Alfred to prepare some dessert for Nn and Lana. Gloria smiled contentedly as she watched the family of four eating in the dining room. She got up and went upstairs to rest. ¡°Mommy, why did Uncle Spencer s junior go to the hospital? Is she sick?¡± Lana asked nonchntly while eating her dessert. ¡°Why are you asking this?¡± Nicole asked, with doubt in her voice. ¡°Oh, cause you guys went to visit her. Is it serious?¡± Lana¡¯s voice was filled with curiosity. Nicole exined casually, ¡°It¡¯s nothing serious. She¡¯s fine.¡± Nicole was unsure of the specifics but what she was sure of was that Icyln was fine. ¡°Mommy, does Uncle Spencer¡¯s junior like him?¡± Nn suddenly raised his head and asked. Nicole was startled by the sudden question before taking a moment to respond, ¡°Perhaps so.¡± The perception of this might be true as Spencer was an obvious sweetheart who had no feelings for Icyln as he will wed Lulu soon. Nicole believes that Icyln was in the wrong and should not be doing these types of things to mess with Spencer and Lulu¡¯s rtionship. ¡°Oh.¡± Nn sighed. Nicole looked over and curiously asked, ¡°Why are you sighing?¡± ¡°I think it s a good thing to be liked by others. I don¡¯t think it is a good thing that Uncle Spencer is liked by his junior,¡± Lana said. Nicole ruffled Lana¡¯s head. ¡°Silly. Leave the adult things to the adults. They¡¯ll sort it out themselves.¡± Kids these days mature too quickly,¡¯ Nicole thought to herself. Lana giggled mischievously. ¡°I think Aunt Lulu is the best for Uncle Spencer!¡¯ ¡°Yes, I think your Uncle Spencer would agree on that too.¡± ¡°He better.¡± The four of them went upstairs after they finished dinner. Nicole and Jared put the twins to bed. After washing up, they retreated into their room. ¡°Is there something going on with DillCorp?¡± Jared asked in a low voice. ¡°Well¡­ things have been arranged for it.¡± Nicole nced at Jared and a sudden surge of warmth filled her heart. ¡®I used to think that he just keeps up to date with my affairs, but now why do I feel like he¡¯s spying on me?¡¯ Chapter 2355 Chapter 2355 It was not untilter that Nicole found out that Jared was not spying on her, but he was just particrly concerned about her. That was why Jared always knew about hertest updates. Jared¡¯s stare included a tinge of disinterest as he realized Nicole was okay, and he stopped asking. He looked at her and held her hand. ¡°I¡¯m d everything¡¯s fine. Time for bed.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Nicole responded. The curtains were closed, and the lights in the room dimmed. In the quiet of the night, all was silent. Only the gentle glow of starlight remained in the brightly lit city. Amidst the darkness, one house continued to shine with its lights on, particrly eye-catching. In the living room, Harvey leaned against the sofa with his legs crossed, staring coldly at the person sitting on the side. He raised an eyebrow and asked, ¡°This is the brainless Raine you talked about?¡± If it were not for Raine, their n would have seeded. They never expected to end up losing everything. ¡±1 never knew Raine could actually use her brain,¡± Everett said into their perfect n. ¡°Hmph.¡± Harvey nced at Everett, thinking that Everett was useless as always. ¡°Now that things have fallen apart, Raine can¡¯t be used anymore. What are you going to do now?¡± Everett asked. He refused to believe that Harvey was going to give up this n. ¡°There¡¯s no need to cover up now. I have no regard for a mere branch of Riddle Corporation,¡± Harvey said indifferently. Since they could not take DillCorp by ruse, Harvey did not mind resorting to a more straightforward approach. But if we disrupt the foundation of DillCorp, there¡¯s no point in getting it.¡± Everett tried to dissuade Harvey after understanding his intentions. After all, Everett intended to capitalize on DillCorp to increase his own strength. Coldly sweeping a nce at Everett, Harvey ¡°Why don¡¯t we go with the flow?¡± Everett then exined his idea to Harvey in detail. ¡°Go ahead then. Harvey gave Everett a nomittal look and slowly stood up. If Everett could not handle things right this time, then there was no need for DillCorp to exist. N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content. ¡°Sure,¡± Everett agreed happily upon Harvey¡¯s approval. In this way, Everett still had the chance to obtain DillCorp. With a cold nce at Everett, Harvey turned and walked upstairs. Everett discreetly breathed a sigh of relief. His submissive demeanor quickly turned back to a darker one. He still needed to rely on Harvey¡¯s strength for now. Once Everett obtained DillCorp, he would have his own power, and no one would dare to challenge him again. Gritting his teeth, Everett left as well. Harvey went upstairs to his studies. Staring out at the window, his eyes darkened. In his mind, he did not mind or interfere with that dumbass, Everett taking action on DillCorp. However, he had his own ns. After a moment of contemtion, Harvey dialed his assistant¡¯s phone. ¡°Go and find out who is supporting James behind the scenes.¡± There were no way things could have gotten to this point with just James by Raine¡¯s side. This matter felt odd to Harvey. Without finding out this person, things ahead would still not go smoothly. Harvey had to stay put for the time being and wait for the results of the investigation. His sightnded on the night sky, and Nicole¡¯s face shed across Harvey s mind. His gaze darkened at this thought. Harvey had once felt disheartened at Nicole¡¯s never returning disappearance. Yet, he found himself still captivated by her the moment she showed up. Chapter 2356 Chapter 2356 Harvey had no intention of letting Nicole go this time. He would not allow himself to miss out again. Time passed, and three days went by in the blink of an eye. For the past few days, however, San Joto seemed unusually calm, a calmness that carried in it an eerie feeling. As soon as Lulu arrived at thepany building, she hurriedly entered Nicole¡¯s office. ¡°Why has it been so quiet these few days? Is something wrong?¡± Lulu whispered with a frown. Nicole¡¯s eyes narrowed in response. ¡® Well, I¡¯m afraid that it only seems so on the surface.¡± The more peaceful things seemed to be, the more intense and chaotic it would be behind the scenes. ¡°Are they waiting for the perfect timing?¡± Lulu solemnly asked. Such silence and tranquility had made Nicole uneasy. N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content. Everyone was hiding in the shadows without making any moves at all. No one could predict when the enemy was going to make their move. As such, Lulu was worried that Nicole would get involved or end up in danger. With a single nce at Lulu¡¯s expression, Nicole understood her right away. Then, she bit her lips and said, ¡°Harvey hasn¡¯t made a move yet. It seems that he has noticed something. As for Everett, I¡¯m pretty sure he¡¯s waiting for the right time to strike.¡± DillCorp was developing as Nicole expected. Everett Nicole¡¯s eyes darkened as a cold smirk crossed her face, thinking she might have underestimated Harvey. Harvey¡¯s inaction suggested that he knew something, and that he would definitely look into it. However, it was still unclear as to what information Harvey had gained and if the information pertained to Nicole at all. Nicole, if it¡¯s really like you said, do you handle it?¡± Lulu asked with a frown, uncertain of what Raine was capable of. ¡°That really depends on them,¡± Nicole s gaze grew darker. It was a bad time for Nicole to make a move at this juncture. If Harvey was really snooping about, the slightest movement on Nicole s end might be discovered. ¡°Are you suggesting we do nothing? What if¡­¡¯ ¡®If we just stand back and watch, what will happen to DillCorp if Raine and James end up losing to Harvey and Everett?¡¯ she thought. Regardless of whether DillCorp fell into either Everett not be favorable for Nicole. ¡°Let¡¯s observe first,¡± Nicole stated, knowing now was not the time to act. ¡°We have no other choice,¡± And after hearing Nicole¡¯s response, Lulu knew there were no alternatives. Then, Nicole smirked andforted the anxious Lulu.¡± Don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t go toe to toe with Harvey now. But if things ever spiral, I won¡¯t mind drawing the first blood.¡± Lulu chuckled awkwardly. ¡°You¡¯re right. I didn¡¯t think about that.¡± ¡°Alright. If there¡¯s nothing else, you can go back to work,¡± Nicole said with a smile. Uh-huh.¡± Lulu turned around, but it was then that she recalled something, prompting her to ask, ¡°Snow s been quiet recently. Do you think she is taking things too hard?¡± They all felt that Snow would not have the courage to act, but the fact that they had not heard from her for days was a cause for suspicion. ¡°She won¡¯t,¡± Nicole said with confidence. She found Snow¡¯s absence odd too, but she was sure that Snow woulde around eventually. Chapter 2357 Chapter 2357 ¡°Where could she be? I heard Dillion has been searching for her,¡± Lulu said. If anything, Dillion ought to be enraged with Snow because she almost cost DillCorp a significant amount of money. ¡°It¡¯s alright. You¡¯ll see. She II be back,¡± Nicole shrugged, feeling indifferent to it all. In Nicole¡¯s opinion, Snow would eventually show up, no matter how long she stayed in her hole. Snow¡¯s absence only meant she was at a ce where no one was keeping their eyes on. She would definitely not be staying in a hotel, as that was the easiest ce for her to be caught. As such, she would most likely be holed up in a private house or a mobster¡¯s hideout. As things had happened so suddenly, Snow must have not brought enough money when she decided to leave. This would thus lead her with no other way out in the long run. Lulu nodded after hearing Nicole¡¯s exnation. ¡°That¡¯s true. She can¡¯t hide forever.¡± N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content. Without further thought, Lulu left the office, whereupon Nicole gave the documents a nce and began working. After an entire morning of hard work, Nicole and Lulu decided to head out for lunch. Leaving the elevator, Lulu asked, ¡°Where are we going for lunch?¡± ¡°Somewhere near our office,¡± Nicole replied, wanting to ¡°I see. How about we get some grub from the restaurant across the street then?¡± Lulu asked, knowing that Nicole was thinking about the restaurant they often went to. After leaving thepany, they headed across the street side by side. The pedestrian light turned green, and the bustling crowd all began crossing the street one after another. Nicole and Lulu arrived at the crossing just in time, catching up to thest few seconds before the green light transitioned to red. ¡°Phew, or else we would have to wait again.¡± Lulu smiled. Nicole was not bothered by the notion of being inconvenienced. If they managed to catch up to the green light, she would just walk ahead, and if she missed it, she would just wait. The pedestrian light remained green as the two hurriedly crossed the street, aiming to make it to the other side before the red light shed. While they were doing so, they were unaware of the ck car that had just revved up on the roadside and was elerating toward them. The loud roar of the engine caught Nicole¡¯s attention. direction, and that was when her pupils contracted. ¡°Oh, my God! Be careful!¡± Lulu stepped up to push Nicole off the car¡¯s trajectory, but Nicole, who was already one step ahead of her, shoved her away. Nicole was about to dodge, but the car was already upon her. She managed a jink as the car brushed past her, but then, the car¡¯s force spun her around twice, causing her to lose her bnce and tumble to the ground.Books Chapters Are Daily Updated Join & Stay Updated For All Books Updates¡­ Nicole!¡± Lulu let out a sharp cry. Nicole was lying motionless on the ground as Lulu struggled to her feet and scrambled toward her. ¡°Nicole, are you alright? Say something! Don¡¯t scare me like that!¡± Sighting an unconscious Nicole who was bleeding from the arm down, Lulu anxiously cried, ¡°Help! Call an ambnce! Someone call an ambnce now!¡± Hearing that, the surrounding passersby gathered around and immediately dialed the emergency number. Soon, the ambnce took Nicole and Lulu away, leaving a dumbfounded crowd behind. ¡°What just happened9¡± I have no idea. I just saw a car rushing over suddenly.¡± ¡°Where¡¯s the car now?¡± It was only then that the crowd realized that the car that had caused the ident was long gone. Chapter 2358 Chapter 2358 The passerby exchanged nces and dispersed soon after, leaving behind two ck-d individuals with grim expressions on their faces. ¡°Begin your investigation. I¡¯ll inform Max.¡± ¡°Sure thing.¡± The two then went their separate ways. Meanwhile, the ambnce delivered Nicole and Lulu to the hospital, whereupon the paramedics hurried her into the ER. N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content. Lulu¡¯s hands and shirt were covered in blood as she stood perplexed in front of the emergency room, looking distraught and heartbroken. The people who had rushed over after receiving the news about Nicole were all worried sick after seeing Lulu in the state she was in. ¡°Hey, Lulu,¡± Spencer approached Lulu and held her in his arms. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m here now.¡± Upon noticing Spencer, Lulu gave him a nk stare, and in a second, she burst into tears. Nicole s hurt! No matter how many times I called out to her, she just wouldn¡¯t answer back. I¡¯m so scared¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t panic. What did the doctor in the ambnce say on the way here?¡± Spencer asked. Deep down, he was panicking too, but he had to keep it together. All he wanted was to ask and find any trace of reassurance that Nicole would be okay. He was not the only one, however; the entire family could not bear to see something disastrous happen to Nicole again, especially not after everything that had happened in the past five years. ¡°The doctor said¡­ ugh. I don¡¯t know. I just kept calling her, but she just didn¡¯t respond,¡± Lulu said, scared out of her wits. The only thing she could remember was Nicole being knocked unconscious. ¡°She¡¯ll be fine,¡± a cold voice red out from behind, though it sounded more like a statement of reassurance for oneself. Then, Spencer nced at Jared and echoed, ¡°That¡¯s right. She¡¯ll be fine.¡± Spencer and Jared were the ones who had gotten the news. They were also the quickest ones to get here. By now, Sean, Steve, and Stanley should be on their way here. They did not notify their parents about Nicole¡¯s current predicament as no one dared to tell them at this moment. Soon after, a series of loud and rapid footfalls echoed in the hallway, and just like that, Sean, Steve, and Stanley had arrived. ¡°How is she?¡± ¡°She¡¯s still inside. We don¡¯t know the results yet,¡± The ones who had already there earlier were still unsure of the situation, but they sincerely hoped Nicole was okay. After a moment of silence, the tension outside of the emergency room grew even more palpable. ¡°Stanley, get someone to go in and ask about her situation,¡± Sean said with sunken eyes. ¡¯¡¯Okay,¡± Stanley agreed. He immediately contacted the front desk and arranged for a nurse to check on Nicole. After assessing the situation, the nurse stepped out of the emergency room, not wanting to disrupt the procedures inside. ¡°So? How is it?¡± the few of them asked in unison. ¡°The nurse on duty said it is not life-threatening. They¡¯re just treating a flesh wound. I did not dare to bother the doctor, because I¡¯m afraid that I¡¯ll just get in the way of the treatment, so I¡¯m not sure of the specifics,¡± the nurse responded. Knowing Nicole¡¯s injuries were not fatal, the few men were relieved. Then, Lulu stopped crying and with a sniff, she asked, ¡°She isn¡¯t in danger?¡± Rest assured, she¡¯ll be fine,¡± Spencerforted, gently smoothing Lulu¡¯s hair as he spoke. ¡°Now, go tend to your injuries.¡± TH be fine. All I got was a scratch,¡± Lulu refused. She did not want to leave the ce, as she wanted to wait for Nicole toe out. If Nicole had not pushed her away, Lulu could have been run over by the car. Not only had she saved Lulu¡¯s life, but she had also sustained injured as a result of it. ¡°Even minor scrapes demand medical attention. I¡¯ll go with you,¡± Spencer held Lulu¡¯s hand, leading her to another area to tend to her wounds. As they waited outside, the remaining men exchanged nces. Sean¡¯s gaze settled on Jared. How¡¯s the investigation?¡± Nothing yet,¡± Jared said with darkened eyes, his demeanor frosty and stern. Chapter 2359 Chapter 2359 Knowing Jared was into it, Sean did not pursue the matter further. They could only wait for the results of the investigation. ¡°Who would dare toy their hands on Nicole so daringly in San Joto?!¡± Steve gritted his teeth. ¡°Could it be that bunch of scumbags who had a bone to pick with Nicole before?¡± Stanley spected with worry. Nicole had almost lost her life during that attack, and while they had been hiding in the shadows ever since her return, they might have just been biding their time. Sean frowned and asked, ¡°What do you think, Jared?¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter who did it. That person will pay for it,¡± Jared said in an icy tone. Jared would go to great lengths to ensure that the offender got the punishment he deserved. ¡°Let¡¯s wait for the results first,¡± Sean¡¯s expression darkened, knowing that once the culprit had been discovered, the rest could be dealt with afterward. N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content. Soon, the doors of the emergency room opened, and the nurses came Nicole out. The good news was that she had already woken up. Looking at the people outside the emergency room, Nicole eximed with shock, ¡°Why are you here?¡± ¡°You were hit by a car and rendered unconscious. Did you think we wouldn¡¯te?¡± Steve looked at Nicole, finally at ease. ¡°The patient suffered a concussion due to the impact of the hit. Other than that, all her injuries are external. She¡¯ll be fine with some rest,¡± the doctor exined and left. The nurse then went on to remind, ¡°Let¡¯s send the patient to her ward first.¡± ¡°Oh right,¡± they said and pushed Nicole away, leaving the nurse stunned and frozen in ce. After Nicole had been settled down, Lulu came back after treating her wounds. ¡°Nicole! Ah. Thank God you¡¯re alright. You scared me to death there,¡± Lulu burst into tears again after seeing Nicole. ¡°I¡¯m fine. There¡¯s no need to cry,¡± Nicole chuckled as she sized Lulu up. ¡°How¡¯s your injury?¡± Nicole had acted on instinct and pushed Lulu away, resulting in Lulu falling to the ground. This led her to believe that Lulu had been injured as well. ¡°I¡¯m fine. Just a few scratches here and there. Nothing that hasn¡¯t been taken care of,¡± Lulu exined. She then asked, ¡°What about you? What did the doctor say?¡± Lulu felt that her injuries were insignificant aspared to Nicole¡¯s. ¡°Me too. The doctor asked me to rest for two days,¡± Nicole said, and turned to the others. ¡°You guys can go back to work. You don¡¯t have to stay here with me.¡± Nicole felt that she was perfectly fine. Therefore, there was no need for all of them to crowd around just to watch over her. ¡°Alright then, I¡¯ll send Lulu home first,¡± Spencer agreed. With the knowledge that Nicole was fine, they could finally be at ease. ¡°Sean and I will head back to thepany,¡± Steve added. Stanley then looked at Jared and said, ¡°I¡¯ll go home then.¡± At the end of the day, someone had to inform the people at home. In addition to that, he could also go to pick Nn and Lana up after school andfort them. After a round of discussion, they left the ward and went on their ways, leaving nobody but Nicole and Jared in the ward. The two exchanged nces, after which Nicole asked, ¡°Did you find out who did it?¡± ¡°Max is not back yet,¡± Jared sat down and held Nicole¡¯s hand gently. ¡°Rest assured, I¡¯ll handle it. You should get some rest.¡± Hearing the concern in Jared¡¯s tone, Nicole sighed. ¡°Actually I could have avoided getting hurt. But my skills aren¡¯t as sharp as before.¡± Chapter 2360 Chapter 2360 If Nicole had not injured her hand and hamstring, her agility would have gotten the both of them out unharmed today. However, she was not as skilled as she used to be. If anything, she had narrowly managed to push Lulu away and evaded the blow that would otherwise have been her undoing. ¡°They suspect that the ones responsible were the same perpetrators as before,¡± Jared said as his eyes darkened. Nicole raised her eyebrows. ¡°Do you think the same way?¡± Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org. Nicole could tell that Jared was not convinced by this idea.¡¯ Why doesn¡¯t he believe it? Even I think that the ones who were after me are responsible for this. After all, there¡¯s no one else in San Joto who wants me dead.¡¯ ¡°I just felt that if the perpetrators were the same, they wouldn¡¯t have done it so crudely,¡± Jared exined. He had suspected them once too, but an assassination attempt of such sort was somewhat amateurish. He believed that these people would not be that stupid and reckless, for a move like that would ultimately lead to mutual destruction. Nicole fell silent, and her face nched. ¡°I¡¯ve overlooked it.¡± Nicole only considered the fact that there was no one else who wanted her life. That was why Nicole and her brothers thought that the ones who were after her before this were also the ones who had struck again. Gritting her teeth, Nicole sardonically said, ¡°It seems like quite a few people in San Joto want me dead.¡± Suddenly, three knocks were heard on the door, after which Max strode in and greeted, ¡°Mr. and Mrs. Johnston.¡± ¡°Spill,¡± Jared ordered, his voice cold and low. Max¡¯s expression was grim when he informed, ¡°We caught the culprit, l-lt was Snow.¡± ¡°Snow?!¡± Nicole was taken aback, unable to understand why Snow would do such a thing to her. ¡°Yes. We¡¯ve sent her to the police. She confessed, saying she just wanted Mrs. Johnston¡¯s life as Mrs. Johnston has made her theughingstock of San Joto,¡± Max reported with frustration. At this rate, he was beginning to wonder if Snow was mentally unstable. ¡°I made her aughingstock?¡± Nicole asked, feeling a little puzzled, a fool out of her. It was Harvey¡¯s and Everett¡¯s n to take over DillCorp, and Snow was the one who had allowed them to make a useful idiot out of her. Nicole could not figure out how any of this was rted to her, as she had not coaxed Snow into pursuing Harvey. Max nced at Jared, tongue tied and at a loss. ¡°She said if it wasn¡¯t for Mrs. Johnston, Harvey and she would have been fine together. She was essentially ming Mrs. Johnston for seducing Harvey. ¡°Well, I¡­¡± Nicole was rendered speechless at that instant, having understood the reason as to why Harvey did not want Snow to be his girlfriend. She figured it was because of Snow¡¯s ignorance and unbridled stupidity. ¡°It was probably the time when Mrs. Johnston met up with Mr. Ellison that made Snow misunderstand the situation,¡± Max spected. After all, Nicole had never once put on a smile while meeting Harvey. Thus, the only connection between her and Harvey must have been Mr. Ellison. This left Nicole dumbstruck. ¡®Oh, I sure never wish to meet Snow. Does she even have a brain?¡± ¡°Alright, you can leave,¡± Jared said. ¡°Yes sir,¡± Max swallowed and left the ward, having also been rendered speechless when he found out about the situation. However, he had no choice but to report it to Jared anyway, as frivolous and ridiculous as it was. ¡°Ugh,¡± Nicole sighed. ¡°I¡¯m too embarrassed to even talk about this injury.¡± Nicole was instantly riddled with feelings of humiliation as she had just been wounded by someone as addle-brained as Snow. ¡°Get some rest,¡± Jared changed the topic, feeling that Nicole did not have to waste her time and energy thinking about Snow. All that mattered right now was that was able to get the rest she needed. ¡°Yeah,¡± Nicole agreed, feeling really tired after all of themotion. She closed her eyes and soon fell asleep. By the time Nicole woke up, it was already dark outside. The growling of her belly was also particrly distinct in the dim, silent ward. Chapter 2361 Chapter 2361 Once the light was turned on, the entire room lit up at an instant. ¡°You¡¯re hungry,¡± came Jared¡¯s gentle voice. ¡°Yeah.¡± Nicole¡¯s cheeks reddened as she replied shyly. She had sustained that injury before she could even have her lunch, so she was truly hungry now. Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org. ¡°Let¡¯s eat.¡± Jared helped Nicole up into a sitting position and pulled the table over, setting the dinner up for her quickly. The aroma wafted over, and Nicole¡¯s stomach growled even louder in response. Jared smiled as he handed her a spoon. ¡°Eat up.¡± ¡°You too.¡± Nicole said, knowing he had been here with her all along and probably had not had dinner either. Then, they went on to eat their scrumptious dinner together. Initially, Nicole was sulking due to her injuries, but now, with Jared beside her, she began feeling better. After eating their fill, Nicole¡¯s mood hadpletely she said, ¡°Indeed, good food is the best remedy.¡± Jared raised an eyebrow and looked at her. ¡°Just good food? If Nicole smiled as she gently cupped Jared¡¯s cheeks with her hands. ¡°A handsome man is an even better remedy.¡± Jared leaned closer to her and kissed her in the lips. ¡°Will this be better for your recovery then?¡± With flushed cheeks, Nicole yfully scolded Jared, ¡°Okay, you¡¯re being too cheesy.¡± ¡°My wife seems dissatisfied, so I don¡¯t think that has done Jared said as he leaned closer to Nicole, attempting to steal another affectionate kiss. Nicole avoided his kiss while sheughed. ¡°Stay away from me. You¡¯re just acting like a punk now.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll make sure my wife is satisfied,¡± Jared continued to tease her. ¡°Help, someone is bullying a patient!¡± Nicole yelled, pretending to call for help. Amidst the flirting, three knocks emanated from the door, causing the room to return to its previous state of silence. Nicole looked at Jared in surprise, as if she was saying, ¡°Did someone reallye to help?¡± Jared straightened up, and in a deep, calm voice, he said,¡± Come in.¡± The door opened, and Lawrence entered with a bouquet of flowers. Nicole¡¯s lips twitched, feeling extremely embarrassed.¡¯ Lawrence has probably heard our goofy conversation. Oh my, this can¡¯t be happening. How can I even face anyone now?¡¯ ¡°Seems like you¡¯re fine.¡± Lawrence approached Nicole and handed her the bouquet. ¡°A beauty deserves flowers. These are for you.¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± Nicole replied, forcing herself to ept the bouquet. Before she could grab it, however, the bouquet was already in Jared¡¯s hands, and he casually ced it aside. ¡°Thank you for visiting my wife. She¡¯s not badly injured, but she still needs plenty of rest.¡± Jared butted in, not showing any signs of embarrassment. He appeared calm andposed as he discreetly indicated for Lawrence to leave. Lawrence, on the other hand, had understood the hint, but he did not want to leave, especially not now. ¡°I¡¯m d you¡¯re okay.¡± Lawrence stood by the bedside, his gaze filled with concern as he looked at Nicole. ¡°I rushed over as soon as I heard about the ident. I¡¯ve been really worried on my way here.¡± Chapter 2362 Chapter 2362 Nicole could not help but roll her eyes mentally. It was obvious that this had be a subtle competition between Lawrence and Jared. ¡°It was just an ident, and I¡¯m fine now,¡± Nicole said, feigning calmness. She did not wish to tell Lawrence much about Snow, so she resorted to giving him a brief exnation instead. Lawrence then nced at Nicole, whoseplexion seemed healthy enough. He had been genuinely worried about her after he had learned about her ident, so he advised Nicole, ¡°Even if it was an ident, you should be more careful in the future.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Nicole agreed, wanting to end this conversation quickly. ¡°She needs rest. If that¡¯s everything, you may leave now, Mr. Royce.¡± Jared said, having decided to be more assertive in shooing him away when he noticed Lawrence¡¯s persistent fussing over Nicole¡¯s condition. Naturally, those words displeased Lawrence, whose face darkened. ¡°Mr. Johnston? Your attitude toward your friends leaves much to be desired.¡± Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org. ¡°Your attitude toward patients also betrays yourck of consideration for them,¡± Jared retorted, not thinking he was wrong. He was implying that Lawrence¡¯s visit was more than seen them, leaving was the proper thing to do, as the patient needed rest. Seeing that the two would quarrel anytime, Nicole looked at Lawrence and said, ¡°Leo, I¡¯m really fine. I¡¯m tired too.¡± Lawrence¡¯s expression stiffened slightly, and he could only issue a silent sigh in the end. ¡°Alright.¡± He knew that although Nicole had imed that she was fine, it was still not a minor ident. ¡°Rest well. I¡¯lle to see you tomorrow,¡± Lawrence advised, and left thereafter. After Lawrence had exited the room, Nicole yfully scolded Jared, ¡°Your attitude toward guests is also far frommendable.¡± Jared seemed to be on edge whenever Lawrence was around, and usually situations in which they were both together would culminate either in Jared giving him a cold shoulder or asking him to leave. ¡°It seems to me that he doesn¡¯t consider himself as a mere guest,¡± Jared said indifferently, not seeing anything wrong with his behavior. Nicole could not help but shake her head in exasperation. She did not want to argue with him about Lawrence anymore. ¡°Now, rest up,¡± he said. Since Lawrence had left, there was no need to discuss him anymore, so he helped Nicole lie down. Nicole smiled warmly as she stared at the worried look on Jared¡¯s face. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m really okay.¡± ¡°You still have to recover.¡± Jared¡¯s face shifted to a serious, unsmiling expression as he asked Nicole to get some proper rest. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll get some shuteye.¡± Nicole agreed, getting a warm, fuzzy feeling in her heart as she knew that Jared was genuinely concerned about her. Jared sat by the bedside, watching her until she fell asleep peacefully. Then, his gaze deepened slightly. Although the car ident was unexpected, he knew she could have in the past. At the very least, she would not have been injured. Unfortunately¡­ This had led to many questions which had still been unanswered. What had happened back then? Who in San Joto wanted her dead so badly that she would face such dangers as soon as she arrived? Who could possibly be more well-informed than Jared himself? Meanwhile, outside the hospital, Lawrence continued to linger around even after he had gotten into the car. He waited until the lights in the hospital room went off before he coldly uttered, ¡°Drive.¡± ¡°Mr. Lawrence, is Niki in serious condition?¡± Ian asked softly. ¡®Why did Mr. Royce stay in the car for so long? He had just been staring at her room like that.¡¯ Lawrence nced at Ian. The name ¡°Niki¡± was one he had given to her. Hearing that name now, it felt as if it had been a long, longtime ago. ¡°She¡¯s fine,¡± Lawrence said in a low voice. ¡°Let¡¯s call her Nicole from now on.¡± ¡°Yeah. I slipped and called her that earlier because I was too worried,¡± Ian replied. He was used to calling her Niki, so it was a little difficult for him to switch all of a sudden. After a pause, Ian added, ¡°I found out that the ident was Snow¡¯s idea of exacting revenge. She is the daughter of the Riddle family¡¯s second son, and she has been arrested.¡± Lawrence squinted. He knew things were not that simple, so he had sent Ian out to investigate. However, he was not exDectina a result of this sort. Chapter 2363 Chapter 2363 ¡°I heard it was quite a dangerous ident. Fortunately, Nik- Miss Nicole was agile enough to dodge the car and avoid any critical injuries and life-threatening conditions. If she had retained her previous abilities, she should have been even safer. Unfortunately¡­¡± Ian stopped, his expression growing tense. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Mr. Royce.¡± How could he bring up Nicole¡¯s past injuries? It was a taboo topic that he ought never mention in front of Lawrence. In response, Lawrence cast a cold nce at Ian without saying a word. Ian lifted his hands off the wheel, feeling a chill down his spine. He drove on, not daring to say a word. The atmosphere in the car was tense, and Ian was growing anxious by the second. Leaning against his seat, Lawrence gazed out of the window into the dark night sky, lost in thought¡­ The sun unveiled a new day. Nicole had a good sleep and woke up with a much- improvedplexion. After ncing at the bedside, she noticed that Jared was still lying by her side. ¡°Jared Johnston,¡± Nicole said. ¡®Did he sleep like this the whole night?¡¯ Hearing her voice, Jared opened his eyes and looked at Nicole. ¡°I¡¯m awake.¡± ¡°Why didn¡¯t you sleep on the other bed?¡± Nicole asked, noting the look of fatigue in his expression. ¡°This ce is fine. That bed is too far from you,¡± Jared replied indifferently. Indeed, the other bed was a little too far away for him, so he had opted to sleep her instead. Nicole looked at the bed that was just about an arm¡¯s length away, her lips twitching as she thought, ¡®Is this considered far to him?¡¯ By then, Jared had already stood up, and then, he helped Nicole freshen up. ¡°Breakfast should be arriving soon.¡± As he spoke, there was a knock on the door. ¡°Come in,¡± Jared said. Max entered and ced the breakfast down, but then, he had a hesitant look on his face. Jared nced at Max and gestured for him to leave first. Having understood Jared, he walked out of the room. After sitting down, Jared had breakfast with Nicole, who looked attend to your matters. I¡¯ll be fine.¡± Jared agreed when he knew that she too had noticed Max¡¯s odd behavior. ¡°I¡¯ll head out first.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Nicole replied. She leaned against the headboard, took her phone, and intended to inquire about thepany¡¯s situation when Lulu came strolling in. ¡°How are you?¡± Lulu approached Nicole. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Nicole smiled as she eyed Lulu¡¯s look of guilt.¡± Don¡¯t me yourself. It¡¯s better for one person to be injured than for the both of us to be.¡±All content is ? N0velDrama.Org. ¡°But if you didn¡¯t try to save me, you might not have been hurt like this.¡± Lulu replied, still feeling really bad for Nicole. ¡°I¡¯m more agile and resilient than you are. If you had stayed put, the injuries might have been worse.¡± Nicole patted Lulu¡¯s hand tofort her. Then, she changed the subject. ¡°How¡¯s thepany doing?¡± ¡°Everything is normal. President Riddle said he will oversee it for now so that you can focus on your recovery,¡± Lulu replied. ¡°President Riddle?¡± Nicole teased. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you be calling him your brother-inw now?¡± ¡°No.¡± Lulu¡¯s cheeks reddened as she exined. ¡°Even Miss Brito addresses him as President Riddle, so I should stick topany rules.¡± Moreover, she and Spencer were merely engaged, and had not gotten to the point of being married yet. Therefore, it would be a little awkward for her to call him her brother-in-w at this point. Chapter 2364 Chapter 2364 ¡°Sure, let¡¯s go back home together next time. Then, they won¡¯t be President Riddle and Miss Brito anymore. They¡¯ll just be your brother and sister-inw.¡± Nicole raised an eyebrow and smiled at Lulu. Lulu¡¯s cheeks grew even redder as Nicole was teasing her. Changing the subject, Lulu began discussingpany matters with Nicole. Outside the room, Max was busy reporting to Jared. ¡°Mr. Johnston, Snow is missing again.¡± Max reported, having rushed over after he had received the news this morning. An icy glint crossed Jared¡¯s eyes. ¡±What do you mean ¡® missing again¡¯?¡±. Feeling a little frustrated, Max exined, ¡°I can¡¯t believe how cunning Snow is. Last night, she suddenly fell into aa and was taken to the hospital. While the doctors were treating her, she managed to escape.¡± ¡°Even if she had gone to the hospital, weren¡¯t there people apanying her?¡± Jared asked. With concrete evidence of her crime, it was impossible for freely without being traced by the watchdogs of the policework. ¡°There were a few people following her, but they couldn¡¯t enter the emergency room. After waiting for a while and noticing that there was no movement inside, they sensed that something was off and barged in. The doctors and nurses had already fainted, and Snow was gone,¡± Max exined. ¡°Send our men after her.¡± A freezing glint shed in Jared¡¯s eyes. ¡°We¡¯ve already dispatched our men, but there¡¯s no news yet,¡± Max hesitated for a moment before he lowered his voice into a whisper. ¡°Should we get Miss Nicole discharged from the hospital first?¡± He was worried that if Nicole stayed here and Snow found her before they could catch her, Nicole would be in danger. Jared¡¯s pupils slightly narrowed as he murmured, ¡°Arrange it. If ¡°Yes, Mr. Johnston.¡± Max agreed and hurried away thereafter. Then, Jared stiffly turned around and entered the ward again. Lulu and Nicole were talking to each other, but as soon as Jared entered, they suddenly fell silent. ncing at Nicole, Jared¡¯s voice remained calm as he said,¡± discharge. Since the injuries are not serious, it¡¯s better for you to recover at home. If Jared did not wish to tell Nicole about Snow¡¯s escape. He would deal with this matter himself, as he did not want Nicole to be affected by any of it. Nicole¡¯s gaze darkened a little, and she sighed. ¡°It¡¯s because of Snow, isn¡¯t it?¡± Hearing this, Jared understood that Nicole was already aware of what was going on. He guessed that Lulu had also learned of the incident and had informed Nicole about it. ¡°Max will handle the situation from here on out,¡± he replied. Though Jared was not concealing the recent development from Nicole knew why Jared had arranged for her discharge, but it was then that she hesitated for a moment before looking him in the eye. ¡°I think I¡¯d rather stay here.¡± ¡°There might be danger here,¡± Jared furrowed his brow. ¡°She¡¯s targeting me now. If I don¡¯t show up, she might not either. It¡¯s better to resolve this once and for all instead of ying a game of hide and seek,¡± Nicole insisted, feeling that a decisive solution was better. ¡°Nicole, maybe you should listen to Mr. Johnston. Snow won¡¯t hide forever,¡± Lulu persuaded. After informing Nicole of the news, she had be aware of Nicole¡¯s intention to face this challenge on her own, but she did not want Nicole to take any unnecessary risks, which could ce her in grave danger. Since Jared had other arrangements now, Lulu felt it would be better for them to follow his lead. ¡°What do you think?¡± Nicole looked at Jared, her gaze determined. She understood that both Jared and Lulu were considering her safety, but she felt that she should face this situation on her own. Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org. After contemting for a moment, Jared could only agree.¡± Alright.¡± Since she already knew about it, he would not be able to keep this matter hidden from her any longer. She would just keep thinking about it, so it would be better for him to go along with her wishes. However, he still needed to make sure that Max would make the appropriate arrangements. Chapter 2365 Chapter 2365 Even if Nicole intended to use herself as bait, Jared could absolutely not allow her to be put in harm¡¯s way. Both Nicole and Jared had agreed to the n, so all Lulu could do was remind, ¡°You must be careful. Snow is probably out of her mind.¡± N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, she doesn¡¯t have what it takes to harm me.¡± A dark glint crossed Nicole¡¯s eyes. Even if herbat skills were not what they used to be, dealing with Snow would not be a problem. ¡°So, if she doese, when is it going to be?¡± Lulu darted her eyes to the window outside. Hearing that, Nicole could not help but chuckle. ¡°Even if she does make her move at this time, she wouldn¡¯t show herself. She¡¯ll wait for the right opportunity to strike.¡± ¡°Which would probably be when you¡¯re resting in the evening, ¡± Lulu guessed. Nicole shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m not sure. She¡¯s like a frightened bird now, so we should expect her to do something sudden and unexpected.¡± Rationally, Snow might choose to strike in the quiet of the night, but they also realized that she might suspect that they would anticipate that, so it would be difficult to predict when she would show up to make a move. ¡°She sure has the guts to flee. Doesn¡¯t she know she¡¯ll only add to her growing list of charges?¡± Lulu coldly sneered, feeling that Snow was just digging herself a deeper grave. ¡°She might have reached her limit this time.¡± Nicole¡¯s eyes darkened slightly. As Harvey did not acknowledge their rtionship in the past, his favor and good graces had been hard- won. But all of it had been dashed away, as the oue had turned out to be what it was. Because of this, Snow probably had a hard time handling the blow. However, even if she could not cope with the fact that they had made a fool out of her, it was not Nicole¡¯s responsibility to make things right. ¡°She¡¯s brainless and greedy. She¡¯s only got herself to me.¡± Lulu rolled her eyes, shing a look of disdain. Nicole shrugged her shoulders. ¡®You¡¯re right. Who can she me but herself?¡¯ ¡°It¡¯s about time now, so I¡¯ll head off to our office,¡± Nicole announced and walked off. Since Jared did not indicate that he would be leaving anytime soon, Lulu figured that he would stay to take care of Nicole. After Lulu had left, Nicole looked at Jared and said, ¡°You should head off to Johnston Group as well. I¡¯ll be fine on my own.¡± ¡°There¡¯s nothing urgent at work that requires my attention.¡± Jared¡¯s eyes remained still and calm. Max would handle things on thepany¡¯s end, and if something important came up, he could bring it to the hospital. Nicole shook her head, and knowing that Jared was not leaving, she allowed him to stay. After all, he would not oblige even if she insisted that he should leave. ¡°Rest a little while more.¡± Jared stepped forward to help Nicole lie down, but she waved him off. ¡°I¡¯m not tired. Why don¡¯t you bring myptop here?¡± She could not stand lying down like this all the time, so she might as well find something to do. However, Jared refused. ¡°You can either sit up or lie down, but you must rest.¡± Nicole red at Jared with a hint of resentment. She was injured, but she was not weakened to the point where she could not take care of herself. Seeing the look of reluctance on her face, Jaredpromised. ¡°Should I turn the TV on for you instead?¡± Since she was not allowed to work now, it was better for her to find something to kill time and rx. Knowing there was no other choice, Nicole agreed. ¡°Fine.¡± After Jared had turned the TV on for her, Nicole switched through a few channels before settling on the financial news channel. ¡°Recently, there has been a slight fluctuation in DillCorp¡¯s stock price. Thepany¡¯s General Manager, Mr. Dillon, is working to stabilize the situation¡­¡± Nicole squinted as she listened to the news report. As it turned out, Dillon had seemingly adopted James¡¯s n. Anything that happened next would depend on how well Harvey, Everett, Dillon, and James yed their roles. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about these minor issues.¡± Jared¡¯s eyes darkened as he asked Nicole to change the channel. Chapter 2366 Chapter 2366 ¡°This is not a minor issue. It¡¯s a spectacle. We should definitely keep an eye on it and keep our spirits up.¡± Nicole smiled. It was not time for her to act yet, so she was going to let them duke it out among themselves for now. Jared was bemused as he shook his head, indulgently allowing her to do whatever she pleased. When Max returned, he already knew that Nicole was informed, so he directly reported, ¡°We¡¯ve searched everywhere we can, but we haven¡¯t found Snow. The police are also investigating.¡± ¡°Forget it if there¡¯s no progress. Don¡¯t keep such a close watch over the hospital.¡± Nicole¡¯s gaze slightly darkened. Snow was no fighter or schemer, but she was good at one thing, and that was hiding. She had managed to keep herself concealed awfully well before, so unless she made a move, it would not be easy to find her. After all, San Joto was huge, so there were many ces for her to hide. By letting their guard down a little, they might be able to fool Snow into thinking that there was an opportunity to strike, and that would in turn increase the chance of her showing up. For some reason, Nicole had a gut feeling that Snow woulde for her. ¡°Sure,¡± Max responded as he understood the n. As there were no further orders, Max left. Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org. Then, Nicole looked at Jared and said, ¡°Actually, you can really leave now. The problem is, so long as you¡¯re here, she won¡¯t have a chance to show herself.¡± Now that everything was set up, all that was missing was the bait ¨C Nicole. Unfortunately, with her guardian angel around, she would not be able to assume her role, and therefore, the n could not proceed. After giving Nicole a deep look, Jared could only acquiesce. ¡°Fine.¡± Indeed, as Nicole had said, if Jared had stayed, Snow would most likely not dare to show herself. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll take care of myself.¡± Nicole smiled,forting Jared. Jared kissed her forehead and said, ¡°I won¡¯t go far. As soon as shees, let me know.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Nicole nodded in agreement, knowing that Jared would not be at ease if she did not. After Jared had left, Nicole redirected her gaze to the TV. The news about DillCorp had just concluded, with other news being broadcasted now. Nicole bit her lip. It seemed to her that there would be results regarding DillCorp¡¯s situation soon, so she decided to instruct Lulu to keep a close eye on it. After dialing Lulu¡¯s number, Nicole got straight to the point, ¡¯ Keep an eye on James.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± After hanging up, Nicole¡¯s gaze darkened. In her eyes, they needed to be most careful of James, as the others in his family were not as cunning or formidable. Concurrently at DillCorp, Dillon¡¯s head was in a whirl due to the fluctuations in stock prices. ¡°Is your n really viable? Why hasn¡¯t the stock prices stabilized yet?¡± Dillon anxiously asked James. ¡°Dad, it will stabilize soon. Just be patient and wait a little longer,¡± James assured confidently. Dillon sighed. At this point, all he could do was wait, as there was no other option. Seeing that Dillon was not pressing further, James exchanged a nce with Raine, indicating that the timing was right. With that, he signaled his exit from the office. Chapter 2367 Chapter 2367 Now, only Raine and Dillon remained in the office. ¡°Dad, I heard that Snow escaped again after she was caught. But now, no one knows where she is,¡± Raine said in a low voice. ¡°Hmph, she¡¯s a real piece of work.¡± Dillon¡¯s face assumed a sour grimace at the mention of Snow. She was the reason as to why they were in such a sticky situation now. On top of that, she had even gone out of her way to pick a fight with Nicole. ¡®She¡¯s off her rocker!¡¯ Dillon thought. At present, Nicole was still focused on recovering, so Jared did not have the time to deal with them yet. But once she had been discharged from the hospital, they would be in deep trouble if Jared decided to go after them. Harvey and Everett were already giving Dillon headaches, so he did not even want to think about Jared piling up on him. For this reason, Dillon was anxious. He hoped that James¡¯s n would seed soon. After the company was stable, he could focus on other ways to deal with the situation. Otherwise, they would really be sent packing for good. N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content. ¡°Dad, now isn¡¯t the time to get upset. I actually think this is an opportunity,¡± Raine said. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Dillon frowned and looked at Raine. Raine lowered her voice even further. ¡°I heard that Snow escapedst night.¡± ¡°Escaped?! How?!¡± Dillon¡¯s face instantly nched, for she had already caused such a huge mess. ¡®Being caught is one thing but escaping as well?! Does she think our family isn¡¯t stressed enough already?!¡¯ ¡°Dad, although this hasn¡¯t been officially announced, it¡¯s definitely true. Right now, no one knows where Snow is hiding. I think she won¡¯t remain in hiding forever. If anything, she must be nning something,¡± Raine responded. After a moment of silence, Dillon¡¯s gaze turned dark, and he said, ¡°Are you suggesting she will go after Nicole again?¡± ¡°Definitely.¡± Raine confirmed upon seeing that Dillon had understood her implication. ¡°Previously, she was caught because she plotted a car ident. Now that she¡¯s escaped, she will definitely go after Nicole.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± Dillon nodded, thinking that Raine had a point.¡± What are you suggesting?¡± As she would not just inform him about it without a good reason, there must be some purpose behind it. ¡°Everyone is working hard to find her. I say, we should secretly help her, so she doesn¡¯t get caught,¡± Raine said.¡¯ Well, not before she gets into a tango with Nicole, at least. If Snow seeds in getting to Nicole¡­¡¯ The mere thought excited Raine. Once Nicole was gone and Snow was captured, everything in the Riddle family would be hers. ¡®Hah! So what if you have Jared and Harvey? You can only get everything you want if you¡¯re as tough as I am!¡¯ she thought. Feeling increasingly triumphant, Raine saw this as a god- sent opportunity that she absolutely had to seize. Dillon also contemted the feasibility of this n. If it seeded, the benefits he would reap were obvious. But if it failed¡­ After a moment of hesitation, Dillon furrowed his brows and said, ¡°But if Jared finds out, we will be in trouble.¡± ¡°We obviously can¡¯t let Jared find out. Besides, our participation won¡¯t be direct. We¡¯ll just spread some false information to distract and misdirect them. If they can¡¯t catch Snow, she¡¯ll naturally stand a chance,¡± Raine smugly responded. Hearing this, Dillon nodded in agreement, ¡°Sounds like a n.¡± As long as they were not directly involved, no one would trace it back to them. Hence, they would not be guilty by association. ¡°Since you¡¯ve agreed, I¡¯ll go make arrangements, Dad,¡± Raine said excitedly, unable to wait to see the results. After Raine had left, Dillon¡¯s gaze darkened slightly. ¡®Who would have thought that Raine and James, the least promising of the bunch, would turn out to be the most useful?¡¯ After Raine had left the office, James stood outside, waiting for her. Chapter 2368 Chapter 2368 ¡°Dad agreed/ Raine smugly raised her eyebrows. ¡°Your n worked.¡± N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content. ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± James smiled, looking genuinely happy for Raine. Raine blushed as she looked at James with a coy smile. She then turned and headed back to the office. The gentleness on James¡¯s face then disappeared as his gaze at Raine turned cold. As the sun had set, the glow of the setting sun filled the room. During that evening, the ward had be lively once again. Not only did Lulu and Spencere, but Samuel and June as well. Samuel was able to walk with the aid of crutches. When he heard that Nicole was injured, he had insisted oning to visit her. June wanted toe too, so she agreed to tag along. ¡°You seem to be recovering well.¡± Nicole observed Samuel¡¯s healthyplexion and quick recovery, feeling genuinely happy for him. ¡°It¡¯s all thanks to June. Her care and effort are why I¡¯ve recovered so quickly,¡± Samuel praised June, not forgetting the effort she had put in. ¡°You just happen to possess a strong body yourself.¡± June blushed upon hearing Samuel¡¯s praise. She felt that it was only natural for her to take care of him since he was injured, so there was no need for him topliment her. ¡°You should recover even faster so the wedding can happen sooner,¡± Lulu teased them both with a smile. Hearing this, June could not help but roll her eyes at Lulu.¡± Don¡¯t forget that we¡¯re having the wedding together.¡± ¡°I actually forgot,¡± Lulu said. Just like that, it was Lulu¡¯s turn to feel embarrassed. Her cheeks flushed a shade of rosy red, making her look extremely adorable. Everyone burst intoughter upon noting Lulu¡¯s antics. Then, Spencerined, ¡°Seems like I have to keep reminding you now. I wouldn¡¯t want my bride to be absent at the wedding just because she forgot that she was getting married.¡± Spencer¡¯s words made everyone burst into another gale ofughter. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll remind her too.¡± June piled in. After all, Lulu had just teased her. As everyoneughed and chatted, the atmosphere in the hospital room became especially lively. ¡°None of us have eaten, right? I¡¯ll order some food, so that we can all eat together,¡± Nicole suggested as dinnertime came. ¡°Sure,¡± everyone agreed, deciding to stay and have dinner together. After dinner, no one seemed to have any intention of leaving. Because of this, Nicole could not help but look at them with a raised brow. No one dared to return her gaze as they were all feeling a sense of guilt for whatever reason. Then, finally, Nicole realized what was going on. ¡°You can all go home. If you stay here, she won¡¯t dare to show up,¡± Nicole said, knowing that they did not want to leave because they were all worried about her. However, if they stayed, Snow would not reveal herself. ¡°But¡­¡± Lulu wanted to argue further, but Nicole stopped her. ¡°You know I¡¯m right,¡± Nicole said. Lulu could only bite her lip and stay silent, for she knew Nicole was right. ¡°Go home, everyone. Everything here is all set,¡± Nicole urged them to leave. She had even sent Jared home to look after Nn and Lana. All of this was done to create a window of opportunity for Snow to appear. She could not keep many people here, or else, Snow would never dare to show her face. Chapter 2369 Chapter 2369 Noticing the worried expressions on their faces, Nicole continued to reassure them, ¡°She might be too afraid to show up anyway.¡± After exchanging nces with each other, they ultimately decided to leave. ¡°Well then, we¡¯ll go home now ande back to visit you tomorrow.¡± Deep down, they all knew that the act of staying was not going to help and might even disrupt Nicole¡¯s n. ¡°Okay.¡± Nicole smiled and nodded in agreement. After they had exited the ward, Nicole nced at the time. She figured that it was almost time for visiting hours to end. The rtives and friends who hade to pay their visits had already left, leaving only patients and medical staff in the building. In a little while, it would be time for nurses to do their rounds. After that, everyone would turn the lights off and go to sleep. If Snow were to appear, it would probably be during the quiet hours of the night. Nicole then proceeded to calcte the possible time frame for Snow¡¯s appearance and the likelihood of it happening¡­ Minutes passed, and soon, knocks were heard on the door. ¡°Rounds.¡± ¡°Come in.¡± The nurse¡¯s voice emanated from outside the door, and Nicole replied ordingly, allowing the nurse to enter. Nicole squinted as she stared at the person entering. ¡°Why is this nurse so well-covered, and why does their figure seem so familiar?¡¯ ¡°Did your shift change?¡± Nicole deliberately said, noticing that the nurse was trying her best to not reveal her face. ¡°Yeah,¡± she replied in a muffled voice. Without saying another word, she wheeled in the cart topped with equipment for routine measurements of blood pressure. Nicole shot the nurse another nce and her gaze darkened once again. She then feigned cooperation with the nurse, doing everything she was expected to, when suddenly, she stuck her arm out to grab and remove the nurse¡¯s mask when thetter least expected it. ¡°Ah!¡± The nurse reeled, startled and with her face exposed to Nicole. As she eyed Snow, Nicole cynically curled her lips. ¡°Just as I suspected.¡± Nicole felt that something was off as soon as Snow appeared. Besides, Nicole¡¯s subtle probes had only heightened her suspicions. Snow, who had failed to anticipate that she would be recognized so quickly, then leered at Nicole. ¡°It¡¯s me, alright. Let¡¯s see who can save you today.¡± Then, Snow grabbed a scalpel and lunged at Nicole. Nicole quickly rolled aside as the de pierced the mattress, slicing clean through the sheet. Seeing that her first attack had failed, Snow swung the scalpel at Nicole again, chasing after her like a stark-raving mad woman. All she desperately wanted to do was stab Nicole. Since Nicole was still injured, her wounds had reopened as blood began to seep through the bandages. Meanwhile, Snow was going berserk with her increasingly frenzied and relentless attacks, prompting Nicole to dodge and sidestep each swipe before pressing the red button on the bed. Soon, someone barged into the room and tackled Snow to the ground the instant they saw her attacking Nicole. ¡°Mrs. Johnston, are you alright?¡± the leader of the group dressed in ck asked. ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Nicole responded calmly. Seized and pinned down, Snow was rendered immobile. She understood the situation she was in, and with a murderous re directed at Nicole, she yelled, ¡°You knew I¡¯de, so you had deliberately set a trap!¡± It was obvious that these men were all arranged to stand guard and protect Nicole, and this meant that Snow was in the bin the instant she appeared. Funnily, she thought that her disguise as a nurse would not go unnoticed by Nicole. Nicole raised an eyebrow and looked at Snow. ¡°You¡¯re right. I actually found it strange that you didn¡¯t show up.¡± After all, Snow was not the type to swallow her grievances. After being humiliated, she would definitely find a way to take revenge. However, she had picked the wrong target this time. N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content. Snow¡¯s humiliation had nothing to do with Nicole in the first ce. And since she was actively seeking Nicole out just to attack her, Nicole could not simply let it slide. Realizing that her attempt had failed once again, Snow gritted her teeth and tried to lunge at Nicole again. ¡°You!¡± Chapter 2370 Chapter 2370 Nicole gazed coldly at Snow and remarked, "You went out of your way to hurt me first, and then, you tried to escape punishment.And now you''vee to kill me.You really do hate me with a passion, don''t you?" "Of course I hate you! If it weren''t for you, I wouldn''t be in this situation now!" Snow''s eyes were bloodshot as she yelled in frustration.Nicole nced at Snow coldly. "Too bad.It''s entirely on you." Snow''s current situation was hardly Nicole''s fault, and yet, here she was, mindlessly ming her for her predicaments. This had really left Nicole speechless. "If it weren''t for you, I would have had a loving rtionship with Harvey.I would have be Mrs.Ellison long ago.I wouldn''t have be theughingstock of San Joto repeatedly!" Snow refused to listen to Nicole, deeply convinced that everything was Nicole''s fault. "The one who refused to marry you was Harvey.The one who deceived you again was Harvey.Shouldn''t you me him for your humiliation instead?" N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content. Nicole stated, pointing out that none of these were her doing.If anything, those actions were Harvey''s doing. "Don''t act innocent.Don''t you know that Harvey likes you?!" Snow yelled, exasperated and furious. Nicole raised an eyebrow, puzzled. "So, it''s my fault that he likes me instead of you?!" Suddenly, she wondered if Harvey did not like Snow because she was nothing short of an imbecile. "It is your fault, and it''s his fault too!" Snow''s cheeks flushed red with anger as she red at Nicole with dagger-like eyes. "That''s why I want you dead.That way, he will suffer forever.And as long as I see him in pain and regret, I''ll be happy." Nicole stared at Snow as if she were looking at a fool. "If you kill me, you''ll die too." ¡®And if she does, how is she going to see Harvey suffer and regret?¡¯ Nicole thought. Nicole did not know whether Harvey would suffer or regret anything he had done.But regardless of what the oue was, she knew one thing was certain - Snow would not be around to witness it. Stumped by Nicole''s retort, Snow''s face turned pale. Gritting her teeth in frustration, she said, "I want him to suffer.I want to take revenge on him." As she spoke, Snow''s voice grew softer as she repeated the same sentence over and over until her voice became a whisper. Frowning, Nicole could not help but notice that Snow seemed to have be unhinged. "Yes, I want to kill you and make him regret all that he has done!" Snow roared. Suddenly, as if she had snapped out of a trance-like state, Snow thrashed around again and lunged at Nicole. This caught the men in ck off guard, and Snow managed to break free from their grasp. "Mrs.Johnston, be careful!" one of the men shouted. Noticing Snow''s sudden burst of speed, Nicole instinctively ducked to evade her. With all of the strength she could muster, Snow charged headfirst at Nicole, who dodged and watched as an unstoppable Snow threw herself forward with great momentum, crashing into the window. "Quick, catch her!" The men shouted as one of them ran toward Snow. Snow clumsily climbed onto the windowsill as she did not want to be captured, and without a second thought, she jumped out and took the plunge. "Hey!" For a brief moment, time stopped, as if the entire space around them had frozen. Then, there was a thud, an ear-piercing screech echoing from below, and a cacophony of noise. "Ah!" "Mrs.Johnston, I''ll go and have a look." "Okay." Nicole stared at the window after they had left, feeling a cocktail of emotions within her.She did not anticipate that Snow would have the courage to actually jump. Suddenly, she heard Jared''s voice beside her, causing her to look up at him instinctively. "Whatever happens next, Max will take care of it." Chapter 2371 Chapter 2371 Jared gently brushed her hair aside and whispered, "Let''s take care of your wounds first." His heart had been unsettled ever since he went home. So, once the children were asleep, he decided to return to the hospital and that was when he was immediately met with this scene.He was not concerned about Snow. as this oue was entirely of her own making. However, Nicole had sustained another injury because of this, with her wound still bleeding, drenching the bandage and staining her clothes scarlet.He gently lifted Nicole into his arms and strode out of the ward. "Clean the room," he said before carrying Nicole to the emergency room so that she could treat her wounds. As for Nicole, her heart began to calm and settle in his embrace.She rested her head on his shoulder, feeling reassured.She knew that Snow would show up eventually, but this encounter had left her bamboozled; she had anticipated that Snow would wait for another two days before making a move. Still, it seemed that Jared''s arrangements had worked. There was no ce for Snow to hide anyway, so she had no choice but to take a desperate risk and appear in such sudden fashion.She draped her arm around his neck and looked up at his handsome visage, her lips curling into a smile unknowingly. With him by her side, she felt surprisingly at ease. After a while, once Nicole''s wound had been treated, they returned to the ward she had been assigned to. The room had been tidied up, and the men in ck had left. But Max was still there waiting for them. "Mr.and Mrs.Johnston? Snow is still being resuscitated, but things aren''t looking good for her," Max reported. "Okay." Jared replied, his voice as cold as frost, and his demeanor indifferent. Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org. Then, Nicole nced at Max and asked, "Any other updates? "The police have been informed, and the subsequent procedures are being carried out ording to normal legal processes. The rest is down to what happens to Snow now," Max reported truthfully. They were waiting for the oue of Snow''s resuscitation. If she woke up, everything would be handled in normal fashion. If not, there would be nothing left for them to deal with any longer. "Go back and get some sleep for now.We''ll wait for the results tomorrow." Nicole said, having understood the situation and decided not to press any further. At this rate, their next course of action would be determined by whether Snow survived her injuries, or sumbed to them. If she survived, she would be held responsible for attempted murder. If not, nothing else would matter.It would be the end of the line as far as she was concerned. "Understood," Max acknowledged and left. Jared then turned to Nicole, whose face had turned pale, helping her back onto the bed. "Rest up, we''ll see how things go tomorrow." Before they could rest, however, a knocking sound emanated from the door. This prompted Nicole to frown in confusion. "Come in." ¡®Who would be knocking on the door at this hour?¡¯ she wondered. The door opened, revealing Preston, whose presence surprised her. "It''ste.What brought you here?" "I came because of Snow," Preston admitted. "Oh, she''s still being resuscitated," Nicole said, not knowing how to respond to Preston. She briefly exined the situation to him and decided not to mention anything else. After a slight moment of hesitation, Preston clenched his teeth and said, "I''m actually here to apologize." "Apologize?" Nicole became even more confused now. ''Why would Preston want to apologize to me?¡¯ Chapter 2372 Chapter 2372 Preston took a deep breath before he said, "Nicole, I know that Snow was in the wrong.I''ll apologize to you on her behalf." Then, he gave her a bow to express his sincerity. "No need for that, really.She''s still in a critical situation right now.There''s no need to apologize.Besides, it''s not your fault anyway.You don''t have to do this," Nicole replied. Although she did not remember everything, she knew that Preston was different from the other members of Dillion''s family.He was the only one who had shown her any semnce of kindness. "I''m aware of what happened.She orchestrated an ident and injured you before, yet she¡¯s now repeating her mistakes without any hint of remorse.Now, she''s suffering the consequences she brought upon herself.She can''t me anyone else," Preston grumbled, feeling that Snow''s actions this time were truly outrageous. "Let''s not talk about Snow anymore.If you havee to visit me, I must say that I wee and appreciate that.There''s no need to mention something that has already happened.It''s only going to affect our mood today.Let''s talk about something cheerful instead." Nicole replied, not wanting Preston to feel guilty and attempted to change the subject. However, the look on Preston''s face became even more solemn. "I''lle to visit you tomorrow, out of my concern for you.But for now, I need to go." "To the operating theater," Nicole said, understanding Preston''s intention. "Yes.No one in the family wanted toe here because of her foolish actions.However, a family member is still needed for the procedures, so I came," Preston exined. "Alright then.Go ahead and do what you have to do," Nicole nodded. Preston swept his nce at Nicole, then at Jared before turning around to leave. "How heartless of them," Nicole sighed, unable to believe that no one in Dillon''s family was willing toe.She understood that Dillon and the others were trying to prove a point by distancing themselves from Snow. They were probably even afraid that Jared would make them his next target of retribution. Then, she looked at Jared and furrowed her brows. "Do you think that Uncle Dillon and the others would have shown up if you weren''t in the picture?" After all, their own daughter could die at any time. Unfortunately for Snow, her life was not as important as their own interests. Jared''s gaze remained indifferent. "You should get some rest now." To Jared, nothing should get in the way of her rest now, and he would stop anyone else who tried to disturb Nicole. N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content. "Alright," Nicole agreed with a bemused smile on her face.He truly was stone-cold, and he did not care one bit about what was happening in Dillon''s family. Therefore, Nicole figured that there was no reason for her to waste her energy on them, as it would be better for her to get some sleep instead. Soon, the lights went out, and they fell asleep. Outside the confines of the hospital, however, many would spend the night sleepless. Such was what was happening in Dillion''s house, where the living room was brightly lit. The family were all gathered there with obvious unease in their breaths. "What do we do now? Are we really not going to do anything? " Karen''s face was pale. They did not know if Snow was alive or dead, and they felt helpless. They did not even dare go to the hospital. "Mom, Preston has gone to the hospital already.Let''s just wait for his updates," Raine wiped her reddened eyes and tried to console Karen. "Why was she so foolish? She already managed to escape.She should have left San Joto instead of trying to go after Nicole again. Now, we don''t even know if she''s alive or dead, "Karen muttered anxiously. "Snow just could not swallow her anger.Why should Nicole be able to enjoy life while we''re always suffering? And with this incident, we will not be taken seriously in San Joto anymore." Raine sighed, pretending to be distressed. "My poor daughter," Karenmented again. "Enough, we have to ept it.She made her decision, so she should suffer the consequences for her actions!" Dillon reprimanded loudly, feeling frustrated.He had already done what he could.If Snow still failed, he could only hope that she would not drag them down to hell with her. Chapter 2373 Chapter 2373 "You heartless jerk.That''s our daughter you''re talking about! " Karen yelled. Dillon red at her coldly, "If you feel bad for her, I''ll get someone to send you to the hospital immediately." "I-" Karen choked. If she were to go to the hospital now, she would be announcing to the entire world that there was a connection between her family and what Snow had done, rendering them guilty by association. And if Jared wanted to take revenge on them, they would not be able to retaliate. Karen''s face turned pale. In the end, she could only give up, calm down, and remain silent. "Mom, Dad? Preston is at the hospital now.He''ll update us soon," Raineforted. The grimace on Dillon''s face was even more sour now as he mumbled, "Isn''t he worried about dragging us down?" "But one of us must show up.Not to mention, Preston has always had a cordial rtionship with Nicole.He''s the only one who can be there without stirring anything up," Raine exined. She was of the opinion that Preston was the perfect person to take care of this matter. Dillon looked at Raine and questioned, "Is everything in its ce?" Whatever happened, Jared must not find out that they were the ones aiding Snow in secret. Otherwise, they would go down with her as well. "Don''t worry about it, Dad." Raine promised solemnly. Dillon nodded his head, feeling a sense of relief. If Jared did not notice anything, and they maintained their distance from Snow and her situation, they could very well elude a disaster. "Mom, Dad, it''s gettingte.Why don''t you both head upstairs and call it a night?" Raine suggested, worried about them. Dillon nced at Karen and headed upstairs first. Karen gritted her teeth, and without uttering a word, she followed him upstairs. Raine and James were the only ones left in the living room. They turned to look at each other, and the nervousness they felt instantly disappeared. "She failed even though we had aided her," Raine said. "It is because Nicole had foreseen this.Because of that, she had taken the necessary precautions.She truly does have an analytical mind." James narrowed his eyes. "Hmph, she has always been like this.Always full of tricks." Raine snorted coldly. Indeed, the past few years had been marked with a string of losses to Nicole. "We can''t do much about this issue.I''m afraid we''ll have to leave it as it is and find another opportunity next time," Jamesmented. What they had to do now was to assume a low profile and not draw any attention from anyone. As for Nicole, they could find another opportunity in the future as long as they could survive this current ordeal. "I guess it''s the only way out," Raine replied. Although she was far from satisfied with the oue of the n, she knew that they had no other way out. Then, James nced at Raine, and in a low voice, he asked, "Did you find anything about the one who tipped you off?" "No." Raine shook her head, finding it all weird as well.She had been trying to contact the person, but she just could not reach them. In fact, she was beginning to wonder if the sender of the folder was someone she had personally met or not. "Who could be this mysterious and elusive? What is their motive?" James mumbled. "Who cares? What matters is that they''re helpful to us," Raine said, not bothered by what the sender had done. After all, they were, at least to her, of great help to her. Therefore, she was of the opinion that they harbored no ill- will toward her. James frowned as he did not agree to what Raine had said. However, he remained silent, deciding not to express his objection. "Let''s go.It''s been a long day.I want to get some sleep." Raine got up. "Alright," James agreed and followed Raine upstairs. All content is ? N0velDrama.Org. However, James could simply not get over the thought of the person who had delivered him the folder. ¡®Who would actually tip us off and help us avoid falling into Everett and Harvey''s trap?¡¯ James had been feeling uneasy about this issue the entire time. After all, for all the trouble and effort they had gone through to gather up all that information, the individual who had aided them must have harbored a motive of some sort. Yet, they had never appeared. In fact, they did not even leave anything behind for James and Raine to track them down, something that James found odd. Chapter 2374 Chapter 2374 "Hurry up.Why are you so slow?" "Oh." Raine''s annoyed response emanated from upstairs, causing James to snap out of his thoughts and follow her up. Just like that, the night passed, and a new day arrived. The hospital that had been silent all night, but by dawn, it had be chaotic all over again. At that moment, the emergency room lights, which were lit the entire time, finally dimmed. After Preston had been patiently waiting for the doctor to emerge from the ward, he immediately approached thetter. "How was it?" The doctor shook his head and sighed, "It''s best for the family to be prepared for the worst.The patient''s brain has suffered immense trauma.Even though the surgery was a sess, we''re still unsure if she''ll regain consciousness." "So, she''s...in a vegetative state?" Preston stammered, finding it hard to utter those words. "We''ve tried our best," the doctor remorsefully said, and walked away. Preston''s mind went nk at once, and he was left ina state of utter confusion.He did not know how to process this piece of news at that moment. After a while, the nurse wheeled Snow out of the room. "Please proceed to the counter for the hospitalization procedures." Preston looked at the nurse as if time had slowed, taking him a few seconds to respond, "Okay." Once everything was done, a wave of dizziness struck him. After struggling to maintain his bnce, he managed to stand still. "Why don''t you take some rest?" ady''s voice asked. Preston looked over and saw Lulu, and that was when he inquired, "What are you doing here?" "I''m here for Nicole.But I heard what happenedst night, so I thought of checking up on Snow." Lulu replied frankly, though her tone was a little harsh at the mention of Snow. "It''s likely that she won''t wake up from this," Preston replied with a heavy heart. He did not know how he was supposed to take the news at all. After all, Snow was his sister, and this meant that her predicament would still leave him feeling very distraught for her. On the other hand, Snow was still the one at fault, and was the one who had dug her grave which had ultimately led to this oue. "You don''t really seem well.Are you feeling fine? Should I get the doctor?" Lulu asked upon noticing how disheveled Preston was. "It''s fine." Preston shook his head. "Let''s check on Nicole." Mid-sentence, Preston began to make a beeline for Nicole''s room. Seeing this, Lulu became silent and followed after Preston. When they arrived at Nicole''s room, Nicole frowned upon noticing the way Preston looked. "You stayed up the entire night?" N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content. "The operation had just ended." Preston looked at Nicole and spoke in a low voice. "The doctor said that she has sustained critical brain trauma.There''s a high possibility that she will remain in a vegetative state all her life." The room fell silent, and the air became eerily cold once those words had been uttered. "I see," Nicole replied after a few seconds. It had be a sorry state of affairs, and nothing anyone ever said would change the situation. Still, one could say that Snow deserved that punishment for what she had done. "Nicole, you should get some more rest and recover soon.I''ll leave now." Preston murmured after a moment of hesitation.He felt a little shameful facing Nicole after everything that had transpired. Though he felt sad that Snow had done such a thing, he felt even more for Nicole. If it was not for Snow who had gotten herself involved with men of questionable character while harboring such violent views, Nicole would not have suffered the way she did. Chapter 2375 Chapter 2375 "Alright.You must be tired.Do get some rest when you''ve returned home." Nicole looked at Preston calmly, her face void of any anger of dissatisfaction for him. In her view, this entire incident had little to nothing to do with Preston. Because of this, she would not direct her anger at him. Since Snow had gotten the punishment she deserved, this issue was considered settled. "I''ll go first," Preston said, still guilty and ming himself. Then, he turned around and walked off. N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. Seeing that Preston had left, Nicole bit her lips, turned to Jared, and said, "I want to be discharged and go home." "Alright, I''ll get Max to arrange it for you." Jared replied. "I''ll help you." Lulu packed Nicole''s stuff as she said. Once everything was ready, the three of them left the hospital. When they arrived at the house, a pang of sadness struck Daniel and Gloria as they noted the gauze on Nicole''s body. "You were already injured this badly, and Snow still refused to give up? Was she trying to kill you? How could she be this cruel?" Daniel became furious as a grimace crossed his face. "She has always hated me.And with the fact that Harvey had tricked her, she must''ve gone crazy," Nicole said, her tone calm and emotionless. Nicole did not want her parents to worry about her, especially over this incident. Therefore, she appeared to be calm and rxed about the whole matter. Moreover, Snow was already in a dire situation, so there was no need for Nicole to hold any grudges on the matter. "How about Dillon? Did he say anything?" Gloria frowned and said in an angry tone. Their daughter hadmitted such a terrible act, and yet they had remained silent and passive about the entire issue. "Let''s not rush it." Nicole smirked. It was clear as day to her as to why they did not make an appearance. However, that in of itself was not sufficient to prove that they had anything to do with this incident. Even if they were not directly involved in what Snow had done, they must have provided her assistance of some sort. Thus, the fact that they had chosen to remain silent about all of this was suspicious. Looking at how calm Nicole was about the matter, Daniel became confused. "What do you mean?" Somehow, Daniel had a strange feeling about this, but he could not put a finger on what it was. Still, he knew that Nicole had a n. "If they have chosen not to get involved, the only reason must be that they can''t bear the responsibility of Snow''s actions.Creating as much of a distance between themselves and the problem is the top priority right now," Nicole exined. Hearing that, Daniel could not help but let out a long sigh. Even if Daniel did not want to be involved in this matter, the fact remained that Snow was the one who had perpetrated the attempt on Nicole''s life. "Mom, Dad, don''t worry.They haven''t visited the hospital.Preston was the only one there yesterday.If they are this cruel, there is no way they''d ever ask Snow to apologize to me.They only have their eyes on whatever benefits them," Nicole finished. Now that Snow had failed, Dillon and the family would stay in hiding. But even if Snow had seeded, they would still keep themselves concealed in that they would use Snow as a shield and celebrate their wins in theforts of their home. They would not genuinely care about their daughter, as they had concern for nothing but their own interests. Nicole smirked and a streak of coldness shed across her eyes. Soon, she would teach these snakes a lesson and give them a taste of their own medicine. "Mom? Dad? I think we should allow Nicole to get some rest in her room." Jared said in a soft voice. Hearing that, Gloria instantly advised, "Oh, we''ve been busy talking.You should get some rest.Your health should be the top priority right now.You should go back to your room and lie down.Don''t do anything else." Feeling warm and fuzzy inside, Nicole gently replied, "Alright, I''ll go up now." Watching Jared carry Nicole up the stairs, Daniel and Gloria nced at each other, and their looks of concern shifted to annoyance at an instant. "Why don''t you talk to your Dad? Dillon and his family really went overboard this time." Gloria muttered. "Snow is now in a vegetative state.What will change if I talk to Dad? It will only make him angry," Daniel replied, hesitant. Chapter 2376 Chapter 2376 "In that case, what should we do?" Gloria asked through gritted teeth. "I know that there''s nothing else we can do about Snow.I''m just worried that with Dillon''s attitude, will they continue to harm Nicole?" Gloria understood that Daniel''s consideration was valid, but ultimately, she was more concerned about Karen and Dillion''s behavior in the grand scheme of things.So long as they were allowed to act with impunity, Gloria could not be at ease. "Let''s wait and see how things pan out." Daniel responded, deep in thought.He had a feeling that Nicole had her own n, and so, he believed they ought to sit and observe instead of getting in Nicole''s way. Gloria nodded and looked at the flight of stairs the moment she heard that, her eyes bloodshot and teary. Back in Nicole''s room, Jaredid her down on their bed and urged, "Get some rest." "Okay." Nicole smirked and nodded. After all, Jared would not know what Nicole was up to after he was gone. Judging by how brief her response was, Jared instantly knew what she was thinking about. "I''ll take care of whatever you have in mind." Nicole widened her eyes in shock. "How do you know?" From the look on his face, it seemed as if Jared could read her mind. Still, it was a wonder as to how he had discovered what she was thinking about, given that fact she had not said anything to her at all. In response, Jared patted Nicole''s head dotingly. "What can I say? I know you all too well." Nicole did not have to utter a word. In fact, he knew her so well that Jared could guess what was going on in Nicole''s head just from the look on her face. After all, Dillon and his family thought that they could wash their hands from this incident by not showing their faces. Even if Nicole allowed this to slide, Jared would not allow such behavior to go unpunished. Feeling warm in her heart, Nicole smiled, "Alright then.I''ll go to sleep and wait for your good news." "Alright, I''ll go to the office now.Once I get off work, I''lle home," Jared assured with a gentle look in his eyes. "Alright." Nicole beamed. After Jared had left the room, a smile formed in Nicole''s eyes.Sheid down in bed to get some rest. At this rate, following the incident, she was ready to seizeplete control of DillCorp. She could tell that after Snow had gotten herself into that mess, Everett and Harvey would not stop there. In fact, they would take advantage of the situation and proceed with little restraint. This time, however, she could not afford to give Everett and Harvey another chance to strike. Whatever happened next, DillCorp must not fall into the hands of either of these individuals. Even if she had to hand it over to Preston, she would do so, for he was the rightful owner of DillCorp, not Harvey or Everett. On the other side, Jared had left the Riddle family''s house. As the car was on the highway. Max solemnly reported, "Sir, as you''ve predicted, Everett''s men were helping Snow escape from the hospital." It was unbelievable to them as to how Snow had escaped on her own anyway. Therefore, Jared had ordered Max to investigate the incident until they managed to discover something. A cold glint crossed Jared''s eyes at once. ''So, there really was someone behind the scenes.Is Everett having too much fun in life?¡¯ "Sir, the issue is that Everett managed to cover it up well.Although we''ve discovered that he was connected to the entire incident, we don''t have any evidence that points directly at his involvement," Max solemnly exined. "That''s not the point." Jared''s gaze became firm. Evidence was thest thing he needed. N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. "So, how should we proceed?" Max asked as he had understood Jared''s words. "Since he''s dying to own DillCorp, we''ll give it to him." Jared''s eyes darkened as he stated. Max remained silent, secretly lighting a candle for Everett in his heart. ¡®I''m afraid that Everett will be in serious trouble soon" Chapter 2377 Chapter 2377 Then, Jared looked up and stared to the front. ¡°Keep an eye on Dillon as well.¡± This time around, he wanted to make Dillon and Everett pay. In fact, Jared wanted the both of them, with their own two eyes, to watch him destroy the very thing which they had been trying so hard to get. ¡°Understood,¡± Max replied. As the car sped across the highway, Jared leaned back against his seat. His eyes were so dark and abyssal that nobody could tell what he was thinking about. Meanwhile, in the headquarters of the Ellison Group, Harvey seemed crossed when he saw Everett. When Harvey saw him, he yelled, ¡°What the hell are you doing here?!¡± ¡°It¡¯s an emergency. Oh, and also, you don¡¯t get to have a say here. There¡¯s nothing you should be worried about,¡± Everett retorted, seemingly not fazed at all. All content is ? N0velDrama.Org. Harvey then looked at Everett coldly and asked, ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Harvey was not worried about anything. He just felt that it was best for those beneath him to know their ce. ¡°You know that Snow has gotten herself into a huge mess, right?¡± Although Everett was directing the question to Harvey, he was sure that Harvey knew about it. Harvey raised his brows and replied coldly, ¡°Spill.¡± ¡°Alright. I was just thinking that we could take this opportunity to seize DillCorp,¡± Everett muttered in a low voice. He felt that it would be a great opportunity for them. At that moment, Dillion and his family would direct all of their focus on Nicole and Jared. Above all else, they must be worried about being dragged into the situation. Therefore, they would not be able to pay any attention to what Harvey was doing. And if they were to make a move in secret, they could pull a sucker punch and bag themselves the victory at once. Harvey darted his eyes at Everett. ¡°Since you see this as an opportunity, why don¡¯t you grab it for yourself?¡± ¡®Why would hee looking for me? If he seeds, he could be rid of me,¡¯ Harvey thought. ¡°Harvey, we¡¯re partners in crime after all. Of course, I¡¯d have to inform you about this.¡± Everett smiled as he said. ¡°Oh.¡± Harvey snorted as if he was very pleased with what Everett had just said. ¡°I think this is the perfect opportunity, so we must be quick to act,¡± Everett continued. If anyone were to seize the opportunity before they did, they would lose everything. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, you may go ahead,¡± Harvey agreed. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll work on it now.¡± As soon as he had spoken, Everett carefully asked, ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll need your help with¡­¡± ¡°You may speak to Lewis.¡± Harvey stated bluntly, feeling toozy to entertain his needs anymore. Harvey knew that Everett had sought him out for a partnership only because Everett was incapable of achieving what he was after on his own. After all those years, Everett had be even more resistant to maniption. Furthermore, Everett¡¯s greed had only intensified over the years. No one could tell for sure when he would bite back. Therefore, there was a definite need for Harvey to be cautious of Everett. After Everett had left Harvey¡¯s office, the sly look on his face slowly vanished. His body then straightened, contrasting his previous position where he was bent. Then, Everett scanned his surroundings and strode out of the Ellison Group¡¯spany building. Snow had failed her second attempt and to make matters worse, had fallen into a vegetative state. No one knew about what Everett had done, so this was his chance to fight back. The only thing he needed to do was to pull a sneaky maneuver, and then, DillCorp would be all his. When the time eventually came, no one would look down on NandoCorp anymore. In addition to that, NandoCorp would also rank as a first-sspany. Soon after, the sun set, painting the sky in a colorful, scenic afterglow. Lively chatter emanated from the Riddle residence, as the entire family gathered together in a merry disy. Sean and Steve had also brought Jane and Sally home, while Spencer and Lulu had also arrived in time. Even Samuel and June were present for the asion. Chapter 2378 Chapter 2378 It was extremely merry while the entire family was gathered together. ¡°Nicole, what happened this time was a close call. Don¡¯t take such risks anymore. There are multiple ways to deal with people like them, so why put yourself in danger? It¡¯s not worth it, especially for someone like Snow,¡± June said, still feeling afraid on the behalf of Nicole. In response, Nicole chuckled. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Everything has been nned. We¡¯re just luring them out now.¡± ¡°But what if something unexpected happens?¡± June shook her head in disagreement. ¡°I know you¡¯re concerned about me, but trust me, we¡¯ve made our arrangements, so you really don¡¯t need to worry. And look, I¡¯m fine now, am I not?¡± she argued. June wanted to persuade Nicole further, but before she could, Samuel stopped her. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mr. Johnston is with us. He won¡¯t let anything happen to Nicole.¡± He believed that since it was a nned operation, it must have been approved by Jared, which definitely meant that the n was well thought out. June looked at Jared and hesitated for a moment, but ultimately, she forewent the argument and kept mum instead. And while everyone present were expressing their concerns about Nicole¡¯s situation, Tia came home with Nn and Lana. ¡°Mommy!¡± The kids rushed toward Nicole when they saw her, wanting to give her a big hug. ¡°Hey!¡± Just as they were about to get close to Nicole, a pair of big hands stopped them from getting too close. Nn turned to Jared and protested, ¡°Why are you stopping us?¡± They were really worried when they heard that Nicole was injured, but before they could pay her a visit, Nicole had disallowed them from going to the hospital. And now that she was back, Jared added salt to the wound by preventing them from hugging her. He is too much!¡¯ Nn fumed. ¡°Mommy is injured. Don¡¯t bump into her wound,¡± Jared reminded Nn before letting them go. Hearing that, Nn stopped in his tracks and became obedient at once. They then approached Nicole slowly, and once they were in close proximity to her, Nn asked in a soft voice,¡± Mommy, does it still hurt?¡± Nicole smiled andforted him, saying, ¡°It doesn¡¯t hurt anymore.¡± ¡°Mommy, did they catch the bad guys?¡± Lana tilted her little head as she asked. N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content. Nicole nodded. ¡°Yes, they¡¯ve been caught. The police officers have taken them away.¡± Nn and Lana instantly felt relieved when they heard that the people who had injured their mother had been caught.¡± That¡¯s good. Evil people should be caught.¡± Nicole lovingly ruffled their heads, her eyes filled with tenderness. ¡°Miss Nicole? I¡¯ll be heading back if there¡¯s nothing else,¡± Tia announced. She was relieved to see that Nicole was fine, so she proceeded to head back just so that she could tend to Mrs. Wace Sr. Before she could, Nicole stopped her and said, ¡°Bring Grandma over. Let¡¯s all have dinner together and enjoy ourselves tonight.¡± ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll be going now,¡± Tia agreed as she thought that Nicole missed Mrs. Wace Sr. ¡°Well then, let¡¯s all wait in the dining room,¡± Gloria called. Soon after, the entire family sat down in the dining room, chatting and eating happily. Mrs. Wace Sr. was seated next to Gloria, and the two of them chatted with smiles on their faces as they watched the children and their antics. ¡°I am content, knowing that they¡¯re doing well.¡± Mrs. Wace Sr. looked at them affectionately, her sweeping gaze finally stopping on Nicole. ¡®This girl has gone through too many hardships, and it¡¯s finally over. I¡¯m d!¡¯ she thought. ¡°I¡¯ll be truly relieved when every single one of them gets married.¡± Gloria nodded in agreement. This was her biggest wish now. She wanted to see her children get married, start their own families, and find the happiness they deserved. ¡°Well, they¡¯re already preparing for their weddings. Soon your wish wille true,¡± Mrs. Wace Sr. stated with a radiant smile. While Nicole was missing, the Riddle family had been taking care of Mrs. Wace Sr., who really liked Nicole¡¯s older brothers. Now that she could see that they were all starting their own families, she sincerely felt happy for them. Chapter 2379 Chapter 2379 ¡°These little rascals really gave me a hard time worrying about them, but thank God, they¡¯re all grown up now,¡± Gloria said as she looked at her sons, her gaze finally falling on Stanley. ¡®Sean and Steve have already gotten married, and now Spencer and Samuel are about to start their families as well. Stanley is the only one left. Why hasn¡¯t he found a girlfriend yet? Is it possible that he has neglected his love life because he has been too focused on his work?¡¯ she wondered. Sensing that his mother was scrutinizing him, Stanley felt a sense of pressure weighing down on him at once. He subconsciously avoided her gaze and lowered his head as he continued eating in an attempt to minimize his presence in the dining hall. He knew very well that he had Spencer and Samuel to face the music with him in the past, but now, he was all alone. This meant that he would be the only one left to deal with the pressure of getting soon. This had been foreseen long ago. ¡°Mom, Stanley will find happiness too,¡± Nicole stated, trying to ease the situation for him. Stanley shot her a grateful look, for he was truly worried that Gloria would start pressuring him to get married right now. Gloria turned to Nicole and agreed, ¡°Alright, let¡¯s not rush Stanley for now. Let¡¯s talk about you.¡± Hearing that, Nicole¡¯s lips began to twitch. ¡®Did I just dig a grave for herself? Can I take back what I just said?¡¯ ¡°Mom, Spencer and I haven¡¯t even had our wedding yet. Don¡¯t you have too much on your te already?¡± Samuel reminded Gloria. He thought Gloria would already be content nning both the weddings for him and June, as well as Spencer and Lulu. ¡®Why is she already worrying about those who aren¡¯t about to get married?¡¯ Hearing that, Gloria gave Samuel a stern look and said, ¡°I don¡¯t even think I¡¯ve had enough with the both of you getting married at the same time.¡± All content is ? N0velDrama.Org. ¡°Please, Mom. We¡¯ll be worried about you too. Besides, if you keep pushing like this, some people might develop a fear of marriage. Wouldn¡¯t that give you even more of a headache?¡± Samuel gestured toward Stanley with his mouth, shifting all the attention to Stanley again. ¡®Stanley is dealing with this all on his own now, I guess,¡¯ Samuel thought. It was then that Stanley shot a fierce re at Samuel, his eyes carrying a hint of fury and frustration. Samuel innocently shrugged, indicating he was also helpless in the face of it all. After all, Gloria was nothing short of intimidating whenever she decided to exercise her power. ¡°Mom, we¡¯ll n for our honeymoon ourselves. We want to go to a remote ind where no one knows us, and just rx, ¡± Spencer said to Gloria. ¡°Of course, whatever you¡¯d like.¡± Gloria looked at Lulu affectionately. ¡°If you have any ideas, feel free to share them. After all, this wedding is a once-in-a-lifetime event, so it should be exactly as you desire.¡± ¡°I have no other requests, Mrs. Riddle.¡± Lulu¡¯s cheeks flushed red as she felt a little embarrassed at the mention of it. Both Spencer and his family had treated her very well, and all the preparations were well thought out. She really had noints. ¡°What about you?¡± Gloria looked at June and asked softly. She genuinely liked two of her future daughters-inw, so she did not want them to feel any sense of difort or awkwardness. ¡°I don¡¯t have any either.¡± June¡¯s cheeks became bright red as she promptly answered. ¡°Don¡¯t hesitate, you two. After all, we¡¯re going to be a family,¡± Gloria reminded the both of them. Then, the both of them nodded in unison. ¡°Of course, Mrs. Riddle.¡± As they chatted about the wedding preparations, Gloria naturally forgot about Stanley¡¯s situation. Stanley could not help but breathe a sigh of relief. Unconsciously, he turned his gaze to Tia. Then, their eyes coincidentally met, causing the pair to freeze for a moment. Tia¡¯s cheeks flushed as she awkwardly averted her gaze and continued to eat silently. Stanley, on the other hand, paused for a moment, whereupon he looked away with a strange look on his face. This exchange of nces did not escape Nicole¡¯s eagle eyes as a faint smile crossed her face. ¡°Eat,¡± a gentle voice reached her ears. Nicole lowered her head and found that her te had been filled with various dishes she liked. Chapter 2380 Chapter 2380 She knew that Jared had scooped those dishes for her. She looked at him with a smile in her eyes and said, ¡°You too.¡± ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s dig in,¡± Jared replied with a gentle gleam in his eyes. ¡°How¡¯s the arrangement going?¡± Nicole asked Jared in a hushed voice while eating. ¡°What do you think?¡± Jared¡¯s gaze narrowed. He could tell that Nicole had her own thoughts on this matter as well. So, he needed to consider whether their ns should be integrated. Nicole shook her head. ¡°I was just asking.¡± This prompted a frown out of him as he asked, ¡°Really?¡± Feeling a little guilty under his gaze, Nicole chuckled awkwardly. ¡°I really don¡¯t have much to say about your n. But I just want to add a little something to uproot the problem entirely.¡± After a brief pause, Jared said in a low voice, ¡°James.¡± ¡°Yes. That guy is no slouch. He¡¯s pretty rapacious too.¡± Unfortunately for James, Nicole had caught him with his guard down. It would be a waste if they did not make use of this opportunity to silence him once and for all. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll leave the rest to you,¡± Jared agreed with a doting look in his eyes. ¡°Thank you,¡± Nicole replied sweetly. But then, a mischievous glint crossed Jared¡¯s eyes. ¡°You can thank me in a different way.¡± ¡°Stop talking, let¡¯s eat,¡± Nicole reprimanded with a warning nce. Jared leaned in closer to Nicole and whispered in her ear, ¡°I thought you wanted to say, ¡®Stop talking, kiss me.''¡± ¡°Shut up.¡± Nicole lifted her head to look around in embarrassment. She was relieved upon seeing that no one was paying attention to them. Seeing her adorable look with her flushed cheeks, Jared¡¯s beaming smile became even wider. After a cheerful dinner conversation, everyone returned to the living room where they ate fruits and chatted about their lives. With that said, the family was harmonious and happy, sharing nothing but joyful moments together. Soon, June and Lulu stood up when they saw that it was gettingte. ¡°It¡¯s gettingte, and Nicole needs to rest early. We won¡¯t disturb you any longer, so we¡¯ll head back first.¡± ¡°Okay. Spencer, apany Lulu,¡± Gloria instructed Spencer. After that, Gloria looked at Samuel. ¡°Are you two going back to the apartment or staying here?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going back, and he¡¯s staying,¡± June decisively stated. Hearing that, Samuel pouted. ¡°Are you abandoning me?¡± June¡¯s cheeks turned red as she shot Samuel a fierce re.¡± Don¡¯t spout nonsense now. You¡¯re going home.¡± ¡®What does he mean when he said I was ¡®abandoning¡¯ him? He¡¯s almost done recovering and has returned to the Riddle family.¡¯ June thought, feeling that there was no need for Samuel to follow her back to the apartment. ¡°I¡­¡± Samuel suddenly choked up. He was indeed back home, but he did not want to stay alone, for he had be ustomed to spending every single day with her. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? You¡¯re not used to living at home anymore?¡± Stanley teased. ¡°In that case, Samuel will stay. Spencer can take June home too.¡± Gloria pondered for a moment before making her decision. ¡°Okay, sorry for the trouble, guys.¡± June readily agreed and looked at Spencer and Lulu gratefully. ¡°Whv are vou suddenly beino so oolite?¡± Lulu chuckled.N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. Chapter 2381 Chapter 2381 June shot her a look of displeasure. ¡®Can¡¯t she just not talk to me in such an awkward situation?¡¯ Lulu raised an eyebrow and gave June a meaningful look without uttering another word. ¡°Alright, remember to call me when you get home.¡± Samuel reluctantly agreed, reminding June to give him a call once she¡¯s home. Then, Lulu linked arms with June as she teased him, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t lose your wife. I¡¯ll make sure she gets home safely.¡± ¡°Fine. Thanks, Spencer¡¯s wife,¡± Samuel retorted yfully. This made Lulu blush at an instant, while June suppressed augh. N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content. ¡°Alright, we¡¯re leaving now,¡± Spencer said, and warned Samuel with a re. Samuel shrugged his shoulders and chuckled. ¡°Thanks, Spencer.¡± ¡°Just thank me by talking less,¡± Spencer said with a look of disdain before leaving with June and Lulu. After June and Lulu had bidden farewell to the Riddle family, they left the house with Spencer. ¡°Mom and Dad? We¡¯re also heading back now,¡± Sean announced, about to take Jane home too. ¡°Sure, be careful on your way back,¡± Gloria reminded them. ¡°Mom, if there¡¯s anything you need us to do at home, remember to call us,¡± Jane softly said. The family had been busy with wedding preparationstely, and she wanted to help if she was needed to. ¡°Yes, Mom. Me too. You can call us anytime,¡± Sally added in agreement. ¡°Ah, I know you¡¯re both really busy. We don¡¯t really need your help for now, so just focus on your own stuff, alright?¡± Gloria said reassuringly. ¡°Mom, it might be a little more difficult for Jane as she¡¯s working at thepany, but I¡¯m fine. You can let me help,¡± Sally added. In reply, Gloria added, ¡°Yes. Jane does need to work, but even though you¡¯re not working, the tasks here can be a little taxing. You should focus on taking care of yourself.¡± ¡°Sally, Mom has her own arrangements. She will tell us when she needs us.¡± Steve gently held Sally¡¯s hand and muttered. ¡°Alright,¡± Sally replied, having no choice but to agree. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. The both of you can go home and get some sleep now,¡± Gloria said. She then nced at Sally¡¯s belly and looked away. ¡®Ah, forget it,¡¯ Gloria thought. Sean and Steve had been married for quite a while with their wives now. Jane was busy with work, so it would not be appropriate for her toe in and get herself overwhelmed with more than what she already had on her te. As for Sally, she was unemployed, but her health was still not in the best of state. She figured that she should not say anything about having children, so as not to stress her daughters- inw. In fact, everything should happen naturally, and in their own time. Sally noticed Gloria¡¯s gaze and felt a little awkward. Disappointed at herself, she bit her lip and lowered her head. ¡°Well, we¡¯re heading back now.¡± Steve tightened his grip on Sally¡¯s hand. After bidding his family farewell, he left the house with Sally. Sean and Jane soon followed suit as well. As soon as they had left the ce, Sally found herself unable to suppress the sadness within her anymore. ¡°Steve, I¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t overthink it. Mom didn¡¯t say anything, and Sean isn¡¯t in a hurry either. So why should we be?¡± Steve reassured Sally, appearing nonchnt. He obviously noticed what had just happened. While his mother might be concerned about them deep within, she had not pressured them into giving them any grandchildren. This was not something that could be aplished by rushing. Because of this, he did not want Sally to feel pressured. As long as they were happy together, everything would fall into ce when the time was right. Sean frowned at Steve when he saw that Steve was using him as a tool with which tofort his wife. ¡°Regardless of whether I¡¯m in a hurry or not, it has nothing to do with you.¡± ¡°It really doesn¡¯t concern me. Unfortunately, since you¡¯re the eldest in the family, the future of the Riddle family will be in your hands. So obviously, your burden is heavier.¡± ¡®Sean, you¡¯re the eldest, and the family¡¯s throne awaits your session. I don¡¯t have that,¡¯ Steve thought to himself. Hearing the delight in his voice, Sean shot him a disdainful look and said, ¡°Whoever is the most capable in the Riddle family will inherit it. So, you better work harder.¡± Chapter 2382 Chapter 2382 After bidding them goodbye, Sean brought Jane into the car, and they drove away. Watching the departing car, Steve grumbled in discontentment, ¡°You¡¯re the eldest anyway. You can¡¯t escape.¡± Sally¡¯s heavy heart eased after she had heard the banter between the two brothers. ¡°Sean and Jane are working so hard for thepany. Why are you still arguing with him?¡± ¡°I¡¯m busy too. Even though he¡¯s busy, he can still see his wife all the time¡­unlike me.¡± Steve comined while he wrapped his arm around Sally¡¯s shoulder and leaned his head on her shoulder with a pitiful look on his face. ¡°I can only see mine when I return home.¡± Steve¡¯s antics amused Sally, who went into a fit of uncontroble chuckles. Then, she patted him in the shoulder and said, ¡°That¡¯s enough. Let¡¯s go home.¡± Seeing that Sally¡¯s mood had improved, Steve smiled in relief, after which he effortlessly lifted her up and said,¡± Alright, let¡¯s go home.¡± ¡°Hey, slow down,¡± Sally eximed in surprise, instinctively holding onto Steve¡¯s neck. Steve shed Sally a contented smile as he carried her into the car, and together, they headed home. Meanwhile, in the house. Everyone had left, leaving only a few in the living room, making the house look rather empty. N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content. There, Daniel nced at Samuel, who was preparing to head upstairs. ¡°Samuel, your injuries have mostly healed. We¡¯ll help you with the wedding preparations. But as for the proposal, you shouldn¡¯t skimp on June.¡± Naturally, Samuel earnestly agreed, ¡°I know.¡± Although June had agreed to marry him, he had not given her the perfect and official proposal yet, something which he definitely remembered. ¡°I¡¯m d you remember. Now, go ahead and get some shuteye,¡± Gloria said, feeling a little sorry for him. ¡°Sure.¡± Samuel hobbled upstairs. ¡°I¡¯ll go to bed too,¡± Stanley got up and followed Samuel upstairs. ¡°Oh, Stanley.¡± Mrs. Wace Sr. chuckled. ¡°He¡¯s probably worried that you¡¯ll urge him to get married.¡± Gloriaughed upon hearing that. ¡°Oh I most likely would.¡± ¡°Everything is fated. Let it be,¡± Mrs. Wace Sr. assured. ¡°Of course.¡± Gloria nodded in agreement. In actuality, Gloria had just mentioned it in passing. If Stanley was unwilling to get married soon, she would not force him to do so either. ¡°Tia, help Mrs. Wace Sr. home so that she could get some rest,¡± Nicole reminded Tia as she noticed that it was gettingte. ¡°Sure,¡± Tia said. ¡°I should get some sleep too.¡± Tia had stuck around for quite a while today as everyone was enjoying themselves. Usually, she would have gone to bed much earlier. After Tia and Mrs. Wace Sr. had gone off, Nicole turned to her parents and urged, ¡°Mom, Dad, you should go to bed as well.¡± ¡°Alright, let¡¯s all go to bed.¡± Gloria tenderly patted Nn and Lana¡¯s heads. ¡°It¡¯s time for you two to sleep as well.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take care of them. You two should go to sleep,¡± Nicole said. Gloria agreed, ¡°Alright, you two should rest early too.¡± Then, everyone went upstairs, each returning to their respective rooms. After taking care of Nn and Lana and ensuring they were asleep, Nicole and Jared finally returned to their own room. Seeing that Nicole looked somewhat exhausted, Jared lifted her onto the bed and ordered, ¡°You need to sleep now. And don¡¯t you dare get out of bed tomorrow.¡± Chapter 2383 Chapter 2383 ¡°It¡¯s not that serious. I just need some sleep,¡± Nicole said tly. ¡®He doesn¡¯t even want me out of the bed?! Lying like this for a whole day would just make my limbs stiff.¡¯ ¡°If you don¡¯t want to, I can stay at home and watch over you, ¡± Jared continued as if he was threatening her. Nicole had no choice but topromise as she reluctantly said, ¡°Fine, I get it.¡± Initially, she had thought, Til just wait for Jared to go to work. What can he do then?¡¯ But to her surprise, it seemed that Jared had seen through her thoughts. He then gave her a meaningful nce and said, ¡°I¡¯ll have Tia look after you.¡± Nicole¡¯s lips began twitching violently once he had finished.¡¯ Is this guy a mind reader?¡¯ Nicole pouted and closed her eyes, ready to sleep. She had a look on her face that clearly said, ¡°I don¡¯t want to talk to you.¡± Jared smiled indulgently as heid down and pulled Nicole into his embrace¡­ The next day, the sun rose bright and high in the East. Nicole was ordered to lie down once she had woken up, and to her surprise, Jared really had assigned Tia to look after her. Seeing Tia bustling around, Nicole began to feel a little helpless. ¡°Tia, sit down and take a break. I don¡¯t need you to take care of me like this.¡± Her injuries were superficial, and she had already recovered quite a bit after resting for two days. She just appeared tired due to the family gathering yesterday, which was why Jared had ordered her to stay in bed today. In reality, her injuries were really not that serious anymore. She could even go to work in a couple of days. ¡°Miss Nicole, you should still get some proper rest. That way, you¡¯ll recover faster,¡± Tia advised. ¡°I know, I¡¯m not asking you to leave. I just want you to stop being so busy. Come over here to chat with me, please.¡± Since she was not allowed to get out of bed, she would be bored senseless on her own. Therefore, it would be nice if Tia could keep herpany. Hearing that, Tia sat down and asked, ¡°What do you want to talk about, Miss Nicole?¡± ¡°Why does it feel so quiet outside?¡± Nicole asked with some confusion. Nn and Lana had gone off to kindergarten; Jared had jetted off to his office; and Stanley and Spencer had probably gone off to work too. This left Samuel and her parents, who should be at home. ¡®Still, why does it feel as if there is no activity in the house at all?¡¯ she wondered. ¡°Mr. and Mrs. Riddle went out, and Mr. Samuel has been staying in his room. That¡¯s why it¡¯s quieter,¡± Tia answered. ¡°What are Mom and Dad doing?¡± Nicole asked curiously. ¡°I think they went off to finalize something about the wedding.¡± Tia frowned, the look on her facing indicating that she was not quite sure about the details. Hearing that it was about the wedding, Nicole did not inquire any further. Her parents had been handling these matters on their own all along, so those were things she had little knowledge of. All content is ? N0velDrama.Org. ncing at Tia, Nicole casually said, ¡°Spencer and Samuel are both getting married now. That¡¯s why my mom is getting more and more anxious about Stanley.¡± ¡°It seems that Mr. Stanley indeed doesn¡¯t have a girlfriend. So, Mrs. Riddle¡¯s concern is understandable.¡± Tia nodded in agreement. ¡®If Mr. Stanley has a girlfriend, they probably wouldn¡¯t be so anxious,¡¯ she thought. Nicole could not help but shake her head in frustration when she saw how calm Tia was. It seemed that Stanley¡¯s journey to win his potential wife over was indeed a long one, as Tia did not seem to notice that Stanley cared about her at all. This called into question about whether Stanley¡¯s disys of affection were obvious enough for her to notice. However, Nicole had noticed it, so it made no sense as to why Tia, the person who was directly involved, could not see it. Observing Tia closely, Nicole realized that Tia was genuinely calm as if she was merely talking about someone else¡¯s business, which had nothing to do with her. Nicole bit her lip, deciding not to make mentions of Stanley in front of her anymore. After all, what would be of them would be determined by Stanley himself. If she spoke up on his behalf, it might complicate things and potentially result in an unfavorable oue. Chapter 2384 Chapter 2384 As the two chatted away, they heard a sudden string of knocks on the door. ¡°Who is it?¡± Nicole asked, confused. ¡®Who woulde to my room at this time?¡¯ ¡°Miss Nicole? Mr. Royce is here to visit you,¡± the butler announced from outside. ¡°Lawrence!?¡± Nicole was surprised. ¡°Lawrence actually came to my house to visit me.¡¯ N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content. This prompted Tia to stand up and say, ¡°Miss Nicole? I¡¯ll leave now.¡± Since a guest had arrived, it was better for her to leave. After opening the door, Tia waited for Lawrence toe in before closing it and leaving. Lawrence approached the bedside and looked at Nicole in her current state, during which he could not help but crease his forehead. ¡°Your recovery is really slow. Should we get another doctor to take a look?¡± ¡®Why is she still confined in bed? Is the medical treatment not good enough?¡¯ he wondered. Nicole¡¯s lips twitched, but she could only pretend to be calm and said, ¡°Never mind. I¡¯ve actually recovered quite a bit. I just feel a little tired, so here I am, getting some rest.¡± There was no way she could say that she was still in bed because Jared did not allow her to move about. Hearing that, Lawrence breathed a sigh of relief and said,¡± Well, you should rest well if you feel tired.¡± ¡°Why do you have the time toe today?¡± Nicole changed the subject. ¡°I was nning to visit you at the hospital, but I heard you had been discharged, so I came to your house instead,¡± Lawrence calmly exined. A slight smile crossed Nicole¡¯s face. ¡°Actually, I¡¯m not badly injured. You don¡¯t need to worry so much.¡± ¡°You¡¯re still injured anyway. It¡¯s better to be a little more careful,¡± Lawrence sat down, looking at Nicole¡¯s somewhat paleplexion. He could not help but feel a little sorry as he said, ¡°You don¡¯t look so good. You should have some nourishing supplements. I¡¯ve brought some over and handed them to the butler. He¡¯ll arrange for them to be prepared for you.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Nicole thanked him politely, as the butler had already received them. ¡°Don¡¯t mention it. If your recovery is slow, it¡¯s a loss for me too. After all, we still have projects that need to be advanced,¡± Lawrence stated jokingly. In return, Nicole yfully rolled her eyes at him. ¡°I never knew you were so obsessed with money before this.¡± ¡°Wasn¡¯t I always like that?¡± Lawrence feigned surprise. ¡°I guess it¡¯s just because I didn¡¯t know before.¡± Nicole shrugged, ying along as she knew Lawrence was just kidding. ¡°That¡¯s probably because of the air in San Joto. I guess I changed aftering here.¡± Lawrence shifted the me to the ce directly. Nicole nodded. ¡°That¡¯s probably it.¡± A soft smile crossed Lawrence¡¯s eyes when he noted Nicole¡¯s antics. ¡°Then that¡¯s settled.¡± As the two chatted andughed, Nicole knew that Lawrence hade just to see her with no other intentions in mind. So, they chatted like friends in a rxed and easygoing fashion. ¡°Miss Nicole, please have some fruits.¡± Tia came in and ced a te of fruits down without leaving. She wanted to remind Nicole to get more rest. But as the guest showed no signs of leaving, and with the fact that she could not shoo him off tantly, she decided to stay and, thinking that Lawrence would find her presence bothersome. However, Nicole saw through Tia¡¯s intentions, leaving her amused. ¡®This girl is a witty one.¡¯ Lawrence, having also noticed Tia¡¯s intentions, proceeded to take his leave. ¡°You should rest. I¡¯lle to see you another day,¡± Lawrence said softly as he turned around and strode off. Chapter 2385 Chapter 2385 ¡°Alright,¡± Nicole agreed. ¡°I¡¯ll walk you out,¡± Tia offered as soon as Nicole had said the word. Lawrence shed them a light smile and said, ¡°It¡¯s fine. You stay with her. I¡¯ve been here a few times. I can find my way out.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Tia stayed, not thinking much about it. After Lawrence had left the room, Tia ced the fruit te in front of Nicole and said, ¡°Miss Nicole, please have some.¡± ¡°Come on. You should have some too,¡± Nicole handed her a piece. The two continued chatting casually. However, neither of them was aware that Lawrence had not made his way downstairs after leaving the room. In the hallway, Lawrence paused for a moment, after which he made a beeline for Nn¡¯s room. Seeing that no one was around, he swiftly entered the room and closed the door behind him. He stood still, carefully listening for any movements outside. Once he was sure that no one was out there, he scanned the room before his gaze fell on Nn¡¯sputer. He was fairly certain that the encrypted messages from Nicole had been sent from thisputer. He knew the messages had been sent out, but he could not trace them. So, he decided to try and unlock this particrputer. Lawrence approached theputer and pressed the power button. Theputer booted after a moment, but just as the screen brightened, it suddenly dimmed, taking Lawrence aback. ¡®What¡¯s happening?¡¯ Lawrence typed away on the keyboard to key somemands in. Then, the screen lit up again. However, when he saw what was disyed on the screen, Lawrence¡¯s face nched. Arge mischievous grin appeared on the screen, yfully sticking its tongue out. Lawrence narrowed his eyes as he murmured with a hint of confusion, ¡°Even the homeputer is protected too?¡± This made him even more convinced that the information he needed was definitely on thisputer. But he just could not figure out how to unlock it. ¡°Alfred, you¡¯re still here. Has Mr. Lawrence left?¡± Tia¡¯s voice emanated from the outside. ¡°Mr. Lawrence? I just came up, and I haven¡¯t seen him,¡± Alfred replied, puzzled. ¡°That¡¯s strange. He just left.¡± Tia was confused too. ¡®If the butler hade up just now, he should have met Lawrence. What¡¯s going on?¡¯ she asked herself. ¡°I¡¯ll go back down and check again,¡± Alfred said and turned around to make his way downstairs, thinking that he should not neglect the guest. After looking around outside, Tia returned to Nicole¡¯s room. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Nicole asked after seeing how Tia had returned right after leaving. ¡°I bumped into Alfred, and he said he didn¡¯t see Lawrence. I find it a bit strange,¡± Tia furrowed her brows, feeling even more puzzled as she thought about it. Nicole was also surprised to hear that. ¡°How could that be?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure,¡± Tia shook her head. ¡°Alfred has already gone downstairs to check again. He said that he was probably not looking properly.¡± Although she felt that it was unlikely, it seemed to be the only reasonable exnation. ¡°Oh,¡± Nicole responded tly, not thinking much about it. As Tia looked at the empty cup in her hand, she suddenly said, ¡°Oh no, I forgot to get more water for you.¡± N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content. After that, Tia left the room again, intending to head downstairs to get some water for Nicole. As she reached the staircase, she saw a figure passing by, but she could not make out who it was. However, judging from the clothing, it seemed to be Lawrence, who she remembered had worn a gray suit. Besides, there was no one else at home, so it could not possibly be Samuel. ¡®Did Lawrence just leave? Where did he go moments ago, then?¡¯ she wondered. Tia turned back and went to the other end of the hallway, shaking her head as she thought, ¡®No one¡¯s at home now. Why would Lawrencee from that direction?¡¯ Tia felt strange as she hurried off downstairs. However, she could not see Lawrence anywhere, and this shocked her. ¡®Where is he? I¡¯m sure that I just saw him.¡¯ She shook her head in disbelief before going into the kitchen with her brows furrowed. Then, she poured Nicole a cup of water and headed back upstairs. Chapter 2386 Chapter 2386 Meanwhile, after watching Tia go upstairs, Lawrence turned and left. Once he got into the car, he leaned against the seat. His gaze darkened slightly. ¡°Go.¡± All content is ? N0velDrama.Org. As the car started moving, Ian spoke in a low voice. ¡°Mr. Lawrence, did you find it?¡± ¡°No,¡± Lawrence answered, his voice cold. He did not expect theputer to be protected. ¡°What do we do now? Is there still a chance?¡± Ian asked, surprised. This was unexpected, as he thought this time would surely be a sess. ¡°I¡¯m not sure.¡± Theputer¡¯s protection had been triggered, and Nn would definitely notice it when he returned. Since he was the only one who had been at their house today, it might raise suspicion. So, it would probably be difficult to find another opportunity. But Lawrence could not just give up. He had to think of another n. Ian looked hesitantly at the rearview mirror before changing the subject. ¡°How is Ms. Nicole¡¯s injury?¡± ¡°It¡¯s better. She¡¯s recovering,¡± Lawrence replied before turning his gaze to the window. There was sadness in his eyes. He could feel that he was growing distant from Nicole. Their interactions, while seemingly unchanged, gave him the feeling that Nicole would never belong to him. He also knew that Nicole was secretly treating her amnesia. While the chances of sess were slim, if she did manage to remember everything, it would be the moment he lost everything. Lawrence could not just wait and do nothing. He had to secure everything before Nicole recovered her memory. As the sun set, after a busy day, everyone returned to the Riddle residence, bringing a lively atmosphere with them. As soon as Nn and Lana returned, they entered Nicole¡¯s room as they showered her with concern and warmth. ¡°Mommy¡¯s fine. Don¡¯t worry.¡± Nicole patted their heads lovingly. Nn was relieved after seeing that Nicole was fine.¡± Grandma said it¡¯s time for dinner. Mommy, you can go downstairs.¡± Nicole took Nn and Lana¡¯s hands and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± As the three of them stepped out of the room, they bumped into Jared. ¡°You¡¯re back.¡± Nicole greeted him with a bright smile. ¡°Dinner¡¯s ready,¡± Jared said, his gaze softening as he looked at her. Holding Nicole¡¯s delicate hand, Jared led her downstairs, leaving the two little ones behind. Nn pouted. ¡®Ugh! They just abandoned us!¡¯ On the other hand, Lana grinned brightly, her heart content.¡± Aww, how nice.¡± Nn red at Lana and turned to head back to his room. Lana giggled triumphantly and followed Nn. Jared and Nicole arrived downstairs, where everyone was already gathered and ready to head to the dining room. Seeing theming down, Daniel gestured. ¡°Let¡¯s eat.¡± Then, the whole family sat down in the dining room. After waiting a while for dinner to be served, they all started eating while chatting. Amidst the lively atmosphere, Nn suddenly came downstairs and approached Nicole. He spoke in a hushed voice. ¡°Mommy, are you done eating?¡± Chapter 2387 Chapter 2387 ¡°Is there something wrong?¡± Nicole asked, noticing Nn¡¯s serious expression. ¡°I think someone tampered with myputer.¡± Nn furrowed his brows as his expression grew more solemn. Nicole narrowed her eyes. ¡®Nobody was home except for Samuel, who¡¯s immobile. Mom and Dad came back home in the afternoon, and everyone else came back after work.¡¯ N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content. Nn tugged at Nicole¡¯s clothes. ¡°Mommy, can youe with me to take a look after you finish eating?¡± Nicole put down her utensils. ¡°Sure. Mommy¡¯s done eating.¡± As Nicole and Nn went upstairs, everyone exchanged puzzled nces. ¡®What happened?¡¯ they seemed to think. Jared then said in a low voice, ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Let¡¯s keep eating.¡± Hearing this, everyone turned their attention back to their meal. Jared looked upstairs with a deep gaze. He was not sure about the specifics, but he did hear something about Nn¡¯sputer. He knew very well about Nn¡¯sputer. On the surface, it appeared to be a normalputer for children, but just like Nicole¡¯sputer, it had hidden capabilities essible through a different interface. Seeing Nn looking unusually solemn, Jared wondered if Nn¡¯sputer was having problems. Meanwhile, Nicole and Nn had returned to their room. Lana was still sitting in front of theputer, looking at the mischievous face on the screen. When she saw them enter, she immediately stood up and said, ¡°Mommy, Nn¡¯sputer is broken!¡± ¡°Alright, Mommy will take a look.¡± Nicole smiled, ruffling Lana¡¯s hair. ¡°Go y.¡± ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll go y with the building blocks,¡± Lana said, obediently leaving. Fixingputers was not something she understood anyway. Nicole took a seat while Nn stood nearby and whispered, ¡°Someone must¡¯ve messed with my computer. Otherwise, the protection wouldn¡¯t have been triggered.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Nicole¡¯s voice grew heavy. She already understood the situation after seeing this. However, there were not many people at home, and nobody had ever shown interest in Nn¡¯s computer. Who could have tampered with it? Suddenly, a thought popped into Nicole¡¯s mind. ¡®Could it be¡­ Lawrence?!¡¯ Today, Lawrence was the only one who hade to the house. ording to Tia, Lawrence had disappeared for a while before leaving. The butler had not seen him, and even when he went after Lawrence, he still could not find him. Initially, Nicole thought he had left, butter, Tia said she saw him again, only for him to disappear one more time. Nicole¡¯s heart sank as she thought about Lawrence¡¯s strange behavior. She did not want to suspect Lawrence, but the fact remained that no one else hade to the house, and Nn¡¯sputer had indeed been tampered with. Why would Lawrence want to ess Nn¡¯sputer? What did he want to see? Her gaze darkened as a thought shed in her head. ¡®The Five Crests?!¡¯ She had been paying attention to any information rted to the Five Great Emblems. All traces of the tracking information were stored in thisputer. ¡®Did Lawrence want to get ess to the information about the Five Crests as well?¡¯ For some reason, Nicole thought of Lawrence¡¯s inessible digital crest. She suddenly wondered if it was rted to the Five Crests. ¡°What are you thinking about?¡± Jared¡¯s gentle voice sounded in her ears. Chapter 2388 Chapter 2388 Nicole looked at him and hesitated for a moment, biting her lip. After all, what she had been thinking about earlier were just spections, without any evidence. ¡°Daddy, Nn¡¯sputer is broken.¡± Lana¡¯s soft voice was filled with concern. ¡°It might be serious this time. Even Mommy can¡¯t fix it.¡± It was the first time she had seen a problem that even Nicole could not solve. Hearing Lana¡¯s words, Jared¡¯s gazended on theputer screen, looking at the mischievous face. He realized that it was not that Nn¡¯sputer was broken, but that someone had triggered the protection mechanism by forcefully turning it on. ¡°Did anyonee during the day?¡± Jared furrowed his brows slightly. ¡®It definitely wasn¡¯t someone from the Riddle family.¡¯ ¡°Godpa came.¡± Nn¡¯s voice was so low it was almost inaudible. Nicole was surprised. ¡°How did you know?¡± She did not tell Nn that Lawrence dropped by. N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. Nn lowered his head, seemingly hesitant. He did not want to admit it, but he was certain that Lawrence hade over. However, Nicole had said that the Five Crests were very important, so he could not hide it. Nn raised his head and looked at Nicole as if he had made a decision. ¡°Mommy, the triggering mechanism is already in its second stage, and I only told Godpa how to activate the first stage.¡± Normally, other people would have triggered theputer¡¯s automatic protection in the first stage, leaving only Lawrence to ess the second stage. However, Lawrence probably did not anticipate that there were three stages of protection. Even if he cracked the secondyer, he still would not be able to ess theputer. The thirdyer could only be essed by Mommy. Nicole gently patted Nn¡¯s head when she saw his conflicted expression. ¡°It¡¯s okay. Even if someone manages to open it, the data inside won¡¯t be of much use.¡± She guessed that even Lawrence probably wanted to know what kind of clues she had discovered. However, she could not understand why Lawrence would do this. If he had simply asked her, she might have told him. But Lawrence had chosen to bypass her and not let her know. ¡®Could Lawrence be hiding something from me and couldn¡¯t let me know?¡¯ ¡°Let someone help you with the Five Crests.¡± Jared¡¯s expression darkened slightly. This should not continue to be investigated in secret. They needed to speed up and finish it as soon as possible. Nicole furrowed her brows slightly and hesitated. ¡°Who can help me?¡± If they were seeking assistance, they needed someone with exceptional skills and trustworthiness. Apart from Preston, Jared could not think of anyone else at the moment. However, relying solely on Preston would not be enough. ¡°Leave it to Preston. He¡¯ll contact Ryder and Gary,¡± Jared said in a low voice, sensing Nicole¡¯s hesitation. Several figures shed through Nicole¡¯s mind. Although her memory was not very clear, she faintly remembered encountering them in hackingpetitions and at her return banquet. ¡°Okay, then,¡± Nicole agreed. She trusted the people Jared trusted, so there should not be a problem. She did not want to discuss these matters in front of Nn and Lana, so she got up and gave her seat to Nn. ¡°You can y for a while, and just pretend nothing happened.¡± ¡°Mommy, what about Godpa?¡± Nn still felt a bit upset.¡¯ Why did Godpa secretly mess with my computer?¡¯ Nicole smiled gently. ¡°Don¡¯t think too much about it. Mommy will handle this, alright?¡± He hesitated for a moment before finally nodding. ¡°Okay.¡± Chapter 2389 Chapter 2389 ¡°Nn, you y by yourself. I¡¯m going back to my room.¡± Lana put away the building blocks and went over to Nicole¡¯s side, intending to leave with her. Nn restarted theputer, remembering Nicole¡¯s words. He behaved as though nothing had happened. After receiving a simple task, he got busy. Nicole and Jared left Nn¡¯s room with Lana. The young girl pouted and did not want to go back to her room alone. She wanted to go to Nicole¡¯s room. However, Nicole saw right through her daughter. ¡°You little troublemaker, you won¡¯t be of any help here. If you¡¯re bored, you can ask Grandma or Uncle to keep youpany, okay?¡± Nicole did not want either Nn or Lana to get involved in the matter concerning Lawrence. Also, there was no conclusion on this matter yet, and she did not want the children to develop any negative feelings toward Lawrence. Lana pouted unhappily but knew that her mother would not give in, so she sought help from father. Jared smiled as he lifted Lana up. ¡°Lana, if you don¡¯t want Grandma or Uncle to keep youpany, how about Daddy?¡± Lana knew that Daddy would not help her this time, so she kicked her little legs yfully to indicate that she wanted to be put down. Jared released her and ced her back on the ground. Lana raised her small head and said, ¡°No, thanks. I can manage on my own. Mommy and Daddy can go back.¡± With that, Lana turned and toddled toward her own room. Nicole chuckled and shook her head. After watching Lana enter her room, she turned back to her own. She sighed softly. The Five Crests were indeed irresistible. Even Lawrence had started paying attention to it, resorting to such means. She was somewhat disappointed in Lawrence¡¯s actions this time. It felt like her friend betrayed her. Jared looked at Nicole meaningfully. ¡°Or maybe he was never your friend in the first ce. So you don¡¯t need to worry too much about it.¡± ¡°What?¡± Nicole blinked her eyes in confusion. ¡®What did he mean? Lawrence was never a friend? After all, Lawrence had saved me, and he had helped me a lot over the past few years.¡¯ ¡°You have amnesia, but he doesn¡¯t. He knows everything about you.¡± Jared¡¯s eyes turned cold. When Lawrence said he just thought that Niki and Nicole looked alike, Jared did not believe it for a second. Nicole¡¯s pupils contracted slightly. ¡®Lawrence knew everything about me?¡¯ She bit her lip and pondered for a moment. Then she looked at Jared and asked in a serious tone, ¡°Can I know about what happened back then?¡± ¡°Of course,¡± Jared agreed. N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content. He had initially wanted to tell her that if she could remember by herself, that would be fine, but if she could not, then there was no need to learn about it all over again. However, considering the current situation, she seemed to know some things about the past. Jared pulled Nicole to sit down, and he began recounting how they had gone out together to find the Brave, sought Lawrence¡¯s help, and were attacked on their sessful journey back home¡­ After which, she disappeared for five years. He systematically went through each and every event, his voice low as he retold their past. ¡°So, our ne was shot down and we were separated after falling into the sea. After that, I floated to a nearby ind and was saved by Lawrence?¡± Nicole analyzed the situation. Jared shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t know either. When I woke up again, I was already in the hospital, and it took me two weeks to gain full consciousness. However, everyone tried everything, but no one could find you.¡± As for how Nicole ended up on the deserted ind, how she managed to float there, and how she was saved, they had no clue. They only learned about her five years on the ind when she returned this time. Chapter 2390 Chapter 2390 Nicole always felt a strange sensation when thinking of the past. But upon reflection, she could not quite remember the details. Eventually, she stopped dwelling on it. ¡°In that case, let¡¯s contact Preston. He¡¯ll help us deal with this,¡± Nicole decided. Things were going as Jared had said. They should make haste to find clues for the Crests. Even if there were no clues about the major Five Crests, they should at least have knowledge of the Fire Crest. Nicole was the owner of the Fire Crest, after all, so the other Crests were none of her business. Jared called Preston. ¡°I need your help.¡± ¡°Yeah. What is it? Just say it,¡± Preston said briskly. ¡°I¡¯ll send you all the information and progress. You should find someone to assist you, but this has to stay a secret,¡± Jared emphasized. Preston promised, ¡°Come on, don¡¯t worry about it.¡± Hanging up the phone call, Jared reached out and smoothed Nicole¡¯s hair. ¡°You should prepare the information and send it to Preston.¡± Nicole nodded and took out herptop. She started organizing the clues about the major Five Crests, along with the information she had previously released. She then highlighted that the important one was the Fire Crest, while the others were nothing more than a cover- up. N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content. After emailing the information to Preston, Nicole breathed a sigh of relief. ¡°Done.¡± All they had to do was wait for Preston¡¯s reply. On Nicole¡¯s end, she continued executing their previous n to divert attention away. In this way, Preston¡¯s side would surely go smoothly. Putting away herptop, Nicole rubbed her shoulders and sighed softly. All the events that happened today were too overwhelming for her, and she needed time to process everything. Jared¡¯s hand rested on Nicole¡¯s temple and gently helped her massage. ¡°You must be tired.¡± ¡°Yeah, a little,¡± Nicole answered honestly. She was indeed feeling a little worn out. Helping Nicole rx, Jaredy Nicole down. ¡°You should rest now.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± A pang of tiredness hit Nicole, and she soon fell asleep. She even dreamed a dream she often had. The dream was about Nicole and a man who fell into the water. The man had lost consciousness, so Nicole used her strength to push the man to nearby driftwood. However, Nicole was worn out and did not get onto the driftwood. She gradually sank to the bottom of the sea. While she was sinking, Nicole finally made out the man¡¯s face, Jared. ¡°Jared!¡± Nicole shrieked and sat up abruptly. ¡°Was it a nightmare?¡± Jared¡¯s soft voice sounded, and he held Nicole in his warm embrace. ¡°Well, I¡¯ve had this dream for a long time,¡± Nicole whispered while leaning on Jared. ¡°I always dreamed of falling into water and pushing a man onto driftwood. But I¡¯ve never gotten a good look at him before. Except I did today.¡± ¡°The man was me,¡± Jared guessed. Nicole¡¯s dream was probably a memory of when they fell into the water that day. ¡°Maybe it was because you told me what happened back then. So my memory came back a little,¡± Nicole spected. Chapter 2391 Chapter 2391 ¡°Are you sure your memories are resurfacing?¡± Jared asked, surprised Nicole did not have a headache. ¡°I think so.¡± Nicole nodded. She was confident the man she saw in her dream was Jared. ¡°But your head didn¡¯t hurt this time,¡± Jared pointed out. He stared at Nicole closely, realizing she was fine. Stunned for a moment, Nicole realized she finally saw the face in the dream. On top of that, she did not get a headache this time. Nicole finally understood Jared¡¯s bewilderment. All this while, her dream had been about the time they fell into the water. Jared lost consciousness, and Nicole tried to save him. However, she ultimately exhausted herself and sank back into the water. This resulted in Nicole¡¯s amnesia and her five-year disappearance. Nicole had yet to recover her memories fully, but she understood from this dream that Jared and she were deeply in love, to the extent they would die for one another. Feeling a sense of poignant, Nicole leaned into Jared¡¯s embrace. She whispered, ¡°Maybe Martin¡¯s treatment worked. n Even though she could not exin why, Nicole was able to figure things out little by little without a headache. She felt like it was a good sign for her to one day regain all her memories. Nicole realized that her dream was actually just remnants of her blurred memories. She believed slowly but surely, she would regain her memories and recall everything she went through. Jared fixed his gaze on Nicole. From the dream Nicole described, Jared came to the realization that Nicole was the one who saved him back then. If Nicole had not saved him, she would have never needed to encounter the danger of disappearing and suffering for these five years. Tightly hugging Nicole, Jared felt pain deep in his heart. He felt immense pain for her experience those five years, and even more pain for her sacrifices for him. Noticing Jared¡¯s unusual behavior, Nicole softly called out,¡± Jared?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Jared answered with a slightly muffled voice. Frowning, Nicole was unsure of her gut feeling, but she could feel Jared¡¯s sorrow. Nicole wanted to look up to check on Jared, but he held her tight in his embrace. With a sigh, Nicole gave up and wrapped her arms around his waist,forting him by gently patting his back. Both of them were silent, yet it seemed like they had already spoken a thousand words. After that, time went back quickly, and three days passed in the blink of an eye. San Joto was peaceful and uneventful. The crowd bustled about and not one person noticed the ones burning out. N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. ¡°Hey, Nicole. You and Jared killed two birds with one stone this time,¡± Lulu said, her eyes shining. She looked excited for the tea. ¡°Someone had to teach them a lesson,¡± Nicole said faintly with a dark expression. ¡°It should¡¯ve been done a long time ago. We should let them know that we¡¯re not easy to mess with,¡± Lulu huffed arrogantly. Or else, their enemies would think they were an easy target and keep causing trouble for them. Nicole looked at Lulu and asked, ¡°How are things on your end?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t sweat it. Someone has been keeping an on it all the time,¡± Lulu said seriously. She knew Nicole had given her an important task, so she remained vignt and attentive. ¡°Alright. There should be results soon,¡± Nicole hinted. ¡°Are you saying¡­? No way! Is he really that bold?¡± Lulu was a little surprised. She always believed things would onlye to an end before they had an oue. ¡°James always had sky-high dreams. If this works out, it¡¯d only be natural for his greed to grow bigger.¡± Nicole believed James would take the risk this time. Chapter 2392 Chapter 2392 Lulu paid more caution and attention after Nicole¡¯s hint. ¡°I got it. I¡¯ll be more mindful.¡± Nicole chuckled. ¡°Don¡¯t get nervous. It¡¯s just a guess. If circumstances change, he might not be able to act right away.¡± Confused, Lulu asked, ¡°Will things still change?¡± If the circumstances changed, Lulu was worried that it would impact their side. Sighing, Nicole said, ¡°Everett imed to have gotten the investigation results. Grandpa wants us all to head back to the Riddle family manor tonight.¡± On the surface, Jared¡¯s n was a sess, and Everett suffered quite a loss. However, Everett had not shown any reaction to this yet. Instead, through Mr. Riddle Sr., he managed to get everyone summoned back to the Riddle family manor. It made Nicole worry. ¡°Well then, you should go and check the situation tonight. But be careful. Everett¡¯s a sly guy,¡± Lulu reminded with concern. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll be fine.¡± Nicole smirked. Although she did not have all the details, she was certain Everett wanted to stir up trouble. So Nicole wanted to see if Everett had what it takes. ¡°Fine.¡± Lulu sighed, disheartened. The supposedly good news was making her less happy now. Nicole reassured her with a slight smile. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. If Everett had any ns in mind, it¡¯d be against DillCorp. He¡¯s no match for us for the time being.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not easy to have a chance to crack down on Everett. Yet he managed to seize a chance to counterattack. Just thinking about it makes me angry.¡± Lulu sighed glumly. ¡°Alright now, it¡¯s not worth it to get angry over him. Run along. I¡¯ll text you tomorrow, or you coulde with Spencer today,¡± Nicole said meaningfully, raising her eyebrow. Lulu shook her head. ¡°No, thanks. I¡¯d rather not. Who am I to attend a family gathering?¡± ¡°You are family,¡± Nicole teased. ¡°I¡¯ll pass. Even though I¡¯m Spencer¡¯s fiancee, I don¡¯t think I should get involved with the Riddle family¡¯s affairs. I¡¯ll just stay here to help you out,¡± Lulu insisted. Not merely because she had not yet wed Spencer. Even if she did, she believed it would be best to stay out of these matters. ¡°Oh, fine then. Forget it, if you don¡¯t want to.¡± Nicole chuckled and shook her head. Lulu was too anxious in Nicole¡¯s opinion, but she understood her feelings. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll be waiting for your news tomorrow. I¡¯ll get going then.¡± Lulu left Nicole¡¯s office and breathed a sigh of relief. Nicole leaned against her seat and smiled while looking at Lulu. ¡®She¡¯s still being shy.¡¯ Time passed swiftly. Before they knew it, night had fallen. All family members arrived at the Riddle family manor one after another. N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content. Jared would not attend so Nicole had him take care of Nn and Lana. The other family members were here. Nicole, Sean, and Steve got out of a car and entered the Riddle family manor. At a nce, they could see Mr. Riddle Sr. in the main seat. After they greeted him, the three siblings approached Mr. Riddle Sr. together. Chapter 2393 Chapter 2393 ¡°He has work to do,¡± Nicole exined. Mr. Riddle Sr. did not continue to pursue the matter. Seeing everyone had arrived, he fixed his gaze on Everett and said, ¡± Speak up.¡± N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content. Mr. Riddle Sr.¡¯s meaning was clear. With everyone present, he wanted Everett to get to the point. Everett clenched his fist and let go. He then calmly handed a file to Mr. Riddle Sr. ¡°Grandpa, these are the investigation results of the two gardeners who were after money and stole the deeds to the Riddle family manor.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. took the file but did not look at it. It was clear that the so-called evidence shown to him was naturally what they wanted him to see. ¡°Grandpa, here are ours.¡± Steve, Preston, and Ell ar, who had been ordered to investigate, obediently handed over their investigation results. Simrly, Mr. Riddle Sr. did not read it. He asked, ¡°Everett, you had everyone back for this?¡± ¡°There are other things too,¡± Everett replied, understanding that his grandfather had decided not to pursue the issue of the Riddle family manor¡¯s deed. ¡°What is it? Go ahead,¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. said faintly. Everett seemed hesitant as he nced in the direction of Dillon¡¯s family before speaking with a solemn tone. ¡°While investigating the gardeners, I stumbled upon another matter. n ¡°What is it?¡± Mr. Riddle Sr.¡¯s eyes narrowed. He could tell that what Everett was about to say was not simple. With that, Everett handed another set of documents to the elder. ¡°Grandpa, take a look at this. It¡¯s about the medicine you used before.¡± Everett aggravated his tone, reminding Mr. Riddle Sr. meaningfully. Everyone instantly understood that it was the medicine that almost caused Mr. Riddles Sr.¡¯s death. The old man¡¯s expression turned serious as he read the papers in the document. ¡°Dad, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Daniel asked, noticing Mr. Riddle Sr.¡¯s unusual expression. With a snap, Mr. Riddle Sr. threw the paper in his hand in Dillon¡¯s face. ¡°You ungrateful brat!¡± ¡°What are you talking about, Dad?¡± Dillon looked dumbfounded as he took the document off his face. Reading the information, Dillon dropped the papers to the ground in shock. He shook his head aggressively. ¡°No, it wasn¡¯t me! Someone must¡¯ve framed me.¡± ¡°Dillon, the evidence is all there. Your denial now only shows how guilty you are,¡± Everett mocked. ¡°You¡¯re the one handing over the evidence. You must be the one framing me!¡± Dillon shouted in distress. This was something Dillon would never admit to doing. This was patricide. He was not that insane! ¡°Regardless, it¡¯s evidence. Whoever had brought this forward doesn¡¯t matter. After all, the police rely on evidence too,¡± Everett justified. The evidence would not be dismissed just because Everett was the informer. ¡°Why, you!¡± Dillon was choked with rage. His face turned purple as he said, ¡°I didn¡¯t do it anyway! Don¡¯t you dare me this on me. Since you im the police rely on evidence, then we shall go to the police. Let them be the ones to investigate this thoroughly!¡± Dillon was never taking the me, or else his life would turn miserable from now on. He might lose everything. ¡°What do you think? Grandpa?¡± Everett stopped arguing with Dillon and looked at Mr. Riddle Sr., waiting for his decision. Chapter 2394 Chapter 2394 Mr. Riddle Sr. fell silent. Although he got worked up just now, he still had to calm down and consider the Riddle family¡¯s situation. Getting the police involved would only result in this matter being spread out to the public. If such a family scandal were leaked out, it would be hard for the Riddle family to maintain their reputation in San Joto. Aftercareful contemtion, Mr. Riddle Sr. turned to Dillon and ordered coldly, ¡°From now on, Dillon¡¯s family has nothing to do with the Riddle family. Leave now. You are not allowed to step foot into the Riddle family business again.¡± ¡°Wait, Dad! Hear me out! I really didn¡¯t do it!¡± Dillon¡¯s distress escted. His eyes were full of panic as he tried to exin. With the evidence before him, Mr. Riddle Sr. had no interest in Dillon¡¯s exnation. He turned to the house butler. ¡°Get them out of here and make sure they never set foot in this house again.¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± The house butler approached Dillon. ¡® Dillion, it¡¯s best you leave now.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not leaving! It wasn¡¯t me. Why should I be kicked out of the Riddle family?¡± Dillon toughened up. If he was kicked out now, he would lose all ties to the Riddle family. ¡°Grandpa, perhaps we could investigate this further. Dad would never do such a thing,¡± Raine said, growing anxious. If they were cut off, Raine would never inherit the Riddle family in the future. Karenshed out. ¡°Dad, how could you just make us leave indiscriminately?! We¡¯re not the only ones who were eager to im the shares back then. You can¡¯t solely me our family! ¡°That¡¯s right, Dad! Damien was the one who rmended the doctor. He can¡¯t just be ruled out from suspicion when the doctor makes a mistake. You can¡¯t just single me out!¡± Dillon seemed to catch a lifeline and pointed his usation toward Damien. ¡°Dillon, don¡¯t go crazy and target anyone you see! The evidence points to you, so why are you using me now?¡± Damien immediately defended. His frustration made his face pale. ¡°How would I know if you tampered with evidence? With evidence like this, I could just as easily im you did it!¡± Dillon threw caution to the wind. He was not going to let anyone off easily. ¡°Dad, why don¡¯t we get the police involved? That¡¯ll make him concede defeat,¡± Damien said with impatience. The situation seemed like Dillon was losing his mind now. Damien did not want to continue arguing and y Dillon¡¯s games. ¡°Enough with this. Alfred, continue what you were doing,¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. said, his voice growing more authoritative. ¡°Yes, sir.¡± The house butler understood this was Mr. Riddle Sr.¡¯s final order. The house butler approached Dillon, his voice stern. ¡°Dillon, Mr. Riddle Sr. is trying to preserve both your dignity and the Riddle family. If this bes public knowledge, it damages both your family and the Riddle family. So, I advise you to take your leave now.¡± The house butler¡¯s words sounded like a suggestion, but he carried an implicit threat. Dillon was not clueless; he could easily discern it. Mr. Riddle Sr. wanted to cut ties with Dillon¡¯s family now and wanted them gone. If Dillon continued to make a fuss, there was a good chance things would end worse than this. All content is ? N0velDrama.Org. Gritting his teeth, Dillon stood up and said, ¡°I¡¯ll prove my innocence.¡± After saying this, Dillion left with big strides. Sighing, Karen had no choice but to follow. Raine was reluctant to leave. She exchanged nces with James, not sure what they should do. ¡°Grandpa, take care of yourself. We¡¯ll take our leave first.¡± James pulled Raine to her feet and excused himself. Preston saw his family leave and prepared to leave as well. He was, after all, a part of the family, and there was no reason for him to stay behind. He also did not want to incur Mr. Riddle Sr.¡¯s wrath. Chapter 2395 Chapter 2395 As Dillon¡¯s family gradually left, Mr. Riddle¡¯s Sr.¡¯s expression turned somber. He fixed his gaze on the entrance hall, lost in his thoughts. Meanwhile, Karen exasperatedly pulled Dillon outside. ¡°How could you just leave? Isn¡¯t it as good as admitting you did it?¡± ¡°So what, if I denied it? Isn¡¯t it obvious that I fell into their trap?¡± Dillon hit the ceiling. ¡°Dad, you¡¯re saying that Everett forged the evidence? He¡¯s too shady!¡± Raine gritted her teeth. The battle between the heirs of the Riddle family had yet to be determined, yet she was kicked out of the running just like that. It was clear that Raine was infuriated. N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content. ¡°The fact that Dad believed them so easily¡­ He really is biased,¡± Karenined. Seeing the family¡¯s disgruntled expressions, James advised, ¡°We still have a shot.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Karen frowned. ¡°Grandpa said he would cut off ties with us. But he didn¡¯t say he would take back DillCorp. He didn¡¯t burn the bridge. As long as we operate thepany well, we could secretly find Everett¡¯s faults. When the timees, we¡¯ll be able to turn the tables on him,¡± James exined. ¡°Hmm, you¡¯re right.¡± Dillion nodded, satisfied. This was why he was willing to leave just now. DillCorp was still in their hands, Dillion was convinced Mr. Riddle Sr. would take back DillCorp if he continued to make a fuss. It would be utter defeat if that happened. ¡°No wonder you asked me to leave.¡± Raine breathed a sigh of relief. She was alright as long as things did not turn out to be aplete failure. ¡°Besides, Everett lost out to us this time, so we¡¯re not exactly defeated. His days won¡¯t be any better than ours,¡± James added. ¡°He must be pissed off to get back at us after he suffered big time.¡± Raine clenched her teeth in frustration. Everett was indeed a sinister person. ¡°Well, that¡¯s likely the reason,¡± Dillion agreed. Everett did not want his dirty deeds to be exposed, so he stuck preemptively, trying to frame him. Everett wanted to kill two birds with one stone. He wanted to cover up his desire to take over DillCorp and tear Dillon¡¯s family away from the Riddle family. It was a cunning scheme. However, Dillon was not a pushover. Since Everett wanted to y the game, Dillon was determined to show him who woulde out on top. The few people calmed down and regained theirposure. Dillon swept an unsatisfied nce at Preston and warned, ¡°You better stay away from Nicole. Or else, you¡¯ll regret it in the future.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like I¡¯m involved in thepany¡¯s management.¡± Preston shrugged his shoulders. His interaction with others did not matter since his interest did not sh with anyone else¡¯s, whether it was thepany¡¯s or his own interest. He could just do as he pleased since he was not interested in anything else. Watching Preston leave, Dillon felt even more frustrated.¡¯ How did I end up with this bastard son? He¡¯s not even as helpful as James.¡¯ ¡°Dad, let¡¯s go back first. We have to think for the long run,¡± James persuaded. ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s go,¡± Dillon agreed. He was not as angry, with a new goal in mind. Meanwhile, the atmosphere in the Riddle family manor carried a slight tension after Dillon¡¯s family was kicked out. The people in the room seemed somewhat stifled on the surface, yet there was a faint aura of ease. Deep down, Everett was secretly delighted. He could not help but feel triumphant. ¡®Dillon¡¯s family dared to obstruct me and cause me great loss? I¡¯d never let them have thestugh.¡¯ Everett thought of all his painstaking arrangements. He believed he could take over DillCorp. But in the end, he ended up with apanyden with massive debts and unpaid liabilities. He was so angry at the result! Dillon¡¯s family was truly cunning, and Everett could only me himself for being careless. Chapter 2396 Chapter 2396 No matter what, I can¡¯t suffer with this dumbass. Each time he provokes me, he¡¯ll get it from me. Aside from this messy inheritance issue, since neither one of us are willing to budge, he can go to hell with it.¡¯ ¡°Everett?¡± a voice called out. Everett raised his head. He blinked at the person. ¡°What¡¯s on your mind? I called you so many times,¡± James asked in a worried voice. ¡°Oh. I was just thinking about Uncle Dillon¡¯s matter¡­¡± Everett shook his head, feeling annoyed. Mr. Riddle Sr. looked at Everett nkly. ¡°That is final. We¡¯re not going to discuss it anymore.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Everett agreed obediently. Mr. Riddle Sr. did not want to speak anymore, so he ushered everyone to eat. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s eat.¡± Dexter suddenly spoke up. ¡°Dad, we¡¯re going to head back first. Please take good care of your health.¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. thought to himself, ¡®Yeah, what did I expect after being plotted against by my own blood? Disappointing¡­ I Mr. Riddle Sr. kept his face straight after discovering that his son, Dillon, was going the extra mile to ensure that he gets all the inheritance. ¡°Okay,¡± replied Mr. Riddle Sr. Emma gave Gloria a look before turning around to leave with Dexter. Er waved at Nicole as he left. ¡°Nicole, I¡¯ll go with you to thepany tomorrow.¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. gave an odd look to Er. Er scratched the back of his head awkwardly, but smiled.¡± Grandpa, please take care of yourself. I¡¯m going to go now.¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. snorted. Er gave Mr. Riddle Sr. a smile before leaving with Emery. Mr. Riddle Sr. did not think too much into context as he did not have a good impression of Dillon¡¯s family. Daniel¡¯s entire family did not budge, and neither did Damien. Mr. Riddle Sr. frowned. ¡°Is something the matter?¡± ¡°No, we just want to spend time with you Dad,¡± replied Damien. Mr. Riddle Sr. shooed at them. ¡°There¡¯s no need for you to spend time with me. This ce is no longer in my hands.¡± He stood up and shooed Damien away. Damien was shocked. He bit his lip and promised, ¡°Dad, don¡¯t worry about it. I¡¯m sure I can find those two gardeners and get our family manor back.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be d if you could stop thinking about it,¡± said Mr. Riddle Sr. However, Damien could not sit still. Agitated, he said in a rushed voice, ¡°We¡¯ll leave first.¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. could tell that Damien was eager to find the evidence to prove that the gardeners had stolen it. However, Damien¡¯s determination to make an excuse to leave had aroused Mr. Riddle Sr. ¡®s suspicions. Did Damien have something to do with the theft? Damien gritted his teeth and red at Daniel before he left with Miley and Everett in tow. In a low voice, Nicole asked, ¡°Grandpa, is something a matter that you called us to stay behind for?¡± Mr. Riddle Sr.¡¯s expression softened up as he saw Nicole¡¯s face. ¡°I think you¡¯re all aware of Everett¡¯s ns. Dillon¡¯s family had gotten quite sneaky, don¡¯t you think?¡±N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. Chapter 2397 Chapter 2397 ¡°We know. Is there something you want to assign us to do?¡± Sean asked with a serious expression. It was evident that Mr. Riddle Sr. had shown his dissatisfaction with Damien and Dillon. ¡°This idea of splitting the family inheritance was initially brought up by Nicole, but right now everyone¡¯s coming at each other¡¯s throats. What¡¯s more of a problem right now is that it¡¯s going to be a huge problem for us,¡± said Mr. Riddle Sr. ¡°Yeah. Don¡¯t worry, Grandpa. We know what to do.¡± Sean nodded. Mr. Riddle Sr. did not want the Riddle family to burn down in mes. Naturally, protecting their family name was of utmost priority. Mr. Riddle Sr. was relieved. ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± Daniel looked at the stack of documents Everett had brought over. ¡°Dad, can you tell us what¡¯s really going on? Why is Dillon¡­¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. ¡®s expression hardened. His eyes narrowed, and there was a hint of pain in his eyes. ¡°It¡¯s not important anymore.¡± Every time this topic was brought up, it was like daggers piercing through Mr. Riddle Sr.¡¯s heart repeatedly. N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content. Daniel noticed that Mr. Riddle Sr. was reluctant to go on with the conversation. ¡°Daniel, let¡¯s head home so he can rest,¡± said Gloria in a low voice. Gloria knew that Mr. Riddle Sr. wanted time alone. Daniel sighed. ¡°Alright.¡± Daniel was worried but at the same time, he knew he had to give Mr. Riddle Sr. some time. ¡°Grandpa, we¡¯ll take care of it. Don¡¯t worry,¡± reassured Steve with a serious expression. Mr. Riddle Sr. looked at everyone. ¡°Okay, don¡¯t worry about me and go home.¡± Nicole picked up the dropped documents from the floor.¡± Grandpa, there are a lot of things happening recently, but don¡¯t worry too much, okay? They¡¯re heading in a good direction. You have to take care of yourself.¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. nodded with a warm smile. ¡°I will.¡± After Daniel and his family left the family manor, the living room immediately fell silent. Mr. Riddle Sr. sighed. ¡°Sir, the results are quite hard for us to ept, but its fruitful. ¡± Alfred handed Mr. Riddle Sr. a cup of tea. ¡°If it weren¡¯t for Nicole, it would be hard for me to decide the future of our family,¡± said Mr. Riddle Sr. with a pained expression. ¡°Yeah, Nicole indeed is a capable youngdy and a blessing to the Riddle family,¡± Alfred said, in admiration. Mr. Riddle Sr.¡¯s eyes softened as he thought about Nicole.¡± Enough said. There are four houses that¡¯ll be in the inheritance. Hopefully there won¡¯t be any problems.¡± ¡°Yes, plus Sean is bing more and more like a leader,¡± Alfred added. Alfred knew Mr. Riddle Sr. wanted Nicole to take over the family business, but Nicole wanted Sean to take over instead. Mr. Riddle Sr. had no choice but to give in to Nicole¡¯s wishes after considering that Sean was capable for the role and position. Mr. Riddle Sr. took two sips from his tea before standing up. ¡°I¡¯m going to rest for a while.¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. felt relieved. Tm d all these matters are now solved. I don¡¯t have to worry anymore about these unfilial brats, with Dexter¡¯s family all sorted. The future of our family will be at peace.1 ¡°Sir, let me help you,¡± Alfred offered, noticing that Mr. Riddle Sr. was deep in his thoughts. Meanwhile, in the gardens of the family manor¡­ ¡°Nicole, what are you doing with the evidence?¡± Stanley asked with a hint of doubt in his voice. Suddenly, everyone turned to stare at Nicole¡¯s actions. Chapter 2398 Chapter 2398 ¡°Let¡¯s go back and take a look,¡± Nicole said casually. She did not share with anyone that she was about to start a new investigation. ¡°This incident kind of hit too close to home for Grandpa,¡± said Spencer, sighing. He sympathized with Mr. Riddle Sr. Her voice serious, Gloria pointed out, ¡°Our family has really had its fair share of problems recently, but I hope that when you babies get married, everyone¡¯s able to have a good time. IV What with the Riddle family affairs, everyone needed time off to wind down. ¡°Come to think of it, the wedding is near. It¡¯s less than a month away,¡± said Daniel. Gloria¡¯s face brightened at the mention of her sons¡¯ wedding. Everyone climbed into the car as they chatted among one another. Sean called out to his sister. ¡°Nicole,e with us.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Nicole had a hunch that Sean called her over, probably because he had something that he wanted to discuss with her. Nicole went along and climbed onto his car. ¡°Wee together, we leave together.¡± Steve followed Nicole and climbed into the same car as his siblings. Smiling, Nicole teased Steve, ¡°You might as well say what you want to listen in, instead of beating around the bush.¡± Steve shrugged. ¡°You both will tell me in the end.¡± Steve knew that he would be involved sooner orter. ¡®If they include me into their conversation, I might just be able to help out.¡¯ The car started and Sean asked Nicole, ¡°Do you think something¡¯s fishy about Everett¡¯s evidence?¡± Sean did not trust easily when he noticed Nicole mentioning she wanted to peek. He knew that Nicole had said it, so their parents did not worry. Nicole handed a document over to Sean. ¡°Just take a look yourself. I just think this is way too clean.¡± ¡°You mean, there¡¯s a possibility they forged this?¡± asked Steve. Nicole frowned, whispering, ¡°I can¡¯t exactly confirm this, but I think it¡¯s a little odd.¡± N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content. Sean handed the document back to Nicole. ¡°Well, you have your reasons to be suspicious. Maybe Everett wants to take revenge on Dillon.¡± Nicole nodded in understanding. ¡°I think it¡¯s a possibility, since Everett suffered quite a huge loss.¡± Everett did not dare mention this to Mr. Riddle Sr. as it was embarrassing. But that Everett could not escape when Mr. Riddle Sr. saw right through her. ¡°I think Grandpa happened to know it was forged. Otherwise, why would he punish all of them?¡± Steve asked, a little puzzled. Nicole waved the document in her hand. ¡°This could be our lead.¡± Though they hand the evidence in their hands, they could not help but raise their suspicion. Steve was confused. ¡°But what does Grandpa mean?¡± Sean looked at Steve, with a calm expression. ¡°Our family will get their peace once and for all.¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. had not spoken a word, yet his actions to this had already exined everything. He was unsatisfied with the current situation the Riddle family were in. Nicole¡¯s proposal to divide the family inheritance was already an obvious move. The greed of everyone else had them not considering thepany¡¯s management, only their own. It was clear that Mr. Riddle Sr. knew what was going on. ¡°What Sean said is right. We have to keep it up,¡± said Nicole with a smile. ¡®For all the hard work they¡¯ve done, they ought to have some mental support,¡¯ thought Nicole. Sean shot Nicole a look. ¡°So you didn¡¯t agree to inherit the entire fortune because you knew that something like this would happen?¡± Chapter 2399 Chapter 2399 ¡®He was held ountable for all the things he did all by himself, I guess. So I can say he had quite a lot on his te.¡¯ Nicole waved the thought away. ¡°I mean, they¡¯re the ipetent ones.¡± ¡®It¡¯s our family inheritance. I don¡¯t see why they¡¯re making such a huge fuss about it just to ruin everything.¡¯ ¡°True. Their stupidity and ipetence are incredible.¡± Steve nodded. ¡®If they had worked harder, things wouldn¡¯t turn out like this.¡¯ Sean nced at Steve and Nicole. ¡°Yeah, all of them are ipetent. Only I ampetent enough.¡± ¡°Sean, we¡¯re going to help you out,¡± Steve said, with a smile. ¡°You should learn how to manage apany. I think you can practice with DillCorp when I hand it over to you,¡± said Sean indifferently. ¡°You aren¡¯t serious about that, are you?!¡± Steve had been under Sean¡¯s wings since he joined the Riddle Corporation. He had minimal experience of how to run apany. ¡°Preston will be there too. We can¡¯t have him idling around,¡± Sean said, as he started nning ahead to try and troubleshoot the problem. Nicole could not help but smirk to herself, as she watched Steve and Sean already starting to make ns for thepany¡¯s future. Her eyes moved to the piece of document and she stared at it for a while. At the Riddle residence¡¯s living room. Gloria was checking if everyone had returned home. ¡°If you have nothing else to do, please head upstairs and go to bed. We¡¯ve all had a long day.¡± Stanley and Spencer both went upstairs obediently. Daniel nced at Nicole. ¡°Have you guys discussed what to do?¡± Nicole nodded her head. ¡°Dad, don¡¯t worry. We know how to handle it.¡± ¡°There are still things that Uncle Damien and Dillon have yet to settle, but we¡¯ll do it ording to what Grandpa has instructed you guys to do,¡± said Daniel, sounding helpless. Daniel was still stunned at the news. He had not foreseen iting. Chills went down his spine as he thought about Damien and Dillon. Nicole saw that her father¡¯splexion was quite pale.¡± Mom, Dad, I think you guys should rest. Please leave the rest to us. We¡¯ll take good care of it.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Gloria immediately agreed, knowing that her husband had a rough day. She immediately helped him up the stairs. All content is ? N0velDrama.Org. Nicole sighed and regained herposure before heading upstairs. The twins were already fast asleep. Nicole went into her room and saw that Jared was still awake, tapping away on hisptop. ¡°You¡¯re back.¡± Jared closed hisptop as he saw Nicole enter the room. ¡°Yeah.¡± Nicole stretched herself after she ced the file on their bedside table. She took a seat. Seeing how haggard Nicole was, Jared frowned. ¡°Is the situation too much for you to handle?¡± ¡°Too much wouldn¡¯t be the right term. I could say it¡¯s too shocking.¡± Nicole filled Jared in on the incident of how Everett had found evidence that tied Dillon to the poisoning of Mr. Riddle Sr. Jared took a nce at the document that was ced on their bedside table. ¡°Is it that?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Jared had a hunch that Nicole was not surprised by the incident at all. He nodded in response. Then, his eyes darkened as he spoke in a low voice. ¡°Do you suspect that the evidence had been tampered with?¡± Nicole shrugged. ¡°I thought it was a bit strange to begin with, so I brought it home with me.¡± Nicole could not determine if the evidence had been tampered with or not. However, the matter of poisoning Mr. Riddle Sr. could be between the two families, Damien and Dillon, noting how they were the most eager ones to split the shares. ¡®Those two are the most suspicious ones among the rest.¡¯ ¡®Til give this to Max, so he can start investigating,¡± said Jared. ¡°No. I¡¯ll have Lulu get someone to dig out some evidence.¡± Nicole felt indebted to Max. After all, Max was already a busy person, and she did not want to be a burden. Chapter 2400 Chapter 2400 Jared nced at Nicole. ¡°Okay, but if you ever run into any problems, the first thing you do is inform me, alright?¡± Jared knew that he can easily get someone to do errands like these, he wanted to ensure that someone would be there to help Nicole firsthand when she¡¯s met with difficulty. On the other hand, Nicole did not want Jared to worry about her. She immediately agreed, ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°You must be exhausted from being out and about the whole day. Come on, let¡¯s go to bed,¡± said Jared. There was worry in his eyes. Nicole had just recovered from an injury not long ago. To Jared, Nicole¡¯s health was his top priority. He did not want her to overexert herself. Nicole tiredly snuggled up to Jared. She fell asleep soon after. The next day, the sun shone brightly, and Nicole had rested well. Meanwhile, Nn and Lana did not see their mother yesterday. Both of them got up very early and barged into their parents¡¯ room. ¡°Mommy, we missed you so much!¡± The twins engulfed Nicole with a hug. Nicole patted their heads softly. ¡°Mommy will send you guys to kindergarten today. How does that sound?¡± Nn and Lana¡¯s eyes widened and lit up. ¡°Really?!¡± ¡°Yes, of course.¡± Nicole smiled and went downstairs with the two of them. Tia walked over to fetch the twins when Nicole interjected.¡± I¡¯ll send them today, Tia.¡± ncing at the twins, Tia smiled. ¡°Okay. I assume they must be excited!¡± ¡°Thank you, Tia. You can go rest if you have nothing else to attend to,¡± said Nicole. ¡°Alright then, if you¡¯ll excuse me. I¡¯ll go do some gardening in the backyard. Then I¡¯ll pick them up from kindergartenter,¡± Tia said, as she turned around to leave. Stanley looked at Tia before turning to look in the other direction. Nicole sat the twins into their seats. She had a yful glint in her eyes. ¡°Stanley, is something a matter?¡± Stanley replied curtly, ¡°No.¡± He looked away ufortably, a hint of guilt was on his face. Stanley could not shake off the questionable look on Nicole¡¯s face. Nicole did not press for any more answers. Instead, she took care of Nn and Lana¡¯s breakfast. After breakfast was over, Nicole and Jared took the twins to kindergarten. The twins were over the moon as their parents had not sent them to kindergarten in ages due to circumstances. The family of four chatted andughed as they were on their way to kindergarten. Nicole was in awe as she saw her children¡¯s smiles. A pang of guilt hit her when she realized that for the twins¡¯ safety purposes, they could not be exposed to the public eye for the time being. Jared seemed to have understood Nicole¡¯s thoughts. He ced a hand over her shoulder and gave a gentle squeeze. The sudden worry and sadness overwhelmed her as she could not settle the matter sooner to give her children the life she had envisioned to give them.N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content. Soon they arrived at kindergarten, the twins bid their goodbyes to their parents with their backpacks on and walked into kindergarten. Chapter 2401 Chapter 2401 Nicole let out a sigh as she watched the twins walk into the kindergarten. "When we were still on Crescent Ind, they always envied other kids who were dropped off and picked up by their parents.Who knew that when we returned home, they''d get to experience it too!" "Of course, it''s different.They have a mommy and a daddy now.They have no need to envy other children." Jared gently held Nicole in his arms as heforted her. Nicole nced at the kindergarten once more. The twins were holding their friends¡¯ hands and ying happily. Nicole unconsciously smiled. ¡®Yeah, it does feel a little different from Crescent Ind" The car''s engine revved up and they made their way to Riddle Corporation. When they arrived, Nicole got out of the car and noticed Lulu running towards her. Nicole smiled as she walked closer to Lulu. Lulu bombarded her friend with questions. "How was it? Did you find out what Everett did?" Nicole smiled and shook her head. "Let''s go inside and talk." ¡®This girl must''ve not slept at all" she thought. The two women chatted as they got onto the elevator. N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content. Lulu eximed loudly, "No fucking way! He''s too cruel!" Nicole shrugged. "Anyhow, there''s some evidence." Nicole was unsure of what extent the credibility of the evidence was.She felt that it was not a matter of how cruel Dillon was, but more of how he could think of such things. "I see Everett isn''t backing down without a fight," Lulu said, pursing her lips. She was impressed by how Everett had whipped out a piece of evidence from thin air just to disqualify Dillon from getting any of the family inheritance. "I mean, they suffered quite a huge loss.But, from how they''re at each other''s necks, they probably won''t even know if all of that was instigated by us," said Lulu. ¡®These people were cunning and scheming, but they''re still clueless of people calcting their every move.It would be exciting to see their faces when they find out" Nicole thought to herself. Nicole and Lulu continued to chat as they made their way into the office. Suddenly, Nicole turned around and looked at Lulu. "There''s something I need you to do." "Sure.What is it?" Lulu looked at Nicole cautiously. Nicole handed the documents she had brought from the family manor. "Find someone who can look into this.Make sure that no one gets suspicious." Lulu nodded, her eyes serious. "Okay." ¡®If it weren''t for the suspicion that arose when Dillon was thought to be a culprit, this investigation wouldn''t have happened.No one would try to find out if there were more culprits behind this, thought Nicole. Lulu stashed the document away. "There''s also DillCorp.It seems to me that they''ve gone fully independent from Riddle Corporation.From the looks of it, things aren''t looking good for them." Nicole''s eyes darkened. ''I don''t know what''s in it for them to think they''re able to handle this independently.DillCorp has been working closely with Riddle Corporation for so many years.I have no idea why out of the blue they switched to work with the Ellison Group.On top of that, they suffered a huge blow.I doubt they''llst" "The next person we have to keep a close eye on is James Harlow," said Nicole. Lulu''s eyes widened. "James? Is he good?" A cold look shed across Nicole''s eyes. "I believe that he''s the only one in DillCorp that''s more than capable of this." Nicole knew that with the ongoing situation with DillCorp and the Riddle family, there was no way that James would be able to sit still and not show his true colors. Lulu was worried. "What about Everett and Harvey?" Chapter 2402 Chapter 2402 "Don''t worry about them for now," said Nicole. "They''ll most probably be in a mess for the next few days." It was obvious that Harvey was not helping Everett this time around. Nicole was a little curious as to whether the two of them would still coborate in the future. From the looks of it, Everett seemed to be obeying Harvey''s orders. However, Everett was not someone that easily manipted.He had a mind of his own. Perhaps Harvey could tell that Everett was just ttering him. In fact, Everett was using Harvey''s power. Therefore, Harvey purposely agreed to Everett''s request but did not bother about the matter. Harvey wanted to use this incident as a warning to Everett. Nicole thought it would be weird if these two could seed in coborating. Nheless, this was good news to her.Her mind at ease, Lulu then responded, "If there''s nothing else, I''ll go back to my desk." "Alright, go ahead." Nicole nodded, and Lulu turned around to leave the office. Leaning on the chair, Nicole let out a sigh.She did not expect Everett to cause such a huge scene. It was impossible for Dillon and his family to take full responsibility. Meanwhile at DillCorp, Dillon seemed crossed as he gritted his teeth. "Everett has really done it this time.I won''t let him off easily this time!" "Dad, what are you thinking of doing next?" James mumbled. Although they managed to save thepany, James clearly knew that Everett would not stop there. So naturally, they would not sit back and innocently suffer. If they did not work harder, they would lose everything on top of being disowned by the Riddle family. "Hmph! I suspect that they''re responsible for the title of the family manor.Get someone to investigate this," Dillonmanded angrily. ¡®lf you want to be this cruel, don''t me me for being selfish" "But Grandpa had asked Uncle Daniel and his family to investigate.They found nothing." James felt that he was ina hard position. Even if he were to investigate, he might not be able to find anything. "Didn''t you notice that Everett is the only one putting effort into it? The rest are taking it lightly."It was obvious that Everett was in control of everything. "That''s impossible.Isn''t Preston..." James did not finish his sentence. The rest might be taking it lightly, but it was impossible that Preston would do so. "Do you know howzy he is? Even with the recent incident, Steve didn''t look into it seriously." There was no way that Preston and Er would investigate further. All content is ? N0velDrama.Org. James frowned and replied reluctantly, "Alright, I''ll get someone to look into it." Although it would be challenging, Dillon and his family would be able to defend themselves if they could get evidence of Everett''s doings. On top of that, they would have a stronger voice and position in the family. Dillon turned to Raine. "You should be smart too.Don''t rely on James for everything.I''ll be assigning more things for him to do, so he''ll be busy.You better not disturb him." "I¡ª" Raine felt a little wronged and wanted to defend herself, but James interrupted her. "Dad, Raine has been really hardworking," he said. "Actually, I haven''t really been helping her much." Seeing the way James was defending her, Raine felt a lot better and replied, "I understand." Dillon assigned a few more tasks to them. Then, Raine and James left his office. "We didn''t do anything wrong and got scolded yet again.Why doesn''t he look for his secretary if there are any issues? Why must he look for you?" Raine grumbled. Although James stepped up and defended her, Raine knew that she needed James to help her when it came to certain things. "This is good news.In the future, we''d be more involved in thepany operations.Don''t worry.You can look for me whenever youe across any problem.You''ll always be my priority," James said, comforting Raine. Chapter 2403 Chapter 2403 It was only then that Raine was satisfied.She looked up at James and said in a gentle voice, "Thank you.You''re the best!" James lightly patted Raine''s shoulder. "Everything''s fine, as long as you''re okay.Go ahead." "Okay." Raine nodded and left. James followed after her. What Raine had not realized was that the gentle side of James had disappeared a long time ago. That afternoon, the sun shone brightly. KNOCK, KNOCK. Hearing a knock on her door, Nicole frowned. "Come in." It was lunch break. Who could it be? The door opened and Er entered merrily. "Nicole, it''s me!" Seeing him, Nicole smiled. "Oh, it''s you! Have a seat." "Sure!" Er sat down on the sofa beside her. "What were you trying to say when you were acting mysterious?" Er did not want to mention it the day before, so he purposely visited her at thepany. "Of course, I have good news!" Er smiled and said proudly, "I''ve secured an international project!" Nicole nodded. "That''s great news! Congrattions!" "Hey, I didn''te here so that you can congratte me.I''m here to thank you." With that said, Er felt embarrassed. If it were not for Nicole, he would not have been able to secure that project. Nicole''s eyes widened. "You mean the project you secured is the one with Sanne International?" If Er was thanking her, then it would only be about the project with Sanne International since she only helped Er with that one. "Yes, that''s the one." Er was in high spirits as he told the story about what happened. N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content. "When we were bidding for it, it was extremelypetitive.The otherpanies also gave excellent proposals.On top of that, BayCorp was the best contestant out of all.I actually thought that we would fail..." Luckily, they got the opportunity. Er knew that the achievement was because of Nicole''s help. Otherwise, they would not be able topete with BayCorp''s status. But because of Nicole''s help in creating a perfect proposal, the organizer went with them. While listening to Er narrate the whole story, Nicole smiled. Deep down, she thought about how fast Er grew. Although she helped him with the proposal and gave advice, the entire process and final bid was all done by Er along with his team. Not to mention, they seeded. No one could have imagined that. "Nicole, why aren''t you saying anything?" After Er had finished speaking, Nicole still remained silent. Er could not tell what she was thinking. "Er, you''re actually capable of doing things on your own now.The only thing you''recking is confidence," Nicole said, giving him some constructive criticism. "Really?" Er¡¯s eyes glimmered as Nicole praised him. "Of course.I wouldn''t lie to you." Nicole rolled her eyes at Er. Er scratched his head and smiled innocently. After discussing work, Er said, "Samuel and Spencer are getting married soon.My mom and Aunt Gloria have been very excited about it." "Yeah, it''s time that the family brought in some happy celebration." Nicole''s eyes darkened slightly. None of the family members knew about Nn and Lana yet. But they would be the page boy and flower girl. So when the timees, she would not be able to keep it a secret anymore. "Nicole, what''s the matter?" Er asked in concern, noticing Nicole''s expression. "Is there something that hasn''t been settled? You can pass the job to me if you''re busy.I''ll help you with it." "It''s not that." Nicole shook her head. "I just thought of something." Chapter 2404 Chapter 2404 Nicole had not figured things out, so she could not reveal it to Er yet. Er did not give it much thought and continued to ask, "Oh yeah, I heard Spencer had a junior who caused a lot of trouble.Is everything settled now?" "As long as Spencer and Lulu are fine, that girl wouldn''t be able to stir anything up." Nicole''s eyes narrowed. As long as their rtionship was stable, Icyln would not be able to do much even if she was still in love with Spencer. N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content. "That girl doesn''t seem to be as meek as she appears to be." Er smirked, pitying Spencer. "How did Spencere across such a junior? Haa..." Nicole rolled her eyes at Er. "You should stop worrying about other people''s love life.Put more effort into your own." "I''m not in a rush.After all, I still have my brother before me." Er shrugged his shoulders as if he did not care. Emery was still single, so why should he be worried? After all, his current focus was on the company.He wanted to build BayCorp on his own and stop it from turning into a burden to the head office.His ultimate wish was for BayCorp to develop alongside the head office.He would not allow BayCorp to drag them down. KNOCK, KNOCK. As the two were chatting, an impatient knock came from the door. Nicole''s eyes turned serious. "Come in." Lulu opened the door and entered. "Nicole, Spencer and Icyln are injured! I have to go to the hospital." Nicole instantly grew worried. "What happened?" "I''m not sure either, but I''ll go over and check on the situation." Lulu was in a hurry too.She wanted to request for leave. "I''ll go with you," said Nicole, rising to her feet. "I should go instead.I can drive faster." Er turned to Lulu. "Is that fine?" "Thank you." Lulu looked at Nicole. "I''ll head over now.I''ll call you once I get any updates." As soon as she finished speaking, Lulu and Er quickly left. Nicole furrowed her eyebrows. ¡®Why would Spencer and Icyln get hurt at the same time? I wonder how they are.." On the other hand, soon, Er and Lulu reached the hospital. Both of the emergency rooms were lit with red signs outside. The corridor was in pin-drop silence. The whole atmosphere felt heavy. "How did Spencer get hurt with thatdy at the same time?" Er mumbled in doubt. Previously, he had just said that thisdy was sly. And then, such a thing happened. No one could me Er for overthinking it. "As long as Spencer''s fine, the rest isn''t important." Lulu''s gaze was fixed on the emergency room. Her tone was firm. Although it may seem suspicious to the rest, Lulu had faith in Spencer. Therefore, she only wished for Spencer to be safe. "That''s true.I just hope Spencer only has you in his heart." Er shrugged his shoulders.He would not fault Lulu for being this calm since Spencer gave her a lot of reassurance. Lulu nced at Er. "If there''s nothing else, you should go ahead and finish your work.I''ll stay here." "No, I''ll leave after we''re sure Spencer is fine." If Er were to leave at that moment, he would be attacked by a crowd. Moreover, he was quite worried about Spencer as well. "Then, keep quiet," Lulu said coldly. Her gaze turned to the emergency room again. Er was stunned for a moment. Then, he shrugged his shoulders, understanding that Lulu was in a bad mood.He was taken aback by what he witnessed. Lulu cared for Spencer more than anyone thought. Chapter 2405 Chapter 2405 "Spencer is lucky to have you." Er took a few steps away and waited at the side. Lulu was not in the mood to care about what Er was talking about either. She was only worried about Spencer and wished for him to be safe. And just like that, they were standing outside of the emergency room. 10 minutes, half an hour, one hourter... Finally, the doors to the emergency room opened. The doctor stepped out, and Lulu quickly ran over. "How is he, doctor?" "The patient suffered minor injuries.His condition is better now, but he''ll need to rest a bit more," the doctor exined. "Thank God." Lulu heaved a huge sigh of relief. At this moment, she suddenly felt the exhaustion of her body. Seeing Lulu about to copse, Er reached out his arms to support her. "Spencer''s fine now, but you''re not." "I''m fine.I was just too excited for a moment." Lulu regained herposure. Then, she peeked inside the emergency room and waited for Spencer to be brought out. After a while, the nurses wheeled Spencer out ina wheelchair. Lulu immediately walked up to them. "I''ll take over." Taking the wheelchair, Lulu asked in a gentle voice, "How are you feeling now?" "I''m feeling okay." Spencer lightly patted Lulu''s hands tofort her. "Although the doctor said you''re fine, shouldn''t you stay here for a few nights for observation?" Er asked out of concern. "It''s okay.Let''s go home." Spencer shook his head.He knew his body well, and the doctor had told him that his injuries were not serious while they were inside. Lulu replied, "Alright, I''ll send you home." N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content. "I''ll get the car." Er left as soon as he said that. After Lulu settled the bills and documents, she wheeled Spencer out of the hospital. Er and Lulu helped Spencer into the car, and they left. When the car was on the road, Er suddenly remembered something. "Oh yeah! Didn''t they say that your junior was also sent to the hospital at the same time? Is it fine for us to leave like that?" "Her personal assistant is there.They''ll take care of her," Spencer replied briefly. He shut his eyes to rest. Er frowned in doubt. He had a feeling that Spencer was avoiding the conversation. Did something really happen? Seeing that Spencer did not want to talk about it, Lulu red at Er as a warning. Then, Er chose to remain silent. If he was curious, he could find out the whole situationter. There was no way he would be able to get anything out of Spencer and Lulu. He decided to change the topic. "Are we going back to the Riddle family''s house or the apartment?" Lulu red at him unhappily. "The Riddle¡¯s." Why would they go to Lulu''s apartment? It wasn''t that Lulu was not willing to take care of Spencer, but Spencer''s situation is different from Samuel. A minor injury would not require special care. Moreover, Lulu felt that Er''s question carried an implicit meaning. However, she did not dwell on the matter. Spencer nced at Er and said, "You should focus on driving." "Okay," Er responded and continued driving. ¡®I did this for you, Spencer.And yet, you chose yourdy over your cousin.No wonder it took you so long to get a wife" Er sent Spencer and Lulu back to the Riddle family''s house. Seeing Spencer return home with wounds and being carried by Lulu, Gloria''s eyes widened hugely. "What happened?" "It''s nothing.I got injured while working," Spencer answered.He tried his best to sound as rxed as possible. Chapter 2406 Chapter 2406 "How could you get injured at work?" Gloria was confused, especially since Spencer was not at a high-risk job.idents can happen,"Spencer justified. Lulu could tell that Spencer was not willing to talk more about it, so she tried to save the situation. "Aunt Gloria, why don''t we let him rest in the room first?" Hearing this, Gloria stopped questioning and said, "Yes, we should let him rest first." All content is ? N0velDrama.Org. Lulu helped Spencer upstairs, while Gloria followed behind. When they reached the first floor, Samuel, who had heard themotion, came out from his room. As he saw Spencer, Samuel teased and said, "Are you trying to be like me?" "My condition isn''t as serious as yours." Spencer rolled his eyes at Samuel and entered his room. Gloria warned Samuel angrily, "You better stay away.He''s already injured, and you still have the mood to joke around!" "Mom, don''t worry.His injuries don''t look serious at all." Samuel shrugged his shoulders. What injury could Spencer suffer from ying the violin? He was unlike Samuel who was involved in sports. "Go back and rest." Gloria red at Samuel. Then, Samuel could only return to his room obediently. Still, he thought that there was nothing serious about Spencer''s condition. It was his mother who was acting up. After Lulu had helped Spencer settle down, she looked at the time. "I should head back now." Seeing that Lulu was about to leave, Gloria tried to make her stay. "Even if you return to the office now, everyone would''ve left already.Why don''t you stay for dinner?" "Stay here.Even if you''re not going back to the office, you''ll be eating alone at the apartment," Spencer added. Lulu looked at them for a moment and bit her lip. "Okay then. "In that case, you can stay here for now.I''ll check and get the butler to prepare dinner." Gloria left the room with a smile. With Lulu taking care of Spencer, it was best for Gloria to give the couple some space. As for Spencer''s injuries, Gloria thought she could ask about it another time. As Gloria left, Lulu blushed. Spencer had a gentle look on his face as he said, "I''m fine.You don''t have to watch me.Have a seat and get some rest." He knew that while he was in the emergency room, Lulu waited outside the whole time. So, she must be exhausted by now.However, Lulu was reluctant to rest. "Let me get you a ss of water." Although the doctor said Spencer''s condition was not serious, and that rest was all he needed, Lulu still worried. "Really, it''s fine." Spencer grabbed Lulu''s hand.He tugged Lulu down to sit beside him. Lulu nced at Spencer and spoke in a soft voice, "Alright then, you should get some rest." "Whatever happened today was really an ident," Spencer exined. Lulu, who had been trying to escape Spencer''s hold, instantly froze. Then, she bit her lip and responded, "I know." Actually, Lulu felt a little ufortable when she got the news that Spencer and Icyln were injured and sent to the hospital together. However, the difort she felt seemed less important whenpared to Spencer''s injuries. Spencer gently held Lulu''s hands and continued to exin in a gentle tone, "While we were rehearsing today, the hanging shelf suddenly fell.At that moment, I saw it was going to fall on Icyin.So, I stepped forward and pulled her away.That was how I got injured." He decided exining the whole incident would be best. After all, his line of work was not a high-risk one. And yet, he suddenly got injured with Icyln. Spencer did not want Lulu to worry too much. "Okay." Lulu nodded lightly. She understood that he did it to save someone else. Even if it were not Icyln, Spencer would not have sat still and watched either. While they were chatting, Spencer''s phone rang. Seeing that it was Icyln''s number, Spencer frowned and answered the call. "Icyln?" "IcyIn hasn''t woken up yet.Could youe and visit her?" The voice on the other side of the phone belonged to IcyIn''s personal assistant. Spencer felt troubled. "She hasn''t woken up? Then, you should get the doctor to check on her." Chapter 2407 Chapter 2407 MY WIFE IS A HACKER CHAPTER 2407-At the time of the ident, Spencer had already managed to pull Icyln away. He was sure that neither of them suffered severe injuries. So why would Icyln¡¯s condition be this serious? Icyln¡¯s personal assistant choked for a second, paused for a moment and continued speaking. ¡°Mr. Spencer, could youe over and visit Icyln now? I¡¯m worried that if something happens, I won¡¯t be able to make any decisions.¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡± Spencer was hesitant, but what if Icyln was really in a serious situation? However, Lulu had already taken over his phone and spoke calmly. ¡°First of all, you¡¯re going to find the doctor now. Then, follow whatever arrangement and decisions the doctor makes. Secondly, Spencer is also injured and requires rest. Even if he were to be there, there¡¯s not much he can do. Lastly, if you really must have someone there, I¡¯ll be there to represent Spencer.¡± ¡°In that case¡­ it¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll get the doctor for now,¡± the personal assistant replied, voice quavering before she hung up the call. Having heard the busy noises from the other side of the phone earlier, Lulu¡¯s gaze darkened. She could tell that Icyln was fine. Lulu returned Spencer¡¯s phone and reassured him, ¡°You should get some rest. Don¡¯t think about anything else. If Icyln really gets into any problems, I¡¯ll visit her on your behalf. n ¡°Forget it. Her assistant¡¯s there, and there are so many medical personnels around. She¡¯ll be fine.¡± Spencer also understood the situation. He sighed quietly. Lulu was a little surprised. ¡°If you ignore her, aren¡¯t you ignoring your teacher¡¯s instructions?¡± N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. ¡°My teacher only instructed me to help care about a few things. It wasn¡¯t specified that I¡¯ll have to care about every single detail. After all, Icyln isn¡¯t a minor anymore. She should know how to take care of herself. Not to mention, she has her personal assistant by her side.¡± Spencer thought that as long as Icyln did not get severely injured or was in any serious trouble, he would not be going against his teacher¡¯s instructions. ¡°Alright then.¡± A warm feeling grew in Lulu¡¯s heart. She knew that Spencer was thinking of her, trying his best not to make her feel sad. After a while, all the members of the Riddle family had returned home. Gloria gathered everyone in the dining room for dinner. Lulu nced at Nicole and gave Nicole a nod as she helped Spencer down the stairs. Looking at Spencer¡¯s wounds, Nicole guessed that the injury was not that serious. ¡°Are you okay now?¡± ¡°Just a minor injury,¡± Spencer replied lightly as he did not want everyone to worry about him. ¡°Even so, you should rest for the next few days,¡± Gloria advised, still unsettled. Spencer nodded. ¡°Alright, I got it.¡± Gloria then turned to Lulu and said, ¡°Lulu, you shoulde over more often if you¡¯re not too busy. Otherwise, he¡¯d feel bored at home.¡± Lulu blushed a little as she responded, ¡°Will do, Aunt Gloria.¡± ¡°Hey, I¡¯ve just recovered and now, it¡¯s your turn to stay at home. We really are a tight pair of brothers,¡± Samuel teased, shrugging. Spencer rolled his eyes at him. Don¡¯t speak nonsense.¡± ¡°Anyways, I¡¯m going back to the team tomorrow.¡± Samuel smiled widely as if he was saying, ¡®You have no choice but to stay home.¡¯ Gloria rolled her eyes at Samuel. ¡°That¡¯s enough. Let¡¯s eat. We¡¯re here to eat and yet, you¡¯re busy quarreling.¡± Chuckling, Samuel smiled innocently. He had been lying in bed for two months and it was finally his time to head outside. Of course, he had to brag about it. Spencer seemed to have read Samuel¡¯s mind. So, he said sarcastically, ¡°Quit bragging. I won¡¯t be lying in bed as long as you did.¡± ¡°Yeah, right! You better not affect my wedding day,¡± Samuel responded. He wanted to show that he would not back down from his brother¡¯s attack. ¡°Hmph! That¡¯s my wedding day too!¡± Of course, Spencer would not want to dy it. In fact, he would never. After everyone ended the dinner with chatter andughter, Lulu brought Spencer up to his room again to rest. Then, she bid farewell to everyone. ¡°It¡¯s gettingte, so I¡¯ll head back now.¡± Chapter 2408 Chapter 2408 MY WIFE IS A HACKER CHAPTER 2408-¡°Sure. Then we won¡¯t keep you any longer.¡± Gloria then called the butler and instructed him, ¡°Get the driver to take Lulu home, please.¡± ¡°Of course,¡±¡® he responded and left to make the arrangements. Lulu initially wanted to decline, but the butler had already left, so she expressed her gratitude, ¡°Thank you, Mrs. Riddle.¡± ¡°No need for formalities. We¡¯re going to be family!¡± Gloria smiled affectionately. With the car prepared, Lulu left the Riddle residence. The remaining people also went back to their rooms. After coaxing Nn and Lana to sleep, Nicole and Jared returned to their own room. ¡°You look tired. Why don¡¯t you take a rxing hot bath?¡± Jared suggested as he prepared the bathwater, inviting her to unwind. Nicole smiled tenderly when she saw everything was set up, including the bubble bath and scented candles. ¡°Thank you.¡± Jared ruffled her hair lovingly. ¡°Take your time and rx.¡± As Jared left, Nicole undressed and lowered herself into the bathtub. Lyingfortably in the warm water, Nicole slowly closed her eyes and enjoyed the tranquility. After Jared had gone out, he sat by the bed and began working on hisptop while waiting for his wife to finish her bath. After dealing with all of his emails, he realized Nicole had note out yet. Frowning, he wondered why she was taking so long. Jared furrowed his eyebrows as he approached the bathroom door. ¡°Nicole, are you alright?¡± No response came from inside. He called again, ¡°Nicole?¡± All content is ? N0velDrama.Org. Still met with silence, Jared grew concerned. He forcefully pushed the door open and saw Nicole still soaking in the bathtub, her cheeks rosy. Despite themotion he caused barging in, she remained asleep. Realizing that she might have soaked for too long and fainted, Jared swiftly moved to the tub and lifted Nicole out of the water. Once Nicole was out of the water, she trembled as cold air hit her skin. She blinked her eyes open and saw Jared. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Nicole murmured softly, still drowsy. She knew Jared was holding her, but she could notprehend why. She struggled to process what had happened earlier. ¡®What¡¯s going on? Why don¡¯t I remember anything?¡¯ The more she tried to recall, the heavier her head felt. So she closed her eyes again. Jared figured Nicole was fine when he saw she was still conscious, so he took her to the bed and covered her with a nket. ¡°Nicole?¡± Jared called softly. She mumbled in response, ¡°I¡¯m tired. Goodnight.¡± Jared was relieved as Nicole seemed to be alright. She was just extremely fatigued. He did not disturb her further and remained seated by the bedside, monitoring her condition. As midnight approached, Nicole showed no signs of distress, and Jared finallyy down to sleep as well. The morning sunlight awakened a new day. Nicole slowly opened her eyes, frowning slightly as she sensed something amiss. ¡®Why does it feel chilly?¡¯ She pulled up the covers, and her eyes immediately widened. ¡®Why am I naked?!¡¯ Nicole failed to recall anything. ¡®Why am I not wearing anything?! I remember soaking in the hot water last night, and I think I fell asleep.¡¯ Chapter 2409 Chapter 2409 MY WIFE IS A HACKER CHAPTER 2409-Nicole racked her brain, but she still felt puzzled. ¡®What¡¯s going on? Did I lose my memories again?¡¯ ¡°Awake?¡± Jared¡¯s eyes opened as he sensed Nicole¡¯s movement. ¡°Um¡­¡± Nicole felt embarrassed, so she pulled the covers and shifted away from Jared. However, Jared noticed this, and he immediately reached out, wrapping his arm around her waist and pulling her into his embrace. ¡°Hey!¡± Nicole¡¯s cheeks flushed when she realized that she was pressed against Jared, naked. Jared gazed at her with a mischievous glint in his eyes.¡± You¡¯ve tortured me all night, so how do you n to make it up to me?¡± ¡°Me? Torture?¡± Nicole felt unexpectedly guilty. She genuinely had no recollection ofst night, but she was absolutely not going to admit that. ¡°Really?¡± Jared¡¯s eyes traced down the curve of Nicole¡¯s neck, though he could not see anything due to the covers. But Nicole understood his implication. Her cheeks grew even hotter. She attempted to push Jared away and escape, deciding to simply deny everything. But Jared would not let her seed. He tightened his hold on her as soon as she moved, nting a strong kiss on her lips. A spark ignited, and the room instantly grew warmer¡­ By the time Jared and Nicole came downstairs, breakfast time had already passed. Tia had taken Nn and Lana to school, and those with work had left. Even Daniel and Gloria were not at home. ¡°Where is everyone?¡± Nicole felt confused. Why are they all gone?¡¯ ¡°Ms. Nicole, Mr. Riddle went to the ancestral residence to keep Mr. Riddle Sr.pany. Mrs. Riddle and Ms. Emma made ns together too,¡± the butler exined. ¡°Ah.¡± Nicole knew that her father was concerned about her grandfather, as he had been visiting the Riddle family manor for the past two days. Gloria and Aunt Emma were probably upied with wedding preparations, so she refrained from asking further. Nicole btedly realized that something was off when she arrived in the dining room. ¡®Why didn¡¯t anyone call us when we didn¡¯te down for dinner? Not even Nn and Lana!¡¯ Furrowing her eyebrows, Nicole looked at Jared and asked,¡± What did you do?¡± N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content. It was the only exnation. Otherwise, how could no one call them for breakfast? ¡°I simply informed Mrs. Riddle that you weren¡¯t feeling well and shouldn¡¯t be disturbed,¡± Jared replied calmly. ¡°But I¡¯m not! And why did you tell my mom this?¡± Nicole could not help but roll her eyes at Jared. ¡®Doesn¡¯t he feel embarrassed?¡¯ ¡°Last night,¡± Jared paused and shrugged before continuing,¡± you fainted in the bath.¡± He genuinely wanted her to have enough rest. Nicole blinked in confusion as she gradually pieced things together. ¡®So that¡¯s what happened. No wonder I don¡¯t remember anything fromst night.¡¯ That was why she woke up this morningpletely naked. He had carried her out of the bathtub without her clothes on. Furrowing her brows in annoyance, Nicole looked at Jared out of the corner of her eye. ¡®He did it on purpose, didn¡¯t he?¡¯ ¡°Breakfast time.¡± Jared, seemingly unfazed by her expression, calmly handed her a ss of milk. Nicole bit her lip and ultimately decided to let it go. She was not sure why, but she felt that if she pressed further, Jared¡¯s answer might be more than she could handle. Jared was a shameless man after all. Jared smiled dotinolv as he watched Nicole¡¯s everv move Chapter 2410 Chapter 2410 MY WIFE IS A HACKER CHAPTER 2410-After having breakfast, the pair left the Riddle residence. Jared took Nicole to her office. He watched her go in before instructing Max to drive away. ¡°Any updates on Preston?¡± Jared asked in a serious tone, reclining in his seat. ¡°Not yet. He just sent a message saying he¡¯s already contacted Ryder and Gary. Both of the brothers agreed to help,¡± Max replied. ¡°Okay.¡± Jared was satisfied. After a brief thought, he added,¡± The Finley¡¯s are working on awork intelligencepany. Arrange for someone to negotiate investment.¡± Max paused for a moment before nodding in agreement.¡± Sure.¡± In actuality, the Finley family¡¯s project did not quite fit with the investment criteria of the Johnston Group. Jared¡¯s decision was made more for the sake of his wife. He did not want to owe people too many favors. This way, it was a mutual exchange of help. With the arrangements settled, Jared picked up the documents next to him and began reading them with a solemn expression. Meanwhile in the Finley family. ¡°Preston, this task you got yourself into is quite challenging. Where did you find this masochistic job?¡± Gary furrowed his eyebrows with a sour expression. He regretted agreeing so easily when Preston had approached him. Even the former Lucifer would find it difficult toplete this task, let alone now when Nicole had lost her memory. They could not even seek her help even if they wanted to. Preston nced at Gary indifferently and said, ¡°Don¡¯t even think about it. The truth is, this involves Nicole.¡± He could not reveal the specifics to them. After all, he did not know much himself. ¡°Even Nicole can¡¯t handle it?¡± Ryder¡¯s expression turned serious. ¡®If Nicole could not do it, could we?¡¯ ¡°Ohe on, pull yourselves together. I¡¯m not asking you topete with Nicole in hacking skills. What we need now is to search for clues about the Five Crests, especially the Fire Crest. I trust you both, that¡¯s why I came to you,¡± Preston encouraged them. Gary gave Preston a disdainful look and asked, ¡°You¡¯re saying this because you can¡¯t do it yourself, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°I might be able to. It¡¯s just that time is running short, and besides, three heads are better than one,¡± Preston replied with a hint of pride. ¡°Are you even here to ask for our help? What¡¯s with your attitude?¡± Gary protested irritably. ¡®Didn¡¯t asking for help require a certain attitude?* ¡°Well, someone requested my help too, so why don¡¯t you go tell Nicole that you won¡¯t help her?¡± Preston shrugged with a look of amusement on his face. He knew Gary would not actually do that. Gary red at Preston indignantly. ¡°You¡¯re ruthless.¡± ¡°Stop quarreling, you two. Every time you meet, you argue. Let¡¯s think about how we¡¯re going to handle this instead,¡± Ryder intervened, maintaining a much calmer demeanor. ¡°Do you have any ideas?¡± Preston and Gary both looked at Ryder with anticipation. ¡°Well, I was thinking-¡® Ryder¡¯s words were cut off by a knock on the door. Annoyed, Gary furrowed his eyebrows and said, ¡°Come in.¡± ¡®Didn¡¯t we say that this is an urgent matter? Why are we being disturbed?¡¯ The assistant walked in, visibly excited. ¡°Mr. Ryder and Mr. Gary, the Johnston Group ¨C the Johnston Group wants to invest in us!¡± ¡°Look at you, barging in like this. I told you I have an urgent matter¡­¡± Gary was about to get angry, but he stopped abruptly when he processed what he just heard. ¡°What did you just say?¡± N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content. ¡°The Johnston Group contacted us. They want to invest in our artificial intelligencepany,¡± the assistant repeated. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Gary looked at Ryder with disbelief in his eyes. Chapter 2411 Chapter 2411 MY WIFE IS A HACKER CHAPTER 2411-Ryder furrowed his brows and said, ¡°It¡¯s probably because we epted this task.¡± Since Jared was involved, there was only one possibility-it was for Nicole¡¯s sake. ¡°Oh.¡± Gary also realized it. ¡°We¡¯re helping Nicole, and Mr. Johnston doesn¡¯t want to owe us a favor.¡± He actually felt that Jared was overthinking. They were helping Nicole willingly, and regardless of how Nicole perceived it, Gary believed they were friends. ¡°This way, well end up owing Mr. Johnston,¡± Ryder said with a serious tone. ¡°What?¡± Gary was puzzled. ¡°Nicole helped me back then, so I suppose I¡¯m repaying her favor now.¡± Ryder believed that helping Nicole was only fair. Preston nced at the two of them and said, ¡°Stop dwelling on it. This is a good thing. Weren¡¯t you two always looking for investors for your newpany? Having the Johnston Group invest is a solution to your major problem.¡± Furthermore, with the help of the Johnston Group, he believed this new artificial intelligencepany would thrive. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right. As long as we manage it well, Mr. Johnston will profit off us too,¡± Gary added. They were doing their best to repay Jared, given that they had no other way to repay him. ¡°Just handle the investment matter yourself. Don¡¯t worry and just go ahead boldly.¡± Preston waved his hand, indicating that the assistant could handle the details. The assistant nced at Gary, who nodded, and left the room. Preston then turned to Ryder and said, ¡°Let¡¯s continue discussing your idea. We should study it closely.¡± ¡°Sure¡­¡± During the lunch break, Nicole and Lulu left the office and went to a restaurant to have a meal. As they sat down and ced their orders, they chatted casually while waiting for their food. N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content. ¡°Yesterday, Spencer, the violinist, was hailed as a hero after rescuing someone. Both were ultimately taken to the hospital¡­¡± The voice of the news anchor echoed from the TV, immediately capturing the attention of Nicole, Lulu, and those around them. ¡°Wow, a hero saving the damsel in distress!¡± ¡°Stop fangirling over Spencer. He has a fiancee.¡± ¡°They¡¯re not even married yet. Besides, I heard this girl is Spencer¡¯s junior. She might be more suitable for Spencer.¡± Lulu¡¯s expression turned somber as she listened to the gossip of the people around them. ¡°The most suitable for him, only Spencer knows best,¡± Nicole said to console her friend. Lulu sighed and bit her lip. She then looked at Nicole and said, ¡°It¡¯s not because of that. I just found something odd about the news.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± Nicole was puzzled. ¡®Isn¡¯t this kind of newsmon in the entertainment industry?¡¯ ¡°Last night, Icyln¡¯s assistant called Spencer to the hospital, saying Icyln hadn¡¯t woken up yet. But Spencer was injured too. What were they thinking?¡± Lulu furrowed her eyebrows in disapproval. ¡°I¡¯m even suspecting that Icyln arranged this news.¡± Nicole squinted upon hearing this. ¡®It¡¯s possible.¡¯ ¡°I understand Icyln¡¯s intention, but I can¡¯t ept this behavior.¡± Lulu looked upset. She was not being petty, but she had a nagging feeling that this ident might have been deliberately arranged. That was their practice room, and they had been using it for years. Nothing had ever happened until yesterday, and Icyln just had to be the one who got injured. It was also weird that Spencer managed to save her just in time. Nicole frowned as she asked, ¡°What are you thinking about?¡± Lulu seemed to have something on her mind. Chapter 2412 Chapter 2412 MY WIFE IS A HACKER CHAPTER 2412-Lulu bit her lip and hesitated for a moment before whispering, ¡°If I tell you, will you think I¡¯m narrow-minded?¡± ¡°Well, you have to tell me first so I can decide.¡± Nicole chuckled. How could she make a judgment without knowing the details? Lulu then exined her thoughts to Nicole. As Nicole listened, she fell silent, and Lulu grew nervous as she wondered if she was wrong about it. ¡°It¡¯s not entirely impossible.¡± Nicole agreed with Lulu¡¯s assumption after thinking about it. ¡°You think so too?¡± Lulu¡¯s eyes brightened. She felt relieved to have someone agree with her thoughts. Nicole nodded. ¡°While we don¡¯t have evidence yet, your theory does make sense.¡± ¡°Even if we had evidence, there¡¯s not much we could do. What can we do?¡± Lulu sighed in frustration. Icyln¡¯s behavior was self-destructive, and while they might feel annoyed and angry, there was not much they could say or do about it. Nicole squinted slightly. If they had evidence, that would change the situation. However, since there was no evidence at the moment, Nicole did not mention her own suspicions to Lulu. ¡°Never mind, let¡¯s not talk about her. We don¡¯t want to ruin the mood.¡± Their lunch arrived, and Lulu invited Nicole to eat, hoping to steer away from the unpleasant topic. Nicole nced at Lulu and did not say anything more. She just changed the subject while they ate. After lunch, the two of them left the restaurant and started walking back to their office. As soon as they arrived at the entrance, a car pulled up, and Lawrence stepped out. ¡°Nicole.¡± Lawrence approached Nicole with a smile in his eyes. ¡°Leo,¡± Nicole greeted politely, not showing any estrangement or distance toward him. ¡°Mr. Lawrence, did you happen to be passing by, or did youe to visit Nicole?¡± Lulu asked. She seemed calm but she was also exuding an unweing vibe. Lawrence nced at Lulu with a darkened gaze. ¡°Leo, what brought you here?¡± Nicole interjected at the right time, shifting Lawrence¡¯s attention. ¡°Just came to check on you.¡± Lawrence went back to his amiable demeanor. Lulu frowned as she had sensed an oppressive aura from Lawrence earlier. ¡°We just got back. Let¡¯s go upstairs together,¡± Nicole suggested, inviting Lawrence to join them. All content is ? N0velDrama.Org. Soon, they stood in front of Nicole¡¯s office door. ¡°Nicole, I¡¯ll go make some coffee,¡± Lulu said, heading towards the pantry. ¡°Let¡¯s head inside.¡± Nicole smiled lightly as she led Lawrence into the office. They took a seat on the couch, and Nicole asked with a faint smile, ¡°Are you really just here to see me?¡± Even though Lawrence said he came by to check on her, she suspected there was probably something he wanted to discuss. ¡°It¡¯s actually something personal,¡± Lawrence said with a concerned look. ¡°And it¡¯s rted to you.¡± ¡°Me?¡± Nicole furrowed her brows, puzzled. She could not figure out what personal matter Lawrence could possibly have with her. ¡°Your memory hasn¡¯t fully recovered all this while. Recently, I heard about a renowned neuroscientist from abroad who hase up with new research. He¡¯s giving a lecture in San Joto, and I was thinking of inviting him to examine you. There might be an unexpected oue.¡± Lawrence continued cautiously, ¡°So, I wanted to ask for your opinion.¡± Nicole¡¯s eyes narrowed slightly. It seemed that over the past few years, Lawrence had not mentioned anything about her amnesia. She had arranged all the medical consultations and treatment arrangements herself. Chapter 2413 Chapter 2413 MY WIFE IS A HACKER CHAPTER 2413-On the surface, Lawrence appeared supportive and willing to apany Nicole for her examination. However, now that Nicole reflected on it, she realized that each time she had gone for her check-ups and treatments, Lawrence¡¯s anxiety seemed to be greater than hers. At the time, she had thought that Lawrence was just being concerned for her, but now she could not help but feel differently. Especially this time when Lawrence had proactively suggested finding a doctor for her, which made her even more suspicious. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Lawrence asked softly when he noticed Nicole hesitating. ¡°Nothing,¡± Nicole replied, masking her thoughts with a faint smile. ¡°Though I don¡¯t have high hopes, it¡¯s worth trying.¡± Lawrence reassured her, ¡°Even though there hasn¡¯t been any progress for all these years, you¡¯re now back in San Joto. You¡¯re in a familiar environment, so things might turn out differently.¡± Nicole nodded with a slight smile, saying, ¡°Thanks, Lawrence.¡± There was a brief, strange moment as Lawrence¡¯s expression stiffened slightly. Although Nicole was thanking him, he felt an inexplicable sense of oddness. ¡°Coffee is here.¡± At this moment, Lulu entered the room, NSZ breaking the unusual atmosphere. ¡°Thank you,¡± said Lawrence. Lulu smiled. ¡°You¡¯re wee, Mr. Lawrence.¡± After saying that, Lulu did not leave and remained standing to the side, seemingly unaware that her presence was disrupting the atmosphere. Lawrence¡¯s gaze darkened slightly. He continued chatting with Nicole for a bit before leaving. Once he was gone, Lulu asked in a hushed voice, ¡°Nicole, why was he here?¡± ¡°Nothing much. He just mentioned that there¡¯s an international expert in town who might be able to help with my condition,¡± Nicole exined. Lulu seemed somewhat skeptical as she furrowed her brows. ¡°Is the doctor he found reliable?¡± ¡°Why?¡± Nicole could not help butugh. ¡®Why is Lulu so resistant towards Lawrence?¡¯ ¡°It¡¯s been so many years. If there really was a doctor who could treat you, you would¡¯ve been better ages ago, isn¡¯t it?¡± Lulu was confused. ¡°He means well, and there¡¯s no harm in giving it a try,¡± Nicole replied calmly. ¡°Do you need me to apany you?¡± Lulu asked. Nicole tilted her head slightly, looking puzzled. ¡°What¡¯s going on with you? You seem to have some sort of resistance towards Lawrence.¡± Lulu had indeed been acting a bit strangely today, and her attitude towards Lawrence had not gone unnoticed. ¡°Just a little bit,¡± Lulu admitted. ¡°I overheard a conversation between Mr. Sean and Mr. Steve the other day, and¡­¡± ¡°What did they say?¡± Nicole¡¯s intuition told her that it must be rted to Lawrence. ¡°They mentioned they had been investigating Lawrence for a long time, but they still hadn¡¯t found anything wrong with him. It made them suspicious, wondering if Lawrence was being cautious,¡± Lulu exined. N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content. Nicole squinted slightly, and her voice unconsciously grew lower. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Lulu shook her head. ¡°I only overheard that part, and then I left. I couldn¡¯t just stand there and eavesdrop, right? But since they suspect Lawrence, I can¡¯t help but think that it must be his problem.¡± Nicole smiled as she realized that Lulu was fiercely protective. ¡°Nicole, even though he saved you, please be cautious,¡± Lulu advised. She had not heard the specifics of the conversation, but she believed that Nicole should keep her distance from Lawrence. ¡°Alright, I understand. You can go about your business now,¡± Nicole agreed, dismissing Lulu. Chapter 2414 Chapter 2414 MY WIFE IS A HACKER CHAPTER 2414-¡°Sure. Just let me know if you need anything,¡± Lulu said before leaving the office. Nicole leaned back on the sofa, her gaze gradually darkening. ¡®What could Sean and Steve be investigating Lawrence for, and for such a long time? What were they suspicious of?¡¯ After some thought, Nicole decided to ask Steve to find out what was going on. With a determined expression, she got up and left her office. Downstairs, Lawrence got into his car after leaving the building. ¡°Mr. Lawrence, how did it go?¡± Ian asked softly. ¡°She hasn¡¯t recovered her memory yet,¡± Lawrence replied, histone heavy. Ian cautiously inquired, ¡°And about theputer?¡± Lawrence had visited the Riddle residence and essed Nn¡¯sputer, so they could not possibly be unaware of it. ¡®How did they react?¡¯ Ian wondered. ¡°She didn¡¯t mention it. However, Nn has been using theputer as usual these days, and everything seems normal.¡± Nn continued to use hisputer as if nothing had happened. He had also shared the way to unlock the second protection stage of hisptop with Lawrence. It seemed like even though they might know he had essed theputer, there was no suspicion directed at him. However, the more this was the case, the less he could afford to touch Nn¡¯sputer again. His previous actions could be dismissed as unintentional, but if he tried again and failed, he would have no chances left. ¡°Mr. Lawrence, do you feel that¡­ they¡¯ve be somewhat distant from you?¡± Ian paused to find a gentler way to phrase it. ¡°They¡¯re not as close to you as before.¡± Ian even felt that since their return to San Joto, it wasn¡¯t just Nicole, but even Nn and Lana seemed more distant from Lawrence. Though it was not evident on the surface, he just could not fight this feeling. Lawrence shot Ian a cold nce. Ian turned pale and refrained from saying anything further. Looking away, Lawrence¡¯s eyes darkened. He was well aware of the change in Nicole¡¯s attitude towards him. But that was not important. What mattered more was Nicole¡¯s feelings for Jared. Even though Nicole had not recovered her memory, it was evident that she had once again epted Jared. Then there was the issue regarding the Five Crests tasks on the Hunter. He had tried to hire someone to probe into it but the person who posted the task was too cautious, so he had not managed to discover who was behind it. However, he suspected it was Nicole. He worried that she might have regained her memories and might know about everything. Eyes growing even darker, Lawrence then made a phone call. ¡°Hey, are you done with the arrangements?¡± ¡°It¡¯s ready. She cane in anytime,¡± the other person replied. ¡°Remember, I don¡¯t want her to recover her memories,¡± Lawrence stated. Then, he hung up. At the moment, what mattered most to him was preventing Nicole from regaining her memories. The expert he had brought in would help him achieve that. Meanwhile, in Steve¡¯s office, Steve sighed when he saw Nicole¡¯s serious expression. ¡°We didn¡¯t intend to keep this from you. After all, he saved you. We suspected him, but we didn¡¯t want to trouble you. That¡¯s why we investigated him in secret.¡± ¡°When did you start suspecting him?¡± Nicole was not angry, of course. She knew her two brothers were looking out for her. ¡°From the moment he arrived at the Riddle family and directly called out my name,¡± Steve admitted candidly. Since that day, he had felt that there was something off about Lawrence.N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. Chapter 2415 Chapter 2415 MY WIFE IS A HACKER CHAPTER 2415-Nicole¡¯s pupils shrunk. It was the first time Lawrence had come to the Riddle family, so how could he have recognized Steve among all of her older brothers? While she understood that it did not necessarily mean that Lawrence only recognized Steve, it did imply that he was extremely familiar with the Riddle family, possibly even more so than she thought. An unsettling feeling crept into her heart, and Nicole¡¯s face grew pale. ording to Jared, they had met Lawrence while searching for the Brave. Then, when she was met with danger, Lawrence had saved her. Even though he knew about her identity, it still did not seem to warrant such intimate knowledge of the Riddle family unless Lawrence had done his research. ¡°We discussed it at the time. Since you had no memories and Lawrence saved you, it wouldn¡¯t have made sense to burden you with this information. It would only add to your troubles,¡± Steve exined. Nicole nodded gently and then asked, ¡°What did you find out?¡± ¡°That¡¯s what Sean and I find strange. After investigating for so long, we haven¡¯t found anything. In fact, it¡¯s made us even more suspicious. Everything we wanted to find has been carefully hidden by Lawrence,¡± Steve replied. Nicole bit her lip. ¡°You and Sean should stop your investigation.¡± N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content. ¡°Why? Do you trust him that much?¡± Steve asked in concern. Nicole shook her head. ¡°No. Actually, I¡¯ve also started to feel that I shouldn¡¯t rely on him as much as before. So, don¡¯t worry about me anymore. I¡¯m aware of it now and I¡¯ll be cautious.¡± Steve felt relieved. ¡°Alright, I¡¯m d you¡¯re confident in handling it yourself.¡± Then, he smiled. ¡°Back then, Sean said you¡¯re intelligent. So if there were an issue, you¡¯d probably sense it yourself. It¡¯s better than us telling you and making things difficult for you.¡± Indeed, Nicole had now realized the problem herself. If she was mentally prepared, she probably would not be harmed by Lawrence. ¡°You two certainly have a lot of faith in me.¡± Nicole smiled. ¡°Of course. You can count on that. You might¡¯ve lost your memory, but your natural talents are still intact,¡± Steve replied. That was why they were so at ease handing the Riddle Corporation to her. After rifying the situation, Nicole left Steve¡¯s office feeling reassured. Nicole smiled. Both Sean and Steve had done so much for her without her knowing. If Lulu had not identally overheard their conversation, she might have never known. ¡°Nicole.¡± It was Lulu¡¯s voice. She immediately appeared by Nicole¡¯s side and whispered, ¡°So, what¡¯s going on? What¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing. They just thought that since they¡¯re not familiar with Lawrence, they wanted to know more about him.¡± Nicole downyed the situation, choosing not to reveal their mistrust towards Lawrence. Lulu nodded. ¡°Oh, that makes sense. Even though he saved you, he¡¯s still essentially a stranger. It¡¯s normal for them to be concerned about you.¡± As they talked, they left the building and headed to their respective offices. Nicole sighed as she leaned back against her seat, deep in thought. She thought about the whole ordeal that started once she regained consciousness, the five years she spent on the ind, and the past few months when she returned to San Joto¡­ She could not exin why, but her heart felt extremely heavy. Later that day, the sun was setting, and it was closing time. Everyone started to leave the office. Nicole and Lulu walked out of the building and immediately saw a car stopping in front of them. A man then walked out of the car. ¡°Hey, Spencer.¡± Lulu smiled and ran towards him. Chapter 2416 Chapter 2416 MY WIFE IS A HACKER CHAPTER 2416-A yful smile crossed Nicole¡¯s face as she observed the sweet interaction between the two. She then made her way towards Jared¡¯s car, and after they had all gotten into their respective vehicles, they each drove off in their own respective directions. ¡°Looks like Lulu and Spencer are bing sweeter by the day,¡± Nicole remarked as she leaned against her seat. Jared nced at her with a knowing look and said, ¡°Well, are we not as sweet as they are, or are you implying something else?¡± After yfully rolling her eyes at Jared, Nicole replied, ¡°Don¡¯t read too much into it. I meant exactly what I said.¡± ¡°I beg to differ,¡± Jared said, leaning closer to Nicole, causing her to shield her face. ¡°Hey, stop fooling around,¡± she said. ¡®He¡¯s pretty darn shameless, even in situations like this!¡¯ ¡°I¡¯m being serious.¡± Jared said, his gaze growing more intense. The entirepartment at the backseat darkened, and the partitions slowly rose. Then, with a swift deliberate motion, Jared encircled Nicole in his embrace. A possessive and intense kiss soon followed¡­ On the other side of town, Spencer had nned to take Lulu out for dinner before dropping her off at her ce. While they were in the process of choosing a restaurant, however, Spencer¡¯s phone suddenly rang. Seeing that it was a call from Icyln, Spencer furrowed his brow a little before answering it. ¡°Icyln.¡± ¡°Spencer,¡± Icyln uttered, her voice weak like a faint whisper. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Spencer¡¯s grimace intensified with concern. Despite the fact that she was already in the hospital herself, Icyln¡¯s voice sounded unusually feeble. Indeed, her voice became even more strained, tinged with pain even, as she replied. ¡°Spencer, I¡¯m not feeling well. Could youe and pay me a visit?¡± ¡°I¡­¡± Spencer nced at Lulu, appearing hesitant. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯ll go with you.¡± Lulu nodded reassuringly, her voice calm and cool. ¡°Icyln, I think you should call the doctor.¡± Spencer replied in an attempt to weasel out of the situation, as the hospital had medical professionals and assistants who could tend to Icyln and her needs. N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content. He would not be able to offer much help if he was there anyway. ¡°It¡¯s fine. We can visit her first and then have dinner,¡± Lulu advised with a whisper. Spencer could not bring himself to refuse the request as he was burdened with the responsibility of being Icyln¡¯s senior. Besides, she truly sounded weak. Spencer listened on, and after a slight pause, he said, ¡°Fine, we¡¯ll be there shortly.¡± After hanging up, Spencer turned to Lulu and said, ¡°Sorry you¡¯ll have toe with me.¡± ¡°Why are you apologizing? You¡¯ve already surprised me bying to pick me up after work even though you¡¯re still not in the best of states. How could I let you go to the hospital alone?¡± Lulu replied with a warm smile. Hearing that, Spencer held Lulu¡¯s hand and pulled her into a gentle embrace. Soon, they arrived at the hospital and entered Icyln¡¯s room, where they were greeted by the sight of Icyln¡¯s face, which was pale as sheet. ¡°Didn¡¯t the doctor say your injuries weren¡¯t severe and that you¡¯d recover quickly with some rest? Why do you look so weak?¡± ¡°Spencer.¡± Icyln called out, her voice reduced to a whisper as if she had exhausted all of her energy. She then looked at Spencer with tears in her eyes. Feeling a sense of urgency, Spencer said, ¡°I¡¯ll get the doctor.¡± ¡°It won¡¯t help.¡± The assistant entered the ward with anxiety written all over her face. ¡°Icyln just can¡¯t seem to eat anything. The doctors have tried everything, but nothing seems to be working. What are we going to do if this continues?¡± Chapter 2417 Chapter 2417 MY WIFE IS A HACKER CHAPTER 2417-¡°Did she injure her mouth, or does she have a stomach issue? Why can¡¯t she eat?¡± Lulu asked with a perplexed expression on her face. It was during times like these that patients needed adequate nutrition the most, and yet, Icyln had not been eating anything at all. This was why she looked so weak, as if she could copse at any moment. ¡°It¡¯s neither. She just doesn¡¯t have an appetite. When she eats, she throws up, and that in turn only worsens her condition. That¡¯s why she¡¯s avoiding eating altogether,¡± the assistant exined. Lulu furrowed her brows in response. This was the first time she had heard of such a peculiar condition. She then nced at Icyln, who did not seem to be faking it. However, for some reason, she could not muster any sympathy for her. Lulu turned her gaze towards Spencer, seeking his opinion on the matter. Spencer was also caught off guard, for this was the first time he had heard of such a medical condition. Unsure of how to handle it, Spencer suggested, ¡°How about calling the doctor again?¡± The assistant shook her head. ¡°The doctor said that even he is stumped by this strange condition and that there is nothing he can do.¡± ¡°What should we do then?¡± After all, the practitioner who was tending to Icyln was quite renowned, so seeking help from other doctors might just yield simr results. ¡°Why don¡¯t we get Dr. Wyance to help?¡± Lulu suggested to Spencer as she noticed the look of hesitation on his face. ¡°Can hee?¡± Spencer shook his head, uncertain. In reply, Lulu bit her lip and said, ¡°Let me call Nicole. Maybe she can ask him on our behalf.¡± Surely Martin, as a respected figure, would considering to assist them for Nicole¡¯s sake. ¡°Never mind¡­¡± The assistant attempted to intervene, but she was toote, for Lulu had already dialed Nicole¡¯s number. ¡°Nicole, could you do us a favor?¡± Lulu asked before giving Nicole a brief exnation of the situation over the phone. ¡°Alright, I got it,¡± Nicole said, and hung up. After the call, Lulu turned to Spencer and said, ¡°Nicole has agreed to help. I think Dr. Wyance will likely come over.¡± Then, Lulu reassured Icyln by saying, ¡°Dr. Wyance is highly skilled, so you don¡¯t have to worry. He¡¯ll find a way to help you.¡± Icyln¡¯s pale face nched, turning almost translucent at that point. All she could do was grit her teeth and say, ¡°Thank you.¡± However, deep down, Icyln was extremely frustrated. She had not expected Lulu toe along. What surprised her even more was that Spencer did not seem to be the least bit concerned when he saw her in this state. ¡°Uh¡­¡± The assistant began to feel flustered, as she shot Icyln a few nces with an anxious look on her face. Lulu squinted as she observed their reactions, and that was when a strange feeling began creeping in. She had brought the best doctor in to assist them, so it made no sense to her as to why they would wear those looks. After a short wait, Martin arrived at the hospital, apanied by Nicole. N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content. ¡°Nicole!¡± Lulu eximed in surprise, feeling a twinge of guilt. ¡°I can¡¯t believe you came all this way to help.¡± ¡°I heard the situation is pretty serious, so I got a little concerned,¡± Nicole replied, looking at Spencer. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you inform your mentor too?¡± If there was indeed a problem, it would be better to give their mentor a heads-up instead of springing it on him suddenly. ¡°Good suggestion,¡± Spencer said, realizing it would be best to notify his teacher in advance. ¡°You don¡¯t need to alert the teacher yet. Why don¡¯t we let the doctor have a look first?¡± the assistant intervened promptly, feeling that the very phone call they were going to make was absolutely out of the question. ¡°Alright then, thank you, Dr. Wyance,¡± Lulu thanked Martin, and led the duo of Nicole and Spencer out. ¡°Let¡¯s wait outside.¡± ¡°Spencer.¡± Icyln instinctively called out as they were about to exit her room. Stopping in his tracks, Spencer turned back to console her.¡± Get checked first, and well talk about the restter.¡± Chapter 2418 Chapter 2418 MY WIFE IS A HACKER CHAPTER 2418-After that, Spencer, Lulu, and Nicole exited the room. ¡°Let¡¯s begin.¡± Martin said, his voice calm yet detached. ¡°Thank you.¡± Icyln replied, thanking him through gritted teeth. Outside the hospital room, Lulu pulled Nicole aside and lowered her voice, ¡°Don¡¯t you find that Icyln¡¯s situation is a little strange?¡± ¡°What makes you say that?¡± Nicole asked, intrigued. ¡®Did Lulu notice something?¡¯ Then, Lulu recounted what she had observed to Nicole, who also found it puzzling. ¡°Yes, it does seem unusual.¡± N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content. As they had spoken, both of them turned to look at Spencer, as if a realization had dawned upon them. Feeling a little flustered under their gaze, he asked, ¡°Why are you both looking at me like that?¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing,¡± they said in unison before exchanging nces. ¡°Stay here for a moment; we¡¯ll be back soon.¡± Assuming they had something to discuss, Spencer agreed without thinking much of it. ¡°Alright.¡± After Nicole and Lulu had left, the both of them went to the doctor¡¯s office and the nurse¡¯s station. ¡°It¡¯s true. She throws up whatever she eats. We¡¯ve performed many tests on her but found no issues. The doctor has tried everything he could think of, and nothing has worked,¡± one of the nurses said. ¡°Yeah, this has led us to suspect that it¡¯s a psychological problem,¡± another added. ¡°Can¡¯t say for sure. Perhaps she¡¯s doing it on purpose,¡± another voice chimed in, causing everyone to turn towards the nurse who had juste out of a room. ¡°What did you say?¡± one her colleagues asked. In response, the third nurse answered, ¡°I¡¯m telling you; I overheard them in her room yesterday. They were saying things like ¡®No pain, no gain¡¯, and something along the lines of, ¡®He¡¯lle around only when I¡¯m tough on myself. I didn¡¯t catch all the details, but it definitely sounded fishy. ¡°Ahem. Don¡¯t spout hogwash, Tina,¡± one of her colleagues warned. ¡°I really heard it, and I am definitely sure,¡± Tina insisted. The nurse trying to dissuade Tina could only look at Nicole and Lulu awkwardly and say, ¡°Ladies, this is all the information we have. Perhaps you should consult the doctor again.¡± Tina suddenly noticed the two individuals standing outside the nurse¡¯s station and instinctively, she asked, ¡°Are you family members of one of our patients? How can I help?¡± ¡°They¡¯re friends of that patient you just mentioned,¡± another colleague whispered to her. Overwhelmed by a rush of panic, Tina quickly apologized,¡± Sorry, I was just talking nonsense.¡± She had thought that the other nurses were gossiping about Icyln, not realizing that the women in front of her had likely enquired her co-workers about it. ¡®Oh, I¡¯m definitely in trouble. I¡¯ve been gossiping about the patient behind her back, and her friends have heard it.¡¯ Lulu instantly beamed. ¡°As long as what you said is true, it¡¯s okay. Thank you!¡± She then grabbed Nicole¡¯s hand and walked away, leaving the few bewildered nurses to stare at each other in confusion. ¡®What just happened?¡¯ Back at the entrance of the ward, Martin was standing outside while Spencer had disappeared, indicating that he must have gone in. After giving the two of them a quick nce, Martin shook his head in defeat. ¡°Her condition is indeed peculiar. We can¡¯t identify the cause, so it¡¯s probably psychological. It¡¯s probably a response to her injury.¡± ¡°Thanks for your help. It¡¯s quitete, and I¡¯ve called you at this hour. You must not have had dinner. Let me treat you to a meal as a token of my appreciation,¡± Nicole proposed with a faint smile. After all, it was Nicole who had requested Martin¡¯s assistance. It was dinner time for everyone, and since Martin had made his way here without hesitation, they should not allow him to leave with an empty stomach. Chapter 2419 Chapter 2419 MY WIFE IS A HACKER CHAPTER 2419-¡°I¡¯ll treat both of you. After all, it¡¯s all because of Spencer¡¯s junior.¡± Lulu said, feeling that she and Spencer should be the ones to thank Martin. ¡°Aren¡¯t you staying?¡± Nicole raised an eyebrow meaningfully and gestured towards the room, hinting for Lulu to stay behind. It was clear that this entire incident was another one of Icyln¡¯s schemes. Earlier, Spencer had entered the room while Lulu was gone, giving Icyln an opportunity to pull her tricks. Surprisingly, Lulu brushed it off, saying, ¡°She¡¯s not important. Thanking Dr. Wyance is our priority here.¡± Furthermore, if Spencer left, Icyln¡¯s condition might never improve. Seeing that Lulu had made up her mind, Nicole agreed,¡± Alright then.¡± ¡°Hey, Spencer. Nicole, Dr. Wyance, and I are going out for dinner. Come find us when you¡¯re done, or if it gets toote, just head home,¡± Lulu announced before closing the hospital room door and leaving. Inside the room, Spencer had not even gotten a chance to respond. All he could do was stare at the door nkly. ¡®Are they all leaving me behind to have dinner?¡¯ Icyln was also baffled by this. Lulu had just walked away like that, and for some reason, she felt so unusually anxious. ¡°Icyln, why not listen to Dr. Wyance¡¯s advice and try consuming some liquid food?¡± the assistant asked in an anxious, concerned manner. ¡°Alright.¡± Icyln nodded hesitantly. The assistant had just poured the congee out into a bowl when she smacked her forehead in frustration. ¡°Oh no, the doctor had asked me to get some medication.¡± Then, she looked at Spencer with a troubled expression on her face. ¡°Could you please look after Icyln for a moment? I¡¯ll be back shortly.¡± The assistant ced the bowl of congee in Spencer¡¯s hands before leaving in a hurry, causing him to crease his forehead as he stared at it. ¡°Sorry for the trouble, Spencer,¡± Icyln uttered in a frail voice. Spencer could not neglect Icyln, and so, feeling defeated, he summoned a nurse to help feed Icyln. Though reluctant, Icyln was forced to open her mouth as Spencer¡¯s gaze remained fixed on her. But as soon as the first spoonful entered her mouth, she spat it out, seeming even weaker than before. Seeing that Icyln was still incapable of swallowing, Spencer voiced his concern, ¡°If this doesn¡¯t work, maybe we should contact our mentor and ask him to arrange for you to return home for treatment.¡± ¡°No.¡± Icyln¡¯s expression changed instantly, unwilling to contemte the possibility of returning home at this juncture. Spencer and Lulu¡¯s wedding was approaching. If she left now, there would be no reason for her toe back. Even if she did, Spencer would have already been married, and none of her efforts would mean anything by that point. Noting her reluctance to leave, Spencer could only patiently advise, ¡°If you keep going this way, your health will only deteriorate. Perhaps the medical treatment back in your country will help.¡± Left with no option, Icyln gritted her teeth and said, ¡°I¡¯ll give it another try.¡± After all, she could not allow herself to be sent away. Once she left, there would be no second chances. With that, the nurse fed Icyln another spoon of congee again, and she reluctantly managed to swallow it. N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. Feeling a little hopeful, Spencer encouraged, ¡°You¡¯re doing well. Now, try a bit more.¡± As long as she could eat, she could gradually recover. After a while, Icyln¡¯s assistant returned, only to find a nursing assistant feeding Icyln. This prompted her to freeze in astonishment. ¡®Well, what¡¯s the point of all our efforts?¡¯ ¡°I¡¯m done eating,¡± Icyln said, snapping the assistant out of her daze. Having taken the cue from Icyln, she said, ¡°The doctor has said not to consume too much during the initial feeding, so it¡¯s better to start with this.¡± After the nurse had ced the bowl down and walked away, Spencer turned to the assistant and said, ¡°Since everything¡¯s fine now, take good care of her. I¡¯ll be on my way.¡± ¡°Spencer, can¡¯t you stay for a while?¡± Icyln pleaded pitifully. Chapter 2420 Chapter 2420 MY WIFE IS A HACKER CHAPTER 2420-¡°You have yet to recover, so you should rest more. I wille and pick you up along with the rest of our colleagues when you¡¯re fit for discharge,¡± Spencerforted. Knowing that Spencer would not stay anymore, Icyln feebly said, ¡°Please be safe.¡± She also knew that Spencer was in a rush to meet Lulu. However, there was nothing else which she could do to make him stay. So, he had to let him go. N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. ¡®What an annoying b*tch! Lulu is always ruining my chances. I¡¯m sure my n would¡¯ve worked if Lulu did not follow him,¡¯ she fumed. All Icyln could do was watch as Spencer abandoned her and catch up after Lulu. ¡°You should sleep early tonight. Remember to call the doctor when you¡¯re not feeling well.¡± Spencer reminded Icyln, after which he closed the door and left. After Spencer was gone, Icyln threw the bowl to the ground and smashed it out of anger. For the past two days, she had abstained from eating and drinking, all so that she could appear weak and miserable. She was hoping that Spencer would pity her when he visited her. Unfortunately, her efforts had all gone down the drain, making it so that she had suffered for nothing. ¡°Miss? What are we going to do now?¡± Icyln¡¯s personal assistant asked in a gentle voice while cleaning up the mess. ¡°I¡¯ve already suffered an injury and I¡¯ve even starved myself to give them a pitiful front. Why are they not working at all?¡¯ Icyln wondered. It was then that a wicked glint crossed Icyln¡¯s eyes, and she gritted her teeth. ¡°I will not suffer all these for nothing!¡± Meanwhile, Spencer had left the hospital, and was on his way to Lulu¡¯s location after he had been notified of where they were. When he arrived, dinner had just been served, and the four of them dug in as they chatted away. ¡°How¡¯s Icyln?¡± Lulu asked. ¡°She ate some congee. I guess she¡¯s sleeping now.¡± Spencer replied. Lulu widened her eyes in surprise, ¡°She actually ate something?¡± ¡®Wasn¡¯t she putting on a show? Has she already admitted defeat so soon?¡¯ Lulu wondered. ¡°Yeah, she ate some.¡± Spencer added without giving it much thought. After that, he turned to Martin and said, ¡°Thank you. She¡¯s a lot better now.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t mention it. I did not do much,¡± Martin responded promptly, seeing that Nicole and Lulu did not have anything to say about it. He understood the situation and had decided to refrain from talking about the issue. All he did was give Nicole and Lulu a bullet of a nce before looking away. They have had that conversation way before Spencer joined them for dinner, and from the very beginning, Martin had already felt that Icyln was in a healthy condition. When paired with what Nicole and Lulu had heard, Martin could tell that Icyln was putting on a show. ¡°I guess we have nothing to worry about since she¡¯s fine now. Let¡¯s just eat.¡± Lulu changed the topic of conversation, not wanting to talk about Icyln anymore. She felt that it was better if she kept certain things to herself. After dinner, all of them left the restaurant together. ¡°Martin, I¡¯m sending Lulu home first. Do you mind sending Nicole back?¡± Spencer asked Martin. He felt that if Nicole were to follow them, she would reach home a littleter, and above it all, he wanted Nicole to go home and get some sleep earlier. ¡°Sure thing!¡± Martin nodded, having understood what Spencer was thinking. After they had split up, both cars went their separate ways, with Spencer sending Lulu home, and Martin doing the same for Nicole. ¡°You haven¡¯t visited me for a long time. How have you been? ¡± Martin queried. ¡°I¡¯ve been quite busy.¡± Nicole exined. ¡°I¡¯ve yet to recover my memories, but I¡¯ve managed to discover a few things after getting some information about the situation. And surprisingly, I did not get any headache from these revtions.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a good sign.¡± Martin smiled. This definitely proved that Nicole¡¯s condition had improved. Perhaps she would even stand a chance at recovering all of her memories. Chapter 2421 Chapter 2421 MY WIFE IS A HACKER CHAPTER 2421-¡°Yeah.¡± Nicole nodded. ¡°I suspect that our treatment sessions might have worked a little, other than the fact that there were external shocks involved.¡± These two factors might have a corrtion, and that gave Nicole some confidence in being able to regain her memories again. ¡°Since it has been effective, I¡¯ll go through the treatment again based on the current situation. Let me know if you have any ideas,¡± Martin gently stated. ¡°You¡¯ve done well, and I¡¯ve gotten this far because of your help. Well just proceed with any ideas or proposals you¡¯ve got. I don¡¯t have any suggestions at the moment.¡± Nicole replied. Indeed, she had begun to believe that her condition was getting better, and it was all thanks to Martin. Martin smiled. ¡°You¡¯re being too modest. If it wasn¡¯t for you, I wouldn¡¯t have done it myself.¡± After all, Nicole was a genius. As of now, Nicole¡¯s skills and knowledge in medicine were ranked second in the world, right behind James Dade. ¡°I¡¯ll leave it to you for now. If the progress is still stagnant, we¡¯ll research and discuss any possible solutions together.¡± Nicole smiled. She hadplete trust in Martin, and partly due to the fact that she did not have the energy toe up with ideas of her own at the moment. In return, Martin nced at Nicole and nodded with a serious look on his face, ¡°Okay. We¡¯ll work hard and help you regain your memories as soon as possible.¡± ¡°We will.¡± Nicole nodded and smiled. A few momentster, Martin sent Nicole back to the Riddle residence, where she said her goodbye and got down from the car. After he saw that Nicole had entered the house, Martin looked away, smiled, and drove off. Martin felt happy to see that Nicole was doing well in life. He hoped that she would continue to lead a happy life. To him, the simple act of being able to see her in a great state made his efforts all worth it. Time flew by quickly, and just like that, two days had passed. Nicole arrived at the office as usual, and not long after, Lulu entered her office and whispered, ¡°I¡¯m afraid DillCorp is in real trouble this time around.¡± ¡°Everett and Harvey have made a move?¡± Nicole¡¯s eyes darkened, having waited for days for them to do something. Lulu nodded. ¡°Yes. Everett had suffered a bitter defeat thest time. He has been looking for an opportunity to take his revenge on them.¡± As he had gotten lucky this time, this opportunity was not one he would pass on. ¡°What has James been doing?¡± Nicole asked with a heavy tone. ¡°Oh him? You¡¯ve guessed it right. He seems to be helping Dillon by managing thepany on the surface, but behind their backs, he has already begun paving a way out for himself.¡± Lulu smiled. ¡°I see.¡± A cold light shed in Nicole¡¯s eyes. ¡°Let¡¯s leave Everett aside and focus on James now.¡± Lulu widened her eyes in shock. ¡°Are you saying that Everett will lose this round again?¡± The thing that shocked Lulu was the notion that James would be winning again. ¡°After all, they look down on James. Everett¡¯s objective is to attack and overwhelm DillCorp, whereas James¡¯ goal is to drain DillCorp of its funds. Which of these do you think will be easier to achieve?¡± Nicole raised her brows as she replied to Lulu. Lulu gave it some thought, and soon, she came to a realization. ¡°Oh, I get it now!¡± That was the real reason as to why James had been doing what he was told whilst pretending to be on Raine¡¯s and Dillion¡¯s side. As a matter of fact, he had been working on his own goal of seizing DillCorp for himself. After he hadpleted his objective, everyone else would be left with nothing to take from thepany. ¡°Smart cookie.¡± Nicole smiled and praised her. Hearing that, Lulu smiled in embarrassment. ¡°You¡¯re the genius here. Without you, how would I grasp all of this knowledge?¡± ¡°You should be more confident in yourself.¡± Nicole looked at Lulu, giving her some encouragement. Ever since Lulu joined thatpany, she had helped Nicole with a great number of things. In addition, Nicole could assign a myriad of tasks to Lulu without much worry. ¡°Hehe.¡± Lulu scratched her head. ¡°If there¡¯s nothing else, I¡¯ll get back to work.¡± ¡°Alright. We¡¯ll have lunch together this afternoon.¡± Nicole smiled.All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. Chapter 2422 Chapter 2422 "Sure."Lulu nodded and sauntered off happily. Seeing that Lulu had left, Nicole steadied her gaze and smirked. This time around, she could finally put an end to the drama with DillCorp. After she had taken Dillion, James and Raine down, Everett and Damien would be the only ones left for her to deal with. She would never let anyone associated with Damien and Dillion off the hook. ¡®Even if I don''t know who the culprit behind this entire issue is, they were still the ones responsible for grandpa''s attempted murder. On top of that, they even forced grandpa to split thepany''s shares. I can only imagine how angry and dejected grandpa was at that moment to have gone through that!¡¯ Nicole thought. Meanwhile, at DillCorp, James and Raine had just emerged from Dillon''s office. "You really think you can do it?" Raine asked James with a worried look on her face. "We have to find a way. There''s no way we''re going to sit and watch Everett bully the heck out of you.¡± James looked at Raine affectionately. Feeling touched by those words, Raine''s eyes reddened. *James, you''ve been the best for me.¡± "I''m your husband. Of course it''s only right for me to want nothing but the best for you.¡± James stroked Raine''s hair as he said. "Don''t worry, I''ll try my best.¡± "Alright, I trust you.¡± Raine took a step forward and leaned in, burying her face in James¡¯ chest. James lightly patted her back as a sign offort, though little did Raine know, his eyes were cold and emotionless. ¡®Now that everything is almost ready, my n will soone to fruition. I''ll see if anyone dares to look down on me after this. My future will be much brighter soon, and no one will ever belittle me anymore!¡¯ he thought. At the headquarters of the Riddle Corporation, Nicole had just finished arranging and filing all of the documents. So, she lifted her head to look at the clock, and that was when she realized that it was almost time for lunch. With that, she got up and stretched her arms. Then, she stepped out of her office. Coincidentally, Lulu had also wandered over to look for Nicole, and as soon as she saw Nicole, she smiled and said, "Perfect timing! I was just about to call you out.¡± "It''s almost time, so let''s go,¡± Nicole said. "Sure!" Both of them took the elevator and arrived at the ground floor, and after they had exited the office building, Lulu suggested, "Should we have fish and chips for lunch today?¡± "Sure." Nicole replied happily, as she was craving for it too. After they had hailed a cab and gotten in, the both of them arrived at an establishment somewhere near Royal Creek Institute. When they were students, they used to frequent this particr restaurant for their fish and chips. "This ce still looks the same after so many years. Whenever June and I miss you, we''d meet here and have a meal,¡± Lulu exined to Nicole. Nicole had been informed that the design of the shop was the same as it was many years ago. Feeling a connection to the ce, she found herself looking around. ¡°Let''s go. We''ll sit there." Lulu pulled Nicole by the hand and brought her to a corner she had found. "We used to sit here often." N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. After they had ordered their meal, Lulu sighed. "It feels like a dream, you know,ing here with you after so long.¡± In the past, whenever Lulu came here with June, they would be in a bad mood. So, they would simply dwell on the memories they had made together as a trio, even if neither of them had any appetite. "We should call June and get her toe here when we''re on break. We can all eat together at once,¡± Nicole suggested with a smile on her face. Upon giving it some thought, Lulu nodded. "Sure thing! Let''s do it before we get married. Consider it an item on our bachelorette trip!" Chapter 2423 Chapter 2423 "Your wedding day is fast approaching, so we''ll have to do this as soon as possible.¡± Nicole teased, unable to help herself. If they were to put it on hold, it would no longer be considered a part of their bachelorette trip anymore. Rather, it would be a celebration of their marriage. "Why don''t we do it this weekend?" Lulu suggested, echoing Nicole''s ideas. "Sure, can you inform June when the timees.¡± Nicole agreed, already looking forward to it. "Sure. We''ll have a huge feast that day!" Lulu said proudly. * It''ll be my treat!¡± Not bothering to fight for the bill, Nicole responded, "Sure Thing.¡± As they had been longtime friends, neither of them had been calctive with one another at all. And since it was Lulu''s wish to buy them all dinner, Nicole did not mind granting it. Soon, the fish and chips were served, with the aroma of the paprika instantly making them salivate. The both of them held up their utensils and began to dig in. Their foreheads were beaded with sweat, and their cheeks were red as they both enjoyed their meal. However, it was then that Harvey entered the restaurant, and with a sweeping nce, he spotted Nicole sitting at the corner. Then, he narrowed his eyes. He had seen Nicole taking a cab on the way there, so he was curious as to why Nicole would be in that area. Initially, he had thought that she might be here to Mr. Riddle Sr. Unexpectedly, Nicole was just there to have lunch of fish and chips with Lulu. Harvey began to observe how happy Nicole was while chatting with Lulu, and that beaming smile on her face stunned him. It stopped him from approaching them, and he just stood there watching them. Then, the waiter approached Harvey and asked, "Sir, would you like a table for one?¡± Coming back to his senses, Harvey pointed to Nicole''s table. "I''m with that table over there. Please include a set of cutleries.¡± As soon as he had spoken, Harvey approached Nicole, his tall figure casting a dark shadow on Nicole. Nicole''s eyes narrowed, and her gaze turned cold. She did not even bother to see who it was, but she was certain that it was not Jared. In fact, a sense of annoyance was beginning to swell from within. ¡°Harvey!¡± Lulu lifted her head first, frowning when she saw that the figure was indeed Harvey. Nicole narrowed her eyes into a re. Then, she leaned backwards to get herself off Harvey''s shadow, and in a cold voice, she asked, "How may I help you, Mr. Ellison?" ¡°I was just passing by and thought of having some fish and chips here too.¡± Harvey immediately plonked himself on the seat beside Nicole. N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content. With eyes as cold as frost, Nicole replied, "Grab your own table if you''d like to eat. You''re not wee at this one." For a moment, Harvey actually felt like he had returned back in time to his schooling days: Nicole was treating him the same way he had treated her when they were still students. "Sir, here are your utensils.¡± The waiter ced the utensils down in front of Harvey. Seeing this, Nicole quickly said, "I don''t know this person. Please ask him to leave our table.¡± "Uh..." The waiter, perplexed, gave Harvey a puzzled look. Then, he anxiously turned to look at Nicole again. He did not know what to do. "You''ve heard it. Get to work now. After all, we''re your customers. You''ll have to be responsible when we''re being harassed by others,¡± Lulu reminded upon noticing that the waiter was not doing anything. "Well, okay,¡± the waiter acquiesced. "Sir, I''ll get you a new table," he said as he was about to remove Harvey''s utensils. "You may leave now.¡± Harvey immediately snatched the utensils away and red at the waiter. This left the waiter in a state of confusion and awkwardness. ¡®What is wrong with these people?¡¯ "I''ll pay for this table." Harvey dered, having lost his patience. Hearing this, the waiter turned to Nicole and said, "Let me know if you need any assistance.¡± Chapter 2424 Chapter 2424 Soon, the waiter walked off, though he remained within walking distance from the table. Nicole narrowed her eyes and looked at Lulu, who instantly understood her signal and nodded. Then, Lulu stood up and left. Harvey nced at Lulu without uttering a word to her. Then, he turned to Nicole and said, "Come to think about it, it has been years since I''ve been back to Royal Creek Institute.¡± "Don''t youe to this area to visit Mr. Ellison from time to time?¡± Nicole nced at Harvey as he spoke. Harvey''s eyes darkened and he looked away. It seemed as if he did not wish to answer the question. Noting this, Nicole raised her eyebrows and observed Harvey''s expression. ¡®What does that mean?¡¯ At that moment, Lulu had returned. She turned to Nicole and nodded slightly before taking a seat. "Nicole, let''s eat. The taste is still the same as before,¡± Lulu stated, pretending as if nothing had happened and continued eating with Nicole. Although Harvey had insisted on staying at the table, it was obvious that the twodies had disregarded his presence. However, it also seemed to them that Harvey was not feeling ashamed at all. He brazenly continued sitting there. Even with the utensilsying on the table, he was not there to eat, so he continued staring at Nicole. "Are the both of you sincere about treating me to a meal? You only ordered fish and chips...Harvey?¡± Mr. Ellisonined as soon as he stepped into the premises. But the moment he saw Harvey, his expression froze, almost as if he was caught off guard. "Sir, didn''t you say that you''ve eaten lunch already?" Lulu smiled while she stood up and gave her seat to Mr. Ellison. Then, she ordered a cup of tea for him. "Sir, have a seat.¡± Nicole smiled and weed Mr. Ellison to the table. Mr. Ellison regained hisposure and sat down, and as he looked at Nicole, he said, "I did not expect the both of you to spend your lunch break here just to have a meal.¡± "We just had a sudden craving." Nicole smiled as she replied. Then, Mr. Ellison turned to Harvey and asked, "Did Harvey drop by for a visit?" "I bumped into them,¡± Harvey replied coldly. "Oh." Mr. Ellison uttered with a sorrowful look on his face. Nicole narrowed her eyes and carefully observed the duo of Mr. Ellison and Harvey. She could tell that something was off between the two of them. It was a meeting between the grandfather and grandson, where Mr. Ellison was indifferent to the presence of his grandson, who seemed to have had his guard up. Indeed, it was a weird interaction. Nicole turned to look at Lulu, after which she darted her eyes at the grandfather-grandson duo for a quick second before looking away. Then, Lulu lightly shook her head to indicate that she did not know what was going on either. However, Lulu could also tell that the tension was palpable between the both of them, as if Mr. Ellison was owing Harvey something. However, the entire Ellison Group was now under Harvey''smand, and Mr. Ellison hadpletely relinquished all of his power and positions to Harvey too. As such, it would be impossible for Harvey to be dissatisfied with what his grandfather had given him now. "Nicole, I''ve had my lunch already. I came over to see you since I heard that you''re here. If there''s nothing else, I''ll return to the institute now.¡± Mr. Ellison stated, ready to leave as he did not seem as if he could keep up the charade any longer. "Alright. I''ll visit you another day.¡± Nicole replied, not pressing him to stay. Mr. Ellison then nced at Harvey and walked off, with each step of his low and heavy. Nicole''s gaze darkened as she stared at Mr. Ellison''s figure. She was now even more confident in her guess ¡ª a conflict had erupted between Mr. Ellison and Harvey All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. "Harvey, you''re not here to eat, and yet, you don''t want to leave. What are you trying to do here?" Lulu pointed out, seeing that Harvey was still there. Harvey shrugged and stood up. Then, he turned to Nicole and said, "Fine, I''ll see you another time.¡± As soon as he had spoken, Harvey strode out of the establishment. Chapter 2425 Chapter 2425 Lulu kept her eyes on Harvey until he had stepped out of the restaurant. Then, she issued a sigh of relief, ¡°Finally, he''s gone.¡± "Let''s eat. We need to head back after we''re done eating.¡± Nicole remained calm, as if Harvey''s appearance had not affected her at all. Lulu looked outside again, and in a soft voice, she asked, * What do you think happened between Mr. Ellison and Harvey? They seem to be behaving oddly.¡± The two of them had never thought of looking for Mr. Ellison when they decided to go to the restaurant. All they had in mind was to have lunch and return to the office. Unexpectedly, they bumped into Harvey, who proceeded to harass them. So, they hade up with a last minute decision to find Mr. Ellison, just so they could get him to chase Harvey away. Little did they know that they would happen upon an unexpected discovery. Such was probably why Mr. Ellison had been staying in the institute recently. He had even moved his belongings into the institute now. Therefore, it would not be a stretch to say that the two of them had issues with one another. "You''ve been living in San Joto all this time. Have you heard anything?" Nicole queried. Nicole did not remember anything. After all, she had not been living in San Joto for five years already, and thus, she would not know much even if she still remembered everything. At this point, it was a question of whether was up to date with whatever had happened between the Ellisons or not. Lulu shook her head. "I really don''t know anything." Whatever Lulu knew about was pretty much public information, and that was Harvey had taken over everything from the Ellison family in a short span of time while Mr. Ellison had retired and was enjoying his life free of most responsibilities. He was satisfied with watching over the institute. Nicole pursed her lips and said, ¡°There is definitely something wrong. I''ll ask Jared about it when I get back." She thought that Jared would know something about it. After all, Jared had coborated with Mr. Ellison when it came to a myriad of projects, all of which were discontinued because of Harvey. "Jared might know something about it.¡± Lulu nodded. "Let''s eat.¡± Nicole smiled. ¡°Alright.¡± Lulu nodded and continued eating in peace. When they came out of the restaurant after lunch, Nicole turned her gaze to the Royal Creek Institute, her eyes darkening. Although she did not remember much about the past, she had an inexplicable feeling about the ce from the two encounters she had with Mr. Ellison. These meetings had given her a better understanding about who she was and everything that had urred here. With Mr. Ellison''s prominent status, and Harvey''s outstanding performances, they should be prancing around in high spirits. Yet, Mr. Ellison appeared to be deeply hurt within. This had led Nicole to believe that something heartbreaking must have happened between Mr. Ellison and Harvey. ¡°Nicole, let''s go,¡± Lulu called out upon noticing that Nicole was not getting into the car.N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content. Nicole regained herposure and got into the car, whereupon they drove off and headed back to the headquarters of the Riddle Corporation. "Why do you think Harvey spotted you and followed you there today? I don''t think he was here just to watch you eat. Is it possible he was here because of DillCorp and NandoCorp?¡± Lulu asked. After all, Harvey had only left them alone after they had asked Mr. Ellison toe over. Otherwise, Harvey would not have allowed them to eat in peace that easily: he must have looked for them with some sort of ulterior motive in mind. "At the very least, he''s here to get a scoop on what''s going on," Nicole replied calmly as if she had read Harvey''s mind. "Is he worried that we''ll side with DillCorp?¡± Lulu frowned. With Harvey proactively aiding Everett, it was obvious that DillCorp had gained the upper hand. But now that Harvey had probably discovered that Nicole had been providing assistance to Dillion''s family in secret, they were worried if things would be even more difficult for them in the future. "I guess he must have noticed it previously, but he did not have any evidence to back it up,¡± Nicole analyzed. If this was not the case, Harvey would not have summoned the courage to meet her face to face. And while he likely still did not possess any evidence needed to support his case, him showing up personally was probably a way to pressure Nicole to step back. "Oh, so he has begun to suspect us.¡± Lulu widened her eyes as she came to a realization. "Yeah, that''s possible.¡± Nicole nodded. However, she was not too nervous about it. Even if Harvey were to get any evidence, there was nothing he could do. Nicole did not break anyws, 30 him losing would be nothing but a testament of his ipetence. Feeling a little worried, Lulu asked, "In that case, should we be more careful from now onwards?¡± Nicole¡¯s eyes darkened as she replied, ¡°There''s no need for that. We will be seeing the results soon." When the time came, they would win, and everything would be rendered a fair game. With that said, nothing else was worth their time and effort at the moment. "Oh* Lulu nodded, thinking that what Nicole said made sense. In tact, Lulu began to wonder, ¡®It''ll be great it Harvey knows about it. One can imagine how funny his expression would be right now.¡® Nicole nced at Lulu, and almost instantly, she understood what she was thinking. This got Nicole to burst outughing. Chapter 2426 Chapter 2426 MY WIFE IS A HACKER CHAPTER 2426-Momentster, the two returned to the headquarters of the Riddle Corporation. Overall, their lunch was still quite enjoyable, barring Harvey¡¯s presence, which they ignored. And after returning to thepany, the two went back to work. Soon, dusk fell. During the rush hours, the streets were crowded with people and cars as everyone made their way home. By the time Nicole and Jared got home, Tia had just returned with Stanley and the kids. Lovingly holding her children¡¯s hands, Nicole beamed. ¡°Did you behave yourselves in kindergarten today?¡± ¡°Definitely!¡± Lana proudly raised her chin. ¡°We¡¯ve been super good!¡± ¡°That¡¯s great,¡± Nicole praised. After giving Lana¡¯s hair a gentle ruffle, Nicole held her hand and said, ¡°Let¡¯s get inside.¡± The three of them headed back into their house, with Jared following behind with Tia and Stanley. ¡°Nicole, I¡¯ll head back to the backyard,¡± Tia informed after a slight moment of hesitation. This prompted Nicole to halt in her tracks and nce at Tia, and after a brief dy, she nodded. ¡°Alright.¡± Tia returned the nod and ambled to the backyard while Stanley stared at her with his forehead creased. ¡°Come on,¡± Nicole called out to Stanley, who snapped out of his thoughts and redirected his gaze. ¡°Yeah, right behind you.¡± Nicole had an inexplicable feeling that Stanley and Tia were behaving rather strangely, so she proceeded to give Stanley a meaningful look. Noticing that, Stanley shied away from Nicole¡¯s gaze and picked Lana up. ¡°I¡¯ll carry you inside.¡± Nicole smirked upon noticing Stanley¡¯s behavior. She had a gut feeling that something was off. The pair of Daniel and Gloria were already in the living room, and when their children and grandchildren marched in, theymented, ¡°Well, isn¡¯t this a coincidence? You all came back together today.¡± ¡°Well, we just met in the courtyard,¡± Stanley exined and plonked himself on the couch after putting Lana down. ¡°Where¡¯s Tia?¡± Gloria asked after noticing her absence. To that, Nicole sat down and answered, ¡°She went home.¡± ¡°Oh, alright.¡± Gloria did not dwell on it, thinking that Tia must have just been tired. ¡°Since you¡¯re all back, let¡¯s eat,¡± Daniel urged. ¡°Are Samuel and Spencer noting home?¡± Stanley asked. ¡°They went to find their future wives, right?¡± Lana chimed in with her squeaky voice. N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content. Everyone paused before bursting intoughter, whereupon Gloria patted Lana¡¯s head and smiled. ¡°That¡¯s right. They went to look for their future wives.¡± ¡°Ugh,¡± Lana sighed while shaking her head. Surprised, Gloria widened her eyes and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Once they get married, will they evene back for dinner? They¡¯ll rarely eat at home in the future, right?¡± Lana asked, looking a little crestfallen. Chapter 2427 Chapter 2427 MY WIFE IS A HACKER CHAPTER 2427-¡°Oh. You¡¯re worried about this, Lana?¡± Daniel asked in surprise. ¡°Well, there¡¯s going to be fewer people around. When Mummy and Daddy get married, do we also need to move into the manor next door? And if Uncle Stanley gets married, only Grandpa and Grandma will remain here,¡± Lana said. Everyone was left dumbfounded upon hearing Lana¡¯s analysis, with all of them amazed at how this little girl could think so far ahead and even be concerned about her grandparents. All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Your Uncle Stanley will be at home,¡± Nn said, giving his sister a look with his face all scrunched up in a grimace. ¡°How would you know? Although Uncle Stanley doesn¡¯t have a girlfriend now, it doesn¡¯t mean he won¡¯t have er on,¡± Lana objected, unconvinced that Stanley would remain single all his life. ¡°I just know,¡± Nn persisted. Without further exining, Nn figured Lana would not understand no matter how well he exined it. He then pulled Lana away, ¡°Let¡¯s go. We¡¯ll head up. Everyone is going to eat now.¡± ¡°No, I don¡¯t want to. You can go up by yourself,¡± Lana pouted, refusing to go upstairs with Nn. Not intent on forcing Lana to apany him, Nn went up on his own. He was going to take on another mission today. Soon, everyone settled down in the dining room. As she thought about Samuel and Spencer, Gloria¡¯s expression changed. Gloria felt that what Lana said was right. The family was indeed getting smaller, and soon, everyone would leave. It was inevitable but it was still somewhat bittersweet. She had always hoped that her kids would have families of their own. However, once they started their own family, they would no longer be as close as they used to be, leaving the house and turning it into an empty nest. Nicole had a meaningful look on her face as she eyed Stanley. She too felt what Lana said was right. Lana must have sensed something unusual, one apparent enough for her to arrive at such a conclusion. It would be great if Stanley could get together with Tia and live at the Riddle residence. If one of them remained, it would mean that there would be grandchildren in the future, and this in turn connoted that Gloria and Daniel would not feel as lonely in the house. After all, living nearby was different from living under the same roof, even if the other children moved out. Noticing Nicole¡¯s stare, Stanley became somewhat uneasy.¡± Stop staring at me. Let¡¯s eat.¡± ¡°Stanley, I think Lana has a point. You should consider it, you know. After all, you have a head start,¡± Nicole teased. Stanley coughed, a look of awkwardness written all over his face. ¡°Let¡¯s talk about meter. Right now, we should focus on Samuel and Spencer.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right. When we¡¯re done with them, you¡¯re next,¡± Nicole agreed, making Stanley even more embarrassed. Taking a deep breath, Stanley looked at Jared. ¡°Personally, I think that once they¡¯re settled, we should consider arranging your wedding ceremony. What do you think, Jared?¡± ¡°I like this proposal,¡± Jared, who was naturally in favor of it, agreed, prompting a yful eye roll from Nicole. ¡°Awesome! Daddy and Mummy should get married too,¡± Lana happily pped her hands, her eyes brimming with hope. Nicole was at a loss for words as she wondered how the conversation had steered toward them. She did not understand why those around her would be so eager to see her tie the knot. In her view, her marriage would not make much of a difference at all. Sighing inwardly, Nicole gently pinched Lana¡¯s cheeks.¡± Mummy and Daddy are going to wait a little longer. Let¡¯s think about Uncle Spencer and Uncle Samuel¡¯s wedding first. If In Nicole¡¯s opinion, there were more important things to consider than marriage. First off, she was concerned about her kids, Nn and Lana, whose identities would be exposed if they became the flower girl and ring bearer respectively. Jared, who had been paying attention to Nicole¡¯s shift in expression, noticed her concerns too. With that, the look on his face became sterner as well. Chapter 2428 Chapter 2428 MY WIFE IS A HACKER CHAPTER 2428-Nicole had just gotten out of the shower while everyone was already fast asleep, during which Jared grabbed her towel and helped dry her hair. His tone was gentle as he asked, ¡°What¡¯s on your mind?¡± With a raised eyebrow, Nicole gave him a look of shock, and she bit her lip before issuing a sigh. ¡°I¡¯m worried that Nn and Lana¡¯s identities will be exposed when they be the ring bearer and flower girl at the wedding.¡± Indeed, Nicole was worried that the kids would get in trouble when their identities were disclosed. Jared¡¯s expression darkened. He had also thought so, as he noticed that Nicole¡¯s mood had only begun to change when they discussed the marriage. Because of this, he figured that she was worried about the kids. ¡°You get to decide if you wish to protect them by keeping their identities a secret or announce them to the world and have round-the-clock security to guard them in the future,¡± Jared suggested, trying to find a solution. Nicole¡¯s worry was evident as she frowned. ¡°It¡¯s better to keep them away from the spotlight. But then, Lana has been looking forward to this. She¡¯ll be heartbroken if I tell her that she can no longer be the flower girl.¡± The truth would ultimately be revealed, sooner orter, and thus, it was better to protect the kids¡¯ safety at all times. Seeing this, Jared ruffled Nicole¡¯s hair with an affectionate smile. Don¡¯t worry. Rx, and don¡¯t fret.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Nicole smiled and nodded her head. However, she was still dwelling on the issue. Not only did they have to do a good job of protecting the kids, but they also had to eliminate all dangers, such as those who might harbor ill will toward the kids. ¡°Don¡¯t think about it. They¡¯ll be fine,¡± Jared said gently, his fingers softly running down Nicole¡¯s hair. ¡°We should sleep,¡± Nicole stated, feeling reassured but tired. Watching Nicole lying on the bed, Jared draped the nket over her. He then got up and headed to the bathroom. By the time he had emerged from the shower, Nicole was already fast asleep. Jared gently tiptoed to the bed andid down next to Nicole. Just like that, the night was over, and Nicole had a good rest. Herplexion was smooth when she woke up. Feeling refreshed, she did her morning routine and made her way downstairs with Jared. And then, after breakfast, they left the house. ¡°Do you know what happened to the Ellison family?¡± Nicole asked while the events of yesterday afternoon crossed her mind. ¡°Harvey Ellison?¡± Jared¡¯s voice carried a trace of coldness as his eyes darkened. ¡°Yeah,¡± Nicole nodded, sensing that something had happened. Darting his eyes at Nicole, Jared said, ¡°Five years ago, Harvey targeted Johnson Group and Riddle Corporation just so that he could get to you. After your disappearance, he became disheartened and backed down. Who knew he had been keeping his identity a secret?¡± N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content. Hearing that, Nicole eximed. ¡°What secret? Isn¡¯t he Mr. Ellison¡¯s grandson?¡± Chapter 2429 Chapter 2429 "Ouch!" Just as Nicole finished, Jared gently knocked her forehead. Then, he reminded her, "If he truly is Mr. Ellison''s grandson, how could Mr. Ellison have ended up the way he did?" ¡°What happened, exactly?" Nicole asked, getting more curious about the situation. "To be exact, all of this happened because of the bad blood between Harvey''s parents and Mr. Ellison. Mr. Ellison didn''t like Harvey''s mother, and that''s why Harvey''s parents had not returned to the Ellison family for so long. It was not until Harvey''s family passed away that Mr. Ellison took Harvey home," Jared exined with a look of indifference. "So Harvey had a bone to pick with Mr. Ellison?" Nicole queried, beginning to understand what was going on. "Yeah." Jared nodded. "Mr. Ellison wanted to raise Harvey peacefully and allow him to inherit all of the assets in the Ellison family. No one expected him toe back just for revenge." Without waiting for Mr. Ellison to relinquish his position in Ellison Group, Harvey had brazenly seized all of the equity in the Ellison Group and coerced the board of directors into relieving Mr. Ellison of his position as chairman. Although Mr. Ellison was heartbroken, he did not make a fuss about it and quietly went back to teaching at Royal Creek Institute, and had never stepped foot in the Ellison family ever since. ¡°Sheesh, I never knew that there was such drama between them," Nicolemented. As it turned out, this entire fiasco was the reason as to why Mr. Ellison had an air of sorrow when she met him yesterday. N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content. It was a rather sad story. "But then, Mr. Ellison seems to be doing rtively fine. His intention was to hand over all of the family assets to Harvey anyways," Nicole stated. The only thing that had upset him was that Harvey had achieved his goals through means different from what Mr. Ellison had nned. ¡°How should I put it? Although the results were the same, Mr. Ellison''s heart must have been thoroughly shattered," Jared exined bitterly. At this rate, it was hard to put a finger on who was the one in the wrong. "Don''t bother too much with other people''s affairs. But do put your guard up when you see Harvey next time," Jared said witha frosty look. He was not concerned about the affairs of others, but due to the fact that Harvey had a dark and twisted mind, Jared thought that it was something Nicole should take note of. "Alright," Nicole agreed with a solemn look. She knew she had to be wary of Harvey, especially after knowing these dirty secrets of his. With her eyes on Jared, Nicole was aware that Jared hada connection with Mr. Ellison that was far from superficial, and so, she could not help but ask, ''''As for Mr. Ellison, are you not going to do anything about it?" "There''s no point in interfering," Jared said indifferently. After all, Mr. Ellison''s current situation was a result of the estrangement between him and Harvey, rather than Harvey''s act of taking over through dubious means. Ultimately, those assets were ultimately meant for him. For an old man, all Mr. Ellison cared about was his family, which was something he no longer had. As for the issue between Harvey and Mr. Ellison, Jared was an outsider. Thus, it would not be appropriate for him to interfere. Nicole sighed, understanding Jared''s reasoning. With that in mind, she stopped pressing any further. Soon, the car came to a stop at the headquarters of Riddle Corporation, where Nicole opened the door, got out of the car, and waved to Jared with a smile. ''''Goodbye." Jared responded with a smile and waved back before instructing Max to drive off. The car picked up speed, and Nicole watched as it drove away before entering thepany building. However, she paused when she saw a familiar figure. "Hehe. You caught me," Lulu said, surprised. She had intended to cover Nicole''s eye to scare her, but as expected, Nicole had whirled around before she could. Nicole shook her head and chuckled. "Gosh, you''re not a kid anymore." Lulu poked her tongue and wrapped her arms around Nicole. "You two were inseparable, so I thought I didn''t want to disturb you." In response, Nicole lightly tapped Lulu''s forehead. "We''re not as lovey-dovey as you and Spencer are." "We''re not lovey-dovey," Lulu flushed. The two of them then chatted andughed as they entered the office wing, that was until they coincidentally ran into Sean and Steve. "Where are you going?" Nicole asked, noticing that they were preparing to leave the building. "Just an appointment with a client," Steve answered. Chapter 2430 Chapter 2430 After that, Sean replied, "I''m going to a conference." "Oh, you guys go ahead. I''ll contact you if anything happens at thepany," Nicole said and stepped aside. Sean and Steve exchanged nces, and with solemn looks on each of their faces, they stated, "Something is going to happen at DillCorp." Nicole frowned. "I know. Don''t worry about it." Feeling more at ease, the two brothers replied, "Good. We''ll get going first and find you when we''re done." Nicole smiled. "Run along. Perhaps by the time you return, there''ll be good news." "Well, I''m going to be looking forward to that," Sean said, and strode off with Steve. Nicole and Lulu then made their way upstairs into Nicole''s office. ¡°Is James about to seed?" Lulu asked with excitement. "IT suppose so," Nicole nodded. Sean and Steve must have been talking about this. If things were changing in DillCorp, it could only mean that Raine had assumed control over the company. However, James was still the puppet master behind the scenes. He would likely take action soon, so all Nicole needed to do was wait for him to strike. "We really have to keep an eye on James this time," Lulu said, before urging the opposition to keep their wits about them via text. Then, she smiled at the reply she had gotten. "Finally, it''s time to wrap up." Lulu could not wait to see the look on Raine''s face when she lost everything. After this incident, Dillion would have to behave himself if he wanted a peaceful life. "Let''s wait and see," Nicole smirked coldly. In the future, Dillion''s family would no longer possess the ability or resources to achieve their sinister ns. ¡°What about Everett? If James wins out on this, Everett loses, right?" Lulu asked, knowing Everett would lose his mind if that happened. In reply, Nicole sneered and snorted. "Well, that''s between them." This time, if Everett failed again, Harvey would probably run out of patience. After pondering for a moment with a frown, Lulu nodded, "You''re right. All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. We don''t need to worry about them." After Dillion''s family had been given the fatal blow, Damien''s family would be all that was left for them to deal with. After that, no one should dare toe after Nicole anymore. Knowing this, Nicole smiled and said, "Alright, let''s get back to work." "Yep," Lulu agreed, before pausing and turning to Nicole. "Ch, have you found out about Harvey''s situation? What''s going on between him and Mr. Ellison?" "Just another dirty secret of the rich. It''s better not to know. Just be cautious while you''re around Harvey in the future," Nicole advised. "Oh yeah. We mustn''t be careless with someone as twisted as him. " Lulu pouted. "You''re right about that," Nicole bit her lips, having concluded that she was nobody to judge who was right or wrong. Lulu shrugged. "It''s better to stay in the dark as far as the secrets of the rich are concerned. I''ll get back to work now." Watching as Lulu sauntered off, Nicole chuckled. Then, she began reviewing the documents on her table. Meanwhile, Everett had personally shown up at the headquarters of the Ellison Group after discovering that he could not reach Harvey. Chapter 2431 Chapter 2431 Harvey''s expression was icy cold as he darted his eyes at Everett. " What are you doing here?" "Mr. Ellison, I had no idea James was such a cunning one. I underestimated him, not knowing that he has been ying dumb all along," Everett fumed, choked with rage and frustration. Everett was convinced that he would have bagged DillCorp had it not been for James. With his eyes trained on Everett, Harvey replied, "This has nothing to do with me. Regardless of whether you win or lose, it doesn''t affect me." Everett suddenly felt a pang of guilt, but then, he continued in a trembling voice, "Mr. Ellison, I don''t understand what you''re saying." "It doesn''t matter anymore, But remember, don''te to me in the future any longer. I want nothing to do with someone who has proven time and again to be a thorn in my side," Harvey finished and turned to his assistant. "walk him out, and don''t ever let him in ever again," he said. Initially, Harvey had thought that Everett was just the right amount of ruthless and shady. However, he had never expected Everett to turn his scheming ways against him. Deep down, Everett knew Harvey had figured it all out, but he could not bring himself to admit it. Then, he pushed on and said, "Mr. Ellison. I think there''s a misunderstanding between us. We''ve been sessful partners for years." Hearing that, Harvey remained silent without casting so much as a nce at Everett. Harvey''s assistant came over and escorted Everett out, who knew there was no hope left in this endeavor, and so, he left, feeling defeated and resigned. N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content. "Mr. Ellison? He''s gone," the assistant reported. "Alright," Harvey said in an icy tone. "Leave it. Get someone to keep an eye on Nicole." ¡°What are you suspecting?" the assistant asked. Harvey''s pupils narrowed as he exined, "Nicole''s not someone who''ll take a loss lying down." Harvey refused to believe Nicole would stand idly by, knowing full well what James'' and Raine''s ambitions for DillCorp were. The perfect strategy for him now was to weaken his enemies before they could amass enough strength to go toe-to-toe with him. "Understood," the assistant replied and left the room. Looking away, Harvey''s gaze grew colder. He had always known of Everett''s treacherous schemes. However, he was not aware of how stupid Everett was under the cover of his grand ambitions. With that said, he was of no use to Harvey anymore. Meanwhile, Everett had already gotten into the car downstairs, whereupon he ordered the driver, "Drive." "Yes, sir," the chauffeur replied and started the car. He brought the car forward cautiously, not daring to make any mistakes. It was evident that Everett was in a bad mood, so he was aware that he should not do anything on the road that would set him off. "Mr. Riddle, did the discussion not go as smoothly as nned?" Everett''s assistant asked. ¡°Harvey knows everything. He won''t work with me anymore,¡± Everett said, pale in the face. Without Harvey''s support, Everett''s future ns would just be more challenging. It would be great if he had taken over DillCorp this time round. However, he had lost the battle, and to top it all off, he had lost it to James. ¡°Whates next, then?" The assistant''s face nched. All these years, each and every action of his had received the support of Harvey and the Ellison Group, but now that they were no longer working together, all of his ns would be doomed before they could even begin. ¡°What then? What do you think I paid you for?" Everett struck the ceiling of the car. The assistant flinched and timidly suggested, "Perhaps we can think of another way. We can try to take DillCorp over from Raine. After all, she doesn''t have what it takes to maintain it. DillCorp won''t prosper under her management." "That''s easy to say. James is not an easy person to deal with," Everett retorted. If Everett had not carelessly ignored James, he would never have ended up in this situation. "We didn''t have our guard up against him before. We''ll be more cautious next time," the assistant assured in a trembling voice. Chapter 2432 Chapter 2432 Hearing that, Everett''s expression softened. ''''Go sort out the arrangements." "Yes, Mr. Riddle." The assistant breathed a sigh of relief. Everett leaned against his seat with a leer on his face. ''Just they wait. When I get my hands on DillCorp, they won''t have the guts to look at me funny anymore.'' In a blink of an eye, three days went by, and on the morning of the third day, Nicole received a call from Lulu. "Nicole, James has made a move," she reported. A frosty glint shed across Nicole''s eyes as soon as she heard that. "He couldn''t wait, could he?" "I know, we should make our move too," Lulu said with a hint of excitement in her voice. Nicole smiled. "Sure." "T''ll update you when there''s news." "Okay." Nicole hung up and shook her head as she chuckled. ''Lulu must''ve been super anxious.'' Then, the twins came in and curiously asked Nicole, "Mommy, what are youughing at?" Nicole caressed their heads gently as she said, "It''s nothing. Let''s head downstairs, shall we?" ¡°How about daddy?'' Lana asked as she scanned the room for Jared. "Lana misses daddy." Jared suddenly walked into the room, prompting Lana to scream as she ran toward her father. "Daddy!" Seeing this, Jared bent over and picked Lana up, after which the family of four went downstairs together, where they met Daniel and Gloria. "Mom, Dad," Nicole greeted. The twins then followed suit by saying, "Good morning grandpa. Good morning grandma." Gloria smiled, and patted the twins in the head, one of each side. " Let''s go grab some breakfast, shall we?" Nicole watched as Gloria ushered the kids to the dining room for breakfast. "Is there a way to solve whatever''s happening at Uncle Dillion''s?" Daniel asked. The notion of DillCorp falling into the hands of Everett was one they were not able to conceive. Days had passed and that too without a peep from Dillion, which made it all the more surreal. "Dad, don''t worry. I will sort things out," Nicole assured. Daniel sighed deeply, anxiously shaking his head. "I have no idea what our family has be, you know, with all that infighting and disputes." Nicole bit her lip, hesitant to tell him the truth. "Dad, they are not just fighting over DillCorp. Their ultimate goal is to bag Riddle Corporation for themselves." Nicole had never told her family about matters rted to work, and therefore, it would be understandable for Daniel to be out of the loop when it came to everything that had been transpiring. She had refrained from informing him about the reality of the situation in thepany to prevent her father from being even more rmed than he already was. Nicole pondered for a whole before speaking up. "Also, James has helped Raine out in the nning process. Making Raine lose everything is next on his agenda.¡± Hearing this made Daniel''s jaw drop as he had not even been able to process the events that had urred before this. "How can this be?" "We''ve misjudged him right from the start. Who knew that he would be the one behind all of these," Nicole added. All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡®Raine would not even have gotten this far had it not been for James Harlow. It''s impressive how he could pull all of these stunts without anyone''s knowledge while giving all of the credit to Dillion and Raine.'' ¡°What''s going to happen now?" Daniel frowned, furrowing his eyebrows and sighing as he thought of his brother, Dillion. Chapter 2433 Chapter 2433 A look of determination shed across Nicole''s face as she replied, ''Dad, things will be fine as long as you know what''s going on. You have us three. We will do everything we can to ensure that DillCorp doesn''t fall into the hands of James." If anything, Nicole had prepared herself for this moment for the longest time now. ''Dillcorp shall not fall into the hands of James or Everett. Everything will go ording to my n.'' Hearing that, Daniel issued a huge sigh. "Alright, I trust you guys. Daniel knew that he had no influence over anything that was happening. To him, all that mattered was that none of his loved ones were harmed. "T want you guys to be careful, okay," Daniel warned as he looked each and every one of his children in the eye. ¡°Rx, dad. I will," Nicole assured with aforting smile on her face. "Right. Let''s eat. Better not keep your mom waiting," Daniel said as Stanley came running down the flight of stairs. He too had overheard the conversation. Nicole nodded. "Come on." All of them sauntered into the dining room, with Spencer and Samuel trailing in not long after. Then, the Riddle family had their breakfast in peace, allowing Daniel and Gloria to be more at ease. After their meal was over, Tia arrived to pick the twins up for kindergarten. "Tia, we will announce the twin''s identities at Spencer and Samuel''s wedding. You won''t have to pick them up and drop them off after that," Nicole informed Tia with a smile. Stunned for a moment, Tia went on to nod and respond, "Okay, I see." "Thank you for bringing them to and from their kindergarten all this time," Nicole thanked, feeling grateful for Tia''s help, without which the twin''s identities would have been exposed. "It is my privilege to help you out, Miss Riddle," Tia responded. After all, Tia had always done her best to cater to the needs of Nicole and her two children. ¡°Mommy, who will pick us up and drop us off in the future then?" Nn asked, feeling a little reluctant to part ways with Tia. "Your dad will hire a chauffeur and bodyguards for you two," Nicole replied. ¡®T have to tell them the reality of the situation in advance, otherwise they''ll have a hard time adapting to the changes,'' Nicole thought. "Okay." Nn assumed a solemn look, seeming to have understood the situation. ¡®I think mommy had gotten Aunt Tia to send us to school for our safety. Now that our identities will be announced to the world, mommy will have to arrange bodyguards for us because she''s still worried for our safety,'' Nn rationalized. "Mommy, we will be good!" Lana promised once she saw that her brother had agreed. This belongs ? N?velDra/ma.Org. Nicole felt a surge of warmth in her heart as she witnessed the degree of understanding her children had disyed. She looked at them, gave them an affectionate smile, and nted a kiss on each of their cheeks. The twins then busted out in giggles, after which they tugged on Tia''s arms. "Aunt Tia, let''s go." Seeing this, Tia nodded. "Come, let''s go." Tia nced at Nicole once more before she turned and left the ce with the twins. The rest of the family slowly left the Riddle residence one after another, with Jared giving Nicole a lift to the office. "Have you taken care of the issue with James?" Nicole smiled. "Yeah, don''t worry about it. I have ordered Lulu to get someone to keep an eye on him." Nicole had gathered a significant amount of evidence during the period of time when she was watching him, and seeing that Nicole was confident at what she was doing, Jared decided not to pry into the details further. He believed that she knew what she was doing. After Nicole had left for the Riddle Corporation building, Jared signaled his chauffeur, ready to leave when he noticed a car driving up the street. "Is that Harvey Ellison?" Jared asked, his voice bing icy cold. Chapter 2434 Chapter 2434 "It''s all because Everett has failed again. On top of that, Everett had his own ns which is why Harvey ditched him," Max replied. ¡°Everett got ditched?" Jared narrowed his eyes, ''Is it possible that Harvey is nning something big?" "Yeah, it seems to me that Everett isn''t going to quit either. He seems to be up to no good, and has been pestering Raine for the past few days. However, the good news is that he has failed to do so and the assets of DillCorp have been transferred away by Raine. Asmile crossed Jared''s face, and that was when he realized where Nicole''s confidence had originated from. Max was stunned when he noticed the smile on Jared''s face. He lost grip on the steering wheel, careening the car into the leftne. rmed, Max quickly swerved back to the right. ¡®Why is Mr. Johnston smiling like that? Did something ridiculous happen to Everett?¡¯ thought Max to himself. This belongs ? N?velDra/ma.Org. Meanwhile, Jared quickly regained hisposure. ''''Don''t worry about Everett for now. We can sit back and observe." "Yes, sir,''" Max replied. Still, Jared was not at ease, as his eyes darkened immediately after. "Continue your investigation on Harvey." "Yes, sir." Max put on his game face again. He was more than aware that Harvey''s recent behavior was getting increasingly concerning. Then, Jared leaned back against his seat and began perusing the documents. Meanwhile at Riddle Corporation, Nicole had just walked into the office when she saw Lulu, who had been waiting for her. "Raine must be sobbing her eyes out right now. James is one terrifying, heartless monster," Lulu muttered in a low voice, trying to mask the fact that she was gloating. ¡°Where''s James now?" Nicole narrowed her eyes, more concerned about James'' whereabouts rather than Raine''s. "I''ve gotten someone to tail him. He''s with his lover at the Spring Vi," Lulu informed with a smirk on her face. ¡®Raine''s busy crying her eyes out while James is having the time of his life with another lover,¡¯ Lulu thought. "Let''s call the police." Nicole snickered and said with a hint of contempt in her voice. "Okay. I''ll go ahead and do it," Lulu agreed, before spinning around and striding off. Nicole sat down, and there, a look of determination crossed her face. ''Everything should be over once and for all.'' Meanwhile, Raine, who was a sobbing mess, was apanied by Dillion, who was busy cursing his heart out. "You fucking idiot! You took everything and now, what have we got left? What''s this?!" Dillion bellowed, livid and unable to wrap his head around the fact that James had yed his entire family like a fiddle. "Do you think I was the only one who trusted him? You did the same!" Raine wailed. Aloud p echoed throughout the room at once, and Raine''s screamed followed thereafter. Raine held her burning cheeks in her hands as she stared at Dillion, wide eyed with disbelief. "If it wasn''t for you, that son of ab*tch would not have wormed his way into our family. How are you still so dense? How will we even live in the future?" Karen shouted as she witnessed Dillion pping her daughter. ¡®How can I even survive now?'' Karen panicked. Then, as she attempted to shrug off the bitter taste of betrayal, Raine yelled, "You wish to pin the me on me now!? If it wasn''t for you two who pushed me into marrying that scum, none of this would''ve happened!" Raine was the one who had been made to bear the brunt of it all, for everything she had carefully curated had turned out to be a part of a scam; an borate fraud. Yet, even as she suffered, her parents had opted to turn their backs on her instead of doing what they were supposed to ¡ªforting her. "Is this all my fault?! Raine asked herself. "Oh, so you''re ming us now, huh!? Did you even stop to think about us when you two were plotting your clever little scheme to take thepany over?" Dillion spat. ¡®If she hadn''t done something so idiotic to begin with, would we even have ended up in such a miserable state?¡¯ Dillon thought. Chapter 2435 Chapter 2435 "I did it for our sake Had I been capable, I would have been the inheritor of the Riddle family''s fortunes and everything in thepany would have belonged to us," Raine said. It was obvious to everyone that Mr. Riddle Sr. favored Daniel and his children over everyone else in the family. At this point, Raine had no choice but toe to terms with the reality of it all. Hearing his daughter''s words, Dillion gritted his teeth and bellowed, "You nned to seize Riddle Corporation?! With that brain of yours?! Don''t make meugh. Think about it, you gave DillCorp to James. Had you taken Riddle Corporation, you would''ve given James the entirepany!" Raine was rendered speechless, and her face turned pale green. '' How could I have known that James, a man so sweet and kind, would turn out to be such a scum?! Raine gritted her teeth as she stood up. "I will go find him. I''m going to reim what''s mine." Then, Raine quickly ran out of the house after she had spoken. Dillion became more furious with each second spent thinking about his predicament, and all of a sudden, heunched his foot at the coffee table, shattering it and scaring Karen out of her wits. She had no choice but to endure the sight of her husband flying off the handle. ¡°What about Preston? Our family is in such a major predicament, and yet, he has the audacity to not come home and check on us. Does he even still think of us as his parents?" Dillion roared. "Call Preston." Dillion ordered the housekeeper. "Yes, sir,'''' the housekeeper said. Not long after, she came scurrying back and reported, "Sir, Mr. Riddle said he''lle home immediately." "Okay." Dillion rxed as he sat down. "Clean everything up," Karen said through her gritted teeth to the housekeeper. With that, the housekeeper quickly summoned a bunch of helpers to clean the mess in the living room. Then, Dillion and Karen proceeded to wait for Preston''s return; he was their only hope. Raine was on her way to Spring Vi after she had stormed out of the house. However, as soon as she arrived, she came across the sight of James being arrested and shoved into the police car. Raine''s face paled, and she lost all the strength she had to take even a single step forward. This prompted her to instinctively coalesce into the crowd and wait for the police to leave. After that, she got into the car again. The moment she had plonked herself onto the backseat. ''Why did the police arrest James? Is it because of the things that he has done to ourpany? Will I be held ountable as an aplice? "Please head to DillCorp," Raine ordered the driver. ¡®Ihave to get to DillCorp. I must get rid of any evidence that can be used against me,'' Raine thought to herself, not wanting to be arrested and indicted as well. The hot afternoon sun was ring into Nicole''s office as they were both sitting on the couch, enjoying the cool air blowing in from the air conditioner. N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content. They were enjoying themselves, gossiping and munching on pieces of fruit every now and then. "Oh man, you should''ve seen it. When James was cuffed, the look on Raine''s face was priceless!" Lulu smirked before she popped a grape into her mouth. "It was quite a sight. I don''t know if I should feel sorry for them. James probably deserved it, though,'' Nicole thought to herself. ¡°Raine was also at the scene?" Nicole asked, confused as to why Raine was present on the scene. "Yeah. I found it strange too when our people who were present there told me about it. She was hiding from the police when they showed up. She quickly fled the scene after that and went to DillCorp," Lulu informed. Nicole furrowed her eyebrows. ''What is Raine doing at DillCorp? Is she thinking of getting back at us? But then again, she doesn''t really have what it takes to do so.'' Noticing the solemn look on Nicole''s face, Lulu asked, "Nicole, what are you thinking about?" Chapter 2436 Chapter 2436 "I just find it strange that Raine suddenly rushed back to DillCorp, " Nicole thought aloud. "Yeah, I find that strange too. She left shortly after arriving at the scene," Lulu echoed. After a few seconds, Nicole frowned. N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content. "Get someone to check and see what she is up to." "Okay," Lulu replied. ¡°As for Dillion''s family, you should also pay close attention to them," Nicole added. With eyes as cold as frost, Nicole thought, ''If these people can''t y by the rules, they can''t me me for being cruel to them either." "Okay, but do you think they''re trying to pull another d**k move? " Lulu asked. Nodding, Nicole replied, ''That possibility can''t be ruled out. That much is true." As everyone knew that James had taken DillCorp, the notion of Raine going to DillCorp meant that there was still a chance for them to get a second wind. Lulu sneered. "They''re just like gnats we can''t seem to get rid of." Meanwhile at Dillon''s residence, everyone around the room was tense. Everyone present was essentially testing the limits of one another in the midst of this crisis, especially Raine who had gotten a very bitter taste of betrayal. None of them had the faintest of ideas on how to solve this crisis. Instead, they were pointing fingers at one another. Nicole looked up at Lulu. "Do you think Raine really loved James? Or is it all because James was there to help her?" When Raine returned, she would find a million ways to exact revenge on James. Ironically, when the both of them dug their fingers into the pie that was DillCorp. James had been the greatest ally to Raine, and was the one who had helped her climb thedder. On the surface, it seemed that their rtionship had only strengthened. Raine''s hatred and resentment for James was now greater than ever, as James was the one who had helped her get to where she was today, and he had done all that just to cast her out in the very end. If anything, it was more humiliating than heartbreaking. Raine''s hatred for James would only grow. "The two of them are like two peas in a pod. Even if James broke up with her, Raine might not be able to benefit much from it," Lulu thought with a frown on her face. Nicole nodded along after thinking for a moment. "So, if James has been arrested, I''m guessing Raine won''t be sad for too long.¡± ¡®If James had gotten his side chick into this situation, Raine might have taken revenge to get even with James. However, now that James has been arrested, she might not even give it another thought and just focus her efforts into retrieving DillCorp,'' Nicole thought. Nicole sneered. ''Raine, it''s a shame that you''re a few steps behind! Then, she turned to look at Lulu. "Where''s she? That lover of his." ¡®If someone can be with James for this long, I doubt they would be easy to deal with,'' Nicole thought. "Um, she was taken away too, but she was released on bail soon after," Lulu replied. "Released?" Nicole''s eyes narrowed, her voice bing monotonous. Lulu pondered for a while. "She wasn''t aware of the fact that James had been deceiving Raine. She even imed that she was a victim too! She agreed to work closely with the police, so they had no choice but to let her go." Nicole was bewildered. "What does the police need her help with?" ¡®If she wasn''t aware of what James was doing, what could she do to help the police?'' Nicole asked herself. "Well, ording to her, James had transferred her some of the assets. She''s innocent on record. She even offered to help recover the lost assets too," Lulu answered. ''So, she was released for being cooperative,'' Nicole snorted. "If Jameses to know that his lover has betrayed him, I bet it will be a massive shock," Nicole said. Chapter 2437 Chapter 2437 "Of course. Consider it karma for all the crap he had pulled," said Lulu as she thought, ''It would be understandable if he did this to gain power, but ultimately, his act of betraying his loved one is a step too far.'' Nicole chuckled and shook her head. "Alright, that''s enough. Everyone must be responsible for their actions and be held ountable for whatever they have done. With that said, he will pay for what he has done." Not wanting to waste any time, Lulu said, "What should we do next? Announce it?" Lulu wanted to know what Nicole''s next move was, as James''s affairs were rather significant in rtion to the business of the Riddle Corporation. Nicole narrowed her eyes. "Yes, we can announce it." "Okay," Lulu agreed in high spirits. ¡®As soon as the news is out, everything will be over once and for all. All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. Dillon''s family will be having the shock of their lives as they hear this piece of news,'' Lulu thought. "Then I shall go and make all necessary arrangements for the news to be disseminated," Lulu said and stood up. Nicole nodded in agreement as she watched Lulu leave her office. She took a nce at the time, and a smile crossed her face at once. Then, she got up from her seat and returned to her desk to start working once more. The sun was setting over the horizon as birds rushed back to their nests before night fell. The lights of the Riddle Residence were on as well, and that was when every member of the family returned one after another. "The news of Uncle Dillion''s family has been spreading like wildfire, I guess." Samuel shrugged, brushing off the seriousness of the matter. Stanley then looked at Daniel and asked, "Dad, have you checked up on grandpa?" Daniel shook his head. "No. Nicole said we''ll head to his ce in the morning tomorrow." Daniel wanted to pay Mr. Riddle Sr. a visit but ever since the fiasco came in full swing, he was worried that Mr. Riddle Sr. would not be in a good mood. However, Nicole had assured him that it would not be toote to offer some words offort to Mr. Riddle Sr. tomorrow. Suddenly, all the eyes in the room, which were brimming with curiosity, turned to Nicole. Together, they were wondering, ¡®Why tomorrow?'' "We''ll exin everything tomorrow," Nicole replied. She had not gotten hold of the results yet, so she would rather wait until tomorrow when everything would be clear as day. "Oh. Well, keep your secrets then. We''ll see what happens tomorrow," Samuelined. "Let''s go have dinner." Nicole smiled and urged everyone to have their meal. Everyone walked into the dining room where the food was already served on the table. Everyone engaged in casual chatter and just like that, the topic was not brought up again. Once dinner was over, everyone went back into their respective rooms. Once Jared and Nicole had coaxed the twins into going to bed, they returned to their room as well. Then, Jared went on to smoothen Nicole''s hair out. "All will be revealed tomorrow." Nicole smiled. "Yeah, I hope it''ll turn out well until the veryst second. I didn''t want to tell everyone, you know, just in case the oue changes." "There won''t be any changes," Jared assured as he pinched Nicole in the cheek. Jared would do his utmost to ensure that everything Nicole did would go smoothly, and that not even the slightest hup would happen on his watch. Nicole''s heart fluttered as she looked up at him, whereupon she bit her lips as she pulled him into a hug. "Thank you." Jared responded by giving Nicole a peck on her forehead. "What are you thanking me for, silly goose?" Jared had done all of it out of his own volition; none of it had been done with the intention of impressing Nicole. As long as Nicole was alive and healthy, he would be happy. Nicole tilted her head, realizing that they were inches apart. Their breaths synchronized with one another, and then, her heart fluttered once more. Chapter 2438 Chapter 2438 Jared gradually looked down and gently kissed her in the lips. Nicole, in return, closed her eyes and reacted out involuntarily. The next morning, the crisp and clear chirpings of the bird woke them up from their slumber. Nicole opened her eyes to the sight of Jared who had just woken up as well. Looking at each other, Nicole bit her lips and gave him a coy smile. "You''re up." "Yeah." Jared gently stroked her hair and handed her a shirt, causing her to blush. After they had gotten out of bed and washed up, they headed downstairs. During breakfast, Lana and Nn went on to bug Jared and Nicole into sending them to school. Due to how persistent they were, Nicole could not help but to agree to their request. And so, after they had their breakfast, Jared and Nicole proceeded to send the little cuties to school. "Mommy, do you have any secrets? Would you mind telling us about them first?" Nn lifted his head and asked with a curious look on his face. "Secrets?" Nicole was a little confused. ¡®IT don''t really have any secrets,'' Nicole thought. "It''s the secret you did not tell everyone yesterday. Didn''t you say that we''d find out today?" Nn pressed on. Lana, in agreement with her brother, butted in, "That''s right, mommy. Is it a serious matter?" The little ones had overheard the conversationst night regarding the adults going to the Riddle family manor. Over time, the little ones had gotten the impression that the family would always gather at the Riddle family manor if some major issue arose. That was when they would be left at home with Jared. "There''s nothing. Don''t think too much about it." Nicole replied, feeling a little shocked. She did not expect that the kids would be privy to whatever was going on. This belongs ? N?velDra/ma.Org. "But every time you guys pay great grandpa a visit, it''s always because something serious has happened. That exins why you couldn''t bring us there." Nn and Lana said with hints of sadness on their faces. ¡®we''re always left behind. Although we understand that mommy did it to protect us, I don''t like the feeling of being left at home alone. We would constantly be worried as well,¡¯ Nn and Lana thought. Raising her eyebrows, Nicole thought, ''These two are so observant. They''re really smart.'' Nicole patted Nn and Lana''s head, and said, "Don''t worry. It''s true that something serious is happening, but this time around, it''s something pretty good." "Oh, so, are we not allowed to go to our great grandpa''s house yet? " Nn and Lana asked, their eyes downcast. If the matter in question was a positive one, they would not be as worried anymore. However, they still wished to go over and watch the drama unfold. Seeing how crestfallen the kids looked, Jared said, "If you guys want to go, we''ll go together." "Really?" Nn and Lana''s eyes lit up. ''Is it real? Nicole bit her lips, finding herself caught in a difficult position. "Samuel and Spencer''s joint wedding ising soon. Regardless of what, we''ll have to let everyone in the family know who they are. Why don''t we let your grandpa see them first?" Jared suggested, thinking that the issue was not really complicated. After all, they were just informing Mr. Riddle Sr. about it a few days earlier. Nicole paused and thought for a moment, after which she replied, "That''s a good idea too. We''ll pick the both of you up after school and head there together." "yay!!" Nn and Lana shouted. Their excitement prompted Nicole to tap their foreheads and ask, "Were you guys nning this whole thing when you asked us to send you to school today?" They must have nned to persuade Nicole and Jared on the way to school, and that was the reason as to why they had led Nicole and Jared along for the ride. "Hehehe." Nn and Lana smiled and giggled without giving her an answer. The car then came to a halt as they reached the entrance of the school. Chapter 2439 Chapter 2439 Nicole brought Nn and Lana down and escorted them to the entrance gate. Once she saw that the teachers had ushered them into the building, she got back into the car and left. "These two little ones." Nicole shook her head with a slight smile on her face as she said in a gentle tone. "It''s time for them to meet the family." Jared said with utmost seriousness. Nicole nced at him, thinking that Jared was talking about their return to the family manor. With that in mind, she looked to the front without giving the matter more attention that it already had. Upon reaching the headquarters of Riddle Corporation, Nicole got down. Once Jared''s car had left, Nicole turned around and entered the building, where she met Lulu as soon as she stepped out of the elevator. "Nicole,e here." Lulu waved the document that was in her hands. Nicole shook her head as she responded, "You went and picked it up early this morning?" "Yeah." Lulu grinned. "Come on, let''s talk inside." After they had entered the office, Lulu passed the document to Nicole and said, "Everything has been settled. DillCorp is officially yours." "Mine?" Nicole frowned. ''Why isn''t it Sean''s?" Lulu blinked her eyes in confusion. "It''s yours." Lulu was puzzled, as the return of DillCorp to Nicole was the fruit borne out of her efforts. All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. "Shouldn''t it be under Sean''s name?" Nicole asked. After all, Sean would be the eventual heir of the fortunes of the Riddle family. Nicole already had a chunk of the shares of the Riddle Corporation, so she did not want to add to that by having DillCorp under her name. "Sean did not allow me to do it, and he refused to give me his stamp. I have no other choice." Lulu shrugged, having ced the subsidiary under Nicole''s name as she was left with no other option. Nicole was shocked. ''''Why would Sean not agree to have it?" Based on what she could recall, Nicole had spoken to Sean about this matter before. He did not go into the details, but little did she know that Sean was actually against the idea of him being the owner. Nicole got up and walked out of her office, navigating the hallways until she arrived at Sean''s office, where Steve was also present. "Sean, Steve, are you guys busy?" Nicole hesitated a little, deciding that she could wait for them outside if they were upied. "We know what you''re going to do, and that''s why we''re waiting for you here." Steve candidly replied. Hearing this, Nicole raised her brows. "So, this is the oue of your discussion? What about your opinions regarding this?" Nicole could tell that Sean and Steve had their own reservations on the matter, so she decided that she would like to hear them out. "You''re the one who saved DillCorp. Therefore, it won''t really matter whose name it''s under. As for Steve and me, we''re still thinking about Preston," Sean asserted. Nicole frowned, "It''s not that I have never considered him, but Preston is genuinely not interested in managing thepany. I''ve thought of opening a technology firm for him as it would be more suitable for him." "Yes..." Sean and Steve looked at each other and paused for a moment to contemte. "Why don''t we do this? Tonight, we''ll get Preston here to hear his opinions. What Nicole had suggested was a possible solution. So, they had resorted to making a final decision only after they had heard what Preston had to say. "That''s good. I''ll ask Lulu to inform him," Nicole agreed. With everyone on the same page, Nicole and Steve stepped out of Sean''s office. Jane then brought a cup of coffee and ced it on Sean''s desk as she said, "Nicole is truly a considerate person." "Yeah, she and Steve think that they could not leave Preston feeling hurt and disheartened anymore. It''s not thatplicated. " Sean sighed. "Tonight, when we gather, the results will be out. Your efforts all this time will finally pay off." Jane smiled, and for the first time, she was not the stern and serious secretary she used to be. Then, Sean held Jane''s hands gently and said, "Follow me home tonight." Chapter 2440 Chapter 2440 Jane, however, was a little hesitant. After all, the purpose of the gathering was to discuss Dillon and matters rting to his family members. It was not any regr family gathering, so Jane felt that it was inappropriate for her to be there. "Just join us. In the future, you''ll have to handle a bulk of stuff in the Riddle family. Tonight, we''ll be having what''s considered as an extended family gathering. Nn and Lana will be there too." Sean assured Jane. Hearing this, Jane agreed, "If that''s the case, I''ll join you then." To add to that, Nicole was nning to reveal Nn and Lana''s identity; thus, it most definitely was an asion Jane should not miss. "You should get back to work now. We''ll leave together after office hours." "Sure." Then, Jane agreed and turned around to leave the office. Meanwhile, Nicole and Steve were still making their way back to their rooms. "The entire issue with Harlow has not been resolved yet. I''m afraid we''ll need a few more days as that scum''s lips are sealed tight. He''ll only admit to usations that are supported with solid evidence. For the ones without any solid evidence, he would not even utter a single word about it." Steve gritted his teeth, thinking that the man was extremely sly. ¡°Even if he does not admit to it, he won''t be able to get away with any of it. We''ll see," Nicole replied with a frosty glint in her eyes. For all the things James had done, he would not be able to elude any responsibilities; not even a single one. "Yeah, he won''t be able to run away now." Steve huffed. Upon arriving at her office door, Nicole said, "I''ll get back to work now." ¡°Alright. This belongs ? N?velDra/ma.Org. I''ll meet Sally after work. See you at grandpa''s house tonight.¡± Steve replied. Nicole nodded and opened the door to enter her office as Steve did the same. The both of them then got busy with their respective tasks. In the blink of an eye, the sun had begun to set. The Riddle family manor had also not been this lively in a while. However, the atmosphere had an eerie feeling to it. Mr. Riddle Sr. was sitting at the center, where he turned to Gloria and Daniel, and asked, "Where are they?" "Dad, they should be on their way here." Daniel exined, as he and Gloria had arrived earlier. However, Daniel could tell that Mr. Riddle Sr. was already not ina good mood. Daniel knew that it was due to the issue surrounding Dillion''s family and James. But since Nicole had stated that the results would be out that night, Daniel had to stay put and wait. He could not do anything tofort Mr. Riddle Sr, because he did not know what the oue of the issue was. While they were chatting, the trio of Spencer, Samuel and Stanley entered together. They were shocked when they did not see Nicole there. "Nicole isn''t here yet?" "I think they''re reaching soon." Daniel nced at them and gestured for each of them to take a seat. Understanding Daniel''s signals and noticing that their grandfather was not in a good mood, the three of themposed themselves and approached Mr. Riddle Sr. "Hello, grandpa." "Have a seat." Mr. Riddle Sr. said, his tone calm and gentle so as not to stress everyone out. The three of them looked at each other, sat down and remained silent. When they heard some noises emanating from the door, everyone''s gaze turned to it. But as soon as they saw that it was Preston, someone from the crowd gasped in shock. "What are you doing here?" The gathering that night was only made known to Daniel''s family. They did not inform the rest, and thus, they could only wonder why he had shown up. ¡°Am I not allowed to be here?" Preston frowned and answered with a question of his own. "Sure."'' Everyone choked for a moment. Then, Samuel invited, "Come and have a seat." Since Preston was already there, there was no way they could chase him out. So, they decided to wait for Nicole toe in before they proceed. "Grandpa, why do you look so angry?" Preston asked, noticing that Mr. Riddle Sr. had a sour look on his face. ¡®Could grandpa be sick again? Is that why Nicole gathered us here today?'' he wondered. Mr. Riddle Sr. looked up and gave Preston a nce, after which he frowned and said, "Sit down." "Oh." Preston responded. Then, he sat down next to Samuel and whispered, "What''s going on?" Chapter 2441 Chapter 2441 ¡®why does everyone seem to be acting weird? Why did Nicole ask me toe here?¡¯ Preston thought to himself. "We''ll wait for Nicole to arrive." Samuel replied, not knowing what to tell Preston either. Mr. Riddle Sr. looked at Preston and narrowed his eyes. He was furious when he heard about what Dillion and his family had done. But before he could act upon it, he got wind that James had been caught. So, they could only wait for the police to announce the results. However, Preston seemed to be unbothered by the news, leading them to wonder if he truly had no regard for DillCorp. Even if he did not have the slightest shred of interest in managing it, DillCorp still belonged to his family. There was no way he would sit idly and watch as James seized DillCorp. Meanwhile, Preston was beginning to trernble under Mr. Riddle Sr. ''s re. ¡®Why do I feel like something bad is about to happen?¡¯ "Grandpa." A crisp voice sounded out, snapping everyone out of their thoughts. Everyone looked up and turned toward the entrance where the voice had emanated, and there Nicole and Jared walked in, with two doll-like kids in tow. When Mr. Riddle Sr. saw Nn and Lana, he began staring at them in shock, sizing them up. ''Why did Nicole and Jared bring two kids in here?¡¯ Standing in front of the couch now, Nicole smiled and introduced the kids, "Grandpa, this is Nn and Lana, my children and your great grandchildren." "Hello great grandpa." Nn and Lana greeted him in unison, their voices cute and sweet. Mr. Riddle Sr.''s jaw dropped the instant he heard what Nicole had said. His mind went nk, and he froze in shock, not knowing how to react to the situation. ¡®What did she say? Her kids with Jared? They have kids? And the kids are this old already?" ¡°Great grandpa, do you not like us?" Lana tilted her head and asked with a sad look on her face. Nicole patted Lana''s head gently. "Great grandpa will never dislike you guys. He''s just a little shocked to meet you guys. Give him some time." Mr. Riddle Sr. came back to his senses and looked at the two kids. And contrary to his initial reaction, he was very touched. "I-it''s great." Mr. Riddle Sr. totally did not expect them to have children already. He was really caught off guard. After all, Nicole had been missing for five years. No one knew that she was pregnant before she left. N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. Now that she had suddenly brought the kids home, Mr. Riddle Sr. found himself in utter disbelief. "Hello great grandfather." Nn and Lana greeted him once again with sweet smiles on their faces. "Hello kids." Mr. Riddle Sr. beamed. Then, he immediately summoned the house butler, "Alfred, quickly! Grab them a wee gift." "Understood." The house butler grinned as he bent down. Then, he turned around and strode off to grab them the presents. Lana looked up, her face brimming with curiosity as she asked, " Great grandpa, what are you going to give us?" ¡°Haha...what would you like as a present?" Mr. Riddle Sr.ughed out loud as he found the kids adorable. When Mr. Riddle Sr.ughed, everyone else in the room followed suit, bursting out in chuckles. They had always known that the children were adorable, and now that they had put a smile on Mr. Riddle Sr.''s face, everyone felt relieved. Lana nced at Nn, having popped the question out of pure curiosity. In truth, she was not sure what she wanted as a present. Nn gave it some thought and replied, ''We will love whatever it is, as long as it''s a gift from great grandpa." "That''s right. We will like anything as long as it''s from you, great grandpa." Lana nodded vigorously as she echoed what Nn had said. "Hahaha..." The room was filled with another gale ofughter once again. At the same time, Sean and Steve was bringing Jane and Sally into the house, and when they saw Mr. Riddle Sr.ughing his heart out, they could not help but ask, "Grandpa, what''s the good news here that made you this happy?" Chapter 2442 Chapter 2442 Sean, Steve, Jane, and Sally then made their way to the couch and greeted Mr. Riddle Sr. "Hello, grandpa." "Have a seat." Mr. Riddle Sr. invited, his tone bing a lot gentler, and his face radiant with smiles. After everyone had settled down, the house butler brought the wee gifts over, of which both were charms made out of gold and jadeite. The charms themselves were green jades that had been carved into the shape of a locket. The outer rim was framed with pure gold, and the tassels, which were also forged out of 24 carat gold, were dangling below the locket, paired with chains of the sameposition. Once the gifts had been revealed, everyone was left in a state of shock. It seemed to them that the presents were prepared a while ago, and not something that anyone could simply whip out of the shelves. "Grandpa, this gift..." Nicole paused mid-sentence, taken aback by what she had just seen. After all, Mr. Riddle Sr. had not been privy to Nn and Lana''s existence prior to today. "I got someone to custom make these, and they were prepared as wee gifts for my great grandkids." Mr. Riddle Sr. said and turned to look at the rest. "When all of you have your own kids in the future, each one of them will receive one." Mr. Riddle Sr. had been hoping for new arrivals from the next generation of the Riddle family. Therefore, he had hired a renowned jeweler to custom make these lockets a long time ago. However, not a single one of his grandkids had children of their own, and for the longest time, there were no marriages even. Because of this, Mr. Riddle Sr. was beginning to feel disappointed. He thought that he might not get any great grandchildren at all. Fortunately, God had been kind to him, and the revtion that he actually had two great grandchildren was a testament to that fact. "Thank you, Grandpa," everyone thanked him in unison as they were touched by Mr. Riddle Sr.''s gesture of preparing them gifts even before they had kids. "Here, I''ll put them on for Nn and Lana," Mr. Riddle Sr. said, and proceeded to put the nes on Nn and Lana''s necks. "Thank you, great grandpa," the twins uttered in unison. After Nn and Lana had thanked him, they stared at their lockets in wonder and joy. And once Mr. Riddle Sr. realized that everyone had arrived, he dered, "Let''s eat." "Grandpa, hold on." Nicole butted in, determined to clear the air before dinner began, as she knew the burning question was still lingering in their minds. "What''s the matter?" Mr. Riddle Sr. sat up again and asked. "It''s about DillCorp." Nicole replied. Hearing Nicole''s response, everyone turned their gaze to Preston. After all, he was the only person present who was directly rted to Dillion''s branch of the family. "IT have a rough idea about what happened. I''m saddened to hear about it, but Raine made her decisions. It''s all on her, and she''ll have to bear the consequences of her actions." Preston stated candidly, albeit with a despondent tone of voice. Preston had received a call from his parents about the issue of DillCorp. However, he did not ask them much about it as he was busy tracking down five Crests with Ryder at Finley Group. As such, he had only gotten a rough idea of everything that had happened and the oue of the entire fiasco. Still, none of these things were of any importance to him since he was not interested in managing the company. Aside from that, he thought that it would be good for his family toe to their senses after this particr incident. As soon as he had spoken, he looked at Nicole and asked, "Since we''re on the topic of DillCorp, did you invite me here to ask me about something?" Preston knew that Nicole had invited him over for a specific reason, but he had onlye to discover the reason for the gathering after he had seen Daniel''s entire family present here. N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. Regardless, he believed that there must be a purpose for him in the gathering if Nicole had informed him about it. "Erm." Sally coughed. "While you guys discusspany matters, I''ll bring Nn and Lana to the dining room." Sally thought that the kids might be bored since the adults were going to discuss work-rted topics. Seconding that, Gloria said, "Good idea. Let''s go together." After she had spoken, Gloria and Sally stood up and brought the two kids to the dining room. As for the rest of them, they remained because they wanted to talk about everything that had urred, even though some of them were not involved in thepany. Chapter 2443 Chapter 2443 ¡°Alright, Nicole. What were you saying?" Mr. Riddle Sr. looked at Nicole, and everyone''s gaze turned to her. With a stern look on her face, Nicole began, "The truth is, I have assigned someone to keep an eye on James for a while now. So, I''m aware of everything that he has done." ¡°You''re aware of everything?" Samuel asked, shocked. "Well, what about the assets he has siphoned from DillCorp?" "I''m aware of that too." Nicole nodded. "Because of that, he did not seed." As expected, those words left everyone dumbfounded. "He did not seed? What does that mean?" "We went straight to the root of the problem and rendered all of James'' work and efforts futile. Moreover, he left a trail of crumbs and got himself arrested." Steve shrugged his shoulders and said as if it had all been done effortlessly. "So?" Everyone stared at Nicole, their eyes brimming with hope. "Does that mean that DillCorp did not suffer any losses because Nicole had stepped in.'' "DillCorp''s shares and assets are now with me." Nicole stated, confirming their guesses. "Good job!" Spencer shouted, overjoyed. He finally understood why Lulu always appeared to be calm whenever the issues pertaining to DillCorp were mentioned. He had initially assumed that they were just wishing Raine the worst, as they loathed her, but as it turned out, Nicole had been ten steps ahead all along. Mr. Riddle Sr. became even happier upon hearing the news. "I knew it! With you around, nothing can fail." Even though everyone had split up and had gone on to run their ownpanies separately, DillCorp was still a part of the Riddle Family''s business. Due to this very reason, Mr. Riddle Sr. would not be able to take it if it ended up in someone else''s hands. Fortunately for him, Nicole was there. Now, Mr. Riddle Sr. could finally enjoy some peace of mind, without having to worry much about thepany affairs anymore. ¡°Nicole, then why are you..." Stanley looked at Preston''s direction as he said. He was curious as to why Nicole invited Preston over. Knowing what the question lingering in Stanley''s mind was, Nicole asked, "Preston, what are your thoughts on DillCorp?" "Since it''s in your hands now, you can deal with it however you want," he answered, d that the oue was better than anticipated due to the fact that it did not end up in the hands of an adversary. ¡°How about I return it to you?" Nicole raised her eyebrows and asked withplete seriousness. Preston widened his eyes in shock. "Me?" "Yes, DillCorp belongs to your family. Initially, I thought that it''d be better off in my hands than in Uncle Damien''s. But since you are the son of Uncle Dillion, it''s only right that I pass it back to you. From N?velDrama.Org. After all, you''re the son of the original owner." Nicole exined. Preston shook his head. "I don''t think it''s a good idea. Will Everett even stop eyeing DillCorp if you pass it back to me?" After all, there would be no guarantee that Preston would doa better job than Dillion or Everett if he were to take over. "I think we should spend some time and think about this matter." Stanley pondered and turned to Mr. Riddle Sr. "Grandpa, what''s your opinion on this?" Mr. Riddle Sr. looked at Nicole, and then at Preston. He was also hesitant to voice his opinion regarding the ownership of the subsidiary. He thought that what both Stanley and Preston said made sense, but he would not force Nicole to retain thepany if she did not wish to either. "If that''s the case, what if we build a technology firm for you?¡± Steve smirked as he knew that Preston was very much against managing apany. ¡°A techpany? Are you being real?" Preston asked, his mouth agape. Nicole nodded. "Of course it''s real. Isn''t it your dream to have a technologypany of your own someday?" In the past, Preston was held back by his father, who had disallowed him from running apany of his own, as Dillion wanted him to inherit DillCorp. Therefore, his dream was put on hold, and he never ended up opening one. Still, he never returned to DillCorp either. "It is," Preston replied, after which his eyes widened in shock. " How did you know this? Aren''t you..." ¡®Didn''t she lose her memories? How did she know about this?'' Preston wondered. Chapter 2444 Chapter 2444 Nicole was also taken aback. ''How did I know? Well, I just mentioned it in passing, didn''t I?'' In the midst of it all, Mr. Riddle Sr. furrowed his brow. "Why wouldn''t she know?" "um..." Preston quickly shook his head, realizing that he had misspoke. "No, it''s nothing." Mr. Riddle Sr. looked at Nicole again, his eyes tinged with curiosity. ''Preston seemed surprised. Am I missing out on something?" "Everyone knows what your dreams are, buddy," Jared said as he looked at Preston indifferently. Hearing that, Preston immediately agreed, "Yeah, everyone knows." "Yes, all of us do," everyone chimed in. Mr. Riddle Sr. felt that something was odd, but he could not pinpoint it, so he darted his eyes at each and every single one of them. ¡°Grandpa, do you think my n is okay?" Nicole asked witha faint smile. ¡°Well, since Preston doesn''t want to manage DillCorp and only wishes to run a techpany, let''s do it as you have nned.¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. agreed after Nicole had interrupted his thoughts. From N?velDrama.Org. "Grandpa has agreed, so if you have no objections, it''s settled," Nicole said to Preston. "No objections from me, and I have to thank you too," Preston replied. ''If it weren''t for Nicole, DillCorp would have been lost, and I''d never have gotten a chance to open my own tech firm.¡¯ "Right. Then it''s settled," Mr. Riddle Sr. decided. Then, everyone looked at Preston. "Well, congrattions, Preston! " ¡°Thank you, thank you all!" Preston smiled, brimming with tion. This had always been his dream, and Nicole had made ite true at longst. Mr. Riddle Sr. had already forgotten about his suspicions and was now in high spirits as he went on to chat with everyone about Preston''s techpany. "Dad, let''s have dinner first," Gloria called out to them when she noticed that everyone had not gone to the dining room yet. If they continued with the conversation, their dinner would get cold. "Okay, let''s dig in first, shall we?" Mr. Riddle Sr. invited, and they all headed to the dining area together. After taking their seats at the dining table, they ate and chatted away. It had been a long time since the Riddle family manor had been this lively. Their previous visits had always ended on a sour note, but this time, there wasughter and joy. After dinner, everyone got up and began to leave. It was gettingte, so Daniel and Gloria proceeded to take Nn and Lana back home. Staying back for too long would only affect the children''s sleep cycle. One by one, everyone left, but not Nicole, who stayed back as requested by Mr. Riddle Sr. Preston had also volunteered to stay, as did Jared. After everyone had said their goodbyes and driven off, Mr. Riddle Sr. asked Nicole, "About James, how will he end up?" "Grandpa, the evidence is conclusive. He won''t be getting away," Nicole replied calmly. Mr. Riddle Sr. nodded. "That''s good." No one had expected James, who had initially seemed so honest and kind, to turn out to be a fraud, one who had almost cost the Riddle family arge fraction of their assets. ¡°Grandpa, what about Uncle Dillon and his family? How do you n to handle it?" Nicole furrowed her brows and asked. He had asked her to stay to discuss this, but she wanted to hear his opinion as well. With that, Mr. Riddle Sr. raised an eyebrow. ''''What about you? What do you think?" Chapter 2445 Chapter 2445 Chapter 2445 Since Preston was also present, it was a good opportunity for all of them to offer some rity on this issue. At the very least, there was one person from Dillion''s family who was reasonable. "T think we should take care of the issue concerning the medicines first." Nicole''s eyes darkened. Mr. Riddle Sr. narrowed his eyes. "Do you think Everett''s evidence is unreliable?" He had guessed that, as Nicole had mentioned this with such abruptness. "I''ve already conducted an investigation. There are indeed some suspicions." Nicole''s voice grew deeper and lower. However, the specifics were still unclear, so they needed to continue the investigation. "Make sure to investigate thoroughly then." Mr. Riddle Sr. replied, his tone bing much more solemn. ¡°Of course," Nicole responded. "As for Dillion...'''' Mr. Riddle Sr. looked at Preston and paused for a moment. "Just let them stay at home until everything has been cleared up." They had already severed ties on paper before, so Mr. Riddle Sr. did not want to get himself involved in their affairs anymore. ¡°Don''t worry, Grandpa. They won''te and bother you," Preston assured him. Preston figured that his father and sister would not have the guts toe back after they had gotten DillCorp into such a mess. "Good." Mr. Riddle Sr. nodded in satisfaction. "You can go home now. I need to get some sleep." ¡°Alright, Grandpa. Rest well." And after bidding him farewell, his grandchildren left. Mr. Riddle Sr. heaved a sigh of relief after they were gone. "Thank goodness for Nicole." "Mr. Riddle Sr., please take good care of your health from now on. This belongs ? N?velDra/ma.Org. You can enjoy your life with Miss Nicole taking charge of everything now," the butler smiled and comforted. "Nicole returning safely has been the greatest boon for me." During the past five years, everyone had been living their lives normally on the surface, but Nicole''s disappearance had been a thorn in everyone''s hearts, one that nobody even dared to mention or address. Fortunately, she had made their way back to their hearts and lives. "Miss Nicole didn''t just return on her own. She brought Nn and Lana as well." The butler smiled. ¡®Those two children were truly adorable, indeed,¡¯ Alfred thought. Hearing the butler''s words, Mr. Riddle Sr. could not help but smile as he pictured Nn and Lana''s faces in his mind. "Oh Nicole, she''s been back for so long. Why didn''t she bring the children to me earlier?" he said. ¡®I should have seen such little cuties sooner thanter,'' the old man thought. "It''s not toote now. In the future, we should get Mr. Spencer to bring Nn and Lana here more often to keep you company," Alfred suggested. "Yes, that''s a good idea." Mr. Riddle Sr. agreed with a nod. Then, the butler kindly reminded him, "Well, Mr. Riddle Sr.? You should go upstairs and rest. You must take care of your health." "I''m perfectly healthy!" Mr. Riddle Sr. said with a hint of coyness. "Yes, you are the healthiest," the butler agreed with a smile. "No, I have to call Mr. Johnston Sr. and share this good news with him." Mr. Riddle Sr. picked the phone up and dialed a number. " Hey, I have good news..." Meanwhile, in the courtyard, Nicole, Jared, and Preston were exchanging serious nces. "It''s not going very smoothly, but we won''t give up,'''' Preston clenched his teeth. ¡°Don''t put too much pressure on yourself. I know this is difficult, and it''s actually more of a test. So even if the results aren''t ideal, it''s okay," Nicole said as she noticed Preston''s guilt. "We hope to find it as soon as possible too. It would greatly benefit you." Unfortunately, the progress was so slow that they even began to doubt their own capabilities. Chapter 2446 Chapter 2446 Chapter 2446 "Beneficial or not, I''ll still do what needs to be done." Nicole had always relied on herself, and any assistance would be a bonus. But even without it, she would not give up. "Let''s go back now. Just carry on with your n. If you encounter any problems, you cane to us," Jared said firmly. He was determined to seed in this matter. "Got it," Preston agreed solemnly. Jared nced at Preston. Then, he held Nicole''s hand, about to get in the car. "Nicole, thank you," said Preston. "You should go home now," Nicole replied, smiling faintly. She then got into the car with Jared. After watching them leave, Preston got into his own car and left the manor. The Riddle family manor fell silent once again, but tonight, it seemed different from before. In the car, Nicole leaned back in her seat. She slowly moved her neck, appearing somewhat tired.From N?velDrama.Org. "Feeling better now?" Jared asked softly, gently massaging her neck. "Yes, much better," Nicole replied with a smile. Jared looked at her and asked, "Did you remember something in the family manor?" Knowing that he was asking about what she had told Preston, Nicole furrowed her brows. "I''m not sure. I didn''t personally feel anything, but at that moment, I just felt like that was the right thing to say, that it should be like that." She did not know if her memories were gradually returning, but she just had a feeling that she knew Preston had always wanted to start a techpany, so she just spontaneously mentioned it. Jared''s eyes narrowed slightly. ''So, she couldn''t definitively sense whether her memories were returning, but she''d show it if something was familiar to her." "Maybe your memories are slowlying back. That''s a good sign," Jared said. "I think so too," Nicole replied. Even if she could not regain her memories, it did not seem to affect her now. Nicole let out a sigh of relief as she rested her head on Jared''s shoulder. She looked content as she closed her eyes, smiling. "If you''re tired, just sleep for a while," Jared suggested softly, holding the woman gently. "Sure," Nicole murmured before falling silent. Jared waited for a while and she was still silent, so he nced at her and found that she had really fallen asleep. There was tenderness in his gaze. "Max, crank up the air conditioning a bit," Jared instructed. "Of course." Max adjusted the temperature before asking quietly, "Mr. Johnston, now that Dillon''s case is resolved, will they find trouble with Mrs. Johnston if they find out that the DillCorp is now under her control?" "They don''t have the ability to do so," Jared said with a cold glint in his eyes. He would not give them the opportunity either. Just then, Jared''s phone suddenly rang. He immediately muted his phone and saw ''Grandpa¡¯ shing on the screen. His brows furrowed slightly as if he could guess what this was about. He nced at Nicole and ultimately decided not to answer the call. He put the phone away after the screen went nk. After a while, the car arrived at the Riddle residence. Seeing that Nicole was still asleep, Jared did not want to disturb her. So he gently carried her out of the car and returned to their room. Chapter 2447 Chapter 2447 Chapter 2447 After settling Nicole down, Jared''s phone rang again. He sighed helplessly and went to the balcony to answer the call. "You punk. You''re even avoiding my calls now." Mr. Johnston Sr. sounded annoyed. "I was upied just now," Jared exined calmly. Mr. Johnston Sr. was vexed. "If Mr. Riddle Sr. didn''t tell me, how long were you nning to keep this from me?" Jared knew exactly what was going on after hearing this usatory tone. Mr. Riddle Sr. had called Jared''s grandfather and informed him about the children, so his grandfather came to question him. "I didn''t intend to keep it from you. It''s just not convenient to disclose it openly right now," Jared justified patiently. ¡°Hmph! Mr. Riddle Sr. knows, so why can''t I?" Mr. Johnston Sr. questioned angrily. As grandfathers, they both had the right to know. "Give us some time. I''ll exin everything to you," Jared said, feeling helpless. "It''ste. Get some rest." With that, Jared hung up the phone. Otherwise, his grandfather would keep questioning him. But Jared could not promise him anything right now. After all, he had not even told Nicole about his grandfather. In fact, he did not tell her anything rted to his family. He did not want to burden her when her memory still had not fully returned. However, things hade to this point, and Jared believed that it was finally time for him to head back and exin things to his grandfather. He looked back at the room, his gaze softening. ''She should know some things by now,¡¯ he thought. The next day, the sun shone brightly, and the sky was clear. As usual, Jared apanied Nicole to Riddle Corporation. However, as soon as their car stopped, another car pulled up in front of them. Jared could not help but feel a bit exhausted at this strange urrence. Although he found it strange that the car had stopped in front of them, Nicole got out of the car without much thought, so Jared followed suit. ¡°Do you need something?" Nicole asked, confused when she saw him getting out of the car. "I nned to tell you some of this in the future, but I''m afraid you have to know about it now," Jared said. There was no avoiding it now. His grandfather was here, and even if he did not say anything, it was something that could be swept under the carpet. Before Nicole could ask what he meant, a loud voice was heard as a figure approached them. ¡°You brat! You found your wife, and now you''re neglecting everything else, huh?" Nicole turned to look. Even though that person was elderly, he appeared quite spirited, almost appearing younger than their actual age. However, there was one thing that did not make sense to her. ¡®This person just called someone a brat. Who''s he referring to?'' In her confusion, the elderly person had already arrived in front of them. He was raising his walking stick and was about tosh out at Jared. Nicole''s expression changed, and she instinctively blocked the cane, frowning slightly. "Sir, how can you injure someone in public?" ¡®Who is this person? How dare he call Jared a brat! He even tried to hit him! Does someone like this actually exist in San Jato? Or did he mistake Jared for someone else?¡¯ Mr. Johnston Sr. was stunned as he looked at the unfamiliarity in Nicole''s eyes. She even sounded hostile. ¡°Grandpa, let''s head inside and talk," Jared suggested. Nicole blinked in surprise. "Grandpa?" ¡°Well, that''s about right. Youngdy, you''ve disappeared for five years, and now that you''re back, you don''t even acknowledge me anymore. You didn''t even let me see your kids even though you''ve taken them to see Mr. Riddle Sr.,'''' Mr. Johnston Sr. grumbled discontentedly, already walking toward the Riddle Corporation building. Nicole''s mouth twitched. ''Did he just respond to me? I wasn''t even addressing him.'' She turned to look at Jared, her eyes filled with questions. ¡®What''s going on?¡¯N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. Chapter 2448 Chapter 2448 Chapter 2448 Jared held Nicole''s hand. "Let''s go, we can talk inside." "Sure." Nicole followed Jared into her office. Once they entered Nicole''s office, the three of them took seats on the couch. A secretary brought them some tea and left the room. It was just the three of them left. Both Nicole and Mr. Johnston Sr. looked at Jared, waiting for him to say something. "Grandpa, we didn''t mean to keep this from you, but it''s because Nicole has amnesia," Jared exined, choosing to rify things with his grandfather first. As long as his grandfather understood the situation, everything else could be sorted out. Indeed, Mr. Johnston Sr. was shocked at the statement. He looked at Nicole in astonishment. "You don''t remember anything at all?" ¡®No wonder she didn''t recognize me earlier. She had lost her memory.'' "Yes, but this is something we''ve kept confidential. Even Mr. Riddle Sr. doesn''t know about it," Jared exined with a raised eyebrow, lowering his voice. Mr. Johnston Sr. was initially surprised, but then he smiled. "Well, now I know something he doesn''t. That''s good.¡± Jared shook his head mentally as he knew his grandfather would react this way. Once he put it this way, his grandfather would not be bothered by the details. ¡°Have you consulted a doctor? Is there a chance for her to recover? " "We''re working on it, but the results of my treatment are still uncertain,¡± Nicole answered truthfully. N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. Seeing Mr. Johnston Sr.''s reaction, even though she had no memory of him, Nicole felt a strange sense of familiarity with him. "Don''t worry too much about it. Even if you can''t remember, it doesn''t matter. What matters most is the future of both of you. You should live happily together from now on," said Mr. Johnston Sr., tofort them. He felt sorry for Nicole. She had gone through a lot before returning to San Joto, and now, she had lost her memory. However, to everyone else, Nicole''s memory loss was not important. What was most important was that she was back safely, and that was more than enough. "Yeah." Nicole smiled as she realized that she had been worried for nothing. Gradually, she had be more epting, and the oue did not seem so important anymore. ¡°What about the children?" Mr. Johnston Sr. continued. Last night, Mr. Riddle Sr. had called him, praising how cute the children were, so he could not wait to see them. "Grandpa, we''ll take the children to visit you in a few days," Jared said. Since his grandfather already knew about his kids, there was no need to hide it any longer. "Can''t I see them now?" He had been looking forward to it. "They are at preschool right now," Jared exined. Upon hearing this, Mr. Johnston Sr. proposed, "How about after school then?" ¡®If I can''t meet them now, I must be able to see them after their ss.¡¯ "You have to give us some time so I can tell the kids beforehand." It was not that Jared did not want them to meet his grandfather, he just had not told Nn and Lana about this yet. Since Nicole had lost her memories and many things had happened after her return, Jared did not tell them about Mr. Johnston Sr. for now. "What''s there to tell them? Just bring me to them, and I''ll tell them myself. Mr. Riddle Sr. had met them, so I want to see them too,'''' Mr. Johnston Sr. said stubbornly. Jared frowned, feeling defeated. Seeing that both men were standing their ground, Nicole decided to grant Mr. Johnston''s wishes. "Alright, please wait at home then, Grandpa. I''ll take them to meet you after they''re done with their sses." Chapter 2449 Chapter 2449 Chapter 2449 Suddenly, Mr. Johnston Sr. became delighted. "Alright, it''s settled then! I''ll await your visit tonight." Jared could only give in. Alright.¡± ¡°Hmph! My own useless grandson is less capable than Nicole," Mr. Johnston grumbled discontentedly. Then he smiled at Nicole and said, "I''ll be waiting for you all tonight." "Bye, Grandpa," Nicole responded with a smile, nodding. Finally satisfied, Mr. Johnston Sr. left. Nicole raised her gaze to look at Jared. "Why didn''t you tell me about your grandfather all this time?" "There were too many things on your te, so I didn''t want you to be distracted," Jared exined softly. He initially believed that Nicole would remember when her memories returned. However, things had not unfolded as he expected. Since everyone knew about this now, and Nn and Lana''s identities were going to be announced to the public, Jared figured that there was no need for him to keep it from Nicole anymore. All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. Understanding his intentions, Nicole stopped condemning him. But now that they knew, it was time to visit his family''s elders. Jared patted her head affectionately and said softly, "I''m d you understand.¡± Nicole could not help but roll her eyes yfully. ''''No need to be so serious. It''s not that big of a deal." Besides, Jared was considering her well-being. He was not being selfish. "Nicole!" Lulu burst into the room in a hurry. She froze when she saw Jared there. "Hello, Mr. Johnston." After seeing the urgency on Lulu''s face, Jared said, "I''ll be leaving now since you''re busy." "Sure." Nicole smiled. After Jared left, Lulu walked up to Nicole and teased, "Did I interrupt something?" She did not expect Jared to be there, which was why she barged in like that. Nicole rolled her eyes at Lulu. "It''ste. Do you have something urgent to discuss?" Lulu''s expression instantly turned serious. "Yes, well... Raine has gone missing." Lulu''s face turned pale with concern. "How did she disappear?" Nicole asked in surprise. ''Given Raine''s current condition, where could she have gone?'' ¡°We don''t know. She went to DillCorp the other day, went back home, and never stepped out again. We thought she was just resting due to her injuries, but today we realized she''s been missing for who knows how long," Lulu said, her face turning paler. As of now, they only knew that Raine was missing, with no other details. "So be it then," Nicole replied indifferently. ¡°But what if she holds a grudge and tries to harm you?" The person Raine should resent the most was James, but he was arrested now. If Raine wanted to take revenge on someone, her primary target was most probably Nicole. Nicole said calmly, "She''s not capable enough." Lulu furrowed her eyebrows. "If it''s not that, then where could she have gone?" With DillCorp gone, James arrested, and her family cutting ties with the Riddle family, there was nowhere else for Raine to turn. Where could she be? Nicole''s eyes narrowed as she asked, ''What about the others?" "Well..." Lulu pondered before replying, "Dillon and Karen are at home every day, looking extremely upset. They seem to be on the verge of a breakdown." Now, in Dillon''s family, Preston was the only one who was behaving normally. The others appeared eerie and emotionally unstable. "Does Raine get yelled at home all the time?" Nicole wondered. Chapter 2450 Chapter 2450 "Yeah, that''s true." Lulu nodded. Dillon was furious every day, so how could he not scold her? Then, Lulu seemed to grasp Nicole''s meaning. Her eyes widened. " Oh, you mean to say that she couldn''t stand being at home anymore?" While that was a possibility, why would she go so far as to disappear just to run away from home? Could it be that she did not want Dillon to find out where she was and continue to berate her? "It''s not worth wasting energy on Raine''s issues. She can''t do much now anyway." Nicole shrugged, not wanting to dwell on it. If Raine could not bear staying at home, she would hide until she could not anymore, and then she woulde out. ¡°Alright, I understand," Lulu replied. She then asked Nicole, "You went back to the family manor yesterday. How did you resolve the matter with Preston?" ¡°He doesn''t want to manage DillCorp, so I promised to help him establish a techpany, and he agreed," Nicole exined briefly. "That''s actually not a bad oue," Lulu remarked. ¡°He''s helping me now, but he''s never been involved in managing thepany. Can you help prepare the necessary documents for the early stage?" "Sure. I''ll get the documents ready and hand them over to Preston, " If she could help, Lulu was more than willing. "Thank you," Nicole said, smiling. Lulu pretended to be displeased. "Don''t thank me! Are you treating me like a stranger?" ¡°Alright, no thanks, then. I''ll just thank my sister-inw," Nicole teased. Lulu''s cheeks reddened, and she retorted, "Mrs. Johnston, you really don''t need to be so polite." Nicole burst intoughter and Lulu joined her, filling the office withughter. After a while, Lulu checked the time and said, "I have to go back to work." "Okay." Nicole nodded in agreement. Lulu turned and left the office. Taking a deep breath, Nicole got up and returned to her desk to busy herself. Unfortunately, just when she finished dealing with the final document and ced it down, the phone rang. Nicole nced at the number and saw that it was Lawrence calling. She squinted and the screen but answered the call. Nicole took another deep breath and said calmly, "Leo." ¡°Nicole, the doctor I arranged for earlier is avable today. I''lle pick you up now. Let''s go for the examination,¡± Lawrence''s gentle voice sounded through the phone. This belongs ? N?velDra/ma.Org. After a brief hesitation, Nicole agreed, "Alright." Since she had already agreed earlier, she could not back out now. Besides, given her current situation, she also wanted to know how much progress she had made in her recovery. "Okay, go get ready. I''ll be downstairs at your office in five minutes," Lawrence added. "Where are we going?" "Roma General Hospital."" Lawrence recited the address to her. "Okay," Nicole said and hung up the phone. Nicole contemted for a moment and then called Martin. Chapter 2451 Chapter 2451 "Nicole?" Martin sounded confused. "I''m going to Roma General Hospital for an examination shortly. Can youe over?" Nicole asked carefully. "Is it the examination arranged by your friend?" "Yes,"'' Nicole admitted truthfully. She had already discussed this with Martin before, and he had mentioned that he wanted toe along, which was why she called him. "Got it. I''lle over now." Martin responded. "Thank you. See you at the hospitalter." Nicole then hung up the phone. With everything arranged, Nicole left her office. Lulu had alsoe out of her office and was ready to apany Nicole. "Are we leaving now?" "Yes, let''s go." Nicole nodded and exited thepany with Lulu. Lawrence arrived just in time too. "Hey, Nicole," Lawrence said, smiling gently. After greeting Nicole, he nced at Lulu and nodded in her direction. ¡°Mr. Lawrence," Lulu greeted him politely. Her attitude was not overly enthusiastic, but it was not cold either. Lawrence narrowed his brown eyes. He felt that Lulu was somewhat strange, but he could not figure out why. He knew this person was not only Spencer''s fiancee but also Nicole''s close friend, so she was an important person to Nicole. ¡°Let''s go, Leo." Nicole moved slightly to block Lawrence''s view of Lulu. Sensing Nicole''s action, Lulu''s expression stiffened for a moment, but she quickly regained her composure, acting as if nothing had happened. She knew that even though she was trying to appear natural, Lawrence had sensed something. He was indeed quite perceptive. Nicole was helping her back there. Without Nicole, she might have aroused Lawrence''s suspicions and caused unnecessary trouble for Nicole. "Thanks for this, Leo," Nicole said. "Don''t be so polite with me." His tone was extremely gentle. N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. "Just rx. Having a calm state of mind will help your amnesia too." "Okay." Nicole smiled. Lulu was relieved as she listened to Nicole and Lawrence chatting away. She was clenching her jaw trying to make herself calm down. ¡®I''ve got to be steadier. I can''t bring Nicole any trouble.'' After some time, their car stopped at the hospital. Lawrence led Nicole and Lulu to the inspection room that was booked, where they saw a man with blonde hair and gold- rimmed sses. He seemed like a well-mannered man and was looking at Nicole. "Is she the one?" the blond man asked. "Yes, thank you," Lawrence answered politely. He seemed quite courteous to this man. Nicole''s eyes narrowed subtly. This was the first time she had seen Lawrence showing such an attitude toward others. "Nicole, although Hanwick may look young, his medical skills are very advanced. You can put your faith in him," Lawrence reassured Nicole. "Okay, thank you," Nicole replied politely and nodded at Hanwick as a sign of acknowledgment. Chapter 2452 Chapter 2452 Chapter 2452 "Come with me."'' Hanwick walked toward the examination machine. Nicole gestured for Lawrence and Lulu to leave first before she followed Hanwick. Lawrence and Lulu left the examination room, and the corridor fell silent. Lulu bit her lip as she desperately tried to stay calm. She could not allow Lawrence to sense any abnormalities. She knew it was all on her. She should not suspect Lawrence just because she heard that Steve was investigating him. For that reason, her attitude toward him had changed, which made Lawrence grow suspicious of her. After a long silence, Lulu became puzzled and raised her head. '' Why is it so quiet?" She looked up at Lawrence and realized that he was not paying any attention to her at all. His gaze was fixed on the examination room door. Lulu bit her lip and furrowed her eyebrows. Though it was normal for Lawrence to feel nervous, why did he look conflicted? ¡®Why would he have mixed feelings? Is he worried Nicole''s memory won''t recover?'' "Don''t worry, Mr. Lawrence. All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. I believe Nicole will recover her memory," Lulu said, trying tofort Lawrence while keeping a close eye on him. She did not want to miss any changes in his expression. As expected, when Lawrence heard Lulu''s words, his features stiffened briefly. However, he quickly regained hisposure. " Even if it doesn''t work this time, we''ll continue to try next time." "Right, we''ll keep trying together," Lulu agreed. She then sighed and added, "Nicole often says you''ve been a great help to her during the five years she was gone. You even saved her life back then. She''s truly lucky to have a friend like you." Lawrence replied modestly, "It''s nothing. She has also helped me a lot." "She helped you?" Lulu echoed in surprise. Nicole had lost her memories and she knew nothing about her past. ''How could a person with no memories and two children help Lawrence out? That''s Nicole alright. She''s simply amazing.¡¯ "Indeed, and these five years have been very important in my life, " Lawrence said. Mentally, he continued, ''It''s an unforgettable five years too.'' Lulu smiled and said, "Mr. Lawrence, you don''t need to be sad. You and Nicole are good friends, and your friendship won''t end after those five years. There''ll be many more years ahead for you both." "In the future, we..." Lawrence''s gaze became wistful, and then he nodded. "Yeah, we will." However, it was clear that Lulu''s idea of the future and Lawrence''s were not the same. Lulu believed in maintaining a lifelong friendship, while Lawrence had deeper intentions. He wanted to spend his life with Nicole. With a meaningful gaze, Lawrence looked back toward the examination room. Just then, the door to the examination room opened, and Nicole and Hanwick emerged. "How did it go?" Lulu immediately approached them, her eyes filled with eager questions for her friend. Nicole shook her head gently and said, "The situation is still the same. My memory hasn''t returned." Lulu sighed, somewhat disappointed. It appeared that the oue was as expected. "Don''t be disheartened. At least you''re physically healthy, so there''s still hope," Hanwick reassured Nicole. "But is there anything we can do?" Lawrence also appeared disappointed as he asked this. "T''ll prescribe some stabilizing medication for now. After we return, I''ll further my research andpile a treatment n for you to consider. If it''s eptable to you, we can give it a shot," Hanwick replied. "Sounds good," Lawrence readily agreed. "Thank you for taking care of her. We''ll leave her in your hands." "You''re wee. It''s what I should do," Hanwick replied. Chapter 2453 Chapter 2453 "Over the years, I''ve consulted many doctors, and Nicole has also tried various methods, but there hasn''t been any significant improvement. I hope we''ll make a breakthrough this time," Lawrence said. Hanwick looked at Nicole and offered someforting words, " Luck will eventually be on your side." "Thank you." Nicole nodded appreciatively. "Nicole," Lulu held onto her friend, seemingly wanting to advise her to reconsider. Nicole gently squeezed Lulu''s hand, and Lulu immediately kept quiet. Lulu understood that Nicole must have seen what she had seen so Nicole definitely had her reasons for agreeing to the treatment. The rest could be discussedter. "Don''t thank me. Lawrence has been worrying about your condition all along, so he often talked to me about it. I happened to be in San Joto now, so I''m just seeing what I can do," Hanwick said as he nced at Lawrence. "He''s really concerned about you." "Yes, we''ve been friends for many years, and he''s helped mea lot, " Nicole replied with a faint smile. "Of course." Hanwick nodded, not saying much more. After saying their goodbyes to the doctor, the three of them left the hospital. Lulu held a bag containing a small, unmarked white medicine bottle. She furrowed her eyebrows and asked, "What kind of medicine is this? Why does it have nobel or anything?" ¡°It''s a medication that was formted by Hanwick. It''s specifically tailored for Nicole, so you won''t find it on the market, " Lawrence exined. "I see," Lulu said, her expression changing to one of realization. She treated the medication like a precious treasure and carefully put it away. "It''s almost noon. Let''s have lunch together. I can drop you off after," Lawrence suggested. Nicole nced at the time and said regretfully, "I have an appointment with a client today, so I won''t be able to have lunch with you. Let me treat you next time as thanks." ¡°Alright, next time then,'''' Lawrence agreed. "Shall I drop you off? " "Nah, it''s just around here so I''ll be fine." Nicole declined Lawrence''s offer because she needed to return to the hospital. "In that case, I won''t keep you any longer." Then, Lawrence drove away. All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. "Phew, he''s finally gone." Lulu let out a sigh of relief. Acting was incredibly challenging, especially in front of someone like Lawrence. Nicole watched Lawrence''s car recede into the distance. "Let''s go back." The two of them returned to the hospital. But this time, instead of going to Hanwick''s inspection room, they entered an ordinary hospital room where their friend, Martin, was waiting for them. ¡°How did it go?" Nicole asked in a serious tone as she entered. "T''ve got it. I''m just reviewing it now," Martin replied, waving the report form in his hand. This was the medical report that Hanwick had prepared for Nicole. He had asked a nurse to print an extra copy for him to examine further. "But is there a problem?" Lulu looked worried. She had noticed the meaningful exchange of nces between Hanwick and Lawrence earlier. "It''s just a standard checkup, and this report really showed that Nicole''s memory hasn''t been recovered." Martin shook his head. At least from the report, he could not detect any issues. "In that case, what about this?" Lulu handed the small medicine bottle to Martin. Martin furrowed his eyebrows as he took it. "Hanwick prescribed this for you?" Chapter 2454 Chapter 2454 Who would dare to take this without any information? There was nothing on it, not even abel. You could hide poison in it, and nobody would know. "Yes."'' Nicole shrugged and shook her head. ''Does Hanwick think that I''m stupid?'' "T''ll take this back and analyze itsponents," Martin said, putting the medicine bottle away. He was not going to allow Nicole to take it, and he believed that she would not want to consume it either. From N?velDrama.Org. "Okay, I''ll wait for your update," Nicole responded. If there was something wrong with this medication, things would make sense. "T''ll get to work on it right away. I''ll call you as soon as I have results,'''' Martin assured her seriously. "Alright." The three of them left the hospital at separate times. Nicole and Lulu hailed a cab and headed back to their office. "Nicole, could it be that Hanwick wants to harm you? But then, what''s Lawrence''s role in all of this? It''s too absurd to think he''d destroy you just because he can''t have you." Lulu scrunched up her face. ''If that were true, Lawrence must''ve lost his mind!" Nicole could not help but chuckle as she lightly tapped Lulu''s forehead. "You''re overthinking things." She believed Lawrence had a reason to invite Hanwick, but she did not think it was to harm her. If Lawrence genuinely wanted to harm her, he would do it covertly, not in such a conspicuous manner. If something happened to her, it would be clear that Lawrence was involved. Unless Lawrence was prepared to go to extremes and sacrifice his own life, she doubted that was his intention. "Yeah, maybe I am," Lulu admitted, realizing that her concerns might have been unwarranted. ¡®Lawrence probably isn''t that crazy, and his intentions probably aren''t malicious. But if that''s the case, what''s his agenda then?'' Nicole was much calmer. She looked at Lulu''s curious expression and said, "Let''s just wait for Martin''s analysis." Nicole would rather wait for concrete information than waste her energy on spections. "That''s all we can do." Lulu sighed in resignation. She was worried, especially for Nicole. Nicole considered Lawrence a friend, and if Lawrence did anything behind her back and upset her, she would surely be disappointed. Nicole smiled as she looked at Lulu. "Why don''t you think about where we should have lunch?" "I don''t have the appetite." Lulu sighed again. ¡°No! What am I going to tell Spencer if you lose weight?" Nicole teased. "You don''t have to. I''ll just take it as losing weight." Lulu shrugged indifferently. "You can''t lose weight. You have to maintain your figure since your wedding dress has already been tailored. It needs to fit perfectly." Lulu blushed as she responded, "Fine, I''ll eat something. I''ll eat with you even if I don''t have any appetite. After all, I wouldn''t know how to exin to Mr. Johnston if you lose weight too." The two of them chatted andughed, lightening the mood. Eventually, they had lunch near their office before returning to thepany. "Nicole, I heard you went for a medical checkup. Are you feeling unwell?" Steve asked as he bumped into Nicole outside the elevator. ¡°No, it was just a routine checkup,¡± Nicole replied without delving into details. She did not want Steve to worry as he had already warned her about Lawrence. "Okay, as long as you''re fine. If you ever feel unwell, remember to let us know or get some rest," Steve advised. Chapter 2455 Chapter 2455 "Alright," Nicole replied. She led Lulu back to their office. "I wonder how long Martin will take to get the results," Lulu remarked impatiently, ncing at the time. She wondered if Martin had just returned to his research office. Just as she finished speaking, Nicole''s phone rang. "Martin?" Nicole answered the call, her voice tinged with some apprehension. ''Why''s Martin calling so soon?'' "The results are in. It''s some nerve suppressant drugs. They might affect your memory recovery."" Martin sounded serious. It was clear that the other party did not want Nicole to regain her memory and was willing to physically harm her to prevent it. Nicole''s expression darkened. ''Why would Lawrence do this? Does he not want me to regain my memory?! Nicole''s sulked slightly as she sighed. ''Lawrence hadn''t been enthusiastic about recovering my memories in the past, but he had never actively tried to stop it. Why did that change now?! "Do you know what''s going on with Lawrence and Hanwick?" Martin asked, sounding concerned. It was evident that those two individuals were trying to harm Nicole and prevent her from recovering her memory. ¡®Could it be because Nicole knew some secrets that could not be revealed?¡¯ Sighing again, Nicole answered, "Hanwick is someone I''ve just met. Lawrence hired him. As for Lawrence..." She hesitated briefly before continuing, "I''ve known Lawrence for thest five years. Technically, I''ve known him before that too, but I just can''t remember." As for how well she knew Lawrence, it was mostly from what she had heard from Jared. Even if she regained her memory, she would not say that she truly knew him. And now, she felt estranged from him. "If that''s the case, maybe you''vee across some secret of his, and he doesn''t want you to recover your memory," Martin spected. "Secrets?" Nicole narrowed her eyes slightly. She did not want to believe it, but there did not seem to be any other reasonable exnation. "T''ll prepare an identical-looking medication with different ingredients. It won''t harm your body. As for the rest, we''ll have to investigate slowly," Martin suggested. For now, they needed to tread carefully, so Lawrence would not be suspicious. Then, they could slowly uncover the truth. From N?velDrama.Org. Nicole sighed and agreed. "Yeah, that seems to be the only option for now.¡± "T''ll have the medication delivered to you once I''m done," Martin said quietly. ¡°Thank you, Martin," Nicole said. Without his help, she might not have noticed the issue. ¡°Don''t mention it. I just want you to be okay.¡± Nicole smiled. "I''ll have someone investigate this, I''ll let you know once we have any results." Even though Martin was not directly involved in this matter, she believed he would be concerned about her after knowing the situation. She wanted to update him once they had any results so he would not be worried. After ending the call, Nicole turned to Lulu and said, "The medication is dodgy." Lulu''s face turned pale as she gritted her teeth. "How could he betray your trust like this?" Nicole trusted him so much, and he used that trust to harm her. It was utterly unforgivable! "We''ll have to investigate this slowly." Nicole sighed, having mixed feelings. ¡°Alright, but how should we start the investigation?¡± Lulu asked, her eyebrows furrowing in confusion. This was not a work-rted issue, and she had no experience in handling such situations, so she did not know where to start. Chapter 2456 Chapter 2456 "I''ll have someone else handle this matter.¡± Lulu wanted to help too, but Nicole looked up at her and said, "If there''s a need for your help, I''ll let you know.¡± Nicole knew that Lawrence was not just a businessman as Lulu thought. His world was much more complicated than Lulu could possibly imagine, so Nicole would try her best not to involve Lulu in this matter. "Alright then.¡± Seeing that Nicole had made up her mind, Lulu could only agree, although she felt a bit guilty deep down. Lulu wanted to help but was afraid that making mistakes would only make things worse, especially since she knew that dealing with Lawrence would definitely not be as easy as dealing with Raine and James. Nicole patted Lulu''s shoulderfortingly. ¡°Don''t worry. This matter can''t be resolved in a day or two. I think you should just rx and prepare to be a bride." Lulu''s cheeks turned red, and she replied shyly, "Why bring that up all of a sudden?" Lulu was worried about Nicole, but here Nicole was, reminding her about her own uing wedding. "Why can''t I talk about it? The day is getting closer and closer," Nicole said, believing that no matter what happened, normal life should not be affected. "Let''s not talk about it. I have to work now," Lulu said, getting up and leaving the office. Nicole could not help but smile slightly, thinking that Lulu¡¯s shyness was typical of a bride-to-be. Taking a deep breath, she returned to her desk and regained herposed expression before turning on her computer. As she worked, Nicole reflected on how Martin''s conclusion had cleared up many of her doubts. She could not understand Lawrence''s behavior toward her, so she decided to start her investigation with his background from five years ago. Time flew by, and before she realized it, the workday was over. "Nicole, it''s time to leave." Lulu pushed the door open and poked her head in. Nicole nced at the time, surprised by howte it was. "Oh, okay,¡± she replied, shutting down her computer and getting up to leave with Lulu. ¡°What were you so busy with? I saw you on yourputer all afternoon,¡± Lulu noted curiously. "Just looking up some information,¡± Nicole replied, avoiding going into detail. Sensing Nicole''s reluctance to borate, Lulu did not press further. After leaving the office, they each got into their cars and went their separate ways. Later, Jared noticed that Nicole looked a bit pale and asked with a slight frown, ¡°You look a bit tired. Busy day at work?" "No, just looking up some information about Lawrence,¡± Nicole said, not intending to hide anything from him. Jared''s eyes darkened with concern as he wondered why she was suddenly looking up information on Lawrence. "Well," Nicole bit her lip lightly. Then, in a serious tone, told Jared about what happened that day and asked, ¡°Before I disappeared, did I know any secrets about Lawrence?¡± "I don''t think so," Jared exined. "At least nothing that could threaten him. If he really cared about any secrets, he would''ve acted against me a long time ago.¡± Frowning, Nicole said, "I spent the entire afternoon thinking about this. I don''t think I knew any more about Lawrence five years ago than you do now. Why would he want to stop me from recovering my memory?"This belongs ? N?velDra/ma.Org. Chapter 2457 Chapter 2457 If Lawrence simply did not want her to be with Jared, that would not make sense because she and Jared were already a couple. "There must be something that happened over the past five years that he''s trying to keep from you.¡± Jared''s voice was tinged with an icy edge. He thought, ''This seems to be the only reasonable exnation, but what could Lawrence possibly fear Nicole finding out?¡¯ Locking eyes with Jared, Nicole shook her head. A look of confusion crossed her face. "I haven''t found anything unusual." From N?velDrama.Org. Actually, as far as she could recall, Lawrence had always been caring toward her and the children, and had been a great support during her toughest times. She felt a sense of gratitude toward him. So she found it hard to believe he could be hiding anything from her. As if he could read Nicole''s mind, Jared said solemnly, ¡± Something must''ve happened from the time you first disappeared until you truly epted him.¡± Nicole''s face tensed a little. ¡®A lot happened during that time, but I don''t think any of it was rted to Lawrence.¡¯ Out loud, she said, "But I remember everything from that time.¡± Again, in her mind, she wondered, ¡®What could Lawrence be hiding from me?¡¯ "There has to be a link. Something from that time must be rted to a memory of yours.¡± Jared''s eyes shed coldly as he thought, ¡®Lawrence really can''t be trusted.¡¯ ¡°I''ve spent the whole afternoon searching for information, but sadly, there''s hardly anything about Lawrence, and even less that''s helpful.¡± "If he could perfectly fabricate your information, he can certainly hide his own. Keep searching, you''ll find something eventually.¡± Jared gently held Nicole''s hand andforted her. "Right, I''m already working on it.¡± Nicole nodded, knowing she could not rush this matter. "Max, have someone search for all the information Lawrence has kept private.¡± Jaredmanded, his gaze slightly cold. "Yes," Max affirmed respectfully, his eyes showing determination. Nicole lightly bit her lip, hesitated briefly, then told Max, "His main area of control is all in Mecrounia. There are also some old subordinates whom I haven''t met and with whom he has lost contact.¡± She had only overheard Lawrence andn mentioning them once, but it was not rted to her, so she did not ask more. As for the rest, she believed Jared knew more than she did. "He actually contacted those old subordinates. Thest time he said he was going to Crescent Ind, he actually went to contact them,¡± Max whispered. Nicole''s eyes widened. Then sheughed at herself, realizing she really did not understand Lawrence at all. "Leave it to Max. He''ll figure it out.¡± Jared gently held Nicole''s hand andforted her. "Okay." Nicole nodded, deciding to decode the crest that Lawrence gave her as a way to thank him for saving her life. Once she did that, she felt like she would not owe him anything anymore. ¡®l used to think we could always be friends, but now it looks like Lawrence might''ve never thought of me as a friend.¡¯ She bit her lip, sighed softly, and rested her head on Jared''s shoulder for support. That made her feel a little better. After a bit, they got to the kids¡¯ school. Nn and Lana, super happy that their parents wereing to get them, ran over as soon as they saw Jared''s car. When the car door opened, they hopped in. "Mommy!" "Daddy!" Nn and Lana squeezed between Nicole and Jared, their eyes wide with curiosity. "Where are we going?¡± "To Great grandpa¡¯s house,¡± Jared said, giving Lana''s little nose a yful tweak. Chapter 2458 Chapter 2458 "Didn''t we just go there yesterday?¡± Lana blinked her big eyes, wondering if they could go again today. Smiling, Jared picked Lana up. "We''re going to another great grandpa''s house.¡± "Another one?¡± Nn furrowed his eyebrows, thinking, ¡®Are there many great-grandpas?¡¯ "It''s my grandpa,¡± Jared exined. This belongs ? N?velDra/ma.Org. Nn and Lana exchanged nces. ¡®Daddy''s grandpa?¡¯ Lana was surprised. "Daddy has a grandpa too?" Jared, finding the situation humorous, said, "Of course, I have a grandpa. It''s just that your mommy couldn''t remember, so she didn''t tell you guys." Understanding dawned on Nn and Lana as they nodded. ''No wonder we never heard about it!¡¯ After a while, the car drove into the Johnston family manor. After Jared and Nicole got out of the car, they took Nn and Lana into the mansion. Maximillian was clearly waiting for them. As soon as they entered, he kept his eyes on Nn and Lana, smiling broadly. ¡°There you are!" Maximillian waved at Nn and Lana, his smile so broad that the wrinkles on his face squeezed together. "Come, give me a hug!¡± "Great grandpa!" Nn and Lana called out as they approached Maximillian, preparing themselves for a hug. Maximillian''s face crinkled with joy as he looked at the children, feeling a rush of affection. Pulling out the gifts he had gotten for them, he said, "Here, these are for you.¡± ¡°Thank you, Great grandpa!¡± Nn and Lana said, as Maximillian handed them a pair of small but intricate keepsake boxes that sparkled under the light. "I heard from Benjamin that he gave you special charm bracelets, so I couldn''t give you the same. That''s why I prepared these," Maximillian said, quite pleased with himself. His gifts were no worse than Benjamin''s. Nicole raised an eyebrow at Jared, as if asking, "Has grandpa always been thispetitive?" "Probably because he''s gotten older,¡± Jared whispered. Years ago, Maximillian was not like this. These days, since he stopped managing the Johnston family affairs and thepany, he showed a lighter side of his personality. "That''s quite nice,¡± Nicole said with a smile. ¡°Everyone, sit down," Maximillian invited everyone to take a seat. After sitting down, he looked at Nn and Lana, his eyes full of sympathy. "You certainly managed to keep it a secret, huh?" "Grandpa, we were concerned revealing the children''s identities might endanger them, so we chose to keep it a secret,¡± Nicole said. Jared had agreed mainly for her sake, and she did not want Maximillian to feel hurt or betrayed by their decision. "Are the Johnston kids in danger here in San Joto?¡± Maximillian''s face turned serious as he looked at Jared. "Can you exin what exactly happened?" He realized they were not just hiding the kids but also many other things he was not aware of. Nicole was surprised. Even though Maximillian had long since stopped managing thepany and the Johnston family affairs, he instantly understood that something had happened. "Grandpa, let''s focus on positive topics while the kids are here. I''ll fill you in on everything elseter.¡± Jared reassured Maximillian, not wanting to worry him further. Chapter 2459 Chapter 2459 ncing at Nn and Lana, Maximillian realized he might have been too eager and said, ¡°Alright.¡± "Wow! Great grandpa, this house is so big and pretty!" Lana eximed, looking around. "Haha, it¡¯s a shame it''s just me living here. How about you two stay and keep mepany?" Maximillian asked. Nn and Lana both looked at Nicole, their faces a mix of hope and apprehension. Nicole looked to Jared, herself unsure, wondering if they should stay or leave. "Let''s stay then," Jared replied, not wanting to decline. "Thanks for letting them stay, Grandpa," Nicole said, nodding in agreement with Jared. "I''m always happier when you all visit. The house just feels so much livelier,¡± Maximillian replied with a grin. Living in such a big ce by himself could get lonely. "Skr, can you get some rooms ready?" Maximillian asked his butler, Skr Merrill. "Of course, sir," Skr responded, quickly heading off to make the arrangements. "How about we grab a bite now? Nn, Lana, are you kids hungry?¡± Maximillian asked. Nn and Lana said in unison, ¡°We ate at preschool.¡± "Oh, gotcha. You sure you don''t want a bit more?" Maximillian asked. From N?velDrama.Org. Both kids shook their heads. "We''re good, thanks.¡± "Dad, let them y. They''d do the same thing at home,¡± Nicole said. "Alright, go y," Maximillian said. Then, he turned to his butler. "Skr, make sure someone''s watching over Nn and Lana.¡± Skr acknowledged with affirmative and quickly set up someone to be with Nn and Lana as they explored the mansion and yard. Once seated in the dining room with dinner served, Nicole, Jared, and Maximillian began to eat. Between bites, Maximillian asked, "So, can you tell me now what happened? Jared looked at Nicole, then summarized what had happened. When Maximillian learned that Nicole had previously returned, faced grave danger, and since then avoideding back or exposing the children''s true identities, he felt a mix of anger and concern. "Who would dare threaten the Johnston family, especially Nicole and the kids? Were they looking for trouble?" Maximillian said, clearly angry. "We''ve been on this case for a while, but we''reing up empty. Those individuals from San Joto disappeared, and the trail has gone cold given the time that''s passed,¡± Jared said, his tone reflecting his frustration. He could not figure out who in San Joto could have the resources and motive to target Nicole this way. What baffled him even more was that they seemed to get information faster than he did. If not for Nicole''s recent revtions, he would have remained unaware of her previous return and the dire situations she encountered. "You couldn''t find any leads?" Maximillian said. His eyebrows were knitted together, as if he were deep in thought. ¡®Could there really be such dangerous individuals lurking in San Joto still?¡¯ Chapter 2460 Chapter 2460 "I tried searching online too, but couldn''t find anything," Nicole said, sounding disappointed. ''Will we ever get any clues?¡¯ "Do you think they might be from somewhere other than San Joto? " Maximillian pondered. ''We need to search worldwide. I''m sure we can find these people.'' "After Nicole''s incident, everyone believed she was dead. Why would anyone continue to pursue her? She was attacked the moment she set foot in San Joto," Jared said, shaking his head. The pieces just were not fitting together. "There''s someone who knows," Maximillian replied, looking at Nicole. "Where have you been these past years? You might''ve been spotted." "I was living on a remote ind with just regr fishermen. They had no idea who I was," Nicole replied. ¡®Why would anyone there want to harm me?'' ¡°You mean there weren''t any outsiders on the ind?" Maximillian asked, looking more puzzled as he felt the situation getting weirder. "T met Lawrence on the ind, but after that..." Nicole''s voice faded. Lawrence had filled in the nks of her memory. As far as she knew, only Lawrence was aware she hade to San Joto. Her face paled, her mind racing. ¡®Could it be Lawrence? But he saved me, even got hurt doing it.'' A shiver ran through her until a comforting hand took hers. Nicole squeezed it briefly, then gently released it. She took a breath, giving Jared a shaky smile. "I''m alright, just got a little shaken up. She thought, ''I can''t doubt Lawrence now, not after everything. With all that went down at the hospital, I''m just a bit frazzled. That''s all.'' ¡®Lawrence doesn''t want her to remember,'' Jared thought. ''The investigation''s still ongoing. Jumping to conclusions won''t help. I''ll wait for Max''s report.'' Gently squeezing Nicole''s hand, he suggested, "How about we grab a bite?" Jared could sense the storm of emotions raging within Nicole. Yet, she recovered quickly. ¡®Considering Lawrence once saved her, it makes sense she''d trust him,¡¯ he thought. This belongs ? N?velDra/ma.Org. But his skepticism grew. ''Lawrence? I''m determined to uncover the truth. Whether he''s involved or not, I''ll find out who''s responsible.¡¯ Judging by their expressions, Maximillian had a good idea of what was happening. He paused briefly, and then decided not to mention it again. ''They can handle it. I''ve said what I needed to. It''s their call now.'' After dinner, Maximillian, Nn, and Lana yed together, filling the living room with cheerfulughter. Nicole and Jared, seated on the couch, smiled, touched by the heartwarming scene. The front door opened, revealing Max. Jared caught his eye and then headed upstairs. Taking the hint, Max quickly followed. In the study, Max said, "I found some stuff." He handed Jared a file and waited. Jared flipped through the file, his face showing a mix of surprise and suspicion when he saw a particr name. "Hanwick Ferguson?" "That''s the doctor Lawrence talked to. The papers seem legit, but we think this Hanwick Ferguson might be fake," Max said, his expression serious. ''We''ve also found some people who might know about him." With a stern voice, Jared said, "Go on." He thought to himself, ''If this doctor isn''t real, then he''s definitely with Lawrence.'' Chapter 2461 Chapter 2461 Chapter 2461 "That dude seems legit, but he vanished for three hours after passing through customs. No one knew his whereabouts during that time. When he returned, his behavior had changed," Max exined. "Even Hanwick''s assistant felt something was off. It''s like, he''d be a different person," Max continued. "So, Lawrence got someone to impersonate Hanwick just so he could administer fake meds on Nicole to prevent her from regaining her memories?" Jared asked. "Possibly," Max replied in a low voice. Jared''s eyes narrowed, his voice hoarse and stern. "Have someone check on Hanwick. See if he''s back to his old self. After all, he''s here for a medical seminar. An imposter won''t be able to keep the charade for long." ¡°You mean after the imposter''s done, they''ll bring the real Hanwick back?" Max asked, a sudden realization dawning upon him. "I''ll get on with it. If he''s back to his old self, we''re on the right track." As Max was about to leave, Jared instructed, "Also, further your research on Lawrence." "Lawrence?" Max''s eyes widened, having never suspected him. "He''s suspicious," Jared said, his voice cold. ''The more I think about Lawrence, the more doubts I have about him. Years ago, he saved Nicole. Yet, she believed he might''ve been one of the few who knew where she was when she disappeared. While many thought she was dead, those of us who remained hopeful were searching for her. So, who else could''ve orchestrated an attack on her at the airport?¡¯ "But the people around Lawrence don''t look like those hitmen out there," Max argued, feeling genuinely puzzled. ''Is he ying the hero or the viin? Are there two sides to him or something?" "There are always forces and factors we''re unaware of," Jared said. ¡®Lawrence has more to him than meets the eye. He has his secrets. "True," Max said, knowing Jared had solid reasons for his suspicions. "For now, let''s not jump to conclusions," Jared said, a flicker of concern evident in his eyes. This belongs ? N?velDra/ma.Org. "Don''t worry, Mr. Johnston. I''ve got it handled," Max replied. After Jared had given Max a small nod, Max left. Jared then strolled up to the window, and gazed out into the night sky. When Nicole walked in, she remembered seeing Jared in the very same pose right after her return. "Something on your mind?" Nicole whispered, walking up to Jared''s side. After turning to face her, Jared said, "Hanwick might be an imposter." "Mm-hmm," Nicole muttered, her expression somber. ''Lawrence really did pull all the stops out.'' Then, Jared wrapped his arm around Nicole. ''''Let''s take a moment to look at the night sky. The stars are pretty tonight." Noticing Jared''s attempt to cheer her up, Nicole smiled. "Sure. Let''s stargaze." Jared kissed her forehead, his eyes filled with warmth, and proceeded to make her a promise in his heart. ''I''ll keep her safe." The next day arrived, sunny and bright. After breakfast at the Johnston family manor, the couple proceeded to bid Maximilian goodbye and drove off. They then dropped Nn and Lana off at preschool, after which Jared took Nicole to the headquarters of Riddle Corporation. As Nicole approached the building, a familiar voice called out, " Nicole!" When she turned, she spotted an excited Lulu running up to her with a small bag. "Got it!" "So soon?" Nicole responded, surprised. It was then that she realized it was the new medicine Martin had gotten her. Chapter 2462 Chapter 2462 Chapter 2462 "Yeah, I picked it up early today from his research room," Lulu said, handing the small bag to Nicole. ''Take this. It''s really important." Nicole grabbed the medicine and replied, "Right. Let''s get in." "Sure," Lulu said, linking arms with Nicole and shing her a big smile. "Samuel invited us over for dinner tonight. You in?" "Absolutely," Nicole said. After the cryptic call from Samuel insisting that she came, she decided that it was not an invitation that she could decline. ¡°What''s he nning, being all secretive like that?" Lulu asked, her face brimming with curiosity. Nicole shrugged. "Don''t know, but judging by his excitement, it''s probably something great." "He did mention that he''d treat us to a meal after he haspleted his recovery," Lulu said after a moment of consideration. ''Is this his way of making good on that promise?'' ¡°We''ll see when we get there," Nicole replied. "True that." Luluughed. As soon as they arrived at the office wing, they got busy with their work right away, and just like that, the day went by in a sh. When it was time for them to go home, Lulu burst into Nicole''s office. "Come on, let''s get going!" Lulu eximed, her eyes sparkling with excitement. Nicole raised her brow, smirking. "What''s the rush?" "I''ve got this feeling that something great''s about to happen. I wanna be there first!" Lulu said, sticking her tongue out yfully. ¡°Okay, okay." Nicoleughed, getting up to head out with Lulu. By the time they made it to the entrance of the headquarters, Jared and Spencer were already there, waiting for them. "Spencer!" Lulu called out joyfully, and ran over to him. Nicole, on the other hand, looked up at Jared with a faint smile on her face. "Didn''t expect to see you here," she said, recalling that he had mentioned that he had an important virtual meeting earlier in the day. "I just got done with it," Jared answered, gently taking Nicole''s hand as they strolled off to his parked car. Nicole''s smile wavered for a second. ''He was supposed to be having a meeting with a multinationalpany abroad. This belongs ? N?velDra/ma.Org. With the time difference, he must''ve gotten them to start much earlier than scheduled. Bet they weren''t thrilled.'' Then, in a low voice, she said, "You know, it''s just dinner with Samuel. Not sure it is something worth shuffling your whole day around for." Indeed, she was genuinely surprised to learn that he had rearranged his ns for this dinner. "It''s okay. I just wanted to spend time with you," Jared said, his eyes softening. Nicole could tell that the dinner was not what mattered to him. Feeling touched, she smiled as a surge of warmth radiated from within. Soon after, the car pulled up outside the restaurant Samuel had picked. As Nicole and Jared walked in, they noticed that everyone else was already there: Samuel with June, Spencer hanging out with Lulu, and Stanley all by himself. "Let''s enjoy ourselves tonight. I''ve rented out the entire ce," Samuel announced. "Going all out today, Samuel? What''s the asion?" Lulu teased. Hearing that, Samuel feigned offense. "You make it sound like I''m always tight-fisted." Chapter 2463 Chapter 2463 "It''s not that." Lulu shrugged. "It''s just you seem rather different today. That''s all. Anything up?" Samuel avoided her gaze. "I''m just in a good mood and thought that it''d be fun to hang out with everyone." "Sounds like fun!" Lulu yfully remarked, oblivious to Samuel''s change in mood. "Everyone, please take a seat," Samuel said, and once everyone had settled, he gave a nod to the server to start bringing the dishes out. Needless to say, they all enjoyed their meal so much that they lost track of time. And when Samuel noticed that most of them were finishing up, he subtly nodded at a server. Then, the ambient lights dimmed as soothing melodies filled the room. A lone spotlight highlighted an empty area, giving it the look of an impromptu stage. "Did you n something special, Samuel?" Lulu asked with her brows raised. Standing tall, Samuel then leaned forward and proffered his hand. "June," he said, his voice smooth and deep. "Would you honor me with a dance?" June''s cheeks flushed red at that instant. "What are you up to?" "Go on, June!" Lulu nudged her, and that was when June found herself standing up. Samuel quickly grabbed June''s hand, pulling her into a graceful twirl and straight into the spotlight. As they danced, June whispered, "I thought this was just a casual dinner. N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. Why all the theatrics?" In response, Samuel shed her a soft smile. "I''m just really happy tonight," Then, he continued leading her across the floor. Watching the two dance, Lulu leaned in to whisper to Nicole, "Is it just me, or is Samuel acting a bit odd?" To that, Nicole nodded in agreement, and they exchanged a knowing nce. Just as they did, the lights in the restaurant suddenly went out. "whoa!" June gasped in surprise. Seizing the opportunity, Samuel quickly reeled her in and reassured her by saying, "It''s okay. Just stay calm." ¡°Why did the lights go out?" June wondered aloud, scanning the room. "Over there," Samuel said, pointing to the right. Turning her gaze to the direction he was pointing at, June spotted the soft glow of candles illuminating a cake atop a rolling cart which was headed their way. ¡°What''s this about? It''s not anyone''s birthday today," she asked, puzzled. Before she could ponder further, however, Samuel presented her with a bouquet of roses. Dropping to one knee, he then looked up at her with sincerity in his eyes and asked, "June, will you marry me?" At that moment, it all clicked for June; everything Samuel had done throughout the entire evening had been leading up to this proposal. ¡°Who would''ve guessed Samuel had this side to him?" Lulu said, nudging Nicole forward. "You''ve got to say yes, June!" June always imagined that a proposal would be a special moment, but never in her wildest dreams had she ever expected Samuel to n something so heartwarming for her. ¡°June, will you marry me?" Samuel asked earnestly. In front of everyone we love, I promise to cherish you, always." With tears in her eyes, June whispered, "I do.¡± Joyfully, Samuel handed June the bouquet and, without missing a beat, lifted her into the air with a whirl. "June, you''ve made me the happiest man today!" Chapter 2464 Chapter 2464 Chapter 2464 ¡°Hey, put me down!" June said, her cheeks turning bright red from all the eyes on her. Once she was on her feet, Samuel produced a small velvet box from his pocket, within which was a dazzling diamond ring. Without hesitation, he put it on June''s left ring finger. "Do you like it?" "I love it," June said, her eyes fixed on the ring. It was the exact style she adored. As she was taking it all in, Samuel went on to produce another small box. ¡°What''s this?" she asked with a hint of surprise in her voice. "Help me put this on," Samuel said, passing the box to June. She opened it to find a men''s ring; a perfect match to hers. With a warm smile, she slid the ring onto his finger, filling her with all the warmth and fuzziness that the moment had to offer. The lights flickered then back on, drawing everyone closer. "Make a wish and blow out the candles," Samuel gently said. June took a moment, looked at the faces of everyone present, and asked, "How about we all join in?" ¡°Alright, let''s make a group wish and blow out the candles," Lulu suggested. "Here''s to happiness evesting." Nicole, sharing a nce with Jared, added, "And to lovebirds never parting from one another." With that, they both smiled at one another. After each person had shared their wish, they all came together to blow out the candles, whereupon cheers erupted from the group. But when they returned to their seats, they found that the main dishes had been swapped out for fruits and dessert. Lulu, with a grin, remarked, "Who knew you had this sneaky side to yourself, Samuel? So you''ve been cooking up this surprise the whole time?¡± "Of course I couldn''t spill the beans early. It wouldn''t be a surprise anymore if I did that, would it?" Samuel replied with a cheeky grin. Then, after turning over to look at June, Lulu teased, "You got June so choked up. All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. Her eyes are all red. Everything is as it should be now, huh?" In response, June shot Lulu a yful look and retorted, "You''re just poking fun at me now. Weren''t you all misty-eyed when Spencer proposed to you?" Lulu chuckled, and a touch of red appeared on her cheeks at once. After chatting for a while longer, they all stood up and left the establishment, as it was gettingte. "T''ll drive June home." "Right, I''ll drop Lulu off." As Spencer and Samuel left the ce with Lulu and June, Nicole turned to Stanley. "So, what''s your n?" "I''ll just head home," Stanley replied with a shrug. He was genuinely happy for his brother, but he could not help but feel a little left out in the process. ¡®Did Samuel invite me here on purpose, knowing I''m always the single one?'' he wondered. "We''re heading home too. Want to join us?" Nicole offered. Stanley quickly shook his head after shooting the pair of Jared and Nicole a nce. ''''Nah, I''m good. Thanks." Deep down, he remarked, ¡®Singles and couples don''t mix well, do they?¡¯ Watching Stanley walk away, Nicole sighed and shook her head. Seeing this, Jared raised an eyebrow. "Something on your mind?" "Just thinking... With all of us paired up, Stanley''s gonna get all the ''when are you settling down?" questions now," Nicole smirked. "Kinda funny when you think about it." Chapter 2465 Chapter 2465 Nicole remembered how things were easier for Stanley when Spencer and Samuel were still single. Jared looked at Nicole, his eyes full of questions. "You feel a lot more stressed out now, don''t you?" ¡°Shouldn''t I be off the hook now? I have you, Nn, and Lana," Nicole replied, her voice tinged with uncertainty. Jared smirked in reply. ''''Maybe, but it seems like your parents are even more anxious now, don''t you thinke" Nicole shot Jared an annoyed nce, unable to deny that he did have a point. "Let''s head home." Then, she sighed and thought, ''How did I even end up bing the center of discussion?'' With a warm smile, Jared took Nicole''s hand and led her to the car, and after a short drive, they pulled up at the Riddle residence. Nn and Lana, still awake, were watching TV with Gloria in the living room. "Mommy!" The kids eximed and rushed over as soon as they spotted Nicole and Jared. Nicole gently tousled their hair. "Still up, huh?" ¡°We were waiting for you," Nn said, tilting his head to look up at her. There was something I didn''t understand, and I wanted to ask you about it." Nicole''s eyes narrowed as she realized Nn was probably referring to a task on The Hunters. ¡°Daddy, can you tuck me in?" Lana asked, reaching up for a hug. ¡°of course," Jared replied and lifted Lana into his arms. ¡°They insisted on waiting up for you guys, so I allowed them to watch a bit more TV before going up," Gloria said with a warm smile. "We''ve got it from here, Mom. You should head to bed too," Nicole said. After sharing nods of understanding, everyone headed upstairs. Once Gloria had retired into her bedroom, Nicole entered Nn''s room with him in tow. ¡°You want to go check on them, Daddy?" Lana asked Jared, clearly knowing what Nn and Nicole were up to. "Let''s get you tucked in first," Jared replied, giving Lana''s nose a yful pinch. All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. "Okay," Lana replied. She was worried for her brother and mother, but she also understood she could not do anything to assist them in this matter. In Nn''s room, both Nicole and Nn had sat down, looking at hisputer. "Mom, I think a hacker''s trying to break in," Nn said ina serious tone of voice. "I shut it down right after I caught what they were doing and haven''t turned it on since." ¡°A hacker?" Nicole''s face hardened as she powered up the rig. "The firewall you installed detected and stopped it," Nn exined. "I might''ve been hacked otherwise. They seemed skilled. Without thatyer of protection, myputer would''ve beenpromised." "Let me see," Nicole said, her fingers quickly darting across the keyboard as she traced the hacker by the trail they had left. After a moment, she let out a sigh and stopped. Chapter 2466 Chapter 2466 "What happened, Mom?" Nn asked, noting Nicole''s hesitation. ¡°Someone was trying to break in," Nicole said with a touch of regret. "They were really careful. I almost managed to trace them, but they slipped away." Nn sighed, looking disappointed. "They''re pretty sneaky." "If they didn''t get what they wanted this time, they''ll definitely try again," Jared added, walking over to theputer. "They won''t back down. They''re definitely after something you''re getting." Nicole bit her lip, realizing she was not the only one after the five crests. Since her announcement, others had been attempting to get their hands on them as well. "You know, maybe it''s time to set and arm a trap instead of just a firewall," she said. Nodding at Jared''s idea, she added. "Rather than always being on the defensive, let''s invite them in." With renewed focus, Nicole began typing away on theputer, safeguarding crucial information beforeying her digital trap, and once she was done, she turned to Nn. "Just use it like you always would, okay?" "Got it. I''ll let you know if we catch anything," Nn replied, grinning cheekily. From N?velDrama.Org. Nicole affectionately ruffled his hair. ¡°Alright, go rest up now." "Okay." Nn said, and took a shower before heading to bed. After Nn had been tucked in, Nicole and Jared turned off the lights and left the room. "Even though we couldn''t trace the person, do you have any suspects?" Jared whispered. Nicole shook her head. "The only thing I can confirm is that they''re somewhere in San Joto. Finding a hidden hacker in such a vast city isn''t an easy task." Hearing that, Jaredforted, "Take your time. They''ll slip up eventually. If necessary, we can ask Preston and others like Ryder and Gary for help." Nicole raised an eyebrow at Jared, and then, she beamed. "Good idea." A hint of amusement shed in Jared''s eyes as he led her back to their room. Three dayster, Nicole arrived at her office as usual. Soon after, Lulu entered and whispered, "Nicole, I heard Dillion''s selling off his assets.¡± "Selling his assets?" Nicole creased her forehead in puzzlement. '' With thepany gone, what other valuable assets does Dillion have other than that mansion? Could it be...'' Reading Nicole''s expression, Lulu shrugged. "You''re right. He''s selling the mansion.¡± ¡°Any idea what they''re up to?" Nicole wondered. ''Maybe they''re nning to leave San Joto?'' "No clue. They''ve just listed the house for sale, waiting for offers, " Lulu replied with a perplexed look on her face. "It''s odd." ¡°They haven''t shown any signs indicating that they''d be leaving San Joto or moving somewhere else?" Nicole pressed. ''Where would they go after selling the house? What''s their n?¡¯ Lulu paused, trying to remember. "I think they just rented a hotel room." "A hotel?" Nicole frowned. ''They''re selling the house to stay ina hotel? What is Dillion and Karen nning?¡¯ Chapter 2467 Chapter 2467 ¡®So, Snow''s in a vegetative state and James is in jail. Raine has vanished, and no one knows where she is. Meanwhile, Dillion and Karen seem to be doing alright. But now, they''re nning to sell their house and move to a hotel?'' Nicole wondered. Lulu''s expression then shifted to one of seriousness. "I''ve gotten some folks to watch them. We are trying to figure out their ns.¡± "Alright," Nicole responded. "We''ll just have to watch and see what Dillion and Karen are nning." Then, she paused, picking up the phone to call Preston. "Nicole, what''s up?" Preston''s voice red out once he answered. "Did you know your parents are selling the family house?" Nicole asked directly. Preston paused, clearly taken aback, before replying, ''''No. What happened?" "No major reason." Nicole said, filling him in on what Lulu had discovered. "IT see," Preston sighed. "Guess we should let them decide." Nicole hesitated. You know, if you want to keep the family mansion, I can buy it back for you. It''s part of the reason why I called. I''d like to help." In return, Preston thanked her. "I appreciate the offer, but I think T''ll pass. If I need a house in the future, I can buy another." In truth, he was done; he did not wish to bother with the family drama any longer. ¡°Alright then," Nicole replied, noting Preston''s feelings. "Thanks for having my back," Preston said with gratitude, aware of Nicole''s genuine concern. Nicole smiled. ''''No problem. The initial setup for your techpany is almost ready. Lulu will send the details over. If everything''s okay, just follow Lulu''s n." "Sounds good. I trust your judgment," Preston replied with a tinge of excitement. "It''s yourpany, so you''ll get the final say. I asked Lulu to help since you''ve been busy helping me," Nicole teased. This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. Preston chuckled. "Thanks for all the help. I''ll treat you guys to dinner soon." "A feast," Nicole joked. ¡°No problem," Preston agreed. After ending the call, Nicole softlyughed and told Lulu, "Once everything is ready, send it over to him." ¡°It''s almost done. I''ll double-check everything and send it over to him once it''s done," Lulu replied. "Wait." Nicole hesitated before adding, "Also, find him a couple of skilled and reliable assistants. With the newpany up and running, he''ll need somepetent, helping hands." "Got it," Lulu agreed with a smile. "You''ve really got everything thought out for him.¡± "He''s been there for me, now and in the past." Nicole said." Remember? I can''t turn my back on someone who''s been nothing but kind to me. Sure, Dillion''s family has been a piece of work, but Preston? He''s never wronged me." "I haven''t forgotten. I''m on it," Lulu replied with a grin. Then, she turned around and walked off. After Lulu had left, Nicole leaned back against her chair. Her eyes grew distant as she thought, ''Dillon and Karen are selling the house, and Raine''s gone missing. Is there some sort of connection between the two?¡¯ Preston, having just hung up, was then asked by Gary, "What did Nicole want?" Chapter 2468 Chapter 2468 "Just some family rted stuff," Preston said. Gary shot him a look of doubt, though he decided against prying. " How''s things going on your end? I''ve got some updates here." "I''m almost there." Preston''s focus intensified, and he began working even quicker. Then, in a tone of triumph, he dered, "Got it!" ¡°Nice job!" Gary eximed, grinning. "Keep it up. If we manage to crack the next one, we''ll be able to discover who this person is." "Alright, let''s do this.¡± The two then continued, driven by their determination. Near the end of the workday, Nicole received an email from Preston. The email in question contained an address and aname, though there were no photos or any solid identifications. This belongs ? N?velDra/ma.Org. Seeing this, Nicole instantly realized this was the identity that Preston, Ryder, and Gary had been working on discovering. Impressed by their quick progress, she replied with a ''thanks'' and forwarded the information to Max for further investigation. She preferred to keep Lulu out of such covert matters, reserving the more routine and mundane tasks for her whilst leaving the secretive operations to Max. After she had sent the message, Nicole began essing a hacking interface on herputer, whereupon she quickly found the person''s ID. The individual seemed oblivious of the fact that he was being tracked too. Swiftly, Nicole crafted a tracking program and discreetly imnted it, aiming to uncover more about them. All of a sudden, a soft knock echoed through the room, and Lulu peeked in through the slightly ajar office door. "Time to head out? Shutting down herputer, Nicole stood up and replied, "Let''s go." As they made their way to the elevator, a voice halted them in their tracks. "Nicole," Steve called out. Turning to face him, Nicole asked, "Is there something you need, Steve?" ¡°Are you heading out?" Steve asked, ncing at the waiting elevator. "Mind if we chat while we walk?" Once they were inside the elevator, Nicole looked at him and asked, "What happened?" A shadow of concern and anger shed in Steve''s eyes at once. " It''s about Everett." Nicole''s eyes narrowed. "What''s Everett up to now?" she asked with a hint of frostiness in her tone. She had hoped that Everett would keep a low profile ever since Harvey ditched him. "Well," Steve began, gritting his teeth. "After Harvey booted him out and James got arrested, Everett took another blow. And now that he''s heard you''re in charge of DillCorp, he''s lost it. He''s nning to go after thepany." "Ts he still at it?" Lulu blurted out, her eyes wide in disbelief. '' After all the losses he has sustained, he still thinks he can seize DillCorp!?'' Steve shook his head and shot Nicole another nce. "The guy''s seriously unhinged now. Your team...Are they ready for whatever he throws at you?" Drawing a deep breath, Nicole replied, "I''ll head over and see how they''re doing soon." She had confidence in her team''s ability to manage DillCorp, but for them to deal with Everett''s tricks was a different story altogether. Chapter 2469 Chapter 2469 Chapter 2469 "I''lle with you," Lulu said, eager to apany Nicole, who raised her brows right away. Noting Nicole''s hesitation, Lulu quickly added, "I can help, you know." Hearing this, Nicole replied, "Alright. We''ll head there tomorrow." "Great." Lulu smiled in relief. The elevator reached the first floor, and the three of them stepped out. "If anything happens, let Sean and I know," Steve said. "Don''t worry," Nicole replied with a confident edge to her voice. ¡®Even though Everett has lost his mind, I doubt he''ll dare to mess with me,'' she thought. Outside thepany building, Lulu noticed that Spencer had not shown up yet, and that was when she stated, "You should go ahead. Don''t keep Mr. Johnston waiting." ¡°Alright, I''ll see youter." After saying goodbye to Lulu, Nicole walked over to Jared''s car, and once she was seated, she leaned back and issued a quiet sigh. Jared nced her way and asked, "Tired?" "Not really. Steve said Everett is targeting DillCorp. They just eluded bankruptcy and are starting to stabilize, but they''re not back on track yet," Nicole replied, her face creased with worry. ¡°Thinking of checking it out?" Jared asked, catching on to her concerns. Nicole nodded. "Lulu and I are heading there tomorrow." "I''ll send some backup," Jared offered, recognizing her resolve. Nicole considered refusing, but after she met Jared''s gaze, her words escaped her. She hesitated for a moment, biting her lip, and then she nodded. " Alright." Having recognized his concerns, she decided to ept his aid. With that, Jared''s eyes lit up, and he gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. Smiling, Nicole told him, ¡°Rest assured, I won''t let Everett just waltz in and take DillCorp. He''ll be sorely disappointed if he tries." After picking Nn and Lana up, Nicole and Jared headed back to the Riddle residence. As Stanley wasing in, Gloria announced, "Time for dinner. Samuel and Spencer won''t be joining tonight. They''re out again.¡± "Another date?" Stanley remarked as he made his way to the dining room. Gloria yfully retorted, "Yep, and when''s thest time you went on one?" Exasperated by the comment, Stanley shot back, "Mom, haven''t you had enough nning for their wedding already? Can we take a breather before diving into my love life? Besides, what about Nicole?" Knowing what his brother was trying to do, Nicole teased, "Trying to shift the spotlight to me? We''re talking about you!" She had been dreading this conversation, and of course, Stanley just had to mention it and throw her under the bus. After hearing Stanley''s remark, Gloria turned to Nicole. "You two need to think about settling down as well." ¡°Alright, Mom," Nicole replied, using her past experiences to navigate the conversation. But as for the timeline and specifics, those were her decisions to make. Gloria sighed. "You might brush off what I have to say, but think about Nn and Lana. People will soon know about them. Isn''t it time to make things official?" ¡°We''ve already made it official, Mom. Even if we didn''t hold a grand ceremony, we''re still legally married. Nn and Lana are very much a part of our recognized family," Nicole retorted, her frustration evident. From N?velDrama.Org. ¡®why does she make it sound like I''ve let Nn and Lana down?" she wondered. Chapter 2470 Chapter 2470 Chapter 2470 "So, since the ceremony is the only thing that is missing, why not have it soon?" Gloria suggested. Feeling really annoyed now, Nicole replied, "Mom, I''m already martied. And hey, at least I''m not in Stanley''s shoes. He doesn''t even have a girlfriend. Maybe you should focus on him?" With that said, Nicole took Jared''s hand and made a beeline for the dining room, wanting to distance herself from the subjects. Feeling that the spotlight was back on him, Stanley sighed. " Alright, I''ll post an ad on a dating app tomorrow." All of a sudden, there was a thud, and someone gasped. Everyone''s eyes then centered on Tia, who was walking in with a te of snacks. ¡°Hey Tia, what''s up?" Nicole greeted, giving her a once-over. Tia quickly set the te of mini muffins down. "Mrs. Wace was feeling good today. She made these since she knows how much you love thern and asked me to bring them to you." Nicole''s eyes lit up at the sight of the muffins. ¡°Thanks, Tia. How''s Grandma beentely?" "She''s doing well.From N?velDrama.Org. I should get back to looking after her," Tia said, her voice hurried. As she rushed out with her head bowed, it became clear to everyone watching that something was bothering her. Nicole saw Tia''s limp as she made her way out and could not help but nce at Stanley, who was observing Tia with a grimace on his face. She sensed there was more to the story than she knew. ¡°Alright, let''s dig in," Gloria announced once Tia had left. "Sounds good," the group chimed in, and everyone settled into their seats at the dining table. Nicole stared at the mini muffins, a rush of nostalgia washing over her. She remembered Tia''s words about how they were her childhood favorite, and that had prompted Mrs. Wace Sr. to whip up a batch for her. After biting into one, a genuine smile crossed her face. "This takes me right back to my childhood," she murmured. Memories ofzy summer afternoons with her grandmother, picking berries andughing under the sun danced in her mind. Those simple days, full of love and joy, were some of the bests she had ever had. Snapping out of her reverie, Nicole found all eyes on her, wide with surprise. She paused, bing a little flustered, and said, "I thinka childhood memory just came back to me, but the rest... it''s still foggy." "It''s a good start, Nicole. Don''t worry. All your memories will return someday," Gloria said, her eyes getting wet. ¡®At least Nicole''s beginning to remember,'' she thought. "Yes, just take your time," Daniel added. "You should visit Mrs. Wace more often. It might help jog your memories," Stanley suggested. "I will," Nicole said, feelingforted by their words. ¡°Mommy, can we try some?" Nn and Lana came over from the living room, their eyes set on the mini muffins. Nicole smiled gently. "Of course. Here, have some." Chapter 2471 Chapter 2471 Chapter 2471 The kids each took a muffin, bit into it, and nodded enthusiastically. Wow, these are so good!" "when I was little like you guys are, these were my favorite. Grandma made them for me all the time," Nicole said. ¡°Great grandma sure knows how to bake," Nn and Lana said before proceeding to munch on their second bite. Seeing the kids'' delight, Nicole grinned. "She would be thrilled to know you guys love them." Reaching for a muffin as well, Stanley said, "I''ve got to try one of these." Daniel and Gloria looked at one another before they took one each for themselves. They wanted to try the treats that had sparked the sudden return of one of Nicole''s memories, thinking they must be unique. After dinner, Nicole said to Nn and Lana, "I''m heading over to visit my grandma. You guys want toe?" "Yeah," Nn and Lana chimed in together. Nicole then turned to Stanley. "And you?" "Mee" Stanley was taken aback. "I think Tia might''ve hurt her leg," Nicole said and paused, leaving the statement hanging before heading out with the kids. A look of concern crossed Stanley''s face. After a quick nce at Daniel and Gloria, he decided to go upstairs. This prompted Daniel and Gloria to exchange looks, sighing with unease. "I''m heading to bed," Jared said with a polite nod. "Alright, get some rest. From N?velDrama.Org. Nicole''s over at Mrs. Wace''s, so she might be backte," Daniel said. As Jared made his way upstairs, Daniel proceeded to think about Nicole. ''With her memories of her childhood returning, she and Mrs. Wace might have much to discuss.'' He then thought aloud, "There''s some progress, at least." "Yes," Gloria agreed. "I hope she gets her memories back. She must be feeling iplete." Meanwhile, Nicole had taken Nn and Lana to the backyard where Mrs. Wace Sr. lived. Tears welled up in her eyes as she hugged Mrs. Wace Sr. " Grandma." "Nicole," Mrs. Wace Sr. responded, gently patting her in the back. "Tell me what''s wrong. I''m here for you." "I remembered." Nicole''s voice quivered. Memories of her time with her grandmother came surging back at once. It was her grandmother who had always been there, showering her with love and care. ¡°You''ve started to remember?" Mrs. Wace Sr. asked softly. "I remember the times we spent in the countryside," Nicole said. She looked at Mrs. Wace Sr., noticing the creases marked time on her face. "You must''ve been so worried about me." Mrs. Wace Sr. gently patted Nicole''s shoulder. "My dear, just having you back makes me happy. I''m doing well, so don''t you worry." Hearing those words from Mrs. Wace Sr. put a smile on Nicole''s face. "I know you''ll live a very long life," ¡®Such a kind soul surely will,'' she thought. "Great grandma, your muffins are amazing," Nn and Lana chimed in, crowding around Mrs. Wace Sr. And upon hearing thepliment given to her, Mrs. Wace Sr. beamed. "Oh, you liked them? If you enjoyed them, I''ll make more. Chapter 2472 Chapter 2472 Chapter 2472 "You don''t have to." Nn shook his head. Mrs. Wace Sr. gave them a look of puzzlement. "Why? You said they were delicious." "It''s not that. Making those muffins is a lot of work. We can help out next time," Lana chimed in. Mrs. Wace Sr.ughed heartily, her mouth wide in amusement. "Such good kids. Just like your mom, always caring for others from a young age." "Well, we are Mommy''s kids," Nn and Lana replied with a hint of pride. Their yful attitude made Mrs. Wace Sr. burst intoughter, thoroughly enjoying the moment with them. "I can make them too. Next time, we''ll do it for you," Tia said, emerging from the small kitchen, her eyes twinkling as she brought a te of fruits to them. Nicole took the te. This belongs ? N?velDra/ma.Org. "Your leg is hurt. Go treat it before it gets worse." "It''s fine," Tia replied, cheeks reddening in embarrassment. "It''s just a minor bump. No big deal." "Go apply some ointment on it. You need to take care of yourself so that you can look after Grandma," Nicole said with a hint of firmness. Tia nodded. "Alright, Nicole. I''ll do that now." She then made her way out of Mrs. Wace Sr.''s room to her own. After a moment, Mrs. Wace Sr. voiced her concerns. "What happened to Tia?" "She bumped her leg when she was delivering the mini muffins to us. It''s not a severe injury, but if she doesn''t take care of it, it might get worse. Don''t worry, Grandma," Nicole said, trying tofort Mrs. Wace Sr. "Oh, in that case, she should rest up tomorrow. I can make some food," Mrs. Wace Sr. said with concern. Nicole thought for a moment, and then she said, "How about this. I''ll arrange for food delivery tomorrow. Tia can cook for you again when she gets better." "That sounds good," Mrs. Wace Sr. agreed. Nicole then sat down with Mrs. Wace Sr., whereupon they began sharing stories from her childhood, filling the room withughter from Mrs. Wace Sr.. After a while, Nicole called it a night, concerned for her well-being. "I''ll help you rest up. Grandma. Then, I''ll check on Tia before heading home," Nicole said. "Alright. Make sure you, Nn, and Lana get some rest too," she advised. "Goodnight, Great grandma," Nn and Lana added. In response, she gave them a warm smile. "Goodnight." After tucking Mrs. Wace Sr. into bed, Nicole promised, "We''ll visit again soon." "Okay," she replied, her gaze following Nicole, Nn, and Lana. She only closed her eyes once they were out of sight. As Nicole approached Tia''s room, she saw the door ajar. Through the gap, she spotted Stanley gently tending to Tia''s bruise. A knowing smile crossed Nicole''s face when she realized that Tia was in good hands. Opting not to enter, she continued on with Nn and Lana. Inside, as Stanley carefully applied the ointment on her leg, he said, ''''Take it easy and rest for the next couple of days." "I''m fine, really," Tia murmured, her voice reduced to almost a whisper. Stanley''s tone was firm. "You should focus on recovering. I''ll ensure that Mrs. Wace is taken care of. If that bruise swells up by tomorrow, we''re heading to the hospital." Chapter 2473 Chapter 2473 ¡°I really don¡¯t need to go to the hospital,¡± Tia protested when she heard the mention of the hospital. She believed her injury was just a minor one. ¡°If you don¡¯t want to go to the hospital, rest up,¡± Stanley said, his voice firmer than usual. Tia hesitated, swallowed, and after a moment, she said,¡± Alright, I get it.¡± She thought she could agree now and do whatever she wanted tomorrow when nobody was around to look. Stanley gave her a knowing look, but opted not to confront her about it. ¡°Alright. Rest up for now.¡± ¡°I¡­¡± Tia began to rise, but stopped short when Stanley interrupted her. ¡°I¡¯ll check on Mrs. Wace. If she needs help, I¡¯ll provide it for her,¡± he stated. ¡°Thanks,¡± Tia said gratefully. Stanley shot a brief nce at Tia, hesitated for a moment, then silently walked away. Now alone in the room, Tia was finally at ease. With Stanley around, she had been feeling an unusual tension. She found it surprising that Stanley had made it a point to check on her over such a minor injury. Not only had he inquired about the injury; he had personally applied the ointment on her leg, told her to rest, and even arranged for someone to cover her duties. A peculiar, inexplicable emotion welled up within her at once, its source unknown and elusive. Absentmindedly, she stared at the spot where Stanley had applied the ointment, lost in thought. Concurrently, Stanley was making his way back to the main hall. Reaching the top of the stairs, he noticed Nicole standing in the hallway with a glint of amusement in her eyes. A hint of unease came over him, prompting him to ask,¡± Aren¡¯t you in bed yet?¡± ¡°You¡¯re still awake too? It¡¯s prettyte.¡± Nicole yfully nced outside. Then, she teased, ¡°Were you out for a stroll?¡± Upon catching the hint of mischief in her tone, Stanley realized Nicole might have witnessed his interaction with Tia. This prompted him to shoot her a look of annoyance. ¡°If you¡¯ve seen it all, why the questions?¡± ¡°I¡¯m just curious about your feelings for Tia,¡± Nicole said, her gaze bing more serious. ¡®Sometimes they seem so close, and at other times, so distant.¡¯ After pausing for a brief moment, Stanley replied, ¡°I don¡¯t have¡­ particr feelings for her.¡± All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. Hearing the response, Nicole raised an eyebrow. ¡°Really?¡± She thought, ¡®If he doesn¡¯t care, why all the attention?¡¯ ¡°It¡¯ste. You should get some rest,¡± Stanley said, feeling a bit uneasy. Then, he headed back into his room. Raising her brow, Nicole mused aloud, ¡°Do smart folks have a distinct way of thinking?¡± ¡°Why aren¡¯t you in bed?¡± Jared¡¯s voice interrupted her thoughts. And when she turned, she saw him emerging from his room, approaching her. Chapter 2474 Chapter 2474 "I had a chat with Stanley. Let¡¯s go,¡± Nicole said, linking his arm with Jared¡¯s. Jared nced down at her, his tone affectionate. ¡°Did you enjoy visiting your grandma?¡± ¡°Yeah, we were reminiscing about my childhood,¡± Nicole replied, her eyes sparkling with joy and nostalgia. Touched by her happiness, Jared softly suggested, ¡°When things settle down, we should go back for a visit.¡± ¡°That sounds great,¡± Nicole replied, her eyes wide and hopeful. ¡®That¡¯s a good idea. I bet Grandma would love to see the old house again.¡¯ Back in their room, Nicole began humming a tune as she headed to the bathroom. The idea of visiting her childhood home filled her with anticipation. And as Jared watched her, a small smile yed on his lips. He was nning to take her back to see where she had grown up once everything that had been ying. The next morning, after breakfast, Nicole and Jared dropped Nn and Lana off at preschool and made their way to DillCorp. Although Nicole owned thepany, she had kept its original name. This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. ¡°People might have already suspected that thepany¡¯s now in your hands, even if we haven¡¯t announced it. Do what you think is best. Don¡¯t hold back,¡± Jared whispered to Nicole. She grinned, knowing she had Jared¡¯s full support. ¡°Got it.¡± Jared felt a rush of affection as he watched her. After dropping Nicole off at DillCorp, he waited until she had entered the building before signaling Max to drive away. ¡°Mr. Johnston, there¡¯s an update on the investigation. They weren¡¯t locals from San Joto but a group of hitmen. They got to the city before Nicole, which had given them more than enough prep time. Lawrence was the one who had saved her,¡± Max said in a tone of utmost seriousness. ¡®It was a really close call for her,¡¯ Max thought. ¡°Have we gathered anything significant about the hitmen?¡± Jared asked, his eyes cold. ¡°Not yet,¡± Max answered, sounding determined. ¡°But we¡¯ve got more men on the case. We¡¯ll let you know as soon as we find something.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Jared said, his voice ominous and unsettling. He leaned back, lost in deep thought. ¡®Nicole lost her memories and ended up on Crescent Ind. Lawrence found her there and concealed her identity, which was why we couldn¡¯t find her. When she came to San Joto, someone even tried to kill her. It wasn¡¯t even a local. It was someone who knew about her even before she arrived. If they knew where she was all this time, why didn¡¯t they make a move on Crescent Ind? And why, after that first attempt in San Joto, has everything been so quiet?¡¯ Jared¡¯s thoughts raced, and a chilling presence settled in his eyes. ¡®Who¡¯s after Nicole, and why the silence after that first failed attempt?¡¯ As more questions arose, the tension in the car grew even more palpable, mirroring Jared¡¯s unease. Chapter 2475 Chapter 2475 ¡®Is Lawrence the key to all this? Does he know something?¡¯ Jared thought. Meanwhile, Nicole strode into DillCorp¡¯s CEO¡¯s office, and when she arrived, she looked around the refurbished room with a satisfied smile. ¡°Nicole, you made it!¡± Lulu eximed, entering the room with several people in tow, each holding a folder. ¡°Ms. Riddle,¡± they greeted with a nod, and lined up before her. Nicole took her seat, briefly met their eyes, and began, ¡°Fill me in.¡± ¡°Due to poor management, DillCorp has gotten itself embroiled in financial troubles, making it hard for it to achieve significant progress soon,¡± one of them stated. ¡°We¡¯ve noticed discrepancies in our ounts and are looking into them.¡± ¡°I also believe we should reconsider the employment of some of our staff. Some might not fit into our vision.¡± Hearing the reports, Nicole massaged her temples. She knew DillCorp had its share of issues, but she had not realized the extent of them. Taking a deep breath, Nicole replied, ¡°I get it. Despite everything, I¡¯m impressed with how quickly you¡¯ve all stabilized DillCorp. I believe we can truly grow with all of you leading the way.¡± ¡°Thank you, Miss Riddle,¡± the group replied. ¡°We¡¯re on it.¡± ¡°Just focus on your jobs. I¡¯ll be around for a few days to handle somepany matters. I won¡¯t intervene with your tasks unless it¡¯s absolutely necessary. Just bring me the reports on time and ording to schedule,¡± Nicole said, her voice steady and calm. She had shown up mainly due to some issues pertaining to Everett, not to oversee DillCorp¡¯s operations. If anything, she hadplete faith in the team she had chosen. ¡°Yes, Miss Riddle,¡± they acknowledged, before leaving the room. ¡°Nicole, we¡¯re a week ahead of your predictions,¡± Lulu said, her eyes shining with excitement. All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. Nicole nodded, satisfaction evident in her gaze. ¡°Everyone has certainly shown what they¡¯re capable of.¡± ¡°That¡¯s because you¡¯ve got a good eye for talent. Weren¡¯t you the one who picked all of them?¡± Lulu asked. Nicole raised an eyebrow. ¡°The best decision I¡¯ve ever made was bringing you into Riddle Corporation.¡± ¡°Obviously,¡± Lulu shot back, chin tilted up in mock pride, before bursting into giggles. All of a sudden, a knock was heard on the door, and the secretary stepped in. ¡°Here are the documents you asked for, Miss Riddle.¡± After setting them down, she exited, and Nicole began perusing the papers while Lulu observed her closely. ¡°What¡¯s the verdict?¡± Lulu asked, her eyes fixed on Nicole as soon as she had ced the documents down. ¡°It¡¯s just as I thought,¡± Nicole replied, her voice icy and deep. ¡°Everett has indeed nned to take advantage of DillCorp¡¯s weaknesses to deal us a devastating blow.¡± ¡°And if he can¡¯t own it, he¡¯ll tear it apart. Sounds just like him, ¡± Lulu added with a shake of her head. ¡°After all, Everett always thought he¡¯d inherit DillCorp,¡± Nicole said with a determined glint in her eyes. ¡®He must be really bitter now that it¡¯s in my hands.¡¯ ¡°So, what¡¯s our next move?¡± Lulu asked. Chapter 2476 Chapter 2476 ¡°I¡¯ll make sure he backs off,¡± Nicole said, her eyes showing determination. ¡°With DillCorp now under my control, everyone will know not to mess with it.¡± ¡°Do you think he¡¯ll actually back down? He¡¯s not one to give up easily,¡± Lulu said, concerned. ¡°We¡¯ll see if Everett¡¯s got what it takes,¡± Nicole replied coolly. ¡°I¡¯d love to see him try to pull anything off without my say-so.¡± She then looked intently at Lulu. ¡°Tell everyone to keep things under wraps. We can¡¯t let anypany secrets leak out.¡± Lulu nodded in understanding. ¡°Got it,¡± she replied. She had also thought about telling everyone to stay quiet and maybe even spreading a few fake stories. Seeing Lulu¡¯s sly smile, Nicole chuckled and shook her head. ¡®Lulu¡¯s getting cleverer each day.¡¯ Once Lulu left, Nicole started reading a file in front of her. Over at NandoCorp¡¯s manager¡¯s office, Everett leaned back in his chair, looking annoyed. ¡°You¡¯re sure Nicole¡¯s at DillCorp now?¡± His assistant nodded. ¡°Yes, she went there first thing this morning.¡± Everett grinned menacingly. ¡°Nicole may be smart, but she¡¯ll make a mistake sooner orter.¡± Everett was furious that Nicole had DillCorp. It was supposed to be his, but because of this, Harvey sneered at him. Everett felt like he was on his own, but he took sce in knowing he had been beefing up his own influence on the sly for years. Even without Harvey¡¯s support, no one should think Everett was a pushover. A determined thought crossed his mind, and he said, ¡® Now that she¡¯s at DillCorp, it¡¯s perfect. She¡¯ll soon see that what should be mine will always be mine.¡± ¡°Mr. Riddle, what¡¯s our next move?¡± the assistant whispered. ¡°We stick to the n,¡± Everett said confidently. ¡°DillCorp¡¯s practically bankrupt. Do they really think they can turn things around in just a few days?¡± He doubted that even Nicole could save apany teetering on the edge so quickly. The assistant nodded, and then added cautiously, ¡°Should we take any extra precautions?¡± This belongs ? N?velDra/ma.Org. ¡°Like what?¡± ¡°Considering the CEO, Mr. Riddle,¡± the assistant trailed off, hesitating. ¡®We should tread lightly around Nicole. She¡¯s not someone we should take lightly.¡¯ ¡°What makes you think she can save DillCorp?¡± Everett scoffed. ¡°Its downfall is inevitable, and Nicole won¡¯t change that.¡± The assistant simply nodded, not wanting to challenge Everett further, and left. Then, there was a knock on the door. ¡°Mr. Riddle, the CEO would like to see you,¡± came the secretary¡¯s voice. ¡°Got it,¡± Everett replied. With a frown, Everett rose and headed to Damien¡¯s office. ¡°Dad,¡± he began, approaching the desk, ¡°did you want to see me?¡± Damien looked up. ¡°I heard DillCorp is now under Nicole¡¯s control.¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s true. Nicole¡¯s there right now,¡± Everett confirmed. Chapter 2477 Chapter 2477 ¡°She sure has a lot of nerve, taking over DillCorp like that!¡± Damien¡¯s voice rose sharply. ¡°Well, Grandpa¡¯s aware, and Preston doesn¡¯t seem to care,¡± Everett replied, sounding indifferent. Hearing this, Damien grew more irritated. ¡°Doesn¡¯t anyone object? Have they all lost their minds?!¡± Everett lowered his head, silent for a moment. He knew Damien was just venting. ¡®If Grandpa doesn¡¯t oppose what¡¯s happening now, maybe he won¡¯t oppose my future actions either. Do others¡¯ opinions even matter? This might just work in my favor.¡¯ ¡°No way, we can¡¯t let this go. Wasn¡¯t it Nicole who first brought up the idea of splitting up thepany? And now she¡¯s simply taking over DillCorp?¡± Damien¡¯s face darkened.¡± If Dillon and his team didn¡¯t manage well, that doesn¡¯t mean Nicole should get it all. We all have a stake in this.¡± ¡°So, you¡¯re thinking of talking to Grandpa?¡± Everett asked casually. Damien took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. ¡®Is there any point in going to him? I mean, it¡¯s not like he¡¯d help. If anything, I¡¯d be lucky not to get an earful from him.¡¯ With a curious look at Everett, Damien asked, ¡°So, what¡¯s our next move? You seem to have something in mind.¡± ¡°If we can¡¯t have it, we might as well destroy it.¡± Everett shrugged. ¡®Then nobody wins.¡¯ ¡°Destroy it?¡± Damien¡¯s eyebrows knitted together. ¡®Wouldn¡¯t that be a waste?¡¯ ¡°If we don¡¯t act, DillCorp will just make Spencer even stronger,¡± Everett borated. ¡°Dillon¡¯s no longer part of the Riddle family. Snow¡¯s in a hospital and might not wake up. Raine¡¯s gone missing, James is behind bars, and Preston? He¡¯s siding with Nicole. Given all this, do we even have a shot?¡± He stared intently at his father. ¡®Spencer¡¯s already taken the mainpany, and now everything from Dillon too,¡¯ Damien thought. ¡®With Stanley on his side, where does that leave me?¡¯ He looked at Everett.¡± So, what should we do?¡± Eager to use his father Damien¡¯s influence rather than his own resources, Everett shared his n. It would also give him a safety to fall back on. This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Alright, you always know what to do,¡± Damien said. ¡®Til leave this matter to you then.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Dad,¡± Everett responded, excited about the responsibility. ¡°Go on then.¡± Damien motioned for him to proceed. As Everett nodded and left the room, Damien¡¯s expression darkened. ¡®Dillon tried to outdo me, and look where it got him. Spencer¡¯s on top now, and Dillon has nothing. They¡¯ll soon realize the price of crossing me. As the oldest Riddle, I should¡¯ve been the one in charge. Nobody will rob me of that right.¡¯ As the afternoon sun shone brightly, Nicole and Lulu chatted in the office after their lunch. ¡°June said she¡¯s free today and wants us to join her for pizza near the Royal Creek Instituteter,¡± Lulu said. ¡°You in? n ¡°Sure,¡± Nicole agreed. ¡°Well, June said no plus-ones. She¡¯s calling it our ¡®Goodbye to Singlehood¡¯ party,¡± Lulu said, her eyes filled with glee. Nicole looked amused. ¡°Goodbye to Singlehood? Only you guys woulde up with something like that.¡± ¡°Now that we¡¯re married, things will change a bit,¡± Lulu replied, her cheeks pink with a mix of excitement and embarrassment. ¡°Sure, we¡¯ll hang out, but it won¡¯t be the same as before.¡± Chapter 2478 Chapter 2478 ¡°Alright, let¡¯s meet there after work,¡± Nicole said. ¡°Sounds good. I¡¯ll tell Spencer he doesn¡¯t have to pick me up, ¡± Lulu replied. She then sent Spencer a quick message. Simrly, Nicole informed Jared she would be having pizza with June and Lulu after work and suggested he go home first. ¡°Alright, I need to get going. See youter,¡± Lulu said. As she stood up and left Nicole¡¯s office, Nicole went back to her work. When it was time to leave, Nicole and Lulu left DillCorp, caught a cab, and headed to the Royal Creek Institute. ¡°You know, the three of us haven¡¯t hung out there in about five years,¡± Lulu said. ¡°After you went missing, Nicole, it was just June and me visiting from time to time.¡± ¡°It¡¯s hard to believe it¡¯s been five years.¡± Nicole sighed. ¡®So much has changed, but at least we¡¯re still best friends.¡¯ When they arrived at the restaurant, June was already there, motioning for them to join her. ¡°Come sit here!¡± ¡°You¡¯re early,¡± Lulu said, guiding Nicole to sit down. ¡°I live closer,¡± June replied, handing them menus. ¡°Order whatever you like. I¡¯ve got it!¡± Lulu chuckled. ¡°Well, in that case, I¡¯m not holding back.¡± ¡°Enjoy!¡± June said with a yful wave of her hand. After ordering, June added some beers to the list. ¡°We should celebrate tonight! We¡¯re all getting married soon, after all.¡± Nicoleughed. ¡°Sounds like you think marriage means we won¡¯t be free anymore.¡± ¡°We¡¯re getting hitched. Why not have some fun tonight?¡± June said, sticking out her tongue. Soon, their food and drinks were on the table. ¡°Cheers to our final single days!¡± June said, raising her ss. Nicole and Lulu joined the toast, clinking sses and sipping their drinks. While pouring more drinks, June said, ¡°Let¡¯s have a st tonight.¡± ¡°You¡¯re acting a bit off,¡± Lulu teased. ¡°Getting cold feet about the wedding?¡± ¡°It¡¯s just tough getting both of you out for dinner with your schedules!¡± Juneughed. ¡°So, let¡¯s enjoy tonight to the fullest.¡± From N?velDrama.Org. Lulu teased again, ¡±1 thought you were having second thoughts.¡± June shot her a yful re. ¡°If you aren¡¯t, why should I?¡± Nicole smiled softly, watching Lulu and June¡¯s yful exchange. Memories of their school days, when they did everything together, filled her thoughts. It seemed like only yesterday they were inseparable. And now, these close friends would soon be her sisters-inw. Chapter 2479 Chapter 2479 ¡°It¡¯s been five years, and you two haven¡¯t changed,¡± Nicole said, smiling at the pair. ¡°Even when you both be part of the family, I bet you¡¯ll still tease each other.¡± Lulu started to say, ¡°We¡¯re used to it. We¡¯ve always been¡­¡± She paused, her eyes widening. ¡°Nicole, do you remember now?¡± This belongs ? N?velDra/ma.Org. ¡°Just some stuff from school,¡± Nicole said with a casual smile. Though she still struggled with gaps in her memory, recalling her school days was a hopeful sign. ¡°That¡¯s great!¡± June and Lulu eximed. Memories from school were a start, and they were hopeful more would return. ¡°Let¡¯s toast to Nicole¡¯s memory of school days!¡± June eximed, preparing the drinks. As the night went on, they chatted, ate, and felt the buzz from the drinks. ¡°One more round!¡± June dered, refilling her friends¡¯ sses. But before they could even sip, someone swiftly took their sses away. June reached out in the direction her ss had vanished, but caught nothing. ¡°Hey! Give it back!¡± she eximed. ¡°You¡¯ve had enough, you¡¯re tipsy,¡± a voice said, sounding a bit annoyed. She blinked. ¡°Samuel? Is that you?¡± ¡°Come on, time to head home,¡± Samuel replied, lifting June into his arms. ¡°Hey!¡± June said, kicking her legs and almost causing Samuel to drop her. He held her tighter. ¡°Quit squirming.¡± ¡°Hey, let go!¡± June snapped, held tight by Samuel. ¡°You better watch out. My boyfriend¡¯s no joke. He¡¯ll come after you, you know.¡± ¡°She¡¯s had too much,¡± Samuel said, chuckling. He then scooped her up again. ¡°I¡¯ll get her home.¡± ¡°Nicole, since June¡¯s gone, I¡¯m heading out too,¡± Lulu said, rising unsteadily. She felt disoriented, vaguely aware that June was no longer there and that someone had offered to drive her home. Lulu tried to walk but stumbled. Instinctively, Spencer reached out to steady her. ¡°I¡¯ll take you home,¡± he offered gently. ¡°I¡¯m good.¡± Lulu pushed him away, attempting to stand firm.¡± Just watch.¡± However, her legs gave out. ¡°Watch out!¡± Spencer quickly caught Lulu before she could fall to the ground. She bumped into his chest, her eyes filling with tears. Lulu cried out in pain and looked at Spencer. Spencer sighed. ¡°I¡¯ll carry you home,¡± he decided. ¡®There¡¯s no way she¡¯s walking on her own.¡¯ Nicole nced around, realizing there were only two of them left. ¡°Looks like we¡¯re thest ones,¡± she said, giving Jared a small smile. Although she felt a bit tipsy, she noticed June and Lulu leaving with Samuel and Spencer. ¡°Ready to head home?¡± Jared gently scooped Nicole into his arms. ¡°Let¡¯s head home,¡± he whispered. Chapter 2480 Chapter 2480 Nicole snuggled close to Jared, murmuring, ¡°When people are happy, they drink more. And guess what? I¡¯m starting to remember stuff from school.¡± Jared looked at her. Lately, she had been remembering a lot from her childhood and her time at Royal Creek Institute.¡± What about that cafe?¡± Jared asked her softly, remembering it was from her school days. ¡°Cafe?¡± Nicole frowned and then shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t remember.¡± Jared smiled affectionately at her. ¡°Let¡¯s go home.¡± ¡°Mhm, home,¡± Nicole replied, nestling her head on Jared¡¯s shoulder. She smiled in contentment. They soon returned to the Riddle family manor. Though everyone had gone to bed, the lights in the living room remained on, likely for those not yet home. As Jared carried Nicole inside, the butler, still up, was waiting forthem. ¡°Mr. Johnston,¡± the butler began, his gaze lingering on Nicole who seemed a bit unsteady. ¡°Should I prepare something to help her sober up?¡± ¡°No need,¡± Jared responded quickly. ¡°She¡¯s a little tipsy, but she¡¯s fine.¡± The butler simply nodded. ¡°Alright then.¡± Jared began to ascend the stairs, holding Nicole in his arms. He called back, ¡°Turn off the lights. They won¡¯t being back.¡± The butler looked surprised. ¡®Samuel and Spencer aren¡¯t returning tonight? They didn¡¯t inform us.¡¯ However, taking Jared¡¯s word for it, the butler turned off the lights and headed to bed. ¡°How do you know they won¡¯t be back? Did they tell you?¡± Nicole asked, frowning slightly. ¡®I don¡¯t remember hearing that.¡¯ ¡°With June and Lulu as drunk as they were, someone needs to look after them,¡± Jared exined while carrying Nicole to their room. Nicole thought, ¡®That makes sense. They should have someone take care of them.¡¯ Once in the room, Nicole said, ¡°Put me down.¡± This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. Jared set her on her feet. But her legs felt weak, and she wobbled. Before she could trip, Jared wrapped his arms around her. Looking up at him, a bit dazed, Nicole touched his face and blurted out, ¡°You¡¯re really handsome.¡± Jared caught her hands. ¡°Easy there.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the deal? I¡¯m just saying.¡± Nicole pouted. ¡°You¡¯ve always been a looker.¡± Jared¡¯s gaze and tone softened. ¡°So have you.¡± Nicole giggled, her face lighting up like a proud kid. Jared swallowed hard and leaned down, kissing her. Nicole blinked, her eyes wide with surprise. Chapter 2481 Chapter 2481 Jared¡¯s gaze darkened, and his kiss became firmer and more aggressive. Meanwhile, June was all worn out after Samuel sent her back to her apartment. While pouring a ss of water, Samuel turned his head to find June already copsed on the carpet, desperately crawling to get on the couch. She failed multiple times, always sliding back down to the ground. Putting the ss, Samuel went to June¡¯s side and helped her get onto the sofa. June then made a gagging noise. Her face turned an ugly shade and her cheeks puffed up. ¡°Hold up!¡± Samuel cried. He rushed to grab the trash can, but it was already toote. With a retching sound, June threw up. Her puke was everywhere-on the carpet, the couch, her clothes, and even on Samuel. Looking at the mess around him, Samuel fumed. ¡°June, I swear I¡¯ll never let you drink again.¡± Frustration aside, Samuel had no choice but to start cleaning up the mess. The next day, the sun shone brightly. Nicole arrived at thepany, looking like she usually did, but Lulu seemed a little out of sorts. ¡°Didn¡¯t you sleep wellst night?¡± Nicole asked. It wasmon for people to get a good night¡¯s sleep after getting drunk. ¡°I slept well. It¡¯s just a headache, probably a hangover,¡± Lulu replied, rubbing her temples. Lulu could not recall what happenedst night, but she saw Spencer when she woke up. So she instantly knew Spencer took care of herst night. Spencer told her that she had fallen asleep on the way home and stayed asleep until morning. ¡°Do you want to go back and rest?¡± Nicole asked, concerned for her friend. ¡°I¡¯m fine. There¡¯s no need to rest.¡± Lulu shook her head and perked up. From N?velDrama.Org. Nicole did not press the matter after seeing Lulu¡¯s response. KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK. The secretary¡¯s voice sounded, ¡°Ms. Riddle, a person named Mr. Lawrence wants to see you.¡± ¡°Lawrence?¡± Nicole was surprised. How did Lawrence find his way here? ¡°Should I let him in?¡± the secretary asked when Nicole did not reply. ¡°Let him in,¡± Nicole instructed. The secretary nodded and left. After a moment, someone knocked on the door. ¡°Come in,¡± Nicole replied. Lawrence entered with a smile. ¡°Are you getting used to it over here?¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m fine,¡± Nicole reassured. ¡°Why the sudden visit? Is there something wrong?¡± ¡°Oh, there¡¯s nothing wrong. I was passing by, so I figured I¡¯d visit you,¡± Lawrence said while approaching Nicole. Nicole got up and gestured to the couch. ¡°Come, have a seat.¡± They both sat on the couch, and Lulu served them coffee before leaving. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you toe here. Are you nning to stay at DillCorp from now on?¡± Lawrence guessed. ¡°No, it¡¯s just a temporary thing. After all, DillCorp isn¡¯t stable yet,¡± Nicole exined briefly, not revealing too much. Lawrence chuckled and casually nced around Nicole¡¯s office. His gaze lingered briefly on a white pill bottle before shifting away. Nicole¡¯s pupils constricted slightly. This was the bottle which Martin had switched the medication for her. Lawrence did not know about it, so he must be here to check if Nicole was taking her medication. Was he testing her? Chapter 2482 Chapter 2482 ¡°I¡¯m meeting with a client nearby, around noon. The meeting should be quick. How about having lunch together?¡± Lawrence suggested, not noticing Nicole¡¯s change in demeanor. Nicole frowned and rejected, ¡°I¡¯m afraid not today. I have things to take care of. Maybe next time.¡± Disappointed, Lawrence said, ¡°Alright then, I¡¯ll ask you out another day.¡± ¡°Sure thing,¡± Nicole agreed with a faint smile. ¡°Speaking of which, it¡¯s been a while since Ist saw Nn and Lana. Why don¡¯t we take them out for a day when they¡¯re free?¡± Lawrence tried. Nicole bit her lip and hesitated to refuse directly. So she replied, ¡°I¡¯ll check with them first.¡± ¡°Fine by me. Let me know when you¡¯ve set a date.¡± Lawrence smiled, thinking Nicole was epting his invitation. ¡°Yeah.¡± Nicole faked a smile and remained silent. Her current feelings toward Lawrence were complicated, and she was unsure of how to approach Lawrence. She could only wait for the final results of the investigation. She did not even know which oue she hoped to see. Lawrence had indeed saved her life before. He had always been very caring and helped her and her kids. However, the things Lawrence was doing to her now made her hesitate. ¡°Hey, Nicole?¡± Lawrence called out softly, noticing her silence. Nicole grounded her teeth lightly. When she looked back at Lawrence, her expression was neutralized. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing,¡± Lawrence said as he got up. ¡°I¡¯ll get going now.¡± Nicole stood up to see him off. This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. After Lawrence left, Lulu entered her office. ¡°He¡¯s gone?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Nicole sat down in her seat. ¡°What was he here for? Don¡¯t tell me he¡¯s here to monitor you taking your medication?¡± Lulu rolled her eyes. Spying on Nicole would not help, as they changed the medications. That was why Nicole took the pill bottle with her. It was to let Lawrence notice it. ¡°Thank God we¡¯re all set and changed the medication.¡± Lulu sighed. ¡°But how long do we have to keep this up?¡± When will this finallye to an end? ¡°There¡¯ll be an oue eventually,¡± Nicole said meaningfully, furrowing her eyebrows. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Lulu let out a long sigh, feeling pity for her friend. She wanted to say something but held back. Seeming to understand Lulu¡¯s thoughts, Nicole said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll ept any oues thate our way.¡± Even if the results were not in their favor, she would still ept it. Meanwhile, Lawrence left DillCorp. In the car waiting for him, Ian immediately greeted him. ¡°Mr. Royce. How¡¯s it going?¡± Lawrence gently nodded his head and entered the vehicle. Ian instantly understood that Nicole was still taking the medication Hanwick prepared. After getting in the car, Ian whispered, ¡°Did Ms. Riddle notice anything?¡± ¡°She might¡¯ve.¡± Lawrence¡¯s gaze darkened slightly. He felt that Nicole had not noticed anything, but there was still an unusual feeling deep down inside him. He felt a strange inexplicable distance growing between them. A distance that could not be bridged. Lawrence¡¯s heart pained. His eyebrows pinched together. Chapter 2483 Chapter 2483 Mr. Royce, should we let Hanwick leave?¡± Ian asked. After all, it was fake. Ian was afraid people might question if Hanwick continued to stay. ¡°Not now. We might still need him.¡± Lawrence¡¯s gaze darkened. Nicole had yet to suspect anything, so he felt like keeping Hanwick around was still necessary. ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Ian did not dare to interfere with Lawrence¡¯s decision. ¡°Tell Hanwick toy low these days. I can¡¯t protect him if his identity is exposed.¡± Determination shed in Lawrence¡¯s eyes. If Hanwick¡¯s identity raised suspicions, Lawrence could not guarantee his safety as he had to protect himself. ¡°Got it,¡± Ian replied. Lawrence¡¯s sight focused outside the car window, his deep gaze revealing nothing about his thoughts as the car slowly left DillCorp. The scorching afternoon sunlight made everyone feel drowsy. After lunch, Nicole leaned against the sofa resting. She was half asleep, unable to distinguish her dream and reality. There was a string of letters that kept appearing in her mind. Nicole struggled to decipher them. Snapping her eyes open, Nicole realized it was all a dream.¡± Whew¡­¡± she muttered. ¡°So I was dreaming.¡± Nicole could not help but dwell on her dream. Those letters left her with a strange sense of familiarity. ¡®What could it mean? A code, password, or did it represent something else? I Nicole struggled to figure it out and soon realized she was at a loss. However, that strange feeling from the letters in her dream lingered. This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. Unable to work anything out, Nicole rubbed her temples and stood up. She walked over to the window, gazing outside at the bright sunlight. The sun cast a beam of light into her office, illuminating the area. With her arms crossed, Nicole took a deep breath and stopped obsessing over her thoughts. KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK. The secretary came into Nicole¡¯s office with a document.¡± Ms. Riddle, this is urgent.¡± ¡°Leave it there,¡± Nicole answered and came over to the desk. The secretary put down the document and left. Nicole sat down and read the documents. But she was left shocked while reading the information. ¡®How could Project Horizon not go well? Where did it go wrong?¡¯ Pressing the inte button, Nicole called the project manager to her office. Soon, the project manager rushed in anxiously. ¡°Ms. Riddle.¡± ¡°What¡¯s going on with Project Horizon? Give me the specifics.¡± Nicole¡¯s voice carried a hint of coldness. ¡°The otherpany got entangled in awsuit, so we had no choice but to give up this project,¡± the project manager exined. ¡°Awsuit?¡± Nicole asked in surprise, feeling it was all too much of a coincidence. ¡®The early stage of the project had progressed smoothly. How was it possible that they got involved in awsuit at this crucial time? The worst thing was it affected bothpanies.¡¯ ¡°Yes, we¡¯ve had people verify the information,¡± the project manager continued. ¡°Considering the difficulty of theirwsuit and the negative impact, we prepared to abandon the partnership.¡± The project manager sighed, feeling it was a pity to abandon the project at this time. ¡°Let¡¯s put this project on hold for now and postpone it,¡± Nicole said firmly. She had a feeling that something was off. ¡°Understood,¡± the project manager replied and left the office. Chapter 2484 Chapter 2484 Leaning against her chair, Nicole¡¯s expression was as cold as ice. She thought of investigating the matter more carefully. After getting someone on it, Nicole sighed and continued working. Dusk was approaching, and the people off work were all rushing back home. Nicole and Jared brought the kids back to the Riddle family manor. ¡°Why, isn¡¯t this lively?¡± Dexter¡¯s family was in the living room. ¡°Hi, Dexter. Hey, Emma,¡± Nicole greeted them and sat on the couch. ¡°Hey, you¡¯re back!¡± the couple responded. When they saw the kids, they smiled. ¡°This must be Nn and Lana.¡± The kids looked at Nicole in confusion, so Nicole introduced them/ ¡°This is your Grandpa Dexter and Grandma Emma.¡± After greeting them politely, the kids stared at Emery and Er. ¡°This is Uncle Emery and Uncle Er,¡± Nicole introduced. ¡°Hi, Uncles,¡± Nn and Lana sweetly called out. Emma smiled, filled with envy. ¡°Oh my, you two are so adorable!¡± She then took out the gifts she had prepared for them. ¡°Here you go, a little something for you two.¡± ¡°And my gift to you,¡± Er added as he gifted them. Er overheard Mr. Riddle Sr. mention Nn and Lana while he visited him. If not, their entire family had no idea of the kids¡¯ existence. When Er headed home, he had told his parents, thus the meeting today to see the kids. Nn and Lana thanked everyone. They were quite familiar with epting gifts. After thanking them politely, they instinctively looked toward Emery. The atmosphere instantly turned awkward, as the crowd knew Emery was not a talkative person and was even considered reclusive, often ying his video games. No one expected Emery to prepare gifts for the kids. However, Nn and Lana were obviously looking forward to gifts from him. How could they exin to the kids if Emery did not prepare a gift for them? Just as everyone was anxious for Emery, he took out presents from his pocket. The fact that Emery had prepared gifts was a shocking fact to everyone. ¡°Thank you, Uncle Emery,¡± the kids politely thanked him after receiving the gift. ¡°Dude, did the sune out from the west today?¡± Er was stunned. Emery coldly nced at Er and continued his game. Er smiled sarcastically and shrugged his shoulders. ¡®Well, even though the sun rose from the west, it was just for a moment.¡¯ ¡°Please, take a seat.¡± Gloria gestured to the guest as she saw Nicole and the others had been standing. This belongs ? N?velDra/ma.Org. ¡°Grandma, we¡¯ll go upstairs first!¡± Nn and Lana went up with their gifts. ¡°Sure thing, go ahead.¡± Gloria smiled as she knew the kids could not wait to open their gifts. The scene of the two kids climbing the stairs made Emmaugh, ¡°They¡¯re so cute. How could you hide them for so long and not let us know?¡± ¡°Well, you know now,¡± Gloria joked and did not exin further. ¡°Mom, aren¡¯t you here to help write the guest list? Why don¡¯t you write it now?¡± Er reminded. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s right. Our main purpose was to see the kids and help you guys with the guest list. Didn¡¯t you sayst time that you needed a more detailed list to send out the invitation card?¡± Emma recalled. Chapter 2485 Chapter 2485 ¡°Let¡¯s get it done now. Samuel and Spencer aren¡¯t back yet. We¡¯ll be done by the time they¡¯re back, and we¡¯ll have dinner together,¡± Daniel proposed. ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll do the writing,¡± Dexter volunteered. This belongs ? N?velDra/ma.Org. Watching the others get busy, Er turned to Nicole and asked, ¡°Hey, Nicole. The wedding day is getting close. When are you announcing Nn and Lana¡¯s identity?¡± ¡°We¡¯re not preparing to announce it in advance. We¡¯ll wait till the wedding banquet,¡± Nicole answered while exchanging nces with Jared. Nicole had already discussed the matter with Jared. They nned to announce the kid¡¯s identity in front of the guests, but not the public. Those attending the wedding were all important friends, families, and business partners. As for the others, they felt it was not necessary to inform them. Er pondered for a moment before agreeing, ¡°You¡¯re right. Those not within the list don¡¯t really need to know anyways.¡± Nn and Lana were still young, and keeping them hidden from the public was the best protection. Er could understand Nicole and Jared¡¯s intentions. For the children to live peacefully, it was better to keep their identities a secret from the general public. Nicole continued, ¡°But how did you guys know about them?¡± Er then started to exin what he overheard from Mr. Riddle Sr. while visiting. ¡°I see!¡± Nicole breathed a sigh of relief. It was not a big deal if Er knew it from Mr. Riddle Sr. If the source was from somewhere else, then Nicole would have needed to pay more attention. ¡°Oh, I heard something happened to Horizon Corporation. Aren¡¯t you coborating with them? Best careful,¡± Er reminded. ¡°The project with them stopped,¡± Nicole rified. She frowned and asked, ¡°Do you know what exactly happened to Horizon Corporation?¡± Er replied, ¡°I¡¯m not sure of the specifics. Horizon Corporation kept the news tightly sealed. Only some companies with certain connections in the industry know.¡± ¡°You¡¯re talking about Horizon?¡± Emery interrupted while looking at them. ¡°I think they were hacked.¡± The few people focused on Emery with surprise. ¡°How did you know?!¡± In their impression, Emery was all about games. Besides ying his video games, Emery was managing his gamingpany. He paid no attention to the outside world. ¡°I heard someone talking about it,¡± Emery exined and continued ying his game. Everyone fell silent upon his exnation. Even though Emery was obsessed with his games and rarely talked, he must have been certain of something before speaking out. ¡°Should we go check it out?¡± Er asked with a slight frown. Nicole hesitated before refusing, ¡°Forget it. It¡¯s not our business after all.¡± This was an internal issue happening in Horizon Corporation right now. Their corporation with DillCorp had not started yet, so DillCorp had at most lost one project only. They had no reason to get involved in anotherpany¡¯s affairs. Er did not press further. He only mentioned it because he heard about the trouble in Horizon Corporation and the news that Nicole was preparing to coborate with Horizon Corporation. As long as there was no loss, it was not a big deal. ¡°Woah, it¡¯s so lively today!¡± Samuel eximed while looking at the crowd in the house. ¡°You¡¯re back.¡± Daniel saw Samuel, followed by Spencer who just came into the house. ¡°Since you¡¯re back now, let¡¯s eat.¡± Soon, the family was seated in the dining room. ¡°What¡¯s the big day today?¡± Spencer asked. It seemed like there was good news with everyone gathered together in the house. Chapter 2486 Chapter 2486 ¡°Oh, it¡¯s nothing. We just heard about the kids and figured we should visit them. Besides that, the wedding for you and Spencer is getting closer, so we¡¯re here to help your parents with the guest list,¡± Dexter exined while smiling. ¡°Thank you, Dexter and Emma,¡± Samuel said. ¡°I really appreciate your help.¡± From N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Don¡¯t say it like that. It¡¯s a joyous asion, and we are more than willing to help,¡± Emmaughed. ¡°Speaking of which, after all the preparations, we¡¯re almost ready for the wedding. We¡¯re just waiting for the big day,¡± Gloria said contentedly. It was a relief for the parents to see their two kids getting married. ¡°Next one up is Nicole, right?¡± Emma chuckled and looked towards Nicole. ¡°When are you and Jared going to hold the wedding? Be sure to call me for help.¡± ¡°Thank you, Emma,¡± Nicole thanked politely and added,¡± However, we don¡¯t have ns for now.¡± ¡°We¡¯re naturally not in a position toment on your matters. I¡¯m just saying when you do, please hit me up,¡± Emma rified. She knew Jared and Nicole had their own ns and respected their decision. ¡°We will,¡± Nicole promised. She could not help but feel a tinge of emotions, wondering if it was time she should get married. Otherwise, there would be more people who were urging her for marriage. Subconsciously, Nicole focused on Jared while Jared just so happened to be looking at her too. Their eyes met, and her cheeks blushed. The family continued chatting about other topics, andughter filled the dining room all dinnertime. After the guests left, other family members went back to their rooms. Nicole and Jared returned to their room. Nicole sighed. ¡°Time flies, Samuel and Spencer¡¯s wedding is really approaching.¡± Nicole remembered when she first came back, both couples were still shy and not daring to take a leap in their rtionship. Luckily, both of them ended up together, and she had the chance to witness their happy moments. She was really happy for them. Jared¡¯s gaze was soft while he smoothed Nicole¡¯s hair. ¡°Get some rest.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Nicole chuckled and agreed. Jared smiled and looked at Nicole tenderly. Time passes fast, and three days pass in the blink of an eye. For a few days in a row, thepanies coborating with DillCorp had encountered problems one after another. Nicole arrived at DillCorp early in the morning and felt the heavy tension in the office atmosphere. ¡°Nicole, isn¡¯t this too fishy?¡± Lulu frowned. It could be a coincidence if only one or twopanies encountered an issue, but it was several in a row. Lulu suspected that someone might be manipting things behind the scenes. ¡°Yes, something is off,¡± Nicole replied, her pupils narrowing slightly. There was a hint of coldness in her tone. Nicole found it coincidental when Horizon Corporation faced trouble earlier. The incidents happening now had just confirmed her suspicion. ¡°I¡¯ll have someone to check on it,¡± Lulu said and left. ¡°Hold up.¡± Nicole stopped her friend. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Lulu stopped and looked at Nicole in confusion. After some thought, Nicole replied, ¡°You should just inform thepanies about the situation.¡± ¡°Could they find out on their own?¡± Lulu said while frowning. ¡°It¡¯s up to them to solve the problem. We have our own problems to deal with,¡± Nicole replied, her eyes cold. ¡®It seems that the mastermind wasn¡¯t targeting thosepanies but rather DillCorp itself.¡± Chapter 2487 Chapter 2487 The only person Nicole could think of was Damien and Everett, no one else would have such a grudge against DillCorp aside from them. ¡°What should we do?¡± asked Lulu, in a serious expression. Nicole¡¯s mouth twitched. ¡°Let¡¯s seek Johnston Group¡¯s cooperation.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ John-Johnston Group?!¡± Lulu took a minute to get the big picture and when she did, her eyes widened in shock. Nicole raised her eyebrows. ¡°Why? Can¡¯t we work with them? IV Lulu shook her head. ¡°No, I thought you were going to fight fire with fire.¡± This belongs ? N?velDra/ma.Org. ¡®It didn¡¯t cross my mind that Nicole would coborate with Johnston Group, on top of everything else,¡¯ Lulu thought to herself. ¡°I mean, not just coborating with Johnston Group itself but there are a few subsidiaries that their company has. We¡¯ll coborate with them all,¡± Nicole dered. She turned to look Lulu in the eye. ¡°I¡¯ll arrange this with the headquarters myself.¡± ¡®If Everett is thinking of ruining DillCorp¡¯s coborative work, then he ought to try harder. Nothing will go wrong, at least not on my watch,¡¯ thought Nicole. Immediately, Lulu understood Nicole¡¯s intentions. ¡°Do you think Everett would keeping at us?¡± ¡®Even if we get through this hurdle, I can¡¯t possibly put my finger on how we could the next time the possibility of DillCorp ever partnering with such corporations is almost impossible,¡¯thought Nicole to herself. Nicole nodded slowly. ¡°Yeah, then we shall see, if there¡¯ll be a next time¡­¡± Lulu blinked nkly. ¡°What does she mean by that?¡¯ Nicole did not care to exin. Instead, she quickly dialed Steve¡¯s number. ¡°I need some help from headquarters.¡± ¡°Shoot.¡± Nicole told the names of the firms and Steve jolted them down. ¡°These firms must have some sort of coborative projects or rtionship with DillCorp, and it needs our support in order to aplish it.¡± DillCorp had always been weakpared to the main office, Riddle Corporation. Even if there was a project, DillCorp would not be able to shoulder the weight of the project without the help from the main office. Steve coolly agreed. ¡°Okay, don¡¯t worry about it.¡± ¡°Okay. That¡¯s all,¡± said Nicole as she hung up the phone. Nicole turned to look at Lulu after she stashed her phone away. The troubled look on Lulu¡¯s face caught Nicole¡¯s attention. ¡°Don¡¯t be nervous. Things will go as nned, just you see within a week,¡± Nicole reassured. Lulu nodded, not knowing whether to trust Nicole or not as she could notprehend Nicole¡¯s thoughts at the moment. Lulu bit her lip. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll go find someone and get them to start liaising with the firms.¡± ¡®What went through Everett¡¯s mind to assume that cutting off all the coborative projects with DillCorp would corner thepany?¡¯ Lulu walked out of the office and started making arrangements for the different firms. Not long after, Lulu finished her task. She suddenly felt sorry for Nicole. ¡®She must¡¯ve worked her ass off to save DillCorp with her bare hands and only for Everett to do something like this again.¡¯ A sudden knock on the door snapped Lulu back to her senses. ¡°Who is it?¡± The door opened and a secretary walked in. ¡°The front desk told me that someone¡¯s looking for you.¡± Chapter 2488 Chapter 2488 ¡°Looking for me?¡¯ Lulu looked at the secretary and frowned. ¡°Who would want to find me?¡¯ ¡°Did they say who they were?¡± asked Lulu. ¡°No, do you want to head downstairs?¡± asked the secretary as she shook her head. Lulu hesitated for a while before standing up. ¡°I¡¯ll go down and have a look.¡± Lulu¡¯s heart was filled with worry as she inched closer to the lobby. Her eyes fell on a strange looking woman. She walked up to her and asked, ¡°Are you looking for me?¡± ¡°Are you Lulu Barrera?¡± the unknown woman asked, scanning Lulu up and down. ¡°I am, but may I ask why you¡¯re looking for me?¡± asked Lulu, her voice filled with uncertainty. Lulu had never seen this woman before in her life, unclear of what her objective could be. Suddenly, the woman grabbed her by the cor and screamed, ¡°You evil bitch! My brother almost died because of you and you¡¯re here enjoying your life like nothing happened!¡± ¡°Hey! Excuse me, ma¡¯am. What are you talking about?¡± Lulu whimpered, frightened by the sudden attack, her face was pale white. ¡°Oh, quit pretending ande home with me! You ought to tell my brother the truth!¡± The woman suddenly grabbed Lulu by her cor and dragged a struggling Lulu outside the building. Lulu panicked as she struggled to break free from the woman¡¯s death grip. ¡°Security! Help me! I don¡¯t know this person¡­ Let go of me!¡± This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. In just a few moments, several people nearby the office lobby quickly jumped in and saved Lulu from the woman¡¯s deadly grip. The unknown woman suddenly sat on the ground and wailed, after noticing that she was outnumbered. ¡°There¡¯s no justice in this world. This woman is a fraud! My brother loved her with all his heart, and she swindled all his money away! Now that my brother¡¯s ill, she¡¯s going to marry someone else. This woman is vile and vicious!¡± cursed the woman angrily. Lulu was in shock, her face turned pale as she watched the woman rant, ¡°Don¡¯t sputter nonsense. I don¡¯t even know you.¡± ¡°Of course, you don¡¯t know me. When you scammed my brother, I wasn¡¯t around, but this time I won¡¯t let you get away with it,¡± huffed the woman as she red at Lulu. ¡°Look, ma¡¯am. I suggest you stop making a scene here or we¡¯ll call the police,¡± the security guard said, stepping forward to interrupt. The woman immediately stood up and ran upon hearing the threat of the security guard. ¡°Lord! I guess no one cares about the fairness of the world anymore! This woman here has scammed my brother of all his wealth and now my brother can¡¯t even live through the next day. I came here to seek justice and she has people lined up to bully the minority. Lulu Barrera, you evil bitch!¡± screamed the woman. Out of nowhere, reporters came rushing in through the main doors of the lobby. Camera shes and shutters filled the room. ¡°You have my full support! Tell us and we¡¯ll publish it in tomorrow¡¯s papers! We¡¯ll give you your justice!¡± screamed a reporter. The woman heard this and immediately looked like she hit the jackpot. ¡°Really? Can you really give me justice?¡± ¡°Just tell me everything,¡± said the reporter, as they readied themselves to take the notes. ¡°Don¡¯t listen to her nonsense! I don¡¯t know her at all,¡± Lulu protested in a shaky voice. ¡®How can I let her talk nonsense to the media?¡¯ Lulu thought. The security guards immediately started to give outmands to his team to drive the crowd away from the lobby. ¡°Are you driving them away because you¡¯re worried about getting caught?¡± asked a reporter, trying to instigate a debate. ¡°I should be the one saying that. You guys are here to incriminate someone¡¯s innocence. Stop trying to create a mess here. Our office needs to work and operate,¡± said the security guard as he insisted to usher the crowd out of the building. A reporter angrily shouted, ¡°You guys are unreasonable! Can¡¯t you see things in ck and white? Clearly that woman here is suffering!¡± The security guard shot back, ¡°What nonsense are you talking about!¡± A high-pitched voice person suddenly spoke up, capturing everyone¡¯s attention. ¡°What¡¯s themotion about? There are so many people here.¡± Chapter 2489 Chapter 2489 Nicole slowly walked over to the lobby. In her office earlier, she saw a mob of people rushing into the building from her window. She wanted to ask Lulu to check what was going on, not knowing that something had happened to Lulu. ¡°I don¡¯t know her! She suddenly came here and started ndering me and even dragged me around for a few feet!¡± eximed Lulu as she burst into tears. Nicole held Lulu¡¯s hand tightly, but it did not stop Lulu¡¯s hand from trembling. Lulu was traumatized. Nicole gave Luluforting pats on the back. ¡°You go home and rest.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± Lulu stuttered, looking at Nicole like a lost puppy. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll take care of things here,¡± said Nicole as she turned around to signal the front desk. The front desk understood immediately and ushered Lulu away. Nicole¡¯s expression darkened almost immediately after Lulu left. She turned to look at the report, completely overlooking the woman¡¯s existence. ¡°Which media publication do you belong to? I see that all the media in the city are here.¡± ¡®Do they take me as a fool? How could a situation just happen, and media from all over the city would appear the next moment?¡¯ Nicole snorted mentally. The question threw the reporter off. He avoided eye contact as he knew that he had taken the bait that there would be big news happening at the lobby of Riddle Corporation. ¡°We initially came to interview the Chairperson of Riddle Corporation due to the troubles of Dill Corp recently,¡± said a reporter. The others nodded along in unison and mumbled, ¡°Yeah, good excuse.¡± Nicole raised her eyebrow, shooting a dead stare at the reporter. She sneered, ¡°Your information seems to be quite up to date, don¡¯t you think? I can ept your interview request, but have you considered it carefully to interview me, because nothing will be to your advantage.¡± The reporters hesitated for a while. A cold look shed across Nicole¡¯s eyes. ¡®I knew it. These people were staged just toe and nder Lulu! But who would do such a thing?¡¯ ¡°Shut up! Stop speaking. Weren¡¯t you guys telling me you¡¯d interview me?!¡¯ yelled the woman, on top of her lungs as she tried to divert the attention to prevent their ns from failing. ¡°Lulu Barrera, this woman is a vile and wicked person. From N?velDrama.Org. Completely despicable. She cheated my brother of all his wealth when she saw that he was ill and weak. She then came here and continued to leech off this family, she¡¯s a gold digger!¡± Nicole narrowed her eyes as she listened to the woman¡¯s ndering speech. ¡°Could you take responsibility for what you just said? Did you know that ndering someone else is a crime?¡± said Nicole unsympathetically. The woman stuttered, flinching under Nicole¡¯s icy cold gaze. ¡°I¡ª Of course I can! What I said is all true.¡± ¡°Okay!!! Security, call the police,¡± Nicole eximed loudly and vigorously. ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am.¡± The security guard immediately called the police. The woman tried to keep her cool and wave it off by continuing to shout. ¡°You should all be ashamed of yourselves for defending people like Lulu! If yourpany spends so much money on protecting someone like her, then thepany must be rubbish!¡± Nicole snorted. ¡°We¡¯ll know who¡¯s right and who¡¯s wrong soon enough. The police will give us the right answer.¡± As Nicole finished her sentence, she turned to look at the sea of media. ¡°Since you¡¯re all invited here, why not stay behind to be our witness for this magnificent news. You¡¯ll get to know the final verdict.¡± The police quickly entered the scene as Nicole finished her sentence. ¡°This person here ndered an employee of mine and degraded their name. On top of that, all these people were invited to witness the humiliation. I think the best way to obtain justice is to let the police handle it.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll investigate this thoroughly.¡± Chapter 2490 Chapter 2490 The reporters protested, "We''re reporters, we have the freedom to do whatever and record what we want to!¡± The police looked at them. "Which publication do you belong to?¡± Before anyone could answer, Nicole beat them to it. "They im to be reporters, but they''re fake. I think it''s best that the respective media publicationse and identify their own employees. Those who have been identified can be let go, while those who didn''t must be fakes. They probably teamed up with the woman here.¡± The police quicklymanded once more, ¡°Take them all away!" All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. Theplexion of the reporters immediately turned pale. They all sneaked out during work hours to pick up the news. ''How will we report this to our higher ups?¡¯ Nicole watched as the police rounded up everyone and took them away. She couldn''t help but smirk as she confidently strolled back into the office, heading straight for Lulu. ¡°It''s all my fault, I''ve caused thepany such a huge problem,¡± added Lulu. "It''s not your fault. Those people have been taken away and taken care of by the police. Don''t worry. This matter will be investigated," said Nicole, hoping tofort her friend. Lulu sniffled. "I really don''t know what was happening. I don''t even know who she was, and she suddenly started using me of things I haven''t done and using those awful words.¡± Lulu had never met the woman before in her life, and certainly, she had not done anything the woman had imed she had done. Nicole gently patted on Lulu''s shoulder tofort her. "It''s okay. I''ve already texted Spencer about this. He''ll be here soon to send you home. You go back and rest, okay? I''ll contact you after the investigation isplete.¡± ¡°Thank you, Nicole. I don''t know what I''d do without you," said Lulu, her eyes starting to tear up again. Nicole shot Lulu a warm smile. "Don''t say that. You''re okay, we''re okay.¡± Suddenly, the door burst open with a bang. Spencer barged into the room, frantic. "Lulu, are you okay?!" He quickly walked up to Lulu and began scanning her for any injuries. Seeing Spencer, Lulu immediately burst into tears, sputtering, "I''m fine now. I was really scared earlier.¡± Lulu still got chills down her spine as she recalled the incident earlier. ¡®If I weren''t in thepany, I could''ve been kidnapped by that woman. I can''t bear to think of the consequences of that.¡¯ Spencer pulled Lulu into a tight hug, patting her backfortingly. ¡°Don''t worry. Everything''s okay now.¡± "You can send her back home and let her rest. Stay with her for the time being. She''s really shaken up from the incident,¡± Nicole told Spencer. ¡°Okay, then I''ll send her home,¡± Spencer replied. He lifted Lulu up into his arms and walked out of the office. Nicole sighed deeply before walking back to her office. There, she leaned into her seat as she subconsciously recalled the incident. ¡®How could an unknown persone all the way to our office just to find Lulu? On top of that, she brought in that many reporters... Who is she and why did she treat Lulu like this?¡¯ Meanwhile, Spencer arrived at Lulu''s apartment. Chapter 2491 Chapter 2491 Lulu¡¯splexion was pale, still very shaken up from the incident. Bringing her into a hug, Spencer coaxed her, ¡°Don¡¯t be scared. They were all caught and will pay the price for what they did.¡± ¡°What on earth is going on? I don¡¯t know her. Why did she have to frame me?¡± Lulu bit her lip. She tried to think of an answer, but got nothing. ¡°Everything will make sense in the end. Don¡¯t worry,¡± Spencer reassured as his eyes darkened. ¡®If that person wasn¡¯t crazy, then their act must¡¯ve been staged,¡¯ he thought to himself. Suddenly, Spencer¡¯s phone rang. He nced at the screen and saw it was Icyln calling. Frowning, he answered the call. ¡°Babe! Where are you?¡± Icyln¡¯s voice rang from the phone speaker. ¡°Is something the matter?¡± asked Spencer, cutting straight to the point. ¡°Oh, I just wanted to ask if you have time toe out with me to pick a gift for our professor. It¡¯s his birthday today, by the way, and I want to give him a gift,¡± exined Icyln. Spencer nced at Lulu and replied, ¡°I¡¯m busy. I have things to take care of. You can go yourself.¡± ¡°Babe, what are you busy with? Do you need my help?¡± asked Icyln, with concern in her voice. ¡°No need. I¡¯ve got to go.¡± Spencer hung up the phone. He turned to look at Lulu and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go rest for a while.¡± Lulu shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t think I can sleep.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be scared. I¡¯ll be here with you, the whole time.¡± ¡°I really can¡¯t sleep,¡± Lulu insisted. Lulu felt that each time she closed her eyes, her fear and anxiety would consume her entirely. ¡°Is your professor¡¯s birthdaying up soon?¡± she asked, trying to divert the conversation. Spencer nodded. ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you need to prepare a gift for him too?¡± Lulu knew that Spencer had been his professor¡¯s favorite student and kept in close contact after graduating. Spencer looked down at Lulu and smiled. ¡°I¡¯ve already prepared his gift.¡± ¡°Huh? You¡¯ve already prepared it?¡± asked Lulu, dumbfounded. Spencer tapped Lulu¡¯s nose gently, smiling. ¡°An invitation to our wedding. He said he had always anticipated attending our wedding.¡± Lulu blinked nkly before her face started flushing red.¡± What kind of birthday gift is this?¡± ¡°He said it¡¯s the best birthday gift he has ever received.¡± Spencer shrugged, withholding the truth from Lulu as it was not what his professor had said. Lulu rolled her eyes at him. ¡°Let¡¯s get him another gift.¡± ¡°Okay, after you are well rested. We can go another time,¡± said Spencer with a smile. ¡°Yeah,¡± agreed Lulu, nodding. Spencer ran his fingers through Lulu¡¯s hair. In a soft voice, he said, ¡°Get some sleep. I¡¯ll be here when you wake up, okay? Don¡¯t be scared.¡± ¡°Can you apany me to talk?¡± asked Lulu. She did not want to sleep, so she chatted up a storm with Spencer. Ever since Lulu had been with Spencer, her mood had improved. Meanwhile, as the day grew darker, the atmosphere at the Riddle residence was dark and gloomy.All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. Chapter 2492 Chapter 2492 Gloria saw Nicole walk into the house. With hopeful eyes, she asked, ¡°How¡¯s Lulu doing?¡± ¡°How did you guys find out?¡± Nicole nced at Gloria¡¯s worried expression and sighed deeply. ¡®The news must¡¯ve spread like wildfire.¡¯ ¡°Is she okay? How could such a thing happen to that poor child¡­¡± There was a hint of distress in Gloria¡¯s voice. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, she¡¯ll be fine,¡± Nicole reassured. ¡°That¡¯s a relief to hear.¡± Gloria let out a breath in relief. Nicole briefly chatted to Gloria about the incident that happened earlier in the day and how the police were looking into the matter. ¡°I hope they can solve this as soon as possible, what with the weddings approaching. I don¡¯t want this to affect Lulu¡¯s big day.¡± Gloria sighed again. ¡®A wedding happens once in a lifetime. It¡¯s only right to have a happy bride,¡¯ she thought to herself. Nicole nodded. ¡°Yeah, don¡¯t worry about it too much.¡± After dinner was over, Jared and Nicole brought the twins upstairs to Nn¡¯s room. Nn dragged Nicole to his desktop. ¡°Mommy, what¡¯s going on with Uncle Preston?¡± he asked, batting his big eyes. ¡°I¡¯m not sure. Why do you ask?¡± asked Nicole cautiously. This belongs ? N?velDra/ma.Org. Nn climbed into his seat and turned the desktop on. He turned around to look at his mother. ¡°It¡¯s been really quiet recently. There hasn¡¯t been any progress. I think this might be rted to Uncle Preston¡­¡± Nicole lowered her eyes to nce at the screen before pausing for a moment. ¡°That¡¯s probably why. Let¡¯s wait for a while longer. If there¡¯s really any update, then Uncle Preston would tell Mommy.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Nn nodded and he started clicking away on hisputer. ¡°Godpa is very quiet too. He hasn¡¯t talked to me in ages.¡± ¡°You haven¡¯t heard from Lawrence recently?¡± Nicole¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡®That¡¯s impossible. Lawrence always used to leave messages for Nn.¡¯ ¡°Yeah, maybe Godpa is busy,¡± Nn shrugged. He knew he shouldn¡¯t disturb his godfather if he hadn¡¯t received a response to his message. Nicole ruffled Nn¡¯s hair. ¡°He said he¡¯lle visit you two when he¡¯s free.¡± ¡°Godpa misses us?¡± Nn perked up. Nicole nodded. ¡°Yes, he wants to see you both.¡± Nicole saw how bright Nn¡¯s face was when she mentioned Lawrence¡¯s name. ¡®He must miss him a lot.¡¯ Nicole thought of arranging the twins to meet up with Lawrence over the period of the next few days. She did not notice Nn excitedly sending messages to Lawrence about the good news. ¡°Mommy, is Godpa very busy? Nn told me that Godpa hasn¡¯t sent him a text in a very long time,¡± Lana said curiously, as she walked over and tugged on Nicole¡¯s shirt. ¡°Yeah, apparently he¡¯s been a little busy recently,¡± replied Nicole, ruffling Lana¡¯s hair too. Lana frowned. ¡°If he¡¯s so busy, he won¡¯t have the time toe visit us!¡± Nicole was stunned by Lana¡¯s response. ¡®Is she casually questioning this, or does she not want to visit Lawrence?¡¯ Nicole bent down to meet her daughter¡¯s eyes. ¡°So do you want him to visit, or do you not want him to visit?¡± ¡°No, I just feel like he¡¯s too busy and we¡¯d be bothering him.¡± Lana smiled sheepishly. Nicole was left speechless. ¡®This girl is simply astonishing! She clearly doesn¡¯t want to visit Lawrence, and she can convey her message so impressively.¡¯ ¡°I want him to visit, whether he¡¯s busy or not. We have to arrange a time,¡± said Nn. He scrunched up his face at Lana in dissatisfaction. ¡®How can she refuse? We spent so much time away from our Godpa,¡¯ Nn thought. Lana stuck her tongue out at Nn. She did not want to visit Lawrence, regardless that he was kind to them before. She felt that the kindness Lawrence had given them before had changed ever since they returned home. Chapter 2493 Chapter 2493 Not to mention thest incident, where he sneakily looked at Nn¡¯sputer. Even if he was their Godpa, he had no right to do so. Looking at how angry Lana was, Nicole lightly patted her daughter¡¯s head. ¡°If you don¡¯t feel like going, you can stay with Grandma at home. I¡¯ll bring Nn along with me, is that okay?¡± Nn wanted to meet Lawrence, but Lana was reluctant. Therefore, Nicole did not want to force her. Then, unexpectedly, Lana looked up and said, ¡°I want to go.¡± Since Nn was going, Lana wanted to go as well. ¡°Otherwise, Nn might get tricked again, with his empty brain,¡± she muttered softly. ¡°What did you say?¡± Nn could not clearly hear as he was a bit far away, but his gut told him that there was something off with what his sister said. ¡°Nothing.¡± Lana shrugged her shoulders, looking innocent. Nn frowned and stared at Lana as if he did not believe her words. But he could not say a thing. Naturally, Nicole had heard everything as she was near Lana. She patted Lana¡¯s head again. Lana did not want to continue the argument, so she walked over to Jared. ¡°Daddy, let¡¯s build the wooden blocks.¡± Jared nced at Nicole for a moment and replied, ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go.¡± After he sat down with Lana, Jared began to apany her for ytime. Suddenly, Lana asked in a low voice, ¡°Daddy, are you going too?¡±From N?velDrama.Org. Jared frowned. Based on what Nicole had said, it seemed like she did not want him to be there. However, he still had the thought of going. After all, he felt uneasy about Lawrence. Seeing Jared hesitating, Lana raised her eyebrows and looked at Jared happily. Then, she turned to Nicole and said, ¡°Mommy, let Daddy join us too.¡± ¡°You¡¯re going?¡± Nicole looked at Jared in shock. Multiple questions ran through her mind ¡®Does he really want to go? Would the two of them argue when they see each other?¡¯ ¡°Sure,¡± Jared replied. Nicole smirked. ¡®Did I sound like I was inviting him to join? He actually replied like he was being invited.¡¯ ¡°Daddy, we¡¯ll go together! We¡¯re a family after all, so sticking together is the best!¡± Lana eximed while pulling Jared¡¯s hands. She was ted. Nicole could not help but shake her head. ¡®This naughty girl¡­¡¯ She stayed a little longer for y time with her children. After a while, Nicole got them ready for bed. Once the kids were knocked out, Nicole and Jared returned to their bedroom. Nicole heaved a sigh of relief, massaged her shoulders and rolled her neck. ¡°Tired?¡± Jared¡¯s hands rested on Nicole¡¯s shoulders and gently massaged her. ¡°Still manageable. I guess there was too much going on today.¡± Nicole frowned a little and said, ¡°Lulu¡¯s incident really does seem fishy.¡± Initially, they thought that it was just some random people creating a scene at thepany. But the more Nicole thought about it, the more she felt that things were not connecting. Even if someone were to cause a scene, they should be targeting Nicole instead of Lulu for a bigger effect. However, those people only asked for Lulu, and they came prepared by engaging news reporters. If they had not managed to control the situation in time, would the news be spread across the whole town by now? After giving it a lot of thought, Nicole still felt that someone was behind the whole incident. Moreover, that person was not targeting Nicole or DillCorp. In fact, it was targeted toward Lulu only. ¡°What are you thinking about?¡± Jared asked in a gentle tone as he noticed that Nicole was down and silent the entire time. It was as if she was in deep thoughts. Nicole frowned and responded, ¡°I better ask someone to look into this incident.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll ask Max to arrange it.¡± Jared took out his phone and dialed Max¡¯s number. After Jared had given his orders, he put his phone aside and turned to Nicole. ¡°Let¡¯s just wait for the updates.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Nicole smiled. Even if she were to arrange for someone to investigate the matter, it would be challenging. It would be faster with Max¡¯s help. Chapter 2494 Chapter 2494 ¡°You should get some rest.¡± Jared held Nicole¡¯s hands and pulled her to the bed. ¡°Okay.¡± Nicole lightly nodded her head. She was definitely tired. Once the lights were out, the whole room was filled with silence. The next morning, the sun shone brightly. After breakfast, Jared and Nicole sent their children to school. Seeing that the kids had entered the schoolpound, they left for DillCorp. Just as the car was moving, Max reported, ¡°Ma¡¯am, about Lulu¡¯s incident, it¡¯s been confirmed that someone was behind it.¡± Nicole frowned a little and slowly uttered, ¡°Icyln?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Max replied. Nicole snorted. Thinking about the incident, Icyln was the only person in San Joto who would have the intention of hurting Lulu. Icyln had been bothering Spencer multiple times with the intention of creating a misunderstanding between Spencer and Lulu. Now that the couple was going to get married, Icyln would never have a chance if she did not do anything. Finally, she had revealed her true colors. ¡°But it¡¯s a shame we could not get much. Thedy, who Icyln bribed, imed that she mistook Lulu for the person she was looking for. And coincidentally, her target was also named Lulu Barrera. She did not reveal any other details to us.¡± With that, they could not confront Icyln on the matter as they did not have any evidence. ¡°What a sly person.¡± A cold look appeared in Nicole¡¯s eyes. If Icyln had bribed thisdy, she must have prepared an escape route if things were to fail. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter then. She won¡¯t back down anyways,¡± Nicole said coldly, and her eyes darkened. If Icyln noticed this, Nicole would only be in a lot more danger. Then, Nicole would have to give up and let go of this incident. But it was likely that Icyln would not give up easily. Since she failed this round, she would most probably strike again. Then, Nicole would just sit back and wait. Max understood what Nicole meant and replied solemnly,¡± I¡¯ll get someone to keep an eye on her.¡± If Icyln were to make a move, they had to catch her red handed and leave no room for her to escape. ¡°Alright.¡± Nicole¡¯s eyes darkened further. She believed that Icyln would walk into the trap on her own soon. After a while, the car came to a halt. Seeing that they had arrived at DillCorp, Nicole opened the door and got down from the car. Just as she was entering the building, she heard Lulu¡¯s voice. From N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Lulu, shouldn¡¯t you rest for another day?¡± Nicole was a little shocked to see Lulu back at work already. ¡°I¡¯m fine now.¡± Lulu held onto Nicole¡¯s arms and started walking. ¡°But I¡¯ll need to take leave in the afternoon.¡± ¡°You¡¯re busy?¡± Nicole raised her eyebrow because Lulu rarely took leave from work. Lulu nodded. ¡°Spencer¡¯s teacher¡¯s birthday ising. I¡¯m apanying Spencer to buy a birthday present.¡± ¡°I guess the both of you are fine now.¡± Nicole smiled. The two of them chatted while they walked to the office. ¡°I¡¯ll get to work now. Let me know if you need help,¡± said Lulu, walking toward her office. Nicole turned around and entered her own office. Just as she sat down, her phone rang. Seeing that it was Preston, Nicole raised an eyebrow. She picked up the call. ¡°Preston. You¡¯ve got some news?¡± ¡°How did you know?¡± ¡°It was Nn who discovered it. So, I guess you might have some updates on your side,¡± Nicole said frankly. Chapter 2495 Chapter 2495 Preston understood the situation immediately. ¡°So that¡¯s the case. I thought you could predict the future.¡± Hearing Preston¡¯s mocking tone, Nicole could not help butugh. ¡°How¡¯s the investigation going?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve looked into the suspicious traces found previously. Some of it was truly done out of curiosity, but there was one that seems questionable. And we¡¯ve managed to track down that address,¡± Preston exined briefly. ¡°Have you identified the person?¡± asked Nicole, eyes narrowed. ¡°Gary¡¯s looking into it. At the moment, we haven¡¯t identified the actual person yet, but I¡¯m sure he or she is in San Joto.¡± Preston¡¯s voice lowered a little as he said, ¡°In fact, that person might be someone close to us. Someone who¡¯s involved in our lives.¡± ¡°You¡¯re saying there¡¯s a high chance that it¡¯s someone we know?¡± Nicole¡¯s heart felt heavy. Could it really be someone they know? All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Oh, one more thing. Someone epted your task. That person has contacted us, and we¡¯ve checked them. Although we¡¯re not sure of the person¡¯s actual identity, he seems to be capable.¡± Preston added. ¡°Does he know where the Fire Crest is?¡± Nicole¡¯s voice turned anxious. ¡°No, he mentioned that he only knows where the other four Crests are. As for the Fire Crest¡­¡± After a pause, Preston sounded helpless as he said, ¡°He said that it¡¯s with you.¡± Everyone knew about this, but not many knew that Nicole had lost the Fire Crest. ¡°Then, you can ask him about the four other Crests. As for the money, you can decide with him.¡± Nicole lightly shook her head. The one which she was most concerned with, was the Fire Crest. After all, the rest of the Crests had nothing to do with her. But since the person could reveal the whereabouts of the other Crests, it would not be a harm for her to have that knowledge. ¡°Alright, I got it,¡± Preston replied. ¡°Great.¡± After that, she changed the topic of conversation.¡± Do you have any otherments about the techpany?¡± ¡°No. You guys did a perfect job in preparing it. The people you rmended are great too. You can ask them toe over immediately,¡± Preston said, full of gratitude. ¡°Thank you, Nicole.¡± Now, Preston not only owned a techpany, but everything had been prepared for him by Nicole. ¡°You¡¯re wee. It was meant for you anyways.¡± Nicole smiled. All she did was transform DillCorp into a techpany which Preston would prefer to manage. ¡°I promised to treat you to a meal. Once I¡¯m done with the investigation, I¡¯ll call you and book a date,¡± Preston said. ¡°Sure!¡± Nicole replied and hung up. After she had put her phone away, Nicole narrowed her eyes. ¡®Someone around me¡­¡¯ At noon, Lulu brought Nicole¡¯s lunch order into her office.¡± Here¡¯s your lunch.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Nicole smiled. ¡°Remember to have your lunch. I¡¯m leaving now.¡± Lulu waved as she was about to leave. ¡°You have a date, right?¡± Nicole teased. Lulu exined, ¡°It¡¯s not a date. We¡¯re picking a gift for his teacher.¡± ¡°It¡¯s about the same.¡± Nicole smiled and gave a teasing look at Lulu. ¡°After you¡¯re done picking a present, the both of you can spend more time on dating.¡± ¡°Whatever. I¡¯m leaving now.¡± Lulu¡¯s cheeks were so red that she turned around and ran off. Nicole smiled and shook her head. ¡°They¡¯re about to get married soon, and she¡¯s still so shy about it.¡± Opening her lunch box, Nicole was satisfied with what Lulu had picked for her. It was all of Nicole¡¯s favorite food. She began to indulge in it happily. Meanwhile, Lulu had stepped out of DillCorp, and Spencer had just arrived to pick her up. Chapter 2496 Chapter 2496 ¡°Spencer.¡± Lulu waved her hand, and Spencer parked the car in front of her. After Lulu got into the car, Spencer started the engine again and drove to the mall. ¡°What are you nning to pick out?¡± Lulu asked, hoping to shop purposefully. Spencer gave it some thought and replied. ¡°I think we could check out some famous teas. My teacher likes that.¡± ¡°Okay, great!¡± Lulu happily agreed. They could focus on selecting teas. Leaning on the car seat, Lulu watched the scenery outside pass by. All of a sudden, she noticed that something was off. So, she turned to Spencer. ¡°If you know what you¡¯re going to buy, why do you need me to apany you?¡± If he knew that his teacher liked tea and had already decided on buying tea leaves, there was no need for her to be there. Lulu did not know much about teas either. Spencer smiled. ¡°I just want you to apany me. Also, it would be even more meaningful to my teacher that we picked out the gift together.¡± Lulu blushed and spoke pretentiously, ¡°I never said I want to apany you.¡± ¡°You¡­¡± Spencer stretched out one hand and held Lulu¡¯s hand. Lulu red at Spencer, but she did not let go of his hands. After a while, the couple arrived at the teahouse. When they stepped out of the car, Spencer brought Lulu inside. The surrounding of the teahouse was elegant. It even carried a vintage vibe. As they entered the ce, they felt as if they had showered in a tea bath. ¡°Sir, please wrap these few types of tea for me,¡± ady¡¯s voice sounded, and Icyln walked out from inside. Seeing Spencer and Lulu, Icyln seemed to freeze for a moment. Then, she quickly regained her senses. Icyln approached Spencer and smiled. ¡°Spencer, what a coincidence! Are you guys here for¡­¡± ¡°To pick out a birthday present for our teacher,¡± Spencer answered, calmly looking at Icyln. Icyln pretended to be shocked and said, ¡°Spencer, we have great telepathy! I¡¯m here to pick out our teacher¡¯s birthday present too.¡± ¡°The both of you were his student, and you know that he likes tea. It¡¯s normal that you guys are picking out famous teas for him. So, this has nothing to do with telepathy.¡± Lulu nced at Icyln coldly. Don¡¯t try and force things here. This is just a normal thing. What does this have to do with telepathy?¡¯ Lulu thought. ¡°Yeah, we both know what our teacher likes,¡± Spencer agreed. Then, he looked at Lulu with a smile and nodded. Icyln was too embarrassed at Lulu¡¯sment, so she red at Lulu angrily and gritted her teeth. ¡®Evil! Lulu is an evil one! I¡¯m so angry! Why did Lulu have to be there? There were so many people yesterday, and yet she wasn¡¯t embarrassed enough to appear in front of Spencer again.¡¯ ¡°Sir, the tea you pre-ordered is ready. Would you like to have a look?¡± The owner noticed that Spencer had arrived, so he came forward to wee him. ¡°Let¡¯s have a look. Give me a moment.¡± Soon, the owner brought over the tea leaves. Although there were only two boxes, the packaging had a vintage look. It was as if what was contained in the box were not tea leaves, but culture and history. This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Sir, this is our shop¡¯s limited edition. If it wasn¡¯t for you, we would never bring it out.¡± The owner ced the tea box on the table. Spencer opened it, nced at it and said happily, ¡°Perfect.¡± Chapter 2497 Chapter 2497 Chapter 2497 This was the tea which his teacher had been searching for, for a long time. Spencer finally managed to find it, so he wanted to give it to his teacher. "Didn''t you say that all the tea types were disyed?" Icyln looked at Spencer''s pre-ordered tea and noticed that it was a thousand times better than what she had picked. She instantly felt angry. It was their teacher''s birthday, so the present she picked out could not be shabby. Especially with Lulu there, Icyln could not allow herself to be embarrassed. ¡°All of our tea leaves for sale are disyed. These two boxes were pre-ordered by Mr. Riddle, and we only have these two boxes," the owner exined. "I don''t care. I want the exact same thing. We''re giving it to the same person, so how do you expect me to give this?" Icyln demanded angrily. That way, she could give the same present as Spencer. That would make her happy as well. "Miss, we really do not have any stock of it left." The owner was in a hard position. It was not that he did not want to sell it to her, but he really did not have any stock of that tea left. Icyln looked at Spencer pitifully. "Spencer, why don''t you let go of one box for me? The gift I picked out isn''t worthy to be given to our teacher aspared to yours." ¡°Why would that be? The one you chose must be the best." Spencer''s gift was precious and there were only two of it. However, Icyln''s selection would not just be any usual tea either. Their teacher would definitely like it. "Spencer, how am I supposed to face our teacher if you''re going to be like this?" As Icyln spoke, her eyes began to turn red. Lulu frowned and spoke up, "This was selected and ordered by Spencer in advance. There''s no obligation for him to split it. Moreover, the important thing about gifts is the thought and effort. If your teacher knows you personally picked out the gift for him, he''ll like it the same." Spencer was looking at the owner as he said, "Please wrap it up for me. I want the most premium packaging." ¡°Don''t worry. We''ve got your back," the owner replied immediately. He ordered his employees to wrap it up. "Oh yeah, please write a note on the card. It should say, ''Happy birthday, Mr. Moreno. From Spencer and Lulu''." After the owner noted it down, he personally went over to instruct his employees. After a minute, the owner returned with a gift box in hand. He handed it to Icyln and said, "Miss, this is the one you selected previously. The wrapping has beenpleted." Icyln seemed cross for a moment and embarrassed the next moment. She could only take the box. The gift, which she had selected, instantly seemed worthless aspared to Spencer''s. There was no way she could give it. Not to mention, Spencer''s present had Lulu''s name on it. ''How could I lose to Lulu?" thought IcyIn. Clenching her fists and tightly grabbing the gift, Icyln was furious, but her face did not seem to show it. Instead, she smiled and responded, "If that''s the case, I won''t bother you anymore. This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. I have to go now." ¡°Alright,'''' Spencer responded. Then, he pulled Lulu to a side and sat down to wait for their gift box. Looking at how sweet the couple was acting, Icyln was even more furious as jealousy filled her heart. She gritted her teeth and turned around to leave. Lulu looked at Icyln''s back as she left. Then, a smile formed on Lulu''s face. She could clearly tell that Icyln was annoyed and angry. Spencer did not notice all of that. After he had sat down with Lulu, he poured some tea for her to taste. After a while, the gift box waspleted. The owner personally handed it to Spencer. "Sir, your tea leaves are ready." Spencer politely thanked him and led Lulu out of the shop. After they stepped out of the teahouse, they got into the car and left. What they did not notice was a shadow appearing at theer. Watching the sweet couple, she could not help but grit her teeth. '' Lulu Barrera, don''t be too happy. We''re not done yet!'' When the sun set, it had been a long day for Nicole. As she stepped out of the office, Jared was already waiting for her. Chapter 2498 Chapter 2498 Chapter 2498 After she got into the car, Nicole leaned on the car seat with dark eyes. Noticing that Nicole was not in a good mood, Jared questioned in a gentle tone, What happened?" "Mr. Ellison is sick." Nicole sighed. "I want to visit him." Nicole had recalled those days in the vige and what happened at Royal Creek Institute. So naturally, she would remember Mr. Ellison. Jared narrowed his eyes and said, "He is quite sick this time around." He gently hugged Nicole''s shoulders and ordered the driver, "Go to Royal Creek Institute''s hostel." "Noted,'''' Max answered briefly and then drove to Royal Creek Institute. Royal Creek Institute''s principal''s residence was a separate yard. It was located at the northwest side of Royal Creek Institute, a quieter corner. The car drove straight to the entrance and halted. Then, Jared and Nicole got down from the car. As they entered the ce, they saw that the entire yard was simple and elegant. However, it seemed even more empty with the quietness there. "Isn''t there anyone taking care of him?" Nicole frowned. ¡®This ce seems to be too quiet." ¡°I''m sure there''s a nurse." As Jared said this, he brought Nicole into the house. Sure enough, they met a middle-ageddy who seemed to bea nurse. From the looks of it, she had just fed Mr. Ellison his medicine. Looking at Nicole and Jared, the nurse was stunned. "You are?" "We''re Mr. Ellison''s friends." Nicole could tell that the nurse had other things to attend to, so she added, "Just continue with what you were doing." "Alright," the nurse responded and left. Nicole and Jared knocked on Mr. Ellison''s door. After hearing a deep response, they pushed the door open and entered the room. "Mr. Ellison." Nicole saw Mr. Ellison lying in bed. The haggard look on his face made him look older. Seeing that it was Nicole and Jared entering his room, Mr. Ellison was shocked. He stared at them and forgot to respond. "You looked fine thest time we met. How did you suddenly get so sick?" Nicole frowned and unconsciously stretched out her hands to measure Mr. Ellison''s pulse. "Y-you..." Mr. Ellison was a little shocked. Although it was Nicole who was standing right in front of him, he could not point out what was different. This meeting with Nicole felt odd to him. Moreover, with Nicole suddenly acting as such, it made Mr. Ellison feel that the old Nicole had returned. Knowing what was in Mr. Ellison''s head, Nicole remained silent and continued to measure his pulse. She pretended not to notice it. After a while, Nicole let go of Mr. Ellison''s hands. "Sir, if you could resolve any concern, your body would heal naturally." What Nicole did not mention was that if Mr. Ellison were to develop any concerns for a longer period of time, he might copse. Mr. Ellison looked at Nicole in a bit of shock and responded, "Got it." Nicole frowned. Mr. Ellison''s response was ''Got it'' and not ''T''ll work on it¡¯. Therefore, Mr. Ellison was most probably clear about his own situation. From N?velDrama.Org. But there were some things which were easier said than done. Mr. Ellison''s concern was most probably about Harvey. From what she recalled, Mr. Ellison seemed to still love his grandson, Harvey. But unexpectedly, the both of them ended up like this. Chapter 2499 Chapter 2499 Chapter 2499 Mr. Ellison seemed to also regret what happened back then, which was why he handed over everything in the Ellison family to Harvey and only kept this school for himself. "Nicole, Mr. Johnston, thank you foring to see me," Mr. Ellison said, his heart filled with mixed emotions. He did not expect Jared toe and visit him. "Don''t worry about it, Mr. Ellison. No matter what Harvey''s motives were, those things were merely businesspetition," Jared replied calmly, as if he was not bothered about the past. Back then, all cooperation with Mr. Ellison was terminated at his request. After all, at that time, Harvey was trying his best to embarrass and defeat Jared. "It''s good enough for me if you don''t mind it, Mr. Johnston." Mr. Ellison sighed. He understood Jared''s intentions. Although Jared did not hold a grudge, it did not mean he would not hold Harvey ountable. Harvey had settled down after Nicole disappeared. However, after Nicole returned, Mr. Ellison noticed that Harvey was making moves behind the scenes, which worried him. Though Harvey might not realize it, Mr. Ellison believed that he could not defeat Jared, especially with Nicole on his side. Nicole would definitely help Jared and would not go easy on Harvey. "Mr. Ellison, since some things are no longer under your care, why not let it go and stop worrying about it?" Nicole offered him a casual reassurance. Since Ellison Group was now in Harvey''s hands, Mr. Ellison could not participate in any decision- making, which also meant that he could not stop Harvey. It was better to take care of his own health than to worry about things he could not control. Mr. Ellison looked at Nicole with aplicated expression and sighed inwardly. His illness this time was actually caused by this, which had been weighing on his heart, causing his worries to turn into an illness. He could not figure out how to advise Harvey. He did not want to spark any conflict between the two again and was worried that Harvey might get hurt once more. This belongs ? N?velDra/ma.Org. It was true that he did not want any conflict to happen between the two parties because of him, as both were people he cared about. He was also worried about Harvey because he genuinely believed that no matter how capable Harvey was, he would never be a match for Jared and Nicole. Over the years, Mr. Ellison hade to know Jared better, and now with Nicole''s assistance, he believed that Harvey would not stand a chance. "Mr. Ellison, it''s pointless to overthink," Nicole said, noticing Mr. Ellison''s silence. She genuinely hoped that Mr. Ellison would take care of his health. After all, some things were beyond their control. Mr. Ellison could not stop Harvey, and even if they did not want to get involved with Harvey, they could not sit still if Harvey decided to act recklessly. "Mr. Ellison, how about we talk about something else?" Jared suggested, trying to change the subject. Mr. Ellison looked at Nicole and then at Jared. In the end, he could only helplessly say, "Alright." He understood that their considerations were reasonable, and he had no reason to force them into anything. At this point, he was already grateful that they came to see him. After spending some time with Mr. Ellison, Nicole and Jared bid farewell and left the dormitory. Night had already fallen when they stepped out of Royal Creek Institute. "Shall we go to the cafe across the street?" Nicole suggested, when she saw the coffee shop across the road. They had a history there, and she wanted to take a look. Jared agreed and led Nicole into the coffee shop. Jared was still the cafe''s owner, and the cafe was left as a memorial. However, it had long been run as an ordinary coffee shop, and the people inside had never seen Jared and did not know who the actual owner was. Seeing Jared and Nicole enter, a waiter immediately approached them and said, "Wee." Chapter 2500 Chapter 2500 Chapter 2500 Just as they finished speaking, they were shocked to see Max, who had been following behind them. "B-Boss!" ¡®The boss hasn''t been here for a long time, so why would he suddenly show up?'' Max nced at the waiter and said, "Go back to work." "Sure." The waiter nced at Nicole and Jared before leaving, guessing that these two people were the boss''s friends. After the waiter left, Jared led Nicole to the spot where they used to sit often. However, instead of sitting down, he turned and walked toward the kitchen. Nicole was slightly surprised as she widened her eyes. ''Why is he going to the kitchen?" She kept her gaze fixed in that direction as Jared was in there for some time. In a moment of reverie, she seemed to see Jared grinding coffee for her with his own hands. The aroma of coffee wafted into her nose. She looked at the steaming cup in front of her, and she suddenly could not tell if it was reality or illusion. "Taste it." Jared''s gentle voice sounded in her ears, pulling her back to reality. Nicole smiled as she looked at the coffee before her. "Thank you." "Enjoy your coffee. I''ll be right back," Jared said before turning and heading back into the kitchen. Nicole picked up the coffee cup, and just by smelling the aroma, she knew it was her favorite vor from before, and it was ground by Jared himself. With a hint of a smile in her eyes, Nicole savored the coffee slowly. After a while, Jared returned with a tray, which clearly held the dinner that he had prepared. Nicole smiled and said, "Thank you." After setting up dinner, Jared sat down and said with a smile, " Preparing dinner for my wife is nothing." Nicole rolled her eyes at Jared, but the happiness in her eyes deepened. After tasting the coffee, Nicole had the simple meal and then began to look around the cafe. It still looked the same as before. People say that the world changes while people stay the same, but it seemed like nothing had happened here. Time seemed to have stood still. "How did you manage this?" Nicole could not help but ask softly. She was well aware that if it were not for someone''s deliberate efforts, this ce would not have remained the same. Jared nced at Nicole, smiled faintly, and did not exin further. From N?velDrama.Org. This ce held great significance for him, and during the five years when she had no news, he had worked hard to maintain it as it was at the beginning. Everything in their manor was preserved as if she had never left. Nicole bit her lip. He appeared calm andposed, but she knew that this was not an easy task. She gently ced her hand on his, her eyes teary as shemented, "These five years must''ve been rough for you." Although they had both experienced separation, she did not remember him, so it was not painful for her. But he was different. The days and nights when he had been tirelessly searching for her must have been tormenting. Jared turned his hand to hold hers and pulled her up, saying, " Come on, let''s go home." Nicole looked at him with a faint smile and nodded. She then followed Jared out of the cafe. Chapter 2501 Chapter 2501 Chapter 2501 After drinking the coffee he had freshly ground and eating the pasta he had prepared, Nicole suddenly felt like she had gone back in time. She understood his determination to keep this ce as it was. After leaving the coffee shop, Jared took Nicole back to their manor. ¡°Aren''t we going back to the Riddle residence?" Nicole asked as she thought. ''Nn and Lana are still there.'' "We won''t be going back there tonight," Jared said, casting a deep look at Nicole. He held Nicole''s delicate hand tightly and led her into the manor. The manor was still the same as when she had first returned. She remembered that she had been forcibly brought back by him. Nicole could not help but smile when she thought of this. " Although I''ve been here twice, it feels really different this time." After all, thest time she was brought here, she had been taken back forcibly, so she was both worried and scared. Jared nced at her and gently stroked her hair. "This time, you''reing home, so of course it''s different." "Right," Nicole replied softly. This time, she wasing home, returning to where they belonged. She took the initiative to hold Jared''srge hand and raised her head with a smile. "Our home." ¡°Wee home." Jared gently hugged Nicole. He knew that at that moment, she was the Nicole that he had loved before. Even if she had not fully recovered her memories, she had remembered their past. Nicole raised her hand and lightly tapped Jared''s chest. "Thank you for not forgetting me." ¡®For not forgetting me, not giving up on me, searching for me, and waiting for me.'' Jared''s gaze was filled with affection as he reached up to gently stroke Nicole''s hair, his touch tender. He would never forget. If she could not find her way back, he would keep looking. From N?velDrama.Org. He went through every room with Nicole and said, "This is our home. Nn and Lana will grow up happily here, and we''ll live happily here too." This time, they were going to be together forever, never to be separated again. "Yeah." Nicole nodded gently, holding Jared''s hand. ¡®That''s right. We''d never be separated again.¡¯ Jared''s gaze darkened with lust as he lifted Nicole into his arms and walked toward the bedroom. The next day, in the morning, the first rays of sunlight spilled into the room. Nicole had just woken up when she heard Jared''s voice by her ear. "Go back to sleep if you''re tired," Jared said, stroking her hair. Nicole''s cheeks turned red as she pushed Jared away yfully. " Hurry up and get up. We have to go back. Nn and Lana will find it strange if they don''t see us." Upon saying that, Nicole got out of bed and went to the bathroom. After a simple wash, Jared had already put on his clothes. Seeing him go to wash up, Nicole went to change her clothes too. After leaving the manor and returning to the Riddle residence, the children had already woken up. They looked confused when they saw their parentsing back from outside. "Mommy, where did you and Daddy go?" ¡°We went for a morning exercise," Jared replied calmly, holding Lana as he walked toward the dining room. Nicole''s mouth twitched. A morning exercise? She could not believe he came up with that excuse. But she could only go along with Jared and said, "Yes, let''s have breakfast first, and then we''ll take you to school." As she walked with Nn toward the dining room, Nicole heard Nn muttering, "Who dresses up like this for morning exercises? Shouldn''t you wear workout clothes?" Nicole''s expression became a bit awkward, but she did not want to look weird as she was afraid that Nn would notice. Even Nn knew that people would wear activewear for morning exercises. How could Jared just casually use this as an excuse? Chapter 2502 Chapter 2502 Chapter 2502 After everyone had seated themselves in the dining room, breakfast was served. Gloria nced at Spencer and asked, "Is Lulu okay now?" "She''s fine. Fortunately, the situation didn''t escte, and it didn''t cause any harm to her," Spencer replied. Then, he looked at Nicole and added, "We should thank you for this. If it weren''t for you, Lulu''s situation would be difficult to handle." Even though they had rified the situation, the negative impact of the incident would be challenging to erase once it spread. ¡°Of course I''d help." Not only was Lulu her sister-inw, but she was also her best friend. ¡°As long as Lulu wasn''t hurt, that''s good. You should spend more time with her these days," Gloria advised Spencer. "Okay," Spencer agreed with a nod. Even though Lulu was unharmed this time, she had been genuinely scared during the incident. As they chatted, the family finished breakfast and went their separate ways. Nicole and Jared took Nn and Lana to school. "Bye, Mommy," the two kids said in unison. ¡°Behave, okay?" Nicole lovingly patted the heads of her children. "Bye, Daddy." Lana looked at Jared with a grin and waved her hand. Jared nodded with a smile. "Bye-bye." After that, Jared looked at Nn who seemed a bit stunned. Then, Nn awkwardly averted his gaze. Jared raised his eyebrow subtly before turning to Lana. "I''ll pick you up after school." "Sure!" Lana replied happily, taking Nn''s hand. "Nn, let''s go inside." Nicole sighed helplessly as she watched them enter their school. " It seems like you really scared Nn back then. That''s why he can''t open up to you now." Although she can sense that Nn''s feelings toward Jared had changed, Nn still cannot fully ept Jared, which was why his expression was still a bit awkward. "Maybe," Jared replied calmly. Although Nn refused to call him ¡®Daddy¡¯, he believed that Nn was already changing. It was just a matter of time before he could ovee his pride. Nicole tilted her head and looked at Jared, furrowing her eyebrows. "Do you really not mind?" "He''ll get better." Jared gently pinched Nicole''s hand. "Give him some more time." Upon hearing this, Nicole finally smiled with relief. She just did not want any conflict between them. "Drive," Jared instructed Max. The car started and headed toward DillCorp. After some time, they arrived, and Nicole got out of the car. She bid farewell to Jared and walked into thepany. In her office, Lulu was already waiting for her. "Nicole, there''s been progress," Lulu said with excitement. From N?velDrama.Org. Nicole nced at Lulu and guessed, "Everett?" "Yes, how did you know?" Lulu was surprised, her eyes widening. Nicole shrugged. "I could tell by your expression. It wasn''t that hard to guess." Besides, the only thing that could make Lulu this excited was updates on Everett''s situation. Lulu cupped her cheeks and murmured, "Is it that obvious?" "Very," Nicole replied with a lightugh. "Oh well, let''s not talk about that for now. Take a look at these documents first." Lulu ced several files in front of Nicole. Nicole opened them and saw that they were all cooperation agreements. She smirked and said, "Steve is quite efficient in handling business matters." Chapter 2503 Chapter 2503 Chapter 2503 Steve secured all these contracts so quickly. Even though they weren''t the biggest investment projects, they were more than what DillCorp could ask for. "Yes, we not only got these projects but also thepanies that ran into trouble previously. After an internal investigation, it was discovered that they were all framed by Everett. Now, almost all of them have turned against him," Lulu exined. Thosepanies had cooperated with NandoCorp, but Everett still sabotaged them from behind, which had thoroughly disheartened them. "He''s ruthless," Nicole scoffed disdainfully. Everett was willing to use any means, whether it was revealing existing secrets or fabricating false ones. Did he really believe he would not get caught? "It''s a pity that he bit off more than he could chew," Lulu said with a smirk. Otherwise, they would not have had evidence against him. This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. ¡°What are thosepanies'' ns?" Nicole asked, her eyes slightly narrowing. ¡°They''re preparing to terminate their coboration. As for those who haven''t coborated with NandoCorp yet, they won''t consider partnering with them in the future anymore. Additionally, those who got set up n to sue them too," Lulu whispered. "Should we add fuel to the fire?" "What do you mean?" Nicole asked, intrigued by Lulu''s mischievous grin. ¡°Well, NandoCorp probably has its own dark secrets, right? Why don''t we take advantage of this opportunity to expose them?" With Everett already dealing with internal conflicts, bringing external troubles to him would surely make his life even more difficult. ¡°That''s not a bad idea," Nicole said with a slight nod. "Do you have any information?" ¡°Hehe, you can get it, can''t you?" Lulu chuckled yfully. Nicole yfully rolled her eyes at Lulu. "You''ve got it all figured out, haven''t you?¡± Lulu scratched her head andughed awkwardly. "I could arrange for someone to investigate, but it''d definitely be slower than you doing it." Nicole chuckled and shook her head. "I''ll take care of this myself." With that, Nicole turned on herputer, entered a string of characters, and switched to a different interface. She figured that she should resolve it herself. Rather than entrusting someone else, Nicole preferred to hack into NandoCorp''s system, which was the simplest and most efficient way. Lulu watched Nicole, whose expression became serious as she typed away on the keyboard. After a while, Nicole looked up with a smile. "It''s done." "That''s fast!" Lulu was amazed. Clearly, Nicole had a way to get things done quickly. After outputting the information she had found, Nicole logged out of NandoCorp''s system and erased all traces of her activities. "You can take it from here," Nicole said, handing the information to Lulu. Grinning triumphantly, Lulu raised her chin. "Get ready to enjoy the show." "Sure." Nicole smiled. "I''ll get going now," Lulu said, waving the documents in her hand and winking at Nicole. "Go ahead." Nicole waved her off, chuckling. Watching Lulu leave the office, Nicole could not help but smile wryly. ''Oh, Lulu.'' After Lulu left the office, she immediately arranged for someone to report the evidence of tax evasion and fraud by NandoCorp to the relevant authorities. Looking at her handiwork, Lulu snorted and said to herself, " Everett, this time you''ll know what it''s like to be hoisted by your own petard." One could only imagine the expression on Everett''s face when he found out. Just thinking about it was satisfying. In the afternoon, the sunlight was scorching. After having lunch, everyone was feeling rather drowsy. Chapter 2504 Chapter 2504 Chapter 2504 The peaceful afternoon in San Joto suddenly turned into a frenzy due to a few messages. NandoCorp under Riddle Corporation faced a joint deration from severalpanies stating that they would no longer cooperate. Additionally, they were used of maliciously defaming theirpetitors, with the most explosive revtion being the evidence of NandoCorp''s own tax evasion. In no time, San Joto was abuzz with discussions and debates. There were also hidden currents at y. "Nicole, Everett must be in a panic this time," Lulu said witha gleeful expression, clearly reveling in the chaos. ¡°At least we get to take a break for a few days now." Nicole shrugged. Everett was likely busy dealing with the issues at NandoCorp and would not have time to continue targeting DillCorp. ¡°He''d be fuming if he ever finds out we exposed him," Lulu said with a wicked grin. ''Hah! Let''s see if he ever dares to find trouble with DillCorp again! '' Nicole raised an eyebrow and yfully said, "He''ll probably guess it, but he won''t know how we did it." After all, at this point, with NandoCorp being in trouble, the suspicion would naturally fall on her. "It''s best to keep him guessing and make him frustrated." Lulu chuckled. Nicole was amused as she responded, "So why don''t you go watch this unfold?" "On it, right now," Lulu said with a grin before leaving Nicole''s office. She hade to update Nicole on the progress of the situation and needed to get back to work on the next steps. After Lulu left the office, Nicole nced at the files on her desk and picked up one of them. This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. She calmly began to read. ¡®Everett is probably quite busy at the moment..." Meanwhile, at NandoCorp, the sudden turn of events had left thepany in turmoil. Employees seemed irritable, and the atmosphere in the entire office, especially in Damien and Everett''s offices, was stifling. "Mr. Riddle, it seems like this was a deliberate attack against us," an assistant carefully said with a pale face. Everett red fiercely at the assistant. "Do you think I can''t see that?!" "I was just specting about who might be behind it.¡± The assistant shuddered. ¡°Hmph, it''s definitely Nicole!" Everett snorted, his eyes filled with anger. "But there hasn''t been any activity from their side," the assistant pointed out, puzzled. He knew that DillCorp was the most suspicious culprit. In fact, they had been cautious about Nicole but had not detected anything unusual on her end. ''How did she pull this off?" ¡°Nicole always has a lot of tricks up her sleeve," Everett said through gritted teeth. Although he had no concrete evidence, he could not think of anyone else who would target them. "So, what do we do now?" the assistant asked in a hushed tone. Since they suspected Nicole, they could not just sit and wait. Everett was furious as he sighed in frustration. "Let''s address thepany''s issues first." With both internal and external problems guing them, they could only deal with their internal problems first. They could address the external onester. With a heavy heart, Everett stood up and left his office, heading toward Damien''s office. "Are these the results you wanted to show me?" Damien''s face turned red as he gritted his teeth. "It''s Nicole''s doing,'''' Everett replied, looking frustrated. Damien furrowed his eyebrows. "But they didn''t detect any unusual activities on their end, no?" Chapter 2505 Chapter 2505 Chapter 2505 "But it''s got to be her," Everett said with a dark expression. He knew Nicole was capable of doing that without leaving any traces behind. After a moment of silence, Damien nodded in agreement. "Yes, it''s unlikely to be anyone else." "But Dad, let''s not talk about that now. We should deal with thepany''s issues first," Everett sighed, feeling frustrated. That was the only thing he could do. ¡°What''s your n?" Damien furrowed his brows. Indeed, they were facing a bigger problem they should definitely deal with first. "I think..." Before Everett could finish his sentence, the office door suddenly swung open. Several individuals in uniforms entered, followed by the secretary, who looked timid. She stammered, "Mr. Riddle..." ¡°You may leave now," Although Damien was unhappy, he did not have the energy to find fault in his secretary. Once the secretary left, Damien stood up and asked, ''''What can we do for you here at ourpany?" ¡°You don''t need to do anything, just cooperate with the investigation." "We''ve received a report alleging tax evasion in yourpany..." Damien felt his vision darken, but he clenched his teeth and said, " Sure, we''ll do as you say.¡± "Hey!" Everett called out. Very soon, his assistant came into the room. "Yes, Mr. Riddle?" "Help them with whatever they need." Everett passed the documents on to his assistant, as he still had to figure something out to get NandoCorp out of trouble. ¡°Dad, I''m heading back to my office." Everett shot Damien a nce. "Go ahead. We''ll deal with this." Damien nodded in understanding. Then, Everett turned to the officers and said, "My office is just next door. You''re free toe over if you need anything." "Sure. For now, we have a few questions for the chairman of thispany." ¡°All right." Once Everett had left the room, the investigators began questioning Damien. On the other side of the office, Everett went back to his room and his face turned red in anger. However, he could not afford to vent his frustration at the moment. He clenched his teeth to calm himself down and tried toe up with a solution. ¡®What should I do..." he wondered to himself. When the sun began to set, Lulu entered Nicole''s office with an air of triumph. All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. "Looks like Everett is in for a rough time." "He''s not that weak," Nicole said calmly before lifting her gaze to Lulu and adding, "However, this is indeed going to be a challenge for him." Nicole stood up as she spoke. "Come on, it''s time to go." "Sure." Lulu followed Nicole out of the office. Once they stepped outside, they only saw Jared''s car. Nicole could not help but ask Lulu softly, "Is Spencering?¡± "Oh, he has a concertter, so he won''t being today," Lulu said as her cheeks turned red. "I''m going to his concertter." "Oh, it looks like both of you are still in the honeymoon phase. How sweet!" Nicole teased. "That''s enough. I''m leaving now." Lulu felt shy after hearing what Nicole said. She shot Nicole a re and hailed a cab. Chapter 2506 Chapter 2506 Chapter 2506 Nicole walked up to Jared''s car after Lulu had left the ce. After getting in, she leaned back against her seat and heaved a deep sigh. "Tired?" Jared nced at Nicole with a hint of concern. He had heard about everything that had happened earlier today and suspected that she was the one behind them. "Just a little," Nicole shook her head. "I just have this feeling that Everett won''t stay quiet. He might have other ns in store." Although Everett was caught in his share of roadblocks now, she was certain that he would not let up so easily. "T''ll get Max to help you keep an eye on him," Jared''s gaze darkened as he spoke. He knew that Everett would not just sit still and do nothing. "It''s okay, I can handle it." Nicole smiled confidently. "I''m just not sure what he''s done exactly." However, she was very sure that Everett was up to something, and because of this, she needed to keep her wits about her. After seeing how prepared Nicole was, Jared was naturally more at ease. "If you need any help, don''t hesitate to ask." "Okay," Nicole nodded. Although she was quite certain that there would not be any danger to her person, she did not want Jared to worry about her. After a while, their car pulled up at the entrance of the kindergarten. Then, Nicole got out of the car, wanting to get Nn and Lana from the entrance, only to find Lawrence waiting there. ¡°Why are you here?" Nicole instinctively asked, surprised. "I came to see the kids," Lawrence replied with a smile. "Didn''t we agree on bringing the kids to the amusement park during the weekend?" Nicole asked, feeling a tad bit puzzled. They had already discussed their weekend ns prior to this, and the agreement was that Lawrence would be seeing the kids just a few dayster. But it was then that Lawrence shed her a crestfallen look. "I''d really love to go to the amusement park with them, but unfortunately, something came up, and I''ll have to leave San Joto for a few days. So, I thought I''d visit the kids before I go." "If you''re busy with work, we can still go to the amusement park when youe back. All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. The kids will understand." There and then, Nicole learned that he was going to leave San Joto. "Whatever it is, I promised to take them there. So, I''d still like to apologize to them in person.¡± As they continued chatting, two tiny figures approached them. "Mommy, Godpa!" Nn and Lana lifted their heads and greeted the two adults with a smile. ¡°Done with school, yeah?" Lawrence said affectionately and patted Nn''s head. "Godpa, we thought we were going to the amusement park this weekend. Why are you here to pick us up today?" Nn asked curiously. Gently, Lawrence exined, "Well, something happened at thest minute, and I''ll have to leave San Joto for a few days, so I won''t be able to make it this weekend. I''m here to apologize." ¡°What? You''re leaving?" Nn pouted. "We can''t go to the amusement park anymore, then." "If you want to go, you can ask Mommy to take you, or you can wait until Ie back,"'' Lawrence said apologetically. "Of course, to show you my sincerity, I''m going to take you guys out for dinner tonight." "But we''ve eaten already," Lana said in a sweet voice. "I think we''ll have Mommy bring us to the amusement park this weekend. You don''t have to worry about us because Daddy will be there too." Lawrence lowered his gaze at Lana and shed her a defeated smile. "Okay then, you guys can go ahead first. We''ll head to the amusement park after Ie back." He knew what Lana''s intention was from the get- go, but he just could not express the frustration he was feeling within. When they were on the ind, Lana would always show a sense of aloofness around other people, including him, who was supposed to be her godfather. He would asionally see her smile, but he had never seen Lana forming a close bond with anyone except Jared. Lana felt a sense of familiarity with Jared right after meeting him, which made Lawrence jealous. Perhaps it was simply the bond between father and daughter. There was no other exnation. ¡°Just as they said, they''ve already eaten in the kindergarten. Why don''t we have a meal when youe back instead?" Nicole smiled and politely suggested. Chapter 2507 Chapter 2507 Chapter 2507 Lawrence could only agree after hearing what Nicole had proposed. "Alright, wait for me toe back then." Then, Lawrence gently ruffled Nn''s hair and told him, "You''re bing a young man now. Take care of your Mommy and your little sister, okay?" "I will, Godpa. Don''t worry." Nn nodded earnestly. Although Lawrence was smiling, his eyes were downcast. He could feel that even Nn was growing distant from him. Though Nn still liked him, it was not the same as before... at least not anymore. "Is it time to go now?" Lawrence looked at Nicole, realizing it was time for them to part ways. "Yeah," Nicole said, patting Nn and Lana''s heads. "Say goodbye to Godpa." "Bye-bye, Godpa." Nn and Lana waved at him. In return, Lawrence smiled and said, "Goodbye." Nicole then led Nn and Lana into the car after Lawrence had walked away. "Daddy!" Lana happily jumped into Jared''s arms as soon as she had gotten into the car. Jared tenderly held her and ced her on the seat beside him. Then, he lowered his head to look at her, and said, "Let''s go home. " "Okay." Lana beamed, leaning on Jared''s arm. "We''re going home. "W After Nicole and Nn were seated, Jared turned to Max and ordered, "Let''s go." "Yes, Mr. Johnston," Max replied before driving off to the Riddle residence. ¡°Daddy, Godpa is leaving San Joto, and he won''t be going to the amusement park this weekend anymore. Will we still be going?" Lana tilted her little head, her eyes filled with anticipation. A doting smile appeared on Jared''s face as he replied, "We''ll be going there if you want." ¡°Yay!"" Lana cheered. "Thank you, Daddy." She thought they had lost the opportunity to visit the amusement park, so she was delighted to hear that Jared would be taking them there instead. Jared shifted his gaze to Nicole, who discreetly shook her head, indicating that she did not know where Lawrence was going. She had asked Lawrence about it earlier, but the kids had shown up before he could answer her question. With that, Jared shot Max a nce. Then, he lowered his head to continue talking to Lana. When they arrived at their destination, Jared and Nicole got out of the car with their two children. Meanwhile, Max took his phone out and made a call. "Track Lawrence down." "Understood," the voice on the other end replied. "Good." Max hung up as a sinister glint shed across his eyes. Jared could not figure out why Lawrence was leaving San Joto at this time. On the other hand, Hanwick showed no signs pointing to the idea that he would be leaving too, which raised suspicions. This belongs ? N?velDra/ma.Org. Hanwick had been utilizing a fake identity to conceal himself in San Joto, and no one knew what his true intention was. In the living room, the atmosphere became lively as soon as the entire family returned for dinner. Gloria directed her gaze at the sky outside and said, "Spencer won''t being back, so let''s just have dinner." "oh, right. He has a performance, and Lulu has followed him to the venue to watch him too," Nicole added. ¡°Lulu went too, huh?" Gloria nodded and smiled. "Okay then." Then, Daniel said to everyone, "Let''s eat now." The family got up and headed to the dining room. Meanwhile, at the concert, the melodies from the choir and the instrumentalists filled the venue, enchanting the audience. Just as everyone was immersed in the music, a sudden scream grabbed their attention. While the music did not stop, some of their focus shifted to where the sound had emanated. Chapter 2508 Chapter 2508 Chapter 2508 Lulu''s face nched as she stared at the person who had copsed at her feet. She was so shocked that she did not even know how to react. ¡®What just happened? Why did she suddenly copse here? What should we do now?¡¯ ¡°Quick, get an ambnce now!" someone shouted. Lulu finally snapped out of her state of shock and dialed 911. Soon, the ambnce arrived, and the person was wheeled away in a stretcher and to the back. Looking at the now empty seat beside her, Lulu could not shake the feeling of uneasiness within her. So, she decided to leave early and wait for Spencer backstage. After the concert had ended, Spencer made his way to the backstage area. ¡°What happened?" Spencer approached Lulu and gently held her hand. He had witnessed themotion among the audience, but he did not know what happened to be exact. Still, Lulu was evidently perturbed by whatever it was. "Someone next to me suddenly passed out, and I was so scared that my mind went nk..." Lulu briefly exined. Upon hearing this, Spencer patted Lulu''s back gently and said, "I see. Everything Is over now." "Okay," Lulu nodded. "Can we leave now?" "Sure," Spencer responded and led Lulu to the exit, where they bumped into Icyln, who wasing inside. Icyln looked at Lulu, then turned to Spencer with a smile. " Spencer, there''s an afterpartyter. Shall we head there together?" "No, I won''t be attending the celebrationter,'''' Spencer replied. He wanted to leave the ce together with Lulu since everything that transpired had left her in a state of unease. Icyln''s expression stiffened for a moment, but she continued to persuade Spencer anyway. "Everyone will be there. Are you sure you don''t want to go?" She then nced at Lulu and added somewhat reluctantly, "If you want to spend time with your girlfriend, she cane with us too. "No, we''ll leave now," Spencer said, holding Lulu''s delicate hand as they walked away. Icyln''s face turned red as she eyed their receding figures, gritting her teeth in frustration. ''Does Lulu even understand music? Why did she evene to a concert? Well, I''m going to make her regreting here tonight!¡¯ Right after exiting the venue, Spencer and Lulu got into the car. "Let''s grab something to eat first and then, I''ll take you home so that you can get some sleep," Spencer said. He could not help but feel sorry for Lulu after he saw how pale she was. ¡°Okay,¡± Lulu replied softly. She was not frightened anymore, but for some reason, she still felt uneasy, as if an ominous cloud was hovering over her, giving her the feeling that something bad was about to happen. All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. Spencer gently held Lulu''s hand as he noticed how restless she was, and proceeded to soothe her in whatever way she could. The next day, the sun shone high and bright. That morning, Nicole arrived at the office as usual, and Lulu followed from behind with a bunch of documents in hand. ¡°These are some of the coboration proposals awaiting your approval," Lulu said. \ The second she had spoken, her phone rang. Seeing that it was a call from an unfamiliar number, Lulu cautiously answered, "Hello?" "Is this Lulu Barrera?" the caller asked. "Yes, this is Lulu Barrera speaking. And you are?" Lulu furrowed her brows in confusion, wondering who was calling her. "You injured my sister yesterday, and you didn''t even bother toe to the hospital. How can you be so heartless?" the caller used, their tone brimming with rage. Lulu widened her eyes, puzzled. "Are you sure you''ve got the right person? "I knew you wouldn''t admit it, but you''re not going to get away with this. I''ve already reported it to the police. Just wait and see," the caller said and hung up. ¡°Hello...?" Lulu froze as a long, continuous beep emanated from the speaker. ¡®What''s going on?'' "Ts everything okay?" Nicole asked as she stared at a petrified Lulu. However, Lulu did not answer her. Then, Nicole furrowed her brows and raised her voice, "Lulu?" Chapter 2509 Chapter 2509 Chapter 2509 "Hmm?" Lulu looked at Nicole, taking some time to snap out of her daze. "Someone I don''t know called me." ¡°What did that person say?" Nicole asked. She knew it was a call, but she could not figure out what was wrong with it. After seeming to have recollected herself, Lulu''s face turned pale as she clenched her teeth and said, "He said I injured his sister and ran away. He even imed he has reported it to the police!" She had no idea who he was, who his sister was, and when she could have possibly hit someone. After all, she was not even driving. With a frown, Lulu continued in a trembling voice, "Could that person be mentally unstable?" ¡®But how could a mentally unstable person know my phone number and name?" Lulu wondered to herself. It was then that three knocks were heard on the door, and in response, Nicole lifted her gaze and said, "Come in." Then, the secretary entered and said, "Miss Riddle. There are people iming to be the police outside. They wish to speak with Miss Barrera about a reported incident." Nicole and Lulu exchanged nces, their expressions a mixture of confusion and worry. That person on the phone was not just threatening Lulu; they had really gotten the police involved. Lulu just could not figure out who that person might be. "Let them in," Nicole instructed the secretary. "Of course," the secretary replied before ushering the two police officers into the room. Once inside, the officers asked, "Are you Lulu Barrera?" "Yes, 1am," Lulu responded. ¡°Somebody reported that you intentionally assaulted them, and now the victim is in critical condition. We need your cooperation for the investigation." One of the officers rified, asking for Lulu''s cooperation. In an attempt to defend herself, Lulu exined, "Could there be a mistake? I don''t even know how to drive, so how could I have hit someone? Besides, I don''t even know the person who reported this to you. I didn''t assault his sister, whoever he is." Then, the officer nced at Lulu and asked, ''''Weren''t you at a concert yesterday?" "Yeah?" Lulu blinked in confusion. ¡®What does being at a concert have anything to do with this?" "The person who fell over beside you has regained consciousness. However, she imed that you were the one who hit her and caused her to copse. We need you toe to the police station with us now," the officer continued while looking at Lulu. ¡°No, I didn''t!" Lulu''s face became as white as a sheet. "She fell on her own, and I had no idea what was happening at the time." "We''ll talk about this in detail when we''re in the police station," the officer said, about to take Lulu away when she resisted again. ¡°Hey, listen to me. I really have no idea what was going on. I didn''t..." Lulu tried her best to exin herself, but the officers just ignored her. At that point, she was so afraid that she was on the verge of tears. "Wait a minute," Nicole''s voice suddenly red out. This belongs ? N?velDra/ma.Org. Lulu looked at Nicole with mixed emotions. She knew that it was toote to say anything now. All she could do now was find a way to prove her innocence, though she did not know how. She did not even know what had happened. Lulu bit her lip and forced herself to calm down. Then, she turned to Nicole and said, "Nicole, I must follow them back to the police station. My work..." ¡°We can cooperate for your investigation, but she''s not leaving with you," Nicole interrupted, looking at the officers calmly. "As for the issue concerning the injured party, please inform them to keep all invoices of the medical expenses incurred from the injury. If they are indeed a result of Lulu''s actions, we are willing topensate them for it." ¡°How can we conduct the investigation if she doesn''te with us?" the officer warned in a stern voice. "Please do not obstruct our work." Chapter 2510 Chapter 2510 Chapter 2510 "She doesn''t know anything, and there''s nothing she can cooperate with you on. You might as well go back and look into the other evidence you have. As for her, I will arrange for someone to bail her out. I won''t put you in a difficult position or obstruct your work," Nicole said, and gave the head of the Legal Department a call. "Hello, Miss Riddle." The department head came over and asked. " Is there anything that I can help you with?" "There''s something you need to take care of,¡± Nicole said in a stern voice. "Lulu has no idea what happened, and from what Lulu saw, that person fell over on her own. Please handle this ordingly.¡± "IT got it." The head of the Legal Department nodded and turned to the two police officers. "Gentlemen, if you have any questions or need assistance, you can speak to me directly." The officers furrowed their brows and hesitated for a moment. Then, they red at Lulu and warned, "Do not leave San Joto. We may require your cooperation at any time." "Don''t worry, I won''t. I''d like to prove my innocence too," Lulu immediately agreed. After that, the officers exited the room with the head of the Legal Department. "Thank you so much, Nicole. I was terrified just now.¡± Lulu looked at Nicole with teary eyes as if she was going to burst into tears at any given time. She might very well have been taken away by the police by now had Nicole not intervened. She did not have the slightest idea as to what had happened, or what she could say in her own defense. ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. "Don''t worry. Everything will be fine," Nicole reassured Lulu. Then her gaze darkened as she asked, "Take a moment to think carefully about what had happened at that time." "I was just listening to the music when someone next to me suddenly fell to the ground. I was shocked too. Then, I heard someone shouting for an ambnce, so I immediately called one, and after some time, they took her away. After that, I went backstage looking for Spencer," Lulu exined. In fact, nothing seemed unusual apart from the fact that the member of the audience beside her had copsed for no reason. After thinking for a moment, Nicole furrowed her brows and asked, "You helped her. Why should she want to frame you?" ¡°For money?" Lulu guessed, her face pale and fearful. "Is it possible that she wishes to extort money from me?" She could not think of any other reason, as she could not figure out why the individual who had copsed would frame someone who had helped her. A glint of suspicion shed across Nicole''s eyes. While Lulu could be right, there might be other possibilities to be considered as well. "T will have someone to look into this," Nicole said. She had to clear things up, and on top of that, she could never allow anyone to use Lulu falsely like that. "Thank you, Nicole." Lulu sniffled. With Nicole by her side, she did not feel as afraid or as helpless anymore. "You can go home and rest if you''re still feeling uneasy. Take a break." Nicole suggested as she observed Lulu''s face, which was still colorless. Lulu shook her head. "It''s okay. I''d rather work." Being alone at home would not make her feel any better, and she did not want this issue to affect her work either. "Okay then," Nicole nodded, respecting Lulu''s decision. After Lulu had walked out, Nicole leaned back against her chair and sighed as her expression darkened. Spencer''s wedding was getting closer, and this matter had to be resolved quickly before it could affect the wedding, and as far as she was concerned, it was something she could not afford to allow. If the wedding could not take ce as scheduled due to unforeseen circumstances such as this, it would disappoint a great deal of people. Therefore, she would do anything in her power to stop that from happening. She then got busy, and just like that, the workday came to an end. When it was time to return home, Nicole and Lulu left the office together. Outside of thepany building, Nicole saw Spencering over to pick Lulu up, so she walked over to him. ¡°What happened?" Spencer could not help but feel concerned after he noted the strange looks on their faces. Nicole proceeded to exin the situation to Spencer before informing him, "She''s fine now and I''ve gotten someone to look into it, but you should still spend more time with her." Chapter 2511 Chapter 2511 Chapter 2511 "Okay, I got it," Spencer said and shot Lulu a look of concern. With that out of the way, Nicole nodded. "Alright then, I''ll leave first." Then, she turned and entered Jared''s car, where she sighed and stated, "Lulu''s in trouble." "Hmm," Jared replied, having understood that Nicole was exining her reasoning for seeking Spencer out. Then, Nicole leaned on Jared''s shoulder and expressed her concern to him. "It feels like Lulu has been having a rough timetely. Hopefully, we can get her out of the woods as soon as possible. After all, her wedding ceremony is nearing." "Mrs. Johnston, this case might be rted to Icyin," Max informed. Frowning in response, Nicole asked, "Icyln is involved in this?" "Yes. You ordered someone to keep an eye on Icyln ever since thest encounter. Recently, her assistant has been behaving rather oddly," Max said solemnly. "Her assistant has been spending an inordinate amount of time at the hospital," Max continued. ¡°She went to search for the person who had copsed?" Nicole asked, her expression frosty after discovering that Icyln was involved in this issue. "It seems so," Max confirmed. "We are still digging for more evidence pertaining to the issue." The person in charge of the investigation had not followed Icyln''s assistant into the hospital. Instead, he had waited for the assistant to leave before enquiring with the hospital staff. As it turned out, the assistant had indeed visited a patient, though no one rted to Icyln was staying in the hospital. Thus, it was safe to surmise that the incident today must be Icyln''s doing. "You must find evidence of them bribing the injured and framing Lulu," Nicole coldly ordered. "Yes,'''' Max agreed. ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. As the car continued in its journey, Nicole gazed out the window, thinking, ''Icyln really doesn''t know when to quit. Can''t she see the truth?" Meanwhile, Icyln was lounging around on her couch with a smug look on her face as she eyed her assistant. "You did great this time. " "Sadly, Lulu''s been bailed out. If not, she would have stayed in there for a while," Icyln''s assistant kissed up to Icyln. "Still, let''s see how their wedding will turn out when Lulu sees the news tomorrow," she continued. ¡°Urgh, how dare she think of marrying Spencer? The temerity of this woman!" Icyln huffed in annoyance. Icyln thought that it was delusional for Lulu, a person of little wealth and status, to even harbor the thought of marrying Spencer. "[ heard Mr. Lincoln is going to arrive early in San Joto to attend their wedding. If he shows up with Lulu looking like the a** she is, he will surely be dissatisfied with Spencer''s choice of partner in marriage," Icyln''s assistant whispered. ¡°we should definitely pick Mr. Lincoln up from the airport to tell him about Lulu. With his fondness for Spencer, he might care enough to knock some sense into Spencer," she finished. ¡°Hmm, that''s a great idea. If Mr. Lincoln could knock some sense into Spencer, Spencer will surely listen," Icyln stated as she whipped her phone out. "T''ll call Mr. Lincoln now and ask him about his arrival." Icyln then proceeded to call Peter Lincoln, "Hey, Mr. Lincoln. Icyln here." "Oh hi, IcyIn. How are you in San Joto?" Peter asked, expressing his concern. ¡°Everything''s fine. Spencer has been taking care of me too," Icyln said sweetly, her voice soft and demure. And with relief, Peter replied, Well, that''s good to hear." Chuckling, Icyln asked, "Mr. Lincoln, I heard you''re set to reach before the wedding. Is the arrival time confirmed?" ¡°Yeah, I''m arriving next week," Peter replied without much thought. And to that, Icyln said, "In that case, I''ll be there to pick you up." Chapter 2512 Chapter 2512 MY WIFE IS A HACKER CHAPTER 2512-¡°That¡¯s so kind of you,¡± Peter acknowledged. After catching up for a while longer, Icyln said her goodbyes and hung up. ¡°He¡¯sing over next week. Spencer¡¯s wedding is half a month away, which means Mr. Lincoln will be here for a week,¡± Icyln muttered, and began plotting her scheme. She figured that Peter would surely meet up with Spencer and Lulu at some point prior to the wedding. ¡®I¡¯ll make sure you pay, Lulu,¡¯ Icyln thought, determined to bring Lulu down. Biting her lips, she then ordered her assistant, ¡°Be sure to give them a good show tomorrow.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I have gotten everything arranged already. I¡¯ll make sure everyone in every corner of San Joto knows about it,¡± Icyln¡¯s assistant swore. Icyln rose triumphantly and made her way upstairs. She wanted to get some good sleep as she was looking forward to whatever wasing tomorrow. The sun shone bright and clear the next day. In the wee hours of the morning itself, the enthusiasm of San Joto was already aroused by the sensational headline,¡± The Fourth Son of Daniel Riddle, Violinist Spencer Riddle¡¯s Fiancee Deliberated Harmed Others with No Remorse: Severe Injuries Reported While The Injured Is Still in Critical Condition.¡± ¡°No way! How could Spencer have someone like this as his fiancee?¡± ¡°Who knows?¡± ¡°Could it be a misunderstanding?¡± ¡°Who knows for sure what is real and what is not whenever the rich are concerned?¡± Lulu was visibly shaken when these discussions and spections proliferated. Worried about how frightened Lulu was, Nicole assured,¡± Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll work this out. Max has already found the culprit behind this.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Lulu asked with shock, unable to grasp what Nicole had said. In reply, Nicole went on to exin, ¡°Last night, Max informed us of what he has discovered. Icyln¡¯s assistant has bribed the two siblings to frame you.¡± ¡°Not her again! She¡¯s really crossing the line!¡± Lulu fumed, her face turning pale. Indeed, Icyln had been creating mess after mess for her to deal with, but what Lulu failed to anticipate was that Icyln would go so far as to hire someone to frame her. ¡°This piece of news might be her doing,¡± Nicole stated coldly. ¡°I suspect her goal isn¡¯t going to end here.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Lulu blinked her eyes, unable to figure out what other motives Icyln had other than ruining her. Nicole opted not to reveal her spections as she looked at Lulu. Still, she informed Max to look into it so that there was solid evidence to confirm her suspicion. ¡°Hold your horses, and let¡¯s wait for Max¡¯s report first,¡± Nicole advised and changed the subject. ¡°How are you coping? If this is a bad time, you may go home and get some much needed rest.¡± In response, Lulu declined the offer. ¡°No worries, I won¡¯t let this affect my professionalism.¡± This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. Furthermore, the situation in NandoCorp was yet to reach its conclusion, and some new projects in DillCorp were still under Lulu¡¯s supervision. She was rather reluctant to hand the projects over to others, especially now. Understanding Lulu¡¯s concern, Nicole smirked and reminded, ¡°You¡¯re getting married soon. That means you¡¯re going to be on a wedding leave. It¡¯s best to hand your projects over to someone else.¡± Indeed, it was only a matter of time before someone else handled the projects anyway. Because of this, Nicole felt that Lulu should not allow herself to be overly stressed out at this moment. ¡°Alright, I get it. I¡¯ll make sure to hand my work over before I leave,¡± Lulu replied, her cheeks flushing. Still, while she would hand her tasks and responsibilities over to the others eventually, she was determined not to ck off in her work now. Chapter 2513 Chapter 2513 MY WIFE IS A HACKER CHAPTER 2513-¡°Alright then, if there¡¯s nothing else, you can head back to work. I¡¯ll inform you if there are any updates about the evidence we are gathering,¡± Nicole said. ¡°Sure. Thank you, Nicole,¡± Lulu took a deep breath, trying to calm down before exiting the office. Leaning against her office chair, Nicole frowned as something flitted in her mind. Unfortunately, it was too fleeting for her to grasp. When she tried to dwell on it for a moment, she found nothing particrly noteworthy. With a sigh, Nicole redirected her attention to her work. The sun was still strong and bright in thete afternoon when Nicole was sitting on the couch with a pensive look on her face. And when she heard a knock on her door, she announced,¡± Come in,¡± After the door had swung open, Lulu strode in quickly. ¡± NandoCorp has been sealed off for investigation.¡± ¡°Sealed off?!¡± Nicole blurted. Initially, she thought that they would only face fines or be forced to restructure, but having the entire company sealed off was something she did not seeing. ¡°Well, we suspect that the officials have discovered other illegal activities during the tax evasion investigation,¡± Lulu remarked. ¡°After all, they seem capable of anything.¡± NandoCorp¡¯s internal operations were probably rife with shady deals from the very beginning. ¡°Bad luck I guess,¡± Nicole shrugged, not expecting NandoCorp to crumble so easily under investigation. ¡°However, Everett has been unusually quiet these past few days. Something seems off to me,¡± Lulu said with utmost seriousness. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me he couldn¡¯t take the hit and had a mental breakdown?¡± ¡°He won¡¯t,¡± Nicole replied, as a frosty glint crossed her eyes.¡¯ People like Everett would only be more dangerous and unpredictable in silence.¡¯ Worried, Lulu asked, ¡°Could he be plotting something?¡± To that, Nicole agreed, ¡°That is a possibility.¡± ¡°Oh no. I¡¯ll have someone keep an eye on him. I¡¯ll make sure he won¡¯t get a chance to rescue and seize NandoCorp,¡± Lulu asserted. Before Lulu could hurry out of the office, however, Nicole stopped her. ¡°Hold on.¡± ¡°Is there something else?¡± Lulu turned to Nicole. ¡°Don¡¯t be hasty. You won¡¯t find his whereabouts now,¡± Nicole said meaningfully. Lulu widened her eyes in shock. ¡°What do you mean I can¡¯t find his whereabouts?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll let Max in on this. You should focus on what¡¯s on your hands now, and get ready for the transition. At this point in time, you may just rx and wait for the big moment,¡± Nicole suggested with a chuckle. She believed this was the most important event for Lulu to direct her attention to at the moment. In return, Lulu ran her fingers through her hair, and argued,¡± But I want to help, and I¡¯ve been the one handling it all along. r? Lulu knew Nicole prioritized her happiness and wellbeing, yet she had a feeling that she had to be the one handling all of these issues. ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. ¡°Come on. Give Max a chance to shine,¡± Nicole joked. Hearing that, Lulu exined, ¡°It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t believe in Max and his capabilities.¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s settled, then,¡± Nicole interrupted. ¡°He will be taking care of it all. Anyway, you can get back to what you were doing before.¡± ¡°Fine, but remember to call me if something happens,¡± Lulu added. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it,¡± Nicole smiled. But the instant Lulu had walked off, the smile faded, reced with a cold and dark grimace. Chapter 2514 Chapter 2514 MY WIFE IS A HACKER CHAPTER 2514-Nicole¡¯s gaze was stern as she dialed Max¡¯s number. ¡°Max, you mentioned this morning that Lawrence left San Joto with another person.¡± ¡°Yes, that individual was heavily disguised, so we couldn¡¯t determine their identity. We¡¯ve checked their departure records, and there were no records of this person¡¯s identity either,¡± Max exined. Hesitating for a moment, Nicole pondered, ¡®Lawrence left San Joto for Mecrounia, but I heard that things are quite peaceful over there. Why did Lawrence return so suddenly? Everett has mysteriously gone missing, and Lawrence took an unknown person back with him. It seems that these two things must be rted.¡¯ ¡°Everett might be gone. Please check on him,¡± Nicole ordered. ¡°You think Lawrence might have brought Everett with him?¡± Max gasped. ¡°There¡¯s a possibility. Lulu said Everett has been unusually quiet now that NandoCorp is in turmoil. It¡¯s very suspicious,¡± Nicole stated after analyzing the situation. Furthermore, disappearing without a trace was noy something Everett would usually do. ¡°I got it,¡± Max replied. ¡°I¡¯ll handle it right now.¡± After hanging up, Nicole gritted her teeth, feeling rather conflicted about Lawrence. If Lawrence had really brought Everett with him, Nicole could only wonder when they had gotten in touch with each other and what sort of deal they had nned to strike with one another. Nicole was filled with questions, but she could only investigate them by herself. This meant that Lawrence would no longer tell her the truth. Sighing, Nicole was suddenly ovee with depression. After all, Lawrence was the one who had saved her that year, and she had never expected things to turn out the way they did with the man who had essentially rescued her. Meanwhile, Jared had overheard the conversation between Nicole and Max while Max was in his office. ¡°Show no mercy to NandoCorp,¡± Jared coldly dered. If Everett was truly looking to pull a trick with Lawrence as his ace, they need not show any restraint anymore. ¡°Understood,¡± Max replied. ¡®Til be right on it.¡± Then, Jared continued, ¡°Get someone to monitor Lawrence in Mecrounia discreetly.¡± He would not give Lawrence the opportunity to act in such a way that it would harm him and Nicole. ¡°There¡¯s something else. We¡¯ve received information that someone has seen a mercenary with the same mark as the group that assailed Mrs. Johnston in Mecrounia. Could it be them?¡± Max informed, his tone solemn. ¡°Dig into both of them, then,¡± Jared stated, having finally acquired news about this after such a lengthy period of investigation. ¡°Understood,¡± Max replied, leaving Jared¡¯s office promptly. Jared then walked up to the window, his gaze pensive as he looked out into the distance. Time flew, and two days passed in the blink of an eye. The news of NandoCorp¡¯s bankruptcy sent shockwaves throughout San Joto. In the morning, Jared and Nicole headed to DillCorp after dropping the kids off at preschool. In the car, Nicole leaned against her seat andmented,¡± Well, aren¡¯t you quick to action? You actually caused them to dere bankruptcy.¡± ¡°Max confirmed that Lawrence did indeed take Everett away. ¡± Jared looked at Nicole and said. ¡°Why do you think he took Everett away at a time like this?¡± Tongue tied, Nicoleposed herself and replied, ¡°He did save my life, but I will show him no mercy if he attempts to sabotage Riddle Corporation.¡± This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. Nicole understood Jared¡¯s reminder. Jared was quite satisfied with Nicole¡¯s reaction. Any hesitation now would only work in the detriment of the Riddle family and Riddle Corporation. Fortunately, Nicole was level headed about what she needed to do at this juncture. Chapter 2515 Chapter 2515 MY WIFE IS A HACKER CHAPTER 2515-Frowning, Nicole asked, ¡°Even if they harbor ill will toward Riddle Corporation, why did Lawrence take Everett with him? rv ¡°Everything is still under investigation,¡± Jared imed. If things were as Nicole predicted, Lawrence would not have risked his own reputation by bringing Everett away with him. It would in fact be better for them to cooperate in the dark while maintaining no apparent contact. ¡°Never mind, let¡¯s just make sure we do not miss anything,¡± Nicole nodded, feeling that the situation was a strange one. The car continued its journey and soon after, they arrived at the headquarters of Riddle Corporation. Getting out of the car, Nicole smiled and said, ¡°Bye, I¡¯m going in.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll pick you upter,¡± Jared replied gently. After acknowledging his reply with a wave, she strode into the building. As Nicole¡¯s figure disappeared into the entrance of Riddle Corporation, Jared¡¯s gentle expression instantly turned cold. ¡°Keep NandoCorp under proper, round-the-clock surveince,¡± Jared ordered. ¡°Understood,¡± Max replied with utmost seriousness, knowing what Jared was thinking. If Lawrence had taken Everett away, Damien must have had some inside information. With that said, they could likely extract some intel from Damien. The car soon left the Riddle Corporation headquarters for the Johnson Group. Meanwhile, Nicole was entering her office when she found that Lulu was present as well. If anything, she was a little shocked to see her there. ¡°Aren¡¯t you supposed to be resting at home for two days?¡± She had initially thought that Lulu¡¯s situation would be rtively easy to handle inparison, but as it turned out, it was moreplicated than anticipated. Nicole was worried about Lulu¡¯s mental state, so she had allowed her to take her leave for a few days. That was why Nicole was not expecting to see her at work today. ¡°I can¡¯t stay at home, so I might as welle to work,¡± Lulu sighed. ¡°That scumbag kept insisting that I knocked his sister down without proof. I guess I just have to ept this as my rotten luck.¡± As no one could be her alibi in this case; Lulu had no choice but to suffer in silence. She even felt she got lucky as she was not arrested outright. ¡°Come on, things will be settled in due time,¡± Nicole reassured. Then, she added, ¡°I¡¯m sure they must have left some evidence behind.¡± Once they proved that Icyln had indeed bribed the siblings to frame Lulu, the truth would eventually be revealed. ¡°I just didn¡¯t expect her to be so cunning,¡± Lulu huffed. They knew that Icyln¡¯s assistant had approached the younger brother, but they had no evidence of bribery or maniption on her part. That was the roadblock they had to navigate. ¡°They definitely left a mark behind,¡± Nicole concluded.¡± You¡¯re the most important one now. You can¡¯t allow yourself to be affected by their nderous remarks and spections. IV Still, Nicole knew that the news that had gone viral on the inte had taken a toll on Lulu. ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Lulu smiled. ¡°It doesn¡¯t affect me.¡± At the end of the day, those usations were nothing but gossip. Lulu did not do anything wrong. She was just helping out, but who could have imagined that she would be on the receiving end of a moral outrage? If anyone should be feeling guilty, it was not her; it should be the siblings. As for Icyln, she would reap what she sowed for framing Lulu. From N?velDrama.Org. Seeing that Lulu was all right, Nicole felt relieved. ¡°Well, that¡¯s a relief. Let¡¯s focus on work, then.¡± Indeed, they did not need to rile themselves up with an issue that had no basis in truth. ¡°I agree,¡± Lulu concurred, feeling that whatever was happening at DillCorp was more important than whatever she was dealing with. ¡°Oh, about that. How¡¯s NandoCorp? After they announced their bankruptcy, is NandoCorp going to be auctioned off? What are your ns?¡± Lulu enquired after remembering about it. Nicole frowned, and after giving it some thought, she answered, ¡°I¡¯ll head back to the Riddle family manor after work hours. I am going to ask Grandpa for some advice on this.¡¯ Chapter 2516 Chapter 2516 MY WIFE IS A HACKER CHAPTER 2516-¡°You better do it quickly. Harvey still has his eye on it. You mustn¡¯t give him a chance,¡± said Lulu. With everything feeling like a trap now, Nicole had to proceed with caution, or else it might lead to more issues for her to deal with. ¡°Yeah,¡± Nicole agreed in a muffled voice. She too had thought of what Lulu had said before, and that was why she made this decision quickly. Seeing that Nicole knew what she was doing, Lulu became a little more at ease and said, ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll get back to work.¡± ¡°Sure thing, let¡¯s get lunch togetherter,¡± Nicole chuckled. Nicole sat down after Lulu had exited her office, and then she began working. Meanwhile, the air in the Ellison Group¡¯s chairman¡¯s office was unusually quiet. Harvey was leaning against his seat, his presence cold with suppressed rage. There, his assistant stood beside him in fear, not daring to make a sound. After a long time, Harvey snorted. ¡°Everett is indeed useless. n Not only did Everett lose the chance to obtain DillCorp, but he had also even lost NandoCorp not long after, proving what an idiot he was. ¡°Mr. Ellison, what are we going to do now?¡± his assistant cautiously asked. ¡°We will do what he couldn¡¯t,¡± Harvey imed, not content on leaving things hanging. ¡°Are you suggesting that we get our hands on NandoCorp?¡± his assistant asked. And with utmost seriousness, Harvey replied, ¡°It¡¯s a public auction. It¡¯s every man for himself.¡± From N?velDrama.Org. For a pool of resources as vast as the Ellison Group¡¯s, buying apany off in an auction would not be a problem at all. His assistant hesitated before reminding him, ¡°If Nicole truly cares about the Riddle family¡¯s assets, will she simply let us get our hands on it so easily?¡± ¡°Riddle Corporation alone is not powerful enough to stand against Ellison Group,¡± Harvey bragged. He believed he could obtain NandoCorp from Nicole with Ellison Group¡¯s finances. ¡°But what if, Mr. Johnston¡­¡± his assistant continued. Indeed, things would get tricky for him if Jared entered the fray. Harvey¡¯s eyes glinted with a hint of viciousness, whereupon he gritted his teeth and said, ¡°We won¡¯t even give him a chance to act.¡± If Jared wanted to intervene, Harvey would simply obstruct him, rendering Jared powerless against him. After a moment of contemtion, Harvey informed his assistant, ¡°Isn¡¯t he checking on Everett? Why don¡¯t we give him some clues?¡± Harvey believed Jared was more interested in dealing with Everett than NandoCorp since Lawrence was the one who had brought Everett away. ¡®Hmph, things are starting to get interesting now. But it¡¯s none of my business. Why not watch the show when there¡¯s just no need for me to step in? I¡¯ll wait for them to weaken themselves, and then, I¡¯ll just swoop in for the money shot,¡¯ Harvey thought. Hearing that, his assistant instantly replied, ¡°Understood. I¡¯ll get it now.¡± Harvey was rather satisfied with the situation he had found himself in. He felt that, in the end, Nicole could only be his. As the sun began to set in the evening, Jared picked Nicole up and drove her to the Riddle family manor. Chapter 2517 Chapter 2517 MY WIFE IS A HACKER CHAPTER 2517-The car came to a stop, after which Jared and Nicole got out of the car and made their way into the living room of Riddle family manor. Mr. Riddle Sr. was sitting alone in the living room when he heard Jared and Nicole opening the door and entering the manor. ¡°You¡¯re here! Come have a seat,¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. greeted. ¡°Grandpa, why are you alone?¡± Nicole asked with a hint of confusion in her voice as she ranged her gaze across the room for people. ¡°Alfred went out to run some errands. I¡¯m perfectly fine by myself. Please have a seat,¡¯ Mr. Riddle Sr. informed. ¡°There must be something of a matter, seeing that the two of you are here,¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. probed. ¡°Wow, Grandpa. I must give it to you. How did you know?¡± Nicole yfully stated. Mr. Riddle Sr looked at Nicole, and that was when he replied, ¡°How can I word this? Every time you¡¯re here without Nn and Lana, I¡¯ll definitely suspect that something must have happened.¡± ¡®Nicole would usually bring her kids over. Her not doing so meant trouble,¡¯ Mr. Riddle Sr. surmised. Hearing that, a stern expression crossed Nicole¡¯s face.¡± Grandpa? You¡¯re still as sharp as ever. You¡¯ve heard about NandoCorp, haven¡¯t you?¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. nodded. ¡°Are you suggesting we participate in the auction?¡± Nicole was pleased to know that Mr. Riddle Sr. had understood her intentions at once. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s the initial n. If you agree, then I will do so but if you don¡¯t, then I won¡¯t.¡± ¡°How can I disagree? If I don¡¯t agree that would mean I¡¯m just holding you back from reaching your fullest potential,¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. replied with a sigh in the end. ¡®NandoCorp was initially a part of Riddle Corporation, but now, the situation requires that we use our resources to regain NandoCorp.¡¯ Nicole shook her head as she thought about it. ¡°That¡¯s a different story. NandoCorp belongs to Uncle Damien. However, once we¡¯ve acquired it from them, it will be our family¡¯s once more,¡± Nicole said. She did not care much about anything, for she had only one mission, and that was to acquire the company back so that it would be hers to own. ¡°You have quite an insight,¡± Mr. Riddle Sr.plimented, feeling relieved that Nicole had aplete grasp of whatever was going on. ¡°Thanks Grandpa!¡± Nicole beamed, dead set on acquiring NandoCorp after getting Mr. Riddle Sr. ¡®s support. There was a long pause ensued, and after that, Mr. Riddle Sr. spoke up and asked, ¡°Now that NandoCorp and DillCorp are going to be a part of ourpany once more, what are your ns for it? Can I get to know what your views on this are?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not quite sure what exactly my n is for now, but what I can say is that I¡¯ll do my best in whatever way I can.¡± Nicole smirked. Hearing that made Mr. Riddle Sr. a little worried for Nicole, however. ¡®There¡¯s a chance she might not be able to acquire NandoCorp with ease, knowing how she said she would try her best¡­¡¯ ¡°Just go and try your best. We can talk about the restter,¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. encouraged. He knew that Nicole was really antsy about acquiring NandoCorp, and at that moment, easing her anxiety was all he could do. ¡°I think what you said was right. Right now, we¡¯ll have to go and do some research. We can only stand to benefit by doing so,¡± El r said, his voice echoing through the room as he walked in. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Nicole asked, surprised by Er¡¯s appearance. She did not tell anyone that she was visiting Mr. Riddle Sr. and had made her way here on her own to seek his advice. ¡°I heard that you came to the family manor, so I came over, knowing what was going on. It¡¯s a good thing I arrived in time to catch you,¡± Er said as he took a seat. This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Nicole asked, puzzled as to why Er had to catch her in the middle of a chat. ¡°It¡¯s regarding NandoCorp actually. I overheard what you guys were talking about earlier but there¡¯s something else and Grandpa happened to have brought it up earlier. You know, the whole deal with the Riddle family and Riddle Corporation,¡± Er shrugged. Lost and unable to understand what Er was referring to, Nicole frowned, ¡°What made you think so?¡± He was afraid to witness NandoCorp and DillCorp falling back under Riddle Corporation¡¯s management, and thus, he had reached out to BayCorp for assistance. Er scratched his head, and with a tinge of embarrassment on his face, he continued, ¡°Nicole, I don¡¯t mean to go against you or anything. It¡¯s just an honest opinion.¡± Chapter 2518 Chapter 2518 MY WIFE IS A HACKER CHAPTER 2518-Er then paused for a while before saying, ¡°I am in the midst of considering. The Riddle family is supposed to be a unit, and the funny thing is that Riddle Corporation has been split into so many branches and are operating independently. Everyone wanted their own thing and had even gone separate ways.¡± However, this crisis was an opportunity for Er to reunite thepanies together again, an opportunity he did not wish to miss. Hearing that, Nicole began to have a rough idea as to where Er wasing from, ¡°Actually, it doesn¡¯t matter if we merge thepany together or work independently as one. What matters now is that we are working hard, not for Riddle Corporation but for our family, the Riddle family.¡± ¡°In that case, let¡¯s join hands and work together,¡± Er dered, feeling that they should work together. Nicole shook her head. ¡°You¡¯re doing good, so please just continue doing what you¡¯re best at. As for NandoCorp and DillCorp, I¡¯m afraid to admit I¡¯m a little powerless on the situation.¡± ¡®If everyone can do their part and contribute to the Riddle family and Riddle Corporation as one, the issues that had essentially ruined everything for us would¡¯ve been averted. And not to mention, I wouldn¡¯t have left Uncle Damien and Dillion to get this far,¡¯ Nicole thought. ¡°Don¡¯t put too much me on yourself, Nicole. You¡¯re already doing well. If it was not for you, the entirety of the Riddle family and Riddle Corporation would have been in mes by now,¡± Er replied, his face stern and serious. ¡®If it wasn¡¯t for her, they would¡¯ve fought to their graves to im the mainpany as their own and neither our family nor thepany would¡¯ve survived,¡¯ Er thought to himself. Suddenly, Mr. Riddle Sr. spoke up, ¡°Stop it you two.¡± This prompted Nicole and Er to both turn to look at Mr. Riddle Sr. at the same time. ¡°Grandpa, what are your thoughts on this?¡± ¡°Your uncles were not of much use. It would be best if the branchpanies could be directly affiliated with Riddle Corporation once more, but as for you¡­,¡¯ Mr. Riddle Sr. paused as he turned to look at Er. ¡°You can manage one yourself since you¡¯ve done it so well before. We can¡¯t leave everything for Nicole to handle now, can we? She¡¯s bound to get overworked,¡± he continued. Er scratched his head awkwardly upon hearing that. ¡°I haven¡¯t thought much about this. I just felt that it would be fitting for this situation. I just wanted things to go back to the way they were before.¡± ¡°We don¡¯t need to split hairs and make everything ck and white for now. Even if we do get all of our companies back, you can still manage BayCorp yourself. Don¡¯t think about cking off, you hear me?¡± Nicole grinned. In reply, Er gave her a sheepish smile. ¡°I won¡¯t. I¡¯ll do as you guys said.¡± This belongs ? N?velDra/ma.Org. Er had not given much thought into things, but he would rather maintain the status quo. ¡°Don¡¯t think much about what¡¯s toe. Just take care of BayCorp as you did before,¡± Nicole instructed Er. With that, Er solemnly agreed, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. I can handle it.¡± Nicole nodded, having noticed how much Er had grown over the time. ¡°Sir, dinner is ready,¡± Alfred reminded as he walked into the room. ¡°Then let¡¯s all have dinner together,¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. dered, inviting everyone to stay for dinner. Upon agreeing to stay, everyone made a beeline for the dining hall. Dinner was served and everyone was eating while chatting away before Mr. Riddle Sr. suddenly spoke up and asked,¡± Jared, your grandfather called me the other day and asked me when you¡¯ll be holding your wedding ceremony. He told me that he asked you about it, but you didn¡¯t give him a definite answer.¡± It seemed that the elders of both the Johnston and the Riddle family were starting to be worried about whether their grandchildren¡¯s wedding would happen or not. ¡°This question is hers to answer,¡± Jared said, tossing the ball to Nicole. ¡®It¡¯s not that I didn¡¯t want to marry her. It¡¯s her who doesn¡¯t want to,¡¯ Jared thought to himself. Hearing this, Nicole¡¯s lips twitched. ¡®Who does he think he is, turning the tables over like this?¡¯ Chapter 2519 Chapter 2519 MY WIFE IS A HACKER CHAPTER 2519-As expected, Mr. Riddle Sr. turned to look at Nicole, ¡°Do you have things on your mind?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m just too bogged down with work to think about a wedding at this point,¡± Nicole replied as she forced a smile. ¡°Work is never ending. You have your brothers, Sean, and Steve to help you out,¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. retorted. ¡®If work is an excuse for her to dy her wedding, then the wedding might not even happen,¡¯ Mr. Riddle Sr. retorted. ¡°I know, Grandpa.¡± Nicole smiled, nodding along in fear of spoiling Mr. Riddle Sr. ¡®s mood. Mr. Riddle Sr. was left with mixed feelings when he saw that Nicole was beingpliant, not knowing how to continue urging her to host her wedding. ¡°I suppose we¡¯re all grownups now,¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. sighed in defeat. Nicole knew that she had promised Mr. Riddle Sr. about the wedding, yet her heart was still fickle, and she was hesitant to share her perspective with anyone else. Er, who had witnessed everything, blinked slowly, and looked upto Nicole with admiration. ¡°Nicole, where did you learn that from? I want to know how to do that too!¡± Nicole turned to Er with a dumbfounded look, ¡°What?¡± Then, Er lowered his head and said, ¡°Next time, I¡¯m going to use this same trick you used to get out of all these discussions about marriage.¡± ¡°You¡¯re still being encouraged to get married?¡± Nicole asked, feeling a little shocked as her eyes widened. ¡°Yeah, there¡¯s no other way. They kept pushing me after they failed to do so for my brother. Ever since Spencer and Samuel announced that they are getting married, my parents got more anxious. I¡¯m using Stanley as an example. I mean, he¡¯s still not married and I¡¯m still young.¡± Er sighed. It was one of the reasons why Er refused to go home for dinner. He knew that his parents would urge him to get wed as soon as possible each time they saw him. Nicole gave Er a sympathetic look and offered him a weak smile in return. ¡°You might as well find a girlfriend first then worry about getting marriedter. Maybe then, they¡¯ll be less anxious.¡± ¡°Forget about it. I have to figure out how to manage thepany first,¡± Er stated. For him, getting himself a partner was the least of his worries; he simply did not have the time nor energy to deal with one. As such, he had decided to leave it to fate. Nicole shrugged and kept quiet. ¡®Afterall, things like emotions vary between people and their pursuit toward it.¡¯ After dinner was over, everyone bid their goodbyes to Mr. Riddle Sr., hopped into their respective cars, and left. Nicole looked out the rearview mirror as they drove out of the courtyard. She then nced at Er¡¯s car and smirked. ¡°Er has grown so much.¡± ¡®In the past five years, it seems that many things have remained unchanged. And yet, at the same time, everything had changed,¡¯ Nicole pondered. She then looked up at Jared and gave him a soft smile.¡¯ Fortunately, he hasn¡¯t changed one bit.* Seeing this, Jared brought Nicole into a hug. ¡°What are you smiling at?¡± ¡°I just feel that everyone has changed in many ways, but you haven¡¯t changed a bit. Five years is quite a long time¡­,¡± Nicole whispered as sheid her head on Jared¡¯s shoulder. ¡®It was long enough for the world to change in its entirety,¡¯ Nicole thought. ¡°Youing back made everything worth it.¡± Jared tightened his embrace. Five years was indeed a long period, but Nicole¡¯s return had given meaning to Jared for his years of perseverance. Nicole bit her lip, turned to look at Jared with longing in her eyes, and said, ¡°Let¡¯s get married after this fiasco is over.¡± Jared paused for a moment before raising his eyebrows,¡± What made you make this decision so suddenly?¡± This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. ¡°I¡¯m not sure. Suddenly, I feel that there are a lot of things that don¡¯t seem as important anymore. We should make the best of it while we can and do something meaningful,¡± said Nicole. ¡®Such as getting married, living happily together as a family, and sharing our future together,¡¯ Nicole thought to herself. ¡°To do something meaningful. Yes, we should really make the best of it while we can,¡± Jared smiled, the look on his face bing one of joy. Chapter 2520 Chapter 2520 Jared slowly lowered his head, their eyes meeting one another before he leaned in closer, allowing their lips to meet. As the kiss became even more passionate, it grew sloppy. rmed by the sudden shift in tone, Nicole struggled, attempting to break free, but to no avail. She sumbed to Jared''s arms that night. The next day, the sun shone warm and bright, and everyone gathered in the dining room for breakfast. "Nicole, I heard you went to your grandpa''s cest night. Is he alright?" Daniel asked. "He''s doing well. I paid him a visit to keep him posted about thetest ns of thepany," Nicole exined. "It was about NandoCorp, wasn''t it? As long as your grandpa agrees to it,'''' Daniel softly said, fully respecting Nicole''s decision to reacquire NandoCorp and make it a part of Riddle Corporation once more. Nicole nodded. "Yeah, I''ve talked it out with him and he''s fully onboard on it." "That''s good to hear," Daniel agreed, warm with relief. "Did he say anything else?" Samuel asked. Nicole swept her nce across Samuel and Spencer before turning to look at Stanley. "The only other thing he said was to urge someone to settle down." "What are you looking at me for? I can''t help it if he keeps urging me to settle down. Grandpa didn''t have to push you now, did he?" Stanley protested, his voice cracking as settling down was a sensitive topic for him. "Well, he didn''t but I just want to say that you, being single, have ced Er in a much tougher situation. He''s being forced to settle down every so often now," Nicole chuckled. ¡°How about Emery?" Stanley asked, unable to wrap his head around how Er was being forced to settle down so early when his brother, Emery, had not done so. Nicole shrugged. "Emery isn''t in a rush to settle down, so naturally, Er became the target. His mom also used you as an example in which your younger brothers have settled down before you.'' "However, I feel that they should consider the situation of a person first before jumping to conclusions. This belongs ? N?velDra/ma.Org. If you can''t find anyone you''repatible with, you can always go with the blind dates our parents have suggested. Perhaps you''ll meet the love of your life there," Nicole reminded. "I think this is a great idea! Why didn''t I think of this before? I''m going to go get a finedy for our Stanley here," Gloria eximed. "Mom, I actually..." Stanley resisted, wanting to secure his freedom, but Gloria was having none of it today. "Forget it. If you keep going at this rate, you''re going to grow old and die alone." "Mom, you can worry about your future daughter inwter. How about this? You can go with Aunt Emma and pick a match for Emery instead," Nicole suggested. Gloria nodded her head in agreement. "Yeah, I''ll call her after breakfast is over with this great news. I bet she''s already on her toes." Stanley frowned at Nicole and whispered, "You were forced to settle down too. Why did you have to drag us into this?" "I''m doing this for your own good, and for your information, I''ve already decided when to host my wedding," Nicole boasted. "You decided...," Stanley teased as he faked a few coughs in an attempt to mock Nicole. "Is it true?!" Spencer and Samuel, having overheard the conversation, were also surprised by Nicole''s sudden decision. "Yeah, am I not allowed to?" Nicole red at her brothers. '' What''s with that look they''re giving me?'' Chapter 2521 Chapter 2521 ¡°Of course, you can! It just sort of caught us off guard.¡± ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s great that you¡¯re going to hold your wedding.¡± Spencer and Samuel were grinning widely, while Stanley issued a loud and deep sigh. ¡°I can already imagine how miserable my future days will be.¡± ¡®Now, I¡¯ll be the only one left that has yet to settle down. The pressure really is going to be mounting,¡¯ Stanley thought. ¡°You can rx. Just go on the blind dates Mom is going to set up for you. When you have a girlfriend, life will be much easier for you,¡± Samuel teased. ¡®Of course, I guess I won¡¯t have to worry about dying alone anymore the day I get married,¡¯ Stanley grumbled to himself. Then, he rolled his eyes at Samuel in disgust. ¡°You should take care of your own business.¡± In turn, Samuel shrugged at Stanley. ¡°I¡¯m fine. The next thing you ought to watch out for is being the center of our family¡¯s attention.¡± ¡°Shut your mouth and eat.¡± Stanley threw a piece of bread at Samuel to shut him up, fuming and frustrated. ¡°Hey. Don¡¯t get mad at me when you can¡¯t live up to your own expectations,¡± Samuel mocked as he bit into the bread Stanley threw at him. ¡°Alright now, let¡¯s all dig in,¡± Daniel interrupted. A beaming smile was stered on Daniel¡¯s face as he watched his kids bicker around. ¡®These rascals have grown up too fast. It¡¯s about time they started taking the future into their own hands.¡¯ After breakfast was over, Daniel and Gloria waited until their children had left for work before they began discussing amongst themselves. ¡°A few of our kids are getting married. Do you have any ns for how things will be after they have been hitched?¡± Daniel asked Gloria. ¡°I think the current arrangement is good enough. Sean and Steve don¡¯t live too far off. Spencer and Samuel bought a vi near our ce, and Nicole¡¯s right next door to us. I still hope that Stanley can settle down sooner. Otherwise, we can just leave him here to live with us,¡± Gloria replied. From N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Is Stanley going to agree to living with us?¡± Daniel asked, feeling a little skeptical. Daniel realized that although he had mentioned it before, he had never truly discussed with Stanley his opinion on the idea of staying in this ce after they got married. He also hadn¡¯t asked for his future girlfriend¡¯s perspective on the matter. ¡°He hasn¡¯t said anything in the meantime, but if he doesn¡¯t want to then we¡¯ll just let him do what he wants to,¡± Gloria said after a moment of consideration, wanting to respect her child¡¯s wishes and decisions. ¡°Okay then.¡± Daniel sighed. He had never imagined that his kids would grow up one day and eventually start a family of their own. A cocktail of emotions churned as he realized that his kids had all grown up. ¡°Now, the most important thing for us now is to arrange a blind date for Stanley,¡± Gloria said before she took her phone out and called Emma. ¡°Hey Emma, I¡¯m going to set a blind date up for Stanley. Do you want to arrange one for Emery as well?¡± Gloria asked. Upon hearing this, Emma immediately agreed, ¡°Of course! I am about to lose my mind because of this. Let¡¯s meet up and set up these blind dates together.¡± ¡°Okay! We can start preparing the details. We¡¯ll meet up in two days¡¯ time to discuss. How does that sound?¡± Gloria continued. And in an enthusiastic tone expected from her, Emma agreed, ¡°Sounds great. I¡¯ll see you then!¡± Gloria hung up with a grin stered on her face. ¡°Once we get Stanley to settle down, the two of us can finally rx.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t push yourself too hard,¡± Daniel advised, concerned about Gloria¡¯s health. ¡°I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m just super excited about this,¡± Gloria replied, grinning cheek to cheek. After that, Daniel stood up. ¡°Alright, I will leave you to it, then. I¡¯ll go pay my dad a visit now.¡± ¡°Okay, he seems to be quite grumpy recently. Go spend more time with him,¡± Gloria urged. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. Just leave it to me.¡± Daniel patted Gloria on the shoulder and walked out the room. Gloria raised her eyebrows before turning around to look at Alfred, ¡°Go prepare a list of potential young bachelorettes who are suitable for Stanley. I¡¯ll go liaise with their families.¡± Chapter 2522 Chapter 2522 ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am,¡¯¡¯ Alfred replied, and proceeded to walk off to do what he was told. Gloria stood up humming, apparently in a good mood. Then, she walked over to the garden to check if Mrs. Wace Sr. was around. Meanwhile, Nicole had just arrived at another one of Riddle Corporation¡¯s branches, NandoCorp. As expected, Lulu was already there waiting for Nicole, who went on to receive the stack of applications from the former. ¡°Everything you need is here,¡± Lulu said. ¡°I¡¯m impressed. You¡¯re pretty quick.¡± Nicole smiled as she went through each individual document in her hands. ¡°It¡¯s all about speed now. I heard that Harvey has made some moves and I don¡¯t want him to beat us to it.¡± Lulu shrugged. ¡®If anything goes wrong, NandoCorp will fall into the hands of Harvey Ellison and it would be a terrible loss for Riddle Corporation,¡¯ Lulu thought to herself. Nicole looked at the time, ¡°It¡¯s almost time, let¡¯s go and submit our application.¡± Both stood up and left thepany to deliver the documents needed for the application, and after doing so, the pair of Nicole and Lulu were about to leave when they found themselves bumping into Harvey Ellison, in the flesh, himself. ¡°Well, well, well, look who we have here,¡± Lulu muttered, repulsed by the sight of Harvey¡¯s sudden appearance. Then, Lulu mentally cursed Harvey out. ¡®How unlucky could we be to bump into him? He could¡¯ve shown up earlier orter than us, but he had to show up right when we¡¯re about to leave just so that we¡¯re forced toe face to face with him.¡¯ Nicole snorted. ¡°He is totally doing this on purpose.¡± To add to her previous response, Lulu rolled her eyes. ¡°As expected, how annoying can these people be? They¡¯re really going to lengths just to do this.¡± It was obvious that neither of them were able to avoid the confrontation with Harvey. With that said, Nicole wore a stern look on her face and Lulu followed closely behind as they approached Harvey. ¡°Mr. Ellison. Are you here to bid for Riddle Corporation¡¯s NandoCorp too?¡± Nicole greeted, cing deliberate emphasis on the words, ¡®Riddle Corporation¡¯. She was mocking Harvey, giving everyone the impression that he was stealing other people¡¯s things. However, Harvey brushed it off and yed it cool by pretending to not understand what Nicole was talking about. ¡°It¡¯s a goodpany after all. It¡¯s a pity that it went bankrupt like this.¡± Upon hearing that, Nicole¡¯s eyes shed with disdain.¡¯ Touche, well yed.¡¯ ¡°Thank you so much for the reminder. Riddle Corporation¡¯s NandoCorp will not close down due to bankruptcy,¡± Nicole told Harvey before grabbing Lulu¡¯s arm and walking past Harvey. Harvey turned to stare at Nicole¡¯s silhouette as she faded into the distance. Then, he smirked. ¡®Oh, don¡¯t you worry, Nicole. We shall meet again very soon.¡¯ ¡°Mr. Ellison, I¡¯ll go submit the application,¡± his assistant said, and quickly rushed off to submit the application. He knew that Harvey had purposely shown up at this hour to catch Nicole in the act. Meanwhile, Nicole and Lulu were already seated in their car. This belongs ? N?velDra/ma.Org. ¡°That son of a bitch! He purposely nned ahead to show up just so that he could rub it in our faces!¡± Lulu ranted. Nicole, on the other hand, was expressionless. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter anymore. The cockier he is, the more he¡¯ll suffer in the future.¡± ¡°Yes, you¡¯re right. We mustn¡¯t let this get to us. We shall watch as reality gives him a p to the face. Just thinking about it is already making me feel giddy,¡¯ Lulu chirped. Then, she paused for a moment before adding, ¡°But from the looks of it, we ought to be careful about him. He seems awfully determined to win.¡± Nicole¡¯s eyes narrowed as she got deep in thought. ¡°Let¡¯s go and pay Mr. Ellison a visit.¡± ¡°Mr. Ellison? Why would you want to go visit him at this time?¡± Lulu asked, startled. In return, Nicole smirked. ¡°Consider it a casual house call.¡± After she had spoken, she looked at the chauffeur. ¡°Head to Royal Creed Institute.¡± ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am.¡± The chauffeur started the car and drove towards Royal Creed. Not long after, the car came to a halt in front of Royal Creed, and the duo of Nicole and Lulu got out of the car. Chapter 2523 Chapter 2523 With two boxes in hand, Lulu asked, ¡°Are we just going to visit Mr. Ellison with these?¡± ¡°It¡¯s more than enough. He¡¯s sick now. These will suit him better,¡± Nicole replied, entering the Royal Creek Institute campus grounds before making a beeline for the small courtyard in the northwest corner. ¡°How did Mr. Ellison suddenly fall sick?¡± Lulu asked, concerned. ¡°There¡¯s no one watching over him either. He must be feeling worse than sick. No wonder he¡¯s recovering so slowly.¡± ¡°So here we are, paying him a much needed visit,¡± Nicole said, bringing Lulu into the courtyard. Then, while entering the living room, Nicole called out, ¡°Mr. Ellison!?¡± ¡°Oh my, is this Nicole here?¡± Mr. Ellison asked, recognizing Nicole through her voice. He then greeted, ¡°Come on in.¡± Taking Lulu into the room, Nicole asked, ¡°How are you feeling these days?¡± ¡°The same old. Don¡¯t you worry about me. I¡¯m just rpsing. I¡¯ll be fine after some time,¡± Mr. Ellison exined, putting on a smile. ¡°Mr. Ellison, these are the vitamins Nicole has purchased for you. They¡¯re good for your health,¡± Lulu said while cing the boxes on the coffee table. She then instructed, ¡°Do remember to let your caretaker help you with it.¡± ¡°Thank you. I truly appreciate it,¡± Mr. Ellison thanked. ¡°You know, you didn¡¯t have to prepare all these for me. My age is the reason for my frailty,¡± Mr. Ellison said in a show of self-deprecation. ¡°Mr. Ellison, don¡¯t say that. You must take good care of yourself, so we won¡¯t have to be worried about you. Besides, the students need you. You have to get well soon,¡± Lulu encouraged. ¡°Hahaha. Alright, I¡¯ll try my best,¡± Mr. Ellison said with a smile. This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. Nicole and Lulu chatted with Mr. Ellison for a while and left the ce only when the caretaker served him lunch. Before leaving, Nicole advised, ¡°Get some rest after your lunch. We¡¯ll head back first.¡± ¡°Yeah. We¡¯ll be back to visit you,¡± Lulu promised. With the two girls apanying him, Mr. Ellison¡¯s spirits heightened by a little. He smiled, now in a mood better than he was in before.¡± Sure thing. I won¡¯t keep you any longer. You¡¯re always wee to visit.¡± Nicole and Lulu exchanged nces after they came out of the courtyard under the zing sun. ¡°Should we grab our lunch nearby?¡± ¡°Sounds good to me. Let¡¯s head back after some food,¡± Nicole agreed. Lulu¡¯s eyes lit up, and that was when she suggested, ¡°What about the institute¡¯s cafeteria?¡± Hearing that, Nicole chuckled. ¡°I¡¯m missing our good old days in school already.¡± ¡°I know, right? It¡¯s a shame we can¡¯t go back in time. However, it¡¯s still nice to experience it once in a while,¡± Lulu added. The two approached the cafeteria as they chatted. This continued all the way to the cafeteria as they recalled memories and moments from the past. While Nicole was responding to Lulu, her gaze was fixed in the general direction of Mr. Ellison¡¯s home. A smirk yed out on her lips as she spotted a figure walking out of the area. Nicole figured that Harvey had gotten someone to keep an eye on her. She was fine with it, as she could use this opportunity to visit Mr. Ellison more frequently. In that way, Harvey would suspect that she had gotten some information from Mr. Ellison, when in reality, it was done to throw him off, causing him to overlook key aspects to what she was upto. ¡°Come on, Nicole,¡± Lulu urged, causing Nicole to return to her senses and follow her. Meanwhile, the figure, who had skedaddled from Mr. Ellison¡¯s home, went on to leave Royal Creek Institute and headed straight to Ellison Group. ¡°Mr. Ellison? Nicole went to the Royal Creek Institute where your grandfather was, and stayed there for quite a bit. I did not follow them to the cafeteria and hurried back to inform you of the situation,¡± a person in a baseball cap whispered to Harvey. ¡°Royal Creek Institute?¡± Harvey asked with a frown. ¡®Why did Nicole visit him? Was he able to help Nicole in some way?¡± ¡°Could your grandfather be hiding something?¡± the person in the baseball cap suggested. A trace of coldness crossed Harvey¡¯s eyes. ¡°Keep on following him and find out more about the situation.¡± ¡°Yes,¡± the person in the ck baseball cap agreed. Then, he left. Chapter 2524 Chapter 2524 Harvey leaned against his chair, pondering the possibility of his grandfather possessing an ace in his deck. After all, his grandfather had managed to survive for all these years. This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. ¡®Hmm, what a good n you had in mind, Nicole. Too bad I¡¯m not giving you the chance to use it,¡¯ he thought. As the sun set on the hills, the crowd hurried home from work. Nicole¡¯s phone rang right as she and Lulu had sauntered out of the office. Seeing that it was Daniel, Nicole got taken aback: her dad would rarely call at this hour. ¡°Yes, Dad?¡± Nicole asked after answering the call. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± ¡°Nicole, could youe to the Riddle family manor?¡± Daniel pleaded with hesitation. ¡°Is Grandpa alright?¡± Nicole asked, hearing Daniel¡¯s tone. Sighing, Daniel replied, ¡°It¡¯s not your grandfather. You should juste over first.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± Nicole agreed and hung up. She then looked at Lulu and informed, ¡°You go ahead and wait for Spencer. I¡¯m heading to the Riddle family manor.¡± ¡°Sure thing. Should I tell Spencer to get there as well?¡± Lulu asked with utmost seriousness, sensing that something had gone wrong. In response, Nicole declined, ¡°Not at the moment. I¡¯ll go find out what¡¯s going on first. If anything happens, I¡¯ll call him then.¡± ¡°Okay. You go ahead. We¡¯ll go pick the kids up,¡± Lulu said. ¡°Thanks so much. Bye.¡± Nicole then got into Jared¡¯s car and told Max, ¡°I¡¯ll be heading to the Riddle family manor first.¡± ¡°What happened?¡± Jared asked, noticing that something was off. ¡°Dad called and asked me to get there. I think¡­¡± Nicole frowned. ¡°Wait, could it be rted to Damien?¡± After contemting for a moment, Damien seemed to be the only factor necessitating Nicole¡¯s presence at the manor. ¡°What does he want now?¡± Jared blurted, his tone cold. ¡°Seeking help, perhaps?¡± Nicole frowned. ¡®But if Damien wanted to seek help, why didn¡¯t he do it before the business closed down? If this isn¡¯t a cry for help, what would Damien do back in the Riddle family manor at this time?¡¯ Noticing that Nicole was driving herself up a wall, Jared held her hand in reassurance. ¡°We¡¯ll find out when we reach.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Nicole bit her lips, figuring there was no point in overthinking it now. After a while, Jared and Nicole arrived at the Riddle family manor. When they entered the house and sensed the palpable tension in the room, they realized that things had taken aplex turn. Approaching the couch, Nicole saw an unfamiliardy in a wheelchair. She was slightly older than her with a sicklyplexion, and Nicole figured it was because of her legs. ¡°This is Chloe, Damien¡¯s daughter. There¡¯s bad blood between you two, because of what happened to her legs,¡± Jared exined the situation promptly. Nicole instantly understood what Jared was saying. Although she was unsure of the specifics, she deduced that the reason for Chloe¡¯s condition as a paraplegic might be rted to her. ¡°Come on, take a seat,¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. greeted the couple with a weary look. After sitting down, Nicole asked, ¡°Grandpa, what made you request for our return?¡± During the phone call with Daniel, he had only requested for her to make her way to the manor. However, Daniel did not even make the slightest mention of the situation. Now that Nicole thought about it, it was indeed inconvenient for her father to brief her over the phone. Chapter 2525 Chapter 2525 ¡°Nicole, why do you keep on causing me trouble?¡± Chloe bawled loudly before Mr. Riddle Sr. could answer Nicole. ¡°When did I cause you trouble?¡± Nicole frowned. ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. Thinking back on Jared¡¯s words, she could understand Chloe¡¯s attitude towards her, but how as to how she had repeatedly caused Chloe trouble, she did not know. ¡°Oh, so you¡¯re ying pretend now?¡± Chloe gritted her teeth.¡± Because of you, my leg turned out like this. And now, you¡¯re severing my only source of ie? Without money for treatment, I¡¯ll be a cripple forever.¡± As Chloeshed out, her emotions grew more intense, and she became even louder. She was leaning forward in her wheelchair, almost to the point of falling over. ¡°Come on, take it easy. We¡¯re here to let Grandpa do us justice,¡± Miley softlyforted her. ¡°How could I not get anxious?!¡± Chloe choked. ¡°I¡¯ve waited all these years, and yet my leg is still not treated. I¡¯m trying my best to maintain them while waiting for treatment. But now, I can¡¯t even afford the simplest of treatments because of her. Don¡¯t you get it? I¡¯ll never be able to stand up in the future!¡± ¡°There, there. Don¡¯t cry. Your grandpa won¡¯t overlook this. He will definitely make things right,¡± Miley said while looking at Mr. Riddle Sr. ¡°Dad, you¡¯ll do justice to Chloe, right?¡± ¡°Please watch your words, Miley,¡± Nicole said coldly. ¡°What wrong has she suffered that she needs Grandpa to make things right for her?¡± ¡°W-Why? Everyone has heard the reason just now. Chloe has be a paraplegic because of you.¡± Miley¡¯s expression stiffened for a split second before she regained herposure. ¡°Did I break her legs?¡± Nicole snorted, her tone icy and blunt. ¡°Why you¡­¡± Miley choked, her face nching. ¡°How can you talk like that?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that the fact?¡± Nicole retorted, her expression cool and calm as if she had never been involved in this. Although Jared did exin that she was involved in Chloe¡¯s broken leg, Nicole was certain that she did not personally break it. Therefore, this had very little to do with her, if at all. At a loss on how to respond to Nicole, Miley shot Chloe a nce and started weeping. ¡°Oh, why were we born with such rotten luck?¡± ¡°Silence!¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. bellowed upon hearing Miley wailing. Damien then red at Miley and said, ¡°What are you crying about? No one is dead yet.¡± Hearing that, Miley choked and kept quiet while her face became white as a sheet. ¡°Dad, would you just look at Chloe¡¯s legs? It does require medical attention and physical therapy. Now that thepany has shut down, we have no way out,¡± Damien sighed. ¡°Damien, Miley. So what¡¯s your purpose in bringing Chloe back to Grandpa?¡± Nicole asked when she noticed the family putting on a show. ¡°Why we¡­¡± Damien hesitated, feeling that they had expressed their intentions clearly. ¡°If you¡¯re back for justice, why don¡¯t you cut straight to the point? You trust in Grandpa, and so do I. This man is the fairest of them all,¡± Nicole said as she gave her uncle a meaningful stare. Damien felt an inexplicable pang of guilt, as Mr. Riddle Sr. was already upset with him because of the previous incident. If anything, Nicole¡¯s words now felt like a threat to Damien. ¡°You can¡¯t tell?¡± Nicole asked coldly. Frustrated, Damien bit his lips and red at Nicole. He then continued, ¡°Dad, Chloe is your granddaughter after all. You wont just stand by and watch her rot in a wheelchair forever, right?¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. sighed. ¡°In that case, the money for Chloe¡¯s treatment will be on me.¡± ¡°Dad, but¡­¡± Damien stuttered and frowned, as this was not the oue he wanted. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. stared Damien down. It was then that Nicole frowned, and as she observed Damien¡¯s indecisiveness, she coldly said, ¡°Damien, aren¡¯t you worried about Chloe¡¯s leg? Grandpa has already promised to help. Is there anything else you¡¯re not satisfied with?¡± Chapter 2526 Chapter 2526 ¡°W-Why? No. Not at all,¡± Damien reluctantly denied upon catching a glimpse of Nicole¡¯s threatening gaze. With that out of the way, Mr. Riddle Sr stated, ¡°If that¡¯s the case, I¡¯ll have Alfred deliver Chloe¡¯s treatment fee to you every month in the future.¡± After a slight pause, he added, ¡°If there¡¯s nothing else, you may all leave.¡± With a weary look on his face, Mr. Riddle Sr. waved his hands, gesturing for the crowd to leave, whereupon the house butler took charge and directed them out. ¡°Mr. Riddle Sr. is tired and needs some rest. Please go home, everyone.¡± Damien shot Nicole onest re before leaving, while Miley pushed Chloe¡¯s wheelchair out the door from behind him. This belongs ? N?velDra/ma.Org. ¡°Dad, let¡¯s go too,¡± Nicole indicated. She knew Mr. Riddle Sr. was mentally exhausted now, and above anything, she wanted to give him some space. ¡°Yeah,e on.¡± Daniel sighed. ¡°Get some rest, Grandpa. I¡¯ll settle it,¡± Nicole said whilst giving him a meaningful nce. Mr. Riddle Sr. looked at Nicole, perplexed, and in a serious tone of voice, he said, ¡°I appreciate it.¡± To that, Nicole smiled. ¡°Come on, Grandpa. There¡¯s no need to say that. It¡¯s my job anyway. Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. sighed. Then, with the help of the house butler, he trudged his way upstairs. Watching as Mr. Riddle Sr.¡¯s figure vanished up the flight of steps, Nicole¡¯s eyes narrowed. Mr. Riddle Sr. must be feeling heavy-hearted, as he was clear about what Damien¡¯s intentions were. After leaving the Riddle family manor, Daniel whispered, ¡°I¡¯ll go home first.¡± Daniel then got into the car and drove away as Nicole and Jared entered theirs. While they leaned back against their seats. Nicole groaned,¡± Well, he had a good n in mind.¡± Damien¡¯s motives were rather obvious. After he had dered bankruptcy and thepany was auctioned off, he wanted Mr. Riddle Sr. to step in and buy thepany back. His n was to get Mr. Riddle Sr. to hand it over to them afterward. With those intentions in mind, Damien even went as far as pushing Chloe out to elicit sympathy from the old man. However, given that it was Damien¡¯s style of n, Mr. Riddle Sr. had seen through him, and that was why he had called Nicole over. And with the fact that she was the current chairman of Riddle Corporation, it would make more sense to get her to deal with it. After all, Nicole was in charge of allpany matters. Even the acquisition of NandoCorp required Nicole¡¯s approval, and while Nicole was determined to seize NandoCorp, she would not hand it to Damien. Meanwhile, Damien, Chloe and Miley had just left the estate after they had gotten into their car. ¡°Dad, Grandpa has agreed to pay for my treatment, but what about thepany?¡± Chloe asked in a whisper. Their intention today was not to discuss the treatment fee, but to ask Mr. Riddle Sr. to reim NandoCorp for them. ¡°That little shit, Nicole, must have done something on purpose,¡± Miley barked. Indeed, if Nicole had not shown up today, their n would have seeded. Chapter 2527 Chapter 2527 Damien darted a nce at Miley and Chloe, and in an icy tone of voice, he said, ¡°This is father¡¯s decision.¡± After all, if Mr. Riddle Sr. really wanted to help them, Nicole would have no choice but to follow the old man¡¯s wishes. Hearing those words uttered made Miley¡¯s face nch.¡± What about our future? I don¡¯t want to end up in such a miserable situation as Dillion.¡± If Mr. Riddle Sr. refused to help them, their family would really have no way out. Enraged, Damien red at Miley and said, ¡°Hold your tongue, woman! I¡¯m not as stupid as he is!¡± ¡°My apologies.¡± Miley timidly backed down. Then, Chloe frowned and asked Damien, ¡°Dad, what are your ns?¡± ¡°Give me a damn minute,¡± Damien said in frustration. ¡°Now of all times, Everett is unreachable.¡± From N?velDrama.Org. ¡°I¡¯m afraid he can¡¯t expose himself to the public eye right now. He¡¯ll contact you when it¡¯s convenient and safe to do so,¡± Chloe gritted her teeth. ¡°I guess we truly are on our own right now.¡± ¡°We¡¯re on our own?¡± Damien stared Chloe down. ¡°What is that supposed to mean?¡± Due to the current predicament they were in, they had no one to rely on. ¡°Everything happened because of Nicole. Everything would have been smooth sailing if we had dealt with Nicole,¡± Chloe exined, her eyes glinting with malice. And indeed, as long as Nicole was taken care of, all their other problems would turn to dust. Damien silently stared at Chloe for a moment before deciding, ¡°You¡¯re right. Once we¡¯ve taken care of Nicole, the other problems won¡¯t matter.¡± The father and daughter exchanged nces and understood each other¡¯s intentions without another word from one another. Chloe leaned against her wheelchair, and a sinister leer gradually crossed on her face. The sun shone bright and warm the next day. After breakfast, Nicole and Jared proceeded to drop the kids off at their kindergarten as usual. Her face was brimming with affection for the kids as she bade her farewells and watched them enter the establishment. As the car began picking up speed, Max informed, ¡°Mr. and Mrs. Johnston, we have news on Mr. Riddle Sr.¡¯s investigation.¡± Nicole¡¯s face darkened as she went on to ask, ¡°You found the doctor?¡± ¡°Yes, we got the doctor,¡± Max informed, his tone cold and his voice deep. ¡°The doctor fled the country and has been using a fake identity. That was why we had no news of him for so long.¡± ¡°And where is the doctor now?¡± Nicole¡¯s eyes shed, her eyes burning with fury. It has been so long since they finally got a lead on what had happened. When this incident happened and after Mr. Riddle Sr. had been harmed, the culprit must have left some crumbs behind. Everett had apparently found evidence against Dillion, but nothing would be more convincing than the doctor¡¯s direct testimony. Nicole always had doubts about his findings, as the timing of the evidence was too coincidental. She hoped the truth would finally reveal itself this time. ¡°The doctor is on his way here and will be reaching San Joto tomorrow,¡± Max cautiously. ¡°We kept this news confidential, so no one apart from us actually knows about it. I¡¯ve made arrangements for him to remain hidden once he reaches San Joto.¡± ¡°That¡¯s nice. Make sure to thoroughly question him,¡± Nicole instructed. ¡°Yes, don¡¯t worry about it,¡± Max replied, focusing on the road. Nicole then stared at Jared and said coldly, ¡°Well, he¡¯s good at hiding.¡± ¡°Even if he is good at hiding, he will always leave traces,¡± Jared assured Nicole, holding her hand. ¡® Max will take care of this. You can just rx and wait for the results.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Nicole nodded and began thinking about who the potential suspect was. Chapter 2528 Chapter 2528 Arriving at DillCorp, Nicole got out of the car and entered thepany building. ¡°Lulu?¡± she instinctively called out before realizing that Lulu had taken a day off to pick Spencer¡¯s teacher up at the airport. ¡°If you need anything, just let me know,¡± the secretary approached and informed Nicole. ¡°I¡¯m good. You may proceed with your work,¡± Nicole casually said as she entered her office. It was just Nicole¡¯s habit to call out for Lulu. She did not actually have any business to attend to. Meanwhile, Spencer and Lulu were trying their best to find Peter among the crowd in the airport. ¡°Is that him?¡± Lulu eximed, her eyes lighting up as she pointed at someone not far ahead. Spencer followed her directions and that was when he saw his teacher. He wore a warm smile on his face as he approached Peter with Lulu beside him. ¡°Hey, Peter!¡± Spencer greeted. He was excited, for it had been a while since hest saw Peter. Peter proceeded to size Spencer up and before he turned to Lulu with a smile. ¡°And you must be Lulu.¡± ¡°Good day, Mr. Lincoln,¡± Lulu greeted. ¡°My, oh my. You have a great eye, Spencer. This one¡¯s a keeper,¡± Peterplimented. Hearing that, Lulu shyly replied, ¡°Oh, you¡¯re too kind.¡± ¡°Hah, well, you deserve every bit of it,¡± Peter chuckled.¡± Come on, let¡¯s go. I¡¯m heading home after your wedding is over.¡± ¡°I have gotten your hotel arranged. You should settle down first. We¡¯ve also booked a restaurant for your wee lunch,¡± Spencer said as he grabbed Peter¡¯s suitcase. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go,¡± Peter agreed. ¡°Mr. Lincoln!¡± Text content ? N?velDrama.Org. Just as they were about to leave, a somewhat regretful voice red out. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect the jam on the way here. I mostly didn¡¯t make it in time to pick you up.¡± Looking at Icyln, who hade in a rush, Peter shed her a gentle smile and said, ¡°You came.¡± ¡°Sure, I did. With you in San Joto, how could I note over to pick you up?¡± Icyln hurried over, pushed Lulu aside, and held onto Peter¡¯s arm. ¡°Thank goodness, I¡¯m on time. Let¡¯s go.¡± Lulu frowned but remained silent upon noticing what Icyln was doing. She then stepped aside and began walking next to Spencer, who held her hand with a soft smile on his smile. ¡°Come on,¡± he said, holding onto Peter¡¯s suitcase in one hand and Lulu¡¯s hand in another. The two of them then took the lead and prepared the quartet to leave. Icyln turned red from anger when she saw Spencer and Lulu walking away. However, she could not let go of Peter and continued supporting him from behind the couple. After leaving the airport, Icyln called out to Spencer as he was bringing Lulu to the car. ¡°Spencer, can we hitch a ride in your car too? I took a cab here,¡± Icyln asked with anticipation. ¡°Yeah, why not?¡± Spencer naturally agreed, as he was here to pick Peter up. He would not leave Icyln behind either, as she was not driving today. After getting into the car, Icyln felt relieved that she was not driving today. Though she was annoyed with Lulu¡¯s presence at the front passenger seat, she could, at the very least, hitch a ride in Spencer¡¯s car. As for the rest, Icyln was not worried because she believed Lulu¡¯s good days wereing to an end. As this thought flitted in her mind, a sneer appeared on Icyln¡¯s face. She was eagerly looking forward to seeing how miserable Lulu would be when Spencer abandoned her. ¡°Mr. Lincoln, you should stay longer this time. It¡¯s been such a long time since you and Spencerst saw each other. Besides, I haven¡¯t seen you for quite a while either since I arrived in San Joto,¡± Icyln said in an affectionate tone of voice as she clung on to Peter¡¯s arm. Chapter 2529 Chapter 2529 ¡°Indeed.¡± Peter nodded. ¡°I came for Spencer¡¯s wedding. I must witness their big day before I return.¡± Icyln¡¯s smile froze as her heart sank. She was feeling so miserable that it became difficult for her to even breathe. ¡°Mr. Lincoln, I¡¯ve taken some time off for two days. Let me take you around San Joto,¡± Spencer said as it got quiet all of a sudden. ¡°That¡¯s great. I took some time off to spend time with Mr. Lincoln too. Let¡¯s do it together.¡± Icyln beamed out of excitement as she brushed her feelings aside. This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Well, the two of you go ahead. I still have some work to tend to,¡± Lulu interjected, feeling guilty as she looked at Peter. ¡°Mr. Lincoln? Please allow Spencer to apany you during the day. I¡¯ll treat you to dinner.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. You young people should prioritize your work.¡± Peter then turned to Spencer and Icyln. ¡°The same goes to the both of you. Don¡¯t put your work on hold because of me.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. We¡¯re not performing anytime soon. Besides, you hardly ever visit us, Mr. Lincoln. We should really stroll around San Joto. You must be happy having both Spencer and I keeping youpany, huh?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mr. Lincoln. I¡¯ve already made arrangements to my schedule,¡± Spencer chimed in. Hearing that, Peter responded, ¡°Fine, but don¡¯t let your schedule be affected because of me.¡± ¡°Well, apanying you is our top priority now,¡± Icyln said as she wrapped her arm around Mr. Lincoln¡¯s and swung it yfully. ¡°Haha, alright. Thank you.¡± Peterughed heartily. In the afternoon, the sun was scorching, making everyone feel a little drowsy. Nicole, in particr, was sitting on the couch, seemingly lost in thought. Suddenly, someone pushed the door open, prompting Nicole to look up in surprise. ¡°Why are you back?¡± ¡°Long story.¡± Lulu sighed and sat down next to Nicole with an evident look of frustration on her face. Nicole blinked in confusion. ¡°What¡¯s up? Spencer¡¯s teacher wasn¡¯t around?¡± ¡°Nah, it¡¯s just that Icyln was there too,¡± Lulu said, her voice brimming with frustration. She then went on to exin how Icyln had acted throughout the day, subtly poking fun at her at every opportunity. Once the story was over, Nicole shook her head in amusement. ¡°Is she a three-year-old?¡± ¡®She¡¯s so childish! Does she really think she¡¯s doing something?¡¯ Nicole thought. ¡°Who knows?¡± Lulu replied. ¡°She¡¯s making everyone ufortable. It¡¯s like she¡¯s the only one who isn¡¯t embarrassed by whatever the hell it is she is doing.¡± ¡°Well, did it go smoothly? You know, picking their teacher up and everything.¡± Nicole asked, not worried about Icyln. ¡°All good. Besides, their teacher likes me.¡± Lulu smiled. At least I had that going for me,¡¯ Lulu thought. ¡°That¡¯s good to hear. Otherwise, you¡¯d be under a lot of pressure,¡± Nicole remarked. She could imagine how upset Lulu would be if their teacher did not like her, considering how much Spencer respected him. That was why Lulu wanted the teacher¡¯s approval. ¡°Exactly. I figured it¡¯s going to be extremely boring there, and I didn¡¯t want to watch Icyln¡¯s revolting show of shoe-shining. That¡¯s why I came back,¡± Lulu said, shrugging her shoulders. She felt morefortable being back here at the office, and she believed that Peter would be fine with Spencer and Icyln around him. ¡°Sounds good. Let Spencer deal with the headache of Icyln¡¯s lousy acting. After all, he¡¯s the one who brought this blight of a person upon himself,¡± Nicolemented. ¡®Icyln¡¯s behavior is truly distasteful,¡¯ she thought as she cringed. Chapter 2530 Chapter 2530 ¡°Forget it, let¡¯s not talk about her anymore,¡± Lulu said, not wanting to dwell on that particr subject. ¡°How about things here? Is everything going smoothly?¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright. Now we¡¯re just waiting for the results,¡± Nicole shrugged, looking rather calm. ¡°What about yesterday? Why did you go back to the family manor?¡± Lulu asked, her face taking on an expression of total seriousness. ¡°My dearest Uncle Damien has set his sights on the headquarters. He wants Grandpa to step in, have the headquarters buy out NandoCorp, and then return it to them, ¡± Nicole exined in a nonchnt tone, as if she was talking about someone else¡¯s story. Lulu widened her eyes in shock. ¡°What were they thinking? It¡¯s unbelievable!¡± ¡°He hasn¡¯t had a chance to say it yet because I didn¡¯t give him the opportunity to do so. But everyone can see it. We can all see what he¡¯s upto¡± Nicole shrugged, believing that everyone present understood the situation. ¡°Yeah, well done,¡± Lulu nodded approvingly. ¡®No wonder Mr. Riddle Sr. wanted Nicole to be there. Seems like Nicole is the only one who could deal with them.¡¯ Lulu was smirking, delighted at the notion of how Damien was turned away before he could even say a word. ¡°However, I don¡¯t think they will give up that easily.¡± Nicole¡¯s gaze darkened. ¡®Damien isn¡¯t a sitting duck. He won¡¯t give up just yet.¡¯ ¡°What are they going to do?¡± Lulu murmured with a frown.¡± Everett¡¯s out of the picture and their n failed. What else can they do?¡± ¡°If they give up now, I won¡¯t go after them. But if they don¡¯t, they will get what¡¯sing to them,¡± Nicole said. The Riddle family was fine until they almost seeded in getting Mr. Riddle Sr. killed. And now, even after they had lost thepany, they still had the temerity toe after the headquarters. For all they had perpetrated, Nicole nned to teach them a lesson and show them they were messing with the wrong folks. ¡°Hey, where do you think Everett has gone? Did he know that thepany was going bankrupt, and so, he ran away before it even happened?¡± Lulu spected. ¡°He definitely has other ns in store. We need to be cautious,¡± Nicole¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll have someone keep an eye out,¡± Lulu assured. Nicole nced at Lulu and gave her a faint smile. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Lulu. I¡¯ll handle it.¡± Lulu blushed as she remembered what Nicole had previously said. Thetter had urged her to sit back and wait until the day she became Spencer¡¯s wife and not get involved in thepany¡¯s affairs as much. ¡°I can still help out a little, can¡¯t I?¡± Lulu asked. ¡°Of course, help out as much as you want. Stay at thepany if you will,¡± Nicole said with a pat on Lulu¡¯s shoulder. In reply, Lulu chuckled and jabbed, ¡°You¡¯re still asking me to take a rest, aren¡¯t you?¡± Nicole shrugged and smiled. She did want Lulu to catch a break until she was married. ¡°Oh, how time flies. I¡¯m getting nervous now that the wedding is happening soon,¡± Lulu said, her face scrunched up in anxiety. ¡°Nervous about what? You¡¯re not getting cold feet, are you?¡± Nicole raised an eyebrow, finding it hard to believe that someone as optimistic as Lulu would have wedding jitters. This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Can¡¯t say I¡¯m not, but I just feel nervous. After all, it¡¯s my first time.¡± Lulu grinned. Nicole could not help but roll her eyes hearing thising from Lulu. ¡°It¡¯s everyone¡¯s first time. Let¡¯s not try to make it something you¡¯ve got to be experienced at.¡± ¡°Haha, you¡¯re right,¡± Luluughed heartily. After all, marriage was supposed to be a once-in-a-lifetime event. Chapter 2531 Chapter 2531 As they chatted, their conversation grew livelier, until a secretary knocked on the door, breaking. ¡°Come in,¡± Nicole called out as she turned to look at the entrance. ¡°Miss Riddle, here¡¯s a document from the Legal Department, ¡± the secretary said as she handed a file to Nicole with a grimace on her face. She could not help but cast a nce at Lulu when she was doing so. ¡°Does it have anything to do with my case?¡± Lulu anxiously asked, understanding what the secretary was trying to convey. ¡°The results¡­ aren¡¯t very favorable,¡± the secretary replied, her tone soft and hesitant. Lulu¡¯s face turned pale as she turned to look at Nicole. She waited until Nicole was done reading the document, so that thetter could exin to her what was going on. Text content ? N?velDrama.Org. Nicole flipped the document open, and her eyes narrowed as she read the details. ¡°They want $300,000 and a public apology from Lulu!¡± Nicole yelled. Not only had they falsely used Lulu; they were also greedy enough to demand that much from her. ¡°The Legal Department suggests that if we want to resolve this quickly, these are their terms,¡± the secretary exined in a low voice. Still, the demands from the users were ridiculous. ¡°I won¡¯t agree to that.¡± Lulu¡¯s pale face turned red as she clenched her teeth, feeling visibly upset. After she was done, Nicole ced the document away and looked at Lulu. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then let¡¯s follow the proper procedures and find conclusive evidence.¡± She had initially thought about resolving the matter calmly to avoid putting pressure on Spencer and Lulu before their wedding. However, Nicole did not expect that the siblings would be so disgustingly greedy. Nicole would have let the siblings off the hook if they turned themselves in and admitted their mistakes, as all she wanted was for Lulu and Spencer¡¯s wedding to go smoothly. But since the siblings were not willing to cooperate, she had decided to handle it through the legal, official route. ¡°Got it,¡± the secretary replied and left the room. Meanwhile, Lulu was sitting there, her face tensed up in a grimace as she thought about the situation. Noting this Nicole attempted tofort her by saying,¡± Don¡¯t worry, we will definitely get you through this.¡± ¡°They are clearly trying to humiliate me. They want to ruin our wedding. Urgh! I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll be able to find one eyewitness at least,¡± Lulu said with determination, her hands clenched and balled up into fists. ¡°The Legal Department has already sent a bunch of people out to investigate this. Just give it some time,¡± Nicole reassured her. ¡°What?! Didn¡¯t you say earlier that if they admitted their mistake, we would forgive them?¡± Lulu asked, surprised that Nicole had made such a decision. ¡°That was done in an attempt to resolve things quickly and prevent it from affecting your wedding. However, we need to be prepared in case they don¡¯t cooperate,¡± Nicole exined. If they had agreed, Nicole would definitely not escte, but since they had opted not to, Nicole would see them in court. Chapter 2532 Chapter 2532 ¡°Mr. Lincoln needs to get some rest now. If you¡¯re worried, you can stay here and take care of him. I¡¯ll be leaving now,¡± Spencer stated upon noting that Icyln did not want to leave. He knew that Peter would not be able to take his nap if he did not leave, and that was why he was firm on leaving. Reluctantly, Icyln agreed, ¡°Fine.¡± There was no point in her staying behind if Spencer was going home anyway. ¡°Mr. Lincoln, we¡¯lle to pick you up tomorrow,¡± Icyln said, pretending to be considerate. ¡°Sure, you should both go home and get some rest too,¡± Peter said, smiling at the two of them. Spencer and Icyln left the hotel soon after, and on the way out, she saw her assistant who was approaching. She quickly shot her a look, and that was when her assistant immediately stopped in her tracks. Satisfied, Icyln turned her gaze to Spencer and casually asked, ¡°Spencer, where are you going?¡± ¡°Home,¡± Spencer uttered and headed towards his car. Instinctively, Icyln held onto Spencer¡¯s arm and said, ¡°Wait for me, Spencer.¡± ¡°Do you need something?¡± Spencer stopped and looked at her with confusion in his eyes. From N?velDrama.Org. ¡°I don¡¯t have a car. Can you take me home?¡± Icyln grimaced as she asked him. In response, he looked around as if searching for a cab for her. Icyln¡¯s eyes widened, and with her face nching, she began swaying as though she was about to fall over. ¡°Oh, I feel really dizzy, Spencer,¡± Seeing this, Spencer reached out to support Icyln at once.¡± Low blood sugar? Maybe I should take you to the hospital.¡± ¡°No, I¡¯ll just go home and get some rest,¡± Icyln replied with a weak and pitiful look as if she might copse at any moment. Seeing that she was in such a poor condition, Spencer furrowed his brows. He was worried that she might pass out if she took a cab in this condition. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Spencer said, left with no choice but to take Icyln back to her apartment. Hearing his reply ced a smirk on her face, a gesture which Spencer did not notice. Soon, they got into Spencer¡¯s car, and he drove her back to her apartment. And even when they were already at the apartment lobby, Icyln was still hobbling, so Spencer had to prop her up, not wanting her to tip over. Once they entered the apartment, Spencer helped Icyln to the couch and said, ¡°Rest here. There should be some choctes under your coffee table.¡± ¡°Spencer, you remember that I always keep choctes under the coffee table?¡± Icyln¡¯s eyes glistened with tears, looking genuinely moved. ¡°Mr. Lincoln told me that you have a habit of doing that, especially when your blood sugar is low,¡± Spencer replied calmly. What Icyln did not seem to notice was Spencer¡¯s detachment as he made that observation. Spencer was only fulfilling his duty as a senior who had been entrusted by their teacher to take care of his junior. However, Icyln did not share the same perspective. She watched as Spencer searched for the box of choctes and out of the blue, she hugged him. ¡°Spencer, you do care about me, don¡¯t you?¡± Spencer was momentarily stunned, and his mind went nk for a moment. And when he dide to his senses, he tried to gently push Icyln away. ¡°Icyln, I¡¯m just your senior, and we share the same teacher.¡± But the harder he resisted, the tighter her embrace became.¡± Spencer, don¡¯t be so cold to me. I know you care about me.¡± Spencer¡¯s brows furrowed deeply, and in a split second, he broke out of Icyln¡¯s hands and stood up. ¡°Spencer, why are you treating me like this?¡± Icyln began to cry. ¡°I already have the woman I love, and we¡¯re getting married soon. Please, have some self-respect,¡± Spencer firmly said, looking at Icyln withplete sternness in his eyes. Chapter 2533 Chapter 2533 Chapter 2533 He hoped that Icyln could see the truth, that there was absolutely no possibility of them being together. ¡°No, she clearly isn''t good enough for you. What''s wrong with me? " Icyln protested loudly. Spencer''s eyes turned cold as he indifferently said, "There''s nothing topare between the two of you at all.¡± After having spoken his mind, Spencer turned around and left Icyln''s apartment. He even began to regret taking her home. If he had known that things would turn out the way they did, he would have just left her to go home on her own. "Spencer!" Icyln stuck the couch angrily, but Spencer did not look back. Right after Spencer had left, her assistant waltzed in. "Icyln, are you alright? "I can''t ept this. I''m better than that Lulu in every way. Why won''t he give me a chance?" Icyln''s eyes became bloodshot as she clenched her teeth. "It''s not your fault. Spencer must have been misled by Lulu," the assistant consoled. "Yes, it''s all Lulu¡¯s fault," Icyln''s eyes gleamed with malice as she looked at her assistant. ''''How is the task I''ve assigned you going? Why haven''t we seen Lulu''s downfall yet?" ¡®why is Lulu still acting like she''s all that in front of me?! Why is she still happily together with Spencer?! They''re even being all affectionate with each other!¡¯ "Don''t worry, Icyln. The siblings have already promised to tear Lulu''s name down," her assistant replied. "Get them to make haste. I can''t wait any longer!" Icyln urged. "Yes, I''ll go and urge them to speed up right away," the assistant said before turning to make a phone call. Icyln sat on the couch, her chest heaving with anger. Her eyes were burning with malice as she thought, ¡®Just you wait, Lulu...¡¯ It was a sunny day with a gentle breeze and clear skies. Nicole knew about Spencer''s arrangements, so she gave Lulu a few days off, allowing her to spend time with Spencer and Peter without any worries. Spencer and Lulu went to pick up Peter and took him around the capital. Spencer used Icyln''s supposed health issues as an excuse to avoid Icyln''s presence, and just like that, they had a great time together. Nicole, on the other hand, had gone to work alone. Although Lulu was not there, she had gotten everything well organized and consequently, running smoothly. She was quite capable in handling her work on her own. If anything, Nicole was busy with paperwork when she heard a string of raps on her door. ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. "Come in," she casually said. The door opened, and that was when she noticed that the footsteps she heard were not her secretary''s. Nicole''s eyebrows furrowed slightly, and she looked up. ¡°Leo, when did you return?!" Nicole asked, surprised to see Lawrence. "I just arrived in San Joto," Lawrence replied and ced a box on Nicole''s desk. "I brought something for you and the twins." Seeing the gift box, Nicole knew it contained a special product from Crescent Ind, something that was not avable anywhere else. She already knew that Lawrence had not been to Crescent Ind this time around, and had gone to Mecrounia instead. However, he had intentionally brought something from Crescent Ind when he came back. Had it been the old Nicole, she might have thanked him and happily epted his gift. But now, everything had changed. Lawrence did not tell her where he was going when he left, but he had deliberately returned with a gift from Crescent Ind, which was a testament of his attempt to make her believe he had been there. ¡°Thank you." Nicole gathered herself and epted the gift. Feeling a sense of coldness and distance in Nicole''s attitude, Lawrence furrowed his brows almost imperceptibly. However, he could not detect anything unusual upon careful observation. ¡°Is everything going smoothly here?" Lawrence asked as he took a seat. Chapter 2534 Chapter 2534 Chapter 2534 "Everything is fine," Nicole replied. "What about you? Did everything go smoothly during your trip?" Lawrence smiled and replied, "Yes, everything went smoothly." ¡°That''s good," Nicole nodded with apparent indifference, as if she was just casually asking. ¡°How were Nn and Lana doing after I left?" Lawrence asked, searching for a topic about which they could discuss, feeling that Nicole''s attitude was somewhat strange. "They are both doing well. I took them out over the weekend," Nicole looked at Lawrence and said. "You''ve just returned, so you should get some rest." She was dealing with a cocktail of mixed feelings, and she did not want to engage with Lawrence any further at the moment. She needed some time alone to collect her thoughts. Momentarily stunned, Lawrence gathered himself before responding, "Alright, I''ll head back now." After standing up, Lawrence shot a bullet of a nce at Nicole and left the office. Nicole sighed quietly, her eyes revealing a hint of weariness. She could not understand why Lawrence, who had once saved her, was now against her. She could not grasp what had happened to him. After Lawrence left, Nicole''s calm demeanor turned somber. Outside the DillCorp building, Ian approached Lawrence and asked, "Mr. Lawrence, how did it go?" Lawrence''s eyes narrowed as he replied coldly, "Find out what happened in San Joto while I was away these past few days." "Yes," Ian immediately agreed, realizing that something was arniss. ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. When they had gotten into the car, Ian made a phone call to get someone to investigate the recent events in the capital before driving away slowly. ¡°Mr. Lawrence, did something happen to Miss Nicole?" Ian inquired. To him, only Miss Nicole''s affairs were able to affect Lawrence''s emotions. "Something must have happened; I can sense that her emotions and attitude are off," Lawrence said in a low voice, seemingly talking to himself. Ian hesitated for a moment and fell silent. He knew this was not the right time to disturb Lawrence. They would have to wait for the investigation results. Perhaps once the results were out, they would understand what had gone wrong. Lawrence leaned back in his seat, gazing out of the car window as he pondered. From the moment of his departure to his return, it seemed like he had not left any clues that could link him to Everett. It was unlikely that Nicole had discovered his involvement in Everett''s disappearance. After a moment of consideration, Lawrence concluded that something must have happened to Nicole, an event that had nothing to do with him. He could not let anyone know about his dealings with Everett for now, at least not until he had the upper hand. Otherwise, both he and Everett would be left in a tough spot. Back at the DillCorp, Nicole could not figure out what had gotten to Lawrence, so she decided not to dwell on it and focused on her tasks instead. Unbeknownst to her, it was already lunchtime. All of a sudden, someone knocked on her office door, and Nicole, assuming it was her secretary delivering lunch, casually said, " Come in." ¡°Aren''t you supposed to be having lunch?" Jared''s voice red out, prompting Nicole to look up in surprise. "Why are you here?!" "I was passing by, and it just so happens to be lunch hour, sol came up to have lunch with you," Jared said as he walked over with a lunchbox in his hand. At that point, Nicole stopped working and sauntered over to the couch. After taking a seat, Jared opened the lunch box, and the office was immediately filled with an aromatic scent. Nicole could not help but smile when she saw that those were none other than her favorite dishes. Smells amazing." Chapter 2535 Chapter 2535 Chapter 2535 "Eat up, dear.¡± Jared said, his eyes brimming with affection. "Okay, you too," Nicole replied as she reached out to scoop some food for Jared. The couple then enjoyed their meal. Perhaps it was because Jared was with her, or maybe it was because she had been busy all morning and was genuinely hungry, but whatever the case was, Nicole''s appetite was voracious. After she had eaten her fill, she leaned back against the couch, rubbing her belly in satisfaction. Seeing her like that softened Jared''s eyes. "Do you have any other ns?" Nicole asked, looking at Jared. "Nope." Jared raised an eyebrow slightly. "Why do you ask?" "Nothing, I was just thinking... If you''re free, could you perhaps stay here with me?" Nicole beamed, her eyes filled with anticipation. Jared stroked her hair softly as he replied, "Of course, I can." "Thank you," Nicole said sweetly, leaning directly into Jared''s embrace. Holding her, Jared nced at a box on the office desk and asked, " Lawrence came here, didn''t he?" "Yes, he did, and he even brought me a gift," Nicole replied, knowing that Jared had seen the box. Then, she continued, "Lawrence came back, and just visited me." ¡°And he told you he went to Crescent Ind," Jared said, his eyes darkening. "Kinda," Nicole shrugged, knowing how obvious Lawrence''s intentions were. Lowering his gaze to meet Nicole''s, Jared asked, "Max has some updates. It''s likely that Everett has left the capital for this reason." "What reason?" Nicole frowned. ''Did Everett get into some trouble that made him seek refuge with Lawrence?'' "Everett was the one who sent the doctor away. After that, he kept the doctor under surveince because he was probably afraid that the truth would come out. The doctor probably felt he had no freedom and wanted to escape. Everett might have had murderous intent, and when the doctor escaped, Everett realized that the truth would be revealed anyway, so he had no choice but to leave," Jared exined. "I see." Nicole''s eyes turned cold. So, everything that had happened was orchestrated by Everett, who hadter pinned the me on Dillion. Text content ? N?velDrama.Org. Now that the truth had seen the light, he had fled San Joto almost immediately, unwilling to face the consequences. "The doctor has confessed to everything. Once he admits guilt, Max will take him to the police station," Jared informed, his gaze slightly grim. ¡°As for your grandfather, how do you n to tell him?" Jared continued. "T''ll tell him the truth," Nicole said calmly. There was no point in hiding the truth any longer. It was better for her to let her grandfather know and be prepared. Now, Everett might have fled, but he was definitely not going to settle for a life in exile. As for Nicole, Jared patted her shoulders gently, trying tofort her. Nicole looked up at him and nodded, "Don''t worry, I can handle it. " Jared smiled when he saw how confident she was, and he lowered his head to nt a kiss on her lips. Nicole was momentarily stunned as she was caught off guard. Then, she blushed and red at him. Jared''s eyes were filled with great amusement. Then, he pressed Nicole against the couch and their passionate kiss began... Soon, evening came, and the sun set in the west, casting a warm afterglow on the horizon. After work, Nicole and Jared left DillCorp and were about to pick their kids up. Chapter 2536 Chapter 2536 Chapter 2536 "Mis. Johnston, the doctor confessed to everything. He''s already been taken to the police station," Max reported in a solemn tone. "Yes, I know," Nicole replied softly. "Once he''s confessed, we''ll leave it to the authorities to handle." "Understood," Max responded. After picking up Nn and Lana from the nursery, Nicole and Jared took them to the family manor. ¡°Oh, it''s Nn and Lana!" When he saw the children, Mr. Riddle Sr. smiled so widely, his eyes became slits. "Great grandpa!" Nn and Lana greeted sweetly as they approached him. Mr. Riddle Sr. held the two adorable children, and they chatted and yed together. Jared nced at Nicole. "No wonder Mr. Riddle Sr. is so fond of you. You truly have a way with people." Knowing that Mr. Riddle Sr. would be saddened by Everett''s actions, Nicole had brought Nn and Lana to visit the elderly man, hoping to brighten his mood. "Well, he''s getting older after all. Besides, being harmed by your own grandson is something no one can bear," Nicole said. Since it was said that a child''s smile was the greatest cure, Nicole hoped her children could have some positive effect. After ying for a while, Mr. Riddle Sr. invited everyone to have dinner. Nn and Lana had already eaten at the nursery, so the butler took them to y in the courtyard. After dinner, Nicole turned serious. "Grandpa, there''s something I need to tell you." "Go ahead." Mr. Riddle Sr. seemed to have known all along, and his eyes were calm. Nicole did not hesitate and told Mr. Riddle Sr. directly, "Actually, the poisoning incident with the medicine back then was orchestrated by Everett." Mr. Riddle Sr. fell silent for a moment before sighing softly. So be it." To him, it no longer mattered who did it. After all, these people were still his family, and anyone''s actions would hurt him deeply. ¡°Everett is missing for now, but I believe he''lle back sooner orter," Nicole added. Mr. Riddle Sr.''s expression froze for a moment. He could only sigh softly in the end. "I''ll just leave all these matters to you in the future. I''m old. I no longer want to worry about such things." He understood what Nicole was implying. While Everett had temporarily escaped from San Joto, he would most likely return eventually, and it could lead to more turmoil. "Sure. Then I won''t trouble you with these things in the future, Grandpa." Nicole felt sorry for her grandfather as she knew that this hurt him. Since her grandfather had decided not to be involved in these issues, Nicole will not bother with it anymore. ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. She wanted her grandfather to live the remainder of his life in peace. ¡°Great grandpa!" Nn and Lana cried, rushing in. Lana proudly showed the peony flowers she had picked, smiling brightly. "Great grandpa, look at these beautiful flowers!" Nicole saw the flowers in Lana''s hand. Her lips twitched slightly. Those were rare peonies, and it was extremely hard to cultivate them in San Joto, yet Lana had just plucked them like this! "Lana..."'' Nicole wanted to exin the significance of these flowers to Lana and educate her not to do this again. However, Mr. Riddle Sr. spoke before her. ''These flowers are truly beautiful, Lana. Do you like them?" he asked. "Yes!" Lana nodded vigorously and looked at the flowers with a big smile. "In that case, Great grandpa will have more of them nted,¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. said. He turned to the butler. "Find a way to transnt more and bring in the best horticulturists to take care of them." "Yes, sir,'''' the butler responded respectfully. He was worried about how to exin Lana''s actions to Mr. Riddle Sr., but it seemed like he did not mind at all. The old man really doted on Lana. Chapter 2537 Chapter 2537 Chapter 2537 "Grandpa, please don''t spoil her too much." Nicole sighed, somewhat helplessly. Mr. Riddle Sr. took Lana into his arms and said, "Well, Lana likes them, and it''s not something impossible." ¡°Thanks, Great grandpa!" Lana handed the flowers to Mr. Riddle Sr. "Here, these are for you. Great grandpa should always be happy from now on." With that, Lana used her chubby little hand to gently tap the space between Mr. Riddle Sr.''s brows. "This part has to be rxed. Now it means you''re happy." Lana''s actions amused Mr. Riddle Sr., and he burst intoughter. Nicole could not help but smile. Perhaps children really were the best healers. After staying with Mr. Riddle Sr. until bedtime, Nicole and Jared bid farewell to him and took Nn and Lana with them. In the car, Lana nestled in Jared''s arms. "Daddy, I''m tired." Jared held Lana gently in his arms and said softly, "Then go to sleep, sweetheart." "Okay." Lana closed her eyes and smiled contentedly. She fell asleep almost immediately. Text content ? N?velDrama.Org. "She''s really tired," Jared said with a gentle look in his eyes. Nicole nced at Nn. "What about you? Do you want to take a nap too?" "No, I''m fine." Nn shook his head. Then he looked at his mother and asked, "Mommy, was there something you wanted to talk about with Great grandpa?" Nicole was a bit surprised. "Why do you ask?" "I just feel like Great grandpa''s not in a good mood, probably because of something sad." Nn shrugged and pretended to sigh like a little adult. "It must be something that makes him very upset." Nicole looked at Nn, amused. ''This little guy seems to have seen through his great- grandfather''s feelings.¡¯ "It''s some problems with work, but there won''t be any problems in the future. Great grandpa will be happy from now on," Nicole exined to Nn. "Oh, did thepany go through trouble?" Nn furrowed his small eyebrows. "Not too much." Nicole ruffled her son''s hair affectionately. "We can handle it.¡± Nn hesitated as he looked at her and then seemed to make up his mind. "Is it rted to Godpa?" Upon hearing this, Nicole''s eyes narrowed briefly. "Do you know about something?" They had not mentioned Lawrence at all, so why did Nn suddenly bring him up? Nn continued, "I don''t really know much. I found out Godpa was going to Mecrounia, and someone on his side was nning something against Riddle Corporation, so..." That was why Nn figured that Nicole and Mr. Riddle Sr.''s conversation might have something to do with his godfather. "How did you find out?" Jared''s tone grew cold. They would handle this. He did not want Nn to get involved and potentially be in danger. ¡°During a video call with Godpa. I happened to hear someone mention Riddle Corporation, then Godpa suddenly ended the call, " Nn exined. "When he called back, he said it was due toa signal interruption, so I didn''t ask further." ¡°Are you sure he didn''t know that you overheard?" Unconsciously, Jared sounded even colder. If Nn had truly heard, could it pose a risk to him? "I don''t know for sure, but I didn''t bring it up again. Godpa didn''t mention it either." Nn shook his head, answering honestly. "In that case, does Lawrence know you''re aware of his visit to Mecrounia?" Nicole''s eyes narrowed slightly. After all, Lawrence had not told them anything about his trip and was creating an impression that he had gone to Mecrounia. Chapter 2538 Chapter 2538 Chapter 2538 "He probably doesn''t know. This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. When we were on the video call, I heard an rm sound from his end, and that sound is only from Mecrounia." Nn had spected, but he did not say this to Lawrence. Nicole took a deep breath and looked at her son seriously. " Remember what I just told you. Don''t mention this to anyone else. And next time you see Godpa, make sure to thank him for the gift he brought from Crescent Ind.¡± Nn gritted his teeth and nodded carefully. "Okay." Although he did not fully understand what was happening, he rarely saw his mother being so serious. Maybe things were moreplicated than he thought. Nicole patted Nn''s shoulder lightly and spoke softly, "Nn, a lot has changed since our time on Crescent Ind. The situation may not turn out to be what you expected, but it happened, so we need to ept and adapt to it." "Did Godpa change?¡± Nn raised his little head, his eyes holding a hint of disappointment. Nicole sighed. "I can''t answer that question for now." Although everything that had happened so far had made her reluctant to ept the changes, she still could not draw any conclusions without definitive proof. "Okay, I understand," Nn said dejectedly, lowering his head. Although Nicole did not say it explicitly, Nn could sense that something must have happened between his mother and his godfather. As Nn fell silent, Nicole did not say anything else. She simply ced her hand on his shoulder,forting him with gentle pats. She knew that though Nn was a lot more mature for his age, he was still a five-year-old, after all. It was not easy for him to ept something like this, so he needed more time. After a while, they arrived home. Lana was still sleeping, so Jared did not wake her up and carried her out of the car gently. Nicole held Nn''s hand and followed Jared into the living room. Although the lights were on in the living room, no one was there. Nicole knew that the lights were left on for them. They went upstairs, and after settling Nn and Lana to sleep, the couple finally returned to their own room. "That person must be Everett," Nicole said with a serious look in her eyes. The person Nn heard was probably Everett. Everett had left San Joto because the doctor''s involvement had been exposed, but he had left with the intention of returning. "It''s best if he does return," Jared replied calmly. He gently stroked Nicole''s hair. "Go take a shower and rest early." "Okay," Nicole agreed. She then went to the bathroom. For now, they did not need to waste energy worrying about Everett. After all, he would not being back anytime soon, and now that they knew his intentions, they could make preparations in advance. While Nicole took a shower in the bathroom, Jared called Max. " How''s the situation with the acquisition of NandoCorp going?" "It''s still a bit of a deadlock right now. Mrs. Johnston has some chance of winning, but Harvey doesn''t seem to be willing to let go, " Max reported honestly. "Make sure to wrap it up as soon as possible," Jared said before hanging up the phone. With Everett stirring up trouble, it was best to stabilize the situation at NandoCorp first so Nicole could have one less thing to worry about. Once everything in Riddle Corporation was settled, things would be much easier. Time passed quickly, and two dayster, it was time for the final announcement of the auction results of NandoCorp. Chapter 2539 Chapter 2539 Chapter 2539 Companies that received the message had gathered for the final announcement of the results. They all wanted to see who would ultimately acquire Riddle Corporation''s NandoCorp. Of course, news in the industry spread easily, and everyone was here to see whether Nicole or Harvey was the winner. After all, regardless of who won, it would add a new story for San Joto''s elite circles to talk about. People at the auction venue chatted and spected in small groups. Most believed that Harvey would likely secure the NandoCorp. They also spected what Nicole would do after losing the branch. ¡°Ah, here shees," someone whispered as they spotted Nicole. Those who had been gossiping just moments ago immediately fell silent and greeted her with polite smiles. Nicole, naturally aware of what they were thinking, cast a cool gaze at the crowd before making her way to her seat. Once seated, beside her, Lulu whispered, "Are all these people just here for the spectacle?" "Most likely." Nicole seemed indifferent. It was clear that most of them were here for that reason. "They need to get a life." Lulu rolled her eyes. "What does it matter to them who gets it?" "Curiosity is human nature," Nicole replied calmly. Lulu pursed her lips but had to admit that Nicole was right. ¡°He''s here!" someone in the crowd suddenly eximed, sounding quite surprised. Nicole initially thought it was Harvey and did not bother looking up. She continued to flip through the documents, pondering what she would do if the auction did not go her way. After all, she could not allow NandoCorp to fall into Harvey''s hands. However, when she sensed a shadow looming over her, she frowned and looked up. She was astonished to see Jared. Why are you here?" Jared sat beside her and said nonchntly, "To keep youpany. "It''s not necessary," Nicole said with a subtle smile. She now realized why people had been surprised earlier. With Jared by her side, Nicole suddenly felt at ease. It was as if even if she lost, it would not be a big deal. This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org. They could figure out a solution together. "Mr. Ellison is here too!" Everyone lowered their voices when Harvey arrived. They went back to their respective seats. Harvey saw both Nicole and Jared as soon as he entered, and his gaze immediately turned cold. ''Jared''s here too, huh?¡¯ Harvey walked over, taking a seat on the opposite side of Nicole. There was some distance between them, but they both upied the front row. With just a turn of the head, they could see each other clearly. "Mr. Ellison, everything''s ready," his assistant said quietly, cing a document in front of Harvey. "Good." Harvey cast a meaningful nce at Nicole. He wanted to see what Nicole would do if NandoCorp fell into his hands. Even with Jared by her side, he believed there was nothing they could do to stop him. Soon, the final phase of the auction was about to begin. Harvey''s assistant and Lulu delivered the prepared documents. The other attendees had already given up because they knew they had no chance. Since these two parties werepeting so fiercely, there was no room for others, so they might as well wait and see the final oue. Chapter 2540 Chapter 2540 Chapter 2540 The auction organizers frowned with confusion after examining the two documents in front of them. They checked to ensure that no additional documents were being submitted, and then shook their heads, proceeding to open the documents submitted by Harvey and Nicole. "Wait a moment." At that moment, Max walked up to the stage and ced a document in Nicole''s pile. He informed the auction organizers, ''''This is supplementary material." Some people could not help but murmur. ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. "Is that allowed?" "Mr. Johnston obviously came in person to support Ms. Riddle. What''s so strange about that?" someone retorted, a bit disdainful. "That''s right. There''s nothing against the rules, so why not?" another person chimed in. "But..." The individual who had raised the question thought for a moment and decided to keep quiet. Although it did not vite the rules, it was an unprecedented situation. However, he knew he could not do anything to interfere, so he chose to remain silent. The auction organizers clearly had not anticipated such a situation. They hesitated for a moment before finally opening the supplementary materials submitted by Max. The atmosphere in the room was tense, and everyone was waiting anxiously to hear the final oue. It seemed like an eternity before the auction organizers took any action. One of them stood up, nced at the audience below, and then spoke loudly. "Regarding the auction of NandoCorp, conducted at the request of relevant authorities, we now announce the final result..." There was a pause, and then the auction organizer continued, " After careful consideration and evaluation, we have decided to ept the proposal from Riddle Corporation and auction NandoCorp to Riddle Corporation." "Riddle Corporation won, just as expected," someone whispered, sounding relieved. ¡°Of course. After all, it''s all part of the Riddle family''s assets. Although they''ve split their operations, they''re all still part of the Riddle family." "That''s true." Listening to the chatter around her, Nicole remained calm and indifferent. She did not seem surprised by the result, as if she had been prepared to ept any oue. "Congrattions. You''ve won." Nicole stood up when she heard Harvey''s voice. She nced at him with a faint smile and replied politely, "Thank you." "You''re wee. If you ever feel guilty about it, why not treat me toa meal?" Harvey added, as if he did not care much about the result either. "I won''t," Nicole replied coldly. Then she left with Jared. She was not fooled by Harvey''s apparent graciousness. It was all an act, and she could not be bothered to y along. Harvey''s expression darkened as he watched Nicole link her arm with Jared''s. The aura around him seemed to darken as well. Sensing that, people who had initially thought about approaching him for conversation discreetly left, hesitant to disturb Harvey at this moment. "Mr. Ellison, everyone has left. Shall we go too?" his assistant asked cautiously. ¡°What happened to all the preparations?" Harvey''s gaze was chillingly cold as he looked at his assistant. The assistant could not help but shrink as he exined, "Well, I really didn''t expect Mr. Johnston would make a move." Jared''s intervention with the supplementary materials had caught them off guard. For that reason, it was only normal for them to lose. However, the assistant would never say this out loud. "Hmph." Harvey snorted disapprovingly and stormed away. He had to pretend not to care in front of Nicole, as if he were ying a game with her. But in reality, he was quite concerned about the oue of this auction, as it was the first step in his n. Chapter 2541 Chapter 2541 Chapter 2541 If Harvey could seize NandoCorp, it would be easier to take down DillCorp in the future. Soon, the entire Riddle Corporation would belong to him. And when everything Nicole cared about was in his hands, she would naturally get close to him. Gritting his teeth in anger, Harvey got into the car and said witha dark tone, "Go to the Royal Creek Institute." Part of the reason he lost this time around was because of Mr. Ellison. If it were not for Mr. Ellison who helped Nicole with the cover up, how would Harvey not realize that Jared had made a move? Especially since Harvey put all of his energy in Mr. Ellison. Harvey would not have suffered such a huge loss. When Harvey arrived at the Royal Creek Institute, he said coldly, " After all these, you''re still choosing to side with an outsider?" Initially, Mr. Ellison was taken aback by Harvey''s sudden visit. He thought that Harvey was there with good intentions. Unexpectedly, Harvey began to scrutinize Mr. Ellison as soon as he entered. "I don''t know what you are talking about," Mr. Ellison replied, confused. "Quit acting. Nicole had been visiting you a lot. Don''t you know what she''s been up to?" Harvey said angrily. Mr. Ellison was stunned. "She just came to visit me because I was sick." ¡°Hmph, did you think I''d believe you?" Harvey said through gritted teeth. Mr. Ellison finally understood what was going on. He finally got the answer to the questions that had been lingering in his mind for the past two days. "If you don''t trust me, ask the nurse. The previous nurse left. You''re the one who hired the current nurse, right?" Previously, Mr. Ellison found it odd that the nurse seemed to be eavesdropping often. Especially when Nicole was there to visit, the nurse would never leave the room. Even if she had to leave, she would stay right outside of the room and observe everything that was going on inside. Seeing Harvey''s behavior, Mr. Ellison finally understood that they were not on the same side. And Harvey had assumed that Nicole''s frequent visits were so that Mr. Ellison could help her out. Mr. Ellison took a deep breath in silence. A glimpse of sorrow shed in his eyes. "What happened in the past was my fault. I''ve done everything I could topensate for it. If you want to ask for more, I''m afraid I can''t provide that. But know that I''d never do anything to hurt you." After all, Harvey was his biological grandchild. Mr. Ellison was not doing anything wrong, to atone for his sins. In fact, he admitted his fault. His only hope was for Harvey to be well. It would not only ease Mr. Ellison''s mind, but also Harvey''s parents. Harvey froze for a moment, grinding his teeth. Then, he came back to his senses, turned around and walked away. Text content ? N?velDrama.Org. He came to the realization that Nicole staged all this. She purposely caused a misunderstanding, so that he would put all his focus on Mr. Ellison and ignore the other side. Harvey suddenly broke out intoughter. It had been five years, and Nicole had not changed a single bit. She was still that quick witted Nicole, that same one who angered and annoyed people. Harvey''s assistant felt chills running down his spine as he watched Harveyugh maniacally. He subconsciously took two steps back, in fear of being scolded. Meanwhile, Nicole and Jared had returned to DillCorp. "Thank you." Nicole did not expect him to turn up and help her. Jared held Nicole''s hands gently. "I know you could do it yourself, but I wanted to end things quickly." ¡°You''re worried about Everett?" Nicole raised an eyebrow. She roughly understood what Jared was trying to say. "At least we''d have one less thing to worry about," Jared replied calmly. It was not that he was worried about Everett, but it was necessary for them to be prepared for the worst. It would be great if they couldnd a headshot. ¡°Harvey lost this round but his reaction seemed weird." Nicole frowned. She felt that Harvey''s attitude was not a disy of what he was thinking. "What has happened, happened. He''s just a sore loser." Something shed Jared''s eyes. He would never let Harvey win. Chapter 2542 Chapter 2542 ¡°Do you think Mr. Ellison would be in trouble if Harveyes to his senses?¡± After all, Nicole did cause Harvey to be suspicious of her recent visits. ¡°There won¡¯t be any trouble. Mr. Ellison doesn¡¯t have anything left that¡¯s worth it to Harvey.¡± No matter how insane Harvey was, he would not kill his biological grandfather. ¡°Actually, I just feel like Mr. Ellison doesn¡¯t deserve all this.¡± Mr. Ellison was extremely kind to Harvey. Who would expect Harvey to hide such resentment towards him? Jaredforted Nicole. ¡°Mr. Ellison leaves Harvey alone because of the guilt he feels for what happenedst time.¡± ¡°And it was because of this that Mr. Ellison pent up a lot of things and fell sick,¡± Nicole said sadly. ¡°If Mr. Ellison refuses to recover on his own, he¡¯d only get weaker.¡± ¡°This is up to Mr. Ellison himself.¡± Jared¡¯s eyes darkened. ¡®If Mr. Ellison never forgives himself, no one can help him.¡¯ ¡°We should visit him more often.¡± Perhaps, it would be helpful if they could lighten up Mr. Ellison¡¯s mood. Jared looked at Nicole and held her hands gently. ¡°Just follow your heart.¡± KNOCK, KNOCK. ¡°Come in.¡± Nicole looked up and turned towards the door. As the door opened, Lester entered. Seeing that Jared was there, he seemed hesitant. Nicole seemed to notice his reaction, so she questioned him straightforwardly, ¡°Are there any updates about Lulu¡¯s case?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Lester replied. He understood that Nicole was signaling him to speak directly. Then, he walked to the sofa and said, ¡°Icyln¡¯s personal assistant contacted those two siblings again. This time around, we gathered some evidence.¡± ¡°What does she want now?¡± Nicole raised her eyebrows.1 When Icyln looks for that pair, it¡¯d definitely be something more than just a checkup.¡¯ ¡°She wants to frame Lulu. They¡¯re going to stage a show in which the sister is sick and in danger. That way, Lulu would be in a difficult situation. In fact, they¡¯d cancel her bail,¡± Lester said in a serious manner. If they were not taking any precautions this time around and found some evidence, Lulu would be in huge trouble. Nicole¡¯s face darkened. If Lulu¡¯s bail were to be canceled, it would not only affect her career and reputation, but also her wedding. After all, her wedding date was approaching. ¡°Ma¡¯am, do you think we should report this immediately or put it on hold for now?¡± Lester asked. Nicole narrowed her eyes and said coldly, ¡°Let¡¯s put it on hold.¡± ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am,¡± Lester replied and left. Nicole gritted her teeth. Although they gathered some evidence, exposing it would only interfere with their n. She would have to wait a little longer. Once her n wasplete, she would make sure they experienced the consequences of nder. Knowing that Nicole was worried for Lulu, Jaredforted her. ¡°Since we have the evidence now, everything will be fine. ¡°Yeah.¡± Nicole lightly nodded her head and said solemnly,¡± The wedding will go on as nned.¡± For her to do this at such a time, Icyln must have been desperate and anxious to destroy the wedding. As long as Spencer and Lulu could not get married, she would stand a chance. She really was a detailed person. Unfortunately, she used her skills in the wrong ce. From the looks of it, San Joto could no longer amodate her.This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. Chapter 2543 Chapter 2543 As the sun set, Nicole and Lulu stepped out of DillCorp together. Lulu looked around and muttered, ¡°Why hasn¡¯t Junee yet?¡± ¡°You¡¯re just excited to try on your wedding dress, right?¡± Nicole teased. Lulu began to blush and replied shyly, ¡°I¡¯m not the only one who¡¯s trying out the dresses.¡± ¡°Calm down. She¡¯s here.¡± As soon as she finished speaking, Nicole smiled and waved at June, who was approaching them. ¡°Sorry, I¡¯mte,¡± June exined, standing in front of the two girls. ¡°The traffic was quite bad on the way here.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. We just came out as well.¡± Nicole smiled.¡± Let¡¯s go! Don¡¯t make them wait for you.¡± June and Lulu replied, ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± The girls got into the car and headed to the styling room which they had chosen. They had decided on that styling room a while back. Since their wedding dresses had arrived that day, the girls set a date to try it out together. When they arrived, Spencer was already there, waiting for them. The only person missing was Samuel. ¡°You girls are here!¡± Spencer approached the girls and added, ¡°Samuel¡¯s stuck in traffic. He¡¯ll arrive later.¡± ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. Lulu turned to June and teased her, ¡°The both of you are truly made for each other.¡± June rolled her eyes at Lulu. ¡°Go put on your dress!¡± ¡°We should go together. When Samuel arrives, you¡¯re going to make him blind with your m,¡± said Lulu, pulling June and walking into the shop. ¡°I¡¯ll be with them,¡± Nicole told Spencer and followed after the girls. The stylist immediately came over to find their dressed and helped the girls put it on. ¡°Nicole, how¡¯s Lulu¡¯s case going? June questioned Nicole while she was putting on the dress. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, nothing will happen,¡± Nicole reassured and then remained silent. ¡°But I heard that girl, Icyln, is quite arrogant. Are you sure nothing will happen?¡± June was still a little worried. Nicole sighed. ¡°I guess she assumed that she¡¯s getting some support because her teacher will be there. Or perhaps, the wedding date is approaching, so she feels like she would lose everything if she doesn¡¯t try hard.¡± ¡°In that case, I wish that the wedding is tomorrow.¡± June smiled. Once the wedding is over, everything will calm down ¡°No matter what, Lulu and Spencer will still be together.¡± Nicole¡¯s gaze darkened. It had always been Icyln who was delusional. Icyln thought that she would stand a chance as long as Spencer was not married yet. However, Nicole trusted that Lulu and Spencer would never leave each other, even if they did not get married. June nodded in agreement. ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± Spencer and Lulu¡¯s rtionship was built on a strong foundation. Their rtionship was not bound by marriage. ¡°Alright, does this look good?¡± Lulu had finished changing, so she asked for the girls¡¯ opinion. June and Nicole turned to look at Lulu, seemingly somewhat annoyed. ¡°We¡¯re worried for you, but you¡¯re acting as if nothing happened.¡± Lulu bit her lip and said, ¡°Things won¡¯t change even if I worry about it. So why not cherish the present?¡± ¡°You mean present and future,¡± Nicole corrected. Then, she patted her friend¡¯s shoulders and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Lester found some evidence. You¡¯ll be fine.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Lulu eyes glimmered. ¡°Of course! I¡¯d never lie to you.¡± Nicole smiled. ¡°I¡¯ve told you earlier. All you have to do is sit back, rx and be a happy bride.¡± Chapter 2544 Chapter 2544 Nicole could tell that Lulu was still bothered by the matter. That was why Lulu talked about cherishing the present moment. Perhaps, Lulu felt that if she really could defend herself from nder, she would not be able toplete the wedding with Spencer. ¡°How is it? Are you guys done?¡± Samuel¡¯s voice sounded from outside. June and Lulu looked at each other and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go outside.¡± ¡°June? Where-¡± Samuel called out to June again when he did not get a response. However, the moment he saw June walk out, he stopped talking. Looking at June, who was holding up her dress and slowly walking towards him, Samuel¡¯s eyes became focused, and he could not look away. June started to grow shy from Samuel¡¯s gaze. She could not help but blush. ¡°Don¡¯t just stare at me. Is this dress okay?¡± Samuel came back to his senses and nodded vigorously.¡± Fine. Perfectly fine.¡± It looked really good and was a good fit for June. In turn, Spencer stared at Lulu. With a wide smile, he said,¡± It¡¯s very pretty. What do you think? Does it fit?¡± Lulu held the dress and spun around once. ¡°I think it¡¯s just okay.¡± ¡°You should tell us if it¡¯s not the perfect fit. We can still get it altered,¡± Spencer gently reminded. ¡°I think it still fits.¡± Lulu tried moving around again. ¡°That¡¯s great.¡± Spencer looked at Lulu carefully, and the smile in his eyes deepened. Looking at how sweet those two were, June could not help but tease Lulu. ¡°Now you don¡¯t have to worry about anything. It Hearing this, Spencer frowned a little. ¡°What should she worry about?¡± ¡°Nothing. I guess I was a little too anxious, but I¡¯m fine now,¡± Lulu exined, not mentioning Icyln¡¯s issue to Spencer. She did not want to put him in a difficult position. ¡°That¡¯s right. She¡¯s getting married soon, so it¡¯s normal for her emotions to fluctuate.¡± Knowing what Lulu was trying to do, June yed along with her. Samuel saw that the both of them were done with their wedding dresses, so he reminded them, ¡°You girls should try on some dinner dresses.¡± June and Lulu went ahead to try on other dresses. This time around, Nicole did not follow the girls. Instead, she stayed with Spencer and Samuel to wait for June and Lulu. ¡°You don¡¯t have to be here actually.¡± Samuel knew that Nicole specially came for June and Lulu. And because of this appointment, Nicole had asked Jared to fetch Nn and Lana. ¡°I¡¯m here to watch them.¡± After all, her best friends were about to get married. Nicole was cherishing that moment. When they hang out together in the future, Lulu and June would carry the status of Nicole¡¯s sister-inw. Spencer had a different opinion. With Nicole around, June and Lulu would be in a better mood. ¡°At least you canfort them while you¡¯re here. Didn¡¯t they mention some pre-wedding anxiety?¡± Nicole nced at Spencer and smiled. She did not mention what happened to Lulu. She knew that Spencer¡¯s attitude towards Icyln was all just volunteer work. It was only because he had a promise with his teacher. Spencer did not really care much about Icyln, so it was only normal for him not to realize Icyln¡¯s feelings for him. While Nicole was lost in her thoughts, Spencer¡¯s phone rang. He looked at the caller ID and immediately declined the call. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you picking up?¡± Nicole questioned. She could tell that Spencer¡¯s mood had changed drastically. ¡°It¡¯s unimportant.¡± Spencer¡¯s voice was cold. He really did not want to take Icyln¡¯s call. Realizing that there was something fishy, Nicole could not help but ask, ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°Nothing.¡± Spencer was still persistent on keeping his mouth shut. This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org. However, Nicole found it even weirder so she questioned, ¡°If something¡¯s going on, you can talk to us. Maybe, we could help you solve it. Your wedding day ising soon. I¡¯m sure you won¡¯t want things to go wrong.¡± Chapter 2545 Chapter 2545 Spencer still insisted on keeping things to himself. Just as he was about to say something, he held himself back. He hesitated for a moment before speaking again. "It''s Icyln. She said that she has feelings for me, but I''ve rejected her." Spencer did not expect Icyln to pretend as if nothing had happened even after his rejection. She still called him on the phone as usual. In fact, her calls were getting more and more frequent. Nicole narrowed her gaze and questioned, "Spencer, do you really want Icyln to stay at San Joto?" "Uh... Lactually don''t want her here." However, it was not up to Spencer to decide whether she could stay or leave. Initially, he was fine with taking care of Icyln upon his teacher''s request. Now that he understood Icyln''s intentions, he would not want Icyln to stay. Or else, she might create more trouble in the future. "That''s good." Nicole seemed satisfied. ¡°What?" Spencer asked in confusion. He did not understand what Nicole meant. After giving it some thought, Nicole smirked. "Just wait. It''s a wedding gift from me to you and Lulu." ¡°What''s the gift? Do I havea share in it too?" June jokingly asked. Just as June and Lulu walked out, they heard Nicole''s words. "I''m afraid you''re not getting a share in this one. But the rest of the gifts were the same. The both of you are getting one each." Nicole smiled and changed the conversation topic smoothly. June seemed to understand Nicole, so she did not question her further. ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. Instead, she pulled Samuel and asked, "What do you think of this dress?" "It''s great! All of it suits you well." Samuel felt that his eyes were blurry from seeing all the dresses. Every single one of them looked good on June. June and Lulu continued trying on all of the custom-made dresses. When they were done, their legs were trembling. "Come on, I''m treating all of you today." Samuel raised his hands, sounding generous. "I''m going to eat to my heart''s content," June remarked, rubbing her stomach. "As you wish." Samuel pulled June''s hand and brought her out. Spencer stood next to Lulu and said in a gentle voice, "Are you okay?" "I''m hungry too." Lulu sighed. This was the first time she discovered how physically draining dress fitting could be. "Samuel is treating us today. You can eat all you want." Spencer patted Lulu''s head. He knew that Lulu loved to eat, so it must not be easy for her to feel hungry. Nicole was cringing at their affectionate interactions. So, she teased them, "Hey, you guys should go ahead. I''m going home." "It''s alreadyte! There won''t be any dinner left if you go home. Come and join us," Spencer tried to persuade. Lulu did not want Nicole to leave either, so she echoed, "That''s right. You''ve been here with us for so long, you must be hungry too." "Come on. We''ll eat somewhere nearby." June raised her voice and called out to them. The three of them quickly caught up and June pointed toa restaurant. "It''s the one in front. I''m too tired to walk now." ¡°I''m okay with it," Lulu agreed. Nicole smiled. "It seems like the two of you are really hungry." "I''m starving." June came over and hugged Nicole''s arms. "Come on, let''s eat.¡± Soon, the whole bunch arrived at a nearby restaurant. It was past the dinner peak hours, so the restaurant was not crowded. The atmosphere could be considered quiet. After they found a seat, they ordered their meal. "Oh yes! I can finally eat a proper meal!" June seemed to be excited as her eyes were fixed in the direction of the kitchen. "Do you think they''d assume you''re trying to break into the kitchen?" Lulu looked at how June was staring, she could not help but tease June. Chapter 2546 Chapter 2546 Chapter 2546 June smirked. "I dare you not to eat anythingter." "You haven''t even entered the family, and you''re already safeguarding Samuel''s wallet!" "Don''t forget, we''re both entering the same family. The Riddle family." As the two girls joked around, they did not seem to be that hungry anymore. The time seemed to pass by really slowly as well. After a while, dinner was served. Just as they were about to dig in, a shadow appeared beside their table. In fact, the shadow covered the entire table. Nicole frowned and looked up. Seeing that it was Harvey, her eyes darkened. ¡°What a coincidence! You''re having dinner here as well." Harvey smiled. "IT don''t think so." Nicole''s eyes were cold and distant. ¡°Exactly. Don''t you see that there''s a lot of us here? Nicole isn''t alone," Lulu said fiercely. Harvey nced at Lulu angrily. Then, he softened his gaze as he turned to look at Nicole. His voice was also gentler as he said, "I''m not eating either. I''ll join you." ¡°No way," their voices sounded in unison. Harvey could hardly maintain the calmness on his face. After all, no one dared to go against him over the past five years. ¡°Harvey, this isn''t your grandpa''s school. We can''t let you do whatever you want." Lulu red at Harvey. ¡®This man is too much. This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. We could finally sit down and eat, but he came to disturb us. It''s unforgivable!'' "Sir, this is a private meal. Any uninvited guests here are not wee." June''s attitude was also cold. She seemed to be unfriendly to him. Although Spencer and Samuel did not say anything, their attitude was clear and obvious. Nicole was the only one who acted as if nothing had happened. She already began to dig into her dinner. June and Lulu nced at each other. They were toozy to talk to Harvey either, so they began to eat and chat with Nicole. Moreover, they pulled Samuel and Spencer into the conversation. No one gave Harvey any attention. The atmosphere around Harvey was cold. At that moment, the waitress had served thest dish. Then, she looked at Harvey and said in a friendly manner, "Sir, are you eating? Are you alone? Are you fine with the table beside here?" All those friendly and weing words almost caused Harvey to explode. He gritted his teeth and said, "No." As soon as he responded, Harvey stood up and left. He did not have any intentions when he bumped into Nicole, but he walked over instinctively. Unexpectedly, he received such a treatment. That made him feel sad. Previously, he had been tricked by Nicole into selling NandoCorp. Harvey did not find fault with her about it, and yet, Nicole was so cold to him. After Harvey had stepped out of the restaurant, he got into the car while looking gloomy. His personal assistant carefully spoke, "Sir, where are we heading?" "Home." Harvey''s voice was filled with annoyance and sadness. "Noted." The personal assistant answered and dared not to speak anymore. They were headed to the Ellison family''s house. Harvey leaned on the car seat and closed his eyes. ''NandoCorp is in Nicole''s hands. Everett, that idiot, is nowhere to be found. Everything about the Riddle family is under Nicole''s care. It''s going to be harder for me to touch the Riddle family now. ¡®The Riddle family. Damien, Dillon, Dexter...'' Harvey narrowed his eyes, and his gaze froze for a moment. He seemed to be scheming something... Chapter 2547 Chapter 2547 Chapter 2547 After finishing their dinner, Nicole and the others walked out of the restaurant. "Nicole,e with me. I''ll go home with you after dropping June off." "You cane with us too if you want." Just as Samuel spoke, Lulu''s voice rang out too. However, both of them stopped talking as soon as they saw Jared. Nicole was a little surprised by Jared''s unexpected appearance. " Why are you here?" "To pick you up," Jared said. He wrapped his arm around Nicole''s skinny waist and led her toward his car. June and Lulu exchanged nces after watching the two of them leave. They could not help but say, "Well, I guess we don''t have to worry about her anymore." "Let''s go." Knowing that Nicole was going to leave with Jared, everyone stopped worrying about her. This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. Then, Samuel and Spencer left with June and Lulu respectively. In the car, Nicole leaned on the seat and smiled faintly. "Actually, T could''ve gone home myself." ¡°What''s wrong with me picking you up?" Jared asked her back. "It feels..." Nicole deliberately paused for a moment. "Pretty nice." After saying that, she could not help butugh. Jared''s eyes softened as he gazed at Nicole''s yful expression. He reached out and gently smoothed her hair. Then he pulled her into his arms. Nicole rested against his shoulders, bit her lip, and leaned even closer to Jared. Jared lowered his head and nted a gentle kiss on her forehead as his eyes filled with affection. After a while, they arrived home. Nicole stayed still, and when Jared nced at her, he found that she had already fallen asleep. A faint smile appeared on his face. Then, he carried Nicole out of the car and slowly walked back to their room. After cing her on the bed, Nicole grunted as if she was bothered by the sudden drop in temperature. Then, she rolled over, hugged Jared, and pulled him back onto the bed. Nicole felt Jared''s warmth and was finally content. She cuddled up to him like a little kitten and fell back asleep after finding afortable position. Jared could not help but frown slightly. He shook his head and smiled. Seeing her sleep so soundly, Jared stayed still. He held her in his arms and let her continue sleeping. After some time, he drifted off to sleep himself. The next day, the sunlight streamed into the room through the curtains. Nicole opened her eyes after feeling the light and found herself sprawled in Jared''s embrace like an octopus. She was taken aback. She only remembered Jareding to pick her up after dinner, and... she fell asleep in the car! Her mouth twitched involuntarily, and Nicole felt a little dumbfounded as she shook her head. She was about to get out of bed, but Jared grabbed her wrist, rolled over, and pinned her down on the bed. "You''re awake." Nicole was a little surprised. She thought that she had moved so lightly that she would not wake Jared up. "Yeah." Jared''s gaze was somewhat dark, and his voice sounded a little hoarse. Nicole raised an eyebrow. "What''s wrong with you? Why do you sound like this?" She was about to get a cup of water as she spoke. ¡°Do you need some water?" However, Jared did not give her a chance to leave. Instead, he kissed her and showed her what he wanted and needed... It was already ten in the morning when Nicole woke up and the house was silent. Her lips twitched as she sighed in frustration. ''Here we go again.'' After they got freshened up and went downstairs, there was indeed no one at home as everyone else had gone to work. Chapter 2548 Chapter 2548 Chapter 2548 Nicole did not even have breakfast and headed straight to the office. She grabbed some coffee and a small pastry on her way there and entered her office while carrying the bag. ¡°What took you so long? You came to work sote, and you haven''t even had breakfast." Lulu pushed the door open and peeked in with a teasing smile. Nicole shot her a nce. "It seems like Spencer didn''te homest night." Lulu''s face immediately turned red as she said shyly, "I sprained my ankle on my way homest night, so he didn''t want to leave me alone and stayed with me." "Sure." Nicole shrugged as if it was none of her business. Lulu felt her cheeks getting warmer as she continued to exin, " Trust me! Have a look at it yourself." She entered the room as she spoke. She showed Nicole that she indeed could not walk properly. Nicole could not help butugh. "Why do you want to exin it to me so badly? At this point, it''s perfectly normal for Spencer not to come home." ¡°But that''s not the case," Lulu replied bashfully. Nicole chuckled softly and shook her head. Then, she took a sip of her coffee and offered Lulu the pastry she bought. "Do you want some?" ¡°T''ve had breakfast." Lulu walked closer to Nicole, smiling. " You''ve lost so much weight recently. You should eat more." "Did I?" Nicole touched her cheek. "I didn''t notice." "It is," Ste replied confidently. This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org. "So, you should really take my advice." Nicole shrugged again. "Maybe I''ve been too busy recently. I''ll be fine once everything is over." It was true that she had noticed her weight loss, but she had been feeling very tiredtely. Perhaps she had too many things to do and overworked herself. So she figured that she would just take a rest once everything settled down, and she would be fine. Lulu did not say anything more and gave her ast reminder. "You should really give yourself a break after all this." She really thought that Nicole had gotten skinnier, and she looked exhausted. She was genuinely worried about her. "Okay," Nicole said, starting to eat her breakfast. After a while, the secretary knocked on the door and entered. Her expression looked very serious when she nced at Lulu. Then, she reported to Nicole, "Ms. Riddle, the police received a report saying that..." ¡°The woman is critically ill," Nicole stated calmly. The secretary was surprised. "You knew!" "Notify Mr. Jensen to take action now." Nicole''s gaze darkened. That was the moment she had been waiting for. "Yes, Ms. Riddle," said the secretary. Then, she turned around and left. Lulu''s face turned slightly pale. "What''s going on?" "It''s the wedding gift from Snow to you." Nicole shot Lulu a meaningful and mysterious smile. "What?" Lulu''s jaw dropped. ''Why would Snow give mea wedding gift? I should be thankful that she''s not causing me any trouble.'' Nicole kept the smile on her face as she said, "Just wait and see." ¡°Why are you hiding it from me?" "You''ll know what it is very soon." Everything woulde to light very soon. "Okay, I''ll be waiting then," Lulu said with a smile. Although Nicole did not say anything, Lulu knew that Nicole would take care of everything for her. Lulu felt grateful to Nicole and was willing to wait for the final oue that Nicole would bring her. Later, Lulu went back to her room, and Nicole picked up the documents on her desk. Chapter 2549 Chapter 2549 Chapter 2549 They did their work respectively and it was already lunchtime before they realized it. After having lunch, the head of the Legal Department returned as Nicole and Lulu were taking a break from work. "Ms. Riddle, it''s been taken care of.'''' Lester Jensen heaved a sigh of relief. "Good." Nicole seemed satisfied. "Thank you so much. We''ll leave the rest to Ms. Wyatt." ¡°T''ll let her know about it," Lester said, nodding. Nicole paused momentarily before saying, "That''ll do too." She had initially nned for her secretary to convey the message but having Lester do it would be fine too. "T''ll take my leave then." Jensen turned around and left after not receiving any more orders. His mission waspleted, and it was up to the Public Rtions Department. He believed that Ms. Wyatt would handle it very well. ¡°What did Mr. Jensen take care of?" Lulu asked curiously. She knew that it must be rted to her. "Snow''s assistant contacted the siblings again. She wanted the sister to pretend to be critically ill and continue framing you. However, Mr. Jensen caught them in the act." Nicole''s gaze turned cold as she continued, ''''They were the ones who made the report and used you of attempted murder. However, Mr. Jensen submitted the evidence, so you''re in the clear." | Lulu''s face turned pale after hearing the truth. She could not help but grit her teeth. "So the sibling duo is in trouble now." She was the one who called the ambnce for them, and she would never expect them to repay her in such a way. It was simply uneptable. "Not only them but Snow too," Nicole reminded coldly. Her true target was Snow because she was the mastermind behind everything. If she was not caught, problems would only persist. 1 And this time, she wanted Snow to disappear from San Joto for good. Lulu blinked her eyes as if she had just realized something. Nicole had previously mentioned that she was going to give her a special present prepared by Snow. Now, she finally understood what that was all about. ¡°Nicole, thank you so much." Lulu felt a lump in her throat. Nicole had really done a lot for her. Nicole smiled and patted Lulu''s shoulder. "Not only are you my best friend, but you''ll soon be my sister-inw too. Are you sure you want to be so formal with me?" Lulu hugged Nicole tightly as she spoke in a teary voice, "Nicole, it''s so good to have you back. You have no idea what the past five years have been like for us. I missed you so much and I prayed for your safe return every day." Atst, Nicole had returned, and she was still the same protective Nicole they had known before. Nicole gently patted Lulu andforted her. This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. "Yeah, I''m back. Everything will be fine now." "Yes, all of us are going to be fine." Lulu nodded firmly as if their future would indeed be peaceful and safe. Meanwhile, after Lester conveyed Nicole''s message, the head of the Public Rtions Department contacted some of her trusted reporters and spread the news. Very soon, it spread like wildfire on various newspapers and online tforms, causing a stir in San Joto. ¡°What a twist!" "Yeah. It turns out that Lulu is the victim, and she was framed after offering help. It''s unbelievable!" "Can''t you see? This is all made up." As everyone discussed the matter, the truth quickly came to light. Under pressure from both the police and the public, the sibling duo confessed that they had received money from Snow to falsely use Lulu. ¡°She looks like a fairy, but how could she be so wicked?" ¡°Yeah. I''m so shocked." Chapter 2550 Chapter 2550 Chapter 2550 In an instant, Snow became the most despised person in San Joto. '' Snow, who had yet to receive the news, was rummaging through her wardrobe to find a beautiful dress. She wanted to go to the hotel and pay her teacher a visit after knowing that Spencer had gone there. "Ms.Riddle, something''s gone wrong!" Her assistant rushed in with a pale face. This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org. ¡°Why are you shouting? What''s wrong?" Snow said ina somewhat displeased tone. Her assistant approached her and took a moment to catch her breath before saying, "The siblings betrayed us and told the police everything. It''s all over the inte now. What should we do?" ¡°What did you say?" Snow''s voice grew sharp and her hand trembled. The dress she had just picked fell to the floor. However, Snow could not be bothered by the dress anymore. Her mind was in chaos, and she had no idea what to do next. Suddenly, her phone rang. She was startled and her face became even paler. She saw that it was her teacher calling. She bit her lip and her expression turned fearful as she already knew why her teacher would call her at a time like this. "Ms.Riddle, you should answer it," said her assistant. She knew who was calling and after all, there was no way Snow could avoid taking the call. After hesitating for a while, Snow answered the call and tried to speak in a nonchnt tone. "Hello." "Come to the hotel now." Her teacher''s voice sounded stern. The call was then abruptly ended. Snow''s heart sank as she listened to the beeping sound from the phone. "Should we go?" the assistant asked cautiously after seeing the reaction from Snow. ¡°What else can we do?" Snow said with a pale face. Indeed, she had no other choice. She fixed herself and left the apartment with her assistant. Upon arriving at the hotel, Snow stepped out of the car. As she gazed at the hotel''s entrance, her legs seemed as heavy as lead. She couldn''t help but think about her strict teacher and the uncertainty of what awaited her inside. She wondered if she would be scolded once she entered. "Let''s go,"'' Spencer''s voice rang out. Snow lifted her head in shock and saw that Spencer was already walking ahead. So, she gritted her teeth and followed him. Along the way, Snow wanted to speak with Spencer several times, but seeing his cold and distant demeanor, she just could not find the words to say. Spencer rang the doorbell when they reached the teacher''s room. The door opened after a moment. The teacher nced at Spencer before looking at Snow. "Come on in." They went into the room and Snow greeted her teacher, "Hello, teacher.¡± "Don''t you still remember that I''m your teacher?" The teacher''s voice grew stern as he looked at Snow helplessly. "1..." Snow choked and bowed her head. The teacher''s heart softened as he looked at Snow. Then, he shifted his gaze to Spencer and said regretfully, "It''s my fault for not being considerate enough and causing you so much trouble." "Sir, this isn''t your fault," Spencer immediately reassured. He had never med him. And everything that had happened had nothing to do with him at all. The teacher sighed and looked at Spencer with a troubled expression. "What are you nning to do about this matter?" Spencer hesitated for a moment before his gaze became resolute. " Teacher, we can forgive Snow, but on one condition." Chapter 2551 Chapter 2551 Chapter 2551 The teacher sounded a little nervous. "What is it?" Spencer turned to look at Snow and said in a deep voice, "Make her leave San Joto and nevere back." Nicole had already sent him a message before he came. She told him to answer this way if the teacher asked. Punishing Snow would not mean much to them, so it was better to make her leave. She would never be able to do any harm again. Besides, getting Snow to leave San Joto for good was probably the worst punishment to her, without costing them anything. Snowpletely broke down after hearing what Spencer said. She could not help but scream, "No, I don''t want to leave! Spencer, please don''t do this to me! I want to stay!" They wanted her to leave San Joto forever and it would mean that she would never see Spencer again. No, she did not want that. She knew she was wrong, but she did not want to leave. She wanted to be with him. ¡°Would you prefer prison then?" the teacher said to Snow ina stern tone, his eyes filled with anger and disappointment. Spencer and the others had already agreed not to pursue the matter any further. He felt that the condition they came up with was way better than Snow going to prison, so he did not expect Snow''s reaction. "I''d rather go to prison than leave," Snow insisted. Text content ? N?velDrama.Org. After all, she could still get out if she went to jail, but leaving San Joto meant she could nevere back. "Shut up." The teacher was really angry this time. Everyone had already given in and offered her the best way out, yet Snow was still not satisfied and showed no sign of remorse. "Teacher, I''ll never be able to find happiness again in this lifetime if Ileave!" "Nonsense. There''s no room for negotiation in this matter," said the teacher. Then, he instructed Snow''s assistant, "Watch her. Go back to the apartment, pack her things, and leave Joto immediately." He was worried that letting Snow stay a moment longer would make Spencer and the others change their mind, so he wanted her to leave as soon as possible. "Go it," the assistant responded. The teacher looked at the assistant with a serious expression and warned, "If she doesn''t board the ne, then you won''t have to work for her anymore." The assistant was a little startled, and timidly agreed, "I understand." Then, she went over and pulled Snow away. "Ms. Riddle, let''s go." Snow cried out as she was dragged away. "No, I don''t want to go! Spencer, you can''t do this to me. Teacher..." The door closed, and Snow''s voice grew fainter before disappearing eventually. Spencer bowed his head a little to his teacher. ''''Thank you, sir." "Spencer, I should be the one thanking you." The teacher sounded a little exhausted. "I truly had no idea that after Snow came here, she would..." He felt like it was his fault for not seeing through Snow''s intentions and believing that she was genuinely looking for experience. "I hope you canfort her and help her settle down sooner this time when she goes back," Spencer suggested. He understood that the teacher cared for Snow, and that was one of the reasons why he chose to let her off the hook. The teacher paused momentarily before nodding. "I''ll keep an eye on her after going back." "I''ll head back for now then. I''lle visit you again tomorrow." Spencer''s facial expression rxed. It was good that things could be resolved this way. Otherwise, everyone would have been ina difficult position. ¡°Sure. I''m getting tired too. I could use some rest." The teacher sighed and waved Spencer goodbye, looking a little weary. Spencer left the hotel and got into his car. Then, he went to Nicole''s office in DillCorp. Seeing him, Nicole raised an eyebrow. She was a little surprised that Spencer arrived so soon. "You were pretty quick with it." Chapter 2552 Chapter 2552 Chapter 2552 "The teacher was even quicker. Snow should be on her way to the airport by now." Spencer shrugged. Of course, he came back right after doing what he had to. ¡°Are you sure?" Lulu eximed in surprise. Then, she scrutinized Spencer and furrowed her brows. "It looks like your teacher really likes Snow at a lot." Otherwise, he would not have been in such a hurry to send her away, fearing that they might change their minds. Spencer chuckled. "Not exactly. He''s probably just worried that if he keeps Snow here, there might be more problems." They did not understand Snow, but the teacher knew her very well and had probably guessed that she would not give up so easily. ¡°Why did she agree to leave?" Lulu asked curiously. "Her assistant was hired by the teacher," Spencer exined. "I see." Lulu looked like she immediately understood everything. '' No wonder the assistant''s willing to keep up with a person like her. "We got what we wanted now that Snow has already left. We have nothing to worry about anymore." Nicole lifted her gaze and looked at Spencer and Lulu. "So, why don''t you two lovebirds go show off your love somewhere else?" Nicole even shook her head lightly, as if she could not bear watching them any longer, yfully teasing them. Lulu''s cheeks reddened as she responded, "We''re not showing off! "In that case, go next door and enjoy yourselves. I won''t disturb you," Nicole teased with a smile. Spencer watched their interaction and smiled. "We''ll head out now then." "Go ahead." Nicole waved her hand. As Spencer led Lulu to the door, he suddenly stopped and turned to Nicole. "Thank you," he said. He knew that Nicole had put in a lot of effort to help him and Lulu in this. It was all thanks to her that everything had finally been resolved. Nicole smiled. "You''re my brother, after all." Spencer was her brother and Lulu was her best friend. There was no way she just would sit back and do nothing to help them. After Spencer and Lulu left, Nicole smiled and thought to herself, '' No one''s going to cause Spencer and Lulu any trouble now that Snow''s gone away. They can finally live happily now.'' As soon as Spencer walked Lulu back to her office next door, he hugged Lulu tightly in his arms. He whispered, "I''m sorry. If I had known things would turn out like this, I wouldn''t have agreed to take care of her." Lulu hugged him back and patted his back gently. "It''s not your fault." There was no reason to dwell in the past. What mattered was how they should face and resolve the problems. Spencer lowered his gaze to meet hers. With eyes filled with deep affection, he said, "No one''s going to hurt you now." Then he kissed her. It was loving and full of devotion... ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. Spencer and Lulu made a statement of understanding, saying that Snow had been sent away and the sibling duo who had framed Lulu was given a judicial warning. They promised never to engage in uwful activities for personal gain anymore. They also issued a public apology to Lulu on the inte, and the incident finally came to an end. Everything seemed to be over, and everyone eagerly waited for the wedding day of the two couples. When they returned home from work, the house was filled with people. Nicole and Jared entered with Nn and Lana, only to find out that Dexter and Emma were there too. Chapter 2553 Chapter 2553 Chapter 2553 "Uncle Dexter, Aunt Emma," Nicole greeted. She urged Nn and Lana to greet them too before sitting down. Gloria took a nce at Nicole and smiled. "You''re back just in time! Come have a look at these pictures. Let me know if you think there are any suitable for your brother and your cousin Emery." ¡°Why don''t you let them choose?" Nicole felt embarrassed. ''They ought to have some say in the woman they want to marry in the future.¡¯ Gloria and Emma sighed in unison. "If they were willing, we wouldn''t be here today." Nicole immediately understood. ''No wonder I hadn''t been seeing Stanley around. He must''ve been hiding from Mom.'' ¡°What do you think of thesedies?" asked Nicole, referring to the photos of the women. Gloria and Emma rushed up from their seats with a bunch of photographs in their hands. "We''ve asked their family and did background checks. They all seem to be quite satisfied with Stanley''s financial and job stability too." "That''s for Emery," said Emma, pointing to another pile of photos. "I didn''t expect that they''d be this popr!" Nicole eximed. She was taken aback by the poprity they had, despite their introverted personality. "Compared to your other brothers, this is considered very little." Gloria sighed before adding, "But even so, I''m quite satisfied with what we have now. As long as they can love one another, I''ll have no objections." "Yes, I feel the same! As long as they have mutual feelings for one another," Emma echoed. ''Their future belongs to them. They should do things that make them happy.'' Nicole nced at the pile of photos and picked out two. "Based on the photos, I think these two would be a good match. You can go ask if they''re interested." Emma grinned widely as she stared at the photos Nicole held. "I like her too! I hope Emery would like her." ¡®If Emery likes her, it''d be a mission aplished for everyone,'' thought Nicole. "Let Aunt Emma arrange this, whether or not they''re a fit. We''ll find out once they meet." Nicole smirked. Emma sighed. "He never listens to me." ¡°Why don''t I talk with him? I''ll make him listen,¡± Dexter said ina firm voice. ¡°Mom, you don''t have to tell Stanley about this. This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org. Let him go straight to the date. Otherwise, he''ll be a no-show like today," Nicole suggested to Gloria. Gloria nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I agree." ¡°Mommy, why is Uncle Stanley going on a blind date? Why isn''t he dating Aunt Tia?" asked Lana, her head tilted sideways, trying toprehend the situation. "Don''t be so nosy. It''s adult stuff," said Nn, rolling his eyes. Lana stuck her tongue out at Nn. "Yeah right." "Of course, I''m right," Nn bragged. He knew that Uncle Stanley and Aunt Tia were not a couple yet. Lana pouted, irritated at her brother. Everyone around the room was shocked to see the twins bickering. Then, Gloria smiled andforted Lana. "You like Aunt Tia, don''t you?" "I like her, but I think Uncle Stanley likes her more," Lana said innocently. Lana was convinced that Stanley had a crush on Tia. However, everyone else seemed to think otherwise. Chapter 2554 Chapter 2554 Chapter 2554 Nn did not refute his sister''s statement. Everyone chuckled and brushed off Lana''s words. "Gloria, is what little Lana saying true?" asked Emma with hopeful eyes. ''If Stanley had real feelings for someone, it''d be a really good thing.'' Gloria sighed. "I actually can''t tell if he does." Gloria had the assumption that her children were still young and naive. She had witnessed Stanley helping out Tia often, but nothing developed further in their rtionship. Furthermore, Stanley had agreed to do blind dates over dinner. "The blind dates..." Emma hesitated. She did not want to break up the couple. After pondering for a moment, Gloria spoke up, "Let''s make the arrangements first. If he ever confesses that he has feelings for someone else, then we might''ve been wrong to assume that he and Tia were ever a thing." Emma nodded in agreement. "Point taken." "I think we''re almost done here. Why don''t you guys stay for dinner?" Daniel offered. Everyone sat down in the dining room to have dinner. The twins watched TV in the living room as they had already gotten their dinner at kindergarten. It was not long after that the twins felt bored and made their way to their rooms. ¡°Nn, did you find out what happened to Uncle Stanley and Aunt Tia?" Lana asked in confusion. Nn shrugged. "You might have to ask them." Lana was not satisfied. It felt like her brother was bullying her, not wanting to tell her the truth. She shot back, "Then why did you act like you knew everything earlier?" Nn stood there, shocked. "There are many different types of '' like''. I think what Uncle Stanley likes about Tia is not what you think it is." ¡®But the way Uncle Stanley treats Aunt Tia was quite different from the others. If it''s what we think it is, then why isn''t Aunt Tia his girlfriend?'' Nn thought to himself. He could not figure out the rtionship Stanley and Tia had. Perhaps it was a misunderstanding and maybe they were just great friends. ¡°Then what can we do?" Lana whined. This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org. She sighed and frowned helplessly. Nn turned and looked at her. "What''s wrong?" Nn could notprehend why his sister was frustrated. ''Our Uncle is finding a girlfriend for himself. He isn''t in any hurry, so why is she?¡¯ "Nn, why don''t we find a way to help Uncle Stanley and Aunt Tia get together?" suggested Lana, her face immediately lighting up. ''If Uncle Stanley and Aunt Tia aren''t together as boyfriend and girlfriend yet, then Nn and I can help them! I don''t think they''re just normal friends!'' ¡°Stop messing around, Lana, or you''ll get it from mom later," Nn warned. Lana stuck her tongue out. "I won''t get in trouble. We''re helping out. If Uncle Stanley gets a girlfriend, they should be thanking me. ¡°But what if you don''t seed?" asked Nn. "Come on! How would you know if you don''t try? From the looks of it, Grandma wants to give it a try but how will she know that Uncle Stanley will like the girl she picked out, right?" Lana urged. Nn pondered for a while before realizing that his sister had made a fair point. "How do you want me to help?" ¡°We have to create a chance for them, of course!" eximed Lana, grinning wide. "Do you still remember when Aunt Tia used to send us to school? Uncle Stanley would often find ways toe with us..." Chapter 2555 Chapter 2555 Chapter 2555 Nn looked at Lana with a serious expression. ''''That''s not a bad idea! Let''s do it. But if you have more ideas in the future, I think you should tell me first and do it yourself." "I know." Lana smiled. She would always listen to her brother''s advice. Nn felt more at ease. He did not have to worry about Lana''s schemes nor if it would implicate them both. While the twins were plotting up a storm upstairs, the adults were enjoying their dinner downstairs in the dining room,pletely unaware. Once dinner was over, Dexter and Emma left. Spencer and Samuel also returned to their respective rooms. Gloria pulled Nicole aside. "Nicole, can you set up the date with thedy? If Stanley doesn''t show up, tell me." Gloria knew Stanley was the one who agreed on the blind date in the first ce, but he had ghosted everyone. She was worried about Stanley''s attendance at the blind date. ¡°Sure thing," Nicole agreed with a smile on her face. "I didn''t expect that Stanley would be the one who worried me the most." Gloria chuckled, shaking head. ¡°Don''t worry. Maybe the time hasn''te yet for him to meet his true love," Nicole reassured. Gloria nodded her head. "Yeah, this time around, I''ll find him a girlfriend!" As the mother and daughter duo talked, they walked upstairs and left Daniel and Jared behind. "Let''s head up too," said Daniel, ncing at Jared. Jared nodded and they made their way upstairs. "Daniel, you can head back to rest. I''m going to go and check on the twins," said Jared. He turned around and made his way to the twins'' room. When he entered, the twins were not asleep yet as expected. However, it was unexpected that Lana was not ying her favorite building blocks. "What are you guys doing?" "Nothing. Getting ready to go to bed," said Lana as she reached out her arms to Jared. "Daddy, can you tuck me in?" she said ina sweet voice. "Sure, let''s go to bed,¡± said Jared, taking his daughter into his arms. Jared turned to look at Nn. "Can you take care of yourself?" Nn nodded as he walked into the bathroom, "Okay." Jared watched as Nn obediently went. He left Nn''s room and entered Lana''s room to coax her to sleep. He returned to Nn''s room and saw that his son was already fast asleep. Jared tucked Nn in and turned off themp before stepping out. As Jared entered the hallway, he noticed Nicole walking over. ¡°Are they asleep?" asked Nicole as she came closer. ¡°Yeah, they''re asleep," said Jared. He caressed Nicole''s cheek as they went to their room. Nicole smirked as she snuggled into Jared''s arms. "Do you think Stanley wille home?" Jared looked down at Nicole. "Did you promise your mother something?" ¡®If Stanley doesn''te back, there''s no way I can help it,'' thought Nicole. "I want my mom to be at ease. If I told her that Stanley would hide from us forever, do you think she''d be able to sleep at night?" Nicole said helplessly. Jared took Nicole''s hand into his. "How do you n on getting Stanley to the blind date?" Nicole hesitated. "This... I... Let''s talk about this another time." Nicole had not thought about how to execute her n ever since the blind date idea had been decided. Text content ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡®Thedies that mom had set Stanley up with are mostly from influential and distinct families. Once something is set up, there''s no backing out. But Tia..." Chapter 2556 Chapter 2556 Chapter 2556 Nicole furrowed her eyebrows. ''I thought Stanley had genuine feelings for Tia, but he agreed to go on blind dates. Could it be that we all misunderstood his intentions before?" Jared caressed Nicole''s hair gently. "Don''t think too much. He''s not a child anymore. He can think for himself." Nicole nodded, immediately understanding what Jared meant. No matter how much effort anyone put in, the final decision had to be made by Stanley himself. When Nicole and Jared reached their room, Nicole massaged her shoulders, lookingpletely haggard. Jared sat next to her with a concerned expression. "Has work been too hectic for you recently?" ¡®She looks so burnt out. Could it be the workload that''s affecting her?¡¯ thought Jared. "It''s okay," said Nicole. She bit her lip hard trying not to show how stressful work was for her. Jared gave her a massage, trying to help her unwind. "Come, let''s sleep," said Jared with concern in his voice. Eyes half closed, Nicole agreed. Jared looked over at Nicole and noticed she was already fast asleep. He nced at her, feeling troubled at how helpless he was in the situation. He tucked the nket over Nicole. The next day, the sun was shining, and the Riddle family was already up. Nicole and Jared were preparing to send the twins off to kindergarten but were unexpectedly warded off. They insisted on having Tia send them instead. Nicole furrowed her eyebrows, staring at the twins nkly. She noticed the twins were avoiding eye contact with her. Immediately she knew that they were up to no good. "Okay," Jared agreed. He turned to Albert and asked him to get Tia. After a while, Tia appeared with a confused expression. "Mr. Johnston, what can I do for you?" "The twins want you to send them to kindergarten today. What do you say?" asked Jared quietly. Tia was taken aback. "Me?!" "Aunt Tia, we like how you always send us and pick us up at kindergarten! Can you send us?" Lana persuaded cutely, taking Tia''s hands into hers. Tia looked at Lana and agreed. "Of course I''m willing to but..." She paused and looked at Nicole, unsure of why Nicole and Jared would suddenly ask her for a favor. "If you want to, we''ll give you some overtime pay," said Jared. "No, no, it''s okay," Tia refused, shaking her head. She loved the twins. She would not mind this. "I know you really want to help out and giving you some overtime pay is really no issue. So you have to ept it, no matter what," said Nicole with a smile. Text content ? N?velDrama.Org. "Come on. Let''s go," Lana interrupted as she pulled Tia toward the door. Tia followed behind the twins. ''I''ll talk to Ms. Nicoleter,¡¯ she thought to herself. After the twins had left, Nicole turned around and looked at Jared with raised eyebrows. "Are you helping them?" "Yeah," Jared said coolly. He intertwined their hands together, walking out the front door and into the car. Chapter 2557 Chapter 2557 Chapter 2557 Jared had also seen right through the twins¡¯ intentions, but he also considered Nicole his main priority. The sooner Nicole can get this task out of the way, the easier it would be for Nicole to be at ease. The car engine revved. ¡°Have Patricia go over to Riddle Corporation from now on," Jared ordered. "Yes, sir," replied Max. Nicole was taken aback. "Why did you arrange someone to help me?" "Ma''am, she''s different from others. Mr.Johnston trusts her very much," Max exined. "I know. She''s just like Janus," Nicole grumbled. The name suddenly burst out from her mouth without thinking. She could not recall how she knew the name. ¡®I can''t recall if I''ve ever met a person with this name, ever since I have returned,'' thought Nicole. "Ma''am!" Max eximed, startling Nicole. ''She remembers Janus! Everyone was saddened by Janus'' death, and no one dared mention it ever since. She remembered him without anyone bringing it up. Does that mean... she''s regaining her memories?" Nicole nodded. "I can''t recall much but I have some minor improvements." She had regained very vague memories. However, the name Janus was very clear in her mind. ¡°Let Patricia follow you. You can leave anything to her. Don''t overexert yourself too much at work," said Jared. Nicole raised her eyebrow, looking at Jared and immediately understanding what he meant. ''So he thinks I must''ve been overworking myself and arranged someone to help me out. He knew that it would be confidential work, so he sent a person he trusts. ¡®Now that I think about it, he''s acting a bit funny. He doesn''t usually meddle with the affairs of others and help the twins get away with their childish ns. I thought it was because of the twins that he did that, but it turns out it was because of me,'' thought Nicole to herself. Nicole''s heart fluttered from Jared''s subtle actions.Text content ? N?velDrama.Org. She leaned on his shoulder and whispered, "Thank you." Jared brought Nicole into a hug, nting a kiss on her forehead. Soon enough, the car came to a halt in front of Riddle Corporation. Nicole looked into Jared''s eyes before giving him a kiss on the cheek. "T''ll see youter!" A grin appeared on Jared''s face. He watched as Nicole climbed out of the car. "I''ll fetch you after work." "Okay," Nicole agreed, grinning as she walked into the building. Jared waited until Nicole safely entered the building before turning around to look at Max. "Let''s go." "Yes, Mr. Johnston." Max revved up the car engine and drove away. As soon as Nicole walked into her office, her secretary immediately rushed up to her and handed her a pile of documents. "Ms. Riddle, these are the documents you need for today." "Okay, ce them on my table," Nicole ordered. Her secretary ced the documents down and left her office. Nicole took her documents in her hands. She went through all the proposals, ns, and reports, one after another. After a while, her eyes began to feel heavy and drowsy. ¡®Why am I getting so tired so easily recently?'' Nicole thought to herself. Aknock on the door broke her from her thoughts. She quickly perked up and looked at the door. "Come in." A young woman walked in with graceful steps. "You''re Patricia," Nicole guessed as she looked at the young woman standing before her. Chapter 2558 Chapter 2558 Chapter 2558 "Ms. Riddle," Patricia greeted politely. "There''s no need for you to be so formal with me. Since you''ll be working with me from now on, it''ll be more casual," said Nicole. She pointed to the pile of documents on her desk. ¡°Are these doable for you?" asked Nicole. Patricia nodded. "Yeah." Nicole quickly filtered out the documents and workload for Patricia before handing it over to her. "Great. This is for you." "Thank you," Patricia said as she took the documents in her hand and started going through it by Nicole''s desk. Nicole pointed to the coffee table in her office. "You can go and sit over there to work. I''m d you''re here. Lulu''s going to be on leave soon for her wedding and honeymoon. I really needed the extra hand." ¡®With Patricia here, my workload will surely be lighter,'' she thought to herself. "Ms. Riddle, if there''s anything you need me to do, you can leave it to me,¡± said Patricia.This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org. Nicole chuckled and smiled. "If you keep acting like this, I''ll think you''re a robot. Please loosen up or I''l] have the impression that you''re beingpelled to do this." "No, I really want to do this well," Patricia exined, with a trace of nervousness across her face. Nicole smiled. "Well that''s great. As for the rest, you can slowly take it on, one at a time." ¡®Maybe she''s too nervous being here for the first time. I''m sure that over time, we''ll get to know each other better and she''ll be morefortable,¡¯ thought Nicole. The office became quiet once more. With Patricia helping Nicole out, the speed of Nicole''s workload was like never before. The drowsiness Nicole had felt earlierpletely disappeared since Patricia came. Time went by in a blink of an eye, and soon it was already lunch time. "I don''t feel like going out to eat lunch today. Shall we get food delivered?" "Okay. i "It''s just for us two," Nicole added. Patricia was stunned for a moment before rxing her expression. Yes, Ms. Riddle." Patricia ordered their lunch and waited downstairs for the food to arrive. When it did, she brought the food into the office. "Ms. Riddle, let''s eat." "Together," said Nicole, continuing Patricia''s sentence. She handed a pair of chopsticks to Patricia, motioning for her to sit with her and eat. "You can shadow me from now on. I trust you and naturally, I''ll rely on you for many things, and I hope that it goes both ways," said Nicole, her face seriousness. Nicole knew that Patricia would fulfill her requests, not only because of Jared''s orders but she hoped that Patricia would trust Nicole. She wanted to gain the trust of Patricia and to wholly ept her. Patricia cautiously picked up her fork and looked up at Nicole. " Ms. Riddle, don''t worry. I understand where you''reing from." Patricia had noints when she had received the order from Jared. Now it feltpletely different. She felt that it was no longer just a job, though she had only been here for a few hours. Patricia could feel that Nicole was genuinely being earnest. She felt like she wasn''t here because of Jared''s orders, from the way Nicole had treated her. Nicole had a satisfied expression on her face. In a soft voice, she said, "Come sit down and eat." "Okay." Patricia sat down and ate alongside Nicole. Her heart was fuzzy with warmth by the actions of Nicole. It was not long after that the sun started to set. Nicole walked out of the front door of Riddle Corporation and was met with Lawrence. "Leo, what are you doing here?" asked Nicole, confused. "I wanted to pick up the twins from kindergarten with you," Lawrence said with a smile. ¡°Oh, they don''t need me to pick them up anymore. We''ve got Tia to pick them up," Nicole said apologetically. "I didn''t expect that you''d be here, so I didn''t inform you about it beforehand," added Nicole. Chapter 2559 Chapter 2559 Chapter 2559 "It''s okay." Lawrence did not show any disappointment. He just nced at Nicole and said, "Since that''s the case, how about having dinner together?" "No need to trouble yourself. Mr. Johnston is on his way to pick up his wife now," Patricia said. She stood by Nicole''s side with a cold and indifferent expression. Lawrence nced at Patricia with dark eyes. He had a strong feeling that Patricia was not someone to be messed with. Patricia''s presence, next to Nicole, was nonexistent when she remained silent earlier. But it was theplete opposite when she started speaking. "This is..." Lawrence pretended to be somewhat puzzled. "My assistant." Nicole kept it vague. This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. Lawrence''s gaze darkened. "Isn''t Lulu your assistant?" "Lulu has been busytely, and she''s going on her honeymoon soon, so I hired a new one," Nicole exined with a smile,ing up with a convincing reason. Hearing this, Lawrence did not press further and simply smiled. " Well, too bad then." "Let''s do it another time." Nicole was pretty tired too, so she did not want to have lunch with him. "Sure, I''ll see you next time.'''' Lawrence did not persist. Nicole saw Jared''s car driving in, so she said, "I''ll be leaving now." ¡°Bye, " Lawrence replied, watching Nicole board the car and leave. Once she was gone, Lawrence''s expression turned cold and ruthless. Lawrence got back into the car, and Ian asked, "Mr. Lawrence, is everything all right?" "Find out who thedy next to Nicole is," Lawrence ordered in a cold tone. "Understood," Ian promptly agreed before asking, "Is there something wrong with her?" "I''m not sure, but something doesn''t seem right," Lawrence replied. Even though Nicole had exined that Patricia was her new assistant, the woman''s aura was far from what an ordinary assistant would possess. ¡°Why would there be such a person around Miss Nicole?" Ian muttered as he found it strange. Lawrence nced at Ian and said, "You can investigate the people working under Jared." "Mr. Lawrence, are you saying that..." Ian did not finish his sentence as he thought to himself, ''Did Jared send her?" Although Lawrence did not say it, his message was quite clear. Ian knew that there were not many people who could work around Jared, yet that woman was one of his people. Even though she was working under Nicole, she probably was not capable enough to be around Jared. "Got it," Ian responded seriously. If this person had been arranged by Jared to be around Nicole, there was only one possibility¡ªto protect her. But did Nicole need someone to protect her? Something must have happened, or... Lawrence''s eyes turned dark as he looked out of the car window, deep in thought. Meanwhile, in Jared''s car, Patricia was sitting in the passenger seat. Her voice low as she said, "I''ve taken care of my identity, so they won''t find anything." "From now on, unless there are special circumstances, just go to and from work normally." Nicole looked at Patricia. Since Patricia was using an ordinary identity, she should not show that she had a special status. "Okay," Patricia replied respectfully. After a while, they arrived back at the Riddle residence. Nicole and Jared entered the house, while Max and Patricia left. In the living room, Nicole noticed that Nn and Lana had not returned yet and casually asked, "Are Nn and Lana not home yet?" Chapter 2560 Chapter 2560 Chapter 2560 ¡°Not yet." Gloria nced at the time and said, "They should be back soon." "Okay." Nicole and Jared sat down, waiting for the children to return. Meanwhile, Tia had picked up Nn and Lana, and they were already on their way home. In the car, Lana leaned against Tia and looked at her with innocent eyes. "Aunt Tia, do you know that Uncle Samuel is going on a blind date?" Tia''s expression froze for a moment before she replied, "I heard." "It''s great, right? Mr. Samuel should indeed find a girlfriend." Lana paused for a moment before adding. Text content ? N?velDrama.Org. Lana could not help but sigh inwardly. ''Why did it seem like Aunt Tia didn''t really care? Could we have misunderstood something?¡¯ She turned to look at Nn and whispered, "Nn, could we be mistaken?" ¡°Whether we''re mistaken or not, we''ll find outter," Nn insisted. Since they had already made up their minds, they had to know the final result to avoid any regrets. "Okay." Lana nodded in agreement. ¡°Aunt Tia, do you have time this weekend?" Nn asked. ¡°This weekend?" Tia thought for a moment. "Is that in two days? T should be free." Seizing the opportunity, Lana . hugged Tia''s arm and said, "Then, Aunt Tia, can you apany us for some shopping?" "Shopping?" Tia looked puzzled. "If you want to go, Miss Nicole will take you." ¡®Why do these two kids want me to apany them shopping?" "But we want you toe with us," Lana said, swaying Tia''s arm gently. "Please, Aunt Tia, if you''re not busy, can you apany us?" "Well..." Tia hesitated but ultimately could not bear to disappoint the two little ones. She agreed, "I''ll ask Miss Nicole when I get back." ¡°Okay, Aunt Tia, you promised!" Lana happily eximed, thinking that it should be easy to convince Nicole. Nn''s eyebrows raised slightly, and then he gave Lana an imperceptible nod. They arrived back home after a while. Upon entering the living room, Lana ran toward Nicole, her short legs moving quickly. She jumped into Nicole''s arms and said, " Mommy, I want to go shopping this weekend. Can Aunt Tiae with us?" ¡°You want to go shopping?" Nicole was somewhat surprised. If they had said they wanted to go to an amusement park, she would have believed it. But why did they suddenly want to go shopping? "Yes, Nn and I want to go, and we want Aunt Tia to come with us,'''' Lana said, her small head held high, looking very serious. "We already asked, and Aunt Tia said she''s free," Nn added. Nicole''s eyes narrowed slightly. At first, she was simply surprised, but now, looking at the children''s expressions, she seemed to have a better understanding of the situation. ''Stanley''s is going on a blind date this weekend, isn''t he?'' "Do you want to go?" Nicole looked at Tia. "I''m fine with it," Tia agreed. If Nicole allowed her, she did not mind apanying the two children. Nicole readily agreed. "Alright, then we''ll go together." ¡°Thank you, Mommy!" Lana could not help but cheer. She even raised her chin triumphantly at Nn. "Miss Nicole, I''ll be heading over to the backyard now." Tia''s task waspleted, so she was ready to leave. Chapter 2561 Chapter 2561 Chapter 2561 After ncing at the time, Nicole said, "Sure." Once Tia left, Nicole pinched Lana''s little cheek and smiled meaningfully. "Mommy, shouldn''t you have dinner by now? We''ll go upstairs first," Nn said as he beckoned to his sister. Then, they went upstairs. Nicole smiled gently as she watched them. ¡°Come on, it''s time for dinner." Daniel emerged from his study and called everyone to eat. Nicole looked around and noticed that no one else was home. " They''re noting back?" "Yeah, Stanley said he has work, and Samuel and Spencer probably went on a date," Gloria exined. As they sat down in the dining room, the atmosphere at home felt a bit deste with so few people. Daniel looked around and said, "We''ll have to get used to days like this from now on." Then, he turned to Nicole and added, "Once you all get married, it might just be your mother and I eating together in this house.¡± "Well, it is a bit quieter, but I still hope they all get married soon," Gloria said. ''''Come on, eat up." "Let''s eat." Daniel invited everyone to begin the meal. "Mom, Dad, we all live nearby, so we cane back anytime," Nicole reassured. Even though it was a good thing for children to get married, parents also need someone to keep them company. Thankfully, they were all living close by, so they could pay their parents a visit whenever they wanted. "That''s right. Whenever you want to eat something, juste back, and we''ll prepare it for you," Gloria said with a smile. After chatting and eating, everyone went upstairs to rest. When Nicole got back to her room, she gave Stanley a call. "It''s been two days. How long do you n to hide?" Nicole got straight to the point. "IT don''t know." Stanley did not make any excuses and simply replied with a hint of helplessness. ¡°Mom has already arranged a blind date for you this weekend. You can''t miss it," Nicole reminded him. While he could avoiding home, he could not miss the appointment they had set. Stanley fell silent for a moment before reluctantly agreeing, "I know." He also realized that there was no turning back at this point. He had to show up. "Alright then, I won''t disturb you any longer," Nicole said and hung up the phone. With a sigh, she put away her phone and turned to look at Jared. " Stanley''s quite conflicted." "Maybe he has his own concerns," Jared consoled her, running his fingers gently through Nicole''s hair. "Let''s just let things unfold naturally." "Okay," Nicole agreed and nced at the time. "I''ll go check if Nn and Lana are asleep." Then, she left and went separately to Nn''s and Lana''s rooms to see if the children had already fallen asleep. Time passed swiftly, and two days went by. On the weekend, Nn and Lana woke up early, eager to go out shopping. Nicole chuckled when she came downstairs and saw the two adorable kids. "You two are up so early." ¡°Mommy, hurry up! Let''s have breakfast quickly." Nn and Lana could not wait any longer. ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. "Alright, let''s go." Nicole lovingly took her cute kids to the dining room. After a while, everyone in the family gathered. After a delightful breakfast together, Nn and Lana were pulling Nicole, ready to go shopping. Chapter 2562 Chapter 2562 ¡°Mommy, hurry up! Aunt Tia is waiting for us," Nn urged. ¡°Alright, let''s go." Once they left the house, Tia was already waiting for them. She immediately greeted them as they approached. After getting into the car together, Lana seemed somewhat excited, taking in everything on the street as if it were all new to her. ¡°Mommy, are we there yet?" Lana looked outside, seemingly unable to contain her excitement. "We''re almost there," Tia replied, ncing outside. Nicole gave Tia a quick look and then shifted her gaze to Lana. Lana''s gaze returned to the car window as if nothing had happened. Nicole smiled ever so slightly. She obviously realized Nn and Lana''s intentions. Stanley had a blind date today, and the kids insisted on going shopping, requesting to bring Tia along. She could imagine that they would definitely run into Stanleyter. Sure enough, when Nn and Lana got tired, they suggested going to a cafe for pastries. They deliberately chose a shopping area that was close to the location of Stanley''s blind date. So, they naturally requested that the cafe they visited be the one where Stanley was meeting his date. Once they got in, Nn and Lana quickly scanned the area to find Stanley. Their eyes lit up when they did. ¡°Uncle Stanley!" Lana walked over to Stanley''s direction. Tia''s expression stiffened when she saw Stanley and his date sitting at a table. She quickly calmed herself down and looked at Nicole. Though Lana had gone over to Stanley, Tia knew that she could not follow Lana there and then, so she waited for Nicole''s approval. ¡°Let''s go, Mommy!" Nn said as he pulled Nicole and Tia toward Stanley. ¡°Why are you here?" Stanley was surprised to see them there. ¡°We came out to go shopping. We got tired, so we wanted to have some pastries. Uncle Samuel, what are you doing here?" Lana pretended not to know and asked curiously. Stanley felt a bit awkward. He exined after ncing at the gir] sitting across from him. "Uncle Stanley is meeting a friend here.¡± "A friend?" Lana seemed to notice the girl just then and greeted her with a smile. "Hello, Miss." "Hello," thedy greeted back with a smile, charmed by Lana''s innocent and adorable demeanor. "Nn, Lana, let''s sit over here." Nicole called Nn and Lana over to the table next to Stanley''s and reminded them, "Don''t disturb Uncle Stanley." "Okay," Nn agreed, pushing Tia closer to where Stanley was sitting. "Aunt Tia, you sit here!" Tia felt a bit awkward as she replied, "Alright." Once seated, Tia kept her head down, even her breathing seemed cautious as she tried to make herself as inconspicuous as possible. "Aunt Tia, would you like coffee or juice?" ¡°Aunt Tia, would you like some pastries?" "Aunt Tia..." The voices of the two kids kept echoing throughout the cafe. This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. '' Auntie Tia¡¯ was a name that was lingering in everyone''s ears, making it impossible to ignore. Stanley was bing increasingly ufortable. After enduring it for some time, he finally could not take it any longer and suggested, "I have something to attend to suddenly, so I''ll excuse myself." ¡°Alright, are we... meeting again?" the girl asked nicely. Stanley hesitated for a moment. He looked at the girl with aplicated expression as he was unsure how to respond. The girl bit her lip and could only respond somewhat sadly, "Then you can leave for now. I''ll leaveter." "Goodbye," Stanley said. He paid the bill and hurriedly left without even saying goodbye to Nicole and the others. Nicole was amused as she watched Stanley''s retreating figure. Nn and Lana exchanged triumphant nces, while Tia appeared somewhat lost, gazing at Stanley''s departing back mncholically. Chapter 2563 Chapter 2563 Chapter 2563 After sitting alone at the table for a while, the girl got up and bid farewell to them. "You''re Stanley''s sisters and nephews, right?" "Yes. Hello,'''' Nicole politely responded. "IT have to leave now. Hopefully, we''ll meet again someday," the girl said with forcedposure. "Bye," Nicole replied with a faint smile, nodding in acknowledgment. Perhaps they would meet again in the future, but her rtionship with Samuel would likely not progress any further. The girl turned and walked away, appearing rather disappointed. "Mommy, can we leave now?" Their mission was aplished, so Nn and Lana had lost interest in shopping. They had never been fond of shopping to begin with. Everything they did was for Stanley and Tia. Now that there was nothing left to do, they obviously wanted to return home. Going home to enjoy the air conditioning and some watermelon in this hot weather sounded much more appealing. "We''re leaving now?" Tia was a bit surprised to be heading home so soon. "Yes, we''re tired, and we want to go home and rest," Lana said, appearing exhausted. Tia looked at Nicole. "Miss Nicole, Nn and Lana are tired, so we should go home." "Alright," Nicole agreed, well aware of the children''s thoughts. After a while, the group returned to the Riddle residence and found Stanley unexpectedly in the living room, chatting with Gloria. "Uncle Samuel, didn''t you say you had something to do? Why are you back?" Nn asked as he walked in, his tone containing an air of interrogation. "You''re back," Gloria greeted them, pulling Nn and Lana over. "How did you know Uncle Stanley had something to do?" "Just a moment ago..." Lana was about to mention encountering Stanley at the cafe when Nn interrupted and exined, "No, didn''t you say Uncle Samuel had something to do today earlier this morning?" "Oh." Gloria had assumed they were referring to Stanley''s blind date, so she did not think much of it. She exined, "Uncle Stanley has finished his business, so he''s back." Having said that, Gloria looked at Stanley and asked, "So, how did it go today?" ¡°Mom, I think we should forget about this whole thing.¡± Stanley finally gathered the courage to speak up. He regretted agreeing to the blind date. However, Gloria misunderstood Stanley''s meaning and said somewhat helplessly, Since you''re not satisfied, we can arrange another one next time. The other girl is also very nice." "Mom!" Stanley scratched his head in frustration. "Mrs. Riddle, Miss Nicole, I''ll take my leave now," said Tia. Gloria looked at Tia and said, "It''s almost noon. Just stay for lunch, Tia." "It''s okay, I''m going to see Mrs. Wace Sr." Tia unconsciously clenched her hands, trying to keep herself calm. Hearing this, Gloria agreed, "Alright, thene over for dinner. Let Mrs. Wace Sr. know, and we''ll have a meal together." "T''ll ask her when I get back, and if she''s willing toe, we''ll be there." Although Tia did not want to go, she could not make the decision for Mrs. Wace Sr. "Okay, go ahead then." Gloria nodded gently. "Yes, Mrs. Riddle." Tia lowered her head and turned to leave. Watching Tia''s departing figure, Stanley narrowed his eyes slightly and he sighed silently. "Mom, I have something else to attend to. ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. I''ll be going." Stanley finally stood up and left quickly. "Hey..." Gloria wanted to stop Stanley, but he had already left the hallway. Shaking her head helplessly, Gloria muttered, "Is that a yes or a no?" Chapter 2564 Chapter 2564 Chapter 2564 "Of course it''s ano." Lana seized the opportunity and continued, " Great-grandma, I think Uncle Samuel doesn''t like blind dates, so maybe you shouldn''t arrange any more for him." "I think if he''s not satisfied, we should arrange another one until he is. Otherwise, all our previous efforts will be in vain." Nn shook his little head like a grown man. Lana furrowed her small brows, looking displeased at Nn as if she were saying, "What are you doing?! Why are you on the other side?" Gloria pondered and responded, "You''re right. Maybe this one just didn''t click with Stanley. I believe there''s someone out there meant for him." With that, Gloria busied herself to arrange the next blind date. Lana pulled Nn away and said in a lowered voice, "Nn, why aren''t you helping Aunt Tia?" "Tam," Nn said with a meaningful look. "T''m just trying to help. That''s why I said that." "Ts this your idea of helping?" Lana did not quite understand. Nn gave her a look that seemed to say, "You''ll see what I meanter." Lana still seemed a bit puzzled, but Nn had stopped exining, and Gloria had finished her phone call. She happily pulled Nn and Lana along, asking, "What would you like for lunch? I''ll get the chef to prepare it for you." As they pondered what to have for lunch, Nicole got up and said, " You guys stay for lunch. I''m going to the office." ¡°Have lunch before you go!" Gloria urged. "No, I''ll just eat at the office," Nicole replied. With that, she bid them farewell and left. As soon as she left, Patricia arrived. Mrs. Johnston." Nicole and Patricia got into the car together, and Nicole''s expression grew serious. "They''ve been investigating you." "Yes, but don''t worry. I''m just your new assistant," Patricia said confidently. She had arranged everything carefully, leaving no room for any ws. "Good," Nicole said, satisfaction shing in her eyes. For now, just focus on internalpany matters." She believed that even if they had not found anything, Lawrence would have people keeping an eye on Patricia. Therefore, they could not afford to be careless. Besides, Patricia hade to help her, and there was no need to assign her any special tasks. "Yes." Patricia knew what Nicole was doing. The car continued on its way, and after a while, Nicole and Patricia arrived at thepany. "Mrs. Johnston, these are thetest proposals. Please take a look." Patricia handed several documents to Nicole. Nicole raised an eyebrow and looked at Patricia. "Don''t call me Mrs. Johnston from now on." Addressing her as ''Mrs. Johnston¡¯ could reveal a lot. "Got it." Patricia quickly corrected herself. "Miss Nicole." Nicole frowned slightly, but she could not think of a more suitable title, so she agreed. This way of addressing her was in line with Patricia''s role as a new assistant and would not arouse suspicion. KNOCK, KNOCK. After a knock on the door, Lulu peeked inside cautiously. Content provided by N?velDrama.Org. "Am I interrupting anything?" "No,e in," Nicole smiled and gestured for Lulu to enter. Aftering in, Lulu nodded at Patricia and then lowered her voice to say to Nicole, "I heard that Chloe went to find Martin." "why did she go to see Martin?" Nicole was somewhat surprised. Chapter 2565 Chapter 2565 Chapter 2565 "No idea. I just found it strange, so I thought I''d tell you." Lulu shook her head. Recently, Nicole would not let Lulu do anything as she was getting married soon. Lulu had overheard this information by chance and hade back to inform Nicole. "I''ll arrange for someone to investigate," said Patricia. Nicole nodded. "Yes, that''s a good idea." It was indeed strange for Chloe to seek out Martin. While Martin was a medical professor, his expertise was primarily in neurology. He might not be of much help regarding Chloe''s paralysis. It was necessary to investigate and gather information as she still had to keep her guard up against their family because of Everett. Lulu felt relieved after Nicole had taken notice. "Please look into it carefully." As long as they could find out the truth, whether it was useful to Nicole or not, it would still be beneficial to her. After seeing that there were no further matters to discuss, Patricia left. "Miss Nicole, I''ll take my leave now." Leaning against Nicole''s desk, Lulu said with admiration, "She must be able to help you out a lot, doesn''t she?" Nicole could not help but tease her friend, "Are you jealous?" "Not really. I''m just envious of her capabilities." Lulu shrugged. She wanted to be capable too, so she could help Nicole more. ¡°You''re bing more sensitive the closer you get to your wedding day," Nicole joked. "You and she are different." ¡°Of course. She can help you a lot, but I can''t." Lulu sighed. At this rate, she was losing her confidence. "Stop overthinking. Just sit and wait till the day you be the happiest bride on earth." Nicole smiled and continued, "My office will always wee you with open arms." "Thanks for epting my shorings." Lulu smiled. Lulu felt guilty as she realized just how much she fell shortpared to Patricia. ¡°Why would you say that? Don''t forget that you got in here based on your abilities. There''s no need to underestimate yourself." Nicole smiled and reassured her. After a while, Patricia returned, wearing a somewhat cold expression. "What''s wrong?" Nicole squinted. Her intuition told her that the news Patricia brought might not be good. "Chloe heard that you''ve been going to Martin often, so she wanted to find out something from him," Patricia said coldly. Chloe''s intentions were bing increasingly clear. It was quite foolish of her to think she could disrupt Nicole and Jared''s rtionship at this stage. "Is that all?" Nicole asked with a dark expression. Patricia understood what Nicole wanted to ask and replied softly, " She probably doesn''t know about that matter." "Okay." Nicole nodded. If Chloe did not know about her amnesia, it was not important. Patricia hesitated for a moment before saying, "Miss Nicole, there''s one more thing. Chloe has been actively searching for the Ghost Hand recently. She''s doing it more frequently recently, and she''s offering a higher reward. She''s even resorted to searching for people on the Hunters." Nicole raised an eyebrow slightly. "She seems really anxious." For the past five years, Chloe had never given up on her treatment, but there had been no significant improvement. The Ghost Hand she was looking for had never shown any trace or information. Content provided by N?velDrama.Org. It seemed that Chloe was genuinely desperate and eager to treat her legs. Just as Nicole was lost in thought, her phone rang. Seeing it was Martin''s number, Nicole answered. "Martin." "Nicole, I want to talk to you about Chloe," Martin''s voice sounded somewhat uneasy. "I already know. You don''t have to worry. It''s fine." Nicole''s calm voice was somewhatforting. Chapter 2566 Chapter 2566 Chapter 2566 "That''s good." Martin sighed in relief before he went on to caution Nicole. "I feel that Chloe is acting a bit strange. Be careful. " "Got it. Did she ask you to contact Ghost Hand for her?" Nicole asked. "She did, but I don''t know anything about it,'''' Martin replied. '' Even if I did, I wouldn''t want to help Chloe anyway.'' "It''s okay, don''t worry about it," Nicole said, her voice calm like a cool, gentle stream of water. She was Ghost Hand herself, and so long as she did not reveal it, no one would ever know. As for Chloe, her willingness to help her would depend on how Chloe treated her; at the moment, it seemed that Chloe''s sole focus was not on finding a doctor who would be able to heal her legs. "Alright, I''ll be at ease as long as you''re aware of it." Martin''s voice softened as he shifted the topic. "How are the medicines I''ve prescribed for you?" "They''re working fine. Lately, I''ve been able to recall a few things, albeit unintentionally," Nicole replied truthfully. This led Martin to stop and ponder for a moment. "It seems that I won''t need to tend to you much longer. You should be able to regain your memories in no time." "I think so too." Nicole smiled in response. She was no longer in such a hurry to regain her memories. If anything, allowing the pieces to fall in ce would not be a bad idea for her. "In that case, let me congratte you in advance," Martin said with a smile. "Well, I''ve got to thank you, Martin.¡± Nicole said, expressing her genuine gratitude. She had indeed received significant help from Martin ever since her return, and with his help, she could finally remember bits and pieces of her past. "Don''t mention it, Nicole. ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. Being able to help you is my honor,¡± Martin replied warmly. "I consider us friends." "Yes, friends." Nicole smiled in agreement, for they were indeed friends. After ending the call, Nicole turned to Patricia and said, "Keep an eye on Chloe." "Yes," Patricia responded in respectful fashion. "She''s still stirring the pot, even in her current condition." Lulu pouted, feeling annoyed. With a look on her face indicative of indifference, Nicole shrugged. "Perhaps she''s just not satisfied with the medical expenses Grandpa has provided." Chloe''s pursuit of medical treatment was none other than her own business. Nicole would only intervene if she ever noted devious intent on her part. "Alright, we''ve said everything that needs to be said. I''ll get back to work," Lulu stood up and left. After that, Patricia joined in, saying, "I''ll head out as well." A solemn look crossed Nicole''s face as the two women exited her office. Then, she grabbed the files on her desk. As the sun set, the evening sky was painted in shades of orange. Nicole was still in her office at that hour, and that was when her phone began ringing. "Grandpa." Nicole immediately answered after noting the caller ID. ¡°Are you done with work, Nicole?" Mr. Riddle Sr. asked, his tone solemn. Sensing that something was amiss, Nicole softly asked, "Is there something wrong, Grandpa?¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. sighed. "Pleasee to the family manor when you have the time." "Okay, I''lle over right now," Nicole readily agreed. After hanging up, Nicole left the office. When she arrived at the first floor, she noticed that Jared was already there waiting for her. "Grandpa wants me to head over to the family manor," Nicole informed as she got into the car. Chapter 2567 Chapter 2567 Chapter 2567 "Drive," Jared ordered. "Of course," Max replied and sent the engine running, whereupon they made their way to the Riddle family manor. Text content ? N?velDrama.Org. Upon arrival, Nicole and Jared entered the manor. Their eyes narrowed a little when they saw the people present in the living room. "Grandpa." Nicole greeted calmly as she walked over to the living area where the couches were. There, Mr. Riddle Sr. shot Nicole and Jared a nce and said, " Please, have a seat." Once they were seated, Nicole centered her gaze at Dillion and Karen, who were disheveled and unrecognizable. In fact, Nicole could barely recognize them, and it was evident that they had been in the trenches as of late. "Dad, now that things have been cleared up, and it wasn''t me who did it, can you at least take care of us?" Dillion looked at Nicole then back at his father. He was feeling a little ashamed, but he had to speak up anyhow. He had truly suffered enough being homeless, and if things continued this way, he might actually die out there. Hearing his words, Nicole raised her brows and asked, "Uncle Dillion, didn''t you sell the vi to stay in a hotel? How did things turn out like this?" Although she had phrased it as a question, Nicole actually knew everything that had happened: they had lost every source of ie they had. If they had sold their mansion, gotten jobs, and lived a normal life, they would not have ended up in the state they were in. However, they had gotten a little too used to thevish life and did not want to lose their pride, so they had quickly squandered all their money. They had been on the streets for a while now, and it seemed to everyone that they had truly hit rock bottom. In addition, they had recently learned that Everett was the true culprit, and that meant that they were proven innocent. With that in mind, they had crawled all the way back to seek refuge with Mr. Riddle. Sr. Hearing Nicole''s question, Dillion and Karen''s faces turned pale. Still, they did not dare to say anything at this moment. They genuinely feared for themselves, and did not want to return to being homeless. Otherwise, they might actually die out there. With a deep breath, Dillion could only grit his teeth and say, "Hear me out. We made a mistake in the past, but we promise that we will change and make things right in the future." After he had spoken, he looked at Mr. Riddle Sr. again and pledged, "Dad, we''ll stay at home and not get involved in anything in the foreseeable future. We''ll just keep youpany." "Yes, Dad. You''re getting older, and you needpanionship and care. Dillion and I will stay by your side to apany and take care of you," Karen chimed in immediately. "You wish to stay here?" Mr. Riddle Sr. raised his eyebrows slightly. "Yes, we are not asking for anything else. Just being able to stay with you is enough." Dillon nodded vigorously, truly at his wits'' end now. It would be good enough for them if they could live in safety and rtivefort. That was all they could all for at this juncture. Now that DillCorp was gone, he would no longer be able to get it back. Fortunately, Nicole had set a techpany up for Preston, which was their lifeline. Snow was still in a vegetative state, but Preston had arranged for her care, so they did not have to worry about her. As for Raine... There had been no news of her for the longest time, and they could not afford to worry about her anymore. At the very least, there had not been any bad news about her, so she should be fine, at least to them. After some thought, they had decided that this was the best oue for them. As long as Mr. Riddle Sr. agreed, they would no longer have to sleep under bridges or scavenge for food. Going hungry or even resorting to digging through garbage cans like feral roons again was thest thing they ever wanted to do again. With their pleasid out, Mr. Riddle Sr. looked at Nicole as if asking for her opinion. "Grandpa, it''s your decision," Nicole said with a smile, as she had no objections whatsoever. After a brief moment of contemtion, Mr. Riddle Sr. solemnly said, "Very well. You can stay. However, I''m only providing you with a roof over your heads and food. I won''t cover any other expenses. If necessary, you can go to the butler. He knows what should be provided and what should not be." Chapter 2568 Chapter 2568 Chapter 2568 In short, the Riddle family would provide them with food and shelter, but nothing more. Hearing that, Dillion and Karen expressed their gratitude at once, promising, "Thank you, Dad. We will stay at home and take care of you." "Say what you mean and mean what you say. If you can''t do that, don''t evere back," Mr. Riddle Sr. warned sternly. "Dad, rest assured, we won''t break our promise," Dillion firmly assured. They were genuinely afraid and did not want to return to a life of homelessness and scavenging for food. Mr. Riddle Sr. then turned to the butler and said, ''Have someone take them downstairs to freshen up and prepare a room for them." "Yes," the butler replied. "Thank you, Dad." Dillion and Karen said, after which they followed the butler downstairs. "Nicole, don''t you have anything to say?" Mr. Riddle Sr. hesitated for a moment before asking. With a gentle smile, Nicole replied, "They have suffered enough, and the past is the past. Besides, they didn''tmit the crimes of which they were used. Content provided by N?velDrama.Org. For Preston''s sake, it''s reasonable to give them a chance." Mr. Riddle Sr. sighed. What they did, even though they didn''t tamper with the medicine, is unforgivable. But seeing them in such a pitiful state..." He could not help but sympathize with them. If they were truly repentant and well-behaved, he could amodate them, but he would only provide for their basic needs. He would not be responsible for anything beyond that. If they behaved, they would not have to worry about food and shelter anymore. If not, this would be theirst chance, and there would be no forgiveness if they made the same mistakes in the future. "Grandpa, it''s good to have them here to keep youpany. After all, staying here all by yourself can get lonely," Nicoleforted. That was one of the reasons she had agreed to let them stay too. It would be ideal if they could look after Mr. Riddle Sr. After all, Nicole and her family did not have much time to visit him. "Rest assured, Dad, we will stay here and take care of you. We won''t go anywhere else," Dillon and Karen said as they came in after taking a shower and changing into clean sets of clothes. They looked much cleaner now, and the arrogant and hostile attitude they once carried themselves with had seemingly disappeared, reced by a more amiable demeanor. "That''s good to hear, Uncle Dillion, Aunt Karen. I believe Preston will be pleased," Nicole said with a meaningful smile. Dillon''s smile stiffened for a moment, but he quickly replied, " Yes, we hope he can forgive us." From the looks of it now, their son was the only one they could rely on in the future. ¡°Grandfather, we''ll take our leave now," Nicole said, sensing that Dillion knew what she was trying to say. Mr. Riddle Sr. shot a nce at Dillon and Karen before he said, " Very well, goodbye." Soon after, Nicole and Jared got into their car and left the family manor. Nicole leaned back against her seat and breathed a sigh of relief. She believed that Dillion understood what she had said. If he still cared about his son, he would definitely behave himself. After all, they had endured so much hardship, and if they could not learn to behave now, there would be no hope for them anymore. Chapter 2569 Chapter 2569 MY WIFE IS A HACKER CHAPTER 2569-Jared gently ced his hand on Nicole¡¯s shoulder before he drew her in for a light embrace. ¡°The butler will keep an eye on them.¡± Although Mr. Riddle Sr. had taken them in and Nicole had warned them, an observation period was still necessary. Nicole then looked up at Jared and nodded with a slight smile. ¡°Yeah.¡± She was not overly concerned, as she believed her grandfather would not throw his rationality to the wind over this matter. She would also keep an eye on them to see if they were truly trustworthy or not. After a while, the two returned to the Riddle residence, where the family had just eaten their dinner. Surprised to see them back so soon, they asked, ¡°Weren¡¯t you at the family manor?¡± ¡®Why are they back at this hour? Did they not have dinner there?¡¯ ¡°We stayed for a while and then came back,¡± Nicole replied, noticing that the housekeepers were already clearing the table. ¡°Please prepare dinner for both of us.¡± ¡°Please wait a moment, Miss,¡± the housekeeper replied and hurried off to prepare dinner for Nicole and Jared. Curious, Daniel asked, ¡°Why did youe back from your grandfather¡¯s ce without having dinner?¡± Nicole then went on to exin the circumstances revolving around Dillion and Karen. Before long, dinner arrived, and Nicole and Jared began eating. Daniel and Gloria sat on the living room sofa, looking somewhat sorrowful. ¡±1 can¡¯t believe Dillion and Karen turned out this way.¡± ¡°They¡¯ve been leading a carefree life, and the fact that they¡¯ve held out until now is quite surprising,¡± Gloria said, shaking her head. Knowing them, they should have given up a long time ago. ¡°It¡¯s probably because the truth about Dad¡¯s medicine hase to light,¡± Daniel guessed. After all, even if they had returned earlier, nobody would have paid any attention to them. Now that it had been confirmed that they were not responsible for the incident, they could safely seek refuge with their father. ¡°Let¡¯s hope they¡¯ve learned their lesson this time,¡± Gloria sighed. ¡°I hope so too,¡± Daniel said with a heavy heart, unsure of how long they could hold on. ¡°Dad, Mom, what are you talking about?¡± Samuel asked, entering the room just to notice Daniel and Gloria looking somewhat crestfallen. Did something happen?¡¯ ¡°It¡¯s nothing serious. It¡¯s just that your Uncle Dillon and Aunt Karen are in a difficult situation now and have returned to the family manor,¡± Daniel briefly exined. After mentioning it, he swiftly changed the subject. ¡°You¡¯re backte. Where¡¯s Spencer?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. I think he¡¯s staying at Lulu Barrera¡¯s ce and noting back,¡± Samuel replied, hazarding a guess. Frowning at the remark she had received, Gloria scolded,¡± Call her your sis-inw!¡± ¡®How could he still call her by her full name?¡¯ she thought. ¡°Hey, Spencer is only two or three minutes older than me, and we¡¯ve been hanging out with each other very often for the past few years. We¡¯re used to it. Calling her ¡®sis-inw¡¯ feels really awkward.¡± Samuel shrugged, defending his stance. In response, Gloria rolled her eyes at Samuel. ¡°Well, Spencer is still your older brother, and you¡¯re still the younger one.¡± ¡°Mom, we¡¯re twins. There¡¯s no need to be so particr about it.¡± Samuel scratched his head. After all, they were going to be one big family, and there was really no need to adopt such formalities with one another. After shaking her head, Gloria shifted the conversation.¡± Your wedding ising up. For the next few days, I¡¯d like you to take June and Lulu to review all the arrangements. Well have guests from all over San Joto, including friends, business associates, and dignitaries. We can¡¯t afford any mistakes.¡± ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. ¡°Got it, Mom. I¡¯ll bring them along,¡± Samuel replied. After the bunch had discussed the minutes of the wedding, Nicole and Jared emptied their tes and joined them in the living room. ¡°Is Uncle Dillion nning something?¡± Samuel asked Nicole. ¡°If you saw how miserable they looked, you wouldn¡¯t suspect anything.¡± Nicole shrugged. She believed that the level of misery they had disyed was not something they could easily fake Chapter 2570 Chapter 2570 MY WIFE IS A HACKER CHAPTER 2570-Relieved, Samuel remarked, ¡°That¡¯s good. ¡°It¡¯s gettingte. Let¡¯s all head upstairs and get some sleep,¡± Daniel advised everyone. Gloria then looked at Nicole and said, ¡°Nn and Lana have already gone to their rooms. Why don¡¯t you go check on Content provided by N?velDrama.Org. them?¡± ¡°Alright,¡± Nicole agreed, after which she and Jared headed upstairs. In Nn¡¯s room, the two kids were in the middle of a discussion, but the instant they saw Nicole and Jared entering, they immediately fell silent and rushed toward them, eximing, ¡°Mommy, Daddy, you¡¯re back!¡± Holding Lana, Jared¡¯s gaze softened as he asked, ¡°What were you two up to just now?¡± Lana could note up with a lie as she met her father¡¯s eyes, so she pouted and said, Daddy, it¡¯s a secret. Can you not ask?¡± She could not tell Jared, but she did not want to lie to him either. Therefore, the best option, at least for her, was to request her father to not ask her about it. Jared could not help but smile when he saw her being caught in such a dilemma. ¡°Alright, I won¡¯t ask.¡± ¡°Thank you, Daddy.¡± Lana beamed as she wrapped her arms around Jared¡¯s neck. ¡°Daddy, I want to go to sleep now.¡± ¡°Okay, go to sleep,¡± Jared said as he carried Lana out of Nn¡¯s room. Nicole, who was still around, shot a nce at Nn. She could already guess what the two kids had been up to earlier, but instead of exposing them, she just asked, ¡°Did you not carry out any missions today?¡± ¡°Nope.¡± Nn shook his head. ¡°Lately, it¡¯s been unusually quiet on the Hunters. It feels a bit strange.¡± ¡°It has indeed be rather quiet,¡± Nicole said with a hint of concern, for such unexpected calmness had given her an uneasy feeling too. ¡°Mommy, do you think someone might be nning something big?¡± Nn spected, tilting his head. Nicole bit her lip slightly and ruffled Nn¡¯s hair. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, you should stay off the inte for a while.¡± After all, Nn was still a child, and even though he was pretty skilled, he might not be able to bite off more than he could chew, especially in the case of unforeseen circumstances. Besides, he would not be able to fully comprehend the ¡°Okay, Mommy,¡± Nn obediently agreed. He knew that his mother would never outright forbid him from doing something. In fact, Nicole would always help him n and decide. However, this was the first time Nicole had given him such a serious warning. ¡°Go to bed now,¡± Nicole said with a gentle smile. Hearing that, Nn took his pajamas to the bathroom andid down on his bed after he had taken a shower. Nicole went over to tuck him in and sat next to him to keep himpany for a bit. Then, they spoke about the things that happened in school. Deep down, Nicole really wanted Nn to live his earlier years as a normal child. After Nn had drifted off to sleep, Nicole and Jared returned to their own room. There, she sat next to her bed and turned herputer on, before switching to a different interface and logging in to the Hunter. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Jared softly asked upon noticing Nicole¡¯s furrowed brows. ¡°The Hunter has been in a strange state recently, and even Nn has noticed it. The situation might be moreplicated than I thought,¡± Nicole replied while her fingers darted across the keyboard. ¡°Leave this to Preston and the Finley brothers,¡± Jared suggested. He could see how exhausted she had been as ofte, and he did not want her to worry about anything else. Chapter 2571 Chapter 2571 MY WIFE IS A HACKER CHAPTER 2571-Nicole raised an eyebrow at Jared as she attempted to understand what he had meant. A warm, fuzzy feeling arose within her as she said, ¡®Til have a nce at it first. I¡¯ll contact them if I need to.¡± Jared stayed with Nicole as she browsed the Hunters. And a whileter, Nicole logged off theputer and the couple went to bed thereafter. The next day, the sun shone high and hot as Nicole arrived at the headquarters of Riddle Corporation. She was about to give Preston a call before she realized that he had already arrived before she did. ¡°Thanks!1 Preston said as he came over and stood before Nicole. Nicole turned to look at Preston. ¡°You ought to thank Grandpa yourself. He was the one who made the decision.¡± ¡°I still have to thank you for that,¡± Preston insisted. Preston knew that had it not been for Nicole, her grandfather would not have rendered aid to his parents, nor would he have asked her to pay him a visitst night. ¡°So, from now onwards, whatever happens next will be up to them,¡± Nicole reminded. ¡°I understand that well,¡± Preston replied with utmost seriousness. He was well aware of the mess his parents had made, and he would do everything in his power to ensure that history would not repeat, regardless of whether his parents had repented or not. Nicole looked up at Preston, raised her eyebrows, and asked, ¡°You came all the way here just to thank me?¡± ¡°No, there are other matters I need to discuss with you about,¡¯ Preston said, his expression darkening. ¡°You do know what¡¯s been happening at the Hunters, right?¡± Nicole nodded. ¡°Yeah, I was just about to swing by and talk to you about it but since you¡¯re already here¡­¡± Preston nodded. ¡°Have you seen how strange it has been recently?¡± ¡°Do you think that they have got other motives?¡± Nicole asked, her forehead creased. ¡°Perhaps it has something to do with the crests we¡¯re trying to locate? Since we¡­,¡± Preston pondered. ¡°Aside from the fact that these crests are centuries old, it is nigh impossible to get anyone to get their hands on it even if they have leveraged the Hunters,¡± said Preston casually. Nicole nodded in agreement, ¡°Yeah, that was what I was thinking.¡± After a moment, Nicole frowned, ¡°As of now, do you have any clues?¡± In return, Preston sighed. ¡°No, I thought I had made a breakthrough before all these fiascos happened. Ever since the Reby family intervened, our chances of tracking them down became next to impossible.¡± ¡°What about the Fire Crest?¡± Nicole asked in a hushed voice. She really wanted to unveil the truth behind the Fire Crest as it might hold the answers she had been searching for. However, Preston shook his head. ¡°It¡¯ll be even more difficult to find. Everyone knew it was in your possession.¡± ¡°Yeah, but who would have thought that I would have lost such an important object?¡± Nicole thought. Content provided by N?velDrama.Org. ¡°You can consider other possibilities. Like, whether that crest is within something that you could have worn daily. Perhaps it¡¯s on you right now. I mean how could it just vanish into thin air, right?¡± Preston suggested. Nicole frowned. ¡°I get what you¡¯re trying to say but I honestly can¡¯t remember much other than the fact that I woke up without any of my belongings next to me.¡± Nicole was certain that she did not have any of her belongings around her while she was sobering up from the crash. Chapter 2572 Chapter 2572 MY WIFE IS A HACKER CHAPTER 2572-Then, Preston spected. ¡°How about this? There could¡¯ve been a possibility that whoever had saved you back then had stolen it?¡± ¡®If it wasn¡¯t on her, is it possible that someone could¡¯ve intercepted it along the way? As she woke up with amnesia and did not remember anyone, that perpetrator might¡¯ve taken it and hid it elsewhere.¡¯ Preston thought to himself. However, Nicole felt that it was unlikely that someone could have stolen it from her, as she was the only person who knew how to activate the Fire Crest. ¡°Perhaps they took it and sold it off without knowing the value of it,¡± Preston muttered. In a flip, the look on Preston¡¯s face changed, and he eximed, ¡°What if they took it and sold it off!¡± Nicole chuckled. ¡°I don¡¯t think they would do something like that. The people there? They all live very honest lives.¡± Nicole was certain that the bunch of people who had saved her would notmit such petty crimes. After all, the device housing the Fire Crest itself was rather insignificant. ¡°Then where on earth could it have gone? Ever since you went missing, you were basically living with them,¡± Preston continued, bing increasingly agitated as he could not figure out where the Fire Crest had gone if the people who had saved Nicole had not pawned it. As for Nicole, a sudden rush of emotions came over her. She was unable to pin it down into words, but she had a hunch that she had seemingly stumbled across the Fire Crest somewhere. ¡®Where did Ie across these words before? Was it in one of the sessions I had? What was the meaning behind them?¡¯ Nicole asked herself. Noticing that Nicole was feeling uneasy, Preston cautiously asked, ¡°Nicole, are you okay? What¡¯s wrong?¡± Nicole snapped back into her senses, whereupon she looked up at Preston. She slowly shook her head without saying a word. Then, she turned to herputer, staring at the screen. Her eyes squinted as she centered her gaze at the screen, ¡®I can¡¯t put my finger on it, but it looks oddly familiar with the system that Lawrence had once given me¡­¡¯ ¡°Wait a minute¡­,¡± she muttered, tensing up as she clicked on her mouse several times and cked away on her keyboard. A system interface instantly appeared on her monitor, one that Nicole always had trouble essing. Just like that, it was unlocked within seconds. Nicole stared at the screen as the popup windows appeared, her eyes widening in shock. Preston, too, was speechless, for he had never seen anything like that before. ¡°This is¡­¡± Suddenly, a sound red out of theputer and an Al voice uttered, ¡°Ma¡¯am, is there anything I can help you with?¡± Content provided by N?velDrama.Org. Caught offguard, Preston nervously swallowed. ¡°Nicole, what-how did this suddenly appear?¡± ¡®This is the Fire Crest which symbolizes the Holy Union,¡¯ Nicole figured, her eyes darkening. ¡®Lawrence gave this to me on purpose. He knew that I would be able to help him crack it. He told me there was something important inside. Something very dear to him.¡¯ Lawrence had long discovered it and had sought the help of numerous people to crack the code. However, to his dismay, none of them had seeded. Because of this, he had no choice but to approach Nicole. She was his only hope, and he knew for certain that she would be able to crack it for him, sooner orter. However, everything was already toote, as Nicole had sessfully cracked the code. It was then that she realized the risk that came after cracking the system. Perhaps he had reallye to a dead end and had no choice but to ask me for help,¡¯ she surmised. As Nicole cracked the code open, the truth became clear as day, revealing the Fire Crest. ¡®Does this mean that I am the true owner of the Fire Crest all along? The consequences thate with this would be too much for Lawrence to bear anyway.¡¯ ¡°Nicole, this is great news! You found the Fire Crest! Wait, what¡¯s with that look?¡± Preston asked, the smile on his face vanishing immediately after he had noticed how grim Nicole was. Why is she looking so beat up? Isn¡¯t she d that the Fire Crest has been found?¡¯ he asked himself. ¡°I¡¯m okay. It¡¯s a good thing I found it,¡± Nicole replied, shaking her head before looking up at Preston with a brow raised. Nicole was slowly regaining vague memories about the Fire Crest. Then, she nced down at her wrist. ¡®Wait, where¡¯s my watch? I remembered that I¡¯ve fixed it to my watch for easy ess Chapter 2573 Chapter 2573 MY WIFE IS A HACKER CHAPTER 2573-¡°I think I need to locate my watch,¡± Nicole said as she immediately posted a message onto the system. ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am,¡± the system replied as it began processing itsmand. Nicole turned the system off shortly after while issuing a heavy sigh. Right now, she was overwhelmed with mixed emotions. ¡®I could never have thought that Lawrence would lie to me. Why did he do so? Moreover, the Fire Crest would¡¯ve recognized me as its sole owner anyway. It won¡¯t change until I die, but if I had helped him crack it earlier on the way before I regained my memories, I can¡¯t imagine what kind of things he would¡¯ve done to me,¡¯ Nicole pondered. She had a hard time telling what was true from what was false among the people on Crescent Ind too. ¡®Was everything one big, practical joke from the start? Was everyone in on it too? Those people I had been friends with, were waiting for me to help them crack the code too?¡¯ Preston looked at Nicole with worry written all over his face, ¡°So, ever since you¡¯ve lost your memories and your watch, you didn¡¯t know howto activate the Fire Crest. Is that right?¡± ¡°Yeah, something like that,¡± Nicole replied, not wanting to tell Preston too much about this, as it would be safer for Preston to not know about Lawrence. anything you need help with, don¡¯t hesitate to reach out to me,¡± Nicole said as she shot Preston a serious look. ¡°The workers that you¡¯ve hired to aid us have been nothing short of efficient and helpful,¡± Preston added. Preston would be forever grateful for the help that Nicole had rendered him when he first started his company, especially Content provided by N?velDrama.Org. after the copse of DillCorp under Dillion¡¯s leadership. The thought of owning his ownpany one day was something beyond his wildest dreams. Nicole smirked. ¡°It¡¯ll only get better, trust me.¡± ¡°Thank you. I won¡¯t let you down, I¡¯ll work twice as hard,¡± Preston promised as he swore on his words. Ever since the downfall of DillCorp and its subsumption back into Riddle Corporation, Preston had experienced serious changes to his family life, and the burden on his shoulders had since gotten heavier. Then, Nicole and Preston went on to chat for a while longer before Preston eventually excused himself. As Preston left Nicole¡¯s office, Patricia entered. ¡°Can you do a background check on Hanwick Ferguson? If it¡¯s impossible to do so, detain him,¡± Nicole ordered, her eyes glinting with frost. ¡®The major influential families will soon know that the Fire Crest has been reactivated. I bet that sooner orter, Lawrence will receive the message too. I won¡¯t have to hide anything from him,¡¯ Nicole thought to herself. ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am,¡± Patricia obliged as she turned around and left the office quickly. Nicole leaned back against her chair as she nced out the window, her mind slowly drifted into the clouds. Not long after, the sun began setting in the horizon, and Nicole walked out of the office. Downstairs, Jared was already standing by his car waiting for her. Chapter 2574 Chapter 2574 MY WIFE IS A HACKER CHAPTER 2574-Jared and Nicole got into the car, and right away, he noticed that something was off. That was when he quickly brought her into aforting hug. ¡°Consider this a good ending.¡± Nicole having to find the Fire Crest the way she did indicated that her ¡®friendship¡¯ with Lawrence was nothing but a sham and that they were not really ¡®friends¡¯ to begin with. ¡®I guess discovering the problem now is better than finding out about itter, when it has mushroomed into something bigger,¡¯ Nicole thought to herself, somewhat trying to make herself feel better about the situation. In response to Jared, she nodded. ¡°I know.¡± Nicole had always been one who needed time to process all that was going on around her, and this time, it was the deception and betrayal of her ¡®good friend¡¯. Jared took Nicole into his arms and gently held her. ¡°Let¡¯s just go with the flow.¡± Nicole bit her lips, contemting for a while before asking,¡± Did you find anything?¡± ¡°Hanwick was under Lawrence¡¯s payroll just as you¡¯ve figured. They had plotted to prevent you from recovering your memories,¡± Jared informed, knowing that Nicole would ask about him. ¡°There¡¯s nothing else to it?¡± Nicole asked, her eyes narrowing. How can he be this petty?¡¯ she fumed. ¡°For now, that¡¯s all the info I can provide you with,¡± Jared said with a reassuring look on his face. ¡°Where is he now?¡± Nicole asked, her voice icy cold. Jared then nced down at Nicole. ¡°We¡¯ve set him free.¡± Nicole raised her eyebrows, understanding that Jared¡¯s intent was to track the person after setting them free to see if they would make a move. ¡°Okay.¡± With her questions answered, Nicole fell silent, and it was not long before they arrived at the Riddle residence. By then, Text content ? N?velDrama.Org. everyone had already arrived and were waiting for Jared and Nicole toe home. ¡°Everyone, let¡¯s dig in,¡± Daniel said as Jared and Nicole sauntered into the dining room. Gloria looked around the table as Jared and Nicole settled in. ¡°Alright everyone, the big day is tomorrow. I hope that everyone has gotten their schedules cleared and has made arrangements ordingly.¡± ¡°Yes, all has been well sorted,¡± Nicole replied. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mom. We have double and triple confirmed. There won¡¯t be an issue,¡± Spencer reassured. Hearing that, Gloria nodded in satisfaction. ¡°That¡¯s great!¡± As soon as Gloria had spoken, she shifted her attention to Stanley, ¡°Don¡¯t forget to invite Regina to the wedding with you.¡± ¡°No, I don¡¯t think that¡¯s necessary. It¡¯s such an important event. We should be focusing on the newlyweds, not me,¡± Stanley protested. He did not wish to mingle with anyone, let alone someone he had met through his blind date. ¡°What are you afraid of? The entirety of the Wynn family will be attending.¡± Gloria grinned. Stanley could not help but roll his eyes upon hearing that.¡± It¡¯s none of my business whether theye or not. Just forget about ying matchmaker¡­¡± ¡°You¡­!¡± stuttered Gloria. Then, Nicole suddenly stepped in and cut Gloria off. ¡°Mom, let¡¯s make sure their wedding runs smoothly and everything goes ording to n first.¡± Gloria frowned, for she had assumed that ying the matchmaker with Stanley at the wedding would be like killing two birds with a stone. Interrupting Gloria, Stanley pointed out, ¡°Mom, I have a role to y. It would be in bad taste if I neglect the guests during the wedding.¡± Gloria nodded along, figuring that Stanley had made a fair point. ¡°Okay, I shall wait until after the wedding before I continue with all that matchmaking for you.¡± With that said, Stanley shed Nicole a look of gratitude. ¡®If it wasn¡¯t for her, I would have refused to show up at my own brother¡¯s wedding to avoid my mother¡¯s awful cupid-like antics.¡¯ A headache struck Stanley as he thought about the possible oues that would have unfolded had Nicole not intervened. Concurrently, Nicole smirked as she turned to look at Gloria. ¡°Mom, are your dresses ready? Chapter 2575 Chapter 2575 MY WIFE IS A HACKER CHAPTER 2575-Stunned by the question, Gloria asked, ¡°You mean mine?¡± ¡®Gosh, it haspletely escaped my notice! How can I forget to prepare my own dresses!¡¯ she panicked. Noticing her mother¡¯s reaction, she chuckled and shook her head. ¡°I knew it!¡± Nicole beamed. She had not heard any mentions of it from Gloria for a while now, and so, she had guessed that she might have forgotten about it long ago. ¡°I¡¯ll go shopping tomorrow,¡± Gloria groaned. ¡°I¡¯ve picked a few dresses out for you. They¡¯ll send over three pairs for you to choose from,¡± Nicole stated. She had gone out with June and Lulu to try out a bunch of wedding dresses a while ago and had ordered a few for Gloria as well. ¡°You¡¯re the best, Nicole! Compared to the rest of these brats, nobody seems to have remembered this,¡± Gloria said as she red at her sons. ¡°Yes, it was our fault that we overlooked this,¡± Stanley admitted, followed by Spencer and Samuel, who were all embarrassed by their act of negligence. ¡°Never mind that. Let¡¯s all dig in,¡± Gloria finished as she brushed it off at once. After dinner was over, everyone gathered at the living room where a heated discussion of the wedding then took ce. After that, all of them retired to their respective rooms to get some sleep. Nicole tucked Lana and Nn into bed before heading back to her room. Just as she entered the room, she saw Jared standing by the window. He was staring out into the yard, apparently deep in thought. Seeing this, she walked over and stood next to him, ¡°What are you looking at?¡± Jared nced over his shoulder and saw Nicole, and that was when he handed her a box. ¡°Try this on.¡± Nicole furrowed her eyebrows, surprised by the gift which he had given her out of the blue. ¡°You¡¯ve prepared a gift for me? n Nicole opened the box carefully, and within it was an elegant, light blue dress, rendering her speechless and amazed by the beauty of it. ¡°This¡­ is beautiful!¡± ¡°Go and try it on,¡± Jared suggested as he motioned for her to change into it. Nicole took the dress out of its box and made a beeline for the bathroom at an instant. When Nicole stepped out from the bathroom in the dress, Jared gave her a grin of satisfaction. ¡°You look amazing!¡± Nicole then twirled around in the dress before giving him a smirk. ¡°I love it!¡± ¡°I¡¯m d you love it. You can wear this for the wedding,¡± Jared replied as he caressed Nicole¡¯s hair. Nicole grinned and happily agreed, ¡°Of course!¡± Nicole had already prepared her dress for the wedding, but without a second thought, she had decided to wear the dress Jared had gifted her instead. Nicole quickly changed out of the dress and put it back in the box, ¡°I¡¯m going to take a shower.¡± Nicole then grabbed her pajamas and was ready to hop into the shower when Jared, who had a wicked smirk stered on his face, stopped her. ¡°Together,¡± he said. ¡°I don¡¯t want to shower with you. Move away! Hey! Put me down!¡± Nicole resisted as Jared picked her up mid-sentence and threw her over his shoulders. And in a sh, the sound of running water filled Nicole¡¯s ear, drowning her cries and protests. Two days flitted by just like that, and soon, the long- anticipated wedding day had arrived. The ballroom was spruced up with stunning decorations, and the influx of guests kept flowing in, as it was one of the biggest weddings the Riddle family had ever hosted. Content provided by N?velDrama.Org. Nicole was apanying June and Lulu in the dressing room as they were doing their makeup. Lulu had also gotten some bridesmaids toe along with her, among which was Tia, who had shown up to participate at the wedding. In the midst of all that chatter and giggles, one of the bridesmaids spoke up, ¡°June, once you be a part of the Riddle family, don¡¯t forget about us here!¡± In return, June rolled her eyes. ¡°I¡¯m just getting married and jetting off for a honeymoon. I¡¯ll still be back in the office when I return home. How could you think that I¡¯d forget you Chapter 2576 Chapter 2576 MY WIFE IS A HACKER CHAPTER 2576-Everyone busted out into fits ofughter while the makeup artist and stylist began to do some touch ups. ¡°Lulu, you ought to pull it up a little more,¡± Nicolemented as she and Tia examined Lulu¡¯s makeup and dress. Everyone around the room had their roles to y and were nothing short of busy. Meanwhile, June and Lulu were bright red, with both looking a little awkward as they prepared themselves to walk down the aisle. All of a sudden, a knock was heard at the door. ¡°Are the brides ready? We¡¯re here,¡± Er announced from the other side of the door. ¡°They¡¯re here,¡± the bridesmaids squeaked, instantly excited. One of them was already making her way toward the door to let the men in when Tia stopped her. ¡°Don¡¯t open the door forthem so easily. Let¡¯s tease them a little.¡± ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. Feeling a little embarrassed, she apologized, ¡°Oh right, I forgot about that.¡± ¡°Gosh, you¡¯re so embarrassing!¡± another bridesmaid eximed. ¡°They¡¯re from Riddle Corporation. This isn¡¯t a normal wedding, so we have to do our best even though we¡¯re nervous, okay?¡± another bridesmaid assured. ¡°This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance to see them upfront! We should have them give us some gifts before we let them in,¡± another bridesmaid plotted. Everyone in the room giggled, as they were sure to get gifts from the groom¡¯s team. After a while, Er knocked on the door again. ¡°Open up! Our groom, Spencer and Samuel, are here! Don¡¯t keep them waiting!¡± ¡°Gifts first or we won¡¯t budge!¡± a bridesmaid shouted over the door. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we have prepared more than enough gifts for everyone here!¡± Er replied from the other side of the door. The bridesmaids looked at each other, crowding around the door before opening it. Once the door was wide open, however, no one rushed in. All they could see was Spencer and Samuel standing by the door, each holding a bouquet of flowers in their hands. As the bridesmaids stared in awe, a voice suddenly shouted, ¡°June! Lulu! Your husbands-to-be are here for you!¡± Everyone began to push their way into the room,pletely forgetting about the gifts, while Er gave Spencer and Samuel a push and asked them to get their brides to the reception at once. ¡°Their gifts. Don¡¯t forget that!¡± Preston reminded. The bridesmaids suddenly remembered that they had yet to receive their gifts, so Spencer and Samuel handed them out to the bridesmaids and made their way to Lulu and June. ¡°We¡¯re here to get you to the wedding,¡± Spencer and Samuel stated as they handed their bouquets to the brides. ¡°Let¡¯s get going, we don¡¯t want to keep everyone waiting,¡± one of the bridesmaids chimed in, holding a handful of gifts in her arms. June and Lulu chuckled at the sight of it. They were already feeling shy at first, but now, they felt utterly helpless, especially June who could not help herself from giving everyone an eye roll. ¡°I can¡¯t believe you guys got bribed with just a few petty gifts. Haven¡¯t you guys prepared yourselves for it earlier? What happened to that?¡± June asked. ¡®These girls looked extremely worried earlier. Now they¡¯re just eager to see me get wed,¡¯ June thought. ¡°These are no ordinary gifts. These are gifts from the sons of the Riddle Corporation!!!¡± a bridesmaid remarked. ¡°You¡¯re the stars at this wedding today. If you were in our spot, you¡¯d understand why we gave in so easily,¡± another stated. The atmosphere in the room was energetic; people were chattering, and everyone was bursting out in gales ofughter at the bridesmaids, who had made it seem like they had achieved a lifelong goal of theirs. Spencer and Samuel then led June and Lulu out of the dressing room and downstairs for the wedding reception. Lana and Nn were dressed in their attire, waiting for the brides and grooms toe. Then, after they had seen Lulu and June, they obediently followed the brides as they walked down the aisle. ¡°The kids look so cute! They look like dolls!¡± one eximed loudly in awe. Everyone was taken aback by the twin¡¯s appearance as they watched the two waddling up the aisle. Chapter 2577 Chapter 2577 MY WIFE IS A HACKER CHAPTER 2577-Lana nodded at everyone with a polite smile while Nn yed it cool. Together, they melted everyone¡¯s hearts. ¡°This wedding is truly worth attending.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a once-in-a-lifetime event.¡± Amid the sea of admirations along the way, everyone finally arrived at the grand hall where the wedding was to take ce. They naturally stopped chattering as they entered. Once there was nothing but pin drop silence, the doors opened, and the wedding march began to y. Then, Spencer and Lulu walked hand in hand down the aisle, followed closely by Samuel and June. The two pairs of newlyweds stood before the stage as everyone pped and cheered forthem. When Spencer, Lulu, Samuel, and June had taken their ces, Nn and Lana stood at both ends with a basket of flower petals, charming and adorable. The newlyweds then ended the sacred ceremony, with everything going ording to n. ¡°Now, I pronounce you husband and wife. The grooms may kiss the brides.¡± With the priest¡¯s words uttered, the two couples shared a sweet kiss, sealing their lifelong vows. After the ceremony, the guests moved to the banquet hall. The best men apanied the grooms in greeting the guests, while the brides, with their bridesmaids, went off to change. As for Nn and Lana, they followed Nicole to the changing room. The makeup artists and stylists assisted June and Lulu in changing their outfits while June¡¯s colleagues, the bridesmaids, observed Nn and Lana with great curiosity. Though they were not familiar with the Riddle family, they knew that no one in that family had children, which was why they were all wondering, ¡®Who are these adorable little ones?¡¯ Content provided by N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Mommy.¡± Nn and Lana walked over to Nicole and snuggled up in her embrace. ¡°Mommy?!¡± The bridesmaids stared in astonishment as they noted the loving interaction between Nicole and her children. ¡®Those cuties actually called Nicole, ¡®Mommy¡¯!¡¯ Nicole hugged Nn and Lana with a smile.. ¡°Your wish came true. Are you happy now?¡± ¡°Of course!¡± Lana tugged at her beautiful princess gown, nodding in delight. In return, Nicole looked at Lana dotingly as she gently ruffled her hair. ¡°Miss Nicole, are these really your kids?¡± one of them finally gathered the courage to ask. ¡°Yes, they are my twins. This is the older brother, Nn, and this is the younger sister, Lana.¡± Nicole introduced the two little ones with a smile. ¡°But¡­ You¡­ They¡­¡± someone muttered before falling silent. In contrast, Nicole had nothing but a calm smile. ¡°You¡¯re wondering how they¡¯ve grown so big, right? ¡°When I left San Joto, I was already pregnant, and so, they turned five when I came back,¡± Nicole exined, her eyes filled with fondness as she nced at Nn and Lana. During those years, she was blessed to have these little angels who had been her source of happiness. ¡°Ah, I see. That¡¯s why no one knew about them.¡± Chapter 2578 Chapter 2578 MY WIFE IS A HACKER CHAPTER 2578-¡°Anyway, they really do look a lot like you and Mr. Johnston.¡± ¡°Alright, you¡¯re starting to creep the kids out,¡± June teased her friends after she was done with her makeup and changing. Soon, Lulu joined them and asked Nicole, ¡°Should we go downstairs now?¡± ¡°I think so. The guests are waiting,¡± Nicole replied, preparing to lead everyone downstairs. The group left the room in high spirits. But then, out of the blue, a woman suddenly barreled toward them and lunged at Lana. Nicole instinctively pulled Lana back a couple of steps to evade the oing woman. However, before she had time to react, the woman had already pounced on Nn. Nicole rushed over to save Nn, but it was toote. ¡°Mommy!¡± Nn cried out in panic as he was seized. The woman then ced a knife in front of his throat. ¡°Nn!¡± Nicole¡¯s face nched at once, but she knew she had to remain calm andposed. Pushing Lana to Tia, Nicole whispered, ¡°Protect Lana. No matter what happens, don¡¯t intervene. You¡¯ve got to make sure that Lana is safe.¡± ¡°Miss Nicole, you¡­¡± Tia¡¯s eyes welled up, but upon sighting Nicole¡¯s resolute expression, she could only grit her teeth and give her a firm nod. ¡°Got it. Don¡¯t worry.¡± Even if she herself was in danger, she would do anything to protect Lana. She knew that Nicole would never abandon Nn in such a situation. She could not help her in any other way, so the least she could do was ensure that Nicole did not have to worry. Taking a deep breath, Nicole looked at the person who had taken Nn hostage, her eyes filled with a cold determination. ¡°Raine, you¡¯ve been hiding for so long just for this moment, haven¡¯t you?¡± No one had expected Raine to show up. They had even thought she had fled San Joto for good. ¡°What a pleasant surprise, Nicole.¡± Raine scoffed. ¡°I initially came here to kill you, but that was when I didn¡¯t know you had kids. I¡¯ve changed my mind now. Say, will it hurt more if I hurt them instead of you?¡± She had been holed up for a long time and refrained from subjecting herself to public scrutiny even during daytime. Up until now, she had only dared to get some food for herself at night, and she had done it all for this day. She had snuck up on Nicole and was nning to kill her when she was not paying attention. Unexpectedly, she then heard about the twins, who were Nicole¡¯s children. That was why she had changed her mind. She wanted Nicole to suffer in agony. That way, she could finally satiate her wrath. ¡°Raine, stop your nonsense. Doing this will only add to your crimes!¡± Lulu yelled. ¡°Hmph, do I look like I care? Look at me now! I¡¯m worse than dead. But I can¡¯t die yet. Even if death is certain, I must drag Nicole down with me. I won¡¯t let her off the hook easily.¡± Raine red at Nicole with venom in her eyes as she gritted her teeth like a predatory creature. ¡°You really are crazy. Nicole was just too kind-hearted. That¡¯s the only reason why you¡¯re able to hurt people today.¡± Lulu stared Raine down disdainfully. If they had known earlier, they would have sent Raine to jail. ¡°Kind? Hah. She¡¯s more vicious than I am.¡± Raine¡¯s eyes turned bloodshot as she hysterically dered. ¡°She knew about James¡¯s n a long time ago, but she didn¡¯t do anything. She just waited for my downfall and took over DillCorp.¡± ¡°You have only yourself to me for your bad judgment. Even if we had told you back then, what do you think was going to happen? Not only would you not believe us, but you would also think that we were jealous and trying to sabotage your rtionship with James. Did you think we had any reason to tell you?¡± Lulu retorted. At that time, James was probably the only person Raine trusted, while they were thest people Raine would trust. If they had told her, she would only loathe them more. Therefore, they had little reason to speak up. ¡°Raine, you¡¯re the one who¡¯s not using your brain. Are you Text content ? N?velDrama.Org. ming us now for your ownck of judgment? You were stupid back in school, but it¡¯s been years, and you have still shown no improvement. Even after you¡¯ve ended up like this, all you know is still to get back at everyone else.¡± June¡¯s expression twisted into a grimace as she red at Raine. Chapter 2579 Chapter 2579 MY WIFE IS A HACKER CHAPTER 2579-¡®How could Raine kidnap Nn during my wedding?! What the hell?! Not only is she freaking stupid, but she¡¯s also still as evil as always.¡¯ ¡°Shut up, all of you!¡± Raine exploded under the barrage of usations from Lulu and June, feeling extremely humiliated. ¡°Alright, well keep quiet. You talk,¡± Nicole said coldly, after which she red at Raine. ¡°What do you want?¡± ¡°Let go of my brother, you wickeddy!¡± Lana shouted angrily as she looked at Nn with concern. ¡°Yeah, let Nn go. What do you want?¡± June and Lulu echoed. They would put up with anything at this point as long as Nn remained safe. ¡°What do I want?¡± Raine waved the small knife in her hand and gritted her teeth. ¡°I want to make Nicole suffer. I¡¯ll be happy so long as she¡¯s in pain.¡± Raine had nothing left to her name at this point. She had even been deceived by the unfaithful James. On the other hand, Nicole had DillCorp. DillCorp was supposed to be mine! If I had worked harder, I could even have taken over the entirety of the Riddle family! But now, because of Nicole, all my efforts have gone to waste! How could I not hate her?!¡¯ Raine thought. ¡°Raine, what are you doing? Put the knife down now!¡± A loud roar startled Raine. People had suddenly gathered in the second-floor corridor, and most of the Riddle family had already rushed over as well. The person who had just shouted at Raine was none other than Dillion himself. He was livid when he saw what Raine was doing. He had just received his father¡¯s forgiveness and the opportunity to live peacefully in the family manor. Pay Less to Trade More https://en.novelxo/my-wife-is-a-hacker-novel-nicole/r1019799.html 2/3 Unfortunately for him, Raine had returned to cause another mess. ¡°Raine, put the knife down now,¡± Karen advised her anxiously, her face pale. ¡°Mom, Dad, why are you like this too?¡± Raine looked at them in disbelief. ¡°These are Nicole¡¯s children. I just want Nicole to experience the pain of having everything taken away from her. Don¡¯t you want this too?¡± ¡°Shut up and put the knife down. You¡¯re only making things worse for yourself now!¡± Dillon bellowed. They did not want to think about anything else right now as they just wanted to live in peace. ¡°Raine, don¡¯t make things worse.¡± Preston frowned, evidently disapproving of Raine¡¯s actions. ¡°Preston, I¡¯m your sister. Why are you always on Nicole¡¯s side?¡± Raine screeched. Everyone in her family had faulted her for everything, even her parents and her brother. ¡®What the hell did I do wrong?!¡¯ she seethed. ¡°We¡¯re a family. Besides, I have to tell you what¡¯s right and what¡¯s wrong because you¡¯re my sister,¡± Preston replied in defeat. He had been trying to advise Snow and Raine for a long time, but no one had listened to him, and now, it had all ended in ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. the sorry state it was in. ¡°Fine, you¡¯re always right, and I¡¯m always wrong! Very well then. I¡¯ll let you see what happens when I¡¯m wrong.¡± Raine dered, and prepared herself to slit Nn¡¯s throat with the knife. ¡°No, don¡¯t!¡± The girls screamed in terror. ¡°Stop, you imbecile!¡± Mr. Riddle Sr.¡¯s face nched in anguish. Everyone in the Riddle family turned pale, their hearts leaping beats into their chests. ¡°Raine, don¡¯t hurt Nn!¡± Nn must not be harmed. It would be something nobody would be able to bear. Nicole became desperate, her eyes turning red. She had already lunged forward, but she knew very well that she was still a few steps too far. Chapter 2580 Chapter 2580 MY WIFE IS A HACKER CHAPTER 2580-¡°Nn!¡± Nicole screamed, frantic. For the first time, she regretted getting injured earlier, which had taken a great toll on her agility and dexterity. Time was running out, and Nicole was close to having a breakdown. However, she still did her best to get to Nn and Raine before the former could be injured. ¡°Bahaha!¡± Raine burst into maniacalughter, raising the knife to strike Nn. ¡°Ugh¡­ Ah!¡± With a sharp scream, the air in the room froze. Everyone¡¯s minds went nk, as if time itself had stopped, and some even closed their eyes, afraid to witness what was happening in those final moments. But then, there was nothing but silence, a deathly silence¡­ and then a loud thud. Following a muffled groan, the first floor erupted into chaos, and those on the second floor slowly pulled themselves back to reality. ¡°Daddy! Nn!¡± Lana cried out before running toward Jared and Nn, before burying herself in Jared¡¯s arms, sobbing,¡± Daddy¡­ Nn! You¡¯re okay?¡± Jared carried Lana up, his voice soft as heforted her,¡± It¡¯s okay, Lana. Don¡¯t cry. Nn¡¯s fine. We¡¯re all fine now.¡± Nn looked at Jared in a daze. He was actually frightened while he was being held hostage, but he did all he could to suppress his fear as he did not want Nicole to worry. He really thought he was going to die, but at the veryst second, a strong arm had wrestled him away and embraced him. It was the first time he had experienced such an embrace, one that Nn could not exin, though it felt peculiar.¡¯ Maybe this is what security feels like, the sense of security from a father.¡¯ ¡°Nicole!¡± June and Lulu rushed over to support Nicole, preventing her from tipping over. Barely holding on, Nicole looked at Jared with tears in her eyes. Jared had appeared, Nn was safe, and as she realized this, she felt like she could finally breathe again. ¡°Mommy! Are you okay?¡± Nn and Lana asked in concern, looking at Nicole¡¯s weakened state. Jared approached Nicole with Nn and Lana, after which he gently ced Nn in her arms. As she felt Nn in her embrace, tears streamed down Nicole¡¯s face uncontrobly. ¡°Nn, I¡¯m so sorry. It¡¯s all Mommy¡¯s fault. I couldn¡¯t protect you,¡± Nicole tightly held Nn while she sobbed, as if this was This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org. the only thing she could do to make herself feel at ease. Seeing this, Nn wrapped his arms around Nicole¡¯s neck andforted her, ¡°Don¡¯t cry, Mummy. I¡¯m fine, and it¡¯s not your fault. It¡¯s that bad woman¡¯s fault.¡± As Raine was mentioned, the Riddle family and the bridesmaids finally recalled that Raine had fallen from the balcony, and the chaos downstairs was likely caused by her plunge. However, they did not know what had happened to Raine after she had fallen from such a height¡­ Soon, the police and ambnce arrived, with thetter taking Raine away, while the police left after they had obtained the surveince footage from the scene. At that moment, no one knew how to proceed with the wedding anymore. ¡°We are sorry for this sudden turn of events. We won¡¯t keep you any longer, and the Riddle family will offer you each ¡°Please don¡¯t apologize, Mr. Riddle Sr. We won¡¯t be in your way now.¡± After sending everyone off, Mr. Riddle Sr. turned to June and Lulu and said ¡°The Riddle family is truly sorry about this. About your wedding, why don¡¯t we¡­¡± Immediately, June and Lulu exchanged nces and replied, ¡°Grandfather, the wedding has already come to an end. We¡¯re now a family, and nobody has wronged us.¡± Chapter 2581 Chapter 2581 Although something unpleasant had happened at the wedding, they had decided not to harbor any ill feelings toward anyone. After all, it was solely Raine¡¯s fault that it had urred in the first ce. Besides, they believed that the ones who neededfort the most at this instant were Nicole, Nn, and Lana, who were genuinely frightened. Their fear was something with which they could genuinely empathize. ¡°Grandpa, let¡¯s deal with other issues first. We¡¯ve already arranged our honeymoon, and we don¡¯t intend to allow this incident to affect us,¡± Samuel said, holding June¡¯s hand. ¡°Besides, June really won¡¯t mind,¡± he continued. ¡°We feel the same way. I don¡¯t mind either,¡± Lulu chimed in. Spencer, in turn, held Lulu¡¯s hand gently andforted her with a soft smile. As for Mr. Riddle Sr, he simply looked at his two grandsons and their new wives, feeling both sorry and proud. Today was supposed to be a joyful day for their wedding, but it had been marred by this unfortunate incident. ¡°Well then, just prepare to leave. You don¡¯t need to worry about this anymore,¡± Daniel decided. Then, Gloria took June and Lulu¡¯s hands. ¡°Please enjoy your honeymoon.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about us, Mom. We¡¯re perfectly fine,¡± June and Lulu reassured her in unison. Once that was done, they walked toward Nicole and gave her a big hug. ¡°It¡¯s over. Let it go, and don¡¯t overthink it.¡± They were worried for her as they could see how frightened Nicole still was. ¡°Go on. We¡¯ll be fine as long as you enjoy yourself.¡± Nicole forced out a smile. She did not want her best friends to worry about her and consequently, affect their honeymoon. After bidding farewell, June and Lulu walked off, their arms linked with Samuel¡¯s and Spencer¡¯s respectively. ¡°I should apologize, too. After all, today was supposed to be our perfect wedding,¡± Samuel said to June softly. Spencer, who agreed with that sentiment, whispered to Lulu, ¡°I wanted to give you a perfect wedding too, but¡­¡± In reply, June smiled. ¡°It¡¯s water under the bridge at this point. We¡¯ve got to look forward.¡± Lulu went on to reassure Spencer too by saying, ¡°As long as you¡¯re the one I¡¯ve gotten married to, it¡¯s already perfect for me.¡± As the two newlywed couples left, the atmosphere in the room grew heavy again. ¡°Dad, we really didn¡¯t know about this,¡± Dillion said, his face turning pale as he became a nervous mess. This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org. Looking at Dillion, Mr. Riddle Sr. sighed. ¡°Go to the hospital and check on Raine.¡± Even though she had made a mistake, they were still, ultimately, her parents. They should know what was going on. Dillion hesitated for a moment, but upon his catching sight of the stern look on his father¡¯s face, he agreed. ¡°Alright, we¡¯ll go right now. We¡¯ll inform you as soon as we¡¯ve gotten any news about her.¡± ¡°The rest of you can return to the family manor for now,¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. instructed. ¡°Grandpa, I¡¯m tired, so I won¡¯t be going.¡± Chloe looked exhausted. ¡°Dad, we¡¯re leaving too. We¡¯re worried about leaving Chloe alone,¡± Damien added after he had shot Chloe a nce. Mr. Riddle Sr. ¡®s gaze darkened in response, but now wanting to drag this longer than it needed to be, he agreed.¡± Right, go home then.¡± Since they did not want to go, there was no point in forcing them to. Besides, this issue had very little, if anything to do with them at all. After settling the hotel arrangements, the remaining family members returned to the family manor. However, the bitter aftertaste of the incident still lingered; in spite of the living room being filled with people, the already somber atmosphere became even more stifling. Chapter 2582 Chapter 2582 Jared stood up and said, ¡°I¡¯ll apany you.¡± With that, he led Nicole and the two children upstairs. ¡°Grandpa, we mustn¡¯t let Raine off the hook this time.¡± Er stated, fuming. ¡®How could someone be so malicious?¡¯ ¡°Let¡¯s wait for the updates,¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. said, gazing out of the window with a meaningful expression on his face. Obviously, Raine would be held ountable for her actions. ¡°Dad, why don¡¯t you take a nap for a while?¡± Daniel suggested. Managing the guests at the wedding had been exhausting, especially with dignitaries and acquaintances of significant social standing from all over the city attending. Having to apologize and exin the situation to the guest after such a terrible incident must have been extremely draining, even when everyone had joined in to share in that burden. In response, Mr. Riddle Sr. shook his head and summoned the butler. As expected, the butler came over and politely asked, ¡°What do you need, Mr. Riddle Sr.?¡± ¡°Get thepensation ready for all the guests. We can¡¯t just leave them traumatized after they have all come over to offer their congrattions,¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. instructed. With a nod, the butler replied, ¡°Certainly. I¡¯ll take care of it.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll help with that,¡± Jane said, standing up. She knew this would not be an easy task. ¡°Me too,¡± Sally added. Emma then shot them a nce and said, ¡°I¡¯ll join you.¡± With that said, Emma dragged Er and Emery upstairs. Due to the fact that there were so many guests present, there was a massive load of post-wedding tasks for everyone to handle, including but not limited to the verification of gifts and by whom they had been given. After they had left, Mr. Riddle Sr. leaned back against his couch and closed his eyes. He remained silent. As for whether he was resting or deep in thought, nobody knew. None of his family members disturbed him. All they did was sit around ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. quietly, lost in their own thoughts. A once joyful wedding had turned into an unfortunate asion, making it hard for anyone from the Riddle family to truly enjoy the day. Concurrently, Nicole and Jared were holding onto Nn and Lana, who were both fast asleep. It was evident that they had been traumatized. Even now, as Jared and Nicole were holding them, their little hands were still holding onto the seams of their parents¡¯ clothes as if to get a sense of security. In the midst of all that silence, Nicole looked down at Nn, unable to help herself from reying the chaotic scene at the wedding. If Jared had arrived just two secondster, something terrible must have already happened to Nn. ¡°Thank you,¡± Nicole whispered, expressing her gratitude to Jared, for he had saved both Nn and her. She really did not know what she would do if Nn was gone. After issuing a sigh, he replied, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m here.¡± His gaze darkened as he understood the depth of Nicole¡¯s gratitude. Then, he raised his hand and caressed her cheek. A sh of red crossed her vision, and that was when Nicole noticed that Jared had sustained an injury on his wrist. There, she recalled that Jared had blocked the blow for Nn, which exined why he had remained unscathed. Instead, Jared was the one who had gotten hurt. Nobody had noticed his injury while pandemonium erupted all around. All they could see was him saving Nn. At that time, Jared had suddenly appeared and wrapped Nn in his arms. He had instinctively kicked Raine, sending her against the railing, which ultimately led to her plunge down the banister. Chapter 2583 Chapter 2583 At that moment, it felt as if her mind was overwhelmed with a fog, rendering it difficult for her to even grasp what had happened. But now, her mind could y each second of that incident in vivid detail, and as clear as day, making it impossible for her to forget. ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. She bit her lip lightly, after which she gently pushed away Jared¡¯s hand from her face. ¡°I¡¯m fine, and we¡¯ve got to take care of your wound.¡± Jared looked at Nn and Lana before saying, ¡°Let¡¯s wait until they¡¯re in a deeper sleep.¡± He was worried that the kids might wake up if they put them down now, so he figured it was best for them to wait for a while. After some time, they checked to make sure that the children were sound asleep before they gently ced them back in bed and covered them with nkets. Nicole then got up to get the first-aid kit before returning to treat Jared¡¯s wound. It was pretty deep, showing how much force Raine had employed in that lunge; indeed, she had truly intended to kill Nn. As she tended to his wound, her eyes welled up with tears. It was too close of a call; Nn was almost met with a terrible fate. Though he was safe now, Jared, on the other hand, had to pay the price. She lightly traced her fingertips over the corner of her eye as she brushed a drop of tear away. His voice was gentle as he said, ¡°It¡¯s okay. It¡¯s all over now. Nn and Lana will be fine from now on.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Nicole replied softly after a sniffle. Then, after wrapping a bandage over his wound, she breathed a sigh. Without a word, he pulled her into an embrace and nted a soft kiss on her cheek. ¡°Close your eyes and get some rest. I¡¯m here with you.¡± All of a sudden, he heard a series of soft raps on the door. It was obvious that the person who had knocked did not want to wake the others. After exchanging nces with Nicole, Jared got up to open the door. ¡°Mr. Johnston, we¡¯ve got updates on Miss Raine,¡± the butler whispered. Since Nicole was still awake, she had also heard the butler, and proceeded to approach the door. ¡°What¡¯s the news?¡± In response, the butler answered, ¡°Mr. Riddle Sr. requests your presence downstairs.¡± Nicole nced back at Nn and Lana, who were still sound asleep. She then followed Jared downstairs. Dillion and Karen had returned, the expressions on their faces indicating that they had received bad news. ¡°Go ahead,¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. said coldly. ¡°Raine¡¯s injury is fatal. The doctors have dered her dead,¡± Dillion said, his tone carryingplex emotions. Though Raine had screwed up, her actions would not bring her parents any trouble anymore. Still, she was their daughter, and her death still weighed heavily on them. ¡°What about the police?¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. inquired, turning to Sean. ¡°There¡¯s no news from the police yet, but Mr. Johnston should be fine,¡± Sean asserted confidently. After all, Raine was the one who had initiated the kidnapping, and Jared had only intervened to save his son¡¯s life. He did not intend to kill anyone. Moreover, they could all remember that Jared had merely kicked Raine, and it was her own momentum that had sent her toward the railing, which then caused her to lose her bnce and plummet from the second floor. ¡°We¡¯ll also file a report with the police. Mr. Johnston didn¡¯t intend to harm anyone. This was an ident,¡± Dillion quickly stated. Given the circumstances, they could not me Jared. ¡°Wait for the updates from the police. You take care of this,¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. said to Dillion and Karen. Chapter 2584 Chapter 2584 ¡°Understood,¡± both of them replied respectfully, feeling relieved. They knew that Raine¡¯s actions would not have consequences for them. Raine had been missing for a long time, and everyone had thought that she would not return. No one knew that she had been holed up all this time with the aim ofing up with a n to seek revenge on Nicole. Although they were sad that their daughter had passed away, they were secretly relieved that Nicole and Nn were safe. They knew that if something had happened to Nn and Lana, their family would have suffered greatly. With all that was said and done, Mr. Riddle Sr. turned to Nicole and asked, ¡°Do you have anything else to say?¡± ¡°No,¡± she replied, her heart filled with mixed emotions. Raine was dead, and pursuing the matter any further would be pointless. She was grateful that Nn hade out of it unscathed, considering the circumstances. Text content ? N?velDrama.Org. Daniel sighed and said, ¡°Well, since we¡¯ve wrapped this up, let¡¯s all go back.¡± It was pointless to stay there now. ¡°Yeah, go home.¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. waved his hand, signaling for everyone to leave. ¡°Well go upstairs and wait for Nn and Lana,¡± Nicole said before dragging Jared upstairs. The children were still sleeping soundly, so they could not leave just yet. After bidding their goodbyes to Mr. Riddle Sr., everyone began leaving one by one. The once joyful wedding had turned into a somber event that had left everyone in low spirits. ¡°Dad, let me help you upstairs,¡± Dillion said cautiously. He knew very well that the family manor was his only refuge now, and he was grateful to be able to stay there. Mr. Riddle Sr. looked at Dillion and Karen with a cold and distant look in his eyes. ¡°It¡¯s fine. You two should also rest.¡± Although Raine was their daughter, this issue had nothing to do with them. Besides, it had definitely taken an emotional toll on them as well. Watching as Mr. Riddle Sr. headed upstairs with heavy steps and an even heavier heart, Karen worriedly asked, ¡°Is Dad mad at us?¡± ¡°Probably not, but we should still be careful in the future,¡± Dillion sighed in resignation. ¡°Oh, Raine¡­¡± Karen¡¯s face turned white as a sheet. One of her daughters was in aa, and the other had just passed away. Even if she was grieving, she could not express it too openly. Dillion red at her with a warning look in his eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t get any strange ideas. Otherwise, I¡¯ll kick you out right now to fend for yourself.¡± ¡°I know. I¡¯m not thinking of anything like that. I¡¯m just sad that Raine is gone. She is still our child, after all,¡± Karen exined. ¡°Don¡¯t forget that you still have a son. Well just live here quietly from now on, and we can¡¯t burden Preston either,¡± Dillon reminded. As of now, Preston was the only one who was doing well, and he hoped it would stay that way. ¡°I know.¡± Karen nodded, understanding that their son¡¯s future was all they could bank on now. On the other hand, Damien had just received news of Raine¡¯s death, his eyes darkening. ¡°Dad, Raine is dead. Will Jared be okay?¡± Chloe whispered through gritted teeth. ¡°You bet. Raine is such an idiot. Even if she was going to die, she should have nned her revenge more carefully,¡± Damien replied. Ultimately, not only had Raine¡¯s n failed, but it had also resulted in her death. ¡°That¡¯s a pity.¡± Chloe¡¯s eyes turned cold. She had initially wanted to make a move on Raine, but it was impossible for her to do so now. ¡°What about you? Any updates?¡± Damien turned to Chloe and asked. She shook her head. ¡°I haven¡¯t learned anything from James, but I still have a feeling that there¡¯s a secret between Nicole and Martin.¡± Chapter 2585 Chapter 2585 MY WIFE IS A HACKER CHAPTER 2585-However, she could note up with anything at the moment, and all her questions had yielded no answers. ¡°If you don¡¯t have any leads, don¡¯t waste your energy. Welle to know about it sooner orter,¡± Damien said as he thought, ¡®There are no absolute secrets in this world.¡¯ ¡°Okay,¡± Chloe replied, her gaze bing more solemn. ¡°I asked Martin for help to reach Ghost Hand too, but he doesn¡¯t know how either.¡± Chloe then ced her hand on her knees as a sh of resentment crossed her eyes. She was determined to stand up. Nicole could not bag everything. Everyone in the Riddle family deserved a chance too. Just because Raine could not achieve her goals, it did not mean she could not. Damien then looked at Chloe and said, ¡°What do you want to do? I can back you up.¡± At the moment, it was obvious that Mr. Riddle Sr. was wary of him. If Chloe could take over the Riddle family, it would ultimately mean that Damien would have control too. With the question hanging, the father and daughter exchanged a determined look. Content provided by N?velDrama.Org. The night was calm, and in the Riddle residence, everyone had already gone to sleep, so the house seemed unnaturally quiet. Nicole was sitting on the edge of her bed, holding aptop in her arms. However, she was staring into space, lost in thought. Suddenly, her phone rang, and that was when Nicole snapped out of it and nced at the caller ID. She then answered the call when she saw that it was from Lulu. ¡°Lulu, have younded?¡± Nicole asked with concern. ¡°We¡¯ve just arrived and settled in. How¡¯s everything on your side?¡± Lulu asked eagerly. She had been worried about Nicole throughout the journey and had been unable to wait to call her. ¡°Raine is dead.¡± Nicole said, informing Lulu of the situation in three mere words. She then changed the subject, saying, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about work. Enjoy your honeymoon and make sure to bring gifts back for all of us.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Everyone will have one. Nobody will be left out. ¡± Lulu replied, understanding that Nicole had told her about Raine¡¯s situation to put her at ease. Safe to say, she did not need to think about anything now. ¡°This is a rare opportunity. After all, it¡¯s the ce you¡¯ve always longed for. There, you and Spencer can live like ordinary newlywed couples without having to worry about prying eyes or judgmental looks from others.¡± Spencer always knew Lulu¡¯s long standing wish, so he had chosen a beautiful ind with scenic beauty and a simple, unassuming atmosphere. In that sanctuary of a ce, he was not a famous violinist, and she was not the executive assistant of the Chairman of the Riddle Corporation ¨C there, they were just a newlywed couple. ¡°Yes, it feels really good here. We don¡¯t have to worry about being surrounded, talked about, or pointed at as we walk out into the streets,¡± Lulu smiled in satisfaction. This was what she had always wanted. Although they would only live here for a month, Lulu was more than happy to be here. When they were together, Spencer was always the center of attention, and she was always the one shadowing him. Though Spencer had given her plenty of love and security, she still had her concerns. But everything was different here where they were. She could hold Spencer¡¯s hand without any worries, and they could go wherever they pleased. They couldugh and have fun along the way without having to pay attention to the eyes of others. ¡°That¡¯s good. Enjoy your honeymoon fully,¡± Nicole said with a smile. ¡°You need to cheer up soon too,¡± Lulu reminded. ¡°I¡¯m fine. Everything is okay. Don¡¯t worry,¡± Nicole reassured her. ¡°Alright, then. I¡¯ll give June a call and check on her,¡± Lulu said. ¡°Okay, goodbye.¡± Nicole hung up. Since Lulu said she would call June, Nicole knew that Lulu would inform her of the situation. As such, there was no need for Nicole to disturb June again. Chapter 2586 Chapter 2586 Chapter 2586 Nicole felt a little more at ease after the call had ended. Although the wedding had not gone as nned, she was d that Lulu and June''s mood was not affected. Meanwhile, Lulu had called June. "You finally called. Did you travel to a farawaynd or something? " June''s voice came through as soon as the call connected. "Yes, we just settled in. I called Nicole earlier," Lulu replied candidly. "How are things at home?" June immediately asked upon hearing that Lulu had called Nicole. Lulu sighed before responding, "Raine is dead." "Dead...'''' June trailed off, struck by a brief moment of shock before she quicklyposed herself. "It''s impossible to survive falling from such a height." Even if she did not die, she would likely have ended up crippled. However, Raine was, as one could argue, unlucky, and had fallen to her death on the spot. "She asked for it," Lulu coldly huffed. "If she hadn''t been such an evil freak, she wouldn''t have ended up pushing daisies." ¡°Alright, now that it''se to this, let''s not bring this up ever again. Thinking about her just makes me annoyed," June said. '' Raine had ruined our wedding.¡¯ Fortunately, the ceremony was over, or she and Lulu would have been in an even more awkward situation now. "Yeah, Nicole told us to enjoy our honeymoon without any worries. Let''s not think about anything else," Lulu reassured June. "Okay. I have faith that they will handle it well," Juneforted Lulu. "You don''t have to let it live rent free in your head." For an incident of such significance, the Riddle family would surely handle it perfectly. Moreover, the main culprit was already dead, so the case could be considered closed. ¡°Okay,¡± Lulu nodded in agreement. After exchanging goodbyes, the two of them hung up. Then, Lulu ced her phone away and sighed. ¡°Don''t sigh. Today is our wedding night, and you sighing like this just makes me feel like I''ve messed it up for you,"'' Spencerforted with a hint of yfulness. He hade over, his gaze soft as he looked at Lulu. "] just can''t help but feel a little shocked, but... Never mind, I''m not going to think about it anymore," Lulu said, smiling at Spencer. "How did you even screw it up for me? Let''s stay this way forever, okay?" In return, Spencer affectionately rubbed Lulu''s head. "Of course." "Honey, let''s get out there and look at the moon," Lulu said as she gazed off at the beautiful moon outside, and grabbed Spencer''s hand. "Sure," Spencer agreed softly. The two of them held hands as they exited the house. Their vi was very close to the beach, and before long, they reached the sandy shore. The moonlight and the sea merged into one as they ambled along the soft sand, listening to the sea breeze and the crashing of the waves. Then and there, Lulu''s eyes brimmed with bliss. "Spencer, this ce is so beautiful," Lulu eximed with excitement. Looking down at her, Spencer smiled, and he replied, "You''re even more beautiful." Hearing those words from Spencer stunned Lulu momentarily, her cheeks flushing red with shyness. Without saying another word, Spencer gently embraced Lulu and gradually leaned in for a kiss on her lips... Time passed quickly, and in the blink of an eye, two days had gone by. The results of the police investigation had been released, and Raine''s incident was ruled as an ident. With the case closed, no one mentioned it again.? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. Chapter 2587 Chapter 2587 Chapter 2587 Everything seemed to have returned to normal, and everyone had gone back to their respective lives, bing busy once again. The two newlywed couples were still on their honeymoons, and everyone else had reached a unanimous, unspoken agreement to not disturb them. Life appeared to have returned to its usual course, Upon hearing a knock on the door, Nicole ced the documents in her hand down and looked up at the door. "Come in." Patricia entered, wearing a somewhat solemn look on her face. " Miss Nicole, an urgent fax from Er." ¡°What happened to him?" Nicole furrowed her brow as she reached out to grab the fax. After reading the contents, a grimace crossed her face. "How could this happen?" "It''s likely that someone has tampered with it secretly," Patricia spected. Nicole squinted as a trace of coldness shed in her eyes, and that was when she ordered, "Investigate this.¡± "Yes," Patricia responded before leaving the room. Nicole''s gaze was dark as she perused the details. Er did not fax over a mere document; it was an investigation report. It was about a project that BayCorp was currently handling, which had reached the inspection phase, but were marred with issues now. Though BayCorp was the most challengingpany under the Riddle Corporation to manage, Er had been gradually bringing it back on track. Besides, Nicole knew fairly well about these projects, and Er would never allow any major problems to ur during the inspection phase, as BayCorp could not afford the consequenices. Now that such an issue had arisen, Nicole began to suspect that someone was overtly targeting BayCorp. She tightened her grip around the document as she bit her lip slightly. ''Who could it be, and what had actually happened?'' Just as she was lost in thought, her phone rang. ncing at it, she saw that it was Er and proceeded to answer the call. "Nicole, have you read my fax? Can you figure out what went wrong?" Er asked, his voice carrying a hint of urgency and anxiety. He had busted his ass to bring BayCorp to its current state of recovery and improvement. If something went wrong now, all of his efforts would be in vain, and thepany might suffer severe consequences on top of that. "T''ve already gotten Patricia to investigate this. Don''t worry. She''lle back with updates for us soon," Nicole reassured Er. ¡°Why is this happening? I''ve been extremely cautious." Er said, feeling somewhat remorseful and even a little disheartened. ¡®Or am I just not capable enough?¡¯ Frowning, Nicole gave him a firm reminder, "It''s possible that someone has secretly tampered with your stuff. Let''s wait for Patricia''s findings." "Someone..." Er paused after uttering the first word, shocked. " Who would target us?! We''re not some massive, multi-billion dor corporation. The projects we take on are the ones thatrgerpanies don''t even consider!" ¡®Seriously? BayCorp? Out of all the otherpanies?'' Er wondered. "Perhaps they think you''re growing stronger, so they''re trying to eliminate a potentialpetitor before you be a force to be reckoned with," Nicole teased. ¡°In that case, I''ll take it as a good sign," Er responded in a more lighthearted tone. "You should take care of other matters for now. I''ll inform you when Patricia returns," Nicole said, relieved. With that, Er agreed, ¡°Okay. Thank you, Nicole." After hanging up, Nicole''s gaze returned to the fax. She could not help but recall Er''s words. ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. Theirpany was rtively small, and it did seem very strange that someone would target them. For some reason, her mind suspicions settled on this particr individual at once ¡ª Harvey. It seemed that Harvey had always harbored devious intent for several of the branches of Riddle Corporation. Now that DillCorp and NandoCorp had returned to Riddle Corporation, BayCorp was the only one that had been left undisturbed. Chapter 2588 Chapter 2588 Chapter 2588 Nicole''s eyes turned cold. Even though Patricia had not returned yet, Nicole already had a clear idea of what was going on. ¡®Harvey, you really like giving me crap, don''t you? You must be pretty bored with your life...'' Nicole thought. When Patricia returned, she confirmed Nicole''s suspicions. Harvey had indeed tampered with the project, causing problems for BayCorp during its inspection phase. ¡°What should we do, Miss Riddle?" Patricia asked in a hushed voice. In reply, Nicole snorted. "Harvey has way too much free time." It was time to give Harvey something to get busy with, and in doing so, prevent him from constantly meddling in the affairs of the Riddle family. ¡°What''s your n, Miss Nicole?" Patricia asked, curious about how Nicole intended to handle the situation. It was clear that Nicole was preparing to retaliate instead of taking the abuse lying down. With that in mind, Nicole stood up and said, "Let''s head back to HQ first." "Alright," Patricia replied, following Nicole as they left DillCorp. Both Sean and Steve were surprised when they saw Nicole. ''''Why are you back? Is something wrong?" "We have a situation," Nicole said. "Harvey has too much free time in his hands. I think we should find something for him to do." Sean and Steve were initially taken aback, but it did not take long for them to agree, "What do you have in mind?" As long as Nicole wanted something done, they would support her wholeheartedly. Then, Nicole squinted and continued, "I remember that the Ellison family owns an electronic raw materials factory. Why don''t we give him a taste of his own medicine?" Sean and Steve exchanged nces and nodded in agreement. "Got it. We''ll handle it." Such raw materials were subject to strict requirements and scrutiny, for the materials being produced were used in assemblingponents. Any slight deviation could lead to problems even in the final product. ¡°If possible, let''s consider acquiring that factory," Nicole suggested. ¡°Alright, leave it to us,'''' Sean and Steve responded before leaving to make the necessary arrangements. Nicole then returned to her office, and Patricia followed her in. Sitting down, Nicole made a phone call to Er. "Don''t worry about this. Content provided by N?velDrama.Org. Dy the inspection, and I''ll let you know when you can proceed." Nodding, Er asked, "Did you find out what happened?" "This issue might turn out to be a fault of mine, but I''ll handle it," Nicole reassured him. Without providing the details to Er, she simply told him, "It will be resolved soon, and you won''t be affected. Don''t worry." ¡°I know, and I''m fine. You''ve been of great help to me, so don''t say it''s your fault. If you need anything, you can call me anytime," Er replied, knowing that Nicole had her reasons for not disclosing more. "Sure,'''' Nicole smiled and agreed before hanging up. After doing so, she looked at Patricia and said, "Arrange for someone to inspect and examine BayCorp''s project. As for the rest, let my elder brothers take care of it." "Got it," Patricia replied. Nicole nced at the time and let out a sigh. "Miss Riddle, is there something on your mind?" Patricia asked softly, sensing that Nicole''s mood was somewhat off. "Go order some lunch. We''re paying a visit to Royal Creek Institute," Nicole said, wanting to check on Thomas to see how he had been doingtely. Chapter 2589 Chapter 2589 Chapter 2589 "Understood." Patricia replied, and hurried off to make a reservation. After she had gotten Royal Creek Institute''s address, she left the office with Nicole and headed there. Arriving at Royal Creek Institute, Nicole entered Thomas''s house while Patricia waited outside. Looking at Nicole as she entered, Thomas Ellison smiled. "I knew it was you.¡± Seeing that their lunch had arrived, Nicole smiled, "I missed you, so I came over to pay you a visit." Thomas made his way to the living room, looked at Nicole and said, "You don''t have to lie to me. Harvey made another mess for you to deal with again, didn''t he?" Nicole was quite shocked, "How did you know?" Thomas had been resting and recovering as ofte. Although he did seem a tad more energetic, Nicole was sure that Thomas had not gone back to work just yet. Therefore, it would be next to impossible for him to be privy to the happenings of the outside world. "The nurse has left." Thomas shook his head. He was not bothered about the nurse''s absence as he assumed that Harvey had found it pointless to get someone to keep an eye on him. Afterall, Nicole rarely paid him visits these days. But seeing Nicole appear again today, Thomas immediately understood the reason as to why Harvey had fired the nurse. He had created more issues for Nicole to deal with, so there was no need for anyone to spy on Thomas any longer. His whistleblowers would also no longer serve any purposes. "Let''s eat." Thomas invited Nicole for lunch, knowing that he would not be able to exin the situation in a short span of a few minutes. "Alright." Nicole replied and sat down with Thomas, whereupon they began to dig into their lunch. ¡°What problems are Harvey giving you again?" Thomas casually enquired. He was simply asking about it as he could not be of any help to her. Harvey would not listen to him, and he had no means of assisting Nicole. "It''s nothing major. You''ve also said it yourself; it is a problem." And so long as it remained a problem, it would be easy to solve. Nicole was genuinely there just to check up on Thomas. At the same time, she had done so because of Harvey as well. Nicole would only be able to be at ease when, and only when she knew that Thomas was safe. Thomas then looked at Nicole and sighed. "It seems that Harvey will run into problems of his own too." Thomas knew Nicole very well, and it was obvious that Nicole was ready to take an eye for an eye. Raising a brow, Nicole jokingly asked, "In that case, will you feel hurt or stop me from doing it?" "I won''t." Thomas replied, having neither the reason nor energy to stop her. "Everything''s fine as long as you won''t feel hurt. I guess Harvey has not reached mental maturity. He''d probably be more honest and considerate after learning a few lessons." Nicole smirked. AS Harvey had always been stirring crap for her, all of his doings had led her to feel this way about him. While Harvey seemed mature and cool on the outside, a petnt, childish soul still resided within him. He had always acted as if he could be in control of everything. Yet, he had failed to realize that everything would not have been this smooth for him if Thomas had not stepped in to aid him since his return to San Joto. In fact, Harvey''s sess had caused him to lose himself. He had willingly allowed his vengeance to blind him. While Nicole had no right toment on anything that had happened in the past, Thomas was still Harvey''s grandfather. He was the one who had poured his heart and soul out for Harvey. Looking up into Thomas''s eyes, Nicole began to feel sad for Thomas. When Thomas was informed of Nicole''s n, he remained silent for a moment. Then, he let out a sigh and said, "You guys should make your own decisions in ordance with your own needs." It was not that Thomas did not care about them; everything that was transpiring beyond the walls of Royal Creek was beyond his reach and authority. If anything, it seemed to him that he had little to no control over anyone now. Nicole raised her eyebrows and nced at Thomas, whereupon she joked, "Mr. Ellison? Don''t you want that good grandson of yours from the past to return?" Thomas''s face froze for a moment, and he looked away. "It was all an act from the very beginning." Harvey was never what one would call a good person. He had only ever appeared to be courteous and obedient on the outside. After all, he had returned with a purpose, and a spiteful one at that. "He''s just blinded by anger.¡± It mattered little whether it was an act or not. If Harvey could act it out, he would be able to do it. This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org. It also meant that he could choose to have this side of him. Chapter 2590 Chapter 2590 Chapter 2590 Thomas looked at Nicole and pursed his lips. In the end, he decided to remain silent. Nicole did not want to bring up the sad past, so she quickly changed the subject of the conversation. Both of them went on to have casual chats over their meals. Then, Nicole left Royal Creek Institute. "Ma''am, would Harvey suspect anything about your visit again? If he does, would Mr. Ellison..." Patricia asked softly. Knowing what Patricia''s concerns were, Nicole replied, ''''He won''t. Harvey would not fall into the same trap twice. He would not disturb Mr. Ellison again." Nicole already knew what was going, and that was why she would even dare to visit Thomas in the first ce. Still, she would do well not to bother Thomas over Harvey''s matters any longer. "Oh." Patricia said, feeling that Nicole''s words made sense. As the car sped across the road, Nicole watched as the scenery flitted past her. She gently leaned against her seat with a rxed smile on her face. It had been a long while since Nicole had taken the time to pause and observe the beauty of her surroundings ¡ª to smell the roses, so to speak. Suddenly, Nicole''s phone rang. This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org. Seeing that it was Lulu''s caller ID, Nicole picked it up and smiled. " Spencer might begin to get jealous if you keep this up during your honeymoon." Indeed, very few would bother to think about family matters ona daily basis while being on their honeymoon. "Have you seen the news?" Lulu asked, her dull and heavy. ¡°Not yet. What happened?" Nicole frowned a little. "It''s about what happened at the wedding the other day. Someone has exposed the details, especially Nn and Lana''s identity." Lulu informed Nicole. Narrowing her eyes, Nicole''s voice turned cold and low. "I got it.¡± As soon as she uttered those words, Nicole hung up. Flipping through the news portal on her phone, Nicole discovered an article about that wedding. The main issue was that the Riddle family, as well as Jared, had already ordered everyone to stop the news from spreading. Due to this, it made no sense as to why it had still leaked. "The Riddle brothers got married on the same day, and the public had already been paying attention to the news, but then, the wedding ended abruptly. There was no news about it after it ended. Perhaps, that had roused the suspicion of the public." Patricia posited after having analyzed the situation. "Yeah." Nicole said, crossed as she added in a low voice. "Quick, stop the news from spreading and get someone to investigate. We must get to the bottom of this as soon as possible." "Understood." Patricia replied with utmost seriousness. Then, Nicole bit her lips and ordered, "Let''s head to Johnston Group now." Patricia turned the car around as ordered. And soon after, they arrived at the headquarters of Johnston Group. Nicole got down from the car and entered the building once the car had halted. As for Patricia, she went ahead and carried out Nicole''s orders after she had parked her car. Meanwhile, Nicole headed upstairs and made a beeline for Jared''s office, after which she knocked on the door. "Come in." Hearing Jared''s voice, Nicole pushed the door open and entered. Feeling a little shocked to see Nicole, he got up, approached Nicole, and asked, "What are you doing here?" Following a sigh, Nicole informed, "Someone exposed my family''s secrets.¡±. Narrowing his eyes, Jared replied, "I''ll get Max to look into it.¡± "It''s fine. I''ve asked Patricia to take care of the investigation." Nicole pulled Jared by the hand and sat down together. Then, she sighed. "Raine''s issue is not the one we''re concerned about. After all, the police have made an official statement and distributed it. It''s just that...Nn and Lana''s identity..." Although the both of them had decided to formally announce Nn and Lana''s true identities to everyone during the wedding day, Raine''s assault had disrupted all of their ns. Therefore, they had not gotten the chance announce it at all. Chapter 2591 Chapter 2591 Chapter 2591 Unexpectedly, someone had exposed them. The crux of the issue was that it was not published as a proper, official announcement, but as a gossip article. Needless to say, this made Nicole feel very unnerved. Hearing this, Jared hugged Nicole gently and said, "Let''s have an official ceremony." Since they had already decided not to conceal the truth, which had already been exposed anyway, Jared thought they could just organize a ceremony to do Nn and Lana''s identities true justice in San Joto. Nicole looked up at Jared and bit her lips as she hesitated. Initially, they had thought that Nn and Lana would appear in public together with them, and due to this, they did not have any reservations about making their existence known to the public. On the day when they were about to do it, they had to ce it on the back burner because of Raine''s act of gatecrashing them. This had led them to wonder if they should hold another banquet just for the two little ones. "They''re worth doing this for." Jared said in a gentle voice, knowing what Nicole''s concerns were. Jared assumed that those who mattered would attend the wedding. Therefore, it was the best time to make the announcement. But now, considering the circumstances, he felt that it would be appropriate to hold a banquet specially for Nn and Lana. Nicole bit her lips and after a moment of hesitation, she answered, ¡°Alright then." That was the best solution for the issue. They could not afford to leave it up to the public to make guesses about Nn and Lana''s identity. Neither the Johnston family nor the Riddle family would wrong Nn and Lana like this. Seeing that Nicole was in a better mood now, Jared stroked her hair and said, "Well then, have you started thinking about our wedding?" Although they had received their marriage certificates five years ago, they had not held an official wedding ceremony with their family members in attendance yet. Nn and Lana were five years old already, and yet, neither of their parents had announced their marriage to the public before. As such, Jared thought it was time for them to make the announcement. Nicole blushed and leaned on Jared''s shoulders. Then, she looked up at Jared and said, "I think we can start nning." Hearing this, Jared raised his eyebrows as if he was ina state of shock. ¡°What kind of look is that?" Nicole angrily red at Jared. He was the one who had suggested the wedding, but now that she had agreed to it, Jared appeared to be taken aback. "It''s just that, [ thought you would find an excuse to say no." Jared lightly pinched Nicole''s nose and while a grin crossed his face. Text content ? N?velDrama.Org. "Since you''ve agreed to it, there is no turning back now." "Why would I regret it?" Nicole asked, feigning anger and rolled her eyes at Jared. "That''s all I need to hear." Jared looked down and kissed Nicole on the lips. "Ugh..." Nicole protested, though she made no effort to push her away. All of a sudden, there were knocks on the door, and having heard them, Nicole wriggled out of his embrace in a panic, "S-someone is here." This prompted Jared to frown a little and let go of Nicole. After the two of them were properly seated, Nicole adjusted her clothes. Jared then shot Nicole a nce and said, "Come in." When the door opened, Max and Patricia entered, shot the couple a nce, and looked at each other. ''Why is it that Mr. Johnston looks so unhappy?" "Spill." Jared ordered, his voice deep and low. Max and Patricia were very sure that Jared was in a bad mood. However, they did not give it much thought because they assumed that it was about Nn and Lana''s issue. "Sir, we''ve found something. It should be Lawrence''s doings.¡± Patricia lowered her head and looked at the ground as she spoke. "Lawrence." Jared seemed crossed. ''This fe sure has the balls to do that!" "Is there any more information?" Nicole narrowed her eyes a little and asked. To that, Max replied, "He...might have discovered that the Fire Crest is in your hands now." "So, he''s testing me?" Nicole frowned. It was obvious that Lawrence was trying to test and see Nicole''s reaction. Max and Patricia nced at each other, after which they replied in unison, "I guess so." Chapter 2592 Chapter 2592 Chapter 2592 Nicole looked toward Jared, her eyes seemingly brimming with questions. Jared frowned, and after a long pause, he turned to Nicole and said, "Don''t let him know that you''ve regained your memories." At most, Lawrence would onlye to discover that Nicole had retrieved the Fire Crest. After all, that system was always in Nicole''s hands. They could always say that it was Nicole who had cracked the system and the Crest recognized her as the sole bearer. Nothing would be out of ce, and besides, the Crests would never allow a switch in ownership unless the current bearer was dead. They would definitely not be able to tell that Nicole had gotten her memories restored. Perhaps the main thing which Lawrence was trying to test was this information. "Yeah." Nicole nodded in agreement. Then, Nicole turned to Patricia and said, "What about Hanwick?" Patricia shook her head. "He still refuses to say anything. I''m not sure if he''s waiting for Lawrence to rescue him." There was definitely one of the possibilities. Otherwise, there would be no other reason for Hanwick to keep himself tight lipped. ¡°Let him go then." Nicole ordered, knowing full well that they would not gain any information from Hanwick, even if it was good to use him for a while. By releasing Hanwick, it would prove that she had not regained any of her memories. "Understood," Patricia replied. "Sir, ma''am, if there isn''t anything else, we''ll leave now," Max said, and proceeded to leave as he had already reported everything he had wanted to. After all, Jared seemed to be in a bad mood. It was best for them to leave as soon as possible. ¡°Hold up." Jared looked up and turned to Max and Patricia. The both of them nched at once. Then, they lowered their heads and began wondering if something had happened. ¡°About the wedding n we had prepared, you may proceed with it." Jared ordered the two of them. Max and Patricia lifted their heads, their eyes wide and their jaws hanging. "A Wedding?" Seeing the response, Jared frowned and asked, "Do you havea problem?" "No." The both of them shook their heads immediately. They had no intention of questioning Jared, even though they hade across as having reacted that way. They were just too shocked by the news. ¡®That means that Mr. and Mrs.Content provided by N?velDrama.Org. Johnston were already in the midst of discussing the wedding when the both of us entered the room. But why do I feel that he was pissed when we came in?¡¯ Max wondered. Suddenly, he seemed to have realized something, and that was when he quickly replied, "Understood. We''ll work on it now." As soon as he had spoken, Max brought Patricia out of the room. He seemed to have understood why Jared was in a bad mood. They had probably entered the room at the wrong time. Thus, it was best for them to leave as soon as possible. After Max and Patricia had exited the room, Jared looked to his side at Nicole and said, "Well now, shall we..." "uh, I''ll have to go back now." Nicole stood up suddenly. Chuckling, Jared pulled Nicole back down onto the couch. It was only then that Nicole understood that Jared was teasing her on purpose. She could not help but roll her eyes at Jared. "You''ve got nothing to do even if you go now. Just stay here and apany me." Jared persuaded her in a low voice. ¡°Alright then." Nicole smiled. Meanwhile, on the other side, Hanwick was released immediately. And as anticipated, he scurried his way to Lawrence at once. Looking at how disheveled Hanwick was, Lawrence frowned. " What are you doing here?" "What''s the point of me hiding my whereabouts?" Hanwick asked, resentful. "I was kidnapped, and you did not even bother to look out for me?" ¡°Even without me looking out for you, you still managed to show up in front of me, didn''t you?" Lawrence''s gaze was cold. Chapter 2593 Chapter 2593 Chapter 2593 With a skeptical look on his face, Hanwick questioned, ¡®What on earth did you do?" "There''s no need for you to know anymore. Leave San Joto as soon as possible." After Lawrence was done talking to Hanwick, he shouted outside " Tan!" "Sir." Ian quickly entered the room. ¡°Prepare him to leave the country immediately." Lawrence ordered, his voice burning with fury. Stunned, Ian asked, ¡°You mean now? Don''t we need to investigate?" "There''s no need for that." Lawrence said, his eyes frosty. ''He''s entirely useless to me now. ¡®If Jared and Nicole have opted to release him, that means that Nicole hasn''t regained her memories. Fortunately, Hanwick kept his mouth sealed. Otherwise, I would have even less of a reason to keep him alive,'' he thought. "Understood." Ian turned to Hanwick. "C''mon, let''s go." Hanwick added, "The drugs for next month are in my apartment drawer. I''ll keep sending them to you from now on." He then followed Ian out. Hanwick knew he couldn''t do much more to assist Lawrence, apart from supplying him with those nerve suppressant drugs. Seeing that Ian and Hanwick had left, Lawrence leaned back against the chair and closed his eyes as he began to think. ¡®Nicole has gained ess to the Fire Crest. Too bad I was not there to witness it, but...¡¯ With a sigh, Lawrence''s eyes narrowed. He could not help but wonder if he would have gotten the Fire Crest if he was there. Lawrence knew that the Crests would not recognize any changes in ownership unless its previous bearer had ended up deceased. However, all of it was just folktales and hearsay. No one knew it was true. If the owner was willing to pass it on, the ownership should be transferable. It was a pity for him that he did not have the chance to test it out. And although Nicole had not regained her memories, it was obvious that she had already begun to suspect him. Otherwise, she would not have captured Hanwick. One thing to note was that Nicole might be even more cautious of him now. "Why does it seem like things haven''t been going well since I arrived at San Joto? Now, I''ve even lost my final ace, the Fire Crest. Wasing to San Joto the wrong move for me? Or is this God''s punishment for what I have done many years back?" he asked himself. Lawrence lifted his head and rested his head on the chair. Then, he stared at the ceiling while his thoughts began racing across his mind. Night has fallen, and the lights were lit. The Riddle family''s living room was filled with joy and tranquility, although it was nowhere near as merry as before. Though Spencer and Samuel were no longer around, Sean and Steve had returned home. With them around, everyone went on to discuss the banquet to be held for Nn and Lana. "Jared, you should inform your grandpa about this matter. After all, you''re going to introduce them as Nn and Lana Johnston during the banquet." Daniel advised Jared. "We''ll confirm the guest list and agenda for now. I''ll talk to my grandpa tomorrow once I head back. J was also thinking of asking him to host the night." Jared replied, taking Daniel''s advice. "Nice! If he could host the night, that would be great! He''ll be happy about it too!" Daniel agreed to the idea. "Let''s see if there''s anything that we''ve missed out on." Jane looked at the items she had taken note of as she asked for everyone''s opinion. "The guests wille bearing gifts, right? Should we prepare some gifts at the entrance for them as well?" Jane asked. "Yeah, we''ll definitely need to prepare some." Gloria nodded. "This banquet must be done well. That way, we could also make up for what happenedst time." Daniel added. Then, Sean and Steve stated, "This time around, we will get a security detail to keep an eye on the event." "Good." Gloria replied. This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org. "Let''s keep it a secret from Samuel and Spencer in the meantime. Otherwise, they''ll just get worried. Let''s just give them a peaceful honeymoon." "Yeah, that''s true." Sean agreed, and turned to Stanley, "After the invitation cards have been tallied with the guest list, you''ll be in charge of the printing." "Sure." Stanley answered. Soon, after all the responsibilities had been assigned, Gloria called out to everyone, "I guess we''re almost done. Let''s have dinner now." Chapter 2594 Chapter 2594 Chapter 2594 Everyone walked over to the table and got themselves seated. Just as dinner was served, the look on Sally''s face changed. Then, she covered her mouth with her hands, got up and ran off. "Sally!" Steve followed after her, worried. Gloria looked at the direction Sally was headed to, and Gloria''s gaze was filled with emotions. As Nicole had also experienced such a thing before, she instinctively turned to look at Gloria. When their eyes met, the mother daughter duo reached an instant understanding of what was going on. After a while, Sally returned, her face pale as a sheet. That was when Steve stepped up and persuaded Sally to ease her concerns. "Let''s go to the hospital.¡± "It''s fine. I have been experiencing this for a few times over the past few days. I''ll feel better in a while." Sally shook her head as everyone waited for dinner to begin. She did not want the rest to worry about her. "alfred!" Gloria shouted. ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. "Yes?" The house butler came over. "Get the kitchen to bring these greasy dishes away as well as that fish. Ask them to prepare something lighter and more delicate.¡± Gloria ordered. "Mom, there''s no need for that. It''s fine." Sally immediately stopped Gloria, feeling a little bad that everyone had to adjust to her needs. If all those dishes were taken away, the rest would be left with nothing but vegetables and fruit to eat. "Don''t worry. Just have a seat." Gloria stole a nce at Sally''s belly as she stated. Having not noticed it, Sally sat down obediently. However, she still attempted to persuade Gloria to let things be. "Mom, it''s really fine. I feel a lot better..." Before she couldplete her sentence, Sally''s gaze caught the table again, and her nose began twitching. Still, she attempted to conceal and suppress her sudden revulsion for the food in front of her. Seeing this, Gloria immediately rushed the butler. "Alfred, quick!" "Understood." The butler immediately went to work. Soon, after the greasier meat and fish items were removed from the table, they were substituted by lighter, nt-based ones. Once Sally felt much better, she thanked Gloria, "Thank you mom. As soon as she had spoken, Sally turned to the rest of them, "I''m sorry, I''m not sure why I''ve been feeling this way recently. I''ve been feeling sick from time to time." ¡°There''s no need to apologize. This is a good thing." Gloria smiled. "Let''s have our meal first. After dinner, Steve will bring you to the hospital to get you checked." "Mom, how could this be a good thing?" Steve questioned, disagreeing with his mother''s view of the situation. Steve himself had noticed that Sally had lost a lot of weight. It could very well be a sign that she was sick. In response, Gloria rolled her eyes at Steve and said, "You''ll find out once you go to the hospital." "Sally, are you..." Jane trailed off, seeming to have understood the situation. Instinctively, her gaze moved toward and settled on Sally''s belly. Sally followed Jane''s gaze and stopped at her own belly. Then, the realization dawned upon her, stunning her for a moment. "Mom, are you saying..." Sally asked Gloria excitedly. "I guess so. You''ll find out once you''ve gotten it checked at the hospital." Gloria replied with a smile. "what on earth are youdies talking about?" Steve asked with a frown, still unable to understand the situation. Then, Sally blushed and pulled Steve over to her. "You might be a dad soon." "Dad?" Steve gasped, petrified. After a few seconds, he snapped out of his stupor, carried Sally up, and said, ¡°Let''s get to the hospital now!" "Hey, be careful." Gloria instantly panicked and said. "I know. I won''t throw them down," Steve replied, and by then, he was already heading outside. Chapter 2595 Chapter 2595 Chapter 2595 "But you can''t just let Sally starve," Gloria retorted. "No worries. I''ll buy something for her to eat," Steve suddenly said, before rushing out of the front door. Taken aback by what Steve was doing, they then burst outughing. "Look how worried he is." "Alfred, please get someone to tag along with him and inform us when he''s back, so that the both of them won''t have to lose sleep over this," Gloria instructed. Steve would have to take care of Sally once he got to the hospital, so it was best to have someone else handle the rest for him. "I will do so right away," the house butler replied, and hurried off to make the necessary arrangements at once. After Steve and Sally had sped off the driveway, the others continued their dinner. There, in the dining hall, the atmosphere was brimming with cheerful anticipation. ¡°Mummy, are we going to have a little sibling?" Nn and Lana asked curiously, turning off the television. Nicole chuckled and patted their heads. "That''s possible." ¡°Woohoo! That''s awesome!" Lana pped with excitement. ¡°Would you prefer a little brother or sister?" Gloria asked Lana yfully. After pondering for a moment, Lana answered, "Hmm, I''m fine with both. Doesn''t matter if they are boys or girls. I like them both. Or they could be twins like me and Nn. That way, I could have both!" "Hahaha. That''ll be a little difficult," Everyoneughed. After a pleasant dinner, news from the hospital arrived, and Sally was indeed pregnant. Nn and Lana were so excited that they wanted to rush over to the hospital. However, Gloria held them back and said, "You can''t see the baby now. We will have to wait for another nine months before the baby is here." ¡°Why?" the kids asked, their big, round eyes fixed on Gloria. "They are too small now, so they''ll be living in Aunt Sally''s belly for the time being. We''ll have to wait until they grow a little bigger to be able to sleep on beds like you two," Nicole exined. Hearing this made the kids a little disappointed. "But it will take forever." ¡°Don''t think about it. You''ll have to go to bed now," Nicole lightly patted her children''s heads. ¡°Alright then," Nn and Lana obeyed and went to sleep, knowing that there would be no baby to see for a while. Watching as the kids made their way upstairs to their rooms, Nicole could not help but smile. Text content ? N?velDrama.Org. Then, she looked at Jared and said, "Let''s go to bed too." "Sure thing," Jared agreed, and followed Nicole upstairs. Daniel and Gloria were the only ones in the living room thereafter. The two exchanged nces, and Gloria smiled. "It seems that more good news is around the corner. This is great." "Yes. You need not worry. We''ll have nothing but good things in the future," Daniel gently patted Gloria''s shoulder in reassurance. By the time Nicole and Jared had gotten upstairs, the kids had already taken a shower and were ready to sleep. After tucking them to bed, Nicole and Jared got out of their children''s rooms, exchanged smiles, and retired to their bedroom while holding hands. "Let''s bring the kids back to Grandpa''s tomorrow," Nicole said. "Sure," Jared answered. Jared''s grandfather, Maximillian Johnston, loved the kids, and they were certain he would love to see them. "We''ll pick them up after work," Nicole said. "We''ll have to inform Tia tomorrow and tell her that she doesn''t need to bring the kids home from school." As the hour waste, Jared looked at Nicole with a tender gaze and smoothened her hair. "We should go to sleep." "Okay," Nicole yfully chuckled and threw the covers over herself. The next morning, dewdrops fell from the leaves as dawn broke. Chapter 2596 Chapter 2596 Chapter 2596 As Nicole woke up and opened her eyes, she looked at the person sleeping beside her and smiled. Staring at Jared''s face, Nicole hesitantly leaned in to give a peck on his cheek. She then chuckled quietly and started to get out of bed. Unexpectedly, an arm caught her by the waist as she got up. With a gentle pull, Jared held Nicole back in his arms. Before Nicole could react, Jared had flipped her over and pinned her down. With a meaningful gaze, Jared said, "Aren''t you going to do something about it after waking it up?" ¡°What thing? I''m getting out of bed." Nicole''s face was flushed as she tried to push Jared away. Text content ? N?velDrama.Org. "Well, I''ll show you." Jared lowered his head and started kissing Nicole. The couple only went downstairs during breakfast. Deep down, Nicole med Jared for her sore back, but outwardly she had to pretend she was fine. At the dining table, the food was already prepared, and everyone had been seated. When everyone had arrived, Daniel gestured to the meal. "Let''s eat," After breakfast, Tia came over to take the kids to their kindergarten. "Tia, we''re going to pick the kids upter at Mr. Johnston Sr.''s,"'' Nicole informed. "Oh, alright. Noted," Tia replied. ¡°Aunty Tia, we should get going now," Nn said, holding Lana''s hand. "Sure thing. Come on." Tia smiled and took the kids with her. Stanley gazed at that retreating figure with a dark expression before moving his gaze away. Nicole coincidentally noticed this and did not know what motives Stanley had to behave like this. "Let''s go," Jared said, holding Nicole''s hand and pulling her back to reality. Nicole nodded slightly and followed him. "Dad, Mom, I''m going to work," Stanley informed and started to leave as well. "Hey, don''t forget about the date tonight with¡ª" Before Gloria could finish, Stanley interrupted, ''''Mom, could you cancel it for me? I have a topic seminar today, and it might endte.¡± "you should just skip that seminar since it always takes a while to finish," Gloria said. She figured it would not hurt to miss once ina while. Besides that, her son still had to eat even though he was ina meeting. "Mom, it''s not convenient for me," Stanley said, quickly escaping to prevent his mother from trying to convince him otherwise. Watching Stanley escape from the conversation, Gloria sighed. " Why, this child..." Gloria did not expect that the one she was most assured of was now the one she worried about the most. "Forget it. Let the kid work. There''ll be a time when he''s free," Daniel advised after sensing his wife''s anxiety. "Those are excuses. He''ll forever remain busy," Gloria said, frustrated. "You should ask him first next time and schedule ording to his timetable. That way, he could have no excuses," Daniel suggested. Gloria sighed. ¡°There''s probably no other choice. It''s the only way. At Riddle Corporation, Jared left after watching Nicole enter the building. Nicole saw Steve on her way out of the elevator and she frowned. " Why are you here?" "I''m here for work," Steve replied, dumbfounded at the question. ¡°Shouldn''t you be taking care of your pregnant wife?" Nicoleined. Steve smiled smally., "Oh, I''ve hired a nanny to take care of her." Knowing Nicole was worried about Sally, he continued, "Don''t worry, everything was normal in yesterday''s checkup. The doctor only informed me of some pregnancy precautions. Her body is fine." Chapter 2597 Chapter 2597 Chapter 2597 Knowing someone was taking care of Sally, Nicole nodded her head in satisfaction. "Thank God.¡± "Oh, there''s news about that matter," Steve said with amusement. Nicole raised an eyebrow. "The matter about the Ellison family''s factory?" "Yup, everything''s on the right track," Steve said proudly. ¡®Harvey must be furious right now,'' Nicole thought. "That''s great." Nicole smirked. She thought to herself, ''I''m shocked that this thing has results already. Harvey must be really arrogant to think no one is able to deal with him. Well, it''s my job to show him that he''s not untouchable. It''s just that no one wanted to deal with him.'' When Nicole entered her office, Patricia soon came in as well. "There''s been a breakthrough in NandoCorp''s matter. I believe we''ll soon achievepletion," Patricia reported. "Okay, that''s good." Nicole smirked again. There had been good news all along the week. Meanwhile, the atmosphere in Harvey''s office was tense. Cautiously, his assistant said, We didn''t expect Nicole to do it the other way around." NandoCorp was clearly in trouble, but Nicole ignored it and went against Ellison Group. Her actions were so quick that they could not react and defend themselves in time. The electronicponent factory could not take it anymore. ¡°You''re all just airheads!" Harvey spat coldly. His assistant flinched. "Yes, we are." ¡°Scram!" Harvey roared in anger. "Yes," his assistant answered, leaving the room. Harvey''s expression was dark. He gritted his teeth and grumbled, ¡°What a bunch of useless people! They put me in such a passive situation when things were originally in my favor. You''ve yed your cards well, Nicole." The sun set, leaving behind the afterglow. After Nicole got off work, she and Jared went to pick their children up. "Mummy!" Nn and Lana ran out and rushed toward Nicole. "Hi! Come on, let''s go to Great Grandpa''s house," Nicole said, guiding the kids into the car. "Daddy!" Lana excitedly jumped into Jared''s embrace when she saw him. Content provided by N?velDrama.Org. Nn followed behind her and sat in his seat. He nced at Jared and moved closer to Nicole. Looking at Nn''s awkward behavior, Nicole smiled discreetly. Jared looked at Nn and shifted his gaze. He could feel that Nn''s feelings had changed after that day, so he decided to give Nn more time to adjust. The car started, and they soon arrived at the Johnston family manor. Maximillian knew they wereing, so he had been waiting for their arrival. As the family walked in, he smiled affectionately and said, "Wee back! Come here and let the old man take a good look at you." ¡°Great Grandpa!" Nn and Lana called out sweetly. "Come on,e over here!" Maximillianughed. Sitting on the couch beside them, Jared looked at Maximillian. " Grandfather, we''ll be preparing Nn and Lana''s return banquet three dayster. We really hope you could represent the Johnston family and host the banquet." Chapter 2598 Chapter 2598 Chapter 2598 ¡°Hmph, so you were going to tell me after all," Maximillianined, pretending to be haughty. However, deep down he was pleased with Jared''s request. Jared raised his eyebrows slightly and teased, "If you''re not keen on it, I could always ask Mr. Riddle Sr. to¡ª" ¡°What nonsense is that? These are the children of the Johnston family! Why should you let that old man host the banquet?" Maximillian protested in anger, instantly showing his dissatisfaction. "I''ll consider this as your agreement to host the banquet then,¡± Jared stated calmly,ughing secretly in his heart. Maximillian knew he was set up by Jared and grunted, "Of course." Nicole could not help butugh at Maximillian''s childish behavior, "Grandpa, they''ll be called Nn and Lana Johnston from then on." "Yes, I''ll announce to everyone that they''re Nn Johnston and Lana Johnston. Both are my precious babies. Let''s see who dares mess with them in the future," Maximillian said proudly. After discussing the return banquet, the family had dinner with Maximillian The once deste Johnston family manor was now livelier and cozier with the family''s presence. Time soon arrived for the return banquet. Although they had limited time to prepare, with the Riddle family''s hard work, everything was thoroughly prepared. An endless stream of people entered the hotel to attend the event. With brilliant lights and shadows flickering, people greeted each other warmly and clinked their sses. The members of the Riddle family weed the guests who in turn, congratted them. The atmosphere was lively and festive. "There''s the pair of angels!" someone shouted, directing everyone''s gaze toward the entrance. Jared was carrying Lana while Nicole walked beside him, holding Nn''s hand in her right hand. The family of four slowly approached, putting people in awe of their beauty. ¡°When I saw those two children the other day, I simply thought they resembled Mr. Johnston." ¡°Why, you don''t say! They really look more and more alike." Hearing everyone''sments, Jared and Nicole remained calm and brought the kids to the front of the room, where Maximillian was waiting for them. "Alright now. Content provided by N?velDrama.Org. The protagonists of tonight''s banquet have all arrived. Let the return banquet officially begin!" the host announced. He then raised his voice to say, "Firstly, let''s wee Mr. Johnston Sr. to introduce the young master and young miss." Maximillian took the microphone and said with full vitality, "Let me introduce to everyone Nn Johnston, my great-grandson, and Lana Johnston, my great- granddaughter!" Congrattions echoed through the crowd, filling the room with thunderous apuse. "Thank you, all!" Maximillian said, chuckling. "Besides that, Nn Johnson is the future heir of the Johnston family." "Looks like Mr. Johnston Sr. really loves this great-grandson." Everyone was surprised but also found it reasonable and started smiling. Maximillian proudly exined, "Of course, [ love him very much. Our Nn will be excellent in the future. He''ll be the most talented person in San Joto." "Mr. Johnston was a prodigy. Naturally, the apple doesn''t fall far from the tree." ¡°You''re right. You can tell the young master is extraordinary at first nce." Everyone praised and could not help but marvel at how remarkable the Johnston family was. Nn, despite his young age, exuded such a calm andposed aura, even with the spotlight on him on such an asion. The adorable Lana, who was being carried by Jared, looked more approachable, but she was still not like an ordinary child. "Hold on a second," an abrupt voice rang out. Maximillian frowned, looking in the direction of the voice. "What are you up to, Benjamin Riddle? Are you trying to steal my thunder?" ¡°I have something to say." Mr. Riddle Sr. came over and took the microphone roughly. "Although Nn and Lana are children of the Johnston family, they are also the Riddle family''s children. Therefore..." Chapter 2599 Chapter 2599 Chapter 2599 After a pause, Mr. Riddle Sr. continued, "Anyone who crosses my great-grandson or great-granddaughter in the future will have to deal with the Riddle family." "You''re too serious, Mr. Riddle Sr. Why would we bother a small child?" everyone chimed in jokingly. "Well, you won''t. Go back and tell your kids to act ordingly and not to bully our Nn or hit on Lana," Mr. Riddle Sr. informed them seriously. Maximillian was immediately united with Mr. Riddle Sr. at the idea and echoed, "Yes, no hitting on our Lana." Nicole could not help but feel bewildered at their instant unity, as they had just been secretly competing with each other. "Grandpa, that''s a little too far ahead," Nicole whispered. After all, Lana was just five years old. She was still at an age where she liked having fun. Nicole thought these two old men were thinking too far ahead. ¡°Why not? I had to protect Lana," Mr. Riddle Sr. rebuked. This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org. Maximillian lowered his voice and said, "Although Lana is young now, she''s pretty. Just in case she gets targeted by any of the boys, we have to be on guard." They were just giving these people a heads-up not to think about hitting on their precious child. "So you want Lana to just stay home?" Nicole asked. Mr. Riddle Sr. and Maximillian choked, their expressions a little torn. "Well, it has to be someone we''re satisfied with," they huffed. The two old gentlemen reluctantly agreed and added, "But not now, we have to wait until Lana grows up." Laughing, Nicole reminded them, "Grandpa, we''re here today to announce their identities, not set up blind dates for them." The men said awkwardly, "We were just giving them a reminder.¡± "Alright then, you did what you wanted. So should we move on to the next session?" Nicole prompted helplessly. Rather than Nn and Lana, she felt that the grandfathers were the kids here. Mr. Riddle Sr. looked at Maximillian and returned the microphone to him. "I''m done. You may continue." Maximillian took the microphone and said with dissatisfaction, " You were the one who dyed in the first ce." Nicole shook her head, thinking about how their unity fell apart so quickly. ¡°Nn, Lana, you''re part of the Johnston family from now on. So, can you call him father now?" said Maximillian He shifted his gaze to Jared. "T''ve always called him Daddy!" said Lana, wrapping her arms around Jared. From the very beginning, when Lana came back and found out that Jared was her biological father, she had loved Jared ever since. In her heart, Jared was her only father. Everyone redirected their gaze to Nn, and he felt the pressure instantly. Before, Jared saved him and was injured because of him. It was the first time Nn felt protected by his father. Naturally, he was willing to ept Jared. However, he still seemed to be unable to openly call Jared his dad. "Come on, Nn," Lana urged her brother, noticing his silence. The others did not push Nn, but their expressions were filled with anticipation. Everyone hoped Nn could call Jared his father and truly ept him. "Grandpa, let''s talk about something else," said Jared, shifting the conversation. He knew Nn still needed some time and did not want to pressure him. Maximillian could only agree. "Alright then." Chapter 2600 Chapter 2600 Chapter 2600 Since Nn was stil] not used to it, Jared did not want to force him and figured that all the child needed was some time. When everyone was about to give up waiting, Nn softly called out, "Dad." The room instantly became quiet. Everyone was shocked. Jared''s gaze showed a touch of satisfaction. He ruffled Nn''s head. "Good job." Nicole was also very pleased with Nn and patted his shoulder. She knew her son was slowly epting Jared. CLAP, CLAP, CLAP. Aslow p started, standing out in the quiet crowd. As the pping sound became apparent, everyone looked up to find Lawrence approaching. Nn and Lana exchanged nces and called out, "Hi, Godpa." Nn did not pounce on Lawrence as usual, which had Lawrence taken aback. But he quickly regained hisposure and smiled. " Of course, I''d definitelye to visit you on such an important asion." "Thank you, Godpa." Lawrence arrived in front of the children and held out two boxes to them. "This is a little something that I prepared for you." "Thank you," Nn and Lana said, taking the gifts in a disciplined manner. ¡°You''re wee. I''m your godfather, after all. You guys have loved clinging to me since you were little.¡± Lawrence smiled and looked at Nn. "Especially Nn. This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org. I remember you saying you wanted to be like a hero like me when you grow up." Nn remembered his words and added, "Yes, I want to get strong to protect my mother." Nn''s confident look while nodding his head had everyone touched by his behavior. Only Lawrence, Nicole and Jared had different emotions about this. They knew Lawrence said this purposefully, but thankfully, Nn''s exnation had perfectly made things not so awkward. "At that time, no one was protecting Mommy. But now that we have Daddy, he''ll protect Mummy from now on. Nn, you don''t have to rush now. Just be a kid like me! How great is that?" Lana said innocently. Nn looked at Lana and agreed. "You''re right." "You''re both grown up and no longer immature. I''m so d for you and I hope you''ll always be healthy, happy, and safe in the future," Lawrence said, chuckling. He then looked at Jared and added, "Congrattions." ¡°Thank you, Godpa. We''ll live happily with Mommy and Daddy!" Lana smiled sweetly and tightened her arms around Jared''s neck affectionately. "Since you''re here for dinner, please have a seat," Maximillian said calmly, with a hint of coldness. Everyone present today was no ordinary person. They were all either in the political or business industry. After being in this environment for so long, no one was simple-minded. Maximillian could tell Lawrence''s motives, and so could others. Lawrence seemingly came to congratte, but he was actually after Nicole and wanted to be the father of the kids. Maximillian would never let that dream happen. Letting Lawrence be the kid''s godfather was as much as he could tolerate. Anything further would be crossing the line. "Thank you, Mr. Johnston Sr." Lawrence knew where he needed to be careful with what he did. Any more outrageous words from him would only backfire on him. Chapter 2601 Chapter 2601 Chapter 2601 Lawrence took a seat in a corner as he waited for the banquet to end. On the other side of the hall, Jared sat with Maximillian as they watched the bride and groom happily chatting with their guests. Jared and Nicole led the twins to sit at their seats. Lawrence stared at them, not touching his drink or food. He sat there solemnly. Nicole could feel his gaze on them. She leaned over and whispered to Jared, "I''m gonna head over to the balcony for a breather." ¡°Need me to apany you?" asked Jared in a low voice. Nicole shook her head. "No need. If youe, he might not approach me." Jared nodded in agreement, understanding what Nicole is trying to do. He nced at Patricia. Thedy, who was sitting at another table, immediately locked eyes with Jared and understood. She stepped outside and stood where the balcony was in sight. Expectedly, Lawrence walked to the balcony and handed Nicole a ss of red wine. Were you waiting for me to join you?" Nicole epted the wine ss and held it without sipping. Instead, she looked Lawrence in the eye. "You''ve been waiting for this opportunity, haven''t you?" ¡°Smart girl,¡± said Lawrence, sipping from his ss and smirking. ¡®She hasn''t changed one bit. Nothing gets past her.'' "If I told you, it was an ident, would you buy it?¡¯ he said. Then, he shrugged. "But of course, the Fire Crest would naturally recognize its owner." Nicole looked into Lawrence''s calm eyes. ''Does he have nothing to exin?! Lawrence avoided Nicole''s eyes. He broke the awkward silence. "If you don''t recover your memory and with this in your possession, it''s going to be a threat to you." Nicole shrugged nonchntly. Text content ? N?velDrama.Org. "You seem to be quite confident that I won''t recover my memory." ¡°Of course not, but sometimes these things can''t be forced. You seem to have a hard time trying to remember your past," said Lawrence steadily. Never could he have thought that Nicole could recover her memory and reobtain the Fire Crest. "So, now you''re saying that the Fire Crest is hazardous to me?" asked Nicole, raising an eyebrow at him and shooting hima skeptical look. "I don''t want to admit this but you''re back home with your family. So naturally, Ihave to support you in getting back the Fire Crest." "Support me?" Nicole echoed, her eyes widening. ''He wanted to use me for the Fire Crest when I first lost my memory. He didn''t even tell me about the Fire Crest at all! I would''ve agreed to everything he''d ask but yet, he chose to keep this a secret from me. 1 "Yes. Now that you''ve gotten back the Fire Crest, I''m more than happy for you," said Lawrence. His fake smile did not quite reach his eyes, but it was enough to portray he was really happy for Nicole. "Thank you for your kind wishes. I can''t help but think in the past, I''ve promised to help you crack the code as a token of gratitude for saving my life. However, I''m afraid I can''t do that now." Lawrence shook his head. "It had never once crossed my mind that I''d want you to repay me. Let''s just call it even." Nicole was confused. "Even?" ¡°I saved you and you wanted to repay me, that''s one thing. I lied to you about it and you didn''t get angry but instead forgave me. I think we can call it even," Lawrence exined. Nicole narrowed her eyes. She could not distinguish between the Lawrence that she had known and the man who was standing before her at that moment. Chapter 2602 Chapter 2602 Chapter 2602 Lawrence noticed that Nicole went silent for a while. "Why? What''s wrong?" Lawrence asked with a faint smile. Nicole mustered up a smile too. "Okay." A wave of relief shed in Lawrence''s expression. "That''s good." He then looked at his watch. "It''s gettingte. ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. I should head back now." ¡°Where to?" Nicole asked. She got a feeling that he was leaving to somewhere else instead of his residence. "Mecrounia." Nicole raised an eyebrow, stunned for a moment. "Oh, alright then." ¡°There are some things that need to be sorted and it might take some time for me to come back here," Lawrence exined and added, "If there''s anything you need while I''m not around, you can always go to Ian." ¡°He isn''t going with you?" she asked. ''Is Lawrence purposely leaving Ian behind so he could keep getting updates and news of what''s happening here?" "We need someone to keep an eye on thepany here, so I''d be d if you don''t disrupt him from work since you have Jared with you. I don''t wish to cause anymore friction between us," said Lawrence with a smile. Nicole shrugged. "Yeah, I think that won''t be happening." ¡°Let''s hope it stays that way." He stared at her for a while before turning around to leave. Once he left, Patricia walked onto the balcony and greeted, "Ms. Riddle." Nicole turned to look at her. "It''s okay. Let''s go back to the rest." "Yes, Ms. Riddle." Patricia followed Nicole back into the reception hall. Nicole took a seat at her table while Patricia went and found an empty seat nearby. ¡°Mommy, has Godpa left?" asked Nn, ncing at the door. "Yes, he left. There were some things he needed to take care of," Nicole answered truthfully. Nn lowered his head in disappointment, sighing. "Oh." Nicole patted his shoulders lightly tofort him. "What''s wrong, Nn?" "I think things have been changing too quickly," said Nn, looking up at his mother and giving her a weak smile. "But everything''s going quite well now. Don''t you think so, Nn? " Lana interrupted. Nn nced at his sister. "Yes." Lana giggled in satisfaction. ''Now we''re aplete family! Mommy, Daddy, Nn, and me!¡¯ ¡°Come here, guys!" Ryder and Gary Finley approached and handed out a gift to the twins. "Nn, Lana, here''s a gift for you two." "Here''s mine to you," said Martin as he gave out his gift. It was not long before the twins were surrounded by piles of gifts. It made the twins grin from ear to ear. They felt a little overwhelmed by the sudden influx of gifts from so many people who were not family members. ¡®Ever since we found Daddy, there are even more uncles now that will give us gifts!¡¯ the twins thought to themselves. ¡°Make sure you thank everyone for the gifts," Jared said with a straight face. He seemed to be unhappy with the sudden gifting. The twins obediently followed Jared''s instructions and thanked whoever had given them gifts. ¡®Why does Daddy look so unhappy?¡¯ they wondered as they nced at Jared. Chapter 2603 Chapter 2603 Chapter 2603 Everyone was already used to Jared''s grim appearance, so no one dared to say much. Instead they turned to Nicole. "I didn''t expect that you''d return and bring a pair of gems with you!" Nicole smiled happily. "Yeah, they''re gems alright." She thought to herself, ''If it weren''t for them, I don''t know what I would''ve done for the past five years.'' Nn noticed that everyone''s attention was fixed on their mother. He raised his eyebrow and looked at Jared, hoping to get an answer to things. Jared curtly ordered, "Focus on eating." He ced vegetables onto his son''s te. ¡°Dad, were these yourpetitors from before?" asked Nn. Jared quickly scanned the table. "They''re not worthy of your mother." "So they are," said Nn. The sudden im caused Jared to choke on his food. ¡®One of these days, these smart brats will be the death of me,'' Jared thought as he looked at the people standing around Nicole. His gaze was cold. A few people shuddered and immediately excused themselves. ¡°Mommy, they were all your admirers, weren''t they?" asked Nn, trying to be cheeky. Jared flicked on Nn''s head lightly. "Eat your food." Smiling, Nicole refrained herself fromughing out loud. Jared nced at Nicole helplessly, before cing some food onto her te. In a softer voice, he said, "Eat up." "Okay." Nicole smiled sweetly before taking a bite. Nn frowned, wondering why he was flicked by Jared. The banquet gradually came to an end as guests slowly took their leave one after another. At the hotel lobby, Maximillian said, "I''ll best be going now.¡± "T''ll be leaving as well," said Mr. Riddle Sr. "By the way, Mr. Riddle Sr. don''t forget our appointment." ¡°Don''t worry, I didn''t forget about it," Mr. Riddle Sr. reassured. Soon the two of them left in their own cars as the others got into theirs. It was not long before the brightly lit hotel lobby became silent. Meanwhile, Lawrence had just arrived back at his residence. "You stay back and keep an eye on what''s happening here," Lawrence ordered Ian. "Yes, sir," Ian responded. "Also, since Nicole has found the Fire Crest, others might be observing its every move," added Lawrence. Ian nodded. "Very well, sir." He hesitated before speaking again. " Mr. Royce, is it true that Ms. Riddle hasn''t recovered any of her memories?" "I think so. She hasn''t changed much since we met and there are some things that can never go back to the way they used to be," said Lawrence. ¡®whether Nicole gets her memory back or not, the moment she recovered the Fire Crest, it was already game over for what''s left of our friendship. We could no longer go back to how we used to be. Ever since she returned home, there was a possibility that someone would tell her about the Fire Crest, regardless of her regaining her memory or not. Text content ? N?velDrama.Org. None of these things were within my control ever since she came here. ¡®when she was still at Crescent Ind, I would''ve still stood a chance to get the Fire Crest but now the question of whether she had recovered her memory or not is the problem. Staying here at San Joto, any news would easily be spread. Whether she has her memory back or not. Nicole will surely find out sooner orter, or that someone would tell her about it,'' Lawrence thought to himself. Chapter 2604 Chapter 2604 "Then all of our hard work was all in vain," said Ian, sounding dejected. Lawrence''s eyes darkened. Then he said in a low voice, "So we have to think of other ways now." Things had reached a new point now with the Fire Crest being almost impossible to steal. Lawrence had no thoughts of giving up his n, even if Nicole regained her identity and reinstated her ownership of the Fire Crest. Whether everyone around her had told her everything or she did not know anything, Lawrence was determined to fight for the chance to get the Fire Crest in his hands. Lawrence looked at Ian with determination. "Go and get ready, I''ll leave first thing tomorrow morning." "Yes, sir." Ian quickly went to pack Lawrence''s bags for his trip. Meanwhile, Lawrenceid on the sofa, staring out the window, consumed in his thoughts. The next day, the sun was shining, and Nicole had walked into the Riddle Corporation as usual. The things for DillCorp were running smoothly once more. As Nicole got out of the elevator, she was met with Sean and Steve who were making their way to the conference room. Noticing Nicole, Sean and Steve stopped in their tracks. "Nicole, you''re here!" "Yes,m. What''s going on?" replied Nicole. ¡°Next quarter''s business meeting. Want to join?" asked Steve. Nicole shook her head. She was not prepared for the meeting as she had just returned to the head office of Riddle Corporation. "I''ll pass. Just have the secretary pass the meeting minutes to me, along with the decision." Sean and Steve agreed before excusing themselves and entering the meeting. Nicole brought Patricia to her office. "Ms. Riddle, the Ellison family has seemed to have abandoned the electricalponent manufacturing factory," Patricia reported, handing a document over to Nicole. "So soon?!" Nicole eximed. She did not expect to hear this so soon. "He had probably anticipated and foreseen thising. So he gave uppeting with us entirely," Patricia summarized. "I didn''t expect he''d give up so fast. The factory might not be able to sustain on their own for very long,'' Nicole thought to herself. "Get someone to acquire that factory as soon as possible," she ordered. ¡®Since he gave up, I should take over it as the factory itself is still in good condition. I have to thank him for leaving me with such a good opportunity. I also have to get Steve to go acquire it as soon as possible. We have to act fast to get it off the market.¡¯ "Yes, Ms. Riddle. I''ll make the agreement immediately," said Patricia before excusing herself to leave. Content provided by N?velDrama.Org. Nicole picked up the document and started humming to herself as she began to work, feeling in a good mood. Suddenly, her phone buzzed. Nicole picked up the device and saw that she had received a message from Lulu. She quickly tapped open the message and was immediately brought into a group chat with Lulu, June, and Nicole in it. Lulu: (Why didn''t you inform me that you announced Nn and Lana to the world?) June: (I''m away on my honeymoon. I don''t want to be bothered.] Lulu sent a crying emoji: [It seems that we''re not true friends after all.] Nicole: [I''ll buy you guys dinner once you get back from your honeymoon! ] Lulu: (You''re not invited. Only the twins are invited. ] June sent a yful emoji as a response to her reconsideration. Nicole: (Okay, then I guess I''ll split my half of the bill for what I eat.) The three of them chatted happily. Nicole was d that their honeymoon was smooth sailing and were not affected by what happened during their wedding. Nicole felt at ease as she told them to have fun. Chapter 2605 Chapter 2605 Lulu: [It''s very rxing. You should try it.] June: (I think you''re considering living on that ind.] Lulu: (Yeah, don''t you want to?] June sent a crying emoji. [It''s too expensive to live here. I have to go back and earn money.) Nicole and Lulu: [Loser! ] June: (Yeah, call me the loser. Don''te crying to me when you get back from your honeymoon.) Lulu: [I won''t. Spencer paid for everything. ] ¡®Serves her right for going to a concrete jungle for her honeymoon, * Lulu thought to herself. June: [Samuel''s money is my money. We''re husband and wife now. J Lulu spammed severalughing emoji-s into the group chat. Lulu: (Why don''t youe over to my ce? The expenses for things are very low. On top of that, no one woulde and bother you. It''s paradise. ] June: [I''ll consider it.] Nicole: (This is a once in a lifetime thing. As long as you''re happy, nothing else matters. ] June: [Thanks Nicole! :)] The three of them chatted happily, and the smile on Nicole''s face never dissipated. She was d that her friends and brothers were together. Soon, a knock on her door interrupted her from her thoughts. Nicole typed out a reply before closing the group chat. ¡°Come in," said Nicole, stashing her phone away and looking at the door. Patricia came in, pushing the door open. Her eyebrows were raised. "Ms. Riddle, the acquisition was sessful." "So quickly?!" Nicole gasped. She was surprised with the pace of how Patricia was handling things. "It seems that they''ve already sent the documents over to us," said Patricia, cing the contract in front of Nicole. Nicole''s eyes narrowed as she opened the contract. She quickly scanned through the contents and her face became dark. "Who signed this contract?¡± ¡°The sales team must''ve gotten someone to go over and have it signed," said Patricia. Noticing that there might be a problem, she he quickly followed up and asked, "Is there something wrong with ite" Nicole sighed loudly. "Read it yourself and tell me what went wrong." Patricia quickly took the contract in her hand, and she quickly skimmed through the contents. Her face paled. "How can this happen?" "Someone must''ve tampered with it," said Nicole, her face stern. '' It was obviously an acquisition contract at first but now it''s be a joint venture contract. Now not only did I get the electronicponent manufacturing factory, but I also have a joint venture with Harvey Ellison!¡¯ Nicole immediately knew right off the bat that it was one of Harvey''s dirty little tricks. ¡®But how could someone from my side have this kind of slip up? We had previously done internal screening of our employees, and everything went without a hitch...¡¯ "I''ll go and investigate this matter," said Patricia, sensing how serious the matter was. She quickly went to check. Biting her lip, Nicole stared at the contract in her hands. ''It''s no wonder that he was so happy with how it turned out. This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org. Maybe he knew that in the end I''d fall for his petty little tricks.'' ¡°Joint venture?" Nicole murmured before smirking. ''Harvey Ellison, if this is what you''re ying at then it''s what you''ll be getting. I''ll cooperate with you entirely. I just hope you won''t regret it.'' It was not long before Patricia came rushing into Nicole''s office again. "Ms. Riddle, the person we''ve sent out for the contract has been knocked unconscious and several of our seals are found missing. They must''ve taken it away." ¡°Are they okay?" asked Nicole. "Yes, they''re okay. They just regained consciousness," replied Patricia. Chapter 2606 Chapter 2606 "That''s a relief to hear. Have him take two days off to recover," Nicole instructed. After a moment of brief silence, Nicole spoke up once more. "The electronicponent manufacturingpany. Can you arrange a reliable person to manage it?" Patricia was taken aback by Nicole''s sudden approach. "Ms. Riddle, are you really going to go through with this contract?" ¡°Yeah, what choice do we have? We''ve already signed it. Maybe it''ll be a blessing in disguise," said Nicole. ''One thing for sure is that if I don''t go ahead with this contract, Harvey would never let me go. I''d like to see for sure how capable this guy is. He needs to be taught a lesson.'' "Okay, I''ll make the necessary adjustments," Patricia replied, leaving. Nicole ced the contract into the drawer beside her desk before picking up the other documents on her desk while trying to maintain herposure. Soon, the sun was setting over the horizon. Nicole had just gotten out of work and walked out of Riddle Corporation. Jared was already parked at the lobby waiting for her. Nicole raised an eyebrow as she saw the silhouette of Jared leaning against his car with the setting sun shining behind him. ¡®He looks like a god. How can he be real? He must''ve saved a universe or something to be blessed with such good looks,¡¯ Nicole mused. She had stopped in her tracks and was unconsciously staring at Jared with a huge grin. ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. Jared took slow strides toward Nicole. He reached out and ran his fingers through her hair. "What are you thinking about?" "You," said Nicole, reaching up to cup Jared''s face. ¡°How can you be so good looking? Even as a woman, I''m quite jealous of your facial features." Nicole pouted. Without a word, Jared leaned down and kissed Nicole''s forehead. " You look way better than I ever will," he said with a smile. Nicole''s cheeks flushed bright red when she realized that passersby were looking at them and snickering. She quickly pulled Jared toward their car. ¡®This guy can''t differentiate between a public space and a private space. How can he do such an embarrassing thing in front of so many people? Lord, I''m so embarrassed. Right in front of my ownpany!'' Nicole ranted mentally to herself. After they settled down in the car, Nicole nced out the window before signaling Max to start driving. "Max, drive." Without a moment of hesitation, the car engine revved up. Nicole sighed in relief and then red at Jared angrily. ¡°You''re not allowed to kiss me like that in public anymore." "Hey, in my defense it was you who said I was good looking first. I was just returning the favor," said Jared in a matter-of-fact way. "Then I won''t say such things like that again in the future," Nicole snarled, rolling her eyes. Jared quickly lowered his head and surrendered. "Come on, don''t be like this. I like to hear youpliment me." Nicole swallowed and reluctantly grumbled, "Okay, but I won''t be telling this to you in public." She was sure that if she did not agree to it, Jared would surely do the same thing again in the future. "Let''s talk about it when we get home." Jared grinned, a hint of a cheekiness in his smile as he looked at Nicole with adoration in his eyes. Although Jared seemed to move on from the topic, a gut feeling told Nicole that he had not let the matter go at all. In other words she might have dug her own grave. It was not long before they reached the Riddle residence where the twins had also just arrived home from kindergarten. They immediately rushed out from the car and ran toward Nicole and Jared. ¡°Daddy! Mommy!" they screamed as they ran to their parents. " You''re back! We just arrived home." Tia had just gotten out of the car. She walked up to them and greeted, "Mr. Johnston, Ms. Nicole." "Tia, go get Mrs. Wace Sr. and tell her that dinner''s ready. We''re eating in our front yard today," said Nicole. "Alright, I''ll head back and ask her. I''ll bring her over if she''s joining," replied Tia. Nicole nodded. "Okay, sure." Chapter 2607 Chapter 2607 Chapter 2607 Looking at Tia walking back to the courtyard, Nicole sighed softly. She was really frustrated and worried about Stanley and Tia. She could not do much but create more opportunities for them to meet. During dinner, the family gathered around the dining table. Mrs. Wace Sr. and Tia were present. Mrs. Wace Sr. heard about Nn and Lana reiming their identities but could not attend the banquet yesterday due to her unwell body. "Come here. These are my gifts to you," said Mrs. Wace Sr., handing two gifts wrapped in red to the twins. Nn and Lana received the gift and politely thanked her, "Thank you, Great Grandma." "You''re wee. It''s just a little something from me." Mr. Wace Sr. smiled. Nicole, however, knew this gift was Mrs. Wace Sr.''s most prized possession which had been kept hidden for many years. Nicole hesitated and looked at Mrs. Wace Sr., wondering if the kids should really ept the gifts. But she chose to respect her decision and ept the gifts. Since Mrs. Wace Sr. gifted it to the kids, Nicole would inform the kids to take good care of it. "Mrs. Wace Sr., you''re looking well. If the vitaminsst time worked, I''ll send some more to you," Nicole suggested. "Yes, I''m feeling fine." Mrs. Wace Sr. smiled. "That''s too kind of you. I''ll just have Tia on it." Nicole was always busy, and Mrs. Wace Sr. did not want to trouble her with such small things. "There are no worries. I''ll handle it," Nicole promised. The vitamins she prepared were her token to express her goodwill. These will be different from the ones Tia bought. Besides that, Nicole could adjust the dosages ording to Mrs. Wace Sr.''s condition. "Let Nicole prepare them. She knows the situation better," Gloria chimed in, thinking it was only right for Nicole to do something for Mrs. Wace Sr. since there was not much she could do. Mrs. Wace Sr. stopped rejecting and dly epted Nicole''s offer. "Alright then. Thank you in advance." "Great Grandma, you should try this," Lana handed a shrimp to Mrs. Wace Sr. "Thank you, sweetheart," Mrs. Wace Sr. smiled, her eyes almost watery, showing her genuine affection for the kids. Now that Nicole was all settled, only Tia was left with Mrs. Wace Sr. Although Tia was taking care of her, she had been apanying Mrs. Wace Sr. as well. Mrs. Wace Sr. has already considered Tia as her own. With that in mind, Mrs. Wace Sr. said, "I can finally find peace now that Nicole is doing well. She even has her two adorable children. I''m only left with Tia. My greatest wish is for you to start your own family, then my heart will be truly content." Tia blushed and said sheepishly, "Grandma, I''ll take care of you forever." "Silly child. How could you stay with me forever? I may not have many years left to be with you," Mrs. Wace Sr. advised Tia. Content provided by N?velDrama.Org. " Don''t hesitate. Just tell me when you meet someone you like, or you could tell Nicole. We can both help you with it." "Grandma!" Tia''s face reddened even more, and she instinctively lowered her head. "This girl!" Mrs. Wace Sr. chuckled. "You don''t have to worry about me. Even if you don''t take care of me, someone else will." It was just that Tia had been with her all these years. Naturally, Tia would still stay with her until she got married. But if Tia found someone she loved, Mrs. Wace Sr. did not want to hold her back. ¡°Mrs. Wace Sr.''s right. We can find someone to look after her," said Gloria, joining the conversation. Mrs. Wace Sr. would receive proper care as long as she was with them. "I didn''t mean that," Tia said, biting her lip. Awkwardly, she exined, "I-I haven''t found anyone I like." "Really?" Mrs. Wace Sr. frowned. She said regretfully, "Is it because you''re always with this olddy? You should go out and make more friends." Chapter 2608 Chapter 2608 Chapter 2608 "No, that''s not what I meant. I-I just..." Tia stuttered, frustrated. She was blushing. "I like being at home." ¡°Nicole, why don''t you arrange a spot for her in yourpany? It doesn''t matter if it''s a janitor. I''m sure there''ll be chances for her to meet new people," Mrs. Wace Sr. urged. "No, I don''t need that." Tia shook her head. She turned to Nicole. " Nicole, I''m fine. Just let me take care of Grandma." "But Grandma wants you to get married," said Nicole, pretending to sound conflicted. Tia bit her lip and, after hesitating, she said softly, "Grandma, I don''t want to get married." Looking at Tia''s deste expression, Mrs. Wace Sr. felt heartbroken for her and asked, "Did something happen?" "Nothing happened. I just feel that I''m quite satisfied with the life Ihave right now," Tia said with a half-smile, not wanting Mrs. Wace Sr. to worry for her. ¡°Grandma, I say let''s forget about it. Maybe Tia''s destiny has yet toe. There''s no need to rush it," Nicole reassured. Mrs. Wace Sr. looked at both Nicole and Tia before agreeing. " Alright then. You''re all grown up. I''m happy as long as you''re happy." Mrs. Wace Sr. could tell Tia had something on her mind, but Tia might not want to talk about it. Sensing the awkward atmosphere, Gloria gestured to the food. " Alright,e on! Time for food." "Yes, let''s eat." The topic of the conversation was shifted, and the atmosphere soon turned lively again. Originally, Nn and Lana were not hungry, so they sat for a while before going to watch television. The others chatted around the table withughter. Stanley would cast random nces at Tia, but Tia was busy eating with her head low. Feeling disappointed, Stanley stopped looking and started eating his food. Nicole saw both of their behaviors and felt slightly shocked. She wondered, ''Is there a misunderstanding between them? I feel like they still have feelings for each other, but why could they just not take a step forward in their rtionship?" ¡°Eat up," Jared''s voice sounded right in her ears, and many more dishes filled her te. ¡°Thanks, I''m good." Nicole smiled, signaling to Jared that her food was sufficient. When the two exchanged nces, the atmosphere between them was inexplicably sweet. After dinner, Tia and Mrs. Wace Sr. went back to rest. Daniel and Gloria gestured for everyone to sit in the living room. "Mom, I still have an online meetingter," Stanley informed and escaped after sensing things were not right. "Sit down," Gloria said sternly, which happened rarely. Stanley had no choice but to sit down. He silently sighed to himself as he realized he was about to face more pressure about getting married. As expected, Gloria started asking about it. "Can you set a date? We''ll adjust ordingly to your schedule." "Mom, I really can''t be sure," Stanley replied helplessly. ¡°What''s there to be unsure about? How many more days is that seminar of yours going to happen?" Gloria asked. Text content ? N?velDrama.Org. "Three more days," Stanley said reluctantly. Chapter 2609 Chapter 2609 Chapter 2609 Gloria nodded in satisfaction. "Very well. After these three days, are there any more seminars going on?" "For now, nothing is scheduled," Stanley replied, already feeling overwhelmed. "Since nothing is scheduled, keep that time avable," Gloria decided for him. "Remember, you promised us to leave that time open for any dates or appointments." Stanley silently screamed in agony to himself. "Alright, I got it." He pretended to agree to his mother''s request, but in fact, he was contemting escaping the country. "Stop daydreaming. I already kept your passport. If this date doesn''t go sessfully, don''t you dare think of going anywhere else," Gloria warmed, seeing through her son. Stanley immediately put on a smiling face. "Come on, why would I? After my seminar ends, there''ll still be some follow-up work to do. I won''t leave San Joto anytime soon." "Alright," Gloria said, satisfied. "I hope when you leave San Joto, it''ll be for your honeymoon." "Can I go upstairs now? I really do have a meeting," Stanley begged. ¡°Run along." At this moment, Gloria did not care if Stanley hada meeting or not. After all, he must do the things he promised. After Stanley left, Nicoleughed. "Mom, aren''t you pushing Stanley too much?" ¡°Don''t tell me you didn''t realize that if we don''t push harder, he might remain single forever," Gloria stated worriedly. After all these years, Samuel and Spencer both had June and Lulu by their sides. Although they were not yet married to each other, these two had official girlfriends. Yet Stanley has had no girls around him. If this situation went on, Stanley would never get married. "Mom, during these years when I''m not home, did something special happen to Stanley?" Nicole prompted after thinking for a moment. Gloria pondered before answering, "I don''t think so." She turned to her husband. ''''Was there anything special?" Daniel shook. Content provided by N?velDrama.Org. "I don''t think so too." ¡°Why would you ask this question?" Daniel asked curiously. ''Did Nicole notice something unusual?" "I was just asking. It''s fine if nothing happened," Nicole replied. It was just merely her spection, so she did not want to tell her parents and make them worry for nothing. ¡°Well, look at the time. If there''s nothing else, you should get some rest," Gloria reminded. "Yeah, we''re going up." Nicole agreed, and they went up with the kids. Looking at the family of four, Gloria sighed in relief. "How good would it be if all the kids could end up like Jared and Nicole?" Eyes filled with reassurance, Daniel replied, "Don''t worry. They will." ¡°Hopefully. I wish them all well." "It''s gettingte. Let''s get some rest." "Yeah." The night was deep, and all was silent. The Riddle family manor had long been engulfed in darkness, and only Nicole''s room was still illuminated with light. ¡°It''s gettingte. Aren''t you going to rest?" Jared asked in concern, seeing that Nicole was still busy with her work. Nicole spared a moment to turn to Jared. "I''ll be done soon." She then continued to work. Jared came over, ced a ss of warm water within Nicole''s reach, and then sat down. Chapter 2610 Chapter 2610 Chapter 2610 Jared saw Nicole searching through The Hunters and asked, " What are you doing?¡± "Lawrence left San Joto and went back to Mecrounia, saying there was something he needed to attend to. But I have this strange feeling, so I wanted to find out more," Nicole exined. When Lawrence left, everything seemed peaceful and fine. However, Nicole found his departure too sudden. If he had no specific reason, he should not have left at this time. "It''s very peaceful over there," Jared said ndly. Shocked, Nicole looked at him. "You already checked?" "I''ve sent some people there, but there hasn''t been any news recently," Jared exined. That was why he knew it was peaceful over there, and nothing major happened. Otherwise, he would have gotten the news. "I see,'' Nicole thought, a hint of understanding crossing her eyes. She chuckled, "Well, that confirms my suspicion since nothing happened there." Lawrence did not have anything to attend to, so he left San Joto for other reasons. "Could it be Everett?" Nicole guessed. "He probably isn''t worth Lawrence''s effort,'''' Jared responded. Nicole thought for a moment and agreed. "You''re right.¡± As the two were chatting, Nicole''s ount received a message. It was through her secondary ount. (There''s something going on with the Water Crest, but the authenticity of this information still needs to be determined.] Nicole was shocked to read the message. She looked at Jared, confused. She seemed to want his input on the matter. "You could check on it," Jared replied solemnly. At this moment, no matter the authenticity of the information, it had to be confirmed. Nicole had just retrieved the Fire Crest, and now the Water Crest had emerged. There was a slight possibility that Lawrence''s sudden departure had something to do with this. "I think it should be confirmed too. But who''s the right person for it?" Nicole frowned. Ian staying here was obviously to monitor their every move. Therefore, Lawrence would know if someone in San Joto made a move. "It wouldn''t be just Lawrence and us who have knowledge of this information. So, if it''s true, many others may start taking action," Jared said seriously. Nicole raised her eyebrows. ''If our people can''t take action, we can secretly arrange for those who aren''t in San Joto to investigate discreetly. Maybe they could just keep an eye on those individuals who know about the situation." "T have an idea." Nicole smiled. In this way, they could investigate all they wanted without Lawrence getting suspicious of them. Jared ruffled Nicole''s hair affectionately. "So, can we go to bed now then?" Nicole switched off herptop and wrapped her arms around Jared''s neck. She pouted. "Take me there." Eyes filled with tenderness, Jared gently carried Nicole to the bed. He set Nicole down and then leaned over her. His hands supported him on either side of Nicole''s body as he gazed down at her. Nicole looked at him with a coy smile. Her hands wrapped around Jared''s neck; she pulled him toward her. With their lips locked, the temperature in the room started to rise. The next day, the sun shone brightly. Text content ? N?velDrama.Org. Nicole arrived at thepany as usual. Her assistant appeared somewhat hesitant as she informed, "Mr. Ellison is waiting for you." Raising an eyebrow, Nicole smirked. "Where is he?" Chapter 2611 Chapter 2611 ¡°Mr. Ellison is waiting in the reception room,¡± Nicole¡¯s assistant replied. Nicole entered the reception room and saw Harvey leaning on the couch leisurely, eyeing everything inside. Sensing a presence, Harvey turned and saw Nicole. He put on a fake smile, stood up, and acted like a gentleman. ¡°We meet again, Ms. Riddle.¡± ¡°Nice to meet you,¡± Nicole said indifferently, keeping a strictly professional demeanor. KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK. Content provided by N?velDrama.Org. The assistant brought coffee into the room. ¡°Mr. Ellison, have some coffee,¡± said Nicole, gesturing in that direction. Then, she sat down and invited Harvey to do the same. ¡°Since Mr. Ellison is present here, shall we talk about the joint venture factory?¡± ¡°Well, there¡¯s no rush in that,¡± said Harvey. His purpose here had nothing to do with discussing the joint venture. Compared to losing a factory, he felt it was more important to build a closer rtionship with Nicole. Shocked, Nicole raised her brows and asked, ¡°Well, I have no idea what else there is to discuss, if not the factory. Unless you changed your mind?¡± With a pause, Nicole pretended to grasp the situation and said, ¡°If you regret the decision to join ventures, I could purchase the factory on my own.¡± Harvey¡¯s smile twitched, and he said helplessly, ¡°Alright then. Do you have any opinions or suggestions for the joint venture?¡± ¡°I suggest you withdraw from the venture. Would you agree to that?¡± Nicole said indifferently. Harvey could hardly maintain hisposure. He gritted his teeth and pretended to stay calm. ¡°This is something I cannot satisfy. It¡¯s done, and it can¡¯t be simply changed.¡± ¡°I¡¯m just saying. I also believe it¡¯d be difficult to amend the contract¡¯s terms,¡± Nicole replied nonchntly, shrugging her shoulders. She did not expect Harvey to agree to her suggestion in the first ce. After all, if Harvey agreed to Nicole¡¯s suggestion, he would not have done those dirty tricks and signed the contract. ¡°It¡¯s my honor to coborate with you. I hope our future cooperation will be smooth and pleasant.¡± Harvey faked a smile and extended a hand for Nicole to shake. Nicole coldly nced at Harvey. ¡°Well, that depends on you, Mr. Ellison.¡± She then called for her assistant. ¡°Please see Mr. Ellison out.¡± Her assistant promptly entered and escorted Harvey out, saying, ¡°This way please, Mr. Ellison.¡± ¡°We shall meet again.¡± Harvey smirked and left. Once Harvey left, Patricia entered the office. ¡°Ms. Riddle¡­¡± Nicole exined, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. He just came to validate his presence.¡± Nicole did not even try to be polite. After all, she was happy that she irritated Harvey. ¡°What about the coboration in the future?¡± Patricia asked. Harvey had his intentions for the joint venture. Thus, the coboration might be trickier than expected. ¡°It¡¯s alright. He¡¯s the one who wants the coboration.¡± Nicole smirked. ¡°Have you prepared the things I requested?¡± ¡°All set,¡± Patricia informed. ¡°Then it¡¯s time for action,¡± Nicole said meaningfully while looking out the window. ¡°Alright.¡± A faint smile appeared on Nicole¡¯s face as she thought,¡¯ Harvey, you¡¯re the one who wanted the coboration. As for how pleasant the coboration will be, it¡¯ll depend on your definition of pleasant. But I certainly hope you enjoy this.¡¯ Meanwhile, Harvey exited the Riddle Corporation building and hopped into his car. ¡°How was it, Mr. Ellison?¡± his assistant asked. ¡°Just start the car,¡± Harvey said depressingly. Sensing Harvey¡¯s destion, his assistant followed his orders and stopped talking. Chapter 2612 Chapter 2612 MY WIFE IS A HACKER CHAPTER 2612-Harvey leaned into his seat, his gaze gloomy as he looked out the car window. ¡®Nicole didn¡¯t seem affected by the matter. Why? She wanted to purchase the electronicponent factory, but I tampered with the contract secretly. Shouldn¡¯t she be angry and frustrated now that it turned into a joint venture? Why am I the one feeling the angry now?¡¯ ¡°If it were you, wouldn¡¯t you be angry?¡± Harvey questioned his assistant abruptly. His assistant froze for a moment before cautiously asking,¡± What should I be angry about?¡± Harvey said displeased, ¡°Wouldn¡¯t you be angry about the contract?¡± ¡°Well,¡± his assistant said, looking at Harvey in the rearview mirror. He pondered for a moment before answering, ¡°I guess I would. Maybe Nicole is pretending to show you her anger. It¡¯s like admitting defeat if she showed her frustration. If The atmosphere in the car fell into silence for a moment before Harvey¡¯s chuckle sounded. ¡°You¡¯re right. That made sense.¡± If Nicole got mad in front of him, it would be admitting defeat. So Nicole had to pretend to maintain herposure. Seeing Harvey¡¯s mood improve, his assistant breathed a sigh of relief. ¡°From now on, report every single thing about theponent factory to me,¡± Harvey instructed. ¡°Yes, sir,¡± his assistant replied. Harvey¡¯s gloomy mood instantly disappeared. There was even a hint of smugness in him. The sunset caused a warm and golden glow. Before Nicole could walk out of her office after work, a phone call came in. Seeing it was Tia¡¯s number, she answered it. ¡°Yes, Tia?¡± ¡°Mummy,¡± Nn¡¯s voice came through the phone. ¡°Mummy, we want Tia to take us for ice cream. Is that alright?¡± Nicole frowned. ¡°You want to eat ice cream?¡± ¡°Yes, can we please?¡± Lana¡¯s voice came through the phone. ¡°Let Tia bring you home first. I¡¯ll get you the ice cream when Ie home, okay?¡± Nicole proposed. Nicole was worried Tia could not manage both the kids outside, and it was not that she did not trust Tia with the kids. ¡°Mummy, we promise to be good and listen to Tia. We really want to eat in the store,¡± Lana started to plead. ¡°Mummy, Tia and I will take care of Lana,¡± Nn promised. Nicole had no choice but to agree. ¡°Alright then, you guys go ahead. Your father and I willeter on.¡± Nicole could tell they really wanted to go, so she was forced toe to this ¡°Thank you, Mummy,¡± Nn and Lana were ted and happily hung up the phone call. Listening to the dial tone, Nicole could not help but shake her head in Text content ? N?velDrama.Org. amusement and put her phone away. ¡°We can leave now,¡± Patricia came over to inform. ¡°Alright,¡± Nicole responded, and she headed into the elevator. Outside Riddle Corporation, Jared had arrived, so Nicole entered the car. ¡°The kids are eating ice cream. Let¡¯s go there,¡± Nicole said. ¡°Do you know which one they¡¯re going to?¡± Jared asked. ¡°Isn¡¯t it the one they always go to?¡± Nicole paused. She did not consider this before and assumed it was the regr spot they visited. Realization shed in Jared¡¯s eyes. ¡°I¡¯m afraid they¡¯re not there for the ice cream.¡± Huh?¡± Nicole seemed sounded softly. ¡°Are you saying that¡­ Chapter 2613 Chapter 2613 MY WIFE IS A HACKER CHAPTER 2613-¡°Yeah.¡± Meanwhile, Nn and Lana said to the driver, ¡°Let¡¯s go to Sarley on Timeston Road.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you guys want to get ice cream?¡± asked Tia, finding it strange. ¡°Oh, my ssmate said that the ice cream there is better,¡± Nn replied calmly. Tia knew that they loved ice cream, so she did not think much of it and brought them to Sorley. Sarley was amercial district, where there were a lot of offices and business N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. clubs. There were also some mini restaurants that sold food and beverages, as well as some small supermarkets. ¡°Nn, where¡¯s the ice cream shop that we¡¯re going to?¡± Lana asked Nn while ncing around. They were not familiar with this ce at all, and everything Nn knew about Sarley was from the inte. The buildings around them all shared simr designs and it was very confusing. Nn was also looking around, but he was not searching for the ice cream shop. Instead, he was looking for a club because he had heard that Stanley would go there alone to think after work that day. Stanley had once told him that the club¡¯s name was Serenity. It had an elegant environment and was exceptionally quiet, making it a very good ce to think. That was why Stanley would always go there to work on his project. After searching for some time, Nn finally found Serenity in the northwest corner of Sarley. Then, his eyes lit up. ¡°It¡¯s over there.¡± Nn pointed as he said, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Watch your step,¡± Tia said to the children, worried that they might walk too fast and trip. When they arrived at the entrance of Serenity, Tia grabbed Nn¡¯s hand just as he was about to go in. ¡°Nn, we should probably look around a bit more to see if there¡¯s a dedicated ice cream shop.¡± Serenity was a club that looked nothing like an ice cream shop. Tia was worried that they would be kicked out if they were to just go inside. Seeing that Tia did not want to go inside, Lana put on a puzzled look and asked, ¡°Is there no ice cream inside?¡± ¡°Um¡­.¡± Tia had no choice but to exin helplessly, ¡°I haven¡¯t been here before, so I don¡¯t know. However, I just think it¡¯d be better for us to visit a ce that only sells ice cream.¡± ¡°Kids, you¡­¡± The receptionist came outside. She had never seen any child entering the club, so she found it a little strange. ¡°My mom and dad will be here soon. We¡¯ll go in and wait if there¡¯s ice cream inside. Otherwise, we¡¯ll go somewhere else,¡± Nn said decisively after sensing the receptionist¡¯s slight surprise. Upon hearing that their parents would being, Straightened., ¡°We do have ice cream. Please follow me.¡± Nn and Lana felt secretly delighted after sessfully entering the club. They looked around inside, but unfortunately, they could not find Stanley anywhere on the first floor. So, they figured that he was probably in one of the private rooms upstairs. They wondered if they should just go upstairs directly or pretend to bump into Stanley coincidentally. Nn stole a nce at Tia and noticed that she was ordering ice cream with a service staff. Then, he immediately made a decision and went upstairs directly. They would have to stay on the first order after the ice cream came, and his entire n today would be ruined. ¡°Ms. Rose, since Mom and Dad will being in a while anyway, we¡¯ll go wait for them in the private rooms upstairs,¡± Nn said as he was already dragging Lana toward the second floor. Chapter 2614 Chapter 2614 MY WIFE IS A HACKER CHAPTER 2614-¡°Okay then,¡± Tia agreed as it seemed like Nn and Lana were nning to finish their ice cream here before leaving. Besides, Nicole had also told her that she would being, and they would have to wait for her anyway. Once upstairs, Nn and Lana searched through several private rooms upstairs This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org. but still could not see Stanley anywhere. ¡°Kids, all the rooms ahead are upied,¡± one of the staff told them as there were no empty rooms left. ¡°Miss,¡± Lana suddenly grabbed the staff and spoke in a hushed tone, ¡°Is Stanley Riddle here today?¡± Seeing the staff¡¯s hesitation, Lana added, ¡°He¡¯s actually my uncle.¡± The staff widened her gaze in surprise upon hearing that. Then she nodded. ¡°Ah, I see. I was just wondering why you two looked so familiar.¡± Although no outsiders were invited to Nn and Lana¡¯s party, the staff happened to have a close friend working at that hotel. Coincidentally, she had a day off and visited her friend there when the party was being held. So, she saw Nn and Lana. However, she had not expected them to suddenly show up here, so she could not recognize them right away. Naturally, she knew that Nn and Lana were siblings. So, she smiled and replied softly, ¡°Mr. Riddle is in the room at the back. He said that he did not want anyone entering his room, but I think he would make an exception for you two.¡± ¡°In that case, please get us four servings of ice cream and have them sent to the room,¡± Lana said with a sweet smile while looking at the staff. ¡°Thank you so much.¡± No one could ever resist such a smart, adorable, and polite child. The staff then smiled back and said, ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll get it done right away.¡± ¡°Nn, let¡¯s go.¡± Lana lifted her chin in a proud manner and took the lead. Nn heard what Lana said and grabbed Tia¡¯s hand. ¡°Ms. Rose, let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t the staff say that all the rooms ahead are upied?¡± Tia was a little puzzled. ¡°Yeah, but juste with us.¡± Nn and Lana said as they led Tia to the door of a room. Lana knocked on the door. Then, they heard someone inside asking in a slightly displeased tone, ¡°Who is it?¡± Lana pushed the door open, peeked her head in, and smiled. ¡°Hello, Uncle Stanley,¡± she greeted Stanley in a sweet voice. ¡°Lana, why are you here?¡± Stanley¡¯s irritated expression instantly vanished when he saw Lana as he walked toward the door. He opened the door wider and saw Nn and Tia outside. It was then he realized that Tia was the one who brought them here. ¡°Come on in. What brought you guys here?¡± Stanley asked with a hint of confusion. ¡°Our ssmate said that the ice cream here is very delicious, so we came to try it out.¡± Lana lifted her head and said while blinking her innocent, big eyes. ¡°ssmate?¡± Stanley frowned. Not many children would visit Serenity, and the odds of them being their ssmates were even lower. Besides, he figured that no matter how delicious the ice cream there was, there were definitely other better options in San Joto. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s what he said, so we wanted to try it out,¡± Nn added expectantly after noticing Stanley¡¯s suspicion. Stanley stopped dwelling on it upon hearing Nn¡¯s words. He was about to tell the staff to bring some ice cream over, but he already saw the staff entering his private room. ¡°Mr. Riddle, the ice creams are here,¡± the staff said before cing the four servings of ice cream on the coffee table. Chapter 2615 Chapter 2615 MY WIFE IS A HACKER CHAPTER 2615-Stanley¡¯s lip twitched as he immediately thought to himself again, ¡®This can¡¯t be just a mere coincidence, right?¡¯ He believed their story abouting here to have ice cream, but the fact that they were aware of his room¡¯s location and that the staff entered with four portions of ice cream made the situation seem highly unlikely. Then, Stanley remembered how Nn and Lana had pestered him with questions about where he was going after work. He called to tell them that he needed a quiet ce to think, so he woulde to Serenity. Stanley could not help but frown at Nn and Lana as if he had realized something. ¡°Uncle Stanley, you should have a taste.¡± Lana had yet to notice the change in Stanley¡¯s expression as she spoke. ¡°Ms. Rose, have a seat,¡± she added. However, Nn had already noticed Stanley¡¯s suspicions, so he quickly changed the subject, ¡°Uncle Stanley, let¡¯s try the ice cream first. Mom and Dad will be here soon.¡± ¡°They¡¯reing?!¡± Stanley was shocked as he subconsciously raised his voice. ¡°Yeah, we called Mommy and they¡¯ll be here in a minute,¡± Lana nodded firmly and spoke. Stanley could not help but rub his temples. ¡°Have a seat.¡± ¡°Mr. Riddle, are we disturbing you?¡± Tia asked softly after seeing that Stanley seemed a little troubled. ¡°No, it¡¯s fine. Have a seat.¡± Stanley quickly regained hisposure and spoke. They were already here anyway. Although he knew that everything was a part of the troublemakers¡¯ n, he was not going to be upset at them. ¡°This is my first time hearing that the ice cream here is good. Let¡¯s try it together.¡± Stanley said as he shot a nce at Nn and Lana. ¡°They¡¯re definitely delicious.¡± Lana began scooping her ice cream with a little spoon. Nn shifted his gaze away and looked at Tia, ¡°Ms. Rose, you should have some too. Even Uncle Stanley hasn¡¯t tried it. We¡¯re all tasting it for the first time. ¡°Sure,¡± Tia said and tried the ice cream too. Tia had an indescribable feeling as if something was not right, but she just could not tell what it was. ¡°Hm, it tastes so good,¡± Lana praised after taking just one spoonful. Nn chimed in, ¡°No wonder our ssmate told me that we had toe here.¡± Stanley looked at them and smiled faintly, seeming to enjoy their act. ¡°Uncle Stanley, how long are you going to stay here for?¡± Lana quickly shifted the subject after noticing that something was not right. ¡®Oops, it seems like Uncle Stanley has found out,¡¯ Lana thought to herself and felt it was best not to talk about the ice cream anymore. ¡°I¡¯m not sure,¡± Stanley replied as he looked away from the mischievous pair. Nn widened his gaze, ¡°Why not? Is the problem very difficult to solve?¡± ¡°Sort of, yeah.¡± Stanley shrugged before continuing, ¡°But it¡¯s okay. I believe it can eventually be solved.¡± ¡°Uncle Stanley, you can do this,¡± Lana said with a bright smile. ¡°Yes, there¡¯s nothing you can¡¯t do, Uncle Stanley.¡± Nn nodded firmly while expressing his trust in Stanley. Tia joined in to show her support too after hearing the encouragement from the little ones, ¡°Mr. Riddle, you¡¯re always so capable. I¡¯m sure that you got this.¡± Stanley had a smile on his face when he listened to Nn and Lana. However, Text content ? N?velDrama.Org. when he heard Tia¡¯s words, he abruptly shifted his gaze toward her and was suddenly at a loss for words, not knowing how to respond. ¡°Thank you.¡± Stanley kept it simple. ¡°Mr. Riddle, you¡¯re too polite.¡± Tia lowered her head, feeling a little flustered. ¡°Ms. Rose is right. Uncle Stanley, you¡¯re always so capable.¡± Lana blinked her eyes yfully at Stanley as if to say, ¡°Look, Ms. Rose is praising you.¡± ¡°Is the ice cream not good?¡± Stanley nced at Lana helplessly. Chapter 2616 Chapter 2616 MY WIFE IS A HACKER CHAPTER 2616-Lana smiled, giggling. ¡°It¡¯s delicious. KNOCK, KNOCK. Hearing someone knocking on the door, Nn immediately stood up and said, ¡°It¡¯s Mom and Dad! I¡¯ll go open the door.¡± He ran to the door, opened it, and saw Nicole and Jared standing outside. ¡°Daddy, Mommy!¡± Nn looked at them, feeling joyful. Nicole and Jared entered the room. Then, Stanley and Tia both stood up. ¡°You¡¯re here too.¡± Stanley nced at Nicole with an indescribable look on his face. Nicole shrugged helplessly. ¡°Maybe the kids like you a little too much.¡± She was implying that it had nothing to do with her, and it was entirely the kids¡¯ idea. Stanley understood the implication of Nicole¡¯s words. However, what he said was, ¡°Would you guys like to have some ice cream too?¡± ¡°I think I should probably take Nn and Lana away,¡± said Nicole, looking at her kids. ¡°Where are we going?¡± Nn and Lana asked expectantly. They had been thinking of an excuse to run away and leave Tia in the room. So, they were d that Nicole suggested leaving with them. ¡°Can we go to the yground?¡± Nn asked. It had been some time since they ¡°Sure,¡± Nicole agreed instantly. After all, they just needed an excuse to leave. Seeing that Nicole was about to leave with her children, Tia said, ¡°I¡¯ll go back N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. too then.¡± ¡°I¡¯m afraid not.¡± Nicole frowned, looking a little conflicted. Tia was taken aback. ¡°Ms. Nicole, is there something wrong? It ¡°There is,¡± Nicole said helplessly. ¡°The driver just asked fora leave because there¡¯s an emergency at home.¡± ¡°Ah!¡± Tia was stunned. ¡®Since the driver has left, and the kids are going to leave with Ms. Riddle, where am I supposed to go?¡¯ ¡°Uncle Stanley, I guess well need to trouble you to take Ms. Rose home,¡± Nn immediately proposed. ¡°But Mr. Stanley is busy¡­¡± Tia spoke as her voice gradually grew softer, not wanting to cause Stanley any inconvenience. With an innocent look, Lana added, ¡°You can stay here with Uncle Stanley then. He¡¯ll take you home when he¡¯s done.¡± That was the perfect n because Stanley and Tia would get to spend some time alone. ¡°I¡­¡± Tia felt incredibly awkward and did not know what to do. ¡°I¡¯ll take her back. You guys can leave now.¡± Of course, Stanley knew that it was just another one of Nn and Lana¡¯s schemes. He did not want to put Tia in a difficult position, so he agreed. ¡°Mr. Riddle!¡± Tia was somewhat shocked that Stanley agreed to let her stay. She was aware that Stanley did not like being disturbed when he was working. She knew that she only got to be here because of Nn and Lana. If it were someone else, they would most probably be left standing outside the room. ¡°Have a seat. It¡¯d be a shame not to enjoy the ice cream,¡± Stanley said as he looked at the kids. He knew very well what Nn and Lana were trying to do, and it left him feeling both frustrated and helpless. Then, Nicole and Jared left with the kids, leaving Stanley and Tia alone in the room Chapter 2617 Chapter 2617 MY WIFE IS A HACKER CHAPTER 2617-Tia sat quietly in one corner. She was even breathing softly for fear of disturbing Stanley. But the more Tia acted like this, the harder it was for Stanley to calm down and think. In the end, he gave up. ¡°Do you still want to eat?¡± Stanley asked. ¡°What?¡± Tia was stunned for a moment before she came back to her senses. She shook her head and said, ¡°I don¡¯t want to eat anymore. You don¡¯t have to care about me. Just act as if I¡¯m invisible.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Seeing that Tia did not want to eat, Stanley stood up- ¡°Are we going home?¡± Tia was shocked. ¡®We¡¯re leaving so soon? Me being here must¡¯ve distracted him.¡¯ Stanley nced at Tia and all of a sudden, he changed his mind, ¡°No, we¡¯re going to eat.¡± Initially, he wanted to go home. But looking at how careful Tia was acting, Stanley felt that it would be a lot more stressful to Tia if they were to return home immediately. She would feel that she¡¯s disturbing him. Since they had not eaten yet, they could go for a meal and use that time to rx. Yet, Tia seemed to be even more shocked by the response. Her pitch was a lot higher, ¡°Eat?¡± ¡°I¡¯m hungry, so I want to eat. Aren¡¯t you hungry?¡± Stanley looked at Tia and questioned her. ¡°I-¡± Tia wanted to respond and say that she was not hungry. However, her stomach growled, and she began to blush. Stanley could not help but smile, ¡°Let¡¯s go. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll get someone to look after grandma.¡± Tia had not said anything yet, and was too stunned to speak. She nervously replied, ¡°Yeah. Thank you, sir.¡± ¡°You¡¯re wee.¡± Stanley brought Tia out of that ce. At that moment, the sky was turning dark. The streetlights were beginning to light up. ¡°What would you like to eat?¡± Stanley asked Tia. ¡°I¡¯m fine with anything. You can decide.¡± Tia replied quickly. When did she ever have the right to decide on such things? Stanley frowned. Then, he switched to a gentler approach. ¡°I can¡¯t really think of anything right now. Why don¡¯t you give me some suggestions?¡± He wanted to make sure it matches Tia¡¯s taste buds. But Tia seemed to be uneasy about it, so Stanley had to use such an approach. ¡°I¡ª¡± Tia hesitated a little. Finally, she mentioned a few things which Stanley liked to eat. Stanley seemed to be a little confused as he secretly sighed in his heart. He continued prompting her once again, ¡°I don¡¯t feel like having those. Why don¡¯t you think of something different? Maybe something you usually like.¡± ¡°Me?¡± Tia widened her eyes. Then, she gave it some thought and replied, ¡°I actually do not have any favorite food.¡± Tia seemed to be fine with anything, as long as it would not starve her. Stanley raised his brows. ¡®No wonder I never knew what Tia likes to eat. So, this was the actual reason.¡¯ ¡°Well¡­ is there anything which you¡¯ve never eaten before but would want to try?¡± Stanley asked. ¡°Something I¡¯ve never eaten?¡± Tia paused for a moment. Then, she looked down embarrassedly. ¡°I think he has never tried a lot of food. So, there must be a long list of things to try.¡± Knowing Tia¡¯s attitude, Stanley paused for a moment and replied, ¡°We¡¯ll slowly go through the list and try every single one of them. For today, we¡¯ll choose only one of them. And as for the rest, I¡¯ll bring you to try them in the future. Tia looked up and stared into Stanley¡¯s eyes. She felt anxious. ¡®Is he really going Text content ? N?velDrama.Org. to bring me to try foods which I¡¯ve never had before? But was it appropriate to do so? He¡¯s the young master, and I¡¯m just a private nurse at best.¡¯ ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Stanley had put aside Tia¡¯s feelings. So, he had decided to use his actions to prove himself. Nothing was impossible or useless, as long as you set your mind on i Chapter 2618 Chapter 2618 Seeing that Stanley had turned around and walked toward the car, Tia froze again. She only came back to her senses when Stanley called out to her again. Then, Tia gritted her teeth and chased after him. As Stanley was driving along the streets, he noticed that Tia seemed to be curious about the roadside stalls. So, he stopped the car and asked, ¡°Do you want to go to the night market?¡± Tia bit her lip and quickly closed her hands. ¡®I¡¯ve never been to any night markets before, but they¡¯re very in. I¡¯m not sure if someone like Stanley would want to go¡­¡± Without waiting for Tia¡¯s reply, Stanley had already opened the door and got down from the car. Then, he called out to Tia, ¡°Get down, well have a look.¡± After they got out of the car, Stanley brought Tia into the night market. At almost every stall that they walked past, Stanley would get something for Tia. Soon, Tia¡¯s hands were full. ¡°Sir, that¡¯s enough. We have too much, and I can¡¯t finish them all¡­¡± Along the way, Tia kept repeating these words, but Spencer kept buying and buying and buying. When they returned to the car, Tia¡¯s hands could not carry anymore items. Bags and bags of items were hanging on her hands. Stanley¡¯s situation was no different from Tia¡¯s. The both of them looked like two Christmas trees. Tia turned to look at Stanley. Then, she looked at herself. She could not help but break out intoughter, loud and bright. Stanley smiled at that sight. After a long time, this was the first time he saw Tiaughing so brightly. That should be the look which Tia always carried. ¡°Let¡¯s eat now. Otherwise, it won¡¯t taste nice anymore when it¡¯s cold,¡± Stanley suggested. ¡°You should have some too.¡± Tia opened one of the bags and began to share her food. N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. ¡°Yummy!¡± Every time she took a bite of something, Tia had to exim. Spencer reminded her, ¡°Take it slow, we still have a lot of other foods.¡± He did not want Tia to get full just by eating a few dishes. She had to eat a little bit of everything. That way, she could have a taste of everything. Seeing that Tia was eating happily, Spencer felt satisfied. The smile on his face was a lot wider. ¡°Sir, thank you very much.¡± Tia said. Over the years, there was no news about Nicole¡¯s whereabouts. So, everyone was in a bad mood. Moreover, Mrs. Wace Sr. slept early, and Tia¡¯s sleeping schedule would also be the same as hers. Therefore, Tia never had the chance to go out. It would be impossible for her to try all the delicious food at the night market. ¡°Are you full?¡± Stanley asked Tia. Tia nodded. ¡°Yes, but it¡¯s a shame we couldn¡¯t finish everything.¡± ¡°As long as you¡¯re fed.¡± Stanley threw the leftovers into the rubbish bin nearby. When he had returned, Stanley asked, ¡°Would you like to go anywhere else?¡± ¡°It¡¯s gettingte. Let¡¯s go home. I¡¯m stuffed, can¡¯t eat another bite,¡± Tia replied. No matter where they went, they were just going to look around. No more room for food. ¡°Well, next time then.¡± That said, Stanley brought Tia home. As he was starting the car engine, he reminded her, ¡°Don¡¯t rush to bed once you reach home. You ate quite a lot, so it¡¯s better to exercise a little. Otherwise, you¡¯ll have indigestion.¡± ¡°Thank you, sir, I got it,¡± Tia replied obediently. Spencer smiled and drove to the Riddle family¡¯s house. Tia leaned on the seat and stared at the serious look on Stanley¡¯s face while he was driving. Subconsciously, she was biting her lip lightly as the gaze in her eyes seemed confused. Tia had been staying in San Joto for many years. She knew that Stanley had always taken good care of her. In fact, she was very grateful for it. But at the end of the day, he was from the Riddle family. And for she¡­ Chapter 2619 Chapter 2619 Meanwhile, on the other side, Nicole and Jared brought Nn and Lana to the amusement park. They were having a lot of fun together. The little ones had dinner at school, so they were not hungry. But Nicole and Jared had not had dinner. So, Jared bought some fast food somewhere nearby the amusement park. The adults sat at the waiting area outside of the amusement park while watching the kids y. ¡°The kids are having a lot of fun. They look so happy,¡± Nicolemented, as if they had nothing to stress about. ¡°Although they don¡¯t have any stress, they do have some worries as well,¡± Jared pointed out. Nicole nced at Jared and teased, ¡°Is this sarcasming from an old dad?¡± ¡°Is this affectioning from an old mother?¡± Jared responded in kind. The both of them nced at each other andughed.¡±These little brats.¡± Nicole sighed and said, ¡°But Stanley and Tia are really weird, rv It was not that the both of them did not have feelings for each other. Why were they not making progress in their rtionship? Content provided by N?velDrama.Org. Jared lightly wrapped his arms around Nicole¡¯s shoulders.¡± Let¡¯s leave their rtionship matters to them.¡± ¡°But I always have a feeling that if I were to leave it to them to decide, they might miss out on each other.¡± Nicole frowned. Jared shrugged. ¡°We still have Nn and Lana here. If they can¡¯t make it, that means they weren¡¯t meant to be.¡± Nicole raised her brows and nodded in agreement. ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± If Nn and Lana could not do anything, that would mean that Stanley and Tia were not destined for each other. Nicole lifted her head and looked at the two little ones ying happily, her gaze gentle. Then, she leaned her head on Jared¡¯s shoulder. Nicole¡¯s eyes were smiling. That moment made her feel warm and happy. A happy family should look like that: a loving partner, cute children and unconditional love. In the blink of an eye, three days had passed. Nicole arrived at the office as usual. The documents were allid out on her desk. And as usual, Nicole flipped one open and went through it. KNOCK, KNOCK. Patricia pushed the door and entered. She seemed to be in a bad mood as she spoke. ¡°Ma¡¯am, we got a call from the Riddle family manor.¡± ¡°What?¡± Nicole raised her brows. She had a feeling that it was not going to be good news. ¡°Chloe imed that she had found a Ghost Hand to perform some treatment. However, the fees are very expensive. Mr. Riddle Sr. seemed to be hesitant,¡± Patricia briefly exined. ¡°Ghost Hand?¡± Nicole was a little speechless. ¡°What is Chloe up to again?¡± She was the Ghost Hand, and when did Nicole agree to help Chloe with her treatments? Moreover, she was asking for a high price. Luckily, Nicole felt a need to keep an eye on her. So, she had informed the house butler to inform her whenever Chloe does something. Otherwise, what would Mr. Riddle Sr. do in this situation? Since Mr. Riddle Sr. had agreed to it, he would pay for Chloe¡¯s treatment. And there was no way to back out from it. Nicole was not against the idea. The only thing was that she was fine with the treatment, not scamming. Chloe¡¯s doing was not much different from scamming. And yet, she had the guts to say that she found the Ghost Hand. No matter which doctor she wanted to find in the whole world, it would be easier than getting the Ghost Hand. ¡°Ma¡¯am, would you like to visit Mr. Riddle Sr.?¡± Patricia asked in a low voice. Chapter 2620 Chapter 2620 Nicole gave it some thought before she replied, ¡°Please arrange a visit. I¡¯ll go once I get off work.¡± ¡°Noted.¡± Patricia turned around and left. Nicole leaned back in the chair and her gaze darkened.¡± What does Chloe want to do with so much money?¡± In the blink of an eye, it was time to get off work. Nicole had sent a message to inform Jared that she would be going to the Riddle family manor. Then, she left the office as soon as she had finished her work. She also brought Patricia along with her. As they arrived at the family manor, Mr. Riddle Sr. was already waiting for Nicole. ¡°You¡¯re here!¡± ¡°Grandpa.¡± Nicole went to the sofa. As soon as she saw how haggard Mr. Riddle Sr. looked, Nicole felt sad. ¡°Have a seat.¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. gestured for Nicole to sit down. Just as she was seated, Karen served a te of fruits and said, ¡°Nicole, have some fruits while you chat.¡± Nicole looked at Karen and nodded her head lightly.¡± Thanks, Aunt Karen.¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. nced at Dillon and Karen. ¡°You may go now. If ¡°Dad, why don¡¯t you let Dillon stay here? He might be able toe up with some ideas.¡± As Karen spoke, she pushed Dillon down to the sofa and left.Text content ? N?velDrama.Org. Mr. Riddle Sr. nced at Dillon once but did not continue chasing him away. Instead, he turned to Nicole and said,¡± You should¡¯ve heard what¡¯s going on.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Nicole went over specifically for that matter, and she was not afraid to admit. ¡°What do you think?¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. frowned. All these years, there had not been any news about the Ghost Hand, and yet, he is suddenly found. He even agreed to perform a surgery for Chloe. Mr. Riddle Sr. found all these to be weird. ¡°Chloe is lying,¡± Nicole spoke with a straight face. ¡°Dad, see! Nicole¡¯s also saying the same thing. I find this incident very odd.¡± Seeing that Nicole also had her doubts about the matter, Dillon immediately alerted Mr. Riddle Sr.,¡± Dad, you really have to think hard about this matter.¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. red at Dillon. Then, Dillon felt wronged.¡± Nicole is also saying the same thing.¡± Tm not the only one who finds it odd. It¡¯s also not because I¡¯m a mean uncle. It was clear that Chloe¡¯s behavior seems to be weird.¡¯ The problem was that Dillon was staying under their roof, so he dared notment further and remained silent. ¡°Grandpa, at the very least we know the person she found isn¡¯t the Ghost Hand,¡± Nicole spoke solemnly. Since Chloe had arranged everything, she must have a doctor and act out the full thing. So, if they wanted to expose Chloe, they would have to start with the fake Ghost Hand. ¡°What you¡¯re trying to say is that the Ghost Hand isn¡¯t real, or this whole thing was arranged by her?¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. narrowed his eyes. These two things werepletely different. ¡°Grandpa, actually I¡­¡± Nicole paused for a moment, but she did not speak the truth. Instead, she beat around the bush and said, ¡°Actually, I think we¡¯ll understand everything once we¡¯re done looking into it.¡± Of course, Nicole believed that Chloe was acting. But looking at how tired Mr. Riddle Sr. looked, Nicole did not have the heart to tell the weird truth. Dillon echoed, ¡°Dad, why not let Nicole look into it. I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll be able to find out the truth.¡± Regardless, Dillon could not bear to watch his dad give away such a huge amount of money to Damien and his family. Even though the money would not be Dillon¡¯s, he could not let Damien have it all. Mr. Riddle Sr. sighed and turned to Nicole. ¡°Alright then. I¡¯ll give you some time to look into it. As for the money, I¡¯ll talk to Chloe about it.¡± Previously, Mr. Riddle Sr. did agree to pay for Chloe¡¯s treatments. If it were not for the treatment, he would not allow Chloe to act rashly. ¡°Alright. Don¡¯t worry about it. I know what to do,¡± Nicole promised, nodding. ¡°Let¡¯s eat.¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. did not want to talk about depressing matters anymore. So, he wanted to change the conversation topic. ¡°Grandpa, I won¡¯t have dinner here. I¡¯m going back now.¡± Nicole nced at Dillon and said, ¡°Uncle Dillon shall apany you. Chapter 2621 Chapter 2621 Dillon immediately replied, ¡¯Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll take care of him. ¡°Grandpa, I¡¯ll let you know once I find out.¡± After Nicole finished speaking, she bid Mr. Riddle Sr. goodbye and left the family manor. Content provided by N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Dad, let¡¯s eat first.¡± Naturally, Dillon did not want to mention anything that would make Mr. Riddle Sr. unhappy. As soon as he finished speaking, he asked Karen to join them for dinner. During the meal, Dillon and Karen also tried to avoid the topic of Chloe or Damien. After all, Nicole was investigating the matter. They did not have to worry about it anymore. After Nicole stepped out of the house, she got into the car with Patricia and left. ¡°Ma¡¯am, what¡¯s your n?¡± Patricia asked softly. ¡°We¡¯ll wait for Chloe to hire someone first.¡± Nicole said. Patricia frowned, ¡°You mean, we¡¯ll do a background check on the doctor?¡± ¡°Yes. Chloe isn¡¯t that stupid to just take the money and not pretend to have an operation.¡± Nicole narrowed her eyes. As long as they could find out the weird thing about that doctor, everything would be clear. ¡°Understood,¡± Patricia immediately replied. ¡°I¡¯ll arrange someone to look into it.¡± Nicole took a deep breath, leaned on the chair, and stared out of the window. Aspared to the fact that Chloe dared to ask such a huge sum from Mr. Riddle Sr., Nicole was more concerned about why Chloe needed that much money? Nicole could not pinpoint the reason, but she had a strong feeling that it had something to do with Nicole herself. ¡®Chloe still hasn¡¯t backed down even with a disability. Is she nning something again?¡¯ Meanwhile, Chloe, who still did not know what was going on, sat happily in front of her dresser and put on a face mask. ¡°My dear, are you confident about this?¡± Miley came in and asked worriedly. Ever since Miley¡¯s family had fallen, they did not have any status in the Riddle family. They did not even have the right to speak. So, the only pir she could depend on, was Chloe. Even though Chloe¡¯s n was perfect, Miley was still worried. What if they failed? ¡°Mom, don¡¯t worry about it.¡± Chloe smiled. ¡°After all, no one has seen the Ghost Hand before. If we say that person is the real one, he will be.¡± What else could other people say? Even if he was a fake, who could bring out any evidence to prove it? ¡°But after the operation, your legs¡­¡± Miley was not worried that someone might suspect the doctor. Instead, Chloe might lose everyone¡¯s trust when there are no improvements after the operation. What would they do then? ¡°Can¡¯t the Ghost Hand make a single mistake?¡± Chloe snorted. ¡°Or else, I could say my situation is extreme and we¡¯ve waited for too long to treat it. Anyways, we could just simply find a reason.¡± After all, no one could treat her after all those years. It was not impossible for the Ghost Hand to fail. Hearing this, Miley was still not at ease. Chloe advised her,¡± We do not have any other way out now. We¡¯ve been searching for so long, and there¡¯s no news about that person. I¡¯m even questioning if the Ghost Hand actually exists on earth!¡± Initially, Chloe was still hopeful. But being disappointed again and again, she seemed to be immune to the bad news. Every message of failure seemed to not move her at all. Seeing that Chloe¡¯s face looked sick, Mileyforted her.¡± If there was such a rumor, this person must exist. We¡¯ll just have to patiently search and wait. Wemust be able to find that person.¡± ¡°It has been five years, and there¡¯s no hints at all,¡± Chloe said angrily. ¡°Instead of sitting around and waiting hopelessly, why don¡¯t I give myself a chance to fight?¡± A glint shed across Chloe¡¯s eyes as she thought, ¡®So what if I cannot stand up anymore? As long as I can inherit the Riddle family, she can move mountains.¡¯ She gritted her teeth. ¡®I can¡¯t lose to Nicole. I can¡¯t be useless like this for the rest of my life.¡¯ In the Riddle residence, Nicole entered the living room while everyone was eating dinner in the dining room. ¡°You¡¯re back. Come over and join us,¡± Gloria urged. Chapter 2622 Chapter 2622 Nicole nced and noticed that Jared had not reached home yet. She frowned a little. ¡®He¡¯s not home yet?¡¯ Nicole went over, sat down and joined everyone for dinner. ¡°How are things with Grandpa?¡± Daniel asked softly but his eyes were filled with worry. ¡°All good,¡± Nicole replied calmly. She did not want everyone to worry. Gloria frowned a little, ¡°Then, what is it with Chloe? Did she really find Ghost Hand?¡± After years of searching, everyone thought that it was impossible to find anymore. But now, she suddenly said that she had found it. Gloria was quite confused by the sudden news. ¡°Whether it¡¯s real or not, we¡¯ll find out once we see that person.¡± Nicole¡¯s words were filled with an unnoticeable coldness. Stanley looked at Nicole questionably. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Why did he feel that Nicole was trying to imply something else? Nicole shrugged her shoulders and replied, ¡°We¡¯re not sure about anything at the moment. Let¡¯s just wait.¡± The person will arrive in the next few days, and they should receive Patricia¡¯s results. As if understanding, Stanley raised his brows and replied,¡± I¡¯ll sit back and wait for the result then.¡± Nicole smiled. ¡°Sure.¡± ¡°What are you guys talking about?¡± Gloria could sense that something was off between the two of them, so she could not help but question. ¡°Mom, it¡¯s nothing.¡± He turned to Daniel and said, ¡°Dad, you don¡¯t have to worry about Grandpa as well. Nicole will take care of it.¡± Stanley could tell that Nicole had a n, and she was just waiting for the time toe. ¡°Everything is taken care of by Nicole. I don¡¯t know what the rest of you are doing.¡± Gloria rolled her eyes at Stanley, unsatisfied. Stanley rubbed his nose. ¡°I can¡¯t possibly bear such a huge me alone.¡± The rest of the boys were not present, except for him. But the fault could not be borne by him alone. ¡°Hmph, I¡¯d like them to bear the responsibility as well, but none of them have been here ever since they got married,¡± Gloria said. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, mom.¡± Stanley instantly gave in and swore, ¡°I¡¯ll make sure to ask Sean and Steve to help Nicole take care of this matter.¡± No matter what the conversation was, they were just mocking Stanley for not being married or having a girlfriend yet. That was in discrimination. However, Stanley did not want to go through the pain of being pestered into getting married. So, he could only lower himself and admit his faults. Seeing that Stanley pretended to admit his mistakes but pushed the me to Sean and Steve, Gloria could not help butugh. Stanley really was a good kid. He was still a likable child even when he caused people to worry. ¡°Let¡¯s eat. The kids must be tired already. Let them get an early rest,¡± Daniel reminded his wife. Gloria rolled her eyes at Stanley, as if saying, Til let you go for once.¡¯ Stanley secretly let out a sigh of relief. It was as if a rock was lifted off his chest. After dinner, everyone went to rest in their respective rooms. Nicole apanied Nn and Lana for a short ytime. When it was almost bedtime, she arranged for the two kids to shower and bath. Then, Nicole returned to her own room. It was gettingte, but Jared had not returned yet. Nicole could not help but wonder, ¡®What¡¯s he doing? Why isn¡¯t he back yet at this hour? Could something have happened to him?¡¯ Content provided by N?velDrama.Org. While Nicole was thinking all the messy thoughts, the yard lit up. She knew that Jared¡¯s car had returned. Chapter 2623 Chapter 2623 Nicole walked to the window and looked at the courtyard outside. Jared¡¯s car slowly came to a stop. He got out and walked into the house. Nicole drew her gaze away. Just as she turned around, Jared had already pushed open the door and approached her. ¡°You¡¯re back,¡± Nicole said with a smile. In the next second, Jared embraced her. ¡°Were you waiting for me?¡± Jared asked softly, lowering his head to kiss her forehead. Nicole wrapped her arms around Jared¡¯s waist, tilting her head to meet his gaze. ¡°Why are you sote?¡± ¡°An impromptu international video conference came up. I came back as soon as it ended,¡± Jared exined while taking Nicole away from the window. ¡°Oh, I was wondering why you were sote.¡± Jared smirked as he teased her, ¡°You were worried about me, weren¡¯t you?¡± Text content ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Mhm,¡± Nicole admitted, leaning her head against Jared¡¯s chest. ¡°Of course, I was worried.¡± ¡°You could¡¯ve called me,¡± Jared cooed, gently stroking Nicole¡¯s hair. ¡°I didn¡¯t want to disturb you in case you were dealing with something important.¡± Nicole shook her head. She was hesitant, but she ultimately decided not to call him. Jared cupped Nicole¡¯s face in his hands, his eyes filled with sincerity. ¡°You can call me anytime, okay?¡± No matter what he was busy with, Jared would always answer her call as he did not want her to worry. Nicole responded with a smile. ¡°Well, next time, I cane and keep youpany when you¡¯re busy.¡± She did not want to bother Jared, nor did she want to affect his work. Besides, she would not have to worry about him if she was around him. Jared raised an eyebrow, a hint of mischief in his eyes. ¡°Are you sure you won¡¯t be a distraction to me?¡± Looking into Jared¡¯s eyes, Nicole quickly understood what he meant. Her cheeks immediately flushed as she gave him a reproachful look. ¡°I¡¯d be there to apany you while you work, not to seduce you. How could I be a distraction?¡± Jared chuckled softly, knowing that he could not resist paying attention to her whenever she was around, whether she was trying to seduce him or not. Nicole seemed upset. ¡°What¡¯s so funny?¡± ¡°Nothing.¡± Jared gently grasped Nicole¡¯s hand. ¡°Alright, from now on, you cane and keep me company.¡± Satisfied, Nicole scoffed as if saying, ¡®That¡¯s what I¡¯m talking about.¡¯ ¡°Come on.¡± Jared pulled Nicole along. ¡°Wait, where are we going?¡± Nicole blinked in confusion. Jared¡¯s eyes glinted mischievously. ¡°To take a bath and sleep.¡± Nicole was taken aback. She knew that Jared¡¯s idea of¡± sleep¡± was definitely not what she understood it to be. While she was still in a daze, she was already being carried by Jared toward the bathroom. ¡°Wait, you go first.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. We can go together.¡± ¡°I think it¡¯s not necessary.¡± ¡°I think it¡¯s a very good idea.¡± The sound of rushing water echoed in the bathroom, along with Nicole¡¯s discontented protests¡­ The next day, the sun shone brightly, and the breeze was gentle and calm. Nicole arrived at thepany. As soon as she entered her office, Sean and Steve came in. ¡°Hey, Sean. Hey, Steve,¡± Nicole said in surprise. ¡°It¡¯s still early. What¡¯s up?¡± Chapter 2624 Chapter 2624 MY WIFE IS A HACKER CHAPTER 2624-¡°Chloe found Ghost Hand?¡± Sean frowned. He knew that Ghost Hand was Nicole, so who exactly did Chloe find? ¡°Did Stanley really tell you guys that?¡± Nicole was amused. She thought Stanley was just saying it offhandedly to avoid being nagged by their mother. ¡°Are we not supposed to know?¡± Steve was a bit annoyed. ¡°Of course not,¡± Nicole replied with a smile. ¡°I just thought it was a trivial matter.¡± She really did not think it was necessary to distract Sean and Steve with this, so she did not say anything about it. Sean squinted his eyes. ¡°What are you nning to do?¡± ¡°Nothing much. Chloe has to see Ghost Hand in person eventually. When that timees, it¡¯ll be proven that the person is fake.¡± Nicole shrugged as this was simple for her. ¡°Grandpa agreed?¡± Steve asked. Nicole nodded. ¡°Yes, I went back to the family manor yesterday.¡± ¡°It¡¯s good that you discussed it with Grandpa. Let us know if you need our help,¡± Sean said. Although Chloe did not know that Nicole was Ghost Hand, her meddling with Ghost Hand¡¯s affairs might end up harming Nicole. So, they had to be cautious. ¡°Okay.¡± Nicole smiled gratefully at him as she knew he meant well. ¡°We¡¯ll leave now.¡± Sean did not say anything further as he saw that Nicole had a n. Steve nced at her and asked, ¡°How¡¯s it going with the Ellison family?¡± Text content ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°We¡¯ll do it if he¡¯s willing to cooperate,¡¯ Nicole said. Sean chuckled when he saw the cunning look on Nicole¡¯s face. ¡°Let¡¯s work together then. I hope he won¡¯t regret it.¡± ¡°I hope not.¡± Nicoleughed. ¡°If he doesn¡¯t regret it, then it¡¯ll mean that my effort has gone to waste.¡± Steve burst outughing. ¡°That¡¯s true!¡± Realizing that Nicole had everything under control, Sean and Steve exchanged a nce. ¡°Come on, we¡¯ve got to get back to work and not hold our little sister back.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± Steve deliberately answered in a respectful manner. Sean rolled his eyes at Steve. Then he turned and left. Steve blinked at Nicole before leaving as well. Just as they left, Patricia knocked on the door and entered the room. She looked serious. ¡°Ms. Nicole, I got it.¡± Nicole¡¯s gaze darkened. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Chloe is secretly registering apany. The required capital just happens to be the amount she needs for the operation.¡± Patricia handed a document to Nicole. Nicole smirked scornfully as she looked at the contents of the document. ¡°So she cheated Grandpa¡¯s money for this.¡± ¡°Damien lost NandoCorp, so she¡¯s trying to take it back this way?¡± Patricia frowned. ¡°It¡¯s probably more than that.¡± Nicole¡¯s gaze turned cold.¡¯ Turns out, Chloe is quite the scheming person too.¡¯ If Chloe could sessfully register thispany, it would be an obstacle for the Riddle Corporation. Chloe¡¯s intentions were not as simple as they seemed. Looking at thepany that Chloe was preparing to register, the entire project was aplete imitation of everything that the Riddle Corporation already had. It was almost like she was ready topete with Riddle Corporation. ¡°Do you mean she¡¯s also trying to get a piece of the Riddle family¡¯s assets?¡± Patricia¡¯s face darkened slightly. ¡°Can she even do that?¡± ¡°She doesn¡¯t just want a piece, I¡¯m afraid she wants it all,¡± Nicole sneered. Well, it would depend on whether Chloe had the capability. ¡°Is she out of her mind?!¡± Patricia was surprised. Even if she sessfully registered thepany, a newly established smallpany would not be able topete with Riddle Corporation! ¡°Others can¡¯t, but maybe Chloe can.¡± Nicole¡¯s eyes turned cold. ¡®Because someone will help her.¡± Chapter 2625 Chapter 2625 MY WIFE IS A HACKER CHAPTER 2625-Patricia frowned. ¡°Ms. Nicole, are you referring to Harvey or Everett?¡± At this point, the only people who could help Chloe were Harvey and Everett. ¡°Harvey won¡¯t.¡± Nicole shook her head. She felt that he was more likely to help her. At this point, if Harvey helped Chloe, it would only spell trouble for himself. Harvey was not that foolish. On the other hand, it would be much easier for Everett. He was still hiding with Lawrence and had not shown himself anywhere. As long as he secretly contacted Chloe, he had the capability to help her. Unfortunately, both siblings had their own agendas. Even if they cooperated, they were both scheming. Sess might not lead to good results for them, and Nicole would not let them seed anyway. ¡°Ms. Nicole, what should we do?¡± If it was Everett secretly helping Chloe, should they give Chloe the opportunity, making Everett think he had seeded, or should they immediately go after Chloe, forcing Everett to reveal himself? ¡°Everett won¡¯t dare show up for now. Just keep an eye on Chloe,¡± Nicole said confidently. If Everett appeared now, he would be digging his own grave. So, Everett would not be foolish enough to reveal himself at this point. ¡°Understood,¡± Patricia agreed cautiously. In other words, they only needed to deal with Chloe now and did not have to consider Everett. However, they needed to take Everett into consideration when they were dealing with Chloe. ¡°Okay, you may leave now.¡± Nicole showed a hint of satisfaction as she thought, ¡®Patricia is very capable indeed.¡¯ ¡°Sure.¡± After Patricia left, Nicole flipped through the documents in her hand before throwing them aside and started processing other files. The sun was zing hot during their lunch break. Nicole was leaning against the sofa, seemingly contemting something. Hearing a knock on the door, she replied, ¡°Come in.¡± She was expecting Patricia, but it turned out to be Er.N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. ¡°Hey, Nicole.¡± Er ced a cold drink on the coffee table, saying, ¡°I bought it from the shop downstairs. It¡¯s a new vor, try it.¡± ¡°That¡¯s thoughtful of you. Thank you.¡± Nicole took the drink and sipped it. Er sat down and said, ¡°Nicole, I actually came to thank you. My project has been epted.¡± ¡°That¡¯s great!¡± Nicole smiled. ¡°It went so smoothly, and it¡¯s all thanks to your help. Otherwise, I might¡¯ve been done for,¡± Er said excitedly. Nicole assured him, ¡°But it¡¯s also because of me that you were affected.¡± If it were not for her, Harvey would not have targeted BayCorp. Besides, Harvey probably would not even have paid attention to BayCorp, as they had just started to show promise. ¡°Nicole, what do you have in mind exactly?¡± Er leaned over with curiosity, lowering his voice. Nicole was caught off guard. ¡°Huh?¡± Er said in a mysterious tone, ¡°About the cooperation with Harvey.¡± He thought that Nicole must have her own n. After all, Nicole would neverpromise with Harvey. Upon hearing those words, Nicole nced at Er with a smile. ¡°You found out.¡± ¡°Of course. I might not know the inside story, but I know how you do things.¡± Er chuckled, somewhat pleased. Nicole gave Er a slight smile and said, ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Just focus on your own work.¡± ¡°Alright then.¡± She did not seem willing to talk, so Er did not ask further. ¡°Also, be careful in the future. Don¡¯t participate in any projects rted to the Ellison Group,¡± Nicole solemnly advised. ¡°Okay, got it,¡± Er said cautiously. He knew that Nicole was worried about him, and he naturally did not want to hold Nicole back. Chapter 2626 Chapter 2626 MY WIFE IS A HACKER CHAPTER 2626-After chatting for a while, Er left. Nicole went on to gulp the cold drink that Er had brought for her before leaning back against the couch, her eyes darkening as she drifted off into a reverie. Time flew by, and three days passed in the blink of an eye. Chloe¡¯s so-called ¡®Ghost Hand¡¯ had finally arrived in San Joto, and so, she naturally turned to Mr. Riddle Sr., whom she proceeded to urge to pay for the treatment. Content provided by N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Grandpa, let me handle this matter,¡± Nicole said after receiving a call from Mr. Riddle Sr. ¡°Okay. But if something really happens, she might be on guard, so be careful,¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. reminded her. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Grandpa,¡± Nicoleforted. After hanging up, Nicole turned to look at Patricia and asked, ¡°How¡¯s the investigation going?¡± ¡°They¡¯ve indeed made preparations. We can¡¯t find any abnormalities. If we didn¡¯t already know that this Ghost Hand was fake, it would be hard to suspect her,¡± Patricia said in a solemn tone of voice. The people who were investigating Chloe had not made any progress and thus, were not able to produce any substantial evidence. Nicole¡¯s eyes narrowed as she thought, ¡®Ah, I see now why Chloe got her imposter to make an appearance in San Joto so quickly. It seems that she has prepared in advance.¡¯ ¡°What should we do?¡± Patricia asked, feeling a little troubled. She was wondering if the people involved should allow Nicole to admit that she was the actual Ghost Hand in person. On second thought, however, it might not be a good idea for Nicole to confess to that right now. ¡°Just let them arrange the surgery.¡± Nicole stated, her gaze frigid and nk. ¡°Surgery?!¡± Patricia was shocked. ¡®Are we really going to let Chloe undergo surgery?¡¯ ¡°Yeah. Have people keep an eye on them and monitor their every move,¡± Nicole ordered. As for the rest, everything would be made clear in due time. ¡°On it,¡± Patricia responded, and left the office. Squinting, Nicole then made a call. ¡°I need your card,¡± she said as soon as the call connected. ¡°Now?¡± her correspondent asked, seeming rather hesitant. ¡°Yes, and if I don¡¯t get it tomorrow, someone will know your exact location very soon,¡± Nicole said calmly. After a brief moment of silence, her correspondent yelled,¡± You jerk!¡± With that, the other party hung up, and a faint, cold smile crossed Nicole¡¯s lips. Meanwhile, in Damien¡¯s house, the entire family was in the living room, discussing their scheme. ¡°Chloe, has everything been taken care of?¡± Miley asked with concern. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s all done,¡± Chloe replied, seemingly proud of what she was doing. As long as she entered the operating room at the designated moment, everything would be a sess when she came out. It did not matter if the surgery failed. No one had said that Ghost Hand could definitely cure her legs anyway. ¡°Good,¡± Miley said and sped her hands together. Then, she began muttering as if she was praying. Chloe nced at Miley with dissatisfaction written all over her face, and said, ¡°Mom, if your prayers were useful, I would have been able to stand up a long time ago, and our family wouldn¡¯t have been in its current, sorry state.¡± With her face nching, Miley sighed. ¡°I just hope that things will go smoothly.¡± ¡°Alright, regardless of whether it goes smoothly or not, I can only bank on myself,¡± Chloe finished. Even if she wanted to rely on someone else now, no one could help her except herself. Chapter 2627 Chapter 2627 MY WIFE IS A HACKER CHAPTER 2627-Miley hesitated for a moment, after which she fell silent, despondent and dejected. ¡°Take me back to my room,¡± Chloe ordered the housekeeper with a nce. ¡°Of course,¡± the housekeeper replied, before wheeling Chloe away. Miley turned her gaze to Chloe, feeling a little distressed and helpless. She had hoped for the best for her daughter. Chloe used to shine like a bright star in the night sky. Everyone admired her, and she was the daughter Miley was most proud of. But now, her daughter had fallen from grace, and there was nothing Miley could do at all because of the failures of her own family. She even had to get Damien¡¯s approval before she could say anything to the Riddle family. Just as she was lost in thought, Miley suddenly heard Damien¡¯s yell, snapping N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. her out of it. ¡°What are you staring at?¡± ¡°You¡¯re back,¡± Miley said in a soft, timid voice upon noticing Damien. ¡°Pour some coffee for me,¡± Damien said grumpily, already seated on the sofa. After getting him his Cup of Joe, Miley carefully asked,¡± What¡¯s wrong? Are things not going well?¡± Though she did not know what Damien was busy with, she was certain that he was upied with something for the past few days, as he had been out working untilte at night. ¡®He looks upset. Something must¡¯ve happened, right?¡¯ ¡°Yes, I had to deal with a bunch of snobs,¡± Damien cursed in frustration. He had never expected that those who used to tter him would actually start giving him a hard time following his downfall. He knew that Chloe wanted to reestablish apany, so he did his utmost to notg behind. For that reason, he had been trying to leverage his connections. However, all they had given him were excuses and refusals. Some of them had even refused to meet him, and had kept their distance as if they were avoiding the gue. Upon noting Damien¡¯s demeanor, Miley knew that things were definitely not going well for him. That was her cue to not prod him with any further questions. Since her own family had fallen from grace, she had effectively been made a sitting duck. To top it all off, one wrong word from her would only turn her into Damien¡¯s punching bag in a split second, so she could only keep her mouth shut for now. Damien frowned and red at Miley, displeased. ¡°Where¡¯s Chloe?¡± ¡°She went back to her room to get some rest,¡± Miley replied. ¡°How is the situation?¡± Damien asked. ¡°It¡¯s going smoothly. The person has already arrived in San Joto, and Dad has responded. He has agreed and said we could arrange the surgery as usual,¡± Miley gleefully stated. As long as Mr. Riddle Sr.¡¯s money reached them, their goal would be achieved. Then, they would be able to spend some of it to send the fake doctor away, and the remainder would be enough for them to establish another organization and make aeback. ¡°Okay.¡± Damien¡¯s tone finally eased slightly. ¡®At least there¡¯s some good news.¡¯ However, he felt uneasy with the notion that Chloe would get the money and register thepany under her name. After thinking about it, Damien got up and walked off once more. ¡°I¡¯m going out again.¡±. He simply could not stay put. He needed to find someone to help him; someone willing to invest in him or lend him money. Only then could he have some say. Above anything, wanted the family to be under his control. The sun was setting as Nicole left the headquarters, as Jared waited for her. Smirking, Nicole approached the car and got in after Jared had opened the door. ¡°Have you been waiting long?¡± Nicole leaned against the seat, ncing at Jared. ¡°I just got here,¡± Jared said with a smile, gently holding Nicole¡¯s hand. ¡°What¡¯s making you so happy?¡± Nicole raised an eyebrow with a coquettish look on her face. Trying to remain obtuse, Jared uttered, ¡°Guess.¡± Chapter 2628 Chapter 2628 ¡°You¡¯re awfully mysterious today.¡± Nicole pouted and feigned displeasure. ¡°Hah,¡± Jared chuckled softly, gently stroking Nicole¡¯s hair.¡± You¡¯ll find out when we get there.¡± The car soon brought them to a bridal studio. ¡°Why are we here?¡± Nicole asked, surprised to see the bridal studio. ¡°Go in and take a look,¡± Jared said, before grabbing Nicole¡¯s hand and leading her into the studio. Once inside, they were greeted by a myriad of wedding dresses in all colors, styles, and designs. It was a beautiful sight to behold. ¡°Mr. and Mrs. Johnston,¡± the storekeeper immediately came forward upon seeing Jared and Nicole. ¡°Bring us to the special section where we can see what we¡¯ve ordered,¡± Jared said nonchntly. ¡°Alright, please follow me,¡± the staff replied, and immediately led Jared and Nicole to the inner section. Nicole finally realized that Jared¡¯s custom-made dress suit had arrived, and they were here to try them on. ¡°Woah, what¡¯s the rush?¡± Nicole whispered to Jared, surprised. ¡°Not at all.¡± Jared looked at her. Although they would officially announce their wedding only when Nicole finally agreed to marry him, he had actually been prepared for a while now. ¡°Mr. and Mrs. Johnston, here we are.¡± The staff stepped aside, leaned over, and extended her right hand as she invited Jared and Nicole to enter. After entering the room, Nicole discovered that it was a separate section of the store. There were two well-ced mannequins, one clothed in a suit and the other in a wedding gown, captivating the pair right off the bat. The clothes on the male and female mannequins were obviously custom-made, especially the embroidery on the wedding dress, which waspletely handsewn. It was lifelike and exceptionally realistic. There were two fitting rooms in the chamber, and in it were people hired to assist them. Upon their entry, the staff asked, ¡°Mr. and Mrs. Johnston? Would you like to try on the clothes now?¡± ¡°Sure,¡± Jared agreed and made a beeline for the men¡¯s fitting room. Content provided by N?velDrama.Org. The stylist delivered Jared¡¯s suit to him and walked up to Nicole. ¡°Mrs. Johnston. Let me help you change into the wedding dress.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Nicole agreed and headed toward the other fitting room. Soon, the stylist brought the wedding dress in and helped Nicole put it on. After checking it, and confirming that it did fit, she drew the curtain back and said, ¡°Mrs. Johnston, please take a look in front of the mirror over there.¡± When Nicole came out, she immediately saw Jared standing there, waiting for her. At that moment, Jared had already changed into the well-tailored ck suit that made him look almost ethereal. Although Jared often wore suits, he looked exceptionally different in Nicole¡¯s eyes today. Jared looked at Nicole in awe. The wedding dress he had specially designed for her had made it difficult for anyone to take their eyes off her. ¡°Mrs. Johnston, with this wedding dress on, you will definitely be the most gorgeous bride in the entirety of San Joto,¡± the stylist praised. She had never seen a bride that was more beautiful and dazzling than Nicole, who was all smiles as she adjusted her dress. ¡°Do you like it?¡± Nicole asked with her brow raised. ¡°You look amazing!¡± Jaredplimented. She genuinely looked beautiful in it, and no one could don this dress better than her. Nicole blushed as she turned her gaze to the mirror. And when she saw how her reflection looked in the mirror, she was satisfied. At the very next second, Jared came up beside her, prompting her to sh a blissful smile as she looked at the two figures standing side by side in the mirror. Chapter 2629 Chapter 2629 Then, Nicole looked up at Jared and smiled. ¡°Thank you.¡± N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. Jared lowered his head and gently kissed her in the lips.¡± You¡¯ll have to thank me like this from now.¡± Nicole¡¯s cheeks reddened as she rolled her eyes at Jared.¡¯ You wish.¡¯ Smirking, Jared softly said, ¡°I¡¯m d you like it.¡± ¡°Yeah, I do.¡± Nicole nodded. She knew this dress was something he had tailored specifically for her. Though she liked it, she liked the effort he had put in even more. Jared¡¯s gaze was filled with affection as he reached up and smoothed the strand of hair on Nicole¡¯s forehead. His movements were so gentle that he looked like he was tenderly protecting a national treasure. ¡°Come on.¡± Nicole grabbed Jared¡¯s arm and whipped her phone out. ¡°I want to take a picture for my phone¡¯s wallpaper. This way, she could see him anytime and anywhere. She could even imagine what they would look like on their wedding day. Jared did as he was asked; he took her phone and proceeded to capture a number of selfies with Nicole. Then, he suddenly called out to her. ¡°Nicole?¡± ¡°Yes?¡± Nicole remained still, wondering why he had called out to her when they were taking photos. ¡°Nicole?¡± Jared uttered again. Puzzled, Nicole turned to look at Jared, who immediately leaned his cheek to the side, at Nicole¡¯s direction. Nicole turned her head just in time to kiss Jared¡¯s cheek, and that was when Jared captured the moment with a click on her phone. Realizing what happened, Nicole red at Jared in embarrassment. ¡°Jared!¡± Satisfied, Jared quickly sent the photos to his own phone and looked at Nicole with a cheeky smile on his face.¡± That¡¯s my wallpaper.¡± ¡°Jared¡­ Johnston!¡± Nicole yelled through gritted teeth. Jared then attempted to soothe her by bending over to kiss her on the cheeks. ¡°I¡¯ll make it up to you.¡± ¡°Hey, who asked you to make it up to me like this?¡± Nicole¡¯s cheeks turned even redder. ¡°In that case, how about I kiss you again, and you get to use it as your wallpaper?¡± Jared said seriously. Visibly annoyed, Nicole rolled her eyes. ¡°I don¡¯t want to.¡± ¡®Who would use this as a wallpaper? It¡¯ll be really embarrassing if someone sees it. Does Jared not care about his image anymore?¡¯ she pondered. Just as she was thinking about it, Jared had already set the photo as his home screen wallpaper, grinning from ear to ear. Nicole¡¯s lips twitched. It seemed to her that he really did not care about his image after all¡­ The stylist could not stop smiling as she watched the couple engaging in such sweet and loving behavior with one another. Their public disy of affection was truly a delight to watch. On top of that, Mr. Johnston, who had always seemed unapproachable, had turned out to be a big softie when he was with his wife. Indeed, it was a rare sight to behold. Realizing that there was someone else nearby, Nicole cleared her throat in embarrassment and said, ¡°I think the wedding dress is fine. Let¡¯s just go with this.¡± ¡°Sure. We will keep it well and bring it out for the wedding,¡± the stylist responded. Soon after, Nicole and Jared changed back into their own clothes and left the bridal studio. As it was already getting dark, Jared ordered Max, ¡°Take us to Vegeta Dining.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Max nodded. After that, he quickly drove the couple to Vegeta Dining, where they got down as soon as they arrived. Chapter 2630 Chapter 2630 ¡°Let¡¯s have dinner before going home,¡± Jared said, holding Nicole¡¯s hand as they sauntered into the restaurant. Nicole figured that it was better to eat out too, as everyone at home would have likely finished their meal by the time they got home. After sitting down, the two ordered their food. During the wait, a figure appeared by the table, causing Nicole¡¯s brows to furrow involuntarily. ¡°Hey, Mr. Johnston and Miss Riddle. What a coincidence,¡± Harvey said, looking at the two, seemingly in surprise. After taking a deep breath, Nicole looked up with a faint smile. ¡°It does seem quite coincidental, Mr. Ellison.¡± Encountering him at any restaurant was something she did not like at all. ¡®How could we even bump into him when we¡¯re eating outside? Is this really a coincidence?¡¯ Harvey had noticed her tone, and yet, he feigned oblivion and cheerfully replied, ¡°Indeed, it is. I was just feeling hungry and wanted to grab a bite when I ran into you both.¡± ¡°Since you¡¯re hungry, Mr. Ellison, please go ahead and help yourself,¡± Nicole said, already starting to shoo him away. At this point, she just could not be bothered to waste her time and energy N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. engaging with him. Hearing this, Harvey smiled awkwardly. ¡®Nicole sure is blunt. We¡¯re already business partners, and yet, she has no reservations in shooing me away.¡¯ Holding back his feelings, Harvey continued, ¡°Since I¡¯ve already run into you, I believe there are some details about our coboration we should discuss now. Otherwise, I may have to make another trip to Riddle Corporation to see you tomorrow.¡± It was clear that Harvey was threatening her. If she ignored him today, he would simply meet her in person at thepany tomorrow. Nicole furrowed her brows. She did not want Harvey to stay as she did not want him to ruin her appetite. However, there was no guarantee that he would not show up at her office tomorrow, even if she did not get him off her back right now. But just as Nicole was about to make him leave, Jared said,¡± Please, have a seat.¡± Harvey was momentarily stunned, for he had likely not expected Jared to extend the courtesy to him. ¡°Okay.¡± Harvey quickly regained hisposure and sat down, before calling the waiter over and ordering more dishes. ¡°Mr. Ellison, if you have something to discuss, please do,¡± Nicole asked in a business-like manner. If they were to discuss work, it was best to maintain a professional attitude while they were at it. Harvey knew what she was doing, but he smiled and politely continued, ¡°We can chat while eating too.¡± He was not there to discuss work anyway. What he said about work earlier was just an excuse. His true intention was to stay. Even though he knew he was not wee at their table, seeing Nicole¡¯s annoyance somehow brought him pleasure. Nicole frowned when she heard what Harvey had said. ¡°I don¡¯t have the habit of discussing work during meals. If you don¡¯t wish to proceed, it¡¯s better to meet me at my office tomorrow, Mr. Ellison.¡± ¡®If you don¡¯t want to talk, then just leave right away. Don¡¯t stay here and annoy people.¡¯ to keep such an attitude,¡± Harvey said as if Nicole had wronged her. ¡°I think it¡¯s fine. Besides, you¡¯re the one who wanted to coborate, aren¡¯t you, Mr. Ellison?¡± Nicole shrugged calmly. After all, she was not the one who invited him to work with her. ¡°Heh.¡± Harvey chuckled awkwardly. As it turned out, Nicole genuinely had no quarter to give him. He was livid as he gritted his teeth. Jared was there looking at him coldly and calmly, while Nicole was jabbing at him mercilessly. Then, the waiter approached him and served him his food.¡± Excuse me, your food is ready.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s eat,¡± Nicole ced the dishes that Jared liked in front of him, whereupon Jared considerately passed some of the food to Nicole. The two of them disyed their affection without any care in the world, making Harvey¡¯s grimace even more sour by the minute. He seemed to have dug his own grave, and he suddenly felt that staying was a mistake. Then, it became clear as to why Jared was willing to let him stay. He had clearly wanted to see him being embarrassed right in the scene. Chapter 2631 Chapter 2631 The more Harvey thought about it, the more annoyed he became. With that in mind, he had no other choice but to stand up and say, ¡°I suddenly remembered there¡¯s something I need to attend to. Please excuse me.¡± ¡°Take care, Mr. Ellison.¡± Nicole smiled at Harvey as if saying, ¡°Please. Just leave if you want already.¡± Trying to maintain hisposure, he took a deep breath and spun around before hightailing it out of the establishment. N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. Nicole pursed her lips with a look of disdain. ¡°Petty. Why did he even bug us? What¡¯s wrong with him?¡± ¡°You must be hungry. Come on, eat up.¡± Jared scooped some dishes for Nicole again. He was not in the mood for exaggerated disys of affection; he simply did not care about Harvey. Meanwhile, Harvey¡¯s assistant was left in a state of puzzlement after Harvey had gotten in. ¡°Mr. Ellison? Are you leaving so soon?¡± He was genuinely surprised that they were leaving already, and he figured that Harvey had probably not eaten yet. ¡°Drive.¡± Harvey red at his assistant. Unable to help but shiver as he realized that something was wrong, his assistant immediately revved the engine up. Leaning back in his seat, Harvey¡¯s eyes darkened. ¡®Nicole, I¡¯ll have you know that I am not in any way lesser than Jared, and I¡¯m especially not inferior to him.¡¯ ¡°How is the preparation for the new factory going?¡± Harvey suddenly asked. And though his assistant was taken aback, he quickly answered, ¡°It¡¯s ready. We can proceed with the opening ceremony once a date has been selected.¡± ¡°Forget about picking a day. Let¡¯s do it in three days.¡± Harvey said, making the final decision on a whim as he could not wait any longer. His assistant agreed at once, afraid to say anything. ¡°Yes. Rest assured; I will have it arranged. Mr. Ellison.¡± Although he felt that it would not be ideal to kick the ceremony off on the fly, he did not dare to raise his voice in opposition. ¡°Good,¡± Harvey groaned in satisfaction. Time flew by, and soon, the day in which Chloe¡¯s surgery would happen had arrived. Mr. Riddle Sr. had made his way to the hospital, along with Dillion and Karen, who imed to be taking care of Mr. Riddle Sr. As for the other members of the Riddle family, no one had bothered to show up, except for Nicole and Patricia. The look on Chloe¡¯s face darkened when she saw Nicole. However, she could not say anything in front of Mr. Riddle Sr., so she opted instead to look at him innocently.¡± Grandpa, everything is ready. You don¡¯t need to worry.¡± ¡°Good.¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. nodded. ¡°Where is Ghost Hand?¡± Chloe¡¯s eyes flickered for a moment, before sheposed herself and answered, ¡°He¡¯s already preparing for the surgery. If Grandpa wants to see him, it¡¯s better to wait until after the surgery.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. agreed. With that, Chloe issued a sigh of relief. ¡°Chloe, this is such an important surgery. I can¡¯t help much, so I¡¯ve invited Martin toe over and assist Ghost Hand, just to ensure that the surgery goes more smoothly,¡± Nicole said with a caring look on her face, seemingly concerned about Chloe. Upon hearing this, Chloe¡¯s face instantly changed, and she promptly declined, ¡°There¡¯s no need for that. Ghost Hand isn¡¯t used to having unfamiliar people as assistants.¡± ¡°Do you know Ghost Hand well?¡± Nicole raised her eyebrows slightly, her gaze brimming with an air of intimidation, making everyone else around her feel uneasy. Chapter 2632 Chapter 2632 ¡°Not really, but at the end of the day, he is a renowned doctor. He might have his own working habits, so we shouldn¡¯t make any decisions on his behalf,¡± Chloe exined, trying to appear considerate. ¡°You¡¯ve thought this through, indeed.¡± Nicole nodded in agreement. However, Chloe began panicking. ¡®Why does everything about this seem off? How could she easily agree to everything I say?¡¯ Nicole then asked, ¡°So, does Ghost Hand intend to perform this surgery independently?¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± Chloe stuttered, instantly left speechless. In truth, even the likes of Ghost Hand could not possibly perform a surgery of such scale alone, no matter how skilled he was. ¡°I heard that Ghost Hand came alone without a team of doctors. He¡¯s not used to cooperating with others and can¡¯t perform the surgery without any assistance. Chloe, are you sure the Ghost Hand you¡¯ve found isn¡¯t a fraud?¡± Nicole looked at Chloe with her brows furrowed. ¡°Of course not. I¡¯ve been looking for him for several years. How could he be fake?¡± Chloe anxiously defended herself. ¡°Well then, he¡¯s truly a miracle worker. It seems that he can perform surgeries without anything! Is he using magic?¡± Nicole blinked her eyes curiously. Chloe¡¯s face turned pale. After all, nobody could turn to something as nonsensical as magic to heal anyone. ¡°Nicole just wants to help. Moreover, Martin is already a medical professor. It¡¯s not easy for him toe over and serve as an assistant. Having him help will make the surgery more secure and more likely to seed,¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. agreed with Nicole. ¡°Besides, haven¡¯t you sought him out before? You should be familiar with him. Don¡¯t you trust Martin?¡± Nicole asked, and shed Chloe a look of disappointment. Unable to argue any further, Chloe gritted her teeth and agreed, ¡°Well, thank you for your help then, Nicole.¡± She nearly ground her teeth when she said ¡°Nicole¡±. She knew there would be trouble when Nicole was involved. ¡°You¡¯re all here. Sorry for the dy.¡± Martin arrived and smiled at Chloe. ¡°Don¡¯t be nervous. I believe that your surgery will be sessful.¡± ¡°Dr. Wyance, you¡¯re the one helping us, and we¡¯re the ones who should be grateful. It¡¯s just that you¡¯re already a medical professor, so forcing you into a position as an assistant feels like an insult to your talents. We can¡¯t possibly afford your help,¡± Miley said, knowing Chloe could no longer refuse. She knew that she had to say something without being too direct about it. At this juncture, there was no way out for them. If she did not say something, they would automatically be forced to ept his help, and it would be a disaster for her and her daughter if things spiral out of their control. They thought they had handled everything perfectly, without giving Nicole any leverage. What they did not expect was that Nicole would persevere and arrange for Martin to be their doctor¡¯s assistant, which was a clear indication of an ulterior motive. Not minding the fact that he would be relegated to his position as an assistant, Martin said, ¡°Ma¡¯am, you¡¯re exaggerating. It¡¯s my honor to learn from the Ghost Hand.¡± ¡°It¡¯s almost time. Chloe, you should get ready. Martin needs to prepare as well,¡± Nicole urged, not giving them a chance to refuse the offer. ¡°Go on. If the surgery goes well, you¡¯ll be able to stand up in the future,¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. instructed. With no way out, Chloe could only agree. ¡°Okay.¡± As Martin was leaving, he shot a bullet of a nce at Nicole, who gave him a light nod. Martin then strode off. Then, Chloe gave Nicole a resentful look and wheeled herself forward, leaving as well. ¡°I¡¯ll apany you.¡± Miley followed Chloe, feeling uneasy. ¡°Dad, let¡¯s find a ce to wait. This surgery will take several hours,¡± Damien said to Mr. Riddle Sr. N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. ¡°Let¡¯s just wait here, Damien. Everyone is nervous about Chloe,¡± Dillion advised with a look of genuine concern. In turn, Damien red at Dillion. He refused to believe that Dillion could be so kind-hearted. ¡°Dad, there are some chairs over there. Let¡¯s go take a seat.¡± Karen suggested, ying along. ¡°Okay.¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. said, and went off to the row ofchairs to take a seat. Chapter 2633 Chapter 2633 With everyone on board, Damien could only follow along. Karen then shot Dillion a nce, both wearing smug looks on their faces. ¡°Miss Riddle, it should go smoothly, right?¡± Patricia whispered. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, fakes will always be fakes.¡± Nicole¡¯s eyes turned cold. Chloe¡¯s ns were nearly perfect, but unfortunately for her, she had run into Nicole. That meant all of Chloe¡¯s ns were now shattered. After all, she did not want to be the one left holding the bag. At that moment, Miley and Chloe had already arrived in the preparation room. ¡°Why am I feeling so uneasy? What is Nicole up to?¡± Miley nervously stated. ¡°We don¡¯t have any other options now. We can only take it as ites,¡± Chloe said dejectedly. There, they came to realize why Nicole had been so quiet earlier. She had thought their n was seamless, leaving Nicole with no options. Turns out, Nicole had been staying quiet all this time, waiting and lurking, just to pounce and catch her off guard at this moment. ¡°Can you manage by yourself?¡± Miley asked, her face turning pale. Once Chloe had gone in, she would not be able to help her any longer, as she could not enter. ¡°It¡¯s okay. Even though Martin is a medical professor, it¡¯s fine. I found Ghost Hand, after all,¡± Chloe said firmly. As long as she insisted that the person was Ghost Hand, nobody would be able to call her out on her bluff. After all, no one had ever seen Ghost Hand in N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. person, so no one would know for sure if the doctor she had hired was fake. When she received the money, everything would be settled. If she imed the surgery failed, what could they do? She was determined to get what she wanted, and she would definitely do her damnedest to acquire it. ¡°Okay, in that case, your father and I will wait for you,¡± Miley assured, gaining some confidence after seeing the determined look on Chloe¡¯s face. ¡°Go back outside. If you stay too long, they will suspect us. You need to keep an eye on Nicole too.¡± Among everyone out there, Nicole was the only one who was cause for concern. ¡°Okay,¡± Miley agreed and left. Chloe looked around and, after letting the nursee in to help with the preparations, she wheeled herself into the operating room. Inside the operating theater, ¡°Ghost Hand¡± was already prepared, and Martin had taken his position. Seeing Chloeing in, ¡°Ghost Hand¡± came over and whispered, ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°We¡¯re being suspected. That man is a medical professional, ¡± Chloe told ¡°Ghost Hand¡±. Hearing that, ¡°Ghost Hand¡± nched at once. ¡°What the hell? It ¡°I didn¡¯t want this either. Just don¡¯t panic. Remember, you are ¡°Ghost Hand¡±, and you have to stick to that moniker and behave ordingly at all times.¡± Chloe reminded him. The only thing they could bank on now was that no one would recognize Ghost Hand, so even if they were suspicious of him, it would not matter. ¡°But I can¡¯t do it,¡± the sham doctor panicked. He was never able to do it in the first ce, and now, they had even set a medical professional up to be his assistant.¡¯ They are trying to set me up, right?¡¯ Noticing the hesitation, Chloe gave ¡°Ghost Hand¡± a look of dismay. ¡°I only invited you to y along in my act. I¡¯ve never really expected you to cure me.¡± ¡°Ghost Hand¡± choked, left with no option but to agree with her. ¡°I understand, but I hope you can pull a convincing show forthem too.¡± He had his temper too, but Chloe was the one paying him, so he could only put up with all that crap for now. After all, if this act of theirs suffered an epic fail, he would not get anything in return. Chapter 2634 Chapter 2634 ¡°Let¡¯s begin,¡± Chloe said, wheeling herself over to the bedside. After stopping, Chloe shot Martin a nce and said, ¡°Thank you for your help, Dr. Wyance.¡± ¡°You¡¯re wee. Now, let¡¯s get started.¡± Martin nodded at Chloe, appearing sincerely concerned about her. Then, Chloe bit her lip andid down on the operating table with the help of the nurse. In fact, her original n was all an act. If Nicole had not suddenly arranged for Martin toe in, she would not even have had to participate in the surgery at all. She could have just left when the time was right. But now, Chloe had to endure the entire surgical process no matter what. She was on the verge of erupting from anger, as she was forced to suffer even more for no reason. The surgery started smoothly. After the anesthesia had been administered, Chloe gradually lost consciousness¡­ When Chloe woke up again, she was already in the ward. Upon opening her eyes, she saw a room full of people, and she felt like she was in a daze. ¡°You¡¯re awake. How are you feeling?¡± Miley immediately grabbed Chloe¡¯s hand. She looked concerned and was checking on her as if examining her physical condition. However, she was actually whispering to Chloe, ¡°Nicole and Dr. Wyance had nned everything. Shortly after the surgery, you were pushed out. Martin asserted that Ghost Hand was a fake. He didn¡¯t admit it, and since then, everyone has been waiting for you to wake up.¡± After hearing Miley¡¯s words, Chloe jolted awake. ¡®So that is why everyone¡¯s gaze seemed off.¡¯ As of that moment, Mr. Riddle Sr. had a cold frown on his face. Damien looked disappointed, Miley was anxious, and both Dillion and Karen looked like they were gloating over the notion that they had contributed to exposing her. She looked at Nicole, who was standing on the side with a look of indifference written all over her face. Martin, on the other hand, appeared calm, but there was a hint of disdain in his demeanor. Her heart sank bit by bit, but Chloe suppressed her nerves anyhow. She absolutely could not afford to lose control at this moment. ¡°Mom, was there a problem with my surgery?¡± Chloe¡¯s mind shed with a series of thoughts but in the end, she decided to assess everyone¡¯s attitudes toward her first. ¡°There was no problem because it wasn¡¯t even done,¡± Karen said as if enjoying the show. ¡°What do you mean, Aunt Karen?¡± Chloe asked, pretending to be confused. ¡°No wonder you¡¯re a movie star. You acted really well!¡± Karen sighed. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Didn¡¯t Miley just tell you a moment ago?¡± ¡®She¡¯s still pretending to be clueless! Miley just leaned toward her and murmured so much to her. Miley definitely told her what was going on already!¡¯ Chloe¡¯s face turned pale, and the hatred in her heart grew even stronger than before. N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. However, she could only y dumb and say, ¡°Aunt Karen, I don¡¯t understand what you¡¯re saying.¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t understand, that¡¯s fine. I just hope you can exin the situation with the fake ¡®Ghost Hand¡¯ clearly,¡± Karen said magnanimously. Chloe was seeing red, but she continued feigning cluelessness anyway. ¡°What do you mean ¡®fake Ghost Hand¡¯? If ¡°Cut the crap. Dr. Wyance told us everything.¡± Karen exposed Chloe, having lost her patience. Chloe¡¯s eyes widened in astonishment as she looked at Martin. With a puzzled look on her face, she asked, ¡°Dr. Wyance, didn¡¯t you say you didn¡¯t know ¡®Ghost Hand¡¯? How are you so sure he¡¯s fake?¡± Martin was about to formte a response when Chloe continued, ¡°Although you have a good rtionship with Nicole, you are still a medical professional. How could you treat me like this?¡± Even though Chloe did not really say much in that remark, there was another intended meaning in those words she was trying to convey. Nicole raised an eyebrow and looked at Chloe, a hint of coldness shing in her eyes. Clearly, Chloe¡¯s implication was that Martin had lied to nder her in order to help Nicole. ¡°I did it for your own good. If I hadn¡¯t stopped the surgery in time, Miss Riddle, you wouldn¡¯t have been able to get off the operating table, let alone stand up ever again,¡± Martin rebuked, his tone clearlyced with displeasure. Chapter 2635 Chapter 2635 Hearing that, Chloe immediately understood what he meant. He could not allow anyone to lob a grenade at Nicole and get away with it. ¡°Stop uttering nonsense, how could I harm Nicole in any way?¡± Ghost Hand argued after he got used. ¡°Just because you didn¡¯t want to hurt her doesn¡¯t mean that you can¡¯t or won¡¯t,¡± Martin retorted. ¡°Dr. Wyance, we had paid quite an amount of money for Chloe¡¯s treatment. Even if this guy, Ghost Hand, can¡¯t cure Chloepletely, I¡¯m sure he won¡¯t cause her any sort of harm,¡± Miley butted in. ¡°What I meant here is that this person, ¡®Ghost Hand,¡¯ or whatever has been found to demonstrate little to no skill in regard to operating a human being. And yet, here you are, taking a gander with it using Chloe¡¯s life,¡± Martin reprimanded. Miley¡¯s face nched as she listened on. She unconsciously stared at Chloe, crestfallen, as her face scrunched up in anxiety. Meanwhile, Chloe gritted her teeth. ¡®I nted this guy here. Of course I knew he was good for nothing. I mean I invited this ¡®Ghost Hand¡¯ guy here for a reason. Naturally, I would be an idiot to find a qualified doctor for myself. That might just raise the suspicion of others.¡¯ Chloe had taken a long time trying to find the perfect individual suited to perform her operation. Little did she know that Nicole had silently slipped someone in to follow her into the operation theater. That person was none other than Martin Wyance. Martin noticed that Chloe was taking a considerable amount of time to exin herself clearly. Then, she desperately turned to ¡®Ghost Hand¡¯ for help as she motioned for him to speak, which he did. ¡°You have to know, it¡¯s not just that I can¡¯t. I was very ufortable seeing so many unfamiliar faces in my operation theater. We haven¡¯t even started our operation, yet here we are, locked in more misunderstandings with one another already,¡± he said. Neither of them admitted to their faults, and neither of them could identify who the real ¡®Ghost Hand¡¯ was either. However, just as Chloe was about to pin all the me on Martin, Nicole smirked. ¡°Drop the act.¡± Patricia, who noticed that Chloe and Ghost Hand were still adamantly clinging onto their charade, then took a nce at Ghost Hand¡¯s arm. ¡°Since you¡¯ve imed to be so, then why note clean and exin yourself here?¡± Patricia then shed out a small cryptocrystalline quartz that had an engraving of the word, Divinity, on it. N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. Confused, ¡®Ghost Hand¡¯ cocked his head to the side, and asked, ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Ghost Hand had the idea that everyone in the operation theater would be suspicious of him, and hence, he had already prepared aundry list of lies to tell the operation team. However, everything had gone down the gutter once Martin made his entrance. None of them had the idea that Nicole would follow up on such a thorough routine inspection, nor that she would reveal to them something so bizarre. Nicole smirked as she raised her eyebrows. ¡°Why? Don¡¯t you recognize it?¡± Ghost Hand nonchntly shook his head as Chloe¡¯s face nched, though Chloe was unsure of what Patricia had in her possession. However, one thing was certain: she was screwed. ¡°This is a special James Dade ess pass. How could someone like you not even know what this is?¡± Patricia disdainfully asked. Feeling the pressure mounting, ¡®Ghost Hand¡¯ asked, ¡°Are you sure you know what you¡¯re talking about?¡± He was unable to fathom how Nicole could make up such hogwash he had never heard of. ¡®I have never even heard of this thing before. How could I know what it is?¡¯ ¡°So don¡¯t you think that just because you are keeping your silence that no one would see through your lies,¡± Nicole snickered as she looked at Ghost Hand with a sneer before giving Chloe a side eye. Chapter 2636 Chapter 2636 Chloe¡¯s heart raced, and deep within, she realized that this was only the beginning of Nicole¡¯s entire show. ¡°Do you know why I assigned Martin to be the assistant surgeon?¡± Nicole continued. ¡°Of course, you did it to nder Chloe,¡± Miley spat as Chloe kept her silence. Nicole¡¯sughter filled the room, sending chills down everyone¡¯s spine. She turned to look Chloe in the eye as she scrutinized her expression. There, she noticed Chloe¡¯s breathing wasbored, as if she was nervous about something. After that, Nicole spoke again, ¡°Ghost Hand, as they are aptly named, has a unique hand technique when he¡¯s performing his operations, but for you guys to say that they are not quitefortable operating while others are present is a little¡­¡¯ Nicole paused for a moment, and that was when she noticed that everyone was looking at her. Smirking, she stated, ¡°Ghost Hand only uses their own surgical equipment.¡± Hearing that, everyone around the operation theater was stunned. ¡°What?!¡± Nicole had ushered Martin over and gotten him to examine Ghost Hand¡¯s surgical equipment before the operation even started and just like that, the scheme had unfolded itself. ¡°If someone isn¡¯t able to recognize this¡­,¡¯ Nicole said, trailing off mid-sentence as she dangled the James Dade card in front of her. ¡°This is James Dade¡¯s ess pass, and with this, you are unconditionally permitted to work on any illnesses you could ever think of.¡± ¡°Why do you have this with you?¡± Martin asked, his eyes widening in shock. ¡®Does she actually know James Dade on a personal level?¡¯ In turn, Nicole shrugged. ¡°I helped him once a long time ago. He gave this to me as a token of thanking me.¡± ¡°This thing is an incredibly rare object held in high esteem around the world. How could you easily obtain it? It must be fake,¡± Miley waved, unconvinced by what Nicole had said. ¡°Miley, you can¡¯te up with a lie to use others of forging fake evidence N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. while you yourself are doing the same, ¡± Karen piled in. ¡°Shut up! What do you even know?!¡± Miley shouted. ¡®They just came here to watch the drama. They weren¡¯t even here to help!¡± ¡°Exactly, I have no idea, so I¡¯m asking if you do,¡¯ Karen replied as she turned to Mr. Riddle Sr. Karen then added, ¡°Dad, we¡¯ve never seen a miracle doctor in action before, but it seems to me that there will always be someone who knows a thing or two about miracle doctors.¡± Everyone had the same thought in their minds. ¡®Why bother going through all the trouble if we know someone who knows everything?¡¯ ¡°No need to ask, it is authentic for sure,¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. said as he looked Nicole in the eye, having reached a mutual understanding. Mr. Riddle Sr. had just found out himself that the card Nicole was holding was the exact same card he had heard about in tales. ¡°This¡­,¡± Karen paused as her eyes lit up and met Mr. Riddle Sr., confirming the truth of the James Dade card. Though her mind had wandered, Karen had never suspected that the card was a fake. ¡°It¡¯s a shame, really,¡¯ Nicole sighed. ¡°Although I¡¯ve got this, I can no longer contact this miracle doctor. Otherwise, I would have asked him to save me when I was near death.¡± The card was basically meaningless; she could not contact the doctor, and having possession of the card would no longer mean that he would show up to cure her from any injuries or illnesses. And upon hearing that there was no doctor who could save Chloe, Miley¡¯s heart sank. Herst glimpse of hope faded just like that. Chapter 2637 Chapter 2637 Upon catching a glimpse of Miley¡¯s expression, Nicole immediately understood N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. what Miley had conveyed. ¡®I would be stupid to use this diabolical mother and daughter duo.¡¯ ¡°Even if you do know about miracle doctors, how did you manage to find out about the Ghost Hand¡¯s signature habits? ¡± Chloe frowned, feeling that Nicole was doing all of this to ruin her. ¡°Why would you suspect me?¡± Nicole asked, pretending as if she was oblivious to her questions. Choking with anger, Chloe yelled, ¡°You¡­!¡¯ She gritted her teeth, knowing that there was no way she could refute the im. ¡°Why is my life in such a sorry state?! I thought I had finally found the Ghost Hand, and yet, all I¡¯ve gotten is an imposter!¡± Miley then joined in on the crying as she saw her daughter¡¯s bloodshot eyes welling up. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Chloe. We won¡¯t give up, even if we¡¯ve been cheated this time.¡± Nicole, who was far from done with them, turned to them and said, ¡°Hold up. I think you haven¡¯t finished what you started.¡± ¡®Does she really think she can get this over with by scapegoating the fake Ghost Hand? How can she be this naive? Does she think we¡¯re all that gullible? Well, too bad because I won¡¯t let her get away with this,¡¯ she thought. Chloe¡¯s face nched as Nicole called her out. ¡°I don¡¯t have anything else to say!¡± ¡°Oh, don¡¯t you worry about it, Chloe. Regardless of whether it is the truth or not, just tell us,¡± Nicole said with a smirk on her face. With her stomach churning, Chloe shot Miley a nce before she clutched her temples. ¡°Oh gosh, I¡¯m feeling really light-headed.¡± ¡°Is this the side effect of the anesthesia? You just woke up and you¡¯ve already bbered so much. How could your body bear with this?!¡± Miley cried and shouted in distress. ¡°Oh my, take care of yourself, then. Please excuse us as Grandpa and I will do the same as well,¡± Nicole calmly stated. She did not want to sit in for the drama that Chloe and Miley were about to reenact. This left Chloe purple with rage. ¡®How dare she throw that kind of bullshit at me? What am I supposed to do? Agree to it?¡¯ ¡°Nicole, what do you wish to say?¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. asked as he noticed that Nicole was beating around the bush. Judging from Miley and Chloe¡¯s actions, Mr. Riddle Sr. assumed that they themselves were unclear of anything that had happened hours ago. ¡®What could they be hiding?¡¯ ¡°Grandpa,e take a look at this.¡± Nicole gestured as Patricia handed a piece of document over to Mr. Riddle Sr. Mr. Riddle Sr. skimmed through the document, after which a grimace crossed his face. ¡°Are you registering apany?¡± Chloe¡¯s heart plummeted to the bottom of her stomach. No way Nicole had discovered this. Does that mean she had been privy to my ns all along?¡¯ Chloe gritted her teeth as she red at Nicole sideways, ¡®So I guess everything had been arranged for a show. She knew how everything was about to unfold.¡¯ ¡°How did she find out? What now?¡± Miley panicked, bombarding Chloe with a list of questions in a hushed tone. There, Chloe sat, petrified and not knowing what to do next. 11/5/23, 5:03 PM Read My Wife is a Hacker novel (Nicole) Chapter 2637 https://en.novelxo/my-wife-is-a-hacker-novel-nicole/r1028647.html 4/5 Her mind was constantly reminding her not to fess up to her mistakes. Chloe then took a deep breath before looking at Mr. Riddle Sr. ¡°Grandpa, I think there¡¯s a mistake. How can I run apany by myself?¡± ¡°You¡¯re already in the process of getting approval. Tell me, how can we get this wrong? The audit department?¡± Nicole snorted, her eyes frosty as she red at Chloe. Chapter 2638 Chapter 2638 Nicole¡¯s calmness took Chloe aback, surprising her. ¡°Yeah, if you weren¡¯t the one who submitted the information, how did it get there? Did it submit itself?¡± Karen smirked, the resentment in her heart causing her to make things worse for both Miley and Chloe. In the context of registering their ownpany and getting treatment for a chronic illness, neither of these were issues in of themselves. However, they had chosen to enlist a fake doctor to help them with the registration process, and that was a different story altogether. ¡°Dad, I think there must¡¯ve been some sort of misunderstanding between us. Can¡¯t we go through this together. After all, we can¡¯t just listen to one side of the story,¡± Miley begged. ¡°Miley, are you saying that Nicole is framing both you and your daughter? I mean I don¡¯t even listen to the one-sided stories of others, so why should I listen to yours?¡± Karen sneered. ¡°Everyone, shut the f*ck up!¡± Damien shouted, startling Karen. Then, Karen shot back, ¡°What are you screaming at? This is just embarrassing!¡± Damien took a deep breath, before turning to look at Mr. Riddle Sr. ¡°Dad, I think this matter should be investigated thoroughly. You need to find out if thepany has been registered sessfully or not. There might be a misunderstanding of sorts.¡± ¡°Damien, are you sure that thepany hasn¡¯t been sessfully registered? I mean, once the operation has been done, won¡¯t you have already received the sum in the transaction?¡± Dillion asked, trying to instigate a heated discussion. ¡°What kind of nonsense are you spewing? The purpose of this operation was to treat Chloe. You¡¯re her uncle, for goodness¡¯s sake! Don¡¯t you have an ounce of sympathy seeing her like this, possibly for the rest of her life?¡± Damien, who was crestfallen, bellowed. ¡°Cut the crap. She¡¯s the way she is today due to her own actions. Stop making it seem like it wasn¡¯t her fault,¡± Karen retorted. Everything that had happened to Chloe had nothing to do with them. It was only right for Chloe to deal with the consequences of her actions. Struck with a headache of having to listen to his children and grandchildren Content provided by N?velDrama.Org. bickering, ¡°Shut up! Everyone!¡± Everyone in the operation theater immediately fell silent, and they all turned to look at Mr. Riddle Sr. Mr. Riddle Sr. paused for a moment, after which he said,¡± Since there has been a mimunication between us all, let¡¯s lodge a police report on this.¡± ¡°Call the police!¡± Karen shrieked. ¡®No, you can¡¯t call the police on us. Once the police discover that the doctor is a phony, we¡¯re all done for,¡¯ Chloe panicked. ¡°Grandpa¡­,¡± Chloe coughed, before spewing out a mouthful of blood and passing out. Pale as a ghost, Miley hovered over Chloe with a horrified look on her face. ¡°Chloe! What¡¯s wrong?!¡± ¡°Doc! Doc! We need help!¡± Nicole peered over and narrowed her eyes, scrutinizing Chloe. She was unsure of what had happened during that heat of a moment. However, she was quite certain that Chloe passing out was not an act. ¡°Let me have a look,¡± Martin said as he stepped forward to check on Chloe. ¡°Dr. Wyance, you have to save her,¡± Miley panicked. She did not know why Chloe had abruptly spewed blood and passed out and was genuinely worried that something serious might have really happened to Chloe. ¡°Let me take a look. Please make some space for me. I have to check on her,¡± Martin said, as he was unsure of Chloe¡¯s condition. Miley quickly stepped out of the way so Martin could walk over and check on Chloe. After conducting a basic examination, however, he could not find the cause for Chloe¡¯s condition. ¡®None of this was staged.¡¯ Chapter 2639 Chapter 2639 Meanwhile, the doctors and nurses who were stationed outside the operation theater heard themotion and busted inside. ¡°She suddenly vomited blood and then fainted. Her vitals are stable, we might need a further examination to find out the cause¡­/ Martin instructed from his deductions following the examination. As Martin had no proper equipment in his disposal, he had no choice but to diagnose her based on his experiences and leave the rest to the hospital for more urate results. ¡°Okay,¡± the doctor replied as he and his nurses rushed to push Chloe to the Emergency Room. Miley followed closely from behind, and the operation theater soon fell silent once more. ¡°Dad, what should we do with this person?¡± Karen asked, as she pointed at, ¡®Ghost Hand,¡¯ the imposter. ¡°Leave him to the police. We¡¯ll wait until Chloe wakes up before we proceed with anything else.¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. sighed. Dillion knew that it was useless to refute, instead he soothed Mr. Riddle Sr., Owned by N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Why don¡¯t you head back and get some rest first?¡± ¡°Yeah, Dad. You must be exhausted. Go back and have some rest first,¡± agreed Damien. However, it was as clear as day that the two brothers still had a score to settle. It was then that Dillion shot a nce at Damien and continued, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll stay here and take care of things. If there are any new updates, I¡¯ll be the first to inform you.¡± Hearing that, Damien immediately turned over to re at Dillion. However, Dillion remained unfazed. ¡®I can¡¯t let these people step right over me.¡¯ ¡°Grandpa, I think it¡¯s best that you head back to get some rest,¡± Nicole advised, noticing that Mr. Riddle Sr. was not looking too good. ¡°Okay,¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. agreed, heeding what she had to say. Besides, there was no point in him staying there either. ¡°Mr. Riddle Sr., let¡¯s get going/ Alfred said as he helped Mr. Riddle Sr. out of the hospital. ¡°Uncle Dillion, Aunt Karen? Are you guys intending on staying here?¡± Nicole asked as she looked at the two of them. In response, Dillon nodded. ¡°Yes, we¡¯ll stay here and keep an eye on things. Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll be able to handle it.¡± With that said, it was quite obvious that Dillion was determined to keep his eye on Damien. He had to see what Damien was going to do during a time like this. ¡°Okay. In that case, you guys can stay,¡± Nicole said, and strode out of the room with Martin by her side. This took Dillion aback, who stood still for a moment.¡¯ That¡­ was easy?¡¯ ¡°Hey, what do you think you¡¯re doing? Running away?¡± Karen¡¯s voice echoed through the room, snapping Dillion back to his senses. Dillion quickly whirled around to see that ¡®Ghost Hand¡¯ was trying to slip away. ¡°We¡¯ve already called the cops. They¡¯ll be here in no time. I¡¯d suggest you cooperate, or you¡¯ll be in for some jail time.¡± ¡°I¡¯m begging you guys to let me go. I really am not sure of what is going on here,¡± the fake Ghost Hand pleaded. He was trembling. All he wanted to do was to make a quick buck, and yet it had all blown up in his face. ¡°You can tell that to the copster,¡± Karen said, having no intention of letting the fake Ghost Hand go. It was not long before the police arrived and arrested the imposter, during which Dillion and Karen both issued a sigh of relief. Meanwhile, Damien was fuming mad at the sight of Dillion and Karen walking away. ¡®Those two must¡¯ve stayed here deliberately to dig a bigger hole for us to die in. What benefit could they reap out of this? ¡® Damien wondered. Meanwhile, Nicole and Martin had just gotten into the car. ¡°What are you thinking about?¡± Martin asked Nicole. ¡°I think I might¡¯ve overestimated myself,¡± Nicole replied with a nk, emotionless look. ¡®Chloe vomiting blood and passing out might be real, but she could have induced it herself,¡¯ she thought. Martin¡¯s expression darkened. ¡°I noticed her pulse was irregr when I was performing the basic checkup on her. It¡¯s very likely that she might¡¯ve taken something before this.¡± Nicole sneered. ¡°I think so as well.¡± Nicole had not foreseen that such an urrence would happen, and on top of that, she did not anticipate that Chloe would go to such lengths to get what she wanted. Chapter 2640 Chapter 2640 ¡°How can we allow her to weasel her way out of this so easily, Miss Riddle? Especially now that we havepiled so much evidence to use against her¡­,¡± Patriciained with a frown on her face. ¡®Perhaps she wouldn¡¯t have to exin herself if she never regained consciousness,¡¯ Patricia thought. After a moment of consideration, Nicole furrowed her brows. ¡°I think she¡¯s doing this to stall for some time for herself.¡± ¡®What else could she hope to do? Her fake doctor was caught red handed, and the investigation has been handed over to the police. Everyone knows about the registration of herpany now, so what more does she think she could do?¡¯ Noticing that Nicole was deep in thought, Martin asked,¡± What are you thinking about?¡± Nicole shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± She did not want to trouble Martin anymore as he had been of great help in today¡¯s affairs. And as Martin noticed that Nicole was unwilling to share, he decided to leave it and stop pressing her with more questions. Upon arriving at the headquarters of the Riddle Corporation, Martin turned to Nicole and reassured, ¡°I¡¯ll tell you how things are once the results are out.¡± Nicole, in turn, gave Martin a weak smile. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡®Perhaps he can¡¯t be of much help with other things but he sure as hell is handy when ites to anything rted to medicine,¡¯ Nicole thought. ¡°You¡¯re wee. You cane to me if there¡¯s anything you need.¡± Martin smiled. With a beaming smile, Nicole replied, ¡°I will, don¡¯t worry.¡± Martin slowly pulled away from the lobby as he saw Nicole disappearing into the building. She had just entered her office when Sean and Steve barged in. ¡°How was it?!¡± ¡°Um¡­the results won¡¯t be out so soon.¡± Nicole sighed. ¡°It didn¡¯t go as nned?¡± Steve asked with a look of surprise on his face. ¡®How could things not go ording to our n? We have prepared everything right!¡¯ ¡°What happened?¡± Sean asked, serious and unsmiling. With that, Nicole quickly filled Sean and Steve in on the details of the events that had transpired earlier. ¡°I still think that Chloe vomiting blood and passing out so suddenly is some sort of an act, but either way, she won¡¯t get away with it so easily. Her approach when ites to evading this confrontation is rather futile, in all honesty,¡± Nicole finished. Nicole could not shake the feeling that Chloe had other ns up her sleeve. Otherwise, she would not have pulled a stunt of such nature. ¡®What can Chloe do? We have all the evidence that points directly at her attempting to defraud Grandpa of the money he was about to give her for treatment to set her ownpany up!¡¯ she fumed. ¡°Let¡¯s keep an eye on her for now,¡± Sean concluded as he got up from his seat. ¡°Dillion and Karen are there at the moment to keep an eye on them, but I don¡¯t Owned by N?velDrama.Org. think they¡¯ll be of much use,¡¯ Nicole stated as she looked up at her brothers. ¡°You know what? Let¡¯s just forget it. We should take matters into our own hands.¡± ¡®If Chloe is trying to weasel her way out through her backup n, we should be ready to suppress every move she makes, ¡® Nicole thought to herself. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s just wait and see what her next moves are,¡± Sean agreed, before leaving Nicole¡¯s office with Steve in tow. ¡°Miss Riddle? This is from the Ellison Group,¡± Nicole¡¯s secretary informed as she handed her a document. ¡°Thanks,¡± Nicole grabbed the document, and the secretary left shortly thereafter. Upon opening the document, Nicole frowned at the sight of the content. ¡°Miss Riddle. Is something wrong?¡± Patricia asked, noticing that there was a grimace on Nicole¡¯s face. ¡°A ribbon cutting ceremony, two days from now. Harvey has invited us to attend,¡± Nicole summarized as she ced the document down on the table. Following Nicole¡¯s announcement, everyone in the room began to feel a sense of frustration. Confused, Patricia asked, ¡°A ribbon cutting ceremony?¡± Nicole rubbed her temples, a headache surfacing. ¡°I have to give it to him. He¡¯s the only one who woulde up with something so frivolous.¡± Chapter 2641 Chapter 2641 It wasmon knowledge that the coboration was definitely going to happen, but it left her questioning if there really was a need for a ribbon-cutting ceremony. ¡°Should we attend?¡± Patricia hesitantly asked. It was evident that Nicole disliked attending such events, but since Harvey had already spread the news and invited a multitude of business magnates from all over San Joto, they had no choice but to go. ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Nicole¡¯s gaze darkened slightly. At this point, they had little choice but to show up. ¡°Then I¡¯ll get ready,¡± Patricia replied. Nicole nodded in agreement, and then, Patricia strode out of the office. Leaning back against his chair, Nicole looked at the documents Harvey had sent her as she became lost in thought. Soon after, night fell, and the city lights began to glow. As usual, everyone in the Riddle residence gathered together for dinner at the dining hall. Everyone had already heard about Chloe¡¯s situation, but they were neither worried nor curious about the entire situation, seeing that Nicole was indifferent to it all. ¡°Samuel and Spencer have been gone for half a month, right? The house feels a little empty without them,¡± Gloriamented as she saw that only a few of her kids were left. ¡°Mom, they won¡¯t stay here even after they¡¯vee back,¡± Stanley said, reminding Gloria that they had to get used to it. ¡°But still, it would be nice for them toe back and liven things up from time to time.¡± Gloria replied, knowing full well what was going to happen. Besides, she was not expecting the house to be lively every day; she was just hoping that they would visit asionally. Owned by N?velDrama.Org. ¡°That¡¯sing soon. They¡¯ll be back in half a month,¡± Stanley said. ¡°Oh, right, aren¡¯t you two preparing for the wedding? How is it going?¡± Gloria turned her gaze to Nicole and Jared. When Stanley heard that, his lips twitched. ¡°Mom, do you want them to go on their honeymoon too? The house will be even emptier.¡± ¡®Why is she whining about having an empty house whilst urging Nicole to get married at the same time?¡¯ he wondered. Gloria gave Stanley a displeased look. ¡°I was just asking.¡± She would be thrilled if Nicole and Jared had truly decided to get married as she had been waiting for this moment for a long time. ¡°We¡¯re making preparations,¡± Nicole replied, looking at Gloria. ¡°Mom, you don¡¯t need to worry about us now. You should instead focus on Sally.¡± ¡°Yeah, Sally needs plenty of care right now,¡± Stanley echoed, eager to support Nicole. ¡°I just went to see her today, and she¡¯s doing well,¡± Gloria said, grinning ear to ear as she mentioned Sally¡¯s pregnancy. The family then went on to chat, eat, and enjoy a rare moment of tranquility and joy. After dinner, they all gathered in the living room, munching on fruits and desserts. ¡°Grandma, tomorrow is a free day. Is Uncle Stanley going on a date?¡± Lana asked, tilting her head. ¡°Yes, how did you know, Lana?¡± Gloria asked, smiling. ¡°I heard it from you,¡± Lana said proudly. ¡°My memory is the best!¡± Gloria lovingly patted Lana¡¯s head. ¡°Aw, my Lana is the smartest.¡± ¡°Can we go with Uncle Stanley?¡± Lana snuggled into Gloria¡¯s arms adorably. Gloria, however, was rather hesitant on letting them in on it.¡± That¡¯ll be pretty inconvenient. Uncle Stanley has things to do. It ¡®How could he focus on the date if he has to look after Lana and Nn?¡¯ she thought. Stanley, however, was quite excited. ¡°Why, of course, Lana. Come along. It¡¯s not inconvenient for me at all.¡± He did not want to go in the first ce; he was simply forced to do so. It would be great if Nn and Lana could follow him around. He would just show his face, then use Nn and Lana as an excuse to hightail it out of there. Chapter 2642 Chapter 2642 Chapter 2642 Besides, taking Nn and Lana out to y was better than going on a blind date, at least to him. Gloria hesitated for a moment before reluctantly agreeing, ''''Fine, Ms. Jean loves children too. Taking Nn and Lana with you might offer you somemon topics." Stanley''s smile immediately froze, as he began feeling that something was off. "Then it''s settled. Take us with you tomorrow, Uncle Stanley!" Lana instantly grinned in satisfaction. Her task was done, and all they had to do was to watch things unfold tomorrow. Meanwhile, Nicole chuckled as she watched her kids exchanging smiles. She could tell that Nn and Lana were nning to disrupt Stanley''s blind dates. "Mommy, I''m tired. Let''s go upstairs and get some sleep." Lana tugged on Nicole''s shirt. She intended to sleep now so they could wake up early the next day. "Okay." Nicole stroked Lana''s hair and went upstairs with both Nn and Lana in tow. Stanley had aplicated frown on his face. All of a sudden, he began to wonder if it was even a good idea to bring Nn and Lana along with him. "You should rest too. You need to look your best tomorrow," Gloria reminded Stanley. "Got it,"¡¯ Stanley grumbled and went upstairs. Gloria looked at Stanley, feeling helpless. "I don''t know if things will go smoothly tomorrow." ¡°Whether it goes smoothly or not will depend entirely on Stanley, " Daniel said meaningfully. ¡°What do you mean?" Gloria asked, puzzled. "Nn and Lana." Daniel patted Gloria''s hand. "Think about it. Why are Nn and Lana so enthusiastic about joining in on Stanley''s blind dates?" It was clear that something was going on in the heads of the little ones. They must have been up to something. "Ah..." Gloria rolled her eyes. "Well, why didn''t you tell me earlier?" She had already agreed to let the children tag along, but now, she could not help but wonder if it would disrupt Stanley''s date. "Even if I had reminded you, would you be able to say ''no'' to Nn and Lana?" Daniel shrugged. Indeed, there was nothing they could do, other than say "yes". Gloria sighed after thinking about it. "That''s true." Even if she knew that the kids had their own ideas, she probably would not be able to refuse them outright. ¡°Alright, you''ve done everything you needed to. Let them decide how it pans out," Danielforted Gloria, and led her back to the room. The next day, early in the morning, Nn and Lana had already woken up as they were way too excited to stay asleep. They got up, and the others gradually followed suit as well. Then, everyone washed up and made their way downstairs. "Nn, Lana, it''s not time for the blind date yet." Gloria smiled indulgently. "Time is passing way too slowly!" Lana said anxiously as she nced at the time. Gloria smiled as sheforted Lana, "It''s not that time is passing slowly, it''s that you''re too impatient. Why don''t we have breakfast and y in the yard? It''ll be about time after you''re done." "Okay," she agreed, unable to do anything else for now. After breakfast, everyone gathered in the yard, and Nn and Lana yed around while everyone watched. "Nicole, aren''t you going to go with them?" Gloria asked Nicole. "I''m not going," Nicole stated with a smile indicative of helplessness. Owned by N?velDrama.Org. "Let Stanley take them. They''ve already asked me to stay away and won''t let mee along.¡± Chapter 2643 Chapter 2643 Chapter 2643 "But, will Stanley be okay by himself?" Gloria frowned, thinking that Nicole would follow them around to keep the kids under control at least. "He should be fine," Nicole reassured Gloria. "Nn and Lana are quite well-behaved." Gloria acknowledged this, but she was still worried that things would go south if Nn and Lana did not like the girl they were meeting for the blind date. "It''s okay. If it doesn''t work out, it''s probably just not meant to be, " Danielforted Gloria, understanding her concerns. Gloria sighed and nodded her head, realizing that all she could do was respect their wishes for the time being. Meanwhile, Stanley had arrived at the designated cafe with Nn and Lana. However, he was stunned for a moment when he saw Tia looking around at the cafe entrance. "Why is she here?'' he wondered. Tia''s face lit up with joy when she finally saw Nn and Lana. However, her smile instantly froze when she saw Stanley. ¡®Mr. Riddle?'' She stood, petrified. "Tia!" Lana hurried over happily and pulled her over, saying, " You came." ¡°Lana, what''s going on? Didn''t you say..." Tia asked Lana in confusion. Nn had informed her that they were going out to y and that neither Jared not Nicole had the time to apany them. Due to this, they had asked her to take care of them. ¡®But why is Mr. Riddle here too?'' she wondered. "Tia, Uncle Stanley has a date. We just followed him on the way." Nn raised his head as he exined to Tia. When Tia heard that, her expression froze for amoment, and only after rposing herself, she forced a smile and said, "Then let''s not disturb your Uncle Stanley, okay? I''ll take you to y.¡± "Tia, why don''t we go in and take a look too?" Lana tugged at Tia''s arm, feeling reluctant to leave. "Isn''t that inappropriate?" Tia asked, a little hesitant as she figured that they would just be interrupting the date. ¡°Uncle Stanley, what do you say?" Lana asked Stanley. This left Stanley in an awkward position. He genuinely did not know what to say, and whether he should say yes or no to them. "You''re Mr. Riddle, right?" Suddenly, a hesitant female voice was heard, and a charming woman in an elegant long dress walked over. ¡°Who are you?" Stanley furrowed his brows, as he did not seem to know who this woman was. With that, the woman smiled and introduced herself at once, " Hello, I''m Cherry Jean." Stanley took a good look at her and that was when he realized that she was indeed Ms. Jean, his blind date for the day. ¡°Hello, I''m Stanley Riddle." He nodded politely. ¡°Mr. Riddle, why don''t you go in?" Cherry gestured towards the cafe. "I was just about to.¡± Stanley stepped aside. "After you, Ms. Jean." "Thank you." Cherry thanked him before turning to look at Tia, Nn, and Lana. "And they are?" Lana looked up at Cherry and smiled. "Hello, Ms. Jean. Uncle Stanley is my uncle." "So you must be Nn and Lana Johnston. Aw, you are as cute as the rumors say," Cherry eximed happily.Owned by N?velDrama.Org. "Thank you, ma''am." Lana replied. "Mr. Riddle, why don''t we let them join us too?" Cherry suggested. Stanley naturally agreed and replied, "Sure, as long as you don''t mind." Soon, the group entered the cafe together. After they had found their seats, Cherry and Stanley ordered coffee for themselves, as well as three sses of fruit juice for Tia, Nn, and Lana. "Hehe, this is the first blind date I''ve been on with so many people," Cherry giggled as she looked at the crowded table. Chapter 2644 Chapter 2644 Chapter 2644 "Stanley raised his brow a little upon hearing that. "Do you go on blind dates a lot?" "Yeah, I have no choice. My family just gets anxious. It''s like, if 1 don''t get married now, I''ll never get married," Cherry said in defeat. "Don''t you object to any of it?" Stanley asked, surprised. ''So she just allows her family to arrange dates for her?¡¯ Cherry looked at Stanley for a while and smiled. N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. "Well, what woulde out of it? I''ll just end up like you, Mr. Riddle." They were obligated toe even if they did not want to. Stanley was taken aback for a moment, but in a moment considered rare for a situation like this, he smiled. "Touch¨¦." That was what came of their resistance. ¡°Mr. Riddle, you haven''t been on many blind dates, have you?" Cherry looked at Stanley, her eyes brimming with curiosity. "Four times. Is that a lot or a little?" Stanley admitted. "Not bad. That''s still fewer than me, at least." Cherryughed. It was rare that the two of them got along well, so they chatted a little more. In fact, Stanley had spoken more than he had ever said on any of his other blind dates. It was then that Lana looked anxiously at Nn as if to convey, '' Nn, it seems that Uncle Stanley likes Ms. Jean. What should we do?! After all, they had been present for all four blind dates, and ording to their observation, time was quite different from before. Nn furrowed his brows as well, for everything going on before them was indeed rather unexpected. They thought it would pan out the same way as before, culminating in both parties not being able to form any sort of meaningful connection with one another, whereupon they could take the opportunity to skedaddle with Stanley and go out with Tia to strengthen their bond. "T think I''ll take Nn and Lana to y now and take them hometer," Tia whispered to Stanley. After all, Stanley was on a blind date, and it would be weird for the three of them to stay. ''We''re getting in their way, aren''t we?" "Tia, shouldn''t we wait a while longer?" Lana protested, not wanting to leave yet. Something was definitely fishy with the situation they were in. If they left now, no one would know what the consequences would be. ¡°Lana, your Uncle Stanley has his own things to do. Why don''t I take you out to y?" Tia continued, still wanting to persuade Lana to leave, as she felt that it would be awkward for them to linger there. ¡°Where do you want to go?" Cherry suddenly asked when she heard that they were leaving. "Well..." Tia stammered. In fact, she did not know where to go. She did not have a n as Nn and Lana were the ones who had spontaneously called her over, after all. "Ms. Jean, do you want toe?" Nn looked at Cherry and asked. He felt that Cherry seemed more interested in where they were going. ¡°Yes, but I need to know where you''re going first." If it was a ce for very young children, she would definitely pass. "The amusement park," Lana said after thinking about it for a moment. "Mr. Riddle, are you taking them to the amusement park?" Cherry turned to ask Stanley. Stanley nodded. "They''re the ones who are ying, so of course, it''s their choice." In fact, he had no idea where the two rascals wanted to go. "Can I join you, Mr. Riddle? I haven''t been to an amusement park in ages," Cherry asked, her eyes brimming with eagerness. Stanley hesitated slightly. Cherry''s suggestion had made him ufortable. "Can I?" Cherry repeated with disappointment written all over her face when Stanley remained silent. "Well, we are going there anyway. If you want to go, juste along with us, but I have one request." Stanley gave in. ¡°What request?" Cherry''s eyes lit up, her hope rekindled. "Just call me Stanley. Don''t call me Mr. Riddle," Stanley said. If anything, he felt awkward being addressed as "Mr. Riddle". Chapter 2645 Chapter 2645 Chapter 2645 "Well then, just call me Cherry too," Cherry happily agreed. Soon, the group left the cafe and headed to the amusement park. In the car, Tia was sandwiched between Nn and Lana at the back, while Cherry took the passenger seat. N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. Nn and Lana both exchanged nces, feeling increasingly anxious as they were sensing that this person was about to be their third uncle''s wife. Although they did not dislike Cherry, they still preferred Tia over her. ¡°Nn, what should we do?" Lana asked Nn softly. "Go with the flow," Nn whispered to Lana. Curious, Tia looked at the muttering kids. "What are you talking about?" "It''s nothing." Nn and Lana smiled. This was something they could certainly not tell Tia. Meanwhile, Cherry chattered all the way to the park from the front seat. "I haven''t been in one of these ces for so long. It was fine when I was abroad, but after I came back, my family was strict with me. They wanted a refineddy. You know, someone who is elegant and intellectual. Man, it''s giving me a headache." She finally had the chance to be herself today, and she was determined to have a good time. Hearing that, Stanley shot Cherry a nce and chuckled as he shook his head. Tia, who had happened to see Stanley smile, unconsciously bit her lip and looked out the car window. Night fell, and the bright lights flickered. In no time, Stanley and Tia finally returned home with Nn and Lana. "Where did you go? Why did you y for so long? Didn''t the amusement park close hours ago?" Gloria anxiously asked as she saw them return. ¡°We went out to have dinner after the amusement park. Ms. Jean said she had a great time today, and she could finally visit the amusement park because of us. That''s why she treated us to dinner as a way of saying thank you," Lana said, looking pleased. Gloria''s eyes began to sparkle. ¡®Turns out the blind date today was a sess. Stanley was probably satisfied, and even Nn and Lana liked Ms. Jean, huh? This must be it.'' "Yes, we had a great time at the amusement park today, and we had a scrumptious dinner," Lana said as she walked up to Gloria. " Grandma, let me tell you, we yed the..." Lana chatted on and on about the amusement park, and Gloria only responded with a question, asking, "So, Ms. Jean was with you all day?" "Yeah," Lana nodded. They had been ying together all day, and she did not even expect Cherry to love the amusement park more than they did. "Great, that''s great." Gloria nodded in satisfaction, finally seeing a sliver of hope for Stanley. "It seemed that Ms. Jean had gained Stanley''s approval. Otherwise, he would not have spent the whole day ying with them. And judging from the look on Nn and Lana''s faces, they seemed to like Ms. Jean as well,'' Gloria surmised. ¡°What about Tia?" Nicole calmly asked Nn and Lana. Perhaps Gloria did not know, but she did. Tia was not at home today, so the two rascals must have brought her out for the entire day. ¡°Oh, Tia has gone home. She said she wanted to check if Great- grandma Wace had gone to sleep," Nn replied. "Tia joined you too?" Gloria asked in surprise, as she was unaware of this. Chapter 2646 Chapter 2646 Chapter 2646 To that, Nn replied, "Yes, we originally wanted Tia to take us there, but then Ms. Jean said she wanted to go too, so she came along with us." Gloria quickly imagined how Cherry had doted on Nn and Lana, leading them to be even more fond of her. "It seems that Cherry really likes children, so Nn and Lana might just have one more person to love them, which is great,'' she thought. "Stanley,e here and tell me, how was it today?" Gloria asked, almost starting to see Cherry as her future daughter-inw and was eager to hear Stanley''s opinion. Stanley, feeling a headache, ran fingers through his hair and said, "Mom, I''m tired. I''m going to get some sleep." And after he had spoken, Stanley hurried up to his room "Look at him, acting all shy." Gloria became even more ted, feeling that this issue was basically settled. Stanley, however, just could not be bothered to exin anything to Gloria. Although Cherry had spent the entire day with them, he did not feel much for her. He also felt that Cherry did not seem to harbor any romantic feelings for him. The setting and the circumstances surrounding the both of them were the only factors that had enabled them to rx around one another, so he considered them friends, at most. Clearly, his family did not see it that way. He also felt that since they had misunderstood everything that had transpired today, he would just let things be. ¡®Maybe they won''t urge me to go on blind dates anymore.Content provided by N?velDrama.Org. That way, I don''t have to deal with all that incessant nagging,'' he thought. "Mom, let Stanley decide for himself,¡± Nicole said meaningfully, looking at the general direction where Stanley had disappeared. "If he could settle down earlier, I''d be able to be at ease at longst," Gloria said. At least he did not disappoint her this time. ''There is progress between the two, isn''t there? Well, that''s good enough for me.¡¯ Nicole shot a nce at Gloria and decided not to voice her thoughts. She would wait for Stanley to exin it himself. Everyone soon went upstairs, with Nicole taking Nn and Lana back to their room. "Mommy, do you know that Ms. Jean is even more of a child than we are?" Lana beamed, having seen how Cherry had enjoyed ying more than she and her brother did. "Tell Mommy what Ms. Jean is like and what happened today," Nicole asked Nn and Lana. But when Nicole was done listening to her kids, she issued a sigh of defeat. ¡®No wonder Stanley didn''t want to tell Mom. It was... not a date at all. It was more like Stanley and Tia taking three children out to y.'' Nicole then decided that the entire situation was hopeless after she had understood what it was about. She would just wait for Stanley to exin things to them himself. However, she felt that Stanley would most likely not say a word. After all, he would simply enjoy the peace from the illusion created, since Gloria would not push him into more blind dates anymore. After reading a storybook to Nn and Lana for a while, Nicole proceeded to ask her children to go to bed. By the time she returned to her own room, she noticed that Jared was still busy with something in front of hisputer. Seeing this, she raised her eyebrows in concern and asked, "Aren''t you done yet?" "I''m almost done." Jared shot a nce at Nicole and shed her a faint smile. ¡°Okay, carry on then," Nicole said, grabbing her pajamas and entering the bathroom. Jared''s eyes darkened the instant he heard the sound of the water sshing and running in the bathroom. He turned his gaze back to theputer screen and made haste, typing away furiously. Soon after, Nicole came out of the bathroom and dried her hair with a towel. Suddenly her vision darkened as she bumped into a brick wall of a chest. "Ugh." She knew it was Jared even without looking. Nicole rubbed her nose and asked, "Jared, why are you standing here?" Before she could even comin, Jared snatched the towel from her hand and draped it back over her head. Chapter 2647 Chapter 2647 Chapter 2647 Jared gently helped Nicole dry her hair and spoke softly, "I was waiting for you." This amused Nicole. "So that''s why you were standing at the door. " ¡®You made me bump into you as soon as I came out, and now my nose feels sore too,'' she thought. "Well, keep that in mind then," Jared said meaningfully. ¡°Keep what?" Nicole was puzzled. ''Did I say something just now?¡¯ "That I shouldn''t be standing at the door, and that I should..." Jared deliberately paused before continuing, "I should just go in.¡± Just as Nicole was about to react to what Jared had said, hisst remark took her aback. "No... Ahem." After a bout of coughing, Nicole blushed and refused. "No, it''s fine." It was better for Jared to stand at the door. If he went in... Nicole''s cheeks burned bright red as she thought of the image of them taking a shower together. "Really? I think it''s quite nice, or do you have something that you''re not happy with?" Jared continued to tease Nicole while feigning a pitiful look. Nicole choked. ''This dude is clearly doing it on purpose. How am I supposed to respond to that?¡¯ "How about I help you remember what you''re not satisfied with? You can tell me, and I''ll change things up," Jared said as he lifted Nicole up in his arms. "Hey!" Nicole instinctively circled her arms around Jared''s neck and said, "No, I''m not dissatisfied." "So you''re satisfied." Jared''s eyes shed with mischief. Nicole red at him when she finally realized that she had taken Jared''s bait. "I didn''t say anything. Put me down.¡± "In that case, you''re still not satisfied. N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. Seems like I''ll have to try harder," Jared said, already carrying Nicole toward the bed. "Jared Johnston!" she yelled in defeat, knowing that none of what she said was the right answer. ''This dude is definitely doing it on purpose.'' When they reached the bed, Jared set Nicole down and pinned her down before making out with her... The next morning, the bright sunlight streamed into the room. Nicole opened her eyes and saw herself clinging to Jared like an octopus, causing her cheeks to flush. Just as she was about to get up, Jared grabbed her, and at the very next second, she found him pinning her down once again. After giving her a lingering good morning kiss, Jared finally released Nicole. Nicole''s cheeks were scarlet red as she pushed Jared''s chest away. "Get up quickly!" However, Jared startled her again, lifting her up and carrying her off to the bathroom. After the couple had taken a shower and changed into fresh clothes, they prepared to leave the room. However, as soon as they were about to stroll out, Jared stole a kiss from Nicole again, and her cheeks reddened once more. After giving Jared an annoyed look, Nicole left the room first. ¡°Daddy, Mommy!" Just as she came out, Nn and Lana teetered out of their rooms and made a beeline for the two of them. Nicole looked at them lovingly and said, "Hey, you''re both up." ¡°Mommy, why is your face so red? Are you hot?" Lana asked, looking puzzled. Hearing that question, Nicole could not help but feel embarrassed. She did not know how to respond to Lana, so she could only answer, "Yeah, it''s a little hot." "You''re so stupid." Nn rolled his eyes at Lana. "Let''s go downstairs for breakfast." Chapter 2648 Chapter 2648 Nn¡¯s remark left Lana feeling even more puzzled. ¡°How am I stupid?¡± ¡°Next time, don¡¯t ask questions that you shouldn¡¯t ask.¡± Nn, looking like a little adult, reprimanded Lana. ¡°Come on.¡± After that, Nn pulled Lana along and walked off. However, Lana was still grumbling, ¡°What did I say wrong?¡± Nicole pursed her lips as she watched her kids, and she then proceeded to warn Jared through gritted teeth, ¡°You¡¯re not allowed to kiss me out of the blue anymore, especially when Nn and Lana might see us.¡± After a moment of thought, Jared said, ¡°As a matter of fact, I actually think it¡¯s because we are not intimate enough. That¡¯s why you¡¯re always so shy. So, from now on, I¡¯ll kiss you once every day, and you¡¯ll gradually stop blushing.¡± ¡°Why, you¡­¡± Nicole red at Jared. ¡®So it¡¯s my fault now?¡¯ Gnashing her teeth, Nicole sighed. ¡°You wish.¡± After saying that, Nicole left Jared to stand there on his own and went downstairs for breakfast. Jared chuckled softly, after which he gave her a loving look and followed her from behind. After breakfast, everyone went their separate ways and got busy. Nicole was scheduled to attend the ribbon-cutting ceremony of the joint electronicponent factory with Harvey today. So, she had deliberately dressed herself in a business suit, which made her look mature and professional. When she arrived at the venue with Patricia, they noticed that a swarm of journalists had already arrived. ¡°Ms. Riddle, this is quite a scene,¡± Patricia said sarcastically. It seemed to her that Harvey had invited quite the crowd, probably wanting to make the entirety of San Joto aware of the ribbon-cutting event. ¡°Well, he did put in a lot of effort, so it¡¯s only necessary to show everyone,¡± Nicole said nonchntly, ncing off at Harvey who was greeting guests. Ms. Riddle.¡± Harvey left the crowd and approached Nicole the moment he saw her. ¡°Mr. Ellison.¡± Nicole nodded politely, disying a friendly, cooperative attitude. Harvey¡¯s eyebrows twitched imperceptibly. He was actually surprised that Nicole had shown up, and above that, he was surprised by how friendly she appeared to be. ¡°Mr. Ellison, is everything ready?¡± Nicole casually looked around and asked. ¡°Everything¡¯s ready. We¡¯re just waiting for you toe on stage and give a speech, then the ribbon- cutting session will begin. I¡¯ve invited many friends from the political and business circles of San Joto to assist us with the ceremony. I hope we can have a pleasant cooperation and make some progress together,¡± Harvey said earnestly. This coboration seemed to mean a lot to him. ¡°Congrattions, Mr. Ellison and Ms. Riddle. This is truly a remarkablecoboration between the two of you,¡± someone said. ¡°Yes, we believe that your cooperation will surely be mutually beneficial,¡± another chimed in. Everyone gathered around to congratte the two, some even testing the waters to see if they could participate in the coboration. Nicole looked at these people indifferently, merely nodding politely whilst not giving them a direct response. She was well aware that the people Harvey had invited were folks who had a history of working with the Ellison family. Those attending the ribbon-cutting ceremony today were all there at Harvey¡¯s behest. As such, there was little reason as to why they could genuinely desire to coborate with her. However, it was also an opportunity that she could seize and exploit. Otherwise, it would be a waste of Harvey¡¯s goodwill. With that in mind, Nicole held off on giving them any direct answers. She merely showed them a hint of interest, but not too much to lead them into believing she wanted anything to do with them right off the bat. She even went as far as to let them in on her thoughts. ¡°Ms. Riddle? Please, the stage is yours.¡± Harvey stepped in when he saw that everyone had started to shower Nicole withpliments. N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. ¡°Okay.¡± Nicole smiled faintly and followed Harvey onto the stage. ¡°Ladies and gentlemen, today is the day when the joint venture electronicponents factory of the Riddle Corporation and Ellison Group, the Ellison Riddle Electronics Factory, is officially established. With that said, our CEO, Mr. Ellison, and Ms. Riddle cordially invite all of you to witness this auspicious asion,¡± the host announced passionately, prompting a gale of apuse, cheers, and camera shes. Chapter 2649 Chapter 2649 Nicole immediately furrowed her brows. ¡®Ellison-and-Riddle? What kind of stupid name is that?¡¯ ¡°Ms. Riddle, this¡­ sounds terrible,¡± Patricia whispered to Nicole. No matter how they thought about it, they did not anticipate that Harvey would have such a twisted sense of humor.1 Why did he name it like that? Does he have a screw loose? Is he off his rocker?¡¯ ¡°Hello, everyone, I am Nicole Riddle,¡± Nicole interrupted, not wanting to hear what wasing next. The scene instantly fell silent, and Nicole¡¯s gaze swept over the faces of the crowd, her eyes frosty and piercing. Then, she loudly announced, ¡°Mr. Ellison probably made a mistake. Although this factory is a joint venture, its name will not be changed.¡± She did not have the energy to think ande up with a name for the time being, so she decided that it would be better for her to keep the original one. ¡°The name¡¯s not changing?¡± ¡°But that¡¯s not what Mr. Ellison said.¡± The crowd broke out in discussion, but Nicole ignored them and continued, ¡°After all, this factory has been operating for some time now, and all the contracts are signed under the original name of the factory in question, so it¡¯ll be better for us to retain the name as is.¡± Though she did not make her denotations ringly clear to the audience, those who understood her knew that changing the name abruptly would cause a myriad of legal disputes with the contracts, bringing them much unnecessary issues in the future. Soon, the murmurs from the crowd died down, especially from those who had signed contracts of their own with factories. At that point, they fell silent, and even went as far as to secretly agree with Nicole¡¯s statement. They knew it would make more sense to avoid running into unnecessary problems anyway. Meanwhile, Harvey shot a nce at Nicole and gave her a subtle smirk. He knew that Nicole would resist the name change, but little did he anticipate that she would resolve it so easily. After all, he had been prepared to give Nicole a hard time. And without giving anyone the chance to continue with their pondering, Nicole began her speech. ¡°I am honored to invest in Ellison Group¡¯s electronicponent factory. In the future, Mr. Ellison and I will be working together to expedite the progress of the factory, allowing it to experience rapid growth.¡± After spouting a bunch of grandiloquent titudes, Nicole turned to Harvey and said, ¡°And so, I¡¯ll pass the mic to Mr. Ellison, who¡¯ll now fill us in with his vision for the future.¡± Harvey¡¯s smirk froze for a moment as he had not prepared a speech at all. Nicole immediately understood how he was feeling when she saw the look on his face. She smiled as she knew that Harvey had not prepared a speech, as he must have been devoting all of his thoughts to stirring up crap for her to deal with. ¡°Mr. Ellison, please.¡± Nicole raised her eyebrows smugly. Harvey could onlye forward and look at the people below, before saying, ¡°Well, the speech I¡¯ve prepared is in essence the same as Ms. Riddle¡¯s. I suppose this is a meeting of minds, so I won¡¯t bore you with reiterations of the same points. Let¡¯s cut the ribbon now.¡± Hearing that, Nicole snuck Harvey a nce. ¡®A meeting of minds, my foot. Do you even believe that yourself?¡¯ However, she did not n to continue making things difficult for Harvey. She just hoped to end this staged farce as soon as possible. ¡°In that case, let¡¯s not take up everyone¡¯s time. Let¡¯s cut the ribbon, shall we?¡± Nicole dered, wanting to end the event as soon as possible and leave. ¡°Great, next up is our ribbon-cutting ceremony. Shall I invite Mr. Ellison, Ms. Riddle, and our guests¡­¡± the host immediately began the next procedure. As Nicole and Harvey were already on the stage, the others followed suit upon hearing the announcement. The ushers lined up in front of them holding arge tray with a pair of scissors tied to a red ribbon around it. Concurrently, the ribbon with arge flower was also unfurled. After exchanging nces with each other, everyone picked the scissors up and cut the ribbons, causing the flower to fall onto the tray. Apuse and cheers erupted, and the shes of cameras went off once again. When the entire ordeal was finally over, Nicole started sauntering off, preparing to leave.N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. Chapter 2650 Chapter 2650 ¡°It¡¯s almost noon. Let¡¯s have lunch together before you go,¡± Harvey stopped Nicole as she was about to leave. Indifferent to his advances, Nicole shot Harvey a nce and said, ¡°I¡¯m good. Please help yourself.¡± ¡°You need to eat too,¡± Harvey said, not disappointed by the rejection as he continued to persuade Nicole. However, Nicole remained unmoved. She did not want to eat with him, fearingthat the very sight of his face might cause her to experience indigestion. ¡°I have already made an appointment with your grandfather. If you¡¯re interested, you can join us,¡± Nicole said before brushing past Harvey and hurrying off. Harvey grimaced as Nicole disappeared from sight. Only Nicole woulde up with such an excuse to avoid having lunch with him. It seemed that she had made her mind up on giving him a ring ¡°no.¡± Still, Nicole had made her way to Thomas Ellison¡¯s ce after leaving. ¡°Are you here to show off to me?¡± Thomas looked at Nicole, amused. ¡°Just here for a meal with you.¡± Nicole shrugged innocently. In response, Thomas shot Nicole a skeptical look. ¡°Do you believe that yourself?¡± ¡°Of course,¡± Nicole retorted. ¡°Let¡¯s be honest. You¡¯re using me as an excuse to get rid of Harvey, aren¡¯t you?¡± Thomas replied, having known Nicole very well.N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. Nicole smiled. ¡°Sorry, but it¡¯s much more convenient that way. I know there are many other ways to get rid of him.¡± Although Thomas was right, this was definitely not the only solution. ¡°Hahaha, okay. At least I¡¯m still useful now, and that makes me happy,¡± Thomasughed. ¡®These two truly are bitter enemies. I once hoped that the two of them could be together, but now it seems that it¡¯s almost impossible,¡¯ he thought. ¡°You don¡¯t have to do this. You don¡¯t owe Harvey anything.¡± Nicole furrowed her eyebrows. It was evident that Thomas was still somewhat cautious about anything rted to Harvey. Perhaps he felt that he was indebted to Harvey because of the past, but Nicole was in no ce toment on their family matters. Still, it was Thomas who had raised Harvey and gave him everything he could after thetter¡¯s parents were killed in the car crash. ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Thomas smiled. At this point, it was all water under the bridge, and he did not want to dwell on it. He felt that it would not be too much of an inconvenience for him to live the rest of his life out this way. Nicole furrowed her brows a little and looked at Thomas. Ultimately, she chose to remain silent. If that was how Thomas truly felt, there would be no point in trying to dissuade him any further. However, she could not help but feel sorry for Thomas. Not wanting to discuss these unpleasant matters, Nicole changed the subject and chatted with Thomas about other things, and just like that, the atmosphere became much more light-hearted. After having lunch with Thomas, Nicole said her goodbyes and left the school. Watching as Nicole¡¯s figure receded from view, Thomas let out a sigh, his gaze darkened. He understood Nicole¡¯s good intentions, but he also knew that there were certain things that were best left undisturbed. He now felt that things were okay as they were. If he were to step into the equation and tip the scales, he did not know what the oue would be. ¡®Oh well, this is it for me. But I also have no intention of getting involved in Nicole and Harvey¡¯s issues. I¡¯ll just let the two of them handle them on their own,¡¯ he concluded. After all, it was Harvey who had started the fight with Nicole first. Besides, there would be no stopping him once he had made his mind up on something. It was better for him to learn his lesson from Nicole. Perhaps then, there would still be hope for him to change his ways. After Nicole had gotten into the car, Patricia ced her phone away and calmly said, ¡°Ms. Riddle, as expected, the inte is abuzz with news about the ribbon cutting ceremony.¡± Chapter 2651 Chapter 2651 ¡°He¡¯s put in so much effort, so he¡¯s obviously going to do his worst,¡± Nicole snorted. She knew that Harvey had put on such a grand disy to make things difficult for her. A simple ribbon- cutting ceremony was not all that he wanted. ¡°Are we just going to let things unfold like this?¡± Patricia asked in a low voice. ¡°Since he wants to publicize it, let him go ahead. Free advertising shouldn¡¯t be wasted.¡± Nicole¡¯s eyes darkened.¡± Now that we¡¯re already working together, let¡¯smence with the next stage of our n.¡± ¡°Of course,¡± Patricia eagerly agreed. She figured that Nicole had her own reasons for working together with Harvey. If anything, Nicole would never let Harvey keep that smirk on his face. All the measures taken would be temporary. Soon after, they returned to the headquarters of the Riddle Corporation, and during lunch break, Nicole leaned back against her couch in her office, lost in thought. The setting sun was already beginning to set when Nicole and Jared returned to the Riddle residence, which seemed rather quiet and empty. ¡°Dad, Mom, why is it just the two of you?¡± Nicole was puzzled as she looked at Daniel and Gloria. ¡®Where¡¯s Stanley, Nn, and Tia?¡¯ ¡°Stanley said he had ast-minute meeting tonight and won¡¯t being back for dinner. As for Nn and Lana, they have returned to their room to y. Nowthat you¡¯re back, let¡¯s eat,¡± Gloria exined. ¡°Oh, okay.¡± Nicole replied, feeling relieved, and followed them into the dining room. After they had all sat down, Nicole came upon the observation that Daniel and Gloria did not look too good, so she asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°We went to pay your Grandpa a visit today,¡± Daniel sighed.¡± He doesn¡¯t look too well. He¡¯s probably affected by Chloe¡¯s incident.¡± ¡°Chloe?¡± Nicole raised her eyebrows slightly. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with her now?¡± ¡°To be precise, it¡¯s Miley,¡± Gloria exined. ¡°Chloe¡¯s case is already clear as day, and the fake doctor even admitted to being bribed. However, Miley suddenly confessed, saying she was the one who had secretly orchestrated everything, and that Chloe knew nothing about it.¡± ¡°Grandpa was furious when he found out. But now that Miley has confessed and the fake doctor has admitted that it was indeed Miley who had bribed him, Chloe is now off the hook. ¡± Daniel shook his head helplessly. ¡°On a side note, Chloe has been discharged from the hospital,¡± he finished. ¡°Is that all?¡± Nicole asked, not the least bit surprised by this oue. She had already guessed that Chloe would be fine, but she did not expect Miley to take the me. But now that she had heard about it, it seemed that this oue was natural and expected. She could imagine that this must have been Damien and Chloe¡¯s idea. If their family had to make a scapegoat of someone this time, it could only be Miley. After all, Miley had lost the support of her own family, leaving her worthless. This was probably the least she could do for Chloe and Damien. Since Miley had taken the me, Chloe would naturally be let off the hook. Still, it was clear that Chloe would not be able to sit tight.N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. ¡°Dad, you should go and spend more time with Grandpa these days if you have nothing else to do,¡± Nicole reminded Daniel. Although she had guessed that this might be the most probable oue, it was evident that the people who Chloe had disappointed once more would likely feel that Chloe should be punished this time. ¡°I know,¡± Daniel agreed and shot Nicole a nce. ¡°Are you okay?¡± Nicole smiled. ¡°I¡¯m fine. In fact, I would really be surprised if Chloe got arrested this time.¡± After all, she had long suspected that Chloe would find a way to clear her name. Chapter 2652 Chapter 2652 ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± Gloria issued a sigh of relief. ¡°I can¡¯t believe they¡¯re capable of doing such things. It seems like they¡¯ve lost their minds. You¡¯ve got to be more careful in the future.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mom,¡± Nicole assured her. ¡°I know.¡± She did not want Gloria to worry about her. Deep down, however, she knew that N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. Chloe would not stop there since she had gone to such lengths to defraud them. Though Miley had taken the me for her this time, there was no telling what woulde next. As such, Nicole would find a way to corner Chloe, to make her face the punishment she rightfully deserved. And now that Everett was still abroad, the only person who might have remained in contact with him was Chloe. If they arrested Chloe now, they might sever the only lead they had to him. Nicole¡¯s eyes darkened when she thought about Everett. Ever since Lawrence had rescued a fleeing Everett from San Joto, he had not shown up at all. This led her to wonder what sort of deal the two of them had made, and what Lawrence would stand to gain out of it. Not only did he take Everett away; he had also hidden him, sparing him further public and legal scrutiny. Her first school of thought was that Lawrence had not gotten what he wanted yet, and that Everett could help him out with it. All of a sudden, Jared¡¯s gentle voice snapped her out of it. ¡¯ Eat up.¡± In return, she looked at Jared and nodded. ¡°Yup.¡± After dinner, Nicole and Jared went upstairs together. Daniel, however, was concerned as he watched her leave. ¡± Is she really okay?¡± ¡°She should be.¡± Gloria said, having nothing but faith in Nicole. Whenever Nicole said she was fine, she would usually be, and then there was also Jared. Besides, if something really happened, Jared would never sit idly by. ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± Daniel shook his head in defeat. Initially, they thought they had caught Chloe in the act. But now that someone had willingly taken the me on her behalf, it had be a bitter pill for them to swallow. Miley really is cruel to herself.¡± Gloria sighed. ¡°Or perhaps Damien and Chloe are just ruthless.¡± Daniel¡¯s gaze darkened slightly. Among the three of them, the father and daughter duo were the worst. Rtively speaking, it would make more sense for Damien and Chloe to retain their autonomy. As for Miley, she had to face the consequences regardless of whether she had done what she did voluntarily or under duress. ¡°Chloe has always hated Nicole and on multiple asions, has even set her up. Now¡­ well, forget it. It¡¯s been so many years, so it¡¯s sort of pointless to talk about it. I just hope that Nicole will remain safe.¡± Gloria began praying, hoping that everything would turn out well for Nicole. ¡°She will be.¡± Danielforted her with a gentle pat on the shoulder. Meanwhile, Nicole and Jared had just entered Nn¡¯s room. Nn and Lana were sitting in front of theputer, while the former seemed to be operating something on an interface. Upon hearing the door open, Lana spun around. Spotting her parents, she immediately ran over with a beaming smile. ¡°Daddy, Mommy, you¡¯re back!¡± Jared picked Lana up and asked, ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°Nn is chatting with Godpa,¡± Lana said, pointing to theputer screen. Nicole¡¯s gaze followed Lana¡¯s finger, and when she saw Nn, she asked, ¡°Leo is online?¡± ¡°Yeah, Godpa said he is pretty free today and that he misses us, so he sent us a message.¡± Nn stated. ¡°He also said he¡¯s busy over there and might not be able toe back anytime soon.¡± Chapter 2653 Chapter 2653 ¡°Did he mention anything else?¡± Nicole squinted her eyes, thinking that Lawrence would not usually be so nosy. Nn shook his head and replied, ¡°No, he only asked if you¡¯re back. Then, he asked about what Lana and I have been up to recently.¡± ¡°That¡¯s all?¡± Nicole raised a brow, doubtful. ¡®So he was genuinely missing the kids?¡¯ ¡°Oh, Godpa also asked if you¡¯ve been busy recently.¡± Lana asked innocently. To that, Nn added, ¡°Yeah, I said you¡¯re not that busy. All you¡¯ve got going for you is work.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Nicole said, and rested the case. She was worried that the kids might get suspicious if she prodded with more questions, so she changed the topic of conversation at once. ¡°Is Leo still online?¡± ¡°Ye-¡± Nn looked at the screen. Then, he frowned and said, ¡°Now he¡¯s not.¡± He was online just a few seconds ago, so it was strange that he logged off all of a sudden. Nicole stood beside theputer and stared at Lawrence¡¯s message to Nn. [I have some urgent matters I need to take care of. I¡¯ll talk to you soon.] Owned by N?velDrama.Org. As for Nn¡¯sst reply to Lawrence, it was: [Mom and dad are home.] Nicole grew more and more suspicious. At that point, she figured that Lawrence did not seem to be missing the kids only. Otherwise, there was little reason as to why he would go offline as soon as he knew that she had returned. Then, Nicole turned to look at Jared, who returned her gaze with the same cold, silent expression. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll talk to you again soon once he¡¯s free. ¡± Nicole quickly readjusted her expression and patted Nn¡¯s head. ¡°Yeah.¡± Nn logged off and tugged at Nicole. ¡°Mom, do you know what Godpa is busy with? Why do I feel that he has a lot in his mind?¡± ¡°Why do you say so?¡± Nicole asked Nn. ¡°It¡¯s just that he seems hesitant whenever he talks about something.¡± Nn shrugged. ¡°If that¡¯s not the case, I guess I¡¯m just overthinking it.¡± ¡°I guess so. Even if Godpa is indeed facing some problems, he would note to us for help.¡± Nicole smiled and patted Nn¡¯s head again. ¡°Now, go and y with your toys.¡± ¡°Nn, I want to y with those wooden blocks.¡± Lana begged. ¡°Sure.¡± Nn agreed and quickly apanied Lana for ytime. Seeing that the little ones were ying, Nicole looked up at Jared and said, ¡°What do you think?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll get Max to look into it.¡± Jared narrowed his eyes. ¡°Do you think something has happened on his side? Otherwise, why would he approach Nn and ask him to spy on us?¡± Nicole frowned. No matter how mature Nn was, he was still a five-year- old kid. After thinking about it for a moment, Jared said, ¡°Perhaps, it has something to do with the Water Crest.¡± ¡°The Water Crest?¡± Nicole was confused. ¡°How would Nn have any knowledge about it?¡± ¡°Perhaps he got his hands on the Water Crest but was unable to activate the system. It was likely unable to detect and register the owner.¡± Jared hazarded a guess. ¡°Can Nn activate it?¡± Nicole became nervous. ¡®He can¡¯t, right?¡¯ Looking at her, Jared replied, ¡°He can¡¯t do it, but you can.¡± ¡°Me?¡± Nicole frowned and muttered. ¡°What you¡¯re trying to say is, he¡¯s trying to activate the Crest through Nn? Isn¡¯t he worried that it¡¯ll recognize me as the owner once I activate it?¡± Chapter 2654 Chapter 2654 ¡°It is exactly because of this very concern that he needs to use Nn to achieve what he wants.¡± Jared held Nicole¡¯s hands gently. ¡°At the end of the day, none of us have seen the Water Crest before. No one knows what it looks like either. Content provided by N?velDrama.Org. The only way he could crack it and not catch your attention is by enlisting Nn¡¯s help.¡± If Lawrence approached Nicole directly, the oue would be predictable; Nicole would be able to tell that the object in question was the Water Crest. In addition to that, Lawrence would have to forego his right to own the Water Crest, hence he would not risk it.fter hearing Jared¡¯s exnation, Nicole nodded. ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll get Max to verify it.¡± Jared¡¯s eyes became frosty. If that was indeed the truth, Jared would never allow Lawrence within an inch of the Water Crest. For someone as evil as Lawrence to own the Water Crest would spell unimaginable disaster for everyone else. As Jared and Nicole were discussing the issue, they did not realize that Nn was keeping an eye on them. Although he appeared to be ying with Lana, Nn had been eavesdropping, and had heard every single detail of their conversation. Nn nervously bit his lips and balled his knuckle into a fist. He seemed to be hurt by that exchange. Meanwhile, at the secret base camp in Mecrounia, Lawrence was ring at theputer screen after he had logged off. ¡°How was it? Did you not make it?¡± Everett asked impatiently. ¡°We can¡¯t rush it. This needs to be done step by step.¡± Lawrence rolled his eyes at Everett as he responded. ¡°Are you sure you have more time? Things havee to this.¡± Everett replied with dissatisfaction. Hearing that, Lawrence red at him coldly and said,¡± You¡¯re in no position to instruct me on what to do. Besides, you¡¯d be an idiot to underestimate that little kid. He¡¯s not an ordinary five-year-old kid. You¡¯ll regret it in the future for underestimating him now.¡± kept mum thereafter. After a moment of silence, Lawrence said, ¡°I have my own ways around this issue. You better not ruin it.¡± ¡°I know, but you should also know that we really do not have much time left,¡± Everett said, whirled around, and left. Lawrence became furious as he red at Everett¡¯s back. If it was not for the Water Crest, Lawrence would never have tolerated such behavior. In fact, Lawrence was sure that Nicole was well aware of Everett¡¯s whereabouts. Therefore, Nicole must also be suspicious of Lawrence now. At this point, it was all or nothing; Lawrence would suffer defeat if he failed to obtain the Water Crest. After Everett had left the room, all of the humility he had feigned disappeared right off the bat. ¡°Hmm! If I was eligible to be the bearer of the Water Crest, what makes you think you would ever have the chance to own it? Just you wait! I¡¯m not someone you can push around. It Then, Everett headed to his room after he had gathered his thoughts. Sitting there in wait was all he had been doing for the past week. He could not go anywhere else, and if that was not torturous enough, he still had to put up with Lawrence¡¯s antiques on a daily basis. When is this going to end?¡¯ Everett wondered. Everett was annoyed as all of these thoughts raced across his mind. However, he knew that it would be in his best interest to tolerate whatever Lawrence threw at him. Once Lawrence, Jared and Nicole had been weakened in their war with each other, Everett would seize the opportunity to snatch the crest. The next morning, the sun shone bright and warm. After breakfast, Nn and Lana prepared for school. However, Tia did not show up, and as things stood, the kids would be runningte for school. ¡°Tia will be okay, right? She¡¯s neverte.¡± Lana mumbled in concern. ¡°Mom, should we check on Tia?¡± Nn began to worry. Just as Nicole was about to walk over to them, she saw Stanley approaching them. Seeing this, Nicole could not help but frown. ¡°Stanley, the kids are going to bete. We¡¯ll send them to school now, but you should know that Tia is not around. I¡¯m not sure if something has happened to her. Can you please check on her?¡± Chapter 2655 Chapter 2655 Stanley paused for a moment before replying, ¡°Alright.¡± ¡°Please let me know if there are any updates,¡± Nicole requested, and brought the kids into the car. Knowing that Stanley was going out to look for Tia, Nn and Lana did not bother to follow him. Instead, they got into the car and went to school right away. Meanwhile, Stanley had just entered the house in the backyard, which was unusually quiet. ¡°Tia?¡± Stanley called out to her. ¡°Mr. Riddle, is that you?¡± Tia asked, her voice hoarse. Stanley could already tell that she was weak, and upon hearing Tia¡¯s voice emanating from the room, he rushed over. As soon as he opened the door, he saw Tia lying in bed, looking ill, causing him to frown and ask, ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°I think I¡¯m down with a co¡­.¡± Before Tia could finish her sentence, she began to cough. Seeing that Tia was in such a terrible condition, Stanley walked over and ced his hand on Tia¡¯s forehead. She was indeed having a bad fever. ¡°Your body is very warm. I¡¯ll bring you to the hospital,¡± he said as he carried Tia in his arms. ¡°Sir, n-¡± Tia wanted to stop him, but Stanley had already brought them out of the room by then. ¡°Grandma, Tia is sick. I¡¯m bringing her to the hospital.¡± Stanley exined as Mrs. Wace Sr., who had heard themotion, approached them. Seeing what was going on, Mrs. Wace Sr. replied, ¡°You should hurry. She¡¯s already sick but she still insisted on preparing breakfast for me. In the end, she did not eat at all. Then, her headache became too much for her to bear, so she took some medicine and returned to her room to rest.¡± Hearing that Tia had only taken some over-the-counter medication to treat herself, Stanley quickly brought Tia out.¡± Alright, we¡¯re going now.¡± Soon, they arrived at the hospital and the doctor did a checkup on Tia. ¡°You should have brought her in earlier. If her fever wasn¡¯t treated, she would¡¯ve developed pneumonia. How could you be so careless as someone¡¯s boyfriend?¡± the doctor reprimanded.¡± ¡°Doctor, he¡¯s not my boyfriend.¡± Tia exined while shivering through the fever. She did not even dare to look at Stanley. ¡°He¡¯s not?¡± The doctor shot him a nce. ¡°He seems very worried though.¡± Tia became even more shy after that, and so, she shifted the topic of conversation, ¡°I¡¯ve taken the medication. I guess I should recover soon.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll need to get a drip and stay here for further observation,¡± the doctor disagreed, feeling a little annoyed. Her situation was pretty dire and yet, she did not seem to care. ¡°Alright, we¡¯ll let her stay here then.¡± Stanley replied. The doctor then proceeded with the diagnosis. By the time Stanley had returned from the admissions counter, Tia had been ced into the ward and was already strapped to an IV drip. Looking at Tia who was lying down on the bed, Stanley got even more worried. ¡°How do you feel now? Are you still dizzy?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that bad,¡± Tia replied, her voice still a little hoarse. ¡°Drink some water.¡± Stanley poured a ss of warm water for Tia. ¡°Thank you, sir,¡± she said. Content provided by N?velDrama.Org. Then, Stanley replied in a gentle voice, ¡°You¡¯re wee. Don¡¯t worry too much about Grandma. I¡¯ll get someone to take care of her. All you have to do is to rest and recover.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve done a lot, Stanley. I really appreciate you.¡± Tia was a little touched. The one person she could not stop worrying about was Mrs. Wace Sr., but as it turned out, Stanley had arranged for someone to take care of her. ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much about it. Just get some rest,¡± he assured, and walked over to the bedside, where he sat down and apanied Tia. However, Tia proceeded to chase him away. ¡°Sir, I can deal with this on my own. You should head to work.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± he said. Tia¡¯s situation was not stable yet, so he would not be at peace with the idea of leaving her alone in the hospital. ¡°I¡¯m really fine by myself. There are nurses here too. If I need anything, the nurses will assist me. Don¡¯t dy any of your work,¡± Tia argued, feeling embarrassed. She had troubled Stanley enough already, so she could not allow herself to disrupt his work schedule anymore. ¡°I don¡¯t have anything to do today.¡± Stanley replied calmly. He could determine what his workload was and how it was done, so her concerns were invalid in this regard. Hearing this, Tia was rendered speechless; she did not know how to persuade Stanley to leave anymore Chapter 2656 Chapter 2656 Her intentions of not wanting to interfere with his work were genuine. But there was another reason, and it was that his presence made her feel ufortable. ¡°You haven¡¯t had breakfast, right? I¡¯ll go and buy something.¡± Stanley could sense that Tia was beginning to feel ufortable, so he got up and left. Tia quietly heaved a sigh of relief. Seeing Stanley leave, her energy seemed to improve. ¡°Tia!¡± a loud yell sounded. As Tia looked up, she was shocked by what she saw. ¡°Sir, what are you doing here?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve told you before, don¡¯t call me ¡®sir¡¯,¡± Martin said, sounding annoyed as he entered the room. ¡°Just like how you call Nicole, you can call me Martin.¡± ¡°Martin.¡± It sounded a bit forced, but Tia called him by his name. Martin scanned their surroundings and saw that no one was there. ¡°Tia, you¡¯re sick. Are you here on your own?¡± ¡°It was Stanley who brought me here,¡± Tia exined. Martin immediately understood the situation. ¡°Oh, so it¡¯s Stanley. Where is he?¡± He could not have possibly dropped her off and left her alone, right? ¡°He went to get breakfast.¡± Tia seemed to be ufortable. Those words that she had just uttered sounded wrong on a certain level. While they chatted, Stanley returned. He was shocked to find Martin there. ¡±1 see he¡¯s back with breakfast in hand. I won¡¯t interrupt your mealtime then.¡± As Martin spoke, he was getting ready to leave. He paused to inform Tia, ¡°If you need any help, you can always get the nurses to call me.¡± Tia was shocked. ¡°Call you? Are you working here?¡± ¡°I¡¯m here for an exchange programme that¡¯s going on for two days. So I¡¯m stationed here,¡± Martin exined. ¡°Oh, I see.¡± It was no wonder why she bumped into Martin. Martin smiled and turned to look at Stanley. He gave Stanley a nod and left. Content provided by N?velDrama.Org. Stanley could not help but frown. But he soon regained hisposure. He handed the breakfast to Tia and said, ¡°Make sure you eat something. You can¡¯t function on an empty stomach.¡± ¡°Thank you, sir.¡± ¡°How did he know that you¡¯re here?¡± asked Stanley, pretending to be casual. ¡°Who?¡± Tia was stunned for a moment before she realized what he meant. ¡°You mean Martin?¡± Stanley could not help but narrow his eyes. ¡®She¡¯s referring to him by his first name already?¡¯ ¡°Yeah,¡± he said, trying his best to appear calm. ¡°I guess he was passing by and saw me by coincidence,¡± Tia exined. After all, she had just found out that Martin was here for a program. He would not have known that she was admitted to the hospital as well, so everything was a pure coincidence. Hearing this, Stanley did not question her further. Instead, he changed the topic of conversation. ¡°Here, have some food.¡± ¡°Sir, would you like some?¡± Tia asked. Hearing the word ¡®sir¡¯, Stanley frowned. ¡°I¡¯ve already eaten. You can have it,¡± said Stanley, getting up and sitting on the sofa. He wanted to give Tia some personal space, hoping that she would be less nervous. Tia bit her lip lightly. She picked up a fork and began to eat. The food made her feel warm and her body felt lighter. Her face also seemed to be rxed. Stanley looked at Tia happily. The look in his eyes made him seem deep in thought. Chapter 2657 Chapter 2657 At Riddle Corporation, Nicole arrived at thepany building and entered her office. ¡°Ms. Riddle, we¡¯ve made some progress in our project with Ellison Group,¡± said Patricia, cing a document in front of Nicole. Looking at the details on the document, Nicole seemed to be satisfied. ¡°Great, it looks good.¡± ¡°Will Harvey follow our n?¡± Patricia asked worriedly. After all, he was not a kind-hearted person if he could get his hands on the Ellison Group. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. If he notices it, we¡¯lle up with another n. If he doesn¡¯t realize it, we¡¯ll just act ording to n.¡± Nicole smiled coldly. If Harvey wanted to create more problems for her, Nicole would let him make the first move. She wanted to see if Harvey still had the energy for that. ¡°Noted. I¡¯ll send someone to keep an eye on him,¡± Patricia replied firmly. By keeping an eye on Riddle Corporation, it would ease their n for what¡¯s toe. Nicole ced the document to one side and turned to look at Patricia. ¡°How¡¯s Chloe?¡± ¡°Oh, she has been discharged from the hospital,¡± Patricia answered. ¡°She recovered pretty quickly,¡± Nicole said in a mocking tone. ¡°Miley had sessfully entered. Of course, there¡¯d be no reason for Chloe to continue her act in the hospital.¡± Patricia snorted. Everyone knew clearly what Chloe¡¯s tactics were. ¡°Make sure to keep an eye on her. She won¡¯t sit still.¡± Nicole¡¯s eyes were cold. ¡°Noted.¡± For someone who was evil, Chloe would never back down until she achieved her goal. ¡°You may leave now.¡± Then, Nicole grabbed the document beside her and began to focus on her work. Patricia turned around and left to work on Nicole¡¯smands. Meanwhile, Chloe was sitting in the living room while appearing to be deep in thought. Owned by N?velDrama.Org. Hearing the sound of footstepsing from the door, she looked over to see who it was. Her voice immediately turned cold. ¡°How was it?¡± ¡°She admitted to all the charges and was taken into custody, ¡± Kelly said softly. ¡°What about the rest?¡± Chloe gritted her teeth. ¡°Basically, everything has been solved. With the confession and the forged doctor¡¯s letter, you¡¯re safe,¡± Kelly continued to exin. Chloe took a deep breath. ¡°Now that things have ended up this way, we¡¯ll have to go with the flow.¡± Chloe could not get into any more trouble. If she did, all of her ns would be futile. Her family would lose their chance, including her. Kelly hesitated for a moment and reminded Chloe in a soft voice, ¡°Ms. Chloe, it¡¯s actually quite easy to tackle Nicole.¡± Giving her the side-eye, Chloe asked, ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Well, you see, we don¡¯t really have much support because your family has lost their status and everything. But Nicole has everything. As long as we get a hold of the thing she cares about the most, she might not be the same,¡± Kelly whispered sneakily. ¡°You mean¡­¡± Chloe thought about it. ¡®Find out Nicole¡¯s weakness.¡¯ ¡°That¡¯s right. The more she cares about it, the more beneficial it is for us.¡± Kelly¡¯s eyes were glimmering. It seemed like Chloe understood what she wanted to express. Chloe gave it some thought and nodded satisfactorily.¡± You¡¯re right.¡± ¡®If that¡¯s the case, I guess Nicole wouldn¡¯t be able to frame me. We¡¯ll see if she¡¯ll give up everything¡­¡± Chapter 2658 Chapter 2658 As the sun set, Nicole and Jared picked their children up. When the kids heard that Tia had been admitted to the hospital, they requested to visit her. As Nicole was also worried about Tia¡¯s condition, she agreed to their request. They bought some fruits and went to the hospital ward. ¡°Nicole!¡± Tia was surprised to see Nicole and the family there. They went out of their way to visit her! ¡°How are you feeling now?¡± Nicole asked in concern. ¡°I¡¯m feeling much better now,¡± Tia replied. ¡°Ms. Tia, I¡¯m d you¡¯re feeling better. We¡¯re all worried about you.¡± Nn and Lana surrounded Tia by the bedside, wearing sad expressions. Tia smiled. She seemed to be more energetic when she saw the little kids. ¡°I¡¯m fine now. You guys don¡¯t have to worry about me. You see, I took the drip and some medicine. I¡¯m all better now,¡± she said, tofort them. ¡°Ms. Tia, please recover soon. We prefer it when you fetch us for school,¡± said Lana, shaking Tia¡¯s arms lightly. ¡°Sure. I¡¯ll be out of this hospital tomorrow. Then, I¡¯ll be able to fetch the two of you.¡± Tia smiled warmly. Nn noticed that Tia was alone, so he casually asked,¡± Where¡¯s Uncle Stanley? Isn¡¯t he supposed to be here to take care of you?¡± ¡°He had to pick up a call just now, so he went out,¡± Tia exined. She only knew that Stanley stepped out to take a call. She did not have any further details. ¡°Could Uncle Stanley be facing any problems?¡± Lana asked innocently. Owned by N?velDrama.Org. Nn frowned and thought. ¡®Even if Uncle Stanley had any problems, he shouldn¡¯t leave Ms. Tia alone. What¡¯s wrong with him?¡¯ ¡°What a huge crowd we have here!¡± a loud yell sounded in the room. Stanley brought ady into the room. Looking at the guest, Nn and Lana eximed. ¡® Ms. Jean!¡± Nicole knew that it was Cherry Jean based on the voice. She began to observe Cherry¡¯s bodynguage. ¡®So, it was Cherry who called Stanley on the phone. Then, he brought her over. Does he really have feelings for this girl now?¡¯ ¡°Mr. Johnston, Ms. Riddle.¡± Cherry obviously recognized Nicole and Jared. So, she was very serious as she greeted them. ¡°Ms. Jean.¡± Although it was Nicole¡¯s first time meeting her, she was sure that thisdy was Cherry Jean. ¡°You¡¯re being too formal. You may refer to me as Cherry.¡± She smiled and exined, ¡°I¡¯m here to visit Tia, but I didn¡¯t expect to see a crowd.¡± ¡°You knew that she¡¯s ill?¡± Nicole asked casually. ¡°Yeah, I found out during our call today,¡± Cherry replied calmly. Nicole turned to look at Stanley. He quickly exined, ¡°She called Tia. She called me just now because she could not find the ward.¡± Confused, Nicole blinked her eyes. Since when did Tia and Cherry be friends? The situation at that moment was messy. ¡°Nicole, Jared, you¡¯re here to visit Tia?¡± Martin¡¯s voice sounded. Nicole looked back at the door and eximed, ¡°Martin! What are you doing here?¡± ¡°I¡¯m here for an exchange program these few days. But I coincidentally bumped into Tia,¡± Martin exined as he walked in. ¡°I¡¯m getting ready to get off work now, but I thought of visiting Tia. If she¡¯s fine, I¡¯m going to head home.¡± ¡°Oh, I see.¡± Nicole smiled. ¡°We¡¯re also here to visit Tia. Especially Nn and Lana. They were worried about Tia.¡± Chapter 2659 Chapter 2659 ¡°They¡¯re used to Tia bringing them to school, so there¡¯s no doubt they¡¯re dependent on her.¡± Martin smiled and approached Tia¡¯s bedside. ¡°How are you feeling?¡± ¡°I feel much better now. I could be discharged tomorrow,¡± Tia replied. ¡°May I ask who this is?¡± Cherry found Martin familiar, but she just could not recognize him. Content provided by N?velDrama.Org. ¡°His name is Martin, and he¡¯s in the medical profession,¡± Tia introduced. She did not mention Martin¡¯s background as he did not like to brag about it outside. ¡°Her name is Cherry, Stanley¡¯s¡­¡± Tia paused and changed what she was going to say. ¡°She¡¯s Stanley¡¯s friend.¡± Tia originally wanted to say Cherry was Stanley¡¯s girlfriend, but Tia did not know if Stanley wanted to make the information public, so she paused before saying it out loud. ¡°Hi.¡± Cherry instantly remembered when she heard Martin¡¯s name, but she yed along and did not expose his hidden identity. ¡°Hi there,¡± Martin responded, looking at Stanley meaningfully. Noticing Tia¡¯s pause, Martin analyzed that even if Cherry were not Stanley¡¯s girlfriend, Cherry would not be Stanley¡¯s normal colleague either. It was the first time Martin saw a girl together with Stanley. Martin had no interest in identifying the rtionship between Stanley and Cherry. He was just curious since Stanley used to take good care of Tia. Martin wondered if it was just pure concern for Tia. Cherry was also silently eyeing Martin. ¡®Tia called him by his name. What rtionship do they have? Tia seemed to give him special treatment and called his name.¡¯ ¡°Ms. Jean, thank you so much for visiting me. Actually, I feel all better now,¡± Tia thanked. Snapping back to reality, Cherry chuckled. ¡°Don¡¯t sweat it. We¡¯re friends after all.¡± She then ced a fruit basket on Tia¡¯s bedside. ¡°Here you go, a little something for you.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°One more thank you, and we¡¯re not friends anymore,¡± said Cherry, acting angry. Tia replied uneasily, ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant, Ms. Jean.¡± ¡°Oh,e on. Stop calling me Ms. Jean, call me Cherry instead.¡± Cherryughed. ¡°That¡¯s what my friends call me.¡± Nicole saw through Cherry¡¯s every move and she kind of liked her personality. ¡°Well, this¡­¡± Tia trailed off. ¡®If Cherry turned out to be Stanley¡¯s girlfriend, it wouldn¡¯t be right for me to call her by her name directly.¡¯ ¡°Why the hesitation? Do you not like me?¡± Cherry asked seriously. If so, she would not force Tia to be friends. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s not it. I just thought since you¡¯re Sir Stanley¡¯s friend, I should-¡° Before Tia could finish, Cherry interrupted, ¡°Come on. If this is the reason, you don¡¯t have to worry about it. Not to mention, someone hates it when you call him that, more so than me.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Tia did not understand Cherry¡¯s underlying meaning and looked at her in confusion. Stanley, on the other hand, understood instantly and stopped Cherry. ¡°It¡¯s about time. I¡¯ll see you out.¡± ¡°You¡¯re taking care of her tonight?¡± Cherry teased meaningfully, raising her eyebrow. ¡°Ms. Jean, don¡¯t get him wrong. Sir Stanley isn¡¯t-¡± Knowing Tia was going to exin, Stanley interrupted, ¡°Yes, I¡¯m staying back tonight.¡± Cherry saidcently, with her eyebrow raised. ¡°Then I won¡¯t bother you guys further.¡± Bidding farewell to everyone, Cherry dly started to leave. She called out to Stanley, ¡°Well, I¡¯ll be troubling you to see me out then.¡± ¡°No problem. Come on,¡± Stanley said. Then he left with Cherry. Chapter 2660 Chapter 2660 ¡°Well that was¡­?¡± Martin turned to Nicole after noticing the weird atmosphere between Cherry and Stanley. He looked eager for gossip. Nicole had no choice but to disappoint him. ¡°Cherry Jean.¡± Martin pressed his lips together and responded with a wry smile, ¡°Alright then.¡± Nicole did not want to dwell on the topic, so she remained silent. ¡°Nicole, it¡¯s gettingte. You should head home. I¡¯ll be fine by myself.¡± Tia bit her lip. She hesitated before saying,¡± Nicole, could you take Stanley with you?¡± Tia did not want Cherry to get the wrong idea, but she could not convince Stanley to leave. So she had to rely on Nicole to get Stanley home. ¡°I think it¡¯s best to let Stanley decide that for himself.¡± Nicole shrugged. She did not want to make decisions on Stanley¡¯s behalf and have him me her for itter. The situation today unraveled a mystery in her heart, and it was up to fate to decide what would happen in their future. Tia looked surprised at Nicole, not expecting Nicole to reject her suggestion. ¡°Okay then, we¡¯ll take our leave. You should rest properly.¡± With that reminder, Nicole and Jared ushered their children. ¡°Bye-bye, Tia!¡± ¡°Bye, kids.¡± Tia watched as Nicole and Jared left with the kids. Her brain still could not grasp the situation. ¡®So Stanley is staying back tonight to take care of me? Won¡¯t Cherry misunderstand the situation?¡¯ ¡°I¡¯ll apany you until Stanleyes back,¡± Martin said after seeing Tia alone. N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. ¡°Thanks, but I¡¯m fine on my own,¡± Tia said, sounding frustrated. She knew everyone was concerned about her, but her situation was not serious. She felt that she could manage on her own. Not to mention that Stanley had been here all day and even stayed the night. If Cherry misunderstood this, Tia could be guilty of ruining Stanley¡¯s potential marriage. ¡°Are you worried about Stanley?¡± Martin asked softly, looking at Tia¡¯s troubled expression. ¡°Yeah,¡± Tia replied before catching herself. Blushing slightly, she rified, ¡°I mean, I¡¯m just worried about how I can clear things up if Cherry misunderstands Stanley because of this.¡± ¡°So is Cherry Stanley¡¯s girlfriend?¡± Martin asked, tilting his head and seizing Tia¡¯s reaction. ¡°She isn¡¯t,¡± Stanley¡¯s voice sounded, holding a hint of anger. ¡°You¡¯re back,¡± Martin said, standing up after hearing Stanley. ¡°Then my job here is done. I¡¯ll leave Tia to you now. See ya.¡± ¡°Take care.¡± Then he approached Tia¡¯s bedside. He took a fruit knife to slice an apple for her. He had no intention of escorting Martin out. Embarrassed, Tia looked at Martin and said, ¡°It¡¯s gettingte. I¡¯m sure you haven¡¯t had your dinner. You should go back.¡± ¡°I¡¯lle to visit you tomorrow,¡± Martin promised. He looked at Stanley meaningfully before leaving. The atmosphere in the room suddenly dropped, and Martin smirked at the change. The atmosphere was awkward, with only Stanley and Tia left in the room. ¡°Eat some apples.¡± Stanley regained hisposure and handed the apple to Tia Chapter 2661 Chapter 2661 ¡°Thank you, Stanley,¡± Tia said, biting the bullet to take the apple. Stanley¡¯s hand was stiff, he hated Tia¡¯s formality. Meanwhile, Nicole and Jared brought the kids to the Riddle family manor. Leaning against her seat, Nicole looked out the window and smirked. She had a hunch about what was going on between Stanley and Tia. It seemed that the two had a misunderstanding, or more likely, they were facing an obstacle. ¡®Stanley probably thinks Tia has a crush on Martin, so he did not express his feelings to her all this while, only secretly taking care of her. Martin also cares about Tia, and she appears more at ease with him. Maybe I was wrong? Maybe Tia really likes Martin?¡¯ Nicole shook her head at the situation. With Cherry now involved, things would only get more complicated. ¡°Let them handle their affairs,¡± Jared suddenly said, holding Nicole¡¯s hand. Nicole chuckled and agreed, ¡°Yeah.¡± Nicole was just thinking the same thing. She knew she had no ce to interfere with them. It was up to the group to decide their fate. She only hoped they could all find happiness in the end. Back in the Riddle family manor, Daniel and Gloria expressed their concern as they saw the familye in.¡± Oh, you¡¯re back. How¡¯s Tia?¡± ¡°She¡¯s fine. If nothing happens today, she could be discharged tomorrow,¡± Nicole informed.Content provided by N?velDrama.Org. ¡°That¡¯s good news,¡± said Gloria, relieved. She then gestured to the family. ¡°I¡¯m sure you haven¡¯t gotten your dinner yet.¡± ¡°Yeah, we came right back after visiting Tia,¡± Nicole replied. Daniel and Gloria got up. ¡°Come on then, we haven¡¯t either.¡± ¡°You hadn¡¯t eaten your dinner?¡± Nicole asked, surprised. They went to the hospital and came hometer than usual. Nicole did not expect her parents to not have eaten yet. ¡°We didn¡¯t have much of an appetite and waited for your return,¡± Gloria exined. None of her kids were home, and the house felt a little empty. The family sat down in the dining room, and dinner was served. ¡°Is Stanley still in the hospital?¡± Gloria questioned. Nicole nodded. ¡°Yes, he stayed back to take care of Tia.¡± ¡°Well then. What¡¯s going on with them?¡± Gloria¡¯s curiosity was piqued, and her eyes gleamed with anticipation. They all saw when Stanley carried Tia in his arms in the morning. His concern for Tia was sincere, and he even stayed in the hospital to take care of her. These were the signs everyone saw. Nicole hesitated but decided toe clean. ¡°Mom, Cherry was there too.¡± Gloria was stunned. ¡°Cherry went to visit Tia?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Nicole nodded. ¡°I think we should let them handle their affairs on their own.¡± Gloria could not grasp the situation. After listening to Nicole, she thought about it before agreeing. ¡°Alright then. Stanley already has a few close rtionships with girls. I¡¯m not that worried for him.¡± ¡°You¡¯re scared Stanley will be a miserable old man for life?¡± Nicole chuckled. ¡°Who knows?¡± Gloria replied, rolling her eyes. She had no mercy in dissing her son. Chapter 2662 Chapter 2662 Nicole shook her head while chuckling. ¡°So that¡¯s why Mom was so eager to introduce girls to Stanley. I never knew he left such an impression on her. Well, Mom should be happy now. Not only does Stanley have Tia, but he also has Cherry as his potential girlfriend.¡¯ Nicole frowned slightly and thought, ¡®Oh right, there¡¯s Martin too. Things are getting ugly.¡¯ After dinner, Nicole and Jared took the kids back to their room. ¡°Mommy, does Grandma like Cherry more?¡± Lana asked while peeking her head out of her nket. ¡°Why the sudden question?¡± Nicole chuckled. Lana frowned and said, ¡°It¡¯s just a feeling I got.¡± She could not exin it, but she just felt that Gloria preferred Cherry more. ¡°If that were true, what do you think about it, Lana?¡± Nicole asked softly. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be troublesome if Uncle Stanley only likes Tia, but Grandma likes Cherry?¡± Lana said, feeling conflicted. Nicole burst intoughter. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. That wouldn¡¯t be a problem.¡± ¡°Huh? Why not?¡± ¡°Because there¡¯s no conflict between them. No matter who turns out to be Content provided by N?velDrama.Org. Stanley¡¯s wife, your Grandma will love her. Most importantly, it depends on who Uncle Stanley likes,¡± Nicole exined. ¡°Oh,¡± Lana said, sounding relieved. Nn shot another question at Nicole. ¡°Mommy, is Martin your friend?¡± ¡°Yup, what¡¯s the matter?¡± Nicole responded. She looked at Nn in surprise, wondering why he was paying attention to Martin. Nn then turned his gaze to Jared. ¡°And you know about it? IV ¡°Yes,¡± Jared answered ndly. He knew Nn¡¯s intention and found it amusing. ¡®Is the kid reminding me that I have a rival in love?¡¯ ¡°Alright then, that¡¯s good,¡± said Nn, trying to y it cool. It seemed that he might have overthought it. It was a relief that this situation meant nothing to Jared. Since they had found their father and Nn was the eldest child among the next generation of the Johnston family, he ought to consider his own family¡¯s interests. Besides that, Nicole was madly in love with Jared, so Nn had no choice but to ept him. Jared smirked. ¡®Is this the feeling of acknowledgment? Finally, this kid is seeing me as his dad, an irreceable father.¡¯ After watching the kids fall asleep, the couple went back to their room. ¡°Why would Nn ask such a question?¡± Nicole looked at Jared, waiting for an answer. She was indeed friends with Martin, but she understood that Nn did not refer to Martin as her usual friend. Nicole thought, ¡®Did Martin even act unusually today? We had always had a regr friendship. But then there¡¯s something different between Martin and Tia today. Although it was nothing special, Martin hardly ever showed concern for anyone.¡¯ Jared ruffled Nicole¡¯s hair and teased, ¡°Perhaps it was because of your irresistible charm?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Nicole did not understand Jared¡¯s meaning. Jared chuckled and, without giving her an exnation, he lifted Nicole into his arms. Although Martin was trying hard to act normally, it was hard to hide one¡¯s love for someone. It was noticeable with just one nce. However, Jared would never tell Nicole about it. It was best that Nicole treated Martin as a friend since that was what they were. ¡°Hey, I¡¯m not done yet,¡± Nicoleined as she snuggled against Jared¡¯s neck. Chapter 2663 Chapter 2663 ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about other people now,¡± Jared said while carrying Nicole to the bed. His eyes were dark with lust. He gently set Nicole down and leaned in to kiss her lips. The next day, the sun rose and shined brightly. When Nicole arrived at thepany, Patricia hurried and followed her into the office. ¡°Ms. Riddle, it¡¯s about the Ellison Group,¡± Patricia whispered. ¡°Harvey is making preparations for a new factory. He might be thinking of expanding it to coborate with us. This information is being kept very quiet within the Ellison Group, and the news isn¡¯t made public yet.¡± ¡°Why is he so sure that I¡¯ll agree?¡± Nicole was at a loss for words. ¡®So what if Harvey made preparations? He still had to discuss it with me first.¡¯ ¡°Maybe he¡¯s up to something,¡± Patricia spected. She felt that Harvey must have thought of something Nicole could not reject. N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. Nicole¡¯s expression darkened, realizing that possibility too.¡¯ What did Harvey devise to make me not just interested but alsopelled to concede? Could it be Riddle Corporation? Or NandoCorp, DillCorp, or BayCorp?¡¯ After running through all the possibilities in her mind, Nicole was suddenly stuck by an idea. She instructed Patricia, ¡°You should tell Thomas Ellison that I¡¯ll arrange his medical treatment abroad, but he needs to leave immediately.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Patricia asked, shocked. ¡°Would he agree?¡± Patricia wondered why Nicole would arrange for Thomas to leave and wondered if the matter was rted to Thomas. ¡°Harvey doesn¡¯t have anything on me, but he knows about my connection with Thomas So there¡¯s a possibility that Thomas is the chip in his hand,¡± Nicole guessed. If she was right, she might have to agree to Harvey¡¯s scheme. She could not just leave Thomas hanging, so Harvey might use that against her. ¡°How do I exin it to him?¡± Patricia asked, feeling doubtful. She could not tell Thomas that his grandson was using him against Nicole. ¡°Just tell him it¡¯s my decision. Even though his health is improving, he still has to convalesce,¡± Nicole said. She believed Thomas should understand her meaning without exining much. ¡°I got it. I¡¯ll make the arrangements now,¡± Patricia said and left. Nicole leaned against her chair, her expression gloomy. ¡®We already have a factory in partnership, yet Harvey is preparing for another coboration. This step-by-step n is definitely not Harvey acting on a whim. He must be scheming something.¡¯ Meanwhile, Harvey¡¯s assistant was in his office, reporting,¡± Mr. Ellison, everything is almost ready.¡± ¡°Good. We can proceed then.¡± Harvey smirked. ¡°Would your grandfather resist?¡± his assistant asked hesitantly. Harvey¡¯s expression was cold. ¡°Ignore him. He can¡¯t do much for me.¡± He thought, ¡®Let this be that old man¡¯s sacrifice for me. Or else he wouldn¡¯t be much use providing for his retirement.¡¯ ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll go now,¡± his assistant answered, leaving the office. Harvey looked out the window, contemting. Once his n wasplete, not even Jared could help Nicole. He had been waiting for this day for too long. Time passed, and Harvey¡¯s assistant hurriedly rushed back after two hours. ¡°Mr. Ellison, your grandfather is gone,¡± his assistant said nervously. ¡°He¡¯s gone? Where did he go?¡± Harvey asked, his eyes menacing. ¡°I-I inquired with the school, and they informed me that he had gone abroad to recuperate. He might be on board now,¡± his assistant said, his face pale Chapter 2664 Chapter 2664 The assistant prayed that Harvey would not me him for the matter. He had followed Harvey¡¯s orders without knowing that Thomas would leave so suddenly. Thomas never showed signs that he nned to leave the country. ¡°Go investigate what happened now!¡± Harvey barked aggressively. If his grandfather had gone, his n would have gone to waste. ¡°Yes, sir,¡± his assistant replied, quickly leaving the office. Harvey¡¯s expression darkened. His previous triumphant demeanor had vanished, leaving only a sinister look in his eyes. Meanwhile, Nicole was resting after lunch at Riddle Corporation. Patricia entered her office and reported, ¡°Thomas Ellison has already left on the ne. Harvey¡¯s men are currently investigating the matter, and soon they¡¯ll find out. Should we do something to stop them?¡± ¡°Never mind. There¡¯s nothing wrong with me inviting Thomas for medical treatment abroad,¡± Nicole exined. Thomas agreed to go abroad on his own, and he was not forced by Nicole. ¡°You¡¯re right. Harvey must be fuming right now. Will he get even with you?¡± Patricia asked worriedly. Nicole snorted. ¡°Even if I didn¡¯t do this, he wouldn¡¯t stay quiet.¡± Not only would Harvey not stay quiet, but he would also only be more audacious. ¡°Oh, it seems that Harvey is going to use this partnership to trap you, to make Ellison Group and Riddle Corporation inseparable,¡± Patricia notified. Bothpanies were major corporations, and one wrong move would cause mutual destruction. If Riddle Corporation and Ellison Group had close cooperation, things would get troublesome. Nicole raised an eyebrow, mocking. ¡°Well, he really dreams big.¡± How could Harvey not be afraid if Nicole put on a show and pretended to cooperate but ended up causing a huge loss for Ellison Group? ¡°I¡¯m afraid that if this doesn¡¯t work, he might think of something else,¡± Patricia reminded. To her, Harvey seemed like a person who would not easily give up on his goals. ¡°No matter. We now know his motives. We could totally y along with him to put on a show,¡± Nicole responded. It did not matter to Nicole since she had the upper hand now. Looking at Nicole¡¯s confidence, Patricia felt relieved. It was best that Nicole had her own ns, so she would not get led by Harvey. ¡°Let¡¯s leave it at that now. Even if Harvey found out, he can¡¯t do anything to me. So, let¡¯s just ignore him,¡± Nicole said, smirking coldly. Harvey had just provided Nicole with a perfect opportunity. She could easily incorporate Harvey¡¯s n into hers. She could not wait to find out who would have thestugh. At this moment, Nicole¡¯s phone rang. Seeing that it was Lulu¡¯s number, she answered. ¡°Hey, Lulu. What¡¯s up?¡± ¡°Hi, what are you doing?¡± Lulu replied with a slightlyzy tone. Nicole teased, ¡°I¡¯m working. I can¡¯t possibly bepared with a person on her honeymoon.¡± ¡°Hahaha, you can get married too. You could go out for your honeymoon then.¡± Luluughed. ¡°You¡¯re right. I¡¯ll wait for your return first. Since there has to be someone to handle things in the company.¡± What Nicole meant was that she would have Lulu handle her job when she goes on a honeymoon vacation next time. Lulu pouted in dissatisfaction. ¡°Are you taking revenge on me with work now?¡± N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. ¡°No,¡± Nicole firmly denied. ¡°It¡¯s more like using my position for personal benefits.¡± Chapter 2665 Chapter 2665 ¡°Nicole, is this how you¡¯re thinking of repaying me? It was a shame I wasted such precious time missing you,¡± said Lulu, pretending to be hurt. ¡°Though I did miss you, I¡¯d rather you have a rxing honeymoon after all. You¡¯ll miss it once it¡¯s over,¡± Nicole said seriously. Nicole was well aware that Lulu had been the happiest she had ever been ever since she went on her honeymoon. As a friend, Nicole could not be happier for her. ¡°That¡¯s more like it.¡± Lulu smirked. ¡°Why? Did you call me just to tell me you missed me?¡± teased Nicole, raising an eyebrow. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s the main reason, but of course there are other things¡­ I heard a lot of things are happening lately. I wanted to check up on you,¡± said Lulu, trying to keep calm. Nicole smirked. ¡°Everything¡¯s fine here. Don¡¯t worry! Things have been resolved.¡± Lulu let out a sigh of relief. ¡°That¡¯s good to hear. I was worried something might¡¯ve happened to you. I was even discussing with Spencer about cutting the honeymoon short. n ¡°No, there¡¯s no need for you to come back early. There¡¯s still one week left. Please make use of the time and unwind. You can take more time off too,¡± said Nicole. ¡°No, Spencer has quite a bit of work that¡¯s backlogged. Even without the pressing matters, we already have ns to head back early anyway,¡± said Lulu. She had already nned to shorten her honeymoon regardless. ¡°Oh, is that so? Then you can make the decision yourself,¡± said Nicole. She well respected their decision, and it was pointless of her to urge them to stay longer at a ce they did not want to stay at. ¡°Okay, then we¡¯ll see you next week.¡± Lulu smiled. Her honeymoon was pleasant, and she was reluctant to leave paradise and re-enter reality. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll see you when you get back,¡± said Nicole. ¡®Once everyonees back, things will be livelier.¡¯ ¡°Sure! June and I will be arriving on the same day too. I¡¯ll see you then!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll pick you guys up from the airport.¡± Then, Nicole hung up the phone with a smile on her face. ¡®Just thinking about this, it¡¯s been quite some time since they left for their honeymoon. Without them around, life did seem more dull than usual. I guess once they¡¯re all back, everything will be much brighter,¡¯ Nicole thought to herself. At the Riddle Residence, the sun was setting in the horizon. Daniel and Gloria were at home with Tia and Stanley. N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. ¡°I¡¯m home! Is everything okay?¡± Nicole greeted, immediately concerned when sheid her eyes on Tia. ¡°Everything¡¯s fine now. I had an IV drip earlier, beforeing back,¡± Tia reassured. ¡°Goodness, as long as you¡¯re okay. If you ever don¡¯t feel good, you have to tell us, okay? Don¡¯t keep it to yourself. Well step in and help you,¡± Nicole instructed. Tia nodded her head. ¡°Yes, Nicole. I understand.¡± ¡°Have Luna bring Mrs. Wace Sr. over here,¡± Gloria instructed. ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am,¡± said Albert. After a while, everyone entered the dining room and got seated as they waited for dinner to be served. Chapter 2666 Chapter 2666 ¡°Mrs. Wace Sr. How have you been recently?¡± Tia asked. She looked embarrassed as she met Mrs. Wace Sr.¡¯s eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, Tia. I¡¯m fine. Luna¡¯s been here taking care of me. Please don¡¯t pretend you¡¯re fine when you¡¯re not in the future, okay? It¡¯s worrying,¡± said Mrs. Wace Sr. with some agony in her voice. Mrs. Wace Sr. had overheard that Tia had gotten pneumonia and was at the brink of death due to her dy in getting treatment. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t mean to worry everyone, especially Mrs. Wace Sr.¡± Tia had guilt written all over her face. THIS Stanley spoke up and warned, ¡°If you don¡¯t want anyone to worry about you, please tell us if there¡¯s anything troubling you.¡± Content ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Well, enough about that. Everyone, let¡¯s dig in,¡± he then said, pping to get everyone¡¯s attention. Everyone quickly changed the topic and started chatting amongst one another. Tia sneakily took a nce at Stanley, an unreadable look was on her face. ¡®Stanley had been taking care of me for the past two days. I must¡¯ve been a hindrance to his work, but nobody ever brought it up,¡¯ Tia thought to herself. She suddenly felt pressure on her, though nobody asked her upfront about her rtionship with Stanley. ¡°You¡¯ve just been discharged from the hospital. You should be eating a healthy diet for the time being. No greasy or fried food either,¡± said Stanley. It was then that Tia realized that the dishid out in front of her was specially prepared for her. ¡°Thank you, Mr. Riddle,¡± said Tia in an awkward voice, her cheeks flushed red. ¡°Goodness! You guys have been friends for so many years. Why are you still addressing him like that?¡± Gloria asked with a raised eyebrow. bbergasted, Tia dropped her fork onto the table. ¡°Pardon? n ¡°Look at you, calling us so formally. We¡¯re out strangers, honey,¡± said Gloria. She then turned to look at Nicole.¡± Nicole, you ought to do a better job in persuading her to stop addressing us like that. It feels like there¡¯s a gap between us.¡± She sighed. ¡°Mom, it¡¯s actually no big deal,¡± said Nicole, dumbfounded by the situation. ¡®It¡¯s just how Tia isfortable in addressing everyone. Why should there be an issue about it?¡¯ she thought to herself. ¡°Of course you don¡¯t care. That¡¯s you, not me,¡± Gloria retorted. She rolled her eyes at Nicole angrily before turning to look at Mrs. Wace Sr. ¡°Mrs. Wace Sr., why don¡¯t you decide? I don¡¯t feel as comfortable being addressed as Mrs.Riddle.¡± Mrs. Wace Sr. was taken aback by the sudden inclusion into the conversation. ¡°Um¡­¡± Mrs. Wace Sr. looked at Nicole for a while, reminiscing the days when she first adopted Nicole as one of her own. Nicole had been under her care for the longest time and ever since Nicole¡¯s disappearance a few years ago. The Riddle family had stepped in and taken care of her but the issue at hand was tricky for Mrs. Wace Sr. ¡°Tia, in all honesty, it doesn¡¯t matter what or how you address anyone. I think you can try calling him his name as a step forward,¡± said Gloria, making up her mind. Nicole nodded along as she did not want to put up a fight with her mother. ¡°I¡¯m here to take care of Mrs. Wace Sr. and¡­¡± Tia trailed off. ¡®How can I simply just change the way I¡¯ve been calling him for so long? Stanley?¡¯ ¡°You can call me Gloria,¡± said Gloria, unable to restrain herself. She noticed how much Stanley cared about Tia. If he had shown interest in Tia earlier on, she would have set them up on a date. Instead, Gloria¡¯s sudden input had made things far tooplicated. Suddenly, Stanley spoke up, ¡°Call me Stanley.¡± Stanley was also kind of done with being called ¡°Mr. Riddle¡± all the time. It was like a gift from above that granted him this chance to correct her and break down the barriers between them. All eyes were on Tia as they were looking at her expectantly. Tia bit her lip hard before taking a deep breath. ¡°Gloria, Stanley.¡± ¡°And me too!¡± chirped Daniel, understanding his wife¡¯s intention and n. Gloria¡¯s face was filled with satisfaction and Daniel was grinning from one ear to the other. ¡°Daniel,¡± squeaked Tia. Chapter 2667 Chapter 2667 MY WIFE IS A HACKER CHAPTER 2667-¡°From now on, we¡¯re a family! Today¡¯s a happy asion, so let¡¯s celebrate,¡± cheered Gloria. She grinned happily, looking at Tia who could be her new daughter-inw. Stanley sneakily hid his smirk as he coolly continued to eat. After dinner was over, Tia wheeled Mrs. Wace Sr. out to the garden for a breather. Meanwhile, Gloria grabbed Stanley and pulled him to the side. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°What? What do you mean?¡± asked Stanley, confused. Content ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°What happened over the past two days? Did you not progress well?¡± Gloria bombarded Stanley, looking at him in disbelief. Stanley had a calm expression as he answered, ¡°Well duh, you have to stop overthinking.¡± Then he turned around and walked up the stairs. ¡°What about Cherry Jean?¡± shouted Gloria. Stanley did not respond and disappeared from Gloria¡¯s sight as he reached the top of the stairs. Gloria shook her head helplessly. ¡®I guess I should leave this to him to sort it out.¡¯ The next day, the sun was shining brightly and everyone started their day as the usual. Nicole had just arrived at Riddle Corporation. To her surprise, she saw Harvey Ellison standing there, waiting for her in her office. Mr. Ellison, what brings you here so early?¡± asked Nicole, her expression indifferent. ¡°I¡¯m here of course to thank you, Ms. Riddle,¡± said Harvey. ¡°Thank me?¡± replied Nicole, confused. Harvey smirked and smiled. ¡°Of course. I ought to thank you for arranging a paid vacation abroad for my grandfather.¡± Harvey heavily emphasized on the word ¡°my grandfather¡± to remind her that Thomas was his grandfather. ¡°Your grandfather?¡± Nicole echoed, raising an eyebrow. Then, she retorted sarcastically, ¡°Oh, you still remember that he is your grandfather. Should I throw a party tomemorate this moment?¡± ¡®Wow, this guy finally acknowledges his grandfather and knows how to properly address him too. Shocker!¡¯ she thought to herself. ¡°Is there a problem?¡± asked Harvey, raising an eyebrow as well. He knew that Nicole was intentionally doing this to him. ¡°No, not really. I mean since it¡¯s your family matters and not mine.¡± Nicole paused before adding on, ¡°Let¡¯s put it this way. I simply think that he well deserves a good rxing holiday.¡± ¡®What does he want? Was it illegal of me to send his grandfather somewhere for a holiday?¡¯ Nicole snorted mentally. Harvey looked at Nicole with an unreadable look on his face. There was a sharp pang in his heart and sadness washed over him. ¡®There¡¯s no point to this anymore. Grandpa has left the country and there wasn¡¯t anything wrong with Nicole¡¯s approach. He agreed so willingly, and no one could stop him either way,¡¯ thought Harvey, sulking. ¡°So, there¡¯s really no need for you toe thank me here personally, Mr. Ellison,¡± said Nicole in a matter-of-fact tone while noticing Harvey¡¯s depressed look. Harvey had lost all the energy to refute Nicole. He almost looked like a kicked puppy. Nicole was notorious for her sharp tongue. Harvey wanted to ckmail her for sending Thomas abroad for a vacation but instead, the tables turned and they left him speechless and defenseless. Harvey gritted his teeth while trying to regain hisposure. ¡°Even so, I should thank you for your generosity. I even brought you a gift.¡± As soon as he finished speaking, Harvey¡¯s assistant came over and ced a gift onto Nicole¡¯s desk. Nicole stared at the box and quirked an eyebrow. ¡°Mr. Ellison, you¡¯re too kind. I¡¯ll ept this gift of yours and if there¡¯s nothing else, you may leave.¡± Nicole did not want to spend another minute with Harvey in her office and directly shooed him away. Chapter 2668 Chapter 2668 MY WIFE IS A HACKER CHAPTER 2668-Harvey smirked. ¡°Oh don¡¯t be in such a rush, Ms. Riddle. We just finished talking about personal matters. Now let¡¯s talk business.¡± ¡°Business? Could you be frank please?¡± Nicole asked in a serious tone. Harvey sighed helplessly as he looked at the annoyed look on Nicole¡¯s face. ¡°It¡¯s about the factory. They received a huge international order, and it has over stressed our production limit. So, I¡¯m afraid I would have to ask you to pay attention to the factory for the time being.¡± Nicole frowned. ¡°International orders?¡± ¡®I haven¡¯t received any information regarding this bulk order,¡¯ she recalled. ¡°We had just negotiated and signed off the contract for it. The order has yet to be ced into the factory¡¯s system. I came over to give you a heads up,¡± said Harvey. ¡°Okay, I got it,¡± said Nicole monotonously. Harvey was surprised by Nicole¡¯s calmposure. ¡°Is that all?¡± ¡°Yeah, what else is there?¡± asked Nicole, lookingpletely unbothered. She blinked at him. Harvey almost choked. ¡®How could she not have any reaction after I told her we¡¯d be getting a bulk international order?¡¯ ¡°Ms. Riddle, after all, this is our factory. Don¡¯t you have anything to say about it?¡± urged Harvey helplessly. ¡°Then I hope it¡¯ll be a huge sess for the both of us,¡± dered Nicole. Harvey¡¯s pitifulness sent chills down her spine. Harvey suddenly smirked. ¡°Right? Since it¡¯s such a huge thing for us, why don¡¯t we have lunch to celebrate this?¡± Nicole looked at him, shocked. ¡®How on earth did his brain hot wire to link that business he signed to buying a celebratory lunch?!¡¯ ¡°She doesn¡¯t have the time for that,¡± a voice suddenly sounded in the room just as Nicole was trying to find an excuse to decline. Nicole¡¯s head shot up and looked at the direction of the voice. Instantly her eyes locked with Jared¡¯s. Her face instantly brightened. ¡°What brings you here?¡± chirped Nicole, walking towards Jared. On the other hand, Harvey¡¯s facial expression darkened as he unconsciously red at Jared. ¡°Mr. Johnston, I see you have a lot of free time on your hands.¡± Jared looked at Harvey. ¡°It seems to me that you¡¯re the one with a lot of free time.¡± As soon as Jared finished speaking, he took Nicole¡¯s hand and intertwined it with his. He turned and looked down at Nicole. ¡°Is there anything you need to do now?¡± ¡°No,¡± said Nicole, deciding to act oblivious to Harvey¡¯s offer earlier. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go. There¡¯s an event we need to attend,¡± said Jared. He did not want to continue interacting with Harvey. Nicole smiled. ¡°Sure, let¡¯s go.¡± Before leaving, Nicole turned to instruct Patricia, ¡°Send Mr. Ellison offter, and let me know immediately if there are urgent matters that need to be addressed.¡± She was still held responsible for everything work rted to Riddle Corporation and Harvey was by right not in the wrong foring over to discuss work nor could she neglect it either. ¡°Yes, Ms. Riddle,¡± said Patricia. She turned to look at Harvey. ¡°Mr. Ellison, why don¡¯t I escort you to our conference room?¡± Harvey¡¯s eyes darkened as he watched Jared pull on Nicole¡¯s hand and whisked her away from her office. ¡®That douchebag must¡¯ve done it on purpose.¡¯ Patricia called out again when she noticed that Harvey was not moving. Mr. Ellison?¡± Harvey quickly snapped out of it and turned to look at Patricia. ¡°No, it¡¯s alright.¡± Harvey quickly walked away with his assistant in tow. Content ? N?velDrama.Org. Patricia smirked as she watched Harvey storm away, ¡®He tried his luck, but no one can outy Ms. Riddle herself.¡¯ Chapter 2669 Chapter 2669 MY WIFE IS A HACKER CHAPTER 2669-Harvey stormed out of Riddle Corporation and climbed into his car. He sulked in his seat and demanded, ¡°Drive.¡± Mr. Ellison, is the project still a go?¡± his assistant asked cautiously. He looked at Harvey¡¯s pissed off expression. Harvey shot back harshly, ¡°Why can¡¯t we proceed?¡± His assistant timidly replied, ¡°Okay, Mr. Ellison.¡± He quickly revved the car engine and began to drive without another peep. Harvey was lost in his own thoughts, looking depressed. He had a lot of things to digest, especially after Nicole had noticed his ns and sent his grandfather away to save him from his threats. Nicole¡¯s cold and distant attitude had thrown Harvey off. It told him that Nicole did not want to get involved with him in any way. ¡®Nicole is a treacherous person, with all her calctions. I¡¯d like to see how long Jared will stay by her side and protect her,¡¯ thought Harvey. Meanwhile, Jared and Nicole had just arrived at the Biz Club which was different from their usual clubs. It was more serene and calm,pared to the usual livelier clubs. ¡°What are we doing here?¡± asked Nicole, confusion written all over her face. She looked around the room and noticed that it looked like a cocktail party. However it looked like a social gathering at the same time. Everyone around the room wore the same serious expression, instead of chattering around with someughter here and there. ¡°An international event. I was thinking that if Riddle Corporation can get their hands on it, it¡¯d be a great boost of recognition,¡± said Jared to Nicole in a low voice. Nicole¡¯s eyes widened. She had not expected that Jared would bring her to a ce like this. Moreover, she had not asked him for help, yet he brought her here to participate in an event that she had not even heard about. N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. ¡®Riddle Corporation must not be in their list to consider, seeing that I wasn¡¯t even aware of this event happening,¡¯ Nicole thought. As if Jared had read Nicole¡¯s mind, he gave Nicole aforting smile and reassured her, ¡¯Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll be here with you all the way.¡± ¡°Oh my, look who we have here. Mr. Johnston,¡± a person interrupted, walking over and talking in a loud voice. Soon, a small group of people had begun to circle around them. ¡°Mr. Johnston, this must be your wife, isn¡¯t she?¡± Jared took the lead and introduced, ¡°Yes, her name¡¯s Nicole. ¡ö Nicole nodded along as Jared introduced her to one after another. Nicole did not recognize any of the people Jared had introduced her to. To her surprise, none of these people were from San Joto and instead were from different ces from all over the world. They all came to attend this event. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect that Mr. Johnston would be interested in a project like this. To my impression I didn¡¯t know that Johnston Group would be up for taking on projects like these,¡± said a person among the small crowd that was circling them. ¡°Riddle Corporation takes projects like this,¡± said Jared casually, not hiding his intention of participating in the event. He had brought Nicole here to expose her to the event and gradually let her take part in the project. The people surrounding them stood there stunned for a moment before bursting into fits ofughter. ¡°It seems that Mr. Johnston is really willing to pass this project to a porcin doll!¡± ¡°How can this be the daughter of the infamous family?¡± Everyone was talking andughing with one another. None of them dared to look at Nicole. It was not long before the person in charge of the event had arrived. Everyone soon began to settle in as the negotiation of the project started. The negotiation had not gone as smoothly as intended as Nicole was still picking up the bits and pieces of how to deal with the international big shots. ¡®I guess this is where the line is drawn. Every sentence they say seems to be like a piece of cake. One wrong step and you¡¯re left far behind,¡¯ Nicole thought to herself. With Jared there to help Nicole, the results of the negotiation were pretty good. Though they did not manage to bag the project, Nicole managed to be one of the project partners. Chapter 2670 Chapter 2670 MY WIFE IS A HACKER CHAPTER 2670-Aftering to an agreement on the project, Nicole and Jared bid goodbye to everyone and left the Biz Club. Nicole was rendered speechless. ¡°I could never wrap my head around it. How could such an important business negotiation happen at such a serene ce like this?¡± ¡°You¡¯ll gradually get used to this. In fact, some projects arepleted this way,¡± exined Jared, smirking. Nicole nodded. ¡°I see¡­ This way, I guess one can hold a meeting with a clear mind without external factors bothering them. The sess or failure of the meeting will all depend on the individuals involved, with no intervention of third parties.¡± Jared interlocked their fingers together. ¡°The most important thing here is that it saves a lot of trouble.¡± Nicole shrugged. ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± ¡®Afterall, the scale of this project was quite extreme. If it were to undergo a bidding or investment method, it might not even be resolved within a few months. Companies afterpanies woulde flocking in ande at each other¡¯s throats. The workload to process all this would immensely skyrocket, and most work done would be meaningless if it were to fail,¡¯ she thought. Nicole took a nce at Jared, one eyebrow raised. ¡°This is the exclusive social circle, isn¡¯t it?¡± Jared looked down at Nicole with soft eyes. ¡°If you put it that way, then yes.¡± ¡°Well would you look at that? It¡¯s almost lunch time. Let¡¯s go grab some food first,¡± said Nicole, humming after she scored the project. Jared looked at her affectionately. ¡°Sure, let¡¯s go.¡± Jared took Nicole to her favorite restaurant for lunch where they took a seat by the window while admiring the people walking up and down the street. ncing out the window, Nicole rested her chin on one hand and sighed. ¡°Life goes by in a blink of an eye, without realizing that we¡¯re all passersby by default. Not many can stay by your side for a long time.¡± ¡°Why are you being so deep all of the sudden?¡± asked Jared with an affectionate look on his face. ¡°I just feel that ever since I came back here, I feel like I¡¯m very lucky to have survived and escaped all that,¡± said Nicole. ¡®If it weren¡¯t for Nn who sneakily came back here to participate in apetition, I would¡¯ve never stepped foot here. I¡¯d never have known I have missed an entire lifetime before me,¡¯ she thought. Nicole looked Jared in the eye. She took Jared¡¯s hand into hers and held it tightly. ¡°I feel grateful that fate or any divinity out there gave me the chance toe back here to be reunited with you again.¡± Jared caressed the back of Nicole¡¯s hand gently. ¡®Til make sure we won¡¯t lose one another again.¡± ¡°Jared Johnston. Thank you,¡± Nicole said earnestly. ¡°Close your eyes,¡± said Jared. Nicole was confused. ¡°What? Why?¡± Jared chuckled. ¡°You¡¯ll find out real soon.¡± Owned by N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Wow, Mr. Mysterious,¡± muttered Nicole as she obediently closed her eyes. She suddenly felt something cold ced into the palm of her hand. Nicole subconsciously opened her eyes and saw a small jewelry box in her palm. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± ¡°Open it and take a look,¡± said Jared, eyes warm. Nicole opened the box and saw a ne inside it. It was the exact same ne she had seen in the magazine before. Nicole had just casually mentioned how beautiful it was before turning the page to look at other things. She had not thought that Jared had taken note of it and bought it based on her casual remark. Nicole¡¯s heart fluttered. Her eyes were filled with happiness. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Come, I¡¯ll help you put it on,¡± Jared offered. He took it out from the box and helped Nicole put it on. Nicole touched the ne after Jared had put it on for her. Her heart skipped a beat, the butterflies in her tummy doing somersaults. It was the happiest Nicole had ever been. Chapter 2671 Chapter 2671 As the sun set in the west, painting the sky orange and red, the day transitioned into the evening. After work, Jared picked Nicole up to go home together. Suddenly, they received a call from Tia and she sounded really anxious on the phone. ¡°Nicole, we¡¯re in trouble! Oh my God, what should I do?¡± Tia¡¯s voice was filled with panic. ¡°Hey, calm down. Take it easy and tell me what¡¯s going on,¡± Nicole said,forting her. Tia cried. ¡°Stanley is injured.¡± Nicole was shocked. ¡°What happened? Where are you guys?¡± ¡°We¡¯re in the ambnce now, on the way to the hospital,¡± Tia exined. ¡°Okay, we¡¯ll be right there,¡± Nicole said, forcing herself to stay calm. Hanging up the phone call, she instructed Max, ¡± Max, take us to the hospital. Stanley¡¯s injured.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± Max said. He turned the car around and headed to the hospital. When they arrived, Stanley was already in the emergency room. Tia and the kids were waiting outside. ¡°What happened?¡± Nicole asked Tia seriously. ¡°Mommy, is Uncle Stanley going to die?¡± Nn and Lana seemed in shock. They had burst into tears when they saw their parents. Jared pulled the kids closer, and he spoke to them soothingly. ¡°He won¡¯t. Don¡¯t worry. He¡¯ll be fine.¡± ¡°Daddy!¡± Lana bawled. Jared sat the kids down on the bench andforted them. Meanwhile, Tia was shaken. Her voice was trembling as she exined to Nicole, ¡°Someone tried to kidnap Nn and Lana.¡± ¡°What?!¡± Nicole¡¯s expression instantly paled. Content ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°We were ready to head home after I picked the kids up. But we encountered a group of people on the way back to the car. They stopped us and forcibly tried to take Nn and Lana away. I was nowhere close to overpowering them. Oh my gosh, I was terrified! Fortunately, Stanley came in time. Otherwise, I can¡¯t imagine what would¡¯ve happened.¡± Tia exined the entire incident to Nicole in detail. Stanley got injured in the fight with the group of people. Even the driver was injured and was currently being treated in the emergency room. Tia could not help but tremble while recalling the incident. Thankfully, other people came and helped out. Otherwise, not only Stanley and the driver would have gotten hurt, but Nn and Lana might have been taken away as well. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. It¡¯s alright now. Let¡¯s wait and see how Stanley is doing. He¡¯s in the emergency room now, not the ICU, which means Stanley isn¡¯t in a life-threatening condition. I¡¯ll take it from here,¡± Nicole said. A glint of coldness shed across her eyes. She was furious that a group of people targeted her children. Nicole¡¯s expression tensed when she turned to find Jared on a phone call. As she approached Jared, he ended the call. Looking at Nicole, Jared said seriously, ¡°You¡¯ve found out.¡± ¡°Tia told me about what happened,¡± Nicole answered. Although she was not sure of the details, she understood clearly that someone wanted to kidnap her kids. ¡®No wonder the kids were terrified. Not only did someone want to kidnap them, but Stanley and the driver even got hurt to save them.¡¯ ¡°I have Max on the case.¡± Jared¡¯s voice was icy. ¡°The people who helped out must be the ones you arranged for in advance, right?¡± Nicole asked, thinking about what Tia said. She guessed that Jared had people discreetly watch over the kids. ¡°Yes, they sent us a message just now,¡± Jared continued.¡± Their car was stopped by a red light. When they arrived, Stanley and the driver were already injured, but luckily they weren¡¯t toote.¡± Chapter 2672 Chapter 2672 If the people Jared hired had arrivedter, the children might have been in real trouble. ¡°Thank goodness they were there,¡± Nicole said, biting her lip. Things would have beplicated if no one had helped out today. ¡°They¡¯ll follow them closely in the future,¡± Jared informed. He already gave orders to have his people be Nn and Lana¡¯s driver to always be on standby. ¡°Alright, that¡¯s good,¡± Nicole said, a determined look crossing her eyes, knowing Jared had made arrangements. As for now, they had to find out the mastermind behind this and uncover their motives. Jared held Nicole¡¯s hand and reassured her, ¡°You should check on the kids.¡± Owned by N?velDrama.Org. After experiencing the incident, Nn and Lana were truly terrified. Besides that, they were worried about Stanley, so they needed somefort from their mother. Nicole bit her lip and forced herself to maintain herposure. She walked over to the kids and held them in her arms. ¡°Mommy, I¡¯m scared,¡± the kids said, sounding distressed. ¡°Don¡¯t be. Your dad will send his men to protect you,¡± Nicole reassured the two little ones, patting their backs. Looking up at Nicole, Lana asked, ¡°Does that mean Uncle Stanley will be fine too?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Stanley is just injured. He¡¯ll be fine.¡± Nicole faked a smile, trying to ease the kids¡¯ anxiousness. Nn and Lana breathed a sigh of relief. ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± The sight of Stanley and the driver injured and bleeding had the kids really frightened and deeply concerned. Hugging the kids, Nicole tried her best to stay calm. She did not want the kids to feel any negative emotions from her. After a very long time, the emergency room¡¯s door finally opened. Just as the doctor came out, Tia rushed over and asked, ¡°How is he, doctor?¡± ¡°Although the patient is injured, it¡¯s not life-threatening. He¡¯ll have to be hospitalized for recuperation and treatment due to external injuries,¡± the doctor exined. Tia felt a huge load lift off her chest. As tears welled up in her eyes, she murmured, ¡°That¡¯s good to hear.¡± ¡°Doctor, please arrange for his hospitalization.¡± Nicole and Jared approached, with Nn and Lana. ¡°Sure.¡± The doctor left to prepare the paperwork, and Stanley was wheeled out of the emergency room. Bandages stained with blood covered Stanley¡¯s head and body. Stanley looked like a mess, but he comforted everyone, saying, ¡°Come on, I¡¯m fine. Just some injuries on the outside.¡± ¡°Some injuries, you say? Look at you now! The doctor said you have to be hospitalized,¡± Tia grumbled. Tia was unsatisfied with Stanley¡¯s negligent behavior and his injuries. Meanwhile, Stanley was just shocked that Tia was worried for him. ¡°Nicole, I¡¯ll go through his hospital admission. I¡¯ll leave Stanley to you,¡± Tia notified, starting to leave. However, Nicole pulled her back and objected, ¡°I¡¯ll go. You can take care of him.¡± Seeing Tia¡¯s evident concern for Stanley, Nicole felt that Tia would be better suited to take care of Stanley at the moment. Therefore, Nicole left to handle Stanley¡¯s hospital admission while Tia stayed back with Stanley. Soon, Stanley was transferred to a ward. The nurse left the ward after informing them about the precautions. ¡°Uncle Stanley, does it hurt?¡± Nn and Lana asked softly, sitting next to his bedside. They were so concerned for him that they did not dare touch him, afraid of hurting him. ¡°I¡¯m fine. It doesn¡¯t hurt at all,¡± Stanley said, more concerned about the kids¡¯ well-being than his pain. Chapter 2673 Chapter 2673 Stanley¡¯s feeble appearance made Nn and Lana feel sad. They pouted. ¡°It¡¯s all because of us that you¡¯re like that.¡± ¡°Hey, don¡¯t worry. As long as you guys are safe, I¡¯m content. My injuries will heal soon,¡± Stanley comforted. Nicole returned from paying the bills and saw Stanley¡¯s frail condition. So she gently took the kids away and suggested, ¡± Uncle Stanley needs some rest. We¡¯ll go home first.¡± ¡°Who¡¯s going to take care of Uncle Stanley, then?¡± Lana asked worriedly. ¡°Tia will stay here.¡± Nicole gently ruffled her daughter¡¯s hair. ¡°Oh.¡± Lana looked at Tia, feeling it was best if she stayed back to take care of Stanley. Tia nodded her head in response. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Nicole. I¡¯ll take good care of him.¡± Stanley took care of Tia when she fell sickst time. Tia would not turn a blind eye now that he was sick. ¡°Alright then. We¡¯ll get going to update the family, just in case everyone gets worried. We¡¯ll be here tomorrow morning,¡± Nicole exined. After making the arrangements, Nicole and the others left, leaving Tia alone with Stanley. Owned by N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Well, S-Stanley, the doctor said you need to rest properly. Ease your mind and just rx. I¡¯ll be right here, so holler when you need me,¡± Tia said. She then pulled a chair closer to the bedside and sat there to apany Stanley. Stanley chuckled at the sight of Tia all geared up. He suggested, ¡°Why don¡¯t you buy something to eat?¡± Tia came to the hospital right after picking the kids up. It had been quite chaotic, and Stanley assumed Tia might be starving. Tia did not read into the question and thought he was hungry. So she agreed. ¡°My bad, I¡¯m sure you¡¯re hungry. I¡¯ll go get some food now.¡± After bringing dinner back, Stanley told Tia, ¡°I¡¯m not hungry. You should eat up.¡± ¡°Huh? The food is for me?¡± Tia asked in confusion. ¡°I can¡¯t finish this.¡± Tia did not feel hungry at all after the incident. ¡°You still need to eat. Join me for dinner,¡± Stanley advised. Tia thought Stanley wanted to eat, so she set a small table with their dinner and sat across from him. Stanley felt satisfied after seeing Tia willing to eat. The two people started eating dinner in silence. Although no one talked, the atmosphere was not awkward, as they both had some things on their minds. Stanley was so happy deep down that Tia had started calling him ¡®Stanley¡¯ like a friend. He no longer had to appear before her with the ¡®young master¡¯bel, and he felt their rtionship slowly developing. Tia too, was eating absentmindedly. She was thinking about the moments when Stanley protected her and the kids. At that moment, Tia tried her best to shield the kids in her arms. However, the thugs grew agitated, and one of them swung a wooden bat at them. It was Stanley who protected her and took the hit. Tia figured it was painful. Subconsciously, Tia looked at Stanley to find his eyes on her. Her face instantly blushed, and she quickly shifted her gaze. Stanley smirked and continued eating. Tia breathed a sigh of relief in secret after sensing Stanley had shifted his focus away from her. Meanwhile, Nicole and Jared were back at their home with the kids. ¡°How¡¯s Stanley?¡± Gloria asked anxiously after seeing that the family was back. Chapter 2674 Chapter 2674 Don¡¯t worry, Mom. He¡¯s fine now, but he has to be hospitalized due to his injuries. So he¡¯ll be in the hospital for these two days,¡± Nicole exined. ¡°What happened?¡± Daniel asked in concern. Nicole bit her lip. She avoided some important details, and talked about the minor parts. ¡°Dad, we¡¯re still on the case. I believe we¡¯ll soon find out.¡± ¡°You have to investigate it through and through,¡± Daniel said solemnly. Instinctively, he knew things were not simple this time. ¡°We will,¡± Nicole promised. ¡°Let the kids stay at home for a few days,¡± Gloria suggested, still having a lingering fear for the kids¡¯ safety. Although Gloria and Daniel were uncertain of the incident, they knew it happened on the way back after picking Nn and Lana back from school. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I got my people to be their drivers,¡± Jared informed. Hearing that, Daniel understood that Jared and Nicole might not want the kids to stop school. So he compromised.¡± Alright then. We were thinking of changing the driver after the current one got hurt.¡± Jared¡¯s men were not ordinary people. They could ensure the children¡¯s safety. ¡°Yes, we¡¯ll take good care of their safety,¡± Nicole said with determination. Nn and Lana were everything to them. ¡°Is Tia in the hospital with Stanley?¡± Gloria asked after noticing Tia¡¯s absence. ¡°Yes, she stayed back,¡± Nicole answered. Tia was indeed the most suitable one to take care of Stanley, especially since it was Tia¡¯s own choice. ¡°Alright, with her looking after Stanley, we can be at ease.¡± Gloria sighed. The sudden event had been quite distressing for them. Nicole looked at the deserted dining room and asked,¡± Mom, Dad, have you had dinner yet?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t have the appetite,¡± Gloria said while shaking her head. They were worried sick while staying in the house. Nicoleforted them. ¡°Well, everything¡¯s fine now. You should have something. Don¡¯t exhaust yourself.¡± ¡°I really can¡¯t eat anything now,¡± Gloria rejected. She still had a heavy heart, feeling concerned. ¡°What about some simple noodles? We haven¡¯t eaten yet. You should eat with us,¡± Nicole said. She then instructed the house butler to prepare some food. To be frank, no one had the appetite to eat, but they had to eat to deal with future matters. Only by taking care of themselves could they handle the uing events. The food was soon prepared, and everyone ate a little before heading back to their rooms. Looking at Gloria and Daniel¡¯s worn-out appearance, Nicole knew that today¡¯s incident took a toll on them. ¡°Prepare some soothing tea for them,¡± Nicole told the house butler. She was quite worried about Gloria. ¡°Sure,¡± the house butler replied. Sensing Gloria¡¯s unusualness, the children asked, ¡°Mommy, is Grandma not feeling well?¡± Nicole patted their heads and exined, ¡°Your grandma is just worried for Stanley. She¡¯ll be alright.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go keep Grandmapany then,¡± they said. ¡°Your grandma needs rest too. You two should go to bed,¡± Nicole told them and tucked them in. Though the children were concerned about Gloria, sending them to Gloria now would just prevent her from resting.N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. Chapter 2675 Chapter 2675 Nicole and Jared apanied the kids to bed for a long time before the kids were soundly asleep. Back in their room, Nicole sighed with concern. ¡°The kids were terrified by today¡¯s event.¡± ¡°They¡¯ll get better,¡± Jared reassured, patting Nicole¡¯s back. Looking at Jared, Nicole frowned and asked, ¡°Who do you think could be behind this?¡± The only culprit Nicole could think of was Harvey. At the same time, she felt Harvey would not be that reckless and stupid to do such a thing. However, other than Harvey, Nicole could not think of another candidate. She did not know anyone else in San Joto trying to mess with her. She could deduce that today¡¯s incident was ultimately targeted at her, but she could not figure out the mastermind. ¡®Lawrence?!¡¯ As this thought crossed her mind, Nicole instantly dismissed the idea. She refused to believe that Lawrence would hurt her kids. If it was not Lawrence either, Nicole could only think of the people who hunted her down when she first came back to San Joto. ¡¯Could it be that group of people got impatient after not finding any clues?¡¯ ¡°Let¡¯s wait for Max¡¯s investigation results. There¡¯s no point guessing now with no leads.¡± Jaredforted Nicole, holding her hand and bringing her to the bed. Owned by N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Get some rest. Maybe we¡¯ll find out more tomorrow.¡± ¡°Yeah, alright,¡± Nicole replied. Shey down on the bed, but she just could not sleep. Jared gently held Nicole in his arms, feeling her restlessness. Knowing she could not sleep, hended a soft kiss on her forehead and reassured her, ¡°We¡¯re capable of protecting them.¡± Jared could understand Nicole¡¯s anxiousness. When Nicole first got back to San Joto, she was chased away. Someone suddenly appeared to kidnap her children. Jared knew Nicole was worried for them. ¡°Yeah,¡± Nicole agreed, her eyes filled with determination. She had to protect her kids, no matter what. Meanwhile, Lawrence got a phone call from Ian in Mecrounia. His tone was angry when he barked, ¡°What did you say?! Someone dared toy their hands on Nn and Lana?!¡± ¡°Yes, it happened this evening. They¡¯re fine now, but Stanley and the driver got injured,¡± Ian reported. ¡°Do you know who did it?¡± Lawrence¡¯s tone was cold. Ian was uncertain. ¡°Not sure yet. I haven¡¯t found any useful leads.¡± ¡°Keep searching. Make sure to find the culprit,¡± Lawrence ordered. ¡®Those bastards must be sick of living to dare harm Nn and Lana.¡¯ ¡°Yes,¡± Ian promised, hanging up the phone call. Lawrence tossed his phone onto the table, his eyes clouded with darkness. He was trying to figure out what could have happened in San Joto and why the kids were targeted. Lawrence felt a huge desire to go to San Joto now, but the situation in Mecrounia was at a critical juncture. He hesitated. One misstep could undo all his previous efforts. After much contemtion, Lawrence sent a message to Ian, instructing him to identify the culprit and send Lawrence regr updates on the situation in San Joto. Then, Everett came into the room and said mockingly,¡± Anything in San Joto that needs you to be back there?¡± Lawrence red at him. ¡°It¡¯s none of your business.¡± Everett shrugged his shoulders, defending himself, ¡°Well, I was just asking, there¡¯s no need to get defensive.¡± ¡°Why are you here?¡± Lawrence asked coldly. ¡°I meant to ask about the progress. I¡¯ve had enough of this godforsaken ce,¡± Everettined. He had spent too much time here and was eager to return to San Joto for revenge. ¡°If cracking that thing was so easy, I doubt you would¡¯ve handed it to me.¡± Lawrence snorted. He knew that if Everett could crack it on his own, he would have never coborated with him. Chapter 2676 Chapter 2676 ¡°I just thought that with your capabilities, things might get easier,¡± Everett retorted, implying that Lawrence might have been too slow to make progress. ¡°Hmph, just go back and wait. I¡¯ll inform you when there are results,¡± Lawrence replied impatiently. Everett calmly reminded him, ¡°Please hurry up. Don¡¯t miss a great opportunity, or you¡¯ll have no one to me but yourself, w As Everett turned to leave, Lawrence suddenly thought of something and warned him, ¡°Don¡¯t do things you shouldn¡¯t do, or you¡¯ll regret it.¡± Everett paused briefly before walking away with big strides. A hint of darkness shed in Lawrence¡¯s eyes. He sent a message to Ian, reminding him to be vignt about Damien¡¯s family. He had a gut feeling that Everett¡¯s behavior was unusual, and he was also talking strangely. Lawrence figured that even if Everett was not involved in the incident, he surely knew something. The next day, the weather was sunny, but the family¡¯s spirit was far from cheerful. After a rather subdued breakfast, Gloria and Daniel said, ¡±1 know you¡¯re all busy with work, so we¡¯ll go visit Stanley.¡± ¡°Okay, we¡¯ll go drop Nn and Lana off at kindergarten first, ¡± said Nicole. Soon, all family members left the house and Nicole and Jared sent the kids off to kindergarten. Tia had to stay in the hospital to take care of Stanley for these two days, so she could not escort the kids to kindergarten. So Nicole and Jared were handed back the responsibility. Once Stanley was discharged, they would arrange for Jared¡¯s man to be their driver responsible for picking them up. Arriving at the kindergarten, Nn and Lana bid farewell to their parents before heading inside. Watching them, Nicole murmured, ¡°I¡¯m really worried for them.¡± ¡°I got everything covered. Whether they¡¯re in kindergarten or on their way to and from school every day, they¡¯ll have protection no matter what,¡± Jared informed. He made sure to protect their safety beyond any doubt. ¡°They were supposed to be innocent and carefree at this age, yet they have to go through all this,¡± Nicole said, heartbroken for the kids. As a mother, she hoped her kids would grow up without worries. ¡°You¡¯ve been through much more than they have. Trust them. They can do it,¡± Jared encouraged Nicole. After all, Nicole experienced many challenges in her own life since she was young. Soon, they arrived at Riddle Corporation. Nicole got out of the car and reminded Max, ¡°Make sure to inform me once there¡¯s an update.¡± ¡°Yes, I will,¡± Max promised. They had not gotten any news in the morning, so everyone was quite upset. At the same time, they were even more worried, hoping to catch the culprit as soon as possible. After Nicole entered the building, Max started the car and left. ¡°Let Charlie on the case,¡± Jared said ndly, but there was a hint of coldness within his tone. ¡°Yes,¡± Max replied seriously. They had indeed hit a bump in the road in their current progress. Charlie might be the key to a breakthrough. ¡°Besides that, get Patricia to stay close to Nicole at all times, ¡± Jared ordered, his voice deep. Although that group of people wanted to kidnap the kids, their ultimate goal was Nicole. Her children were her weak point. So if the kidnappers seeded, Nicole would have no choice but toply. N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. ¡°Understood. I¡¯ll inform Patricia about it,¡± Max replied. Meanwhile, Nicole entered her office with Patricia behind her. ¡°How¡¯s the situation?¡± Nicole asked, and her expression darkened. Chapter 2677 Chapter 2677 Patricia shook her head. ¡°Nothing.¡± ¡°You too?¡± Nicole furrowed her brows as she wondered who was good enough to stop both Max and Patricia from getting any updates. Patricia gritted her teeth. ¡°Do you think they might have been¡­¡± She made a gesture of slicing her throat, her expression turned solemn. ¡®Otherwise, why would they disappear without a trace?¡¯ Nicole looked at Patricia. ¡°Not likely. After all, they¡¯re quite tough.¡± It was impossible for them to be killed and disposed of without a trace. ¡°So what exactly happened?¡± Patricia murmured. Nicole looked up at her. ¡°Speaking of that, could it be that we started off on the wrong foot?¡± ¡°The wrong foot?¡± Patricia seemed puzzled. ¡®Aren¡¯t we just investigating the traces of those people? How could we have gone wrong?¡¯ ¡°Yeah. We were only searching for those few criminals, but if they disappeared so quickly, there¡¯s only one possibility ¨C we¡¯ve all overlooked one thing.¡± Nicole¡¯s eyes turned dark. Patricia kind of understood Nicole. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Those people may not be the ruthless viins we thought they were. They might not even be habitual offenders. They might just be ordinary passersby, hidden or living near the incident scene,¡± Nicole said. Patricia¡¯s eyes shed in surprise. ¡°That¡¯s a possibility.¡± Just then, Patricia¡¯s phone rang, and Max was on the line.¡± Hey, Max.¡± ¡°Mr. Johnston wants you to stay close to Mrs. Johnston. Also, Charlie will take care of the investigation now.¡± ¡°Mrs. Johnston thinks that those people might be hiding or living near the scene of the incident. Ask him to investigate along these lines.¡± Patricia ryed Nicole¡¯s thoughts to Max. N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. Max agreed and hung up, and Patricia put away her phone.¡± Mr. Johnston has arranged for someone to investigate this.¡± ¡°Alright, let¡¯s wait for updates.¡± Nicole sighed. Patricia turned and left the office, while Nicole leaned back in her chair, deep in contemtion¡­ At the same time, Daniel and Gloria arrived at the ward as Tia and Stanley were tidying up after their breakfast. ¡°Dad, Mom, you¡¯re here!¡± Stanley felt a little guilty when he saw Daniel and Gloria. ¡°Sorry for worrying you.¡± ¡°We¡¯re d you¡¯re fine. Take care of yourself, okay?¡± Gloria walked to his bed and looked at him as her eyes watered instantly. What had been peaceful had suddenly be a crisis, all because of those despicable criminals. ¡°Mr. and Mrs. Riddle, please help yourselves. I¡¯ll boil some water.¡± Tia said as she took the kettle and headed out. ¡°I¡¯m fine, honestly. You don¡¯t have to trouble yourselves toe see me.¡± Stanley looked at his parents who looked a bit worn out. He knew they probably did not get much rest yesterday. ¡°How could we note? Grandpa asked about you too.¡± Daniel looked at Stanley. ¡°But we told him that you only suffered from minor injuries. Otherwise, he would worry.¡± ¡®Yeah, we shouldn¡¯t let Grandpa know the specific details. He might not be able to handle it.¡± Stanley agreed as he did not want to worry his grandfather. ¡°Just focus on your recovery now. Nicole and Jared will handle the rest,¡± Daniel said. He nodded and said, ¡°Okay.¡± After all, he really could not help with anything else at the moment. KNOCK, KNOCK. Chapter 2678 Chapter 2678 en?¡± Though he was severely injured, he had just told her he was ill. ¡°It¡¯s nothing, just an ident.¡± Stanley did not offer much exnation. He had casually brushed it off when he called her as he was not expecting her toe to see him. ¡°If I had known you were injured, I would¡¯ve bought you some health supplements.¡± She thought he was sick and only brought some fruits. ¡°It¡¯s good enough that you came to see him. Forget about gifts. Come,e and sit.¡± Gloria took the fruits and pulled Cherry to sit by the bed. When Tia returned, she saw Gloria and Cherry chatting happily. Although Daniel and Stanley were not speaking, they were watching them with smiles on their faces. Setting down the kettle, Tia wanted to quietly leave the space to them. ¡°Tia, what are you doing?¡± Cherry asked Tia curiously. ¡°I¡­¡± Tia was at a loss for words. She could not possibly say she was feeling awkward and wanted to leave. Cherry asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you? You¡¯re so hesitant. If you have something to say, just say it. I can help you.¡± She saw Tia leaving right after she boiled some water but was about to leave, so she wanted to see if she could help her. ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± Tia could only force herself to stay. Cherry pulled Tia over. ¡°Come and sit with us. I was just telling Gloria how hard you¡¯ve been taking care of Stanley.¡± ¡°Not at all. In fact, it¡¯s Stanley who has helped me a lot before,¡± Tia said awkwardly. ¡°So, it¡¯s safe to say that you two have been helping each other,¡± Cherry joked with a smile. Tia bit her lip, unsure of how to respond, so she just nodded. ¡°I think it¡¯s about time we leave. Your father and I will head back first.¡± Gloria signaled to Daniel and then looked at Stanley. Daniel also followed suit. ¡°Well go see Grandpa.¡± ¡°Sure. Don¡¯t worry about me,¡± Stanley said. ¡°Ill see you off, Mr. and Mrs. Riddle.¡± Tia finally found an opportunity to leave and immediately volunteered. Gloria was not pleased. ¡°Oh, you. Why are you addressing us as Mr. and Mrs. Riddle again?¡± ¡°Sorry, Daniel and Gloria.¡± Tia could only address them differently with a forced smile before following Daniel and Gloria out. So, Stanley and Cherry were the only ones who remained in the ward. She raised an eyebrow and asked, ¡°So, still no progress?¡± ¡°What progress?¡± Stanley furrowed his brows, somewhat puzzled. ¡°You know, between you and Tia.¡± Cherry looked at Stanley with disdain. Stanley was stunned for a moment and instinctively denied,¡± Don¡¯t talk nonsense. There¡¯s nothing between us.¡± ¡°Are you still lying to yourself? She might be someone else¡¯s wife, and you¡¯ll regret it your whole life.¡± Cherry shrugged with a look of regret. Stanley involuntarily clenched his fists and fell silent. Cherry leaned in closer to Stanley and asked softly, ¡°Hey, is something troubling you? Do you need help?¡±Owned by N?velDrama.Org. Chapter 2679 Chapter 2679 ¡°No, thanks. Don¡¯t overthink this too.¡± Stanley quickly calmed down, his tone bing much more composed. Whatever Cherry¡¯s intentions were, he had to treat her indifferently. After all, this matter had been hidden in his heart for many years, and he had no intention of bringing it out for everyone to know. ¡°Well, that¡¯s a pity. I don¡¯t think Tia has no feelings for you.¡± Cherry sighed. ¡°It¡¯s a shame that neither of you is willing to take a step forward. You¡¯ll forever remain parallel and never intersect.¡± Stanley suddenly looked up at Cherry. ¡®Did she mean what she said? Did Tia care about me too?¡¯ ¡®No, Tia already has someone in her heart. Cherry must be talking nonsense.¡¯ ¡°I¡¯m tired and I want to rest. You should go back if you have nothing else to do.¡± However, Stanley¡¯s mind was still in turmoil. He wanted Cherry to leave as he needed to calm down. ¡°Sure. Take your time and think about it.¡± Cherry also did not seem upset. She just shrugged and left. When Tia returned, Cherry was already gone. Tia was surprised. ¡°Where¡¯s Cherry?¡± ¡°She had something to do and left,¡± Stanley replied. He nced at Tia and then looked away. N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. But Cherry¡¯s words were already stuck in his mind. Night fell, and the lights came on. Daniel and Dexter¡¯s families had all returned to the family manor. Benjamin looked at everyone and said, ¡°I already know what happened. You don¡¯t need to hide it from me.¡± ¡°Yes, we were all shocked when we heard,¡± Emma said with concern. ¡°How is Stanley now?¡± ¡°He¡¯s fine. He¡¯ll be discharged in a couple of days,¡± Gloria exined,forting everyone. ¡°Hey, Nicole, is everything resolved?¡± Er asked eagerly. He had been anxious ever since he heard about it. Nicole nced at everyone and calmly said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. We¡¯ll handle it. You don¡¯t need to be too concerned. We¡¯re all fine now.¡± As for the specifics, there were no results yet, so she did not want to say more as she also did not want everyone to worry. Everyone understood Nicole¡¯s meaning and, after exchanging nces, no one asked about the matter any further. ¡°It¡¯s rare that everyone is here, and it¡¯s about time, so let¡¯s have dinner together,¡± Emma suggested. ¡°Yes, let¡¯s eat!¡± Benjaminmanded, and everyone headed to the dining room. Nn and Lana were watching TV in the living room, while the adults were having dinner. During the meal, they chatted about family matters, but no one mentioned the incident where Nn and Lana were almost kidnapped. In the living room, Nn was watching TV with Lana when his little wristwatch vibrated. ncing at the message from Lawrence, Nn subconsciously looked toward the dining room. That watch was a birthday gift Lawrence had given himst year. He did not wear it much, but his mom had him wear it after yesterday¡¯s incident, probably out of concern. Lawrence was probably aware that his watch had been activated. It was a custom-made watch that looked like a regr watch on the surface, but it had many functions. Seeing everyone busy eating and not paying attention to him, Nn dialed a phone number. ¡°Godpa, are youing back?¡± Nn asked as soon as the call was connected. ¡°Not for now. I just wanted to ask how you and Lana are doing.¡± Lawrence¡¯s voice came through. ¡°We¡¯re both fine, Godpa, don¡¯t worry,¡± Nn reassured him. Lawrence breathed a sigh of relief. ¡°That¡¯s good. Don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t sit idly by on this matter. I will definitely help you find out what happened.¡± Chapter 2680 Chapter 2680 ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, Godpa. You¡¯re not in the San Joto, and Dad and Mom are already investigating it. They can handle it. But thank you, Godpa!¡± Nn said gratefully. Lawrence was taken aback for a moment. Then, he could only smile and say, ¡°I see. Then I¡¯ll ask Uncle Ian to help you guys.¡± Nn had never refused his help before, and now, Nn really did not need it anymore. ¡°Godpa, are you busy over there?¡± Nn changed the topic. ¡°No, I just have some things that I can¡¯t get away from,¡± Lawrence exined. Upon hearing this, Nn encouraged, ¡°Oh, then please take care, Godpa.¡± ¡°Thank you. I¡¯ll bring you guys some gifts when Ie back. ¡± Lawrence smiled. Nn hung up the phone, and Lana asked while blinking, ¡°Is Godpa okay?¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± Nn shook his head. ¡°Godpa said he would bring us gifts when hees back.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Lana then turned back to watch TV. Nicole came over and nced at them. ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°Godpa just called and said he would bring us gifts when hees back,¡± Lana replied. N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. ¡°He¡¯sing back?¡± Nicole was surprised. ¡°No, Godfather said he still has some things to deal with there,¡± Nn said, his voice gradually getting lower. ¡®What could it be? Something rted to the Water Crest?¡¯ Nicole narrowed her eyes as she knew Lawrence¡¯s intentions. She quickly regained herposure and guessed the purpose of Lawrence¡¯s call. ¡°He¡¯s probably concerned if you guys got hurt.¡± ¡°Yeah. He also said to let Uncle Ian help us investigate, but I told him it wasn¡¯t necessary,¡± Nn recounted. Nicole nodded. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. We¡¯ll have results soon.¡± A determined look shed in her eyes as the air around her turned cold. After everyone finished dinner, they gradually returned to the living room. The room became lively again, and everyone started chatting. ¡°Only Damien and his family didn¡¯te today. Do they not know about Nn and Lana¡¯s situation? They don¡¯t evene to check,¡± Karen whined, pretending to be upset. ¡°Let it be. If they don¡¯te, so be it.¡± Benjamin sounded displeased. Besides, he did not really want to see Damien and his family too. It truly saddened him. Although Karen was scolded by Benjamin, she was secretly pleased. ¡®Our family¡¯s downfall is linked to Damien¡¯s family. So if we go down, we go down together.¡¯ ¡°It¡¯s gettingte. You should all head back.¡± Benjamin frowned, signaling for everyone to leave. He was not in a good mood, to begin with, and he was very worried about Nn and Lana. Now that they had brought Damien up, he felt even more depressed, so he just wanted some quiet time alone. Daniel noticed his mood too, so he quickly agreed, ¡°Sure, Dad. We¡¯ll go back.¡± ¡°Dad, take care of yourself. Well also head back,¡± Dexter also said goodbye and prepared to leave. Both families quickly left the family manor, leaving only Dillon and Karen with Benjamin ¡°Dad, if you really feel unwell, just go back to your room,¡± Dillonforted him. ¡°Take me upstairs,¡± Benjamin instructed the butler. He then nced at Dillon and Karen before letting the butler help him walk upstairs. Chapter 2681 Chapter 2681 As soon as Benjamin left, Dillon scolded Karen discontentedly, ¡°Don¡¯t talk nonsense next time!¡± ¡°I¡¯m doing it for us. If it weren¡¯t for Everett, we wouldn¡¯t have ended up in such a miserable situation. Dad didn¡¯t even do anything to Damien and Miley after what he did. We still need to be cautious,¡± Karenined as she shot him a disdainful look. They had to have some ns. Even if they were going to spend their old age at the family manor, they still needed to secure their position there. Owned by N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Do you think they¡¯re the kind of people who can behave themselves? As long as we behave and not get on Dad¡¯s nerves, nothing will happen.¡± Dillon snorted. ¡°You mean to say they might make other moves?¡± Karen¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Do you think Everett would be content just fleeing abroad like that, never daring to show his face again in the future?¡± Dillon retorted sarcastically. ¡°He knew things were about to be exposed, so he fled in advance. Since then, he must¡¯ve been nning something. Just wait and see.¡± Karen¡¯s jaw dropped, beginning to understand him. Looking around, Karen lowered her voice and asked, ¡°So, do you think it¡¯s a lose-lose situation?¡± ¡®If that were the case, would our opportunity finallye?¡¯ ¡°Don¡¯t say such things in the future, it¡¯s best not to even think about it,¡± Dillon sternly warned her. ¡°Be careful not to end up with nothing in the end.¡± After experiencing it once, he was truly afraid. Now that he had a ce where he could live without worries, he was truly content. Moreover, what would they gain from arguing? One daughter was dead, and the other was unconscious, and his only son had no ambitions. ¡°It just crossed my mind suddenly. It wasn¡¯t intentional.¡± Karen dared not speak recklessly anymore. After speaking, she cautiously looked around, making sure there was no one around before feeling a sense of relief. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go to bed too.¡± Their only goal now was to keep Benjaminpany peacefully. During this time, he also realized that Nicole and the others would not give them a hard time if they did what they were supposed to do. Perhaps in the future, he would still have a slight say in matters, and that would be enough. On the other side, Nicole and Jared returned to the Riddle residence with their children. Shortly after, Daniel and Gloria also arrived. ¡°Dad, Mom, don¡¯t worry. You should rest early,¡± Nicoleforted them as she saw that they were looking upset. ¡°Yeah, you guys should also rest early,¡± they said. After Daniel and Gloria went upstairs, Nicole patted Nn and Lana¡¯s shoulders and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go to sleep too.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± the kids responded, and the family went upstairs together. After putting the kids to bed, Nicole and Jared returned to their own room. ¡°Did you get any news?¡± After closing the door, Nicole immediately asked Jared. ¡°Not yet.¡± Jared¡¯s gaze slightly darkened. Nicole furrowed her brows. ¡°Why? Lawrence called Nn. Wasn¡¯t it about this matter?¡± ¡°He called Nn?¡± Jared¡¯s eyes darkened once again. ¡°Yeah, during dinner,¡± Nicole exined. ¡°He didn¡¯t say much, so I thought there was news.¡± She thought that Lawrence had received some information there, so he contacted Nn. Jared nced at Nicole and said, ¡°Maybe there¡¯s progress, but Lawrence won¡¯t get any information.¡± Nicole blinked before shaking her head, amused. She was starting to understand Jared. ¡°Alright, you can handle it.¡± Apparently, Jared had already done something to stop Ian¡¯s investigation. ¡°Rest early.¡± Jared gently smoothed Nicole¡¯s hair, his eyes soft Chapter 2682 Chapter 2682 ze. Content ? N?velDrama.Org. The investigation in San Joto had been making no progress.¡¯ Who could¡¯ve done this, and why is it so mysterious?¡¯ ¡®Is it also because of Nicole¡¯s Fire Crest, or is it for something else?¡¯ he wondered. His phone suddenly rang. He saw that it was from Ian and answered it. ¡°Mr. Royce, I feel like our investigation is being hindered. It¡¯s like there¡¯s a force that¡¯s confusing our vision,¡± Ian said helplessly. Their investigation always seemed like they were about to get results, but in the end, it all turned out to be empty. Thinking it over, he always felt that someone must have manipted things behind the scenes for it to turn out like this. Lawrence fell silent for a moment. ¡°Then don¡¯t investigate,¡± he said sarcastically. ¡°Huh?¡± Ian was surprised. ¡®Just¡­ stop?¡¯ ¡°We won¡¯t find anything even if we investigate. The person you¡¯re talking about should be Jared.¡± Lawrence had already figured out that if someone had done this, it was likely Jared. ¡°So we really won¡¯t investigate any further?¡± Ian still did not want to give up. Lawrence sighed. ¡°Forget it. Just have someone secretly keep an eye on Nn and Lana, and make sure they don¡¯t get into trouble.¡± ¡°Understood,¡± Ian agreed. Then he asked, ¡°Mr. Royce, how are things on your end?¡± ¡°Not going well.¡± Lawrence felt somewhat annoyed. ¡®If we couldn¡¯t crack it, does that mean we have to give up?¡¯ ¡°Do you need someone else¡¯s help?¡± Ian asked. ¡°Who else can I find?¡± Lawrence felt frustrated. ¡°Well¡­¡± Ian choked. It seemed like they could only find Nicole, but they did not dare to gamble on the results of reaching out to her. ¡°Okay, just handle your own tasks.¡± Lawrence hung up the phone. After putting away the phone, he picked up a wine ss and took a sip, his expression bing even more annoyed. He had not expected things to go so poorly during this visit. The Fire Crest had returned to Nicole¡¯s hands. Although Nicole did not say anything, she must have some resentment toward him. Moreover, at some point, Nicole might regain her memory, which would put him in an even more disadvantageous position. He had thought that there would be a turning point after obtaining the Water Crest, but he still could not get it. Now, he only had two options-to give up the Water Crest or ask for Nicole¡¯s help before they officially cut ties. The problem was, if Nicole helped him, no one knew what the result would be. If the Water Crest recognized its master again, all his previous efforts would be in vain. The more he thought about it, the more frustrated he became. Lawrence emptied the wine in one gulp. Then he ced the empty ss heavily on the coffee table. Taking a deep breath, Lawrence got up and strode out, entering a room behind him. ¡°How¡¯s it going?¡± He sounded displeased. ¡°Mr. Royce, we¡¯ve done our best,¡± the other party said timidly. ¡°What¡¯s the use of useless people like you?!¡± Lawrence exploded in anger. The room fell silent, and no one dared to make a sound, not even daring to breathe. Chapter 2683 Chapter 2683 After a while, Lawrence roared, ¡°You have three more days. If you can¡¯t crack it by then, you can all get the hell out of here!¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Once they responded, the sound of keyboard tapping filled the room once again. Lawrence stormed out of the room and went upstairs. Content ? N?velDrama.Org. The lights in the base gradually went out, leaving only one room still illuminated. The next day, the weather was gloomy. After Nicole and Jared dropped off the children at the kindergarten, they arrived at Riddle Corporation. Jared did not leave and followed Nicole into her office. Soon, Sean and Steve also joined them. ¡°Max, tell them.¡± Nicole¡¯s expression was somewhat grim. ¡°Yes, Mrs. Johnston,¡± Max responded and then carefully reported the findings of the investigation. ¡°ording to her deduction, Charlie went to investigate near the scene. Sure enough, suspicious individuals were found. After their kidnapping attempt failed, they disguised themselves as nearby residents, nning to quietly leave after the situation calmed down.¡± Though the situation was now clear and the people were apprehended, the truth of the matter still shocked them greatly. ¡°Who ordered it?¡± Sean¡¯s voice was chilling. Since the person was caught, the mastermind behind the scenes would inevitably be revealed. Max¡¯s face turned slightly pale as he said, ¡°Chloe.¡± ¡°What?!¡± Steve¡¯s voice involuntarily raised several degrees.¡¯ Had Chloe gone mad?¡¯ ¡°They don¡¯t know Chloe, and we determined this based on their testimony, which all linked to her. Unfortunately, we don¡¯t have any substantial evidence,¡± Max said with frustration. Chloe had indeed be smarter. Although she did this, she did not leave any incriminating evidence against herself. ¡°What should we do?¡± Steve eximed angrily. ¡°Just let her go like this?¡± ¡°She wanted to kidnap my kids just to threaten me.¡± Nicole¡¯s eyes shed with coldness. She looked at Patricia and said, ¡°Have someone investigate what she¡¯s nning.¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Patricia agreed and left. Nicole snorted coldly with an icy gaze. The more Chloe wanted something, the less Nicole would give it to her. ¡°Is that all?¡± Steve was fuming as he thought, ¡®Chloe is getting off too lightly.¡¯ He had sort of understood Nicole¡¯s intention, Sean nced lightly at Steve and said, ¡°This is already good enough.¡± Without evidence, they could not do anything to Chloe. It was better to let her experience the pain. Not being able to obtain what she wanted was the most frustrating. Steve sighed helplessly as there really was no other way. ¡°It¡¯s alright, you all can go back to work now.¡± Nicole looked calmly at Sean and Steve. They hade over after hearing the news, and now that they knew the result, it was more important for them to attend to their own important matters. Chloe¡¯s matter was not that important. At least for now, it would not affect the Riddle family, and Sean and Steve¡¯s work should not be dyed. Understanding Nicole¡¯s intention, Sean said, ¡°Let me know if there¡¯s anything you need.¡± ¡°Yes, just tell us what we need to do,¡± Steve added. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. We can handle it.¡± Nicole smiled. After Sean and Steve left, she looked at Jared. ¡°I really didn¡¯t expect it to be Chloe.¡± If it was Chloe, it seemed like the heavy feeling had dissipated. She was not particrly concerned if it was just Chloe alone. With Chloe¡¯s current abilities, she could not really cause a big stir. Jared¡¯s eyes turned dark. ¡°It is rather unexpected, indeed.¡± But that did not mean he would forgive her. Chapter 2684 Chapter 2684 MY WIFE IS A HACKER CHAPTER 2684-Anyone who even thinks ofying their hands on Nn and Lana should be aware of the consequences. Nicole arched an eyebrow as she looked at Jared. ¡°What are you going to do?¡± ¡°Nothing. You should ask Grandpa this question instead,¡± Jared said indifferently. Nicole quickly understood that Benjamin would soon find out about this, and he probably would not let Chloe off the hook easily. ¡°Let¡¯s go back to the family manor tonight.¡± Jared stroked her hair and continued, ¡°Let¡¯s focus on work now.¡± ¡°Sure,¡± Nicole responded, watching him leave. She sat down in her chair and bit her lip. ¡®Turns out everything was caused by Chloe. Well then, don¡¯t me me.¡¯ After a while, Patricia returned and said, ¡°We got it.¡± ¡°What?¡± Nicole raised her eyebrows. ¡°Chloe¡¯s still not giving up. Those people said that after they kidnapped Nn and Lana, they nned to demand a huge ransom. Chloe probably wanted to use the money to threaten you to give up the management of NandoCorp,¡± Patricia said with a solemn expression. If Chloe seeded this time, they would probably have no other choice. After all, they could never gamble with Nn and Lana¡¯s safety. ¡°She¡¯s really ambitious. Can she even manage NandoCorp if it¡¯s given to her?¡± Nicole said with a hint of sarcasm. Moreover, if she seeded this time, she might ask for Riddle Corporation next, and then the entire Riddle family. ¡°Even though she failed this time, will she try other methods in the future?¡± Patricia frowned. Someone like Chloe probably would not give up easily. ¡°Keep an eye on her,¡± Nicole snorted coldly. If Chloe made another move, let there be irrefutable evidence against her. ¡°Yes,¡± Patricia agreed. Owned by N?velDrama.Org. ¡°You can leave now.¡± Nicole took the documents on the table and began to look through them. After Patricia left, she started taking care of the tasks that Nicole had given her. Time flew by, and it was already afternoon. After handling the documents on the desk, Nicole heard someone knock on the door. ¡°Come in,¡± Nicole responded. The door opened. The footsteps that were heard sounded different but somewhat familiar. Nicole furrowed her eyebrows and looked up. ¡°Lulu, June, why have youe back?!¡± ¡°With such a big thing happening at home, how can we stay away?¡± Lulu came to the desk, appearing rather resentful.¡± Are you nning to keep it from us forever?¡± ¡°You came back because you heard about Stanley¡¯s situation.¡± Nicole quickly understood. ¡°Yes, Samuel and Spencer are still in the hospital, so we came from there,¡± June replied. They came to see Nicole after seeing that Stanley was doing okay. ¡°Come, have a seat.¡± Nicole invited the two to sit on the couch. The secretary quickly came in, served coffee, and left. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to keep it from you. It¡¯s just that the situation wasn¡¯t serious, and your honeymoon period was ending, so I thought of telling you after you came back,¡± Nicole exined. ¡°Is it serious? Stanley got hurt, and Nn and Lana must¡¯ve been frightened,¡± Lulu said with concern. Nicole nodded. ¡°It¡¯s okay, and the matter has been cleared up.¡± ¡°Who did it?¡± June and Lulu instantly became serious. ¡°Chloe,¡± Nicole sighed. June and Lulu widened their eyes in astonishment. ¡°Is she crazy?!¡± Chapter 2685 Chapter 2685 MY WIFE IS A HACKER CHAPTER 2685-¡°Maybe.¡± Nicole did not want to talk about Chloe, so she changed the subject. ¡°Since you¡¯re back, let¡¯s have a weing dinner tonight.¡± June and Lulu exchanged a nce and said, ¡°Forget it. Let¡¯s do it in a few days. There are too many things happening at home recently.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. It¡¯s just the three of us, so no one else is invited.¡± Even though it was called a weing dinner, it was actually just a gathering of a few good friends. Upon hearing this, the two agreed, ¡°Okay then.¡± If it was just the three of them, it would be fine. They had to eat dinner anyway, so a simple meal together was good enough. ¡°What should we eat?¡± Lulu asked them. ¡°How about some fish?¡± June suggested. She always wanted to eat fish whenever she ate out. ¡°Okay,¡± Nicole agreed. Soon, they all reached an agreement and decided to go for dinner together after work. When the sun set, Nicole went to the dinner gathering while Jared went to the family manor alone. He had also arranged for a driver to pick the children up. When he arrived at the family manor, Benjamin saw that Jared was the only one visiting. He narrowed his eyes and said, ¡°Here, sit.¡± Jared sat down and cut to the chase. ¡°Grandpa, it was Chloe who did it.¡± Benjamin remained silent, making it difficult to discern his thoughts. ¡°She wants NandoCorp,¡± Jared said simply, believing that Benjamin would understand him. ¡°Alright, I got it.¡± Benjamin said solemnly. Jared looked at Benjamin before standing upto leave. ¡°I¡¯ll head back first.¡± After watching Jared leave, Benjamin¡¯splexion gradually turned pale and then blue. ¡®How dare Chloe do such a thing?!¡¯ Karen brought tea and took the opportunity to speak. ¡°Dad, you have to do something. Nn and Lana are adorable. What would happen if they ever got hurt or frightened?¡± Benjamin gave Karen a faint nce, feeling defeated. ¡°Dad, have some tea.¡± After saying that, Karen turned and left. Benjamin had instructed them not toe out, and eavesdropping was not right, so she dared not say anything more. Benjamin called the butler over and said, ¡°Tell Chloe to take care of her treatment expenses herself.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The butler then advised Benjamin, ¡°Please take care of yourself.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± Benjamin shook his head, though he looked solemn. He figured that he had been too kind before, which was why all of them were simply taking advantage of him. Jared¡¯s gaze was dark when he left the family manor and got in the car. ¡°Mr. Johnston, there seems to be no movement from Damien¡¯s family. Are they feeling confident?¡± Max said indignantly, frowning. ¡°No rush. The more confident they are, the more likely they¡¯ll expose themselves.¡± Jared¡¯s eyes turned cold. The more silent they were now, the morecent Chloe would be. There would definitely be a time when she would be overconfident. Max knew that Jared wanted to deliver a decisive blow to Chloe. ¡°Got it.¡± Meanwhile, at Damien¡¯s house, Chloe had already received the call from Benjamin¡¯s butler. Upon hearing that she would no longer receive her treatment funds, her face turned red with anger. ¡°What will you do from now on?¡± the assistant asked Chloe with some concern. N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. Miley isn¡¯t at home now, and Mr. Riddle Sr. isn¡¯t paying for Chole¡¯s treatment now. We can¡¯t possibly rely on Damien. Is Chloe¡¯s treatment going to be stopped like this?¡¯ Chapter 2686 Chapter 2686 MY WIFE IS A HACKER CHAPTER 2686-Damn it, Nicole!¡± Chloe gritted her teeth in anger. Although the butler had not said a thing, she knew for certain that Nicole was involved in this. ¡°Do you think she did this?¡± her assistant asked in concern.¡± Do you think it¡¯s possible that she knows about the kidnapping?¡± ¡°Hah, even if she knows, what can she do? Running to Grandpa and telling him about it is all she can do. Other than that, she has no way to get to me.¡± Chloe bragged. She had been very careful, so much so that even if the truth was revealed, nobody would be able to trace it back to her. After all, she could not afford to make the same mistake twice. ¡°But it seems that Mr. Riddle Sr. is furious now. What will you do in the future?¡± her assistant asked. Even if Nicole could not do anything to them, their lives from here on out would no longer be smooth sailing, especially with Benjamin holding off on the treatment funds. ¡°I¡¯ll think of another way,¡± Chloe said with spite. She was determined to not let Nicole off the hook, as thetter had severed the one financial pipeline she had. ¡°What do we do now?¡± the assistant asked with concern written all over her face. Chloe shot the assistant a look of displeasure, and grumbled, ¡°You were the one who came up with the idea that we would seed if we discovered Nicole¡¯s weakness. Look at us now.¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± The assistant paused, feeling somewhat defeated.¡± I didn¡¯t expect Stanley to show up.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t even handle Stanley on your own?¡± Chloe was upset. ¡°What a bunch of useless pricks.¡¯ ¡°Initially, Stanley managed to dy our progress, but the one who had ruined everything was the person who had turned up unexpectedly,¡± the assistant exined as a solemn expression crossed his face. ¡°They were rather capable.¡± ¡°Someone who unexpectedly turned up¡­as in a passerby?¡± Chloe, who was a little puzzled, asked. ¡®Could someone of such capability just be a casual passerby?¡¯ ¡°We can¡¯t be sure. They appeared when it happened, and vanished right after the incident was over,¡± the assistant exined. Chloe furrowed her brows. ¡®A passing stranger with such remarkable skills who disappeared after helping?¡¯ ¡°Are you suspecting something?¡± the assistant asked upon noticing the weird look on Chloe¡¯s face. ¡°Find a way to figure it out. This issue can¡¯t remain unclear and unsolved.¡± Chloe gritted her teeth, unable to help but feel that something was not quite right. The assistant agreed at once and nodded. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll investigate this.¡± ¡°Wait a minute.¡± Chloe stopped the assistant, ¡°I want you to check on what Nicole has been up to recently.¡± Since they were not able to seize the two troublemakers, they might as well target Nicole directly. And although the assistant was taken aback for a moment, he gathered his bearings and left right away. With her eyes on her assistant¡¯s receding figure, Chloe¡¯s expression darkened. ¡®So what if Grandpa deprives me of my money? I could still get it from Nicole.¡¯ And if she seeded this time, she would not have to be in anyone¡¯s shadow ever again. Meanwhile, Nicole, June, and Lulu were enjoying their lively meal. ¡°The honeymoon is great in every way, save for the fact that I couldn¡¯t have any of my favorite fish and chips,¡± June sighed. ¡°That¡¯s why it¡¯s always better to be back home where I belong.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true. I¡¯ve been craving it too,¡± Lulu said with a smile. After shooting both of them nces, Nicole responded,¡± Understandable.¡± The two then exchanged looks andughed. ¡°But most importantly, we¡¯ve missed you.¡± ¡°Stop it. Just eat your fish!¡± Nicole cringed. The gales ofughter continued as the group of friends, who had not seen each other in a long time, chatted and enjoyed themselves. ¡°Hey, are you guys nning to eat until the restaurant closes?¡± Samuel¡¯s voice red out as two figures stood next to their table. Owned by N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re here.¡± Everyone immediately made room for Samuel and Spencer when they saw them. ¡°Join us.¡± After sitting down, Samuel and Spencer looked at Nicole and said, ¡°Why do you look like you¡¯ve lost weight?¡± Chapter 2687 Chapter 2687 MY WIFE IS A HACKER CHAPTER 2687-¡°Really?¡± Nicole touched her cheeks. ¡°Do you think so?¡¯ ¡°Not only have you lost weight, but yourplexion also doesn¡¯t look healthy either,¡± June added. ¡°We noticed that a long time ago.¡± However, they figured that Nicole might have been under a ton of pressure as of the recent weeks, and that was why they decided not to ask her about it any further. ¡°Don¡¯t overwork yourself. Now that I¡¯m back, I can share some of the workload at thepany,¡± Lulu advised. After giving everyone a good look, Nicole smiled and said,¡± Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m fine.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t go around shouldering everything by yourself. If you ever need us, just tell us. Even though we¡¯re not interested in managing thepany, we won¡¯t ignore you if you need help,¡± Spencer looked at Nicole, his eyes brimming with sympathy. Nicole smiled, knowing that her siblings and friends truly cared about her. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m really okay, and you all have your own stuff to take care of.¡± ¡°What the heck does Chloe really want?¡± Lulu asked Nicole. ¡°She probably wants all the assets of the Riddle family and the entirety of Riddle Corporation.¡± Nicole shrugged. Having grand ambitions was not a problem. The question was if Chloe was capable enough to pull it off. ¡°Can she even handle it?¡± Lulu frowned with doubt written all over her face. ¡°Do you think she¡¯s acting on Everett¡¯s instructions? This seems more like his style.¡± ¡°We¡¯re investigating it, but the details are still unclear.¡± Nicole frowned. ¡°Be careful. I think they are all this together,¡± Lulu said angrily. ¡°Is there still no news of Everett?¡± June murmured. ¡°It seems that he¡¯s really good at hiding.¡± ¡°He¡¯s definitely with Lawrence now. And guess what? Lawrence has also returned. I think they must be nning something.¡± Nicole¡¯s eyes darkened. ¡°We don¡¯t really know much as of now. Everything is still spection at this point,¡± she continued. ¡°In any case, he won¡¯t sit still,¡± Lulu grimaced. ¡°But how did he get involved with Lawrence?¡± ¡°It¡¯s just a matter of mutual interests. People like Everett are not known to do anything that doesn¡¯t benefit them directly. Wasn¡¯t it the same when he made a deal with Harvey?¡± June said, her tone heavy with disdain. ¡°Anyway, keep your wits about you.¡± Spencer frowned. ¡°And be sure to keep your guard up, especially when dealing with Lawrence. He was the one who had taken Everett in, so you can¡¯t consider him a friend anymore.¡± Even though he had rescued her before, there were still specific boundaries that were invible. Since Lawrence had crossed that line in the sand, it was clear that they were now on opposing sides. Nicole bit her lip and nodded. One could say that her rtionship with Lawrence had be antagonistic ever since she reimed the Fire Crest. ¡°It¡¯s gettingte. You should all eat up and go home for some shuteye.¡± Samuel suggested as he looked at Nicole, who seemed tired. ¡°That¡¯s right. We have to get up for work tomorrow,¡± Lulu agreed. She was nning to get back to work tomorrow. ¡°Have you had your dinner yet?¡± Nicole asked Samuel and Spencer. Content ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Oh, we had it at the hospital together with Stanley already,¡± Spencer replied. ¡°Okay, you should all go home now. You¡¯ve all traveled a long way, and it must have been tiring.¡± They had all been busy for the entire day, and it was time for them to get some proper rest. As the group left the restaurant, they noticed that Jared¡¯s car was parked by the curbside. Surprised, Nicole strode up to the car. ¡°Why are you here? Have you been waiting for a long time? Why didn¡¯t youe in?¡± With a smile on his face, Jared extended his hand. ¡°You¡¯re asking too many questions at once. Get in the car, and I¡¯ll exin.¡± Nicole ced her hand on Jared¡¯s palm, and with a gentle pull from him, she got into the car. The couple drove off, with Spencer and Samuel following suit with their wives. Chapter 2688 Chapter 2688 ¡°I didn¡¯t expect that so much had happened back at home during our honeymoon.¡± Lulu sighed. ¡°Don¡¯t think too much about it. Get yourself a good night¡¯s sleep and head back to work tomorrow,¡± Spencerforted her as he held her hand. After shing him a smile, Lulu asked, ¡°There¡¯s a chance that I¡¯ll get really busy starting from tomorrow. Will you ever feel as if I¡¯m neglecting you when that happens?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s fine. I have a backlog of work to clear as well, but it¡¯s not too much. I can still take care of myself and you as well.¡± Spencer returned her smile. Lulu¡¯s cheeks reddened at once, giving her an even more endearing look. Meanwhile, Nicole and Jared were on their way to the Riddle residence. ¡°You came back from Grandpa¡¯s ce. Why didn¡¯t you just go home?¡± Nicole asked. She had not expected Jared toe and get her. If anything, she thought he had gone home on his own. ¡°I thought you wouldn¡¯t take long,¡± he replied. Initially, he had nned to go home to the Riddle residence, but due to the fact that it was convenient, he came over with the aim of picking her up and going home together. ¡°Why didn¡¯t youe in when you arrived?¡± Nicole asked. She knew that he must have been waiting for her for a long time, although he was silent about it. ¡°I didn¡¯t want to disturb you,¡± he replied. Jared thought it would be a good idea to let her unwind and blow some steam when he saw her chatting with her friends in such joyful fashion. N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. Then, Nicole raised her eyebrows in surprise. ¡°So you haven¡¯t had dinner yet?¡± As it turned out, he had been waiting for her untilte at night without a single bite of food. ¡°I¡¯ll have some grub when I get back.¡± Jared gently embraced Nicole, thinking that it was not a problem to have ate dinner. Nicole, however, begged to differ as she sighed in defeat.¡± You¡¯re not allowed to do this from here on out.¡± Jared not taking care of his body was something she could not ept. She could go home on her own, or she could even hitch a ride from Samuel and Spencer. How could he wait for her while he starved? Jared looked at Nicole and smiled. ¡°So, you do care about me.¡± ¡°Of course I do. If you do not want me to get all worried sick, you have to take care of yourself! Got it?¡± Nicole eyed Jared sternly. Upon hearing that, Jared¡¯s eyes narrowed as his smile became wider. He lowered his head and kissed her on the forehead. ¡°Since you care about me, don¡¯t leave me on my own ever again,¡± he said. Nicole blinked her eyes in confusion. ¡®Is he trying to be cute now?¡¯ Jared, however, was acting as if nothing had happened. He continued embracing Nicole without feeling that anything had been out of ce moments ago. Nicole was amused by this nheless. His calmness had almost even tricked her into believing that she was mistaken earlier. When they arrived at the Riddle residence, they came to realize that the cooks and the housekeepers were no longer around. After figuring that they must have gone back to their rooms, Nicole hurried to the kitchen and whipped up a bowl of creamy soup noodles for Jared. ¡°Here, the simplest meal I cane up with. Eat up.¡± She had made the quickest dish she could muster as she was worried that he might be hungry. Although it was just a simple bowl of noodles, she had also added vegetables, meat, and eggs into the mix, ensuring that it was nutritious. Jared¡¯s eyes softened as she looked at the bowl of noodles, which was nothing short of scrumptious. In no time, Jared had scarfed the entire bowl of noodles down. However, he still felt hungry. Nicole was amused as she handed a paper towel to Jared.¡± You have food on your face. Let me wipe it for you.¡± Jared looked at the towel in her hand without grabbing it. All he did was stare at her. Chapter 2689 Chapter 2689 Having understood what Jared was referring to, she red at him. Still, she went on to wipe the corner of his mouth anyway. Jared happily grabbed the paper towel and ced it on the table. Then, he held Nicole¡¯s hands and brought her up to the first floor. By then, everyone in the house was already in bed, including Nn and Lana. Thus, Jared and Nicole went right back to their room. Just as Nicole was about to step into the shower, her phone red with a message. She shot her phone a nce, and that was when her eyes narrowed. It was a message from Lawrence. Noticing that Nicole had a weird look on her face, Jared asked, ¡°Who¡¯s that?¡± ¡°It¡¯s from Lawrence. He¡¯s saying that Everett has nothing to do with this incident. However, he¡¯s asking me to be careful as Everett is in close contact with Chloe.¡± Nicole exined. She was dumbfounded by the fact that Lawrence was helping her keep an eye on Everett. ¡®Aren¡¯t Everett and Lawrence working together?¡¯ ¡°Good to know,¡± Jared said, before taking Nicole¡¯s phone away and handing a set of pajamas to Nicole. Jared¡¯s reaction was clear. ¡®There¡¯s no need to bother with his message. Just take a shower and go to sleep.¡¯ Nicole looked at Jared with a smile. Then, she took her pajamas and entered the bathroom. Jared looked at her phone for a moment and ced it on the table. Since then, she had paid the message no mind. In regard to Chloe and Everett¡¯s issue, Nicole was sure that the both of them would not be able to evade legal responsibility even if she could gather nothing from the investigations. When Nicole emerged from the bathroom, she saw that Jared was sitting by the bed, deep in thought. So, she sauntered over and asked, ¡°What are you thinking about?¡± ¡°Nothing much,¡± Jared said upon noticing that she was done washing up. ¡°You may go to bed first.¡± ¡°How about you?¡± Nicole was a little confused. ¡°I still have some issues to deal with.¡± Jared nted a kiss on Nicole¡¯s forehead and patted her on her shoulder. As Nicole lied down, she saw Jared switching hisputer on. Then, she bit her lips nervously and fell asleep. Jared watched as Nicole fell asleep beside him, a surge of warmth radiating from within his chest. Then, he went up to the desk and sat down at theputer. A man¡¯s face immediately appeared on theputer screen. ¡°Hello sir.¡± N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. ¡°Charlie, any updates?¡± Jared asked calmly. ¡°Yes. Everett could not unlock the Water Crest, so he passed it to Lawrence. They¡¯ve decided to work together.¡± Charlie reported frankly. ¡°The Water Crest?¡± Jared raised his brow in confusion. ¡°How did Everett even acquire it in the first ce?¡± ¡°It must have been his luck. Unfortunately for him, he¡¯s not savvy enough to crack the system. After he opened it, the Water Crest was unable to recognize its bearer and its failsafe kicked in, locking it again. Lawrence has since been looking for people skilled enough to give it a shot, but none of them have seeded. I¡¯m not sure if he¡¯ll seek Mrs. Johnston¡¯s help soon,¡± Charlie said, his voice tinged with concern. If Lawrence were to ask Nicole to crack the Water Crest and if she were to agree to it, they would just give rise to a rival as formidable as they were. ¡°Understood. I¡¯ll take care of this,¡± Jared said, his voice heavy with cold fury. ¡°So, has Everett been hiding in the base camp all this while?¡± ¡°Yes. Lawrence wouldn¡¯t let him out. He probably doesn¡¯t want Everett to disrupt his n,¡± Charlie answered. And after a moment of hesitation, he asked, ¡°Should I think of a way to lure Everett out from there?¡± Chapter 2690 Chapter 2690 ¡°Leave it for now. As long as the Water Crest remains locked, Lawrence will do his damndest to ensure that Everett stays locked up. After all, he could not afford to not be cautious about Everett.¡± Even though they were partners, the mistrust between both parties was highly apparent. Because of this, they had to keep their eyes on each other. ¡°So, we¡¯ll just wait for them toe out on their own? If that¡¯s the case¡­¡± If that was the case, it could very well mean that they had been granted ess to the system and attained the Water Crest. Naturally, Jared understood Charlie¡¯s concern. Then, he nced over his shoulder. ¡®Perhaps, I should let Nicole try.¡¯ ¡°I¡¯ll take care of this. You just have to make sure that someone is keeping an eye on them,¡± Jared said, and paused for a moment. ¡°Oh, I also need you to keep an eye on the person Lawrence has left behind in San Joto,¡± he continued. From the looks of it, Lawrence was still very much concerned about the events going on in San Joto. He really had too much time on his hands. ¡°Understood,¡± Charlie replied. With Charlie signing off, Jared switched hisputer off and gazed off into the night sky outside of the window. Meanwhile, at Mecrounia, Lawrence was left feeling restless and jittery. He and Everett had not made any progress with the Water Crest, and at this rate, he was starting to run out of patience. Earlier, he had sent a message to Nicole, tipping her off on what Chloe and Everett were doing. Yet, he was met withplete silence in return, and that made him very nervous. As Lawrence was out of San Joto for a couple of weeks, most of the news he had gotten was old and obsolete. Therefore, he was worried that he might have missed out on any important updates that might have unfolded. ¡°Should we think of something else?¡± Everett suddenly entered the room and barked. Everett was also beginning to run out of patience because of how slow the progress was. In fact, Everett regretted working together with Lawrence. There were already several instances in which he wondered if the oue would have been different if he had sought the help of someone else instead. N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. Understandably, Everett¡¯s act of barging into Lawrence¡¯s office had angered thetter, and when compounded with that question thrown at him, he became furious. ¡°You¡¯re in no ce to tell me what to do.¡± ¡°It¡¯s just a friendly reminder.¡± Everett froze and mellowed his tone. ¡°If you could do it yourself, why did you seek my help in the first ce?¡± Lawrence red at Everett. ¡°Whatever is happening in San Joto, you better tell them to stop, or I won¡¯t be pulling any punches! If they hurt any of Lawrence¡¯s loved ones, he would not hesitate to destroy them. Everett gritted his teeth and matched Lawrence¡¯s re with one of his own. ¡°You did a background check on me?¡± ¡°Do you think I have to do that?!¡± Lawrence roared. If Lawrence wanted to find an answer, he would be able to get it without lifting a finger. Everett balled his knuckles into a fist as he suppressed the fury within him. But before he could act, his rationality kicked in, reminding him that Lawrence was an unpredictable person. Initially, Everett had thought of Lawrence simply as a powerful figure who could go toe-to-toe with Jared. However, he seemed to have underestimated Lawrence; anyone who could match Jared was no pushover. At that point, Lawrence might have already known Everett¡¯s true motive. He might have also known of Everett¡¯s n in San Joto. As for all that had happened in the past, it was either that Lawrence had been able to ept the reality of things with ease, or he had been sitting back, waiting to reap the fruits of hisbor. However, Chloe had crossed the boundaries of that which was considered eptable for Lawrence: she had attempted to hurt Nn and Lana this time around. Even if Lawrence was doing something that would be to the detriment of Nicole, he would never allow anyone else to harm her. Perhaps, one could say that Lawrence wished for Nicole¡¯s downfall but would not allow Nicole and the kids to get hurt. ¡°Do you think Nicole would ever forgive you for all that you¡¯re doing?¡± Everett prodded, having regained some confidence after understanding the situation. This prompted Lawrence to shoot a dagger of a stare at Everett, an act which sent shivers down the latter¡¯s spine. The look in Lawrence¡¯s eyes instantly made Everett realize that he should not have challenged Lawrence at that moment. It was nothing short of terrifying. With just one look, one could already tell how cruel Lawrence was and what he was capable of. Chapter 2691 Chapter 2691 ¡°If you¡¯re smart enough, you better scram. Do yourself a favor, and keep your mouth shut next time.¡± After Lawrence had spoken, he turned away, not looking at Everett anymore. Then, he took his phone out. In response, Everett gulped, gritted his teeth, and skedaddled. Lawrence snorted after Everett had hightailed it out of his office. If Everett was not useful to him, he would not have kept him around. Everett returned to his room, and for the next few minutes, he became paranoid. There, he began to wonder if he had bitten off more than he could chew by associating with the likes of Lawrence, who was far more terrifying than he had imagined. Everett had been made to look like aplete fool in front of Lawrence. He had thought he had the upper hand, but at the end of the day, he was nothing. Filled with fear and dismay, Everett gritted his teeth angrily.1 Why can¡¯t I get anything done?¡¯ Meanwhile, Lawrence was in deep thought for a while before he decided to call Ian on the phone. ¡°Sir.¡± Ian¡¯s voice red out from the speaker. ¡°Book a flight for me. I¡¯m going back to San Joto tomorrow,¡± he ordered. It seemed that he needed Nicole to help him with something. ¡°Understood. I¡¯ll work on it now.¡± Ian replied. Then, Lawrence paused for a moment before adding,¡± Prepare some gifts for Nn and Lana too.¡± ¡°Understood. I¡¯ll take care of it.¡± Ian replied. ¡°Anything else?¡± ¡°That¡¯s all. We¡¯ll talk about the rest when I reach San Joto.¡± Lawrence hung up. The Water Crest could not be left hanging anymore. Since no one could breach the system, he had no choice but to seek Nicole¡¯s help. However, Lawrence had toe up with some smoke and mirrors beforehand. It would be best if he could disguise it as something else and hide the truth from Nicole. Otherwise, Lawrence would lose everything if the Water Crest shared the same recognition system as the Fire Crest. The next morning, the sun was shining brightly. After Nicole had woken up, she took a shower and headed downstairs. The dining hall was filled with merry chatters. As it turned out, Spencer and Samuel had brought their partners home. It had been awhile since the house was this lively, so their presence definitely lifted the mood of everyone who was present, especially their parents. ¡°You guys shoulde back more often. You don¡¯t live that far away from us either.¡± Gloria smiled. ¡°Alright, we got it.¡± Samuel and Spencer replied in unison. Content ? N?velDrama.Org. Naturally, the house would be much livelier if everyone was present. ¡°Mom, Dad, we visited Stanley when we came back. Then, we went to meet up with Nicole. It got a little toote after that, so we did note and visit you.¡± June and Lulu hurriedly exined. Initially, they were supposed to return home first thing yesterday. Although Gloria and Daniel did not me them, June and Lulu still felt guilty that they did not manage toe over. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I understand that you guys came back earlier because of Stanley. In fact, you guys had to cut your honeymoon short because of this.¡± Gloria smiled. She did not resent them at all for not returning homest night. June and Lulu both breathed a sigh of relief after hearing that. Although Gloria and Daniel were loving, thedies still felt that they should not take advantage of theirpassionate and understanding nature. Seeing that June and Lulu were nervous, Daniel reassured them. ¡°You girls don¡¯t have to be so uptight and conventional around us. You are a part of this family as well.¡± ¡°Alright, thanks Mom and Dad.¡± June and Lulu instantly warmed up. ¡°Come, let¡¯s have our breakfast. You guys had to get straight to work as soon as you returned, so be sure to finish it all.¡± Gloria weed them for breakfast. After everyone was seated, they began to dig in. Meanwhile, Nn and Lana looked at Samuel and Spencer.¡± Uncle Samuel, Uncle Spencer. Didn¡¯t you say that you¡¯d bring us presents?¡± ¡°Oh, I brought them. It¡¯s at the coffee table. I¡¯ll bring them over for you once we¡¯re done eating breakfast.¡± Samuel grinned as he looked at the little kids. Presents were a given. Not only that, but everyone would also have their share. Not one of them would be left out. ¡°Thank you, uncles and aunts.¡± Nn and Lana thanked them all, not forgetting Lulu and June in the process. Chapter 2692 Chapter 2692 ¡°You¡¯re wee. The family then broke outughing, as they could not help but to be amused by the kids¡¯ cuteness. After breakfast, everyone gathered in the living room. Nn and Lana, in particr, were overjoyed when they received their gifts. June and Lulu then joined in and began giving the gifts to everyone there, except for a few of those who were not present. ¡°Nicole, are you going to the office now?¡± Lulu asked Nicole. ¡°Yeah, after I send Nn and Lana to school, I¡¯ll head over,¡± Nicole replied. Lulu nodded. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll start moving with Spencer now. See you at the office.¡± ¡°Sure. See youter!¡± Nicole said, and watched as the couple exited the house. Then, she turned to Gloria and Daniel. ¡°Mom, Dad, we¡¯ll be heading out as well.¡± ¡°Go ahead.¡± Gloria and Daniel replied and smiled. ¡°Bye, Grandma and Grandpa,¡± Nn and Lana said, and left with Nicole and Jared. Gloria and Daniel¡¯s grins became even wider as they observed the antics of their little grandchildren. ¡°Mom, Dad, we¡¯re leaving too.¡± Samuel and June followed suit upon noticing everyone else was leaving. June was carrying a huge bag. It was obviously filled with gifts which she had prepared for her colleagues. After everyone had left, Gloria sighed. ¡°It¡¯s great to have the kids around again. The house feels a lot livelier.¡± Knowing that Gloria was worried for each of their kids, Daniel said, ¡°Don¡¯t get too worked up. Stanley will be able to return home soon. When that happens, you¡¯ll be able to let go of your worries.¡± ¡°I really hope that the kids will always be safe. That is my only wish.¡± Gloria sighed. Holding Gloria¡¯s hands, Daniel replied, ¡°They will be safe.¡± Meanwhile, at the hospital, Tia and Stanley had just eaten their breakfast. All of a sudden, they heard a knock, and that was when Tia answered the door. ¡°Miss Jean. You¡¯re here.¡± Seeing that it was Cherry, Tia stepped aside and let her in. Cherry, however, was unhappy. ¡°I¡¯ve said it many times, and I¡¯ll say it again. Can¡¯t you just refer to me as Cherry?¡± Every time Tia called her Miss Jean, it made them seem distant. Feeling nervous, Tia replied, ¡°Oh, I¡¯ve forgotten about it. I¡¯ll do so next time.¡± ¡°How could you forget about it? You don¡¯t really see me as a friend, do you?¡± Cherry stared at Tia. ¡°Call me by my name now. Otherwise, you¡¯ll forget again the next time.¡± ¡°Cherry.¡± Tia said, calling her by her first name. Cherry became satisfied upon hearing that. After she entered, she went up to Stanley¡¯s bedside. With a nce, she said, ¡°You seem fine now. I guess you¡¯ll be discharged soon.¡± N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. ¡°I¡¯m almost there. Perhaps, I¡¯ll be able to get out of here tomorrow or the day after tomorrow.¡± Stanley replied. As for when he would actually be discharged, it would depend on the results from his uing medical examination. ¡°The reason why you could recover this quickly is all thanks to Tia¡¯s exceptional care. When you¡¯re discharged, you should thank her properly.¡± Cherry looked at Stanley and said. Stanley became ufortable, so he gritted his teeth and replied, ¡°Yeah.¡± Not expecting Stanley to agree with Cherry, Tia quickly exined, ¡°It¡¯s fine. You¡¯ve helped me before this. It¡¯s my duty to take care of you now.¡± ¡°Hey, how could these two things be considered the same? You took care of him exceptionally well.¡± Cherry immediately pulled Tia aside and persuaded her with a wide smile on her face. Chapter 2693 Chapter 2693 Cherry could not allow Tia to pass this opportunity up. After all, it was the perfect chance for them. It was something that must not be allowed to go to waste. Tia was blushing as she looked down and replied, ¡°D-don¡¯t say that. I just did the bare minimum.¡± Initially, she was just doing what she thought she was supposed to do: taking care of a person who had been hospitalized. However, Cherry¡¯s words had made very shy as her cheeks began to flush. Content ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Oh, sure, sure. It¡¯s just the bare minimum.¡± Cherry smiled, while Tia was too embarrassed to look her in the eye. After watching Cherry¡¯s antics for a while longer, Stanley could not help but interrupt her. ¡°Don¡¯t you have any work to take care of?¡± ¡°Of course I do. What are you talking about? Do I look as though I¡¯ve got nothing better to do?¡± Cherry rolled her eyes. ¡®Is it not obvious enough that I¡¯m trying to be his wingwoman?¡¯ she thought. Stanley understood what Cherry was trying to do, but his rtionship with Tia was not as simple as Cherry imagined. ¡°Erm¡­you guys can continue chatting. I¡¯ll head out for a while,¡± Tia said, wanting to step out because of how embarrassed she felt. ¡°Alright.¡± Cherry smiled. After Tia had left, Cherry turned to Stanley at once and said,¡± So, shall we make a deal?¡± Stanley was about to tell Cherry not to tease Tia or pass remarks about their rtionship, but Cherry¡¯s act of blurting that question out to him caught him off guard right away.¡± What deal?¡± Then, Cherry inched closer to Stanley and said, ¡°You¡¯re going to y the part of a fake boyfriend so that we can stop my family from pressuring me into marriage. In return, I¡¯ll prove to you that Tia cares about you.¡± She appeared as if she had juste up with a deal he could not refuse. Stanley frowned. ¡°Are you sure what you¡¯re doing won¡¯t cause Tia to give up instead?¡± Tia had already stopped herself from dreaming about it. If Stanley were to have a girlfriend for real, she might even choose to ignore him and establish no contactpletely. ¡°Of course not. Sometimes, a little jealousy would help offer rity to a person¡¯s true feelings.¡± Cherry tilted her head a little and looked at Stanley. ¡°As for me, I¡¯ll sacrifice myself and y the role of the evil, abusive girlfriend,¡± she continued. ¡°The evil girlfriend?¡± Stanley raised his brows in confusion. ¡°What I mean is that I¡¯ll pick on you. That way, Tia will be forced to step in and intervene.¡± Cherry shrugged. Tm really going to bust my ass for this act.¡¯ she thought. ¡°Why are you helping me?¡± Stanley was confused. Although it was a good idea, the entire act would only benefit him. As such, it made no sense as to why Cherry would sign up for something like that. In turn, Cherry sighed and added, ¡°My family¡¯s tendency to pressure me into a rtionship is getting out of hand.¡± After a slight pause, Cherry took a seat beside him and added, ¡°They have made it clear that they¡¯ll marry me off against my will if this blind date bes thetest addition to myundry list of failures. ¡°You don¡¯t even have a partner, how are you going to get married?¡± Stanley asked, feeling a little shocked. ¡°They used me of being picky and genuinely uninterested in blind dates, so they¡¯ve decided that they¡¯ll pick someone on my behalf if this gig falls apart too.¡± Cherry replied, her tone tinged with dismay. ¡°I don¡¯t understand. Is it because my family can¡¯t afford to feed me any longer? Is that why they¡¯re in a rush to get me married off?¡± Stanley smirked andughed. He was shocked to find that families with such mentalities still existed, but he was also amused by the reason for Cherry¡¯s marriage. ¡°You canugh all you want. You don¡¯t need to hold yourself back.¡± Cherry red at Stanley. ¡°I¡¯m not intentionallyughing at you. I just don¡¯t think you eat enough for them to not be able to feed you,¡± Stanley replied. It was impossible that her family would be in such a rush to marry her off for the reason stated. Amused by Stanley¡¯s remark, Cherry could not help but smirk. ¡°You¡¯re really an insensitive dude. How did Tia even fall in love with you?¡± And in an instant, Stanley¡¯s smile vanished. ¡°So, how do you n to carry the act out?¡± However, there was a question left to be answered. If Stanley managed to get into a romantic rtionship with Tia, what would happen to Cherry? How would she exin it to her family? Chapter 2694 Chapter 2694 ¡°I¡¯m nning to leave the country. I must obviously prepare my family for what¡¯s toe. When the timees for me to leave, they would have no choice but to ept it,¡± she said. Cherry then raised her brows in smug satisfaction as if to say, ¡®What do you think? It¡¯s a pretty clever trick, huh?¡¯ Stanley finally understood that Cherry was trying to buy herself more time. By putting on a show with Stanley, Cherry¡¯s family would let down their guard. And when Cherry had made the necessary arrangements, she would leave the country at once. When that happened, her family would be left with no other option but to bite the bullet. After giving it some thought, Stanley agreed, ¡°Alright, deal.¡± Stanley had always thought that Tia had feelings for someone else, so he had chosen to stay by her side without saying a word. But at this very instant, he felt that he should give himself a fighting chance and seize the opportunity to be with her. No matter what the result was, he was certain that he would not regret his attempt. ¡°Okay, it¡¯s a deal then.¡± Cherry issued a sigh of relief. With this out of the way, she could be at ease and handle all the procedures needed for her migration. Although it was cold and ungrateful of her to flee before informing her family, she was left with no other choice. Cherry was very much done with being pressured into getting married or being shoved into blind dates at this point. Cherry believed that her fateful soulmate would appear one day, but she was not convinced that she would find that person by attending countless blind dates. It was not an ideal way to get to know someone in her opinion. ¡°But you must not overdo it when you bully me.¡± Stanley reminded Cherry. Upon hearing that, Cherry could not help butugh. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m just putting on a show for Tia. Why would I do that to you for real?¡± ¡®Must he take this so seriously? No wonder he¡¯s in the field he¡¯s in,¡¯ she thought. By the time Tia returned, Cherry had already left. After ncing around, Tia asked, ¡°Why is she gone already?¡± ¡°She had something to do.¡± Stanley gave Tia an odd look, one which she failed to notice. ¡°Oh.¡± Tia poured a ss of water for Stanley. ¡°Have some water.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± After Stanley had taken the ss from her, he looked at Tia and asked, ¡°Is the doctor here yet?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve enquired moments ago. The doctor is making his rounds. It¡¯ll be our turn soon,¡± Tia replied. down and said, ¡°As long as the results of the medical checkup are normal, I can finally leave this ce.¡± ¡°Be patient. The progress of your recovery is rather quick, so I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be discharged soon,¡± Tia comforted Stanley. ¡°Yeah, and thank you for your hard work over the past few days. Once I¡¯m discharged, you should go back and get some rest too.¡± Stanley said. He felt a little sad seeing Tia tending to him and his needs so diligently. Tia bit her lips lightly. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. After all, you wouldn¡¯t have gotten injured if it wasn¡¯t because of us.¡± Although Stanley was saving Nn and Lana, he had also helped her. Therefore, Tia was exceedingly grateful for what he had done. As the doctor entered the room, Stanley and Tia looked away from each other¡­ Meanwhile, at the Riddle Corporation, Lulu was already waiting for Nicole outside of the office upon her arrival. ¡°You¡¯re here,¡± Lulu greeted, seemingly in high spirits. Upon noticing that Lulu looked much livelier than before, Nicole smiled. ¡°It seems that your honeymoon did you a lot of good.¡± Owned by N?velDrama.Org. ¡°It definitely was a good trip.¡± Lulu smiled. ¡°Now, it¡¯s your turn to wait for your opportunity to go on a honeymoon.¡± To be able to travel and rx without having to worry about anything would be a good life to have, as fleeting as it would be. Chapter 2695 Chapter 2695 ¡°Let¡¯s wait for another opportunity. It¡¯s impossible now since our hands are tied. I¡¯ll let you go on a vacation some other time,¡± Nicole said. There were far too many things around the office that required Nicole¡¯s decision and attention, and among them was the mess that Chloe had left for them to deal with. Patricia had also been swamped with work. For the past week, she had been dealing with everything at Riddle Corporation on her own. Even with Lulu¡¯s return, there would be very little she could do to lessen the workload. ¡°I know I may not be of much help to you, but I know a thing or two that may be able to help you in dealing with Harvey,¡± Lulu informed with a serious look on her face. After all, Lulu had thought of handling all ongoing projects between Riddle Corporation and Ellison Group before.¡¯ Perhaps I¡¯ll be able to help her out a little.¡¯ ¡°Sounds good. I¡¯ll leave Harvey to you, then¡± Nicole said. She believed that Lulu would be able to deal with Harvey alone as he was less of a threat and more of a nuisance. Though he was a piece of work, Lulu was more than capable of going toe-to-toe with him. ¡°Okay, I have already asked Patricia to send all the documents over. I¡¯ll have a closer look at the details before anything else. I¡¯ll report to you if there¡¯s anything that requires your attention,¡± Lulu finished. With that, Nicole smiled. ¡°Okay.¡± ¡®Something within Lulu has changed. I¡¯m not sure what it is but I¡¯m liking it,¡¯ Nicole thought. ¡°I¡¯ll leave you be for now,¡± Lulu said, and left the office. There was an air of determination radiating from her presence. Not long after Lulu had excused herself, a knock on Nicole¡¯s office door caught her attention. ¡°Come in,¡± she said. After the door had opened, Patricia walked in with a frown.¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. has stopped all financial support for Chloe¡¯s treatment as she isn¡¯t going to any of them. Do you think she¡¯s given up on getting better?¡± ¡°I think it¡¯s all an act she has put up for all of us to see.¡± Nicole sneered. ¡°If she had half the mind to call it quits, how did she manage to keep it up for such a long time? She would¡¯ve given up a long time ago if she wasn¡¯t able to persist, so why now?¡± Chloe knew that no one would be able to touch her without solid, irrefutable evidence, and ever since Benjamin had decided to punish her, she had been cranking her act up eleven, trying to elicit sympathy from others. Patricia nodded. ¡°I see. Well, Chloe has been staying at home peacefully. However, her assistant seems to be working tirelessly. She has been checking up on you every now and then.¡± ¡°Checking up on me?¡± Nicole narrowed her eyes as she began wondering what Chloe might be scheming this time. ¡°Herst attempt to kidnap the twins failed miserably. Do you think that you¡¯re her next target?¡± Patricia asked as her face nched. N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. ¡°It¡¯s possible that she might.¡± Nicole smirked. ¡®She is probably getting her assistant to keep me under surveince. Chances are, she is gathering information on my schedule so that she can pick the right time to strike,¡¯ Nicole surmised. After a second or two, Patricia¡¯s eyes widened if she had thought about something. ¡°I will follow you closely every day. ¡°No, please don¡¯t. You don¡¯t have to follow me that closely.¡± Nicoleughed. ¡®If Patricia follows me too closely, I¡¯m afraid that Chloe would not have the balls to make her move on me,¡¯ Nicole thought. Patricia turned her gaze to Nicole¡¯s clenched fists and instantly understood what her intentions were. ¡°I see that you¡¯re trying to lure her into the lion¡¯s den.¡± ¡°Yes, and one should always remain patient and create opportunities to attack when the enemy least expects it,¡¯ Nicole replied. ¡°We need to teach them a lesson and show them who¡¯s in charge.¡± ¡°But what if they manage to hurt you?¡± Patricia asked. She was puzzled by what Nicole was up to, and as much as she wanted to catch Chloe red-handed, getting Nicole kidnapped or hurt was definitely not in her agenda. ¡°If we prevent them from making a move, how are we going to bust them in the act?¡± Nicole argued as she imagined catching Chloe red-handed and exposing her true nature to everyone present. ¡®If Chloe fails to turn up, all of my ns would go down the gutter. Capturing herckeys in the act wouldn¡¯t do much either. I need to get her to show up in person,¡¯ Nicole inferred. ¡°It does sound like a good idea, but I think it¡¯s far too dangerous for you to work alone on this without any sort of backup,¡± Patricia argued with concern in her voice and anxiety written all over her face. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me. You can follow me around and ensure my safety before I meet Chloe in person as I unfold her sinister ns to everyone,¡± Nicole replied, her voice tinged with cold fury. ¡®I wonder why she would do something so embarrassing to herself, knowing it would juste back and bite her in the ass someday,¡¯ Nicole wondered. ¡®She should have just given up. Her greed would not get her anywhere. Still, for as long as I am alive, she won¡¯t be getting her way. I won¡¯t put myself in harm¡¯s way because of her antics either.¡¯ Chapter 2696 Chapter 2696 MY WIFE IS A HACKER CHAPTER 2696-Patricia immediately understood that what Nicole had said was true. ¡°Alright. I will follow you closely until this is over.¡± Patricia promised herself that there was no room for any errors when it came to Nicole¡¯s safety and protection. ¡°Okay, you can go now,¡± Nicole said. ¡°Yes, Ms. Riddle,¡± Patricia replied as she nodded and left the office. Nicole leaned back against her seat as her gaze darkened. *1 will not let her get away with this so easily.¡¯ The afternoon sun shone high and bright, and before long, Nicole and Lulu returned to the office from their lunch break. ¡°Nicole,¡± a familiar voice sounded from behind. Nicole halted in her tracks and whirled around to discover that the source of the voice that had called out for her was none other than Lawrence himself. ¡°When did you return?¡± Nicole asked with a look of surprise on her face. ¡°I justnded a while ago and thought of paying you a visit,¡¯ Lawrence replied as he handed two boxes over to Nicole.¡± Here you go. Some souvenirs for the twins, courtesy of yours truly.¡± Nicole reached out and epted the gifts. ¡°Thank you. That¡¯s very thoughtful of you, Lawrence. Do you want to have a cup of coffee before you go?¡± ¡°Sure, why not?¡± Lawrence replied as he followed Nicole into her office. ¡°What¡¯s up with the sudden return? Did you manage to sort whatever you were there?¡± asked Nicole, her tone was polite yet awkward. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s to some extent sorted out that¡¯s why I came back, ¡± replied Lawrence with a calm demeanor. Lulu suddenly entered the room, holding two cups of coffee in her hands. She shot Nicole a look that asked her if Nicole would need someone to apany her in the room, ¡°Here is your coffee, please enjoy.¡± Nicole shot Lulu a reassuring smile and signaled her not to worry. Lulu immediately understood and left the office. Owned by N?velDrama.Org. Nicole turned to look at Lawrence, ¡°I¡¯m d you¡¯ve sorted out the things there, I guess you won¡¯t be leaving here for the time being, right?¡± The elephant in the room was rather difficult to ignore, as the awkwardness between the both of them was very palpable; both of them were actively trying to keep the conversation alive. Naturally, Lawrence was able to sense the awkwardness between the two of them. However, he was clear that things between them would never be the same anymore. If anything, their friendship would only continue to experience a downward spiral. Lawrence gritted his teeth before drawing a deep breath.¡± To be honest, we don¡¯t have to do this.¡± ¡°I think it¡¯s alright,¡± Nicole said before shing him a bitter smile. The strain in their rtionship had reached a point where neither of them were able to hold a proper conversation anymore. In fact, it was not easy for the both of them to be sitting in the same room together. ¡°To be very honest with you, I never should¡¯ve held you back when you wanted to return. Perhaps we would still be on Crescent Ind and things would not have been this way now,¡± Lawrence said, his voice heavy with sorrow and disappointment. Lawrence was sure that they were fated to meet just so that they could be a part of each other¡¯s lives at one point. ¡°You should know that it¡¯s not going to make any difference to how things are now,¡± Nicole pointed out. ¡®He should know that even if I had stayed in Crescent Ind and never returned to the family I have here, I would still not let anything develop between the both of us. Besides, none of my memories would return if I had stayed there,¡¯ Nicole thought. ¡°You must know that I¡¯ve never really wanted to put you in danger, Nicole,¡± Lawrence pleaded. There were plenty of things that had happened, and yet he had simply chosen to maintain his silence, even with the knowledge that Nicole woulde to discover the truth in the end. ¡°I know you didn¡¯t have the intention of putting me in danger. However, there are certain things in this world that you can¡¯t and shouldn¡¯t keep in the dark. But you did exactly that, and our friendship paid the price,¡± Nicole said as she looked Lawrence dead in the eyes. Chapter 2697 Chapter 2697 MY WIFE IS A HACKER CHAPTER 2697-It was then that Nicole and Lawrence knew that this might be thest time the two of them could sit together and converse with one another. Deciding to mention the days when they were on Crescent Ind together before returning to San Joto, Lawrence looked up at Nicole and said, ¡°Regarding the Fire Crest, I owe you a sincere apology.¡± N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. Lawrence had always wondered what would have happened if he had told her the truth of the object he wanted her to acquire. ¡®Would things have turned out differently than they are now?¡¯ Lawrence had deep regrets in his heart, filled with ¡®what if s¡¯ as he knew that the Fire Crest was the chief reason as to why they had fallen out of favor with one another. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter really. To be fair, I don¡¯t think you are in the wrong.¡± Nicole smiled. Nicole, on the other hand, thought it was normal. Lawrence¡¯s reason for keeping the truth of the Fire Crest from her was not entirely unexpected, given the fact that he knew she was its bearer. Lawrence then stared at Nicole with a deep sense of longing in his eyes. ¡°It seems that you really have truly recovered all of your memories. You¡¯re back to who you were once again.¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m quite surprised myself too,¡± Nicole replied before giving him a weak smile. She herself had not foreseen that she would be able to regain her memories after she had restored her status as the rightful owner of the Fire Crest. On top of that, not many knew that she had lost her memory or the fact that she was actively trying to recover from it. ¡®Lawrence might¡¯ve figured out what had happened based on our conversation earlier. He was just trying to test me,¡¯ she thought. ¡°Regardless of how it happened, I must still congratte you for regaining your memories.¡± Lawrence smiled as if he was genuinely happy for her. ¡°I¡¯m still the same as I was,¡± she calmly replied. Nicole was genuinely indifferent to the idea that she had recovered from her memory loss, something which Lawrence knew too. Lawrence mustered a weak smirk as he attempted to ovee the resentment in his heart. ¡°Have you sorted things out for the twins?¡± ¡°Yeah, all sorted,¡± Nicole replied. She did not have any intention of exining the details to Lawrence, to which he understood and nodded along. ¡°That¡¯s good to hear.¡± Lawrence nodded. He sensed that Nicole was trying to draw a clear line between the both of them. Therefore, he did not press on any further, knowing it would get him nowhere. After a while, Lawrence bid his goodbyes and left, with Lulu entering the office right after he had made his exit. ¡°Why did hee here? Why¡¯s he back? Did things not go well in Crescent Ind?¡± Lulu asked with a look of confusion on her face. ¡®If things went well back in Crescent Ind, he wouldn¡¯t have been back here so soon,¡¯ Lulu surmised. Nicole raised an eyebrow as she stared at Lulu before nodding along. ¡°Point taken.¡± Nicole agreed with Lulu. ¡®It¡¯s quite strange now that Lulu has brought it up. If his pursuit of the Water Crest really went well, everyone would¡¯ve received some kind of news about it. It¡¯s impossible that he¡¯d give up so easily unless¡­he has found another way to crack it?¡¯ Nicole lowered her eyes as a flurry of thoughts raced across her mind, and as she stared at her watch, her eyes narrowed. ¡®He left for the Water Crest, and he probably might¡¯ve returned because of it. But what exactly is his next move? What is it that brings him back here?¡¯ ¡°Christ! Don¡¯t get too worried about it. Since things aren¡¯t going his way, himing back here doesn¡¯t mean it will either,¡± Luluforted as she eyed the somber look on Nicole¡¯s face. Chapter 2698 Chapter 2698 MY WIFE IS A HACKER CHAPTER 2698-Nicole looked up at Lulu before shing her a wicked smirk. She did not want Lulu to be concerned about the Water Crest, let alone know that Lawrence was searching for it. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Don¡¯t worry about it. By the way, there is something you should know. The more silent Harvey is, the more things he has up his sleeve. You have to be alert at all times,¡± Nicole reminded. ¡°Yes! I will keep my eyes glued onto him,¡± Lulu said. Lulu knew that Nicole had a million other things to deal with and among them, Harvey was nothing but a nuisance. She did not want Nicole to waste her time dealing with him and putting up with his crap. Nicole smiled as she stood up and walked to her desk, and that was when Lulu knew that it was her cue to leave Nicole¡¯s office. Meanwhile, Lawrence had just gotten into his car after walking out of the headquarters of Riddle Corporation. ¡°Mr. Royce, how are things with Nicole? Can she be of any help to you?¡± Ian asked. Lawrence shook his head. ¡°She won¡¯t be able to help me on this, so I didn¡¯t even manage to bring it up.¡± Lawrence knew that even if he were to bring this up to Nicole, she would not be able to help him out. ¡°What should we do now? If she can¡¯t help us, who will be able to?¡± Ian asked. Other than Nicole herself, both Lawrence and Ian could not think of any other individual on this who could help them unlock the Water Crest. ¡°Let¡¯s think of something.¡± Lawrence sighed. He hade this far, so he could not give up now, at least not yet. ¡°There is¡­,¡¯ Ian paused as he looked at Lawrence with anxiety brimming in his eyes. ¡°Mr. Royce, I must inform you that someone was there to stop me from kidnapping the twins,¡± Ian stammered. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Lawrence asked as his eyes narrowed. ¡®Who would dare to get in my way?¡¯ ¡°I couldn¡¯t find any useful information about that person. Every time I tried, I would end up in a dead end. It was as if someone had deliberately altered all the info about him,¡± Ian exined. Lawrence immediately had a hunch that it was all Nicole¡¯s doing. ¡°Forget about it. Don¡¯t look further into this anymore.¡± Then, it struck him that this was probably why Nicole had drawn the line today when he asked her about the twins. At that moment, everything began to make sense to him. ¡®There¡¯s no use trying to look into this anymore. We¡¯re aware that Jared Johnston might be the one behind all of this. It¡¯s all good as long as the twins are safe and sound. Looking too deep into this will not benefit me in any sort of way,¡¯ Lawrence thought. ¡°Just drive,¡± Lawrence ordered. Then, Lawrence sighed as he leaned back against his seat. He looked out the car window, spaced out as he knew that his friendship with Nicole was bing strained. ¡®I have to do something about it¡­,¡¯ he thought.Content ? N?velDrama.Org. Once the sun began setting on the horizon, Nicole got off work and gazed off at the crimson star in the distance with a smile on her face. Upon noticing that Jared had already arrived, she rushed up to him and brought herself into Jared¡¯s arms. ¡°Have you waited for a long time?¡± ¡°No,¡± Jared replied as he led Nicole to the car. ¡°Let¡¯s go home after we have picked the twins up. Mom has informed us that Stanley has been discharged from the hospital, and that everyone¡¯s going to be there,¡± Nicole said after sitting down. Nicole could already imagine how lively the house would be with everyone present at home for the family gathering. Jared nodded and ordered Max to drive. After they had picked the twins up from preschool, the family of four headed to the Riddle residence together. Chapter 2699 Chapter 2699 MY WIFE IS A HACKER CHAPTER 2699-As soon as they arrived at the Riddle residence, Nicole found that her expectations were met. The house was indeed very lively. Sally Kane had also shown up with a bloated belly and to Nicole¡¯s surprise, Cherry Jean was also present. ¡°Everyone¡¯s here now so let¡¯s head over to the dining room. We¡¯ll begin our dinner shortly,¡± Gloria announced. Everyone nodded, made a beeline for the dining room, and took their seats next to each other. In no time, the dining room was filled with chatter andughter again. Owned by N?velDrama.Org. Gloria and Daniel sat on the opposite ends of the long dining table across one another while the rest sat facing each other. As for Lulu, she took a seat next to Nicole and whispered,¡± What¡¯s up with her voice? Is Stanley really going out with her?¡± As obvious as it was to everyone, it was a family dinner. Therefore, it was surprise that Stanley had brought Cherry Jean over for dinner. ¡®Is this a way of telling everyone that they¡¯re now official?¡¯ Nicole wondered. ¡°I¡¯m not so sure about it either.¡± Nicole frowned. ¡®Is it possible that something has developed between the two of them while he was hospitalized? I knew that she went to visit him but I¡¯m not quite sure of the details.¡¯ Everyone around the room exchanged looks with one another, confused. Meanwhile, Tia was also present at the dinner table. She was silent with her head lowered the entire time. She had a certain look to her face which made it hard for everyone to read her. ¡°Now, since everyone is back, let¡¯s have a toast to Samuel and Spencer who just came back from their honeymoon, and to Stanley who has just gotten discharged from the hospital. Let¡¯s celebrate this moment together,¡± Daniel cheered in an attempt to ¡°Stanley being safe and sound is already the best news the family can receive,¡¯ Steve added as he picked his wine ss up and raised it. ¡°Let¡¯s toast to Stanley¡¯s discharge from the hospital!¡± Then, everyone picked their sses up and clinked them. ¡°Stanley, care to share a word or two?¡± Samuel suggested, and winked at Stanley before gesturing at Cherry. Stanley immediately understood what Samuel was trying to do. ¡°Her name is Cherry.¡± ¡°I know that her name is Cherry, but is that all?¡± Samuel teased, trying to pry for more information that would indicate that she was Stanley¡¯s new me. Stanley darted a nce at Tia, and it was then he noticed that Tia had not looked up at all. After gritting his teeth for a second, Stanley replied, ¡°She¡¯s my girlfriend.¡± ¡°See, that¡¯s more like it,¡¯ Samuel said with a smile. Samuel then turned to look at Gloria. ¡°Mom, it seems that your blind dates are working out well.¡± ¡°I guess so. We shall see if this brother of yours is able to settle down. Only then will I be able to rest easy,¡¯ Gloria replied as she looked at Tia. ¡°Tia is next on my list,¡± she added. As expected, Tia perked up at the mention of her name. She looked at Gloria with awkwardness written all over her face and shook her head vigorously. ¡°Ma¡¯am, I¡¯m not in a hurry to get married at all.¡± ¡°What did you call me?¡± ¡°Daniel, Gloria,¡± Tia answered, though she was still ufortable calling them by their first names. ¡°Don¡¯t ever say that you¡¯re not in a rush. Everyone in this household cares about you and you¡¯re the only one left without a partner, so naturally, the spotlight is on you now,¡± Gloria informed before giving her a kind smile. ¡®If Stanley chooses to be with Cherry, I will have no objections to it. However, I¡¯ll have to be more attentive to the minor details in Tia¡¯s case,¡¯ Gloria thought to herself. On the other hand, Tia was biting her lip and thinking to herself, ¡®It feels like¡­I¡¯m a part of this family¡­¡¯ Tia¡¯s heart skipped a beat, as she saw how she was getting special treatment from the Riddle family. However, she was still grappling with feelings of inferiority, seeing how she was not a match for Stanley. ¡®I guess all I have to do is give him my blessings now that he has someone he genuinely likes,¡¯ Tia thought. For once, she felt that she belonged somewhere, as the Riddle family was treating her like she was one of their own. Chapter 2700 Chapter 2700 MY WIFE IS A HACKER CHAPTER 2700-¡°Gloria, there¡¯s really no need to,¡± Tia, who was helpless, pleaded. Everyone in the Riddle family really cared about Tia and was doing this for her sake. On top of that, Tia had been with the family for a really long time and had taken care of Mrs. Wace Sr. for nearly a decade now. Something about leaving her to be single for the rest of her life just did not sit well with them. Stanley narrowed his eyes at Tia as a heart wrenching feeling gripped his heart. ¡°I know you have feelings toward her,¡± Cherry whispered to Stanley. Everyone in the room could sense that Stanley had reserved a soft spot for Tia in spite of the fact that he had announced Cherry as his official girlfriend now. At a loss for words now, Stanley turned to Cherry and frowned. ¡®Why do I feel like I have done something wrong?¡¯ Stanley wondered. Cherry saw right through him and patted his arm tofort him. ¡°Hey, hey. Pipe down, would you? You don¡¯t want to let all of your previous efforts go to waste now, do you?¡± ¡°Mom, I think it¡¯s better to wait for a moment before you set Tia up on blind dates. Perhaps you should let nature take its course first.¡± Lulu suggested with a smile on her face, trying to persuade Gloria out of it. Owned by N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Well¡­that¡¯s true. It¡¯s just that Tia¡¯s always at home every day. I guess she can go out and mingle around every now and then to make more friends,¡± Gloria thought out loud. ¡°This can easily be solved. Since everyone is already familiar with her at the wedding, we can have her attend ourpany dinners!¡± June chimed in. ¡°That sounds like a great idea!¡¯ Gloria agreed as she looked at Lulu and June. ¡°It¡¯s great that you girls are in the same generation. You can hang out often together too!¡± ¡°Yeah, that way, Tia will have more opportunities to meet more friends,¡± Mrs. Wace Sr. agreed, speaking up for the very first time. Tia was still a young woman, and being confined at home all day was not something anyone her age should be doing. Everyone in the Riddle family agreed that it would be better for Tia to go out more often. Tia, however, was adamant. She had initially wanted to protest, but it was toote. Everyone in the Riddle family had made up their minds about it and was already enthusiastically discussing a schedule to have Tia go out and socialize. ¡°Thank you, Lulu and June,¡± Tia said in embarrassment. Lulu and June giggled and waved it off. ¡°Oh, hush. It¡¯s nothing!¡± And just before dinner was served, the dining room was nothing short of lively again. As everyone was eating happily, Sally suddenly announced,¡± Hey, everyone. Could you please excuse me? I¡¯m done eating for the day.¡± Everyone around the room immediately became concerned and began asking questions. ¡°Are you okay?¡± ¡°Is the food not to your liking?¡± In response, Sally shook her head. ¡°No, I¡¯m fine. I don¡¯t usually eat a lot and I¡¯ve eaten more than I usually do¡­¡± ¡°Yeah, I can vouch for that. She¡¯s got a small appetite,¡± Steve exined. With that, the room immediately was filled with ¡®Oh¡¯s¡¯ and sighs of relief. ¡°I¡¯ll go ahead and apany the twins,¡± Sally said as she excused herself and made her way to the living room. As she entered the living hall, she saw that the twins werepletely immersed in the TV show they were watching. Meanwhile, at the dining room, Gloria went on to shoot Steve a stern look. ¡°Don¡¯t get too busy with work and please remember to take care of Sally. You hear me?¡± ¡°Yeah, I know, Mom. Don¡¯t worry about it. I know what I¡¯m doing. I¡¯m being assigned less work these days. I¡¯ve got to thank Sean and Jane for that. They¡¯re working twice as hard because of that now,¡± Steve replied. It was expected, as cutting back on Steve¡¯s workload meant that Sean and Jane would have theirs doubled. They would have to do what he could not. Chapter 2701 Chapter 2701 ¡åIt¡¯s nothing,¡± Jane replied with a smile. ¡°Your workload isn¡¯t heavy, so well be able to manage,¡± Sean added. ¡°That¡¯s because you¡¯re capable enough to juggle between your tasks and my own, not because of how little work there is,¡± Steve said. He knew that everyone already had their own share of assignments, so having them shoulder his burden would definitely add to the amount of tasks they had toplete. ¡°We are all family, and being able to help each other is a good thing,¡± Daniel said, and looked at Sean. ¡°But you need to take good care of yourself too. Just get another secretary to help you out if it¡¯s too much for you to handle.¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll think about it,¡± Sean said. He knew that Daniel did not want him to sacrifice his and Jane¡¯s well-being for work, even though it was for the good of thepany. Jane knew this all too well, so she smiled as a surge of warmth filled her from within. After dinner, everyone gathered in the living room to have a chat as a family. It was rare for the entire family to be back here as one, so they wanted to spend more time together. Soon after, it gotte, and Steve was the first to get up.¡± We¡¯ll head home first. Sally needs to get some sleep.¡± ¡°Sure, and please take good care of Sally,¡± Gloria reminded Steve. ¡°See you next time, Mom and Dad,¡± Sally said, and shed them a gentle smile. ¡°Okay, goodbye,¡± Gloria nodded gently. Steve then walked out of the house with Sally beside him, and the others followed suit one by one. N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content. After a while, Cherry got up as well, and said, ¡°I¡¯m heading back too.¡± ¡°Stanley should take you home,¡± Gloria said. In response, Cherry smiled and looked at Stanley. ¡°You¡¯re my boyfriend now. Of course you¡¯ll have to drive me home.¡± After she had spoken, Cherry looked at Tia. ¡°Hey, I¡¯m leaving now. Let¡¯s hang out some other day.¡± ¡°Sure,¡± Tia replied. As Stanley and Cherry left the house together, a sense of loneliness began to creep up to Tia. She gritted her teeth, trying her best not to reveal anything through any changes in her expression. Then, Mrs. Wace Sr. looked at Tia and said, ¡°Tia, let¡¯s head home too.¡± ¡®TH take you with me,¡± Tia said, and pushed her out. After everyone had left, Nn and Lana turned to their parents, wanting to go back to their rooms. Seeing this, Nicole and Jared brought them upstairs. With the merriment in the house fading into sudden, pin drop silence, Gloria nced around and remarked, ¡°It¡¯s so quiet now. I¡¯m not used to it.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. We can have theme back more often,¡± Danielforted her. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go to bed,¡± Gloria said, and followed Daniel upstairs. Tia had already returned to the house at the backyard with Mrs. Wace Sr., who was now watching as Tia made her bed for her. Feeling sorry for Tia, she asked, ¡°You care about Stanley, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Grandma, I don¡¯t. He¡¯s from a different world,¡± Tia exined as she felt somewhat flustered. She had been trying her best to hide her feelings, but Mrs. Wace Sr.¡¯s question left her wondering, ¡®Did everyone see through me?¡¯ ¡°You¡¯ve been with me for so many years now. You don¡¯t need to hide your feelings from me,¡± Mrs. Wace Sr. sighed. ¡°I just didn¡¯t expect you to be so concerned about this issue, ¡± Mrs. Wace Sr. continued. As it turned out, Tia¡¯s concern had always been about status. That was why she kept insisting on addressing him as ¡°Mr. Riddle¡± over the years. It was probably a reminder to herself that there were boundaries that she should never cross. ¡°Grandma, I¡¯m really fine.¡± Tia assured Mrs. Wace Sr., as she could not hide the truth from her anymore. ¡°Besides, Ms. Jean is really nice, and she is also a good match for him. Chapter 2702 Chapter 2702 ¡°Forget it. There¡¯s nothing more that I can say about it now,¡± Tia finished. After all, Stanley was already together with Cherry. Mrs. Wace Sr. looked at Tia andforted her as she patted her hand. ¡°You should go out there and make more friends in the future.¡± Perhaps things would be different for Tia if she were in a different environment with new friends and a new life. ¡°I actually prefer staying at home,¡± Tia told her truthfully. ¡°I only agreed to go out because I saw everyone caring about me so much.¡± She thought she should not let them down, so she would hang out with the others a couple of times and return to not doing so gradually. Mrs. Wace Sr. patted her hand again, as she was still feeling sorry for her. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s not talk about this anymore.¡± ¡°Let me help you up, Grandma.¡± Tia lifted her up and sat her down on the bed. Then, she left the room after ensuring that Mr. Wace Sr. was lying downfortably. Tia sighed after closing the door. Now that she was all alone, her eyes began to well up. As she was unable to sleep, she took a stroll in the yard where she unexpectedly ran into Stanley, who had just returned after taking Cherry home. Their eyes met, and as it was toote for either of them to turn around, Tia greeted him. ¡°You¡¯re back.¡± ¡°Yeah, are you not sleeping yet?¡± Stanley asked after noticing how dejected she looked. Tia seemed really despondent, but he was not sure if it was because of him. He did not know how to comfort her, and he could not possibly ask her to not be sad over him and Cherry. ¡°I¡¯d like to take a walk, so you should go to bed first.¡± Tia gritted her teeth, struggling to remain calm. Feeling sorry for Tia, Stanley advised, ¡°You should go to bed soon. Thank you for taking care of me. You¡¯ve been working hard for the past few days. I bet you haven¡¯t been resting properly.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± Tia smiled. ¡°It¡¯s my duty. I owe you, so consider it a repayment for all you¡¯ve done for me. Besides, I don¡¯t find it exhausting. Taking care of you didn¡¯t tire me at all.¡± At that point, Stanley could not endure the heartache he was experiencing anymore, so he grabbed Tia¡¯s hand and walked her back to the house in the backyard. ¡°You should get some sleep now. It¡¯ste.¡± Stanley held onto Tia¡¯s hand tightly, not allowing her the opportunity to break free. He just wanted her to go to bed. Tia was taken aback as Stanley grabbed her hand. She mindlessly followed him around until they were in front of her room, and it was only then that she snapped back to reality. ¡°Go to bed now,¡± he said. Stanley then came to realize his impulsive behavior. He did not know how Tia would respond to what he just did, so he simply left her in a hurry after saying that. Owned by N?velDrama.Org. Tia silently watched as he fled, her mouth agape. She looked down at her hand as if she could still feel his warmth. There, she continued staring as her heart leaped beats into her ears. After Stanley had walked out, he felt a wave of frustration. He ruffled his hair, though that did little to change the way he was feeling. ¡®Why do I feel so flustered?¡¯ Suddenly, his phone rang, prompting him to snap out of it and answer the call. ¡°Hello?¡± ¡°It¡¯s me. How¡¯s everything going?¡± Cherry¡¯s voice came through. ¡°Nothing much.¡± Stanley hung up, feeling even more frustrated. Am I in the wrong here? Didn¡¯t I decide that I would just protect her in silence before this? Why am I bing so greedy?¡¯ he wondered. The next day, the sun rose, casting a warm glow on the house. Upon waking up, Nicole got up, took a shower, and went downstairs. The dining room was noticeably quieter than the night before, and something about the atmosphere seemed tense. Nicole frowned when she saw Stanley. ¡®Why does he look as if he had stayed up all night?¡¯ ¡°Good morning,¡± Tia said as she walked over. ¡°From today onwards, I think I should be the one taking Nn and Lana to school.¡± Chapter 2703 Chapter 2703 Okay!¡± Before Nicole could respond, both Nn and Lana were already cheering and jumping up and down in excitement. ¡°Hey Tia. We¡¯re done eating. Let¡¯s go!¡± Lana ran over and grabbed Tia¡¯s hand. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Tia said, and proceeded to walk out of the house with Nn and Lana. Nicole stared at Tia with her eyes narrowed. Then she looked at Stanley, confirming her assumptions.¡¯ Something¡¯s going on between these two.¡¯ ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Jared said, whereupon Nicole averted her gaze and left with him. ¡°I¡¯m done eating. I¡¯m going to work.¡± Stanley also got up, preparing to leave. However, Gloria was a little worried. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you rest for a few more days?¡± Stanley had just gotten discharged from the hospital. His injuries had not fully recovered yet, so she wondered if it would be advisable for him to leave. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯ve already rested for a few days,¡± Stanley replied. The seminar was nearing its end, and he had already dyed it for a few days, so he had to be present for the final part of the task. ¡°Okay, but can you at least not take the wheel? Let the chauffeur take you,¡± Owned by N?velDrama.Org. Daniel said. ¡°Okay,¡± Stanley agreed. It would be less cumbersome for him if he had someone to drive him around. Although his injuries had almost healed, he had not slept wellst night, so he did feel a little fatigued as of now. Gloria let out a sigh once Stanley had exited the room. She had also lost her appetite as she looked at her unfinished breakfast. All of her children had left, and the house had in it the sense of an abandoned home once more. Today, it was obvious that there was something strange about the atmosphere. Upon noticing that Gloria was in a bad mood, he began to feel sorry for her. ¡°If you¡¯re feeling bored, why don¡¯t youe with me and pay Dad a visit in the family manor?¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Gloria agreed, feeling that she should step out and unwind. Meanwhile, Nicole saw that Lulu was already there upon arrival at the headquarters of Riddle Corporation. ¡°Hey, why do you look so troubled?¡± Lulu turned and looked at Nicole. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I just think Tia and Stanley were acting a little strange this morning, but never mind that. Let¡¯s just focus on our work.¡± Regardless of what Stanley and Tia had in mind, Nicole had no choice but to respect their decision. ¡°Ah, so it¡¯s because of them,¡± Lulu responded. It seemed to her that the issue between Stanley and Tia was aplicated one. Other than showing their concern, there was nothing they could do for the both of them. Lulu handed the files over when she saw Nicole picking the documents up. ¡°You should take a look at this first.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Nicole grabbed the file and opened it, just to frown when she had seen what the contents were about. ¡°It¡¯s about our partnership with Harvey. He¡¯s always trying to expand the scope of our partnership, and I¡¯m worried that if we cooperate with him on more than one front, it¡¯ll affect us negatively. In addition, the fact that he keeps pushing the cooperation unterally and aggressively is an indication that he might have ulterior motives,¡± Lulu angrily stated. She had always been on guard against Harvey. However, Harvey had been very persistent in regard to sending the contract over. She dared not ease up at all, as she was afraid that she would fall into his trap upon making the slightest mistake. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, as this has always been his n,¡± Nicole said before shing her a faint smile. ¡°You should just y along with him.¡± ¡°y along with him?¡± Lulu frowned, not quite sure if she understood what Nicole meant. In return, Nicole patted Lulu¡¯s hand. ¡°Go ahead and just do it. She believed that Lulu understood what she was implying. It was just that she did not know what to do and to what extent it had to be done for the time being. Chapter 2704 Chapter 2704 As the saying went, ¡°The best defense is a good offense.¡± This meant that they should strike back while kiboshing Harvey¡¯s tricks sessfully. Lulu¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°So, can we really do that?¡± Although this idea was a rather ridiculous one, it would be great if they could seize the entirety of Ellison Group. Nicole smiled when she saw that Lulu finally understood what she was thinking. ¡°We don¡¯t have the power to do so right now, and I don¡¯t have the intention to pull that off anyway.¡± ¡°Oh, what do you want to do, then?¡± Lulu raised an eyebrow in puzzlement. ¡®Wasn¡¯t that what Nicole meant just now? Did I misunderstand her or something?¡¯ ¡°I mean, even if we do end up seizing arge percentage of Ellison Group¡¯s shares, we should just return them to Mr. Ellison. I don¡¯t want them.¡± All she wanted to do was to teach Harvey a lesson, not wrest the entirety of Ellison Group for herself. She just wanted to get Harvey off her back, and permanently if possible. After all, with Thomas still present there, she could not possibly do something so cold-blooded. ¡°Oh, I see!¡± Lulu smiled triumphantly. ¡®Don¡¯t worry. You can leave it to me.¡± As that was the scope of her task, she knew what to do. Nicole smiled as she saw how excited Lulu was. ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll wait for your good news.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m currently well aware of everything that¡¯s going on while our enemy is still in the dark. Harvey hasn¡¯t put his guard up against me yet.¡¯ Lulu shrugged. Harvey underestimating her meant that she could operate right under his nose. ¡°Do as you see fit. If you need anything,e and see me,¡± Nicole said. ¡°Sure.¡± Lulu smiled. ¡°After all, I have the backing of someone who shouldn¡¯t be reckoned with.¡± Nicole shook her head and smiled before she picked her documents up and went right back to work. Upon seeing this, Lulu quietly left the office and dealt with her own share of work. Now that she was back, Nicole could get her to deal with everything rted to Harvey. She had assigned nothing else for Lulu to deal with, so thetter need only devote herself to it and do her level best. Time flew by, and before long, it was already noon. With that, Nicole and Lulu went to one of the restaurants to have lunch. ¡°I heard the new dishes here are really good, and many people havee here just because of the hype.¡± Lulu introduced the restaurant to Nicole. N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. Then, they proceeded to order all the new dishes as they wanted to try them. ¡°By the looks of it, work is going smoothly, right?¡± Nicole teased Lulu when she saw the continuous string of smiles on her face. ¡°It¡¯s alright.¡± Lulu said, before a proud grin crossed her face.¡± However, we might have to wait a couple more days to see the results.¡± ¡°Oh, there¡¯s no rush.¡± Nicole passed her a ss of water.¡± Here, have some water first.¡± Lulu took a sip from the ss and looked around at random. A frown crossed her face at once when she spotted a particr, familiar figure. ¡®Speak of the devil. How could we meet him here?¡¯ she wondered. Clearly, Harvey had also seen them, and that was when he walked over to greet them. ¡°What a coincidence.¡± ¡°Whether it¡¯s a coincidence or not, no one knows.¡± Lulu pursed her lips in a show of incredulity and disbelief. After looking at Lulu, Harvey turned his gaze to Nicole. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect that you¡¯de here for a meal.¡± ¡°Well, am I not allowed to?¡± Nicole asked in confusion. ¡°Of course, you can. I just think we¡¯re fated to meet here,¡± Harvey said, and proceeded to take a seat at their table. Upon seeing that, Nicole narrowed her eyes in an instant, while Lulu followed up with a grimace. ¡°Mr. Ellison? This isn¡¯t polite.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think we are just business partners. We should also be considered friends.¡± Harvey looked at Nicole. I beg to differ,¡± Nicole replied coldly. Chapter 2705 Chapter 2705 Feeling helpless, Harvey went on to say, ¡°You don¡¯t have to turn me down so coldly, you know. After all, my grandfather is still in your hands.¡± Upon hearing those words, Nicole red at him. ¡°Please watch your words, Mr. Ellison.¡± What is he saying? He¡¯s making it sound like I¡¯m controlling Thomas and turning his grandfather against him,¡¯ she thought. ¡°Isn¡¯t that the truth?¡± Harvey shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s very clear that my grandfather listens to you more than he listens to me now.¡± ¡°Pfft, so you finally admit that Mr. Ellison is your grandfather now, huh. You were so cruel to him. How is it that you did not bother to acknowledge that you¡¯re his grandson before this?¡± Lulu sneered with disdain. Nicole¡¯s lips twitched as she attempted to restrain herself from giving him a verbalshing. She was annoyed because Harvey was still there. ¡®Lulu sure is bold. So is it better to acknowledge him as a grandson or not?¡¯ Harvey looked upset as he nced at Lulu coldly. ¡¯Although you are in charge of the joint project between Riddle Corporation and Ellison Group now, you should still know your ce. You¡¯re just an errand runner, and nothing more.¡± His connotation was clear; he was only paying attention to Lulu because of Nicole. Otherwise, he would not have even bothered to speak to her. Lulu knew this, so his reply did little to anger her. Instead of reacting, she simply shrugged and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. There won¡¯t be much for me to do soon.¡± She was waiting for Nicole¡¯s n to seed, and when that happened, she would see if Harvey dared to maintain his arrogance with her. Harvey frowned upon hearing Lulu¡¯s retort. He felt that there was something off putting with what she had just said. But when he looked again, Lulu had already lowered her head to get a sip of water from her ss, so he stopped paying attention to her. Believing that his warning had put her in her ce, Harvey turned his gaze back to Nicole. ¡°I have something to discuss with you.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Nicole frowned. ¡°Ellison Group¡¯s anniversary celebration. As a shareholder, this event is one that you should attend, so I am cordially inviting you to attend our anniversary celebration.¡± Harvey smiled. ¡°Are you sure that I should attend the anniversary celebration, even though I am just a shareholder of a small electronics factory?¡± Nicole frowned, wanting to refuse his invitation. Tm not even in the same league as the rest of his shareholders¡­¡¯ she thought. ¡°Of course, on such an important day, every single staff member, shareholder, and partner will receive invitations,¡± Harvey said. ¡®Til be expecting you.¡± ¡°Hey, she didn¡¯t agree to it though.¡± Lulu red at Harvey with displeasure clearly written on her face. Content ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°As a shareholder, it¡¯ll be impolite for you to decline such an invitation.¡± Harvey¡¯s eyes darkened. ¡°So, what do you think, Ms. Riddle?¡± Nicole gritted her teeth, but she maintained herposure.¡± Since everyone has received an invitation, I suppose I should show up as well.¡± Upon hearing that response, Harvey grinned in satisfaction.¡± It¡¯s good that you¡¯ve epted the invitation, Ms. Riddle.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll prepare a gift and be there on time.¡± Nicole nodded in agreement. ¡°Good, I will have the written invitation delivered on time,¡± he said. Harvey knew that once Nicole agreed to something, she would not go back on her word, and that left him in a good mood. Nicole shrugged. ¡°So, Mr. Ellison. Now that you¡¯ve done what you came here to do, can you leave now?¡± ¡®Please leave right away if you¡¯re done. Don¡¯t stick around and kill our appetite,¡¯ she thought. Harvey¡¯s lips twitched as soon as he realized that they were trying to shoo him away. ¡®She¡¯s still so harsh.¡¯ And once Nicole and Lulu¡¯s food had been served, Harvey had no choice but to say goodbye. ¡°Well, then, I¡¯ll take my leave.¡± After Harvey had left, Lulu pouted. ¡°He looked as though he¡¯s reluctant to leave. It¡¯s as if someone has a gun pointed at him, keeping him around.¡± ¡°It¡¯s good that he¡¯s gone,¡± Nicole added, finding Lulu¡¯s expression amusing. ¡°Hey, why did you agree to it?¡± Lulu gave Nicole a look of puzzlement. Even if Nicole refused, Harvey would not be able to do anything to her. ¡°He said all shareholders and partners will be there, so it¡¯s only right that I show my face, even if it¡¯s just for a while,¡± Nicole said indifferently. Chapter 2706 Chapter 2706 Feeling defeated, Lulu said, ¡°He¡¯s basically using social coercion, isn¡¯t he?¡± Although Harvey said that everyone was going, that did not mean that Nicole must be there too. ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± Nicole smiled and looked at Lulu. ¡°Perhaps there¡¯s something for me to gain out of showing up. You shoulde with me too.¡± ¡°Me?!¡± Lulu asked in surprise. ¡°Are you sure it wouldn¡¯t be better for you to find a malepanion?¡± Even if she did not wish to go to the event with Jared, Sean as her plus one would also be fine. Lulu believed her presence would not be of much help anyway. ¡°With so many shareholders and partners present, are you sure there¡¯s no one you¡¯d like to get to know?¡± Nicole asked. Lulu blinked, starting to understand what Nicole wasing from. Then, she gritted her teeth and replied, ¡°I guess that works too.¡± ¡°Hehe, alright. Gather some information when you¡¯re back,¡± Nicole suggested. Knowing some background information about those people beforehand might prove to be handyter on. Lulu nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll make the preparations when we¡¯re back.¡± Since they had decided to make themselves present, they needed to be prepared. Satisfied, Nicole smiled. ¡°Okay. For now, let¡¯s eat.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Lulu agreed and began digging in with Nicole. After they were done eating, the two of them left the restaurant. However, Lulu was puzzled when she looked around and realized that their car was gone. ¡°Where¡¯s the car? The chauffeur didn¡¯t say he¡¯d leave first, did he?¡± she asked. ¡°Maybe something came up. Let¡¯s hail a cab first.¡± Nicole looked around. Although she did not know what the driver was doing, there was still a need for them to return to the headquarters as soon as possible. ¡°Oh, okay,¡± Lulu said. After gging a cab down, she looked at Nicole and said,¡± Let¡¯s go.¡± Nicole nodded and got into the car. However, just as Lulu was about to get in as well, three men in ck lunged out of nowhere, forced their way through all three doors, and got into the car. At the back seat, the two men on either side of Nicole pointed their knives at her. ¡°Don¡¯t make a sound, or you¡¯ll face the consequences.¡± ¡°Drive.¡± The third man at the passenger seat ced the edge of his de directly at the driver¡¯s neck. The driver was petrified for a moment. Then, he started the engine and sped off in a hurry. Although Lulu did not know what was happening, she chased after the car the moment she saw it speeding away.¡± Hey, stop the car. What¡¯s wrong with you?!¡± Even then, she was still left in total shock by the sudden turn of events. ¡®What on earth just happened?!¡¯ After a brief chase, Lulu found herself unable to catch up, so she helplessly watched as the car receded from view as tears welled up in her eyes. N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. ¡°Help, help!¡± Just as she shouted, someone yanked her back, prompting her to whirl around to see who it was: Patricia. Lulu broke down into a mess of tears and sweat as if she had caught a lifeline. ¡°Quick, do something! A few strangers forced their way into the cab Nicole was in! Is she in danger!?¡± ¡®Great, with Patricia here, there¡¯s a chance that we¡¯ll still be able to save Nicole.¡¯ ¡°You should go back first. I¡¯ll take care of the rest,¡± Patriciaforted Lulu and activated the tracking system before following them. Meanwhile, Nicole was calmly watching her kidnappers in silence. She was well aware that this was the result of Chloe¡¯s impatience. If anything, it was a rare opportunity for her to bag Chloe, so she would not let it slip away. Her only hope was that Chloe would personally show up and act on her vengeance, and by the looks of it, Nicole¡¯s sacrifice would not be in vain. The kidnappers thought that Nicole was afraid when they saw how subdued she was, so they kicked back and let their guard down as well. Chapter 2707 Chapter 2707 The car pulled up at a derelict building situated at the west of San Joto, where the kidnappers had instructed the driver to stop. However, they did not let him go. Instead, they knocked him out and left him in the car. ¡°Take her inside. Our job will be done once we¡¯re in. We¡¯ll take the money and leave,¡± one of them said. The kidnappers wanted to leave San Joto right after they had gotten the money, which would be enough for them to start over. After entering the building, they tied Nicole to a chair and looked outside, seemingly waiting for someone to make an appearance. Nicole narrowed her eyes as a faint smirk crossed her face.1 Seems like Chloe won¡¯t disappoint me.¡¯ And as expected, Chloe arrived about ten minutester. Nicole heard the scraping of a wheelchair on the ground, and that was when she looked up to see Chloe entering the building. ¡°Didn¡¯t expect to end up like this one day, huh?¡± Chloe mocked as she eyed a disheveled Nicole. ¡°Well, I¡¯m not surprised,¡± Nicole coldly remarked as she shot Chloe a nce. ¡°Hmm, you¡¯re still putting on airs at a time like this. Oh I¡¯m going to enjoy watching you cry,¡± Chloe said resentfully. She was pissed at the fact that Nicole was able to face her situation with such equanimity, when in fact, Nicole was not afraid of her at all. ¡®Does she really think that I won¡¯t dare to do anything to her? ¡® Chloe wondered. ¡°I¡¯m curious, how will you make me cry?¡± Nicole raised an eyebrow and looked Chloe in the eye. Just like that, Nicole¡¯s attitude made Chloe even more furious. ¡°Since you¡¯re curious, I¡¯ll show you!¡± she yelled through gritted teeth. Then, Chloe turned to her assistant. ¡°Bring it to her and have her put her fingerprint on it!¡± ¡°Sure.¡± The assistant took the document out and approached Nicole. Chloe was afraid that Nicole did not understand what was going on, so she exined, ¡°This document is a contract of transfer. The moment you press your finger against the sheet of paper, Riddle Corporation bes mine.¡± ¡°It¡¯s been over five years, and you¡¯re still so naive?¡± Nicole asked, looking somewhat defeated. ¡®Is Riddle Corporation something that she could have if she wanted it?¡¯ Moreover, even if Nicole gave it to Chloe, there was no guarantee that she would be able to manage it well. She had never even managed apany before. ¡°Stop pretending. You¡¯ll see who¡¯s naive when you lose everything!¡± Chloe shouted. Chloe then turned to look at her assistant once. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you getting her fingerprint?¡± ¡°Okay.¡± The assistant opened the document and pressed Nicole¡¯s finger against the empty section at the bottom. Chloe filled the room with maniacalughter after she had grabbed the document with Nicole¡¯s fingerprint on it.¡± Hahaha! It¡¯s finally mine.¡± ¡°Are you sure?!¡± Nicole eyed Chloe with a mocking look on her face. She was not panicking at all.N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. Chapter 2708 Chapter 2708 ¡°Ah!¡± Following a shriek, the sound of a knife falling to the ground echoed crisply in the room. Everyone who was present was startled. None of them understood what had happened. It seemed that Chloe had just attacked Nicole with the knife, but it made no sense as to why she was in pain while Nicole seemed to be unharmed. Chloe, who was also shocked, looked at Nicole with disbelief. ¡®What just happened?¡¯ Nicole nced at the knife on the ground and stood up, her gaze cold and dark. At that very second, everyone gasped. ¡°What?! How did she escape?!¡± She was clearly tied to the chair, so how did she set herself free? Nicole flexed her wrists as she shot Chloe a cold, furious re. ¡°I¡¯ve been injured, so my skills may not be at their peak, but a mere rope would never hold me down.¡± ¡°Hurry up! Go after her! Otherwise, well be screwed!¡± Chloe immediately retreated in a panic and ordered her assistant as well as the kidnappers to take care of Nicole. Everyone exchanged looks and figured that what Chloe said was right, so they immediately did what they were told. Nicole watched as they rushed toward her and eximed,¡± Patricia, it¡¯s time!¡± She was not sure if she could handle all of them herself at once. Thus, to be safe, she decided to leave it to Patricia. Patricia sprung out of nowhere and swiftly dealt with the kidnappers, leaving them all lying on the ground and moaning in pain thereafter. ¡°Nicely done,¡± Nicole praised her with a smile. When Patricia arrived, she had already received a signal from Nicole: she was actually the one who had quietly knocked the knife out of Chloe¡¯s hand with a rock. At that time, she was still hiding behind some cover. Chloe was initially livid when she saw Patricia, but her anger quickly turned to fear. For a moment, her mind was in chaos. ¡°Ms. Riddle, what should we do now?¡± Patricia asked, knowing that the situation was under control now. Nicole picked the forged document up and handed it to Patricia. ¡°Give this document and the knife to the police. Both of these constitute solid evidence.¡± As soon as Nicole had spoken, police sirens began ring from the outside. Chloe shuddered and it was then that a realization dawned upon her. ¡°You set me up!¡± It was all a part of Nicole¡¯s n from the very beginning. She thought she had found an opportunity, but as it turned out, she had fallen into Nicole¡¯s trap once more. As Nicole did not possess any evidence of what Chloe had previously done, she had decided to set Chloe up, and today, she had managed to catch her in the act. ¡°What should we do?¡± her assistant asked, dumbfounded. She did not expect that they would be the ones getting caught today. Livid beyond words, Chloe red at her assistant with bloodshot eyes and yelled, ¡°Shut up, you idiot!¡± This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. ¡®What should I do now? I can¡¯t even escape.¡¯ The police quickly barged in and, after assessing the situation in the room, they took everyone away. Nicole and Patricia left the police station after their testimonies had been recorded. By the time they were done, Jared¡¯s car was already parked by the road. He had been waiting for her. ¡°Why are you here?¡± Nicole was surprised. Jared gently held Nicole¡¯s hand and replied, ¡°Don¡¯t take such risks next time.¡± ¡°It¡¯s just Chloe, so it¡¯s not much of a risk,¡± Nicole said with a beaming smile. It was all part of her n, and she was sure that nothing would go wrong. Otherwise, she would not have taken the risk to pull it off. After all, it was just Chloe, and as far as that crippled wretch was concerned, there was very little risk involved. Chapter 2709 Chapter 2709 Jared gave her an affectionate look and shook his head after he had seen her smile. ¡°Remember to tell me if you¡¯re going to do anything like this in the future.¡± This way, he could assign a security detail to protect her and ensure that she would not be harmed. To that, Nicole replied, ¡°You¡¯ve already assigned Patricia to me. Don¡¯t you know the capabilities of the people you¡¯ve chosen?¡± Moreover, she herself was not totally defenseless. Indeed, she was not as dexterous and strong as she was before, but she was still capable of holding her own against people who were not trained in martial arts. ¡°Yes, you¡¯re always right.¡± Jared smiled softly and brought Nicole into the car. After giving Patricia a nce, Max got into the car and drove away. Patricia nced back at the police station, understanding Max¡¯s gesture. They had to keep a close eye on the situation, even though they had seeded in capturing Chloe. They could not give Chloe the chance to escape me, and they could absolutely not allow Chloe to pin the me on someone else. After making a call, Patricia left the police station. Instead of taking Nicole back to thepany headquarters, Jared brought her right to the Riddle family manor. ¡°Dad, Mom, why are you here?¡± Nicole asked, surprised to see Daniel and Gloria there. After shooting Nicole a nce, Daniel replied, ¡°We came to see Grandpa. What brought you here at this hour of the day?¡± If nothing out of the ordinary had urred, Nicole should still be in her office at this time, and the fact that Jared was here with her was an indication that something hade up. ¡°Um¡­¡± Nicole hesitated and looked at Benjamin before saying, ¡°Something happened.¡± She had intended to tell her grandfather about Chloe, but she was not expecting her parents to be there as well. After thinking about it for a moment, Nicole decided to speak up. After all, everyone woulde to know about the situation when the police publicized Chloe¡¯s arrest eventually. ¡°Chloe has been arrested.¡± Nicole looked at them and revealed. And just like that, everyone in the room was astonished.¡± What?!¡± ¡°What happened?¡± Benjamin narrowed his eyes. Nicole sighed and briefly recounted what had happened earlier. After that, the living room instantly fell silent, and the tension became palpable.Books Chapters Are Daily Updated Join & Stay Updated For All Books Updates¡­ Gloria was the first to speak as she looked at Nicole with sympathy. ¡°She¡¯s gone too far.¡± She had never thought that Chloe, who was already in such a state, would still attempt to do something so sinister. She had even resorted to kidnapping and disfigurement, something that no person of sound mind would even do. ¡°She has tried to bring you down. It¡¯s good that she has been caught in the act. She must face the consequences for what she has done.¡± Karen pursed her lips. ¡°It¡¯s so ridiculous. How can Chloe, who is already paralyzed, still manage to pull off so many tricks?¡± she wondered out loud. N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. In fact, she was implying that Chloe could not have done these things alone, and she believed that no one present was stupid enough to believe that Chloe was a lone wolf either. In fact, they would probably understand her. Naturally, everyone understood her. It was just that at this moment, no one could even be bothered to think about it because it would not make a difference even if they did. Chloe was already caught red-handed. Even if they suspected that someone had secretly aided her, their spections and assumptions would not be confirmed if Chloe admitted to nothing on record. Moreover, Damien should have already known about Chloe¡¯s situation by now, and yet he had remained silent. As such, they could not guess what he was nning. ¡°Since the evidence is conclusive, let the police handle the rest.¡± Benjamin calmly said. Although the turn of events was somewhat shocking, it did not seem that surprising at all. Chloe¡¯s actions during thest incident were already outrageous enough, and what she had just done was simply an esction of such behavior. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s our n too.¡± Nicole looked at Benjamin. ¡°I just came here today to inform you about this.¡± Although Chloe¡¯s situation had not been publicized, it would eventually be made known to everyone in San Joto by the police. Therefore, she thought it was better to announce it in advance to prevent it from being too shocking of a news when it was officially revealedter down the line. Chapter 2710 Chapter 2710 Benjamin looked at Nicole and said, ¡°Sorry about this. N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. After giving him a smile, she replied, ¡°Grandpa, please don¡¯t say that. I¡¯m fine.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t say that. You¡¯re only fine because you¡¯ve got your wits about you. If something really happened to you, we¡¯d all be heartbroken,¡± Karen remarked dramatically. In response, Nicole gave her a nk stare without exposing her true intentions. She understood that Karen was just trying to bring Damien¡¯s family down, and so, she was determined to not pay any attention to any of these little schemes of hers. After all, they would not have any impact on the situation. Upon noticing Nicole¡¯s silence, Karen began to feel a little embarrassed and could only shut her mouth. ¡°Grandpa, I¡¯m going home now if there¡¯s nothing else,¡± Nicole said. She was not in the mood to stay here any longer. In fact, she was feeling somewhat tired. ¡°Go home and get some rest.¡± Benjamin nodded, knowing by the look on her face that some rest would do her good. ¡°Okay,¡± Nicole replied and walked off with Jared beside her. The air in the living room became tense and heavy at once. Daniel and Gloria had initiallye with the intention of visiting Benjamin, but now that this had happened, no one was left in a good mood. ¡°You don¡¯t need to stick around. All of you can leave.¡± Benjamin waved his hand, signaling for everyone to leave as he was feeling a little depressed too. After exchanging looks, Daniel and Gloria got up. ¡°Alright, we¡¯ll head back now.¡± ¡°Go on,¡± Benjamin said, his voice deep and low. After Daniel and Gloria had left, Karen was about to say something to Benjamin when Dillion stopped her.Books Chapters Are Daily Updated Join & Stay Updated For All Books Updates¡­ ¡°Dad, we¡¯ll head back to our room too. Let us know if you need anything,¡± Dillion said with a hint of concern. Benjamin nodded, after which Dillion pulled Karen away. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you let me speak?¡± Karen asked Dillon with a tone indicative of discontentment. ¡°This matter is over. Don¡¯t get involved anymore,¡± Dillion warned. ¡°Why? This is such a great opportunity. How could you let it go?¡± Karen said indignantly. This was the perfect chance forthem to destroy Damien¡¯s family. However, Dillion, who begged to disagree, simply red at Karen. ¡°Why are you so stupid? Didn¡¯t Raine do what Chloe did?¡± Karen¡¯s face immediately nched, and she softly muttered, ¡°But Raine is no longer around.¡± ¡°Just because she¡¯s gone doesn¡¯t mean they¡¯ll forget what she did.¡± Dillion sneered as if to tell Karen how stupid he thought she was. ¡°If you feel that life is too easy now, you may go ahead and say whatever you want in the future.¡± With that, Dillon left Karen alone and returned to his room on his own. ¡®I can¡¯t believe she allowed herself to get carried away like that,¡¯ he fumed. The family had epted them, and no one had mentioned Raine and Snow ever since. Still, that did not mean that everyone had forgotten what they had done. Therefore, it would be wise for the two of them to behave themselves if they wanted to live the lives they had currently been granted. He did not want to go back to living on the streets again, so he was willing to keep his mouth shut. As long as his father was happy, nothing else mattered. And as long as Dillion could stay, he would not poke his nose into anything else. Karen trembled as she heard Dillion mming the door, and in less than a second, the fog in her mind cleared. Chapter 2711 Chapter 2711 ¡®She had indeed gotten carried away. What makes her think it¡¯s okay to treat past events as if they have well and truly been forgotten, and keep bringing them up? Does she wish to remind everyone about them?¡¯ he wondered. Karen swallowed and followed Dillion back to her room, too afraid to even breathe. Meanwhile, the butler had gone on to tell Benjamin, ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much about Chloe.¡± He figured that it was good that nothing worse had happened. ¡°I just don¡¯t know what they¡¯re still not satisfied with,¡± Benjamin said, sounding absolutely despondent. Every single thing they had done thus far was tantamount to criminal offense. However, they had been let off time and time again, which had only emboldened them to the point that they would even dare to kidnap and harm a member of their family. ¡°Some things are simply beyond our control, and Nicole has already handled everything. I think you should stop worrying, ¡± the butlerforted in an attempt to soothe Benjamin. Owned by N?velDrama.Org. Following a sigh, Benjamin ordered, ¡°Tell Damien to never step foot in the family manor anymore.¡± He did not want to see them ever again, and above that, he did not even wish to acknowledge that there were still people like that in the Riddle family. From this day onward, Damien¡¯s family would no longer be a part of the Riddle family. The butler looked at Benjamin and nodded in agreement.¡± Rest assured, I will take care of it.¡± After that, Benjamin looked out of the window and let out another long sigh. Meanwhile, Nicole and Jared were already on the way to the Riddle residence. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going back to Johnston Group?¡± Nicole looked at Jared and asked. ¡°I¡¯m going home with you,¡± Jared answered, his eyes soft and affectionate. This made Nicole blush, and she yfully said, ¡°I¡¯m fine, I don¡¯t need anyone to apany me.¡± She was neither harmed, nor in need of someone to take care of her. If Jared had something to do, he should get it done with. However, Jared went on to smoothen Nicole¡¯s hair and embraced her. ¡°I want to apany you.¡±Books Chapters Are Daily Updated Join & Stay Updated For All Books Updates¡­ Although it had all been a part of her n, he just could not imagine what would have happened if anything went wrong. As Nicole could sense that Jared was feeling tense, she bit her lip and leaned her head on his chest. ¡°I promise that I¡¯ll tell you before doing anything risky in the future.¡± Jared stroked her hair and gently kissed her on the forehead, prompting her to snuggle into his arms like a spoiled kitten. Then, he looked at her affectionately as he held her tightly for a while longer. After some time, the couple arrived at the Riddle residence, where the butler was surprised to see the two of them back home so soon. ¡°Why have youe back?¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Carry on with your day.¡± Nicole gestured to the butler. ¡°Oh, okay,¡± the butler responded, and left. Jared and Nicole returned to their room thereafter. In there, the afternoon sun streamed in, making the room warm and cozy. ¡°Go take a shower and a nap right after.¡± Jared gently patted Nicole on the shoulder. ¡°Okay,¡± Nicole nodded and took some casual clothes with her to the bathroom. Jared looked away when he heard the sound of running water emanating from the bathroom, and went to the small table, taking out hisputer. When Nicole was done showering, she came out to see that Jared was busy, so she quietly went to the bedside, pulled theforter over herself, and lied down. Jared smiled as he shot a nce over his shoulder. He then got up and went to where Nicole was. Chapter 2712 Chapter 2712 ¡°Did I disturb you?¡± Nicole asked when she saw him approaching her. ¡°Nope.¡± Jared smiled, gently stroking her hair. ¡°Just sleep. I¡¯ll watch over you.¡± A warm feeling surged in Nicole¡¯s heart in an instant. She held Jared¡¯s hand, closed her eyes, and fell asleep, feeling content. Jared watched Nicole quietly, waiting for her to drift away before getting up and returning to the desk. His secretary had sent many files over to him, and so, he went on to get busy with his work. Meanwhile, Damien¡¯s house was empty and silent now that Damien was alone in it. Ever since he heard about what happened to Chloe, the air around him had been dark and oppressive. In the previous incident, Miley had taken the me for Chloe, who was now arrested as well. Even Everett had fled abroad. This led him to wonder why his luck had been so rotten. It made no sense as to why he had been thwarted time and again. ¡®Nicole is just a country bumpkin. Why is she so good at everything?¡¯ he fumed. He became livider the more he thought about it. Gritting his teeth, he wondered, ¡®How is it that our family ended up like this ever since Nicole came back?¡¯ Then, he firmed his grip on his phone and hesitated for a moment before dialing a number. ¡°Dad, didn¡¯t I say not to call me?¡± Everett¡¯s angry voice came through. ¡°Chloe got into trouble. Nicole has set her up¡­¡± Damien quickly reported the situation to Everett. After a moment of silence on the phone, Everett said, ¡°So, what do you want me to do?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t take this! I can¡¯t let Nicole win!¡± Damien gritted his teeth. ¡°Find someone for me, someone who has never been to San Joto! Someone inconspicuous, and also¡­¡±Books Chapters Are Daily Updated Join & Stay Updated For All Books Updates¡­ ¡°Give it three days. They will contact you within three days.¡± After saying that, Everett hung up. Damien breathed a sigh of relief. He had no choice but to turn to Everett. He knew that when Everett left, thetter had informed them not to contact him to avoid any unnecessary problems, and that he would return when the time was right. However, the situation was different now, as he had no one else to turn to. With all said and done, Everett had promised to hire someone for him, so all he had to do was n the rest of it now. The setting sun cast a warm glow on the western horizon as evening approached. The living room in the Riddle residence was bustling as both Lulu and June hade over after work. Everyone had already been informed about Chloe¡¯s situation, and since Nicole had not gone to work in the afternoon, everyone was naturally worried about her. ¡°I¡¯m relieved to see you doing okay.¡± Lulu eyed Nicole, feeling that she looked alright. Content ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me, I have always been fine,¡± Nicole reassured them, knowing that they were concerned about her. ¡°Hey Nicole. Has Uncle Damien received the news already? Why aren¡¯t there any responses from him at all?¡± Samuel asked,confused. ¡®At a time like this, they should at least give us an apology, right?¡¯ he thought. ¡°Grandpa has already severed ties with him,¡± Nicole calmly replied. ¡°Besides, it¡¯ll be nigh impossible for him toe over and apologize to me in person.¡± If anything, he was probably harboring a great deal of resentment for her at this point. ¡°I just feel it¡¯s not normal for him to be this quiet,¡± Samuel said, sounding worried. Even if he was pretending to be okay, it was still odd that he had not disyed any sort of reaction at all. ¡°Oh, it¡¯spletely normal,¡± Nicole said as she narrowed her eyes. Regardless of what Damien was showing the rest of the family now, Nicole knew for sure that he was feigning it all. His true thoughts likely revolved around nothing but pure, unadulterated hatred. She nced at Jared and found him looking at her. In that brief moment of eye contact, they both understood each other¡¯s thoughts. Chapter 2713 Chapter 2713 ¡°Forget it. Let¡¯s not talk about it anymore. We should be happy that we¡¯ve finally caught the culprit who was trying to screw with me,¡± Nicole said, slowly regaining herposure. ¡°That¡¯s right, and this deserves a celebration,¡± Lulu agreed. She too hade to the conclusion that Chloe was reaping what she sowed. ¡°Mommy!¡± Nn and Lana shouted as they pounced on Nicole, who went on to ruffle their hair. ¡°You¡¯re back,¡± she greeted. ¡°Mummy, you came back so early today,¡± they said, as they were used to arriving home before she did. ¡°Yep, I took half a day off,¡± Nicole replied without giving them an exnation. ¡°Hi, Nicole,¡± Tia came over to greet Nicole. ¡®Til get going then.¡± Tia figured that since the kids had arrived home safely, she should return to her house at the back. ¡°Tia, please stay back and have dinner with us,¡± June invited. ¡°Let¡¯s eat together. You should bring Mrs. Wace Sr. along with you as well,¡± Lulu echoed. ¡°No, I better get¡­¡± Tia was about to decline their invitation when Nicole interrupted her and said, ¡°No worries. It¡¯s a gathering today. You should join us.¡±This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. With everyone extending her a warm wee, Tia figured that she had no choice but to ept their invitation. During dinner, everyone in the family gathered in the dining room. Samuel and Spencer were taking care of June and Lulu, while Nicole and Jared were whispering to each other, talking about something not within earshot of the rest. Tia and Stanley were the only ones who were awkwardly silent at the dining table. Upon noticing how silent Tia was, Gloria said, ¡°Come on, Tia. Don¡¯t be shy with us.¡± ¡°Thanks,¡± Tia nodded, but she continued grabbing the dishes that were within her reach only. Tia was not shy whatsoever. However, she was evidently unnerved by Stanley, who was sitting directly across from her. Gloria, who had seemed to pick up on the tension, proceeded to stare at Tia and Stanley. She was unable to understand why they were so ufortable around each other. Mrs. Wace Sr. instantly understood how Tia was feeling, and as she did not want Tia to be put on the spot, she began talking to Gloria to divert her attention. Upon noticing that Gloria¡¯s eyes were no longer on her, Tia breathed a mental sigh of relief. She knew that Gloria was just being kind, but she really could not stand all that attention from her. ¡°Try this,¡± Stanley said. Tia was petrified. As it turned out, he had swapped the dishes right in front of her with those she preferred.Books Chapters Are Daily Updated Join & Stay Updated For All Books Updates¡­ Although she had not seen him doing it, she knew it was him by the sound of his voice. After Stanley had positioned the new dishes in front of her, he remained silent and went on with his usual business of eating. He was not as calm as he seemed, but he knew that Tia was feeling very uneasy. As such, he did not want to cause her any further difort. ¡°Oh my, what¡¯s going on here?¡± Lulu blinked her eyes and whispered to Nicole. Nicole shook her head, indicating that she was not familiar with the scene, and that she too felt that Stanley¡¯s behavior was rather puzzling. ¡°Is he?¡± June crossed her middle and index finger, wanting to ask if Stanley was cheating on two women at once. ¡°I don¡¯t think so,¡± Lulu replied. She believed that no member of the Riddle family would do such a thing, as none of them had ever been known to do so before. In response, June frowned. ¡°Me neither, but how can you exin this?¡± Suddenly, Stanley¡¯s phone rang. The moment he answered the call, Cherry¡¯s shrieking voice red out, ¡°Stanley, my heels are broken. Pick me up now!¡± ¡°I¡¯m eating dinner¡­¡± Before Stanley could finish, however, the phone call ended. At first, he was perplexed and wanted to ignore Cherry¡¯s request, but once he realized what Cherry¡¯s intentions were, he looked up and met Tia¡¯s gaze. And after a short pause, Stanley informed Gloria, ¡°Mom, I¡¯m heading out for a while.¡± With that, Stanley ced his cutlery down and left the house in a hurry. Chapter 2714 Chapter 2714 Stanley dared not look back, as he had caught a glimpse of how depressed Tia looked when he was on his way out. All it would take was a second of hesitation, and Stanley might change his mind and stay back. ¡®Let it be. Perhaps Cherry could help me out. If Tia cries for me, I will do my best to create a future for the both of us. But if she doesn¡¯t, I could only give her my blessings and leave her,¡¯ he concluded. After Stanley had vanished from the doorway, June and Lulu¡¯s whispering became even louder. ¡°Why is Cherry so rude?¡± Lulu asked. ¡°She looked alright thest time we saw her, though. Sheesh, I guess you can never judge a book by its cover,¡± June said with a hint of disapproval. ¡°Perhaps they¡¯re in their honeymoon phase. People tend to act differently when they¡¯re in that phase, you know,¡± Nicole stated calmly, though her gaze went to tell June and Lulu to quit it with the topic. Fortunately, the duo picked up on Nicole¡¯s signal almost instantly, and proceeded to change the subject in a jiffy. Judging by how Tia looked, it was best if they did not add fuel to the fire. ¡°I¡¯m done,¡± Tia stood up, trying to sound calm andposed. ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t want to have some more?¡± Gloria asked. ¡°You¡¯ve been eating very little today.¡± This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. Tia looked at Gloria and replied, ¡°No thanks. My stomach is full already.¡± ¡°Alright then,¡± Gloria said, not wanting to push Tia. Tia did not leave right away once she was done, as she had to wait for Mrs. Wace Sr. While she remained seated, Tia could not stop thinking about how Cherry sounded in that phone call with Stanley. Sharing June and Lulu¡¯s opinion on the matter, Tia was in disbelief that Cherry had turned out to be so pushy and abrasive. Tia was even starting to think that Cherry might have put on a mask before she got together with Stanley. The very idea caused her face to nch as she gritted her teeth. ¡®If that¡¯s the case, will Stanley really be happy in the future?¡¯ Her head was still in the clouds when Mrs. Wace Sr., who was done eating by that point, called out to her. ¡°Tia, let¡¯s go back.¡± There was a 30 second dy before Tia stood up and responded, ¡°Yep, alright.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll get going first,¡± Tia said as she bade her farewell to everyone in the hall and pushed Mrs. Wace Sr. back to the house in the courtyard. ¡°It feels like Tia is hurt.¡± Lulu sighed, feeling heartbroken for Tia. June nodded in agreement. ¡°Both of them are acting weird.¡± Nicole followed up by shaking her head in helplessness. ¡°Let them settle it on their own.¡± Nicole could not understand Stanley¡¯s decision either, but as this was an issue between Stanley and his partner, she had decided to respect his decision anyway. ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Gloria asked, not knowing what they were conversing about. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. We¡¯re just saying that Stanley has been treating Cherry very well.¡± Lulu beamed at Gloria. Gloria nodded. ¡°Indeed. That¡¯s how women should be treated.¡± Lulu then breathed a sigh of relief in silence, thinking it was fortunate that Gloria had not overheard their conversation. ¡°Eat up,¡± Nicole said, and proceeded to scoop some of the dishes up and ce them onto Lulu¡¯s te to get her to stop talking about it. Having noticed Nicole¡¯s cue, Lulu shed her a smile and stopped mentioning Stanley and Tia entirely. After dinner, Jared took the kids upstairs. As June and Lulu had not left the house, Nicole stuck around and continued chatting with them in the living room. ¡°Oh, I almost forgot to ask. How are the wedding preparations?¡± Lulu asked in anticipation. Chapter 2715 Chapter 2715 ¡°I have no idea,¡± Nicole replied. Shocked, both Lulu and June asked, ¡°How could you not know?¡± ¡°Due to the fact that I¡¯ve been very busytely, I haven¡¯t had the time to ask about it. Besides, the date isn¡¯t even set, so there¡¯s no rush,¡± Nicole said calmly. After hearing that, the two women rolled their eyes at Nicole. ¡°There is nothing more important than this.¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright. Although we didn¡¯t have a wedding, we have been officially married for a long time now,¡± Nicole said. She felt that a wedding would just be purely ceremonial since her situation with Jared waspletely distinct from that of Lulu¡¯s and June¡¯s. Lulu sighed and shook her head, prompting Nicole to chuckle and ask, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± In response, Lulu looked at Nicole with envy and said,¡± Jared really does spoil you.¡± ¡°Hey, if you phrase it like that, a certain someone might get sad,¡± Nicole teased. Knowing what Nicole meant, Lulu blushed. ¡°I¡¯m not saying Spencer¡¯s bad or anything.¡± Lulu was just teasing Nicole, but in the process of doing so, she had been struck with aeback that had left her floored. ¡°I¡¯m serious, Nicole. You should pay more attention to your wedding,¡± June advised. Hearing that, Lulu reminded, ¡°I think we better not advise her on anything else. We¡¯ll be the ones who can¡¯t stand them once they start getting lovey-dovey.¡± Lulu had gotten it right. Nicole¡¯scency was not a result of her not taking her wedding to heart. It was because Nicole knew Jared would handle everything for her, leaving her with nothing to worry about. Owned by N?velDrama.Org. ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± June said in agreement. The few chit-chatted for a while longer, and it was only when it was gettingte that the two decided to leave. After sending her friends off, Nicole got up and returned to her room. ¡°Are the kids asleep?¡± Nicole asked Jared. ¡°They¡¯re fast asleep,¡± Jared replied. ¡°You must be exhausted. IV ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Nicole smiled. ¡°I had a great nap.¡± Nicole then nced at Jared¡¯sptop and asked, ¡°What about you? Are you done with work?¡± ¡°Just finished,¡± Jared said, and got up to take a seat next to Nicole. Nicoleid her head on his shoulders and wrapped her arms around his. ¡°Ah, finally, the day is over.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t help but feel that you must prepare to strike Damien soon,¡± Jared said. Nicole seemed exceptionallyposed, as far as Damien¡¯s situation was concerned, giving Jared the impression that she had everything under control. Meeting Jared¡¯s gaze, Nicole smiled and said, ¡°So you noticed too.¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s not hard to figure out,¡± Jared replied with a hint of affection, and gave Nicole¡¯s forehead a light tap. ¡°Hehe.¡± Nicole smirked. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t act on my own this time. I¡¯ll be sure to discuss it with you beforehand.¡± Nicole had a feeling that she could handle Damien on her own, but she decided that it would be best for her to inform Jared of her decision, just so that she could put him at ease. ¡°Good,¡± Jared agreed, not intent on disappointing Nicole. After that, she beamed and nted a kiss on Jared¡¯s cheek.¡± Thank you.¡± Slow but intense, Jared¡¯s gaze descended upon Nicole¡¯s lips, on which he ced a gentle kiss after he had lowered his head. Then, Nicole too began to lose herself in the moment. As dawn broke, the sun rose, casting shades of blue, yellow, and orange on the sky. A new day began with the chirping of birds filling the air. Chapter 2716 Chapter 2716 Nicole opened her eyes and slowly sat up. Out of nowhere, Jared grabbed her and kissed right at the temple. Blushing, Nicole yfully frowned at Jared. ¡°Get up already, would you?¡± With a gentle gaze, Jared nted a kiss on Nicole¡¯s forehead before releasing her for her morning shower. Nicole hurried off to the bathroom after she had gotten off the bed. She then calmed herself with a ssh of cold water on the face. ¡®Will that jerk just chill in the morning? His appetite is almost too much for me to handle.¡¯ After washing up and preparing to make her way downstairs for breakfast, Nn and Lana approached Nicole just as she was leaving her room. ¡°Mommy,¡± the kids called out. With each of them clinging to Nicole¡¯s arms, the kids¡¯ faces lit up with delight as they headed to the first floor with their mother. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re all awake. Let¡¯s have breakfast then,¡± Gloria greeted once she had seen them. As they were sitting at the dining table, Nicole noticed Stanley¡¯s paleplexion and asked, ¡°Did you sleep wellst night? You don¡¯t look so good.¡± ¡±Oh really?¡± Stanley touched his face. ¡°Well, I had an alright sleep.¡± Nicole raised her eyebrows, knowing that something on his mind had kept him awake during the night prior. However, Stanley seemed determined to not dwell on it, so Nicole decided not to press him for more answers. After breakfast, Tia came over to send the children to school.N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. Upon getting into the house, Tia greeted everyone, including Stanley. She then snuck a brief nce at Stanley before averting her gaze and taking the kids away with her. Stanley watched as Tia departed. He could not help but feel that there was something alienating about the way she was behaving right in front of her. ¡°Mom, Dad, I¡¯ll get going,¡± Nicole informed. She could sense some kind of change in Stanley, but as she did not wish to say anything about it, she packed her stuff and left the house with Jared. Stanley quickly withdrew his gaze. Even though he found the breakfast in front of him unappealing, he quickly cleaned his te and left for work as well. ¡°Why are these few acting so weirdly today?¡± Daniel wondered out loud. Gloria agreed, ¡°I had the same feeling. What¡¯s going on?¡± Barring Chloe¡¯s stunt, nothing significant had happenedst night, so they did not understand why the kids looked as if they had a cloud of gloom hovering over them. Meanwhile, Nicole and Jared had both strolled off to the courtyard where their car was parked. ¡°Patricia has arranged for someone to keep an eye on Damien. She¡¯ll inform me if there¡¯s any news,¡± Nicole said, believing that Damien would no doubt make a move. At this rate, it was just a matter of time. ¡°You can always ask Charlie if you need him,¡± Jared suggested. ¡°Sure thing,¡± Nicole agreed. She would ask Charlie to assist Patricia if additional backup was needed. After a while, their car stopped at the entrance of Riddle Corporation. Nicole got out of the car and watched as it drove off before she entered thepany building. ¡°Your gown for Ellison¡¯s Group¡¯s annual celebration has arrived,¡± her secretary informed her. Frowning, Nicole waved her hands and said, ¡°There¡¯s no need for a gown.¡± After all, Nicole was just showing up as the partner for the joint venture. She figured that it would be more suitable for her to wear a formal dress. ¡°I won¡¯t change my attire then,¡± Lulu said while approaching Nicole. Lulu overheard Nicole¡¯sment as she was walking up to her, and she felt it was more appropriate for her to dress up formally as well. Nicole smirked at the sight of Luluing up to her. ¡°So, I see you are ready to join us today.¡± ¡°Yep. What you said made sense, so I¡¯ve been making preparations for the past two days,¡± Lulu said. Then, she clenched her hand as a gesture of diligence and said, ¡°Just you wait for the fruits of my effort, Nicole.¡± Chapter 2717 Chapter 2717 Nicole chuckled and went on to encourage Lulu. ¡°I sure will. Waiting for your good news.¡± ¡°The banquet is in the evening. Let¡¯s head there after lunch,¡± Lulu suggested. ¡°I¡¯m fine with that,¡± Nicole agreed, as she was not nning to go on an empty stomach. Events such as these would usually provide wine and finger food instead of proper meals inrge quantities. ¡°Nice, let¡¯s go grab lunch together.¡± Lulu smiled. Nicole nodded and walked into her office, while Lulu returned to hers. Soon, it was lunchtime, and the two met up before heading out together. ¡°Ellison Group¡¯s annual celebration this year must be exceptionally grand, am I right? I heard many influential figures in San Joto areing over,¡± Lulu asked. Lulu had been to annual banquets before, but this was her first time attending one considered to be grand and high- budget. ¡°It should be.¡± Nicole snorted. Regardless of how borate and grand it would be, she still had very little interest in it. ¡°Well, with Harvey requesting your absolute presence, do you think he has other ns in mind?¡± Lulu wondered with a frown. ¡°We¡¯ll find out when we reach.¡± Nicole continued eating her lunch without a tinge of anxiety. Nicole had already promised to attend the celebration. She figured that Harvey would not have the temerity to do anything embarrassing to the both of them at the annual banquet. She also believed that he would know her personality and style of doing things if he was not aplete imbecile. After another few minutes of chit-chatting, the two leisurely finished their lunch and left for the banquet. Then, they took a cab to the banquet venue, and upon reaching, they saw that some of the guests had already arrived and were going to the ball. ¡°I think we¡¯re early,¡± Luluined, looking at how sparse the crowd was. If she knew that this was going to be the case, they would have stayed at the restaurant a little longer, since showing up early would be a boring waste of time. ¡°Don¡¯t forget what you¡¯re here for,¡± Nicole smirked as she reminded her. ¡°Oh yeah, you¡¯re right,¡± Lulu nodded. ¡°Let¡¯s get in then.¡± Lulu linked her arm with Nicole¡¯s, and together, they entered the venue. The venue was stunningly decorated, with the hall exuding an air of elegance and grandeur. The atmosphere was lively and cheerful, with everyone mingling and socializing. There, the waiters moved gracefully through the crowd, offering drinks and snacks to each and every single one of the guests. As the waiters passed by Nicole and Lulu, they both took a ss of wine each and walked up to the crowd. ¡°Do you know any of them?¡± Nicole asked. ¡°Yep, I read and memorized their personal information beforehand.¡± Lulu nodded in response. Hearing that, Nicole chuckled. ¡°In that case, I won¡¯t steal your spotlight.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Just wait for my good news.¡± Lulu smiled. Then, theyughed and went on their merry way, with Lulu heading toward her targeted crowd, while Nicole socialized with some of her business partners. As the crowd grew, the scene got even livelier. However, there were no signs of Harvey, which puzzled everyone. This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. They were wondering why Harvey had not shown up at such an important event. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Someone screamed, capturing everyone¡¯s attention. It was then that a few individuals entered the venue carrying with them arge bouquet of flowers. The bouquet in question was so massive that it covered the faces of those carrying it. Chapter 2718 Chapter 2718 ¡°Are these for Mr. Ellison?¡¯ ¡°Who would send so many flowers to him?¡± While everyone was busy discussing the flowers, the men carrying the bouquets unexpectedly stopped in front of Nicole and handed them to her. As Nicole could not hold all the flower bouquets on her own, she asked Lulu for help. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Lulu whispered. Nicole shook her head, saying, ¡°I have no clue.¡± Then, a thought crossed Nicole¡¯s mind. ¡®Could it be from Harvey? Since everyone is here to congratte Ellison Group, nobody else would dare to send me flowers on this asion. Such frivolous extravaganza is something only Harvey would typically do.¡¯ ¡°Thank you foring to our annual celebration, Nicole. Your presence truly graces our celebration, so here is a little token of my appreciation. I hope you like it,¡± Harvey announced as he sauntered into the venue. ¡°So it is Harvey¡¯s gift to Nicole.¡± But why did Harvey give Nicole presents?¡± As expected, the murmurs and whispers among the guests reached Nicole and Lulu¡¯s ears in short order. ¡°Harvey is such a bastard. He insisted that you show up, and here he is, doing this on purpose,¡± Lulu grumbled. Nicole snorted. ¡°Clearly, that¡¯s what he is doing.¡± ¡°That damn Harvey. He is actually making a mockery of his ownpany¡¯s annual event.¡± Lulu muttered in frustration under her breath. ¡°The fact that you¡¯re silent must mean that you like the flowers,¡± Harvey gloated as he approached Nicole. This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. Nicole¡¯s eyes shed with a hint of cold fury as she responded, ¡°If I said I do not like it, will you get someone to take the flowers back?¡± ¡®How could I possibly like this? He¡¯s clearly asking a question he has the answer to,¡¯ she fumed. Harvey froze for a moment, but he maintained his smile. ¡°It¡¯s a token of appreciation for you, so it¡¯s up to you to decide what to do with them.¡± In other words, Harvey was saying that he would not take back the gifts he had given. Recognizing Harvey¡¯s intention, Nicole nodded and said,¡± Alright then.¡± Nicole swept her gaze across the crowd andnded on a group of young women, who were seemingly employees of Ellison Group. ¡°Lulu, please hand them the flowers,¡± Nicole said. Though she was not loud, everyone had heard what she just said. ¡°Sure thing,¡± Lulu replied promptly, and went off to do as Nicole had instructed. Within moments, Lulu handed the bouquets over to the young employees. However, the employees¡¯ expressions becameplex as they received the flowers. The flowers were lovely, but the fact remained that they were supposed to be Harvey¡¯s gift to Nicole. They were afraid that they would be fired after receiving them. As they held the flowers, the women had no idea what to do with them. ¡°There¡¯s no need to thank me. You should thank Mr. Ellison instead,¡± Nicole said, her tone casual after she had noticed the unease on the women¡¯s faces. ¡°Don¡¯t mention it,¡± Harvey said dismissively. After that, the women breathed a sigh of relief and said,¡± Thank you, Mr. Ellison and Ms. Riddle.¡± They did not dare to pass the flowers they were holding to someone else. Thanks to Nicole, however, Harvey would not be able to hold them responsible for it. Chapter 2719 Chapter 2719 With everything said and done, she turned around and left the crowd of screaming women. ¡®This is way too scary, even for me.¡¯ Nicole turned to look at Harvey after she had thrown the bouquet of flowers to the crowd of hormonal teenage girls, and in a monotonous voice, she said, ¡°Mr. Ellison, I assume that everyone from your family is already here for the annual dinner. Shall we start? It¡¯s getting quitete.¡± ¡®I would like to see you try. You have the nerve for tricking me intoing. I¡¯ll show you how it¡¯s done. I can¡¯t believe he had the temerity to waste so many people¡¯s time.¡¯ Nicole sneered. Harvey smirked and gritted his teeth, trying to maintain hisposure before making his way up to the stage to give an opening speech. ¡°He¡¯s flirting with you in front of so many people. Is he out of his mind?¡± Lulu asked in hushed whispers with a look of disgust stered on her face. ¡®I can¡¯t believe he really did that in front of everyone here. Come to think of it, I¡¯m really starting to believe that he really had taken Ellison Group over with ease. Of course, Thomas might¡¯ve given in due to guilt,¡¯ Lulu thought. ¡°Maybe he¡¯s got nothing to do and he¡¯s just bored. How¡¯s things on your side?¡± Nicole asked Lulu. ¡°Things are going well on my side. A fewpanies are interested in my proposal. I¡¯ve set up meetings with them to further discuss it. I think I¡¯m going to bag them,¡± Lulu bragged. ¡°Nice job! Since this fe doesn¡¯t seem to be interested in staying in hisne, we might as well give him a surprise of a lifetime,¡± Nicole replied as she turned to look at Harvey, who was now on stage. ¡°Huh? What are you going on about?¡± Lulu asked as she inched closer to Nicole. In turn, Nicole leaned over and whispered into Lulu¡¯s ear. Soon after, the host of the annual dinner went on to announce on the microphone, ¡°Alright everyone, the next thing on our agenda is one of the highlights of the night. Come grab your plus ones, step onto the dance floor and dance your heart away!¡± Everyone got up from their seats and began making their way to their partners. Meanwhile, Harvey scanned the room, his eyes ranging over anyone and everyone until they fell on the pair he was looking for: Nicole and Lulu. Then, he took confident strides toward them with a smug look on his face. ¡°Ms. Riddle, care for a dance?¡± Harvey asked in a posh ent as he extended his hand. ¡°Oh, my goodness! Me?!¡± an unfamiliar voice suddenly responded. N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. This took Harvey aback, who whipped his head up and took a good look at the person who was standing in front of him. ¡®This is not Nicole, but she¡¯s wearing the same clothes Nicole was wearing earlier!¡¯ Harvey seethed. ¡°Who are you?¡± Harvey spat. ¡°We¡¯re the outstanding staff who were invited to the annual dinner,¡± the woman replied in a soft, timid voice. The woman waspletely bbergasted. She had no idea what was happening and why Harvey had approached her with an invitation to be his dance partner. Harvey quickly spun around and scanned the hall, hoping to catch a glimpse of Nicole, but to no avail. It was then he came to his senses and realized what had happened. ¡®I wanted to invite Nicole for a dance but she has left without saying a word. I¡¯m such a schmuck! How the hell did I ask the wrong person!? God damn it! How could I be such a dumbss!? Everyone else was wearing suits and Nicole was the only one wearing a dress, but how could two employees¡­¡¯ ¡®That sneaky btch! Wow, I really can¡¯t believe her!¡¯ And just like that, Harvey was left fuming in the middle of the ballroom. Meanwhile, Nicole and Lulu had already left the hall after pulling a sessful Irish Exit on him. ¡°I feel much better out here than when I was back there. The air¡¯s fresher too,¡± Lulu said, and drew a deep breath. The invitation Nicole had received from Harvey was not one given from a ce of courtesy. Instead, it was all a part of his scheme to cast Nicole in a negative light. ¡°Listen. About the things you¡¯ve told me earlier, I just want you to know that if you need my help on anything, you can always call me or Patricia,¡± Nicole informed Lulu. ¡°I know.¡± Lulu nodded in agreement. Back at the headquarters of Riddle Corporation, Patricia stood up in shock as she saw Nicole and Lulu walking into the office. ¡°Ms. Riddle? Why are you back so soon?¡± she asked. Chapter 2720 Chapter 2720 ¡°Don¡¯t even bring it up. Harvey Ellison really is a piece of shit! He was up to no good from the very beginning!¡± Lulu ranted. Patricia frowned, ¡°He really was pushing his luck, wasn¡¯t he? And in front of such a huge crowd too. He really wasn¡¯t afraid of any bacsh, it seems.¡± ¡°I¡¯d rather think that he¡¯s simply too thick skinned to be bothered by any sort of significant bacsh,¡± Lulu grumbled as a grimace crossed her face. Patricia nodded in agreement, ¡°Fair point.¡± As Lulu did not expect Patricia to nod along to her angry rants, she busted out into fits ofughter as she maintained her stare on Patricia¡¯s expression. Patricia, on the other hand, looked serious and unamused. Patricia then turned to Nicole, ¡°Ms. Riddle, I would advise you to avoid any further interaction with Mr. Ellison in the future.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that, Patricia. I will make sure that he will be avoiding Nicole in every way possible,¡± Lulu said with a smug smile stered on her face. However, what surprised Patricia was how expressionless Nicole was. ¡®Nicole must¡¯ve got something up her sleeves.1 ¡°If there¡¯s anything you need help with, you can always ask me,¡± Patricia said to Lulu. ¡°I will. Thanks Patricia,¡± Lulu beamed. Patricia proceeded to return the smile. ¡°You are most wee.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll head back to my office now if there isn¡¯t anything else,¡± Lulu announced as she turned around and made her way back to her office. This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. After a long period of silence, Nicole shot Patricia a nce.¡± We can speak in the office.¡± ¡°Yes, Ms. Riddle,¡± Patricia replied, and followed Nicole into her office. Upon reaching Nicole¡¯s office, Nicole cut straight to the chase. ¡°So tell me, what seems to be the matter?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve managed to dig up a few things about Damien. He has been holed up in his residence recently. On top of that, he has been firing everyone from his ce. His cook is the only one who is left. I think it¡¯s very suspicious,¡± Patricia reported. In response, Nicole furrowed her eyebrows. ¡°He doesn¡¯t even leave his own house anymore?¡± ¡®I wonder how long he can stay indoors for,¡¯ Nicole pondered. Patricia wore a solemn look as she replied, ¡°Yes, apparently so. I¡¯m not sure if he is nning something or not.¡± ¡°Are you sure he¡¯s inside?¡± Nicole asked. The situation in question was raising arge number of rm bells for her, as it was not normal for Damien to stay inside his house for extended periods of time. Patricia nodded. ¡°Yes, he is in his residence. He hasn¡¯t stepped a foot out since Chloe was detained.¡± Nicole¡¯s expression darkened the instant she had heard Patricia¡¯s answer. ¡°It seems that he is just sitting at home, waiting for something to happen.¡± ¡°Hold on¡­are you saying that he doesn¡¯t have any influence over anything anymore, so he¡¯s sitting around waiting for Everett?¡± Patricia interrupted. ¡°It¡¯s definitely possible that he is. Look into this matter immediately, and see if he has been contacting Everett, or if Everett has been paying any visits to him,¡± Nicole ordered. ¡°Yes, Ms. Riddle.¡± Patricia nodded. ¡°Keep your eyes peeled. Everett might be using a fake identity to travel to and navigate around San Joto,¡± Nicole advised. Patricia nodded again. ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll make sure of it.¡± Patricia left Nicole¡¯s office shortly after, leaving Nicole to lean back against her seat as she gazed out of the window.1 If Damien really is waiting for someone or something, my guess is that he is waiting for Everett.¡¯ Chapter 2721 Chapter 2721 Nicole sat there in silence as she pondered to herself, ¡®If Everett ising back and Lawrence is already here¡­! wonder¡­were the both of them hiding abroad together and are nowing back one by one here to crack the code for the Water Crest? ¡®But if cracking the code for the Water Crest is a piece of cake, why did it take Lawrence this much time?¡¯ she wondered. ¡®But if the Water Crest isn¡¯t the reason, what could have gotten Everett toe back so hastily?¡¯ Three dayster, time passed in a blink of an eye, and Damien was still keeping his whereabouts under wraps. He had only kept his chef around, and had made no movements that could rouse the suspicion of those who were watching him. Patricia furrowed her brows, as worry glinted in her eyes.¡± He isn¡¯t plotting some kind of grand revenge n at home, is he?¡± Nicole nodded. ¡°It¡¯s a possibility we can¡¯t rule out so easily.¡± ¡®Something must be terribly wrong. How can he be so silent and subdued?¡¯ Nicole wondered. This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. ¡°We couldn¡¯t find anything suspicious, no matter how hard we searched. What on earth could he possibly be scheming? This feels very sinister,¡± Patricia said. Benjamin Riddle had suspected that Damien could be waiting for Everett. However, not a single sign showed that Everett had returned to San Joto or contacted Damien. Nicole narrowed her eyes. ¡®If my guess is right, Everett will not being back here anytime soon, but then again, I might be wrong. Perhaps Damien didn¡¯t tell Everett about what happened to Chloe. But then again, Chloe¡¯s case hasn¡¯t been cleared off entirely by the police, so there¡¯s no way that Everett could¡¯ve contacted Chloe.¡¯ ¡®I find it very suspicious that Everett is being so quiet about this. Were they already prepared in the event that something like this happened to Chloe? Nah, these things don¡¯t add up,¡¯ she thought. Nicole bit her lip as she looked over at Patricia. ¡°Since nothing is happening, let¡¯s just continue to keep an eye on them.¡± Nicole waved it off, as she had more pressing matters; tasks which she could not afford to dy over the petty issue at hand. ¡°Yes, Ms. Riddle,¡± Patricia agreed, and left the office. Nicole picked the files on her desk up after Patricia was gone and quickly got to work. However, it was not long before a knock on her door disrupted her flow. ¡°Come in.¡± Then, Nicole¡¯s secretary walked in. ¡°There¡¯s a letter for you. Its sender is anonymous.¡± Nicole looked up with her brows raised in confusion.¡± Anonymous?¡± ¡®Who on earth would send me a package anonymously?¡¯ Nicole asked herself. ¡°Yeah, the staff at the front desk was unsure if it should be delivered to you, so I came to ask,¡± Nicole¡¯s secretary replied as she was holding the letter. ¡°Bring it over,¡± Nicole said as she beckoned her forward. Nicole quickly snatched the mysterious letter and tore it open. Within the envelope was a piece of paper with pasted letter fonts derived from newspaper cutouts. Nicole narrowed her eyes as she read the contents of the letter. ¡®Who sent this?¡¯ ¡°Do you have any idea who might¡¯ve sent this to you?¡± Nicole¡¯s secretary asked when she noted the solemn look on her employer¡¯s face. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. You may leave. Please get Patricia over here,¡± Nicole ordered as she dismissed her secretary and stashed the letter away. Upon hearing the orders, Nicole¡¯s secretary quickly scrambled on her feet and rushed out of the office. Patricia entered Nicole¡¯s office not long after. ¡°Were you asking for me?¡± Patricia was unsure of what had led Nicole to summon her into the office out of the blue. However, she was aware of the fact that an anonymous letter had been delivered to the office. Nicole stretched her hand, holding the envelope. ¡°Take a look at this.¡± Patricia grabbed it and began to read its contents. ¡°What, why are they threatening you?¡± No shit.¡± Nicole sneered as her expression darkened. Chapter 2722 Chapter 2722 ¡°I find it rather surprising that he thinks you¡¯ll just sit idly by and watch as he pulls his tricks on Er,¡± Patricia observed. The situation in the Riddle family was equally asplex as the situation that had yet to be uncovered, making it exceedingly difficult to solve. ¡°It¡¯s obvious they got someone who knows me well to do this,¡± Nicole assumed. ¡®If the person who had nned all of this wasn¡¯t aware of how everyone works, they would not have resorted to doing something like this,¡¯ Nicole surmised. ¡°Know you? Everyone in San Joto knows and has heard about you, but the people who would dare to screw with you¡­¡± Patricia trailed off with a look of confusion stered on her face. Judging by the circumstances at the moment, Nicole could not think of anyone else who would do such a thing except for Damien. He has been keeping under the radar for quite a while now. Does he really think that he¡¯ll be able to get away with it by maintaining his silence?¡¯ Nicole thought before standing up. ¡°Let¡¯s pay a visit to Johnston Group,¡± Nicole dered. ¡°Yes, Ms. Riddle,¡± Patricia agreed, and quickly followed Nicole out of the office right away. Lulu, who happened to be passing by, asked, ¡°Where are you guys going?¡± ¡°We¡¯re going to Johnston Group,¡± Nicole curtly said. Having understood what was going on, Lulu did not question further as she watched the two disappear from view. Soon after, the duo of Nicole and Patricia arrived at the headquarters of Johnston Group As expected, Jared was surprised to see Nicole walking up to him. ¡°What brings you here? Did something happen?¡± Jared scrutinized the look on Nicole¡¯s face, and noticed that she was both bitter and furious. ¡®Did something terrible happen?¡¯ Nicole handed the letter over to Jared and said, ¡°I received this today in the courier.¡± Jared grabbed it, and once he too had read it, his expression soured at once. ¡®This bastard really has the balls to challenge us, it seems.¡¯ ¡°I¡¯m guessing this person is someone who knows us to some degree. Otherwise, they would not have resorted to doing something as childish as this,¡± Nicole stated. ¡°Harvey Ellison? Damien Riddle?¡± Jared guessed. Nicole looked up at Jared and stared at him for a while.¡± Harvey probably wouldn¡¯t do something as stupid as this and Damien, on the other hand, has been holed up for god knows how long now.¡± ¡®I can pretty much guarantee that Harvey wouldn¡¯t do such a thing but Damien? I can¡¯t think of anyone else aside from a pain in the ass like him,¡¯ Nicole thought. ¡°Perhaps he got someone to do it for him,¡± Jared posited. ¡°Yeah? The point is that he has not been in contact with anyone from the outside so how could he order anyone to do it?¡± Nicole queried. Nicole was certain that it was Damien, even though her intelligence had found nothing suspicious when they were surveying him. ¡°If there¡¯s a will, there¡¯s a way,¡± Jared replied. ¡®There is a possibility that he¡¯s worried about getting caught so he has resorted to doing things off the grid,¡¯ Jared thought. It was then that Nicole asked, ¡°What should we do now?¡± Nicole was the sort of person who would not be able to sit around and watch as the people around her get hurt. However, the person threatening knew her well and had gone as far as to employ psychological warfare to toy around with her. Jared raised his eyebrows and with a smirk on his face, he asked, ¡°Don¡¯t you already have a solution in mind?¡± Jared trusted that Nicole already had a strategy prepared in anticipation of an event like this. Otherwise she would not havee to seek his help. After all, they had both promised to not make any decisions on their own prior to this. ¡®I guess she came to me because she did not want to fall into their trap,¡¯ Jared inferred. Perplexed, Nicole stared at Jared. ¡°It¡¯s just a gut feeling that I had. I can¡¯t just ignore it now, can I?¡± Nicole had set her mind on finding ways to overturn the situation. However, she did not have the slightest idea on how to do so, hence the need to pay Jared a visit. Content ? N?velDrama.Org. Jared reached out and reeled Nicole in for a long embrace, which she stayed in. ¡°Since you have decided to, we shall leave it to Patricia and Charlie to handle this,¡± Jared murmured. Chapter 2723 Chapter 2723 Nicole looked up at Jared, confused. ¡°What do you mean when you say leave it to them?¡± ¡°Yeah, it could be a trap, so it¡¯ll be much safer to let them handle it,¡± Jared rified. ¡®If this is just a conspiracy targeted at Nicole, Charlie and Patricia can deal with it. But if Er really is in danger, I won¡¯t sit idly by and let it happen.¡¯ Nicole nodded at Jared¡¯s exnation. ¡°Okay, but Why don¡¯t you let Patricia handle it alone and get Charlie to cover for you?¡± ¡®Charlie should be stationed near Jared, and in the event that someone tries to go after Jared, he would be there in the nick of time to ensure Jared¡¯s safety. I think this is the easiest way to ensure that everyone is protected and secured,¡¯ Nicole thought. ¡°That¡¯s fine by me too,¡± Jared replied before summoning Max over to pass the orders down to Charlie. Then, he darted a nce at his wristwatch. ¡°Let¡¯s have lunch before you head back to the office.¡¯ After happily agreeing to it, Nicole stayed for lunch with Jared. Meanwhile, Max had just briefed Charlie and Patricia on their new tasks, to which they responded in unison, ¡°Yes, sir.¡± ¡°You have to keep an eye on this fe. We don¡¯t know what they will do. You must be on the alert at all times,¡± Patricia warned Charlie. Content ? N?velDrama.Org. Charlie then nodded and looked at Patricia. ¡°You too.¡± ¡°Okay, let¡¯s talk about how we can strategize this. It¡¯s way too obvious that they¡¯re trying to lure Nicole into their trap by using our concern for Er against us all. I wonder if he¡¯ll bite¡­¡± said Max as he thought, ¡®If Er is wise enough to realize that it¡¯s a trap, things will be much easier for us.¡¯ ¡°I¡¯ll inform Er about this,¡± Patricia decided after a few seconds of silence. ¡®Er should be prepared for this either way. He needs to protect himself and everyone else around him from imminent danger,¡¯ ¡°Can we trust this guy, Er?¡± asked Charlie with a hint of hesitation in his voice. This prompted Patricia to ask, ¡°Why did you ask? You know him?¡± The three of them had only heard about Er, but none of them had personally dealt with him. ¡°No,¡± Charlie whispered. He was a little worried as he had a bad feeling about Er. Patricia was dumbfounded after she had seen Charlie¡¯s reaction. ¡®Why is he acting like this if he doesn¡¯t know Er personally?¡¯ ¡°Forget about it. I¡¯m not going to borate on this,¡¯ Charlie added. ¡°Remember to exin everything to him clearly.¡± ¡®They better not me me if things go awry,¡¯ Charlie muttered to himself. ¡°Yeah, I know what to do. I¡¯ll go now,¡± Patricia replied, before getting up and leaving. With a look of confusion on his face, Max asked Charlie,¡± What¡¯s the matter with you?¡± he thought, ¡®Jesus, this guy is like a brick wall. I can¡¯t tell what he is thinking at all, but what he just did was weird.¡¯ ¡°Nothing¡¯s the matter. The one using Ms. Riddle¡¯s soft spot for her family against her is very despicable. I won¡¯t let them get away with it so easily,¡± Charlie grumbled. ¡®I will capture them and put them behind bars once and for all. Gosh, they have been buzzing around like the pesky flies they are,¡¯ Charlie fumed. With a solemn look on his face, Max agreed, ¡°Yeah, we better not let them get away with it this time around.¡± ¡®I will not let this guy slip away again,¡¯ Charlie promised. When lunch time came around, Jared and Nicole were already at the restaurant ordering their food. ¡°I haven¡¯t been here in such a long time.¡± Nicole sighed as she looked around the restaurant. ¡®Everything seems to be the same as it used to be, but looking at it now brings about a sense of nostalgia,¡¯ she thought as her eyes scanned the interior of the ce. ¡°Nicole! Mr. Johnston!¡± someone suddenly called out to them. Chapter 2724 Chapter 2724 Nicole raised an eyebrow and that was when she saw Martin walking up to their table with a woman in tow. ¡°This is¡­,¡± Nicole trailed off before eyeing Martin with a cheeky smile on her face. ¡°A coboration partner at my R&D Center that we¡¯re working on to develop a new project. We¡¯re almost done with it too,¡± Martin exined. ¡°I can see that you two make a great team.¡¯ Nicole smiled before turning to look at the woman beside Martin. ¡°Hi, I¡¯m Nicole Riddle, Martin¡¯s friend. Nice to meet you,¡± she introduced. Then, the woman returned the smile and introduced herself, ¡°Hi, Nicole. I¡¯m Cindy Rowe.¡± ¡°What brings you here for lunch? Isn¡¯t your office rather far from here?¡± Martin asked, as he was not expecting Nicole to grab her lunch here. ¡°I came to see Jared for work and we decided to drop by for lunch,¡± Nicole replied. ¡°Ah, I see. Well, I¡¯ll leave you guys to it,¡± Martin said, and nodded at the couple before bidding them goodbye. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll see you around,¡± Nicole waved. Martin turned around and sauntered off, guiding Cindy to a table nearby. Once they were seated, nced at their direction with a glint of mischief in her eyes. ¡®I was beginning to wonder where he had run off to after he had disappeared for a while. Well, it turns out she¡¯s a business partner, not a girlfriend. Still, she seems quite stunning and they seem to be rather close to one another too,¡¯ Nicole observed as a smirk yed on her face. ¡°Let¡¯s dig in,¡± Jared said, derailing her train of thought. Nicole then turned to Jared with that smirk still intact. ¡°That woman looks like a good match for him, don¡¯t you think?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t pay attention earlier,¡± Jared replied as maintained his gaze on the food in front of them. In response, Nicole raised her eyebrows before chuckling and shaking her head. ¡®Well, him not paying attention to her is a good thing, I guess¡­¡¯ She then turned her attention to the foodid out in front of her and began eating. Content provided by N?velDrama.Org. Meanwhile, Cindy and Martin were chatting along happily after they had ced their orders. Cindy was ncing over at Nicole¡¯s table as she asked, ¡°Do you like her?¡± Martin¡¯s eyes widened before he regained hisposure and gave her a faint smile. ¡°Yeah, a long time ago, I did.¡± Martin used to have a crush on Nicole which he had long given up. At present, he was d that they could remain as friends. Cindy nodded. ¡°Yeah, I can see why. She¡¯s a stunner.¡± ¡°This is your first time meeting her?¡± Martin looked at her in surprise. ¡®I swear this can¡¯t be the first time they have met one another,¡¯ ¡°Well, you can like people based on your first impression of them.¡¯ Cindy smiled. Cindy had not known Nicole before this, but she was certain that someone who could catch Martin¡¯s attention was no ordinary woman. ¡®It¡¯s obvious that Nicole already has someone she likes, and that Martin doesn¡¯t stand a chance,¡¯ Cindy observed. Martin seemed to have caught on to Cindy¡¯s assumption.¡± That¡¯s Mr. Johnston, also known as Jared Johnston. They¡¯re a married couple and have a pair of five year-old twins.¡± Martin was in a daze, smiling as he was talking about Jared and Nicole. Cindy, on the other hand, was surprised. ¡°They¡¯re married and have children!?¡± Cindy then looked over her shoulder and stared at Nicole.¡¯ Wow, I can¡¯t imagine someone like her would have two children already! She looks to be about my age though.¡¯ ¡°Yeah, when I first met her, I was attracted to her too. She¡¯s a real beauty. However, it¡¯s a pity that I¡¯m not as good as Jared there. But, you know, we¡¯re still friends so that¡¯s cool with me,¡± Martin continued. It was the first time Martin had spoken at length about himself in such a long time. He was content with the rtionship he had with Nicole, both in the past and at present Chapter 2725 Chapter 2725 Cindy then shot Martin a smile. ¡°I guess I do know quite a little bit about you. You must be lucky to have me as a friend. r? Martin understood that there were many factors in y that were beyond his control. Therefore, he truly was lucky to have a friend like Cindy. ¡°So, since you¡¯ve now made peace with your feelings, will you not consider other women as potential partners?¡± Cindy questioned. ¡°No.¡± Martin answered quickly. This was not something he could help either, for it had be near impossible for him to develop feelings for another woman. Understandably, Cindy smiled and decided to drop the subject, bringing up work-rted topics instead. After lunch, Nicole and Jared left the restaurant and made their way back to their respective companies. He proceeded to send her back to Riddle Corporation. Then, he left for Johnston Group, whereupon Nicole turned around and entered herpany building. As the car maneuvered through the afternoon traffic, Max said, ¡°Sir, from our current observations, it seems that Damien is not doing anything at all. Still, there¡¯s something very foreboding about his silence.¡± ¡°Hmm. Make sure our men monitor him closely. Be sure to intercept any international calls he receives,¡± Jared replied, his eyes dark and cold. ¡°Specters are known to dwell silently in the dark. If Damien truly isn¡¯t doing anything, you can be assured that something must be off,¡± he continued. ¡°You mean he¡¯s just trying to trick us into thinking he¡¯s not up to anything, when in reality, he¡¯s still in contact with someone out there?¡± Max frowned a little. ¡®The only person whom Damien can contact now is Everett. There¡¯s no one else.¡¯ As that thought shed across Max¡¯s mind, his gaze darkened. If their predictions were correct, then they hadpleted their objective. Everett had been on the run for a longtime after all. ¡°Ask Charlie to keep an eye on Lawrence too,¡± Jared ordered, his voice deep and low, Aspared to Everett, Jared felt that Lawrence was more of a threat who deserved heavier scrutiny. At the end of the day, the Water Crest was with Lawrence, and once he had sessfully activated it, there would be no telling what he would do with it. After all, Lawrence had been eyeing Nicole¡¯s Fire Crest for the longest time, and after he had failed, he went on to get his hands on the Water Crest. At this point, Lawrence¡¯s true intentions and motives were as clear as day. Knowing what Jared meant, Max solemnly replied,¡± Understood.¡± The car they were in drifted further and further into the horizon, after which it vanishedpletely from view. Meanwhile, in the headquarters of Riddle Corporation, Nicole¡¯s phone rang the instant she had stepped foot in her office. Seeing that it was a call from Lawrence, she picked it up,¡± Leo?¡± ¡°Nicole, have you just returned to the office?¡± Lawrence¡¯s voice red out from the speaker. ¡°Yes, what¡¯s up?¡± Nicole asked in an attempt to test him, as she was curious as to how Lawrence knew that she had just returned. ¡°I¡¯m on the first floor. Since you¡¯re back, I¡¯ll head up there and see you.¡± Lawrence replied. This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. Upon hearing this, Nicole immediately got the answer to her question. Lawrence had likely seen her exiting Jared¡¯s car. ¡°Okay.¡± Nicole replied, and hung up. After a while, Lawrence appeared at Nicole¡¯s office. ¡°Since it¡¯s lunch hour, did you happen to pass by?¡± Nicole casually asked. ¡°Not really.¡± Lawrence replied, before handing Nicole a document. ¡°Here¡¯s a proposal for shared tenancy. I think it¡¯s quite suitable for yourpany, so I took a copy of it. You may try bidding for it.¡± After Nicole had opened the envelope, she perused the document carefully. Then, she nodded and replied, ¡°It¡¯s indeed suitable for Riddle Corporation.¡± ¡°You may keep this copy. As for the rest of the procedures, you might want to begin with your arrangements,¡± Lawrence said, before shing her a gentle smile. ¡°Aren¡¯t you guys participating in this too?¡± Nicole asked him out of curiosity. She was wondering why he would give her such an opportunity. Lawrence shook his head. ¡°Ourpany has been preparing. Perhaps we might bepeting against each other too.¡± Chapter 2726 Chapter 2726 ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll think about it.¡± Nicole replied. ¡°I hope to see you then.¡± Lawrence said, seemingly sincere in his intentions. ¡°Hopefully.¡± Nicole shrugged her shoulders, not giving him any promises yet. The project was definitely suitable for thepany. However, Nicole still had to discuss it with Sean and Steve to assess thepany¡¯s present status and determine if they could participate or not. If they were not in the position to participate, perhaps Er could try it out. A few possible scenarios came to her mind at an instant, but she decided that there was no need to discuss them with Lawrence. Hearing Nicole¡¯s short response, Lawrence became silent and changed the subject of conversation, ¡°How are Nn and Lana doing?¡± ¡°They¡¯re doing fine.¡± Nicole replied. ¡°I¡¯vee to notice that Nn hasn¡¯t been active on social media these days. Has he found something more interesting to y with?¡± Lawrence casually asked. To that, Nicole responded with a question of her own. ¡°Is there anything you want to tell him?¡± The fact that he knew Nn had not been active was a little weird. ¡°Oh, nothing. It¡¯s just that he doesn¡¯t reply as often anymore when I text him, so I guess he has not been online.¡± Lawrence smiled. ¡°I do miss him at times, you know. That¡¯s why I would send him a message every now and again.¡± ¡°I see. He definitely has been less active on the Inte these days. But I don¡¯t see him doing other things. Perhaps, the school has assigned a mountain of work for him. The school is preparing for a parent-child day, and the two of them are involved in it, so¡­¡± Nicole exined. Hearing this, Lawrence issued a mental sigh. ¡®So that was the reason.¡¯ ¡°About the parent-child day, outsiders aren¡¯t really invited, right? I wonder if I¡¯ll be given the honor to attend it?¡± Lawrence popped the question, his eyes brimming with a sense of longing. Upon hearing that, Nicole frowned. ¡°I¡¯m not sure about that. I think Nn will invite you if the school makes an announcement.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll wait for the good news then.¡± Lawrence beamed as if he had already received the invitation. Nicole pursed her lips at once, as she began to feel a little awkward. It was a little too early to decide. After chatting for a while, Lawrence bade his farewell to her and was about to leave when he stopped in his tracks. ¡°About the proposal, do take the time to consider it,¡± he advised. ¡°Okay.¡± Nicole replied. After Lawrence had exited, Lulu quickly entered Nicole¡¯s office. ¡°Nicole, what is he doing here?¡± Lulu asked. ¡®Doesn¡¯t this man know that everyone is trying to stay away from him?¡¯ ¡°It¡¯s nothing. He just came over to deliver me a proposal.¡± Nicole waved the document she was holding.Content ? N?velDrama.Org. Lulu grabbed it at once. ¡°Is he really that kind?¡± And after browsing through the information on the document, Lulu frowned. ¡°There seems to be nothing out of ce here. But the more normal it seems, the more suspicious I think it is.¡± Nicole could not help butugh upon hearing that remark.¡± Don¡¯t jump to conclusions yet. At the end of the day, we¡¯ll have to be the ones to think and decide if it¡¯s suitable or not. It Lawrence was only there to deliver the documents to her. He had not coerced Nicole into participating. Furthermore, the project in question did appear to be a good opportunity forthem. Nicole knew that even if Lawrence had an ulterior motive, he would never show it. The most he would do was extend her a gesture of kindness so that she would let her guard down. ¡°So, are we participating in this?¡± Lulu was confused. ¡°We¡¯ll discuss this with Sean and Steveter.¡± Nicole replied, feeling that there was a need to assess thepany¡¯s position first. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll inform them,¡± Lulu said. Chapter 2727 Chapter 2727 ¡°Sure. Ask them to swing by whenever they¡¯re avable.¡± Nicole nodded. After all, it was not an urgent matter. They could settle it whenever they had the time for it. ¡°Alright.¡± Lulu turned around and went on to exit the office. Unexpectedly, Sean and Steve were already standing by the door when Lulu was about to leave. ¡°We¡¯re quite free. Why don¡¯t we discuss it now?¡± Steve shrugged when he saw the look of surprise on her face. Nicole then passed the document to the boys and said, ¡°You guys may take a look at this first.¡± After they had read the document, the two men exchanged looks. Then, Steve said, ¡°This does seem like a good project, but I have just taken on another project that¡¯s simr to this one.¡± ¡°At the moment, I¡¯m quite busy with my own ns as well,¡± Sean added. ¡°I¡¯m also hesitant about this. Why don¡¯t we pass it to Er?¡± Nicole asked. She could tell that Sean and Steve were not really interested in this project. In fact, it would be better for them to let Er have it. BayCorp also seemed to be doing well for itself, so all Er needed was a bigger opportunity to make things better. ¡°That¡¯s a good idea.¡± Sean and Steve agreed in unison, as everyone would be happy if Er took it. ¡°Since you guys are not against the idea, we¡¯ll just proceed with this arrangement then.¡± After she had spoken, she handed the document over to Lulu, ¡°Ask the secretary to fax this document to Er.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± Lulu grabbed the document and went out of the office. After that, Sean and Steve nced at Nicole and said,¡± Lawrence seems to be behaving rather differently this time. You must be careful.¡± Knowing that the two of them were worried about her, Nicole nodded. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll be careful of him.¡± ¡°Everett is still in Lawrence¡¯s hands. Chloe is now in severe legal trouble, and with Uncle Damien¡¯s situation to top it off, I have a feeling that all these things are connected. Anyways, just keep your wits about you,¡± Steve advised. After giving them a smile, Nicole replied, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t make any rash decisions.¡± ¡°We trust you, but you must exercise extreme caution when ites to certain things. After all, there are too many people with malicious intentions out there,¡± Sean echoed out of worry. It had very little to do with how capable Nicole was of protecting herself, and more to do with how ruthless her enemies were in getting what they wanted. ¡°Okay.¡± Nicole assured. ¡°I know that you guys are worried about me, but you can take it easy. I know what needs to be done.¡± ¡°Alright then.¡± Sean and Steve then reminded Nicole about a few more things before they left her office. After a short while, Lulu returned and said, ¡°It has been delivered. Er should have received it already.¡± Content provided by N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Alright, well leave it up to him.¡± Even though it was good news that Er had received it, whatever he did with the proposal would be entirely up to him. Meanwhile, in BayCorp. Er was holding the document from the fax machine as he carefully read through the details, sentence by sentence, and word by word. ¡°You said that this was sent to us by the head office?¡± Er frowned. ¡°Yes. It also came with a note, saying that you¡¯ll get to make the final decision on whether you¡¯ll ept it or not. If you need any help, you may contact Lulu,¡± the secretary replied. ¡°Lulu Barrera.¡± Er said, knowing those were most likely Nicole¡¯s instructions. Then, he nodded and said, ¡°You may leave now.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± The secretary turned around and left his office. After that, Er opened the document once more and perused the information on the document. However, he was confused. Chapter 2728 Chapter 2728 This is definitely a good project. Nicole must have a lot of faith in me if she is handing it to me. She¡¯s trying to help me out too. But whether I can meet her expectations or not is another question altogether. What if I lose in the bidding¡­¡¯ All of a sudden, Er tensed up, and he began straining his eyes. Then, he picked his phone up, wanting to make a call. After thinking about it for a moment, however, he ced it down andposed himself. Nicole did not call me to tell me about this at all. Instead, she has faxed the document over. I guess this shows that she ces a lot of trust in me. Because of this, I think I should take care of this myself without bothering her,¡¯ Er thought. Gritting his teeth, Er made the decision to rely on nobody but himself in solving his conundrum. All this time, Nicole had been guiding and aiding him along the way, and now that she was showing some faith and trust in him, Er should not let her down. Having made his mind, he sifted through his list of contacts and called one of the numbers. ¡°Please inform the project and marketing department that we will be gathering at the meeting room now. I also need you to make a few more copies of the document we have just received and send it to the meeting room.¡± After the call had ended, Er tidied up the pile of documents on his desk, strutted out of the office, and made a beeline for the meeting room. Although they had to manage a massive workload over the past few days, Er knew that what he needed to do at that moment was to focus on the important things. Thest thing he wanted at a time like this was to let Nicole down. As for what Patricia had said¡­ Two days passed in the blink of an eye. This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. Nicole was just working as usual. Every threat that had been issued on the anonymous letter did not trante to actions in real life. It was as if they had just yed a prank on her. However, news about Chloe¡¯s arrest had been exposed, and it quickly made the headlines. As expected, Chloe¡¯s odious actions shocked the public, but there was also a sizable minority that was sympathetic to her. ¡°Nicole, have you seen it? News about Chloe¡¯s arrest is circting now,¡± Lulu chirped upon stepping into Nicole¡¯s office. They had finally gotten what they wanted: retributive justice. ¡°Yeah, I saw it.¡± Nicole, on the other hand, was calm. She had never expected any major changes to ur as far as the incident was concerned. Unable to stop smirking, Lulu turned to Nicole and added,¡± She brought it upon herself. I wonder if she will grow and learn from this incident. It¡¯s time she got rid of that wicked nature of hers, you know.¡± ¡°No matter what happens next, that¡¯s on her. If she refuses to learn from this, she better not drag me through the mud with her shenanigans,¡± Nicole replied, having decided she would not allow Chloe to try anything stupid on her any longer. ¡°That¡¯s true. Even if she chooses not to change, we¡¯ll have to wait until she gets released. But then, her prison sentence is pretty long, so it will be a tough road ahead for her.¡± Lulu said, seemingly rejoicing over Chloe¡¯s misery. ¡®It¡¯s all her doing, so she should bear the consequences for her actions,¡¯ Lulu thought. After breathing a sigh of relief, Lulu nced at Nicole and asked, ¡°What do you think happened to that letter?¡± Up until now, nothing had happened, though there was a sneaking suspicion that nobody would be ridiculous enough to send a letter issuing a bunch of empty threats for no reason. ¡°Perhaps they¡¯re just waiting for the right time to make a move. Otherwise, it might just be an act to test my reaction.¡± Nicole narrowed her eyes, not buying the idea that it was all just a prank. ¡°But we haven¡¯t been doing anything different for the past few days. We¡¯re all functioning as usual, so what could they have observed?¡± Lulu asked. She felt that one of the reasons as to why they had not made a move was because they might have realized something. Changing the subject, Nicole looked up at Lulu and asked,¡± How¡¯s Er doing?¡± ¡°Now that you mention it¡­¡± Lulu hesitated for a moment.¡± Why has he been so quiet recently?¡± If Nicole had not asked about Er, Lulu would not have thought about him at all. And now that she thought about it, Lulu realized that there was no news from Er at all. He had not even given her a call or sent her a message. ¡°Did he decide to take us up on the project we¡¯ve sent him?¡± Nicole questioned again. ¡°Oh, yeah. The only thing I know is that he had made the decision to take it up as soon as he had received the document. He even called for a meeting with the departments right after he had epted the task. He had also selected a number of staff members for the job, headed by Er himself,¡± Lulu informed. After that, there had been no updates from him ever since Chapter 2729 Chapter 2729 After thinking about it for a moment, Nicole smiled. ¡°He has grown up.¡± ¡°Huh? What do you mean?¡± Lulu asked in confusion. ¡°He¡¯s taking on the project. Correct me if I¡¯m wrong, but I think he¡¯s also nning to take charge of everything on his own.¡± Nicole exined. Er¡¯s intentions were probably aligned with Nicole¡¯s expectations for him; he wanted to seed through his own efforts. ¡°Oh, so that is what has been going on. And there I was, wondering why he had been so quiet.¡± Lulu finally understood the situation. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, we should just leave him to do what he needs to do. If he stumbles on a roadblock, he will contact us.¡± And if Er did not contact them, it would be safe to assume that everything was smooth sailing. ¡°What about the threat? Are we just going to act as if nothing has happened?¡± Lulu asked. Though she felt that there were no issues concerning Er, she was still worried about Nicole. Content provided by N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Patricia and Charlie will take care of it. Patricia has also informed Er about it. So, there¡¯s no need to stress over it,¡± Nicole replied. Since they had taken the necessary precautions, Nicole was not worried about anything at all. ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll get back to work if there isn¡¯t anything else.¡± Lulu nodded and left. Now alone, Nicole narrowed her eyes and recalled the words on the letter. |Go to the abandoned factory in the vige on your own. Otherwise, BayCorp will get into hot soup within three days.] She did not go over. Er¡¯s side was also quiet and calm in the meantime. Then, what was the person¡¯s actual motive for sending such a threat? While Nicole was dwelling in her thoughts, the secretary knocked on the door and entered. ¡°Ma¡¯am, there¡¯s an anonymous delivery again,¡± the secretary spluttered, her face pale, and her tone panicky. ¡°Give it to me.¡± Nicole grabbed the envelope, looked at it for a moment, and opened it. As expected, it was a letter made out of newspaper cutouts again. However, the message this time was different from the previous one. This time around, it was an ultimatum. [Since you¡¯ve gone against the instructions, you¡¯ll have to bear the consequences.] ¡°Just like that?¡± Nicole frowned. If the sender was really intent on intimidating her, it would make even more sense for them to attack BayCorp immediately instead of sending her a letter warning her about what they were about to do. ¡°Ma¡¯am, are you fine?¡± the secretary asked Nicole, as she did not understand what Nicole just meant. Instead of answering, Nicole turned around and ordered,¡± Ask Patricia toe over.¡± ¡°Understood,¡± the secretary replied and spun around before exiting the office. After a minute, Patricia strode into the office. Upon arrival, she paused upon noticing the letter and frowned. ¡°He sent another letter?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Nicole passed it to Patricia. After Patricia had read its contents, her eyes widened in shock. ¡°Just like that?¡± She did not understand what the sender was trying to do.¡¯ Are they trying to be more mysterious than they actually are?¡¯ ¡°I find it odd too. What are they actually trying to do?¡± Nicole asked as her eyes glinted with cold fury. The previous letter was clearly a trap, goading her to go to the abandoned factory alone. Although she had not taken the bait, she had made the necessary preparations. However, nothing had happened to Er. Instead, Nicole had received another threat. One after another, threat after threat, and yet, they had not done anything to warrant a response. This had led Nicole to wonder if they were just waiting for the right time to pounce. But if the time isn¡¯t right, won¡¯t it be easier for them to just shut up and bide their time? Why would they send me an anonymous letter and put me on guard?¡¯ Nicole thought. ¡®Ma¡¯am, they¡¯re not trying to test your patience, are they?¡± Patricia frowned as she spected. After all, they could do this long and often enough to trick Nicole into thinking those were just empty threats. Then, once Nicole was desensitized, they would strike. ¡°No, that doesn¡¯t seem to be the case.¡± Nicole shook her head. If that was indeed their intention, Nicole would just put more countermeasures in ce. ¡°What do they actually want, then?¡± Patricia asked, confused. After biting her lip, Nicole answered, ¡°Let¡¯s just wait and see.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Patricia agreed, for it was the only thing they could do at the moment Chapter 2730 Chapter 2730 ¡°None of you should let your guard down as far as Eliar is concerned.¡± Even if her adversaries stayed their hands for extended periods of time, there was no guarantee that they would not do anything at all. ¡°Understood.¡± Patricia replied, her eyes brimming with determination. If they were to make a move, she would bag them with no hope of escaping. Seeing that they were intentionally being secretive, Patricia wanted to dig even deeper and discover what kind of person they were. ¡°That¡¯s all. You may leave now.¡± Nicole sighed and ced the letter aside. Have you heard about our special ck Friday discount? You can block additional distractions and browse the web anonymously when you VPN. Enjoy 50% off a yearly subscription now through December 3rd. Get 50% off Premium + VPN Then, she grabbed one of her documents and got to work. There were plenty of tasks left for Nicole to sort out, so she did not have the time to waste on threats or gusts of hot air. Patricia turned around and left. Then, she called Charlie up on the phone to liaise with him on the issue. ¡°I got it. Just be careful with everything,¡± Charlie advised Patricia. ¡°Yeah, you too,¡± Patricia replied before ending the call. Patricia frowned a little and thought through the situation. After a moment of consideration, she decided to visit BayCorp. Both Ell ar and Patricia had decided on what they would do in the event the threats in the previous letter were actualized. But now that the situation had changed, she had to inform Ell ar and implement the necessary precautions. Soon after, Patricia arrived at BayCorp. ¡°What are you doing here? Did something happen to Nicole? ¡± Er asked in a panic. In turn, Patricia calmly exined, ¡°She is fine. If anything had happened to her, I would not have been here right now.¡± ¡°Oh, you¡¯re right.¡± Er scratched his head. Indeed, if something had happened to Nicole, Patricia would have been by her side, aiding her against her enemies. ¡°I¡¯m here to tell you that Nicole has received another anonymous letter, so you¡¯re not exactly safe here. It¡¯s better for you to be more cautious from now on. Have you heard about our special ck Friday discount? You can block additional distractions and browse the web anonymously when you VPN. Content ? N?velDrama.Org. Enjoy 50% off a yearly subscription now through December 3rd. I must also tell you not to go anywhere without the security detail I¡¯ve assigned you.¡± Patricia advised. Those two individuals had been tasked to protect Er, so there was absolutely no room for carelessness. ¡°I got it. Don¡¯t worry,¡± he replied. Er had been very cautious ever since he was informed of the letter. In addition, Nicole was the prime target of their enemies too, so he would do well not to allow anyone to capitalize on him being the weak link among the Riddles. ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± Patricia nodded in satisfaction. However, she was rather sure that Er was a ticking time bomb which would deal everyone a severe blow if he were to go off. There was no telling what would happen if Patricia did not do something to ensure he did not. ¡°So, you mentioned that there¡¯s a new letter. What does it say?¡± Er asked, trembling and worried. ¡®Is it another challenge for Nicole? Why are they pestering her?¡¯ Er wondered. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Just remember what I¡¯ve told you,¡± Patricia finished, and was about to leave when Er called out to her. ¡°You¡¯re leaving?¡± Er asked out of the blue. ¡°Is there anything else?¡± Patricia stopped in her steps and turned to look at Er. Naturally, Er seemed to be a little nervous. ¡°It¡¯s almost noon. I¡¯m heading out for lunch soon. Why don¡¯t you join me? If Have you heard about our special ck Friday discount? You can block additional distractions and browse the web anonymously when you VPN. Enjoy 50% off a yearly subscription now through December 3rd. ¡°I¡¯ll pass,¡± Patricia declined. ¡°You¡¯ll still have to go out for lunch, right?¡± Er persisted. ¡°I have a few things to discuss with you as well.¡± Patricia frowned, and after a second or two, she relented.¡± Alright then.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go now.¡± Er smiled. They found a restaurant, sat down and began to order their food. ¡°What is it?¡± Patricia asked, her tone cold and crass. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s nothing too serious. I just want to ask about the anonymous letter. Is Nicole in danger? Who is eyeing her? Why are they so secretive?¡± Er asked in rapid session while Patricia¡¯s frown deepened. Chapter 2731 Chapter 2731 ¡°For your own sake, it¡¯s better not to ask,¡± Patricia reprimanded. She did not have answers to some of the questions he had posed, and even if she did, she did not reserve the right to tell him. The less he knew, the safer he would be. Er¡¯s face nched once he had heard Patricia¡¯s reply.¡± Don¡¯t you trust me?¡± ¡°You won¡¯t be of much help if you knew, and on top of that, it might put you in even more danger,¡± Patricia admitted frankly, as she was not withholding information from him out of distrust. In fact, she knew who Er truly was, and she trusted him because Nicole trusted him, However, Er was still unwilling to back down. He did not understand what was going on, and the more he thought about it, the more worried he was. Now that he had the opportunity to gain some rity on the issue, he wanted to seize it. Patricia¡¯s eyes darkened as if she had read Er¡¯s thoughts.¡± If you don¡¯t have any other questions, you may stay and have lunch on your own.¡± She did not wish to have a meal with him while he interrogated her with questions that she herself did not have the answers to. Uponing to the realization that Patricia was about to leave, Er quickly decided to drop it. ¡°Okay, I won¡¯t ask any further.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s eat,¡± Patricia said coldly, and lowered her head to begin her meal. As for Er, he was relieved to know that she would not leave, and that was when he started eating as well. During the meal, Er would look at Patricia every now and again, which caused her to furrow her brows. ¡°Can I help you?¡± ¡°Uh, yeah.¡± Er panicked as he averted his gaze. ¡°If you have something to say, just say it. But make sure that it¡¯s something I won¡¯t mind hearing,¡± Patricia warned. Upon hearing that, Er immediately assured her, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. It has absolutely nothing to do with the anonymous letter.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Patricia¡¯s tone softened, and she signaled Er to proceed with whatever he was about to ask. Er hesitated for a few seconds, and after taking a deep breath, he firmly asked, ¡°Do you have a boyfriend?¡± Patricia paused as she looked at Er, her eyes wide in surprise. It was as if time had stopped for her. This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. For Er to ask her a question like that was something she had not seening. ¡¯What the heck is wrong with him? Why does he want to know about this?¡¯ ¡°You¡¯re not saying anything. Is it because you have a boyfriend, or is it inappropriate for me to ask?¡± Er queried, looking disappointed and nervous at the same time. After looking away, Patricia calmly answered, ¡°That¡¯s none of your business.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± Er became even more anxious. ¡°If you don¡¯t have a boyfriend, I would like to be yours. But if you do, I promise I won¡¯t get in the way.¡± Patricia was at a loss for words when she saw how sincere Er was. For the first time, she was rendered speechless. She did not expect Er to confess his feelings to her out of the blue, and on top of that, they had just met. ¡®Why would he say something like that?!¡¯ ¡®No, no matter how long we know each other, there¡¯s no way our rtionship could progress into something like that. It¡¯s just out of the question,¡¯ she thought.¡¯ ¡°I¡¯m done eating.¡¯ Patricia ced her cutleries down. ¡°Hey, don¡¯t go.¡± Er ran after her, his heart racing. ¡°Don¡¯t follow me, and please don¡¯t concern yourself with my affairs,¡± Patricia said coldly, keeping her distance. Er hurried a few steps forward and stood in front of Patricia, blocking her. There was an earnest look on his face as he exined, ¡°I¡¯m not joking, Patricia. I¡¯m dead serious about what I just said.¡± ¡°That has nothing to do with me.¡± Patricia retorted. She had no intention of listening to what he wanted to say; she just wanted to leave. She did not know why, but her heart was stirring in confusion. Chapter 2732 Chapter 2732 ¡°Perhaps my actions today were too sudden, but this is the most genuine I¡¯ve ever been with anyone. You can reject me, but I won¡¯t give in so easily,¡± Er dered resolutely. What he felt for her, he had never felt with any other woman before. Indeed, Patricia was the only one who had made him feel this way before. He immediately knew she was unique the first time he saw her. He was set on not giving up after he had determined that his feelings for her were true. Since she did not have a boyfriend, he would make full use of his sincerity to win her over and make her ept him. Patricia simply looked at him in return, tongue-tied. She was truly at a loss on what to say, so she told him,¡± We¡¯re notpatible.¡± ¡°If you haven¡¯t tried, you¡¯ll never know. We haven¡¯t spent time together, so how sure are you that we¡¯re notpatible? As long as you don¡¯t already have a boyfriend, I won¡¯t give up,¡± Er insisted. Patricia was helpless. She and Er were frompletely different worlds, and that one particr mission was the only reason for their interaction. Once it ended, they would have little to no contact. Patricia sighed, not wanting to exin anything to him. Perhaps they would experience a phase of radio silence once her task to protect him was over, and then, Er woulde to understand what the word, ¡®ipatible¡¯ meant. Content provided by N?velDrama.Org. As Patricia turned to walk away, she suddenly noticed a sh of light. Familiar with what the color of the light signified, she instinctively shoved Er aside. ¡°Ugh.¡± She frowned as she felt a surge of pain in her arm. In a swift motion, she blocked the hit and shielded Er by putting herself before him. Everything had happened in an instant, leaving Er in a daze and oblivious to what just transpired. All he knew was that Patricia had pushed him, and that something had shed before his eyes. ¡®What happened?¡¯ ¡°You¡¯re a hotshot who has never missed, but you seem to have encountered a formidable opponent this time.¡± ¡°Shut up. Let¡¯s see whose hands that kid falls intoter.¡± ¡°Not yours, that¡¯s for sure.¡± A group of men in ck suits appeared, bickering among themselves as they strode over to the duo. ¡°Patricia, what¡¯s going on?¡± Er stepped out from behind her, finally realizing that something was amiss. Instantly, Patricia pulled him back and warned him, ¡°Stand behind me, and don¡¯t move.¡± The men in ck surrounded the duo, after which their leader warned, ¡°This woman is no ordinary pushover. Be careful, everyone.¡± ¡°We didn¡¯t expect this pretty boy to have someone so capable by his side.¡± ¡°Perhaps the information we¡¯ve been given is unreliable.¡± ¡°Patricia? Should we call for help?¡± Er anxiously suggested, as he dared not act against Patricia¡¯s words. Frowning, Patricia whispered, ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s do it.¡± She could probably handle the situation if she was alone, but as of now, she had the double duty of protecting Er, who knew nothing aboutbat and self defense. Besides, the fact that their target was Er only served to dampen her confidence in her abilities. She believed that Nicole would be in hot soup if Er ended up being captured by these men. Soon after, Patricia made a decision. Now was not the time to be a hero, for there was no room for even the tiniest of mistakes. The only thing she could do was to stall and buy them both some time until their backup arrived. As soon as Er had whipped his phone out, the men immediately realized what he was up to, and lunged at them. Er had figured that it would be extremely difficult for Patricia to deal with those men while ensuring his safety. He wanted to help, but he knew full well what his shorings were. All he could do was grit his teeth, call for backup, and silently pray for help to arrive soon. After he had hung up, he stared at Patricia, who was struggling to hold on. He was trembling as he kept his eyes fixed on her. Chapter 2733 Chapter 2733 Suddenly, he caught a fleeting glimpse of a knife hurtling toward Patricia, and in a sh, he lunged toward the attacker who was holding it, and knocked it out of his hand. Then, another one of the men grabbed Er¡¯s arm, prompting Patricia to give him a swift roundhouse kick before pulling Er back to her side. Patricia could instantly feel the pressure off her chest when Er was with her. Although Er knew next to nothing aboutbat, his reaction times were quick. If anything, the two went on to coordinate their defenses and hold their own without allowing their assants to take advantage of their positioning. ¡°Captain!¡± Patricia let out a sigh of relief when she heard a familiar voice. Soon, two figures joined the fight, thus turning the tide against the men. The advantage even gave Patricia and Er the opportunity to retreat from the scene. ¡°Are you okay?¡± Er asked, his eyes brimming with concern. Patricia shook her head without uttering a word, her gaze fixed on the men in ck as her brows furrowed. Once the assants noticed that the tables had turned against them, they whistled, tossed a few gas grenades on the ground, and fled as the wall of fog enveloped their surroundings. They were gone long before the smoke dissipated. With their attackers clean out of the scene, Er¡¯s bodyguards approached the duo. ¡°Captain, how are you holding up?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine. Let¡¯s talk back at the office.¡± Then, they made their way to BayCorp. They were fortunate that the restaurant they had chosen to dine in was close to BayCorp, making their immediate rescue possible. Had that not been the case, things would have taken a turn for the worst. Back at BayCorp, Patricia instructed those two, ¡°From now on, wherever he goes, you must stick to him like glue.¡± In addition, they had made the mistake of letting their guard down. She had judged that the presence of the two men was unnecessary since they were not straying too far from thepany building to have lunch. And unfortunately, the opponents had taken advantage of their blunder. This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org. Her gaze darkened as she thought about the assants. Then, she turned around, wanting to report back to Nicole back in Riddle Corporation. ¡°Captain, treat your injuries before you return,¡± one of Er¡¯s guards said. ¡°Where does it hurt?¡± Er immediately panicked as he wondered why he had not noticed it sooner. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Patricia replied. She did not wish to take care of her wound here. All she wanted to do was to return to the headquarters and report back to Nicole as soon as possible. Seeing that she was adamant about leaving, Er pulled her back into the office, turned to his secretary, and ordered,¡± Bring the first aid kit.¡± Once she had brought the box to Er, he dismissed her. ¡°Give it to me. You may leave,¡± Er said after grabbing the first aid kit. ¡°Of course.¡± The secretary left the room. ¡°Come on. It¡¯s just a minor injury. Let¡¯s not make a big deal of this,¡± Patricia stated out of unease as she and Er were the only ones left in his office. However, Er¡¯s gaze remained fixed on Patricia¡¯s arm.¡± When did you get hurt?¡± ¡®Why didn¡¯t she tell me? I wouldn¡¯t have known if nobody had mentioned it. And when was she injured? I have been by her side, but why didn¡¯t I notice it?¡¯ he wondered. Patricia saw that he was staring at her wrist, so she pulled her sleeve down and said, ¡°Give me the first aid kit. I¡¯ll handle it myself.¡± Patricia figured that Er would not allow her to leave with her injuries unattended. Little did she expect that there was a more caring, masculine side to him, as he usually came off as a young and immature son from a wealthy family. ¡°Leave it to me.¡± Er took a deep breath, deciding to treat her wound. Then, he reached out, grabbed her sleeve, and pulled it back. To his horror, he heard the sound of fabric being ripped apart at the very next second. As it turned out, he had pulled her sleeve back a little too hard, and ended up tearing arge hole which almost reached her shoulder. ¡°Would you believe me if I say it was unintentional?¡± Er asked awkwardly. Chapter 2734 Chapter 2734 ¡®I wasn¡¯t even using much strength. How did I end up tearing her sleeve?¡¯ Er wondered. Patricia¡¯s lips twitched, after which she forced herself to say, ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. Then, she opened the first aid kit and brought the disinfectant and ointment out. Then, Er snapped out of it and went on to aid Patricia with her wounds, being exceedingly gentle with her while he was at it. It was inconvenient for Patricia to do it herself as she only had one good arm, so she resigned herself to Er¡¯s care. However, she also found his actions hrious. Still, she had to bite her tongue and endure it due to Er¡¯s confession earlier. She did not want to give Er any false hope or lead him on, as she believed that they would not interact in the future anymore once this mission was over. After treating the wound, Er advised Patricia, ¡°Be careful when you¡¯ve gotten home. Don¡¯t let the wound get wet, remember to change the bandages, and get plenty of rest.¡± Patricia listened to his barrage of advice, and after he was done, she defeatedly said, ¡°Thank you for the advice. I can take care of myself.¡± Having been through much worse over the years, a minor injury like the one she had just sustained did not faze her. ¡°Wait a minute,¡± Er called out to her again when he saw that she was leaving. Puzzled, Patricia turned around and asked, ¡°Is there anything else?¡± ¡°Put this on.¡± Er handed his coat to Patricia. After all, her ripped sleeve would just attract too much unwarranted attention. ¡°Thank you, I¡¯ll return it another day,¡± she said. Patricia did not decline the gesture this time, as wearing Er¡¯s coat seemed better than walking around with her arms and shoulders exposed. Then, she left, unaware that wearing Er¡¯s jacket would lead her to more unwanted scrutiny and conjectures from others. With a frown on his face, Er watched as Patricia left his office. ¡®How did she get injured?¡¯ His face nched the instant he recalled the events that had transpired after they had left the restaurant. As it turned out, he had heard her groaning in pain when she was fighting their assants off, a detail which he had ignored. Feeling remorseful, Er proceeded to beat himself up. He hated himself for being useless and inattentive. Patricia had gotten hurt trying to save him, which he had failed to notice. At that moment, he felt that he was nothing but a schmuck. Meanwhile, Patricia went straight up to Nicole¡¯s office once she had arrived at the headquarters of Riddle Corporation. ¡°What¡¯s this¡­?¡± Nicole looked at Patricia, who was draped in a man¡¯s jacket. ¡°Ms. Riddle? Er was almost captured¡­¡± Patricia started, and went on to recount the incident in detail to Nicole. She had hurried back just so that she could report this to Nicole. ¡°So you got injured because of this? How are you now?¡± Nicole turned to look at Patricia¡¯s injured arm. ¡°I¡¯ve already taken care of it. It¡¯s nothing,¡± Patricia replied. ¡°You should get some rest before going home,¡± Nicole advised. Patricia shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s alright, Ms. Riddle. I¡¯m really fine. Oh, and there¡¯s one more thing, but I¡¯m not certain if it¡¯s true.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Nicole frowned upon noticing how serious Patricia had be. ¡°I don¡¯t think those people are from the capital, and their techniques look as though they don¡¯t belong to a single school. It feels familiar, but I can¡¯t confirm,¡± Patricia exined with uncertainty. She had carefully observed their moves, but she could not shake the strange, inexplicable feeling that there was more to it. ¡°So you mean, by investigating their techniques, we might learn about their identity?¡± Nicole guessed. Remorsefully, Patricia replied, ¡°That¡¯s what I was trying to say, but unfortunately, I didn¡¯t manage to discover anything.¡± She could sense that there was something fishy about the assants, but as of now, she could not confirm their identities. Chapter 2735 Chapter 2735 I wasn¡¯t even using much strength. How did I end up tearing her sleeve?¡¯ Er wondered. Patricia¡¯s lips twitched, after which she forced herself to say, ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Then, she opened the first aid kit and brought the disinfectant and ointment out. Then, Er snapped out of it and went on to aid Patricia with her wounds, being exceedingly gentle with her while he was at it. It was inconvenient for Patricia to do it herself as she only had one good arm, so she resigned herself to Er¡¯s care. However, she also found his actions hrious. Still, she had to bite her tongue and endure it due to Er¡¯s confession earlier. She did not want to give Er any false hope or lead him on, as she believed that they would not interact in the future anymore once this mission was over. After treating the wound, Er advised Patricia, ¡°Be careful when you¡¯ve gotten home. Don¡¯t let the wound get wet, remember to change the bandages, and get plenty of rest.¡± Patricia listened to his barrage of advice, and after he was done, she defeatedly said, ¡°Thank you for the advice. I can take care of myself.¡± Having been through much worse over the years, a minor injury like the one she had just sustained did not faze her. ¡°Wait a minute,¡± Er called out to her again when he saw that she was leaving. Puzzled, Patricia turned around and asked, ¡°Is there anything else?¡± This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Put this on.¡± Er handed his coat to Patricia. After all, her ripped sleeve would just attract too much unwarranted attention. ¡°Thank you, I¡¯ll return it another day,¡± she said. Patricia did not decline the gesture this time, as wearing Er¡¯s coat seemed better than walking around with her arms and shoulders exposed. Then, she left, unaware that wearing Er¡¯s jacket would lead her to more unwanted scrutiny and conjectures from others. With a frown on his face, Er watched as Patricia left his office. ¡®How did she get injured?¡¯ His face nched the instant he recalled the events that had transpired after they had left the restaurant. As it turned out, he had heard her groaning in pain when she was fighting their assants off, a detail which he had ignored. Feeling remorseful, Er proceeded to beat himself up. He hated himself for being useless and inattentive. Patricia had gotten hurt trying to save him, which he had failed to notice. At that moment, he felt that he was nothing but a schmuck. Meanwhile, Patricia went straight up to Nicole¡¯s office once she had arrived at the headquarters of Riddle Corporation. ¡°What¡¯s this¡­?¡± Nicole looked at Patricia, who was draped in a man¡¯s jacket. ¡°Ms. Riddle? Er was almost captured¡­¡± Patricia started, and went on to recount the incident in detail to Nicole. She had hurried back just so that she could report this to Nicole. ¡°So you got injured because of this? How are you now?¡± Nicole turned to look at Patricia¡¯s injured arm. ¡°I¡¯ve already taken care of it. It¡¯s nothing,¡± Patricia replied. ¡°You should get some rest before going home,¡± Nicole advised. Patricia shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s alright, Ms. Riddle. I¡¯m really fine. Oh, and there¡¯s one more thing, but I¡¯m not certain if it¡¯s true.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Nicole frowned upon noticing how serious Patricia had be. ¡°I don¡¯t think those people are from the capital, and their techniques look as though they don¡¯t belong to a single school. It feels familiar, but I can¡¯t confirm,¡± Patricia exined with uncertainty. She had carefully observed their moves, but she could not shake the strange, inexplicable feeling that there was more to it. ¡°So you mean, by investigating their techniques, we might learn about their identity?¡± Nicole guessed. Remorsefully, Patricia replied, ¡°That¡¯s what I was trying to say, but unfortunately, I didn¡¯t manage to discover anything.¡± She could sense that there was something fishy about the assants, but as of now, she could not confirm their identities. Chapter 2736 Chapter 2736 ¡°It¡¯s okay. We can still trace them as long as we have some clues to work with,¡± Nicoleforted Patricia. Patricia had provided her with some very useful information. In fact, it was an essential discovery. The next step would be to determine the direction of the investigation. ¡°I¡¯ll do it,¡± Patricia said decisively. However, Nicole shook her head. ¡°There¡¯s no rush. Just go home and get some rest. Well decide after meeting up with Max and Charlie.¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯ll take a nap in the office,¡± Patricia replied. She could rendezvous with Max and Charlie right after work if she stayed here. Content ? N?velDrama.Org. If she went home right now, she might have to wait until the next day, and she hardly had the patience forthat. Nicole shook her head as she watched Patricia leave. She then called her secretary to make the necessary arrangements. After ending the call, she leaned back against her chair with a darkened gaze. ¡®Based on Patricia¡¯s analysis, I wonder where those men from.¡¯ It was almost the end of the workday when Nicole left Riddle Corporation and headed to Johnston Group with Patricia. ¡°You¡¯re early,¡± Jared remarked, surprised to see her. ¡°Patricia made a discovery,¡± Nicole went straight to the point as soon as she entered his office. ¡¯Have Max and Charliee over.¡± Jared called them over, and Patricia went on to exin the encounter with her assants earlier. ¡°So they really made a move.¡± Charlie¡¯s eyes darkened. Then, Max frowned and asked, ¡°Are you sure that¡¯s how they fought?¡± ¡°Yes. I had already pulled Er out of the danger zone at that time, so I saw it very clearly,¡± Patricia confirmed. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, I know about an organization.¡± Max continued through gritted teeth. ¡°Do any of you remember the Eastern Falcon?¡± ¡°Do you mean¡­¡± Patricia¡¯s eyes widened in shock. ¡°But they haven¡¯t shown any signs of activity for a long time now.¡± Max nodded. ¡°That¡¯s what I find strange too. ording to Patricia¡¯s description of theirbat techniques, there¡¯s only one particr group with a style that resembles theirs, and that¡¯s the Eastern Falcon.¡± However, as Patricia had stated, the Eastern Falcon had been inactive for many years. ¡°Why haven¡¯t they been active?¡± Nicole asked in confusion as she had not heard of this organization before. ¡°It¡¯s said that a mission failure had caused major issues within their organization, forcing them to retreat and lick their wounds,¡± Patricia exined. ¡°Is it possible that their recovery period is almost over?¡± Nicole asked. If that was the case, the organization should have recovered to full strength by now. Still, both Patricia and Max were shocked upon learning that they could very well be the ones responsible for the encounter earlier. ¡°The problem is, they¡¯ve dered that they would never set foot in the world of mercenary syndicates ever again. They¡¯ve also retreated to a ce where no one would find them. That¡¯s how they managed to recover from the fallout of theirst mission.¡± Max continued. ¡°That¡¯s why I find it strange that they¡¯ve appeared. Even if they¡¯re tired of remaining in the shadows, they wouldn¡¯t go after Nicole unless they have a good reason to,¡± Max finished. Nicole understood the general idea and looked at Jared, who gave her a light nod, confirming that Max and Patricia were indeed telling the truth. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, there¡¯s only one possibility. There must be a solid reason for them to emerge, regardless of whether it¡¯s internal or external,¡± Nicole said as an icy glint crossed her eyes. The only question that remained was, why had they decided to target her, of all people? ¡°I understand. I¡¯ll get someone to investigate,¡± Patricia immediately responded. Nicole¡¯s allies could first investigate their internal ongoings, and if the reason for their reemergence was not tied to issues within the organization, then it would not be a stretch to conclude that they were motivated by external factors. Though it seemed as though there could be countless possibilities, investigating the Eastern Falcon would not be a difficult task at all. Chapter 2737 Chapter 2737 Having said that, Patricia turned around and began walking away. Although her injury was not severe, she still wanted to take a good rest and wake up early the next day. She needed to be extra vignt and alert during work tomorrow. As she was about to leave, Er reached out and grabbed her. However, he had made the mistake of seizing her by the arm which had been injured, causing Patricia to grimace and cry out, ¡°Ow!¡± She winced as her bad arm was in tremendous pain, and pulled away from Er¡¯s grasp. Realizing that he had caused her pain, he immediately released her with a remorseful look on his face. ¡°Sorry for hurting you. Are you okay? Should we go to the hospital?¡± ¡°Never mind.¡± Patricia said, dumbfounded and speechless. Going to the hospital would be totally unnecessary. It was just a brief moment of pain, not something severe enough to warrant a visit to the ward. Content ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°I¡¯ll take you home.¡± Er pulled her into his car. He was still worried sick for her, as she had refused a trip to the hospital. Patricia sighed, feeling helpless and defeated. ¡°No, I¡¯m fine, really. I can go home by myself.¡± ¡°Well, you¡¯re going home anyway. What¡¯s the harm in letting me take you?¡± Er insisted and turned to look at the driver.¡± Take us to Flora Apartments.¡± ¡°How do you know where I live?¡± Patricia asked with a frown. ¡°I asked,¡± Er pointed to the two men she had assigned to protect him. The two bodyguards lowered their heads at once, their faces guilt ridden. ¡®Did we do something wrong?¡¯ Patricia then took a deep breath and warned the two, ¡°Don¡¯t tell any outsiders my address in the future.¡± ¡°Ye-yes, Patricia,¡± they stammered. ¡®How are we supposed to know that Er is an outsider?¡¯ However, Er did not seem to know what Patricia meant, and proceeded to chime in, ¡°Yeah, don¡¯t tell any outsiders next time.¡± Besides, he already knew her address, so it was better if others did not. Patricia could only roll her eyes at that point. She just could not be bothered to pay attention to Er anymore, and so, she simply closed her eyes and took a power nap. After a while, the car pulled up in front of Flora Apartments. ¡°I¡¯ve arrived. You can go back home.¡± Patricia got out of the car. When she saw that Er wanted to follow her out, she mmed the door, locking him inside. Er rubbed his forehead, having narrowly missed being hit.¡± Hey. Let me take you upstairs!¡± ¡°No,¡± Patricia sternly declined, before spinning around and hurrying back to her apartment. Er issued a sigh of helplessness as he watched her recede from view. He was just worried about her, but as things stood, it seemed that Patricia wanted him off her back. Meanwhile, Nicole and Jared were already on their way to the Riddle residence. ¡°What do you think is the reason for the Eastern Falcon¡¯s reemergence?¡± Nicole asked Jared. She was not familiar with any organization by the name of Eastern Falcon, so she could not guess what their motives were. ¡°It¡¯s been so many years, so there shouldn¡¯t be any problems within the organization. If it¡¯s not due to the changes in their surroundings, we can rule out internal factors as the cause of their reappearance. That said, I believe they are motivated by external forces,¡± Jared said, his voice heavy and low. ¡°External?¡± Nicole frowned slightly. ¡®What could that be? Benefits of some sort?¡¯ ¡®Is it possible that they have been given enough incentive toe out of hiding?¡¯ she wondered. ¡°There might be lucrative rewards offered to them,¡± Jared said calmly, though his words conveyed a sense of nervousness and pressure. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s the only reason that makes sense to me right now.¡± Nicole agreed after pondering over it for a moment. They could only wait for the results of Charlie¡¯s investigation, which would hopefully be over soon. ¡°Those thugs exposed themselves today, but they didn¡¯t manage toplete the mission, so they¡¯ll probablyy low for a few days,¡± Nicole inferred. It was evident that the group were well trained and coordinated. They would never act rashly and recklessly, as everything was well nned from the very beginning. Moreover, they had probably lurked around Er for a while, waiting for the right moment to strike. Chapter 2738 Chapter 2738 However, precautions were necessary and they still had to be on guard for the foreseeable future. Jared gently held Nicole¡¯s hand and looked at her with a tender andforting gaze. In return, she smiled as a sense of happiness rippled from within her heart. Upon arriving at the Riddle residence, they saw that Tia had also just brought Nn and Lana home. ¡°Mommy! Daddy!¡± ¡°Hello, Mr. Johnston and Nicole,¡± Tia greeted. The kids ran up to Nicole and Jared, with Tia following them from behind. This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org. Nicole patted their heads affectionately as she smiled.¡± You¡¯re back.¡± ¡°Mommy, tomorrow is the parent-child event. Will you and Daddy be there?¡± Lana tilted her head and asked with a hint of anticipation in her voice. ¡°Of course we¡¯ll be there.¡± Nicole smiled and promised. Indeed, she could not bear the idea of disappointing her two little cuties. ¡°Yay!¡± Lana cheered, and waved her little hands in excitement. Nicole held Nn and Lana¡¯s hands with a smile and brought them into the house. ¡°Let¡¯s go inside and talk.¡± Then, they made their way to the living room, where Daniel, Gloria, and Stanley were all present. ¡°Hi, Grandpa, Grandma, and Uncle Stanley,¡± Nn and Lana politely greeted. ¡°Oh, my little darlings are back.¡± Gloria beamed, and beckoned them toe to her. ¡°Quick,e to Grandma.¡± Everyone present sat down on the couch and gathered around for a chat. ¡°Nicole, if there¡¯s nothing, I¡¯ll be heading back home,¡± Tia whispered to Nicole when she saw everyone happily chatting away. Nicole nced at her, hesitated for a moment, and nodded in agreement. ¡°Sure, go back and get some rest.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Tia nodded and left. Stanley noticed Tia leaving and involuntarily looked in her general direction. Though Tia¡¯s figure had already disappeared through the door, Stanley¡¯s gaze was still locked on it, as if he was stuck in a daydream. ¡°Stanley?¡± Hearing someone calling him, he snapped out of his stupor and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°We are the ones who should be asking you what¡¯s wrong. Why were you staring at the door in a daze? We called out to you several times.¡± Gloria retorted. Why is it that Stanley appears to be acting weirdly? Is he not feeling well?¡¯ she wondered. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s nothing.¡± Stanley came up with an exnation. ¡°I just thought of some work-rted matters.¡± Upon hearing this, Gloria felt reassured and breathed a sigh of relief. ¡°I see.¡± Nicole, however, was eyeing Stanley with arched brows. She had seen it very clearly; Stanley was looking at Tia just now. Suddenly, Stanley¡¯s phone rang. A frown crossed his face the instant he saw who the caller was. After refusing to answer the call, Stanley sent Cherry a text message instead. [What¡¯s the matter?] [I¡¯ve got an emergency. Can youe out for a bit?] [What¡¯s going on?] [It seems that my family has sensed something, and they¡¯re insisting on seeing you. Can you help me through this?] [Why don¡¯t you exin to your family yourself?] Stanley was not in a good mood, and thest thing he wanted to do right now was go out there and help her out. [Please, I¡¯m begging you. There¡¯s something wrong with my visa application process. It¡¯ll take about two weeks for me to sort it out. If they find out, all my previous efforts will be in vain.] Cherry went on to send a few pleading emojis to Stanley, hoping he would agree to help her through this. Chapter 2739 Chapter 2739 ¡°Stanley, what are you doing?¡± Gloria asked when she saw Stanley texting someone with his head lowered. ¡°Why is Stanley so absentminded? First, he was busy daydreaming and now he¡¯s looking at his phone. Is something bothering him?¡¯ Gloria wondered. ¡°Mom, I need to go out for a while. There¡¯s something I need to take care of,¡± Stanley said as he got up. He could only help Cherry out as he had promised to do so from the very beginning. Therefore, he could not go back on his word. ¡°What¡¯s going on with him?¡± Daniel asked, puzzled by his son¡¯s behavior as well. ¡°Who knows. He¡¯s acting strange, that¡¯s for sure.¡± Gloria sighed in defeat. ¡°Dad, Mom? Stanley can handle his own issues,¡± Nicoleforted them, not wanting them to worry about him. She believed that Stanley must have felt something very different, which in turn made him uneasy. All she could do now was hope that he could figure his feelings out. Only then would things return to normal. After Stanley had left, he immediately called Cherry. ¡°Hey, where are you?¡± ¡°Okay, I¡¯ming over now,¡± he said before hanging up. As he turned around, he saw Tia, who seemed to have just emerged from the direction of the garage. ¡°Tia!?¡± Stanley eximed in surprise. At the same time, he was also feeling a little guilty. ¡°My handbag is in the car. I just went to get it. I¡¯m going back now,¡± Tia spluttered, before walking past Stanley and hurrying to the backyard as if she was trying to flee from him. Stanley watched as she hurried off, and reached his hand out to stop her. However, he was far behind now, so he dropped his arm and watched as Tia¡¯s figure vanished from sight. When Tia returned to Mrs. Wace Sr. ¡®s quarters at the back, she began her cleaning routine absentmindedly, not realizing that she was holding a towel instead of a rag. ¡°Tia, what are you doing?¡± Mrs. Wace Sr. asked, having noticed the strangeness of her actions. ¡°Oh, just wiping this down. It¡¯s a bit dirty,¡± Tia said, her wiping motions bing even more vigorous. ¡°But that¡¯s a towel,¡± Mrs. Wace Sr. remarked. This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. Tia paused for a moment, and that was when she realized that she was holding a towel. There, she stood frozen, embarrassed and at a loss. ¡°Come,e over and take a break for a while. Talk to Grandma.¡± Mrs. Wace Sr. beckoned. Tia instantly teared up while she gritted her teeth to fight the tears back in front of Mrs. Wace Sr. Then, she slowly walked up to Mrs. Wace Sr. and sat down. At that moment, she began talking to Mrs. Wace Sr. about her days in the countryside. Pouring her feelings out like that made her feel better, as many pleasant memories from the past resurfaced. During the next day, Nicole heard frantic knocking and shouting at the door, even though it was still early and she had barely woken up. ¡°Daddy! Mommy! Wake up! Let¡¯s join the event,¡± Nn and Lana shouted from outside the room. Frowning, Nicole opened her crusted eyes and sat up, slowly and groggily. ¡°Okay, you can go down first.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll be waiting for you in the living room, then.¡± The knocking stopped, and rapid footfalls took their ce, growing softer with each passing second. Nicole rubbed her temples when she was certain that her kids were gone. Then, she got out of bed, with Jared following suit. After freshening up, the two went downstairs, where they saw Nn and Lana sitting quietly on the couch in the living room. But the second they saw their parents, they jumped up and yelled, ¡°Daddy! Mommy!¡± Chapter 2740 Chapter 2740 ¡°Come on, guys. It¡¯s still too early,¡± Nicole said helplessly. There was little point in them rushing to preschool this early. Even if they did, the teachers would likely not be there yet. ¡°It¡¯s not early. By the time we get there, our ssmates will have been there already.¡± Lana argued, feeling rather impatient. Nicole smiled and patted Lana¡¯s head gently. ¡°It¡¯s really too early. Let¡¯s have breakfast first. And then, we¡¯ll go to school, okay?¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Nn and Lana agreed, and reached for the remote to turn the TV on. They wanted to watch something for a while to pass the time. At first, there was some news about current political affairs, but as the children could not understand anything about the subject, they switched to the entertainment channel. All of a sudden, Stanley¡¯s figure appeared, on the screen, and right before their eyes. ¡°It¡¯s Uncle Stanley!¡± the two kids shouted in surprise as they stared at the screen. The voice of the anchor then emanated from the TV,¡± Yesterday, Stanley Riddle, the third son of Daniel Riddle, met his future father-inw at a hotel. It seems that more good news is just around the corner¡­¡± Content ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Mommy, what¡¯s going on?¡± Nn and Lana asked in confusion. While they understood a little of what was going on, they could grasp the full gravity of what they just heard. ¡®Is Uncle Stanley getting married? But why is nothing happening at home?¡¯ Nicole was also surprised. She did not know that Stanley had gone outst night to discuss marriage ns. ¡®Is he not nning to discuss it with the family first?¡¯ ¡°Were they talking about Stanley?¡± Gloria and Daniel approached them, having overheard the news. ¡°Mom, well¡­ let Stanley exin it to you.¡± Nicole said. She was feeling uneasy, and was not in the least aware of what was going on either. ¡°An exnation? What are you talking about?¡± Stanley asked. He too had overheard Nicole, and was just as confused as the rest of them were. ¡°Uncle Stanley, are you getting married?¡± Nn and Lana asked in unison. ¡°No?¡± Stanley replied, and shot them a look of bewilderment. ¡°Why are the children asking me about this?¡¯ In response, Lana pointed at the TV and said, ¡°But the news just said that you and Cherry met your future father-inw yesterday.¡± ¡°The news?!¡± Stanley was shocked, his mouth wide and hanging. ¡®So, are they saying that the paparazzi took pictures when I went over to help Cherry out yesterday?! And it¡¯s all over the news now?! Gosh!¡¯ ¡°Yes, it was just on TV.¡± Nn and Lana nodded vigorously, indicating that they were not lying. ¡°Stanley, you were pretty absentminded throughout the eveningst night. Was it because of this?¡± Gloria asked resentfully. ¡°You didn¡¯t tell us a thing. Is it because you were afraid that we wouldn¡¯t give you our blessings?¡± ¡°No.¡± Stanley said, wanting to clear the air. ¡°Well, why didn¡¯t you tell us then?¡± Gloria shot back. ¡°I¡¯m not getting married. The situation yesterday was rather peculiar, and I was just there to help,¡± Stanley exined as he furrowed his brows. If he did not rify things now, the misunderstanding would grow in severity, and eventually spiral out of control. ¡°How can you help, especially in situations like these?¡± Gloria widened her eyes in astonishment. She thought that parents were usually the ones who would step in and help out in issues like these. ¡°No, you¡¯re mistaken. Actually, Cherry and I are not what you think we are,¡± Stanley continued, trying to exin everything to his family. Gloria, on the other hand, was even more taken aback by his ham-fisted attempt at clearing the air. ¡°You said she was your girlfriend in front of everyone at the dinner table. What kind of rtionship do you both have if it isn¡¯t what we think it is?¡± The idea that there was more than one sort of girlfriend was ludicrous, unthinkable, and unheard of to Gloria. And just like that, Stanley was rendered powerless and speechless as though a gut punch had winded him. All he could do was stand there, not knowing what to say or how best to exin his predicament to his family. If he had known the situation would spiral to what it had be, he would have not epted Cherry¡¯s proposal. As of now, it was already difficult enough to state his case and exin himself to his family. Chapter 2741 Chapter 2741 ¡°Mom, let¡¯s have breakfast,¡± Nicole suggested to divert Gloria¡¯s attention when she saw how conflicted Stanley was. ¡°Grandma, we¡¯re joining the parent-child event.¡± Nn and Lana added, eager to finish their breakfast and make a run for school. Understanding what Nicole¡¯s intention was, Gloria looked at Stanley and agreed, ¡°Okay, let¡¯s have breakfast first.¡± After the family were all seated in the dining room, they had breakfast, though with a lingering sense of awkwardness in the air. Gloria was also feeling antsy, prompting Daniel to pat her on the hand tofort her while signaling to her to maintain her silence until their children had all left. All Gloria could do at that point was put up with it. She shot a nce at Stanley before lowering her head to eat what was left of her meal. After Nn and Lana had scraped their tes clean, they pulled Nicole and Jared along and walked them to the front door with great enthusiasm. ¡°Grandpa, Grandma, we¡¯re going to school!¡± they yelled. ¡°Alright, have fun.¡± Daniel said. ¡°Thank you.¡± Gloria smiled as she watched the kids leave, but her smile gradually faded as she turned to look at Stanley. ¡°Mom, I have an urgent meeting today. I need to leave now.¡± Stanley hurriedly got up and left. He had decided not to exin the situation to them by himself. Instead, he would bring Cherry over to rify everything to his parents together. ¡°Hey, stop!¡± Gloria shouted, but Stanley had already fled by then. ¡°Let the kid handle it by himself,¡± Danielforted her when he saw how worried she was. ¡°Can he handle it on his own?¡± Gloria sighed in defeat.¡± Look, it¡¯s even on the news. And now he¡¯s telling us that it¡¯s not what we think it is?¡± To Gloria, the idea of a rtionship being taken lightly is downright ridiculous. Content ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°I believe Stanley is not that kind of person. Perhaps there¡¯s a misunderstanding. After all, we¡¯ve only heard it from the entertainment news, which is not known for credible reporting,¡± Daniel continued to persuade her. Besides, even if it were true, Stanley was well within the ideal age of marriage. It was just that he had not informed his parents in advance. ¡°I¡¯ll make sure to ask him when hees back tonight,¡± Gloria replied, adamant that this was not an issue she could allow to slide. At the end of the day, Stanley owed them a clear exnation, one way or another. Daniel shook his head and chuckled. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s just wait until theye back from work.¡± Meanwhile, Nicole and Jared were on their way to preschool with Nn and Lana. ¡°Mommy, if Uncle Stanley is really getting married, why did he hide it from us?¡± Lana asked, unable to get over the confusion. Nicole gently patted Lana in the head and smiled, ¡°He isn¡¯t. If it¡¯s true, Uncle Stanley will definitely tell us.¡± There was nothing shameful about getting married, so there was nothing to hide to begin with. For that reason alone, she believed that there must be something they did not know or had misunderstood somewhere along the line. Nicole did not want her kids to dwell on this matter, so she changed the subject and said, ¡°Have you prepared for the parent-child event today? Your performances are all set, right?¡± ¡°Of course!¡± Lana beamed. ¡¯Daddy and Mommy, you must focus on our performanceter, okay?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we definitely will.¡± Nicole smiled. Chapter 2742 Chapter 2742 After a while, the car stopped, indicating that they had already arrived at the entrance of the preschool. ¡°You¡¯re here.¡± Lawrence¡¯s voice greeted, surprising both Nicole and the rest of her family. ¡°Godpa!¡± Nn and Lana eximed in surprise, though they did not run up to him as they had done before. ¡°Why are you here?¡± Nicole asked, finding it weird that Lawrence had shown up. Lawrence shrugged. ¡°I really wanted to participate in the kids 1 events, so I wanted to give it a try, even though I didn¡¯t receive any invitation cards from the school.¡± ¡°There are no invitation cards for this activity, as it¡¯s only for the parents of the students here,¡± Nicole exined, as a sense of awkwardness loomed over her. She had not sent him an invitation, for there never was one to begin with. ¡°I know, so I came here to ask you about this. A godfather should qualify, right?¡± Lawrence confidently asked. To Lawrence, being a godfather was pretty much the closest thing to being a parent, and so, there was no reason for them to deny him entry. This dismayed Nicole, whose lips twitched as she thought,1 Lawrence is ying word games.¡¯ ¡°Let¡¯s go ask them.¡± Lawrence turned to the kindergarten teacher upon noticing that Nicole was not saying anything. The teacher watched as they approached. She felt awkward after she had gotten to learn what Lawrence¡¯s intentions were. However, upon considering Lawrence and Nicole¡¯s reputation and the seemingly amicable rtionship between Lawrence and the children, she had to agree. After shing Nicole a smile, Lawrence happily took Nn inside. ¡°Dad, carry me.¡± Lana raised her arms, waiting for Jared to pick her up. After Jared had lifted Lana up, she hooked her arms around his neck and said, ¡°I only have one Dad. Even though our godfather is here, it doesn¡¯t count.¡± Jared could not help but smile as he affectionately stroked Lana¡¯s forehead. Lana then let out a loud cackle, drawing the attention of everyone around her. Their eyes were all brimming with admiration as they looked at Jared and Lana. Nicole smiled and gently pinched Lana¡¯s chubby cheeks.¡± Come on, we¡¯re going in.¡± ¡°Daddy, let¡¯s go.¡± Lana waved her tiny hand. Jared carried Lana with one arm while holding Nicole¡¯s hand in the other, after which the three of them entered the school, attracting everyone¡¯s attention. Even those who were admiring Lawrence and Nn earlier could not help but be captivated by them. ¡°Alright, first of all, I¡¯d like to wee all parents to our parent-child event. Please get a seat for yourselves. Our activities are about to begin,¡± the host teacher¡¯s voice echoed. Then, everyone scrambled to find themselves a chair. ¡°Dad, let¡¯s sit over there.¡± Lana pointed, wanting to head over to where Lawrence and Nn were. Nicole¡¯s family and Lawrence were side by side once they were all seated. Interestingly, Lana¡¯s voice seemed louder than usual, where she would constantly yell with deliberate emphasis on words like, ¡°Dad¡± and ¡°Godpa.¡± And as expected, such behavior left everyone around them bemused. Defeated, Lawrence shot Lana a nce. ¡°Lana, I¡¯m just here to participate in your activities, not rece your Dad.¡± Unexpectedly, not only was Lana not embarrassed, but she was also nodding vigorously to what Lawrence just said.¡± Well, no one can rece Dad.¡± This amused Lawrence, who chuckled in response. This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org. As the performances began, the children flocked to the stage one after another. Nn and Lana were also set to participate in several activities, so they left their seats pretty early on. Following three consecutive performances was a stage y involving all of the children. After changing into costumes, the children quickly gathered on the stage to y their parts. The fairy tale stage y was excellent, and the children performed exceptionally well, drawing thunderous apuse and continuous praise from the crowd. Once the y had concluded, the host teacher proceeded to announce, ¡°Thank you, everyone. Next is our flower dedication segment. Kids, please present the flowers in your hands to your dearest parents. Chapter 2743 Chapter 2743 ¡°Mummy! Daddy!¡± All of the kids cheered, and gave the flowers they had to their parents. All of the other children had two flowers each, with the exception of Nn and Lana, who had three flowers instead. After they had gifted the flowers to Jared and Nicole, they each gave Lawrence one, shocking him. ¡°Thank you, Godpa,¡± Nn and Lana said, and hugged him, Lawrence had a conflicted look on his face as he embraced the two little ones. He gently patted the kids on their backs and thanked them,¡± I¡¯m the one who should be thanking you.¡± As the performance continued, Lawrence sat there absentminded and lost in thought. ¡°Leo?¡± Nicole called out upon noticing how unusual he looked. ¡°I¡¯ll get going first. I¡¯ve got a few things to settle. Do inform the kids about my departure,¡± Lawrence requested, and hurried out of the venue. Safe to say, Lawrence¡¯s sudden departure left a strange feeling in Nicole¡¯s stomach. ¡®Lawrence seemed to have some kind of motive foring here today. He wasn¡¯t here for the performance. However, he hasn¡¯t really done anything. Is it just my gut feeling?¡¯ ¡°Mommy, where did Godpa go?¡± Nn and Lana asked after they were done with the performance. ¡°He had an emergency, so he has left to deal with it. But he did wish you all the best and to have fun today,¡± Nicole informed as she ruffled the children¡¯s hair. ¡°Oh, alright,¡± the kids responded and took their seats beside their parents. After wiping the sweat off them, Nicole handed a water bottle to them and said, ¡°It must be hot for the both of you. Here, drink some water.¡± ¡°Thank you, Mommy,¡± the two kids said, before drinking in big gulps. It was the turn of the other kids to perform now, and so, Nn and Lana stayed with Nicole and Jared to enjoy the show. Meanwhile, Lawrence had just entered the car after exiting the school grounds. ¡°Mr. Royce? How was it?¡± Ian whispered. In turn, Lawrence shook his head. ¡°We¡¯ll have to find another time.¡± ¡°There¡¯s not much time left for us, sir,¡± Ian said with a helpless look on his face. The Water Crest had been in Lawrence¡¯s hands for a long time now, but nobody had been able to crack it. While Everett seemed harmless and cooperative on the surface, he was, in truth, also biding his time and not as friendly to Lawrence¡¯s cause as he seemed. They had to gain ess to the Water Crest as soon as possible, just so that Lawrence could be its bearer. That way, they could achieve Mr. Royce Sr. ¡®s final wish. Lawrence shot Ian a stern look. ¡°I know.¡± He was aware of the time limit, so he had intended to use Nn¡¯s expertise to achieve his goals. Unfortunately, he had hesitated moments ago, as he did not want to make his motive too obvious. Then, as Lawrence brainstormed for a solution, he came upon a Eureka moment. ¡°Get someone to create a game and install that system into the game.¡± ¡°Are you saying that we should make the system the final stage toplete the game?¡± Ian asked. He was shocked, and found the solution to be a great idea. ¡°You could start now,¡± Lawrence ordered. There seemed to be no other way to do this anyway. If Nn could notplete the final stage of the game, he would naturally ask Nicole for help, and once Nicole was on the case, they might stand a chance in cracking the system and gaining ess to the crest. Through this method, they could achieve their goals without risking detection. No one would even think that the final stage in the game was the system keeping the Water Crest locked. Content ? N?velDrama.Org. Lost in thought now, Lawrence leaned back against his seat as his eyes darkened. By noon, the parent-child event had ended, and that was when Nicole and Jared brought the kids to the car. ¡°Mummy? Daddy? Can we eat hamburgers today?¡± Lana asked with anticipation. Chapter 2744 Chapter 2744 Well, of course you can,¡± Nicole promised. Hearing Nicole¡¯s promise, Nn added, ¡°What about some ice cream?¡± ¡°You can have that too,¡± Nicole agreed. Then, she turned to Max and ordered, ¡°Let¡¯s go to a hamburger restaurant.¡± ¡°Sure thing,¡± Max replied, and drove them to the nearest highway. As soon as he spotted a hamburger joint, he pulled up in front of it. The family got out of the car, entered the restaurant, and ordered two sets of hamburger and ice cream, which the kids enjoyed. As for the couple, they had only bought some fresh fruit juice for themselves. While sipping on her ss of apple juice, Nicole caught sight of two peculiar figures near their car. ¡®Wait, what¡¯s up with that?¡¯ Nicole was perplexed at the sight of Cherry locking hands with a man, both of whom were smiling from ear to ear. As the news from this morning was still fresh in her mind, she could not help but wonder what was going on. ¡°What are you looking at?¡± Jared asked, noticing Nicole¡¯s fixation on the sight outside of the establishment. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s nothing,¡± Nicole replied, before averting her gaze. Though she was maintaining a calm facade, she was also feeling very conflicted. She was in a dilemma as to whether she should inform Stanley about what she had just seen or not. If she did not inform Stanley about Cherry, it would be difficult for Stanley to help her out if any issues arose. But if she told Stanley, there was a possibility that the misunderstanding might worsen. Either way, furtherplications were imminent; she was damned if she did, and damned if she did not. After contemting for a moment, Nicole made up her mind. She sighed, regained herposure, and asked, ¡°Are you ordering something to eat?¡± ¡°No. Let¡¯s eat when we get back home,¡± Jared shook his head, having little to no interest in fast food. ¡°Sounds fine to me,¡± Nicole replied, shrugging her shoulders. She was fine with the idea of them eating back home. The family got home after the kids had finished their lunch. Much to their surprise, however, there was no one in the house. ¡°Where are my parents?¡± Nicole turned to the house butler and asked. ¡°Ms. Riddle?¡± the house butler greeted. ¡°They said they went out for a walk. They might have gone to the Riddle family manor.¡± ¡°So, I suppose there¡¯s no lunch prepared, right?¡± Nicole asked. To that, the house butler answered, ¡°Yes, we have eaten. Therefore, we have not prepared anything for the others.¡± Knowing that everyone had eaten lunch, Nicole said, ¡°It¡¯s fine, you can go about your work.¡± Once the butler had left, Nicole made a beeline to the kitchen and asked, ¡°Since that¡¯s the case, should we have some pasta? I¡¯m thinking of whipping some Aglio Olio up for us. Simple and delicious.¡± This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. ¡°Sure thing,¡± Jared replied. He was not picky when it came to the food Nicole cooked. After a short while, Nicole came out carrying two tes of pastas and headed to the dining room. ¡°Come over for lunch! Leaving Nn and Lana in the living room to watch their television shows, Jared sauntered to the dining room. Once seated, the couple started eating their simple yet delicious pasta. Though it was nothing to write home about, they were both very content at the moment. ¡°Is the pasta to your liking?¡± Nicole smirked. ¡°It¡¯s great,¡± Jared answered. His gaze was gentle, and he furtherplimented her by taking a big bite. ¡°Hehe,¡± Nicole chuckled, her voice carrying a sense of satisfaction. For Nicole, her idea of happiness was as simple as this. All it would take was for Jared to love the little things she did for him. ¡°The preparations for the wedding are done. We¡¯re just waiting for you to set the time,¡± Jared notified her out of the blue. ¡°What?!¡± Nicole asked, startled by Jared¡¯s sudden announcement. She was so taken aback that she froze, with bits of pasta hanging from her mouth like whiskers on a catfish. Chapter 2745 Chapter 2745 With a plop, the pasta fell back onto the te as Nicole snapped back to reality. ¡°Don¡¯t get nervous. You¡¯ll get to decide the time,¡± Jared teased with a smile. Nicole blushed in embarrassment. ¡°I¡¯m not nervous. It¡¯s just that it felt so sudden.¡± Jared had never mentioned the wedding preparations to Nicole, who thought it was still in the process. Thus, she was rather shocked to be informed that everything was ready. ¡°Everything has been ready for a while now,¡± Jared said softly. Nicole lightly bit her lip, realizing that Jared had indeed waited on her for quite a while. Due to their current circumstances, it would not be wise for them to carry the wedding ceremony out. They had yet to neutralize Lawrence and Everett, and now, the sudden emergence of the Eastern Falcon had only added to theirundry list of threats to be dealt with. All of these groups and individuals had their eyes on the couple, so Nicole thought it was best for her to wait a little longer. Even then, she could not hide the look of guilt on her face as she looked at Jared. ¡°Can our wedding be dyed a little longer?¡± Nicole knew it might not be a good time to suggest this. However, she would not be able to hold the wedding peacefully unless her enemies had been dealt with. Besides, she did not wish to have any regrets, and was worried that something might go wrong during the wedding. After all, this was a once-in-a-lifetime experience, one that she hoped would unfold smoothly with everyone¡¯s heartfelt blessings. ¡°I told you. You get to decide the time,¡± Jared smiled as he held her hand andforted her. ¡°There¡¯s no rush.¡± Jared knew why Nicole had reservations about getting married early, so he had thrown the ball to her court, giving her the final say. Nicole smiled at how considerate he was, feeling warm and fuzzy within. Then, she nodded and replied, ¡°Alright then.¡± ¡°Are Mummy and Daddy getting married?¡± Lana asked excitedly. Nicole turned around to find Nn and Lana standing behind them. With a yful smile etched on her face, she chided them,¡± Why did you eavesdrop on our conversation?¡± ¡°We didn¡¯t eavesdrop. We were just listening out in the open, ¡± Lana proudly raised her head. Nicole chuckled and pinched Lana¡¯s cheek upon hearing her retort. ¡°Weren¡¯t you watching television?¡± She could not help but wonder why the kids were standing there and listening in to their conversation. Mommy, Lana got sleepy and wanted to go to bed,¡± Nn exined. ¡°We were going to tell you, but then, we heard you talking.¡± ¡°It¡¯s your nap time, isn¡¯t it? Okay,e on,¡± Nicole said. As she had finished her food, she brought the kids upstairs. With Nicole handling the kids, Jared headed back to his own bedroom. While waiting for Nicole¡¯s return, Jared got busy with the documents his secretary had sent him. Before long, Nicole came in with her voice lowered, not wanting to disturb Jared. She then grabbed some of her files from her folder and read them by the window. The room was quiet, with nothing but the shallow breaths of the two and the sounds of fingers darting across the keyboard every now and then. As the sunlight streamed into the room, giving everything a golden hue, the couple sat and worked on their documents in silence. Time passed in a sh, and soon, dusk was upon them. By six in the evening, the living room came to live. Knowing that the family had returned, Nicole went to check on the kids and inform them, ¡°Your grandparents are back. Let¡¯s go downstairs.¡± This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. ¡°Alright,¡± Nn and Lana replied, whereupon they dropped their toys and followed her downstairs. Chapter 2746 Chapter 2746 ¡°Oh, you¡¯re at home,¡± Gloria was surprised when she saw Jared and Nicole walking down the flight of stairs with the kids. She waved to the kids and said, ¡°Come to Grandma!¡± ¡°Grandma!¡± Nn and Lana responded, and sprinted toward Gloria. Nicole and Jared soon caught up and sat down on the couch next to Gloria. ¡°Dad? Mom? Did you guys visit Grandpa?¡± ¡°Yes, we just came back from his ce. Your grandfather wanted to have dinner with us, but we¡¯ve declined his invitation. We wanted toe back and have dinner with you,¡± Daniel exined. ¡°Is Grandpa alright?¡± Nicole asked with concern. ¡®He¡¯s fine. But it¡¯s taking quite some time for him to let go of things,¡± Daniel sighed. This was inevitable. Fortunately for them, Benjamin¡¯s current condition was rtively stable, which was a relief to them. ¡°It will get better with time,¡± Nicole reassured, knowing her parents were worried for Benjamin. Fortunately, the old man had done his best to remainposed and rational. Although he was understandably sad and disappointed, all these feelings would eventually pass. ¡°Oh, everyone¡¯s around,¡± Stanley called out, startled to see everyone gathered in the living room. ¡°We just came back too,¡± Gloria said. ¡°Come on over. We¡¯re starting dinner soon.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Stanleyplied, though he felt a tad anxious as he had an inkling that this might be a setup for a family meeting. He sat down, ill at ease, at the dinner table without daring to make a noise. He was afraid of drawing attention to himself and being interrogated about the news. To his surprise, however, no one asked him about it. This perplexed him, and the silence only added to his unease. Even during dinner, no one asked Stanley about the news, leaving himpletely puzzled by theck of curiosity from his family. He was unnerved by their treatment of him even after he had returned to his room for the night, Sitting on the bed, Stanley began to ponder about the strangeness of the situation. All of a sudden, he heard three knocks on the door, which startled him, as he knew there was no escaping the conversation at this point. ¡°Come in,¡± Stanley sighed, as he began to ept the inevitable. The door swung open, revealing Nicole, who caught him by surprise. ¡°Why are you here?¡± ¡°Who else would you want here?¡± Nicole retorted, rolling her eyes. Content ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°I thought it was Mom,¡± Stanley admitted. Seeing that Stanley was visibly rxed now, Nicole mockingly asked, ¡°Feeling guilty much?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that. I just don¡¯t know how to exin the situation to Mom,¡± Stanley replied in defeat. Then, Nicole sat down and solemnly asked, ¡°Are there any problems between you and Cherry?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Stanley asked in confusion. ¡°Why would you say that? Oh my, what do you know!?¡± After hearing what Nicole said, Stanley figured that she was already aware of his situation and was just here to confirm it. ¡°I know a little, but I¡¯m not sure if we¡¯re talking about the same thing,¡± Nicole replied, and looked him in the eye, Stanley paused, knowing that Nicole might indeed know something. Not wanting to beat around the bush, Nicole revealed, ¡°I saw Cherry with a dude earlier this afternoon. They seemed to be as thick as thieves.¡± Nicole paused after telling him what she had seen; she knew Stanley would catch the drift. ¡°Ugh,¡± Stanley sighed. ¡°So you found out. Okay, how do I put this? Cherry actually has a boyfriend, but her family disapproves of their rtionship. They don¡¯t think he is up to par with her. Because of this, they kept setting her up with other men. She has been rejecting every single one of them, until she met me,¡± Stanley exined, revealing the truth. Chapter 2747 Chapter 2747 ¡°What¡¯s she up to?¡± Nicole frowned. ¡®Is Cherry using Stanley as a shield?¡¯ ¡°It¡¯s just a deal between us. She¡¯s getting her visa. But there are some problems causing the dy,¡± Stanley admitted, relieved after sharing his dirt with Nicole. Nodding, Nicole instantly understood Cherry¡¯s n, as well as Stanley¡¯s. ¡°You¡¯re using her to stop the inflow of dates Mom¡¯s setting up for you?¡± ¡°You can say that, but you¡¯re not entirely correct,¡± Stanley replied. ¡°What do you mean by not entirely?¡± Nicole asked, bing even more confused. It was obvious that Cherry was using Stanley as a smokescreen to lull her family into a false sense of security until her visa was approved. After that, she would leave the country with her real boyfriend. However, Nicole could still not figure out Stanley¡¯s motive in this deal. Once Cherry had left, his family would still pressure him into getting married. This much would be true. ¡°She¡¯s helping me,¡± Stanley murmured. ¡¯It¡¯s between Tia and I.¡± ¡°You and Tia?¡± Nicole asked, her eyes widening in surprise.¡¯ What¡¯s the situation between Stanley and Tia?¡¯ ¡°All along, Tia had someone she liked. I could only look out for her without crossing any lines. But then, Cherry told me that Tia does care about me, so here I am, fighting for myself,¡± Stanley exined. If Tia did care about him, Stanley would do all he could for a chance to be with her. ¡°So your way of fighting for a chance at love is by getting yourself a false girlfriend? And not to mention, you even acted all lovey-dovey in front of Tia,¡± Nicole reprimanded. ¡°Cherry said it would affect Tia. The idea is that, if Tia really does care about me, she won¡¯t remain indifferent,¡± Stanley exined. However, he did not want to act in front of Tia, so he did his best to avoid getting too close to Cherry. Nicole now understood the situation. Cherry¡¯s drastic change in personality made sense to her now. It was all done to make Tia suffer and feel heartbroken for Stanley. Rolling her eyes at Stanley, Nicole scolded, ¡°Aren¡¯t you afraid of messing things up for the both of you?!¡± If Tia did not react as they expected and sincerely congratted them for their rtionship, Stanley would be left with nothing. ¡°Even if Tia doesn¡¯t act the way we¡¯ve hoped, Cherry will leave eventually,¡± Stanley whispered. In his view, that ending would be a failure. He would still end up alone after Cherry was out of the picture. However, it was not a loss for Stanley. After all, he could take sce in knowing he had tried and fought for a chance at love. Being met with an undesirable oue was better than not trying at all. At the very least, it would not be something he would regret. ¡°I have nothing to say,¡± Nicole replied in frustration. ¡°How are you sure that Tia has someone she likes?¡± ¡°I have known it for a long time now. They didn¡¯t talk much, but Tia gives him special treatment,¡± Stanley said with a halfsmile. ¡°Whatever, I¡¯m done talking to you. You deserve nothing but the worst in love,¡± Nicole said, before storming out of the room. ¡°Hey, what¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± Stanley was left bewildered. He could not understand what he had done wrong to warrant such a reaction from Nicole. ¡®Have I made a mistake by striking a deal with Cherry? Did it hurt Tia in any way?¡¯ Stanley¡¯s face nched as he came to the realization that he might have made a grave mistake. This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org. Nicole was speechless as she came out of Stanley¡¯s room. She was both helpless and disappointed as she returned to her room. She figured that Jared was apanying the kids upon noticing his absence in the room, so she sat at the bedside. Unintentionally, her mind kept bringing her back to Stanley¡¯s situation. It was apparent at this point that the rtionship between Stanley and Cherry was merely a coboration, a mutual assistance of sorts. Cherry was indeed clever to have sought help from Stanley. If she ran off with her boyfriend in the near future, the Jean family would not be able to fault Stanley for it. They would not even dare to create a scene at the Riddle family manor, and even if they did, Stanley could always defend himself by saying that he was a victim in this incident too. ¡°That¡¯s one hell of a n. So that¡¯s how she knew that has feelings for Stanley,¡± Nicole mumbled. Chapter 2748 Chapter 2748 Nicole then wondered, ¡®I guess only Stanley with his thick skull would think Tia has feelings for someone. How could he not notice that Tia has no men around her?¡¯ ¡°What are you thinking about?¡± Jared¡¯s voice red out from behind her. Looking up, Nicole asked, ¡°Are the kids asleep?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Jared replied, and sat down next to Nicole. He held her hand, and went on to ask, ¡°You look like you¡¯ve got something on your mind. What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°Ugh.¡± Nicole sighed, and she proceeded to tell Jared about Stanley and Cherry¡¯s situation. After hearing her out, he calmly replied, ¡°They didn¡¯t look like a couple at all.¡± ¡°How did you notice?¡± Nicole frowned, puzzled that the situation had gone unnoticed by her. ¡°They look like friends, or even siblings. Compare them to Samuel and Spencer. You¡¯ll see what I¡¯m talking about,¡± Jared exined, shrugging his shoulders. And indeed, he knew full well how couples interacted in contrast with how siblings and friends did. After thinking about it for a moment, she agreed. ¡°Hey, if you put it that way, they do seem rather different.¡± ¡°Forget about them. It¡¯s none of your business,¡± Jared pulled Nicole up. ¡°Let¡¯s wash up and get ready for bed.¡± ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right,¡± Nicole replied, and headed to the bathroom. As for Stanley¡¯s predicament, Nicole believed that he would think it over himself, especially after their last conversation. Whatever decision Stanley made in the end would be entirely up to him. The next day, Nicole started her morning, fresh and energetic. When Nicole arrived at the Riddle Corporation, she was stopped by Lulu, who came over as if she was hiding something precious from everyone around her. ¡°There¡¯s good news.¡± ¡°Well, what good news do you have for me?¡± Nicole smiled. ¡°It¡¯s about BayCorp. Stanley has handed the bidding documents in. All we need to do now is wait for the results,¡± Lulu informed. She then waved another set of papers in her hand, and added, ¡°Oh and this.¡± ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Nicole asked. ¡°Let¡¯s talk inside,¡± Lulu said. She then linked her arm around Nicole¡¯s and led her into the office. ¡°Okay. But why the mystery? Is it about the Ellison Group?¡± Nicole chuckled. As expected, Nicole¡¯s guess was correct, and Lulu pouted in defeat. ¡°Don¡¯t be such a smartass, could you?¡± ¡°Hah, your glee was a dead giveaway,¡± Nicole exined. She could think of no reason other than Harvey¡¯s downfall as Lulu¡¯s source of joy at the moment. This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. ¡°You¡¯re right. I bagged the coboration project,¡± Lulu bragged. She then handed the document to Nicole. ¡°Do you know how big of a deal this is? They originally wanted to partner with Ellison Group. Well, too bad, because I snatched the deal!¡± ¡°You got it fair and square. It¡¯s not snatching,¡± Nicole corrected. The two exchanged nces and burst outughing. ¡°I¡¯m in the process of iming two other projects. After I get both of them, it will surely give Harvey a shock. He will regret his arrogance. Man, he sure does like to throw his weight around,¡± Lulu said indignantly. Chapter 2749 Chapter 2749 If Harvey was not so obsessed with ruining Nicole¡¯s life and flexing, they would not have gotten a chance to make a move. ¡°But it¡¯s best for you to be more careful. Harvey is still capable of pulling tricks.¡± Nicole advised. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I got it.¡± Lulu replied solemnly. ¡°Yeah.¡± Nicole nodded. She would always have faith in Lulu, but she figured that she should still offer her some advice. After a slight pause, Lulu lowered her voice, ¡°Oh right, there¡¯s another thing. Harvey seems to be in contact with Thomas recently. I¡¯m not sure what he is up to now again.¡± ¡°Thomas?¡± Nicole frowned. Thomas had been undergoing treatment abroad, and he seemed to be doing well, so it was strange that Harvey would contact him out of the blue. ¡°That¡¯s right. Do you think he¡¯s nning something? I mean, he had never seemed to care about Thomas in the past.¡± Lulu said. ¡°It¡¯s possible.¡± Nicole agreed. Indeed, Harvey¡¯s sudden attention for Thomas had made it obvious that he had a motive. The only question was, what was Harvey nning to do? Was he nning to use Thomas to ckmail Nicole? If that was the case, it would not work on her. After all, this was the main reason as to why Thomas was sent away. ¡°Should we inform Thomas?¡± Lulu suggested, feeling a need to be cautious. ¡°Let¡¯s put it on hold for now. I believe Thomas will be able to handle it.¡± Nicole shook her head. She did not want to get involved with every single thing concerning Thomas. At the end of the day, he was a grown man. He should be able to look out for himself and formte his own judgments about the issues around him. ¡°Alright then.¡± Upon hearing that, Lulu decided to let it rest. If that was the case, they should let Thomas handle everything on his own. Content ? N?velDrama.Org. The only thing they had to do now was to exert great pressure onto Harvey in hopes that he would learn who he should not be messing with. That way, he would learn to stay in hisne. As long as Harvey kept his grubby hands off of them, Nicole would be free from having to worry about him. ¡°If there¡¯s nothing else, I¡¯ll get back to work now.¡± Lulu nodded and exited the room. Nicole flipped through the document she had on her and smiled. She had a gut feeling that something great was about to happen. Meanwhile, in the executive office of Ellison Group, Harvey was staring at his phone with a nk look on his face. Thomas had actually hung up on him. In fact, Thomas did not seem to want anything to do with him. ¡®Was my suggestion a terrible one to begin with? If he¡¯s willing to work with me, I might even consider taking care of his retirement,¡¯ Harvey thought. ¡®On top of that, Nicole will be his granddaughter-inw if we were to seed. What is Grandpa not happy with? He has favored Nicole all this while, hasn¡¯t he?¡¯ ¡°Sir, what do we do now that your grandfather has refused to work with us?¡± Lewis asked Harvey softly. Harvey nced at Lewis and replied, ¡°If he doesn¡¯t agree to it, I¡¯ll think of another way.¡± It was hard to believe that Harvey would give up on his n just because Thomas had decided not to get involved. ¡°Sir, I heard that Damien is the only one left in his side of the family. Why don¡¯t we work with him?¡± Lewis suggested. ¡°For God¡¯s sake! The Riddles are useless!¡± he bellowed. It would be an absolute waste of time to work with them. ¡°All I want is to defeat Nicole. I have plenty of ideas to achieve it.¡± Harvey raised his eyebrows happily. It would be stupid for anyone to think that Harvey had run out of ideas just because his grandfather had opted not to participate. ¡°So, what should we do now?¡± Lewis asked with caution. ¡°I¡¯ll give Nicole whatever she cares for the most. Do you think she will sit still when I do?¡± Harvey asked, and gave Lewis a meaningful nce. One of the things Nicole cared for the most was Riddle Corporation. Therefore, Harvey had decided that Ellison Group should forge even more partnerships with her on several more fronts. The more partnerships they had, the harder it would be for them to split their benefits. This would also mean that they would be inseparable. Once the Riddle Corporation and Ellison Group were intertwined, it would be impossible for Nicole and Harvey to be separated. Chapter 2750 Chapter 2750 Harvey was brimming with happiness as he whispered to Lewis, ¡°You may start preparing¡­¡± ¡°Understood,¡± Lewis whirled around and walked out of the office. Harvey then grinned as if he was anticipating something grand and sinister. On the other end, Thomas was staring at his phone with a heavy heart. He did turn down Harvey¡¯s suggestion, but for some reason, he was still riddled with feelings of unease. Based on his understanding of his grandson, Harvey was not the kind who would give up until he had gotten what he wanted. Therefore, Thomas was genuinely worried about him. Previously, he had gone toe-to-toe with Jared over Nicole, which ended up with Harvey losing. In a way, Nicole¡¯s disappearance was a blessing in disguise in that it had gotten Harvey to quit messing with the Riddles. Had that not been the case, there would be no telling if Ellison Group would still exist today. At this point, Thomas could not help but wonder what had given Harvey the balls and the confidence to take on Nicole and Jared. If Harvey persisted, his fate would be sealed. Therefore, Thomas was veryconcerned. ¡°For God¡¯s sake, Harvey.¡± Thomas sighed. ¡°Sir, Ms. Riddle will take care of it. You should just get some rest and have your peace of mind,¡± his caretakerforted. Thomas shot her a nce and nodded. ¡°I know. I just feel annoyed by it.¡± The caretaker in question was also someone Nicole had assigned to tend to him. Therefore, Thomas did not have to keep quiet about that which concerned the both of them. In fact, the caretaker had a great deal of knowledge about what was going on. Furthermore, it was also thanks to the caretaker¡¯spany that life abroad was not as boring for Thomas. At the very least, Thomas had someone to talk to whenever he had something in his mind. ¡°Let¡¯s head back now,¡± Thomas decided. ¡°Are you sure you¡¯ve thought it through?¡± the caretaker asked, still wanting to persuade Thomas to stay. Nicole had the same idea as well. She did not want Thomas to get himself caught in the crossfire.Books Chapters Are Daily Updated Join & Stay Updated For All Books Updates¡­ ¡°Yes. Perhaps, I am at fault for how things have turned out.¡± Had Thomas not allowed Harvey to be incorrigible, things would not have ended up the way it was. Content provided by N?velDrama.Org. Sometimes, the one who had made the mess was the only one who could clean it up or undo it. Perhaps it was necessary for Thomas to step in and intervene just so that all of this nonsense could finally end. The caretaker looked at Thomas, thinking of persuading him out of getting into the fray. However, Thomas seemed determined, so she gave up before she could say a word. ¡°I¡¯d like to take a nap.¡± Thomas said, his breathingbored. One could tell that he was in a bad mood. ¡°Alright,¡± sheid Thomas down. Then, she made sure he was fast asleep before stepping out. A weight seemed to have lifted from his chest after he had made the decision, so he fell asleep rather quickly. Back at San Joto, it was already lunch hour. As Nicole was getting ready to head out to grab a bite, her phone rang. It was an unknown number, so Nicole was cautious when she picked it up. ¡°Hello?¡± ¡°Hey, Ms. Riddle? I¡¯m Cindy Rowe. Do you remember me?¡± a crisp and clear female voice greeted. ¡°Cindy Rowe?¡± Nicole paused for a moment to recall who it was. ¡°Right. I remember now. You¡¯re Martin¡¯s research partner.¡± Cindyughed and replied, ¡°Thank you for remembering me. Can I ask you out for lunch?¡± ¡°Anything I can help you with?¡± Nicole asked, confused as to why Cindy would invite her for lunch out of the blue. ¡°I need your advice on something.¡± Cindy answered candidly. Nicole hesitated for a moment. After all, they were not close, and had only spoken to each other for less than a minute thest time they met. Chapter 2751 Chapter 2751 ¡°I promise I won¡¯t keep you for too long. I just thought that I could ask to meet you since it¡¯s lunch hour. If you can¡¯t make it, well just meet some other time.¡± Cindy quickly added, as she must have noticed Nicole¡¯s hesitation. Hearing this, Nicole smiled. ¡°Now that you¡¯ve put it like this, it wouldn¡¯t be right for me to decline.¡± ¡°Well, shall we meet at Regina Diner?¡± Cindy asked. She was excited that Nicole had agreed to meet up with her. This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Alright, see youter.¡± Nicole hung up. As Nicole looked up, she suddenly saw Lulu, at whom she rolled her eyes. ¡°When did youe in?¡± ¡°I knocked but you did not respond. Then, I opened the door and saw you talking on the phone, so I came in. Anyway, who¡¯s that?¡± Lulu asked, curious about the invitation Nicole seemed to have received. ¡°Martin¡¯s friend. She wants to meet me.¡± Nicole replied. ¡°His friend? Why does she want to meet you?¡± Lulu asked in surprise. In response, Nicole shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m not sure. I¡¯ll find out when I¡¯m there.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll apany you then.¡± Lulu said, volunteering toe along. They did not know each other that well, and the invitation was a little too sudden. On top of that, Nicole did not seem too keen with the idea of having lunch with a stranger. Therefore, Lulu became a little worried about her going out there on her own. Nicole looked at Lulu, and after thinking about it for a moment, she said, ¡°Alright then.¡± The both of them left the office building and arrived at Regina Diner after a short drive. ¡°Ms. Riddle.¡± Cindy¡¯s voice red out as soon as they had entered. Nicole traced the voice and looked toward from which it had emanated, and there, she found Cindy standing up and waving at Nicole. ¡°Come and have a seat.¡± Nicole brought Lulu over, sat down and introduced them to each other, ¡°Lulu. Cindy.¡±Books Chapters Are Daily Updated Join & Stay Updated For All Books Updates¡­ Lulu and Cindy nodded to each other, after which Cindy smiled and said, ¡°I know you.¡± As expected, Lulu was shocked. ¡°How did you know me?¡± It was their first time meeting each other, and Lulu had never met, let alone spoken to her before. ¡°Martin told me, of course.¡± Cindy smiled. ¡°Basically, I got to know everything rted to Ms. Riddle from him.¡± Lulu blinked as if she had gotten to know what was really going on. She then turned her gaze to Nicole as if to say,¡± She seems to be giving me love rival vibes.¡± Nicole, however, could not help but roll her eyes at Lulu. Then, she turned to Cindy with a calm look and a light smile, ¡°Did Martin mention about us often?¡± ¡°Not really. I was the one who kept asking him about you.¡± Cindy shed her a nervous smile out of embarrassment. ¡°Wait, why would you even do that?¡± Lulu was curious. ¡®Why would thisdy be so interested in knowing someone who she¡¯s only met once? Is she nuts?¡¯ ¡°Uh¡­¡± Cindy stuttered, not knowing how to answer the question Lulu had thrown at her. ¡°Sorry. Was I rude?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± Nicole smiled and said in a gentle tone of voice. ¡°Correct me if I¡¯m wrong, but you like Martin, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°What? So that¡¯s why¡­¡± Lulu came to her senses. As it turned out, Cindy was not interested in them. She was just looking for a way to capture Martin¡¯s heart. Hearing this, Cindy hid her smile and nodded. ¡°You guys knew?¡± ¡°It¡¯s pretty obvious.¡± Lulu nodded. Chapter 2752 Chapter 2752 After returning the smile, Nicole asked, ¡°So, you invited me here to ask me about something?¡± ¡°Yeah. I actually would like to learn from you,¡± Cindy¡¯s cheeks flushed as she coyly said. ¡°Learn from me?¡± Nicole frowned. ¡°What does Cindy even want to learn?¡¯ Lulu was also stunned. She repeatedly blinked at Nicole, trying to understand what Cindy was talking about. Nicole shook her head as she did not know what Cindy was really after. Content provided by N?velDrama.Org. Cindy then continued, ¡°Martin likes you very much, so I would like to know what I can do to touch his heart.¡± She was hoping that Nicole would be able to impart some tips and tricks. That way, Martin would fall for her. Nicole furrowed her brows upon hearing that. ¡°How do I even teach someone something like this? I didn¡¯t manipte Martin into falling in love with me.¡¯ Lulu¡¯s jaw was left hanging, after which she frowned and curtly asked, ¡°What are you trying to say? Are you implying that Nicole seduced Martin into liking her?¡± Cindy¡¯s face turned pale as soon as she heard the response she had garnered. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. That was not what I meant.¡± Cindy could tell that Lulu and Nicole had misunderstood her request, and she realized there and then that she might have phrased her question terribly. Thus, to clear the air, she quickly exined, ¡°What I meant was that the both of you know Martin better. What should I do to be a potential partner for him?¡± ¡°Ah, that is so much better.¡± Lulu replied with augh.Books Chapters Are Daily Updated Join & Stay Updated For All Books Updates¡­ ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I phrased my question horribly. Here¡¯s the thing. I really like Martin, and I don¡¯t want to lose him.¡± Cindy bit her lips and said dejectedly. ¡°But what if you still fail even after we¡¯ve helped you?¡± Lulu asked in concern. After all, no one could guarantee sess, as Martin would have to ept Cindy for it to work. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, it¡¯ll be fine.¡± Cindy replied firmly. ¡°At least I tried.¡± If she still failed after trying, Cindy would just ept her fate. It would just prove that Martin was not her soulmate. She would, however,e to regret it if she did not put in the effort to win him over. ¡°You came to San Joto because of him, right?¡± Nicole assumed, sounding as if she could read Cindy¡¯s mind. By the second meeting, she had already guessed the reason as to why Cindy hade to San Joto: she wanted to be Martin¡¯s partner and run a researchb together with him. In fact, she did all that just so that she could spend more time with Martin. Cindy was just trying to create more opportunities to bond with one another. Cindy was blushing as she replied, ¡°Yes, it¡¯s because of him.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not a bad idea. Being in close proximity gives you the upper hand. We¡¯ve got your back. Well, you seem pretty nice, so I guess we can consider you a friend too.¡± Lulu patted Cindy on the shoulder. ¡°For real?¡± Cindy asked, taken aback. From the day she moved to San Joto, she had not made a single friend. If she was not hanging out with Martin in theb, she would constantly be on her own in her apartment. This had made her very isted and lonely. Otherwise, she would not have forced herself to meet Nicole. All things considered, Cindy was a lot more familiar with Nicole aspared to the others, although they had only met once. ¡°Thank you.¡± Cindy¡¯s eyes welled up, for she had finally foundpany. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s eat first. As for what you requested, we¡¯ll tell you about Martin¡¯s preferences first. As for the rest, I¡¯d advise you to take it slow. Although you¡¯ve got the upper hand, things would still have to progress gradually for feelings between the both of you to develop,¡± Lulu said as if she was a rtionship expert. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s dig in. We¡¯ll talk while we eat.¡± Cindy became excited at the mention of Martin. Thedies had a fun and merry lunch thereafter, filled with nothing butughter and incessant chatter. Even when the meal had ended, they were reluctant to part ways, ¡°I can still hit you both up, right?¡± Cindy asked. Chapter 2753 Chapter 2753 ¡°Hey. Feel free to call us when we aren¡¯t busy.¡± Lulu smiled. Although it was their first time meeting each other, Lulu could instantly vibe with Cindy as if they were old friends who had met after a long time apart. ¡°Anytime.¡± Nicole agreed with a friendly smile. ¡°Thank you!¡± Cindy said. She was touched by their gesture of kindness, as she finally had people in San Joto whom she could call friends. Now, she would not have to feel the sting of loneliness anymore. ¡°Alright, you should head back,¡± Lulu reminded Cindy, seeing that lunch time was over. Everyone got into their rides, bade their goodbyes, and went their merry way. By the time Nicole and Lulu returned to the headquarters of Riddle Corporation, they already had a pile of documents waiting forthem. ¡°I still have a few documents to go through, so I¡¯ll be returning to my office now,¡± Lulu informed after they had exited the elevator. Then, she made a beeline for her office, while Nicole sauntered back to hers. They just had a good lunch with Cindy in the afternoon, so Nicole was in a great mood. After Nicole had entered her office, she sat down and buried herself in her work. Sunset arrived in the blink of an eye, and when Nicole stepped out of the office building, Jared was already at the entrance waiting for her. With a smile on her face, Nicole approached the car, opened the doorand got in. ¡°You¡¯ve waited for very long, haven¡¯t you?¡± Nicole beamed as she asked Jared. ¡°Not really.¡± Jared gently held both of her hands, his eyes gentle and affectionate. Leaning her head on Jared¡¯s shoulders, Nicole stopped and put herself at ease. ¡°Why? Are you worried about something?¡± Jared asked in a soft voice. He could tell that Nicole was in a different mood today. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I just made a new friend, and I found it interesting.¡± Nicole smiled. ¡°Martin¡¯s research partner?¡± Jared asked, knowing who Nicole was referring to. This shocked Nicole, who replied, ¡°How did you know? Was it Patricia?¡± ¡°I guess so.¡± Jared answered without giving her a detailed exnation. As a matter of fact, Patricia was just reporting to Charlie when she mentioned that Nicole was eating out for lunch in passing. Knowing that it was probably Charlie who had brought it up during lunch hour, Nicole simply nodded. ¡°She just invited me out for a meal all of a sudden and asked me about Martin.¡± Nicole briefly exined, knowing that Jared would not be interested in the details. As expected, Jared did not even bother asking for more. Instead, he changed the subject of the conversation.¡± Charlie has received some information about the Eastern Falcon. The men working behind the scenes are very secretive, so we don¡¯t know who they are yet.¡± This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. ¡°Can¡¯t Charlie look into it?¡± Nicole asked, surprised and curious about who they could be. However, Jared simply shook his head. ¡°I¡¯ve already ordered Zane to look into it.¡± ¡°Zane?¡± Nicole frowned, after which she slowly turned to Jared as her eyes welled up. ¡°How is he doing?¡± All of a sudden, Nicole¡¯s memories of Zane came rushing back. It had been hidden in the deepest recesses of her brain for a long time now, and no one had been able to unveil them. Therefore, there must have been something of great significance to her in that sudden recollection. Chapter 2754 Chapter 2754 Nicole¡¯s eyes were brimming with tears as she felt a dull ache in her chest. It was such a familiar name, but it had always been hidden in her deepest corners of her subconscious. In fact, she had never experienced such a massive surge of feeling, but when she did, it struck her like a punch to the heart. ¡°They¡¯re doing fine. When you first came back, I¡¯d already informed him that you wouldn¡¯t be around because you¡¯ve lost your memories. But don¡¯t worry. He has been asking about you. Since you remember him now, you may contact him.¡± Jared stroked her hair softly andforted her. ¡°Let¡¯s go home first,¡± Nicole said, having a mix of feelings at the thought of contacting Zane out of the blue. She was feeling unsettled, as if her heart and mind were at odds with one another. ¡°Alright, we¡¯ll go home then.¡± Jared gave her a warm and gentle hug,forting her. ¡°Now that I can recall the past, it feels like a lifetime has passed since then.¡± Nicole sighed. Although she had been regaining fragments of her memory from time to time ever since she returned, Zane and his organization were much like family, just like the Riddles. Both of which held an important ce in her heart. ¡°Actually, I was not the only one searching for you all these years. Zane had been trying very hard to find you as well. Thankfully, you returned, and everyone has been a lot more at ease since then.¡± Jared patted Nicole in the shoulder. Even if she did not return, none of them would give up, and they would continue their search for her forever. Still, one could only imagine how hurt and sad Nicole felt.¡¯ They must¡¯ve despaired countless times when they failed to get any leads on my whereabouts.¡¯ After all, Crescent Ind was far and remote. It was disconnected from the outside world. On top of that, Nicole had lost her memory, so it was normal for them to fail during their search. Realizing that she had an odd look on her face, Jared asked in a low voice, ¡°What are you thinking about?¡± ¡°Nothing.¡± Nicole shook her head. Then, she looked up at Jared and smiled, ¡°I was just thinking back about my life back at Crescent Ind.¡± Nicole was living a carefree life on that little ind. While she was raising the two kids, she had even thought about settling down at the ind permanently. Yet, what she did not know was that there were many people out there who were genuinely worried about her. They were sparing no effort in searching for her while trying not to fall into despair. ¡°Perhaps that was the period in your life when you were at your most rxed.¡± Jared held her hands. In fact, Jared was grateful that she had gotten to experience that, given the fact that she had been fighting for her dear life for the longest time. All that mattered was that Nicole was alive and well. To top it off, she had also returned to San Joto.This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. Jared could not imagine how his life would turn out if he could not see Nicole anymore for the rest of his life. The car came to a halt, and Nicole turned to look outside just to realize that they had reached home. The both of them got down from the car and entered the living room, where Daniel and Gloria were seated. ¡°Dad? Mom?¡± Nicole greeted. ¡°Good evening, Daniel and Gloria,¡± Jared followed. The couple then went to the couch and sat down. ¡°You guys are back. Nn and Lana haven¡¯t returned yet.¡± Gloria looked at the both of them and turned her gaze to the hallway. Usually, the little kids would have returned by this hour. Just as Gloria had spoken, Nn and Lana ran in happily. ¡°Daddy! Mommy! Grandpa! Grandma.¡± ¡°My little babies are back. I was just talking about the both of you.¡± Gloria smiled, happy to see Nn and Lana. ¡°We saw Dad¡¯s car just now, so we knew that mommy and Daddy are back. We even called out to them, but too bad they couldn¡¯t hear us.¡± Lana lifted her head with her lips curved. ¡°I wasn¡¯t paying attention, so I didn¡¯t notice the both of you there.¡± Nicole patted the two little ones in the head. ¡°Nicole, they were really loud. I told them you won¡¯t be able to hear them, but they still continued shouting.¡± Tia entered with a smile on her face. Chapter 2755 Chapter 2755 Nicole watched as Tia walked in and returned her smile. Thanks Tia.¡± ¡°Oh, it¡¯s nothing, I quite like picking them up from school,¡± Tia said. Tia had taken a liking to picking the twins up for kindergarten, so much so that it did not feel like a chore for her anymore. Instead, it was the most rxing part of her day, aspared to the rest of the things she had to do on a daily basis. ¡®How I wish I could go and pick them up from kindergarten every day. Those little munchkins are too cute. It¡¯s like all my worries would just vanish into thin air each time I see them smile.¡¯ Tia mentally sighed. ¡°Everyone¡¯s all here?¡± Stanley asked. ¡°Hey, Daniel. Hey, Gloria,¡± Cherry Jean greeted from behind. Everyone turned to where Cherry¡¯s voice was heard, all with frowns and grimaces stered across their faces. After an awkward pause, Gloria came to her senses and chirped, ¡°Cherry, you¡¯re here! Come have a seat.¡± Cherry politely greeted everyone in the room before linking her arm with Stanley¡¯s as he guided her to both of their seats at the table. Cherry avoided Nicole¡¯s gaze and that was when Nicole understood that Stanley had informed Cherry about it. ¡®If she knows what is happening, things are going to get ugly real fast,¡¯ Nicole thought with a smirk on her face before turning her head around. Nicole was puzzled, unable to understand what had gotten into Stanley to make him think that introducing Cherry to the entire family would be a good idea. ¡®I guess I have to wait and see how this will y out now,¡¯ Nicole concluded. ¡°Nicole, I think I should get going now. Let me know if you need me,¡± Tia hurriedly said as soon as she noticed Stanley and Cherry walking into the room. As she was about to hightail it out of there, there was a look of unease written all over her face. Nicole instinctively nced at Stanley, who was standing there in silence. Then, she nodded at Tia. ¡°There¡¯s nothing much here for you to do anyway. If you want to, you can go home and chill out.¡± Nicole was hoping that Tia would understand her offer: she could stick around if she wanted to. However, Tia proceeded to bid everyone goodbye before skedaddling. Stanley had aplicated look on his face that was rather difficult for Nicole to read. He was staring at the direction where Tia had made her exit for a good minute beforeing back to his senses and turning to Daniel and Gloria. ¡°Mom? Dad? Cherry wanted to visit you guys so here we are, ¡± Stanley said. ¡°Cherry, I heard the news a few days ago. If it¡¯s okay for you, could you tell us what¡¯s happening? We wanted to ask Stanley, but with him being the stubborn fe he is, he wouldn¡¯t utter a word,¡± Gloria comined. ¡°Gloria, please don¡¯t misunderstand my father¡¯s intentions. He meant well, but Stanley and I think that we should wait for a while before we move onto the next phase of our lives together,¡± Cherry pouted as she wrapped her arm around Gloria¡¯s. ¡°What do you think?¡± Cherry asked. ¡°I have no objections if you two are fine with it,¡± Gloria grinned. ¡°Gloria, you¡¯re so understanding! If only my parents were as open minded as you are. I might just be one of the happiest people in the world.¡± Cherry sighed. ¡°You silly goose. Your parents love you and cherish you very much,¡± Gloria chuckled as she reassured Cherry. Overwhelmed with emotions, Cherry¡¯s eyes began to well up. ¡°It¡¯s quite a shame that they don¡¯t know what I truly want. If Cherry had always yearned for the love from her parents, but unfortunately, she had never received any. Content provided by N?velDrama.Org. Stanley, upon noticing Cherry¡¯s change in emotion, quickly stepped in and said, ¡°Mom, Dad? The food is almost ready. Let¡¯s eat.¡± ¡°Oh! Right,e over, everyone. Let¡¯s have dinner,¡¯ Gloria invited. Cherry looked around, and the instant she noticed that Tia was missing, she asked, ¡°Is Tia not joining us?¡± Stanley frowned. ¡°She¡¯s noting. She usually eats with Mrs. Wace Sr. in the back. She rarely joins us.¡± Chapter 2756 Chapter 2756 Cherry, who had linked arms with Gloria, happily chirped, ¡°I¡¯ll go over and visit her after we¡¯ve eaten dinner.¡± Cherry had taken a fond liking for Gloria, in spite of knowing that she would not be with Stanley. She envied him for having such an amazing mother, and if anything, Cherry actually felt at home under Gloria¡¯s wing. Ever since they met over a blind date that Gloria had set them up on, Stanley had made it clear to her; they would not progress beyond a rtionship which Cherry could be on board with. On the other hand, Cherry loathed her family for setting her up on blind dates without her consent. She did not want anyone to interfere with who she wanted to be with. She had, for the longest time, been standing her ground and protesting that she was old enough to make her own decisions. At the dinner table, everyone chatted with one another happily. However, once the meal was almost over, Cherry slipped away to look for Tia. Nicole, who noticed this, shot Stanley a look of concern at once. Stanley shook his head at Nicole as a response. He knew that Cherry and Tia were not fighting over him and that Cherry was apassionate person who would not look down on or asperse others. Above all, he knew Cherry¡¯s intentions very well and thus, decided to let them talk it out on their own. With her family urging her to get married as soon as possible, Cherry had been left with no choice but to leave. She was left with no choice but to flee and leave behind all she had known. Nicole eyed the smug look on Stanley¡¯s face, and suddenly, something urred to her, causing her to drop the idea of telling him off. ¡®Perhaps he has already gotten things figured out and doesn¡¯t want to use his and Cherry¡¯s rtionship as a coverup for his true feelings anymore. But then again, Cherry could be the one trying to tie them both down. It would be an uphill battle to make a man stay when his heart is already somewhere else.¡¯ ¡°Mom, Dad. We¡¯ll head upstairs now. Get Stanley to send Cherry backter,¡± Nicole told her parents. Catching the hint from Nicole, Gloria proceeded to warn Stanley. ¡°Yeah, make sure you send her home safe and sound. ¡°Yes, Mom!¡± Stanley replied. Everyone then returned to their rooms. With Nicole being one of thest to leave, she gave Stanley a firm look before heading up with Jared and the twins in tow. ¡®If I don¡¯t instruct him to send Cherry home, he would just leave her there to go home on his own. I doubt he¡¯s still thinking of Tia,¡¯ Nicole thought. Meanwhile, at the house in the backyard. Tia was taken aback by the Cherry¡¯s sudden appearance. ¡°Why do you look so surprised? We¡¯re still friends, aren¡¯t we? ¡± Cherry asked Tia, who looked well and truly unimpressed. ¡°Yeah, we are,¡± Tia awkwardly replied. Tia did not have any intention of shutting Cherry out. She already had a hard time trying to ept Cherry and Stanley¡¯s rtionship as it was., but unfortunately, she had not found the courage to do so. She thought it would be a good idea to have some time to herself and process her feelings slowly. However, Cherry had cut straight to the chase. ¡°Tia, do you like Stanley?¡± Tia¡¯s face flushed, bing as red as a tomato, and she vigorously shook her head. ¡°Please don¡¯t misunderstand me. I don¡¯t like him.¡± ¡°The more that you deny it, the more I¡¯m convinced you do,¡± Cherry teased as a smile yed out on her face. If you have genuine feelings for him, it means that his efforts aren¡¯t in vain.¡± This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. ¡°No, I think you have misunderstood me. Mr. Riddle and I are never getting together, and it¡¯s not what you think it is. He has finally found someone he truly likes, so please cherish what you both have,¡± Tia panicked. ¡®How am I supposed to exin this to Cherry? I don¡¯t want her to misunderstand me. I don¡¯t want to be the cause of their breakup,¡¯ Tia thought. Chapter 2757 Chapter 2757 ¡®For the first time in a long time, he openly announced his rtionship with her to his family. For him to do something like that takes a lot of courage. He must¡¯ve thought very highly of her. I don¡¯t want to be the third wheeler here,¡¯ Tia continued. With an expression of sympathy on her face, Cherry looked at Tia and said, ¡°Tia, have you never once considered that the person you love shares the same feelings for you too?¡± It was at that moment that Cherry understood why Tia was so afraid of crossing the line. ¡®She cares much more about Stanley than I¡¯ve previously thought.¡¯ Cherry then reflected on how Tia had reacted when she attempted to pair the two of them together. Whenever Cherry tried to create opportunities to bring them both closer together, Tia would crumble into a panicky mess. ¡®My efforts have pushed her to the point where she would guard her emotions even more fiercely. I¡¯m afraid that dragging this on in the long run will obliterate whatever feelings they have for one another in the long run,¡¯ Cherry inferred. It was at that moment that Cherry began ming her parents again for how things had turned out. ¡®I would not have gotten in the way if I knew it was going to mess the both of them up. I wouldn¡¯t have done this if my parents weren¡¯t as pushy as they were.¡± Then, an idea suddenly urred to her, and she reached out to grab Tia¡¯s hand. ¡°Listen to me, okay? Stanley really likes you and whatever it is that is happening between Stanley and I, it¡¯s all just for show.¡± Tia was rendered speechless at an instant. ¡°It¡¯s all¡­for show?¡± What Cherry said had left her inplete disbelief. ¡®What is she bbering about?¡¯ ¡°To be honest, I was just helping Stanley out with a mutual favor for each other¡­¡± Cherry began, after which she told the entire story in full detail to Tia. ¡°Why are you telling me all of this?¡± Tia asked, her brows furrowed in confusion. ¡°Because I¡¯m going to be leaving soon.¡± Cherry smiled. ¡°I¡¯m going to live abroad with my true love where we will both be free from all that nonsense.¡± ¡°So you have a real boyfriend?¡± Tia asked while struggling to wrap her head around the information Cherry had filled her in on. She found it difficult to process what Cherry had just told her, and at this point, she could not help but wonder if this was all just a dream. ¡°Yeah! Why would I lie to you? Stanley has done me a huge favor, and I¡¯ll be damned if I don¡¯t return it. That is why I came here to talk to you about this,¡± Cherry exined. ¡°Oh,¡± Tia murmured as the realization dawned upon her. ¡®If Cherry¡¯s leaving, Stanley and Cherry are not really together. If that¡¯s the case, Stanley and I¡­,¡¯ Tia trailed off. ¡°Tia, I¡¯ll have you know that Stanley genuinely cares for you. I¡¯m a hundred percent sure that you have a special ce in his heart, but he¡¯s under the impression that you have feelings for someone else. Is that true?¡± Cherry asked, serious and unsmiling. ¡®If Tia has feelings for someone else, why would she be more affectionate to him? And if she does not, then why did Stanley interpret it that way?¡¯ she pondered. Content ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Huh?¡± Tia looked at Cherry with her head tilted and her forehead creased. ¡®Wait, no¡­ Stanley thought I had feelings for someone else?!¡¯ Having caught a glimpse of Tia¡¯s expression, Cherry immediately understood the situation between them. ¡°To be honest, he¡¯s just a lone wolf who¡¯s gotten too used to doing everything by himself. I won¡¯t be surprised if he grows old alone.¡± ¡®I don¡¯t even know what I should do with him. He¡¯s not even sure about who he likes,¡¯ Cherry thought. ¡°Actually¡­it¡¯s not like that,¡± Tia said in a faint whisper. In response, Cherry looked at Tia and busted outughing.¡± You two really are a match made in heaven.¡± ¡®They truly are two peas in a pod,¡¯ she thought. Tia¡¯s face became beet red as she went into denial mode again. ¡°No, it¡¯s not like that.¡± ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll stop here. You guys should sort this out between yourselves. I¡¯m going to leave in the next few days, so I hope I won¡¯t do anything that¡¯ll make me regret it,¡± Cherry said as she stood up. She gave Tia onest look and said, ¡°Tia, I hope that you won¡¯t do anything you¡¯ll regret either.¡± Then, she patted Tia on the shoulder before turning around and walking away. Chapter 2758 Chapter 2758 Tia sat there in a daze as Cherry left the room. ¡®This is a dream, isn¡¯t it? Everything just came rushing out all of a sudden. I can¡¯t believe he doesn¡¯t have a crush or a girlfriend all these whiles. But what did she mean when she said Stanley thinks that I have feelings for someone else? Who else does he think I like?1 Tia pondered. Tia felt lightheaded as she dragged her feet back to her room. ¡®I think I need some time to process all of this information. I can¡¯t think properly anymore. Seems to me that a lot of things have happened under my nose¡­¡¯ Meanwhile, Cherry had just made her way to the living room. And when Stanley saw hering in, he quickly stood up,¡± I¡¯ll send you home.¡± ¡°Sure!¡± Cherry chirped and followed him out. This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. ¡°Stanley, the only person Tia has feelings for is you. You better go ahead and win her heart,¡± Cherry teased and smiled. Stanley could not believe what he had just heard, so he gave her a nk stare. In turn, she simply looked at him and shrugged, ¡°Hey, you should just man up and win her heart!¡± Stanley maintained his silence as he got into the car. Cherry went on to ride shotgun and turned to look at him ¡°Hey,e to think of it. I¡¯m actually curious about how you came up with this idea that Tia likes someone else. Like, what is it that made you think of it that way?¡± ¡®This dude has the wealth, the looks, and the brains, but it¡¯s a wonder that even though he¡¯s got everything covered, he¡¯s still so self-conscious,¡¯ she observed. Meanwhile, Stanley, whose mind was racing, maintained his silence. ¡®How could Tia not have someone in her heart? I thought she liked Martin¡­but how is it possible that she does not have the hots for him?¡¯ Noticing that Stanley was being way too silent, she understood that he was most probably a little too shocked to say anything at this point. ¡°I¡¯ve done all that I could. We¡¯re even now. I won¡¯t be back for a while, and quite frankly, I feel kind of reluctant leaving you all behind.¡± She sighed. Cherry really enjoyed being around the Riddles, and she cherished them deeply. Eventually, Stanley broke his silence. ¡°You¡¯lle back eventually.¡± ¡°Treat me to a meal before I leave as a parting gift,¡± she joked. Stanley nodded seriously. ¡°Sure, no problem. Consider it done!¡± ¡°I hope there will be progress between you and Tia the next time Ie back,¡± Cherry smirked and joked to lighten up the mood. Stanley nodded faintly, hoping that it woulde true. He then ignited the car engine and drove them away from the Riddle residence. Meanwhile, Nicole had just returned to her room after tucking the twins into bed. When she heard the engine revving at the garage, she immediately knew that Stanley was sending Cherry home. ¡°I really did not expect that Stanley would make a deal with Cherry to do something like this,¡± she muttered as she shook her head. ¡®I wonder how Mom and Dad will react when they discover the truth about Stanley and Cherry,¡¯ she thought. Chapter 2759 Chapter 2759 Nicole then theorized, ¡®If Stanley and Tia had gotten together earlier on, perhaps Mom might have a milder reaction aspared to what she¡¯s dealing with now.¡¯ Jared, who remained uninterested, gently caressed Nicole on the shoulder. ¡°It¡¯s gettingte. Let¡¯s head to bed.¡± Nicole still had a lot on her mind, as she had been worried sick about Stanley. ¡®I guess I¡¯ll leave the rest to him.¡¯ After a slight pause, she looked up at Jared and smiled.¡± You can take a shower first. I have a call to make.¡± Jared immediately understood Nicole¡¯s intent and made his way to the bathroom. ¡°Okay, but don¡¯t take too long.¡± Nicole took her phone out and dialed a number that was all too familiar to her now. Then, Zane¡¯s voice red out from the speaker. ¡°Nicole?¡± There was a tone of surprise as he greeted her. Suddenly, Nicole felt an overwhelming surge of emotions.¡± Zane?¡± Zane issued a massive sigh of relief at once. ¡°Since you¡¯re calling me right now, this must mean that you remember everything.¡± Nicole bit her lip, trying to maintain herposure. ¡°Yeah, I remember everything now.¡± In a low and solemn voice, Zane replied, ¡°Wee back Nicole.¡± Zane and everyone else had been worried sick about Nicole. They had been trying to discover her whereabouts for the longest time now, and her phone call to Zane finally lifted the weight off everyone¡¯s shoulders. Nicole frowned. ¡°Wee back? Is this supposed to be a signal that I am back in the organization?¡± Nicole had fully recovered from her amnesia, and now, it was clear that she was once a member of the Zane Spears Organization. This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org. Hearing that, Zane teased, ¡°I was about to remove you from our organization so that you could lead a peaceful life.¡± However, this only confused Nicole. ¡°Didn¡¯t I submit a resignation letter before this?¡± Zane busted outughing at that instant. ¡°You didn¡¯t, but I knew you were preparing to submit one after you got married to Jared Johnston. However, we didn¡¯t think you would get into a ne crash and vanish off the grid for such a longtime.¡± Despite Nicole having never mentioned it before, Zane knew that Nicole would have persisted in ensuring her resignation was finalized just so that she could put her family first. Even after the ident, her retirement was imminent. Nicole going off the grid for nearly five years since the ne crash was something that no one was able to foresee, and while a great deal had happened ever since then, none of them had given up on searching for her. By the time the Zane Spears Organization got word of her whereabouts, Nicole had returned to San Joto, much to their disbelief. But upon learning that Nicole had suffered from a case of severe memory loss, they had decided to distance themselves from Nicole as a gesture of respect. They did not wish to bother her anymore, allowing her to live the rest of her life in peace instead. Zane was very thankful that Nicole had returned to her family regardless of the fact that she had lost all of her memories. Either way, he knew she would have resigned. Naturally, his reply took her aback. ¡®I think I did have this idea five years ago, but everything that had happened ever since the incident had spiraled out of control. No one could have seen thating.¡¯ ¡°I¡¯m sorry I had everyone worried about me for the past five years,¡± she apologized. ¡®I can¡¯t imagine how hard they¡¯ve worked to find me over the past five years. The amount of efforts they have dedicated to the search effort is just immense.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. You¡¯re back now, and in one piece too. I think that¡¯s good enough for us.¡± Zane smiled. Nicole was suddenly reminded of her friends from the organization, so she asked, ¡°How¡¯s everyone doing?¡± In return, Zane assured, ¡°Everyone¡¯s doing fine. Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± And after a moment of hesitation, Nicole sighed. ¡°I know I agreed to resign after everything that has happened, so I¡¯ll do so after this.¡± Zane paused for a moment before asking, ¡°After this?¡± A firm and solemn look crossed Nicole¡¯s face there and then. ¡°I mean, it¡¯s crystal clear at this point that this incident happened because of me. I can¡¯t just sit here and do nothing about it.¡± ¡®Whether I am involved with the Zane Spears Organization or not, one thing is for sure. I can never be left to live in peace!¡¯ She sighed. Understanding what Nicole meant, Zane asked, ¡°Are you referring to the Eastern Falcon?¡± Chapter 2760 Chapter 2760 Nicole was dead serious. ¡°Yeah, I can¡¯t back out now.¡± Zane pondered for a moment, whereupon he agreed, ¡°Since we can¡¯t avoid this, we might as well work together once more. However, you don¡¯t need toe over to HQ to do any field work. You can stay where you are now and provide us with intel. Don¡¯t hesitate to let us know what you need help with.¡± ¡®As long as she doesn¡¯t put herself in danger, there shouldn¡¯t be a problem,¡¯ he thought. Nicole nodded. ¡°Sure, no problem. I¡¯ll handle the side of things here at San Joto and leave the rest to you.¡± To that, Zane sternly replied, ¡°Okay.¡± ¡®If the Eastern Falcon is thinking of making a return, we won¡¯t hold ourselves back this time around,¡¯ Zane thought, determined to bring his adversaries down. Nicole sighed as she hung up and she reminisced about the days when she was still an active member of the organization. Near-death encounters weremonce back in those days. Then, Jared came up to Nicole and whispered in her ear,¡± Have you called?¡± Nicole tilted her head and looked at Jared with a smile on her face, ¡°Yeah, I just called.¡± Jared gently ran his fingers through Nicole¡¯s hair. ¡°He must¡¯ve pulled all of his hair out worrying about you.¡± Nicole nodded in response, ¡°Yeah, I know.¡± She could not imagine how terrible Zane must have felt upon learning that she had crashed. After that, Nicole bit her lip and mumbled, ¡°He said that I can officially resign from my post after we have dealt with the Eastern Falcon.¡± Jared saw a sh of reluctance in Nicole¡¯s face, and so, he offered, ¡°You know, if you don¡¯t want to resign, you don¡¯t have to. You don¡¯t need to abandon what you love just because of us. You can keep doing what you enjoy.¡± This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. However, Nicole shook her head. ¡°I know I¡¯m reluctant to resign, but sometimes, tough decisions must be made.¡± Nicole resonated to herself mentally, ¡®I¡¯ve been missing for the past five years, and now, I have a family of my own. I can¡¯t be running around with the organization battling criminals and mercenaries all the time. I guess my exit is the best solution for both parties.¡¯ Jared immediately caught onto what Nicole was trying to tell him, and gave her a back rub. ¡°I want you to know that I¡¯ll be here supporting you every step of the way.¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± she said, her heart skipping a beat. Jared then looked at Nicole with a soft smile on his face.¡± Go take a shower and join me in bed.¡± Agreeing with Jared¡¯s suggestion, she got up and made her way to the bathroom. Shortly after, Nicole climbed into bed, wrapped herself in Jared¡¯s arm, and fell asleep with a smile of contentment on her face. The next day, the sun shone warm and bright as Nicole entered the headquarters of Riddle Corporation. The instant she ced her belongings down, Lulu came walking into Nicole¡¯s office with a serious look on her face.¡± Take a look at this.¡± Nicole frowned as she grabbed the documents. Lulu¡¯s face, on the other hand, was scrunched up into a sour grimace. She waspletely bewildered by Harvey¡¯s shameless behavior, ¡°Like, what on earth is he doing? Is he dumb or something?¡± Nicole furrowed her eyebrows and shook her head. ¡°I think it¡¯s because Thomas has rejected his proposal, and it¡¯s driving him nuts.¡± ¡°And so?¡± Lulu snorted. ¡®If Thomas has refused to help him, it wouldn¡¯t be a stretch to say that he¡¯ll go that far to screw with Nicole,¡¯ Lulu thought. With a sneer on her face, Nicole said, ¡°He really believes that strengthening our ties together will benefit bothpanies. However, he has not taken into ount that it¡¯ll be much harder for us to separate what¡¯s ours and what isn¡¯t. Lulu blinked and gave Nicole a nk stare before the truth dawned upon her. ¡°So what you mean is that he¡¯s doing this on purpose to bind bothpanies together so that you¡¯ll never be separable!¡± This made Lulu fuming mad. ¡®I do have to give it to him. Such a brilliant idea riddled with so much wishful thinking. He really should know that we aren¡¯t mindless puppets which he could manipte however he likes.¡¯ ¡°Yeah, I guess you can put it that way.¡± Nicole sighed. ¡®This dude is bing more juvenile with each passing day.¡¯ Lulu looked at Nicole with a look of impatience written all over her face and asked, ¡°What¡¯s the n? Are we going to take the upper hand in this situation or? Chapter 2761 Chapter 2761 Since Harvey had given them the chance to bring him down, they would just seize it. It would be stupid not to. After careful consideration, Nicole smirked and said, ¡°Well, that works.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll get on it then!¡± Lulu beamed excitedly, ready to do something big. And to that, Nicole chuckled and nodded in agreement,¡± Right. I¡¯ll leave it to you.¡± Since Lulu had taken charge of any dealings with the Ellison Group, Nicole had faith that she would be able handle it well. ¡°I¡¯ll be on my way, then,¡± Lulu responded, and began humming a cheerful tune as she left. After giving Lulu¡¯s figure a smile, Nicole got busy and flipped through the documents on the desk to peruse them. About an hourter, she heard a knock on a door. ¡°Come in,¡± Nicole said without looking up, as she was focused on her work. It was Patricia, who then opened the door and walked up to Nicole¡¯s desk. ¡°Ms. Riddle? There are updates pertaining to Damien.¡± Upon hearing that, Nicole immediately looked up. ¡®Has he finally decided not to lock himself in?¡¯ ¡°Our men who have been following him around discovered that he goes out every morning to a cafe for breakfast. Although nothing seems amiss, his behavior sure is a little strange,¡± Patricia exined. ¡°Going to the same cafe every day does seem unusual.¡± Nicole squinted. ¡®He used to avoid going out altogether, and now he¡¯s visiting the same location over and over¡­¡¯ ¡°We suspect he¡¯s meeting someone, but we¡¯ve found nothing suspicious, even after we¡¯ve conducted a thorough investigation of the area.¡± Patricia frowned. ¡°I don¡¯t know if the other person he¡¯s meeting is particrly secretive, or if he simply hasn¡¯t made an appearance yet.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. They won¡¯t be hiding forever.¡± Nicole¡¯s eyes darkened. Upon hearing this, Patricia agreed, ¡°Yes, we¡¯ll continue to tail and monitor him.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Nicole replied and waved, signaling that Patricia could leave now. And once Patricia was gone, Nicole resumed her work. This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org. Noon arrived before long, and as expected, the door to the office opened. Then, Lulu poked her head in and reminded, ¡°Nicole, it¡¯s lunchtime.¡± ¡°Oh, okay.¡± Nicole stood up, but just as she did, her phone rang. Seeing that it was a call from Jared, she answered it. ¡°Hello, what¡¯s up?¡± ¡°I¡¯m waiting for you downstairs. Let¡¯s have lunch together.¡± Jared gently replied. ¡°You¡¯re downstairs?!¡± Nicole was surprised. Why is he here?¡¯ Having heard the exchange between the two lovebirds, Lulu chuckled and teased, ¡°Seems like someone important is expecting you. I guess I better not get in his way, then.¡± Right after she had left Nicole that remark, Lulu closed the door and sauntered off. Nicole could not help but shake her head in amusement. ¡°I¡¯ll be right there with you. And after hanging up, she made her way to the first floor and got into the car. ¡°Why are you here?¡± Nicole asked, her brows raised. ¡°It¡¯s lunchtime, and I thought I shoulde over to have a meal with you.¡± Jared gently held Nicole¡¯s hand. ¡°You may start driving, Max.¡± ¡°Yes, sir¡± Max replied, and drove them to the restaurant. Though lunch hour was already at its peak by the time they arrived, the ce they had selected were neither too crowded nor noisy. Still, Nicole and Jared, who valued their privacy, had opted to take a seat at a corner before ordering their meals. Chapter 2762 Chapter 2762 Nicole, expecting some sort of news from him, was surprised when Jared maintained his silence. Did you really juste over to have a meal with me?¡± She thought something significant had happened, but upon noticing that he had not said a word along the way, she concluded that she had simply misunderstood. The smile from Jared proved exactly that. ¡°Just a meal, yeah.¡± ¡°Oh, I thought something urred, and you came over to tell me about it.¡± Nicole took a sip of water. This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. Teasing her, Jared said, ¡°You seem quite disappointed.¡± Annoyed, she rolled her eyes and ced her ss down. ¡°Of course I¡¯m not.¡± As Jared¡¯s sudden appearances usually indicated that there was something he needed her to know, it was natural for her to assume that he had brought some kind of word with him. Still, she was happy that he had simply brought her out for a regr meal. With a gentle smile on his face, he exined, ¡°I just signed a project, and I thought I¡¯de to see you after I¡¯m done with it.¡± In addition, it was already lunchtime by the time he had concluded the meeting, so he thought it would be a good idea to take her out for a bite along the way. ¡°Speaking of projects, I don¡¯t know how it¡¯s going in BayCorp. There should be news about the bidding soon,¡± Nicole said. ¡°Probably.¡± Jared agreed, as the bidding should be around the corner soon. ¡°That kid hasn¡¯t told me anything. I don¡¯t know how he¡¯s doing,¡± Nicoleined. Amused, Jared replied, ¡°When you handed it to him, it¡¯s possible that he already knew you wanted him to work on it himself. So, until there¡¯s a result to show for it, he probably won¡¯t trouble you.¡± Nicole nodded in agreement. ¡°Makes sense. He has indeed matured.¡± ¡°He has admired you since his days in school, and he has always viewed you as a role model. So it¡¯s expected that he¡¯ll do his best.¡± Jared replied with a look of seriousness etched on his face. Nicole was exactly that ¨C calm, cool, tenacious, and capable. Because of this, Jared would not need to worry too much about her, but that was until that fateful incident five years ago. He knew there and then that she was not invulnerable. Even now, he wished he could be there to protect her all the time. However, he knew that she would not want that, so he had to let her do as she pleased. All he could do was assign a security detail to watch over and protect her from a distance. Nicole nodded in agreement, unaware of what Jared was thinking about. ¡°Indeed, I can feel it. I believe Er will soon be able to handle things on his own entirely.¡± This way, BayCorp could operate as apletely independent entity which no longer relied on the headquarters for support. ¡°Nicole! Jared!¡± an excited male voice called out. After looking up, Nicole saw Er walking up to them with a grin. ¡°Er? Why are you here?¡± Nicole¡¯s eyes widened in surprise. ¡°I¡¯m having lunch with a business partner. I didn¡¯t expect to run into you guys.¡± Er beamed. ¡°We were just talking about you. Speaking of which, I was wondering how your previous bid went,¡± Nicole asked Er. ¡°It went smoothly. The results should be out within three days,¡± Er boasted, having bagged the deal all on his own. ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± Nicole smiled, encouraging Er. Er then nodded and promised, ¡°Once the results are out, I¡¯ll inform you and treat you to a big meal as a token of appreciation.¡± ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll be waiting for it!¡± Nicole readily agreed. Looking around, Er grinned and asked Nicole somewhat awkwardly, ¡°Nicole, are you two the only ones here?¡± Furrowing her eyebrows in confusion, Nicole responded with the question. ¡°Who else do you think should be here?¡± After all, why would it be strange for her and Jared to have a meal together? ¡°Well¡­Isn¡¯t Patricia supposed to be here too?¡± he asked, thinking that Patricia had been following Nicole around to protect her. It was then that a hunch came to Nicole, and she shot him a meaningful nce. ¡°Why do you care so much about Patricia?¡± Thest time Patricia got injured, Er had gone to visit her, and it was said that he had even taken Patricia back to her apartment personally. Now, To add to that, he was now asking about her as soon as he bumped into Nicole Chapter 2763 Chapter 2763 ¡°Hehe.¡± Er awkwardly smiled. ¡°She got injured while saving me, so I just wanted to know more about her.¡± ¡°Is that all?¡±¡® Nicole squinted at Er, unable to shake the feeling that he was up to something. There was something obviously unnatural and forced about the expression on his face, and yet he stuck to his guns and insisted, ¡°Yes, that¡¯s all.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Nicole uttered, trying to stop herself from exposing him. After shooting him another nce, she said, ¡°Patricia didn¡¯te.¡± ¡°Is she okay?¡± Er asked, seemingly a little disappointed. ¡°The injury has already healed. You don¡¯t need to worry about it,¡± Nicole replied with a slight smile as she looked at him. Er looked away in difort, and aftering up with an excuse to skedaddle, he said, ¡°I¡¯m running out of time. I¡¯ll go meet my business partner now.¡± ¡°Sure, go ahead.¡± Nicole grinned. Er was beginning to feel a little uneasy. Something told him that Nicole had seen through him, and that was good enough of a reason for him to leave. Nicole¡¯s smile grew even wider as she watched Er scurry away, almost colliding into a waiter on his way out. She figured that he must be feeling called out. After Er had fled, Nicole withdrew her gaze and raised an eyebrow. It seemed to her that Er was unusually concerned about Patricia. However, they had barely met, so it begged the question: why was he so concerned about her? Still, she was aware that nothing would be able to sway two people from getting together if Cupid willed it. Those destined for each other would eventually be together. By the time the hrious encounter with Er was over, lunch was already served, so Nicole shifted her focus back to the food and proceeded to start her meal with Jared. Jared gently scooped bits of each dish and served them to Nicole, who happily ate them. In most cases, there was no defying Cupid¡¯s arrow, and the best example was her and Jared. Then, she looked at Jared and gave him a radiant smile.¡± Thank you, Jared Johnston.¡± ¡®Thank you for everything in the past. Thank you for knowing me, understanding me, loving me, and protecting me!¡¯ Jared returned the smile as he lovingly ran his fingers through Nicole¡¯s hair. ¡°Same here.¡± He knew what she meant, and he felt the same way too. He was grateful for her, and he was determined to spend the rest of his life with her, peacefully and happily. After lunch, Jared apanied Nicole back to Riddle Corporation. When the car stopped, Nicole bit her lip, gave Jared a quick kiss on the cheek, and got out. Jared was stunned for a moment. Then, a smile grew on his face as he watched her disappear into thepany building. ¡°Let¡¯s go, Max.¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Max responded and started the car. ¡°Mr. Johnston, Zane has deployed everyone in his recon and intelligence division to investigate the Eastern Falcon,¡± Max said in a low voice. And with a tinge of coldness in his voice, Jared responded,¡± Once there¡¯s news, Zane will inform us.¡± ¡°Oh, and Patricia has also reported that there are now movements on Damien¡¯s part. He¡¯s probably preparing to meet someone,¡± Max added. Everything Damien had done smelled fishy, so they were wondering if Everett was involved in this too. Jared¡¯s brow furrowed as he said, ¡°Just get Patricia to keep an eye on him.¡± He believed that there was no urgency when it came to dealing with Damien for now, as they would definitely get wind of Damien¡¯s actions the instant he did something. This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Okay, I understand,¡± Max replied. It would be a waste of resources to strike with full force unless Everett was involved. And even if Everett had really returned, Nicole and Patricia could handle him themselves, so there was nothing for him to worry about. As the sun set, those who had already worked their 8 hour shifts began to make their way home. Chapter 2764 Chapter 2764 Nicole and Jared returned home, and Nn and Lana followed suit soon after. Due to the fact that it was a busy day today, Samuel, Spencer, Lulu, and June had all shown up as well, bringing the living room to life. After Tia had dropped Nn and Lana off, she was about to leave when Lulu stopped her. ¡°Stay and have dinner together. The more the merrier.¡± ¡°Yeah, please stick around,¡± June echoed. Tia, who looked a little hesitant, darted her eyes at Nicole. Though she had no issues with anyone present, she really did not want to stay, simply because she did not know how to face Stanley. Although Cherry had exined everything to her, she was still flustered and confused, for she had not sorted any of her emotions out. ¡°Why don¡¯t you go and ask Mrs. Wace Sr. first? It¡¯s up to you to decide whether you want to stay or go home,¡± Nicole suggested, understanding Tia¡¯s dilemma. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll ask her first.¡± Tia breathed a sigh of relief, bade farewell to everyone, and returned to her house at the back. Seeing this, Lulu lowered her voice and asked Nicole, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say it was a good idea to have Tia hang out with everyone and not be alone all the time?¡± ¡®Why did Tia leave when everyone is here?¡¯ she asked herself. ¡°The situation is a little different this time. Let them handle it themselves,¡± Nicole whispered. Having picked up on the trail of potential gossip, Lulu pulled Nicole aside and asked, ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡®Did something I wasn¡¯t aware of happened?¡¯ she wondered. However, all Nicole gave Lulu was a wry smile. ¡°No. There¡¯s nothing going on.¡± Even if there were, it would not be appropriate to discuss it in the present setting. ¡®People forget everything when they¡¯re focused on gossiping.¡¯ Lulu chuckled, understanding what was going on, and left it as it was. ¡°Mommy, I¡¯m going back to my room.¡± Nn tugged at Nicole¡¯s sleeve. ¡°You¡¯re leaving again? Aren¡¯t you going to wait for us?¡± Nicole frowned, finding it strange. For the past few days, Nn had been going straight to his room after school, without even bothering to watch TV. ¡°Mommy, Nn is ying a very interesting game.¡± Lana tilted her head and looked at Nicole as she exined. ¡°A game?¡± Nicole frowned. She did not know Nn liked ying games. Previously, Nn would only use theputer to complete tasks assigned to him by The Hunters. He rarely yed games, if he even did at all. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s so much fun.¡± Lana nodded vigorously, as if afraid that no one would believe her. Gloria patted Lana on the head. ¡°If you like ying it, go ahead, but remember to time yourselves. Don¡¯t get obsessed, okay.¡± ¡°Yeah, we know,¡± Lana replied. After giving her grandmother her promise, she pulled Nn aside and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go, Nn.¡± Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g Nicole shook her head as she watched the two kids hurry up the flight of steps as if they had been deprived of any recreation for a long time. ¡°I see everyone is here,¡± Mrs. Wace Sr. said, prompting everyone to shift their gaze to her. Tia had pushed her in seconds ago. The former, however, was rather tensed up and ufortable. ¡°I was just preparing dinner. Now that Mrs. Wace Sr. is here, let¡¯s go to the dining room.¡± Gloria invited Mrs. Wace Sr., after which everyone stood up. The entire family took their seats in the dining room as dinner was served, chatting andughing among themselves. Nicole, who was sitting next to Jared, whispered to him, ¡°Do you know what game Nn is ying?¡± ¡°Probably some adventure game,¡± Jared replied. He had only caught a glimpse of it once, and had not looked into it ever since. ¡°Oh.¡± Nicole responded. ¡°But why is Nn suddenly so interested in games like these?¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s a game. He¡¯s still a child, after all.¡± Jared replied, thinking there was nothing particrly unusual about children ying games like these. Chapter 2765 Chapter 2765 Nicole, however, had an inexplicable feeling of unease in her heart. She could not put a finger on what was wrong, but she just could not shake the feeling of disquiet within her. ¡°Let¡¯s eat first, and then we¡¯ll go upstairs to check.¡± Jaredforted her, as he saw that she looked somewhat worried. He thought there was nothing particrly unusual about Nn¡¯s behavior but considering that she had been taking care of the kid for the past five years, and because she knew the boy better than he did, it would be in their best interest to give it a lookter on. ¡°Okay.¡± Nicole nodded in agreement, still feeling that it was necessary for them to go upter and see what was going on. ¡°Tia, ourpany has a minor team-building exercise tomorrow. Would you like to join?¡± June asked. ¡°Ah? I-I¡¯d rather not.¡± Tia instinctively refused. Refusing to give up, June continued to persuade Tia. ¡°Most of them are from the previous group of bridesmaids, whom you¡¯ve met. There are only a few you¡¯ve never gotten to know, and those are the dudes.¡± ¡°Wow, can I go then?¡± Lulu looked at June with anticipation. After turning to Lulu, June teased, ¡°Are you sure?¡± She then gestured at Spencer as she said, ¡®You¡¯ve got the guts, don¡¯t you? Aren¡¯t you afraid of making Spencer jealous?¡¯ Lulu grinned. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean that. I just want to help Tia with some advice.¡± ¡°But it¡¯s just a team-building exercise. Why are you making it sound like some kind of blind date?¡± Samuel asked. ¡°It¡¯s not that, but it¡¯s important to be cautious when making friends, you know,¡± Lulu said, encouraging Tia, ¡°Go ahead, Tia. It¡¯s always good to make more friends.¡± ¡°I¡­¡± Tia hesitated for a bit. She really did not want to go, but she also understood everyone¡¯s good intentions. In addition, it would be too impolite for her to decline them outright. ¡±1 think it¡¯s fine. Since we all know each other, why don¡¯t we go there together as a group?¡± Spencer said and turned to Samuel, signaling to him that he should agree as well. ¡°I think it¡¯s good. There will be even more familiar faces.¡± Lulu nodded, thinking it was a good idea. Samuel pondered for a moment, after which he said, ¡°Okay.¡± Seeing that Samuel and Spencer had agreed to show up, Lulu turned to Nicole and asked, ¡°Nicole, why don¡¯t youe too?¡± Nicole looked at Tia, and after giving it some thought, she replied, ¡°Alright.¡± It was evident that Tia was reluctant to go, but she did not want to disappoint everyone. With enough pressure, she would likely be on board, and if Nicole tagged along, Tia might even feel more at ease. ¡°Tia, do you still have any concerns?¡± Lulu looked at Tia as if waiting for an answer. ¡°In that case, I guess I¡¯ll juste along.¡± Tia gave in, and gave Nicole a nce as if to indicate that she was thankful. She knew that Nicole rarely participated in such activities and had only agreed to join because of her. After shing Tia a reassuring smile, Nicole said, ¡°Let¡¯s eat.¡± Everyone quickly ate their dinner, filling the room with gales ofughter and merry conversations, before leaving for home. Watching her children happily making ns for tomorrow before going home, Gloria felt somewhat relieved. ¡°This is what a family should be like.¡± And indeed, a family home should always be lively and joyful. A simple look at them and how well they were doing would put a smile on everyone¡¯s faces. This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Yeah, you may stop worrying now.¡± Daniel smiled at Gloria. ¡°They are all doing good, and that¡¯s our greatest wish fulfilled,¡± Gloria said, holding onto Daniel¡¯s arm as they went upstairs. Concurrently, Jared and Nicole had also gone up to the second floor to check on Nn and Lana Chapter 2766 Chapter 2766 The living room was now empty, save for Stanley, who appeared to be somewhat depressed and lonely. Leaning back against the couch, Stanley sat in silence, as if contemting something. It was only after fifteen minutes that he stood, as if he had made a decision, and returned to his room. Meanwhile, Nicole and Jared were watching Nn, who was ying his game. Jared was also holding Lana, who was leaning against his shoulder, her eyes heavy with sleep. ¡°Daddy, I want to go to bed.¡± Lana rested on Jared¡¯s shoulder with her eyes closed, unable to stay awake anymore. After shooting Nicole a nce, Jared said, ¡°I¡¯ll take Lana back to sleep.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Nicole agreed, her attention returning to theputer screen. Nn¡¯s gamey seemed ordinary, much like a typical levelbased game. However, Nicole could tell that something was off about it. ¡°Yay!¡± Nn cheered loudly, snapping Nicole out of it. This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. Seeing that Nn hadpleted the level, she reminded him, ¡°It¡¯s gettingte, and your sister has already gone to sleep. It¡¯s time for you to get ready for bed too.¡± ¡°Okay, Mommy.¡± Nn obediently shut theputer down, and went off to the bathroom to take a shower. After Nn was done washing up, he changed into his pajamas, Nicole, who was sitting on the bedside, then tucked him under the covers. ¡°Nn, where did you find this game?¡± Nicole asked softly. ¡°It came up to me as a pop-up window while I was surfing the inte one day. I thought it carried no risks, so I downloaded it. I found it to be quite fun.¡± Nn answered with his brows raised. ¡°Mommy, is there something wrong with the game?¡± he asked. ¡®Why is it that Mommy seems really concerned with the game? Mommy rarely cares about these things.¡¯ Not wanting to tell Nn anything, Nicole simply smiled and said, ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Go to sleep early.¡± ¡°Oh, okay.¡± Nn went to sleep, brushing his earlier concerns off as overthinking. After Nn had fallen asleep, Nicole got up to leave the room. Just before leaving, her gaze fell on the computer screen again, and she narrowed her eyes. Back in her own room, Nicole saw that Jared had already returned. She sat down, unable to help but sigh. ¡°What are you suspecting?¡± Jared softly asked upon noticing how serious she looked. Nicole shook her head. ¡°I can¡¯t exin it clearly. I just feel that something is strange.¡± Seeing that Nicole was rather confused and stressed out, he began to take her concerns seriously as well. ¡°Tell me specifically. What kind of feeling is it? How strange is it?¡± Perhaps Nicole had noticed something that everyone else had not, and sharing it might prove useful; it might provide new insights into the matter. Nicole pondered for a moment, after which she replied, ¡°It looks like an ordinary game, and I just asked Nn about it. He said he stumbled upon it on the inte and downloaded it because it seemed risk free.¡± ¡°None at all?¡± Jared inquired. ¡°Nn said he checked it, and there was malware or viruses attached. He only downloaded it because he thought it was safe to y.¡± She believed Nn would not be wrong about such matters. In fact, he was quite capable of steering clear of viruses on his own. ¡°If there are no risks and it¡¯s just an ordinary game, what makes you feel that something is off?¡± Jared asked Nicole again. Nicole frowned, and murmured as she contemted it. ¡°The game seems ordinary, with no special gamey, but I just feel like there¡¯s something¡­¡± After a sudden pause, Nicole looked at Jared and said, ¡°I know now.¡± And just like that, she had figured out what the reason was. She had thought about it and finally realized that this game, while appearing ordinary and unsuspecting, actually concealed something within. She remembered that Nn would use a decryption code whenever he cleared a level. ¡®How could such a game be ordinary?¡¯ Chapter 2767 Chapter 2767 ¡°What?¡± Jared squinted when he saw the look of unease on her face. ¡°This game seems to have been deliberately made for Nn to discover,¡± Nicole realized. It was not something Nn identally stumbled upon, but rather something that was sent to him, giving him a false sense of coincidence. ¡°Who is behind this, and why would they do that?¡± Jared¡¯s expression darkened. Nicole then shared her analysis with Jared, and the more he thought about it, the more furious he became. If her assumptions were correct, it was evident that this game was deliberately designed for a nefarious reason. ¡°I need you to log into Nn¡¯sputer tomorrow to investigate,¡± Jared ordered. ¡°Okay,¡± Nicole nodded. For now, they could only keep their suspicions under wraps, as a discreet investigation would only be possibleter on. Jared then patted her on the shoulder tofort her. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Everything will be fine.¡± If there was an ulterior motive on the part of the developers, it would most likely be a long-term n. After all, clearing through a game was not something the kids would be able to do overnight. Nicole reached out and wrapped her arms around Jared¡¯s waist before she leaned against him, finding sce and regaining strength in his warmth. Sensing what she was worried about, he embraced her as he gently patted her on the back in an attempt to soothe her. The sun was bright and warm the very next day. By the time breakfast was over, everyone had already left, leaving nobody but Nicole at home. After entering Nn¡¯s room, Nicole turned hisputer on and carefully examined the game. Upon closer inspection, she realized that it was exactly what she had expected, so she went online to search for this particr game, just to find that there was nothing remotely simr to it on the web. This proved that the game Nn had been ying was custom-made for him. In other words, it was unique, and Nn was the only one who owned it. To further her investigation, Nicole copied the game, left home, and headed to the Riddle Corporation. ¡°Why are youing inte? Is there something wrong?¡± Lulu asked when she saw Nicole. ¡°Nothing.¡± Nicole answered without much boration. She did not want to make a big deal out of it to avoid rming others. ¡°Oh, we¡¯ll have to attend June¡¯s team-building event after work today. Let¡¯s leave together after work,¡± Lulu suggested. Nicole nodded in agreement. ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll continue working now.¡± Lulu smiled and waved the stack of files in her hand. She needed to finish her work quickly today. ¡°Sure,¡± Nicole answered with a smile. As Lulu turned around to leave the office, Patricia approached Nicole and whispered, ¡°Ms. Riddle? I¡¯ll apany you tonight.¡± ¡°Good, Jared doesn¡¯t like attending such events anyway. Besides, he¡¯s the one picking Nn and Lana up after work, so he¡¯ll feel at ease with you by my side,¡± This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org. Nicole agreed. While talking, the two headed toward Nicole¡¯s office without noticing Er, who had just emerged from the elevator. ¡°Is there an event tonight?¡± Er murmured. The instant he saw the secretary, he immediately stopped her and asked, ¡° Nicole said she¡¯s leaving after work just now. What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°There¡¯s a team-building event. I heard it from Ms. Barrera just now. It seems to be organized by June¡¯s company,¡± the secretary replied. ¡°Oh, I see,¡± Er mumbled as he walked upto Nicole¡¯s office. He then ced a few knocks on the door and opened it after someone had responded. Chapter 2768 Chapter 2768 ¡°Nicole, I¡¯vee to deliver good news,¡± Er said with a cheerful smile. ¡°Wow, that¡¯s quick!¡± Nicole was surprised. They had discussed the matter in passingst night, and yet, the results were already in. ¡°Yes, I got the news, so I came over to tell you right away.¡± Er proudly handed the documents to Nicole. ¡°Please, take a look!¡± Nicole rolled her eyes and grabbed the documents. After flipping through them, she nodded in approval.¡± Excellent. Keep up the good work. I believe you¡¯ll be able to secure the project.¡± ¡°Although we¡¯ve only passed the bidding phase this time, I will work hard for the project,¡± Er said. He had invested a great deal of effort into this project, so it was natural for him to hope for a positive oue. ¡°You know, for something like this, you could have just faxed it to me. Why bothering over in person?¡± Nicole asked after cing the documents down. ¡°Well, it¡¯s quite a big deal for me, so I had toe and inform you in person. Besides, I¡¯ve already nned to treat everyone to a meal after I won the bidding. I hope you¡¯ll alle,¡± Er said while giving Patricia an involuntary nce. Though Er hade to deliver documents to Nicole, he was actually here to check on Patricia. Nicole had assured him yesterday that Patricia was fine, but as he had not seen her, he was not too convinced. It was a concern he had very little control over, so when he received the news this morning, he was ecstatic, and took the opportunity to rush over. Nicole, who knew what he was up to, was amused by Er¡¯s actions. His intentions were too obvious. In addition, Patricia had also noticed what Er was up to. After giving him a resentful re, she coldly said, ¡°Mr. Riddle? If you¡¯re done reporting, you may go back now. I still have work to do.¡±Books Chapters Are Daily Updated Join & Stay Updated For All Books Updates¡­ It was her subtle way of saying, ¡®You¡¯re disturbing me, so I¡¯ll appreciate it if you¡¯d just leave.1 Hearing that, Er immediately agreed and turned to Nicole. ¡°Hey, urn, I think I¡¯ll get going now.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Nicole furrowed her brows. ¡®Is he really going to leave just like that?¡¯ Her lips were pursed as she watched him disappear through the door. ¡®What is he even doing?¡¯ Meanwhile, Patricia was d. With Er gone, she breathed a sigh of relief and continued to report on the situation regarding Damien. Nicole also withdrew her gaze, not bothering to ask Patricia about her situation with Er, and listened attentively to her findings. ¡°So, are you saying that Damien is conveying messages to someone?¡± Nicole frowned, puzzled by Damien¡¯s enigmatic behavior. ¡°Yes, and it¡¯s confirmed that it¡¯s definitely not Everett. Moreover, Everett is still holed up abroad and hasn¡¯t returned,¡± Patricia said solemnly. ¡°Do you think it¡¯s possible that Damien is contacting the Eastern Falcon organization?¡± Patricia queried. Considering Damien¡¯s peculiar actions, Nicole noticed that all of his strange habits seemed to have started after their encounter with the Eastern Falcon. ¡°It¡¯s possible.¡± Nicole nodded in agreement, after which she pondered for a moment. ¡°But how did he manage to contact these people?¡± Although Damien has been managing business in San Joto for many years, earning him connections with the powerful and influential, it still made no sense that he could contact a mercenary organization such as the Eastern Falcon all on his own. All in all, it seemed they did not understand Damien well enough. The fact that he could secretly contact such an organization was a testament that they had underestimated him. ¡°Ms. Riddle, how should we proceed?¡± Patricia asked Nicole softly. Nicole stopped and pondered for a moment, whereupon she looked at Patricia. ¡°Have someone follow him and find a way to discover who he¡¯s in contact with.¡± They needed direct evidence as all they had to work with were spections and assumptions. ¡°Understood,¡± Patricia responded. ¡°Okay. You may leave now,¡± Nicole told Patricia. Patrician then excused herself, turned around, and walked out of Nicole¡¯s office. Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g After that, Nicole leaned back against her chair and narrowed her eyes. Then, she uploaded a copy of Nn¡¯s game on herputer and examined it. Chapter 2769 Chapter 2769 Dusk arrived in the blink of an eye, and just like that, it was time for them to clock out. With that, Nicole and Lulu left thepany together, while Patricia drove them to the location where they had agreed to meet up with the rest. Upon arrival, Nicole saw Tia waiting at the restaurant¡¯s entrance, waving happily as she spotted them. ¡°Hi, Nicole,¡± Tia greeted Nicole with joy. The feeling of loneliness within her was gone in an instant. ¡°You¡¯re remarkably punctual,¡± Lulu teased after they approached Tia. ¡°I didn¡¯t want everyone to wait for me,¡± Tia exined softly. Lulu then nced at Nicole and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go inside. I think everyone else should be here by now.¡± ¡°Sure,¡± Nicole agreed. But just as they were about to enter, someone called out to her. ¡°Hey Nicole! Wait for me!¡± Nicole turned around and was surprised to see Er rushing over to her, causing a smirk to y on her face. She suddenly understood why Er was not reluctant to leave this morning. He had probably overheard her conversation with Patricia and decided to join the event. ¡°I made it in time,¡± Er said, and issued a sigh of relief. After giving him a smile, Nicole said, Let¡¯s head inside.¡± Er sheepishly scratched his head when he realized that Nicole had seen through him. Still, he happily followed them into the venue. ¡°Why are you here?¡± Lulu asked Er with a curious look etched on her face. ¡°I heard there was an event, so I came to join in the fun,¡± Er casually exined. Without thinking too much about it, Lulu nodded. ¡°Perfect. Samuel and Spencer will be here too.¡± ¡°That¡¯s great,¡± Er said, satisfied and feeling at ease. He had no idea about the specifics; all he knew was that there was a gathering of sorts. He was also worried that he might be the only male participant around. Now that he knew that Samuel and Spencer were also here, he felt relieved. They could already hear some noises inside when they arrived at the doorstep of the reserved private room.Books Chapters Are Daily Updated Join & Stay Updated For All Books Updates¡­ With that, Lulu smiled and said, ¡°They¡¯ve all arrived. Let¡¯s go in.¡± After knocking on the door, Lulu opened it and announced,¡± We¡¯re here!¡± ¡°Wee! Come on in!¡± one of June¡¯s colleagues greeted them. June had already informed them about who would be attending their team-building event, mentioning that they were all from the Riddle family. Naturally, they were very wee. Once the Riddles were in, June¡¯s colleagues caught sight of Er, taking them aback for a moment. Then, their gaze shifted toward Stanley. June had only mentioned that Samuel and Spencer would be there, not Stanley and Er. Seeing Stanley there was surprising enough for them, and now, another unexpected guest from the Riddle family, Er, had also arrived. This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. ¡°Wow, am I dreaming?¡± one of the bridesmaids eximed. ¡°I never thought I¡¯d witness the entirety of the male lineup from the Riddle family in my lifetime. Thank you, June. Oh gosh, it must be a blessing from you!¡± ¡°Just joining in on the fun,¡± Er exined casually, knowing that his visit was sudden. ¡°Greetings! Please take a seat!¡± June greeted, motioning for everyone to take a seat. She then turned to Tia and said, ¡°Tia,e here. This is Don and Ford, and that is¡­¡± After introducing several men to Tia, June pointed to a few of the men and said, ¡°You know them. You met them at the wedding.¡± ¡°Hello, everyone,¡± Tia greeted them all before taking a seat next to Nicole. She had only shown up because she could not refuse their offer; she was not here to make friends. If anything, she hoped it would quickly end so that she could go home. Chapter 2770 Chapter 2770 Lulu smiled when she saw how reserved and introverted Tia was. ¡°Tia, don¡¯t iste yourself. Come y with us.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t we eat first?¡± Stanley suggested as soon as Lulu had spoken. Lulu was taken aback as she thought to herself, ¡®It¡¯s already strange enough that Stanley is here today, and now, his behavior is even more unusual.¡¯ ¡°Sure, let¡¯s have the waiter serve the dishes.¡± Don got up to call the waiter over. Soon after, everyone got seated and dug into their meal. The bridesmaids had already met the scions of the Riddle family, so they were not very reserved during the meal. After chatting for a while, the men foundmon topics they could discuss and became even friendlier with each other. In contrast, Nicole appeared to be a little detached. There was a faint smile on her face as she watched the group of people chatting andughing among themselves. Patricia, who was sitting next to Nicole, wanted to just remain quiet as well, but unfortunately, she could not. Er hade all the way just to see her, so he had to seize every opportunity he had to show her how much he liked her. ¡°Patricia, try this. ¡°Patricia, would you like some drinks? ¡°Patricia¡­¡± Patricia began to feel a little dizzy after the flurry of questions from him. Then, she gritted her teeth and said, ¡°Can you keep quiet for a second?¡± ¡°Eat something else if this doesn¡¯t suit your taste.¡± Er scooped up the food he had just given to Patricia and ced it on his own te. Patricia¡¯s lips twitched as she warned Er, ¡°Stop putting food onto my te or you¡¯ll have to sit somewhere else.¡± She did not want to treat Er too coldly with so many people around to see what was going on, but her patience was running thin. ¡°Okay.¡± Er agreed and sat at the side with a pitiful look. Having seen that, Patricia gritted her teeth in anger again as she thought to herself, ¡®What is he trying to do? Did I mistreat him in any way?!¡¯ Nicole, on the other hand, was smiling as she found the interaction between them somewhat amusing.Books Chapters Are Daily Updated Join & Stay Updated For All Books Updates¡­ ¡°Nicole, are Nn and Lana home already?¡± Tia asked softly. ¡°Yeah, don¡¯t worry. Jared will go pick them up,¡± Nicole replied. Then, she softly added, ¡°Since you¡¯re already here, just rx. Don¡¯t put too much pressure on yourself.¡± ¡°I-I didn¡¯t.¡± Tia looked away. ¡°Tia? When you¡¯re in doubt, just follow your heart,¡± Nicole said to Tia as if she was hinting something to her. After all, no one could understand her own feelings better than herself. The ultimate decision rested in her hands. All everyone else could do for her was provide suggestions and their own opinions. Nobody would be able to decide anything on her behalf. However, the fact that Stanley was here today had convinced Nicole that he had already figured out what to do. She then looked at Tia with a smile and patted the back of her hand. Tia bit her lip, looking a little lost. She understood full well what Nicole was trying to tell her, but¡­ Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g ¡°Hey, Tia, do you know that¡­¡± June looked at Tia with a faint smile, wanting to introduce Don to her. It was then that Stanley abruptly cut her off, and pulled Tia out of her seat. ¡°Pleasee out for a moment.¡± ¡°What?¡± Tia was shocked and before she realized it, Stanley had already brought her out of the room. ¡°June, is there something going on between the two of your friends over there?¡± Don and Ford asked. June, who was also a little confused, murmured, ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Chapter 2771 Chapter 2771 However, June seemed to have also realized what was going on; she seemed to have finally understood why Stanley would be here. Still, she was a little puzzled because she knew he was supposed to be preparing for his engagement with Cherry. As these thoughts raced through her mind, she could not help but shift her gaze to Nicole, who saw the frown of disapproval on her face. This gave Nicole a hunch that June was probably thinking that Stanley was cheating on Cherry. Upon realizing that, Nicole shook her head, signaling June not to worry and that they should let Stanley deal with his personal issues himself. Both June and Lulu approached Nicole after sensing that there was more hot gossip around the corner. ¡°What¡¯s going on? Do you know something that we don¡¯t?¡± ¡°I can only tell you that Stanley and Cherry¡¯s engagement is all just smoke and mirror. Still, I must ask that you keep it a secret for now. Nobody should know about this, not even Samuel and Spencer,¡± Nicole said to them. ¡°Oh, got it.¡± June nodded. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m not going to tell Samuel anything. If he knows, Dad and Mom will too.¡± Nicole nodded in return, indicating that what June said was exactly what she thought. ¡°What are you guys talking about?¡± Samuel leaned in, having heard his name being mentioned seconds ago. ¡°Nothing.¡± June gave him the side-eye and followed up with a smile. ¡°Go on and have some fun.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Samuel nodded without thinking much about it and continued chatting with the others. Lulu turned to eye Spencer, and upon noticing that Spencer was looking the other way, she breathed a sigh of relief. Then, she asked Nicole, ¡°What¡¯s going on? It¡¯s only been a few days and there¡¯s already such a shocking update?¡± ¡°Yeah. Even if we keep it a secret now, the others will find out sooner orter,¡± June chimed in. ¡°Cherry will be leaving in a few days, so we¡¯ll reveal the truth after that,¡± Nicole exined.Books Chapters Are Daily Updated Join & Stay Updated For All Books Updates¡­ June nodded in understanding. ¡°I see. Stanley has sacrificed a lot for her, it seems.¡± It was obvious that Stanley was simply helping Cherry out. Not only did it cause a misunderstanding between him and Tia, but in the end, Stanley would also be left to deal with the repercussions of the sweet little lie they had been feeding everyone after she had left. He would soon be the person doing all the exining to both families: his and Cherry¡¯s. ¡°Well, not exactly. Cherry has helped Stanley too.¡± Nicole gestured toward the door with her chin. Lulu blinked her eyes once she realized what Cherry had done for him in return. ¡°So, are they deliberately faking the engagement to make Tia jealous?¡± ¡°I see. Well, it¡¯s a way to break the deadlock between them. Otherwise, they would never make any progress.¡± June said, understanding what Stanley and Cherry were trying to do. ¡°Why don¡¯t we help them a little more?¡± Lulu suggested with a cheeky grin. The three of them exchanged nces, after which June nodded. ¡°That¡¯s a good idea.¡± ¡°Then, let¡¯s¡­¡± Meanwhile, outside of the private room, Tia was lowering her head, not wanting to look at Stanley. ¡°l-ls there something?¡± she asked softly. Stanley had dragged her outside in front of so many people, and so, it was expected that there would be rumors and spections abound. Stanley looked at Tia, but as soon as he opened his mouth, he was rendered speechless; he could not find the words to say to her. He was fine moments ago. In fact, he had even brought her out here out of impulse. But now, he had no idea what to tell her. This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. After hesitating for a good five minutes, Stanley asked, ¡°Are you feeling sick?¡±. This caught Tia off guard. ¡®W-What does he mean?¡¯ ¡°I noticed that you didn¡¯t look too well, so if you¡¯re feeling sick, I¡¯ll take you home.¡± Stanley said, having conjured up ame excuse to get her out of here. The fact that June¡¯s colleagues were treating Tia extra-well bothered him severely. ¡°I-I¡¯m good.¡± Tia lowered her head again, her voice carrying within it a hint of disappointment. Chapter 2772 Chapter 2772 ¡°Tia?¡± Stanley frowned, feeling somewhat uneasy. ¡°Let¡¯s go inside. There¡¯s going to be a lot of misunderstandings if we linger,¡± Tia said, and returned to the room. Stanley¡¯s arm froze mid-air as he reached out to grab her. All he could do was sigh and watch as Tia¡¯s figure disappeared into the room. He feltpletely defeated and helpless, and had no choice but to return to the private room. However, his gaze darkened when he saw that Don had already pulled him a chair to get her to sit next to him. ¡°You¡¯re back. Come, have a seat right here.¡± Samuel waved to Stanley, beckoning him to the seat beside. ¡°Stanley, why did you go outside just now?¡± Samuel asked, curious. ¡°It¡¯s nothing,¡± Stanley coldly replied before lowering his head to eat what was left of the dishes. Having seen how Stanley had reacted to Samuel¡¯s question, Lulu and June lifted their brows at Nicole, and darted their eyes toward Stanley for a brief second as if to say, ¡°Hey, it seems as if it¡¯s working.¡± Nicole smirked, and with her gaze, she replied, ¡°You¡¯re right. Seems like he¡¯s a little nervous now.¡± Tia was nked by Don and Ford on both sides as they tended to her needs. She was feeling constrained and awkward in their presence, but she could only offer polite responses to them in turn. It was not until everyone was done eating and preparing to leave that Tia could finally issue a sigh of relief. That entire dinner was truly stressful for her. Then, the group of people chatted andughed their way out of the restaurant. All of a sudden, one of them suggested, ¡°Let¡¯s hit the karaoke.¡± ¡°Sure!¡± another agreed, sounding very excited.Books Chapters Are Daily Updated Join & Stay Updated For All Books Updates¡­ ¡°Tia,e with us,¡± Don quickly invited Tia. ¡°I¡¯ll probably pass.¡± Tia replied, feeling a little reluctant toe along. She was under the impression that she could go home as soon as the meal was over. Hearing that, Ford stepped in and persuaded her into joining them as well. ¡°Come on. We¡¯re going to have so much fun.¡± ¡°Yeah. If you¡¯re worried about going homete, one of us can drive you home,¡± another person chimed in. With everyone being so enthusiastic about going to the next event, Tia instinctively looked at Nicole with nervousness written all over her face. She did not wish to join them at all. However, she knew that everyone meant well, and she had no idea how to decline them without being a jerk about it. ¡°She said that she isn¡¯t joining you, so there¡¯s no point wasting time here.¡± Stanley then looked at June. ¡°Enjoy yourselves. Have fun with your friends. I¡¯ll foot the bill.¡± ¡°Stanley, you don¡¯t have to do this,¡± June replied, looking somewhat hesitant. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯m happy that I got to meet all of them,¡± Stanley stated, and turned to Samuel. ¡°Make sure that all of them have a good time.¡± After he had said that, he brought Tia over and left the venue with her. As the duo of Stanley and Tia left, June and Lulu exchanged nces and burst outughing. ¡°Although we¡¯re just here to put on a show, Mr. Riddle did say that he¡¯s going to pay for all of us. Is that true?¡± one of them asked. After all, Stanley did not look as if he was joking when he said that. This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org. ¡°We¡¯ll surely have fun tonight, but let¡¯s not make Stanley pay. I¡¯ll take care of it,¡± June said and looked at Don and Ford.¡± Thank you for your help.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t mention it,¡± Don said before turning to the rest of them. ¡°For those who want to go home, have a good night, and for those who feel like joining us for a singing session, follow me.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Everyone happily followed Don. ¡°Hey, what are you guys up to?¡± Samuel asked, sensing that something was off. Chapter 2773 Chapter 2773 He felt as if everyone was trying to bring Tia and Stanley together. However, he was puzzled as to why, as Stanley was already in a rtionship with Cherry. June held Samuel¡¯s hand and beamed. ¡°It¡¯s not a problem at all. Oh, I¡¯m getting tired. I¡¯m going home to get some sleep.¡± ¡°Oh, alright. Let¡¯s go home,¡± Samuel replied once June had caught his attention. Smirking, Lulu turned to Nicole. ¡°We¡¯ll get going first.¡± ¡®Okay, I¡¯m going home too,¡± Nicole echoed, and looked at Patricia. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Sure thing,¡± Patricia said, and headed to the car. As for Er, he remained silent as he tailed her to the parking lot. However, his act had invited nothing but scorn from Patricia, who then stopped to roll her eyes and ask. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going home?¡± ¡°Em,¡± Er fumbled. ¡°Are you mad at me?¡± ¡°Why would I be mad at you?¡± Patricia said, driven to the point of speechlessness. Er scratched his head and mumbled, ¡°But you haven¡¯t talked to me the entire night.¡± He did not dare to say anything to Patricia, as he hoped that his silence would pay off in the form of having more time around her. He was afraid she would chase him away if he talked too much. Patricia was at a loss on what to do, as she really did not want to talk to him. She had no desire to say anything to him due to how weird he was around her. After taking a deep breath, Patricia maintained herposure and reasoned with Er. ¡°Since you¡¯ve noticed my attitude, you should understand how I feel. I hope you won¡¯t waste your time on me.¡± Patricia then left for the parking lot to get the car. Er, however, was more aggrieved than ever. He gritted his teeth and followed Patricia to her car.Books Chapters Are Daily Updated Join & Stay Updated For All Books Updates¡­ ¡°Hey, what are you doing?¡± Patricia asked in confusion. ¡°I had one too many drinks, so I can¡¯t drive,¡± Er said confidently. ¡°You can get an Uber or something,¡± Patricia curtly responded, not buying Er¡¯s excuse. Er, on the other hand, was determined not to get out of Patricia¡¯s car, so he insisted, ¡°I¡¯m going to Nicole¡¯s house. It¡¯s on the way.¡± Patricia remained silent and shook her head at Er, who was giving her a sad and pitiful look. Rolling her eyes, she begrudgingly obliged to his request and started the car. This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. ¡®This bastard is ying dumb, trying to fish for sympathy from me. Seems that he really wants a piece of me,¡¯ she fumed. Patricia soon stopped the car in front of Nicole and waited for her to get in the car. ¡°Bye Lulu and Spencer. I¡¯ll head home first. Take care,¡± Nicole bade them farewell and got into the car. ¡°Yep, bye-bye,¡± Lulu and Spencer replied as they waved. Nicole looked away, before turning to Er and asking,¡± What¡¯s going on with you?¡± Nicole had seen Er and Patricia getting into the car together, making her even more curious about what Er was upto. ¡°Nicole, can I stay at Uncle Daniel¡¯s house today?¡± Er rubbed his temples as he asked for permission. ¡°I had too much to drink today. My head hurts and going home will just get me a massive scolding from my parents.¡± Upon hearing Er¡¯s pathetic excuse, Nicole rolled her eyes and retorted, ¡°If you¡¯re afraid of being reprimanded, why did you drink yourself stupid in the first ce?¡± ¡°I was depressed,¡± Er revealed, stealing a nce at Patricia. Patricia focused on the road, refusing to rise to Er¡¯s remarks. She really did not want to talk to Er, as she was afraid that she might end up punching him out of annoyance. Meanwhile, Er was left hopeless and sad by Patricia¡¯s indifference to him. He genuinely did not know how he had irritated her. Nicole raised her eyebrows, unable to disguise her amusement after sensing the tension between Patricia and Er Chapter 2774 Chapter 2774 Nicole felt that both Patricia and Er¡¯s personalitiesplimented each other well. However, the question of whether they could leverage that fact to build a connection was ultimately for them to answer. With this in mind, Nicole looked at Er, feeling that his future would be full of uncertainties. Meanwhile, Stanley was still driving Tia home. She was riding shotgun with her head bowed as she struggled with the awkwardness within her. She had indeed nned to head home without joining the karaoke session, but she did not want to go home with Stanley. With the two of them being the only ones present in the car, Tia could not help but endure the crippling anxiety she was feeling at the moment. ¡°What did Cherry say to you?¡± Stanley abruptly asked. He noticed that the way Tia treated him had significantly changed after her conversation with Cherry. It was as if Tia was purposely avoiding him, leading him to suspect that Cherry had said something controversial enough for Tia to misunderstand him. ¡°Erm. l-lt¡¯s nothing,¡± Tia stuttered, and lowered her head even further. ¡°Well, she must have said something,¡± Stanley pointed out, still confused about Tia¡¯s reaction. Cornered, Tia bit her lips and whispered, ¡°She said she was leaving.¡± ¡°That¡¯s all she said?¡± Stanley questioned, wondering if Cherry had revealed anything else. Tia could no longer answer Stanley¡¯s question, as she did not want to lie to him. She could not possibly tell Stanley about Cherry¡¯s advice and exnation either. After all, Cherry had even exposed the fact that she cared about Stanley. Stuck in this predicament, Tia chose to remain silent. Content provided by N?velDrama.Org. Stanley sighed at Tia¡¯s silence. He stopped pursuing her as he did not want to push her further. ¡°Cherry is indeed leaving. She has a boyfriend. I¡¯m just helping her,¡± Stanley said to himself, but it was also directed at Tia. He was not aware of what Cherry had told Tia, so he had to take matters into his own hands and exin himself. After all, it was better for him to exin to Tia than to rely on others. Tia realized Stanley was exining himself to her. His exnation made her heart beat faster, as she was shocked and shaken by the fact he was rifying things to her. ¡°I already have someone I like, but it¡¯s just that.¡± Stanley paused and shot her a meaningful nce. ¡°Well, she¡¯ll find out eventually.¡± Tia unconsciously firmed her grip on her skirt while her face blushed. She knew Stanley for sure that Stanley was talking about her. ¡°1-1,¡± Tia began, wanting to tell him the truth, but she could not bring herself to say it. Her heart was pounding like a bass drum in a heavy metal concert. ¡°Huh?¡± Stanley asked. Unable to understand her, he turned to look her in the eye. It was then that Tia drew a deep breath and recalled Nicole¡¯s words, which had urged her to follow her heart. And after biting her lip for a moment longer, Tia whispered,¡± I don¡¯t like anyone else.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry?¡± Stanley asked, unable to hear her clearly because her voice was too soft. With her face turning beet red, Tia hesitated for a while, wanting to say it again. However, she quickly gave up on the idea. This prompted Stanley to frown, pump the brakes, and pull over at the side of the road. ¡°What is it? Are you feeling unwell?¡± he asked with an affectionate look on his face. ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Tia said, shaking her head. ¡°Well, why is your face so red and your voice so soft, then?¡± Stanley questioned. He figured that Tia might be unwell, and that she was just too embarrassed to admit it, so he reached out to touch her on the forehead. ¡°I really am fine,¡± Tia replied, attempting to evade any physical contact with him. However, she was a second toote, for his hand was already on her forehead. Chapter 2775 Chapter 2775 Tia nked out and froze when she felt a warm sensation on her. Once Stanley had checked Tia¡¯s temperature and confirmed that she was not sick, he frowned and asked, ¡°Are you feeling ufortable anywhere else?¡± Tia¡¯s temperature was normal, but she did not lookfortable at all in Stanley¡¯s eyes. ¡°Tia?¡± Stanley called out to her again when he did not get a response the first time. ¡®Em, huh?¡± Tia snapped out of it and looked at him. What the both of them failed to realize was that their faces were inches away from one another, and as expected, Tia¡¯s lips identally grazed Stanley¡¯s cheeks. Shocked by what she just did, Tia backed off and shivered as her mind erupted into chaos. Stanley, who did not see thising at all, was also left in a daze. The atmosphere in the car became even more awkward than ever, but then, there was also a sexual tension that was not there before. ¡°Ugh.¡± Stanley coughed, being the first to snap out of his stupor. He then repositioned himself and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go home.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Tia replied softly, overwhelmed by feelings of nervousness and embarrassment. Stanley remained uneasy as his mind repeated the shback of the scene that had just urred. Throughout the journey, neither of them uttered another word, and returned home in total silence. After they had arrived, Tia murmured, ¡°Bye. I¡¯ll head in first.¡± Tia then rushed to the back of the house, breaking into a sprint halfway through. Stanley got out of the car as well, and he unconsciously lifted his hand up to his cheek as he watched Tia disappear into the house. Tia was drowning in embarrassment, and her mind just would not let up on the incident when she returned to her room. ¡®How could I be so dumb!? Why did I even do that? How awkward is it going to be the next time I see him!?¡¯ Overwhelmed with shame, Tia tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep. Clearly, a restful night was out of the question for Tia. However the same could be said for Stanley, who was also having a hard time trying to fall asleep. The courtyard lit up with the beams from the headlights as Nicole returned home. After parking the car, Nicole got out, giving Patricia the go-ahead to leave. ¡°Come to think of it, I should return home. Bye, Nicole. I¡¯m not staying here tonight,¡± Er informed. Knowing that Er had other intentions, she raised her brows. ¡°Rest well, Nicole. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll send Patricia back safely,¡± Er said without looking at her. This prompted Nicole to roll her eyes at him. ¡°Are you sure you¡¯d like to send her back?¡± ¡°Yep, I¡¯m going straight to her house,¡± Er said confidently. Unable to put up with his crap any longer, Patricia shouted,¡± Quit it with your nonsense! There¡¯s no way you¡¯re going to my house!¡± ¡°Ugh,¡± he groaned, his confidence waning in an instant.¡± What I meant was, I¡¯ll drop by your ce first. I¡¯ll take a cab back home after I¡¯ve made sure you¡¯re back home safely.¡± Patricia was annoyed and strongly suspected that Er was irritating her on purpose. ¡°Nicole, you should head back to rest,¡± Er reminded her. He then directed Patricia, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Gnashing her teeth, Patricia red at Er before she brought the engine to life. She mentally swore to herself that this would be herst meeting with Er, as she never wanted to see him again. And upon noticing that the car was speeding off faster than usual, Nicole began to hope for the best. Patricia seemed to be in a bad mood, and that was something Er should definitely brace himself for. This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org. Then, she turned back, entered her house, and got into her room. ¡°You¡¯re back,¡± Jared, who was at the desk with hisputer, remarked upon noticing her return. ¡°Why are you not asleep yet?¡± Nicole asked, and approached him. ¡°I was waiting for you.¡± Jared pulled her into his arms. Chapter 2776 Chapter 2776 ¡°Everyone was present. I had Patricia with me, so it was all good,¡± Nicole exined before shing him a smile. ¡°I missed you,¡± he softly said as he rested his head on her shoulder. Jared was not able to sleep or focus on work in Nicole¡¯s absence. Flustered, Nicole¡¯s heart skipped a beat, and her cheeks reddened. ¡°It¡¯s just been a day since west saw each other.¡± In response, he kissed her on the cheek and said, ¡°I want to see you twenty-four seven.¡± ¡°What¡¯s with you today?¡± Nicole wrapped her arms around his neck and looked at him, her eyes brimming with curiosity. Nicole felt Jared was especially affectionate and clingy with her today. ¡°I¡¯m fine, I just missed you,¡± Jared answered, and lowered his head to kiss Nicole on the lip. The gentle kiss progressed into a passionate smooch, making Nicole irresistible to him. In reciprocation, she surrendered to Jared and sumbed to the pleasure which they then shared. Concurrently, Patricia had just arrived at Er¡¯s house. ¡°Why aren¡¯t we back at your ce?¡± Ell ar asked in concern. ring at him with cold fury in her eyes, Patricia said. ¡°Get out of the car.¡± Patricia figured it would be more convenient for her to send him home, rather than leaving him on the streets to hail a cab back after reaching her ce. Deted and dispirited, Er could only sigh at Patricia¡¯s upromising attitude. ¡°Take care on your way back.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be fine. I¡¯ll be safer alone, honestly,¡± Patricia coldly spat, her words carrying venomous undertones. Er, having understood what she was implying, mumbled,¡± But I won¡¯t hurt you. How is it unsafe to be with me?¡± In reply, she shot him another re, shutting him up and forcing him to leave the car on his own ord. ¡°You should get inside,¡± Patricia ordered after finding Er still standing out in the open. Er¡¯s heart was close to sinking to his stomach as he suggested, ¡°You should go first. I¡¯ll enter once you¡¯ve hit the road.¡± Er feltpletely humiliated as Patricia had revealed that she did not even have an ounce of trust in him. Indeed, she had even gone as far as to shoo him off after she had sent him home. Patricia proceeded to shoot him a re of disapproval, countering the look of aggrievement he had been wearing for the past hour. She had been suppressing the urge to beat him into a pulp whenever he gave her that pitiful look. After closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, Patricia calmed down and sped off into the distance. ¡°Hey, you don¡¯t have to floor it!¡± Er shouted, but Patricia had already disappeared into the night by then. ¡°Ugh.¡± Er sighed in defeat. He scratched his head, wondering to himself what could be the reason for Patricia¡¯s annoyance at him. He could not help but feel bitter, as he did not know what to do with her at this point. The moment Patricia returned to her apartment, she found her neighbor¡¯s door open while the lights were still on. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you asleep yet?¡± ¡°Why are you sote?¡± Charlie asked. ¡°I had to send Nicole and Er before returning,¡± Patricia replied. ¡°Er was there?¡± Charlie frowned, not expecting that Er had been there too. Patricia nodded. ¡°Yep, Stanley was there too.¡± Charlie was aware of the guest list but he did not know that Stanley and Er would be there too. ¡°Wasn¡¯t it supposed to be June¡¯spany team-building event?¡± Charlie asked. He was confused as the event, by the looks of it, had turned out to be more like a team-building event for the Riddle brothers instead. ¡°I think it¡¯s because Nicole was there too,¡± Patricia exined. She was not involved in any of the Riddle brothers¡¯ affairs, so she had no clear understanding of the situation. Frowning, Charlie advised Patricia, ¡°You should stay away from Er.¡± Patricia, in turn, looked at Charlie, and promised, ¡°I will.Content provided by N?velDrama.Org. Chapter 2777 Chapter 2777 Patricia had never approached Er for personal reasons; it was Er who had done so. Still, Charlie¡¯s words just so happened to resonate with Patricia¡¯s wish. She, too, wanted to stay away from and never meet Er ever again. After he saw that Patricia had entered her apartment, Charlie returned to his. The sun shone brightly the next morning, and the Riddle family manor was merrier than ever. Nn and Lana woke up, took their showers, and knocked on Nicole¡¯s bedroom door, trying to get their parents to wake up. After waiting for Nicole and Jared to get themselves cleaned up and dressed, the family went downstairs to the living room. ¡°Mommy, was your team-building event fun yesterday?¡± Lana asked out of curiosity. ¡°Yep, and everyone had fun,¡± Nicole answered, ruffling Lana¡¯s hair. Lana then continued with a mischievous grin and asked,¡± Can you bring us along next time?¡± Chuckling, Nicole reached out to pinch Lana¡¯s nose affectionately. ¡°Kids are not encouraged to join these activities. You¡¯ll only get bored even if you¡¯re allowed to go.¡± ¡°Oh, alright then,¡± Lana pouted without showing any signs of disappointment. Gloria and Daniel walked down the stairs, and once they saw that everyone was present, they chuckled and greeted them all. ¡°Good morning. I see everyone is up.¡± ¡°Grandpa, Grandma!¡± Nn and Lana greeted them back. As she approached the couch, Gloria shot the kitchen a nce and said, ¡°It¡¯s almost time for breakfast. Let¡¯s head to the dining room.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± Nn and Lana replied, and followed their grandparents to the dining room. Then, Nicole chuckled and looked at Jared. ¡°Well, shall we?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Jared replied, after which he took Nicole¡¯s hand and walked her to the dining room. Just as the couple had taken their seats, Stanley emerged from his room and trudged his way to where everyone else was. Nicole noticed Stanley¡¯s paleplexion and instantly figured that he had a restless night. Raising her brows slightly, Nicole shot Stanley a meaningful nce. Though she did not say anything, her expression conveyed an obvious message. Sensing Nicole¡¯s gaze, Stanley awkwardly looked away, unsure of how to respond to her silent inquiry. Nicole was sure that his current condition was due to his interaction with Tiast night. However, he had nothing to tell Nicole, as he was unsure if he had gotten anywhere with Tia thus far. Nicole was quick to grasp what the situation was. Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g Apparently, there had been no significant progress between Stanley and Tia. Nevertheless, the fact that he had taken the initiative to speak to her was a significant step up from where he had been. Only time would tell what would happen to the future of their rtionship. ¡°Hi, Nicole,¡± Tia called out, informing Nicole of her arrival to send the kids to school. She was standing in the living room, seemingly deprived of the courage to approach the dining hall. And after she had informed Nicole of her arrival, she patiently waited in the living room with her head hanging low. ¡°Hi, Tia!¡± Nn and Lana greeted her. Then, they ced their cutlery down and hurried to the living room. ¡°Are you done with your breakfast?¡± Tia asked, seeing that the kids were ready to leave for school now. After slinging their bags onto their shoulders, Nn and Lana replied, ¡°Yep, we¡¯re done with our food.¡± ¡°Bye, Nicole. We¡¯re leaving now.¡± Tia said to Nicole. ¡°Yep, see youter,¡± Nicole acknowledged. However, Nicole had managed to catch onto the fact that Tia was behaving rather unusually today as well. Chapter 2778 Chapter 2778 ¡®Tia doesn¡¯t look right either. It seems that she hasn¡¯t gotten any sleepst night. Did something happen after the both of them left yesterday? Something must have, or else the both of them wouldn¡¯t have been acting weird and all. But if something did happen, why aren¡¯t they talking to each other? ¡® Nicole pondered. Stanley stole a quick nce at Tia as she was leaving with the kids, and as expected, his subtle movements did not escape Nicole, whose eyebrows were raised. It was at this point that Nicole confirmed that something had indeed happened to them when no one was around. Otherwise, the both of them would not have exhibited such unusual behavior. Meanwhile, Tia had just gotten into the car with Nn and Lana. ¡°Tia, what¡¯s going on with you and Uncle Stanley?¡± Nn asked, his head tilted in curiosity. Caught offguard, Tia panicked and defended herself. ¡°No-no -nothing happened.¡± ¡°Are you sure? It seemed that the both of you were avoiding each other,¡± Lana described. Lana was sure that something was off between Tia and Stanley, for Tia had greeted everyone except for him when they were having breakfast. In addition, Stanley had not done so to Tia either. It was as if they were ignoring each other. Furthermore, Lana had seen Stanley sending Tia back homest night, leading the little one to wonder what could have happened to them in the span of one night. Tia was speechless, unable to provide an honest answer to the kids¡¯ honest question. Instead, she forced a smile and replied, ¡°I swear, nothing happened. Don¡¯t think too much about it.¡± ¡°Did Uncle Stanley make you angry?¡± Lana persisted, still feeling something was amiss. To make things worse, Nn piled in and remarked, ¡°We saw youing home with Uncle Stanleyst night. There must be something going on between you two, since you¡¯re ignoring each other now.¡± Lana agreed, nodding her head. ¡°Something must have happened yesterday, right?¡± Tia¡¯s face turned beet red at once, as she had been cornered by the kids. The children¡¯s innocent but straightforward questions were too much for Tia to handle. And while the kids might not misunderstand anything that had happenedst night, there was no guarantee that others would not, either. ¡°No, there¡¯s nothing going on. I was just too tired after going on a night out, and on top of that, I didn¡¯t sleep well,¡± Tia exined patiently, hoping to convince the two mischievous kids to leave it. ¡°Are you sure? You didn¡¯t have to ignore Uncle Stanley if that¡¯s the case, though,¡± Nn mumbled, frowning in disbelief. ¡°I wasn¡¯t ignoring him. I just didn¡¯t have the time to say hi,¡± Tia replied with a half-smile, feeling a little guilty deep down. It was obvious that Tia had the time to greet Stanley, but considering everything they had going forthem sincest night, she did not dare to even look at him. She was simply too embarrassed to interact with Stanley after that particr incident in the car. ¡°Oh,¡± Lana said, finally believing Tia. Just when Tia thought they were going to drop it, Nn looked at her and blurted, ¡°So, did you make any new friends yesterday, Tia?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Tia asked with her brows furrowed, not catching onto what Nn had said. ¡°Didn¡¯t Aunt June introduce you to some new friends? Did you like any of them?¡± Lana asked mischievously. Lana wanted to gossip, believing that there must have been someone whom Tia had taken at least a little liking for. And just like that, all of that embarrassment came flooding back. It was getting harder to deal with their questions now. ¡°It¡¯s not how you imagined it. It was just a normal gathering. Besides, there were a lot of people who attended, even the bridesmaids from the wedding,¡± Tia simplified the situation and exined. After all, she had joined the team-building event only because she did not have the heart to decline their invitation. ¡°Okay. So, there was no one you liked. But, was there anyone there who liked you?¡± Lana continued. ¡°I¡¯m sure there were some,¡± Nn interrupted. ¡°Otherwise, Uncle Stanley would not have gotten all jealous.¡± This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Jealous?¡± Lana asked. She seemed puzzled, as if she had just been met with something she was totally unfamiliar with. ¡°Wait, isn¡¯t Uncle Stanley with Cherry? Why would he be jealous?¡± Lana asked Nn. ¡°You know,¡± Nn hesitated and paused, finally noticing that something was not adding up. Chapter 2779 Chapter 2779 If that was not the situation, the kids could only wonder why Stanley would bring Tia homest night ¡°Don¡¯t overthink it! I swear! Nothing happened yesterday,¡± Tia insisted. The more they exined, the moreplicated the situation became, and at this rate, the kids were proving to be quite a handful. ¡°Tia, I think you should keep your distance from Uncle Stanley. Why don¡¯t you try to make friends with the people Aunt June introduced?¡± Nn advised. He had no choice but to say what he said because he did not want the people he cared about to get hurt. ¡°Actually, we really hoped that you would give Uncle Stanley a chance. We¡¯ve even helped him in secret many times, but sadly. Ugh! Sadly, things just aren¡¯t working out,¡± Lana sighed, her speech and mannerism mirroring that of an adult. They had initially thought that Stanley and Tia would be a good match. Unfortunately, fate had other ns, and there was nothing they could do to force it. Tia¡¯s lips twitched. She was inplete disbelief of what the kids were thinking about these days. ¡°I¡¯ll warn Uncle Stanley tonight. His behavior will only hurt you and Cherry,¡± Nn shook his head, looking distressed now. Tia was speechless at the kids¡¯ words. They really thought they were thinking ahead of time. ¡± Tia,¡± Lana was about to continue, but was stopped when Tia covered her mouth. If the kids continued to talk, she and Stanley would be the scapegoats of the family. ¡°Erm, you guys misunderstood the situation,¡± Tia exined.¡± I didn¡¯t want to join the others in the karaoke. That was why we came home earlier yesterday.¡± Tia figured that this was herst ditch effort to rify her situation to the kids. The simpler the exnation was, the easier it would be for them to understand. ¡°Then?¡± Lana asked, eager for more details. ¡°Then we came back to get some sleep. I got a headache from the alcohol, so I didn¡¯t manage to rest wellst night,¡± Tia came up with an excuse, and med the booze. ¡°Oh,¡± Nn and Lana breathed their sighs of relief in unison. At longst, they had gotten the reassurance they were looking for. Tia was much more at ease afterforting the two kids. If they continued on with their imagination, there would be no limit to where the story would end. And once she had dropped the kids off at kindergarten, she loosened up. She gently patted her cheeks, frustrated at how difficult it would be for her to interact with Stanley in the future. She did not know how to face him, and even the kids could already tell. On top of that, she was sure that other people had also noticed their unusual behavior. Meanwhile, Nicole had just reached Riddle Corporation. As soon as she stepped into her office, Lulu approached her with an eager look: one which indicated her desire to gossip. ¡°So, how did it go?¡± Lulu asked before shing Nicole a meaningful smile. She was expecting Stanley and Tia to have made some degree of progress. ¡°No idea,¡± Nicole shook her head, feeling that something was off. ¡°They¡¯re acting weird. During breakfast, they seemed even more distant than usual.¡± Nicole shared the story with Lulu, and said, ¡°It¡¯s better to let them handle it.¡± Nicole found their situation strange, as Stanley and Tia did not seem to have any major issues with one another. Perhaps something had really happened to themst night. The only other possibility was that they were waiting for the perfect time. ¡°Oh,¡± Lulu replied. ¡°Fine. I wish them all the best.¡± This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. ¡°Oh, and by the way.¡± Lulu smirked and ced the file down. ¡°It¡¯s done.¡± ¡°Nicole raised an eyebrow, intrigued by what Lulu had aplished. ¡°That went smoothly.¡± Chapter 2780 Chapter 2780 ¡°Hehe. It can¡¯t be helped as Harvey is always so anxious,¡± Lulu gloated. ¡°He is impatient, so he¡¯s prone to acting blindly and falling into traps.¡± Lulu was able to gain some leverage over him precisely because of his impatience. As such, she could act boldly without worrying that she would spook Harvey and put him on guard. At this moment, Harvey might even still think that Nicole had taken his bait. ¡°You have to be careful. If at any point in time Harvey realizes he¡¯s been deceived, he won¡¯t let you go,¡± Nicole reminded. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m not only engaging him in a game of 4D chess behind the scenes. I¡¯ve also collected a bunch of evidence against him. If things go south, we¡¯ll at least be able to defend ourselves with the evidence in hand. He can¡¯t do anything to us. Besides, well be returning everything to Thomas after we¡¯re done with him anyway,¡± Lulu said confidently. Even if Harvey were to make a fuss, he would not stand to gain anything out of it. Pleasantly surprised by her strategy, Nicole looked at Lulu with admiration. This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. ¡°You¡¯ve really improved.¡± ¡°Hehe!¡± Lulu chuckled. ¡°You¡¯ve got to fall over twice to stand up on the third.¡± If Harvey had not decided to screw with them countless times, they would not have treated him like this. They did not need to pull any punches to teach Harvey a lesson, since everything they gained would ultimately be returned to Thomas. With that said, they hoped Harvey would learn to stay in his lane and mind his own business in the future. ¡°Alright then. We¡¯ll go with your n. Keep it up,¡± Nicole said. All she needed to do now was to patiently wait for the results. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it won¡¯t take too long,¡± Lulu grinned. After a slight pause, she continued, ¡°By the way, when is Thomasing back?¡± Harvey¡¯s assets would be transferred back to Thomas in the end. Thus, he had to be present to sign the necessary documents during the procedure. ¡°I¡¯ll check with Thomas and have him prepare on his end. If everything goes well over here, we can ask him toe back for a visit,¡± Nicole said after contemting for a moment. ¡°Okay,¡± Lulu agreed. She only had to focus on her responsibilities as the uing affairs were not within her job scope. After Lulu had walked off, Nicole stopped to think for a moment, and called Thomas. ¡°How have you been recently?¡± Nicole asked, her voice filled with concern. ¡°Yep, I¡¯m all good here,¡± Thomas replied. ¡°Do you need me back there?¡± Nicole hesitated for a moment, after which she beamed and replied, ¡°We can afford to wait a few more days.¡± ¡°I say, there¡¯s no need for the wait. I¡¯m packing already. Once everyone has been settled, I¡¯m ready to go home,¡± Thomas exined. Regardless of what happened, Thomas had toe back. He felt that there was no need to dy any longer, and that it was better for him to make his return sooner thanter. ¡°That¡¯s fine. If you¡¯ve decided, well respect your wishes,¡± Nicole agreed. ¡°Well talk when I get back,¡± Thomas said. ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll be there to pick you up from the airport,¡± Nicole said. While she was hanging up, Nicole bit her lips, knowing that Thomas was feeling conflicted about the situation. Sure enough, Thomas ended the phone call with a sigh. ¡°If you¡¯re not ready, we can wait a few more days before going back,¡± his caretakerforted. Waving his hand, Thomas said, ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯ve decided to go home. We don¡¯t have to dy it any longer.¡± Chapter 2781 Chapter 2781 The carer understood Thomas¡¯ perspective, so she quietly walked off to pack his luggage. Meanwhile, Thomas was looking out of his window, his face creased and wrinkled in deep contemtion. His body had significantly improved after the treatment he had received. He knew that Nicole was the one who had provided such support to him. Besides, he also understood that she had no bad blood with Harvey and just wanted to help him. Thomas had, through the hard way, learned that Harvey had indeed morphed into a wicked person over the years. He had always felt guilty for Harvey¡¯s unfortunate upbringing, which had led him to enable Harvey. But then, he realized that his indulgence of him had resulted in Harvey bing what he was. Harvey¡¯s life should have been peaceful, happy andfortable, not filled with darkness and uncontrolled madness. If Harvey continued totch onto his past, he would be forever stuck in his past with no hope of ever finding peace. ¡°Forget it,¡± Thomas sighed, his eyes revealing a determined resolve. At this point, it was toote to change his mind, as he had already agreed to Nicole¡¯s ns. All he had to do now was to stay firm until the very end. He believed in doing so. At the very least, Harvey could get his redemption, albeit in a way he had never anticipated. In the afternoon, sunlight poured in, casting a warm glow in Nicole¡¯s room. After she had eaten her lunch, Nicole began lounging around until she heard a knock on the office door. ¡°Come in,¡± Nicole said. Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g After the door had opened, Er walked in. Nicole raised her brows in curiosity. ¡°What brought you here? n ¡°I¡¯m here to treat you to a meal,¡± Er smirked. ¡°We¡¯ve agreed on it earlier, so why not make it today?¡± ¡°Today?¡± Nicole asked, eyeing Er with a mischievous look etched on her face. ¡°The final results are not out yet, but you¡¯re celebrating an early victory already? Are you really so confident that you¡¯lle up on top?¡± ¡°You said I didn¡¯t have to secure the final bid, and that all I have to do is get my foot through the door. Well, here I am. I¡¯m feeling good, so I thought, why don¡¯t I treat everyone to a meal? Besides, it¡¯s my way of showing gratitude to those who¡¯ve helped me,¡± Er asserted. Nicole then rolled her eyes at Er, and revealed, ¡°I can see your ulterior motives, dude. You¡¯re not just celebrating your progress.¡± ¡°Hehe, not at all,¡± Er chuckled, running his hand through his hair while refusing to admit what he was up to. However, Nicole had already seen through Er¡¯s intentions as she shook her head in amusement. It was obvious to her that Er was doing this for Patricia. ¡°You can ask Patricia. I¡¯m fine with anything,¡± Nicole replied, finally giving Er an out. ¡°Okay, thanks!¡± Er beamed and marched out of her office, which left Nicole chuckling at his inability to be subtle. Er then went straight to find Patricia and proposed, ¡°Let¡¯s have dinner tonight.¡± ¡°No thanks,¡± Patricia declined, getting increasingly irritated by Er¡¯s presumptuous behavior. ¡°Nicole has already agreed. Aren¡¯t you responsible for protecting her?¡± Er said, bringing up Nicole¡¯s involvement. ¡°Ms. Riddle is going too?¡± she asked while frowning. ¡°Yep, I said I was going to buy everyone dinner for their help before,¡± Er grinned, feeling triumphant. He thought there was no way Patricia could decline his offer if he put it that way. ¡°Since it¡¯s a thank-you for everyone¡¯s help, Ms. Riddle and I aren¡¯t the only ones who¡¯ll be there, right?¡± Patricia probed. Without much thought, Er readily responded, ¡°Of course not. Everyone is wee to join.¡± ¡°Alright then, you can go now,¡± Patricia said, lowering her head to focus on her work. ¡°Erm. So, are you joining?¡± Er tested. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll take that as a yes.¡± Patricia¡¯s attitude was strange, but the bottom line was, she did not explicitly decline his invitation. Thus, Er assumed she had agreed. Chapter 2782 Chapter 2782 Er thought that as long as Nicole was there, Patricia should be too. With that, Er came up with an idea and decided to call Jared. ¡°Hello,¡± Jared¡¯s cold voice red out through the speakers. With a chill running down his spine now, Er began to regret making the call in the first ce. Then, he gritted his teeth in determination, and with Patricia in his mind, he continued, ¡°H-Hey brother- inw. It¡¯s me, Er.¡± After pausing for a moment, Jared¡¯s voice softened a little.¡± Speak.¡± Using the word, ¡°brother-inw¡± to address Jared clearly pleased him, and so, Er became more comfortable talking to him. ¡°Jared, I¡¯m treating Nicole and the others to dinner tonight. You shoulde too,¡± Er sincerely invited. Although Jared¡¯s presence might affect the atmosphere, he was also the only person who could bring Nicole home without Patricia following her back. This was the best idea Er could think of to iste Patricia and get her to be alone. ¡°Yeah, sure,¡± Jared agreed and hung up. Upon hearing the beep, Er blinked his eyes in disbelief. He was so excited that he was on the verge of shouting out in joy. And after returning to Nicole¡¯s office, Er grinned and said,¡± Nicole, I¡¯ll make the reservations now. Do you have any special cravings?¡± ¡°I¡¯m good. Anything will do,¡± Nicole replied, thinking that she was up for anything as long as it was delicious. ¡°If you have none, I¡¯ll make reservations in an Italian restaurant then,¡± Er informed. He then called the restaurant¡¯s number and booked a private room for ten. ¡°Why did you book a room for so many people?¡± Nicole asked in surprise. ¡°Patricia said that everyone who has given me a helping hand will being. I¡¯m not sure how many will show up, so it¡¯s better to leave a few spots empty,¡± Er said confidently. For Er, all he needed was for Nicole, Jared, and Patricia to show up. The game n for him was that Jared and Nicole would leave once dinner was over, leaving Patricia alone. When that moment arrived, he would seize the opportunity to spend more time with her. ¡°What are you smiling at?¡± Nicole asked with a frown, as Er was grinning like an idiot from ear to ear. Seeing this, Er snapped out of it and regained hisposure. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I was just wondering whether I should stick around or return to BayCorp.¡± ¡°It¡¯s still early, so you should probably get back to BayCorp and get some work done,¡± Nicole suggested. However, Nicole¡¯s response did not satisfy Er, who argued, ¡°Nicole, I¡¯ll have nothing to do even if I do head back. Why don¡¯t I stay here and wait for you?¡± ¡°Are you sure you¡¯d like to wait for me?¡± Nicole teased, having seen through Er¡¯s intentions. ¡°Hehe, I mean, I¡¯m waiting for everyone,¡± Er chuckled, feeling embarrassed and nervous. Seeing that Er was adamant in having his way, Nicole rolled her eyes out of amusement and warned, ¡°Don¡¯t disrupt our work, then.¡± ¡°I promise I won¡¯t, ¡°Er dered with a solemn look, trying to appear more serious. Nicole shook her head and chuckled as Er left her office in high spirits. It was hard for her to imagine that Er actually liked Patricia; she wondered if Patricia would ever even like someone as socially awkward as Er. If anything, the dynamic they had felt more like a one sided rtionship between an elder and younger sibling, where only one was fond of the other. Content provided by N?velDrama.Org. Er headed straight to Patricia¡¯s office after leaving Nicole¡¯s. Without saying anything to her, he stood around and helped, pouring her coffee and offering her snacks from time to time. Whenever Patricia raised her hand, a ss of water would appear and be handed to her. At first, Patricia was extremely resistant, but then, Er remained silent and unintrusive. He simply stood nearby, ready to assist her when she needed it. This left Patricia speechless, and eventually, she just let him be. ¡°Ugh,¡± Patricia groaned after a while, unable to stifle her frustration when another ss of water was offered to her again. After setting the files in her hand down, Patricia looked Er in the eye and said, ¡°I don¡¯t need your assistance, and I¡¯m not thirsty. Sometimes, I stop just to take a break.¡± Chapter 2783 Chapter 2783 ¡°Oh, you can just rest. Don¡¯t mind me,¡± Erpromised. Then, he ced the ss of water down and took five steps back away from her. Having had it up to here with him, Patricia rolled her eyes and stared at Er with a look of helplessness. ¡°Please get out.¡± ¡°Come on. I swear I¡¯ll stay quiet and not bother you,¡± Er protested, and took another five steps back. Patricia red at him, frustrated by his actions. To her, his mere presence was a disturbance in itself. Usually, there was nothing in the office that would constitute a challenge for her. However, she could barely focus on her work today, and it was all because of Er being an annoyance, much like a fly buzzing around her ear. After drawing a deep breath, Patricia suppressed her urge tosh out, and with a measure of calm, she said, ¡°Get¡­out.¡± ¡°Wait, I promise not toe near you again,¡± Er pleaded. As long as Patricia did not make him leave, Er was content to do nothing but see her work. Patricia, however, refused to agree to Er¡¯s request. Instead, she maintained her re at him without uttering another word. Er knew Patricia was not going topromise, but he really did not want to leave, lips and crouched down behind the couch. ¡°I promise you won¡¯t see me. Is this alright?¡± It was at this point that Patricia was on the verge of throwing the stack of files in her hand at him out of frustration. Er had deliberatelye here to piss her off. ¡°Suit yourself,¡± Patricia said. Defeated, Patricia stormed out of her office, deciding that she would leave if Er wanted to stay. After hurrying out of her office, Patricia went to Lulu¡¯s. ¡°Huh? Why are you here?¡± Lulu asked. And upon noticing the sour look on Patricia¡¯s face, Lulu asked, ¡°Are you angry at something?¡±Books Chapters Are Daily Updated Join & Stay Updated For All Books Updates¡­ Content provided by N?velDrama.Org. ¡°I¡¯m fine. Can I just use your ce for a moment?¡± Patricia asked as she took a seat. Lulu frowned in puzzlement. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with yours?¡± Afterpleting her sentence, Lulu nced outside and noticed Er, who had just emerged from Patricia¡¯s office. She blinked in confusion, wondering what was going on. ¡°Hey, I think Er went into your office looking for you,¡± Lulu informed. ¡°Ignore him,¡± Patricia replied curtly. Lulu widened her eyes and grinned as the truth of the situation dawned upon her. ¡°Patricia? Is there something going on between you and Er?¡± ¡°No way! There¡¯s nothing between us. Don¡¯t overthink it,¡± Patricia rified sternly. ¡°Alright. Those are just my intrusive thoughts. Nothing to cry home about. You, however, will have more to think about,¡± Lulu teased, her grin bing wider as she nced outside again. Er¡¯s look of anxiety, coupled with his frantic search for Patricia, had made it obvious that something was wrong. Understandably, Er, who had always shadowed Nicole, had taken a liking for tough and independent women such as the likes of Patricia. The only difference was that Er had grown up, and was now able to stand on his own. In fact, Lulu found them to be quite a cute match. Lulu turned to stare at Patricia, only to find her busy with her work. So, she shrugged her shoulders and dropped the conversation. Meanwhile, Er had gone to ask Nicole¡¯s secretary about Patricia¡¯s whereabouts after he could not find her anywhere. ¡°I saw Patricia going into Lulu¡¯s office just now,¡± the secretary replied. Er shot Lulu¡¯s office a nce, and it just so happened that Lulu was also looking outside with a smirk. Defeated, he furrowed his brows and headed to Nicole¡¯s office. Since Patricia was eluding him, it would be stupid for him to follow her around and badger her again. If he went to Lulu¡¯s office, Patricia might just storm off again and find another ce to hide. Chapter 2784 Chapter 2784 With that thought in mind, Er stopped his search for Patricia and headed off to stay in Nicole¡¯s office. Soon, dusk arrived, announcing the end of the workday. Er would finally get to see Patricia, as he had nned. After exiting the elevator, the group arrived in the lobby on the first floor. ¡°Nicole? Spencer will be here to pick me up. I won¡¯t be walking with you. See you at the restaurant later.¡± Lulu smiled and waved goodbye to Nicole. ¡°Sure, see youter,¡± Nicole smirked. Once Lulu had split from the group, Er announced, ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll drive,¡± Patricia said, and went off to the parking lot to get the car. By the time Nicole and Er reached the entrance, Patricia was already there waiting in the car. After they had all gotten in, Patricia drove them to the restaurant Er had booked. Upon arrival, a bunch of people entered the private room Er had booked. He was rendered speechless the instant he saw the room filled to the brim with guests. ¡®Patricia really isn¡¯t messing around. She literally invited an entire crowd. Even the secretary is here,¡¯ he thought. Fortunately, Er had made the necessary preparations beforehand by bagging thergest room. Otherwise, there would not be enough space for everyone. Patricia, on the other hand, was rather pleased to see the look of shock on Er¡¯s face after a long, annoying day at work. ¡®Pfft. I hope you like buying dinner for an entire crowd. Who in their right mind would believe your crap about expressing your gratitude for everyone anyway? I already knew your intentions from the very beginning.¡¯Books Chapters Are Daily Updated Join & Stay Updated For All Books Updates¡­ Er¡¯s intentions were as clear as day to her, even after she had said and done much to let him know that she was not interested in him. She was wondering if her act of rejection was not clear enough to him since Er had not reacted to it in any significant way. ¡°Ms. Riddle,¡± everyone stood up and greeted her when Nicole entered. ¡°Sit down, please. There¡¯s no need to be formal. Er just wanted to thank everyone with a celebration,¡± Nicole smiled. ¡°Thank you, Mr. Riddle,¡± everyone thanked in unison. Upon hearing Spencer and Samuel express their thanks, Er shot them both a look of disapproval and comined,¡± Why are you two joining in on the fun?¡± ¡°Hahaha. Why not? After all, you¡¯re treating us to dinner,¡± the two teased. ¡°Stop it. I feel like you¡¯re mocking me,¡± Er whined. ¡°No, we¡¯re just here to support you,¡± Samuel exined. ¡°I mean, this is good news, isn¡¯t it? We¡¯re just having an early celebration for you before you secure that bid.¡± ¡°Well, I appreciate it. Thank you, I¡¯ll do my very best,¡± Er promised, serious and unsmiling. Er genuinely hoped to win the bid to prove to Nicole of what he was capable. He did not wish to disappoint her. After all, Nicole was the one who had entrusted this project to him, and he wanted to live up to her trust. Don¡¯t put too much pressure on yourself. People need experiences to get better at what they do.¡± Nicoleforted and encouraged Er by giving him a pat on the shoulder. ¡°Yeah,¡± Er agreed, after which he looked at everyone.¡± Please, take a seat.¡± After everyone had been seated, the server came over to ask them if they would like their dishes served. However, Er stopped her before she could signal her coworkers. ¡°Please wait for a moment longer. One of our guests hasn¡¯t arrived yet.¡± This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. ¡°Sure, just let me know when you¡¯re ready,¡± the server replied and left. ¡°Who else ising?¡± Patricia asked, feeling puzzled. She had already called everyone involved in the project over. She had even begged Lulu to get June, Spencer and Samuel toe over. Patricia genuinely did not know anyone else who was left out. Just as she was wondering who that person was, Jared walked in. She was stunned upon seeing Jared, and after regaining herposure, she turned around and red at Er. She knew it must have been Er¡¯s idea, and above anything else, she was aware of Er¡¯s intention of having invited Jared over; Er had indeed been ying dumb all this while. Chapter 2785 Chapter 2785 ¡®Er often looks like a sad, miserable kid. He looks like he¡¯s gullible and easy to trick, but he¡¯s actually really sly. He is getting Mr. Johnston to take Ms. Riddle home, so I don¡¯t have to. But just because I¡¯m not the one taking Ms. Riddle home, doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯ll give him the chance to hang out with me alone.¡¯ Patricia took a deep breath and sat down calmly, acting like everything was normal as she waited for the dishes to be served. Er stole a quick nce at her. Seeing that she was not acting weirdly, he breathed a sigh of relief. He knew Patricia was too clever to not have seen through his n, but there would be nothing for him to worry about as long as Patricia was not mad or anything. After everyone had been seated, the waiter proceeded to bring the food in, whereupon they began eating. The air in the room had gotten a little tense the moment Jared showed up, but everyone tried to keep their difort under wraps. After a bit, Jared took Nicole with him and left the restaurant. With them gone, the atmosphere became even livelier as everyone got louder. After Jared and Nicole had exited the restaurant, Jared looked at her. ¡°You¡¯re still hungry, right?¡± He noticed that she had not eaten much before the two of them left the premises, and figured that she had not had enough. Nicole smiled. ¡°You know, it gets difficult for everyone to rx and enjoy their food with you around. Let¡¯s head somewhere else.¡± This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. ¡°A little date just for the both of us,¡± Jared smirked. Nicole gave Jared a yful look and linked her arm with his as they got into the car. ¡°Why did you agree to Er¡¯s request?¡± She was genuinely curious. Though she knew it was Er¡¯s idea, she could not help but wonder why Jared had agreed. ¡°Well, I am the inw,¡± Jared said as if it was an obvious fact, and as if it was not a big deal for him to look after his cousin-inw.Books Chapters Are Daily Updated Join & Stay Updated For All Books Updates¡­ Upon hearing that, Nicole¡¯s eyes widened in surprise.¡± Really? Is that it?¡± ¡®Is he that easy to please? Just because Er is his cousin-in-w?¡¯ she wondered. Jared affectionately squeezed Nicole¡¯s nose. ¡°Well, what else should it be? Isn¡¯t that right?¡± Curious and deep in thought, Nicole tilted her head and looked at Jared. ¡°Not that there¡¯s anything wrong with that. But it just seems too easy for anyone to get you to do something, like it doesn¡¯t quite match how you usually are.¡± Jared smiled and gently held Nicole¡¯s hand. To him, nothing else mattered apart from the happiness he would feel whenever he was with her. They pulled up at a diner, ordered a few simple dishes, and began eating again thereafter. Having only nibbled on a bit earlier, they felt much better now that their stomachs were filled, both with food and the simple joy of just being able to enjoy a meal together. After dinner was over, Nicole cautiously asked Jared, ¡°Are your people allowed to date?¡± Puzzled, Jared turned to look at her. ¡°Why do you ask?¡± ¡°I think Er might have a crush on Patricia,¡± she replied. In response, Jared shed her a smile out of amusement.¡± That¡¯s for them to decide. It¡¯s not my ce to get involved in things like these.¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s good,¡± Nicole said. Nicole felt a little relieved. She had noticed that Patricia seemed to be resisting each and every advance Er had made thus far. She was not sure if it was because they were not allowed to date or if it was because Patricia simply did not like him. If it was about permission, she thought she could perhaps talk to Jared. Simrly, if Patricia had simply rejected Er¡¯s advances out of nothing but pure disinterest in him, she would not interfere. After all, rtionships should be forged based on mutual feelings, not pressure. ¡°Mr. Johnston and Ms. Riddle. You really know how to enjoy yourselves, don¡¯t you? Leaving the kids at home for a romantic evening?¡± Harvey¡¯s voice suddenly red out behind them. As expected, the sarcasticment made Nicole frown.¡¯ He¡¯s like a shadow you can never get rid of! Gosh, he¡¯s always around me! Why does he have to be everywhere?¡¯ Chapter 2786 Chapter 2786 Nicole, in a frosty tone of voice, snapped back at Harvey.¡± We¡¯re indeed not as meddlesome as you.¡± ¡®Why does he have to butt in on how people raise their kids?¡¯ she thought. Harvey, who was feeling the sting from her words, replied, ¡°I was just showing my concern.¡± ¡°We don¡¯t need your concern. You should rather pay attention to your own affairs,¡± she said. ¡®He really should stop poking his nose where he doesn¡¯t belong.¡¯ Trying to suppress his anger, Harvey changed the subject and mellowed histone. ¡°Are you done eating?¡± ¡®Nicole is getting ruder by the day. Am I really that bothersome to her?¡¯ he wondered. Content provided by N?velDrama.Org. Instantly, Nicole got up with Jared. ¡°Yes, we¡¯ve finished. We¡¯ll leave you to eat your meal.¡± Although Nicole¡¯s words were polite, her message to Harvey was clear; she was telling him to stay out of her and Jared¡¯s way. Harvey was seething as he watched them disappear from view, and so, he silently made a promise to himself, ¡®Just wait until my n works out, Nicole. Everything¡¯s going to change soon. Let¡¯s see how you treat me then.¡¯ Then, a waiter approached him. ¡°Sir, would you like this table? I can clear it for you right away.¡± Harvey looked at the scraps of the meal on the table, and in unbridled annoyance, he said, ¡°No, that¡¯s not necessary.¡± He was not really there to eat; he had deliberately entered the establishment upon spotting Nicole and Jared. His initial intent was just to see Nicole, but the encounter had left him seething with anger. Nicole hasn¡¯t changed a bit over the years. Her words are even sharper now. Just wait, Nicole. Just you wait! In three days, you¡¯ll understand what it means to regret your actions,¡¯ he fumed.Books Chapters Are Daily Updated Join & Stay Updated For All Books Updates¡­ After Nicole and Jared had left, they got into their car to head home. Leaning back against her seat, Nicole let out a sigh. ¡°Harvey is still the jerk he was years ago, just that he¡¯s even more obstinate and radical now.¡± Nicole thought about Harvey¡¯s behavior as she recalled her days in school. He always had an air of arrogance about him, ignoring the feelings and opinions of others as if everything should just cater to his whims. She had never been able to figure out whether Harvey¡¯s affection for her was genuine love or just a sense of entitlement and possession, as well as an inability to ept loss; resentment for not getting what he desired. ¡°It¡¯s simply childishness.¡± Jared coldly spat, showing hisplete disregard for Harvey. Harvey might have a plethora of schemes up his sleeves, but they were all rather childish and posed no serious threat. At most, they were just minor nuisances. To Nicole, Harvey¡¯s actions were nothing for her to worry about, for they were more annoying than anything else, which was why she was determined to put an end to them once and for all. Nicole nced up at Jared and smiled, after which she shifted the conversation to something more pleasant.¡± Nn and Lana are craving ice cream. I¡¯ve promised to get them some.¡± ¡°Sure, let¡¯s go buy some,¡± Jared said cheerfully. Then, the couple headed off to get some of the sweet, cold treats for their children without giving a second thought to Harvey¡¯s recent attempt to rile them up. For Nicole and Jared, there was no reason to allow pesky trivialities to ruin their day. Back at the Italian restaurant, Lulu came up with an idea as everyone was finishing thest of their meals and preparing to go home. ¡°Why don¡¯t we change things up and go out for some drinks?¡± Instantly, a colleague of hers said, ¡°I¡¯ll have to pass, Lulu. I need to organize some documents when I get back.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t be going either. There¡¯s a curfew in my ce.¡± Several of her co-workers went on to inform her of their inability to join, to which Lulu responded in understanding. ¡± Alright. It¡¯s optional. No pressure there.¡± Once those who had opted out had departed, Lulu looked around and saw that the only ones left were June, Samuel, Spencer, Er, Patricia, and herself. Chapter 2787 Chapter 2787 ¡°You¡¯re not going either, Patricia?¡± Lulu asked with a hint of uncertainty in her voice. She knew that if Patricia did note along, Er would most likely not either. That would leave just four of them, making it somewhat less exciting for all of them. Patricia caught onto Lulu¡¯s hint, and after a moment of hesitation, she nodded. ¡°Okay, I¡¯lle.¡± ¡°Really? Count me in too!¡± Er¡¯s face lit up, as he was previously certain that Patricia would just say no to Lulu¡¯s idea. But before he could get too excited, Patricia shot him a frosty re. ¡°No, you can¡¯t join us.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± he asked, his momentary sense of joy dissipating. ¡®Where¡¯s the fun in that?¡¯ Lulu, whose brows were furrowed in confusion, turned to Patricia. ¡°Come on, Patricia. Let hime. It¡¯ll always be more fun with more people, don¡¯t you think?¡± ¡°Yeah, exactly!¡± Er pleaded with Patricia, hoping she would change her mind. However, Patricia stood firm, going as far as giving him an ultimatum. ¡°If you go, Er, I¡¯m not going.¡± June, sensing the tension, began to wonder what was happening between them, but Er quickly interrupted her train of thought. ¡°Okay, okay, you should go. I¡¯ll just leave,¡± he said. Er giving in just like that caught Patricia off guard, making her frown in suspicion. ¡®He gave in too quickly. Something doesn¡¯t feel right.¡¯ ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go then,¡± Lulu finally said. ¡°It might not be as fun with so few of us around, though.¡± ¡°No worries, I¡¯ll invite someone else,¡± Patricia said, already heading out. ¡°Invite someone? Who?¡± Lulu asked, taken aback. ¡°Did I miss something? Does Patricia have a boyfriend? Is that the reason why she¡¯s so cold toward Er?¡¯ Er, in the meantime, was looking increasingly troubled, his mind a chaotic whirlwind of doubts. ¡®Patricia doesn¡¯t want me toe along and she¡¯s talking about inviting someone else. What does that mean? She said she didn¡¯t have a boyfriend, so who could she be thinking of inviting?¡¯ Then, he cast a nce over at Samuel, June, Lulu, and Spencer while his thoughts continued to race. ¡®It¡¯s unlikely that Patricia will just bring just one of her girl friends along, right? But if it¡¯s not a girl friend, will it be another dude?¡¯ These thoughts inundated Er, making him even paler than before as a sense of dread slowly crept in. ¡®Am I being left behind? Is it possible that Patricia already has someone else in mind?¡¯ ¡°Er? Er!¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Lulu¡¯s voice finally got to Er, snapping him out of it. For a moment, there was a look of puzzlement on his face. ¡°What¡¯s on your mind?¡± Lulu asked. ¡°Nothing.¡± Er quickly shifted the focus. ¡°Why did you call me?¡± ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re noting with us?¡± Lulu asked, her tone reflecting her disappointment. She had hoped that the group outing would give Er and Patricia a chance to connect with one another, especially if there was a potential romance brewing. ¡°Just go ahead without me. I¡¯ll think of something,¡± Er said, noticing that Patricia had already departed. He then encouraged the others to leave as well.Content provided by N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Okay, we¡¯re heading out. But hurry up. Don¡¯t pass this opportunity up,¡± Samuel reminded Er. After everyone else had left, Er ran his hands through his hair out of irritation and determination. He had initially nned to stay back and then follow them discreetly. Now, he was even more driven to go and find out who Patricia was going to meet. Meanwhile, Lulu could not help but express her concern as Samuel, Spencer, and the others got into their car. ¡°I didn¡¯t know Patricia had a boyfriend. I hope I haven¡¯t stirred anything up.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. Let¡¯s just see how things unfold,¡± Spencer said, offering aforting pat to Lulu on her shoulder. Soon after, the group reached their destination. There, Lulu spotted Charlie, whom she studied from top to toe. ¡°You seem familiar. Have we met before?¡± ¡°Yes, once,¡± Charlie said. ¡°Hi. I¡¯m Charlie.¡± ¡°Oh, Mr. Johnston¡¯s¡­¡± Lulu recalled. ¡®Ah, he¡¯s working for Jared.¡¯ Chapter 2788 Chapter 2788 ¡°Let¡¯s head inside,¡± Patricia said, not giving away much about Charlie. She had not brought Charlie here to drink, and she was not here for that either. As the group went in, Lulu hung back and looked across the street. She could not spot Er¡¯s car, which made her worry. ¡®Will Er show up? Can he even find this ce?¡¯ ¡°Lulu, hurry up!¡± June called out. ¡°I¡¯m on my way,¡± Lulu replied and headed inside,pletely oblivious to the van that had just pulled up at the curb. As the night progressed, Nicole and Jared were getting ready for bed when the phone suddenly rang. Such an unexpected call during such ate hour made Nicole frown as she picked it up. ¡°Ms. Riddle? Er has been injured.¡± Patricia¡¯s voice came through, sounding grave. Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Nicole asked, her voice low and her gaze sharp. ¡°We were attacked at the bar. Er got hurt while he was trying to protect me.¡± Patricia exined, her voice filled with worry and guilt. Upon hearing that, Nicole tensed up. ¡°Where is he now?¡± ¡°At the hospital,¡± Patricia replied. ¡°I¡¯m heading over now.¡± After Nicole had hung up, she scrambled, preparing to rush out of the house. Jared, who had overheard the conversation, also got up. ¡°I¡¯ll go with you,¡± he said, quickly getting dressed. Then, he gently took Nicole¡¯s hand, and they hurried off together. ¡°Don¡¯t be too worried. It might not be as bad as it seems,¡± Jared exined in the car, attempting to calm her nerves. He figured that if Er¡¯s condition was really severe, Patricia would have shared more details. ¡°Okay.¡± Nicole agreed, though she still had a look of worry on her. When they got to the hospital, they saw Max, who had arrived after he had heard the news. ¡°Mr. and Mrs. Johnston? n ¡°What¡¯s the situation?¡± Jared asked Max. ¡°We have our men on the case,¡± Max replied. ¡°Okay.¡± Jared, holding Nicole¡¯s hand, led her into the hospital, with Max following them from behind. Outside the emergency room, the atmosphere was tense, with June, Samuel, Spencer, Lulu, Charlie, and Patricia all waiting anxiously. As Nicole approached them, Lulu immediately came up to her, looking deeply upset. Nicole, I really regret suggesting we go drinking. If I hadn¡¯t, perhaps this wouldn¡¯t have happened.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not on you.¡± Patricia quicklyforted her upon seeing that Lulu was beating herself up over events that none of them could have foreseen. ¡°Even if we hadn¡¯t gone drinking, something else might have urred.¡± She then turned to Jared and Nicole with respect. ¡°Mr. Johnston, Ms. Riddle.¡± Nicole, sensing that Patricia might have more information, asked, ¡°What exactly happened? Tell us everything.¡± ¡°I noticed someone following us from the moment we entered the restaurant. I wasn¡¯t sure who they were after, so I discreetly messaged Charlie, telling him to be on alert outside,¡± Patricia exined. ¡°After you¡¯ve left the ce with Mr. Johnston, those people stuck around. They didn¡¯t react even after our secretaries had all left, which made me think the target was probably¡­¡± she paused, looking at Samuel, Spencer, and the others, thus hinting that they might be the intended targets. And that was why she had agreed to Lulu¡¯s suggestion to hit the bar and asked Charlie toe along. ¡°But why Er? Why would they target him?¡± Samuel interrupted, puzzled. ¡°Er was supposed to be protected,¡± Patricia replied, her eyes narrowing. ¡°Our assants probably knew this and therefore, they switched their target.¡± Chapter 2789 Chapter 2789 Samuel looked at Spencer, his face as white as a sheet. ¡°Are they talking about us?¡± ¡°Looks like it,¡± Spencer replied as shivers ran down his spine. They were fortunate to have had Patricia on their side, or they would have been in big trouble. Lulu, looking equally worried, turned to Nicole. ¡°Who are these people, Nicole?¡± Nicole¡¯s expression grew tense, and her eyes narrowed into a slit. She had hoped to keep them safe by not getting them involved, thinking that ignorance would protect them. But now, they were in just as much danger as she was. ¡°They¡¯re after Ms. Riddle.¡± Patricia chimed in, deciding to fill others in on it after she had seen how troubled Nicole looked. June gasped, her voice filled with fear. ¡°So, Nicole is their main target?¡± The thought that they were almost used as pawns to manipte Nicole chilled her to the core. They owed their safety to Patricia and Charlie; otherwise, they could have been kidnapped and tortured as means to coerce Nicole into submitting. Patricia nodded solemnly, her face brimming with concern.¡¯ These people are relentless. Since they couldn¡¯t reach Er, they¡¯ve decided to focus on Samuel, Spencer, and the rest of us.¡¯ Unable to stomach more, Nicole quickly steered the conversation away. ¡°How is Er doing?¡± She did not want to linger on the dangerous topic. They had limited information about the group, and there was no point in getting everyone even more worried than they already were. ¡°Er sustained an injury in his arm. It¡¯s serious but not lifethreatening. It¡¯s going to make work and daily activities difficult for him,¡± Patricia quietly said. After nodding, Nicole looked around at her friends and offered them aforting smile. ¡°You can all head home now. It¡¯s alright.¡± Samuel and the rest hesitated, their concern evident.¡± Maybe we should stick around a little longer.¡± ¡°No, you should get some rest. I¡¯ll stay here until he¡¯s out of the ward.¡± Nicole insisted, understanding that the recent scare had taken a toll on them. Then, Lulu looked at Nicole and said, ¡°Okay, we¡¯ll leave now.¡± Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g She understood that they should go home. Besides, they all needed to rest up for the challenges and dangers they might face soon. ¡°And Lulu? Try to get some sleep. I need you to handle the situation with Harvey quickly,¡± Nicole said with a sense of urgency in her voice. In response, Lulu nodded. ¡°I understand.¡± She realized that they had no time to spare. Their issue with Harvey had to be settled as quickly as possible due to the fact that Nicole had bigger problems on her te now. ¡°Alright, we¡¯re leaving. But call us if you need us, okay?¡± June said. Nicole¡¯s family were all in agreement with each other. If they could not be of help, it was best that they did not get in the way. ¡°Be careful out there,¡± Samuel and Spencer said to Nicole out of concern. ¡°I promise to keep her safe,¡± Jared confidently stated. Feeling reassured, Samuel and Spencer nodded at Jared, trusting him to protect Nicole. Right after the others had left, Jared gave Max a meaningful look. ¡°I¡¯ll get the security detail ready,¡± Max responded, understanding Jared¡¯s concern for their safety. Charlie, with a serious expression, then told Jared, ¡°I have to leave, Mr. Johnston.¡± Jared, sensing that Charlie might have found something important, nodded. ¡°Alright, go ahead.¡± Chapter 2790 Chapter 2790 Charlie then gave Patricia a quick look and hurried out of the hospital. ¡°Ms. Riddle, it was all a blur. A guy pretending to be a waiter started a fight, and then a bunch of people barged in. That¡¯s when Er got hurt,¡± Patricia said in a somber and heavy voice, her gaze fixed on the emergency room door. Patricia remembered being irritated that Er had tagged along when he had agreed that he would not. The next thing she knew, he had jumped into the fray. She was busy trying to shield Lulu and in the process, overlooked the other assants who were sneaking up on her. But by the time she had gotten a firm grasp of the situation, she saw that Er¡¯s arm had already been shed. That was when she and Charlie quickly neutralized their assants and rushed Er to the hospital. Er¡¯s wound was bad but not crippling. Still, Patricia could not shake the feeling of guilt as she thought, ¡°If I¡¯d been more alert, Er wouldn¡¯t have ended up with a gash in his arm.¡± Nicole saw the look of guilt on Patricia¡¯s face and tried to reassure her, ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much about it. The fault is on nobody.¡± After all, it had all happened so fast, and Er had gotten hurt trying to protect Patricia. Nobody could be med for that apart from their assants, and Nicole was sure Er would rather be the one to take the hit than to allow Patricia to be the one in his ce. While they were talking, the door to the emergency room opened, and the doctor stepped out. Seeing this, they quickly went up to him. ¡°Doctor, how is he doing?¡± ¡°He didn¡¯t break any bones, but the cut is pretty deep. He¡¯s going to need to be careful for a bit,¡± the doctor exined. After sharing a few more instructions with the trio, he ordered the nurse, ¡°Take the patient to his room now, please. IV ¡°Will do,¡± the nurse answered and left to prepare the room for Er. As Er was wheeled out on a stretcher, Patricia saw the rivulets of blood seeping through the bandage on his arm. The very sight of that deep gash caused her to bite her lip in anxiety. ¡°We should head to his room,¡± Nicole suggested, her eyes brimming with concern. With that said, they hurried to Er¡¯s room. Nicole and Jared were hovering over Er¡¯s bed anxiously as he reassured them, ¡°I¡¯m fine, really. It¡¯s late. You guys should go home.¡± He did not expect them to be so concerned. He had downyed his injury, insisting it was minor. After all, he could not just watch as Patricia ran the risk of being hurt. Thankfully, she was okay, and his injuries were not serious. Now that it was all over, he did not want everyone to worry too much. Nicole, observing Er¡¯s paleplexion, firmly told him,¡± You need to be quiet and rest up. That¡¯s what the doctor ordered.¡± Er shed her a faint smile in return. ¡°Honestly, I¡¯m fine. It¡¯s just a minor wound.¡± Turning to Patricia, he added, ¡°And you, you should also go home and get some sleep.¡± He knew that while Patricia had not been physically hurt, she had still struggled through the ordeal of the fight. Er was aware of the numerous tasks and investigations that would soon follow and understood that Patricia would need all of her strength for what was toe. ¡°No. I¡¯m not leaving. I¡¯m staying right here,¡± she said firmly as she met his gaze. She could not bear the thought of leaving Er alone in the hospital, especially after he had taken a sh on the arm while protecting her. ¡°Really, you don¡¯t need to stay. I¡¯m okay by myself, and I can always call a nurse if I need something,¡± Er replied. He was worried that Patricia would be spending the night in the hospital because of him. He would rather she go home to get some rest after all that she had been through. Content provided by N?velDrama.Org. However, Patricia was adamant and resolute on staying. She gave Er a meaningful look before addressing Nicole and Jared. ¡°Mr. Johnston? Ms. Riddle? Go on. Head home. I¡¯ll handle things here.¡± Nicole, understanding Patricia¡¯s determination, finally relented, but not before reminding them, ¡°Okay, then. Make sure to get some rest yourselves.¡± Then, she turned around, prepared to leave the hospital with Jared. Chapter 2791 Chapter 2791 While they were in the hospital room, Er helplessly muttered, ¡°Actually, you don¡¯t need to stay. You should go home and get some rest.¡± ¡°Just go to sleep if you¡¯ve got nothing else on your mind. I can get my rest anywhere and anytime.¡± Patricia up to the couch, pulled a nket over herself, andid down. ¡°Let me know if you need anything,¡± she said as she looked at him. ¡°Okay.¡± Er sighed in defeat after returning Patricia¡¯s gaze. He was looking at the couch where Patricia was, shaking his head beforeying down as well. Though Patricia had stayed to take care of him on her own volition, he truly hoped that she would just leave and get some sleep back in theforts of her own home. However, it was evident at this point that Patricia would not listen to him; she would stay and apany him through the night. ¡®Forget it. I¡¯m just going to keep quiet so that she can get some shuteye,¡¯ he thought. What he did not know was that Patricia was not able to sleep. Though she looked like she was already fast asleep on the couch, her mind was in a swirling vortex. All she could think of was the moment when she turned around to see Er shielding her from the blow she had failed to anticipate, followed by the image of blood gushing out of his arm after the sh had connected. That was the moment that had shocked her to the very core. To her, Er had always been a vulnerable target in need of protection, much like a helpless, younger brother to Nicole. That was why she had never thought that he would step forward to shield her. There was also a strange and indescribable feeling stirring within her, but no matter what she did to process her emotions, the confusion only seemed to be mounting. Meanwhile, Nicole and Jared were already on their way home. ¡°Mr. Johnston. The incident was likely perpetrated by the Eastern Falcon organization,¡± Max said. ¡°But have we caught anyone yet?¡± Jared asked coldly. ¡°Not yet, but Charlie is already on it.¡± Max hesitated for a moment. ¡°Perhaps the guy we¡¯ve previously apprehended was just a foot soldier. The other possibility is that they have deployed new members for theirtest assault.¡± If neither was the case, capturing one of their men should have dealt a massive blow to them. Realistically, it would be impossible for them to switch tactics and targets in such a short span of time just because Er was found to be well guarded. It would have taken them a fair bit of prep time to have done so. ¡°That¡¯s possible.¡± Nicole¡¯s eyes darkened. ¡®Their analysis makes sense when you put it that way.¡¯ After a brief moment of hesitation, Nicole softly said, ¡°It seems that we¡¯ll have to expedite our operations with Zane.¡± ¡°Has there been no news from Zane recently?¡± Max asked. With a frown, Nicole softly muttered, ¡°Nope. Everything seems a little too quiet on his end as well.¡± And after careful consideration, Nicole took her phone out and called Zane. ¡®Hey. I¡¯m sorry to bother you at this hour, but something happened on my end,¡± Nicole said, going straight to the point. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯m not hitting the sack yet. Go ahead and tell me about it,¡± Zane replied. He knew that Nicole would not be calling at this time of the night if she did not have anything important to tell him. Then, Nicole went on to describe the assault on them that had urred today. After hearing her ount of the events that had transpired, Zane remained silent for a moment. ¡°We¡¯ve not noticed any movements from Everett recently. It¡¯s as if he has disappeared. I wonder what he¡¯s up to,¡± Zane said once the dy was over. ¡°So, you suspect that this incident might be connected to Everett?¡± Nicole¡¯s eyes narrowed. This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org. About a week ago, Patricia had tasked someone to tail Damien, and there, they discovered that he had been getting himself involved in mysterious dealings with someone on a daily basis, someone seemingly rted to the organization, Eastern Falcon. However, Damien himself did not have any means of contacting them, so there was only one possibility-Everett had entered the picture. And now, Everett seemed to have disappeared again, an act which further supported their theory of what was going on. ¡°We can¡¯t be sure now. It just seems too coincidental,¡± Zane added. ¡°Yeah, it does seem suspicious.¡± Nicole said, feeling that Zane¡¯s spection made sense as well. ¡°In that case, we¡¯ll continue to track Everett. You need to be more vignt in San Joto. If you¡¯re short on manpower, I can send more of our members over,¡± Zane stated, showing his concern for Nicole¡¯s situation. Chapter 2792 Chapter 2792 ¡°It¡¯s okay. We¡¯re still able to hold our own for now. It¡¯s just that the recent events have been rather weird, so I wanted to share some information with you,¡± Nicole responded. ¡°Alright, if you need anything, feel free to reach out to me anytime,¡± Zane agreed. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s it for now,¡± Nicole replied, and hung up. ¡°Isn¡¯t he with Lawrence?¡± Max¡¯s eyes widened in surprise.1 How could Everett go missing?¡¯ ¡°He probably weaseled his way out of Lawrence¡¯s hideout,¡± Nicole snorted. ¡°Everett had only enlisted Lawrence¡¯s help to flee San Joto. It just so happened that Lawrence had decided to detain him there after they had both left the city. To flee at the slightest opportunity is something you can always expect from Everett.¡± ¡°Does Lawrence know about Everett¡¯s disappearance?¡± Max wondered aloud. ¡°He might, but as to whether he knows where Everett went, we can¡¯t be certain,¡± Nicole sighed. After all, Everett would definitely elude Lawrence¡¯s vast surveince apparatus if he truly was determined to escape. Now, the question that needed answering was, where would Everett go after he had fled Lawrence¡¯s hideout? At the end of the day, Lawrence was a force to be reckoned with, and there would be very few ces in which Everett could hide even if his escape was a sess. ¡°The Eastern Falcon headquarters.¡± Nicole thought out loud without If Everett was truly involved with the Eastern Falcon organization, the only also have received help from them to break himself out of Lawrence¡¯s base where he was held. Creasing her forehead, she wondered, ¡®Is it possible that Everett and the Eastern Falcon have made a deal?¡¯ By the time Nicole arrived home, it was alreadyte at night. Noticing how tired she looked, Jared gently caressed her hair and said, ¡°You should sleep earlier today.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Nicole responded, after which sheid down with Jared and fell asleep. The next day, the sun was bright and warm. After they have had their breakfast, Nicole and Jared headed straight to the hospital. The sight of Er looking much better and stronger made her breathe a sigh of relief. ¡°Looks like you¡¯re recovering well.¡± At this rate, Er might experience a full recovery very soon, and that was more than enough to put Nicole at ease. ¡°It is just a minor injury. You don¡¯t really need to worry about me,¡± Er said as he scratched his head. ¡°Did you inform your parents about this?¡± Nicole asked. If everyone in the family was made aware of the fact that he had been hospitalized, they would most likely be on edge. In response, Er shook his head and smiled. ¡°No, I told them I went on a business trip and will be back in a few days, n His family would not have to get all worried sick if he returned home after his injury hadpletely healed. ¡°That¡¯s good. Otherwise, it would only make them anxious.¡± It was indeed a good idea to keep this from them, as news about his injury would do nothing but stress them out. ¡°However, I can¡¯t hold off on my work, so I¡¯ll have the procedures of my dischargepleted in a bit. After that, I¡¯ll be heading to my office. I¡¯m nning to stay there for a few days. Once my injury is gone. I¡¯ll go back home.¡± Er gestured at his arm. His idea was that returning home at this time would only stir up more unnecessary drama, so it would be better for him to stay in his office. ¡°Staying in your office isn¡¯t exactly going to help your recovery, you know.¡± Nicole furrowed her brows. Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g Having made his decision, Er looked at Nicole and replied, ¡°It will. I¡¯ll be there every day, and I won¡¯t have to move around before and after work. In fact, I think my injuries might even heal faster, and it won¡¯t affect my work. It¡¯s a win-win situation no matter how you look at it. Rest assured, I can take care of myself.¡± Chapter 2793 Chapter 2793 g his discharge. Nicole then turned to Patricia, and in a voice brimming with concern, she asked, ¡°How are you? Did you rest well?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about me, Ms. Riddle. I slept well,¡± she replied and shot Er a nce without realizing it. He waspletely silentst night, and had probably done so on purpose to avoid disturbing her. ¡°As for the investigation, leave it to Charlie and Max. You should just focus on Damien.¡± Nicole pursed her lips. She knew that Patricia was still feeling somewhat guilty and remorseful over the events ofst night, even though it was not her fault. This waspounded by the fact that Patricia had already detected her enemies earlier on and had arranged her defense ns in anticipation of what was toe. Unfortunately, the oue of the encounter was regrettably well beyond her control. But now that Er was fine and there were breakthroughs in their investigation, none of that mattered anymore. Soon, the results would be revealed. ¡°I understand, Ms. Riddle. Don¡¯t worry,¡± Patricia said and nodded. In fact, Patricia had her own set of spections as well. Following Damien¡¯s lead was the right course of action, and she had an inkling that the person who had agreed to meet Damien would soon surface. ¡°Alright, that¡¯s settled then,¡± Nicole said, and nced at Er. ¡°We¡¯ll be leaving now.¡± ¡°Yeah, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m good here.¡± Er nodded. ¡°Ms. Riddle¡­¡± Patricia paused and shot Nicole a hesitant look. This prompted Nicole to raise an eyebrow. ¡°Do you have something else to say?¡± ¡°I¡­¡± Patricia hesitated again. ¡°I¡¯ll be heading to thepanyter. I must take him to his office first.¡± This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. Understanding what Patricia¡¯s intentions were, Nicole said,¡± You¡¯re worried about him, aren¡¯t you? In that case, you can stay at BayCorp. There¡¯s nothing urgent for you to deal with at work, and I can assign your tasks to other people.¡± After all, Patricia¡¯s primary responsibility was investigating Damien, so she could work wherever she wanted and it would not make a difference at all. ¡°Well¡­¡± Patricia trailed off, having caught herself by surprise, for thest ce she had expected to stay in was BayCorp. ¡°Thank you, Nicole,¡± Er happily responded. If that was the case, he would love to have Patricia keeping himpany. He did not need her to take care of him, but being able to see her around was a blessing in itself. ¡°Alright, I¡¯m leaving,¡± Nicole said, before linking arms with Jared and leaving the ward. ¡°Goodbye, Nicole and Jared.¡± Er was overjoyed. As for Patricia, she could only stand there and breathe a mental sigh. ¡®Maybe I shouldn¡¯t have suggested it, but his injury¡­¡¯ After Nicole and Jared had exited the hospital, they got into their car. ¡°Mr. and Mrs. Johnston? Zane just sent us a message. It seems that Everett was broken out and taken away by the members of Eastern Falcon,¡± Max reported. ¡°I thought so,¡± Nicole replied. The revtion did not surprise her at all. If Everett had indeed left Lawrence¡¯s base, there was only one possible ce left for him to go ¨C the headquarters of Eastern Falcon. Chapter 2794 Chapter 2794 o it was a wonder as to how he had be so formidable. Obtaining the Water Crest, making deals with Lawrence, and conspiring with the elusive Eastern Falcon were just a list of things he had done. It was now anyone¡¯s guess as to what else Everett had up his sleeves. ¡°Perhaps we¡¯ve underestimated him from the very beginning. ¡± Nicole¡¯s eyes darkened. Initially, everyone was of the opinion that Everett was not particrly well regarded, even in Damien¡¯s family, but they had forgotten that the more inconspicuous someone seemed, the more likely they were to harbor something sinister. They should have already noticed how cunning Everett was when he went out of his way to plot against their grandfather, Benjamin. However, they had overlooked how wicked of a person he truly was because his disposition indicated nothing out of the ordinary. ¡°If Everett is indeed conspiring with Eastern Falcon, he might go big,¡± Max remarked with concern. The fact that Everett was working with Lawrence had already put them on guard, and at this juncture, they could only wonder what else Everett might do after he joined forces with the mysterious Eastern Falcon organization. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, he won¡¯t make a move for the time being. We just need to be prepared in advance.¡± Nicole narrowed her eyes. ¡®Even if Everett is intent on taking us down, he can¡¯t afford to act out of impulse for now. He still needs to wait for the right moment,¡¯ she thought. Jared then turned to Max and ordered, ¡°Send a message to Zane and tell him to investigate how Everett managed to contact Eastern Falcon. Find out what transactions and shared interests are involved.¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Max respectfully replied. Indeed, the organization would not have worked with Everett if he did not bring something significant to the table. This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. In the meantime, Nicole leaned back against her seat and furrowed her brows, seemingly contemting something. ¡°What are you thinking?¡± Jared asked in a soft voice. ¡°I think our time is running out, so we should finish what he has started as soon as possible.¡± Nicole sounded determined Chapter 2795 Chapter 2795 think that way. Thomas looked around, and when he could not see Harvey anywhere near them, he asked, ¡°Shall we go?¡± ¡°He won¡¯t being. Perhaps he doesn¡¯t even know you¡¯re back,¡± Nicole calmly stated, noticing that Thomas was searching for Harvey. ¡°Alright,¡± he replied while hiding his true feelings about Harvey¡¯s absence. Nicole shot him another nce but refrained from saying more. They then exited the airport altogether and got into a car. This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Should we head back to Royal Creek Institute?¡± Nicole asked Thomas. ¡°Royal Creek it is. I don¡¯t have anywhere else to go.¡± Thomas said, his eyes downcast. Although he had already made a decision, there was still a sliver of hope in his heart that Harvey would stop and change for the better. That way, he could considerpromising for his grandson¡¯s sake, but as he could see, Harvey had disappointed him once again. ¡°Mr. Ellison, enduring the most difficult times often leads to a turn for the better,¡± Nicole quipped after sensing what he was thinking of. ¡°I know. I¡¯m just holding onto a glimmer of hope.¡± Thomas sighed. ¡°Your hope will soon be a reality,¡± Nicole reassured with a reasonable measure of confidence. The lesson given to Harvey this time would be one that he would never forget. Nodding, Thomas looked at her and smiled. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll wait for your good news then.¡± In no time, they arrived at Royal Creek Institute, where they pulled up at Thomas¡¯s humble dormitory. Thomas scanned the room that had not changed during his absence and immediately knew that Nicole had tasked a cleaner to tidy it up for him on a regr basis. ¡°Thank you for going through all this trouble for me.¡± Thomas sighed. Nicole had taken good care of everything while he was away, and if it was not for her decision to send him abroad, Harvey might have used him as another chess piece to threaten her. Harvey stood in stark contrast to Nicole, who would regrly check in on him from time to time while he was away. The amodation that he had been living in, as well as the caretaker who had been tending to him all this time were all paid for and arranged by Nicole. This had led him to wonder if Nicole or Harvey was his family. At this rate, he just could not tell anymore. ¡°Mr. Ellison? Since Harvey doesn¡¯t know you¡¯re back yet, please get some rest. I¡¯ll take care of everything else,¡± Nicole said. She could tell that Thomas was sad, so she did not want to disturb him. She figured that he should have some time to himself. ¡°Okay, you should go home too.¡± Thomas nodded in response. After Nicole had left, Thomas sighed and wandered around, feeling beat. Then, he went up to his desk, took a document out, and began reading through it¡­ As for Nicole, she was greeted by Lulu the instant she stepped into her office. ¡°Wee back.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Nicole looked at Lulu and handed her a document. ¡°Thomas is back at Royal Creek, and someone is taking care of him.¡± This was thest project they had to bag. Once they had seized it, all the major projects belonging to Ellison Group would be in their hands. Then, thepany would soon suffer a financial crisis, which would rock Harvey to the very core of his being. And when Harvey finally gave in, Thomas would step up and the entire ordeal would thene to an end. ¡°Harvey should behave himself after this.¡± Lulumented, feeling a smug sense of satisfaction. Chapter 2796 Chapter 2796 ¡°I think so,¡± Nicole smiled, knowing that Harvey would find it difficult to face the lesson they were about to teach him. ¡°Will there be any issues with Thomas?¡± Lulu asked, her eyebrows raised in caution. If Thomas suddenly switched sides at this very important juncture, all of their efforts would be in vain. ¡°No, he won¡¯t,¡± Nicole confidently stated. She knew full well that Thomas would not have returned if he had any intentions of going back on their agreement. And since he had returned, it was safe to conclude that he was mentally prepared for the oue, and that he would not go back on his words. ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± Lulu nodded, feeling nothing short of reassured. As long as Thomas remained firm and resolute in his stance, their n would be secure. Now leaning on Nicole¡¯s desk, Lulu changed the subject and asked, ¡°How is Er? I find it surprising that Patricia isn¡¯t here. Did she stay back to take care of him?¡± ¡°Yes, Er didn¡¯t inform his family. All he mentioned to them was he¡¯s on a business trip. He¡¯ll be staying in his office for the next few days. Patricia will be there with him, as she¡¯s worried about him,¡± Nicole candidly blurted. ¡°It¡¯s good that she¡¯s taking care of him. You didn¡¯t see it, but when Er lunged forward and shielded her from the attack, it was so moving. I even forgot that I was in danger for a moment. I was just so touched.¡± Lulu shook her head. It was a situation which could have been lethal, and Er¡¯s selfless act had left a deep,sting impression on her. Judging from Er¡¯s bravery, it seemed that he genuinely liked Patricia and was willing to sacrifice himself for her. ¡°About them¡­¡± Nicole hesitated for a moment. ¡°Let¡¯s just allow things to unfold naturally.¡± As far as Er and Patricia were concerned, Nicole felt that it was best for everyone else to allow their rtionship to progress and flourish naturally. She did not want to interfere and alter how the individuals involved felt about one another. If the two were destined to be together, she would support their union together. ¡°Oh, I didn¡¯t expect Er to like someone like Patricia. He is going to be the type of man who will be completely submissive to his wife. I thought he¡¯d prefer someone gentler and more dependent.¡± Lulu raised an eyebrow as she thought of Patricia¡¯s cold demeanor, which often made Er shrink in a show of submissiveness. It was amusing to witness, but also sweet in its own way. Content provided by N?velDrama.Org. Nicole shrugged without dignifying Lulu¡¯s words with a response. She was not keen to consider whether she agreed or disagreed with that sentiment, as preferences were determined by one¡¯s feelings toward the other person at the moment, not one¡¯s willingness. Once a person caught feelings for another, nothing else mattered apart from the one they had a crush for. ¡°By the way, how¡¯s the investigation going?¡± Lulu asked in a solemn change of tone. ¡°Charlie and Max are looking into it, but there are no results yet.¡± Nicole sighed and apologized. ¡°I¡¯m sorry that you guys have been dragged into this. I thought you wouldn¡¯t be targeted if you didn¡¯t know about any of this. It seems that I¡¯ve underestimated them.¡± She believed that keeping Lulu and the others uninformed and uninvolved would protect them and preclude them from being targeted, but much to their misfortune, their attackers were individuals with no moral or ethical constraints. ¡°We¡¯re family. We stick together and experience all the ups and downs together. It does not matter whether you got us into the crossfire or not. If you put it that way, we¡¯ve also given you our fair share of problems. If we were as smart and capable as you are, those jerks wouldn¡¯t have targeted us either,¡± Luluforted Nicole. ¡°Both you and June should be more cautious and take your safety more seriously these days. Always make sure Spencer and Samuel are there to apany you,¡± Nicole reminded Lulu, as she did not want anything to happen to them. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll take care of ourselves,¡± Lulu nodded. After all, Nicole would also be left to deal with an even bigger mess if the Eastern Falcon managed to get their hands on any of Nicole¡¯s family members. Seeing how serious Lulu looked, Nicole began to wonder if she should say something. She knew, deep down, that it was high time to resolve the matter as soon as possible. Avoiding and skirting around the issue would not be a viable or wise solution at all. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll get back to work then.¡± Lulu turned around and left upon noticing how solemn Nicole looked. Thest thing she wanted was to disturb Nicole any further. Then Nicole, who remained in her office, narrowed her eyes as the air around her became frosty. In her mind, there was only one way out ¨C this issue must be dealt with as soon as possible. Chapter 2797 Chapter 2797 Meanwhile, in BayCorp. Er, who had just sorted through the stack of documents in his hands, saw how empty the desk was and could not help but to furrow his brows. ¡®Why are there so few documents today?¡± Er asked out of curiosity. ¡°You¡¯ve sorted through plenty already. It¡¯s time for you to take a break now,¡± Patricia insisted coldly the moment she came in and saw that he hadpleted his tasks. ¡°Oh, okay then,¡± Er obediently agreed, much like a well- behaved child. Even though she remained cold and distant to him, Er was blessed and fortunate to have her around apanying him. He really hoped life would continue the way it was, and for that, he even wished that his injuries would take longer to heal. Patricia shook her head in helplessness, not knowing what to do with Er. At times, he would act like a child, but when the situation called for it, he would alwayse on top. Sometimes, he could even appear to be a little overbearing and shrewd. Yet, he would often revert to his good ol¡¯ childlike temperament once she paid attention to him. Moreover, she had alsoe to learn that Er would be exceedinglypliant and obedient in her presence. After issuing a sigh, Patricia maintained her tone of indifference and stated, ¡°It¡¯s time to change your bandage.¡± With that, she brought a medical kit up to Er, ready to change his bandage. And as expected of him, Er ced his arm on the desk, eagerly awaiting Patricia to tend to his wound. Patricia noticed that not only was Er feeling no pain. He also looked somewhat happy. Because of this, she could not help but roll her eyes at him.¡¯ He¡¯s injured. What is there to be happy about? I can never figure out what¡¯s going on in his head.¡¯ Er, on the other hand, felt that the injury had provided an opportunity for both him and her to grow closer. He even felt that he was fortunate that it was him who had taken the hit, not her. When Patricia unwrapped the gauze and inspected Er¡¯s wound, she furrowed her brows. Although the cut was getting better and had stopped bleeding, it had not fully healed because of how deep it was. After disinfecting it, Patricia carefully changed Er¡¯s bandage. As the medication touched the wound, it went on to cause a bit of sting, which Er seemed to be able to endure without flinching. ¡°Does it not hurt?¡± Patricia frowned, feeling a little puzzled by his reaction orck thereof. ¡°It doesn¡¯t hurt at all when you do it.¡± Er shook his head and shed her a foolish grin. What Patricia did not know was that there was no way it would hurt because she was there to take good care of him. If anything, joy was all he could feel at that moment. Patricia could only roll her eyes again and ignore Er. After rebandaging his wound, she picked the first aid kit up and left. ¡°Hehe.¡± Er looked at the neatly bandaged gauze and chuckled like the silly idiot he was. ¡®It feels so good to have someone take care of me. Is she going to stay with me forever if my wound never heals?¡¯ he wondered to himself. However, by the very next second, Er shook his head and killed the thought. ¡®I can¡¯t have such thoughts. She might stay and take care of me if my wound does not heal, but I can¡¯t let her do this forever. Well, I should focus on recovering as soon as possible, so I won¡¯t have to put her through the trouble of taking care of me anymore.¡¯ Meanwhile, outside the door. Patricia was shaking her head in exasperation. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Charlie, who had appeared out of nowhere, asked. After looking up in surprise to see Charlie standing right in front of her, she asked, ¡°What brought you here?¡± This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. ¡°I was just passing by, so I came to check things out.¡± Charlie nced at the medical kit in Patricia¡¯s hand and frowned. ¡°That¡¯s the secretary¡¯s job.¡± He could not figure out why Patricia had to change Er¡¯s bandage for him. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I had nothing else to do anyway.¡± Patricia answered without exining much. Charlie, however, did not seem to care that Er had saved her. Strangely enough, she could also sense that Charlie might be harboring some feelings of resentment against Er Chapter 2798 Chapter 2798 ¡°How much longer are you nning to take care of him?¡± Charlie frowned and asked unhappily. ¡°His injury hasn¡¯t healed yet,¡± Patricia replied. She did not wish to discuss something for which the oue was uncertain, so she changed the subject at once. ¡°What brought you here? Do you need anything?¡± Even though Charlie was just passing by, Patricia knew he was not someone with too much free time to waste. If there was not something important, he would likely not even bother to turn up. ¡°I just came to check on you,¡± Charlie said after ncing at Patricia. ¡°The investigation is ongoing, and there are no concrete results yet.¡± ¡°Since that¡¯s the case, you should carry on with your work. I¡¯ll be fine here. Besides, I¡¯m not the one injured, so I don¡¯t need anyone to take care of me,¡± Patricia reminded Charlie. Charlie felt somewhat helpless in the face of her words, but it was true; he did not have a lot of time to spare. The only reason he came here was to tell Patricia that she would not have to stay here if it was not necessary for her to do so. This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. He was aware of Er¡¯s feelings toward Patricia, especially after this incident. And now, more than ever, he was even more certain of it. However, he felt that Er and Patricia were people from twopletely different worlds, and that things between them would not end well if they were to get together without thinking it through. After giving Patricia onest nce, Charlie drew a deep breath and left. Patricia bit her lip and sighed thereafter. She understood Charlie¡¯s intention, but there were just certain things she could not bring herself to do. Er had gotten himself hurt because of her, so she would have to wait for him to recover before she could leave. Gritting her teeth, Patricia picked the first aid kit up and walked into her temporary office. The documents that had not been handed over to Er were on her desk, which meant that she needed to handle them. Evening approachedter that day, and when Nicole was done with her work, she got to the entrance to see that Jared was already waiting for her outside. After getting into the car, Nicole leaned back against the seat and sighed. ¡°Turns out, not having Patricia around does affect me to some degree.¡± When Patricia was around, she would take care of arge number of things on Nicole¡¯s behalf without having to ask for her opinions or instructions. Now that Patricia had gone over to BayCorp, Nicole had no choice but to handle those little tasks on her own. Jared gently hugged Nicole and looked her in the eye. ¡°Tell Patricia toe back if you can¡¯t take it anymore.¡± After all, Er was more than capable of taking care of himself. They could even hire a caregiver for him if needed. However, Nicole simply shook her head and said, ¡°Patricia probably feels guilty because Er got shed trying to save her. So, we should let her take care of him for now.¡± Nicole figured that Patricia¡¯s guilt would resolve once Er¡¯s injury had been taken care of. As for the progression of their rtionship, that would depend entirely on how they interact with one another. At the very least, there would not be a sense of Patricia feeling as if she was indebted to him once he had fully recovered. Upon hearing this, Jared did not insist any further. Instead, he decided toe up with a better solution. ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll arrange for someone to help you out.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± Nicole smiled. ¡°If this continues, all of your people will end up working for me.¡± ¡°They¡¯re not mine. They¡¯re ours,¡± Jared corrected Nicole. Everything of his could be hers, especially at a time when he was simply trying to help her out. ¡°No, really, there¡¯s no need for that. Before Patricia, I used to handle everything myself. It¡¯s just that Patricia does it so well that I¡¯ve be a littlezy.¡± Nicole shook her head, insisting on doing everything on her own. If anything, she should work harder during times like this. As Patricia had duties she was obligated to fulfill, Nicole should not depend on her anymore. With that out of the way, Jared smiled and pulled her closer to him. After a while, the two of them returned home. ¡°Daddy, Mommy!¡± Nn and Lana shouted, The twins had already returned, and upon seeing their parents, they ran up to them. Chapter 2799 Chapter 2799 Jared lifted Lana up and made his way to the couch, his eyes filled with tenderness. ¡°We¡¯re home,¡± he greeted Daniel and Gloria as soon as he had sat down with Lana. After a while, Nicole came over with Nn and joined them on the couch. After ncing around, she asked, ¡°Mom, is Stanley not back yet?¡± ¡°No, he said there¡¯s a seminar tonight, so he won¡¯t be back for dinner,¡± Gloria exined. ¡°There¡¯s no need to wait for Stanley. Let¡¯s go ahead and eat.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± they agreed, whereupon the group headed to the dining room, save for the twins, who tottered their way upstairs while the four adults had their dinner. ¡°I heard Er got injured. What happened?¡± Daniel asked Nicole. As expected, the sudden question from her father surprised Nicole. ¡°Dad, how did you know?!¡± She had not told anyone except forthose present on the day of the incident. Thus, she was surprised that Daniel had gotten wind of it. ¡°I overheard Samuel mentioning it, but when I asked for details, he refused to say anything,¡± Daniel exined. Because of this, his curiosity grew, leading him to want to know more about what had really happened. ¡°Oh, he got a minor gash by ident. Nothing serious, but he¡¯s afraid that his parents might get too worried about him, so he told them he went abroad, even though he is currently staying in the office.¡± Nicole exined, omitting the fact that the injury was severe and the reason for which he had been injured in the first ce. ¡°Ah, his mom is going to be very worried, alright.¡± Gloria nodded in agreement. ¡°It¡¯s good that he¡¯s staying in the office and returning only once he has fully recovered.¡± ¡°But all he does is work. How did he get scratched?¡± Daniel asked, still puzzled. This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. ording to Samuel, the injury seemed quite severe. ¡°An ident happened when we went out for dinner the other day. Otherwise, Samuel wouldn¡¯t have known either.¡± Nicole exined, making up another excuse. Then, she quickly changed the subject. ¡°By the way, Mom, didn¡¯t you mention that Emery was also going on blind dates? How did it go?¡± ¡°He¡¯s doing quite well. ording to your aunt, the two families are already preparing for an engagement,¡± Gloria replied cheerfully as her attention was quickly shifted to the good news. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s good.¡± Nicole nodded, relieved. This would work in Er¡¯s favor too. If Emery had something to keep him upied, Emma would be less concerned about Er. ¡°Yeah, your aunt also said that she used to think Emery was harder to take care of than Er, but it turns out that she was wrong,¡± Gloria added. Initially, Emma thought that Emery would be the more challenging one forthem to deal with, but with the recent developments considered, he was more than fine. ¡°When will they get engaged?¡± Nicole asked in genuine concern, because they might be able to offer some help to Dexter¡¯s family if they needed it. ¡°The specific date hasn¡¯t been set because the two families are still discussing it,¡± Gloria said somewhat regretfully.¡± Anyway, I can¡¯t help but feel that Stanley and Cherry have been rather distant as ofte. What¡¯s going on?¡± Indeed, Emery was already preparing for the engagement, while Cherry had stopped all visits to them as of the past week. ¡®I can obviously see the difference,¡¯ Gloria thought. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Nicole hesitated. ¡°You should ask Stanley about itter.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Gloria furrowed her brows, unable to shake the feeling that something bad had happened. Then, she asked Nicole, ¡°Did they get into a fight?¡± For reasons she could not exin, Gloria could feel that Nicole was hiding something from her, and that was when she figured that something was indeed not right. Nicole then took a deep breath and forced a smile. ¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡± It was not a lie for Nicole to say that. Indeed, they had not gotten into a fight, but the truth might be even more difficult for Gloria to swallow. ¡®Man, I guess it¡¯s true that once a lie is told, one would have toe up with countless more lies to cover it up,¡¯ Nicole thought to herself. Since Cherry and Stanley¡¯s rtionship was a ruse from the very beginning, they did not know how to exin anything to the family without shocking them. And to add to that, they would have to wait for Cherry to leave before addressing the situation. Chapter 2800 Chapter 2800 Moreover, if the truth was revealed now, it might affect Cherry¡¯s departure, and all of her efforts would be in vain as a result. ¡°You better not ask Nicole about this. She might not know as much as you think. It¡¯s better to wait for Stanley toe back and then have him invite Cherry over. We¡¯ll know the answers to everything we want to know,¡± Daniel advised Gloria, as he noticed that Nicole seemed reluctant to discuss the topic of Stanley¡¯s rtionship. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s get Stanley to bring Cherry over. She hasn¡¯t visited for a while,¡± Gloria agreed. Once the father and daughter duo had spoken to Gloria, her attention had been sessfully diverted, and she stopped pressuring Nicole any further into revealing the truth about Stanley and Cherry. Nicole then smiled at Daniel, appreciating that her father had helped her out. He did not want to put her in a difficult position, so he hade up with a diplomatic solution that satisfied both sides. ¡°Let¡¯s eat.¡± Daniel nodded with a smile. After dinner, Nicole and Jared went upstairs to talk to Nn and Lana. As for Gloria, she began to feel antsy after ncing at the time, causing her to remark, ¡°Why hasn¡¯t Stanley returned yet?¡± ¡°He has to handle everything before he cane back,¡± Danielforted. ¡°Ah.¡± Gloria sighed, and turned to the courtyard, hoping to see Stanley in the next few seconds. Seeing that his wife was still on edge, Daniel held her hand and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Even if hees back now, you can¡¯t get him to invite Cherry over at this hour. Wait until tomorrow morning. It¡¯ll be the same anyway.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Gloria nodded, feeling that Daniel¡¯s words made sense. Even if she was anxious, it was just not the right time for any of them to be addressing the elephant in the room. ¡°Let¡¯s go to bed.¡± Daniel led Gloria upstairs. Meanwhile, Nicole and Jared had already gone to Nn¡¯s room. Nn was ying the same game as before. Although they knew there might be a problem, they had to continue watching him y to figure if their suspicions could be confirmed. Nicole¡¯s gaze was fixed on theputer screen as she watched Nn y with great enthusiasm. Despite the possibility that the game could very well be a trap of some sort, nobody could deny that it was well-made and fun for Nn to spend his time on. Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g Nicole then bit her lip and reminded Nn, ¡°Take your time.¡± ¡°Mommy, this game is quite fun, but why am I the only one who is ying it? When I asked the other kids in school, all of them said they don¡¯t have it,¡± Nn asked Nicole while he yed. ¡°Yeah, Mommy. The other kids said they haven¡¯t even heard of it,¡± Lana chimed in, also curious about why they were the only one who had it. After ncing at the two, Nicole softly exined, ¡°Oh, it¡¯s nothing. It¡¯s just that they haven¡¯te across it.¡± ¡°Will this game be promoted in the future?¡± Lana tilted her little head, focusing on theputer screen. It was interesting for Lana to watch Nn y, though she herself did not understand the rules of the game and how to y it. ¡°It seems unlikely.¡± Nn frowned. ¡°The yer experience is good, but the difficulty is just too high. If I weren¡¯t good at hacking¡­¡± It was then that Nn stopped mid-sentence as if he had just realized that something was amiss. The fact that this game required hacking skills suddenly dawned upon him. If the game was given to other kids, they would not be able to y it at all. Nicole narrowed her eyes there and then. She knew Nn had discovered the issue as well, but she did not know what he would make of it. Biting her lip, she patted Nn on the shoulder. ¡°Take a break if you¡¯re tired.¡± Chapter 2801 Chapter 2801 Upon hearing this, Nn suddenly looked up at Nicole, his eyes wide and his face pale. ¡°Mommy¡­¡± And after a moment of hesitation, Nn whispered,¡± Mommy, I¡¯m tired. I want to go to sleep.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Nicole nodded and patted him on the back. ¡°Go take a shower first.¡± After Nn had walked into the bathroom and closed the door behind him, Nicole turned to Jared and said, ¡°You should take Lana to her room and get her ready for bed too.¡± ¡°Mommy, why does Nn look upset?¡± Lana asked with concern after sensing Nn¡¯s sudden change in mood. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. He is just tired. A good night¡¯s sleep will help,¡± Nicole exined. Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g Jared then picked Lana up and said, ¡°It¡¯ste. We should go to sleep too.¡± After Jared had brought Lana out of the room, Nicole sighed softly. She had anticipated that Nn would eventually figure it out, but she did not expect it to happen so soon. ¡°Mommy¡­¡± Nn came out after taking a quick shower, his tone carrying a hint of disappointment as he asked, ¡® Mommy, are we being targeted by someone again?¡± The information released about the five crests were still fresh in his mind. ¡®Are our enemies so persistent that they are tracking us again?¡¯ In response, Nicole patted Nn in the head. ¡°There¡¯s something suspicious about this game, but we haven¡¯t figured anything out yet.¡± ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me, Mommy? I could have stopped ying this game.¡± Nn asked. Thest thing he wanted was to cause more problems for Nicole to deal with. With a gentle smile on her face, Nicole softly said, ¡°It¡¯s okay. Besides, I have every reason to believe that the answer is in this game since they¡¯re the ones who¡¯ve designed it.¡± That was the reason as to why she did not tell Nn and had allowed him to y uninterrupted up until now. Moreover, even if an issue were to arise because of this, it would not harm Nn, and that was more than enough for Nicole. ¡°Mommy, what if you find out down the line that it¡¯s¡­¡± Nn trailed off. The word ¡°Godpa¡± was too difficult for him to utter at this very instant. Nicole¡¯s eyes narrowed when she saw Nn¡¯s grimace, which betrayed aplex cocktail of conflicted emotions within. ¡°Who?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure, but I know that Godpa is the only one who understands me,¡± Nn said, his teeth gritted in determination. The only person he could think of who could do this was Lawrence. After all, Lawrence understood him well enough to make whatever he had nned for them a sess. Nicole tightened her grip on Nn¡¯s shoulder. She had noticed this too. If someone did not understand Nn well, the chances of any of their ns seeding would be low. Not only would it fail, but it might also expose them. Nn lowered his head when he saw that Nicole was silent. He had been unable to get his mind off the issue while he was showering earlier. Now that Nicole had opted to say nothing, he understood that his mother had thought of the same person too. The question right now was what exactly Lawrence nning was to do. In all likelihood, he was doing what he had always done ¨C hunting for the Reby Crests. ¡°Alright, go to bed early.¡± Nicole patted Nn¡¯s head gently.¡± Mommy and Daddy will take care of it. As for you, you can continue ying this game, but be more careful as you progress.¡± ¡°Yeah, I know.¡± Nn nodded. ¡°If I suddenly stop ying right now, they might suspect that we¡¯ve discovered their intentions.¡± Nn had already gone into the deep end, so he had to continue misleading them. Moreover, as Nicole had said, perhaps the answer was in the game itself. Those reasons were more than adequate to keep him ying. After a while, Nnid down on his bed and smiled at Nicole. ¡°Good night, Mommy.¡± ¡°Good night. Sleep well, my boy.¡± After pulling the nket over Nn, Nicole left the room silently. When she got back in her room, she saw that Jared was already there waiting for her. She took a deep breath and remarked, ¡°Nn is more astute than I thought.¡± She had expected Nn to notice it after some time, just not this quickly. Chapter 2802 Chapter 2802 ¡°He¡¯s very intelligent, so it¡¯s not unnatural for him to be able to figure it out.¡± Jared looked at Nicole with a smile. Nicole bit her lip and hesitated for a moment. ¡°He suspects that it¡¯s Lawrence.¡± Jared narrowed his eyes, not surprised to hear that Lawrence might be the one behind this again. ¡°But what does Lawrence want exactly?¡± Nicole muttered, unable to pinpoint the end game he had in mind this time. Even if he wanted to get Nn to do something for him through a game, the question as to why he specifically enlisted Nn still remained. The boy was ultimately still a five-year-old child, even though he was a genius for one. In the same vein, there were many other prolific hackers who were far more skilled and capable than Nn, and with them around, Lawrence had no reason to seek Nn out for help. Apart from his interest and aptitude in hacking, Nn was not very different from other children. At this age where they were supposed to be yful and mischievous, they should be precluded from getting involved in more serious matters such as those the adults had to deal with. ¡°We¡¯ll find out eventually,¡± Jaredforted Nicole. ¡°I¡¯m just worried. Lawrence wouldn¡¯t harm Nn, right?¡± This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org. Nicole asked in concern. If Lawrence was reckless enough to get Nn involved in his affairs, she would never forgive him. ¡°He won¡¯t,¡± Jared reassured as he gently patted her on the shoulder. He understood that Lawrence would not intentionally put Nn in harm¡¯s way, even though he had motives that could best be described as nefarious. ¡°I would¡¯ve said that in the past too, but now, I can¡¯t be sure anymore.¡± Nicole sighed. She realized that she and Lawrence were growing more distant. Or to put it bluntly, to call what they had a friendship at this rate would be a misnomer. ¡°It¡¯s veryte. Let¡¯s go to sleep,¡± Jared said, leading her to the bed. To him, it would be pointless to mull over certain things now. After all, they would eventually find out who the person responsible was and what their true intentions were. After lying down, Nicole felt a sense of lethargy washing over her, and she drifted off to sleep in no time. All of a sudden, Jared opened his eyes as Nicole¡¯s gentle breathing filled his ears. His eyes darkened as he nced at Nicole. He then took his phone out and tiptoed his way to the balcony. Once he had dialed Max¡¯s number, he whispered, ¡°Get someone to watch Lawrence 24/7.¡± ¡°Understood,¡± Max replied. ¡°Did something happen, Mr. Johnston?¡± ¡°The game Nn¡¯s ying¡­ It¡¯s probably created by Lawrence,¡± Jared replied coldly. Although he believed Lawrence would not harm Nn, he was also certain that Lawrence¡¯s actual target was Nicole. And as far as Nicole was concerned, Jared would never allow Lawrence to get anything from her. ¡°Okay, understood.¡± Max¡¯s tone became serious. ¡°I¡¯ll assign the most capable in our midst to handle this.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t spread the word about this for now,¡± Jared cautioned. ¡°Got it,¡± Max responded. Then, Jared hung up and nced at Nicole again. His gaze softened once he saw that she was still fast asleep as he ambled back into the room. However, he remained seated on the edge of the bed as soon as he came in, not wanting to lie down yet. He had just returned from the balcony and was worried that the coldness of his body might disturb her sleep. After about a five minute wait, when he felt that his skin was not as cold anymore, he lifted the nket andid down next to Nicole. Chapter 2803 Chapter 2803 Just as Jaredid down, Nicole¡¯s arm reached over andnded on Jared¡¯s chest. She was leaning toward him as if she had sensed his presence. Smirking, Jared embraced Nicole affectionately and gently kissed her on the forehead before going to sleep. The next day, the sunlight was brilliant and warm. After breakfast, Tia came over to get the kids and send them to school. Jared and Nicole were ready to leave for work as well, but as Stanley was about to walk out the door, Gloria stopped him. ¡°Stanley, invite Cherry to have dinner at home tonight,¡± Gloria ordered without stopping to ask for Stanley¡¯s opinion. She knew very well that Stanley would refuse if she had asked him. ¡°Mom, I don¡¯t think that¡¯s possible,¡± Stanley frowned, feeling awkward and ufortable. ¡°Why not? Did the two of you really get into an argument? No wonder she hasn¡¯t been aroundtely,¡± Gloria assumed, and her mind beganing up with all sorts of possibilities. Stanley was rendered speechless as he rubbed his temples.¡± Mom, it¡¯s not like that. You¡¯re overthinking it.¡± ¡°Have her over for dinner tonight if you don¡¯t want me to worry about it. If not. I¡¯ll personally look for her,¡± Gloria insisted. Seeing the look on Stanley¡¯s face made Gloria even more worried. He had finally gotten himself a girlfriend after a long string of failed blind dates she had set up for him. Thus, Gloria was genuinely concerned that he had broken up with Cherry. ¡°Mom!¡± Stanley yelled in exasperation. He was leftpletely helpless, not knowing how to exin it to Gloria. To prevent her from thinking too much, Stanley reluctantly agreed, ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll get her toe over.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t just tell her. Make sure she actuallyes over,¡± Gloria reminded, still concerned about him and Cherry. In turn, Stanley shook his head with a hint of frustration and replied, ¡°Okay, I got it.¡± ¡°Alright, off you go then,¡± Gloria said, finally feeling relieved. Stanley walked out of the house, and there, he identally locked eyes with Tia, who hurriedly avoided his gaze. Then, she beckoned to Nn and Lana, ¡°Come on, kids. Let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± Nn and Lana responded, whereupon they followed Tia into the car. Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org. Stanley had a conflicted frown on his face while he watched the car speed off. He could feel Tia¡¯s sadness when she was there to overhear his conversation with Gloria. Even though Cherry had exined the situation to Tia, thetter still seemed to have reservations about the entire situation. ¡°Mom, we¡¯re leaving too,¡± Nicole informed, after which she walked out of the house holding Jared¡¯s hand. As she sauntered past Stanley, who seemed to be rooted on the spot, she urged, ¡°Come on now.¡± ¡°Oh, yeah,¡± Stanley snapped back to reality. He then followed the couple out. At the courtyard, the car where Tia and the kids were in had already left. Nicole noticed Stanley¡¯s attention on Tia¡¯s absence and asked, ¡°When is Cherry leaving?¡± ¡°She¡¯s flying off in another three more days. She wants to treat everyone to a meal before leaving,¡± Stanley exined. ¡°I¡¯m alright with that. Should we have dinner tonight then?¡± Nicole decided after thinking about it for a moment. However, Stanley frowned and said, ¡°But Mom wants her to visit us in our house tonight.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about Mom, I¡¯ll exin things to her,¡± Nicole reassured. ¡°Honestly, you should not worry about other things now. Your main focus should be on your rtionship with Tia.¡± Chapter 2804 Chapter 2804 Stanley looked at Nicole, stunned, unsure of how to respond to her. The situation between him and Tia had be so confusing and convoluted that he could not understand it either. Since the night when they identally kissed, Tia had been avoiding him. He could also feel that Tia had been keeping her distance from him. ¡°If Tia genuinely doesn¡¯t like you, she wouldn¡¯t have felt ufortable just now. She¡¯s probably just uncertain about her feelings. You should try being more direct with her. It¡¯s the best course of action for the both of you,¡± Nicole said meaningfully, and gave Stanley a pat on the back. ¡°I should be more direct?¡± Stanley asked, and gave Nicole a frown. ¡°But it would be too sudden for Tia.¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t take the initiative in rtionships, someone else will,¡± Nicole pointed out. ¡®If Stanley does not make the first move, what else can he expect? Is he waiting for Tia to take the first step?¡¯ Tia had always felt that she was inferior to Stanley. This much was obvious, judging from how Tia would formally address Stanley whenever she saw him. While there might be a possibility that Tia had fallen for Stanley, she had also been left to constantly worry about the difference in status between them. As of now Stanley was caught in a daze. There was even a frown on his face when Nicole mentioned that someone else might pursue Tia if he did not. ¡°Tonight¡¯s dinner with Cherry can be a good chance for you toe clean. You should think about it,¡± Nicole suggested. She then linked her arm to Jared¡¯s and left. Stanley stood there, watching as Jared and Nicole got into their car and left for work. Nicole¡¯s words were still fresh in his mind. There was that, and there was the thought of Tia bing someone else¡¯s. Above all, there was also Nicole¡¯s reminder that tonight was his chance to seize. Nicole got out of the car when they had reached the headquarters of Riddle Corporation, and that was when Jared reminded her, ¡°I¡¯ll be here when you get off work.¡±Books Chapters Are Daily Updated Join & Stay Updated For All Books Updates¡­ This prompted Nicole to ask in shock, ¡°Are you joining US for dinner?¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll be there to apany you,¡± Jared said gently, before ordering Max to drive off. Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org. As the car disappeared into the distance, Nicole could not help but smile at the thought of Jared joining them for a dinner of such sort, something which she thought Jared would be reluctant to attend. However, she would dly ept that he would be there to apany her since he was okay with doing it. ¡°The car is gone, so what are you still looking at? Are you reluctant to part ways with him for a few hours?¡± Lulu¡¯s voice red out near her ear. Nicole then turned to look at her. ¡°Cherry is leaving soon. She has invited us to a farewell dinner tonight.¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s nice,¡± Lulu readily agreed. As they were walking side by side into thepany building, Lulu smiled.¡± Well, that¡¯s not the only good news. I have another piece of good news to tell you.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Nicole looked at Lulu, trying to guess what it might be. ¡°It¡¯s about Harvey. We¡¯ve signed the deal for the final project. I think Harvey should have received the news by now. In less than three days, Ellison Group¡¯s financial chain will likely encounter severe problems, and everything he had nned out will be shattered,¡± Lulu enthusiastically shared. At longst, their long-standing feud with Harvey wasing to an end. After this, Harvey would not have the guts to mess with Nicole anymore. ¡®Harvey really is something. He has been having trouble with Nicole ever since high school. His determination up until now has been really astonishing,¡¯ Lulu thought. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, you should still remain cautious. Harvey might not be as easy to defeat as you think. He might react in ways we¡¯re not able to foresee,¡± Nicole cautioned as they stepped into the elevator. ¡°That¡¯s true. I¡¯ll make sure to keep an eye on him. By the way, don¡¯t forget to inform Thomas about this,¡± Lulu reminded Nicole. It was essential forthem to inform Thomas about the situation so he could prepare ordingly. To that, Nicole nodded in agreement. Once they were done with their conversation, the both of them went off to their respective offices. As Nicole entered her office, she nced at the desk and spotted a bunch of files on it, prompting her to raise a brow. She could not help but wonder if Patricia was back already. ¡°Ms. Riddle?¡± A voice unfamiliar to Nicole red out from behind. She turned around and was met with a woman she did not recognize. ¡°Who are you?¡± Chapter 2805 Chapter 2805 ¡°I am the interim secretary assigned to help you out. I will be recing Patricia until she returns,¡± the secretary exined. Upon hearing this, Nicole understood that Jared must have assigned this secretary to help her out with the tasks that Patricia had always handled. The fact that she had shown up to sort through the documents was the reason as to why Nicole had thought for a second that Patricia was back. Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org. As it turned out, Jared had hired someone who mirrored her and Patricia¡¯s work habits and patterns. Everything was set up exactly like when Patricia was still here, which in turn made things easier for her. Feeling a sense of warmth and appreciation in her heart, Nicole smiled. She then instructed the secretary, ¡°Alright. There¡¯s nothing here for now. You may leave.¡± ¡°Yes,¡± the secretary said, and left the room thereafter. Nicole walked to her desk, grabbed the stack of files with a look of amusement, and began working in a good mood. With Jared¡¯s arrangements, Nicole felt that everything had run, and would run smoothly today. Meanwhile, Harvey was leaning back against his chair, reading the report handed over to him by the staff of Ellison Group. His face turned pale as he realized the severity of the situation he was in. ¡°After all the hard work, should this be the result?!¡± Harvey red at his assistant, his voice brimming with anger. Frightened, the assistant shrank back and said, ¡°l-l didn¡¯t expect things to turn out this way.¡± As it turned out, Riddle Corporation had pretended to partner with Ellison Group and had only signed small, insignificant contracts with them. No one could have expected that Riddle Corporation would snatch away arge number of major projects from Ellison Group. All of the significant projects Ellison Group had anticipated had all been bagged by Riddle Corporation under the leadership of Nicole. Now, hispany had been left without any resources for any uing projects, putting their financial chain at the risk of breaking. Harvey mmed the report onto the table and roared, ¡°God damn it! Is there nothing you can think of?¡± ¡®Even if they could not predict that the Riddles would steal our projects, they could have used their brains when making important decisions!¡¯ he fumed. Trembling, his assistant apologized, ¡°Mr. Ellison, what should we do now?¡± If they did note up with a solution soon, Ellison Group would be in dire straits. Staring at the assistant with cold fury in his eyes, Harvey sneered. ¡°Are you all good-for-nothing imbeciles?¡±Books Chapters Are Daily Updated Join & Stay Updated For All Books Updates¡­ The assistant remained silent and kept his head hanging low. All he could do was quietly wait for Harvey¡¯s instructions. A furious Harvey then forced himself to calm down. Throwing a temper tantrum like this was thest thing he needed to do at the moment. He needed to find a solution, for he could not allow Ellison Group to fall like this. After a moment, Harvey ordered the assistant, ¡°Go and contact several CEOs. Tell them I¡¯m inviting them to dinner.¡± ¡°Yes,¡± The assistant quickly responded and turned away. Harvey was overwhelmed with frustration at the moment. He had failed to anticipate Nicole¡¯s moves, and as a result, she had yed him like a fiddle once more. Nicole today was still as calm, ruthless, and shrewd as she was back then. For now, he could only invite a few CEOs over to see if there was any room to turn the tables around. He could afford to deal with other issuester on. As the sun set, everyone left their workces and gathered at the restaurant. ¡°Wow, Cherry, why did you choose such a high-end ce?¡± Lulu eximed after taking a seat. ¡°It¡¯s alright. After all, I¡¯ve caused a fair bit of trouble for everyone during this period of time. Since I¡¯m leaving for real this time, I wanted to treat everyone to something nice. A sincere token of appreciation for everyone¡¯s help and care,¡± Cherry said earnestly. ¡°Oh, don¡¯t be so sentimental. It¡¯s not like you¡¯re nevering back,¡± Luluforted Cherry. ¡°I may note back, at least not in the foreseeable future,¡± Cherry sighed. ¡°What I did probably disappointed my family to their very core. I¡¯ll have to wait for them to cool down before I cane back.¡± The room instantly fell silent, with everyone beginning to share a sense of sympathy for Cherry and her situation. ¡°Don¡¯t be sad. They will forgive you soon. After all, they love you,¡± Tia said,forting Cherry. Chapter 2806 Chapter 2806 ¡°Yeah, they won¡¯t stay mad at you for long once they know that you¡¯re happy and doing well for yourself,¡± June chimed in. After all, most parents had only one wish for their children ¨C for them to be happy and sessful. ¡°Yes, I will,¡± Cherry nodded. She knew her parents wanted nothing but the best for her, and she was willing to make concessions with everything except for her rtionship. Once she had set her mind to beingmitted to one particr, she would absolutely not settle with others. Unlike other people, this was apromise she would never make. ¡°Alright, here¡¯s to your happiness,¡± Lulu said, raising her ss first. ¡°Thank you,¡± Cherry responded, and lifted her ss as well. Others then followed suit, toasting to Cherry and wishing her well for the years toe. But like every farewell toast, this one carried a tinge of sadness too, and the atmosphere soon became less festive. After putting their sses down, Cherry motioned for everyone to start digging in. While they were at it, Lulu decided to lighten up the mood bying up with topics for everyone to chat about. ¡°How about we y a game?¡± Lulu suggested after noticing how crestfallen everyone looked. ¡°What game?¡± June asked, her interest piqued. ¡°How about Truth or Dare? Those who fail to answer truthfully or perform the dare must drink,¡± Lulu proposed. Although farewells were mncholic by default, Cherry was leaving for the sake of her future and happiness. As such, everyone should pipe down on the gloomy faces and offer their blessings to her instead. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s y Truth or Dare,¡± everyone quickly agreed. Lulu then grabbed a spoon and ced it on a small te. She gently spun, causing it to spin until it stopped and pointed at Samuel. ¡°Ah-ha, it¡¯s Samuel!¡± everyone eximed cheerfully. ¡°Truth or dare. Come on, Samuel, pick one.¡± ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll pick Truth,¡± Samuel shrugged, following the rules. Lulu¡¯s eyes twinkled as she suddenly turned to look in June¡¯s direction.¡± Okay. Now spill the beans! When was your first kiss with June?¡± ¡°Lulu!¡± June instantly blushed and red at her. ¡°Samuel was the one who lost, not me.¡± June was sitting there, wondering if Lulu¡¯s question was a punishment for Samuel or her. ¡°Hahaha, I¡¯m asking Samuel,¡± Lulu remained unfazed, and began chortling even more loudly.Books Chapters Are Daily Updated Join & Stay Updated For All Books Updates¡­ ¡°Are you sure it won¡¯te around to youter?¡± Samuel asked Lulu with his brows raised upon noticing that June was not totally on board with him answering the question. Lulu choked for a moment and instinctively turned to look at Spencer. Lulu¡¯s question might be a Pyrrhic victory, and if she was not careful, what went around woulde around. ¡°Alright then, let¡¯s change the question,¡± Lulu backpedaled. Everyone burst intoughter and continued the game. After a few spins, the spoon stopped and pointed at Tia¡¯s general direction. Tia¡¯s face became red with nervousness at an instant. ¡±I-I¡¯ll take the drink,¡± she stuttered. With that, she took her ss and emptied it in a single gulp. ¡°Hey!¡± Lulu stood up in an effort to stop Tia, but it was already toote by then. ¡°Even if you admit defeat, you don¡¯t have to drink so quickly. Be careful. You might get drunk.¡± Tia wiped the corners of her mouth and said, ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s continue,¡± Lulu spun the spoon again. Something weird urred soon after. Ever since Tia admitted defeat and drank for the first time, the spoon started acting like it had been enchanted, consistently pointing at Tia whenever someone spun it. This left Tia with no choice but to keep drinking. ¡°June, you should spin it,¡± Lulu suggested. She gave June the spoon, as she did not have the heart to keep making Tia drink. However, no matter who took charge of the spoon, the result would always be the same: it would always stop at Tia. It had even be so apparent that everyone began to exchange puzzled nces at what was happening. ¡°Erm, maybe you should choose Truth? I could ask you some simple questions, Tia,¡± Lulu suggested. She was afraid Tia would be inebriated if the game continued at the rate it was going.Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org. Chapter 2807 Chapter 2807 ¡°No thank you,¡± Tia rejected Lulu¡¯s suggestion, after which she grabbed her ss and chugged her drink down again. She did not want to answer anything, even if the questions Lulu had offered to ask her were simple. It was obvious that this game revolved around topics of personal gossip, making it hard for her to predict what wasing. This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Let me help you with that,¡± Stanley said, before taking Tia¡¯s wine ss away and chugging it down on her behalf. Tia looked at Stanley in surprise. She wanted to say something, but silence was all she could muster. She just could not find the words. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s continue,¡± Lulu immediately called everyone back to the game, and they continued ying. From that point onward, Stanley went on to handle all the drinks, regardless of whether the turn was his or Tia¡¯s. Not only did he drink on Tia¡¯s behalf in all of the subsequent rounds, but he also gave all of his turns up. ¡°Lulu, that¡¯s enough. Don¡¯t get him hammered,¡± June pulled Lulu aside and reminded her. To that. Lulu agreed, ¡°Okay, let¡¯s take a break.¡±Books Chapters Are Daily Updated Join & Stay Updated For All Books Updates¡­ Tia kept her eyes trained on Stanley, for she was worried that he might get drunk. The moment everyone called for a break, she breathed a sigh of relief and handed a cup of warm water to Stanley. ¡°You should have some warm water.¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± Stanley took the ss and drank a few sips from it. ¡°I should be the one thanking you,¡± Tia whispered. ¡°Actually, you don¡¯t need to help me. I can handle it myself.¡± Worried, Stanley raised an eyebrow and looked at Tia. ¡°But you¡¯re already tipsy.¡± Given the situation, her words were not convincing at all. However, Tia simply bit her lip and replied, ¡°It is my own business.¡± Then, in a move she totally did not seeing, Stanley gave Tia a somewhat helpless look and said. ¡°Your business is my business too.¡± Tia¡¯s mind nked out as the words stunned her at an instant. For the next few seconds, she was left sitting there, confused about whether she had heard him correctly or not. ¡°Stanley,¡± Cherry, who was holding a wine ss, approached and interrupted him. ¡°You guys go ahead. I need to use the bathroom,¡± Tia left, wearing a stiff expression as she walked off. In response, Stanley frowned and turned to Cherry. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°Nothing, I just want to thank you,¡± Cherry said, before filling Stanley¡¯s cup with wine and handing it to him. ¡°Seriously, you have my thanks. If it weren¡¯t for you, I would still have been stuck going through one blind date after another. Or worse, I might have been forced into marriage already.¡± ¡°All we made was a deal, and you¡¯ve helped me too,¡± Stanley said seriously. ¡°Our deal is over now. I wish you nothing but happiness for the years to come.¡± ¡°I wish the same for you,¡± Cherry nodded. After clinking sses. Cherry and Stanley both emptied their cups. ¡°In fact, both you and Tia care about each other, so don¡¯t miss the opportunity,¡± Cherry advised Stanley, patting him on the shoulder. ¡°Go after her. Trust me on this.¡± ¡°I will,1¡¯ Stanley replied, his eyes burning with determination. His heart was set on pursuing Tia, and he was not nning to give up anytime soon or ever. For once, he was bold enough to wish for a beautiful future with Tia. ¡°Please remember to send me a wedding invitation when the timees.¡± Cherry smiled. ¡°Aren¡¯t you not returning anymore?¡± Stanley asked, reminding her of how unlikely it was for her toe back. However, Cherry simply shrugged. ¡°If you and Tia get married, I will definitelye back.¡± ¡°Wait, aren¡¯t you contradicting what you said earlier about nevering back?¡± Stanley teased. Cherry then chuckled. ¡°Well, I can alwayse back and leave again without telling anyone. My family are thoroughly disappointed in me now, so they probably won¡¯t bother paying attention to me anyway.¡± Chapter 2808 Chapter 2808 Ultimately, Cherry felt that her family was so upset with her that they might even consider disowning her. Sensing Cherry¡¯s sadness, Stanley hesitated for a moment and said, ¡°After you leave, I think your father will approach me. I¡¯ll try to talk him out of it.¡± For a moment, Cherry¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°Thank you for that.¡± She knew her father had a very favorable impression of Stanley. If Stanley spoke well of her, there was a chance that her father would not be as angry and saddened by what she had done. As they shared this sympathetic farewell, the others chatted away. No one was aware that Tia had been gone for quite some time. ¡°Where¡¯s Tia?¡± Nicole frowned and asked after everyone had eaten their fill. ¡°She said she went to the restroom,¡± Cherry answered. She then frowned and pursed her lips as she suddenly realized, ¡°She has been gone for quite a long time, hasn¡¯t she?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go check on her,¡± Stanley abruptly stood up and headed toward the exit.Books Chapters Are Daily Updated Join & Stay Updated For All Books Updates¡­ With that, Cherry followed suit, ¡°She¡¯s in the women¡¯s restroom.¡± Stanley was so anxious that he had forgotten about the fact that he could not enter the women¡¯s restroom. ¡°I hope Tia is okay,¡± Lulu remarked in concern. ¡°Let¡¯s wait for a bit. Stanley and Cherry have gone out to look for her. They should be back soon,¡± June advised, though her gaze had drifted toward the exit as well. Meanwhile, Nicole was biting her lip worrying about Tia. She was wondering what had taken Tia so long to return to the room. After ten minutes, Cherry returned to the room alone. ¡°Where are they?¡± Lulu anxiously asked. ¡°Tia is really drunk. She copsed at the entrance of the restroom. Stanley has decided to drive her back. Don¡¯t worry. He said he will take care of her, ¡± Cherry exined. ¡°Alright, with Stanley taking care of her, we can all rest easy,¡± June nodded. She then asked Nicole. ¡°We¡¯re almost done eating. How about we leave in a few minutes too?¡± ¡°Sure,¡± the others agreed. After all, the night was gettingte, and everyone needed to get some good sleep for the day after. This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Let¡¯s go then.¡± As everyone stood up and prepared to leave, Cherry addressed the entire group and said, ¡°Thank you all foring to see me off. I won¡¯t inform you about my departure from the airport the day after tomorrow. Farewells are a little hard for me.¡± ¡°Okay, we won¡¯t see you off. When youe back, we¡¯ll remember to pick you up, though,¡± Lulu said before giving her a beaming smile. ¡°I think I¡¯ll be back soon.¡± Cherry returned the smile. ¡°My return will depend on Stanley and Tia.¡± ¡°That might be sooner than expected!¡± they said, whereupon everyone shared a knowingugh. After that dinner, everyone in the room had a clearer understanding of Stanley¡¯s feelings for Tia. If Stanley could just be a little more straightforward with his intentions, the moment they had all been waiting for would not be far off. As everyone was about to leave, Cherry noticed a group of peopleing out from the adjacent private room. At the front was Harvey, and behind him were a few people whom Nicole could recognize with a single nce. ¡°Harvey still hasn¡¯t given up,¡± Lulu muttered, catching Nicole¡¯s attention. The men in the other room were the executives of thepanies Nicole had secured all those projects from. It seemed that Harvey had invited them for a meal, most likely to discuss project-rted matters. Harvey was standing frozen with his mouth agape, as he did not expect to run into Nicole and the others. Both sides were taken by surprise, making the situation very awkward for everyone involved. ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± June called out, breaking the silence. Both parties gradually walked away without greeting the other side, pretending as if they had not bumped into each other at all. Chapter 2809 Chapter 2809 After leaving the restaurant, Lulu burst intoughter. ¡°Did you see that, Nicole? The expression on Harvey¡¯s face was absolutely priceless.¡± ¡°Those executives didn¡¯t look too pleased either,¡± June added. Though she did not know the specifics, she knew enough to infer that Harvey was trying to make things difficult for Nicole. ¡°They were just feeling very awkward. It¡¯s fine. It won¡¯t affect our partnerships with them,¡± Lulu exined. Upon hearing this, June nodded in understanding and smiled. ¡°That¡¯s good, then.¡± June understood the situation. Nicole and her team were coborating with the executives, and coincidentally, Harvey had also invited them out, wanting to work with them. Hence, the meeting had taken a very awkward turn. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s all go home and get some sleep.¡± ¡°Goodbye everyone.¡± After bidding each other their round of farewells, everyone got into their cars and left the restaurant. Just as Nicole and Jared were about to leave, the car suddenly came to a halt. ¡°What is Harvey up to?¡± Max said, sounding very displeased. Looking up, Nicole noticed that Harvey was standing in the way of their car, obstructing them. If Max had not floored the brakes, Harvey would have been injured. The little stunt he pulled left Nicole wondering if Harvey had a death wish. But even if he did, thest thing she wanted was to be held responsible for his death. ¡°Get out of the car, Nicole!¡± Harvey shouted as he came over to the window and knocked on it. She rolled the window down, and in a tone of cold indifference, she told him, ¡°I don¡¯t have anything to say to you.¡± ¡°Harvey actually thought I¡¯ll get out of the car just because he asked. Gosh, the entitlement of this dude. Who does he think he is?¡¯ she thought. ¡°Your little scheme worked well, I see,¡± Harvey said, infuriated. The one thing he dreaded, and thest thing he had expected was that he would not be able to salvage the current situation even after he had approached the executives personally.Books Chapters Are Daily Updated Join & Stay Updated For All Books Updates¡­ ¡°Strength and intelligence are essential in business,¡± Nicole said, remaining calm. Regardless of whether she had conspired against him or not, Harvey¡¯s motives were questionable too. That was why he did not reserve the right to pin the me on anyone else for his failure. ¡°Why you!¡± Harvey seethed. He was so angry that his face turned from red to white. He was also left in total speechlessness, unable to summon a reasonable retort against what Nicole had just said to his face. ¡°Mr. Ellison, I suggest you stop wasting your time with me. Why not think about what the next step going forward for Ellison Group is?¡± Nicole replied and rolled the window up again, separating her from Harvey. Harvey was left fuming as the car sped away from ¡°Nicole, you better watch yourself!¡± he bellowed. ¡®How dare she disrespect me like this! Does she really think she will win for sure?!¡¯ Nicole, who was in the car, seemed to have heard him but chose to ignore him regardless. And while he was left choking on his own anger on the streets, his assistant approached him cautiously. Mr. Ellison?¡± ¡°Get lost! Don¡¯t let me see you again!¡± Harvey roared, startling his assistant who recoiled a few steps back. ¡°Mr. Ellison, I¡¯ll try to contact a few executives again, hoping to get US another chance,¡± his assistant slowly and carefully said. ¡°Do you think I haven¡¯t been disgraced enough? There¡¯s nothing left here for you! Scram!¡± Harvey shouted. Upon recalling the amount of humiliation he had suffered today, Harvey could not stand it any longer. He did not want to see his assistant anymore, not even for a second longer. ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll leave now,¡± his assistant ran away at once, feeling a strange sense of relief while he did. With the assistant gone, Harvey¡¯s mood worsened. ¡°Get out of my way. Get lost!¡± Harvey threw a tantrum. In a fit of rage, he kicked a car parked next to him, setting off its rm. The ring of the rm startled him. Just as he was about to berate the car as well, his assistant returned and quickly pulled him onto their vehicle before speeding away. ¡°Mr. Ellison! Please don¡¯t act impulsively,¡± he said in an attempt to console Harvey. ¡°Don¡¯t bother me. Didn¡¯t I tell you to leave?¡± Harvey responded, his voice cold and low.Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org. Chapter 2810 Chapter 2810 Helpless, Harvey¡¯s assistant exined, ¡°I was about to leave but I saw you kicking someone¡¯s car. I was concerned that you might get in trouble, so I came back.¡± If Harvey got caught at the moment, his assistant would be the one left to bear the brunt of it. ¡°Hmm,¡± Harvey snorted. ¡°I could always throw money in his face.¡± ¡°If the owner insists on calling on the cops, you¡¯ll definitely get in hot soup.¡± His assistant sighed. Those who had nothing to lose do not fear those in power. However, Harvey was the one with power in this case. Harvey then kept mum and stopped arguing with his assistant. If he ever got caught, there would indeed be another embarrassing situation to top the list for him. Moreover, the consequences would be disastrous if he allowed his personal issues to affect thepany¡¯s image. After calming down, Harvey sat in silence, his gloomy eyes staring out the car window at the passing trees. The humiliation he had suffered today would be avenged. He would do his damndest to make Nicole and her sell-out executives¡¯ pay for what they had done to him. Meanwhile, Nicole and Jared were on the way home. She was smiling while leaning on Jared¡¯s shoulder. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to join us in our game.¡± Recently, Jared¡¯s behavior was nothing short of unusual to her. He had been willing to participate in her gatherings, going so far as to even engage in activities and games, which he would never have done before. Jared smirked upon hearing that. He did not really care about the games and activities themselves. He just wanted to see Nicole smile a little longer when she was having fun. Holding her, Jared shifted the topic. ¡°Has the matter involving Ellison Group been settled?¡± ¡°How do you know?¡± Nicole asked in surprise.Books Chapters Are Daily Updated Join & Stay Updated For All Books Updates¡­ ¡°Harvey wouldn¡¯t have thrown a desperate fit if you didn¡¯t,¡± Jared shrugged as if he had gotten the answers already. ¡°Well, that makes sense,¡± Nicole nodded. ¡°Everything is going smoothly. We should be done in the next few days. I¡¯ve already informed Thomas about everything I¡¯ve taken from Harvey. I¡¯ll be returning everything to him.¡± ¡°If I must be honest, I don¡¯t think it matters whether you return thepany to him or not,¡± Jared said in complete indifference. Since Nicole had obtained much of Ellison Group, every asset she had bagged should be hers in the first ce. However, Nicole simply smiled. ¡°No, let¡¯s give it all back to Thomas. I don¡¯t want any of it.¡± Although she was the one who had seized all of those assets, her goal was merely to teach Harvey a lesson, not to control and take Ellison Group for herself. Hearing that ced a smirk on Jared¡¯s face. No matter what Nicole¡¯s decision was, Jared would respect it. Tilting her head, Nicole then looked at Jared. ¡°When Ellison Group returns to Thomas, will you change your mind and cooperate with him?¡± Content provided by N?velDrama.Org. ¡°No,¡± Jared calmly replied. There was no real need for them to cooperate on the business front anymore anyway, especially after Harvey had severed all ties with them quite a while back. ¡°Do you think Thomas will eventually stop managing thepany and give it to someone else? I mean, he¡¯s quite old, isn¡¯t he?¡± Nicole wondered. ¡°He has lost his interest in managing thepany for a long time now. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t have allowed Harvey to get as far as he did. However¡­¡± Jared paused. ¡°If you return thepany to Thomas, he may not fully ept it,¡± he continued. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve thought about that too, but I haven¡¯t figured out what to do yet.¡± Nicole sighed in frustration. She thought she could simply return thepany to Thomas, but it seemed that it would not be as simple and straightforward. If anything, she would have to decide ording to the situation in the future. Chapter 2811 Chapter 2811 ¡°So, this is the reason why you¡¯re so determined to teach Harvey a lesson?¡± Jared asked as he shot Nicole a nce. Following a short pause, Nicole admitted, ¡°Yes. We can only enjoy our peace of mind once he has beenpletely subdued.¡± A glint of amusement crossed Jared¡¯s eyes when he heard those words. He knew that the current situation with Ellison Group and the executives was already a massive blow dealt to Harvey, but it seemed to him that Nicole and the others had no ns to stop at that just yet. If anything, there was more in store for Harvey. She was far from done with him. Nicole smiled, embraced Jared¡¯s arm, and leaned on his shoulder. As far as her feud with Harvey was concerned, she just hoped it would end soon and consider it another one of her issues settled. Meanwhile, Stanley and Tia had already returned home. After getting out of the car, Stanley apanied Tia as she staggered her way to the house at the back. Tia¡¯s hands and feet were wobbly and iling after one too many drinks, and she did not seem to be able to walk on her own. Then Tia, owing to her impaired vision and judgment, tripped over a rock. ¡°Ah!¡± ¡°Be careful!¡± Caught off guard and unprepared, Stanley lost his bnce attempting to stop Tia from falling, and the both of them tumbled onto thewn. ¡°Ugh,¡± Stanley groaned.Books Chapters Are Daily Updated Join & Stay Updated For All Books Updates¡­ He had managed to catch Tia, but not without tipping over himself. Tia¡¯s foreheadnded on Stanley¡¯s chest, causing a pang of pain to radiate to the rest of her head. The resultant pounding in her head made her open her eyes drowsily, and upon lifting her head, Stanley¡¯s face was the first thing she saw. In fact, his face was so close that she could almost feel his breath. Tia then fumbled around and reached out to touch Stanley¡¯s eyebrows and eyes while murmuring, ¡°Am I dreaming? ¡°It must be a dream. If not, how could something like this be happening?¡± Tiaughed in self deprecation. ¡®I¡¯d never dare to approach Stanley unless I¡¯m in a dream. Besides, I¡¯m so close to him now. So close that I¡¯m even hugging him.¡¯ Concerned, Stanley asked, ¡°Are you alright?¡± Tia continued to stare at Stanley, and touched his face. ¡°It¡¯s so good to dream about you.¡± Stanley paused for a moment before he came to understand what Tia was mumbling about. He issued a sigh of defeat, held Tia¡¯s hand, and softly murmured, ¡°It¡¯s not a dream.¡± ¡°Is it not a dream?¡± Tia asked inplete puzzlement. ¡°If it¡¯s not a dream, how could we be together?¡± She could not conceive that something like this was happening in real time. To her, it was simply not possible for them to be so close, let alone be in a position where they were essentially hugging each other. Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org. After breathing another sigh, Stanley gently ruffled Tia¡¯s hair. ¡°I swear it¡¯s not a dream.¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± Tia asked, tilting her head in disbelief. ¡°Of course. Now, let¡¯s get up,¡± Stanley said. Stanley did not feel that Tia was too heavy, even though she was pressing against him. However, he needed to restrain himself from acting out of his thoughts at the moment, especially with Tia, who was in a state of inebriated dizziness and confusion. Her literally being on top of him had caused a bunch of wild thoughts to race in his mind. After looking up and down, Tia blinked her eyes and came to realize how embarrassing the situation was. ¡®Oh my gosh! How did I end upying on him!¡¯ ¡°What are you looking at? Get up now,¡± Stanley ordered, suppressing his thoughts. ¡°Oh, okay,¡± Tia replied. She hurriedly scrambled to her feet and bnced herself on Stanley¡¯s sturdy arms. Her hands on his chest had indeed caused his mind to go up in a frenzy. He was frowning at the fact that she had stirred something within her, and what followed was a pained and conflicted look on his face. Stanley sighed in relief after Tia got up. Following her lead, he stood up as well. Chapter 2812 Chapter 2812 However, Tia¡¯s legs were still a little wonky and unsteady from all the heavy drinking. She simply stood there, swaying for a moment, before nearly tipping over again. ¡°Ah!¡± Tia cried out as a sharp pain shot up her ankle. Catching this in a split second, he quickly reached out and grabbed her before she could fall. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°I think I twisted my ankle,¡± Tia said. The sudden pang of pain soon sobered her up, and Stanley was left to crouch down and examine the injury in Tia¡¯s foot. ¡°Ouch!¡± Tia flinched in pain. ¡°You¡¯ve sprained it,¡± Stanley informed. Feeling sorry for her, he stood up and proposed, ¡°Let¡¯s get you back to your ce. I¡¯ll apply some medicine for you.¡± ¡°Thanks,¡± Tia thanked softly. Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g As Tia attempted to limp her way back home, Stanley decided to pick her up. Instinctively holding onto Stanley¡¯s neck, Tia looked at him in surprise and asked, ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°You shouldn¡¯t move when you¡¯re injured,¡± Stanley reminded Tia, and held onto her even tighter. Upon looking up, she saw Stanley¡¯s visage hovering over her. She bit her lip, feeling a cocktail of complex emotions about the situation. For the first time ever, she truly felt that he was by her side. They were so close together, and in that moment of closeness, she felt that he could truly be relied on. She could even feel his strong heartbeat alongside her own, which seemed to be racing faster with each passing second. Then, she quickly averted her gaze, afraid to look at him any longer. After taking Tia back to her room, Stanley grabbed the medical kit from the other room, came back, and brought the ointments out. ¡°I can do it on my own, thanks,¡± Tia said in an attempt to stop him. She felt very ufortable seeing him crouching over and helping her out with her twisted foot.Books Chapters Are Daily Updated Join & Stay Updated For All Books Updates¡­ In response, Stanley nced at her and exined, ¡°This isn¡¯t just about applying an ointment to the affected area. You have to massage it as well. It will heal your injury quicker that way.¡± With that, Stanley proceeded to apply the medicinal cream to Tia¡¯s ankle and massaged it. The initial wave of coldness from the medicine was soon reced by a sudden surge of pain, prompting Tia to draw a deep breath and hiss. ¡°Ah, it hurts.¡± Try enduring it a little longer,¡± he said. Stanley felt bad for her, but knew that if he stopped administering treatment now, it would result in her suffering for several more days, rendering her unable to walk freely. And though he was not letting up on the massage, he began to ease the pressure he was applying by a little. Concurrently, Tia also came to the understanding that enduring this pain would only expedite the recovery process, so she gritted her teeth and refrained from crying out loud. While Stanley was focusing on massaging her injured ankle, Tia asked, ¡°After Cherry is gone, how do you n to exin everything to your family and hers?¡± Tia had been worried about Stanley ever since she learned the truth of their rtionship from Cherry. With Cherry gone, he would have to deal with the fallout of their little act on his own. Although the both of them had nned everything thoroughly, there was a possibility that the Jean family would refuse to ept their exnation. In addition to that, the Riddle family might get infuriated with Stanley¡¯s choice of actions too. Stanley paused for a moment, and he hesitated for a moment before continuing with the massage. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll be fine.¡± ¡°But Gloria will be heartbroken and the Jean family will me you for deceiving them, especially once you take into ount that they absolutely detest the man Cherry is in a rtionship with,¡± Tia argued. It would not be easy for the Jean family to forgive Stanley since he had conspired with Cherry to help her. Stanley then looked at Tia and replied, ¡°By then, everything will have been settled. What can the Jean family do? Is their daughter¡¯s happiness less important than their reputation?¡± ¡°B-But¡­¡± Tia choked up. She knew that both him and Cherry had already considered all the possible repercussions, but she was still worried about him nheless. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll handle everything at home too,¡± Stanleyforted Tia, understanding her concerns. ¡°Okay.¡± Tia nodded lightly, and stopped with her questions. After all was said and done, Stanley withdrew his gaze and stood up. ¡°Get some rest. Stay at home for the next two days, and don¡¯t go anywhere. I¡¯ll arrange for someone to handle your tasks for you.¡± Chapter 2813 Chapter 2813 ¡°There¡¯s no need for that,¡± Tia declined. But upon seeing how determined Stanley looked, she hesitated for a moment and relented. ¡°I understand.¡± A hint of satisfaction shed in Stanley¡¯s eyes, after which he advised Tia, ¡°If you want to recover quickly, just listen to my instructions, stay home, and be good.¡± Then, he turned around and exited the house. Tia was left to stare at his departing figure in confusion, her mind echoing his gentle words, ¡®Stay home and be good.¡¯ Overwhelmed by a feeling she could not even begin to describe, Tia blushed and her mind erupted into a whirlwind of thoughts once more. Meanwhile, Stanley had just stepped out of the courtyard and into the house when he bumped into Nicole and Jared, who had just returned. ¡°Is Tia okay?¡± Nicole asked with concern. ¡°She twisted her foot, so she might need a couple of days of rest,¡± Stanley replied. This left Nicole surprised. ¡°How did she twist her foot?¡± ¡°She had too much to drink and fell over,¡± Stanley answered without borating much. ¡°Anyway, it¡¯s gettingte, so you should get some sleep.¡± ¡°Okay, you should rest early too,¡± Nicole nodded. However, she was wearing a skeptical frown on her face as she watched him rooms. ¡¯ Something feels off with Stanley. Is there finally some progress with Tia?¡¯ Just as she was about to contemte on it, Jared¡¯s voice sounded from behind. ¡°Let¡¯s go. Time to get some sleep.¡±Books Chapters Are Daily Updated Join & Stay Updated For All Books Updates¡­ ¡°Okay.¡± Nicole smiled and agreed. Hand in hand, the two went upstairs, and on the way, Nicole casually asked Jared, ¡°Have you noticed that Stanley seems different?¡± ¡°Not really,¡± Jared responded nonchntly. After all, he had not paid much attention to Stanley. This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Are you serious?¡± Nicole asked in puzzlement. Then, she frowned and muttered, ¡°Why do I feel like something¡¯s not quite right? I can¡¯t quite exin how unusual it is, but I know that something is amiss.¡± Jared tightened his grip on her hand. ¡°You can simply ask him tomorrow.¡± ¡°Or maybe not,¡± Nicole said, shaking her head. Although she was curious, she was still of the opinion that Stanley and Tia had their fair share of problems to solve. The only thing she could do now was wait for the situation to y out as it naturally should. What she failed to notice at that moment was that Jared¡¯s eyes had a glint of amusement about them as he nced at her. Once she had returned to her room, Nicole went to the bathroom with her pajamas in hand. She too was feeling a little dizzy, for she had one too many drinks earlier. All she wanted to do now was to take a warm shower and go to bed. However, the night would not end the way she had expected, as Jared proceeded to follow her into the bathroom. ¡°Why did youe in?¡± Nicole asked in surprise. ¡°I¡¯m here for a shower too,¡± Jared replied calmly. ¡°No, you should get out now and do it after me,¡± she protested. ¡°No, let¡¯s do it together,¡± he countered. ¡°Why must we do it together? Hey, don¡¯t take my clothes off!¡± The next day, sunlight poured into the room, and Jared awoke with a faint smile as he stared at Nicole, who was still fast asleep. He gently kissed her on the forehead, causing her to groan as if he had disturbed her. However, she did not wake up, and continued to sleep in. Looking at Nicole affectionately, Jared covered her with the nket. He then got up, dressed himself, and went downstairs to join the rest of his family. ¡°Dad, where¡¯s Mommy?¡± Nn and Lana asked. They were a little puzzled to notice that Nicole was nowhere to be seen. Chapter 2814 Chapter 2814 ¡°Your mom is still fast asleep. I¡¯ll send you to schoolter,¡± Jared exined. Content provided by N?velDrama.Org. ¡°You will send us to kindergartenter?¡± Nn asked, blinking his eyes in innocence. ¡°Oh yeah, where¡¯s Tia, by the way?¡± Lana asked, finding it confusing that Jared would be the one sending them to school. ¡°Tia hurt her ankle, so she won¡¯t be able to send you to kindergarten for the next two days,¡± Stanley¡¯s voice red out in reply. ¡°Tia got hurt? Is it serious? Is she alright? How did you know? ¡± The two little ones asked, bombarding Stanley with question after question. They were both worried and curious. They also could not help but wonder how Stanley had gotten to know so much about what Tia was going through. ¡°Her injury is not a serious one, but she does need some rest. I was the one who brought her back homest night, so I¡¯m aware of her condition,¡± Stanley calmly exined as he headed to the dining room. ¡°Oh,¡± Lana nodded, whereupon she turned to Jared. ¡°Dad, can we go and visit Tia?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s eat and get you to kindergarten first. We can visit Tia after school,¡± Jared advised. ¡°Okay,¡± Nn and Lana agreed upon noticing what time it already was. After the family had breakfast, Jared left the house with Nn and Lana. Stanley was also about to leave, but before he could, Gloria stopped him. ¡°About yesterday, is no one going to exin anything to me?¡± ¡°What exnation?¡± Stanley looked a bit bewildered. ¡°Didn¡¯t Nicole tell you?¡± ¡°She only said you two had dinner outside, but she didn¡¯t say anything else,¡± Gloria replied while frowning. ¡°I asked you to bring Cherry home for dinner, but you¡¯ve arranged a meeting outside instead. What¡¯s going on?¡±Books Chapters Are Daily Updated Join & Stay Updated For All Books Updates¡­ Although Nicole had reassured Gloria that everything was fine, she could still feel that something was off. She had a sneaking suspicion that Stanley might be avoiding her on purpose and did not have the guts to tell her the truth. That was why he had gotten Nicole to talk to her instead, as he knew that Nicole did not have the heart to decline such a request from him. ¡®Mom, please just give me two more days. I¡¯ll definitely exin everything to youter,¡± Stanley calmly requested, realizing that he would not be able to avoid telling Gloria about his situation with Cherry any longer. However, he just could not tell Gloria the truth yet. He had to wait for two more days until had safely left the country before he could. Upon hearing this, Gloria grew dour and stern. ¡°I knew it. I knew something was up.¡± ¡°Mom, it¡¯s not as bad as you think. I can¡¯t say it now, but I promise, I am not, and won¡¯t be single,¡± Stanley solemnly assured. Following that statement, Gloria rolled her eyes at him.¡± Hmm, I hope you can keep that promise, young man.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. When have I ever lied to you? Okay, look. If I break my promise this time, you can arrange a wedding for me. You get to pick the person you¡¯re satisfied with, so long as they¡¯re willing to marry me,¡± Stanley said in an attempt to assuage Gloria¡¯s suspicions. However, Gloria was already very unhappy with Stanley due to how little regard he had for his love life. ¡®How could I bear to consign him to a lifetime of unhappiness? If the person he¡¯s married to isn¡¯t the one he is in love with, how could he be happy?¡¯ ¡°Well, let¡¯s wait for a couple more days before we talk about it,¡± Daniel interrupted, easing the atmosphere. ¡°Mom. Dad. Don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t put you in a situation where you¡¯ll have to constantly worry about me,¡± Stanley assured. He then nodded to his parents and skedaddled. ¡°Gosh, this child.¡± Gloria sighed in exasperation. ¡± Pipe down. Stanley has been doing fine without our intervention for all these years. I¡¯m sure he can handle his Chapter 2815 Chapter 2815 It was already nine in the morning when Nicole woke up. She opened her eyes, and upon sensing the silence in the room, she instinctively nced at the clock beside her.¡¯ Damn it. It¡¯s alreadyte.¡¯ Pursing her lips, she could not help but me Jared for the exhaustion he had inflicted her. Then, she got out of bed. After Nicole was done washing and dressing up, she headed downstairs to see that there was no one there. At that moment, she realized that everyone must have left the house and gotten busy with their agendas for the day. ¡°Damn it! Jared didn¡¯t even wake me up!¡± Nicole muttered. Then, she ordered the house butler, ¡°Get the chauffeur ready. I¡¯m heading to the office.¡± ¡°Understood,¡± the butler replied, after which he went ahead and made the arrangements for Nicole. Soon, the driver came around, picked Nicole up, and sent her to the headquarters of Riddle Corporation. Upon arrival, she rushed into her office at once. Lulu, who had spotted Nicole, immediately followed after her and questioned, ¡°Why are you sote today? Did you get drunkst night?¡± In Nicole¡¯s memory, she did not imbibe heavily the night before. As such, she should not have been hammered. Feeling a little shy, Nicole looked away. ¡°I had to take care of something.¡± She had to find an excuse to get Lulu off her heels. There was no way she could admit that she woke upte because she was exhausted after what Jared had done to her. ¡°Was there anything at home for you to deal with?¡± Lulu frowned and muttered. Nicole did not want to continue addressing that particr topic, so she waved it off and finessed her way out of the tough spot she was in by asking, ¡°You seemed to be in a hurry when you came over. Is there anything wrong?¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Lulu nodded. ¡°Yes, there is.¡± Nicole had an inkling that whatever Lulu was going to talk about would be serious, so she lowered her voice and asked, ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°So, here¡¯s the scoop. It has only been a day, but Ellison Group has stumbled into a financial crisis already. I¡¯ve always felt that something is wrong.¡± Lulu frowned while she exined.Books Chapters Are Daily Updated Join & Stay Updated For All Books Updates¡­ ¡°What is it?¡± Nicole creased her forehead. That made no sense, as Ellison Group was solid and formidable enough to withstand a hup for a certain period of time. ¡°I¡¯m not sure about the details, but I¡¯ve assigned someone to look into it.¡± Lulu exined. ¡°I just heard about it this morning. Harvey has been transferring huge sums of money to nurse the damage, but nothing seems to have worked.¡± In order to learn the truth about what was actually happening, Lulu would have to wait for the men to complete the investigation. ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s just wait for the news.¡± Nicole nodded. Lulu then took a seat across Nicole, and her chin propped up on her hand, she asked, ¡°Oh yeah, how¡¯s Tia and Stanley?¡± ¡°Tia injured her leg when she returned home yesterday. Other than that, there¡¯s nothing else of interest to note.¡± Nicole shrugged her shoulders. But to Lulu, it seemed as if Nicole was saying, ¡®I could not do much. I¡¯m sorry. I know nothing.¡¯ Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g ¡°As the saying goes, all good thingse to those who wait. ¡± Lulu sighed. Judging from the situation from the night before, Lulu felt that Tia and Stanley could have confessed to each other. However, no one had made any moves. ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± Nicole smiled, believing that Lulu was right. Then, Lulu raised her eyebrows and in a tone of concern, she added, ¡°We¡¯ve gotten a rough idea of what the consequences are going to be, but if things don¡¯t go the way Cherry predicted, what are we going to do?¡± Knowing that Lulu was worried about what the Jean family would do, Nicole calmly replied, ¡°We¡¯ll have to wait till Cherry is gone. As for the fallout, I¡¯m sure Stanley is prepared for it.¡± Even if the worst case scenario unfolded, and the Jean family refused to forgive him for conspiring with their daughter against them, there was nothing else they could do. After all, the one who had consciously decided to flee the country was their daughter. They would have no choice but to admit that nobody else was at fault but her. After pausing for a moment, Nicole candidly expressed, ¡°To be honest, this doesn¡¯t concern me much at all. I¡¯m actually more worried if Cherry will be able to find true happiness.¡± If Cherry managed to secure true happiness, everything she had done thus far would be meaningful. Otherwise, none of anything she and Stanley had done would matter regardless of what the end result was. To that, Lulu nodded in agreement. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s true. But I¡¯d like to think there won¡¯t be any problems.¡± Chapter 2816 Chapter 2816 ¡°What makes you so sure?¡± Nicole asked out of curiosity. ¡°Although Cherry is a bold person, I can tell she has a calm and rational mind. When she has her eye set on someone, I¡¯m sure they won¡¯t fall too far off the mark. If both of them are willing to work hard for a chance at a future together, they will definitely seed.¡± And as long as they lead a happy life, the Jean family would slowlye to ept them for who they were. This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org. ¡°I¡¯ve met that man once. Although we were quite far apart, I could tell that Cherry was rxed and happy when she was with him.¡± Nicole nodded, sharing the opinion that Cherry had a good eye. While they were chatting, they heard a sudden knock on the door. ¡°Are they here to provide us with some updates?¡± Lulu got up and strode over to open the door. As expected, the men standing at the door were the ones who Lulu had assigned to investigate the financial crisis at Ellison Group. Upon seeing Lulu, they handed a set of documents to her. Once she had grabbed them, Lulu returned to Nicole¡¯s desk and shot her a nce. ¡°Let¡¯s have a look.¡± Nicole took the documents from Lulu, and as she began perusing the pages, she narrowed her eyes. It seemed that Harvey had really whipped a meticulous n up overnight. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Lulu asked when she noticed the strained expression on Nicole¡¯s face. ¡°You were right. Something is wrong.¡± Nicole lowered her voice as she passed the document back to Lulu. Lulu had a look of distress on her as she reached out to take the stack of papers back. There really was something wrong with their findings. As she had mentioned, there was no known natural circumstance capable of catalyzing a financial crisis overnight for apany as strong and solid as Ellison Group. It seemed to her that Harvey was still holding grudges, and was actively plotting to exact his revenge on them. However, he had acted too rashly, so they had managed to discover the cracks in his ns once again.Books Chapters Are Daily Updated Join & Stay Updated For All Books Updates¡­ ¡°What do we do now?¡± Lulu asked Nicole withplete seriousness after she had read through the details. After giving it some serious thought, Nicole replied, ¡°Let¡¯s sit still in the meantime. We should not let Harvey know that we¡¯ve discovered what he¡¯s up to.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± Lulu nodded, understanding what Nicole meant. ¡°I totally understand.¡± Since they had preempted Harvey¡¯s n, they would just y along and wait to reap the fruits of their efforts. Then, Nicole narrowed her eyes and smirked. ¡°You can start by preparing a gift for Harvey.¡± ¡°Understood. I¡¯ll make sure it¡¯s something you¡¯ll be more than happy with.¡± Lulu winked in mischief. Nicole simply smiled and shook her head when she heard that. After she had ced that particr document aside, she picked another file up. Knowing that Nicole was about to get back to work, Lulu got up and announced, ¡°I¡¯ll go back and finish up some work.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Nicole replied, her gazending on the document. ¡°Gosh. I honestly don¡¯t know when Patricia will being back. If she¡¯s back now, the both of us would have been a lot more rxed.¡± Lulu muttered as she sauntered out of the room. Having heard that remark, Nicole stopped and stared for a moment. Then, she continued looking through the documents. Patricia¡¯s return would depend on the rate in which Er¡¯s injury healed. Until then, they would have to make do with the person Jared had assigned to rece Patricia for the moment. But it was also because of the new secretary that none of their work was stalled or affected. Perhaps Patricia had grown on the folks in the office, and her presence had be somewhat of a norm. Therefore the ce felt empty without her around. And because Nicole could feel it, she figured that Lulu was experiencing the same. Meanwhile, at BayCorp¡¯s office. Er had a crestfallen look about him as he removed his bandage, a sight which Patricia could not help butugh at. ¡°You¡¯ve recovered really well,¡± she remarked, having noticed that the wounds on Er¡¯s arm and legs had lightened. ¡°But I¡¯m still in pain.¡± Er looked at Patricia. Chapter 2817 Chapter 2817 In a soft and calm voice, Patricia replied, ¡°Once a scab forms, the wound will be less painful and itchy.¡± The sight of Er giving her a pitiful and pathetic look annoyed her. At this rate, his lies and pretenses were working on nobody. She knew for a fact she was not sold on them herself. The moment Er knew that his excuses and intentions had been exposed for what they were, he smiled. ¡°Perhaps my physique is different from others.¡± However, this only caused Patricia to roll her eyes harder and reply, ¡°Since you are recovering faster than the rest, you definitely have a better physique than others.¡± Er¡¯s eyes were twinkling a mere few seconds ago, but the instant she made that remark, it quickly darkened as if Patricia had told him off. ¡°Alright. I see that your wounds don¡¯t require extra attention anymore. I¡¯ll be heading back to the headquarters first,¡± she announced. And after Patricia had thrown the bandage into the garbage bin, she reminded Er, ¡°Don¡¯t forget to come back for your check-ups.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± he weakly replied, knowing that Patricia was determined to leave. He was reluctant to let her go, and that was why he had purposely told her that his wounds were still in a bad condition just so that he could twist her into staying for a while longer. However, the truth was not something he could hide from her. Patricia frowned and bit her lips. ¡°I¡¯ll get the secretary to remind you of it.¡± After she had spoken, Patricia turned around and was about to leave when she heard Er calling out to her, ¡¯Patricia.¡± It halted her in her tracks for a moment, after which she took a deep breath and strutted away decisively. In truth, she knew that Er still needed someone to take care of him. However, she could not afford to stay there any longer. She could clearly tell that Er was highly dependent on her over the past two days. What she did not want to see was for their rtionship to develop, or else they would risk allowing things to spiral out of control. Upon arriving at the secretary¡¯s desk, Patricia advised the secretary on things to take note of. Then, she left the office. But without realizing it herself, Patricia¡¯s gaze drifted off andnded at Er¡¯s office. ¡°Is there anything else?¡± the secretary softly asked when she saw that Patricia had stopped. ¡°Nothing.¡± Patricia came back to her senses and strode off. What she failed to notice was that Er was at the entrance, looking at her with eyes brimming with sadness. ¡°Sir, you haven¡¯t fully recovered yet. Patricia has ordered me to take good care of you. Please go back to resting,¡± his secretary quickly advised. Seeing that Patricia had entered the elevator, Er lowered his head and looked at his arm. He could not understand why his arm had to heal so quickly. He was still hoping that Patricia could stay, even if just a little longer. Patricia then left BayCorp and headed to Riddle Corporation. ¡°Wait, why are you back? Is Er fine?¡± Lulu was shocked as she looked at Patricia. ¡°His wounds are scabbing. He should be fine.¡± Patricia exined briefly. She did not want to exin much in fear that Lulu might sense that Patricia¡¯s early return was personal. As expected, Lulu could feel that there was something odd after hearing that exnation. Still curious, she proceeded to ask, ¡°But his scabs haven¡¯t healed yet. Didn¡¯t you say that you¡¯d return only once he has fully recovered? Unless the both of you¡­¡± ¡°No. You¡¯re thinking too far.¡± Patricia interrupted, her tone making her sound even more panicky. Lulu blinked her eyes in shock. ¡°I wasn¡¯t thinking too far. I was just wondering if the both of you had an argument.¡± ¡®Why does Patricia seem a little off? Did something really happen?¡¯ Lulu asked herself. ¡°Hold on,¡± Lulu said. The more Lulu thought about it, the weirder Patricia seemed to her. This only fueled her curiosity, prompting her to ask, ¡°What did you think I was implying?¡± Indeed, Patricia¡¯s sudden reaction had made her return seem a lot more suspicious than it already was. Content provided by N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Nothing. I¡¯m going to meet Ms. Riddle and report for work now.¡± Patricia hurried off to Nicole¡¯s office as if to escape Lulu¡¯s scrutiny. ¡°Hey, are you feeling guilty?!¡± Lulu shouted unhappily. They had barely even finished the conversation, and Patricia was already running away. It was obvious to her at this point that Patricia was feeling guilty. Chapter 2818 Chapter 2818 By then, Patricia had already knocked and entered Nicole¡¯s office. Seeing that Patricia had returned, Nicole eximed in shock, ¡°You¡¯re back!¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Patricia replied. ¡°Am I retaining my previous job?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Nicole nodded. Patricia was a little surprised that Nicole did not ask her anything about Er. To confirm if she was seeing it right, she nced at Nicole once again, only to see that she was busy with her work. Relieved, she sighed, turned around, and walked away. What Patricia did not realize was that Nicole had looked up to catch a glimpse of her. The gaze in Nicole¡¯s eyes hinted at her skepticism of her to say the least. Once Patricia had left, Lulu came barging into the office.¡± Nicole, did Patricia mention anything?¡± ¡°No.¡± Nicole shook her head, having not queried Patricia about anything else. A confused Lulu then proceeded to ask, ¡°Why do I feel that something is wrong with Patricia? When I asked her about it, she told me there¡¯s nothing.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Patricia knows what she¡¯s doing.¡± Nicole replied. She was very rxed with the way Patricia handled her affairs. Unwilling to drop the subject, Lulu issued a sigh and continued, ¡°I just can¡¯t help but wonder if the both of them had a conflict. It would be a pity to see them run afoul of each other if that was really the case.¡± The room fell silent for a moment, and that was when Lulu looked at Nicole and concluded, ¡°But you¡¯re right. We can only show her our concern at most. We are in no position to force anything on them.¡± To that, Nicole smiled and said, ¡°It¡¯s almost time for lunch. You should start ordering.¡± Nicole did not feel like eating out, so she did not mind grabbing a bite from theforts of her office. ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll get on it. I¡¯lle over once it¡¯s delivered.¡± Lulu nodded and exited the office shortly. Nicole¡¯s gaze returned to the document, and she began to work again thereafter. When the sun was about to set, Jared and Nicole got off work and brought Nn and Lana home. As expected, the two little ones were moring to meet Tia as soon as they got home. ¡°I¡¯ll bring them there.¡± Nicole smiled and said to Jared. Jared nodded and entered the house. Meanwhile, Nicole went onto take Nn and Lana to the house at the backyard where Tia and Mrs. Wace Sr. resided. ¡°Nicole? What are you guys doing here?¡± Tia asked, feeling a little shocked to find the three of them there. ¡°How¡¯s your leg, Tia?¡± the little ones asked in concern. Nicole looked up and saw Mrs. Wace Sr. who had just stepped out of her room. Knowing what to do, she grabbed the wheelchair and pushed Mrs. Wace Sr. to the couch. ¡°Good evening, great-grandma Wace!¡± Nn and Lana greeted politely.Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g Smitten by the cuteness of the kids, Mrs. Wace Sr. replied dotingly, ¡°Hey, good evening my dears.¡± As Nicole had brought Nn and Lana to Mrs. Wace Sr.¡¯s ce, the room roared to life at once, with all of them chatting andughing to their heart¡¯s content. ¡°Why don¡¯t you guys stick around for dinner tonight?¡± Mrs. Wace Sr. suggested. Nicole then shot Tia a nce and replied, ¡°Sure.¡± Considering the fact that Tia was in no condition to move about, it would not be convenient for her to go all the way to the main part of the Riddle residence, so Nicole decided to stay put and have dinner with them. While they were all eating, Mrs. Wace Sr. asked Nicole, ¡°I heard Stanley¡¯s girlfriend, Cherry, is leaving. Is that true?¡± ¡°Grandma, she has never been Stanley¡¯s girlfriend.¡± Nicole exined, ¡°This entire situation is pretty simple. Stanley has been helping Cherry out. Now that she¡¯s leaving, everything will being to an end.¡± Chapter 2819 Chapter 2819 ¡°So that¡¯s the case.¡± Mrs. Wace Sr. stole a nce at Tia, as if she was relieved to hear that. ¡°Grandma, what made you think of it all of a sudden?¡± Nicole asked, having noticed Mrs. Wace Sr. ¡®s discreet gaze. ¡°Nothing. It¡¯s just a random thought.¡± Mrs. Wace Sr. smiled and changed the topic of conversation. Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org. In truth, however, she was a little worried. She had actually seen Stanley sending Tia home, so she was concerned about the dynamics of their rtionship. Mrs. Wace Sr. had even attempted to remind Tia about the matter, but all she got in exchange was a piece of information which meant nothing out of context: Cherry was leaving. Other than that, Tia had not mentioned anything else. Now that Mrs. Wace Sr. understood the situation in its entirety, her worries began to fade. After Mrs. Wace Sr. had spoken, she snuck another nce at Tia. This time however, her gaze was brimming with pity and concern. Sensing the old woman¡¯s gaze, Tia lowered her head in a hurry. She was petrified, unable to look Mrs. Wace Sr. in the eyes. It was then that Nicole looked at Tia and smiled. ¡°Stanley did say that he will exin everything to the family once Cherry has left.¡± All of a sudden, a nk resounded in the room. Tia¡¯s hands were shaking, and as it turned out, she had dropped the fork she was holding onto, as well as the piece of vegetable skewered on it. Her face was also bright red in embarrassment. ¡°What happened?¡± Nicole asked in a soft voice as she looked at Tia with concern. ¡°Nothing.¡± Tia brushed it off, trying very hard to appear calm, and proceeded to skewer another piece of vegetable. She was stunned for a moment there, and was unable to pinpoint the reason for her reaction. All she felt was a surge of nervousness when she heard that Stanley was going to exin the situation to his family and put the saga behind him once and for all. Nicole smirked. She was very curious as to how Stanley would exin the truth to his entire family. In fact, she was already beginning to wonder how much he was prepared to reveal. Then, there was also the question of whether his exnation would include Tia¡¯s role in all of this, or if he would just stick to addressing his deal with Cherry. After dinner, Nicole brought Nn and Lana back to the main section of Riddle residence. By the time they had reached Nn¡¯s room, it was alreadyte. Due to this, Nicole did not give him any ytime. Instead, she read her kids bedtime stories and tucked them in bed right away. Once the little ones were asleep, Nicole returned to her room. There, Jared was sitting in front of the study table. In a rare instance, he was not using hisputer for once. Instead, he was reading a book. With a smile on her face, she walked up to Jared. ¡°Why are you reading today?¡± ¡°Nothing.¡± Jared ced the book down and turned to look at Nicole. ¡°Nn and Lana are asleep already?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Nicole nodded. ¡°We stayed for quite a while at grandma¡¯s ce. When we came back, they were comining they were tired. So, I read a couple of stories to them and tucked them in bed. They¡¯re fast asleep already.¡± Jared then stood up and grabbed Nicole¡¯s hands, ¡°It¡¯s gettingte. Let¡¯s get some shuteye early tonight.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Nicole replied. After lying down in bed, the both of them cuddled for a moment and drifted off to sleep. The night progressed, tranquil and silent as the moon shone and the stars twinkled in the sable, cloudless sky. In the blink of an eye, two days passed without much incident. On the morning of the third day, the entire family was having breakfast together as usual. However, there was something inexplicably odd about the mood in the dining hall, one borne out of tension and uncertainty. ¡°Stanley, do you have something to tell us?¡± Gloria questioned, unable to hold it in any longer. ¡°Let¡¯s wait a little longer,¡± he replied, bowed his head, and continued eating. ¡®God damn it! He¡¯s a slippery one, isn¡¯t he!? Oh, I know what he¡¯s trying to do! He¡¯s trying to stall. Well, I¡¯ll have him know that he¡¯s not stepping out of the house before he tells me what¡¯s going on,¡¯ Gloria fumed. After a while, Tia came over to pick Nn and Lana up for school. Chapter 2820 Chapter 2820 While waiting for Tia to pick the kids up, Stanley nced at Tia from the back, his gaze strained and intense. ¡°We¡¯re done eating breakfast. What other excuses do you have now?¡± Gloria questioned Stanley with a dour look on her face. ¡°Alright Mom and Dad.¡± Stanley put on a more serious look.¡± This is what actually happened¡­¡± After narrating the entire story to Gloria and Daniel, Stanley felt a huge weight lifted off his shoulders at an instant. Now that he had finally gotten it out of his chest, the family would no longer pester him about Cherry anymore. ¡°So, your rtionship with Cherry has all been an act?¡± Gloria choked. Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org. ¡°Yes.¡± Stanley nodded and apologized. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ve let you down.¡± ¡°But, how are you going to exin this to the Jean family, then?¡± Gloria asked, bing worried sick. She always thought that Stanley was a well-behaved child. The fact that he would engage in something so questionable was something Gloria could notprehend. ¡°We¡¯ll have to see what the family¡¯s attitude toward this is.¡± Stanley continued, knowing that it was not appropriate for him to deceive the Jean family by conspiring with Cherry. Therefore, he had created a n in advance to address the fallout. When the time came, he would take all the me from the Jean family and remain silent. ¡°Oh boy.¡± Daniel sighed. ¡°What if the Jean family chooses not to forgive him?¡± ¡°Mom? Dad? Stanley is not the only one at fault here. Think about it. Cherry is in on this as well, so they can¡¯t just pin all the me on him.¡± Nicole chimed in tofort Daniel and Gloria. Ultimately, Cherry had fled the country without her family¡¯s knowledge. At most, Stanley was just an insider or an aplice. He was not the one who had sent her away. While the Jean family¡¯s anger would be understandable, there would be a limit to how livid they would be, and how much me they could pin on him. ¡°But¡­¡± Gloria looked at Nicole, struggling to find something to say. But before she could, Nicole smiled andforted her,¡± Things have happened. We can¡¯t change anything, so we might as well focus on what we can do.¡± Moreover, it was an agreement which Cherry and Stanley were party to. Their rtionship had never existed to begin with. It was all just a show. Even if Cherry had remained in the country, there was no chance in hell they would both get together. ¡°I think it¡¯s best if I pay the Jean family a visit soon.¡± Daniel sighed. ¡°I¡¯m sure they know the entire story already. We should go over there to show our concern and exin ourselves.¡± ¡°No Dad, let me handle this on my own.¡± Stanley requested. ¡°Forget it. It¡¯s easier for me to persuade them aspared to you.¡± Daniel shook his head. He felt that it was better for the patriarch of the family to show up as the representative and meet the Jean family. Stanley, who did not want Daniel to be roped into this, was about to insist on his position, but before he could, Nicole stopped him and shook her head. Then, she turned to look at Daniel and suggested, ¡°Dad, if they¡¯re still unhappy about this entire fiasco, you may suggest a business coboration as apensation.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not right. We can¡¯t drag thepany in to settle a personal score.¡± Stanley immediately declined. He could not believe that Nicole would even suggest such a thing. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. It will be a partnership that benefits both parties. We will not conduct any business at a loss.¡± Nicole smiled and cheered Stanley up. ¡°That¡¯s right. Do you think we have no standards?¡± Daniel asserted in a rare disy of authoritativeness. Seeing that his family had already decided on what to do, Stanley could only ept their suggestion. ¡°Alright then.¡± ¡°So, you and Cherry were never an item. So, your girlfriend is¡­¡± Gloria asked, attempting to probe for an answer from Stanley. If Cherry was his fake girlfriend, that would mean that Stanley was still single. And if he was, there was a possibility that Gloria would have to set him up on more blind dates. During the previous round, the blind dates were set up together with Emery. And now, Emery was mere weeks away from getting married while Stanley had gotten himself involved in such a huge mess. He was single and alone once again. With all things considered, it was impossible for his family to not be worried about him. ¡°I have a girlfriend. I¡¯ll introduce her to all of you very soon.¡± Stanley stood up. Then, he looked at Gloria, solemn and unsmiling. ¡°Mom, I got this. You don¡¯t have to worry about me.¡± ¡°You have a girlfriend? Since when?¡± Gloria asked, experiencing another shock of her life. ¡®How did I not know about this?¡¯ she wondered. Chapter 2821 Chapter 2821 ¡°I¡¯ll be with her soon.¡± Stanley answered and walked off. His statement left Gloria to mutter while pondering aloud,¡± Soon? Well, that¡¯s not right. Does that mean¡­ This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Stanley, does that mean you don¡¯t have a girlfriend yet?!¡± Gloria yelled upon realizing what was going on. ¡®The nerve of that brat! How dare he lie to me? If what he said is true, doesn¡¯t that mean that he is still single? Why would he even im that he has a girlfriend then?¡¯ Gloria wondered. ¡°Mom, let¡¯s wait for a tad longer. Perhaps what Stanley was trying to say is that he has someone he likes, but that person hasn¡¯t given him a reply.¡± Nicoleforted her mother the instant she saw how sour Gloria¡¯s face was. ¡°That¡¯s right. Since Stanley has been honest enough to reveal this much to us, we should definitely give him some time.¡± Daniel replied, echoing Nicole¡¯s words. ¡°Say what you want, but the issue with the Jean family hasn¡¯t been resolved yet. We can¡¯t simply set him up on a blind date for him now.¡± After issuing a sigh, Gloria asked, ¡°What else can I do?¡± Indeed, due to the situation they had found themselves in, her hands were tied. At the end of the day, it would not be feasible or reasonable for her to arrange more blind dates for Stanley. In addition to that, Gloria was also curious if the girlfriend whom Stanley was referring to actually existed. And even that aforementioned woman did exist, there were still questions as to what sort of person she was. ¡®Is it possible that he¡¯ll do exactly what Cherry did? I have a hunch. I think he¡¯s worried that we¡¯ll not ept her if she isn¡¯t from a family as affluent as ours.¡¯ Gloria thought. Gloria frowned as her anxiety began to strike. ¡®Even if that is really the case, how could Stanley be stupid enough to think that way? When has our family ever cared about status and wealth? When have we ever discriminated?¡¯ ¡°Mom, dad, we¡¯re leaving for work now.¡± Nicole and Jared got up together upon noticing that the air had more or less been cleared. ¡°I¡¯m going to visit the Jean family in a bit,¡± Daniel added, and got up as well. ¡°I¡¯lle with you.¡± Gloria grabbed Daniel¡¯s arm, wanting to apany him. However, it was then that Daniel advised, ¡°The issue is a ratherplicated one. I should go there on my own.¡± Daniel was worried that the Jean family might cause a scene if they ended up not reacting well to his visitation, and subsequently, the ensuing discussion. Therefore, he did not want Gloria to be there to bear the brunt of it if and when it happened. Having understood Daniel¡¯s concerns, Gloria smiled. ¡°Nah, it might perhaps be easier for us to maintain a civil discussion with them if I¡¯m there.¡± Noticing how persistent Gloria was, Daniel was left with no choice but to bring her along with him. In the meantime, Nicole and Jared had already gotten into the car. Nicole, in particr, was leaning against her seat with a smirk on her face. ¡°So, Stanley and Tia aren¡¯t officially an item yet.¡± As ofte, Stanley had done away with all of the shyness and subtlety with his actions, leading Nicole to assume that the both of them were officially in a rtionship now. Yet, the chance of them ending up together seemed probable, considering Stanley¡¯s words. Otherwise, Stanley wouldn¡¯t have brought it up at all. Looking at Nicole, Jared asked in a gentle voice, ¡°What do you know?¡± He could not help but wonder if there was a reasonable basis for Nicole to believe that Stanley and Tia would allow their rtionship to blossom and progress into the next stage. ¡°Everything has led up to this. Stanley knew that if he did not have the balls to confess, the both of them might never see each other again,¡± Nicole replied. Then, she shrugged. In her eyes, the stage had been set, and all they had to do was wait for the right time. Jared smirked in response. He knew that Nicole was worried about her friends and family, which naturally meant that she wanted Tia and Stanley to be happy as well. This was one of the reasons as to why Nicole was invested in the wellbeing of everyone around her. After arriving at the headquarters of Riddle Corporation, Nicole got out of the car. ¡°Wait for me when youe over to pick me up.¡± Jared said, his eyes soft and tender. ¡°Okay.¡± Nicole smiled. Once he was sure that Nicole had entered the office building safely, Jared ordered Max to drive off. As their engine roared to life, Max stated, ¡°Sir, Ms. Riddle has managed to keep herself up to date with Harvey¡¯s ns. You won¡¯t have to worry about it anymore.¡± ¡°Okay. We¡¯ll act ording to her ns. Still, you should get someone to keep an eye on that son of a gun.¡± Jared narrowed his eyes. Since Nicole had nned everything out, including the necessary precautions and countermeasures, Jared¡¯s only role was to ensure her safety by assigning people to watch over her. ¡°Yes.¡± Max replied. ¡°In other news, the Eastern Falcon has been keeping a low profile as ofte. I wonder if they know that they¡¯ve been exposed, hence the cautiousness.¡± ¡°If they maintain their silence, we¡¯ll just continue to keep an eye on them. As for the rest, you may leave it to them.¡± Jared nodded. His eyes were calm with nary a crease on his forehead, as if he had already won the battle. Chapter 2822 Chapter 2822 Perhaps those at Eastern Falcon would let down their guard if Jared¡¯s men loosened up a bit. That way, it would be easier for Zane to conduct his investigations and gather all the needed intel about them. Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org. Understanding Jared¡¯s motives right off the bat, Max nodded and replied, ¡°Understood, sir. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll take care of it.¡± ¡°Great.¡± Jared smiled and leaned back against his seat while looking out of the window. Meanwhile, in the headquarters of Riddle Corporation, both Lulu and Patricia had followed Nicole into the office. ¡°Nicole, we can now finish up on our operations at Ellison Group.¡± Patricia stated calmly. ¡°Okay.¡± Nicole nodded. ¡°It¡¯s about time.¡± ¡°Yeah, I think we should make a move on my end now.¡± Lulu grinned. ¡°Of course.¡± Nicole smirked, knowing it was time for Lulu to do her worst. ¡°Alright, you may sit and wait for the good news from me.¡± Lulu raised her brows. After Lulu had spoken, she turned around and marched out of the office. All the preparations she had been working on for the past few days had been all for this particr moment ¡°Should I follow her?¡± Patricia asked, wanting to help out since she had nothing else to do. However, Nicole shook her head, ¡°It¡¯s fine. Lulu can handle it all by herself. If you¡¯ve nothing else to work on, you may take a break.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Patricia replied, though she continued to remain in the room and wait for updates.Books Chapters Are Daily Updated Join & Stay Updated For All Books Updates¡­ Meanwhile, things were a little different in the headquarters of Ellison Group. ¡°Sir, the funds have been collected and gathered.¡± Lewis entered and reported, his head hanging low. ¡°Alright. We can make our move now.¡± Harvey replied, his gaze dark and cold. ¡°Understood,¡± Lewis nodded, turned around, and left. Harvey then got up and sauntered up to the window. As he gazed at the scenery outside, the air around him turned icy, giving his figure a frosty presence. This time around, he had to win. There was no room for failure. ¡®Jared Johnston? Nicole Riddle? Just the both of you wait. I will not let you have your way.¡¯ Harvey thought. The clock on the wall ticked, and in the blink of an eye, an hour passed. Out of the blue, a frantic series of raps emanated from the door, causing Harvey to frown. ¡°Come in.¡± Lewis then barged into the room, breathless and pale. ¡°Sir, the situation is awful! Our funds have been emptied and the guy who had agreed to invest in us has changed his mind at the veryst minute.¡± At a moment as critical and crucial as this, the funds were an absolute necessity for those at Ellison Group to sustain themselves and keep thepany afloat. Should their investors and stakeholders back out at thest minute, thepany would be in dire straits. ¡°What did you say?!¡± Harvey asked, his eyes wide inplete disbelief. ¡®How did things turn out this way?¡¯ ¡°Sir, please think of something. Otherwise, we¡¯re dead meat. ¡± Lewis stammered, sounding as though he was teetering on the verge of a nervous breakdown. Confused and furious, Harvey red at Lewis and bellowed, ¡°Look into it! Something must have gone wrong.¡± Otherwise, such a thing would not have happened. His n had been meticulously crafted to perfection, so it made no sense as to why the situation had taken a turn for the worse. ¡°Got it.¡± Lewis nodded and hurried off. With the door mming shut, Harvey strode back to his desk and began to think of ways to save the situation. Noon came around soon after, and the sun was bright and hot when Nicole brought Lulu and Patricia out for lunch. ¡°Should we have some fondue? We should definitely get ourselves a treat tomemorate this day.¡± Lulu suggested, her eyes wide in excitement. Chapter 2823 Chapter 2823 ¡°Sure.¡± Nicole agreed, as she did not mind the idea of having anything good for lunch today. The instant the women arrived at the restaurant, they ordered a hot fondue fountain and dug in happily. Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g ¡°Harvey must be doomed this time.¡± Lulu gloated with a smile stered on her face. ¡°I guess so. But well still have to keep our guard up before everything has been sorted out,¡± Nicole reminded them calmly. ¡°Don¡¯t sweat it. We¡¯re at a crucial stage now, so we can¡¯t afford to bex, even if we want to anyway,¡± Lulu replied in a serious tone of voice. ¡°Yes.¡± Nicole nodded. It was not that she doubted what Lulu was capable of; it was just that they had to be extra careful during such a crucial stage, which might make or break their n. After giving it some thought, Lulu added, ¡°Thomas seems to be unusually quiet for the past few days. Is he doing fine?¡± ¡°He¡¯s fine,¡± Nicole answered in a low voice. Indeed, there were no problems on Thomas¡¯ end. All that was guing him was this constant cloud of gloom due to Harvey¡¯s sorry state of affairs. Understanding what Nicole was trying to convey, Lulu opted not to further her queries. Instead, she urged Nicole and Patricia to go ahead and eat up while their fondue was still fresh and tasty. However, it did not take long before their peaceful lunch was interrupted by a call to Patricia¡¯s phone. After getting a nce of the contact number on the screen, Patricia frowned and answered the call. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Patricia? Eliar has been refusing to attend his check-ups. He¡¯s suffering a fever now, and I¡¯m not sure what to do. Do you minding over?¡± Er¡¯s assistant said, sounding helpless and nervous while she was detailing the situation to Patricia. ¡°He¡¯s got a fever?¡± Patricia asked with a shudder in her voice. ¡°Yes. I¡¯m worried that there might be an infection in his wound since he has not been going for any of his checkups,¡± Er¡¯s assistant replied in concern. Annoyed, Patricia sighed. ¡°Why the hell is he not taking care of himself?¡± ¡°What happened?¡± Nicole asked Patricia.Books Chapters Are Daily Updated Join & Stay Updated For All Books Updates¡­ Lulu then nced over at Patricia, sharing Nicole¡¯s curiosity. In response, Patricia simply pocketed her phone and turned to Nicole. ¡°Hey, I¡¯m heading to BayCorp for a moment.¡± ¡°Why are you going there?¡± Lulu asked, her eyebrows raised in curiosity. ¡°Er is having a fever, and we¡¯re not sure if he is having an infection in his wound or not. I¡¯m going to have a look.¡± Patricia stated. Though she seemed calm on the surface, her voice betrayed the anxiety she was actually feeling. ¡°Alright, you should go and check on him.¡± Nicole nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll get going then.¡± Patricia got up and hurried off. Having seen how hurried Patricia was, Lulu turned to Nicole with a smirk stered on her face. ¡°Look at how panicky she is. She must be worried.¡± ¡°A wound infection can be major, though,¡± Nicole reminded, although she was also amused by the situation. If anyone should know about this, it was Patricia. ¡°Oh well.¡± Lulu inched closer to Nicole and lowered her voice into a whisper. ¡°Do you think it¡¯s possible that Er is just acting?¡± Upon hearing the question, Nicole frowned. ¡°Why do you say so?¡± ¡°Er is already an adult. He also has his own assistant, so the idea that he has fallen sick makes no sense.¡± Lulu exined, unable to shake the hunch that Er was putting himself through misery to get Patricia¡¯s attention. However, Nicole shook her head. ¡°If he tricks Patricia, he will never get to see her anymore.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Lulu frowned. Still, Lulu could tell that Patricia was genuinely worried about Er, even though the situation should not be as severe as Patricia had yed it out to be. After Patricia had left the restaurant, she sped off and arrived at BayCorp soon after. The instant she entered Er¡¯s office, she marched up to the assistant and asked, ¡°How is he?¡± Chapter 2824 Chapter 2824 Er, however, was pleasantly surprised as he did not expect her to show up. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± An angry Patricia nced over at Er and chided, ¡°Did you even bother to take care of yourself?¡± ¡°I-¡± Er lowered his head like a kid who had done something wrong. ¡°I forgot about it.¡± Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org. ¡°Forgot about what?¡± Patricia raised her voice. ¡°Didn¡¯t your assistant remind you?¡± The notion that he had forgotten about his checkup was ridiculous at best. Even if he had indeed allowed the checkup to slip off his mind, his assistant would not have. ¡°Come on. Trust me, I¡¯m fine. I¡¯ll recover after two days.¡± Er replied, acting as though the issue was a trivial one. However, his head was still bowed as he did not dare to look Patricia in the eye. ¡°You have wounds on you, and you know that you have a fever. Have you ever considered the possibility that the condition might not be as simple as you think it is, you imbecile?¡± Patricia yelled, unable to contain herself. What if the fever is caused by an infection on the wound?¡¯ she thought. ¡°I¡¯m really fine. See.¡± Er pulled his sleeves up to show Patricia his wounds. ¡°My wounds are fine. I most probably caught a cold and got feverish as a result. I¡¯ll be fine in two days.¡± However, Patricia had a different observation. She had noticed that the skin around Er¡¯s wounds were red and swollen. The very sight of it made her frown even deeper. Then, Patricia gritted her teeth, and without giving him the option to back out, she stated, ¡°I¡¯m bringing you to the hospital. We¡¯re going at this very second.¡± Er gulped. He already had half the mind to decline Patricia, but he swallowed his words before he could even utter them. Ultimately, he conceded to her demand. ¡°Okay.¡± Patricia then brought Er to the hospital. As expected, while the doctor was examining Er, he frowned. ¡°You had an appointment for a checkup days ago. Why didn¡¯t you show up?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve forgotten about it.¡± Er nced over at Patricia as he replied in a low voice. ¡°But you already had a booking. How could you forget?¡± the doctor asked in confusion. After a momentary pause, Er exined. ¡°I drive myself around. I was about toe over forthat appointment on that day, but I had to take care of something on the way here. By the time I had sorted it out, I had forgotten about it.¡± In response, the doctor reprimanded, ¡°In that case, I must advise you to not be so careless next time. Look at your wound. It¡¯s already infected. This means that you have not been recovering well. You better get some rest. Also¡­¡± The doctor went on to give Er a bunch of advice. Meanwhile, Patricia looked at Er and began to frown.¡¯ What was so important that he got distracted while he was on the way here? And he even forgot about it in the end too!¡¯ Seeing that the doctors were checking on Er while the nurses were cleaning his wound, she quietly exited the room. ¡°What happened? Tell me,¡± Patricia asked the security detail who was assigned to protect Er in secret.Books Chapters Are Daily Updated Join & Stay Updated For All Books Updates¡­ ¡°He really did leave for the hospital that day. But on the way there, he bumped into you and decided to tail you. Perhaps you were busy with something important, so you did not notice him. After about ten minutes, you went to Riddle Corporation, while he returned to BayCorp,¡± the man exined, stunning Patricia. ¡°So, he just followed me around with no clear aim or reason? ¡± she asked. Indeed, he had done so, and had totally forgotten about his own appointment when he saw Patricia returning to the Riddle Corporation. ¡°Yeah. After he forgot about that appointment, his assistant decided to book him another session. But then, he said there was no need for it anymore as he was feeling a lot better. He even said he would recover once the scab in his wounds fall off after two days. But because he ended up contracting a fever yesterday, his assistant had no choice but to call you,¡± the security detail concluded. Having a clear idea of the situation now, Patricia sighed. ¡®Is he that stupid?¡¯ If he missed one appointment, he could always make another one after all. As such, it was ludicrous that he had opted not to do so entirely. In addition, there was no rhyme or reason in him following her around. It was clear at this point that he did not have his priorities in order. After a while, the door to the ward opened and Er walked out with freshly treated wounds. Patricia could not help but roll her eyes at him when she saw how pale he was. ¡°Now, I assume you should know how painful it is?¡± She knew that an infection of such sort was even more painful to treat than the wound itself when it was freshly inflicted. He had really dug himself the hole he was in this time. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Er replied through gritted teeth, still attempting to act tough. He could not allow Patricia to look down on him. For a man like him, a wound like this was nothing, or so he thought. ¡°God help me.¡± Patricia rolled her eyes again. Needless to say, she was annoyed, for he had the gall to put on a front even after he had gotten himself into this mess. ¡°You must rest when you are back home. And please, don¡¯t forget about your next check-up,¡± the nurse reminded Er. Chapter 2825 Chapter 2825 Er nced over at Patricia for a moment, after which he looked at the nurse and replied, ¡°I got it.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go. I¡¯ll send you back.¡± Patricia issued a sigh of relief. Then, she turned around and began walking away. As for Er, he quickly ran after her and joined her with a smile on his face. He had not expected her to show up, but he was overjoyed to see her, nheless. It was as if his pain had be a little more bearable. Curious, Patricia tilted her head and looked at Er. ¡°You¡¯re in so much pain, and yet you can still smile.¡± ¡°Oh. Can I say that I¡¯ve been pretty happy since you got here? ¡± Er replied. ¡°You must havee because you¡¯re worried about me, right?¡± This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org. The fact that she had personally driven over to BayCorp to check on him touched him, and just like that, he was distracted from all that pain he was feeling. Patricia was left dumbfounded for a moment, whereupon she gritted her teeth and feigned coldness toward him. ¡°No one is worried about you. But since you¡¯ve sustained the injury for me, I was obligated to check on you.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Er bowed his head, his eyes downcast. ¡®So, Patricia isn¡¯t here because she¡¯s worried about me.¡¯ That was also why she wanted to set clear boundaries with Er. Looking at how sour his face looked as he pouted, Patricia became annoyed. ¡®This dude is a piece of work. The way he¡¯s pouting is funny yet annoying at the same time.¡¯ ¡°Let¡¯s head back to the office first.¡± Patricia refocused herself and floored the gas. With a sigh, Er followed her back to his headquarters. They arrived at BayCorp in short order, and Patricia was about to leave when she noticed how pitiful Er looked, much like a puppy which had been abandoned at the side of the street. This amused her, and she forwent the urge to tell him that she wanted to go. After scanning through the documents on Er¡¯s desk, Patricia picked them up and said, ¡°The doctor has spoken. You are to get some rest for the time being. Leave this aside for now.¡±Books Chapters Are Daily Updated Join & Stay Updated For All Books Updates¡­ After she had spoken, Patricia brought the documents with her and strode in and out of his office. Er was left blinking as he stared at her silhouette from a few feet away and only came to his senses after about thirty seconds. ¡®Is she staying?¡¯ Er asked himself, bing so excited that he almost screamed. In a strange twist of events, he had gained something good from this incident after all. As long as Patricia stayed, Er felt that whatever pain he was in was worth putting up with. The more Er thought about it, the happier he became. By the end of it, he could not help butugh in silence. But then again, Er had not expected Patricia toe over to check on him, so he caught himself by surprise again and choked on his own saliva. Then, he began to cough. Upon noticing how serious his coughing fit was, Patricia red at him and said, ¡°Don¡¯t think about anything else. Just lie down and get some rest, will you?¡± Er nodded in response. After Patricia had walked out of his office, he recovered from his coughing fit and breathed a deep sigh. Then, he looked out of the window to see what she was doing, and upon getting a good look of it, he grinned andid himself down on the couch. Patricia was outside, sifting through Er¡¯s documents after she had found herself an empty office space. Fortunately, she had studied all the cases, so they were all a walk in the park for her. With Patricia here, Er¡¯s assistant breathed a sigh of relief, and quietly went back to her desk thereafter. Meanwhile, Nicole and Lulu had eaten their lunch and were on their way back to their offices. The moment Nicole received the updates from BayCorp, she smiled. ¡°Er shouldn¡¯t be in bad shape, right?¡± Lulu asked out of concern. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Patricia will be watching him.¡± Nicole strode into the office, not worried about Er at all. Then, Lulu shrugged. ¡®That¡¯s true. Patricia is already there, so even if anything happens to Er, he should be fine. A busy afternoon ensued, and once the clock had struck six, Lulu came in again. ¡°Time¡¯s up. Let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Nicole replied, stood up, and followed Lulu out of the building. After they had left the building, they saw that Jared and Spencer had already arrived. ¡°I¡¯ll go first.¡± Lulu waved toward Spencer. Then, she turned around to look at Nicole to bid her goodbye for the day. Chapter 2826 Chapter 2826 ¡°Bye.¡± Nicole replied and shed her a smile. Nicole waited for Lulu and Spencer to leave, after which she got into Jared¡¯s car. Then, she smiled and looked at Jared. ¡°Have you been waiting for quite a while now?¡± ¡°Not really.¡± Jared held her hands with an affectionate look etched on his face. With nothing but the humming of the engine around them, Nicole rested her head on Jared¡¯s shoulder and sighed. ¡°The entire fiasco with Harvey shoulde to an end tomorrow.¡± ¡°Are you unhappy about it?¡± Jared looked at Nicole. ¡°It¡¯s not that. I just feel that Thomas might need some time to adjust.¡± Nicole replied, feeling bad for Thomas. Jared¡¯s tone, however, was cold when he replied, ¡°I think the one who may need some time before he could face his family is Harvey.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Nicole turned to Jared in confusion. ¡®What does he mean?¡¯ ¡°Thomas will not stop you from doing this, but he will not sever ties with Harvey.¡± Jared borated. With a frown, Nicole asked, ¡°You mean Thomas will still arrange a backup n for Harvey?¡± If that was the case, things would take a turn for the worse for Nicole if Harvey did not learn his lesson. ¡°Do you think Thomas has the heart to let Harvey go broke?¡± Jared calmly replied with a question on his own.Books Chapters Are Daily Updated Join & Stay Updated For All Books Updates¡­ After giving it some thought, Nicole nodded. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s true.¡± Jared¡¯s analysis was logical. If Thomas was capable of being rational and cold-hearted enough to let go of Harvey, the current Harvey would not have existed in the first ce. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Even so, Thomas has his own boundaries.¡± Jaredforted Nicole. At the very least, Thomas was willing to cooperate with them, so the sess of Nicole¡¯s n was almost a certainty. ¡°Okay.¡± Nicole smiled, feeling assured by this. The moment they arrived at the Riddle residence, they noticed that Lana was watching television alone in the living room. On the other hand, Nn was missing, prompting Nicole to nce over at the flight of stairs. Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org. ¡°Nn has returned to his room.¡± Gloria said, knowing what Nicole was thinking. ¡°Okay,¡± she nodded and made a beeline for the couch with Jared beside her. The second Lana saw her parents, she lifted her arms and called out to Jared in her shrill little voice. ¡°Daddy!¡± ¡°Why haven¡¯t you gone upstairs?¡± Jared smiled and lifted Lana up. ¡°I was waiting for you and mommy toe back.¡± Lana replied, her voice crisp and clear. Nicole pinched Lana¡¯s nose and said, ¡°I think your dad is the only person you miss.¡± It was obvious that this little one only had her eyes for Jared, even though she did not fail to mention that she missed Nicole too. ¡°Hehe, I miss you too, Mommy.¡± Lana nted a kiss on Nicole¡¯s cheek. ¡°You¡¯re really a cheeky one,¡± Nicole teased. Jared then patted Lana in the head. ¡°Do you still want to continue watching TV?¡± ¡°No, I want to see Nn.¡± Lana kicked her legs up in the air, prompting Jared to put her down. ¡°Grandpa, Grandma, Mommy and Daddy? You may eat first. I¡¯ll head upstairs now.¡± After Lana had spoken, she raced her way up to the second floor to find Nn, leaving nothing but the pitter patter of her little feet for them to hear. ¡°Aw, this little girl.¡± Gloria smiled. ¡°Oh, you guys are all here.¡± Stanley called out upon entry. After he had greeted them, he sauntered to the couch area. As she had visited Cherry¡¯s parents earlier, Daniel looked at Stanley and said, ¡°We visited the Jean family today. They are still upset, but they do not me you for it.¡± ¡°So, they¡¯re not going to forgive Cherry?¡± Stanley frowned, understanding what Daniel meant. ¡°I guess they are still struggling to ept the reality of it all. Give them some time.¡± Gloria added. ¡°Cherry probably hasn¡¯t settled down yet, so I think she is not going to contact them yet.¡± Stanley paused for a moment. ¡°As long as she and her man are happy together, I am sure the Jean family will slowlye around.¡± Chapter 2827 Chapter 2827 ¡°Rest assured, we have taken care of it. There will be assistance for them over there,¡± Nicole reminded Stanley. This surprised Stanley, who proceeded to ask, ¡°You¡¯ve done all this?¡± He knew that it must be Nicole¡¯s intention, and Jared helped arrange it. ¡°She¡¯s our friend now, so we should help if we can,¡± Nicole said with a casual smile. After all, it was just a tiny favor, so she Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g ¡°That¡¯s good. Perhaps, things will get better forthem sooner thanter,¡± Gloria said with relief. Daniel then nced over at Stanley and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Since we¡¯ve already done her this favor, we should support her all the way.¡± ¡°Yeah, I understand,¡± Stanley replied. They had decided to support Cherry, especially in this new period of transition. As long as everything went smoothly for her, her family might find it easier to forgive her. In fact, Stanley admired Cherry for the courage and the determination she had disyed. She was willing to make such a significant decision for her love life by taking control of it for once. Ever since he had gotten to know her, he too hade to the gradual realization that he should also fight for himself and not allow any regrets to manifest in his life. He understood now that failure was not tantamount to regret. The real regrets were the unspoken words that woulde back to haunt him many yearster. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s all have our dinner,¡± Gloria called out to everyone. The family then proceeded to enjoy their meal happily. ¡°Has Emery¡¯s engagement date been set?¡± Nicole asked Gloria. ¡°It¡¯s on the eighth of next month. Emma has reached out to ask me for help.¡± Gloria smiled. To that, Nicole nodded in approval. ¡°That¡¯s good. After all, you¡¯re experienced in this regard.¡± ¡°Haha, that¡¯s true,¡± Gloria agreed, having been managing the engagements and weddings of all of her sons for a long time now, ¡°All these happy events happening at a consecutive rate may just rid the family of any unhappiness.¡± Nicole sighed.Books Chapters Are Daily Updated Join & Stay Updated For All Books Updates¡­ After a moment of hesitation, Daniel asked, ¡°Is there still no news regarding Everett?¡± ¡°Nope.¡± Nicole shook her head. She had not informed her parents about Everett¡¯s escape at all. Not intent on pressing any further, Gloria sighed. ¡°Is he nning to live in exile forever?¡± ¡°Well know soon,¡± Nicole replied and changed the subject.¡± By the way, has Grandpa been informed about Emery¡¯s engagement?¡± ¡°Not yet. But Emma did say that we should all go to the family manor to break the news to him in a few days. It¡¯ll be a good time to talk about Emery¡¯s engagement then,¡± Gloria exined. ¡°That¡¯s good. Let¡¯s pay grandpa a visit in a few days then.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Everyone continued engaging in merry chatter while eating, and before they realized it, dinner had already ended. Then, they all went to the second floor and retired to their respective rooms. As for Nicole and Jared, they went to Nn¡¯s room and found him ying the puzzle game the instant they saw him. ¡°Mommy, I feel like I¡¯m about to clear the level, but it¡¯s getting harder. Can you help me out once I¡¯ve reached that point?¡± Nn asked as soon as he saw Nicoleing in. Nicole narrowed her eyes as she walked over to theputer. ¡°You need my help to clear the level?¡± ¡®It¡¯s just a puzzle game. Could the final level really be that difficult?¡¯ she wondered. ¡°Yeah,¡± Nn nodded inplete seriousness. ¡°I¡¯m starting to find it challenging now, but it¡¯s still manageable.¡± Just as they were talking, a message popped up on Nn¡¯sputer. Upon ncing over, Nicole found that it was a message from Lawrence. ¡°Godpa?¡± Nn frowned. ¡°Why is Godpa messaging me? Is something wrong?¡± While he was muttering those words, he had already begun replying to Lawrence. [What¡¯s up, Godpa?] Chapter 2828 Chapter 2828 [Nothing much. What have you been busy withtely?] Lawrence asked, appearing to be genuinely concerned. [Oh, I¡¯ve been ying games] Nn responded. Then, he corrected himself by saying, [ying games with my little sister.] [Alright, you should spend more time with your sister¡­] In the meantime, Nicole was squinting as she observed the exchange between the two. There seemed to be nothing problematic with Lawrence, but she could not shake the feeling that there was something fishy about him contacting Nn at this hour. Lawrence then went on to engage in idle chatter with Nn for a while longer before logging off. However, Nicole¡¯s frown only deepened. ¡®Is Lawrence really concerned about Nn? Is that why he is reaching out and chatting with the boy?¡¯ ¡°Mommy, any progress on the investigation from before?¡± Nn looked up and asked Nicole. ¡°Not yet. Perhaps well have to wait until you¡¯ve cleared the final level to discover the answers we¡¯ve been looking for,¡± she replied. She had a hunch that clearing this game would reveal the truth about the game. ¡°Oh.¡± Nn nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll let you know in advance when I¡¯ve gotten there, Mommy.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Nicole smiled, and patted Nn in the head softly. Pleased, Nn smiled and proceeded to busy himself with another level. Nicole then took Jared to Lana¡¯s room. They already had a clear understanding of the situation Nn had found himself in, so there was not much for them to worry about now. They just needed to wait for Nn to reach the final stage. Perhaps then they would finally understand the true purpose behind this game. ¡°Daddy, Mommy?¡± Lana called out while she fiddled with the storybook in her hand. [Nothing much. What have you been busy withtely?] Lawrence asked, appearing to be genuinely concerned. [Oh, I¡¯ve been ying games] Nn responded. Then, he corrected himself by saying, [ying games with my little sister.] [Alright, you should spend more time with your sister¡­] In the meantime, Nicole was squinting as she observed the exchange between the two. There seemed to be nothing problematic with Lawrence, but she could not shake the feeling that there was something fishy about him contacting Nn at this hour. Lawrence then went on to engage in idle chatter with Nn for a while longer before logging off. However, Nicole¡¯s frown only deepened. ¡®Is Lawrence really concerned about Nn? Is that why he is reaching out and chatting with the boy?¡¯ ¡°Mommy, any progress on the investigation from before?¡± Nn looked up and asked Nicole. ¡°Not yet. Perhaps well have to wait until you¡¯ve cleared the final level to discover the answers we¡¯ve been looking for,¡± she replied. She had a hunch that clearing this game would reveal the truth about the game. ¡°Oh.¡± Nn nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll let you know in advance when I¡¯ve gotten there, Mommy.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Nicole smiled, and patted Nn in the head softly. Pleased, Nn smiled and proceeded to busy himself with another level. Nicole then took Jared to Lana¡¯s room. They already had a clear understanding of the situation Nn had found himself in, so there was not much for them to worry about now. They just needed to wait for Nn to reach the final stage. Perhaps then they would finally understand the true purpose behind this game. ¡°Daddy, Mommy?¡± Lana called out while she fiddled with the storybook in her hand. She went on to demand they read her a story when she saw them approaching her, to which Jared responded by grabbing it and narrating one of the stories to her. N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content. As it was gettingte, the couple took care of Nn and Lana before calling it a night. And once the little ones were asleep, Nicole and Jared returned to their room. ¡°Lawrence messaged Nn today. Could he be testing him? ¡± Nicole asked, finally voicing her concern. ¡°It¡¯s possible.¡± Jared¡¯s gaze darkened. If the one who had created the game was indeed Lawrence, he probably wanted to know Nn¡¯s progress and how far the boy had gone. ¡°But he didn¡¯t mention anything to Nn. How could he know?¡± Nicole frowned and wondered aloud. If the person who had sent Nn the game was Lawrence, she had to admit that she had found nothing particrly suspicious in his words. If it was not Lawrence, however, she would be left to figure out who else would have the motive and resources to pull a game like that off. Even if it were a coincidence, it still made no sense that everything seemed to align so perfectly. What was certain was that the one who had created the game possessed detailed information about both her and Nn. It would not be a piece of cake for anyone to know anything about Nn beyond the superficial, even if they managed to dredge up Nicole¡¯s history. Furthermore, they seemed to be privy to Nn¡¯s aptitude in hacking, which left Lawrence as the only possible perpetrator. Nicole bit her lips in frustration as her gaze darkened. Unfortunately, their investigation had yet to yield any strong evidence or results. In all likelihood, they would onlye to learn what the truth was once Nn had cleared the game. Upon noticing how tense she was, Jared gently held Nicole¡¯s hand. ¡°Well find out eventually.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Nicole nodded. She was convinced that there would be traces and evidence left behind once something had been done. A tired Jared then caressed her hair and kissed her on the forehead. ¡°It¡¯s gettingte. Let¡¯s go to bed.¡± There was no sense in racking her brain thinking about what the game was and who actually created it, so it was better for her to drop it for now and wait patiently. After letting out a sigh, Nicole led Jared toward the bed. Indeed, the truth was not something they would be able to figure out right now, so they had to leave it to time, and curiously, she believed that they would not have to wait for too long¡­ She went on to demand they read her a story when she saw them approaching her, to which Jared responded by grabbing it and narrating one of the stories to her. As it was gettingte, the couple took care of Nn and Lana before calling it a night. And once the little ones were asleep, Nicole and Jared returned to their room. ¡°Lawrence messaged Nn today. Could he be testing him? ¡± Nicole asked, finally voicing her concern. ¡°It¡¯s possible.¡± Jared¡¯s gaze darkened. If the one who had created the game was indeed Lawrence, he probably wanted to know Nn¡¯s progress and how far the boy had gone. ¡°But he didn¡¯t mention anything to Nn. How could he know?¡± Nicole frowned and wondered aloud. If the person who had sent Nn the game was Lawrence, she had to admit that she had found nothing particrly suspicious in his words. If it was not Lawrence, however, she would be left to figure out who else would have the motive and resources to pull a game like that off. Even if it were a coincidence, it still made no sense that everything seemed to align so perfectly. What was certain was that the one who had created the game possessed detailed information about both her and Nn. It would not be a piece of cake for anyone to know anything about Nn beyond the superficial, even if they managed to dredge up Nicole¡¯s history. Furthermore, they seemed to be privy to Nn¡¯s aptitude in hacking, which left Lawrence as the only possible perpetrator. Nicole bit her lips in frustration as her gaze darkened. Unfortunately, their investigation had yet to yield any strong evidence or results. In all likelihood, they would onlye to learn what the truth was once Nn had cleared the game. Upon noticing how tense she was, Jared gently held Nicole¡¯s hand. ¡°Well find out eventually.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Nicole nodded. She was convinced that there would be traces and evidence left behind once something had been done. A tired Jared then caressed her hair and kissed her on the forehead. ¡°It¡¯s gettingte. Let¡¯s go to bed.¡± There was no sense in racking her brain thinking about what the game was and who actually created it, so it was better for her to drop it for now and wait patiently. After letting out a sigh, Nicole led Jared toward the bed. Indeed, the truth was not something they would be able to figure out right now, so they had to leave it to time, and curiously, she believed that they would not have to wait for too long¡­ Chapter 2829 Chapter 2829 The next morning, the sun shone warm and bright. After breakfast, everyone gradually left the house. On the way to the headquarters, Nicole received a call from Lulu. ¡°Harvey¡¯s financial chain has copsedpletely, and I heard he¡¯s going crazy!¡± N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content. A smile crossed Nicole¡¯s face the instant she heard how excited Lulu was about this development. ¡°Keep a close eye on him. As soon as he announces the suspension of any project, give me an immediate follow-up.¡± ¡°Of course,¡± Lulu responded. After ending the call, a re of determination crossed Nicole¡¯s eyes. They had been preparing for this day for the longest time. Meanwhile, at the Ellison Group, the air in Harvey¡¯s office had be so tense and oppressive that it had be difficult for all who were present to breathe. Harvey¡¯s assistant was in there staring at him anxiously, struggling to find the right words to say. ¡°Idiots! You bunch of idiots and mindless sycophants!¡± Harvey bellowed, livid at everyone.Books Chapters Are Daily Updated Join & Stay Updated For All Books Updates¡­ And for the first time in a long time, he truly felt the coldness of the world. To add salt to the wound, those who used to tter him and hispany were now avoiding him. ¡°But we are on the verge of copse, Mr. Ellison. What should we do?¡± the assistant asked, his voice brimming with nervousness. This was not the time for Harvey to vent his frustrations. They needed toe up with a n, or else¡­ ¡°What should we do? What should we do?! If I knew the answer off the top of my head, why the hell would I still bother hiring you imbeciles?!¡± Harvey roared in frustration, causing his assistant to shrivel and shrink in silence at once. At that moment, he could not think of any solutions either. They had nned everything to the dot, and yet, their ns had all culminated in disaster again. They now understood that Nicole had discovered their n in advance and had thwarted them without so much as a word of warning. By the time they realized that something was amiss, it was already too late. Needless to say, Ellison Group would struggle tremendously to ovee this crisis, unless¡­ ¡°Mr. Ellison? Perhaps you should pay the chairman a visit. He might have a solution.¡± His assistant¡¯s eyes lit up as the idea dawned upon him. At such a time of crisis, it was a certainty to them that Thomas would not just sit and watch the corporation copse under the weight of all its problems. With a darkened gaze, Harvey narrowed his eyes. ¡®See my grandpa?¡¯ ¡°Please don¡¯t hesitate to do so during such a critical juncture, Mr. Ellison,¡± his assistant reminded upon noticing Harvey¡¯s reluctance, ¡°We don¡¯t have much time left, and at this point, the chairman is probably the only person who has our back.¡± This time, they hade to witness that the world of business andmerce was rife with opportunists who would drop them at the first sign of trouble. Having seemed to have figured it out, Harvey stood up.¡± Let¡¯s go.¡± Indeed, at this moment, there seemed to be no other option avable to them. If Thomas was not willing to see the Ellison Group copse under the weight of its crisis, he would do well to stand by Harvey¡¯s side, even if he did not want to. Soon after, Harvey, apanied by his assistant, arrived at Royal Creek Institute, where Thomas resided. ¡°You¡¯re here.¡± Thomas calmly looked at Harvey. ¡°Here, have a seat.¡± Harvey could not help himself from furrowing his brows the moment his grandfather greeted him. It seemed to him that Thomas was already expecting him. ¡®How could he be so calm?¡¯ he wondered. Chapter 2830 Chapter 2830 ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me that you¡¯ve returned?¡± Harvey gritted his teeth, feigning calmness and composure. ¡°I didn¡¯t tell you, but you still found out, didn¡¯t you?¡± Thomas retorted. Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g Rendered speechless, Harvey was forced to change the subject. ¡°Since you¡¯re back, I must inform you that Ellison Group is facing an issue now, and we need your help.¡± Thomas nced over at Harvey and pushed the document on the table in front of him to his grandson. ¡°Take a look at this first. If you agree to the terms and conditions, I¡¯ll help you out. If not, you may look for another solution.¡± It was then that Harvey realized that Thomas was privy to everything that had been transpiring. ¡®So that was why he looked so calm when I came over. He was expecting me.¡¯ Harvey opened the document and studied it, but after he had understood the contents, he became furious and shouted, ¡°Are you insane?! Why would you let Nicole oversee Ellison Group?!¡± What am I then? A dog who¡¯ll be forced to be subservient to Nicole and obey her everymand?!¡¯ he fumed. ¡°No worries. You¡¯ll still get to manage Ellison Group. However, if you do anything to sabotage it or Riddle Corporation, everything you currently own will automatically be transferred to Nicole. Think it over. Will you agree to the terms or not?¡± Thomas remained calm and staunch, disying no intention of changing his stance. Knowing Harvey, this was the best decision he could make after much careful consideration. If he stood by and did nothing, Harvey would simply refuse to concede defeat, forcing Nicole to bring him down even more brutally. That oue was something he did not wish to witness. As long as he had the power to do so, he hoped to ensure Harvey¡¯s safety. Perhaps he had made the mistake of acting on his guilt over the distant past. After all, if it were not for him, Harvey¡¯s childhood would not have been rife with pain and dysfunction. That was why he was willing topensate Harvey in every possible way. Besides, the only thing he could do for him now was to preserve what he currently owned. Obviously, the reason as to why Harvey had turned out to be a wicked and incorrigible brat was because he had spoiled him rotten and given in to his demands every time when they were younger. Otherwise, none of this would happen. This was why Thomas had made this decision, as difficult as it was. Once Harvey had penned his signature on the document, he would bepelled to think twice before he did anything in the foreseeable future, allowing him to know his ce. s, while Thomas was doing everything he could for Harvey¡¯s sake, his manchild of a grandson neither able to see it nor ept it.Books Chapters Are Daily Updated Join & Stay Updated For All Books Updates¡­ Shocked, he stared at Thomas and asked, ¡°Why would you rather give everything to Nicole?¡± He thought that Thomas had the decency to not just watch as thepany he had worked so hard to build fell apart, even if he was bitter and angry at him. But little did he expect that his grandfather would proceed to deny him any help and give thepany to Nicole. While it was true that Harvey had seized Ellison Group, he believed that thepany was what Thomas owed him and his parents. Thus, he failed to see what was wrong in taking it back and reiming it for himself. As things stood, however, Thomas seemed more than willing to give everything to an outsider rather than to his own grandson. Thomas could only sigh when he saw how enraged Harvey looked. Thetter had failed to see that Thomas was just looking out for him. ¡®Forget it. If he fails to understand now, he wille to the realization someday,¡¯ he thought. Even if Nicole managed to acquire Ellison Group, she would not want it for herself. The act of putting her name on all the assets in thepany was simply a deterrent to keep Harvey at bay. He believed that Nicole would not go out of her way to make Harvey¡¯s life a living hell if he did not act out of line. However, this was also his wishful thinking. As to whether Nicole would agree with that sentiment or not, he was not and could not be certain. After all, Harvey had given her grief on more than one asion, so it would not be a stretch to say that she would not forgive him with ease. Then, Thomas¡¯s expression became stern as he drew a deep breath. ¡°You only have two choices now. Either you sign it or you don¡¯t.¡± Just as Harvey was about to offer a rebuke, Thomas spoke out again, this time to offer him a faint reminder.¡± Remember, you have no right to question any of my decisions now.¡± Upon witnessing the change in his grandfather, Harvey was instantly left perplexed with his mouth agape. It was as if the old man had returned to his past self. Though Thomas seemed approachable and calm, he also exuded an air of decisiveness, resourcefulness, and sternness. It was clear to Harvey now that this entire fiasco had begun ever since he staged thepany takeover and kicked Thomas to the curb, causing the old man¡¯s personality to change along with their rtionship. It had been a long time, and through the thick of it all, he had almost forgotten what kind of person his grandfather truly was. Chapter 2831 Chapter 2831 ¡°Mr. Ellison, why don¡¯t you¡­ just sign it?¡± the assistant timidly advised. At this point, they had been left with no other way out. By signing the document, they could at least retain ownership over Ellison Group, allowing Harvey to continue managing thepany so long as he did not step out of line. Even with Nicole serving as the additional overseer from then on, it would not affect thepany¡¯s operation. Meanwhile, Thomas remained tight lipped. After the assistant was done advising Harvey, who was speechless and unresponsive, he backed off and maintained his silence. For the next few minutes, the room became exceptionally quiet, creating a somewhat palpable tension. Eventually, Harvey picked the pen up, ced his signature on the nk section, and threw the pen down before leaving briskly. Thomas then sighed, feeling a sense of relief as he watched Harvey¡¯s figure recede from view. At the very least, he had dealt with one half of the problem. Now, the rest would be up to Nicole. With the document in hand, Thomas left Royal Creek Institute and headed to Riddle Corporation. ¡°Mr. Ellison, didn¡¯t you say you wouldn¡¯t interfere with this matter and would just wait for the results?¡± Lulu looked at Thomas with some concern, worried that Nicole would be in a difficult position if he was here to plead on Harvey¡¯s behalf.Books Chapters Are Daily Updated Join & Stay Updated For All Books Updates¡­ ¡°Why yes, but the result I wanted has already been achieved, ¡± Thomas replied, calm and indifferent as he looked at Nicole. ¡°Can I talk to you for a second?¡± ¡°Lulu, ask the secretary to prepare a cup of coffee for Mr. Ellison,¡± Nicole ordered. ¡°Alright.¡± Lulu nodded and left promptly. Soon after, the secretary brought the coffee in, and once she had ced it down on the table, she left. Lulu did not return as well, giving Nicole and Thomas the privacy to discuss the issue concerning Harvey. ¡°Mr. Ellison? What would you like to discuss with me?¡± Nicole asked directly. ¡°Take a look at this.¡± Thomas ced the document in front of Nicole. Nicole took the document out of its folder, and after perusing its contents, she frowned. ¡°Are you sure about this? It ¡°He has already signed it,¡± Thomas replied. ¡°But¡­¡± Nicole stuttered, feeling a little hesitant. ¡°I don¡¯t want ownership over Ellison Group.''¡± ¡®That¡¯s why I chose you.¡± Thomas smiled. ¡°It¡¯s because you don¡¯t want thepany. I have done all of this to spare us further trouble and heartache, teach Harvey a lesson, and have you watch over him.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you watch over him yourself?¡± Nicole protested.¡± In fact, after this seeds, everything under Ellison Group will return to you, Mr. Ellison.¡± That was the oue she had nned, and Lulu¡¯s deployment had been nothing short of sessful as well. In fact, everything would soon be settled once and for all. However, Thomas simply shook his head. ¡°I can¡¯t watch over him, and it¡¯s challenging to restrain him. You¡¯re the only one who can do it.¡± ¡°So, in the end, you still gave in,¡± Nicole said meaningfully. ¡°Somewhat. After all, my actions in the past were what made him what he is today. Besides, the company will ultimately end up in his hands.¡± Indeed, Harvey would end up inheriting Ellison Group someday even if ownership of thepany had been returned to Thomas for the time being. He feared that Harvey would wreak havoc if he became even more hateful and unwilling to get his act together. That was why he had made his current decision. He believed time could heal all wounds, and that Harvey woulde to understand the bigger picture one day. However, he was not sure if he would live to see that day. Above all, the only person he could entrust with his peace of mind was Nicole ¨C the only person he truly believed in. The instant she came to learn of Thomas¡¯ intention, Nicole sighed in defeat. ¡°Aren¡¯t you afraid that he¡¯ll be even more radical because of this?¡± Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org. Understandably, anyone who had ever dealt with Harvey would find that he was more trouble than he was worth. It was akin to disciplining a mischievous child ¨C being too lenient would have no effect, and being too strict would just traumatize him. ¡°He won¡¯t, because I believe you won¡¯t give him that chance to be that person.¡± Thomas smiled, certain that Nicole was the only one who could handle Harvey. Chapter 2832 Chapter 2832 ¡°So, with such an important task assigned to me, don¡¯t you at least n to reward me, Mr. Ellison?¡± Nicole joked. Taking on this task meant she would likely have to deal with Harvey even more frequently in the future, and any further involvement with him in her life was thest thing she needed. ¡°What do you want? Just say it. After all, I had hoped you would be my granddaughter-inw back when you were younger. Unfortunately, we lost you. Now, I really can¡¯t think of anything I can offer you in return.¡± Thomas replied jokingly, as his mood had improved significantly. ¡°Well, then¡­¡± Nicole paused. ¡°Just stop feeling sorry for your grandson.¡± ¡°Hahaha¡­ As long as you keep him alive, I won¡¯t meddle in anything else.¡± Thomasughed. ¡°Well, he won¡¯t lose his life. That much I can guarantee. At most¡­ he¡¯ll live in despair.¡± Of course, she would not actively seek vengeance against Harvey if he wisened up and stopped trying to make her life a living hell. If he did, he would have nobody to me but herself. ¡°I believe he will repent one day, and I also believe that Ellison Group will only improve from then on,¡± Thomas said solemnly. This was his hope and his trust in the two individuals he had grown to care about. ¡°If he can manage thepany without creating a mess, I believe he will,¡± Nicole agreed. At the end of the day, Harvey was no slouch when it came to his work. It was just that his deep, unhealthy obsession with Nicole had led him astray. With the two individuals reaching an agreement, Thomas¡¯ mood improved. He even began to enjoy the coffee with great enthusiasm. ¡°Well, the taste is indeed good, but I have a bone to pick with you.¡± Thomasined in seeming dissatisfaction.¡± Ever since Harvey offended Jared, I haven¡¯t been able to get a taste of the unique coffee he used to supply me.¡± Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org. ¡°Are youining to me?¡± Nicoleughed. ¡°Of course. I must ask that you convince your husband to change his mind. How can he be so stingy?¡± Thomas looked at Nicole, his brows raised in dismay. ¡°If you like my coffee, I can always send some of this year¡¯s new coffee beans to you, Mr. Ellison.¡±Books Chapters Are Daily Updated Join & Stay Updated For All Books Updates¡­ Suddenly, Jared¡¯s voice was heard, surprising the individuals who then turned to look at the tall, solid figure who had just strode into the office. ¡°Why are you here?¡± Nicole smiled and stood up. ¡°Just came to see you,¡± Jared responded gently, his eyes then trained on Thomas. ¡°Hmm, you came here to see if I¡¯m giving your wife a hard time.¡± Thomas smiled. Thomas had already seen through Jared¡¯s purpose ofing here from the get-go before revealing it before everyone in the room. How could I pick on Nicole? Moreover, isn¡¯t someone I could do that to,¡¯ he thought. ¡°You¡¯re handing her a hot potato. Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s equivalent to giving her a hard time?¡± Jared countered without backing down. If he had not just heard Thomas¡¯s words, which were rather pleasant to the ears, he would not have even offered to give him some of his special coffee beans. ¡°In her hands, the potato won¡¯t burn, especially with you around,¡± Thomas retorted as if it were a matter of fact. ¡°Alright then. Anyway, you may go home now, Mr. Ellison.¡± Jared finished, his tone calm and polite as if he was not trying to get someone to leave. If anything, it seemed as though they were having a casual conversation. Displeased, Thomas shot Jared a sour look. ¡°Fine. I¡¯m not going to disturb you anymore.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t forget to sign the documents,¡± Thomas reminded Nicole, after which he marched out of the office. With the pressing matter resolved, Thomas became even more energetic and joyful. ¡°This time, Thomas is truly at ease.¡± Nicole sighed. ¡°You didn¡¯t have to agree, you know,¡± Jared said gently. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. The result would have been simr, and I never intended to leave Harvey with nothing anyway.¡± Regardless of the oue today, everything would still return to Thomas, who would in turn pass everything back to Harvey anyway. Jared then gently stroked Nicole¡¯s hair. ¡°I suggest leaving it to the others. Let them deal with it.¡± Chapter 2833 Chapter 2833 Nicole smiled when she understood what Jared meant.¡± Sure.¡± With this document in her possession, she would not need to deal with Harvey personally anymore. She could always assign someone capable of handling him to liaise with him, ensuring that he would not cause any problems for them again. Moreover, after this experience, Harvey would likely be down in the dumps for some time. Knowing Harvey, signing this document was nothing short of a significant blow to him and his ego. After signing the document herself, Nicole looked at Jared and asked, ¡°Did youe all the way here just for this?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Jared replied with a light snort. ¡°Do you really find Thomas untrustworthy?¡± Nicole asked, unable to help but find this situation amusing. She understood that Jared¡¯s sudden appearance was likely due to him having gotten word that Thomas hade to see her. He was probably worried he might put her in a difficult position. However, none of them had anticipated the decision Thomas had made. ¡°He won¡¯t hurt you, but he will still protect Harvey,¡± Jared exined, stating the reason as to why he was worried that Nicole would be in a difficult position had Thomas chosen to plead with her instead. Had that scenario unfolded, Nicole would have no problem standing her ground if he was aggressive and tough in his approach. However, it would be challenging for her to decline him if he had resorted to emotional pleas instead. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. After all that has happened, I won¡¯t give Harvey a chance to fool around again,¡± she dered.Books Chapters Are Daily Updated Join & Stay Updated For All Books Updates¡­ Even if Thomas¡¯s heart had softened, hers would not. Upon hearing that, Jared gently stroked Nicole¡¯s hair, his eyes filled with loving tenderness. ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± ¡°But seriously, Thomas¡¯s proposal isn¡¯t bad. It¡¯s a win-win situation.¡± Nicole shrugged, thinking that Thomas had probably busted his brains trying toe up with this solution. Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org. ¡°Ah, Nicole, Mr. Ellison just¡­¡± Lulu pushed the door and entered just to see Jared standing there. She froze for a moment, whereupon she shed him an awkward smile. ¡°Oh hey, Mr. Johnston. You¡¯re here too.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Nicole asked Lulu. ¡°I just saw that Mr. Ellison has left, so I came over to ask how it went,¡± Lulu answered. She was genuinely concerned about this issue, as such opportunities were rare toe across. In response, Nicole handed the document to Lulu and said,¡± Take a look at this.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Lulu grabbed the document, and after reading through its contents, her eyes widened in astonishment. ¡°Is this what he actually suggested?!¡± ¡®Heavens, this is really unexpected! I thought Thomas hade to intervene on Harvey¡¯s behalf,¡¯ she thought. ¡°Get a reliable person to take care of this, please,¡± Nicole ordered Lulu. ¡°Okay.¡¯ Lulu beamed in satisfaction. ¡°Holding this document feels so good! It holds so much power! I¡¯m sure Harvey is furious right now.¡± Nicole shook her head with a wry smile etched on her face.¡± It¡¯s more like a curse, I suppose.¡± ¡°Yes, specifically designed for Harvey, that troublemaker.¡± Lulu pursed her lips indignantly. ¡°Let¡¯s see if he dares to act smug and create another mess for you in the future.¡± Unable to contain her amusement, Nicoleughed at the look of annoyance on Lulu¡¯s face. ¡°I think you should be more concerned about the possibility that Harvey won¡¯t just give up.¡± If that were the case, Ellison Group would be in turmoil for longer than it needed to be. ¡°He better not!¡± Lulu replied, grimacing. After she had said that, she waved the document in her hand and said, ¡°I¡¯ll be going now. We need to take care of this as soon as possible.¡± ¡°Go ahead then.¡± Nicole nodded in agreement. After Lulu had hurried off, Nicole nced over at her watch and said, ¡°It¡¯s almost noon. Let¡¯s have lunch together.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Jared, with eyes brimming with tenderness, grabbed her hand. Then, the couple left the office together. Soon after, they found a restaurant they fancied and sat down for lunch. Chapter 2834 Chapter 2834 ¡°The entire ordeal with Harvey has finallye to an end. We should be able to live in peace for now,¡± Nicole sighed. At the very least, Harvey would no longer be among the list of people trying to make life difficult for her. Jared looked at her and gave her a reassuring smile. ¡°Let¡¯s eat. There¡¯s no need to worry about people who don¡¯t matter. It ¡°You should go ahead too,¡± Nicole smiled and reached over to feed Jared some of what was on her te. With a shared nce, the couple proceeded to enjoy their lunch joyfully and affectionately. Meanwhile, the atmosphere was much darker in Harvey¡¯s office back at the headquarters of Ellison Group. ¡°Mr. Ellison, it¡¯s lunchtime. Are you really not eating?¡± his assistant whispered, attempting to persuade Harvey to have a bite. ¡°I¡¯m not eating. Get out!¡± Harvey roared angrily, leaving the assistant with no choice but to leave. The office fell silent again, and that was when Harvey leaned back against his chair, his grimace sour and terrifying. He had never expected to end up like this. Right now, everything seemed to belong to him, yet not exactly so. Thomas had ultimately refused to help him and top of that, had left him between a rock and a hard ce. He hated the idea of Nicole overseeing Ellison Group in the not so distant future. She was the woman he had always wanted to win over. But now, she was someone he could never attain. This was an oue he could never think to bear. The more he thought about it, the more depressed he became. Suddenly, Harvey felt his vision blur, and he fainted. The assistant rushed in when he heard a loud thud emanating from Harvey¡¯s office. When he saw Harvey lying unconscious on the floor, he nched and ran off to call for someone to take him to the hospital. In the afternoon, the sun was high and ring. After having lunch together, Jared brought Nicole back to Riddle Corporation. The moment she stepped into her office, she noticed that Lulu had a look of frustration and confusion on her face.Books Chapters Are Daily Updated Join & Stay Updated For All Books Updates¡­ ¡°What do we do now? Sending someone over to take charge of Ellison Group doesn¡¯t seem appropriate,¡± Lulu remarked. Even if they did not assign someone to take thepany over, someone would still need to step in and solve the issues at Ellison Group. The fact remained that there was work left to be done, and there was no escaping that. Nicole frowned, understanding Lulu¡¯s concerns. After all, the issues guing Ellison Group had not beenpletely resolved yet, and the process of taking over all of its responsibilities after Nicole had signed the document would not ur without its fair share of misunderstandings andplications. If they did not intervene, however, the crisis in thepany would just snowball into something far less manageable. After careful consideration, Nicole looked at Lulu and said,¡± Lulu, you should go there in person.¡± ¡°Me?!¡± Lulu asked, her voice of surprise going up by a few octaves. N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content. ¡°After thinking it through, I¡¯ve decided that you¡¯re the only one who can make me feel most at ease,¡± Nicole said, solemn and unsmiling. ¡°If we leave someone else to do it, it¡¯s likely that overseeing the entire situation will be difficult.¡± Nicole could not go there herself, so she thought that assigning Lulu this momentous task was the most reasonable course of action she could take. After all, Lulu had been handling all affairs concerning Ellison Group for as long as she could remember; she was more than capable of dealing with the situation. As such, Nicole felt most at ease with her taking on that task. After biting her lip, Lulu nodded and said, ¡°Alright.¡± Ultimately, she concluded that she was needed there. Regardless of what happened, they needed to take care of the financial crisis in Ellison Group first before making any further decisions. ¡°If you need help, you can bring a few of our staff members with you to help you out,¡± Nicole instructed. ¡°Got it.¡± Lulu sighed. ¡°I now understand what you meant when you said you were worried about Harvey going insane.¡± If Harvey ended up crashing and burning, there would be nothing but more trouble for them. Chapter 2835 Chapter 2835 They would not be able to manage Harvey¡¯spany forever as they did not have that much free time in their hands. Optimistic, Nicole smiled and said, ¡°Let¡¯s get through it for now and we¡¯ll decide what to do once Harvey has regained consciousness.¡± The fact that he could be unconscious for so long was truly frustrating. In the world of business andmerce, failures or financial crises were not guaranteed death sentences to the businessmen affected. As such, avoidance of the issue was not the solution going forward. ¡°I¡¯ll tidy up and head over,¡± Lulu said before leaving. Nicole shook her head slightly. Right now, all she could do was hope that Harvey would recover quickly. If his mental health continued to decline at the rate it was, they would have no choice but to brace for more headaches. An entire afternoon passed without Nicole receiving any news of Harvey regaining consciousness, causing her to grow even more anxious. ¡®What if Harvey has experienced so much shock that he is unable to wake up?¡¯ If that happened, the responsibilities of the entirety of Ellison Group would end up on her shoulders, and that would be a problem. She had done whatever she did to get rid of Harvey, but Io and behold, she had ended up with more on her te than ever. ¡°Nicole, it¡¯s time to leave. Aren¡¯t you going home?¡± Lulu peeked in and asked. ¡°You¡¯re back!¡± Nicole yelled, somewhat surprised to see Lulu. ¡°Yes, Spencer came to pick me up. He didn¡¯t know I went to Ellison Group, so I came back to wait for him. Besides, I need to prepare a few more documents. I¡¯ll be heading back there early tomorrow morning,¡± Lulu exined.Books Chapters Are Daily Updated Join & Stay Updated For All Books Updates¡­ ¡°Is everything okay?¡± Nicole asked, concerned for Lulu. After issuing a sigh of helplessness, Lulu replied, ¡°It¡¯s alright, but it¡¯s a little tricky if I must be honest.¡± After all, Lulu had suddenly been transferred to Ellison Group while Harvey had been hospitalized. Everything had happened too suddenly, so it was natural that the staff members there would be wary of her. Shaking her head, Lulu deprecated herself and remarked,¡± Turns out, being in possession of that powerful document doesn¡¯t make everything easier at all.¡± ¡°It will be fine. Just hang in there for a few days. Harvey won¡¯t remain unconscious forever,¡± Nicole reassured Lulu. Lulu smiled and said, ¡°Yeah, I know. But if he does remain unconscious in the long run, Ellison Group will be ours whether we like it or not.¡± ¡°If that¡¯s the case, I¡¯ll leave thatpany to you,¡± Nicole yed along, knowing that Lulu was joking. Lulu groaned. ¡°I¡¯d rather not. Spare me the headaches. I was just kidding.¡± The two burst outughing and left Riddle Corporation soon after. And when Lulu saw Spencer, she immediately ran up to him. Meanwhile, Nicole got into Jared¡¯s car with a smile. ¡°Thomas has gone to the hospital,¡± Jared informed Nicole as soon as they had both gotten into the car. ¡°Seems like it¡¯s quite serious,¡± Nicole sighed. ¡°I hope he recovers soon.¡± Jared nced at Nicole and then gently held her hand. With a touch of tenderness, he said, ¡°Leave it to Thomas.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Nicole nodded. ¡°For now, I¡¯ve temporarily handed authority over all matters concerning Ellison Group to Lulu. We¡¯ll make more important decisions after Harvey is done slumbering.¡± Back at the Riddle residence, Tia had just returned with Nn and Lana. ¡°Daddy, Mommy!¡± The two little ones joyfully darted across thewn to meet Jared and Nicole. ¡°Good evening.¡± Tia ambled over. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯m heading back now.¡± Nicole smiled and nodded. ¡°Alright.¡± Nicole watched as Tia left, wondering, ¡®Why does it feel like Tia has been avoiding Stanley as ofte?¡¯ ¡°Why are you standing out here?¡± Stanley, who had just returned, asked upon noticing the family of four standing at the yard. ¡°We just got back. We¡¯re just about to head inside,¡± Nicole replied, taking Nn and Lana by their hands before walking them into the mansion.Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g Chapter 2836 Chapter 2836 Jared went on to follow his family into the house, while Stanley stayed behind. Nicole arched her brows as she observed Stanley¡¯s actions, a smile creeping up her lips. She had deliberately mentioned to Stanley that they had just returned, and much to her amusement, Stanley seemed to have understood what she meant. If he did not, he would not have looked in the direction of Tia¡¯s quarters located at the backyard. At this time, he should be able to see Tia. Indeed, Stanley was looking at Tia. Though he had caught nothing but a fleeting glimpse of her back, which quickly disappeared into the house, his gaze remained fixed and unwavering. After a moment of hesitation, Stanley made a beeline to Tia¡¯s quarters in big strides. Things had settled down now that Cherry had left. However, he still could not shake the feeling that Tia had be more distant for the past few days. Today was a good opportunity for him to make his feelings obvious to her, so Stanley wondered, ¡®Why not rify things with Tia?¡¯ After a few seconds, he arrived at the house in the backyard, where he saw Tia in the kitchen preparing dinner for Mrs. Wace Sr.. ¡°Prepare some for me too,¡± Stanley reminded Tia while standing at the doorway of the kitchen. Tia widened her eyes in surprise when she heard Stanley¡¯s voice. ¡°Wait, why are you here?¡± ¡°To see you.¡± Stanley smiled. ¡°I just so happen to be here for dinner, so I reckon, why not?¡± ¡°Do you really want to have dinner here?¡± Tia frowned, sounding a little hesitant. Stanley raised an eyebrow. ¡°Is it inconvenient?¡± ¡°No, please stay,¡± Mrs. Wace Sr. replied from behind.. Knowing who that was, Stanley shifted his gaze toward Mrs. Wace Sr. and greeted, ¡°Hello, Grandma.¡± ¡°If you want to have dinner here, you are wee to stay,¡± Mrs. Wace Sr. said with a loving smile. ¡°Alright,¡± Stanley agreed. He then stepped forward and pushed Mrs. Wace Sr. toward the dining room. Nervous and ufortable, Tia bit her lip and continued preparing dinner for one more, knowing that Stanley would definitely stay. After a while, Tia brought the food to the table, signaling that dinner was ready. ¡°Sit down and join us,¡± Mrs. Wace Sr. called out to Tia. ¡°Okay,¡± Tia answered and sat down to have her dinner with Mrs. Wace Sr. and Stanley.Books Chapters Are Daily Updated Join & Stay Updated For All Books Updates¡­ The atmosphere during dinner carried a strange tension. Tia kept her head down the entire time while Stanley would steal nces of her every now and again, while Mrs. Wace Sr. watched the two of them with a look of amusement and contentment. Although no one spoke, it seemed like a thousand words had been exchanged. ¡°I¡¯m done. Tia, keep Stanleypany for me. I¡¯m feeling a little tired, so I¡¯m going to get some rest,¡± Mrs. Wace Sr. said, steering her wheelchair toward her room. Tia began to feel even more awkward as she realized that Stanley was staying. She quickly nced over at him and lowered her head again, feeling very awkward in his presence. Stanley could not help but sigh when he saw her reaction to him sticking around. ¡°Am I that scary?¡± ¡°No.¡± Tia shook her head, changing the topic. ¡°Let¡¯s eat.¡± ¡°I¡¯m done eating,¡± Stanley dered. He had just finished, but Tia did not even dare to look at him. She had even asked him to continue eating, which amused him. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m almost done too. Let me clean up,¡± Tia stood up and began to tidy the table. Stanley then asked, ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re done eating?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Tia replied. However, as she lowered her head, she realized there was still plenty of food left on her te. Unable to help the feeling of embarrassment she was feeling, she sat down again. ¡°I¡¯m almost done,¡± she added. Stanley shed her a smile of satisfaction as he watched her gobble her food down. Although she appeared to be eating with her head hanging low moments ago, she had not really been eating. Instead, she had been daydreaming the entire time. N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content. Now that she had gotten a proper bite, he felt relieved. Everyone had to eat, and no one should go to bed on an empty stomach, least of all Tia. After clearing her te of her food in short order, Tia scrambled to clean the table. Chapter 2837 Chapter 2837 ¡°Let me help you with that.¡± Stanley stood up. Stanley offering to help with clearing the table was something Tia did not seeing. She was so shocked that she almost dropped the tes she was holding. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I can do it myself,¡± Tia declined, figuring that it would be inappropriate to let Stanley wash any of the dishes. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I can help.¡± Stanley said, holding the dirty cutleries and tes as he made his way to the kitchen. Seeing that, Tia could only follow him from behind. ¡°Just leave them there. I¡¯ll wash them.¡± Stanley, however, did not leave when he saw Tia rolling her sleeves up to wash the dishes. Instead, he simply stayed put and stared at her. Naturally, his gaze made Tia feel uneasy, which in turn made her clumsy. Even the ttering of the dishes in the sink became louder as she inadvertently struck them against one another. Stanley, however, was nothing short of happy. He could not help but smile upon hearing the clinking of the dishes. ¡®If we ever get together in the future, will our home look just like this?¡¯ he wondered to himself. ¡°Are you done, Tia?¡± Stanley asked. ¡°Yeah, l-l am,¡± Tia stuttered, overwhelmed with nerves now. After putting the dishes back in ce, Tia wiped her hands and said, ¡°They¡¯re all done now.¡± ¡°Come with me then.¡± Stanley grabbed Tia¡¯s hand and led her to the yard. ¡°l-ls there something that matters?¡± Tia¡¯s face flushed, her voice lowering to a faint whisper. N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content. Her heart was racing as she did not expect Stanley to grab her hand and hold it just like that. After a brief stroll, Stanley stopped, but he did not let go of Tia¡¯s hand. Instead, he lowered his gaze and looked at her earnestly. ¡°I have something to tell you.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Tia asked without the courage to look him in the eye, feeling inexplicably nervous.Books Chapters Are Daily Updated Join & Stay Updated For All Books Updates¡­ Taking a deep breath, Stanley¡¯s gaze softened into an affectionate stare, and without so much as a second of hesitation, he gently asked, ¡± Would you like to be my girlfriend?¡± ¡°What?!¡± Tia raised her head in astonishment, looking at Stanley as her mind nked out for a moment. ¡®What did he just say?! Did I mishear, or was it real?¡¯ she panicked. ¡°There¡¯s something I¡¯ve been keeping to myself for a long time, and now, I feel that I muste clean and say it to you.¡± Stanley held onto Tia¡¯s hand tightly, his gaze intense and solemn as he looked Tia in the eyes. ¡°I like you.¡± Tia¡¯s mouth was wide open when she realized that she had in fact not misheard him. She was speechless and did not know how to respond. If anything, she felt as if she could not muster a single sound. ¡°I¡¯ve liked you for a long time, but I thought you had someone else in your heart, so¡­¡± Stanley rified, since he had alreadye this far in his confession. Upon hearing Stanley¡¯s words, Tia immediately shook her head in denial. ¡°No, there¡¯s no one else in my heart.¡± After she had told him the truth, a realization dawned upon her, and her cheeks turned even redder. Stanley immediately hugged her when he saw her trying to exin herself even when she was anxious and shy. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. It¡¯s all my fault.¡± If he had not misunderstood her and jumped to the hasty conclusion that she had someone else in her heart, he would not have made her wait for so long. Perhaps they could have been together much earlier. ¡°No, you didn¡¯t do anything wrong to me,¡± Tia exined in a hurry, not understanding why Stanley would say that. He had not done anything wrong, at least not to her. ¡°I¡¯m really sorry. I was an idiot.¡± He shook his head. Standing up straight with his hands on Tia¡¯s shoulders, Stanley looked at her seriously. ¡°It¡¯s my mistake. I thought you liked Martin, so I figured I would just stick around and look out for you in secret.¡± However, little did he realize that five years had passed, and yet there was still no progress between Tia and Martin. Indeed, he had made a huge blunder assuming that Tia had her eyes on Martin. Chapter 2838 Chapter 2838 If he had just a little more courage, perhaps things would not have turned out this way. Fortunately, fate had been kind to him, making it so that Tia was not the one who got away. ¡°Martin and I¡­¡± Tia gritted her teeth, beginning to understand what Stanley was talking about. ¡°There¡¯s nothing going on between us. I think he probably treated me well only because of Nicole.¡± She had never thought that Martin would like her, let alone consider the idea that Stanley might have a crush on her. However, over the years, she came to learn that Stanley would always be there to help and support her whenever she found herself in a rough spot. Perhaps that was how she gradually fell for him. But due to their obvious differences in status, she had never dared to reveal her true feelings to herself. She believed that keeping them to herself was the best thing to do. However, that had only resulted in the both of them just silently looking out for each other, with neither of them having the courage to confess. ¡°Having said all that, are you finally going to be my girlfriend? ¡± Stanley asked again, finally knowing how Tia actually felt. Tia bit her lip and lowered her head shyly, remaining silent and unresponsive. It was not that she did not want to say yes, but she just could not utter a single word. Noticing that, Stanley came up with an idea, in which he deliberately sighed and exined, ¡°I don¡¯t have much time left. If I don¡¯t get a girlfriend soon, my parents will set me up with someone else. By then, I won¡¯t have the right to resist, no matter who that woman is and howpatible she is with me.¡± ¡°You¡¯re going to get married?! Why the rush?¡± Tia immediately looked up in shock, her eyes wide and her forehead creased in worry.Books Chapters Are Daily Updated Join & Stay Updated For All Books Updates¡­ Why is Mrs. Riddle in such a rush to find him a partner and get him hitched? Does she not care about who the girl is or about Stanley¡¯s feelings for the matter?¡¯ Tia wondered. ¡°Perhaps they think I¡¯ll never be able to find a girlfriend on my own.¡± Stanley shrugged, seemingly helpless and defeated. N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content. ¡°If you¡¯re not in a rush to get married now, I can be your girlfriend,¡± Tia replied with a solemn look etched on her face. ¡°That way, Mrs. Riddle won¡¯t get to force you to marry someone you don¡¯t like.¡± Stanley then smirked. ¡°So, that¡¯s a yes?¡± Tia blinked, and it was only then she realized that she had walked right into Stanley¡¯s trap. ¡°You tricked me!¡± Overjoyed, Stanley hugged Tia again and said, ¡±1 didn¡¯t. Every word I said is true. You can ask my mom about it tomorrow if you still have your doubts.¡± Although he had tricked her into revealing her true feelings, everything he had stated was true. Besides, it would make no difference who he married should Tia not agree to be together with him. All he would feel was misery and unhappiness. ¡°But Mrs. Riddle has never been as strict and conservative as you paint her out to be. Why would she be in such a rush this time?¡± Tia was confused. ¡°None of that matters anymore. All that matters is that you¡¯re my girlfriend now,¡± Stanley said, his eyes brimming with affection. After having waited for so long, Stanley finally had one of his greatest wishes fulfilled. Perhaps Cherry was right in this regard ¨C one must always fight for what they desire in life, and one should never leave regrets in their life. The next day, the sun rose, brilliant and warm, scattering its rays into the bedrooms of the Riddles. After the family woke up, they gathered in the dining hall for breakfast. While munching on a piece of toast, Gloria asked Stanley,¡± Why did you have dinner at Mrs. Wace Sr¡¯sst night?¡± Everyone had been waiting for Stanley, but he never returned. It was not until someone asked that they discovered he was staying at Mrs. Wace Sr.¡¯s quarters for dinner, which came off to them as strange. After a moment of hesitation, Stanley said, ¡°The food over there looked really delicious, so I stuck around.¡± ¡°Uncle Stanley, did you find the food in great-grandma¡¯s ce appetizing because Tia made it?¡± Lana raised her head and asked. Feeling a surge of embarrassment, Stanley shifted the subject with his brows raised and lips pursed. ¡°Hurry up and have your breakfast. You¡¯re going to school soon.¡± Chapter 2839 Chapter 2839 Nicole could not help but feel that something was off with Stanley today. She was wondering if he had made any progress with Tia, who showed up as the thought crossed her mind. Noticing footfalls in the living room, everyone stopped and looked back to see Tia approaching them. ¡°Have you eaten your breakfast?¡± ¡°Yes, thanks for asking. I¡¯m here to pick the kids up,¡± Tia replied. ¡°You¡¯re here early today, so I figured you might have skipped breakfast,¡± Gloria said. ¡°They¡¯re still eating, so you¡¯ll have to wait for a while longer. Come over and have a seat, please.¡± ¡°Oh, alright,¡± Tia responded, not knowing where to put herself. Her rtionship with Stanley had indeed changed overnight. Right now, she was gued by feelings of uncertainty about how to best interact with the Riddle family moving forward, as neither she nor Stanley had informed others about the most recent development in their rtionship. ¡°Stanley, it¡¯s been a while since you promised to tell me about your girlfriend,¡± Gloriained. She was irked by the fact that Stanley had not kept his promise. To this day, Gloria had still not seen his so-called ¡® girlfriend¡¯. ¡°Mom, I do have a girlfriend. Please just give me one more week. I¡¯ll surely bring her to you,¡± Stanley pleaded. ¡°What are you even up to, getting all mysterious? Don¡¯t beat around the bush!¡± Gloria warned. ¡°I won¡¯t, there¡¯s no point in doing that. You¡¯ll know when I bring her home,¡± Stanley promised. ¡°Okay then. I¡¯ll grant you another week. But mark my words. You¡¯ll know the consequences of lying to me, young man,¡± Gloria warned before she piped down and stopped pursuing any further. Stanley eased up and nced over at Tia¡¯s direction. He figured one more week was all he needed.Books Chapters Are Daily Updated Join & Stay Updated For All Books Updates¡­ ¡°We¡¯re done,¡± Nn and Lana announced, whereupon they exited the dining room and approached Tia. After slinging their bags on their backs, the kids grabbed Tia¡¯s hand. ¡°Let¡¯s go, Tia.¡± ¡°Oh, yeah. Come on then,¡± Tia said, leaving with the kids. ¡°I¡¯m done as well,¡± Stanley said, and hurried out of the dining hall. ¡°Hey, you didn¡¯t even eat much,¡± Gloria shouted at Stanley, but he was long gone by then. Nicole could only smile at the thought of Stanley running off to catch up with Tia. ¡°We¡¯re done too,¡± Nicole informed upon noticing Jared was done eating his breakfast. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re moving as well?¡± Daniel asked. ¡°Yep, we¡¯re heading off to work,¡± Nicole said and left. The house instantly fell silent, causing Gloria to let out a sigh, ¡°Just like that, they¡¯re all gone.¡± Daniel, however, began chuckling at how out-of-ce her sadness was. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going somewhere later?¡±Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g Gloria would be making her way to her brother¡¯s houseter to help him out with something. Even if the kids were at home today, Gloria would not be. ¡°I¡¯m just being sentimental. The kids will leave one day when they¡¯re all grown up,¡± Gloria replied, shaking her head. ¡°If so, why don¡¯t you stop rushing Stanley into marriage?¡± Daniel teased. Gloria was repulsed by the idea, and that was when she argued, ¡°I didn¡¯t mean it like that. The kids will all eventually have their own families. We won¡¯t be with them forever.¡± ¡°Hahaha,¡± Danielughed. ¡°You just tend to overthink when ites to the kids.¡± ¡°Who will take care of my children if I don¡¯t?¡± Gloria defended. ¡°Yeah, I get it.¡± Daniel relented. ¡®Anyway, you better eat up. I¡¯ll send you to your brother¡¯s when you are done.¡± Remembering her schedule, Gloria continued her meal with Daniel right beside her. Meanwhile, Nicole and Jared had already left home and were on the way to their workces. All of a sudden, Nicole heard her phone ringing, and when she saw that Lulu was the one calling her, she answered,¡± Hey, what¡¯s up?¡± Chapter 2840 Chapter 2840 MY WIFE IS A HACKER CHAPTER 2840-¡°Harvey is now awake but he¡¯s in horrible condition. Unfortunately, the worst case scenario just happened. Harvey has be a broken man,¡± Lulu sighed. Nicole had initially thought that she could be at ease once Harvey regained his consciousness. However, Harvey¡¯s current condition was anything but favorable. If anything, she should have stayed unconscious. ¡°Is Thomas still in the hospital?¡± Nicole asked. ¡°He¡¯s still here, worried sick about Harvey,¡± Lulu replied in defeat. Nicole paused and thought for a moment, after which she ordered, ¡°You should go ahead with your work at Ellison Group. Give him a few more days to process the reality around him and get his act together.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± Lulu agreed, knowing that it would be a waste of time for them to expect anything from Harvey at the moment. As she hung up, Nicole frowned in frustration. ¡®Was the blow too strong for Harvey to handle?¡¯ ¡°Do you think Harvey will recover?¡± Jared asked, his gaze conveying a hint of coldness. Nicole shook her head in response. ¡°I¡¯m not sure about that. Well just have to keep an eye on the situation for a little longer. Right now, there is just no other way.¡± Regardless of whether the situation improved or not, Nicole had no choice but to ept that the recent turn of events was beyond her control. All she could do was wait. Holding Nicole¡¯s hands, Jared assured her, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Just focus on your work.¡± Harvey deserved everything that had happened to him, as the hell he was in was one of his own making. Even if they intended to let him off the hook, Harvey would still have refused to let anything slide. There was nothing they could have done to influence his decision and his mindset. Understanding what Jared was trying to say, Nicole nodded. ¡°I get it.¡± Upon arriving at Riddle Corporation, Nicole got out of the car and strode into the building. Jared then turned to Max and ordered, ¡°Let¡¯s head to work.¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Max replied. He then ignited the engine and asked, ¡°Mr. Johnston, there¡¯s news about the organization, Eastern Falcon. It¡¯s said that they¡¯ve been trying to contact Lawrence as ofte. Do you think they¡¯ll join forces?¡± ¡°What about Damien?¡± Jared asked. ¡®Why would Eastern Falcon contact Lawrence?¡¯ ¡°He went to breakfast as usual. I think it¡¯s because the person he¡¯s waiting for has not shown up,¡± Max answered. Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org. As expected, the Eastern Falcon had gotten back into action once Jared¡¯s men had loosened their watch on them. However, it was strange that the Eastern Falcon was more eager to contact Lawrence rather than Damien. As of now, Jared¡¯s allies were still uncertain of the organization¡¯s motives. There was also the possibility that they wanted to team up in order to get something from Lawrence. As for Damien, he had been rather quiettely, not unlike his usual self. He had been visiting the same cafe, waiting for more information every day. However, members of Eastern Falcon had established zero contact with him for the past two days. Sensing something off, Jared calmly ordered, ¡°You should still keep your eyes on them.¡± Jared figured a problem would surely ur since they had be active once again. ¡°Yes,¡± Max replied. ¡°On a side note, Zane seems to have found some leads, but the veracity has yet to be confirmed.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± Jared sneered, deciding they would strike once the leads were confirmed. Meanwhile, Nicole was on a phone call with Patricia. ¡°So, you¡¯re saying Max is in charge of watching over Damien now?¡± Nicole asked, puzzled by the sudden change, as Patricia had always been the one assigned to do it. ¡°Yes. Max said I would get distracted, what with all the mounting workloads. He¡¯s afraid that it¡¯d affect the mission. From now on, they¡¯ll be reporting directly to Mr. Johnston for any follow-ups,¡± Patricia exined. ¡°Oh, I see,¡± Nicole nodded in understanding of the situation.¡± In that case, you could stay at BayCorp and rx.¡± Jared seemed to have considered every possible shift in circumstances when he made his arrangements. If Patricia were together with Er, she might be exempt from being deployed in special missions that were more dangerous. In fact, she might even be assigned to stay in BayCorp in the long run. Chuckling, Nicole felt a surge of warmth at how careful and thoughtful Jared was. She knew Jared did not care about any of these things, but he had gone out of his way to be more meticulous in his nning because of her. Chapter 2841 Chapter 2841 MY WIFE IS A HACKER CHAPTER 2841-After hanging up, Nicole looked around her office with a sense of longing in her eyes. With Lulu¡¯s and Patricia gone, she felt rather lonely in this ce. However, if Patricia¡¯s absence meant that she could find her happiness in BayCorp, Nicole would be more than happy to let her go. As for Lulu, she should be returning soon. She also believed that Harvey would not remain in the state he was in forever, although he would be broken and depressed for a while. Meanwhile, Thomas was sighing in despair as he stared at a catatonic Harvey in the ward. He had imagined all possible scenarios that would unfold following the end of the feud between Harvey and Nicole, but what he failed to anticipate was that the blow would be too strong for Harvey to stomach. ¡°Mr. Ellison? Will your grandson remain this way?¡± his assistant asked in concern. Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g ¡°I hope he¡¯ll be back on his feet soon,¡± Thomas replied, overwhelmed by a sense of helplessness in this situation. He had hired some of the best psychologists and psychiatrists in the country to help his grandson, but to no avail. At this rate, Harvey could only depend on himself; if he could not pull, and was unwilling to pull himself together, there was nothing anyone could do to help him. ¡°We can afford to wait for his recovery, but thepany cannot. What are we going to do?¡± his assistant asked in concern. At present, Nicole was already at the helm overseeing thepany, and if, God forbid, she decided to crush Ellison Group, they would be left with nothing, since Harvey was no longer present to take control of the situation. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Nothing of that sort will happen,¡± Thomas defended Nicole. Then, he nced over at the assistant and added, ¡°You should be thankful that Nicole is still willing to help us manage thepany.¡± Without Nicole¡¯s help, Ellison Group might already be in ruins. However, Harvey¡¯s assistant was left baffled by Thomas¡¯ faith in Nicole, though he was more than willing to quit doubting her. As he stared at Harvey, he realized that all he could do was pray for a speedy recovery for his employer. ¡°You may leave now,¡± Thomas ordered. To that, the assistant agreed, his face pale and scrunched up with worry. ¡°Yes sir.¡± Once the assistant had exited the ward, Thomas turned to Harvey and addressed him. ¡°Are you going to remain in your current state of self-pity and not care about anything?¡± Harvey¡¯s head hung low, and he remained speechless and unresponsive. ¡°I¡¯ll hand Nicole thepany for now. If you¡¯re going to stay pathetic, you won¡¯t be getting thepany back,¡± Thomas dered, as none of his attempts at advising Harvey had gotten through to him. However, even with such strong words being used, Harvey remained in the same old, soulless position he was in. No matter what Thomas did, he just would not budge. ¡°Do you really care about anything at all?! Are you going to waste your entire life like this?¡± Thomas raised his voice, almost screaming in Harvey¡¯s face. Harvey appeared to be shocked for a moment. His eyes were glossy and lifeless as slowly lifted his head to look at Thomas. Then, he graduallyid his head down again without so much as a change to the nk, expressionless look on his face. As expected, Thomas was left heartbroken upon witnessing the state his grandson was in. He clutched his chest in pain, unable to bear the agony of seeing Harvey the way he was. Trembling and shuddering, he took a pill from his pocket and swallowed it. He felt marginally better after he had sat down to calm himself. Then, he looked at Harvey, who remained unresponsive, wondering if he would stay like that forever. A sigh escaped Thomas¡¯ lips again, and tears soon welled up in his eyes. He was worried that Harvey would be consigned to his present state of catatonia forever. As the sun set in the west, Dexter and Emma invited everyone to the Riddle family manor where Benjamin, prompting everyone in the family to gather there once it was evening. It had been a long time since the Riddle family manor had a great number of visitors, so the house returned to life once more. Chapter 2842 Chapter 2842 MY WIFE IS A HACKER CHAPTER 2842-There were so many family members present that there was not even enough space for everyone on the couch to sit on. Meanwhile, Nn and Lana were moring to y outside, forcing Lulu and June to take them to the courtyard, with Samuel and Spencer following them. As Sally was pregnant, Steve was worried that she might experience bouts of exhaustion, so he got her to rx and reserved the most spacious seat for her. Sally then sat down, holding hands with Jane. ¡°Ah, would you just look at how sweet the couples are and how close the siblings are? It¡¯s truly a sight for sore eyes. I just hope that Emery¡¯s and Er¡¯s families will be the same when they get married.¡± Emma sighed. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. It will,¡± Gloria assured. Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org. ¡°Hey, Aunt Emma. Why aren¡¯t Emery and Er here?¡± Sean asked. ¡°Emery¡¯s girlfriend has an assignment abroad, so Emery has flown off to apany her. As for Er, he is on a business trip and hasn¡¯t returned yet.¡± ¡°Oh, I see.¡± Sean nodded, having asked the question at random. Everyone knew Emery¡¯s girlfriend was a flight attendant, so Emery would not be able to get her toe if she had to work. ¡°Hey, Aunt Emma, is it true that Emery is preparing for the wedding?¡± Steve asked. Emma smiled. ¡°Yes, and that¡¯s the reason why I¡¯ve called everyone here.¡± After she had spoken, Emma nced over at Dexter, who turned to look at Benjamin. ¡°Dad? This is the good news I mentioned.¡± ¡°Right! That is indeed good news.¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. smiled. ¡°Dexter? Emma? Congrattions to the both of you!¡± Karen said. Although she was feeling a little bitter and resentful, she knew she had to be cordial and friendly to them. Watching the children of Daniel¡¯s and Dexter¡¯s families all settle down had made her very anxious for Preston, as her son had made no progress in the rtionship department. ¡°Come on, Aunt Emma. Give me a break.¡± Preston¡¯s voice red out, causing everyone to turn and stare at the entrance. ¡°Why are you here? I thought you wouldn¡¯t show up!¡± Karenined the instant she saw Preston. Hearing that, Preston proceeded to exin, ¡°There was a sudden problem at thepany, so I got a little upied.¡± ¡°Good evening, Grandpa,¡± Preston greeted as he approached his grandfather who was seated at the living hall. After shooting Preston a nce, Benjamin dered, ¡°Now that everyone is here, let¡¯s have dinner.¡± ¡°Alright. Time to eat.¡± Dillion stepped forward to help his father up. ¡°I¡¯ll go and call the others,¡± Jane said, heading out to inform Lulu and the others that dinner had already started. Soon, the entire family sat down for dinner. It was a rare asion, and everyone was in a good mood, chatting andughing while enjoying their dinner. Nicole was well aware of how delicate the situation was, so she did not participate in any family discussions that might be controversial, such as Emery¡¯s engagement to his girlfriend, Er¡¯s business trip, and Stanley¡¯s love life. Stanley had also shown up on his own without bringing Tia with him. Nicole had no idea what Stanley was up to, but she believed that he must have his own reasons for not bringing Tia here with him today. She believed he would never allow himself to subject Tia to any feelings of anxiety and difort. Behind his act of not taking Tia here today and exining the truth of his rtionship with her was a solid reason Nicole would soone to learn. ¡°What are you thinking about?¡± Jared gently asked Nicole. Nicole raised her head and smiled at Jared. ¡°Nothing, I just feel that it¡¯s rare to have such moments of peace.¡± Whenever she returned here in the past, there would always be grievances and problems to be addressed, making everyone dread the idea of evening here. Today, however, she could finally engage in casual conversation with her family without anyplications. Chapter 2843 Chapter 2843 MY WIFE IS A HACKER CHAPTER 2843-Jared gently caressed Nicole¡¯s hair. Although moments of joy and peace like these made her content, he knew that all of the happiness the Riddle family enjoyed was only possible because of her. Having been through the trenches, she had endured and suffered her fair share of misfortune to make all of this happen. Thankfully, she had gotten what she wanted. After dinner was over, Benjamin called Sean and Nicole over to the study. ¡°Grandpa?¡± Sean asked with some confusion, ¡°Why did you call us here? Is there something going on?¡± N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content. After casting a nce at Nicole, Benjamin turned his gaze to Sean and nodded. ¡°Yes.¡± Although she was surprised, Nicole had a vague feeling about what her grandfather was going to discuss. A faint smile crossed her face there and then. ¡°Grandpa, are you nning to announce this only to the two of us?¡± Nicole yfully teased. With a defeated smile, Benjamin replied, ¡°You guessed it.¡± ¡°Clearly.¡± Nicole grinned. It was rather obvious, so Nicole had no problem guessing what this was all about. Benjamin had only called them both in, which meant that Benjamin had likely called them in to discuss who the sessor of Riddle Corporation was going to be. Benjamin was likely to favor Sean now, or so Nicole hoped. Sean darted his eyes at Nicole, then back at Benjamin, understanding what was about to unfold. ¡°Have you made a decision, Grandpa?¡± Sean inquired. Seeing that the both of them understood why he had brought them here, Benjamin prefaced the discussion by saying, ¡°I called you here to hear your opinions.¡± ¡°I have no objections, of course.¡± Nicole said openly. From the very beginning itself, she had decided that it would be best for everyone involved for Sean to inherit Riddle Corporation and be the head of the family. After contemting for a moment, Sean solemnly responded, ¡°I have no objections either.¡± Everyone had initially hoped that Nicole would be chosen to be the sessor. However, she had made her choice to relinquish all ims to the position, and as her family, they naturally respected and supported her decision. If she truly did not want to take on this massive responsibility, Sean was willing to do it for her. ¡°Sean, the burden of managing the Riddle family rests on your shoulders now.¡± Nicole smiled. ¡°Allow me to thank you for your hard work, Sean.¡± In Nicole¡¯s opinion, Sean was the most suitable and promising member of the Riddles to inherit the fortunes of the family, as she had no intention of doing so herself. ¡°Now that it¡¯s been decided, I¡¯ll make the announcement in a bit. It¡¯s great that everyone is here,¡± Benjamin concluded. Benjamin initially favored Nicole, though he had not overlooked how capable, brilliant, and responsible Sean was. However, since the two of his most promising grandchildren had decided to have Sean take the mantle of the head of the family, he respected their choices. ¡°Alright.¡± Nicole agreed. Since they were all here, there was no better time to make the announcement other than now. After all, this matter had been put on hold for the longest time, so it would be in everyone¡¯s best interest to settle it right this instant. After a while, the three of them emerged from the study. Everyone in the living room was already subdued when Nicole, Benjamin, and Sean were in there, but when they came out, the room became dead silent. Everyone looked at them, each harboring their thoughts and guesses. They were wondering what could have happened to prompt Benjamin to call Sean and Nicole into the study for a private discussion. ¡°There¡¯s something I would like to announce,¡± Mr. Riddle Sr. said, sensing everyone¡¯s curiosity. ¡°I¡¯ve decided that Sean will be the sessor of our family.¡± ¡°What?!¡± everyone eximed in surprise, finding the news somewhat abrupt and shocking. Chapter 2844 Chapter 2844 MY WIFE IS A HACKER CHAPTER 2844-¡°Dad, don¡¯t you think it¡¯s still a little too early to appoint a sessor?¡± Daniel advised. ¡°I mean, you can still decide on it a few yearster.¡± Hearing that, Karen stepped in and echoed, ¡°Daniel is right. There¡¯s no need to rush into this, Dad.¡± However, Benjamin, who was not keen on being persuaded, waved his hand and insisted, ¡°I¡¯m old now. Can¡¯t you let your old man enjoy a peaceful retirement? Anyway, it is set. Sean will be the one making all the decisions regarding the family business in the future.¡± Seeing that Benjamin had already made his mind, everyone relented, though not without hesitation. ¡°Daniel, Dad doesn¡¯t want to manage the family affairs anymore. He just wants to enjoy his retirement. Personally, I think it¡¯s fine for him to decide who to appoint and announce it now,¡± Dexter butted in. After all, they would just be dying the inevitable if they stalled the announcement for a few more years, so it was ideal to just let Benjamin pass the torch to someone else and enjoy his peace of mind. ¡°You¡¯re right. Dexter. Let¡¯s just go along with Dad¡¯s arrangement,¡± Dillion concurred. Benjamin was already dead set on what he wanted from the very beginning. The announcement he just made was a statement, not a call for discussion. In addition, Nicole was around, and because she had agreed to let Sean take on the role of the head of the Riddle family, his decision was final. At the end of the day, Nicole and Sean were the only ones called into the study to discuss this matter, indicating that he would not listen to be persuaded to listen to anyone else. Thus, everyone would have no choice but to ept his pick. ¡°Well, it is decided, then,¡± Benjamin concluded. ¡°If there¡¯s nothing else, you may all go home now.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± everyone responded. But after everyone had left, Karen pulled Preston aside. Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org. ¡°Mom, is everything okay?¡± Preston asked. Feigning anger and dismay, Karen chided, ¡°You¡¯ve been busy all day. Am I not allowed to talk to you for a while when I see you?¡± ¡°Well, you sure can,¡± Preston agreed and stayed back. After making sure there was nobody else left in the room, Preston asked, ¡°What¡¯s going on, Mom?¡± Preston knew Karen would not have made him stick around if she had nothing important to say. Though she had told him that all she wanted was a chat, it was just an excuse. In truth, Karen had been talking to him ever since dinner had ended. Karen then nced over at the direction of the stairs, and once she was certain that there was nobody within earshot of what she was about to say, she whispered, ¡°Your grandfather just announced that Sean will inherit the fortunes of the Riddle family. Why didn¡¯t you say anything?¡± ¡°I have no problem with that. What do you want me to say?¡± Preston replied, his brows raised in puzzlement. ¡°Oh my gosh.¡± Karen sighed, looking at Preston in frustration. ¡°You don¡¯t get it, do you? The Riddle family has a ton of assets. Why is Sean the only one who gets to receive all of them?¡± Hearing that, Preston frowned. ¡°Duh? It has always been this way. There will only ever be one heir, and that¡¯s not going to change.¡± Even before this, there was only one heir. The only difference was that every branch of the family used to be united as one. However, all of that changed when Nicole proposed the separation of families, allowing Daniel, Damien, Dillion, and Dexter to manage their own individualpanies which were once a part of the greater Riddle Corporation. As of now, Benjamin was the only person with ownership over the family manor. ¡°I mean, why not? You are one of his grandchildren,¡± Karen argued. A serious look crossed Preston at an instant, and he warned, ¡°Mom, please don¡¯t say things like that in the future. My ambitions lie elsewhere. Besides, Sean can do a better job than me.¡± ¡°Gosh, you¡¯re really trying to piss me off, aren¡¯t you?¡± Karen nagged, unhappy with what she saw as Preston¡¯sck of grit, ambition, and fighting spirit. ¡°Mom, I think life¡¯s fine as it is now. Have you forgotten what happened to Snow and Raine? Have you not learned your lesson?¡± Preston reminded her as his frown became even more prominent. ¡°1-1.¡± Karen suddenly choked up, her face turning pale. ¡°Preston is right,¡± Dillion¡¯s voice resounded. Taken aback, Karen asked, ¡°Why did youe down here?¡± She looked up at the banister near the flight of stairs, anxious and scared. Chapter 2845 Chapter 2845 MY WIFE IS A HACKER CHAPTER 2845-¡°Oh, so now you¡¯re scared?¡± Dillion remarked, his expression brimming with disdain. Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org. He was displeased at how Karen was so stupid and stubborn that she refused to even own up to her mistakes in the past. Karen¡¯s face nched, bing as pale as a sheet. It was evident that she was afraid of someone overhearing their conversation. Deep down, however, she was simply unhappy with Benjamin¡¯s decision. ¡°Don¡¯t you dare mention this anymore. I¡¯ve said this before and I¡¯ll say it again. If you¡¯ve had enough of theforts of this ce, you can leave.¡± And after pausing for a moment, Dillion warned, ¡°Don¡¯t get me in trouble.¡± He had truly epted the situation for what it was now. His only hope was for Preston to have a comfortable life free of worries. In his view, fighting for more out of nothing but unbridled greed was an exercise in pointlessness, so there was no need for him to invite more trouble to himself. ¡°Mom, if you really don¡¯t want to stay here, I can find a ce for you. I can¡¯t and won¡¯t promise the things you want out of me, though. Please don¡¯t think about it anymore.¡± Preston advised. Karen gritted her teeth in frustration, and she nced over at Dillion, who remained silent. Left with no other option, she relented. ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll stay.¡± Karen felt that it would be better for her to stick around in the confines of the mansion with all of its comforts. Even if Preston was willing to get a house for her, she did not wish to live alone. ¡°Since you¡¯ve decided to stay, you better behave yourself from here on out,¡± Dillion warned once again, believing that Karen just could not seem to learn from her mistakes. ¡°Listen Mom and Dad. It¡¯s gettingte. You should get some sleep. I¡¯m leaving,¡± Preston informed before breathing a sigh of relief. The harmony and unity the family currently enjoyed was hard -earned after years of senseless infighting and feuds, so he hoped it would remain this way for many more years toe. Still dissatisfied, Karen issued a sigh as she watched Preston disappear from view. ¡°Why cant Preston be more like us?¡± To Karen, their fate today would have been different had Preston taken after even a modicum of their ambitious nature. ¡°Hell, I¡¯m d he¡¯s not like us,¡± Dillion snorted. ¡°If he were anything like us, we probably wouldn¡¯t even have a ce to shelter from the wind and rain.¡± If it were not for Nicole, they would not even have the chance to envision a life free from having to think about when their next meal would be. The point was, Benjamin had forgiven them and kept them around only because Nicole had decided to be kind to them. Had Nicole been even a little less forgiving, Benjamin would not have even bothered to consider taking them in. Besides, they knew that Nicole had convinced Benjamin to let them stay inrge part due to the cordial rtionship she shared with Preston, whom she was still on good terms with until this day. After having stayed in the Riddle family manor for such a long time, many things had be clear to Dillion, and he did not ever wish to repeat the same mistakes again. And though Karen¡¯s face was paler than it had ever been, she finally decided that there was no winning this and dropped her nonsense. As soon as Preston had left the Riddle family manor, and gotten into his car, his assistant asked, ¡°What took you so long, Mr. Riddle? Is everything okay?¡± Everyone else had already left by then, causing him to worry that something had happened. ¡®Nothing¡¯s going on,¡± Preston said indifferently. Although Karen had a penchant for being out of line, Dillion would still look after her. Therefore, his mother¡¯s recklessness and idiocy should not be a problem. Still, Preston sincerely hoped that his mother would learn to ept things for what they were sooner thanter. Their life now was the best case scenario for them, one they would do well to appreciate considering everything they had done in the past. For that, Preston was grateful. The assistant then nced over at Preston, and when he saw that he was in a rather bad mood, he dropped the subject and drove them away. Meanwhile, Daniel¡¯s family had all returned to their homes. While Samuel and Spencer had opted to stick around in the Riddle residence for a bit, Sean and Steve had returned to their own homes with their respective families. In the living room, everyone was seated in the living area, wearing conflicted looks on their faces. ¡°Come on, Mom and Dad. This is good news. Why do you not seem very supportive of Grandpa¡¯s decision?¡± Samuel asked in confusion, looking at Gloria and Daniel. ¡°It¡¯s not that. It¡¯s just that we feel it might be a bit too early for Sean to take charge of the Riddle family.¡± ¡°Either way, it¡¯s going to happen sooner orter. It¡¯s just that the announcement came a little earlier than you¡¯refortable with. You must also consider that Grandpa wants to retire now.¡± Samuel advised. At the end of the day, Benjamin had made his stance clear, and there was no changing it. Worried, Gloria turned to Nicole and asked, ¡°Is there really nothing else we can do?¡± Chapter 2846 Chapter 2846 MY WIFE IS A HACKER CHAPTER 2846-Nicole smirked, ¡°Mom, there¡¯s really nothing for you to worry about. Grandpa had decided to announce it today just because everyone was present.¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s good,¡± Gloria said, not feeling as tensed up now. ¡± My only problem lies in the fact that it was just so sudden. I think I just need some time to process this information.¡± ¡°I too did not expect that Grandpa would appoint his sessor today, but since he has already done it, we¡¯ll just follow through with his wishes. Sean is on board too,¡± Nicole exined, telling her parents why she and Sean were in agreement with Benjamin¡¯s ruling. ¡°Alright then. It¡¯s settled.¡± Daniel nodded. They were in no position to change anything, and the idea of Sean inheriting the vast fortunes of the Riddle family was not something they should frown at either. ¡°I have a question. When we were leaving, why did Karen make Preston stay?¡± Lulu frowned and asked. ¡°We all know what she¡¯s thinking about. Let¡¯s just not entertain any of her crap. Don¡¯t worry about it. Dillion and Preston won¡¯t join in on her madness,¡± June chimed in, her lips pursed in annoyance. ¡°Oh, so you¡¯re saying that¡­¡± Lulu¡¯s eyes widened as a sudden realization dawned upon her. Then, she gritted her teeth and asked, ¡°Is she never going to repent for her actions? I mean,e on. Has she not learned her lesson?¡± It seemed that Karen had failed to understand why she ought to back down and live the rest of her life in peace, even after all the suffering she had experienced when she was out there living in the streets. ¡°It¡¯s okay, she won¡¯t be able to do anything. All she can do is think about it,¡± Nicole calmly replied. ¡°That¡¯s true. She won¡¯t ever make it anywhere by herself,¡± Lulu agreed. Even if Karen was unhappy with Benjamin¡¯s decision, there was nothing she could do to change his mind or turn the situation around. ¡°It¡¯s gettingte. Let¡¯s all get some sleep.¡± Nicole looked at Nn and Lana, who were already swaying back and forth drowsily in Jared¡¯s arms. ¡°Okay.¡± Everyone nodded, having noticed that Nn and Lana were exhausted. Soon, everyone returned to their respective rooms, and after Nicole and Jared had tucked the little ones in, they did the same as well. ¡°You must be tired, huh?¡± Jared asked upon noticing that Nicole was feeling a little weary. ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± Nicole softly muttered, her eyes already trained on the bed. She was indeed ready for a good sleep. Seeing that her attention was already on the bed, Jared smiled and led Nicole toward it. After cing her down and tucking her in, Jared gently kissed her in the forehead and said, ¡°Sleep well.¡± Nicole chuckled and reached out to hug Jared, after which she nted a gentle kiss on his lips. ¡°Goodnight.¡± Following an affectionate rub on her head, Jared embraced her. ¡°Goodnight.¡± Nicole cuddled up to Jared and fell asleep soon after, looking nothing short of happy in his embrace. Then, Jared watched her as he gently stroked her face, his eyes brimming with love and affection for her. Time passed in the blink of an eye, and before they knew it, two days had passed. On the third day, Nicole came to Riddle Corporation as usual. ¡°Mr. Ellison!?¡± Nicole called out, surprised to see Thomas.¡± Why are you here?¡± ¡°I came because I¡¯d like to ask for your help.¡± Thomas sighed. Nicole narrowed her eyes upon hearing that. ¡°Is it about Harvey?¡± Thomas hesitated for a moment as he looked at Nicole.¡± Can we talk about it in private?¡± ¡°Sure,e on in,¡± Nicole said, leading Thomas into the office. After they had both taken a seat, the secretary came in with two cups of coffee. Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org. ¡°Mr. Ellison? I must tell you that I probably won¡¯t be able to help you with anything,¡± Nicole candidly stated, knowing what Thomas¡¯s intentions were. ¡°I know. It¡¯s just that I can¡¯t think of anyone else who can do it other than you,¡± Thomas sighed. ¡°Harvey hasn¡¯t shown any signs of improvement for the past few days. I¡¯m genuinely worried that he¡¯ll keep deteriorating if he keeps this up.¡± Chapter 2847 Chapter 2847 MY WIFE IS A HACKER CHAPTER 2847-¡°How are you so sure that I can motivate him?¡± Nicole asked in frustration, thinking that anything she said would not get through to Harvey. In fact, she must be thest person Harvey wanted to see right now. Understanding what Nicole¡¯s doubts were, Thomas exined, ¡°But you might be the turning point.¡± Nicole was quite certain that Harvey would hate her. If that was the case, however, Harvey would never have allowed himself to be a broken shell of himself. If anything, he would be reluctant to ept defeat. Because of this, Thomas believed that Nicole was the only one who could bring Harvey back to who he used to be. There was just no other way around it, and he would take that shot, regardless of how slim their chances were at seeding. Nicole looked at Thomas and hesitated. She did not have the heart to decline his request outright. She genuinely did not care about Harvey, but the same could not be said for Thomas. After considering it for a moment, she agreed, ¡°Alright then. I¡¯ll pay him a visit today after I¡¯m done with my work.¡± Ovee with gratitude and relief, Thomas nodded. ¡°Thank you so much in advance.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t thank me yet. I¡¯m not sure if this will work,¡± Nicole said. She had her share of doubts about Thomas¡¯ n, but at this rate, she had no choice but to give it a shot. ¡°Regardless of what the oue is, I must still thank you,¡± Thomas replied. ¡°I know I¡¯m making things difficult for you, but I¡¯m thankful that you¡¯re willing to help me out. No matter what happens, you¡¯ve got a million thanks from me.¡± Thomas understood that Nicole had agreed to do this only because she cared about him. She would likely turn a blind eye to Harvey if it was not for her consideration of Thomas. Nicole sighed after Thomas had left. She then grabbed the file and brought it to the table, struggling to believe that Harvey was actually so fragile and spoiled. ¡®Forget it. I¡¯m helping myself by helping Thomas anyway. Ellison Group is not an average run-of-the-millpany. I really don¡¯t want to be in charge of it. I¡¯ll just get Harvey to shoulder the responsibility instead,¡¯ she thought. Soon, the end of the workday arrived, and Lulu came marching into Nicole¡¯s office. ¡°Why did you insist on meing back?¡± Lulu asked, serious and anxious when she entered the room. Nicole would not have called her over if there were no important developments on her end, so Lulu figured that something might have happened. In response, Nicole looked at Lulu and said, ¡°Come with me to the hospital.¡± ¡°The hospital?¡± Lulu asked, frowning. Then, her eyes widened in surprise. ¡°Are you going to visit Harvey?¡± Lulu figured that Harvey must be the reason for Nicole¡¯s sudden decision to pay the hospital a visit at this time, as there was no one else she could think of who was currently admitted for an injury or condition of any sort. ¡°Yes, Thomas came over for a chat today,¡± Nicole confirmed. N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content. Lulu instantly nodded her head in understanding. ¡°And you agreed to his request.¡± ¡°He personally came over to beg me for help, so how could I possibly decline him?¡± Nicole answered and paused for a moment. ¡°On the bright side, it¡¯ll be good news for us too if Harvey returns to normal.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right. We should let Harvey handle his ownpany. ¡± Lulu nodded. Although Thomas had ceded control of Ellison Group to Nicole for now, it was a move made to prevent Harvey from wreaking havoc rather than a direct handover of thepany to her. ¡°Come on then,¡± Nicole stood up and walked out of the office with Lulu. ¡°Ms. Riddle?¡± Patricia greeted, already holding the door and standing in wait for them. Lulu then smiled at Patricia, and asked, ¡°Are youing with us?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Patricia replied without any further exnation. She was tagging along for the sake of Nicole safety, and her task today was to ensure that nobody would get to harm Nicole. She was not only there to protect Nicole from Harvey but also from those operating in the shadows as well. After they had gotten into the car, Patricia ignited the engine and drove them to the hospital. Chapter 2848 Chapter 2848 MY WIFE IS A HACKER CHAPTER 2848-Lulu chatted all the way to the hospital, reaching a point where she asked Patricia, ¡°So how¡¯s Er?¡± ¡°He¡¯s better now, but he has not fully recovered. That was why he did not dare to return to the Riddle family manorst night,¡± Patricia exined. ¡°Oh well, everyone thought he was abroad, so no one bothered to ask for the specifics,¡± Lulu added and paused.¡± Wait, is heing back to attend Emery¡¯s wedding? I mean, it is around the corner.¡± Patricia frowned, uncertain of what Er¡¯s decision would be. Emery¡¯s wedding was about a week away, and as one of Emery¡¯s closest family members, Er should be there for the asion. No matter how busy he was, he should never miss his brother¡¯s wedding. It would be difficult to exin Er¡¯s absence if he did. ¡® Patricia, please keep a close eye on him from here on out. Even if he can¡¯t fully recover in time, he must still attend the wedding. In the event that he¡¯s exposed, just tell everyone he sustained a minor injury during an ident while he was abroad,¡± Nicole instructed Patricia. ¡°Yes, I understand,¡± Patricia replied, realizing there was no other option at this point. After a while, the car pulled over at the entrance of the hospital, whereupon the trio got out of the car. ¡°Hey Lulu. I think you should get some fruits,¡± Nicole reminded. ¡°What? Do I have to buy him something?¡± Lulu protested with reluctance written all over her face. Nicole chuckled. ¡°You can¡¯t visit a patient empty-handed. That would just be inappropriate.¡± ¡°Well, if this was someone else, sure, we can¡¯t visit empty- handed, but this is Harvey we¡¯re talking about here,¡± Lulu argued, not wanting to waste a dime on him. ¡°Come on. Just get on with it,¡± Nicole reassured Lulu with a pat on her shoulder. Although Lulu remained unwilling, she still did what Nicole asked her to do. After a while, she returned with a basket of fruits, and the group entered the hospital, arriving at the ward shortly. ¡°Mr. Ellison?¡± they greeted Thomas. ¡°I see everyone is here.¡± Thomas nodded with relief as if he could now see a sliver of hope. After cing the basket of fruits down, Lulu nced over at Harvey. She was frowning but she did not have anything to say to him. Meanwhile, Nicole approached the bedside, looking at the dejected Harvey before issuing a sigh. ¡°Do you n to spend the rest of your days on this hospital bed?¡± Hearing Nicole¡¯s voice, Harvey slowly raised his head in dismay. ¡°Are you here to mock me?¡± ¡°So what if I say yes?¡± Nicole admitted. ¡°Why you!¡± Harvey¡¯s face turned purple with rage. He gritted his teeth, and then, in a tone indicative of helplessness and defeat, he replied, ¡°Well, you¡¯re right. The only thing I¡¯m worthy of now is mockery.¡± To Harvey, they lived a ¡°winner-takes-all¡± sort of world, and now, he felt that he was set up to be a loser from the very beginning. Nicole narrowed her eyes, and that was when she turned to the others and said, ¡°You guys may leave for now.¡± ¡°Nicole?¡± Lulu shook her head, disagreeing with her approach. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll be fine,¡± Nicole nodded confidently. No matter if today¡¯s talk went well or not, Nicole was confident that Harvey wouldn¡¯t hurt her. Even if he attempted to, she knew she could defend herself. Plus, if needed, Patricia could step in to help restrain Harvey, giving them the upper hand. ¡°Call me if you need anything, Ms. Riddle,¡± Patricia reminded Nicole before leaving. Thomas and Lulu followed suit, but thetter was still looking back at Nicole with worry written all over her face. In turn, Nicole shed her a slight smile, indicating that she would be fine. Once everyone had left, Nicole turned her gaze to Harvey. Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g ¡°Initially, I didn¡¯t even want to give a damn about you. But then, your grandfather came to me for help because he doesn¡¯t want to see you in this state,¡± Nicole cut to the chase. ¡°For better or worse, my business has nothing to do with him, ¡± Harvey said, believing that his grandfather did not truly care about him. If Thomas did, Harvey would not have been left in this miserable state right now. Chapter 2849 Chapter 2849 MY WIFE IS A HACKER CHAPTER 2849-¡°I thought so too. But your grandfather told me he had to try. Otherwise, the entirety of Ellison Group will be mine,¡± Nicole said. Then, she smirked and continued, The only price I have to pay is that I¡¯ll have to take care of him until the very end of his life.¡± Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g ¡°Don¡¯t you even dare think about it!¡± Harvey roared, instantly ovee with rage. In response, Nicole shrugged her shoulders. ¡°Oh, what are you going to do about it?¡± ¡±1 won¡¯t let you do whatever the hell you want, and I sure as hell won¡¯t let you have your way!¡± Harvey bellowed. ¡°How are you going to do that? You¡¯re going to fight back while lying on the hospital bed?¡± Nicole feigned surprise and gave Harvey a mocking stare. She was not threatened by Harvey at all. ¡°Nicole!¡± Harvey suddenly got up from the bed and stared her down with a murderous re. With a slight smile, Nicole sized Harvey up before nodding in approval. ¡°Not bad. I see you can actually stand up now. I thought you were nning to lie down like a vegetable for the rest of your life.¡± After a slight dy, Harvey raised his brow inplete puzzlement. Then, his expression changed, and he gritted his teeth.¡± Nicole, you¡¯re plotting against me again!?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t get so worked up,¡± Nicole said, taking on a much more serious tone now. ¡°Mr. Ellison really did make an effort for you. I may not have the right to interfere in the affairs of your family orment about everything that has happened in the previous generation. However, you should know that he has always loved and cared for you, even though he did mess up in the past. If it weren¡¯t for Thomas going out of his way to give his grandson a better life, Harvey would not have aplished what he had thus far with rtive ease. Nicole¡¯s words left Harvey speechless there and then. In fact, he was aware of these things himself. Though he felt that it was Thomas¡¯ way of atoning for the sins of his past, he still felt that he deserved every single favor that Thomas owed him. After a moment of contemtion, Harvey bit his tongue and said, ¡°That is none of your business.¡± Nicole shrugged, indifferent to what Harvey just said. ¡°I know, and that¡¯s why I don¡¯t want to get involved.¡± Then, she looked at him calmly and continued, ¡°But please remember, although Ellison Group is still under your name, you have signed an agreement with me. If you can¡¯t manage thepany properly, I will have to consider other options.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you dare!¡± Harvey threatened through gritted teeth. ¡°I¡¯m not your grandfather, Harvey.¡± Nicole sneered, knowing he could go ahead and test her. After saying that, Nicole left the ward in long strides. She had said everything she needed to say and done what needed to be done. What happened next would depend on the choices Harvey would make. Of course, if Harvey ended up bing a disappointment again, she would have to seriously consider other options. After all, she could not just sit and watch as Ellison Group crumbled into ruins. Speechless, Harvey could only open his mouth without saying a word as she watched her recede from view. After a minute or two, Thomas entered the room. ¡°Are you okay?¡± Thomas came up to Harvey¡¯s side and looked at him. A conflicted expression manifested on Harvey¡¯s face when he saw how caring his grandfather looked, after which he snorted andid back down on the bed. Thomas¡¯ eyes carried a hint of amusement as he raised his brows. It seemed to him that Harvey should be fine now. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll let you get some rest, then,¡± Thomas said and left, knowing that Harvey needed some time and space to reflect. ¡°He should be okay now.¡± Thomas shed Nicole a smile, ovee with gratitude. ¡°I really have to thank you this time.¡± Nicole returned the smile and shook her head. ¡°No need to thank me. Now that we¡¯ve done what we came here to do, we¡¯ll be leaving.¡± ¡°Alright, have a safe trip back,¡± Thomas nodded. ¡°I¡¯m going home too.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Lulu asked in confusion. Lulu thought Thomas was supposed to stay and watch over Harvey, so she was puzzled by the idea that he was going home too. ¡°He¡¯ll have a quicker recovery in my absence,¡± Thomas exined. If he stayed, Harvey might still behave in an awkward manner for a few more days. ¡°Oh.¡± Lulu nodded in understanding. With all that was said and done, she was not interested in their affairs. She could care less as long as everything was fine. Chapter 2850 Chapter 2850 MY WIFE IS A HACKER CHAPTER 2850-Nicole left the hospital with Lulu and Patricia after Thomas was gone. ¡°Oh yeah! I can¡¯t wait till Harvey is back in charge of Ellison Group. I can finally return to you guys in Riddle Corporation!¡± Lulu eximed, feeling a sense of relief. Nicole could not help but chuckle at how happy Lulu was.¡± For all your troubles, I¡¯ll treat you to lunch later.¡± ¡°What do you think about Fish and Chips?¡± Lulu instantly asked, her eyes lit up in anticipation. ¡°I don¡¯t see why that is a problem,¡± Nicole said, rolling her eyes. ¡°Shall we call June over so that she can join us?¡± ¡°Sure,¡± Lulu replied, before giving June a call and telling her to meet at their usual spot. Meanwhile, Harvey¡¯s assistant hade into the ward after everyone was gone. ¡°Are you alright, Mr. Ellison?¡± Narrowing his eyes, Harvey ordered, ¡°Get me discharged.¡± ¡°Yes, sir,¡± his assistant agreed. ¡°Get all of your preparations done. We¡¯re going back to thepany tomorrow,¡± Harvey dered, determined and resolute. Shocked by his recovery, his assistant asked, ¡°Are you going back to thepany for real?¡± ¡°Why? Is that a problem?¡± Harvey retorted with displeasure. ¡°Why not at all! We can definitely do that,¡± his assistant eximed, enthusiastic as ever because everyone in thepany would be delighted to hear about the fact that Harvey was now back in action. Impatient, Harvey nced over at his assistant. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to start now?¡± Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll make the preparations now,¡± his assistant replied and hurried off. Now alone, Harvey gazed out of the window and thought, ¡®I won¡¯t let Nicole benefit from this. She is currently overseeing Ellison Group, but I believe I¡¯ll be able to find a way to regain control of the company.¡¯ With a bright fire of determination kindling in his eyes, Harvey continued, ¡®I won¡¯t give you the chance to mock me again, Nicole. Don¡¯t you even dream about taking Ellison Group over.¡¯ Meanwhile, Nicole and the others had already arrived at the restaurant, where the dining hall was filled with the distinct and delicious aroma of their famous Fish and Chips dish wafting from the fryer. ¡°Oh, nothing beats the taste of fish and chips, I tell you,¡± Lulu said after sitting down. After ordering three portions of the restaurant¡¯s signature dish, Lulu asked, ¡°Do you want to drink?¡± No, I¡¯ll take a ss of fruit juice,¡± Nicole declined, shaking her head. ¡°I¡¯ll have fruit juice too,¡± June echoed. Patricia had to drive, so she could not drink as well, leaving Lulu to enjoy her alcoholic beverage alone. ¡°You guys are so boring,¡± Lulu muttered, feeling that all of the fun had been taken away from having to drink alone. After ordering three sses of fruit juice for them, Lulu looked at June with her forehead creased. ¡°I find it strange. Why aren¡¯t you drinking today? Usually, you would join me or even be the one to suggest it.¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t been drinking for a long time now.¡± June smiled, feeling a little embarrassed. With her eyes on June, Lulu frowned and scrutinized the look on her face. ¡°You¡¯re not pregnant, are you?¡± It seemed to her that only women who were pregnant would be so concerned about abstinence from alcohol. Not yet.¡± June blushed. Chapter 2851 Chapter 2851 At that instant, Lulu¡¯s eyes widened, and she asked, ¡°So, you¡¯re preparing for pregnancy now?!¡± She knew from the get-go that something was amiss. Otherwise, June would not have refused a single drop of alcohol, of which she was usually fond. ¡°We do n on having children,¡± June replied, though there was no telling when. ¡°Well, then, give it your best shot,¡± Lulu teased, supporting June¡¯s decision to start a family of her own with Samuel in the foreseeable future. Shifting the attention to Lulu now, June raised an eyebrow and asked, ¡°What about you? Have you considered it?¡± Lulu shook her head, feeling that it was awkward for Lulu to put her and Spencer in the spotlight now. ¡°We haven¡¯t thought about it. Well, at least not for now.¡± ¡°Why?¡± June asked in puzzlement. After all, they were already married, so it was strange that the thought of having children never urred to Lulu. ¡® Let¡¯s stop talking about this. I¡¯m just going to let things happen naturally,¡± Lulu shyly said, shifting the conversation away from her. ¡°Come on. The food is ready. Let¡¯s eat,¡± Lulu continued. At that instant, June decided not to press further, as she knew that Lulu was dead set on avoiding the topic. After all, everyone had different ns for their lives, which was fine so long as they were happy with the decisions they had made. As they enjoyed their meal, Nicole nced over at Lulu and said, ¡°You should head to Ellison Group tomorrow and finalize the work arrangements with Harvey. Then, you can return to us.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Lulu nodded eagerly in agreement. ¡°Harvey?¡± June asked, puzzled. ¡°Is he okay now?¡± Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org. ¡°I did not get the chance to tell you about this earlier. We just came back from the hospital. He¡¯s fine now,¡± Lulu opened, briefly exining the situation to June. June nodded. ¡°So that¡¯s what happened, huh.¡± ¡°What Nicole did was impressive. She managed to get Harvey to stop with his pity party in minutes! I was there when it happened! I could hear him shouting at her while I was outside the ward. Phew, for a second there, I thought he might kill Nicole,¡± Lulu proudly said. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. He¡¯s not going to be able to pull it off even if he wants to,¡± June remarked. ¡°That¡¯s true,¡± Lulu agreed with a nod. Her worries were not unfounded, as Harvey¡¯s rage was evident, even from the outside of the ward where she had stood.Books Chapters Are Daily Updated Join & Stay Updated For All Books Updates¡­ ¡°Oh, by the way, now that Harvey is taking charge of Ellison Group once more, will he mind his own business?¡± June asked Nicole with some concern. ¡°I mean, you still need to be cautious of him,¡± she added. ¡°Rest assured, he hasn¡¯t gone off his rocker, so he should be able to contain himself,¡± Nicole replied confidently. She knew full-well that Harvey had onlyplied to her demands out of the unwillingness to lose. It would not surprise her if he now resented her for her new position as the overseer of hispany. However, she was not worried. If Harvey dedicated his time and efforts on managing Ellison Group wholeheartedly, he might eventually relieve himself of his grievances ande to understand Thomas¡¯s new arrangements, which were well -intentioned. ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± June nodded, finally feeling relieved. While the three were eating and chatting, a voice red out of nowhere. ¡°Having a dinner gathering, huh? Mind if I join?¡± Upon looking up, they were surprised to see that Er was standing right before them. ¡°Why are you here?¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t had dinner yet, and I knew that you were all eating here, so I just came here to join you.¡± Er then looked at Nicole and pleaded. ¡°Can I stay, Nicole?¡± Nicole was amused when she saw the look on his face.¡± Sure, have a seat.¡± ¡°Awesome.¡± Er sat down happily and picked one of the unused spoons up, ready to eat. Without so much as a warning, Patricia grabbed his spoon, yanked it away, and said, ¡°You have not recovered from your injuries, so I can¡¯t let you have anything hot and spicy.¡± ¡°The wounds are almost done healing. Trust me, I can eat this,¡± Er immediately exined, worried that Patricia was trying to get him to leave. ¡°No.¡± Patricia denied, refusing to yield at all. Seeing this, Er could only plead, ¡°But I¡¯m really hungry.¡± ¡°Have some chicken broth then,¡± Patricia said, motioning for the waiter to serve Er a bowl of chicken broth. Chapter 2852 Chapter 2852 Soon, the waiter came back, bringing with him a piping hot bowl of chicken broth atop a tray. Er swallowed as stared at the basket of fish and chips, his cravings on full disy. ¡°What¡¯s up? Are you not happy with the soup you¡¯ve been given?¡± Patricia raised an eyebrow and asked in a semithreatening tone of voice. No, I love it.¡± Er immediately withdrew his gaze, about to consume a spoonful of the broth. The sight of Er¡¯s reluctantpliance left Patricia feeling both satisfied and relieved. ¡®This dude doesn¡¯t even pay attention to his own health.¡¯ ¡°I know you care about me, so I won¡¯t deny that this soup actually tastes heavenly,¡± Er proudly said, before grinning in satisfaction. Er¡¯s sudden remark took her aback, causing her to choke. ¡°Are you okay?¡± Er handed her a ss of water in concern. ¡°Here, have some water.¡± Patricia stifled her coughs and took a few sips of water to soothe her throat before ring at Er. ¡°Let¡¯s eat.¡± ¡°Sure,¡± Er agreed, before lowering his head and taking another sip of his broth. Lulu and June exchanged knowing nces and turned to Nicole when they saw Er following Patricia¡¯s orders like an obedient kid. However, there was not much of a reaction from Nicole, as she remained calm and enjoyed her te of fish and chips. June and Lulu then exchanged another mutual nce. Deciding to suppress their urge to gossip, they lowered their gaze and continued eating their meal. Yet, the insatiable curiosity in their hearts were in full swing, evident and insuppressible. From time to time, they would steal nces at both Patricia and Er. Meanwhile, Er¡¯s eyes were fixed on Patricia, so it did not ur to him that both Lulu and June were looking at him. On the other hand, Patricia was rather vignt. She could not help but feel awkward as she could sense what June and Lulu were thinking. ¡°Don¡¯t look at me. Just eat up,¡± Patricia warned Er through gritted teeth when she spotted him looking at her again. ¡°Why can¡¯t I look at you?¡± Er asked without lowering his voice as he furrowed his brows in confusion. The trio of Nicole, Lulu, and June sat motionless at the table. However, Patricia swore she could still hear the stifled giggles emanating from Lulu and June, causing her cheeks to flush at once. ¡°Shut up,¡± Patricia red at Er, her eyes burning with resentment. ¡®Is this dude insane or what? Is he genuinely oblivious to what¡¯s going on, or is he just ying dumb?¡¯ ¡°Okay.¡± Er immediately lowered his head and continued eating upon noticing that he had pissed Patricia off. ¡°Hey, why don¡¯t you consider him? I think you two are quitepatible,¡± Lulu whispered to Patricia. Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org. Patricia, feeling a little ufortable at the notion that she should get together with Er, shifted the subject. ¡°If you don¡¯t eat now, someone else might chow it all down.¡± Then, she quickly lowered her head and dug in, not wanting others to discuss anything remotely rted to her. Lulu raised an eyebrow as she observed how shy Patricia had be. She was about to say something, but before she could, Er had already beaten her to it. ¡°Hey, Nicole. Are my brother¡¯s wedding preparations almost done?¡± ¡°Yeah, they should be by now,¡± Nicole responded. ¡°Have you not been in contact with your family all this time?¡± Lulu rolled her eyes at Er, who was shifting the spotlight away from Patricia to shield her from any further scrutiny. ¡°I mean, I did tell them that I¡¯ve traveled abroad. If I contact my family on a regr basis, I¡¯m afraid they¡¯ll come to discover my secret,¡± Er nonchntly exined. Lulu pursed her lips, finding it hard to believe. ¡°Anyway, have some more.¡± Er turned to Patricia, scooping up bits of Cesar Sd on the bowl and cing them on her te. ¡°Erm, Lulu? Please don¡¯t make things difficult forthem. You might end up destroying any chances of them getting together,¡± June warned Lulu in solemn tone. It was evident that Patricia was resisting each and every one of Er¡¯s advances, even though she had demonstrated time and again that she cared about him. Therefore, June felt that it was best they steered clear of Er¡¯s and Patricia¡¯s affairs. Chapter 2853 Chapter 2853 ¡°Yeah. I got it.¡± Lulu nodded, understanding June¡¯s implication. Initially, she was just making a joke, but upon seeing Patricia¡¯s reaction to the innocent little remark she had made, she came to realize that thetter had taken it seriously. Curious, Lulu furrowed her brows and whispered to Nicole,¡± Is Patricia worried about something she can¡¯t divulge to us?¡± She always felt that while Patricia did care about Eliar, she had never reciprocated Er¡¯s feelings for her, and there must be a solid reason for that. After ncing over at Patricia and back to Lulu, Nicole simply responded, ¡°Maybe.¡± Since it was a personal matter which Patricia did not seem too keen to talk about, Nicole did not want to probe too deeply. She believed in giving Patricia her personal space to figure things out on her own. ¡°Okay then,¡± Lulu responded, sighing as she looked at Patricia and Er. She thought it would be a pity if the two missed the chance to get together, but ultimately, the final decision was for the duo of Patricia and Er to make. After dinner, the group of five walked out of the restaurant. ¡°I¡¯ll take you home,¡± Er said to Patricia. Raising her eyebrows in annoyance, Patricia coldly replied,¡± You must understand that I need to drive Ms. Riddle home.¡± ¡°Well, my brother-inw ising to pick her up. You shouldn¡¯t deprive him of what he is already nning on doing,¡± Er insisted, holding onto Patricia. As soon as he had spoken, Jared¡¯s car rounded the corner and pulled up before them. ¡°Hey, Jared!¡± Er waved at Jared happily. Patricia narrowed her eyes as she scrutinized Er, suspecting that he had intentionally called Jared over. Feeling a little guilty, Er avoided Patricia¡¯s gaze and turned to Nicole instead. ¡°Nicole, your hubby is here to pick you up. You can go home first.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Nicole agreed and made a beeline for Jared¡¯s car. Nicole knew what Er was up to, but since Jared was already there, she got into the car anyway, not wanting to make a big deal out of it. After Nicole and Jared had disappeared into the distance, June and Lulu announced, ¡°We¡¯re leaving too.¡± ¡°Sure, let¡¯s go together. I¡¯ll drive you both,¡± Patricia quickly offered. ¡°It¡¯s okay. We¡¯ll just get a cab.¡± After declining Patricia¡¯s offer, the duo hailed a passing cab, got in, and went home. Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org. Patricia¡¯s lips twitched. Though she was not one to bite, the two seemed to be avoiding her like she was some beast ready to pounce. ¡°Well, let¡¯s go home,¡± Er said to Patricia with a gentle smile etched on his face. Frustrated by the situation they had left her in, Patricia red at Er. ¡°I can walk on my own.¡± ¡°Patricia!¡± Er quickly reached out to grab her when he saw that she was turning around to walk home on her own. ¡°Let me take you home.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Patricia forcefully pulled away, causing Er to let out a yelp in pain. ¡°Argh, that hurts!¡± Another twitch of frustration crossed her lips at once. Not only had the women in herpany avoided her like the gue, but they had also left her a man-child in Er to deal with. Exasperated, she turned to look at him and asked, ¡°Your arm shouldn¡¯t be hurting anymore, don¡¯t you think?¡± ¡®Is he using his injury for sympathy?¡¯ she wondered. But it really hurts,¡± Er replied, his voice weak and pitiful. ¡°Really?¡± Patricia held his arm up in doubt to check his wound. ¡®The wound has already recovered. There¡¯s even a scar there, so why did he im it still hurts?¡¯ she asked herself. Catching her off guard, Er grabbed her hand and ced it on his chest where his heart was. ¡°It hurts right here.¡± ¡°You¡­¡± Patricia¡¯s cheeks flushed the instant she realized what he was up to. Then, she quickly yanked her hand away and took a few steps back. ¡®The nerve of him! He tricked me again! He looks so gentle and unassuming on the outside, but as soon as I let my guard down, he springs his trap on me!¡¯ she fumed. As expected, Patricia¡¯s act of retreating from him left him sad and deted. ¡°Patricia, I know you care about me. Can¡¯t you just give me a chance? Just one chance? Please?¡± He could not wrap his head around the fact that Patricia still refused to give him a chance, even though it was clear by now that she had feelings for him. Patricia bit her lips in response, and in a toneced with cold sternness, she replied, ¡°Please do us both a favor and avoid saying things like that.¡± Chapter 2854 Chapter 2854 After she had dished those words out to him, Patricia hurried off to her car parked at the lot. Er¡¯s eyes glinted with pain and anguish at Patricia¡¯s response, but he gritted his teeth and followed her anyway. He could feel that Patricia¡¯s resistance toward him was not as strong as he had expected, so he would do well not to give up now. Once they were in the car, Patricia, her tone cold and indifferent, said, ¡¯Sit tight, I¡¯ll take you home first.¡± After that, she floored the gas pedal, bringing the car out of the parking lot in a jiffy. Having anticipated how fast she would be going, El r instinctively fastened his seatbelt and grabbed the handle. On the way, Patricia was going at 80 miles an hour, making the atmosphere in the car quiet yet tense, with a nervous Er tightening his grip on the handle, his face scrunched up in fear and concern. He knew that Patricia was in a bad mood, and could not help but wonder if it was because of the confession he had made earlier. After a while, Patricia took a right turn and brought him right to the entrance of BayCorp. N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content. ¡°Get off,¡± Patricia ordered, her voice still sounding somewhat cold. ¡°Okay.¡± Er, aware of her bad mood, obediently got out of the car, but not before dropping her a reminder. ¡°Be careful on your way back.¡± ¡°You should take care of yourself,¡± Patricia said and stepped on the gas, speeding off and leaving a cloud of dust on her way. Er, who was left in an eerily empty street, grew increasingly worried as he watched her race off at breakneck speeds. At the pace she was going, one would think she waspeting in a NASCAR tournament. Unable to put his worries aside, Er hailed a cab down and ordered the driver to tail Patricia from behind. It was only after he had followed her around for a bit that he realized Patricia was not returning to her apartment. Instead, she was making her way to the outskirts of the city. This left Er puzzled. ¡®What is Patricia doing on the outskirts at this time?¡¯ And it was not until Patricia arrived at an open area that Er understood what she was up to. As it turned out, she was looking for a ce to vent. It seemed that she was not as calm as she had appeared. Deep down, she might as well have been a nervous wreck. The instant she found a vast, empty stretch of road, Patricia floored the elerator and sent the car forward at blistering speeds. Within her chest was a strong, disruptive force weighing down on her heart and gnawing away at her, and it was only by driving recklessly that she could feel a modicum of relief. For reasons unknown to her, she felt inexplicably restless. Concurrently, Er¡¯s words were echoing in her mind, asking her why she simply could not give them a chance. Still, she could not be bothered to acknowledge that she had been too harsh or cold in her treatment toward him as there were factors beyond her control; factors which Er would never be able to understand. Meanwhile, Nicole and Jared had just returned to the Riddle residence. It was alreadyte, and everyone had already gone to bed, making both the house and the courtyard exceptionally quiet save for the symphony of crickets chirping in the bushes. But this did not bother Jared, who went on to hold Nicole¡¯s hand as they walked side by side. ¡°Do you have anything to say about Er and Patricia?¡± Nicole asked Jared in a soft voice. She did not believe that Jared would do something so out-of -character for a man as stern and serious as himself just because Er had addressed him as his brother-inw. ¡°Let them decide forthemselves,¡± Jared said indifferently. He was not concerned about trivial issues that were not his own. ¡°But Patricia obviously has her concerns, and they are probably linked to her ties to the organization. It¡¯s not easy for her to break free so easily.¡± Nicole frowned, knowing that individuals like Patricia and Charlie harbored secrets unknown to those outside the fold of their duties. ¡°I guess we¡¯ll have to see what her choices are, then,¡± Jared replied, remaining indifferent. After she had heard him, Nicole became even more certain that it was going to be a tough road ahead for Patricia should she choose to pursue a normal life. However, it also seemed that Jared would not stop Patricia from leading the life of an average Jane if she so desired. Nicole then stared at him with a frown, realizing that she did not understand him. ¡°Why are you looking at me like that?¡± Jared stopped and looked down at her, his eyes brimming with gentleness. ¡°If Patricia chooses to be with Er in the end, you won¡¯t stop her, right?¡± Nicole asked. ¡°Will you let me?¡± Jared asked, whereupon a defeated smile crossed his face. Chapter 2855 Chapter 2855 Even if Jared had demonstrated nary an ounce of care for others, he would definitely not disregard Nicole and her concerns. Upon hearing this, Nicole smiled and replied, ¡°No.¡± If Patricia and Er did indeed share mutual feelings of affection, she hoped they would get together. As for Jared, he simply raised his hand to caress her hair. He had never cared about this matter from the very beginning, as it never concerned him. ¡°Since you won¡¯t object, why not tell Patricia?¡± she asked, thinking that Patricia would not be bogged down by any of her concerns anymore if Jared was willing to step up and tell her about hisck of objections. ¡°Well, it¡¯s about Charlie,¡± Jared said indifferently. Since Patricia was working as a subordinate under Charlie, her freedom from the constraints of the organization was his to determine. Nicole raised her eyebrows, and thought about it for a moment. ¡®Indeed, it¡¯s clear that Jared will never interfere with the personal lives of those under his payroll.¡¯ Charlie, on the other hand, was a different story. Now, Nicole did not know much about Charlie, but she could tell that he was not a man who was lax when it came to the conduct of his subordinates as well as his own, even though he had been nothing but kind and fair to Patricia. Because of this, she could not help but wonder if Charlie would ever let Patricia go. ¡°Are you sure you want to think about someone else in front of me?¡± Jared¡¯s voice, tinged with charm, red out in her ears. Nicole raised her head when she came to her senses, only to find Jared that Jared had already lowered his face, his nose almost touching hers. Her heart skipped a beat as she held her breath.Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org. Jared¡¯s cold lips gradually pressed against hers, its touch carrying some sort of magic that caused all rhyme and reason to vanish at an instant. With her hands hooked around Jared¡¯s neck, Nicole instinctively reciprocated. Though this surprised him, he gave in, allowing their kiss to progress into a full blown make -out session. In the midst of it all, the moon in all of its glory loomed over the silhouette of the couple locked in their lingering kiss, casting their shadows on the ground and forming a lovely portrait. The next day, the warm and bright sun blossomed over where the moon had been as Nicole made her way to Riddle Corporation as usual. She was puzzled when she saw that Lulu had already arrived. ¡°Why are you here?¡± With a bitter grimace on her face, Luluined, ¡°That asshole Harvey is off his rocker! He called me over to his office early in the morning, forcing me to handle the procedures of the takeover. I came back right after dealing with it. I don¡¯t wish to see his face any longer! Not now, not ever.¡± Just thinking about it made her angry. Her dreamsst night were sweet, and she was enjoying them when Harvey gave her a call and bellowed into her ear. He had even threatened her into rushing to his office while she was still half asleep. At the end of the day, Harvey was an oppressor who delighted in having his way. She did not know what he was in such a hurry for, but all she knew was that his stunt this morning was really excessive. Nicole was left in a state of puzzlement after she had heard Lulu. ¡°Why was he so eager?¡± ¡°Who knows, but if you ask me, he¡¯s probably gone crazy.¡± Lulu shrugged and continued. ¡°I said I wouldn¡¯t go, but then, he threatened me, asking if I could afford the consequences if I dyed the ¡°He really said that?!¡± Nicole blinked. ¡®Is Harvey a workaholic now?¡¯ ¡°Of course! I was furious! But to avoid giving him the opportunity to pin the me on me if things go sideways anytime soon, I yed along,¡± Lulu said, her grimace bing even more sour by the minute. Nicole was amused. ¡°Since the handover isplete, let him deal with the work that has been cut out for him.¡± ¡°Do you think he can really do it?¡± Lulu asked, serious and unblinking. ¡°He should be able to. Even if he¡¯s holding a grudge against me and doesn¡¯t want me to condescend him, he will do well to perform his duties,¡± Nicole said. Over time, Harvey woulde to realize that holding a grudge against her was an exercise in meaninglessness, allowing him to let it go. ¡°He¡¯s really petty,¡± Lulu spat, her voice heavy with disdain. ¡°Alright, since everything is in order, let¡¯s see how Harvey performs from now on,¡± Nicole nodded. She did not want to waste any more of her time on Harvey or discussions of him, so she changed the subject and said,¡± In thest round of bidding, Er has already secured the contract. The project is about to begin, and he is probably going to need Patricia¡¯s help. With that said, I need you to pay more attention to thepany¡¯s affairs from this day onward. Chapter 2856 Chapter 2856 Lulu grinned. ¡°I know. But what if Patricia bes the female CEO of BayCorp one day?¡± Nicole shot Lulu a frown and with a sneer, she replied, ¡°Only you would think of that.¡± ¡°Hehe, preparations are still in order, right? We don¡¯t want to be caught off guardter on, do we?¡± Lulu laughed. ¡® Well, let¡¯s hope so. Alright, back to work,¡± Nicole said, dismissing Lulu. ¡°Okay,¡± Lulu turned around and exited the office. Nicole then nced over at the stack of documents on the table, picked up one, and got busy with it. Meanwhile, in the CEO¡¯s office at Ellison Group, Harvey had been sitting at his desk, wide-eyed and motionless after he was done with his work, as if the thoughts darting across his mind had overwhelmed him. ¡°Are you okay, Mr. Ellison?¡± his assistant asked cautiously. He had not barked any orders or given any instructions in over thirty minutes now, so his assistant had been left to wonder what was going on. Today was his first day of recovery, and yet he had been left to take care of the mounting workload he had been assigned. Although it was stressful, Harvey had demonstrated that he was more than capable of dealing with all of it, as evidenced by the stack of papers right at the middle of his desk. In response, Harvey raised his eyes to look at the assistant and said, ¡°Notify the heads of each department. We¡¯re going to have a meeting.¡± ¡°Yes,¡± the assistant agreed and hurried off to send them the notice. Harvey lowered his eyes and looked at the pile of documents on his desk, his gaze deep and intense. These were all of the projects that Lulu had managed during her time here, and upon seeing them, a sudden realization dawned on him. During the few days when he was left in his sorry state, Nicole had tasked Lulu with managing the things in hispany. She had handled all of these tasks efficiently, and it was evident that there were no selfish motives behind their actions. If anything, she was purely focused on doing the job, and doing it well. Every decision Nicole had made thus far had taken into consideration Ellison Group¡¯s development as well as thepany¡¯s best interest. It seemed to him now that Thomas¡¯ act of handing oversight of Ellison Group over to Nicole was not simply a move made to neutralize his belligerence; Thomas had done so genuinely with the best interest of thepany in mind. All content is ? N0velDrama.Org. At that moment, Harvey¡¯s eyes widened in understanding of what the truth really was. He had always been the one in the wrong, having sumbed to his own selfish and selfcentered desires at the expense of thepany. Thomas had been incredibly patient with him, caving in to his every demand, making him think he was invincible and untouchable. Now that he had regained control of thepany, he arrived at the resolve that he should put Ellison Group first and ensure its continued development. It was a role for which he should strive to do his very best. After taking a deep breath, Harvey raised his head and gazed out of the window. ¡®Perhaps it¡¯s time to pay Grandpa a visit.¡¯ The sun was warm and bright in the afternoon. ¡°Nicole, the day after tomorrow is Emery¡¯s wedding. Have you prepared a gift for him?¡± Lulu asked Nicole. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve prepared a gift card. Aunt Emma has gotten everything arranged. I¡¯ve thought about my choice of gifts, but there really isn¡¯t anything particrly suitable for the couple,¡± Nicole replied. After all, both Emery and his future wife already had everything they needed. ¡°Well, Spencer and I will present them some cash then. Let them do what they will with it,¡± Lulu suggested with a smile, as she was also unable to make her mind on what he should be giving them. ¡°Ah man, Stanley and Emery got into this whole matchmaking deal together, but Emery is the only one getting married now.¡± Lulu sighed. ¡°Any updates on Stanley and Tia?¡± ¡°There shouldn¡¯t be a problem. It¡¯s just that Stanley has not made an official announcement yet. I don¡¯t know what Stanley has in mind.¡± Nicole shrugged. There was no denying that Stanley had been rather secretive as ofte, something which Nicole had been sensitive enough to pick up on. ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± Lulu nodded, wondering if Stanley was nning something. ¡°When Stanley feels that it¡¯s time to make his rtionship with Tia public, he will do it.¡± Nicole said. She was not too worried as she just wanted the both of them to be happy. ¡°Oh, by the way, has Er¡¯s injury healedpletely? He should be able to attend the wedding, right?¡± Lulu asked, remembering that Er¡¯s arm still had a gash on it. Chapter 2857 Chapter 2857 ¡°He¡¯ll be there. Otherwise, Aunt Emma will definitely notice something unusual.- Nicole nodded. Emma would not think too much about his absence if she remained convinced that he was still on his trip abroad. However, she would definitely find it suspicious if he did not return for Emery¡¯s wedding. All content is ? N0velDrama.Org. ¡°Do you think Patricia will attend the wedding with Er?¡± Lulu asked Nicole, her brows raised in curiosity. Lulu¡¯s gossipy nature being in full swing amused Nicole, who replied. ¡°If you¡¯re so curious, why don¡¯t you ask her yourself?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t want to ask. I¡¯m just worried that if I do, Patricia won¡¯t show up,¡± Lulu said, exining her dilemma. Then, Nicole smiled and said, ¡°She probably won¡¯t be there.¡± But she cares a great deal about Er. Isn¡¯t she worried about the fact that he¡¯s still injured?¡± Lulu argued, puzzled and in disbelief. ¡®Seriously?!¡¯ she thought. ¡°Er¡¯s injury should be fine by now. Besides, everyone from the Riddle family will be there. Think about it. Can anything ever happen to Er with the rest of us around?¡± With that said, Patricia should be able to cut herself some ck and stay home. Initially, Nicole did not want to tell Lulu that Patricia would not show up, even if she was worried about Er. After all, Patricia had probably not decided if she woulde along or not, so Nicole did not want to give Er any false hopes. Without thinking too much about it Lulu nodded and agreed. ¡°That makes sense. It¡¯s just a bit of a pity. I wonder when Er and Patricia will really be together, and if it¡¯s even possible.¡± She felt that two people should seize the opportunity and make the rtionship happen if they happened to have feelings for one another. As they chatted, lunch break passed. ¡°Ah, it¡¯s time to get back to work again. Switching to productivity mode now,¡± Lulu stood up and dered. Nicole smiled, stood up, and marched toward her desk. After Lulu was gone, Nicole got busy with her work. In the blink of an eye, dusk arrived, giving the sky its distinct shade of purple and blue. Upon getting out of the office building, Nicole spotted Jared¡¯s car. She walked over quickly, wanting to greet him after a long day when she found that Jared was not in the car. This confused her, so she turned to Max and asked, ¡°Why are you alone?¡± ¡°About that, Mrs. Johnston. Mr. Johnston has a ton of work he is yet toplete, so he has asked me to drive you home first,¡± Max exined. After getting into the car, Nicole leaned back against the seat and ordered, ¡°Take me to his office.¡± Max hesitated for a moment, after which he agreed anyway. ¡°Sure, Mrs. Johnston.¡± He started the car, and the two made their way to Johnston Group. Upon arrival, Nicole went up to Jared¡¯s office and knocked on the door. ¡°Come in.¡± Hearing Jared¡¯s voice, Nicole opened the door and sauntered into the office. As expected, Jared was surprised to see Nicole walking in.¡± Why are you here?¡± ¡°Working overtime is hard, so I came to keep youpany.¡± Nicole smiled and walked up to Jared¡¯s desk. A trace of tenderness shed in Jared¡¯s eyes. He ced the files back down on the desk, stood up, and came to Nicole¡¯s side. ¡°Aren¡¯t you supposed to be working?¡± Nicole asked, somewhat surprised. ¡°Let¡¯s have dinner first. I might have to work untilte at night. You may head home once we¡¯re done eating,¡± Jared exined. ¡°I came here to apany you, so how can I leave without you?¡± Nicole said, clinging onto Jared¡¯s arm and taking on a more coquettish air about her. ¡°If Mr. Johnston doesn¡¯t mind, I can offer some help. Please don¡¯t chase me away, Mr. Johnston.¡± A loving smile crossed Jared¡¯s face at that instant, whereupon he nodded. ¡°Sure.¡± ¡°Thank you, Mr. Johnston.¡± Nicole beamed. Jared then raised his hand and gently caressed her hair. ¡°To the couch if you please.¡± About a minute after they had sat down on the couch, Max brought dinner in for them. While they were eating, Nicole casually asked Jared, ¡°What is it that is so urgent?" Chapter 2858 Chapter 2858 If it was not something important, Jared would not have gone out of his way to work overtime. ¡°We need to modify a proposal,¡± Jared exined. ¡°Recently, we¡¯ve been dealing with a project abroad and we¡¯ve encountered some practical operational issues. That¡¯s why we¡¯re nning to make some alterations to the proposal.¡± ¡°I can help too.¡± Nicole nodded in understanding, knowing everyone in Johnston Group was working overtime because they did not wish to put their progress on hold. Jared then nced over at Nicole and passed her a tub of creamed spinach. ¡°Just wait for me.¡± Nicole had been working the entire day, so he did not want her taking on more than she needed to do for the day. ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about me. Perhaps we can get it over with sooner thanter with my help.¡± Nicole smiled. Nodding, Jared brushed the stray strands of Nicole¡¯s hair aside. ¡°Let¡¯s have dinner first.¡± While having dinner, Nicole could not help but think about the project Jared was working to fix. The modification of the proposal required Jared¡¯s personal involvement, so it was safe to assume that it was one of great significance. And due to its degree of importance, they could not afford to make any mistakes, especially in a moment as critical as this. Unable to brush the feeling that something was amiss, Nicole casually asked Jared, ¡°Have you conducted the investigation?¡± Jared understood what she was thinking about the instant he darted his eyes over at her. Then, his gaze softened as he replied, ¡°I¡¯ve arranged for someone to investigate it, but we haven¡¯t gotten any results yet.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Nicole nodded, relieved that they were at least looking into it. After dinner, the two of them walked over to the desk area. After she had gotten a good look at the dozens of proposals spread out on Jared¡¯s desk as well as the ones Max would bring in from time to time, Nicole knew that everyone in Johnston Group, regardless of the department they were in, must be busy. Everything and everyone had been consolidated in this very space, awaiting Jared¡¯s final modifications and decisions before they had the green light to proceed. ¡°Let¡¯s start.¡± Nicole picked one of the proposals up and began to study it carefully, her gaze intense and serious. Grateful for her presence, Jared picked another document up and did the same. Just like that, the couple sifted through the documents for the next few hours. Although this dragged on until eleven in the night, they were still not done yet. All of a sudden, they heard a couple of knocks at the door. After a string of raps, Max pushed the door open. ¡°Mr. Johnston? We¡¯ve got an update.¡± ¡°Speak up.¡± Jared ordered, his gaze still fixed on one of his proposals. Aftering up to the desk, Max lowered his voice and informed, ¡°It¡¯s the members of the Eastern Falcon organization.¡± Upon hearing the name of the organization being uttered, Jared froze for a moment, and he turned to look at Max.¡± The Eastern Falcon? What about them?¡± Not only had they wreaked havoc in San Joto, but they were also doing the same abroad now. By the looks of it, they were attempting to distract and misdirect Jared. ¡°Yes, our men have found some leads, and so has Zane,¡± Max replied. N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content. ¡°What are they up to? Their motives shouldn¡¯t be as simple as disrupting the project for the sake of it,¡± Jared asked. It would take more than an action as frivolous as this to bring Johnston Group to its knees, something which the members of Eastern Falcon should know. It would be naive of them to think that a simple disruption would affect Jared and hispany in any meaningful way. Max shook his head, ¡°We only discovered that they are the perpetrators. Their motives remain unknown.¡± However, they were all well aware that the Eastern Falcon¡¯s sudden move would not end there. If anything, the disruption of the project was just the beginning of a long, borate n of sorts. ¡°Do you think it¡¯s possible that they are trying to get you to fly abroad?¡± Nicole spected. ¡°I think it makes sense. After all, anyone would want to find a way to salvage a project of such importance.¡± ¡°It¡¯s possible.¡± Jared squinted. Indeed, he would personally travel and meet his clients to resolve whatever issue there was. After careful consideration, Jared decided to revise the documents overnight. If thiste-night hustle didn¡¯t fix the problem, he¡¯d have to fly out and see what¡¯s up himself. As he pondered, a nagging thought hit him. Maybe, just maybe, someone wanted him out of San Joto. The question was, what were they trying to aplish by doing so? Two trains of thought existed in anticipation of this scenario. Either the members of the organization in San Joto were trying to direct Jared away from the country so that they could act on their ns here, or they were looking to lure him away so that the separate chapter of Eastern Falcon abroad could attack him. Watching Jared¡¯s contemtive expression, Nicole furrowed her brows, having understood his thoughts. ¡°They probably won¡¯te after you.¡± She figured that their actual target was located in San Joto, and in all likelihood, the target was none other than her. Click to rate this post! [Total: 0 Average: 0] Chapter 2859 Chapter 2859 Suddenly, an idea urred to Nicole, and that was when she looked up at Jared and suggested, ¡°Why don¡¯t we turn the tables?¡± ¡°Are you suggesting¡­¡± Jared furrowed his brows, mulled over it for a moment, and nodded. ¡°Alright.¡± Since their adversaries had taken action, they could very well use this opportunity to capture the mastermind. Turning to Max, Jared ordered, ¡°Spread the word tomorrow. Tell everyone I will be traveling abroad.¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Max replied. ¡°Do it discreetly. Make sure nobody catches what you¡¯re up to,¡± Nicole added, offering her addendum to the first set of instructions. ¡°Understood. I¡¯ll make the arrangements ordingly,¡± Max assured. After Max had left the office, Nicole flipped through the documents in her hand and said, ¡°Looks like we¡¯ll have to get this done today regardless of what.¡± Once their task today wasplete, they would be able to set their sights on Eastern Falcon and devote themselves to bringing the organization down to its knees. ¡°It¡¯s almost done.¡± Jared took the documents from Nicole and kissed her on the forehead. ¡°I can handle the rest myself. You should take a power nap. I¡¯ll wake you up when it¡¯s done.¡± Nicole nodded, knowing that all there was left for them to take care of was some amendments. ¡°Okay.¡± The final step to the process would be Jared¡¯s decision on what to do next. Thus, it would be best if she left him to take care of it while she got some much needed rest. After a few minutes of waiting, Nicole slumped over and fell asleep. Jared got up and walked up to her the moment he caught sight of her snoring on the couch. He draped her with his coat and adjusted the thermostat in the room, making it warmer and thus morefortable for her. Nicole was still asleep even after he was done with thest bit of his work about an hourter, so he opted not to wake her up and carried her out of the office instead. By the time he had made his way out of the foyer, Max was already waiting forthem with the car parked at the side of the street. After cing Nicole in the car, Jared caught a glimpse of her furrowed brows, which indicated that she was in difort. He could not help but smile as he scooted over to give her more space. ¡°Mr. Johnston? Everything has been arranged,¡± Max¡¯s baritone voice red out.. ¡°Good. You¡¯ll board the ne tomorrow and leave. One of us must be there to handle the issue in person,¡± Jared ordered. N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content. ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll get someone to impersonate you, Mr. Johnston. There won¡¯t be any leaks,¡± Max reassured. Since Jared¡¯s double would be the one leaving for the business trip, the real Jared would be staying back here in San Joto. ¡°Okay.¡± Jared nodded, his voice carrying a hint of satisfaction. Then, as he shifted his gaze to the falling leaves outside of the window, his eyes darkened. This time, he was determined to discover the scoundrel who had managed to enlist the Eastern Falcon to their cause; the very same scoundrel who could rouse the greed of an organization as elusive as the one they were dealing with. As the sun rose, Nicole slowly opened her crusted eyes to the ring raysncing down from the slits in the drapes, causing her to raise her hand to shield herself. After she had gotten over the initial wave of grogginess, Nicole furrowed her brows. ¡®Is this¡­ my room?!¡¯ Everything object around her seemed familiar, reminding Nicole that she was indeed in her home and in her room. However, she could not understand why she was at home, when she should be in Jared¡¯s office right at this second. After all, that was thest ce she remembered she was in. To add to the confusion, it was already daytime. Realizing what had happened, Nicole shifted her gaze to the left and saw Jared, who seemed to have just woken up. ¡°You brought me homest night, didn¡¯t you?¡± she asked, having remembered bits and pieces of the night before. She must have slept off, and Jared must have carried her home without waking her up. ¡°Sleep longer if you¡¯re still feeling tired.¡± Jared remarked when he saw that she still looked a little worn out. ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± Although she had not gotten the amount of sleep she had been ustomed to, it was gettingte now, and she needed to go to work, regardless of whether she was well- rested or not. Knowing that Jared must have slept muchter than her, Nicole said, ¡°You should sleep in a little longer. I¡¯m going to work.¡± Then, Nicole got out of bed and went to the bathroom to freshen up, whereupon she changed into a set of new clothes before walking out. Click to rate this post! [Total: 0 Average: 0] Chapter 2860 Chapter 2860 Noticing that Jared had also gotten up, she asked, ¡°Are you going out?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m not,¡± he replied. Max should have left the country by now, with the people in San Joto and abroad believing that Jared was no longer in the country. Thus, he could not make an appearance in public for the time being. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you sleeping then?¡± Nicole asked, thinking he should get more sleep. ¡°It¡¯s okay now. There are a few things I need to take care of for now,¡± he replied. Jared then made a beeline for the bathroom but was stopped midway by Nicole, who hugged him around the waist. Nicole smiled as she looked up at him. ¡°I¡¯m going to work. You will eat well and rest well, okay? I¡¯ll be back early after work.¡± After giving her a tender smile, he lowered his head to kiss Nicole on the lips. ¡°Sure.¡± Jared nodded following the lingering morning kiss. Nicole then rolled her eyes and walked out of the house, her cheeks as red as roses. As for Jared, his eyes were brimming with tenderness as he watched her recede from view. The moment Nicole stepped out onto thewn, the chauffeur immediately pulled up and took Nicole to her office, into which she entered upon arrival. ¡°I thought you weren¡¯ting in today.¡± Lulu waltzed in with a cup of coffee and handed it to Nicole. ¡°Thank you.¡± Nicole took a sip from the cup. ¡°Have you had your breakfast?¡± Lulu asked. ¡°Nope.¡± Nicole shook her head. She had woken upte, and since she wanted to arrive as soon as possible, she did not eat at home. ¡°I knew you didn¡¯t, so I¡¯ve asked the secretary to get you some,¡± Lulu said, frowning. As expected, Lulu¡¯s little thoughtful gesture ced a smile on Nicole¡¯s face. ¡°It¡¯s good to have you around, you know that?¡± ¡°I¡¯m d you know that,¡± Lulu said smugly, before sitting down and looking Nicole in the eye. ¡°Did Mr. Johnston actually travel abroad?¡± After looking around her, Nicole lowered her voice and whispered, ¡°No. It¡¯s all a ruse.¡± Surprised, Lulu lowered her voice to a whisper mirroring Nicole¡¯s. ¡°I see.¡± She knew that something was going on, but since the issue pertained to Johnston Group and not Riddle Corporation, she stopped probing. There was not much she could ask in regard to a problem which did not concern her. Nicole nodded, opting not to further the discussion. As everything had already been set in motion, all they had to do now was wait for the oue to unfold. ¡°Ah, Damien has been behaving rather strangely too. Usually, he would be at the rendezvous point, but I¡¯ve seen no signs of him today. I am not sure if he has discovered something or if his role in the mission has already been fulfilled,¡± Lulu said to Nicole. With a frown etched on her face, Nicole asked, ¡°Damien didn¡¯t show up today, huh?¡± ¡°Yeah, I think there is a problem,¡± Lulu added, though she did not know what had happened exactly. ¡°Got it. I¡¯ll get Patricia to investigate it.¡± Nicole nodded, and proceeded to call Patricia. And after filling Patricia in on her concerns, she hung up. She had expected Damien to notice the men she had assigned to surveil him. While he might not know who was tracking him, he was probably aware that someone had been tailing him at this point. ¡®Even if that¡¯s the case, why would Damien suddenly change his habits?¡¯ she wondered. ¡®Is it because he truly doesn¡¯t care, or is it because he is left with no other choice?¡¯ ¡°Nicole!¡± Lulu¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Could Damien be trying to escape?¡± ¡°Escape?¡± Nicole mumbled, pondering the possibilities. As Lulu thought about it, she exined, ¡°You see, Emery¡¯s wedding is taking ce tomorrow, and everyone in the Riddle family will be too focused on the ceremony to pay attention to him. This is the perfect opportunity for him to flee, don¡¯t you think?¡± Click to rate this post! Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org. [Total: 0 Average: 0] Chapter 2861 Chapter 2861 If he decided to make his escape tomorrow, the chances of him seeding were very high. ¡°That makes sense, but why would he want to run?¡± Nicole pondered. If Everett was nning something sinister, it would be helpful for Damien to stick around in San Joto and keep an eye on the rest of the Riddles. ¡°Well¡­¡± Lulu trailed off, caught off guard by Nicole¡¯s question. Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org. While she did not have the right words to exin her case, she could not help but feel that Damien¡¯s actions were suspicious. Narrowing her eyes, Nicole assured, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. If he has got a n up his sleeve, you can take my word that it will be discovered.¡± Tomorrow, the Riddle family would not care enough to keep their eyes on Damien, but what he would fail to take into ount was that Patricia had tasked someone to keep an eye on him. Therefore, none of his actions would go unnoticed. ¡°What if he is really nning to escape?¡± Lulu asked. ¡°If that¡¯s what he¡¯s trying to do¡­¡± Nicole¡¯s eyes glinted with cold fury. ¡°Patricia will take care of it.¡± She believed that Patricia would know what to do, and that she would make the best decision in regard to Damien. ¡°I see. Well, I guess we¡¯ll have to leave the rest to her, then.¡± Lulu nodded. While they were in the midst of their discussion, the secretary brought Nicole¡¯s breakfast in, prompting the duo to stop talking. Then, as Nicole began to eat, Lulu stood up and said, ¡°I¡¯ll get back to work now.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Nicole replied, whereupon Lulu got out of the office. Nicole continued eating as she contemted whether Damien¡¯s sudden, unusual change in behavior was somewhat rted to everything surrounding Jared and Johnston Group. After giving it some thought, Nicole sent a message to Jared to inform him about the most recent development. At the very least, she wanted Jared to be aware of the sudden turn of events to prevent any errors in judgment. They could not be too careful in case there might be things Jared had overlooked. After she had received Jared¡¯s reply, Nicole smirked and ced the phone away. Her mind was now on Emery¡¯s wedding tomorrow. Both she and Lulu had to show up for the ceremony, so they had to take care of their work for the day as soon as possible¡­ Just like that, the next day arrived in a jiffy. It was about seven in the morning, but everyone at home had already gotten up, dressed to the nines, and were prepared to attend the wedding. ¡°Daddy! Mommy! Another uncle is getting married!¡± Lana shouted as she looked up at Nicole, her eyes lighting up. ¡°Yeah,¡± Nicole smiled. However, the glimmer of light in Lana¡¯s eyes vanished as soon as she realized that Nicole did not understand what she was trying to tell her. ¡°What about you and Daddy? When are you getting married?¡± Nicole could not help but chuckle and shake her head when the question was posed. ¡®So this little girl is worried about us now, huh?¡¯ She then patted the little one in the head. ¡°After all of your uncles have gotten married, Daddy and I will have our wedding.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Lana tilted her head in puzzlement. Frowning, Nn butted in, ¡°But Uncle Er doesn¡¯t even have a girlfriend.¡± This prompted another chuckle out of Nicole, who replied,¡± Yeah, and that is why we need Uncle Er to double his efforts now.¡± ¡°This is unfair. Why does Mommy have to wait for all of our uncles to get married first?¡± Lana pouted. ¡®If this is what it¡¯se to, I¡¯ll have to wait for a long time,¡¯ she thought. ¡°Maybe it¡¯s because Mommy is not in a hurry.¡± Nicole smiled. In reality, they had decided to hold off on the wedding because she and Jared still had much to take care of, and the unexpected turn of events as ofte had only forced them to postpone the wedding once more. If none of these factors hade into y, they might have already gotten the wedding over with. However, she did not n to tell Nn and Lana about this. The little ones deserved a peaceful, carefree life, in which they were not roped into theplexities and dangers Nicole had been braving. ¡°Alright, we should leave now,¡± Gloria reminded everyone after she had caught a glimpse of the time. The family members moved out one by one, and that was when Nicole nced over at Stanley and asked in serious tone, ¡°You¡¯re going alone?¡± Stanley knew that she was actually asking him why Tia was not around to apany him, so he sighed and exined,¡± Grandma isn¡¯t feeling well, so Tia is staying with her.¡± Click to rate this post! [Total: 0 Average: 0] Chapter 2862 Chapter 2862 There, Nicole learned the reason as to why Mrs. Wace Sr. was not nning to attend the wedding; she was not feeling well at all. Nicole furrowed her brows and replied, ¡°You should go ahead. I¡¯ll check on grandma.¡± N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content. However, Stanley suddenly reached out to grab Nicole by the shoulder. ¡°Don¡¯t go now. Tia said grandma just went to sleep. Let¡¯s wait until we¡¯re back.¡± ¡°Fine. After the wedding, I¡¯ll go check and check on her again.¡± Nicole decided after a moment of consideration. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s head to the wedding then,¡± Stanley said as he walked Nicole toward the exit. Raising a brow in skepticism, Nicole looked at Stanley and asked, ¡°You were nning to say something if Tia had agreed toe with you, weren¡¯t you?¡± Stanley shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s not the right time yet.¡± Taken aback, Nicole asked, ¡°What are you up to, exactly?¡± ¡°You¡¯ll know when the timees.¡± Stanley replied in brief, still refusing to reveal the truth. Nicole rolled her eyes at Stanley. ¡°Fine. Keep your secrets.¡± In turn, Stanley shed her a smile without saying another word. Meanwhile, everyone had already entered their cars, ready to make their way to the venue. Nicole made a beeline for Jared¡¯s car, and upon opening the door, she was surprised to find him inside. ¡°You¡¯reing too?!¡± ¡°Mommy, why can¡¯t Daddy go?¡± Lana asked in confusion. Taken aback, Nicole froze and remained rooted on the spot until Jared reached out and pulled her into the car. ¡°It¡¯s okay. It As the car started moving, Nicole settled downfortably. If Jared was certain that his presence there would not be a problem, then it would not be. In truth, Emery¡¯s wedding was a rather humble one by the standards of a family as affluent as the Riddles. Emma had not organized a ceremony grand enough to capture the attention of the entire city. After all, Emery was the odd one out in that branch of the family. He had followed his own interests and started a gamingpany, with little to no involvement with BayCorp at all. Therefore, there were not many business magnates and tycoons in their list of guests, just some of Emery¡¯s business partners. At most, the list was expanded to include a few close friends of the Riddle family, so there was no need for them to worry about the news of Jared¡¯s appearance leaking out and torpedoing the ruse that he had meticulously nned out. Nicole believed that everyone would be sensible enough to know what to say and what not to say at this time. The journey was smooth, and in no time, they arrived at the hotel. As everyone began to get out of their cars, Nicole hesitated. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Jared asked softly. Frowning, Nicole suggested, ¡°Maybe you should cover your face a little.¡± She then grabbed a hat and looked at Jared before shaking her head in disapproval. ¡°This one doesn¡¯t seem to fit you.¡± After that, she grabbed a pair of shades, mumbling, ¡°How about these?¡± However, people might still be able to recognize him even if he donned those shades. His appearance was too distinctive, and he would just stick out like a sore thumb. Jared smiled, ced the hat and shades away, and said,¡± Don¡¯t worry. None of these are necessary.¡± ¡°Daddy, are you hiding from your enemies?¡± Lana asked out of curiosity. She had been confused ever since Nicole was caught off guard by Jared¡¯s appearance in the car. ¡®Mommy¡¯s so strange. Uncle Emery is getting married, so Daddy obviously has to go! Why were you so surprised, Mommy?¡¯ Then, she came to understand what the situation was all about. ¡®It would be ideal for Daddy to not show up in public. That¡¯s why Mommy was worried about him.¡¯ Amused by Lana¡¯s words, Jared carried her out of the car and said, ¡°No. Let¡¯s go inside.¡± ¡°Hey!¡± Nicole called out to him as she watched him carrying Lana away. ¡°Mrs. Johnston,¡± Max interrupted. ¡°Mr. Johnston has already made all the necessary arrangements. No one will leak the news today.¡± As it turned out, he had nned ahead to ensure that there was no chance for anyone to tell others that he was here today. Click to rate this post! [Total: 0 Average: 0] Chapter 2863 Chapter 2863 ¡°I understand,¡± Nicole sighed. ¡°I know this isn¡¯t that big of a deal, but I just can¡¯t stop myself from worrying.¡± ¡°Mommy, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Nn asked, frowning. He was standing there, wondering why Nicole was so anxious and worried about Jared. Snapping out of it, Nicole turned to Nn and ruffled his hair. ¡°There¡¯s a project in your father¡¯spany that¡¯s being held back by some difficulties, and we¡¯re trying to find a way out of it. My point is: now¡¯s not the best time for your dad to make an appearance in public.¡± Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org. ¡°Is it because someone disguised himself as Dad and went abroad?¡± Nn cut to the chase. Shocked by how astute Nn¡¯s observation was, she asked, ¡°How did you know that?¡± ¡°It¡¯s all over the news,¡± Nn replied confidently. ¡°I can¡¯t believe you watched the news,¡± Nicole blurted, thinking that the kids only watched cartoons on television. Confident in his father¡¯s decision, Nn held Nicole¡¯s hand and said, ¡°Come on, Mommy. Nothing will happen since Dad has gotten it all covered.¡± Nn believed that Jared would be capable of handling everything thrown his way, and with that, Nicole pinched his nose and chuckled. ¡°Alright then.¡± Nicole herself did trust in Jared and his capabilities, but her concern for him still got her worried. After entering the venue, they saw that everyone was already present, waiting for the wedding ceremony to begin. ¡°Nicole, what¡¯s going on with Jared?¡± Lulu whispered to Nicole the moment she saw Jared. Nicole proceeded to pat Lulu¡¯s hands in reassurance. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ve got everything covered.¡± ¡°Phew, that¡¯s good,¡± Lulu said, easing up. June, having overheard the conversation, tapped Lulu on the shoulder. ¡°Come on, are you questioning what Jared is capable of?¡± Bewildered, Lulu turned to June, her eyes wide. ¡°How did you know what I was thinking?¡± Lulu thought Nicole had only told her about the situation, so she was surprised to know that June had learned about it too. Annoyed, June rolled her eyes. ¡°I guessed it the moment I saw Mr. Johnston. I¡¯m sure everyone present knows what¡¯s up too. If they don¡¯t want to get on his bad side, they¡¯ll know what to do.¡± Everyone who was once uncertain of what to make of the situation all would get the picture when Jared showed up. Lulu yfully stuck her tongue out, knowing what June said made sense. Then, June craned her head to look at the entrance where more guests were approaching and asked Nicole, ¡°Why isn¡¯t Tia here?¡± ¡°Grandma¡¯s sick,¡± Nicole exined. At that instant, June understood that Tia had stayed home to take care of Mrs. Wace Sr. As the few were chatting, Er¡¯s voice suddenly red out, catching their attention. ¡°I¡¯m notte, am I?¡± Er asked, looking worn and disheveled after a long journey. June then sized Er up and said, ¡°Well, you¡¯re putting on quite a show.¡± ¡°My mom is very sensitive to details. She¡¯ll discover the truth if I take one wrong step.¡± Er exined in a hushed whisper. ¡°I¡¯ll greet them first. Let¡¯s dine at the same tableter,¡± he said, and hurried off. As Er dashed off into the crowd, June chuckled. ¡°By the looks of it, his arm seems fine.¡± ¡°Patricia did say that his recovery is almostplete. Well, his arm would have recovered by now if he hadn¡¯t missed his check-ups and taken good care of himself,¡± Nicole sighed, worried about Er who had been neglecting his own well-being. Lowering her voice again, June posited, ¡°I say, Er¡¯s doing it on purpose.¡± June had called Er¡¯s trick, aware that he had pulled all of that nonsense because Patricia was worried about his injury. Lulu, who begged to disagree,ughed and said, ¡°Well, that¡¯s something you¡¯re wrong about. Er wouldn¡¯t have the guts to do that, even if he wanted to.¡± Click to rate this post! [Total: 1 Average: 1] Chapter 2864 Chapter 2864 Nicole could not help butugh when she heard what Lulu and June were conversing about, thinking they were both right in their own ways. Patricia was indeed not one who could be easily deceived. If Er was smart, he would not lie to Patricia. After the joyous and lively wedding ceremony, Dexter and Emma invited everyone to their seats for the lunch session, and that was when Nicole and her friends all gathered at a single table, chatting while enjoying the food that had been served. The room was rife with merry chatter and smiles to say the least. "Hey, so what happened? Were you caught?" Lulu asked Er. "No way. I gave the couple a huge gift, so my mom let me off the hook," Er boasted. At the end of the day, they were at Emery''s wedding, so Er''s parents were naturally more focused on weing the guests than telling Er off. Meanwhile, Lulu was casting a nce over at the newlyweds toasting. "Look at how grand and wonderful their wedding ispared to ours." Thinking back to the past, on the day when Lulu and June had a joint marriage ceremony, she found it regrettable that the asion was marred by an incident that was nothing regrettable that the asion was marred by an incident that was nothing short of unpleasant. In fact, to say it was unpleasant was an understatement. "Shush! Don''t say things like that. We shouldn''t ruin this happy day with bad vibes," June rebuked. Although their wedding had been tainted by Raine¡¯s attempt on Nn''s life, they hoped no other wedding ceremony would ever suffer a fate remotely simr to theirs. Otherwise, there would be an unwanted association between Riddle family wedding ceremonies and traumas to guests. Nodding, Lulu stated, "Don''t worry.As you said, we need to have faith in Jared.There won''t be anything unpleasant happening today." After all, Jared had made the necessary arrangements with special consideration for any potential threats to them. No one could ruin the wedding now. June and Lulu could not help but chuckle when they saw how Nicole and Jared were taking care of the kids by tucking paper towels to their cors and feeding them. The scene before them was calming and amusing, giving them the feeling that nothing traumatic was going to happen. "Uncle Preston," Lana called out to Preston while "Uncle Preston," Lana called out to Preston while looking at him after swallowing her food. "Yes, dear?" Preston softly replied, all while smiling. "Do you have a girlfriend?" Lana asked candidly. Taken aback, Preston paused for a moment before "Erm, I don''t know if you have one or not," Lana revealed. Preston was speechless at Lana''s answer, and the crowdughed along, thinking what Lana was getting at made sense. However, she went on to ignore the crowd''s reaction, only wanting to know whether Preston had a girlfriend or not. At this stage, Preston, Stanley, and Er were the only ones left single and unmarried. Lana knew that Tia had be Stanley''s girlfriend, while Er was still single, but she had no clue about Preston and the status of his rtionship. This made her even more worried about Preston, whose love life was unknown or unheard of. All content is ? N0velDrama.Org. With Er, there was at least a measure of certainty as to where he was in his love life. Between the answers she had and the answers she did not have, the ones unknown to her were the ones that made her anxious. After hearing Lana''s question, Preston hesitantly replied, "Well, not yet." "Can you hurry up and find one?" Nn butted in. Upon hearing that, Preston was at a loss for words. ¡®What is going on? Why are my nephew and niece urging me to get married? Aren''t parents the ones who are supposed to do that?¡¯ "Why are you guys so concerned about your Uncle Preston''s marriage?" Er asked. Without holding back, Nn replied, "Because we know you "Huh?" Er gaped, his jaw hanging low, unable to find the connection between him being single and their probing of Preston''s rtionship status. "Nn? Lana? what are you two up to?" Lulu probed. She knew the two little ones were definitely up to no good, as they had chosen to concern themselves with Er and Preston''s love life out of all things. "Well," Nn sighed, looking as if his heart was breaking. "Mommy said she will only marry Daddy after all the uncles are married." Chapter 2865 Chapter 2865 Nn and Lana were getting restless, as they could not see any hope in waiting for their uncles to get married. And after everyone had understood what the two little ones were up to, they burst out into gales of laughter. Wide-eyed, Er instantly leaped to the defense, "Hey, I''m younger than your mom.There''s no rush for me.Don''t count me in for that one." Er was indeed single, but he already had a life partner in mind, though he was unsure of when he would seed in pursuing that certain someone. Still, he felt that the kids had to count him out for this one, as he did not want to get in the way of Nicole''s lifelong union, which she deserved. Nn and Lana nodded their heads in understanding. "You''re right.Hey Mommy? Uncle Er is younger than you.He doesn''t count." Just like that, the kids had solved another problem, bringing another obstacle to their mother''s future marriage out of the way. The kids then looked at Preston in unison, making thetter shiver in fear. He said, "Whoa! There''s still Stanley! Stanley doesn''t have a girlfriend yet." Preston had no choice but to divert their attention, as he could not handle the pressure of being scrutinized by everyone at the table.All content is ? N0velDrama.Org. "Uncle Stanley," The two began, about to say something when they decided against it. "We don''t have to worry about Uncle Stanley.His turn is up.Uncle Preston? Please do us a favor and make good use of your time." The look on Nn and Lana''s faces somehow conveyed the message that they were leaving the happiness of their parents in his hands, making him even more overwhelmed than he already was. ¡®Why am I even given such a massive responsibility? What does Nicole''s marriage have to do with me?¡¯ The more Preston thought about it, the more intense his headache became.He was helpless, feeling that he could not exin how messed up the situation was to them. Seeing how scrunched up and aggrieved Preston''s face was, Nicole smirked, "It''s time you get yourself a girlfriend." "It''s easier said than done," Preston argued, shrugging his shoulders. He could not simply pick anyone at random and go with it. Although he was not a picky one when it came to his choice of a life partner, he still wanted to find someone who would get along well with him. The main difficulty was in finding someone he waspatible with. A progressive approach was necessary for a rtionship to flourish, and a sessful rtionship would onlye naturally without any interference or coercion from outside forces. However, the elephant in the room remained; he had never found a person he was interested in, let alone get along with. "It''s indeed difficult, but you can start by getting out there and making an effort.If you don''t initiate anything, you''re never going to reach the end of the line," Nicole said meaningfully. Nicole had no intention of urging anyone into getting married. However, it would not hurt anyone if Preston could find love along the way. Preston paused at Nicole''s words, whereupon he arrived at an understanding and nodded in agreement. "I will." Preston was aware that Nicole was not trying to pressure him, so the only reason as to why the kids were so concerned about his love life was that she had given them an excuse for why she had not married Jared yet. In truth, his rtionship status would not influence when they would hold the ceremony. Nicole and Jared had been putting the wedding ceremony at the back burner because the time was not right. As such, it would be reasonable to assume that they would get married when the right time came. Nicole then nced over at Jared. She was still uncertain as to why Jared had decided to show up despite having announced his departure publicly. It seemed, however, that everyone else shared an unspoken understanding of the situation. In fact, the crowd had been wondering if their decision on when to hold their wedding was rted to something they were not privy to. All they had was a certainty that the couple would proceed with their couple would proceed with their long-awaited ceremony after their concerns, whatever they might be, had been put to rest. Then, Jared looked back at Nicole without saying a word. "Daddy, why aren''t you eating?" Lana said, giving Jared a shrimp to munch on. Jared retracted his gaze and patted Lana''s head gently. He then ate the shrimp she gave him. Preston was fixated on the scene, feeling that the moment was one of exceptional beauty. He began to wonder if his future would be the same the day he fathered a daughter of his own. And upon bing cognizant of what he was thinking about, Preston Preston was fixated on the scene, feeling that the moment was one of exceptional beauty. He began to wonder if his future would be the same the day he fathered a daughter of his own. And upon bing cognizant of what he was thinking about, Preston widened his eyes and smiled. s, he figured that his future would not be undesirable if that was what it woulde to. He even found himself anticipating such a day. After the ceremony and lunch party was over, everyone congratted the newlywed couple as well as Dexter and Emma before leaving. Back home now, Nicole strolled off into the courtyard to pay Mrs.Wace Sr.a visit. Chapter 2866 Chapter 2866 "Ah, herees my Nicole," Mrs.Wace Sr.smiled, weing Nicole. "Hey, grandma.Are you feeling better now?" Nicole asked, approaching her grandmother''s bedside.. With a smile stered on her face, Mrs.Wace Sr.answered, "I''m fine.Don''t worry about me." Seeing that Mrs.Wace Sr.was trying to sit up, Nicole carefully helped her out. "Slow down, Grandma.Easy now." Then, once Mrs.Wace Sr.was seated upright, Nicole handed her a ss of water. "Here, have some water."Mrs.Wace Sr.sipped a few mouthfuls from the ss before putting it down. "I see you''re all done with your work. "Don''t worry, Grandma.Everything went smoothly, and everyone''s back at home now," Nicole reassured with a smile. "That''s good,"Mrs.Wace Sr.said, holding Nicole''s hand. * It''s a pity that Tia didn''t get to attend the wedding because of me." Shaking her head, Nicole consoled, "No, no.It''s fine.Everyone understood what you were going through.You''re fine now, and that''s all that matters." "Hi, Nicole," Tia greeted as she entered the room. "Grandma told me she''s feeling better after her nap.You don''t have to worry about her." Nicole was all smiles as she nced over at Tia. "Stanley mentioned that he''s going to treat everyone to a meal in two days.Grandma should be fully recovered by then.You muste along, alright?" After pausing for a moment, Tia nodded. "Oh yeah, sure." Catching the look of surprise on Tia''s face, Nicole figured that Tia had no idea what Stanley was up to.She then raised her brows in curiosity, surprised that Stanley had yet to inform Tia. "You youngsters shouldn''t be paying too much attention to me.I''ll be fine,"Mrs.Wace Sr.advised before turning to Tia. "You should go out and have fun with your friends in your free time.Someone else will take care of me when you''re not here." "But I want to take care of you,"Tia said, inching closer to Mrs.Wace Sr. "You''re still ill.I get worried sick whenever you''re in someone else''s hands." Tia would be fine with going out on any other normal day, but she did not have the heart to have fun when Mrs.Wace Sr.was still in need of her care. Shaking her head, Mrs.Wace Sr.argued, "But you can''t stay with me forever."Mrs.Wace Sr.was hinting that one would always start their own family and their own home, and that Tia would eventually have to leave her. Tia understood Mrs.Wace Sr"s meaning and blushed. She argued, "I''m not going anywhere." Nicole chuckled at Tia¡¯s words, saying meaningfully, "Well, that''s not wrong either.I guess you won''t be going far." If Stanley and Tia got together, the two of them would most probably remain in the Riddle residence, unlike the others who had branched out and bought their own homes. Therefore, Tia could still stick around to take care of Mrs.Wace Sr.while Stanley would not need to part ways with Daniel and Gloria. The house would remain as lively as ever, and their parents would not feel as lonely as they had feared. "Oh gosh, Nicole! Tia gasped in shock, her face flushing. Chuckling, Nicole took it as a cue to stop embarrassing Tia.She then held her grandmother''s hand and chatted away until she spotted Stanley, who had just entered.That was when she figured he was here to find Tia. "Is grandma feeling better?"Stanley asked in concern the instant he saw Mrs.Wace Sr. "I''m fine,"Mrs.Wace Sr.answered, smiling. Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org. "You must be here for Tia."Mrs.Wace Sr.then directed him to Tia. "Go on ahead.I''m fine over here." Then, Nicole chimed in, "Yeah.I''ll take care of her." "Well, I''ll be bringing her out for a moment, then," Stanley gratefully replied before leading Tia out of the room. Chapter 2867 Chapter 2867 Seeing this, Mrs.Wace Sr.smiled. "It seems that I no longer have to worry about Tia." "That''s right,"Nicole said, holding her hand. "Tia and I are all grown up now.You don''t have to worry about us anymore.You can focus on enjoying life and taking care of yourself now." The both of them then went on to reminisce about the memories they once shared. Meanwhile, Tia had stopped on her tracks once she had stepped out onto the courtyard. "Hey, is there anything you want to talk to me about?" "Nothing, in particr.I just miss you.So here I am," Stanley revealed gently. Upon hearing Stanley''s response, Tia blushed and stammered, "Didn''t...didn''t we just meet in the morning?" "Well, I still missed you regardless," Stanley said, caressing Tia''s hair. A surge of warmth and fuzziness filled Tia, causing her to blush. Stanley then held onto her hand and informed her, "I''m buying everyone dinner the day after tomorrow.Will youe along and join us?" "The day after tomorrow?"Tia asked, biting her lips in hesitation. "Are you tied up on that night?"Stanley asked. Tia mentally sighed, and with a smile, she shook her head. "No.I''ll be there." "That''s great.I''ll pick you up, and we''ll head over there together,"Stanley smiled. "Yeah, sure." Tia nodded at Stanley, whose gaze was brimming with affection. Nicole, who just so happened to have walked out, was met with this scene, so she proceeded to clear her throat and interrupt the couple. Tia quickly released Stanley''s hands and backed away from him. Turning to Nicole, Stanley asked. "Mrs.Wace Sr.is taking a nap, isn''t she?" "Yeah, she''s fast asleep,"Nicole answered before locking eyes with Stanley. "Well, I''ll get out of your hair now.See you around!" Annoyed, Stanley rolled his eyes. "Hey, wait up." He then grabbed Tia''s hand and said, "I''ll get going now.I''ll pick you up the day after tomorrow." "Okay,"Tia replied shyly, after which she turned around and returned to her house. As for Stanley, he ran after Nicole and asked, "Is there anything you want to discuss? We can talk along the way." Stanley knew Nicole had something to say to him. N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content. Otherwise, she would not have gone out of her way to get his attention. "About the dinner, have you not told Tia about it?"Nicole asked, cutting to the chase. "Well, I just told her," Stanley revealed. Nicole nodded. "Oh, so that''s why." It was clear to her now that Stanley had shown up to tell Tia about the dinner. She felt that it would be ideal for him to take some time out to inform Tia in advance, as the day would be a special one. "Do you have something to say to me?" Stanley asked, still staring at Nicole.Nicole smirked. "Well, I don''t think I need to now." Since Stanley had gotten it all covered, he should know what to do next. If this was the n he had in mind, Nicole would no doubt be ready to throw all of her support behind him. He stood frozen for a moment, but before he could utter another word, Nicole had already sauntered off in big strides. Then, he burst outughing. "What was I thinking? Nicole knows Tia really well. How could she not know? I''m sure she called it a long time ago" Nicole returned to the Riddle residence soon after and headed to Nn''s room. There, Jared was narrating stories to both of the kids as they were preparing to take a nap. "Mommy," Nn and Lana called out when they saw her. They looked drowsy, and were already prepared to fall asleep. Chapter 2868 Chapter 2868 Nicole reached out to hug Lana affectionately. "It''s your nap time, right? Let''s bring you back to your room." "Okay,"Lana nodded, after which she rested her head on Nicole''s shoulder and shut her eyes. Jared ced the storybook and tucked Nn in. After the boy had fallen asleep, Jared emerged, bumping into Nicole who had also just exited Lana''s room. Looking at Nicole, Jared smiled and led her back to their own bedroom. "You must be tired,"Jared remarked, having noticed how fatigued Nicole was. "It''s alright.But I do feel like taking a nap,"Nicole replied, walking up to her bed. As Nicoleid herself down on the mattress, Jared shed her a smile. "Go ahead." Not wanting to interrupt Nicole''s nap, he quietly walked over to his desk and switched hisputer on. As for Nicole, she closed her eyes and fell asleep, knowing that Jared wanted to get back to work. The moment Jared switched hisputer on, an unread email popped up on his screen. Upon opening the email and reading its contents, his eyes slightly widened in shock. As it turned out, Max had arrived, and the situation there was moreplicated than they had thought. Therefore, Max might have to stay there for a few more days. Jared proceeded to read Max''s report in detail, send him a reply, and stand up. Then, he walked over to the floor-to- ceiling window overlooking the courtyard. Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org. The sun outside was dazzling and hot, contrasting Jared''s aura, which was frosty and dark. While the situation abroad appeared peaceful and assuming on the surface, there were undercurrents which they were not prepared to face. These cases might very well be closely rted to whatever was happening at San Joto. After contemting for a moment, Jared decided to give Zane a call. "I''ll handle things here in San Joto.Get your men to coordinate with Max," Jared requested. "Great minds think alike," Zane agreed. He was aware that now was not the time for either of them to make a public appearance in San Joto, so it was best for them to steer clear of the events happening back home. "How''s it going with Everett?"Jared asked. "We''re still in the midst of checking on him.ording to ourtest findings, he seemed to havee to an agreement with those at Eastern Falcon,"Zane paused. Then, he added, "However, those at Eastern Falcon don''t seem to trust him, so they''re contacting Lawrence in secret too." "Alright then.You should show them something they would like to see,"Jared said, his eyes frosty and dark. "Are you saying that we should...?"Zane hesitated. "That''s fine by me.After all, we can''t just sit back and watch." Understanding Jared''s intention, Zane concurred and ended the call. While hanging up, Jared''s gazended on the scenery outside the window. Jared thought, ¡®Lawrence, Everett, and the members of Eastern Falcon.These few entities who never had dealings with one another now seem to be working closely.Let''s see what they are plotting" Time passed by quickly, and another day passed in a jiffy. Everyone had been busy with their respective obligations, but on the bright side, today was also the day Stanley had promised to treat everyone to dinner. Early in the morning, Nicole arrived in her office as usual with Lulu following her from behind. "These are the files." Nicole grabbed the files and handed another to Lulu in exchange. "This one has been sorted.You may have it." "Alright,"Lulu said, and took the file. "By the way, Patricia called me this morning.It was true.Damien wanted to leave San Joto.However, she had managed to intercept him before he could." Nicole raised her eyebrows, asking, "Do we have a clue where he was supposed to be heading?" "The only confirmation we have at the moment is that he was nning to flee the country."Lulu said. "We still have no idea where he was supposed to be going.Patricia told me Damien was clearly heading to the airport, but they could not find his boarding details anywhere." Chapter 2869 Chapter 2869 They had checked every flight from every airline yesterday, but none of them had Damien''s boarding information. "So..." Nicole trailed off, her eyes widening. "You mean, there''s a possibility that he was taking a private, chartered flight?" Lulu bit her lips, her eyes wandering in contemtion. "If you put it like that, there is a possibility he was doing just that.However, Patricia could not find any evidence, and they were not able to get an answer from Damien either.What are we going to do?" If they could not determine where Damien was nning to go, they would have to keep him seized, which was an option they would rather not explore. "Where are the people who were in contact with Damien?"Nicole asked. "Patricia is on the case, but we have not received any updates,"Lulu answered. "We''ll just have to wait then,"Nicole said. Lulu nodded and looked at Nicole, before changing the subject, "Have you prepared the gifts, Nicole?" Knowing exactly what Lulu was talking about, she nodded. * Yep." "Mr.Johnston''s noting tonight, right?"Lulu probed. "Why the question? Do you have something to say?"Nicole asked, looking Lulu right in the eye. In response, Lulu shook her head in denial. "Oh, it''s nothing.I was going to say that Spencer ising to pick me up.If Mr.Johnston is noting, we should go together." Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org. "Oh, so that''s why.Well, he isn''ting.He has to pick the kids up.We can carpool to the restaurant together after work."Nicole said. "Alright then, I''lle get you after work," Lulu informed and walked off with her files in hand. After about 7 hours, the time to clock out finally arrived, and that was when Lulu came over to get Nicole. The both of them then left Riddle Corporation in Spencer''s car. Along the journey to the restaurant, Lulu and Nicole were ying a guessing game on why Stanley had asked everyone out for dinner. His actions had done nothing but raised their suspicions, so they figured that this was no casual dinner party in any way. Upon arriving at the restaurant, they saw June and Samuel, who had also just arrived. Naturally, the quintet gathered around and chuckled. "Well, I see Stanley has finallye to his senses." "Nicole,"a familiar male voice called out to Nicole as they were gossiping away, prompting the group to turn around. Sighting Martin with Cindy beside him, they asked, "Stanley invited you guys too?" "Not entirely true," Martin revealed and sighed. "Initially, I was the only one he had invited." Martin was implying that Stanley had not invited Cindy to the dinner, as it was likely that he did not know her. Thus, it was obvious that Cindy had taken the liberty to show up on her own ord. Cindy, on the other hand, did not seem to feel as awkward about the situation. Instead, she was grinning from ear to ear. "I was done with work when I found out that he was going to some kind of event.I was bored, so I decided to tag along.Do you mind adding another person to the list of guests?" "If I say I do, will you leave?"Lulu teased. Knowing full-well that Lulu was kidding, Cindy shook her head. "No way." Everyone burst outughing to the exclusion of Martin, who did not seem to find this funny at all. In fact, her presence was a headache for him. "Come on.Let''s get in.Well, you made the right choice.Today''s a special day,"Lulu said, ushering Cindy into the establishment. A curious Cindy went on to ask, "What''s the asion?" "You''ll find out once you get in,"Lulu said, leaving an element of suspense for Cindy to grapple with. Not minding the fact that Lulu had chosen to keep her in the dark, she followed them in. The others followed suit, with Nicole ending up at the back of the line, walking side by side with Martin. "I didn''t expect to see you here."Nicole smiled. She was rather surprised that Stanley had chosen to invite Martin over. Looking away, Martin replied, "Perhaps Stanley wanted to offer us all some closure." Chapter 2870 Chapter 2870 ¡°You knew about it?¡± Nicole blurted, taken aback by the fact that he was privy to such information. ¡°I can¡¯t say I know everything about it, but I had a hunch,¡± Martin admitted. He was well aware of Stanley¡¯s feelings for Tia, but the misunderstanding involving him and Tia was a recent discovery to him. Nicole chuckled, finally understanding what he was on about. ¡°So, what about you? Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re going to remain single forever.¡± ¡°If I could, I should hope so. Unfortunately¡­¡± Martin sighed.¡¯ Unfortunately, that¡¯s just not impossible. My family has been urging me into getting married for the past few days. I have a feeling they have been driven into a frenzy because of the amount of weddings they¡¯ve been attending as ofte.¡¯ Getting what Martin was trying to convey, Nicoleughed. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, you must really consider it. There¡¯s a huge possibility that another wedding ising your way.¡± Martin turned to look in the restaurant¡¯s general direction and sighed. ¡°Yeah, that seems about right.¡± Unable to help herself, she burst outughing at how defeated Martin seemed to be. ¡°What about you?¡± he asked as he nced over at her. ¡°Well, what about me?¡± Nicole asked in shock, not understanding where Martin was going with the question. ¡°When is your wedding celebration going to be held? If I still don¡¯t have a girlfriend by then, I think I¡¯ll be forced to marry someone at random,¡± Martin exined. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, I should consider moving my wedding forward,¡± she teased. Martin chuckled, ¡°Come on. There¡¯s no need to rush this.¡± The duo then shared a fresh gale ofughter as they entered the restaurant. Upon entry, they realized that Stanley had reserved the entire restaurant for this very asion, with the ce spruced up and decorated in such a way that the entire venue oozed romance and coziness. Most of the guests had also arrived by now. Ell ar and Patricia went on to approach her when they saw her walking in. ¡°Nicole,¡± Er greeted, ncing behind her. ¡°Is my brother-in-w noting?¡± ¡°He¡¯s noting,¡± Nicole answered, and turned to Patricia as if to ask her if she had gotten any updates on Jared¡¯s situation. Patricia shook her head in response, indicating that they were still unable to obtain any information about the matter. Reaching an understanding that they had to wait a little longer, Nicole nodded and refrained from pressing any further. ¡°Oh no. Am Ite?¡± Preston asked, diverting everyone¡¯s attention to the entrance. ¡°If wepare you to Stanley and Tia, then no. You¡¯re notte,¡± Samuel teased, implying that Preston was indeed thest to arrive save for the couple who were supposed to take centerstage. Understanding Samuel¡¯s joke, Preston shrugged his shoulders. ¡°I¡¯m notte if they¡¯re not here yet, I suppose.¡± ¡°Are you talking about us?¡± Stanley¡¯s voice red out as he brought Tia in. Seeing that everyone Stanley had invited was present, Spencer cast his brother a meaningful nce and asked, ¡°Is everything ready now?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Stanley nodded, holding Tia¡¯s hand, and approached the dining table. ¡°Please, have a seat, everyone.¡± The rectangr dining table, resembling those found in the houses of ancient European nobility, had specifically been arranged and positioned right at the center of the restaurant. It wasrge and long, giving everyone more than enough space to get themselvesfortable. Stanley remained standing even after everyone had been seated. Instead, he ranged his gaze over the crowd and announced,¡± Hi guys, I¡¯ve gathered you all here today for a meal because it¡¯s Tia¡¯s birthday today. With that said, I want everyone to have fun and celebrate this very special asion.¡± Tia looked at Stanley in shock and asked, ¡°You knew about my birthday?¡± And just like that, Stanley had revealed his reason for calling everyone out here today: he wanted to celebrate Tia¡¯s birthday. Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org. Initially, she had even thought that Stanley had forgotten about the fact. ¡°How could I forget such an important day?¡± Stanley replied, his voice warm and affectionate. Then, he produced an ornamented, rectangr box and proffered it to her. ¡°This is for you. Happy birthday.¡± Tia opened her gift, and to her surprise, she found a 24-carat diamond ne, the design of which she had always fancied. ¡°Thank you, Stanley!¡± Tia said, feeling warm and fuzzy from within. Smiling, Stanley took the ne out and cuffed it to Tia¡¯s neck. [Total: 0 Average: 0] 0 0 Chapter 2871 Chapter 2871 ¡°It¡¯s our turn now since you¡¯ve given her your gift already,¡± Lulu teased. ¡°Of course,¡± Stanley said, not in the least surprised by how others hade to know about Tia¡¯s birthday. He felt that Nicole knew that today was Tia¡¯s birthday, and that she had seen her n to surprise from a mile away. If his guess was correct, Nicole had informed others of the asion and its purpose. ¡°You¡¯ve all prepared gifts too?¡± Tia asked, her eyes widening in surprise. Thest thing she had expected him to do was throw her a surprise party by inviting all of their close friends to celebrate her birthday this year. The only other thing she did not seeing was that they had shown up bearing gifts. ¡°Of course we did. Preparing gifts is a must for such an important asion,¡± Lulu replied, before handing her gift to Tia. After everyone had given the items they had prepared to Tia, Preston lowered his head awkwardly and apologized. ¡°Sorry, I didn¡¯t prepare any.¡± ¡°Did no one tell you?¡± Samuel asked, a little taken aback. He knew the kind of person Preston was, and that thettering empty handed was a result of him being genuinely oblivious to the purpose of this asion rather than being a cheapskate. ¡°Yeah, no one did,¡± Preston said, his eyes downcast. He wondered why everyone was aware of Tia¡¯s birthday except for him. Seizing the opportunity to tease him, Lulu raised her eyebrows. ¡°Well, maybe it¡¯s because you don¡¯t have a girlfriend?¡± They had gotten to know about Tia¡¯s birthday through frequent and casual chats with one another. Nobody had made any official announcements, so they had identally forgotten to inform Preston. ¡°Are you trying to eat my heart out?¡± Preston argued. After all, it was not his fault that he did not have a girlfriend, and Lulu¡¯s jibes at the dinner table had only served to embarrass him further. ¡°Well, that¡¯s unlikely,¡± Lulu said, shrugging her shoulders. ¡°I was just reminding you that you still have a responsibility to shoulder.¡± Understanding what Lulu was implying, Preston helplessly turned to Nicole, his eyes narrowed in difort. ¡°Can you count me out like you did for Er? I¡¯m begging you.¡± If they continued mounting all of that pressure on him, he would find the responsibility too overwhelming for him to shoulder. Frowning, Er retorted in disapproval. ¡°Hey, I¡¯m not throwing anyone under the bus here. Besides, I¡¯ll soon have a girlfriend.¡± After he had said his piece, Er unconsciously nced over at Patricia. ¡®If Patricia won¡¯t be my girlfriend, I¡¯ll stay single forever.¡¯ Preston¡¯s expression soured in an instant, and he murmured, ¡°Why do I feel like I¡¯m the only one being left out?¡± That one single sentence from him got the entire crowd roaring and guffawing, making the atmosphere in the room even merrier than it had been.Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org. Amid the gales of roaringughter, Patricia was the only one who remained solemn. Her head was hanging low, as if she was lost in thought. She had seen through Er¡¯s intentions, but she did not know how to proceed without scarring him in the process. She was thinking of ways to let Er know that they could never be a couple. ¡°Sorry, I didn¡¯t know it was your birthday today. I have not prepared anything for you either,¡± Cindy suddenly admitted. However, she did not regret her choice of following Martin over. She even went on to re at him, resenting him for not telling her what the celebration was all about. If he had done so, she would have prepared something. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s alright. No worries,¡± Tia said, pleasantly surprised by the fresh, new face before her. ¡°I¡¯ll make it up to you the next time,¡± Cindy promised, feeling that it was the best she could do to not be rude. Shaking her head, Tia instantly declined the offer. ¡°There¡¯s really no need for that. I really am happy that everyone is here today.¡± Being the only young woman in her early twenties at the table, this was Tia¡¯s first birthday celebration of such a grand scale, which had been nothing short of lively. To make things better, she even got to celebrate it with so many close friends and Stanley himself. It would be hard for her to not be satisfied by what they had done for her this evening. ¡°No, no,¡± Cindy insisted. Tia raised her hand, about to further her objections when Martin stopped her. ¡°It¡¯s alright, Tia.¡± Martin knew Cindy would definitely make it up to her if she wanted to. After having spent a decent amount of time with Cindy, Martin had gotten to know how stubborn she was. Chapter 2872 Chapter 2872 ¡°Erm¡± Tia hesitated, turning to Stanley. Stanley gave Tia¡¯s hand a squeeze and said to Cindy,¡± There¡¯s really no need for any gifts. You¡¯re more than wee to join our next gathering if you like.¡± ¡°Woah, really? Does that mean we¡¯re friends too?¡± Cindy eximed, bing even more excited as she had no friends here. ¡°Of course. Juste whenever you want,¡± Lulu chimed in. ¡°I would love to!¡± Cindy nodded. ¡°Oh gosh. I¡¯m so happy to be your friend.¡± She had left her native country and traveled all the way to San Joto for Martin, but the prospect of being able to make more friends delighted her, nheless. ¡°I¡¯ll remember to hit you up the next time we gather,¡± Lulu said. She then turned to Martin and asked, ¡°Will you join us next time?¡± Everyone proceeded to stare at Martin, taking him aback. Feeling awkward and ufortable, he answered, ¡°I¡¯ll see how things go.¡± Martin would usually be indifferent to casual gatherings, but should the asion be a special one, he would make it a point to show up. After shooting him a meaningful nce, everyone looked away, not wanting to pressure him into coming along. Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org. With a casualugh, they turned their attention back to Cindy. ¡°Although there¡¯s no guarantee he is coming, you¡¯ll have to.¡± ¡°Aw, you bet I¡¯ll be there,¡± Cindy promised, looking forward to the next meet-up already. As they chatted, Cindy took the opportunity to tell Tia that she would make up for her birthday gift once again, making everyone burst intoughter. They could tell how determined Cindy was, and they found her gesture to be rather cute. Tiaughed along, having given up on the idea of declining Cindy¡¯s offer. She knew that Cindy would just hand her the gift, no matter what she did to refuse. After thanking everyone personally, Tia stood up and expressed her gratitude to the crowd. ¡°Thank you everyone foring to my birthday celebration.¡± She knew everyone had kept her in the dark to throw her a surprise party, one with which she was absolutely happy. ¡°Don¡¯t mention it, Tia. We¡¯ll be family soon anyway.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Hahaha.¡± Tia could not help but blush at remarks directed at her, but that was not all there was to the evening. It was then that Stanley stood up and wrapped his hand around hers. ¡°Follow me.¡± ¡°Huh, where to?¡± Tia said, tilting her head in confusion. Still, she stood up and followed Stanley away from the table. They approached the small stage set up in the restaurant. As the two stood in position, the ambient lights in the restaurant dimmed. About a secondter, a spotlight above shone upon them, its red beam making the couple the only highlight in the restaurant. Not knowing what Stanley was going to do, Tia nervously asked, ¡°Hey, Stanley¡­?¡± All of a sudden, Stanley produced a bouquet of red roses from his back and gradually got down on one knee. Then, he confessed, ¡°Tia, it was my fault in the past for stalling and not giving us both a chance. Now, let me tell you that you¡¯re the only woman I¡¯ll marry and live the rest of my life with you. Will you marry me?¡± Tia waspletely dumbstruck, her eyes welling up with tears as she realized that Stanley was proposing to her. It was like a dreame true to Tia, one she could not even muster a response to. ¡°Tia,e on! Marry him!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t hesitate, Tia!¡± Everyone¡¯s cheers and words of encouragement slowly reached Tia, gradually giving her the courage to collect herself and lock eyes with Stanley. Meeting his affectionate gaze, Tia bit her lips, and after a few seconds, she finally nodded. ¡°Yes! dly!¡± Chapter 2873 Chapter 2873 After receiving the bundle of roses, Tia wrapped her hand around Stanley''s and helped him up. With his eyes still locked with Tia''s, Stanley produced a velvet box from his pocket. After opening it, he took a diamond ring out and gently ced it on Tia¡¯s left ring finger. ¡°Oh my gosh, congrattions!¡± "Finally, you''ve taken a load off everyone''s mind." Everyone congratted the couple with joy, though they did not forget toin about how long they had waited for this day to arrive. Tia''s cheeks reddened from the fanfare, while Stanley caressed her hair, smoothening them for her. "I''m truly thankful we didn''t slip past each other,¡± he said. Stanley would often still cringe thinking about how foolish he was to put Tia at the sidelines. Fortunately, everything had yed out the way they wanted now, and from this point onward, they were going to be together forever. With the proposal over with, the restaurant''s ambient lights returned to normal, and Stanley led Tia back to the dining table. "My gosh! Well, you two didn''t have it easy,¡± Lulu said, almost driven to the point of tears.. Tia''s cheeks were still maroon from all the shyness and nervousness she had been feeling from the past minute. Knowing that she was in no condition to respond to anyone, Stanley held her in his arms and said to Lulu. "It was indeed a tough road.¡± "Hehe. Cherish her forever, okay?" Lulu teased. Solemn and unsmiling, Stanley nodded. "I will.¡± ¡°Stanley,¡± Tia called out, pulling his shirt in embarrassment. As it was time for them to proceed, Nicole looked at them with a wide grin on her face. "Alright, settle down, guys. Let''s all take a seat and prepare to dine in.¡± With that, the waiters gradually served everyone their dishes, allowing them to chat while enjoying the food. It was an eventful night to say the least, and once everyone had gotten their bellies filled, they returned home. The couples then filed out of the restaurant hand-in-hand, leaving Preston, who looked like a forlorn beggar on a rainy day, to approach Nicole. "It seems that I am the only one left to send you home. Do I have the honor, mdy?¡± Preston felt morefortable sending Nicole back, for the alternative was following all the lovey-dovey couples home. Amused, Nicole looked at him with a smirk and agreed, ¡±Sure thing.¡± ¡°Let''s get going first. I do not want to see them. It''s just heartbreaking, to be honest¡± Preston let out, eager to leave. Without skipping a beat, Nicole teased, "Have you ever stopped to consider that you might be the one giving us heartache?" Indeed, everyone was walking in pairs, save for Preston, who was left to sulk on his own. Stunned and wide-eyed, Preston began to whine, "Aw,e on. Don''t tell me you''re going to bang my balls for that too?" ¡°Hahaha,e on,¡± Nicoleughed, and made her way to Preston''s car with its owner following from behind. Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org. ¡°Ms. Riddle?" Patricia called out, wanting to follow Nicole home. But before she could, Er grabbed her arm and said, ¡°I think it''s better if you stay back. Nicole must have something to discuss with Preston." Patricia raised her eyebrows, not convinced by Er''s exnation. "And how do you know that?¡± "If they have nothing to talk about, my brother-inw would havee,¡± Er confidently stated, shrugging his shoulders. If Nicole had not reminded Jared to not pick her up, Jared would surely have shown up to bring her home. Patricia paused, and after deciding that what Er said made sense, she stopped in her tracks. Then, she turned around to meet Er''s gaze and announced, ¡°If there''s nothing else, I''m heading home too.¡± ¡°I''ll send you home,¡± Er said, hurriedly following suit. "No thanks," Patricia declined. Er, remaining as persistent as always, followed her. Lulu could not help but shake her head as she observed their antics, "Can Er handle it?" "Erm, he should be fine, I guess?" June answered with uncertainty as she frowned. Although the two seemed quitepatible, and there appeared to be chances of a budding romance, there was still an air of uncertainty surrounding them. Chapter 2874 Chapter 2874 Spencer and Samuel pulled their respective wives over. ¡°Don''t worry about them. Let''s go back and rest.¡± "Hey, we were just talking,¡± Lulu said, smiling at Spencer. They were concerned about Er and Patricia, but deep down, they knew that it was not their ce to interfere with other people''s business. All they could do was wait and see how it would unfold. "Let''s go,¡± Cindy said, pulling Martin over as everyone began to go home. Martin, ufortable with being touched, broke free from Cindy''s grasp. "Alright." Shrugging her shoulders, Cindy went on to bid her farewells to the Riddles. "We''ll get going now. Please remember to call me over next time.¡± "You can leave that to me," Lulu promised. She then shed Cindy the good-luck sign, telling her not to give up on pursuing Martin. Cindy smiled and nodded in understanding, before turning around to catch up to Martin. "Are they going to be a thing?¡± June asked, unfamiliar with Cindy and her situation. "I''m not sure, but I don''t think it will be an easy road to walk,¡± Lulu let out, feeling that Cindy would need a fair amount of patience and determination to be with Martin. ¡°Come on,¡± Spencer urged, taking Lulu away before the women could start gossiping again. Allowing Spencer to lead her away to the car, she nced back over her shoulder and waved at the rest of the crowd. ¡± Bye, guys.¡± "See you around,¡± June replied, and linked her arm to Samuel''s. "Let''s go.¡± "Sure thing,¡± Samuel agreed with an affectionate smile. Samuel and June then headed off to their cars after saying their goodbyes to Stanley and Tia. Now, there were only two people left at the entrance of the restaurant, giving the surroundings an empty feel to it. However, both Stanley and Tia were still feeling warm in their hearts. With her bouquet of roses in hand, Tia murmured, ¡°Why do I still have a feeling that I''m dreaming?¡± Deep down, Tia knew it was not a dream, even though it was hard for her to believe that, as she and Stanley had truly be one following the marriage proposal she had epted about an hour ago. Whatever happened next, the new couple would have to face it together for many years down the line. "Silly girl," Stanley caressed Tia''s head. ¡°Let''s go home.¡± "Okay." Tia nodded and followed Stanley to their car. "Please don''t forget to join us for breakfast tomorrow morning,¡± Stanley reminded her. Shocked for a moment, she asked. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°And bring Mrs. Wace Sr. along,¡± Stanley reminded her without answering her question. With her eyes still on her new husband, Tia frowned and stopped to think for a moment. Then, the realization of what he was up to dawned upon her. ¡°Why don''t we wait for two more days?" Tia had finally figured out why Stanley wanted her and Mrs.Wace Sr. to join him and the rest of his family for breakfast tomorrow. She was so anxious about tomorrow''s meeting with Stanley''s parents that her heart began to race. Although meetings between them were frequent, the one due to happen tomorrow carried with it a special significance. It would be her first time addressing the pair of Daniel and Gloria as future parents-inw, and this knowledge made her inexplicably nervous. Knowing what Tia was thinking, Stanley gently wrapped his hand around hers andforted her. "Don''t worry. They have been waiting for this day forever. Need I remind you that they will start arranging blind dates for me if I don''t bring my girlfriend back to them?" Tia knew Stanley was right, so she gritted her teeth and nodded in agreement. ¡°Alright then.¡± All content is ? N0velDrama.Org. Although Tia was nervous about the meeting tomorrow, thest thing she wanted was for Stanley to be thrown into another blind date. Chuckling, Stanley then started the car and brought her home. Meanwhile, Preston was still in the midst of driving Nicole back home. "Are you serious about waiting for me to get myself a girlfriend before carrying your wedding ceremony out?" Preston asked, quivering in fear. Preston felt that it would be unlikely for Nicole to do so, but he needed Nicole''s reassurance to get his much needed peace of mind. He needed to hear it from her, and he did not want to hold her back. Above all, he did not wish to meet the piercing gaze that Jared always had in his eyes in all of their encounters, for they had never failed to make him shudder. Chapter 2875 Chapter 2875 Nicole could not help but smile at how ridiculous yet valid his concern was. "Come on, dude. That''s just an excuse I came up with tofort Nn and Lana.¡± In reality, her marriage would concern nobody but herself and Jared. No one else would be able to exert any sort of meaningful influence on the wedding. ¡°That''s great.¡± Preston issued a sigh of relief. Everything would be fine as long as he did not have a hand to y on whether the wedding ceremony happened or not. Taking on a more serious look now, Nicole looked at Preston and added, "But, you should really start thinking about your own love life." "Yeah, I will.¡± Preston replied. He did not want to suffer the torture of being the only single person in the room every time he hung out with them. Being around these love birds while they harped on the idea that he needed to find someone soon was agonizing to say the least. Nicole then smirked and shook her head. She thought it would be a good idea to just remind him about it, instead of poking her nose into his business. Then, she shifted the topic of conversation. "I''ve got something to talk to you about.¡± "What is it?" Preston asked in a serious tone of voice. He knew that Nicole would never sit him down for a discussion if the matter in question was a trivial one. After pausing for a while, Nicole said, "Once we reach home, you should follow me in and have a look." ¡°Oh, okay.¡± Preston replied. When they arrived at the Riddle residence, the both of them got down from the car and entered the house. There was no one in the living room, indicating that they must have all returned to their respective rooms and gotten ready for bed. Nicole did not bother to disturb Daniel and Gloria. Instead, she brought Preston up to the second floor right away. When they reached Nn''s room, the duo saw Nn ying the very same game he had been engrossed with for the past few months. Meanwhile, Jared and Lana were sitting beside Nn, their eyes trained on theputer screen. Hearing that someone had entered, Nn, Lana and Jared whirled around to look at them in unison. "Hello Mommy. Hello Uncle Preston,¡± Nn and Lana greeted them. "Why did you bring me to Nn¡¯s room?" Preston asked in confusion. He was wondering what Nicole was trying to do. Without giving him a direct answer, Nicole walked up to theputer and said, "Have a look at this.¡± While Preston proceeded to study the game with its intricate level designs, Nicole exined, "We''ve studied this game and confirmed that there''s something wrong with it. But, we don''t have a single clue about what the developer''s motives are. There''s still no evidence." ¡°You don''t have any evidence? Does that mean you guys know who the person is?¡± Preston asked. "I''ve got a rough guess, yes.¡± Nicole''s eyes darkened, wishing that the perpetrator was not who she thought he was. Understanding what Nicole was trying to convey, Preston nodded and asked, "What do you want me to do?¡± N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content. "So, here''s the thing," Nicole replied. "When we began analyzing the game, we discovered that all levels must bepleted, and that''s what the developer wants us to do. However, Nn can''t clear the game on his own, no matter how many stages hepletes, so I''ll have to step in to help him out.¡± "You want me to help him clear the stages?" Preston asked. Nicole shook her head and rified, ¡°No. I need you to assist me.¡± "Oh, okay.¡± Preston replied without any objections. "Tell me, what should I do?" No matter what task it was, or how difficult it was, Preston would try his best toplete it as long as it was a request from Nicole. "Recently, I''vee to realize that we might have thought lightly about these levels.¡± Nicole said, attempting to exin what was on her mind. Nicole had decided to take this matter seriously, so after some careful consideration, she had decided to enlist Preston''s help. Previously, she thought that all they needed to do was clear the stages and discover the developer''s motives behind each stage, whereupon they would be able to proceed with finding the solution. After all, they would nevere to know what the developer was up to if they did notplete the levels. However, while Nicole waspleting the levels, she could not shake the feeling that there was something fishy about the game design as a whole. On the surface, it seemed as if they had to work very hard to get past all the stages. But there were also moments when Nicole felt that someone was controlling the variables and monitoring the game progress remotely. Chapter 2876 Chapter 2876 If such was the case, Nicole doubted if she did not think it through from the very beginning. After hearing Nicole''s thoughts on the matter, Preston cautiously replied, "You mean that instead of crossing the levels without any sort of help, it seems that someone has been guiding you through the stages from the shadows?" "Yes." Nicole nodded. "It definitely feels like that.¡± After giving it some consideration, Preston hazarded a guess. "This means that the application which they have sent Nn consists of two separate entities. One is on the surface, which is the game Nn is ying, and the other is a hidden software.¡± Upon further analysis, Nicole deduced that the hidden software should be the one the developer was looking to crack. ¡°They''re waiting for you toplete it so that they can swoop in and steal your final result.¡± Jared''s cold and calm voice red out. Jared''s theory made Preston''s eyes widen at an instant. "That''s right. It should be just like what you''ve predicted!" "Because of this very possibility, I''ve brought you here to help me out.¡± Nicole said in a serious tone. "I need someone to create a separate software to track them." Although Nicole could create it herself, she was running short on time. Thus, she had decided to enlist Preston''s help in hopes that it would expedite the process.Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org. And once he had thought about it for a second or two, Preston replied, "Let''s do it this way. Leave this entire case to me. You should just sit and wait." "Huh? Nicole frowned. ¡®Preston wants to take on this task on his own?¡¯ "I''m aware that you wish to expedite the process, and that''s why you are asking for my help. Don''t worry, I won''t be working alone. I''ll get Ryder and Gary to help me out.¡± Preston paused for a moment. "Since your enemies already have their eyes on you, it''s best for you to keep a low profile. Otherwise, you might alert them," he continued. If Preston worked on it with Ryder and Gary, those people would not be able to discover what they were up to, not easily at least. Furthermore, by doing so, they could also make Nicole''s n a sess. ¡°Alright. If you need anything, you are always wee to seek us out at Johnston Group. I have a team who will always be avable to assist you.¡± Jared agreed, offering his help. Nicole nodded. "That''s a good idea. After all, it will be ringly obvious if I try to do anything on my own.¡± "We''ll stick to your n, then. Send a copy of this to me. I''ll contact Ryder and Gary once I''m back home, and we''ll work on it as soon as possible.¡± Preston promised inplete seriousness, as he understood the urgency of the situation at hand. ¡°Alright.¡± Nicole replied. After she had sent Preston off, Nicole forwarded a copy of the game to him. Then, she turned around and looked at Nn. "How is it today?¡± ¡°Not much progress.¡± Nn shook his head and sighed. "I''ve followed the instructions you''ve given, but the results were messy.¡± "It''s good that everything is messy, actually. After all, it is supposed to serve as an initial line of defense against our enemies. I''ve also chosen the safest yet most difficult approach,¡± Nicole exined, elucidating why Nn''s struggle was understandable. Nn nodded vigorously. "I know. I''ll make sure to practice hard.¡± He understood that this was a new method his mother had taught him, so he would definitely try his best to master it. Smiling, Nicole patted Nn''s head gently. ¡°It''s gettingte. You should go to bed." ¡°Okay.¡± Nn nodded and made a beeline for the bathroom. Jared then brought Lana out of the room. Her eyes had been heavy with sleep ever since about an hour ago, but due to the fact that she had insisted on waiting for Nicole to return, she did not go to bed. After the kids had fallen asleep, Nicole and Jared returned to their room. ¡°You''ve realized it for a while now, haven''t you?¡± Nicole asked Jared. "You mean the part where they''re nning to steal your results?¡± Jared replied, knowing what Nicole was talking about. "Well, I''ve had that guess for a while now.¡± After Nicole had brought it up again today, Jared was even more certain that his guess was right, and that he was not just spouting a theory with little to no basis in facts. "What do you think about it?" Nicole''s gaze turned dark. Jared held her palms, and after a slight pause, he posited, "If he really is the one behind it, then it¡¯s very likely that he''s trying to get you to secure the Water Crest for him.¡± Nicole widened her eyes and gritted her teeth. "God damn it. I thought so too.¡± Chapter 2877 Chapter 2877 If Lawrence was truly the one behind all of this, her exnations about the puzzles thus far would make perfect sense. Lawrence had attained the Water Crest, but he had not been able to crack its failsafe and be its bearer, and due to him being unable to seek Nicole¡¯s help directly, he had turned to giving Nn a modified version of the interface masked as a game as hisst resort. After all, Lawrence knew Nicole and Nn well enough toe up with a strategy that capitalized on their strengths. Lawrence had also probably thought that Nn would forever keep his secrets, making it difficult, if not impossible for them to learn of his true intentions from the boy. If it was in the past, Lawrence would only have to ask a few simple questions to gain a full idea of their progress and the situation they were in, granting him rtive ease with achieving his goals. But now that things did not go his way anymore, he had resorted to borate trickery. Little did Lawrence know that Nn would not tell him about his recent discoveries, allowing him to think that Nicole and the rest had not caught onto anything fishy just yet. ¡°In the meantime, you should let Nn continue what he¡¯s doing. Don¡¯t make any moves for now. As for the application, leave it to Preston. Once he¡¯s done, we¡¯ll proceed.¡± Jared said with a serious look etched on his face. They would not grant Lawrence this victory no matter the cost. Moreover, the Water Crest had finally resurfaced, so it would be a good idea for them to secure it. Jared then turned to Nicole, his gaze softening. Up to this day, no one had sessfully be the bearer of two Reby Family Crests at the same time. Perhaps Nicole could be the first in history, and he had faith she would be able to if she wanted to. As her head was pounding, Nicole had decided to give this matter a rest for the night. After giving him a brief nod, she dragged him to bed. The next morning, the sun was warm and bright. It was about seven thirty in the morning and the dining room was a sight to behold, with all of the Riddles gathering at the table and chatting away in high spirits. In addition to those who would regrly show up for breakfast there, Tia and Mrs. Wace Sr. were there as well. As it turned out, Stanley had formally made his rtionship with Tia known to Mrs. Wace Sr. and his parents, Gloria and Daniel. ¡°Great! That¡¯s great!¡± Mrs. Wace Sr. beamed, naturally happy about it. She was one of the first to know about Tia¡¯s feelings toward Stanley. Gloria nodded vigorously in tion, ¡°This is definitely good news!¡± ¡°I guess you have nothing to worry about now.¡± Danielughed and turned to Gloria. ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t have to worry about it anymore.¡± Gloria sighed, after which she looked at the new couple. ¡°About the wedding, when are you guys nning to have it?¡± Having never given it any thought, Tia lowered her head in embarrassment. ¡°Mom, although Tia has said yes, I¡¯m thinking of putting the wedding on hold in the meantime.¡± Stanley replied. All content is ? N0velDrama.Org. Although he too wished to marry Tia as soon as possible, they would be in too much of a rush if they nned to have their wedding this month. ¡°What are you guys waiting for? Since you¡¯ve proposed, choose a date and prepare for the wedding.¡± Gloria frowned, growing impatient. ¡°Mom, there really isn¡¯t a need to rush into it. I want to give Tia some time,¡± Stanley disagreed. They had just made their rtionship official, so he wanted to give Tia some time to calm down. As the both of them had decided to be together, nothing would change. Therefore, there was no need to rush the wedding. Stanley¡¯s main concern was that Tia, being the jittery, nervous wreck she was, would be overwhelmed if they held the ceremony as soon as possible. ¡°Yeah, we¡¯re not in a rush,¡± Tia echoed, not knowing what to say. ¡°What a fool.¡± Gloria sighed in irritation. ¡°How can you not be in a rush for it? There are a ton of preparations to be made. You¡¯ll have to think about the house as well. There aren¡¯t any suitable houses for you guys in this neighborhood, but I can¡¯t just force you guys to pick one, can I?¡± ¡°Mom, Tia and I will be staying here.¡± Stanley smiled as he looked at Gloria. ¡°Tia and I have discussed it before, and we¡¯ve decided to stay here.¡± Chapter 2878 Chapter 2878 ¡°Are you guys serious about this decision? But¡­¡± Gloria hesitated for a moment. The rest of her children had their own houses, and it was tradition that they would all move out once they were married. ¡°Yes, we¡¯ve set our mind on it.¡± Stanley smiled and said. ¡°We wish to stay here. That way, the house will still be as lively as ever. Besides, it¡¯ll be convenient for US to take care of you and grandma.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about grandma and US. Once you and Tia get married, someone else will take care of grandma,¡± Gloria argued, worried that Stanley and Tia had only decided not to move out because of Mrs. Wace Sr. ¡°We¡¯ve really thought it through,¡± Stanley insisted, even though he understood what Gloria¡¯s concerns were. While they were on the subject, Tia chimed in, ¡°Yes, I want to continue taking care of grandma.¡± Although Nicole had hired her to be Mrs. Wace Sr. ¡®s caretaker, their rtionship had evolved over the years. They had grown to be very tight- knit now, much like a grandmother and her granddaughter. Owing to all those years of care, Tia was certain that Mrs. Wace Sr. would be morefortable with her habits and herpany. ¡°That¡¯s right. It¡¯ll be morefortable for the both of US if we stay here.¡± Stanley nodded. Seeing that the two of them were determined to stick around, Gloria looked at Daniel in helplessness, as if to ask for his opinion on the matter. ¡°If the kids have no objections to sticking around, we¡¯ll respect their wishes, ¡° Daniel replied. Gloria and Daniel did not wish to deprive Tia of the new home she deserved, but if it was her wish to stay here with them, they would offer their unconditional support. ¡°We¡¯re fine with it,¡± Tia immediately replied. Everyone turned to look at Tia, whereupon they burst outughing, causing her to blush in shyness once more. ¡°Alright, we¡¯ll go along with what you guys have decided then.¡± Gloria added. ¡°The both of you will continue saying here. As for the wedding nning, we¡¯ll start working on it for the both of you. Well let you decide on the date.¡± Now that Stanley and Tia¡¯s rtionship was stable, Gloria and Daniel could finally enjoy their peace of mind. In fact, they were not really in a rush to get them married, as Stanley had found someone he loved at longst. With that in mind, they had decided to give the couple the freedom of choosing the date of their ceremony. After Gloria had spoken, she turned to look at Tia with a smile. ¡°I wasn¡¯t expecting this, but it¡¯s amazing that the both of you finally found each other. Oh, this is great!¡± ¡°Gloria?¡± Tia blushed again and lowered her head in shyness. ¡°I agree. My wish for Tia¡¯s future has finally been granted!¡± Mrs. Wace Sr. said, her eyes wet with tears. Gloria, on the other hand, was grinning from ear to ear as she said, ¡°Even though it¡¯s the kids¡¯ decision, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a bad idea for them to stay here now that I think about it. Although we don¡¯t really need them to take care of US, the house will at least be much livelier with them around.¡± Once Nicole and Jared hadpleted their ceremony, they would move out of the family home and to the one next door. The rest of them had also gotten married and shifted to their respective houses, so it would not be a stretch to say that the Riddle residence would be rather empty without them here. With Stanley and Tia around, however, Gloria and Daniel would not be as lonely. ¡°I think Mrs. Wace Sr. should move in with US once Stanley and Tia are married. That way, it¡¯ll be easier for everyone to meet each other.¡± Daniel suggested. However, Mrs. Wace Sr. waved her hands, begging to disagree. ¡°I¡¯m ustomed to the tranquility and silence there. I¡¯ll just remain in the house at the back. You guys are wee to pay more frequent visits, though. It¡¯s a walking distance, after all.¡± While everyone was chatting away, they began discussing future ns. Strangely enough, Tia was starting to feel less shy and nervous around them. And when it was almost time to leave, she got up, prepared to send Nn and Lana to school. ¡°I¡¯lle with you.¡± Stanley got up and followed after her and the two little ones. Luna, another caretaker, then came over, brought Mrs. Wace Sr. to the house at the back, and took care of her. All content is ? N0velDrama.Org. Nicole and Jared were prepared to leave for work, but the moment they stood up, Gloria said, ¡°Nicole, about Tia¡¯s arrangements, do you think she feels a weight on her shoulders, and that¡¯s why she wants to continue staying here?¡± Gloria genuinely did not wish to deprive Tia of the things she deserved because she genuinely loved Tia. Chapter 2879 Chapter 2879 With a smile on her face, Nicole replied, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll just go along with Stanley and Tia¡¯s arrangements.¡± Hearing this, Gloria calmed down. ¡°Alright, I just want to make sure that Tia doesn¡¯t feel as if she is lesser than US or anything. That¡¯s my only concern.¡± Indeed, this was Gloria¡¯s only concern. Nothing else would be a problem for her. ¡°You should just rx and prepare for their wedding, I¡¯m sure they won¡¯t be able to wait for too long.¡± Nicole smiled and advised. Then, she held Jared¡¯s hand and walked out of the house with him. Though Gloria was stunned at first, she quickly came to her senses and beamed. ¡°The wedding is happening really soon, right?¡± ¡°I guess so.¡± Daniel returned her smile. ¡°Well, since Stanley and Tia will be staying with US, I think we should clean the house up, especially Stanley¡¯s room. We must renovate the couple¡¯s room and refurbish everything. Let¡¯s give them a new set of furniture and decorations.¡± Gloria began to n. ¡°If you¡¯re going to renovate the room, where is Stanley going to stay?¡± Daniel asked. Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org. ¡°He can sleep in Samuel or Spencer¡¯s room for the time being as long as he isn¡¯t going to step foot in that room of his before the wedding. That room of his will be renovated and reserved for the wedding. We must clean it up, ¡± she replied. Seeing how excited Gloria was, Daniel smiled and patted her on the back in support. ¡°Alright, we¡¯ll go ording to your n.¡± Gloria then beamed and began nning on ways to renovate Stanley¡¯s room. Meanwhile, Nicole and Jared, who had long since left the house, were on the road en route to their workces. ¡°Preston told me he just arrived at the headquarters of Finley Group. He¡¯s discussing the n with Ryder and Gary,¡± Nicole said in a low voice after she had caught a glimpse of the message on her screen. ¡°Yeah, with the three of them working together, the process should be quick.¡± Jared replied, calm and collected. Nicole bit her lips and sighed. ¡°I don¡¯t know why. I can¡¯t help but feel that the more we progress, the more stressed out I am.¡± Knowing how Nicole must be feeling, Jared wrapped his hand around hers. If you give in now, you¡¯ll just be doing yourself a disservice.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not giving in. I just feel a little sorry for the way things are now.¡± Nicole shook her head. For her rtionship with Lawrence to deteriorate to the point that they could not even be friends anymore was something she had neither expected nor wanted. It¡¯s human nature to only care about one¡¯s personal gains and interests. There¡¯s nothing new about it. That¡¯s the reality of the world we live in.¡± Jared offered, his face drooping in profound sadness, for he too had experienced his share of betrayals, from his own uncle no less. ¡°Yeah.¡± Nicole nodded. She had resolved that if there was nothing she could do to remedy the situation, the only option left for her was to face her adversaries head on. As the car continued plodding ahead. Nicole fixed her gaze on the scenery outside, and from her deep- set eyes, she got lost in thought. All Jared could do at that moment was hold her hands in an effort to comfort her. Meanwhile, in the CEO¡¯s office of Finley Group, Ryder and Gary were left in a state of shock and disbelief. With serious looks on each of their faces, they asked, ¡°Are you being real?¡± ¡°Do I look like I¡¯m joking?¡± Preston rolled his eyes at both of them. The idea that he would travel all the way there early in the morning just to pull a prank on them was ludicrous at best. ¡°It¡¯s not that. I¡¯m just shocked.¡± Gary shrugged his shoulders, his eyes wild and wide. ¡°But all of these are just our guesses. It¡¯s down to US to search for solid answers.¡± Preston reminded the Finley brothers. ¡°Alright. We¡¯ll do our very best, as Nicole truly needs our help.¡± Gary promised, his eyes burning with determination. Ryder nodded in tandem. ¡°If this is something that concerns Nicole, we must lend her a helping hand.¡± ¡°It¡¯s great to have you guys as friends.¡± Preston sighed, happy and grateful to have them around. Then, the three of them began to discuss how they were going to create the application. Once they had gotten a rough direction of what their next step was going to be, they began to delegate the tasks to everyone. Once everything had been settled, the three of them looked at each other, their eyes shining with confidence. ¡°Alright, we¡¯ll proceed with this.¡± ¡°One more thing.¡± Ryder paused for a moment and suggested. ¡°We can consider baiting and switching.¡± Frowning, Preston asked, ¡°You mean¡­¡± ¡°Yes. Since they were the ones who started this, why don¡¯t we use what they have developed to the fullest extent and hide the actual results?¡± Ryder rified. By handing their adversaries a set of false results, thetter would not be able to make use of it to crack the code and gain ess to the Water Crest. Chapter 2880 Chapter 2880 ¡°That¡¯s a good idea.¡± Preston and Gary nodded right away. After they had conducted a few more rounds of discussion, Preston left the headquarters of Finley Group and made his way to Riddle Corporation. Upon arrival, he knocked on Nicole¡¯s door and entered her office. Seeing that it was Preston, Nicole widened her eyes in surprise. ¡°Why are you here? You can¡¯t be here to ask for a free lunch, right?¡± After all, it was almost lunch hour. ¡°There are some issues, so I thought ofing over to inform you about them.¡± Preston began, and proceeded to exin the oue of his discussion with Ryder and Gary. Nicole nodded. ¡°Initially, I had this idea too, but it¡¯s above my paygrade. I was worried we¡¯d alert them, so I decided to forgo the idea.¡± ¡°Since we¡¯re the ones doing it, they won¡¯t realize a thing.¡± Preston exined. At the end of the day, their adversaries had their eyes on nobody but Nicole. They would not discover anything if they did not look hard enough. After giving it some thought, Nicole nodded. ¡°You may proceed as you guys have discussed. Just give it a shot, but remember this. You must keep your wits about you.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we know what the situation is like. If we can¡¯t pull it off, well give up.¡± Preston replied. ¡°Alright,¡± Nicole said. She knew that Preston and the Finley Brothers were rational and pragmatic individuals, connoting that they should be able to navigate around the issue with little hups along the way. It was noon by the time the duo in the office were done with their little discussion, so Nicole invited Preston to stay for lunch. Coincidentally, Lulu had just entered the office as well, so the three of them went out together. It did not take them long to find a restaurant that was to their liking, so they pulled up, sat down, and ordered their meals as soon as they did. ¡°Why did you visit our office today?¡± Lulu asked Preston out of curiosity. ¡°I was just passing by, so I decided to swing by for a little visit.¡± Preston replied, not wanting to divulge to Lulu the true purpose of his visit. Lulu did not think much about his exnation, as she was simply looking for an opportunity to tease him again, ¡°I see. I thought you had your eyes on someone in our office.¡± Visibly annoyed, Preston rolled his eyes at her. ¡°Aren¡¯t there women in my office too?¡± ¡®This is just ridiculous! Must Ie all the way to Nicole¡¯s office for that? Gosh!¡¯ he thought. ¡°So, you have your eyes on someone in your office?¡± Lulu¡¯s eyes widened and she smirked, her curiosity growing stronger by the minute. Taken aback by Lulu¡¯s continued prodding, he argued, ¡°Hold up. Did I say that?¡± What he meant to say was, ¡®Do I have to like someone to visit a certain ce?¡¯ ¡°Hehe.¡± Luluughed, as she was just messing around, unlike Preston, who had taken it seriously. Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org. ¡°How¡¯s your businessing along?¡± Nicole casually asked. After shing her a confident smile, he replied, ¡°Everything¡¯s fine. We¡¯re progressing just fine.¡± Hearing thating from Preston gave her a sense of relief. ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m doing well now. I¡¯ll be able to handle whatever tasks you throw at me without sacrificing time dedicated to the development of thepany,¡± Preston replied, before giving her a beaming smile. Nicole returned his smile without offering any furthermentary. She would be happy as long as the tasks she had assigned him did not affect thepany. ¡°Oh, right. I got wind that Jared returned to Johnston Group today. Was there something important for him to do? I¡¯m just wondering if it¡¯s alright for him to show up at a time like this.¡± Preston asked out of worry. Jared¡¯s appearance at Emery¡¯s wedding was not known to many, so it was safe to assume that things were still under his control. If he paid a sudden visit to hispany, however, it would be difficult for him to escape being noticed by an employee or a member of the public. ¡°There is indeed something going on. But it¡¯s fine. He did use the main entrance, so I don¡¯t think anyone saw him.¡± Nicole exined. ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± Preston sighed in relief. The moment the waiter had served them their orders, the three of them dug in and chatted away. After they were done with their meals, they got up and left the restaurant, with Preston heading back to his company and the duo of Nicole and Lulu returning to Riddle Corporation. ¡°There hasn¡¯t been any movement on Damien¡¯s end. Do you think he¡¯s waiting for something or someone?¡± Lulu asked, hazarding a guess. Chapter 2881 Chapter 2881 -Nicole nodded. ¡°That¡¯s very much possible.¡± Damien had been refusing to spill the beans on what he had been up to for a few days now. If anything, he seemed to be stalling, buying himself more time along the way. This had led them to wonder what he was actually hoping to aplish by stalling. Was he expecting someone toe to his rescue? With the very same school of thought crossing Nicole¡¯s mind, she narrowed her eyes and asked, ¡°Where is he?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, and Patricia didn¡¯t say anything either,¡± Lulu carefully replied. ¡°What are you worried about?¡± ¡°I need you to caution Patricia and tell her to be on guard. It¡¯s possible that Damien is waiting for someone to rescue him,¡± Nicole ordered. Initially, Damien had made a few attempts at fleeing, only for Patricia to thwart all of them. Since then, he had remained silent, and such silence from him was a dead giveaway that he nned his exit. Having realized it herself, Lulu frowned and nodded. ¡°Alright, I will inform Patricia.¡± ¡°Good,¡± Nicole replied, trusting that Patricia would handle it well. ¡°I¡¯ll call her now,¡± Lulu said, before hurrying out of the office. After exiting Nicole¡¯s office, Lulu took her phone out and gave Patricia a call right away. N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content. ¡°Hello?¡± Patricia¡¯s voice red out in reply, and that was when Lulu ryed Nicole¡¯s message to her. ¡°Okay, got it,¡± Patricia replied and hung up. Lulu then pocketed her phone and returned to Nicole¡¯s office with a grim look on her face. On the other end, Patricia¡¯s gaze was dark and intense as she held her phone firmly in her grip. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? What happened?¡± Er asked in concern, having sensed the sudden change in her mood. Patricia narrowed her eyes, and in a calm voice, she replied, ¡°Nothing. I must return to Riddle Corporation.¡± Just when she was about to leave, she reminded Er, ¡°Your arm is fine now, so you should go home after you¡¯re done with your work.¡± Not buying Patricia¡¯s assertion that everything was okay, Er asked, ¡°Are you sure everything¡¯s fine?¡± He could not shake the feeling that something had happened, and on top of being something of importance to her, it was something that could potentially put her life at risk. Deciding to be patient with him, Patricia took a deep breath and answered, ¡°Ms. Riddle called me over.¡± She had sensed that Er was beginning to harbor suspicions of his own, and to divert his attention and put him at ease, she had decided to bring Nicole up. After hearing that Nicole wanted Patricia back, Ell ar nodded. ¡°Alright then.¡± ¡°I¡¯m leaving and I won¡¯t be coming back from now on,¡± Patricia finished, and marched out of his office, her steps heavy and determined. After all, Er¡¯s injuries were almost done healing, which meant that he did not need to stay in the office anymore. It was time for him to return home and get some proper rest. Watching Patricia leave in the manner she did, Er felt an inexplicable sense of loss, as if a sense of emptiness had crept up to him and created a void in his heart. ¡°She¡¯s gone¡­just like that. Is she noting back anymore?¡± he muttered to himself, grimacing in pain as though someone was wrenching his heart out of his chest. After Patricia had left BayCorp, she did not head to Riddle Corporation. What she had told him was merely a lie to prevent him from overthinking. She had received Lulu¡¯s call, which meant that her task now was to guard against the possibility that someone might attempt to fish Damien out of captivity. Once she had gotten into her car, Patricia wondered, ¡®If someone shows up to rescue Damien, who will it be, and where will they take him? Can we use this opportunity to expose the mastermind behind it all?¡¯ With this thought in mind, Patricia immediately gave Charlie a call and briefed him on the situation at hand. ¡°Alright, got it,¡± Charlie replied in understanding. Then, Patricia hung up. Soon after, she arrived at the location where Damien was held: a regr residential house in the suburbs of San Joto. There, she had assigned someone to watch over Damien, ensuring that his meals were taken care of while preventing him from doing anything stupid. Upon getting down from her car, she entered the house. Damien, who had been quiet all along, bared his teeth at her like a wild animal and bellowed at her, ¡°This is uwful captivity! Release me now!¡± In turn, Patricia nced at Damien dismissively and replied, ¡°Didn¡¯t anyone tell you that your current behavior is a clear sign of guilt?¡± Chapter 2882 Chapter 2882 "What am I guilty of? Don''t test me! If you don''t release me, I will make you regret everything you''ve done to me." Damien threatened through gritted teeth. "Alright, I''d like to see you try," Patricia said and sauntered out of the house, calm as she had been when she got in. The person in charge of watching Damien followed suit, and in a low voice, he asked, "Captain? He is still refusing to spill. "It doesn''t matter.I don''t need him to say anything now." Patricia snorted, her voice tinged with cold indifference. "Captain, is there a new n?" the man in ck asked in a hushed voice. "Tonight, you''re going to release him.Let him go..." After devising her new n of action and giving the man aplete rundown of it, Patricia darted the house onest nce, her eyes dark and cold. Then, she whirled around, got into her car, and sped off. The two men in ck exchanged a mutual nce, both showing great determination and resolve. Although the n Patricia had crafted was a somewhat risky one, it would indeed be effective if they could pull it off. The next day, the sun was bright and warm as it emerged from the horizon, giving the clouds its distinct golden gleam against the blue backdrop of the morning sky. But beautiful as the day seemed, Nicole''s day would not begin on a simr note. As soon as she arrived at the headquarters, Lulu ran up to Nicole, her breath heavy and her face pale. "Patricia is missing." "What?" Nicole frowned. ''How could this happen?¡¯ "Damien escapedst night, and Patricia went MIA." Lulu trembled, anxious and tensed up. She did not know the full story as this was all the information she had. "And there''s no way to contact her?" Nicole''s eyes darkened as a figure of a person flitted in her mind. Then, she narrowed her eyes and gave Charlie a call. "Yes, Mrs.Johnston.Although it was all a part of our n, we''re currently unable to contact her.I don''t know what happened." Charlie replied, sounding just as worried as the rest of them were. "I see." Nicole hung up and sighed. "So?" Lulu nervously asked. Shaking her head with a grim look on her face, Nicole responded, "He doesn''t know either." "Nicole! What happened to Patricia?" Er rushed over as he asked in a panic. He had shown up as he was unable to contact Patricia this morning. He was worried, because there was no circumstance in which she was unreachable, even though she had returned to Riddle Corporation. To make things worse, her apartment was empty. After ncing over at Er, Nicole sighed and said, "Come in and we''ll talk about it." Together, the trio of Nicole, Er, and Lulu entered Nicole''s office. "Patricia went on a mission, but for some reason, we can''t contact her now," Nicole exined to Er. Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org. "Does that mean she''s in danger?" Er asked. ¡®Even if she''s on a mission, she should not be unreachable.¡¯ "We''re not sure for now." Nicole shook her head, not knowing the answer to the question herself. At this moment, she was worried too. nching, Er''s eyes widened, and he yelled, "That means she must be in danger now! Then, he looked around anxiously, before turning around in an attempt to leave. "No.No, it can''t be! I must find her." "Wait a minute." Nicole frowned, stopping Er in his tracks. * Where do you think you''re going? How are you even going to find her?" Er choked, and all he could mumble were the words, "I don''t know where, but I have to find her." "How are you going to find her if you don''t even know where you''re going? Are you going to wander around aimlessly in hopes that you''ll be able to get to her eventually?" Nicole reprimanded. Then, she advised, "Listen.I need you to calm down, Er." "It''s not that I don''t want to calm down.I simply can''t!" He plopped himself on a chair and buried his face in his hands, looking as if he was about to burst into tears. "We''re worried about her too.But we can''t act recklessly at this time," Nicole said inplete seriousness. Nodding, Lulu stepped in and added. "Yeah, you need to calm down, Er.Let''s think of a n." Lifting his head, Er could only grit his teeth and agree, "Okay." He knew full well that he could not afford to lose his bearings at a time like this.However, he just could not shake the grip of anxiety over him, which was tightening as they spoke. Chapter 2884 Chapter 2884 With that, Lulu and Er anxiously watched as Nicole''s figure receded from view. "Hey! Stop that! You can''t go," Lulu said and grabbed Er when she saw him trying to follow Nicole out of the building. "Don''t worry.I''ll just tail her quietly," Er replied in an attempt to persuade Lulu to let him go. Adamant on not letting him slip from her grasp, Lulu shook her head. "You heard what Nicole said.She explicitly told you that you aren''t allowed to follow her, so you won''t be." She had to keep Er there because she knew it was the only thing she could do to help Nicole.She also understood that Nicole did not want Er to put himself in danger through his reckless behavior, as well intentioned as he might be. As he did not understand the circumstances surrounding the situation, he might jeopardize Patricia''s safety if he exposed himself. After all, stealth and subtlety were not his strong suits. With that in mind, Lulu was determined to do what Nicole had asked of her while she patiently waited for any updates. Er sighed, helpless and despondent, as he knew that Lulu would never let him leave. "I''m just really worried." "I''m worried too, and that''s why we shouldn''t act recklessly," Lulu shot back, understanding that the best they could do now was wait. Meanwhile, Nicole went on to contact Charlie after she had stepped out of the headquarters. She then exined her n to him in clear detail, though he was not without his concerns after she had filled him in on what she was nning to do. Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org. "This is too risky," he remarked. "Patricia might be in danger.We can''t just sit idly by," Nicole said, serious and determined. "But it''s also possible that Patricia has her own n.It''s just that she can''t contact us in the meantime," Charlie advised. "If I know where she is, I might be able to help her," Nicole insisted. With all things considered, Nicole could still rescue Patricia if something unfortunate had urred while she was on her mission. Realizing that he could not talk her out of it, Charlie asked, "Does Mr.Johnston know about your n?" After a brief moment of hesitation, Nicole responded, "I will tell him." Defeated, Charlie sighed and nodded. "Alright, Mrs.Johnston.Just let me know what you need.Feel free to contact me anytime." "Okay." After hanging up, Nicole sent a message to Jared to inform him of her ns, before pocketing her phone. Then, she looked to the front and ordered, "Stop the car." The chauffeur pulled over at the side of the street, and in a low voice, he asked, "Erm, Mrs.Johnston? Where are you going?" "You don''t need to drive me around anymore.You don''t need to follow me either,"she said, and hurried out of the car before sprinting into the mall up ahead. By the time Jared arrived, the chauffeur was the only one left in the car, sitting in wait and in a daze. "Where is she?" Jared questioned, his deep baritone sending shivers down the chauffeur''s spine. In response, the chauffeur could only point to the mall and answer, "She entered the mall and never came out." Jared turned his gaze to the entrance of the mall and sighed. It was not that Nicole never left the mall. Knowing her, she had probably disguised herself in such a way that the chauffeur could not recognize her even after she had emerged. This was, however, not a bad indicator of what was toe. If the driver, who was rather familiar with Nicole, failed to recognize her, there was a high chance that her adversaries would not, thus mitigating the level of danger she was in. "You should head back now," Jared instructed as he rolled the car window up. "But Mr.Johnston? What should we do now?" Charlie asked in a low voice. Jared narrowed his eyes as he leaned back against his seat. "I ask someone to investigate this in secret.I don''t want any unwanted attention on our case." "Got it." Charlie nodded in acknowledgment. As Jared looked out the window, a trace of worry shed in his eyes. ¡®Will she be in danger?¡¯ After all, herbat skills were not what they used to be, and to make things worse, her adversaries had been there watching her every move. Even a slight mistake could lead to lethal consequences. Chapter 2885 Chapter 2885 "Mr.Johnston? Is it possible that Damien''s men are so cunning that they were able to get Patricia in a bind?" Charlie asked, concerned and anxious. He had initially kept his concerns from Nicole to avoid making her even more stressed out than she already was. "No," Jared said, his voice deep and calm. "The fact that there isn''t any news so far means she''s safe." "Okay." Charlie nodded. Even though he had tried to convince himself of that theory too, the stirring feeling of uneasiness still lingered in his heart. Jared then withdrew his gaze, his eyes darkening in cold fury. "Let''s head to my office." At this point, all they could do was wait. Ultimately, he hoped that Nicole would be fine. "Sure." Charlie nodded in acknowledgment before starting the car and driving them to the headquarters of Johnston Group. Once they had arrived, and once Charlie had made all of the necessary arrangements, he entered Jared''s executive office. "Mr.Johnston? Everything has been taken care of," Charlie reported. "Excellent." Jared''s eyes slightly darkened, still worried about Nicole. At this moment, he had no way of contacting her directly, and for him to deploy several squads to search for her would only draw unwanted attention. All he could do was task a few of his men to conduct an investigation, hoping that they would bring him some good news as soon as possible. Meanwhile, Nicole had arrived at the residential house, alert and well-disguised. Although the ce was now deserted, it was thest known location where Patricia had been, and that was the reason as to why Nicole wanted to inspect the area. Here, she hoped to gather some clues on their current whereabouts. She began observing the surroundings and upon finding nothing unusual, she entered the house. The interior was neither ransacked nor in disarray, indicating that Damien''s escape was indeed intentional. There were no signs of amotion either, suggesting that Patricia, after releasing Damien, had tailed him with members of her team in tow. ¡®Didn''t we n to disseminate some information, set a trap, and capture Damien''s rescuer? Why didn''t they show up? That''s probably why Patricia switched the n so suddenly at the end," she thought, her brow furrowing in concern. As things stood, it seemed very likely that Patricia had indeed left to track Damien. However, there was still no news from her, leading Nicole to wonder if Patricia had made a very important discovery, or if she had been captured. While she was lost in thought, Nicole suddenly spotted a marking on the wall near the front gate. Upon walking over, she realized that it was a sign Patricia had left her, allowing her to finally breathe a sigh of relief. As it turned out, Patricia had indeed decided to abandon the old n to track Damien instead. Upon careful examination, she found a long trail of markings leading her to a certain direction, and after following them for a minute or two, she discovered that all of the signs pointed to a mountain in the distance. ¡®Have they entered the mountains?¡¯ she wondered. Nicole then took her phone out of her pocket, and after a second of hesitation, she sent Jared a message. [I''m safe.They''ve probably entered the mountains.I''m going over there to have a look.] N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content. [Be careful] Jared quickly replied. But as she was about to put her phone away, Jared sent another message: [Don''t turn your phone off.If you don''t contact me, I won''t contact you] [Okay.] Nicole smiled and ced the phone back. She then hurried off to the mountain pass about a mile from where she was standing. Initially, she had turned her phone off because she was worried that her cover would bepromised if someone called her, alerting her enemies to her presence. Now that she understood Jared''s concerns, she had decided to leave her phone on, though with her caller tune and notification beeps silenced. After all, it would be easier for her to get help if she kept it on. A warm and fuzzy sensation radiated from her heart as she let out a deep breath. Then, with her eyes burning with determination, she entered the mountain pass, following all of the signs Patricia had left her. The further in she went, however, the darker and more forested the surroundings became. Chapter 2886 Chapter 2886 She looked ahead, her eyes piercing the darkness. Judging from the elevation she was at, she figured that the cliff might not be too far from where she stood. Midway, Nicole stopped and pondered if there was still a way ahead. She was wondering why Damien and the rest of his entourage had chosen to hole themselves up in a ce that was so isted and ustrophobic. All of a sudden, she heard some rustling noises emanating from the thick, lush vegetation before her. Startled, she darted off the trail she was on and hid herself behind the thicket to her right, and there, she carefully observed the movements of the silhouettes ahead. Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org. "Let''s stay here for a few days.We can leave once things have simmered down," a man said with a hint of caution in his voice. "Why don''t we just leave now?" another voice asked. Upon hearing the second voice, Nicole''s eyes widened. ¡®Isn''t that Damien? Patricia was following him, but why isn''t she here?¡¯ Nicole wondered. As their footfalls grew louder, Nicole crouched over and looked through the gaps in the thicket, trying not to ce herself in their direct line of sight. As expected, two figures emerged from the grove up ahead, of whom one was Damien. They were strolling along the pathway as they conversed, shooting bullets of nces behind their shoulders every now again to ensure that they were not being followed. "Do you think we''ve really shaken that woman off?" Damien asked, sounding a little worried. "Valo is keeping an eye on her.She won''t have her way with us," the other man assured. However, Damien still seemed uneasy as he remarked, "She''s quite formidable, you know." "You have nothing to worry about, because Valo is more than capable of taking care of her," the man asserted. "Let''s go. With Valo distracting her, we can take this opportunity to get into hiding." "Okay." Damien agreed, and followed the other man around a corner. Then, they disappeared from sight. What they failed to realize was that someone had managed to track them here; after Nicole had gotten a bead in the direction which they had taken, she went after them, moving in a half-crouch with her back lowered so as to muffle her footfalls. Based on what she had gathered from their conversation, it was evident that this individual by the name of "Valo" was not someone she should trifle with. In all likelihood, he was skilled inbat, stealth, and mind games. With that in mind, Nicole quickened her pace until she could hear amotion up ahead. Judging by the sound of grunts and yells, Nicole figured that they came from Patricia and Valo, who must be locked inbat. The voices drew closer and louder until they sounded as if they were right next to Nicole, and that was when she caught sight of two figures grappling and wrestling. With her heart pounding, Nicole squinted her eyes and quickly advanced to get a good look of the situation. As it turned out, Patricia was still capable of going toe-to- toe with Valo, though it was challenging for her to gain the upper hand. Just as Nicole was about to step in to help, she caught a glimpse of Valo producing a slender hilt of some sort from the holster at his back. "Shit!" Nicole grabbed a tree branch and hurled it at Valo, knowing she would be unable to get to them in time. "Ah!" The tree branch struck Valo''s arm, causing him to yelp in pain, and the baton-like weapon he was holding fell to the ground with a loud clunk. A needle-like appendage with rows of feathers lining it ejected from the tip of the baton, making it clear to Nicole that it was a concealed tranquilizer baton. Valo then stumbled back and clutched his arm in pain. Not expecting someone else to join the fray, he looked around and shouted, "Who''s there? Show yourself!" Patricia shot a quick nce at Nicole''s direction, and though she did not see her, she knew right off the bat that Nicole was there to aid her. Without another second of dy, Patricia quickly attacked Valo. Deprived of his weapon now, he quickly realized that he was now at a disadvantage. But just when he was retreating, he suddenly felt a sharp, stinging pain in his neck. Clutching his neck, Valo looked around, struggling to see and understand what had just happened. Unfortunately for him, his vision began to blur, and once thest wave of stars had obscured his line of sight, ckness engulfed him, and he tumbled to the ground with a grunt. "Ms.Riddle." Patricia joyfully held her arm up upon spotting Nicole. "I knew it was you." "I saw the markings you''ve left behind." Nicole studied Patricia from top to toe. And when she was sure that Patricia was unscathed, a smile crossed her face. "Something unexpected urredst night.I couldn''t contact you, so I changed the n on my own," Patricia exined. Nicole nodded, "Yeah.We''ve figured that out.We were all worried about your safety because we couldn''t reach you." "I''m okay, but they''re all still lying unconscious over there," Patricia said, ring at Valo, who was still lying on the ground with his limbs syed like a starfish. Chapter 2887 Chapter 2887 They did not anticipate that Valo would attempt to pull a dirty trick on them. If Nicole had not intercepted thest hit, Patricia would have joined the rest of her team members in the pile. "It''s all right." Nicole said, relieved after knowing that temporary unconsciousness was all Patricia''s team had sustained. "But Damien still managed to escape," Patricia spat in annoyance. "They can''t get away.When! came around the clearing, I encountered them, and that was how I knew you were here," Nicole exined. In fact, that was how she had managed to get to Patricia in time. Upon hearing this, Patricia nodded and replied, "That''s good.I''ll go after them now." "Leave a mark for Charlie first.I''ll apany you after that," Nicole said, leaving a mark on one of the tree trunks before following Patricia to one of the caves in pursuit of Damien. While they were on their way, Patricia proceeded to detail to Nicole everything that had happenedst night. "Initially, our n was to let them fall into our trap.We''ve even disseminated the news, but unfortunately, our enemies didn''t fall for it, so they never ended up entering the yard," Patricia said, before sighing in defeat. "Pretty clever of them, huh?" Nicole scoffed. "Yeah, we were left with no choice.We''d be damned if we missed such a good opportunity to get them, so we''ve loosened Damien''s bonds and allowed him to escape.After that, we followed him and his band of jackasses into the mountains and into theirir," Patricia continued. Nicole nodded. "So they didn''t actually discover you.They were simply on guard from the beginning." "Yes, and because of that, we had to be extra cautious along the way too.Even though there were a few windows of opportunity for us to act, we did not seize them.The goal was to have our enemies let their guards down.We wanted them to think we''ve lost track of them." If they had acted from the very beginning, Valo would have caught them there, thwarted their attempts to get to Damien, and beaten them to a pulp, ending their mission there and then. Nodding, Nicole narrowed her eyes. N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content. "They will hole up in the mountains and prepare for their escape after the trail has gone cold.If Damien manages to escape this time, it''s possible that he won''t ever being back." "And that''s why we mustn''t let him go.There are two individuals who havee all the way here to assist him, and they are definitely not people we should take lightly." Patricia gritted her teeth.Her objective now was to capture and bring these two individuals back alive. Whatever it was that Damien had been keeping to himself, these two men would be more willing to let slip. "Let''s go and take a look." Nicole nodded and continued following Patricia. Nicole and Patricia were not worried about Valo at all. The dosage in that baton was probably sufficient to put a full grown elephant to sleep for a good few hours. After a short trek, the duo quickly arrived at the path where Damien and the man had taken off to. The deeper into the woods they were, the denser the vegetation became, making it difficult for them to see what was ahead of them clearly. "They are hiding here? Aren''t they afraid of bears and other peopleing after them at night?" Patricia snorted in annoyance. "It''s probably not ideal for them to make their escape now.Otherwise, they should be trying to find a way to leave as soon as possible," Nicole inferred. Patricia frowned. "Now that you mention it, I remember that they seemed to be discussing something as they were heading into the cavesst night.They were nning to make onest deal or something." However, she did not manage to get a grasp of the details of their conversation. She swore they were definitely nning something, but she could nat figure out what it was to be exact. Furrowing her brows, Nicole asked, "Onest deal?" "Yes, I think they''re up to something much bigger in scale, but I can''t figure out what it is for crying out loud.I have a feeling that something is in the works." Patricia narrowed her eyes, serious and grim. Whatever it was, it would not bode well if they seeded. After a moment of hesitation, Nicole grabbed Patricia by the shoulder and said, "Wait a minute." "What?" Patricia looked around warily. "Let''s not rush in trying to find them." Nicole paused and pondered for a moment. "If they''re really up to something,finding them and getting to them at this moment will be meaningless." "Are you letting them go?" Patricia asked, her brows furrowed in concern. Nicole shook her head. "No.What I''m suggesting is that we should wait for a while longer.Jared and the others should be here soon." She thought it would be better for them to discuss with Jared on how to proceed next, and so, they waited. After about an hour, Jared arrived as she had anticipated, putting a smile on her face. "I knew you woulde." Jared''s eyes softened when he noticed that she was unharmed and unscathed. He walked over to her, wrapped his hands around hers, and said, "You''ve been waiting for me, haven''t you?" Chapter 2888 Chapter 2888 "Yeah." Nicole nodded. "There''s something I''d like to discuss with you." "What is it?" Jared asked in a low voice. Nicole proceeded to brief Jared on Patricia''s findings and then looked at him, saying, "I don''t think we should capture those two individuals for now.We shouldb through the entire mountain without actually apprehending them." "So, you''re trying to lull them into a false sense of security and capture them once they''ve left the pass?" Jared raised his hand to tidy her hair, having guessed what she was up to. Knowing that he had called it, Nicole smiled. "Yes, let''s trick them into thinking it''s safe to proceed so that they''ll make a move." If Nicole stormed in and captured Damien as well as his associate now, they might alter their ns, making their efforts next to fruitless. "Alright." Jared agreed and turned to Charlie. "Take care of it. "Yes." Charlie nodded. Once that was settled, Patricia stepped in and said, "Our people are still lying over there, and we''ve also captured one of them.Let''s take them back together." Charlie nced over at Patricia, and after he was certain that they were all okay, he led them away. "Let''s head home." Jared said, before grabbing her hand and leading her away from the mountain. Back in the car now, Nicole leaned her head on Jared''s shoulder. "Sorry for making you worry." Unable to fault her for what she had done, Jared caressed her hair and replied, "Don''t go around risking your safety anymore, alright?" Nicole sighed, knowing that she should not be running off on her own. "I know I''m not as agile as before.I was just trying my luck.I wasn''t nning to put myself in danger." Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org. She also understood that if something happened to her, everyone would be in a huge mess since she was the prime target of her enemies. Lowering his gaze, Jared stared at her, his eyes brimming with affection. Nicole then smiled and said, "Well, I guess I was lucky." Jared shook his head in defeat and gently tapped Nicole on the forehead. "Luck won''t always be on your side." In a gesture of defiance, Nicole stuck her tongue out at him. "This is a special case." Soon after, the car stopped, and Nicole looked outside. That was when she noticed they had arrived at Riddle Corporation. "Are you going in with me?" Nicole frowned, feeling a little conflicted about whether Jared should show up in public with her or not. There was no secret passage through which Jared could enter here. If someone spotted Jared as he was entering the building, his entire ruse would be exposed for what it was. Unbothered by the possibility of being discovered, Jared pulled Nicole out of the car. "It''s okay.Max should be wrapping up over there now." "Okay." Nicole reversed her grip, her fingers interlocking with Jared''s. Since there was little sense in her worrying about Jared being discovered anymore, she could now walk with him in public. Patricia then got out of the car and followed the two into the headquarters of Riddle Corporation. Lulu, as expected, was on the brink of tears when she saw them all returning in one piece. "It''s good that everyone is back safely!" They had been worried sick while Nicole was gone, and every minute in their wait felt like an eternity. When Er saw Patriciaing in, he leaped to his feet and lumbered toward Patricia before giving her a hug. "Can you not do something as risky as this anymore? I was really worried!" Patricia froze,pletely taken aback by what Er had just done, but when she eventually came to, she pushed him away and warned him, "Just talk if you have something to say.Don''t get all touchy with me." However, Er was undeterred; he proceeded to hold her hand as he scanned her from head to toe. "Are you okay? Where were you all night...?" Chapter 2889 Chapter 2889 After a series of rapid-fire questions from Er, Patricia maintained her re at him, refusing to answer any of it. Instead, she countered, "Why are you here? Weren''t you at BayCorp?" "I came over because I was worried about you.I noticed you were missing early in the morning, so I came over to ask Nicole.As it turned out, you were gone before we even knew it," Er exined, his head voice still tinged with fear and concern. A wide-eyed Patricia then turned to Nicole, who nodded and smiled. "Indeed, he was the first to notice your absence.Otherwise, we might not have known as soon as we did." It was then that an important realization dawned upon her. '' So that was why Ms.Riddle arrived earlier than expected.¡¯ "That''s right.Moreover, he was genuinely worried about you.If it weren''t for me holding him back, he would have rushed over to where you were.He was super antsy even when he was here too." Lulu looked at Patricia with a meaningful smile etched on her face. Just like that, Patricia''s re vanished, reced by an awkward frown which she attempted to conceal by looking away. Er, however, remained oblivious as he continued to bombard her with a million questions. "Ms.Riddle, if there''s nothing else here for me to do, I''ll leave now," Patricia excused herself and turned around, feeling that the awkwardness was too much for her to bear. "Hey, wait up." Er immediately chased after her. With her eyes still trained on the two receding figures, Lulu smiled, turned to Nicole and Jared, and announced, "I''m leaving too." After Lulu was gone, Nicole issued a sigh of relief and looked up at Jared with a beaming smile. In turn, he grabbed her hand and said, "Do take a nap for a while if you''re feeling tired." "I''m fine." Nicole linked arms with Jared and lowered her voice into a whisper. "I just think the Eastern Falcon is enshrouded in a veil of mystery and secrecy.It''s been such a long time, but there''s still no substantial evidence to prove that they are back in the scene.We''ve found no core information about them either." Gently stroking her hair, Jared assured, "Perhaps we''ll find the information we''ve been looking for this time." "Are there any updates?" Nicole asked with her brows raised. "We''re waiting for Max''s report." Jared, with his hand still wrapped around hers, led her to the sitting area. Nodding in understanding, Nicole sighed in relief. "I hope everything goes smoothly." Max had been away with his team for several days now, and it was about time they got some results. Moreover, Zane had been conducting an investigation of his own for a few weeks, and by now, they should have found some clues. All content is ? N0velDrama.Org. Straining her eyes, Nicole recalled the conversation she had overheard between Damien and his associate. ¡®What else are they trying to do, given their capabilities...? Meanwhile, the air was nowhere near as calm in Patricia''s office.With a stern look on his face, Er warned. "This is thest time! Don''t you dare do something as risky as this ever again." Patricia raised an eyebrow, opting not to give him a direct answer. "This is my business.It''s not something you need to concern yourself with." "But I will be worried about you!" Er shouted, his voice breaking in helplessness. "If you have nothing important to say, you may leave.I still have work to do." Patricia picked a document up, trying to appear indifferent to Er. "Why are you doing this?" Fr anxiously stepped forward and snatched Patricia''s file away. He then looked at her seriously and dered, "Listen carefully.I won''t give up.Ever! Even if your heart is a block of ice, I''ll melt it." No matter how much time it took, no matter how much effort was needed, he would never give up. Patricia, seemingly unaffected by his outburst of emotion, nced over at Er and said, "You really don''t need to do this.Things will never work out between the two of us." "Why not? As long as I like you, and you like me, everything is possible!" Er insisted. "But I don''t like you," Patricia replied through gritted teeth. Er was momentarily stunned but less than a secondter, he shook his head. "I don''t believe it for a second.I know you care about me." Though her words were cold and mean, her actions, as subtle as they were, indicated otherwise. He knew Patricia had rejected him for a myriad of other reasons, and that was why he was determined to wait it out.What he would never do, however, was give up. Chapter 2890 Chapter 2890 Helpless and moved, Patricia massaged her temples and said, "Er, you really don''t need to waste your time on me.With your qualities, getting yourself a girlfriend should be a piece of cake." "But you''re the only person I want to be with.If I can''t be with you, I''d rather remain single forever!" Er stated firmly, his eyes burning with passion and unyielding persistence. Unable to meet Er''s gaze, Patricia blinked and looked away from him. She had taken care of him at BayCorp for some time now, connoting that she was notpletely indifferent to Er. However, she also understood that certain things in life were destined to be impossible, with the prospect of getting together with Er being one of them, so she dared not lead him on and give him any hope. Gritting her teeth, Patricia continued to feign indifference. * That''s your business.It has nothing to do with me." After saying that, she picked another file up and ignored Er. Er looked at Patricia, his eyes wet and heavy in disappointment. At this rate, he could only grit his teeth and say, "Alright then.I won''t get in the way of your work.I''ll come over to see you again after six." Patricia''s lips began twitching fiercely, but as she was determined not to dignify his words with a response of her own, she remained silent and continued to ignore him. ¡®Can''t he see that I''m deliberately keeping my distance from him? Yet, he still had the gall to say he will come over to pick me up after work.What a pain in the rear!¡¯ she fumed.Er walked away, turning back every time he took a step, and once he was out of the door, Patricia finally breathed a sigh of relief. ¡®Whatever the case is, at least he is gone for now.¡¯ Shaking her head, Patricia returned to the tasks at hand.. As dusk fell, Nicole and Jared returned to the Riddle residence. A look of puzzlement crossed Nicole''s face the moment she saw a bunch of construction workers leaving, prompting her to ask, "Mom, what are they doing?" "The renovation is in order.We''re preparing Stanley''s room so that it''ll be fit for two." Gloria replied, telling Nicole that everything that had been happening was a matter of course. Taken aback by what her mother just said, Nicole asked, "Are they getting married already?" ¡®Didn''t they say they wanted to wait for some time, and that there was no rush for them to get married?¡¯ she wondered. "We''re preparing in advance," Gloria replied. "They''ll get to decide when they wish to get married." Nicole sighed in confusion. "Well, where will Stanley be sleeping, then?" "In Samuel and Spencer''s old room.He can choose whichever room he wants to spend his nights in.Anyway, his current room will be renovated.He won''t be going back there until he gets married," Gloria exined with a tinge of amusement in her voice. "Mom, we are your married sons.Are we kicked out of the house already?" Samuel, who just so happened to walk in, joked. Shaking her head, Gloria nced over at him and retorted, "You have your own ce, don''t you?" "Alright, I get it.I mean, you urged us to get married, but once we did, you just refused to give us the same amount of attention.This hasn''t escaped my notice.If I had known this, we would have dyed our marriage." Samuel shrugged, pretending to be hurt. N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content. "If you had dyed your marriage, I wouldn''t have been pressured into getting married either,"Stanley, who had juste in, retorted. "Hey now.That''s your problem.Don''t pin the me on me," Samuel barked back. ring at the bickering siblings, Gloria scolded them, "Why are you all back today? And what''s with all the fighting the moment you entered the house?" "We heard there''s good news at home, so we came over to have a look." Samuel smiled. The others arrived one after another, and once they were all here, they exchanged nces. "Where''s Tia?" "She''s at the back," Stanley replied. "Wait, you were the one who took them home, so where are the two little ones?" Lulu asked in confusion. Even if Tia had returned to the house at the back where Mrs.Wace Sr. resided, Nn and Lana should have returned by now. Chapter 2891 Chapter 2891 "They''re there with her too.Said they wanted to y fora while." Stanley shrugged. "Oh." Lulu turned to look at Nicole. "I suppose Nn and Lana prefer hanging out with their Aunt Tia." "Are you jealous right now?" June smirked and teased her. Trying to appear as if she was unaffected by June''s remark, Lulu smiled. "Jealous? Nope.Not to that extent." "You''re all our aunts.Of course we like all of you." Nn and Lana interrupted while pushing Mrs.Wace Sr.in. "Hey, Mrs.Wace Sr.," everyone greeted in unison. "You''re all back," Mrs.Wace Sr.replied, and gave everyone present a loving smile. Once the little ones had positioned Mrs.Wace Sr.next to one of the couches in the living room, Lulu smiled and looked at them. "You cheeky little ones.You went out there to invite someone over, huh?" Raising her head proudly and unapologetically, Lana replied, "Yeah, I knew you''re all here the moment I saw your cars." "I figured that you all came back here to pay Aunt Tia a visit, so we went to the back to invite great- grandma over," Nn echoed. In Nn¡¯s understanding, their Aunt Tia could onlye over if Mrs.Wace Sr. was invited. "You are really clever." Lulu nodded, before giving them an affectionate smile. "I see that everyone is here, so let''s have dinner." Gloria invited. Then, the entire family gathered around the dining table and sat down, after which they began eating. Gales of heartyughter and joyful chatter filled the room, and before long, the topic of conversation shifted to the new couple of Stanley and Tia, as well as the renovation of the former''s room. Feeling a little embarrassed and not knowing what to say, Tia blushed and kept her head down. Upon noticing how ufortable she was, Stanley scooped her some mashed potatoes, and in an effort to calm her down, he whispered, "Don''t be nervous.Though the renovation is happening soon, we''re the ones who get to decide when we''re both ready to get married." "Okay." Tia nodded gently, her nerves easing up by a little. "It''s nice that the both of you have chosen to stay at home.You can keep Mom, Dad, and Mrs.Wace Srpany, and we can all be at ease." June nodded in approval of their decision. "Yeah.Besides, Tia isn''t totally on board with the idea of leaving Mrs.Wace Sr.in the care of someone else.Not to mention, I prefer staying here with my parents too." Stanley nodded, having carefully considered this decision. All of a sudden, the housekeeper came in, her face scrunched up in worry. "Mr.and Mrs.Riddle? Someone sent you a package." "Who do you think sent it?" Daniel tilted his head in puzzlement. ¡®Who would send a package to us at this time?¡¯ "I didn''t see anyone. They left right after ringing the doorbell. The moment I opened the door, the only thing I saw was this..." The housekeeper lifted the package up, giving everyone a clear view of it. "Open it and take a look, then." Daniel motioned, feeling that opening the package delivered to them was the best way to find out what it was. "Okay." All content is ? N0velDrama.Org. The housekeeper nodded, and marched out of the dining room with the item in hand. When she walked past Nicole, however, thetter nced over at her and stood up. "No.Wait a minute." "Can I help you, Ms.Riddle?" The housekeeper stopped in her tracks and asked. "Give it to me." Without further boration, Nicole approached the housekeeper, grabbed the package, and pressed her right ear against the box, listening for any sounds that might emanate from within. All of a sudden, the frown on her face vanished, her eyes widened, and she sprinted out of the house with the package held firmly in her arms. "What''s going on?" Lulu immediately stood up, about to chase after Nicole. Her gut feeling told her that Nicole was panicked by what she had just heard, and her strange behavior only served to confirm it. ''Why did she look like she was in danger or something?¡¯ "Stay back." Jared shed his palm to her, stopping her from going after Nicole. "But..." Seeing this, Lulu realized that she was right. Something was indeed amiss. Chapter 2892 Chapter 2892 "Take care of everyone and make sure they''re safe." Jared sped off, leaving the words hanging in the air. Lulu bit her lip as she looked out the window with worry written all over her face. She had to force herself to calm down, as acting out in a panic would do her no good.She figured that Jared had ordered her to stay behind because there was nothing she could do to help, and since that was the case, she decided that it would be in everyone''s best interest for her to stay put and ensure that the rest of the family were safe. In all likelihood, there was grave danger involved, or else Jared would not have dashed off while telling her to take care of everyone without further boration. "Lulu? Do you know what''s going on?" Gloria asked, her forehead creased in concern. The sudden esction had made everyone realize that something was amiss, giving them an oppressive and lingering feeling of anxiety. "Oh, since the package was delivered by an unknown sender, Nicole was worried that there might be something harmful in there.Look, I don''t know what''s going on, so let''s ask her when shees back." Lulu replied in an attempt to calm everyone, as she had no idea what just happened. "Why would someone send something harmful to our home? " June asked, sensing that something was wrong. In response, Lulu shot June a look of disapproval and shook her head. ''Now is not the time to show everyone how smart you are.¡¯ Noticing how grim Lulu¡¯s expression was, June finally realized her mistake. "I mean, why do you think it''s something that''ll hurt us?" "I''m just saying.It could also be a surprise gift from someone," Lulu hypothesized, praying that they were overthinking it. Above anything, she hoped that Nicole would walk out of this unscathed. Meanwhile, Nicole was still sprinting away from the courtyard with the package in hand. "Where are you going?" Jared asked, catching up to her. "Let''s find arge, open space.I don''t know how powerful this thing is." Nicole swept her nce across the area, hoping to find an open field about at least an acre wide. Jared narrowed her eyes. "What do you mean?" ¡®Powerful, open space, so this box has a...¡¯ "It could be a homemade bomb," Nicole replied as she locked her eyes on a patch of empty grasnd about a hundred yards down the road. If the st radius of this object was just as what she had estimated, it would not reach the Riddle residence or any of the neighboring houses. Jared nodded, knowing what was going on at an instant. Then, he snatched the package from her and hurried off to the field, panting and huffing. "Hey..." she stared at her empty hands and ran after him. "Don''te over!" Jared shed his palm at Nicole, not wanting her to follow him. However, Nicole was adamant on not letting him run off on his own, so she hurried after him, "Let me see the thing first." When they finally reached the center of the field, Jaredid the package down and looked at Nicole. "I''ll handle it.Go over there and wait for me." "Let''s do it together." All content is ? N0velDrama.Org. She grabbed his hand, intent on staying with him. At this juncture, nobody would leave. Jared issued a sigh of defeat and looked at her. "If it''s a dangerous object, please remember to get out of here right away." "Maybe there won''t be any danger," Nicole said, reaching out to open the package. As they unwrapped the package, the ticking became even louder and more pronounced, causing her eyes to widen. She had every reason to believe that there was something wrong with the package, chief among them the ticking, which would never be heard in a regr gift. And after opening the package and getting a peek of its contents, her suspicions were confirmed.It was indeed a homemade bomb. "We don''t have much time left." Nicole narrowed her eyes as she watched the countdown. They had less than three minutes to defuse it. "Are you going to dismantle it?" Jared asked. Nodding, Nicole bit her lip. "I''d certainly like to try.If I can dismantle it silently, it will spare everyone from worrying." Chapter 2893 Chapter 2893 Deep down, Nicole knew that letting the bomb go off would be much more ideal than defusing it. This would trick Damien into thinking that his n had seeded. The flip side to allowing the st to ur, however, was that Nicole''s family would be in for a shock of their lives. And since she did not want her family to think that the st had affected her, she decided to defuse it. "I trust that you know what you''re doing, but we don''t have any tools to work with.Can you do it?" Jared asked. After all, Nicole was once the Turmann family''s chief weapons designer. Thus, defusing a simple bomb would be a piece of cake for her. However, Nicole did not have the tools she needed at the moment, prompting Jared to wonder how it would be possible. Resourceful as always, Nicole smirked at the look of doubt on him. Then, she pulled a bobby pin out of her hair, and with a slight twist, the pin transformed into a long needle, one end with a sharp, jagged tip. Pleasantly surprised by what she just did, Jared smiled, shook his head, and asked, "When did you design that?" "Quite some time ago.Originally, it was meant for self- defense.I didn''t expect that I can finally put it to good use today," Nicole answered. Then, she lowered her head to examine the bomb structure, during which she began thinking about how to defuse it safely and properly.She had less than a minute left on the clock, and so, she had to hurry up. And as expected, with her brain on overdrive, she discovered what she needed to do less than fifteen secondster. Smirking, Nicole gave Jared a nod of confidence. "So that''s how it is." On the surface, the bomb structure seemedplicated, but it was all just a cover-up. The bomb was constructed with the most basic wiring principles. The wires in question were primed to a charge which would set off once the countdown ended, detonating the block of C4 at the base. Therefore, the solution was simple: severe the wire. After carefully inspecting the wiring structure of the bomb, Nicole positioned the de of her makeshift knife near the green wire and severed it. Tick! Following a distinct, signature beep, the timer stopped, and the green light on top of the contraption faded into nothing. "Phew!" Nicole sighed in relief, wiping away the beads of sweat on her forehead. Thankfully, Nicole''s n worked as intended. If she failed to defuse the bomb, this could very well be Nicole''s and Jared''s undoing should they not be able to sprint away in time. Sighing in relief, Jared patted Nicole on the shoulder. "It''s over now.Let''s go home." Nodding with a smile, Nicole proceeded to repackage the bomb and followed Jared back to the Riddle residence. In the dining room, everyone began bombarding the couple with questions the instant they saw them walking in. "What on earth happened?" "Nothing, really.It was sent to the wrong person." Nicole casually brushed their concerns off, not wanting to disclose the truth to her family. "I see," Lulu yed along, understanding that it was just an excuse. "Since you''re fine, let''s have dinner." "Yeah, sure," Nicole replied, and sat down beside Jared. Nobody else in the family had noticed anything wrong with the couple, so they continued their meal without so much as a mention of the incident. Meanwhile, Nicole and Lulu exchanged nces, knowing what each other were thinking. Lulu was relieved to know that Nicole had dealt with the problem. As this was neither the time nor ce to discuss it, Lulu maintained her silence. However, Nicole and Lulu''s gestures did not escape June''s notice. She, too, had noticed that there was something odd about the situation, but she opted to keep her mouth shut, for she did not want the dinner to devolve into a panicky mess. After dinner was over, Stanley and Tia proceeded to wheel Mrs.Wace Sr.home. Following Spencer and Samuel''s crafty words of persuasion, Daniel and Gloria returned to their rooms too. "I''ll go check on the kids," Jared notified her, not wanting to be a part of their conversation. Then, he went to the second floor. With only five of them left in the living room, Nicole looked at the other four who were waiting in anticipation. "Yeap.You''ve guessed it already, so I won''t lie to you.In that package was a homemade, improvised explosive.I bet that Damien was the one who sent it to us." Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org. "Is he out of his mind?!" the others eximed, furious and in disbelief. Their entire family would have lost their lives if Nicole had not discovered the bomb on time.It was clear that Damien was trying to kill them all by sending an explosive to their doorstep. "He was sure that he would escape this time," Nicole exined, her voice heavy and harsh. Indeed, Damien wanted to take them all down before fleeing the country. "He can keep dreaming! Not only will he not escape this time! We will also put him behind bars forever!" Lulu cried. Chapter 2894 Chapter 2894 June sighed. "He really is off his rocker, isn''t he?" "How did you find out?" Spencer shuddered with horror. This incident might have escaped their notice entirely had they been totally clueless about Damien''s little scheme. After issuing another sigh, Lulu went on to narrate the entire story of Damien''s escape, and Patricia''s efforts at tracking him down. "Thankfully, you''re here." June nodded, knowing full well that everyone would have been in grave danger if Nicole was not here today. "What are you nning to do next?" Spencer asked. At present, Damien was still on the loose. In addition, he had the backing of someone who wielded great power, so there was still much danger lurking in the dark. "It''s time to wrap things up." Nicole looked up, her eyes burning bright with crimson fury.Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org. "Huh?" the others asked in confusion. "We''re going to seize Damien, or else, he''ll be gone before we know it," Nicole dered, her voice dark and deep. ''We will capture both Damien and the man who is backing him up.Getting to the other guy will not be a walk in the park, but it''ll be worth our efforts.Perhaps we could acquire intel about the Eastern Falcon from him" "Strike fast if you''re sure about it.We''re really worried about you constantly being out of the house." The very idea of a psychopath like Damien roaming around freely to do as he pleased was nothing short of frightening to the family. "Okay," Nicole nodded in agreement, knowing that there would be results awaiting her tomorrow. If they did not seize Damien, there was no telling what else he would do to them. Not only would Nicole''s life be at stake; her family''s lives would be too, as Damien was determined to obliterate them to satisfy his unbridled, burning vengeance. After Spencer and Samuel had acquired aplete understanding of the situation, they lowered their heads and sighed. "I have no idea so much has happened." "I didn''t want you to worry, so I didn''t inform you guys about this," Nicole exined, her heart heavy with guilt. For Damien to pull something as heinous and sinister as this was something she did not anticipate. "Alright then.Let''s bring him to justice!" Samuel fumed. "Nicole, there''s nothing wrong with the people Charlie has tasked to take care of this operation, right?" Lulu asked. Being one of the first to be privy to Nicole''s n, she figured that there was no room for even the slightest of mistakes since they were about to wrap things up. "It''s fine.There won''t be a problem," Nicole answered calmly. By now, Charlie''s operation should be in full swing. "d to hear that." Everyone sighed in relief and stood up. * Now that we''ve heard it all, we''ll get going first. We''ll wait for your news tomorrow." Nicole nodded and gave them a half smile. "Right.Move along.You guys should get some sleep." After seeing them off, Nicole went up to the second floor where her room was. Upon opening the door, she found Jared sitting at the desk with hisptop before him. "Are the kids asleep?" "Yes," Jared answered, whereupon he stood up, approached her, and caressed her hair. "You should get some sleep." "Yeah, I do feel a little tired," Nicole sighed. She had figured that Damien would make a move, but for him to make an attempt at her family''s life was something she did not seeing. It was clear to her now that he was intending to remove everyone and everything that would constitute an obstacle to Everett''s ascent to the top of the Riddle family, paving the way for him to take his ce as the head of the family and the inheritor of all of its fortunes. A glint of irony shed in Nicole''s eyes as she thought about Damien''sst ditch sacrifice for his kids. For a man as wicked as he was, he still had it in him to think about those he cared about, as uncharacteristic of him as it was. Not wanting to stress over the events of the evening, Jared held Nicole''s hands and whispered, "Get some good sleep.There will be results tomorrow." "Okay," Nicole nodded in agreement. The couple thenid down on their bed, and fell asleep in each other''s embrace. All they could do was wait for their intel to reach them so that they could be one step closer to putting an end to this issue. Chapter 2895 Chapter 2895 Dawn arrived eight hourster, with the sun showing its first blossom at seven. All content is ? N0velDrama.Org. After breakfast, Nicole and Jared got into their car and made their way to Riddle Corporation. However, Lulu was not the only one waiting for Nicole today, as Spencer, Samuel, and June were there as well. "Have you heard from your men?" they anxiously asked upon spotting the couple. "Charlie and Patricia are not back yet," Nicole replied. "Let''s wait for them in my office." "Alright." They nodded in agreement, after which they entered Nicole''s office together. After sitting down, Lulu gritted her teeth and asked, "Why have we not received any news from them? Are they in trouble?" "No way," Nicole shook her head. If something had urred while they were on their mission, they would have gotten wind of it by now. "Let''s wait a moment," June advised in an attempt to calm Lulu down. Though everyone was worried sick, there was little they could do but wait for word to return to them. The ones whose lives were at stake here were Charlie and Patricia, who were still out there, leading the fight. All they could do now was put their faith in the duo and trust that they would return bearing news. All of a sudden, a series of knocks were heard at the door. The instant she heard them, Nicole ordered, "Come in," The door swung open, revealing Max, who walked in and greeted them. "Mr.and Mrs.Johnston.I hope all is well." "You''re back," Jared said. "Was the operation smooth?" Nicole was a little shocked by Max''s sudden appearance, but judging by the look on Jared''s face, he had already known about his return. "Yes, it was. Everything has been settled," Max said, approaching the couch before handing a file to Nicole. "This is for you, Mrs.Johnston.Zane asked me to send this to you.Surprised, Nicole grabbed the file, and upon reading its contents, she looked up, gritted her teeth, and sighed. "I knew it," Nicole said, handing the file to Jared.Jared took the file from her, looked at her, and asked, "Is it about the Water Crest?" "Yes." Nicole nodded. "You called it." "The Eastern Falcon had withdrawn from society for years following the failure of theirst mission.For them to take on a new mission requires more than a simple mary reward.Everett must have ignited their ambitions with a grand promise of some sort," Jared theorized. In that same line of thought, the Water Crest was undoubtedly something that could do the job, as it represented guaranteed prospects of extreme wealth and unchallenged power. "Let''s not forget about Lawrence.They have contacted Lawrence too.Perhaps they were looking for confirmation," Nicole said, her gaze icy and dark. However, the question as to whether Lawrence and the Eastern Falcon had arrived at some kind of agreement was still something they could not answer. "Mr.Johnston.Are there still no updates from Charlie and Patricia?" Max asked. At present, Johnston Group''s project abroad had been secured, and Zane''s investigation had yielded solid evidence regarding their enemies¡¯ motives. The only thing left for them to do was capture Damien and the men that the Eastern Falcon had deployed in San Joto. It was obvious that the individual who had escorted Damien away was an important contact attached to the Eastern Falcon in their San Joto chapter. Thus, it was possible that capturing him would eliminate what little influence the Eastern Falcon had left in San Joto. "They''re not back yet, and we''ve not received any sort of news from them thus far," Nicole replied. ¡®Why aren''t there any updates yet?¡¯ Meanwhile, Patricia was carrying a bloodied Charlie on her shoulder as they hurried down the mountain pass. "Head in there!" Patricia yelled in a panic. Concurrently, there were also a group of people at the base of the mountain screaming up at them. "Come on, Cap! Hurry up and get into the car!" Patricia looked down, and that was when she spotted one of her men inserting his key into the ignition box. Gritting her teeth, she hastened her advance and hoisted Charlie into the car. "Step on it!" Patricia urged. Then, the engine roared to life, the rear wheels of the car kicking up bits of mud as they sped off into the distance. Chapter 2896 Chapter 2896 Soon, a group of bloodied and battered operatives descended from the ridge, carrying with them a bunch of men whose hands and feet were bound with iron leashes. Thetter were none other than Damien and his contacts. "Cap, will they be fine?" someone asked in concern. "They will be," another replied firmly, though his words sounded as if they were said in an effort to reassure oneself. It was an ident, one that they could never have anticipated. They, too, were praying that an ill-fate did not await them. Nicole and Jared soon received the news, causing the air in the office to be even gloomier and more suffocating. "You can rx a little now that we''ve captured them. You guys should leave and get on with your day," Nicole said to the others. "Okay, but you should check on them in the hospital." The others nodded, knowing that there was much to be done without them getting in the way. "I''ming with you," Lulu said, standing up. Nicole turned to Lulu and nodded. After leaving some reminders to the staff members, Nicole, Jared, and Lulu got into the car and made their way to the hospital. Upon arriving at the hospital, the group of four got out of the car, and that was when Max said, "Mr.Johnston, I''ll go check them out." Knowing that Max would be handling everything for Charlie, Jared nodded and brought Nicole into the hospital building with Lulu in tow. Max proceeded to visit several of the wards housing groups of bedridden men, and once he was done, he walked out of the building, his eyes gleaming with determination. Meanwhile, Jared and the others had just arrived at the doorstep of the operating theater. The hallway was unusually quiet and empty, save for Patricia who was standing there alone, motionless and wide eyed as if her soul had been drained. The second the group saw her, their chests began to tighten. There was just something heartbreaking about the way she looked. Hearing a series of footfalls, Patricia spun around, and the instant she saw Nicole, her eyes instantly welled up with tears. "Mr.Johnston.Ms.Riddle.It''s all my fault," Patricia choked with tears.Her heart was crumbling in remorse, for Charlie would not have sustained critical injuries if he had not attempted to save her. Looking at Patricia, whose clothes were soaked in dried blood, Nicole patted her back in an effort to comfort her. * Don''t worry.He''ll be fine." "He was terribly hurt.He lost a lot of blood, and he''s even unconscious now," Patricia sniffled. Combat-hardened men and women such as Patricia were not strangers to deaths and gruesome injuries, but this particr experience was the straw that broke the camel''s back. This one had reduced Patricia into a sobbing mess. "The doctors are trying their best to save him.He will be fine, " Nicole consoled, resorting toforting Patricia as she had no idea what the situation was. "Patricia, why don''t you get yourself treated first? By the time you''re done, the operation should be too.Charlie will be fine," Lulu advised. The sight of Patricia being covered in mottled patches of dried blood made Lulu very distressed and ufortable. Amid the stains and tears in her clothes were visible gashes and puncture wounds which were still fresh and raw, prompting Lulu to deduce that Patricia was injured as well. "No.No! I must wait for him," Patricia shook her head vigorously, not wanting to leave. Assuming a stern look, Nicole stood tall and ordered, "No.You''re to make your way to the nearest ward.Come back only once your wounds have been treated.Is that understood?" Patricia gritted her teeth and reluctantly nodded. "Yes, Ms.Riddle." "I''lle with you," Lulu said, apanying Patricia to the nearest ward so that she could tend to her wounds. Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org. After the two had rounded the corner and gotten out of the hallway, Nicole frowned and remarked, "Patricia seems to be extremely concerned for Charlie." Now, Nicole was as far from a cold-hearted person as everyone knew, but she could notprehend why someone like Patricia, who was no stranger to life-and- death situations, would not be so emotionally distressed over a fellow operative. Even though Charlie had indeed risked his life to save Patricia, Nicole could not shake the feeling that there was a special bond between the two. "They are siblings," Jared whispered upon noticing Nicole''s doubt. Nicole widened her eyes in shock, and she gasped, "They''re siblings!?" As it turned out, Patricia had reacted the way she did because she and Charlie were siblings. However, this only confused Nicole as Patricia had never disyed any signs of familial affection to him. "There''s only a handful of people who know this," Jared exined, holding Nicole''s hand. "Oh." Nicole nodded. After all, the brother-sister duo were always deployed on high-risk missions. If their rtionship was exposed, their enemies would just exploit their weakness, adding another variable to their perilous tasks. Chapter 2897 Chapter 2897 After gaining aplete grasp of the dynamic between the two operatives, Nicole raised her brows and asked, "So you''ve decided to let Patricia go because of Charlie?" Looking at Nicole, Jared said meaningfully, "Charlie was the one who relieved Patricia of her duties, but he didn''t do it because of Er." Nicole bit her lips and tilted her head. "So Charlie doesn''t approve of Er?" "That''s a possibility," Jared said, indifferent to the personal lives of others as always. Whatever the case was, Charlie was not the sort of person who would approve of anyone dating his sister. Looking at the door to the operating theater, Nicole mumbled, "I hope Charlie will get through this." If Charlie ended up crippled or worse, dead, it would be a double whammy for Patricia. Even after a long wait, during which Patricia was done treating her wounds, Charlie''s rescue was still ongoing. "Is he not out yet?" Lulu asked, after which she turned to look at Patricia, who was pale and disheveled. "Why don''t you get some rest in the ward first? I''ll inform you once there''s news of Charlie." "No, I''ll wait here," Patricia firmly refused. "But you just got your wounds treated.You need to get some rest too," Lulu said in concern. I ulu had seen Patricia''s injuries and found that they were much more serious than they looked. "Let her stay," Nicole said solemnly, knowing how Patricia must be feeling. Patricia instinctively turned to Nicole, having figured out that Nicole understood what she was going through. "Thank you," she whispered. Patricia figured that Nicole had agreed to her request because thetter had already discovered her rtionship with Charlie. Otherwise, Nicole would have ordered her to enter the ward to get some rest. "I''ll hold on to you." Lulu relented, agreeing that Patricia should stay if that was what she wanted. Another hour passed, after which the door to the operation theater swung open. At that point, Patricia staggered, unable to maintain her bnce any longer.As soon as the doctor emerged, they asked, "How''s the patient?" "The dagger had punctured the patient''s abdomen, causing a deep wound.Fortunately, his vital organs were not damaged.Though the patient passed out from excessive blood loss, he is not in a critical state.With some proper rest for a few weeks, he should be able to recover," the doctor exined, and strode off. Then, a nurse emerged wheeling Charlie out on a gurney.He was still unconscious and pale, but the fact that he had survived this ordeal was reassuring enough for everyone In the group. "Patricia, he''s fine.He''s going to be out cold for a while, but he''lle through.Why don''t you take a nap while I tend to him?" Lulu advised, noticing how weak and shaky Patricia was. "I''m fine, I''ll wait for him to wake up." Patricia shook her head in refusal. "Don''t be stubborn.He''ll be heartbroken to see you stay up all night when he wakes," Lulu said helplessly. Although Lulu did not understand the reason for Patricia¡¯s unusual behavior, she could tell that Patricia was genuinely worrled about Charlie. "I''m really alright," Patricia insisted. She was determined not to go anywhere until Charlie regained his consciousness.She would not be at peace until he did. "Emm." Lulu sighed and turned to Nicole. "Aren''t you going to say something?" Owned by N?velDrama.Org. Nicole looked at Patricia and said, "Listen.He wouldn''t want to see you like this.Besides, he really needs someone to take care of him." If Patricia wanted to take care of Charlie, she had to take care of herself first. Gritting her teeth, Patricia reluctantly agreed, "Alright, fine.I''ll get some sleep." "Don''t worry.I''ll stick around to take care of him.I''ll wake you up once he''s conscious," Lulu promised. Chapter 2898 Chapter 2898 "Thank you," Patricia nodded. She knew Nicole was now privy to their rtionship, while Lulu was not. In fact, Lulu had promised her that she would take care of Charlie because she wanted Patricia to rest easy. "Oh, don''t mention it. Now, go ahead and get some rest," Lulu urged. Once Patricia had walked off and disappeared into her ward, Lulu sighed. "She''s pretty damn stubborn, isn''t she?" "Lulu, are you sure you can stay back? We still have a few loose ends to tie up," Nicole asked. "Oh, yeah, sure." Lulu promised. "Go ahead. I''ll be here. You don''t need to worry about me." Nicole and Jared nodded and left the building, no in the least worried about Lulu being there with Charlie and Patricia. She was more than capable of taking care of herself anyway. After the couple had stepped out of the foyer, they noticed that Max had already arrived, so they got into the car right away. "Mr.and Mrs.Johnston?" Max called out. "Things turned out exactly like what Zane had discovered. They are after the Water Crest." The results were as Nicole had expected. "What about Damien?" she asked. "Damien doesn''t know much, and we''ve already handed him to the cops. About the homemade explosive, our enemies have shifted all the me to Damien as well. He''s likely in dire straits this time," Max informed, sounding as though he was delighting in Damien''s suffering. For all the evils Damien had perpetrated, he deserved every bit of what wasing to him. "What about the Eastern Falcon operatives who were captured?" Jared asked. "Zane got the documents.Those men would soon be extradited.We''ve gathered enough information on our side.Valo and Scorpio, who we''ve just captured, were deployed by the Eastern Falcon for reconnaissance purposes.Damien was their informant," Max reported. "Just get the information we need and leave the rest to Zane, " Nicole said. For a case of such scale, the Interpol would likely be out scouring for information. However, Nicole had no intention of getting involved with them, at least not anymore. All they needed to do was cooperate with Interpol as necessary. "Understood." Max nodded. All of a sudden, Jared asked, "What about the remnants of the Eastern Falcon''s chapter in San Joto?" "They''ve talked about it, but only briefly.Well, I don''t think they''ve told us the entire story," Max said solemnly. Nicole sighed and nodded in understanding. "That''s expected. Once their rne of ambition has been ignited, they will likely not let us know what they are capable of." "Now that Scorpio has been captured, I don''t know who else they''ll deploy," Max said, his voice tinged with concern. Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org. They would likely encounter more problems down the line if the Eastern Falcon decided to send one of their more capable, higher ranked operatives to deal with Nicole. As that realization dawned upon Nicole, her eyes widened. * Let Scorpio escape." "You mean..." Max trailed off, before he came to understand what Nicole was up to. By letting Scorpio escape, they could continue to watch his every move. This would be more ideal keeping him detained, causing the Eastern Falcon to deploy one of their more formidable agents after them. "Yes," Nicole nodded, knowing Max had understood her intentions. "Contact Zane.Ask him to assign someone trustworthy to tail Scorpio," Jared ordered. "I got it," Max replied. Jared''s intention was to have Zane nt a spy in the Eastern Falcon to infiltrate their ranks, which would make it easier for them to gather intel on what their enemies were up to. As far Valo, Zane would extradite him, so there was no need for Nicole or Jared to worry about him. "Their target is none other than Water Crest, after all" Nicole said, her voice heavy and cold. With Damien''s capture ensured, Everett would not be able to do anything now, even if he had intentions of furthering his n. Moreover, the more heated the situation became, the less likely it would be for him to reveal himself. As Nicole''s eyes narrowed in contemtion, a sudden, fleeting thought urred to her. Then, she looked at Max and ordered, "Get someone to keep an eye on I awrence." Chapter 2899 Chapter 2899 Max paused for a moment before hazarding a guess. "By that, you mean they might continue contacting Lawrence?" "Even if they are not doing so, we must still keep an eye on Lawrence," Nicole said, though her attention was more focused on the Water Crest itself rather than Lawrence. "Yes, I will." Max nodded in acknowledgment. Time passed, and in a blink of an eye, dusk arrived. The good news of the day had finally arrived too: Charlie had finally regained his consciousness in the hospital. Lulu proceeded to call Patricia, who rushed over and knelt before Charlie, her eyes wet with tears. "You shouldn''t have saved me! What should I do if something happens to you?" "Oh you silly girl," Charlie forced a smile, not regretting what he had done, for he was ready to give his life to ensure her safety. "Erm, I-I''ll go buy you guys dinner," Lulu informed and left the room in a hurry, as she could not stomach the awkwardness there. Once outside, Lulu began to frown in confusion. She could not shake the thought that the both of them shared a rather unusual dynamic in their rtionship. The two of them seemed visibly concerned about each other, yet there was nothing to indicate that they were in a romantic rtionship of any sort. However, having the courage to sacrifice oneself for another person was not something any ordinary friend could do. "Could Er have fallen in love with the wrong person?" Lulu muttered, thinking that Charlie and Patricia could very well be a pair of lovers. "What are you thinking about?" N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content. Nicole''s voice red out, causing Lulu to jump in bewilderment. "Why are you here?" she asked Nicole. "I''m here to pick you up," Nicole said, gently grabbing Lulu by the arm. In response, Lulu nced over at the direction of Charlie''s ward and said, "I''ll get them dinner first before I leave." "I''ll walk with you," Nicole said, following Lulu out to buy Charlie and Patricia some dinner. Back in the ward, Charlie was frowning as he spotted the bandage Patricia had wrapped around her arm. "You''re injured too.Why aren''t you getting some much needed rest?" "I did.tulu called me up once you were awake," Patricia exined. After issuing a long sigh, Charlie said, "I don''t need you here.Off you go.Get some proper rest, please." "I''m fine." Patricia shook her head in refusal, feeling that her injuries were nothingpared to Charlie''s. Unable to persuade Patricia to leave him there, Charlie insisted, "Okay.But you must return to your ward once you''re done eating dinner." "Yeah, yeah," Patricia replied, brushing him off. Charlie rolled his eyes, and in a bid to ensure he had gotten his point across, he warned, "Well, you better leaveter." While Patricia seemed to have agreed to his request, she seemed to have done so half-heartedly. And with Patricia remaining silent, Charlie knew what his gut feelings had told him was right: Patricia had no intention of leaving. "Don''t worry about me.This is nothing," Charlie said, knowing he was going to get better in a few days. Patricia bit her lips, her concern for him in full disy. Just as the both of them were stuck in a lockstep, with neither of them being able to have their way, Lulu and Nicole came in with two boxes of takeout."We''ve arranged a caretaker to look after you.After dinner, you should get more rest.Try to get well soon.I don''t think you like the idea of being stuck here in the hospital." Nicole advised as she ced the two meals on the table near the foot of the bed. "Thank you," Patricia and Charlie said in unison. "That''s especially true for you, Patricia.Don''t stay here.You must get some proper rest too." "I will.Don''t worry." Patricia smiled, grateful for Lulu''s help. After the two were gone, Patricia unpacked their dinner and brought the cutlery out of the bag. "Don''t move.I''ll feed you." Charlie could only look at her and nod. "Alright." He knew it would be difficult for him to eat on his own. Any movements on his part would cause his wound to throb in searing pain. Not wanting to strain his already damaged abdominal muscles in fear that it would affect his recovery, Charlie allowed Patricia to feed him. Patricia then fed Charlie his dinner, taking care to give him small spoonful so that he would not choke. It was only after Charlie was done with his meal that Patricia began eating hers. As the two were talking and eating, they did not notice the person standing in front of the ward, peering in through the ss window. Chapter 2900 Chapter 2900 It was Er, who had witnessed everything that had happened in the ward. With his heart crumbling in his chest, he asked himself. ¡®Why is Patricia so hard up about taking care of Charlie? Are they just colleagues? Or¡­?¡¯ A maelstrom of emotions began engulfing Er¡¯s heart, but he could not bear to leave. He had gotten wind of Patricia¡¯s injuries, which she had sustained while she was out on her mission, and that was he hade over. With that, Er continued to stay there, waiting for her until she got up to leave the ward Charlie was in. The moment she stepped out of the ward, her eyes widened in shock. ¡°Why are you here?¡± ¡°I heard you got injured, so I¡¯m here to pay you a visit,¡± Er said, trying to maintain hisposure. He did not want to talk to her about what he had just witnessed, no matter how strong and intrusive his impulses were. In fact, he was trying to hold it all in as his heart was withering from within. Biting her lips, Patricia barked, ¡°I¡¯m fine. You should go home.¡± Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org. ¡°Don¡¯t say you¡¯re fine, especially when you look like this. Go back to your ward and get some rest,¡± Er insisted, his attitude unusually firm this time around. After he had spoken, he grabbed Patricia by the arm and brought her to her ward. Although Er was holding Patricia with a firm grasp, he still took care to be gentle, not using as much force as he should, as he was afraid of hurting her again. And so, they sauntered on, with Patricia resisting him every now and again. Despite his gentleness, Er was able to maintain his grasp over Patricia, preventing her from breaking free. She was, in fact, the most helpless she had ever been as he brought her back to where she should spend the night. Charlie frowned as soon as he heard themotion from outside the ward, but before long, a sense of relief washed over him. He was not opposed to the idea of Er being here to check on Patricia; under Er¡¯s supervision, Patricia would be able to get the rest she needed. All of a sudden, Charlie heard a series of raps on the door. As soon as the nurse stepped in, Charlie instructed, ¡°You can just keep the things here and leave. I need some rest. You don¡¯t have to worry about me. If anything happens, I¡¯ll call for you.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± The nurse nodded and left after tidying up the ward for him. Feeling exhausted, Charlieid his head on the pillow and fell asleep thereafter. Meanwhile, Patricia was left with no choice but to rest under Er¡¯smand. ¡°You may leave now,¡± Patricia said, rolling her eyes at Er. She was annoyed that Er had the temerity to threaten her. In a calm voice and with a nk stare, Er replied, ¡°Who said I was leaving?¡± ¡°Why aren¡¯t you?¡± Patricia asked, wondering if Er was going to stay here with her. ¡°You need someone to take care of you. How can I possibly leave?¡± Er shot back, standing his ground. His insistence led her to roll her eyes again as she argued. ¡°I don¡¯t need anyone to take care of me. I¡¯m fine on my own.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be a hero. You¡¯re hurt too, you need rest,¡± Er finished, his tone solemn and stern. Er was unwilling to believe that Patricia would be able to take care of herself in the state she was in. What bothered him even more was that she had even gone out of her way to take care of others while her body was riddled with injuries. Thinking back at how caring Patricia was to Charlie, Er¡¯s jealousy began to engulf him. ¡®She herself needs someone to take care of her. Why the hell was she taking care of Charlie?! Is Charlie really so important to her?!¡¯ The more Er thought about it, the more bitter he became. Still, he had to keep it together. He had to maintain hisposure. Patricia still needed to be taken care of, and now was not the time to dwell on these things. ¡°What are you mumbling about?¡± Patricia asked with a frown. It was only then that Er realized he had identally wondered aloud. Fortunately, his mumble had been rather muffled. Otherwise, she would have heard everything, making her furious. ¡°Nothing, I was just saying that you don¡¯t know how to take care of yourself,¡± Er quickly replied, trying to brush it off. He could not let Patricia know what he was thinking. Otherwise, the consequences would be unimaginable. Chapter 2901 Chapter 2901 Patricia frowned, having a hunch that Er was not being truthful about what he had really said moments ago. However, she did not push it as she did not want to talk about it. ¡°Go home now, will you!? I¡¯m going to sleep. The doctor told me I needed my rest,¡± she said in a bid to shoo him away. ¡°Oh yes. You shall rest. I¡¯ll just be here to apany you. If anything happens, I¡¯ll take care of you,¡± Er said. He then sat down, hinting at Patricia to go to sleep while he watched her. Patricia¡¯s lips began to twitch in irritation. There was no way she could fall asleep with him here watching her like a prison warden. Patricia figured that Er must have stuck around on purpose, as she really did not need anyone to look after her while she was sleeping. Meanwhile, Er continued sitting by the bedside, frowning as he noticed that Patricia was still awake. ¡°You said you needed rest, but why aren¡¯t you sleeping?¡± Those words made Patricia fume. ¡®Don¡¯t y dumb, Captain Obvious. Gosh, the balls on him to ask me why I¡¯m awake.¡¯ Patricia then red at Er and sneered. ¡°I¡¯ll fall asleep once you¡¯re out of here.¡± ¡°I said I¡¯m going to stay here with you. Don¡¯t worry. You can sleep in peace,¡± Er insisted with no intention of leaving. Gritting her teeth in annoyance, Patricia closed her eyes. She did not want to look at Er, as the very sight of his face would only make her mad the more she looked at it. Thinking Patricia had finally drifted off, Er smiled and tucked her in. Patricia was still moody, and not wanting to dignify his actions with a reaction of any sort, she maintained her silence, pretending as if she had fallen asleep. By then, she was already feeling worn out. Being injured and in constant worry for Charlie had taken a toll on her, so she soon fell asleep. Listening to her gentle breathing, Er sighed and continued to sit watch over her sleeping figure. ¡°I don¡¯t even know what you were thinking about. You¡¯re injured, yet you still insisted on taking care of another patient? Is he really that important to you?¡± Er murmured with bitterness. Although Er felt hurt, he was still determined to stick around, as he felt that Patricia needed him. He could not leave her here alone, not until he was certain she was fine. Upon thinking about the possible rtionship between Patricia and Charlie, Er lowered his head as a surge of disappointment washed over him again. He began to wonder if this was why she had been turning him down and rejecting all of his efforts at courting her. He even began wondering if he had entered her life a little toote. If he had ess to a time machine which would allow him to start over, he would use it, hoping he would be able to meet her earlier. He had never expected his tragic love story to begin with love at first sight. Unfortunately, it had been nothing short of one-sided, with his love being the unrequited one. As things were, Patricia¡¯s heart already belonged to someone else. Feeling sad and heartbroken, Er continued to watch over Patricia with tears streaming down his face in tiny rivulets. He simply could not bear the pain of letting Patricia go. The next day, the sun rose bright and high over the mountains in the distance. After breakfast, Jared and Nicole went to the hospital. Patricia¡¯s condition was rtively stable. Although her wounds were still fresh, none of her injuries were severe. Therefore, herplexion had improved significantly over the night. After inquiring about her health, Nicole turned to Er with brows raised in suspicion. ¡°Why are you here so early in the morning?¡± ¡°I camest night and haven¡¯t left ever since,¡± Er revealed. Nicole furrowed her brows, taken aback that Er had gone out of his way toe overst night and apany Patricia until now. All content is ? N0velDrama.Org. ¡°Ms. Riddle. I¡¯m afraid I will be out ofmission for the next few days,¡± Patricia said, changing the subject as she did not want Nicole to misunderstand what was going on between her and Er. Looking at Patricia, Nicole smiled and replied, ¡°You should take a well-deserved break. Lulu and I can handle thepany.¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± Patricia said. Deep down, Nicole knew that the reason she had decided to take a leave for a few days was to look after Charlie, not to give herself a break. Charlie¡¯s injuries were truly severe, and he would require at least a week to recover. As such, Patricia could only feel at ease while apanying him. After shooting Patricia a nce, Er came to understand what she was implying. Awash in bitterness once more, he lowered his head. Sensing the palpable awkwardness in the room, Nicole suggested, ¡°We¡¯ll check on Charlie.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Patricia nodded, about to go over to his ward too. The group of four then headed to Charlie¡¯s room, where they saw the man himself. Hisplexion was no longer pale, but he was visibly weak and wobbly still. ¡°Mr. and Mrs. Johnston,¡± Charlie greeted, wanting to stand up as Jared and Nicole sauntered into his ward. Chapter 2902 Chapter 2902 ¡°Stay down and don¡¯t move around,¡± Nicole sternly said, stopping Charlie before he could get up.. Dismayed by the fact that Charlie was trying to move around, Patricia reprimanded, ¡°Don¡¯t simply move around. Have you forgotten the stab wound in your abdomen?¡± Nicole and Jared could not me him, however. If he had torn the stitch in his wound and ruptured the incision, it would just cause them to break out in a panic over his condition. ¡°I¡¯m fine, it¡¯s just¡­¡± Charlie paused and hesitated after noticing Er was there too. ¡°You¡¯re going to ask us about Damien and Scorpio, aren¡¯t you?¡± Nicole said, having called Charlie¡¯s intentions right from the start. Knowing that he need not conceal the details of this subject from Er anymore, he raised his head and replied, ¡°Yes. Has everything been settled?¡± ¡°Max has settled it. Just take care of yourself now. Don¡¯t worry about anything,¡± Nicole said. At present, Charlie¡¯s recovery was priority number one. ¡°Understood,¡± Charlie nodded, before sighing in relief. Even though they had gotten into a few idents while they were out on their mission, the ultimate results of the operation were not undesirable at all. ¡°Just stop worrying about this, alright? Someone will take care of it,¡± Patriciained, rolling her eyes at him. Charlie smirked, knowing that there was nothing left for him to deal with. ¡°Right. If there¡¯s nothing else, you should return to your ward and get some rest,¡± Er advised Patricia, feeling a stabbing pain in his heart as he eyed her from a few feet away. Owned by N?velDrama.Org. In turn, Patricia shook her head. ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about me. Don¡¯t you have to go to work?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be staying here for a few days. I¡¯ll leave once you have recovered,¡± Er said, not forgetting to shoot Charlie a bitter nce. Er knew that he would eventually have to leave. However, his concern for Patricia took precedence, and he would do everything in his power to ensure she was fine before he left. Sensing the unusualness in Er¡¯s behavior and tone of voice, Charlie began to wonder if he and Patricia had gotten into a rowst night. However, he could not help but appreciate Er¡¯s thoughtfulness; even after a quarrel, Er had chosen to stick around, not leaving her unattended for even a minute. ¡°Please get some rest. I can handle myself, and there are nurses here if I need them,¡± Charlie advised Patricia in concern. For once, he had decided to side with Er. ¡°But¡­¡± Patricia was about to insist, but Charlie stopped her there and then. ¡°No.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Er pulled Patricia away. ¡°You being here will only get in the way of his recovery.¡± Patricia went on to shoot Er a resentful look. ¡®No, it¡¯s you who are getting in the way. Oh, how I wish I could throw you out today.¡¯ ¡°Yeah, get some rest,¡± Nicole piled in. Helpless with nobody on her side, Patricia could only leave the ward with Er, albeit begrudgingly. After the two were gone, Nicole turned to Charlie. ¡°You and Patricia will be on break. Someone else will cover you while you¡¯re here.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Charlie nodded in agreement, understanding that this was most likely an order from Jared. Jared then nced over at him and said, ¡°You maye back once you¡¯re discharged.¡± Nodding vigorously, Charlie replied, ¡°I will recover as soon as possible.¡± After staying for a few minutes, Nicole and Jared finally left the hospital. Once they were in the car, Nicole plonked herself onto the seat and sighed. ¡°Judging from Charlie¡¯s condition, his injuries do seem rather severe.¡± It was almost as if he was hanging onto his life by a thread. Even though the dagger had not pierced any of his vital organs, he would still have sumbed to his injuries had they been a few minuteste in bringing him into the hospital. Jared¡¯s eyes darkened as he looked at Max. ¡°Get someone to keep an eye on the hospital.¡± ¡°Are you worried that Scorpio would try to hunt Charlie down?¡± Max guessed, his expression solemn and intense. Scorpio had been released ording to n about an hour ago. Zane had arranged for someone to ¡°rescue¡± Scorpio, gaining his trust and sessfully infiltrating his circle. Chapter 2903 Chapter 2903 The lingering variable was that Scorpio might not ce hisplete trust in their operative, so now was not a good time for them to liaise with their men. Currently, all they had was a bead on Scorpio''s movements and current whereabouts. There were many preparations that were yet to be made in advance. Nicole nodded in agreement to their analysis. "Scorpio knows Charlie is in the hospital.There''s a huge possibility that he''ll send someone over to finish the job.We should keep our wits about us." "I will arrange it.Don''t worry"'' Max said. They had to do this not just for Charlie''s safety, but for Patricia''s as well. "Okay," Nicole replied in acknowledgment before turning to Jared. "Zane has already taken care of Valo, and Scorpio has just escaped.There should be no further activity for the next few days." Jared then turned to Max and ordered, "Get someone to track him." "Yes," Max responded. Raising an eyebrow, Nicole smiled. "That''s not a bad idea." At this point, Scorpio should be freaking out in paranoia. All they had to do now was monitor his next move. Regardless of whether he went into hiding or made a desperate move, the oue would prove favorable for Nicole and Jared anyway. Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org. After a few minutes, the car slowly came to a halt. Nicole nced outside, and that was when she noticed that they had arrived at Riddle Corporation. And so, she got out of her car. "Nicole," a familiar female voice called out, and Nicole knew right away that it was Lulu. "I''m going up." Nicole smiled, waved goodbye to Jared, and made a beeline for Lulu. Jared returned her wave, his gaze softening as he watched her. Then, he turned his attention back to Max and ordered, "Let''s go." "Yes." Max nodded, brought the engine to life, and drove them away. Meanwhile, the duo of Nicole and Lulu were on their way to their offices, chatting as they walked side- by-side with one another. "Were you visiting Charlie and Patricia?" Lulu asked. "Yes, they are both fine.Patricia''s condition has improved tremendously too," Nicole answered. Charlie, on the other hand, still needed more time to recover. "Did you see Er there?" Lulu added. Upon hearing this, Nicole understood right off the bat that Lulu must have seen Er when she left the hospitalst night. "Yes, he was at the hospitalst night, and he isn''t returning to BayCorp today," Nicole replied. By the looks of it, Er would stick around in the hospital until Patricia was fit for discharge. "He''s really worried about Patricia, isn''t he? It''s a pity that Patricia is still indifferent to him," Lulu sighed. Then, she changed the subject, "What about BayCorp? Do you think we''ll have to send someone over to take care of their daily operations?" Lulu was afraid that BayCorp would be affected, as Er would not be there to manage it for the next few days. "Not for now." Nicole shook her head, having faith that Er knew his limits. Although he was undoubtedly concerned about Patricia, he was not the type who would throw his responsibilities to the wind and neglect thepany. "Alright then," Lulu nodded. Since Nicole trusted Er, there should not be a problem. As they talked, the two of them took the elevator to the executive floor. "If there''s nothing else, I think I''ll just get going," Lulu said, waving to Nicole. ¡°Sure." Nicole nodded and entered her office. After she had caught a glimpse of the stack of files on her desk, Nicole sat down and began working. Though everything seemed to have returned to normal for Nicole and her family, the same could not be said for the restless souls on the other end. Chapter 2904 Chapter 2904 On an unknown ind somewhere abroad, and within a mansion by the beach, Everett''s face turned ashen and pale upon receiving the news about everything that had happened in San Joto. "How did he get himself busted? Aren''t you all supposed to bepetent enough to do your jobs? Why the hell did you fail?" Everett bellowed, his fury reaching its peak. "Slow down there. I haven''t gotten to the part where you were to me. His greed was what got us all into this predicament in the first ce, and you know what''s the cherry on top? He got Valo busted. Fortunately, Scorpio managed to escape. Otherwise, all of my men would have perished in San Joto," a man in a ck half- mask retorted. ¡°He just wanted to eliminate Nicole, which would have benefited you too. Now you''re trying to pin all the me on him? It''s not like you weren''t going to do the same!" Everett shot back, his teeth gritted in indignance. To Everett, those men had clearly failed to use their brains while they were on the mission. He was furious as they had resorted to ming his father now that everything had gone sideways on ount of their own mistakes. "If I''ve really decided to pin the me on him, do you think you would still be here spouting baseless usations at us?" the man in the mask asked, his voice a cold, terrifying bass. "You were the ones coveting the Water Crest." Everett snorted, mocking the masked man. Deep down, however, his arrogance and false bravado was beginning to shrink. The masked man then turned to re at Everett, his eyes reeking of displeasure. "That''s it. What''s done is done. Let''s think about how we should proceed." "You must rescue him. He''s been in San Joto for such a long time gathering information about the Water Crest for you. If he gets thrown in the mmer, my department''s efforts would all go to waste!" Everett barked. ¡°Why didn''t you say that earlier?" The masked manined. If he had known this earlier, he would not have allowed Scorpio to proceed with the n that had gotten them busted. ¡®We are still free to eliminate Nicole at any time, but there has been zero progress in regard to the Water Crest. Perhaps Damien possesses some truly important clues about Water Crest,'' the masked man thought. All content is ? N0velDrama.Org. A sardonic smile appeared on Everett''s lips. "Why should I? Should I tell you that so that you could work with Lawrence and leave me in the dirt?" ¡®Don''t you dare think I''m clueless about your sneaky little n. We''re allies on the surface, but you can''t say you aren''t looking for other options. That was why you contacted Lawrence. Well, that hasn''t escaped my notice,'' Everett thought. The masked man maintained his silence, exuding a frosty presence which made the air around him all the more oppressive and Suffocating. Unable to stomach the man''s frightening presence any longer, Everett gritted his teeth and softened his tone. "Okay. If you don''t trust me, we can part ways peacefully." The person standing before him was indeed not one he should ever trifle with. Everett had been right to be on guard against him from the very beginning. ¡°There''s no need to rush this. After all, you have nowhere else to go now," the masked man replied, his tone calm andposed, making it hard to discern his true emotions. Hearing that, Everett became even more cautious. "You should start by finding ways to contact my father. Extract all the information he has. After all..." Pausing for a minute, Everett continued, "If Lawrence really is capable of getting the crest on his own, there would have been news of it by now." Everett had initially cooperated with Lawrence, but as the results were somewhat disappointing, he had decided to switch sides and work with the masked man instead. Moreover, Everett had never intended to give up any prospects of obtaining the Water Crest. While he had intentionally leaked information about the Water Crest, he was actually looking to snag it once all parties were weakened. Lawrence and the masked man were individuals he had to constantly watch his back around. Everett would be shredded to pieces if he only cooperated with either of them. But now that both parties were involved, Everett would have the chance to dive in once they had done all the dirty work and snatch the crest for himself. The man in the ck mask then gave Everett another frosty re. " Put your little schemes to rest if you will." Everett shrugged, seemingly indifferent to the man''s threats. Such warnings were almost meaningless to him at this rate. After all, there would be no need for more warnings if the man could truly afford to dispose of him. "Hmm," The masked man turned around and left. Everett breathed a sigh of relief once the man was gone. He knew he had to be on high alert very time he encountered this man. Lawrence was dead -inspiring, but the man he had just spoken to was even more frightening. The only saving grace was that Everett knew their threats would remain empty as long as he had something of value to offer them in return. In fact, their might was what made them ideal allies in the first ce. After the masked man had left, Everett turned to his henchmen and ordered, "Keep an eye on him." Chapter 2905 Chapter 2905 "Understood," hisckey replied. "One more thing.Contact Scorpio and tell him to do as he had promised." If Damien truly possessed crucial information pertaining to the Water Crest, it must not fall into the hands of anyone else. Everett was the only person who could have it. Back at San Joto, the sun was in the midst of setting, bringing with it the golden hour. After Nicole was done with her tasks for the day, she stepped out of Riddle Corporation, ready to go home for dinner. Seeing that Jared''s car was already parked by the roadside, she smiled. Then, she made a beeline for the car and got into it. "Let''s go," Jared said after she had sat down. Once the engine had roared to life, Nicole turned to look at Jared and asked, "Where are we going?" While Nicole was busy working a few hours ago, Jared had already messaged her. In that text, he told her that he had informed the Riddles that the both of them would not be going home for dinner. This piqued her curiosity, making her wonder if Jared was nning to bring her somewhere special. Remaining ambiguous, Jared simply looked at her and smiled. "Dinner." "Just dinner?" Nicole asked in shock. ''Is it really just a simple dinner? Nothing else?" "Yes." Jared gave her hands a light squeeze. "Just dinner." "In that case, we can just eat at home. Why must wee out?" she asked. "I just feel like I want to have something different for a change," he calmly replied. Hearing this, Nicoleughed. "Why does it seem like you''re hiding something?" Although Jared had revealed nothing to her, Nicole had an inkling that Jared was keeping a surprise of some sort from her. Jared shed her a mischievous smile without answering her question. Instead, he firmed his grip on her hand, his eyes glinting with affection. Nicole went on to steal nces at him from her periphery. The more she looked at him, the more certain she was that Jared was keeping something from her. Just like that, the notion that he was bringing her out for a simple dinner did not seem so believable anymore. As the car came to a halt, Nicole looked out of the window, and that was when she noticed that they were not at just about any restaurant; they were at her favorite cafe opposite Royal Creek Institute. It was the very same cafe which Jared had kept and maintained up until this day. "Why are we here?" Nicole asked, her brows raised in confusion. She refused to believe that Jared had brought her all the way here just because he was craving for some good coffee. "Let''s head inside." Jared wrapped his hand around Nicole''s, whereupon the couple got out of the car together. It was only after they had entered the shop that Nicole noticed something was different about the ce. Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org. It was closed for that day, so the interior was empty, save for the servers who still worked there. ¡®So that is why the ce looks so odd from the outside" she thought. After feasting her eyes on the empty yet cozy interior of the cafe, Nicole turned to look at Jared and said, ''''So, can you cut to the chase and tell me what is going on now?" Jared had made it a point to be secretive about whatever it was he was up to, and he had even stated that they were going out for dinner. This had prompted Nicole to wonder what he was going to do next. After all, the cafe was not open for business today, and they were the only people there. The entire was obviously decorated for a specific reason. Without giving her a direct answer once again, Jared lifted his hand and caressed her on the forehead. "Sit here and give me a moment. After Jared had spoken, he removed his jacket, rolled his sleeves up, and made his way to the bar. Then, he personally brewed Nicole a cup of coffee and served it to her. "I''m cooking dinner tonight." Needless to say, Nicole was pleasantly surprised. "You''re making dinner on your own?" "Whenever you came here in the past, I was always here to serve you." Jared shed her a smile and entered the kitchen. Nicole trailed her fingers around the rim of the coffee cup, recalling the memories of her time at the coffeehouse back when she was still at school. Indeed, Jared was always here to make her fish and chips with a side of her favorite coffee. While she was reminiscing, a beaming smile crossed her face. A sudden thought then urred to Nicole, and that was when she realized that today was a special day. "That''s it!" Nicole''s grin grew even wider as a surge of warmth emanated from within. Today was the anniversary of their first time meeting each other, and Jared had actually remembered it. If Jared had neglected to n for this very special day, Nicole would not even have remembered it. After a while, the lights in the coffeehouse dimmed, leaving nothing but the flickering mes of the candle to illuminate the hall. Chapter 2906 Chapter 2906 Jared then walked out of the kitchen with a tray in hand, after which he ced all of Nicole''s favorite dishes in front of her. After staring at the food which Jared had prepared, Nicole looked up at him, gave him a beaming smile, and muttered, "Thank you." The food, which Jared had prepared, were all of Nicole''s favorite dishes from the past. Clearly, Jared had remembered every single detail about her, down to what her favorite dishes should look like and the way they were ted. "Let''s eat." Nicole smiled. While they were munching on a juicy cut ofmb wellington, Nicole began talking about her memories of the distant past. More than half a decade had passed since their honeymoon in Panama, and yet, all of it felt like yesterday. A great deal of things had changed too, but there were some that remained the same. Such was life. Upon seeing the wide grin on Nicole''s face, Jared was touched. Everything that he had done today was all for her. "I haven''t had any of your cooking in years, but the taste is still the same.It''s as lovely as ever." Nicolemented, enjoying the food. "Although I have not made any of these since you disappeared, I have never forgotten their recipe." Jared smiled. Nicole nodded. "Yeah, I can taste it." "I''m d that you like it." Jared smiled, pleased to hear that his cooking was still up to par. "Close your eyes." Nicole said, and shed him a cheeky smile. At that moment, Jared did not understand what was going on, but he did as he was told anyway. Then, he felt a gentle peck on his cheek. As he opened his eyes, he smirked, raised a brow, and lowered his head. "I''m sorry, I did not prepare anything for the asion. Take this as a token of my gratitude." Nicole shook her head before giving him a coquettish side eye. "If you really want to thank me..."Jared inched closer with a suggestive look on his face. "Well, I suppose..." she began, but was quickly silenced. Before she knew it, Jared had nted a kiss on her lips; a kiss so passionate and strong that it was hard for her to resist. For the next two minutes, they were locked in that smooch, and it would have gone on forever had a ng not sounded, causing the both of them to flinch. As it turned out, one of their forks had dropped onto the floor, bringing them back to their senses. Nicole''s cheeks were blushing as she pushed away. Then, she grabbed a new fork from a table nearby and passed it to Jared. "Let''s finish our dinner." Jared took the fork from her, his eyes brimming with affection. Then, he cut Nicole''s steak into bite sizes and ced them in front of her, before turning to his own piece. After the both of them were done with their little romantic dinner, they left the cafe and returned home. Now in the courtyard, they decided to take a stroll to the garden center under the silvery gleam of the moon, which was at its most brilliant tonight. After a few steps forward with their fingers interlocked, they turned to face each other, their hearts quivering with all the love they had for one another. The next morning, the sun rose, its raysncing through the slits in the blinds. After Jared and Nicole were done with their breakfast, they got into the car and headed to their respective offices. Max started the car engine and in a low voice, he reported, "Sir? Ma''am? Scorpio has made a move." "What did he do this time?" Jared asked, his voice deep and cold. "It seems like they''re trying to contact Damien." Max replied, his eyes stern and serious. Nicole frowned. "Damien? But why him?" Damien had already been locked up, so it made no sense why they would even attempt to contact him. He would be a liability, unless he possessed information of great importance to the Eastern Falcon. "Last night, Pisces sent us a message," Max added, "For him to risk his own safety and send us a message during such a sensitive period means that he has made a serious discovery." Nicole looked up and turned to look at Jared. "They were determined to save Damien the other day. Do you think there''s a connection between these two events?"N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content. It was clear to Nicole now that Damien was an important asset to their enemies, and that the situation was not as clear cut as they had previously imagined. Damien''s escape was just another one of Everett''s ideas. "Yeah, it''s possible." Jared''s eyes darkened. Then, in an icy tone of voice, he said, ''''Do whatever you must, but you need to find out what the exact situation is." "Understood," Max nodded in acknowledgment. Chapter 2907 Chapter 2907 Nicole sighed and in a tone hinting at exasperation, she remarked, ¡°I guess Damien has been putting on a show all these while. He''s actually trying to gain the upper hand." It appeared that Nicole and the rest of her allies had been manipted and misdirected. Everything Damien had been doing for the past few weeks had all been a smokescreen. Though it seemed that he was leaking information, he was in actuality gaining intel about her. Initially, Nicole had found his new habits to be rather strange, for he was not the kind of person capable ofing up with borate tricks. The reason as to why he had be so shrewd and cunning was still a mystery to her up until today, but one thing was certain now: his true motives had been revealed. When push came to shove, Damien was a force to be reckoned with. In an effort tofort her, Jared gently held Nicole''s hands and said, "The truth will be out soon." "Yeah." Nicole nodded. After all, Damien had been locked up, so there was no way for him to escape anymore. Once they had arrived at the headquarters of Riddle Corporation, the car came to a halt, and Nicole got down. "I''ll pick you up after work." Jared said with a gentle look on his face. Nicole then nodded and turned around to enter the building. Seeing that Nicole had disappeared into the entrance, Jared smiled and ordered Max to send him to Johnston Group. "By the way, how are things with Zane?" Jared asked Max. ¡°They''ve brought Valo to the base, but he hasn''t said a word." Max hesitated for amoment. "There''s no way he wasn''t informed of what his superiors are after. My guess is that the information he carries is ssified, so he has decided to remain tight-lipped." ¡°Let''s give it some time." Jared''s eyes darkened. He had faith that Zane would be able to make Valo spill. ¡°Alright.¡± Max replied. Leaning back against his seat, Jared narrowed his eyes, his pupils glinting with cold fury. The Water Crest had gotten Lawrence and Everett hooked. It had even pulled the Eastern Falcon out of hiding, causing them to risk having their identities exposed to the public andw enforcement. The allure of great power was indeed too overwhelming for them to resist. As of now, Everett had be a fugitive, the Eastern Falcon''s ranks in San Joto had been reduced to Scorpio alone, and then, there was Lawrence. Every single one of them had set their sights on the Water Crest, and all of them wanted to be its bearer, but ultimately, only one would be able to procure it. All content is ? N0velDrama.Org. "Max, get someone to track Everett down." Jared ordered, his voice stern and low. ¡°Understood," Max replied, his eyes ring with determination. Jared then sat back and closed his eyes, drifting further into his thoughts. Meanwhile, Nicole had just arrived at her office, and it did not take Lulu long to waltz in with a bunch of documents in hand. ¡°We''ve got a few rather important documents that''ll require your immediate attention. Please go through them." Lulu ced the documents on the table. ¡°Okay." Nicole replied and looked at Lulu. "Wait, why do you look ill today?" In response, Lulu furrowed her brows and patted her cheeks a couple of times. "Really?" "You look a little unwell, but if you''re feeling fine, you can stick around." Judging by the way she was acting, Lulu seemed fine. The paleness on her face must have been a result of overwork. "I''m fine, but you on the other hand..." Lulu tilted her head and observed Nicole. "Why do you look troubled?" Indeed, there was a look of anxiety on Nicole''s face, as if something major had just happened. Pursing her lips, Nicole replied, "It''s nothing. Perhaps I have just been dealing with a lot on my te." Nicole had no ns of telling anyone about the Eastern Falcon''s current search for Damien, not wanting them to worry about that which they could do nothing about. Hearing Nicole''s response, Lulu nodded and dropped the subject." If anything happens, you must inform us." ¡°Alright.¡± Nicole smiled. Lulu then gave her onest nce, turned around, and exited her office. For a full minute after that, there was silence, but just as Nicole was about to begin her work, she heard a series of raps on her door again. Chapter 2908 Chapter 2908 Then, the door swung open. Seeing that it was Steve, Nicole widened her eyes in shock and squealed. "Steve! What are you doing here? Aren''t you supposed to be busy today?" "I''m here too." Sean came in after Steve had stepped in. "Sean!" With the two of theming over together, Nicole arrived at the immediate realization of what they were there for. All content is ? N0velDrama.Org. They must have gotten wind of everything that had happened at home three days ago. The two men then sauntered over to the couch and sat down, after which Sean asked, "How''s the situation?" ¡°Thankfully, everything has been dealt with," Nicole candidly replied. Not content with the answer he had just received, he frowned, "Is that all you have to say?" "Please fill us in on the details. Don''t tell me you don''t consider us as family anymore just because we haven''t been visiting." Steve let out, feeling that he had to say those words to elicit a better response from Nicole. Hearing this, Nicole sighed, "No, it''s just now that everything has been dealt with, there''s no sense in telling you anymore. I don''t want you guys to worry." ¡°At the end of the day, we''re still your brothers. You were in danger, and yet you chose not to tell us about it." Steve frowned and rebuked, feeling that he was no longer needed. With eyes wide and jaw agape, Nicole was dumbfounded. "It''s precisely because it had been taken care of, that I don''t feel the need to tell you guys about it. If I couldn''t settle it on my own, I would have definitely asked the both of you for help." "It''s true that we can''t help you with certain things, but given the chance, we wish to share all the burden with you." Sean piled in, his eyes downcast. The brothers knew full well that Nicole was more knowledgeable than them. While they would not be able to assist her during certain, specific circumstances, they were not content with sitting at the sidelines and watching. If they could, they would like to lend her a helping hand. "Sean." Nicole sighed, giving her brothers a look of guilt. "Please don''t say that. I''ll tell you guys everything." Sean was always one who would have his way if he set his mind to it, but for him to tug on Nicole''s heartstrings was something he had hardly done before. Sean then raised his brows and said, "Alright, if you wish to tell us, go ahead." Nicole could not help but shake her head. After all, they were the ones who had forced her to spill, and yet, they had spun it in such a way that she had chosen to speak up on her own ord. But annoyed as she was, she understood Sean and Steve''s intentions, and it did not fail to touch her. After she had given them a brief rundown of the entire issue, Nicole added, "Right now, we suspect that Damien possesses some very crucial information. Because of this, the Eastern Falcon hasn''t given up on him yet. They''re still trying to contact him." "He has been locked up already. How are they hoping to contact him?" Steve asked, surprised that their enemies were still trying to rescue Damien. Nicole shook her head. "We''re not sure yet, but I bet they are looking for a more discreet way of doing so. After all, their enemies were crafty and cunning individuals with resources they were too moral to even imagine. They would never rush into the facility in which he was detained and rescue him. ¡°Everything is still in the early stages. The enforcement officials are gathering evidence as we speak. Damien will most likely hire awyer." Sean''s eyes darkened as he posited. Nicole raised her eyebrows. "Awyer!? That''s it!" That was the safest way for them to contact Damien. They could always get someone to pose as awyer and whenever the next visitation came around, they could order the aforementionedwyer to dredge whatever information they needed from Damien. ¡°But will Damien tell them?" Steve paused for a moment. "He''s not stupid enough to do that, is he?" If Damien told them everything, he would lose the veryst bit of leverage he had on them. Conversely, he could use what he knew as a bargaining chip if he kept his mouth shut. "We''ll have to see what he decides to do." Nicole snorted. Based on her understanding of Damien''s character, Nicole felt that there was a high possibility that he would not say anything. Instead, he would use this opportunity to make another deal with the Eastern Falcon so that he could break free once more. "I''ll assemble a legal team and get them to work on this." Sean got up and dered with determination. In agreement with Sean, Nicole looked at him and nodded. "That''s a good idea." Settling things through formal, orthodox procedures would make it easier for them to discover what Damien was actually trying to do, and with the involvement of the legal team, they would be able to track their enemies'' progress clearly. Furthermore, they could also approach Damien''swyer and ascertain his actual motives on the scene itself. "T''ll ask Max to assign a few men to apany the legal team. That way, it will be easier for us to identify any members of the Eastern Falcon." Nicole narrowed her eyes. Chapter 2909 Chapter 2909 Even if the legal tearm were capable of conducting an investigation of their own, the fact remained that thewyer would still be a sham. Owned by N?velDrama.Org. Thus, the information they could gather would be limited, and there would be no way for them to discover thewyer''s identity if they did not look hard enough. Naturally, this would affect their next step. "Understood." Sean nodded in understanding. He had to make it clear that anything outside of the legal team''s investigation must be left to Jared''s men, as this was all they could do at the moment. "If that''s the case, let''s start working on our part." Steve suggested once he was certain that everyone was on the same page. Steve had broken into cold sweat when he and Sean heard the news. Thus, he wanted to settle the matter as soon as possible. Otherwise, he would lose sleep over it. With the n in action, Sean looked at Nicole, gave her anod and left. ¡°we''re leaving now. Don''t you ever hide anything from us again. We nearly got a heart attack moments ago." Steve bade her goodbye and exited the room with Sean in tow. Once her brothers were gone, Nicole smiled, feeling warm and fuzzy within. Time flitted, and before they knew it, three days had passed. By then, Patricia''s recovery was almostplete, greenlighting her discharge. It was around eight in the morning when Nicole and Jared came over and went into Charlie''s ward. With everyone there, the ward seemed to be livelier than it had ever been. In addition, Charlie had gotten better after a few days of rest too. "Sir, Ma''am," Charlie greeted them and ced a foot on the ground, wanting to get up. ¡°Hey, take it slow." Patricia dashed up to him and propped him up. It was only after Charlie had steadied himself that she let him go. Jared then took a good look at Charlie and remarked, "You seem better now." ¡°Yes, I feel a lot better." Charlie replied. ¡°Take a seat. You don''t have to make yourself a stranger to us." Nicole advised. ¡°Thank you, ma''am." Charlie nodded, and sat down. After that, Nicole turned her attention to Patricia and asked, "Is your recoveryplete?" ¡°Yes. I''m getting discharged today," Patricia replied. ¡°That''s good." Nicole nodded. "However, I must say this. Even though you''ve recovered, you should still take some time off." Nicole knew that Patricia was still worried about Charlie, so she had decided to extend Patricia''s leave of absence. That way, she could stay in the hospital and take good care of him. ¡°Thank you, ma''am." Patricia lowered her head, knowing what Nicole had just done for her. ¡°Mr. and Mrs. Johnston? How''s the situation with Scorpioing along?" Charlie asked, concerned about the elephant in the room. ¡°Max is on the case now. We''ll talk about this after you''re out of the hospital." Jared replied calmly. Understanding that Jared wanted him to focus on his recovery, he nodded. "Okay." He was itching to return to the fray against the Eastern Falcon, but he also understood that everyone was concerned about his wellbeing. "Mr. and Mrs. Johnston? Even though I''ll be staying here to take care of Charlie, you may still assign tasks to me should the need arise." Patricia volunteered herself. She knew what Charlie was worried about, and so, she had opted to participate in the mission. Not only would she be able to aid Nicole and Jared by doing so; she could fill Charlie in on their progress while she was at it. "It''s fine if you need to be out there while you''re on your mission. I have a team of nurses and caretakers here,''"'' Charlie chimed in, as he waspletely fine with the idea of Patricia not being here. "Max will make the necessary arrangements. There''s no need to rush it." Nicole assured. Stubborn as had always been, Patricia looked at Charlie and argued, ¡°But I want to help out too." "It seems to me that you''re fine, so I''ll make a move now," Er announced, as he could not bear to stick around for another minute longer. ¡°alright." Patricia replied, seemingly relieved that he was gone. Er had been at the hospital for the past three days, taking care of Patricia. No matter what she said to him and no matter how hard she protested, he remained by her side, making her very ufortable with his presence. It was obvious that Er and Patricia would never be an item. Therefore, Patricia did not want to give him any false hopes. All she wanted was to prevent anyone from getting hurt because of her, and she would do her damndest to ensure that. Chapter 2910 Chapter 2910 Deep down, Er was stewing in bitterness and despondency. He gritted his teeth, looked at Charlie, and said, "You better treat her well. Or else, I swear I won''t let you go." After Er had spoken hisst, he spun around and stormed out of the room. He couldn''t figure out what Charlie had that he didn''t, and most of all, he couldn''t understand why Patricia wouldn''t give him a chance, even when she wasn''t dating anyone. But since Patricia had made up her mind, Er knew he couldn''t change it. All he could do was respect her decision and quietly watch over her from a distance. If Charlie ever treated Patricia badly, Er was ready to step in and help her. ¡°Hey, what did you just say ¡ª" Charlie began, but before he couldplete his sentence, Patricia had stopped him. "It''s fine," she said. Charlie looked at Patricia with his brows raised, and after a moment of contemtion, he widened his eyes in surprise and asked, "Are you for real?" Patricia avoided his gaze, after which she firmly replied, "This is how it''s supposed to be." Both she and Er were fated to be from two different worlds. As such, it would be better for them to maintain their distance and keep the spark from igniting a me they would likely reduce their hearts to ashes. ¡°Actually, I think you should leave too," Charlie told Patricia as he looked her in the eye. Charlie was the one who had reminded Patricia to keep a distance from Er from the very beginning. Although he felt that he would not bea match for her, it was not because of his status. In fact, the entire reason as to why he disapproved of them getting together was that he thought their personalities were notpatible. As weeks passed, however, Er''s persistence and dedication to Patricia had only proved Charlie wrong. Thus, Charlie would take a step back and allow them to have their way if his sister did indeed have feelings for Er. Owned by N?velDrama.Org. Patricia shook her head. "No. I won''t leave." The act of leaving the organization was not without itsplexities, for Charlie would still be there, connoting that his life would always be in danger. Just the mere thought of it was enough to make Patricia shiver. Therefore, she was determined to remain in the organization with her brother to the very end. "Patricia, please..." Charlie began, wanting to persuade Patricia, but before he could, she had already changed the subject. "Charlie, it''s better for you to focus on your recovery. I will take good care of you," she said. Knowing that Patricia did not want to continue the conversation, Charlie sighed and kept his peace. At the end of the day, one must learn to make difficult decisions on their own. In this case, it was possible that Patricia did not like Er at all. Still, Charlie trusted that Patricia would eventually meet someone who could make her give up on a life of fighting and live as any person should, in happiness and in peace. ¡°Patricia, you can stay. We''re leaving now." Nicole looked at Patricia and smiled, having figured that there was a whirlwind of emotions beneath her calm facade. "T''ll send them off," Patricia told Charlie, after which she followed Jared and Nicole out of the ward. ¡°Take a breather." Nicole patted Patricia on the shoulder. Then, she linked arms with Jared and sauntered out of the ward. Patricia stared at Nicole from the back and began thinking of what she had just said. All of a sudden, her eyes began welling up with tears. Nicole had seen through her, and she was not as calm as she appeared to be. ¡®Why?!¡¯ Patricia thought. "This will only end in despair, so I''m not even going to start anything!" Her life, up until about a month ago, was progressing just as how she had imagined it would, but all of the hurt and sorrow she was feeling now was iprehensible to her. After all, she had made the best decision she could, and it was important for her to live by it so that nobody else would have to get hurt anymore. ¡®That''s right. Everything happens for a reason. Perhaps, things will return to normal soon." Meanwhile, Er had not driven that far away from the hospital when he pulled over at the side of the road and spaced out, his eyes staring out to the mountains in the distance. ¡®I just don''t understand...why does my heart hurt so much?'' he agonized. ''If she can be happy with someone else, I should be happy for her. But why do I feel sad? She must be in love with Charlie if she could take care of him so wholeheartedly.¡¯ Er could tell that Charlie loved Patricia too, so much so that he was close to sacrificing himself to save Patricia. Thus, it would be safe to assume that they would be a perfect match if they were indeed together. All of a sudden, while Er was chest deep in his sea of painful thoughts, he heard a few knocks on his windshield. Chapter 2911 Chapter 2911 Er was caught off guard, quicklyposing himself as he rolled down his car window. Spotting Samuel, he couldn''t resist an eye roll and asked, ''Why does it have to be you?" Samuel, with a curious tone, responded, "Funny, I was about to ask you the same thing. What brings you here? Why parked your car here?" "Just gearing up for work," Er responded, attempting to sound casual. "I might as well join you then," Samuel dered, opening the car door and hopping in. Er shot him a look. "You''re surprisingly free today, aren''t you?" Samuel shrugged. "Sort of. Had an event, but it was a no-go. Now I''m here, ran into you by chance." With no real alternative, Er started the car, muttering, "Lucky me." ¡®Can''t a guy even wallow in self-pity in peace?'' he thought, a twinge of irritation surfacing. ''Is it too much to ask for a moment alone with my thoughts about a love that never started?! Samuel, picking up on the mood, tilted his head. "Something up? You seem a bit out of sorts." Er grumbled quietly, "It''s nothing," while secretly rolling his eyes. ¡®Might as well face the music. It''s not like my heartache''s going to vanish overnight.'' ¡°So, heard you were at the hospital a bit. Everything okay?" Samuel inquired, concern evident in his voice. Er''s expression tightened. ''Why does he have to mention thest thing I want to talk about?" he thought. "No, you''re mistaken. I''ve been at the office," Er answered tersely, clearly not interested in discussing it further. Samuel nced back toward the hospital''s direction. Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org. ¡°Ah, so you''ve been visiting someone there after work?" Samuel guessed, thinking Er might be seeing Patricia. He didn''t pry any further. ¡®No serious issues between them, it seems. All good then,'' Samuel concluded in his mind. Er nced at Samuel. "Don''t you have somewhere else to be, even with your ns canceled?" ¡®Out of everyone, why did I bump into Samuel? So frustrating,¡¯ Er brooded internally. ¡°Ah, don''t even mention it, I''ve been abandoned," Samuel grumbled about his house being renovated, his room taken over, and not having anywhere to go. June was at work, and Samuel, usually alone at his ce, now couldn''t even return to his own home. ¡°That does sound pretty rough," Er raised an eyebrow and suggested, "How about we go for a drink?" "Drinking?" Samuel sounded surprised. "Don''t you have to go to the office?" "Missing one day won''t hurt," Er reassured him. "So, are youing or not?" Samuel shrugged, "Sure, let''s go. But you know I don''t drink." "If you don''t drink, what''s the point of youing?" Er asked, somewhat annoyed. "I''m there to keep youpany. You look like you could use a drink. I''ll just have a soft drink or something," Samuel said, seeing it as a way to kill time. Er frowned, puzzled. "Why don''t you drink?" "Getting ready to be a dad," Samuel replied matter-of-factly. Er ground his teeth in frustration, regretting he even asked. It was him who ended up feeling worse. Soon, Er parked the car in front of aclub, and they both headed inside. Meanwhile, at the Riddle Corporation, Nicole had just arrived at the executive floor and stepped out of the elevator. "Nicole," someone called out, and she turned to look. "Sean, Steve," Nicole recognized them and walked over. "Let''s talk inside," Sean suggested, pushing open the door to his office. Once inside, Sean got straight to the point, "They''ve indeed arranged someone to pose as awyer to get in touch with Uncle Damien." "That''s good to know," Nicole replied, a hint of coldness in her smile. Chapter 2912 Chapter 2912 Er was caught off guard, quicklyposing himself as he rolled down his car window. Spotting Samuel, he couldn¡¯t resist an eye roll and asked, ¡°Why does it have to be you?¡± Samuel, with a curious tone, responded, ¡°Funny, I was about to ask you the same thing. What brings you here? Why parked your car here?¡± ¡°Just gearing up for work,¡± Er responded, attempting to sound casual. ¡°I might as well join you then,¡± Samuel dered, opening the car door and hopping in. Er shot him a look. ¡°You¡¯re surprisingly free today, aren¡¯t you?¡± Samuel shrugged. ¡°Sort of. Had an event, but it was a no-go. Now I¡¯m here, ran into you by chance.¡± With no real alternative, Er started the car, muttering,¡± Lucky me.¡± ¡®Can¡¯t a guy even wallow in self-pity in peace?¡¯ he thought, a twinge of irritation surfacing. ¡®Is it too much to ask for a moment alone with my thoughts about a love that never started?¡¯ Samuel, picking up on the mood, tilted his head. ¡°Something up? You seem a bit out of sorts.¡± Er grumbled quietly, ¡°It¡¯s nothing,¡± while secretly rolling his eyes. ¡®Might as well face the music. It¡¯s not like my heartache¡¯s going to vanish overnight.¡¯ ¡°So, heard you were at the hospital a bit. Everything okay?¡± Samuel inquired, concern evident in his voice. Er¡¯s expression tightened. ¡®Why does he have to mention thest thing I want to talk about?¡¯ he thought. ¡°No, you¡¯re mistaken. I¡¯ve been at the office,¡± Er answered tersely, clearly not interested in discussing it further. Samuel nced back toward the hospital¡¯s direction. ¡°Ah, so you¡¯ve been visiting someone there after work?¡± Samuel guessed, thinking Er might be seeing Patricia. He didn¡¯t pry any further.Books Chapters Are Daily Updated Join & Stay Updated For All Books Updates¡­ No serious issues between them, it seems. All good then,¡¯ Samuel concluded in his mind. Er nced at Samuel. ¡°Don¡¯t you have somewhere else to be, even with your ns canceled?¡± ¡®Out of everyone, why did I bump into Samuel? So frustrating, 1 Er brooded internally. ¡°Ah, don¡¯t even mention it, I¡¯ve been abandoned,¡± Samuel grumbled about his house being renovated, his room taken over, and not having anywhere to go. June was at work, and Samuel, usually alone at his ce, now couldn¡¯t even return to his own home. ¡°That does sound pretty rough,¡± Er raised an eyebrow and suggested, ¡°How about we go for a drink?¡± ¡°Drinking?¡± Samuel sounded surprised. ¡°Don¡¯t you have to go to the office?¡± ¡°Missing one day won¡¯t hurt,¡± Er reassured him. ¡°So, are youing or not?¡± Samuel shrugged, ¡°Sure, let¡¯s go. But you know I don¡¯t drink.¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t drink, what¡¯s the point of youing?¡± Er asked, somewhat annoyed. ¡°I¡¯m there to keep youpany. You look like you could use a drink. I¡¯ll just have a soft drink or something,¡± Samuel said, seeing it as a way to kill time. Er frowned, puzzled. ¡°Why don¡¯t you drink?¡± Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org. ¡°Getting ready to be a dad,¡± Samuel replied matter-of-factly. Er ground his teeth in frustration, regretting he even asked. It was him who ended up feeling worse. Soon, Er parked the car in front of a club, and they both headed inside. Meanwhile, at the Riddle Corporation, Nicole had just arrived at the executive floor and stepped out of the elevator. ¡°Nicole,¡± someone called out, and she turned to look. ¡°Sean, Steve,¡± Nicole recognized them and walked over. ¡°Let¡¯s talk inside,¡± Sean suggested, pushing open the door to his office. Once inside, Sean got straight to the point, ¡°They¡¯ve indeed arranged someone to pose as awyer to get in touch with Uncle Damien.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good to know,¡± Nicole replied, a hint of coldness in her smile. Chapter 2913 Chapter 2913 ¡°Okay,¡± Nicole agreed, hanging up the phone. Nicole had Lulu arranging for someone to pick up Samuel and Er. After Lulu did so, she returned to Nicole¡¯s office. ¡°What¡¯s going on with him?¡± Lulu asked, clearly puzzled. Nicole shrugged helplessly, ¡°Guess he was just feeling down. ¡± She briefly exined to Lulu what Samuel had told her. Lulu nodded in understanding. ¡°Ah, so he was just putting on a brave front. Warned Charlie to treat Patricia well, then turned around and ended up crying himself.¡± ¡°What else could it be?¡± Nicole sighed, seeing that Er genuinely liked Patricia. ¡°But I¡¯m curious,¡± Lulu said, frowning slightly. ¡°Patricia and Charlie don¡¯t really seem like a couple, do they? I mean, they care about each other, but it doesn¡¯t feel like a romantic thing.¡± Nicole raised an eyebrow slightly. Lulu was quite perceptive. Owned by N?velDrama.Org. She hesitated to discuss Patricia and Charlie¡¯s rtionship, considering their identities. Revealing too much could endanger their safety. ¡°Lulu, what if Er can¡¯t move on?¡± Lulu was already worried about him. Nicole frowned slightly. ¡°He¡¯ll get through it eventually.¡± Nicole thought, ¡®If Patricia really decides that way, then maybe Er never really had a chance.¡¯ She then said,¡± Someday, Er will have to grow up and face it.¡± ¡°Hopefully,¡± Lulu sighed, shaking her head. As they were talking, some noise from outside caught their attention. Lulu went to open the office door. The guys who were sent to pick them up walked in with Samuel, carrying apletely out-of-it Er between them. ¡°Put him on the couch,¡± Nicole instructed, frowning slightly, then turned to Lulu. ¡°Can you get him some water?¡±Books Chapters Are Daily Updated Join & Stay Updated For All Books Updates¡­ ¡°Sure,¡± Lulu replied and quickly headed out, followed by the assistant who had helped bring Er. Samuel shook his head in annoyance. ¡°He said he was fine, but look at him now. Should¡¯ve never gone out with him.¡± He regretted just saying hi to Er; now, seeing the mess, he wished he hadn¡¯t. ¡®If only I hadn¡¯t greeted him, he would¡¯ve just gone to work like normal,¡¯ Samuel thought. Nicole nced at Er and said with a concerned frown,¡± Who knows when he¡¯ll wake up.¡± ¡°Hard to say,¡± Samuel replied, looking at Er. ¡®He didn¡¯t just drink; he practically drowned himself in booze.¡¯ ¡°He¡¯s hurting inside. Maybe he¡¯ll feel better when he wakes up,¡± Nicole mused. ¡®Sometimes, you just need to let it all out.¡¯ ¡°Acting like he¡¯s fine, and then he spills everything once he¡¯s drunk,¡± Samuel muttered, remembering how pitiful Er had looked crying. He couldn¡¯t help but feel a bit disgusted. Nicole gave Samuel a disapproving look. ¡°You¡¯reughing at him instead offorting him?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s not like that,¡± Samuel defended himself. ¡°If I didn¡¯t care, I would¡¯ve left him at the club. I stayed because, well, heartbreak happens. He has to face it.¡± Nicole, somewhat exasperated, said, ¡°If you¡¯re done here, you can go. We¡¯ll take care of him.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve got nothing else to do. I might as well stay and help out, ¡± Samuel insisted. He knew he couldn¡¯t manage Er on his own, and neither could Nicole and Lulu. Just then, Lulu returned with the tea. ¡°Here¡¯s the water.¡± Samuel took the cup from her. ¡®Til handle this.¡± Nicole looked over and, seeing Samuel¡¯s insistence on staying, let him be. Chapter 2914 Chapter 2914 Sean and Steve also arrived at Nicole¡¯s office after hearing the news. ncing at Er, Sean suggested with a frown, ¡°Maybe we should just take him home.¡± ¡°That won¡¯t work, he refuses to go,¡± Samuel exined. ¡°I tried convincing him earlier, but he¡¯s adamant. He says he can¡¯t go home like this, it would worry his family.¡± ¡°Are you sure he¡¯s worried about his family, and not just embarrassed?¡± Steve asked skeptically. ¡°Even if that¡¯s true,¡± Samuel shrugged, ¡°sending him home in this state would definitely worry Uncle Dexter and Aunt Emma.¡± Nicole agreed, ¡°Sean, let¡¯s just keep him here. It¡¯s better not to worry them.¡± ¡°Alright, we¡¯ll leave him here. But is it okay for you?¡± Sean asked, still hesitant. ¡°It¡¯s fine. This way, I can keep an eye on him,¡± Nicole nodded. Seeing Er out-of-it, she felt more at ease monitoring him herself. ¡°I¡¯m here too, don¡¯t worry,¡± Samuel volunteered. Steve nced at Samuel with slight annoyance. ¡°This mess is your doing, after all.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t mean for this to happen. It¡¯s not like I could just leave him at the club,¡± Samuel said, feeling a bit wronged. At that moment, he couldn¡¯t think of anyone but Nicole who would be willing to take care of Er. ¡°What about after work?¡± Sean asked, doubtful. It didn¡¯t look like Er would wake up anytime soon. ¡°We¡¯ll just let him stay here. Even if he wakes up, he¡¯s familiar with the ce and can take care of himself,¡± Nicole decided after a moment of thought. Considering Er¡¯s condition, it seemed best not to move him. ¡°He can just sleep it off here,¡± Nicole concluded. ¡°Sounds good,¡± everyone agreed, and it was decided to let Er stay in Nicole¡¯s office.Books Chapters Are Daily Updated Join & Stay Updated For All Books Updates¡­ ¡°Don¡¯t worry, guys, you can go ahead with your work,¡± Nicole reassured Sean and Steve. After they left, she turned to Samuel, ¡°You can head back too. If anythinges up, I¡¯ll get someone to help.¡± ¡°I think I¡¯ll stay till the end of the day,¡± Samuel decided, still a bit concerned. ¡°Nicole, you probably won¡¯t get much work done this afternoon. How about I take care of the paperwork?¡± Lulu suggested. ¡°No need, it¡¯s not urgent,¡± Nicole replied, shaking her head. She figured she could handle it tomorrow. Owned by N?velDrama.Org. Hearing this, Lulu nodded, ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll leave you to it then,¡± and left to attend to her own work. Soon, only Nicole, Samuel, and a still-sleeping Er were left in the office. Samuel let out a sigh, resigning himself to the situation.¡¯ Might as well stick around,¡¯ he thought. As the end of the day approached, Er still hadn¡¯t woken up. Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. Nicole, thinking it was Lulu, called out, ¡°Come in.¡± But to her surprise, it was Patricia who entered. ¡°Ms. Riddle, I need to discuss something¡­¡± Patricia began, then paused abruptly as her eyes fell on Er, sleeping on the couch. ¡®Why is he here?¡¯ she wondered, her brow furrowing as the strong smell of alcohol reached her. Instantly, she realized what happened. ¡®He¡¯s drunk?!¡¯ Her expression turned to one of confusion. ¡®Why did he drink so much?¡¯ ¡°What is it?¡± Nicole asked, her voice calm but her eyes narrowing slightly in concern. Chapter 2915 Chapter 2915 Patricia quickly regained herposure and said, ¡°There¡¯s been movement from the Eastern Falcon at the hospital. Some of our guys got hurt, so I think we should discharge Charlie.¡± ¡°Recovering in the hospital is faster, but it¡¯s too dangerous now,¡± she added with concern. Nicole raised an eyebrow slightly and replied, ¡°That¡¯s up to you guys to decide.¡± Patricia bit her lip, then spoke seriously, ¡°I suggest we keep Charlie¡¯s discharge secret and then arrange for¡­¡± Understanding Patricia¡¯s intention, Nicole pondered for a moment before responding, ¡°That could work. Let¡¯s try it.¡± ¡°Can I manage the personnel for this? I¡¯ll take responsibility for the whole thing,¡± Patricia asked, eager to take the initiative, especially since Max was busy and Charlie, being injured, couldn¡¯t be involved in the mission. ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll leave it to you,¡± Nicole agreed, realizing it was probably the best course of action. Max was upied with more critical tasks, and Patricia, who proposed the n and knew the hospital well, seemed the right choice. ¡°I¡¯ll go arrange it then,¡± Patricia said decisively. Before leaving, Patricia nced at Er, her brows furrowed in concern, then quickly left with determined steps. Nicole¡¯s eyes flickered with a meaningful look. She had noticed Patricia¡¯s every move since she entered and could tell that Patricia wasn¡¯t entirely indifferent to Er. ¡°Hey,¡± Samuel, who had also picked up on something, leaned in and asked Nicole, ¡°Didn¡¯t you sense it?¡± He thought to himself, ¡®Guess Patricia isn¡¯t as indifferent to Er as she pretends.¡¯ Nicole nced at Samuel and advised, ¡°Just act like you don¡¯t know anything.¡± ¡°You and your secrets,¡± Samuel said, more curious now.¡± What¡¯s really going on?¡±Books Chapters Are Daily Updated Join & Stay Updated For All Books Updates¡­ Nicole stood up, concluding the conversation, ¡°It means don¡¯t meddle in other people¡¯s business. It¡¯s time to leave. Let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°If you want, you can stay and look after him,¡± Nicole said with a smile before leaving. Seeing this, Samuel nced at Er, shook his head, and followed Nicole out. ¡®It should be fine; he looks like he¡¯ll be out till tomorrow morning,¡¯ Samuel thought, not overly concerned. ¡°Nicole, you¡¯re leaving?¡± Lulu came out of the office just in time to catch up with her. ¡°Yes,¡± Nicole replied, slowing down her pace to wait for Lulu. They walked together toward the elevator. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you lock the door?¡± Lulu asked, a hint of worry in her voice. ¡°Er¡¯s still in there,¡± Nicole answered calmly. ¡°But what if he doesn¡¯t wake up? Is it really okay to leave your office unlocked?¡± Lulu asked, still concerned. ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Nicole reassured her as they stepped into the elevator. Samuel paused for a moment before entering the elevator, as if he thought of something, but then it seemed like it slipped his mind. Meanwhile, Er, the only one left behind, was still asleep, feeling the effects of the alcohol. As the night deepened, Er frowned, feeling extremely thirsty. He mumbled, ¡°Water.¡± After murmuring a few more times, a water cup was brought to his lips. He gulped down the water, still not quenched, and kept asking for more. After drinking three cups, he felt a bit better and closed his eyes to sleep again. Patricia, who had been watching over him, put down the water cup and sighed, ¡°Why did you have to drink himself into this state?¡± ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. Suddenly, Er called out, ¡°Patricia, don¡¯t go.¡± Then he started crying miserably, ¡°Patricia, I like you, I really do.¡± Chapter 2916 Chapter 2916 Patricia bit her lip, looking at Er¡¯s sad expression. She couldn¡¯t help but feel a tug at her heart. ¡°You should forget about me. It¡¯s impossible for us,¡± she said, her voice filled with a mix of struggle and restraint. Deep down, Patricia knew their rtionship couldn¡¯t be, constantly reminding herself to keep her distance. Yet, somehow, Er had managed to creep into her heart. She cared about him, wanted to know his feelings, worried, and thought about him often. But all these feelings could only lead to the painful truth that it was impossible. She couldn¡¯t afford to give him or herself any hope. ¡°Patricia, does he treat you well? Better than me, I bet,¡± Er murmured, his voice filled with a mix of hope and sadness. ¡°I¡­¡± Patricia started to say but was cut off. Thud! Er fell off the couch. ¡°Hey, be careful,¡± Patricia quickly helped him up, her voiceced with concern. Er, feeling a bit hurt from the fall, opened his eyes groggily. He saw a blurry figure that felt familiar. ¡°Patricia, is that you?¡± he asked tentatively, hoping it was her. ¡°Get up,¡± Patricia said, helping him back onto the couch without another word. Er, ovee with emotion, grabbed Patricia¡¯s hand. ¡°It¡¯s you, isn¡¯t it? I knew you wouldn¡¯t leave me.¡± Patricia remained silent, just helping Er lie back down. ¡°Go to sleep,¡± she instructed gently. ¡°Okay,¡± Er obediently closed his eyes.Books Chapters Are Daily Updated Join & Stay Updated For All Books Updates¡­ Soon, Er fell back into a drowsy sleep, easing Patricia¡¯s worried mind. It seemed like he wasn¡¯t really awake just now, just jolted awake by the fall, but still not sober enough to differentiate between dreams and reality. Seeing Er asleep again, Patricia decided not to leave and stayed to take care of him. As dawn broke, Patricia watched Er sleeping more peacefully and finally felt reassured enough to leave. ¡®Probably, with the alcohol wearing off, he will wake up feeling rough, but otherwise fine.¡¯ She took onest deep look at Er, gently closed the office door behind her, and left with determined steps. N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content. The office was quiet again, as if nothing had happened. When Nicole and Lulu arrived at the office, they were surprised to see Er still asleep. ¡°He¡¯s not going to be okay, is he?¡± Lulu expressed her concern. ¡°When will he wake up?¡± Nicole walked over to the sofa and looked at Er. Seeing his color was okay, she nudged him, ¡°Er, wake up.¡± ¡°Mm,¡± Er groaned, slowly opening his eyes. ¡°That¡¯s a relief,¡± Lulu sighed. ¡°We thought you were going to die in drunk state.¡± As soon as Er heard Nicole and Lulu¡¯s voices, his mind started to clear. Rubbing his temples, he sat up and looked around instinctively. ¡°What are you looking for?¡± Lulu asked, puzzled. ¡°Is it just you two?¡± Er mumbled, still somewhat hopeful as he scanned the room. ¡°This is Nicole¡¯s office, who else did you expect?¡± Lulu said, half-amused, half-concerned. ¡°You must have drunk a lot, huh? Are you still drunk?¡± ¡°Patricia? Where is she?¡± Er asked, confused. He had realized he was in Nicole¡¯s office, but he remembered Patricia was there. Chapter 2917 Chapter 2917 ¡°She¡¯s at the hospital,¡± Lulu said, waving her hand in front of Er¡¯s eyes. ¡°You¡¯re not still hungover, are you?¡± As Er looked at Lulu, the hope in his eyes faded. ¡®Right, why would Patricia be here? She¡¯s probably at the hospital, taking care of her boyfriend,¡¯ Er thought, feeling a sense of loss. Struggling to stand up, he suddenly felt dizzy and staggered. ¡°Take it easy,¡± Lulu said, catching him instinctively. ¡°Maybe you should rest a bit more.¡± ¡°I should head back,¡± Er insisted, steadying himself and shrugging off Lulu¡¯s hand. His steps were heavy as he forced himself to leave. ¡°Can he make it on his own?¡± Lulu asked, worried. N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content. Nicole¡¯s eyes narrowed slightly. ¡®Why was he so sure Patricia would be here? Did Patricia reallye last night?¡¯ Her gaze drifted to the coffee table, where a cup caught her attention. ¡®That¡¯s a cup from the break room. It¡¯s unlikely Er went there himself, and it¡¯s Patricia¡¯s cup,¡¯ Nicole thought, realizing that Patricia must have indeed been herest night, taking care of Er. Nicole shook her head, feeling a bit sorry for Patricia. ¡®Why must she put herself through this? It¡¯s clear she care about him, but pushing him away like this will only hurt herself more.¡¯ ¡°What¡¯s up, Nicole?¡± Lulu asked, noticing Nicole¡¯s distraction. ¡°It¡¯s nothing,¡¯ Nicole replied. ¡®Whatever happens between Patricia and Er, it¡¯s up to them. Whether they end up together or not, it has to be mutual.¡¯ Meanwhile, Er had already gotten into a taxi. He couldn¡¯t drive in his current state, and he wasn¡¯t in the mood anyway. Leaning back in the taxi seat, Er gave the driver BayCorp¡¯s address and then turned his gaze to the window.Books Chapters Are Daily Updated Join & Stay Updated For All Books Updates¡­ Why did it all feel so real in my mind, yet it was all fake?¡¯ he wondered, his heart aching as he realized that Patricia would never really be by his side. She already had someone she liked. The more he thought about it, the more it hurt. He felt utterly heartbroken, his future looking bleak and colorless. Back at the office, Lulu, seeing that things were under control, went back to her work. Nicole asked her secretary to tidy up the coffee table and then focused on her work, her brow furrowing slightly. She wondered how things were going at the hospital.¡¯ Scorpio actually made a move against Charlie. Thankfully, we¡¯ve got people protecting him, or the consequences would have been unthinkable,¡¯ she thought. Nicole clenched her teeth, a shadow crossing her eyes. Everything was now following Patricia¡¯s n; she just hoped for a quick result. At the hospital, Patricia was hiding in Charlie¡¯s room with her teammate, Glenn Edmond. ¡°Do you think they won¡¯te these next few days?¡± Glenn guessed. After their recent visit was discovered, it seemed likely they¡¯d observe for a couple of days before making another move. ¡°Maybe, but we can¡¯t let our guard down,¡± Patricia replied, her eyes serious. ¡°Right,¡± Glenn nodded, refocusing on his task of posing as Charlie. He couldn¡¯t afford any slip-ups. Meanwhile, Patricia¡¯s thoughts drifted to Er. ¡®How is he now? Has he woken up? Is he still at the company, or has he gone home?¡¯ Chapter 2918 Chapter 2918 Thinking about Er¡¯s drunken state, Patricia couldn¡¯t shake off a feeling of sadness. Yet, she knew there was nothing she could do but endure. ¡°Captain, there¡¯s some movement,¡± Glenn alerted her. Patricia, lost in thought, didn¡¯t respond at first. ¡°Captain?¡± Glenn raised his voice. ¡°What is it?¡± Patricia snapped back to reality. ¡°There¡¯s some activity outside,¡± he pointed out. Patricia stood up, her demeanor turning cooler. ¡°I¡¯ll check it out.¡± She opened the hospital room door and saw only a nurse passing by with a cart. Relieved, she closed the door and returned, muttering, ¡°False rm.¡± Sitting back down, Patricia bit her lip, annoyed at herself for getting distracted. She tried to force herself to stop thinking about Er, but the more she tried, the clearer his image became in her mind. ¡°I need a break,¡± Patricia said, feeling increasingly restless. She got up and left the room. Walking down the corridor, seeing other team members hidden around, helped Patricia regain her composure. ¡®We have a mission,¡¯ she reminded herself. ¡®We can¡¯t afford any mistakes. We have to catch whoever comes after us.¡¯ Meanwhile, Max arrived at Jared¡¯s office and knocked. After hearing a response from inside, Max entered and reported, ¡°Mr. Johnston, it¡¯s quiet at the hospital. Do you think they¡¯ll make a move tonight?¡± ¡°Let Patricia handle it. She knows what to do,¡± Jared replied confidently. ¡°Yes,¡± Max agreed, then added, ¡°As for thewyers, it¡¯s almost certain that Damien is negotiating with them. Otherwise, why would he disclose information to them?¡± ¡°Negotiating?¡± Jared¡¯s eyes narrowed slightly, pondering what Damien could possibly offer. It was just like Damien to try and strike a deal, but what could he offer now that he was caught? Max looked puzzled too. ¡°That¡¯s what it seems, but we haven¡¯t figured out his angle yet.¡± ¡®After all, he¡¯s been caught. Escape is impossible. What could he possibly do to get out of this? The evidence against him is solid,¡¯ Max thought. ¡°Keep a close eye on them; they might make a move,¡± Jared said firmly. Since they were so invested, they wouldn¡¯t give up easily. ¡°Understood,¡± Max responded respectfully. It seemed clear that those people would act, though their exact intentions were still unknown. As soon as they made a move, Jared¡¯s side would be aware. The night had deepened. People had returned home and were resting. The hospital had quieted down, with lights off in most wards. ¡°Captain, there¡¯s been no activity all day. Do you think they¡¯lle tonight?¡± Glenn whispered. ¡°Whether theye or not, we need to stay alert,¡± Patricia replied calmly. All content is ? N0velDrama.Org. She knew Scorpio wouldn¡¯t back down. If not today, then tomorrow, or the day after. They were bound to show up. Glenn didn¡¯t speak again, focusing on the sounds outside. Quiet footsteps echoed in the still corridor, growing closer. ¡°Captain, could it be them?¡± Glenn alerted. Patricia listened intently, her pupils constricting slightly. Her hands clenched into fists, ready for action. ¡®If it¡¯s them, they won¡¯t leave here easily,¡¯ she thought. The door slowly opened, revealing figures in the light from the window. Patricia and Glenn held their breath, trying not to make any noise. They knew one wrong move could scare off the intruders. A person in ck approached the bedside, scanning the room silently. After a brief signal exchange with a partner, one of them pulled out a dagger, glinting in the dim light. Chapter 2919 Chapter 2919 The dagger came down hard, but instead of hitting its target, it stabbed into the bedding. ¡°Something¡¯s off!¡± shouted one of the intruders, realizing they must have fallen on to a trap. Lights in the room snapped on in an instant, and both groups were instantly locked in a wild scuffle. Patricia understood they¡¯d taken the bait, and her main aim now was to nab these two intruders. Patricia hadn¡¯t forgotten thest ambush. This time, she made sure the area outside was empty, with only her and Glenn in the room, to avoid alerting the intruders. ¡°Glenn, let¡¯s make this quick!¡± Patricia shouted, knowing they had to act fast. She was aware that there were likely more people outside waiting to back up the intruders. ¡°Got it,¡± Glenn replied, intensifying his movements. Patricia didn¡¯t waste anytime either,unching a rapid attack. Soon, she gained the upper hand. With a powerful kick, Patricia knocked one of the assants to the ground. The person clutched their chest, struggling to get up but failing. As Patricia turned to help Glenn, more people burst into the room. One of them, dagger in hand, lunged at Glenn. Patricia didn¡¯t hesitate; she dashed forward, aiming to kick the dagger away. But the attacker anticipated her move, swiping the dagger across her face. Patricia winced in pain but quickly overpowered her opponent and moved on to the next one. Fortunately, their enemies seemed wary of attracting too much attention, so there weren¡¯t many of them. Patricia and Glenn quickly subdued the attackers. Soon, police sirens wailed as they arrived, arresting the culprits. Glenn was taken away for questioning, while Patricia, injured, stayed behind at the hospital to get treated. ¡°They came¡­¡± Patricia recounted the events to the remaining officer, speaking carefully while the doctor tended to her wound. She winced in pain asionally, but it didn¡¯t stop her from exining what had happened. N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content. The officer looked at Patricia, his expressionplex as he noted down everything she said. ¡°Just be careful going forward,¡± the doctor advised, but before he could finish, Patricia was already standing up. ¡°I¡¯ve told you everything I know. Do I need to go to the station?¡± she asked the officer. ¡°No need, but please be avable if we have more questions, ¡± the officer replied. ¡°Sure,¡± Patricia said, then left the hospital. Once outside, Patricia got into her car. The moment she was alone, herposed demeanor faded. She touched the bandage on her cheek, her eyes reddening slightly. ¡®It¡¯s my own face, how could I not care? But this is the life I chose, always on the edge,¡¯ she thought. ¡®Today it¡¯s just a cut, but next time, it could be my life.¡¯ Biting her lip and taking a deep breath, Patricia forced herself to calm down and drove away from the hospital. After a while, Patricia returned to her apartment building. Hesitating for a moment outside Charlie¡¯s door, she finally knocked. The door opened, and the person who saw her was shocked. ¡°Captain, your face?¡± ¡°It¡¯s just a scratch,¡± Patricia said, stepping inside. She saw Charlie on the couch, his eyes filled with concern.¡± We caught them,¡± Patricia said quietly. ¡°Good,¡± Charlie replied. ¡°It¡¯s a relief they¡¯re caught.¡± He had thought Scorpio might lie low for a few days, but they acted sooner than expected. ¡°Get some rest. Call me if you need anything,¡± Patricia said, reaching out to help him up. ¡°I¡¯m fine, and Seth is here too. You should go back,¡± Charlie insisted, appreciating her concern but not wanting to burden her further. Chapter 2920 Chapter 2920 Patricia agreed, stepping back. ¡¯You should get some rest too.¡± Charlie hesitated before asking with concern, ¡°Your injury seem serious.¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing,¡± Patricia downyed, avoiding Charlie¡¯s gaze as she turned to leave. ¡°Will the captain be alright?¡± Seth asked Charlie, worried. ¡°Let¡¯s give her some room,¡± Charlie said, getting up slowly, his eyes showing his worry. He could tell the cut on Patricia¡¯s face was worse than she was letting on. Even with years of training under her belt, he understood that a scar on her face could still be a big deal to her. ¡®Will she get through this?¡¯ he wondered, deeply concerned for Patricia. ¡®I should have asked her to leave this dangerous life a long time ago.¡¯ Charlie sighed, thinking it might be time to discuss this with Max, and hoped Jared and Nicole would agree. Meanwhile, Patricia returned to her apartment. The moment she closed her door, all her pretenses copsed. She didn¡¯t bother turning on the lights, just sat on the couch in the dark, feelingpletely drained. She sat there silently until daylight broke. Knock, knock, knock. Someone was at her door. After a moment, Patricia slowly turned her head toward it. ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. Frowning, she finally got up to open the door when the knocking persisted. Expecting Seth, Patricia was shocked to see Nicole. ¡°Ms. Riddle, why are you here?!¡± ¡°Surprised? Who did you think wasing?¡± Nicole asked, her gaze lingering on Patricia¡¯s cheek. Nicole could tell from just one look that Patricia¡¯s injury was serious. Entering the apartment, Nicole spoke with a heavy tone, ¡°I heard about what happened, so I came to check on you.¡± Then Lulu followed, saying, ¡°Don¡¯t stress. We¡¯ll find a solution together.¡± Patricia just shook her head. ¡°I doubt there¡¯s a fix for this. It¡¯s okay, though. Just another scar.¡± ¡°But what did the doctor say?¡± Lulu asked, her brow furrowing. ¡°Isn¡¯t there anything that can be done?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll make some tea for you guys,¡± Patricia said, quickly changing the subject. Watching Patricia go to the kitchen. Lulu whispered to Nicole, ¡°Is there really no hope? What about Martin?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s take her to see Martinter,¡± Nicole suggested after a moment¡¯s hesitation. ¡°Right, we can¡¯t just give up,¡± Lulu nodded firmly. Patricia returned, and Lulu noticed her dark circles. ¡°You didn¡¯t sleepst night, did you?¡± Caught off guard, Patricia nced down at her clothes and nodded. ¡°No, I didn¡¯t.¡± She couldn¡¯t remember how the night had passed so quickly. ¡°You didn¡¯t eat either, did you?¡± Lulu said, urging her to take care of herself. ¡°You can¡¯t go on like this. You need rest.¡± ¡°Have something to eat, and thene with us,¡± Nicole said, her eyes showing concern. Chapter 2921 Chapter 2921 Nicole didn¡¯t exactly agree with Patricia¡¯s approach, but she got where she wasing from. ¡°I¡¯ll whip up some easy pasta for you,¡± Lulu said, already on her way to the kitchen. Twenty minutester, she returned with a te of pasta, setting it down in front of Patricia and encouraging her, ¡°Try some, okay?¡± Patricia paused for a second before responding, ¡°Thanks.¡± She was aware of everyone¡¯s concern for her and didn¡¯t want to let them down. Once she finished eating, Patricia looked up at Nicole. ¡°Ms. Riddle, why do you want me toe with you?¡± ¡°We¡¯re going to see Martin,¡± Nicole answered truthfully. Hearing this, Patricia instinctively touched her cheek, understanding Nicole¡¯s intention. She knew Nicole wanted to ask Martin if there was any other way to treat her face. She didn¡¯t want to go, not wanting to give herself false hope, but looking at Nicole and Lulu, she found it hard to refuse and finally agreed, ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go, we¡¯ll see what can be done, and then you can rest easy,¡± Lulu said confidently, believing Martin could help. The group quickly left the apartment, heading toward Martin¡¯sb. ¡°In the car, Patricia spoke softly to Nicole, ¡°I might need a longer rest.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay, your injury is what matters most,¡± Nicole replied softly, her voice soothing. Patricia nodded slightly. She felt she might not be able to return to work soon, not just physically, but emotionally too. She needed time to recover. N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content. ¡®epting this calmly is easier said than done. Only time can help,¡¯ she thought. Arriving at theb, Martin looked surprised to see them so early. ¡°You all¡­¡± he started, surprised they didn¡¯t call ahead. ¡°We need you to check her injury,¡± Nicole said, getting straight to the point. Martin¡¯s gaze fell on Patricia¡¯s cheek, his brow furrowing slightly. He had initially thought Patricia¡¯s injury was minor, but seeing Nicole bring her in, he realized it must be severe. There was a moment of hesitation before Martin said,¡± Come with me.¡± Cindy, with a tray of water in hand, greeted Nicole and Lulu,¡± Let Martin have a look. You guys can wait here.¡± Nicole got ready to follow Patricia, visibly worried about her. ¡°Sure,¡± Lulu said, easily going along, and joined Cindy in the waiting area. Cindy watched as Nicole followed Martin and Patricia. Jokingly, Lulu nudged her, ¡°What, can¡¯t keep your eyes off Martin for even a minute?¡± Cindy gave her a look, then asked, ¡°Is she a doctor or nurse too?¡± She was curious about why Nicole needed to be in the examination room with Patricia and Martin. ¡°Nah, she¡¯s just really concerned about Patricia, I think.¡± ¡°I see,¡± Cindy said, a little puzzled but didn¡¯t press further. Meanwhile, in the examination room, Martin was carefully checking Patricia¡¯s wound before applying a fresh dressing. Chapter 2922 Chapter 2922 Sighing, Martin and Nicole exchanged a serious nce. Without speaking, they both understood how serious the cut injury on Patricia¡¯s face. ¡°It¡¯s not possible, is it?¡± Patricia asked, already guessing the answer from their silence. Seeing Patricia¡¯s calm demeanor, Martin decided to be direct. ¡°I can¡¯tpletely rule it out, but your case is indeed serious. The cut is deep, and the angle makes it difficult to heal properly.¡± Patricia listened, her expression indifferent as if Martin was talking about someone else¡¯s problem. Martin, surprised by herposure, turned to Nicole. ¡°She¡¯s definitely one of your people.¡± Usually, people would be devastated, but Patricia¡¯s calmness was rare. Her situation was too obvious to hide, making even attempts at constion seem superficial. Martin asked, ¡°You seem to understand the situation well. Do you want to try my treatment? I can¡¯t guarantee full recovery, but I can try.¡± Patricia hesitated. The uncertainty meant there was a high chance of failure, potentially leading to disappointment. Before Patricia could respond, Nicole stepped in. ¡°We¡¯ll do it your way. She¡¯ll cooperate. And I¡¯ll help you.¡± Nicole knew Patricia might choose to give up, but she couldn¡¯t let that happen. ¡°Ms. Riddle¡­¡± Patricia bit her lip, feeling conflicted. She didn¡¯t want to go through the treatment without being sure of sess. Nicole patted her shoulder reassuringly. ¡°Don¡¯t give up. It can¡¯t be worse than now.¡± Patricia¡¯s eyes widened slightly. ¡®She¡¯s right. It can¡¯t get worse than this.¡¯ Biting her lip, Patricia nodded. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll cooperate.¡± Regardless of the oue, she didn¡¯t want to let down Nicole¡¯s efforts. Nicole smiled, relieved. ¡°Good, it¡¯s decided then.¡± After discussing the treatment n briefly, Nicole and Patricia left Martin¡¯sb. ¡°Wow, that was quick,¡± Lulu said, surprised to see theme out so soon. Cindy approached, asking, ¡°How did it go?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s give it a try,¡± Martin said solemnly. All content is ? N0velDrama.Org. Lulu sighed, understanding that even Martin was uncertain. Cindy offered to see them out, but Nicole declined. ¡°We¡¯ll find our way out. Let¡¯s not disrupt your work.¡± As they left, Cindy looked worried. ¡°Is Patricia¡¯s condition that serious?¡± Seeing Martin¡¯s concerned expression, Cindy realized Patricia¡¯s wound would indeed leave her a visible scar. ¡°Yea.¡± Martin pondered abit before saying, ¡°I need to think about the treatment n.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll help you with that,¡± Cindy offered, following Martin to his office. Meanwhile, Nicoleforted Patricia. ¡°We¡¯ll take you home. Rest well, and we¡¯ll figure out a solution.¡± Patricia nodded, deciding to face the situation bravely and positively. Chapter 2923 Chapter 2923 After leaving Martin¡¯sb, Patricia felt a mix of emotions.¡¯ Ms. Riddle hasn¡¯t given up, so how can I just give up on myself?¡¯ she thought. During the car ride, Lulu keptforting Patricia, who gradually started to open up a bit more. Once they got back to the apartment, Nicole and Lulu watched Patricia go inside before instructing the driver to leave. ¡°Nicole, can Patricia really be okay?¡± Lulu asked, her calm demeanor fading into worry. In front of Patricia, she had been careful not to show her concern. Patricia was already feeling down, and Lulu didn¡¯t want to add to her stress. All content is ? N0velDrama.Org. But now, alone with Nicole, Lulu couldn¡¯t hold back her worries anymore. ¡°We¡¯ll figure something out with Martin,¡± Nicole said with determination in her eyes. ¡°But even Martin didn¡¯t seem sure,¡± Lulu sighed. ¡°In this world, it seems like only two people might be able to save Patricia.¡± ¡°Two people?¡± Nicole looked at Lulu, puzzled. ¡°¡¯Doctor Miracle¡¯ and ¡®Ghost Hand¡¯,¡± Lulu shrugged, referring to their renowned skills. ¡°But they¡¯re so mysterious. Even Chloe struggled to find them.¡± ¡°There¡¯s only one left then,¡± Nicole muttered to herself. Lulu, overhearing her, asked, ¡°Why?¡± Nicole sighed, shaking her head. She had no certainty, just a hope that she and Martin could find a solution, and if not, she might have to ask her mentor for help, despite the possibility of getting scolded. Nicole, touching her nose, admitted, ¡°If Martin and I can¡¯t do it, I¡¯ll have to ask my mentor for help, no matter what.¡± ¡°We can¡¯t let Patricia live her life in gloom,¡± Nicole resolved. ¡°Do you know something?¡± Lulu asked, sensing Nicole¡¯s heavy heart. Nicole exined the situation to Lulu. ¡°Really?!¡± Lulu¡¯s eyes widened in surprise, then she nodded, understanding. ¡°No wonder!¡± Lulu realized Nicole¡¯s medical expertise could be the key. With ¡®Doctor Miracle¡¯ and ¡®Ghost Hand¡¯ so elusive, Nicole was their best chance, especially since she had been out of reach for five years due to her memory loss. Lulu sighed, ¡°Chloe really messed with the wrong person.¡± But now, there was hope for Patricia¡¯s injury. Returning to Riddle Corporation, Nicole and Lulu went to their respective offices. Nicole sat down and began pondering potential treatments for Patricia¡¯s injury. Over at his office, Jared was getting an update: the folks they¡¯d nabbed were actually Scorpio¡¯s guys, and they were after Charlie. ¡°Mr. Johnston, they¡¯re likely to think twice before trying anything like this again,¡± Max said, his voice tight with anger and sympathy for Patricia¡¯s injury. ¡°Let Seth look after Charlie, and have Charlie break the news to Patricia,¡± Jared said seriously. ¡°Understood,¡± Max responded, aware that Charlie had formally suggested Patricia¡¯s retirement and Jared had agreed. The decision would calm Charlie¡¯s concerns. ¡°How are they holding up?¡± Jared asked. ¡°Mrs. Johnston¡¯s at Riddle Corp now, but Patricia¡¯s condition may be worse than we feared,¡± Max answered solemnly Chapter 2924 Chapter 2924 "If even Nicole can''t find a way, then it''s really hopeless," Jared said, his eyes narrowing slightly. Known secretly as ''Ghost Hand,'' a famed yet enigmatic doctor, Nicole, along with Martin, was their best shot. If even they couldn''t sort out Patricia''s facial injury, it really did seem like a tall order. "Mrs. Johnston is working on a solution. I believe she can handle it, " Max said with a bit of confidence. Jared nodded, knowing Nicole would do everything she could. He then asked Max about the preparations for their next move. "Everything''s ready, just waiting for them to act," Max replied seriously. ¡°We must ensure it''s foolproof," Jared said, his demeanor cold and decisive. "Mr. Johnston, don''t worry," Max assured him. After Max left Jared''s office, he conveyed the information to Charlie. Charlie, upon hearing the news, felt a sense of relief and joy. '' Patricia can get out safely, no strings attached,'' he thought, feeling thankful. In their line of work, leaving the organization was usually only an option when you were seriously hurt. Choosing to leave on your own meant facing tough challenges from the organization. Knowing all this, Charlie was truly happy for Patricia.All content is ? N0velDrama.Org. It was a rare chance to get out without undergoing severe trials, especially with so many secrets at stake. Meanwhile, Seth updated Charlie about Nicole taking Patricia away that morning. He mentioned that Nicole was trying to find a way to heal Patricia''s wound. "Is there really a way?" Charlie asked, a bit surprised. Seth shook his head. "I''m not sure, but if Mrs. Johnston is trying, there must be some hope." "Let''s give it a try," Charlie said, a glimmer of hope in his eyes. ''If there''s a chance to recover, we can''t just give up, no matter what.'' As the day came to an end, Jared and Nicole visited her parents¡¯ home. Dinner was ready, and Gloria greeted them with a smile. "Let''s eat. Tia wheeled Mrs. Wace Sr. into the room, joining everyone gathered around the table. Gloria, looking at Tia, said with augh, "Don''t worry, we''re preparing a room for you and Stanley. It''s still under renovation." Tia blushed slightly, "No rush." "Good, but we still need to prepare," Gloria smiled warmly. Then she turned to Stanley, ''''Take Tia shopping when you''re free. It''s time to start buying things for the wedding." Even though the wedding date wasn''t set yet, Gloria wanted to get everything ready as soon as possible. "okay," Stanley agreed, happy to spend time shopping with Tia, whether for the wedding or just to buy gifts she would like. Chapter 2925 Chapter 2925 After dinner, Tia, blushing at Stanley''s response, wheeled Mrs. Wace Sr. out of the room. Stanley followed, offering to help. Gloria watched Stanley''s caring gestures and felt a sense of relief." I can finally rx now," she said, smiling contentedly. Nicole joked with Gloria, "Guess you don''t have to worry about any of us anymore." Gloria turned to Nicole, and sensing Gloria''s next question, Nicole quickly changed the topic. All content is ? N0velDrama.Org. "Mom, I''ll go check on Nn and Lana, " she said, pulling Jared with her as they quickly went upstairs. She had a hunch that if they stayed, the conversation might turn to her and Jared, which she wasn''t ready for. Gloria shook her head at Nicole''s hasty departure. "This girl..." "Don''t interfere in her matters," Daniel advised Gloria. He knew about Nicole and Jared''s situation and didn''t want to pressure them. Gloria sighed, agreeing not to pry. She trusted Nicole and Jared to sort things out on their own. "Let''s go rest," Daniel suggested, and they headed upstairs. Meanwhile, Stanley waited in the living room after helping Tia and Mrs. Wace Sr. settle in. Tia came out with a ss of water for Stanley. "Here, drink this," she said. Feeling a bit nervous, Tia told Stanley he didn''t need to go shopping with her just yet. Stanley smiled and reassured her, "Don''t worry. We''re not shopping for wedding stuff, just going out for a date." Tia''s cheeks turned even redder at the mention of a date. "What do you want to do?" Stanley asked softly. ¡°Anywhere is fine, as long as I''m with you," Tia replied shyly. Stanley looked at her with affection. "I''ll make it unforgettable," he promised, already nning their first official date. Upstairs, Nicole and Jared checked on Nn and Lana. Surprisingly, they found Nn building blocks with Lana instead of ying video games. Nn looked up at Nicole. "Mommy, I can''t y that game anymore. If I do, I might win," he said seriously. Nicole nced at theputer, confirming his restraint. "That''s right," she agreed. Jared asked Nicole about Preston and his team''s progress on the tracking program. Nicole shook her head. "No news from them yet, probably still working on it." Chapter 2926 Chapter 2926 Jared was aware that what they had asked from Preston and his team might not be a simple task. Furrowed his brow slightly, he said, "Let''s visit them at Finley Group tomorrow." Nicole, considering their options, agreed. "That''s a good idea. We might be able to help if they''re stuck on something." After shutting down theirputers, Nicole and Jared joined Nn and Lana, who were busy building with blocks. "ying with blocks, huh? Mommy and Daddy will join you," Nicole said cheerfully. Lana excitedly agreed, while Nn, letting go of his blocks, said, " That''s great, you guys y with her." "You''re not ying?" Nicole asked, surprised. Nn shrugged, a look of disdain on his face. "It''s a kid''s game. I''m not interested." Nicole''s lips twitched slightly as she was amused and bemused by her five-year- old''s disdain for "kid''s games". Nn, unbothered, picked up a book and started reading seriously. Nicole shook her head,ughing lightly, and started ying with Lana. Lana, not bothered by Nn''s disinterest, happily yed with her parents. Later that night, after tucking the kids into bed, Nicole and Jared returned to their room. Jared gentlybed Nicole''s hair with his fingers and softly suggested to Nicole, "Go take a shower. Let''s get some rest." Nicole agreed and headed to the bathroom first. After her shower, Jared dried her hair before taking his turn to shower. When Jared returned, he found Nicole already asleep. Looking at her peaceful face, a gentle look crossed his eyes. He gave her a soft kiss on the forehead before lying down beside her, wrapping his arms around her, and closing his eyes to sleep. The next day dawned bright and sunny. After breakfast, Nicole and Jared headed to Finley Group. ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. They knocked on Gary''s office door, and upon hearing his voice, Nicole opened the door and entered with Jared. Inside, Ryder, Gary, and Preston were all taken aback by their arrival. "Why are you here?!" they eximed in surprise. ¡°We''re here to check on your progress," Nicole said straightforwardly. The trio looked serious, asking, "Is there some issue on your end?" "Not exactly, but the game is about to be cleared," Nicole exined. Though relieved, the seriousness on their faces didn''t diminish. Nicole''s news was a reminder that time was running out. Nicole, noticing their concerned expressions, asked softly, "Is there a problem?" "It looks like it," Preston replied, sharing a nce with Ryder and Gary, then sighed and turned to Nicole. "Let''s talk. What''s going on?" Everyone knew it was time to brainstorm solutions together, as the issue at hand couldn''t be med on anyone. Preston detailed the situation, exining the sess of their tracking program and the challenges they faced with their phishing program. Chapter 2927 Chapter 2927 Nicole finally got why the project was dragging its feet. She had requested a tracking program, something she thought would be easy for the team. But it turned out they were up to more than she asked. They were setting a trap with a phishing program, aiming to switch the real decryption program with a fake at thest second. Their n? To snag Water Crest''s data without raising any rms. Nicole bit her lip, pondering abit before she said, "That''s a good idea, but it''s definitely risky." Even she wasn''t entirely sure they could pull it off. The program wasplex. "we can give it a try," Jared decided, after considering Nicole''s words. Nicole looked at him, "We can''t be certain of winning." If they failed, they''d alert the enemy and create more trouble. "But it''s worth trying," Jared said calmly, confident in their abilities. Gary was eager to get started, "Let''s do it." Ryder also agreed, "I''m on board." Preston looked to Nicole, "I''ll follow your lead." Everyone turned to Nicole, waiting for her decision. Nicole took a deep breath and nodded, "Let''s try it." Gary suggested bringing in anotherputer, but Nicole had already brought one, anticipating they might need it. "Let''s start then. I''ll send you the current program," Preston said, transferring the data to Nicole''sptop. Ryder asked Jared if he wanted to wait or leave, to which Jared replied, "I''ll wait for her," and sat down, indicating his support for Nicole. Nicole, with Preston, Ryder, and Gary, quickly dived into the programming, their focus intense. "This part here is where we''re stuck. It feels like the Trojan program is too easily detectable," they discussed. Nicole listened, her eyes reflecting deep thought. Their program was nearly perfect, except for their concerns. If discovered, their effort would be wasted. They needed a moreprehensive n. ¡°Your concerns make sense," Nicole acknowledged. "If the enemy is using Nn, they''ll be cautious. T¨ºxt ? N?velDrama.Org. And hackers always have strong firewalls. Why don''t we do the opposite?" "The opposite?" The others looked at her, intrigued by her proposal. "Let''s make the program easy to spot on purpose. It could be just the break we need..." Nicoleid out her n. "That''s genius!" Gary burst out, visibly thrilled. "It''s like turning a tough spot into an opportunity. Brilliant thinking!" Preston chimed in, clearly impressed by Nicole''s approach. Chapter 2928 Chapter 2928 "Good idea, we should try it," Ryder said, impressed and in agreement with Nicole''s proposal. After deciding on their next steps, the team got busy implementing their n. "Done!" they eximed, as the clock neared noon. With a collective cheer, they finallypleted the program on Nicole''sputer. "It''s perfect timing. ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. You can take the program with you, and our mission here is aplished," Preston said with a sigh of relief. He had been under a lot of pressure these past few days, worried about affecting Nicole''s work. ¡°Thank you all," Nicole expressed her gratitude. "Since it''s lunchtime, let''s eat together." ¡°Sounds good, I''m starving after working all morning," Preston said, rubbing his stomach. ¡°Let''s go then," Ryder and Gary agreed. Nicole smiled, "I''m paying, as a thank you for your help." "No need for that," Garyughed. "We''re friends, aren''t we? It would be odd to be so formal." "Exactly, because you''re friends, I want to treat you. How else will I have the nerve to ask for your help in the future?" Nicole replied, still smiling. Preston teased Gary, Don''t argue with her, you never win against Nicole." ¡°That''s true," Gary shrugged. "I''ve never won when ites to Nicole." Their banter lightened the mood, and they allughed together. After leaving Finley Group, they found a nearby restaurant and settled into a private room. As they ordered their meal, Nicole raised her ss of water, ¡°Here''s to all of you." ¡°No need to thank us again, let''s just celebrate our sess," Gary suggested. Nicole looked at him, shaking her head, "I need to thank not just you and Preston, but Ryder too." Ryder lifted his ss. "You don''t need to thank me. You helped me in the past, so it''s only right that I help you now." Nicole blinked in surprise, "I did?" "It was along time ago, so you probably don''t remember," Ryder exined. Nicole shook her head. "It must have been something small, otherwise I would remember." Ryder smiled gently. "Whether you remember or not doesn''t matter. I can''t forget." Nicole, half-amused, said, ¡°Well, you''ve helped me plenty of times now. We''re even, so I still need to thank you." Preston proposed, "Let''s drink this water and call it even. From now on, we''re just friends." ¡°Agreed, we''re friends," Gary chimed in. After the toast, Nicole urged, "Let''s eat. It''s been a busy morning." ¡°Nicole, you''re amazing. Your n is really good," Gary praised her. ¡°And I''ve learned a lot from your methods," Preston added, nodding in admiration. ¡®Even after five years, Nicole''s skills have only improved,'' they thought. Nicole, trying to deflect thepliments, said with a smile, "Stop ttering me, you''re making me blush." Chapter 2929 Chapter 2929 "We always tell the truth," Gary said earnestly. Nicole, smiling,plimented the group, "You''ve all improved a lot since five years ago." Their conversation flowed effortlessly, and before they knew it, lunch was over. As Nicole and Jared prepared to leave, Gary said, "Let''s catch up again soon. I''m looking forward to your good news." Nicole nodded, understanding he was referring to the Water Crest program. "Definitely," she replied. After Nicole and Jared drove off, Preston also left, leaving Gary reflecting on how nice it was to work with Nicole again and how much things had changed for the better over the past five years. Back in the car, Nicole touched herptop bag and said to Jared, ¡°It looks like we''ll have results soon." Jared, holding her hand gently, agreed, "Yes, very soon." Nicole smiled at him, "After all this time, some things are finallying to an end." "Have you thought about how you''ll ept the oue?" Jared asked softly. Nicole nodded, "I''ve thought about it. We always have to face things, sooner orter." ¡®Perhaps it''s better to uncover the truth early. It might simplify a lot of things,¡¯ she thought to herself. Jared, sensing Nicole''s resolve,forted her with a gentle hug and a reassuring squeeze on her shoulder. ¡°Whatever happens, I can face it now," Nicole said calmly, having considered all possible oues. Jared kissed her forehead, relieved she wasn''t affected by the uncertainty. When they arrived at Riddle Corporation, Nicole got out of the car and went inside thepany. Jared instructed Max to drive off, then received an update: Damien''swyers seemed to have given up on his case. "Given up?" Jared''s eyes narrowed slightly, sensing something unusual. "Yes, but something feels off,"" Max analyzed, suspecting that Scorpio wouldn''t abandon their efforts so easily. "Keep aclose eye on Damien," Jared instructed, suspecting Scorpio and Damien might have other ns. As Jared''s car moved away, his eyes reflected a glint of cold determination... Three days passed quickly, and Damien''s trial began. He was to face the consequences of his actions. Daniel asked Nicole and Jared at breakfast if they nned to attend the trial. "No need, we''ll just wait for the results," Nicole responded, not wanting to waste time on the hearing. All content is ? N0velDrama.Org. Daniel nodded, nning to visit Benjamin to console him, as Benjamin would surely be affected by the trial''s oue. Chapter 2930 Chapter 2930 Nicole agreed, ¡°That¡¯s a good idea. But I¡¯m a bit worried about Uncle Dillon and Karen; they might say something that would upset Grandpa.¡± In truth, she wasn¡¯t too concerned about Dillon, but Karen worried her. ¡°I understand. Don¡¯t worry,¡± Daniel assured her. If Dillon or Karen said something too harsh, it could be overwhelming for Benjamin. After all, Damien was Benjamin¡¯s son. Even if he was disappointed with Damien, seeing Damien in such a state would surely be distressing. After breakfast, everyone departed from home. On the road, Nicole gazed at the bustling streets, a hint of contemtion reflecting in her eyes. Jared gently held her hand, speaking softly, ¡®Everything will be alright.¡± ¡°Mm,¡± Nicole nodded. She wasn¡¯t really worried, just suddenly feeling a bit overwhelmed. The police car, taking Damien to court, was already leaving the police station, escorted by other police vehicles in the front and back. Following their nned route, everything was going smoothly until they reached the area near an overpass. After crossing the overpass and making a right turn, they could already spot the tall courthouse building. The leading police car smoothly descended from the overpass and turned right.Owned by N?velDrama.Org. Suddenly, a truck came speeding in and crashed directly into the police car carrying Damien. There was a loud crash, a powerful impact, and the car came to an abrupt stop. Shortly after, a van arrived, and three individuals dressed in ck quickly forced open the doors of the police car, pulled Damien out, and swiftly hustled him into the van. Once they got inside, the van immediately sped away from the scene. The arriving police officers, realizing that something was wrong. A confused officer asked, ¡°What now?¡± He watched the van drive away, and the dazed police officers inside the hit vehicle staggered out. ¡°It¡¯s fine, our job here is done. Let¡¯s head back,¡± one of them said, suggesting that this unexpected incident was part of a prenned operation. Those who were clueless wondered, ¡°What in the world is happening here?¡± As the police cars gradually departed, additional personnel arrived at the scene to clear it up. The van carrying Damien raced toward a deserted building on the outskirts. The men in ck discussed Damien¡¯s condition, relieved he wasn¡¯t seriously injured, just knocked out. ¡°Where to now?¡± the driver asked. ¡°Boss said to head to the abandoned building in the suburbs, ¡± one of them replied. They drove off, unaware of a car following them. Reaching the deserted building, they carried Damien inside, scanning for any signs of trouble. ¡°Isn¡¯t Boss here?¡± the driver asked, worried they might have run into unexpected trouble. No, just wait,¡± another man replied, nudging the unconscious Damien. Eventually, Damien came to, looking around in confusion at his unfamiliar surroundings. One of the men informed Damien, ¡°We¡¯ve done as you asked. Better think about what you¡¯ll say to Boss.¡± Realizing what had happened, Damien felt a mix of frustration and fear. ¡® Are you guys insane? Do you even realize that I could have been killed?¡± He cursed silently, ¡®Even if these bastards had to intercept the police car, they could¡¯ve handled it better! They almost got me killed!¡¯ Chapter 2931 Chapter 2931 ¡°Well, it¡¯s not like you¡¯re dead yet,¡± one of the men shrugged indifferently. Damien seethed with anger. ¡°Don¡¯t you want to get information from me anymore?¡± ¡°Hmph, when our boss arrives, you won¡¯t have a say in what you want to say or not,¡± the man replied fiercely. Damien couldn¡¯t help but feel frustrated. At this point, he didn¡¯t have much leverage, so he had to ensure his own interests were secured. Otherwise, if they burned bridges, he¡¯d be the one left in a tough spot. ¡°Boss!¡± As he was contemting, Damien heard several people calling out, prompting him to look up. Frowning at the man approaching, Damien asked, ¡°Are you Scorpio?¡± ¡°Speak,¡± Scorpio responded tersely, not saying much else. Damien knew Scorpio wanted him to divulge information about Water Crest, but he wasn¡¯t foolish enough to reveal anything at this point. T¨ºxt ? N?velDrama.Org. Struggling to stand up, Damien negotiated, ¡°This ce isn¡¯t secure. You have to take me to a safe location before I can tell you anything.¡± ¡°Actually, death is the safest,¡± Scorpio remarked calmly, as if what he said wasn¡¯t something cruel. Damien shivered, but he spoke with clenched teeth, ¡°Since it¡¯s death anyway, why should I tell you?¡± As the situation centered around facing death, Damien felt he might as well take the information to his grave. If a good life was out of reach, he wanted no part of it. Upon hearing Damien¡¯s words, Scorpio disyed a flicker of emotion for the first time and threw an amused look at Damien. He thought, ¡®This guy would rather choose a lose- lose situation. That seems to align with my mindset.¡¯ ¡°Well then, I¡¯ll have you taken out of the city for now,¡± Scorpio agreed. Damien was somewhat taken aback. He hadn¡¯t expected Scorpio to agree so easily. Instead, he felt a tinge of unease in his heart, thinking perhaps Scorpio had another n. Damien pondered for a moment and made up his mind. He believed that as long as he didn¡¯t speak, they wouldn¡¯t have any leverage over him. After all, this was his only lifeline, so he couldn¡¯t afford to reveal it easily. ¡® Boss, what if he tries something funny?¡± one of the men whispered softly. ¡°He knows the consequences,¡± Scorpio replied before leaving. As they exited the building, they noticed something was amiss. Cars suddenly appeared. ¡°Boss, run!¡± one of the men yelled, realizing danger was imminent. Scorpio bolted, followed by Damien, who knew that staying meant certain capture. The remaining men stayed behind to provide cover for their escape but were swiftly overwhelmed and apprehended. Within moments, Damien was recaptured, but Scorpio had vanished. The men in ck, relieved that Scorpio had escaped, were taken to the police station. Damien, in a separate vehicle, resumed his ¡°journey¡± to the courthouse. Max, observing the scene, said to Seth and his group, ¡°Let¡¯s head back.¡± Chapter 2932 Chapter 2932 After departing from the scene, Seth and his group updated Max about the oue. Max then ryed the information to Jared. ¡°Mr. Johnston, everything went as nned. We let Scorpio go,¡± Max reported over the phone. Jared, maintaining his usual calm demeanor, hummed in response. Max continued, ¡°We coborated with the police to apprehend some of Scorpio¡¯s men. Damien is back in custody and will face trial today.¡± Pleased with the oue, Jaredmended, ¡°Good job.¡± ¡°It all unfolded just as you predicted,¡± Max sighed. From the beginning, Mr. Johnston had anticipated Scorpio¡¯s actions. After strategizing withw enforcement responsible for the case, they set up the trap, and indeed, Scorpio took the bait. Mr. Johnston, Scorpio might make other moves now,¡± Max spected. Given today¡¯s events, once Scorpio reflected on it, he¡¯d realize he fell into a trap and would not be able to gain any information from Damien. So, he might take matters into his own hands. Jared narrowed his eyes slightly with a hint of ruthlessness.¡± Let¡¯s see what he intends to do.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll arrange for surveince,¡± Max responded cautiously. Meanwhile, at Riddle Corporation, Lulu burst into Nicole¡¯s office, excitedly reporting, ¡°Damien¡¯s been taken back to court.¡± Nicole arched an eyebrow. ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°It seems someone tried to snatch Damien while he was en route, but the authorities were onto their n beforehand. They not only apprehended the culprits but also unveiled their hideout¡­¡± Lulu briefed Nicole on the situation. Nicole squinted. ¡®Could it be¡­¡¯ Suddenly, a spark of realization crossed Nicole¡¯s face, a faint smirk forming. She likely understood. This entire episode was likely orchestrated by Jared through Max. They were already aware of Scorpio¡¯s intentions, so they coborated withw enforcement to raid Scorpio¡¯s base. With this failed attempt and the discovery of their hideout, Scorpio must be seething. All content is ? N0velDrama.Org. ¡°Nicole, do you think there might be any other surprises?¡± Lulu asked in a hushed tone. Casting a nce at Lulu, Nicole shook her head, ¡°No, there won¡¯t be.¡± Having made thorough arrangements, this matter would undoubtedly be resolved today. Damien had been escorted back for trial, awaiting the judgment of thew. ¡°Hey, who do you think is behind this? I heard they caught a few henchmen, but their leader got away,¡± Lulu spected. ¡°Scorpio, the remaining Eastern Falcon¡¯s representative here, ¡± Nicole¡¯s voice carried a hint ofcoldness. ¡°You mean the one we purposely let gost time¡­¡± Lulu instantly understood. Nicole nodded, ¡°He¡¯s still useful, so we can¡¯t catch him for now.¡± ¡°Oh, so this was deliberate too,¡± Lulu realized. Nicole chuckled lightly and shook her head, seeing Lulu finally catching on. ¡°By the way, how do you know everything so clearly?¡± Lulu pondered for a moment, looking at Nicole with surprise and suspicion. They were both in the office and had only learned about Damien¡¯s situation from breaking news. Yet, now it seemed as if Nicole knew everything beforehand. Chapter 2933 Chapter 2933 Lulu, puzzled, ¡®Nicole¡¯s been here with me. She did not go out. How did she get the news?¡¯ Nicole, with a slight smirk, replied, ¡°Just a guess.¡± ¡°A guess!¡± Lulu¡¯s voice rose in disbelief. Nicole¡¯s intuition seemed almost magical. ¡°You mentioned it was part of a police operation, and I immediately guessed it must be Jared¡¯s doing,¡± Nicole shared honestly. In reality, it wasn¡¯t hard to guess; Lulu just hadn¡¯t thought it through. Hearing Nicole¡¯s words, Lulu understood and teased her,¡± As expected, you and your husband are in sync, guessing what¡¯s happening so quickly.¡± Nicole couldn¡¯t help but roll her eyes at Lulu and chided, ¡°Go get busy.¡± ¡°Hehe, you¡¯re blushing,¡± Lulu chuckled. ¡°Alright, I¡¯m off to work. Won¡¯t disturb your sweet moment here.¡± Watching Lulu dash off, Nicole shook her head with a mixture ofughter and tears. She flipped through the files on her desk, quickly immersing herself in work. After Lulu left, she got serious in a second. ncing at her secretary, Lulu instructed, ¡°Keep an eye on the news from the court.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± the secretary responded. Lulu quickly returned to her office and dove into her work. Waiting for the trial to end, Lulu visited Nicole¡¯s office again. ¡°It¡¯s decided,¡± Lulu announced as she entered, sounding relieved. ¡®This bastard should have been arrested long ago. If he hadn¡¯t been left until now, he wouldn¡¯t have had the chance to harm others.¡¯ ¡°Mhm,¡± Nicole nodded calmly, unsurprised by the oue. ¡°Are you heading back to the old house after work?¡± Lulu asked in a hushed tone. After a moment¡¯s hesitation, Nicole replied, ¡°1¡¯11 go back.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll call June, and we can all go back together,¡± Lulu suggested. ¡°Sounds good,¡± Nicole agreed. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll tell her,¡± said Lulu, and she notified June. Dinner time at the Riddle family manor. With everyone present, the mansion didn¡¯t feel as empty. ¡°We brought you some tea,¡± Lulu and June said to Benjamin as they entered, cing two elegantly wrapped bags on the coffee table. Benjamin nced at the two and said, ¡°It¡¯s good you¡¯re both back. I don¡¯t need anything here.¡± ¡°But this isn¡¯t about what you need. It¡¯s our way of showing our respect and love for you,¡± Lulu said with a smile. Benjamin chuckled heartily at her words. ¡°Wow, Dad, you¡¯re really blessed,¡± Karen chimed in, seizing the opportunity topliment. ¡°Mhm, yes, blessed indeed,¡± Benjamin agreed, then turned to Nicole and Jared, ¡°Everything sorted out?¡± All content is ? N0velDrama.Org. Nicole understood he was asking about the day¡¯s events and nodded, ¡°Yes, Grandpa, don¡¯t worry.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good to hear,¡± Benjamin responded with a nod. The court trial itself was a minor issue, but the news of someone trying to abduct Damien was a serious matter. Its resolution brought relief to everyone. ¡°Benjamin, no one involved can escape,¡± Jared said, his gaze intense and reassuring. A look of satisfaction shed in Benjamin¡¯s eyes, trusting in Jared and Nicole¡¯s ability to handle the situation. ¡°Dad, everyone¡¯s here, and dinner is ready. Shall we eat?¡± Dillon suggested. Chapter 2934 Chapter 2934 ¡°Alright, let¡¯s eat,¡± Benjamin announced, standing up first. Everyone followed suit, heading to the dining room. ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. Once seated, a joyful dinner unfolded, with the whole family enjoying the meal together. Amidst theughter and lively chatter, what should have been a somber moment felt lighter, thanks to everyone¡¯s presence. Benjamin¡¯s mood was surprisingly upbeat. After dinner, when the house quieted down, Alfred helped Benjamin upstairs. ¡°Sir, take it easy,¡± he cautioned. ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± Benjamin sighed contentedly. ¡°How wonderful it is to see the children all grown up.¡± ¡°Sir, from now on, just enjoy your time with your family,¡± Alfred said with a smile. ¡°Yes, I don¡¯t need to worry about anything anymore. Everything has reached its inevitable conclusion,¡± Benjamin reflected. Meanwhile, on the way home, Jared and Nicole leaned back in their seats, gently holding hands. ¡°You arranged all of this, didn¡¯t you?¡± Nicole¡¯s voice was soft but certain. ¡°It was just a guess, so I had Max take care of it,¡± Jared replied calmly. ¡°I knew it,¡± Nicole looked at him reproachfully. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me earlier?¡± Jared smiled, gently squeezing her hand. ¡°I wasn¡¯tpletely sure before.¡± He had suspected Scorpio would have no other choice but to act rashly, so he hadn¡¯t informed Nicole to avoid involving her in any unexpected situations. ¡°So, what¡¯s your n now?¡± Nicole asked, not really pressing for an answer but curious about his thoughts. ¡°Scorpio might be desperate, which gives us an opportunity,¡± Jared said, his eyes darkening slightly. Nicole¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°You mean, he might go directly to Water Crest?¡± ¡°If Damien had information rted to Water Crest, Scorpio would assume we could get it too. So, he might take a gamble,¡± Jared analyzed calmly. Nicole agreed, ¡°He probably wants to strike first.¡± If Scorpio suspected they could get clues to Water Crest, he wouldn¡¯t sit still. Likely, Scorpio was thinking of reaching out to Lawrence for a coboration. Meanwhile, in Lawrence¡¯s mansion, a sudden visitor appeared. Lawrence said tly, ¡°You¡¯ve got some nerve showing up here.¡± ¡°What choice do I have?¡± Scorpio replied casually, settling himself on the couch as if he were in his own home. Lawrence nced at Scorpio and got straight to the point,¡± What do you want?¡± ¡°You already know what¡¯s going on,¡± Scorpio said, cutting to the chase. ¡°I couldn¡¯t get the information Damien had, so I had toe to you.¡± ¡°And why would you think I¡¯d help you?¡± Lawrence raised an eyebrow. Scorpio smirked, ¡°Because you can¡¯t ess it, but I can.¡± ¡°If she can¡¯t open it, then no one in this world can,¡± Lawrence said confidently, his eyes fixed on Scorpio. He was certain only Nicole could unlock it, not just anyone. ¡°She¡¯s smart, sure, but how can you be so sure she hasn¡¯t figured something out? Maybe she¡¯s keeping Water Crest for herself,¡± Scorpio said, clearly annoyed. Trust in Nicole was one thing, but Scorpio knew Nicole was not easily deceived. ¡°Everyone wants it, but who has the capability? Even if I gave it to you, it would be just a useless piece of metal,¡± Lawrence stood firm, leaving no room for negotiation. He had thought through every possible solution, but in the end, the only way was to use Nicole¡¯s skills to unlock Water Crest. Chapter 2935 Chapter 2935 Lawrence was convinced that no matter who else he tried to find or what other ns he came up with, things wouldn¡¯t work out. Scorpio¡¯s face had turned sour, his words sharpening. ¡°So what you¡¯re saying is, you¡¯d rather let that woman have it than us?¡± he asked, visibly upset. ¡°Let the best person win. After all, that¡¯s the rule with the Five Badges,¡± Lawrence shrugged, a nonchnt air about him. ¡®As long as I have it, I¡¯ll do what I want with it.¡¯ He knew he needed the Water Crest, and that Nicole was his only chance. ¡®Who else could pull it off?¡¯ Besides, he thought, ¡®It¡¯s safer with me. How could I be at ease if it¡¯s in someone else¡¯s hands?¡¯ ¡°Fine, then guard your Water Crest well,¡± Lawrence said, standing up with a hint of threat in his voice. Not backing down, Lawrence gave Scorpio a cold, challenging look. ¡°You can try,¡± he said defiantly. Their meeting ended without agreement. Scorpio red at Lawrence before storming off. Watching Scorpio leave, Lawrence¡¯s eyes narrowed, his gaze darkening. ¡®He came to test the waters, but he¡¯s clearly desperate. He might make a reckless move.¡¯ Suddenly getting up, Lawrence headed upstairs. ¡¯I can¡¯t wait any longer for the Water Crest. I need to get it now.¡¯ After entering his study and turning on hisputer, Lawrence, under a pseudonym, messaged Nn, urging him to crack the game soon for an early release. Still concerned, he sent another message to Nn under his real identity, filled with friendly words but also subtly reminding him that he could help with any issues. This way, Lawrence could stay updated on the game¡¯s progress through Nn. The next day dawned bright and sunny. At breakfast, his family gathered in the dining room. Owned by N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Mummy, why did you and Daddye home sotest night? Is Great Grandpa okay?¡± Lana asked, looking up with curious eyes. ¡°Great Grandpa¡¯s fine. We just stayedte chatting with your uncles and aunts,¡± Nicole exined. They had indeede homete, finding Nn and Lana already asleep. ¡°Mummy, I got a message on myputer. They¡¯re rushing me,¡± Nn looked toward Nicole. ¡°When?¡± Nicole asked, understanding he was talking about the game. ¡°This morning, but I think it was sentst night. And Godfather messaged me too,¡± Nn added hesitantly. ¡°What did he say?¡± Nicole¡¯s expression grew serious. ¡°Just that he¡¯s been busy with work and hasn¡¯t contacted me in a while. He asked about how I¡¯ve been and said I coulde to him for help with anything,¡± Nn replied. Nicole nodded, understanding Lawrence was probing Nn for information. She gently tousled Nn¡¯s hair. ¡°Let¡¯s try tonight,¡± she said softly. ¡°Okay,¡± Nn agreed. After breakfast, Tia took Nn and Lana to school, and Stanley went with them. Nicole was about to leave when Daniel stopped her. ¡°What were you and Nn talking about?¡± He sensed something serious in their conversation. ¡°It¡¯s nothing, Dad. Nn was just ying a beta version of a game, and the developers are waiting for his feedback,¡± Nicole replied with a smile. She could tell Daniel was suspicious and tried to hide her emotions, not wanting to worry him. ¡°Is that all?¡± Daniel still seemed unconvinced. Chapter 2936 Chapter 2936 ¡°Yeah, he¡¯ll be giving them feedback tonight,¡± Nicole said with a smile. Daniel nced at Nicole, ¡°Good, then let¡¯s wrap it up quickly. r? ¡°Okay, well head out first then,¡± Nicole replied, standing up to leave with Jared. Gloria, curious, asked Daniel, ¡°You usually don¡¯t ask so many details about the kids. What¡¯s up today?¡± Daniel shook his head, ¡°Nothing much. Just felt like Nicole was a bit off. Maybe I¡¯m overthinking.¡± ¡®It¡¯s just feedback for a game beta test. A simple reply should do. No big deal,¡¯ he thought. Gloria reassured, ¡°Nicole¡¯s got it under control, especially when it¡¯s about Nn. She wouldn¡¯t take it lightly.¡± Daniel found Gloria¡¯s words reasonable and didn¡¯t dwell on it any longer. Nicole and Jared left the house and got into the car. Leaning back in her seat, Nicole sighed, ¡¯It all has toe to an end eventually.¡¯ Jared gently squeezed her hand, as if tofort her. Nicole looked at Jared, a small smile on her lips, and shook her head to indicate she was fine. Tve come to terms with a lot over time. If this is the inevitable oue, I have to ept it,¡¯ she thought. Arriving at Riddle Corporation, Nicole bid Jared farewell and got out of the car. Jared watched her go, feeling sad for her. Owned by N?velDrama.Org. ¡®Even with all her mental preparation, some things are bound to disappoint her,¡¯ he thought. Inside thepany, Lulu greeted her, ¡°Nicole.¡± Nicole looked at Lulu and asked softly, ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± ¡°There¡¯s something in your office,¡± Lulu hinted, nodding toward the door. Nicole frowned slightly, ¡°What¡¯s wrong in there?¡± ¡°Er¡¯s here, and he seems upset,¡± Lulu whispered. Nicole¡¯s eyes shed. ¡®Probably because he¡¯s got no news of Patricia.¡¯ Nodding, Nicole entered her office. Lulu hesitated for a moment before deciding not to follow. Er had been there since early morning, looking distraught. Nicole knew it was about him and Patricia, but it wasn¡¯t her ce to get involved. As soon as Nicole entered, Er stood up to greet her,¡± Nicole.¡± ¡°You¡¯re here early. What¡¯s up?¡± Nicole asked him, her look meaningful. ¡°I came to ask about Patricia,¡± Er said directly. ¡°Patricia?¡± Nicole was puzzled, ¡°I thought you were done worrying about her?¡± ¡®Just the other day he was wishing Patricia and Charlie well. Now he¡¯s concerned again,¡¯ she thought. ¡°I¡­,¡± Er hesitated, then said determinedly, ¡°I might not care, but I need to know she¡¯s alright.¡± He¡¯d been out of touch with Patricia recently, couldn¡¯t reach her or even know where she was. The more he thought about it, the more worried he became, so he turned to Nicole for help. ¡°She¡¯s fine, you don¡¯t need to worry,¡± Nicole replied, choosing her words carefully Chapter 2937 Chapter 2937 Frowning, Er said, ¡°Nicole, I¡¯ve always listened to you since we were kids. I can tell when something¡¯s bothering you.¡± He had always paid close attention to Nicole, understanding her better than anyone else. At this point, Nicole simply mentioned that Patricia was fine, which to Er signaled that Patricia might actually be in trouble. He guessed that something had happened, which was why Patricia had disappeared without a trace. Nicole sighed and tried to reassure him, ¡°Patricia¡¯s okay. She just doesn¡¯t want to be seen right now. I have to respect her choice.¡± ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. ¡°But how can she be okay?¡± Er wondered aloud, confused. ¡°I heard about the hospital incident. Those people were caught, but Patricia vanished right after!¡± He hadn¡¯t been able to find Patricia since, so he couldn¡¯t believe she was really fine. Nicole gave him a look, ¡°She really is okay.¡± Er felt a lump in his throat and pleaded, ¡°Please, Nicole, just tell me.¡± His suspicions grew stronger. ¡®If everything was fine, why she needs to hide? Sure, Patricia might have met someone special, but that doesn¡¯t mean we can¡¯t stay friends. Why is she dodging mepletely, not even responding to my messages?¡¯ Nicole patted Er¡¯s shoulder, ¡°Go home. Since you and Patricia aren¡¯t connected anymore, those who need to worry about her will.¡± Er stopped in his tracks, a new thought striking him.¡¯ Could it be that it¡¯s not Patricia who¡¯s avoiding me, but Charlie who¡¯s stopping her from getting in touch?¡¯ After a moment of silence, Er stood up, ¡°I understand. I¡¯ll go now.¡± Nicole watched him leave, his dejected figure making her frown, but she said nothing more. Just then, her phone rang. She nced at it and answered,¡± Martin, you have news? Alright, I¡¯ll bring her to see you after work.¡± After hanging up, Nicole looked at the recently closed office door and sighed silently. She couldn¡¯t tell Er about Patricia¡¯s situation as she understood Patricia¡¯s feelings. Thest person Patricia would want to see now was probably Er. Regardless, the current situation was Patricia¡¯s choice, and Nicole felt she should respect that. As for Er, if Patricia was adamant, then there was nothing to be done. Thankfully, Martin had some news, which might help Patricia. Taking a deep breath, Nicole texted Patricia to meet her at Martin¡¯s ce after work. As the workday finally ended, Nicole and Lulu left Riddle Corporation together. The driver brought the car around. Once in the car, Lulu asked, ¡°Patricia wille, won¡¯t she?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Nicole nodded. ¡°I hope Martin¡¯s solution works, and Patricia¡¯s face heals soon,¡± Lulu sighed. When they arrived at Martin¡¯sb, Patricia was already there. Martin looked at them and said, ¡°Let¡¯s sit down and talk.¡± ¡°Is there a good treatment n?¡± Lulu asked eagerly as they sat. Patricia looked nervous, and Nicole gently patted her hand tofort her. Biting her lip slightly, Patricia looked at Nicole and nodded,¡± No matter the result, I¡¯ll cooperate with the treatment.¡± She was prepared to try, even if the oue wasn¡¯t ideal. Chapter 2938 Chapter 2938 Patricia thought, Besides, with so many people caring for me and by my side, I won¡¯t feel any regrets.¡¯ After Martin shared his tentative treatment n, there was a mix of hope and concern in the room. Lulu looked sympathetically at Patricia, who was biting her lip, trying to muster courage. ¡°I¡¯m willing to try,¡± Patricia said, her voice firm despite her evident apprehension. Martin, although not entirely confident, was optimistic. ¡°This treatmentbines the best ideas Nicole and I could think of. It¡¯s not a guarantee, but it¡¯s the best shot we have,¡± he exined, handing Patricia a bottle of medicine along with detailed instructions and precautions. Patricia nodded, taking the medicine and agreeing to return in a week for a follow-up. She thanked Martin, who assured her that both he and Nicole weremitted to helping her. As they wrapped up, Cindy suggested they all have dinner together. Nicole agreed, offering to treat everyone as a thank you for their support. Cindy yfully insisted on paying instead, seeing it as an opportunity to rx after a sessful meeting. As they were about to leave, everyone stopped in their tracks at the sight of Er at the door. Lulu, surprised, called out his name. Er, looking visibly distressed, had eyes only for Patricia¡ª or more specifically, her face. His expression was one of heartache, and he seemed weighed down by worry. All content is ? N0velDrama.Org. Patricia, taken aback by his presence, quickly covered her face with a bandage and hid behind Nicole, her hands trembling. She was overwhelmed, not expecting Er to be there, and especially not for him to see her in her current state. Er, desperate for answers, approached Patricia. ¡°What happened to you, Patricia?¡± he asked, his voice filled with concern. Patricia, instinctively stepping back, tried to dismiss his worries. But Er, persistent, was blocked by Nicole. ¡°Er, give her some time and space,¡± Nicole said gently, sensing the tension andplexity of the situation. Er, realizing his abruptness, apologized and calmed down. He had braced himself for bad news about Patricia, but seeing her like this was still a shock. He wondered how she had been coping and felt a deep sense of concern for her. Trying to stayposed, he asked, ¡°Is this injury from that hospital incident?¡± Chapter 2939 Chapter 2939 Er realized, ¡®That exins it. Since the hospital incident, she¡¯s been out of sight. She¡¯s been hiding because of her injury.¡¯ Patricia stayed silent, deliberately avoiding Eliar¡¯s eyes. Her only wish was to vanish from there. Lulu, slightly taken aback, questioned, ¡°How did you find us, Er? Were you following us?¡± It seemed impossible for Er to know they were meeting Martin or about Patricia¡¯s injury unless he had followed them. Lulu understood how Patricia must be feeling ¨C no matter how bravely she faced her scars, she wouldn¡¯t want Er to see them. Er, caught off guard, admitted, ¡°I had a feeling you were hiding something from me. I just needed to know what it was.¡± He had overheard Nicole mentioning a visit to Martin, a renowned medical professor. Desperate and worried, he followed, only to discover Patricia¡¯s injury ¨C the kind any girl would struggle to ept. Nicole, seeing Er¡¯s distress, didn¡¯t reprimand him. ¡°Well, now you know,¡± she said, acknowledging that some secrets were hard to keep. Owned by N?velDrama.Org. Patricia had calmed down, her tone firm yet distant as she faced Er. ¡°My issues aren¡¯t your concern anymore. Please, leave.¡± Her indifferent tone and the way she distanced herself made it clear there was no longer any connection between them. Er, heartbroken by Patricia¡¯s state, bit his lip. Nicole¡¯s words echoed in his mind, reminding him to stay calm for Patricia¡¯s sake. He couldn¡¯t risk causing her more pain. Trying to contain his emotions, Er suggested, ¡°I heard you were going to dinner. I haven¡¯t eaten either. Maybe we could go together?¡± But he was determined not to leave Patricia alone in her time of need. He¡¯d stand by her, encouraging and supporting her, regardless of the future. Patricia, however, declined. ¡°You go ahead, Ms. Riddle. I¡¯ll pass,¡± she said, her voice strained from the effort to remainposed. She feared she couldn¡¯t control her emotions if she joined them for dinner. Er, instinctively reaching out to Patricia, offered apromise, ¡°Then I¡¯ll leave, and you stay.¡± With that, Er left, leaving everyone a bit surprised by his sudden departure. Nicole noticed a change in Er ¨C he seemed to have been mature a lot suddenly. Indeed, giving Patricia space was probably the best way to help her now. ¡°We should get going,¡± Nicole said, not holding Er back. They still needed to thank Martin and Cindy for their efforts in helping with the situation. The treatment and nning werergely thanks to them, and they would continue to need their support in the future. Cindy promptly agreed, and the group headed out, deliberately not discussing Er¡¯s unexpected appearance. Chapter 2940 Chapter 2940 After getting into the car, Patricia leaned back in her seat and stared out the window, her expression lonely and lost in thought. Lulu nudged Nicole and nodded toward Patricia, asking softly, ¡°Is she okay?¡± ¡°She¡¯ll sort herself out,¡± Nicole replied. Whether something was wrong or not wasn¡¯t always obvious, but ultimately, it was up to Patricia to confront it. As the cars started and headed toward the restaurant, Nicole frowned and nced in the rearview mirror, noticing Er¡¯s car following them. ¡®He¡¯s really devoted,¡¯ she thought, a bit of resignation in her tone. At the restaurant, the group entered to have dinner. Er, showing some restraint, didn¡¯t make an appearance. Waiting outside the restaurant, Er looked in, his heart aching for Patricia. Although she didn¡¯t deliberately hide her injury, the conspicuous bandage on her face drew sympathetic nces from others. Patricia remainedposed, but Er could still tell she was deliberately keeping her head down, likely self- conscious about the stares. ¡®I need to talk to Martin to understand Patricia¡¯s condition and the treatment options,¡¯ Er thought, determined to find out more. Inside the restaurant, the atmosphere among the diners quickly warmed up. They deliberately avoided mentioning Er and Patricia¡¯s injury. Lulu shared some amusing stories, helping shift everyone¡¯s focus.? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. Patricia was touched by their efforts to care for her feelings. Despite her mixed emotions, she knew she had to stay optimistic, surrounded by so many who cared and looked after her. After dinner, the group left the restaurant and went their separate ways. Nicole noticed Er¡¯s car didn¡¯t follow them anymore; instead, it trailed Martin¡¯s car. ¡®He must be going to ask Martin,¡¯ she realized. When Nicole dropped Patricia off at her apartment, she reminded her, ¡°He knows now. You don¡¯t have to block his calls anymore.¡± Patricia paused, then nodded slightly before heading into the building. Nicole understood that if Patricia hadn¡¯t been blocking Er, he wouldn¡¯t have lost contact with her and wouldn¡¯t have been pushed to inquire about her. As they drove off, Lulu, perplexed, asked Nicole, ¡°Why can¡¯t they be together when they obviously care so much about each other?¡± ¡°Patricia has her concerns,¡± Nicole said, feeling a bit sympathetic toward them. Lulu argued, ¡°Er seems decent and clearly loves her deeply. He was worried about her today and didn¡¯t react negatively to her injury. Someone less caring would have just walked away.¡± ¡°Let them work it out themselves,¡± Nicole sighed. Lulu agreed, acknowledging that it wasn¡¯t their ce to interfere. Such matters of the heart were for Patricia and Er to resolve. The car slowly left the area, and Patricia returned to her empty apartment, feeling a sense of emptiness. Images of Er and his sudden appearance at Martin¡¯sb kept reying in her mind. Chapter 2941 Chapter 2941 Patricia let out a sigh, her thoughts drifting back to Er¡¯s intense gaze. It was so powerful that it left her speechless, her mind a nk canvas. Er¡¯s eyes showed only concern and empathy, no hint of disgust or dislike. Meanwhile, Nicole had just returned to the Riddle residence after dropping off Lulu. She was greeted in the living room by her daughter Lana, who was watching TV. ¡°Mommy,¡± Lana called out excitedly and ran over to her. Nicole yfully messed up Lana¡¯s hair and asked, ¡°Where¡¯s Daddy and Nn?¡± ¡°In their room,¡± answered Lana. Gloria, sitting nearby, smiled and added softly, ¡°Lana wanted to wait up for you, so we watched some TV together.¡± Nicole, hugging Lana, suggested, ¡°It¡¯ste, sweetie. Time for bed.¡± She then helped Gloria to her feet, who agreed, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Upstairs, Gloria headed to her own room while Nicole carried Lana to Nn¡¯s room. Inside, they found Jared and Nn deeply focused on theputer. ¡¯ Mommy,¡± Nn looked up as Nicole walked in. ¡°You¡¯re finally back.¡± Owned by N?velDrama.Org. Nicole approached Jared and Nn, patting Nn¡¯s head. ¡° Stuck on a tough problem?¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay, but we need you now,¡± Nn implied they were at a standstill without her. Nicole set Lana down, exchanged a nce with Jared, and took charge. ¡°I¡¯ve got this.¡± Jared, picking up Lana, said, ¡°Okay, you guys handle it,¡± and took her to another room. Back at theputer, Nicole and Nn got to work. Nicole pulled out a memory card, connected it to theputer, and began embedding a program into the game software. ¡°All set,¡± announced Nicole, ready to dive into the game with full focus. This was more than just a gaming session. It was a strategic move. Nicole knew that once Lawrence got his hands on this program, he would start working on the Water Crest for real. The program prepared by Preston and the others? It was time to test its effectiveness. Please let this work,¡¯ Nicole thought, crossing her fingers for sess. Nicole pressed the ¡®enter¡¯ key and exhaled in relief. Now it was just a waiting game until the results came in. She could then see if her hunches were right. Meanwhile, Lawrence, who had been practically glued to his screen, finally got the message. A hint of suspicion flickered in his eyes as he sneakily swapped out the game program, sending a new one. He was convinced he¡¯d covered his tracks perfectly, totally unaware that anyone was onto his little scheme. Little did he know, the moment he got that message, a sneaky little program had already wormed its way into his system. ¡°Mr. Royce, do you think this¡¯ll do the trick?¡± Ian asked. ¡°It better,¡± Lawrence responded, still banking on Nicole¡¯s smarts. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s give it a whirl. Unlocking the Water Crest is step one to making your dreame true,¡± Ian put in. Honestly, they could¡¯ve nailed this ages ago if Nicole hadn¡¯t gotten her memory back and reimed the Fire Crest. If only that hadn¡¯t happened, Lawrence would¡¯ve had both the Fire and Water Crests by now. ¡°Yep,¡± Lawrence murmured, giving a quick look at his team of hackers. ¡°It¡¯s all on you guys now.¡± After setting them to work, Lawrence leaned back, crossing his legs and chilling out as he waited to see what would happen. Ian came over, offering a cup of coffee. ¡°Mr. Royce, here¡¯s your coffee Chapter 2942 Chapter 2942 Lawrence was leisurely sipping his coffee, his attention asionally drifting back to theputer screen. The room echoed with the rhythmic tapping of keyboards as the hackers intensely focused on their task. Ian, with a hint of anxiety in his voice, broke the silence. "Mr. Royce, why is this taking so long?" He couldn''t help but wonder, ''Is this another dead end? Why does it feel like we¡¯re moving at a snail''s pace?'' "Just hang in there a bit longer," Lawrence replied, a trace of impatience creeping into his tone. Internally, Lawrence was growing anxious too. ''Why no progress yet? We''ve got everything we need,'' he thought, puzzled. Suddenly, a hacker let out a confused grunt. "What''s the issue?" Lawrence asked sharply, his gaze sweeping across the room. One hacker, looking totally bewildered, said, "It''s like the program has been hacked, yet it hasn''t. I''ve never seen anything like this." Ian, perplexed, asked, "What does that even mean? It''s either hacked or it''s not. What''s with this uncertainty?" "We did everything by the book, following Mr. Royce''s data and pattern. But there''s no response, and it''s not freezing either. It''s just... bizarre," the hacker tried to exin. "So, no reaction at all?" Ian responded, frustration mounting. "Looks like we''ve hit a dead end again!" "If it had failed, it should''ve frozen, but that hasn''t happened, " the hackers were equally baffled. Ian urged them, "Then keep digging. Where did we go wrong? rv The hackers resumed their work, only to report back, disappointed, "Still no luck." Ian murmured to himself, "What''s going wrong here?" A hacker, shaking his head, said, "In all my years, I''ve never encountered something like this." Ian, looking increasingly worried, turned to Lawrence. "Mr. Royce, do you think there''s a problem somewhere else?" Lawrence, understanding Ian''s implication about Nn and Nicole, replied with a shake of his head, "I don''t think so." He hadn''t noticed anything unusual, and Nn had already finished the game. If there were any issues, they wouldn¡¯t have cleared it. Ian was visibly troubled as he mused, "But where exactly did it go wrong?" Considering that Nn wasn''t the issue, the hackers aiding them shouldn''t have faced any problems either. Suddenly, Ian lowered his voice, "Could there be someone else involved...?" T¨ºxt ? N?velDrama.Org. Lawrence had a hunch they might be targeted by an unknown adversary. The name Scorpio shed in his mind. But does Scorpio really have that kind of ability?'' Lawrence silently questioned himself. After a bit of thinking, he dismissed the idea, "It shouldn''t be Scorpio." He knew if Scorpio had the capability, they wouldn¡¯t have sought his help with the Water Crest. Scorpio still needed him. "What''s really going on here?" Ian was thoroughly perplexed. Lawrence, deep in thought and staring at theputer screen, abruptly ordered, "Exit the program, now!" The hackers, confused but obedient, quickly followed themand. Ian, in a concerned whisper, asked, "Mr. Royce, what''s wrong?" He tried to figure out the problem. ''Which part went wrong?'' Lawrence, still focused on the screen, suddenly burst into a bitterugh, "Hahaha... well yed, Nicole!" He had thought his n was wless, but it seemed Nicole had outsmarted him. Ian waspletely clueless, "What does this have to do with Nicole?" Chapter 2943 Chapter 2943 Ian was deep in thought. ''We used Nicole''s trick, but she won''t figure that out, will she?'' he wondered. Suddenly, one of the hackers blurted out, "We''ve been duped. " His fingers flew across the keyboard, searching for clues. "Duped?" Ian was still piecing things together, his eyes darting to Lawrence''sputer screen. It slowly started to click for him. Although he didn''t get all the details, he realized they had fallen into Nicole''s trap after connecting Lawrence''s mention of Nicole and the hacker''sment. Ian''s heart skipped a beat. ''So, we thought we were using Nn to outsmart Nicole and unlock the Water Crest, but she was one step ahead the whole time.'' Ian''s voice came out rough, "Then the Water Crest..."Is it gone?" he asked out loud. "Everyone, leave now," Lawrence ordered, his voice icy. "Yes, sir," the hackers responded, quickly packing theirptops and exiting the room. Ian lingered, unsure. He knew staying wouldn''t help, and he didn''t dare face Lawrence yet. He decided to leave and wait for Lawrence to cool off before nning their next step. Once the room was empty, Lawrence stared at the screen, his eyes cold and intense. He picked up the phone and called Scorpio. "We''ve lost the Water Crest," he said calmly, a hint of threat in his voice. Scorpio paused, then replied with a slightugh, "Nicole is quite something, isn''t she?"? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. "Shut up," Lawrence snapped, infuriated by Scorpio''s taunting tone. "What do you want, calling me now?" Scorpio asked, sounding annoyed. Lawrence was silent, a mix of frustration and disbelief swirling within him. On the other end, Scorpio, sensing the quiet, nudged, "Made up your mind, huh?" The silence stretched, but it was clear they both knew what was at stake. "You''re a piece of work," Scorpio muttered before hanging up. Lawrence set down the phone slowly, lost in thought. He thought about the five long years of waiting, the careful ns, and the victories that had slipped away time and again. Both the Fire Crest and the Water Crest had somehow ended up back with Nicole. Meanwhile, Scorpio smirked, "He''s really something. Can''t believe he''s going through with it." "Who are you talking about?" Pisces asked, puzzled. "Just a heartless fool," Scorpio answered, keeping it vague. Pisces knew better than to push. "It''ste. Maybe you should rest." "I''ve got more to do," Scorpio replied, reaching for the phone again. "Alright, I''ll head off then," Pisces said, getting up to leave. Once alone, Scorpio made another call. "Change of ns... The Water Crest is with Nicole... Looks like Lawrence might go after her... Got it." After sharing the info and receiving new orders, he hung up. "Hmph, time for aeback," Scorpio muttered. "Nicole, you''ve been a real pain. Let''s see what''s next." At the Riddle house, the children were asleep, and the house was dark except for Nicole''s room. There, Nicole and Jared sat in front of theputer, their expressions a mix of concern and determination. Chapter 2944 Chapter 2944 "Go ahead and open it," Jared encouraged gently. Nicole bit her lip slightly. "Maybe you should handle this one. She already had the Fire Crest, and while another wouldn''t be too much, she somehow felt the Water Crest might be safer with Jared. Jared looked at her tenderly. "It doesn''t really matter who does it," he reassured her. Then, with a click on the ''enter'' key and a pat on Nicole''s shoulder, he said, "After all, I''m all yours." "Hey..." Nicole watched him walk away, a mix of humor and slight annoyance in her heart. ''He always leaves just like that, '' she mused. "I''m off to shower," Jared shouted over his shoulder, disappearing into the bathroom. Nicole let out a small sigh, her face growing serious as she focused on the task in front of her. By the time Jared was done showering, she had managed to get it done. "It''s open," she informed him as he walked back into the room. Jared, with a gentle smile, asked softly, "Did you im it yet? "Not yet," Nicole admitted, uncertainty in her voice. Jared came closer and gently stroked her hair. "Worried it might not choose you?" "I guess I''ll just give it a shot," Nicole replied, her feelings a bit tangled. It wasn''t fear, more a mix of emotions. Having been through this with the Fire Crest, Nicole found the process familiar and was soon sessful. The special watch chimed again. Everything settled down, and the night grew deep. Nicole scrolled through the congrattory messages, her face calm. "What''s wrong?" Jared asked softly, taking her hand. Nicole shook her head. "Nothing, just some old memories." Jared, understanding her, said, "You''re thinking about what happened when you imed the Fire Crest." "Yeah, that was quite the ordeal," Nicole replied, a small, thoughtful smile on her lips. "Let''s sleep," Jared suggested, gently pulling Nicole down beside him. He wrapped his arms around her softly. Nicole snuggled closer, feeling cozy and quickly drifted off to sleep. Jared watched her sleeping, his gaze deep and thoughtful. Even though everything seemed calm, he knew it was just the surface. Nicole bing the master of the Water ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. Crest had already stirred up the influential families. She''d have more support now, but Jared knew those who coveted the Water Crest wouldn''t back down easily. He softly kissed her forehead, his eyes dark with resolve. TH protect her, no matter what. She won''t be hurt,'' he silently vowed. The next day was bright and sunny. After waking up, everyone headed to the dining room for breakfast. "Sir, your father''s on the phone," the butler announced. "So early?" Daniel looked puzzled but answered, "Dad?" "Nicole is the master of the Water Crest now?" Benjamin''s voice came through, direct and to the point. Daniel, caught off guard, stammered, "The Water Crest?" He nced at Nicole, his mind racing. ''What''s going on? What''s this about another crest?'' He heard the words but couldn''t make sense of them. Chapter 2945 Chapter 2945 Nicole quietly shook her head, impressed by Benjamin''s speed in catching up with thetest news. ''Til handle this," she said, getting up to grab the phone. "Yes, Grandpa, it''s really happening." Benjamin, obviously taken aback, asked, "How did you pull that off?" He had been quite surprised when he first heard about it.1 How on earth did she also get her hands on the Water Crest? '' he thought. ''Was there any buzz about the Water Crest showing up?'' "It was pure luck," Nicole replied, keeping it vague. Initially, it was all an ident. But now, with it in her grasp, there was no going back. "You''ve got to be more cautious now," Benjamin warned. "I get it, Grandpa," Nicole assured him, understanding his concern. She was well aware that the Water Crest was a coveted item and now that it was hers, she had to think about the fallout. After ending the call, Nicole turned to her father, Daniel, who looked bewildered. "Dad, let''s have our breakfast," she suggested. "Okay," Daniel agreed, still a bit distracted. Back at the dining table, Nicole found everyone''s eyes on her. "It was a fluke, but it''s sorted now. No need to worry," she reassured them. Daniel, still in disbelief, cleared his throat and questioned," Just like that, it''s settled?" "Yes, really," Nicole insisted, nodding earnestly to convince him. "But Nicole..." Gloria started, before Stanley cut in. "Mom, Dad, it''s okay. Nicole¡¯s got the Fire Crest. Getting the Water Crest too is no biggie." Gloria looked concerned. ''Getting the Fire Crest was a whole saga. Could this really go off without a hitch?'' Sensing Gloria¡¯s worry, Stanley added, "Don''t stress. Things are different from before." After all, owning the Fire Crest had already boosted Nicole''s reputation among the influential families. Adding the Water Crest would just strengthen her position even more. "Don''t worry, Mom and Dad," Nicole assured Daniel and Gloria. Daniel nodded, "Alright, just be careful.¡± All content is ? N0velDrama.Org. Gloria gave Daniel a look, then chose not to ask anything more. Deep down, they both knew they couldn''t be of much help, so it was best to trust Nicole''s judgment. After breakfast, the house buzzed with the morning routine as everyone prepared to head out for the day. "Time for school, kids," Tia called out. She was ready to take Nn and Lana to kindergarten. Nn and Lana, their backpacks ready, greeted her with beaming smiles. "Hi, Tia!" Stanley stood up. "I''ll walk you out," he offered Tia. After waving their goodbyes, the kids trotted out the door with Tia and Stanley. Gloria watched them go, her face beaming with affection." Have a great day!" Once everyone was gone, Nicole and Jared also headed out. Gloria sighed, trying to hide her worry from Nicole. "What''s done is done. Let''s not worry too much. We need to trust the kids," Daniel tried tofort her. Nobody would turn down the chance to have influence over other influential families. "I get it. But as a mom, I just want my kids to be safe and happy. That''s all that really matters," Gloria said, her worries clear in her voice. Daniel gently patted her hand. "You''re right. But as a Riddle, they have to take on their responsibilities." Chapter 2946 Chapter 2946 The Riddles were far from an average family. Their life was anything but simple, with a family business and the Riddle Corporation to oversee, among countless other responsibilities. T¨ºxt ? N?velDrama.Org. Gloria let out a sigh. "I believe they can handle it." Despite her confidence in her children, Gloria, like any parent, couldn''t help but worry a bit more than necessary. On their way to the Riddle Corporation, Nicole nced at Jared. "Do you think your grandpa knows what''s going on? Should we go back and tell him?" Jared shook his head. "No need. Grandpa already called." "Oh." Nicole was taken aback by Maximillian''s swift reaction. Jared''s face clouded over. ''Grandpa''s call wasn''t just about the Water Crest. He also reminded me to keep Nicole safe. Now that she''s even more in the spotlight, I can''t let her be in any danger.'' As they reached the Riddle Corporation, Nicole caught sight of Lawrence. Her eyes narrowed slightly. ''He''s here.'' As she started to get out of the car, she noticed Jared doing the same. She stopped him. "Don''t worry, I can handle this." Jared frowned, clearly not entirely on board with her decision. "Just trust me, I can deal with this on my own." For Nicole, this was a personal matter with Lawrence, something she needed to sort out herself. Seeing her resolve, Jared finally gave in. "Alright." "Thank you," Nicole said, giving him a smile before stepping out of the car. Jared watched her approach Lawrence, his eyes filled with worry. "Mr. Johnston, should we wait here?" Max asked, his voice tinged with unease. "Let''s go," Jared said, pulling his gaze away. He wanted to give Nicole the space she asked for to deal with Lawrence. He trusted that Lawrence, even if upset, wouldn''t dare to harm her openly, at least not today. Nicole approached Lawrence with a calm smile. "Let''s talk upstairs." "Alright," Lawrence replied, surprisingly calm. They headed to Nicole''s office. Soon, Lulu arrived with two cups of coffee. Nicole noticed Lulu''s worry and reassured her with a gesture. Lulu shook her head, not wanting to leave, but Nicole gently insisted, "I''ll be fine, go ahead with your work." "Okay." Despite her reluctance, Lulu left, looking back a few times. Lawrence watched this andmented with a touch of disdain, "She seems really worried about you." Inside, he thought, ''If I really wanted to do anything, what could she do to stop me?'' Nicole just nced at him briefly. "She''s just worried." Then, she got straight to the point. "I know everything." "From the very start?" Lawrence was caught off guard, thenughed at himself. "And here I was, thinking I hadeverything under control." He realized she knew everything from when Everett was taken. ''No wonder she figured out I was behind the game and its real purpose, and how she turned my n around, making me lose the Water Crest,'' he thought. "I''m not surprised by these events, but I didn''t expect it to be you," Nicole said, her eyes cold as she stared at Lawrence. What really hurt was realizing his betrayal. Their five-year friendship, where they both imed to be inseparable, made the betrayal feel even worse. Chapter 2947 Chapter 2947 Lawrence¡¯s eyes held a touch of genuine sorrow as he said,¡± I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t mean to hurt you, but I had things I needed to do.¡± Nicole¡¯s response was steady and calm, ¡°It¡¯s okay, that¡¯s all behind us now.¡± Their rtionship had changed; it couldn¡¯t return to what it used to be. Shifting the topic, Lawrence asked, ¡°Can I go see Nn and Lana?¡± He didn¡¯t want to dwell on the past anymore. He knew what Nicole¡¯s words implied ¨C their friendship was over. He might not have another chance to see Nn and Lana, so he hoped to see them onest time. Nicole considered this for a moment before answering, ¡°You can see them at their school gate after school. But don¡¯t bother them. And remember, this is thest time.¡± Lawrence felt a wave of sadness, realizing Nicole was setting a final boundary. After a brief pause, he epted, ¡°Okay.¡± Knowing there was nothing more to discuss, Lawrence stood up, ¡°I guess I should get going.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± Nicole gave a light nod. As Lawrence neared the door, he stopped and turned back,¡± If it¡¯s ever possible, would you think about going back to Crescent Ind?¡± ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. He longed for the carefree days they had there, wishing they could have stayed in those moments forever. ¡°I don¡¯t see that happening again. Maybe that ce was never really for me,¡± Nicole replied, her gaze meeting Lawrence¡¯s. He had saved her, offering her a haven at Crescent Ind, but it was all just a strategy for her Fire Crest. Looking back, it all felt kind of silly. She had believed they were friends, but he had never truly seen her in that way. A hint of sadness shed in Lawrence¡¯s eyes. He gave a nod, opened the door, and stepped out. No sooner had Lawrence left than Lulu rushed in, her face etched with worry. ¡°Nicole, are you okay?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Nicole responded, shaking her head dismissively. He was just testing her, and that was all. Lulu settled next to Nicole, her curiosity apparent. ¡°What did he say? He didn¡¯t look mad, but there was something off about him.¡± Nicole knew Lawrence was here about the Water Crest. ¡®Is he ming Nicole?¡¯ Lulu wondered. ¡°He was just digging up old memories and testing my reaction,¡± Nicole said nonchntly with a shrug. ¡°Really? Just that?¡± Lulu seemed surprised. ¡°Yeah,¡± Nicole nodded. That¡¯s all that was left between her and Lawrence now. But Lawrence didn¡¯t look like he wanted to let go of their friendship. ¡®Is that why he¡¯s here, to see where I stand?¡¯ Nicole pondered. Nicole¡¯s eyes narrowed, a hint of suspicion flickering through them. ¡®Is he up to something new?¡¯ Lulu let out a sigh, ¡°This must be hard for you. How did you two even meet?¡± Nicole¡¯s expression shifted slightly, remembering how Lawrence had once saved her. ¡°Forget about it. Just be careful around him,¡± Lulu advised, her concern evident. ¡°Sure.¡± Nicole nodded, thinking to herself, ¡®He came, he left, and even though he didn¡¯t say much, it felt like everything was said¡­¡¯ The sun dipped below the horizon, marking the day¡¯s end. After work, Jared arrived to pick up Nicole. ¡°Let¡¯s get the kids,¡± Nicole suggested as she hopped into the car. ¡°I¡¯ve already spoken to Tia.¡± Jared nced at Nicole, ¡°Is Lawrence going too?¡± Catching Jared¡¯s knowing look, Nicole confirmed, ¡°I told him he can watch from a distance. He won¡¯t bother the kids, and it¡¯s just for today. Chapter 2948 Chapter 2948 Jared held Nicole''s hand firmly, looking ahead, and instructed, "Drive." "Right away, Mr.Johnston," Max replied, igniting the engine. Upon reaching the kindergarten, Nicole greeted Nn and Lana with a wave as they emerged. "Mommy!" Nn and Lana rushed to Nicole, embracing her with joy. Nicole smiled warmly, caressing their heads. "Time to head home," she whispered. As they drove away from the kindergarten, Nicole caught a glimpse of Lawrence in the rearview mirror, her gaze sharpening as their paths diverged. Meanwhile, Lawrence''s face fell as he watched them leave. "Mr.Royce, are we going to let them go just like that?" Ian inquired softly. Lawrence said to Ian, "Drive." Their car veered off in another direction. Lawrence, reclining in his seat, looked even more stern.He made a call to Scorpio. "It''s time to start the operation," Lawrence dered, his voice low and firm. "Pleasure doing business with you," Scorpio responded, his toneced with sarcasm. Lawrence ended the call shortly after. ''Nicole, don''t me me for this.You had your chance and you didn''t take it.Now, I''ll write our ending differently,'' Lawrence mused, resolute in his long-held ns. Back at the Riddle residence, Nicole, Jared, Nn, and Lana were greeted by Gloria. "You''re back! I was wondering if you''d take Nn and Lana out for some fun," Gloria remarked cheerily as they walked in. "I just had some free time today, so I decided to pick them up," Nicole said, rxing on the couch with Nn and Lana. Jared came in, nodding at Daniel and Gloria. "Hey, Daniel, Gloria," he said. He then turned to the kids, "Why don''t you guys take your school bags upstairs?" "Okay," Nn and Lana said together, scampering upstairs. Once the kids were gone, Nicole faced Daniel and Gloria." Mom, Dad, our driver had some family stuff to deal with, so I gave him time off.I''ve got a new driver lined up for you." Gloria seemed confused. "Really? The butler didn''t say anything." Nicole gave a small smile. "I sorted it out quickly, so he didn''t have a chance to mention it.It''s no big deal." "Alright, understood," Gloria replied. Nicole''s smile grew a bit, feeling somewhat relieved. All content is ? N0velDrama.Org. ''The new driver''s actually a bodyguard.Can''t be too careful,'' she thought. She couldn''t guess what Lawrence would do next, but his unnerving calmness today, almost like a farewell, put her on alert. Tve got to keep everyone here safe,'' Nicole thought to herself. While they were chatting, the butler entered. "Sir, Ma''am, dinner''s ready." Nicole looked up. "Where''s Stanley?" Chapter 2949 Chapter 2949 Nicole nced around, missing Stanley¡¯s presence. "Isn''t Stanleying back for dinner?" she wondered aloud. "He''s in the backyard and said he won''t be joining us," replied the butler. Realizing Stanley was probably with Tia, Nicole helped Gloria stand up, saying, "Well then, let''s eat." Daniel and Jared got up, and they all made their way to the dining room. With a bit of teasing in her voice, Nicole remarked, "Seems like Stanley and Tia can''t get enough of each other, huh?" Gloria, holding Nicole''s hand, smiled warmly. "Yes, it''s heartwarming to see them like that." "They''ll be just fine," Nicole agreed with a nod. Then Gloria, giving Nicole a knowing look, said, "I know you''re swamped with work, but don''t forget about your own life too." Nicole blushed a little at the hint. "We know.We''re pretty much ready, just waiting for the right moment." In truth, Nicole and Jared had everything set for their wedding, but the timing wasn''t right yet, so they''d put it off. Gloria advised, "I understand, just handle it in your way." She didn''t know all the details of their busy lives but understood they had a lot to juggle. And she knew nning a wedding like Nicole and Jared''s, with all its arrangements and guests, wasn''t a small feat. "Let''s eat, Mom," Nicole said as they sat down for dinner. Gloria smiled and agreed, "Okay." After dinner, everyone headed upstairs. Nicole and Jared quietly stepped into Nn''s room. Owned by N?velDrama.Org. Nn was engrossed in something on hisputer. Nicole peeked over and realized he was working hard, so she decided it was best not to interrupt him. Nicole knew, even though Nn never mentioned it, he was fully aware of Lawrence''s actions. The betrayal by Lawrence, who had always been good to Nn, must have cut deep.1 He''s struggling with this change,'' she thought, knowing it wasn''t easy for a kid like him. Lana, looking up from her book, said with a hint of pride," Mommy, Nn''s been working really hard for the young hackers''petition. I bet he''s going to win!" Nicole smiled warmly. "We''re all rooting for him," she replied. She looked at Nn again, her heart swelling with pride. Despite his pain, Nn was channeling it into something positive. She understood Nn was hurting but was using this as motivation. This reassured her somewhat. When Nicole voiced her belief in him, Nn turned to her and asked, "Do you really think I can do it, Mommy?" "Absolutely," Nicole said, walking over to ruffle his hair affectionately. "You''re young, Nn. Don''t worry about the heavy stuff. Just focus on what you love." Nn blinked, not fully understanding, but he nodded." Mommy, I know you and Daddy love me more than anything. It He felt secure under the care of his parents. ''One day, it''ll be my turn to protect them,'' he thought. Nicole''s eyes filled with tender love. "We''re here for you, always. If you need anything, just ask." Nn nodded, his attention returning to theputer. He was disappointed in Lawrence and couldn''t understand why he had been manipted. But he trusted Nicole''s judgment implicitly. If she said Lawrence was wrong, then he believed her. Nn resolved to stand by Nicole, not Lawrence who had broken his trust. Chapter 2950 Chapter 2950 Nn remembered what Nicole had said: "If Lawrence needs help, he should just ask us." He wished Lawrence had asked because he would''ve been d to help. But Lawrence chose not to, maybe because whatever he was doing wasn''t good for them, and that''s why he didn''t tell them. Thinking about it made Nn feel weak. He wished he was stronger so Lawrence wouldn''t have manipted him. ''I need to work hard to reach my goal,¡¯ Nn decided. Nicole smiled a bit and nodded at Jared. "Let''s leave him alone," Jared said quietly. They agreed to support Nn, feeling both sad and proud of his determination. The house was quiet, everyone else was asleep. Owned by N?velDrama.Org. Nicole and Jared went back to their room. Nicole rubbed her temples, feeling a headacheing on. Jared then gently started massaging her head. "You seem tired," Jared said, worried. "I''m okay, just had a busy day," Nicole replied, shaking her head slightly. After a bit, Nicole patted his hand. "I feel better now." Stopping the massage, Jared suggested softly, "If you''re tired, we should rest." "Yeah," Nicole agreed quietly, following Jared to bed. "Don''t worry too much. I have someone watching Scorpio," Jared reassured Nicole. Nicole looked surprised. "You sent someone?" "It''s Pisces," Jared revealed. Nicole was shocked. "How did Pisces contact Scorpio? And why would Scorpio trust him?" After what had happened, she thought Scorpio wouldn''t trust Pisces anymore. "Pisces rescued Scorpio after he ran away," Jared exined. Also, Pisces hadn''t been deeply involved in Scorpio''s main ns before, so Scorpio probably didn''t suspect him. And there weren''t many trustworthy people around, Scorpio had no choice but to rely on Pisces. Nicole nodded, her expression turning serious. "Tell Pisces to be cautious." Even though Scorpio trusted him for now, it might only be because he had no other options. Pisces shouldn''t rush things, or he might get caught too soon. "Sure, Max will take care of it," Jared said, gently smoothing Nicole''s hair. "Let''s get some sleep." Shey down, gave him a small smile, then nestled into his arms and closed her eyes, feeling content. Watching her, Jared felt affectionate. He kissed her forehead before drifting off to sleep. Outside, the night was dark, the moon hiding behind clouds. In an apartment, one unit still had its lights on. "Scorpio, here are the people you wanted," Pisces announced as he walked into the room, followed by a few others. Scorpio nced around, looking dissatisfied. "Is this everyone?" Chapter 2951 Chapter 2951 "Considering what you asked for, these are the folks I managed to find.You seemed in a rush.If not, I might''ve found more," Pisces exined, looking a bit helpless. "Alright," Scorpio hesitated, then added, "Leave the room.They''ll stay." "Sure thing," Pisces responded. "If you need anything, just let me know." Once Pisces left, Scorpio checked out the people Pisces brought in. "Were all of you previously bodyguards?" "Yes," they answered together. "And before that?" Scorpio inquired. "Some worked as mercenaries," came the reply. Scorpio looked satisfied. Though fewer than he expected, their skills seemed sufficient for the task. "I''ve got a job for you. Get it done, and this is what you''ll get, " Scorpio said, nodding toward a briefcase on the coffee table. "We''re in," they agreed, then inquired, "What''s the job?" "I need you to... handle someone for me," Scorpio replied cryptically. Silence settled in the room after Scorpio spoke. "What, you nervous?" Scorpio frowned. "We''ll take half the payment upfront. Once the job''s done, we''ll collect the rest. If we mess up, we won''t get you involved," one of them proposed. Scorpio raised an eyebrow, then after a moment of silence, agreed, "Fine." Without further discussion, they took half the money from the briefcase and departed. Scorpio''s expression darkened slightly, and he let out a disdainful snort. ''It seems they''re my only choice now that I''ve lost my men and can''t get reinforcements into this country,'' he thought.'' If only Lawrence would use his secret forces, I wouldn''t be in this fix. Let''s wait and see how they do. If they seed, money won¡¯t be an issue. But then again, Lawrence is cunning. I should not let my guard down." The following morning, the sun rose, casting its bright rays across the sky. Nicole arrived at the Riddle Corporation at her usual time. Owned by N?velDrama.Org. Lulu came over, holding a stack of files. "I was just heading to your office." Looking at the stack of files, Nicole sighed, "So many again?" "Yeah, it''s all because of you. You''re not just the Master of the Fire Crest anymore; now, you''re also the master of the Water Crest. Those big-shot families want to work with us because of you," Lulu exined, shrugging. Nicole couldn''t help but give Lulu a look. "Are you being sarcastic?" "Hehe, no, not at all," Lulu chuckled and followed Nicole into her office. Once the files were set down, Lulu turned serious. "But on a serious note, our workload is increasing. Shouldn''t we think about hiring more staff for this department?" "I''ll consider it," Nicole responded. The workload had significantly increased, but she hesitated to bring in new people now. She needed to observe the situation a bit longer. "You shouldn''t handle everything alone. You can share the load with us," Steve''s voice echoed as he and Sean entered the office one after the other. "Hey, guys," Nicole greeted them with a smile. Approaching Nicole''s desk, Sean spoke seriously, "I get your concerns. If you''re worried, we can hold off on the hiring n for now. I''ll send over two people from my department." "I''ll do the same. I''ll instruct the secretary department when I get back to my office," Steve added. "Thank you, guys.I really appreciate it," Nicole expressed her gratitude. Steve shook his head, teasingly scolding, "Cut the formalities.We''re practically family." Chapter 2952 Chapter 2952 "Lulu, when those helpers arrive, can you please get everything organized?" Nicole instructed Lulu. "Sure thing," Lulu agreed, "I''ll start preparing right away." Lulu wanted to get things sorted in advance to avoid anyst -minute rush when the others arrived. It would save effort once they showed up. "Nicole, we understand things have been hectictely.If you''re feeling overwhelmed, take some time off," Sean suggested, concern evident in his eyes as he advised Nicole. Nicole smiled, "I''m good, no need to fret." Despite the increased workload, she didn''t feel overwhelmed. Plus, Sean and Steve had their own tasks to manage. Besides, Steve had to look after Sally, so Nicole decided not to take a break. Frowning slightly, Steve asked, "You beat Lawrence and acquired the Water Crest, but he hasn''t reacted in any way?" He found it odd for Lawrence to stay silent. "No matter what his next move is, I''ll handle it," Nicole''s expression turned serious. She looked at Sean and Steve with a slightly intense gaze. "You guys and your wives need to be careful now." The office fell silent for a moment before Steve responded," Got it." "Just stay cautious," Nicole sighed. She couldn''t shake the feeling that Lawrence might have his sights set on her. Yet, she couldn''t dismiss the possibility that he might resort to threatening her family if he found himself cornered. Therefore, she needed to carefully consider all possibilities and take precautions in advance to safeguard her family''s safety. "We''ll be vignt," Sean responded with a serious tone. They understood Nicole''s concern for their safety and were equally determined not to put her at risk because of them. Nicole felt touched by their consideration. This was the essence of family love. After addressing some work issues, Sean and Steve departed. Nicole reclined in her chair, observing the files on her desk with a narrowed gaze. While she could manage the recent workload, Lawrence''sck of action made her suspicious. Additionally, she had to watch out for Scorpio. *** In the afternoon, Nicole and Lulu were deep in work discussions after having lunch. Suddenly, the phone rang, and Nicole nced at the screen disying ''Tia.'' She felt puzzled. This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org. ''Why is Tia calling me now?'' "Nicole, the kids are missing!" Tia''s voice was full of concern. Nicole sprang up swiftly. "What''s happened?" "A while ago, their teacher called, asking if I''d brought the kids home, but I hadn''t. I don''t know what''s going on exactly. What do we do?" Tia was close to tears, feeling really worried. Nicole was the first person Tia thought to call. "Got it.I''lle over immediately," Nicole assured Tia before ending the call. As Nicole prepared to leave, Lulu hurried over. "What''s happening?" Noticing Nicole''s deep concern, Lulu realized this was serious. "Tia mentioned Nn and Lana are missing.I''m going to see what''s happening," Nicole exined while walking, and Lulu walked alongside her. As they rode the elevator, Lulu''s face lost its color. "How did this happen? Could it be...?" She halted abruptly, leaving her sentence unfinished, and stole a nce at Nicole. She refrained from voicing or even entertaining the remaining thoughts. Nicole''s heart tightened. This was her worst fear. ''Could Lawrence have taken the kids?'' "Let''s find out," Nicole said, trying to keep herself collected. Even amidst her tangled thoughts, she recognized the significance of maintaining a calm facade. Chapter 2953 Chapter 2953 Soon, they reached the kindergarten. "Nicole, what should we do?" Tia''s eyes were brimming with tears, her worry evident. Nicole gritted her teeth and suggested, "Let''s talk to their homeroom teacher now." "Okay, let''s figure this out," Lulu agreed, heading off to find the teacher. They found the teacher, her face etched with worry. "What happened?" Lulu asked, puzzled at how the kids could just vanish from the kindergarten. "They came in disguised as delivery people.When they saw Nn and Lana, they tried to take them.Some people tried to stop them, and there was a sh. "They all left the school, and when we returned, the kids were gone.We''ve been looking ever since," the homeroom teacher exined, her voiceced with panic. "Could this be a trap?" Lulu wondered aloud to Nicole. Lulu suspected that the men who intervened were the ones Jared had sent to protect Nn and Lana. They probably didn''t want to cause a scene at the school, so they handled it quietly. "Were the kidnappers trying to draw Jared''s men away, then have someone else snatch the kids?" she pondered aloud. Nicole shook her head, "I doubt it." She thought it was unlikely. Some of Jared''s men were still around the school. They would have noticed any new intruders. "If not them, then who? A third party?" Lulu''s face grew paler, the thought of another group involved making the situation even moreplicated. Nicole, taking a deep breath, asked the teacher, "Has anything else happened here since then?" "No, we''ve been searching non-stop since we noticed the kids were missing." Unfortunately, there was no sign of them. The homeroom teacher was already anxious that time. She had hoped the kids, scared, might have called home for someone to pick them up. She had even called Tia, but Tia''s response only increased her worry. Nicole thought, ''The school staff have been looking for so long. If they''re not at school or home, where could they be?'' She was puzzled. If the children hadn''t been taken, they wouldn''t leave the school on their own. ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. But their whereabouts remained a mystery. "Let''s keep searching," Lulu said, her anxiety clear. ''TH join in too," Tia added. They were determined to find the children, no matter what. They couldn''t let anything happen to them. While the teacher went to get more staff to continue the search, Nicole stayed put. Her face grew somber, an air of coldness setting in. ''If their teacher''s right, they should still be here in the kindergarten. But where?'' Nicole wondered. As the search began in every room, Nicole''s eyes swept over every inch of the kindergarten. Suddenly, she stared intently toward the storage room. "Has anyone checked there?" Nicole inquired, gesturing toward the storage room. One of the staff replied, "The door''s locked.They couldn''t have gotten inside." "So, no one''s actually searched there?" Nicole asked, her brow furrowing. The staff hesitated, then admitted, "Someone tried, but with the door locked and no response to their calls, no one went back." The search had been focused on ces the children were likely to visit. Additionally, given the unfolding events and the length of the search, it was starting to seem possible that someone might have taken the Nn and Lana. That was why the school had reached out to the guardians, hoping to find the kids quickly. Chapter 2954 Chapter 2954 After hearing the teacher¡¯s words, Nicole headed straight toward the storage room. The door was securely locked, requiring a password to open. It was an electronic lock, not just any ordinary one. Nicole touched the doorknob, pausing for a moment. She then activated a special feature on her watch. The watch connected via infrared and a virtual keypad appeared. With a few quick taps, she unlocked the electronic lock, and it clicked open. The staff who had followed Nicole were shocked to see her open the locked door so easily. They stood there, amazed and confused. ¡®How did she open a locked door? Could it have been unlocked all along?¡¯ they thought. But Nicole didn¡¯t pay attention to their reactions. She entered the storage room and immediately began searching for Nn and Lana. She had noticed while unlocking the door that someone else had previously used the same method. In this ce, she knew only Nn could have done that. ¡°Nn, Lana?¡± Nicole called out gently, her eyes scanning the cluttered space. As she called their names and searched, she hoped to find Nn and Lana hidden among the various items stored there. ¡°Mommy?¡± came a soft, slightly confused voice in response. Nicole turned and saw two small heads peeking out from beneath a mascot costume. Lana seemed as if she had just woken up, but Nn¡¯s face rxed upon seeing Nicole.T¨ºxt ? N?velDrama.Org. Feeling a rush of emotion, Nicole walked over, gently pulled Nn and Lana out, and hugged them close. ¡°It¡¯s okay now, don¡¯t be scared,¡± she whispered softly. ¡°Mommy, I wasn¡¯t scared. Nn was with me,¡± Lana stated, a hint of pride in her voice. Nicole¡¯s eyes filled with relief. She affectionately ruffled Nn¡¯s hair. ¡°Nn, you were so brave.¡± ¡°I was brave too,¡± Lana interjected, tilting her head up expectantly. ¡°Yes, Lana, you were very brave too,¡± Nicole responded, holding both their hands as they exited the storage room. As they walked, Nicole inquired, ¡°What happened? How did you end up hiding here without anyone finding you?¡± Realizing Nicole must have been informed about the incident, Nn exined, ¡°After we were rescued, we took the chance to hide.¡± ¡°Nn said we should stay here and not make a sound unless it was Mommy calling us,¡± Lana added. Nn nodded. ¡°We waited a long time, then Lana fell asleep. IV He had remained vignt, listening for any noise outside until he heard Nicole¡¯s voice. Nicole, now understanding the situation, asked softly, ¡°You must have heard the teachers calling you, right?¡± Lana might not have heard while asleep, but Nn had been awake the whole time. ¡°Yes,¡± Nn whispered, ¡°but at that time, I didn¡¯t trust anyone.¡± Hearing this, Nicole bit her lip in silence, gently patting Nn¡¯s shoulder. She understood how terrifying this experience must have been forthem, and how impressively calm they had managed to remain. Taking a deep breath, Nicole reassured them, ¡°It¡¯s all right now. Let¡¯s go, Mommy will take you home.¡± As they were leaving, Lulu and Tia, having just learned that Nicole had found Nn and Lana, rushed over. They examined the children, eximing with concern, ¡°Are you okay? You scared us to death!¡± Chapter 2955 Chapter 2955 ¡°We¡¯re okay,¡± Nn and Lana assured everyone. The school staff, visibly relieved to see the children unharmed, showed their concern, asking if the kids were injured or frightened. ¡°The children are fine. They hid and fell asleep, so they didn¡¯t hear when they were called,¡± Nicole exined. ¡°It¡¯s good that the kids are found,¡± the staff said together, clearly relieved that the children weren¡¯t in danger. ¡°I¡¯ll take them home now. They will rest for a couple of days beforeing back to school,¡± Nicole decided, intending to give Nn and Lana some time off. ¡°Alright,¡± the homeroom teacher agreed, apanying Nicole and the children to the kindergarten¡¯s exit. ¡°Let the kids rest well. We¡¯re sorry this happened. We¡¯ll strengthen our security measures,¡± the homeroom teacher sincerely apologized to Nicole. Nicole, feeling a bit responsible herself, replied, ¡°We should be the ones apologizing.¡± She knew it wasn¡¯t the kindergarten¡¯s fault and was just thankful that no other children or teachers were troubled. After getting into the car and driving away, a heavy silence enveloped the vehicle. ¡°Nicole, what exactly happened?¡± Tia asked, her eyes filled with concern. ¡®Today¡¯s events are truly frightening. What if something had happened to Nn and Lana?¡¯ Nicole nced at Nn and Lana, then deflected the question, ¡°Let¡¯s just get home first.¡± Realizing it wasn¡¯t appropriate to discuss the incident with Nn and Lana present, Tia softly agreed, ¡°Okay.¡± When they arrived at the Riddle residence, Gloria, surprised to see them home early, asked, ¡°Why are you back so soon?¡± ¡°There wasn¡¯t much to do today, so we came back early and picked up Nn and Lana as well,¡± Nicole said, making up an excuse. She didn¡¯t want everyone to worry about what had happened at the kindergarten, so she chose to keep it a secret. Gloria, looking at Lulu and Tia, was a bit puzzled, ¡°How did you all end up together?¡± She understood why Nicole mighte back early, and Lulu could be with Nicole. ¡®But why is Tia here? Shouldn¡¯t she have been in the backyard?¡¯ ¡°Oh, I went out to buy some things and just happened to meet Nicole at the door,¡± Tia followed Nicole¡¯s lead, ying along. ¡°I see,¡± Gloria nodded, still a bit curious about the unusual gathering. ¡°Gloria, is Daniel not home?¡± Lulu casually changed the subject. This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org. ¡°He¡¯s at Benjamin¡¯s house,¡± Gloria replied. ¡°He¡¯s been visiting his father whenever he has time.¡± ¡°I see. He should do so often,¡± Lulu conversed with Gloria, giving Nicole a knowing look. Nicole caught Lulu¡¯s nce and led Nn and Lana upstairs. After the children had bathed and changed into their pajamas, Nicole tucked them into bed. ¡°Mommy, I¡¯m fine now. You can take Lana back to her room, ¡± Nn said, pulling up his little nket and speaking with a maturity beyond his years. Nicole gently ruffled his hair. ¡°You both should sleep together tonight. I¡¯ll stay until you¡¯re asleep, then I¡¯ll carry Lana back to her room,¡± she assured him. At this moment, she felt uneasy about leaving Nn alone. Though he appeared alright, the events of the day could still be troubling for a young child. ¡°Okay,¡± Nn agreed, obediently closing his eyes. ¡°Mommy,¡± Lana didn¡¯t lie down but instead cuddled into Nicole¡¯s arms. Nicole held Lana close, gently stroking her hair. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mommy¡¯s here with both of you. Go to sleep,¡± she whisperedfortingly. Nn, who hadn¡¯t slept during the usual nap time due to the day¡¯s events, and Lana, though she had slept, were both visibly shaken and exhausted. Chapter 2956 Chapter 2956 At this moment, it seemed right to let Nn and Lana rx and get a good night¡¯s sleep. After ensuring they were asleep, Nicole took Lana back to her room and then went downstairs. Lulu and Tia were still engaged in conversation with Gloria. Seeing Nicole arrive alone, they understood that Nn and Lana had already retired for the night. Nicole casually joined the group on the couch, but her mind was elsewhere. She was anticipating news from Jared¡¯s bodyguards, who had been protecting Nn and Lana near the kindergarten and were now pursuing the kidnappers. Nicole was expecting an update on the situation soon. Her phone rang shortly after. It was Max. ¡°Make it quick,¡± Nicole answered. ¡°The operation went smoothly, but the oue is still uncertain,¡± Max reported concisely. ¡°Okay,¡± Nicole acknowledged and hung up, pleased that Max was sinct in hismunication. His brief update was clear to her but vague enough to not arouse Gloria¡¯s concern. As expected, Gloria, thinking it was work-rted, asked Nicole, ¡°Do you need to go out?¡± ¡°No, they¡¯ll handle it,¡± Nicole replied, dismissing the need for her direct involvement. ¡°Oh, if you¡¯re not going out, you should rest. It¡¯s rare for you to be home this early,¡± Gloria suggested kindly. Suddenly, Lulu, seizing an opportunity, interjected, ¡°Nicole, I just remembered, there¡¯s an urgent document you need to deal with. Let¡¯s go to the study.¡± ¡°Sure,¡± Nicole agreed, appreciating Lulu¡¯s quick thinking. The two of them headed upstairs. Tia initially wanted to follow, but realizing it was work- rted and not wanting to raise suspicions, she stayed back. Tia understood that Nicole and Lulu preferred not to discuss the incident in front of Gloria, so she continued the conversation with her to maintain the facade. Lulu and Nicole arrived at the study. ¡°How did it go? Any news?¡± Lulu asked, her voice tinged with concern. She suspected it might be about the call from Max. ¡°Yes, they caught someone, but we still don¡¯t know who¡¯s orchestrating this,¡± Nicole responded. Max¡¯s call had indicated just that, so they had to wait for more information. Lulu clenched her teeth, ¡°That¡¯s good to hear. We¡¯ll find out more about the mastermindter.¡± They were determined not to let the perpetrator get away with this. Nicole¡¯s expression darkened slightly. She was concerned that the captured kidnappers might not reveal the truth. Meanwhile, in Jared¡¯s office, Max was briefing Jared, ¡°The men we¡¯ve apprehended haven¡¯t confessed anything yet. The police are investigating.¡± ¡°What about Pisces?¡± Jared inquired sharply, his gaze intense. ¡°Scorpio trusts him, but Pisces wasn¡¯t involved, so there¡¯s no direct evidence. Pisces could identify someone, but that risks blowing his cover,¡± Max exined. ¡°This setback won¡¯t deter him,¡± Jared stated coldly, a hint of resolve in his eyes. ¡®Scorpio dares to target Nn and Lana. Owned by N?velDrama.Org. I won¡¯t let him off easily.¡¯ He was convinced that after this failure, Scorpio would attempt again, but next time, he would not let Scorpio escape. ¡°Mr. Johnston, it¡¯s been quiet on Lawrence¡¯s side. Is he nning to push Scorpio out first?¡± Max spected, pondering the dynamic between Lawrence and Scorpio. Despite their alliance, each had their own agenda, and Max believed they would exploit each other for personal gain. Chapter 2957 Chapter 2957 Jared¡¯s expression turned serious as he considered the intricate rtionship between Lawrence and Scorpio. Both were subtly using each other to probe and test, neither wanting to be at a disadvantage. ¡°He won¡¯t remain silent for long,¡± Jaredmented, a hint of coldness in his voice. Jared believed that Scorpio, after failing his mission, would inevitably direct his anger toward Lawrence, and Lawrence wouldn¡¯t stay hidden indefinitely. ¡°Do you think Lawrence will take direct action?¡± Max inquired, his face slightly pale. Raising an eyebrow, Jared replied coolly, ¡°From the moment he took Everett away, he had already made his move.¡± Max, somewhat taken aback, respectfully responded, ¡°Yes.¡± ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. Indeed, Lawrence¡¯s recent actions, especially his decision to help Everett, indicated a significant shift. He was now openly positioning himself against Nicole¡¯s interests. Jared, with a dismissive gesture, instructed, ¡°Rearrange the security at the kindergarten. Ensure protection both inside and outside.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll handle it immediately,¡± Max said earnestly,mitted to safeguarding Nn and Lana¡¯s safety. ¡°You may leave now,¡± Jaredmanded, feeling a sense of unease thinking about what Nn and Lana had endured. After the conversation, Jared left the office to return home and check on Nn and Lana. Meanwhile, as the sun set, Nn and Lana, having rested throughout the afternoon, were now in a much better mood. The family gathered in the living room, engaging in lighthearted conversation andughter as they awaited dinner. ¡°Dad, how¡¯s Grandpa doing?¡± Nicole asked Daniel, who had juste back. ¡°He¡¯s doing well. Dillon and Karen are looking after him,¡± Daniel replied. Nicole nodded. ¡°That¡¯s good to hear.¡± It wasforting for everyone to know that Benjamin was well taken care of and hadpany. ¡°Nn, Lana, your great-grandpa wants you to visit him when you have the chance,¡± Daniel said, smiling. ¡°Just take us with you next time you visit him,¡± Nn and Lana eagerly agreed. Daniel¡¯sughter grew heartier. ¡°Of course, I¡¯ll do that.¡± ¡°The dinner is ready, sir,¡± the butler announced quietly. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s have dinner,¡± Daniel invited everyone. As the family moved toward the dining room, Stanley joined them. He nced at Nicole and Jared with inquiring eyes, signaling his awareness of the day¡¯s events. Nicole, recognizing Stanley¡¯s silent questions, calmly suggested, ¡°Let¡¯s eat,¡± preferring to avoid any discussion about the kidnapping incident at the dinner table. Stanley, understanding it wasn¡¯t the appropriate time to delve into details, held back his questions. Although he had heard snippets from Tia, he wasn¡¯t fully informed and felt concerned. Later, after dinner, Stanley found a moment to quietly ask Nicole about the situation. ¡°Scorpio made a move, but we¡¯re still gathering evidence,¡± Nicole exined briefly. ¡°Does this mean Nn and Lana are in danger?¡± Stanley asked, his concern evident. Nicole shook her head, reassuring him, ¡°No, we¡¯ve taken measures to ensure their safety.¡± They all understood that even at home, absolute safety couldn¡¯t be guaranteed. They couldn¡¯t prevent Nn and Lana from attending kindergarten, but they could do everything in their power to protect them. ¡°Alright,¡± Stanley said, his worry still apparent, but trusting in Nicole and Jared¡¯s vignce and nning. Chapter 2958 Chapter 2958 After a moment of hesitation, Stanley said, ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we tell Mom and Dad? If this keeps up, they¡¯re going to find out eventually.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s try to keep it from them as long as we can,¡± Nicole sighed. Nicole was determined to control the situation as much as possible, hoping to avoid causing unnecessary rm to the family. Stanley nced at Nicole and whispered, ¡°If there¡¯s anything we need to do, just let us know.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Nicole replied with a smile, nodding in agreement. She knew that ¡®us¡¯ included not only Stanley and Tia but also other family members. If needed, Daniel, Gloria, Benjamin, and her uncles were all ready to help. ¡°I¡¯m going to the backyard,¡± Stanley said, nodding before he turned and left. ¡°There he goes to see Tia again,¡± Gloria chuckled, watching Stanley leave. ¡°They¡¯re not in a hurry to marry, but maybe it¡¯s better if they do it sooner.¡± Nicole returned to the couch and smiled, ¡°Maybe they¡¯re enjoying things as they are now.¡± ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. ¡°Let them be. Besides, even if they want to get married, they probably won¡¯t be ready until next year,¡± Daniel reassured Gloria. ¡°That¡¯s fine. We can¡¯t rush the wedding and mustn¡¯t shortchange Tia,¡± Gloria mused. ¡°Let¡¯s go, it¡¯s gettingte. Time to rest,¡± Daniel stood up. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s been a tiring day. We chatted for a long time with the kids around this afternoon,¡± Nicole noted. After her parents went upstairs, Nicole turned to Jared and suggested, ¡°Let¡¯s go up too.¡± Taking her hand, Jared replied, ¡°Let¡¯s check on Nn and Lana.¡± The two kids had run upstairs after dinner, and Jared and Nicole wondered what they were up to. After heading upstairs, Nicole and Jared went to Nn¡¯s room. They saw Nn engrossed in hisputer, with Lana watching curiously beside him. Nicole was slightly puzzled. Upon closer inspection, they realized Nn was on a mission again, and Lana, unusually curious, was following along. ¡°Do you understand what you¡¯re seeing?¡± Jared asked Lana, ruffling her hair. Lana shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t, but Nn will exin it to me.¡± Indeed, she didn¡¯t understand, but with Nn exining, she could grasp some of it. ¡°Do you want to learn?¡± Jared probed. Lana shook her head again. ¡°No, I don¡¯t think I have that kind of talent. But I feel it¡¯s okay to learn a little, so I watch with Nn.¡± Jared picked up Lana and said, ¡°You don¡¯t have to force yourself.¡± If Lana wasn¡¯t interested, she didn¡¯t need to delve into it. She could always get help when needed, and she might not even need to know about these things in the future. ¡°But I want to help,¡± Lana said, wrapping her arms around Jared. ¡°If it weren¡¯t for Nn today, we wouldn¡¯t have had anywhere to hide, and something bad might have happened.¡± She felt she was only being protected by Nn and wished she could help too. Jared smiled and reassured her, ¡°You already did help.¡± Lana had managed to stay calm and follow Nn¡¯s lead without panicking or getting scared during the danger. That was already beyond their expectation. ¡°Really?¡± Lana asked, looking up in surprise. She wondered if she had really been helpful without doing much. ¡°Yes,¡± Jared assured her, pinching her nose. ¡°Knowing to follow Nn and staying calm in the face of danger are ways of helping. You and Nn both did well and were very brave.¡± Hearing this, Lana nodded vigorously. ¡°I understand. I¡¯ll be even braver in the future.¡± ¡°Good,¡± Jared said, carrying Lana to y elsewhere. Chapter 2959 Chapter 2959 Nicole looked at Nn and said, ¡°You and Lana can rest at home for a couple of days, then go back to school as usual. There wont be any more trouble.¡± Nn raised his head, frowning. ¡°Or, we don¡¯t take a break. This might make them even angrier, and they would act desperately.¡± ¡°What?¡± Nicole was momentarily taken aback. ¡°They failed this time, and Lana and I are unharmed. They might be more aggressive next time. We could set a trap to catch them,¡± Nn exined. Nicole rubbed Nn¡¯s head. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about these things. Your dad and I will handle it.¡± Nn raised an eyebrow slightly. ¡°So, you already have a n to deal with them?¡± ¡°We¡¯re waiting for news,¡± Nicole replied, not revealing too much but still sharing some information with Nn. ¡°Okay,¡± Nn nodded, reassured by the n. ¡°Alright, don¡¯t stay up toote. You should get some rest,¡± Nicole said, noticing Nn had finished one task and was about to start another. Nn hesitated before agreeing, ¡°Okay.¡± Nicole patted his head. ¡°Go take a shower.¡± Watching Nn head to the bathroom, Jared left the room with Lana, returning to her room. After the children were asleep, Nicole and Jared went back to their room. ¡°How is it?¡± Nicole asked Jared softly. Jared shook his head. ¡°We got nothing.¡± Nicole, surprised, raised her eyebrows. ¡°They refused to give away the name?¡± ¡°They only admitted to knowing Nn and Lana¡¯s identities and wanting to kidnap them for ransom.¡± Jared¡¯s expression darkened. He had not expected those kidnappers would go this far to take the me for Scorpio. He wondered what Scorpio had promised them. ¡®Scorpio hasn¡¯t fully trusted Pisces yet, so Pisces couldn¡¯t obtain any specific information before the kidnapping incident urred.¡¯ Pisces had alerted Jared about Scorpio¡¯s potential moves but couldn¡¯t provide exact details on the n. Fortunately, Jared had made preparations in advance, averting any serious incidents this time. Looking at Jared, Nicole¡¯s eyes narrowed slightly.¡± Something on your mind?¡± Jared shook his head. ¡°Not really. I think Scorpio might notpletely trust Pisces.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve got a point. Even though Pisces is providing shelter for Scorpio, it¡¯s still hard for him to gain Scorpio¡¯s trust. Scorpio is alone now, and even though he¡¯s teamed up with Lawrence, they both have their own motives,¡± Nicole replied, her face reflecting her serious tone. Jared spoke meaningfully, ¡°Or maybe he won¡¯t be alone for long.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± Nicole raised an eyebrow. ¡°Do you mean to say that Eastern Falcon will send more people over?¡± ¡°Clearly,¡± Jared nodded. ¡°He needs some reliablerades here.¡± Nicole squinted slightly and asked in a serious tone, ¡°Does that mean Pisces might be in danger?¡± ¡°Not for now. He still needs Pisces,¡± Jared reassured her. ¡°As long as he doesn¡¯t suspect Pisces, then Pisces is safe and can continue his mission,¡± Nicole said. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Zane will make arrangements,¡± Jaredforted Nicole, gently squeezing her hand. ¡°It¡¯s late, let¡¯s get some rest.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Nicole agreed, lying down beside Jared, and they both fell asleep. The next day dawned bright and sunny. After breakfast, everyone went about their busy schedules. Nn and Lana didn¡¯t go to kindergarten, so Daniel and Gloria took them to visit Benjamin. Jared drove Nicole to Riddle Corporation. On the way, Nicole received a phone call. Her eyes narrowed slightly,¡± Are you sure?¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll be there shortly,¡± Nicole said before hanging up. Jared looked at her. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org. Chapter 2960 Chapter 2960 "Martin fell ill," Nicole said after hearing the news. Then she instructed Max, "Take me to Martin''sboratory." "Okay," Max agreed, steering the car in a different direction. They soon arrived at theboratory. As Jared prepared to apany Nicole out of the car, she stopped him, "You go ahead with your work, I can handle things here." Jared frowned, showing reluctance and concern about the current situation. "Lulu and Patricia will also being over," Nicole reassured Jared. Hearing this, Jared hesitated briefly before agreeing, "Call me if you need anything." T¨ºxt ? N?velDrama.Org. "Sure, don''t worry," Nicole replied with a smile, and then stepped out of the car. After waving to Jared, Nicole entered theboratory. "Arrange for someone to protect her," Jared said, his gaze serious, instructing Max. "Yes," Max replied and immediately made a call to arrange it. Given the uncertain situation, ensuring Nicole''s safety was indeed paramount. Jared felt somewhat relieved and leaned back in his seat,"Let''s go." Max started the car and drove to Johnston Group''s office. As Nicole entered theboratory, Cindy approached her, visibly worried, "You''re finally here!" "What exactly happened?" Nicole asked, frowning. She was shocked when she received Cindy''s call. ''How could Martin suddenly fall ill?'' "It''s because of Patricia''s medicine. It hasn''t been effective for the past few days, so he wanted to adjust the form, but..." Cindy paused, looking at Nicole hesitantly. Nicole''s frown deepened, a sense of foreboding rising in her heart. "Did he attempt to create a form with ingredients that are toxicologically ipatible?" Nicole asked, her voice quivering slightly with concern. Cindy bit her lip, nodding reluctantly. "Yes, he did." "Even if that''s the case, why would he fall ill?" Nicole was puzzled. The medicine form with toxicological ipatibility was potentially the fastest acting but also risky. After discussing with Martin, Nicole had decided it would only be used as ast resort. But Patricia was fine now, which meant he hadn''t used it on her yet, even if he considered it. ''But why has he ended up sick?'' "He''s poisoned," Cindy finally admitted. "What?!" Nicole was shocked, beginning to piece things together. ''He tested it on himself before using it on Patricia?!'' Seeing Nicole''s expression, Cindy nodded, confirming her suspicion. "He really is...reckless.How could he do this?" Nicole was frustrated and quickly headed toward Martin''s office. Entering the office, she saw Martin lying on the couch, his face pale. "Martin?" Nicole called out, but there was no response. "He''s been unconscious since this morning, so I had no choice but to contact you," Cindy informed her. Nicole took a deep breath, her expression serious. "Let me take a look." No wonder Cindy had called asking for help. She really had no other options. Standing by the couch, Nicole began examining Martin. "Hey, Nicole," Lulu''s voice came in, followed by her and Patricia entering the office, with Er trailing behind. Chapter 2961 Chapter 2961 Nicole nced at Er but didn''t say anything.She turned to Lulu and asked, "Did you bring what I needed?" "Here it is," Lulu replied, handing her a box. Opening it, Nicole found a row of golden needles. She took them out and carefully ced them into specific points on Martin''s body. After finishing, Nicole sighed with relief. "He should wake up soon." "Here." Lulu handed her a handkerchief. Nicole took it and wiped the sweat from her forehead. "How could he just faint like that?" Lulu asked, clearly worried. Ignoring the question, Nicole turned to Patricia. "Let me check on you too." She had asked Patricia toe over for an examination. If Martin''s condition was serious, Nicole would take over Patricia''s treatment. With Er there, Patricia hesitated. She nced at him and sat down. Nicole unwrapped Patricia''s bandages checked her over, and said, "Keep using the medicine I gave you.I''ll prepare another round for you." "You''re fine now, go rest," Nicole told Patricia. Patricia nodded. T¨ºxt ? N?velDrama.Org. "Ms.Riddle, I''ll go back.Call me if you need anything." "You can go, don''t worry," Nicole reassured her. After Patricia left, Nicole frowned at Er. "Aren''t you leaving?" "I''m not," Er said, shaking his head. "I want to know what''s happening." "It''s nothing," Nicole assured him calmly. "But there must be something," Er insisted, refusing to leave. Lulu looked at Nicole, puzzled. "Is everything really okay?" She was surprised about Martin''s illness and confused about why Nicole needed those needles. Martin suddenly coughed and woke up. Everyone turned their attention to him. Cindy handed him a ss of water and helped him sip it. "You''re finally awake!" Cindy''s eyes were red, like she was trying not to cry. Martin looked around, confused. "Why are you all here? What happened?" "You fainted," Lulu said, looking puzzled. "What exactly happened?" "Did I?" Martin frowned. He didn¡¯t remember fainting. He just remembered feeling dizzy and then nothing. Cindy, her voice shaky, said, "You were poisoned." "Poisoned?!" Not just Martin, but Lulu and Er too were shocked. "Yes, don''t you remember the medicine you were testing?" Cindy asked, worried he might have forgotten because of the poisoning. Lulu blinked twice. "Wait, testing what medicine?" "It''s Patricia''s medicine.There was a risky but effective method, so Martin decided to research the form to make it less toxic.That way, it could help Patricia without hurting her." "This is too risky, isn''t there another way?" Lulu said, disapproving. She thought Martin had tried the medicine and copsed before Patricia could. She was worried about what might happen to Patricia if she took it. Chapter 2962 Chapter 2962 Shivering at the thought, Lulu said, "We should think of another way." She felt the risks were just too high. After removing all the golden needles from Martin, Nicole suggested, "Let''s put this form aside for now.We''ll find a safer method." Martin hesitated but finally nodded in agreement. Lulu realized the seriousness of the situation, understanding why Nicole had sent Patricia away earlier. If Patricia knew about this, she would surely feel guilty, and it could worsen her mental stress, impacting her recovery. Cindy, supporting Martin, advised, "You''re still weak.You should rest." "I''m fine, I just need a little rest.Besides, I can''t leave now," Martin replied. Cindy looked toward theb room, then reassured him,"Don''t worry, I''ll keep an eye on things." Their experiment was at a critical point, and they needed someone to closely monitor the results. This was why Cindy had found something wrong with Martin that morning. She dreaded to think what might have happened if she hadn''t been there and Martin hadn''t received timely treatment after fainting. Nicole said, "It''s fine to stay here." She left the golden needles with Cindy, teaching her how to use them if Martin''s condition worsened. Nicole then prepared antidote medicine for Martin and instructed him on how to take it. After everything was done, she told Martin, "You must stop that experiment.We¡¯ll find another way." "Okay," Martin nodded. "Thank you." "No need to thank me.Just take good care of yourself," Nicole replied, preparing to leave with Lulu and Er. Er then said, "Nicole, you and Lulu go ahead." "What about you?" Nicole asked, slightly concerned. "I want to ask about Patricia''s condition, what to watch out for.I need to keep an eye on her," Er exined. Realizing that Er hade with Patricia, Nicole didn''t think much of it and agreed, leaving with Lulu. Once Nicole and Lulu had left, Martin, feeling a bit better, asked Er, "What''s up?" He knew Er had something in mind, as all necessary precautions for Patricia''s care had been thoroughly discussed. Owned by N?velDrama.Org. It was unlikely Er needed to revisit those details. Therefore, Martin figured there must be another reason for Er''s decision to stay. Er, not holding back, asked, "What''s this dangerous form you guys were talking about?" He sensed the high risk involved, which was why Nicole had firmly urged Martin to stop. But Er believed this form might be their best shot at sess. Martin sighed and exined, "It''s about using the principle of counteracting the toxicity of the drugs..." After Martin''s exnation, Er, after a moment of silence, volunteered, "Maybe you can test it on me." Martin and Cindy were both taken aback. "Yes, me," Er confirmed, resolute. "You need a test subject, and I''m willing to be one. So, why not?" "Are you out of your mind? Do you realize how dangerous this is?!" Martin eximed, followed by a severe coughing fit. Cindy brought him water to ease his cough, then cautioned,"Don''t rush into this, Martin.It''s your decision." Ultimately, the decision rested with Martin. If he wasn''tfortable, Er''s offer meant nothing. But Er pressed on, "I think I should have a say in this too." Chapter 2963 Chapter 2963 Martin was speechless at Er¡¯s calmness. Er understood the risks, but he was willing to take the same chance Martin did when he tested the medicine on himself. Er reasoned, ¡°You guys are here. Nicole told you about the antidote and what to do in an emergency, so you won¡¯t let anything bad happen to me, right?¡± He hesitated a bit. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Martin asked, confused. ¡°If things get really bad, you¡¯d call Nicole to save me,¡± Er said with a reluctant smile. ¡°But I hope it won¡¯te to that. If Nicole has to step in, we¡¯ll have to give up on this.¡± Martin realized Er wanted to keep this from Nicole. ¡°If we tell Nicole, she¡¯ll disagree,¡± Er shrugged. ¡°But if we hide this from Nicole and she finds out, she¡¯ll be upset with us,¡± Cindy said, worried about the responsibility. Er exined, ¡°There are two oues: if it works, she won¡¯t me you, just me. She won¡¯t stay mad forever. If it fails, she¡¯ll scold me, but not forever. I don¡¯t want to do this, but I want to help Patricia.¡± He knew Nicole would be angry and hurt, but he saw no other way. ¡°This isn¡¯t about being angry. Do you understand the risk?¡± Martin said, refusing. He couldn¡¯t exin it to Nicole or the Riddle family if something went wrong. Seeing Martin and Cindy¡¯s refusal, Er suddenly grabbed a shiny fruit knife from the coffee table and shed a deep cut across his arm. ¡°What are you doing?!¡± Martin and Cindy eximed in horror. Er, holding his wound, calmly asked, ¡°Will you help me now?¡± Martin and Cindy exchanged a look and finally agreed, ¡°Fine.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s start,¡± Er said, putting down the knife and sitting down for treatment. After bandaging the wound, Martin instructed Er toe here after work every day. ¡°Thank you,¡± Er said, acknowledging Martin¡¯s consent before leaving. As Er was about to leave, he paused at the door and turned back to Martin, emphasizing, ¡°Not just Nicole, don¡¯t let Patricia know about this either.¡± He was worried that if Patricia found out, she might give up on her treatment, which was not what he wanted. After Er left, Martin let out a sigh. ¡°He really cares about Patricia.¡± T¨ºxt ? N?velDrama.Org. Er¡¯s actions showed how much he loved her. Cindy nced at Martin and said, ¡°It¡¯s always like this with unrequited love, right?¡± Martin looked ufortable, avoiding Cindy¡¯s eyes, and quickly left to make some medicine. Cindy felt upset by his reaction. She knew Martin felt awkward around her. Her words were about both Martin and herself. She whispered to herself, ¡®Seems we can¡¯t help but worry about the ones we love, even if they don¡¯t feel the same.¡¯ Alone in his office, Martin felt a pang of loneliness. Meanwhile, Nicole and Lulu were heading to the Riddle Corporation. Listening to Nicole¡¯s story, Lulu said, ¡°Poor Patricia, she¡¯s really going through a lot.¡± Chapter 2964 Chapter 2964 Nicole, deep in thought, wondered, ¡°Is there really no better way to help Patricia?¡± She was determined, though. ¡°I won¡¯t give up. There has to be a way.¡± She was set on finding a solution for Patricia¡¯s recovery. Lulu, tilting her head, suggested, ¡°Why not ask your mentor for help?¡± Nicole sighed, ¡°I¡¯ve tried reaching him, but he might be in seclusion again.¡± She had already informed her mentor about Patricia¡¯s situation but got no response. Lulu, feeling sorry, said, ¡°Why is Patricia so unlucky? Who can help her?¡± It seemed they had to stick to the slower approach Nicole and Martin were taking, hoping for the best solution eventually. Owned by N?velDrama.Org. Arriving at Riddle Corporation, Nicole and Lulu got out of the car. Nicole noticed a car that had been following them. It stopped by the roadside. The driver and passengers didn¡¯t seem suspicious, so Nicole guessed Jared had sent them. This thought brought a small smile to her face. ¡°What are you looking at?¡± Lulu asked, seeing Nicole pause. ¡°It¡¯s nothing, let¡¯s go,¡± Nicole replied, leading Lulu inside Riddle Corporation. After a busy day, it was time to leave the office. Lulu arrived at Nicole¡¯s office, ¡°They should be here by now, let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Nicole said, and they left together. ¡°Nn and Lana spent the day with Great-grandpa, and he was thrilled,¡± Lulu shared happily. Nicole nodded, ¡°Dad said Grandpa didn¡¯t want them to leave. He invited us all for dinner.¡± ¡°Yes, June and Samuel are on their way too,¡± Lulu added.¡± We should hurry.¡± Outside thepany, Jared and Spencer were waiting for them. They got into their cars and headed to the Riddle family manor. When they arrived, Stanley and Tia had just gotten there too. ¡°Nicole,¡± Tia called out, waving to Nicole. The group entered the Riddle family manor one after the other. As expected, Samuel and June had already arrived, but Steve and Sean were yet toe. ¡°Where are Sean and Steve?¡± Samuel inquired, noticing their absence. Nicole shook her head, and then Gloria exined, ¡°Steve went to apany Sally to the hospital, and Sean had an engagement, so neither of them coulde.¡± Everyone understood and didn¡¯t press further. They greeted Benjamin as they gathered around the couch. ¡°Please, take a seat,¡± Benjamin said, looking quite well. Nn and Lana sat in front of Benjamin. Benjamin looked happy and healthy. ¡°We haven¡¯t arrived toote, have we?¡± Dexter and Emma entered with a smile. ¡°No, not at all,¡± Gloria responded warmly. As it gotte and everyone had sat down, they noticed Er hadn¡¯t arrived yet. ¡°Where¡¯s Er?¡± someone asked. ¡°Who knows,¡± Emma said, slightly annoyed. ¡°He just said he was busy and mighte if he had time, and if not, he wouldn¡¯t. I don¡¯t even know what he¡¯s up to.¡± Even Emma seemed unable to ascertain Er¡¯s whereabouts. Chapter 2965 Chapter 2965 Gloria raised her eyebrows, ¡°Could it be that he¡¯s got a girlfriend now?¡± Everyone was curious about Er¡¯s secretive behavior. Emma shook her head, ¡°I don¡¯t think so. I haven¡¯t seen any girls around him, and there¡¯s no hint of one either.¡± She would have been less worried if Eliar was just making new friends. ¡°Then it must be something work-rted, which you all aren¡¯t part of,¡± Daniel suggested quietly. Dexter agreed, ¡°Maybe.¡± They weren¡¯t involved in thepany¡¯s affairs and couldn¡¯t really help. Owned by N?velDrama.Org. ¡°It¡¯s time to eat,¡± Benjamin announced as everyone arrived. ¡°Okay,¡± the family replied together and headed to the dining room. ¡°Is BayCorp very busytely?¡± Lulu whispered to Nicole, sitting next to her. Nicole thought for a moment, then shook her head, ¡°I¡¯m not sure, but it doesn¡¯t seem overly busy.¡± Lulu, still puzzled, whispered, ¡°It¡¯s weird. If he¡¯s so busy, how does he find time to follow Patricia every day? Maybe he¡¯s gone to see Patricia.¡± Considering Er¡¯s recent time spent with Patricia, Nicole nodded, ¡°That could be it.¡± ¡°Lulu, what are you talking about?¡± Spencer asked curiously while serving her food. ¡°It¡¯s nothing,¡± Lulu replied, turning to Spencer, avoiding the topic of Er. Nicole also turned her attention to Jared, who was serving her food, and gave a slight smile. ¡°Let¡¯s eat,¡± Jared said softly. Nicole nodded and quietly told Jared, ¡°Things aren¡¯t going well with Martin, Patricia¡¯s situation might be difficult.¡± Jared whispered back, ¡°She can stop going on missions and take her time.¡± Nicole realized this meant Patricia was now officially out of their organization. Nicole bit her lip thoughtfully, wondering what Patricia would decide next, now that her previous concerns were no longer an issue. In Martin¡¯s researchb, Er was ready for the experiment. ¡°Are you sure about this?¡± Martin asked him onest time. With a determined look, Er nodded, ¡°Let¡¯s start.¡± He was beyond having second thoughts, hoping for a result that could help Patricia heal faster and reduce the scars on her face. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s begin,¡± Martin agreed, seeing Er¡¯s resolve, and got everything set up. Cindy was there too, ready to help. Martin applied the medicine to Er¡¯s arm and waited to see his reaction. ¡°It stings a bit, but I can handle it,¡± Er said, then reminded Martin, ¡°You might need to change the amount though. This is my arm, and Patricia¡¯s treatment is for her face.¡± Since the face was more sensitive, Patricia might feel more pain. Martin gave Er a serious look, ¡°You should be more worried about yourself right now.¡± The risk of poisoning was a bigger concern than pain. Er fell silent, realizing his suggestion had upset Martin. Meanwhile, Martin kept a close eye on Er, watching for any changes in his condition. Chapter 2966 Chapter 2966 Nicole, deep in thought, wondered, "Is there really no better way to help Patricia?" She was determined, though. "I won''t give up. There has to be a way." She was set on finding a solution for Patricia¡¯s recovery. Lulu, tilting her head, suggested, "Why not ask your mentor for help?" Nicole sighed, "I''ve tried reaching him, but he might be in seclusion again." She had already informed her mentor about Patricia''s situation but got no response. Lulu, feeling sorry, said, "Why is Patricia so unlucky? Who can help her?" It seemed they had to stick to the slower approach Nicole and Martin were taking, hoping for the best solution eventually. Arriving at Riddle Corporation, Nicole and Lulu got out of the car. Nicole noticed a car that had been following them. It stopped by the roadside. The driver and passengers didn''t seem suspicious, so Nicole guessed Jared had sent them. This thought brought a small smile to her face. "What are you looking at?" Lulu asked, seeing Nicole pause. "It''s nothing, let''s go," Nicole replied, leading Lulu inside Riddle Corporation. After a busy day, it was time to leave the office. Lulu arrived at Nicole''s office, "They should be here by now, let''s go." "Okay," Nicole said, and they left together. "Nn and Lana spent the day with Great-grandpa, and he was thrilled," Lulu shared happily. Nicole nodded, "Dad said Grandpa didn''t want them to leave. He invited us all for dinner." "Yes, June and Samuel are on their way too," Lulu added." We should hurry." Owned by N?velDrama.Org. Outside thepany, Jared and Spencer were waiting for them. They got into their cars and headed to the Riddle family manor. When they arrived, Stanley and Tia had just gotten there too. "Nicole," Tia called out, waving to Nicole. The group entered the Riddle family manor one after the other. As expected, Samuel and June had already arrived, but Steve and Sean were yet toe. "Where are Sean and Steve?¡± Samuel inquired, noticing their absence. Nicole shook her head, and then Gloria exined, "Steve went to apany Sally to the hospital, and Sean had an engagement, so neither of them coulde." Everyone understood and didn''t press further. They greeted Benjamin as they gathered around the couch. "Please, take a seat," Benjamin said, looking quite well. Nn and Lana sat in front of Benjamin. Benjamin looked happy and healthy. "We haven''t arrived toote, have we?" Dexter and Emma entered with a smile. "No, not at all," Gloria responded warmly. As it gotte and everyone had sat down, they noticed Er hadn''t arrived yet. "Where''s Er?" someone asked. "Who knows," Emma said, slightly annoyed. "He just said he was busy and mighte if he had time, and if not, he wouldn''t. I don''t even know what he''s up to." Even Emma seemed unable to ascertain Er''s whereabouts. Chapter 2967 Chapter 2967 "Mom, really, there''s no need to trouble everyone. I''ll be home soon. Let''s not talk about it anymore." Er ended the call, feeling he couldn''t hold on much longer if they kept talking. He wiped the sweat from his forehead, leaning back in his seat and gazing at Patricia''s window. ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. For him, these moments weren''t about pain; they were filled with a bittersweet feeling. At the Riddle family manor, the atmosphere was warm and lively. The family was together, enjoying each other¡¯spany. After the call, Emma informed Benjamin, "Dad, Er''s still tied up with work. He really can''te tonight." Benjamin wasn''t upset. In fact, he was quite pleased with Er''smitment. "It''s good that he''s dedicated to his career." Dillon suggested to Benjamin, "Dad, it''s gettingte. We should all head home, and you need to rest." Daniel and Dexter agreed, "Yes, Dad, we''ll leave now ande back another day." Nn and Lana, sweetly saying goodbye to Benjamin, added, "We''re going now, great- grandpa." Benjamin, smiling broadly, hugged them and replied, Make sure to visit me again during the holidays." "Okay," Nn and Lana nodded obediently. After bidding farewell to Benjamin, everyone slowly left the Riddle family manor. The living room quieted down as Dillon and Karen said to Benjamin, "Dad, everyone''s gone home. You should rest too." "Okay," Benjamin agreed. He was quite tired, especially after ying with Nn and Lana. After helping Benjamin upstairs, Dillon and Karen went to their room. Meanwhile, Nn and Lana quickly fell asleep in the car on the way home. Nicole smiled, watching them. "They had so much fun today they skipped their nap." They had fallen asleep right after leaving Benjamin''s mansion. Jared looked at them, his eyes soft with a smile, relieved that the day''s events hadn''t upset the kids. He had been worried they might be traumatized, but they seemed fine and quickly moved on. Nicole, speaking softly, added, "Even though life on Crescent Ind was peaceful, we weren''t completely isted from Lawrence''s affairs, so..." They might not have been directly involved in Lawrence''s matters, but they were aware of his influence and understood some things. Nn and Lana, young as they were, weren''tpletely unaware. They could ept and understand things more easily. Jared covered Nn with his coat and picked up Lana, then told Max, "Turn off the air conditioning." "Yes," Max replied. Nicole watched the children sleeping peacefully, a small smile on her lips. When they got back to the Riddle residence, Jared and Nicole carried Nn and Lana to their rooms before going to their own room. After a bath, they went to sleep. Jared held Nicole close, his breath mingling with the fragrance of her hair. He kissed her forehead, then held her a bit tighter. The next morning, they were awakened by the crisp sound of birds chirping. Nicole slowly opened her eyes to meet Jared¡¯s gaze. Jared gently yed with her hair, whispering, "You''re awake." Chapter 2968 Chapter 2968 Nicole, her eyes twinkling with a smile, softly replied, "Mm." Her voice waszy and tender, especially alluring just after waking up. Jared''s gaze deepened. He leaned down and pecked Nicole''s lips, then, feeling unsatisfied, kissed her again, more passionately. Their embrace was so intense it nearly made them lose their senses, raising the temperature of the bedroom, creating a romantic atmosphere... When Nicole and Jared finally got out of bed, it was already breakfast time. Downstairs, Nn and Lana tilted their heads in confusion," Dad, Mommy, were you too tired yesterday? Why are you up sote today?" Nicole, a bit embarrassed, quickly changed the subject, "Are you two going to school today?" "Can we?" Nn and Lana asked excitedly. Staying home was a bit boring, and they preferred the fun of kindergarten with their friends. "If you want to go, then let''s go," Nicole said with a smile. "Yeah, we want to," Nn and Lana nodded vigorously. "After breakfast, we''ll take you to kindergarten," Nicole promised. "Okay!" Nn and Lana replied cheerfully. After breakfast, with their schoolbags on, Nn and Lana left with Nicole and Jared. After dropping them off at kindergarten, Jared drove Nicole to Riddle Corporation. As they arrived, Lulu also reached there, waving at Nicole," Nicole." Once Lulu caught up, Nicole and Lulu entered thepany together. "Mr. Johnston, Pisces said there''s some movement from Scorpio''s side," Max reported to Nicole as she entered the building. Jared''s expression darkened slightly. "Have Scorpio''s men arrived?" "Yes, they''ve entered the country and are in a location arranged by Pisces," Max replied. Pisces'' role made it easier to hide them, something Scorpio couldn''t do alone. "For now, let''s not make any moves," Jared said gravely. Acting now could make Scorpio suspect Pisces, since he had arranged the location. Any trouble would put Pisces in the spotlight. Max understood Jared''s n. "We''ll keep an eye on them, but we won''t engage." As long as they were under surveince, they couldn''t make major moves, so there was no need to rush. "These people are here for a reason. Scorpio must have a n. Find out what it is," Jared paused before adding, "And watch Lawrence closely." Scorpio, despite his ns, was unlikely to act hastily. However, Lawrence needed to show cooperation with Scorpio. "Yes," Max responded carefully. Both Scorpio and Lawrence were threats, potentially targeting Nicole or the two badges she held. They weren''t likely to back down easily. *** Meanwhile, in Lawrence''s office... Mr. Royce, Scorpio''s people have arrived," Ian reported quietly. Lawrence looked up, his eyes darkening, "They''re quick." Ian hesitated before asking, "Scorpio''sst n failed. What now?" Lawrence''s hand tightened, a cold light in his eyes. Owned by N?velDrama.Org. He was working with Scorpio but wouldn''t allow harm to Nn and Lana. He needed the Fire Crest and Water Crest and might pressure Nicole, but Nn and Lana were off- limits. They were young and could easily be hurt, scared, or even have their futures impacted. Chapter 2969 Chapter 2969 ''Mr. Royce?" Ian called out, noticing Lawrence lost in thought. Snapping back to reality, Lawrence said, "Scorpio will give me instructions." Ian, concerned, asked, "So, Scorpio will force your hand?" Lawrence scoffed, "Even with new people, Scorpio''s weakened after hisst failure. He''s testing my commitment. Ian, deep in thought, inquired, "What''s your n?" ''Til follow his lead, for now," Lawrence replied, knowing appearances mattered. ¡¯But if he targets..." Ian began. Lawrence cut him off, "I''llply only if Nn and Lana aren''t involved." He''d protect Nicole if it came to that, seeking both the Crests and her safety. Ian, understanding Lawrence''s position, assured him, "I''ll inform you immediately if Scorpio contacts me." Lawrence just hummed in response, picking up a document from his desk. Ian left to handle Lawrence''s assigned tasks. That afternoon, under the bright sun, Nicole and Lulu strolled back to Riddle Corporation after their lunch. The restaurant was conveniently close, allowing them to walk and chat. "Think the method you talked about will work?" Lulu asked, her voice tinged with both hope and worry. Nicole shook her head thoughtfully, "It''s worth a shot." As they talked, Nicole called Martin. T¨ºxt ? N?velDrama.Org. Martin picked up. "What''s up?" Nicole started to share hertest idea for a solution. Martin hesitated before responding, "I''ve noted it down and will try itter." "It''s just an idea I thought of after checking some information. It might not be feasible, so don''t feel too pressured," Nicole reminded Martin. "Okay," Martin replied. "Alright, let''s leave it at that for now," Nicole said, hanging up the phone and taking a deep breath. "I really hope it works." Lulu smiled and said, "I wish your mentor coulde out of seclusion soon. It would ease your burden." Nicole had been using all her free time to ponder Patricia''s treatment n. If her mentor came out of seclusion, he might be able to help, and Nicole wouldn''t have to work so hard. "I hope so too, but..." Nicole sighed. She couldn''t be sure when her mentor woulde out of seclusion. At this time, no one could contact him. Lulu, linking arms with Nicole, said, "I''m just worried about you. Don''t put too much pressure on yourself." "I''m okay," Nicole smiled. "I can handle these things." Lulu shrugged. Nicole made it sound easy, but the challenges she faced weren''t something everyone could handle with suchposure and bravery. Back at thepany, Nicole and Lulu returned to their offices and got busy. Nicole opened a document and frowned upon seeing its contents. ''This is a BayCorp document. Why was it sent to me?'' Pressing the inte button, Nicole said, "Come in." Her secretary quickly entered, "Ms. Riddle." "What''s this about?" Nicole asked, referring to the document. "It''s an urgent document from BayCorp. They said it''s important and requires your personal attention," the secretary replied. Chapter 2970 Chapter 2970 "Got it," Nicole said, her eyes lingering on the document. It was indeed important, but it was something Er could handle. She wondered, ¡¯Is there some issue at BayCorp that Er hasn''t mentioned to me?'' Recalling Er''s absence at dinner the previous night, where he imed to have socialmitments, Nicole spected if he might be facing some problems. After a moment, Nicole called Lulu over. "Lulu, can you check on Er? See if he''s run into any trouble. " Nicole briefed her on the document and asked her to look into it. ¡¯Alright, I''m on it," Lulu said, epting the signed document and heading to BayCorp. Nicole then dove back into her work. Time flew, and soon it was time to leave. She checked the clock, tidied her desk, and left. Lulu hadn''t returned, which worried Nicole a bit. It seemed there might indeed be a problem. But without any word from Lulu, Nicole guessed it wasn''t too serious. Deciding to pick up Nn and Lana first, she thought of Jared. They had agreed to take turns apanying the kids, especially after recent events. Even if Nn and Lana appeared okay, they needed extra care. Seeing Jared already waiting, Nicole quickly made her way to the car. As the car headed toward the kindergarten, Jared noticed Nicole''s preupied look. "Tired?" he asked gently. Shaking her head, Nicole replied, "Not really. It''s just Er; he might be in trouble. I''ve asked Lulu to check on him." Jared understood and didn''t probe further. When they arrived at the kindergarten, came out beaming, rushing into Nicole''s arms. "Mommy." The kids'' homeroom teacher approached, reassuring her," Mrs. Johnston, the children are safe here. The security Mr. Johnston arranged is all in ce." Nicole smiled. "Thank you, I appreciate it." She knew the teacher must have been concerned about the recent incident but was still trying to reassure them. Once Nicole and the kids were in the car, Lana tugged at Jared''s sleeve. "Daddy, can we have hamburgers and ice cream?" Jared nced at Nn, who eagerly nodded in agreement." Sure, let''s go get some." "Yay!¡± Lana cheered, and Nnughed along. The family visited a burger restaurant, enjoying a simple meal together. But Nicole asionally scanned their surroundings as she sensed something amiss. Jared, noticing her unease, whispered, "He''s here." Nicole''s frown deepened as she realized it wasn''t just her imagination. She had caught glimpses of a figure, indeed Lawrence. Holding Nicole''s hand, Jared reassured her, "Don''t worry, he''s unlikely to make a move." Nicole raised an eyebrow, seeking confirmation. Jared exined, "Lawrence is alone. If he had nned anything, he wouldn''t be here by himself." Jared had secretly arranged additional protection. If anything happened, Nicole and the kids would be safe.? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. Chapter 2971 Chapter 2971 "Mhm." Nicole nodded, her face a mask of calm. She didn¡¯t want the children to pick up on any unease. As she watched the kids devour their food, a gentle smile graced her lips. Above all, she hoped their lives would remain simple and untouched by chaos. Meanwhile, Lawrence sat in his car a short distance away, his expression clouded with dark thoughts. His eyes, fixed on the image of a joyous family of four, felt a sting of irritation. Once, he had dreamed of such a life - a peaceful existence with Nicole and her two children. "Mr. Royce, Scorpio wants us to kidnap Nicole and deliver her to him. But I''m concerned..." Ian began, aware of Scorpio''s sinister intentions toward Nicole. "We must take her," Lawrence stated firmly. ''But whether I hand her over to Scorpio or not, that decision is mine alone,'' he thought resolutely. Deep inside, he was determined not to let Nicole fall into Scorpio''s clutches. T¨ºxt ? N?velDrama.Org. Ian, pushing for rity, said, "But if we do this, Nicole might... It The consequences were inevitable. Regardless of Lawrence''s reluctance to surrender Nicole to Scorpio, the very act of attempting to kidnap her would irreparably damage their rtionship. Lost in thought, Lawrence murmured, still watching Nicole." It was bound toe to this point sooner orter, unless..." The notion of Nicoleing to him willingly was a fantasy, especially if she lost her memory again. But now, even memory loss wouldn''t solve everything. Nn and Lana were in the picture, and erasing the memories of all three was impractical. Thus, to have Nicole, Lawrence saw no alternative but to take her by force, ensuring she couldn''t return to her family. "It''s time," Lawrence said, his voice heavy with resolve. "Understood," Ian replied, starting the car. Lawrence leaned back. ''I always get what I want,'' he mused, his thoughts as cold as his gaze. After Lawrence''s departure, Nicole''s eyes narrowed slightly, betraying a flicker of confusion. Something felt off to her, but she couldn''t quite ce her finger on it. Jared, cing a juice in front of her, asked softly, "Want something to eat?" Shifting her focus to Jared, Nicole replied with a smile, "No, thanks." She took a sip of her juice, then added, "Don''t worry, I just find his behavior a bit strange." She tried to decipher the odd feeling but found herself momentarily lost in thought. "Daddy, Mommy, aren''t you eating?" Lana''s voice pulled Nicole from her reverie, her little head tilted up in inquiry. Nicole turned, gently stroking Lana''s hair. "You go ahead and eat, sweetie." "What are you two going to eat?" Nn, concerned, chimed in. ''Even if they don''t want burgers, they still need to eat dinner,'' he thought, his young mind filled with care. Nicole''s smile broadened. "We''ll have some snacks when we get back home." "Oh," came the synchronized response from Nn and Lana, who then quickened their pace with their burgers. "Take your time, there''s no rush," Nicole encouraged, her heart swelling with love for her children. They were the light in her life, her pirs of strength. Once dinner was over, Nicole and Jared escorted Nn and Lana back home. On arrival, the children eagerly greeted their grandparents," Hi, Grandpa, Grandma!" Gloria enveloped them in a warm embrace, her smile radiant. "Did you wait for us?" Nn and Lana inquired, their eyes bright with curiosity. "Yes, we were waiting for you toe back. We always love seeing you," Gloria replied, her hands gently caressing their heads. Lana''s eyes sparkled with joy. "Do you miss us when you can''t see us?" Chapter 2972 Chapter 2972 "Yes, we miss you when we can''t see you," Gloria affirmed with a smile, her love for Nn and Lana shining in her eyes. While the kids enjoyed their time with Daniel and Gloria, Nicole and Jared found themselves at a dining room for ate-night snack. As they sat there, Nicole couldn''t help but watch the four in the living room, her eyes brimming with warmth. She felt an overwhelming sense of contentment, thinking, ''This kind of family moment is so precious, it''s hard not to cherish it.'' After a long day, the quiet of the night embraced the Riddle household. Nicole and Jared, having tucked Nn and Lana into bed, retreated to their own room, the peacefulness of the home enveloping them. Feeling the day''s weariness in her muscles, Nicole stretched her neck, trying to ease the tension. Jared, ever attentive, noticed her fatigue and offered a gentle shoulder massage." If you''re tired, you should go to bed early," he suggested with genuine concern in his voice. "Mhm." Nicole nodded, her smile reflecting her appreciation, and then made her way to bed. Once Nicole was resting, Jared stepped out onto the balcony for a private call with Max. "Any update?" Owned by N?velDrama.Org. "Lawrence returned home. Nothing unusual," Max reported, then hesitated before adding, "But there''s something about Ian." "Ian?" Jared''s eyes narrowed. ''Lawrence''s right-hand man?'' "After dropping Lawrence off, he left hastily. He seemed to be contacting someone, but he was very cautious, evading our tail," Max detailed. "Did he know?" Jared''s voice carried a hint of concern. "It looks like he was just being careful, not that he knew he was being followed," Max concluded thoughtfully. After a moment of silence, Jared instructed, "Keep an eye on him." Jared felt that Lawrence certainly had a n, and it seemed he had tasked Ian to carry it out. Max respectfully replied, "Yes, Mr. Johnston." Jared''s thoughts were heavy as he hung up the phone. The situation with Lawrence, Ian''s ambiguous actions, and the potential threat to the Crests and Nicole weighed on him. His eyes, reflecting a determined resolve, mirrored the darkness of the night. The following morning, the sky mirrored the somber mood with its overcast hues. The weather seemed to cast a shadow over everyone''s spirits. After a quiet breakfast, Nicole and Jared dropped Nn and Lana off at kindergarten. As they left the kindergarten, Nicole turned to Jared. "Take me to BayCorp." Jared, ever attentive, asked casually, "Is there something you need to do?" "Yeah, Lulu mentioned something odd about Er. I want to check on it," Nicole responded, her tone hinting at concern. Without further questions, Jared drove her to BayCorp. Upon arrival, Lulu was already there, greeting Nicole with a wave." Hey, Nicole." Nicole waved goodbye to Jared and joined Lulu. Lulu, linking arms with her, teased, "Such a reluctant goodbye. Why not invite Jared to join you?" Nicole rolled her eyes yfully. "I think you and Spencer are no different," she retorted with a smile. Lulu chuckled, a light-hearted moment in the midst of uncertainty. Together, they entered BayCorp and headed straight for Er''s office. To their surprise, Er hadn''t arrived yet, despite the time. "Eh, it''s thiste, and he''s still not here?" Lulu expressed her confusion. "Let''s ask his secretary about his usual arrival time," Nicole suggested, her brow furrowed in slight concern, sensing that something might be amiss. Chapter 2973 Chapter 2973 "Okay," Lulu said, turning to leave the office. She nearly bumped into Er just outside. Noticing Er''s haggard look, Lulu frowned with concern." Why do you look so tired?" "You''re here," Er replied, a tired note in his voice as he walked into the office. His eyes widened slightly when he saw Nicole inside." Nicole, what are you doing here?" "I heard from Lulu you weren''t feeling well. Came to check on you," Nicole said, her gaze lingering on Er. Er felt an ufortable twinge of guilt. Trying to mask any strangeness, he said, a bit stiffly, "No, just busy, that''s all. Just tired." Nicole''s eyes narrowed a fraction. "You look more than just tired," she said, skepticismcing her words. She wasn''t buying the mere fatigue story. Er, now more nervous, gave a forced chuckle. "What else would it be? Honestly, just tired." He gestured to the mountain of paperwork on his desk. "See? So much worktely. Some I can''t even finish in one day." "It''s not the work that''s keeping you from finishing. You''re spending time with Patricia," Lulu said, teasing him with a knowing smile. "Yea... I just went to see her," Er admitted, a hint of embarrassment in his tone. His reaction only solidified Lulu''s suspicion. Smiling, she added, "We shouldn''t pry into your personal life, but don''t let it affect your work, and also..." "And what?" Er asked, a hint of confusion in his voice. Inwardly, he was strategizing, trying to mislead Nicole. ''If she thinks I''m just preupied with Patricia, she won''t suspect the truth,'' he thought. He wondered what Lulu was about to say. "You know Patricia''s situation and her feelings for you. You should really think it through," Lulu advised, her voice tinged with concern. They all knew how Er felt about Patricia, and Patricia had been clear about her feelings. Er needed to be ready for that. "I''m aware. I''m not expecting anything from her. I just think she needs someone to stand by her now. After she recovers, I¡¯ll step back, just wishing her happiness," Er said, a rare seriousness in his voice. He was doing all this for Patricia without expecting anything in return. He just wanted to be there for her, hoping for her happiness in the end. Lulu sighed, shaking her head, at a loss for further advice for Er. Nicole cast a concerned look at Er. "Even if you''re just keeping herpany, you shouldn¡¯t be this drained. Let me check you out." She motioned for Er toe closer for a quick check. Er''s heart raced. He''d thought Nicole was falling for the cover story about Patricia, but she seemed undeterred by it.This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org. A wave of panic washed over him, and he broke into a cold sweat. ''I can''t let Nicole examine me. If she does, she''ll uncover everything, and my ns will be ruined,'' he thought frantically. In a sudden move, Er clutched his stomach. "My stomach... it hurts. You guys sit, I''ll be right back," he blurted out and dashed out of the room. "Did he eat something bad?" Lulu asked, puzzled. Maybe," Nicole replied, her brow furrowed slightly. "I thought he was just overworked, but maybe it''s just stomach trouble," Lulu shrugged, turning to Nicole. "Doesn''t seem like anything too serious." "Yeah," Nicole nodded. "A little medicine and rest should do. " She seemed convinced it was a minor issue. When Er returned, Nicole didn''t mention checking on him again, much to his silent relief. Chapter 2974 Chapter 2974 Nicole excused herself from lunch with Lulu, saying, "Now that everything seems okay, I''ll head back to the office." She hade out of concern for Er, but seeing him seemingly alright, she felt it was time to leave. ¡¯Do you think you can manage the work alone?" Lulu asked Er. "I''ll be fine," Er assured with a nod. "Just remember, if you need help, have your secretary send the crucial documents to the team," Lulu reminded him as she prepared to leave. "Got it," Er responded, escorting Nicole and Lulu to the door. Once they were gone, Er copsed onto the couch, a wave of exhaustion washing over him. "Sir, these are the documents," his secretary announced, entering with a stack of papers and a bottle of medicine." Ms. Riddle asked me to give this to you." Holding the medicine, Er felt a mix of warmth and guilt. He hated keeping things from Nicole, yet he knew revealing his ns would stop her from letting him proceed. He was trapped between a rock and a hard ce. Til exin everything and ask for Nicole¡¯s forgiveness once this is all over,'' he resolved. Meanwhile, in the car, Nicole and Lulu discussed Er''s condition. "Do you think there''s something else behind his behavior?" Lulu inquired, her usual smile gone. "I''m not certain. Well have to wait and see," Nicole responded, her face serious. She couldn''t shake off the feeling that Er was hiding something. "Once he takes the medicine, well see if he improves in the next few days," Nicole said, pondering the situation. "If he gets better, then it''s probably nothing. But if he doesn''t, or gets worse, then he''s definitely hiding something," Nicole concluded. "Alright," Lulu agreed, trusting Nicole''s judgment. Leaning back in her seat and gazing out the window, Lulu let out a sigh. "Er''s so dedicated, but with Patricia''s stance... it''splicated." The future of Er and Patricia''s rtionship seemed uncertain. Nicole looked thoughtful. "Fate''s a tricky thing, isn''t it?" Lulu turned toward Nicole, a faint smile on her lips. "You think they might still have a shot?" "I don''t know," Nicole admitted, shaking her head. "Some matters are only clear to those involved." "It''d be a shame if they don''t end up together," Lulu mused, sharing Nicole''s view that ultimately, it was for Er and Patricia to figure out. Back at Riddle Corporation, Nicole and Lulu stepped out of the car. ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. Nicole paused, her eyes briefly catching a carthat had just arrived. "What''s up?" Lulu asked, curious. "It''s nothing. Let''s head in," Nicole said, redirecting her attention toward the building. Lulu nced around, seeing nothing out of the ordinary, and followed Nicole inside. Nicole kept to herself that they had been followed. Unsure of the other party''s motives, she had a hunch she was the one being targeted. Once in her office, Nicole quickly called Max. "There''s someone tailing me. Look into it," she spoke quietly. "Understood. Stay alert," Max replied, ready to investigate. Chapter 2975 Chapter 2975 Nicole gazed out the window, lost in thought. She was aware of the security measures Jared had put in ce for her, yet the car that had been trailing her from BayCorp was an anomaly. It was a vehicle she didn¡¯t recognize, with upants she couldn''t identify. She was fairly sure it wasn''t connected to Scorpio. Her mind then drifted to Lawrence. In San Joto, he was one of the few who might have a reason to follow her. Time seemed to fly, and before she knew it, the workday was over. As Nicole left the building, she instinctively nced at the spot where the mysterious car had been parked earlier. A different car upied the space now. Without lingering, Nicole made her way to Jared''s car and got in. "Let''s go," she said to Max, settling into the seat. As they drove off, Max reported, "Mrs. Johnston, there was no trace of that car you mentioned." Nothing at all?" Nicole''s frown deepened. Were they dealing with someone highly skilled? "Correct. Our team arrived, but the car had already left, leaving no clues. They''re quite professional," Max added. Jared, sitting beside Nicole, squeezed her hand reassuringly. "Arrange a driver for Riddle Corporation," he directed Max. He then turned to Nicole, "You should have the driver with you whenever you''re alone." "Okay," Nicole responded quietly, touched by Jared''s concern and understanding the need for extra precautions. Jared instructed Max further, "Keep a watch, but don''t go too near." This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org. Max nodded, grasping Jared''s strategy. They needed to appear less alert to coax the follower into the open. Nicole realized the subtlety of Jared''s n. She knew she had to act normally to avoid tipping off their tail. The game of cat and mouse had just begun, and they needed to be patient to draw out their mysterious follower. Upon their arrival at the kindergarten, Nicole and Jared picked up Nn and Lana, heading back to the Riddle residence. In the living room, Daniel and Gloria were present, along with Stanley and Tia. '' Nicole, Jared," Tia greeted them warmly as they entered. Nn and Lana, beaming with joy, rushed over to Tia. "Tia!" they eximed, embracing her. Tia affectionately ruffled their hair. "Have you two been behaving yourselves?" The children nodded eagerly. "Yes, we''ve been very good." "That''s my superstars," Tia said, her smile bright and genuine. Gloria, her eyes full of warmth, invited everyone to sit." Come, let''s all have a seat and catch up." They all settled downfortably. Nicole turned to Tia with a concerned but friendly gaze." How have you been? Everything alright?" Tia responded with a gentle shake of her head. "I''m fine. I just really missed Nn and Lana," she confessed. Realizing her words might have sounded too intense, Tia quickly amended, "I mean, I missed spending time with them." Gloria, who initially looked a bit puzzled, chuckled at Tia''s rification. "You''re always wee here. Feel free to visit whenever you like." "I''ll make sure to do that," Tia replied, her relief evident. Nicole offered a warm smile. "That''s great to hear. And if you''re feeling up to it, you can start picking Nn and Lana up from kindergarten again starting tomorrow." Top of Form Chapter 2976 Chapter 2976 "Nicole..." Tia looked at her, her eyes filled hesitation, as if to ask, ''Is this really okay?'' "I''ve still got things to handle, and I''m worried I won''t make it in time, so I''m actually relieved to leave this in your hands, " Nicole exined. She then reassured Tia, "Don''t worry, everything''s been taken care of." Tia nodded, now understanding the situation. She was aware thattely, Nicole and Jared had been personally picking up Nn and Lana for the kids'' safety. Now that Nicole was entrusting her with this responsibility, and with Nicole''s assurance that arrangements were in ce, it likely meant someone would be there to ensure Nn and Lana''s safety. So, Tia felt a sense of relief. "Okay, I''ll make sure to be there early tomorrow morning," Tia said, smiling. She really adored Nn and Lana and was more than happy to pick them up. Nicole had made these arrangements out of concern. ''If someone is actually after me, it''s better I keep my distance from the kids,'' Nicole thought to herself, ''to keep Nn and Lana out of harm''s way.'' Jared seemed to pick up on what Nicole was thinking, giving her a thoughtful look. By limiting her time with the children, Nicole was protecting them, but it also meant she herself was in more danger. Feeling Jared''s gaze, Nicole smiled at him. Jared''s expression changed ever so slightly, then he gently took her hand in his. Her smile grew as she moved a bit closer to Jared. He didn''t speak, but she understood his concern and his feelings. "There won''t be any problems, especially with you by my side," Nicole whispered, her voice just reaching Jared. Jared''s hold on her hand grew firmer, his actions speaking louder than words. Nicole''s smile turned even sweeter, her heart filled with warmth. "Tia, could you also pick up Mrs. Wace Sr.? Dinner will be ready soon," Gloria said, checking the time and reminding Tia. "Sure," Tia replied, getting up. Stanley stood as well, adding, "Tia, I''ll go with you." As Stanley followed Tia out, Gloria smiled to herself, then turned back to Nicole. "What''s Er been up to these days? I heard from Emma he''s been leaving early anding homete, barely around." Maybe he''s just busy with his work at thepany," Nicole replied, deliberately not going into detail. "He always takes your advice. Just remind him to take care of himself. Work matters, but rest is just as important," Gloria suggested. Nicole nodded in response to Gloria''s advice. "Okay, I get it." But as she agreed, a sense of unease lingered in her mind.'' Why has Er been leaving so early and coming backtetely? Even if he''s busy with work, it seems excessive, doesn''t it?¡¯ she thought, her brows furrowing slightly. After dinner, with these thoughts still circling in her mind, Nicole decided to reach out to Patricia for more insights. "Ms. Riddle," came Patricia''s voice on the other end, a mix of surprise and concern. "What''s up? Why are you calling at this hour?" T¨ºxt ? N?velDrama.Org. "Have you seen Er around recently?" Nicole asked straight away. ¡¯No," Patricia replied, her voice tinged with hesitation. After a pause, she added, "Is something wrong with him?" Nicole took a moment, contemting how to phrase her concerns. "He''s been acting a bit offtely, so I just wanted to check." "What seems to be the problem?" Patricia''s voice now carried a note of worry. She hadn''t seen Er in thest few days either. ''Could something bad happen to him?'' she wondered. "I''m not really sure, but everyone''s noticed he''s not quite himself. He insists he''s okay, though..." Nicole shared what she knew, her tone reflecting her uncertainty. Patricia let out a soft, troubled sound. "That doesn''t sound good." "Yeah, I''ll keep an eye on him," Nicole said, concluding the call as she realized Patricia didn''t have any more information. As she put her phone away, Nicole turned around and found Jared looking at her. Chapter 2977 Chapter 2977 "Is Er''s problem still not sorted out?" Jared asked, with a slight frown on his brow. Nicole shook her head in response to Jared''s question. "I just can''t shake the feeling that something''s off," she admitted. Sighing, she said, "I guess all we can do is wait and see." If there was really an issue with EIIar, the truth wouldn''t stay hidden for long. The thought that something might be amiss with Er lingered in her mind. The mystery deepened with Patricia''s apparent unawareness of Er''s recent activities. ''Wasn''t he supposed to be with Patricia? Why would he lie about that?'' Nicole pondered, a frown creasing her brow as she mulled over these questions. Jared reached out, gently ruffling her hair in aforting gesture. "Go take a shower and head to bed. We''ll figure out what''s going on with Er in due time." Jared, despite the oddities in Er''s behavior, didn''t seem overly concerned. He believed that whatever Er was involved in, he had his reasons, perhaps reasons he couldn''t disclose, which exined his secrecy. Nicole inhaled deeply, trying to ease the turmoil of her thoughts, and then made her way to the bathroom. The warm bath helped her rx, and before she knew it, she drifted off to sleep. Jared, noticing the unusual dy, checked on her and found Nicole asleep in the tub, her cheeks flushed with warmth. With a resigned smile, he gently lifted her out of the bath, wrapped her in a bathrobe, and carried her to their bedroom.Owned by N?velDrama.Org. Once nestled in thefort of their bed, Nicole instinctively curled up, a peaceful expression on her face as she slipped back into a deep sleep. As Nicole curled up like a kitten, Jared couldn''t resist smiling. He sat by the bed, gently drying her hair with a towel. Nicole woke up slowly and saw Jared. She smiled softly." Why didn''t you wake me?" Jared put the towel aside and yfully ruffled her hair. "You needed the rest." Nicole turned to face him, resting her chin on her hand." Now I''m not sleepy." Her bathrobe slipped off her shoulder slightly. Jared''s expression shifted subtly at her yful look. In a deep, meaningful voice, Jared said, "If you can''t sleep, I''m here to help." Nicole, surprised, watched Jarede closer. She thought about moving away, but it was toote. In the next moment, Jared kissed her... Three days whisked by. Nicole fell into her regr pattern ofmuting to work, the mysterious car from before now absent. Each morning, Jared consistently offered Nicole a lift to Riddle Corporation. Settled in the seat, Nicole posed a question to Max, her voice tinged with seriousness, "Any leads yet?" "Seems like they''re still ying it safe, just watching,¡± Max responded in a low tone. "Then let''s not dwell on it," Nicole replied withposure." We can''t let this disrupt our lives." Max paused, his voice carrying a note of uncertainty. "What if..." He trailed off, but inwardly he was gripped by concern, thinking, ''What if they catch us off guard and you get hurt?'' Nicole, as if intuiting Max''s concerns, reassured, "Don''t worry. I''m tougher than I look, and you''ve already set up security for me. That''s why I''ve made up my mind about the Lanningbourg project." "Are you sure that''s wise?" Max questioned, his voiceced with worry. The project demanded her presence for negotiations, a point that naturally sparked concern. The task meant traveling to a foreignnd, and the specific request for Nicole to be there in person hinted at a possible hidden agenda. Chapter 2978 Chapter 2978 Nicole paused briefly, weighing her words. "Yes, and I¡¯m going to ensure the news of my presence at the event is openly circted." It seemed wiser not to conceal her schedule, as transparency might provoke a reaction from the opposing party. Max''sprehension dawned, hisplexion turning a shade paler. "Mrs. Johnston, are you really nning to use yourself as bait?" It was evident that exposing Nicole''s itinerary now would certainly draw the attention of those figures lurking in the dark. Nicole nodded affirmatively. "Since I''m their target, let them focus on me. It''ll keep others out of harm''s way." Considering their reluctance to confront her in San Joto, she saw an opportunity to draw them out. "But isn''t that exceedingly risky?" Max''s worry was palpable. Nicole looked toward Jared, her lips curving into a smile." You wouldn''t let anything happen to me, right?" "I''ll be by your side," Jared stated, his tone solid and resolute. Nicole''s expression showed a momentary frown, then she acquiesced with a nod. "Okay." "When are you nning to depart, Mrs. Johnston?" Max inquired. After a moment''s thought, Nicole replied, "I''ll have Lulu arrange the tickets. There are still a few matters I need to address." She couldn''t pinpoint the exact time of departure yet, but left it in Lulu''s capable hands. Finishing her thoughts, Nicole caught Jared''s gaze and promptly shed a smile, amending, "Us." Nicole briefly nced at Jared, catching his softened gaze. She yfully stuck out her tongue when his attention diverted. He''s really taking this too seriously,'' she mused. It wasn¡¯t that she wanted to exclude him; she fully intended to honor their agreement. Arriving at Riddle Corporation, Nicole exited the car and made her way inside. Jared''s expression shifted as he watched her enter, the warmth in his eyes giving way to a more serious demeanor." Let Charlie organize a team to go ahead. The rest will stay back," he ordered, his voice deep and authoritative. Owned by N?velDrama.Org. Max, taken aback and filled with worry, grasped Jared''s intent to apany Nicole. However, he couldn''t help but wonder if it was wise for them to go without additional security until they reached their destination. "The trip should be secure, and arrangements will be in ce there," Jared reassured Max. "I need you here to oversee things." Max, understanding Jared''s strategy, nodded. "You''re saying they might still act, even with your departure." "Possibly," Jared acknowledged, implying there were deeper ns at y. Realizing his role in therger scheme, Max epted his duty. "Understood, sir. We''ll ensure Scorpio pays this time." The situation was intricate. Lawrence''s cooperation with Scorpio appeared superficial, more a maneuver for his own agenda. Max internally resolved, ''With the Johnstons away, they''re likely to make a move. We need to be vignt here.'' Meanwhile, Nicole settled into her office. Momentster, Lulu entered with several documents. "Nicole," Lulu began,ying the papers on the desk, "take a look to see if anything here need adjusting?" Chapter 2979 Chapter 2979 Nicole nodded, briefly looking over the documents. "Okay," she said. Lulu, observing Nicole, frowned slightly and asked," Something on your mind?" "Yeah, it''s just something I''m working on," Nicole replied, ncing up at Lulu. Lulu leaned in, her expression turning more serious. "What''s going on?" "It''s about the Apex Corp project. I''ve decided to tackle it myself," Nicole revealed, her voice carrying a determined undertone. Lulu''s surprise was evident. "You''re actually taking that on?" "Yes, I''ll leave in a few days, once I''ve sorted things out here. Jared will being with me,¡± Nicole exined. Lulu''s eyes widened. "Both of you are going?" "That''s right," Nicole confirmed. "He''s uneasy about me going solo." Lulu shook her head, a mix of disbelief and relief in her eyes. "And you were considering going alone? It''s a good thing he''s joining you." Nicole''sughter lightened the mood slightly. "It''s just a project negotiation. I don''t see why everyone''s so ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. concerned." Lulu, still wearing a frown of concern, insisted, "But you know how things are right now." "That''s the very reason I have to go," Nicole replied, her smile a blend of confidence and reassurance. "And I won''t be alone; Jared will be with me." "Okay," Lulu conceded, though her worry was evident. She knew Nicole was determined, and having Jared by her side was aforting thought. "Can you get the documents ready for me? I''ll need to take them along," Nicole instructed, shifting back to business. "Of course, I''ll take care of it. Don''t worry about a thing," Lulu responded, ready to assist. As Lulu exited, Nicole''s gaze returned to the paperwork spread across her desk. She had a lot to wrap up before leaving - ensuring work at the office was under control and revisiting Er''s situation one more time. Time passed, and soon it was lunchtime. Nicole and Lulu settledfortably near the couch, ready for their lunch break, when a knock sounded at the door. "It must be Er," Lulu guessed, ncing up. As predicted, Er entered, a lunch box in hand. "Brought your favorite - Spicy Mexican fish," he announced with a cheerful grin. Lulu''s smile widened in surprise. "You really went out to get it?" Er set the lunch box on the table, its opening releasing a tantalizing aroma. "I knew you both would enjoy it, so I made the extra effort," he exined, joining them. Lulu couldn''t hide her delight. "Now that''s thoughtful. We''ve been concerned about you." Turning to Nicole, Lulu observed, "He seems much better, doesn''t he?" Nicole nodded, noting Er''s improved demeanor. "He does appear more recovered." "Let''s dig in,¡± Er quickly suggested, avoiding Nicole''s examining gaze. Nicole, her eyes slightly narrowed, kept watching Er. Despite his apparent recovery, something about his condition seemed off to her. Er, feeling Nicole¡¯s gaze, stayed focused on his food, engaging in light conversation with Lulu. "I wanted to express my gratitude for your concern," he added. "That''s really considerate, Er," Lulu responded with augh, appreciating his gesture. Chapter 2980 Chapter 2980 Er¡¯s tone conveyed his effort to contribute positively to the lunch gathering. "I remembered how much you both liked itst time, so I grabbed it for today," he said. Lulu casually mentioned, "Well, enjoy it while you can. Nicole will be out of the country soon." Er¡¯s reaction was one of genuine surprise. "Out of the country? Nicole, what''s the asion?" "Just some business matters. I''ll be back in a few days," Nicole replied, downying the significance of her trip. Er, not privy to the details, simply nodded in understanding. "Got it." Nicole then shifted the conversation, her gaze intent on Er. Before I go, is there anything you need assistance with?" Er, slightly uneasy under Nicole''s scrutiny, averted his eyes. "No, everything''s fine on my end. You don''t need to worry about me, Nicole." Nicole, not entirely convinced, pressed a bit more. "Are you sure about that?" Er¡¯s vigorous nod seemed to affirm his words. "Really, everything''s fine," he reassured Nicole. "Alright, let''s enjoy the meal then," Nicole said, deciding to leave the matter for now. Despite her lingering doubts, she couldn''t pinpoint anything specific about Er that seemed amiss. She chose to focus on the present, resolving to revisit any concerns about Er after her trip. She thought that it was possible that her recent stress had been amplifying her worries unnecessarily. After lunch, Er quickly found an excuse to leave the Riddle Corporation ahead of time. Once outside, he released a relieved sigh, wiping the perspiration from his brow. He had sensed the underlying reason for Nicole''s questions and was grateful for his preparedness. In reality, the Spicy Mexican fish was ordered by his assistant, while he had met with Martin to improve hisplexion, anticipating Nicole might notice any discrepancies. His efforts appeared to have paid off, allowing him to narrowly evade Nicole''s suspicions. With Nicole''s impending departure, Er hoped for some change in his situation by her return. Even if ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. things didn''t improve substantially, he felt confident that his condition would not be as evident and would likely go unnoticed. "Mr. Riddle, you look very pale. Should I take you home to rest?" Er¡¯s assistant, full of concern, looked at his ashen face. "No, let''s head back to thepany," Er¡¯s voice was weak, barely a whisper as he leaned against the seat. ''Going home in this state would only make my family worry more,'' he thought. As Martin had predicted, Er¡¯splexion had only improved temporarily. When the medication''s effects started to fade, he felt even weaker than before. He considered himself fortunate that no one had seen him after the medication wore off. ''If they had, keeping this a secret would''ve been impossible,'' he mused. Meanwhile, back at Riddle Corporation, Lulu had just finished tidying up and turned to Nicole. "He does seem a lot better, doesn''t he? Why do you still look so worried?" Nicole shook her head slightly. "I''m not sure. He does seem okay, but something still feels off." "Don''t worry, he''s grown up and knows how to take care of himself," Lulu tried to reassure her. Nicole''s eyes narrowed as she said, "What worries me is whether he''s hiding something from us." Lulu, understanding Nicole''s concern, volunteered, "I¡¯ll keep an eye on him for you while you''re away." Nicole nodded in appreciation. "That would be great, please do." After agreeing, Lulu nced at the time. "You should rest for a bit. I''ll head out now." Nicole, leaning on the couch, closed her eyes to rest. ''What am I missing?'' she wondered, her mind buzzing with thoughts, feeling like she was on the verge of uncovering something elusive. *** Three dayster, everything was ready for Nicole''s trip. She and Jared were prepared to leave. Nn and Lana clung to Nicole, their voices tinged with reluctance, "Mommy, pleasee back soon." Chapter 2981 Chapter 2981 Nicole gently kissed Nn and Lana on their cheeks, reassuring them, "Okay, I wille back soon after finishing my work." Jared affectionately patted Nn''s head. "Be sure to take good care of Lana while we''re away." Nn nodded confidently. "I will." "Daddy," Lana reached out her arms toward Jared, yearning for a hug. Jared lifted her up, and she wrapped her arms around his neck, nting a kiss on his cheek. "Daddy, I''m going to miss you so much." A look of deep love shed in Jared¡¯s eyes as he replied, "I''ll be back before you know it." "Nn, Lana, it''s almost time for kindergarten," Tia gently reminded them. After bidding their parents a reluctant farewell, Nn and Lana waved goodbye. "Bye-bye, Daddy! Bye-bye, Mommy!" they called out, their little feet dragging and their heads turning back three times to look at their parents before following Tia to the car. Nicole watched the car carrying Nn and Lana until it disappeared from view. The sight left a bittersweet feeling in her heart. Soon after, Nicole and Jared themselves got into their car, poised to embark on their journey. "Mr. and Mrs. Johnston, everything is set," Max confirmed, his voice steady as he started the car and steered it toward the airport.This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org. Upon hearing Max''s assurance, Nicole cast a quick nce at Jared. He responded by tenderly holding her hand. "Max will handle things here. Once we''re on our way, our focus should be solely on our respective tasks." Nicole nodded in agreement, her expression morphing into one of resolve and determination. Their journey was about more than just the Apex Corp project; there were other unresolved issues that demanded their attention. Upon arriving at the airport, Jared and Nicole swiftly boarded the ne, leaving the familiarndscapes of San Joto behind. As their ne soared into the sky, Max departed the airport and made his way back to Charlie''s apartment. "Mr. and Mrs. Johnston have embarked on their trip," Max reported upon arrival. Charlie looked up at him, a hint of concern in his gaze. "Is everything set up on their end?" "Don''t worry, everything''s arranged. But I''m here to discuss the current situation in San Joto," Max rified. Charlie''s expression grew more cautious. "Does Mr. Johnston want us to handle Scorpio?" Max gave him a correcting nce. "It''s me who''ll be dealing with Scorpio, not us." "You''re here to assist me. Besides that, your main task is to ensure you''re well-rested," Max reminded Charlie. "I''m actually fine now," Charlie protested, clearly not enthused about the prospect of more rest. Max, however, was firm in his stance. "Whether you''re fine or not isn''t for you to decide." Charlie shot Max a re filled with usation. "You''re just being dictatorial." Max simply shrugged, unfazed by the usation. "We could always consult Patricia for her opinion on this." At the mention of Patricia, Charlie fell silent. He knew all too well that if Patricia got involved, she would likely side with Max, leaving him without any support for his argument. "Let Seth stay with you. I''ll get in touch if anythinges up. I''ve temporarily reassigned the rest of the team," Max said, finalizing his ns before he prepared to leave. Max paused at the door, a thought striking him. He turned back to Charlie. "How''s Patricia''s situation? Any progress with her facial treatment?" Charlie let out a sigh, a mix of hope and resignation in his voice. "Dr. Wyance seems to be onto something, but it''s still experimental. We''ll have to wait a bit longer. It''s a ray of hope, at least." The idea of waiting was difficult, but the possibility of a breakthrough was aforting thought, a glimmer of hope in an otherwise challenging situation. Max nodded understandingly. ''We shouldn''t rush things. With such a delicate matter, patience is key." He then inquired, "Did Dr. Wyance give any specifics about this new approach?" Nicole had previously mentioned that more reliable treatments for such injuries were usually lengthy andplex processes. Max wondered why he hadn''t heard about this development earlier. ''Is it a new technique devised by Dr. Wyance? And is Mrs. Johnston aware of it?'' Charlie shook his head, indicating hisck of detailed knowledge. "I''m not sure of the specifics. Dr. Wyance hasn''t shared much yet." Chapter 2982 Chapter 2982 Max pondered for a moment and said, "Alright, let¡¯s wait and see what develops." In matters as delicate as Patricia''s treatment, it was best to proceed with caution, especially in the absence of Nicole, who was currently abroad. Any major decisions would have to be deferred until her return. Leaving Charlie with his thoughts, Max departed, his mind already shifting to the myriad of responsibilities awaiting him at the office. With Jared away, the burden of overseeing operations fell heavily on his shoulders. Meanwhile, as darkness enveloped the city, Nicole and Jared''s ne touched down smoothly at Lanningbourg Airport. Stepping into the cool night air, they were immediately met by a familiar face. "Mr. Johnston, Mrs. Johnston," Adolph greeted them with a respectful nod, his movements efficient as he opened the car door for them. Adolph was part of the samework as Patricia and Charlie, another piece in Jared¡¯s extensive and intricate web. Settling into the car, Jared addressed Adolph with a calm, authoritative tone. "How''s the situation here?" Adolph responded confidently, "Everything''s under control." Nicole''s itinerary was meticulously nned, her focus on both the Apex Corp project and the unresolved matters at hand. Adolph, with a tone of professionalism and assurance, confirmed, "Everything will be managed as per your schedule, Mrs. Johnston." Nicole nodded, her thoughts lingering on the more sensitive aspects of their trip. "The main thing is to address those loose ends." "Understood," Adolph responded, his expression showing his readiness to tackle whatever challenges Upon their arrival at the hotel, Adolph reassured them once more. "Mr. Johnston, Mrs. Johnston, please take your time to rest. We have our people in ce here too." His meticulous nning and the presence of a reliable team in Lanningbourg meant that Jared and Owned by N?velDrama.Org. Nicole could focus on their priorities without distractions. "Hmm," Jared acknowledged Adolph''s statement and then led Nicole to their hotel room. After a moment of refreshing themselves, Nicole found herself seated on the couch, gazing out of the window. "It''s still early. I can''t sleep just yet." Whether it was the change in environment or the unfamiliar distance from Nn and Lana, sleep eluded Nicole. Jared sat down beside Nicole and gently massaged her temples, speaking softly, "Missing Nn and Lana?" "Yeah," she admitted softly, her thoughts still with Nn and Lana. "The kids are in good hands back home. We''ll take care of our business here quickly and return to them," Jared reassured her, his voice a soothing balm. "I know," Nicole murmured, biting her lip, her maternal instincts keeping her mind tethered to her children even in this distant ce. While Jared gently massaged her temples, they talked softly. Nicole slowly fell asleep, soothed by Jared''s presence. Jared''s expression softened as he observed Nicole''s peaceful. With care, he lifted her up and carried her to the bedroom, ensuring she wasfortable before tucking her in. After switching off the light, he retreated to the living room, his thoughts heavy. He gazed out into the quiet of the night, contemting the tasks ahead. Despite the calm of their journey so far, Jared was acutely aware of their subtle observers. He knew they had been followed, although their pursuers hadn''t continued from the airport, likely merging with local contacts. This trip was a dual mission for Nicole: advancing the Apex Corp project and tying up those loose ends. Jared was determined to resolve these matters swiftly and return to San Joto, to normalcy and their family. As the night grew deeper, Jared eventually sought his own rest, his mind still active with ns and strategies. The next morning, Nicole awoke early, not yet ustomed to the new environment. Noticing Jared still asleep, likely worn from the previous day, she quietly rose from the bed, careful not to disturb his rest. Chapter 2983 Chapter 2983 After refreshing herself, Nicole made her way to the hotel''s breakfast area. She chose a light yet nourishing meal and was on her way back to her room when she suddenly sensed someone''s presence. Reacting swiftly, she stopped, narrowly avoiding a collision and a potential breakfast disaster. Nicole''s gazended on the man before her as she stepped back, her eyes narrowing ever so slightly. "Sorry, I didn''t see you there. I almost bumped into you," the man offered an apology. Nicole gave him a brief, indifferent nce and shook her head, signaling that it was no big deal. She then maneuvered around him with her tray, gracefully exiting the space. The man watched Nicole leave, a shadow of intrigue passing over his eyes. He subtly slipped a button- like item into his pocket and resumed selecting his breakfast, masking any hint of the earlier incident. ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. Meanwhile, Nicole lingered near the restaurant''s entrance, discreetly keeping an eye on the man. She had caught him putting something into his own pocket, and though its nature was uncertain, she was sure it was meant for her - possibly something dangerous, or a tracking device. ''What was that about? Why was he trying to nt something on me?'' she thought, wary. Deciding it was best to retreat, Nicole headed back to her room with her breakfast in tow. Upon entering, she found Jared already awake. Noting the tray in her hands, he realized she had fetched breakfast." You could have eaten downstairs," he remarked gently. Nicole offered a light smile. "I woke up early and wanted to explore a bit. Besides, I find having breakfast in our room more pleasant." They settled near the couch, with Nicole cing the tray on the coffee table. Sharing a warm smile, they began their meal. "The food here is quite good," Nicolemented contentedly. "This hotel is one of the most renowned in this area..." Jared started to fill her in on some details about their location. Nicole nodded, chiming in as Jared spoke. They wrapped up their breakfast in no time. Nicole grinned, content. "Staying here is super convenient." "They''ve got everything covered - food, a ce to crash, transportation. No need to stress about a thing," she added. "Curious, though. How''s the security around here?" Nicole asked out of the blue. Jared squinted a bit. "Why the question?" "Back in the restaurant..." Nicole cautiously recounted the encounter. Jared thought it over. "Could it be someone from the Eastern Falcon?" "That''s what I was thinking," Nicole replied, a cold smile on her face. "They seem eager to make a move." "When we head outter, let Adolph tag along," Jared suggested, histone serious. "Doesn''t he have other stuff to do?" Nicole frowned, not wanting to disrupt their ns for her sake. Considering the man at the restaurant didn''t directly attack her, she figured there might be some hesitation, so immediate danger seemed unlikely. But Jared insisted, "Others can handle the tasks." After all, nothing topped the priority of keeping her safe. "Fine," Nicole agreed, not wanting to cause Jared any extra worry. Ready to roll, Nicole left the hotel with some papers in hand. Adolph was already there, waiting. Spotting Nicole, he popped the car door open. "Good morning, Mrs. Johnston." Chapter 2984 Chapter 2984 After getting into the car, Nicole spoke softly, "Good morning, Adolph. Let''s go." "Right away," Adolph replied, starting the car and steering toward Apex Corp''s headquarters. Back at the hotel, Jared hung around the room. His sole purpose on this trip was to be with Nicole; he had no work lined up. Jared''s eyes took on a cold glint as he was standing by the windows. After a brief silence, he dialed Zane''s number. "Zane, they''re making their moves." "Got it. I''ll arrange assistance and share some new leads. Let''s meet," Zane responded. "Alright," Jared ended the call. After he stowed away his phone, his gaze out the window hardened even more. *** Meanwhile, Nicole and Adolph reached Apex Corp''s headquarters. After exining her visit, the receptionist guided her to the meeting room. "Please wait; Mr. Martinez will be here soon," the receptionist informed Nicole. "Thanks," Nicole nodded and took a seat, Adolph standing behind her. Soon, footsteps approached from outside the door. Nicole looked up as a schrly-looking middle-aged man entered. "Wee to Apex Corp, Ms. Riddle," Reggie Martinez greeted her. "Nice to meet you, Mr. Martinez," Nicole stood up, responding politely. "Have a seat," Reggie invited her. "It¡¯s an honor to have you here in person." Nicole nodded, smiling. "I''m honored too. Let''s hope we cane to an agreement." "I''m looking forward to it," Reggie said with anticipation. Without dy, Nicole handed him the prepared documents." This is our show of sincerity." When Apex Corp asked Nicole to discuss the project in person, she had one condition: Reggie himself must be present. This symbolized mutual sincerity, and naturally, she came prepared with a coboration n to meet Apex Corp''s satisfaction. As Reggie delved into the documents, his expressions danced between frowns, smiles, and head shakes, making it challenging to decipher his thoughts. Nicole keenly observed Reggie''s every move, narrowing her eyes slightly. It was clear that Reggie wasn''t displeased with her proposal, but there was an unmistakable hesitation lingering in his demeanor. "Mr. Martinez," Nicole chimed in, "While I believe my n is solid, if you have any thoughts, let''s discuss them." Confident in her proposal yet uncertain about Apex Corp''s stance, Nicole aimed to gauge Reggie''s attitude. After a moment of contemtion, Reggie turned to his secretary, whispered something, and the secretary left the room. Facing Nicole again, Reggie grinned. "Please be patient; just give me a moment." "Sure," Nicole replied, maintaining a calm and graceful smile. A hint of appreciation shed in Reggie''s eyes. "You''re indeed extraordinary; no wonder you''re the master of two Crests." "It''s just luck," Nicole replied modestly, genuinely attributing it to her good fortune. Reggieughed heartily. "Such luck isn''t something everyone has." Truly, it seemed to be a rarity in the world. Nicole raised an eyebrow slightly. "So, Mr. Martinez, you insisted on meing in person mainly This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org. because of the two Crests?" Reggie shook his head with a smile. "What if I said I just wanted to meet the owner of the two Crests? Would you believe me?" Chapter 2985 Chapter 2985 Reggie harbored a genuine curiosity about Nicole. With a coboration in the works, he naturally desired to meet her in person. Nicole''s eyes narrowed slightly; she was unsure whether to fully believe Reggie''s words. Nevertheless, his expression seemed genuinely earnest. During their conversation, Reggie''s secretary returned, carrying a file. "Mr. Martinez," the secretary handed the file to Reggie. Reggie, in turn, passed it directly to Nicole. "Please, take a look at this." Nicole opened the file, looking surprised. "Mr. Martinez, what does this mean?" It was a project proposal, one that Apex Corp had never publicly disclosed. This implied she was the sole person outside of Apex Corp to haveid eyes on this n. "I believe this proposal could use some refinement. I hope you can assist me with it," Reggie stated straightforwardly. Nicole was taken aback. "You want me to revise it?" She thought, ''What''s happening? This is a massive investment project, and he¡¯s asking for my help?'' Nicole was taken aback. "You want me to revise it?" She wondered, ''What''s happening? This is a massive investment project, and he¡¯s asking me to revise it?'' The thought lingered, ''He really trust me that much? Isn''t he afraid I might make changes for my own benefit?'' Reggie, seemingly unconcerned, replied, "If you can improve it, we can coborate." T¨ºxt ? N?velDrama.Org. Nicole bit her lip, tempted by Reggie''s offer. Coborating would make her trip truly worthwhile. Not only would sheplete the initial project, but she''d also secure a confidential, high-investment endeavor. Though she had only nced at the project, she was already sure of its excellence. It was a high-tech intelligent development project, focused on military robotics-a field she knew well. Globally, only a handful of teams worked on such projects, and there had been no news of sessful developments. Maybe there had been no sess, or perhaps there had been, but it was kept under wraps for the sake of maintaining a mysterious aura, which could be advantageous for research. Observing Nicole''s silence, Reggie asked with a frown, "Is there something you''re not satisfied with?" He had anticipated a swift agreement from Nicole, and her hesitancy left him somewhat surprised, struggling to discern her intentions. Nicole looked at Reggie and questioned, "Did you invite me here just for this project?" "No," Reggie shook his head. "This n has been finished for a while, but I''ve always found itcking. After seeing your proposal, I thought maybe you could provide something satisfactory, so I wanted to give it a try." Sess from Nicole''s end could mean an immediateunch for this project. Hearing this, Nicole shook the file in her hand. "May I take this back to review?" Reggie smiled in response. "That sounds like an agreement to me." "I hope I can meet your expectations, Mr. Martinez," Nicole said, standing up. "I''ll take my leave now." "Of course," Reggie had his secretary escort Nicole out. After leaving Apex Corp and getting into the car, Adolph asked in a serious tone, "Mrs. Johnston, can we trust this man?" Although many powerful people were aware of Nicole''s identity, Reggie was the first to speak so directly about it. "There shouldn''t be any problem," Nicole''s attention was already on the project proposal given by Reggie. The project had captured her interest from the moment she saw it, and she felt she might really be able to contribute something meaningful. Back at the hotel, Nicole handed the documents to Jared." Take a look at this." Chapter 2986 Chapter 2986 After reviewing the document, Jared asked Nicole, "What are you nning to do with this?" T¨ºxt ? N?velDrama.Org. "I''d like to give it a try," Nicole nodded. With previous experience in designing weapons and intelligent robots, this task didn''t seem particrly challenging to her. Reggie''s file was more of a conceptual design than aplete n. While most of its main ideas were solid, it needed further refinement, exining Reggie''s dissatisfaction. "If you''re interested, go for it," Jared said softly with a smile, handing the file back to Nicole. Considering her interest, Jared thought, ''Whether it leads to sess or failure, it''s all eptable.'' "Alright," Nicole said with a smile, setting the file aside. She then looped her arm through Jared''s, adding, "But there''s no rush. What''s urgent now is lunch." A doting smile crossed Jared''s face as he replied, "Okay, let''s go eat.¡± Holding her tender hand, Jared led Nicole out of the room. Top of Form "We won''t eat in hotel this afternoon. Let''s go out," Jared suggested, holding Nicole''s hand as they left the hotel. "Where shall we eat?" Nicole asked curiously. "I''ve already checked. There''s a must-visit specialty eatery across the street for tourists in this area," Jared exined with a smile. Nicole''s eyes widened in surprise. "We''re so lucky to have a gourmet spot right where we''re staying." Looking into her sparkling eyes, Jared yfully tapped her nose. "Let''s go and try it out." The two arrived at a small eatery, bustling with customers, many of whom were clearly tourists. After finding a spot, Nicole remarked, "It really lives upto its reputation." Indeed, the ce was crowded, and it seemed like everyone was there on a rmendation. After a short wait, their Dirty Martini Pasta was served. Nicole, surrounded by the enticing aroma, squinted her eyes slightly and said, "It looks like it''s going to taste great." Handing a fork to Jared, Nicole then picked up another for herself and tasted the pasta, her smile deepening. The vor was truly delightful, making it a not-to-be-missed dish. As they ate, Nicole''s gaze suddenly caught a familiar figure, causing her expression to darken momentarily. Jared noticed her brief pause and followed her gaze. A man had just ordered food and sat down. "Is it him?" Jared asked, sensing something. "Yes," Nicole confirmed, knowing exactly who Jared was referring to. Indeed, it was the same man from the morning. He seemed to be hauntingly everywhere. "Did he follow you to Apex Corp?" Jared asked, his voice lowering. "No, there was no tail on our way there," Nicole assured him. "Let''s not worry about it for now. Just enjoy your meal," Jared suggested, believing the man was probably waiting for something and posed no immediate danger. Nicole continued eating, seemingly oblivious to the man''s presence. She asionally looked up at Jared, chatting andughing. The man seemed to be eating, but most of his attention was on Nicole. He realized she was more alert than he had anticipated, which exined his failed attempt that morning. It would be even harder to find another opportunity. Chapter 2987 Chapter 2987 After finishing their meal, Nicole and Jared, hand in hand, left the eatery, heading back to their hotel. Along the way, the man who had been watching them did not follow. Nicole, puzzled, murmured, "What does he really want?" Jared, holding her soft hand, nced at Nicole and said," Well find out soon." Blinking, Nicole realized, "You''ve had someone keeping an eye on him." Jared''s voice carried a hint of coldness, "Since he''s deliberately getting close to you, he must have a purpose." He was not about to take this lightly, alert to even the slightest hint or clue. Feeling a sense of warmth, Nicole slightly smiled. "Then let''s wait for the results." She too was suspicious of the man but didn''t want to investigate just yet, preferring to observe more. Perhaps he would reveal his true intentions soon. Jared''s direct and straightforward approach was effective. Upon entering their hotel room, it wasn''t long before someone knocked on their door. Opening it, they were greeted by Adolph, who addressed them respectfully, "Good afternoon, Mr. Johnston, Mrs. Johnston." "Did you find out?" Nicole asked directly. "Yes," Adolph replied, pulling out a small button-like device from his pocket. Nicole recognized it instantly and frowned, "That''s what he was nning to nt on me." "Correct," Adolph exined. "It''s a location tracker that also responds to the surrounding environment. I believe they nned to make their move when you were alone." "How did you get it?" Nicole asked, her voice tinged with a hint of coldness. Indeed, it was the little button'' she had noticed earlier, now revealing its more sinister capabilities. Adolph, understanding Nicole''s concern, reassured her," Don''t worry. Even if he realizes it''s missing, he won''t suspect us." He had cleverly used local troublemakers for the retrieval, ensuring no direct link to them could be established. Nicole nodded, satisfied with Adolph''s thorough nning. This way, they wouldn''t alert their opponent and give away that they were onto him. "It''s clear what they''re after," Adolph exined. "They probably know some of our moves and didn''t dare approach directly." Nicole''s eyes narrowed slightly; her expression changed slightly. "They want me alone, so well give them that opportunity." "Are you nning to use yourself as bait?" Adolph was concerned about the danger. Nicole nodded firmly, "That''s precisely why I came here." She had left San Joto with two objectives in mind, having already aplished one. It was time to tackle the second. Adolph looked to Jared, seeking his decision. Jared''s eyes held a frosty determination. "If everything is ready, let''s proceed." This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org. They hadn''t nned on staying here long, so resolving this matter quickly was crucial. As they were speaking, another knock came at the door. Jared and Nicole exchanged a nce before instructing Adolph, "Open the door." "Right away," Adolph responded, moving to greet their unexpected visitor. As the door opened, a familiar voice rang out, "So you''re here after all." Chapter 2988 Chapter 2988 Nicole instinctively nced toward the door as Zane stepped in, a subtle smile ying on his lips. "Why are you here?" Nicole asked, a hint of surprise in her voice. Approaching them, Zane replied with a light smile, "Of course, to coordinate with you both." Hearing Zane''s words, Nicole looked up at Jared, realizing he was the one who had asked Zane to Jared offered a gentle smile and turned to Zane. "Have a seat." After sitting down, Zane got straight to the point, "Scorpio¡¯s side should have a result tonight." "Are we wrapping it up?" Nicole''s eyes widened in surprise. Things were moving faster than she expected. "The evidence has been gathered, and I''ve already notified Pisces. Pisces will contact Max," Zane ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. informed them. Nicole nodded, ¡¯That''s good. Wrapping things up early is a wise move." If they continued, they would face Scorpio and Lawrence. If Scorpio could be dealt with, Lawrence would be left isted and easier to handle. Despite their disagreements, they were still allies with their primary target being the Crests in her possession. "What about our side?" Jared then asked. "That''s up to you," Zane shrugged. "What''s your n?" Jared''s voice was cold, "Since we arrived, we''ve been followed, and new forces have joined in here. Plus, someone''s been tracking Nicole. So, I think we need to resolve this quickly." "Yes, I agree," Zane looked at Nicole. "Once it''s settled, you can return sooner." Nicole pondered, "If the timing is right, we could make a move." Then, handing the small button to Zane, Nicole said, "This belongs to them." Zane''s eyebrows furrowed as he examined the device Nicole handed him. With a hint of chill in his voice, he said," So they''ve already made their move?" Nicole nodded and briefed Zane on the recent developments. "This device can block signals once activated,¡± Zane exined, his expression growing grave. That meant if they controlled Nicole, they could make her disappear without a trace. "What?!" Adolph eximed, shocked by the device''s capabilities. Nicole bit her lip slightly, nodding in agreement. She had already realized its potential danger but hadn''t mentioned it earlier to avoid causing worry. After a moment, Nicole suggested, "Now that we have it, we might as well make use of it." "What are you nning to do?" Jared asked, his voice low with a hint of concern, sensing Nicole''s intent. Nicole raised an eyebrow, "It''s the simplest and most effective method." Everyone understood Nicole''s implication, falling into silence. It was indeed a straightforward approach, but it meant risking Nicole''s safety. "Don''t worry, we have this," Nicole said, ncing meaningfully at the ''button'' in Zane''s hand. "So, you n to use this?" Zane caught on to Nicole''s idea. "You want to modify it," Jared surmised, considering the feasibility of Nicole''s proposal. "I can mask its signal-blocking feature and make it undetectable to them, turning it into a real tracker," Nicole exined calmly and with conviction. Adolph frowned slightly, "So, you intend to trap them all at once." "Exactly," Nicole replied and immediately got to work. She took the device, opened herptop, and began working swiftly. After a while, Nicole announced with satisfaction, "Done." Chapter 2989 Chapter 2989 Nicole handed the modified ''little button''to Adolph. "Return it to him," she instructed. Adolph nodded, understanding her intent. "Yes." As Adolph left with the device, Nicole turned to Zane. "How many people did you bring?" Zane replied, "A small team, and another team nearby on a different mission can assist if needed." "With our people, that should be enough," Nicole said, thinking about thepleteness of their n. Zane suggested, "Let''s have a female team member apany you. Someone skilled, with a local identity, so as not to arouse suspicion." Nicole nced at Jared and then nodded. "Okay." She felt that being alone might make her an easier target, but understanding Jared''s concerns, she agreed. Her current physical abilities weren''t as sharp as before, and she wasn''t certain she could handle a crisis alone. It was better to have someone with her. Zane had chosen someone carefully, ensuring the selection wouldn''t raise suspicions. Nicole added, "All she needs is a suitable reason to stay by my side." "Then it''s settled," Zane said, relieved by Nicole''s agreement. After discussing the specific details of the n, Zane left the hotel. Alone in the room with Jared, Nicole wrapped her arm around his, resting her head on his shoulder. "Thank you for supporting my decision," she said softly. A tender look crossed Jared''s eyes as he gently stroked her arm. "I trust you''ve thought this through." Nicole always acted thoughtfully, and with a meticulous n and personal protection in ce, Jared felt reassured. "I want to resolve this quickly so we can go back home," Nicole admitted, finding business trips more challenging than expected. Knowing she was missing their children, Nn and Lana, Jared hugged her tightly. "We''ll be back home soon." Nicole nodded lightly,forted by the thought of returning home to her family. In San Joto, as the evening sky darkened, a team moved quietly toward an apartmentplex. Most of the apartments were dark, their residents asleep, but a few still had lights on. "Is everyone ready?" a deep voice whispered. "Yes," came a quiet reply, followed by silence. T¨ºxt ? N?velDrama.Org. Max nced back, signaling one of his teams to disperse, and then sent another team forward into the building. "Be careful not to cause a disturbance,¡± Max instructed, giving orders to the second team. The second team took up positions around the building, ready to provide support. The third and fourth teams arrived at their designated spots, and Max gave the signal to move. Efficiently, the teams carried out their tasks. They quickly secured an apartment, extracting several people and whisking them away in waiting vehicles. The operation was over in minutes, and the apartmentplex returned to its quiet state. On the way back, Max reported the situation to Jared. Hearing the news, Jared said in a deep voice, "Book our return tickets to San Joto for the day after tomorrow." Chapter 2990 Chapter 2990 "Understood," Max replied, aware that Jared and Nicole''s situation was also nearing resolution. Jared hung up the phone and looked toward Nicole. "Max''s operation was a sess," Nicole said, having a good idea of what it entailed. "Yes, Scorpio and his men have been captured," Jared confirmed. A cold smile touched Nicole''s lips, "They never expected to be caught themselves while plotting to capture me." Earlier, Max had reported, and Pisces had informed them that Scorpio nned to gather his men tonight. They aimed to strike at Nicole and Jared at the airport when they returned. It was indeed a golden opportunity, as Nicole and Jared would be vulnerable at the airport. An attack there would leave them isted and in danger. "Now that we''ve acted first, everything has turned out well. San Joto is safe too," Nicole thought aloud. "Let''s discuss other matters when we return. We need to quickly resolve our current situation," Jared said, his eyes reflecting a sense of urgency. Indeed, the news of Scorpio''s capture wouldn''t remain hidden for long. The Eastern Falcon would soon find out. They had to use this limited time to resolve the situation here, or risk furtherplications. "Tomorrow," Nicole said. "I''ll let him stick the tracker on me. Let''s sync up with Adolph."? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. "Got it," Jared nodded, his hand squeezing Nicole''s lightly. The following day was sunny and cheerful. Nicole inquired with a server during breakfast about popr tourist spots and managed to secure a guide named Paige, who was one of Adolph''s team members. Ready for the day, Nicole and Paige hit the road. In the taxi, Nicole smirked as she produced the ''little button'' from her pocket. As they left, Nicole felt a slight bump from someone. It wasn''t intentional on her part. While it wasn''t the same guy as before, she was pretty sure he belonged to the Eastern Falcon. Turns out, the mysterious stranger had slipped the ''button'' into Nicole''s pocket. "Mrs. Johnston, they''re tailing us," Paige whispered quietly. Nicole nodded, ncing at the rearview mirror. No cause for concern; everything was unfolding ording to the n. Upon reaching their destination, Nicole and Paige hopped out of the car. "Mrs. Johnston, how about we explore that spot over there?" Paige suggested, nodding toward a nearby attraction. She checked behind them, confirming that the shadow was still on their tail. Top of Form "Let''s find a quieter spot," Nicole suggested in a hushed tone, realizing it would make it simpler for their pursuers to make a move there. "Got it," Paige replied, taking on the role of a tour guide and guiding Nicole to a more peaceful area. The surroundings turned quieter and more secluded, with hardly a soul in sight. "Mrs. Johnston, they''re closing in," Paige whispered. Sensing their approach, Nicole gave Paige a meaningful look. "Be careful, and don''t get hurt." "Please, no need to worry about me," Paige reassured. She then gestured toward a bench up ahead. "We''ve walked quite a bit. Let''s take a break over there." Nicole agreed, genuinely feeling fatigued. They settled on the bench, and Paige handed Nicole a water bottle. "Here, take a sip." Pretending to drink, Nicole kept an eye on the approaching figures. They were drawing dangerously near, impossible not to notice. Chapter 2991 Chapter 2991 "Let''s get going," Nicole said decisively. Setting down her water bottle, she looked toward the person closest to her. In a sudden change of expression, she stood up abruptly and headed off. Those men must''ve realized Nicole had spotted them. They all rushed at once, someone yelling, "Catch her!" "Ah!" Paige screamed, holding her head with both hands, feigning terror. Nicole kept running, attempting to escape. Some chased Nicole, while another grabbed Paige, shouting, "Stop, or she''s in trouble!" "It''s not my problem; I don''t know her. I¡¯m just a tour guide!" Paige acted scared, face pale, pleading for mercy. Nicole halted and turned back, irritated. "Leave her out of this." Seeing it worked, the leader smugly said, "Come quietly, or you know what will happen." "Release her, and I''ll go with you," Nicole said, though she didn''t budge. "Think we''re fools? If we let her go, you''ll run," the leader retorted. "Take them both." "Yeah," someone agreed, moving to grab Nicole. She red at him coldly. "I''ll walk on my own." This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org. Soon, Nicole and Paige were taken away in a car. Just as they were captured, Jared received a signal, his eyes narrowing slightly. [Possible system message: New development detected.] "Let''s move," Zane said, his voice tense. Nicole had done her part, and now it was their turn to act. "Adolph," Jared said slowly. "Got it," Adolph replied, leading his team into action. Zane looked at Jared. "My men are on it too. Let''s go." Jared stood up, his gaze cold and determined, and walked out. Zane followed him. Following Nicole''s signals, Jared and Zane reached an abandoned factory on the outskirts of the city. "Is this the ce?" Zane asked, double-checking the signal and ncing up at the factory. Jared, with a stern expression, stepped out of the car. Adolph quickly approached and reported, "Mr. Johnston, your wife is inside. She''s safe for now." "How many inside?" Zane asked in a deep voice. "The outside guards are taken care of. There''s about fifteen or sixteen inside," Adolph answered. "Let''s go," Zane ordered, adding, "Make sure Nicole''s safe." Adolph nodded resolutely. "Absolutely." Their top priority, no matter the n, was to keep Nicole safe. Adolph returned to the factory''s entrance, signaled his team, and they climbed over the wall, moving quietly to take down each adversary one by one, aiming to resolve the situation swiftly and silently. They knew every minute they dyed increased Nicole''s danger. Even though she was protected, she was still at risk. Only when she was genuinely safe could they rx. Chapter 2992 Chapter 2992 A sharp shout interrupted their movements. "Who''s there?" "Take them all down!" Adolph shouted back, aware that time was even more of the essence now. With discovery, stealth was unnecessary. The group leaped into action, engaging in a fierce melee. The sounds of the fight echoed inside the building. "What''s happening out there?" the leader of the captors asked, frowning. "Somebody''s here, not sure who. They''re tough, definitely skilled," someone nervously reported. "Could we have been discovered?" "How could anyone find this ce!" the leader snapped, his face pale with anger. Silence followed as they realized they hadpany. Nicole exchanged a nce with Paige, understanding that Adolph and Zane must have arrived. Subtly nodding in agreement, they began secretly working on the ropes binding their hands. Soon enough, the knots were undone, and with a flick of her wrist, Nicole dropped the ropes. Flexing their wrists, theyunched an attack on the leader before their captors could react. Caught off guard, the leader stumbled back after a solid kick. Facing the two women standing back-to-back in fighting stances, the leader looked utterly dismayed. "This is your trap!" he eximed, finally realizing the situation. Owned by N?velDrama.Org. The two women, who seemed unacquainted and helpless before, now worked seamlessly together, demonstrating impressive skills. With attackers outside, he understood the entire setup. Nicole''s eyes, cool and detached, swept over the leader of their assants. "Too bad you''re learning this toote," she said with a hint of irony in her voice. As her words fell, Nicole and Paige attacked the leader again. The strategy was clear: capture the leader, and the rest would be easy. Despite Nicole''s old injury hindering her abilities, their coordination was wless, surprising their foe with their resilience and skill. "You fools, attack!" the leader barked, frustration clear in his voice after receiving a solid kick from Nicole. Hismand seemed to awaken his henchmen from a trance, who until now had underestimated the two women. They charged, fists and feet flying. Initially, Nicole and Paige managed to keep their cool, but the onught gradually wore them down. "Mrs. Johnston!" Paige cried out as she saw Nicole stagger from a blow. She swiftly kicked an attacker away and rushed to Nicole''s side. "Are you alright?" "I''m fine..." Nicole shook her head with a mixture of frustration and resignation. "This injury... it''s bing a liability," she admitted, a trace of bitterness in her tone. In her prime, these adversaries would have been no match for her. Paige, now protective and vignt, stayed close to Nicole, bncing the need to defend both of them. She silently hoped for their backup to arrive soon. The enemies, knowing time was running short, intensified their attack. They aimed to capture Nicole before any help could arrive. They knew that with her as a hostage, they would gain a significant advantage. As the fight grew fiercer, the sounds of approaching reinforcements grew louder. Both sides pushed themselves to the limit. Suddenly, with a thunderous crash, the door burst open, and Adolph''s team charged in. "Mrs. Johnston!" Adolph immediately scanned the room for Nicole, his relief palpable upon seeing her unharmed. The arrival of Adolph and his team shifted the dynamics drastically. The Eastern Falcon gang, realizing they were outnumbered, struggled even more desperately. "Nobody move if you don''t want to die!" Themand from Adolph echoed through the room, freezing everyone in ce. Chapter 2993 Chapter 2993 Even though the victory they had nearly grasped was slipping away, Adolph remained calm. He stopped and formed a protective circle with his men around Nicole. ''You want us all to die?¡¯ Adolph''s eyes locked onto the opponent, cold. Focused, he observed the enemy''s remote control. Sacrificing himself was an option, but Nicole''s safety was non-negotiable. Not bad as a backup n, huh?'' scoffed one of the Eastern Falcon''s men, ready to face death. ''Press it and save us time,'' Nicole replied calmly, unfazed. Taken aback, the Eastern Falcon member provocatively said, ''Dying alongside you would be worth it.'' Nicole shook her head. ''No, only you''re dying today.1 The Eastern Falcon member realized something was off.'' Why is she so calm?'' ''What have you done?'' he asked, foreboding taking over. Aware that Nicole must have done something, despite signal jamming, they had nned around her capabilities.1 But will we still fail?'' A slight smile on Nicole¡¯s face as she replied, "Why don''t you press it and find out?" "Boss, could she be bluffing?" one of the men whispered to the leader. The leader, with a hint of doubt in his eyes, scrutinized Nicole, trying to gauge the truth in her words. Nicole stood still, a calm, almost serene smile on her lips, yet there was something chilling about her confidence. The leader felt increasingly unnerved, and his face paled. Inexplicably, he found himself believing Nicole''s words. His finger pressed the button. "Boss!" the others shouted in rm. The area was rigged with explosives meant for escape, not for a real death trap. Pressing that button could mean the end for all of them. No explosion followed, leaving an unsettling silence. "What''s going on?" the others murmured in confusion. The leader pressed the remaining buttons, but as expected, nothing happened. He burst into crazedughter. "Hahaha, well done." Throwing the controller aside, he turned to Nicole. "You win." He realized he had underestimated her;''She''s not a simple woman.'' "So, this was all part of your n, right? Including this trip abroad," he asked Nicole. He seemed to understand everything now. It all looked under their control, but they were the fools. ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. From the beginning, everything had been part of Nicole''s ns, leading them to this downfall. "Oh, you found out," Zane''s voice came as two figures appeared. Looking up, Nicole saw Jared standing there, his eyes fixed on her. Nicole smiled and stepped out of the crowd, walking toward Jared. "What are you doing here?" The only unnned element was Jared showing up. She had meant for him to stay at the hotel, trusting in the sess of her wless n. Jared embraced Nicole immediately, holding her tightly. Despite the wless n, he was still concerned. He had wished to lead the charge personally but understood the risk. Once Zane''s team had defused all the bombs, he hurried to see her and take her home. Holding her gently, Jared softly said, "Let''s go home." Chapter 2994 Chapter 2994 Nicole grinned, ¡¯Alright, time to head home." "But you can''t just leave like that!" Zane protested. Nicole replied casually, "You''ve got this. It''s all yours." She and Jared had to get back to Nn and Lana. They missed their kids a lot in the past few days. Seeing them leave, Zane rolled his eyes. "Looks like I''m stuck with the cleanup," he muttered. "Handle the aftermath," Adolph told him, leading his team away. Zane frowned. "So, Jared brought me here just to clean up after them?" He sighed and directed, "Take care of them all." ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. Meanwhile, Nicole and Jared had already left in their car. Back at the hotel, Nicole, holding some documents, said, "I need to finish this with Reggie, then we can go back." "Do you need help?" Jared asked softly. "Nope," Nicole replied with a smile, leaning in for a kiss on his cheek. Jared wrapped his arm around her waist and kissed her passionately. As the night fell and the lights twinkled, a car stopped in front of a club. A couple got out. "Let''s go in," Nicole said, linking her arm with Jared''s. They strolled in, shared their names, and were quickly escorted to a private room. Reggie was already there, and he stood up to greet them," Mr. Johnston, Ms. Nicole." "Mr. Martinez," they greeted back, and everyone sat down. Nicole gave the documents to Reggie. "These are the changes I made. Take a look, and if there''s anything you''re not okay with, shoot me an email, and I''ll fix it." Surprised, Reggie asked, "You''re leaving so soon?" "Yes, we''re catching an early morning flight tomorrow," Nicole responded. Their coboration was almost wrapped up, and any additionalmunication could be handled through email. So, Nicole opted to head back to San Joto. "In that case, I''ll get back to you as soon as possible," Reggie said, slightly more serious as he gathered the documents. Nicole smiled, "I''ll be waiting for your response." Reggie signaled someone to open a bottle of wine, then poured sses for everyone. Raising his ss, he proposed, "Let''s toast to a sessful partnership." "Cheers to that," Nicole agreed, clinking sses with elegance. They sipped the wine gracefully before setting their sses down. Nicole felt positive about this coboration. Everything was falling into ce smoothly. Reggie turned to Jared for a toast, "I hope we have the chance to work together in the future." Jared looked at Nicole and replied, "We will." Reggie chuckled, "They say Mr. Johnston dotes on his wife. Seeing it today, I can tell it''s true." Jared''s response was clear. He was open to coboration, but it also depended on the sess of Nicole''s projects. Jared looked at Reggie with a calm demeanor and raised his ss in a casual yet significant gesture, as if to say this was the way things naturally unfolded. Chapter 2995 Chapter 2995 nMr. Martinez, since our trip was a bit rushed, we won''t stay much longer. We hope you''ll get a chance to visit San Joto and let us return the hospitality," Nicole said, raising her wine ss again, inviting Reggie. "Sure, I''ll visit when I have the opportunity," Reggie happily agreed. As they chatted, time slipped away, and soon Nicole and Jared excused themselves to leave the club. Their business was almost wrapped up, and they were eager to return to San Joto. Things had gone smoothly, and they longed to be home. After Nicole and Jared left, Reggie took out the documents Nicole had given him. As he read through them, his expression changed, showing signs of excitement and surprise. "Come in," Reggie called, and his assistant entered. "Check Nicole''s flight time for tomorrow," he instructed. "Yes, sir." The assistant, slightly puzzled, went to carry out Reggie''s orders. The next morning, Nicole and Jared were preparing to board their flight when they were stopped by Reggie''s people. "Just a moment," they said. "What''s the matter?" Nicole asked, a bit puzzled. "Ms. Nicole," Reggie hurried over. "d I made it in time." Nicole raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Mr. Martinez, is there something you need?" He hade to the airport personally, and from his demeanor, it wasn''t just to see them off. Reggie handed Nicole a set of documents. "I''vee to ask you to sign the contract." "Sign now?" Nicole was surprised. "This is quite urgent, isn''t it?" Reggie exined, "I''ve reviewed the ns and designs you made, and I just can''t wait to sign the contract." If it hadn''t been sote the previous night, he would have gone to the hotel directly. Nicole couldn''t help but smile at his eagerness. "Take a look, and if there''s anything in the contract you''re not satisfied with, we can make changes," Reggie said, seeing Nicole hesitate. "Alright," Nicole replied with a smile, opening the documents to review them seriously. Reggie had shown suchmitment; naturally, Nicole would respond with sincerity. After checking the contract, Nicole looked satisfied. Reggie had crafted a solid one, covering all bases. Handing it back to Reggie, she said, ''Pleasure doing business with you.'' Taking the contract with a smile, Reggiemented, ''You''re straightforward, a true warrior.'' Nicole replied with a light smile, ''And Mr. Martinez, you''re a man of decisiveness. It seems we are indeed like-minded.1 Just then, the boarding announcement echoed through the airport. ''Alright, I hope our paths cross again,'' Reggie said, observing Nicole and Jared heading to the boarding gate. T¨ºxt ? N?velDrama.Org. ''Sir, we should head back too,'' his assistant reminded him. Reggie gave the contract to his assistant, ''Let''s start preparations once we''re back.'' Understood,'' the assistant responded. The two left the airport. Nicole and Jared boarded their flight, returning to San Joto. Upon arriving, the sun was setting, casting a warm glow over the city. Max had been patiently waiting at the airport. As soon as they appeared, he promptly opened the car door for them. Once inside the car, Nicole and Jared leaned back, exhaling with relief. "Thank goodness everything went smoothly," Nicole said, ncing out of the window. The familiar surroundings outside provided aforting sense of peace and security. Chapter 2996 Chapter 2996 "The kids have been waiting for you eagerly at home. They really missed you," Max said, smiling a bit. "Yeah, we missed them too," Nicole replied, smiling. Even though it had only been a few days, it felt like a long time to them. When they got back to the Riddle residence from the airport, it was already dark. As they entered the house, Nn and Lana rushed over and hugged Nicole and Jared. "Daddy, Mommy, we missed you so much," Nn and Lana said, looking up at them with their little heads tilted. Nicole gently stroked their heads and softly replied, "We missed you too." "You''re back earlier than we thought," Gloria said with a smile. Nicole and Jared, holding Nn and Lana, settled on the couch. "We finished work and decided toe back early," Nicole replied, smiling. "It''s great to have you back. These two have been eating less the past few days, really missing you," Gloria said, looking at Nn and Lana with a touch of concern. Nicole touched the little ones'' cheeks gently and said, "I''ve been video calling you every day, and yet This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org. you''re still like this." "But we''re really full," Lana said, patting her belly. She felt that the food didn''t taste as good when her parents weren''t at home. Jared affectionately picked up Lana and asked, "Are you sure you''re full?" "Yes," Lana nodded vigorously. Jared yfully pinched Lana''s nose and said, "Then the cake I bought might just have to be for your brother." "Cake?" Lana''s eyes sparkled with anticipation. "Yes, Mommy said it''s your favorite cake," Jared said as Max walked in with several bags. "Put them down," Jared instructed quietly. Max ced the bags on the coffee table and reported, "The luggage has been sent to the rooms." "Okay," Jared acknowledged. After Max left, Nicole started opening the bags and said," Dad, Mom, these are gifts for you..." After sorting the gifts, Nicole packed them in bags, nning to distribute them the next day. Thest box she opened contained two smaller boxes, each holding a cake. "These are specially bought for you on our way back," Nicole said, giving a box to Nn and Lana. Lana, eyeing the cake, swallowed hard and said, "Daddy, I think I''m hungry again." Laughter filled the living room, a joyful atmosphere enveloping the family. The next day dawned bright and sunny. After breakfast, Nicole and Jared left for the office. Dropping Nicole off at Riddle Corporation, she stepped out of the car with the bags in hand. "Nicole!" Lulu''s cheerful voice rang out, followed by a quick approach. Nicole, recognizing Lulu, couldn''t help but shake her head and smile at her enthusiasm. "I thought you''d nevere back. I was getting so bored," Luluined as she reached Nicole. Nicole handed her a gift, saying, "This is for you." "Thank you!" Lulu said, epting it with excitement. The two chatted as they entered thepany. "Let''s go," Jared said, turning his attention back and instructing Max. Max started the car and said in a deep voice, "Mr. Johnston, we''ve captured Scorpio." Chapter 2997 Chapter 2997 "Leave it to Zane," Jared said coolly. "Scorpio has already been handed over to Pisces and should be with Zane by now," Max replied. With Scorpio captured, the Eastern Falcon''s influence in San Joto was effectively wiped out. Now, only Lawrence remained a concern. After a pause, Max added, "Lawrence knows about Scorpio''s capture, but he''s unusually quiet. It feels like he''s plotting something." "Keep an eye on him," Jared instructed. "Lawrence must be feeling the pressure now. He''s bound to make a move." Even if they didn''t go after Lawrence, it was likely he woulde after them. Without Scorpio to shield him, Lawrence had two choices: retreat or strike first. But knowing his character, retreat seemed unlikely. "Yes," Max acknowledged respectfully. The car continued forward, Jared leaning back in his seat, his eyes filled with deep contemtion, though his thoughts remained inscrutable. *** Meanwhile, at another location. "Mr. Royce, Jared and Nicole have returned. They came backst night,¡± Ian reported as he entered Lawrence''s office. Lawrence scoffed scornfully, "Scorpio turned out to be useless." He was disappointed that Scorpio had squandered such a good opportunity and ended up captured. "Nicole has already signed the contract with Apex Corp, and also..." Ian hesitated, ncing at T¨ºxt ? N?velDrama.Org. Lawrence. Annoyed, Lawrence red at Ian. "And what? Spit it out." Ian''s face paled slightly as he replied, "Apart from that, they''ve also signed a project for the joint development of high-tech military robots. It''s a confidential project, not widely known." Lawrence fell silent, stunned that Nicole had secured such a significant project. This was Nicole''s forte, and the project''s difficulty level wasn''t high for her. If they seeded in this coboration, Nicole''s backing would be even more formidable. After a long silence, Lawrence finally sighed, "Her trip seems to have been quite fruitful." "Now that Scorpio has been captured, what should we do?" Ian asked Lawrence, feeling conflicted. The possibility of a direct confrontation with Nicole seemed imminent. Lawrence fell into silence again. With Scorpio''s capture, their options in San Joto were limited. His eyes narrowed slightly as a name crossed his mind, prompting a cold snort. "It''s time for him toe out of hiding," Lawrence said, his voice carrying a chilly undertone. Ian, lowering his voice, asked, "Do you mean Everett?" Lawrence''s gaze was cold and distant. "Tell our people toy low for now." Ian seemed to understand, speaking softly, "Do you mean... Everett wille back?" Lawrence understood that their best strategy was to wait for Everett to make a move. "He''s more anxious than us,¡± Lawrence said, the corner of his lips curling in a slightly amused arc. Jared had been searching for Everett and was close to finding traces of him. Everett couldn''t stay hidden forever; he would have toe out eventually. "But if he doese back, won¡¯t he be captured immediately?" Ian wondered. Given Everett''s actions, his return seemed futile. Lawrence''s expression darkened slightly. "That depends on his skills." He was confident that Everett had ways to avoid capture; after all, he had managed to stay safe until now. "You''re fine, I''ll head out," Ian said, seeing that there was nothing more to discuss. "Alright," Lawrence replied, turning his gaze toward the window, deep in thought. Chapter 2998 Chapter 2998 Looking out at the blue sky through the window, Lawrence''s eyes deepened in thought. Nicole had secured the design and development project with Apex Corp. With her capabilities, sess was almost certain. However, Nicole''s former identity meant that Zane would likely be the biggest beneficiary of this sess. This development could be a fatal blow to their opponents. Meanwhile, Nicole and Lulu arrived at the office in Riddle Corporation. "How''s everything going?" Nicole asked Lulu. "Oh, everything''s been running smoothly, no major issues," Lulu replied. "What about Patricia? How is she doing?" Nicole followed up- Lulu thought for a moment, "She''s been seeing Martin regrly, but it seems like there hasn''t been much progress in her treatment." Nicole sighed, "I''ve been trying to think of a solution, but nothing suitablees to mind." "Don''t worry, you''ll figure it out," Lulu consoled her. Nicole bit her lip, then asked, "How''s Er doingtely?" This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org. Lulu hesitated, "Things at BayCorp are going well, but recently he''s been visiting Martin a lot. He must be getting anxious." She thought Er''s frequent visits to Martin might be to check on the progress of the treatment, but visiting every day seemed excessive. Nicole raised an eyebrow slightly, "He''s going there every day?" "Yes, right after work," Lulu nodded, clearly seeing Er''s concern for Patricia. Nicole''s brows furrowed slightly as she was puzzled, "Even if he''s anxious, he doesn''t need to go every day, right?" Lulu shrugged, "Maybe it''s just love that runs too deep." So Er''s extra worry and urgency might be due to his deep affection. After a moment of thought, Nicole said, "As long as everything''s okay." Perhaps, as Lulu suggested, Er was simply too worried. "Right,¡± Lulu nodded, trying tofort Nicole. "You don''t need to worry too much, everyone''s doing fine." Nicole, with a small smile, looked at Lulu and said, "Good, that''s a relief. You can go ahead and get busy.¡± "Sure, I''ll leave then," Lulu said, turning to leave. "Let''s have lunch together," Nicole suggested. Lulu smiled back, "Sounds great." Once Lulu had left, Nicole turned her attention to the documents on her desk and began working. When lunchtime arrived, Nicole and Lulu headed to the restaurant. They had just ordered their meals when suddenly a shadow loomed over them, prompting Nicole to look up. "Why are you here?" Lulu asked, frowning slightly in displeasure. Lawrence, with a casual smile, said, "Just happened to run into you and thought I''d say hello." "Really?" Lulu looked outside, skeptical about the coincidence. Lawrence, however, was already addressing Nicole, "May I join you?" "Sure," Nicole replied indifferently, nodding her head. After Lawrence sat down and ordered his meal, Lulu muttered under her breath, "Who said he could join us for lunch." Chapter 2999 Chapter 2999 Nicole looked at Lulu with a smile, seemingly reassuring her. With a sigh, Lulu regained herposure. After all, they couldn''t just ask Lawrence to leave since he wasn''t going anywhere. "Everything went smoothly overseas, I hope," Lawrence said, feigning concern. "Quite smoothly, and we even had some unexpected gains," Nicole responded, not revealing too much. She believed Lawrence was already aware of the details. Lawrence smiled wryly, "Well, congrattions then." He understood Nicole was being deliberate. She knew he was aware of everything, so there was no need for him to pretend otherwise. Nicole nodded politely, "Thank you." Observing Nicole''s seemingly polite but distant demeanor, Lawrence''s eyes darkened slightly. Just then, the waiter brought their lunch. After setting it down and wishing them a pleasant meal, he left. "Let''s eat," Lawrence said with a smile, looking at Nicole. "Sure," Nicole replied, showing no sign of difort, and started eating and chatting with Lulu. Lawrence narrowed his eyes slightly, listening to their conversation while eating his lunch. Nicole and Lulu chatted, subtly keeping an eye on Lawrence''s every move. Noticing his calm demeanor, Nicole''s eyebrows slightly raised. After lunch, Nicole and Lulu prepared to leave. Lawrence offered, "Let me drive you." "No, thank you, we have a driver," Lulu declined immediately. Having lunch with him was already a stretch; they wouldn''t ept a ride from him. Who knew what he might be nning. "Since that''s the case, we won''t disturb you any further," Lawrence said, not insisting further and bidding them farewell before leaving first. Lulu, pulling Nicole aside, whispered, "What''s his deal, anyway?" She was puzzled about how Lawrence could approach Nicole so calmly and join them for lunch as if nothing had happened before. "It does seem a bit strange," Nicole said; her expression became serious with thought. She wondered if Lawrence was trying to test her, or if he had some other reason for showing up. "Let''s head back," Lulu suggested, feeling a bit uneasy as they left the restaurant. The driver brought the car around, and they headed back to Riddle Corporation. Meanwhile, Lawrence watched Nicole''s car drive away before instructing Ian, "Drive." "Mr. Royce, won''t Nicole be suspicious?" Ian asked, concerned about their recent open confrontation. "I''m trying to slowly ease her suspicions," Lawrence replied calmly. He found it more unusual that Nicole wasn''t suspicious of him. By maintaining a friendly distance like before, he hoped to gradually lower her guard and rx her vignce. Ian wanted to say more but, noticing Lawrence''s stern expression, remained silent and started the car. ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. Lawrence leaned back in his seat, his gaze shifting to the car window. His goal was to have it all, both Crests and Nicole, and he was not willing to let go of either. Back at Riddle Corporation, Nicole and Lulu returned to work. After a while, to their surprise, Jared showed up. Chapter 3000 Chapter 3000 "Why are you here?" Nicole asked in surprise. "I came to see you," Jared replied softly, his gaze gentle as he took a seat beside her on the couch. Nicole joined him, her body leaning against the soft cushions. "I just got back." "I know," Jared said, reaching out to take her hand. Nicole''s eyebrows raised slightly. "You knew?" Her mind raced to a conclusion. Jared must have known about her lunch with Lawrence. His arrival here was far from a mere coincidence. "Yes," Jared confirmed, "What did he say to you?" Nicole''s frown deepened. "What if I told you we just had lunch? Would you believe that?" "Just lunch?" Jared''s voice carried a hint of disbelief. ''Is that all? What''s Lawrence nning?'' "Who knows? He''s a weird one," Lulu added with a pout, "But for sure, he''s up to something fishy." Nicole agreed silently. Although Lawrence appeared calm, she knew he was a wolf in sheep''s clothing, not to be trusted. Jared looked at Nicole, his eyes calm yet filled with concern. "Don''t worry, I''m fine," Nicole reassured Jared, squeezing his hand. ''He''s probably just buying time,'' she thought. "Does this mean he wants a temporary truce to lower your guard?" Max asked, catching on. "Possibly, but he must have a n behind it," Nicole responded, nodding thoughtfully. She had known Lawrence for a few years and had some insight into his character. "So what does he want?" Max looked at Jared, puzzled. Jared''s gaze darkened slightly. "You said his men have disappeared?" "Yes, those who were active before have quieted down, some even left San Joto," Max confirmed. "He''s ying a deep game," Jared said coldly. '' Retreating to advance, preparing to gather strength in secret, or maybe he has some information we don''t have." "Nicole, could he be scared?" Lulu asked with wide eyes. Nicole considered this. ''Could it be that Lawrence knows he can''t beat us, so he''s seeking mercy now?" she wondered. Nicole shook her head, a wry smile ying on her lips. No, that''s not Lawrence''s style. He doesn''t give T¨ºxt ? N?velDrama.Org. up until he gets what he wants." "How about he''s trying to get closer to you, maybe to steal the Crests?" Lulu spected. But she quickly realized that since the Crests had recognized their master, simply stealing them wouldn''t be effective. Nicole chuckled at Lulu''s wild imagination. "Let¡¯s not jump to conclusions. Why don''t you take a break during lunchtime?" Lulu agreed but cast a meaningful nce at Jared before leaving the room, thinking it wise to give them some space. After Lulu''s departure, Max also stood up. "I''ll look into it," he said, and then he too exited. Left alone in the office, Nicole turned to Jared. ''What do you think?" "Ever since Scorpio''s been captured, he''s been lurking in the shadows. With Scorpio gone, showing weakness could mean he''s found a new shield," Jared spected, his eyes shing with a cold light. Nicole bit her lip, deep in thought. ''Who could be Lawrence''s new shield in San Joto?'' she pondered. "Could the Eastern Falcon have sent someone else?" Nicole frowned. ''After such a loss, could they still be a threat?'' "It''s possible," Jared replied in a deep, somewhat oppressive tone. Nicole''s eyes narrowed as she realized Jared''s thoughts were probably right. Chapter 3001 Chapter 3001 As the day wound down, Nicole hopped into the car, ready to head home with Jared. Once the engine revved to life, Max chimed in with a serious tone, "Mr. Johnston, just as you suspected, there seems to be a situation with the Eastern Falcon." "Hmm," Jared mused, acknowledging that it was the only usible exnation for now. "I''ve got folks keeping watch. If anyone shows up in San Joto, well catch it right away andunch an investigation," Max shared. Jared instructed, "Contact Zane. Have him send people to assist in the investigation." "Got it," Max acknowledged. Nicole sighed, feeling things getting moreplicated, doubting if peace would return to San Joto. "How''s Charlie doing?" she asked, hoping that with Max handling so much, Charlie''s recovery could help ease the situation. "He''s doing much better. Had a follow-up today. If he keeps improving, he can handle some tasks," Max replied, understanding Nicole''s concern. "That''s good," Nicole nodded, then asked again, "And Patricia?" She hadn''t seen Patricia since her return and was curious about how she was doing. "She''s also doing well. Plus, Dr. Wyance is working on a new drug. It might not be long before we see results," Max said with hope in his voice. "A new drug?" Nicole raised her eyebrows, caught off guard. She hadn''t heard about any recent breakthroughs from Martin. "I don''t have all the details, but Charlie said Dr. Wyance''s new research could help Patricia," Max said. Nicole''s brow furrowed more, sensing something might be off. ''If Martin made a breakthrough, he''d have told me. Now he''s neck-deep in research, and I''m in the dark. What about Ell ar, who sees Martin every day after work? Does he know about this?'' Then it hit Nicole. Er''s recent sickly appearance. ''His pale face-it seemed like...'' "Max, go to Martin''s ce, now," Nicole urgently told Max, feeling a cold sweat on her palms. "Yes, Mrs. Johnston." Max quickly changed the car''s direction, heading to Martin''sb. Not fully aware of the details, Max picked up on Nicole''s serious expression and tone. Involuntarily, he T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org. pressed the elerator a bit more, speeding up the car. In Martin''sb, it was quiet since the staff had already left for the day. Faint sounds drifted from the "In there," Jared said, gently holding Nicole''s hand as he led her inside. "How are you feeling? Need a break?¡± Martin''s voice came through. "It''s okay," Er replied, his voice strained, clearly enduring some pain. Nicole''s eyebrows furrowed even more deeply, realizing her suspicions were right - Er was testing a poison. Before, she had overlooked the signs of poisoning in Er''s symptoms, not giving it much thought. Nicole stepped forward, opened the door, and her expression turned grave. Inside, Er weakly leaned on a chair, his face pale, sweat on his forehead. The pain he was enduring was clear, but he gritted his teeth and endured. "What do you think you are doing?" Nicole''s voice carried a hint of anger. Chapter 3002 Chapter 3002 Martin and Er were startled by Nicole¡¯s suddent appearance. Cindy, holding a tray, was so surprised that she dropped it, the noise echoing in the room. Collecting himself, Er quickly covered his arm with a sleeve and attempted to soundposed, "Nicole, what''s up?" Nicole looked straight at Er''s arm. "What happened to your arm?" she asked. "I got a little hurt. Martin''s helping me out," Er said, trying to y down the pain, though his teeth were clenched. Nicole raised an eyebrow skeptically, ncing at Er. "Why does Martin need to personally handle a minor injury of yours?" Trying to change the subject, Er said, "Oh, it''s just a small thing... I was also checking on Patricia''s condition. Are you here to talk about treatment options with Martin? I won''t bother you then; I''ll go." Without saying anything, Nicole observed Er as he walked away. When Er approached, Nicole suddenly reached out and grabbed his wrist, pulling up his sleeve to reveal the injury. "Anything else you want to share?" Nicole''s voice now carried an unsettling calmness. She had been angry, but seeing the wound on Er''s arm, she understood his intention and felt a pang of sympathy. Realizing he couldn''t hide it any longer, Er hung his head and said softly, "Nicole, I just wanted to help Patricia recover faster." "We all want her to get better, but this method... What if something happens to you? How would we cope, and what about Patricia?" Nicole expressed her frustration and concern. "It won''te to that. You''ve saved Martin from poisoning before, and we''ve been using your methods for detoxification. Look, I''m fine, apart from some pain," Er said, attempting to reassure her, but deep down, he knew Patricia''s well-being was the top priority, and he was willing to overlook everything else for her sake. T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org. Martin joined the conversation, his voice tinged with guilt." This isn''t solely his fault; I agreed to it as well." Er quickly intervened, "No, it was me who pushed him to help. Don''t me him. He''s been taking care of me. I''m really okay." He didn''t want Martin to be scolded because of his actions. Nicole sighed, a hint of frustration in her voice, "Why keep it a secret from me?" She thought to herself that they could have consulted her, maybe finding a better solution. Er shook his head, "You would have never let me do this if I told you. I had to keep it a secret." Nicole, clearly upset, wanted tosh out. Both Patricia and Er meant a lot to her. Er closed his eyes and said, ''Hit me if you want, just don''t be angry.'' Nicole red at him, "Sit down now." Once Er sat, Nicole turned to Martin. "Exin the situation to me in detail." "Sure," Martin said. "At first, his symptoms matched mine, but they got better with some tweaks. The poison hasn''t entirely gone away, though..." Nicole''s face turned serious as she listened to Martin. "Did you write down everything?" Cindy gave Nicole a notebook. "Got it right here." "I''ll go through thister," Nicole said, taking the notebook. She turned to Er, "Need a lift home?" Er declined, shaking his head, "No need, I''ll rest here a bit longer." Recognizing Er''s worry about his parents noticing his condition, Nicole assented, "Alright then." "I''ll swing by tomorrow," Nicole informed Martin, heading out with Jared. Wiping the sweat off his forehead, Er sighed in relief," That was scary." Martin, equally relieved, shook his head, "Not just you, I was scared too." Chapter 3003 Chapter 3003 "How did Nicole find out?" Cindy mused, still rattled by what had just happened. Even though they didn''t mean any harm, there was a lingering sense of guilt for keeping it from Nicole. Martin shrugged, uncertain. "I don¡¯t know, but even though she''s mad, it seems like she''s okay with how things are going. Otherwise, she would''ve told us to quit." Er replied, "As long as we can keep going, that''s fine." T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org. Martin nced at Er. "There''s more pain ahead." "It doesn''t matter. I''m not afraid." He was ready to face anything for Patricia''s sake. "Let''s take a break and head home. We could all use some rest," Martin suggested, shaking his head as weariness suddenly hit him. Cindy teased Martin while observing him, "I bet it''s just guilt from seeing Nicole." Martin stumbled a bit, firing back at Cindy, "And what about you? You even dropped the tray." Cindy struggled to argue, saying, "I... you..." She then got annoyed and added, "I''m going to rest." Er, realizing it was time to leave, said, "I should go as well. If Today''s events had indeed been shocking for everyone, but fortunately, the oue wasn''t bad. After tidying up, Martin left theb. Meanwhile, Nicole and Jared made their way to the Riddle residence. Leaning in her seat, Nicole reviewed Er''s treatment data. She thought, ''I never knew Er had the courage to do this. I should have realized earlier. Luckily, Martin¡¯s experience came in handy, preventing Er from facing serious problems.'' As she examined the recorded data, Nicole noticed that Er''s symptoms seemed to be improving. Perhaps sticking with these trials could bring positive results. Observing Nicole''s expression, Jared guessed her thoughts," How confident are you?" Considering the data, Nicole responded, "Right now, about sixty percent." After additional analysis and revising the n with Martin, she believed they could achieve eighty percent confidence. That would be enough to treat Patricia. "Don¡¯t worry too much; it will be alright," Jaredforted Nicole. Nicole nodded in agreement, intending to study the data closely upon returning home, hoping to find a better way to help Patricia. After a while, the two arrived home. Everyone was waiting for them to have dinner. Seeing them enter, Gloria asked with concern, "You said you''d bete. Did something happen?" "Just a few small things to handle, but it''s all sorted now," Nicole replied. "That''s great. Let''s grab some dinner," Daniel suggested, motioning towards the table with a smile. Noticing that everyone had patiently waited for them, Nicole asked, "You all waited for us?" "Yeah, we figured you¡¯d be back soon, so we thought we''d eat together," the family exined as they made their way to the dining room. Seated at the table, Stanley inquired, "What kept you? There''s a hint of disinfectant in the air, like you''ve been to a hospital. Is someone unwell?" "We just stopped by Martin''sb, nothing serious," Nicole replied, skillfully dodging the specifics. "Ah, got it," Stanley didn''t press, understanding that the scent of disinfectant was typical after a visit to Martin''s. "Alright, now that everyone''s here, let''s eat. We''ve all had a long day," Gloria suggested, steering away from further discussion. "Sure, no more questions," Stanley shrugged and started digging into his meal. Nicole smiled, opting not to share Er''s situation with everyone, and began enjoying her dinner. After the meal, everyone headed to their rooms to rest. Chapter 3004 Chapter 3004 Nicole sat at her desk, carefully reviewing the treatment data Martin had provided. She focused on it, determined to understand every detail. At some point, a ss of milk appeared next to her. "It''ste; you can continue tomorrow," Jared¡¯s voice came from nearby. Nicole looked up and smiled. "Alright." After she finished the milk, Nicole quickly cleaned up and prepared to rest. Later, as Jared finished his shower, he noticed Nicole gazing outside, captivated by the night sky. "What are you looking at?" Jared asked quietly. "Nothing, just daydreaming," Nicole replied, turning toward Jared with a smile. Jared gently ruffled her hair, speaking softly, "Get some rest." "Mhm," she responded, feeling a sense of calm. She pulled the covers over herself to lie down and thought to herself,1 Things need to be done step by step, no rush.1 Jared hugged Nicole, giving her a kiss on her forehead, and softly patted her back. "Time to rest." Nicole cozily nestled in Jared''s embrace, shutting her eyes. The following day, clouds covered the sky, suggesting rain. The somber weather appeared to dampen everyone''s spirits. Nicole got to the office ahead of time, and just as she stepped in, Lulu entered with ack of energy. "Feels like heavy rain''s on its way." "Most likely," Nicole replied, ncing at the sky. "A dull day brings down the mood," Lulu said with a sigh and a shrug. "If it gets too tough, feel free to head back and rx," Nicole suggested, half-jokingly, as she nced at Lulu. With no urgent tasks waiting, Nicole felt Lulu''s presence wasn''t necessary. T¨ºxt ? N?velDrama.Org. Lulu shook her head. '' No, there''s still work to be done." She patted the documents on Nicole''s desk and added, "These are yours; mine are already on my desk." "If you don''t want to go back, then get busy. When you''re weary, just head home and rx," Nicole suggested with a smile. "Alright!" Lulu turned cheerfully and exited. Time passed swiftly in the midst of their work, and before they knew it, it was noon. Lulu knocked on the door and peeked in, asking, "Want to grab some lunch?" Nicole nced out the window and remarked, "Looks like rain. Maybe we should stay in." "Yeah, good call. I''ll just order some food," Lulu suggested, pulling out her phone to ce a food delivery order. A knock on the door interrupted their conversation. "Who''s there?" Lulu opened the door, surprised to find Patricia. "Hey, Patricia! What brings you here?" "I need to talk to Ms. Riddle," Patricia exined with a tinge of sadness. "Sure,e on in," Lulu stepped aside to let Patricia enter. Sensing Patricia''s somber mood, Lulu felt a bit uneasy. ¡¯ What could be bothering her?'' Once inside, Patricia approached Nicole, getting straight to the point. "Is it true about Er?" "What happened to Er?" Lulu asked, puzzled. Ignoring Lulu''s question, Patricia, her eyes reddened, turned to Nicole, waiting for an answer. "How did you find out?" Nicole inquired, aware of what Patricia meant but unsure about the source of the information. Chapter 3005 Chapter 3005 Nicole knew Martin and Er couldn''t be the ones who spilled the secret to Patricia. "So, it''s true," Patricia took a step back, her voice heavy with emotion. She had suspected it but had been reluctant to ept it until now. "I only found outst night," Nicole reassured Patricia with a sigh. "Er''s doing well, and Martin and I are working on a solution that could help you." Perplexed, Lulu looked at them, unable to grasp the conversation. "What happened to Er? And why is Martin involved?" "What happened to Er? And what does it have to do with Martin?" she wondered. Nicole nced at Lulu and rified, "Er is testing a drug. If it works, it could treat Patricia." Lulu''s eyes widened. "So, Er is risking himself for Patricia? But if it goes wrong..." Lulu grasped the situation, and her rm surfaced. "So, Er could be poisoned! Just like what happened to Martin. Nicole had to help him detoxify," Lulu said, clearly shocked." Er must care a lot about Patricia to take such a risk." Understanding the depth of Er''s sacrifice, Lulu couldn¡¯t help but be amazed at his devotion. Patricia''s face paled at Lulu''s words. She spoke firmly, "Ms. Riddle, let''s stop this. I won''t pursue treatment anymore." Having said that, Patricia quickly exited the room. "Wait, Patricia, calm down!" Lulu called out, attempting to follow, but she couldn''t catch up and watched helplessly as Patricia walked away. After a moment, Lulu returned and inquired, "What do we do now?" "Give her some time," Nicole sighed, acknowledging that the matter couldn''t be halted despite Patricia''s reaction. Martin and Er''s efforts were not in vain. There had been real progress, and if things continued this way, there was genuine hope. This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org. Lulu nodded and then asked Nicole, "How did you find out about it?" She had no idea and was surprised by the depth of his concealment. "I just felt something was off and found out when I went to theb," Nicole replied, deliberately keeping it light and not going into details with Lulu. Curious, Lulu pressed on, "So, how are they doing now? Did they seed?" "There has been progress, but it''s not aplete sess yet," said Nicole. She pondered for a moment and added," I''m nning to go there after work." "I''lle with you; maybe I can help," Lulu offered enthusiastically. "You cane if you want," Nicole agreed, knowing that even if Lulu couldn''t help, understanding the situation would be beneficial. "Okay," Lulu happily agreed. Just then, Lulu''s stomach growled, and she sheepishly scratched her head, "Forgot to order food, let''s do it now." After ordering their meal, Lulu sat down with Nicole, waiting for the food, and asked more about Er''s condition. After work, the two headed to theb. Cindy handed them two cups of tea, "The rain''s getting heavier. Drink something hot to avoid catching a cold." "Has Er not arrived yet?" Lulu looked around, asking. "He''s here," Er responded just as she asked. Watching Ere in with his hair soaked, Cindy handed him a towel, "Dry yourself off first." Chapter 3006 Chapter 3006 Cindy handed Er a cup of tea. "Warm up first," she said. "Thanks," Er replied, taking a seat on the sofa. Martin emerged from theb and noticed the group. "I thought you wouldn''te because of the rain," he remarked. "How could we note when it was nned?" Er responded as a matter of course. Turning to Nicole, Martin asked, "How are things on your end?" Nicole handed Martin the revised data she had worked on." Take a look at this," she suggested. "Okay," Martin agreed, sitting down to review it. Nicole waited, then turned to Er. "How do you feel now?" Er rolled up his sleeve, revealing his scar to Nicole. "I feel it''s effective; we can continue," he said. He thought they needed to hurry; his wound was healing, and he wondered how that might help with This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org. Patricia''s treatment. "Let''s wait and see," Nicole said, turning her gaze away. Er''s wound was healing slowly, probably due to recent medication and the influence of the toxin. Nicole had changed the medication dosage and modified two ingredients in the prescription, making it necessary for Martin to conduct a pharmacological test before reaching a final decision. Seth entered suddenly, stopping in his tracks upon seeing Nicole. "Dr. Wyance, urn... Mrs. Johnston, you''re here?!" Nicole frowned slightly. "What brings you here?" Noticing Seth''s worried expression, she thought about Patricia. Seth hesitated before saying, "Patricia left in the morning and hasn''te back. We can''t reach her by phone, so they sent me to check.¡± "Patricia was here this morning?" Nicole asked Martin. It clicked for her - Patricia must have learned about Er''s drug trial during her visit. Martin seemed puzzled, "When did this happen? I had no idea." He hadn''t seen Patricia and was clueless about her visit. "Yeah, Patricia was helping Charlie with something and mentioned she''d swing by to pick up some medicine on the way," Seth exined, then paused. "Are you sure Patricia didn''te here?" "She must''ve been here," Nicole responded, her expression turning more serious as she nced out the window. The rain was pouring down, and Nicole wondered where Patricia could have gone withouting back home. "Do you know where Patricia went?" Seth asked anxiously." Charlie is really worried about her." Er, who was about to speak, suddenly stopped and swiftly left the room. Nicole watched him go and sighed softly, "I don''t know either. Let''s go out and look for her." She suspected Er had gone to find Patricia, who hadn''t returned home for so long, and wondered where else Patricia could be. "Are you saying she ran away from home?" Martin asked Nicole, his expression serious. Nicole nodded, "She came to see me at noon..." She briefly mentioned Patricia''s visit to the office and sighed, "I didn''t expect her not toe back home." If she had known, she wouldn''t have let Patricia leave. "So she dide here,¡± Cindy pondered. "At that time... could she have overheard our conversation and found out about Er testing the drug?" "That''s a possibility," Martin agreed, considering it the most likely exnation at this point. Chapter 3007 Chapter 3007 Er must have overheard Martin and Cindy discussing it when they talked about adjusting the dosage of the medication. "In this heavy rain, where could she have gone?" Cindy expressed, clearly anxious. "Let''s all go look for her," Lulu echoed, determined to help. ''Alright,'' Nicole agreed, standing up, and they quickly left theboratory. Everyone understood that the more people searching, the better the chances of finding Patricia quickly. Patricia''s usual hangouts were few, and with her not at home, the possible ces were even fewer. Lulu voiced her thoughts, "Where could she be?" She watched people rushing in the rain, realizing how little they knew about Patricia. Nicole expressed concern, "I''m worried she might be hiding." If Patricia had indeed chosen to hide and forego treatment, it might mean they''d never locate her. "Yeah, Patricia might actually go that route," Lulu acknowledged, torn in her thoughts. Nicole, with a frown, called Max. "Mrs. Johnston, Mr. Johnston is still in a meeting," Max''s voice replied. Nicole responded, "That''s okay. Can you see if Patricia has left the country?" "Patricia?" Max seemed confused. "What''s wrong?" It seemed unlikely that Patricia would leave the country without anyone noticing. ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. After a quick rundown of the situation, Nicole stated, "We''re searching for her and need to confirm if she''s left San Joto." Max responded with a serious tone, "I''ll check right away." After hanging up, Nicole bit her lip, her mind filled with thoughts of possible ces Patricia might have gone. It had been hours since noon, and the rain continued to pour down. Nicole couldn''t help but ponder where Patricia had disappeared to and if she could endure the weather. After some time, Max replied to Nicole, "She''s probably still in San Joto, hasn''t left." "Good," Nicole responded, feeling a bit relieved. As long as Patricia remained in San Joto, there was hope they could locate her. "I''ve organized a search team. Don''t worry, we''ll find her," Max assured in a hushed voice. "Alright, keep me posted if there''s any news," Nicole said before ending the call. Lulu frowned as she inquired, "Nicole, where do you think Patricia could be hiding?" It was evident now that Patricia was indeed in hiding, making the search more challenging. "Let''s keep searching," Nicole''s tone carried a hint of solemnity. She couldn''t pinpoint where Patricia might be, so they needed to continue the search together. "I wonder if the others have any news?" Lulu''s eyes showed a hint of hope, genuinely wishing for Patricia''s swift discovery. Meanwhile, everyone else was putting in their best effort to locate Patricia. However, as the sky darkened and the rain intensified, making the roads slippery, their progress slowed down. Nevertheless, they persisted in exploring every street and alley. "Speed up," Er urged, ncing ahead with growing anxiety. "We''re going as fast as we can. The road conditions are bad, going any faster could be dangerous," the chauffeur exined, somewhat resignedly. Another red light up ahead forced the chauffeur to bring the car to a stop. Er gazed outside, his agitation escting by the minute. Chapter 3008 Chapter 3008 In a rush, EIIar pushed open the car door and dashed into the rain. "Where are you going?" the chauffeur shouted, but Er didn''t answer, bing just a distant figure in the rain. He roamed the streets, hoping to spot Patricia, but her familiar form was nowhere in sight. "Patricia!" Er called, but received no reply. ''Where could she be in this big city? She doesn''t have many ces she usually goes.'' Er tried hard to recall, but he couldn''t think of any specific locations. Patricia usually stuck to going between the office and her apartment, and he hadn''t noticed any unique hobbies or interests. Suddenly, it clicked for Er. "Of course, how could I forget?" ncing around, he identified a direction and started running. He remembered Patricia mentioning her dream ce was the amusement park, even though she never truly enjoyed it from childhood to adulthood. Considering the weather and the uncertain day, Er thought, ''She might just head there.'' Atst, reaching the amusement park, Er spotted a solitary figure sitting on the ground, hugging her knees, leaning against the park''s gate, her eyes empty, resembling a homeless person. "Patricia!" Er hurried over and enveloped her in his arms." It''s pouring, why didn''t you seek cover?" Patricia slowly shifted her gaze to Er, taking a moment to recognize him. "Er, why are you here?" she asked, sounding a bit disoriented. Noticing the quiver in her voice, Er expressed concern," Aren''t you afraid of catching a cold, standing here in the rain?" "The park is closed," Patricia uttered slowly, her voice carrying a touch of sadness. Feeling a twinge of sorrow, Er hugged Patricia tightly. "It''s alright. We cane back and y another day. Let''s head home for now," he suggested, gently assisting her to her feet to bring her back home. Just as Patricia got up, she stumbled slightly, nearly falling back. Er promptly steadied her and insisted, "No, we need to go to the hospital." Without hesitation, Er lifted Patricia and rushed to the nearest hospital. When Nicole and the others arrived, Patricia had already received treatment, changed into a patient gown, and was on an IV drip. "I¡¯m sorry for causing everyone to worry," Patricia apologized, aware that Lulu was concerned about her. "That''s not the main thing. Your health is what matters," Lulu insisted earnestly, her concern evident in her expression. "I''m okay now," Patricia said, biting her lip slightly. Nicole advised Patricia, "Don''t dwell on anything else for now. Concentrate on getting better, and we can discuss other matters once you''re discharged." Patricia nodded in agreement, but deep down, she had already decided not to proceed with the treatment. She couldn''t allow Er to sacrifice himself for her safety. This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org. Nicole detected a subtle shift in Patricia''s expression, understanding her thoughts, but recognized it wasn''t the appropriate time to address it. "You should head back; I''ll stay with her here," Martin suggested to Er, noticing he was still drenched. Despite Martin''s suggestion, Er hesitated to leave and shook his head. "I''ve already requested the driver to bring some clothes. They''ll be here soon." Chapter 3009 Chapter 3009 Er felt he couldn''t depart at this moment. He needed to personally look after Patricia; otherwise, he wouldn''t be at peace. "You should head back," Patricia said, gritting her teeth and attempting to be polite. "Thank you for today, but I can take care of myself." "I know you can, but I''m not leaving," Er insisted firmly. Patricia sighed inwardly, realizing it was futile to persuade Er to leave. She understood that, despite his gentle demeanor, Er was incredibly stubborn. Just then, the chauffeur returned, and Er went to change his clothes. When he came back, Er found the hospital room suddenly crowded. Jared had arrived with Max, and even Charlie was there. Er greeted Jared as he stood by the door. His expression changed slightly as soon as he noticed Charlie. Charlie frowned, pondering to himself, ''Why does he seem so resentful? Have I offended him?'' From Er''s perspective, it appeared that Charlie hadn''t taken good care of Patricia. Otherwise, she wouldn''t have ended up in the rain. If Er hadn''t found Patricia, who knows how long she would have been out there. The vibe got a bit tense. Nicole told Patricia, ''Just chill for now; let''s go back.'' "Sure, thanks, everyone," Patricia said softly. Facing her boss, Jared, she felt a bit stressed. Patricia understood that in her job, emotions shouldn¡¯t run wild. It was crucial to stayposed to prevent any exploitation. Today, she felt like she messed up big time. "Since someone''s looking after her, we''ll head out too," Martin said, guiding Cindy as they trailed behind Nicole, leaving the room. Now, only Charlie and Er were left. Biting his lip, Er expressed, ''I''m going too, take good care of her.* Leaving the room, Er didn''t exit the hospital. Instead, he sat on a bench in the corridor. He couldn''t rx; he needed to be around, just in case Charlie wasn''t great at taking care of people. Once outside the hospital, Nicole and the rest noticed the rain had stopped. "I''ll head back and start working on the new medication following your n. I''ll update you once we get results," Martin informed Nicole. "Sure," Nicole nodded in agreement. With Patricia in the hospital, needing a couple of days to recover, there was no hurry. They had time. "You guys can go; I''ll grab a taxi," Lulu suggested, waving one down and departing. Nicole shook her head, realizing Lulu preferred not to be seen off. "We should head out too," Martin said as they went their separate ways. They each got into their cars and drove off. Nicole leaned back in her seat, rubbing her temples. Jared gently embraced Nicole, asking, "Got a headache? Did you catch a cold?"? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. "It''s nothing," Nicole shook her head, feeling a bit uneasy but not considering it as serious, especially Jared checked Nicole''s forehead, confirming her temperature was normal. He gently suggested, "Let''s head home and rest. If you still feel unwell, we can see a doctor tomorrow." "Sure," Nicole leaned on Jared¡¯s shoulder, feeling a bit more at ease. **** At the Riddle residence, dinner was done, and everyone had retired to their rooms. Jared advised Nicole, "Take a hot shower first, then wait for dinner." "Alright," Nicole agreed, making her way upstairs. After her shower, as she was about to head downstairs, Jared entered with a tray. "Why bring it up here?" Nicole asked, surprised. "Let''s eat here," Jared suggested, cing the tray with a steaming bowl of cream stew on the table. Jared had already eaten dinner at the office, but knowing Nicole hadn''t had her meal and considering she had been in the rain, he suggested warm cream stew to prevent her from catching a cold. Chapter 3010 Chapter 3010 "Thank you," Nicole expressed her gratitude with a warm smile as she thanked Jared. "Dig in," Jared said, gently smoothing her hair before heading out of the room. Nicole, slightly puzzled but not dwelling on it, started eating. She was genuinely hungry and also eager to rest early. Right after finishing her dinner, Jared returned with a cup of tea. Nicole couldn''t help butugh, "I''m full now." "The weather''s cold, have some ginger tea," Jared softly suggested. Only then did Nicole realize he had gone out again to make ginger tea. Taking the cup, she sipped the warm tea. Jared affectionately ruffled her hair, "Go rest now." "You''re not resting?" Nicole asked, a bit puzzled. She wondered, ¡¯Isn''t he going to sleep?'' "I''ve still got some work to do," Jared mentioned, giving her a quick kiss on the forehead and patting her shoulder, motioning for her to head to bed. Nicole nted a peck on Jared''s cheek. "Okay, you better get some rest too. Goodnight." Nicole thought that her search for Patricia might have interrupted Jared''s work, so now he had to get back to it.'' No wonder he came to the hospital to pick me up.'' Seeing her lying down as instructed, Jared smiled warmly. He cleared the table and grabbed hisptop to finish up the remaining tasks. As the day started, Nicole gradually opened her eyes and peeked at Jared. He was still asleep, likely having stayed upte the night before. Filled with warmth, Nicole softly touched his cheek but stayed put in bed. Instead, she nestled closer to Jared''s arm, happy to stay peacefully beside him. T¨ºxt ? N?velDrama.Org. These calm moments were precious to her. She found sce just being with him. Feeling her shift, Jared woke up and gazed at Nicole. "Don''t you want to catch a bit more sleep?" he inquired. "Did I wake you?" Nicole inquired, a bit worried she might have disrupted his sleep. "Nope," Jared answered, sitting up while keeping Nicole in his arms. "Let''s go see how Nn and Lana are doing." They hadn''t seen Nn and Lanast night, and Nicole knew the kids would be missing them. "It''s about time they woke up," Nicole said, checking the time. After getting up and freshening up, they left the bedroom. "Daddy, Mommy," Nn and Lana came running toward them. "We were just about to check on you," Nicole said, lovingly patting their heads. "We were going toe wake you and Daddy," Lana said, looking up curiously. "Did youe back "Not toote, but you were already asleep when we got home," Nicole replied with a smile. "Oh," Nn and Lana said, holding Nicole and Jared''s hands. "Then you shouldn''te back thatte anymore." "We''ll try," Nicole responded, knowing she couldn''t make a definite promise. As they talked, they went downstairs to the living room. Soon, Daniel and Gloria came down, followed shortly by Stanley. The family gathered in the living room for breakfast. "Er has been pretty upiedtely, what''s he working on? " Gloria questioned Nicole. "Busy?" Nicole pretended not to know. "Emma hasn''t crossed paths with him much, so she told me to check," Gloria rified. Nicole kept her cool, not giving away too many details about Eliar''s situation. Chapter 3011 Chapter 3011 Nicole pondered briefly and suggested, "I¡¯ll remind him toe home early when he''s not too busy and spend some time with his parents." ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. "Being busy is fine, but Emma''s concerned about Er. She thinks he looks thinner, and hisplexion isn''t great," remarked Gloria. "Make sure to tell him to take care of his health." "Got it," Nicole agreed. She knew Er hesitated toe home, fearing his condition would be noticed. Luckily, there was progress in the experiment. She aimed to spare Er from undergoing more drug tests. His health was a priority for her. "I also think we should help Er find a girlfriend to look after him. He might not know how to take care of himself," Stanley suggested. Gloria shot Stanley a disdainful look. "You weren''t thrilled when I pushed for marriage, and now you''re doing the same to others." If that approach worked, Emma would have given it a shot by now. The main problem was they rarely saw Er, let alone had the opportunity to discuss it. Stanley, surprised by the reaction, quickly conceded. "Never mind, forget I mentioned anything." "Mom, tell Emma not to worry. I''ll talk to Er," Nicole assured Gloria. "Great, he listens to you. Convince him," Gloria said, satisfied. It would also be a good exnation for Emma. As they chatted, breakfast concluded, and Tia arrived to pick up Nn and Lana. Nn and Lana put on their backpacks and headed toward Tia. "Nicole, I''ll take them to school now," Tia informed her. "Sure," Nicole replied with a smile. "Wait for me," Stanley chimed in. He got up and joined them as they left. "Mom, Dad, we''re heading to the office now," Nicole said, as she and Jared prepared to leave for work. Gloria nodded in agreement, "Alright, be careful on the road.¡± After leaving the house and getting into the car, they were on their way. "Let''s drop by the hospital first," Nicole whispered. Patricia was still in the hospital, and Nicole was unsure about her current condition. "Sure," Max replied, directing the car toward the hospital. Upon arriving, Nicole got out of the car and turned to Jared," You go ahead to the Johnston Group. Don''t wait for me; Lulu will be joining me shortly." "Okay," Jared agreed and left. Nicole walked into the hospital and headed to the ward. To her surprise, she saw Patricia sitting next to the bed, and it was Er who was lying there. "Ms. Riddle," Patricia stood up immediately as Nicole entered. "What''s happening?" Nicole asked, confused. She thought,'' Wasn''t Er supposed to leave yesterday? Why is he now in a hospital bed?'' "He didn''t leave yesterday. He was found in the hospital corridor with a high fever," Patricia exined. Feeling better, Patricia had the nurses assist Er to the bed. Nicole approached and touched Er''s forehead. "The fever has gone down." "Yes, it just subsided not long ago, but he hasn''t woken up yet," Patricia responded. Chapter 3012 Chapter 3012 "What did the doctor say?" Nicole asked. Patricia responded, "The doctor said it''s fine once the fever subsides. He just needs a good rest after waking up." Nicole nodded, pulled up a chair, and sat down, inviting Patricia to do the same. Patricia took the seat. After ncing at Er, Nicole turned to Patricia and said, "I want to talk to you about your injury." As Nicole looked at Patricia''s face, Patricia instinctively covered it with her hand. Biting her lip hesitantly, Patricia responded, "Ms. Riddle, at first, I had hoped there might be a way to restore my face. I was prepared for the possibility it couldn''t be healed, but now..." Patricia looked toward Er, still unconscious on the bed, and said with a pained expression, "I don''t want him to do this for me, so I think I want to give up." "Patricia, there''s still a chance of sess. Besides, Er has already invested so much; it would be a pity to give up now," Nicole reassured her. She understood Patricia''s immense pressure, but felt it would indeed be regrettable to give up at this point. "If I had known from the start, I wouldn''t have let Er do this. However, in the past few days, Martin and Er have made significant progress. Seeing Er''s determination, I decided to give it one more try." "Ms. Riddle, I don''t deserve his sacrifices, and it''s really... too dangerous," Patricia said, her voice growing softer, revealing her deepest concerns. Even if Er appeared okay at the moment, the continuous drug tests might harm his body in the long run. "I get your concerns. Rest assured, I won''t let any harme to him," Nicole reassured, then added, "He''s family, after all." "But... I shouldn''t let him to do this," Patricia said, chewing her lip, troubled by Er''s sacrifices that she couldn''t repay. Nicole gently patted Patricia¡¯s hand andforted her," Don''t worry about that right now. What''s important is your treatment." "I still can''t ept it. I don''t know how to repay this," Patricia sighed, her inability to ept this with ease and peace of mind weighing on her. "You shouldn''t feel pressured. I''m not asking for anypensation. I just want to do something for you," Er''s voice, slightly hoarse, interjected. Nicole and Patricia turned toward Er, realizing he had woken up. "Don''t move just yet. I''ll call the doctor," Patricia said, stopping him as he attempted to get up. Er waved her off, "I''m fine." "Take it slow," Patricia insisted, helping him sit up and then fetching a pillow for him to lean on. "I¡¯m not that weak," Er said, pulling Patricia toward him." Sit down and listen to me." Patricia, biting her lip, hesitantly sat down. "Now that you know, I won''t hide it from you. Martin''s research is indeed making progress, and now that Nicole has agreed to help us, you should have confidence. We can''t give up now," Er urged Patricia. Taking a deep breath, Patricia, her eyes somewhat more resolute, responded, "If that''s the case, then I''ll do it myself from now on." "No," Er immediately objected, shaking his head. "You should just wait for the final results." "If you want me to ept the treatment, then I''ll do it myself, or else I won''t ept it at all," Patricia dered firmly, refusing to budge. If this was something that had to be continued, she was ready to bear the consequences herself. "Patricia..." Er tried to persuade her, but Patricia shook her head and turned to Nicole, "Ms. Riddle, is that okay?" Understanding Patricia''s stance, Nicole thought for a moment before nodding. "Alright." T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org. "Nicole!" Er sounded somewhat helpless. The matter was considered settled when Nicole agreed. Nicole nced at Er, "Your body is indeed too weak. You should rest first." Chapter 3013 Chapter 3013 "Alright, I''m heading to the office now. We''ll wait for Martin¡¯s update regarding the subsequent treatment," Nicole said as she stood up. "Yes," Patricia agreed, escorting Nicole out of the ward." Don''t worry, Ms. Riddle, I''ll take care of him. He can go home once he''s recovered." Nicole smiled and replied, "Okay, good." After Nicole left, Patricia returned to the ward. ''Since you both have made your decisions, and won''t listen to me anymore, I must be there during your treatment," Er insisted, expressing his final resolve. If he couldn''t do more for Patricia, he wanted at least to be by her side. Patricia nced at Er and sighed inwardly, "I''ll go get you some breakfast." Now that he was awake and without any immediate concerns, she decided to get something to eat first. Watching her leave, Er felt a bit more at ease. Regardless of the situation, he was relieved that she was still willing to continue with the treatment. T¨ºxt ? N?velDrama.Org. Nicole left the hospital, and Lulu arrived, slightly out of breath, "Sorry, I got stuck in traffic." "It''s okay, let''s go," Nicole said, smiling faintly at Lulu. "Ah, we''re leaving already? How is Patricia?" Lulu asked. "She''s fine now. But Er caught a cold and had a fever because he got wet in the rain. He just woke up," Nicole exined. Lulu, concerned, asked, "Is Er''s body that weak?" "It''s probably rted to the drug trials," Nicole replied, biting her lip slightly. "Then can he continue with the drug trials? His body might not be able to handle it," Lulu said, frowning. Er''s continued involvement in the trials could exhaust him, possibly weakening his body even more. "It''s fine. Patricia has agreed to continue the treatment but insists on doing it herself. Er doesn''t need to do anything anymore," Nicole reassured her. "His body will be fine after some rest." Lulu looked worried, "But... won''t Patricia be in danger?" "I''ll discuss it with Martin again. It should be fine," Nicole said, hailing a cab. Lulu joined Nicole in the taxi, and they headed toward Riddle Corporation. When Nicole arrived at her office, her secretary brought in a document and said, "Ms. Riddle, this is the project proposal from TimeMarvel Consortium. It seems we need to bid for it. it "Okay, I got it," Nicole replied, taking the document as the secretary left. Lulu tilted her head and inquired, "TimeMarvel, huh? Sounds like a decent project. Bidding shouldn''t be too difficult for us, right? Have they set a date?" Nicole nced at the document and responded, "In three days." "Oh, that''s quite tight timing," Lulumented, her expression turning more serious. Nicole pressed the inte button and instructed, ''Notify the project and marketing departments to meet in the conference room." "Yes," the secretary acknowledged. After hanging up, Nicole turned to Lulu, "Go get ready." "Okay," Lulu agreed, then turned and left. Ten minutester, in the conference room, not only the project and marketing departments were present, but Sean and Steve had also arrived. Nicole greeted Sean and Steve before gesturing everyone to take their seats. Once everyone was seated, Lulu distributed the printed documents. "This is TimeMarvel Consortium''s project. We have three days until the bid. Our time is tight, but we still need to "Yes," everyone responded in unison. "Now, what suggestions do we have..." Nicole started, leading the meeting. An hourter, the meeting room buzzed with discussions and proposals, as they strategized for the uing bid. Chapter 3014 Chapter 3014 After sweeping her gaze over everyone in the room, Nicole dered, "Follow the assignments we just discussed. I want to see the draft proposals by tomorrow. Meeting adjourned." "Yes, Ms. Riddle," everyone agreed, and the room slowly emptied as they left. "Nicole, why the rush with this project?" Steve inquired, examining the file he held. "It''s a bit hasty, but the project seems promising. It''s worth a shot," Nicole responded. Sean added his agreement, "Definitely worth a shot." Nicole smiled slightly, "And we''re not just trying-we''re going to put our full effort into winning this bid." "Alright, let''s give it our all and aim to win this bid," Steve said with augh. "Once everyone haspiled their content by tomorrow, Lulu and I will go over it and then show it to you," Nicole exined. Steve immediately shook his head, "No need for that. If you approve the proposal, then I trust it too." "But you," Sean added, "don¡¯t overwork yourself. Remember, you can always ask us for help." "Okay," Nicole replied with a smile. The group stood up and left the conference room, each heading to their respective offices. Back in her office, Nicole nced at the files on her desk, picked one up, and started working diligently. As the day turned to evening, Nicole left the office, finding Jared already waiting for her. After getting into the car, Nicole leaned back in her seat, letting out a long sigh. "You look tired," Jared said with a hint of concern. "It''s okay. I just want to get the work done quickly, so I didn''t take any breaks," she replied, her mind set on efficientlypleting the project. Jared gently embraced her, "You don''t need to put so much pressure on yourself. Just do your best." "Mhm," Nicole smiled, agreeing softly. She too wanted to give her best effort. Returning home, Nicole found that Nn and Lana had already arrived. "Mommy, Daddy!" The kids ran over happily upon seeing Nicole and Jared. Holding Nn and Lana''s hands, Nicole asked softly, "When did you two get back?" "Just now," Lana replied, tilting her head up. "And where is Tia?" Nicole wondered, not having seen Tia when they came in. "Uncle took us home and then went out on a date with Tia,¡± Nn exined, shrugging his shoulders. They had gone straight to the living room after getting out of the car. "I see," Nicole said, leading Nn and Lana to the couch to sit down. Gloria smiled and said, "They went out on a date, so I asked someone to check on Mrs. Wace Sr. She won''t being over for dinner, but she''s being taken care of." "That''s good," Nicole said, relieved that Mrs. Wace Sr. had someone looking after her. "You''ve been busy with things, perhaps you can take a break now," Gloria suggested meaningfully, T¨ºxt ? N?velDrama.Org. pulling Nicole to her feet. Nicole, trying to change the subject, said, "Mom, is dinner ready? I''m hungry." Knowing Nicole was avoiding the topic, Gloria still responded, "Yes, it''s ready. Let''s eat." With that, Nicole stood up with Gloria and headed toward the dining room. Daniel also stood up, smiling at Jared and inviting, "Let''s go, Jared." "Alright," Jared agreed, and the two of them headed to the dining room. "You know Gloria was just asking casually," Daniel exined on the way. "I understand. I''ll discuss it with Nicole," Jared replied calmly. Chapter 3015 Chapter 3015 Daniel expressed satisfaction with Jared''s response. It was clear that Jared understood Gloria was referring to their wedding, and it might be time to discuss it with Nicole. After dinner, Nicole and Jared took Nn and Lana back to their room. Gloria watched the family of four, smiling and shaking her head, "Honestly, I''ll miss them when they move out after Nicole and Jared''s wedding. But it''s something that has to happen eventually." Even though she would miss them, Gloria didn''t want the couple to keep dying their wedding. T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org. "The house is just next door. We can see them anytime," Danielforted Gloria as they walked upstairs together. In Nn''s room, Nicole helped him with his homework, while Jared yed with Lana and her building blocks. The family shared a moment of joy and harmony, a peaceful snapshot in time. Nicole and Jared spent some rare quality time with the kids, eventually getting them to sleep before returning to their own room. "What did Dad say to you?" Nicole asked Jared, holding his hand as they walked. "Nothing much," Jared replied with a smile, wrapping his arm around Nicole and looking down at her. "Should we start thinking about the wedding?" Nicole couldn''t help but roll her eyes at Jared, "You say'' nothing much¡¯, but it was Dad who mentioned it, wasn''t it?" She had understood her mother''s hint earlier and, seeing Daniel speaking with Jared, had guessed what they might be discussing. Gently touching her nose, Jared yfully asked, "So, what are your thoughts?" Nicole bit her lip slightly and said, "Are you in a hurry?" "If I tell you I''ve been anxious for a long time, what would you say?" Jared replied, smoothly brushing her hair. Nicole chuckled. "It''s just a wedding. Other than that, our life won''t change much, right? We already live like any other married couple." But it''s different. I want to give you a grand wedding," Jared said earnestly. He didn''t want her to have any regrets about not having a proper ceremony. "Well..." Nicole paused, then suggested, "Let''s hold off on wedding ns until after this bidding conference." After the conference, they could concentrate on the wedding without work interruptions. "Sure," Jared agreed with a smile, then nted a gentle kiss on her lips. The lingering kiss weakened Nicole''s determination, and she started to reciprocate. The room warmed with an irresistible, romantic atmosphere. **** Time flew by, and three dayster, Nicole, prepared for everything, headed to the bidding venue with Lulu. "There are quite a lot of people," Lulu observed, looking at the crowd entering the venue. "Yeah, there are," Nicole replied casually. "It''s about time. Let''s go in," Lulu suggested. They entered the venue, registered theirpany, and were led to their seats. Everyone was whispering in anticipation of the bidding conference''s start. "Mr. Wright,e this way," a staff member guided a man who was seated near Nicole. "Nicole, isn''t that...?!" Lulu, seeing the man referred to as " Mr. Wright," incredulously pulled at Nicole. Noticing Lulu''s tone, Nicole followed her gaze, narrowing her eyes slightly. Chapter 3016 Chapter 3016 ''Everett Riddle?! What is he doing here?'' Nicole thought. "I can''t believe my eyes. How dare he show up? And what did that person call him? Mr. Wright?" Lulu whispered to Nicole. ''How could Everett just appear out of nowhere?!'' "Let¡¯s focus on the bidding first," Nicole suggested calmly, looking away. The current situation was unclear, so it was wise to keep a low profile. If Everett had the courage to show up publicly, he must be ready for anything. Nicole needed to go back and figure out what was going on first. Lulu got Nicole''s message and replied quietly, "Sure." The bidding started and unfolded step by step. Nicole and Lulu seemedposed as they ced their bids, but in reality, they were closely watching Everett, still unsure about the whole situation. After the bidding, Lulu whispered to Nicole, "Why hasn''t he shown up?" "Let''s not dwell on it right now. We should go," Nicole suggested, guiding Lulu toward the car. Once their car left the venue, Everett emerged slowly, his gaze intense as he watched Nicole''s departing car. Once Nicole and Lulu were back at Riddle Corporation, Nicole quickly dialed Charlie. "There was a man named ''Mr. Wright'' at the bidding conference I attended today. Look him up for me." "Got it." Charlie respectfully agreed after being briefed on the whole situation. After ending the call, Nicole said to Lulu, "Let''s wait for the news." "I''m pretty sure that was Everett, but why did he change his name and bid for SeaQuartet Holdings?" Lulu frowned." Fortunately, he didn''t win the bid. That would''ve been more of a hassle." Clutching the proposal firmly, Lulu said, "And regarding our bid, we should negotiate with the organizers and sign the contract soon for peace of mind." Nicole chuckled, shaking her head. "Alright, go ahead." "Okay," Lulu replied seriously, walking away. Once Lulu had left, Nicole leaned back in her chair, her expression turning serious. She thought, ''Everett''s return is unsettling. ''He dared to show his face here. He must have been prepared. I need a solid n to deal with him.¡¯ In the afternoon, the sunlight was strong. After lunch, Nicole and Lulu took a break in the office. Knock, knock, knock. Nicole looked at the door and said, ''Come in.'' Charlie walked in, saying, "Mrs. Johnston, I''ve found something." "What is it?" Nicole asked, her eyebrows furrowing. Charlie, standing by the sofa, replied, "It''s indeed Everett, but he''s posing as Lexter Wright, the rep for SeaQuartet Holdings in San Joto. We still can''t prove his real identity." Everett had left San Joto under Lawrence''s protection and returned with a solid new identity that no one could question. "He must be up to something," Charlie cautioned Nicole. Nicole''s eyes narrowed. "I can imagine." Changing his identity and returning, he must be up to something more than just business. "Actually, Mr. Johnston had been trying to track him down. We were close to getting some information. So, I think he might be feeling cornered and decided to return under a new identity," Charlie exined. "I see," Nicole responded. "Keep an eye on Everett." T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org. "Yes, Mrs. Johnston," Charlie nodded before leaving the office. Nicole narrowed her eyes, emitting a chill. "Heh, Lawrence," she suddenly chuckled softly. ''Everett must be a shield arranged by him. Otherwise, such a coincidence would be hard to believe.'' Chapter 3017 Chapter 3017 "Hmph, I knew he was up to no good," Lulu said indignantly, reflecting on theirst encounter with Lawrence. His demeanor had been oddly unsettling, confirming her worst suspicions about him. Nicole, with a meaningful tone, reassured her, "Don''t worry. Now that Everett is back, his true intentions will soon be revealed." The truth woulde to light, regardless of whether he was Everett or Lexter Wright. Nicole was determined to make him pay for his actions. Lulu, recalling Benjamin, expressed her concern, "But we can''t keep this hidden, can we? What about your grandfather..." "I think Grandpa will handle it calmly," Nicole replied, biting her lip slightly. Lulu sighed, "I hope so." "Let''s go visit after work," Nicole suggested thoughtfully. "I''ll join you," Lulu offered. They decided to visit the family''s old manor after work, also calling June to join them. As evening approached, the Riddle family manor was bustling with activity. "Great-grandpa!" Nn and Lana ran in, heading straight for Benjamin. Seeing the two little ones, Benjamin''s face lit up with joy. "Grandpa," greeted Nicole and Jared as they entered, followed by Lulu, June, and others. Stanley and Tia were already there, seated on the couch. "You guys are quick," Lulu said with a smile, looking at Tia and Stanley. Stanley exined, "We didn''t pick up Nn and Lana; we came straight from home." Lulu continued the conversation, "We haven''t been home recently. How''s the new houseing along?" Tia''s cheeks turned a slight red as Stanley replied, "It''s still in preparation." "But speaking of which, now that you''re preparing the house, shouldn¡¯t you start nning your wedding?" June interjected with a reminder. T¨ºxt ? N?velDrama.Org. "I don''t think it''s time yet," Stanley said, ncing meaningfully at Nicole and Jared. "I heard they might be preparing for a wedding." Really?" Lulu and June eximed in surprise. How could they not know about this? Nicole hadn''t mentioned a word to them. Benjamin looked at Nicole and Jared with a mix of curiosity and anticipation in his eyes. Biting her lip slightly, Nicole''s voice was soft, "It seems not yet." "Ah, but this is a happy asion! Once everything is ready, why wait any longer?" Karen said with a smile. "Indeed," the others echoed, their curiosity evident. Gloria, pulling Nicole aside, asked, '' Didn''t you say there was nothing much happening recently?" Nicole remained silent, her expression betraying a hint of hesitation. "You mean because of..." Lulu realized something, sighing helplessly. "What¡¯s going on?" June asked Lulu, noticing her knowledge of the situation. Lulu nced at Benjamin, who furrowed his brow and said," Just speak up if there''s something." "What''s the matter?" The urgency in everyone''s voices grew, sensing that something significant had happened. Biting her lip, Lulu spoke softly, "Actually, today at the bidding, we encountered Everett, who now goes by Lexter Wright..." "He dared toe back!" Karen exploded in anger. "After what he did to dad and then framing us, how could he dare return?" Chapter 3018 Chapter 3018 "The problem is, he''s not Everett now; he''s Lexter," Lulu reiterated. "It doesn''t matter who he is, the bad deeds are his doing," Karen said, her face pale with anger. Dillon tried to calm Karen, "Don''t rush, let''s figure out what''s really going on." Daniel, recovering from his shock, asked Nicole, "Are you sure about this?" "We''ve confirmed it. There''s no mistake, and I''ve seen him myself." How could she possibly mistake someone she¡¯d seen with her own eyes? "But..." Daniel started to say something, only to be interrupted by Benjamin, "It''s about time for dinner, let¡¯s eat." "Ah?" Everyone was momentarily stunned, then Dillon invited everyone, "Alright, let''s have dinner." The family paused, then together, without bringing up the matter again, they rose and headed to the dining room. "Ah, we''rete," Dexter and Emma said as they entered with Er. "We waited for Ell ar for a bit, then got stuck in traffic." No problem, we were just about to eat,e on over," Dillon invited them. "Alright," they agreed, and the whole family settled down in the dining room. T¨ºxt ? N?velDrama.Org. Dexter, sensing something amiss during dinner, quietly asked Daniel, "Did something happen?" "Everett is back," Daniel whispered to Dexter. "What?" Dexter was taken aback, frowning, "Isn''t he..." "Just eat," Daniel shook his head, indicating that Dexter should not discuss it further. Dexter understood, nced at Benjamin, and said, "Oh, dinner." Throughout the meal, everyone found various topics to discuss, but no one mentioned Everett again. After dinner, Benjamin looked at Nicole and Jared and said," Come with me to the study." "Okay," Nicole and Jared agreed, following Benjamin to the study. Daniel wanted to follow Nicole and Jared to the study but was stopped by Dexter. "Dad didn''t call you, so it''s best not to go now." Sighing, Daniel sat down, looking worried. "What exactly is going on?" Dexter, still unaware of the full situation, asked Daniel. Daniel exined the situation to Dexter, frowning, "His return this time is probably not that simple." "Yes, I''m also worried about that," Dexter replied, his expression bing more solemn. "Actually, the reason we asked everyone toe today was that we knew we couldn''t keep this a secret. We were afraid Grandpa wouldn''t take it well, so we wanted everyone to be here," Lulu said in a low voice. "Right, Grandpa would have found out about this sooner orter," Daniel nodded in agreement. It was indeed better for them to inform their father beforehand than for him to find out through other means. "I just wonder..." Lulu looked towards the study, muttering," What exactly is Benjamin discussing with Nicole?" "Don''t worry, my father can handle these things," Daniel assured her. Meanwhile, in the study, Benjamin gestured for Nicole and Jared to sit down. "Grandpa, we only found out about this today. Then we had someone confirm it was him," Nicole said softly. "Let him return," Benjamin''s tone was calm, reminding Nicole, "I called you in here to remind you that he probably has bad intentions." He must have made thorough preparations to dare to return so openly. "We understand," Nicole replied, having also considered that Everett''s return was likely part of a n. Benjamin looked at Nicole and added, "Don''t worry about me. You handle things as you see fit." Chapter 3019 Chapter 3019 Benjamin understood that everyone hade back today because of Everett''s situation. "These issues can''t shake me anymore," he reflected, knowing that each person must take responsibility fortheir actions. "Okay, we understand," Nicole responded. "You can go now. I''d like to be alone for a while," Benjamin indicated to Nicole and Jared. "Grandpa..." Nicole looked at Benjamin with some concern. "It''s fine, go ahead," Benjamin reassured her with a wave of his hand. N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. Hesitating, Nicole bit her lip and then said, "I''ll have the butler bring up some tea." She was uneasy about leaving her grandfather alone and thought it best to have the butler keep him Jared patted Nicole''s shoulder, "Let''s go." As Nicole left the study, Jared paused, turning to Benjamin," Grandpa, I will protect her. She won''t Benjamin nodded in approval, "Good, I believe you." Jared left the study, his eyes reflecting a deep resolve. He could tell that Benjamin was more worried about Nicole. After leaving the study, Nicole and Jared went downstairs. "Where''s Grandpa?" Daniel asked, noticing Benjamin hadn''te down. "He said he wanted to be alone for a while," Nicole replied, then turned to the butler, "Please take a cup of tea to Grandpa." "Yes," the butler agreed, preparing to do so. Lulu asked Nicole with some concern, "Is Grandpa okay?" "He''s fine," Nicole shook her head, reassuring everyone, " Let''s all head back for now." "Alright," everyone agreed, though they were still a bit worried. At this time, leaving seemed the only option. "Don''t worry, I''ll keep an eye on things here," Dillon assured everyone as they prepared to leave. "Alright, I''lle by again tomorrow," Daniel said, epting the situation. "Yeah, I''ll be here too," Dexter added. Everyone gradually left the old house, heading towards their cars, ready to leave. Nicole, see you at thepany tomorrow," Lulu said as she and Nicole said their goodbyes. Lulu then pulled Spencer along with her into the car. "I can''t believe it. Everett dares toe back," Spencer muttered in disbelief. Lulu replied with a grimace, "You have no idea how shocked I was when I saw Everett." "I can imagine," Spencer nodded. If he were in Lulu''s shoes, he¡¯d be just as stunned. "Ah, his return at this time, it''s clear he''s up to no good," Lulu said, frustrated. "Don''t be upset, let''s just head home," Spencerforted her, patting her hand. Sighing, Lulu leaned back in her seat. After saying goodbye to the family, Spencer started the car and left. One by one, everyone got into their cars and drove away from the old house. In the car, Nicoleforted a worried Nn and Lana, "It''s okay, these are just minor issues, Daddy and Mommy can handle them." "Yeah," Nn and Lana nodded, but still clung tightly to Nicole. Jared took Lana into his arms, "It''s just work stuff, Daddy and Mommy can handle it." Really? Just work?" Lana asked, half-convinced. Though they didn''t know the specifics, they could sense the heavy mood of the adults. "Yes," Jared''s voice softened. Nicole also reassured Nn and Lana, "Don''t worry, you have Daddy and Mommy here." After speaking, Nicole looked up at Jared and smiled. Chapter 3020 Chapter 3020 Returning to the Riddle residence, Jared and Nicole tucked Nn and Lana into bed before retiring to their own room. "You must be tired," Jared said, noticing Nicole''s slightly weary expression. "It¡¯s okay, just a bit sudden," Nicole sighed. "Let''s rest for now," Jared suggested, gently stroking Nicole''s hair. Nicole smiled faintly, took a bath, and theny down. Jared kissed her forehead softly, whispering, "Sleep now." "Aren''t you sleeping?" Nicole asked, puzzled. "I still have some work to finish, but I''ll join you soon," Jared replied, patting Nicole''s shoulder before sitting down at the desk. Nicole looked at Jared, feeling a warmfort, and closed her eyes to sleep. The next day was bright and sunny. After dropping Nicole off at thepany, Jared instructed Max, "Drive." "Mr. Johnston, Everett is currently staying in a hotel. It looks like he doesn''t n to buy property," Max reported. "Hmm, he won''t stay in San Joto for long," Jared mused, his expression darkening slightly. Everett''s purpose in returning was clearly for the Crests. "Previously, he coborated with the Eastern Falcon, but after Scorpio''s incident, it seems he couldn''t wait any longer and decided to return himself," Jared thought aloud. "Of course, Lawrence''s involvement is unmistakable. As expected, Lawrence is more cunning." "Keep an eye on Lawrence''s people, and tell them to be even more cautious," Jared ordered with a hint of coldness in his voice. Everett, being in the open, was one thing, but Lawrence''s presence in the shadows was more concerning. "Understood," Max replied, fully grasping Jared''s intentions. In Nicole''s office the next day, Lulu asked with concern," How was it going home yesterday? Everything okay?" "Everything''s fine. Dad went to Grandpa''s ce early this morning," Nicole replied. Lulu sighed in relief, "That''s good. I was worried everyone might be affected." "There''s definitely an impact, but it seems everyone''s handling it okay," Nicole said with a sigh. Lulu nodded and then hesitantly added, "I don''t know what Everett is nning, but we should all be careful." Nicole''s expression darkened slightly, "He wille looking for us." "Huh?" Lulu was momentarily taken aback before realizing," You mean Everett wille to us?" "His appearance at the bidding was purposeful," Nicole said, her tone tinged with coldness. It seemed that Everett''s presence at the bidding was not really about the bidding itself but rather to make his presence known to her. Lulu nodded. "That makes sense. He''s testing us." "He wants to see our reaction, to make us lose ourposure," Nicole thought. Her gaze deepened. If Everett was back as a businessman, they would inevitably meet more often, likely part of Everett''s deliberate nning. Lulu bit her lip in frustration, grinding her teeth, clearly angered by the situation. "Let''s not think about it for now. Go back to work," Nicoleforted Lulu. Whatever was toe woulde, and Nicole wasn''t afraid. T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org. "Okay," Lulu sighed, knowing that stewing over it here wouldn''t help, and left. After Lulu left, Nicole took a deep breath and picked up the documents on her desk, immersing herself in work. Meanwhile, elsewhere, Everett stood in front of a hotel window, gazing at the outside world, his eyes deep and thoughtful. Lawrence, that cunning fox, did he think ignoring him would leave him powerless? Chapter 3021 Chapter 3021 Everett thought to himself that he inevitably had to return to reim everything that rightfully belonged to him. Giving up was not an option. "Mr. Wright, here are the documents you requested," his assistant said as he entered, handing Everett a folder. "Thanks," Everett replied, dismissing the assistant with a nod, "You can leave now." "Yes, sir," the assistantplied and left the room. Everett browsed through the documents and let out a cold smirk. "Impressive." During his absence, the Riddle Corporation had flourished even more. Unfortunately for Nicole, Everett''s return meant her smooth sailing was about to face rough waters. And those two Crests, he was determined to acquire them at all costs. As the sun set, signaling the end of the day, Nicole and Lulu left thepany. Waiting for the driver to bring the car around, they got in and headed towards theb. "Martin said there''s been progress, but I wonder how far they''ve got?" Lulu asked Nicole, "Do you think they might have seeded already?" "We won''t know until we try," Nicole replied, though she secretly hoped for sess. Upon arriving at theb, they found Patricia and Ell ar had already arrived.T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org. Looking at the group, Martin said gravely, "Although we''ve made progress, I still can''t guarantee the final oue." "It''s okay, whatever the result, I''m ready to ept it," Patricia said earnestly, determined to try it herself instead of letting Er take her ce. "Cindy, please bring the medicine," Martin instructed Cindy. "Alright," Cindy agreed and returned with the medication. "This medicine has been reformted ording to your suggestions," Martin exined to Nicole, then turned to Patricia, "We''ll apply it now. Please let me know immediately if you feel any difort." "Understood," Patricia nodded. "Let''s begin," Martin said as he started applying the medicine to Patricia. Everyone watched Patricia anxiously, hoping the medicine would be effective while fearing potential side effects. Especially Er, who watched Patricia intently, not missing any slight change in her expression, concerned about her slightest difort. The medicine felt cool and slightly stinging upon application, but Patricia, though frowning slightly, did not express pain. Even this small reaction didn''t escape Er''s notice. "Does it hurt?" Er asked Patricia, concern in his voice. "No," Patricia shook her head, able to endure the pain. Er wiped the sweat from Patricia''s forehead with a tissue. "I know it hurts." Patricia bit her lip, her gaze flickering away, unable to meet Er''s eyes. She knew the current formtion of the medicine was adjusted, so it didn''t bring the pain Er had experienced. But she also knew that she didn''t have to endure that pain because Er had suffered it for her. "Er, sit down," Nicole said, ncing at Er. "Okay," Er replied, pulling up a chair to sit beside Patricia. Lulu couldn''t help but shake her head with a half-smile. "He''s worried now, but when he did it himself, he acted as if nothing mattered." "It''s different," Er muttered, slightly uneasy. He did everything for her, so of course, nothing else mattered. "Alright," Martin announced, having applied the medicine," How do you feel now?" Chapter 3022 Chapter 3022 "I''m feeling okay for now," Patricia responded. "Let''s wait a bit longer," Martin advised cautiously. Although Patricia showed no abnormal reactions at the moment, they decided to observe her for a while longer to ensure there were no problems. "Right, let''s wait a bit," Ell ar agreed, knowing that pain was only one aspect, and the toxicity of the medication was even more crucial. Seeing that Patricia seemed fine for now, Martin turned to Nicole, "Don''t worry too much. We''ve adjusted the form ording to your suggestions. Theoretically, there should be no problem." "Yes, and we''ve prepared emergency measures. We won''t let anything happen to Patricia," Cindy reassured everyone. Nicole slightly smiled at Cindy, "Thank you. You''ve been working hard recently." She knew that if Martin was busy, Cindy wouldn''t just stand by and watch. "It''s nothing," Cindy replied with a smile, "It''s not hard." "If Patricia really turns out to be fine, I''ll treat everyone to dinner," Lulu proposed. Everyone had been working hard, and since they came straight from work, they hadn''t had dinner yet. "No, let me do it," Er volunteered eagerly. He couldn¡¯t let Lulu pay for the meal when they were all here for Patricia''s sake. "I''ll do it," Patricia insisted, declining Er''s offer. She didn''t want Er to spend any more for her. "Whoever treats is fine, I''m just waiting to go eat," Martin joked, then turned to Cindy, "Go change." "Okay," Cindy agreed, heading towards the changing room. Er was surprised, "Are we leaving just like that? What about Patricia?" "She''s fine now," Martin said, leaving only those words before going to change his clothes. "Really?" Er, a bit slow to catch on, turned his attention to Patricia. Seeing that Patricia seemed indeed fine, with no abnormal expressions or signs, he felt a bit more at ease, "It looks like she''s okay." He had gone through this before, and Patricia''s reactions showed no signs of poisoning. "Let''s leave the medicine on, and we''ll deal with it after we get back..." Nicole advised Patricia on some precautions. Martin, having changed, came out and added, "The toxicity is gone now, but the treatment will still take some time. You need to be careful." "Okay, I know," Patricia agreed. "I''ll book the restaurant, let''s go there now," Er said, already picking up the phone to make a reservation. It was a happy day indeed, and he felt a bit excited. "Er, you..." Patricia started to refuse, but Er had already made the reservation. After ending the call, Er looked at Patricia and said, "You don''t need to feel pressured or worry about it. It''s a day worth celebrating, and we should be happy." "Let''s go eat," Lulu said, pulling Patricia along, "If you don''t want to owe him, you can treat him another time." The group left theb together and headed to the restaurant. At the restaurant, the dinner Er had ordered was soon served. "Knowing everyone was hungry, I ordered some dishes ahead. Feel free to order anything else you like," Er said to everyone. Looking at thevish dinner, Lulumented, "It seems we don''t need to order anything else." "Indeed, this is plenty," Cindy agreed. T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org. It was evident that Er was really happy, having ordered so many dishes. "Patricia, you have dietary restrictions, these dishes are all suitable for you," Er reminded Patricia. Patricia bit her lip slightly and said in a low voice, "Thank you." Chapter 3023 Chapter 3023 "Don''t mention it, it''s just a dinner," Er said nonchntly, urging everyone to eat. You could tell Er was genuinely excited, and his mood rxed everyone else at the table. "Then let me thank everyone," Patricia said, holding her ss of juice, her eyes filled with gratitude as she looked around at the group. The others, also drinking juice instead of alcohol, raised their sses with a smile, reassuring Patricia, "No need to thank US, just focus on your treatment. We believe you''ll get better." "I will," Patricia nodded firmly, determined to cooperate regardless of the oue. Then she turned to Er, her eyes sincere. "I still want to thank you." She knew Er had helped her a lot without her knowing. If she hadn''t stumbled upon it by chance, she might never have found out. Er let out a simple, heartyugh. "As long as you''re happy." That was all that mattered to him. This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org. But after Er said that, his expression turned a bit sad. He looked away, prompting everyone to start eating. Patricia tightened her grip on her ss, ignoring Er¡¯s sudden change, and joined in the meal with the others. After dinner, everyone got ready to leave. "I''ll go back with Lulu," Nicole said as she and Lulu hailed a taxi. "Okay, take care," Er called out. "You too," Nicole and Lulu replied. After a quick round of goodbyes, Nicole and Lulu left first. Martin looked at Cindy. "We should head out too." "Sure," Cindy agreed, following Martin to their car. Once Cindy secured her seatbelt, Martin said, "Finally, things are looking up. We can rest easy tonight." Cindy smiled. "Yes, you can finally have some peace of mind." "Thanks for being there for me," Martin said, his tone serious. Cindy nibbled on her lip and responded, "Your thanks isn''t what matters to me, you know?¡± Martin was caught off guard for a moment. Awkwardly, he avoided Cindy''s gaze as he started the car. Cindy took a deep breath, steadying herself, putting on a calm fagade, and ignoring Martin''s avoidance. Yet, beneath the surface, her heart carried the weight of unspoken emotions. She shifted her gaze to the car window, lost in thought. "I''ll drop you off first," Martin muttered in a hushed tone, still avoiding eye contact. He knew about her feelings, but crossing that line felt daunting. Outside the restaurant, Er opened the car door for Patricia. "Come, I''ll take you home." After they got into the car, they drove quietly towards Patricia''s apartment. The atmosphere felt a bit awkward. "Patricia, remember all the precautions. If you feel unwell, you must call me, " Er reminded her. "Got it, don''t worry, I''ll be fine," Patricia replied, avoiding a deeper talk. Er hesitated, then looked at Patricia, a hint of disappointment in his voice. "Okay." When they reached Patricia''s apartment building, she got out and said," Thanks. You should go home and rest." "Don''t worry, I''m strong," Er reassured, patting his chest. Patricia couldn''t help but smile at his gesture and told him, ¡¯Go home." When she turned to leave, Er stopped her with a, "Wait a second." Chapter 3024 Chapter 3024 "What?" Patricia turned back, puzzled by his sudden call. "If you feel not okay and hesitant to call me, just ring up Charlie instead," Er suggested, then hit the gas and drove away. Patricia stood there for a moment, mulling over his words. Without having promised to contact Er, he seemed to assume it could be inconvenient for her and rmended reaching out to Charlie instead. As Er¡¯s car disappeared into the distance, a hint of sadness flickered in Patricia''s eyes. She thought, ''I can imagine how difficult it must have been for him to say that.'' "He''s gone. Come on, let''s head back," Charlie''s voice came from behind, making Patricia jump. She turned to him, asking, "When did youe down?" "Just now," Charlie sighed, "Maybe you should think about leaving this job." "I don''t want to retire," Patricia said, biting her lip. Charlie patted her shoulder, "Mr. Johnston has already agreed; this decision won''t change." "But-" Patricia started to argue, only to be interrupted by Charlie, "I understand your thoughts, but I also feel that your happiness is my happiness." They had been there for each other since childhood. Patricia had once promised to stick with him for life, but Charlie knew those were just innocent pledges. If she could go back to a regr life, that was what he hoped for her. "Some things are just the way they are, and we have to ept that. But if there''s a chance to make a change, I hope you make the right choice," Charlie added. He used to believe that having Patricia by his side was safer andforting, but now things had changed. She had the opportunity to begin anew. "Charlie, I''m scared," Patricia''s eyes welled up with tears. Fear of losing Charlie, akin to losing her parents, gripped her. "Silly girl," Charlie said affectionately, ruffling Patricia''s hair, "I''ll make sure to take care of myself too." Patricia smiled and headed upstairs with Charlie, oblivious to the fact that Er hadn''t departed. Instead, he had parked his car around the corner of the street. Observing Charlie and Patricia, Er sensed a twinge of bitterness in his heart. After a deep breath, Er started the car and drove away, reassuring himself that as long as Patricia was happy, it was fine for her to be with Charlie. Three dayster, everything appeared to have settled back into routine. Nicole, as usual, came to thepany. As Nicole settled into her office, Lulu entered with some documents, her expression somewhat grave. "Just as you expected," she said. "What happened?" Nicole asked, frowning. N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. "Check this out," Lulu handed the papers to Nicole. "The deal we''ve been ving over just imploded." "Is Everett behind this?" Nicole asked, grasping the situation as she epted the papers. "Yeah, it was him," Lulu exhaled heavily. Nicole perused the documents before looking up at Lulu. "Got it," she remarked. "That''s all? Seriously?" Lulu''s brow furrowed in confusion at Nicole''s response. " Aren''t we going to take action?" Nicole remained calm. "With the opportunity gone, there''s no point in fretting over what''s pointless," shemented, setting aside the papers." Time to scout for new avenues." "New avenues?" Lulu echoed, a trace of bewilderment in her voice. Nicole rified, "I''mmitted to seeing this project through. If this partnership has hit a dead end, we''ll simply find another coborator." Lulu nodded, the realization dawning on her. They had been mapping out this project for ages, and though their initial choice of a partner had just crumbled, as Nicole pointed out, they still had the option to seek alternative alliances. "Got it," Lulu affirmed, geared up to initiate the hunt for a fresh coboration. Chapter 3025 Chapter 3025 As Lulu departed, Nicole''s gaze sharpened slightly. She was certain Everett''s resurgence was more than just a strike against her. There were deeperyers to unravel. Lost in thought for a brief moment, Nicole then made a call to Preston. "I need a favor," she said sinctly. "What''s going on?" Preston''s voice was edged with gravity. "I need someone to shadow Everett. I want a detailed ount of his activities," Nicole''s tone was tinged with an icy resolve. There was a brief pause on the line before Preston responded," Understood. I''ll handle it." "Good, that''s all for now," Nicole was ready to end the call, but then Preston chimed in, "You''re holding up okay, right?" Nicole understood that Preston was already clued in about the current predicament. His tardiness in getting back to the Riddle family manor was due to othermitments. "I''m managing," she responded, her voice steady. "Good to know," Preston replied, then added a reminder, "Remember, you can reach out to me for anything, anytime." "Will do. And Preston, tread carefully with Everett. This isn''t a straightforward situation," Nicole warned. After a moment of silence, Preston acknowledged, "Got it." After Nicole ended the call, her expression became thoughtful. She recognized the need for tighter information security within thepany moving forward. While Everett''s main objective seemed to be acquiring the Crests, she had no doubts he would also seize any chance to disrupt her ns. Meanwhile, in the SeaQuartet Holdings''s regional office located in San Joto, Everett was seated at his desk, his eyes glinting with a trace of selfsatisfaction. "Mr. Wright, it''s done. What''s our next move?" his assistant asked in a hushed tone. Everett responded with a contemptuous smirk, "Now, we sit back and enjoy the spectacle." He anticipated Nicole''s disarray. He wanted to see Riddle Corporation bing a joke in the business world. Most importantly, he was focused on Nicole finally bending to his will. This was just the beginning. "Time to leave," Everett dered, standing up from his desk. "Where are we headed, Mr. Wright?" his assistant inquired. "To meet an old friend," Everett answered, already striding towards the door. Soon, Everett arrived at the entrance of Lawrence''spany. Looking up at the towering structure, he took out his phone and called Lawrence. "I''m here. Can Ie up?" "Of course," came Lawrence''s steady reply. Call concluded, Everett confidently strode into Lawrence''s building, encountering no hindrances. Upon reaching Lawrence''s office, Everett casually made himselffortable on a couch, awaiting the impending conversation. "What brings you here, Everett?" Lawrence inquired, casting a brief nce his way. "Just thought I''d drop by to see you," Everett replied with a casual shrug. This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org. Lawrence''s voice, edged with a cool undertone, probed further, "You''re aware of the tight spot you''re in. Do you honestly believe a false identity is enough to protect you?" "What other choice do I have? Isn''t this the scenario you were hoping for?" Everett retorted, lounging back on the couch with a rxed cross of his legs. Lawrence fixed Everett with a scrutinizing gaze before asking, "How is he?" "Don''t worry, he''s doing well. He''s still a useful piece in my game," Everett responded, his wordsced with implication. Lawrence paused momentarily before asking in a frosty tone, "What''s your real purpose here, Everett?" "I''m just here to see you. You''ve been quite the ally, after all," Everett maintained hisposure, his expression tinged with smugness. Lawrence returned a chilling look. "Cut the act. Focus on your agenda." "Appreciate the advice," Everett replied, his smile unshaken. "Just bear in mind, I can be your ally or your downfall," Lawrence warned sternly. Rising from the couch, Everett remarked, "Then let''s hope our cooperation remains pleasant." Chapter 3026 Chapter 3026 As Everett made his exit from Lawrence''s office, Ian stepped in, his curiosity piqued. "Mr. Royce, what''s going on?" Ian asked, his eyes following Everett''s retreating figure. Lawrence, disying a flicker of irritation, exined, "It appears I''ve thrown a wrench in his schemes, much to his displeasure." Ian, taken aback, questioned, "So, he''s operating on his own agenda?" Lawrence snorted derisively, "Did you ever think he''s straightforward? A man who doesn''t hesitate to plot against his own kin is anything but simple. If Frowning slightly, Lawrence added, "Check what he''s been up to." He had a feeling that Everett''s visit was more about showing off than anything else. "I''ll get on it right away," Ian responded, quickly setting off to investigate. After a while, Ian returned and briefed Lawrence on the situation at Riddle Corporation. "Keep an eye on him," Lawrence ordered, his expression growing darker. Everett''s return was not going to be low-key, and Lawrence wasn''t certain about the sess rate of his n. "Understood, Mr. Royce." With that, Ian departed, leaving Lawrence alone with his contemtions. Lawrence reclined in his chair, his deep eyes shing with a hint of coldness. ''Everett is shrewd, no doubt, but hecks the cooperative spirit I value.'' Prepared for any eventuality, Lawrence was ready to cut ties with Everett if necessary. Meanwhile, outside, the afternoon sun zed in the sky. Post-lunch, Nicole and Lulu made their way back to their office. "We''ve dispatched the proposals, yet there''s been no feedback. Why is that? " Lulu expressed her concern, a hint of anxiety in her voice. Nicole, maintaining herposure, reassured with a calm smile," Patience. We''ll get a response when the time is right." "I know, but it''s hard not to worry," Lulu admitted with a sigh. The unexpected re-emergence of Everett and his covert machinations had undeniably thrown their routine into disarray. And this disruption was merely the tip of the iceberg; there was no telling what other schemes Everett might have up his sleeve. "Don''t fret, well figure something out," Nicole said, offering assurance to Lulu. Lulu, slightly in admiration of Nicole''s unppable demeanor,mented," You always seem so encouraged, giving Lulu''s shoulder a supportive pat. "Stay resilient. We''ve got more challenges ahead than just this one." Nodding in agreement, Lulu realized the importance of not allowing Everett''s actions to derail their other responsibilities. Exiting the elevator, Nicole immediately spotted Sean and Steve waiting near her office door. "Good to see you back," they greeted her. Approaching them, Nicole gestured towards her office. "Let''s discuss this inside." Seatedfortably in her office, the conversation began promptly. "We''re up to speed about the project mishap. Is there anything we can do to assist?" Steve asked directly, getting to the heart of the matter. "There''s no immediate need forthat. We¡¯re awaiting further developments," Nicole responded, her smile conveying ease. Sean, adopting a more solemn tone, interjected, "This situation with Everett could be entangled with Lawrence. It''s best to proceed with caution." Nicole acknowledged their concerns with a nod. "Yes, I''m aware of Lawrence''s motives. He''s looking to capitalize on Everett''s return." Sean appeared somewhat reassured by her understanding. "It''s good to know you''re on top of things." Steve chimed in, "There''s talk that Everett has already met with Lawrence. He''s certainly not ying it safe." Nicole let out a dismissive chuckle. "That''s not surprising. Their mutual distrust could actually y to our advantage. It keeps them both off- bnce." Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. Observing Nicole''s well-informed andposed demeanor, Sean concluded, "Seems like you''ve got everything under control. We probably don''t need to worry about you." Nicole''s response was apanied by a light-hearted smile. "This is just a small bump in the road." Steve replied with a hint of humor, "Well, we''re here for the ride, especially during the good times." Chapter 3027 Chapter 3027 Nicole couldn''t help but give Steve a yful eye roll. "What kind of brothers are you two?" Steveughed heartily. "Well, it''s not like you''re an ordinary little sister." "Alright, we''re off to a meeting," N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. Sean said, his mood lightened a bit. After Sean and Steve left, Nicole took a deep breath and a warm smile on her lips. She wasn''t going to be affected by the current situation, especially with her family''s unwavering support. Returning to her desk, Nicole picked up some documents and got busy until it was time to leave. "Nicole, let''s go,¡± Lulu called her. "Okay," Nicole agreed, standing up from her desk. Together, they headed downstairs and out of thepany, where the driver had already brought the car around. Once inside the car, Lulu asked, "I wonder how Patricia is doing?" They hadn''t seen her in a few days and hoped for some improvement. "Martin thinks there''s been some improvement, so he asked me toe over and see if the medication needs adjusting," Nicole replied. "That''s great. I think it won''t be long before Patricia fully recovers," Lulu said with joy. Arriving at Martin''sb, they found Patricia there alone, prompting Lulu to ask, "Where''s Er?" Er had been consistently present before and had even said he would always be there. Why wasn''t he here today? "He hasn''t been here for the past few days," Martin said, recalling, Not since we had dinnerst time." "Then what''s he up to?" Lulu asked, surprised. Er was the most concerned about Patricia''s condition, so his absence was puzzling. "I don''t know," Martin shrugged. Er''s presence wasn''t necessary for the treatment, so they hadn''t inquired about his absence. "Dr. Wyance, shall we begin?" Patricia subtly changed the subject. "Wait a moment," Martin said, then handed Nicole some new data. "Take a look at this first." Nicole took the documents, reviewing them while Martin began treating Patricia. After applying the medication, Martin turned to Patricia and said, "We might need to adjust the formtion next time.'' "Yes," Patricia nodded in agreement. "Thank you, Dr. Wyance." She could already see a slight lightening of the scars on her face after several days of treatment. "You''re wee," Martin replied warmly, then turned to Nicole, "What do you think?" Nicole, having made some marks on the prescription, suggested, "We definitely need adjustments. Increase the dosage of this one, and reduce these two." She then asked Martin, "What do you think?" "I was thinking along the same lines, just wasn''t sure. Wanted to hear your opinion," Martin said, handing the revised prescription to Cindy. "Prepare this for tomorrow''s treatment." "Okay," Cindy agreed, taking the prescription. Looking at the time, Martin suggested, "It''s gettingte. Let''s have dinner together." Nicole stood up and said, "I should head home, but you guys go ahead." Lulu, with a yful smile, teased Martin and Cindy, "Yes, you two go. It will be nice without anyone disturbing you." Cindy''s smile stiffened slightly, prompting her to retort, "Looks like we do need to eat together, or else I can''t keep your mouth shut." Lulu''sughter rang out, hearty and cheerful. After saying goodbye, Nicole, Lulu, and Patricia left theb together. Chapter 3028 Chapter 3028 "Patricia, shall we take you home?" Lulu offered. "No need, I can manage on my own." Patricia guessed Nicole didn''t stay for dinner because she had other matters, and she didn''t want to dy them. Taking a deep breath, Patricia earnestly said to Nicole, "Ms. Riddle, I''ll be fine. I''lle to thepany tomorrow." "You could rest a bit longer," Nicole still seemed a bit concerned about Patricia''s health. "I''m okay, and I don''t want to stay at home all day." Being alone made her prone to overthinking, so Patricia preferred to work. Moreover, she had heard about Everett''s situation and felt it was important to be with Nicole to ensure her safety. Hearing this, Nicole thought for a moment and then agreed, "Alright,e to thepany tomorrow." "Yes," Patricia said before hailing a taxi and leaving. Watching Patricia leave, Lulu mused, "Something seems off with Patricia''s mood, doesn''t it? And Er''s absence is also unusual. Could there be some problem between them?" Nicole''s gaze wandered around, her eyes narrowing slightly, before finally settling on a shop across the street. Sitting in the window was Er. "It seems so," Nicole said meaningfully, pulling Lulu into the car with her. Lulu, somewhat puzzled, asked, "Did you notice something?" It seemed as if Nicole understood something after her brief observation. Nicole smiled as she said, "Er can''t bear not toe. Let''s go, he''lle out once we leave. He always has to make sure Patricia gets home before he can rx." Lulu, now understanding, couldn''t help but express her confusion, "What exactly is Er doing?" Why would he follow Patricia in secret instead of meeting her directly? N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. Was it because they had an argument? Nicole, with a meaningful tone, guessed, "Maybe it''s just another misunderstanding. Er probably thinks he needs to protect Patricia from the shadows." Sighing, Lulu said with resignedly, "And here I thought after all they¡¯ve been through, they''d finally see the light at the end of the tunnel." Nicole smiled. "If they''re truly meant to be, they''ll end up together in the end." "That''s all we can hope for," Lulu shrugged, understanding that they couldn''t force two people to be together. Meanwhile, Er, watching Nicole and Lulu leave, finally exited the restaurant and drove off to follow Patricia. He hadn''t expected Nicole''s visit today; he was used to following Patricia directly. Arriving at Patricia''s apartment building, Er confirmed that Patricia had made it home safely and let out a sigh of relief. "Her face must be getting better," Er murmured to himself. Seeing Nicole there, he assumed the treatment must be showing results. "Soon, she should be able to fully recover and return to her normal life," Er thought, feeling slightly happier. As long as she was doing well, he felt at ease. Distracted, Er was startled by the sudden honk of a car horn. Realizing he had identally pressed the car horn, he looked around guiltily, seeing no one, and then drove off. Unbeknownst to him, Patricia was watching from her apartment window, feeling a tinge of sadness. He hadn''t avoided her; he just hadn''t appeared before her. Patricia realized that Er''s departurest time wasn''t just a casual remark; he probably wouldn''t appear before her again. Chapter 3029 Chapter 3029 Curiously, Patricia hadn''t seen Ell ar in the past few days, and she found herself feeling a bit lost without his presence. Perhaps, she thought, returning to work at thepany would improve her mood after being alone at home for so long. At the Riddle residence, after dropping Lulu off, Nicole returned home. There, she found Daniel and Gloria in the living room with Nn and Lana, but Jared was nowhere to be seen. Guessing Jared was still busy with work, Nicole didn''t inquire about his absence. "Mommy," Nn and Lana greeted her joyfully, opening their arms. Nicole smiled and sat down on the couch, hugging Nn and Lana close. "Mommy, why isn''t Daddy back yet?" Lana asked, looking up. "Your father is still working," Nicole gently exined, stroking Lana''s head. "Why is Daddy always so busy?" Lana frowned. "He''ll be back once he''s done with his work," Nicole assured her with a smile. Just then, Jared''s voice echoed from the entrance, "Who''s missing me?" Lana, bright-eyed, ran towards Jared, "Daddy!" Jared picked up Lana, affectionately ruffling her hair. "Did you miss Daddy?" "Yes," Lana nodded vigorously. "Some work kept me, but I''m back now," Jared said as he carried Lana back to the couch. Nicole looked up at Jared and smiled. ¡°You''re back." Sitting beside her, Jared softly asked, "How did things go for you today?" "The results are quite good," Nicole replied cheerfully, "And I''ve promised Patricia that she''ll return to thepany tomorrow." "Hm," Jared, understanding the situation with Patricia, knew Nicole would make the best arrangements. "Let''s have dinner since everyone is back," Daniel suggested to the family. "Okay,¡± Nicole and Jared agreed, and the family moved to the dining room. After dinner, Nicole asked Nn and Lana to y with Gloria and Daniel while she inquired Jared about a pressing matter, "What happened with the project? Did you find out anything?" She was concerned that Everett''s interference might not be limited to the Riddle Corporation, but also possibly against the Johnston Group in secret. Jared gently stroked Nicole''s hair tofort her, "Don''t worry, it was just a temporary emergency. It¡¯s been dealt with." "Oh," Nicole felt relieved and said, "As long as it''s not Everett." Jared reassured her further, holding her hand gently. "Don''t worry, even if it''s him, it doesn''t matter." They wouldn''t let Everett seed, no matter what. Nicole nodded slightly. "I just think his ambition is too great, he''ll stop at nothing." "We''ll all be fine," Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. Jared said with a smile, holding Nicole close. Leaning against him, Nicole felt genuinely at peace. She snuggled into Jared''s embrace, wrapping her arms around his waist. Jared smiled indulgently, stroking Nicole''s hair. "Let''s prepare for the wedding." "The wedding!" Nicole was surprised, looking at Jared. "But with Everett back, watching US..." She had thought about dying the wedding due to Everett''s sudden return. Jared kissed her forehead softly, reassuring her, "We shouldn''t change our life''s rhythm because of someone else." Their life should move at their own pace. As for other matters, they wouldn''t waste energy worrying about them unless necessary, and would find solutions if they arose. Looking into Jared''s determined eyes, Nicole smiled and agreed, "Okay." Chapter 3030 Chapter 3030 "In one month, we will get married," Jared said, giving Nicole a peck on the lips before carrying her towards the bed... The next day was bright and sunny. After breakfast, Jared dropped Nicole off at Riddle Corporation. As Nicole got out of the car, she waved at Jared. With a smile, Jared said, ''TH pick you up after work." "Okay," Nicole agreed, smiling as she turned to enter thepany. Jared watched her for a moment before instructing Max, "Drive." "Yes," Max replied, starting the car. Leaning back in his seat, Jared spoke again, "Continue preparing for the wedding. It will be held in a month." "A wedding!" Max sounded excited, "Alright, I understand." Preparations had already been underway and were nearlyplete, only dyed by recent events. Now, the ns were back on track. Jared and Nicole''s wedding was a big event, eagerly anticipated by everyone. Meanwhile, Nicole had entered her office. Patricia, who was now delivering the documents, was greeted by Nicole with a smile, "How are you feeling? Adjusting okay to being back?" "I''m doing well, thank you for worrying about me," Patricia gratefully replied. T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org. "No need to thank me. I''m d you''re adjusting well," Nicole responded with a smile. As they were talking, Lulu entered the office, her expression somewhat serious as she said, "Nicole, take a look at this." "What''s the matter?" Nicole asked, taking the document Lulu handed to her with a hint of curiosity. Lulu informed Nicole, "The Dettson Project has to be halted because a key raw material, which is scarce, is no longer avable.¡± Nicole''s eyes narrowed slightly as she read the document. "There should be some of that material, though limited," she said, sensing something amiss. "Yes, there was," Lulu exined. "But yesterday, the supplier suddenly said they ran out of stock, and new shipments cante in. What should we do?" Halting the project would not only affect the timeline but also had the potential to create more significant issues down the line. "First, try to coordinate with other suppliers," Nicole instructed Lulu. "Understood," Lulu promptly left to take action. Leaning back in her chair, Nicole pondered. Even if the material was rare, it shouldn''t bepletely out of stock. "Ms. Riddle, could there be a problem somewhere in the supply chain?" Patricia spected. "It''s possible," Nicole replied, her tone growing colder. Soon after, Lulu returned, looking distressed. "There''s no stock anywhere." Nicole''s expression darkened. "Then it''s someone''s deliberate doing." "You mean..." Lulu started to realize, hitting her forehead lightly. "How did I not think of that?" Given the strange circumstances, it seemed likely that someone was intentionally causing trouble. They had carefully considered raw material avability during the project''s initial design and had done market research before deciding on this particr material. For it to suddenly be unavable city- wide was imusible. "I''ll find a way," Nicole said, biting her lip. It seemed they might have to import it from abroad. "Okay," Lulu agreed. "I''ll also keep looking for other solutions." After Lulu left, Patricia said, "Ms. Riddle, I''ll help too." ¡¯Alright,¡¯ Nicole consented, and Patricia left to assist. Chapter 3031 Chapter 3031 Nicole had called several raw material suppliers from different areas, but none of them had a good solution. Finally, Nicole turned on herputer and logged into an international supply website. She worked on this until nearly noon, eventually finding the right solution. "It''s done." Nicole closed herputer, stood up, and stretched her neck and arms. Lulu let out a sigh of relief. "Great, it''s finally sorted out." "Today, some of the materials will be sent, and the rest will arrive over time. When they''re here, we''ll get them to work right away. It won''t dy our project," Nicole exined. "Got it." Lulu nodded, then asked Nicole, "Did you figure out who was behind this?" They were facing a serious threat, and whoever was behind it needed to be dealt with. Nicole shook her head. "Not yet, but I suspect it''s Everett." Lulu muttered, "That sounds right. He''s the only one who''d stoop so low." "Let''s not focus on that now. Make sure someone keeps an eye on this new batch of materials. We can''t afford any more issues," Nicole directed Lulu. T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org. "I''m on it." Lulu nodded firmly. She was ready to oversee the process herself to prevent any problems with the materials. Checking the time, Nicole suggested, "It''s time for lunch. Let''s go." "Sure." Lulu agreed, and they left the office together. At the restaurant, they ordered simple lunch sets. As they ate, Lulu frowned. "Are we just going to let Everett get away with this?" She was inclined to move on, but Everett''s actions were getting worse. Left unchecked, he might be bolder. Nicole''s eyes flickered with a hint of coldness. "No, we¡¯re not." She had overlooked Everett''s previous actions because she had a better solution, but it didn''t mean she was scared or would always let him get his way. "How do you think we should deal with this?" Lulu''s voice was tinged with excitement. She seemed certain that if Nicole took action, Everett would deeply regret his actions. Nicole shrugged nonchntly. "I''ll figure it out. For now, let''s just focus on lunch." "Right, let''s enjoy our lunch." Lulu''s appetite grew. She eagerly anticipated seeing Everett face consequences. His misfortune would be her satisfaction. After lunch, as they left the restaurant, they unexpectedly ran into thest person they wanted to encounter. Meanwhile, Everett was in his office, reclining on the sofa with his legs crossed, his eyes reflecting a dark mood. Knock, knock. Hearing the knock, Everett called out, "Come in." His assistant stepped in, speaking softly, "Mr. Wright, there''s no movement from Nicole Riddle''s end." "Really? Nothing at all?" Everett asked, a hint of confusion in his voice. "Yes, she''s just having lunch with her assistant. Everything seems normal," the assistant confirmed. Everett''s expression grew colder. "That can''t be right. How could she not react to this?" The assistant looked puzzled. "It is odd, but that''s what''s happening." Chapter 3032 Chapter 3032 Everett''s assistant, too, found it hard to believe that anyone could remain so calm in such a situation, yet Nicole appeared entirely unaffected. Additionally, there was no sign of any countermeasures from Riddle Corporation regarding the raw materials problem. The assistant was more inclined to believe that Nicole''s team hadn''t found a solution. After all, Everett''s maneuvers had blocked all obvious paths. After thinking for a moment, Everett instructed, "Have someone dig deeper into this. We must be missing something." His tone was ice-cold. He was convinced, ¡¯This isn''t normal; Nicole isn¡¯t one to surrender easily.'' "Yes, sir," the assistant responded and exited the room. Everett got up and walked over to the window, his gaze dark and thoughtful as he stared outside. ''Nicole wouldn''t just sit back and do nothing. There''s something I''m not seeing...'' As the day turned to evening, Nicole exited thepany building to find Jared waiting for her. He greeted her with a smile. Nicole got into the car, and he handed her a stamp and a document. "What are these for?" Nicole asked, looking at the items curiously. "They''re for the Westborough Distribution Warehouse, specifically Warehouse 3. Everything you need is in there," Jared exined. Nicole realized that with these items, she could easily gain ess to the goods. Surprised, Nicole questioned, ¡¯How did you manage to secure so many?" She recognized these were the essential raw materials. Warehouse 3 at Westborough Distribution Warehouse was sizable enough to store half of what she needed. This meant the import of the foreign materials should go smoothly. Jared looked at Nicole with a gentle expression. "You can use Warehouse 3 for your additional imports too. There won''t be any trouble." "Okay, that''s great." Nicole nodded, giving Jared a grateful smile. N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. "Thank you, honey." Jared''s cautious approach was wise. If Everett learned about the arrival of the raw materials, he might try to interfere again. Keeping them in Warehouse 3 was a safer option, as it was secure. Holding Nicole''s hand gently, Jared looked at her with a soft gaze. He just wanted to spare her from any unnecessary struggles. Later, Nicole and Jared arrived home. As they entered, they were greeted by Dexter and Emma. Nicole responded with a warm smile. "You''re back," Emma smiled at her. Nicole settled on the sofa and casually asked, "What''s happening?" Emma hesitated, her voice tinged with unease, "It''s a minor issue, but..." Nicole gave a reassuring smile. "Just tell me what it is." Gloria chimed in to encourage Emma, "Go ahead, Emma. Nicole might have some insight, and if there''s a problem, we can all work on it together." Nicole''s attention sharpened at Gloria''s words. This sounded more serious than she initially thought. Buoyed by Gloria''s support, Emma gathered her courage, "I know you''re busy, Nicole, and I didn''t want to bother you with something small. But I''m really at a loss here." Nicole''s voice was gentle as she said, "Tell me what''s bothering you." Emma took a deep breath and began, "It''s about Er. He''s beening home at odd hours, looking really worn out. "He brushes off my concerns, saying he''s just tired from work. But Dexter visited his office today and learned that it''s not as hectic as Eliar makes it out to be. "We''re worried he might be dealing with something he can''t share with US." Emma looked to Nicole, hoping she might shed some light on the situation or help them find a way to support Er if he was indeed facing a challenge. Chapter 3033 Chapter 3033 Nicole¡¯s expression showed her surprise as she asked, "Is this happening every day?" This was indeed unexpected to Nicole. Eliar assisting Patricia with her treatment shouldn''t require such irregr hours. She thought to herself, ''What could he possibly be involved in?'' Emma''s worry deepened at Nicole''s response, "You don''t know about it either?" She felt that If Nicole was in the dark, it seemed unlikely anyone else knew. Er and Nicole had been close since childhood, and it was unusual for him to keep things from her.. "I''ll have my people look into it." Nicole assured Dexter and Emma. She could see Dexter and Emma''s growing concern. "If Er is in trouble, I''ll find a way to help." "Well... okay." Emma sighed, saying, "Thank you for doing this." She understood the desire for privacy, recognizing that if the younger generation chose not to share, they likely had their reasons. "Try not to worry. I doubt it''s anything serious. If there were a real issue, Er wouldn''t be able to keep it from me for long. He might just be going through a busy patch," Nicole reassured Emma, aiming to ease her concerns. Emma managed a smile, nodding in agreement. "I trust you''ll handle it well. Gloria also offered words offort, "Don''t stress too much. The kids are adults now; they can manage their affairs. And work issues are often out of our hands." Dexter chimed in with a nod, "We understand we can''t do much, but it''s hard not to worry when you see your child struggling." Nicole offered a reassuring smile to Dexter. "Just give it a little more time. Things might improve in a few days," she suggested optimistically. In her mind, Nicole suspected that this situation had less to do with work and more with Patricia. Perhaps Er found it difficult to stay away from Patricia, choosing to distance himself while still keeping an eye on her from afar. Stanley walked into the room, noticing the group. "Oh, you''re all here," he greeted Dexter and Emma warmly. "Just stopped by for a visit," Dexter responded, keeping the conversation light and steering away from the topic of Er. Then Daniel entered the room, adding, "Looks like everyone''s here. How about we sit down for dinner?" "Sounds good," they all agreed, moving toward the dining room to settle in for the evening meal. After dinner, Dexter and Emma said their goodbyes and left. The family regrouped in the living room, settling into afortable atmosphere. Daniel told Nicole, "Please help with Er''s situation." "Sure, I got it," Nicole replied. Curious, Lana, with her childlike innocence, asked, "Mommy, does Uncle Er have a girlfriend?" Gloria, overhearing the question, chimed in with a slightly furrowed brow," Having a girlfriend doesn''t exin his odd hours." Both Gloria and Emma were clearly troubled, fearing that Er might be dealing with a problem he felt unable to share with them. This concern had led Emma to approach Nicole, hoping that if anyone could uncover the truth, it would be her. Nicole had always been someone Er trusted implicitly. Nn, looking concerned, asked, "Then what''s going on with him?" Nicole gently patted the heads of the kids, offering aforting smile." Don''t worry, we''ll figure it out. Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. Everything will be alright." Stanley, piecing together the earlier conversation, realized Dexter and Emma''s visit was about E liar. He reasoned that Ell ar, despite any current challenges, was resilient and things would eventually improve. The family continued to chat for a bit longer, enjoying each other''spany. After some time, Daniel nced at the clock and suggested, "It''s gettingte. We should all head to bed." "Okay," came the collective response, and they all made their way upstairs to retire for the night. Meanwhile, Dexter and Emma had just gotten home and, by chance, ran into Er who was also returning at that moment. Chapter 3034 Chapter 3034 Er''s tired and downcast appearance immediately caught Dexter and Emma''s attention, deepening their concern. "Mom, Dad, why are you just getting back?" Er asked with a hint of confusion. "We were visiting your Uncle Daniel," Dexter responded. He then turned the conversation towards Er''ste arrival, "Why are you out sote again? What''s keeping you?" Er gave a half-hearted response, "Just had to work some overtime." Dexter frowned, not convinced. "That''s not true. You weren''t at the office when it closed, and there wasn''t any overtime scheduled." Er looked taken aback. "How did you know?" He had left the office early, using overtime as an excuse to avoid questions from his parents, not knowing how else to exin his actions. Emma gently exined their concern to Er, "We''ve noticed you''re not yourself these days, and it''s worrying US. That''s why your dad went to check at your office. We just want to know if everything''s alright." Er scrambled for an excuse, "It''s just some business dinners." Dexter let out a sigh, "Look, we understand if there are things you can''t share with US. But if you''re struggling, maybe talking to Nicole would help. She might be able to assist you." This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org. Emma chimed in with understanding, "We''re not trying to pry, but we''re genuinely concerned about you." Er felt a pang of guilt, "Mom, Dad, please don''t worry about me. I''m really fine, and so is the business. If somethinges up that I can''t handle, I''ll speak to Nicole." "That''s reassuring to hear," Emma said. "Maybe you should consider dropping by the headquarters tomorrow." She knew they couldn''t push Er for more, so she offered a gentle suggestion instead. Er nodded. "Alright, I''ll do that." Dexter and Emma felt somewhat relieved. Knowing that Er was open to discussing his issues, even if not with them directly, lifted a weight off their hearts. The idea of him not having to shoulder his troubles alone wasforting. Although Er assured his parents to ease their worries, he knew there wasn''t much he could actually discuss or disclose. Nheless, he considered paying a visit to Riddle Corporation, thinking,'' Patricia has returned to work. I wonder how she''s coping, especially given that her face hasn''tpletely healed yet.'' The next day, Er surprised everyone by not leaving early. After getting dressed, he joined Dexter and Emma for breakfast before heading to work. Dexter and Emma exchanged a nce. "Does this mean everything''s okay?" Emma asked. "Don''t stress, he''s got Nicole. He trusts her the most. Everything will work out," Dexter reassured her. "True, let''s just wait for updates,¡± Emma replied, her eyes wandering to the window. After Er left home and reached Riddle Corporation, he soon stood before the impressive building. As he gazed at it, his eyes showed a touch of mixed feelings. "Er! You''re here! Why aren''t you heading in?" Lulu''s voice came from behind. "Just got here, was about to head in," Er exined, trailing Lulu into thepany. Getting off the elevator, Lulu directed Er, "Go wait in Nicole''s office. She''ll be here soon." "Alright." Er went into Nicole''s office and settled on the sofa, anticipating her arrival. After some time, the door swung open. "Nicole." Er stood upto wee her, but to his surprise, Patricia walked in. Patricia seemed a bit confused spotting Er. "What brings you here?" Thinking Nicole had arrived due to the sounds, she came to drop off some documents, not expecting to find Er instead. Chapter 3035 Chapter 3035 "I just wanted to check on Nicole," Er exined, trying to appearposed. Internally, his world wasn''t calm at all. Observing Patricia from a distance in the past few days brought himfort, and seeing her well added to that. Now, being so close and talking to her, he couldn''t contain his emotions. "Ms. Riddle should be here soon," Patricia said, quickly regaining herposure. After putting the papers on the desk, she turned and walked away. Er''s sudden appearance had surprised her, stirring up different feelings. Right now, all she wanted was to get away. Coincidentally, Nicole arrived and encountered Patricia at the door. "The documents are on the desk, Ms. Riddle. I''ll handle other matters," Patricia reported. "Sure." Nicole noticed Patricia leaving in a bit of a hurry but didn''t pay it much mind and walked into the room. As soon as Nicole saw Er, a realization struck her. ''Oh, it''s because he''s here.'' "What brings you here?" Nicole asked Er. "Good morning, Nicole." Er immediately stood up and approached her. "Hey, spill it." Nicole calmly looked at him. "Don''t you know why they''re worried?" Nicole asked with a meaningful tone. Trying to downy it, Er responded, "Not much, just been busy with worktely." "Busy?" Nicole asked again, her tone carrying more weight. Startled, Er hesitated. "Nicole, do you already know everything?" He figured Nicole was already aware; otherwise, she wouldn''t be asking in this way. With a nce, Nicole remarked, "To keep something unknown, best not to do it at all." Er understood what Nicole was implying. His voice softened. "I''m just concerned about Patricia." "If you''re worried about her, why hesitate to see her?" Nicole questioned, a bemused expression on her face. Er lowered his head. "I don''t want toplicate things for her or bring trouble. I just want to be sure she''s happy." After all, Er had presumed Charlie was Patricia''s boyfriend, and he restrained himself from getting too close, fearing it might cause her distress. Nicole arched an eyebrow slightly. "If that''s truly how you feel, shouldn''t you concentrate on rebuilding your own life? Rather than investing all your free time and energy in Patricia?" Eliar¡¯s face paled slightly, but he offered no response to Nicole''s words. He understood Nicole was right, yet the longing to know how Patricia was doing lingered. Even if he could only watch her from a distance and make sure she was happy, it felt like enough. Despite returning home with a bitter mood each time, a peculiar sense of happiness persisted within him. Er feared his future life would be grim if he stop watching Patricia. "Ah." Nicole gently patted Er''s shoulder, understanding his thoughts. She felt a twinge of sympathy for this straightforward guy. Nicole pondered, ''How did he assume that Charlie and Patricia were a couple? Just because they''re a bit closer doesn''t necessarily mean they''re a couple.'' "For now, I can''t stop watching her. But in the T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org. future, when she gets married, I''ll hold back," Er decided after considerable thought. Nicole''s eyes narrowed slightly, sensing movement outside the door. "Come in," Nicole beckoned, but there was no immediate response. After a while, the secretary entered, saying, "Ms. Riddle, I brought some water." Chapter 3036 Chapter 3036 "Leave it," Nicole told the secretary, her eyes fixed on the door. ''Wasn''t that Patricia just now? So she must have heard what Er said.'' Once the secretary left, Nicole turned to Er and asked, "Are you really giving up? Don''t you want to give it another shot?" Er shook his head. "It''s not that I don''t want to fight, but I can''t. If this is Patricia''s decision, I don''t want toplicate things for her. I just want her to be happy." Nicole sighed, saying, ¡°Forget it. Sort it out yourself." She figured if Patricia didn''t exin, there wasn''t much to say. She''d let Er figure things out on his own. "What do you mean?" Er asked, a bit puzzled. Nicole didn''t borate. She simply looked at Er and said, "You should go back to BayCorp." "Okay." Er checked the time and agreed, "Sure, I won''t keep you from your work." "If you''re really set on this decision, change your current life. If you''re unsure, then figure it out yourself,¡¯ Nicole advised before T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org. letting him go. **** Outside Riddle Corporation, Ell ar sat in the car but didn¡¯t tell the chauffeur to move. Leaning back, he stared at the gate, deep in thought. He sensed there might be more to Nicole''s words, but after careful thought, it seemed like there wasn''t anything extraordinary. Unable to unravel it, Er sighed and muttered to himself, "Let''s go." The car started, and El r drove off, unaware of a slender figure appearing in the lobby. Patricia watched him leave, a mix of bitterness and heaviness in her heart. She had heard what he said to Nicole and initially thought to encourage him to give up. However, witnessing his deste departure, she couldn''t find the words. Touching her own cheek, Patricia bit her lip, then turned and walked toward the elevator. Upstairs, Patricia entered Nicole''s office and updated her, "Ms. Riddle, the project is on track now. We''re just waiting for the raw materials to arrive. Once that happens, everything should be sorted." Nicole nodded. "Okay, keep an eye on it." Observing Patricia sticking to work, Nicole refrained from asking about personal matters. She felt it was best left unsaid for now. However, Nicole couldn''t help but notice that Patricia seemed to be dealing with her own struggles, possibly linked to Er. Nicole advised, "Considering the situation, they might be watchful, so be cautious." "I get it," Patricia cautiously responded. She understood Nicole''s implication; if Everett decided to cause trouble, they wouldn''t let it slide easily. "Alright, carry on with your work," Nicole nodded. "Sure." Patricia acknowledged and exited the office. Returning her attention to the files, Nicole shook her head lightly, immersing herself in work once more. At lunchtime, Lulu came to find Nicole. "Patricia still not joining US today?" Nicole asked. "Nah, she''s already out. Said she''s got something to deal with," Lulu answered. Nicole stood up. "Alright, let''s go." She thought Patricia might be handling things for the shipment; the dock needed someone overseeing it. Together, Lulu and Nicole left the office and headed to the restaurant across the street. Chapter 3037 Chapter 3037 Having ordered, Lulu and Nicole settled at their table, anticipating their meals. "Is Er okay now?" Lulu asked, finally getting the chance to check in after a busy morning. "He should be fine," Nicole assured. Lulu looked a bit surprised. "Should be?'' Nicole shrugged. "Well, whether there''s an issue or not, it''s up to him." "So it''s not sorted out yet," Lulu sighed, understanding the situation. Nicole smiled, reassuring Lulu, "Don''t worry. When the timees, things will fall into ce." "Okay," Lulu nodded, acknowledging there wasn''t much else they could do. She sensed that Er and Patricia had been through a lot, yet she wondered when they would fully embrace each other''s feelings. Changing the subject, Lulu added, "Oh, by the way, Patricia mentioned this morning that the shipment has been sent out. It should arrive in a few days. "Yeah, that''s probably why she left the office," Nicole nodded. This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org. "Oh, got it," Lulu said, understanding. Patricia seemed pretty focused when she left earlier. As they talked, their lunch arrived, and they carried on chatting while eating. "Do you think we can handle things smoothly this time?" Lulu asked Nicole. "I can only say we''ll give it our best shot," Nicole sighed. Dealing with Everett was proving more "I''m worried Everett might keep causing trouble," Lulu frowned, uncertain of what mischief Everett had in mind. "He''ll sabotage US again for sure. But what worries me more is that there might be something more behind these actions," Nicole mused. Everett''s return and his focus on these minor disruptions seemed oddly suspicious. "Are you suggesting he''s trying to divert our attention?" Lulu quickly caught onto Nicole''s point. Nicole nodded, narrowing her eyes slightly. "It''s possible." Despite having ample time to deal with the situation, Nicole doubted that Everett had the luxury of time. If the Eastern Falcon sent him back to San Joto, it couldn''t be merely to establish apany and grow it slowly. There had to be a more immediate agenda. Lulu, puzzled, furrowed her brow and murmured, "Then what does he want to do?" "He won''t be up to any good," Patricia''s voice came from nearby. Lulu looked up at her. "Have you had lunch?" Lulu asked Patricia. "Not yet. I knew you and Ms. Riddle were here, so I came over," Patricia replied. "Waiter, please take our orders,¡± Lulu called a waiter and ordered a meal for Patricia. Once seated, Patricia updated Nicole, "Ms. Riddle, the preparations at the port are all set. We''re just waiting for the first batch of raw materials to arrive in three days." "Good," Nicole said, pleased with Patricia¡¯s efficiency. "Your speed is impressive. Once the first batch arrives, the others should follow smoothly. No need to stress about the project anymore," Lulu added, sharing positive vibes. Patricia replied seriously, "I''ll keep a close watch in theing days. We can''t afford any problems with these batches; it would mess up the project timeline." "Okay, you''ve put in good work this morning. Let''s grab a bite," Lulu suggested as lunch arrived. After the meal, they left the restaurant and made their way back to the office. On the way, Nicole and Patricia exchanged a nce, both sensing someone watching them. Top of Form Top of Form Chapter 3038 Chapter 3038 "Ms. Riddle, you should head back. I''ll handle this," Patricia whispered. "Be careful," Nicole cautioned, then entered Riddle Corporation building with Lulu. Patricia went to the lobby but avoided heading upstairs like Nicole and Lulu. Instead, she strolled toward the emergency exit and left through the side door, circling around to approach the main gate. Now, Patricia had a clear view; indeed, someone had been following them, or more precisely, monitoring Nicole. Patricia''s eyes narrowed slightly as she discreetly concealed herself, waiting for these two individuals to leave before following suit. When Patricia returned, it was close to the end of the workday. "How was it?" Nicole asked Patricia. "They''re Everett''s men. They probably haven''t found out our actions, so they sent someone to keep tabs on US," Patricia said with a cold expression. "So, does that mean our raw materials can arrive smoothly?" Lulu spected, thinking that if Everett hadn''t discovered their movements and ns, there would be no one to obstruct or cause trouble. "For now, there''s no problem," Patricia replied. "And I''ve sent those two to the police, so they won''t be causing any trouble for a while." "Awesome! No wonder it took you so long!" Lulu praised Patricia in admiration. Shrugging, Patricia said, "Well, Everett chose some unreliable people. It was easy to find someone to take care of them after a little investigation." "Ah, it seems we can rx and go home now," Lulu sighed in relief. Nicole also got up. "Let''s go." Outside Riddle Corporation, Nicole saw Jared''s car and waved to Lulu and Patricia. "Heading off," she said. "See you tomorrow," Lulu waved back while looking for Spencer''s car. "I''ll leave as well," Patricia said, heading off. Lulu looked around, finally spotting Spencer''s car. She smiled, waved, and walked towards him. Meanwhile, Jared and Nicole''s car had already gone quite far. Leaning back in her seat, Nicole saw Jared''s troubled expression. She reached up and smoothed the furrow between his eyebrows. "Don''t be so down. We can sort this out." Jared looked at her, holding her hand. "This is just the start." "Yeah, but it''s okay," Nicole shrugged. "I kind of hope he gets bolder. It''ll give me some leverage now." Whether Everett admitted his identity or insisted on being Lexter Wright, he would still be held ountable for his past actions. Jared held her gently, speaking with deep meaning, "He won''t stay quiet, but he''ll be even more cunning than before." Nicole agreed, her eyes narrowing in thought, ''No matter how sly he might be, he will get caught.'' Squeezing her shoulder in reassurance, Jared spoke earnestly, "If anythinges up, make sure to reach out to me." Nicole smiled, lifting her gaze to meet Jared''s. "No need to stress. I''ve got Patricia, and even if I''m not as agile as before, I''m not a pushover either." Jared yfully pinched her nose. "You''re the most formidable." "Of course," Nicole replied with a proud and yful expression. A soft smile appeared on Jared''s face, and the atmosphere between them rxed. Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. At home, Daniel and Gloria were both there. "Are Nn and Lana still out?" Nicole asked, noticing the kids'' absence. Chapter 3039 Chapter 3039 "Stanley took them to the backyard," Gloria chuckled. "Said they wanted to check on Mrs. Wace Sr. and Tia." "But Tia just brought them back from school, didn''t she?" Nicole found it amusing. "That''s right. Tia brought them back, but they seem eager to y in the backyard," Gloria exined with augh. "Let them be then," Nicole thought they could y for a while before returning. "It''s just us for dinner today. Let''s not wait any longer; let''s start," Daniel suggested. The group gathered in the dining room. "Nicole, did Ere to see you?" Gloria inquired. "He did. Please assure Emma that Er is fine," Nicole responded. After a moment of hesitation, Gloria gently asked, "Is there something difficult to talk about regarding Er? Why is nobody discussing it now? Does the silence mean it''s serious?" "Mom, don''t worry. He''s okay," Nicole reassured Gloria with a smile. "Really?" Gloria remained somewhat skeptical. Nicole ced a serving of food in front of Gloria and said, "Just concentrate on eating. After the meal, give Emma a call. You''ll find out." "Nicole is right. Let''s eat first," Daniel added. Observing Nicole''s calm demeanor, Gloria felt somewhat reassured, thinking perhaps they were overthinking things. "Dad, how''s Grandpa beentely?" Now that Gloria was more at ease, Nicole changed the topic. "I visit him with your uncle every day. He''s fine, so don''t worry," Daniel assured her. "That''s good," Nicole said, and they continued discussingpany matters and Everett. Before they realized it, dinner was over. "Mommy, Daddy," Nn and Lana returned, running over to Nicole and Jared. Nicole patted their heads and asked, '' Did you have fun at Grandma Wace''s?" "Yes, a lot! We''re going again tomorrow," Nn and Lana excitedly shared stories with Nicole. Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. Gloria, giving them a quick nce, sat down and called Emma. After a short conversation, Nicole and Jared took Nn and Lana upstairs. After talking to Emma on the phone, Gloria feltpletely at ease. "Emma said Eliar came home at the regr time today, looking much better. He seems fine." Daniel nodded in satisfaction, "Good, he''s more mature now." "We can rx now," Gloria smiled contentedly. Seeing her nephew, simr to her own, she couldn''t help but worry at times. "Good that everything is fine. Now, Dexter won''t have to sigh anymore,¡± Daniel sighed. "Alright, let''s go rest," Gloria stood up, and Daniel followed her upstairs. Upstairs in the rooms, Nn and Lana were sharing stories with Nicole. Jared''s phone suddenly rang. After checking the number, he didn''t answer immediately, telling Nicole, ''I need to take this call.1 "Okay," Nicole said, her gaze trailing Jared as he left. She pondered whose call it was and why Jared seemed bothered. ''What''s going on?'' Jared stepped out to take the call, gruffly saying, "Speak." Chapter 3040 Chapter 3040 "Mr. Johnston, there''s an update," Max conveyed with a serious tone." Everett has taken charge of the Eastern Falcon, and some members are now following his lead." "How resourceful," Jared remarked, his tone icy. Everett''s sudden return had triggered Jared''s suspicions, and Max''s investigation confirmed them. "It''s likely more of his men wille to San Joto soon. Should we prepare? " Max asked. Understanding Max''s concern, Jared advised, "Not yet. Let theme first. " He believed that intercepting now might only lead to new recements. Waiting would make it easier to identify the targets. "Okay," Max agreed. Jared added, "Get Charlie to have someone shadow Nicole. We cant afford any mistakes on her end." After giving a few more orders, Jared hung up. Turning around, he found Nicole standing behind him. He reached up and smoothed her hair, saying," You caught all of that." "Yeah, I guess I¡¯ve underestimated Everett," Nicole admitted, her expression darkening. Everett''s capabilities were more significant than she thought. ''No wonder he returned so confidently. The recent subtle actions are clearly meant to divert our attention while secretly redeploying his men.'' This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org. Fortunately, Jared had taken precautions and detected these moves before Everett''s ns could fully materialize. Holding her gently, Jaredforted, "Even if the real leader of the Eastern Falcon shows up, they won''t be able to harm US." Nicole bit her lip and suggested, "In that case, I think we should have Zane arrange another team to While Jared had some forces under hismand, bringing them all to San Joto was impractical. Currently, only Charlie''s team was here. If Zane arranged another team, it should be sufficient. After sharing her thoughts, Nicole messaged Zane about the situation and her suggestion. "Let''s wait for Zane''s reply," Nicole said and put away her phone. She took Jared''s hand and added, "Come on, let''s go spend time with the kids." Jared''s eyes softened, and he smiled. "Sure." The following day, Nicole arrived at Riddle Corporation under brilliant sunshine. As she settled in, the phone rang. She nced at it before answering, "Zane." "I''ve thought about your suggestion. I''ll send a team over today," Zane''s voice came through. "Thanks," Nicole said. Zane chuckled, ¡® No need to be so polite. They won''t only be working with you; they have other tasks too." "Other tasks?" Nicole asked cautiously. "Do they need my cooperation?" "They¡¯ll be going undercover with new identities. You just need to provide cover for them," Zane exined. Nicole hesitated for a moment before asking, "If the mission needs me, just give me a heads up, okay?" Zaneughed softly over the phone. "Don''t worry. There will be times when we need you." Nicole might not be as sharp inbat anymore, but her skills and smarts were still intact. Zane had let her retire, so others would take care of the main missions. Zane just wanted her to enjoy a peaceful and simple life again. "Sure thing," Nicole quickly agreed before ending the call. Chapter 3041 Chapter 3041 A series of knocks echoed as Lulu and Patricia entered. "Nicole, the documents," Lulu said, cing them down. "Leave them here," Nicole instructed. "Ms. Riddle, was that..." Patricia hesitated. Nicole calmly replied, "Zane. He''ll send someone over." "Just for Everett?" Patricia was surprised. She couldn''t believe they had to go to such lengths just for Everett. "Everett is just the start,¡¯ Nicole added with a meaningful tone. Or rather, Everett was just a catalyst for a real investigation to address the Eastern Falcon issue once and for all. "Just inform me if you need assistance, Ms. Riddle," Patricia said, her tone turning more serious. "Don''t fret, even if there are missions, they won''t assign US anything too critical," Nicole said, lifting her gaze to Patricia with a gentle expression. "Yes," Patricia respectfully replied. As Nicole watched Patricia leave, she opened the documents and resumed her work. Two days flew by. The initial batch of raw materials had safely reached the port and was stored in Warehouse 3. Patricia reported, "The second batch will arrive tomorrow, and I''ll be overseeing it." "Good,¡± Nicole said, a hint of satisfaction in her eyes. "Finally, the issue is sorted. The uing shipments will be on time, and the project won''t face any dys," Lulu said joyfully. Nicole nodded, "Have the engineering department keep a close eye on the project." "Sure, I''ll remind them," Lulu agreed. "Ms. Riddle, I''ll head straight to the port tomorrow morning and stay until everything is stored in the warehouse beforeing back to report to you," Patricia said. "Okay," Nicole agreed. "Then I''ll get back to work," Patricia said, turning to leave the office. Observing Patricia''s departure, Lulu turned to Nicole and remarked, "Hey, do you feel like Patricia has changed a bit these past few days?" "Like what?" Nicole asked, slightly furrowing her brow, as she hadn''t noticed. Lulu thought for a moment and said, "It''s not exactly a change, or perhaps it''s more urate to say she''s reverted to how she was before." It seemed Patricia had grown as indifferent as when she first arrived, with work appearing to be her sole focus. Nicole''s eyes narrowed, as Lulu''s observation reminded her that Patricia had indeed been acting this waytely. However, given the surge in workload, Nicole had assumed it was natural for Patricia to be more engrossed in work, so she hadn''t paid much attention. Lulu bit her lip and asked, "You don''t think she and Er have really called it quits, do you?" Feeling it would be a shame if that were the case, she pondered, ''Maybe we should do something.'' Noticing Lulu''s thoughts, Nicole advised, "Let''s leave this matter for them to handle." In Nicole¡¯s perspective, matters of the heart were best left for the individuals involved to navigate on their own. "I just think it''s a pity if there''s no progress in their rtionship," Lulu sighed. "If they''re meant to be for each other, they won''t miss out on each other," Nicole said with a gentle smile. "You''re right," Lulu nodded in agreement. "I just feel sorry for them, but I won''t do anything." After all, no one could really figure out what Patricia was thinking, and Lulu didn''t want to make things awkward for everyone involved. "Go on and get busy," Nicole said with a cheerful smile. "Okay," said Lulu, turning to leave as well.Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. Chapter 3042 Chapter 3042 In Nicole''s quiet office, she was sorting through many papers during a busy time. Over at SeaQuartet Holdings, an assistant rushed into Mr. Wright''s office, blurting, "Mr. Wright, about the port..." "Calm down. Just tell me clearly," Everett said, a bit annoyed. T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org. After a moment to collect himself, the assistant shared, looking serious," We just found out Riddle Corporation''s materials from abroad are stored in Johnston Group''s special warehouse." Everett went pale. Before this, he was struggling to understand why he couldn''t get updates on the material stuff. He thought Jared was helping Nicole, and he was sure she was depending on Jared for more help. So, Everett had a n to mess up Jared''s supportter. But, surprise! Nicole had it covered. She and Jared were working together smoothly. "Mr. Wright, what should we do next?" the assistant asked seriously. "Check all the port records. Figure out when Nicole''s other shipments areing," Everett said. He was sure moving such a big load couldn''t happen all at once. "Got it," the assistant agreed. Everett looked kinda mean when he asked in a deep voice, "Have our people shown up?" "They''re here and sorted," the assistant said. "Good. Once they''re settled, let them start working," Everett said, sounding cold but satisfied. The assistant agreed and then left. Everett''s expression darkened. He seemed lost in thought, like his mind was going somewhere deep. As the sun dipped below the horizon, casting a beautiful array of colors across the sky, Nicole and Lulu made their way to the elevator, signaling the end of another day. "Why did Patricia head out early? It doesn''t seem like her to have other ns," Lulu inquired, her voice tinged with confusion. "She mentioned feeling a bit restless, so she decided to head to the port earlier than nned," Nicole shared. Lulu raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Why, though? The ship isn''t here until tomorrow morning, right?" "Guess she thinks she''ll rest easier knowing everything''s in ce," Nicole reasoned. Lulu sighed, a hint of resignation in her voice. "She''s really pushing herself, even more than usual." Nicole offered a reassuring smile. "Let''s just give her some space. It might just be a phase that''ll pass soon enough." Emotions always seek a way out. "Alright, I''m off," Lulu announced as they stepped outside thepany premises, spotting Spencer''s car. She waved to Nicole, "See you tomorrow." "Take care," Nicole smiled, returning the wave before she made her way toward Jared''s car. Over at the port, Patricia had wrapped up all the necessary preparations and entrusted two individuals with the oversight duties. "Stay alert tonight. Should anything out of the ordinary happen, I need to be informed without dy." "Yes, captain," they answered in perfect harmony. Patricia halted for a moment, "Remember, I''m no longer your captain." The two exchanged puzzled looks, then shrugged. "Old habits die hard, so well just keep calling you captain, if that''s alright with you." "Yeah, captain," they echoed, a hint of camaraderie in their voices. Patricia offered them a brief nod, epting their gesture. "Everyone else is dismissed for the day. Make sure to be back here bright and early tomorrow," Patricia directed. "Understood." The group quickly gathered their belongings, readying themselves to head out. Patricia took a moment to look around, issuing a fewst-minute instructions to the duo who would stay through the night, preparing to leave herself. But just as she turned to go, a glimpse of movement caught her eye-two figures swiftly moving in the shadows. With her expression hardening, Patricia calmly instructed those nearby," Act naturally and disperse as if everything is normal." "Got it." With a sense of urgency yet maintaining a facade of calm, they followed Patricia''s lead, feigning departure while on high alert. Chapter 3043 Chapter 3043 Following Patricia''s lead, the group dispersed, with a few genuinely departing while two covertly shadowed Patricia, tracking the elusive figures. "Captain, do you think those could be Everett''s men?" one of them quietly conjectured. Patricia let out a derisive snort. "Only one way to find out-follow them." At this juncture, Everett was the prime suspect in their minds. Mid-conversation, Patricia''s phone buzzed. Casting a quick nce at the screen, she promptly ended the call. "Captain, should we proceed? We''ll keep you in the loop," another team member offered, ready to spring into action. Patricia hesitated briefly before deciding, "No, let''s stick together." The call she''d ignored was from Martin, likely wondering why she hadn''t shown up at hisb yet. She deemed it inappropriate to delve into exnations then and there, nning to address itter. Upon Patricia''s arrival at theb, it was evident Martin and Cindy were growing restless. Spotting Patricia, Cindy expressed her concern, "Any difficulties on your way here?" "Just tying up some loose ends at work," Patricia answered, deliberately vague. Martin eyed Patricia with a hint of concern, "You know, you ought to be taking it easier these days." Martin was aware that Patricia''s reference to ''work'' wasn''t merely her day- to-day duties at Riddle Corporation; it hinted at something more covert, likely a mission. However, with Cindy in the room, details couldn''t be openly discussed. Patricia caught Martin''s look and reassured him, "Don''t worry, I''m handling it." Seeing Patricia''s assurance, Martin didn''t press the issue, instead helping her get settled for her treatment. After examining Patricia, Martin noted, "The injury on your face has improved significantly. I expect it will be fully healed soon." Patricia responded with gratitude, "Thank you, Dr. Wyance." Martin inwardly sighed, acknowledging Patricia''s resilience, "It''s also thanks to your own effort. Not everyone can endure the hardships you have, to bear such burdens." Patricia bit her lip slightly, her thoughts heavy with the realization that Er had borne the greatest pain for her. "Here, drink some water," Cindy offered, handing a cup of water to Patricia. "Thank you,¡± Patricia said, epting the cup and taking a slow sip. Martin advised Patricia, "Although you look better now, don''t push yourself too hard. You need to rest." "Yes, I understand," Patricia replied softly. "Alright, it''s time for you to head back." "Okay." Patricia got up and left theb. "She doesn''t seem asfortable as Er might hope," Cindy sighed. "We shouldn''t get involved in their personal issues," Martin remarked thoughtfully, his thoughts adding, ''Patricia and Er¡¯s situation is for them to resolve.'' "So, they have their issues... What about US?" Cindy turned to Martin, her eyes searching his, hinting at a deeper conversation about their own rtionship. "Let''s call it a day," Martin deflected, looking away. Cindy, not willing to let the moment pass again, stepped in front of Martin, her gaze intense. "Martin, T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org. you know that''s not what I''m asking about." With a sigh, Martin began, "Cindy, after all this time, you understand that we..." "Stop," Cindy cut him off quickly. Pausing to collect her thoughts, she finally said, "I''m heading off now." Chapter 3044 Chapter 3044 After her words, Cindy turned and quickly jogged away. Martin watched her departure, his brow furrowing slightly. But he chose not to call out to her. He let out a sign, took a moment to tidy up, and then slowly made his exit. The next morning at the port, Patricia and her team were stationed near Warehouse 3, anticipation N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. hanging in the air. The individuals who hade to investigate the area the previous day were identified as Everett''s operatives. Having reported back, it was anticipated that Everett would initiate some action. Yet, the night had unfolded without incident, leaving Patricia to ponder Everett''s motives. "Captain, Nicole is here," someone quietly informed Patricia. Swiftly turning, Patricia indeed spotted Nicole making her way toward them. She quickly approached to greet her: "Ms. Riddle, what brings you here today?" "Was everything quietst night?" Nicole inquired, her expression marked by a subtle concern. Patricia had briefed Nicole on the previous night''s events, but with no further developments by morning, Nicole''s concern had prompted her to personally check on the situation. Noticing the team''s heightened state of readiness, she deduced that Everett''s group had yet to make their move. "They haven''t made a move yet. We''re unsure of their intentions, but I''ve instructed everyone to remain on high alert," said Patricia. Nicole gave a nod of approval. "Alright. Everyone, be careful." Acknowledging her advice, they all intensified their efforts to stay concealed. Nicole then led Patricia to a more secluded area for a conversation. "Has there really been no sign of them since yesterday?" "It''s strange, indeed," Patricia admitted, her expression one of concern. "Do you suspect it might be a trap?" Nicole whispered. Patricia, with a hint of confusion, shared her thoughts, "I''ve mulled over the trap theory, but given how yesterday''s encounter with those two was purely coincidental, it doesn''t entirely fit if it''s a trap. They weren''t there to be discovered by US on purpose." "That does add ayer ofplexity," Nicole acknowledged, her gaze sharpening as she considered the implications. ''It''s not a trap if they didn''t intentionally let themselves get caught. But why haven''t they made a move yet?'' She pondered, the wheels turning in her mind. If it wasn''t for that reason, the only other exnation she could think of was that Everett nned to sabotage those raw materials. As the thought crossed her mind, Nicole''s expression became more serious. "When is our ship due to arrive?" "In about half an hour," Patricia responded, her expression suddenly changing. "You mean..." ''Everett must be targeting the cargo on our ship!'' Patricia realized, a chill of realization running through her. ''The goods in the warehouse are too well- protected for Everett''s team to directly tamper with.'' It dawned on her that Everett might consider the uing shipment a viable target to undermine Riddle Corporation. After all, choosing a more essible target would be the more practical approach. Everything made sense now, and Patricia was hit with a wave of frustration for not seeing this possibility earlier. I''ll take some people over now," Patricia dered, poised to act. "Where are you going?" Nicole asked, holding her back. "We have motorboats nearby; I''ll take a crew to scout the area." Patricia was determined. "If Everett''s forces are indeed preparing an ambush at sea, we might still have time to intercept them. But we need to move fast, or it could be toote." After a brief pause, Nicole gave her consent, albeit with a caution, "Then be careful. And remember, if it gets too dangerous, there''s no shame in pulling back." The possibility ofpromising the shipment was serious, but not at the cost of their safety. "We can always find another way around any issue with the raw materials. I just don''t want to see you hurt," Nicole added, her concern evident. Understanding the gravity of Nicole''s words, Patricia felt a mix of resolve and gratitude. "Ms. Riddle, don''t worry, I''ll be cautious," she reassured, her voice steady, betraying the firmness of her resolve. "Let''s go." Patricia rose with determination, swiftly gathering her team to follow her lead. As they departed, Nicole watched intently, her gaze sharpening with a mix of concern and resolve, "Pleasee back safely." Once Patricia and her team were on their way, several motorboats darted across the water, heading toward the anticipated path of the cargo ship, cutting through the sea with urgency. Chapter 3045 Chapter 3045 When Patricia got there, she saw the big cargo ship just sitting in the sea. It looked like there was a fight going on. "Captain, look! A speedboat," someone said, pointing on the water. Patricia checked it out and saw some speedboats hanging around. Putting two and two together, she said firmly, "Quick, go over there, get on the ship. Something''s not right." "Got it,¡± they said, rushing to the cargo ship and jumping on board. They followed the sounds and saw two groups fighting, the same ones they had tracked the day before. "Let''s jump in and help," Patricia said, taking charge and leading her team into the fight... Ten minutes passed. With Patricia and her team lending a hand, they managed to calm down the fight. "Thanks for your help," the ''crew'' said. "No need to thank US. Take charge of your people and head to the port," Patricia said casually, guiding her team to find a spot to rest. Given the circumstances, using the cargo ship for the return trip was their only option. The ''crew'' regarded Patricia with respect. It was evident they recognized her as part of Nicole''s team. They suspected Patricia was aware of their real identity, exining why she entrusted them with handling their own people. The cargo ship soon reached the shore. While workers started unloading, Patricia sorted things out and then joined Nicole on the way back to Riddle Corporation. This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org. In the car, Patricia inquired, "Those crew members on the ship... Did you send them?¡± Nicole seemed confused, asking, "What people?" It dawned on Patricia, and she briefed Nicole about the situation with the fake crew members trying to escort them. "Sounds like Zane''s work," Nicole said, a small smile on her lips. It turned out Zane''s arrangement was short of five people, and they happened to show up like this. "If I hadn''t gone today, things might still have been okay," Patricia mused. Nicole gave Patricia a gentle pat on the shoulder, remarking, "Even though things might have been okay without you, your help made it smoother. You did a good job." "It wasn''t that tough," Patricia replied, shaking her head. She felt thankful for those individuals. Without them, they might have arrived toote, or even if they made it in time, it might not have been resolved so easily. Nicole noticed Patricia''s arm and advised, "Once we''re back, have your wound looked at. If it''s bad, consider going to the hospital." "It''s nothing, just a scratch. I can handle it," Patricia reassured, not bothered as she nced at her wound. To her, it was genuinely a minor issue. Meanwhile, Everett got word of the mission''s failure, his anger apparent on his face. "Mr. Wright, we didn''t expect Patricia to lead a team onto the cargo ship," the assistant exined, frustrated. If they had known, they would have sent more people. "A bunch of useless fools!" Everett seethed, his frustration evident. ''We messed up a great chance. Nicole will be super careful next time.'' "Yeah," the assistant agreed quietly, not wanting to add more. Everett stared at the assistant and asked coldly, "Where are they now?" "Captured." The assistant''s voice was so low it was almost inaudible. Everett swiped his hand, making the papers fall off the desk. "Mr. Wright, what do we do now?" the assistant asked, looking scared but having to keep going. Chapter 3046 Chapter 3046 Everett looked really frustrated, his eyes showing he didn''t like what was happening. Staring meanly at his assistant, Everett said in a cold, loud voice, "Stop all of Nicole''s supply lines." He N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. thought if they couldn''t stop her from getting her stuff, at least they could stop her from getting more. "But, urn, it might be toote," the assistant said hesitantly. They didn''t expect Nicole''s moves, and now it seemed toote to do anything. "Try anyway," Everett''s face got darker as he looked at the assistant. To him, things weren''t decided yet; there was still a chance. He really couldn''t let Nicole get ahead. "Okay," the assistant didn''t say more and left quickly. Everett got up and walked slowly to the window, staring at the horizon.'' Nicole Riddle, what I lost, I''ll get back step by step. Let''s see.'' Nicole and Patricia returned to the office. While Patricia took care of her wounds, Lulu stayed close to Nicole, asking with concern, "What happened? How did she get hurt?" "There was a problem with the cargo ship; Patricia took care of it," Nicole exined shortly. Lulu sighed, feeling sorry. After a bit, Patricia came back with her wounds fixed, only to see Er had arrived. "What happened to your arm?" he asked, quickly taking hold of Patricia''s arm when he saw her injury. Patricia calmly pulled her arm away, saying, "It''s nothing." "Ms. Riddle, if there''s nothing else, I''ll get back to work,¡± Patricia said and walked away. "Hey," Er tried to follow Patricia but was halted by Nicole. "Er, what brings you here?" Nicole could tell that Patricia was deliberately avoiding him. Stopped by Nicole, Er gritted his teeth,posed himself, and turned to her, saying, "Nicole, it''s about some work stuff." "Let''s talk inside," Nicole said, heading into her office. Er followed her in, and Lulu, not wanting to miss anything, entered too. "What''s the matter?" Nicole asked after sitting down. "I got a project proposal, but something seems off. I thought you could check it out," Er handed a document to Nicole. He really came for work and didn''t expect to find Patricia hurt. "Sure, I''ll check it out. I''ll let you know if there''s anything,¡± Nicole said, signaling for Er to go. Lulu rolled her eyes, saying, "Did he actuallye just for work?" "At first, yes. But things changed," Nicole replied, finding it somewhat amusing. Lulu nced at the document Nicole was holding, asking, "So, what did Er mean exactly?" "Let me check first," Nicole said, opening the document. After looking through it, she handed the document to Lulu, saying, "There''s something strange here. Get someone to quietly investigate this." "Okay," Lulu said, her expression turning more serious as she took the document. "Don''t make it a big deal until we have more information," Nicole advised Lulu. "I won''t," Lulu assured, holding the document as she left. Nicole''s expression darkened a bit, thinking about how much Er had grown through everything he''d been through. Chapter 3047 Chapter 3047 The proposal seemed perfect at first nce, but its perfection was what made it suspicious. Nicole thought, ''Let''s wait for Lulu''s investigation. In times like these, being cautious is always wise.'' This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org. After leaving Nicole''s office, Er went straight to find Patricia. "Do you need something?" Patricia asked, maintaining a professional calm. "What happened to your arm?" Er pressed, concerned, wondering, ''How can she get hurt doing office work?'' "It''s nothing," Patricia instinctively moved her arm under the table, trying to keep it hidden. Er moved closer to Patricia, giving her a look. "Hey, Patricia, don''t stress. I tried to stay away so you could have a chill and happy life without me." "I''m okay," Patricia tried to calm herself, making it seem like everything was cool. Er softly took Patricia''s arm, checking the injury. "Does this seem ''okay'' to you?" "Just a small injury," Patricia said, trying to act like it was no big deal. Inside, though, her heart was all over the ce, torn between wanting space from Er and being afraid that any move might spill her feelings. "Patricia, if you''re having trouble looking after yourself, I might just stick around, you know, be a part of your life," Er said, his tone sort of sounding like a warning. He couldn''t really express how hard it was for him to stay away, not catching sight of her, holding back the urge to shadow her. Many times, he came close to giving in, just wanting to quietly check on her, but he always managed to resist. He wished her safety, happiness, and well-being, wanting her to have her own life undisturbed. Patricia was so surprised by his words that her eyes got wide, and her mouth opened a bit, but no words came out. "Tell me, how exactly did you hurt your arm?" Er tried to keep his voice calm as he asked. With a hard swallow, Patricia''s voice was faint as she said, "Can you step back a bit?" Swallowing hard, Patricia''s voice was as faint as a mosquito''s buzz, "Can you step back a bit?" Only then did Er realize how close he was to Patricia. He naturally took a couple of steps back, putting some space between them. "It was just an ident during a mission, nothing serious now," Patricia exined, then looked at Er, "You don''t have to worry about me. What could possibly happen to me while I''m with Ms. Riddle?" "I..." Er was briefly lost for words, realizing that Nicole wouldn''t let Patricia take unnecessary risks. "If you came here to talk about work, and since you''re done, you should probably go back. And I have work to do as well," Patricia dismissed him with a cool gaze. Somewhat choked up, Er could only say, "Okay." Without lifting her head, Patricia gathered some documents. Seeing her quiet, El I ar took a deep look at Patricia and said, "Take care of yourself." After saying that, he turned and walked away with heavy steps. Only then did Patricia raise her head to watch him leave, her eyes full of a mix of emotions. A pang of sadness hit Patricia''s heart, and her hand unconsciously clenched, identally tugging on her arm wound. "Ouch," the sharp pain brought Patricia back to reality. ''Maybe it''s for the best. He deserves someone who can have a calm and happy life with him till they''re old. Surely, he''ll find that person and have a loving and joyful life forever.¡¯ After leaving Patricia''s office, Er couldn''t help but clutch his chest. He had been so worked up just now, almost losing his cool in front of Patricia. Chapter 3048 Chapter 3048 Er thought to himself, ''Patricia doesn''t like it when I show too much concern, Maintaining some distance is wiser.'' He cast a final nce back, carrying the weight of his concern for Patricia. Despite his worries, Er recognized the importance of not overstaying his presence. He resolved to find excuses to visit her more frequently in the days ahead. Later that day, following lunch, Nicole, Lulu, and Patricia had just made their way back to the office. The sudden ring of Lulu''s phone broke the silence. She recognized the caller ID immediately and picked up, asking, "What''s the status? "Really? Okay, got it." After ending the call, Lulu turned to Nicole with a grave expression and confirmed, "Just as you suspected." Nicole, with a somber look, suggested, "Let''s discuss this in my office," and led the way. Lulu and Patricia followed her in. Lulu reported immediately, "There''s indeed something fishy about that project. The person behind it is Everett." "Everett again?" Patricia''s face turned pale as she wondered, ''Why is he targeting Er again?'' "What''s he trying to do?" Nicole pressed Lulu for answers. Lulu, visibly frustrated, revealed, "Our investigation shows that thepany behind the proposal is just a shellpany, with Everett orchestrating the whole scheme. He''s likely aiming to take down BayCorp." "But what does he gain from BayCorp''s downfall?" Patricia was confused.'' Could Everett be nning to take over BayCorp himself? That seems farfetched.'' Nicole, with a hint of disdain, spected, ¡¯He''s probably targeting the Riddle Corporation. BayCorp is just the first step." She knew Everett had been out of the loop in San Joto for too long, underestimating Er''s progress. ''Had it been Erfrom before, Everett might have stood a chance. Unfortunately for him, times have changed.'' "So, you''re suggesting that if Everett manages to seed now, he might go after DillCorp, NandoCorp, and eventually target US?" Patricia''s concern deepened. "His ambitions are clearly grand, but it''s questionable if he actually has the means to achieve them," Lulu remarked, her voiceced with scorn. Nicole''s gaze sharpened as she began to formte a n. "You have a n?" Patricia, picking up on Nicole''s thoughtful expression, feltpelled to inquire. "Lulu, go and..." Nicole started, her mind racing with strategies to counter Everett''s moves. "Ms. Riddle, is this really okay?" Patricia voiced her worries, concerned that if Everett caught wind of their actions, their chances of seeding could dwindle. Nicole shrugged, her gaze lifting to meet Patricia''s, "The next move is up to you.¡¯ "Me?" Patricia was taken aback. N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. "Yes, you. I need you to go to El I ar, fill him in on our strategy, and seek his coboration," Nicole directed with clear intent. "But..." Patricia hesitated, troubled by the thought of going to Er. Nicole, noting Patricia''s hesitation, offered an alternative, "Or you can switch tasks with Lulu if that makes you morefortable." Ultimately, it boiled down to just two tasks that required coordination between them. With a resigned sigh, Patricia conceded, "I''ll go now." She knew deep down that if she proposed swapping tasks with Lulu, Lulu would likely decline. It was merely a professional visit; she reassured herself that she could handle it. Once Patricia and Lulu had departed, Nicole''s expression turned serious. She picked up her phone, dialed Preston''s number, and warned, "Everett has begun to act; you need to be cautious as well." Chapter 3049 Chapter 3049 "Gott it," Preston replied. "If things don''t go smoothly on our end, he mighte after you, so be prepared,¡¯ Nicole added. Preston paused briefly before responding, "Okay, I''ll be careful." Continuing, Preston mentioned, "Regarding the task you assigned me, there''s some progress." "Go on," Nicole said softly, hoping it might aid their current situation. "There''s someone named Jerry close to him, his personal assistant. "Jerry is the one helping him with these schemes. "If we can find a way to hack into Jerry¡¯sputer, we should have aprehensive understanding of his next moves," Preston exined,ying out his n with a hint of optimism in his voice. Nicole thought to herself, ''If that''s the case, they wouldn''t have to worry about whatever Everett ns next.'' She asked, "Does he seem like a tough nut to crack? Are you sure you can handle it?" "I''ll be as careful as possible," Preston assured her. He understood Nicole''s implication; if the sess rate was low, it was better not to act rashly to avoid T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org. rming their opponent. "Alright, if you encounter any issues, you can alsoe to me," Nicole said before hanging up. Nicole''s expression darkened, and the atmosphere around her grew colder. The very thought of Everett''s return, with intentions not just against the Crests but to dismantle the entire Riddle Corporation, was a challenge she epted silently. ''Let him try,'' she thought, her resolve as firm as the setting sun on the horizon. As dusk embraced the city, Nicole stepped out of her workce, her day''s burdens momentarily lifting. Jared was there to pick her up, faithful and punctual as ever. "Did you wait long?" Nicole asked upon entering the car, noticing a document by Jared''s side. "Not at all," Jared said, putting away the document before looking at Nicole, "Grandpa wants to see you." "Grandpa!" Nicole was momentarily confused. Jared gently stroked her hair, "I mean my grandpa." "Oh," Nicole said, feeling slightly uneasy as she hadn''t realized immediately. "Also, I''ve asked Charlie to pick Nn and Lana up. We''ll head straight there," Jared said, then instructed Max, "Drive." "Yes, sir," Max replied, starting the car. After a while, they arrived at the Johnston family manor. Nn and Lana had just arrived as well and ran over when they saw Nicole and Jared getting out of the car. "Daddy, Mommy." Nicole affectionately touched their heads and smiled, "Let''s go in." "Okay." Holding Nicole''s hand, Nn and Lana followed into the mansion. They greeted Maximillian politely upon seeing him. Maximillian''s face lit up with a loving smile. "Come, let me have a look at you." Nn and Lana quickly made their way to the couch. Nicole and Jared followed and greeted Maximillian. "Please, take a seat," Maximillian said with a smile. After everyone had taken their seats, Maximillian initiated the conversation with a light tone, "It''s nothing serious. I just wanted to have you alle back for a meal together." "We''ve been too busy "I know you''re busy," Maximillian responded, waving his hand dismissively, indicating he wasn''t upset but merely wished for theirpany. He had inquired Jared about their schedules today and, upon discovering they had some free time, extended the invitation. "Sir, dinner is ready," the butler approached and informed them softly. "Let''s eat," Maximillian invited. As they settled into their seats and took in the spread before them, the array of delicious meals sparked a wave of emotion. Maximillian had gone out of his way to ensure the kitchen prepared their favorite dishes, a thoughtful gesture that deeply touched everyone present. Chapter 3050 Chapter 3050 "Thank you," Nicole expressed her gratitude. "Let''s dig in," Maximillian said with affection. During dinner, Maximillian turned his attention to Jared, concern etching his features. "I heard you''ve been quite busy recently. I was thinking of sending someone to help you out." "We don''t need it for now," Jared responded calmly, his voice steady and reassuring. "We can still manage." Maximillian''s expression shifted to a slight frown. Despite not venturing out much, he remained well- informed about the happenings beyond his immediate surroundings. The situation, as he understood it, was somewhatplicated, and his concern for them was palpable. "We already have someone helping US. Don''t worry," Nicole reassured Maximillian with a gentle smile. Seeing both of them insisting, Maximillian could only agree, "Alright then." Then, looking at Jared, Maximillian hesitated before mentioning Everett, seemingly cautious because of Nicole. "He has already shown his ambitions. We''ll be on our guard against him," Nicole said, her expression turning slightly serious. She understood the reason behind Maximillian''s hesitation, but these concerns were not something new to her. "Good, as long as you''re prepared," Maximillian nodded, his worry evident. He trusted their capabilities and believed they would be fine as long as they were prepared. After dinner and spending some time ying, Nicole and Jared, along with Nn and Lana, left the Johnston family manor. It was quitete, and Nn and Lana fell asleep on the way. Looking at her two children, Nicole''s eyes softened with affection. Jared gently held Nicole''s hand and whispered, "Everett has started to act, and it''s likely going to get even crazier from here." "Got it," Nicole''s gaze deepened slightly. "He''s already making moves against Er. It seems none of the other subsidiaries will be spared." It appeared that Everett had returned with the intention of ensnaring Riddle Corporation and its subsidiaries in one fell swoop. "Warn everyone to be cautious." A glint of cold determination shed in Jared''s eyes as he spoke. "Yes, all have been notified," Nicole responded. Jared tightened his grip on her hand, a silent message of support and shared resolve passing between them. Nicole couldn''t help but smile at Jared''s concern, her mood lightening." Don''t be like that. I think our life Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. right now is pretty good." Indeed, with him by her side, surrounded by family and friends, the presentplexities seemed trivial "You deserve an even better life," Jared insisted, pulling Nicole close in aforting embrace. "It will happen, and soon," Nicole said, raising her eyebrows at Jared with confidence in her eyes. After all, it was just Everett; even with the support of the Eastern Falcon, he couldn''t do whatever he wanted in San Joto. Some timeter, they made their way back to the Riddle residence. Most of the lights in the mansion were off, leaving only the living room and hallway lights on for them. Nicole and Jared, carrying the sleeping Nn and Lana, took them to their rooms before going to rest themselves. The next day was sunny and bright. After Jared dropped Nicole off at thepany, he left. Watching his car drive away, Nicole turned and entered the building. "Ms. Riddle," Patricia approached, reporting in a low voice, "I''ve informed Er." "Good," Nicole nodded, pleased. "I wonder how Lulu is doing?" Patricia asked, slightly hesitant. Lulu''s voice then followed, "Don''t worry, everything went smoothly on my end." "There she is," Nicole turned to see Lulu approaching with a triumphant look on her face. Chapter 3051 Chapter 3051 "Mission aplished!'' Lulu handed a document to Nicole. After receiving the document, Nicole said, ''Keep an eye on the follow-up." "Will do," Lulu happily agreed. After discussing work, everyone returned to their offices. Nicole, sitting down and going through the document Lulu gave her, nodded slightly in approval. Everything was arranged properly; now, it all depended on Er. Meanwhile, Er had gone to meet with the potential partners. "I''ve reviewed the project proposal and find it very promising, so I''m here today to discuss the specifics. If there are no issues, we can sign the contract," Er said directly. "With that said, let''s hope for a fruitful coboration," the other party responded with a smile. "Let''s review the documents first," Er suggested, handing over the prepared documents. After a thorough review, the other party expressed satisfaction: "There are no issues at all." "In that T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org. case, let''s proceed with signing the contract," Er presented the contract. The other party was momentarily surprised, thenughed heartily, "I didn''t expect you to be so well- prepared." "I can''t resist a good project," Er said. "Naturally, I wanted to finalize it as soon as possible." "Then let''s sign," the other party said, already signing their name on the contract. After Er signed as well, he handed a copy to the other party and bid farewell, "Pleasant cooperation." "Let me walk you out." "No need." After leaving, Er nced at the contract in his hand, a satisfied smirk ying on his lips. Armed with the contract, he made his way to the Riddle Corporation, where he handed it over to Nicole. Upon reviewing it, Nicole expressed her approval with a nod, ¡°This will do." "Nicole, are you sure Everett won''t notice anything?" Er asked, somewhat worried. Although his task had been sessfullypleted, he wasn''t sure how easy Everett would be to deal with. "It doesn''t matter," Nicole shrugged, her primary goal being to prevent any loss to BayCorp. As long as that was achieved, everything else was a bonus. If they could kill two birds with one stone, great; if not, there was no harm done. "What should I do next?" Er inquired further. Nicole nced at Ell ar and responded with a smile, "Just get ready for it." "For this project?" Er was surprised. Aware of the project''s challenges, he wondered, ''What''s there to prepare?'' "Don''t worry, I won''t let this project fail," she assured him. After all, it was still a very promising project. "Oh, got it," Er didn''t press further, sincerely agreeing. He figured if Nicole said it would be fine, then he just needed to focus on his part. "Alright, if there''s nothing else, you can go back," Nicole returned the documents to Er. "I''ll be off then. Remember to call me if anythinges up," Er said before leaving Nicole''s office. After leaving, he nned to head out but hesitated for a moment before making his way to Patricia''s office. "Can I help you?" Oddly, Patricia felt nervous seeing Er. The memory of theirst encounter lingered; when Er took charge, she found herself somewhat unable to resist. Er nced at her and then asked, "How''s your injury?" Chapter 3052 Chapter 3052 "It''s much better," Patricia responded softly. Er frowned. "You haven''t changed this bandage at all, have you? You haven''t redressed the wound." Patricia was momentarily taken aback, her voice even softer, "It''s really okay." Indeed, she hadn''t changed it, but that was because the wound wasn''t serious. It had been properly treated yesterday, and it would be fully healed in a couple of days. Er, however, wasn''t satisfied with her brushing it off and fetched a first- aid kit to help Patricia redress the wound. "Really. I''m fine," Patricia instinctively tried to stop Ell ar but found herself being held even tighter. Holding her arm tight, Er said seriously, "Stay still." Feeling a bit uneasy, Patricia reluctantly replied, "I can manage on my own. " If the dressing really needed changing, she preferred doing it herself. "I already said, don''t move." Er had unwrapped the bandage. Seeing the still slightly red wound, even after treatment, he frowned. ''If not taken care of well, it could get infected.'' After removing the bandage, Er took out a cleaning swab and started to clean the wound. Watching his careful actions, Patricia unconsciously bit her lip, her feelings all mixed up. "You''re injured and still pushing yourself so hard. Can''t you take a break?" Ell ar muttered while treating the wound, his tone betraying his concern for Patricia. "It''s really just a minor injury. In the past..." Patricia started to exin instinctively but stopped herself mid-sentence. Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. El I ar paused in his actions, hesitated for a moment, and then continued to tend to her wound. "Let''s not dwell on the past. You won''t have to live like that ever again," Er said with determination in his eyes. ''Now that she''s with Nicole, she''ll only be involved in corporate affairs, far removed from the constant dangers of her previous life.'' Patricia didn''t respond, thinking, ''Who could be certain about the future?'' "Tell him to find a more peaceful job," Er said, avoiding Patricia''s gaze as he spoke. It took Patricia a moment to realize he was referring to Charlie. With a slight twitch of her lips, Patricia gave Er a somewhat resigned look. ''Charlie''s decisions aren''t up to me.'' Seeing her silence, Er frowned unhappily, "Do you really want to live a life always on edge?" "You don''t understand," Patricia bit her lip slightly, offering no further exnation to Er. The kind of life she and Charlie had was all about the present situation. With all the challenges and secrets they dealt with, hoping for a peaceful life seemed almost impossible. Maybe, once everything was sorted out, they could have that peaceful life. But by choosing to stick with Jared and Nicole, they were set on following through with their decisions and doing what they believed was right. Patricia took a big breath and told Er, ''Thanks, Er. I''m really d we crossed paths." This side of him, she knew, would stick with her, a memory that wouldn''t fade. "Hmph, don''t give me some fake award," Er grumbled, a bit sulky. If she couldn¡¯t ept his feelings, these gestures only made him feel worse. Watching his childish demeanor, Patricia couldn''t help but smile. "It''s good to see you smile," Er said, his mood lifting at the sight of her smiling face. After packing up the first-aid kit, Er instructed, "Take good care of yourself." "I will," Patricia promised. "I''m leaving." Er¡¯s heartbeat quickened inexplicably as he quickly made his exit. Watching him go, Patricia sighed, her heart filled with mixed emotions. Chapter 3053 Chapter 3053 Patricia''s gaze lingered on her arm, looking at the bandage he had applied. She bit her lip slightly, her fingers gently brushing the bandage, as if she could still feel his warmth. After Er left, he let out a long sigh, soothingly patting his chest. It seemed to help a bit. For some reason, he had felt an intense panic, as if he was on the verge of losing control over himself. "All those grand statements are just lies we tell ourselves," Er muttered, shaking his head. There was a moment when he truly wanted to take Patricia away, to leave everything behind, but he knew he couldn''t. "What are you mumbling about by yourself?" Lulu''s voice interrupted his thoughts. Er snapped back to reality, turning to see Lulu, "Nothing, I was just about to head back to BayCorp." "Nothing?" Lulu raised an eyebrow slightly. "I heard something, though." "Really, it was nothing. I was just thinking over this project. That''s all," Er stubbornly insisted, refusing to admit anything. Lulu rolled her eyes at Er, sighing, "It seems you''ve really decided to give up. As long as you have no regrets." Although she hadn''t caught exactly what Ell ar was mumbling about, she was sure it wasn''t work- rted but something to do with Patricia. Eliar felt a sour twist in his heart but dared not show it, managing only a feigned smile. "I''ve got work to do on my end, so I''ll be off." Lulu shook her head at his evasion. Watching Er leave, Lulu then made her way to Nicole''s office. "He''s gone?" Nicole asked Lulu, having overheard their conversation. "Yes, he stopped by Patricia¡¯s office and has now left," Lulu confirmed, approaching Nicole¡¯s desk. Nicole''s gaze darkened slightly, aware that Er still couldn''t let go of Patricia. However, understanding Patricia''s determination, she chose not toment further. "Sigh, what do you think will happen to Everett if his attempt on BayCorp fails?" Lulu shifted the conversation. She hade to Nicole specifically for this matter but ran into Er in the hallway and noticed his odd behavior, which prompted a few additional questions. A chill shed through Nicole''s eyes as she said meaningfully, ''He''ll only escte his efforts." "So, he''ll be even more reckless!" Lulu''s face turned a shade paler. "It doesn''t matter. I want to see what he really intends to do, and what he can do," Nicole scoffed coldly. At this point, Everett was in the open while they operated in the shadows, so she wasn''t overly worried. "Should we make preparations in advance?" Lulu asked quietly. Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. Being prepared never hurt, after all. Nicole bit her lip, considering for a moment before responding, "Indeed, we should strategize." "What do you need me to do?" Lulu''s eyes widened with eagerness. Nicole couldn''t help but smile wryly, shaking her head, "Give me a moment to think." "Alright, I''ll get back to my work then. Just call me if you need anything," Lulu said cheerfully, scratching her head. "Sure, go ahead," Nicole responded with a light smile. As Lulu left, Nicole leaned back, deep in thought. ''Everett''s clearly trying to weaken Riddle Corporation, believing his n against BayCorp will work eventually. This means it won''t take long for him to initiate other actions...'' Chapter 3054 Chapter 3054 Everett, looking at the documents in his hand, was filled with satisfaction. "Nicole is so smart, yet Er, who has been following her around, hasn''t learned anything," he snorted coldly, cing the document on his desk. "Mr. Wright, now that the bait has been taken, what''s our next move?¡± Jerry asked quietly. "Er signing the contract will start his preparations. Keep an eye on him. Once he''s nearly ready, let our mole escape," Everett instructed. "Yes," Jerry agreed, then added, "Should we proceed with the other ns?" Frowning slightly, Everett pondered before saying, "We can start targeting DillCorp." That branch was managed by someone Nicole appointed, and any significant issues had to be reported back to the Riddle Corporation, creating a dy inmunication which could work in their favor. "Alright, I''ll make the arrangements," Jerry said before leaving. Everett leaned back in his chair, legs crossed on the desk, clearly in a good mood. This was the most pleasant moment he had felt since returning to San Joto. He thought to himself, ''Step by step, I will reim everything and hold it with my own hands...'' At noon, under the scorching sun, Nicole, Lulu, and Patricia left thepany for lunch. "How''s your arm?" Lulu asked Patricia. "Much better now," Patricia replied, her gaze drifting to the bandage on her arm, seemingly lost in thought. Lulu was puzzled, noticing something odd about Patricia''s demeanor. "Are you really okay?" Lulu asked again. "Yes, I''m fine," Patricia took a deep breath, regaining her usualposure. Lulu couldn''t help but sigh, "You were a workaholic when you arrived, and now, it seems even worse than before. You don''t even take a break when you''re injured." "There''s a lot going on recently. It''ll get better after this busy period,¡± Patricia said with a faint smile. She knew everyone was concerned about her, but being upied with work was actually better for her. She couldn''t just stay at home alone; her mood would never settle that way. She admitted she was using work to numb herself, but she had no other choice but to leave everything to time. As lunch was served and they were about to start eating, Preston hurried over. "I knew you''d be here for lunch," Preston said as he sat down and ordered his lunch. "What''s the rush? Is something wrong?" Lulu asked with some worry as she knew Preston wouldn''t "There is something," Preston nced at Lulu and Patricia before looking at Nicole, "Everett might be nning to make a move on DillCorp next." "How do you know?" Lulu asked, surprised. Preston exined, "I managed to track his assistant''sputer. There was a n, but I didn''t dare to stay too long in case he noticed me, so I''m not clear on the details." He had seen ns regarding DillCorp but had to abort copying the information when Jerry logged in, fearing detection. "Could it be like with Er?" Lulu frowned, looking at Nicole. Nicole''s expression darkened slightly, "It shouldn''t be." "Then what will he do?" Lulu''s face fell a bit. Chapter 3055 Chapter 3055 Everett, known for his scheming ways, seemed poised to stir up trouble again. "I came to suggest that you try hacking in," Preston said seriously. His hacking skills weren''t on par with Nicole''s, and if Nicole tried, there might be a higher chance of sess. N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. However, Nicole shook her head, "Everett will be expecting me." She had enlisted Preston precisely because Everett wouldn''t be on guard against him. But if she took action, the likelihood of being detected would increase. Preston sighed, "I hadn''t considered that." "Nicole, how about I go to DillCorp and keep an eye on things for the next few days?" Lulu offered. "That won''t work. If you show up, Everett will be suspicious." Nicole''s presence could alert Everett that they were already onto him, which could jeopardize future maneuvers. "What should we do, then?" Lulu asked, deted. "He dares to act this way because he''s ying a game of timing with US, especially since matters at DillCorp have to be reported back to the Riddle Corporation," Nicole spected. "So, you mean he might tamper with the information?" Lulu frowned. "It''s possible," Preston agreed, nodding. "Nicole''s analysis makes sense." DillCorp didn''t operate independently like BayCorp, which Er could call for the shots. "What about NandoCorp, which is also managed by someone appointed?" Lulu asked, puzzled. Nicole scoffed, "To Everett, NandoCorp probably already seems like it''s in his pocket." That''s why Everett didn''t care, thinking that as long as the other Riddle Corporation''s other subsidiaries encountered problems, NandoCorp would fall into his hands easily. "Hmph, that''s infuriating," Lulu huffed. "Nicole, we need to n ahead for this," Preston reminded her. "Yes, I know." A chill passing through Nicole''s eyes. Preston''s lunch was served, and the group stopped discussing Everett to focus on their meal. Yet, each person seemed preupied, deep in thought over the situation. After lunch, the group left the restaurant. "Nicole, I''ll head back now. Call me if there''s anything," Preston said as he took his leave. "Alright," Nicole nodded in response. Watching Preston leave, Nicole, along with Patricia and Lulu, headed towards Riddle Corporation. "Ms. Riddle, our initial n has been sessful. Everett must believe that Er has taken the bait. He might not be as cautious in dealing with other subsidiaries, which could expose some vulnerabilities,¡¯ Patricia analyzed calmly. Nicole agreed, "Everett''s actions have been quite aggressivetely, indeed making him more prone to mistakes." "Then let''s find a way to make himmit even bigger errors," Lulu suggested with a gleam of mischief in her eyes. Nicole''s eyes narrowed slightly. They could indeed intentionally expose some ws to Everett, likely enticing him to take the bait. Back at thepany, Nicole instructed Patricia, "Contact DillCorp and arrange for someone to handle it. Make sure Everett doesn''t notice anything unusual." "Understood," Patricia agreed, proceeding to make arrangements. "Nicole, about Er¡¯s situation, I''ll go check on it again to ensure there are no slip-ups," Lulu said with caution in her eyes. They absolutely couldn''t afford any mistakes at this juncture, or all their efforts would be in vain. "Okay,¡± Nicole agreed and then returned to her office. Sitting down, Nicole leaned back in her chair, her eyes filled with contemtion. Everett''s return was undoubtedly aimed at overturning the Riddle family, but she wasn''t going to give him that chance. Time flew by, and two days had passed. Chapter 3056 Chapter 3056 Early in the morning, when Nicole got to her office, Er called her. "Nicole, we can make our move now," Er said, sounding pleased. "Okay." Nicole hung up and called Lulu over. In Nicole''s office, Lulu asked, "Got news?" "Eliar said it''s time to act," Nicole shrugged, showing that their n could now be done. "Great, I''m on it," Lulu said with a big smile, turning to leave. Meanwhile, Er went back to his office, facing the man on the couch. "Stop struggling; you have no chance," the man said slowly and coldly. "Hmph, don''t even think about it," Er snorted, not backing down. The man raised an eyebrow, "Really, you''re willing to give up your BayCorp just like that?" "What''s it to you?" Er shot back. "BayCorp has always been under the Riddle Corporation, but since you took over, you''ve worked hard to take it to the next level. Can you really bear to give up just like that?" The man seemed to be trying to convince Er, but he was really ying mind games If Er hesitated even a bit, the man could lower Er¡¯s guard and get him to agree to their demands. Er stayed firm, "That''s my business. And how can you be so sure you''ll win?" The man''s eyes narrowed, scrutinizing Er, his inner doubts growing. Thinking Er still seemed a bit naive, the man assumed Er''s outer calm reflected his inner state. Then, thoughts raced in his mind, ''Given Eliar¡¯s calm demeanor, even if he is willing to sacrifice N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. BayCorp, he shouldn''t be so indifferent. At least, he should be resentful.'' The more he thought, the more the man sensed something was off, prompting him to ask Er, "What do you mean by that?" "You''ll find out soon enough," Er shrugged casually. He wasn''t the inexperienced man he used to be. There was no need to hide his emotions. He snorted inwardly, ''Did they really think I''m that green?'' Sensing a real problem, the man grew restless. Biting his lip in frustration, he quickly stood up and left. Watching him hurry away, Ell ar let out a cold, triumphant snort, "Coming here with fake concern for me. You''d better worry about yourself." After the man left BayCorp, he immediately made a call. "Sir, something''s not right. "Er''s acting weird, and... "Yes." Ending the call, the man nced upward before getting into his car and driving away. On the other end of the line, Everett put away his phone and looked at Jerry, "Find out what''s going on." "Right away," Jerry quickly departed. Everett''s eyes narrowed a bit. ''If Er isn''t just pretending, then there''s only one possibility: I''ve been yed from the beginning.'' He had believed he could control Er, but maybe it was all just a joke. When Jerry returned with the investigation results, it confirmed Everett''s suspicions. "Mr. Wright, thatpany is registered and well-funded. Er canunch the project without any loss. In fact, he stands to make a big profit, which would boost thepany''s strength significantly." Chapter 3057 Chapter 3057 Everett gave a coldugh, it was Nicole''s doing, wasn''t it?" Jerry was briefly stunned, then stiffly admitted, "Yes." "She secretly had someone acquire thepany and re-register it. Now, that project is basically a team-up between Nicole and Er, and the person we paid off has already taken the money and run." "Hahaha, what a move by Nicole," Everett''sughter had a somewhat eerie quality. "Sir, it seems they were prepared for US all along," Jerry said with a grave expression. Now everything was clear. They thought they were outsmarting Er, using it as leverage against Nicole, but it turned out Nicole was using them instead, causing them to lose a valuable project for nothing. Indeed, to trap Er, their project proposal was real. If they could control Er, the project could be finished. But they didn''t foresee that they were actually benefiting Nicole. Their n failed, and they faced a significant loss. A chill shed in Everett''s eyes, his voice cold and piercing, "What about DillCorp?" With their n against Er crumbling, and no chance of salvaging it, they redirected all their efforts to another front, hoping to leave Nicole feeling helpless andpelled to surrender. "The message has already been sent out, just waiting for a response from the Riddle Corporation," Jerry replied. "Keep a close eye on it. We cannot afford another mistake," Everett said sternly. "Yes, sir," Jerry responded. The atmosphere was chillingly cold, with Everett''s gaze dark and foreboding. Nicole was proving to be a formidable opponent. At Riddle Corporation, Nicole received a gleeful update from Lulu. "Everett must know by now. I really want to see how furious he gets." N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. They had been holding back for days, and now they could finally rx and celebrate. "Let Er handle his part; it''s mostly execution issues with the project now. He can manage it," Nicole instructed. "Okay," Lulu agreed, tempering her excitement a bit. "Everett won''t just let this go. Tell Er to be extra careful," Nicole added cautiously. Lulu nodded, "I understand. I''ll keep an eye out as well." Nicole''s eyes conveyed satisfaction, providing her with some reassurance. "Next, we''ll see how Patricia does." "Patricia is very cautious. There shouldn''t be any issues," Lulu expressed her confidence in Patricia. "That''s true, but with the issues on Er''s end and Everett possibly being more cautious, Patricia needs to act quickly." The quicker they resolve this before Everett catches on, the better. "It¡¯s about time she returned," Lulu frowned slightly, wondering if a dy meant trouble. Then, a knock on the door came. "That must be Patricia returning." Lulu''s eyes lit up, filled with anticipation. Nicole directed towards the door, "Come in." As the door opened, Patricia entered. "Ms. Riddle, Everett has started making his moves," Patricia reported, handing over a document to Nicole. After reviewing the document, Nicole smirked. "Excellent." It seemed Patricia had seeded, meaning Everett hadn''t detected anything unusual and was proceeding with his original ns. Everett had intercepted and changed a document sent by DillCorp. If Nicole hadn''t caught it and rejected it as it was, DillCorp would have missed out on a valuable project. Chapter 3058 Chapter 3058 A single project wouldn''t normally deal a fatal blow to DillCorp, but the problem was Everett''s subsequent actions. He had already prepared series of traps waiting for them. After signing the document, Nicole handed it to Patricia, "Take this over." "Be careful," Lulu cautioned Patricia. "Don''t worry. The one for Everett, I''ll personally deliver. The signed document here, I''ll have someone else deliver," Patricia assured. She had been closely following the DillCorp situation these past few days. Since Everett had people tailing her, to avoid getting caught, she arranged for others to carry out those undercover ns. "You''ve thought of everything. I knew you could handle it," Lulu praised her. Patricia offered a rare smile, "I''m just doing my best." "Alright, I won''t keep you. Get going," Lulu said with a smile. "Okay." After agreeing, Patricia left. Lulu turned to Nicole, "Everett will soon find out he''s been outyed by you again. I wonder if he''ll go mad." "He probably won''t lose it, but what he''ll do next is anyone''s guess," Nicole shrugged, showing no fear. "Your confidence makes me suddenly unsure if provoking Everett was the right move," Lulu said. "It doesn''t matter. Even if we don''t retaliate, Everett won''t let US off. So, there''s no need to hold back. If T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org. Everett won''t stop, neither will we," Nicole reasoned. Lulu nodded, "Right. Fear won''t help US, and besides, we''re not afraid of him." Nicole smiled slightly, "Don''t worry too much. Everything will work out." "Okay, I''ll get back to my tasks then," Lulu said before leaving. Feeling rather good, Nicole reached for the documents on her desk and started to get busy with her work. At dusk, as the workday ended, people bustled on their way home. Nicole left her office to find Jared waiting for her, bringing a smile to her face as she approached the car and got in. ''I was actually nning toe find you, but you got here first," Nicole said with a light, teasing smile. Jared had mentioned he would be workingte, so Nicole had intended to visit him at his office, but he ended uping to her instead. "I did run into some issues initially, but things wrapped up earlier than I anticipated," he exined, having thought he would need to work overtime, but finishing early allowed him to pick her up. "You seem to be quite busytely," Nicole noted, leaning back in her seat and taking Jared''s hand. "I''m exploring a few investment projects and need to conduct market research," Jared replied. "That would indeed requireprehensive data and materials," Nicole raised her eyebrows slightly. "Let''s not talk about work now that we''re off," Jared said affectionately, ruffling Nicole''s hair. It was time to rx and recharge for the next day''s challenges. "Mm,¡± Nicole hummed softly, resting her head on Jared''s shoulder. Upon arriving at the Riddle residence, they were greeted by Tia, who had just picked up Nn and Lana. "Mommy, Daddy," Nn and Lana ran up to Nicole and Jared excitedly. Tia approached and greeted them with a warm smile. After Nicole affectionately tousled Nn and Lana''s hair, she turned to Tia with a grateful smile. "Thank you for picking them up every day." "It''s no trouble at all. I really enjoy theirpany and don''t find it burdensome," Tia genuinely found pleasure in this aspect of her daily routine, embracing the life she hade to cherish. Chapter 3059 Chapter 3059 Nicole gave Tia a meaningful look. "But ultimately, you can''t keep picking them up forever, and if you want to see them, they''re always here at home." With all that had been happeningtely, Nicole had temporarily kept Tia in charge of sending or picking up the kids from school. But once things settled down, she nned to hire a driver. Plus, Tia and Stanley were nning to get married, and they would have their own matters to handle. "Nicole, it''s really no problem for me," Tia said, her cheeks slightly reddening. "Don''t worry, I''ll arrange everything," Nicole shifted the topic. ¡°Could you ask Mrs. Wace Sr. if we can have dinner in the front yard?¡¯ ¡¯Sure, I''ll go ask," Tia agreed and headed toward the backyard. "Mommy, if Tia isn''t going to pick US up anymore, will Daddy and Mommy be the ones to do it?" Lana looked up and asked. "You''re getting familiar with San Joto, and you''ll be starting elementary school soon. We''ll arrange for a driver for you then," Nicole exined. "Oh," Lana responded, her feelings mixed. She felt both reluctant to let go of the current arrangement and curious about the new experience of not being picked up by an adult. "Is Mommy choosing an elementary school for us?" Nn, on the other hand, was concerned about another issue. "You''ll be starting elementary school next year, so we are indeed considering several options," Nicole replied. She was leaning toward something closer to home and had two good schools in mind but required further consideration before making a final decision. "Mommy, I want to go to Royal Creek Elementary," Nn said, furrowing his brow. "Why?" Nicole was surprised. Nn was already thinking about this. ¨¬ just do," Nn''s gaze shifted, avoiding eye contact. Nicole frowned slightly, sensing something was off. Wanting to go wasn''t a problem in itself, but Nn''s evasive gaze made her wonder. "Mommy, I want to go there, too," Lana chimed in, pleading. Nicole, holding the hands of her little ones, reassured them, "Let''s go inside first. We''ll take your opinions into ount." "Okay," Nn and Lana agreed, following Nicole into the vi. Soon after, Tia arrived, wheeling Mrs. Wace Sr. to join them. The family gathered in the dining room, enjoying a lively dinner together. "Mrs. Wace Sr., try this," Gloria suggested, cing dishes suited to Mrs. Wace Sr.''s taste in front of her. N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. "Eat up, everyone," Mrs. Wace Sr. said with a smile. "Mrs. Wace Sr., you''ve been looking much bettertely,¡¯ Gloria remarked. "My health has indeed improved recently, thanks to the care you''ve arranged for me," Mrs. Wace Sr. acknowledged. "The caregiver is very good and seems quite professional." "She''s actually a professional," Gloria replied with a smile. "I''m d you''re satisfied." Mrs. Wace Sr. nodded. "Very satisfied." "That''s good to hear. I would have been worried otherwise. After all, with Tia and Stanley getting married, she might still be able to care for you, but there will inevitably be times when she can''t be there," Gloria shared her feelings. They all would feel guilty if Mrs. Wace Sr. ended up neglected due to these changes. Chapter 3060 Chapter 3060 The new caregiver helped things work out smoothly. Tia could help for now and then marry Stanley "I get it, and I hope everything goes well for the kids. The caregiver is really doing a great job, so everyone can rx," Mrs. Wace Sr. said, making it clear she was okay with this n. "Even though you have someone taking care of you, remember to let US know if you need anything," Stanley said. He knew Tia had been taking care of Mrs. Wace Sr. for a long time and understood her needs. "Don''t worry, I''m good," Mrs. Wace Sr. replied, looking happy and warm. The conversation flowed as they ate, and after dinner, they moved to the living room for a chat. The topic naturally drifted to Stanley and Tia''s uing wedding. "No need to hurry," Tia blushed, feeling shy. "Well, I can''t wait for Stanley to marry a great girl like you," grinned Gloria. Then she teased, "Stanley, make sure no one else snatches her away!" Tia blushed even more. "Mom, I''ve got it covered," Stanley said confidently. "I¡¯ll convince her to marry me soon." "Stanley!" Tia chided, shooting him an annoyed look. Gloria, noticing Tia''s shyness, continued, "Then you''d better work hard." "I will," Stanley confirmed, closing the topic and handing Tia an orange. ¡¯ Take an orange." After a lively talk, the evening gotte, and Tia wheeled Mrs. Wace Sr. back to rest. "I''lle with you," Stanley said, standing to follow them out. Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. Gloria chuckled, "I think their wedding date isn''t far off now." Nicole, with a smile, asked, "How are the preparations going?" "Your mom''s been working hard on them. I think nearly everything is ready," Daniel answered cheerfully. Gloria, with a hint of pride, added, "The new house is almost done. And for the rest, I''ve made reservations. We''re just waiting for them to set the wedding date, and then they can get married anytime." "Wow, you''re really excited," Nicole said, impressed by Gloria''s enthusiasm. "Yeah, I''ve got some free time now, and since your dad''s been visiting your grandfather, I figured I''d find something to do,¡± Gloria exined. Nicole thought for a moment before bringing up, "Isn''t it about time for Sally to get ready for having the baby? She must be pretty far along by now." "Yeah, I saw her today. We do need to get things ready," Gloria replied, sounding serious. These things were important and couldn''t be taken lightly. "How''s Sally holding up?" Nicole inquired. "Everything''s going smoothly with her prenatal checkups," Gloria assured. "That''s a relief. Steve might get overwhelmed with work, so we should keep an eye on him," Nicole said, sounding concerned. "I checked around, and Steve''s doing his best for Sally. Don''t worry too much," Gloriaforted Nicole. "I''m d to hear that, but I can''t help feeling for him," Nicole expressed her sympathy. "He''s going to be a dad; a bit of challenge is normal. I think he''s enjoying it, actually," Gloria said with a chuckle. Nicole thought for a moment before deciding, "Still, it''s wise to be careful. I''ll talk to Sean at the be there for her, and that means taking a break from work for a while." Chapter 3061 Chapter 3061 They had to n stuff ahead so Steve could look after his pregnant wife without worrying about work and home. "Okay, we gotta think about this and get it sorted," Daniel agreed, looking at Nicole. "If it''s necessary, I can stayte at the office.¡¯ Nicole shook her head, smiling. "Nah, Sean and I got it covered." Some department heads could decide stuff on their own, passing tasks as needed, while she and Sean would talk about and figure out the big decisions. She was confident they could handle it. "Just don''t push yourself too hard, okay? Take it easy,'' Gloria advised Nicole, looking worried. Nicole nodded, "I got it, don''t stress.'' It was gettingte, so after a bit of chatting, everyone went upstairs to rest. In Nn''s room, Nicole said, "I''ll check out everything about Royal Creek Elementary before deciding.'' "But Mommy, I really want to go to Royal Creek Elementary. I''ll work hard, even if it''s tough," Nn said firmly. "Alright, I''ll think about what you said," Nicole promised. After Nn fell asleep, Nicole left his room and went back to hers. She noticed Jared standing by the window. "Lana went to sleep fast, huh?" she said as she approached him. "Yeah," Jared turned to face Nicole, his eyes full of love. "It must''ve been tough for you, giving birth to our kids," Jared said gently, hugging Nicole tightly. Nicole paused, realizing why Jared had seemed upset during dinner-it was because she''d mentioned childbirth preparations. Looking up at Jared, Nicole smiled. "I''m okay, and having them was the best thing ever." Having Nn and Lana made her life much more exciting; it added so much color. Jared held her close, feeling overwhelmed with tenderness, unable to fathom how she''d managed during those times. Nicole nestled into his hug, wrapping her arms around his waist, her face beaming with happiness. To her, the past didn''t matter anymore; all that mattered was the joy in her life. The next day dawned bright and sunny. Nicole settled into her office chair when there was a knock on the door, and Er appeared. "What brings you here?'' Nicole asked, a bit surprised to see Er. "Oh, nothing much, just wanted to check in," Er replied, trying to sound casual. Nicole raised an eyebrow, her tone suggesting there might be more to it. ¡ö Here to see me or someone else?" Er''s eyes flickered with awkwardness as he scratched his head. "Just checking in." "Patricia''s busy,¡± Nicole teased, giving Er a yful look. "Did she head to DillCorp?" Er asked, his instincts kicking in. He had an inkling of what Patricia had been busy withtely. With the BayCorp matter settled, it was likely that Everett would set his sights on DillCorp. Er wondered if Patricia was ready for it. "Don''t worry, she''s got it under control,'' Nicole reassured Er after noticing his concern. "Okay," Er nodded. Despite his trust in Patricia''s abilities, he couldn''t shake off his wariness of Everett''s ruthless tactics. T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org. ''If you''re really worried, go check on her," Nicole teased lightly. Er shook his head immediately. "I think it''s best not to." He and Patricia had agreed to keep their interactions strictly work-rted. Going to see her now would break their agreement, something he couldn''t bring himself to do. Seeing Er''s conflicted expression, Nicole changed the subject. "Anything else?" "No, just wanted to see if I could help with anything," Er said. "Just focus on that project," Nicole instructed. "Lulu said she''d lend a hand too, so if you run into any problems, reach out to her.¡¯ Chapter 3062 Chapter 3062 ¡¯Okay, got it," Er replied, then said, "I''ll head back now.1 "Bye," Nicole nodded. As Er left Nicole¡¯s office, he identally bumped into Patricia. Feeling a bit flustered, he quickly exined, "I was just talking to Nicole about work stuff." "Work?¡± Patricia looked puzzled, thinking, ''Is there some new project he''s been working on?'' "Yeah, I''m done talking about it now. Gotta go," Er said, then rushed toward the elevator. Watching him hurry off, Patricia couldn''t help but frown. Why is he in such a rush?'' "Patricia, what are you looking at?" Lulu asked,ing over with a hint of confusion. Snapping back to reality, Patricia replied, "Nothing, I was just heading to see Ms. Riddle." "Let''s go together then, I was going to see her too," Lulu suggested. So, they both entered Nicole''s office together. "Ms. Riddle, everything''s sorted with DillCorp," Patricia reported. "Good," Nicole looked satisfied. N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. "Everett has also made his move, we''ll know more tomorrow," Patricia added. Lulu looked at Nicole seriously, "Are you going to the bidding tomorrow?" "I won''t be. Let the general manager handle it," Nicole replied casually, thinking it wouldn''t make much of a difference whether she attended or not. "I''ll go with him," Patricia offered. Since she''d been working on the bidding project, it made sense for her to attend. "Sounds good,¡± Nicole agreed. Lulu''s expression turned more serious. "After tomorrow, I wonder what will happen." She felt that once tomorrow''s results were out, Everett would realize he''d been outmaneuvered again and was likely to lose his temper. Nicole''s eyes narrowed slightly, her tone heavy with meaning. "We should indeed prepare in advance." "Do you have something in mind?" Lulu asked eagerly. "Let''s wait for Preston''s news, then we''ll decide," replied Nicole, thinking, ''If Preston can uncover Everett''s next move, it will make our nning easier.'' "Alright, we''ll wait," Lulu cautioned, "But no matter the n, you can''t put yourself in danger." Nicole smiled reassuringly. "Don''t worry." After Lulu and Patricia left, Nicole bit her lip slightly, hoping for news from Preston soon. Meanwhile, at Finley Group, Preston was in Gary''s office. When Ryder heard Preston had arrived, he joined them too. After Preston exined why he was there to Ryder and Gary, the mood in the room grew serious. ''That son of the bitch. He''s really pushing it," Gary remarked, his face losing color. "Our priority is supporting Nicole through this," Preston said firmly, his expression grave. Ryder nodded. "Count on US to assist Nicole." "Tell us the n," Gary chimed in, showing hismitment. "Here''s the deal: I managed to ess his assistant''sputer before, but I had to bail out fast to avoid detection. Now, I want to give it another shot, but I''ll need your backup to keep me covered," Preston exined. "Okay, let''s do it," Ryder and Gary swiftly prepared their specializedptops, and the trio delved into their task, each fully concentrated and determined. Chapter 3063 Chapter 3063 The next day, Patricia attended the bidding, and Riddle Corporation emerged as the sessful bidder. Handing over the documents to Nicole, Patricia reported, "Ms. Riddle, everything went smoothly.¡± "Good job," Nicole acknowledged, taking the documents. Lulu couldn''t resist asking, "What was Everett''s reaction?" "He seemed shocked at first, then he left with a grim expression," Patricia replied, her voice tinged with coldness. "I''m sure he''s figured it out by now." "Probably," Nicole agreed, her eyes narrowing slightly, knowing Everett wasn''t one to be underestimated. "Dealing with him is only going to get tougher," Lulu murmured. As they spoke, Patricia''s phone rang suddenly. Frowning, she answered the call, "What''s up?" "I''ll be right there." After hanging up, Patricia looked at Nicole anxiously." Ms. Riddle, there''s a sudden issue at the port. I need to go check it out." "Be careful," Nicole advised, sensing the urgency of the situation. She knew it wasn''t the time to ask for details; Patricia needed to handle it first. "Absolutely," Patricia agreed hastily, knowing she could only exin upon her return. As Lulu watched Patricia leave, her expression grew even more serious. "It wouldn''t be Everett messing with our raw materials again, would it?" Nicole''s expression darkened slightly. "Could be," she replied, understanding the seriousness of the situation. Lulu sighed, wishing Patricia could sort things out easily. At the SeaQuartet Holdings office, Everett returned with Jerry by his side. "They set a trap for US, sir. Did they know about our n from the start?" Jerry asked, his brow furrowed in confusion. ''Nicole seems to have figured out our n, but how? It''s supposed to be a secret.'' "Patricia''s arrival was just a trick to catch US off guard," Everett grumbled, annoyed with himself for not anticipating surprises. N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. "But how did she find out about our n?" Jerry wondered. "It doesn''t matter. What matters is that I failed," Everett said coldly. Everett didn''t dwell on how or why Nicole had discovered their ns. He knew her talent for secrecy was formidable, and he realized it was arrogant to assume his n was foolproof. Clearly, Nicole had hidden her cards well. "So, what''s our next move?" Jerry asked. "Forget about it," Everett replied, his eyes reflecting indifference as he nced at Jerry. "What''s the situation at the port? There should be updates by now, right?" "Yeah, the shipment that arrived today isn''t the raw materials we were expecting." "Good," Everett''s mood lifted a bit. "At least we''re not entirely defeated yet. It''s too soon to jump to conclusions. I''m prepared to y the long game." At noon, right after lunch, the meal Lulu had ordered arrived, but Patricia hadn''te back yet. "Why''s it taking so long? I hope everything''s okay," Lulu said, feeling anxious. "Let''s give it a little more time," Nicole suggested, her expression turning serious. Suddenly, a knock sounded on the office door. Chapter 3064 Chapter 3064 "Come in," Nicole called out. Patricia entered, looking a bit tired. "Ms. Riddle...¡± "Come, join US for lunch first," Nicole suggested, noticing Patricia''s busy morning. Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. "Sure," Patricia agreed, taking a seat on the couch. After lunch, Patricia began, "There''s an issue with the raw materials." "Everett''s behind this again, isn¡¯t he?" Lulu clenched her teeth in frustration. "Yes," Patricia nodded. "The cargo ship that arrived at the port had the wrong goods. We checked everything before it left, so something must''ve gone wrong on the way." Patricia added after a short pause, "I found out they swapped the goods at thest maintenance stop. So now, the real goods are probably with Everett." Nicole squinted a bit. "So, where are they now? Still in San Joto or at thest stop?" "I''ve got someone checking, but no updates yet," Patricia replied. "Let''s wait for the news then," Nicole said, her tone getting colder. She figured once she knew where the materials were, she''d figure out how to get them back. Lulu expressed her concern, "Doesn''t this mean Everett might try to ambush US?" After all, Everett would likely expect that they would send someone to look for the materials. "Even if there''s an ambush, we''ll handle it coolly," Nicole said firmly. Everett didn''t really need those materials, so Nicole knew he was just trying to mess with her. Finding the cargo shouldn''t be too hard, but she bet Everett had some traps ready. But she wasn''t scared. She might not be at a disadvantage against Everett, especially with Charlie and Zane''s people helping out. Looking up at Patricia, Nicole said, "You''ve worked hard. Go rest for a bit." Patricia stood up, saying, "I''ll report back as soon as there''s news." Mm," Nicole nodded, watching Patricia leave the office before turning to Lulu, "It''s okay now, you go rest as well." "Alright," Lulu agreed, standing up and then reminding Nicole, "Since there''s nothing we can do right now, you should rest too." "It''s okay, go ahead," Nicole assured her with a gentle smile, urging Lulu to leave. After Lulu left, Nicole leaned against the couch, her gaze growing increasingly deep. Nicole''s phone rang, jolting her out of her thoughts. She quickly answered," Hey, Martin." "Nicole, today''s when Patricia''s supposed to stop her treatment for her face. Her wound should be all healed up after today. Will you be able to swing by after work?" Martin''s voice carried a hint of uncertainty. "Sure thing, we''ll be there," Nicole replied, feeling a bit confused by Martin''s tone. "Good to hear. We really can''t afford any more dys this time," Martin said with a sigh of relief. Nicole frowned slightly, starting to understand what Martin was getting at. She probed, "Are you saying Patricia missed her treatmentst time?" "Yeah, didn''t you know?" Martin sounded surprised. Nicole let out a sigh. "Okay, got it. I''ll make sure to remind her after work." "Will both of you being together then?" Martin asked once more. "Yeah, well both be there," Nicole confirmed. Knowing this was Patricia''sst treatment session, Nicole felt a sense of importance about being there to see it through. If it worked, Patricia''s face would finally be all better. "Alright, let''s meet up after work." "Mm-hmm, see you then." After hanging up, Nicole couldn''t shake a slight frown. She couldn''t help but wonder why Patricia had missed her treatment. ''Is there something more important than her treatment?¡¯ she thought to herself. Chapter 3065 Chapter 3065 At the end of the workday, Patricia and Lulu came to get Nicole so they could all leave together. Nicole nced at Patricia and asked, "Are you heading to Martin''sb for your treatment today?" "Today?" Patricia blinked, remembering that it was indeed supposed to be today. "Martin said you missed thest appointment too. You would''ve forgotten again if he hadn''t reminded you. Why?" Nicole asked, her brow furrowed. Patricia lowered her head. "I got caught up with some urgent stuffst time, n She had indeed forgotten this time, too, as she had been preupied with the issue of the raw materials. "Even if there''s work, you could ask someone else to handle it. Your face is more important," Nicole expressed concern. "Work can wait, but dys with your wound on face could cause problems.¡± "Ms. Riddle, I''ll go in a bit," Patricia said, her voice dropping lower with what seemed like shame. "Let''s head over. Martin mentioned today might be thest time for the medication change. I want to be there to see." Nicole didn''t scold Patricia any further, simply urging her to move along. "Thest time? Does that mean Patricia''s face will fully recover soon?" Lulu eximed, surprised. "Then count me in, I want to see too." "Let''s go," Nicole said, leading them to the car. Once inside the car, Lulu called spencer to let him know they were heading to Martin''sb. Shortly after, they arrived and entered theb, where Martin and Cindy were already waiting for them, all set and ready. Seeing Patricia, Martin''s expression seemed somewhat helpless. "You missed thest appointment; otherwise, today might have been your final treatment." If Patricia had attended thest session, they would have seen a fully recovered Patricia today. "I''m sorry, I was caught up with some stuff and forgot," Patricia apologized, aware of Martin''s disappointment as he had everything ready but she hadn''t shown up. "Alright, just take a seat," Martin sighed, sounding resigned. "We''re ready to begin." "Alright," Patricia said, easing into her seat, ready for Martin to redo her bandage. After a bit, Martin put the medicine on her face and told her to keep the bandage on for three days. "Here, let''s all have some water," Cindy handed out sses to everyone. They all sat, sipped water, and talked. "Your scar¡¯s already getting lighter. If you don''t squint, you can barely see it. With this medicine, it''ll vanish even more till you can''t see it at all," Cindy told Patricia. Martin sounded a bit sorry, "But there will still be a scar, you know. Your face won''t ever go back to how it was before." Patricia replied calmly, "Just the scar fading away is already more than I hoped for. I''m not expecting a miracle." Without Nicole, Martin, and Er''s help, her face wouldn''t have healed at all. For her, this was unexpectedly lucky. N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. "That''s great, Patricia will still look just as pretty," Lulu said happily. If it''s nearly gone, then that''s fine; it''s almost like it was before. "We did what we could,¡± Martin said, ncing at Nicole. "This is mostly thanks to you; I couldn''t have gotten such good results by myself." Maybe he could''ve figured out a way to help Patricia with the scar, but there would''ve been some leftover marks, unlike the result they have now. "It''s fair to say it was a team effort," Nicole replied, modestly smiling. This wasn''t something she did alone. Chapter 3066 Chapter 3066 Cindy looked at Nicole and asked, "May I treat you to dinner today?" "Is everything okay?" Nicole noticed something strange in Cindy¡¯s tone and furrowed her brows slightly. ''She doesn''t sound like it''s just a casual hangout with friends.¡¯ "Well, I''m leaving, so think of it as a goodbye dinner for me," Cindy said, forcing a bitter smile. After all this time, she felt like she couldn''t keep holding on and was ready to let go of her feelings for Martin. "You''re going back? Why all of a sudden?" Lulu was shocked. ''Didn''t shee here for Martin? Is she giving up now?'' "It¡¯s nothing. My research project ended a while ago, and I¡¯ve been here longer than needed. It''s time for me to go back." Waiting around felt suffocating, so she wanted some fresh air. "Are you sure about this?" Nicole asked, showing concern. "Yeah, I''ve made my decision," Cindy said firmly, feeling there was no reason to stay any longer. Nicole nced subtly at Martin, noticing he seemed lost in thought. It meant Cindy hadn''t talked to him about her decision. With a quiet exhale, Nicole said, "Since you''ve made your mind up, we''ll respect it." "Okay, then. I''ll treat everyone to dinner tonight, think of it as onest get- together with me," Cindy felt a pang of sadness, knowing she''d be losing not just Martin but also these good friends. Her time in San Joto hadn''t been entirely in vain; at least she''d gained friendships worth holding onto. "Let''s go,¡± Nicole said, rising from her seat. Patricia and Lulu trailed behind Nicole as they left, leaving Cindy and Martin to change clothes. After switching out of theirb coats and into casual attire, they met at the door. Their eyes locked, and Cindy nervously bit her lip, stepping back to let Martin go first. Martin stood still, studying Cindy with a mixed expression. "When did you decide?" "I''ve been mulling it over for the past few days, but the final call came to me just now," Cindy exined. T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org. "You..." Martin started to speak, but then he simply said, "Well then, I hope your journey back goes smoothly." "Thanks,¡± Cindy nodded, avoiding Martin''s eyes. She was afraid that if she met his gaze, she might second-guess her decision and be tempted to stay. But deep down, she knew going back was the right move. Martin nced at Cindy onest time before leaving theb. After locking the door and handing the keys back to Martin, Cindy said," Starting tomorrow, I won''t be Taking the keys, Martin felt like they were burning in his hand, almost tempted to drop them. "Cindy, we have one more guest, you don''t mind, right?" Lulu, arm in arm with Spencer, smiled and asked Cindy. "Of course not, the more the merrier. It won''t feel so empty when I leave," Cindy replied with a smile. "Then I''ll ride with Spencer," Lulu said, getting into the car with him. Lulu hadn''t anticipated Spencering to pick her up from theb, but since she''d alreadymitted to attending Cindy''s farewell dinner, she had no choice but to bring him along. "I''ll ride with Ms. Nicole," Patricia said, joining Nicole in her car. Chapter 3067 Chapter 3067 Feeling somewhat awkward, Cindy gathered her courage and said, "I guess I''ll ride with Nicole." Although she''d previously traveled with Martin, now that she''d decided to leave, she suddenly didn''t know how to face him. Maybe more than anything, she worried about her own reluctance to part ways. "Come in my car," Martin suggested, breaking the silence for the first time. Cindy secretly bit her lip, feeling a mix of emotions, but she could only agree with a stiff nod. "Okay." Once in the car, they both sat in silence, the air heavy with tension. "You..." Martin started. "You...¡± Cindy started at the same time. They paused, then Martin said," You go first." "No, you first,¡± Cindy deferred. In truth, Cindy didn''t have anything particr to say; she just wanted to break the ice and avoid the awkwardness. But now that Martin prompted her, she found herself at a loss for words. Seeing her hesitation, Martin spoke up, "I just wanted to say, if you need any help, you can ask me." Cindy bit her lip slightly, trying to hide the bitterness in her heart as she replied, "No need, I can manage on my own." "You don''t have to be so formal," Martin''s brow furrowed slightly. With a faint smile, Cindy looked at Martin, her gaze steady. "I didn''t bring much with me when I came, and I won''t be taking much back. I can handle it myself, really." Moreover, she figured that sorting things out by herself might help her keep her emotions steady Martin heard her but didn''t push. He felt a bit sad inside. Quietly sighing, Martin told Cindy, "Okay then, just make sure you''re cautious with everything." "I will," Cindy said. After a while, everyone reached the restaurant. They stood together outside their cars and all nodded, saying, "Let''s head in." "Okay," Lulu said with a sad look, "This will be my first time finding it hard to say goodbye at a farewell dinner." "Yeah," Spencer replied, trying to cheer her up, "But remember when Cherry left? You weren''t this sad." "Well, that was different. Cherry left to find happiness, but Cindy..." Lulu paused, not wanting to say the word ''heartbreak.'' She understood that mentioning Cindy''s reasons now would only make it more awkward for Cindy. She thought to herself, ''After living in San Joto for so long, Cindy must have felt really sad to decide to leave.¡¯ "I''m going back because I miss home, and, well, that''s where I belong," Cindy said, trying to sound cheerful. But what she didn''t say was that part of her reason for leaving was because she didn''t feel like she fit in here. Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. "Let''s head inside," Nicole suggested, sensing the somber mood. "Sure." They all agreed silently and went into the restaurant together. Once they were seated and had ordered, Cindy lifted her ss first. "I want to thank you all for being so kind and weing since I came to San Joto. You''ve been amazing friends, and I feel really lucky to have met you." "We''re lucky to have met you too," Lulu replied, smiling warmly. Chapter 3068 Chapter 3068 Even though they were sad to say goodbye to Cindy, they knew they couldn''t change the situation. So, they all agreed to celebrate her farewell with happiness. They didn''t want a gloomy atmosphere to ruin the mood. They raised their sses in agreement, saying, "Even though you''re going back, we hope you''lle visit US often." "I will, and if any of you evere to my country, you must let me know so I can show you around," Cindy said, feeling grateful for their warmth. She had originallye for love, but despite that not working out, she had unexpectedly found friendship, which was a treasure in its own right. "Cheers!¡± After clinking sses, everyone finished their drinks. "Come on, let''s not leave here without feeling a little buzzed tonight," Lulu said, pouring more wine into everyone''s sses. As they ate, drank, and chatted, the sadness of saying goodbye started to fade, and the atmosphere became warmer. "Cindy, it doesn''t matter if you weren''t happy here. Once you''re back, find someone who truly deserves your love. When you find your true love, you''ll be happy," Lulu said, her arm draped around Cindy''s shoulder as she swayed slightly. "Don''t worry, once I''m back, I''ll find a guy who''s handsome, kind, and adores me. I''ll introduce him to you right away," Cindy dered boldly, a little tipsy herself. "Great, I''ll be eagerly waiting for the good news," Lulu replied, raising her ss for another toast with Cindy. "Cheers." "Cheers," Cindy echoed, finishing her drink in one gulp. Lulu was about to take another sip when someone suddenly took her ss away. Blinking in confusion, Lulu nced around, murmuring unhappily, "Hey, where''s my drink?" "You''re already drunk, no more for you," Spencer''s voice sounded in Lulu''s ear. Turning her head, Lulu saw Spencer holding her ss, and she instantly smiled. "So my ss made a getaway to you." She reached for it, but stumbled and nearly fell, letting out a surprised "Ah!" Spencer quickly caught her, wrapping an arm around her waist. "No more drinking, let''s head home." Setting the ss down, Spencer turned to the others. "Lulu''s had enough. I''ll take her home now." "Okay, make sure she drinks some lemon ginger tea and takes it easy," Nicole advised. "Don''t worry," Spencer assured, then lifted Lulu up and carried her out. Lulu protested, still not wanting to leave, "Hey, wait, I haven''t finished my drink yet." "We should head out as well," Martin suggested, furrowing his brow as he noticed Cindy slumped over the table. "Ms. Riddle, I''ll take you home," Patricia offered, then turned to Martin, "Dr. Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. Wyance, Cindy¡¯s your responsibility." Martin nodded, understanding that Cindy wouldn''t be able to make it home on her own in her current state. Patricia then addressed Nicole, "Let''s head out." Nicole, who hadn''t been drinking due to her injuries, was likely the only sober person present. Plus, it was gettingte, and Patricia felt it was important to make sure Nicole got home safely. "Martin, we''ll be leaving then," Nicole said, getting up. After assisting Cindy, who was clearly intoxicated, to stand, Martin added," You go on ahead, we might be a bit slower." Knowing they would move at a slower pace than Nicole, Martin didn''t want to inconvenience them. "Okay," Nicole agreed, departing with Patricia. As Martin watched them leave, he turned his attention back to Cindy, his brow furrowing with concern. Chapter 3069 Chapter 3069 "You shouldn''t drink so much when you can''t handle it," Martin said with a hint of helplessness. Supporting Cindy proved to be quite a challenge, so he ended up carrying her back to her apartment. After heid her down on the bed and tucked her in, Martin went to the kitchen. He made some lemon ginger tea and helped Cindy drink it, making sure she finished it all before feeling a bit better. "Just try to sleep it off. You''ll feel better in the morning," Martin said, putting the empty bowl away, ready to head out. Suddenly, Cindy grabbed onto the edge of his clothes, muttering something. Struggling to make out her words, Martin leaned in closer to hear her better. "Martin, don''t you get how I feel? Why do you seem so cold? "I''m leaving. I won''t bother you anymore. I''m going back to get married. I hope you find happiness... N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. "Martin, why don''t you care about me?" While Martin was listening to Cindy''s disjointed words, his frown deepened. ''She''s going back to get married? Why didn''t she mention this before?'' Standing up slowly, Martin felt a strange mix of emotions swirling inside him, making his steps feel heavy. Cindy rolled over, her voice choked with emotion, and it took a while before she drifted back into a deep sleep. Martin watched her for a moment before turning off the light and leaving the room quietly. As dawn broke, Cindy woke up with a slight headache, furrowing her brow as she sat up. Looking around at the familiar room, she blinked, trying to remember what had happened. Her friends had gone out for drinks to see her off, but how she ended up back in her apartment was a blur. She realized she hadn''t even changed out of her clothes from the day before into pajamas. Her eyes fell on an empty cup on the bedside table, and she figured it must have had tea in it. ''Someone must have brought me back and made me tea. I doubt I did it myself.1 Briefly, she thought of Martin, but she shook her head, pushing the idea away. After she got up and went through her morning routine, Cindy started packing her bags with a heavy heart, trying to focus on the task instead of dwelling on wishful thinking. ''Even if Martin helped me, he just sees me as a friend.'' A role she knew he was limited to in her life. Meanwhile, in theb, Martin was deep into his work when he heard Nicole saying that Lulu had left her backpack behind. ncing up, he casually suggested, "I think I saw it; let Cindy fetch it for you." But as soon as he said Cindy''s name, Martin suddenly stopped, realizing his mistake-Cindy wouldn''t be where it is. I''ll grab it myself," Nicole said, aware that interrupting Martin''s ongoing experiment would be inconvenient. "Okay, it''s on the table outside,'' Martin directed her. "I won''t bother you anymore. I''ll just get it and go," Nicole said before picking up the backpack and leaving. Alone in theb, Martin felt an unusual emptiness and solitude fill the space. Chapter 3070 Chapter 3070 With Cindy around, it seemed Martin never had to worry about anything; she always had everything organized and ready for him. Suddenly without her, he felt somewhat lost. After Nicole retrieved the backpack and arrived at Riddle Corporation, Lulu immediately thanked her. Nicole was surprised to see Lulu at the office. "I thought you were supposed to rest at home. Why did youe to thepany?" I''m fine. I thought I''d do some work instead of just resting at home and being bored,¡¯ Lulu shrugged, smiling. Handing the backpack to Lulu, Nicole advised, "You still look pale. Don''t push yourself too hard." Til rest in the office if I get too tired," Lulu said, scratching her head sheepishly, ''I didn''t think I''d drink so much without realizing." "Now you know how ufortable it feels. Let''s see if you dare to drink that much again," Nicole said, feeling a bit unsure. Lulu chuckled with guilt and then asked, "How''s Cindy? She drank a lot too, didn''t she?" Nicole shook her head, "I don''t know. Cindy didn''te to theb today." "She''s probably not feeling well either," Lulu frowned, "She''s leaving the day after tomorrow. Should we go see her off?" "We''ll ask her when she''s leaving," Nicole considered, thinking to herself, ''If Cindy tells US when she''s leaving, we''ll go say goodbye. ''If she doesn''t want to share, it''s because she wants to avoid a sad goodbye, and we should respect that.'' "Alright,¡± Lulu said, grabbing her backpack, "I''ll head to my office then." ''"Okay," Nicole replied, heading to her own office too. As Nicole settled into her seat, Patricia entered, announcing, "There''s news. "Where is it?" Nicole''s eyes narrowed slightly, her tone turning serious. Patricia replied, "Thetest update just came in. The cargo was indeed intercepted by Everett''s men at the previous port. They''re on their way to San Joto and should arrive tonight." "Tonight..." Nicole thought about what that meant. "Do you have a n?¡± Patricia, sensing Nicole''s determination, dared to ask. With a small grin, Nicole said confidently, "The cargo belongs to us; naturally, I n to retrieve it." "Alright, I''ll prepare," Patricia was already on board with the n, and with Nicole''s instruction, she was ready to move forward. "Be careful, Everett might be anticipating our move," Nicole cautioned. Patricia nodded solemnly, "Got it, don''t worry." As she watched Patricia leave, a steely determination shed in Nicole''s eyes. ''Everett''s interference with our cargo is just a ploy to disrupt our project and cause trouble.'' Nicole was resolute in not letting him seed. ''Now that we know where the cargo is, getting it back is the top priority, and we need to take precautions against Everett''s further meddling.¡¯ Nicole thought deeply, her expression serious. Under the cloak of darkness, on a quiet road leading into San Joto, several trucks raced forward. Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. Shadows crept silently, gathering near a clump of bushes before stopping. ''"Everything''s set," Seth whispered. Charlie, his gaze locked on the approaching trucks, ordered, "Get ready to go- "Got it," Seth replied, then let out a sharp whistle. The whistle sliced through the night, sharp enough to feel like it could pierce eardrums. Chapter 3071 Chapter 3071 A loud bang echoed, followed by the screech of multiple vehiclesing to a stop. "What''s happening?" someone shouted from the halted vehicles, their voice tinged with frustration. "Looks like a tire blew out, I''ll take a look," another person responded, stepping out of the vehicle. After examining the tire and the road, the person''s face went pale, and they couldn''t help but exim, "We''re in trouble!" The other vehicles quickly reacted, with around a dozen men getting out and forming a protective circle around the trucks. "What''s going on?" someone called out into the darkness. The person checking the situation replied, "Can''t say for sure, but there''s a spike strip on the road. The tire blowout was intentional." Tension thickened in the air at this revtion. The group remained on edge, keeping watch all around. They weren''t sure when or where an attack mighte from, but they knew they were surrounded. "The group seems pretty alert," Seth remarked, his voice dripping with disdain. However, even if they had spotted it, it wouldn''t make a difference to Charlie and his crew. ''These folks are as good as caught, and once we get back the cargo, we''ll hand them over to the police station.'' Charlie''s eyes narrowed slightly as he quietlymanded, "Move swiftly and decisively." "Got it," the group replied, then charged toward their targets. Despite being on alert, the sudden attack still took them by surprise, throwing them into chaos. Charlie''s team, all well-trained, swiftly subdued them. "Boss, we''ve checked. The cargo''s all good," Seth reported upon returning. Charlie nodded in approval. "Tie them up, load them into the vehicles, and let''s get out of here." "Got it," the team replied, quickly carrying out the instructions. Once everything was sorted, they all climbed into their vehicles and drove away from the scene. Shortly after, Nicole and Jared received the update. "Efficient," Nicole remarked with a shrug, suggesting that the opposition was less formidable than anticipated. "Everett will catch wind of this soon," Jared remarked, his expression turning grim. Nicole nodded thoughtfully. "He might already know.¡± Considering the timing, she believed that Everett should have been expecting the arrival of the cargo. But now that it''s lost, and those transporting it are out of reach. "Having faced defeat at your hands multiple times, Everett''s desperation will likely grow." Jared''s eyes gleamed with cold determination as he imagined Everett''s rage. Nicole seemed unperturbed. "He was already furious to begin with." ''It was better to act sooner rather thanter.'' Nicole was eager to settle past scores with Everett. There were many unsettled ounts between them that hadn''t been addressed yet. Jared gently smoothed Nicole''s hair, softly reminding her, "Remember, you have me when you face troubles." Nicole smiled warmly, feelingforted by his touch. She understood that he was advising her not to tackle things alone or put herself in harm''s way, but to seek his support and face challenges together. Agreeing wholeheartedly, she didn''t want to cause him any more worry. Facing things together felt much safer. Jared leaned in and tenderly kissed Nicole on the lips, a moment so gentle it enveloped them both. Nicole instinctively wrapped her arms around Jared''s waist, drawing him close. In the quiet of the night, Jerry hurried to a mansion that glowed with light from within. He took a deep breath before entering. "Mr. Wright, I¡¯ve checked. The men have been taken to the police station, and the cargo has been secured in Warehouse 3," Jerry reported the situation to Everett.N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. Chapter 3072 Chapter 3072 "Mm," Everett responded indifferently. Upon learning about the truck issue, he had expected this oue. "Nicole''s quite the strategist. Quick to act, managing to thoroughly unravel our ns and even orchestrating the hijacking of the cargo just as it was about to reach San Joto," he thought. "How does Nicole seem to know our moves so well?" Jerry pondered, puzzled. It was as if she had insight into their every step. They had believed their n was foolproof, yet they were consistently foiled. Reflecting on it, they felt like mere clowns in Nicole''s presence. "Nicole''s hacking skills rank first on Hunter. Even if she''s not actively taking on tasks now, she still possesses the capability," Everett sneered coldly. "But we''ve been vignt against her. Has her skill reached such a divine level?" Jerry wondered if her expertise was so advanced that it eluded detection, akin to moving undetected. "Perhaps we''ve overlooked something," Everett''s eyes narrowed slightly, exuding a chilling intensity. Though he acknowledged Nicole''s formidable abilities, he didn''t believe she was so skilled that they couldn''t detect any of her actions. ''The only exnation is that Nicole didn''t personally carry out the hacking. If someone''s hacking our systems, it isn''t Nicole!'' As the realization dawned on him, Everett''splexion turned ashen, his anger boiling inside. "Nicole, oh Nicole, you''re truly cunning." "What do you mean?" Jerry asked, furrowing his brow, his face paling. "Cease all operations, and anything rted to Nicole must be handled offline," Everettmanded, his presence ominously cold. "Understood," Jerry replied promptly, his feelings toward Nicole bing more intricate. ''No wonder he cautioned US about Nicole. She''s not an ordinary woman.'' They had been wary of Nicole''s hacking skills, unaware that she hadn''t carried out the actions herself but had someone else do it for her. Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. It appeared they could no longer rely onputers for these matters; everything would need to be done on paper ormitted to memory. "So, are we simply letting this slide?" Jerry persisted. "What other option do you suggest?" Everett countered, his gaze icy. Jerry was taken aback, his face draining of color as he lowered his head.1 What can we even do now? Storming Warehouse 3 to retrieve the goods is out of the question.'' "If we''ve been defeated, we''ll ept it. But there''s no guarantee she''ll be so fortunate next time," Everett stated with a sinister look, his wordsden with implication. "Please give your orders, sir," Jerry murmured quietly, sensing that Everett had a strategy in mind. After a momentary pause, Everett snorted. "I want to test if Nicole truly is as unstoppable as she appears to be." He then instructed Jerry, "Here''s what well do..." "Understood." The following day dawned bright and sunny. Nicole arrived at thepany as usual for the routine morning meeting. Once the meeting wrapped up, Nicole motioned for Sean and Steve. "Sean, Steve." "Do you need something?" Both of them halted and turned toward Nicole. "Let''s have a seat and chat," Nicole proposed. Once Sean and Steve settled down, they inquired, "What''s up?" "Nothing serious," Nicole replied with a smile. "It''s about Steve and Sally." "Me and my wife?" Steve seemed puzzled. Their rtionship was going smoothly. Nicole gave Steve a knowing look. "Mom checked in on Sally and learned everything¡¯s going smoothly. We are thinking, with Sally''s due date nearing, maybe you should start organizing your work responsibilities in advance." Chapter 3073 Chapter 3073 "Wait a sec," Steve started. Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. Nicole cut in, "You''re not gonna say it''s not needed, right?" After a pause, Steve chuckled. "Seems like it might work." "That''s better," Nicole grinned. "You''ll have to be there for Sally''s delivery and pitch in with baby duties afterward. Once Sally''s back on her feet, you can return to thepany." They could hire a nanny to help Sally with the baby, which should work out fine. "Did you think of this n?" Steve asked. "Mom and Dad are on board too. Dad even offered to lend a hand with thepany if things get hectic," Nicole exined. "We''ll cope by ourselves," Sean jumped in, notpletely agreeing. Nicole nodded, "I''ve already talked it over with Dad." "Then Sally and I appreciate everyone¡¯s help," Steve said, relieved that everything was sorted. "We''re all like family here, no need to be so formal," Nicole teased gently. Sean chimed in, "It''s only fair. When my wife has a baby, you guys will have to share some of the "Jane''s expecting too?" Nicole and Steve eximed simultaneously. "Not yet, I was just making aparison," Sean exined, a bit annoyed. It was inevitable; there was no need for such surprise. "Well, it''s good to have ns," Steve shrugged. "I thought you were treating your careers like your kids." Sean rolled his eyes at Steve''s remark, choosing to ignore it, and turned to Nicole. "Since that''s settled, let''s discuss thepany stuff." "Sure thing," Nicole agreed,ying out her ideas for Sean. Sean, after hearing Nicole''s n, nodded in agreement. "That sounds good, let''s go with that." "I''ll get started on the work handover during this period. From now on, it''s up to you guys," Steve said, nodding. "Great, it''s best to have everything sorted out beforehand, so you can leave without worries," Nicole said, turning to Sean. "Any other arrangements you need to make?" "That should cover it. If any issuese up, we can discuss themter," Sean replied. "Okay, then it''s settled," Nicole concluded, standing up. Sean and Steve also got up. "We''ll head back to our offices now." They all went their separate ways to their offices. As Nicole settled into her desk, Patricia entered to report, "Ms. Riddle, here are the new documents." "Thanks, just leave them here," Nicole said, then nced up at Patricia. ¡¯ We''re going to Martin''s tomorrow to take off the bandage, right? To check out the final results." "Yes," Patricia confirmed, absentmindedly touching her cheek, feeling a bit nervous. Despite their optimism about the oue, there was still a lingering uncertainty until the bandage was actually removed. "Don''t worry. We''ve been positive about this, and it''s going to be fine. Even if it''s not perfect, Martin and I will figure something out," Nicole reassured Patricia. ''Thank you, Ms. Riddle," Patricia said appreciatively. "No need to thank me. Just get back to your work," Nicole said with a smile. "Sure thing," Patricia agreed, then left the office. Nicole then picked up the documents beside her and started working through them. Time passed quickly, and before she knew it, it was lunchtime. "Nicole, let''s grab some lunch?" Lulu called out to her. "Sure thing," Nicole replied, ready for a break. Chapter 3074 Chapter 3074 Putting aside the documents, Nicole stood up and left her office. "Let''s hit up that spot across the street," Lulu suggested. "Sounds good to me," Nicole agreed. As they waited for Patricia to join them, they all rode the elevator down together. "Nicole, isn''t Everett unusually quiet?" Lulu frowned, noticing his uncharacteristic silence. "The quieter he is, the more it means he''s plotting something," Nicole remarked with a touch of coldness. Her expression turned serious as she silently mused, ''The calm before the storm often hides looming threats.'' "Ms. Riddle, has Preston not received any updates?" Patricia inquired, looking worried. Nicole sighed and shook her head. "We did follow some leads, but unfortunately, they didn''t lead anywhere." N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. "Did you get caught?" Lulu''s face slightly paled. "No," Nicole rified. "They sessfully infiltrated his assistant''sputer without detection. However, Everett suspected his side was being monitored due to past incidents, so he instructed his men to stop usingputers." Everett was sharp enough to detect the problem based on these incidents and adapted ordingly. As a result, Preston and his team couldn''t find any useful information. Patricia looked puzzled. "If they''re not usingputers, how are they getting things done?" She felt it seemed extreme topletely abandon "Now, whatever Preston''s team manages to find has nothing to do with ourpany; anything rted to me is untraceable," Nicole stated. It appeared that Everett''s ns involving her were no longer discussed or stored electronically. "Ugh," Lulu rolled her eyes, "Even without hacking, we''re not intimidated by him." If they couldn''t dig up anything, then that was that. They were ready to confront whatever challenges came their way, without backing down. ''He''s overly cautious about your strategies," Patricia remarked disdainfully. "He''s just intimidated by Nicole," Lulu shrugged, her expression tinged with disdain. After all, Nicole''s capabilities were well-known, even to Everett. "Despite this, we should remain cautious," Patricia interjected seriously. Everett''s heightened vignce toward Nicole meant their movements would be harder to detect, concealing deeper dangers. ¡¯It''s maddening. We wont let him off the hook once we catch him red- handed," Lulu retorted angrily. Exiting the elevator, Nicole calmly said, "Let''s go, it''s time to eat." For now, there was no need to dwell on these matters. Enjoying their meal took precedence when nothing untoward had happened yet. As the sun set, Nicole left thepany and saw Jared''s car slowly approaching. The car pulled up in front of her, and she opened the door, getting in. "Have you been waiting long?" Jared asked softly. "I just came out," Nicole smiled. "But you''re a bitter than usual today. Did you have more work?" "I had a video conference at the end of the day," Jared replied, taking her hand. Though he was a bitte, Nicole was grateful he still managed to pick her up on time. Resting her head on his shoulder, Nicole said, "If you''re busy with work, you don''t have to pick me up. I can make my own way back." Jared stroked her hair, smiling. "Whenever I can, I''ll be here." Even when he couldn''t make it, he made sure someone reliable was there for her. Understanding his concern about Everett possibly targeting her, Nicole felt a warm sense of gratitude. "Don''t worry too much. I actually hope he doesn''t stay too quiet." Chapter 3075 Chapter 3075 Resolving the issue with Everett sooner would bring peace to Nicole and her family more quickly. If the problem was resolved, Jared and Nicole would need to think about their wedding. They had initially nned it for a monthter, and some days had already passed, meaning they needed to start preparing. Casting a gentle nce at Nicole, Jared hugged her a little tighter. Back at home, Nn and Lana had already returned. "Daddy, Mommy!" the kids waved at Nicole and Jared. Nicole went over to the couch and patted Nn and Lana''s heads before greeting Daniel and Gloria. "Go wash your hands and get ready for dinner," Gloria advised. "Isn''t Stanley joining US for dinner?" Nicole asked, noticing his absence. "He''s over at Tia''s ce," Gloria replied with a smile. Understanding the situation, Nicole smiled as well. "Then let''s eat." After dinner, Nicole took Nn and Lana back to their room. "About what you mentioned earlier, your dad and I have talked it over. If you''re set on going to Royal Creek Elementary, then we''ll support your decision." "Yay!" Nn and Lana cheered. "But Royal Creek Elementary is a bit farther, so you''ll need to leave home earlier," Nicole reminded them. Nn nodded seriously. "I understand." He was willing to ept this as long as he could go to Royal Creek Elementary. "Nn, that means we might be in the same school as Nona. I wonder if we could be in the same ss?" Lana pondered, tilting her head. "Nona?" Nicole''s mind immediately went to a chubby, adorable child. They had met Nona when they first took Nn and Lana to kindergarten. Nona had taken good care of them. "Yes, Nona said she¡¯d be going to Royal Creek Elementary, and now we can too. It''s really exciting," Lana said with joy. Nicole looked over at Nn. "You want to go to Royal Creek Elementary because of her." It wasn''t a question, just a statement. Nicole could see right through Nn''s n. But Nn yed it cool. ¡±1 just like that school. Plus, I want to go to Royal Creek Instituteter on. Starting from its affiliated elementary school makes sense." Nicole found Nn''s exnation kind of funny. "You''ve got a point." Even though she said this, Nicole knew she was right about Nn''s real reason. But since he wasn''t owning up to it, she decided to drop it. Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. Nn silently breathed a sigh of relief, d Nicole didn''t press further. "Mom, can we be in the same ss as Nona?" Lana asked, her eyes hopeful as she tilted her head. "Sure thing. When we sign up, Mom will make sure of it," Nicole agreed, unable to resist her kids'' request. "Thanks, Mom," Lana hugged Nicole tightly, burying her face against her mom''s neck. Nicole¡¯s eyes softened as she embraced Lana. The next day, when Nicole got to work, Lulu barged into her office, looking worried. "What''s wrong?" Nicole asked, seeing Lulu''s pale face. "NandoCorp and DillCorp sent messages..." Lulu began, but Nicole''s phone interrupted with a ring. Chapter 3076 Chapter 3076 Giving Lulu a quick nce, Nicole answered the phone, ¡°Hello, Er." "Nicole, we''ve got a problem,'' Er''s voice came through urgently. ''What''s going on?" Nicole''s heart raced a bit, sensing trouble. "Some of BayCorp''s partners are iming we misled them and want to end our contracts, demanding "Try to calm them down for now. I''ll send Patricia to help you soon," Nicole reassured him before ending the call. Turning to Lulu, Nicole''s expression darkened. "Is there trouble with DillCorp?" "How did you know?" Lulu looked surprised; she hadn''t mentioned it yet. "Er''s facing a simr issue. I''ll send Patricia to assist him," Nicole exined, then used the inte to call, "Patricia, head to Eliar''s office; he needs help." ''Got it," Patricia replied promptly. "If needed, let them know that Riddle Corporation fully backs BayCorp, no questions asked. If they don''t trust Riddle, they should trust the prominent families behind the five Crests," Nicole asserted, her voice carrying authority. "Understood," Patricia responded, her tone firm. After ending the call, Nicole sighed. "Now, what''s going on with DillCorp?'' If Er hadn''t called, she might not have linked the dots to DillCorp''s issues. "Everett''s behind this, hitting both DillCorp and BayCorp to stretch US thin," Nicole concluded, connecting the dots. ''The situation at DillCorp isn''t dire, but it''s hurting your reputation. We need to fix it fast," Lulu said, her voice tense. "Someone''s spreading rumors online, saying you took over DillCorp illegally, leaving your uncle and his wife broke, just hanging out at your grandpa''s ce." ''That''s it?" Nicole was a bit surprised. It seemed like a petty move for Everett. "It''s not just that," Lulu said, clearly annoyed. "There are problems at NandoCorp too." "Oh," Nicole''s face showed understanding. She hadn''t expected NandoCorp to be affected as well. But she knew if Everett was making a move, it had to be big. "At NandoCorp, some regtors are investigating trademark rights. It seems Everett registered a trademark in his name during his time, and now he''s suing US for using it,'' Lulu exined, clearly frustrated. They hadn''t known about this issue; if they had, they wouldn''t have used a trademark registered to Everett. It was infuriating to think about. "With NandoCorp, DillCorp, and BayCorp all facing problems at once, is Everett trying to take me down directly?" Nicole''s eyes glinted with anger, seeing through Everett''s simplistic n. "Do you have a n?" Lulu asked cautiously. "For the online stuff, let''s leave it to the PR department," Nicole said, standing up. "We''ll go to N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. NandoCorp and see what''s going on." She needed to understand the situation before taking action. "Okay." After sorting out her work, Lulu followed Nicole out of the headquarters toward NandoCorp. Meanwhile, Patricia reached BayCorp. ''Ms. Riddle sent me to assist you," she said inly as she stepped into Er''s office. "Alright," Er replied, trying to stay calm despite his excitement. ''Can you exin everything that''s happened?" Patricia asked. After Ell ar exined the situation, Patricia said, "Get me the documents from thepanies involved." Chapter 3077 Chapter 3077 ''Thanks.'' Er promptly handed over several documents, surprising Patricia. ''These are what my secretary found while I was looking for solutions," he exined, caught off guard by her visit and their shared focus on tackling the issues with the otherpanies. "Let''s go through them together," Patricia suggested, taking two of the documents and settling onto the sofa to review. Er joined her, concentrating on the remaining documents. Oddly, Er felt his mood stabilize, even feeling a bit relieved. The chaos of the morning''s unexpected events seemed to fade away. "Stay focused on the documents," Patricia reminded him firmly, noticing his distraction. "Right." Er said, refocusing on the documents. "Here, here, and here..." Patricia pointed out several key points on the papers. Er nced over, seeing Patricia had identified weaknesses in the otherpanies. He couldn''t help but feel a sense of admiration; he had intended to do the same. ''Since they are ying dirty, there''s no need for restraint.'' ''We''re good to go," Patricia said, finishing up. "They''re expecting a response from you tomorrow, right?" ''Yes,'' Er confirmed. "Alright, then set up a meeting with them in the conference room for tomorrow,¡± Patricia instructed confidently. ''These Bayford''s partners are only concerned with their own interests, using cheap tricks. But this time, their efforts to get ahead will backfire.'' "Sure thing," Er said, feeling bolstered by Patricia''s resolve, even feeling a bit excited. ''1''11 be back tomorrow. You take care of things for today," Patricia said, having worked out a n and getting ready to leave. As Patricia was getting ready to leave, Eliar impulsively suggested, "Why don''t you stick around for lunch?" "Lunch?" Patricia looked momentarily surprised, thinking it was still too early for lunch. Realizing the timing issue, Er felt somewhat awkward and scratched his head. ''I need to check on Ms. Riddle, not just here at BayCorp but DillCorp is facing issues too," Patricia said, finding a polite reason to leave. Er was surprised. "What''s going on?" He wondered if the problem was his fault as a manager. But if DillCorp was also having trouble, it seemed like more than a coincidence. "Just focus on your part; we''ll handle the rest," Patricia assured him, not wanting to add to his worries. After giving him instructions, Patricia quickly left. Er, feeling puzzled, summoned his assistant. "Find out what''s happening." ''Got it," the assistant replied, heading off to investigate. After leaving BayCorp, Patricia checked social media and online news. Frowning, she noticed that while rumors were still swirling, the situation hadn''t escted. It seemed Nicole''s efforts to address the issue were making a difference. ''Captain, Mrs. Johnston is at NandoCorp; things there are worse," Patricia received the message, her trouble, and Nicole is there.'' Without hesitation, Patricia headed straight to NandoCorp. At NandoCorp, Nicole sat in the general manager''s office, reviewing documents. Chapter 3078 Chapter 3078 "Ms. Riddle, our investigation confirms the trademark is legitimate, and we''ve been using it. However, nobody knows when we started using it, not even the person in charge," the general manager admitted, his face filled with concern. It was a ring oversight in management. Such a crucial matter shouldn''t have slipped through the cracks unnoticed. "If the person in charge doesn''t even know, then what''s the point of having them?" Lulu expressed her frustration. The general manager was momentarily speechless, then turned to Nicole." Ms. Riddle, since nobody knows, could it be possible that someone is deliberately framing US?" He was deeply troubled, unable toprehend how such a situation could have arisen otherwise. "Indeed," Nicole responded calmly. If truly nobody was aware, then the possibility of deliberate sabotage couldn''t be dismissed. "So, what''s our next step?" Lulu asked Nicole, recognizing that assigning me was less crucial than resolving the issue. "First, we need to rece the trademark used on these products. Nicole instructed the general manager before standing up. "I''ll assist with the investigation." "Ms. Riddle, please let me handle it," the general manager immediately broke into a sweat. The issue had urred under his watch, and he couldn''t allow Nicole to step in to assist with the investigation. "I may not be familiar with the operations here, but there are reasons for me to assist with the investigation," she countered, curious to see the evidence that had prompted an official investigation. "I''lle with you," Lulu understood Nicole''s intentions and prepared to apany her. As they were about to leave, Patricia arrived. "Is everything sorted out with Er?" Nicole asked. "We''ve got everything nned. It''ll be sorted outpletely tomorrow," Patricia reported. Nicole nodded, pleased. "That''s good to hear." After leaving NandoCorp, Nicole began to instruct Patricia, "There''s something I need you to look into. Get this..." "What about you, Ms. Riddle?" Patricia interrupted, concerned. N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. "Don''t worry, I''ll be fine, and the chauffeur is here if you''re not," Nicole reassured her with a smile. Patricia nced at the chauffeur, recognizing him as someone Jared had arranged through Max. She knew he was capable of protecting Nicole if necessary. "I''ll start looking into it right away," Patricia confirmed before departing. Nicole and Lulu got into the car, and Nicole directed the chauffeur, "Drive." "Okay,¡± the chauffeur responded, starting the vehicle. "Nicole, are you sure there won''t be any issues when we arrive?" Lulu voiced her concerns, looking at Nicole. "Maybe I should go alone," she suggested, thinking it might be safer if Nicole wasn''t involved in case there were problems or an investigation. "Don''t worry, I''m going to assist with the investigation, not as a suspect," Nicole reassured Lulu. "Oh," Lulu bit her lip, still feeling uneasy. "This has to be Everett''s doing. He wants to overwhelm me with troubles, but I refuse to let him have his way. This time, we need to expose himpletely," Nicole stated firmly, determined to reveal Everett''s true identity as Lexter Wright to the public. "Do you have a n?" Lulu''s eyes gleamed with anticipation, relishing the idea of Everett being publicly embarrassed. "I''m working on it," Nicole shrugged casually. Lulu paused, then burst intoughter. "Only you could stay so calm in a situation like this." Chapter 3079 Chapter 3079 ''She''s even cracking jokes in a situation like this. I can''t believe I was genuinely worried,'' thought Lulu. "I''m really considering our options," Nicole assured her earnestly. "Then keep at it. Hopefully, you''lle up with something soon," Lulu yed along, further lightening the mood. As they talked, the atmosphere became more rxed. The car came to a stop, and the chauffeur announced, "Mrs. Johnston, we''ve arrived." 1 Nicole nced outside before opening the door and stepping out. Following her, Lulu eyed the imposing signboard in front of them and said,'' Let''s head inside." "Weren''t you worried just a moment ago?" Nicole asked. "We have to go in anyway. We need to show confidence, especially since we''re here to gather information; we might as well be proactive," Lulu winked yfully at Nicole. Nicole smiled, leading Lulu into the building. "Hi there, I''m Nicole Riddle from Riddle Corporation. We''re here about the trademark thing with NandoCorp,¡± Nicole said, handing over the papers. Lulu put them on the desk. The officer gave the papers a quick look and motioned toward some chairs. "Take a seat, please." Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. "Thanks," Nicole said, sitting down along with Lulu. After quickly checking the papers, the officer said, "We''ll talk about yourpany''s case in a meeting." "Got it. Also, we wanted to ask about the original trademark owner. Um, well," Lulu hesitated, deciding not to mention ''fugitive,'' and said, "we don''t know where they are, so we can''t change the trademark." "You can''t change it, and you can''t just use it however you want," the officer said seriously. "Exactly, the main thing is we had no clue we were using this trademark," Lulu agreed with a smile, secretly annoyed. If they''d known, they wouldn''t have used it at all. Nicole, staying calm, spoke to the officer, "We''re ready to help with the investigation. We''ve stopped using the trademark already. If you need more from US, just let us know." "We''ve looked into it. We''ll tell you once we decide," the officer said. "Okay, then we''ll go," Nicole said, getting up. As they left the office, Lulu whispered, "Why are we leaving now?" "We got what we needed," Nicole said with a smile. Lulu blinked, confused. ''Is that it?'' "What did you find out?" Lulu asked Nicole in the car. She wanted more info, but Nicole seemed okay with what they got. "It''s not as bad as we thought," Nicole said,forting her. "Don''t worry; we''re good." ""Really?" Lulu still seemed unsure. "Luckily, even though we used the trademark, it hadn''t hit the market yet. Everett moved too fast; he should''ve waited," Nicole said, a hint of satisfaction in her smile. "But won''t we still lose some money?" Lulu frowned. "If money can fix it, it''s not a big deal," Nicole shrugged. Since they caught it early, any losses wouldn''t be too bad. "Ah, when you say it like that, it sounds better," Lulu realized, nodding. "Let''s go back to the office,¡¯ Nicole said with a calm smile, not worried anymore. When they returned, Patricia showed up not long after. Chapter 3080 Chapter 3080 "Ms. Riddle, you should check the news online," Patricia said. "What''s going on?" Lulu, just as curious as Nicole, pulled out her phone. When Lulu saw the news, she was shocked. "Dillon really did that!" Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. She hadn''t thought Dillon would personally step in to defend Nicole. This meant all the bad stuff said about her online didn''t matter anymore. Nicole was surprised too. She hadn''t expected Dillon to clear things up for her. "Ms. Riddle, all the mean stuff about you online is gone now. This should all work out fine," Patricia said. She hadn''t even put their n for DillCorp into action yet. "I guess I owe Uncle Dillon a thank you," Nicole said, genuinely surprised." I''ll go to the Riddle family ce after work." "I''lle with you," Lulu said. "Sure," Nicole said, smiling. "What about NandoCorp?" Patricia asked. "With DillCorp sorted and BayCorp''s problem likely to be cleared by tomorrow, NandoCorp''s the only one left," Nicole said. "No worries there," Nicole said. "We might have to pay some money, but that''s it." "Who do we pay?" Patricia asked, confused. Everett couldn''t take the money without revealing himself. Nicole smiled sarcastically, suggesting, "We''ll pay as required byw. If no one ims it, that''s not our problem." "You mean..." Patricia seemed to get it. Nicole nodded. "You take care of it." "Got it," Patricia said. Lulu, feeling a bit left out, asked, "What''s going on?" "Come on, I''ll exin in the car," Patricia said, leading Lulu away. Nicole settled at her desk, her eyes skimming over the papers. With a calm smile, she got to work. As the sun went down, the Riddle family house filled with noise. Nicole, Jared, Lulu, and spencer came back, joined by June and Samuel. They all went into the living room, where Benjamin weed them. "Take a seat, everyone." Once everyone was settled, Benjamin spoke up, "I''ve heard about thepany stuff. How did it go?" "Smooth sailing, Grandpa, no worries," Nicole replied, then turned to Dillon, "I came back to thank Uncle Dillon. His help made it even easier." "No need forthanks; I''m just doing what''s right," Dillon said. Helping Nicole was his priority. "Dillon did great this time," Benjamin added, impressed. "We''re all family; we help each other out," Karen chimed in, feeling morefortable in the Riddle household. Benjamin nodded, pleased, and signaled for everyone to start eating. "Let''s dig in." Chapter 3081 Chapter 3081 "Okay/ they all said together, heading to the dining room. Once they were seated, June asked Nicole about thepany stuff. "Is everything sorted out now?" "Yeah, all good," Nicole confirmed. "That''s a relief," June said, feeling better. She had heard about the problems at Riddle Corporation and had nned to talk to Nicole and Lulu after work. When she found out they were going to the Riddle family manor, she decided to go with them. "Today was crazy. Patricia helped with BayCorp, Nicole and I went to NandoCorp... DillCorp was the trickiest, but Dillon saved US," Lulu told June about their day. "It''s surprising how much of a difference it made," June said, surprised. Everett had been quiet for a while, but this was big. "I just hope we can catch him this time," Lulu said, thinking hard. ''If we have proof, we can get him in trouble.'' "He''s sneaky; he might not leave any proof," spencer said, looking serious. Samuel added, "We need to be careful." "We know," Lulu said. Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. Nicole looked at Spencer and Samuel. "Yeah, if he''s too quiet, it''s a problem." "Agreed," Spencer said, realizing Everett''s silence might mean trouble. "I get it, but with how dangerous he is, I just want to make sure we''re all careful," Samuel said. "Jared, keep an eye out," Benjamin said, his voice serious. "Don''t worry, I''ve got it covered," Jared said calmly. He knew Benjamin was worried about Nicole''s safety and was reminding him to protect her. Jared had already made sure Nicole would be safe. "That''s good," Benjamin said, feeling relieved. He trusted Jared to handle it. After dinner, Jared said to Benjamin, "Can we talk in the study?" "Sure," Benjamin said, getting up and leading Jared to the study. "Let''s go," Benjamin said, leading Jared to the study. "What''s going on?" June and Lulu looked at Nicole, confused. Nicole shrugged, just as puzzled about Jared¡¯s meeting with Benjamin. "Here, have some fruit," Karen said, bringing over a fruit tter for everyone. "Thanks," they all said. "Don''t be so formal; this is home," Karen said, a little embarrassed. "Yeah, rx," Dillon said, joining in. "Ande over more often. Your grandpa loves it when people visit." "We will," they all agreed. "Did you hear Stanley and Tia are talking about their wedding?" Karen asked. "Not yet, but my mom¡¯s getting ready," Nicole said. "Looks like it''s happening soon," Karenughed. While the living room buzzed with casual conversation, Jared was in the study with Benjamin, asking, "Is there really no evidence?" "None," Benjamin said, shaking his head. "No birthmark or anything on Everett." Without Everett''s confession and with his fake identity, theycked solid evidence to prove to the authorities that he was Everett. They needed to convince the authorities before they could get Everett''s DNA tested. Chapter 3082 Chapter 3082 "Then we''ll keep at it," Jared said, undeterred by theck of evidence. "What''s your n?" Benjamin asked, curious. "I wanted a permanent solution, but if that''s not possible, I''ll keep ying the game with him," Jared said, determination in his eyes. He wouldn''t let Everett win easily. "Do what you have to. I..." Benjamin paused, his tone firm. "I''ve cut ties with that bastard. The Riddle family doesn¡¯t need him." To Benjamin, Everett didn''t deserve to be part of the family, and cutting him off was the right choice. "Got it," Jared said, his expression serious. "Jared, thanks for looking after Nicole," Benjamin said, sighing. "I know she''s not as agile as she used to be, probably because of everything she''s been through." "Grandpa, it''s my job," Jared replied. Protecting Nicole was important to him. But Jared couldn''t shake the feeling. Even though he hadn''t told Benjamin everything, he''d noticed the changes in Nicole. Seeing Jared¡¯s contemtion, Benjamin spoke frankly. "I may not know the details, but I can tell she''s Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. not the same as before." Since Nicole''s return, Benjamin had noticed the changes after everything she''d been through. Jared didn''t hide anything. "She faced some dangers. She survived, but there were consequences. Her physical abilities have taken a hit." Even though Nicole could still hold her own, she wasn''t as strong as she used to be, and facing tough opponents was harder. "These years haven''t been easy on her," Benjamin said sadly. Jaredforted him. "She''s been through a lot, but Nn and Lana have been there for her. They''ve brought her a lot of joy." Talking about his great-grandchildren made Benjamin smile, relieved and happy. As the night grew darker, Nicole rested her head on Jared''s shoulder, their arms intertwined. She whispered, "What did you and Grandpa talk about?" "We talked about Everett," Jared said, not keeping anything from Nicole. "What did he say?" Nicole raised her eyebrows, curious. Jared shook his head, holding her hand. "Nothing specific about Everett." "Oh," Nicole said casually. If there wasn''t anything new, it didn''t bother her. They''d find another way to handle Everett. Jared smiled at her. "Is that all?" "That''s all we can do for now. And there''s no need to be disappointed; we won''t let him off easy," Nicole said, her demeanor calm. "Okay, we won''t," Jared replied, looking at her with affection, his smile growing wider. The next day was sunny and bright. As Nicole stepped out of the car to go into the office, Lulu arrived. "Hey, Lulu," Nicole called. "Hey there," Lulu jogged over to her, and they went in together. "It''s probably going smoothly at BayCorp by now," Nicole said. "Hopefully," Lulu agreed. "It should be fine," Lulu said, smiling a little. Looking at Nicole, Lulu added, "Let''s wait for her good news, then." Chapter 3083 Chapter 3083 Meanwhile, at BayCorp, Patricia had already reached Er''s office. "Did thepanies we nned to meet with arrive?" Patricia asked Er. "Yes, they''re here. My secretary showed them to the conference room," Er replied, standing up. "Let''s go." "Okay," Patricia agreed, and they went together to the conference room. Inside were four people, each with an assistant behind them. Er looked at them and said, "Now that everyone''s here, let''s begin." He sat at the head of the table and said loudly, "If you have doubts about mypany''s qualifications, please check out these documents first." The secretary handed out some papers, and the attendees started to read them. "When you wanted to partner with ourpany, you liked that it was connected to Riddle Corporation. Now, you''re questioning my qualifications," Er said, looking around the room. "I understand. Legally, it''s a problem on my end." "Mr. Riddle, some things were out of our control," one person tried to exin. "I get it. Sometimes priorities change, which is normal," Er nodded, showing understanding, but his words made others uneasy. "Mr. Riddle, this isn''t the only reason you called US here, is it?" another person frowned. "Mr. Lane, don''t worry. I didn''t call this meeting just for that. The main goal is to fix the issue," Er rified, then turned to the others. "Mr. Yeaman, Mr. Vickerman, Mr. Mikhailov, what do you think?" "We''re here to solve the problem," Jeremy Yeaman, Wiley Vickerman, and Boris Mikhailov replied. N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. "Okay," Er said, looking at the documents in their hands. "You''ve read through these papers. They "Really?" Aadesh Lane raised an eyebrow skeptically. The others nced at each other before saying, "Let''s not rush into anything." "Why not? Our partnership is over," Aadesh said, reaching for a pen to sign. Er''s eyes narrowed, and he scoffed, "Fine. I''ll have our legal team contact yourpany to finish everything quickly." "That would be best,¡± Aadesh said, passing the document to his assistant. He cautioned, "But remember, if there''s a breach, it won''t be as simple as this time.¡± "Mr. Lane, please, I have other things to talk about with everyone," Er said, smiling slightly, hinting that Aadesh could leave and not hold up their meeting. Aadesh sensed something wasn''t right and sighed, "We came here together, so we''ll leave together. Plus, I need to talk to Mr. Mikhailov." He was curious to know what Er was really up to. "If that''s the case, you may stay," Er said, seeming unconcerned. He then turned to the others. "And what about you guys? Are you nning to sign?" "We''re thinking about it. We''ve been working together for a long time, so it doesn''t seem right to end things like this," Wiley said, pausing. "Our intention is not to cause trouble," Jeremy added, smiling. "Exactly," Boris agreed. Er smiled slightly. "Then, what do you suggest?" "It''s not a big deal, really. We just had to act because of increased scrutiny, " Wiley exined before turning to Er. "Do you have any other ideas?" Chapter 3084 Chapter 3084 "So, you''re saying you don''t want to end the contract?" Er raised an eyebrow, seeking confirmation. Aadesh sighed, "Let''s not jump the gun. If the investigation goes ahead, not ending the contract will mean bigger losses for you." By then, not only would gettingpensation be impossible, but they''d also be facing double the loss. "But..." The others hesitated, their expressions showing concern. "Hey, since you''re not into canceling the deal or losing out, I''ve got an idea, " Patricia chimed in, sensing it was the right time to speak. "Who are you?" Aadesh scrunched up his face, not too happy. He''d thought Patricia was just Er''s secretary, and usually, secretaries don''t get a say in stuff like this. Patricia gave Aadesh a calm look. "I''m from Riddle Corporation, Nicole Riddle''s assistant." "Nicole Riddle..." Aadesh''s voice trailed off, sensing something wasn''t right. His tone got a bit using. "You''re Riddle Corporation CEO''s assistant!" The other CEOs also started looking uneasy. BayCorp was technically under Riddle Corporation, but it usually did its own thing without much interference. They wondered why someone from Nicole''s team was here and if she was here because of Nicole''s orders. "Ms. Riddle says BayCorp''s deals are Riddle Corporation''s deals too. If you want to know a subsidiary''s qualifications, you can ask the head office. And also..." Patricia paused, putting a bit of pressure in her tone, "Ms. Riddle mentioned if you''re still not happy, she can give you info onpanies from some big families. Would that work for you?" "Um, yeah, th-that''s fine," Wiley stammered, sounding a bit panicked. Boris took a deep breath and said, "What we''re trying to say is, we''re already pretty happy with Ms. Riddle''s personal assurance." "Yeah, we don''t need to get those families involved," they added, realizing those families were way out of their league. Aadesh felt dumbfounded, wishing he hadn''t rushed into signing that termination andpensation agreement. If Riddle Corporation could step in, he had nothing to worry about. There''d be no loss, and N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. maybe even a better partnership. Jeremy looked back at Er. "Can we make another deal, Mr. Riddle?" "Another deal?" Er said proudly. "You should talk to Patricia about that." Wiley, Jeremy, and Boris all turned to Patricia at once, making her feel like her agreement was their only hope. Patricia stayed cool. "Ms. Riddle said yes." "That''s fantastic." It felt like getting Nicole''s personal assurance; they were totally at ease now. Once they all agreed, the group left, feeling a mix of happiness and sadness. "I''ll update Nicole," Patricia said, not nning to stick around. She let Er know and then headed out. Watching her leave without a second nce, Er felt a deep sense of sadness. Having her around had been great, but he knew those moments were over now. Patricia quickly got back to the head office and went into Nicole''s office. Lulu was there, smiling at Patricia. "Looks like things went well.¡± "Yeah, all done," Patricia said, walking over to the desk. Nicole nodded, satisfied. "As long as it''s sorted, that''s good." Chapter 3085 Chapter 3085 "Let''s hear it then. What''s the oue?" Lulu asked with curiosity. Patricia recounted the meeting with the CEOs of BayCorp''s partners, which made Lulu smirk. "Aadesh Lane must be regretting his decisions now." "Yeah, he looked pretty bummed when he left," Patricia said, figuring anyone in his shoes would feel the same. "The more he regrets, the happier we are," Lulu said, relishing the situation. "Who does he think he is? Now he knows what it feels like." Watching the exchange, Nicole couldn''t help but smile. "As long as things are sorted, that''s what counts." They wouldn''t push away those who wanted to keep working together, but they wouldn''t cling to those who didn''t. "Now we just have to deal with NandoCorp. We''re still waiting to hear back, " Lulu said, getting back on track. "Nicole, how did you set everything up?" "Everything''s ready, just waiting for the official paperwork," Patricia replied. "I can''t wait," Lulu said, raising an eyebrow with anticipation. "Same here," Patricia said, smiling with excitement at the thought of everything being sorted out. Seeing their enthusiasm, Nicole chuckled softly, knowing how tense things had been and feeling relieved now. A knock at the door interrupted them, and Nicole said, "Come in." The secretary entered and said, "Ms. Riddle, Lawrence Royce is here to see you." "Lawrence?!" Nicole eximed, surprised by his sudden visit. Lulu and Patricia exchanged wary nces. "What''s he up to now?" Lulu asked. "I''ll find out when I talk to him," Nicole said calmly. "Let hime up." "Okay," the secretary nodded and left to fetch Lawrence. Nicole turned to Patricia and Lulu. "Don''t worry, you two carry on with your tasks." Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. "Make sure to let US know if anything happens," Lulu reminded Nicole. Nicole smirked. "Even if there were a problem, he wouldn''t dare cause trouble for me here, right?" "In that case, we''ll leave you to it," Patricia said, understanding that Lawrence wouldn''t risk confronting Nicole openly. As Lulu and Patricia exited the office, Lawrence arrived. Their eyes briefly met as Lawrence pushed the door open and stepped into the office. "Nicole," Lawrence greeted with a smile, "I happened to be passing by, so I thought I''d drop in and see how you''re doing." Nicole''s expression remainedposed as she replied, "Please, have a seat." "Thank you," Lawrence said, settling onto the sofa. Lulu brought in coffee, exchanging a nce with Nicole. With a reassuring smile from Nicole, Lulu left the room feeling more at ease. "It seems like she''s worried I might harm you," Lawrence remarked, observing Lulu''s actions, but without any hint of annoyance. "Maybe," Nicole admitted frankly. "After all, you''re not someone we can trust." Lawrence offered a slightly awkward smile. "Actually, I do have a reason for dropping by today." "What is it? Let''s get straight to the point,¡± Nicole said, her gaze fixed on Lawrence. Chapter 3086 Chapter 3086 "Nn and Lana''s birthdays are almost here, and I was thinking..." Lawrence stopped for a moment, then said, "I thought about taking them to the amusement park for some fun." Nicole''s expression changed as she replied, "I can take them. You don''t have to bother." "But as their godfather, I want to show them some love too,¡± Lawrence said, sounding a bit upset. Lately, he often found himself thinking about Nn and Lana, remembering their time together on Crescent Ind. Watching them grow up day by day and calling him ''goddad'' was a precious memory. Unfortunately, things hadn¡¯t been the same since they moved to San Joto. Nicole frowned, realizing Lawrence''s request was not as simple as that. After a moment of hesitation, Nicole''s tone turned frosty. ¡±1 think it''s best if you don''t have any more contact with them." Lana might handle it better, but for Nn, Lawrence''s actions hit hard. Even though Nn didn''t show it much, Nicole understood. Back on Crescent Ind, Nn relied on Lawrence a lot, sometimes even more than on her. She knew Lawrence''s betrayal must have hurt Nn deeply, so she wanted to keep Lawrence away from him to prevent any more pain. Seeing Nicole''s firm stance, Lawrence sighed. "Okay then." "They''re both doing fine now, and I think they can keep living happily without any disruptions. Don''t you think so?" Nicole asked, her words carrying a deeper meaning, reminding him not to disturb Nn and Lana''s peaceful lives. "I hope they''re happy too," Lawrence said through clenched teeth, reluctantly agreeing. "That''s fine," Nicole said, motioning toward Lawrence. "Help yourself to some coffee." As Lawrence held the cup, a bitterness filled him, not just from the coffee. He understood that Nicole wasn''t interested in talking about the children with him anymore. He hadn''t expected one mistake to cost him everything. Now, not only was Nicole distant, but he also couldn''t see or be close to the children. With a slight frown, Lawrence ced the cup down and stood up. "If there''s nothing else, I''ll go." "I''ll have my secretary show you out," Nicole offered politely. "No need. Things seem to be the same as when I left. I can find my own way," Lawrence said, walking out with heavy steps. As soon as Lawrence left, Lulu entered the office. "What did he say?" Lulu asked cautiously. "Not much," Nicole sighed. "Lawrence mentioned that Nn and Lana''s birthdays areing up, and he wanted to see them." "What does their birthday have to do with him? You and Jared will celebrate with them anyway," Lulu said, sounding disgusted. "And after what he did to Nn, he still wants to see them? That''s nerve," she added. "I already told him no," Nicole said, feeling conflicted, biting her lip. She sensed that Lawrence, despite leaving casually, still held onto something. "Nicole, is something bothering you?" Lulu asked gently. "I just think Lawrence''s behavior is odd," Nicole said, her brow furrowed. "Do you think he might try to see Nn and Lana without us knowing?" Lulu''s face went pale at the N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. idea. Nn and Lana were in kindergarten, and if Lawrence was determined, it would be hard to stop him without taking the kids out of school. A steely glint shed in Nicole''s eyes as she narrowed them slightly. "He better not even think about it." Chapter 3087 Chapter 3087 "If Lawrence decides to break our agreement and see Nn and Lana behind my back, I won''t hesitate to cut off all contact with him," Nicole stated firmly. "What is he even thinking? I can''t wrap my head around it," Lulu fumed. ¡° How can he hurt you and then act like nothing''s wrong?" Lulu found Lawrence''s actions iprehensible. ''Is he heartless, or is he just not thinking straight?'' "There''s a lot you don''t know," Nicole said, her eyes narrowing with meaning. Lawrence wasn''t just apany''s CEO; he held significant influence in Mecrounia. When Nicole and Jared sought his help five years ago, his status was already high. Now, his position in Mecrounia was even more prominent, not to mention his hidden, darker identity. Nicole was aware of all this, as Lawrence hadn''t kept it from her before she regained her memory. As Lulu observed Nicole''s thoughtful expression, her own demeanor grew more serious. While Lulu didn''t know all the details, she could tell from Nicole''s tone that Lawrence was more power went beyond what she had imagined. If Lawrence wasn''t simply irrational, then his actions suggested a belief that he could manipte everything, that everything should bend to his will. A shiver ran down Lulu''s spine as she voiced her concern, "So, his arrival in San Joto was nned with ulterior motives from the beginning." "It began with the Fire Crest, and now...'' Nicole trailed off, knowing that after the Water Crest incident, Lawrence would likely attempt to obtain both Crests. However, she sensed his motives might extend beyond that. "That means you''re still at risk," Lulu said anxiously, clenching her teeth." It''s absolutely disgraceful." "It''s all about personal gain," Nicole replied calmly. "The world is filled with people chasing fame and profit; what matters is how far they''re willing to go and the methods they''ll employ." Lulu sighed, her expression clouded with worry. Nicole offered a reassuring smile. "Don''t worry, he may be formidable, but I''m not exactly a pushover." "But you''re not as ruthless as he is," Lulu replied, clearly upset. "It''s just a matter of different goals or conflicting interests; that''s understandable," Nicole shrugged. She That would mean sacrificing her interests, which weren''t just personal but also epassed the entire Riddle Corporation and the Riddle family. Therefore, she wouldn''t back down. "You should discuss this with Jared and devise a strategy. Even if we can''t avoid him in business, we can''t let him hurt Nn and Lana again," Lulu said, determination shining in her eyes. If avoidance wasn''t an option, she wouldn''t back down, but Nn and Lana must be kept safe. "Alright, don''t worry," Nicole replied, a determined glint in her eyes. This was her concern too. After Lawrence left the Riddle Corporation and settled into his car, Ian spoke softly, "Mr. Royce, did Nicole agree?" "No," Lawrence replied, his tone heavy. Ian sighed, resigned. "I didn''t expect Nicole to be so cold-hearted now." "It''s not her fault," Lawrence understood. Nn and Lana were Nicole''s top priority, and he had definitely crossed a line with her. "So... what will you do? Are you really going to miss spending their birthdays?" Ian inquired. "Just drive," Lawrence''s mood sank further, stillcking a solid n. Starting the car, Ian pondered for a moment before suggesting, "Why don''t we go to their school? We''re bound to see Nn and Lana there." Chapter 3088 Chapter 3088 "No, that''s out of the question," Lawrence''s voice held a firmness that emphasized the decisiveness of his choice. Pursuing Nn and Lana at this point would jeopardize any chance of reconciliation in the future. Ian simply nodded, concentrating on driving, thinking to himself, ''If Mr. Royce can''t devise a n, there''s little I can do to assist.'' Reclining in his seat, Lawrence stared out of the car window, lost in thought as the sun began to set. After finishing work, Nicole exited thepany and climbed into Jared''s car. "Max, let''s head to the kindergarten," Nicole instructed. "Got it,¡± Max responded, steering the car in the direction of the kindergarten. Jared nced at her, speaking softly, "Why the sudden decision to pick up Nn and Lana?" Nicole took a deep breath, biting her lip slightly as she recounted Lawrence''s visit to Jared, expressing her worry that Lawrence might try to see Nn and Lana secretly after she had turned him down. A shadow passed over Jared''s eyes, his voice turning cold. "If he has any sense left, he won''t dare." Lawrence should know better than to do anything Nicole had explicitly refused, especially now. It would only further damage their already strained rtionship. "Let''s hope so," Nicole murmured, her concern evident in her expression, prompting the visit to ensure the safety of Nn and Lana. "Lana, Nn," Nicole called, waving and smiling as she approached them. "Mommy!" Nn and Lana eximed happily, rushing over to her. After giving their hair a yful ruffle, Nicole took their hands. "Let''s go, today Daddy and I came to pick you up." "Is Auntie Tia busy today?" Nn asked, curious. T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org. "No, Daddy and Mommy just happened to have some free time today," Nicole replied with a smile. Once in the car, Nn and Lana settled in next to Jared. "Daddy." "Let''s put your backpacks down," Jared said, gently moving their small backpacks to the side. As the car started moving, Lana looked up with excitement. "Daddy, I learned a new song at school today." "Why don''t you sing it for US, Lana?" Jared encouraged, a smile in his eyes. "Okay!" Lana happily began to sing the nursery rhyme, her soft, sweet voice filling the car with joy. As they drove further away, Nicole felt relieved not to have seen Lawrence. Unbeknownst to her, Lawrence emerged from a corner after they had left. He couldn''t resist the urge to check on the children but didn''t want to attract Nicole''s attention. Dressed inconspicuously and avoiding driving there, he hid in the corner, ensuring Nicole wouldn''t notice him. As Lawrence watched the car fade into the distance, the image of the close -knit family lingered in his mind, his expression growing increasingly solemn. Meanwhile, Nicole and Jared arrived home with Nn and Lana. "Grandpa, Grandma," Nn and Lana greeted Daniel and Gloria cheerfully as they approached. Chapter 3089 Chapter 3089 "Back already?" Daniel and Gloria beamed with affection at their grandchildren. Nicole and Jared took their seats, exining, "We had some free time today, so we decided to pick them up.¡± "It''s good to see you both have the energy to do that. It seems like Riddle Corporation must be doing alright now," Daniel remarked, relieved. The past few days had been hectic for both Nicole and Jared, but now that they had some time to rx, it seemed like their problems had been resolved. "Yes, now we''re just waiting for the penalty notice for NandoCorp," Nicole said calmly, with a smile. Gloria responded with a hint of resignation, "Let the penaltye if it must, as long as the issue is resolved." "Mom, actually, the penalty is a good thing," Nicole reassured her with a smile. "I might not be involved in thepany matters, and I really don''t understand, but how can a penalty be a good thing?" Gloria asked, frowning slightly in confusion. "Let''s not talk about work now. You don''t understand these things, and you won¡¯t believe the children when they say it''s alright," Daniel intervened, suggesting they drop the subject now that work was over to give everyone a break. "You were the one who asked just now," Gloria couldn''t help but give Daniel a yful look. "Alright, my fault. Let''s all not ask anymore," Daniel quickly conceded. Laughter filled the living room, soon followed by a curious voice, "What''s going on? Why the good mood?" They turned to see Stanley entering. N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. "Nothing much, just chatting," Daniel greeted Stanley. "Now that you''re here, let''s have dinner." "Oh, okay," Stanley replied, not pressing further. With the recent tension over Riddle Corporation''s affairs affecting the household atmosphere, the lighter mood now was a wee change. Once they arrived at the dining hall, dinner was quickly served. "Nicole, Nn and Lana''s birthdays areing up, right? Your dad and I were thinking, how about we throw a cozy birthday party at home? What do you think?" Gloria asked Nicole. Considering the approaching date, if they were to hold a party, decisions and preparations needed to start promptly. "Well... I''ll ask Nn and Lana what they think," Nicole hesitated for a moment. "They mentioned wanting to go to the amusement park a few days ago, and I thought of taking them there." "We can have the party in the evening, just a small celebration with the family. During the day, if you want to take them to the amusement park, that will fulfill their wish," Gloria added. "That sounds good," Jared agreed. "Then it''s settled," Daniel chimed in. With Jared¡¯s agreement, Nicole wouldn''t object. "Alright, let''s go with what Mom and Dad suggest," Nicole concurred. Stanley paused for a moment before saying, "In that case, I need to think about what kind of birthday gifts to prepare for Nn and Lana." After enjoying a dinner filled withughter and conversation, Gloria spoke up, "We''ll handle the party preparations." "Mom, you can also ask Tia to help you," Stanley reminded Gloria. "Sure, I''ll call her," Gloria happily agreed. With everyone else busy, it seemed Tia was the only one avable to help, and given her close rtionship with Nn and Lana, she understood the children''s preferences well. Nicole nodded in agreement. "On their birthday, we''ll take Nn and Lana to the amusement park, and we''ll return in the afternoon so we won''t miss the evening party." Good, but make sure the kids have a fun time," Gloria advised. Chapter 3090 Chapter 3090 "Got it," Nicole nodded in agreement. Heading upstairs, Nicole and Jared entered Nn''s room. N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. Seeing the two kids engrossed in their activities, Nicole smiled and said," You''re both so well-behaved." "Mommy, how''s my drawing?" Lana, holding her drawing board and tilting her head up, proudly showed her work. Nicole admired Lana''s drawing and praised, "It''s wonderful." Lanaughed happily and showed her drawing to Jared, saying, "Daddy, check out mine too!" Jared, feeling warm inside, picked Lana up and looked at her artwork, saying, "Wow, that''s amazing! How about we draw something together, you and me?" "Yay!" Lana agreed, passing a brush to Jared. While Nicole watched them draw together, she smiled and went over to Nn. "What are you thinking about?" Nicole asked when she saw Nn staring at theputer screen with a puzzled look. "I''m stuck here. I think there might be another way, but I can''t figure it out," Nn replied, looking frustrated. "Let me see," Nicole said, pulling up a chair and sitting next to him. She looked at the screen, and a look of surprise crossed her face. "Nn, you''re getting better at this!" She was amazed at how quickly he was progressing. "Come here. If you''ve got a new idea, don''t stick to the old ways. Check this out..." Nicole patiently exined to Nn, who quickly understood. "Oh, I see it now. Thanks, Mommy." Nn thanked Nicole and focused on his task. After a bit, Nn finished up, and Lanapleted her drawing. Nicole gathered the two kids to talk about the birthday ns: "Grandma and Grandpa want to throw you a birthday bash. We''ll hit the amusement park on your big day, then head back for the party. How''s that sound?" "Awesome!" Nn and Lana chimed in, excited already. "Mommy, can we invite our friends?" Lana''s eyes sparkled as she asked. Nicole smiled and nodded, "Sure thing, sweetheart. Invite whoever you want." "I want to invite Nona toe over and y," Lana said, looking at Nn," What about you?" "I''m cool with anyone. Invite whoever you want," Nn replied casually. "Anyone''s fine. Invite whoever you like," Nn said, sounding rxed. Lana tilted her head, thinking about who else she wanted to invite from her ss. Nn got up, saying, "Mom, I''m ready to hit the sack. I don''t mind about the party." "Okay, I''ll tell Grandma," Nicole said with a smile. Jared, with Lana in his arms, also got up, saying, "Time for bed, Lana." "But Daddy, I want to invite Rami," Lana said, still lost in her thoughts about the party. "Rami?" Jared''s brow furrowed slightly at the mention of the name. "Yeah, he helped me when I fell in PE ss. He''s really strong. He even took me to the nurse," Lana exined earnestly. "So I want to invite him to say thanks." "Alright," Jared agreed, but he seemed a bit down. Nicole looked at Jared, smiling slightly, and shook her head gently. Later, in their room, Jared''s mood hadn''t changed, which made Nicoleugh. "You''re not really upset about this, are you? They''re just kids in kindergarten, and their friendships are pure." Chapter 3091 Chapter 3091 "Are you sure Nn''s feelings for Nona are pure?" Jared''s expression turned serious. He thought, if Nn could act like that, maybe Rami had some secret n against Lana. Nicole was surprised by Jared''s words. After a moment, she managed a smile and said, "It''s not From Nicole''s perspective, it wasn''t right to suspect other children because of her son. Even if her son wasn''tpletely sincere, he wasn''t as cunning as an adult. "Okay, let''s invite Rami to the birthday party," Jared decided. He wanted to see for himself if Rami was innocent or not. Watching Jared''s frustrated expression, Nicole shook her head. She mused, ''Maybe all dads feel this way, wanting to protect their daughters from boys.'' To her, the future was unpredictable, and the children would grow up. So, there was no need to be hostile toward Rami. **** Nicole and Jared had been picking up Nn and Lana themselves over the past three days as they wanted to make sure Lawrence hadn''t bothered them. knocked and entered. "Ms. Riddle, here are the documents," Patricia said, handing over a file to Nicole. After reviewing the documents, a cold smirk appeared on Nicole''s lips." Very good." "The paperwork for the sanction has been issued, we should..." Understanding what Patricia wanted to say, Nicole nodded. "Yes, we can start releasing a press statement through our media contacts now." "Understood," Patricia replied, then turned to leave and carry out the instructions. A whileter, news media published an apology from Riddle Corporation for a trademark issue. In the apology, thepany expressed regret to " Mr. Everett Riddle" and promisedpensation in ordance with thew. With a triumphant look, Lulu said, Nicole, now that this news is out, everyone is wondering what will happen next. I''m curious to see if Everett, a fugitive, will actually dare to im thepensation." "He definitely won''t dare to show up. If he doesn''t, he''ll just be sulking, but if he does, he''ll be arrested," Patricia remarked coldly. Nicole''s move was clever; Everett had tried to set a trap for her, but she turned the tables on him. For Riddle Corporation, if a loss was inevitable, Nicole and her team might as well get some satisfaction out of the situation. Nicole chuckled lightly as she nced at the two of them. "You two just want to eat popcorn." "Heh, it''s his fault for scheming against US," Lulu retorted proudly, lifting her chin. "This will teach him not to mess with US. Hmph!" Lulu thought Everett must have underestimated them. He probably believed they couldn''t handle the problems from Riddle Corporation and its subsidiaries all at once. "Ms. Riddle, Everett will receive the news soon. I''ll arrange for someone to keep an eye out and see what moves he makes," Patricia said, her tone serious. She had a feeling that Everett wasn¡¯t the type to give up easily, so they needed to be prepared. "Okay," Nicole agreed, understanding Patricia''s concerns. After Patricia left, Lulu regained some of herposure. "Honestly, Everett must be fuming over this setback. I wonder if he''ll lose his cool." "We''ll deal with whateveres our way," Nicole said. N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. She narrowed her eyes slightly as she thought, ''Everett''s return has a clear purpose. He wouldn''t stay quiet if there''s no concrete evidence to prove his real identity to the authorities.'' Knowing that Everett would make a move, Nicole felt they should stay calm, remain vignt, and be prepared to counter any threats. Of course, if necessary, they could also give Everett a bit of trouble to keep him from getting too confident. Seeing Nicole''s confident demeanor, Lulu nodded in agreement. "Okay." "You can go back to your tasks now," Nicole said with a smile, dismissing her. Chapter 3092 Chapter 3092 "Okay," Lulu agreed, then turned and left. Nicole settled back into her office chair and picked up the documents beside her, ready to dive into her work. Meanwhile, Everett stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows of his office, seemingly looking outside, though his gaze appeared fixed on something in the distance. "Mr. Wright, their press statement has been widely covered, and we''re at a loss on how to proceed. I''m afraid..." Jerry''s face was pale, his voice growing softer as he spoke. The Riddle Corporation''s apology caught Everett and Jerry off guard, feeling more like a knife than an apology. Their move left them with no way to respond. The news exploded almost instantaneously, despite their attempts to address it as soon as they heard. It was toote. N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. "Hmm," Everett responded indifferently. "Mr. Wright?" Jerry was confused. ''So, that''s all?'' Everett turned around slowly, his voice somber as he replied, "Nicole nned everything." ''If it was Nicole''s n, how could I possibly counterattack?'' he thought. "So, we just sit and wait?" Jerry said, sounding somewhat unwilling. Everett had a multi-faceted n; even if one part had seeded, it would have impacted Riddle Corporation. But unexpectedly, none of the facets seeded. Nicole had put significant effort into resolving BayCorp''s problem. Regarding DillCorp''s issue, with Dillon unexpectedly stepping in to rify the rumors, Nicole resolved it easily. As for the issue faced by NandoCorp, which Everett''s side was most concerned about, they had believed Nicole had no way to counter and would have to ept defeat andpensate. Biting back his frustration, Jerry looked up at Everett, realizing they had lost this round too. "Alright, Jerry, you can head out for now," Everett said, realizing there wasn''t much else he could do about the situation. "Yes, sir," Jerry replied before leaving the office. Everett''s eyes narrowed a bit, showing a touch of concern. He had underestimated Nicole. He figured her trip to the regtory agency and her offer to Now, he had to dwell on it alone, with no easy way out. He couldn''t just im thepensation using his real name; that would be digging his own grave. "Nicole, you''re quite the strategist," Everett muttered quietly, a chill creeping into his voice. ''You won this round, but who do you think wille out on top next time? Time passed quickly, and soon Nn and Lana''s birthday was approaching. "Nicole, is everything set for the birthday party?" Lulu asked. "Yes, everything''s ready for tomorrow," Nicole replied. "This is Nn and Lana''s first birthday back in San Joto, and we want to make it the best for them," Lulu said with a smile. Thinking about the hardships these two kids had endured alongside Nicole made everyone sympathetic. "With everyone''s thoughtful preparations, they will surely have a wonderful time," Nicole said with a joyful smile. Chapter 3093 Chapter 3093 "Oh, who''sing tomorrow, and have you told everyone?" Lulu asked. Nicole paused before answering, ¡¯Nn and Lana have asked some of their friends in school, and the rest are family.¡¯ "That''s good. Too many people might make the children ufortable. As long as they''re with their friends, they''ll be happy," Lulu reasoned. "First, we''re going to the amusement park tomorrow, then we''lle back home in the afternoon. By evening, their friends should arrive, and the rest of the guests will be there too. That''s when we''ll start the birthday party," Nicole exined. "Great, then I''ll see you tomorrow evening. You all go and have a good time. I''ll head home first to see if there''s anything else I can help with," Lulu said with a smile. "I won''t be joining you at the amusement park.¡¯ "That works," Nicole agreed. Knock, knock, knock. Nicole nced toward the door. "Come in," she called out. "Ms. Riddle, Mr. Royce is here," Patricia said, opening the door and stepping to the side. "Lawrence?" Nicole''s brow furrowed as she wondered, ''Why is he here?'' Lulu''s expression hardened. "It''s not about Nn and Lana''s birthday party, is it?" "Let him in, please," Nicole said, her tone firm. "Right away," Patricia replied, stepping back. Lawrence entered the room confidently. "What do you need?" Nicole asked directly. Lawrence ced two bags on Nicole''s desk. "These are birthday gifts for Nn and Lana. Since I won''t be seeing them, could you please give these to them?" He had brought the gifts to Nicole''s office as he wasn''t invited to the birthday party and knew Nicole didn''t like him visiting the kids. This was his only way of showing he cared about the kids. "We''ve already prepared gifts; there''s no need for this," Lulu said, her frown showing some resistance. "It''s the thought that counts," Lawrence replied, his gaze firm. Surprised by the exchange, Lulu looked at Nicole, awaiting her decision. "Lulu, could you get a cup of coffee?" Nicole asked. "Okay," Lulu agreed, giving Lawrence a wary look before leaving the room. "Do you not want to help?" Lawrence asked bluntly after Lulu left. Nicole furrowed her brows, wondering what he was up to this time. ¡¯You really don''t need to do this." "It''s just a gesture, something I''ve done every year for them," Lawrence said as if it were obvious. "But-" Nicole began to object. "Or I could deliver them myself," Lawrence interjected. Nicole frowned even more. She understood Lawrence''s unspoken warning: if she didn''t agree to pass on the gifts, he would deliver them himself. She bit her lip, then sighed, giving in. "Alright," she agreed, deciding it was safer for her to return the gifts to the Riddle residence than to let Lawrence go there himself. Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. "Thank you," Lawrence said, visibly relieved. He felt grateful that Nicole didn''t outright reject his gesture. If she had, he would have had toe up with another n. He had even prepared to mail the gifts directly to the Riddle residence as ast resort. Nicole nced at Lawrence and said with a slight smile, "I should be the one thanking you on behalf of Nn and Lana." "No need to mention it," Lawrence replied with a smile. "As I''ve said, it''s just my way of showing I care." Chapter 3094 Chapter 3094 "I''ll ept the gifts on their behalf, but I still can''t invite you to the birthday party. It''s just not appropriate," Nicole stated calmly, without hesitation. Lawrence, feeling a bit awkward, managed a helpless smile and said, "Even though I just threatened you, you didn''t have to retaliate so quickly." He knew she wouldn''t invite him to the birthday party, but her blunt deration still made it hard for him to ept. "I''m just stating the facts," Nicole replied with a serene smile, appearing innocent. Lawrence was momentarily lost in thought, just as Lulu came in. "Mr. Royce, your coffee." Lulu said, cing the coffee on the table. A flicker of difort crossed Lawrence''s face. "No need, I was just leaving now that we''ve discussed everything." Watching Lawrence leave abruptly, Lulu looked surprised. "He''s gone just like that?" "Nicole, was it something you said? He seemed a bit off," Lulu inquired. "It''s nothing, just that I didn''t invite him to the birthday party," Nicole replied. "So, he''s angry?" Lulu murmured, frowning. "But he didn''t seem like it." Nicole couldn''t help but give Lulu an amused look. "What are you muttering about?" "Oh, nothing." Lulu nced at the bags on Nicole''s desk. "So, you epted the gifts." "Yes, it''s simpler that way. Besides, they''re for Nn and Lana, so it''s ultimately up to them," Nicole said. "Right, that probably exins why he left without making more of a fuss," Lulu said as she nodded. Nicole set the bags aside, her gaze lingering for a moment before she resettled in her chair. "Alright, no more worries. You don''t need to fret." "Okay then, I''ll get back to work," Lulu said, turning to leave. Meanwhile, as Lawrence got into the car, Ian noticed that the bags of gifts were not with him and said, "Nicole epted them?" "Yes," Lawrence replied. "Drive." "Yes, sir." After Ian responded, he sensed that Lawrence''s mood was off and couldn''t help expressing concern. ''Mr. Royce, you seem upset even though the gifts were delivered. Did something happen?" "It''s nothing." Lawrence''s tone carried a hint of irritation as he turned his gaze toward the window. Images of Nicole just moments ago shed through his mind, reminding him of their time on Crescent Ind. Back then, she had no memories and lived carefree, with him being the only one she would get close to. But everything changed upon their return to San Joto, especially after she regained her memories. The events that unfolded had only driven them further apart, to the point where they were almost enemies. Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. Feeling a tightness in his chest, Lawrence paled. His expression was solemn. The next day, in the evening, everything was ready for the birthday party at the Riddle residence. The house was filled with lights andughter, bustling with arge gathering. It wasn''t just a few rtives; Benjamin, Dillon''s family, Dexter''s family, and even Maximillian were there to celebrate the kids'' birthday. "Lana, your family is huge, even bigger than mine!" Nona eximed, her eyes wide with amazement. "Yeah, that''s my great-grandfather, and those are my grandparents..." Lana began introducing her family to Nona. 1 Nn motioned to his friends. "Let''s sit here. Grandma said this area is just for us kids." Chapter 3095 Chapter 3095 "Okay," the children agreed, making their way to their designated area and settling down. The table was full of snacks, fruit, and pastries, with lots of toys around. Nn and Lana kept their friends entertained, eating and ying together. Meanwhile, the grown-ups sat on the couches in the living room. "I didn''t think you both would make it," Nicole said, ncing at Benjamin and Maximillian. "On a day this fun, we wouldn''t miss it for the world,¡¯ Benjamin and Maximillian replied, smiling. Even though the younger ones tried to keep the birthday party a secret from them, once they found out, there was no way they wouldn''te. Not only did they show up, but they also brought gifts for Nn and Lana. "Yeah, your dad and I were thinking of just telling them, but so many people ended uping. Good thing we were ready," Gloria said, smiling at the crowded room. The n was for a simple celebration with close family, but the enthusiastic turnout made the party even more fun. "Gloria, I¡¯m their uncle," Er said proudly. "Haha, yes, you''re also their uncle," Gloriaughed in response. Emma looked at the children and said, "Nn and Lana are just so lovable. When will I get to hold my grandchild?" "That''s something you should ask Emery," Gloria replied, turning to look at Emery and his wife, who seemed somewhat shy, unsure of how to respond. "Mom, even though you admire Gloria, there''s no rush. Let''s just see how things go," Er interjected, trying to shift the focus away from Emery. "Yes, let''s just take things as theye," Emery agreed, before turning to Eliar and asking, "And when are you getting married? Sooner rather thanter, perhaps?" "After I''ve just helped you out, you turn against me?" Er eximed, feigning dismay. The whole family burst intoughter, enjoying the yful banter. Emery responded, "I just think it''s time you considered your own matters." "Alright, then let Mom focus on your wife''s belly instead," Er quickly surrendered. It wasn''t that he didn''t want to marry; it was that the person he wanted to marry already had someone else in their heart. Feeling a bit mncholy, Er sighed and stood up. "I''d better go y with the kids." "That child," Emma shook her head, amused yet sympathetic. Seeing this, Karen tried tofort Emma. "You should rx. I have it even worse. At least Emery has a wife. Preston doesn''t even have a girl around him." "Hey, why bring me into this?" Preston protested. "Please, leave me out of this. I''m out of here." Watching Preston beat a hasty retreat, everyone couldn''t help butugh again. "These kids, when we talk about marrying them off, they act like we''re threatening them," Karen muttered, casting a secretive nce at Preston. "Don''t worry, when the timees, they won''t be able to avoid it. Just like Stanley used to give me N?velDrama.Org holds ? this. headaches, but look at him now," Gloriaforted them. "Speaking of which, it might be time to consider setting a date for Stanley and Tia''s wedding." Emma, Karen, and Gloria then engaged in a lively discussion. Stanley quietly took Tia, steering Mrs. Wace Sr. toward the kids'' area, finding that spot more appealing. "You two," Mrs. Wace Sr. understood their intent and smiled. "Don''t worry, we''ll listen to what you two decide." "Thank you," Stanley and Tia expressed their gratitude. Arriving at the kids'' area, they saw Preston and Er leading the children in their joyful y. Maximillian and Benjamin exchanged pleasantries; Dillon, Dexter, and Daniel joined in, adding to the conversation from time to time. Chapter 3096 Chapter 3096 The younger adults gradually joined the kids'' area, drawn by the infectiousughter and joyous sounds. Preston and Er quickly became one with the children, engaging in a lively game of hide-and-seek. With a cloth covering his eyes, Er tried to catch the others within a set boundary. Sean and Jane leaned against each other, watching everyone y with joy. Sally snuggled in Steve''s embrace, her hand on her abdomen. "Steve, our child will be like them too, right?" "Yes, they¡¯ll be just as happy and joyful," Steve replied, kissing Sally lightly on the temple. Sally blushed, smiling shyly, her cheeks flushing. Spencer, Lulu, Samuel, and June stood with Nicole and Jared, watching Nn and Lana with amusement. "Looks like they''re having a st today,¡¯ Spencer said. "Yeah, they seem really happy," Samuel added. Lulu nodded, smiling. "This is probably the happiest they''ve been since they got back.¡¯ Nicole smiled warmly. "It''s been a great day, hasn''t it?" Jared squeezed Nicole''s hand gently. '' And there will be many more toe." Nicole looked up at Jared, her happiness evident. After a big dinner, the kids'' families arrived to take them home. Maximillian and Benjamin left, and Dillon and Karen said, "We''re heading out too. Don''t forget to visit Dad at the Riddle family manor when you can." "We won''t," Dexter and Daniel promised. Karen turned to Gloria and Emma. "If you need anything, just let me know." "We should definitely meet up for tea sometime," Emma suggested. "Sounds wonderful. I''ll be looking forward to it,¡± Karen said, feeling warmly weed. After Dillon and Karen left, Dexter''s family also said their goodbyes. With most of the guests gone, the remaining few began to prepare to depart. "Goodbye," Nn and Lana said politely. "See youter!" Sean, Jane, Steve, and Sally replied cheerfully. Once they had all gotten into their cars and driven off, Spencer, Samuel, Lulu, and June also departed. "I''ll take Mrs. Wace Sr. back to rest now," Tia said after bidding goodbye to Daniel, Gloria, and the others, ready to wheel Mrs. Wace Sr. away. "I¡¯ll walk you out," Stanley offered, stepping forward to escort them. The lively living room quickly grew quiet. Nicole, holding Nn and Lana''s hands, said, "Let''s go open some presents now." "Yay!" Lana eximed eagerly. N?velDrama.Org holds ? this. The pile of presents for Lana and Nn was sorge it almost formed a small mountain. As they reached the pile of gifts, Nicole began opening them with Nn and Lana. Halfway through, Nn noticed an unfamiliar box and asked, "Mommy, who''s this gift from?" He didn''t recall receiving it. After a nce, Nicole picked up the box and another box from the pile and handed one to each child. "These are from Lawrence." "Godpa!" Both Nn and Lana were surprised, instinctively looking around. Chapter 3097 Chapter 3097 "He didn''te, but he prepared gifts for you," Nicole exined. "Oh.¡± Nn''s gaze returned from the window to the box in his hands, his expression hesitant. Nicole touched his head gently. ''You can choose to open it or not.¡± It was clear that Nn was still somewhat resistant, likely still upset about Lawrence''s actions from before. "Let''s open it and see," Jared''s voice chimed in. Nn looked up at Jared, murmuring, "Dad, I..." "It''s okay. It''s a birthday gift he sent you, and I think it''s something you''ll like, " Jared said softly. After all, Lawrence knew Nn and Lana well, so the gifts he chose were surely ones they''d enjoy. Jared could sense Nn''s uncertainty and inner struggle; it''s tough for anyone to ept being used by someone they trusted, especially for a child. But Nn''s emotions for Lawrence were genuine, as was the care Lawrence had shown him, which probably made Nn''s inner turmoil even moreplicated. Nn hesitated to open the gift box, sensing that it held something he had wished for a long time. Nicole, noticing Nn''s hesitation, gently urged him, "Go on, open it." After a moment''s pause, Nn nodded. "Alright." Nn opened the box atst, his expression a blend of emotions as he gazed at the gift inside. Watching Nn, Lana decided to open her gift too. Over the years, Lawrence had always sent them birthday presents they adored, and Lana was sure this time would be no different. However, the excitement she once felt was now tempered by aplex mix of emotions. "Mommy, thank Godpa for me tomorrow," Lana said softly after closing her gift box, looking up at Nicole. "I''ve already thanked him for you," Nicole replied with a relieved smile, noticing the maturity in her children. After unwrapping the rest of their gifts, Nn and Lana found themselves with quite a collection. "Are you happy with your presents?" Gloria and Daniel, standing nearby, asked with a smile as they watched Nn and Lana. "Yes," Nn and Lana replied. They could feel the love and consideration behind each gift, tailored to their likes and interests. "That''s great to hear," Gloria said warmly. "I''ll have someone take the gifts to your rooms. It''s getting "Okay," Nn and Lana agreed, trailing after Nicole and Jared as they headed upstairs. After instructing the butler to move the gifts to Nn and Lana''s rooms, Gloria and Daniel also called it a night. In his room, surrounded by the gifts now upying his space, Nn hesitated briefly before deciding to turn on hisputer. Nicole, understanding Nn''s intentions, didn''t interfere. Instead, she quietly helped him organize the gifts, cing them in their proper ces around the room. Once theputer was up and running, Nnposed a message to Lawrence, politely expressing his gratitude. To his surprise, Lawrence responded promptly: [Is the birthday party over?] Feeling uncertainty, Nn replied: [Yes, it''s done.] Lawrence followed up: [Getting ready for bed, then?] Nn typed back: [Yeah.] Sensing Nn''s distant tone, Lawrence sent another message: [The gifts are a way for me to show my love for you both. I hope you and Lana are staying healthy and happy.] 1 Nn responded: [Thank you, we''re doing okay.] Chapter 3098 Chapter 3098 [Alright then. Get some rest.] [Goodbye.] After signing off, Nn stepped away from theputer desk. Catching Nicole''s gaze, he said somewhat awkwardly, "I''m going to take a shower." "Sure thing," Nicole replied with a smile, finding her son''s sudden bashfulness endearing. Once Nn had finished his shower and climbed into bed, Nicole made sure he was tucked in before switching off the light and leaving the room. Lying in bed, Nn gazed into the darkness of his room. His eyes, glimmering faintly in the dimness, held a whirlwind of emotions that gradually settled into peace. There were many things he didn''t fully understand yet, but he found sce in knowing that his mother was always there for him, and in that, her decisions were his as well. **** Meanwhile, Lawrence sat staring nkly at hisputer screen. "Sir, Nn has logged off," Ian murmured softly, breaking the silence that had enveloped Lawrence. Snapped back to reality, Lawrence nced at Ian. "You can go now." "Yes, sir," Ian replied, then quietly exited the room. Lawrence leaned back in his chair, his expression turning more contemtive. He felt somewhat taken aback by Nn''s message of gratitude, but the polite yet distant tone stung. It seemed that things truly couldn''t go back to how they were before. Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. Deciding to bide his time, Lawrence resolved to wait for the opportunity to bring the kids back to Crescent Ind, hoping for a chance to mend their rtionship. His gaze hardened as he thought of Everett. ''He''s achieved nothing since his return. Perhaps it''s time to offer him some assistance.'' **** Back at the Riddle residence, after Nn and Lana had gone to bed, Nicole and Jared retired to their own room. "The kids seemed really happy today. The birthday party was definitely worth it," Nicole remarked with a satisfied smile. It had been a sess; everyone was joyful, especially the children. "Mm-hmm," Jared responded quietly. Nicole raised an eyebrow at Jared. "So, what are your thoughts on Rami?" She remembered Jared had been keeping an eye on him. Rami, as Lana described him, was quite robust and indeed seemed very caring toward Lana. To Nicole, it seemed like nothing more than innocent childhood friendship. Seeing Jared acting as though someone might steal his precious daughter made Nicole want tough. Noticing Nicole''s amused expression, Jared lightly tapped her forehead, saying, "She''s your daughter too." He wondered, ''Doesn''t she feel any concern, even a little?'' Nicole pouted and rubbed her forehead. ¡¯I do care for our daughter. But they are really too young for you to start worrying about this now. "How are we supposed to live our future days? "Do you n to keep Lana locked up at home or have her by our side all the time?" Jared sighed, clearly understanding that such an approach wasn''t practical. Nicole, wrapping her arm around Jared''s, reassured him, "Rx, we also have Nn, and he will look out for Lana." "Nn can''t be there all the time," Jared frowned. While Nn''s presence was reassuring, it wasn''t practical to rely solely on him to watch over Lana constantly. "If you keep this up, I think you''re setting yourself up for a lifetime of worry,¡± Nicole remarked jokingly. In Nicole''s eyes, Lana was still young, but Lana would grow up, start dating, and eventually marry. There was no way they could keep Lana from marriage forever. Jared''s current behavior hinted at the challenges Lana¡¯s future boyfriend might face. Chapter 3099 Chapter 3099 ncing at Nicole, Jared awkwardly excused himself. "I''m going to take a shower," he said. Nicole chuckled softly, amused by his clear devotion as a doting father. She could only imagine the long road ahead for any boy who fancied Lana, wondering just how exceptional they would have to be to earn Jared''s approval. The next day dawned bright and sunny. Nicole arrived at the office as usual. Despite a day''s worth of work pressing down, thanks to Nicole and Lulu''s efforts, the workload left for Nicole wasn''t overwhelming. "Ms. Riddle, it''s unusually quiet on Everett''s end. Could there be something amiss?¡± Patricia whispered cautiously. Nicole''s eyes narrowed slightly. Her voice turned cold as she said, "Keep an eye on him." It seemed out of character for Everett to stay quiet; Nicole felt there had to be something brewing. After the recent events, Everett would likely be more cautious, making him harder to deal with. "Got it," Patricia replied. "Nicole, do you think Everett will target ourpany directly next?" Lulu asked, frowning. They had already dealt with issues at several Riddle Corporation subsidiaries, so it seemed unlikely he would go after them again. Nicole shook her head. "It''s hard to say at this point." "He''s such a troublemaker," Lulu muttered, clearly frustrated. Patricia tried to reassure her. "Don''t worry, he''s not someone we should be afraid of." She thought to herself, ''Besides, as Ms. Riddle said, the more restless Everett gets, the better our chances of catching him in the act, hopefully leading to his capture soon.'' "It''s just frustrating that he''s always causing problems. I''m tired of dealing with him, but we have to stay vignt," Luluined, gritting her teeth. Nicole couldn''t help but chuckle at Lulu''s words. "Then let''s not think about it and focus on our own tasks." "Ms. Riddle, I''ll be heading out then," Patricia nodded. "Alright," Nicole responded. Lulu excused herself as well and followed Patricia out. "Why didn''t you go yesterday?" Lulu asked Patricia, referring to Nn and Lana''s birthday party. Understanding Lulu meant the birthday party, Patricia exined, "It was a family gathering, and it wouldn¡¯t have been appropriate for me to attend. But I did send gifts." "Oh,e on, you''re practically family to US," Lulu said, patting Patricia on the shoulder with a smile. Patricia just smiled back instead ofmenting further. "It was quite lively yesterday. The unmarried ones got the marriage talk again, especially Er. It seems his mother is really desperate," Lulu said, ncing at Patricia. Patricia''s expression stiffened for a moment before she tried to appear calm. "That''s good to hear." "We also think it''s about time for Er to settle down." Lulumented dramatically, "It''s such a pity." N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. "A pity about what?" Patricia looked at Lulu, puzzled and a bit concerned. Lulu secretly snickered inside but put on a worried face. "It''s a pity Er himself isn''t willing." "Not willing to do what?" Patricia was confused, prompting further exnation. She wondered, ''Is it about his parents trying to find a girlfriend for him, and he isn¡¯t interested?¡¯ Lulu shook her head as if resigned. "Er is not interested in finding a girlfriend right now." After saying that, Lulu blinked her eyes at Patricia, who was momentarily stunned before realizing she had been teased by Lulu. Chapter 3100 Chapter 3100 Biting her lip, Patricia left with a slightly awkward demeanor, muttering, ''¡ö I¡¯m off to work." Watching Patricia¡¯s hurried departure, Lulu couldn''t help butugh. She could see that Patricia clearly cared a lot, yet Patricia pretended to be indifferent. Back in her office, Patricia leaned against the door, biting her lip in embarrassment. It seemed her feelings had been inadvertently revealed; she did care about Er and wanted to know about him, concerned for his well-being. **** Meanwhile, at BayCorp, "Achoo!" Er sneezed loudly and rubbed his nose. "Did I catch a cold?" He nced at the air conditioning; the temperature was fine. Knock, knock, knock. Someone knocked on the door, and Er responded, "Come in." His assistant entered with a serious expression. "Mr. Riddle, that car is back at the front of our office building again." "Again?!" Er clenched his teeth, his expression darkening. The car had been showing up for three days straight now. There was always someone inside, but they just parked there without doing anything specific. At first, Er thought it might be surveince, but the more he watched, the less it made sense. He wondered if someone was waiting for an opportunity to strike at BayCorp again. "Mr. Riddle, what should we do? Should we ask Ms. Riddle for help?" the assistant inquired. Er shook his head. "Not yet. We can''t bother Nicole with every little thing. " Especially since the situation was still unclear, and everything was based on his spection. Plus, he should try to handle it himself before relying on others, if possible. "What should we do, then?" the assistant asked again. After a moment''s thought, Er decided, "Have someone watch them discreetly. Let''s give them a chance and see what they''re really up to." "Understood," the assistant agreed before leaving the room. Leaning back in his chair, Er clenched his teeth, his eyes filled with determination. He was resolved to find out who was behind this and what their intentions were. After a busy day, Er left BayCorp. The car that had been parked in front of thepany remained unmoved. Er''s assistant whispered, "Don''t worry, everything''s arranged." "Let''s go home," Er said, choosing not to dwell on it any further as he departed. Upon arriving home, Er called out, "Mom, Dad, I''m back," as he entered. He noticed a girl he hadn''t seen before in the living room, alongside his parents. Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. Smiling awkwardly and lowering his voice, he remarked, "Oh, we have a guest here." "Yes,e here," Emma beckoned him over. Approaching the couch, Er nced at the girl and said, "You guys continue your chat, I''ll head to my room." Emma, displeased, grabbed him, insisting, "Sit down." "Is there something?" Er asked, puzzled. Even though there was a guest, he didn''t know her, so he didn''t see the need to stay. With an inward roll of her eyes, Emma forcefully seated Er and said," This is Doretta, your distant cousin." "My cousin? From your side of the family?" Er looked puzzled. "Why didn''t Grandma ever mention her?" "Oh, she is indeed from my side of the family, but you two aren''t rted by blood," Emma rified. "So, why is she here?" Er asked, despite not wanting to delve too deeply. "Doretta will be staying with US for a while until she finds a job and a ce of her own," Emma exined. Chapter 3101 Chapter 3101 When Er realized Doretta was crashing his home to get settled in San Joto, he thought, ''Having an extra person hanging around is gonna be a bit of a hassle. Finding her a job might help her move out sooner.'' "Got any job preferences? I could lend a hand with the search," Er offered, his brow furrowing. "Thanks. I''ve got a master''s in management. Gonna scope out what the local job scene''s after," Doretta replied, indicating she wanted to suss out the job market first. Doretta noticed Er''s expression andughed. '' You didn''t think I was looking for a job in housekeeping or caregiving, did you?" From Er''s reaction, she had guessed his initial assumption. She understood that El r probably thought of her as just someone from rural areas. But if she had no skills or qualifications, she wouldn''t have bothereding all the way to San Joto; she could have easily found a job back home. Er felt a bit embarrassed; he had indeed thought so initially, but Doretta''s education and field of study had quickly corrected his assumption. "Have you sent out your resume yet?" Er asked, trying to shift the awkward situation. "I''ve applied to a few ces and am waiting to hear back," Doretta said, not really upset with Er''s initial assumption, and responded with a light smile. Er, feeling apologetic, offered, "If thosepanies don''t pan out, I''ll help you search more. Well make sure yound a job you''re happy with." "Thank you, Er," Doretta politely thanked him. Emma watched them both, her eyes shining with satisfaction. She even shot Dexter a look that said, "See how well they get along?" But Dexter just shook his head slightly. He didn''t think theirpatibility could be judged so easily. Doretta had just arrived in San Joto, likely not interested in dating yet, and Ell ar didn''t seem to be either. Emma caught Dexter''s meaning and rolled her eyes, thinking to herself that feelings might grow over time. "Let me show you to your room, Doretta," Emma said warmly, leading her away. As they left, Er finally rxed and asked, "Dad, what''s going on?" Dexter exined, "A few days ago, we received a message asking US to look after her for a while. "Your mom thought it would be easier for Doretta to stay with US since she came to San Joto alone and is still getting used to everything here. "We''ll give Doretta some time to get to know the area and settle into her job before we discuss her ns for the future." Er looked surprised. "So, if she doesn''t leave, does that mean she''ll stay with us forever?" "Of course not. Eventually, she''ll want to find a boyfriend, get married, you know," Dexter said, thinking Er was jumping to conclusions. Er was annoyed at the idea of waiting for Doretta to get married before she moved out, as if his parents had taken in a daughter. After Emma had helped Doretta settle in, dinner was ready. The dinner table felt a bit awkward with all four of them there. Er kept his head down, focused on his meal. Emma kicked him under the table a few times, trying to get his attention, but he didn''t react. Finally, Emma gave Ell ar an exasperated look and took charge, engaging Doretta in conversation to lighten the mood. "I''m finished eating. I have some work to do, so I''ll be in the study," El I ar announced, ncing at Doretta. "You guys can take your time." After Er left, Emma couldn''t hide her frustration. Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. Doretta smiled at her and said, "Aunt Emma, I''m finished eating too." "Are you sure? Did you have enough?¡± Emma asked, concerned. "Yes, I''m full," Doretta replied politely, nodding. Chapter 3102 Chapter 3102 "Treat this ce like your own home, and don''t hesitate to make yourselffortable," Emma "Got it. Thank you, Aunt Emma," Doretta responded with a smile. "If you''re feeling tired after your journey, feel free to rest," Emma said, her concern evident. "In that case, I''ll leave you guys to enjoy your meal. I''ll head back to my room," Doretta said as she stood up. "Of course, take your time," Emma said, her satisfaction with Doretta evident as her smile widened. After Doretta left, Dexter quietly cautioned Emma, "Don''t set your expectations too high." His advice was meant to temper any potential disappointment. "You''re not exactly helping by being so pessimistic," Emma replied, clearly unhappy with Dexter''s "I''m just reminding you, some things can''t be forced. You don''t want it to backfire," Dexter exined. Emma rolled her eyes at Dexter. "I know. Even if I think Doretta is a good match, we still have to respect what Er wants." Dexter felt somewhat relieved. When it came to setting someone up, it was important to consider their feelings. He didn''t want to put Er in a difficult position. If Er and Doretta happened to develop feelings for each other, he wouldn''t oppose it. However, if they weren''t interested, there was no need to force anything, and it would be best if everyone epted it. The following day, a gentle breeze filled the air as Er arrived at the Riddle Corporation early in the morning. "Wow, you''re here early. Is everything okay?" Nicole asked, a hint of surprise in her voice. "It''s nothing urgent. I just didn''t feel like staying home, so I thought I''d stop by before heading to BayCorp," Er replied. Noticing Er''s frustrated expression, Nicole couldn''t help but tease, "Why? Feeling pressured to get married again?" "Ugh, it''s even worse than that," Er sighed, clearly troubled, as he shared Doretta''s situation with Nicole. "A distant cousin?" Nicole asked, puzzled. "I suppose so," Er shrugged. "But it doesn''t really matter now. She''s already here and has moved into my house." Nicole frowned slightly. "Hmm... You mentioned she''s looking for a job, right?" "Yeah, but the way my mom''s acting, I don''t think she''ll let Doretta move out even if she finds a job," Er grimaced. Though his parents hadn''t said it outright, the look in his mother''s eyes and her attitude made it seem like they were already treating Doretta as a future daughter-inw. Er''s onlyfort was that his parents still had some sense left, or else he wouldn''t even be able to go back home. "In that case, you''ll just have to look after yourself," Nicole shrugged, indicating there was little she could do to help. N?velDrama.Org holds ? this. Er chuckled bitterly. "I''ll just bury myself in work." With no better ideas, he could only silently protest, perhaps im he was too busy with work and make excuses to stay away from home as much as possible. Trying to lighten the mood, Nicole changed the subject. "So, what did you want to talk to me about?" Er pped his forehead. "I almost forgot the actual reason I came." "Let me show you something." Er handed a small packet to Nicole. Er chuckled bitterly. "I''ll just bury myself in work." With no better ideas, he could only silently protest, perhaps im he was too busy with work and make excuses to stay away from home as much as possible. Trying to lighten the mood, Nicole changed the subject. "So, what did you want to talk to me about?" Er pped his forehead. "I almost forgot the actual reason I came." "Let me show you something." Er handed a small packet to Nicole. After Nicole opened it and examined a small sample on her fingertip, herplexion turned pale. "Phosphate rock powder!" "Yes, someone left it in mypany," Er said, his expression turning serious. Fortunately, someone was vignt enough to discover the culprit''s intention: They wanted to burn down hispany. Chapter 3103 Chapter 3103 Nicole thought, ''Everett is utterly despicable. Even if he wants to target a building, there are so many people inside!'' Her expression was grave as she said, "They ced it in yourpany?" Er replied, "Yes, I''ve felt something off these past few days. There''s always been a strange car parked at the entrance of thepany. "So, I had my assistant arrange for someone to keep an eye on them. "We even intentionally let the security guards lower their vignce, and sure enough, they acted." His expression darkened with seriousness. He believed that Everett was nning a devastating blow to BayCorp when nobody expected it. If something happened to BayCorp now, all their previous work would be in jeopardy, causing unimaginable problems. "How much did you discover?" Nicole inquired, her brow furrowed. "We found it in several key departments of thepany and near some warehouses storing mmable items," Ell ar replied, clearly irritated. The preparations were so thorough that if a fire were to break out, it would be very difficult to contain. "Have you managed to deal with it all?" Nicole asked cautiously. "Yes, everything has been taken care of," Er assured her. Nicole nodded. "That''s good." "I just came to inform you, so you can be prepared on your end. Who knows what Everett is nning," Er said, his tone wary. He believed that whatever Everett was doing to target him, it wouldn''t be the end goal. It was unclear whether this incident was a warning for Nicole or an attempt to distract her with BayCorp''s troubles while nning something else. But regardless, it was a situation that called for caution, indicating that their adversary meant serious harm. Nicole''s gaze darkened in response. "Alright, I understand." "Yeah, just wanted to let you know. But don''t worry about me. I''ve got it covered," Er said confidently. Since thest incident, he knew he shouldn''t be a burden or hold Nicole back, even if he couldn''t help her. Impressed by Er''s maturity, Nicole smiled and replied, "I believe in you." Er paused, then awkwardly scratched his head, giving a goofy smile. "Focus on thepany''s affairs. Stay safe," Nicole advised. "Sure, I''ll head back now. I''ll let you know if anythinges up," Er promised before leaving. Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. Nicole watched him go, smiling contentedly. She could see he had grown capable of standing on his own. As soon as Er left, Lulu entered with a look of surprise. "When did he get here?" she wondered. ''So early, is there something important?'' Nicole briefly exined the situation to Lulu. Lulu was so shocked that her voice rose. "Has Everett gone mad?" "Probably desperate," Nicole remarked. Her eyes showed a hint of disdain. After all, Everett had been back for quite some time without achieving his goals, not even getting the chance to make a real move. Hence, he must be desperate. Nicole nced at the custom-made watch on her wrist, holding both the Fire Crest and Water Crest. ''Everett came back for the crests, and we also have to be wary of Lawrence.'' Although Lawrence had seemed quiet recently, as if he had broken ties with Everett, Nicole knew his goals wouldn''t change easily. Moreover, all these years, perhaps Lawrence''s care for her was because of the Fire Crest. Noticing Nicole''s serious expression, Lulu asked softly, "Nicole, are you okay? Are you worried about something?" "No," Nicole looked at Lulu and continued, "I''m just wondering if Eliar can really solve any issues faced by BayCorp. After all, Everett is ruthless." She felt that Er was no match for Everett in this regard. She couldn''t help but think, ''Did we miss anything?'' "Don''t worry. As long as Er can keep himself safe, there''s nothing to be afraid of," Lulu reassured Nicole. She thought that as long as people are safe, nothing else matters. Chapter 3104 Chapter 3104 Moreover, now that Erwas aware of the need for caution and had taken precautions, Everett wouldn''t find it so easy to target BayCorp. Nicole nodded. "You''re right. But we still need to get everything ready ahead of time." "Absolutely," Lulu agreed. Her tone turned serious. "We can¡¯t let Everett win. Their discussion was interrupted by a knock at the door. Patricia announced, "(Ms. Riddle], it''s me." "Come in," Nicole directed. Patricia entered and approached Nicole''s desk. Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. "How''s the investigation on Everett going that you were tasked with?" Nicole inquired. "That''s actually why I''m here," Patricia replied. ¡®Everett hasn''t even been to hispany these past few days, but his assistant has been going out frequently." "The guy named Jerry?" Nicole murmured, recalling the name Preston had mentioned. "Yes, that''s the guy. And it seems he''s been in contact with several individuals. I''ve got people looking into those individuals, but we haven''t got any results on their identities yet," Patricia exined. Nicole frowned slightly, then suggested, "You could have someone check BayCorp''s surveince footage. There might be clues there." "BayCorp?" Patricia appeared puzzled. "Yes." Nicole shared the information Er had brought regarding the situation at BayCorp. She suspected that the individuals Patricia was looking for might be the same ones trying to set fire to the BayCorp building. Patricia''s expression turned grave, and she replied in a heavy tone, ¡®Alright, I understand." "Go ahead," Nicole indicated for Patricia to proceed with her tasks. "Yes, Ms. Riddle," Patricia acknowledged before departing. "Nicole, with Patricia looking into Everett, what do we do?" Lulu asked with a hint of concern. Nicole''s expression darkened slightly as she instructed Lulu, "Keep a close eye on ourpany affairs." "Ah?" Lulu sounded worried. "And what about you? You''re not nning to investigate personally, are you?" She wondered, ''Am I only tasked with overseeing thepany''s matters, excluded from the rest? And what about Nicole herself?'' Nicole shook her head. "Even if I don''t go personally, I still need to pay more attention." Given the uncertainty of what might happen next, she thought it was better not to involve Lulu in such dangerous matters. Letting Lulu stay behind at thepany was a better option to keep Lulu safe. "What are you nning to do?" Lulu asked tentatively. "I''ll have Charlie handle this matter. Don''t worry," Nicole responded vaguely but offered reassurance. "Alright then." Lulu agreed, even though Nicole didn''t want to share more. She felt less worried knowing Charlie would be involved. Giving Nicole a nod, Lulu said, "Then I''ll get to work." Nicole had entrusted Lulu with thepany''s responsibilities, so Lulu was determined to give it her all, ensuring Nicole wouldn''t have to worry about anything. After Lulu left, Nicole called Charlie. "Hello, Mrs. Johnston," Charlie¡¯s voice came through. "Charlie, we have a situation here..." Nicole began, briefing him on Er''s discovery at BayCorp and Patricia''s assignment. After that, she added, "There''s something I need you to arrange." Chapter 3105 Chapter 3105 "Sure thing," Charlie replied respectfully. "Patricia''s gonna keep an eye on Everett. Need someone to watch Lawrence too," Nicole said, her tone serious. "Don''t worry, I''ll get someone to keep tabs on him," Charlie promised. "Be really careful. I think if Lawrence does anything, it won¡¯t be obvious. He''ll probably help Everett quietly," Nicole cautioned. "Yeah, I get it. I won''t let him get away with it," Charlie replied firmly. "Good," Nicole said, then hung up. After she put her phone away, Nicole looked thoughtful, as if thinking about something. Meanwhile, Patricia had arrived at BayCorp. "Why are you here?" Er asked, surprised to see her. "Ms. Riddle asked me to look into something. I need the surveince footage from the past few days," Patricia exined briefly, not borating with Er. "Oh, sure," Er said, pressing the inte button. "Can you have the head of security send over the surveince footage from the past few days?" "Of course," his secretary replied. Turning back to Patricia, Er asked, "Is there anything else you need?" "That''s all," Patricia replied, then settled in to wait quietly. "I can have someone give you a detailed description of those people''s appearances and what they did," Er offered when Patricia stayed quiet. Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. Patricia frowned a bit, then said, "No, that won''t be necessary." She thought to herself, ''He actually knew why I''m here to investigate. He has really grown.¡¯ Knock, Knock, Knock. Er heard the familiar sound of knocking on the door and called out," Come in.¡± To his surprise, instead of his secretary with the surveince footage, it was his mother who entered. "Mom, what are you doing here?" "Doretta is still waiting to hear back from her job interviews, and since we didn''t have much else to do, I thought we¡¯d take a stroll and decided to drop by your office," Emma exined as she entered with Doretta. Noticing Patricia, Emma paused before asking, "Are you discussing work?" "Yes," Er replied briefly, then added, "Where else did you n to go? I can have someone take you." Emma looked dissatisfied with EIIar. "We just got here. Are you trying to rush us out?" "Of course not. You were the one who said you wanted to look around," Er replied, feeling a bit wronged. Emma huffed and red at Er, thinking he found them bothersome. Er could only say resignedly, "Then please, take a seat. I''ll have my secretary bring in some fruit and tea." Patricia stood to the side, trying to make herself inconspicuous, her anxiety growing. ''Why hasn''t the surveince footagee in yet? Being here is really starting to creep me out.'' She sensed that Emma''s visit wasn''t just a casual stroll with Doretta. It was obvious that Emma had brought Doretta specifically to see Er, showing Emma''s high approval of Doretta. Feeling a strange bitterness in her heart, Patricia clenched her teeth in silence, avoiding any further nces at Doretta When there was another knock at the door, the secretary entered, carrying not only fruit and tea but also the surveince footage. "Here''s the surveince footage," the secretary said, setting the fruit and tea on the table before handing the footage to Patricia. "Thank you," Patricia said as she epted it. She then turned to Er. "I''ll take the footage with me now." Chapter 3106 Chapter 3106 "If you ever need my help, you can alwayse to me," Er offered. "No need," Patricia replied, giving a polite nod to Emma before she left. As Patricia departed, Emma furrowed her brows slightly. "That girl seemed familiar." "She''s working for Nicole," Er exined. "Oh," Emma nodded, seemingly recalling something. "Mom, I''ve got work to do. If you want to rest, help yourself to some fruit. Or if you''d rather keep walking, I can get someone to walk with you," Eliar changed the subject. N?velDrama.Org holds ? this. Emma gave Er a look, feeling disappointed by his eagerness to see them go. She had invited Doretta over specifically to help them bond, hoping it would bring them closer. "Aunt Emma, maybe we should let Er focus on his work. We can go back home," Doretta suggested. "Look how considerate Doretta is," Emma said, gently reprimanding Er." If only you were as thoughtful as her, I''d be happy." "It''s like fate is making up for it by sending someone thoughtful to be with you," Er said with a smile, trying to make Emma feel better. As he spoke, Er moved closer to Emma and started massaging her shoulders, hoping to please her. "If you want to rx here, feel free. How about I buy you lunch? Would you like that?" Emma looked more content. "That sounds much better." Er rolled his eyes discreetly, then said with a smile, "Great. I''ll have my assistant book a table." "Pick a restaurant with character. Doretta doesn''t know this area, so it¡¯d be nice for her to try some of San Joto''s specialties," Emma suggested. "Sure thing," Er said, heading out. Emma smiled at Doretta. "Let''s stay here and wait to have lunch with Er." "Sounds good to me," Doretta replied with a smile. Emma''s smile grew wider, pleased with Doretta''s agreeable nature. Little did they know, Er would use this as an excuse to leave them in the office. After waiting for a while without seeing Er return, Emma frowned." Where did he go? Didn''t he say he had work to do?" Feeling uneasy, Emma stood up and left the office. "Where''s Mr. Riddle?" she asked the secretary. "Mr. Riddle had to attend an unexpected meeting and has already left thepany," the secretary exined. "That rascal..." Emma muttered under her breath, annoyed that Eliar had left without informing them. The secretary continued, "He has already made a reservation for you. You can go directly there when it''s time." Emma instantly understood and felt irritated. "He must have done it on purpose to avoid spending time with US." Doretta, who had followed her out, noticed Emma''s change in expression and couldn''t help but ask, "Aunt Emma, what happened?" "Oh, nothing. Er had somethinge up and won''t be able to join US for lunch. Looks like it''s just you and me," Emma exined to Doretta. "It''s understandable that he''s busy," Doretta said considerately. Emma smiled. "Let''s go then. It''s not lunchtime yet; I''ll take you to get some new clothes." "I have enough clothes, Aunt Emma," Doretta replied, feeling a bit embarrassed. "But you''re starting a new job soon, and you''ll need new clothes. It''ll also make a good impression during your interviews," Emma insisted, gently pulling Doretta along with her. Chapter 3107 Chapter 3107 With a sigh of relief, Er emerged from the secretary''s office just after Emma and Doretta had left. He had managed to avoid a prolonged conversation with them through a bit of trickery; otherwise, he wouldn''t have gotten any work done that day. Shaking his head, Er returned to his office, taking a deep breath topose himself as he started to catch up on his workload. He thought to himself, ''Lately, I''ve had more on my te, especially with keeping tabs on Everett. Now that Patricia is investigating Everett, could she possibly be in danger?'' Meanwhile, Patricia, having obtained the surveince footage, returned to the Riddle Corporation. Lulu was on her way to deliver documents to Nicole''s office when she saw Patricia. "You''re back. How did it go?" "I just got back. I''m going to check the information I''ve obtained so far now, " Patricia replied. "How was Er?" Lulu inquired further. Patricia hesitated before responding, "He''s fine." She headed to her own office after answering. Lulu watched Patricia go, frowning slightly and murmuring to herself, "Did I misread the situation? Why does Patricia seem off?" Shaking her head, Lulu knocked on Nicole''s office door. Once inside, she expressed her concern to Nicole. "Patricia is back, but she seems a bit off. Could it be that there''s a significant issue with Everett? Nicole''s brow furrowed slightly before she calmly responded, "Let her handle it for now. If there really is Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. a problem she can''t solve, she''ll let US know." "Okay, then." Lulu nodded, handing over the urgent documents to Nicole. ¡ö'' These need your signature." After signing the documents, Nicole handed them back to Lulu. "All set." "I''ll get back to my work then," Lulu said, taking the documents and leaving. Nicole pondered, gently biting her lip. ''Should I ask Zane for help if Patricia faces a tough situation?'' After some thought, she decided to give Zane a call. "Nicole," Zane''s voice greeted her as the call connected. "The folks you sent over, can they help Patricia?" Nicole cut to the chase. "Yes," Zane replied quickly. "Feel free to reach out to them directly if necessary." After a brief pause, Nicole replied, "Thank you." "No need forthanks," Zane''s voice softened. "If things go smoothly, I should be thanking you." Their organization aimed to dismantle the Eastern Falconpletely. After the Eastern Falcon cut its losses and went into hiding years ago, there had been no word from them. It was assumed they would no longer cause trouble if they stayed hidden. Unexpectedly, they had re-emerged, targeting Nicole. Since they refused to stay hidden, he couldn''t be allow them to roam free. "Alright, let''s leave it there for now." "Take care," Zane said, ending the call. Nicole stared at her phone, her gaze intense. She was certain that Everett''s return was backed by someone from the Eastern Falcon, but that person remained a mystery, leaving no trail to follow. Perhaps this was an opportunity to delve deeper into the investigation. Chapter 3108 Chapter 3108 As the sun set, Nicole left thepany and found Jared waiting for her. She smiled as she approached and got into the car. Noticing the faint signs of fatigue on her face, Jared asked, "Tired?" "It''s okay, just a bit frustrated because some things aren''t making sense yet, " Nicole replied, leaning back in her seat and sighing. Because of the Eastern Falcon matter?¡± Jared seemed to understand Nicole''s concerns. Nicole raised her eyebrows in surprise and asked, "How did you know?¡± "Take a look at this." Jared handed her a document. Nicole flipped through the file, her brows furrowing. It contained thetest investigative information on the Eastern Falcon, but the contents were unexpected, prompting Nicole to murmur, "They''ve been this quiettely?¡± It didn''t make sense to her. If the Eastern Falcon was indeed backing Everett, their low profile was inexplicable. And if they had other ns, it was unlikely that no evidence would be found. "Look at the back," Jared prompted Nicole. Nicole turned the page. As she read further, her expression darkened. "You suspect... Everett has taken control of their leader?" The findings in the document seemed to support this theory. ¡¯There''s that possibility," Jared replied softly. "Recently, I had Max arrange for some investigations. ording to the information gathered, it seems Everett might be controlling the Eastern Falcon, or at least a faction within it." Nicole''s eyes narrowed slightly. "So, Everett might have the leader under his control?" "We can''t rule out that possibility,¡± Jared confirmed. "Did you tell Zane?" Nicole asked. "I faxed him," Jared said, taking the document from Nicole. "Just letting you know.¡¯ "Got it." Nicole nodded, her expression showing she understood the importance of the information for their investigation. Jared looked at Nicole. "Zane will deal with the leader. Well handle Everett. ¡ö ¡¯Okay," Nicole said firmly, her gaze determined. It was time for a coordinated effort. N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. After a while, they got home. In the living room, Daniel and Gloria were ying with Nn and Lana. "Hi, Mommy. Hi, Daddy," the two little ones greeted Nicole and Jared as they walked in. "You''re back!" Nicole greeted the kids with a smile, walking over to the couch to greet Gloria and Daniel. "Dinner''s not ready yet; have a seat and wait," Gloria said, gesturing for Nicole and Jared to sit down. As they sat, Daniel turned to Nicole. "I heard there was some trouble at BayCorp?" "Who told you that?" Nicole asked, narrowing her eyes slightly, unsure if Daniel was referring to the phosphate rock powder incident and thus cautious in her response. ¡¯Dexter mentioned Er had to workte. I thought there might be some issues at thepany," Daniel exined. Realizing Daniel hadn''t heard about the phosphate rock powder incident, Nicole silently breathed a sigh of relief. ¡¯It''s probably just work. Nothing to worry about." "That''s good," Daniel said, feeling relieved. He added, "I was at your grandpa''s with Dexter when he suddenly got a call from Emma. "Seemed like she wasining about Er workingte. ¡¯I didn''t get the details, so I thought I''d ask you. As long as it''s nothing serious." "No need to worry," Nicole said, seeming to understand the situation, chuckling softly and shaking her head. She thought to herself, ''It must have been about Doretta, leading Er to find excuses not toe home.'' Nicole wasn''t surprised by Er¡¯s actions, considering how Er had rushed out early in the morning to avoid Doretta and was now finding excuses to stay away. ¡¯Dinner''s ready," the butler announced. Chapter 3109 Chapter 3109 ¡°Let''s eat," Gloria called out. Nicole nced over, noticing Stanley hadn''t returned yet. Understanding that her mom was calling everyone to dinner, she realized Stanley must have gone to have dinner in the backyard to spend time with Tia and Mrs. Wace Sr. After dinner, Nicole and Jared, along with Nn and Lana, headed back to their room. Gloria and Daniel were resting in the living room. Gloria checked the calendar and said, ¡°Nicole and Jared''s wedding ising up, isn¡¯t it? It feels like the two of them are not in a hurry at all." She felt like they had not even discussed anything about the wedding. "They''ve got it under control; you don''t need to stress,'' Daniel advised Gloria. ¡°It''s a major event, and they¡¯re so quiet as if they haven''t prepared for it at all. How can I not be worried?" Gloriained, ncing at Daniel. ¡°Don''t worry, Jared won''t let Nicole down." Daniel believed that, even though Nicole and Jared seemed calm, they wouldn''t rush through the wedding. ''I know. It''s just that I haven''t seen anything done yet, and it feels unsettling," she admitted. Danielforted her, patting Gloria''s hand. ¡°Don''t worry, they won''t disappoint US." Gloria could only sigh and agree, "Then let''s wait a bit longer." Upstairs, Nicole and Jared joined Nn and Lana in a game of Ludo. "Daddy, it''s your turn," Lana reminded Jared cheerfully when he didn''t move. "Okay," Jared replied, rolling a die thatnded on six. "Six!" Lana moved Jared''s piece forward six steps. ¡°You get to move another five steps." "It''s my turn now." After Lana moved the piece five steps, Nn rolled the die. Nicole watched her children y with joy. She nced at Jared, who smiled back at her lovingly. In that moment, the family of four enjoyed a peaceful, happy time together. Nicole wished that time would always be as perfect as this. The next day began, the rising sun casting a warm glow into the room. Nicole woke up to the sunlight filtering through the curtains, a smile on her face. ¡°You''re up," Jared said beside her, and Nicole turned to him. "It''s early; you can sleep more," Jared suggested, running his fingers through her hair. N?velDrama.Org holds ? this. "No, I''m awake now," Nicole said, sitting up. "I slept wellst night." Her silk robe slipped from her shoulder due to her movement. Her delicate skin was glowing under the sunlight. After fixing her hair, Nicole prepared to get out of bed, unaware that Jared''s subtle change of expression. Before she could get up, Nicole found herself pinned down by Jared. Mm." Before she could react, her lips were sealed with a kiss, and his hands were unfastening the buttons of her nightgown... By the time Nicole and Jared got out of their room, breakfast was ready. In the dining room, Nn and Lana were eating quietly, watched over by Daniel and Gloria. ¡¯Good morning, Mommy, Daddy," Nn and Lana greeted as Nicole and Jared sat down. Gloria handed Nicole a ss of milk. "Let''s eat." ¡¯Okay," Nicole and Jared replied, starting their breakfast. Chapter 3110 Chapter 3110 After breakfast, Tia arrived to pick up Nn and Lana. "Nicole, Jared," Tia greeted. Jared and Nicole were preparing to leave for work. "Let''s go together," they suggested to Tia. They all left the house and headed to their respective cars parked in the courtyard. "Bye, Daddy. Bye, Mommy," Nn and Lana waved to Jared and Nicole. Bye," Nicole waved back as the car carrying the kids started. She watched it drive away before telling Max, "Let¡¯s go." ¡¯Yes," Max responded, starting the car and leaving the Riddle residence. In the car, Max spoke in a low voice, "Mr. Johnston, Mrs. Johnston, I have an update from Charlie." "Speak," Jared''s voice carried a hint of coldness. He knew Nicole had asked Charlie to investigate Lawrence. Any news from there was likely rted to Lawrence. "Charlie said he had people look into it. Lawrence may seem quiet on the surface, but he''s actually arranged for Ian to secretly assist Everett," Max said. A cold glint crossed Nicole''s eyes; she had suspected as much. She had already figured Everett''s sudden return was likely linked to Lawrence, who probably pushed Everett forward, readying him as a pawn. "What have you found?" Jared asked, his voice cool. Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. "So far, we only know that this Ian has contacted a few people, but we don''t know the specifics of their actions yet; Max paused before adding," Could Lawrence be nning to secretly target our people?" '' Keep an eye on them, and deal with any moves directly," Jaredmanded in a deep voice. "Yes," Max agreed. Nicole bit her lip slightly. ''As expected, Lawrence is already making his moves, supporting Everett from the shadows, probably hoping to reap the benefits amidst the chaos.'' Meanwhile, after several days of silence, Everett finally showed up at his office. "Sir, there''s been no movement from BayCorp. It seems we''ve been discovered," Jerry reported quietly. "Don''t underestimate Er. He''s been learning from Nicole for so many years," Everett remarked. Even without Nicole, Er wasn''t a fool. Moreover, if there were really a problem, Nicole wouldn''t just leave him to deal with it alone. Thus, he always felt that BayCorp, especially Ell ar, was the most difficult to deal with and the one to be most cautious about. "What should we do next?" Jerry asked. "We can''t let him go, of course," Everett said, a ruthless glint in his eyes. He knew that getting rid of Er would be a significant blow to Nicole. ¡°Then... how about we kidnap Ell ar?" Jerry suggested. He thought since Er was so important, they could use him to threaten Nicole, forcing her toply. Everett gave Jerry a cold look. "Do you think kidnapping Er is that easy? Not only is it likely to fail, but it could also rm them." He had done so much since his return, and Nicole had been unable to do anything to him precisely because he had been cautious, leaving no evidence for her. If they were to kidnap Er tantly, it would be like delivering the evidence directly to Nicole. Jerry shrank back a bit and replied, "Yes." "Don''t rush. There are ways to deal with Er." Everett nced at Jerry and added, "Hasn''t a girl recentlye into his life?" "A girl?" Jerry frowned, tentatively saying, "Sir, are you talking about Doretta?" Chapter 3111 Chapter 3111 "Find a way to contact her and make her work for US," Everett coldly ordered. "Yes, I''ll arrange it right away,¡¯ Jerry immediately responded. "What has Lawrence been up totely?" Everett''s gaze darkened slightly.'' He''s been unusually quiet, which is not his usual style.'' After Jerry reported Lawrence''s recent activities to Everett, Everett frowned. "He''s actually in the mood to send birthday gifts!" "Yes, but it seems he hasn''t received any response,¡± Jerry added. Hmph, he''s still not giving up," Everett scoffed. "Given the current situation, even if Nicole were to fall from grace, there''s absolutely no way she would go back to him. Doesn''t he understand that?" Everett couldn''t believe that Lawrence would still think about rekindling something with Nicole. "There''s another thing. Recently, it seems someone has been helping US from the shadows. I''m not sure who it is, but I suspect it might be one of Lawrence''s people," Jerry cautiously said. "Be careful. Even if it is his doing, the intentions won''t be that simple," Everett mused. ''How could Lawrence possibly be so kind to help me? It is nothing but using me for his own ends.'' "Got it," Jerry replied. "Good," Everett signaled for Jerry to leave. After Jerry left, Everett snorted coldly, his eyes filled with dark intent. ''If I can''t achieve my goal all at once, I''ll break it down into smaller steps and tackle them one by one.'' At noon, under the bright sun, Nicole, Lulu, and Patricia went out for lunch. As they left, they bumped into Er outside the Riddle Corporation. Nicole, are you guys going for lunch?" Er asked as he spotted them. "Why are you here?" Nicole was surprised to see Er. I wanted to ask how the investigation was going," Er said, subtly ncing at Patricia, who was handling the investigation. Nicole understood his intention and suggested, "We''re about to have lunch. Join us?" ¡°Sure," Er epted, eager to apany them. "Let''s go," Nicole said, leading them across the street. Since they had nned to eat lunch across the street anyway, encountering Er meant he could join them. Upon arriving at the restaurant and settling at a table, they ordered their meals. Nicole, any results?¡¯ Er asked eagerly. ¡¯We were just about to discuss that. Listen in," Nicole replied. She then turned to Patricia. "Go ahead." Patricia began with a serious expression, "Based on surveince, those individuals are indeed connected to Jerry, and we''ve rified their identities. They can be confirmed as part of the group that returned with Everett. Those are people from the Eastern Falcon, likely now under Everett''s All rights ? N?velDrama.Org. "That means... Everett''s forces are quite strong," Er said, hisplexion turning slightly pale, realizing that dealing with Everett would be even harder in the future. Nicole''s gaze deepened as she added, "This matches what Max found earlier. We''ve handed this matter over to Zane to handle. Our focus remains on Everett." Chapter 3112 Chapter 3112 "But with the Eastern Falcon on his side, taking him down won''t be easy," Er said, a frown creasing N?velDrama.Org holds ? this. his brow as he voiced his concerns. "That''s only a fraction of their force. Most of their ranks haven''t sided with Everett yet. We believe Everett has the Eastern Falcon''s leader under his thumb, so Zane is on a mission to locate and free them," Nicole detailed. Oh," Er thought aloud, "If that''s the case, we might not be in such a tight spot after all." He then turned to Patricia, adding, "Still, you need to tread carefully in your endeavors." "Don''t worry, I''m handling it," Patricia replied, her voiceced with an icy undertone. Er was visibly taken aback, ending the conversation with a heavy silence. Hey, Er, I caught wind you''ve got a cousin crashing at your ce. What''s up with that?" Lulu inquired, her curiosity undiminished by Nicole''s briefing. The sudden mention of a cousin previously unknown piqued her interest. "It''s a bit of a saga," Er exhaled. "Do tell," Lulu pressed, her interest hitting its peak. Reluctantly, Er shared, My mom ims she''s some distant kin, not even directly rted. How does that even make her a rtive?" His expression conveyed his turmoil. "She''s in town job hunting and might stick around San Joto to advance her career." "I get it," Lulu nodded, understanding the situation. "So, she''s bunking with you for the time being." "Exactly," Er grimaced, "And by the looks of it, my mom''s not keen on her leaving any time soon. It''s gotten so bad, I''ve started avoiding home. Ended up camping out in my officest night.'' "Your mom''s cool with you noting home?" Lulu frowned, implying that Emma might be orchestrating a scenario for Er and Doretta to get closer. ''I just y it off that work''s been a bear, keeping mete; toote to head home," Er let out a weary sigh. "Feels like I''ve been demoted from being their son, and Doretta is taking the spot." "Hahaha, watch out, or that might just be the reality," Lulu couldn''t resist teasing. "Stop, you''re pushing me to the edge here," Er protested, running his hands through his hair in vexation. "Now, it''s like my mom picks apart everything I do but sees Doretta through rose-colored sses." "You know, you could sway Emma to see you in a better light," Lulu suggested, her eyes gleaming mischievously. Ell ar gave Lulu a look of annoyance. "Don''t even start with me agreeing to anything." "Just imagine, bringing a girlfriend home could be the endgame," Lulu retorted, a bit exasperated. The real snag was Er''sck of a girlfriend. With one, Emma''s attention wouldn''t be so fixated on Doretta. "Thanks, but no thanks," Eliar dismissed the idea with a vigorous shake of his head. "I''d rather stay single than y that game." For Er, no one else came close to Patricia. To settle for anyone else wouldn''t just be tough on him; it''d be unfair to the other person involved. "There you go-" Before Lulu could finish the sentence, Patricia cut in, "Food''s here, let''s eat. ¡ö As Lulu began to dig in, she paused, sneaking a peek at Patricia and couldn''t suppress a sly snicker. Was Patricia changing the subject for Er''s sake, or was she feeling a bit awkward herself? Nicole, catching the silentmunication, had to stifle herughter at the palpable tension. "Er, it''s high time you sorted this out. Letting it drag on will only make things worse, and Emma''s bound to get the wrong idea. Avoiding the issue won''t cut it," Nicole counseled. "How am I even supposed to address this mess?" Er thought, exasperated, "And what''s going through my mom''s head? Doretta doesn''t seem into me that way either. We hardly even make eye contact. How did my mom jump to the conclusion we could be a thing?" Chapter 3113 Chapter 3113 Er pondered, ¡¯Don''t people usually meet and chat first, even for a blind date? But my mom''s acting like she''s arranging a marriage straight off?'' "Just tell her straight; you''ve got someone in mind. That''s the truth, right?" Lulu nudged Er, urging him to confess. Right as Lulu''s words hung in the air, Patricia was seized by a sudden coughing fit. "Easy there, drink some water," Ell ar quickly handed her a ss, concern etched on his face. Patricia''s coughing subsided after a moment, and she took a few sips of water, murmuring, "Thanks." "Long as you''re alright," El I armented, pained to see Patricia flush from the coughing spell. "Let''s focus on the meal, Lulu," Patricia interjected before Lulu could delve deeper, steering her away from further probing. "Alright, let''s eat," Lulu agreed, holding back her questions. She recognized that some issues needed to be navigated delicately. The evolving dynamic between Er and Patricia was something they had to untangle on their own. Post-lunch, Er excused himself, and Nicole, alongside Patricia and Lulu, made their way back to Riddle Corporation. "Nicole, any idea what Everett''s next move might be?" Lulu inquired, concern creasing her forehead. Nicole responded with a heavy tone, "My concern''s actually more with Er right now." "You think Everett''s targeting him because of his involvement?" Lulu probed cautiously. "It''s not just that. Everett''s too familiar with our circle. For him, going after Er could disrupt US significantly," Nicole spected, contemting Everett''s potential motives. Targeting Ell ar could simultaneously weaken their side and force Nicole to split her focus. Everett likely anticipated this, making Er a continued subject of his machinations. "What''s our y, then? Is Er at risk?" Lulu''s worry was palpable. "We need to ensure someone''s keeping a close eye on Er, for his safety," Nicole concluded with a firm resolve. Patricia hesitated before speaking in a low voice, "Ms. Riddle, please don''t worry. The agents I deployed to BayCorp remain on guard, closely monitoring Er''s safety." Her implication was clear: no harm woulde to Er under their watch. Nicole raised an eyebrow in mild surprise, while Lulu couldn''t hide her admiration, "Wow, you''re really keeping tabs on him." It seemed Patricia''s concern ran deeper than mere professional duty. Blushing, Patricia tried to deflect. "It''s strictly a professional precaution." Despite her absence from BayCorp, the situation there remained vtile, justifying her decision not to recall her team. Lulu, however, wasn''t buying it, leaning in to whisper, "Come on, admit it. Does the whole Doretta thing make you jealous?" Patricia''s silence was telling, prompting Lulu to press further. "It bothers you, doesn''t it?" With a hurried excuse, Patricia made her escape, her pace quickening as she left. Lulu looked on, her expression a mix of frustration and concern. "Leaving us hanging with nothing but her pride." N?velDrama.Org holds ? this. Nicole offered a light-hearted reprimand, "Let''s not push them too hard." Lulu''s reply was tinged with resignation, "They''re the onesplicating things, driving US up the wall." "Patricia has her reasons," Nicole said, recognizing the deeperyers of Patricia''s actions. Patricia''smitment to her mission, despite the freedom to step back, hinted at unresolved personal conflicts. Nicole sensed that given time, Patricia might reconcile her duty with her feelings. Lulu, reflective yet disappointed, conceded. "I get it. It''s just sad to see chances slip away. But in the end, we all have our paths to choose." Chapter 3114 Chapter 3114 "Alright, get to work," Nicole gently patted Lulu''s shoulder. "Okay." Nodding, Lulu headed to her own office. After returning to her office, Nicole sat down at her desk. She flipped through the documents on her desk, her brow slightly furrowing. Concerned about Er''s situation, she felt somewhat relieved that Patricia had arranged for someone to follow Er, ensuring his personal safety. Meanwhile, Er was making his way toward BayCorp. He had deliberately chosen the lunch hour for his visit, hoping to discuss some investigative matters and also hoping to catch a glimpse of Patricia. Since thest incident with Patricia, when she came for the surveince footage and encountered Emma and Doretta, he was aware that Patricia might misunderstand the situation. Patricia, being highly intelligent, would easily see through the intentions behind Emma bringing Doretta along. After all, if he could understand the situation, Patricia surely would too. But some things, once they had happened, were beyond one''s control. What he could do now was try to prevent the situation from worsening. Recalling Lulu''s words, Er frowned as he thought, ''If I were to say I had someone I liked, Mom might N?velDrama.Org holds ? this. respect my wishes. ''However, she would also want to meet the person. ''Whom would I bring home then? Bringing a fake girlfriend couldplicate things in the future, yet I don''t have a real one either* "Sigh," Er exhaled in resignation. "Mr. Riddle, are you still worried about the phosphate rock powder incident? " his assistant asked quietly. Although the incident had passed, the perpetrators had not been found, leaving open the possibility of their return and potential harm to BayCorp. Ell ar looked up at his assistant and asked, "Do you think if I asked Patricia toe home with me, she would agree?" "What?" The assistant was momentarily confused, not quite catching the meaning. "Never mind," Er said, seeing the puzzled look on his assistant''s face, and then snapped back to reality. Cautiously, the assistant asked, Mr. Riddle, is something wrong?" "Just drive," Er responded without borating further, turning his gaze to the window outside. Sensing Er''s mood wasn''t the best, the assistant focused on driving. Er watched the streetscape sh by. Patricia''s image unwittingly crossed his mind, leaving him feeling somewhat bitter and frustrated. As dusk approached, Nicole, looking at Lulu and Patricia, asked, "Where are you headed?" "Spencer ising to pick me up. He''s made dinner reservations," Lulu said with a sweet smile. "I¡¯m going to Dr. Wyance''s ce," Patricia replied. Nicole raised her eyebrows slightly. "Is something the matter?" "Dr. Wyance called me over, but he didn''t specify what for," Patricia said, also clearly puzzled. "Go ahead," Nicole nodded, signaling her to proceed, then walked toward Jared''s car. Once in the car, Jared softly asked, "What''s going on?" "Martin wants Patricia to see him, not sure why," Nicole expressed her concern, finding it odd that Martin would request Patricia''s presence. Jared, holding Nicole''s hand gently, reassured, "Patricia can handle it." Mm," Nicole agreed, deciding to ask Patricia about it tomorrow. Chapter 3115 Chapter 3115 After dinner at home, Nicole received a call from Patricia. "Ms. Riddle, Dr. Wyance gave me some application medicine, saying that although my face has recovered, it would be better to continue using it for a while longer." Hearing Patricia''s words, Nicole responded cheerfully, "I see, then you should use it for a while longer." It seemed the visit was for this reason; Martin had been thoughtful. "Ms. Riddle..." Patricia hesitated, then said, "But something doesn''t feel right." Nicole''s brow furrowed slightly. "What do you mean?" "The medicine Dr. Wyance gave me looks like it couldst a very long time. " It seemed excessive for just a follow-up treatment; she could always go back for more if needed. Nicole, sensing Patricia''s implication, couldn''t help but ask, "Did you notice anything else?" Given Patricia''s suspicions, there had to be more than just this one concern. "When I was there, Dr. Wyance was instructing his assistant about some matters, and from his tone, it seemed like he was nning to leave for a long time," Patricia exined. "Leave?" Confusion flickered through Nicole''s eyes. "Martin is nning to leave San Joto?'' N?velDrama.Org holds ? this. "I''m not sure of the details, just found it strange," Patricia added. "Alright, I understand," Nicole said before hanging up. Jared entered the room and, seeing Nicole in deep thought, asked, "What''s up?" After sharing Patricia''s findings with Jared, Nicole said, "I wonder if Martin has encountered some trouble?" "Perhaps he has work to attend to," Jared suggested, gently stroking Nicole''s hair. "But Patricia felt like he was nning to leave for a long time. What kind of work requires such a long absence?" Jared''s gaze deepened, and he gently held Nicole''s hand, reassuring, "Even if there is something, he can handle it himself." "I''m just puzzled,¡¯ Nicole sighed. "If he really encountered any trouble, he could''ve told US. As friends, we wouldn''t just stand by and do nothing." "Maybe he feels it''s not necessary for US to intervene," Jared said, smoothing Nicole''s hair. ¡¯"Go take a shower and get ready to rest." "Okay." Nicole agreed and headed to the bathroom. She couldn''t shake off the feeling that something was off. Martin, who lived for his medical research, embroiled in trouble? It didn''t add up. As dawn broke, Nicole''s unease hadn''t faded; it spurred her into action. She decided to check on Martin at hisb. Upon her arrival, she spotted Martin, engrossed in his work. "Hey, Martin," she called out. Martin looked up, surprised. "Nicole? What are you doing here?" "Just checking in on you," she said, offering a reassuring smile as she moved closer. "What''s all this?" she gestured toward his work. "Just tying up some loose ends," Martin replied, then paused, realizing the reason behind her visit. "Patricia told you, didn''t she?" His initial surprise at her presence faded, reced by an understanding of her concern. "I heard a little and thought I''d better see for myself," Nicole admitted, confirming the rumors that had reached her and Patricia. ''So, Martin is really nning a departure.'' But the lingering questions in her mind were: where to, what for, and what had prompted such a sudden decision?'' "Why don''t we sit down at the caf¨¦ downstairs?" Martin suggested, his look betraying a hint of unease. "Let''s go," Nicole agreed with a casual shrug, following him to the caf¨¦, where they settled in with their coffees. Chapter 3116 Chapter 3116 The aroma of coffee lingered in the air as Martin''s voice slowly filled the space. "Actually, I''m nning to go find Cindy," he said frankly, though his demeanor showed a bit of unease. Nicole''s eyebrows rose slightly in surprise. "Cindy? You..." "Yes.'' Martin nodded, speaking softly, ''It''s only in her absence that I''ve realized I can''t live without her." Without Cindy, Martin''s life had turned unbearably dull and monotonous. His days were confined to the solitude, once a sanctuary, had morphed into a suffocating cell. He recognized that Cindy''s presence had injected vibrancy into his life, turning the monochrome to technicolor. Her departure had reverted everything back to a bleak grayscale. The void of her absence made every idle moment a gateway to memories of their shared times, each memory a sharp, vivid sting. The haunting image of Cindy''s deste departure was a constant ache, a relentless reminder of what Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. he''d lost. This profound realization propelled him toward a decision: he had to find her. Noticing Martin''s newfound rity and eptance of his feelings for Cindy, Nicole smiled. "Then I wish you all the best." If Martin could reconcile with Cindy and rekindle their affection, it would indeed be a cause for celebration. "I''ll do my best." Martin raised his coffee cup in a silent toast to Nicole. Nicole took a sip of her coffee, then asked, "Have you tried contacting Cindy?" "No, I can''t reach her." That was why he had resolved to seek her out personally. Nicole furrowed her brows slightly, puzzled. "Howe you can''t get in touch?" "I''m not sure.'' A trace of worry flickered in Martin''s eyes. It seemed unlikely for Cindy to cut off all contact, which deepened his concern. "If you run into any trouble while you''re there, remember to contact me. I''ll find someone to help you," Nicole expressed her concern. "Don''t worry, I''m just going to find someone. Nothing will happen," Martin tried to reassure Nicole. Despite his own apprehensions, he was aware of Nicole''s recent burdens and didn''t want to add to them with his issues. "You and Cindy are both my friends," Nicole said, offering Martin a warm smile. After a brief pause, Martin nodded. "If I really need to, I will." "Alright then," Nicole replied, her smile unwavering. Back at Riddle Corporation, Lulu, who was waiting for Nicole, asked as soon as she saw her, "How did it go?" "It''s okay; he''s going to find Cindy," Nicole shared. "Oh." Lulu''s face lit up with relief. "He finally came to his senses." "It seems to be about realizing what''s lost and learning to cherish it," Nicole mused aloud. "I just hope Cindy is open to giving him another chance," Lulu sighed, hopeful for Martin''s journey. "It''s really up to how he approaches it now," Nicole remarked, smiling at Lulu. "Now, back to work unless there''s something else?" "Oh, there is," Lulu''s tone turned serious. She handed a document to Nicole, exining, "This looks odd." "Odd?" Nicole took the document, intrigued. "It''s a letter of intent for cooperation, but I''ve never heard of thispany. I''m concerned it might be a scam,¡¯ Lulu frowned. "Especially with Everett lurking around; we have to be extra cautious." Chapter 3117 Chapter 3117 "Okay, I understand," Nicole said, taking the document with her. "I''ll get back to work then,¡± Lulu replied, turning to head to her office. Back in her office, Nicole opened the document and frowned slightly after a brief look. The project seemed promising, clearly a worthwhile investment opportunity. However, something about the content felt eerily familiar. Tve never heard of thepany, but why does the project''s design seem so familiar?'' After a moment''s hesitation, Nicole took the document to Sean''s office. "What''s up?" Sean looked surprised to see her; it was rare for her to visit him during work hours. "Sean, take a look at this," Nicole handed him the document. '' Lulu found it, and I think there''s something off about it." "Hmm." Sean''s expression turned serious as he began to read through the document, his brow furrowing more deeply as he continued. Nicole''s gaze sharpened slightly. "Did you find something?" "This was a project initiated by Uncle Damien a long time ago, but it was shelved because the investor was never disclosed," Sean''s voice carried a trace of darkness. "Uncle Damien?" Nicole''s brows knitted together. "So, it''s Everett again!" With the project being so old and Damien locked up in prison, Everett was likely the only one who could resurrect it. "Possibly," Sean said, puzzled. "But what''s his purpose in doing this?" After all, it was just a letter of intent. Whether they would agree to a contract was still uncertain. Even if they were interested in the project and agreed to sign, the terms of the contract would be crucial. They couldn''t just sign anything haphazardly. "I''ll have someone look into it," Nicole said, her voice cold. If it really was Everett, his motives were probably not so straightforward. "Alright," Sean agreed. Then he advised, "But for now, let''s arrange for someone to contact them and keep them engaged without rming them." "Got it." Sean nced at Nicole and asked, "I heard there was almost an incident with BayCorp, how is it now?" "It''s resolved, but we still need to be cautious in the future," Nicole sighed, feeling somewhat helpless. "Everett''s return seems to be aimed at giving none of US any peace." "It doesn''t matter; if something really happens, no one will stand by idly. We''re all in this together, after all," Sean reassured her, highlighting the solidarity among them. Nicole felt a surge of gratitude. "Thank you, Sean." N?velDrama.Org holds ? this. "You''re my sister; there''s no need for thanks," Sean replied, his smileforting. ''TH get back to work then," Nicole said, standing up to leave with the document, heading back to her office. Soon after, Patricia entered. "Ms. Riddle, you called for me?" "I need you to have Zane''s team look into this," Nicole said, handing over the document. "It might be connected to Everett. Tell them to be cautious." "Got it," Patricia confirmed, taking the document before leaving. After departing from Riddle Corporation, Patricia reached out to Zane''s team to convey the situation. Then, she made her way to BayCorp. Near the premises, she spotted a familiar figure that made her frown. ''That has to be Doretta, Er''s cousin, right? Supposedly, she is without friends here. So, why is she apanied by a man?'' Curiosity piqued, Patricia parked her car to the side and observed Doretta and the man more closely. At first, Doretta appeared irritated, trying to dismiss the man. But after he whispered something to her, she paused, torn. Satisfied with his persuasive effort, the man handed Doretta a business card before departing. Doretta stood there in a daze. As Patricia watch the scene, her gaze sharpened slightly. Chapter 3118 Chapter 3118 After a moment''s thought, Patricia started the car and followed the man. At a corner, the man removed his hat, nced around with a smug look, then climbed into a car parked by the roadside and drove off. Patricia snapped photos of both the man and his car, sending them straight to Charlie with instructions to dig deeper. Later, Patricia made her way to Elp¡¯s office. "What brings you here?" Elp''s surprise at seeing her was tinged with a note of happiness. "Nicole asked me to keep an eye on things here," Patricia said, pausing before asking, "Everything alright on your end?" "Absolutely, everything''s running smoothly," Er assured her. Patricia''s brows knit together slightly. "No unusual incidents, or unexpected visitors?" Having just seen Doretta downstairs, she couldn''t help but specte,'' Doretta''s visit... was it to see Er? And that man she was dealing with seemed off. Could there be more to Doretta than meets the eye?'' Property ? N?velDrama.Org. Elr, taken aback, responded, "As far as I''m aware, all is normal. Did you notice something?" He pondered, ''Patricia seems unusually on guard. What''s she picked up on that I''ve missed?'' Seeing Elp''s confusion, Patricia could only sigh, dismissing it with, "It''s nothing." Realizing he was oblivious, Patricia decided not to press further. Without concrete proof, sharing her suspicions seemed pointless. She resolved to unravel the mystery herself, silently noting he might not take her word for it anyway. "Don''t worry, I''ve got someone watching over thepany. I won''t let anyone get the upper hand," El His statement was an attempt to show he had grown, no longer in constant need of her protection. But seeing him somewhat like a child seeking approval irked Patricia. ''He''s already a target, yet he boasts of security.'' With a slight frown barely visible, Patricia responded, "Alright, I should head back now." As Patricia turned to leave, Elp reached out instinctively. "Wait." "Something else?" Patricia turned back, her expression one of confusion. Er, meeting Patricia''s gaze, quickly released her hand, his suggestioning out somewhat awkwardly, "It''s nearly lunchtime. Why not stay and eat together?¡± "No, thanks." Patricia barely started her refusal when a knock interrupted them. "Come in," Elp called out with a frown. The door swung open, revealing Doretta to their surprise. "Why are you here?" Er was visibly taken aback. Doretta, clearly not expecting Patricia''s presence, hesitated at the threshold, torn between entering and leaving. With clenched teeth, she managed, "Have I interrupted something, Er?" "Just speak your mind," Er''s voice took on a cooler tone. "I..." Doretta nced at Patricia, her hesitation evident. Patricia''s expression darkened slightly. "I''ll leave you to discuss." With that, she walked away. "Wait..." Er watched helplessly as Patricia exited. "Did I cause trouble?" Doretta, noticing Er''s displeasure, tread carefully. Er reverted to his detached demeanor. "What is it? I''m busy." Doretta ventured, "I cleared the interview, but they''re asking for a local reference since I''m not from here. Can you vouch for me?" Chapter 3119 Chapter 3119 "Vouch for you?"?" Eliar''s brows furrowed as he asked, "Whichpany?" Property ? N?velDrama.Org. He hadn''t heard ofpanies requiring a local reference to vouch for a job candidate for employment. "It''s just a couple of blocks away, at a ce called-" Doretta couldn''t finish the sentence before Er cut in with a hint of suspicion, "A couple of blocks away... Are you sure it''s not some frontpany?" That area wasn''t known for hosting significant, reputable businesses. With Doretta''s skills, she shouldn''t need to look into lesser-known entities. "I..." Doretta faltered, "I''m not sure, but I don''t think it is." Er exhaled deeply. "Go home for now. I''ll look into this." While Er preferred keeping his distance from Doretta, given her arrival in San Joto and his mother''s assurance of support, he felt obligated to ensure her safety. He wouldn''t stand by if she was potentially being scammed, especially since she was family. Doretta seemed to hesitate, wanting to say more, but ultimately nodded." Alright, then." "Do you need a lift home?" Er offered. "There''s no need, I can make my way. I won''t take up more of your time," Doretta declined before she exited. With the office to himself again, Er let out a frustrated sigh. His intention of having lunch with Patricia was thwarted by Doretta''s untimely appearance. Patricia, unbeknownst to Ell ar, hadn''t left the vicinity and overheard the exchange between Er and Doretta. It was only after Doretta departed that she decided to leave. Patricia''s curiosity about Doretta''s intentions and the mentionedpany grew, prompting her to take matters into her own hands and investigate further. **** Patricia made it back to Riddle Corporation just in time for lunch. Lulu had ordered food and invited her to join them in Nicole''s office. "Ms. Riddle, I ran into Doretta over at BayCorp," Patricia began, detailing her encounter to Nicole. Nicole''s brow furrowed slightly. "Were you able to find out who she was meeting with?¡± "Charlie got back to me. It''s confirmed she was in touch with someone from the Eastern Falcon, through Jerry," Patricia said, her voice cold. This meant Doretta had ties to the Eastern Falcon, casting her visit to Er¡¯s house in a suspicious light. Lulu went pale. "So, Doretta is involved with the Eastern Falcon!" This revtion would make exining things to Dexter and Emma tricky, especially with Doretta being a distant cousin of Er. But Patricia shook her head. "We can''t say for sure she''s with the Eastern Falcon. The reason Jerry had someone reach out to her is still a mystery. All we know for sure is her target was BayCorp." "Which makes letting Doretta stay with Uncle Dexter and his family quite risky." Nicole''s expression grew serious. "What should we do?" Lulu asked, concern in her voice. Patricia replied, "Doretta mentioned she was applying to apany that needed a referral to vouch for her. I looked into it, and thatpany doesn''t exist anymore." "She''s definitely hiding something. What''s our next step?" Lulu looked at Nicole, clearly anxious. "Do we go straight to Dexter and Emma?" Keeping someone like Doretta around was a big risk. Nicole shook her head, deep in thought. "We can''t just rush this. Doing anything hastily might just alert her." Chapter 3120 Chapter 3120 "What should we do then?" Lulu asked, filled with concern. "Let''s keep an eye on Doretta for now, to see exactly who she is and what she intends to do," Nicole decided. Given that Doretta had already moved into Er''s house, it seemed likely her target was Er. Now that they suspected Doretta''s identity was problematic, surveince could be more focused, potentially revealing her true intentions. Directly informing Dexter and Emma wasn''t ideal without concrete evidence. Furthermore, even if they believed the suspicions about Doretta, she might simply find another way to achieve her mission if her initial n was thwarted. That could lead to even greater danger outside their control. "Alright then." Understanding Nicole''s reasoning, Lulu reluctantly agreed. "Ms. Riddle, let me handle this matter," Patricia offered, her gaze turning serious. "Okay," Nicole agreed. Since Patricia had encountered Doretta and had been investigating, she was indeed the most suitable to handle the job. "If you find something, don''t take any risks. We should discuss any findings as a group," Lulu cautioned Patricia. Patricia nodded solemnly. "Understood." Nicole slightly smiled. "Alright, let''s not worry too much for now. Let''s eat." With nods of agreement, Lulu and Patricia began their meal. This was just the beginning of their investigation, and they believed thorough covert research would eventually bring rity to the situation. All rights ? N?velDrama.Org. After lunch, Patricia left Riddle Corporation again. "Nicole, should we tell Er about this now, so he can be on guard?" Lulu suggested. Even if they didn''t inform Dexter and Emma, Er should be made aware. "Let''s leave it to Patricia. She''ll know when and how to inform Er," Nicole replied softly. "Then we''ll just wait for news," Lulu sighed. "What exactly is Everett nning?" A cold glint passed through Nicole''s eyes. "We''ll know soon enough." With Everett having Doretta on his side, Nicole trusted that Patricia would soon uncover the truth, and everything woulde to light. Lulu sighed deeply. "Don''t look so dejected. Things aren''t as bad as they seem. At least we''re aware of the situation before anything has happened," Nicole said, offering a reassuring smile. "I just think Everett has gone too far. He should be apprehended sooner rather thanter," Lulu said through gritted teeth. "Alright, get back to work," Nicoleforted her with a pat on the shoulder. Lulu nodded. "Okay, I''ll get back to it. And you, don''t overwork yourself." "Got it,¡± Nicole replied, returning to her desk to sit down. Picking up a document, Nicole nced over it, but her mind wandered back to Everett. His primary target had always been Er. She wondered if she had missed some clue. ''Does Er possess some evidence detrimental to Everett?'' she thought.1 Perhaps this time, we might obtain crucial leads or even concrete evidence from Er that could fully expose Everett.'' Nicole''s expression darkened with these thoughts, emanating an intimidating chill. if that''s the case, I will not let Everett find an escape,'' she vowed internally. ''Everett Riddle, after all this time, it''s indeed time to settle ounts. Everything you owe will have to be repaid.'' Chapter 3121 Chapter 3121 Time flew, and dusk arrived quickly. Nicole left work to find Jared waiting for her. Getting into the car, Nicole smiled at Jared and asked, "Have you been waiting long?" "Not at all." Jared gently took Nicole''s hand, his voice soft. "You look tired. Was it a busy day?" Leaning her head on Jared''s shoulder, Nicole replied softly, "It was okay." She didn''t have any problems with her work. It was just that the issues with Everett seemed to have no beginning or end, leaving her feeling somewhat gloomy. However, she didn''t want to tell Jared about this just yet, not until she had some evidence. Jared looked down at Nicole and gently squeezed her hand, saying, Tell me if something''s bothering you. Don''t carry it all by yourself.¡¯ A warmth flickered through her heart, and Nicole smiled, saying, "Don''t worry, I can handle it." Hearing this, Jared stroked Nicole''s hair, understanding that she wasn''t ready to tell him yet, so he let her be. Feeling a pang of heartache, Jared held Nicole in his arms and said softly," Try to rx a bit. You don''t need to put so much pressure on yourself. You have me." Nicole looked up at Jared. They were close, their faces almost touching. With a slightly stiff expression, Nicole leaned in and kissed Jared on the cheek. She then replied with a yful smile, "Okay, I know." She was aware of his concern, but since things were still uncertain, she wanted to wait for the results of N?velDrama.Org holds ? this. Zane and Patricia''s investigation. After that, she nned to tell him everything, with no secrets. Jared smiled indulgently and leaned down to kiss her lips. **** Back at home, Nn and Lana had also arrived. When they saw their parents return, they joyously rushed over, calling out, '' Daddy, Mommy." Nicole and Jared, holding Nn and Lana, moved to the couch. "Dad, Mom." "Wee back," Gloria and Daniel greeted them with smiles. As they settled down, Nicole nced around, noticed Stanley''s absence, and shrugged with a smile. "Stanley''s over at Tia''s again?¡± "Yes," Gloria responded with augh. "He said he''d join them for dinner there." "Well, it''s normal for them to be inseparable in the throes of love." What''s surprising Nicole was that Stanley could turn out to be so devoted, considering everyone thought nothing could surpass hismitment to academic research. "Alright, it''s about time for dinner," Daniel called everyone to the table. "Okay," Nicole and Jared stood up. "Well watch TV," said Nn and Lana, turning on the television, as they had already eaten at kindergarten. The others went to the dining room, and dinner was served shortly after. "Nicole, you know about Doretta, right?" Gloria asked. "Yes," Nicole nodded. "Why are you bringing her up all of a sudden?" Nicole could guess what Gloria was implying and felt a bit troubled. It seemed Emma was genuinely pleased with Doretta, making the situationplicated. Chapter 3122 Chapter 3122 "Emma wants Doretta to be her daughter-inw," Gloria said after a moment of thought, i''ve met her once. She seems nice, and she and Er seem well-suited." All rights ? N?velDrama.Org. Nicole couldn¡¯t help but sigh quietly, as she expected this topic toe up. "It also depends on what Er wants," Nicole said calmly. Gloria sighed. "Emma mentioned that Eliar always avoids the topic. That''s why she asked if you could talk to him." "Mom, even if El r listens to me, I can''t get too involved in his love life. It''s something he needs to decide," Nicole said, looking troubled. "Right, it''s best to let them figure it out," Daniel added. Gloria frowned at Daniel. "But Emma is worried." "Mom, I understand your concerns, but love can''t be forced. We wouldn''t want to hurt Doretta or Ell ar, would we?" Nicole exined, hoping Gloria would understand. Gloria looked confused. "Just letting them get to know each other isn''t the same as rushing into marriage. How would that hurt them?" Nicole continued to persuade, though reluctantly, "My point is, if two people truly like each other, they''ll naturally be drawn together. "If it''s not meant to be and they''re forced together, only to part wayster, it''ll be awkward for everyone. "After all, Doretta and Emma are somewhat distant cousins, right?¡± She was firmly against Er and Doretta being together and certainly wouldn''t help convince anyone otherwise. Doretta''s sudden closeness to Emma''s family, with unclear intentions, was something Nicole couldn''t ignore. Moreover, Er''s heart belonged to Patricia, making it impossible for him to ept anyone else at this time. Encouraging a rtionship between Er and Doretta now, from any perspective, was unwise. "Nicole, what''s on your mind? You seem a bit preupied," Gloria noticed Nicole''s unusual demeanor and asked hesitantly. Nicole smiled, returning to the present moment. "Nothing much," she said, offering a smile. "I just don''t think the timing is right." "Nicole''s right," Daniel chimed in. "You should talk to Emma and tell her not to rush. Doretta is living with them, after all. The kids will see each other often enough. If it''s meant to be, they''ll figure it out." Gloria nodded. "Okay, Nicole makes sense. I''ll talk to Emma tomorrow." She agreed that if Er and Doretta were not into each other, it would indeed be more awkward for Emma in the end. "It''s fine. Er is still young. There''s no rush,'' Daniel said, serving Gloria some food. "Let''s eat." Gloria couldn''t help but give Daniel a look. "How would you understand a mother''s feelings?" "You''re right. Mothers are the greatest! Honey, I know you''ve worked hard over the years," Daniel responded with a cating smile. Gloria shot Daniel a yful re. "Let''s eat." Remembering the presence of the kids, she kept the conversation light and avoided any mushy talk. Nicole smiled, feeling a sense of relief but also recognizing the need to address Doretta''s situation soon. After dinner, Nicole and Jared took the kids back to their room. "Mommy, who is Doretta that Grandma mentioned?" Nn blinked curiously. "Will she be Uncle Er''s wife?" He thought, ''It seems like Grandma wants to set him up with that person, doesn''t it?'' Chapter 3123 Chapter 3123 Nicole gently patted Nn''s head and said softly, "You don''t need to worry about this." The situation with Doretta was indeedplicated. Nicole was grateful that she had managed to persuade Gloria to rethink her approach, at least temporarily. She hoped that after Gloria talked to Emma, some of the pressure on Er would ease. However, Nicole knew that Doretta¡¯s matter couldn''t wait any longer. It needed to be investigated thoroughly and soon. When Nn noticed Nicole''s serious expression, he frowned slightly, bing more curious about Doretta. After putting Nn and Lana to bed, Nicole and Jared returned to their room. Jared gently stroked Nicole''s hair, his voice soft as he reassured her, "Don''t worry, everything will be alright." Nicole bit her lip and nodded at Jared''s words. "Yeah." She understood Jared''s confidence that the situation would be resolved, but she couldn''t shake her anxiety. With Everett pressing hard and Emma unaware of the situation, wanting Doretta as Er''s wife, Nicole felt it was necessary to inform Patricia so she could be prepared. Seeing Nicole lost in thought again, Jared took her hand. "It''ste, let''s go to sleep." Nicole snapped back to reality and smiled at Jared. Jared shook his head, his eyes full of affection. ''She''s consumed because she cares deeply for the people around her, but does she realize how much it pains me to see her worry?'' Lightly tapping Nicole''s nose, Jared then scooped her into his arms. Nicole wrapped her arms around Jared''s neck, resting her head on his shoulder, her eyes brimming with contentment and happiness. Returning to the bedside, Jared gentlyid Nicole down and smoothed her hair away from her forehead. He then tenderly kissed her there. Nicole smiled and reached up to wrap her arms around his neck, pulling him closer for a kiss on his lips. Herughter was soft and teasing as she gazed at him. Jared''s eyes darkened slightly, and he felt a warmth in his throat, which he swallowed. Leaning in slowly, he gently kissed her lips, and Nicole responded instinctively. The temperature in the room climbed steadily, and the air was filled with an intimate warmth. **** The next day dawned bright and sunny, marking the beginning of another busy day for Nicole and Jared. After breakfast, they left home together. Jared dropped Nicole off at Riddle Corporation and watched her enter the building. He then turned to Max and asked, "What have you found?" "Doretta has been acting strangelytely, so Nicole suspects something might be off with her and is investigating. Also, it seems like Everett is up to something big in the shadows, but we don''t have any concrete leads yet, " Max reported, his expression somber. A cold flicker crossed Jared''s eyes, and the temperature in the car seemed to drop. Seeing Jared silent, Max cautiously asked, "Mr. Johnston, do we need to do anything?" "Just keep an eye on things," Jared said after a moment of thought. N?velDrama.Org holds ? this. He understood that without a clear evidence, Nicole hadn''t shared everything with him. For now, he decided to let her continue her investigation while his people focused on ensuring her safety. "Yes, sir," Max acknowledged, then hesitated before adding, "The leader of the Eastern Falcon might be under Everett''s control. Perhaps we could use that to our advantage." Jared''s gaze narrowed, shrouded in darkness, and after a pause, he instructed, "Send someone to probe." "Yes," Max agreed. Chapter 3124 Chapter 3124 Jared said, "Be careful and don''t let Everett''s men know. "I understand," Max replied, determination shining in his eyes. He started the car and drove Jared away from Riddle Corporation. Meanwhile, Lulu and Patricia had arrived at Nicole''s office. Lulu whispered, "Nicole, we''ve checked the project proposal Er received. The project itself seems fine. I think Everett must be up to something else." Patricia added, "Right, even if he underestimates Er, he probably wouldn''t try that method again." "But if that''s the case, what is Everett nning?" Patricia asked, her brow slightly furrowed. After taking a moment to think, Nicole turned to Patricia. "Let''s take our time with this. As long as Eliar hasn''t signed any contracts, Everett can''t carry out any ns." Lulu tilted her head, studying Nicole. "It seems like you''ve discovered something important?" Nicole doesn''t seem worried, so Lulu felt she must have found a more crucial clue. With a sigh, Nicole responded, "It''s not a new discovery; it''s about Er." "What''s going on with Er?" Concern crept into Patricia''s expression. Nicole looked at Patricia, her eyes narrowing slightly, before recounting what Gloria had told her the previous evening to Patricia and Lulu. "You mean, Emma is really pleased with Doretta right now!" Lulu''s voice rose in shock, hinting at potential trouble. "I''ve already persuaded my mother to calm Emma down, advising her not to rush things without considering Er''s feelings," Nicole exined. "Oh," Lulu breathed a sigh of relief. "That''s good." If Emma wasn''t so insistent, Er wouldn''t be under so much pressure, giving them more time fortheir investigation. "Patricia, keep a close eye on Doretta," Nicole reminded Patricia. "Got it," Patricia replied, her expressionplicated as she bit her lip. "Our time is running out; we can''t dy any longer," Lulu frowned. "You convinced Gloria to calm Emma down, but Doretta could easily persuade Emma too, especially since she''s living with her and has easy ess." She was genuinely concerned that their efforts with Emma could be undone by Doretta with just a few words. Even though they knew Doretta had hidden motives for getting close to Dexter''s family, Emma saw her as a good person. Nicole nodded slightly. "That''s true.¡± Patricia gritted her teeth and said, "Ms. Riddle, how about this? I''ll go to BayCorp for now." She was worried. Even though she couldn''t visit Er''s home, being at thepany might help her understand the situation better and ensure Er''s safety. Property ? N?velDrama.Org. Nicole thought for a moment before agreeing, "That might be the best approach." ''TH go there right away," Patricia suggested. "Okay," Nicole nodded, acknowledging that Er might need more support at this time. Shortly after, Patricia left Riddle Corporation and headed to BayCorp. "Nicole, even though I trust Patricia''s abilities, this involves Er. Could her personal feelings potentially cloud her judgment?" Lulu expressed her concern. Chapter 3125 Chapter 3125 "No, Patricia knows her boundaries," Nicole affirmed, her trust evident in her eyes. After all, Patricia was professionally trained and knew how to remain rational when needed. Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. "That''s reassuring," Lulu rxed a bit, understanding that Patricia was indeed the most suitable person for the job at the moment. "And you?" Nicole looked up at Lulu. "How are things on your end? Going smoothly?" Lulu nodded. "Everything''s fine, don''t worry." "Good," Nicole nodded in satisfaction, confident that leavingpany matters in Lulu''s hands was the right choice. "Nicole, I know you''ve been busy, and more challenges may arise. Don''t worry, I''ll keep an eye on the to do," Lulu said seriously, her eyes earnest. Nicole felt warmth in her heart and smiled. "Don''t worry, I''ll manage." "I believe you can handle anything. Even if Everett is cunning, you''ll find a way to deal with him," Lulu said as she nodded vigorously. Nicole smiled. "I¡¯ll do my best." **** Patricia arrived at BayCorp. Er, upon seeing Patricia, was overjoyed. "You''re here!" Patricia nced at Er coolly and said seriously, "I''ll be working here for a while." "Really?!" Er blinked in disbelief, thrilled by the news to the point of doubting its reality. Patricia rolled her eyes at Er and ced a document down. "This is about Everett''s project. Arrange for someone to handle the negotiations, but remember to dy any agreements. Don''t sign anything." "Got it," Er said quickly. Patricia looked at Er and then started to leave. "Wait." Er took a moment to respond, calling out to her just as she was about to leave the office. Patricia stopped and turned back, looking slightly confused. "Is there something else?" "Uh, I..." Er stammered but couldn''t find the words. Seeing Er''s struggle, Patricia rolled her eyes and said, "Let me know when you''ve figured it out." Then, Patricia turned and walked out of the room. "Patricia!" Er watched her leave, feeling resigned, and finally let out a sigh. He was annoyed with himself for suddenly bing tongue-tied. It felt very foolish. The stress from home was increasing, and if he didn''t find a solution soon, he felt like he might not be able to handle it much longer. Er sighed and shook his head sadly, silently deciding to invite Patricia to lunch to ask for her help. In the office, Patricia sat at her desk, her gaze dark and thoughtful. ''We''re still in the dark about Everett''s n, but we''re sure it''s going to hurt Er and, indirectly, Nicole. We can''t afford to rx for even a moment. ''Then there''s Doretta. She might''vee to San Joto looking for work and to move up in her career. But if she''s been in contact with those people from the Eastern Falcon-or, worse, if they''ve bought her off¡ªit could spell trouble for the Riddle family.'' With her mind spinning with thoughts, Patricia''s expression darkened. Chapter 3126 Chapter 3126 Patricia bit her lip, her eyes narrowing slightly. Doretta didn''t oftene to Er''spany; she spent more time at home. Patricia wondered, ''So, to figure out what Doretta''s up to, do I have to go visit Er''s ce?'' The thought of going to Er''s house made Patricia hesitate. "Never mind, let''s see. It might be better if El I ar arranges for Doretta to be at BayCorp. That way, it would be easier to keep an eye on her." Speaking to herself, Patricia then dialed Nicole''s number. "Ms. Riddle../ Patricia began to share her thoughts with Nicole. There was silence on the line, and Nicole didn''t immediately respond, making Patricia even more uncertain, wondering if Nicole disagreed with her suggestion. Nicole finally spoke, "Even if Dorettaes to thepany, she won''t stay there all the time. She''ll still go back home in the evening. "This way, she can keep tabs on the household and have the opportunity to get involved with the "Okay, I understand now." Patricia felt a bit frustrated with herself for not considering that aspect. "Don''t worry too much. Even if she intends to do something, she won''t act immediately. She needs to gain Emma''s absolute trust first," Nicole reassured. She felt that otherwise, even if Doretta seeded, it would be difficult for her toe out unscathed. Patricia figured that even if Dorettapromised for some reason and agreed to cooperate with the Eastern Falcon, she would likely consider her own safety first. "I understand," Patricia said. "Alright, let''s leave it at that for now," Nicole said, ending the call. Patricia took a deep breath, calming herself down and returning to her usualposed demeanor. She then picked up the documents beside her. On the other end of the phone, Nicole put away her phone and started thinking deeply. Lulu entered the room and, noticing Nicole lost in thought, couldn''t resist asking, "What''s wrong?" Nicole refocused and looked at Lulu, replying, "It''s about Doretta..." After Nicole shared the content of her recent phone call, Lulu shrugged and said, "Why not just have Patricia go to Er''s house too? That would kill two birds with one stone." Nicole frowned. "I was just thinking about that, but..." She paused, considering the potential awkwardness for Patricia, so she hadn''t fully decided yet. Understanding Nicole''s hesitation, Lulu blinked and said, "I get your concern, but I think Patricia is professional enough to agree." Lulu knew Nicole didn''t want to make Patricia ufortable. However, she felt that, apart from the mission, Patricia and Er¡¯s rtionship might need a push, and Doretta could be just that. Otherwise, given Patricia''s personality, Patricia might miss her chance with Er. Doing it this way could not only get the job done but also bring Ell ar and Patricia together, so Lulu thought, ''Why not go for it?'' After pondering for a moment, Nicole said, "Let''s leave it up to Patricia to decide." Lulu was confused. "How? We haven''t even told Patricia anything." But Nicole understood. She knew Patricia had called because she was already thinking about it but was having trouble deciding. That'' was why Patricia suggested having Doretta work at Er''spany. With a slight smile, Nicole looked at Lulu and said, "I know you''re concerned, but let''s not worry about Patricia''s matters. Instead, let''s talk about you." "Me?" Lulu was confused. "What about me?" "With Patricia gone, your workload will increase. Have you considered getting an assistant?¡± Nicole asked. "Oh, that''s what you mean. Don''t worry, I can handle it," Lulu chuckled. Even though she knew her workload might get a bit heavier, she felt sure she could handle it. So, she decided there was no need to consider getting an assistant at the moment. Chapter 3127 Chapter 3127 Nicole replied with a warm smile, "Just tell me if it gets overwhelming. "Sure thing," Lulu replied before heading out. Nicole got back to work and, in no time, it was noon. They decided to have lunch at a nearby restaurant, chatting casually as they ate. "Martin should have found Cindy by now, right?" Lulu asked casually. "I¡¯m not sure; he hasn''t sent any updates," Nicole replied, also finding it strange that there had been no word from Martin. She wondered whether he hadn''t found Cindy yet or if, having found her, he was too overjoyed to share the news. Lulu teased with a knowing smile, "He must have made up with Cindy and is too happy to remember US. You know, the thrill of romance." Nicole shook her head, half amused, half exasperated. "Stop gossiping, let''s eat." "Hehe, I''m just showing concern forthem," Lulu chuckled. Property ? N?velDrama.Org. After lunch, they headed back to the office. Nicole was on her way when Patricia called her. "You''re going to Eliar''s house?!" Nicole was surprised, but she also felt it was expected. "Yes," Patricia confirmed. "But I told him I''m just there to help out." "That''s fine. As long as you''re both okay with it," Nicole understood Patricia''s position and didn''t push for more. After seeing Nicole end the call, Lulu, full of curiosity, asked, "Patricia is going to Er''s house?" "It seems Er asked for Patricia''s help, and she agreed," Nicole replied. "This is progress," Lulu said with a triumphant smile. Even if it was just helping out, it was still a step forward. ''Good move, Er.'' After a moment of thought, Lulu¡¯s eyes lit up with an idea. "Why don''t we go to Er''s house after work?" Nicole could see through Lulu''s intentions clearly. She looked at Lulu with a mix of amusement and exasperation. "Let''s skip it today. Maybe in a few days." "But we also need to check on Doretta''s situation," Lulu exined. "There''s no rush. Patricia will handle it." Nicole knew Lulu just wanted to join in for fun. However, Nicole thought it would be best not to show up today, not wanting Patricia to feel too constrained. If they were going to investigate Doretta, they could always do it in a few days. Seeing Nicole was firm in her decision, Lulu gave up. "Alright then." Back at thepany, they went back to their offices and focused on their work for the rest of the day. Meanwhile, in BayCorp''s CEO office, Er watched the clock as it ticked down to thest second. As soon as it did, he got up and swiftly left his office. Patricia had just stepped out of her office when she saw Er already waiting at the door, causing her to pause in surprise. "Let''s go,¡± Er said, smiling awkwardly as if afraid of saying or doing something wrong. Patricia couldn''t help but sigh, a bit exasperated. "Do you really think your parents will believe you have a girlfriend if you act like this?" She thought, ''Can''t he just be a bit more normal instead of being so cautious and awkward? It might Er ran a hand through his hair andughed. "Hehe, okay." Leaving thepany, they quickly arrived at Er''s home. "Mom, Dad, I''m back," Er announced loudly as soon as he entered. Chapter 3128 Chapter 3128 Emma scolded her son, "Why do you have to be so loud? You''ve finally decided to grace US with your presence, huh? Why so early tod-uh..." When she noticed Patricia, she stopped mid-sentence. "Hi, Mr. and Mrs. Riddle," Patricia greeted, sensing their surprise, she took charge. "Please,e in," Emma and Dexter quickly regained theirposure and invited Patricia inside. Er guided Patricia to the couch, while Emma, puzzled, asked, "Is Patricia here to pass on a message from Nicole?" "Mom, no." Er sighed and exined. "I brought her here." He couldn''t understand how Emma would jump to that conclusion. If Nicole had something to tell her, he would be the one rying the message instead of Patricia. There was no need for Patricia to be there just to ry a message from Nicole. "You mean she''s here because of..." Emma looked somewhat bewildered. She was uncertain about what was happening, so she looked at Dexter. Patricia, known as Nicole''s special assistant, handled many internal matters at Riddle Corporation. Her sudden appearance at their home without Nicole puzzled Emma. She hadn''t expected her son to bring her. Thinking it over, Dexter ventured, "So, she''s your... friend?" Wary of being too forward by calling her Eliar¡¯s ''girlfriend,'' Dexter phrased it delicately. He was aware of the recent pressure Er felt due to Emma''s attitude toward Doretta. He had asionally heard Er mutter about bringing a girlfriend home. He wondered, ''Could Patricia be the one?'' Er, sounding a bit smug, puffed out his chest and emphasized, "She''s my girlfriend." "Really?" Emma''s eyes lit up with excitement. She reached out to pull Patricia closer. "Come, sit down." Patricia felt overwhelmed by the sudden overfriendliness and could only manage a polite smile. "Thank you, Mrs. Riddle." As E liar and Patricia sat down, Ell ar noticed Emma''s undivided attention toward Patricia, engaging in small talk and being incredibly friendly, which made him inwardly cringe. He thought to himself, ''thankfully this is just a pretense; otherwise, Mom''s behavior might scare someone away for real.'' "Mom, where¡¯s Doretta?" Er decided to take the initiative, hoping to dispel Emma''s hopes of him and Doretta being together by involving Patricia. "Oh, she''s upstairs," Emma paused momentarily, hesitating as she nced at Patricia, then added, "Let''s call her down for dinnerter." "Alright then," Er agreed, secretly pleased with himself, feeling like he had seeded in his mission. He hoped this would end Emma''s matchmaking efforts, especially with Doretta. When dinner time arrived, Emma had a maid call Doretta down, and the family gathered in the dining room. After brief introductions, Emma announced, "Let''s eat." Then, turning to Patricia, she said, "Help yourself and eat plenty, Patricia." "Thank you, Mrs. Riddle,¡± Patricia responded with a smile. Emma also reminded Er, "Take good care of Patricia." "Don''t worry," Er replied, then attentively took care of Patricia, acting every bit the doting boyfriend. Emma''s face was a picture of contentment and satisfaction. She was pleased that at least she didn''t have to worry about Er anymore. "Aunt Emma, you should eat," Doretta noticed Emma''s focus on entertaining the guests and softly prompted her. "Alright, let''s eat," Emma responded cheerfully, though her gaze kept drifting back to Patricia, clearly Property ? N?velDrama.Org. very pleased with what she saw. Doretta looked at Patricia, a quick change in her expression that Patricia noticed. Patricia''s face darkened slightly as she sensed the shift. "Here, try this," Er said, offering Patricia another dish, acting like a caring boyfriend. "Thanks," Patricia smiled politely, feeling the situation was getting overly dramatic. Er, though, seemed to enjoy ying the role, as if he were truly caught up in it. Emma watched, growing more pleased, exchanging knowing looks with Dexter. Chapter 3129 Chapter 3129 Doretta watched everyone closely, her expression neutral as she continued eating, pretending nothing was wrong. After dinner, Patricia departed. Emma, feeling content, took Er aside. "Well done, you''ve got a girlfriend now. I can rx." "Yeah," Er said, relieved. "When do you n to get married?" Emma asked. Er looked unhappy, forcing a smile. "Mom, do you really have to rush this? I''m your son, don''t you believe in me? Am I that disappointing?" "Of course not! You''re not disappointing at all," Emma said innocently. Er let out a resigned sigh. "Then why are you so rushed about my marriage? Before, you were anxious when I didn''t have a girlfriend. Now that I just got one, you''re asking about marriage. It makes Property ? N?velDrama.Org. me feel like if I don''t hurry up, I''ll be single forever." "I didn''t mean it like that," Emma said, noticing Er''s misunderstanding. "I just hope you settle down soon." She always considered what''s best for him. "Mom, if that''s not really the reason, can you give me some time?" El I ar asked, looking upset. "Also, if I bring up marriage with Patricia now, aren''t you afraid I might scare her away?" Dexter chimed in, "It''s great that he''s found someone he likes. Let''s let them make their own decisions." Emma gave them both a look and said, "I was just asking casually, why are you all so worked up?" She couldn''t afford to scare Patricia away, especially since she genuinely liked her. "Mom, even if it''s casual, please avoid asking, especially when Patricia is around," Er advised, still concerned. "Rest assured, I understand," Emma agreed. Only then did Er feel relieved. He stood up, saying, "I''m going to rest now. You should rest early too, Mom and Dad." "Go ahead," Emma nodded. After returning to his room andpleting his nightly routine, Ery in bed, struggling to fall asleep. It felt like a me was flickering in his heart. He hadn''t expected Patricia to agree toe home with him, even if sheter rified it was just to pretend to be his girlfriend. For him, it was satisfying enough; at least Patricia wasn''t coldly rejecting him anymore. Meanwhile, in the guest room, Doretta took out her phone. After ncing toward the door, she dialed a number with some hesitation. "Everything is normal for now." "Noted," Doretta said firmly into the phone before hanging up, her expression darkening. **¡ï* The next day dawned bright and sunny. Laughter echoed from Nicole''s office. "Ha ha ha, really? Well, you might not be able to get out of this situation easily in the future," Lulu teased Patricia. Patricia looked frustrated and frowned. "Er asked for my help. He should exin it himself next time." Lulu nudged Patricia''s shoulder, looking meaningful. "Emma seems really happy with you. What will you do if shees to you directly?" "I..." Patricia was speechless for a moment, feelingpletely lost. Emma had a warm conversation with Patricia the day before, making Patricia feel a strange warmth she hadn''t felt before, probably because she didn''t receive much parental affection growing up. She thought about how it might feel to have parents, imagining that being with family might feel just like this. "Hehe, it seems like you''re unsure too," Lulu chuckled. Chapter 3130 Chapter 3130 Patricia, her cheeks slightly red, didn¡¯t say more but changed the subject." Ms. Riddle, that''s all I know for now. I saw Doretta yesterday, and everything seemed normal, but I''ll watch her more closely." "Okay, I believe you," Nicole smiled, not asking more about Doretta or bringing up Patricia and Er again. "I''ll go to BayCorp now," Patricia nodded and left. After Patricia left, Lulu also said, "I''ll get back to work." Watching Lulu leave, Nicole bit her lip, looking thoughtful. ''Patricia''s investigation into Doretta is going well, but how about Zane''s progress?'' As Nicole thought, her phone rang. Seeing Zane''s call, she frowned slightly before answering, "Zane." "Nicole, we''ve found something," Zane said quickly. "Tell me," Nicole''s tone became serious. "It looks like Everett is nning to destroy BayCorp,¡¯ Zane exined. Nicole''s expression hardened. Her voice was cold as she asked, "What have you found?" "He''s set a trap with the project he offered Er. It seems perfect on the surface, but once Ell ar falls for Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. it, he''ll be powerless to recover. He''ll either be manipted by Everett or forced to watch BayCorp crumble," Zane''s tone was grave. Fortunately, they had discovered this early, otherwise, once everything was set in motion, it would have been difficult to reverse. "Alright, I understand," Nicole responded solemnly. Nicole felt that Everett had likely contacted Doretta through someone, aiming to exploit her rtionship with Emma''s family. He probably wanted to create an opportunity for El r to sign the contract, achieving his goal. "But don''t worry too much. I''ve already arranged for someone to intervene. Everett won''t seed," Zane added. "Alright." Nicole didn''t dwell on it, discussing a few countermeasures with Zane before ending the call. Nicole was in deep in thought, her expression darkening further. Maybe Everett, worried about Er''s uncertain position affecting his ns, sent someone to approach Doretta. ''And if Doretta agrees to help Everett, what''s in it for her? Has she ever considered that if Eliar gets into trouble, she might not be safe in San Joto anymore? ''Or maybe Doretta has other intentions regarding Er and decides to side with Everett when she realizes her hopes won''t materialize?'' The more Nicole thought, the more she realized she couldn''t quite understand Doretta. ''Maybe we''ll have to wait for Patricia''s investigation to reveal the real Doretta. ''But that''s okay. We still have everything under control. ''I won''t let anything happen to Ell ar, and I won''t let anything harm Dexter''s family either.'' **** Meanwhile, Everett lounged in his office chair, his gaze dark and brooding. "She actually agreed?" his voice was deep. "Yes, she''s agreed to cooperate with US, but she has one condition," Jerry replied, his tone slightly disdainful. Everett raised an eyebrow. "A condition?" "Yes, she wants to manage BayCorp herself once everything is settled," Jerry shared with a hint of scorn. "Heh," Everett chuckled. "She is quite ambitious." Chapter 3131 Chapter 3131 However, Everett believed it was better if Doretta had a condition. As long as someone had a weakness, they were easier to control. "Alright, agree to her terms," he responded. Jerry hesitated. ''Are you sure you want to agree?" "We need to make her feel secure enough to work for US." Whether Everett would fulfill the promise Jerry seemed to understand and nodded immediately. "Okay. I''ll pass on the message to her.'' "Mhm," Everett hummed in satisfaction, a shadow crossing his eyes. By setting this ticking time bomb next to Er, he doubted Er could easily escape unscathed. ''Nicole, let''s see what you''ll do when the timees.* **** The sun set, casting itsst golden light. After a busy day, Nicole left work to find Jared already waiting for her. Getting into the car, Nicole smiled. "Have you been waiting long?" A softness shed in Jared''s eyes. "If you hadn''te down soon, I was actually nning to go up and see what had kept you." "Just had to deal with somest-minute documents,¡¯ Nicole exined. "As long as you''re okay." Jared gently took Nicole''s hand, pulling her into his embrace. Resting against his shoulder, Nicole took a deep breath. "Today did bring more challenges." She briefly outlined the situation, then sighed. "Even though everything is currently within our expectations, I know we can''t let our guard down.¡± "Mhm, with Everett controlling the leader of the Eastern Falcon, their members will naturally obey him," Jared''s eyes darkened. If they couldn''t neutralize the Eastern Falcon''s influence, capturing Everett might not resolve everything. Nicole bit her lip slightly and nodded. "I understand. Zane mentioned he''d arrange for someone to handle the situation with the Eastern Falcon''s headquarters and would contact us with any updates." Gently squeezing Nicole''s hand, Jared spoke softly, "Rx, everything will be resolved." Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. "Mhm," Nicole agreed, closing her eyes to rest. After a while, they arrived home. "Mom, Dad," Nicole greeted Daniel and Gloria upon seeing them. Sitting down next to the couch, Nicole asked somewhat puzzled, "Where are Nn and Lana?" "They saw you hadn''te back yet and went to Tia''s ce with Stanley," Gloria exined with a smile. Nicole couldn''t help but shake her head and chuckle. "Those two little rascals." Knowing they had gone to the backyard, Nicole decided to join them instead of calling them back. "Stanley probably had dinner there; No need to wait for them. Let''s eat," Gloria suggested. "Alright," they agreed, and the family moved to the dining room. "Jared, Nicole, I heard you''ve been dealing with some problemstely. Is everything okay?" Daniel inquired. Jared responded calmly, "It''s manageable." "What''s going on?" Gloria''s expression became worried, as it was rare for work matters to be discussed at the dinner table. "Mom, it''s just some work-rted stuff," Nicole quickly reassured Gloria. "Yes, I was just asking," Daniel added, echoing the reassurance. Chapter 3132 Chapter 3132 Daniel had actually heard some things at the Riddle family manor and wanted to ask Nicole and Jared about them. But he forgot that it might cause Gloria unnecessary worry. "Really?" Gloria asked, sounding doubtful. "Yes, I''m actually just worried about our children being overworked. I thought I''d remind them not to exhaust themselves," Daniel continued. Gloria nodded. ''I see." Then, turning to Nicole, Gloria said, "But you do seem to have lost some weight recently. Is work too demanding?" "Mom, it''s been busytely, but we can handle it. Don''t worry," Nicole reassured with a smile, as if there really was nothing troubling her. "Eat more," Gloria said, serving Nicole more food with a look of concern. Nicole nced at Daniel. "Dad, don''t worry. Together, we¡¯ll manage just fine." She knew Daniel''s concerns weren''t limited to business matters; he probably also knew about the situation with Everett. "That''s good to hear," Daniel nodded, understanding that Nicole was telling him there were others who could help her, easing his worries. Then, Daniel looked toward Jared. The two men exchanged a nce, and though nothing was said, their mutual understanding was clear. Daniel hoped Jared would take good care of Nicole, and Jared, of course, intended to protect Nicole diligently. After dinner, Stanley returned with Nn and Lana. "Mommy, Daddy," Nn and Lana approached Nicole and Jared, diving into their embrace. Nicole gently touched their heads. "Did you go to y with Great-grandma Wace?" "Yeah, Great-grandma Wace even told US stories," Lana said, looking up with a smile. Stanley joined them, sitting near the couch. "I saw Mrs. Wace Sr. seemed a bit tired, so I let her rest earlier and brought them back." "Mhm," Nicole nodded in response. "Stanley, have you and Tia decided on anything? The house is almost ready; it''s time to set a date," Gloria reminded Stanley. Stanley sighed, looking somewhat troubled. "Actually, the issue isn''t with me and Tia, it''s Mrs. Wace Sr." "What''s going on with Mrs. Wace Sr.?" Nicole asked, puzzled. "Tia wants Mrs. Wace Sr. to move to the front yard for easier care, but Mrs. Wace Sr. doesn''t want to move, so we''re still trying to convince her, " Stanley exined. Gloria nodded. "Tia is a good girl, caring about her." "Yes," Stanley added with difficulty, "But Mrs. Wace Sr. said she''s used to the quiet of the backyard and prefers to stay there. She suggests hiring someone to look after her." "Tia is worried about leaving her care to someone else, so they haven''t reached a final agreement," Stanley said, shaking his head. Nicole pondered for a moment. "Let''s respect Grandma''s wishes. I''ll talk to Tia." "Is it really okay to leave Mrs. Wace Sr. in the backyard?" Gloria asked, concerned. "It will be fine," Nicole assured after a thought, "We can hire a professional caregiver for Grandma. It shouldn''t be a problem, and they can keep an eye on her health." Pausing briefly, Nicole added, ''Tia can also visit and take care of Grandma during the day when she''s free. That should be reassuring." "That does seem like a solution that satisfies everyone," Stanley agreed, confident that Tia would ept if Nicole suggested it. Gloria also added, "Indeed, it''s a good solution." "I''ll have the butler arrange for the caregiver," Daniel also agreed. Soon, everyone concurred with the arrangement, reaching a unanimous decision. Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. "It''s gettingte; let''s all rest," Daniel suggested to the group. Chapter 3133 Chapter 3133 ¡°Alright,¡± everyone agreed and made their way to their rooms. After making sure Nn and Lana were asleep, Nicole and Jared returned to their own room. Following a warm bath, Nicole changed into her pajamas and approached the bed. As he gently smoothed her hair, Jared spoke softly, ¡°If you¡¯re tired, rest early.¡± ¡°Mhm,¡± Nicole agreed, lying down. Soon, Nicole fell asleep. Observing her peaceful face, Jared¡¯s gaze deepened slightly before he stepped out to the balcony. He dialed a number, and Zane¡¯s voice came through, ¡°Calling thiste, is it urgent?¡± ¡°Are you investigating the leader of the Eastern Falcon?¡± Jared asked, his voice grave. ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve discussed it with Nicole. If we can find that person, we might be able to dismantle Everett¡¯s force,¡± Zane responded. ¡°Max has found some leads. I¡¯ll have him send them to you tomorrow, hoping it¡¯ll aid your investigation,¡± Jared said, his tone serious. Zane sounded surprised, ¡°So, you¡¯ve been looking into it too!¡± Though Jared hadn¡¯t said much, he had pinpointed the crux of the matter and acted even quicker than him. ¡°Everett¡¯s target is likely not just Nicole but the entire Riddle family. Being ambitious is fine, but if we take away his means to support that ambition, he¡¯ll naturally be desperate and expose his ws,¡± Jared stated coldly. A slip-up from Everett would mean his end. ¡°Right, if we can rescue that person, the Eastern Falcon won¡¯t obey him anymore,¡± Zane agreed, which was why he and Nicole decided to allocate more resources to this investigation. ¡°T¡¯ll leave this matter to you. As for things in San Joto, I¡¯ll have Max and Charlie keep an eye on them,¡± Jared¡¯s voice carried a chill. ¡°Okay,¡± Zane agreed. After hanging up the phone, Jared turned his gaze back to the room. Nicole was still sleeping soundly on the bed. The sight softened his expression instantly, and a slight smile formed on his lips. ORE The next day was sunny and bright. After breakfast, Nicole and Jared left the Riddle residence. On the way, Nicole received a call from Preston. ¡°So, you¡¯re saying Jerry wants Doretta to find a way to steal BayCorp¡¯s official seal?¡± Nicole¡¯s brow furrowed slightly, realizing Everett truly intended to take control of BayCorp. ¡°Yes, | overheard a conversation on his subordinate¡¯s phone; he was instructing them to do just that,¡± Preston confirmed. Nicoleughed. ¡°You actually eavesdropped on his subordinate¡¯s phone call.¡± ¡°His vignce is too high, and he¡¯s also a hacking expert. The slightest carelessness could alert him, so I decided to focus on his subordinates instead,¡± Preston exined. ¡°That¡¯s a clever approach, indeed less likely to expose you,¡± Nicolemended. Preston reminded, ¡°You should warn Er about this, tell him to be extra vignt.¡± ¡°Alright, I will,¡± Nicole assured before ending the call. Putting away her phone, Nicole shook her head with a smile. ¡± Leave it to Preston toe up with such a strategy.¡± ¡°Are you ready to tell Er about Doretta?¡± Jared asked, his expression slightly serious. Taking a deep breath, Nicole replied, ¡°It¡¯s time to tell Er. I think he¡¯ll find a way to handle it without raising Uncle Dexter and Emma¡¯s suspicions.¡± Jared gave Nicole a look but didn¡¯t say anything further, trusting that Nicole had considered all possible oues. Property ? N?velDrama.Org. After dropping Nicole off at Riddle Corporation, Jared left. Chapter 3134 Chapter 3134 Arriving at her office, Nicole had just started working on a couple of documents when there was a knock on the door. ¡°Come in,¡± Nicole called. Property ? N?velDrama.Org. The door opened, and seeing Er, Nicole was somewhat surprised. ¡°You got here pretty fast.¡± ¡°T hadn¡¯t reached the office when you messaged me, so I came straight here,¡± Er exined, taking a seat near the couch. ¡°You said you needed to see me about something important. What¡¯s up?¡± Er knew that if Nicole asked him toe, it must be something significant. After sharing the information Preston had uncovered, Nicole cautioned him, ¡°Be extremely careful from now on.¡± ¡°So, Patricia agreed toe home with me just to investigate Doretta,¡± Er said, looking hurt. Nicole gave Er a disdainful look and asked, ¡°Do you think that is important?¡± ¡°It¡¯s important,¡± Er began to defend himself but then hesitated, finally conceding. ¡°Not important.¡± It was important to him personally but irrelevant to the bigger picture. ¡°Be very careful not to let Emma find out. She would be heartbroken,¡± Nicole reminded him again. ¡°She¡¯ll find out eventually,¡± Er said, sounding deted. Whether sooner orter, the truth would hurt. ¡°If we catch Doretta red-handed, we can find a way to make her disappear and simply tell Emma she left San Joto,¡± Nicole suggested. As long as Emma didn¡¯t find out she was deceived by Doretta, everything else should be manageable. Er considered Nicole¡¯s suggestion and replied, ¡°Alright, I understand.¡± ¡°Cheer up. Don¡¯t mess up Patricia¡¯s n,¡± Nicole said, noticing Er¡¯s sad face and feeling resigned. ¡°Nicole, I understand,¡± Er responded. He realized that despite his own feelings, they were not the most important thing right now. He had always known that Patriciaing home with him was just for appearances, but he hadn¡¯t expected her to have her own agenda as well, not just the willingness to help him he had assumed. Leaving Riddle Corporation with mixed feelings, Er got into his car, lookingpletely dejected. ¡°Mr. Riddle, are you okay?¡± his assistant asked with concern. ¡°Let¡¯s go, back to the office.¡± Er didn¡¯t want to talk; he just leaned back in his seat, lost in thought. When Er returned to BayCorp, his attention involuntarily drifted toward Patricia¡¯s office before he entered his own. Unexpectedly, Patricia came out just then. Er quickly averted his eyes and hurried into his office. Patricia, noticing Er¡¯s strange behavior, frowned slightly but didn¡¯t dwell on it, following him into his office. ¡°You said Nicole wanted to see you. What was it about?¡± Patricia inquired, suspecting it had something to do with BayCorp or Doretta. Taking a deep breath, Er attempted to regain hisposure. ¡± Nicole warned me that Doretta¡¯s task might involve obtaining BayCorp¡¯s official seal.¡± Patricia paused. Upon realizing what he was implying, she responded, ¡°So, you know everything now.¡± ¡°Yes, Nicole told me everything. Doretta might have been bought by Everett¡¯s people, so you¡­¡± Er trailed off, suddenly unsure how to continue, perhaps fearing Patricia¡¯s response. Understanding Er¡¯s unspoken words, Patricia furrowed her brows slightly. But in the end, she offered no exnation. ¡°As long as you¡¯re aware, just be careful,¡± Patricia said before turning to leave. She understood Er¡¯s concerns; now that he was informed, he would also understand that her visit to his home was solely to investigate Doretta. Chapter 3135 Chapter 3135 Patricia felt this was probably for the best, to avoid any unnecessary misunderstandings. Er watched Patricia leave without hesitation, feeling a deep, muted pain in his heart. A knock on the door interrupted his thoughts. ¡°Mr. Riddle, these are urgent,¡± his secretary announced, entering the room. ¡°Just leave them,¡± Er instructed, returning to his desk. After the secretary ced the documents down and left, Er picked them up without hesitation and began to work, engrossed in his tasks for the entire morning. Noticing Er hadn¡¯t left his office, Patricia approached with a puzzled look. She knocked on his office door. ¡°Come in,¡± Er¡¯s voice sounded from inside. Opening the door, Patricia asked, ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to have lunch? It¡¯s lunchtime.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not eating,¡± Er responded tersely, then returned his focus to the documents. Patricia was taken aback. After a moment¡¯s hesitation, she closed the door and left. Hearing the door shut, Er gripped the document tighter, a sense of destion washing over him. ¡®She really doesn¡¯t care about my feelings.¡¯ After lunch, Patricia hesitated for a moment, then decided to have a meal packed for Er as well. Back at thepany, she instructed the secretary to deliver the lunch to Er¡¯s office. ¡°Take it away. I¡¯m not eating,¡± Er said, irritated. ¡°But¡­¡± the secretary began, ¡°Patricia said you must eat your lunch, or you won¡¯t hold up.¡± ¡°] don¡¯t care about who said so, I¡¯m the boss. I don¡¯t need to listen¡­¡±¡± Er paused his retort as he suddenly realize something. ¡± Wait, who did you say?¡± ¡°Patricia,¡± the secretary repeated, still somewhat puzzled by Mr. Riddle¡¯s sudden change of mood. Sensing the secretary¡¯s confusion, Er sternly said, ¡°Just leave it. You can go now.¡± ¡°Yes, Mr. Riddle.¡± After cing the meal box on the desk, the secretary left the office. Once alone, Er set aside the documents he was holding and looked at the meal box. ¡°It seems she does care after all.¡± The gloom that had enveloped Er all morning dispersed instantly. Feeling satisfied after his lunch, Er went to Patricia¡¯s office. ¡°Let me know if there¡¯s anything you need me to do,¡± he said, then quickly left. Patricia watched him go, slightly amused and shaking her head at his quick mood shift. ¡®He¡¯s really like a child, bouncing back to happiness in just half a day.¡¯ Time flew, and three days Property ? N?velDrama.Org. passed in rtive calm. With the BayCorp project looming, Er finally had the chance to decline the partnership. ¡°T¡¯ve politely declined,¡± Er informed Nicole over the phone. ¡°Mhm,¡± Nicole hummed in response, unconcerned about whether Everett would suspect anything. In fact, by refusing the deal, Everett should realize Nicole¡¯s side had uncovered something. ¡°Nicole, even if Everett finds out I saw through his scheme, he can¡¯t do anything to me. I indeed epted a better project than his, and I used that as an excuse. He has no grounds to argue,¡± Er said, somewhat proudly. ¡°Still, don¡¯t let your guard down. Everett won¡¯t just let this go,¡± Nicole warned. Chapter 3136 Chapter 3136 "Got it," Er hesitated for a moment before carefully saying, "Can Patricia... continue to stay here with me? I might still need her." "Sure," Nicole agreed. Er was instantly overjoyed. ¡¯ Really? Thank you, Nicole." "Of course, it''s true. Doretta hasn''t made a move yet, and I think after you''ve refused to cooperate with Everett, Doretta will probably act soon. Patricia''s mission isn''tplete yet, so naturally, she can''t return." "Oh.¡± Er seemed a bit disappointed but quickly cheered up again. "It''s okay, it''s good to have her stay a few more days." Although it was for work, he was happy to see her more. "Let''s leave it at that for now. If anythinges up, remember to contact me immediately," Nicole reminded. "I know,¡± Er responded. After Nicole hung up the phone, her eyes narrowed slightly. She thought to herself, ''Now that Er has made his stance clear, whatever Everett ns to do next will probably be more straightforward. ''The closer it gets to such moments, the more careful we need to be, not giving Everett any chance to exploit.'' Knock, knock, knock. After the knocking, Lulu entered the room. "Nicole, take a look at this." Lulu ced a document in front of Nicole. ¡ö'' The funding for this project has been secured, but the other party suddenly wants to cancel the cooperation." "What happened?" Nicole''s expression darkened a bit. "We don''t know yet. I''ve already arranged for someone to investigate,¡± Lulu responded. Nicole opened the document, her eyes narrowing slightly, her gaze turning somber. ''Everything for the project is set; why would the other party suddenly want to cancel the cooperation? Is there an issue, or are they having second thoughts about the partnership?'' Lulu wondered aloud, ''"Nicole, do you think Everett might be behind this?" Now, whenever there was a problem with any of thepanies, her first thought was Everett, given that he was eagerly watching them, making it hard for her not to suspect him. "Let''s wait and see what exactly is going on." Although Nicole also suspected Everett, she still wanted to see the evidence; it could also be that the otherpany was facing some difficulties. "Nicole, have you heard?" Just then, Sean and Steve entered Nicole''s office. "What is it?" Seeing the anxious look on their faces, Nicole felt a foreboding feeling. "A few of thepanies we''re coborating with have suddenly encountered problems," Sean said with a dark expression. "We suspect Everett might have had a hand in it." "Who else could it be but him,'' Steve said through clenched teeth. "We have one here too. I was just discussing with Nicole if Everett could be behind this," Lulu said indignantly. Sean picked up the document and nced at it, his expression growing even more solemn. "It seems Everett is making moves again. What exactly does he want to do?" Nicole looked up at them and said, "Er has already rejected his project, and I think he knows that we''ve seen through his scheme." "He can''t possibly think that causing trouble for these fewpanies would affect US, right?" Steve frowned. After all, even if these few projects were ruined, it wouldn''t shake the foundation of the Riddle Corporation. Property ? N?velDrama.Org. Nicole shook her head. ¨¬ guess he''s probably trying to divert our attention.'' "You mean, he has another scheme!" Steve''s voice rose a few notches. "Probably," Nicole''s eyes flickered with a cold light. After all, such childish tactics were not likely something Everett would resort to again. Lulu''s face paled slightly. "So, what should we do?" "First, let''s stay calm," Nicole thought for a moment and said. "Since this isn''t Everett''s real goal, let''s hold our position for now and see what he''s really up to." Chapter 3137 Chapter 3137 "Could it be that he''s waiting for the oue from Doretta¡¯s side?" Lulu spected. Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. At this time, Everett causing trouble to distract them might also be creating opportunities for Doretta. "It''s a possibility I won''t rule out. I''ll remind Patricia of this," Nicole said, then turned to the others. "As for these projects, we still need to maintain the facade." Lulu nodded in understanding. "Right, making Everett believe he has seeded might lead him to expose his ws." "Well do as you suggest," Sean and Steve agreed. "Good," Nicole replied with a slight smile. Soon after, Sean and Steve left the office. "Nicole, even though we need to maintain a facade, our work still needs to continue. About these projects... will thosepanies be willing to y along with US?¡± Lulu asked hesitantly. "Those willing to continue will do so; if not, well terminate the contracts. As for the penalties, let''s waive them. They can decide what they want to do." After all, it was because of Riddle Corporation that they were involved, so they shouldn''t bear the losses. Lulu bit her lip slightly and responded, "Okay, I understand." After watching Lulu leave, Nicole called Patricia. She briefed Patricia on the situation at Riddle Corporation, and cautioned, "Doretta might be making a move soon, be careful." "No wonder, she is starting work at BayCorp tomorrow," Patricia''s tone sounded serious. Knowing Doretta''s intentions, Er had taken all the necessary precautions at thepany, leaving Doretta no chance to act at home. Over the past few days, Doretta managed to persuade Emma, who then convinced Er to let Doretta into thepany. Ell ar agreed, seizing the opportunity. "It seems our suspicions were correct," Nicole''s voice turned colder, as Everett was finally making his move. "Ms. Riddle, don''t worry. I''ll be on the lookout and discuss with Er. If necessary, well create opportunities for Doretta," Patricia assured. "Alright, you two can discuss the specifics," Nicole said, ending the call. On the other end of the phone, Er carefully asked Patricia, "What''s up, you seem so serious?" "You should be more cautious about Doretta; she''s likely to make her move in the next few days," Patricia warned Er. Er smiled confidently. "Don''t worry, even if she seeds, she won''t actually seed." "What do you mean?" Patricia asked, puzzled. "I''ve been thinking, and I realized that none of the ns are that foolproof, so I..." Er leaned closer to Patricia and lowered his voice, "made all the official seals fake." "You!" Patricia was momentarily speechless, looking at El I ar with a mix of amusement and disbelief. She thought, ''He really thinks outside the box, but this solution will indeed solve the problem.'' Instead of worrying about potential ws in the n, it was better to make everything fake. That way, there was nothing to worry about. "Heh, you must be realizing how smart I am now," Er said with a hint of pride. Patricia couldn''t help but shake her head. "Yes, you''re the smartest." Now, the pressure seemed a lot less, since even a loss wouldn''t be scary. "As long as you know," Er said with a triumphant smile. Patricia couldn''t help but roll her eyes at him, cautioning, "Be more discreet, and make sure you don''t give anything away." "Got it," Er said, patting his chest. "I''ll be careful." "Alright, go on then," Patricia signaled that Er could leave. Er''s expression stiffened slightly. "So, about what I just asked you, have you decided?" Patricia hesitated for a moment. "Doretta ising to thepany tomorrow; I think it''s better not to." Chapter 3138 Chapter 3138 "But my mom said she wants to invite you over for dinner. You haven''t been there in several days, and she even asked me if I did something to upset you. If you don''t go, she''ll definitely think I made you angry, and I''ll get an earful," Er pleaded with Patricia, looking pitiful. "You could exin it to her," Patricia said, somewhat helplessly. "I could exin a thousand times, but it won''t be as effective as you showing up," Er sighed. "I feel like I must have been adopted and not actually born to my mom." Patricia couldn''t help butugh. "I have ns tonight. How about this: I''ll go back with you to chat a little with your mom, but then I have to leave." She had already made ns with Charlie to investigate the person connected to Doretta that evening. "As long as you agree," Er instantly brightened up, his eyes shining. "Remember, I really have something to do and can''t stay long,¡± Patricia reminded him again. "I know, just your presence is enough," Er sighed in relief, genuinely afraid of going back home only to be scolded by his mom. Watching Er happily leave, Patricia chuckled and shook her head. *¡ï** In thete afternoon, the sun was strong. Nicole and Lulu were on their way back after having dinner. "Patricia is going over to Emma''s ce tonight. Maybe we could join?" Lulu said, grinning. "Your undying spirit for gossip really is something," Nicole couldn''t help butugh. "Let''s just join in the fun. Plus, I really want to see what Doretta is like, to be so clever and cunning." Lulu was genuinely curious. After all, Doretta was just a distant rtive; why would Emma care so much? Nicole hesitated for a moment before agreeing. "Alright." With Doretta starting at thepany tomorrow, it would be good for them to get a sense of who she was beforehand. "Then let''s head out together after work." Lulu said. She then pulled out her phone to call spencer. "I have ns tonight, so you don''t need to pick me up. I¡¯ll make my own way home." "Where are you going?" Spencer asked. "I''m going to Dexter¡¯s house with Nicole," Lulu exined. Hearing that she would be with Nicole, Spencer wasn''t as worried. "Okay." After hanging up, Lulu looked at Nicole. ¡°Is Jareding to pick you up?¡± "I''ll let him know,¡± Nicole said, sending a message to Jared. Meanwhile, Jared frowned slightly upon receiving the message. "Mr. Johnston, is there something wrong?" Max asked quietly. Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. "It''s nothing," Jared replied, then instructed Max, "Tell Mr. Lampman that I will be attending the dinner." "Yes," Max responded, understanding that Nicole must have something to do, so Jared wouldn''t be picking her up. Jared''s eyes slightly narrowed as he asked, "The information you gathered about the leader of the Eastern Falcon, have you passed it to Zane?" "It''s already been sent. Rest assured," Max nodded. "From now on, you don''t need to look into this matter. Zane will handle it," Jared paused before adding, "As for the forces Everett brought to San Joto from the Eastern Falcon, make sure your people thoroughly investigate and leave no stone unturned." "Yes," Max replied seriously. If they could find all these people, it indeed had the potential to dismantle Everett''s strength. Chapter 3139 Chapter 3139 "Also, have someone keep a close eye on Everett," Jared''s expression darkened, histone cold. "Understood, I will send our most capable people," Max responded. "Good," Jared acknowledged, then picked up the document on his desk. Max nodded and left the office, realizing the situation was getting moreplicated. He knew there was a high chance Everett might do something desperate, which could put Nicole in danger. Jared, concerned for his wife¡¯s safety, wanted to make sure everything was arranged to keep her safe. Max believed that while Everett was currently supported by the Eastern Falcon, his confidence would fade once they captured the Falcon''s members and dealt with their leader. At that point, Everett would have no choice but to surrender, as he would be out of options. As the sun set and the evening glow filled the sky, Nicole and Lulu arrived at Eliar¡¯s home. They found Er and Patricia just getting out of their car, both surprised and pleased to see them. "Hey guys, what brings you here?" Er greeted them warmly. "We came to see Dexter and Emma," Lulu said with a smile, though she couldn''t admit she was there Property ? N?velDrama.Org. for some drama. "Come inside," Er invited them, leading the way into the house. Afterward, Er nced at Patricia, and both understood they were likely there because of Doretta, but they didn''t say anything more about it. In the living room, Nicole and Lulu greeted Dexter and Emma. "You guys are here,e on over," Emma called out warmly. "Mom, Dad, we''re back too," Ell ar announced, prompting Patricia to nod and also greet Dexter and Emma. "Ah, Patricia is here too," Emma noticed Patricia and beamed even more." Come on, take a seat, everyone." After everyone sat down, Emma nced at Ell ar and said, "Looks like you kept your word." "What else could I do? Actually, Patricia has other things to do today. She agreed toe just so you wouldn''t scold me. She''ll have to leave in a bit," Er mentioned Patricia''s eventual departure to prevent any trouble from Emmater. "Patricia, you have other things to do? Then let''s have dinner quickly so it won''t hold you up," Emma suggested promptly. "That means we also get to enjoy this feast," Lulu chimed in with augh. "Let''s go have dinner," Emma said, smiling at Nicole and Lulu. "Okay," everyone agreed and stood upto head toward the dining room. Emma instructed Er, "Go call Doretta for dinner." "Okay," Er called out toward Doretta¡¯s room, "Doretta, dinner''s ready." "This rascal," Emma shook her head at Er in a bemused manner. "Alright," Doretta¡¯s voice came down from upstairs. Er shrugged and then went to escort Patricia. Once Doretta joined, everyone sat down, ready to enjoy their dinner. Chapter 3140 Chapter 3140 "Nicole, Lulu, this is Doretta, a distant rtive of mine," Emma introduced to Nicole and Lulu. "This is Nicole, Er''s fraternal cousin, and that''s Lulu, Nicole''s brother''s wife," Emma continued with the introductions. After the greetings, Dexter encouraged everyone, saying, "Alright, we''re all family here, no need to be formal. Let''s eat." "Okay," everyone agreed, picking up their utensils. "Patricia, try this," Er immediately served Patricia her favorite dish. Lulu saw this and gave Nicole an ambiguous smile, raising her eyebrows. Nicole chuckled softly, then turned to Dexter and Emma. "Uncle Dexter, Emma, you both look great recently, seems like you''re enjoying yourselves." "Of course, we''re thrilled," Emma replied, looking at Patricia with a satisfied smile. Patricia felt embarrassed, her face turning red. She nced at Er, aware that their rtionship was fake. But now, the situation seemed out of her control, and she realized she hadn''t nned carefully. She had thought they could easily ''break up'' However, admitting that her rtionship with Er was fake would mean they had deceived Dexter and Emma. She was sure Dexter and Emma would be deeply hurt by that revtion. Er served Patricia more food and then casually remarked, "As long as you''re happy, it makes my life a bit easier," adopting a tone that suggested mild annoyance. Everyoneughed heartily, once again lightening the mood. Nicole''s eyes narrowed slightly as she noticed Patricia''s hesitation. She understood Patricia''s concerns and doubts; indeed, the situation seemed tricky. At this point, the only way forward was to proceed with the n. She hoped to apprehend Doretta soon to avoid dragging things out and minimizing potential hurt. As these thoughts passed through her mind, Nicole''s gaze shifted back to Doretta. Doretta was attentively serving Emma, expressing her gratitude, "Aunt Emma, I''m starting work tomorrow. I really have to thank you and Er for helping mend such a great job. Don''t worry, I''ll work hard and do my best. "You''re just starting your career; don''t put too much pressure on yourself. If there''s anything you don''t understand, go to Eliar. He''ll help you," Emma advised. Dexter added, "Knowing you''re there to help Er gives US peace of mind." "I''ll definitely do my best," Doretta assured with a serious and earnest expression. "Do you need to prepare anything for your first day at work?" Emma asked, concerned. "I''ve got everything ready," Doretta replied sweetly. Lulu nced at her, then teasingly said to Er, "With Patricia and now Doretta at your side, you sure have plenty of help now." "I can''t really offer much help; I''ll still need Er''s guidance," Doretta said, slightly embarrassed. "Not at all, I hear you''re quite the talent. All you needed was an opportunity. Who knows, maybe one day, Er will be relying on you," Luluplimented with a yful smile. "Patricia is too kind; I''m not that impressive," Doretta demurred, then looked at Patricia, "If anyone''s Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. impressive, it''s Patricia. And the only one who can truly help Er will be his future wife." "We''re all family here; we help each other out," Emma chimed in, thinking the conversation was casual. She urged everyone to focus more on eating than talking. Lulu and Nicole exchanged a look, silently acknowledging Doretta''s skill with words. It was clear why Emma admired her so much. Nicole subtly smiled, skillfully changing the subject to talk about other family matters. After dinner, Patricia took her leave. Chapter 3141 Chapter 3141 "Let''s catch up another day," Emma said, although she felt reluctant to part ways, she knew she Property ? N?velDrama.Org. couldn''t keep Patricia from hermitments. "I¡¯ll walk you out," Er offered, standing up. Patricia nodded in acknowledgment and then followed Er out. "Nicole, your assistant Patricia is both beautiful and capable. That''s a real stroke of luck for Er," Emma couldn''t stop praising Patricia. "Emma, Patricia is great, but..." Nicole tried to caution Emma not to get too carried away, but found herself at a loss for words. "But what?" Emma asked, puzzled. "Oh, it''s just that Patricia might not be nning to get married anytime soon, so her rtionship with Er could still face some uncertainties," Lulu chimed in, understanding Nicole''s hesitation and making an excuse for Patricia. Hearing this, Emmaughed and said, ¡¯That''s alright. They''re both young. Waiting a couple of years is fine, as long as they love each other.¡¯ Her concern for Er''s marital prospects was eased by the fact that he now had a girlfriend, so she was no longer in a hurry. Lulu nced at Nicole with a meaningful smile and said, "Exactly, no rush." "Right," Nicole agreed, then stood up and said, "Uncle Dexter, Emma, Doretta, we''ll be heading back now." "You''re leaving too?" Dexter and Emma immediately stood up. Nicole and Lulu replied, "We just came to see how you guys were doing. It''s time for US to head back." "It''s gettingte; you should head back," Dexter agreed. "Indeed, you better head home early," Emma added, without further attempts to keep them. After getting into the car and driving away, Lulu furrowed her brows and said, "Nicole, do you think Doretta is cunning?" "Indeed, she hides it well. That''s why we must have concrete evidence. This way, even if we can''t keep things under wraps, we can at least exin things to Emma," Nicole replied, her gaze deepening. They intended to keep Emma in the dark as much as possible, but idents could happen, so they needed to be prepared. "Tomorrow, she''s starting work at BayCorp. I wonder if Patricia will be able to handle it," Lulu expressed her concern. "Don''t worry, Er is there," Nicole reassured her with a smile. "After all, Er won''t let Patricia be bullied." And Doretta probably wouldn''t be too overt in her actions. Even if she had a mission, she likely wouldn''t want to be discovered, so she wouldn''t be too brazen. Lulu nodded after a moment, "Right, and Patricia isn''t someone who can be easily bullied." Patricia wasn''t an easy target, so she might not necessarily be at a disadvantage. Then, Lulu, driven by curiosity, asked Nicole, "Patricia mentioned she had something to do. What is it?" "I''m not sure, possibly something to do with her investigation,¡± Nicole''s expression slightly darkened as she recalled the serious expression on Patricia''s face when she left. "Oh, I hope there''s progress," Lulu sighed. Both returned home, and by that time, Patricia had already met up with Charlie. "Any news?" Patricia asked Charlie. Charlie looked at Patricia, his expression resigned. "I hoped we wouldn''t need to involve you again, but it seems we can''t avoid pulling you back in." Jared had agreed that Patricia shouldn''t take on any more missions, but she couldn''t avoid involvement after all. With Everett returning and targeting the entire Riddle Corporation and family, Patricia, being in the midst of it all, couldnt possibly remain uninvolved. "It''s okay, stepping back was never my intention," Patricia replied, meeting Charlie''s gaze. Chapter 3142 Chapter 3142 Charlie''s expression stiffened momentarily but soon returned to normal. Both understood each other''s thoughts and thus didn''t delve further into conversation. "How have things been on your endtely?" Charlie asked Patricia. "Pretty smooth, overall," Patricia responded. "Did you call me over tonight because you found something?" "Yes," Charlie said, pointing toward a restaurant not far ahead. "Our person is in there." Patricia frowned slightly, "Are you sure he arranged to meet Doretta?" "Yes, Doretta is definitely showing up tonight," Charlie said, his gaze fixed on the restaurant. After a short wait, Doretta finally appeared. "She actually showed up," Patricia remarked, her tone slightly icy. "Doretta is starting at BayCorp tomorrow. Everett must have assigned her a task, probably rted to thepany''s project. Are you guys prepared to counter it?" Charlie asked. "Yes," Patricia replied, a faint smile ying on her lips as she thought about Er''s n. Seeing Patricia''s smile, Charlie''s eyes narrowed slightly. ''It''s unusual for Patricia to smile during a mission. What''s different today?¡¯ Realizing Charlie had noticed her reaction, Patricia coughed awkwardly and then returned to her usual self, saying, ''Til get closer for a better look." "Go ahead," Charlie whispered. "I''ll keep watch outside." "Okay," Patricia murmured, swiftly moving to a hidden spot where she quickly disguised herself. After the disguise, Patricia looked entirely different, making it impossible for anyone to recognize her. Once she was sure everything was set, Patricia entered the restaurant. She chose a seat near Doretta, positioning herself with her back to her so she could hear Doretta and herpanion without being seen. This positioning made it hard for Doretta to see Patricia''s face. She overheard the man on the other side lower his voice, asking, "Will they notice?" "Everyone at the Riddle residence is asleep. I got out through the window; no one will notice," Doretta replied. The man appeared surprised by Doretta''s response, giving her a look that conveyed doubt about her ability to escape without injury, given herck of physical strength. "Don''t you know about sheets?" Doretta shot back, implying that she had used sheets to help her descend and was aware of the skepticism surrounding her escape. After listening to Doretta''s exnation, the man appeared convinced and nodded. "As long as you weren''t discovered, that''s good." "Has your boss agreed to my request?" Doretta quickly asked, cutting N?velDrama.Org holds ? this. to the chase and showing no interest in further idle talk. "I''ve asked, and he agreed. BayCorp will be under your management in the future," the man replied. Doretta seemed pleased, her voice carrying a hint of triumph as she said," Rest assured, I will deliver what you want in perfect condition." "That''s best. Otherwise, you''ll know the consequences of deceiving him or letting him down," the man said before standing up and leaving. Patricia sensed the person was leaving. Her gaze darkened slightly as she realized Doretta''s goal. The "boss" mentioned must be Everett, and the object of desire naturally rted to the project Patricia was involved in. What surprised Patricia was the scale of Doretta''s ambition. After Nicole''s warning that morning, Patricia was already surprised, but hearing it firsthand deepened her understanding of why Doretta agreed to cooperate with them. So, It was likely that Doretta was not forced to team up with Everett''s side because of threats, but simply because they could fulfill her ambitions. Chapter 3143 Chapter 3143 Unfortunately for Doretta, Patricia had no intention of allowing her the chance to fulfill her ambitions. After concluding there was no new information to be gathered, Patricia stood up and left the restaurant. Unnoticed by Patricia, Doretta also stood up, her eyes darkening as she watched the departing figure vanish through the door. Once outside, Patricia gestured for a taxi and left. Charlie quickly followed, catching upto Patricia. Arriving back at the apartment building, they went up to Charlie''s apartment. "How did it go?" Charlie inquired. Handing over the recording pen to Charlie, Patricia replied, "Everything''s in here." "Good," Charlie said, satisfied. "These will serve as evidence." "It aligns with the information we had before. We can proceed with the n as intended." It seemed Doretta would likely make her move soon. After sitting down, Charlie poured a ss of water for Patricia, urging," Drink some water." "Charlie, once this is over, you should also resign," Patricia suggested, looking at him. Raising an eyebrow, Charlie responded with a meaningful tone, "Have you really fallen for Er?" "Charlie!" Patricia chided, slightly embarrassed. "Why else would you advise me like this?" Charlie said with a smile. ¡®Don''t worry, I can take care of myself. As long as you can have a peaceful and stable life, I''ll have no regrets." "But I cant truly return to a peaceful life if I''m worried about you," Patricia admitted, biting her lip slightly. Their missions were dangerous, and her concern was genuine. "Stop worrying about me. Taking good care of yourself is what''s most important," Charlie deflected, changing the subject. "As for your rtionship with Er, I think you should seriously consider it. Missing out might leave you with regrets." Charlie knew Er might not be very capable, but he still thought he was decent. What mattered most to Charlie was Er''s genuine affection for Patricia and his intention to cherish her. As Patricia''s brother figure, all Charlie wished for was her happiness. "It''s all just pretend," Patricia exined. "After the mission, he''ll tell his parents everything...¡¯ her voice fading as she spoke. Charlie looked at her and inquired, "It may be an act outwardly, but what about inside?" Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. Patricia blushed, but she replied confidently, "It''s all an act, definitely." "Whether it''s pretend or not, only you know," Charlie didn''t push, realizing that some things required Patricia to think about and be open about. Patricia remained silent, unsure of how to respond. With a sigh, Charlie patted Patricia on the shoulder, his silence conveying a clear message. "I''m going to rest," Patricia said with a clenched jaw, standing up. Charlie nodded. "It''ste, you should go." Watching Patricia leave, Charlie shook his head gently, hoping she woulde to understand her feelings sooner rather thanter. The next day was bright and sunny. After breakfast, Tia came to pick up Nn and Lana. "Tia," Nn and Lana said, hoisting their backpacks, ready to leave with Tia. "Wait for me," Stanley quickly joined them, and they all left together. Watching their departure, Nicole smiled and said, "Imagine Stanley and Tia getting married, having their own kids. It would be such a harmonious family scene." "Tia really knows how to take care of children. I think their kids will be well off without me worrying," Gloria said with a relieved and happy smile. Chapter 3144 Chapter 3144 Standing up with a smile, Nicole said, "Mom, we should be going now." "Oh, alright, be careful on the All rights ? N?velDrama.Org. road," Gloria cautioned Jared and Nicole. "Don''t worry," they assured, leaving together. The house quieted down again. Gloria turned to Daniel. "Why aren''t you leaving today?" "Dad''s been alright these past few days, so I''m not going anywhere," Daniel replied. "I see," Gloria shrugged and stood up. "Where are you going?" Daniel asked, holding her back. "Back to my room," she said, nning to return to her room to read since there wasn''t much else to do. Daniel also stood up, taking Gloria''s hand. "Why not join me for a bit outside?" "Where to?" Gloria asked, intrigued. ''If he''s not going back to Benjamin''s ce, does he have someone else he needs me to go with him to meet?'' "I''ve reserved that limited edition ne you liked but couldn''t getst time. They said it would arrive today; let''s go check it out," Daniel said softly, surprising Gloria. "I just made a passing remark at the time. It''s okay if we didn''t get it; I''m notcking nes," Gloria responded. "It''s rare to find something you like, and it''s already arrived. Let''s go have a look," Daniel persuaded, leading Gloria away from the Riddle residence. Deep down, Gloria felt touched. Perhaps the ne wasn''t all that important, but the thoughtfulness behind the gesture warmed her heart. Meanwhile, Nicole had arrived at the office. "How did it go, was Patricia''s missionst night sessful?" Lulu asked eagerly as soon as Nicole walked in. "Sessful, don¡¯t worry," Nicole replied with a smile. "That''s good to hear," Lulu blinked rapidly and asked, "So when can we wrap this up?" "Maybe soon," Nicole pondered. "Everything is going as nned. Unless something unexpected happens, we should be able to wrap up this operation soon." "Ah, let''s pray it ends soon so we can enjoy some peace for a while," Lulu murmured, sping her hands together in hope. Seeing her gesture, Nicole couldn''t help but smile wryly. "It should be over quickly." "Oh, by the way, the partnerpanies that had issues before have all agreed to cooperate with US and won''t terminate the partnership," Lulu reported. "That''s good news," Nicole replied with a slight smile, having never really worried about this matter. " It''s all thanks to you. With two Crests and the support of so many prominent families, they''d be foolish to end their partnership with US," Lulu said proudly. "Enough of that. While their support is important, we must also stand strong on our own. The power we wield is what truly matters; external support is secondary.," Nicole emphasized the importance of self- reliance. "Don''t worry, the strength of Riddle Corporation is evident to all," Lulu assured, confident in their collective efforts and contributions to ensure the corporation¡¯s continued growth and sess. Once they deal with Everett, they expected fewer troubles and even greater expansion. Meanwhile, at BayCorp. Doretta started her job today. Despite it being her first day, she proved to be quite professional, quickly mastering her tasks with apparent ease. "She''s certainly capable, but it''s a pity..." Er sighed. It was a shame Doretta harbored ill intentions; otherwise, keeping her at BayCorp could have been beneficial. If she truly achieved great results for thepany, she would get what she deserved. "She has some skills, but her ambition is even greater," Patriciamented, her expression slightly darkened by the thought. Chapter 3145 Chapter 3145 "You''re right," Er said, shaking his head. He felt his heart grow cold as he thought about Doretta''s actions. Emma had trusted Doretta so much and had treated her so kindly, only for Doretta to betray them like this. Ell ar might not be too upset, but Emma would surely be heartbroken when everything became known. "Hey," Patricia said, noticing Er staring off into space, fixated on Doretta. She gently nudged him, frowning. "Remember, create more opportunities for her to act," Patricia suggested, implying that he shouldn''t guard the office too closely and arouse Doretta''s suspicions. "Got it. I''ve nned to give her a chance at lunch," Er replied with a smile. "Lunch?" Patricia frowned, concerned that it might be too soon since Doretta had just arrived. Er purposely raised his voice when he said, "I''ve made a reservation for lunch. I''lle find you when it''s break time." Patricia rolled her eyes at Er, frustrated but unable to show it, and silently left with her documents. She was beginning to suspect that Er was doing this on purpose. But the words were already out, and they had to go out for lunch to avoid raising Doretta''s suspicions. As noon approached, Er and Patricia were gearing up to head out when Doretta''s voice halted them. "Er, Patricia."Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. Doretta then inquired, "Are you two heading out?" "For lunch," Er said matter-of-factly. Doretta appeared somewhat anxious, then timidly asked, "Er, I''m still getting my bearings around here. Could I join you for lunch?" Er was on the verge of a t-out no. Doretta quickly added, "I''ll get the hang of the ce soon, then I won''t intrude on your dates." "Fine." Just as Er was plotting a polite refusal, Patricia had already weed Doretta. El I ar shot Patricia a look of mild betrayal, but Patricia had already turned to Doretta with a cheerful, "Let''s head out." The trio exited the office and boarded the car. The chauffeur ignited the engine, steering toward the eatery Er had booked. "I really am sorry, Er. I''ll make sure to get a goody of thend ASAP," Doretta offered her apologies. "It''s okay," Er managed, though his face barely hid his annoyance. This lunch was supposed to be a special moment for Patricia, a chance for Er to spend time with her before she had to leave. Their moments together were precious, given that Patricia''s departure was inevitable. The unexpected addition of Doretta was more than just a minor inconvenience; it was a disruption to his ns, and the more Er dwelled on it, the more his irritation grew. Meanwhile, Patricia was giving Doretta a rundown of the neighborhood, pointing outndmarks and features with patience, helping her to familiarize herself with the new environment. "Thank you," Doretta gratefully responded, before yfully adding, "You''re really kind. It''s easy to see why Er is so fond of you." Patricia offered a warm smile in return. "It''s the least I can do. I''d extend the same courtesy to any new team member, especially you, being Er''s cousin and all." "Er, you and Patricia are unbeatable pair.. When''s the big celebration? I can hardly wait to hear wedding bells," Doretta cheerfully teased. Er''s response was a barely audible grumble, "Don¡¯t hold your breath," his mood clearly not improving. Chapter 3146 Chapter 3146 "What did you say? I didn¡¯t catch that." Doretta noticed Er''s clear displeasure, her own face losing some color at his reaction. Before things could escte, Patricia stepped in, "Jumping to talk of marriage is jumping the gun, don''t you think?" "But Aunt Emma adores you. She''s quite keen on the idea of you joining the family," Doretta couldn''t help but smile again, trying to lighten the mood. Noticing Er''s continued annoyance, Patricia subtly pinched him as a cue to ease up. "Ouch!" The pinch caught Ell ar off guard, making him grunt involuntarily. "Er?" Doretta''s confusion grew, looking between them for an exnation. Catching Patricia''s subtle cue, Er took a deep breath, attempting to soften his stance. "Like we¡¯ve mentioned earlier, marriage isn''t on our agenda for the next few years. Mom''s on board with that decision, so it''s not something we''re rushing into." "Oh, I understand," Doretta replied, her smile returning. "Well, in that case, Er, you''ll have to really look out for Patricia. It''d be a real loss if you let someone as wonderful as her slip away." Er mustered a tight smile in response, choosing to keep his peace. Given his sour mood, he figured it was wiser to hold back anyments that might inadvertently reveal his current state of irritation. The trio reached the restaurant Er had picked out. Opting for the main dining area rather than a secluded private room turned out to be a fortunate choice, considering the addition of Doretta. This setting made the dynamic less awkward than it might have been in a more intimate environment. Once they had ced their orders, a palpable silence descended over the table. Theck of conversation lent an almost ghostly air to the meal, with each person focusing solely on their food. Er, already in a foul mood, silently wished for the meal to end quickly so they could all go back. Patricia, who had used up much of her diplomatic energy during the car ride, found it increasingly difficult to engage with someone as chatty as Doretta. For someone as naturally reserved as Patricia, Doretta''s incessant talking was bing a test of her limits. N?velDrama.Org holds ? this. Doretta, picking up on the silence from Er and Patricia, chose to mirror their quietness, perhaps sensing the tension. As they prepared to head back, Doretta spoke up, ''I won''t being back with you two. I just remembered I''ve got some errands I need to take care of." "Alright then," Er responded. He didn''t inquire about the specifics of her errands, nor did he try to convince her otherwise. His agreement came quickly, without any hesitation. Doretta watched as Er''s car drove off, her face turning notably more somber once it was out of sight. She then turned her attention to a car parked along the road. After a cautious nce around, she swiftly approached it and got inside. "What''s the matter?" Doretta''s tone carried a touch of annoyance. "I''ve been informed you''ve started at BayCorp. Might you be in need of an internal ally?" the upant of the car inquired. With a flicker of irritation, Doretta retorted, "I''ve barely gotten my foot in the door. How could I possibly arrange for someone else to be hired?" The notion of receiving help seemed to her more of aplication than a benefit. If you see no need for it, then let''s drop the matter," the person replied, his toneced with apathy. A shadow of suspicion crossed Doretta''s face as she pressed, "Are you here to watch over me?" His face revealed nothing that hinted at a new assignment or information. "I''m here out of concern for you," he confessed, not dodging the implication. Doretta''s face nched, then reddened with fury. "If you mistrust me, then save your breath. Do you grasp who Patricia, the woman with Er, is? Any minor error could blow our cover. Should things go awry, are you prepared to bear the consequences?" Internally, she cautioned herself, ''Patricia is no mere individual. Any mishap could spell disaster, and I won''t be held ountable if you refuse to heed my advice.'' The very fact that Patricia is aplex figure is why I fear you might be exposed due to any negligence on your part," the person countered, concern creasing his brow. "There''s no need for your worry. The best assistance you could offer is to keep your distance," Doretta dered firmly before exiting the car and shutting the door with a decisive m. Chapter 3147 Chapter 3147 Watching Doretta''s departing figure, the man''s eyes narrowed slightly, as if he was pondering something. It wasn''t until Doretta had walked away that he started the car and drove off. At Riddle Corporation, Nicole and Lulu, having just finished their lunch and taking a break, were surprised to see Patricia walk in. "Patricia, what brings you here?" "Ms. Riddle..." Patricia approached This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org. the couch, her tone slightly grave as she said, "Today, Er and I deliberately gave Doretta an opportunity, but her reaction was quite abnormal." After exining the events of the lunch to Nicole, Patricia frowned. "Did she sense something, or is she trying to deceive US?" "It''s unlikely she''s noticed anything," Nicole pondered for a moment before responding. "Then what''s going on?" Lulu asked, puzzled about how such a perfect opportunity could be missed. Patricia hesitated before adding, "After Er and I left, Doretta met with that man again." She had arranged for someone to keep an eye on Doretta, which led to the discovery. She wondered, Meeting with that man at such a time was too risky for Doretta. Was it desperation, or did they have another task?'' Nicole''s eyes narrowed in thought. After a moment, she spected, "Are they still not confident in Doretta?" "I''m not sure, but she seemed quite angry when she left," Patricia reported. "Could it be that they have some unresolved issues?" Lulu guessed. "Perhaps," Nicole looked at Patricia, "Doretta might act within the next few days. Be careful." "Yes," Patricia acknowledged respectfully. "Also, keep a close eye on Doretta. If they haven''te to an agreement, Doretta might continue to deal with that man, giving US another chance to reim the seal," Nicole reminded Patricia. After a slight hesitation, Patricia lowered her voice. "Ms. Riddle, we use a fake seal." "What?!" Lulu eximed, somewhat shocked, "You guys..." "It was Er''s idea. Doretta is no simple character; if we fail and she steals the fake seal, it would be of no use to her," Patricia exined. Nicole nodded in agreement. "Hmm, it''s a good strategy." "Then you don''t have to worry so much. If it''s lost, it''s lost," Luluughed. Patricia shook her head. "The more it seems like that, the more we have to act like it''s important. Otherwise, Doretta might be suspicious." "Right, we definitely can''t afford to show any weaknesses now,¡± Nicole concurred. "However..." Nicole looked at Patricia with a meaningful expression. "I think we can use your and Er''s method to our advantage." "Use it?" Patricia was somewhat puzzled. Nicole smiled slightly. "Are you nning to wait for Doretta to steal the fake seal and then use that as evidence to expose her?" "Yes," Patricia confirmed. "Then why not use this opportunity to implicate Everett?" Nicole suggested. After all, Doretta was just a small figure being manipted; catching her wouldn''t mean much. But if they could link it back to Everett, that would be a different story. "You mean..." Patricia''s eyes widened in realization the moment she grasped Nicole''s intention. "Indeed, this strategy is much better," Lulu understood as well, expressing her agreement. "Tell Er to keep a close eye on Doretta in theing days," Nicole instructed with a serious expression. Patricia nodded. "Yes, I''ll also arrange for someone to watch her." "Good. You can go back now,¡± Nicole concluded. "Yes," Patricia responded, turning to leave. Chapter 3148 Chapter 3148 Lulu frowned and looked at Nicole. "You think Doretta''s ambition is so big, maybe she asked Everett for something, and he didn''t agree?" "Only Doretta would know that," Nicole sighed, genuinely surprised that Emma''s distant rtive would do something to harm her. "Nicole, if our n seeds this time, can we finally bring Everett to justice?" Lulu''s eyes sparkled, as if she could already see Everett being captured. "Everett." Nicole''s voice turned cold as she uttered the name. **** Meanwhile, Jerry made his way into Everett''s office. "Mr. Wright, Doretta has started at BayCorp and is trying to get close to Er." "Tell her to expedite her actions," Everett instructed, his voice icy. "Our contact just met with her. She''s indicated that she''s too new at thepany to initiate any significant moves just yet," Jerry ryed. Everett let out a derisive snort. "Dying only increases our exposure to risk. Her hesitations are unnecessary." In his mind, he reasoned, ''Whether she steals the seal now orter makes no difference. ''Is she under the impression that a dy will soften Er''s stance? The final result won''t change; there''s no other path. ''Given Er¡¯s evident fondness for Nicole, it''s clear he wouldn''t waver, even if presented with the chance. ''Thus, the idea of offering BayCorp for Er is pointless in the end; he won''t be persuaded.'' "I''ll ensure our message is conveyed," Jerry said. "And how is that ¡¯individual'' faring?" Everett inquired next. "Everything is proceeding as expected, sir," Jerry assured him with deference. "Hmm," Everett acknowledged, a note of satisfaction in his voice, though his expression was one of scorn. "As long as he doesn''tplicate matters, when I take over here, everything of his will rightfully This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org. revert to my possession." Securing control over Riddle Corporation and acquiring Nicole''s two Crests would eliminate any future threat posed by the Eastern Falcon. "Understood," Jerry acknowledged, then quietly awaited any further instructions. "Good," Everett nodded and then fell silent. Everett leaned back in his chair, his gaze dark, fixed on the window outside. He thought to himself, ''After enduring for so long and making so many sacrifices, I absolutely wouldn''t allow myself to fail.¡¯ **** As the sun set, Nicole and Jared made their way back to the Riddle residence. Just as they were getting out of the car, Tia arrived, having picked up Nn and Lana. "Daddy, Mommy," Nn and Lana ran up to Nicole and Jared. "Hi, Jared, Nicole," Tia greeted them, smiling. Nicole smiled back. "Let''s go inside." Entering the living room, they were cheerfully greeted by Daniel and Gloria," It''s rare for you all toe back together today." "Grandpa, Grandma," Nn and Lana called out obediently before scampering over to the couch. Daniel and Gloria weed the children with open arms, their faces alight with joy. "Grandma, is that a new ne you''re wearing?" Lana inquired, eyeing the unfamiliar ne around Gloria''s neck. Gloria blushed slightly and nodded. "Yes, it is." "It''s so pretty. When I grow up, I want to buy lots of pretty nes, lots and lots," Lana dered, stretching her arms wide. "Haha, why would you need so many?" Gloriaughed, indulging her granddaughter''s dream. Lana tilted her head, considering. "For Grandma, for Mommy, and for aunts too. Of course, I''ll have some for myself as well." "Alright, then we¡¯ll buy lots and lots, so everyone can have one," everyone